A New Dream Come True
The day after getting caught by Remus, Jackson was still shaken. It was that easy. What if it hadn’t been Remus? Or someone they knew? What if someone had taken pictures of them like they did to Loops and Cap? His anxiety shot through the roof at the thought of walking outside.
He knew Zhenya could tell, could see the fear in his eyes when they were together outside of their home. He walked next to Jackson, close enough to be comforting but far enough away to not show anything was up.
Right now, they were curled together in their bed. It was technically Zhenya’s bed but they both slept there most of the time so it became theirs.
Jackson had his head resting on his boyfriend’s chest, listening to the steady beating of his heart. It was during times like this that Zhenya wished his English was better. Nado always said he loved the way he talked, but it didn’t help him here. There were things he wanted to say without stumbling through his words. He knew the words in Russian, but his English failed him.
“Nado,” Zhenya whispered, running gentle fingers over the other man’s back. He could feel the muscles tense beneath his fingers, like he had to brace for impact. Jackson knew what he was going to say. It was what he had been saying since the night before, and even before that honestly.
They planned to tell the team tonight at dinner, which was at Loops and Cap’s house tonight. The problem was Jackson kept going back and forth.
Sighing softly, Jackson tilted his head up to meet soft brown eyes, “I know. I know we’ve got to tell them. I know they’ll be accepting. It doesn’t make it any less… scary.” He whispered.
Zhenya nodded, “I know. Big scare. But team support, always. Good people. No matter what, I got you. You got me, da?”
“Yeah. Yeah, babe. I got you.” Jackson said softly.
When they got to the house later on, Jackson felt like he was going to shake out of his shoes. Dumo ushered them both in, leading them to the living room where everyone who had arrived was sitting.
His eyes automatically went to Remus, who was sharing a chair with Sirius. Seeing them helped a bit. Their team was so accepting, so supportive. Realistically, he knew it’d be fine. There’s just always that little part in his brain that has to disagree.
“Nado, Kuns! We were just about to start a Mario Kart tourney, you in?” Talker asked from where he stood by the TV. Leo and Logan were on the floor with a pair of the Wii remotes, Finn on the couch behind them.
Jackson let out a shaky breath before he decided this was it. This was the moment, now or never. Well… not now or never, but fuck, it felt like it. Slowly he reached back, intertwining his fingers with Zhenya’s.
“We.. We actually wanted to tell you guys something.” He croaked out, feeling Zhenya’s grip tighten on his own hand. It felt as though each pair of eyes was a laser on his hand, their hands, just burning them. Jackson almost let go. Almost. But the warmth of his boyfriend’s hand, just feeling his presence next to him, was comforting.
Zhenya pulled him closer as he looked at his team, raising an eyebrow as if daring them to say something, “Nado and I date. We good together.”
Jackson couldn’t help the small smile that spread on his face as he looked up at his boyfriend. They were good together.
There was a pause, a silence. Not awkward per say, it was more just everyone taking their time to understand. It was Finn who interrupted the quiet.
“How did we get so many non-heteros on one fucking team?”
Zhenya let out a laugh, resting his head onto Jackson’s shoulder, “We just lucky.” He murmured, a soft smile spreading on his face.
“I’d have to agree.” Cap said as he came over, pulling them both into a hug. “I’m so happy for you both. I’ve got your back, you know we all do.” Nado didn’t know that he had ever been on the receiving end of a Cap hug, but it was really nice. Especially at a time like this.
Jackson smiled, glancing at Zhenya out of the corner of his eye, “We know.”
“Dinner is ready whenever you guys are.” Celeste said, leaning the doorway with a smile. They all began making their way into the kitchen, chatting happily between each other when Zhenya held Jackson back.
Jackson leaned into him automatically, a smile spread across his face. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Sure, there would probably be more questions later, more people to talk to, but they had told their team.
“Oh, Zhenya, you right. You sooo smart.” Zhenya teased in what was apparently his rendition of Jackson’s voice.
Shaking his head fondly, Jackson laughed, “First of all, I sound nothing like that. Second of all, yes babe, you’re very smart and you were right. Don’t get used to hearing it though.” His arms went around Zhenya’s middle as he leaned in to give him a kiss.
Zhenya smiled into the kiss, “I love you.” He said before pressing kisses all over his boyfriend’s face.
“Love you too, Zhenya. Always.”
When Jackson was invited to join the Lions, it was honestly a dream come true. From the time he put on his first pair of skates, all he wanted was to play hockey professionally. But now. Now he had a boyfriend who he loved, a team who supported them. It may not have been his original dream, but it was still his favorite dream come true.