[19:28]

You: Saeran?

[19:30]

Saeran: Hm?

[19:30]

You: Do you mind leaving the house for a short while?

You: I'm worried.

[19:31]

Saeran: If you're referring to my brother

Saeran: then stop worrying and just do something.

[19:32]

Saeran: He's building useless things and taking them apart.

[19:32]

You: ...He is?

[19:32]

Saeran: He took apart the remote. Annoying.

Saeran: Come home.

[19:33]

You: I will. I'm going to.

[19:33]

Saeran: Good. When?

[19:34]

You: I don't want you to be there. You don't like yelling, right? Just in case we argue again...are you ok with leaving?

[19:36]

Saeran: Fine, I will.

[19:37]

You: Thank you. T-T

You: Also . . . I'm sorry you had to hear that fight earlier.

[19:45]

Saeran: It doesn't matter. Come home. I'm leaving now.

Saeyoung had fucked up. He had fucked up badly and he knew it. His good memory allowed him to recall enough of the fight to regret all of his words. If he had just kept his cool, he wouldn't have said such things to you. Logic told him that you would forgive him for the stupid words (you loved him. He knew this. And couples fought. It was okay. It was natural.), but his emotions said differently. You two had never fought before. At least, you've never fought him before. He didn't have a set pattern ingrained into his mind. Your reaction was a wild card. An unknown variable. An undefinable quantity that he could do nothing with because he couldn't talk to you.

He seriously considered setting to work on a time machine. His hands had already spent the last three hours building another robot cat much like Meowy (this one named Nyancy) that was tiny and portable and could record. It had already recorded him talking to himself, calling himself an idiot and practicing what he would say when he apologized to you. It had felt a little satisfying to hear something else call him an idiot because surprisingly Saeran was being nice enough by not berating him too much.

Currently he was still laying on the floor. He wasn't quite sure how long he had been lying there, but he had attempted to call you a number of times already. You didn't pick up for a single one, but he knew your phone wasn't off because it rang completely through and went to voicemail. He had tracked your phone already, but it only confirmed that you were still at Jaehee's house. Calling Jaehee was pointless, although he had been tempted to call her so she would give the phone to you. But he knew Jaehee enough to know the woman wouldn't do something like that if you didn't want her to, so he didn't try. He didn't want to get up from his spot, choosing instead to stare at his phone willing you to call even as Nyancy occasionally berated him using his own voice recording. It was really such a cute cat even considering its bad mouth.

Saeran had tried to get Saeyoung to get up not long ago by kicking him a bit, but he had stopped after a while. The most he had complained was when Saeyoung had ripped apart the television remote for parts because his idle hands had needed something to do. After getting somewhat scolded by his twin, Saeran had left Saeyoung to being pitiful on the floor and alone with his thoughts. Even Nyancy couldn't block out the 20/20 hindsight with his voice.

"I'm leaving." Saeran announced, his bag thrown over his shoulder. That had Saeyoung sitting up quickly, blood rushing from his face.

"You're leaving too?" He asked, a little more panicked than he would've preferred. His heart rate skyrocketed, images of you and Saeran never coming back and having to once again live alone. Saeyoung wasn't sure that he could deal with that again now that he was used to it.

Saeran, just like Saeyoung, could sense his brother's sudden anxiety. He shared a look with his twin and his face relaxed ever so slightly. He seemed somewhat embarrassed as he muttered, "I'm . . . going to Yoosung's. He promised to help me make an account on LOLOL and show me . . . how to play."

Saeyoung experienced conflicting feelings at once. He was ecstatic that his brother was taking the initiative to go hang out with other people in the RFA (and honestly Yoosung was a great first choice because Yoosung was Saeyoung's best bro), but he also felt a bit offended that Saeran hadn't asked him to show him LOLOL first. Wait, had he even played LOLOL around his brother before? Maybe he couldn't be offended about that.

"Right now?" He finally asked.

"Yes. I'm taking one of your cars." Saeran only gave a short courtesy wave before he went out into the garage. Saeyoung scrambled to his feet and ran after him.

