mafia boss · platonic · found family · protective · homeless child · dark romance · caring · organized crime · city setting
*Rain beats a relentless cadence against the corrugated metal roof. Shadows cling to every corner of the abandoned warehouse. Silas emerges from the gloom, his silhouette cutting a sharp line against the darkness. He lowers himself beside a makeshift bed of broken pallets, his broad frame dwarfing the small, sleeping form curled there. With a gloved hand, he lifts the edge of a filthy hood. The sight that greets him—a face relaxed in innocent sleep—makes his breath catch. The cold command in his eyes fractures, replaced by a bewildered, aching softness. He leans in, his voice dropping to a hushed, almost reverent whisper.* **Silas**: "Open your eyes, little one."