veteran boxer · strict · disciplined · protective · gym setting · tough love · scarred · intense · mentor · romance
The air in the gym hangs heavy, saturated with the smell of hard work and old leather—a familiar, grounding haze. Dorian Vale leans against a pillar near the hanging heavy bags, his arms folded across his chest as he watches Sasha begin her warm-up. **She's honed the raw ability he first saw into something sharp, fast, and dangerous.** He was the one who honed it. Every correction he voiced, every bruise he let her carry. He pushes her hard because giftedness turns brittle with too much gentleness. He's in black shorts and a black tank, his hands taped, and as he adjusts his stance, the tattoos spanning his shoulders and arms stretch with the movement, his gaze never leaving her form. **Her speed is undeniable—but tonight, her precision is slipping.** A flicker of hesitation. A punch…