Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
~Shakespeare

52.

'Good Morning Eomma' Jungkook said as soon as he entered the Kim Mansion.

'Uh! You are back Kookie. We missed you.' Ye Sura said and hugged her son.

'Yeah! No one loves me.' Mr Kim pouted keeping his morning tea aside, keeping his tea cup back on the table.

'How can you say that Appa? I brought you new fishing equipment from USA.' Kook said feigning hurt.

'You did?' Mr Kim smiled wide.

'Look at this old man behaving like a child. When you were gone I couldn't recognise who was the father and who was the Son.' Ye Sura said chuckling.

Kook instructed his guards to rest and keep the luggage inside. He sat beside his Eomma and immediately pressed her knees, 'Dont worry Eomma. I am here. At least Tae would stop cribbing. I am sure Appa is only teasing you.'

'Yes. Always the loving husband, aren't you? Don't sit here. Go upstairs. He hasn't been sleeping well since the past month. You will find your husband in the room. For god's sake put him to bed Kookie. I am too old to be dealing with all this.' Ye Sura said sighing at her knees being pressed.

'How can you say you are old Eomma? Appa still has to make you a new garden. He is running out of flowers to give you.' Kookie laughed.

'Yaah!! Go away!! Shoo! Run to your husband.' Ye Sura said.

Kook got up and kissed his Eomma and Appa. Before leaving, he took out a medicine from his bag. 'Eomma I met some doctors in America, they have prescribed this for your knees. I will help with the pain too.'

'You didn't have to.' Ye Sura said quietly. He bent down and kissed her. He knew she didn't like talking about her pain. But he understood her. He just smiled.

'Oh Kook!'

'Yes Eomma!' Kook asked turning.

'I have asked Jimin and Yoongi for dinner. Hobi and Amy are so coming. Please call Jinnie and Joonie too. You can have a night stay. It's been long since you got the time. I don't know if any of the brats have been eating since you left.' Ye Sura huffed in annoyance again. These children. They would be the death of her.

'I will Eomma' Kook said. It had been a year and a half since his wedding. And yet whenever the family thought to include his Jin and Joonie hyung to the plans. He was left with a lump rising in his throat. Kook smiled. Before he could head for the bedroom to see his husband, he moved towards the kitchen. He told the head chef about dinner and gave the the different teas he had gotten to be served to Eomma and Appa during different times of the day. They were both getting older. Pains and other health issues were becoming a norm. Both the husband and wife didn't like medicines. Kook hoped that the special teas he had procured from different countries would help. Before leaving, Kook instructed to get his and Tae's breakfast served around 11. He instructed the ched to feed the guards as soon as possible and to let them sleep. They had been driving and working the entire night. They needed the rest.

Finally, Kook thought, as he entered his bedroom. He could see Tae sleeping on his side of the bed holding one of his T shirts. Kook realised it was the one he was wearing before he left for the states a month ago. He sighed. The room was a mess. The flowers were still the ones he had changed a month ago. He was sure Tae would have put up a fight and not let anyone change them. Or change anything in their room. Anything that Kook had placed. Which was technically the entire room. Kook placed his luggage in the closet and picked shorts to wear. There was no need to wear a shirt since his husband was going to get rid of it as soon as he woke up. Kook started clearing the room without making noise. It took forty minutes. The vaccum had to be put on silence. The flowers were changed. The clothes were sent to laundry. Empty bottles of the perfume he used were thrown out. Kook realised the full extent of how much Tae had missed him when he found his clothes, shoes, and bad just at their exact places. As if Tae had placed them there everyday, a fresh set every morning. Like Kook would come any day and wear them.

Kook felt bad. Ever since his company had gone international and the Kim and Jeon Merger of entertainment industry had launched they had gotten less and less time together. Well, that needs to be changed, Kook thought. He had spent an entire month without his husband. He missed him. From the next trip onwards, they would either go together or Kook would send someone else in his place.

Tae looked horrible. Eomma was right. Tae wasn't sleeping. He had dark circles under his eyes. Right now, he seemed so quiet and beautiful, Kook wanted to kiss the crease of his husband's forhead so badly. But it seemed like Tae had just fallen asleep.

He sat closer to Tae and bent down to look at husband properly. God he had missed him. As if smelling Kook, Tae opened his eyes.

'You are here' Tae screamed excitedly and took Kook in a bear hug.

Both the husband fell down on the sheets hugging each other as of there was no tomorrow.

Kook said, 'Shush hyung, Kookie is here. Go back to sleep.'

'No sleeping. You came. I just want to hug you.' Tae said like a small baby who had just gotten their favourite toy.

'Hyungie. Sleep. You promised me you would sleep. You still didn't. Now sleep, I will be here when you open you your eyes. Kookie will treat you.' Kook said as if speaking to a child.

Tae pouted like a baby. But he knew kook must have been tired too. And he could barely keep his eyes open. He had missed his husband's scent. It had been so difficult to sleep without Kook.

Tae sighed and closed his eyes.

Kook smiled to himself. They had come a long way....from Tae having problems to express himself to him being comfortable enough with Kook that he could behave like a spoilt brat if he wished too. Kook was extremely happy about that. Both of them had lost their childhood too early. The fact that they could be kids when they wanted to was an important part of their relationship. Something that made them feel safe and loved. Kook realised he himself had grown so much with Tae. From being a confident CEO to an efficient husband and son. Kook had made the Kim family his. He had become an indispensable member of the family. The tea could never be served without him. Some or the other help always needed him to make the calls on certain things. Some crisis or other always crept up in his company and even in between all this, he could be Tae's safe space and on days when things got out of hand, Tae handled things for Kook. Kook had stopped fighting about that. He had realised that was Tae's love language. If something or someone bothered Kook, Tae made sure they were out of his sight.

Kook remembered how a trainer group had fought everyday within themselves causing Kook to have a migraine. He had woken up to all of them being shut in a room with a simple instruction, either they would talk their shit out or disband. Jungkook knew that Tae behaved liked that only in extreme situations when he felt helpless. Kook understood that. Hadn't he himself gotten a media house fired using his connections because they kept writing trash about Kim Industries making Tae lose his mind. They still talked to each other but when one of them felt like the world was forgetting ehi their partner was, they asserted their dominance.

Kook almost laughed out loud when he had stormed Kim Industries in anger fir the first time. His business associates always kept meetings during lunch. Tae had almost fainted twice because he had forgotten to eat later. Ahh!! That was a day. It was the first time, Kim employees had gotten to know that he owned half the company. He had literally threatened to fire anyone who disturbed Tae during lunch. Needless to say, Tae always ate his lunch after that and no one dared schedule a meeting that ran till lunch and if Tae did, someone always called him and informed.

To their amusement, the more they asserted their dominance in the other's company the easier their partner's life got. It was like the world was scared of their boss but terrified of their boss's partner even more. At first, Kook was uncomfortable but when he saw the results, he understood it was important and never stopped doing that. Plus, the cat and mouse squibling kept their relationship intresting.

Kook yawned, he needed to sleep. He picked up his phone to put it on silent and laughed at the headlines.

'Jeon Entertainment goes International'

'Top 10 world popstars now under Jeon Entertainment'

'Jeon Ent goes global'

'Jeon Ent to be the first Korean company to sign most famous national and international stars'

Kook kept the phone down and slipped his arms under his husband. He needed to celebrate. But that would have to wait. He took in his husband's Scent and realised how much he missed it.

Before he knew, he was visiting dreamland