Page 99 of Brace and Chase

After doing my warmups like I usually do, I sit back in front of my cubby and see Nik’s sour expression. One he almost never has on his face. At least, not since we became... what we are.

“What’s the matter?” I ask quietly.

“Nothing,” he mutters. “How are your old teammates?” he asks with enough bitterness coming out of his mouth that I can’t help but smirk. I get it.

“Are you seriously jealous right now?” I demand teasingly.

“Shut up,” he keeps mumbling and doesn’t look my way.

“Nik,” I start patiently, telling myself not to laugh at him. It’s not nice to laugh at people’s feelings. “You have nothing to be jealous of,” I assure him.

“You played with them for a long time,” he says with a sigh.

“I did,” I agree and nod. “And I don’t miss them at all,” I confess.

That gets him to finally look at me.

“You don’t?”

“Not even a little.”

He stares at me for a moment longer and gives me a tiny, sheepish smile.

I pat his thigh and don’t let my hand linger there even though I want to. Then I look around and breathe a sigh of relief when I know no one saw. It sucks.

I don’t want to have to hide this from the team, but I’m finally in their good graces. I don’t want to fuck it up. And even though they clearly have no issues with having queer teammates, there’s no way to know if they’d be fine with two of them being together.

When the season ends, when my contract with the Pirates ends, then we can think about telling them. But no one needs that distraction right now.

I think the universe is proving my thoughts right when we win against Atlanta in true dominating fashion.

Jules got two goals and two assists, Eagle a goal, Benny a goal, and Milkman the fifth.

The win reinforces the team’s spirits, and you can feel it in the air in the locker room.

It’s with that feeling that we greet my brothers and Lou in the family room after the game.

“Congrats,” Beau tells me with a small but genuine smile.

“Thank you. Are you guys ready to fly home tomorrow?” My heart squeezes at the thought that they’ll be faraway again. I never get enough time with them... which is why retiring felt like the obvious thing to do last year.

But then I see Beau wince, and I know that no matter how much I’m going to miss them, he’s going to have a harder time.

Fucking hell, I’ve known Tanner since I was a kid. He was in daycare with my brothers when they were all still in diapers for heaven’s sake. He and Beau, ever the daredevils, did everything together. They even consoled Finn when he tried to follow them up a tree and failed.

He’s been as much of a brother to Beau as Finn and I are, and I just don’t understand how he could do this to him.

“Call me if you need me,” I tell Beau suddenly, not waiting for him to reply to my previous question. I make sure he sees the certainty in my eyes. I’ll do anything for them, even piss off this team by leaving to go beat the crap out of someone who hurt my brother.

And okay, I wouldn’t leave the team in a lurch forthat, but if Beau needs me I want him to know I’ll be there for him.

“Don’t worry,” he grumbles and looks away. “I’m not thinking about moving away anymore.”

“Good,” I tell him, and sigh in relief. Crushville will always be home, and Beau deserves to have that now more than ever.

We spend some more time there, the guys eating up every word coming out of Jules and Sterling’s mouths, but like it always does, the time comes for them to leave. I hugthem both at the same time, one brother in each arm, like I have for as long as I can remember.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” I warn them.

---