Longing For You Ch. 03

It was a close game, with a few minor fights breaking out between players. Hop was one of the star players because he was big and confident with his movements, and he intimidated people easily. Theo, on the other hand, was light and quick and seemed to be everywhere all at once. Theo was always happy to let Hop take the goal, but Theo definitely helped him get there.

Theo went down one side of the rink with the puck and shot it across to where Hop was waiting to take it from him. Theo slowed down so he could chill toward the middle until he saw whether Hop scored or not, his eyes on Hop rather than around him right then. He didn't notice the two players who were coming towards him until it was far too late.

One player hit Theo from the front, on his left side, while another player hit Theo from behind, on his right. They hit him with enough speed that it snapped his head backwards and Theo crumpled to the ice while everyone else was busy celebrating the goal Hop had gotten. River and Trevor, though, were both out of their seats, with Trevor yelling Theo's name over the din of the crowd.

Hop was turning toward Theo after making the goal when he went down. His vision suddenly seemed to go red and he seemed to take a somewhat distant back seat to what was happening with his body as he used the last of his momentum from the approach to the net to launch into a new direction -- right at the biggest of the two who had hit Theo. Hop picked up speed like a freight train and slammed into the guy hard, crushing him against the boards. They both rebounded from the force of the impact and while the other guy crumpled bonelessly to the ice, probably unconscious, Hop turned his attention to the other attacker.

By the time Hop got himself turned around, the other kid was still staring in shock at his buddy, who had not moved at all after being hit. He almost didn't see Hop coming, but barely managed to dodge Hop's thrown hockey stick, putting him in the perfect position for a football-style tackle as Hop used his speed on the ice and the brakes on his skates to launch himself the last few inches into the boy's middle. By the time the referees and coaches could get to them on the ice, Hop was straddling the kid and punching him in a steady rhythm with his right fist while he held onto his jersey with his left.

They broke up the "fight", if one could really call it that, quickly and the referees threw Hop out of the game while medical attention was provided to Theo and the two boys from the opposite team. They ended up moving Theo and the two players from the opposing team down to medical to be looked at further, making sure they were taken to two separate areas while the coaches argued with the referees about what just happened. Theo had been without the puck and on the side when this happened, so it was unprovoked and against the rules.

Trevor tried to argue their way in to see Theo, but the medics wouldn't let them while they checked Theo over. Theo was sort of conscious as they shone light into his pupils and put a neck brace on him. They asked him questions about where he was, what year it was, and the like before they decided he should be transferred to an ER for further testing, especially with how much Theo's head and ribs were hurting.

Hop had to spend the rest of the game in the penalty box or in the locker room. He opted for the locker room, where he showered and changed into his street clothes before checking on Theo via Trevor.

"They won't let us see him but one guy said they are calling an ambulance for him," Trevor told him. "They're worried about broken ribs and a concussion."

"Any word on the other guys?" Hop inquired.

"I'm pretty sure you broke the one guy's nose," Trevor replied. "But they aren't giving us much more than that."

Hop stewed alone in the locker room until the ambulance came and the paramedics got Theo loaded into it. They told Trevor which hospital they were taking him to and cautioned them that he wouldn't be allowed visitors right away, so they might as well finish watching the game. Trevor told Hop what the paramedics told him and then he and River returned to make sure Michigan took the win, which they did.

Hop was given a lecture from the coach once everyone got back into the locker room after the game, but he didn't go much beyond that since he knew Hop had been acting in protection of Theo. A couple of their own players were in hot water for leaving Theo wide open for those hits, and coach said he would be pushing for an investigation on this because he wasn't blind to the issues in the locker room lately.

He left them all with a warning that if they didn't step up and stop the homophobia, there would be serious consequences.

Once Theo was at the hospital, they got him into a room and ordered tests to be done. They started with blood tests before they sent him in for an x-ray of his chest and an MRI of the head. They gave Theo some pain medicine and he slept for a good part of his ER stay, dozing in and out while they checked his vitals and made sure his pain was taken care of.

He walked away from the altercation with a few bruised ribs, a concussion, and whiplash. They let him go with pain meds and orders to use ice on and off for the next 24 hours on his neck. They felt the concussion was mild compared to what happened, so they just gave him a list of things to watch out for and to come back if anything got worse.

By the time he was fully awake and allowed visitors, the hospital was discharging him. He did appreciate seeing a very anxious Hop, along with a slightly calmer Trevor and River, waiting in the waiting area. They all stood up as Theo gingerly walked towards them, giving a tired smile.

"You look like hell," Trevor commented.

Theo acknowledged that with a nod of his head. "Not as bad as one of the other guys, I've been told. They brought him to the ER too so the nurses have let me know how bad he looks. How's your hand, Hop?"

Hop lifted his hand absent-mindedly, as if to show him, but some well-meaning nurse had bandaged it in the triage room for him. "It's fine. I don't think I broke anything. I'm glad the first dude I hit was just concussed. The second guy needed some patching up but I bet his pride hurts more than anything. From what I hear, their team got penalized for the cheap shot on you. I'm on a three-game suspension."

Theo's eyes widened at the last part and then he frowned. "Well, the team can handle three games, I suppose. At least it wasn't the whole season. You really didn't have to go to those lengths though, you know."

Hop shrugged, "Like I told Coach, I really wasn't in charge any more. I literally saw red and then it felt like I was a passenger in my own head. It was... trippy and unsettling."

"It was a hell of a fight to watch though," Trevor added helpfully. "The referees and coaches didn't really get time to react before Hop had taken one guy down and was on top of the other guy. I've never seen him move that fast!"

Theo gently nudged Trevor, mostly so he didn't jostle his own ribs, and said, "I told you there was a reason why he's the big star here. I'm just glad your hand is okay, other than some light wounds."

"What about you?" River asked him.

"Oh, nothing horrible," Theo replied dismissively. "Light concussion, whiplash, and some bruised ribs. So a lot of icing, pain management, and resting in my future."

"Coach told me that the three-game suspension doesn't apply to practice and he intends to make sure I'm ready to play when I can get back on the ice," Hop said with a sheepish look on his face. "I was hoping he'd let the suspension be its own punishment, but apparently that's not the case. I've got some rough courses this semester too, so I'm going to be studying whenever I'm not getting my ass kicked at practice."

"Well, let me know what I can do to help," Theo replied as they started walking out to the car. "I'll be off the ice for the next few weeks. Luckily as far as swimming is concerned, it's back to practice. Coach won't be thrilled though."

"Just take it easy," Trevor told Theo. "Coach would be much more upset if you overdid it and finished breaking those ribs."

Hop eyed Theo while thinking to himself that this week wouldn't be a good time to try anything more physical with Theo. Trevor drove them back to campus while they talked about the rest of the game. He dropped them off at their house with a warning to Hop to make sure that Theo was resting. Theo went into their room and put his medicine bottles on the nightstand that sat between their beds before he sat down on the bed with a groan of pain.

Hop had followed him into the room. "How about an early night tonight, slugger?" Hop said with a smirk.

"That's probably a good idea," Theo agreed. "It otherwise hurts like hell or I'm out of it and tired from the meds."

Hop nodded as if that settled it and got himself ready for bed. They had both taken to sleeping in just their boxer shorts; foregoing pajamas as a practicality as it led to less laundry to wash. When Theo stripped down, Hop could see the bruising that was beginning to form along his ribs, as well as some along his back from the impact. It was a stark reminder of just how bad this could have been. Sports injuries were nothing to laugh about, especially when the head was involved, which Theo's was.

Hop gazed sympathetically at Theo's bruises for a moment before turning the light off and climbing into bed. That night, Hop had nightmares where Theo went down and he couldn't get to him. At first the ice was too smooth and he couldn't get traction, then when he started to make progress it was like Theo was moving away from him faster than he could move to get to him.

