"Why are you babying me?" Xian rolled his eyes at Azure. He couldn't understand what the fuss was all about. One second he was celebrating his victory, and the next he was sitting on a cold chair being prodded by a doctor.

"What do you mean by babying?" Azure narrowed his eyes, and while there was no anger behind them, Xian knew the older man was genuinely concerned. "You literally fainted in my arms, and by the number of stitches on your forehead, it indicates that this is serious!" Turning to face the doctor, Azure inquired, "How is he?" 

Shaking her head at their antics Doctor Kim was about to answer when the door burst open and Coach Chen walked in with a frown on his face. Just before the door closed, Xian caught a glimpse of rest of the team. 

Oh boy!

"Doc, how's he?"

"Mr. Lan, Xian was in need of emergency medical aid, which was provided to him promptly. I sutured his forehead to stop the excessive bleeding and--"

"Hey doc!" Xian gave her an awkward grin and asked, "Do you think my beautiful face is going to scar?" 

As much as he tried to lighten the mood, it seemed to have the opposite effect. Both brothers turned their attention to him, and their expressions were identical.

Exasperated.

On the other hand, Doctor Kim found them to be adorable. "It might, but you always have the option of getting them covered through technology."

Before Xian could continue, it was Azure who quickly asked, "Earlier you were checking his ribs. Do you suspect any injury?"

"Wangji, you are a sportsman and are aware of all sports-related injuries. Without a scan, I might not be able to pinpoint the exact issue, but by observing Xian, I can detect that this could be a severe case of rib fracture. He needs to visit the hospital for a better prognosis."

"I'll make an appointment." Coach Chen was ready to dial the number when Xian knew he had to take control back into his hands or everything would be over.

"Hold on!"

Both the Lan brothers looked at him expectantly.

"I won't go to the hospital."

"Why not?" This time it was Azure who asked this question.

Taking a deep breath, Xian answered, "I just have one last match left. If we go to the hospital and I am asked to rest and sit out for this game, it would be the end of everything we all have worked so hard for. I won't allow that, and neither would I allow your concerns to sabotage my plans of winning the cup.

"I won't go even if it means I have to play the next game in immense pain. A lot has been taken away from me." Raising his eyes towards the Doctor, Xian glanced back at Azure and said, "This time I won't allow it."

The room was plunged into silence. It was then that Doctor Kim finally said, "This is going against my ethics, but I'll prescribe some medicines and compression tapes. But after your match, you need to visit the hospital to take care of your pain officially."

Giving her a salute Xian grinned.

Just then there was a knock, and once Coach gave permission to enter, Xian was pleasantly surprised to see Jeff's face.

"Hey, I was told you were all in here. Am I interrupting?"

"Not at all." Xian was ecstatic to see Jeff. "Did you see my game? We won!"

Giving Xian his trademark smile, Jeff laughed, "Oh yes! Congratulations!!!"

"Thank you! Where's Christian?"

"He was called back to the precinct." The moment those words were uttered, Xian could guess why Jeff was in front of them. "They need you for the case. If you're up for it, I'll drive you there myself."

"Thanks Jeff." Glancing around Xian addressed, "Can you all give Wangji and me a few minutes?"

With a small smile, it was Doctor Kim who left them to their own and the rest followed her.

"Azure-"

"You're asking me to wait for you back home, aren't you?"

Giving him a small chuckle, Xian nodded and said, "It seems like every time we part, this is what I keep asking you to do. If you leave here with me, the paparazzi will hound you. Instead, stay back for a while, and once it's safe, leave through the VIP section. I'll let Uncle Ren know of your whereabouts."

Making his way to where Xian was sitting, and gently cupping his face, Azure peered into his eyes and asked, "Are you alright, Wei Wuxian?"

Hearing that familiar name, Xian closed his eyes and leaned his head against Azure's chest. Such simple gestures always made his old heart flutter.

"I will be."

"I'm here." Azure's voice was soft as a breeze, and it kindled Xian's heart.

"I know."

He knew.

The moment Xian stepped outside, as expected even with the number of securities around, the paparazzi found their way towards him and stuck their microphones in front of his face and asked, "Congratulations, Mr. Wei. Your performance in this match was indeed wonderful. How do you feel?"

As much as Xian didn't want to be there, he was obligated to answer at least a few of their questions.

"Great. The team coordination was great, and we all worked hard to reach here."

"We can see the stitches on your face, and the kick you received at the end was brutal. Could you update us on your health?" 

"There's not much to say other than I'll be back for the finals."

"Between Thailand and Japan, who do you think would be your opponent in the finals?"

Xian had to get cocky here. With a smirk, he answered, "Whoever it is, it won't matter. In the end, there is just going to be one winner."

"Are you declaring that it is your team who is going to win the finals?" The reporter was smart, and Xian gave them his charming smile.

"I didn't say that. There will be just one winner in the end." To placate the matter, with a wink, Xian concluded, "Both teams are great. It will be a pleasure to play either one of them."

