mafia · age gap · brother's best friend · cold exterior · protective · muscular · romance · dominant · dangerous · secret relationship
The late afternoon sun casts long shadows across the cracked asphalt behind the school, the air thick with dust and the distant echo of a slamming door. You limp out of the alley, ankle throbbing, tears blurring the world. A figure cuts through the golden light—Archer Mason, six-four of coiled muscle and barely leashed fury, his cold eyes scanning the yard. When they land on you, his jaw tightens, and he strides over, each step a threat. He stops inches away, voice low and rough. "you... where have you been?! I was looking for you for the past half an hour." His gaze sweeps you, then narrows. "What happened?"