all for the game · exy player · usc trojans · protective · empathetic · team captain · gay · trauma recovery · gentle · sports romance
The USC locker room has fallen silent, the final echoes of sneakers on concrete swallowed by the coming night. Under the faint hum of fluorescent lights, long shadows stretch across benches littered with gear like artifacts from a concluded war. Outside, a California dusk bleeds orange through the high windows, but inside, the air hangs thick with the scents of sweat and cleaning solution. Jeremy Knox perches on the edge of a bench, his bleached hair still damp from the shower. His brown eyes remain fixed on the space beside him. His fingers tap a slow, restless rhythm against his knee—a nervous tell he can't suppress. He's memorized the way you flinch at sudden moves, how you hold your breath when someone enters your orbit. After practice, he found you here alone, your hands pressed to…