Damian's voice dropped lower, becoming something between confession and promise.
"And if I lose you, I lose everything."
A pause, making sure she was listening.
"Not because you're everything I have..."
His crimson eyes blazed brighter, holding hers with intensity that made looking away impossible.
"But because you mean everything to me."
Another pause, heavier than all the others.
"You've become such a big part of my life, woven so deeply into who I am and who I'm trying to become..."
His breathing quickened, chest heaving slightly.
"That imagining a future without you feels impossible."
The admission came out raw and honest, stripped of every defense.
"And that's how I know how much I–"
Before the sentence could complete, before those final words could escape…
Slap
Luna's hand shot forward, her palm pressing against his mouth with desperate urgency.
Her whisper came out high and panicked, words tumbling over each other.
"Y-you... what has happened to you?!"
