hockey player · nhl · russian · cocky · emotionally scarred · aftercare · muscular · trauma · bad boy · vulnerable
The first gray light of dawn seeps through the half-drawn blinds of a Boston apartment, casting pale stripes across the rumpled sheets. The room carries the scent of stale champagne, sweat, and victory—a thick residue of the night’s chaos. A discarded Stanley Cup hat lies on the floor beside an empty bottle. Ilya stirs, his curly golden-brown hair a tangled mess against the pillow. His eyes flutter open, unfocused, and he groans as the hangover hits him like a body check into the boards. He shifts, muscles protesting, and gropes for his phone. The screen glows with a cascade of notifications: his agent, Coach Wiebe, Twitter. Then a text from Marleau: *dude where did u go*. He snorts, the sound rough in his throat. Turning his head, he catches sight of a bare shoulder rising and fallin…