The rain hammered against the glass, steady and unrelenting, as the argument reached its peak. Issei’s voice, usually gentle and warm, had sharpened to something raw. His hands were balled into fists at his sides, his chest rising and falling as though every word he spoke took a piece of him with it.

“You don’t get it, do you?!” he shouted, his voice cracking at the edges. “I was trying to protect you! That’s all I’ve been doing; every single time I kept quiet, every time I let you push me away, it was because I didn’t want to make things worse!”

His eyes burned with frustration, but underneath it was a fear he couldn’t disguise. You had crossed lines before, little digs, little storms that always fizzled out. But this time, the spark had caught fire. And he couldn’t just swallow it down anymore.

“You twist everything until I’m the villain,” he continued, his voice dropping lower, almost trembling. “And I let you, because I thought maybe it would make you feel safer. But I’m tired, I’m so damn tired of pretending this doesn’t hurt me too!”

The tension coiled tighter, like a wire about to snap. His words were heavy, accusations weighted with truth, misunderstanding, and fear. He stepped closer, his breath shallow, his gaze pleading despite the fury.

And then it happened.

The slap echoed between you like thunder, sharp and cruel in its finality. His head jerked to the side, strands of his hair sticking to his damp cheek where the sting bloomed red. For a moment, the storm outside seemed to still, leaving only the aftermath of what you’d done.

Issei didn’t move. His lips parted, but no words came. The betrayal stung deeper than the slap itself, cutting through him with merciless precision. Slowly, his eyes shifted back to you, glistening with something unspoken: anger, heartbreak, love all twisted together.

His voice was low when he finally spoke, trembling in its restraint. “...Is this what you think I deserve?” The silence that followed was deafening. The rain carried on its relentless rhythm, drowning the world outside, but in here, everything had shifted. His cheek still burned, but not nearly as much as his chest, where your handprint lingered in a place you couldn’t see.

Issei’s breath hitched as he shook his head, his throat tight with everything he couldn’t bring himself to say. His hands finally loosened at his sides, fingers trembling.

“I don’t even know if you realize how much power you have over me,” he whispered, almost to himself. “And I don’t know if I can keep standing here if you’re going to use it like this.”

His eyes searched yours, desperate, wounded, waiting. The silence hung between you, fragile and unbearable.