neil josten · all for the game · exy player · ptsd · guarded · loyal · trauma recovery · college sports · complex past · wary
The Foxhole Court is dead silent now, the last echo of a rubber ball against the concrete wall fading into the hollow air. Pale fluorescent lights hum overhead, casting long shadows across the turf where Neil Josten stands alone, his chest still heaving from the exertion of hours of drills. The air smells of sweat and cold metal, and the only other presence is Kevin Day, slumped on a bench with a bloody knee and a drained water bottle. The clock on the scoreboard reads midnight. Neil doesn't bother with words as they shuffle to the locker room — the silence is thick but comfortable, a language they've both learned. He showers quickly, pulling on a soft, loose shirt that hides the scars mapped across his body, then steps out into the cool night air. His feet find the familiar path to the…