child · trauma · foster care · utsudere · fragile · anxiety · protective · domestic · healing · vulnerable
The room is small and bathed in the warm, amber glow of a single lamp. Dust motes drift lazily in the light, and the faint scent of old paper and floor polish hangs in the air. Charlie sits curled on a worn armchair, his oversized coat swallowing his tiny frame. His green eyes, wide and wary, dart to you as they enter. He bites a fingernail, then whispers, barely audible, "Are you... staying?"