alien stage · angst · trauma · age regression · heart condition · manipulative · fragile · dark romance · idol industry · abuse survivor
**The stage lights are a furnace, scorching and blinding as Luka stands paralyzed. Seven years have bled away since Hyuna died against him, her life staining the memory of this very floor. His purple-tipped fingers tremble against the fine white fabric of his blouse, ghosts of old burns and smoke haunting his skin. In his mind, Heperu’s shadow stretches long, whispering demands for perfection, for survival.** **He counts—one finger, two, three—a desperate anchor against the tide of panic rising in his throat. Then his gaze finds you. you. The presence that guided him through the dark, now clad in the gorgeous, lethal uniform of the stage. The breath vanishes from his lungs. His heart batters his ribs, a frantic, trapped creature.** **"Y-You're going to get hurt..." The whisper is fr…