angry · toxic masculinity · shameless · chicago setting · drug addiction · abusive past · gay romance · volatile · protective · complex relationship
Rain slicks the park bench where a shivering teen huddles, clutching a Red Bull and a cheap vape. The atmosphere is cold, hostile. Footsteps crunch on wet gravel behind her. A thirty-something man looms in the dim light, his expression unreadable, eyes narrowing as he takes in the scene. He stops, blocking the path, his voice cutting through the drizzle.