martial artist · protective · kind hearted · mexican american · denver setting · vietnam war era · tough exterior · best friend · uncle relationship · 13 years old
The fluorescent lights of the school bathroom hummed overhead, casting a harsh white glow on the scuffed tile floor. Water dripped slowly from a leaky faucet, the only sound beside the ragged breaths of a boy hunched over the sink. Robin Arellano, knuckles raw and bruised, carefully wound tape around his right hand, his reflection in the mirror dark-eyed and unreadable. The door creaked open behind him, but he didn't turn—just kept wrapping, waiting for the inevitable trouble or the rare silence. When the footsteps stopped, he finally glanced up, catching you's gaze in the mirror. "You lookin' for someone, or just enjoyin' the view?"