Rating: R
Original Date of Completion: August 2002
Disclaimer: I own them, you can't have them. This is fiction from my demented little mind, so no suing me.
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Kris' POV
After Kirk's cup day, which turned into an intimate day with the fans and two of our closest friends, I decided my day would be the opposite: a non-intimate cook out with close and not so close friends alike. Since Julie had discovered Print Factory on the computer, she couldn't get enough of it, so she made everyone invitations. She'd made about 75 in all, costing a small fortune in printer ink. But the family and friends we wanted were all formally invited. All of the guys on the team got an invite, including the rabid dog we'd have in net next season. Well, all of the guys except one. We let it be known as best we could that Sergei was not invited, without actually having to say it. Stevie had went as far to tell him he'd do obscene things to him with his crutches if he showed up to make trouble. And coming from Stevie, that's something to be scared of, he's not the threatening type. So I'm pretty sure Sergei won't show his face. And if he did; well, it's my house, my day, and my fists that would be doing the talking.
Julie was up early setting everything up, even though I told her not to. I guess you can take the husband away from the wife, but you can't take the wife out of the wife. Or something like that. When I walked into our backyard to help, it looked like a graduation open house. Ten picnic tables, borrowed from any friend who lived in a 30-mile radius, draped in red and white table cloths. And on the middle table, in front of my big lawn chair, sat the Stanley Cup, shimmering in the morning sun. I looked around the yard and saw Kennedi playing in the sandbox across the yard. Keenan looked to be sleeping in his play pen right behind the middle table, and Julie was busying herself with the tables, and hadn't noticed I'd walked outside. So I crept up slowly behind her and goosed her in the ribs. She jumped an honest-to-God foot, and spun around toward me. She glared, but softened into a smile when I flashed her a big cheesy grin. I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, then sat down on the edge of the table she'd been working on.
"I told you to let me do this," I complained, motioning around the yard with my hands.
Julie rolled her eyes and slapped me on the leg. "Sucks to be you then doesn't it? I'm still technically the wife, it's in my job description," She giggled, walking down the table and straightening out the plastic table cloth.
"Well, fine," I said, defeated. "But you're not going anywhere near the grill,"
"Well I damn sure ain't gonna let you do it. Our guests will want to eat, dear," She mocked, taping down the end of another table cloth.
"Hey!" I objected. "I can...."
At that moment, Keenan started crying, and Julie interrupted me. "Go attend to your son, and leave me with the womanly duties,"
I rolled my eyes at her and trotted over to Keenan's playpen. I picked him up and held him against me, and his cries didn't cease. I rocked him slowly and rubbed his back.
"What's wrong with you little guy?" I murmured, walking toward the house.
His diaper was dry, so it left food as the only solution. I carried him into the house, rubbing his back the entire time. His cries slowed to a light whimper, but I knew better than to try and let it go. I sat him in the highchair and quickly reached into the fridge and pulled out a jar of baby food. The second the food came into his sight, his cries stopped, getting a chuckle out of me.
"You know what you like, huh?" I laughed, digging into a drawer and producing a baby spoon.
I unscrewed the cap on the strained carrots and cringed as the smell wafted through the air. The smell faded quickly and I shoveled some onto the spoon. Keenan seemed to enjoy it, so spoonful after spoonful wound up in his mouth. He polished off half the jar before I decided to call it quits. He seemed to be satisfied, and just watched as I tossed the spoon into the sink and put the jar back into the refrigerator. I washed my hands quickly in the sink then stopped and stared at him. A ring of orange had formed around his mouth, and spread onto his clothes. I shook my head and released him from the high chair. I cinched him up in my arms and carried him toward the stairs.
"Your mom will go into psycho mode if she sees you like that," I explained, carrying him up the stairs. "And I doubt you've seen it before, but she's pretty scary like that,"
I carried him into the nursery and laid him down on the changing table. Julie had him dressed in some ridiculous yellow duck outfit, and I professed my dislike for it as I stripped it off of him and tossed it into the hamper. He started giggling as he watched me dig in the drawers for new clothes. I smirked at him and tickled his stomach, making him giggle some more. Eventually, I pulled out a little Wings outfit and held it up for him.
