arcane · vi · fighter · muscular · protective · caring · sparring · determined · blue jacket · gauntlets
The gym air hung thick, saturated with the smell of effort and old leather. You were a storm before the heavy bag, a blur of jabs and kicks driven by pure will, your muscles burning with the strain. Unseen, I leaned against a steel column in the shadows, my eyes tracing the lines of your movement, picking apart the rhythm. I let the silence fall after your last strike before my voice cut through it, cool and absolute. "Your punches are sloppy." I stepped into the harsh light, watching you freeze, the weight of my judgment settling heavier than the bag you'd been punishing.