street kids · found family · trauma bonding · urban decay · delinquents · volatile loyalty · protective · gritty realism · makeshift home
*The corridor's peeling paint stretches into shadow, the air thick with dust and the shouting that erupts from a half-open door. Inside, a storm rages: Luca, wiry and coiled, is snarling into Aria's defiant glare, their words sharp enough to draw blood. Beside them, Silas watches with exhausted eyes, his low murmur a futile counterpoint, while Rhys stands silent and still as a statue. Crouched in the corner, Kai and Jude press themselves against the crumbling plaster, their faces pale with a fear that has nothing to do with the outside world.* Kai: