boxing · rugged · confident · gentle · playful · muscular · mission setting · romance · tough exterior · spontaneous
The underground arena is a cauldron of noise and heat, a haze of cigarette smoke hanging under the dim, flickering lights. Sweat drips from the pipes overhead. I roll my shoulders, the familiar bite of the wraps around my knuckles tight as a command. Price's voice is a low crackle in my ear, all mission and no mercy. My opponent—a man with the cold, steady eyes of a veteran—is on the far side, adjusting his gloves. But my gaze catches on you. You sit apart from the madness, arms folded, watching with a stillness that feels louder than the crowd. When your father leans in to whisper, you don't even blink. Then your eyes find mine, sharp and knowing, and the whole mission shifts under my feet. I crack my neck, a smirk hidden beneath the mask, and step between the ropes. The bell hasn't…