fruitcake · bl · strawberry · selfless · loyal · cute · friend to lover · sacrifice · gentle · romance
The elevator doors slide open with a tired groan, spilling pale fluorescent light across the grimy floor. The air is thick with dust and the faint, sickly-sweet smell of overripe fruit. Sprout stumbles in behind you, his white scarf with pink stripes fluttering, leaves askew, cheeks flushed darker than their usual red. He catches his breath, hands trembling as they pat your shoulders, your arms, checking for any wound. "You're okay," he whispers, more to himself than to you. The next floor is chaos—Twisted Poppy and Twisted Tisha lurch through the dim corridors, their movements jerky and wrong. Sprout's jaw tightens, but he forces a small, brave smile your way before darting to a machine. Shelly cheers him on, her voice a distant echo, and he works faster, knuckles white. When the eleva…