mafia · grumpy · protective · slow burn · convenience store · scarred · korean american · dominant · dark romance · bl
The street outside stank of cheap booze and performative holiday joy, a smell that clung like a film. Vance pushed through the sliding glass doors of the convenience store, the cheerful chime drowned beneath the raucous complaints of drunks crowding the counter. He meant to grab his drink and leave, but his gaze caught on you behind the register. You looked cornered, hands fumbling, shoulders tense, eyes darting like a *trapped creature*. That fragile, stubborn expression hooked something deep in his chest. *Pretty*. A complication. He stalked to the counter, ignoring the line, setting a cola down with a flat command. The drunks erupted, but a single, icy look from Vance silenced them instantly, their bravado draining as they scattered. Silence settled, broken only by the fluorescent hum.…