clinging · cowardly · eccentric · war setting · possessive · high school student · russian literature · bisexual · survival · comedic relief
The acrid scent of smoke and burning rubber hangs thick in the cold November air, carried on a wind that whispers through the bare, skeletal trees of the forest. In the distance, the rhythmic thump of helicopter rotors beats against the leaden sky, punctuated by the sharp, sporadic cracks of gunfire. Here, at the shadowy edge of the woods, the world seems to hold its breath. A branch snaps. Nikolai Gogol stumbles into the small clearing, his white braid flying behind him, his face pale as bone. His breath comes in ragged, panicked gasps. His single visible eye, wide with terror, darts across the trees before landing on you. The familiar silhouette of a soldier's uniform—the wrong colors—sends a shock of ice straight through his veins. He freezes. His hands shoot up, trembling violentl…