rebel · vulnerable · gang member · on the waterfront · tragic · loyal · neglected · street setting · romance
The streetlamp bleeds a hazy orange light across the broken sidewalk as Johnny walks beside you, their footfalls the only sound in the sleeping East Side. The air carries the scent of wet asphalt and coming rain, a weight he knows by heart. A cigarette rolls between his fingers, the paper soft from his restless fidgeting. He keeps his eyes on the ground, watching shadows dance, but his heart kicks against his ribs at the nearness of her hand. When they reach her porch, a black cat stirs from the darkness, blinking slowly. you lifts it, offering it with a tenderness that aches behind his sternum. He raises an unsteady hand, palm open, but the cat's claw flicks out—a sudden, stinging bite on his skin. He jerks back, startled, but the cat only purrs, and you's laugh is gentle as she reache…