Chapter 15: The Youth Clinic

The morning came clear and cold.

Sebastian woke to sunlight streaming through the curtains, the first bright sun they had seen in days. The snow had stopped. The sky was a deep, sharp blue. The mountains outside sparkled like they had been dusted with diamonds.

Julian was still asleep, his head on Sebastian's chest, his hand curled against Sebastian's stomach. His face was peaceful, the lines of worry smoothed away. Sebastian watched him for a long time, not wanting to move, not wanting to break the quiet.

But Julian's eyes fluttered open. He blinked up at Sebastian and smiled.

"Morning," Julian said.

"Morning. You slept."

"I slept. Really slept. No dreams."

Sebastian kissed his forehead. "Good."

Julian stretched, careful of his knee. "What time is it?"

"Late. The sun is already up."

Julian sat up and looked at the window. "The clinic. The kids are probably already on their way."

Sebastian groaned. "I forgot about the kids."

"You cannot forget about the kids. They are the whole reason we are here."

"I thought we were here for conflict resolution."

Julian laughed. "That too."

---

Sebastian reached out and tugged Julian back down before he could get out of bed. “Come here a minute,” he said softly.

Julian let himself be pulled in, curling against Sebastian’s side again. Their legs tangled under the blanket, bodies warm and close. Sebastian’s hand slid under Julian’s shirt, resting flat on his stomach, then lower, fingers wrapping gently around his cock. He stroked him slowly, lazily, with no hurry at all. Julian’s breath hitched, but he relaxed into it, his own hand finding Sebastian and returning the touch.

They kissed softly, mouths moving together in the quiet room, the only sounds their breathing and the faint rustle of the blanket. It built slow and sweet until Julian came with a quiet moan against Sebastian’s lips, and Sebastian followed right after, holding him tight through the aftershocks.

They lingered there for a long moment afterward, foreheads pressed together, sharing lazy kisses and soft touches, reluctant to leave the warmth of the bed.

Finally, Sebastian kissed the tip of Julian’s nose. “Okay. Now we can get up.”

---

They dressed quickly and made coffee. The cabin felt different in the daylight, brighter, warmer. The fire had died completely, so Sebastian built a new one while Julian made toast.

"The coordinator called last night while you were sleeping," Julian said. "The buses are coming at nine. There will be about twenty kids, ages eight to twelve. We are running drills, teaching basic skills, and then a scrimmage at the end."

Sebastian nodded. "I can do that."

"You can do that. You are a captain."

"Being a captain does not mean I am good with kids."

Julian grinned. "You are good with me. And I am basically a child."

"You are thirty years old."

"Mentally, eight."

Sebastian threw a dish towel at him. Julian caught it and laughed.

---

The buses arrived at exactly nine.

Sebastian stood on the porch, watching them roll up the mountain road, yellow and slow against the white snow. The doors opened and kids poured out, screaming, laughing, chasing each other through the drifts. Coaches and parents followed, trying to herd them toward the rink.

Julian came up beside him. "Ready?"

"Not even a little."

"Good. That means you are honest."

They walked down to the ice together. The rink had been cleared overnight by a small plow. The surface was rough, but it would work.

The kids lined up, staring at them with wide eyes. A few recognized Sebastian. A boy in the front row pointed.

"That is Sebastian Cruz! He is the captain of the Storm!"

Sebastian felt his face warm. "Hi, everyone. I am Sebastian. This is Julian. We are going to be your coaches for the next few days."

A girl raised her hand. "Are you two brothers?"

Sebastian and Julian looked at each other.

"We are stepbrothers," Julian said carefully.

"Oh." The girl seemed satisfied with that answer.

Another boy raised his hand. "Why are you both here? Did you get in trouble?"

Julian smiled. "Something like that. But we are here to teach you hockey, not talk about us. So let's get on the ice."

---

The practice was chaos.

Kids fell down. Kids forgot which way to skate. Some shot the puck at the wrong net. Sebastian ran drills while Julian moved through the group, correcting sticks, adjusting helmets, showing them how to keep their heads up.

Sebastian watched Julian work. He was patient in a way Sebastian had never seen. He crouched down to talk to the smallest kids, made them laugh, made them feel like they mattered.

During a water break, Sebastian skated over to him.

"You are good at this," Sebastian said.

Julian shrugged. "I like kids. They do not judge you. They just want to have fun."

"They also ask a lot of questions."

Julian laughed. "That too."

The little girl from the first day skated up to them. She was the same one who had asked if they were brothers.

"Julian, can you teach me to stop? I keep falling."

Julian crouched down. "Sure. Watch my feet."

He showed her how to turn her skates, how to dig in the edges, how to lean back. She tried and fell. Julian helped her up. She tried again and fell again.

"Keep trying," Julian said. "You will get it."

After the fifth try, she stopped without falling. Her face lit up.

"I did it!"

Julian high-fived her. "See? I told you."

She skated away, beaming. Sebastian watched Julian's face. He was smiling, really smiling, the kind of smile that reached his eyes.

"You would make a good dad someday," Sebastian said.

Julian looked at him, surprised. "You think so?"

"I know so."

Julian's cheeks flushed. "We are not having that conversation right now."

"What conversation?"

"The one where you say something sweet and I get emotional."

Sebastian grinned. "Noted."

---

The scrimmage was at the end of the day.

Sebastian and Julian split the kids into two teams. Sebastian coached one. Julian coached the other. The game was messy and chaotic and absolutely wonderful. Kids scored on their own net. Kids celebrated goals that did not count. Kids fell down and got back up and fell down again.

At the final buzzer, the score was tied. Sebastian's team thought they had won. Julian's team thought they had won. Both sides celebrated.

Julian skated over to Sebastian. "That was the best game I have ever been a part of."

Sebastian nodded. "Me too."

The kids mobbed them, asking for autographs, asking when they would come back, asking if they could come to their real games. Sebastian signed sticks and jerseys and hats. Julian took pictures with parents.

When the buses finally pulled away, the sun was setting. The sky was pink and gold. The mountains were purple in the fading light.

Sebastian and Julian stood on the ice, alone, the rink empty around them.

"Thank you," Julian said.

"For what?"

"For today. For being here. For not making it weird."

Sebastian took his hand. "It is not weird. It is just us."

Julian squeezed his hand. "Just us."

---

They walked back to the cabin in silence, hand in hand, their boots crunching on the snow. The fire was still burning inside. The cabin was warm.

Julian sat on the couch and put his leg up. His knee was swollen, the brace tight around it.

"How bad?" Sebastian asked.

"It will be fine. I just overdid it."

Sebastian knelt in front of him, carefully removed the brace, and began massaging Julian's calf.

"You do not have to do that," Julian said.

"I want to."

Julian closed his eyes. "You are going to spoil me."

"Good. Someone should."

---

That night, they ate leftovers by the fire. Julian's knee felt better after rest and ice. Sebastian made tea, and they sat together, not talking, just being.

"Tomorrow is another day of clinic," Julian said.

"Then we rest tomorrow night."

"And then the day after, we go back."

Sebastian nodded. "Back to reality."

Julian leaned his head on Sebastian's shoulder. "I am not ready."

"Me neither."

"But we have to."

"I know."

They sat in the quiet, the fire crackling, the snow beginning to fall again outside. The world was waiting for them. Richard Frost was waiting for them. But not tonight.

Tonight, there was just the cabin and the fire and the two of them.

And that was enough.