Usually their fights would be trivial, over something that young kids would probably argue about.
This time, however, was serious. It took all of Masato's willpower to resist punching out Ren. Instead, he continued to bite the inside of his cheek, clenching and unclenching his hands over and over to get rid of the urges.
"It's different now, Jinguji," Masato hissed, clenching his fist again and digging his nails into his palms. "You and I are legally married. I don't mind you flirting with other women, but to find out that you slept with one of them..." There were red marks on the inside of his hand.
"Masato..." Ren barely said above a whisper. He messed up big time. Why did he have to lie about where he was the other night? More importantly, why did he choose to go to that party to wind down when he could have just stayed home with Masato and slept in all day? Coming home late today didn't help his façade either, because he damn well knew that if he came home way past 1 AM and it wasn't work-related, Masato would be furious.
"No. Just... I need a break. Please." He stormed past him, shoulders bumping together. Masato made a line straight for the door, grabbing his coat off from the hooks on the wall.
Ren turned around and sped up towards him, and he grasped his wrist before Masato could put on his jacket.
"Wait! Let me explain, please-"
"Your actions said enough. Now let go of me."
The blue-haired man pryed the blond's slender fingers away from his wrist, rubbing it a bit as a pale pink mark started to form. He slipped his coat on, and began to put on his shoes, propping a hand on one side of the wall to balance himself.
Just as Masato was about to unlock the door, he heard a shaky exhale from behind.
His hand hovered over the lock, pausing at the sudden noise. Did he...
"Please... Don't leave."
Masato dropped his hand to his side, closing his eyes and mouthing a curse. Maybe he should have listened to what Ren wanted to say before leaving in a flurry of anger and frustration.
"It wasn't me. She was the one who made a move on me, and I..." Ren was now kneeling on the ground, a hand bought up to his face to conceal his eyes that were on the verge of tears.
"I-I tried to get away, but she didn't... She didn't budge." Masato was still facing the door, but had no intention on going out of the house anymore.
"I eventually escaped her, and I left the place. Seriously, Masato, just hear me out." He sniffled, rubbing the back of his hand across his eyes, wiping away at the dampness.
"I know you might have thought I've been with other girls behind your back, especially when I come home late. That is true, but I don't go any further than that. I just compliment them, escort them, and leave them alone afterwards. You should be aware that there are ladies out there who cannot help themselves, and most of them are too dense to realize the ring on my left hand."
Masato glanced at his left hand, catching the tiny glint of the ring adorned upon his finger. He kept on listening.
"What I'm trying to say is... This is what I get for my reputation as a playboy, way before we got married, and even while we were still dating." Ren's voice trembled at the last sentence. He felt his eyes water up again, and he sucked in a breath.
Masato's gut clenched at the tiny waver in the saxophonist's voice. Oh no, not now... Now was not the time to make Ren cry.
He looked over his shoulder to see the taller man hunched over, face buried in the palm of his hands. Masato's eyes widened at the sight of his husband in such a state. He once again cursed at the fact that he always jumped to conclusions.
"I've warned you about this so many times, Masato, and sometimes you always accuse me of being the bad guy. I made a promise that I would always be truthful to you ever since we said our wedding vows. This is me telling the truth, and you have to believe me this time."
"Ren, I'm..."
"Please don't leave me, Masato."
Deep sapphire eyes met with tear-filled blue ones. Ren brushed his hair behind an ear, and looked up at him with worry. Masato wanted to look away; he tried to, but couldn't. The more he saw the look on his face, the more he realized how serious he was being.
Taking Ren's past into consideration, he knew how important it must have been to finally settle down in a serious partnership, especially with the one you love and care about. And leaving him alone was the last thing he wanted to do.
Masato unbuttoned his coat, and carefully removed it, hanging it back up on the hook. He kicked off his shoes, and walked up the tiny flight of stairs until he was standing over Ren. He could tell that he was on the verge of crying, just by looking at the trembling lower lip, and how his breathing was coming out in irregular patterns. He had really done it this time.
"Don't leave me alone again. It won't do me any better if it happens to me for the third time..." Ren choked back a sob, bringing a hand up to his mouth to cover it. Before he knew it, he was crying. Not the loud, racking sobs, but more like the silent tears and occasional cries.
"You..." The pianist trailed off, kneeling down next to the blond and pulled him to his body.
Reflexively the blond wrapped his arms around the smaller male's back, and hid his face in the crook of his shoulder.
"I won't leave you. I promise you that." He ran a hand through his lengthy blond locks. "I blame myself for jumping to conclusions too often, and how I let my temper get the better of me. I apologize as well, Ren." After Masato finished his sentence, he felt a blow to his chest, realizing that the blond had punched him out of anger. As much as he wanted to call Masato a bastard, he couldn't. Ren opened his mouth to try and say something, but it came out as a small whine, burying his face in the crook of Masato's neck once again.
He sobbed quietly against the pianist, who continued to rub comforting circles around his back. Masato felt a prickle of tears coming from his eyes, and he rapidly blinked them back. He shook his head and let out a breath, eventually feeling a tear run down his cheek.