[BL] The Mafia Boss Wants My Body

I once heard a rumor that Raphael had a brief, unrequited thing for Henry Griffin a while back. But Henry had his eyes set completely on someone else."

Adrian’s eyes widened, completely hooked. "Who?"

Matteo looked over at him. "I can’t tell you that part, babe. That’s a story for another day. But what I can tell you is that Raphael is a good man. And if Frank is serious about him, he’s going to need to be strong, because being in a relationship with a royal means facing whatever storms the crown throws their way."

Adrian’s expression softened, a shadow of genuine worry crossing his features. "I just wish they wouldn’t give Frank a hard time," he murmured. "People don’t really know his background... Frank is an orphan. Both of his biological parents passed away when he was very young. He doesn’t have a large family backing him, just a few people who truly care about him, though he usually prefers to handle everything on his own."

Matteo’s eyes filled with quiet empathy as he pulled Adrian closer, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I’m sorry... this is actually the first time I’m hearing the full story about Frank’s past."

He paused, his voice turning firm and reassuring. "But honestly? It doesn’t matter what kind of outdated rules the royal family tries to enforce. At the end of the day, it comes down to what Raphael wants. If he cared enough to sneak out of the palace and travel all the way to Central City, that tells me he’s deeply in love with him. He’ll find a way to protect what they have."

Matteo gave Adrian’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Now... enough talking about royal politics for tonight. Let’s go to bed."

Adrian tilted his head up, a playful, teasing glint in his eyes. "Say more."

Matteo chuckled. "I’ll tell you plenty more once we get to the bedroom."

Adrian nodded. "Alright."

Together, hand in hand, they left the quiet living room and made their way upstairs to their bedroom, leaving the rest of the world behind.

The next morning, Matteo woke up first, stirred by the soft, steady chime of notifications buzzing quietly against the nightstand.

He shifted carefully so he wouldn’t disturb Adrian, reached over to pick up his phone, and unlocked the screen. A fresh message from the stationer greeted him, containing digital proofs of the wedding invitation designs for their review.

Matteo glanced down at Adrian, who was still fast asleep, curled peacefully against the pillows. A soft, fond smile touched his lips before he quietly set the phone back down, slipped out of bed, and headed to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Not long after, Matteo stepped out of the bathroom, freshly showered with a towel wrapped around his waist. Adrian stirred beneath the covers and slowly opened his sleepy eyes just as Matteo approached the bed. Matteo leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to his lips.

"Good morning, baby," he murmured.

Adrian smiled, wrapping his arms around Matteo’s neck and pulling him into a warm hug. "Good morning."

Matteo hugged him back, resting his chin on Adrian’s shoulder. "By the way... the stationer just sent over the digital proofs for the wedding invitations."

Adrian pulled back slightly, his eyes lighting up. "Really? Let’s look at them and pick the design together."

"Of course," Matteo replied, reaching for his phone on the nightstand.

They sat side by side against the headboard and went through the different designs. There were several elegant options, but Matteo made sure Adrian had the final say. After going back and forth for a few minutes, they settled on a beautiful, minimalist design with subtle silver foil details.

"Perfect," Adrian said, smiling at the screen.

Matteo immediately called the stationer to confirm their choice and go over the details. The stationer assured him that the physical proofs would be printed and ready for them to collect in three days.

After ending the call, Matteo set his phone aside.

Adrian let out a happy sigh and rested his head against Matteo’s chest. "I really can’t wait."

"Me too, baby," Matteo whispered, wrapping his arms around him and holding him close.

Back at Frank’s apartment, the early morning silence was broken by the loud buzzing of Raphael’s phone on the nightstand.

The vibration stirred them both. Frank groaned softly beneath the covers while Raphael slowly opened his eyes and reached for the phone. The moment he saw the caller ID, his sleepy expression disappeared, replaced by a serious frown.

He sat up slightly, answered the call, and pressed the phone to his ear.

"Speak."

"Your Highness," his head of security said quickly, sounding anxious. "I’m sorry for waking you, but there’s a situation. His Majesty has been trying to reach you directly, and when he couldn’t get through, he contacted us."

Raphael rubbed his temples and sighed. "Did you tell him where I am?"

"No, Your Highness. We followed your orders and kept your location confidential," the guard replied. "But His Majesty was furious. He ordered you to return to Northway immediately. Something urgent has come up concerning royal affairs, and he requires your presence at the palace today."

Raphael closed his eyes for a moment, the weight of his responsibilities suddenly settling back onto his shoulders.

"I understand. Arrange the flight and have the security team ready at the hotel. I’ll meet you there shortly."

"Understood, sir."

The call ended, and Raphael slowly lowered the phone, staring at the dark screen with a heavy expression.

Frank, already fully awake beside him, pushed himself up on one elbow. He studied Raphael’s tense face, concern immediately filling his eyes.

"Baby... what happened? Who was that?"

Raphael turned toward him, his expression softening as he reached out and gently stroked Frank’s cheek.

"That was my security detail," he explained quietly, disappointment evident in his voice. "My father has been trying to reach me directly. He’s ordered me to return to Northway immediately. There’s an urgent royal matter I need to handle back home."

Frank let out a slow breath and forced a small, understanding smile as he reached up to cup Raphael’s cheek. "Okay. You should get up and get ready. The sooner you leave, the sooner you can get back."

Raphael looked down at him, surprise and guilt flickering across his face. "You’re... not angry?"

"No," Frank said softly, his thumb brushing gently along Raphael’s jaw. "I understand, baby. You’re a prince, and duty comes first sometimes. You didn’t plan for this."

Raphael covered Frank’s hand with his own, holding it against his cheek as his expression tightened with regret. "I’m really sorry I couldn’t keep my promise to stay the full three days. And... what about your friends? What are you going to do about Charles?"

Frank gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and shook his head. "Don’t worry about it, Raphael. I’ll talk to Charles and handle things with him. Just focus on what you need to take care of back home."

Raphael held Frank’s gaze for a long moment, deeply moved by his quiet grace and unwavering support. He pulled Frank in, wrapping his arms securely around him and burying his face in the crook of Frank’s neck.

"I’ll make this up to you, sunshine," Raphael murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "The moment I finish handling things in Northway, I’ll come straight back to you. And if I can’t, I’ll have you come to me. Okay?"

"Alright," Frank whispered, resting his chin on Raphael’s shoulder and closing his eyes as he held him just as tightly.

They didn’t waste any more time. Reluctantly but efficiently, Raphael got out of bed, showered, and dressed, then grabbed his travel bag as Frank silently walked him to the front door.

Before opening the door, Raphael stopped and turned back, pulling Frank into one last, desperate embrace. He cupped the back of Frank’s head and kissed him deeply, pouring all the longing and reluctance he couldn’t put into words into the kiss. Frank kissed him back just as eagerly, his hands gripping the lapels of Raphael’s jacket until they finally pulled apart, both breathing heavily, neither quite ready to let go.

"Goodbye for now, baby," Raphael whispered, pressing one final, lingering kiss to his forehead.

"Safe travels," Frank replied, giving him a brave, reassuring smile.

With one last, reluctant look at Frank, Raphael turned and stepped through the front door. Frank remained in the doorway, watching as the prince walked away before finally letting out a quiet sigh and closing the door behind him.

The days that followed passed quickly.

**********

By the end of the week, the wedding preparations were well underway, thanks to Matteo’s relentless efficiency. The invitation cards had arrived in their elegant minimalist design with subtle silver-foil details and had already been sent out to their close circle. Now, their attention had shifted to the next major item on the list: their wedding suits.

On Friday afternoon...

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