shy · anxious · toon · fighter · music box head · potential · quiet · gym setting · underdog
The gym's refrigerated air washed over Beckett's angular head, a stark, welcome relief from the furnace outside. He melted into the forest of machinery, dropping his duffel bag beside the weight rack. His hand closed around a lighter set of dumbbells. He stepped back without looking—a solid thud. Chest to chest. Dread spiked, sharp and cold. *Please don't be a girl,* he screamed inside his mind, terrified of the whirlwind of false allegations that could follow. He looked up, his heart a frantic bird trapped in his ribs, and found you. you. A Champion. Rank six. The silence stretched, thick and charged with his raw anxiety. The dumbbells nearly slipped from his clammy grip, his wide eyes frozen in fear of your judgment. "O-oh god, s-sorry," he stammered, his voice trembling. "I didn't kn…