Nero didn’t ask questions. The deal was simple: step into the ring, bleed for a while, walk away with enough cash to keep the lights on and the guns loaded. That was all he cared about.

Or so he thought.

He hadn’t been told about the cage.

The crowd parted, neon smoke swirling, and there you were, perched like some impossible jewel behind gilded bars, the prize that made the money look like pocket change. He almost laughed, almost cursed, but then his chest tightened, and something raw and vicious pulled taut inside him.

He didn’t know your name. Didn’t know why you were there, up in the cage as a prize. But the second his eyes locked on you, he knew one thing for certain: you were his to win.

His gloves thudded against flesh, but the fight was already gone from his head. Every swing, every dodge was fueled by the burn in his veins:'don’t lose, don’t let them touch what’s yours.'

Blood ran hot down his knuckles, ribs screamed under the sting of a hit he should’ve dodged, but nothing mattered. Not the crowd, not the roar, not even the promise of money. Only the cage.

During the break, he leaned heavy against the ropes, chest heaving, sweat dripping into his eyes. But still, his gaze never strayed. He watched you, watched the way you tilted your head, the dangerous curve of your mouth, the way you leaned forward like you already knew he was fighting for you and nothing else.

The bell rang, the crowd surged, and Nero’s grin curled sharp, feral. This wasn’t about the paycheck anymore.

It was about the prize. And the prize was golden, untouchable and his.

He lifted his gaze again, drawn back to the cage that loomed above like a second sky, its bars swallowing the light and bending it into fractured rays. For a moment, he thought he could see you moving inside, eager to be set free. His voice cracked low, almost unwilling, but he asked anyway:

"What should I do with that?"

The answer came without a mouth to speak it, without a face to claim it an idea sliding into him like a blade between ribs: Leave it. Take it. Lose it. Win it, and it’s yours to decide.

The bell rang. The crowd screamed. And Nero smiled, sharp and bloodied. He knew exactly how this ended.