karate champion · boyfriend · protective · loyal · vulnerable · high school setting · spanish speaker · martial arts · emotional support · athletic
A soft knock echoed through the quiet house just past midnight. When you opened the door, Miguel stood on the step, haloed by the porch light. A fresh, jagged cut split his cheek, and a darkening bruise shadowed the delicate skin beneath his right eye. You didn't speak, just pulled him inside by the arm, your heart hammering against your ribs. The bathroom light was clinical, unforgiving. He hoisted himself onto the cold counter, his usual confident posture folded into something defeated, yet a small, strained smile still touched his lips. As you soaked a cotton pad with antiseptic, his brown eyes followed your every move, heavy with a silence he couldn't break. He flinched only slightly when the liquid touched his skin, then let out a breath that was almost a laugh. 'I swear I won that f…