⸝⸝ Enjin . !!

The city was loud in a way that never seemed to end.

Even in the middle of the night, when most people were asleep and the streets should've been empty, there was always something. The distant rumble of carts. The chatter of strangers passing by. The occasional bark of a dog somewhere in the distance. The creak of old buildings settling into themselves.

The city was alive.

And after spending most of his life trapped behind the walls of an orphanage, Enjin thought that was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

Three months ago, he would've called himself an idiot for thinking something like that.

Three months ago, he was still trapped.

Still waking up every morning to the same gray walls.

Still listening to children fight over scraps because there was never enough to go around.

Still hearing adults speak in hushed voices whenever they thought nobody was listening.

Still seeing the marks on the children.

Still pretending he didn't understand what they meant.

But Enjin wasn't stupid.

He never had been.

Children heard more than adults realized.

They noticed things.

Conversations through half-open doors.

The way visitors looked at certain children.

The way caretakers discussed futures as though they were discussing merchandise.

The way older children disappeared and nobody ever talked about them afterward.

The way money always seemed more important than people.

At some point, Enjin stopped seeing the orphanage as a home.

Homes didn't make you feel trapped.

Homes didn't make your stomach twist every time an adult called your name.

Homes didn't make children dream about escaping.

So he did.

Not leave.

Not run away.

Escape.

The distinction mattered.

Leaving implied he had a choice.

Escaping implied survival.

For weeks, he'd secretly loosened part of the fence hidden behind overgrown weeds. Every night, he'd widen the gap just a little more. Every day, he'd pretend nothing was wrong.

And then one night, he'd finally squeezed through.

His heart had pounded so hard he thought it would give him away.

Every sound made him freeze.

Every shadow looked like someone coming to drag him back.

But nobody stopped him.

Nobody caught him.

And by the time the sun rose, he was gone.

The orphanage was miles behind him.

The city stretched endlessly ahead.

And for the first time in his life, he belonged to nobody.

The adults started searching almost immediately.

Of course they did.

Children weren't supposed to disappear.

Not children like him.

He'd spotted them more than once since escaping. Familiar faces wandering crowded streets. Workers asking questions. Caretakers speaking with merchants.

They wanted him back.

The thought always made his stomach turn.

Not because he missed them.

Because he knew exactly why they were looking.

And it wasn't because they cared.

Still, he'd managed.

Barely.

Some nights he slept on rooftops.

Some nights he slept in abandoned buildings.

Some nights he didn't sleep much at all.

He stole food when he had to.

Worked odd jobs when he could.

Got into arguments more often than necessary.

And somehow, despite everything, he survived.

Alone.

At least... until he found you.

Or maybe you found him.

Neither version sounded entirely right.

The memory had become blurry over time.

Not because he'd forgotten it.

Because he'd replayed it so many times it no longer felt real.

It had been a rainy afternoon.

One of those miserable days where the sky couldn't decide whether it wanted to drizzle or pour.

Enjin had taken shelter beneath a worn awning while eating half a stolen bun and pretending he wasn't exhausted.

That was when he'd noticed you.

Curled up at the edge of an alleyway.

Watching people pass by.

Looking completely and utterly lost.

Not the normal kind of lost.

Not "I don't know where this street leads" lost.

The deeper kind.

The kind that came from not knowing where you belonged.

The kind Enjin recognized immediately.

Because he'd worn that same expression once.

The kind of expression nobody ever noticed.

Except he did.

Unfortunately.

He'd stared longer than necessary.

You'd stared back.

And somehow, that had become his problem.

"...What are you doing?"

You'd blinked.

He'd immediately regretted speaking.

Because now there was an expectation of conversation.

Conversation was work.

Work was annoying.

You'd hesitated before quietly admitting you didn't know where you were supposed to go.

Or what you were supposed to do.

Or where you belonged.

The honesty caught him off guard.

Most people lied.

Most people pretended.

You didn't.

You just looked tired.

And scared.

And alone.

Something in his chest had tightened.

He hated that feeling.

Mostly because it reminded him of himself.

Still, he'd sighed dramatically and held out half his bun.

"Take it."

You'd looked surprised.

Which was fair.

He'd been surprised too.

After all, he was hungry.

Very hungry.

The bun had been important.

Yet somehow watching you eat it felt better than keeping it.

That was annoying.

You became significantly more annoying after that.

Because you followed him.

Everywhere.

The first day, he'd assumed it was temporary.

The second day, he'd become suspicious.

By the third day, he'd spun around so abruptly you nearly crashed into him.

"Are you following me?"

You'd looked genuinely confused.

"Maybe?"

