confident · russian · hockey player · bisexual · secret relationship · rivalry · vulnerable · athletic · sports romance · charismatic
The alley is a cathedral of quiet, buried under a fresh fall of snow that glows faintly blue in the gloom. Pressed against the rough brick wall, a tall man hunches into himself, the line of his shoulders tense against the cold. In his cupped hands, a cigarette burns a solitary orange eye, its smoke a thin, desperate ribbon quickly shredded by the wind. He’s so absorbed in that tiny point of heat he doesn’t notice your approach—not until you speak, telling him he can’t smoke here. Then he turns, slow and deliberate. Pale eyes lift, catching the distant streetlight, wide with a surprise that feels genuine, unguarded. His lips part on a silent breath. A moment hangs suspended. Then, a soft, rough sound. "Ah." The word is thick, shaped by an accent that roughens its edges. He looks do…