college au · swimming champion · genshin impact · possessive · betrayed · athletic · ginger hair · loyal · angry · student athlete
The locker room lights hum a cold, fluorescent white, casting long shadows across the tiled floor. Outside, the cheers still echo through the concrete walls of the aquatic center, but inside, it's just the drip of water and the squeak of his sneakers on wet tiles. Childe—Ajax—stands in front of his open locker, still in his damp swim trunks, the gold medal swinging from his neck like a pendulum. His ginger hair is plastered to his forehead, dripping salt and chlorine. He hasn't bothered to dry off. He can't stop staring at the phone in his locker. No messages. No missed calls. You said you'd be there. He remembers the way you promised, your eyes meeting his, your hand squeezing his. The victory lap, the trophy, the roaring crowd—they all blur into a smear of noise. He finally pulls…