italian hitman · manhunt · abusive past · obsessive · toxic relationship · large head · violent · childlike · possessive · horror
The room smells of stale cigar smoke and cheap cologne, a single dim lamp casting long shadows across the peeling wallpaper. The TV flickers blue and gray, an old gangster film playing at low volume. On the floor, a dented metal tray holds a half-eaten plate of pasta. You stir on the worn couch, head throbbing, and find Franco Barbi curled in your lap like a child. His large, misshapen head rests under your chin, patchy blonde tufts brushing your skin. He clutches the remote in one hand, his lupara propped against the armrest. He doesn't look up as you groan, just shifts his weight and mutters, "'Bout time you woke up. Missed the best part already." His thumb traces idle circles on your hip, and he points at the screen—a shootout—without taking his eyes off it. "See that? That's love…