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Cole’s reputation may be all over the place, but he’s nothing if not observant. He notices things - on and off the ice - fairly quickly. With his fitness abilities and his quick shot, his ability to notice things is his pride and joy.
That’s why one day, when he’s grabbing lunch with Nick, he proudly announces that their star rookies are fucking like rabbits.
Nick stares at him from the opposite end of the table, fork in hand.
“You’re noticing that now ?”
Cole blinks. His shoulders slump.
“What do you mean?”
Nick smiles and shakes his head.
“They’ve been together since training camp.”
Cole does quick calculations in his head. It’s November now, so that would mean -.
“I’m two months late?”
Nick shrugs.
“Looks like it.”
“Damn,” Cole drops his own fork and leans back in his chair.
Nick observes him for a few seconds.
“They’re always rooming next to us on the road, I thought you heard them.”
Cole throws his hands up, exasperated.
“You know I wear earplugs to bed.”
“Well, then I don’t know how you didn’t notice. That’s on you.”
Cole pouts.
“Are you trying to make me feel dumb? How did you notice?”
Nick smiles.
“I’m the captain.”
Cole rolls his eyes.
Okay, he can’t really argue with that.
During their next game on the road, Cole makes sure to not put his earplugs in and settles into bed next to Nick, prepared to wait for any incriminating noises.
Nick only gives him one amused smile before he starts messing with his phone. It’s not long before Cole hears it - the faintest moan coming from the room next to them. There are more that come after and he sits up abruptly.
“I can’t believe this,” he whispers angrily before he stops to listen again.
“They’re really getting it on, just like that.”
“We were the same when we were their age,” Nick says, still not looking up from his phone.
Cole doesn’t even pretend he’s not offended by that statement.
“No we weren’t?”
Nick frowns, his eyes still fixated on his phone.
“Yes, we were , Cole.”
Cole snorts and shakes his head.
“No, because we only started fucking like - five months after meeting each other.”
Nick raises one of his eyebrows, a small amused smile creeping up to his lips as he continues typing on his phone.
“Also there was this whole thing with Gally,” Cole goes on and can’t help but grin when Nick’s head snaps as he finally looks at him.
“What thing with Gally?” he asks and Cole snickers, wiggling his socked feet against Nick’s side.
“Seriously, Cole,” Nick grabs Cole’s ankle and Cole swears it goes straight to his dick.
“The thing , Nick,” Cole rolls his eyes. “Remember? He tried to get with me when I was a rookie.”
Nick frowns, his grip on Cole’s ankle tightening. He feels heat rise up under his skin.
“No, he did not.”
Cole smacks his arm playfully.
“Yes, he did? He wanted to seduce me and defile my precious virgin body.”
Nick narrows his eyes and lets go of Cole’s ankle. He turns his attention back to his phone.
“I hate you.”
Cole’s mouth hangs open.
“Nick, what -.”
“You weren’t even a virgin when we met,” Nick tells him matter-of-factly and - well, Cole can’t exactly be mad about that. He wasn’t a virgin when he met Nick. But he didn’t mess around with many people either.
“Okay, true, but -,” he raises his finger when Nick gives him an exceptionally mean side-eye.
“I wasn’t lying about the Gally thing.”
Nick stares at him for a few seconds before locking his phone and throwing it down the bed. He lifts himself up on his elbows.
“You want to talk about it?”
Cole smiles and shakes his head.
“Nah, it’s good. Nothing really happened between us.”
Nick cocks his head to the side. His eyes are still gentle, his features soft in the warm yellow light of the lamp on the bedside table.
“Then why did you bring it up?”
Cole chews on the inside of his cheek, considering his answer.
“I told you that before,” Cole says and God, why is he nervous? He’s been with Nick for longer than anyone else in his life, he knows him inside and out. And yet -.
Nick doesn’t say anything, just waits.
“That I thought you didn’t want me. Back then.”
Nick blinks, his face thoughtful. Cole really wants to kiss him. There’s an itch under his skin and he feels like he’ll jump out any second. He rubs his palms against his bare thighs and gives Nick a tight smile.
Nick motions with his head gently.
“Come here.”
Cole almost throws himself across the bed to Nick and his arms are around him in an instant, pulling their chests flush against each other. Cole buries his nose into the crook of Nick’s neck, breathing in the smell of their shared shampoo.
“We talked about this already,” Nick tells him, his voice muffled by Cole’s T-shirt.
“I know,” Cole says.
