All my life, I thought of love as some kind of voluntary enslavement. Well, that's a lie: freedom only exists when love is present. The person who gives him or herself wholly, the person who feels freest, is the person who loves most wholeheartedly.
~Paulo Coelho

28.

Kook woke up to the smell of something burning. He immediately went down to the kitchen. He saw Tae showering the pan with water. Kook rushed to help only to see that Tae had it under control. Tae put the pan in the sink and turned to face Kook, 'I am sorry, I woke you up.'

'What happened Hyung?' Kook couldn't help ask.

'Um... It's been long since I cooked something. I guess I forgot how inflammable oil is.' Tae said ashamed.

'Ah! That's okay Hyung. We will cook a grand dinner together. Let's just have ramen for now. You go freshen up. I will cook.' Kookie said while taking out packets of ramen from the pantry.

'Okay.' Tae said and rushed out of the kitchen. Kook laughed to himself.

As he was finishing and pouring the ramen into bowls, Tae came down.

'Let's eat hyung.' Kook said as he took the bowls to the couch.

Tae nodded and moved the curtains aside so that they could have a view of the setting sun from the French windows.

Kook set the bowls and when he turned he was mesmerized by the view. The orange sun going down reflecting in the waves of the sea was a beautiful sight. You couldn't see these sights in Seoul.

'How did you learn to cook Hyung?' Kook asked wanting to know more about his husband.

'Oh! I didn't learn... I kinda knew .. When I was young, I would come back from the school and sit on the kitchen counter to see Eomma cook. She would tell me about her day and I would tell her about mine.' Tae answered softly. Kookie guessed he was thinking about the past.

Kookie liked the smile he saw on Tae's face. Kook had noticed that Tae smiled a lot when he talked about the people he loved. Otherwise, he had a preety unreadable face. His expressions never betraying what he was feeling inside. Kook liked to see him smile. So he decided to ask more questions.

'Were you and Eomma always close?' Kook asked. Tae was a bit shocked at the question thinking that wasn't every child close to their mother. But then, he had seen Kook with his family. So, he simply answered, 'Yes. Since I was an only kid, and dad was usually very busy and almost never home... So, eomma and me always had each other.'

Tae wanted to know more about how Kook was brought up. So he asked the same question. 'What about you Kookie?'

By this time, they had finished eating and set their bowls aside. Both knowing they needed to be kept in the kitchen, but both unwilling to break the thread of the conversation or lose the view in front their eyes. So, they just shuffled closer to each other. Kook had a lot of ways to answer the question but he decided to be honest, 'It's a bit complicated. We used to be closed but then I went for my MBA to the states and when I came back, things had changed so much that we couldn't start from where we left off. My break up didn't help nor did my constant drinking and staying out at night which she disapproved of. So, we are.. I don't know. I love her and she loves me but.. I guess I created a wall unconsciously that I kept waiting for her to break through and she, I guess, didn't know how to or was too caught up taking care of home, dad and Namjoon hyung.'

'Does it make you angry at Namjoon Hyung? Tae asked cautiously. He didn't want to offend the younger but also he wanted to know.

Kook laughed, 'Aaniyo. Namjoon Hyung .. he needed Eomma more than me. Hyung left his dream of a music career for the company and became the CEO at my place. He was young too that time and he had no support. He wasn't in any relationship or something that he could have someone's support and my father is not really an expressive man when it comes to feelings. To handle a huge company when you don't even want to was a huge deal. Eomma was his support. I never felt jealous. I was glad Eomma was there for him.'

'But what about Jin Hyung?' Tae asked now intrigued. He knew what Kookie meant when he said Namjoon Hyung inherited the company at young age without any support. Hadn't he faced the same? But also, weren't Jin Hyung and Namjoon Hyung married? And by the look of it, it had looked like a love marriage to him. Tae realised, he might have known a few things Kook like from Kook's mother but he really didn't know much about Kook's family dynamics.

'They just got married two months ago Hyung. It was an arrange marriage.' Kook replied kind of happy at Tae's curiosity about his life. He wanted them to know everything about each other. And Kookie was ready to spill the beans.

'But aren't you very close to Jin Hyung?' Tae asked happy that Kook hadn't shit him down and was answering his questions.

'Jin Hyung and I were friends for many years. That's why we are so close. Eomma knew about Jin Hyung but whenever Namjoon Hyung and Jin Hyung had never met before marriage. Joonie Hyung was always in office. Eomma was the one who arranged their marriage hoping that they would be perfect each other. It is amazing how right she was.' Kook said smiling. He loved both his hyungs too much.

Tae looked at him confused. Here in front of him was a man who was hurt and in pain. A man who when needed his eomma wasn't angry that she gave her attention to his elder sibling. And when his best friend too married, he wasn't resentful. He was smiling. Tae realised that Kook had a huge heart. He was magnanimous in a way most people weren't. People wanted to keep their people to them. Didn't he want to keep Kook to himself and not share him with anybody? Tae thought that he would be preety hurt of his eomma didn't give him attention when he was hurting. It was a different matter that he never let her see him sad. But kook was just saying these things like they were nothing.

