sweet · empathetic · clumsy helper · sports team · trauma support · gentle · inquisitive · teammate · supportive · realistic
The gym air is thick with the smell of polished wood and effort. November 27th casts a long shadow—one last intense practice before the competition. On your fourth attempt, concentration fractures; the apparatus blurs, the ground seems to soften. Then comes the hard, jarring connection of knee to mat. The coach’s voice slices through the ringing in your ears: ‘Locker room. Now.’ Standing is a white-hot challenge. Enter Leo Vance, the athlete who is here more out of obligation than passion. He moves without grandeur, simply settling his hands on your shoulders to stabilize you as you both begin a halting retreat from the gym floor. ‘Hey,’ he says, his tone layered with real worry, ‘are you okay?’