13 January 2018

If Yoongi could stay with Victoria forever, he most definitely would have. He was the happiest he had ever been in his entire life. Waking up to her every morning, making love to her almost every night, kissing her as much as he wanted to, holding her as long as he wanted to—it gave him a feeling he had never experienced.

He was so in love.

And that's why he knew he couldn't stay there with her anymore.

He was staring at her sleeping face after a long night of passionate love-making that left them both utterly satisfied and exhausted. That's when it hit him. He loved this woman. So much. And he couldn't just step over the truth anymore. If he wanted her to remain safe, he would have to stop living with her.

With a sad sigh, he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. She didn't stir at all and he found himself pulling her close so he could sleep with her in his arms. For all he knew, it could be the last time he got to do that, so he wanted to take advantage of it while he could.

The following morning he didn't say anything as they brushed their teeth together and proceeded to the front room, where Victoria began preparing to open shop for the day. He could only watch her with a melancholic smile that she was too focused on work to notice.

It was only when she was about to unlock the door that he stopped her. He placed a firm hand on the wood, causing her to peer up at him curiously.

"Baby, is something wrong?"

Yoongi placed both hands on either side of her face and stroked her skin with his calloused thumbs. She held him by his waist, smiling at the affectionate gesture. But once he spoke, her smile dissipated. "I can't stay here, love."

Victoria recoiled, hurt swimming in her eyes. "What? Why?"

"It's not safe," he said quietly, desperate for her to understand. "If anything happened to you..." He trailed off as he squeezed his eyes shut, just the thought of it bringing him pain. He didn't want to open his eyes, as he was afraid that everything would turn out to be a dream. He didn't want Victoria to disappear like so many important people in his life.

His dark thoughts were cut off by soft lips caressing his. He leaned into the kiss, eager to taste her for what might have been the last time. Yoongi let his fingers thread through her long hair, lacing between the strands at her scalp. He pulled away a bit and rested his forehead against hers. Upon opening his eyes, he found that she was staring at the floor, tears streaming down her face continuously.

Yoongi's heart clenched at the sight and stood up straight, using his thumbs to wipe the sadness away. "Do you really have to go?" she questioned quietly, taking his hands away from her face and bringing them to her lips so she could leave gentle kisses on them.

He watched her lace their fingers together before staring up at him with her sad, beautiful brown eyes. It was enough to make him cry, but he was tired of crying. He had to do something if he wanted to protect her. He nodded, his heart breaking even more when her lips trembled at his movement and more tears spilled from her eyes.

"I'll visit as often as I can, okay?" he promised, placing one hand to the back of her head and bringing her in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, soft sobs shaking her shoulders as he held her. "Shh," he soothed, smoothing a hand over her hair while the other was wrapped securely around her small shoulders. "I love you," he cooed in her ear. "I won't be away for long. You know I don't want this either." His words came tumbling out as he began to spill his heart out to her.

"You know I'd rather stay with you forever. You know that, right?" His voice shook slightly and he had to squeeze his eyes shut to stop his own tears. "I want to always hold you and be with you. I want to marry you and have babies with you..." Her cries grew more intense as he finally let himself go. "But, love, we can't do any of that if either one of us dead," he whimpered. "I'm only doing this to protect you. Please understand..."

They only stood there holding onto each other tightly while trying to calm down. It felt like a long time, but eventually, Victoria's sobs stopped and so did his. "I love you so much," he whispered, grateful that she had stopped crying. It killed him to see her like that. "That's why I have to do this."

"I know," she said quietly while pulling away slightly to look up at him. A pout had taken over her full lips, making him smile fondly. "M'gonna miss you," she mumbled, looking down once more.

Yoongi dipped his head to catch her eyes, giving her a smile once he did. "I said I won't be gone long." Once he straightened, she finally looked him in the eye. "I'm leaving Holly here with you." Her eyes widened in surprise and she opened her mouth to say something, but he kept speaking. "I'll leave my bag here, too. I have other stuff at my apartment." He sighed before tracing a line down the side of her face with his thumb. "Besides, you can play with my things when you miss me."

He gave a flirty wink that sent a blush to her cheeks. Carefully, he placed a soft kiss on both of them before giving her chin a nudge with his knuckles. "I'll be back soon, Candle Girl." He stepped away and reached for the doorknob, turning it and pulling so he could leave.

"I love you, Min Yoongi," she said with a smile as he stepped through the threshold to the cold morning outside. He turned around and returned her smile, letting his eyes scan her entire height.

His response was what he always said when she told him she loved him. It left her heart fluttering through the rough time, sending jolts of electricity through the sadness, as if banishing it to somewhere else. Because Yoongi loved her. There was no reason to be sad.

"I know."