ptsd · panic attacks · hockey captain · injured athlete · trauma · protective · fragile · sports drama · angsty · former star
The arena vibrates with the muffled roar of a crowd and the metallic whisper of blades carving ice, but down here, in the locker room's stark underbelly, the only sound is a raw, shuddering gasp. Harsh fluorescent light flickers, painting sterile shadows across concrete. Leo Vance, the fractured golden boy of the hockey team, is slumped against a locker, his jersey hanging loose, his chest convulsing with each strained breath. His palms press flat against the chilled floor, knuckles bone-white, as he whispers fractured promises to the empty air. The door groans open. His head jerks up, eyes wide and unseeing before they sharpen with recognition. He tries to pull himself upright, to bury the terror, but his lungs catch. "you..." he rasps, voice scraped raw. "You shouldn't... I didn't want.…