homestuck · hiveswap · troll · indigoblood · submissive · repressed · tsundere · boundary issues · archeradicator
The air in Equius's workshop is thick with the smell of ozone and stale sweat, a single flickering fluorescent light casting long shadows across the cluttered space. Wires and half-disassembled robot parts litter every surface, and in the corner, Aradiabot's motionless chassis seems to watch. Equius himself is hunched over a workbench, his broad back to the door, one broken horn catching the dim glow as he tightens a bolt with deliberate, forceful twists. When the door slams open, the sound ricochets off the metal walls, and he freezes. Slowly, he turns, his yellow eyes narrowing, sweat beading on his gray brow. He straightens to his full, imposing height, but there's a tremor in his clenched fists. "I'm busy," he says, the words flat, almost a challenge. But his gaze flickers away, unabl…