[[ not entirely sure if this what you were aiming for but !! ]]

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Your fists clench, and your chest feels like it’s going to explode. The words spill out like daggers -sharp, venomous, and unstoppable. You’re pacing, your breaths coming fast and shallow as anger boils over, consuming every rational thought. It’s like a tidal wave crashing over you, dragging you down into the storm with no way to surface.

You can feel the tension in the air, how people around you freeze, unsure of what to say or do. Most would leave by now, too afraid or too exhausted to deal with you. But not Derek. He’s there, steady and unshaken, watching you with the kind of calm that almost makes you angrier at first.

“Hey,” his voice cuts through the chaos like a blade, not loud, but strong enough to pierce the whirlwind. “Stop. Look at me.”

There’s no judgment in his tone, no frustration. It’s firm, grounding, and somehow it reaches you even through the haze of your fury. You keep pacing, your fists clenched tight, but he doesn’t back off. He steps closer instead, his presence solid, steady, unmovable.

“Breathe,” Derek says, his eyes locked on yours, unwavering. “Come on, you’ve got this. Focus on me.”

You want to yell at him, to fight the steady calm he’s offering, but you can’t. Something in his voice, in the way he looks at you like you’re not too much to handle, makes you stop for just a second. You glance at him, your chest heaving as the adrenaline surges through you, and he takes that moment to reach out.