"What do you think? Wanna match the tables?" I asked, turning the outfit back and forth so he could see both sides. He giggled in response, so I nodded and gave him the thumbs up. "Table matching it is then,"
I put the outfit on him then stepped back to take a look at him. He smiled up at me and kicked his feet, almost his way of saying "Hey dad, pay attention, I have stupid ducks on my socks." I shook my head at myself and reached back into the drawer, pulling out the white socks with the Wings logo on them. I slipped them onto his feet, and picked him back up into my arms. He giggled, and flailed his arms about, inadvertently punching me in the eye. I laughed as my eye started to water and held him against my shoulder.
"Your uncle Mac would be proud of that shot," I told him, shaking my head.
I carried him back downstairs and out into the yard. Julie had finished with the tables, and sat with her feet dangling in the pool. I dropped Keenan off in the playpen then walked over to where she sat. I crouched down next to her and sat so my feet hung above the water, but weren't touching it. Julie looked at me with an amused expression on her face and kicked water up at my feet. I moved back from the water with a frown.
"Oh lighten up," She ordered, rolling her eyes.
"Hey, I paid good money for these shoes," I joked, wishing instantly I hadn't, because I knew the second the words were out of my mouth what her comeback would be.
"Bitching about shoes, and just now realizes he's gay. How 'bout that one world?" She asked loudly, throwing her hands up in the air.
I rolled my eyes and pushed her playfully in the shoulder, sending her onto her side. She sat up and looked at me with phony shock in her eyes. I giggled and tried to hop to my feet, but she jumped on my legs before I had the chance too. With a "You little bastard." she punched me in the chest and tackled me back onto the ground. I shook her off and flipped her over, pinning her to the ground. I grinned at her mockingly and she squirmed, trying to break my hold.
"Do you give?"
"In your dreams grandma!" She yelled in return.
In a typical Julie tactic, that threw me off long enough for her to break free. In a flash, she grabbed my arm and flipped me onto my back. She knelt on my stomach and pinned my arms over my head. She weighed next to nothing, so I knew I could shake her off if I wanted to. But I with her kneeling on my stomach, it would be too easy for her to fall back and land somewhere uncomfortable, or land completely off of me and hurt herself. So I squirmed just slightly underneath her, not really trying to throw her off, but enough to let her think I was still trying.
"Whaddya say grandma, give up?" She asked, grinding her knee uncomfortably into my stomach.
"Grandma? You're the one with the grey hairs. I see a few of them right now," I teased, glancing up at her bangs.
Her eyes widened in terror, and I burst into laughter. She glared and ground her knee higher, almost into my ribs. I cringed, and she shouted a big "Ha!" right into my face. I heard the gate open behind us and heard at least three different laughs walking toward us. I tried to glance back and see who they were, but I couldn't tell from their shoes.
"Help me, whoever you are, crazy wife!" I yelled in mock fear.
I heard more laughs, then saw the shoes approach. I looked up, and shook my head when the shoes gained faces. Kirk, Avery, and Dandy looked down at me and laughed. I shook my head again. This wasn't going to end well for me.
"We knew you were a sissy Drapes, but come on? Julie weighs 14 pounds," Dandy laughed, staring down at me.
"Yeah, YOU can talk to ME about being a sissy," I snapped
He glared at me and curled up on Sean's arm. "You can't talk to him like that, you dirty Ontarian you," Sean giggled, puffing his chest out.
"I say you guys throw him in the pool," Julie said plainly, shrugging her shoulders.
I glared up at her, and almost instantly I felt them grabbing me. She hopped off of me in mid-air, and I began to thrash about, trying to get away. It was no use, the three of them were more than a match for me. They carried me toward the pool while I protested. Julie was laughing hysterically and directing traffic toward the pool. I saw Kennedy run up and clamp onto Julie's leg, and giggle. Even my own daughter was laughing at me. Not like that was a real surprise, she does it all the time. I tried one last attempt to squirm free, but it wasn't happening, so I decided to use words.
"If you throw me in this pool, I am so calling Jerry Springer!" I shouted in Julie's direction as they swung me out over the pool.
"Hey, at least then my sister would see you on TV," She laughed, waving the guys on to throw me into the pool.
"And you!" I yelled, looking at Kirk. "If you throw me in there, I am cutting you off,"
A devilish grin came to Sean's face, but he was silenced immediately with glares from me and Kirk.
