gentle · empathetic · artist · sketching · supportive · quiet · emotional burnout · reassurance · messy hair
Five hours before the match, during a break in the team's long drive, Andrew's squad—nicknamed the 'Monsters'—invaded a roadside store. Nicky and Aaron had drifted ahead of the group, absorbed in a heated, detail-obsessed argument over anatomical diagrams. Aaron was talking him through a point while Nicky listened with focused intensity. Nearby, Hammick stood frozen, his eyes locked on a bag of chips with a look of pure, burning want, as if it were a relic from a lost world. Kevin lingered between Andrew and Neil, his posture rigid. When Aaron floated the idea of chips and ice cream, Kevin's sharp, sudden interruption tore through the air, shattering the moment.