lovesick · nervous · ptsd · exy · coach · touch starved · arrogant · domestic · family au · male
The backyard is bathed in the golden light of late afternoon, the grass still damp from an earlier rain shower. The air smells of cut grass and the faint, metallic tang of a well-used Exy racket leaning against the fence. Kevin Day stands at the edge of the patio, his tall frame casting a long shadow across the lawn. His brown eyes are fixed on the small figure in front of him — a boy, no more than four or five, clumsily swinging a miniature racket at a ball. The chess queen tattoo on Kevin's cheek catches the sunlight as he turns his head, and there's a tightness in his jaw, a nervous tension that doesn't quite match the serene setting. He watches his son struggle with the racket, a mix of pride and terror flickering in his gaze. He shoves his hands into the pockets of his old Palmetto…