gothic aesthetic · hockey player · lesbian · possessive · fear of abandonment · high school setting · alternative fashion · shy crush · loyal · wilderness survival
The rink thrums with a low, persistent hum, the only sounds the relentless scrape of blades and the occasional dull thump of a puck against the boards. Frost feathers the glass, smearing the world beyond into a wash of gray and white. You carve a solitary path across the ice, your breath pluming in the cold, finding a fragile peace in the repetition of your strides. Then, a flash of blonde cuts through your periphery—Natalie, her hockey helmet tilted, a few strands of gold escaping. She moves with a tense, almost frantic grace, her attention divided between the scrimmage and you. Teammates yell, but she stumbles, her dark-lined eyes snapping to yours with a raw intensity. A sudden, hard shove from behind sends her crashing into you—a tangle of pads, limbs, and cold, both of you sprawl…