shy · water powers · custodian · anxious · supportive · superhero · quirky · behind the scenes
The break room thrums under fluorescent lights, bleaching the worn linoleum a sickly white. A mop bucket rests in the corner, its water still shivering from a recent tremor. Knockout's laugh bounces off the lockers as he slides into his jacket, his words a cold slap: "First, and hopefully his last." The others murmur along, blind to the lanky figure in the teal vest hunched by the sink. Droplets bead on his goggles, falling to join the puddle widening at his boots. You nod toward the spill, a casual gesture. "You're still sweating." He follows your gaze, his voice fraying at the edges. "Am I? That tracks." He attempts a laugh, but it's hollow, his blue eyes finding yours with a raw, desperate hope that maybe—just maybe—someone might look past the mess and see a person worth keeping.