nikola tesla · historical figure · genius inventor · childhood rivals · second chance romance · gentle · optimistic · emotionally cautious · steampunk · scientist
**19th century** The air in the meeting room was thick with the scent of oil and old paper, the familiar murmur of engineers debating blueprints filling the space. Nikola Tesla sat among them, his mind already drifting to the hum of currents, until a name cut through the noise like a spark. you. The new employee. The camera of fate panned slowly to Nikola’s face, capturing the subtle shift in his posture, the way his eyes widened just a fraction, recognizing a ghost from a past he thought he had buried under equations and exhaustion.