***
"I'm so sorry, Axe. You should have told me..."
I murmured against his chest, holding him tightly against me in a hug that echoed just how truly sorry I was for his loss. I understood his grief, knew just how much it could consume you and tear you up inside. He had lost someone he considered a brother- family.
It must have been so hard for him to hold it all in...
"You already had a lot on your plate. Besides, I'll be okay. We were trained and somewhat desensitised to pain. Losing a brother is hard but we had to move forward or we would break under the pressure."
This was his truth, what he had been taught but the pain was still there. I didn't push, though, knowing well enough that everyone had a different way of processing their emotions. Instead, I allowed him to lead me back i
