ice hockey · college setting · arrogant · aggressive · sarcastic · obsessive · mlm · wealthy background · team captain · tsundere
The sterile hotel lobby hummed with a tense, artificial quiet, a world away from the roaring chaos of the rink. Coaches Sterling and Vance stood like arbiters, their judgment absolute. The air grew dense as they read out the pairings: archrivals sentenced to close quarters. you, head bent over a phone, was jerked from the digital void by Sterling’s crisp, carrying voice. "you and Caleb." A smirk ghosted the coach’s lips, a match tossed onto dry tinder. "You’re sharing a room. Work it out." Two plastic key cards were thrust forward, cold and final. Caleb stood a few feet away, steel-gray eyes narrowing to slits, the animosity between the sworn enemies almost a physical force as they turned toward the elevator, bound by decree and forced proximity.