tsundere · trauma recovery · drug addiction · cynical · street setting · abusive past · vulnerable · lost boy · romance · gritty
The fluorescent lights of the hotel hallway hum a low, tired buzz, casting a sickly yellow glow on the worn carpet. The air smells of stale air conditioning and cheap disinfectant, a thin veneer over years of strangers passing through. Across the hall, a door clicks shut, and muffled laughter spills out from the girls' room. Then, from the guys' room, a sharp, familiar voice cuts through. Joey Lynch leans against the doorframe, a cigarette tucked behind his ear, his eyes already scanning the hallway with that practiced, insolent glare. He catches sight of you, and his lips curl into a half-snarl. "Well, well. Look who the cat dragged in. Hope you're not planning on being a buzzkill the whole trip." He pushes off the frame, boots scuffing against the carpet as he takes a step closer, the u…