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Victor can’t say he’s particularly happy with the rooming assignments they receive at the start of his second season with the North Stars.
With Val down in Iowa, Victor can see why Harry’s getting a new roommate, but he’s not sure why he is, considering Evan’s still around. They have a new guy, a Dane, fresh from a standout season in the Swedish Elite League, and before their first away game he’s informed in no uncertain terms that Jonas Holm is his new roommate. Victor knows better than to argue the assignment at the time, at least with management.
“I don’t want a new roommate,” Victor tells Devon. He’s not sure Devon can actually do anything about it, but formally lodging a complaint with his captain can’t hurt.
“Who’d they give you?” Devon asks.
“Holm,” Victor says.
“There something wrong with Holm?” Devon asks.
“No,” Victor says. He’s been quiet so far, but that isn’t a bad thing. Victor doesn’t think his English is great, but it’s better than Val’s, and Val made himself understood just fine most of the time. “I just don’t see why they messed with my assignment.”
“I mean, Holm’s Danish—” Devon says.
“I’m from New Jersey, Devon,” Victor says. “I’m not Danish.”
“Yeah but—” Devon says.
“I don’t even speak Danish,” Victor says. “My dad doesn’t even speak Danish. My grandpa did, but he’s dead.”
“I didn’t make the call, Vic,” Devon says. “He seems like a nice guy.”
He does seem like a nice guy, but Victor doesn’t want a new roommate. Evan’s a good roommate. Tidy, doesn’t snore, talkative but mostly knows when to shut up. Victor likes rooming with Evan. He’s pretty sure Evan likes rooming with him too.
He’s not sure how Evan’s going to handle living in the same space as Harry either. Harry’s kind of a dick to everyone, but he’s not quite an equal opportunity dick. There are some guys he’s less of a dick to, either because he respects them or fears them, who knows. He was pretty nice to Val when they roomed together last season, but everyone was nice to Val. It was hard not to be nice to Val.
Usually everyone’s pretty nice to Evan as well, but not Harry. It was like day one he decided that he’d save most of the dickishness for the guy least equipped to deal with it. Victor wouldn’t call it bullying, because Harry always backs off the second Evan gets genuinely upset, but he rides him the rest of the time.
Selfishly, he wants to keep rooming with Evan because he’s an easy roommate to have, and confirmed easy roommate is obviously better than the roulette wheel of a new one. Holm could snore. He could take thirty minute showers. He could leave a mess wherever he goes. He could also be a model roommate, but that’s a gamble, and Victor isn’t much for gambling. Less selfishly, he wants to keep rooming with Evan so Evan doesn’t have to deal with Harry bugging him all the time.
He mentions this to Roman, because Devon’s a shrug and deal with it kind of guy, but Roman would totally go to management for them, especially if it’s something that’ll upset Evan. Roman’s nice to all the rookies, even now that they aren’t rookies anymore, but everyone knew Evan was his favorite. “You want to put poor Holm in a room with Spoilsport?” Roman asks. “What do you have against the guy?”
“Why not put Holm with Connie then, if you’re shuffling him anyway?” Victor asks.
“And leave you and Harry to room together?” Roman asks.
Oh. That would be a bad idea.
“Maybe not,” Victor says.
“I get it,” Roman says. “Seriously. But, you know. Maybe Spoilsport’s grown up.”
“You better not snore or I’m going to smother you in my sleep,” Harry says loudly.
Victor raises an eyebrow at Roman, who sighs.
“I don’t snore,” Evan says, then looks over at Victor like he’s seeking confirmation.
“He doesn’t snore,” Victor says. “Val said you did though.”
“Val’s a liar,” Harry says.
“We talking about Valeri Asenov?” Roman asks. “Yea high, Russian, has never told a lie in his entire virtuous life?”
Harry scowls.
“Guess you’re stuck with a snorer, Sweetheart,” Roman says.
“That’s okay,” Evan says. “I fall asleep pretty fast. I don’t mind.”
“Glad I have your permission to breathe, Connelly,” Harry says.
Victor glances at Roman again.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Roman says.
*
“No go,” Roman tells Victor on the trip back from their first exhibition game. It was a win, which doesn’t really matter in the preseason, but always feels good. Victor played well too, which does matter right now if he wants to stay on the final roster. So did Holm, surprisingly so — not surprising that he was good, just how good he was — and Victor now knows that not only does he not snore, but he’s even tidier than Victor is, is quiet but not weirdly quiet, friendly but a little shy. Basically, it’s been a good start to the preseason so far.
“What’s a no go?” Victor asks.
“Swapping roommates,” Roman says, and Victor’s less disappointed than he would have been yesterday. “Said if there’s a problem Connie’s got to tell them, and if Spoilsport’s harassing him, they want to know about it.”
“No way Evan says anything even if he is,” Victor says.
“No kidding,” Roman says. “I asked Connie how it was, but he just said ‘good’. Whatever the fuck that means.”
“Maybe he means it was good?” Victor asks.
Roman pats his shoulder condescendingly.
“Harry’s a dick, but he’s not like—” Victor says. “I don’t know.”
“I know,” Roman says. “Connie’s just—”
“Sensitive?” Victor guesses.
“That works,” Roman says. “Can’t do anything about it if he doesn’t tell me though, so. I guess try not to worry about it?”
“Yeah,” Victor says, but he still catches Evan by the sleeve when they’re all splitting up to go home. “Miss me as your roomie yet?” he asks.
