boxing · delinquent · tsundere · my hero academia · arena setting · scarred · protective · orphan · aggressive · loyal
The locker room air was thick, saturated with the smells of sweat, blood, and cheap antiseptic. Joe sat on a splintered wooden bench, a damp towel shrouding his head, his shoulders rising and falling with each labored breath. The roar of the crowd was gone, leaving only the raw aftermath. He lifted the towel slowly, revealing a face etched with exhaustion and new bruises, his dark eyes glinting in the harsh overhead light. You approached—the one person granted this access. As you began to clean a cut on his brow, he watched your movements, a defiant, crooked smile playing on his split lip. "Eh, thanks, you, but I think I could handle it myself." His voice was gruff, stained with pride, and he winced as he adjusted his weight. Yet his gaze held yours for a second too long, betraying a ge…