The morning arrived and a knock on the door snapped them awake from their sweet slumber. Taehyun gave him a small peck to the forehead and volunteered to open the door.

When his eyes realized who was standing in front of him, his posture immediately straightened up in full alert.

"Good morning, sir." The man before him saluted, dressed in the camouflage uniform Taehyun was all so used to seeing. He nodded his head in reply at the young man. His name tag read 'Choi Yeonjun'.

"You can address me casually, it's okay." Taehyun noticed the envelope in his hand and looked at it. The soldier before him was quick to extend his arm and handed him the letter while bowing down. "Sir, there's been an attack by a group of extremists in the northeastern and southern part of the country. We're lacking in high profile security personnel so the commander has ordered for a list of soldiers to return which includes you, sir."

The younger male scanned through the official's letter. A shiver ran through his spine at the thought of leaving his home once again with almost little to no time to prepare themselves mentally.

He sucked in a deep breath, thinking through his responsibilities, and finally answered the older man. "I will leave at the soonest. Thank you,"

The other soldier gave him a curt nod and a smile then left.

A heavy feeling settled itself in the pit of Taehyun's stomach and his chest tightened. With pressed footsteps, he walked back near the balcony where Beomgyu had already gotten up and was setting away their pile of blankets and pillows. Beomgyu gave him a look that said, 'give me a minute,' and rushed to keep them in their bedroom and came back.

The younger male led him to the couch and sat in a way that he was sitting across from him, directly looking into his eyes.

"What's wrong, Hyun-ah?" his face held that genuine yet worried expression, and Taehyun knew he had to brace himself for the devastation at the sudden news.

Taking a deep breath, he began. It would be no use trying to sugarcoat it. "I need to return to service. There's an emergency in the northeastern and southern areas. The southern part needs senior officers to guide them so they've called for me."

He said it all in one go knowing full well he wouldn't be able to continue any longer if he made eye contact with Beomgyu and how his expressions would change.

It felt like one of those moments where the balloon was filled with too much air than it could handle and the anxiety that it would burst any second; right then, Taehyun felt like he wouldn't be able to handle seeing the devastation of the elder male as he needed to leave almost immediately.

He didn't realize he had closed his eyes; he opened just one to look at Beomgyu's face to see if it changed to a solemn expression.

There was nothing.

"Alright."

"Huh?"

"You need to leave, right?" His voice had moved down a few octaves lower as he spoke. Even if his face held no expression, his voice couldn't hide the boy's emotions from Taehyun. "When do you leave?"

This hurt him more.

"As soon as I can. An hour at most," he answered with pain laced in his tone.

He noticed how Beomgyu's eyes went wide for a split second, a glossy sheen forming in them before they went back to their normal size. He held it in. He wouldn't break, not in front of Taehyun. "Should we pack the essentials now?"

Biting his lip, Taehyun nodded slowly, not able to look at him.

Soon enough, they were done packing a small bag. Taehyun had showered and changed into his uniform while the other male was done preparing breakfast for the both of them.

No words were exchanged as they both ate. The silence between the couple was loud enough to shatter glass; they found it difficult to breathe in the thick atmosphere that had formed around them.

Leaving the dishes on the table for later, even though Taehyun insisted he'd just do a few of them, Beomgyu pushed him away, "Do you really think the dishes are gonna cry if you don't do them? The country is waiting for you."

Beomgyu felt a bottomless pit form itself in him with each passing second. As much as he wished he could hold Taehyun's arms and stop him from going away, he knew that wasn't meant to be.

The younger male felt a sense of guilt forming at the pit of his stomach for leaving his husband alone yet again. He felt sorry that Beomgyu wasn't able to find someone who would be in a day job and be back in his arms by the evening rather than someone who'd be gone for months on end.

He deserved someone so much better than Taehyun. Right as if he'd read Taehyun's mind the other male spoke up, "I do not regret marrying you, Taehyun. I'd do it in this lifetime or any other lifetime- I would always choose you."

Like waves washing over him, the rush of emotions pushed him over the lump in his throat. His eyes turned glassy with tears as they neared the door.

He almost wished this would all be a dream and that he'd wake up again in Beomgyu's arms.

But the vision of various families being captured and held captive crossed in front of his eyes sending a shiver down his spine. He couldn't stay no matter how much he desired to. He had a responsibility and he would fulfill it.

The older male cupped his face, a thumb caressing his cheek in reassurance. "I'm gonna be alright. Just promise me you'll try to be safe."

"Can't make any promises." he chuckled, albeit a little dry- his take on trying to lighten the situation. Beomgyu joined him.

Both hands found a home on Taehyun's face, pulling him closer to himself. He smiled a smile that was reserved just for Taehyun to see, his dimples appeared on his already pretty face, crinkles at the corners of his eyes making its shine look brighter than ever. Just like that one specific star that twinkles the brightest right before the sun sets and remains till the sun rises again.

He'd always stay the bright boy he was back in school. He never changed except for his love which got bigger and deeper each day.

Taehyun tried holding back but failed - he pulled him closer by the waist, crashing his lips against the dark-haired male's as a single tear trailed down his face on his shoulder.

Seeing the younger grow weak in front of him like a withering flower, Beomgyu felt himself dim down until all the emotions hit him all at once. The smile he'd been trying to hold on to for so long slowly pulled him down in a stream of tears.

His breathing turned ragged and his hands moved to hold the younger male in his embrace, splayed on his back. A sole fear of how much longer he'd have to wait to hold him like this again. To cradle him in his arms and place those playful kisses as he tried to scamper away.

He kissed him back with equal vigor, lips moving across his leaving a lingering feeling wherever he touched. He kissed him enough to make up for the time they'd have to stay apart, every move laced with emotions and love too hard to portray through words.

They pulled apart, breathing heavily, more because of the sobs that escaped past their lips. Resting his forehead against Taehyun's, he placed a final peck on his nose, making him take in a sharp breath holding it in as if moving even a single inch would make this all disappear.

"Okay, you should go now before I hold you back any longer. The country needs you." Beomgyu finally said, his voice breathy, afraid that if he speaks any more, he'd break down.

Taehyun knew he wouldn't be able to leave if he did. "Yeah... take care, Beomgyu-hyung,"

Words remained hung in the air; still, a lot left unsaid.

But Taehyun wasn't a man of regrets. He didn't care if he seemed weak but he would give him the strength he could. "I love you- I love you more than you could ever imagine." He placed a chaste kiss on his temple, "And those stars, we'll see them together again. I'll make sure the city lights won't annoy us the next time."

Beomgyu brought the younger male impossibly closer to his chest, he could hear how fast his heart was beating as he spoke. "Still remember the stars from last night?" He took one of his hands in his, pointing at his palm like on a map. "The twinkling star is you and the one right beside it is me. So whenever you're gone for too long, you can look up at the sky and know that I am always beside you looking at the same night sky."

Taehyun felt tears well up in his eyes once again but brushed them off before he could notice. "Thank you, hyung."

"Take care, okay?"

"Yeah, you too,"

the next chapter will be the last one uwu hope you enjoy it and please leave comments and votes,, they really motivate me a lot 🥺