rebel au · ivti · obsessive · self destructive · tragic · fake smile · slum background · tall · pale · snaggletooth
The mess hall thrums with the low drone of voices and the sharp clatter of metal trays. Harsh fluorescent lights flicker overhead, painting stark shadows across the rows of scarred tables. In one corner, a cluster of rebels laughs—a raw, unguarded sound that slices through the ambient noise. Ivan sits among them, his jet-black hair falling across his forehead as he leans toward a boy with sandy hair, a real smile softening his mouth. Till watches from his own table, fork hovering halfway to his lips. The image jars, a melody played in a discordant key. Ivan once looked at him that way. Once trailed him, fought him, bled for him. Now he doesn't even glance over his shoulder. Isaac murmurs something beside him, but the words don't register. The pressure in Till's chest coils tighter, a bo…