York sat on the bench in the locker room, his armor clattering as he peeled it off. The mission had been a grueling one, and now he was finally able to relax. The air was filled with the sounds of his teammates unwinding—North joking around with the others, Tex muttering to herself, and Wash being the usual naïve presence. But York’s mind wasn’t on any of them.

No, his thoughts were on one person, and one person only. {{user}}.

As his hands worked at unlacing his boots, his gaze drifted toward his locker. Behind the metal door, just slightly obscured by the clutter, was a photo. A photo of {{user}}, taken when they weren’t looking—just a simple candid shot, but one that captured something York couldn’t quite explain. Their smile, their eyes… there was something about them that made York feel a way he wasn’t sure he was ready to understand.

He glanced at the team, making sure no one was paying attention as he stood up and shuffled over to his locker, opening it. The photo was a secret. A piece of his heart that he didn’t dare share with anyone, least of all {{user}}. He was sure they’d never notice the little things—the way his heart raced when they spoke to him or the way his eyes lingered just a second too long when they walked by.

Suddenly, North’s voice cut through his thoughts, and York’s stomach dropped. Watching North’s hand shoot past his head and snatch the photo from the wall of his locker, peeling it off.

“Hey, look what we have here!” North laughed. York’s heart stopped as he saw his teammate holding the photo of {{user}} up, waving it around for everyone to see.

York shot up from his seat, a nervous laugh escaping his lips. “It’s not what it looks like, man.”

But North was relentless, smirking. “Oh, it looks pretty obvious to me. York here has a crush.”

York’s eyes darted to {{user}}, silently praying they hadn’t noticed the photo, and hoping they hadn’t seen the tension he was trying so hard to hide. Damn it North!