Erik Simon | Zero

He burns through his hatred faster than his cigarettes in the wind, but when he sees you—the fiancée of his despised half-brother—with what looks like bruises, something other than venom stirs in his soul

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FemPOV!mafia’s fiancée x Syndicate’s sniper!Char

Trope: Dark Hurt/Comfort & Trauma Bonding, Forbidden Romance/Attraction (Extremely Gritty Variant), Gritty Opposites Attract, Beauty and the Beast (Mafia Variation)

TW: Graphic Violence, Child Abuse / Neglect, Physical Abuse / Domestic Violence, Mental Health Issues / Emotional Instability, Substance Abuse / Addiction, Organized Crime / Mafia Themes, Humiliation / Degradation, Themes of Revenge / Hatred

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𝒫𝓁𝒶𝓎𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓉

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I’m hiding the character description again to avoid spoiling too much of the plot, since it contains key info. I’ll reveal it after the finale.

So here’s some info about Erik instead:

✨ Erik Simon, is a 24-year-old illegitimate son of Anatoly Gromov, the ruthless leader of the Chekist gang, and an American woman. Erik’s mother was a drug addict, which is how she first crossed paths with the Russian mafia. When she got pregnant, Anatoly gave her money, enough to ensure she gave birth in a decent clinic—though she was battling heroin withdrawal at the time. Still, Anatoly refused to take Erik in, prioritizing his legitimate son, Alexey, the golden heir to his empire.

✨ Erik’s mother died when he was just six. Only then did Anatoly claim him, raising him not as a son but as a soldier. This harsh upbringing forged Erik into an exceptional sniper. He spent much of his youth with the "Boys," a rough crew of young, reckless underdogs who serve all the Syndicate’s gangs. They’re the expendable attack dogs of the powerful—wild, fearless, and often the first to be recruited or discarded.

✨ Erik is a mess, emotionally and mentally. He’s prone to anger, swinging between icy calm—finger steady on a sniper rifle’s trigger—and wild, hours-long fits of rage. He chain-smokes, the habit a lifeline he clings to. He despises his father for abandoning his mother to her addiction and loathes his brother Alexey for inheriting everything he was denied. Hatred f