Brute

Part 1

5 years ago

Nine

His knuckles were bloody. This was not the first time. I looked up and saw his cold eyes.

"Whom you fought with, just now, Joong?"

"Zet"

"Why?"

"He called you a whore"

"Then, did I retaliate? Or asked you to punch anyone?"

"I don't need you to tell me to do anything"

"Then why did it on my behalf, still? Are you a thug?"

"I'm your friend"

"True. So don't act like my bodyguard. Act like a friend, and comfort me, not punching anyone just because they said something bad to me. You can't solve everything with agression, Joong".

"You also can't solve everything by being nice".

"It's my choice, still, to be nice than to resort to violence. Do you think that by punching him would resolve everything? More people would start to do the same, just to provoke you, can't you see?".

"Then, allow me to steal your own word, it's my choice to fight for you".

I sighed. Since in our childhood, Joong had always did what he thought would protect me. Not that I was not thankful, I felt that people used me just to tick his temper. He had become a catch, liked a king of the ring, that everyone would want to try to fight.

I didn't want him hurt. He was my best friend, though a little tough and with a temper to match, he was always there for me, just as I for him. But, it saddened me to see him be a victim of men's pride, that he must be hurt and harm for others to feel their worth.

He was looked at as a brute, just because of his family. For me, his knuckles were frequently bloody red, his body usually blue, bruises, scars and scratches.

I moved closer and hugged him. I told them to stop, but no one listened, who would, anyway, when I was just a tool to get this target prize.

Maybe the only way to let him be safe, and out of harm, was to leave. Could I bear it, to not be with him? I didn't know, he was always there, the shadow, my other friends called him, but to me he was the light, not darkness.

But, if that's the only road that was opened for me to take, I'd do it, for him to live freely, and not take another punch just because of me.

Joong

"Aaah, you do come. So the rumor is true, just tickled your weakest link, and you will be a loose cannon", Zet and his three minions who sat on the brick stool laughing hysterically.

"Really, Zet? Your dick too small to just ask me to a fight, that you needed to hurt someone else to make you feel it grew bigger?".

Zet laughter stopped and he spitted on the dusty soil, "So big is yours that you  have too much shit came out from your mouth, huh?"

"A shit needed to be talk to as shit too, what's the point of being polite to a brainless shit anyway".

Immediately I was attacked on all sides by four people. That's alright, my body lacked exercise recently, this was just a warm up session. At the end his three minion each losing a tooth, and Zet had a swollen dick. Ah, maybe it's not fair, but he deserved it anyway. My body suffered a little too, a bruise on the side, little cuts from one shit's long nails, fighting liked a wuss, scratching, damn. My knuckles split punching too much.

I left them whining. I thought that I could avoid Nine, by not picking up his call, but to my surprise, he was already waiting at the road leading to my house, as if he could sense the trouble I was in.

Nine was always very patient. He could ignore and play deaf to all the insults thrown at him. He always reminded me, that they were just trying to provoke, and I shouldn't retaliate, but my blood boil hearing the harsh words said to the nicest person in the world.

As soon as he hugged me, my senses told me something was wrong. But I tried to ignore my instinctive worry.

Until I had to live without him in my life, I realized, that he was the line that kept me sane. Without him...I loose the will to be good, and just crash and burn.

Nobody would question it anyway, I was a son to a merciless tycoon. And cold blood ran in the family anyway.

My warm safe blanket, was here...no more.