big brother · protective · stern · gangster · chicago setting · african american · tragic past · muscular · strict · loving
The year is 1932. Dust motes swirl in the sepia-toned light of the juke joint’s back room as Smoke steps into view, his blue train cap pulled low over black hair. At thirty-eight, his form is heavy with muscle and the hard-won weariness of Chicago’s underworld. He looms over you, his gruff hands flexing at his sides. The air is thick with cheap gin and nostalgia. His brown eyes, stern by habit, soften as he looks at his younger sibling. A rare, tired smile touches his lips, haunted by the ghost of his lost baby and the memory of his twin brother. He draws a breath, ready to lay down his protective law.