Scott Hunter x Kip Grady WIP
It’s not often Scott and Carter run together. It’s more convenient to just meet up at the arena’s gym when their schedules align. The run itself is unremarkable but that’s only because the real goal is at the end. Scott leads Carter to the place that started it all.
They make it to the streetfront of Straw+Berry and Scott realizes with slow horror one of his nightmares is becoming true.
“Huh, cheesy name, but whatever,” Carter said, approaching the door, unaware of Scott standing frozen until the very last second. “Um, dude?” Scott quickly drags him by his arm to the wall next to the glass door. “DUDE!”
“Yeah, like five others. I guess we’re not the only early birds.”
Carter blinks at him. “You’re gonna oppose the Hockey Gods?”
No, just his achingly tender heart.
“I can’t,” he repeats pathetically.
“But the Hockey Gods.” Carter also repeats with great emphasis. Then he quickly cranes his neck to the window and Scott knows Carter sees his weakness. “But the guy! Oh hey, he is cute.”
Carter suddenly turtles his head back, right before a customer exits with a sickeningly green and orange smoothie. They’re not even spared a glance.
Carter raises his eyebrows in a funny dance. “Four now.” Scott makes an uncommitted noise. “Come on dude, that’s hardly a crowd.”
Scott shakes his head. His heart rate has not slowed, too panicked with the concept of people in the same room as Scott and the embodiment of all his gooey, blushing feelings. As if he takes one step in and layers of his skin will be exposed for anyone to see and take a picture.
He’s never looked twice at someone he’s met in a long period of time. Scott’s only experience is with hookup from nowhere near New York. There’s no anonymity in New York. He’s always recognized. Sure it took Kip a day, but still, Kip will only know the public image of Scott Hunter.
Scott doesn’t want that, he wants to be honest with Kip and learn more about him too. He cannot stand the idea of comparing Kip to all the men he slept with over the summers. Strangers and warm bodies but cold beds, only a temporary balm on carnal urges but never a remedy to his heart.
Scott was never supposed to long for a full and healed heart.
He’s breaking all of his rules for Kip.
Beautiful and gorgeous Kip with an art book and likely reading glasses and multitude of charm and confidence and so much that Scott does not deserve. It’s only been two days, technically only two mornings, and Scott is already hooked onto this man.
“Three,” Carter said as another person left the smoothie shop. He takes a quick glance. “Okay those three look like friends and… shit.”
Scott lets his head fall back against the brick wall. He’s dealt with the feeling of defeat plenty of times but this stings really bad.
Carter mirrors him, watching the morning traffic pass by. “It’s your call, Captain.”
Risk disappointing the Hockey Gods and facing their wrath?
Face the rest of the day without talking to Kip?
That should not be as morbid as Scott’s heart is making it out to be. In fact it will happen because today and tomorrow will be the last home games before they take to the road. Scott will be unable to see Kip for all his away games.
Scott jolts away from the wall, his heart hammering.
He has to go in. Scott has to see Kip before he physically no longer can. (Again, that sounds morbid but what if it’s true?)
Carter, being closer to the door, literally stands in his way and braces a hand on his shoulder. He takes off his ballcap, plain no logo, and his New Balance jacket, and offers them to his captain.
Scott actually risks his Under Armor contract by wearing another athletic brand but he doesn’t care at the moment because this is perfect. It’s perfect because of simple logic. Scott Hunter only exists in an Admirals jersey, a provided suit, or contractually obligated Under Armor athleisure wear.
If he’s wearing New Balance, or hell even Hurley, then this can’t possibly be Scott Hunter. This is just a random guy.
This random guy that looks kind of like Scott Hunter gives his friend who is definitely not Carter Vaughn a grateful smile as he puts the clothes on. (He still wishes for shades but beggars can’t be choosers)
They enter the smoothie shop and Scott tries not to trip when he thinks one of those three girls glance over. None of them look at them, too busy talking about romance novels.
“Hi,” Not-Scott-Hunter said normally, huh wow, successfully.
“Hi again,” Kip greeted. For a second it looks like he’ll leave it like that, a simple and polite greeting between employee and patron. Then he chewed on his bottom lip for barely a millisecond, a detail Scott’s mind will not slip, and said, “I almost thought I wouldn’t see you. You’re usually punctual.”
“I… You expected me?” Scott asked, thoroughly touched at the idea of Kip anticipating these meetings as much as him.
“You said you’d come back,” Kip said, a little quieter, a little sheepish. “You know, for routine or I mean, for the game.”
Scott nearly lets the admission escape him if not for seeing Kip’s eyes break away from Scott and land on Carter.
“Hi, um, was that you,” Kip points at Carter and the front window, “from earlier?"
“Uh, yeah, sorry,” Carter winced, “I was just… cautious.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being careful,” Kip said because he is the sweetest and most understanding person Scott has ever met. “Anyways, I know his usual, what about you?”
Prompted, Carter takes a step closer to the counter. He squints at the chalkboard menu then back to Kip. “What does the big guy usually get?”
“Blue Moon Over Brooklyn.”
Scott realizes that Carter had nodded over to Scott in reference. So far, all three of them are avoiding names. There may be other customers around, and from the sounds of it, they’re in their own worlds, so being overly cautious seems almost unnecessary.
Almost because Scott’s closeted heart still believes secrecy is necessary, that it will always be necessary and it should be kept that way.
