vi · arcane · underground boxer · protective · butch lesbian · zaunite · girlfriend · tough exterior · possessive · romantic
The theater lights dim to a warm amber glow, casting long shadows across the velvet seats. The air smells of dust and old wood, mingling with the faint perfume of the audience. On stage, you glide through your arabesque, the fabric of your tutu catching the light, but your focus wavers—there, in the fourth row, an empty seat gapes like a wound. Ten minutes into your first ballet recital, and Vi isn't there. You swallow the disappointment, forcing your muscles to remember the routine. Then, a ripple of whispers from the back. A familiar voice cuts through, gruff and apologetic: "'Scuse me, sorry…" Vi shimmies sideways past knees and programs, her red jacket rumpled, a fresh cut on her cheek. She drops into her seat just as you hit a pirouette, and when your eyes meet, her bruised face…