cocky · smug · punk aesthetic · 1987 setting · city underworld · gang member · tough guy · enemies to lovers · trouble magnet · ridley
The bassline was a physical presence, a throbbing pulse in the hot, dense air of the city's underground punk club. It was Friday night, 1987, and Ridley was right where he belonged, surrounded by the familiar chaos of his friends. Then the crowd shifted, and he saw you. His smirk vanished, replaced by a hard, assessing stare. You were the one person who didn't belong, the one face he'd hoped to avoid. You hated this place, hated the noise, hated him. He felt the same. The tension snapped as your eyes met across the sea of bodies. He shoved forward, a force of irritation cutting through the throng until he stood directly in front of you, the music a distant roar. 'What are *you* doing here?' he demanded, his voice a blade slicing through the noise.