"Maybe?!"

The memory still made him laugh sometimes.

Not that he'd admit it.

Eventually, following him became staying with him.

And staying with him became normal.

The two of you learned the city together.

Which rooftops offered the best views.

Which vendors were easiest to convince.

Which streets should be avoided whenever orphanage workers were nearby.

The city stopped feeling so large.

Stopped feeling so empty.

Stopped feeling so lonely.

Not because anything had changed.

Because now there was someone beside him.

Someone who listened when he talked.

Someone who laughed at his terrible jokes.

Someone who sat beside him in comfortable silence when words weren't necessary.

Someone who stayed.

That part mattered more than he'd ever admit.

One evening, months later, the two of you sat atop your favorite rooftop watching the sunset spill gold across the city.

Lanterns flickered to life below.

The streets glowed warmly beneath the approaching night.

The view was beautiful.

Enjin was complaining.

As usual.

"My name is stupid."

You laughed immediately.

That only offended him further.

"I'm serious."

He sat up and crossed his arms.

"It's too long."

"No normal person has a name this long."

You raised an eyebrow.

"How long is it?"

The look of regret on his face appeared instantly.

Unfortunately, it was too late now.

With all the enthusiasm of someone walking willingly toward execution, Enjin cleared his throat.

"Endoareilychima Illastsalli Machiada Leotrago Sphidi Pharjin."

Silence.

The wind blew.

A bird flew overhead.

Neither of you moved.

"...See?"

You were trying not to laugh.

Trying and failing.

Very badly.

"It sounds like somebody dropped a dictionary down a staircase."

You immediately burst out laughing.

"HEY."

The indignation in his voice only made it worse.

By the time your laughter finally settled, Enjin had flopped backward onto the rooftop and covered his face with both hands.

"I hate it."

His voice came out quieter this time.

More honest.

"It doesn't even feel like mine."

That made you pause.

For a moment, neither of you spoke.

The city stretched endlessly below.

The evening breeze drifted past.

And for the first time, Enjin sounded genuinely uncertain.

Not angry.

Not annoyed.

Just... unsure.

You thought for a moment.

Then smiled.

"What about Enjin?"

The boy blinked.

Slowly lowering his hands.

"...Enjin?"

You nodded.

The name hung in the air between you.

Simple.

Short.

Easy.

Nothing like the monstrous collection of syllables he'd been carrying his entire life.

He tried saying it.

"Enjin."

The word rolled off his tongue naturally.

No stumbling.

No frustration.

No forgetting halfway through.

Just Enjin.

His expression softened slightly.

"...I like how that sounds."

Then he looked toward you curiously.

"What does it mean?"

You smiled.

And began explaining.

You told him about an old language you'd once heard about.

A language so old that most people barely remembered it anymore.

And in that language, Enjin meant someone who connected others.

Someone who brought people together.

Someone who created bonds where none existed before.

The kind of person who turned strangers into friends.

The kind of person who made people feel less alone simply by existing.

The kind of person who built bridges between people.

You told him that every time you thought of him, that's what came to mind.

Not because he was loud.

Not because he was brave.

Not because he was strong.

But because of what he'd done.

He'd escaped a place designed to break people.

Then, despite having almost nothing, he'd shared what little he had.

He'd taken in a lost child he didn't know.

He'd given you food.

A place to stay.

A friend.

A future.

Without realizing it, he'd connected lives that would've never crossed otherwise.

Without realizing it, he'd changed yours.

Enjin didn't say anything.

For once.

The boy who always had something to say sat quietly.

His gaze drifted across the sea of city lights below.

His chest felt strangely warm.

Uncomfortably warm.

The kind of warmth he wasn't used to.

Nobody had ever given him something like that before.

A meaning.

A choice.

A name.

Not something assigned to him.

Not something written down by adults.

Not something tied to ownership.

Something chosen.

Something given with kindness.

Something that belonged to him.

The silence stretched.

Then Enjin smiled.

A small smile.

A genuine one.

Rare enough that it felt precious.

"Enjin."

He tested it again.

Then looked at you.

"...I really like that."

His smile widened.

Just a little.

"Actually..."

He bumped his shoulder against yours.

"I think it's perfect."

And from that day onward, His old name slowly faded away.

That name belonged to the orphanage.

That name belonged to a life he'd escaped.

But Enjin?

Enjin belonged to himself.

And whenever someone asked who he was, he'd answer without hesitation.

"My name's Enjin."

Every single time, a small smile would follow.

Because no matter how far he ran, no matter what happened next, there was one thing nobody could ever take away from him.

The name you'd given him.

And the connection that came with it.