#6190

-

His eyes are still closed when he feels Victor crawl into bed next to him. It causes him to shiver slightly, body curling up in on himself as cold hands move to pull him closer,

"Are you awake?" Victor whispers it just loud enough to hear. It's weird because he knows Chase can sleep through anything. The words don't come though, so he makes a small noise and lets his forehead press against Victor's shoulder. His eyes are slightly open now, staring at the shadow he casts onto bare skin. It feels oddly metaphorical.

An arm snakes it's way around his waist, still cold fingers slipping just under the hem of his shirt. Chase shivers again but doesn't protest the soft apology and kiss against the top of his head. He doesn't know what to do with his own arms, curled up and stuck between them. It feels like he should at least move them. The buzzing of something under his skin making them nearly tremble. He should be doing a lot of things right now, but the exhaustion had been so heavy and the bed had been so warm.

Chase hadn't realized just how much he had missed Victor. A feeling akin to guilt eating away at heart at the thought of it. He shouldn't be upset that Victor was getting to play hockey. It's not like he would rather he be injured like himself, confined to the apartment and press box. The selfish part of him wishes Victor would stay in Abbotsford forever, the smart part of him feels greedy for even getting this,

"Did you eat?" There's a dirty bowl in the sink that answers the question. Bits of rice still sticking to the inside. He ate, but there's no way to tell how much,

"Bowl of rice. With chicken." It's not like Chase wouldn't stick to his diet, his dad always made sure of that. Though as the nights grow longer and the days grow colder, he always finds himself veering on the edge of the minimum he should eat. Something small as he moves around the apartment like a ghost, footsteps lighter than his meal,

"Okay," Fingers rub soothingly against his side, "I can make more."

Chase shakes his head and ignores that nausea that follows it. The thought of food making his stomach turn even as it growls and aches. Guilt only follows, sticking to the fear of disappointing Victor, "Not hungry."

"Okay," Chase wants to sob, "We can just stay here." Victor's words are so gentle as he pulls Chase a little closer, lips pressing against his hair that's probably a bit gross now. His hands are holding him close and all Chase can feel like is that he's falling apart.

That things had been going so well or at least not as bad as it had been. That he had been keeping it together. That everything was fine until he let it collapse in on itself.

using animals based on Snail's furry au so Stilly is an eastern wolf and Victor is a moose...

-

Victor always hated shedding. It was uncomfortable, annoying, and always seemed to happen at the worst time.

It was supposed to be a nice date with Chase. A trip to the bookstore and then some lunch. He knew his antlers have been trying to shed for a couple days now, Winter finally signaling when it was time. Usually he's able to shake them off at home, but they've been incredibly stubborn this time and ached slightly if he tried to pull,

"You okay?" Victor hardly notices he's been scratching at the base of his antlers before turning to look at Chase. His own ears are flat against his head, tail tucked between his legs. There's a look of concern that hasn't gone away for awhile now,

"Yeah, sorry," He can hear the slight tear of disconnecting tissue against his head, "It's been bothering me for a bit now and..." With a harsh shake of his head, the two antlers fall and clatter to the ground. A couple people look over as Victor picks them up with a little embarassment, "Fuckin' finally."

Chase is a few more steps away from him now, ears and tail upright and alert. Eyes blown wide as he holds the bag of books close to his chest, "What the hell."

"Oh!" Victor kind of gestures with the antlers, "This happens every winter. Been waiting for them to finally fall off." He crouches down slightly as Chase moves closer and reaches a hand out to his head,

"Does it hurt?" His fingers move through his hair gently and only slightly press against the tender spots,

"Not unless I touch it. Probably shouldn't wear any hats though," He grabs Chase's hand as it moves away and kisses the top of it, "I'm fine."

Landing in Penticton felt weird. He's been on the west coast before, either for hockey or vacations, but this was different.

His hands only shook a little when he finally sat in his hotel room. Anxiety of a new team and people finally catching up to him. At least before there was someone he had prior connection with. Avery was basically a lifesaver, here he had no one.

He knew of the dinner most of the team was going to go to. Nothing official, but everyone was invited and they were renting out a few tables at a restaurant for it. The fear gnawed at his chest like a dog on a bone. Technically it was an open invite, nobody was going to be mad at him for showing up. The fear still stuck.

Chase isn't that much of a coward he doesn't at least leave his room and walk down to the restaurant. Even if he keeps his hood up and arms tucked in, it doesn't mean he's scared. He can even see part of the group sitting in the outdoor seating, taking advantage of the still warm evenings. They haven't spotted him yet, which might be a good thing. Gives him control, even if the control leaves him terrified.

Maybe he shouldn't have come, give an excuse that he was too tired from the time difference. He should just wait until they're on the ice and he can actually prove he's worth—

"Hey! Chase, right?" Chase doesn't jump, but it's damn near close. Victor Mancini is standing next to him suddenly, a small smile gracing his face,

"Yeah, Chase Stillman. You're Victor?" He sticks his hand out like he's talking to a scout rather than a teammate. It's hard to believe that Victor won't automatically make the NHL though,

"Yeah," Victor's hand is larger than his when he shakes it before pulling Chase into a hug. Something hitches in his throat as he makes that realization, "You hungry? Looks like they haven't ordered yet but who knows."

All Chase can do is nod and try to ignore the fact their hands were still linked, "Uh, yeah. We should join them?"

The lack of warmth from Victor unlinking their hands is quickly replaced with him linking their arms and a warm grin. Their steps fall in sync as Victor practically drags him along, lamenting at how hungry he was.

-

He pulls Chase into a kiss before the latter could protest, hands cradling the back of his head. There's cheers and "happy new year!" shouts all around them as Victor feels thin fingers grip the back of his shirt,

"I hadn't kissed you since last year." It's the first thing out of his mouth, not even what he wanted to say, but the loud laugh that pushes itself out of Chase's body makes it worth it. It's boisterous and makes his entire body shake as Chase hides his face in Victor's shoulder,