"Wait! Not my babe!" He yelled, but Saeran had already gotten Saeyoung's favorite car started. The twin gave a small mock salute before the garage door opened and he drove off. Saeyoung deflated as he watched the garage door close and the security system activate again. How had his brother become so fast at that? Also how did he know that Saeyoung kept his spare keys under the license plate? He didn't remember telling his brother that.

He reentered the house and stood in the middle of the room. He listened, but didn't hear a single sound other than the faint hum of electronics. His stomach swooped a bit and he felt ill and very alone. He wasn't used to it being so silent anymore. And even when it was silent in the house, he could tell there were others living in it. He had no idea when you were coming home (if you were coming home, his treacherous mind whispered viciously), and it seemed that Saeran would be gone the rest of the night.

"Cheer up, meow!" Meowy trotted over and rubbed himself against Saeyoung's leg. "You won't be sad for long, meow! You can't be sad when mistress will be home, meow!"

"Yeah, yeah." Saeyoung muttered, shooing Meowy.

"Idiot! Such an asshole!" Nyancy piped up from his spot near Meowy. Meowy, in response, shoved the cat over. It gave a tiny cry as it fell onto its flat back and flailed in the attempt to get up.

Saeyoung ran his hands over his face and under his glasses, rubbing his eyes. It was somewhat late and normally he would've already eaten, but he didn't feel like having any food. Even his chips didn't really appeal to him at the moment. His stomach growled in protest, but the little bastard was also the one flipping over and over and generally feeling unpleasant, so he paid it no mind.

"Shut down." He commanded both of the robotic cats.

"Not until master has cheered up, meow~" Meowy sang.

"Master is stupid!" Nyancy responded.

"You're right. But I'm going to shower. So shut down." Saeyoung told them.

"Shutting down!" Both cats agreed before beginning their power-down sequences. He left them to that as he went into the bathroom to strip. He sighed and paused on the threshold of the shower, remembering his last biting words to you, and grabbed his phone one more time to attempt to call you. This time his phone went almost immediately to voicemail. He cursed and let his head thump back against the wall. How was he supposed to fix this if you wouldn't talk to him?

Maybe you didn't want to fix things, his mind supplied as he started the shower. Maybe Saeyoung had taken it too far this time. You two had dated for a short period of time before getting married. And you had lived together for a good portion of your relationship together. And you both had been so caught up with Saeran and with the RFA that neither of you had had time to really explore the other nuances of your relationship.

Maybe you were seeing that now. That Saeyoung wasn't good at relationships. That he said the wrong thing at the wrong time. It had nearly gotten him killed on more than one occasion. That this was the real him and not the happy Seven-Zero-Seven.

But you wouldn't do that, right? You had known all of this going into the relationship. And you had still stayed with him. Maybe it was too much this time. He just didn't know. His mind felt like it was cracking at the seams. There were so many what-ifs and could-bes that his mind kept circling itself like an idiotic dog trying to catch its tail.

His head thudded against the wall of the shower as he blinked water from his eyes repeatedly. He wouldn't be able to stop his thoughts until he at least talked to you. He needed to at least judge your emotions. He wanted to see you.

A knock on the door startled Saeyoung out of his thoughts and he froze. Maybe he had imagined it? Was it Saeran back having forgotten something? He waited, his nerves on edge as years of training kept him alert and wary. Nobody could get past his security system, but it was always good to be on guard. Especially since he had just finished a high-risk job. He doubted anyone could trace it back to him . . . but still.

The knock sounded again. This time he was certain he heard it. "Who is it~?" Saeyoung called playfully. Being lighthearted always caught people off-guard.

". . . It's me." Saeyoung stumbled to turn off the shower as he heard your voice, immediately grabbing his towel.

"You're back!" He called. He barely missed slipping on the floor in his haste and grabbed the handle to yank the door open, but you grabbed it and slammed it shut. He only gave a short tug to realize that you were holding the door shut. It gave him pause. ". . . Why won't you open the door?" He asked quietly.

