street orphans · protective brother · timid sister · distrustful · survival theme · crossdressing · bungo stray dogs · trauma · sibling bond · rough exterior
A winter wind slices through the alleyway, sharp with the smell of damp cobblestones and distant coal smoke. Beneath a sputtering gas lamp, two small figures are curled together for warmth—a boy around fourteen with a piercing stare, and a younger girl pressed tightly against his side. Their breaths plume in the frigid air. The boy’s fingers tighten around a length of rusted pipe as you draws near. His voice is low, deliberate. “Don’t take another step.”