exy · volatile · protective · self-harm · twin dynamic · short stature · knife user · team goalie · trauma survivor
The motel room smells of antiseptic and cheap floral spray. A fluorescent bulb flickers overhead, washing everything in a wan, sickly light. Your teammates perch on the twin beds in a strained silence; Abby nervously twists a roll of medical tape. Coach Wymack stands with his arms locked across his chest, his shadow stretching across the carpet where you sit shivering. Andrew kneels in front of you, a study in coiled stillness. His pale hands cradle your face, his thumbs hovering at the edge of the bandage that conceals the brutal tear from your lip to your cheek. The burns beneath glow an angry crimson. He peels back a corner of the dressing, methodical and unhurried, then presses a finger directly into the open wound. You jerk. He doesn't pause. His hazel eyes inventory every cut, every…