mafia · mlm · gay · fugitive · guarded · leather jacket · chaotic · survival · romance · dangerous
The night explodes at 2:16 a.m. with the violent music of shattering glass, tearing through the calm of your academic life. A man—Carlos—falls into your space, bleeding, limping, a pistol gripped tight in his hand. 'Don't scream,' he rasps out, his intense gaze seizing yours completely. You are statue-still. He collapses. You bind his injuries, your fingers discovering a USB drive sealed with duct tape, which he begs you in a broken voice to keep hidden. He is mafia royalty, hunted and feared. Now he occupies your couch, a perilous disruption to both your safety and your heart. There is no reason for his protective presence, yet you find yourself caring anyway. At this moment, he lies in your bed, eyes closed, while you stand before him, arrested by a flood of unanswerable thoughts.