“I’ve only ever wanted you,” he continues and Cole wishes he would stop, a part of him refusing to hear it - because how could it ever be true? How could someone so sweet, so kind love him that much? Enough to be afraid to tell him for months and to keep repeating it everyday for years . Enough to willingly deal with his shenanigans on a daily basis. Enough to take the time to truly know him.
Oh, Cole is for sure going to cry.
“I’ve wanted you since I first saw you,” Nick says, his thumbs rubbing small circles into Cole’s back.
This is so unfair. So incredibly unfair.
Cole sighs, finally feeling himself relax against Nick’s solid body under his.
“I know,” he repeats and Nick laughs under him.
“You want me to tell you again?” Nick asks and Cole feels the sting of tears as they gather in his eyes.
He shakes his head.
“Good,” Cole can hear the smile in Nick’s voice.
They lie in silence for what feels like hours and Cole begins to doze off, the movement of Nick’s thumbs against his skin lulling him to sleep.
Then there’s the sound of a quiet, muted moan coming from behind the wall above them. Cole stirs, blinking his eyes open. He hears it again. And again.
“Jesus Christ,” he groans and shifts a little bit, climbing off of Nick.
“Let them be,” Nick says and Cole can’t believe he , of all people, is the voice of reason in this situation.
“Do not start about that again,” Cole warns him and doesn’t miss Nick’s smirk as they sit up.
“About what?” Nick asks, an image of pure innocence.
“We were not the same,” Cole has no idea why he’s getting so heated about their rookies fucking each other since they were also rookies who fucked each other however many years ago.
Nick purses his lips, clearly thinking hard about what Cole has said.
“I remember you being louder than our star rookies here,” he says and Cole barks out a laugh.
“Excuse me, I’m still louder.”
Nick raises his eyebrow.
“Are you?”
Cole puffs out his chest like a bird, a gesture he knows makes Nick laugh.
“The loudest.”
Nick does laugh (Cole’s chest fills with pride at that) and shifts closer to Cole. They don’t normally let things go much further than kissing before games, but the vulnerability of the moment and the revelation of Gally’s attempt at seducing Cole years ago must have sparked some kind of possessiveness within Nick because he hovers over Cole, his broad frame casting a shadow over his face.
“Will you show me?” he asks and Cole spreads his arms, letting himself fall back to the bed.
“I’m ready,” he grins as Nick glares at him.
“You going to let me do all the work?”
Cole’s grin widens as he bends his knees and spreads his thighs. He watches in delight as Nick’s eyes turn dark. His gaze travels down Cole’s body, the unhidden hunger making him feel overheated already.
“I’ll help out,” Cole promises and giggles as Nick grabs the tops of his thighs and pulls him down towards him. He wedges himself between his thighs, slipping his hands into Cole’s shorts.
Cole sighs and rolls his hips towards Nick, feeling his half-hard cock against his own. He smiles as Nick leans down and kisses him, the familiar press of lips making him melt.
“We don’t have condoms,” Nick says when they separate.
Cole wraps his arms around Nick’s neck.
“You can ask our rookies. I’m sure they’ll spare one.”
Nick glares at him.
“Absolutely not.”
Cole shrugs.
“Then we’ll go without.”
“We have a game tomorrow, Cole.”
“So don’t come inside me,” Cole laughs, confused as to why it’s such a big deal. It’s not like they haven’t done that before.
“You really overestimate my ability to do that,” Nick says and Cole honest-to-God blushes .
Will he ever get over how Nick is able to express his attraction to him so easily? Probably not. Not that he ever wants to, honestly.
“I believe in you, babe,” Cole says and motions over Nick’s shoulder.
“Go grab the lube.”
Nick obeys without any further comments and Cole almost jumps him on the spot. But if he did it would delay Nick fucking him and he can’t let that happen. He doesn’t get an opportunity like this often since Nick is worried having a dick in his ass would affect his performance (Cole is sturdy enough to let that happen, but he decided it’s for the best he doesn’t press him about it), so Cole resigned himself to makeout sessions with an occasional handjob for his sake.
But who is Cole to reject Nick when he offers to fuck him the night before a game, right?
While Nick rummages through his toiletry bag, Cole takes the liberty of undressing and kicking his sleep clothes to the other side of the bed. He lies back and shamelessly ogles Nick who takes his clothes off on the way back to the bed.
Nick throws the bottle of lube next to Cole and climbs back, crawling in between Cole’s spread legs again.
