I wrote this in ten minutes and wanted to throw it in. Enjoy
-rabid
STEPH
I'm clearly way to chipper for a Saturday practice. Normally the guys hate these, but we have to go hard if we want our Sundays off.
I'm practically skipping into work. I know for god's sake that I should feel guilty that I'm lying to her, I know that pressure has been building for weeks now, but I can't get over my own damn euphoria.
I'm crazy about her, crazy I tell you.
"What's with the grin, Saggy?" Nico picks up on my mood immediately, her eyes driving into mine like they do to everyone, tearing me apart and finding the weakness. She picks it out pretty fucking quick, the light bruises up my neck, the one nail mark that I can feel creeping out of the back of my shirt.
She doesn't have all the proof she needs. "Fenrir, dear?"
He looks up at her. "Yes?"
"Pull down the back of Stephan's collar for me."
"Why?" He's frowning at the two of us.
"I want to see something." She's studying me front to back and I just simply don't care. I'm still on cloud 9 after all that. He stands up and I don't shy away from his hand. He peeps down my shirt.
"Jeez, kid, she grill you or some shit?" Fen's laughing, "Nico, hon, you've got competition."
She just laughs. "I knew it. I knew it. He's got that post-fuck high look still on his face. Jesus, Sagamore, you're an open book."
Rocket is late, roaring into the cafeteria with a coffee still in his hand. "The hell did I miss?" He calls into the mostly empty room. The guys are all off warming up for practice that starts in fifteen minutes.
"Your best friend getting laid." Fen snorts, "check it out." He pulls up the back of my shirt and I feel the cold breeze and jump away from his hands.
"No need, no need." I snort, still to blissful to care.
"Yeah, look at him, he looks high." Rocket just shakes his head, laughing. "You're so totally whipped."
"I'm not!" I try to back off from the situation but the three of them are just laughing.
"Yes, yes you are, oh my god." Nico takes a sip of water. "It's a good look on you, I'm serious."
I give her a little scowl.
Rocket stops me before I can utter a word in response. "So how was it? I assume that's why you didn't answer my texts to come over and play video games with me, right?"
"Yeah, sorry I missed that."
Rocket passes it off. "Oh, please, never give up getting your balls fondled for me and a lousy game of COD anyway, even if Yeti Rex is a shitty substitute."
"I did no such-"
Nico grins and takes a dig into me. "I'm sure it was absolutely adorable, great set up, roses and everything."
I flush furiously. Rocket knows I hate gestures like that after Morgan. "No roses. She took me dancing."
Fen lets out a groan, then laughs. "Oh, no, dancing."
"It was fun! I'm pretty fucking shit at ballet but she seemed okay with that!" I laugh.
Nico is grinning, shaking her head. "Oh, bud, I know you're all crazed in the head over her but you do realize the guidelines set up for you, right?"
"Huh?"
"Hate to ruin the party but if you get injured having rough sex or doing ballet, it's a liability issue. That twiggy little body of yours is worth a lot for this team."
"Yeah, yeah, but I wasn't going to get injured. I know my limits." I snort. "Plus, it was awesome! She taught me a couple of things but mostly I watched her dance and crap and-"
Rocket finishes off his coffee, then starts hollering something at me, a few words in Czech and then the start to a song. "STEPH AND AUGUST SITTING IN A TREE! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
Fen and Nico join in.
"Guys!" I laugh, "stop that!"
They ignore me, finishing the song. Fen puts a hand over his head and pretends to be faint. "Oh he's in love..."
Nico joins in on the act. "He's oozing with glee over her-"
"They performed the most sacred act of love in the wee hours of last night..." Rocket stumbles and falls dramatically onto the bench in the cafeteria, below Nico who's sitting on the table instead of the chair.
"They made love?" Fen gasps.
"Sweet, sweet love." Nico adds to the whole thing. I'm burning up in embarrassment.
"Oh, to be damned to such a fate, such a young boy too," Rocket gestures helplessly at me. "He had so many women in waiting and he chose the dancer, with so many others to choose from he chose the dancer."
"So many, our fair boy could have whoever he wanted... but the dancer." Nico pretends to wipe a tear. "Such a beautiful match too."
"Oh, look at him," Fen fawns, "so lost and in love, oh, sweetheart, he reminds me of the two of us when we were young like him, no cares in the world."
