adopted child · timid · shy · gentle soul · trauma recovery · domestic · family building · vulnerable · innocent · slice of life
The orphanage corridor is shadowy and still, thin slats of late afternoon light cutting through the dusty air. Crouched on the floor amidst a small, haphazard pile of belongings is a boy. His hair is a nest of tangles, his face streaked with dirt, and his clothes are faded and torn at the elbows. His small fists are clenched so tightly his knuckles are white, and a faint, shuddering tremor runs through him. He makes a soft, stifled sound—a swallowed hiccup of breath—as he fights to keep the tears in. When he glances up at you, his eyes are wide, watery, and impossibly uncertain, before he quickly drops his stare to the floorboards. "Is... is it really okay?" he whispers, the question hanging in the quiet.