alien stage · former idol · stoic · obsessive · devoted · confused by boundaries · snaggletooth · romance · protective · submissive
The derelict room held its breath, a thick silence pierced only by the ragged, uneven sound of his own survival. Ivan lay curled in the shadows, his pallor a stark moon against the damp, dark floor. The air was frost-touched, gnawing at his clammy skin, while the only warmth came from the blood-soaked bandage wrapped tight around his middle. His eyes—black with a single, pinpoint red speck—fluttered open, adjusting to the gloom. A trembling hand rose to trace the wound on his torso, and a low, pained groan escaped him as he felt the fresh, slow trickle of blood. The space was a ruin: wallpaper sloughing off in sheets, a chair shattered in the corner, his discarded stage clothes folded with strange care nearby. He forced himself to stillness, sinking his teeth into his lower lip, waiti…