Danny

"Hell yeah, Little man," I shout at Theo as he smashes the puck down the ice towards Bryce. He's our top scorer for this game.

Theo beams at me with his magical smile. He glides over to me and smacks my stick with his, "don't call me little man. You know It's not true."

"Oh," I say back quickly and watch Bryce slide the puck in the other net. "Someone's frisky today." 

Coach blows his whistle, signaling for us to do a quick line change.

As we rush the wall and I climb over after Theo and hear him say, "you know I need you to get into my empty net."

Just as he says it, one of the other players skates by us, and I know he heard it. The way he turned around to watch me climb over the wall...I know he heard it, but it could've meant anything.

"You need to keep it down when you're horny," I whisper as he pulls his helmet off and drinks from his water bottle. His hair is wet with sweat, but he looks fantastic.

He finishes his drink and passes it to me, "no one heard. plus, what else would that mean at a hockey game."

He's right.
I'm overthinking it.
I take a drink but causally side-eye the other guy.
He's watching us talk and smirking.

Fuck.......I'm not overthinking it.

I shake my head to clear my head and look back to the game. We're up 4 to 0. Last game of the night, so we're in the semi-finals tomorrow. I risk a quick glance at Theo as he cheers the team on. He looks adorable....with his rainbow tape on this stick. "Hey," I say into his ear. "Be careful out there, ok?"

He stands up with the rest of the first line as we prepare for another line change. "Don't worry," says Theo calmly. "I've survived worse than a bunch of hockey players."

He flashes me a smile as coach blows his whistle. I'm over the wall right behind Him, racing towards our goal, when I see that guy hopping his wall. I just need to keep him away from Theo for 7 minutes...or the next line change. "How hard can that be," I mumble to myself.

*****
It turns out that it's very hard. The other offense seems to have kicked it into high gear as they try and score on us.

They have no chance of winning unless Theo and I fuck it up. Hasn't happened yet, but here I am, pinned against the wall fighting to get the puck out.

I take my shot and pass it down the curve of the wall toward Bryce and Theo. Theo cradles it and drops it back to Bryce, who races off to the other end. Brenden and Kyle are in hot pursuit, breaking off from the mash-up with me on the wall.

Theo skates over to me as the asshole slams his shoulder into him. 

"Watch it, dickface,"says Theo with an angry tone. My man knows how to stand up for himself.

"You watch it. FAGGOT," shouts the other guy, and then he shoves Theo back. If he wasn't amazing on skates, he would've fallen, but he's ok.

I can hear my heart pounding in my ears as I rush over to them, but Bryce and Brenden are on me, holding me back. The refs are blowing their whistles, stopping the game.

"Say that again, asshole," shouts Theo getting up in his face and pulling his helmet off.

"Theo," I shout to get him to calm down. Only the asshole takes his chance now that he's distracted, and sucker punches him in the face. As he spins around and starts to fall, I see him reach out to catch himself, but we all hear the loud painful CRACK as he hits the ice.

The asshole's getting pulled off the ice by his team, and the refs are breaking us all up as the coaches rush out onto the ice with the medics.

I feel Bryce holding me... and I realize he's holding me up...not back. "Dude. It's ok. He'll be ok," he says with concern. I pull myself up a bit, and the three of us head to the benches. Theo's on a stretcher being carried off by the time we get there, and Sheriff Collins is at the player's entrance. I can see from here that he's a mess.

Coach Anderson walks over, and he looks a little pale. "Coach! what's happening?" Asks Bryce, barely keeping his voice steady.

He shakes his head, "Bryce, head to the locker room. Your mom's going to the hospital. The rest of you stay put. The other team forfeit, but I want to give them time to get off the ice." 

Bryce jumps up in the middle of his message and races acrosse the rink before the rest of the team even registers everything.

"Oh shit," mumbles Brenden. The rest of the team looks sad...even Eric. I guess in the end, he did start to like the gay guy on the team.

*********
Theo-

I'm in a lot of pain right now....I've felt like this before, but fuck, it's been a while for sure. I hear the beeping sound and hear voices coming in and out of focus.

"Mason, you can't be hard on yourself....hockey's a rough sport," says a kind voice that sounds like Aunt Tasha.

"I know. I'd be torn up if it were Bryce too. But, he's just had a rougher life, and I wanna protect him," sighs uncle Mason.

