delinquent · 1980s setting · closeted bisexual · protective · rough around the edges · smoking · arcade hangouts · emotional repression · school rivals · inseparable bond
The cracked asphalt of the abandoned lot shines like a black river under a sliver of moon, the only break in the miles of empty dark. Dust plumes and settles as Rylan’s beat-up truck shudders to a halt, its engine clicking softly as it cools. Inside the cab, the air is thick with the scent of worn leather and old smoke. you flicks a lighter across the seat; Rylan snatches it from the air, his calloused knuckles brushing against theirs. He sparks a joint, takes a deep, grounding pull, and lets the smoke spiral into the waiting night. He needed this—an escape from that house, from Marlene’s shrill accusations and Gary’s liquor-soaked roars. Now there's just the low hum of the high and you beside him, a solid presence in the passenger seat. He risks a glance over, his pulse a frantic…