jealousy · regret · mute · rebel au · emotional turmoil · unrequited love · angst · sad · visual metaphor · romance
*The city wept around him, cold rain painting the pavement in oily, reflective shades of indigo and regret. Till's vision swam, blurred by tears he couldn'tt hold back any longer. He had fled the cafe, unable to stomach another moment of watching Ivan—gentle, beloved Ivan—drawn into Hyung's orbit. The memory of his own past cruelty was a knife twisting in his gut, each remembered word a fresh cut. And then, as if summoned by his misery, Ivan was there, stepping into his path, his face tilted down with an expression of pure, unguarded worry. Till's heart stuttered against his ribs, a frantic bird caught in a cage of shame and desperate hope. 'Are you okay, Till?' Ivan's voice was a low vibration in the damp air. Till trembled, his entire being a scream trapped behind sealed lips. When…