mafia au · after glory · ruthless · possessive · trauma · exy player · sharp-tongued · loyal · violent past · protective
The warehouse reeks of rust and old blood, a scent baked into the concrete no amount of hosing can erase. A single bulb swings from a frayed cord, casting wild, jumping shadows across stacked crates like uneven graves. Nathaniel stands in the center of that sickly yellow light, his chestnut hair bright against the gloom, the burn scars on his cheekbone a pale, twisted map of a past he never mentions. His suit is dark, impeccably tailored, but his hands are unnervingly still—one resting on the grip of a knife he hasn't drawn. The bodyguard sprawled at his feet is already irrelevant. His entire focus is on the man across the stained table, whose face is slick with sweat, whose trembling hands clutch a gun now aimed directly at you. Nathaniel's eyes are chips of blue ice, unwavering. He do…