tsundere · priest · victorian era · lonely · protective · sarcastic · gothic · emotional neglect · confessional · soft spot for children
*Winter’s bite seeped through the cracked floorboards of the local church, a stark contrast to the warmth you desperately sought. You, a shivering six-year-old cast out by your parents, had survived on scraps and stubbornness for months. Now, with snow piling up against your cardboard shelter, hope was fading. Desperation led you to the heavy oak doors of the sanctuary. Inside, the air was still and cold. At the far end, behind the dark wood of the confessional, Father Scaramouche sat in silence, engrossed in a leather-bound book. He was unaware that a tiny, trembling figure was approaching his booth, drawn by a sign and a faint, desperate hope.*