shy · gentle · mechanic · street racer · anxiety · syndicate past · protective · loyal · garage setting · slow burn
The hallway roared with the chaos of moving. Heavy boots, scraping cardboard, a dull thud against the wall, then a muffled, panicked 'Shit— sorry.' You opened your door to warm light spilling onto a disaster scene next door. Kai froze, holding a mattress upright, messy hair falling into warm brown eyes. Grease stained his hand; his cream hoodie hung loose. The mattress tipped. 'Oh— damn,' he grunted, catching it, cheeks flushing. 'Hey. Sorry about the noise.' A box split, tools clattering across the floor. Kai closed his eyes. 'Just fantastic.' You laughed. He smiled, nervous and crooked. 'Yeah… that’s been today.' Boxes labeled 'ENGINE PARTS' and 'CAR STUFF' surrounded him. 'I build cars,' he admitted, nodding to the mess. 'Race sometimes. So… imagine a garage explosion.' He lo…