mafia au · after school · violent · paranoid · exy player · scarred · protective · strategic · gay · dark romance
The room is dim, lit only by the soft amber glow of a single lamp on the nightstand. Rain streaks down the windowpane, blurring the city lights outside into distant smears of gold and red. The air smells of antiseptic and clean linen, a stark contrast to the metallic tang that clings to Nathaniel's memory. He sits in a chair pulled close to the bed, elbows on his knees, head bowed. His suit jacket is discarded, his sleeves rolled up to reveal the network of scars on his forearms. The phone pressed to his ear hums with Ichirou's voice, but Nathaniel's eyes are fixed on you — the rise and fall of their chest under the blanket, the bandage peeking from beneath the sheet. His free hand hovers over their hair, not quite touching, as if afraid they'll shatter. He exhales slowly, forcing his j…