Unlawfully His

Chapter 43 - Come to an end

No one's POV:

Waiting for the inevitable to happen is somewhat comparable to torture.

Impending doom. Enclosing walls.

That's what it all felt like.

Jeongguk was all alone as he waited for the knock on his door. They would arrest him today, and the Marine knew that.

He had been prewarned by his father.

So now, Jeongguk was just waiting. Time ticked by at a pace that could easily be mistaken for some kind of snail, inching along at a miniscule rate.

Barely moving.

That was what made it worse. Knowing something is going to happen but being utterly powerless in stopping it.

But by far the most awful thing about it all is that Taehyung wasn't here. Needing space was something that Jeongguk was willing to give. He understood that anger and frustration can't go away over night.

Jeongguk fucked up. On a major level.

Being forgiven wasn't something that he could really expect. He had jeopardised the marriage and he could be the reason Taehyung goes to prison for 5 years.

So really, it wasn't at all inconceivable that Taehyung wanted to be away for a while. Wanted to think. Go over things and process it all.

The only contact the two husbands had had was when they agreed that they couldn't afford to pay Jaesung. It wasn't worth the risk and knowing him, he would just report them anyway.

It seemed stupid to take the chance.

But that was days ago now.

It had been nearly a week since Taehyung and Jeongguk had spoken. In that time, it was hard to not feel so dreadfully alone.

The feeling of a thousand knives repeatedly stabbing into Jeongguk's heart was really all that he could even feel. However, it was hard to pinpoint the emotion as something so specific at first.

Perhaps it was a variety of them? Or perhaps Jeongguk was just ignorant to how he felt?

Either way, the stabbing pain, of which Jeongguk had only very recently attributed to heartbreak, was the only thing he could even begin to feel.

Now there lied nothing left to hurt, nothing left to break away at. There was only a sinking loneliness and a complete and utter numbness.

Drowning away in his sorrows seemed like the only option as Jeongguk waited to be taken away from everything he loved and cared about.

So here he was, someone who was once so strong, being anything but.

Even at times where the resilience had dwindled in the past, Jeongguk had always found a way. But this time, there was no quick fix, there was no Taehyung to comfort it to hold him.

No one to tell him things were going to be okay.

He knew why.

Jeongguk knew it was because no one could lie to that extent.

Things weren't going to be fine.

Even now, as Jeongguk basked in the light breeze of air from where he stood on the balcony, he knew that these were the last moments he would be able to enjoy.

Then he would be crushed.

But until then, Jeongguk had decided to try and ease his pain slightly. Try to become a bit more numb to the horrid thoughts of the future and what the fates held in their hands.

Taehyung wouldn't approve. Jeongguk knew that but his husband wasn't here to reprimand him, so taking a long drag of the glowing cigarette between his fingers didn't feel too guilt ridden.

The swirls of grey smoke rose high into the bitter air, seemingly igniting its surroundings and producing a dim light.

Inhaling the smoke and reveling in the comfort and relaxation it gave, Jeongguk closed his eyes to calm himself further.

Without Taehyung here, Jeongguk had resorted to bad habits that he knew he shouldn't rely on. The marine hadn't smoked at all since before he left for Iraq.

The cure to his slight addiction had been talking to Taehyung. Distracting himself from his urges so that they didn't progress. Luckily, health had always been a priority for Jeongguk and so wanting to stop wasn't the issue.

Sometimes he just needed to take his mind off of things and smoking always seemed to work. He had promised that the cigarette he had the night before deployment would be the last time he would ever seek comfort from the deadly sticks.

Breaking that promise felt wrong.

It felt like betrayal.

But Jeongguk couldn't help himself, he needed the relief, he needed to numb himself a bit.

Life without Taehyung was more bleak then he could even begin to imagine. It just felt like a part of him was missing.

Everything ached, everything hurt.

And yet Jeongguk knew he deserved to suffer for what he did.

There may not even be a way out of this mess and it was his fault. Jeongguk knew that.

However, what he was even more certain of was that he would face the consequences of his actions.

That way, he could work off the damage he had caused. He wouldn't have to lie anymore. He wouldn't have to use Taehyung anymore.

Jeongguk was trying his utmost best to convince himself that this was for the better.

But there was still this nagging voice at the back of his mind telling him that this isn't what he wanted.

That voice was locked away, gagged, silenced, simply because it was easier that way.

There is no use in thinking about what could be, especially when continuing his relationship seemed so far fetched to Jeongguk.

The ravenet could probably lean on the railing of the balcony forever, just mulling things over. But right now that seemed like a glorious alternative because a police car had just pulled up outside the apartment complex.

A man in a khaki uniform stepped out of the car, his dark complexion highlighted in the sunlight. The man proceeded to tuck his hat under his arm and walk towards the set of stairs that led up to the apartments.

Jeongguk recognised the uniform as that of the military police. The silver badge only confirming what he already knew.

Any shred of denial had long gone as Jeongguk stumped out the cigarette and rubbed his neck with his palm.

Soon enough, three sharp, quick knocks echoed throughout the apartment. Jeongguk composed himself as he strode towards the door, going over what he should say, what he should do.

But the truth was, there wasn't anything Jeongguk could do to help ease his erratic nerves. After Jeongguk opened the door swiftly, the man looked up from the ground, his hardened eyes bored into Jeongguk's soul.

"Lance corporal Jeon you are under arrest for violating the codes of conduct of the Marine Corps. You are suspected of fraudulent marriage and you have been summoned back to base to pursue the issue." The man stated as he looked at Jeongguk's pensive face.

"I'll give you a few moments to gather your things and make necessary phone calls." The man spoke again before Jeongguk began to step back into the apartment.

An emotional sigh left the lips of the ravenet, his head nodding slowly towards the man in uniform.

So this was it.

The lies would finally stop.

The end had finally revealed itself.

The inevitable had finally caught up with him.

The good times were now long gone.