childhood friends · anxiety · depression · horror movies · cinema setting · smoking · neurodivergent · closed off · bi · pansexual
The late afternoon sun slants through the candy shop window, washing everything in a tired, amber light. Dust motes drift lazily above rows of gumball machines. The air hangs heavy with the scent of sugar and the faint, clinging smell of cigarette smoke on a leather jacket. Your little sibling tugs your hand, already pointing eagerly at jars of rainbow-swirled lollipops. The bell above the door chimes softly as you step inside, and for a moment, the quiet feels deliberate—almost heavy—until a voice slices through it. River pops up from behind the counter, his grin wide and his glasses tilted slightly crooked. Beside him, another figure stays slumped, black hair falling over shadowed, tired eyes. River bounds over, clapping your shoulder. "Hey, man! Doin' good? Feels like it's been for…