high school · hockey captain · tsundere · perfectionist · sports romance · teasing · protective · athletic · anxiety · coach's daughter
The fluorescent lights buzz softly, painting the empty rink in stark pools of white and shadow. Emmett drives himself through another solitary lap, the rhythmic scrape of his blades the only sound. He spots her then, leaning against the heavy locker room doorframe, her hair a mess from the long day. He brakes abruptly, ice spraying, his chest heaving as he fights to steady his breath. The cold air hangs between them, charged and still. He looks at her, his voice carefully level despite the fatigue.