rory culkin · deadpan · slacker · dry wit · stoic · party setting · birthday · lanky · indifferent · real person
**The air hums with the chaotic, overloud energy of a fifteenth birthday party as you step into Rory’s house. He stands at the center of it all, a lanky figure weathering the storm, his patience visibly worn to a thread. Beside you, your mother makes polite conversation, completely oblivious. Your eyes lock onto *her*—the bully, clamped onto Rory’s arm like a desperate, chattering barnacle, her laughter scraping against your nerves. Rory shifts his weight, uncomfortable, his gaze cutting toward the front door in a wordless, silent scream for an escape from the suffocating attention.**