No one's POV:
The car ride was dead silent.
So quiet, even the tiniest of sounds could be heard. The subtle rumble of the car engine and even the miniscule clinking of Taehyung fiddling with his wedding band were audible.
Maybe it was the immanent feeling of something so good coming to an end.
Maybe it was the guilt of leaving each other.
Either way, no words could be found to console the strange yet profound pain that swirled inside the two male's hearts. It was almost as if the cracking, punishing echoing of heartbreak was among one of the small noises in the car.
Tensions were high for reasons that neither could control. Unspoken words making the whole situation even more draining and conflicting.
If they didn't love or even like each other- then why did it hurt so much?
Selfish reasons of wanting the other to stay got in the way. Just a little more time could have perhaps eased the rough, turbulent waves of separation.
Even as the car approached the base, the two husbands didn't know how to say what needed to be said.
After giving his ID to the military personnel at the gate, Jeongguk pressed down on the gas peddle, propelling the car forward to a parking space.
Once Jeongguk reversed into a parking space, the two men unclipped their seatbelts and got out of the car. The silence weighed down on the two as they made eye contact over the hood of the car.
Sorrow and pain mirrored in the two pairs of glistening eyes. The exact same emotions with equal intensity.
Taehyung slowly walked round the car, gulping as he took ahold of his husband's hand. Relishing in the feeling of Jeongguk's skin against his own. He would be without it for some time and it bothered Taehyung more than he was willing to admit.
"Come on," Jeongguk whispered, dealing with his emotions far better than his partner. It was what he has been training to do after all. Never showing weakness was in his job spec and yet when it came to Taehyung, everything seemed to get ten times harder.
Taehyung just nodded in reply, not trusting his own voice to not come out shakily. He could already feel the uneasy thickness forming at the back of his throat- a tell tale sign that Taehyung was building up to crying.
The two reached a small building after a few short minutes of walking hand in hand. Jeongguk led Taehyung to one of the rooms so that they could register him for an ID card to the base, should he need it.
After signing the paperwork, the two men exited the building and started to walk towards the military buses that were in the centre of the camp.
Taehyung could hardly look his husband in the eye as they made it to the crowds of families that were saying goodbye to their beloved sons and daughters.
"Tae. Just so you know, you are my next of kin. If anything happens to me then you will be the first to know," Jeongguk stated, pecking Taehyung on the forehead to comfort him.
"Okay," Taehyung mumbled, looking at their intertwined hands in sadness. The unspeakable topic of death was not something that either of them wanted to linger on.
"It'll be okay Tae. I'll be fine. If anything should happen to me, this is the address of my father. Tell him about us but don't mention that it is fake. He's a retired military police officer," Jeongguk explained as he handed Taehyung a slip of paper with the address of Kang-min on it.
The ravenet consoled his husband, when he saw a lone tear stream down Taehyung's cheek. Jeongguk tried to hold back his own tears as he wiped the droplet way with the pad of his thumb.
"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.