Please accept my apology if you've been waiting for a chapter from me. Life has just been hectic and posting up my oneshots and chapters just can't be my piority right now. But I still write when I have the time. I hope you can understand :/

 

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The door slammed shut, the sound echoing throughout the flat, and settling heavy on _____'s heart. She could hear SeungHyun's retreat down the stairs and out into the night. She wanted to move, to run after him, to run to the window and call him back, to do something other than stand and hear her own words echo in her mind.

 

 

 

 

Slowly, she moved into the kitchen, as though in a stupor. Her body went through the motions of putting on the kettle, but her mind and heart were numb. It was their first anniversary as a couple. She knew Seunghyun was mostly aloof and cold, preferring to do things his own way, she loved him for it, usually getting a little laugh whenever he stumbled and having him shut her up with a kiss.

 

But today was supposed to be special. And he'd forgotten… it was supposed to be their day.

 

 

...

 

She pulled her usual cup and saucer from its spot. Without really paying attention, she poured the tea into the cup and added cream and sugar. Sitting at the table, she slowly stirred it. The fight had unleashed a thousand other little fights that had been building up. All the annoyances and aggravations and insecurities that they had kept bottled up for twelve months had been poured out on the other in that one fight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tea was growing cold while _____ stirred absentmindedly, leaning on the table and resting her head in her hand. The ache in her chest was growing with every minute that passed as her mind taunted her with her own careless words.

'Just because I use my appearance to my advantage does not make me promiscuous. At least I don't hide behind baggy trousers and hideous jumpers because I'm afraid that no one will like me 'just for who I am' and can blame it on the clothes!'

 

Her heart clenched painfully as her shock faded and she hiccupped a sob, dropping her head onto the table as the tears finally came.

 

A freak. She'd called him a freak.

 

She could still see the hurt and betrayal hit him as her words fell between them. His anger vanished in an instant and all she could see was the naïve little boy inside staring back at her with heartbreak written across his face. That word that he disliked so much because people could never fully understand him. 

 

Suddenly, none of it seemed important. None of the little irritations she'd hoarded, none of the insecurities she'd held onto, none of her hurt over the forgotten anniversary, none of it mattered as Seunghyun shuttered his eyes and strode from the flat, slamming the door in his wake.

What had she done?

 

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The park bench was cold and unforgiving. A lot like him, Seunghyun mused, burrowing deeper into the coat he'd never gotten a chance to take off. Night had fallen long ago, the city transitioning from day workers to night life. But the usual hum and song that filled his rattling mind with peace was nowhere to be found, replaced with a chorus of words… well, one word.

 

Freak.

 

He clenched his jaw and fought back the tears that pricked his eyes. He wasn't prone to sentimental cliché, sneering at those romantic comedies and dramas ______ loved so much. But to hear from the woman he loved and lived with, that she thought he was a freak… suddenly he understood why heroes and heroines in those movies acted as they did, why they cried or stormed out or withdrew. The hurt that one person can inflict with a single word, the one person you trusted above all others to not break you, was devastating.

No, not devastating. That was too small a word. It felt as though his blood had run cold and his lungs would never fill again, his heart caught in a vice of pain, crushing him until he couldn't bear to look at her any longer.

 

A small portion of his mind argued that he had forgotten their anniversary and that she was justified in her anger. He knew she really expected him to know, thought of him highly, thinking that when he called and said he was going to a party that he was planning a surprise for her. It was plain to see how she decorated the house as well. But he knew it was more than just the anniversary that escalated the fight. It was all her insecurities and his, all the stress of trying to live together and compromise, every little thing they did that irritated the other, all of it wrapped up tight until suddenly set loose tonight.

 

He closed his eyes and sighed. This feeling… was it worth it?

 

The night was lightening, thick fog settling over the park, when Seunghyun finally stood and made his way back home. No sound came from the house when he stepped into the foyer and quietly unlocked the door. Taking a deep breath, he twisted the knob and stepped inside.

 

Nothing had changed since he had left. _____'s present for him still sat, unopened, on the kitchen table, next to the meal she'd set out in hopes he'd be home in time to eat it, which had long since gone cold. A cup and saucer, however, sat next to the sink, filled with tea but undrunk.

He walked up the stairs, glanced down the hall to see their bedroom door propped open. Slowly, he walked over and peered inside.

 

The bed hadn't been slept in and there no sign of ____ from what he could see. Opening the door all the way, he stepped inside. He glanced around and was about to leave when he caught a flash of highlighted brown hair at the foot of the bed.

Exhaling, he walked over and looked down at his girlfriend, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs and her face buried in her knees. With a slight grunt, he sat down beside her, his legs stretched out in front of him and his back against the bed.

______ turned her face toward him, her eyes rimmed red with exhaustion and tears, and he felt some of his hurt fade at the sorrow in her expression. He pursed his lips and stared straight ahead. She had hurt him deeply and he wasn't going to let her big brown eyes weaken his resolve to be angry.

They sat in silence for a time, the rising sun slowly illuminating the floor before them.

 

'You know I don't think you're a freak,' _____ finally said, her voice hoarse from crying and exhaustion.

 

Seunghyun nodded once and flicked his gaze over to her. 'But you still said it. And in that moment, you truly believed it.'

Sniffling, she pressed her lips against her arm and wiped her fresh tears against the sleeve of her dressing gown. 'I'm so sorry. I was… I was just so angry and hurt that you'd forgotten-' 'This wasn't just about our anniversary,' he interrupted, finally turning to look at her. 'Was it? This was about all the annoying things we do that we've been holding back from each other.' She closed her eyes and pulled her legs closer. 'Yeah.' He sighed. 'So what do we do?' She shrugged. 'Either we work it out and find a way to move past this… or we break up.'

 

He would have to be blind, or like Seungri, to miss the stark fear on her face. He would do anything to never see that again.

Slowly, he reached over and trailed his hand along her arm, threading his fingers through hers. She swallowed and looked up at him in hesitant belief. 'Then we work things out. Because breaking up with you will never be an option.'