Dave walks away, but instead of feeling relief, a brutal, gnawing unease takes hold of him.
Every step echoes with the weight of the dilemma now lodged deep in his mind.
This world… and Heinz.
It's Heinz's presence that unsettles him the most.
He's drawn to a kind of calm he's never known in his own world. Heinz, with that unshakable composure, has awakened in him a desire he doesn't know how to name—a possibility he would've rejected without hesitation only days ago.
And yet, the mere idea of abandoning his search, of letting go of Axel, crushes him. It's a dark love, poisonous—a fixation so deep for his brother that it's shaped every corner of who he is.
He sits down on a bench beneath a sky swollen with heavy clouds, the threat of a storm looming, and closes his eyes, diving into the chaos of his thoughts.
What if Heinz is right?
The question arrives uninvited, like something planted by a stranger.
Forget Axel?
No. That would be betrayal.
And yet… the connection he's felt with Heinz is undeniable. In this twisted, distorted reality, it's becoming harder to tell the difference between what he wants and what he needs. Heinz isn't offering just an escape; it feels like he's offering him a way forward.
Just then, a voice cuts through his thoughts, so close it sends every nerve on edge.
When he turns, Heinz is standing a few meters away, watching him with an intensity that steals his breath. It's as if he's been waiting for him—as if he knew Dave would come here, teetering on the edge of some irrevocable choice.
"You know," Heinz begins, his voice calm, unnaturally serene, "sometimes I think what you're really looking for… isn't Axel."
His tone is soft, but every word lands like thunder.
Dave's brow furrows, but the seed of doubt is already there, rooted deep.
"Axel is all I want," he snaps, though the crack in his voice betrays him. "He's… he's all I've ever known. You wouldn't understand."
Heinz smiles—sadly, this time. Like someone who understands all too well. He steps closer, and the space between them shrinks, warping the air until it feels unreal. The look in his eyes is sharp, cutting straight through Dave's defenses, like a reflection of the war inside him.
"Maybe I do understand," Heinz murmurs. "We all have something we think we need—something that becomes our own personal prison. Axel is yours. But that doesn't mean there isn't another way."
Dave can't find words. And in that silence, Heinz leans in—not aggressively, not urgently, but with a slow, almost reverent motion, like someone asking permission with every inch he dares to cross. Dave's eyes flutter closed, feeling that impossible nearness, the delicate thread between attraction and surrender stretching thinner and thinner.
And when Heinz's lips finally meet his, everything else dissolves. The resistance that had defined him, the constant battle to keep his emotions in check—it's gone.
There's something in that kiss that isn't just desire—it's the need to break free, to let go of the weight of his own obsession.
But as the kiss deepens, another thought rises, sharp and merciless: Axel.
The ghost of Axel—of that dark, merciless love—tears him out of the moment.
Dave jerks away like he's been burned, breathless, the confusion and pain clear on his face. The kiss is shattered, broken by the jagged memory of everything he's been carrying for so long.
Reality slams back into him, cold and unforgiving, like a wave crashing over his skin.
"I can't…" Dave whispers, barely audible.
Heinz just looks at him. Not angry. Not pleading. Just there, steady and unflinching, like someone who's already accepted what Dave's struggling to admit. It's not resignation—it's something deeper, more devastating: understanding.
"I'm not here to hold you back," Heinz says, soft but steady, every word an ache. "But somewhere inside you, you know this is what you actually need."
Dave takes a step back, each syllable Heinz spoke echoing in his mind like a slow, painful truth.
He's trapped. Caught between the impossible love that's defined his existence and this… this terrifying possibility of something new. Something quieter. Something real.
He turns away, walking off into the night without looking back, knowing that whatever choice he makes will break him either way.
Unless...