Page 23 of The Price of Ice

“What?”

Levy huffed, but started sitting up, moving his neck around. “Kira said I need a bath.”

Since medical instructions came first, Kallen started the bath going as soon as they got upstairs and Levy was sitting down on the sofa. Then he grabbed the anti-inflammatory drops and dissolved them in hot water for him to sip—thankfully Levy was managing to keep his eyes open.

He started heating up some leftover stew and toasting some bread and Levy had to remind him to go check the bathtub before he flooded the place.

“Kallen,” his friend said when he got back. “Slow down, man. You just had practice, it’s not... I’m just tired, you know that, right?”

Kallen paused, realising his own heart was racing. “It’ll get cold,” he pointed out.

“You can add more hot water,” Levy replied, easy as only he knew how to be, like the world wasn’t full of obstacles. Except not really, Levy saw the obstacles just fine, he was simply ready to sort them as they came to him without worrying too much ahead of time. “Get the food and sit down.”

They’d ended up having dinner on the sofa, and Levy had dropped a carrot on the carpet, but the water had been mostly hot when they’d got to the bath afterwards. For once, his friend hadn’t tried to send him away at all, he’d even let Kallen take off his trousers for him, only helping when it came to tugginghis boxers down. Kallen had kept his eyes focused on the tape, now bright pink. Part of him wanted to look, of course, but it was a very small part compared to the one that wanted to put his arm around Levy’s back to steady him as he stepped into the steaming water with a sigh of pleasure.

THE NEXT DAY THEY HADa home game against the Hounds in the afternoon, and Levy insisted on going to the arena with him to cheer the team from the stands. Kallen wouldn’t deny him that, even if a selfish part of him wanted Levy safe and resting at home.

It wasn’t his place to say that. And it didn’t even make sense, how could Levy be safer alone than with the team?

In the end, it helped to know Levy was watching. He could focus much better than he had at practice, wanting Levy to see him and be proud. He scored in his first shift off a pass by Hirst and then had an assist that Hirst himself didn’t manage to get to goal before it was time to head over the boards for a drink and a rest.

The assistant captain patted his shoulder when they got there. “Now we are talking,” he told Kallen, smiling at him. “Keep your foot on the gas.”

He did, and they won. Not only because of him, naturally. They scored three more times and Vandy had kept the goal closed up tight, lots of failed attempts to score that would be showing up as bruises all over the goalie. Kallen was even grateful to him for it, the anger he’d felt softening as the weeks went by.

And then, like the cherry on a three-tier cake, Levy came to the locker room to congratulate them all. Kallen was in the shower already, so he only overheard the hollers and teasing, but when he came out, in a towel but with his boxers onunderneath, his eyes immediately found Levy across the locker room. He didn’t register he was grinning until his friend echoed it. He looked away, hurrying to his locker to finish changing, practically vibrating with anticipation.

It was stupid, because the exciting part had just passed, he’d scored and had two assists, and they’d won. But then he stepped outside the locker room and Levy got an arm around his neck and dragged him into a one-armed embrace and Kallen inhaled deeply into his neck, his sandalwood and apples scent like a hit of home and safety to ground the exhilaration still rushing through his veins.

“You were amazing,” he whispered into Kallen’s ears, and Kallen couldn’t disguise the shiver that sent through him. He didn’t even want to.

But of course, they couldn’t stay there long. Other guys started coming out, and Levy let him go to talk to them about their own plays.

He was a little surprised when Benny stopped on his way out to squeeze his shoulder. “Beautiful goal, Guin,” he praised, and Kallen suddenly recalled his intervention with Hirst the previous day. He still didn’t like the idea that he was only caring for Levy because of his phenotype, but now it occurred to him that Benny himself was unbonded. Maybe he’d want Kallen’s attention if he was injured too. He was only three years older than Kallen and still building his career, even if like all kittens, he had an edge from being trained to skate by professionals since before he could walk. He was a decent goalie, and since they’d been winning, they’d put him in for Vandy for a period in the middle.

“Thanks, man,” he said. He couldn’t remember them ever talking about anything other than hockey or food. “Um, you did good stopping that crazy wrister from Miller.”

Benny’s smile twisted into a grimace. “Oh, I know, I’m gonna be feeling that one!” But even that he said with good cheer.

“Kallen?” He looked away from Benny at the sound of Levy’s voice. “You ready to head home?”

“Yeah, sure,” he agreed. Levy wasn’t smiling, which for him wasn’t too far from frowning. He turned to Benny once more and patted his arm. “See you tomorrow.”

FOR ONCE, IT WAS KALLENspeaking as they made their way to the car. It’d been a good game, and Levy had been there afterwards to congratulate him and now they were going home together to have some food—he’d already decided he wanted a mountain of sushi.

Levy was responding to his highlights, and even pointing out stuff Kallen hadn’t seen because he’d been too close to the action, but something was off.

“Are you okay?” he asked once they got in his car.

“Yeah,” his friend said. It was transparently untrue, and Kallen had no idea how to challenge it without sounding insane. “Tired.”

He let Levy play some music for a bit, but he didn’t even make it home before it burst out of him, “No, really, what’s wrong? You’re... quiet.” It sounded ridiculous put like that. “Did the physio tell you something?”

The idea flashed into his mind, and he had to make an effort to keep his eyes on the road as another car changed lanes way too close to him.

Levy was still quiet. “It’ll take at least four weeks to heal, and I’m only going to be on no contact a bit longer than that.”

And they’d known all that, hadn’t they? Kallen didn’t reply, getting them out of the motorway with all the skill he possessed and double parking in the first spot he found in the suburbs. He let go of the steering wheel and turned to look at his friend, whowas already looking at him out of hooded eyes. “You knew that, though,” he said, as gently as he could manage.

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