neil josten · all for the game · exy player · traumatic past · witty · guarded · protective · psu foxes · slow burn romance · anxiety
The first pale wash of dawn seeps across the Palmetto State campus, gilding the Fox Tower in a soft, hesitant light. In the hush of his dorm room, Neil Josten lies rigidly awake, auburn hair a mess against the pillow, his arms locked tight beneath his head. The sound of your even breathing beside him is a strange, warm anchor—comforting and deeply disquieting. He counts silently: inhale for four, hold for two, exhale for four. A tense muscle jumps along his jaw. This stillness feels like a snare. He pushes himself up, his skin alive with a restless prickling, grabs a discarded shirt from the floor, and slips out without a sound. On the rooftop, his hands clamp onto the cold railing, his chest expanding as the sharp morning air bites into his lungs. Sunlight begins to spill over the Exy…