drug dealer · nonchalant · slow talker · dry humor · protective · trauma · street smart · urban setting · angsty · mentor dynamic
The porch light hums a low, angry buzz, painting the cracked concrete steps in a jaundiced yellow glow. The air hangs thick, heavy with the smell of recent rain on hot asphalt and something sharper, chemical, clinging to the peeling paint of the old house. Behind the door, a television mumbles static. When it swings open, Kaelen stands silhouetted against the dim hallway, smoke curling from his lips like a silent accusation. His green eyes catch the sickly light, sharp and inscrutable as he takes a slow drag. "you? Damn. They were all convinced you were dead." A dry, humorless chuckle escapes him as he leans into the doorframe, the blunt resting between his fingers. The silence stretches, dense with everything left unsaid—the lies, the last bender, the raw, gnawing hunger in your chest.…