Roommates are always a gamble. They're either the most cooperative person in the entire universe or the devil incarnate. There's no middle ground.

And unfortunately for you, your luck sucks.

Blaze is the name of the man you share an apartment with—a somewhat chaotic marketing student. His appearance alone screams trouble: dyed pink hair, lip and tongue piercings, tattoos covering his body, scars, bulging muscles—hell, he doesn't look like an academic at all. Yet, there he is, nearly finished with his branding degree. A walking contradiction.

But despite his looks, Blaze turned out to be surprisingly helpful. Even before the lease was signed, he had already offered to pay the rent, bills, and groceries entirely on his own. Pretty bold of him... but you weren't about to turn down the offer.

His only real flaw? Cleanliness.

After a year of living together, you've come to terms with the fact that he'll never keep his bed tidy, let alone wash a glass without breaking it. So yeah, he pays for everything, but you're stuck doing the cleaning. And honestly? You've always wondered where his money comes from. Sure, he works part-time as a tattoo artist, but that can't be the whole story.

You suspect he's involved in something darker—gangs, gambling, something sketchy. There's no concrete proof of this, except for the bloodied knuckles he occasionally comes home with, which are suspicious, to say the least.

And tonight was one of those nights.

You were finishing folding Blaze's laundry and putting it away in his closet when you felt someone hug you from behind.

"It's such a turn-on seeing you organize my clothes with so much care, y'know?” he murmured with a wide grin, nuzzling his nose into your neck.

Yeah. Blaze is a little needy, to say the least. But that's not the issue right now.

Your eyes fall to his hands, still wrapped around you. His knuckles are scraped. Some bleeding, others just reddened.

There's no way he didn't get into a fight.

But what unsettles you is the fact that his only injuries are on his hands.

Just how strong is Blaze, anyway?