Don't you say a word," Kirk warned, shaking his head. "And I'm not worried," He looked down at me and smiled. "I have a few tricks,"
Before I knew it, one last swing, and I was in the pool. I had enough time to close my nose on the way down, but I still wound up breathing in water and choking when I surfaced. I swam over to the edge, where Kirk was crouching down with his hand extended. I just glared at him and wiped my dripping hair back from my forehead. I glared around at everyone else, and they all dispersed. Julie walked toward the house, and Sean snatched up Kennedy, and he and Dandy walked off toward the sand box. Kirk smiled and extended his hand again. I smiled wickedly at him, and grabbed his hand before he had the chance to pull it away. One quick pull, and he was in the pool with me. I dunked his head back under as he tried to surface, then fled to the shallow end. He surfaced and wiped the water from his eyes. I smirked at him and climbed slowly out of the pool, giving the water ample time to drip off of me. He glared as he swam over to me, then jutted his lip out in a pout when I laughed. That look on his face was way too adorable for me to resist, so I extended my hand and helped him out.
The second we were on dry land, I pulled him toward me and brought my lips to his. He ran his tongue along the seam of my lips, but I denied him entry. I nibbled softly on his bottom lip, and he whimpered lightly in response. I slipped my arm around his neck and buried my hand is his sopping hair. His hand found my back and he pulled me closer to him. Our lips brushed softly together, just a light feather touch. As my tongue parted his lips, Julie cleared her throat behind us. We broke apart and turned to her.
"You didn't blush, I'm so proud,"
We grinned goofily at her and she patted us on the cheeks.
"You'd better go dry off and get changed, everyone will be here soon. I trust you guys can control yourselves naked and alone in the same house?" She asked with a lopsided grin.
I smirked at Kirk then looked back at Julie. "Could you?"
"Well, not with Kirk," She replied, winking at him.
"Ouch," Kirk laughed, clapping me on the shoulder. "The ref takes a point,"
Julie giggled and walked off toward the sand box. I shook my head and started off toward the house. Kirk galloped to catch up with me and grabbed my shoulder as I reached the door. I turned to look at him, and he pinned me up against the house. Our lips met quickly, then he pulled away. He flashed a toothy grin, then burst into the house. I stood bewildered for a second, then walked into the house after him.
I followed a trail of water across the kitchen and onto Julie's "Perfect Ivory Carpet" in the dining room. 'She's going to kill us.' I thought to myself as I walked through the dining room and to the stairs. The water trail disappeared in the navy carpet on the stairs, but my senses told me Kirk was in my bedroom. He'd have to be, that's the only place he'd find clothes. I walked up the stairs, picking up some of Kennedy's toys along the way. I was sure Julie had cleaned before I woke up this morning; but Kennedy had a bad habit of grabbing a toy and losing interest in it before she got downstairs, just leaving it on the stairs. I dropped the toys off in her room, then walked the rest of the hall to mine.
The door was open just a crack, so I slowly pushed it open and slipped inside. I felt myself harden instantly at the sight before me. Kirk stood nude, sifting through clothes in my closet. I felt perverted for doing it, but I leaned back against the wall and took in his beauty. His back looked so powerful, muscles dancing on his sinewy frame as he reached into the closet. All the bruises that usually littered his skin had healed, leaving just freckles visible on his skin. He looked so....perfect. I couldn't stop myself from sucking my breath in at his beauty. He heard me and froze instantly. I wanted to run away and deny my peeping tomness, but I couldn't pull my eyes away. I was captivated.
"Kris?" He asked hesitantly. "How long have you been there?"
"Not nearly long enough," I whispered. "You, are so beautiful,"
If he were facing me, I'm sure his face would've flushed pink. He can't take a compliment from complete strangers without blushing, so it's even worse when I do it. I stared at him intently, burning his image into my memory. I found myself wondering just what I'd done right to have such a beautiful creature to call my own. I walked over and sat down on the bed. Kirk turned, leaving me with the same view I'd had. I wasn't trying to get more, really. I'm quite fond of the view I did have, I just wanted to sit down. My eyes were fixated on him as he bent over to grab a pair of boxers from the bottom drawer of my dresser. I bit my lip to stifle a moan at the sight, he was just teasing me now. Seductively, he slipped them on, covering his skin in an excruciatingly long process. By the time he'd finished, my hands lay conveniently in my lap, blocking the obvious tent that had formed. Kirk turned around and grinned at me, then slowly walked over. He sat next to me on the bed and laid back on his elbows.
"Get to it," He ordered, motioning toward the closet with a jerk of the head.
