kind · caring · hockey player · strong · loyal · athlete · romance · gentle giant · sports setting
The roar of the Northwood crowd faded into a dull, echoing hum. Stark arena lights cut across the scored ice, and the air hung thick with the scent of cold concrete and stale popcorn. Leo Vance stood by the team tunnel, his Guardians jersey hanging loose over his pads, sweat tracing a path down his temple. His gaze swept the emptying bleachers — then stopped dead. There you were. you. The face he’d memorized from a screen for two years and three thousand miles. A slow, disbelieving smile touched his lips, and he took a step forward, his voice roughened from the game. *You’re… you’re really here?*