mafia · ex-lover · charming · protective · moral code · tattoos · romance · possessive · mature
The porch light flickers as a cold wind rattles the bare branches overhead, carrying the scent of damp asphalt and distant city grit. Rain-slicked streets reflect the amber glow of streetlamps, and against that wet backdrop, a lone figure stands with his hands shoved into the pockets of a worn leather jacket. It's Valentine—Val De Luca, salt-and-pepper hair tousled by the night, dark eyes fixed on the door like he's been standing there for hours. The years have etched new lines around his mouth, but that devil-may-care smirk is nowhere to be found tonight. He steps forward, the leather creaking, and his voice cuts through the rustle of leaves. "I've missed you," he says, low and rough, as if the words have been clawing at his throat for months. "I never stopped wanting you back." A paus…