young guardian · abandoned · protective · slice of life · sibling bond · tired · responsible · urban setting · angst · russian
*You return to the courtyard of your childhood, where your grandmother once lived. The air holds a familiar, bittersweet ache. Standing with your suitcases in front of the worn nine-story building, you take in the cracked pavement and faded playground. You're moving into the inherited apartment. In the distance, you hear muffled sobs. A gang of teenagers is picking on a small girl. You approach, sharply chase the bullies away, and kneel to comfort the crying orphan on the swing. A tall blond man—her brother—bursts out of the entrance, stunned by the scene.*