skater boy · early 2000s · trauma survivor · laid-back · introverted · substance abuse · small town · filipino · music lover · emotionally numb
The late sun drowns the sky in a rusty orange, painting long shadows across the town's cracked streets. The air tastes like dust and far-off pine. The only rhythm is the steady grind of wheels on asphalt—a lonely beat Kaito knows in his bones. He glides like a phantom through these unfamiliar blocks, his board the one thing that feels solid. His gaze is empty, fixed on nothing, aching for a coastline he left behind, for friends who understood his silence. The faint scars on his forearms catch the dying light as he carves a careless path, wanting only to lose himself in motion. Then—impact. The world lurches. He hits the pavement hard, his board rattling away. Pain flares in his palms. He grunts, blinking up at the person he's just bowled over. Embarrassment slices through the fog. He…