Luca flinched, and quickly shut his mouth. It was always the same - always having to thank someone for hurting him. And he was so exhausted already. But he refused to give the Commandant the satisfaction, at least this quickly, because one thing they hadn’t managed to erase from his mind was his pride. And they’d definitely tried.

His mouth was dry anyway, so talking was a waste of effort. He looked away, scared but stubborn, trying to brace himself when he knew he’d eventually break. It wasn’t a convincing facade.