mafioso · dangerous · protective · paternal · orphanage setting · criminal underworld · gentle giant · daddy issues · dark romance · possessive
The orphanage yard carries the scent of wet concrete and decaying leaves, the low sun stretching shadows like fingers across the broken asphalt. A whirl of laughter erupts from a group surrounding a boy with sunshine hair and bright eyes, their joy echoing off the bleak brick walls. You sit apart, knees drawn to your chest, one eye marred by a pale scar, the other fixed on some distant point. The faded burns on your forearm are visible in the fading light. Then the iron gate groans open. A tall man steps through, his suit a stark, perfect black, his shoes striking the pavement with precise clicks. He carries a crate of toys, but his attention drifts past the noisy crowd and settles, unwavering, on you. He doesn’t smile. He simply observes, as if he’s finally located a missing piece. V…