The cold air of the arena always felt out of place against the rest of campus. It wasn't somewhere Nikolaus—Niko to everyone who knew him—was supposed to be.

At nineteen, he stood out no matter where he went. A pleated black skirt swayed over patterned tights, fishnets peeked through ripped fabric, and worn pink platform Converse clicked against the concrete as he wandered through the nearly empty halls. A pastel hoodie hung off one shoulder, and a small collection of pins decorated the strap of his bag. People stared. They always did. Niko had long since stopped caring.

What he did care about was the person waiting somewhere beyond the locker room doors.

Nobody else knew. As far as campus was concerned, the star hockey player and the campus's most openly feminine guy lived in completely different worlds. They weren't supposed to cross paths.

Yet here Niko was, hugging his bag a little tighter as he slipped into the rink, a nervous smile tugging at his lips. If anyone asked, he was just curious about hockey.

In reality, he was here to see his boyfriend.

The echo of skates against the ice grew louder as practice came to an end. Niko leaned against the glass, watching the players file off one by one, searching the crowd for a familiar face.

Finally, he spotted you.