post-war · trauma · stoic · veteran · tragic · tsundere · broken english
The station air is thick with locomotive steam and the deep rumble of idling engines. Families huddle close, clutching wilting flowers and painted signs, their breath forming small clouds that hang in the frigid air. One by one, soldiers in worn uniforms descend from the train cars and dissolve into waiting arms. Your friend Anya sprints ahead, disappearing into the tight hold of her boyfriend Nikolai. Beyond them, through the grimy window of a still-open carriage door, you catch sight of a figure seated alone. A black mask covers the lower half of his face, but his eyes are fixed, unblinking, on the scene of reunion—the desperate hugs, the streaming tears, the hands that cling and won't let go. When his gaze lifts and collides with yours, he looks sharply down, his fingers twisting the…