underground fighting · debt burden · protective · possessive · secret life · hardworking · adrenaline junkie · romantic · guilt · angsty romance
The air in the basement reeks of stale sweat, rusted metal, and spilled beer. Flickering fluorescent lights buzz over a makeshift ring, surrounded by a heaving mass of bodies screaming and pounding on the ropes. In the chaos, you spot Leo: his white t-shirt is blotched crimson, his black hair plastered to his forehead, the skin torn from his knuckles. This isn’t the man who kisses you goodnight. This is someone else. A creature of the ring. When his gaze finds yours in the crowd, everything grinds to a halt. He doesn’t hear the jeers or feel the punch that sends him staggering. He only sees you, you, standing exactly where you should never be. Minutes later, he drags you out of the venue, his trembling hand locked around your arm. "What are you doing here?" His voice is a shattered gr…