It's late in the night when Zach, slumping in his seat a little, because he's a lightweight and won't admit it, says to Ryan, grinning, "We're gonna play together, you know."
Ryan raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, okay. Did you miss the part where I got called up by Nashville and we're gonna be playing in different conferences?"
Zach just keeps grinning at him, and somehow, Ryan wants to smile back. It happens a lot when he's around Zach, Ryan's been trying to keep a lid on it for a while now--and mostly failing. "Yeah, I noticed that, Sutes, don't worry."
"So what are you talking about, us playing for Team USA down the road or something?" Ryan asks. "The two of us at Worlds, the Olympics?"
"Yeah," Zach says, grinning even more broadly. "But I mean the NHL too." Ryan scoffs, and Zach doesn't take offense, just keeps grinning like he's gotten a peek into the future, and has decided to let Ryan in on a secret. "Just watch, man. We're gonna play together, finally, and it's going to be awesome."
He points at Ryan, emphatic, and Ryan rolls his eyes, but he's smiling when he does it. "Yeah, all right, I'm cutting you off. No more beers for you, buddy."
"What, no--" All the same, Zach doesn't protest when Ryan snatches his beer, much less when he drinks from it instead--hey, somebody needs to finish it off, and Ryan's not a lightweight like Zach here, he can handle it.
Still, when they finally get around to walking back to their hotel room, it takes more effort than Ryan would think to get there, his legs don't seem to want to work exactly right. It's easier, somehow, to loop an arm around Zach's shoulders, to lean on each other as they make their way to the elevator before finally getting to Zach's floor.
"Remember what I said, huh?" Zach asks, tossing another easy grin over his shoulder as he works the hotel key, the light flashing green before it clicks open. "We're gonna play together, man. Just wait for it."
"Yeah?" Ryan says, grinning. Maybe it's the beers he's had, but it's easy right now, to picture it, the two of them wearing the same uniform someday, Zach racing up the wing while Ryan watches his back on the ice. "That'd be all right, I guess."
"It'd be awesome," Zach insists, grinning up at him, and Ryan realizes he's stepped in closer without meaning to, that he's crowding Zach in against the barely open door, that he's had too much to drink tonight and that if he's not careful, he could do something really, really stupid right here.
Zach's watching him, though, smile fading a little, and then he lifts up his chin and says, determined, "You want something here, Ryan?"
Ryan opens his mouth, but Zach continues, steady and relentless, "Because if you do want something here, you're gonna need to say it."
He can't mean it. There's no way that--but all the same, Ryan's achingly aware of how much space isn't between them right now, of Zach's eyes on him, waiting for whatever he's going to say next. "And if I did?" Ryan asks, testing, his voice lower, rougher than he means it to be.
Zach's mouth curves up, and Ryan watches it, helplessly, as Zach's saying, "Then I'd say you should get a move on, already."
Ryan's coming closer now, lowering his head, asking quietly, "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Zach breathes out, "--come on, Ryan, come on--"
Whatever Zach's going to say next, Ryan doesn't hear it, because he's brushing his lips against Zach's now, tentative at first, then Zach's groaning into his mouth, his hand wrapping around Ryan's neck to pull him in as they stumble back into Zach's hotel room, and Ryan follows, keeps following Zach in, because that's what he does with Zach, and it always seems to turn out all right in the end.
:DDDDDDD what can I say, that prompt was AWESOME. (and lol forever at Parise essentially not aging in the last ten years, he looks exactly the same now, the fuck?) Thank you!
Ryan raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, okay. Did you miss the part where I got called up by Nashville and we're gonna be playing in different conferences?"
Zach just keeps grinning at him, and somehow, Ryan wants to smile back. It happens a lot when he's around Zach, Ryan's been trying to keep a lid on it for a while now--and mostly failing. "Yeah, I noticed that, Sutes, don't worry."
"So what are you talking about, us playing for Team USA down the road or something?" Ryan asks. "The two of us at Worlds, the Olympics?"
"Yeah," Zach says, grinning even more broadly. "But I mean the NHL too." Ryan scoffs, and Zach doesn't take offense, just keeps grinning like he's gotten a peek into the future, and has decided to let Ryan in on a secret. "Just watch, man. We're gonna play together, finally, and it's going to be awesome."
He points at Ryan, emphatic, and Ryan rolls his eyes, but he's smiling when he does it. "Yeah, all right, I'm cutting you off. No more beers for you, buddy."
"What, no--" All the same, Zach doesn't protest when Ryan snatches his beer, much less when he drinks from it instead--hey, somebody needs to finish it off, and Ryan's not a lightweight like Zach here, he can handle it.
Still, when they finally get around to walking back to their hotel room, it takes more effort than Ryan would think to get there, his legs don't seem to want to work exactly right. It's easier, somehow, to loop an arm around Zach's shoulders, to lean on each other as they make their way to the elevator before finally getting to Zach's floor.
"Remember what I said, huh?" Zach asks, tossing another easy grin over his shoulder as he works the hotel key, the light flashing green before it clicks open. "We're gonna play together, man. Just wait for it."
"Yeah?" Ryan says, grinning. Maybe it's the beers he's had, but it's easy right now, to picture it, the two of them wearing the same uniform someday, Zach racing up the wing while Ryan watches his back on the ice. "That'd be all right, I guess."
"It'd be awesome," Zach insists, grinning up at him, and Ryan realizes he's stepped in closer without meaning to, that he's crowding Zach in against the barely open door, that he's had too much to drink tonight and that if he's not careful, he could do something really, really stupid right here.
Zach's watching him, though, smile fading a little, and then he lifts up his chin and says, determined, "You want something here, Ryan?"
Ryan opens his mouth, but Zach continues, steady and relentless, "Because if you do want something here, you're gonna need to say it."
He can't mean it. There's no way that--but all the same, Ryan's achingly aware of how much space isn't between them right now, of Zach's eyes on him, waiting for whatever he's going to say next. "And if I did?" Ryan asks, testing, his voice lower, rougher than he means it to be.
Zach's mouth curves up, and Ryan watches it, helplessly, as Zach's saying, "Then I'd say you should get a move on, already."
Ryan's coming closer now, lowering his head, asking quietly, "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Zach breathes out, "--come on, Ryan, come on--"
Whatever Zach's going to say next, Ryan doesn't hear it, because he's brushing his lips against Zach's now, tentative at first, then Zach's groaning into his mouth, his hand wrapping around Ryan's neck to pull him in as they stumble back into Zach's hotel room, and Ryan follows, keeps following Zach in, because that's what he does with Zach, and it always seems to turn out all right in the end.
Reply
YOU ARE ACTUALLY MY FAVE AND I'M BUYING YOU A DRINK NEXT TIME WE GO TO THE BAR BECAUSE THIS WAS F L A W L E S S
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
/doesn't have the proper hockey icons for this, sorry
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment