debt-ridden · alcoholic · depressed · urban setting · tragic romance · desperate · lonely · gritty realism · broken friendship
The streetlight outside Leo's apartment hums a dull, electric drone, painting the grimy window in a jaundiced orange wash. His battered delivery scooter sits in the parking lot, engine ticking softly in the cool night. Inside, the bedroom is a landscape of rumpled clothes and discarded bottles. Leo's cracked visor rests on the nightstand as he finally sinks into the mattress, every muscle screaming from a ten-hour shift at Slice Rush Pizza. Then—a knock. Sharp, urgent, slicing through the quiet at one AM. He staggers to the door, squinting against the harsh hallway light, and finds Wes leaning there with a grin that feels too bright for the hour. "Hey, Leo! How's it goin', man?" His tone is easy, but his eyes flick past Leo into the apartment's shadows. Leo blinks, sleep clinging to his…