Cole sighs at the skin-on-skin contact and lets himself be smothered in kisses. His cock fills up, stuck between their stomachs. Nick grinds down against him and Cole lets out a loud moan.
He reaches his hand to the side and finds the discarded lube on the mattress. Nick lifts himself up and Cole tries not to whine at the loss of pressure on his dick.
“You wanna watch?” Cole asks and before Nick is even able to ask what he means, he opens the bottle, pouring a generous amount of lube on his fingers.
Nick nods enthusiastically and sits back on his heels. His eyes follow Cole’s hand down between his legs and watches as he presses one of his fingers inside.
Cole sighs and lets his legs fall further apart. He feels Nick’s hands caress his inner thighs, the familiar touch sending shivers across his skin. He lets himself get lost in the sensation of his finger inside him, brushing his prostate occasionally.
When he thinks he’s ready for more, he goes to pull his finger out, but he feels the press of a foreign finger next to his.
His eyes fly open and he looks down. Nick has his hand between his legs now, his middle finger pushing inside him along with Cole’s.
“Oh, fuck ,” Cole manages, his voice breaking around the word and he throws his head back. He focuses on relaxing into the intrusion, feeling the fullness of having one of Nick’s thick fingers inside him.
“Are you okay?” Nick asks and Cole only moans in response.
“Cole.”
“Yeah, I’m fine ,” the last word turns into a yelp as both his and Nick’s fingers brush against his prostate. He grinds down, chasing the feeling again.
Nick pulls their fingers out and promptly ignores Cole’s whining about the loss as he lubes up his cock. Cole watches him in a daze, the familiarity of Nick’s movements bringing out a sense of thrill in his chest.
Cole resists the urge to pull Nick down on top of him when he leans over to line up his cock with Cole’s hole. He grabs Cole’s hips to keep him still as he slowly pushes in. Cole closes his eyes and feels himself smile as he throws his head back, exposing his neck for Nick to press his lips into the tender skin.
They’ve done this so many times that Cole has lost count. And even if he knows what to expect, knows how Nick makes sure to always press himself all the way inside slowly, carefully; knows that Nick likes to stop completely for a few moments before he starts moving, his lips parted in a silent moan; how he never makes it easy on Cole, thrusts into him hard and fast from the beginning because he knows Cole can handle it, that he loves it.
And Nick does precisely that, down to the last detail and Cole could cry . He pushes his dick so deep inside that Cole almost thinks he’s going to split him in half, but he still crosses his legs on Nick’s lower back, pulling him even closer.
“Yeah,” Cole moans, rolling his hips against Nick. “Feels good.”
Nick kisses him, deep and hungry and - Cole feels dizzy just considering that thought - possessive.
“Are you gonna get loud?” Nick asks, breathless and pulls out only to thrust inside Cole with force.
Cole chokes out a loud moan, squeezing his eyes shut. His nails dig into the skin of Nick’s back.
He repeats the same movement, his dick brushing Cole’s prostate almost too perfectly and Cole screams .
“There you go,” Nick whispers against his shoulder and Cole swears he hears him laugh.
“Only for you,” Cole manages, his voice strained in between Nick’s thrusts. He keeps making sounds he knows drive Nick crazy, whimpering as Nick speeds up his movements.
“Only for me?” Nick asks and he’s shaking, his breath coming in faster and Cole wants to cry and cry and cry.
His eyes fill with tears - from the intensity of Nick’s thrusts, from the pressure in his head and he kisses him, their lips meeting awkwardly with the repeated cadence of their fucking.
“Since forever,” Cole says and he feels like he’s gone insane, his words slurring but he doesn’t care, because Nick is so close, he can feel it, the tension rising in his muscles as he tries to hold on. He wants to make Cole come first, he always does, even if he has to stop a couple times to catch his breath and Cole loves him .
“Never wanted anyone else,” Cole goes on and Nick moans into his neck.
Cole smiles.
“Always been the only one for me, Nick.”
“ Fuck ,” Nick groans and straightens up. He pulls out and Cole watches with a blissed out smile as he takes his dick in hand and begins jerking himself off with rapid movements.
Cole reaches for his own dick and joins in, making sure to keep looking into Nick’s eyes. He feels the familiar pull in his abdomen just as Nick’s mouth falls open in a silent moan and he hunches over, coming all over Cole’s stomach.
