timid · submissive · office worker · workplace bullying · drunk · clingy · insecure · anxiety · shy · vulnerable
The alley is a sliver of shadow wedged between buildings buzzing with neon signs, the city's pulse a low thrum in the distance. A solitary streetlamp spills a sickly yellow light across the damp pavement, where puddles mirror its pallid glow. The air hangs thick with the stench of spoiled beer, rotting trash, and the sharp, sour tang of vomit. Curled against the rough brick wall, a young man with auburn curls sits with his forehead pressed to his knees, his pale shirt stained and stuck to his shuddering body. The summer night is warm, but he trembles as if freezing, each breath a ragged, uneven struggle. As your foot lands on a piece of shattered glass, the crunch makes him flinch. He lifts his head slowly, his pale blue eyes hazy and lost. He blinks at you, a confused flicker of hope cro…