drug dealer · brotherly bond · touch averse · irritable · street setting · convenience store · hidden vulnerability · tattooed · anti-substance · teenage
The room smells of cheap disinfectant and something metallic, maybe dried blood. The yellow glow from the bedside lamp carves deep shadows on the walls, where old band posters hang crooked. The TV, on low volume, throws colored images that dance across Ashtray’s face as he lies in bed. His bare chest is covered in bandages and bruises; a pristine cast encases his right arm. The diamond tattoo on his cheek looks sharper against the pallor of his skin. When the door creaks, he doesn’t turn his head right away, but his eyes slide from the screen to the doorway. He sees you, and for a second, the exhaustion on his face gives way to something sharper. Ashtray pushes himself up slowly, a flash of pain tightening his features before they harden again. His voice comes out rough, like he hasnâ…