LOGINBy the time they stepped out of the rink, the sky had already darkened as heavy droplets hit the pavement in sharp, relentless patterns.
The cold air wrapped around them instantly, soaking their clothes in seconds… they had just one umbrella and as Lukas adjusted himself was when Viktor shouted.
“Great!” Viktor yelled, pulling his jacket tighter. “You planned this? Huh?”
Lukas didn’t answer. His gaze lingered on the rain a second too long… his memories flooding him. It felt like their third meeting as children. It had rained heavily and Lukas hid under a tree for shelter… but Viktor ran there with just one umbrella, screaming out his name. When they got to Viktor's house, they were both soaked and laughing.
“Come on,” Viktor snapped him back to reality. “Unless you want us to run down the street with just one umbrella”. Lukas eyes widened and he paused. “Or do you plan on standing here all night?”
He didn’t. A ride came quickly, and the rest of the journey passed in a strange kind of silence… not awkward and not tense… just quiet. Lukas didn't know how to feel after finding out Viktor didn't forget anything that happened… it hurt him more than it pleased him.
By the time they got to Viktor’s place, they were both half-soaked, hair damp, clothes clinging slightly. Viktor barely got the door open before Lukas pushed his back to it.
That was it. There was no pause apart from breaks to catch their breaths, no thinking or second guessing. Lukas’s hand caught Viktor’s wrist, pulling him even closer, and their lips met before the door had even fully opened behind them.
It wasn’t slow… anyone could have caught them but they didn't care. It was everything they hadn’t said finally spilling out all at once.
Viktor let out a quiet sound against his mouth, hands coming up to grip Lukas’ shoulders as he was pushed back slightly, then forward again.
“Lukas—”
“Don’t,” Lukas muttered, breath uneven. “Don’t even talk.”
Viktor laughed softly and leaned in, like he wasn’t going to listen anyway as the kiss deepened. It was messy and uncontrolled, soft grunts and moans filling the air.
Lukas’s hands slipped down his waist again, lifting him like it had already become second nature. Viktor didn’t resist, his legs wrapping around him easily, arms sliding around Lukas’s neck as he tilted his head back slightly.
“Careful,” he murmured, though there was no real warning in it.
“Then stop me,” Lukas shot back, already moving.
And Viktor didn’t.
The room faded into the background as Lukas pushed the door open and kicked it shut behind them, moving straight toward the bed.
Viktor barely had time to react before he was dropped onto it, the mattress dipping beneath him as he let out a soft breath, looking up at the monster who had been keeping his cool and then he paused.
Lukas was already pulling his shirt off, careless and quick like he didn’t have the patience to do it properly and the time to waste.
Viktor blinked once in awe and then again.
“…wow,” he said under his breath, pushing himself up slightly on his elbows. “Who else has gotten the chance to see this beauty?”
Lukas didn’t even hesitate.
“No one but you.”
The words came out low and direct. Viktor could tell he wasn’t joking and for a second, Viktor just stared at him.
Something about that drove him mad.
Before he could say anything else, Lukas was already climbing the bed and closing the distance again.
“Your turn,” he muttered.
Viktor smirked slightly, fingers already moving to unbutton his shirt, slower than necessary.
“You’re impatient.”
“You’re slow.”
“And you’re daring.”
Lukas didn’t deny it or even look away. He kept staring at Viktor like a predator ready to pounce on his prey.
“I’m waiting.”
That was enough… Viktor finished quickly after that, tossing the shirt aside, but the second he looked back up, Lukas was already there again. Closer, his breathing heavier and unavoidable.
Their lips met again, slower this time but no less intense, like they were learning each other in real time. Their hands wandered, hair grabbed, lips and necks bitten… their breaths mixed.
Everything blurred into heat and lust and something that had been building for far too long. At some point, Viktor let out a quiet laugh, his breathing uneven as he shifted slightly beneath him.
“Wait—” he murmured, though he didn’t sound like he wanted him to stop. “Are we even thinking right now?”
Lukas shook his head against his neck, voice low.
“I’m not.”
“Yeah… I figured.”
Time lost meaning after that. It wasn’t about the control anymore or the distance or rules or pretending. It was just them and nothing else.
