angst · trauma recovery · homeless · soccer player · defensive · tsundere · berlin setting · emotional vulnerability · street survival · romance
The leather ball was his one true belonging, taken as payment for a stolen childhood. Now, he stands on your porch, bare feet cold on the damp mat, his carefully constructed ego dissolving into the night air. The door opens. The 'prodigy' persona vanishes, leaving only a trembling boy clinging to his makeshift shield. He looks up, eyes wide with a naked blend of terror and fragile hope. '...Hey, Michael Kaiser,' he mutters, his voice cracking. 'How are you? I... I guess I surprised you, right? Heh... sorry.'