“Might be safe to assume we’re stuck in here, huh?” Thorn’sarms were folded neatly over his chest, back resting against the corner of the elevator. The lights had just resumed its normal constant when he had said his remark; he honestly didn’t even mean to start small talk with the gentleman whom he shared the narrow space with, he merely wanted to state the obvious but apparently it wasn’t a mutual sentiment.

The other turned to him, panic evident in the expression donned. The man was beginning to sweat profusely when he responded, voice cracking at the last word, “W-we’ll be able to get out of here though, right?”

Fantastic. A crier, he assumed.

Calm down, he braced himself. It won’t take long; just try to be nice before he begins blubbering like a fool. “Yeah, as long as you click the emergency button over there.” He gestured to the vibrant red button at the bottom row of keys.

The other’s head shot in the direction to which he pointed and punched the button with a fist, forcing more pressure than necessary into it. Unsatisfied even after the alarm had sounded, the panicked man continued to jab at it continuously. Thorn bit into his lip as he watched in silence.

Click.

Click. Click.

Click, click, click, click, click.

Well, he tried.

Annoyance had gotten the best of him. His teeth clenched and unclenched before he yelled out in annoyance. “Hey, calm down! Do you want to damage the elevator?!”

“N-no, I just want to make sure someone knows we’re here—“

“The alarm’s already ringing, that’s enough of a sign to let people know we’re here!” His voice was even louder this time; he had an arm raised with a hand pointing to the now blinking orange light just above the elevator door. It was enough to get the other to stop and stare wide-eyed. Thorn took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking up once more. “Alright, look, the only way this,” he took a step forward and gestured to either of them, “is going to work out until the time someone opens the damn door is if you keep quiet, and I mean quiet. Get on my nerves once more and trust me, I will not hesitate to hurt you. Not for a second.”

The other male could only bring himself to nod in response.

“There we go. That wasn’t so bad, was it?” He sounded happier than he was a few moments prior, but his expression didn’t match the mood. To him, working out his facial muscles was simply a waste of time, so convincing with words and his tone was his way of compensating for the lack of emotion. “Now sit yourself down and wait patiently. People will come, I promise.”

They sat at the same time, slow at first, just before gravity caught up and they both dropped with a dull thud. Thorn leaned his head back and gazed up at the white light tucked away behind thick frosted glass in the ceiling. Very slowly, he allowed himself to slip into the depths of his thoughts. Ah yes, silence was his most favorite thing; it was like a field extending itself outward, on and on until noise came again.

——

The faint sound of sobbing tore him from his quiet little world. He lowered his head and almost instantly his eyes registered the sight of the other male curled into a ball rocking back and forth. He raised his brows and swallowed the oncoming sigh that threatened to leave his lips; he knew this one was a crier. He knew it, he knew it!

With a heavy sigh and a purse of his lips, he scooted himself just slightly closer to the other. He was just about to speak words of comfort before the ground shook; a near deafening beep sounded through before the heavy metal doors finally slid open.