Yet watching Kip and Carter chat away about the stupidly long smoothie names makes Scott think differently about it all. That he wants them to get along. Ever since Carter asked to join him for his smoothie run, Scott was actually looking forward to Kip and Carter meeting.
He didn’t know exactly how this would go down, but Scott knew deep down that they would get along.
“Alright,” Carter announced with a grandiose pointer finger circling the air. “I choose the Dragonfruit Warrior.”
Kip grins, “You have to add an extra ingredient. To make it your own.”
“Ah, to make us special,” Carter nudged his elbow at Scott. Scott immediately elbows him back. “What’d you pick, dude?”
“I didn’t actually pick,” Scott said and realized that even though he was watching them, he’s really just been staring at Kip. When Kip’s attention lands on Scott, it’s like something uncoils in his body. “Kip recommended bananas and I liked it.”
“Ah,” Carter’s second ah went a little long, “Alrighty, Kip, you decide for me then.” Carter tilts his head, thinking deeply, “Kip.” He repeats the nickname in rapid succession. “Kip, Kip, Kip. Dude, I love your name.”
Kip laughs, “Thanks I like it too.”
“Me three,” Scott adds stupidly because he wants to share that to the whole damn room apparently.
His face flushes when Kip glances his way, that delighted smile widening.
“Okay, okay, how about aloe vera. It may sound a little weird but I know it’ll taste good.”
Carter does what Scott has always wanted to do and reaches a hand over the counter to pat Kip goodnaturedly on the shoulder. (Okay, Scott doesn’t want to pat Kip’s shoulder, he wants to hold his pretty face and bring him close and-)
“Kip,” Carter is the most serious that anyone has ever seen, “I, Carter, trust you.”
The serious expression on the alternate captain breaks as Kip cracks a smile, “Geeze, and I thought Scott was intense.”
Kip said Scott’s name for the first time in this encounter and Scott doesn’t have the urge to look over his shoulder and worry if someone realizes Scott must mean Scott Hunter. No, instead another internal thing in Scott loosens, like he can breathe a little better.
There’s a silly little smile on his lips as he watches Kip make their orders. During that, Carter elbows him again, nodding over to the now empty table. Oh, it’s just them now in the smoothie shop. Scott didn’t notice. His eyes return to Kip as they get seated by the window.
“Dude, dudeeeeeee,” Carter whispers, “Scotty!”
“Yes?” He asks, not looking away. Carter jabs a finger at his abs. “Hey!”
When he finally turns to him, Scott is faced with the most ridiculously happy smile to ever grace Carter’s face. He’s pretty sure Carter’s no-so-secret actress girlfriend hasn’t seen this.
He mouths the word ‘gorgeous.’
Scott turns his body away from him and Kip’s eye range, preventing more damage on his psyche as his cheeks heat up. Carter merely ruffles up Scott’s hair through the ballcap.
Scott takes off the hat and places it backwards on Carter’s head, right where it belongs. “Here’s your sweaty hat.”
“Hmm,” Carter hums unimpressed. No longer whispering, he tells him, “Fix your hair, man.”
It takes as long as blending and pouring their smoothies for Scott to indeed fix his hair.
“One Blue Moon Over Brooklyn with banana and one Dragonfruit Warrior with aloe vera juice,” Kip slides the bluish-purple and white drinks over to them. He watches Scott reach for his wallet with unease, “Please don’t tell me you’re gonna tip me a stupid amount again.”
“Fine,” Scott winks, feeling playful.
“Scott.” The warning in Kip’s voice coils something inside Scott, which is a first.
“You said not to tell you,” Scott said, entering numbers on the pin pad, “so I didn’t say anything.”
“You also didn’t say anything to me soooo,” Carter said, pulling out cash from his own wallet.
“Fuck yoooou!” Carter cheered with delight, shoving a twenty in the tin tip can. He yoinks his smoothie and runs to the door. He takes a massive sip before dramatically pushing the door open, “Whoa, this is good. Thanks Kip, see you tomorrow!”
Carter Vaughn has left the building.
Kip stares at the door, jaw dropped, then to the tip jar, then finally he graces Scott with those beautiful eyes, full of surprise and something else. Scott desperately wants to know what that something else is but the routine is nearly finished.
They talked and he ordered.
Kip made the smoothie and Scott watched because that’s what this whole routine or superstition is all about.
For a few short minutes of the early morning, Scott gets to spend it with Kip.
He finished payment a couple of seconds ago and is now slowly bringing the straw up to his lips. “I’m not apologizing for him.”
As he drinks his blueberry banana smoothie, his eyes drink his fill of Kip. Kip who scoffs so unabashedly, so carefree and wonderful.
Kip sighs dramatically and it fades back to that wonderful smile of his. Scott still cannot believe any of this is real, that he met a man with this desperate need to see again and again. Bringing Carter along only cements these feelings more, that someone else can clearly see how bright this sunshine is.
Kip asks, “I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”
“Of course.” Scott said and not, ‘Let me see you for as long as you like.’
I've been writing this since I finished Common Goals and now going back and forth in Game Changers to just write anything about Kip and Scott. I deeply adore these two and I just needed to write. I'm nowhere near ready to post anything on ao3 yet (which is a first bc I always impulsively post fics) but at least posing this curbs that impulse.
Anyways, thanks for reading!