“Of course,” Evan says.
“Things okay?” Victor asks. “With Harry?”
“Why does everyone keep asking that?” Evan asks. “It was fine.”
“Don’t want you to lose sleep over his snoring or anything,” Victor says.
“If he did snore I wasn’t awake to hear it,” Evan says. “Seriously, I don’t know why you guys are even asking.”
“Harry can be kind of a dick, that’s all,” Victor says.
“Everyone on this team can be kind of a dick,” Evan says.
“Not you,” Victor says.
“I can so,” Evan says, frowning like he’s insulted, so Victor doesn’t press it, even though he’s never seen it. Some grumpiness after tough days, but as far as dickishness goes, he’s not even on the dick radar.
“Not Val,” Victor says.
“Oh, not Val,” Evan says. “That’s true.”
“And Harry drove him right off the roster, so,” Victor says. “I guess we’re worried he’s going to take the nice guys down one by one.”
“That’s not true,” Evan says. “And that was a dick thing to say.”
“I don’t need you to fight my fucking battles, Connelly,” Harry snaps from right behind Victor, and it’s all Victor can do not to jump. He should have paid better attention. And probably not said that, because Evan’s right, it’s both untrue and dickish.
“I didn’t mean that,” Victor says.
“Whatever,” Harry says, brushing past him, and Evan frowns at him.
“I already feel bad,” Victor says. “Stop looking at me like that.”
“Okay,” Evan says, and looks down. “Anyway it’s fine. Don’t worry about it. How’s rooming with Holm?”
“Good,” Victor says. “He’s quiet, neat, all that. So. I guess it worked out for me.”
“I’m glad,” Evan says warmly, and man, Victor really hopes Harry doesn’t break his spirit or something, because Roman was never more accurate with the nicknames than when he dubbed Evan ‘Sweetheart’.
“You want to grab something to eat?” Victor asks. “Tell me all the horror stories about Harry?”
“There really isn’t anything to tell,” Evan says. “But I’m starving.”
“You can tell me how the hell you managed that in one summer,” Victor says, and when Evan looks over, confused, loosely gestures at all of him. He was the tallest guy the second he hit the roster, but there were guys six inches shorter than him that weighed more. Victor was pretty sure he weighed more than Evan last season. Now, not so much. If Evan tweaks his playstyle a bit he’s going to be a crazy dangerous power forward. Victor’s happy for him. A little jealous, but happy for him. “Because whatever you did, I want to do that.”
“Oh, sure,” Evan says, and his detailed explanation of what sounds like the most hardcore training in the entire world lasts all the way through lunch.
“Okay, I don’t want to do that,” Victor says.
Evan frowns. “Why not?” Evan asks.
“Did you do anything but work out and sleep all summer?” Victor asks.
“Sure,” Evan says.
“Did you eat a single thing that wasn’t good for you?” Victor asks.
“Of course,” Evan says. “I had Baskin Robbins in July.”
Victor blinks. “You had Baskin Robbins,” he says. “In July. And you remember it.”
“I’m allowed to break my diet once in awhile,” Evan says defensively.
“That is the opposite of my point,” Victor says. “Come on, we’re getting ice cream.”
“I’m full,” Evan says.
“No one’s too full for ice cream,” Victor argues.
“It’s chilly out,” Evan says.
“Ice cream is year round, come on,” Victor says.
Evan keeps trying to make excuses all the way to Cold Stone Creamery, and then he attempts to buy sorbet, which is not happening.
“Don’t tell me you got sorbet in July,” Victor asks pleadingly.
“I had chocolate,” Evan says, sounding a little guilty.
“Get this man some chocolate ice cream,” Victor says. “Stat.”
“Thanks,” Evan says after Victor pays for his boring chocolate ice cream and his own frozen yogurt plus about a billion types of fruit.
“Someone’s got to look after you if you’re rooming with Spoilsport,” Victor says.
“Look after me by buying me ice cream?” Evan asks skeptically.
“Exactly,” Victor says. “You get it now. But seriously, if Harry’s a dick, let me or Roman know, Connie, don’t go all selfless suffering on us.”
“Harry’s not that bad,” Evan says, frowning.
“Me or Roman,” Victor says. “Or Devon, maybe.”
“I’m not going to need to,” Evan says. “Come on, I can handle myself, Vic.”
He definitely looks like he can, especially after this summer, and he’s a half foot taller and probably almost fifty pounds heavier than Harry. Not that Evan’s raised a hand off the ice in his entire life, and not like that’s relevant to the kind of cutting shit Harry can say, especially when it comes to the crush Evan has on Roman, which is the size of, well, Evan by now. The guys are pretty much all trying to ignore it, but not Harry. Harry prods at it viciously, and Victor would think he was a homophobe if he didn’t put himself front and center this summer by marching in a Pride Parade with his sister and her girlfriend. Though Victor’s met a depressing amount of guys who are totally cool with gay women, but get weird and squeamish as soon as it’s guys.
“He didn’t say anything about Roman, did he?” Victor asks.
Evan goes scarlet. “Why would he?” he mumbles.
“No reason,” Victor says. He can’t bring himself to push, afraid Evan will pass out from embarrassment if he does. “Eat your ice cream, it’s melting.”
“Kay,” Evan mumbles, and Victor lets him eat in peace until the blush starts to fade.