7
Spencer Maldonado stood in the tunnel leading to the ice and tried to control his breathing.
The arena was packed. The crowd was roaring.
Everything was loud and bright and overwhelming.
He had played in big games before. He had played in front of hostile crowds.
He had never played against Northwood State since he left.
His old teammates were on the other side of the ice. He could see them warming up, their familiar faces twisted into expressions of contempt. He could see Ryan, his ex-boyfriend, skating laps with that same arrogant smirk he had always worn. Spencer's stomach churned.
Layton appeared at his side. "You okay?"
Spencer nodded. He couldn't speak. His throat was too tight.
Zavier appeared on his other side. "We've got your back. Whatever happens out there, we've got your back."
Spencer looked at them both. Layton's face was serious. Zavier's was unreadable. But they were there. They were standing with him.
He nodded again. He could do this. He had to do this.
The puck dropped and the game began.
Spencer played like a man possessed. He was everywhere at once, skating faster than he had ever skated, scoring goals and making assists and doing everything he could to prove that Northwood had made a mistake when they threw him away.
His old teammates tried to check him. They tried to trash talk him. Nothing worked. He was untouchable.
The first period ended with Eastern leading 2-0. Spencer had scored both goals. The crowd was on their feet.
In the locker room, Layton grabbed his shoulder. "That was incredible. You're playing out of your mind."
Zavier nodded. "Keep it up. They're getting frustrated. They're going to start taking penalties."
Spencer said, "I know. I'm ready."
The second period was even more intense. Northwood was getting desperate. They were playing dirty, slashing and hooking and doing everything they could to slow Spencer down. He didn't let it affect him. He kept skating. He kept scoring.
The third period started with Eastern leading 4-1. Spencer was on a breakaway. He could see the goal. He could see the opening. He was going to score again.
Then he saw Ryan coming from the side.
Ryan checked him from behind. It was illegal. It was vicious. Spencer went flying into the boards, his shoulder hitting the glass with a sickening crack. He heard the bone break before he felt the pain. Then everything went black.
When he opened his eyes, he was on the ice. The world was spinning. His shoulder was on fire. He could hear screaming. It wasn't the crowd. It was Layton and Zavier.
They were both on the ice. Layton had Ryan by the throat. Zavier was holding Layton back. The refs were trying to separate them. It was chaos.
Spencer tried to sit up. He couldn't. He was in too much pain. He closed his eyes.
Someone was shouting his name. It sounded like Layton. It sounded like Zavier. It sounded like both of them.
He tried to open his eyes. Everything was blurry. He could see the ceiling of the arena, the lights, the faces of his teammates hovering over him.
Then everything went dark again.
He woke up in the hospital. His shoulder was in a sling. His head was throbbing. He had a concussion. He had a broken collarbone. He was going to be out for weeks.
Layton and Zavier were both there. They were sitting on either side of his bed. They looked like they hadn't slept in days.
"You're awake," Layton said. His voice was hoarse. He looked wrecked.
Zavier said, "You scared us."
Spencer tried to speak. His throat was dry. "What happened?"
"Your ex-boyfriend is in jail," Zavier said. "He's been charged with assault. He won't be playing hockey again."
Spencer wanted to feel relieved. He just felt tired. And in pain.
Layton said, "We're going to take care of you. You're not going to be alone."
Spencer looked at him. Layton's eyes were red-rimmed. His face was pale. He looked like he had been crying.
Spencer said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."
"Don't apologize." Zavier's voice was sharp. "You didn't do anything wrong. Ryan did. He's the one who should be sorry."
Spencer nodded weakly. He was so tired. He closed his eyes.
He drifted in and out of sleep. He heard voices. He heard his teammates coming to visit. He heard Terry King's gruff voice. He heard Drew Matthews making jokes. He heard Sophie Gibson talking to the nurses. He heard Skyler Bradley quietly making sure everything was organized.
But most of all, he heard Layton and Zavier. They never left. They were always there.
Later that night, Spencer was drifting in and out of sleep. He heard Layton and Zavier talking. They thought he was asleep.
"I can't lose him," Layton was saying. His voice was shaky. "I know I don't deserve him. I know I'm a piece of shit. But I can't—"
"You won't lose him." Zavier's voice was low and steady. "Neither of us will. We'll make this right. We'll protect him."
"Like we should have from the beginning."
There was a pause. Then Zavier said, "I want him. I want you too. I want both of you."
Layton was silent for a long time. Then he said, "I know. Me too. I don't know how to do this. But I know I want it."
Spencer's heart was pounding. He pretended to be asleep. But he had heard everything.
He lay there in the dark, his shoulder throbbing, his head spinning, and he thought about what he had heard. Layton and Zavier wanted him. They wanted each other. They wanted all three of them together.
He didn't know what to do with that information. He didn't know if he could trust it. He had been hurt so many times. He had been used and discarded and betrayed. He didn't know if he could open himself up again.
