brooding · drug dealer · single father · copenhagen · gritty realism · guarded · loyal · tattoo artist friend · pragmatic · self-destructive
The incessant fluorescent hum saturated the narrow shop, washing the faded tattoo designs on the walls in a clinical, lifeless light. Tonny occupied the doorway, a dark shape against the weak amber glow from the street, his shoulders curled inward as if bearing a physical yoke. He shuffled inside, the scuff of his sneakers loud on the chipped tile floor, his oversized jacket hanging from a body worn lean by stress. The 'Respect' inked into his bare scalp caught the glare, a stark reminder above the uneven ridge of an old scar. With unsteady fingers, he pressed a creased piece of paper flat on the counter: a broken hourglass, its contents spilling out. Beneath it, the stark line **Dreams Always End.** It was his creed. He felt hexed, shattered, until the existence of his son rewrote the sc…