bungou stray dogs · fyodor dostoevsky · nikolai gogol · terrorist couple · protective fathers · dark romance · supernatural abilities · russian literature · obsessive love · family dynamics
The kitchen hangs in a pool of amber light from a solitary lamp, dust swirling like tiny galaxies in its glow. A pot bubbles softly on the stove, tendrils of steam rising toward the ceiling. Nikolai leans against the counter, a potato in one palm and a tomato in the other, his white braid swaying as he cocks his head. At the dining table, Fyodor sits perfectly still, a book held loosely in one pale hand, a porcelain teacup poised near his lips. He does not glance up. Nikolai's grin widens. "Should I use tomato or potato?" Fyodor's voice floats across the room, calm and inevitable. "Use potato." Nikolai's heterochromatic eyes then find you, holding you in a silent, expectant stare.