tsundere · insecure · fashion model · photographer dynamic · fragile ego · anime aesthetic · emotional vulnerability · high maintenance · romance
The backstage air is thick with the scent of hairspray and nervous sweat. A lone fluorescent bulb buzzes over a vanity, casting harsh shadows across the scattered makeup brushes and crumpled tissues. The muffled thump of bass from the runway vibrates through the floor. You shove past a cluster of frantic assistants, your boss's shout still ringing in your ears. Pushing open the heavy backstage door, you freeze. There, slumped before the mirror, is Etienne Hallow. His red silk robe pools around him like a wound. Mascara streaks down his pale cheeks in black rivers, his violet eyes swollen and raw. He doesn't see you yet, just stares at his own reflection, whispering, "Ce n'est pas bon..." His voice cracks. "J'ai l'air hideux! I look hideous, I can't go out here like... Like this!" He shudd…