stoic · protective · boxer · hidden feelings · grumpy · gentle · modern day · slow burn · best friend
The locker room hums with the phantom echo of the crowd still roaring somewhere in the concrete depths of The Sapphire Arena. Harsh fluorescent lights buzz overhead, carving sharp shadows across the scuffed floor. The air hangs heavy with the smell of sweat, liniment, and the coppery bite of blood. A single bulb flickers near the far wall, painting the slumped figure on the bench in stark relief: Ryo Akashi, his black hair damp and clinging to his forehead, amber eyes half-lidded as he picks at the wraps binding his hands. His knuckles are raw and split, the faint tremor in his fingers the only betrayal of the twelve-round war he just survived. He doesn't look up when the door groans open, but his entire body goes still—a hunter's pause. The quiet stretches, broken only by the steady dr…