Opal prodded at her salad, wordlessly glancing between it and Adam. He'd been acting… Strange over the last couple of days. Ever since Riley had visited, Adam had been seemingly distancing himself; more than usual that is.

She watched him get up, quietly washing his plate. Why did it seem like he was going backwards?

"So how did it fit?" Opal mused, taking a sip of her tea, "I didn't know your size, so I had to just estimate."

He hadn't brought up the gift since she'd given it to him, and seeing that they'd been inside due to the snow, there wasn't an opportunity to wear it out just yet. Adam tensed a bit, looking to the side,

"Wouldn't know." He muttered quietly, placing his dishes back in the cupboard.

Opal frowned, turning her chair to face him,

"Oh come on! Are you telling me you didn't even try it on!?"

She puffed out her cheeks at him, fuming. She'd spent more nights than she'd care to admit on that damn coat.

Adam turned to look at her, nose crinkled,

"I don't need your charity."

Opal stood up, leaning against the island,

"Why do you have to be so difficult? You know normal people say 'thank you'." She grumbled, brows knit.

"I told you I don't need your fucking help!" He snapped, heading to the stairs.

She could feel her eye twitch, watching him go,

"What's with you!? Ever since Riley came over you've been a complete prick!"

Adam ignored her, continuing to make his way back to his room. She made a frustrated noise, angrily stomping her way to the sink. He was unbelievable! He was worse than a teenager sometimes, and he was a twenty year old!

What was his problem? Everything was going fine up until now. Did she mess up his symbol? Was he offended by the gift for some reason?

'If he just TALKED to me this wouldn't be that hard!' She thought angrily to herself, aggressively washing her plate.

Opal made her way to the couch, flopping backwards onto it. It had been blizzarding for days now, so she didn't even have a way to keep busy. She looked to the stairs, rolling her head to the side; she really did wonder what went through his head sometimes. If he would just open up and let her know what was hurting him, he'd feel a lot better. At least in her experience it did.

Whatever was going on with him, she was going to get to the bottom of it. She wasn't one to prod, but he had to learn to open up. Opal sat up, tapping her finger on her chin; he would have to come out of that room eventually, and when he did, she was not about to let him slink away.

She decided to keep herself busy with chores; whether it be cleaning or just organizing the miscellaneous clutter around her home. She'd occasionally glance out the windows, letting out a disgruntled noise. The idea of shoveling snow the coming morning wasn't exactly appealing; maybe she could convince Adam to help.

Opal wiped her forehead, letting out a huff. Well, she'd cleaned the entire living room. Opening her scroll, she looked at the time, frowning.

12:25pm

She groaned rubbing her face. Now she really didn't know what to do. Pulling open one of the drawers under the coffee table, she pulled out an embroidery ring and thread, figuring that a monotonous craft may keep her busy. A soft humming accompanied her work, spanning from random tunes to familiar folk songs.

Opal ran her thumb over one of the many small daisies she'd stitched, making a sound of approval. The sound of heavy footfalls caught her attention, eyes traveling to the stairs. The faunus in question wordlessly made his way into the room, heading straight for the sink.

'This is it. I can't let him get away now.'

Adam began making his way back with a glass of water, only to frown at Opal standing in the doorway to the stairs,

"We need to talk."

"Nothing to talk about; get out of my way."

She frowned, putting her hand on her hip,

"Adam you've been acting like an ass ever since Riley visited! Look I'm sorry I sprung the visit on you but-"

He growled, glaring at her,

"I told you I have nothing to talk to you about, now move."

As he pushed past her, she roughly grabbed his arm, planting her feet,

"Adam would you just talk to me!? If you weren't such a stubborn-"

Adam turned on his heel, finally snapping,

"I don't need to talk to anyone about ANYTHING!" He screamed, hairs on the back of his neck sticking up, "STOP TRYING TO TALK TO ME! STOP TRYING TO TAKE CARE OF ME!"

The glass he was holding hit the floor, luckily not shattering on impact. Opal paused before opening her mouth, brows knit,

"Adam-"

"STOP TRYING TO ACT LIKE YOU CARE!"

