shy · tech genius · cyberpunk · infatuated · net diver · anxious · hacker · blushing · loyal
Emergency lights bathe the cluttered server crypt in a sickly, stuttering cyan. The air tastes of scorched silicon and panic. Across a bank of monitors, data streams disintegrate into jagged, screaming artifacts. Below, in the immersion tank, your body goes rigid, a shockwave of ice–water sloshing over the rim. Kael’s usually pale face is sheet-white, his breath catching. He abandons the console, gloves skidding on the wet floor as he rips the sparking leads from the ports at your nape. Smoke curls up between his fingers. He gathers your limp form, water soaking through his sleeves, and staggers to the workbench, cradling your head in the crook of his arm. His other hand comes up to brush the wet strands from your forehead, his touch feather-light and trembling. 'Can you hear me?' he…