I feel him shift next to me. It's at this moment that I realize I'm strapped down at the head, neck,....chest...arms.....fuck. Fuck. Fuckkkkkkkkk.

I guess I'm moving around a lot cause Uncle Mason is standing over me. I can't see him, but I can feel him move. "Theo. Calm down. It's ok. You're ok."

"What...what happened. I can't move, and it's dark," I say in a scared voice.

"You have a concussion, so the lights'll hurt, your face has a massive bruise forming, and you broke your arm when you fell," says Uncle Mason with a hand squeeze.

"Can I sit up?" I ask and shift a bit.

He puts a hand on me, "not yet. They did the X-rays when you were out, so they have to make sure you don't have a neck injury. They gave you a blue cast, your favorite color, though. Now that you're awake, the doctor'll want to talk to you." 

"I'll get him," says Aunt Tasha, and I hear her turn to leave.

I wave my hand around for Uncle Mason to hold...I hate it, but I really need it. Thankfully he picks up on my body language and takes my hand. "I'm sorry you got hurt, Theo. I really am."

"It wasn't my plan," I say back and add a smile as he chuckles. "That guy was an asshole. What happened to him."

"They forfeit the game. I don't know what the school's gonna do to him, but I'm pressing charges," he says in an angry voice. I've never heard him this mad before.

"What no!" I say in protest.

"No one hurts my boy and gets away with it," he says quickly. We're silent for a beat. "You're my son Theo. I don't care about genetics. You're my son, and I love you." 

"I love you too," I say in a whisper.

The next thing I know, there's a knock on the door, and I jump. "Sorry," says Aunt Tasha, "the doctor wants to talk to us out here first." 

"Am I dying?" I ask, half-joking, half scared. I can feel my toes moving so I'm not paralyzed.

They both laugh, but it's farther away, so Uncle Mason is leaving the room. 

I'm lying down, unable to move, and I really need to pee when I hear another knock. So I jump again, but this time the voice is different. It's colder and more annoyed than anything. "Hello, Theodore. I'm Erica Winters. I'm with the Department of Child Services."

"You're a social worker?" I say back.

"I am. I want to talk to you about your injuries," she says back quickly.

"Oh, ok. That's not bad then," I think to myself. Then out loud, I say, "not much to say. He called me a faggot. I yelled back, and he punched me. It's —"

She cuts me off and says, "not tonight. I want to know about the broken bones. The scars on your body. How long has your uncle been abusing you?"

"What? He isn't. He'd never do that to me," I say, and again I try and get up. "Where's Uncle Mason. I want to see him."

"Calm down. You don't need to protect him. How long have you lived with him? When were you taken? This is a safe space," she says back, but I don't feel any warmth or safety from her.

"Like six months. He didn't hurt me. That was my Dad," I say back, and I start to push on the straps. "I wanna see my uncle. He's not hurting me."

"Theo. I've seen the X-rays. Your other arm was broken a few months ago. Spiral fracture. That means someone broke it," she says. "Who was it? If it wasn't your uncle, then is your aunt abusing you. Or one of your cousins. I need to know to keep you safe."

"Then. Listen. To. Me. They. Aren't. Hurting. ME!!!" I say and struggle more and more. My arm is killing me, but I don't care. It's in a cast, so it can't get worse, at least. I want to get up.

"Calm down," she snaps. "Speak to me like an adult."

"Let me up, and I'll talk. I promise," I say back bitterly. 

She calls for someone, and I hear them enter the room. "He wants up so he can talk," she says, and I feel hands unstrapping me.

"Ok, kid. I dimmed the lights so your eyes won't hurt. Just be careful when you sit up," says the nurse. He has a deep voice.

I look around and see a tall woman looking over me and a male nurse leaving the room. "Now. Talk," she says. This lady hates her job. I can tell.

When the nurse left the room, I look around and make my escape. I bolt to the door before she even has a chance to react. I didn't think about the IV in my arm, but it rips out as I run. I don't care. It's not important. "UNCLE MASON," I shout.

I hear him shout out from down the hall, and when I see him, he looks distraught, but he pushes pass the security guard.

"Theo! It's gonna be ok," He says quietly as he wraps his arms around me. Not even caring that I'm bleeding on him now. He looks at the social worker and shouts, "what did you do to him?"

