lose my breath

star lost

The storm outside had been raging for hours, the sound of rain slapping against the windows like an incessant reminder of the turmoil brewing inside the apartment. The sky was an angry shade of gray, mirroring the mood that lingered between Seungmin and Y/N.

They stood in the living room, the distance between them palpable, like a chasm neither could cross. The room felt colder than it should, not because of the weather, but because of the silence that had fallen between them.

"Why don't you just say it, Seungmin?" Y/N's voice wavered, a mixture of frustration and heartbreak lacing every word. They were tired, not just physically, but emotionally drained from the countless arguments that never seemed to resolve anything. "If you're unhappy, just say it."

Seungmin clenched his jaw, eyes darting away from Y/N's piercing gaze. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak; it was that he didn't know how. The words felt heavy on his tongue, twisted with emotions he wasn't ready to confront. "It's not that simple," he muttered, his voice barely audible over the rain.

Y/N took a step closer, their heart aching at the sight of him. Seungmin's usual calm demeanor was replaced by a storm of his own—a mix of anger, guilt, and something else they couldn't quite place. "Nothing about this has been simple," Y/N replied, their tone softer now but still edged with pain. "But we can't keep doing this. We can't keep hurting each other."

Seungmin's eyes finally met Y/N's, and for a moment, everything else faded away. The unspoken words, the missed opportunities, the nights spent crying in separate rooms—it all hung between them, an invisible weight threatening to crush them both. "I never meant to hurt you," he said, his voice breaking as he took a shaky breath. "But every time I try to fix things, I just... I lose my breath. I don't know how to make it right."

Y/N blinked back tears, refusing to let them fall. They had always been the one to hold it together, to keep fighting even when it felt pointless. But now, faced with Seungmin's vulnerability, their resolve wavered. "I'm not asking you to be perfect, Seungmin. I'm just asking you to be honest. With me, and with yourself."

Seungmin closed the distance between them, his hands trembling as he reached out to touch Y/N's face. It was a simple gesture, but it felt like a lifeline in the midst of their storm. "I don't know how to be without you," he confessed, his voice cracking under the weight of his emotions. "But I don't know how to be with you like this either."

Y/N leaned into his touch, their eyes fluttering shut as they savored the warmth of his hand against their skin. They could feel the tension in his fingers, the fear of losing something he couldn't quite grasp. "I'm scared too," Y/N whispered, their breath hitching as they opened their eyes to meet his gaze. "But we have to try. We owe it to each other, and to ourselves."

Seungmin's expression softened, the walls he had built around himself beginning to crumble. He pulled Y/N into a tight embrace, burying his face in their shoulder as he let the tears he had been holding back fall. They stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, as the storm outside continued to rage on.

For the first time in a long while, Seungmin allowed himself to be vulnerable, to let Y/N see the cracks in his armor. And in that moment, with the world outside feeling like it was falling apart, they found solace in each other's brokenness.

It wasn't perfect, and it wasn't easy, but as they held onto each other, they knew that they were willing to try. To heal, to forgive, and to find a way to breathe again.