The next week was busy enough to keep Taehyung and I from falling apart completely with funeral arrangements and things to handle at the company that he would end up bringing me along to do. With him basically living in my apartment temporarily, I don't think he wants to be alone right now and frankly, neither do I.

The flight to Korea for the funeral was a tough one. The anxiety of needing to catch a plane after our loved one just died on one was incredibly hard for us both. Taehyung's hands shook for at least half an hour into the flight until his sleeping pills kicked in. He had been laying awake for the first three nights until I coaxed him into at least taking some melatonin to help him rest. That next morning, he already seemed a bit better with the dark circles under his eyes lightening and the color returning back to his face. The last thing either one of us would need right now is him being put into the hospital for exhaustion.

We check into the bustling Seoul hotel for the next few days and quietly make our way to our room. The last time I was in this beautiful country seems like a lifetime ago. But this time the sky seems grayer, the noise of the city is more dull and the people seem more solemn. Almost as if all of Seoul is also mourning the loss of Uncle Kim.

Taehyung sets down both of our bags and plops down on the bed as he looks over at me still standing in the middle of the room as if I felt out of place, "Come here, beautiful."

I take off my coat and drape it over the back of the chair before walking over to lay down on top of him as he gently scratches his nails over my back to soothe me. It became almost an unspoken habit to take turns in comforting each other. Some days were more about him and other days he took care of me. Most of the time I didn't even realize I needed it until he began to console me, but he could always notice before I could.

"What time do we need to be ready tomorrow morning?" I mumble with my lips pressed against his neck as I let his scent act almost like an aromatherapy, pulling me into a calmer atmosphere.

"Nine." He whispers while he stares up at the ceiling and his fingertips trace an invisible pattern over my back.

"Do your parents hate me now?" I randomly question, causing him to stop in his tracks and rear back his head in his best attempt to look at me.

I raise up and stare back at him with curious eyes. There hasn't been a good time to ask since we got back together with everything happening at the same time. It's been years since I've seen his parents and knowing I'll be seeing them again tomorrow worries me even more. Sure, they approved of me when I was eighteen, but things have changed. We had broken up and I moved on temporarily. And while I don't think they know that bit of information, I just don't know if they even still approve of this relationship.

"What makes you ask that?" He raises his eyebrows.

I shrug as I lay my chin down on his chest, "Just something I had been wondering about for a while now."

He softly grins at me and while it's not his wide boxy smile, I'm thankful to get any kind of smile out of him these days.

"They still adore you. Always have. They asked about you all of the time and Unc-" He looks away, taking a moment to collect himself before turning back to me, "Uncle Kim would tell them how you're doing."

"So you kept tabs on me too?" I quirk a brow, doing my best to hopefully get another smile out of him.

He huffs out a tiny laugh that sends a spark of joy straight to my soul as if it was music played by the heavens, "I did, but I tried not to know too much."

Snuggling back into his neck, I leave a small kiss where his pulse is and let out a deep sigh, "I'm glad I have you back in my life. I couldn't imagine going through this alone."

"Me either." He pushes the hair away from my face. "I'm so glad you're back in my life. I won't lose you again, okay?"

"Okay baby." I squeeze him tightly as I sigh into his touch. "I won't lose you again either."

A few silent minutes of just laying together after shifting our position so that he's laying behind me as the big spoon, jet lag gets the best of him and soft snores begin to purr behind me. My stomach growls, reminding me once again that I hadn't ate since this morning. I'm so happy to see him finally sleeping on his own that I wouldn't dare want to disturb him so I gracefully slip out from his cuddles and grab the room key off of the desk on my way towards the restaurant downstairs.

Having fully learned Korean during our time apart, I don't feel as nervous about venturing off on my own in Seoul anymore. Conversing with the hotel staff and the waiters goes by smoothly as I order my meal and get an extra meal to-go for when Taehyung wakes up. I was so hungry that I didn't even check if I had my phone with me when I left, but he'll probably still be asleep by the time I get back anyway and everyone else I know is sound asleep on the other side of the world.

The waiter brings me my food and I dig in as if it's the last time I'll ever get authentic Korean barbecue again. There aren't many other customers inside of the restaurant so I don't even hold back with the way I'm scarfing down the deliciously seasoned meat and prepared vegetables with rice. The food given to us on the plane was so bland and unappealing that I had to basically force feed myself.

