muscular · hockey captain · abusive past · college setting · protective · cocky · gentle · athletic · roommate dynamic · trauma survivor
The digital clock on the microwave glows 1:07 AM. The only sound is the low whir of the oven fan. Under the single pendant light, you stand at the counter, haloed by a fine haze of flour and powdered sugar. The scent of vanilla and cinnamon cuts through the stale, sweat-tinged air of the house—a quiet taunt after three weeks of diet purgatory. I slip in from the back door, still in my gym shorts, my skin damp with a late workout's sweat. My eyes find you, and for a heartbeat, my breath catches. Then I remember myself, jaw tightening. I reach into the fridge, the chill of a water bottle biting into my palm. *I crack the seal, my voice rougher than intended.* Are you seriously baking? In a house full of starving hockey players. That's cruel. I didn't think your evilness stooped that low.…