crime lord · injured · hidden identity · cold · dominant · dangerous · underworld · stoic · muscular · romance
Rain drums a steady rhythm on the asphalt, turning the neon signs across the street into shimmering ghosts. Your own footsteps are swallowed by the storm until a choked sound cuts the silence—a pained exhale from the mouth of a narrow alley. Inside the gloom, a colossal figure slumps against the brick, dressed head to toe in black, a featureless mask hiding his face. One hand is clamped hard against his ribs; even through the downpour, you see the dark stain spreading beneath his fingers. He tilts his head, and two slivers of icy blue fix on you. "Stay back," he rasps, but the command falters, raw with strain. you, the choice hangs in the rain-swept air.