Title: 45. Misery with tenderness

Pairing/Character/s: Yuki/Machi

Word Count: 635 words

Summary: Yuki and Machi have a fight.

Dedication: "Dairy Queen" by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, because in this drabble, I based Machi on the main character DJ Schwenk. Explanation will be at the end if you're interested.

A/N: I wanted to write a fight. Not an especially funny one, or a super dramatic one, just an ordinary fight. I MIGHT be watching too many sitcoms. Where did this fluffy dialogue come from?

Music: "Speechless/Your Song" by Lady Gaga and Elton John

"Apologize" by One Republic

They are sitting on the train, side by side and yet, not talking to each other. The silence is a wall between them, a stubborn, unyielding couple. Yuki is deliberately turned away from his girlfriend. He'd hoped that it would stop her from talking.

It worked.

She's determined to stare at a soda ad for all eternity. Machi is stubborn; if she sets her mind to it, she will do it.

Somehow Yuki knows he will be the first to speak. He's always the first to feel remorse for fighting with Machi. This time he's lasted fifteen minutes of silent treatment before breaking.

In those fifteen minutes, it has become clear that their fight is a ridiculous squabble. Poorly chosen words have caused it to quickly sour into genuine frustration. Yuki is sure that a mutual apology will solve everything. He turns and settles a hand on her shoulder.

"Machi, this is so trivial-" She tenses beneath his touch. "Um, sorry, let's not fight."

He can feel her sharply inhale. What was bothering her so much?

"This is just a fight, Machi. I'm just frustrated because I finally get a day off from studying and I have to spend it at the dentist."

And still, still, she's not talking. She is refusing to acknowledge his words or his very existence. He might as well have not spoken; she finds the soda ad more interesting than him. Yuki struggles to come up with new things to say. His hand falls from her shoulder to his lap.

"So… I mean, it's not like you had to come with me and I know you're just nagging me about my cavity because you care. Machi? Machi, why don't you say something?"

She dissolves, unfolding her arms and covering her face. He suddenly realizes she is sobbing. He feels her turmoil as a pressure in his chest and the longer the silence stretches the harder it becomes to end it.

"I…" Her voice is tiny and soft and muffled by her fingers. "I don't want to talk," she says finally. Machi lowers her hands but still does not turn to look at him. "You told me to stop talking and I did."

His words return to him. "Stop. Machi, stop talking." Now his words feel empty and hateful. He is powerless and he hates it. Yuki drags a hand through his hair, sighing as if he's given up.

"Machi, I didn't mean it that way. I was just-"

"You keep thinking that everything is so trivial. You have a cavity but it's nothing. You can say anything you want to me and I just have to deal with it."

Yuki is speechless and he hates it. "I'm sorry, alright? I'm sorry that I told you to stop talking. Why didn't you say something instead of sulking?"

"Why?" She spins around, practically spitting at him with anger. "Because, Yuki, one day you're going to stop talking to me and I don't know what I'm going to do! Because if you stop talking to me, I'll never talk again. Ever."

He awkwardly reaches for her hand. "Hey. . . Hey, that's not going to happen. You know why?" Yuki makes sure to look into her eyes. "Because I love you, Machi, I'll love you until you get sick of me and dump me for the nearest sane person." She rolls her eyes. "I don't mean anything I say when I'm mad. I need you to understand that."

She looks down at their hands. "I'm sorry for yelling. I didn't know I'd be so upset."

Yuki shrugs off her apology. "Don't worry about it. If you're upset, you can scream. It's OK."

Machi stares at him, weighing his sincerity. "I love you," she mouths. Yuki smiles and it's all they need to say.

Dedication: So I read "Dairy Queen" and I thought, hey, DJ sounds a lot like Machi! I felt like DJ was easier to understand, so Machi is based on her. In this chapter, at least. It's a fantastic coming of age novel with a little romance. Read it if you can. Here's an example of DJ's thoughts: "If there's a problem or something, instead of solving it or anything, we just stop talking. Just like cows."

A/N: Oh my god! Only three more to go! If you have some time, maybe you can tell me which was your favorite chapter? Pretty please? :)