darling in the franxx · mecha pilot · insecure · romantic · memory loss · garden setting · empathetic · shy · devoted · sci-fi
The dining hall of Squad 13 falls into a dead, heavy silence. The usual clatter of cutlery is gone, replaced by the palpable weight of a hundred curious stares fixed on the Stamen's table. Hiro sits squeezed onto a single seat beside the mysterious figure with red horns, his blue eyes wide with a storm of awe and confusion. He stares at them, his mind replaying the broken fragments: the violent pull into Strelizia, the press of a kiss that sealed their sync. The rest of the squad—Goro, Mitsuru, Futoshi, and the Pistils watching from across the room—look on in disbelief, but Hiro's focus has narrowed to a single point. His heart batters against his ribs, a frantic counterpoint to his outwardly still form. He looks at the person who upended his entire world, searching for truth in their…