Silent Treatment

Auau wiped the sweat off his neck with a towel as he stepped into the house, the cool air-conditioning a welcome relief after his workout. He had expected a quiet return, maybe Save still sleeping off his hangover or lounging around lazily but instead, he found Save sprawled across the couch, very much awake... and very much ignoring him.

Save was facing away, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, lips pressed into a deep pout. He was staring at the TV, but the screen was dim, the remote sitting untouched beside him. It was obvious he wasn't watching anything..just sulking.

Auau arched an eyebrow as he placed his gym bag down. "What's with the attitude?" he asked, voice calm as he walked past the couch.

No response.

Save didn't even glance his way.

Auau sighed and walked toward the kitchen, opening the fridge to grab a bottle of water. After taking a few sips, he leaned against the counter and watched Save from afar. His husband's whole body screamed annoyed, from the way his foot bounced impatiently to how aggressively he hugged the pillow in his lap.

"You're mad about something," Auau observed, capping his bottle.

Still no response.

Auau resisted the urge to smile. He had seen this kind of childish behavior before, from younger patients who wanted attention but refused to ask for it directly.

Shaking his head, he moved to stand beside the couch. "Did something happen while I was gone?"

Silence.

Auau sighed again, realizing Save wasn't going to make this easy. He decided to change tactics. Casually, he plopped down on the couch beside Save, deliberately close.

Immediately, Save scooted away, gripping his pillow tighter. His lips pressed into an even deeper pout.

"Are you ignoring me on purpose?" Auau asked, tilting his head.

Save finally reacted by pointedly grabbing his phone and scrolling through it as if Auau didn't exist.

Auau let out a soft chuckle. "Ah, I see," he mused. "You're mad that I left you alone this morning."

Save's scrolling got faster.

Bingo.

Auau leaned back against the couch, stretching his arms lazily. "I did make you breakfast," he pointed out. "Did you eat it?"

More silence.

But Save's ears were turning a little red.

Auau smirked slightly. "You did, didn't you?"

Save huffed, still refusing to look at him.

"Did you like it?" Auau continued, enjoying himself now.

Nothing.

Auau leaned in just slightly, his voice dropping to a teasing whisper. "You finished everything, didn't you?"

Save snapped.

"Shut up!" he burst out, whipping around to glare at Auau. "I wasn't waiting for you or anything, okay?! It was just boring being alone! That's all!"

Auau chuckled, crossing his arms. "Mm-hm."

Save groaned and flopped back against the couch dramatically. "You're so annoying."

"And you're terrible at pretending you don't care," Auau shot back smoothly.

Save kicked at his leg weakly, pouting even harder. "Whatever."

The tension in the room eased slightly, the silent war ending in Save's reluctant defeat. Auau didn't push any further, simply watching as Save sulked a little longer before finally muttering under his breath

"... Next time, don't leave me alone for so long."

It was quiet, barely audible, but Auau heard it. And for some reason, it made his chest feel unexpectedly warm.

He didn't say anything in response. Instead, he reached over, ruffled Save's hair once, and stood up.

"I'll shower first," he said casually, heading toward the bathroom.

Save scowled, smoothing down his messy hair. "I didn't say you could touch me!"

Auau just chuckled as he disappeared into the hallway.

Save huffed again, sinking back into the couch.

After finishing his shower, Auau stepped out of the bathroom, rubbing his damp hair with a towel. The house was quiet again, but this time, the tension had eased. Save's childish sulking had been amusing, but Auau knew better than to push him too much, at least not right now.

He made his way to the bedroom, grabbing his laptop from his bag. Even though he had a week off from work, there were still reports to review and emails to check. He settled onto the couch, placing his laptop on the coffee table, fingers moving swiftly as he started typing.

A few minutes later, he heard the bathroom door click open. Save emerged, fresh from his shower, dressed in loose shorts and a hoodie that seemed a little too big for him. His damp hair clung slightly to his forehead, and he was rubbing at it lazily with a towel as he walked past Auau toward the bedroom without saying a word.

Still sulking, huh?

Auau glanced up briefly before returning his attention to his laptop. "Feel better now?" he asked casually, not looking away from his screen.

Save didn't answer, disappearing into the bedroom.

Auau smirked slightly but didn't press. Instead, he continued working, the rhythmic clicking of his keyboard filling the quiet space.

A few minutes later, Save reappeared and flopped onto the couch beside him, scrolling through his phone like he hadn't just ignored him all morning.

Auau glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before returning to his work.

At least now, Save was near him instead of sulking across the room.

That was progress.

Auau continued typing, his focus shifting between his work and the presence beside him. Save was still scrolling through his phone, acting as if Auau didn't exist.

Without a word, Auau reached into his gym bag and pulled out a bar of chocolate. He unwrapped it casually, breaking off a piece before popping it into his mouth.

The faint crinkle of the wrapper caught Save's attention. His scrolling slowed, his eyes flickering toward the chocolate bar in Auau's hand.

Auau pretended not to notice. He took another bite, chewing slowly, deliberately.

Save shifted slightly. His eyes darted between his phone and the chocolate, his fingers hesitating over the screen.

After a few more seconds, he huffed. "Where did you get that?"

Auau smirked, still not looking at him. "Bought it on the way back."

Save narrowed his eyes. "And you weren't planning to share?"

Auau finally turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you were ignoring me."

Save glared. "I was."

"Then why do you care?" Auau broke off another piece and popped it into his mouth, chewing smugly.

Save let out an exasperated groan before tossing his phone aside. Without waiting for permission, he reached out, but Auau was quicker. He lifted the chocolate bar just out of Save's reach.

Save's eyes widened. "Oi!"

Auau chuckled. "You're suddenly talking to me now, huh?"

Save scowled. "Give it."

"Hmm." Auau tapped his chin as if deep in thought. "I don't know... Do you deserve it?"

Save lunged.

Auau leaned back slightly, but Save was determined. He ended up half-climbing onto Auau's side of the couch, his fingers grasping at the chocolate bar. Auau could have easily dodged again, but he let Save snatch it from his hands.

With a victorious huff, Save flopped back into his seat, unwrapping a piece and shoving it into his mouth. He chewed aggressively, as if to make a point.

Auau just shook his head, amused. "You're such a kid."

Save ignored him, munching on his stolen prize.

Auau watched as Save stuffed the chocolate into his mouth, chewing with exaggerated determination, his cheeks slightly puffed out in defiance.

He's sulking over chocolate, Auau thought, barely holding back a chuckle.

Save was still pretending to be annoyed, but the way he was hugging his knees slightly and focusing so hard on his stolen treat made him look more like a grumpy cat than a grown man.

...Cute.

The thought slipped into Auau's mind before he could stop it. He blinked, momentarily thrown off.

Save, cute?

He wasn't sure why that was the first word that came to him, but as he watched Save grumble under his breath while nibbling at the chocolate bar, he couldn't deny it was true.

Shaking off the thought, Auau cleared his throat and returned to his laptop, pretending to be engrossed in work. But despite himself, his lips curled into the faintest smile.