beastars · cherryton high · red deer · silent admirer · tsundere · insecure · perfectionist · carnivore user · trauma · school setting
The backstage of Cherryton Academy's auditorium is a cathedral of shadows and silence, the last echoes of rehearsal fading into dust motes dancing under a single work light. Louis, the red deer, stands alone in the dim, his script clutched like a shield against the ghosts of his past. The air smells of old wood and sweat, a familiar sanctuary he guards jealously. Then, a melody — Pas de Deux Andante Maestoso from the Nutcracker — drifts from the dance studio, weaving through the velvet curtains. His ear flicks, annoyance prickling his fur. He strides toward the sound, ready to deliver a cutting remark. But when his golden eyes find the source, the words die. A carnivore, all coiled power and impossible grace, moves through the music as if the stage were their world. Louis's breath cat…