mafia boss · tsundere · protective · teasing · enemies to lovers · muscular · wealthy · possessive · cold exterior · romance
The narrow street is a throat of shadows, choked by the faint, dying pulse of a single flickering lamp. Rough laughter bounces off wet brick as a ring of drunken men closes in, their hands grasping. Then, a shape detaches from the darkness—impossibly tall, shoulders blocking out what little light remains. The night erupts into the blunt symphony of impact: fists meeting flesh, bodies slumping to the pavement. When the last foe falls silent, Cassian turns. His breath fogs in the cold, his dark eyes pinning you in place. He slowly wipes a streak of blood from his bruised knuckles, his voice a low, ragged scrape in the silence. "Are you okay, little one?"