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Each year he said he was done. Never doing this again. No way in Hell was he going to continue coaching such a big band of misfits. Literally. The South End Misfits Juvenile Hockey Team.
And each year he would look into two pairs of dark chocolate brown eyes and concede to the thankless task.
This year was different though. Jamie, his and Jim's son, was not just on the team but Captain. His teammates had chosen him because not only was he the Goalie but he was the best player on the team. He may be a bit smaller than the others in height but made up for it in speed and agility. All of that made him a target for the bullies on the other team.
They were playing an out of town team today that they played often and was known for their fighting style as much as for their ability to hit the puck. Jamie was holding them off from scoring but some of the opposing players got a few good verbal jabs in while skating by. Hockey was as much mental as it was physical. Sebastian could teach him how to play any physical position, but it was up to his other dad, Jim, to teach him how to play mentally.
Jamie must've said something right because one moment the kids were skating and the next Jamie and the other teams Center were going at it. They were holding each other's jerseys with one hand and punching with the other. Helmets were knocked off by the time the refs and coaches got there to separate them. They were screaming at each other incoherently and bloody spit was coming out of the children's mouths.
The buzzer sounded at the end of the second period and everyone went back to the team locker area. Sebastian pulled Jamie aside knowing that Jim was going to want to see him and make sure he was ok so it was important to clean him up before Dad made his inspection.
“What were you thinking? A fight is one thing but you two were attacking each other.” Seb couldn't help the smile that briefly escaped him at how his son didn't just fight, but looked like he would've won.
“It's nothing Pop.” Jamie hung his head and mumbled something.
Sebastian couldn't be sure but he thought he heard *something something* *love* *something*. He was convinced he was wrong. He asked Jamie to repeat himself and this time he looked up and said “I think I love him but I hate him too.”
Sebastian lost it.
He smiled huge and wide and laughed. He hugged his kid tightly. “You're so much like your fathers. You know, we hated each other when we first met.” Jamie nodded as he'd heard a modified version of the story (minus the blood and sex).
Just then Jim walked in and saw his own youthful face staring back and forth between him and his husband. “Do I need to get someone's kneecaps broken?” He grinned when he saw Jamie looking confused but happy and Sebastian still laughing.
Seb pulled Jim into a hug and kissed the top of his head. “Nah, he's gonna be alright and he probably would hate you if you hurt his future boyfriend.”
Jamie blushed. Seb laughed. Jim got a Cheshire Cat grin. “Oh. Do tell.”
“Later.” Sebastian nudged Jim out of the locker room so he could prepare his team for the next half of the game.
He knew that his boy was going to have hard times, bad times, and good times, but between him and Jim, Jamie would not just survive but thrive.
He also knew he'd be doing this again next year.