Work Text:
you watched the small tornado of caffeine as you swirled your spoon around in your coffee. you really couldn’t put your mind to anything today; getting out of bed on its own seemed like a difficult task. you spared a glance at the nearby calendar positioned on the wall. it’d been 2 weeks ago when this happened. with a sigh, you finished your coffee, proceeding to wash your mug in the sink.
you heard the door unlocking, and clicking back when it was closed, but it felt more like an ambience; a background static as you stared blankly into the sink. zen cheerfully greeted you, wiping himself off with his towel after his morning walk.
“babe?” he called out a bit louder the third time, startling you as you snapped out of your trance. you dropped the mug into the sink, sending a few pieces of ceramic flying off the corners. “careful!” he hurried to pull you away from the sink, and you felt guilt building up in you for worrying him. “sorry. i blanked out for a moment.”
he looked back at you, concern flickering in his eyes. “are you okay?” he checked your fingers for any cuts, taking them into his own hands. “…never better.” you smiled for him, and he kissed your knuckles before placing your hands back at your sides. “take care of yourself, princess.”
“i will. how about you take a shower, and i’ll clean up this mess. we can have breakfast after.” he looks around. “you’re sure you don’t need any help?” you shake your head, and he gave you a small kiss on the forehead, “thank you. be careful, i’ll be right back.” before heading to the shower. you got to cleaning up the bits and pieces of sharp ceramic shards in the sink and on the counter.
aren’t you just great at creating a mess?
as you squatted down to check for any shards on the floor, you feel tears falling down your cheeks, and you hurry to wipe them away in fear of zen seeing you in such a helpless state. you lean onto the counter, spending some time to catch your breath. sighing and wiping away the remaining of your tears, you proceed to dump the broken pieces into the bin.
“y/n?” you turn around to glance at him, and zen stands at the kitchen island, but you can’t exactly read his expression. turning back around to grab some eggs from the fridge, you state, “back from your shower, i see.” there’s a short moment of silence, with you hoping silently that he hadn’t seen you hopelessly crying. “…yeah.” he responds, coming to wrap his arms around your waist.
he kisses your neck, “what’re you making?”
he mustn’t have seen you.
“omurice.” you relax your shoulders as he leans his chin on them. “i believe you’ll make it better than yoosung.” he chuckles, rubbing small circles onto your hips. “hopefully.” you reply, laughing softly as you reach to pick up an egg from the carton.
“…babe, you know you can tell me if anything’s wrong, right?” your shoulders tense up, and you’re sure he must have felt it. “y-yeah, i know.” you ruffle his hair with one of your hands. “i’m fine, don’t worry.”
he spins you around, lifting your chin to look you in the eye. “but i know you’re not.” you blink, caught off guard. you really, really didn’t want to burden him with your issues again. you felt so guilty the last time when he had to attend to you; you really didn’t deserve such loving care from him. it was hopeless, your brain would just decide for you to have another breakdown anytime it wanted.
you had to be strong for him, he was stressed about his own matters as well, with his upcoming performance being an important one to the development of his career. “talk to me,” he whispered, and you felt a pang in your chest at his worried expression. you fist up your hands in his shirt, biting your lip to fight off the tears building up in your eyes.
he pulls you against his chest, rubbing your back and his bangs tickle your neck when he leans down to lean against your shoulder. “please.” he pleaded, and you couldn’t hold back your tears any longer. “i-i didn’t want to worry you…” you whimpered through shuddering breaths. “it worries me more to know something’s bothering you.” he replies, holding you close.
you cried into his shoulder, your tears dampening his shirt. he kisses your eyelids, and you bury your face in his chest. “i’m sorry. it’s just- i’m having another pathetic breakdown. it’s stupid.” you sigh, and he looks you in the eye. “it’s not. you can tell me whenever you face anything like this. i’m here for you.” you wiped your eyes. “b-but with your new performance, you’ve been stressed too. i have to be strong for you,” you looked down, biting your lip. “but i’m so fucking weak.”
he lifts you by your chin, pecking your lips, and then your forehead. “you’re the strongest person i know. i wouldn’t have made it this far without you,” he held your hand, pressing it against his cheek. “and you have to know that.” you nodded, tears of adoration filling your eyes. “don’t doubt yourself. talk to me whenever you’re not feeling your best, okay?” you smiled, pushing his bangs away from his eyes and tucking them behind his ear. “i will. you should too.” you leaned up, pulling his jaw close to give him a small kiss. “thank you. i love you.”
he held you by your hips, bringing you closer until you were breaths away. with a soft smile, he replied, “i love you too.”
you were there to support him, and he was there to support you. it was interdependent, and one of you was always there for the other at their lowest moments.
now, and forever.