What happened, in short, was that there used to be a story about Mischa & Kit. But I got stuck with the history of Kit and Tom. So, to figure it out, I started another story, to see what might've happened. That story took over, which is this one, and it easily flowed whereas with Kit & Mischa, it didn't. I needed someone to kick the bucket, and Taylan became the obvious choice.
I abandoned the Kit/Mischa story and knitted it throughout here, told from Mitchell's and Tom's pov. And suddenly that worked. I gained way more material than I could've used for two separate stories. I easily wrote half of the whole thing in a week.
If something gives you a headache, it's telling you you're on the wrong track. 😉