Fallen Ashes |✔️

Star-crossed

Ash-

"Venus?" I called, my hair messed from sleep as I sat upright with a groan. I couldn't tell when I'd fallen asleep- except for the fact that I'd slept curled up against her, the most painfully gorgeous woman I'd ever laid my eyes upon. 

I couldn't stand watching her in pain- we'd faced enough. We had enough shared trauma to last us a lifetime and even now it was far from over. 

I could paint the world red with blood for her, destroy myself and anyone that threatened to tear us apart. And even then her name would be my canvas, the beginning and end to everything that was mine. 

I wanted to take a break from everything- to tell her everything would work out and throwing ourselves into danger again wouldn't fix anything. 

I felt cold in her absence- I must have slept in. I wandered into my dressing room, making an effort today to hide the cuts on my face, the scars I knew she loved and accepted. 

"There you are." I sighed, sagging in relief as I watched her slip into a dress I wanted to rip off. 

"I didn't know crime lords had the time to sleep until 11am." She joked, but her eyes still held pain from yesterday- as if they masked a new pain I didn't know of. 

"I'm taking you somewhere else- we need to get out of here for a day." I smiled at her, comforted by her presence. I wanted this everyday- but for now I wanted to take her away, especially when Myra might risk another attack at us in the mansion. 

"And where will we go, Prince of scars?" Her lips brushed against mine, making me groan softly. 

"I know a place, my Queen" I grinned, managing to persuade the red devil into a day out. Just one day- everything may have gone to hell. But we'd deal with it later as we always did. 

"Queen?" She guffawed, nudging me in the ribs the way she always did- I let out a careless laugh. She was perfect and mine- and I was hers. 

"Yes, queen. Since I'm calling myself the Italian mafia king, you're my mafia queen." I nudged her back, knowing part of her liked the name despite how painfully corny it was.

"No longer the prince of scars, huh?" She laughed- a sound I hadn't heard in what felt like a lifetime. God, that sound was worth more than any mansion I owned. 

"King of corny titles." She taunted as I pulled her into my arms. 

"Coming from the red devil." I chuckled at her, pleading for a day of just us, to take a break as our agents continued to work to protect us, to find Zoe and Domino, to track Myra's movements and anyone else that was a threat to us. 

"Please." I linked my arm with hers despite her protests. I wasn't going to watch her blame herself and wallow in her own guilt. 

"Fine." She agreed as she fell into step beside me, holding onto me as I promised her a day just for us to enjoy as if I could cram a lifetime of my love into a few hours. 

I wanted it to be perfect. Venus Castellanos, my red devil, my mafia queen. My fiancé and soon to be much more. I grinned at myself as I felt the ring in my jacket- I'd kept it for a week, waiting for the perfect moment to come. 

But there were no perfect moments in the mafia. Our lives were always at risk- and I couldn't wait any longer to give her the proper proposal I owed her, to be able to have every bone in my body calling her my fiancé and then my wife. 

___

Venus

I wanted to smile and laugh until my face ached- so I did. But those smiles were pained, reminders of my comfort when Zoe and Domino were practically prisoners of the American mafia.