Chapter Text
“We got an invitation.”
Scott is frowning down at his phone, eyes tracking the text on the screen as he reads through the details.
Kip waits patiently by his side, smiling. He’s weirdly fond of Scott’s frowns and doesn’t mind the opportunity to watch his boyfriend in silence until he’s ready to share the details of this latest invitation.
Ever since Scott’s very public coming out, they’ve been getting invitations for both of them. Kip still gets a little thrill at each even though Scott usually groans. For a pro athlete, he’s got a surprising amount of couch potato inside of him, loving nothing more than being able to stay in for an evening. Kip of course thoroughly enjoys any quality time with him but he’s also new enough to the world of glamour that he doesn’t mind spending the occasional evening out. So they compromise. Being the first out gay man in a pro sport does come with some responsibilities after all and making the occasional appearance and showing everyone how much they are in love is one of them.
This time though, Scott looks especially sceptical.
“What is it?” Kip eventually asks, putting his arm around Scott’s hip to try and catch a glimpse of the phone screen.
Scott’s frown deepens as he slips the phone back into his pocket and turns his attention towards Kip.
“It’s an invitation from Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov to spend a weekend with them in Hollander’s cottage in Canada.”
Kip recognises the names even if he doesn’t have an immediate image in mind. They’re hockey players, he knows that much. On rival teams though, if he’s correct.
“... that’s nice?” he ventures.
Scott grunts.
“So … are they together or …?”
“I guess. They’ve been dancing around each other for ages. Must have finally figured it out.”
“Well, not everyone moves as fast as you, babe.”
Scott chuckles and steals a quick kiss. “What can I say. I found the right person and I wanted to keep him.”
“And you get to keep him.”
On the second try, but Kip tries not to think about that. They got there in the end. That’s all that matters.
“Hmm. Lucky me.” Scott puts both arms around him and kisses him again, properly this time.
It’s lazy and familiar and saturated with the assurance that they’ve got all the time in the world.
They get lost in the kiss and their love for each other for a while but then Kip pulls back after one last small kiss.
“So, that Hollander and Rozanov thing. You want to go?”
Scott actually winces, red spots high in his cheeks as his fingers curl into Kip’s shirt.
“There’s a bit of a history there …”
“Oh? What kind of history?”
Scott looks even more uncomfortable. He clears his throat but his voice still comes out a bit more hoarse than usual as he says: “The fucking kind.”
Kip gasps and takes a step back. He can’t help it. The whole thing seems too big to comprehend at once, needing its own space between them.
He knows Scott hadn’t exactly been a virgin when they got together—way too skillful for that—but he hadn’t thought that Scott would ever have done anything with another hockey player. Nevermind two of them. On rival teams.
Scott shifts uncomfortably but Kip never let go of him and he isn’t going to start now. He just stares at him openmouthed until Scott explains.
“It was just a few times. When we all found ourselves in a city together. Doesn’t happen too often. I’d kind of figured out they were fucking each other and then Rozanov … uhm … invited me. But it was always about them, really. I was merely a guest player.”
“Still. Regular threesomes, huh?” Kip hasn’t even managed one of those so far and he doesn’t think there will be any in his future, now that he and Scott are engaged. Which is still a secret to the wider world and will stay that way for a while yet. They’ve shared enough for now. “So … do you think they invited us up for a foursome or what?”
Scott shakes his head. “No, I, …” He pauses, thinks some more, and then shakes his head again. “I don’t think so. Doesn’t sound like it.”
“Okay.”
Scott frowns again. “Why, would you want that?”
Well, it’s not like Kip doesn’t have fantasies but for real real? Not really. “I think I’d rather keep you to myself. Call me greedy but I don’t wanna share you.”
Scott’s frown melts into a smile. “Well, I’m all yours. Forever.”
Kip smiles back as they drift closer together again. “Yeah. I know that.”
There’s another break in the conversation. A not unusual occurrence because the urge to kiss Scott happens frequently and without warning, just as the urge to kiss Kip seems to keep happening to Scott. Neither of them complains about it. Even if some conversations take a little longer that way.
This time, it’s Scott who brings them back on topic.
“So, do you wanna go?”
Kip shrugs. “I mean, could be fun, right?”
Scott makes a sound somewhere between a grunt and a bark. “Yeah. Maybe. Rozanov will probably make a lot of stupid jokes but with some luck, Hollander has managed to tame him.”
“You, apparently and to my great surprise, fucked both of them. But you’re still calling them by their last names?”
“It’s a hockey thing.” Scott looks embarrassed again though Kip isn’t sure whether it’s about the names thing or the fucking thing. Possibly both.
Kip hums, feigning understanding.
“Look, if you’re uncomfortable with the whole thing, we don’t have to go but if they just want to talk, I don’t know, that could be nice? Maybe they wanna come out, too, and want some advice or something?”
Scott thinks for a moment, frown back in place, but then he nods and sighs. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. I’ll tell them we’ll come, if talking is really all they want. And then we can tell them to maybe prepare a little better before coming out to the world than we did.”
Kip laughs. It’s definitely been a ride since then. “You know I wouldn’t change that moment for the world. Even though, yes, we could have prepared a bit better. But yeah, that kiss may have been very, VERY, public, but it was all mine. And I’m not giving it back.”