"Huh?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Hey, if you got a show, it's only fair that I do,"
He grinned at me and waved toward the closet with his hand. I stared at him briefly, trying to muster the courage to walk over to the closet. I could feel the nervousness begin to grow as I stood. My knees felt weak as I walked across the room. I suddenly felt pretty low for putting Kirk through these feelings. But then I remembered he didn't exactly know I was watching for most of it. And he was already naked by the time I got here, and that was the worst part. If he were to walk in on me already naked, I probably wouldn't have such a problem. But now, I had to get naked knowing that he was watching. He was so beautiful, so chiseled, so perfect. And me, I was pale and had to fight diligently to not develop a gut. I wasn't huge on staring at myself naked, so I wasn't exactly sure of the view he was going to get. But I didn't want to disappoint him, for anything. I took a deep breath and steading my hands as I tugged my shirt from the waist of my shorts. 'You can do this.' I told myself as I pulled my shirt over my head. 'It's just Kirk, he's probably seen you naked a billion times.' I had to chuckle that that thought had never crossed my mind. We had been teammates for six years. There's no way he hadn't seen me naked before. He'd probably seen a lot more than I was going to give him right now. I shook my head and undid the button on my shorts. Slowly, I pushed them and boxers off and stepped out of them. I now stood before Kirk completely naked, and to my surprise, I was only slightly nervous about it.
"Wow," Kirk whispered, the bed creaking as he sat up.
"Huh?" I returned, craning my neck back to look at him.
"You're more beautiful than I ever imagined,"
My cheeks blushed pink instantly, and I got an incredible urge to scuff my foot, which thankfully I could control. "Nah." I replied, bending down and grabbing a pair of boxers.
"Trust me. You don't have the view I do right now," He said again.
I smiled and started to slip the boxers on. "The view I had was better," The boxers stopped at my waist and I walked over to him.
I pushed him back on the bed and crawled up next to him. Our lips met softly, almost hesitantly. Our fingers intertwined and I buried my face in his neck. He smelled of chlorine, and faintly of his cologne, which seemingly always brought a smile to my face. I kissed him on the neck and he ran his hand down my back, sending shivers down my spine.
"I hate when you do that," I murmured into his neck.
"Liar," Kirk giggled quietly, rubbing his hand on the back of my neck.
"What are the odds I could talk you into staying here like this all day?" I asked, running my fingers through his hair.
"About as good as the chance of Atlanta knocking us off to win the Cup," He replied, grinning goofily.
"Damn," I sighed, defeated.
I rolled off of him and collapsed back on the bed. Kirk giggled and sat up on the bed. He leaned down and kissed me, then patted me on the stomach.
"Come on, we'd better get down there before people start suspecting something," He said as he walked back to the closet.
"Yeah," I agreed, getting to my feet. "I don't think I could handle those questions from say, Mr. Illitch," I laughed, pulling a shirt from the closet.
"Or Scotty,"
We stared at each other and shuddered at that thought. Quickly we pulled the remaining clothes needed from the closet and got dressed. I really didn't need to hear "So what? Are you two screwing?" from the lips of Scotty Bowman...
* * *
When we got back outside, much to our surprises, most of the guests had arrived. Those that knew about us smirked, or winked, sending Kirk into a flurry of blushes. We had to separate, he was too much to take. Seeing him blush, and shy away like a kid made him far too adorable. And it was my party, so I should be going around and mingling. Kirk walked over to talk to Nick and his wife, while I went to greet Luc and Stacia, who were just walking through the gate. When I got there, they had someone with them who looked incredibly familiar, but I just couldn’t place. I looked at Stacia questioning as I hugged her, and she erupted in laughter.
"You've probably played a hundred games against him, and you don't know who he is?" She asked, shaking her head.
"Hey, I knew he was a player, I just can't remember the name. And I feel bad enough about it without having you laugh at me, thank you very much," I glared at her, then turned to Mr. Mystery. He extended his hand, and I shook it, introducing myself.
"Niklas Sundstrom," He replied, nodding his head. "Good to meet you,"
"Where's Julie?" Stacia asked, looking around behind me.
"She's over...."
"There she is," Stacia interrupted me, grabbing Niklas by the hand. "Come on Nikky, she's the one I told you about,"
I watched in confusion as Stacia dragged Niklas across the yard to where Julie sat talking to Brett Hull and his wife. I glanced back at Luc, and he clapped me on the shoulder with a laugh.
