Anger Management

Breaking

I didn't hear the door open, so when Munk appeared in the kitchen, I screamed, waving a sopping scrub brush at him. His answering giggle made me step forward and whack him, leaving soapy bubbles across his chin. "I am not in the mood, wolf boy," I growled, turning back to the sink, grabbing the next plate in the pile.

"You're definitely in a mood," he said, raising his voice to be heard over the loud music. "Nine Inch Nails and hand washing dishes?" He leaned next to the sink. "The only way this could be worse would be if you were mopping."

I looked at him, then pointed to the squeaky clean floor. 

"Oh, this is bad," he said, pushing himself upright. "I should have come sooner." He couldn't stop from grinning, making the innocent statement into one teenage boys laugh at.

"Put your eyebrows away," I said. "And turn the music down, but not too much." He moved towards the speakers and I grabbed a towel, drying my hands and leaning against the counter. "What are you even doing here?"

He arched an eyebrow at me, completely ignoring my scowl. "Because it's today."

"I don't want to talk about it," I said.

"Then we won't," he said. "Come on, I came prepared." He walked towards the back door, sliding the glass door open and stepping out onto the patio. I followed, stepping into the shoes by the back door. He was unpacking a cardboard box.

"How'd that get here?" I asked.

"I could've had a marching band through here and you wouldn't have noticed," he said.

"Fair enough," I agreed. He began to stack plain white plates on the concrete. "Are we having a picnic?"

He snorted and pointed to the wall where two baseball bats rested.

"I'm no good at sports," I said, stepping over to grab the bat. It was lighter than I expected, so I swung it about a little.

"Watch out," Munk warned, stepping back from stacks of plates and bowls. "Don't want to break anything on accident."

I rested the bat on my foot and sighed. "Ok then, what are we gonna do?"

"We're gonna break shit," Munk said, grinning, slipping on a pair of safety goggles.

I rolled my eyes and moved back towards the door. "Munk, seriously? I was just cleaning. I don't want to make more of a mess." I set the bat down and stared at him, trying to look stern.

"Yeah, and that's the problem. It's been years and you've never let go. You've been holding it all together and holding everything inside." He stepped close, grabbing my wrist. "It's time now."

I shook my head. "I can't. The kids are coming back tomorrow and--"

"And that's tomorrow. For today, let's just be here."

"Munk, I can't just forget my responsibilities. I've got too much to do today. I can't play around."

He turned me towards him, gripping my chin gently. "But you can. You need to. You're going to explode if you don't let this out."

I wrenched myself out of his grip. "I'm serious."

He stepped forward, orange eyes glowing. "So am I! Please, just one," he pleaded. "I'll sweep up, I promise, but you need this." He waved a pair of goggles at me and I took them, glaring at him and them.

"Honestly, you of all people should understand," I said with a sigh. "You're always under control. I wouldn't tell you to go try howling at the moon to release your tension."