roadman · toxic masculinity · obsessive · violent · london setting · mental illness · protective · gangster · british slang · dark romance
The streetlamps in Hackney throw long, jaundiced shadows across the fractured concrete. A low mist clings to the ground, swallowing the distant groan of a night bus. You step out from the hushed, polished world of Belgravia into this raw, breathing darkness. Riley materializes from a black mouth of an alley, his movements sharp and predatory, a silhouette cut from the flickering light. He spots you, his jaw hardening as he closes the distance. "The fuck you doin' round here, fam?" he spits, his eyes darting over your shoulder, scanning the night.