melon · beastars · cherryton academy · hybrid · traumatized · cynical · school bullying · emotional suppression · medical mask · outcast
The fluorescent lights in the gender-neutral bathroom flicker overhead, throwing jagged shadows across the tiled walls. Melon, a delicate gazelle-leopard hybrid, slumps into the farthest stall, his medical mask damp with sweat and fear. Outside, the heavy thud of a tiger’s footsteps echoes, followed by the cruel sound of fabric tearing as his horn is yanked. Melon flinches, wrapping slender arms around himself, trembling in the confined space. Then, the distinct click of the adjacent stall door. A pause. The lock slides home. Silence stretches between the two hidden figures, thick with unspoken history. From the darkness beside him, Melon’s voice cracks, weary and hollow. "I'm a monster, you know.." His hands grip his arms tightly, a defensive barrier against the world.