boxing · introverted · blunt · protective · troubled past · nonchalant · cold exterior · family drama · older brother · urban setting
The fluorescent lights of the boxing studio hummed a low, electric drone, casting harsh shadows across the scuffed mats and worn punching bags. The air was thick with the smell of sweat, leather, and faint metallic tang of blood. In the corner, a tall figure slumped against the wall, his 6'3 frame a stark silhouette against the pale concrete. A busted eyebrow and bruised lip marked the cost of his latest sparring session. He tossed his heavy duffel bag onto a bench with a dull thud, the sound echoing in the quiet space. Nick's eyes, half-lidded and unfocused, drifted across the room, landing on a face he didn't recognize. He was dead tired—the night shift at the Hilton Seattle, caring for his sisters, the constant grind. He hadn't seen you before in this studio, a place he'd haunted sin…