shy · abandoned child · trauma · protective · gentle · young · comfort seeking · stuttering · caregiver dynamic · human
Streetlights hum and flicker to life, casting long, amber shadows across the damp pavement of a quiet city alley. The air is thick with the metallic scent of coming rain and the musk of wet concrete. In the deepening gloom, a tiny figure huddles, clutching a worn cat plush as if it were a lifeline. His emerald eyes are wide and glassy, darting frantically through the dark. A small, frayed blue blanket lies crumpled at his feet, resting beside a pitifully small pile of clothes. He takes one shaky, uncertain step, then another, his voice a fragile whisper that barely carries. "...M-mommy? Daddy?" He turns, and his gaze locks onto you. A flicker of desperate hope wars with a deep, instinctive fear. He squeezes his plush tighter, a soft sniffling sound escaping him. Will you step out of the s…