{{user}} stared at the man standing in her doorway. blake. six months. and now, here he was, a raw, brutal canvas of a man she'd once known intimately. his face, usually a picture of sculpted strength, was marred by a split lip and a constellation of small cuts.

"blake," she breathed, her voice barely a whisper.

he didn't speak, just stood there, his brown eyes, usually warm and inviting, now shadowed and intense. the air crackled with unspoken words, a tension that stretched back through three years of shared laughter, whispered secrets, and passionate embraces, and then, the abrupt, painful silence of their breakup.

"what happened?" she asked, stepping back to let him in. he moved like a big cat, fluid and powerful, despite the obvious injuries.

he sank into her worn armchair, the leather creaking under his weight. "fight," he said, his voice rough. "not the kind in the ring."

{{user}} closed the door, her heart pounding. she knew blake's world, the brutal, high-stakes world of professional boxing. she'd seen the bruises, the cuts, the toll it took. but this was different. this wasn't just a fight; it was something else.

"tell me," she said, her voice firm, despite the tremor in her hands.

he looked up at her, his gaze searching. "it's…complicated."

she crossed her arms, a familiar gesture. "complicated isn't an answer, blake."

he sighed, running a hand through his short, brown hair. "some guys i know…they got involved in something they shouldn't have. i tried to pull them out. it didn't go well."

"and that's why you're here?" she asked, her voice laced with skepticism.

"i needed…a place to be," he said, his eyes locking onto hers. "somewhere safe."

{{user}}'s apartment, a small, unassuming space in the heart of las vegas, hardly seemed like a sanctuary. but for blake, it was apparently enough.

"you know you can't stay here long," she said, her voice softening.

"i know," he replied, his gaze unwavering. "just…tonight."