Nico throws her arms dramatically over her boyfriend's shoulders. "Oh, look at him, rosy in the cheeks at the very thought of his love, his young love, oh, soon to be bride she must be."
"She has to be his soon to be bride," Rocket throws his arms up, completely in over his head in theatrics. "They made love, sweet love, no pair does that unless doomed to forever..."
Nico nods at this. "Oh, in love he is, in love in love in love."
I frown. "I'm not sure about that-"
Nico passes it off and Fen's eyes flutter in disbelief. "Oh, how could you say you're not in love with the fair maiden?" He clasps his hands in begging. "It's not unclear that your body disagrees with you, you're in love, young boy, I know what it looks like, I know how scary it is the first time you realize but it's clear in your eyes."
"A boy in love," Nico is trying to stop from giggling, I've only ever seen her giggle at the hands of Fen and he's exactly the reason now. "Oh, Fenrir Grant," his full name rolls off her tongue so easily I'm surprised by it, we call him Sauerkraut most of the time, Fen for his friends, but I've never heard Fenrir Grant used like that. "He's just like us, do you remember?"
"Oh, like yesterday."
"Oh, the wonders of love, I can only hope to follow in your footsteps, my dear brother." Rocket makes a longing face out at nothing, his gaze on the workout room above us.
"Oh, you'll find your person, sweet child," Fen gives a soft coo that is seconds away from making me burst out laughing. "You can't be a bachelor forever."
"Better not." Rocket snorts.
"Alright, we gotta," Nico clears her throat, "that's going to be a cringy memory in about fifteen minutes." they've seemed to snap out of their shakespearean method of embarrassing me, though I'm most likely the one that knows the most about his works here.
You read that right, I'm a total literature head.
"Oh, but Steph, you're falling hard for her, don't deny it." Fen presses a kiss to Nico's temple, they never really show PDA so I guess today is special.
"It's clear as day," Rocket snorts, getting up and throwing his arm around my shoulders just like Fen and Nico. "you pop a boner every time you get even a text from this woman."
"Woah, do not." I defend myself but deep down I know he's spot on.
"Yeah you do, mr shifty. If you're going to get a boner for her at least prepare for it." Rocket snorts. Nico and Fen are just laughing. "No, no no, every time he so much as sees her name he's suddenly all shifty in his seat. It's cute, one person having so much sway over you."
"Not every time!"
Fen and Nico are finding this hilarious, but Rocket digs into the two of them next, his tone is light and his words aren't meant to hurt, but in any other context they could come off as rude. "Oh, get off your high horse, Cabbage Brain, don't think that the whole team didn't notice when you messed up your entire cooldown routine last week because Nico was in the room. I mean, pants off last? Who does that?"
He flushes pink. "Okay, hold on."
Rocket's just laughing. "God it's easy to read guys when they're in love."
"Hold on hold on, that was for a different-"
"No, no, we all noticed that." Nico snorts, "Don't get bashful."
He frowns. "Okay so maybe that whole game was awful."
Rocket is back on his bullshit, sipping lightly at his coffee. "Don't be shy... share." he full well knows he's being a cocky bitch but Rocket is good at flustering men. Really good.
Fen just groans, laying his arms across the table, his head dropping back. "Not my fault, it was not my fault."
Nico is trying to keep down a laugh.
Fen is uncomfortable with the lack of talking, which is exactly what Rocket wanted, and he continues. "I'm not used to her wearing a suit at games, last year it was all hoodies and jeans and suddenly now she looks crazy fucking good from the ice and some days it's fine, but some days I just can't handle it."
"You find the suit attractive?" Nico laughs. "Oh boy. Just when we thought Steph was whipped."
Fen scowls. "You could be wearing anything and I'd be into you."
She just raises her eyebrows. "The Gritty mascot costume, perhaps?"
He visibly gags. "That's where I draw the line."
"That's what I thought." She grins. "I'll be emailing the Flyers this afternoon to borrow it, can't have my captain playing an entire game whilst being distracted by an unfortunately timed erection."
He's pink in the cheeks, not looking at anyone. "I swear to god you drive me fucking bonkers."
"Hey, I'm the one risking my job every day for being into you."
He grins. "Uh huh. Love you too."