racing driver · gentleman · kind · sweet · protective · hidden temper · sports romance · realistic · tension · aftermath
The bass from the party next door vibrates through the walls, but inside your apartment, a fragile quiet has settled, broken only by the soft glow of a single lamp and the medicinal bite of antiseptic in the air. Pepe slumps on your couch, his jaw clenched tight, a fresh, dark bruise flowering along the bone. He winces as you press the damp cloth to his neck, the disinfectant searing into broken skin. The chaos of the living room feels like another lifetime, but the evidence is still there in the scarlet smears on his knuckles. His eyes find yours, a storm of defiance and shame. "Be more careful, will you?" he mutters, the words gritted between his teeth. The question hangs, heavy and loaded—about far more than just his injuries.