At one point in the dream, Hop could hear Theo making a gasping sound, and then Hop came back to consciousness and realized he actually was. He looked over to see Theo fumbling for the medicine bottles on the nightstand, his face a grimace as he held his side. Hop sat up quickly, instantly awake. He grabbed the pill bottles and stood, handing them to Theo as he left the room to get him some water to swallow the pills with.

Theo opened the bottles and got the pills out that he needed and got them into his mouth by the time Hop returned with the glass of water. He took it from Hop gratefully and swallowed them down before he laid back down on the bed, still holding onto his side in pain.

"I'm probably...gonna need to...set an alarm," Theo gasped out.

Hop nodded and took the bottle of pills, reading the instructions and then setting an alarm on his phone to go off half an hour before the recommended time. Theo gave him a grateful smile. They had dealt with injuries before, but this was different. This wasn't a normal injury that came from playing a sport; this was a direct attack against Theo because they had an opening to do so.

They found that their coach and the university was serious about the investigation too by the next practice. Theo went in mostly to watch everyone and show that he supported his team, and they were going through with talking to everyone about the bullying that had been going around. They had information from other players about who had been harassing Theo from their own team, as well as a flier that had been posted everywhere showing Theo's name, face, jersey number, and that he was, as the flier stated, "a flagrant fag."

Hop went to the extended practices and took his lumps in good spirits from the coach. The people on the team who had been most vocal about Theo before were conspicuously silent around Hop after witnessing what he had done to the two bad actors on the other team. He dressed out for the games he was suspended from but sat behind the penalty box next to the coach.

Theo went to the games too, dressed in his jersey, but near the coach. A statement was made by the universities that any acting up in the sports games to injure someone for their sexuality would not only lead to the perpetrators being suspended from their sports, but possibly expelled from their school.

It was not at all a surprise to find that the flier that had been posted everywhere led back to Elise. A few of her friends even snitched to U of M about it when the administration was questioning people. Hop and Theo eagerly awaited the results of the decision from the school while continuing on in classes and practices like nothing of consequence was happening.

Thanksgiving happened between that time with Hop and Theo going home to stay with Hop's family for a couple of days. By then, both of their entire families knew about Theo. It was awkward at first, but Hop's family did a good job of pretending it wasn't a big deal and just treated Theo like they always had. Theo saw his brother and one of his sisters while he was there, but they didn't spend a long amount of time together. Just had breakfast at a diner and then parted ways.

When they came back to school, some decisions had been made. The players who had bullied him had to genuinely apologize and never do it again, while the two who had actually hurt him were banned from playing the sport anymore. They weren't going to expel them quite yet, but their reaction to being benched for good could determine that.

Elise, on the other hand, was taken off the cheerleading team and put on probation. If she stayed away from Theo and stopped her harassment, she could finish out her classes. If not, then she would be gone from the school entirely.

"She should have been expelled," Trevor grumbled.

"Probably," Theo agreed. "But it's okay. She's been told to stay away and leave me alone, so hopefully she will. That's really all I care about, along with her staying away from Hop."

"Meerow," Trevor said, affecting the sound of a cat getting ready to fight, a grin on his face as he did so.

Theo shoved his shoulder good naturedly, laughing while he did so. His ribs were starting to feel better though he still felt like he was taking ibuprofen like they were candy. "We're...roommates. And best friends."

Trevor chuckled and looked over at where Hop was sitting. "How are you handling all of this? She did used to be your girlfriend and everything."

Hop looked up from his phone, "I'm handling it just fine. She was a cheater and clearly not a great person. I regret ever dating her."

Trevor narrowed his eyes for a moment before he decided to just take that at face value. "As long as you aren't internalizing any of it. Some people would deal with guilt about all of it, which you shouldn't because it's not your fault."

"I think Hop has better control over his mental health than we do," Theo commented. "It's that all good American, from a good family who talks things out kind of breeding, you know?"

"Lucky," Trevor replied while River gave a wistful look.

