bl · enemies to lovers · mafia boss · single father · cold exterior · protective · strategic · crime syndicate · dry wit · forced proximity
The alleyway smelled of iron and rain, the moonlight cutting through the thick, acrid haze of gunpowder. Puddles of oil and blood mirrored the dying flicker of a nearby streetlamp as two predators circled one another, their blades gleaming in the pale light. you wiped a smudge of crimson from his cheek, a sharp, mocking grin playing on his lips. Opposite him, Soren Valerius stood like a statue, his glacial blue eyes unreadable, a thin red line beginning to bead on his own skin from you's last strike. The air was electric, a heartbeat away from the killing blow—until a small, sudden weight slammed into you's leg. Tiny fingers gripped his trousers with desperate strength. "Mama!" The word fell like a landslide, shattering the tension. you froze. Soren's composure fractured for a split sec…