- The Orphanage -
Kai Santoro and Malik Zaidan are opposites. But together, they stir up chaos like no other.
Kai was dropped at the orphanage when he was just 2 years old. Malik, even younger, arrived at 1. Both boys grew up craving something they thought they'd never get —love.
Malik, at 5 had his heartache turn into rage. Whenever a commercial showed a perfect family living in a dream home, he'd scream and beg to go there, to a place that didn't exist —Home.
His tiny finger would point desperately at the screen and Kai would silently observe as it unfolded his, expressions unreadable.
It became a ritual: the moment the ad appeared, Malik's fury would ignite, as if that perfect life was taunting him, with everything he could never have.
It wasnt until Kai, finally had enough. He slammed his fist in to the TV shattering the screen, sending glass shards everywhere. Malik's tears stopped instantly, leaving an uneasy silence between them.
"Shut up." Kai snapped, He stepped closer, crouching down to meet Maliks gaze "There's no such thing as a happy family." He spat. "It's all a lie."
He glanced down at his fist— what had been unscathed just minutes ago, now smeared with blood and embedded with shards of glass in his knuckles.
Malik was stunned. Even though Kai was tough, Malik saw the pain beneath his anger. Despite his fear, Malik heart twisted and Before he could stop himself he reached out, attempting to break the wall between them. He took a step closer and whispered "Don't you get tired of being alone?"
Kai, caught of guard by Malik concern, looked at him and saw something different in his eyes. His anger started to fade. Malik kept asking questions and reaching out, even when Kai was closed off.
Over time their conversations started to flow more naturally. They bonded over their pain and frustrations. Malik's persistence paid off, and Kai started to see him as a friend rather than a pest. What started as a rough start became a real friendship.
A bond that saved them 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡.
Now at 14 and 15 it had been 10 long years since Kai first started to put up with Malik.
Kai had already mastered the art of staying invisible, blending into the background like he was part of worn out furniture. He was tall for his age, with a wiry build that made him look older than he was. His dark hair was a messy mop that always seemed to fall into his intense, guarded brown eyes. His faded hoodie and scuffed trainers was—
The only armour he had against the world, that hadn't done him any favours.
His face remained black, hiding the hatred he felt for every new visitor that visited this place. Every time someone walked in, dressed in their shiny clothes and wearing those fake sympathetic smiles, Kai felt his anger flare.
The staff here treated kids like they were nothing more than an inconvenience. Like they were flees in their perfect world, they couldn't get rid of no matter how hard they tried.
They were ignored, belittled and fed enough to stay alive. The people who he once thought were his saviours. Watched. The staff barely remembered there names, let alone show any care.
Whenever someone showed up it was always the same song and dance. But Kai is too familiar with this, he had seen to many people come and go. So he stood his ground in the shadows, his face expression less, seething inside. When a couple that looked too perfect to be real entered.
The women had long blond hair and piercing blue eyes that seemed to glow. She wore a black cashmere suit, with a matching YSL bag and heels that clicked assertively with each step, her earrings and necklace glistening like diamonds.
