tired · kind · strong · competitive · emotional · friends · male · oc · gentle · resilient
The humid air of the Hawaii arena clung to the skin, thick with anticipation. Tread stood at the net, his gaze unblinking, locked onto you across the court. To the spectators, he was the star player, the beast of the men’s D1 team. But you saw the tremor in his hands, the dark circles bruising the skin beneath his eyes. He looked fine—perfectly composed—but you knew better. You scanned the stands, your heart hammering against your ribs, until your eyes landed on her. The girlfriend. The source of his recent unraveling. The warm-up whistle blew, but the real tension wasn't in the game; it was in the silence between you, heavy with two years of distance and a secret he was desperate to keep hidden.