He stared at her, chest heaving; that wasn't what he'd meant to say. It was fake, everything was fake. Everything that anyone ever tried to tell him was a lie. They didn't care, they didn't worry- it just mattered how he made them look. He was tired of being a symbol, tired of being a pawn. His whole life was built on a false sense of security; the idea that he would be strong enough to not be stepped on anymore, to control his own destiny.

"Adam, please calm down. I just want to hel-"

"Just shut the fuck up!" He growled, staring her down, "Don't tell me to calm down! Don't tell me to do anything!"

Adam was spiraling, he knew that. He wasn't in control, he was letting his emotions run wild. Though for once, he just didn't care. Opal was right back then, everything was spilling over. He just couldn't take it anymore.

"I don't need ANYONE! What- do you think I can't take care of myself!? That I'm too weak?!"

Opal stared back at him, unmoving from her spot. She wasn't one to back down from a fight- but that wasn't what Adam was looking for. It was… Sad. As furious as he looked, as angry and menacing as he was acting; he was scared. She'd tried to be subtle, she tried to be kind and gentle, but she knew that wasn't what he needed now.

"I do." She spoke clearly, keeping eye contact with him.

Something in him broke. He grabbed her shoulder, shoving her against the wood wall. It wasn't very hard, but she did make a noise, frowning at him. Opal figured it was best to let him get it out of his system- but he wouldn't be getting a reaction out of her.

He snarled at her, his hand holding the front of her shirt, "Everything I've EVER done was for the greater good! I did the things that everyone else was too weak to do!"

"You're wrong," She grabbed his wrist, brows furrowing, "All you've done your whole life is hide in a husk of a person you're not."

"You don't know anything about me!" He shouted, gritting his teeth.

Opal let out a breath, closing her eyes for a moment. He was right; she'd never know what he went through. How hard his life was, what had led him to the point he was at now. But she didn't need to.

"I don't. What I do know is that you're afraid! You're afraid of your past, what you've done, if it was really right-"

"Everything I've done-"

"Was for yourself!" She cut him off, pulling his hand from her shirt, "You wanted them to hurt! You wanted them to hurt as much as you did!"

"Shut up-"

"You're terrified of being that scared child with nowhere to go again-"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" He screamed, body shaking.

Adam slammed his fist into the wall next to her, the wood splintering at the impact. She twitched a bit, slowly glancing to the fist that was currently next to her.

"Do you have any idea what it's like!? To watch everything in your life fall apart!? To have nothing left?!" His voice quivered through his gritted teeth, his arm beginning to shake.

"Hate me! Resent me! Be afraid me!" His voice was hoarse, lip quivering slightly, "Want something- Want anything!"

Opal moved to place her hand on his arm, only for him to pull away. He grabbed at his hair, sharp breaths leaving him. This isn't what he wanted. What did she want from him? What was she looking to gain from him? Why, why, why?!

"I can't lose- I won't lose. I have to be strong. I need to win. I-"

He felt like he was lost in a snowstorm. His skin felt fridged, everything was a blur. He could feel sweat dripping down his face, but his body was shaking. Not again, he couldn't be alone again. Don't trust anyone, don't confide in anyone; be alone, be by yourself. You can't get hurt, you won't fall, you just need to keep going-

"Adam please, you have to breath." Opal's voice was laced with concern.

"Just stop already!"

"Just let me help you! You don't have to go through this-"

"I CAN'T TAKE BEING ABANDONED AGAIN!" He screamed, his voice cracking.

Adam let out short breaths, staring at her blankly. What did he just say? Everything felt off. He could feel the floor moving under him, his vision going foggy. He rubbed his eyes before looking back at his hands, fingers rubbing together. Wet? His hands were wet. No- He wasn't a child. He was stronger than this, better than this.

Adam felt his legs buckle under him, Opal grabbing him as he fell to his knees. He felt dizzy, he couldn't breath. He put his hands on his head, fingers digging into his scalp. They would kill him- they'd find him; find her.