"She's set her mind on hooking him up with Julie," Luc supplied, answering my silent questions.
I stopped for a second to process what he'd just said. Julie, with another man. I knew it would happen, but I was still....surprised, I guess. I wasn't upset about it, by any means. Julie deserved someone who could be with her, who could give her the things she needed, who could treat her like she deserved. And that someone wasn't me. I didn't know if Niklas was that guy, but he was certainly cute as hell, which is always a plus. It would just take a bit of getting used to, like I'm sure it took Julie to get used to the idea of me and Kirk together. It just gets me saying to myself "When I took the vows, I didn't think they'd turn out like this," How could I? I never in a million years could've predicted that four years after we got married, I'd be dating my MALE best friend, and Julie would have a guppy knocking at her door. Or rather, having our third 600 goal scorer's fake wife thrusting a guppy at her door. 'As long as he makes her happy,' I thought to myself. 'He'd better make her happy, or I will so kick his ass.' I grinned at Luc and tossed my arm around his shoulder. We laughed about nothing in particular as we walked over and joined the party.
The rest of the day was pretty much a blur. I kept watch on Julie and Niklas out of the corner of my eye. Julie kept catching my stare, and she'd just smile and roll her eyes, her way of dismissing me back to whatever I was doing. I sat next to the Cup for most of the afternoon, talking to various family and friends, and stepping out of the way for people to get pictures with it. Kirk hung around Dandy and Avery most of the day. But every once in a while, we'd sneak a smile at each other when no one was looking. We weren't really able to speak all day, until I saw him sneak into the house and used vegetable dip as an excuse to follow him.
The house was silent when I walked in, and he was nowhere to be found. I glanced into the hallway and saw the bathroom door was closed. I hid at the end of the hallway and waited for him to step out. When he did, I jumped out at him and pinned him against the wall. He giggled and slipped his hand into my hair as I started kissing at his neck. I couldn't explain what came over me, hormones I suppose. Kirk didn't seem to be objecting to my assault, however. He whimpered and giggled as I sucked at his neck like a man possessed. My shorts were becoming increasingly tighter. I knew that if I didn't get control of myself we were going to wind up sneaking off and doing something neither one of us is ready for. It took a minute, but I was able to corral my hormones and pull off of Kirk's neck. I smiled at him and we shared a quick kiss. He brought his hand to his neck, and I looked away inconspicuously. He punched me in the shoulder then pulled me to him by my shirt.
"You left a mark. How am I going to explain that one away?" He asked, our faces inches apart.
"Freak accident with our algae eater," I whispered, grazing my lips lightly across his.
"You," Kirk started, kissing me softly. "Are not funny,"
"I don't know. I think that was kind of funny," An unmistakable voice said from behind us.
Kirk and I collapsed into laughter and reluctantly pulled apart. Dominik Hasek leaned against the wall looking as amused as I'd ever seen him. 'That means he hasn't seen Mathieu,' I thought to myself. A wave of bitterness swept over me with that thought that I quickly tried to dispel. Mathieu told us not to be upset with Dom for what happened with them, but we all found it pretty hard not to. Anyone who'd seen Dandy after their break up would totally understand. Still, I'd invited Dom here as a friend. I walked over to him and hugged him, and Kirk followed suit, albeit somewhat hesitantly. Dom smiled nervously and walked into the kitchen as I directed us out of the hallway.
"Glad you could make it Dom," I said, leaning against the island. "Good to see you,"
"I was surprised to be invited, after everything with Mathieu," He said quietly, staring off into the dining room.
"Hey, you're still our friend," Kirk interjected, much to my surprise. "And we all understand your reasonings,"
Dom smiled nervously again and made brief eye contact with Kirk before staring down at the floor. Kirk was being surprisingly level headed about this. Especially since after it happened, he may've been more upset than Mathieu. He stared at Dom sadly and shook his head. I smiled over at him, and he flashed a warm smile in return.
"Truth be told," Dominik spoke softly. "I came in hopes of talking to him,"
"I don't think that's a good idea," Kirk snapped back instantly .
