“Aw,” Mattie says and taps the tip of Charlie’s nose.
Charlie jerks upright, looking around frantically, nearly knocking over his cup. “Wha…”
“I think it’s time for bed, eh?” Kells says and reaches over Blake to ruffle Charlie’s hair.
“I’m not tired,” Charlie says, rubbing his eyes.
“Sure,” Blake says and puts his arm around him.
Charlie grins and leans back against him. “Totally awake.”
Blake yawns.
“Kids,” Kells says. “Please don’t fall asleep on me when we play the Seals.”
Mattie cackles.
“We have a couple of days to take a really long nap,” Lehts says.
“Thank fuck,” Charlie mumbles and closes his eyes again.
“Yeah, I think Choo Choo and I are gonna head back to the hotel.”
“Don’t call me Choo Choo,” Charlie says with the most betrayed face. “You were the only person I trusted on this team.”
“Come on,” Blake says, “Charles.”
Charlie sticks out his tongue at him, but quits joking around on the way back to the hotel, hugging Blake tightly before they go their separate ways.
They keep playing.
They’re in the final round, but hockey games are still hockey games. They have to win four of them.
Only four.
“I couldn’t sleep last night,” Charlie mutters when they get on the plane to fly to California for Game 3. They won one and lost one in Newark, so they don’t have an advantage going into this. Ideally, they’ll come home with two more wins. They can’t afford two losses.
Blake holds Charlie’s hand when the plane takes off and they don’t go out that evening. Charlie hangs out in Blake’s room with him and they order room service and watch a movie and they both fall asleep in Blake’s bed before it’s even ten o’clock. Blake wakes up sometime after midnight and nudges Charlie awake. Charlie mumbles an apology, red in the face, and goes back to his own room.
Charlie sits next to him during breakfast the next morning, like he always does, cheeks turning pink when their eyes meet. Blake wants to tell him that it’s okay, that he doesn’t need to be embarrassed, but by the time they get on the ice later that day, Charlie is once again talking to him the way he usually does, so maybe Charlie was scared that Blake would be weird about it.
They hang out in Lehts and Sasha’s room that night, because they have two double beds, nine guys squeezed onto them, watching Star Wars. Lehts is the first one to nod off and Sasha very graciously saves him from having a dick drawn on his face. Brammer turns to Charlie next, because he’s sleeping with his head on Blake’s shoulder again, but all Blake has to do is glare to keep Brammer away.
They play well the next day and leave the Seals’ arena with a win, but return to Newark with the series tied.
Coach tells them to get some rest between games, and Charlie comes home with Blake and they order food and Charlie ends up sleeping on Blake’s couch.
Blake texts Elliot that night until he falls asleep, skirting entirely around the topic of Blake playing for the Cup. He asks Elliot to tell him about Oshawa, so Elliot does, a quick back and forth that calms Blake down like nothing else in the world. He almost wants to call, but it’s late, and he only manages to stay awake for about five more minutes anyway.
In the morning, his phone is still next to him, a few texts from Elliot waiting for him, first a reply to the last text he sent, then I guess you fell asleep, and then, a few minutes later, good night.
Blake replies to apologize for going silent last night and then crawls out of bed to see if the cats have eaten Charlie. They’re next to him, Angus by his feet, Squid next to his chest, both of them asleep, Charlie snoring loudly.
Blake starts making coffee and stares blankly at his depressingly empty fridge. He’s already halfway through a cup of coffee when Charlie shuffles into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Fish, I don’t know why the fuck I keep falling asleep everywhere,” Charlie says.
“No worries. You wanna go out for breakfast? I don’t have any food.”
“Oh. Sure. I’ll…” Charlie nods at the ceiling. “I’ll go take a shower. Meet you downstairs in twenty?”
Blake nods and hands him a coffee. “For the long way upstairs.”
“You’re the best,” Charlie whispers and shuffles away.
#
The Cup is in the building for Game 6.
If the Knights win this game, they– Blake can’t even think about it. He’s jittery before the game and Charlie’s face is white as a sheet.
“I’ve never been this scared of fucking up a game,” Blake whispers.
“You’re not the only player on the team, kid,” Mattie says gruffly.
“Yeah, I could be the one who fucks it all up,” Charlie throws in.
“You’re also not the only player on the team.”
Charlie makes a weird sort of choking sound. “I want to die.”
Blake hums. He can relate.
A hand lands on his back and he can barely feel it through the pads, but Blake has never been so glad to have Mattie next to him.
They have a handful of fans in the building that made the trip from Newark, but they’re undoubtedly deep in enemy territory. It would be nice to win the Cup at home, but if he had a choice, he’d rather get it over with right now. He doesn’t want to play Game 7, he wants to win it today.
When Blake is