But something in him wanted to try. Something in him wanted to believe that this time would be different.
He fell asleep to the sound of their voices, low and steady, talking about him like he was the most important person in the world.
He woke up the next morning to find Layton and Zavier both asleep in the chairs beside his bed. They looked exhausted. They looked like they hadn't left his side all night.
Spencer watched them sleep. Layton's face was peaceful, his usual arrogance stripped away. Zavier's was relaxed, his usual intensity softened.
They were beautiful. Both of them. Spencer had known that from the beginning. But seeing them like this, vulnerable and protective and completely focused on him, made something shift in his chest.
He loved them. He didn't know how or when it had happened. But he loved them.
He closed his eyes and let himself feel it. Just for a moment. Just for himself.
When he opened them again, Layton was awake. He was watching Spencer with those blue eyes, full of concern and hope and something that looked almost like love.
"How are you feeling?" Layton asked.
Spencer said, "Better."
Zavier stirred. He opened his eyes and looked at Spencer. His expression was unreadable.
"Good," Zavier said. "You had us worried."
Spencer smiled weakly. "I'm sorry."
"Stop apologizing." Zavier's voice was gruff. "You didn't do anything wrong."
Layton reached out and took Spencer's hand. Spencer didn't pull away.
"We're going to take care of you," Layton said. "We're going to make sure you're okay. You're not going to be alone."
Spencer looked at them both. His eyes were burning. He was so tired of being alone. He was so tired of fighting.
"Okay," he said. "Okay."
The days that followed were strange and beautiful and terrifying. Spencer was in the hospital for three days. Layton and Zavier were there the whole time. They brought him food. They brought him books. They brought him stupid movies to watch. They never left him alone.
The team came to visit. Drew Matthews brought a stack of terrible action movies. Terry King brought a home-cooked meal. Reggie Tanner brought a get-well card covered in terrible drawings. Sophie Gibson brought his homework. Skyler Bradley brought fresh clothes.
Spencer was overwhelmed. He had never had this before. A family. A real one.
But the best moments were the quiet ones. The moments when Layton and Zavier were both there, sitting on either side of his bed, holding his hands and talking to him like he was the most important person in the world.
One night, when Spencer was finally strong enough to sit up, Layton brought it up.
"You heard us. In the hospital."
Spencer didn't pretend otherwise. "Yeah."
Zavier's face paled. "All of it?"
"All of it."
There was a long silence. Then Layton said, "I meant it. Every word."
Zavier nodded. "Me too."
Spencer looked between them. They were both so vulnerable. So open. He had never seen them like this. They were always fighting, always competing. But right now, they were just scared. Scared of him. Scared of each other. Scared of what they wanted.
Spencer said, "I can't be your experiment. I can't be the guy you try out before you go back to women. I've been there. I can't do it again."
Layton stepped forward. "That's not what this is. I don't want to experiment. I want you. I want Zavier. I want the three of us. Together."
Zavier said, "I don't care about labels. I don't care what people think. I just want to be with you. Both of you. For real."
Spencer stared at them. He wanted to believe them. He wanted to believe them so badly it hurt.
But he had been hurt too many times. He had been betrayed by people who promised him everything and gave him nothing. He had been used and discarded and left to pick up the pieces on his own.
He said, "I need time. I need to think about it."
Layton nodded. "Take all the time you need."
Spencer lay back on his pillows and stared at the ceiling. He was exhausted. He was confused. He was terrified.
But underneath all of that, there was hope. Tiny and fragile and completely terrifying. But it was there.
He fell asleep to the sound of Layton and Zavier's breathing. He woke up to find them still there, still watching over him.
He didn't know what was going to happen. He didn't know if this was going to work. But for the first time in a long time, he wanted to try.
Three days later, Spencer was released from the hospital. Layton and Zavier took him back to campus. They didn't let him out of their sight. They brought him food. They sat with him in silence. They didn't talk about what they had said in the hospital room. They didn't talk about anything.
But it was okay. Spencer needed time. He needed to figure out what he wanted.
And what he wanted was them.
On the fourth night, Spencer called them both. He said one word: "Okay."
Layton and Zavier were at his door within minutes. They stood in the doorway, looking at him with wide eyes.
"Okay?" Layton asked. "Okay what?"
Spencer said, "Okay. I want to try. I want all of us to try."
Zavier stepped forward. "You're sure?"
Spencer nodded. "I'm sure."
They walked into his room and closed the door. They sat on his bed, one on either side of him. They didn't touch him. Not yet.
Layton said, "We're going to do this right. We're not going to hurt you. We're not going to use you. We're going to take it slow."
Zavier said, "We're going to prove to you that we're serious. That this is real."
Spencer looked at them both. He could see the fear in their eyes. He could see the hope. He could see the love.
He said, "I believe you."
Layton reached out and took his hand. Zavier did the same.