"J-Just . . . hear me out please." You begged him, and he couldn't say no to that. His body felt cold in more ways than one.

". . . Yeah. Okay." He responded. There was a silence that hung between you two, as thick and suffocating. He could just picture you on the other side of the door clutching the doorknob. He heard you take a shaky breath.

"I'm sorry." You finally said. Goosebumps prickled across his arms as his blood drained in fear. But you quickly continued with the words stumbling out of your mouth now, "I was so mean earlier. And stressed out. And I yelled at you. And I complained a lot. And I didn't mean to. I just get frustrated so easily over stupid things when I'm stressed out and you didn't deserve any of that!" Even though you were just on the other side of the door, your voice was muffled by the wood.

"No, stop!" Saeyoung pleaded. "I-It's not your fault. I shouldn't have argued back!" His head thumped against the door.

"Saeyoung-"

"I knew we were both stressed." He insisted. "And I know you didn't mean to snap at me. But I couldn't stop myself. I'm so sorry."

"I . . ." You hesitated, and Saeyoung felt a soft thud from the other side of the door. "I forgive you." You finally said quietly. "But only if you forgive me too?"

He closed his eyes, his heart already feeling lighter. "Of course I do, babe." He murmured.

"But . . ." You continued, and he heard your voice tremble a bit, "did you . . . um." He waited, his hand gripping the doorknob tight enough to hurt his hand. He wanted to yank the door open and wrap his arms around you. He just wanted to hold you and not let go. But he waited, half-terrified of what you would say next. Finally you seemed to find the words you wanted. "The next time we fight . . ." and you huffed a sardonic laugh, "please . . . please don't ever tell me you love me sarcastically. I can't bear it, Saeyoung. You've told me you love me in so many ways . . . but I never want to hear you say it like that again. Please." You begged him. He could hear the tremble in your voice.

"God!" He inhaled shakily. "I won't. I'm so sorry. Let me open the door. Please." His body was vibrating with his need. He wouldn't be able to hold back soon. You weren't strong enough to stop him from yanking open the doors if he wanted to.

The knob jiggled just slightly, and he pulled open the door to immediately envelop you in his arms. Neither of you minded that he was still fairly soaked as he clutched you to him. Your arms wrapped around his back and squeezed, pressing your face to his shoulder. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed a kiss to your temple.

"I love you." He swore. "I love you so much. Even when you're angry."

You laughed wetly and briefly pressed your face to his neck as you said playfully, "What? Were you j-just being truthful in a, uh, sarcastic tone earlier?"

"Yes. Absolutely." He lied. "Next time no sarcasm at all."

"Okay." You pulled your face back. Your eyes were so red and the stress was still there on your face. He hated that he did that to you. "Okay, Saeyoung."

Saeyoung kissed your eyes. And then he kissed you firmly on the mouth. Your arms wrapped around his neck, melting into his hold completely so you both fell back against the wall. The kiss tasted of salt and coffee. He took in the scent of you and how your hair felt between his fingers. His heart felt so much lighter even as it threatened to beat out of his chest. He just needed this moment to be like it was forever. Maybe he would make the time machine just so he could stop time. That was a better plan. You would love that idea, he was sure.

You pulled back from him though, your cheeks bright pink and your eyes shiny. Saeyoung was glad suddenly that the wall was supporting him as that beautiful teasing smile spread across your face and you glanced down between you two. "Well." You said, tilting your head just a little before you looked back up at him. "Should we take advantage of your state of undress?"

Saeyoung thanked God that Saeran had the perfect timing to leave the house. "Make up sex?" He suggested.

"The only thing the fights are worth." You agreed, pressing close to him again.

"Saeran's not home." He murmured.

"Oh?" You responded, something knowing in your voice. "How convenient. Let's . . . make up then." Your hand trailed down over Saeyoung's bare stomach lower and lower, and his smile just widened.

"I have just the spot." Your giggles in response to that made his night all the better.