Epilogue
ADAM
The following season—
“You were very sexy tonight,” Skylar said, crowding Adam against the door of their apartment as he fumbled with the keys. He’d been worked up their entire drive home from the Northern Lights game, filled with joy not only from their win, but mostly, Adam assumed, from Pride night.
“I just showed up and helped make sure teenagers were getting enough nachos,” Adam said, unwilling to take credit for how well their night had gone.
Skylar had spent the night on the ice, but Adam had spent the night representing Rainbow Hockey Club as they hosted a group of queer teens and their parents as they watched the game from the box, ate their weight in nachos and pulled pork, had space to connect with other young queer hockey players, and met the Northern Lights.
“Imagine being a gay teenager who is having their identity celebrated by an actual NHL team.”
“RHC is technically not associated with the NHL,” Adam said, finally getting the door unlocked and letting Skylar push him through it.
“You know what I mean. I was a teenager more recently than you, and it still blows my mind. If the captain of my local hockey team was gay and married to a hottie—”
Adam raised his eyebrow at him. It would be absurd to argue that Ryan Cosgrove wasn’t hot, but c’mon.
“You know what I mean,” Skylar said again.
His energy gentled as he pressed Adam against their closed front door, hands on his hips.
The brim of Adam’s backward hat hit the door, and Skylar took it off, fluffing the hair that was matted under it and pressing a kiss to his forehead.
“Love when you have my name on your forehead like that.”
“I’ll get a tattoo,” Adam joked. The hat was from the playoffs and he wore it liberally, and not just because his only other hat was a Heathens hat and it still made him a bit sad some days. He liked having Coburn—embroidered over the gap in the snapback—emblazoned on his forehead too.
“I don’t need my name on your neck,” Skylar said, referencing the Jackson that Ryan had recently added to a body already covered with tattoos. Ryan absolutely was the kind of guy who would get his husband’s name tattooed on his neck. “But I would like your…something…on my…something.”
“Is this Mad Libs?”
“I’m happy to let you fill in the blanks.”
“I’ll fill in something,” Adam said, finally nudging Skylar away from him so they could head upstairs to the loft.
When they first started officially dating, they were frantic to get each other naked as quickly as possible. Now, Skylar took his time hanging his suit up while Adam tossed his clothes in the hamper, picking up Skylar’s pajama pants he’d left on the floor that morning.
Adam could still feel Skylar’s gaze hot on his skin, though.
Slowly, Adam peeled off his remaining clothing.
The t-shirt from Pride night that he would save forever went into the hamper.
Jeans got tossed on the not-dirty-not-clean chair in the corner of the room.
They snuck glances at each other, pretending to mind their own business, but when Adam turned away from him and bent over to take off his underwear, he knew he had Skylar’s full attention.
The anticipation bubbled as they circled each other.
Skylar gave up on getting naked when he still had his underwear and one sock on, unable to resist the fact that Adam beat him to nudity.
Then Adam snapped the elastic of Skylar’s boxer briefs and it was on.
Skylar bent to wrap his arms around Adam’s thighs, picking him up to carry him the precarious two or three steps to their bed before tipping him onto the mattress.
Skylar couldn’t carry him across a desert, but every once in a while he liked to show off how strong he was.
Adam laughed as Skylar scrambled on top of him, reaching for the lube as he went. Adam took the opportunity to wrestle Skylar out of his remaining clothing before getting pushed back into the mattress, Skylar’s body blanketing him. He wasted no time finding Adam’s lips for a kiss.
“This is what I’ve always dreamed of,” Skylar said, pouring some lube on his hand and reaching between them. He teased Adam’s half-hard cock before taking the two of them together in his hand.
“The double jerk-off?” Adam asked. He liked all kinds of sex with Sky, but lazily frotting against each other was one of his favorites.
Low effort, high reward. All they had to do was enjoy each other’s bodies.
He wrapped his arms around Skylar’s shoulders, tangling his fingers on one hand into Skylar’s shaggy hair to pull their mouths together again.
Skylar laughed into the kiss, hand still working them together.
“No. Well, yes, but also just…coming home after a game with the man I love. Getting into the bed we share”—he paused to kiss Adam, either for emphasis or because he couldn’t wait any longer—“and having some quick-and-dirty sex before falling asleep next to each other.”
“It’s nice,” Adam agreed. He arched into Skylar’s touch, closing his eyes for a second as Skylar momentarily tightened his grip.
“Feel like I could do this forever,” Skylar said, kissing down Adam’s neck.
“Yeah,” Adam agreed, feeling floaty and good as Skylar kept jerking them together. Sex could be so relaxing when you trusted your partner so deeply.
“Let’s do it forever.”
“I think my dick would fall off.”
Skylar laughed against the warm skin of Adam’s throat, and it tickled.
“I mean you and me. Forever.”
The two of them talked about their future together a lot, and the dreams never had an expiration date. Adam had assumed they both wanted forever.
“I mean…Adam. Marry me.”
Adam gasped, suddenly paying full attention.
“Of course,” he said, too surprised by the question to have a coherent answer.
“Yeah?” Skylar asked, his hand speeding up. His smile was always so easy, but his eyes didn’t always sparkle. They were fucking glittering now.
“Baby,” Adam said, pulling him into a kiss. He was right on the edge. Skylar adjusted his grip to focus on Adam and his orgasm came easily since he was so joyful and distracted.
He melted into Skylar’s focused kisses as Skylar finished himself off, adding to the mess between the two of them. Having your come mixed together on your stomach wasn’t exactly the height of romance, but Adam always loved it. It was undeniable.
Skylar sagged against Adam, the full weight of his big body crushing him. It felt incredible.
“Just to be clear,” Adam said, “now that we have post-orgasm clarity—we are engaged?”
“Yes, please,” Skylar said, nuzzling against his cheek and kissing his neck.
“Did you always know you were going to ask me to marry you when you had my dick in your hand?” Adam traced his fingertips down Skylar’s back and felt him shiver, his body shaking with a quiet laugh.
“I knew it would happen eventually. It just…felt right. You know I’m still working on my impulse control.”
Adam tipped Skylar’s face up to meet his with a finger on his jaw. He’d get to wake up to this beautiful face for the rest of his life.
“And thank God for that.” Adam laughed.