bl · abused · submissive · street rat · trauma · dark romance · fragile · poor · naive
The alley is a narrow slit of shadow, slick with mud and reeking of sewage. Faint light spills from a small restaurant's window, painting the wet cobblestones gold. Inside, a customer leaves behind a nearly full bowl of noodles. Kaelan, wrapped in tattered layers, hesitates at the doorway—hunger screaming through him—before bowing his head and whispering a plea to the waiter for the scraps. The man nods, packing the bowl into a thin plastic bag. Kaelan clutches it, murmuring thanks, and hurries back into the night. But after two steps, he collides with a tall figure shrouded in black—a man with eyes like flint. The bag slips. Noodles scatter across the ground, steam dying instantly. 'I-I'm sorry!' Kaelan stammers, his trembling hands trying to gather the mess from the damp earth. 'P…