At one point, Viktor tensed slightly, a quiet, breathless sound slipping from him as he grabbed onto Lukas a little tighter.
“Wait…wait—” he laughed weakly, shaking his head in disagreement “It’s big! Are you serious?”
Lukas didn’t stop trying to make it fit, but he slowed, his voice quieter now, closer.
“You started this, Viktor.”
There was a way Lukas called his name that made his body react and Viktor huffed softly, eyes squeezing shut for a second. “I didn’t think you’d fit”
“You teased me,” Lukas cut in, pressing a slow kiss just below his neck. “For weeks.”
“That doesn’t mean—”
“It does now.” Lukas cut him off.
There was something dangerous about the way he said it… like a nice warning. Viktor exhaled slowly, his grip tightening around Lukas slightly before he let out a quiet breath.
“…fine,” he murmured. “Just… don’t kill me.”
A faint hint of a smile tugged at Lukas’s lips, though his voice stayed low.
“You’ll be fine.”
And softer, almost like a promise…
“I’ll be careful.”
The room was not quiet and Lukas didn't totally keep to his promise. Memories blurred and tears ran. Each thrust ran in the thin line between pain and pleasure… it went on for hours until Viktor's body started to give in.
Lukas caught a few of his words…
“Please Lukas–”
“Slower Lukas…”
“What are you doing Lukas?!” His eyes went wide with panic as Lukas lifted his legs to his shoulder, his eyes having no regret behind and Lukas responded.
“Getting rid of your attitude.” He said as he slid back in unapologetically and the night went on as the rain poured.
Viktor lay sprawled against the bed, breathing slow and uneven, completely drained, one arm thrown lazily across his face.
“…you’re insane,” he muttered, voice barely there.
Lukas, sitting at the edge for a moment, glanced back at him but didn’t respond. His moans, cries and pleas filled his mind and there was nothing appropriate to say. After a while, Viktor didn’t speak or move. At some point, he had just… drifted off and Lukas noticed.
He stood there for a second longer than necessary, watching him, something unreadable passing through his expression before he finally moved to lay down.
He didn’t touch him or pull him closer. He didn’t fix the distance between them. Instead, he laid down beside him… just close enough to feel the warmth, but not enough to close the space completely. Like he still wasn’t sure what this was or what it meant.
The rain continued softly outside, tapping against the windows reminding him of what had just happened.
The hotel entrance suddenly felt much farther away and nobody moved an inch and no, it was not because they were tired this time, but because every player standing outside had already turned toward them.There had to be at least forty of them wearing different jerseys, different colours, different languages and different countries.Some still carried hockey bags over one shoulder while others had obviously just finished showering. Lukas frowned."Why are they looking at us?" Nikola slowly stepped behind Elias."I… suddenly don't feel safe." Before anybody could figure out what was happening, someone started clapping just once.Then another pair of hands joined and another.Then another and within seconds, the entire entrance echoed with applause.It was not loud or dramatic. Just… respect.The Frost Wolves stood frozen and Joshua looked behind himself."Who's coming?" Absolutely nobody. The clapping was for them. Adrian scratched the back of his neck."This is awkward." Nikola whispere
Nobody spoke while leaving the ice and it was. No because anybody was angry and not because anybody was disappointed either. They were simply… empty.Every muscle protested with each step they took through the tunnel while melted ice dripped from their skates onto the rubber floor beneath them. The crowd was still roaring somewhere behind the walls but it sounded strangely distant now, almost like another world entirely. They had played all that, broken all bones and torn all muscles, just to lose. Nobody looked back.Coach walked ahead of them without saying a single word and for once...their silence was enough.The locker room door clicked shut behind them, helmets hit the benches one after another.CLACK.CLACK.CLACK.Joshua leaned back against his locker and closed his eyes."I don't think I have legs anymore.".Nikola dropped dramatically onto the floor."I don't think I have a soul anymore.""But you said that after practice.""Practice was easier." Elias pulled off his mask be
