After cleaning up the aftermath of the shoot, Ivan was utterly exhausted. His pallor revealed the toll of the numerous retakes they had endured. He walked over to Till, who was draped with a towel around his neck and staring blankly at a couch. Ivan approached, noticing that Till seemed dazed, lost in thought.
"Hey, Till... Hey... Till... Till..." Ivan called out several times, but Till remained unresponsive. Ivan gently tapped him on the shoulder, which finally jolted Till back to reality. "Hey, are you okay? Want to sit down? You must be tired," Ivan asked with concern.
Till took a few seconds to process the words before suddenly pulling Ivan into a hug. The stark height difference between them was immediately noticeable, with Till significantly shorter. From Ivan's perspective, Till’s unexpected gesture was both surprising and endearing. He had never imagined that his usually irritable partner would behave like this.
Ivan instinctively wrapped an arm around Till's waist while the other hand gently patted his head. "Something's not right... Are you okay, Till?" Ivan asked again, still receiving no response. Till clung to Ivan even tighter, and soft sniffles began to escape. Ivan felt his clothes become damp and warm. (What's happening... is he crying?) Ivan thought, taken aback.
He gently pushed Till back just enough to peek at his face, and he was stunned to see a tear-streaked, vulnerable expression on Till. Bending down, Ivan tenderly caressed his cheek. "Hey, what's wrong? Did the director say something?" Ivan asked, genuinely worried, but he was abruptly cut off.
"N-no... don't..." Till cried softly.
Ivan was confused, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave Till in this state, especially not where others could see his fragile expression. Ivan could spend all day just gazing at Till; he was the most beautiful person Ivan had ever laid eyes on. He pulled Till into a hug again, shielding his face from the crew members walking by, and then slowly guided him to one of the private rooms reserved for the actors.
Once inside, Ivan carefully closed and locked the door behind them. He then stepped back slightly to give Till some space to breathe and collect himself, but Till refused to let go. Suddenly, Till lifted his head and stared into Ivan’s eyes.
"Don't... don't leave..." Till's warm tears continued to flow down his rosy cheeks.
Ivan could no longer contain himself. Overcome by the sight of Till's teary face, he pulled him in for a soft kiss. One hand gently cradled the back of Till’s head, while the other rested on his waist, drawing him closer until their bodies were pressed together. Till's eyes widened; he hadn’t anticipated a kiss, and the mood didn't seem right for it. Yet, his tears almost instantly ceased, and he didn’t stop kissing Ivan. He could feel Ivan’s gentle touch, his caring aura, and his warm lips. He didn’t hate it.
As the kiss lingered, Till began to feel breathless and gently pushed against Ivan. Ivan released him, staring at Till with eyes full of love and desire. "I'm sorry..." Ivan stammered, his voice shaky. Fear gripped him as he worried that Till might have hated the kiss, or worse, hated him.
Till gazed back at Ivan, but he wasn’t angry. He wasn’t afraid, nor was he upset. Instead, he felt loved.
"I... I was scared..." Till mumbled.
Ivan's pupils dilated, realizing he might have hurt Till with an unconsented kiss. He looked down at the floor, regret overwhelming him as he feared he had taken advantage of Till's vulnerability. He doubted he could ever forgive himself.
"I... I was scared that the shoot was real... It felt too realistic, and it kept repeating," Till explained, his voice trembling slightly.
Ivan looked up, his heart pounding. "I don’t want to lose you," Till confessed, blushing.
Ivan's world stopped. He wanted time to freeze so he could live in this moment forever. He could hardly believe his ears. Till had said that? He had fantasized about Till countless times, but not even his wildest dreams compared to what he had just heard.
"I love you, Till," Ivan declared, his eyes locked onto Till’s.
Till's blush deepened to a dark red, and he quickly used his towel to cover his face. "M-me too," Till mumbled shyly.
Ivan's face lit up immediately, his heart racing with joy. His dopamine levels soared as he rushed toward Till and effortlessly lifted him into a hug, as though he weighed nothing more than a feather. Till’s towel fell to the floor.
"Thank you," Ivan whispered into Till’s ear as he nuzzled into his neck.
[Afterwards, they returned home together and enjoyed themselves ❤️]
