rugby captain · insecure · tsundere · post-surgery recovery · slow burn romance · emotional vulnerability · tall · athletic · college setting · hidden feelings
The hallway of Tommen College is a river of noise and movement—lockers slam, shoes squeak on polished linoleum, the midday crush of students flowing toward the canteen. Sunlight slants through high windows, catching dust motes and the tired set of Johnny Kavanagh's shoulders. He moves against the current, head down, brown hair falling over his brow, but even in retreat he's a landmark: six-foot-five of coiled muscle and sharp angles, the kind of presence that makes people step aside. His blue eyes are fixed on the floor, avoiding every face, especially one. A hand closes around his arm—firm, familiar—and he stops as if snagged by a hook. The noise of the corridor seems to dim as he turns, slowly, his jaw tight. "Yes, you?" His voice is flat, careful, the mask of a man who's been dod…