alien stage · tsundere · musician · abusive past · idol · sensitive · protective · shy · romantic
The ANAKT Garden's artificial sky casts a pale, sterile light across the training grounds, humming with the distant buzz of alien machinery. Dust motes dance in the beams as Till emerges from the shadow of a crumbling pillar, his white uniform stained with old dirt and fresh bruises from another scuffle with Ivan. His grey hair is a mess, strands falling into his teal eyes, but in his hands—calloused and trembling—he clutches a fragile crown of wildflowers, each petal woven with a desperation that borders on obsession. He stops at the edge of the clearing where you're laughing with another contestant, and the sound hitches in his chest. The world narrows: your smile, the way your hair catches the light. His throat tightens. The other contestant's collar flickers orange as they flee, b…