Home (Taehyung x BTS)

3

Six years had passed since Min Yoongi became Kim Yoongi. 

Taehyung did not adopt the children, since Jihoon was already a legal adult and Yeji would have become one in two years. But the family understood that Taehyung could proudly look at Jihoon and Yeji and call them his; they referred to him as their second dad. 

Both children had their own apartments, leaving Taehyung and Yoongi empty-nesters, but they didn't mind as long as they came over once a week for family dinner.

Tonight was not one of those nights, so the couple had the house to themselves. 

Taehyung chuckled as Yoongi made himself comfortable on his lap. "For a fifty-three-year-old, you act like a child." 

Yoongi huffed and leaned back against his husband, only relaxing when he felt strong hands on his waist. "Let me live, Tae. I don't want to be old just yet."

All Taehyung could do was giggle and kiss Yoongi's cheek. "You're not that old, hyung. But you're still old." 

With another huff and roll of the eyes, the pair let silence fall, basking in the love that radiated off of one another. Yoongi was glad that he could have moments like this with his husband and no longer face interruptions due to Taehyung's smoking habit; it no longer existed. 

The peace didn't last very long, though. 

Not even twenty minutes into their quiet time, Yoongi doubled over in pain, his stomach twisting and turning in a way that shouldn't happen. 

But he was no stranger to the pain; he knew exactly what the pain was and had been on high-dosage pain medication for it. The pain had been going on for a long time. 

"Yoongi-hyung? Are you okay?" Taehyung rushed, his arms around his husband's waist being the only reason he wasn't on the floor. 

His heart began to drop into his stomach; the way Yoongi gripped his wrists was enough to make the younger man understand that there was something really, really wrong. 

"Take me to the hospital, Tae." 

-------

"It's colorectal cancer."

Taehyung's entire world froze after hearing the doctor's diagnosis. The man he put a ring on, the man he planned to spend the rest of his life with, had colorectal cancer. 

"The good news is that with proper treatment, you have a good chance of surviving. The bad news," the oncologist took a deep breath, "is that you have a metastasis on your liver." 

Yoongi kept his expression blank, one hand clasped in his husband's. "That's most likely what's gonna kill me, right?" he said dryly, earning a gasp from Taehyung.

"Hyung, don't talk like that! Please."

He hated how calm the older man was about the circumstances. It was like Yoongi was waiting for something like this to happen. It broke Taehyung's scarred heart. 

"Based on the x-rays, Yoongi," the oncologist pulled out one of the images of Yoongi's liver, "for something this large to have formed, you've had cancer for a very, very long time."

With both the oncologist and Taehyung staring holes into him, Yoongi let out a sigh. It was time to confess what he had been hiding for a long time.

"Taehyung," he turned to his teary-eyed husband, "I've had cancer for a long, long time. When we first met, I was on my last round of chemo. After that, I was cancer-free for a while."

He gripped one of Taehyung's hands in his own, using his free hand to wipe away the younger's fallen tears. "It came back, Taehyungie. I knew it was going to, one way or another." 

Taehyung sniffled, trying his best to hide his tears in front of the oncologist, who decided the two needed some alone time and stepped out of the room. 

"When were you going to tell me?" Taehyung sounded so broken, so vulnerable. 

Yoongi hated himself for making the love of his life feel like that. 

"You have every right to be mad at me, Taehyung. I just..." He shook his head and looked his husband in the eye. "You've been through so much shit, as have I. I wanted you to have a beautiful, happy marriage, whether I had to go through cancer again or not. I never wanted you to pity me or worry over me more than you already do. I love you so much and --"

"Hyung, I didn't have knowledge of my loved ones dying. Not Jungkook, not Jimin, Namjoon or Hoseok. Not even my dad. That's what made it hurt so bad." 

Taehyung hiccupped and let Yoongi continue wiping his tears away. "But with you, we can prepare. We can accept it, and just continue to live happily and lovingly until..."

Yoongi smiled and pulled Taehyung into his arms, letting him cry on his shoulder. "I'm glad you feel that way, Taehyung. Because I don't think I'll make it this time."