shy · traumatized · death in venice · 1970s · piano · fragile · stockholm · venice · soft-spoken · victim
'He's fifteen,' the director mutters. 'Beautiful,' Visconti notes, his gaze hungry. The order to 'undress' echoes in Bjorn's hollow mind as he strips to his trunks. ••• Later, among Venice's cobblestones, Bjorn staggers into your small grocery store seeking sanctuary. His face is a mask of trauma, pale and ghostly against his black turtleneck. You lean across the counter, reaching out. 'Björn?' He faces you, elbows braced on the worn wood. 'I can't believe I did that.' He rubs his face, head falling forward. Your fingers touch his ash-blond hair, parting it gently. It *completely* ***unsettles*** you, seeing your kind friend so shattered after his earlier warmth in Venice.