10. Brady

Someday,Brady would have a big, gorgeous condo like Blake. Someday, Brady would be a starter, and that meant eventually he and Blake would play on different teams. The curse of being a goalie. But for now, he would enjoy Blake's condo, and in twenty minutes, they would all be enjoying the food Cole and Matthew were cooking in the kitchen of said condo.

Brady and Blake had the good sense to not hover. Brady had learned to be useful in different ways, like driving Cole around to different grocery stores for hard-to-find ingredients he wouldn't bother to go searching for on his bike. He'd also become a world-class dishwasher, because Cole would make some crazy, fiddly shit if he knew he wouldn't have to clean up after it, and the less Cole wanted to clean up after a meal, the more Brady wanted to eat that meal.

"You two seem like you're doing well," Blake said, sipping his beer. The condo's kitchen, dining, and living space were open concept, but it was such a fucking enormous space that they still had a semblance of privacy. Blake hadn't lost the tan he'd gained in Greece, but Brady thought part of the glow was from being a newlywed. Brady hoped whatever power he was drawing from his happiness translated to the ice. Some goalie tandems were bitter and competitive, but Brady always wanted Blake to play well.

"We are. It's… I mean, I'm new to this. But it's really incredible. He's amazing. I'm sure it's a cliché, but I never thought I'd feel this way."

"I'm happy for you. You never seemed overly excited about anyone you dated. I'm glad you realized you're gay."

"I'm not positive it's that. Cole is just…Cole. If he was a girl, he'd still be Cole, and I'd still be into him."

"Sexuality is weird. I'm proud of you for letting yourself go for it though. It's a hurdle. And you can always ask me any newly queer questions you have."

Brady had only officially come out to Blake a few days prior. Blake knew Brady and Cole had something going on during his wedding—he had eyes, after all. But he had waited to ask Brady about it until he came to Blake. It was nice practicing coming out with people he already knew would accept him. Considering all the gay that was already happening in his family, he came out to them via group text by sending a photo of him and Cole from the wedding. He hadn't had so many enthusiastic texts blow up his phone in a short period of time since the NHL draft.

Blake was the first non-Cole person he'd come out to face-to-face. He still had echoes of how fast his heart had been beating when he'd stumbled over the words, even though Blake had been beaming at him the whole time. He remembered the wash of relief when Blake had hugged him.

"Come dish up!" Matthew yelled across the space. The smell had been distracting Brady for forty minutes. Garlic and onions and butter and… He couldn't place all the flavors, but he was sure he'd hear about them all.

He and Blake grabbed plates, and Cole scooped up portions of "deconstructed butternut squash lasagna," which was made with homemade pasta and a butternut squash ricotta filling. They had ranch green beans on the side, which Cole became obsessed with making in the air fryer ever since he had learned of Brady's Midwestern love of ranch. Both goalies also got a chicken breast each on the side, since they were back to working out. Camp was only days away. Brady was ready to horrify Cole with how much he could eat.

He hoped Cole didn't get sick of his terrible hockey schedule. One thing that was nice about dating a man who wasn't looking for a boyfriend was that Cole had his own life. Brady knew he wasn't going to leave Cole twiddling his thumbs when he went on a road trip. Cole was independent, and it was nice to know he was with Brady because he was choosing to be.

He was, however, thinking of buying Cole a car so he wouldn't have to bike to work in the winter, but Syd told him to wait so he didn't freak him out.

It didn't stop him from having a tab on his phone browser open to the luxury car dealership his teammates loved.

Maybe that was over the top.

"We gotta convince Kenny to make these green beans," Blake said as they got settled at the table and finally tucked into their food. Kenny was the team chef, and bless his heart, he took a lot of requests.

"I'm not sure I'll divulge the recipe," Cole said, a coy look on his face.

"It's a packet of ranch seasoning," Matthew said. Brady already knew this, since he'd requested the packet, even after Cole had offered to mix up his own seasoning. The packet was what ranch tasted like to him.

Dear god, why did Cole still like him?

"The fuck, dude, that's proprietary info." Cole laughed. "What am I going to do when Brady realizes he can get ranch green beans from any old guy?"

"I only want them if they're made with love," Brady said, knocking his knee against Cole's.

They hadn't said the L word yet, but Brady could feel it on the tip of his tongue. He knew he'd say it soon. This thing they were doing was still so new, so bright and vibrant. And sure, it was a little scary, but turning toward fear was how he got where he was. If he shied away from scary things, he wouldn't have made it to the NHL.

Cole was bold and fearless, and it was easy to be brave around him. For him. For them.