“I always thought they were magic, man.”

Kevin cast Matty a surprised glance. Through the whole geology exhibit, he’d been passionate about all these rocks, and Kevin couldn’t quite get it. He could see Matty being a rock nerd as a kid, but there was more there, too.

“Geodes? Crystals hidden inside ordinary rocks, bro. Of course they’re magic,” Kevin grinned, moving past the enormous grey rock that had been cracked open to reveal the jagged purple spikes of crystal within. “You really like these rocks.”

“Yeah,” Matty half-smiled, turning to look around at the exhibits along the walls of the museum. “Don’t you?”

“I just hate the way they’re presented.”

Matty looked confused for a moment.

“With all the mining propaganda.” Kevin rubbed a hand over his hair, then went to touch the rock wall, tracing the vein through it. “I guess that’s a strong word, but…”

Matty was watching him.

“All the mine closures out east, you know,” Kevin finished with a shrug. “Left a lot of my buddies in trouble, especially what with Alberta these days.”

“But that’s not your fault. It’s the provincial government. They haven’t been supporting any of the mining towns properly,” Matty said, and Kevin couldn’t tear his eyes away from the passion in his expression. “Mines might not last forever, but mining can be a smart short-term strategy to set up something sustainable. I mean, if damn Queen’s Park stops holding onto the money they owe us.”

Kevin nodded slowly. “Yeah, we don’t get a lot of it out our way either, man.”

“Fuckin’ Alberta.”

Kevin laughed. “I think everyone but Albertans agrees on that. God, it’s rough right now, though.”

“Yeah, I feel a little sorry for them,” Matty admitted, then glanced at Kevin. “But, bro, so many of the guys just blew their money out there! I don’t feel bad for them.”

Kevin snorted and nodded. Everyone knew guys going out for an easy six-figure job and wasting it all on booze. And housing, of course.

“A seventy grand salary like the old days—I guess like what you’ve got now?” Matty toasted Kevin with an imaginary bottle of beer and Kevin nodded. “That was a huge step up for me. But the first thing I did was start saving.”

“Right.” Kevin was kind of impressed, actually. So many players their age blew most of their money. Matty seemed way more grounded than your average guy.

He tried not to think about what an attractive trait that was in a lover. It was also interesting in a friend, of course.

“This gold is cool, though,” Kevin spoke up to distract Matty from getting back to his political rant.

Matty smiled easily and ran his finger along the vein of gold through the stones. “Yeah, it is. This place is pretty cool, though. Propaganda or no,” he winked.

Kevin’s cheeks felt hot. He glared at Matty and rolled his eyes. “You’re the one who’s all fuck Queen’s Park,” he snorted. “But yeah, Toronto does an okay job with its museums.”

“And a lot of stuff. I mean, Toronto sucks, but I feel lucky to be here.” After his sudden revelation, Matty walked towards the exhibit entrance.

Kevin strode to catch up. “Me, too. Ready for the pub yet?”

“Definitely. No more politics,” Matty promised with a laugh and clapped Kevin’s shoulder. His hand lingered on his upper back for a few moments too long, and Kevin resisted the urge to bump their shoulders.

Matty cast him a quick glance, scanning his expression before pulling his hand back.

That look… That wasn’t a normal straight guy look, not even by Kevin’s standards. He didn’t comment on it, but it felt like they walked a little closer on their way to the pub.

“So if Toronto isn’t it… what’s your dream team?” Matty asked.

“Are we talking my level or yours?”

Matty laughed. “Either. Say mine, then.”

“Oooh, boy,” Kevin laughed. “Depends on the coach. By the time I get there, they could be totally different. But Vancouver or Florida, just for the weather.”

“Yeah.” Matty snorted. “Fuck Toronto winters, honestly.”

Kevin grinned. “And Fredericton winters.”

“And… pretty much all Canadian winters.”

“We should just become cruise ship workers,” Kevin elbowed Matty. “Entertainers.”

“You play any instruments?”

“Not yet,” Kevin laughed. “But I could learn the guitar. I was kinda halfway through learning as a teen.”

“Oh, great idea,” Matty ribbed him. “I’ll be the halfway-good dancer, you be the halfway-good guitar player. We’ll do a sketch.”

“At least we’d be warm while we’re being heckled,” Kevin shrugged.

Matty smiled. “Seriously though, man… you know what happened to Cam?”

Who didn’t? Cameron Riley, one of Kevin’s good friends, had been one of the top picks for the draft until his sudden heart condition. It had taken months to even diagnose, and by that point, it was way too late to get back into the game.

