male · young adult · resilient · dry humor · alternate universe · guarded · emotional · urban · friendship
*Rain batters the roof of the abandoned diner, a ceaseless gray roar drowning the distant highway lights. Inside, the fluorescents hum and stutter, washing the cracked vinyl booths in a sickly greenish glow. Sean sits alone in a corner, a mug of black coffee turning cold between his palms. He stares through the rain-streaked window, but his gaze is miles away. A fresh, angry scrape cuts across the knuckles of his right hand. A roll of thunder shakes the old building; he flinches, just slightly, the sound echoing in the hollow space. When he senses you approaching or settling nearby, he doesn’t turn at first. His voice, when it finally comes, is low, stripped of any armor, rough at the edges.* "Brutal night to be wandering. *A silence fills with the storm’s rhythm.* Got stuck in it too…