Unlawfully His

Chapter 33 - Exertion

No one's POV:

Beads of sweat fell from Jeongguk's forehead as he gripped tightly onto the bars above his head. The male groaned as he felt the metal becoming harder to grab onto.

The smooth surface of the iron grew slippery as Jeongguk pushed through his fatigue to finish the set. Coming to the final pull-up, the ravenet lifted his head above the bar and then lowered himself to the ground. The male's feet soon came into contact with the rough surface of the gravel.

However, as Jeongguk looked up from the floor, he came face to face with an angry Taehyung.

"What the hell were you just doing?" The brunet shouted from a little while away, his eyes shrinking into an accusing glare. Jeongguk gulped thickly, knowing full well that he shouldn't have been exercising to that extent right now.

"I- I just thought that-"

"No Jeongguk. We came to the park so you could get some fresh air and move around a bit, not so you could mess around doing exercises that aren't good for you!" Taehyung screamed in anger, his emotions getting the better of him.

"I- I know but I'm ready. I'm not some baby Taehyung. It's draining sitting in that fucking wheelchair for hours on end," Jeongguk returned, letting his deep, inner frustrations out.

"I understand that Jeongguk but in your condition it's too much,"

Jeongguk scoffed before finally replying, "Really, 'in my condition'. What do you mean by that Taehyung? That I'm a cripple,"

The brunet just sighed before looking away. Taehyung didn't mean for what he said to come out that way but the tears were already welling in his eyes by now. Jeongguk wasn't crippled and Taehyung would never think of him that way.

Instantly, Taehyung regretted the way he let his emotions get the better of him. There was definitely a better, softer way to address the situation and yet the brunet let anger control him.

The Marine was strong and courageous; he just needed help sometimes. Hearing Jeongguk degrade himself so severely brought a wave of sadness over Taehyung.

"Listen- I," The brunet began, but he was cut off by the sharp sound of his husband's voice.

"Save it. I just need some space for a while," Jeongguk whispered, feeling slightly regretful for acting the way he did.

Taehyung just nodded his head as he watched Jeongguk move away from him. He felt his heart sink with every meter that formed between him and his husband.

Only after a few minutes was Taehyung able to move away from the spot he stood on. A lone tear strolled down his cheek before it fell down to his hand.

The male looked around with glassy eyes, searching for a place to sit, before finally spotting a small wooden bench not too far away.

Approaching Jeongguk now would be stupid and Taehyung knew it. He is one of those people that needs time to cool off and the brunet knew it all too well. After previous arguments, Taehyung would want to resolve the conflict as soon as possible but doing that just caused more problems than it solved.

Still, as Taehyung sat on the bench alone, he felt a compulsive, itching need to reconcile with his husband. A burning desire to be close to the Marine was almost consuming the brunet whole.

Taehyung scoffed in realisation and bitterness. Why did he care so much anyway?

This wasn't a marriage anyway.

Not a real one.

This 'relationship' held no meaning.

But as the brunet thought about it, he knew the angry and resentful thoughts were not true.