Rather, Coach Walker would have taken Cam back, but Cam had decided he was done.

“Of course,” Kevin nodded. “Rough, losing your job and your life like that all at once.”

Cam hadn’t suffered too much; he’d jumped into beekeeping, found a boyfriend, and moved into a commune-like situation with his brothers. Well, each of them had their own house, but to Kevin it was a little weird.

“You got a backup plan?” Matty asked, peering seriously between him and the sidewalk as they turned the corner and waited to cross.

Kevin shifted uncomfortably. “Not really. Seeing Cam… it did make me wonder if I should come up with a backup career. I’ll tell you right fuckin’ now, if I lose this job…”

Matty grimaced. “God forbid.”

“Yeah,” Kevin nodded. “But I’m spending a year picking up some kind of skill and running with it. I’m not gonna sit around and watch my greatest replays.”

Matty pushed open the pub door and held it for Kevin. “Me, too. Hope it doesn’t come to that, though.”

Kevin nodded, his eyes wandering around the pub furnishings. This was a cute little place—a mural of British gentlemen on horses with a pack of dogs, wearing silly top hats added a certain levity.

They grabbed a couple beers and relaxed into the button-backed benches of the place, the dark wood table adding an extra coziness to the atmosphere. It could have easily felt too stuffy for him at night, but it seemed like the kind of place that was a lot more casual in the afternoon.

“I don’t know, though,” Kevin shook his head. “I’ve watched you play. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

Matty half-smiled. “Everyone always tells me that, man,” he laughed. “But bro, I don’t know.”

“Same here, though,” Kevin shook his head. “Especially since nobody here knows me.”

“Coach Walker wouldn’t have chosen you if he didn’t see potential,” Matty said, and the utter confidence in his voice bolstered Kevin with a glow of pride. “The team’s all glad to have you around, man. Don’t worry.”

“And you shouldn’t worry, either,” Kevin held out his bottle for a toast and clinked them together, drinking deeply. “You earned your spot.”

Matty looked a little flustered, quickly scanning the other tables instead of looking at Kevin. “Thanks.”

He doesn’t take praise well, then. Kevin just nodded, changing the subject to draft picks. It was something they could talk about without even thinking as they drank a couple beers and let the ache settle out of their muscles.

Kevin wasn’t even sure how much time passed before he realized it was getting into evening and he still had to pack for the week away, plus buy stuff for his buddies back home.

“And I gotta walk the dog.”

“What’s his name? Or her?”

“Jasmine.” Matty rubbed his head. “That was her name when she came from the shelter.”

“Jasmine’s a pretty name,” Kevin smiled. “And a shelter dog, too.” Matty slid up a few notches in his estimation once again.

They set off through the park, strolling easily side by side. It was a friendly kind of camaraderie that kept them bantering, jostling each other’s sides, sometimes bumping into each other and grinding shoulders for a pace or two before being shoved off with laughter.

As they reached Queen’s Park, Kevin leaned in and whispered, “Now’s your chance to make a difference.”

“Huh?”

“You can start a rally.”

Matty burst out laughing. “Oh, shut up. That was hours ago. You’re the clever type, aren’t you? Not gonna let anything go?” he winked.

“Definitely not.” Kevin came to a halt in front of the statue, not paying it any mind. Matty’s cheeks were flushed, his hair stuck up at odd angles. He stood with his weight shifted onto one leg, his hip stuck out and hand in his pocket.

Best of all, Matty’s eyes were on Kevin’s lips.

Neither of them said a word as they leaned in. It was fucking incredible, considering how much anxiety and worry and second-guessing he ought to have gone through first. Kevin should have been questioning it to the last second.

Instead, it was the most natural thing in the world to forgo the back-slapping bro hug.

Kevin’s palms were cupping Matty’s cheeks, while his hands landed on his back and hip. Matty wasn’t pushing him away, and he even angled his head just a little.

Their lips met with a burst of warmth and pleasure, Kevin’s chest and cock and even the tips of his fingers and toes all buzzing with excitement. Holy shit, this was what chemistry felt like. He’d half-forgotten, burying his urges under practices and homework of gameplay videos.

Just before Kevin tangled his hand in Matty’s hair to keep him kissing him, he came to his senses.

Holy crap. Ohhhh, no, I didn’t.

Kevin pulled back abruptly and raised a hand. He strode out of the park almost as fast as he could. It was all he could do to keep it to a fast walk and not a sprint.

Shit, shit, shit. I hope I didn’t just fuck this up.

He hadn’t just flung himself at the nearest guy to take him out for a drink and a day of sightseeing, had he?

Fuck, this was bad.