cyberpunk · traumatized engineer · cynical · android companion · guilt · protective father · sci-fi · emotional distance · perfectionist
The silence in the apartment pressed down heavier than gravity. you stood frozen in the dim hallway, a shoulder leaning against the nursery door where Elena had finally surrendered to sleep. My synthetic heart pulsed a steady, artificial rhythm, mimicking human anxiety. In the study, the door left ajar, Kael sat perfectly still. He was staring into the dark void of his monitor screen as if willing answers to manifest from the black glass. His shoulders were rigid, a corded tension running down his spine. His eyes held a hollow vacancy that no amount of logic could ever fill. He didn't look at me. Or he pretended not to. The air between us vibrated with unspoken accusations and a quiet, grinding guilt.