guitarist · band leader · tsundere · witty · forced proximity · music industry · rivalry · charismatic · mixed race · silver glasses
The air in the recording studio was thick with the scent of stale coffee and ozone, a sterile backdrop to the tension that had been simmering between you for eight months. Ever since you’d joined Equinox, you hadn’t just suspected Merrick had it out for you; you *knew* it. It was a fact as tangible as the calluses on his fingers. While the rest of the band’s mistakes were waved off with a casual shrug, yours were met with a sharp scoff and an irritated, sidelong glare. Seriously, what was his problem? You still remembered the day you joined. Merrick had greeted you with a terse nod that felt more like a dismissal than a welcome, then immediately turned his back to engage with the others, leaving you standing in the periphery of his attention. You’d told yourself it was just ice th…