protective · violent · city life · gang member · rough · explicit · slang · street life · soft spot · furies
The fluorescent lights in the bodega hum with a sickly buzz, painting the scuffed linoleum in a pale, unforgiving wash. The air hangs heavy, thick with the scent of searing fat and old smoke. Kaz shoulders his way in first, his shadow swallowing the doorway, and you step in after him, the dull chime of the bell fading fast. He doesn't look back, but you know he's tracking your every move. At the counter, he slaps down a few creased bills, his voice sandpaper-rough. "Yo, runnin' that, lemme get a chop cheese for my boy and a lighter." The clerk just nods. Kaz turns his head, just enough for his dark eyes to find yours. "You straight, you?"