Of Fake Smiles and Broken Hearts

twelve

Kyungsoo woke up to the sounds of what seemed like pans falling to the floor and the sounds of panicked profanities that follows afterwards. He blinks up and tries to remember what happened last night and managed to give himself a mild headache instead. Groaning slightly, he pushes the bedcovers aside and sits up, massaging his temples. This is bad. He needs to stop drinking nor giving into his friends' requests.

He quickly brushed his teeth and walked out of the room, suddenly remembering the loud crash coming from downstairs. Kyungsoo never had experienced this. Their house is usually quiet save for the occasional sounds of books falling down and vases being knocked over accidentally. It couldn't have been Jongin since he's supposed to be at his office today. He grabs the nearest umbrella to arm hi self from the intruder. Thinking about it now, why didn't the culprit enter their rooms instead of the kitchen?

Kyungsoo walked down the stairs quietly, stifling the small gasp that rises up in his throat the moment he saw a glimpse of the kitchen. There were pans on the floor and puddles of water. He frowns and approaches closer when someone yells in pain.

"Ah!"

Kyungsoo hides behind a wall, crouching down to sneak a glance. He inches closer, gripping the umbrella with his good hand, ready to swing when he hears footsteps come right at his direction. His forehead is full of bead of sweat by now, fingers itching in nervousness. If ever, this is his first time to hit someone.

"How does he do this every single day?"

His eyes went wide, grip loosening on the umbrella in an instant. It's his husband's voice, sounding thoroughly irritated. Kyungsoo quickly stands up and throws the umbrella somewhere. Jongin flinches at the sound and looks at his direction, face turning into a bright shade of red when he sees the older male. Kyungsoo's gaze strays over the forgotten pans on the floor and the pancake mix spilled on the counter top before looking back at his husband, quirking an eyebrow.

If Jongin has the power over the living room where the television is, Kyungsoo's domain is in the kitchen, where he spends most of his time trying to learn new recipes during his free time. Kyungsoo always wakes up early to cook breakfast for the both of them, in which Jongin would promptly ignore and would rather buy coffee outside before heading to work.

"I just—uh," Jongin starts and Kyungsoo can't help but to inwardly smile at his flustered appearance. It's not every day that you see him tripping over his words. Kyungsoo nods at him despite not even hearing his excuse before grabbing the plate beside Jongin. He flips the pancakes by himself, nose cringing when he sees the burnt side of the food.

"You don't need to do that." Jongin says but Kyungsoo ignores his protests and continues to cook the remaining pancake mix. He gives the plate to Jongin right after, grabbing a towel with his other hand to wipe the counter when the younger suddenly snatches it away from him.