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There was a pillow under J.T.’s foot, propping it up against the arm of the couch. He shifted it uncomfortably, grunting at how constricted his toes felt. Having a cast never got easier, no matter how many times he had broken his foot and had to wear one over the years. He figured it came with the territory of being a hockey player—injuries happened and he just had to live with them.
J.T. shifted his foot again, huffing angrily when he couldn’t find a comfortable position. He opened his mouth to call for one of his boyfriends but they both must’ve gained mind-reading abilities because they appeared in the room without J.T. having to say anything. Tyson was holding a Sharpie and a bowl of ice cream, while Kerf had a bottle of chocolate sauce and a container of sprinkles.
“What’s all this,” J.T. asked, motioning to what his boyfriends were holding.
Tyson and Kerf shared a smirk before they walked over to J.T. on the couch. Tyson handed J.T. the ice cream before grabbing the bottle of chocolate sauce from Kerf and coating the scoops with a gracious amount. When Tyson stepped back, Kerf stepped forward and shook the container of sprinkles over the bowl. He coated the topping of chocolate sauce with a thick layer of sprinkles before pressing a kiss to J.T.’s forehead.
J.T. opened his mouth but anything he wanted to say was cut off by Tyson stepping forward and pressing his lips against J.T.’s cheek. J.T. snapped his mouth shut, feeling a heated blush rise on his face. Tyson and Kerf chuckled before they kissed each other’s cheeks. J.T. smiled warmly at his boyfriends before taking a spoonful of the ice cream into his mouth. He bristled at how cold it was but lit up when he tasted that it was his favourite flavour—rocky road. J.T. gave Tyson and Kerf a thumbs up as he scooped another spoonful into his mouth.
After a moment of comfortable silence, Kerf grabbed the bottle of chocolate sauce from Tyson and disappeared towards the kitchen. Tyson grabbed one of J.T.’s hands and squeezed it gently, brushing his thumb across the pulse point on J.T.’s wrist. J.T. felt his heartbeat pounding in his wrist when Tyson removed his hand; he looked intently at his wrist, half expecting his heart to burst out through the skin. Tyson smiled fondly at J.T. before he sat at J.T.’s feet on the couch.
Kerf walked back into the room at that moment, holding a Sharpie. J.T. raised an eyebrow as he scooped more ice cream into his mouth.
“What are you two planning,” J.T. asked after swallowing the ice cream. “You both have Sharpies and I don’t know what to make of that.”
Kerf chuckled as he walked across the room and sat next to Tyson on the couch. Tyson uncapped the Sharpie and hovered it over J.T.’s cast.
“We wanted to doodle on your cast,” Tyson said, somewhat sheepishly. “If that’s alright?”
J.T. smirked and huffed a disbelieving breath. He shook his head dismissively as his smirk turned into a full-blown grin.
“Yes, you dorks. Doodle your worst.”
Kerf looked at J.T. incredulously, shaking his head.
“With puns like that,” Kerf said, pushing on J.T.‘s knee, “you’re lucky that you’re cute.”
Flashing a confident—almost cocky—grin, J.T. chuckled happily. Tyson rolled his eyes and lightly smacked J.T.‘s calf. J.T. only grinned harder as he scooped more ice cream into his mouth.
Tyson had the smallest smile on his face as he turned away to start doodling on J.T.’s cast. Kerf had a similar smile on his face as he uncapped his Sharpie and went to town doodling designs on J.T.‘s cast.
The three fell into a comfortable silence while Tyson and Kerf doodled away on the cast canvas. J.T. continued to eat his ice cream, hoping to catch a sneak peek of whatever it was that his boyfriends were doodling for him. Every time he thought he was going to get a glimpse, one of them scolded him for looking before he was supposed to. It was beyond J.T. how they caught him every time. Then again, they had probably been dating long enough to reach that “mind-meld” stage where people just know what their significant other—others in J.T., Tyson, and Kerf’s case—are doing. It made J.T. grateful that he had them both; being able to connect with them on that level made him feel safe, feel loved, feel whole. He didn’t want anything else in the world—except maybe a Stanley Cup—than to be with Tyson and Kerf for the rest of their lives. He wanted to raise a family with them—kids, dogs, whatever. He didn’t care how unconventional it was to have a throuple as your parents. All he cared about was the fact that he was ready for that next step in their relationship. He just hoped Tyson and Kerf were as well.
“Done,” Tyson said, pulling J.T.’s focus back to the reality in front of him.
