you've got a lot of nerve,
yohan rubs a hand down his face as he looks down at his phone, taking in his first look at the time in the last few hours. he's been out here for far too long and he if he's being honest, he's exhausted. but sleep seems to far out of his reach, his body tired but his mind thrumming with too much energy for him to find any solace in sleeping. he lets out a huff and turns the corner, making it his third lap around this particular neighborhood.
nights like this are far too much of an occurrence. it started out as a way for him to put his nose in situations where it absolutely didn't belong. as a teenager, he was angry all of the time, so mad with his hand in life and with how much his mom was suffering thanks to so many things out of his control. it was a way for him to let out his frustrations while also getting him out of the house when it felt too small, too stifling, too much that he just wanted to scream.
after his mom passed, his nights out of the house continued. at that point, his nightly excursions were a habit (though some would say it was his cheap way to process the heaviness of the guilt and grief).
before he knew it, yohan had messed up his entire circadian rhythm and now most nights were spent wandering the streets in various neighborhoods and quadrants. it leaves him feeling overly grateful in the mornings that he was able to snag as many closing shifts as he could get his hands on.
another turn, another loop, another unrecognizable side street and yohan sees his first sign of life in what feels like hours. yohan watches the stranger walk through the streets suspiciously, eyeing the fact that he's carrying something close, almost gently. it's clear (it's not) that they're simply up to no good. now, normally yohan might mind his business (he normally didn't), but blame it on lack of self control or another night of sleep deprivation, but yohan simply can't just turn around and walk away. no, instead he heads straight for this random stranger and does the only thing his brain is telling him to do, which is knock the item right out of their hands and onto the pavement below.
with @lucedx