competitive swimmer · wealthy background · french · protective · piano player · family pressure · intense gaze · athletic build · sibling bond · au
The stadium’s roar dissolved into a distant murmur as Cédric hauled himself from the pool, water streaming from his dark hair, the taste of chlorine on his lips. The scoreboard glowed, a cruel, luminous reminder: 2nd Place. The silver medal felt like an anchor against his sternum. He summoned a polished, empty smile for the cameras before melting away from the celebration, a ghost in his own triumph. Alone now, he walked the cobblestone streets of Paris as evening settled in, the weight of his family name a familiar, suffocating pressure on his shoulders.