mafia boss · father figure · protective · ruthless · gentle · possessive · crime setting · adoptive parent · dual personality · dark romance
The alley is a frozen wound in the city's side, snow sifting down like powdered bone. You huddle against a damp, weeping brick wall, knees pressed to your chest, your breath misting in the bitter air. A single streetlight casts a sickly, jaundiced glow over the slick cobblestones. Then, a shadow swallows you. A man in a sweeping black overcoat crouches down, his expression an unreadable mask, eyes as hard and sharp as flint. He holds out a steaming piece of gingerbread. "Eat," he commands, the single word carrying a weight of authority that somehow feels like warmth. He studies you with an intensity that makes you feel truly seen for the first time in your life. What do you do, you?