"Pull it together," Michael muttered, his breath ragged, voice cracked and broken with desperation. He splashed cold water onto his face, droplets clinging to his skin as he gripped the edge of the marble sink, knuckles white.

He hated this feeling. Everything was crumbling at once, his heart pounding so hard it might just give out, his mind spiraling into that dark, suffocating pit where everything felt like the end. The loss of control gnawed at him, left him hollow and weak, and he despised himself for it.

"Fuck!" he growled, slamming his fist against the sink, the echo ringing out in the empty bathroom.