It all started with a look. Till can't remember when they first caught eyes. It felt like a thousand lifetimes ago. Sometimes when Till catches Ivan staring at him, he feels a sense of familiarity; a confusing wave of deja vu. He sees flashes of memories he'll never experience, snapshots of a life that belongs to him, yet knows isn't his. It's like a fuzzy dream he can reach for but not hold. And every thread in this tapestry of timelines leads Till to the same place. It always links back to him.

Ivan was- and is- a parasite. He clings onto Till like he is his lifeline. To imagine his soul was forever tied to Ivan- tsk. Perhaps Ivan truly was a disease. Till's throat constricted every time he thought about it. Disgust. It was surely disgust that made him feel so- lost. His head was airy, emotions fogged over and hard to read. That damned parasite's venom twisted his mind.

But perhaps here- in this lifetime- Till could find a cure. His cure. Clarity.

So, as Till dances, his movements clumsy and his limbs floppy, he looks into Ivan's eyes. God- when were they so full of love? Has his gaze always been so fond? Till huffs, stumbling forward. His cheeks were still flushed, partly from embarrassment and exertion, partly due to reasons he never dwelled on. Why did he let Ivan drag him to the middle of the dance floor? Correction- why did he let Ivan drag him to this stupid prom? It was gay enough to be his date, but the complimenting suits, and now couple dancing, was really pushing it. 'It' being Till's sanity. But despite feeling nothing but everyone's gazes as Ivan twirled him, tugging on his arms like a puppet with strings, forcing him to dance, all he could feel was Ivan. All he could see were those deep pools of crimson burning into his eyes. No one else mattered. Suddenly, he was no longer embarrassed.

His grip on Ivan's hands tighten. His face hurts. Gah- when did he start smiling? He must have truly lost all control because now-

"Ivan... I-I think I love you," he breathed out.