Once I make my way back up to the seventh level, I set the to-go bag down on the floor as I reach our room door and I dig through my pocket to pull out the room key, but before I can even fit it into the slot, the door is swinging open.

"Where have you been?! I tried calling you! Why didn't you take your phone?! Why didn't you wake me?!" Taehyung frantically questions as he grabs the bag and watches me walk inside.

My brow knits in confusion as I watch him freak out over seemingly nothing, "I just went to get some food at the restaurant downstairs. I brought you something. I thought you'd still be asleep."

"Do you know how scared I was when I woke up from another nightmare and you weren't there? Why would you just leave me?" He sits down on the edge of the bed with a frustrated bounce.

"I didn't leave you, Tae. I just grabbed some food. What was your dream about?" I squat down in front of him, grabbing his hands in mine.

I realize that his unexpected and uncharacteristic outburst is just part of his grieving process and that it's not something to take personally. He's hurting and more often than not, he holds it in. But there are times where I'm noticing things here and there that tell me how he's really feeling.

This is one of those times.

"It wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare." He huffs and it's damn adorable. I have to force myself to not smile at him while he pouts.

"Sorry. What was your nightmare about?" I correct my mistake while kissing his knuckles on his left hand.

"We were headed back to the states and the plane was crashing. I tried grabbing you, but I couldn't. I just watched you be yanked away from me as I shouted for you and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't reach you. When I woke up in a panic, I tried to hold you, but I was all alone. You weren't here." He explains. "This is why I didn't want to sleep, Ava. I'm sick of these nightmares. One day it's you. The next it's Uncle Kim or my parents or even Jimin and Jungkook. It's like I'm afraid that everyone I love is going to be stolen from me now."

My heart aches for him as he describes the dream he had and even more so that I wasn't here when he needed me. Had I known he was having nightmares like this and that's why he never wanted to sleep alone, I wouldn't have left. I could have just ordered room service, but he hasn't been talking to me and it's clear he needs to quit bottling everything up.

"Baby, I'm so sorry you're having these nightmares. I'm right here, okay?" I grab his hands and place them on my face to cup my cheeks as he looks back at me. "But you have to stop keeping all of your thoughts and feelings inside. It's just going to eat you up slowly. Just talk to me, please."

"I don't want to put all of that on you. You're grieving, too." He looks at me with a lost puppy-like expression.

"What happened to us getting through it together? You grieve, I grieve. You hurt, I hurt. You need me, I'm here. Let me be there for you, too." I plead.

He nods, leaning up to kiss my lips. With a slight tug, he pulls me to stand up and come closer to him as he continues to mold his lips with mine, needing to reassure himself that I'm real...that I am here.

"I promise to talk to you." He says back to me while looking at me lovingly.

"Thank you." I smile down at him.

"You're an incredible person." He says as his long fingers slowly snake in between mine.

"You are, too." I play with his fingers before tightly gripping them with my own and locking them in place.

"He'd be so happy right now knowing that we're back together. He'd probably be talking wedding plans right about now." He chuckles at the thought.

"Kim Min-Jun; wedding planner extraordinaire." I smile proudly as I see his boxy grin finally show up. It may not be full on happiness, but it's progress and that's all I can hope for.

"It's weird to not hear you call him Uncle Kim." He continues to smile up at me.

"It's weird to not say it." I shrug. "How would you feel about naming our first son after him. If we have any boys."

Taehyung lifts up slightly to wrap his hand behind the back of my head and pull me down to sear a kiss on my lips, "I love that more than you even know."

"Me too." I smile against his lips before kissing them again. I raise up a bit to look at him with a slight tilt of my head, "What does his name mean anyway?"

"Min-Jun, um...gentle and handsome." The love behind his eyes shines brightly as he describes perfectly what Uncle Kim was. A handsome man and gentle soul that deserved everything good.

"It's settled. We have our first born son's name." I pepper his face with kisses and a warmth spreads in my chest as I feel him smile.

It may have taken him a while to begin to even talk about Uncle Kim or how he's feeling, but with all of the business being taken care of now, I think he's finally beginning to find some sort of closure. There's no doubt in my mind that tomorrow will be hard as hell on the both of us as we watch Uncle Kim get lowered into his final resting place, but we will get through it.

Together.