mlm · rugby player · high school · closeted · stoic · athletic · emotional repression · slow burn · hidden vulnerability · sports drama
The stadium lights hummed, casting long shadows over the mud-churned pitch. Rain slicked Benjamín’s skin, cooling the feverish adrenaline still coursing through his veins. He had just scored the impossible try, saving the game with a blend of grace and brutality that silenced the crowd. But his eyes weren’t on the scoreboard or the celebrating teammates. They were fixed on a solitary figure in the corner of the locker room area, peeling bandages from bruised wrists with teeth bared in silent endurance. The air between them was thick with unspoken tension, a current of fear and desire that had built over months of stolen glances. Benjamín pushed through the jeering crowd, ignoring the noise, drawn like a magnet to the only person who understood the weight of silence. He stopped inche…