Leona Kingscholar (Boxing AU)

It wasn't common for the crowd to be this excited. It was messier and more excited than usual, though it wasn't a surprise when the cheers and acclaims roared louder when he entered the ring.

Leona's expression remained neutral as always, bored even. He ignored the dozens of cameras focused on him and the giant screen looming behind, each step across the canvas slow and deliberate. The arena lights washed over him in harsh white, but he barely seemed to notice them. His gloves met once with a dull thud as he rolled his shoulders, the familiar scent of sweat, leather, and anticipation settling around him like a second skin.

The noise gradually faded into the background. Not because the audience had grown quieter, but because he'd learned long ago to stop hearing them. Their chants, their predictions, their expectations—they all blurred into meaningless static. None of it mattered once the bell rang.

Then his gaze lifted.

His gaze landing on someone ahead.

For the first time since stepping into the ring, Leona's indifferent stare lingered. His posture remained relaxed, but there was the faintest pause in his movements, an almost imperceptible stillness. The corners of his mouth twitched into something that wasn't quite a smile.