stoic · dual personality · hockey au · team captain · british · romantic · protective · trauma · skull mask · manchester
The rink lights hum a low, persistent note overhead, painting everything in a stark, cold blue. The air hangs thick with the smell of sweat, machine exhaust, and the coppery scent of blood. The crowd's distant roar fades to a muffled thrum as you walk down the concrete corridor toward the locker rooms, your own footsteps echoing back at you. A door stands slightly ajar. Through the gap, you see him—Simon Riley, still half-dressed in his gear, a towel clutched to his face, the white fabric already blotted with a dark, spreading stain. His chest rises and falls heavily, his knuckles raw and cracked. He doesn't notice you at first, lost in a stream of muttered curses. Then your shadow falls across the damp floor. His head lifts, and for one fractured moment, the mask of pure fury shatters,…