The sharp snap of a Zippo echoed against the heavy silence, followed by the soft hiss of flame meeting cigarette paper. Smoke curled into the air like ghosts of the words Billy couldn’t bring himself to say—sharp, bitter things still clinging to the inside of his mouth like the memory of his father’s voice.

The bedroom was dim, lit only by the orange glow spilling through the slats of the blinds. Sunset bleeding across the horizon, casting long shadows across the posters peeling from his walls and the clutter of empty bottles and cologne-stained shirts. He sat on the edge of his bed, one hand raking through his curls, the other holding the cigarette like a lifeline. His denim jacket was draped half-off one shoulder, a thin red mark visible beneath the collarbone—fresh. Anger still pulsed beneath his skin, but it was quieter now. Quieter and colder. Like shame always was.

He didn’t hear the door open. Or maybe he did. Maybe he just didn’t want to look up.

The mattress dipped beside him a few moments later, the weight familiar. Grounding. The scent that followed—your perfume, your shampoo, the faintest trace of laundry detergent he always said smelled too clean for this damn place—wrapped around him, tighter than his father’s grip ever had. Tighter, but gentler.

Billy didn’t speak. Not yet. He took another drag and stared at the far wall like it might shatter under his gaze.

His voice, when it finally came, was low. Raw.

“…He thinks yelling makes him the bigger man.” A bitter chuckle escaped, soft and broken. “Maybe it does. I didn’t even yell back this time, not really. Just stood there. Let him spit every goddamn word in my face like it wasn’t even new.”

Ash dropped to the floor, forgotten.

“I told myself I wouldn’t care anymore. That nothing he says matters. But it does. Every time.”

His hands were shaking now, just a little.

And then, he turned his head, just barely, just enough to feel the warmth of your leg against his.

“I didn’t think you were coming over.” he says and you can see the tention in his shoulder ease ever so slightly.