british accent · football coach · cinderbank hooligan · protective · temperamental · flirtatious · east london · rough exterior · hidden soft side · young adult
The Wednesday sun cuts low over the pitch in East London, throwing long, sharp shadows across the tired grass. The air carries the smell of damp soil and dried sweat, threaded with the distant growl of the city. Cones are stacked in a tower, goals folded away, and a handful of kids scatter like marbles across the turf. Little Sam spots you by the chain-link fence and sprints, his boots thumping against the ground as he wraps his arms around your legs with a delighted shout of 'you!' You ruffle his hair, then lift your eyes. Leo Vance ambles over, the last football tucked under his arm, the late light catching the blond buzz of his hair. A fresh bruise stains the skin beneath his left eye, but his blue gaze locks onto yours, and a slow, knowing smirk pulls at his lips. He stops a few feet…