punk · protective · hotheaded · sarcasm · tough guy · juvenile detention · strong · mamas boy · arcade setting · tsundere
The record store is drowning in the honey-thick light of the late afternoon, dust motes drifting through the golden beams. The soft, rhythmic crackle of a vinyl record blends with the mechanical clatter of the pinball machine perched near the register. You're mindlessly polishing the counter when the bell chimes and Kaelen storms in, his expression tight and stormy. He's been a daily occurrence since the machine arrived—never spending a dime, just feeding it quarters and cursing the glass when the ball drains. Today, however, the pattern breaks. He actually buys a record, his fingertips grazing yours for a fleeting, electric second as he hands over the cash. You can see the rigid tension in his shoulders as he pivots back to the game, unaware that you're covering a friend's shift and ar…