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Maxxie had been growing closer and closer to Nils as the two traveled together alongside the rest of their hockey team, going from city to city to play various games. While Maxxie was a bit standoffish, he found that he had grown a soft spot for the other goalie and they wound up staying in the same hotel rooms together countless times.
He could tell that Nils liked him as 'more' than a friend, which was rather frustrating. Maxxie liked, even loved the guy more than he had with anyone before, but it wasn't romantic or sexual. It was some third thing, past platonic but definitely not typical.
Point was, he couldn't truly reciprocate Nils' feelings.
"I'm sorry" Maxxie muttered as he sat up. When he and Nils had gone to sharing a bed, he didn't even remember. They had two beds in the hotel room. They didn't have to do that. Nils frowned. The two had gotten physically closer than they ever had before. "I know that you have feelings for me" Maxxie said, and Nils swore he felt his heart sink. "I have feelings for you too, it's just... Different"
"What do you mean?"
"It's... Not the same as yours, and I think my capacities for it are different"
"That's okay" Nils said. "I don't expect anything from you, with that"
"But I do like the closeness"
"Okay" Nils nodded. "Well, if anything is ever too far, just tell me and I'll back off, okay?"
"Right"
"...Thank you for telling me"
"Yeah"