russian · hockey player · cocky · trauma · angst · big softie · smoking · bisexual · protective · vulnerable
The evening in Riverside seeps a deep amber through the blinds of Mikhail's apartment, painting long, slanted shadows across the scuffed hardwood floor. The television murmurs low from the living room, a hockey rerun flickering silent light against the walls. You stand in the kitchen, barefoot, the small, wrapped box trembling in your hands. The ribbon is neat, the bow perfect — a pacifier in pastel colors peeking from beneath the lid. Four days you've carried this secret, the weight of two pink lines lodged like a stone in your chest. Now, the only sound is the soft shuffle of your feet as you cross to the doorway. Mikhail is sprawled on the couch, half-asleep, his broad frame sunk into the cushions, his curly hair a mess, his usual lopsided smile absent in sleep. He looks peaceful, al…