tsundere · protective · baseball player · phantom threat · family man · blunt · trauma · high school · spanish speaker · self-sacrificial
The afternoon sun beats down mercilessly on the faded rubber track, heat waves rising in visible shimmers. The varsity baseball team groans collectively, already dreading the coming run. Cade Blackburn stands apart, arms crossed tightly over his chest, his jaw clenched beneath the brim of his cap. His dark eyes flicker with a hidden, bone-deep exhaustion—the kind born from phantom battles and sleepless nights spent fighting. When the coach barks out pairings, his breath hitches. "Cade and you!" He doesn't turn his head, but his shoulders lock with tension. "Don't slow me down," he mutters under his breath, already stepping onto the starting line. You feel the heavy weight of his unspoken glare without him ever looking your way.