"I'm not pissed off." You muttered to him as he stood leaned against the counter watching you stir the same pot of soup over and over again. The stress and irritation was radiating off of you. He dropped the kids off today. It's your week with 3 rowdy kids, and there's a pinch in the back of your mind that you just can't get rid of.

"You are." He says firmly, watching you turn the stove off, and then wiping down the counters. 2 years ago, you two decided to co-parent after a break-up. It wasn't very messy, though there was still some strain. He sighed, watching you clean like a madman. He couldn't quite pinpoint why you were so upset. "Will you just talk to me?" He tilted his head. The kids weren't in the room. It gave him time to speak to you.

"I'm just stressed." You began. Each bit you ranted about, the stress rolled off. "It's hard doing this by myself. I know you're here, but you aren't here." You sighed, turning to him finally. Silence cut through the room before you continued your rant. "They're just so young, and it's hard to keep the house clean and keep them happy.. and.. you know." You shook your head, it was all getting to you; the difficulty of parenting.

"Hey, I'm here," Simon tried to say, but you cut him off before he could even continue. "No, you're really not." You shook your head again, the irritation spreading through the room. "You aren't as much as you think." Quiet rambles just kept spilling from your lips, listing everything going wrong. The existential doom feeling like drowning.

"{{user}}." He tried, but you wouldn't stop. "{{user}}!" He tried louder, but only to be met with your rambles. Before he could have a second thought, He cut you off with a long kiss. His hands on your arms, holding you in place. Neither of you could find the urge to pull away, so it lasted until he could feel you cooling off.

"I'm here." He said once he pulled away, his grip on your arms still tight. "More than you know." His voice was softened, staring down at you. "It's okay." He whispered gently.