The How's of us

CHAPTER 18: DAWN

It took Jungkook a minute to process what he had heard. His Tae was leaving him. And he wouldn't be in Korea. The two have never been away from each other since marriage. Every time Kook had a business trip to attend, Tae would close his tattoo shop to go with him. And now, Tae expected him to let him go. Fuck.

"Kook?" Tae was curious to know what his husband was thinking. He knew flying to another country without his husband was a new test for them. "I am okay with giving you space, baby, but America? And I am not allowed to come with?" Tae didn't respond to that. He could see that the gears were still turning in Kook's head. "Why can't you have space and stay here? I'll go back to my penthouse and only see you once a day. Please, Tae, don't leave me."

"I'm not leaving you, Kookie. I don't have the courage to ever do that. I am just going to another country for a while. And I will call you every day, my baby." Tae could see that this was not going to be as easy as he expected. He had forgotten that Kook hated being separated from him. "I don't want to be that far from you, Tae. If you want to go to America that's fine. I will travel with you, but I'll stay with my cousin in Arizona." Tae hated himself for what he was about to do. But to guarantee a happy future for both of them, he needed to do it.

"I don't want you to come, Kook. I want space and distance from this situation. Please, can you not follow me to America?" When he looked at Kook, he found tears rolling down his cheeks. He never meant to hurt his pretty husband. But he knew he was making the right choice. "Why? Do you think I will try to influence your decision?" Kook was now crying silently except for the few sniffs he was letting out now and then. "No, Kook, I know you would never try to influence my decision. But, I also know myself enough to know I will be inclined to do what will make you happy."

After a few minutes of silence, Kook spoke up. "Okay, you can go." He stood up and headed for the closet. Tae was shocked. He followed Kook to the closet, only to find him packing. "Kook, I still have a while before I leave." Tae said as he watched his husband throw clothes in a suitcase. "I am not packing for you, Tae. I am packing my things. I'm moving back into my penthouse after your mom leaves." Okay, now Tae was buffled. Why would he move to the penthouse? This was his home. "Why would you move back to your penthouse? You can stay here, baby." Tae tried to explain.

"I don't want to stay in this house without you. It doesn't feel like home without you, Tae. And I also think we can have your mom come and stay here while she is around. I will move back to the penthouse, and you can take your time to figure things out. I guess I can take the time to prepare myself for your decision, whatever that might be." Fuck. Why the fuck was his husband acting like they were breaking up. "Kook, why would you act like we are breaking up? I am just asking for some space and time. I will video call every day, baby. Why would you want to leave our home? And whatever decision I make, you will still be my husband, Kook. I don't plan on changing that."

"Tae, like I said, you can go to America. I'll be waiting for your calls too. But I can't stay here. This place only feels like home when you're around. I'll be okay at the penthouse."

Kook did not wait for Tae to talk. He left his open suitcase on the floor of the closet and walked back to the bedroom. He got into his side of the bed, sleeping with his back to Tae's side of the bed. Tae got the message loud and clear.

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The following three weeks were bad for the couple. Jungkook had gone through with his plans and moved out of the house. He didn't want to kick Tae's mom out of his penthouse, and so he ended up staying at a hotel. Tae felt like his world had fallen apart without his husband at home with him. He understood what Kook was feeling when he said he was leaving. But he also knew that it was a necessary evil.

On the hand, Jungkook had closed himself off from people. His time revolved around work and sleep. Mingyu was constantly trying to get him to take his meals. He had called Jin after moving into the hotel and had broken down explaining the situation to him. Jin couldn't help but feel responsible for what the couple was going through. He should have never made a move on Kook in the first place. At the same time, he didn't regret trying because he learned that his bunny loved him too. He had tried calling Tae to reconcile the couple but all his calls were left unanswered. Namjoon had been his last hope and even his calls were not picked up. It seems like Tae was not talking to any of them.

Today, was the day Tae was supposed to travel. He had texted Jungkook about his departure and he didn't get a reply. He had trusted Park Hyungsik to run his gallery when he was gone. He was sitting in the waiting area with his mom fidgeting and looking around. Kook had not been replying to his messages. Tae had gone to his office the previous day to say goodbye but he was informed that Jungkook had left for a meeting. He was crushed as he needed to see his husband before leaving.

"Tae?" He heard someone call him from behind. He would have been ecstatic if the voice belonged to his husband, but it was Namjoon. He turned around only to find Namjoon, Jin, Yoongi, Hoseok and Jimin standing there. He looked behind them to see if the one person he wanted had come. "He isn't coming bear." Namjoon spoke up. Tae couldn't help the tears that weld up in his eyes, and he couldn't stop them from flowing either.

Namjoon moved in and pulled the boy into a hug. "He said to tell you he loves you very much and that is why he couldn't come. He said that if he came he would do everything he could to stop you from going." All Tae could do was nod. He would have loved it if his Kookie had shown up. Namjoon moved away and extended a letter to him. "It's from Kook, he said to read it while you're on the plane."

After that, everyone got to give hugs to Tae and say their goodbyes. Jin waited patiently for his turn. When it came and all Tae did was stand there, he moved in and held the boy to his chest.

"I know you're holding back because of me. I am sorry I took away the sweet life you had with Kookie. Please believe me, if I could turn back time and leave the both of you alone after our first encounter, I would. But I would also regret it. Tae, I love Jungkook with all of my heart. I would never do anything to hurt him. And if me being with him is going to hurt you, it means that it would hurt him too. So if you come back and you want us to stay away from you guys, we will do that. I will explain it to the rest and I promise we will leave you alone." Jin paused because he needed to choose his next words carefully. He needed to make sure that Tae sees his sincerity.

"But if you are willing to give us a chance, I promise that we will make you and Kookie the happiest you have ever been. Because I fell in love at first sight with Kook, but I fell even harder for you sweetheart. I am sorry it took me so long to say it to you. I love you, and I want you to go and take your time. Whatever decision you make, we will accept it. In the meantime my love, I promise I will take care of Kook. Okay?"

Fuck! Tae was utterly fucked. What was he supposed to say to that? How the fuck should he respond? But most importantly, why the fuck did it feel like he had found what he had been looking for?

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Well.....

So, you guys have not been commenting and writing this story is getting kind of boring. Just let me know, is it good? Is it lacking? Is there anything I can improve. Writing a story without feedback is like walking in the dark with no light.

Bye💜