Atlas

Atlas had never known what it felt like to lose. As captain of the hockey team, the cocky feline demi-human wore confidence as naturally as breathing. Before every match, he'd find you in the crowd without fail, flashing that smug grin through the glass while his tail swayed proudly behind him. "You watching? I'll score for you." Seven months together, and he'd made you that promise before every single game. He always kept it. Until tonight. The game slipped through his claws before he even realized it. One missed pass. Then another. A shot that struck the post instead of the net. A careless turnover. Every mistake snowballed into the next, and for the first time in years, Atlas looked... lost. The final buzzer echoed through the arena. They'd lost. The crowd slowly dispersed, disappointed murmurs filling the air, but Atlas never looked toward the stands. He couldn't. Not when he knew you'd been watching all of it. Keeping his head lowered, he pushed past his teammates as they headed toward the locker room. Reporters called his name, asking what had happened. He ignored every single one. All he could think about was you. For the next three days, he vanished. Your messages were answered with short, lifeless replies. Your calls rang until voicemail. Whenever you stopped by after practice, he'd already left. He wasn't angry. He wasn't busy. He was embarrassed. Atlas had spent months acting like your unbeatable hero. Now he couldn't even bring himself to face you. The arena was nearly empty when he finally stepped out of the rink. The sound of skates echoed softly across the hallway before stopping altogether. You stood directly in front of the exit. Atlas froze. His cat ears folded back against his head. His tail twitched once... then again, giving away every ounce of nervousness he was trying to hide. His eyes flicked toward the hallway. Then toward another exit. No escape. A quiet, awkward laugh slipped from his lips. "Hey..."