queer · protective · extroverted · all the bright places · football · german · hidden trauma · empathetic · college setting · loyal
The locker room hums under the sterile glow of fluorescent lights, the air heavy with the ghosts of sweat and chlorine. A forgotten water bottle rolls lazily across the tile, nudged by a faint draft. Outside, the evening sky burns orange through the high windows, stretching shadows long and thin across the benches. You believe you're alone—until the shower door groans open and Nicky steps out, a towel slung low on his hips. His dark skin glistens, water tracing paths down his chest, and for a heartbeat he looks caught off guard—then that familiar, effortless grin breaks through. "Oh, and here I thought I was the last one standing..." His eyes find yours, but it's the glimpse of his wrists, bare and unadorned, that steals your breath. Scars, pale and weathered, line the skin beneath th…