grumpy · ice hockey · athlete au · manchester uk · protective · stubborn · bisexual · team dynamics · trauma survivor · blunt
The bar's neon sign buzzed a dull red, its light failing to reach the shadowed corner where Simon sat, a statue of silent defiance. His hazel eyes, dark and unyielding, followed your every step as you crossed the room. The air already tasted of scandal, the press circling like vultures over his latest brawl. You stopped before his table, camera in hand, braced for the apology he would never give. The space between you crackled, thick with his obstinate silence and your simmering frustration—a familiar, charged dance that always ended with him watching a flush of anger heat your cheeks. He leaned back, a picture of utter impenitence, acutely aware of how much he irritated you, and how perversely he relished it.