"I'm not going anywhere, Adam." She cooed softly, hesitantly placing her hand on his shoulder, "You don't have to hold it in- just let go."

Let go. As if it were that easy, but she knew that. He could feel his sins clawing up his back, more than ever before. Just let go? He could never let go- all those people, all those faces, all those executions. His stomach churned, the sudden feeling of nausea hit him. Make them pay, make them all pay; they never tried to help, make them hurt-

"Breath, Adam. It's okay." Opal murmured again, giving his shoulder a squeeze, "I'm not going anywhere."

Adam sucked in a breath, realizing he must have forgotten to even breath in the first place. It was pathetic, her seeing him like this. Like he had been all those years ago. Just let go, just… He tilted his head down, biting his lip. His grip on his hair tightened, head shaking.

Adam felt his lungs burn as a scream escaped him, eyes squeezing shut. His whole life felt like it was crumbling. He sounded pathetic; screaming and crying like a child. Opal was right- That damn blonde was right; he was fake. He'd been running from his fear, hiding behind his anger and brutality. Ghira and Kali saw what he was becoming, so did Blake; he drove them away. Cinder had used him like a pawn, and he was stupid enough to think taking over the White Fang would be a breeze.

Failure; He was a failure and a killer. There was no one to blame, no fingers to point. Everything he'd done was his fault. Atlas had taken more than just his family; it took who he was. It turned him into the animal they wanted him to be. It looks like he'd gotten what he really deserved after all.

Adam felt a hand on the back of his neck, his forehead pressing into the crook of Opal's shoulder. His body tensed, the instinct to jerk away boiling within him. He willed his body to relax, the feeling of her fingers gently rubbing circles on his back. No, he truly hadn't gotten what he deserved. He should be dead, suffering at the hands of all the innocent people he'd slaughtered in his blind rages.

She held him as his muffled screams escaped him, face still buried in her shoulder. He wanted to run away, hide, disappear. Adam's breathing began to calm, ragged breaths escaping him. He slumped down a bit, a hand moving to his chest. It had felt as if he was dying again- just like that day.

Opal hummed quietly, letting out a breath of relief as Adam began to calm down. She wouldn't push him or tell him that he was wrong. It wasn't what he needed right now. He was broken, and he'd need time to heal. Though it would take time and help, she believed he could get there.

"Shhh… shh…" Opal cooed, resting her forehead against the top of his head, "No one can get you here."

Adam eventually retreated back to his room, Opal insisting that he lay down and rest after his… Episode. While he didn't like her speaking to him like a child, he appreciated her tact. He stared up at the ceiling, sighing. How he hadn't been thrown out of this house yet, he'd never know. The last thing he expected from today was confronting the last fifteen years of his life.

A quiet knock drew his attention away from the ceiling, eye traveling to the door. Opal was peeking in, holding a mug next to her face. Adam sat up, crossing his legs as he leaned back against the headboard. She made her way in, offering another mug to him.

"More 'relaxation tea'?" He muttered, not wanting to make eye contact with her.

The feeling of guilt was still eating at him. He'd let his anger get the best of him. Again. He could have hurt her; or even worse. Well, driving people away was his specialty.

"Well, I consider it a relaxing drink but," she smiled as he took the mug, a brow raised, "It's hot cocoa."

Opal sat down on the end of the bed, glancing out the large bay window,

"The news said that the blizzard should be calming down tomorrow." She mused, taking a sip of her cocoa.

Adam made a noise, half hiding behind his mug. How was she talking so casually after what had happened? He watched her stare out the window, a smile on her lips as she sipped her drink.

"So are you planning on acting like nothing happened, then?" His voice was quiet, still sounding a bit hoarse from earlier.

Opal glanced back at him, cocking her head,

"Oh no. We're going to talk about that-" she quirked a brow, smirking, "Just not right now."

She let out a content sigh, looking back to the window,

"For now, we just enjoy the peace."

Adam hummed, finally taking a sip of his drink. So, the calm before the storm.