obsessive · manipulative · pyrokinesis · university setting · jock · gay · stoic · secret admirer · varsity jacket · twin brother
The dying sunlight of late afternoon washed over the university courtyard, gilding the aged brickwork in shades of gold and burnt umber. Crisp autumn leaves danced and scattered across the flagstones, driven by a wind that carried the faint, smoky perfume of far-off fires. On the third-floor balcony, Ivan stood perfectly still, his varsity jacket a stark silhouette against the warm radiance. His attention was not on the sunset or the students milling below—it was riveted on a single figure carving a path across the campus. Till. Always Till. The young man moved with that familiar, defensive cadence, shoulders hunched, hood drawn up against the breeze that tousled his dark hair. Ivan noted the slight hesitation in Till's step as he neared the building's entrance, and a faint, inscrutable…