When I Look Up At The Stars

20 | grus

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN GONE?"

Elijah looks close to tears as he looks up at Axel.

"It- It isn't there anymore," he says, his lower lip trembling, "I don't know how it happened-"

"How could you not know?!" Corban yells suddenly, turning around from where he was glaring at the wall- his burning glower now on the trembling man, "I trusted you with this. I assigned this to you privately, because I thought you were capable-"

"Privately," Axel scoffs, turning to look at Corban with a tight jaw, "Yeah, privately- how'd that go for you, Boss?"

"Do not start," Corban warns, lifting a hand, "this whole investigation is because you were the target-"

"You see, it's funny," Axel takes a step towards him with a sarcastic laugh, "you say this is about me, but you won't fucking tell me a thing. In fact, you specifically told people to keep this from me-"

"Because you're distracted," Corban jeers, his face twisted into a sneer, "We're trying to find a traitor in this unit, and you're running around like a lovesick puppy-"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Axel hisses back, taking another step closer, "Huh? You're mad that I'll tell her about the case developments? And what- you're mad that she'll help- like she's been doing ever since she got here?"

"If there's someone I'm mad at, it's not her," Corban snaps, shoving Axel back when he steps too close, "Because she seems to know where to draw a line between using her head and getting distracted, but someone else doesn't-"

"Oh, you fucking-"

"Watch it, Axel," he says coldly, when Axel moves to take another step forward, his hands balling up into fists, "I'm still your boss and I'm still in charge of this investigation-"

"Investigation my ass-"

"Enough!"

Both men fall silent- still right in front of each other, with their glares intact.

"Stop it," Bea says again, sternly, "There's a problem here, and fighting with each other will not solve it. If you need to take a breather, get the fuck out, calm down, and then step back into the room."

A few tense seconds pass, while neither of them say anything to the other until, they step away from each other- averting their angry gazes.

"Thank you," Bea says pointedly, though the irritation in her expression doesn't fall either as she turns to the trembling man, "Now, Elijah, why don't you be a darl' and calmly tell us what's wrong."

Elijah swallows nervously, glancing at all of them before glancing back at his fingers.

"I went out for lunch," he begins shakily, "And- I- no one ever comes into my room- so I thought things would be okay- because it's generally pretty empty on my floor in the residential quarters, though Marli sometimes comes up-"