#smooth king

[silvadour]

[stillsparkle]

𝐣𝐚𝐱𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭.     not when he was in the zone,     locked in,     tracking pucks like they owed him something.     not during the shootout,     where every breath felt like it stretched a mile long.     not even when he skated off,     nodding half-heartedly at fans crowding the tunnel,     too lost in the familiar quiet that always came after a win that still didn’t feel clean.     he only noticed @b3llalution because she didn’t look like she belonged.     not in a bad way.     just...     different.     composed.     still.     everyone else was buzzing,     faces flushed with cold and excitement.     she stood out for being calm.     grounded.     not staring at the jumbotron or snapping photos.

he caught her in the periphery.     paused mid-stride.     she wasn’t looking at him,     not really.     just facing the tunnel as if waiting for something.     or someone.     he adjusted the strap on his pad,     slow and mechanical.     he didn’t approach.     didn’t say anything.     he just...    paused.     the kind of pause that wasn’t physical.     the kind that settled in your chest.     like something was shifting.    small,     but noticeable.     he didn’t know her.     didn’t know why she looked vaguely familiar,     or why something about her steadiness dug a little under his ribs.     didn’t know what made him linger in her line of sight when every instinct said to keep walking.

but his eyes flicked up again.     she glanced his way.     not long.     just long enough.     and jaxon,     usually a master of leaving things unsaid,     cleared his throat.     quiet,     rough,     unintentional.     his voice came out lower than he meant it to,     edged with something unsure.     ❝     you come to these often?     ❞

<3'd