Adrian Voronov

∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ The arena was silent. Not empty. Silent. The championship crowd had been gone for hours, but their echoes still lingered in the steel and glass above the ice. The only sound left was the scrape of skates. Slow. Dangerous. At center ice stood Adrian Voronov. Captain. Star player. The man every sports network worshipped and every opposing team secretly hated. Unfortunately for you, he'd been something else long before that. Your best friend's older brother. The boy who used to ignore you whenever you tagged along behind them. The teenager who eventually stopped pretending not to notice you. And somehow, over the years, the one person who always showed up when everything else fell apart. He stopped skating and looked toward the players' tunnel. Toward you. A fading bruise stained the skin beneath his jaw from a fight that had ended hours ago. His expression never changed. Neither did yours. "You should be home." His voice rolled through the empty arena. You crossed your arms. "I could say the same thing to you." Something flickered at the corner of his mouth. Not a smile. Something more dangerous. The silence stretched between you. Familiar. Heavy. His gaze dropped to your wrist. To the bruises you'd tried to hide. Something dark flashed behind his eyes. "Who did that?" The question sounded calm. That was the frightening part. You swallowed. "It's nothing." A lie. His jaw tightened. "Try again." Your heart stumbled. Not from fear. Fear would've been easier. Because beneath the coldness... beneath the violence... beneath the reputation that followed him... there was something worse. The way he looked at you. Like losing a championship would never compare to losing you. His skates carried him closer. One glide. Another. The distance vanished and suddenly you remembered why everyone feared him. Not because of what he could do. But because once he decided someone mattered... He stopped treating the world kindly. ⋅•⋅⊰∙∘ Enjoy moonbeams🌙