That was the reaction I'd been expecting. Dom lifted his head slowly and stared at Kirk. Tears glimmered in his eyes, and I felt incredible pity on him. None of us had really stopped and even considered things from Dom's point of view. All we saw of the entire thing was a destroyed Mathieu who spent an entire week drunk and didn't shave for close to a month. Everyone was just quick to jump the gun and say Dom wasn't feeling pain about it. I felt pretty bad for doing that now. I glanced over at Kirk and saw his face stone cold. I smiled weakly at him, asking him silently to give Dom a chance. He smiled softly at me then turned back to Dom. He stared sadly at him, and I knew in an instant he'd softened.
"Don't hurt him again, Dom. He couldn't handle it again," Kirk spoke softly, his voice bordering on stern.
"I won't, I swear," Dominik replied, his voice quavering. "I just have to....I have to tell him how sorry I am,"
Kirk nodded, and Dom turned and walked outside. I watched him through the kitchen window as he walked up to where Mathieu was sitting, talking with Homer and Fishy. Avery tried to stand as soon as he saw Dom approach, but Mathieu stopped him with a hand on the shoulder. He stood up and stared at Dom. Lips move, and Dandy nodded. He looked down at Sean and smiled, then walked out of sight with Dom. Kirk sighed and walked over to me. He laid his head on my shoulder and I placed a soft kiss to his temple.
"It's going to hurt him again," He sighed.
"I know," I said softly.
We stood like that for about a minute until Mac came in and wrangled us back outside. The party had thinned out a lot, leaving just our teammates and a few of Julie's cousins. Julie sat next to the Cup with Keenan in her arms, and winked as I approached. She handed him off to me, then explained she was going into the house for more dip "Since my husband is worthless and apparently has more important things to do when in the house." She stared directly at Kirk as she said it, and of course, he blushed. I just shook my head at him and rolled my eyes. She said "Be right back", talking directly to Niklas, and I grinned at him. Julie slapped me in the back of the head with a "You'd better be nice." I rubbed the back of my head with the hand not occupied by my son, and she just laughed and walked off toward the house. I sat down in my big lawn chair in hopes of grilling Niklas about his intentions for my wife, but Stacia noticed and before I even had the chance to open my mouth, she was demanding a speech. The chant caught on quick, and I submitted. I sat Keenan down into the Cup (I really enjoy having small children so as I can do that) and stood up on the table.
"Hey, everybody shut up," Shanny yelled, whistling. Surprisingly everyone listened, and all eyes were focused on me.
"All right. I want to thank everyone for being here today, it means a lot," A chorus of "Yeah, whatever" bounced around the yard, and I found myself rolling my eyes at them. "Shut up, I'm trying to be serious. Now a lot of us won this together," I rambled, putting my hands on the Cup. "But I'm really glad I could share it with all of you. Except you, Fido, I had enough of you on Malts' day,'
Sean flipped me off and went back to picking at his potato salad. He kept glancing over at the side of the house where Dom and Dandy were talking, and I couldn't help but feel kind of bad for him. I glanced over at Kirk, and then at Sean, and Kirk nodded. He walked over to Sean and tapped him on the shoulder. With just a look, Sean got up and followed Kirk across the yard to the sandbox. It's almost scary how the three of us can converse without actually having to use words...
"Anyway," I yelled, regaining everyone's attentions. "I'm glad y'all could make it tonight. I know you all have busy schedules..."
"Yeah, busy schedules, that must be why my invite got lost in the mail,"
I knew the voice instantly and turned toward the gate. There he was, smirking like the evil bastard he was; Sergei. Those that knew of the problems glanced over at me questioningly. I just shrugged and stepped down from the table. I took Keenan out of the Cup and handed him off to Stacia. She looked at me sadly and mouthed the words "Don't do anything dumb." I just smiled and turned back to Sergei as he slowly walked closer to us. Mac stood up from the table, even as Cheryl grabbed his arm and told him not to. I glanced around, and saw Dandy step from the side of the house and slowly walk back to us. Kirk and Sean were soon standing at my side, and I just smiled. I held up my hand for them to stay back and started to walk toward him. Before I even stepped away from the table, a loud whistle caused me to turn around. Stevie fought to get to his feet, shrugging off help from Brendan. His wife tried to stop him, but he shrugged her off and grabbed his crutches. He held his hand up for me to sit down, and reluctantly I listened to him.
Sergei kept that annoying smirk on his face the entire time Stevie walked up to him. When Stevie got to where he was standing, the two of them just stared at each other. I would prefer Stevie let me handle this on my own, but there was no convincing him this wasn't his place, the captain in him is too strong. I watched nervously as Sergei took a step back and glanced over at me.