“Hmm,” J.T. mumbled, only half checked into his surroundings. He was still halfway focused on the thoughts that had been running through his head before he heard Tyson say something . “What was that?”
“We’re done doodling on your cast.” Kerf was the one to reply to his question.
J.T. blinked, clearing his head of the thoughts that had plagued him while his boyfriends had been doodling away. He smiled weakly and placed the empty bowl of ice cream on the side table behind him.
“Can I see what it looks like?”
Tyson and Kerf both nodded as they stood. They both stepped back from the couch, putting their hands in their pockets. J.T. raised his eyebrow at that before looking down at the cast. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw what was doodled there.
There were a bunch of little hearts, which he somewhat expected. He would’ve probably doodled hearts on Tyson’s or Kerf’s cast if they had one. No, what surprised him as the fact that there were words on the cast. More so, he was surprised by what the words said.
You bring colour to an otherwise dull world -TJ
You make my heart grow to the size of a Boulder -AK
Will you marry us?
AK + TJ
J.T. felt the corner of his eyes getting wet as he sat there. He looked over to Tyson and Kerf. They were both looking at him with hopeful expressions. All J.T. could do was nod; he didn’t trust himself to talk right now. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, all that would come out would be a litany of sobs because of how elated and relieved he was.
Tyson and Kerf shared a look that J.T. could only describe as immense relief before they sat down on the couch and pulled their hands out of their pockets. Both of them were holding ring boxes. J.T. blinked, mouth slightly agape.
“Are those both for me,” he asked, gesturing vaguely at the boxes in his boyfriends’—no, fiances’—hands.
Kerf chuckled and passed the box he was holding to J.T. before reaching into his other pocket. “That one is yours,” Kerf smiled. “The one Tyson is holding is mine. And…” He pulled out another ring box; it was Tyson’s turn to blink and hang his mouth agape. “This one is Tyson’s.”
“You…” Tyson started, trailing off when his voice audibly caught in his throat. “You didn’t tell me that you got one for me.”
Tyson and Kerf switched ring boxes before Kerf pressed a soft kiss to Tyson’s forehead. Tyson kissed the tip of Kerf’s nose as he was pulling away. Kerf patted Tyson’s cheek and rubbed his thumb briefly along Tyson’s jawline. Tyson hummed and leaned into the touch. J.T. felt his heart swell as he watched the display of affection between Tyson and Kerf. He was so grateful that they were all dating each other because J.T. wouldn’t know what to do with himself if he had to pick one of them over the other; he loved them both too much for that. Thankfully, Tyson and Kerf loved each other as much as they loved J.T., meaning J.T. wouldn’t have to find out.
“I think Kerf wanted to surprise you, Tys,” J.T. said, almost absentmindedly because none of them seemed to be paying attention to the fact that Kerf had secretly got Tyson a ring at this point.
Kerf hummed, though, proving he affirmed what J.T. was saying. J.T. smiled at his fiances as he opened the ring box he had almost forgotten he was holding. He blinked when he saw the ring inside of it.
The ring itself wasn’t anything special. It was a simple silver band, the standard engagement ring. What made J.T. blink was the fact that there was something black set into the band. He touched it but all he felt was the smooth top of the ring. Whatever it was had been embedded in the ring and then overlayed with a clear topper of some kind.
Tyson and Kerf both examined their rings, each having a puzzling look on their faces. J.T. went to ask what was wrong but they both showed him rings identical to his, mysterious black setting and all. They all slipped their rings on and pressed kisses to each other’s foreheads. There was a brief pause before Tyson and Kerf looked at each other, eyes comically wide.
“You didn’t,” they both blurted at the same time.
J.T. sat there, face contorted into one of confusion. He looked between Tyson and Kerf, hoping one of them would say something.
Tyson pinched the bridge of his nose and patted Kerf’s knee. Kerf sighed and shook his head, playfully punching Tyson in the shoulder. J.T. was as confused as ever.
“Care to inform me what the hell is going on,” J.T. asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
Kerf smiled cheekily, before kissing the corner of Tyson’s mouth. Tyson swatted Kerf’s shoulder but kissed his temple in return.
“I had a piece of my first NHL goal puck and a piece of your first NHL goal puck set in Kerf’s ring,” Tyson said. “It looks like Professor X over here used the same idea for mine and your ring.”
“Jesus Christ, you two,” J.T. mumbled, looking down at his ring. “You’re both saps.”
“We’re both Canadian. We have maple syrup for blood. Don’t you remember what maple syrup is made from,” Kerf stated, grinning like a fool the whole time.
