{{user}} stared at the man standing in his doorway. blake. six months. and now, here he was, a raw, brutal canvas of a man he'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," he breathed, his 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?" {{user}} asked, stepping back to let him in. he moved like a big cat, fluid and powerful, despite the obvious injuries.

he sank into {{user}}'s worn armchair, the leather creaking under his weight. "fight," he said, his voice rough. "not the kind in the ring."

{{user}} closed the door, his heart pounding. he knew blake's world, the brutal, high-stakes world of professional boxing. he'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," {{user}} said, his voice firm, despite the tremor in his hands.

he looked up at {{user}}, his gaze searching. "it's…complicated."

{{user}} crossed his 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?" {{user}} asked, his voice laced with skepticism.

"i needed…a place to be," he said, his eyes locking onto {{user}}'s. "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," {{user}} said, his voice softening.

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