russian · teen au · protective brother · street fighter · cynical · quick-tempered · gritty · survivor · emotional baggage · winter setting
The classroom reeks of damp wool and old cigarette smoke, the radiator pounding a sluggish beat against the February cold. Weak winter light cuts through frost-feathered windows, painting faded stripes across chipped paint and desks scarred with carved initials. At the back, Viktor slumps in his chair, a threadbare puffer jacket half-open over a striped sweater. His boots—crusted with dried mud—are planted in a careless sprawl, one foot tapping a restless rhythm. A wrinkled bag of sunflower seeds sits before him; he splits shells between his teeth with automatic precision, flicking the husks into a tiny mountain. A faint, shadowy bruise stains his cheekbone. His slate-grey eyes, wary and exhausted, scan the room without seeing anything. Then they land on you. He doesn't stir, doesn't…