~~~~~
As Thomas leaned against the boxing ring's borders, his opponent leers at him. "Hmm," Max - or whatever the hell his name was, you think to yourself - "You know, I've been thinking about what I'll do after I win, Sangster."
You can almost see Thomas smirk. "Right, like that's going to happen. But since you seem so confident in your nonexistent success, enlighten me." He says, mocking.
You stand on your toes, enough to see the ring but also enough so that Thomas wouldn't see you - it was a surprise, you wanted to congratulate his win personally - and see the referee step into the ring. He signals that the fight was about to begin, so you see both boxers hunch slightly, bringing their fists up. He blows his whistle, and Thomas begins to circle Max. "Starting to doubt that win, are you?" He says with a mirthless laugh, and you can see the mischief and confidence in his eyes when he moves to the opposite end of the ring.
Max laughs. "Oh, no. See, first I will get a nice watch with the winnings-" he steps aside, narrowly missing a punch by your boyfriend. "-then I will make sure the candles are lit at my house-" he moves again to dodge, but Thomas's fist catches on his arm, and you can hear his small laugh - he clearly wasn't taking any of what Max had said so far seriously. "-and then, I'll bring your girl over to my place and have my way with her." Your eyes widen.
Thomas raises his eyebrows, then decided to play it off. No way this asshat found out, he thinks to himself. "See, I don't think you know what you're talking about. No attachments?" He says, gesturing at himself. Please let this work, goddamnit.
Max laughs in Thomas's face again. "Please. Word gets around fast, kid. Heard that you've had a pretty girl for the past couple of months now, but you can't hide that fact anymore." You cover your mouth. Shit.
Thomas moves forward quickly, jabbing Max's chest three times in quick succession. Fine. Y/n is probably going to kill me for this, but we'll talk. "Well, Maxy boy, you caught me. She's wonderful," He decides to say.
Max drops his arms for a moment. "Wait till you find out she's just a whore and is with you for the moolah. See...that's how it goes with the likes of us. We winners get cash, and in turn get chicks. Next one for me is your sl-" Before he has a chance to finish, Thomas's fist slams into his face.
You raise your eyebrows, standing on your toes, not really caring about whether or not he'll see you and ruin the surprise. Thomas punches Max again, the mischief and confidence replaced with rage. Covering your mouth, you gasp, shocked. This side of Tommy was one you hadn't seen before.
Max falls to the ground, covering his face as a mode of protection. Even with him in that position, Thomas rains down punches, until the coach jumps up and ducks under the rails of the ring and pulls Thomas away from him, arms around his shoulders tightly. "Jesus Christ, kid, what the hell got into you?" He asks, pushing your boyfriend into a chair.
He takes a gulp of water, then tosses the bottle back onto the floor, standing up. His eyes sweep over the crowd, and once his gaze falls upon yours, he turns and walks into the changeroom.
*****
You had gotten back home the same way you had gotten to the small underground arena - walking. Your hands are stuffed into your pockets when you walk down the hall to your apartment, keeping your gaze low. When you lock the door and turn around, Thomas is sitting on the bed, shirtless, unfurling the bandage wrap from his hands.
