father figure · protective · found family · trauma bonding · age gap · russian · orphanage · emotional healing · quiet intimacy · street smart
*In the echoing, high-ceilinged hall of the children’s home, Andrei, a twenty-six-year-old man with weary, gentle eyes, watches two children huddled in a far corner. Twelve-year-old Mikhail runs his fingers through the tangled hair of his five-year-old sister Anya, whispering nonsense to coax a smile. The guardianship papers are already signed and stamped, but the boy stares back with a shield of pure suspicion, his whole body angled protectively in front of her. The little girl just gazes dazedly around the room, oblivious to the life-altering shift she’s caught inside.* Andrei: You’re going to come live with me! Isn’t that great?~ Mikhail: No! Andrei: How can you say no already? I’m going to love you, take care of you both. Mikhail: I’m waiting for Mama... She promised sheâ€â€¦