The fourth quarter started shortly after and the scoreboard never stopped moving, not because anyone scored but because time refused to slow down.Eight minutes.To seven.Nobody on the Frost Wolves looked at it anymore but Coach did. Even when everyone saw a few minutes, he saw very few seconds. Every glance made his jaw tighten a little more."Keep pushing." And nobody needed telling twice. The faceoff dropped and Lukas stole it cleanly before immediately sending it toward Adrian.Not Viktor…not this time.Adrian caught it without breaking stride before spinning away from the first defender. The second Dragon arrived almost immediately.Shoulder.Stick.Pressure. And Adrian refused to panic. He slipped the puck behind himself instead and Joshua appeared from nowhere."...Mine." He fired as though trying to redeem himself.THUD.The shot never reached the net. A Dragon blocked it with his shin before the rebound bounced harmlessly toward the corner but Nikola was already there.He re
The whistle echoed across the arena before disappearing beneath another wave of noise and nobody wanted to rush anymore.Not the Frost Wolves, not the Dragons. Everybody simply moved and observed everything.And one thing was for certain, Coach had been right.The moment they stopped forcing the patterns, the game changed completely.Lukas caught the opening faceoff but instead of looking for Viktor like he had every single shift before, he just spun the opposite direction."Huh?" The Dragon captain actually slowed down, just slightly. Long enough for Lukas to fire the puck toward Nikola instead and Nikola almost lost it."...ME?" Lukas frowned but before he could yell, Coach screamed from outside."Play!" Coach's unprofessional shouting helped Nikola and everyone else get in the game totally. Nikola recovered immediately."...RIGHT!" But instead of passing, he skated. Straight through the neutral zone but one defender stepped toward him and Nikola slipped the puck between the man's s
The final eighteen seconds somehow lasted forever. The referee dropped the puck and nobody even thought about attacking anymore."Defend!" Coach shouted. The Dragons didn't rush and that was somehow worse.They carried the puck around the outside, forcing every Frost Wolf to keep moving. Left. Right. Behind the net, even across the blue line. They weren't looking for another goal, they were looking for another mistake."Stay with him!" Lukas shouted as another black jersey drifted toward the slot.Joshua followed and Nikola blocked the passing lane. Adrian tied up a stick just as another Dragon tried cutting across the crease. The puck moved again.Tap.Tap.Across.Back.Nobody in black seemed to panic, they simply waited.Five seconds.Four.Three. The Dragon captain looked once toward the clock before winding up.SLAP.The puck exploded through three bodies.THUD.Elias caught it cleanly against his chest and this time he didn't wait. He threw both gloves over it immediately.The w
The captain didn't touch the puck. He didn't even touch Viktor. He simply skated beside him,matching every stride, watching and waiting. Almost like he was studying him.Viktor glanced toward him once before pushing harder, trying to create even half a metre of space between them but the Dragon followed without changing expression. He wasn't chasing him, he wasn't even trying to steal the puck anymore. He was simply there.Just close enough to be seen and close enough to be remembered. Of course, Lukas didn't like that. Not one bit.The whistle never came and the game continued flowing around them while Viktor circled behind, waiting for somebody to become available. Usually Lukas would've already been open by now, Adrian would've drifted toward the boards and Joshua would've cut across the middle.Instead, every route already had somebody standing there. Viktor hesitated for one second too long and the Dragon beside him smiled.Not a grin, not even mockery. It was just recognition.
Lukas kicked his door open, Viktor in hand as they laughed and walked in. The lights are off but Lukas knows his room through and through. Their giggles echoed through the hall.“That taxi driver will be scarred” Viktor laughed, planting a kiss on Lukas's forehead.“He just kept looking through the
Lukas didn’t remember getting up and walking back; he only remembered the cruelty of the cold and the quiet that followed every step, as well as how loud everything in his head felt compared to it.By the time he reached the door leading to the balcony, his hands were still shaking slightly. He did
Training that evening felt different and not the good kind. It was off. The energy on the rink had shifted, even if no one else could fully place why. Lukas was sharper than usual, his instructions more clipped, his patience thinner.“Focus,” he snapped at one player.“You’re dragging.”“Again!”He
“I'm sorry, father!” His little voice cried “I'll do better…I'll be a better child!” Lukas screamed. It was the same nightmare. The same routine. His father beat him to a pulp, wishing he were dead instead of his mother. It was the exact dream until–“Stop!” A small familiar voice screamed, “Don't







