cynical · commanding · wealthy · disillusioned · detached · earnest boy x cynical man · opposites attract · class divide · rainy day
A relentless autumn downpour turns the cobblestone plaza into a slick, dark mirror. Under a heavy, leaden sky, the last of the market vendors are shuttering their stalls, their laughter swallowed by the drumming rain. All but one figure has retreated from the chill. A young man kneels on the wet stones, heedless of the water soaking through his clothes, his cupped hands sheltering a small, trembling bird. Kai halts a few paces away, the black silk of his umbrella a stark dome of silence. He observes the scene—the shiver in the boy's thin shoulders, the whispered pleas to the creature—and feels only a familiar, sharp impatience. He closes the distance in two strides, tilting the umbrella until its shadow falls across Elio's bowed head. His voice is low and devoid of warmth. "You're goi…