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Ten minutes.
Ten minutes is a long time. It is for Jisung, anyways.
It's been ten minutes since Lee Know had stormed off to his room. Ten minutes since Jisung had yelled at him. The argument had been about something stupid and petty, something dumb enough for Jisung not to remember it now. Because really, he knows nothing is really important enough to yell at his husband over. Yet it happened anyways, and he feels terrible.
Now, Jisung stands in the kitchen, pacing back and forth. The silence is deafening, and hurts much more than any fight ever could have. Lee Know is just down the hall, just a few steps away. He didn't run away, and logically, Jisung knows that. He just needed a moment to collect himself. That's reasonable. But what if he really fucked up? What if Lee Know is in that room right now, absolutely fuming? Sitting in his anger until it boils over into something a bit of space can't calm. What if it only grows, grows until it's too big for Minho's head? What if he decides to fuck distance and take it out on Han? What if-
No. No. Stop that. Han stops his pacing, though it does little to soothe his racing mind. His heart rate is still through the roof, and his hands are shaking. It takes him a few moments to realize he isn't breathing right. Fuck. He knows he needs to calm down, knows that it only goes downhill from here. But how can he go to his husband for help after what he's done? No. He doesn't deserve the comfort right now. He doesn't deserve calming words and gentle touches, not after he'd exhibited the opposite just minutes ago. He's a grown ass man, he can handle himself. His fragile emotions aren't Lee Know's responsibility.
He decides a cold glass of water would probably help. All goes well, until he grabs a glass from the cupboard. He only holds it for a second before his shaking hands let it slip to the floor. The shattering sound mirrors what he feels inside the second it happens. No. No, no, no, what the fuck is wrong with him? That's not even his cup. Lee Know paid for it. This cannot be real. How could he have the audacity to drop a glass, his husband's glass, right after yelling at him?
Immediately, he drops to his knees, tears clouding his vision as he tries to clean up his mess. "S-stupid...stupid," he berates himself under his breath, which is growing more rapid by the second. His hands shake as he reaches for the glass shards, resulting in multiple cuts across his fingers and palms. The least he should get, he thinks, after being such a clutz. Seriously, how terrible of a partner does he have to be to pull this shit? He winces as his palm involuntarily curls against the glass he'd picked up. He looks down to the source of his pain, gasping as he sees how bloody his hands have become.
Then, suddenly there's a voice behind him. "Jisung!" Calls his panicked lover as he rushes over, concern etched into every part of his expression. He kneels beside Han, quickly but carefully taking the glass out of his hands while whispering, "God, baby, what are you doing? You hurt yourself..." The worry in his voice is enough to make Jisung feel sick, and he immediately bursts into tears. "I-I'm sorry, hyung, I'm sorry. I-I didn't-" He's cut off by a quiet 'shh' from the older boy. Then, there's a warmth pressed against his temple and he lets out another sob as he realizes he's being kissed. "Don't apologize. Let's focus on these cuts first."
So, they spend ten minutes cleaning and bandaging Jisung's bleeding hands, who doesn't stop crying and apologizing the whole time. His lungs hurt and so do his hands, but he can't bring himself to care when fear is more overwhelming. Fear of Lee Know being angry, disappointed even. If he was, would he take it out on Han? Would he lay a hand on him? No, Jisung knows he would never do that. He knows Minho would rather die than ever hit the love of his life. But where he grew up, that sentiment didn't apply. He hates it, but his body's first reaction to someone else's anger, even slight, is fear. He can't unlearn it. Not easily, anyways. Luckily, Lee Know is amazingly patient and has learned how to not only handle, but love and accept those parts of Jisung. He merely quiet's Han's frantic apologies with gentle reassurances until he feels like he can breathe normally again.
Only when Han's hands are fully bandaged does Lee Know pull him into his arms. His husband stiffens, but quickly melts into it, slowly wrapping his own arms around Minho's middle. He sniffles into the warm shoulder provided before mumbling into the soft fabric of Lee Know's shirt. "I'm sorry I yelled at you...and that I broke your cup." He gets a sigh in response as the elder squeezes him tighter. That only lasts for a second though, as Minho leans back enough to look Han in the eye. He brings a hand up to gently cradle his cheek, touch soft enough to comfort, but firm enough to say 'I see you.' They simply look at each other for a moment before Lee Know speaks, his voice quiet but firm. "Hannie, I already told you not to apologize. I'm not upset about the argument," he reassures, and the relief Jisung feels is immediate. Those words feel like the first deep breath one takes after drowning. But then, he continues. "I am upset, however, that you hurt yourself. Why didn't you call for me?"
Then, the younger tenses again. His throat feels like it closes up as he tries to find the words. His eyes dart around, looking at anything except for the man in front of him. "I..." he starts, but trails off. He swallows, saliva feeling thick in his mouth. "I just...didn't want you to be mad." He finally forces out, nearly gasping afterwards for breath. Again, he earns a sigh. His brows furrow slightly in worry. Did he say something wrong? He doesn't have time to linger on that thought before he's tugged forward again and his husband's face is suddenly out of view. He buries his face in Lee Know's neck instead, taking a shuddering breath. He opens his mouth, lips already forming the words 'i'm sorry,' but Minho speaks before he gets the chance. "Dummy," he starts, voice emotional yet slightly teasing. Jisung feels another kiss being pressed against the top of his head. He has to hold back more tears as the other man continues, voice muffled against his hair. "I don't care that you dropped a glass. I care that you got hurt."
They separate slightly and Lee Know grabs Jisung's hands delicately. Unexpectedly, he bring them towards his face and starts pressing gentle kisses to every bandaid, every spot that hurts. His brows are slightly furrowed as he does so, eyes half open. Han holds back tears, unsure of how to process this situation. He already knows Minho is a romantic man, God he knows that well by now. Yet his heart still squeezes at the gesture, because it means so much at once. It means love. It means shared pain. And somewhere, if he squints, Jisung thinks he can just barely make out an unspoken promise hidden somewhere within the gesture. When his lover pulls away, eyes full of pain and love at the same time (Jisung thinks those things might be intertwined somehow), he guides those injured hands to rest on his own shoulders. Han allows it, curling his fingers into the fabric his husband's shirt gently. Lee Know places his own hands on the shorter man's hips, leaning forward so that his forehead is against the warmth of his shoulder. "Come to me next time, yeah? No fight will ever make me angry enough not to care."
Jisung is silenced at that. He tightens his grip on Lee Know, taking a brief moment to process the words. Then, slowly, he nods, because for the first time in years, he believes it. He believes that this man would never hurt or ignore him out of anger. And somehow, that's both horrifying and comforting all at once. "Yeah," he responds quietly. "Next time, i'll come to you." He lets out a breathy laugh, leaning his own head forward to snuggle up against his lover. "And preferably i'll try not to touch broken glass like an idiot too." Lee Know snorts, pulling his head up to press his nose against Jisung's. "Yeah. That too."