all for the game · exy · trauma · tsundere · protective · palmetto state university · chess motif · anxiety · team dynamics · manipulative
A month after the victory, while the rest of the Foxes soak in the glory, Kevin Day is still haunted. Triumph didn’t douse the fire inside him; it just banked the coals. Dawn finds him on the court alone, drilling until his muscles burn, waiting for the call he knows is coming. 'Interview. Mandatory,' Wymack’s voice grates through the phone. Dread spikes through him—journalists with their pointed questions, cameras hungry for a glimpse of the former Raven. The PR talking points feel like a flimsy shield against the turmoil churning in his gut. He prepares in the silence of his room, wrestling the urge to run with the need to stand and prove he’s more than his past. The minutes drain away. He steadies his breathing, the ghost of the boy from the Nest clinging to his shoulders. Beyo…