He posed for the camera, hoping they would post a good picture of his face, when another reporter dared to ask, "Xian, with the trial beginning tomorrow, do you think it would affect your game?"

F*ck! Xian had completely forgotten about the trial. No wonder Christian wanted to meet.

"I'm here to play. I'm sure justice would be met out to those who are at the wrong end."

Just as Xian was to leave, the same reporter prodded further, not leaving anything for assumption: "Is it true that the former athlete Miron and you were in a relationship? Are you gay, Mr. Wei?"

There were collective gasps. There has always been an unwritten rule to never 'out' a person. Speculations have always spread around, but no one has dared to ask this question so openly, be it in any field, and now with this piece of imbecile asking, this meant they were out for blood. But before Xian could answer, Coach Chen covered him and pushed him gently towards Jeff's waiting arms.

"No further questions, please."

Xian couldn't remember much after that except when he felt Jeff gently tapping his knee and he came back to reality. "We're here."

They were escorted safely to a private room where Detective Ryan Gold and Christian were waiting for them.

"Congratulations on your win, Mr. Wei." Watching a genuine smile grace the detective's face made Xian forget his own pain.

"Thank you. How have you been?"

"Very well."

Christian quickly walked over and gave Xian a light one-arm hug. He knew how the other man shied away from intimate touches.

"Well done, kid. I am so proud of you."

Even after all these years, it gave Xian a great deal of a boost to hear such warm words from Christian. Like the validation of an elder brother.

Once they parted, Xian saw Christian's gaze land on Jeff, and their faces instantly changed. It was soft and full of love and adoration.

"Alright gentlemen. We need to brief Mr. Wei here for tomorrow's case. Jeff, it would be great if we could have you here as Xian's moral support. Would that be alright with you?"

"I'll be right here beside him. Plus, I have promised someone else that I will take care of Xian."

With a wink, he took a seat next to Xian, and soon the briefing started.

"Xian, with the trial beginning tomorrow, your matter is placed before the fast-track court. Meaning that in the next few months, this case would be closed and all the accused would receive their designated punishment."

"Do I have to be here for all the hearings?"

"No. We'll take your statement and present it tomorrow in front of the jury and judge. Given that if you win the cup and join the NHL, having you present here in person is going to be cumbersome. So in case of necessity, any examination or cross can be done via video calls."

"That would be great. So what do you need from me?"

The moment Ryan and Christian sought each other's eyes, Xian knew instantly something wasn't right.

"What?"

"The primary evidence that we submitted to the court, the video, though it is strong, nonetheless was obtained illegally. That will be challenged, and we might never get to produce it in court." 

"What?" Xian's voice was now just a whisper.

"The other evidence that we have is all strong, but this video would have been an added advantage."

"So what are you trying to imply?"

"There is a way, but..."

"But?"

"Xian." Christian was quick to clasp Xian's hand over the table as he said, "We need to leak a few seconds of your video to the public. Once they all see it, this will turn into a media trial where the jury will be manipulated into siding with you."

At this point, Xian wasn't even sure if he was breathing.

"How about if we morph Xian's face and reveal only the faces of those bast***s?"

Ryan agreed with Jeff's suggestion. "We can do that. If we post it from a secured network that would not herd it back to us, it will work."

They were all looking expectantly at Xian, and he was in dire need of some time to ponder over this situation.

"Can I have a few minutes to myself?"

Xian's feet led him to a dark corridor where there was a small window on a wall. Opening the window, he let the cool breeze caress his face as he thought back to their suggestion. Until a few weeks ago, he hadn't shared this ordeal with anyone, but now that the entire world knows what happened that night, people's perceptions are going to change towards him. He was aware, and yet this was a decision he had to make.

*Trigger warning*

Closing his eyes, he remembered every second of that night. The pain, the humiliation, the degradation, the challenge he felt towards his masculinity... the things they did to him, the words that were whispered into his ears that even the video failed to capture...

'You just came, and yet you want more? Do you think if we double stuff this hole, you'll cum again?'

'I am going to insert this in you p*ni* and won't let you cum until you beg...' their laughs were sinister.

Xian clenched his fist at the memory of when he was forced to cum. He remembered how they had corrupted his body. They made him beg. He had no choice. He... had no choice. He had begged them. After that night he was so afraid to take a piss... They had fu**ed up with his mind.

When Xian walked away from that dark corridor, an impression of his fist embedded on the broken wall was the only witness to Xian's wrath.

Walking in, Xian declared, "Let's do it."

In a few hours, every nook and cranny of social media had the ten-second clip playing where Xian's face was morphed, but it would be easy for all to decipher who the victim was. His phone went off the moment the video went out, but all he could do was hold onto his own beliefs.

He will fight this. He has to. This time, there was a lot at stake.

Defencemen:

Either of two players who are positioned further back on the ice than the forwards, with the primary responsibility of clearing the defensive zone in front of their team's goal in order to prevent the opposing team from making offensive plays.