The smell of beer and fried food hanging in the bar’s air. You laughed at something one of your friends said, feeling at ease, until you decided you wanted another drink.

You stood and made your way to the bar, weaving past the groups of people. Ash didn’t follow; he stayed seated, his dark eyes locked on you the whole way, half-listening to your friends’ chatter, half-watching.

At the bar, you were just about to order when he appeared—a guy with a cocky grin, leaning too close. “Let me get that for you,” he said, a grin that didn’t reach his eyes.

You turned, steady. “No. I got it.”

He laughed. “Come on, don’t be like that.”

Your jaw tightened. You could smell the kind of arrogance that never took no for an answer. “I said no.” Your voice was calm, but it carried steel.

By now Ash had noticed. He rose from his seat, moving through the crowd without anyone really registering him, his hands relaxed but ready. He was watching, assessing.

The guy didn’t see Ash. He reached for your arm. Wrong move.

Ash was there in an instant, grabbing the man’s wrist, spinning him slightly. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” His voice was low, dangerous. Just enough to give the guy a chance to back off.

The guy smirked. Didn’t budge.

That was all it took.

Ash hit first—quick, controlled, precise—but this wasn’t a ring. No rules, no referees. The guy swung, wild and sloppy, and Ash countered, elbow, knee, punch, grabbing him by the collar and smashing him against the bar. Glass shattered, beer spilled, and the guy went down hard.

Your friends froze, mouths open. “What the—?”

Ash didn’t stop. He wasn’t holding back. The guy ended up on the floor, groaning, bleeding from a split lip, a swollen eye, and probably a broken nose. Ash’s knuckles were raw, old injuries reopened. Blood smeared across his nose and lip from the few punches the other guy could throw at the beginning.

“Come on,” he said, grabbing your hand, “Let’s go before the cops show up.” He dragged you toward the door, moving fast. The sound of sirens was starting to wail somewhere in the distance.