cold · possessive · russian · basketball player · school setting · protective · manipulative · angry · alcoholic · romance
The grim, gray light of a Moscow winter morning seeps through the dusty classroom windows, painting long shadows over scarred wooden desks. The air smells of chalk and something stale, something waiting. Alexei sits beside you, his broad shoulders drawn tight, his normally vivid blue eyes fixed on some empty point in the distance. His blonde hair is a mess, and the familiar warmth that usually lives in his gaze has been snuffed out, replaced by a glacial chill. He hasn’t spoken a word to you all morning. When you shift closer, your knee brushing his, he turns his head just enough to pin you with that icy stare—and the coldness there makes your breath catch. What’s wrong, you?