Work Text:
Troy balances the matcha on the roof of the car carefully. He then pops the trunk, pulls out his gym bag, and swings it over his shoulder.
He’s a few minutes early to practice because he wants to make out with Harris for a minute before he has to hit the ice.
He grabs the matcha and turns towards the facility.
His step hitches for a moment when he sees Rosanov and Hollander standing in the parking lot just … hugging for a long time.
Roz has his face buried in Hollzy’s neck, and Hollzy seems to be talking quietly to him.
Probably just couple stuff, Troy decides and keeps going. But maybe he’ll keep an eye on them today. Just in case.
He doesn’t even drop his bag off before going to Harris’s office.
“Oh, the best boyfriend ever!” Harris says when he sees the matcha in Troy’s hand.
He hands it over.
Harris puts it on his desk and then stands up, dragging his hands along Troy’s chest as he stands.
“Troy, I keep thinking about last night.”
“Yeah, me too,” Troy admits.
“I mean, if I wasn’t worried about job security, I would probably be undressing you already,” Harris says.
“Please don’t get me hard, I have to go undress in a locker room full of my coworkers soon.”
“Yeah,” Harris bites his bottom lip. “I’ll just send you a very horny text that you can read afterwards.”
“Perfect,” Troy says.
After a few minutes of making out, Troy walks back to the locker room.
“How was date night?” Hazy asks.
Troy blushes. “Good.”
Hazy whoops. “Look at that blush!”
Dykstra looks up at peer at Troy.
“Yeah, yeah, fuck off.” Troy defends half-heartedly. He gets dressed up in his kit quickly and out onto the ice.
Roz and Holzy are already out there, skating loops and holding hands.
Troy pauses for a minute, thrown. Normally, they are racing each other up and down the rink or battling in a one-on-one game when practice starts. This display of affection is … unusual.
“What the fuck?” Dykstra mutters from behind him. “Are they getting divorced?”
Troy shakes his head. “I don’t know, man. I saw them hugging in the parking lot.”
This makes Dykstra look more alarmed.
Troy shrugs and starts stretching.
They start with bag skates and then do some passing drills. Weibe calls for a water break, after which they will split up to do a scrimmage.
Troy leans over the board to grab his bottle. He takes a long drink.
Hollander and Rosanov are a little farther away from everyone else. Hollander has stripped his glove off and has his palm against Roz’s neck.
Roz reaches up and hangs onto Holzy’s arm. They talk quietly.
What the fuck is going on with them?
The question nags Troy through the scrimmage until he finally realizes what it is.
Roz is probably having what he calls a ‘bad brain day.’ That’s his term for when his depression is getting to him. Hollander is just being a good husband and helping him get through practice.
Once the scrimmage is over, Troy makes sure to land next to Roz for the next water break.
Hazy is talking to Hollander about something, a perfect distraction.
“You want me and Harris to bring you guys dinner tonight so you don’t have to worry about it?” Troy asks.
Roz furrows his brows. “Shane and I are cooking tonight.”
“Oh, cool. You need anything else?” Troy asks, feeling very awkward.
“No. Why are you being weird?”
Troy clenches his water bottle tightly. “Just trying to be a good friend.”
“By bringing us dinner? Have you done something that we will be mad at? We’ve already been outed, Barrett. And Harris always double-checks before he posts about us. I don’t think you have to worry.”
“No. I just thought, maybe you were having a bad day?”
“Why would I? Good practice, good husband, goodest dog waiting for me at home.”
“Well, Holzy’s kind of been all over you. I thought maybe you were having a bad brain day or something.”
Roz’s face lights up with understanding.
“Oh! No, that is not why. Shane will get mad at me if I tell you—”
“Then don’t.”
“—but I will tell you anyway.”
“Jesus Christ,” Troy mutters.
“Shane is just taking care of me because I bottomed for the first time last night.”
Troy’s jaw drops. “The first time? Like ever?”
Roz nods. “Ever. I did not know it would feel like this. Like very … open to being hurt?” He looks at him with a question in his eyes.
Troy is lost for a moment. Open to being hurt? “Oh, like vulnerable?”
“Yes! Vulnerable. Makes me feel very bad for how the first ten years of our hooking up. I should have been snuggling him and washing his hair for him.”
“Washing his hair?” Troy feels like he has completely lost the thread of this conversation at this point.
“Yes, is very romantic. Do this for Harris, you will thank me later.”
“Isn’t that like a joke from Brooklyn 99?”
“What is that?” Roz stares at him.
“Never mind,” Troy mutters.
“I have to go hug my husband,” Roz announces. “He never touches me at practice. I have to take advantage.”
“K. Bye.”
Troy doesn’t even know what to think about that conversation.
Roz twists on his skates suddenly and grabs Troy’s jersey with one hand. “Thanks for being good friend, Barrett.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Roz collides with Hollander, slamming him across the board.
“Gimme kiss,” Roz demands.
“Ilya,” Hollander says quietly. He seems to say a lot with that one word, but Troy doesn’t know what.
“Just one, promise,” Roz says and pulls his helmet off.
Hollander sighs as he pulls his helmet off, too.
Roz leans forward and presses a long, closed-mouth kiss onto Hollander’s mouth.
“Hey, boys, we still have to practice!” Hazy shouts. “Even if you did have fun last night!”
Hollander pulls back and glares at Roz. “You told?”
“Just Hazy!” Roz lies immediately. He says something else lowly.
Hollander sighs and nods slightly.
When Roz turns around, he glares hard at Troy.
Troy raises his hands a little bit and raises his eyebrows, his way of saying he’ll stay quiet.
Roz nods back.
11:51PM
To: Roz
From: Barrett
You were right about the hair washing btw
11:54 PM
To: Barrett
From: Roz
You’re welcome ☺️