“Huh, how about that. Anyone else on my team they wanna meet?”
“Probably.” Matt moves closer, draping his arms over Nick’s shoulders, fingers tangling in the hair at the back of his head. “But I don’t really wanna talk about your teammates right now. I wanna congratulate my man on his two-point game.”
Ignoring the stutter in his chest over the wordsmy man, Nick lets himself be drawn into the kiss, cupping Matt’s jaw, eyes fluttering shut as the breath is stolen from his lungs.
Lost in the feel of Matt’s body against his, he doesn’t notice the door until it’s too late. He feels Matt tense as it swings open, and jumps back in alarm, whipping around to see a wide-eyed Sunny in the doorway. His stomach sinks. “Fuck.”
“I’m sorry!” Sunny yelps, stepping fully into the bathroom so the door can shut behind him. “My bad, guys!”
Nick’s stomach lurches. His vision blurs and he can’t catch his breath for entirely non-kissing related reasons. “I—I can explain. I?—”
Sunny snorts. “While I would be very interested to hear what you think you can pass that off as, don’t bother, man. It’s cool. I won’t tell. I—This explains a lot, actually.”
“What do you mean?” Nick’s going to have a panic attack in the middle of this fucking bathroom and then everyone will know what he was doing in here. It takes him a moment to feel the fingers prying at his clenched fist; Matt, trying to take his hand, eyeing him in concern.
Holding his hands up defensively, Sunny shakes his head. “Nothing bad! Just, like, some thoughts I’ve had. And things I’ve observed.”
“Fuck, am I that obvious?” Nick’s heart sinks.
“No!” Sunny runs a hand through his hair, blue eyes wide and earnest. “No one suspects anything. Seriously, I’d know it if they did. You’re fine. I just… Don’t worry about it.”
“You won’t tell anyone, right?” Matt’s voice is hard in a way Nick’s never heard before. He moves slightly in front of Nick, squaring up like he’s ready to fight. If they were on the ice, Nickwould be preparing for dropped gloves.
“What? God, no!” Sunny sounds horrified at the prospect. “Your business is your business, man. I can keep a secret. I—Trix, are you… good?”
Nick blinks. His chest feels tight. Is he hyperventilating? “Shit.”
Suddenly, Matt’s hand is on his chest, his face right in front of his. “Breathe, baby,” he murmurs. “You’re okay. It’s okay. Sunny’s cool, right? You trust him?” With a rattling gasp of breath, Nick nods. “Everything’s gonna be fine.”
“Nick…” Sunny moves closer, brows furrowed. “I won’t say anything to anybody. Far as I’m concerned, this never happened. Just maybe save the rest of whatever I interrupted for when you get home, yeah?” He cracks a shaky smile, which Nick tries hisbest to return. Breathing is getting easier, though he still feels lightheaded.
“Yeah. Sorry. I—We should’ve been more careful.” He’s such a fucking idiot. These bathrooms are private but the outer door doesn’t lock. Anyone could’ve walked in on them. What the hell was he thinking?
“It happens.” Sunny grins at him, reaching out to pat his shoulder. “I’m gonna go back to the party. But, uh, I do actually need to piss, so…”
“Oh!” Nick scrambles to the side, out of the way of the stalls.
He and Matt stand braced against the sinks, staring awkwardly at each other and pretending they can’t hear Sunny peeing over the quiet background music. Nick’s hands are still trembling, his heart rate having not quite returned to normal.
They got lucky, here. If there’s anyone on the team he’d trust with this information more than Marco, it’s Sunny—that big ball of sunshine has never had a prejudiced bone in his body.
The thought of how that could’ve gone with anyone else makes him want to throw up.
Sunny leaves the stall and washes his hands, giving Nick a half-smile. “I’ll see you back out there. And, uh, again, I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault,” Nick dismisses immediately. When he’s gone, Nick slumps against the wall, letting out a long sigh. “Jesus fucking Christ.”
Matt immediately strides over and wraps him in a crushing hug. Nick buries his face in his chest, melting into the embrace, feeling his eyes itch at the corners. He can’t cry now—then it’ll bereallyobvious something happened when he goes back to the others. “Take your time, sweetheart,” Matt soothes, stroking his hair. His heartbeat is fast under Nick’s cheek, but still steadier than Nick’s own, and Nick allows himself a few moments ofsolace before pulling away and straightening up. He runs a hand over his face.
“I’m fine,” he says, wondering which one of them he’s trying to convince. “I’m fine.”
“You sure? We can hang out here a little longer.”
It’s a sweet offer, but Nick can’t take it. “More chance of other people walking in.” He squares his shoulders with a steadying breath and checks himself in the mirror. Face a little flushed, eyes a little bloodshot. All easily excused by alcohol.
He can practically see the mask fall over his face, smile twisting into something a little too bright to be real. This is what he does best, after all. “I’m fine. Let’s go.” He pulls his hand out of Matt’s, even as the other man eyes him warily.
“If you’re sure. Just let me know if you need an out. I can make excuses.”