She doesn't even Flinch at this. "His arm was broken recently, and I'm required to find out what happened."

Through the tears, I manage to say, "my Dad did it. Last summer. Uncle Mason didn't hurt me."

He pulls me closer and kisses my forehead before answering, "I would never hurt him. Read his report from Seattle."

The Doctor chimes in, "like I said. It's an older break."

Aunt Tasha seems to have had enough, "so you knew it was an old break. We told you we didn't do it. Theo told you we didn't do it, but you didn't believe him, and now he's traumatized."

I feel someone putting a bandage on my arm to stop the bleeding. The nurse just smiles at me whispers for me to hold it for now.

"He has a history of being abused and lying about it. So I had to be sure your son wasn't doing anything. Not that the hallway needs to know, but he's had issues with past foster brothers," snaps the social worker.

Uncle Mason loosens his grip on me and turns to look at her thoroughly. "They aren't foster brothers. They're cousins. They're family. You got your answer. If you wanna talk to Theo again, you'll do it at his HOME. Where he feels safe. Now step aside so we can fix him up and go home."

She nods and steps aside, but as we walk by, I hear her say, "I'll be seeing you soon, Theo."

"I Can't wait to show you how wrong you are," says Aunt Tasha. I feel her hand on my back, and I feel safe. It's been a long, long time since I've felt safe with adults....it feels nice.

"Theo. Take a seat," says the nurse from the hallway. "It's good to see you awake. How's your head?"

"I've had worse....but I'm tired," I say quietly.

"You've had a rough day," she says. "Why don't you lean back, and I'll get to work cleaning you up."

Uncle Mason is on my left, looking at me with love. Aunt Tasha hates blood and is currently looking anywhere but at me.

********
Hours later. I'm cleared. Mild concussion. Broken left arm. A bandage on my right.

The nurse said I'll probably have scars, but what else is new. Coach stopped by with my hockey bag a couple of hours ago, so I at least get to wear pants.

"Are we going home tonight?" I ask quietly. My head still hurts.

Uncle Mason shakes his head, "we talked to Bryce, and he's ok with us leaving in the morning. But we're heading to the hotel. You and Jackson have to share a bed for the night."

"Where's Mandy?" I ask. "I'll take the floor if she's already sharing."

Aunt Tasha smiles at the sad offer, "no, we got a pull-away cot for her anyways."

"Stop asking to sleep on the floor, kiddo. It's never going to be the answer," says uncle Mason.

"That's 'cause you're the best Dad," I say back.

I think he might cry, but his face changes to one of confusion, "Danny? What are you doing here?"

I turn, and see an exhausted Danny starting to stand up. His eyes are red from lack of sleep and crying. That much is clear.

I don't even think about what needs to happen next.

"You came?" I say as I hug him.

I feel him relax as he pulls me in close. "Of course. I needed to make sure you were ok. I'm so sorry I didn't stop him."

I shake my head, "it was my fault for getting in his face."

Before Danny can respond, Uncle Mason clears his throat, "I'm pretty sure I know what's happening here....but what's happening here?"

I look at Danny, who's exhausted, but still smiles. He's taller than me, but he meets me in the middle when I move to kiss him. I turn back to Uncle Mason, "we're dating. And Bryce knows."

Aunt Tasha looks like she's trying to hold back a smile, but when it opens up on her face, she smacks Uncle Mason. "I told you."

"Hush," says Uncle Mason. "Ok, boys. Get to the car. Danny, we'll drop you off at the hotel."

We walk out to the van together. As Danny opens the door, Uncle Mason stops us. "We're not done talking about this....but I'm very happy this is happening. Danny, I need to know what your parents know, so when you drop Bryce off tomorrow, be ready for some questions."

"My parents know, but I'll be ready for questioning, sheriff Collins," he says with a smile.

"Ok good," says Uncle Mason. "Hop in. You need to get to bed."

"Yes, sir," he says with a sleepy voice as he climbs in. I take my seat next to him, and he immediately takes my hand and lays his head on my shoulder.

Again...I kind of love how protective and affectionate Danny can sometimes be.

I nuzzle up next to him and whisper what's in my heart, "I love you."

Danny pulls me closer, "I love you too." He's sleepy. I'm exhausted, but we're both thrilled.