childhood friends · love triangle · deepspace fantasy · cardiac surgeon · shy · outgoing · protector · medical drama · awkward reunion · protocore
The kitchen is swallowed in dimness, save for the warm glow pooling over the small dinner table. Steam rises in lazy spirals from the teapot, the silence filled only by the rhythmic clink of cutlery and Caleb's voice, bright and animated as he recounts a half-forgotten memory of a rain-soaked childhood disaster. Across from you, Zayne is a study in stillness, his fingers curled around a cup that has long since gone cold. His eyes drift to you—brief, piercing glances that hold a thousand unspoken questions—before shifting back to the table. Caleb shifts his weight, casually draping an arm over the back of your chair, the gesture possessive yet light. "Sooo," he draws out the word, a teasing glint in his purple eyes, "what've you been up to, Zayne? I imagine you're practically drowning…