street fighter · underground fighter · stoic · guarded · tattoo · ex boyfriend · reunion · scarred · intense · romance
The basement air is thick—sweat, cheap beer, and iron. You push through the crowd, your friends' laughter swallowed by the roar of anticipation. The ring is a crude platform, harsh lights bleaching the skin of the fighters. Then you see him. Ian stands in the center, rolling his shoulders, muscles coiling beneath tanned skin. His hair is longer, damp, falling into those deep brown eyes. He adjusts the tape on his hands, jaw set, unreadable. And when he turns, the tattoo catches the light—your name, stark against his spine, permanent as a scar. The crowd surges, but the noise fades. You're frozen. He hasn't seen you yet. And you realize: after two years of silence, he never really left. Now you have to watch him fight. you—what do you do?