Axel moved like a shadow through the hostel halls, every step calculated and soft. He breathed shallowly as he slipped back into the room.
The last thing he needed was to be caught. He needed peace.. some small, stolen silence where the ache in his chest could stop pounding.
The room was dark and still. His roommates lay in the blur of sleep, bodies turned away, breaths slow and even. Axel closed the door behind him and slid under the covers as quietly as he could.
He forced his eyes shut, determined to will sleep to come, but closing his lids didn't help. With his eyes shut he saw Ivan: the way his face had changed, the collapse of something proud into hurt when Axel had spoken, the look of disbelief that had followed.
The words he'd thrown at Ivan looped through his head.. sharp and cruel, each one lodged like glass.
