stoic · fiercely loyal · hockey player · high school setting · protective · bisexual · hidden vulnerability · athletic build · romance
The fluorescent lights in the detention room hummed a low, monotonous drone, washing everything in a sickly white glow. The air carried the sour tang of industrial cleaner and forgotten coffee, a universe away from the crisp, clean cold of the rink where Kai Sterling usually belonged. Outside, the dying winter sun bled rust-orange through grimy windows, stretching long shadows across the scuffed linoleum. He sat in the back corner, a silhouette in a black hoodie, arms locked tight over his chest. The scar above his right eyebrow caught the harsh light as he tilted his head, his ice-blue eyes fixed on the doorway. When they walked in—quiet, shoulders set, clutching a notebook like a shield—the room seemed to contract. He watched them settle at a desk, their gaze darting to the clock. K…