Unsportsmanlike Conduct

Celly

Moss cuts him off with a laugh, "It's fine. I don't expect you to have menorahs and scripture ready to recite just because I'm staying here for the weekend. Besides, we mainly celebrate Christmas anyways."

"Shane and Eli are supposed to fly into Detroit to stay at our parents house this year. They should be coming in on the 23rd and leaving on the 27th," he doublechecks the calendar on his phone to make sure that's correct.

"What about you? What's your family doing to celebrate?" He redirects the question at Tye who excitedly explains that his family will be staying at his house in Colorado this year. They plan on staying through the new year and catching both home games that the Boulders will play after Christmas.

They clean up their plates and the dirty dishes that Moss created when preparing their meal. Holiday talk continues as Moss then asks Tye what gifts a professional hockey player like himself receives for Christmas.

"Fake teeth and lots of deodorant," Tye jokes. "What about you? What did you ask for this year?"

Moss hasn't asked for presents since he was a kid. Last year, he asked for furniture and appliances since he had just moved into his apartment and couldn't afford much more than the rent itself.

"I don't really need anything this year. I told my family that they can get me Boulders stuff since I still don't have any merch to wear to games," he eventually replies.

Tye looks surprised by this, "Your brothers haven't sent you, like, a jersey or sweatshirt yet?"

Moss shakes his head no, "They haven't had the time to send anything my way and I don't want to bug them about it right now."

"Give me a minute," Tye says before jogging upstairs. He soon returns with a white, XL Colorado Boulders sweatshirt with Martel and the number eight printed on the back in burgundy.

Tye hands it to him, red cheeks flaring once again.

"Wow. Thanks, Tye," Moss puts it on over the black t-shirt he's wearing. The material is incredibly soft and warms a chill that he didn't even know he had.

"No problem. I send stuff to family and friends a lot so I have extra Boulders stuff just lying around. Let me know if you need anything else after Christmas. I can get you t-shirts, hats, jerseys-" Tye rambles for a bit while Moss smiles up at him.

An alarm suddenly goes off on Tye's phone.

"I have to take my pre-game nap and then I'm gonna head out around five o'clock," he says. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the game tonight?"

Stuffing his hands into the big front pocket of the sweatshirt, Moss responds, "Yeah. I'm sorry, but I think I'd feel more comfortable just staying here this time."

"No problem. Well, I'm gonna head up to my room then...." Tye stares at him for a second before making his exit.

Moss offers a small wave in his direction and calls out as Tye walks up the stairs, "Don't let the bed bugs bite!"

-

After his nap, Tye changes into his game day suit and peacoat. Moss wishes him good luck and watches as the Mercedes exits the driveway.

It's odd being in Tye's house by himself, but he also feels relaxed in the peace and quiet that it offers.

He watches the pre-game show while lounging lazily on the cozy couch in the living room. The analysts are discussing the Boulders last game, which they lost, and listens to their suggestions on what the team can do to improve their performance tonight.

His brothers are brought up one too many times during the pre-game show, so he turns down the volume and scrolls on TikTok until the game begins.

The Boulders are down 2-0 going into the second period when Landry gets one back for the good guys, making the score 2-1. After that, nothing exciting happens in the second period besides an almost-fight between two goons from each team that is quickly broken up by the refs before it has the chance to escalate.

Moss lets out an excited shout of triumph in the empty house when Tye evens the game up midway through the third period. Eli was temporarily moved up to the first pairing with Tye as an experiment while another defenseman is out on injured reserve which subsequently earns him an assist on the goal.

The clock is ticking down on the final minute of the game and things are looking like they are going to overtime. That is, until Tye and the first line left-winger, Barrette, suddenly have an odd-man rush. They pass the puck back and forth until Barrette passes one last time and Tye crashes the net to score with eleven seconds left in regulation.

Tye gets on one knee and glides on the ice while pointing at the camera and smacking his chest. Moss is caught off guard by this considering he's never seen him celly after a goal before, but laughs at the replay of the game-winning celebration being shown.

Moss continues to lay on the couch while watching the post-game interviews and analysis. Tye is, unsurprisingly, deemed the number one star of the game and Moss tries to stay awake to watch his interview, but drifts off halfway into it.

-

His eyes blink open a couple times as he feels himself get lifted off of the couch. He momentarily panics before remembering where he is and realizes that it's just Tye picking him up from where he was sleeping.

"Good game. Why're you carrying me though?" He slurs tiredly.

"Thanks, MoMo. You were dead asleep when I got home, so I figured I'd get you to bed before I head upstairs," Tye whispers back.

Deciding against fighting the situation, Moss lets out a breath and settles his head back against Tye's chest. He's gently deposited under the covers of the guest bed and tucked in before hearing the door close, indicating that Tye has exited the room.

What a good friend.