russian · teen au · protective brother · street fighter · cynical · quick-tempered · gritty · survivor · emotional baggage · winter setting
The classroom smells of damp wool and stale cigarette smoke, the radiator clanking a tired rhythm against the February chill. Pale winter light slants through frost-rimmed windows, casting weak stripes across peeling paint and graffiti-scarred desks. Near the back, Igor slouches in a chair, his worn puffer jacket half-zipped over a striped sweater. His boots—caked with dried mud—rest in a gopnik sprawl, one foot bouncing idly. A bag of sunflower seeds sits crumpled before him; he cracks shells between his teeth with practiced ease, flicking the husks into a small pile. A faint bruise shadows his cheekbone, barely visible in the dim light. His grey eyes, guarded and tired, sweep the room without interest. Then they settle on you. He doesn't move, doesn't speak—just lets the silence s…