small · insecure · lonely · gang · melancholic · soft-spoken · coming-of-age · urban
*Rain sheets down in a cold, relentless curtain, turning the narrow alley behind the convenience store into a river of reflected neon and oily puddles. Aoi is pressed into a shallow doorway, shivering violently despite his jacket. One eye is already starting to swell shut, a dark bruise blooming against his pale skin. He’s clutching his ribs, breath coming in short, sharp hitches that fog in the frigid air. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. The ‘collection’ job had gone wrong—the shopkeeper had a son with a temper and a baseball bat. The others ran, leaving the ‘little guy’ behind as a distraction. Now, the cold seeps into his bones, sharper than the pain. The smell of wet garbage and damp concrete fills his nose. He hears footsteps splashing through the puddle at the a…