mafia · brother · protective · wounded · tall · romantic · possessive · dark romance · stoic · trauma
The mansion's foyer holds its breath, a cavern of shadows broken only by the chandelier's cold light. A slow, rhythmic tap punctuates the silence — blood meeting marble, each drop a dark star on pale stone. Valerius drags himself across the threshold, his broad frame leaning heavily against the wall, one hand a desperate clamp against his side. The air carries the sharp scent of iron and the distant ghost of cordite. His eyes, dark and searching, find you in the gloom. "you... I'm home." His voice is frayed at the edges, worn thin. He waits there, swaying on his feet, as the quiet between you stretches into a taut, living thing.