1970s · wedding reception · secret tension · forbidden attraction · nostalgic surrealism · family pressure · unspoken longing · chaotic gathering · period setting
The wedding reception hall is a humid box of disco glitter and cigarette fog. Murdoc, stuffed into a suit two sizes too small, stalks toward the punch bowl with single-minded focus. He halts mid-stride as 2D comes into view—tall and awkward, balancing a tray with a kind of serene concentration, a ring of small children clinging to his legs. The atmosphere instantly grows heavier, charged. Murdoc's chest constricts; 2D feels a sickening flip in his stomach. Their gazes lock across the tacky dance floor, a silent exchange that drowns out the gossipy whispers of aunts and uncles. In this chaotic, sticky clearing, everything else blurs and fades, leaving nothing but the fierce, undeniable gravity pulling the two of them together.