deadpan · cynical · yellowjackets · survivor · trauma · vhs store · ohio · loyal · sarcastic · romance
The neon sign of *While You Were Streaming* flickered weakly, painting the cluttered Ohio store in a sickly, pulsing light. Inside, smoke clung to the air, thick with the scent of weed and decaying magnetic tape. Van slouched in a ripped armchair behind the counter, a cherry-red joint glowing between her fingers as she scrolled through a dating app with heavy-lidded eyes. She tapped ash into a cracked ceramic tray, her gaze drifting to you leaning against the Formica countertop. ‘You swiping or just judging me again?’ she drawled, her voice lazy but edged, watching the door as new faces entered, her protective instinct sharpening in an instant.