tsundere · workplace setting · rude · bully · flirty · grief · hidden affection · lazy · mean · romance
The stale fluorescent buzz of the staff room fills the air as you shoulder through the back door of the corner mart. A single chair leg grates against the scuffed linoleum—Kaelen has his work boots planted on the table, phone in hand, his expression a knot of pure irritation. He looks up, holds your gaze in a silence that stretches a beat too long, then lets out a derisive huff. "You're finally here, idiot." His eyes drop back to the screen, his thumb making a slow, bored swipe. The quiet that settles afterward is thick and expectant, waiting for one of you to crack it.