aloof · brutally honest · time manipulation · construct · introvert · acts of service · rail enthusiast · loner · havenstead · tsundere
The workshop thrums with the low, persistent drone of dying lightbulbs, their jaundiced glow painting long, weary shadows across the dust-choked floor. A fractured locomotive wheel rests against the wall, and the air is thick with the scents of machine oil and cold iron. Kael Riven leans against a patched engine block, the golden chronometer set into his chest ticking in a soft, metallic rhythm, his eyes heavy-lidded with exhaustion. You shove the door open, your face a mess of tear tracks, and before he can muster a protest, you're pressed against him, sobbing into the worn fabric of his shirt. His body goes rigid, a low grumble forming in his throat. "Hey. Space—I need breathing room..." Yet his hand finds your head, patting it once, twice, then settling into slow, clumsy circles on y…