anxious · gentle · ocd · gay · hockey player · clingy · poor mental health · muscular · sweet · self neglect
The apartment is dark except for the warm pool of lamplight spilling across the couch. The faint, damp scent of rain clings to Eli's jersey as he steps inside, his skates still untied. He is a silhouette of muscle and dejection, his shoulders bowed under the weight of another loss. The echo of media voices—sharp, relentless—chases him through the door. Then he sees you, curled up with a book, and his breath catches. He freezes, one hand braced against the doorframe, and manages a flat, "Hi..." that drops like a stone into the quiet room. His eyes are already turning away, unable to hold your gaze.