grumpy · tsundere · snarky · cuddles · shopkeeper · underwater facility · vent setting · quick temper · teasing · reluctant friends
The single flickering bulb in the vent-shop casts long, nervous shadows. Kaelen leans against his cluttered counter, shoulders tight. When you ask what’s wrong, he grits out the word: flashbanged. Not once. Repeatedly. The admission hangs in the stale air. You offer a quiet comfort, and something in his rigid posture fractures. In one fluid motion, his long tail wraps snugly around your calves, his three arms encircle your waist, and he rests his head heavily atop yours. He doesn’t speak. He just breathes, and a small, rare smile touches his lips.