Chapter Five #3
“I think you’ll be fine. If you start to have any double vision or headaches, let me know immediately,” Jon told him.
“Sure,” Nix agreed. He would pretty much agree to anything to just be left alone. Something wasn’t right.
“Go ahead and shower. The game is almost over,” Jon said with a pat to his knee.
Nix yanked his shower bag from the hook then slowly made his way toward the showers. He hung the bag and his towel on the hooks provided. Turning the water on as hot as he could stand it, Nix stood under the spray as his actions caught up with him.
The coach would be mad. His teammates, what would they think? In one loss of control Nix might have ruined his whole career.
No! That wasn’t right.
Men got in fights all the time. Part of the reason that the audience liked their games better than the NHL was because of the fighting and laxer rules. He would be okay.
Everything would have to be okay.
Nix washed his body, hair, then just stood under the water until the shaking got worse. He smacked off the water and reached for his towel. Nix dried himself off and wrapped the towel around his waist. He picked up his shower bag before dragging his feet back to the locker room.
There were large screens around the locker room showing the remaining of the game.
Two minutes left.
Nix sat on his bench, utterly exhausted. Resting his head back, Nix watched his teammates but especially Evan.
What was happening between them?
Had Evan somehow figured out that Nix had feelings for him? Would things change between them now? Evan had truly become Nix’s best friend. Nix liked his other teammates, but it had been Evan who he spent the most time with.
They shared meals, got coffee together, Evan was his taste tester for all of Nix’s new baked attempts. It might not have been long. Nix knew it was sudden. Still, Evan meant something special to him.
Closing his eyes, Nix let his mind wander back to every wish he’d had in the last several weeks.
Late at night when Nix was lying in bed, he would think about Evan.
If his bestie knew about his desires, they probably wouldn’t be friends any longer.
Out of all the consequences he faced, Nix was most afraid of how Evan would respond.
Except Evan had called him a good boy. That surprised Nix and confused him more than anything else.
Nix had always thrived on praise and appreciation.
It was his kink. No, like literally, Nix had been to kink clubs and being praised was a big thing for him.
If his Dom wanted Nix to kneel for hours or do anything really, all Nix needed was the right motivation and appreciation.
He’d been very careful not to reveal any of that to Evan though.
Evan was super smart. Head always buried in a book.
Fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, paranormal, intellectual, even romance.
Maybe Evan had figured Nix all out on his own.
Now that was a scary thought. With his head pounding, Nix just wanted to curl into a ball and not have to worry about anything else.
“Hey!”
It took all his effort, but Nix was able to blink open his eyes.
“There you are.” Evan was kneeling in front of him.
Huh, he must have dozed off. “What?” Nix straightened. “What happened? Where is everyone?” And how was Evan showered and dressed already?
“We let you sleep. I checked in with Jon to make sure you were okay. He assured me that you were fine. No concussion. The adrenaline leaving your system must have made you crash.”
“Coach?” Nix questioned.
“We’ll deal with all of it tomorrow. Right now, Evan is going to take you home. First, we need to get you dressed,” Laney said.
Damn, how had Nix not noticed his captain was beside him? “I’m so tired.”
“I know you are, baby. Let me help you.” Evan pulled Nix up and into his arms.
The shaking had stopped at least. He just felt spent. Like he’d used up every ounce of energy he had. Nix wanted to grab the clothes he’d folded and put on the shelf in his cubbie but that just seemed like too much effort.
“I got it,” Evan said. He placed a soft kiss to Nix’s forehead before taking the stack of clothes from Laney.
Evan knelt in front of him. “Put your hand on my shoulder. Lean on me. I’ll help you.”
That sounded like a good idea. Gripping Evan’s shoulder, Nix was able to lift one leg as Evan had him step into his underwear.
He’d only been wearing a towel. All his teammates had been around him as Nix had literally passed out in his cubbie.
Like a little kid that had needed a nap. How embarrassing.
Nix groaned as Evan pulled his underwear up under the towel.
“What’s the matter?” Evan questioned.
Nix liked the warmth of Evan’s shoulder under his fingers. He looked over at their captain though. “Is everyone mad at me?”
“Mad?” Laney relaxed against the cubbie at his back. “You're a hero.”
“Hero?” Nix repeated.
“The little shifter that beat up Crowly to protect our goalie,” Laney told him. “Even Marlin was cheering for you when you got your ass tossed from the game.”
Nix nodded. That was good that his team wasn’t mad. Now all Nix had to worry about was his mom and Gem.
Evan tapped his foot. “Pants now.”
“Oh, right.” He lifted his foot to try to help although honestly Evan was doing most of the work.
Not that the goalie seemed to mind. Evan encouraged him with soft words, gentle touches, and even a couple of small kisses to his forehead and cheek. Evan had him dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt in no time. Nix was in heaven.
As Evan collected Nix’s belongings, Laney rose.
“I’m going to leave you with Evan now. That’s okay?” Laney asked him.
Nix nodded letting Evan take most of his weight. “I…I’m sorry. I’m just so damn tired.”
“It’s fine,” Evan assured him. “You’ll bounce back. I have no doubt.”
Laney squeezed his shoulder. “Let Evan care for you. I’ll call tomorrow and check in.”
“Okay, Cap!” Nix gave him a thumbs-up.
Evan snorted then urged Nix toward the door. “Let’s get you home.”
“Can I still have my treats?”
“I’ll take care of everything,” Evan promised.