Dante

Sammy knocked out almost immediately after dinner. He spent about two seconds kissing up my neck, then I felt his soft breathes as he snuggled closer and drifted off. I didn't mind, however. The work day had tired me out as well.

That, and we definitely needed some sleep for whatever hell this week brought.

Monday and Tuesday were particularly exhausting. Kassie did her best to cover some hours on Monday so I could train with the team, but the strain from a busy Tuesday night demanded I stay until close.

"I'm so sorry." Kassie apologized for the nine thousandth time tonight.

"It's truly okay!" I assured her. "Plus if you didn't call me in, Howard for sure would have. Tonight was insane."

"It's those stupid one dollar shots, I'm telling ya." Chris grumbled as she passed by.

We had just finished ushering the last drunk customer out. Kassie and I attempted damage control throughout the night, but the empty bottles, glasses, and popcorn everywhere made it seem like we had done nothing. I was just about to slip on a pair of gloves to help Chris sweep, when we heard a knock at the door.

Grayson was standing there, looking slightly confused. Once Kassie got the door open, the first thing he greeted us with was "so now we're locking the doors, huh? Did Sammy put you up to that?"

He was referring to the fact that Sammy was getting increasingly more strict about liquor. No one was allowed to touch it this week at all, and for good reason. Everyone needed to be at one hundred and ten percent.

Kassie laughed at that. "No, we locked up just in case any strays tried to wander back in. Took everything we had left to clear this place out tonight."

"Jesus." Grayson sighed, looking around at the mess. "Well, I'm here to help. Sammy sent me to relieve Dante for the night."

My eyebrows furrowed at that, but Kassie was the first to respond.

"Two toilets are clogged in the back, and we've got some vomit in a urinal again. Get to it, our knight in Under Armour." She didn't even skip a beat, before shoving the cleaning supplies in her brothers hands, and disappearing in the back.

Grayson gave me a smile as he approached Chris and I. "A-Are you sure?" I asked him.

"It's very cute that you think I have a say in the matter." He chuckled. "But Sammy's waiting. He wanted to spar with you so you better get moving."

I handed him the gloves I was just about to slip on, and gave him a quick yet heartfelt thank you before dashing out of Tidal Wave.

As soon as I made it to Fight Club, I could already see Sammy putting in some work with a punching bag through the front windows. There was sweat literally streaming down his body, regardless of the A/C that felt like it was on the coldest mode possible.

"Jesus." I whispered, shivering slightly as I entered.

It was a literal tundra in here.

"You made it." Sammy replied, shooting me a smile as he stepped away from the beaten bag, to approach me. "I'd give you a hug, but I'm disgusting right now. Go get changed and we'll get some practice in before we head to bed."

I nodded, offering him the same warm smile he was giving me. As I turned to leave, I felt his hand grab my arm, pulling me back. He bent down to give me a soft kiss, before letting go.

"Just had to." He mumbled to me. That just made my smile grow. I practically sprinted up the stairs to quickly change.

-

Forty-five minutes later, and I was now one thousand percent grateful for Sammy cranking up the A/C. We were both soaked in sweat from head to toe. I had walked him through practically every combo I could think of, that Shaun might use. For all I knew, it could be either Sammy, Grayson, or myself going against him in this upcoming tournament, and we all needed to be ready.

After what Sammy had told me about Serenity, I didn't want to imagine what kind of training they were having right now.

"You'll want to go in with a jab-rear uppercut, not a jab-rear hook." I instructed Sammy, doing my best to keep up as he went again. The force from his hits tired me out more than I could ever imagine, but I hung in there.

This particular combo I was showing him, was meant to create an opening for a knockout.

It was a combo my father had shown me shortly before alcohol completely consumed him. Though I had practiced it before, I was never given the opportunity to use it. All I could assume was that if he had shown me, my father surely must have shown Shaun.

Sammy was doing well with picking up the movements. There were gaps of time however, where he looked a little distracted. I couldn't tell what had him preoccupied. When I blocked his left jab, and delivered a hook of my own, he wasn't quick enough with the block, and my hit got him square in the face.

"Oh shit!" I fumbled forwards immediately, but Sammy just waved it off.

"That was on me. Sorry about that." He replied with. My hit had left his face a little red.

"You're doing great... but you seem a little distracted." I explained, trying to word it in a way that didn't seem like I was prying, but also let him know I was a little concerned to continue.

Sammy hesitated for a moment, not bothering to move back into our sparring form again.

"Kas- um, she mentioned that you were able to find a mattress?"

I hesitated at his words. That wasn't what I was expecting. "I think I've found one, but I'm really not sure." I tried to explain. Of course Kassie would mention it to Sammy. She was real gung-ho about me staying here, even after I had explained to her that I already had a place of my own. Not much of one, but it was a place.

"I just- I know we haven't spoken about it yet, but you're welcome to stay as long as you'd like Dante." Sammy spoke. I offered him a small smile. Looks like I'd have to redeliver the same speech I gave Kassie.

"I know, it's just that... I have a place of my own. A lease I signed. This is your place and I don't think I could stomach living here expense free like this." I almost expected Sammy's face to scrunch up like Kassie's did when she heard those same words, but it didn't.

Instead, Sammy took a step towards me. It wasn't to continue sparring, no, this was different. His demeanor changed. The way he looked at me changed.

"I felt like I reworded that incorrectly. It's not that you're just welcome to stay here." He took another step, getting much much closer to me than sparring would ever really call for. "I want you to stay here."

That last sentence hit far differently. I hadn't even started to think of a response to that, before the doors to Fight Club opened.

Sammy and I pulled back immediately, taking a look at who decided to wander in so late at night. I thought I had got the lock on the way in, but that must not have been the case.

The person who walked in, however, stopped me dead in my tracks.

"You know, when I saw your name under a gym like this one, I just had to come pay a visit."

That voice sent chills through me, like it always did.

It was the suede shoes, the ones with a fancy heel that made a more profound clap as he walked. Those were coupled with some dress pants- a fitted style he had specifically tailored for his build. As my eyes glanced up to the clean pressed black sweater, I knew what face would follow.

Sure enough, it was the face I was hoping only existed in my nightmares.

"Shaun."

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