“Glad to hear it,” Scott murmurs before kissing Kip again. It’s a little more heated this time.
Some hours later, Scott replies to the invitation and a date is set.
The trip to Shane Hollander’s cottage is uneventful even though Scott is clearly nervous. At first, Kip assumed it was because of flying together, because—with Scott being even more famous than before the whole coming out thing—more people recognise them. Especially in Canada. But he is still nervous when they pick up their rental car and are on the road, away from prying eyes.
Their hosts had offered to pick them up but they’d eventually agreed this would be easier since Ilya’s flights don’t correspond with theirs and so Shane won’t have to drive to the airport twice, both on Friday and on Sunday.
“We can still turn back if you want,” Kip suggests lightly, glancing over at Scott who takes a deep breath and deliberately eases his grip on the steering wheel.
“No, it’s fine.”
Kip remembers another occasion where Scott said it’s fine and it turned out not to be fine but he doesn’t comment on it.
“Well, if it’s awful or just too awkward, we can always run away.” Another advantage of the rental car.
“Hm, I wouldn’t mind running away with you.”
Kip laughs and rolls his eyes. “Not what I meant. But thank you. You do know Elena would hunt us down though, right?”
Scott winces. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”
“She’s really looking forward to the whole bridesmaid thing. It’s a bit scary actually. I think she would have our corpses married if that’s what it took. No getting out of that one, I’m afraid.”
“Well, marrying you isn’t what I want to get out of.”
Kip just raises an eyebrow at him. “Again, babe, we don’t actually have to go.”
Scott grunts and focuses back on the road.
Well, apparently they do have to go.
“You like them young, eh? Keeping you on your toes, old man?”
Ilya Rozanov, as he lives and breathes and teases. Kip should probably have expected something like that. Scott clearly has since he just rolls his eyes and throws back a casual “Fuck you, Rozanov.”
They’re barely out of the rental at this point.
Seems like they’re off to a good start.
Ilya’s grin widens. “Nah, you are not here for the fucking, yes?”
Shane Hollander, who is standing awkwardly next to Ilya, looks mortified and hisses “Ilya!” in his boyfriend’s direction but the Russian is undeterred.
But then a frown flickers across his forehead as he considers Kip. “Am I scaring you off?” He seems honestly concerned. Maybe he realised that, maybe, Scott hadn’t told Kip everything.
Except Scott has of course. Or the most important thing at least (since Kip can’t imagine there’s anything left to hide after “oh by the way, all three of us used to fuck”).
So Kip just flashes Ilya an easy smile. “No. I’ve been warned.”
Ilya visibly relaxes again. “Good. You are not a chicken then.”
“Thanks—”
“Even though ‘Kip’ means chicken in Dutch.”
Kip blinks. “What?”
“‘Kip’. Is word for ‘chicken’ in Dutch,” Ilya explains. “A guy on my team is Dutch and said so. When you had coming out.”
Kip blinks again. “I … did not know that.”
“Are you taking the piss out of my boyfriend, Rozanov?” The words are a warning but there’s laughter hidden in Scott’s voice.
Ilya holds up both hands. “No! I swear it’s the truth.”
There’s an awkward pause where none of them knows how to move on from here until Shane clears his throat. “Uhm, do you guys want to come in?”
Ilya turns on him. “Of course they want to come in. They’re not sleeping in the car!”
“I didn’t—” Shane starts but then obviously gives up and just waves them inside.
The house is, admittedly, not quite what Kip pictured when he heard the word ‘cottage,’ but it’s pretty impressive and although Shane still seems a bit embarrassed, he’s obviously proud of it as he shows them around and tells them a little about it.
“He’s got his own well!” Ilya adds at some point. It’s a tease but the look in his eyes is fond as he smiles at Shane. Clearly, he’s besotted with Shane.
Kip sways a little closer to Scott and Scott puts his arm around him as they continue the tour.
“This is your room,” Shane says and steps aside.
It’s a pretty spacious guest room with lots of natural light. The bed is made and there are two sets of towels lying ready near the end, a clear bottle of water and two glasses waiting for them on the side table. Probably filled with the famous well water.
There’s also an actual fruit basket on the desk.
It’s both sweet and sad because Kip is pretty sure Shane doesn’t get many guests out here, and got all of his inspirations from luxury hotel rooms and glossy magazines.
“I hope you’ll be comfortable.” Shane sounds slightly embarrassed.
“He likes to make … how do you say … not ‘a mess’ but …” Ilya waves his hand around, searching for the right word.
“A fuss?” Kip suggests.
Ilya lights up and snips his fingers at him. “A fuss! Yes. Shane likes to make a fuss.”
Shane’s cheeks, already faintly pink, darken. “I just wanted to make sure you have everything.”
God, he’s trying so hard; it melts Kip’s heart.
“It’s perfect. Thank you,” he tells him as sincerely as he can and Shane nods and smiles gratefully. And then rolls his eyes as Ilya adds with a grin:
“I made sure he put lube and condoms in side table. Most important, eh?”
“Very thoughtful,” Scott replies drily, fingers digging into Kip’s side.
Kip’s not quite sure whether that’s because he’s amused or annoyed but he himself can only just suppress a chuckle.
This is going to be interesting.