Growing Pains

6

When Jin was almost eighteen, he got a call from thirteen-year-old Jungkook who was at a park not far from their homes.

Jungkook had been beaten up by an older boy, and he was hiding from his attacker, waiting for his Jin-hyung to come and rescue him.

When Jin arrived at the park and saw the bloody cuts and bruises on his precious Jungkook, anger like no other rose in his chest, and he tracked down Jungkook's attacker.

When Jin found the older boy, he beat him to within an inch of his life for daring to lay a hand on Jungkook.

The boy was bigger and taller than Jin, but it made no difference because Jin was stronger from working out at the local gym for the past three years, and he was quicker from years of doing athletics.

When Jungkook saw how Jin punished his attacker, he was in awe of his rescuer's precise and powerful punches.

Jungkook had no time to feel afraid because Jin's movements were so quick.

In fact, Jungkook's heart raced and there was a fluttery feeling in the pit of his stomach that he'd never felt before as he watched Jin's muscles ripple and flex.

Jin finally stopped when the boy started crying and begged for mercy.

So Jin made the bully kneel in front of Jungkook, and apologise to the younger boy before he let him go.

"Hyung, that was amazing!" Jungkook exclaimed after his attacker limped away hurriedly.

Jin looked at Jungkook, and it broke his heart to see his childhood best friend look like he had been mauled by a monster.

He pulled out a large white handkerchief from his back pocket, and began wiping away at the dirt and drying blood on Jungkook's face.

"Hyung, don't cry. Please don't cry."

Jungkook tried fervently to calm the older boy down, but Jin kept crying.

It was like he wasn't even aware that tears were flowing freely down his cheeks as he continued to dab at Jungkook's wounds with his handkerchief that was no longer white but was rapidly turning crimson.

The same broken words kept coming out of Jin's mouth as his eyes became glassy from shock.

"My Jungkook. My poor Jungkook."

Jungkook's chest hurt at the sight of his distraught Jin-hyung, so he wrapped his arms around Jin, and tucked his head in the crook of his hyung's neck without hesitation.

Jin's heart stopped as soon as he felt his best friend's arms around him.

He inhaled Jungkook's scent, and it made a thousand butterflies take flight in his stomach.

His heart resumed beating again, but this time it felt like it was skipping happily in a field of flowers.

What is this feeling, Jin wondered, and why do I feel this way?