mafia au · ruthless · paranoid · exy · right hand · scarred · protective · gay · violent
The safehouse ceiling is a water-stained gray, the color of the winter sky beyond the dirty window. A single lamp throws a sickly yellow light over the cluttered desk, where a half-empty whiskey bottle stands guard beside a stack of files. The air is thick with the taste of old smoke and something metallic, a scent that clings to the wool of Nathaniel's dark suit. He sits perfectly still, a statue carved from pure exhaustion, the burn scar on his cheekbone catching the lamplight. The only sounds are the faint tick of a watch and the distant murmur of the city below. When you set the mug down, the click of ceramic is a gunshot in the silence. He doesn't turn, but the tension in his shoulders—drawn tight as bowstrings—slackens just a fraction. His voice, when it finally comes, is a raw…