He couldn't help but ask, 'Didn't it make you angry Kook. Your best friend too wasn't yours anymore. I am sorry of I sound insensitive I am just trying to wrap my head around all this.'

Kook was happy how Tae had admitted that he was trying to understand him better. So, he explained, although the confused look on Tae's face was too cute, 'No hyung. I mean... Jin hyung and Joonie hyung deserved to be happy. They have both seen too much in life and them being together made them happy. If they are happy, I am happy too. Sure, Jin hyung's attention got divided but he is his husband, at the end of the day. It was a change from what I was used to I agree. But then, I placed myself in his position. I would have liked to spend my time with my husband too. So, I was happy for them. And they too tried to always keep me around. Both of them didn't want me to feel lonely after they married. They felt guilty about leaving me alone and that made me feel guilty. So I kind of had them kicked out of the house.' Kook laughed.

'What?' Tae asked choking on his own spit.

Kook gave a glass of water and when he calmed down. He explained, 'Well, they would always be around me whenever they had free time instead of spending it with each other for the first 10 days of their marriage. So, I made up some shit to eomma about them having to have a private space so that they can get to know each other more and my angel mother believed me. She happily kicked them out to a cozy home at the other end of the town. And they couldn't be with me even if they wanted to. I guess, it was around that time they started falling in love. They still felt guily about leaving me but they couldn't say no to eomma and they started relying on each other for support. The fact that it made me less guilty too was an added advantage.'

'Woah! I could never have imagined you being evil Kookie.' Tae said jokingly.

'There is so much more I want you to know about me hyung.' Kook said softly and looked down blushing.

'I want to know all of you Kookie.' Tae said suddenly breathless at how cute his husband looked. They both looked at each other and Tae couldn't help but look at the red cheeks and the soft lips of the younger.

Subconsciously, they were both leaning towards each other. Kook gulped seeing Tae's gaze change. The atmosphere changed. It was already getting night. The lights which were enough an hour ago now left the room only dimly lit.

Kook looked at Tae's face changing and felt something throbbing so fast in his stomach. Tae noticed Kook looking at his lips.

'Baby...' Tae breathed coming closer to Kook.

'Hyung' Kook said softly.

'Tell me to stop now if you want.' Tae whispered.

Instead of answering, Kook just closed his eyes and leaned forward, embarrassed at accepting out loud that he too wanted Tae.

Tae understood and closed the distance between them.

Kok felt the soft straberry scented lips against his own. He tasted his favourite scent and Tae went mad at Kook's administrations to his bottom lip. Tae placed his hands at Kook's waist and pulled him closer taking charge. Kook felt Tae's hands on his waist and moaned into the kiss. It was enough to make Tae lose his mind. He bit Kook's bottom lip asking for entrance and when he opened his mouth, Tae tasted him like a thirsty man left on a desert for too long. Kook couldn't help but moan more.

Tae caressed Kook's waist as he put his hands under Kook's shirt. Kook moaned into the kiss again. By this time, both were getting breathless. Tae moved his lips to Kook's neck who gave Tae access to his neck. It was bliss for both of them.

When Tae reached Kook's soft spot, Kook moaned. Tae immediately went back to Kook's lips and kissed him passionately. Kook kissed Tae back with the same passion till Tae softly withdrew and pecked Kook's lips and joined both their foreheads.

'Sorry baby. If we don't stop now, I won't be able to stop and you are not ready yet.' Tae said softly as they both caught their breath and Tae took out his hands from under kook's shirt and placed them gently on his waist.

Kook wanted to whine wanting Tae's hands on his skin but he knew Tae was right. He wasn't ready yet.

For the first time, he wished his husband was a little bit less thoughtful of others.

Tae understood Kook's predicament without him saying it. He had raging hard on and he wanted to fuck Kook so bad. But this was his husband. The man who had left everything for him and trusted him with his life. Tae couldn't be so selfish no matter how badly he wanted to be right now.

'I like you.' Kook said in a meek voice, all his confidence gone. 'I like you too baby.' Tae replied. Both their eyes were closed and they could feel each other's smile as their foreheads supported each other.

Slowly, they separated from each other. Their bodies still wanting the another.

Tae looked at kook and asked what he thought was the most logical question to ask, 'Um... Do you want me to help you?' eying Kook's pants.

Kook shockingly looked at Tae and got embarrassed. 'No' he said loudly and ran from to their bedroom.

Tae laughed but followed him. Kook was in the washroom. He could hear the shower running.

Tae switched on the lights and closed the curtains of one wall leaving the sea view open.

But he wanted to hold Kook so bad again. In the shower, Kook thought the same thing.

Their souls pulling at the other's heart strings like magnets.

AN: A 2000 word chapter finally. Enjoy and wash your eyes with hobi water later ;)

On a serious note, the quote at the starting is from Eleven minutes... A novel I feel like everyone should read.