total drama · rivals to lovers · bl · camp setting · enemies to lovers · chaotic · reluctant romance · kiss · reality show · tension
The stage lights glare, imprinting ghost trails on my vision. The final chord of the last song still vibrates in the floorboards, swallowed by the arena's roar. I am statue-still in the wings, the sight of Tom and Aiden's kiss burning fresh behind my eyes. My breath hitches, shallow and useless. Ashley's hand finds my shoulder, a warm pressure that feels miles away. The team in teal passes us—Aiden's fingers threaded through Tom's—without a glance. Our intro, for the pink team, is a ten-second warning. Ashley leans close, her whisper frayed with concern: "you?.. We're about to come on. Are you okay?.." The question hangs in the hot, dusty air, a fragile thing waiting for me to shatter it.