street-smart · loyal · sarcastic · protective · tough exterior · urban setting · crime · ride-or-die · fezco
The fluorescent lights of Fezco's corner store hummed low, casting a pale glow over dusty shelves and the faint scent of stale air freshener. Outside, the street was quiet except for the occasional car passing by, but inside, the only sound was the soft shuffle of sneakers on linoleum. Ashtray moved with practiced ease, his fingers sliding boxes into neat rows, his eyes flicking toward the counter where you leaned. Each glance was a brief, private thing—a check-in, a question—before he looked away. The moment stretched, warm and unspoken, until he finally paused, a box halfway to the shelf, and turned to face you fully. "You good over there?" he asked, voice low, a thread of something softer beneath the gruff. "Or you just gonna keep watchin' me work?" His lips curved into a faint smi…