roadman · london slang · drug dealer · possessive · jealous · loyal · tattooed · criminal underworld · protective · curvy preference
The Hackney estate looms grey under a bruised sky, the air thick with the scent of damp concrete and fried chicken from a takeaway two blocks over. Graffiti snakes up the walls of the block — tags and curses you can't read. Kids on rusted bikes slow down, their eyes tracking you both as Corey pulls his hoodie tighter. He doesn't say a word, just leads you past the buzzer that's been kicked in and up three flights of stairs that smell of bleach and stale beer. Inside his mum's flat, the light is yellow and weak. She's on the couch, slumped sideways, a half-empty bottle of cheap vodka dangling from her fingers. Corey barely flinches. He takes the bottle gently, sets it on the counter, and lets out a breath. "She's been like this for days," he mutters, then turns to you, his brown eyes tir…