"Why don't you let the fags handle their own fight?" He almost yelled, continuing to stare in the direction of me and Kirk.
"I told you not to come here," Steve returned calmly, readjusting on his crutches.
"And you're the boss of me?" Sergei scoffed, looking back at us once more. I was finding it increasingly harder to not jump off this table and beat the living hell out of him.
"You were not invited here. I told you not to come here and start trouble," Steve said again, just as calm as before. How he could stay so calm in this was a mystery to me, my blood was boiling.
"Look, if I want to come here and fuck with the fags, I'm going to do it. And no one is going to stop me, especially a gimp like you,"
Steve gritted his teeth and looked away from Sergei briefly. He brought his eyes back to him quickly, and that same calmness radiated from his body. "Leave. Now."
Sergei snorted a laugh and took a step back from Steve. "Fine, you've got me, captain, I'll go. But first, I've got a little present for you,"
A sharp pain in my gut told me what he was going to do before he even did it, but there was no way I could've got over there in time. He drew back his leg and kicked Steve's crutch out from under him, dropping him instantly to the ground. In a flash, the entire team was up from their tables and making their way to Sergei. Before anyone even had the chance to get to him, Stevie shouted "Let him go!" Everyone stopped, and most went clamoring around Steve. Like usual, he shrugged off the help and tried to get to his feet on his own. But the pain in his knee was too great this time, and he had to accept Brendan's hand. Brendan pulled him to his feet and Mac handed him his crutches. Again, he shrugged everyone off and made his way back to the picnic table. My stomach churned as he took each step, pain contorting his face with each movement. When he arrived back at the picnic table, he looked to be on the verge of tears, and I was shaking with anger.
"God dammit Steve!" I yelled, anger taking control of my voice. "Why couldn't you let me handle that?"
He didn't answer, just looked past me at the gate. His eyes were still calm, even though I could see him shake in pain. "This stays here," He said calmly once again.
"What?" I asked incredulously.
"This. Stays. Here," He replied slowly, looking up into my eyes. "I will not give him the satisfaction of screwing up my team. This stays here, there is no mention of it from this day forward, is that understood?" He asked, glancing around at the rest of the guys.
"Steve...." Kirk started.
"Kirk, shut up. I did what any responsible leader would do, and I suffered for it. I've been in pain before, I can handle it. He will NOT jeopardize my team because of his close minded views," He slowly pushed himself up from the table and stood on his crutches. His body shivered in pain, and I had to look away. "This was my choice, and had nothing to do with you guys. I want you to forget this ever happened, is that clear?"
I felt very much like I was being yelled at by my mother, and she'd left two hours prior. I brought my eyes to Steve's, and it became obvious I'd better not argue, as much as I wanted to. That silent intensity continued to blaze in his eyes, even as he struggled to keep standing. He truly is a spectacular human being, even if he infuriates me beyond belief right now. I sighed, and nodded my head.
"It stays here," I mumbled, kicking at the dirt.
"He won't try anything else," Steve said assuredly. "I'm sorry that he ruined your party,"
"It's fine," I said plainly, shaking my head.
"I'll....We'll, be fine," I said again, glancing at Kirk.
Steve nodded his head, then silently turned and started off toward the gate. Lisa and Brendan immediately rushed to his side, waving bye to all of us as they followed closely to Steve. My blood continued to bubble. His asinine little comments about us in the locker room are fine. It's his place too. But this was my home. He came into my home, where my children are, with the express purpose of starting something with us. And then when Stevie, our captain, calmly asked him to leave, he did the most deplorable thing that he ever could've done. What a fucking disgusting lowlife. He made me sick. But more than that, I had never been more angry in my life. I turned around and drilled my fist into the picnic table as hard as I could, rattling the boards on their metal frame. The Cup jiggled on the table, then tipped over the edge, landing with a clunk in the grass. I couldn't even bring myself to care. I stormed off in the direction of the house, Kirk hot on my tail. Before I reached the door, Julie stepped out, and the look in her eyes made me freeze instantly. I swear to God if he said anything to her....
"Guys, we need to talk," She stated, nodding her head. "In private,"
The tone of her voice washed any anger immediately from my body. Only a few times in my life had I heard her sound like that, and none of them were good. The look in her eyes spoke it solo, but coupled with the tone of her voice it became blatantly obvious; she was scared.
TBC
© 2002 Triple X
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