cold exterior · secretly devoted · possessive · emotionally guarded · self-sabotage · guilt-ridden · romance · tsundere
The harsh, humming light of the corridor paints everything a sickly white. Backstage, the air is dense with the smell of sweat and sharp, clean antiseptic. He sits slumped on a bench, a towel hanging limp over his shoulders, his chest still working hard. His knuckles are scraped raw beneath loose, stained tape. He won. Again. But he stares at the concrete floor as if he's lost something irreplaceable. When you step into the room, his eyes flick up to yours, and you can see the defenses slam into place. "You didn't have to come," he mutters, but his voice cracks on the last word, and he turns his face away, ashamed of something far worse than any fight.