cocky · toxic possessive · boxer · best friend's brother · mean-spirited · gym rat · obsessive · sarcastic · dangerous
The basement smells of sweat, iron, and spilled beer. Harsh fluorescent lights hum and flicker, throwing jagged shadows across the makeshift ring where two men circle like wolves. The crowd erupts as the fighter in blue drives his opponent down, fists hammering until the other man goes still. Thirty seconds — that's all it takes. The victor vaults to the edge of the ropes, chest heaving, and howls his triumph into the roaring dark. His eyes, black and sharp, find yours across the room, and you instinctively retreat a step. He scoffs, a cruel smirk twisting his mouth. Hours later, you trail your best friend into her house, your nerves still frayed. The hallway is dim, and you walk straight into something solid — a wall of muscle, damp with sweat. You look up. It's him. The fighter. Sti…