Tyson and J.T. both groaned. Tyson swatted Kerf on the shoulder and J.T. lightly kicked him with his good foot. All that served to do was make Kerf laugh like he was pleased with himself.
“Who has the bad jokes now,” J.T. deadpanned, staring right at Kerf. “You’re lucky you’re cute, too.”
Kerf grinned pleasantly as he leaned over to give J.T. a soft kiss on the lips. J.T. brought his hands up, cupping Kerf’s face as they kissed. This kiss felt incredible. It felt amazing to finally be kissing Kerf with the context that they were going to be getting married. It made a part of J.T.’s dreams come true. Kissing Kerf felt like playing hockey—something he loved doing and never wanted to stop. It felt like home.
When Kerf pulled back, he pressed a soft kiss to J.T.’s forehead. J.T. smiled fondly and squeezed Kerf’s wrist. Kerf squeezed back before he switched positions with Tyson. Tyson wasted no time in leaning forward and capturing J.T.’s lips in a bruising kiss. J.T. loved the difference between Kerf and Tyson in that aspect. Kerf was a soft, sweet kisser who craved intimacy when they kissed, while Tyson was the type of kisser that went for passionate and bold; he craved satisfaction.
As they kissed, J.T. let his hands roam across Tyson’s body. They found every crevasse, every protrusion. They found everything that they were so accustomed to finding. Kissing Tyson was like playing hockey—something he could do all day every day and never grow tired of doing. It felt like home.
When Tyson finally pulled back, they were both panting and had hair sticking to their foreheads with sweat. Kerf was looking at them, a look somewhere between fondness and desire on his face. J.T. smiled at Kerf as he grabbed the Sharpie out of Kerf’s pocket. Kerf simply raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest, not saying a word of protest.
J.T. leaned forward, scribbling on his cast. Tyson and Kerf watched him intently, sharing a look when J.T. finished. J.T. tossed the Sharpie onto the coffee table, bristling when he heard it clatter against the glass top. When he regained himself, he motioned towards his cast.
“So? What do you think,” J.T. asked, biting his lower lip nervously.
“It’s perfect,” Tyson replied, squeezing J.T.’s calf.
All Kerf could do was nod, squeezing J.T.’s knee to show his support.
“I love you, both.”
“I love you, too,” Kerf mumbled.
“I love you, three,” Tyson said.
With that, Tyson and Kerf sprawled out on the couch next to their fiance. Kerf was in the middle and Tyson was on the outer edge which is how they normally cuddled when they were in a bed. J.T. slung his arm over them both, sighing happily when they both cuddled up against it. He pressed a kiss to the top of both of their heads relishing in the fact that they both mumbled softly a ‘thank you.’ J.T. showed his appreciation by commanding Alexa to play some of Tyson’s favourite country music, seeing as it would’ve been Tyson’s turn with the music selection anyways.
Tyson mumbled his thanks as he hummed along to the song that was playing. J.T. was fairly certain he even heard Kerf humming along to the song. He chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of Kerf’s head, amazed that Tyson’s country music was able to crack Kerf. Kerf mumbled his thanks before he yawned and wiggled in closer to J.T.’s body. Tyson paused his humming to yawn for himself and wiggle in closer to Kerf. To help make everyone more comfortable, J.T. wiggled himself closer to the back of the couch. The only response he got from his fiances was their soft snoring. J.T. chuckled as he listened to Alexa filter Tyson’s playlist through the living room.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Tell me it'll always be this way
You'll be even more beautiful when you're gray and crazy
We'll still kiss and we might cuss
Just tell me that we'll still be us when we're 80
When we're 80
J.T. smiled as he felt tears prickle his eyes. That’s exactly what he wanted. He wanted to grow old and gray with Tyson and Kerf. He wanted to be with them for as long as they could be together. He loved them more than anything.
As the song played in the background and his fiances slept next to him, J.T. looked down at what he had written on his cast. He smiled again as he felt the tears spill over his cheeks. Hearing those song lyrics made everything about it ten times more important to him. He couldn’t wait to get married to Tyson and Kerf and start the next chapter of their lives together.
You bring colour to an otherwise dull world -TJ
You make my heart grow to the size of a Boulder -AK
Will you marry us?
AK + TJ + JTC
You two are my happily ever after; my all-star forwards. Nothing makes me happier than being by your side every day. I want to have a family with you. I want to grow old with you. I want everything and more with you. I love you both so much. Thank you for loving me as much as you do. It means the world to me. -JTC