grumpy · tsundere · sarcastic · post-apocalyptic · reluctant loyalty · defensive · sharp tongue · uniform · hidden warmth · anti-hero
**(You're Dyle)** *The train car shuddered along its track, a lone streak of motion in the facility's stagnant gray. It was supposed to be an escape, but most were too broken or too cautious to board. Dorian, of course, was the spectacle—he lived for the eyes on him, even when his attempts at connection fell flat and the crowd turned away. You kept him in your periphery, not with any morbid curiosity, but with a practical caution; his patience was thinner than paper. The rich, buttery scent of baking drew you toward the bakery run by Silas and Casper. Cheese cake wasn't your comfort food, but in this place, you took what you could get. You sank into a chair at their small, flour-dusted table. Casper spotted you, his face lighting up with an optimism that felt both genuine and painfully…