hii, could you please write a story of how dae ho would be during an argument with reader ? if not then it’s okay!💗
JUST SAY SOMETHING
pairing: kang daeho x gn!reader
genre: angst
tw: argument, emotional distress, miscommunication, mentions of raised voices
note: HI ANON OMG this is my first request heh i hope i wrote something up to your expectations !!! thankyou for requesting
you didn’t mean to slam the door. it just sort of… happened. like the words that came before it. loud, messy, and not fully thought through.
daeho stayed frozen in the living room, staring at the space where you had stood just a minute ago. his arms were still half-crossed, a leftover defense from when he tried not to snap back. his lips pressed into a thin line, like he was holding something in, and his brows had that furrow between them. like they always did when he was hurt but didn’t want you to know.
the room was quiet now. too quiet.
you didn’t come back.
he let out a breath, low and shaky, and leaned back on the couch like his chest suddenly got too heavy. his knee bounced. nervous habit. something he did when he was overthinking. which he was. obviously.
he hated arguments. not because he didn’t know how to fight. he used to think if he stayed quiet, things wouldn’t get worse. daeho had grown up in a world that taught him how to raise his voice, how to defend himself, how to survive conflict. but with you… he didn’t want to win. he wanted peace. understanding. connection. the second your tone went sharp, it was like something inside him folded in on itself.
maybe that was the problem.
he never said what he was thinking.
you had told him that before. begged him, actually. "just say something. tell me if you’re upset. if you care. anything." and he wanted to. he did. but somewhere between his chest and his mouth, the words always got stuck. like if he said it wrong, he’d lose you.
and now he might have anyway.
he picked up his phone. stared at your name in his contacts. no typing bubble. no missed calls. no unread messages. nothing.
his thumb hovered over the screen. typed and deleted a dozen things.
where are you
come back
i didn’t mean to
are you okay
i’m sorry
please
i miss you
he locked the screen.
he couldn’t even send a single sentence.
you came back two hours later. quiet. arms crossed. a storm in your eyes, but exhausted. like you’d burned out somewhere between the walk and the decision to come back.
daeho didn’t stand up. he didn’t say anything.
you hated that.
you closed the door gently this time. hung your bag on the hook like you always did, but didn’t move any closer.
“you always shut down,” you said. “i don’t even know what you’re thinking half the time.”
he looked at you, but didn’t say anything. jaw tight. that same stupid silence.
you laughed. not in a funny way. “and now? now you’re gonna do it again?”
he opened his mouth, paused. then, finally, quietly—
“what do you want me to say?”
“anything.”
“i don’t know how.”
that shut you up.
for a second, it was like everything in the air shifted. like finally. finally. he said something honest.
“i don’t know how,” he repeated, softer this time. “every time we fight i feel like… like if i say the wrong thing, you’ll leave. so i freeze. and then you get mad. and i get scared. and it just… spirals.”
you stared at him.
he couldn’t look at you.
“i’m not a mind reader, daeho.”
“i know.”
“then tell me what you’re feeling.”
he rubbed the back of his neck. still looking down. “i’m scared,” he admitted. “i feel like i’m always one mistake away from losing you. and i—I know i mess up. but i never mean to. i just… i need time to figure things out in my head before i speak. and by then, it’s already too late.”
you sat down on the arm of the couch, still a little distant, but closer. “you could just say that,” you mumbled. “that you’re scared. that you need time. something.”
he nodded.
a pause.
“i’ll try,” he said, voice hoarse. “i promise.”
you didn’t reply right away.
then slowly, you leaned forward. rested your forehead against his shoulder. you didn’t say you forgave him. you didn’t say it was okay. but you didn’t walk away either.
and for him, that was enough.
for now.