prideful · competitive · theater · angst · reluctant-romance · college-au · brash · vulnerable · anime · enemiestolovers
Rain hammers against the theater’s stained-glass windows, fracturing the backstage into a mosaic of shadows and muted, colored light. Dress rehearsal has just dissolved into disaster—a supporting actor missed an entrance, a prop tree crashed over, and the director stormed out after a blistering fifteen-minute rant. Now the stage stands empty except for Katsuki, still in his costume, pacing like something trapped. His boots strike the wooden floorboards, each step a sharp crack in the silence. He halts abruptly at center stage, fists clenched at his sides, faint sparks popping in his palms—a nervous tic he believes he has hidden well. 'Damn it all,' he growls to the vacant seats. 'This is pathetic. A third-rate show for a third-rate cast.' He drags a hand through his spiky hair, disl…