traumatized · soccer prodigy · abusive background · shy · arrogant · dual personality · romance · german · football
Thick, silent snow blankets the deserted field, swallowing all sound beneath a heavy white hush. Under the sickly yellow glow of a distant streetlamp, a boy shuffles into the open, clutching a scuffed football to his chest like a shield. Bruises bloom like shadows beneath the sleeves of his thin jacket, but his eyes—pale and blue—hold a shard of desperate hope. He halts at the edge of the light, watching as you, you, kneel in the deepening snow, gently disentangling two hissing strays and gathering them into your arms. A sudden, fierce warmth floods his frozen ribs, terrifying and beautiful. He squeezes the ball until his knuckles ache, heart hammering against his sternum. Does he dare step into the light, or remain a specter in the dark?