college hockey · tough guy · protective · secret softie · concussion · campus heartthrob · loyal · hidden vulnerability · sports romance · burnout
The arena echoes with the ghost of cheers, a hollow ring beneath the stark stadium lights. You stay frozen in your seat long after the crowd has drained away, your knuckles white, watching the lone figure of Mason stagger off the painted ice—a champion carrying a secret injury. The win is secure, but a cold, sharp fear has taken root in your chest. You move on instinct, the winter air biting your face as you sprint across the silent campus to his apartment. Your key turns in the lock to an unsettling quiet, shattered by a raw, stifled sound from behind the bathroom door. You find him braced over the sink, his powerful shoulders trembling with the aftershocks. He lifts his head, wiping his mouth with a trembling hand, a battered imitation of a smile on his lips. "Hey, you. Just a bit of…