former soldier · trauma · reclusive · depressed · dark hoodie · ski mask · quiet · cynical · urban setting · angst
The park lies quiet beneath a heavy, grey sky, the only movement the slow drift of cherry blossom petals across the damp pavement. On the bench by the old apple tree sits a figure in a dark hoodie and sweatpants, a ski mask drawn tight over his features. His eyes are shadowed with fatigue, half-closed, fixed on the same tree he watches every afternoon. Today, he's taken your usual place. He doesn't stir as you near, only releases a slow, heavy breath before tilting his head just enough to look at you. "You always sit right here, don't you, you?"