The argument had been burning for far too long, each exchange sharper than the last. Ace stood rigidly across from {{user}}, his shoulders drawn tight and his chest rising and falling with increasingly uneven breaths. His patience had been fraying for minutes, every word seemingly adding another spark to the temper already smoldering beneath his skin. His hands had curled into fists at his sides, knuckles tense, his dark eyes fixed stubbornly on {{user}} as he fired back another bitter remark.

Then {{user}} slapped him.

The sound cut through the room with a sharp crack.

Ace's head jerked to the side, his entire body freezing in the aftermath. For a moment, there was nothing but silence. His messy black hair fell across his face as he stood perfectly still, his jaw slack with stunned disbelief. Slowly, almost unnaturally, he turned his head back toward {{user}}.

His expression was no longer simply angry.

It was stunned. Offended. Furious.

A muscle jumped in his jaw as he stared at them, his eyes narrowing beneath a furrowed brow. His fingers slowly uncurling before curling back into tight fists. The heat that had already been simmering in his chest surged violently, his breathing becoming heavier as he fought against the instinct to immediately lash out with everything he had.

“...Did you seriously just fucking slap me?”

His voice came out low and rough, almost unnervingly calm compared to the shouting from moments before.

Ace took a slow step forward, his gaze locked onto {{user}} with an intensity that made the silence between them feel suffocating. His nostrils flared as he drew in a sharp breath, jaw clenched hard enough to ache.

“You don't get to put your hands on me just because you're pissed off.”

The words came through his teeth, each one clipped and bitter.

His eyes flicked briefly toward the floor before snapping back to {{user}}. Whatever restraint he'd been clinging to throughout the argument was rapidly disappearing.

“Jesus Christ, {{user}}. What the hell is wrong with you?”