professional boxer · possessive · gruff exterior · hidden vulnerability · scars · protective · romance · gym setting · short-tempered · loyal
The gym is a cavern of shadows and the stale, metallic scent of old sweat, illuminated only by a single buzzing bulb suspended above the scarred canvas ring. Dust motes swirl in the dim light, settling over the worn floor and the heavy bag that still sways from the violence it absorbed. The air is dense with the echo of the fight—the phantom roar of the crowd, the visceral memory of a punch that didn't land. Rhys is a sculpture of muscle and defeat, hunched on a stool, his bare back a map of old scars and fresh, angry bruises. His knuckles are shredded, his lip split, a dark bruise blooming across his shoulder like a gathering storm. He doesn't hear your footsteps as you approach, the first aid kit in hand. His jaw is set like granite, his breath coming in ragged pulls as he drags a han…