Growing Pains

58

Jungkook stood in the pharmacy aisle staring at the selections on the shelf.

There were so many and it made him dizzy.

Jungkook knew what he needed.

He just didn't realise there were so many to choose from.

What if he chose wrong?

What if his choice was the deal-breaker?

Jungkook didn't want to make a mistake.

He didn't want to spoil the whole thing.

He wanted everything to be perfect.

Perfect for his Jinnie.

His phone rang.

He pulled it out of the inside pocket of his jacket and looked at the caller ID.

♡My Love♡ was calling.

His heart swelled, and he smiled as he swiped his screen to answer.

"Hi hyung," he answered softly.

"Where are you?"

"In the city. With Taehyung. He wanted to go to the arcade for his birthday."

Today was Taehyung's birthday.

Jin had woken up early in the morning to go grocery shopping for the feast he intended to prepare for the birthday boy.

Jungkook had wanted to go with him but Jin said he needed to talk to Frankenstein so he was going to take him instead.

It had upset Jungkook because he wanted to spend every waking minute with his Jin-hyung before he had to go back to their hometown, but the older explained that he'd noticed his friend seemed to be having a personal crisis and he wanted to help, so Jungkook had backed off.

The trouble with loving a wonderful man like Jin was the fact that he was a wonderful man.

Jin cared about the people around him, be it his own family, his friends, and his classmates.

Jungkook didn't mind because it was part and parcel of the wonderful person that Jin was, but he didn't like that other people always discovered how wonderful his beloved was, and inevitably wanted him as well.

People like Smeagol.

On Christmas Day, when Frankenstein told Jin that Smeagol had been trying to call him, Jungkook had thought it was all over for him and Jin.

He had seen the look on Jin's face, and he knew the older felt guilty about the kiss they had shared.

Jin had tried to call Smeagol back that day, several times, but he had been unable to reach him.

And it made Jungkook happy.

He knew that God had given him another chance.

A reprieve, in the form of precious time to convince Jin to leave Smeagol for him.

And he had made good use of that time by getting closer to his Jin-hyung.

They did all the things that they used to do together when they were younger.

They went to the arcade, sometimes with Taehyung, but mostly just the two of them.

They went to the cinema, and then to a bingsoo shop afterwards to share a large bowl of Jin's favourite dessert.

They visited BBQ places in the city because both were determined to find the best one, but ultimately they realised the best one was in their hometown.