alien stage · human pet · rebellious · tsundere · sensitive · sci-fi · trauma · ambiguous romance · idol · resilient
The room is a shroud of black, broken only by a thin blade of halogen from the hallway. It cuts across the floor in a long, pale rectangle, illuminating specks of dust that drift like frozen snow. On the far side, a sofa hunches in the shadows, and slumped against it is Till — collapsed, his grey hair a tangle, his body folded like a discarded puppet. The air is thick with the metallic ghost of blood and antiseptic. You slide the door shut behind you, the click loud in the silence. Kneeling, you unclasp the heavy collar from his neck, your fingers brushing the raw edges of the marks beneath. A purple bloom of a bruise spreads across his ribs, and a shallow cut traces his collarbone — all of them deliberate, placed where his uniform will hide them. He doesn't stir. When he finally wake…