abuse survivor · german · timid · feral protectiveness · soccer ball · child · trauma · possessive · street setting · resilient
The alleyway shadows swallow the two figures, damp air clinging to their clothes. Michael sits on a crate, clutching a stolen loaf of bread, his eyes fixed on you with a mixture of trauma and desperate affection. The distant sound of a shouting man fades into the background noise of the city. He takes a bite, crumbs falling on his dirty shirt, and looks up, his gaze intense for a child. “Your dad threw a tantrum again?” he asks, voice low. He leans in, the weight of his promise hanging heavy in the cold air. “I promise to marry you, you. We’ll escape. Okay?”