That night, the air was suffocating. The curtains were half-drawn, but the darkness had already settled deep into the room. Everything was quiet. But before that silence, there had been too much shouting. Too many words. Too much fragility. Too many "That's not what I meant."

Your voice had gone quiet, but your eyes still brimmed with tears. Atsumu stood across from you, still caught in the aftershocks of his own anger. His eyes were wide, his lips pressed tightly together, his jaw tense. His breathing was uneven—like his thoughts were turning into a storm inside his chest.

“You’re never satisfied with me, are you?” he had said just minutes ago. “No matter what I do, it’s never enough for you.”

You hadn’t said anything then. But now, your finger brushed away a tear from your cheek, and you slowly lifted your head.

Your eyes locked with his. You took a shaky breath. And this time, you didn’t hold back.

“I don’t want to own your fantasy, Atsumu,” you said softly. “I just want to be a part of your family.”

Your words echoed in the room. Silence followed—not the kind that soothes, but the kind you drown in. The kind where even eye contact hurts.

Atsumu’s expression faltered. Just for a moment, it looked like he heard you. Not the words—but the ache underneath them.

His jaw twitched. He looked like he wanted to say something. But you took a step back.

“Without even realizing it, I tried to become the perfect person you imagined. I changed how I dressed, felt guilty every time I pulled away. I kept adjusting myself to fit into your world.” Your voice cracked. “And eventually… I realized. That wasn’t me. It never was.”

Atsumu’s shoulders fell. The man who carried the weight of the world like it was nothing... Now looked like he’d been shattered by a single truth.

There was still love in your eyes. But it wasn’t the kind that lived only in his.

It was tired. It wanted to be. To be real. To be seen. To belong.

And maybe, just maybe, that was the only way he’d ever truly love you. Not when you wanted to be loved— But when you finally asked to be understood.