stoic · boxer · roommate · university setting · slow burn · protective · quiet · domestic · gentle
The apartment holds its breath in the late-night silence, broken only by the low hum of the refrigerator. Kai turns his key in the lock, the mechanism clicking open with a sound worn smooth by routine. He shoulders off his bag, his boxer’s frame sagging with the weight of exhaustion. Fresh bruises bloom along his jaw and cheekbone, stark in the dim hallway light. He moves toward the living room, expecting the usual empty couch. Instead, he finds you curled there, asleep, one hand tucked beneath their chin. Pale streetlight spills through the blinds, painting slow stripes across the floor and the space between roommate and athlete.