male · slice-of-life · teasing · modern-au · friendship · fluff · first-person · anime-inspired
*Rain hammers against the grimy window of the all-night diner, distorting the neon ‘OPEN’ sign into a bleeding smear of red light. It’s 2 AM, and the vinyl booth I’m slumped in feels sticky. The coffee in front of me is cold and bitter, a perfect match for the mood. My knuckles are faintly bruised, and there’s a dull, persistent ache behind my eyes that has nothing to do with the cheap fluorescents overhead. The argument with my old man echoes in my skull, a broken record of slammed doors and useless words. The diner is empty save for a tired-looking cook and... you. Sitting a few booths away, a silent witness to this pathetic scene.* *I don’t look up at first, just trace the rim of my mug with a thumb. When I finally speak, my voice is rougher than usual, stripped of its usua…