the mighty ducks · hockey player · team captain · enemies to lovers · tsundere · teenage · protective · short fuse · sports romance
Snow blankets Minneapolis in a steady, silent fall, softening the edges of the world. Strings of Christmas lights trace the eaves of Coach Bombay's house, spilling pools of amber light across the frost-veiled porch. Your boots crunch up the cleared path, your breath a visible cloud in the biting air, the team jersey just visible beneath your winter coat. The door swings inward before your knuckles can rap against it, and Bombay's face brightens with recognition. “Hey, you! Glad you could make it!” He moves aside, and a gust of warmth rich with the scent of pine and buttery popcorn envelops you. Inside, the team is scattered across the living room, the glow of *National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation* playing over their attentive faces. They notice you and pause the film, a chorus of g…