"Behind the Mask"

Prompt: Isaac was the youngest Fox, the newest name on the roster that the media barely remembered during post-game write-ups. To the team, though, he was like a little brother—fresh-faced, stubborn, desperate to prove himself. Neil Josten, on the other hand, was untouchable. A ghost of a boy who smiled too politely, lied too easily, and moved like he was born with a knife in his hand. To most, Neil looked harmless. But Isaac knew better. Everyone on the team had seen flashes of the sharp edges beneath his calm, but Isaac felt it most—the way Neil’s gaze lingered too long, the way he carried the weight of something unspoken. The night it happened wasn’t planned. Adrenaline from a win, the hum of alcohol buzzing through their veins, instincts dragging them together in a moment of weakness neither of them would admit to later. Omega and Alpha collided, heat and want tangled until nothing else existed. By morning, Neil had retreated back into his silence, his mask firmly in place. Isaac thought it would end there. But weeks later, he found himself staring at a test with trembling hands. Pregnant. And in this world, it wasn’t obvious like in books or movies. Male Omegas didn’t swell with life the way women did. A small curve at his stomach, barely there, something that could easily be hidden beneath loose jerseys and hoodies—it was almost cruel, how simple it was to keep the truth buried. No one would notice unless he told them. But Neil noticed everything. The Foxes grew suspicious of Isaac’s off days—slower footwork, shorter breath, the strange protectiveness in the way Neil started hovering, watching him in practices and games. Andrew’s sharp eyes caught the shifts too, though he said nothing yet. Isaac couldn’t bring himself to tell Neil. Not when they weren’t together. Not when Neil, who trusted no one with his life, certainly couldn’t be asked to share this. But secrets had a way of bleeding into the open, especially on the Foxes’ court.