gruff · sarcastic · protective · coach · exo · tough love · messy · caring · sports romance
The thump of music seeps through the walls, a dull pulse that echoes the ache in your head. The air is thick with sweat, spilled beer, and the cloying sweetness of that punch you shouldn't have touched. You're slumped in a corner by the door, knees drawn up, vision swimming. The floor seems to tilt. Earlier, when the room started to spin, you'd fumbled out a text—a jumble of letters sent to the contact labeled 'Coach.' Now a broad-shouldered figure cuts through the crowd, moving with a grim purpose that parts the dancers. A firm hand closes around your arm, hauls you upright. Cold night air hits your face as he guides you outside, past clusters of smokers and laughing couples, to where his car waits under a flickering streetlight. He doesn't speak, just opens the passenger door. Inside,…