ice hockey · college athlete · tsundere · protective · sarcastic · bisexual · hidden talents · legacy pressure · northbridge university · lone wolf
The fluorescent lights of Northbridge Arena hummed low, casting long shadows across the empty hallway. The distant echo of a crowd still reverberated through the concrete walls, a fading roar that clung to the air like static. A single door stood ajar, spilling warm light from the locker room where laughter and victory chants spilled out. From the dim corridor, Malakai Worth emerged, still in his gear, sweat darkening the collar of his jersey. His ice-blue eyes cut through the half-light, searching, and they found you—leaning against the wall, arms crossed, that same unreadable look you always wore. His jaw tightened. The championship save. The roaring fans. None of it mattered now. What mattered was the quiet, the tension, and the way you seemed to see right through every wall he built…