'✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ l i k e h i m  .ᐟ
episode one. ▌ 𝙽𝙴𝚆 𝙵𝙰𝙲𝙴.

across town, blair squinted at her phone screen as she sipped a lukewarm coffee, scrolling through job postings. her small studio apartment was cluttered with textbooks and empty takeout containers.

a reminder of how far she drifted from the idolised version of her career she once visioned.

fresh out of nursing school, she spent the last few months in a whirlwind of night shifts at the ER, dealing with
everything from broken bones to
confused drunks, the pay barely made a dent in her student loans.

she sighed, scrolling aimlessly, but a
bright yellow ad caught her attention.

WANTED: PERSONAL MEDIC FOR A PROFESSIONAL BOXER. FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE. COMPETITIVE PAY.

blair hummed, her acrylic nails tapping on the screen. it wasn't the exactly kind of nursing job she imagined, but the idea intrigued her.

cleaning up sweaty, hot boxers? sounded fun!

she clicked the link, scanning through the brief description.

REQUIREMENTS: basic first aid, wound care, flexible hours and the ability to handle high—pressure situations.

it wasn't much different to what she had been doing in the er, minus the bright lights and endless paperwork.

blair hesitated for a moment, her fingers hovering over her phone screen, hovering over the 'APPLY NOW' button.

then with a click, the submitted the application before she could even talk herself out of it.

a week later, she found herself standing at the entrance of a gritty boxing gym, the smell of sweat thick in the air.

blair adjusted the strap of her first aid kit nervously, her sneakers squeaking slightly on the hardwood floor as she stepped inside.

her gaze darted around, taking in the scene— punching bags, the metallic clang of weights being racked, and the occasional shout of encouragement or critique from coaches.

blair swallowed, trying to steady her nerves. this wasn't the controlled environment of a hospital.

this was raw, chaotic energy.

she couldn't help feeling slightly out of place in her bright colours, while most of the men in there wore black, or dark shades of colours.

"hey! over here!" a gruff voice called out, snapping her from her thoughts.

blair turned to see a man in his fourties'—fifties, waving her over. definitely a coach.

"you must be blair lily!" he extended an hand, "i'm barnes, coach barnes."

"nice to meet you." she shook his hand firmly.

"come on, i'll introduce you to your fighter." barnes jerked his head towards the far end of the gym.

blair followed him, her heart pounding in her chest, she'd read the name on the application—CHRIS STURNIOLO, son of WARREN STURNIOLO.

warren sturniolo, the legendary boxer whose name was practically sacred and worshiped in boston. blair wasn't much of a sports fan, but she knew how much weight his name carried.

as they approached, blair caught chris mid combo on the punching bag, his movements were quick and powerful, his fists a blur as he struck the leather bag.

he was tall, dark hair which was dampened by sweat, and a focus in his eyes that made it clear he wasn't here just to train— he was here to win.

"chris! eyes over here!" barnes barked, making chris' punches slow.

he turned, his gaze landing on blair. for a moment, his expression was unreadable as his blue eyes flickered over the blonde girl.

"who's that?" chris asked, wiping his face with a towel, trying to sound nonchalant.

"your new medic." barnes replied, folding his arms. "blair lily." he introduced.

blair offered a polite smile, clutching the strap of her first aid kit tighter. "hi, nice to meet you."

chris nodded, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer than necessary. "nice to meet you too."

barnes clapped his hands together, breaking the tension. "alright! introductions are done, blair you'll set up over there." he pointed to a small table and chair in the corner.

"chris, finish your rounds, then let her take a look at that wrist you've been whining about."

"i haven't been whining." chris muttered.

blair couldn't help but smile as she made her way to her little station, unpacking her supplies. she could feel chris' eyes on her as she unpacked, laying everything out.

though she tried to focus she couldn't shake off the feeling that this job was about to be unlike anything she'd ever experienced.

chris finished his final set, and approached her corner, she looked up and gestured for him to sit.

"let's see what we're working with here, hm?" blair pulled on a pair of gloves, her voice was warm that immediately put chris at ease.

he extended his wrist, his expression curious. "so you're the one who's supposed to keep me in one piece?"

blair smiled while she was inspecting his wrist, "that's the plan, but looks like you're going to do your best to make my job harder."

chris chuckled, a sound that even surprised himself. "guess i'll try not to."

she looked up from his wrist, meeting his eyes. "good."

for a moment, the pair just looked at eachother, a flicker of something unspoken passing between them.

blair broke the eye contact, turning her attention back to his wrist, wrapping it. chris watched her, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

later that evening, blair unlocked the door to her apartment, kicking off her shoes as she stepped inside. the familiar scent of vanilla candles greeting her as she walked in, along with the muffled sound of music playing in the background.

leila briggs, her bestfriend and roommate, was perched on the couch, a tub of ice cream in her lap.

her curly hair was threw up into a bun, she glanced up as blair walked in. leila sat up, smirking. "how was the big first day with mr.muscles?"

blair rolled her eyes in amusement, setting her bag down on the counter, "he's not 'mr muscles' his name is chris, and it was... fine."

leila raised an eyebrow, spooning some ice cream into her mouth. "just fine? cmon! you've got that look."

"what look?" blair asked, as she grabbed a can of coke from the fridge.

"the im-not-telling-you something look." leila teased, "is he cute?"

blair hesitated, the image of chris replaying in her head. "i mean, if you're into tall, brooding types with
a ridiculous amount of stamina."

leila giggled, "wow, b, i didn't know you were paying attention to his stamina."

blair felt her cheeks grow hot, she threw one of the fluffy pillows at her, "oh my god, stop! it's not like that, im just his personal medic, he barely said two words to me."

leila hummed, grinning. "well for what it's worth, i think this job might be good for you. you've been so stressed lately, and maybe working in a different environment will help."

blair sank onto the couch beside her, letting out a sigh. "i hope so, it's definitely something new, that's for sure."

leila nudged her shoulder playfully, "well, new can be good! and who knows? maybe mr.musc—chris! will surprise you."

blair shook her head, smiling. she didn't want to admit it but a part of her was already looking forward to the next day.

AUTHORS NOTE🪽
merry christmas to everyone
who celebrates, i love you all
so so much && hope you have
the best day <3

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