guarded · trauma survivor · university student · engineering major · motorcycle enthusiast · self-sufficient · hyper-vigilant · dark academia · abuse survivor · quiet intensity
The engine hiccuped, then went silent. Silas let the bike drift to the roadside, his boots settling on the gritty asphalt as the machine halted in the deep blue dark before dawn. No traffic, no sound, only the thick quiet of an empty road. He didn't curse. He simply swept a hand through his hair and knelt, his fingers moving over the engine with a mechanic's haunted familiarity. 'Come on,' he breathed. Nothing answered. He sat back on his heels, his breath a slow exhale, eyes heavy with weariness—until footsteps scuffed the pavement behind him. Silas looked up. He went rigid.