boy in the bubble tk

It was 6:48, I was walking home

Jungkook often found himself straying from the quickest way home from school. He followed the chatty girls and popular guys to the mall, where he wandered away from everyone else and into the one store that actually interested him.

The bookstore was all manga. The colors were vibrant, the music in the store calming, and most of all: the people in the store were little in number. Jungkook had lived the past years in a bubble of his own seclusion that only his mother and his childhood dog could go in. Anyone else was shut off. His father and older brother had an international firm to run so they were often on trips to the other side of the world. Jungkook did not envy them at all. He was neutral about his father, who was a stern but nice enough man. His brother often bullied him when they were younger, but in the end, he was quite closed off to Jungkook, so the two had never had any bond. To Jungkook, it had been like living with a stranger.

Jungkook's favorite time of the day was this. Wandering around the store until he stumbled onto a new series, or racing to his favorite series to find another edition added. Today he was looking for one volume in particular. He had started reading a new series called Red Revenge and had bought the first part last week. He was hoping to find the next part in the store.

"Excuse me."

Jungkook turned around and found a pink haired guy standing behind him, just a few inches taller than him. He wore thick black glasses and a black cap. "Yes?"

"I was wondering if you read the first part of Red Revenge? I am thinking of reading it, but I'm unsure if I should."

"Oh," Jungkook lowered the manga he was holding. The boy looked down at it and grinned.

"Based on seeing you grabbing the second part, I'm guessing it was good?"

He shrugged. Jungkook wasn't one to make small talk with people, heck, he didn't even like most people. He guessed the boy was either an alpha or a beta since his scent wasn't telling him anything. Scent blockers would do that. "It was alright, I guess. I just really like boxing."

This made the guy's eyes light up. "Oh, have you read Ashita No Joe? The series is seen as one of the best sports manga ever made! I really enjoyed reading it."

The guy seemed very enthusiastic about manga, which was something Jungkook could understand; being a fanatic himself. He struggled to answer: "Ah, thank you for the recommendation, I'll keep it in mind."

"And I'll keep your opinion in mind", the stranger smiled before slipping past Jungkook to pick up his own copy of Red Revenge vol. 1. He turned back around, his lips stretched into a big round smile and his eyes barely visible through his long messy bangs. "See you around!"

Jungkook watched the boy bow and then leave for the counter. His pink hair contrasted heavily against his black sweats and hoodie, and Jungkook thought how the guy could have been the main character in a manga.

He turned back around, so he wouldn't feel a creep staring at a stranger, and then went to browse some more. He didn't feel like going home already. He also knew who else would probably be on his way home, and he didn't fancy eating a fist for dinner tonight.

A guttural groan left Jungkook's body the moment the fist hit his ribs. The brown bag containing his and his mom's dinner fell to the ground, and Jungkook could see the marinara sauce leaking from the bag due to the impact.

'Fuck', he cursed, already thinking of seeing his mom's worried face. They were supposed to have a nice dinner while watching Wall-E tonight, but instead she'd be tending his wounds.

Jungkook was punched to the ground. He could feel the pain surging through his veins but with wobbly arms he straightened himself. Cracking a grin, he said; 'Come on then, punch my face.'

'You are a sick fuck, Jeon', the older guy spat at him. 'Stop smiling before I punch it back into your mouth!'

'Do it, I like the pain,' Jungkook grinned, feeling his collar being grabbed. This bully wouldn't get the satisfaction of hurting him. Even after two years, he still hadn't seen the bully smile after knocking him down. Jungkook always had the last laugh.

'One day I'm gonna kill you,' the guy whispered and Jungkook felt it was a promise.

With one last punch, this one hitting the side of his head and effectively also his eye, he was dropped to the floor, marinara sauce seeping into his shirt.

He wasn't sure how long he laid there, staring up at the darkening sky, dark red liquid which could either be blood or sauce sticking to his skin. Eventually he mustered up the courage to push himself up onto his elbows, examining the damage done to him. The left side of his vision had gone blurry, which meant his eye would be bruising soon. His knees and palms were bleeding, and his ankle had turned an ugly blue.

'What a fucktard,' Jungkook muttered as he picked up the mess that he was. His pasta had gone cold and most of the sauce had leaked through, leaving him with dry pasta and some grass and leaves that stuck to it. 'Perfect.'

The way home he spent limping, with the brown paper bag clutched in his hold, his bloody palms leaving prints behind. When he walked into the living room, his mother jumped from the couch. She hurried over to him and pushed the hood from his head, knowing his tactics to hide stuff from her.

She was such a loving mom, it brought tears to his eyes.

Tears that stung the scrapes on his face as they rolled down.

As she cradled his face and observed his wounds, she asked him what they did to him. Jungkook merely shrugged, even though his muscles were screaming at him not to.

"Son, you gotta tell me who is doing this to you.'

'I don't even know who he is.' Jungkook pushed his mom's hands from his face. He just wanted to lie down and sleep for a day or five. 'I'm sorry for dinner.'

He raised his arm to show her the brown paper bag that once contained a tasty dinner. Turning around, he showed her the marinara sauce sticking to his shirt and pants. 'I promise I wasn't stabbed. It's just sauce.'

Tears welled up in his mother's eyes, and she cradled him into her arms. 'I'll order some pizza, okay? In the meantime, let's get you a bath, and I'll go see if we still have some bandages.'

Jungkook ended up eating pizza with his mother on the couch while the two of them watched Wall-E together. Jungkook's wounds were tended to and he felt fresh. His bully might have thought he had ruined his night, but Jungkook never tried to let the bully sully his mood.

He didn't even mind the pain.