Vitter appears at my side and slings a heavy arm over my shoulders. “What did Ari do? Aside from making heart eyes at FeFe.”
Conscious of all the eyes on us, I don’t sock him in the mouth. Idojab my elbow into his side, right where his pads end, and snap, “No. That name is not a thing.”
“I dunno,” Yancey says, lounging against the boards as Vitter whines, “it’s got a ring to it.”
“No fucking way.” Hockey nicknames catch on, and I don’t want half the country calling me FeFe.
“Aww, is that because it’s the special pet nameAriuses for you?” Vitter snickers like an asshole teenager, but somehow, instead of getting annoyed, I’m… smiling. It’s a “you’re such an idiot” smile, but it’s still a smile.
“It’s not like that,” I protest, and immediately realize my mistake. My teammates’ ears prick up, all their attention turns to me, and…
I’ve never been so grateful in my life for a ref calling the resumption of play.
We win,and it’s fucking glorious. More so because it’s against the Glaives, who regularly kick our asses—and already did once this season.
In fact, I can’t remember the last time we beat the Glaives, and whenever that was, I doubt it was because we played well. More like we were taking out the best players on their team.
But not this time, and anyone watching our celebrations on the ice might think we’d won the playoffs final. For us, it feels just as good.
At least, I think it does. It’s not like I’d know.
By the time I’m finally showered and dressed, it’s late, and I feel a little guilty for having made Ari and Riley wait. Until I get to the family room and see the raucous celebration taking place there. The spouses, partners, and kids of my teammates have waited just as long as we have for a win like this, and they’re reveling in it, screaming and cheering for each player as we walk in.
Not going to lie, I could get used to this. Coach gave us a big speech about how proud he was but also warning that it’s impossible to win every game, and while I know he’s right, that just makes me hungry for it. I want to try to win every game, because now I know we have a shot.
Riley charges at me for a hug. “This has been the best night of my life,” he declares, bouncing on his toes. “Uncle Fe, that was incredible!”
I squeeze him around the shoulders. “Thanks, kid. It’s nice to win for a change.”
“I bet. Come and meet Brandt. He’s invited us to Here Be Dragons for a barbecue.” He grabs my hand and drags me across the room while alarm bells go off in my head. I wanted Riley to have a good time, but I didn’t expect him to end up all buddy-buddy with the freaking dragon wingleader. Also, a barbecue inwinter?
As we make our way through the overhyped families, I get a lot of back pats and cheek kisses from people I only vaguely recognize. That tells me two things: First, that half this crowd isprobably tipsy. But also, that I need to make more of an effort to socialize with my team. I should at the very least be able to identify which teammate these people belong to. Their names would also be good, but that can be a stretch goal.
“There he is!” Suddenly I’m engulfed in a hug I recognize—it’s Jared, flushed, a lot tipsy, and super happy. “Keep playing like this and I’ll definitely become a Warhammers fan!”
A few people turn around to give him weird looks, and I shush him, trying not to laugh. “This isn’t the place to say that, buddy. But thanks.”
“You were amazing,” he tells me sincerely. “So proud of you, Fe.”
“Me too.” Dáithí joins in on the hug, making it a very tangled group affair. “I had no idea what was happening most of the time, but judging by how much Jared and Ari were screaming, you were awesome.”
My gaze shoots over his shoulder to where Ari’s standing with Eoin and the king, a little smile curving his lips as he watches us. “Gee, thanks,” I say automatically.
Dáithí narrows his eyes, then tracks the direction I’m looking and smirks. “I’ve never actually seen Ari all worked up like that,” he teases. “It’s like he has a thing for you.”
“Are we talking about Ari making heart eyes at FeFe?”
Startled, the three of us turn to Vitter, who’s appeared as if from nowhere. He’s wearing a shit-eating grin to go with his trendy sweater.
“Niki Vitter?” Jared says. “Hi. What did you call Felix?”
“Something that will never be repeated,” I insist. “Do you need something, Vitter?”
His smile disappears. “Uh, no. I just…” He glances around, looking lost.
Riley jumps in. “Wanna meet the dragon wingleader?” He grabs Vitter’s arm and tows him away before he can answer.
“That was weird,” I muse.
