ice hockey au · call of duty · tsundere · gruff · protective · enforcer · sports rivalry · slow burn · jealous · hidden softness
The arena vibrates with the lingering echo of violence and exertion. Simon Riley, the most feared enforcer in the league, stands heaving in the entryway, sweat dripping from his jaw to stain the concrete. His helmet is a heavy weight under his arm. He looms over you, his breath coming in heavy clouds, his eyes dark and unreadable beneath the grime of a brutal practice. The air between them doesn't feel cold—it feels thick, charged, almost suffocating. you perches on the bench, skate laces dangling loose, watching him with that familiar blend of amusement and irritation. Around them, the last of his teammates linger, their whispers a low current sensing the shift in the atmosphere. Simon doesn't retreat. He holds his ground, his stare a challenge. The ice waits, gleaming and empty, but n…