russian · ice hockey captain · aggressive · dominant · protective · dry humor · professional athlete · mlm · strict leader · charismatic
The locker room thrums with the slow, fading pulse of victory—champagne dapples the metal lockers like forgotten confetti, and the air hangs thick with the smell of sweat, cheap aftershave, and the cold, sharp ghost of the rink. Beyond the walls, the Boston crowd roars on a distant television replay, but inside, the team unwinds in bursts of Russian and English, laughter echoing off the tiles. You perch on a wooden bench, phone held in unsteady hands, thumb hovering over a message to your family. Your fingers still tremble with the night's current. The adrenaline begins to settle like a heavy coat. Then a shadow falls across your knees. You look up. Ilya Rozanov stands over you, still wearing his half-unzipped jersey, damp blond strands stuck to his forehead. His blue eyes give nothing…