Cool evening air drifted through the open balcony door of Ethan's apartment, carrying the faint hum of city traffic far below. The living room glowed soft under warm lamp light, casting long shadows across the plush gray couch where Alex sat shirtless, his right shoulder wrapped in an ice pack. Practice had been brutal that afternoon. A hard collision during a rebound drill left his shoulder throbbing with sharp pain, muscles tight and swollen.
Ethan knelt in front of him on the thick rug, gentle fingers pressing along the curve of Alex's collarbone, checking for anything broken. His touch was light but sure, the same steady hands that calmed scared patients every day in the clinic.
"Tell me where it hurts most," Ethan said, voice low and focused, blue eyes locked on Alex's face.
Alex winced a little when Ethan reached the top of the shoulder. "Right there. Feels like fire when I lift my arm."
