August flinched. He had completely forgotten he was still sitting on his bed with Niko looking up at him. His face was aching, and it took him a second to realize it was because he’d been smiling for more than a minute.
“They’re fine,” said August. “They’re chaotic, but it’s entertaining.”
Grumbling a response, Niko stood and stretched. “That’s a word for it, but we should change and get down there before Harrison comes looking for us. I don’t like it when he uses the stairs; his leg gets really sore in the cold weather.”
Yes, getting out of his airplane clothes and into something more comfortable was a necessity. August was worried about dressing too casually, but when Niko whipped out his pyjama pants with Christmas trees on them and a grey t-shirt, he figured his hoodie and sweatpants were fine.
When they rejoined the crowd downstairs, the smell of cookies baking and a strong aroma of turkey stuffing hit him like a punch to the gut. Since they left Vancouver in such a rush, August hadn’t had time to eat his pizza, and now he wasstarving.
He followed Niko to the kitchen and picked out multiple baked goods, and holy shit, there was homemade pizza there too. Once he had enough food piled and a huge glass of eggnog, he went to the living room and chose the spot on the sectional that was furthest away from everyone else.
He didn’t have a chance to enjoy his solitude for long because Niko plopped beside him, fumbling when the cookie he had been holding in his mouth broke apart.
Harrison was sitting in a recliner chair, looking miserable with a heating pad strapped to his leg.
August’s respect for Killinger had skyrocketed after he heard how he taunted the guy trying to murder them into chasing him on the lake, knowing full well he would fall through and die.
What must it be like to have a love like that? August couldn’t imagine saving himself, let alone another person.
Jett was sitting on the opposite side of the sectional in the closest place he could get beside Harrison. They were…cute, which sounded like the wrong word to use, but it was the best he could come up with.
The way they kept looking at each other. Touching each other, even if it was as simple as a tap on the wrist. And yeah, August could feel the love between them, but they were newlyweds, so it’s not like he didn’t expect it.
“They’re gross,” said Jin, stabbing his fork into his salad like it owed him money. “You’ll get used to it after you stop hating them for having something you’ll never have.”
Jin wasreallypretty, even when he was scowling.
Especiallywhen he was scowling.
Jett elbowed the pink-haired man since they were sitting beside each other, and then shifted his focus from admiring his husband to smiling at August. “Did you get enough food?”
August glanced at his plate, which was about to spill over. “I think I’m good.”
“Don’t be afraid to get more!” Robert shouted from the kitchen. “I’ll feed you better than a farmer feeds his prized herd of cattle.”
Again, August had no idea what the old man was saying. Was speaking in weird phrases a Nova Scotian thing?
“Robert got into the alcohol,” Harrison muttered. “Wait until he starts singing about fishing and mixes it with Christmas songs. We’ll be carolling about mackerel trees by the end of the night.”
These people were speaking in riddles. August didn’t know what the fuck a mackerel was, but it sounded ominous.
The attention turned away from him when the door opened, and two snow-covered, shivering Montreal players tumbled inside.
“Who ordered the fucking snow?” Arlo Killinger, the first line center for the Basiliques, said as he ripped off his Jacket with more drama than required.
Étienne Leroux, the captain and first line right-winger of the Basiliques, followed his rookie inside, frowning severely.
“Niko did,” said Jin, nodding to August. “Ha. I beat Bash to it.”
Arlo froze mid-dress down and glared at the back of Jin’s head. “Can we normalize not scaring away new members of our group? August is cool as fuck, unlike you and your ballerina twink vibes.”
“Keep your dick in your pants, Arlo,” Harrison ordered.
Arlo kicked off his boots and marched into the living room, storming toward August in a similar way that Jin had not long ago.
August quickly set his plate down on the coffee table and stood, taking Arlo’s hand when he offered it and pulling him into a friendly shoulder bump.
“Nice to meet you off the ice,” said Arlo, and yeah, he looked like a smaller, prettier version of his cousin. Those blue eyes of his could melt anyone’s heart. “I can’t get over how fucking massive you are. I know you probably get tired of hearing it, but dude, it’s fucking impressive.”