"Luck and breeding have nothing to do with it and you know it, Theophenes!" Hop objected. "I just had time while she was actively cheating and I was suspicious of it to begin a healthy detachment from the relationship. Plus, I don't think I was ever as committed to her vision of our supposed future together as she was."

"That's a healthy way to view it, for sure," River agreed. "She did some pretty awful things, so I'm glad you're not feeling any responsibility for her actions. How are your ribs doing, Theo?"

"Better," Theo replied with a shrug. "They still hurt but it's nowhere near what it was. I'm hoping to just put this behind us for good after Christmas."

"You have to focus on finishing your vet school applications anyway," Trevor pointed out. "I just know you'll get into all of your top choices. You'll have to consider where you're moving soon enough."

Then Trevor turned and looked at Hop again. "Which means you'll need to consider what you're doing. Are you waiting to decide if you want to officially date Theo until after sex, or...?"

Hop, seeming a bit uncomfortable with this line of questioning, shrugged and mumbled about not knowing anything for sure yet. He secretly hoped Theo would come to his rescue, but his plaintive look in Theo's direction was met with an expression that told Hop that Theo wanted to know the answer to that question as well. Hop cleared his throat and spoke up, "I really don't know for sure. Probably? I know I like Theo romantically, I just don't know about sexual stuff yet."

Trevor looked like he wanted to say something to that, but a quick shake of the head from Theo silenced him. It seemed to Hop that whatever Trevor wanted to say was something that Theo already knew about, which led Hop to reason that it was something that the three of them had spoken of before. Trevor looked vaguely annoyed while River just looked sad for Theo, and Theo turned away from everyone to put a pot on for tea for himself.

When River and Trevor went to leave, Theo said he was going to walk them out to Hop, and the three of them went outside, where Theo shut the door behind them. They walked around the house toward the street before Trevor turned back to Theo. "So, once you get into vet school, what happens if he's still undecided by the summer?"

Theo put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground. "If he doesn't know by then, then I don't think he ever will. So, at that point, I'll move without him and wish him well. The distance will be important to moving on."

"Are you going to tell him that?" River asked him.

Theo shook his head. "No. I don't want him to make a decision based on the pressure of me making a permanent change, you know? He'll find out when I pack and move."

"Well, tell us if you need anything," Trevor said with a pat to Theo's shoulder.

Theo watched them walk away before he headed back into the house to where Hop was. "Sorry about them. You know how protective Trev can get."

Hop wasn't buying that explanation, at least not that it explained everything about that look that had passed between them, but he didn't feel like he had any right to ask if Theo didn't want to talk about it. He nodded and showed Theo his phone. He had been thinking about new majors and had settled on Information Technology because it was a fast-growing field with lots of jobs available upon graduation. He had decided to take out student loans if things didn't go well with his parents if he came out.

"That's a great field," Theo said with a smile. "How much will that add to your time until graduation? An extra year?"

"Two or three, depending. If we stay here it will be less, but a lot of the core classes are the same and most colleges will offer transfer credits for classes I've already taken," Hop answered.

"That's not too bad, I suppose," Theo replied and leaned back against the counter. "Vet school will take another four years for me, so we'd be dealing with a similar timeline."

Hop nodded. "I've already got my broadcasting Associates. I considered finishing up the Bachelor's but it feels like a waste of money..."

"Whatever feels like the best choice to you, I back you up on," Theo said. "You're great with computers too, so I think this sounds perfect for you."

Hop smiled, then asked, "How much longer are you going to sip on that tea?" They had been sleeping in the same bed lately and Hop was enjoying being the big spoon, apparently.

Theo smiled at that and drank down the rest of the tea in answer to that question. He put the mug in the sink to wash later and then followed Hop into the bedroom where they laid down on the bed and Theo snuggled back into Hop's chest. Theo tended to be the type of person who was always cold, where Hop was almost always warm, and his warmth brought Theo a lot of comfort. Plus that skin on skin feeling when they were both in their boxers was always so electric feeling to Theo. It was a feeling he'd never felt with anyone other than Hop, though River came close.