Unlawfully His

Chapter 16 - Goodbye

"Don't tell me you've gone soft already," Jeongguk joked slightly as he looped his arms around Taehyung's waist.

"Never," The brunet replied, chuckling as Jeongguk pushed his head towards his chest.

"Hmm. Your state right now proves otherwise, baby," Jeongguk answered when another tear rolled down his cheek. They stained Jeongguk's dark and light navy green uniform but the Marine couldn't care less.

Jeongguk stroked his husband's nape tenderly, caressing the tips of his fluffy brown hair to try and console the sad man.

Eventually, Taehyung pulled away from his husband, nearly fully recovered from the emotional overload.

"I'm okay now," The brunet stated, wiping his red nose with the cuff of his sleeve.

"Okay baby. Make sure you video call and email me regularly Tae, remember that we need to convince everyone," Jeongguk stated in parting as he stepped away from Taehyung, whispering the last part.

"Yeah I will. I'll do it at lea-" Taehyung began but he was interrupted by a strong force colliding with his back.

"Guess who?" The voice said.

"Jimin, I know that it's you," Taehyung replied, chuckling to himself.

"Wow Teeny. You couldn't just humour me for one minute," Jimin said as Taehyung turned around. The Marine placed his hand on his heart, portraying fake hurt as he gasped.

"Seriously. Sometimes I can hardly believe that you are a Marine," Taehyung joked, making fun of his best friend's overdramatic nature.

"Love you too Tae," Jimin replied before he stuck his tongue out. The brunet laughed as he pulled his best friend in for a hug.

"I love you more," Taehyung whispered back in reply, enjoying the warm embrace.

"I'll see you when I get back," Jimin said with certainty, looking Taehyung dead in the eyes.

"Promise?"

"I promise," Jimin replied before pulling Taehyung in for another quick hug and then walking over to the bus. The Marine looked back one last time before boarding the vehicle with a soft smile gracing his face.

Taehyung began to walk over to Jeongguk again, who was talking to one of his superiors. The older man seemed to be congratulating the ravenet- no doubt about his recent marriage.

The older man walked away when Taehyung reached the pair, after smiling at Taehyung.

"I'll see you when you get back Jeongguk,"

"Bye Tae," The Marine replied, kissing Taehyung swiftly on the lips. The pair looked at each other solemnly before parting ways.

Taehyung watched as his husband boarded the bus, the families and friends of the Marines around him looking on in hurt and sorrow.

Everyone was crying when the bus pulled away, their beloved Marines being carried away with it. Tears streamed down everyone's faces and the wailing children couldn't be consoled as they watched their mothers and fathers leave them- possibly never to return.

The brunet could see Jeongguk looking back at him out of the window while he fiddled with his wedding band. Taehyung watched on as his husband stuck his hand out the window and waved at him until the fading figure of Jeongguk was just a tiny dot.

Everyone seemed to disperse and once the crowd broke apart a bit more, Taehyung was able to see Namjoon staring blankly at where the bus used to be parked.

Taehyung gradually walked over to the boy, pulling him in for a hug to try and ease the pain of Jimin leaving.

"Call me if you need me Namjoon," The brunet uttered, pulling away from the warm embrace with a soft smile playing at his lips.

"I'm here for you too," Namjoon replied in support before he said his goodbyes and the two men parted ways. They were both going through something similar but Namjoon's situation was no doubt worse. Taehyung hardly knows his partner, while Namjoon has been with Jimin since prehistoric times.

Taehyung walked slowly back to his car, bothered that he was so shook up by Jeongguk leaving. His husband and his best friend were gone and as much as he wanted to be strong, Taehyung felt like his heart had been wrenched from its cage.

Thinking about how dangerous it was in a war-torn country didn't help the brunet's aching heart. In fact, knowing that death was only seven feet ahead of each of the Marines, at any given time, made Taehyung's head spin and hands shake.

The mere thought of them not coming back shattered Taehyung's heart into unfixable fragments.

Another wave of tears flowed down Taehyung's face as he approached the car and climbed into the driver's seat. He turned on the engine and plugged his seatbelt in, leaning back onto the comfortable seat.

Taehyung exhaled harshly, trying desperately to control his breathing. Seeking some form of comfort, the crying male looked down at his wedding band and began to fiddle with the ring.

Eventually, after fiddling with the golden wedding band for what seemed like ages, Taehyung deemed himself emotionally ready to drive home without crashing.

The brunet leant forward and pressed his foot down on the gas, moving the car forward and out of the parking space. Passing the security gate, Taehyung made it onto the road and began to make his way back home.

After the long drive was over, Taehyung's home came into view and the boy breathed a sigh of relief.

He had made it home without bursting into tears.

Taehyung knew he had one last job to do before he could wallow in sadness. Climbing the stairs up to his apartment and unlocking the creaky door, Taehyung entered his home.

The brunet headed straight for the doors that led to the balcony, passing a few photos of Jeongguk and him on the way.

One was of them in front of a fountain, after they had gotten married, smiling brightly. The other was a selfie of the pair in front of two paintings, one that Jeongguk had done and one that Taehyung had done.

The difference between the two pieces was night and day. By no means was Jeongguk's bad but next to Taehyung's it looked nowhere near as good. They were both smeared in paint and Taehyung was very fond of the memory, despite it being carefully orchestrated for their fake marriage.

After reaching his sofa, Taehyung picked up the American flag and made his way to the sliding door that led to his small balcony. Taehyung had promised Jeongguk that he would hang it on the railing so that was what he was going to do.

Overselling the whole marriage thing meant less suspicion would be aroused and since being caught wasn't an option- Taehyung was more than happy to comply.

Once he stepped outside, the chilling air only emphasised the loneliness that stuck inside of Taehyung's breaking heart.

The brunet leant over the railing to drape the flag over the metal. The blue, red and white colours swished in the wind, right next to the LGBT+ one.

Taehyung closed his eyes as he looked down at the flag of his country. It reminded him of Jeongguk and their recent separation.

The brunet couldn't say goodbye to his husband- that felt far too final. So, Taehyung opted to say 'I'll see you later' as a way of parting instead.

The thought of not seeing Jeongguk again was too much to handle.

After all. . .

Goodbye is always the hardest word to say.