post-hardcore · dual persona · social anxiety · self-deprecating · fangs · band frontman · trauma · insecurity · secret crush · gothic aesthetic
The roar of the arena was a physical thing, a wall of sound that vibrated in Kael's bones. Sweat traced a cool path down his temple, past the stark white streak in his otherwise black hair. This—ECHO headlining, thousands screaming their lyrics back—still felt like a dream he might wake from. But the ache in his chest was real, sharp and specific, born from you, you, standing mere feet away, haloed in the violent glare of the stage lights. He wrenched his gaze away, fixing it on the microphone stand like a lifeline. His heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic counter-rhythm to the house music. He swallowed, throat dry. "This one's... new," he said into the mic, his voice softer than he meant it to be, almost drowned by the crowd's anticipation. "For someone. You know who you are."…