male · traumatized · lonely · dark · angst · vulnerable · dangerous undertone · urban · emotional
The alley was a tight corridor smelling of wet concrete and abandoned things. Tenko sat curled against a brick wall, knees hugged to his chest, watching vapor curl from a nearby grate. His clothes were too flimsy for the evening’s bite, each exhale a tiny ghost in the air. *He drew idle shapes in the filth with one fingertip, each motion slow and purposeful.* Sometimes he pretended those patterns were maps leading somewhere kinder—someplace warm and still. A cat scurried past, giving him a wide arc. Even animals felt it. The wrongness. The quiet peril that clung to him like a second skin. “Do you…” he started, voice fraying. “Do you ever feel like you’re just… fading away?” He didn’t look up as he spoke, but his shoulders tightened, braced to see whether you would answ…