“It’s weird,” said Leroux in his French-accented English. “Have you two been DNA tested? Are you sure you’re cousins, not brothers?” His eyesnarrowed as he stared at Harrison, like he was trying to see inside his head. “Even the scowl is the same? How does that work?”
“Genetics,” said Harrison. He was the only one not drinking, but he looked like he was enjoying himself. “And it didn’t help that I raised him during his most informative years.”
“Scowl or not, you’re both hot,” said Wolf with a disinterested shrug. “It’s fucking annoying.”
Arlo’s Killinger blue eyes were glued on Wolf, watching as he took another swig from his beer bottle. “Wolf is gay? Didn’t he have a girlfriend last season?”
“He’s German,” said Jason and Ryan together, like that explained everything.
“Never been with a guy. Don’t plan on it,” said Wolf, his gaze lingering on Arlo’s face. “But I mean…”
“Finish that sentence and die,” said Harrison gruffly. “Leave my cousin alone and find some poor girl to warm your bed, Wolf.”
“Agreed,” said Leroux. “Townsend has a hard enough time keeping his pants on. No need to tempt him.”
Harrison had just taken a sip of water when he inhaled at the wrong time, choking as he burst into a fit of coughing.
Jett clapped him on the back to help him up, then glanced at Arlo, silently asking for an explanation. Arlo grabbed his phone, wiggled it teasingly, and started typing furiously. Jett pulled out his own phone and opened the new message.
Arlo: Harrison thinks I’ve had like…1 boyfriend, and I’m basically a virgin.
Oh boy. Jett wasn’t going to get in between that. Arlo loved texting him after a hook-up to tell him about it in great detail, which happened often. They even had a dick-size tally started for the season that Arlo updated weekly, and Jett had added to it that morning just to fuck with him.
“Are you guys excited to play Ottawa next?” Arlo said, smoothly moving past the topic of sex before Harrison ended up dying. “Weren’t they the team that broke record goal points during your last game?”
Jason slammed his drink on the table. “That pink-haired bastard! He fucked up my crease!”
“Ten goals,” said Ryan,grinning behind his hand. “And yeah, Park is a beast. He pulled off a pure hat-trick, slammed Wolfy into the boards and then he beat the shit out of him when they got into a fight.”
“He got one good punch in,” said Wolf. “I didn’t kill him because I respected it.”
“He’s prettier than a girl.” Jason was fired up now, and three drinks into the night. They were never going to hear the end of it. “He looks like a K-Pop idol, not a damn hockey player.”
“Jason is in love,” Jett said, sniggering when Ryan and Jason glared at him.
“He was like, barely five feet tall and kept shit-talking me,” Jason said, sounding annoyed. “Said he liked how flexible goalies are… and that he liked his men angry.”
“He was working extra hard to get pucks past you while saying all this?” Arlo shrugged. “Sounds like he wanted to fuck you.”
“No way—really? How do you know?”
Harrison’s head fell into his hands, his shoulders heaving as he let out a deep sigh.
“Okay, fuck that guy.” Ryan grabbed his beer and stood, pulling Jason behind him. “Ottawa doesn’t stand a chance. We’re going to destroy them.”
No one said a word as the two men left to join their teammates in a game of pool.
“Jesus Christ,” said Wolf. “They need to come out of the closet before they wake up with their dicks in each others ass.”
Leroux tapped his fingers against the wooden tabletop. “I don’t think that’s physically possible.”
“No?” Wolf blinked. “Bah. How would I know? Never had to think of the logistics.”
Arlo grinned. “I can show you, if you want?”
Leroux reached without looking and grabbed Arlo’s ear, pinching it hard. Arlo yelped and yanked his ear away, rubbing it while glaring at his captain.
“Dude, what the fuck?”
