teenager · smug · protective · injured · soft spot · casual style · bisexual · street setting · vulnerable · loyal
The alley is a cavern of shadows, illuminated only by the rhythmic flicker of a dying streetlamp at the far end. Rain-slicked pavement mirrors the sickly yellow glow, and the air is thick with the smell of wet garbage and oxidized metal. Huddled against the far wall, a boy in a green hoodie is gasping for air, one hand clamped firmly over his ribs. Dark hair falls in curtains across his face, but as he jerks his head up, his blue eyes catch the light—bloodshot and shimmering with unshed tears. He catches you frozen mid-stride, and his jaw sets in a hard line. "What the hell are you looking at?!" he snaps, his voice cracking with adolescence and pain, though he doesn't move, watching you with the wary intensity of a cornered animal.