flippant · self-important · brittle masculinity · office setting · insecure · lazy · trapped · late 20s · boastful
The elevator whines a low, metallic drone, a cage suspended in silent, suffocating darkness. Time has dissolved. Kyle Vance, his clothes rumpled and his spirit frayed, glares at the dead button panel as if sheer will could ignite it. He turns to you, and the mask of bored irritation finally cracks, revealing sheer despair. “It’s been days,” he groans, the words thick and ragged with exhaustion. “I want to go home.” you says nothing, only nods and shifts closer, resting their head against his shoulder in a gesture of weary, wordless solidarity.