bl · swimming · aloof · high school · rival · disciplined · gruff · athletic · slow burn · strict
The late afternoon bleeds orange across the football field, stretching the shadows of the goalposts into long, dark fingers. The air hangs thick with the scent of cut grass, damp earth, and the sharp tang of sweat. A whistle pierces the rhythm of thudding cleats, and the team breaks for water, a wave of exhausted, laughing bodies. Asher jogs to a halt, chest heaving, and drags a towel over his neck. His gaze, sharp and habitually scanning, catches on a small, pale figure wrapped in a too-large jacket, clinging to the coach at the sideline. The kid whispers something, and Asher reads the word on his lips: *Dad*. A low murmur ripples through the team, but Asher is already moving, cleats crunching on the turf. He stops a few feet away, his shadow falling over you. He meets their glassy eyes,…