Halfway through the season, during a mutual off weekend, they finally schedule a meet up between the teams.
Obviously some of them have met each other, at events and PR things and hockey-adjacent whatever, but it’s never been the entire teams together. Shane and Ilya, as Hockey Dads™️, take the planning very seriously, renting out a two-story pizza place and ensuring there’s enough music, food, fun, and pre-planned mingling activities to go around.
Shane admits to Ilya, very quietly at night when it’s dark and they’re nearly asleep, that he’s a little nervous. That he should have thought to be more publicly supportive of the Charge, they should have gone to more games, what if they hate him? And there will be so many queer people there Ilya and you know how bad I am at queer culture what if I fuck it all up?
But the day comes, and it’s almost too easy how the teams vibe together. Pitchers of beer, giant pizzas shared across tables, a small salad bar that Shane imagines he will be the only one frequenting.
Ilya takes hosting seriously from all angles. He makes sure he gets the rookies—especially Holmberg—situated with the younger Charge players. Bood and a player named Dylan talk about cured meats, and by the end of the first hour he has an invite to the Dylan family smokehouse, which he is beyond thrilled about. No one is particularly into superheroes, but Wyatt connects with Lydia and Em, who are big manga fans.
At the salad bar, Shane meets a Charge winner named Vanessa, who only goes by V. She stacks her plate with a slice of veggie pizza and a plethora of fruits and vegetables from the salad bar, calling it balance. V mentions Shane’s cottage, and explains how she’s building her and her wife a cabin in the woods. No, not having it built, building with her own two hands.
Shane is immediately enthralled, and by the time Ilya comes to check on him, he’s got a small crowd of butch lesbians at his table, talking about home renovations and what they leave to the professionals and how they maintain their progress during the season. Shane is all questions, and the ladies are happy to oblige him. And Ilya smiles from afar and leaves him be, because of fucking course his husband made friends. They’re basically the same person.
At the end of the evening, the tally is as follows: 46 pizzas and 52 pitchers of beer consumed; 1 confirmed date between Holmberg and Alicia; 2 shared notes of comic/manga recommendations; 14 recipes shared (between Bood, Dylan, Shane, and Nadia, the charge goalie who is also deeply into meal prep); 22 shots taken (Shane has no idea where Ilya procured a bottle of vodka but he shouldn’t be surprised); 1 promise of home renovation lessons; and 1 group picture.
Oh, and innumerable friendships.