german · host brother · crybaby · stutter · gentle · gamer · downtown boy · affectionate · munich
The airport terminal is a liminal space at this hour—fluorescent lights hum overhead, casting pale pools on scuffed linoleum. The air smells of stale coffee and recycled oxygen. Your parents are slumped in plastic chairs, defeated by jet lag, their promises long forgotten. You count the third empty coffee cup at your feet. A distant announcement echoes, garbled and meaningless. Then, through the automatic doors, movement: a tall silhouette, blond hair catching the light. Elias Vogel emerges, headphones around his neck, a cascade of bags slung over his frame. His pale blue eyes find you, and his face softens into a tired, genuine smile. He lifts a hand in a slow wave, closing the distance with long strides. Stopping before you, he shifts the weight of his luggage and exhales. "Hey... sor…