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Golden rays of sun slowly filtered through the blinds, gently coaxing Taehyung from his slumber. He rolled over, groaning at the sudden awakening. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes before forcing himself to open his eyes. He expected to see his husbands’ sleeping form next to him, but was less than surprised to see only an adjacent pillow and Jimin’s glasses missing from the nightstand. Taehyung sighed. He didn’t know how he managed to get up this early everyday. He knew exactly where to find him. Out on the dock, watching the sun rise over the lake. He paused to think about how pure of a soul Jimin had. That his sole motivation to get up at this ungodly hour was to sit by the lake. To breathe in the brisk autumn air and watch the sun slowly rise. To watch its reflection shift and glow in the still water of the lake. He closed his eyes, silently thanking some higher power for bringing him the love of his life. His soulmate.
Taehyung forced himself out of bed, moaning to himself as he slipped his feet into his slippers. He made the bed, and decided to make a tea for Jimin and himself. Without bothering to change out of his pyjamas, he made his way to the kitchen. He lit the burner on the gas stove and filled the kettle with water. He sat on the counter while he waited for the water to boil. He let himself become less lucid for a moment, observing the orange-brown colour of the pine planks that made up the walls of the cabin. Listening to the faint sound of birds chirping outside. Closing his eyes and allowing himself to listen to his own breaths. He was pulled out of his calm by the loud whistle of the kettle. He grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and put a teabag in each. A simple earl grey for himself, and a fruity ‘berry blast’ for Jimin. He kicked his slippers off and made his way outside, a mug in each hand. He spotted Jimin exactly where he knew he’d be. Sat in a beige lawn chair right at the edge of the dock.
Taehyung sauntered towards the lake, feeling the blades of grass between his toes and the gentle morning breeze in his hair.
“Morning, Angel,” Jimin sleepily slurred from his spot on the dock
“Good morning, beautiful,” Taehyung plopped down in the chair next to him. “How’d you sleep?”
“Pretty well,” Jimin yawned, “You?”
“Good.”
A calm silence surrounded them. The chirp of the birds and the gentle splash of water moving at the hands of the wind. Taehyung looked at Jimin’s face, fixating on the way the sunlight made him glow. The golden light lighting up the high points of his face. The bridge of his nose, his brow bone, his plump cheeks, still swollen from sleep, and his delicate cupid’s bow just above his thick pink lips. Gorgeous. The way the sunlight shone through his deep brown hair. Breathtaking.
“I love you, you know that?” Taehyung whispered.
“I love you too,” Jimin looked into Taehyung’s eyes. “More than you could ever know.”
They both smiled warmly, taking in the moment.
“I made us tea.”
“Thank you, honey.”
Taehyung handed Jimin the mug, still lost in the deep pools of golden honey that were his irises in the glow of sunlight. He was shaken from his stupor by a loud CRASH.
He looked down to see the teacup smashed on the wood of the dock. Looking back up into Jimin’s eyes, he was forced to remember. He reached forward, trying to stroke Jimin’s cheek. Praying he would feel the warmth beneath his fingers, but his hand simply passed through his face. Tears streamed down both of their cheeks. Deep down, Taehyung knew. He knew that his Jimin was gone. He just forced himself to believe that, so long as he pretended everything was just as it had always been, things would return to normal. Jimin would come back. That he would be able to hold him in his arms indefinitely. But, no matter how hard he chose to believe, it only hurt him in the end.
“I’m so sorry,” Jimin sobbed, slowly disappearing with the wind.