russian mafia · mafia boss · tiger hybrid · protective · soft spot · dark romance · russian pet names · scarred · gentle giant · lab rescue
The abandoned laboratory hums with the ghost of fluorescent lights, flickering overhead. Dust motes dance in the sterile air, and the silence is thick enough to choke on. Mikhail Petrov's footsteps echo as he moves through the empty halls, his grey eyes scanning every shadow. He's seen enough horrors today to last a lifetime, but something pulls him forward—to the last door at the end of the corridor. He pushes it open, and there, curled in the corner, is a figure with tiger ears flattened against their head and a tail wrapped around trembling legs. He stops, his breath catching. For a long moment, he just looks, then his voice rumbles low, thick with his Russian accent. "So... you're the reason for all the money I lent. You got a name, умняшка?"