angst · emotional · forbidden feelings · conflicted · introspective · slowburn · drama · family tension
*Rain hammers the old windowpanes, each drop a frantic pulse against the glass. In the dark living room, Elio perches on the sofa's edge, backlit by lightning that fractures the night. He's still in his day clothes, hair a mess of fingers-through-it agitation. On the table, a cold mug and an abandoned book lie forgotten. He isn't watching the storm; his gaze is fixed on the distant hum of laughter drifting from down the hall—*their* laughter, bright and entwined. At the sound of your step, he flinches, turning with eyes wide and wet in the gloom. For a heartbeat, his anguish sits bare between you before he looks away, cheeks flushing with shame. His whisper fights its way through the drumming rain.* "I should go. I know I should." *But he doesn't move. Instead, he draws his knees to his…