Icing Those Hurts (NOT MY STORY. READ DISC)

Part 5

Sapnap's favorite part about being an ice hockey player- other than the fact that he and his team is good enough for the Olympics, is that he gets to travel all over with them and do the thing that he loves.

He loves the ice, the skates, the stick. He loves waking up in a brand new city, town, state, country. He loves how the air is different and everything is new all the time. Everything feels like a second chance. Everything is shiny and he gets to take his team- his brothers- and discover it.

"No, no, no," Schlatt says, snapping Sapnap out of his thoughts. "No. Look, if anything, we'd go out of here and we'd find some sort of Alaskan party. They must throw down here. It's Alaska."

George stares at him. "You are stupid."

"Just because I'm on a team of homebodies, doesn't mean I'm going to become one," he says loudly, and Sapnap rolls his eyes.

"Shut up, Schlatt," Sapnap scoffs, "I take offense to that. Great offense. You know I party."

"You're basically married," Schlatt counters. "Partying with you is different. It's a fucking bummer, man."

Techno, sitting across from him and eating his blueberries, takes a deep, annoyed breath. "I'll send all of you back where you came from if you don't shut up."

"Yikes," Sapnap blinks. "Someone didn't have their coffee."

"Time zones," He mutters. "Why are they real? You know, time is a made up human concept. Nothing about it makes sense. God isn't real. We're all going to die."

"Here, here," George says, raising his orange juice in a toast. Schlatt looks appalled at the both of them.

Wilbur comes over then, his plate full of eggs and bacon and hashbrowns. He puts a cup of steaming black coffee in front of Techno and sits down.

"Good shit, Soot," Schlatt says, still watching Techno warily. "Captain was getting existential and nihilistic."

Wilbur squints at Techno as he picks up the mug. "Did he start talking about Art of War?"

"No, no, we're safe for now."

"Okay, good." Wilbur smiles. "How'd you all sleep? Better be good, cause I want to skate laps today."

"Eat your eggs, you freak," Quackity speaks up, who's been unusually quiet. He's laying flat out on the booth seat on his back, staring up at the ceiling with an arm thrown over his eyes. "I'm already tired of this. It's always so cold and then we have to go onto the ice?"

"When you became an ice hockey player," George leads and trails off expectantly. The silence is very judgemental.

"I like hitting stuff with a stick, fuck off."

"Okay, but you're rooming with Sapnap, human space heater," Wilbur points out. "Be grateful."

"Wil bur." Quackity groans tiredly.

"Quack ity." Wilbur mocks.

Sapnap ignores them, spotting the two snowboarders standing by the entrance to the dining hall, looking around like they're confused. They're standing together, heads close, whispering between themselves, clearly waiting for something.

"Hey!" Sapnap says loudly. A lot of heads turn to him and Techno groans, but he doesn't care. "Hey Ranboo! Tubster! Come sit by us!"

Ranboo goes bright red, but Tubbo- and Sapnap knew he liked that kid- grabs Ranboo by the wrist and pulls him over.