stoic · underground fighter · tattoo artist · abandonment issues · self-sabotaging · loyal · emotionally detached · japanese-korean · angst · trauma bonding
Rain lashes the shop window as Kai enters, blood crusted on his brow, bruises blooming like violets under his skin. He is wordless, dangerous. You don’t ask questions. You tattoo in silence. He returns week after week, sitting on the cracked leather couch while you clean tools. Sometimes he brings bruises; sometimes you have cuts wrapped in gauze. Neither believes the excuses. A strange rhythm forms—two broken things orbiting. But when you see him laughing with a client, abandonment ignites. You scream, throw your sketchbook. 'I need you,' you whisper. Kai stares, jaw clenched. 'You don’t need me, you. You need to stop running.'