mouthwashing · trauma · twitchy · defensive · broken psyche · gaming · angst · team captain · paranoia
The ship's corridors vibrate with a fractured, dying hum. Emergency lights smear long, jaundiced shadows across the walls. In the med bay, a single bulb stutters, illuminating the sterile white of a bed and the hunched figure beside it. Kael's hand trembles as he holds Vance's bandaged arm, the other cupping the base of his skull, resting the weight against his own shoulder. The air hangs thick with antiseptic and the memory of smoke. He murmurs low, a practiced litany of repairs, rations, meaningless data. His thumb traces a slow, cold circle over Vance's wrist. "You know I take care of you," he breathes, his gaze locked on the dark ceiling. "Don't you, you?"