Chapter 2
Lindgren can hear them moving around inside.
"Who the fuck is here," he can make out Callum's muffled voice asking.
Nikolai says something back in Russian that Lindgren has no hopes of working out.
He's going to knock again when the door is pulled open.
Callum's shirtless as he peeks around the door frame.
Lindgren just now realizes he did not think this plan through as much as he should have.
Obviously, they would take the chance to fuck now that they stay in the same room, and Lindgren is the idiot interrupting them.
Callum and Nikolai staying in the same room is semi-new.
When they first joined the team, there was always this talk about staying professional and not letting their relationship affect the team that Lindgren never really understood.
If his partner was on the team with him, Lindgren would absolutely be sleeping with her every night.
And not even just sex – just literal sleeping with her.
He loves to cuddle.
He loves it so much that he's convinced all the other rookies that they should cuddle so he doesn't get touch starved and anxious.
But he supposes it must have been different for them.
Nikolai is always giving Graham Cole shit about being old but to be honest, Callum and Nikolai are also old.
They're, like, ancient compared to Lindy.
They must have come up in a different type of hockey where you weren't allowed to stay with your partner or have sex.
The rookies all shudder when they hear the horror stories of the celibate playoff runs.
That ritualistic denial of all pleasure and urges to somehow unlock a seemingly barbaric masculinity to win games just seems ridiculous.
Instead, the rookies do yoga, meditation exercises, and glue themselves to Callum Mercer in the lead up to playoffs to make sure they are the best versions of themselves they could hope to be.
It typically leads to all of them throwing up during some brutal conditioning he puts them through, but it's worth it.
The rookies just saw Frozen Glory last year, so they're hip to skating until they feel like they could die in order to win games.
They haven't recommended that movie yet at movie night because none of them are sure if it's offensive to Nikolai, but maybe they'll try it out soon.
"Lindgren," Callum says, leaning out of the room so he can look both directions for the rest of the rookie contingent.
"Are you okay?
Do you need anything?"
"It's Lindgren?" Nikolai's voice booms out from the room.
The door is pulled open even further to reveal an also shirtless Nikolai.
Lindgren thanks God there are no visible hickies or scratches on either of them.
Maybe he got here right before they started.
"Is he okay?"
"I don't know, I just asked him," Callum bitches back.
"Why don't you ask him faster?"
"How could I ask him faster when I just got here?"
"You would know how to ask faster if you were fastest skater in the league."
"I am the fastest skater – Wait.
No stop.
Lindgren what is it?" Callum turns away from Nikolai and back to Lindgren.
Lindgren tries to stop his eyes from ping ponging back and forth between the royal couple of hockey.
Then he has to remember why he's even here.
Right.
Girl, condoms, etc.
"Hey guys.
Sorry to bother you this late but I just have this girl coming over tonight, and I think I really like her, and she's definitely expecting to have sex tonight.
I've already booted Gallagher out of the room and all, but I just realized I didn't have any condoms, and so I guess I wanted to see if you guys had any?"
Callum and Nikolai just blink at him after he ends his ramble.
"You want condoms?" Nikolai repeats back at him.
Lindgren blushes.
"Yeah?" he says, unable to stop his voice from rising at the end like it's a question.
"And you think we have condoms?" Nikolai presses further.
Lindgren nods slowly.
He's starting to think he really didn't think this through.
"Lindy," Callum says, using that soft tone he gets when he's trying to explain something to the rookies, "we're married.
We've been in a committed relationship since 2017.
We don't have condoms."
"But what about –"
"I cannot get him pregnant," Nikolai answers.
"I've tried really hard, but his birth control is too strong."
The last word comes out like a wheeze as Callum elbows Nikolai so hard in the gut he doubles over gasping.
"Sorry Lindy," Callum says as his husband tries to get his breath back.
"None of the rookies have any?"
"No," Lindgren says, scuffing his shoes on the floor, unable to look up at the couple.
This was so stupid of him.
He's so fucking stupid.
"Okay, then just go to corner store," Nikolai says once he's recovered.
"Wait, is this girl just sitting in your room right now?" Callum asks at nearly the same time.
"No," Lindgren is quick to say, "she's driving over in like an hour."
"Okay then.
Enough time for corner store," Nikolai repeats.
He pulls at Callum, seemingly trying to end this conversation, but Lindgren doesn't budge.
Callum pushes Nikolai away to get him to stop.
"What's wrong?
Why can't you go to the store?"
There's a tiny strip of carpet missing in front of their door.
Lindgren stares at it.
He should just go back to his room and cancel on her.
This is so, so fucking stupid.
He's embarrassing himself in front of his captain, and it's all for naught.
"Come on Lindgren," Nikolai prompts, "why not?"
"No, it's fine.
I can just not use any," Lindgren tries to deflect.
"Now you're going to make him give you the safe sex lecture," Nikolai groans, as Callum opens his mouth to start said lecture.
He glances back at Nikolai and rolls his eyes.
"Fuck off," he says.
"Lindgren, again, I ask: why don't you just walk like 15 minutes to the corner store?
That's much easier."
"It's just," Lindgren's shoulders come up to his ears, "it's just really dark around the hotel.
And we're right near those woods, and I don't know this place at all, so it's pretty tough to walk to the corner store from here."
Silence.