Cole is quick to follow him, throwing his head back with a loud moan when his orgasm washes over him. He works himself through it as best he can, his muscles twitching slightly before Nick collapses on top of him.
Cole giggles and immediately wraps his arms around him, tucking Nick’s head under his chin. They always get stuck together like this, their desire for closeness much greater than the need to rid each other of the drying cum on their stomachs.
They lie in silence for a few moments, soaking each other in and Cole is happy to learn their star rookies didn’t make it to round three. Cole cannot fight the smugness he feels at that - back when they were rookies…
Nick shifts on top of him and Cole looks down at him just as he lifts himself up, assessing the damage between them.
Cole sprawls out like a cat, stretching his limbs as far as they can go.
“You gonna clean me up, babe?”
Nick leans down and plants a small kiss to his lips.
“Yeah, gimme a sec,” and with that, he climbs out of bed and heads to the bathroom.
Cole blinks a couple times, staring after Nick as he disappears around the corner.
He knows Nick gets soft and gooey after sex, cuddling with Cole all night and even refusing to let go of him the next morning as he’s trying to get ready - pretty much attaches himself to him like a tick.
But Nick also gets lazy after sex - he would let them sleep covered in lube and all kinds of bodily fluids because he can’t be bothered to grab a wet towel from the bathroom.
So when he returns to the bedroom and climbs back into bed, Cole is sitting up. He lets Nick wipe his stomach and thighs down before breaching the subject.
“Why are you -.”
“Because I want to treat you right,” Nick says before Cole even manages to finish his question. When he wipes him down, he finally looks at him.
“You deserve it. And I want to be the only one doing it,” he says, his tone and expression so sincere Cole feels a sharp sting in his chest.
Oh, Cole is really going to cry tonight.
Cole doesn’t hide how moved he is by Nick’s confession and practically tackles him. With a quiet yelp from Nick, they fall back on the bed and Cole cradles his face, kissing him deeply.
Nick places his hands on Cole’s sides, the gentle touch of his fingers almost tickling him.
“You big idiot,” Cole says in between kisses and Nick makes a sound of protest, but Cole doesn’t let him speak. He keeps holding the sides of Nick’s face, smushing it a little bit with the gentle force of it.
“I love you,” Cole says, his tone as serious as he can muster, “so much. You’re the only one I love.”
Nick blinks.
“But Gally -,” he tries, his voice muffled by Cole’s relentless smushing of his face.
“No Gally,” Cole shakes his head. “He tried to seduce me and told me you would never like someone like me.”
He sees the fire appear in Nick’s eyes and feels heat rise up in his cheeks.
“But that was years ago. I don’t care about that anymore.”
Nick frowns skeptically and Cole rolls his eyes.
“Alright, fine , it gets to me sometimes, but -.”
Nick grabs Cole’s wrists and pulls his hands away from his face, returning it to its regular smooth, kind shape.
“It shouldn’t,” he tells him and Cole swears he’ll overheat from all that warmth that spreads from his chest.
“I love you. I’ve always loved you,” Nick says. Cole really wants to tackle him again. He feels the blush in his face spread to his neck and chest.
“Never loved anyone else before you. Never wanted to,” Nick continues and his - dumb, stupid - fingers brush the smooth skin of his forearms.
“And I’ll never want anyone else either,” Nick says and God , Cole is glad it’s over. But it’s too much, and he feels his bottom lip quiver.
He swears under his breath and looks away, trying to fight the tears, but it’s too late - they fall down his cheeks - two big, embarrassing cartoon tears.
And Nick, the biggest asshole of all assholes, laughs.
“I hate you,” Cole sobs and as if it wasn’t embarrassing enough for him, he hiccups. “You always do this, I can’t stand you.”
Nick laughs again and pulls Cole closer. Cole goes, feeling a little bit like a ragdoll - he lets Nick lay them down into the pillows, holding Cole tightly against his chest.
“Don’t get snot all over me,” Nick says casually as he reaches to the bedside table and clicks off the lamp.
Cole wipes his nose with the back of his hand.
“Oh, so my jizz is fine but snot it where you draw the line?”
“Exactly.”
“You’re terrible.”
He feels Nick grab his chin gently as he tips his head up. He kisses his gross, tears and snot covered face, and licks into his mouth. Cole practically melts against him.
All this time and he still turns into jelly when Nick kisses him. Put that in a rom-com.
“Goodnight,” Nick whispers when he pulls away.
Cole feels his lips stretch into a smile.
“Goodnight.”