Icing Those Hurts (NOT MY STORY. READ DISC)

Part 25

The first thing he does when he's finally let off the ice and is back in the village is go looking- not for a bed, or some food, but for his friends.

They're on the rink, practicing, and as much as it makes Tommy tremble to have to walk anywhere near the ice again, he slips inside quietly, and watches for a moment. He goes unnoticed for a total of thirty seconds before Quackity sees him and nearly crashes into George's back trying to wave at him.

"Tommy!" He yelps, and the rest of them all look his way, their eyes huge. "Tommy, we haven't seen you all day- where have you been?"

He opens his mouth, then closes it, unsure how to answer. He doesn't think they'd like to hear where he's been. He's not sure they'd be happy about that.

"Guys. Get back to the drill. Leave Tommy alone." Tommy looks up to the bleachers where Phil is sitting, an open binder on his lap and a clipboard by his side. "Hello, Tommy. It's nice to see you. Do you want to sit in? I could use an assistant coach for this actually."

He nods slowly, then climbs up carefully, achingly aware of his shaky limbs.

"You alright there?" Phil asks, eyes flickering up and down Tommy's form. "You seem stiff."

Tommy shrugs. "Practice."

"Ah. Well, I'm not gonna make you get on the ice, I promise." He says easily. "Make sure you take a nice warm bath tonight, so you're not feeling that in the morning, yeah?"

Tommy nods. "What are they doing?"

"They're supposed to be going over defending with their bodies, but they're completely distracted." Phil says loudly, and they all scramble a bit on the ice. Tommy winces.

"Sorry, I can go if I'm-

"No." Phil says firmly. "Absolutely not. No, you being here is an incentive, actually. Guys! If you don't get yourselves together, I'm making Tommy leave!"

It's almost comical how quickly they begin to run the drill.

"See," Phil whispers, grinning behind his hand now, "You're my secret weapon. I could use you in all my practices."

Tommy giggles, and Phil seems to light up at the sound. They sit there together, watching the practice. Occasionally, Phil shows Tommy what they're working on by drawing it up on his clipboard and explaining it. His voice never raises or insinuates that Tommy isn't smart for not understanding on the first explanation. And even when he tests Tommy, just for fun, he listens to Tommy's complete answer, no matter how hesitant. He never cuts Tommy off or makes him feel awful for trying.

When he gets it right, he even offers Tommy gentle praise with no additional cutting remark.

It's amazing. After a long, long day, this is the perfect place for Tommy to be.

"You cold, mate?" Phil asks suddenly, making Tommy look over, confused. "Your hands. They're shaking." And they are, as they always are. Tommy can't remember the last time he's had steady hands. He tucks them into his sleeves, ducking slightly in embarrassment.

"No, I- they do that. Sorry." Tommy apologizes.

"Why are you saying sorry?" Phil frowns. He holds out a hand. "Here, look."

Tommy does. Phil's hands shake too. Not as much as Tommy's but still. The tremble is there. Tommy can see himself in it.

"Nerves," Phil says. "I'm not as tough as I look."

Tommy takes a breath. Then, quietly, he admits, "me either."

"I also have to admit to not taking care of myself the way that I should." He continues, sighing. "Sleeping and eating and drinking plenty of water. Coming here, it's a lot of stress, and for me, it's very easy to forget to do these basic things. But they're just as important as the practice. It's just another type of preparation."

Oh. Tommy's never thought about it like that before.

"I'm not very good at it either," Tommy says. "Sometimes I forget and sometimes I-"

He stops himself.

Phil looks over. "Sometimes you what?"

Tommy shakes his head. Phil doesn't push.

"That's the hard part I guess," he continues, as if Tommy wasn't just- weird. " Remembering to care about ourselves the same way that we care about our sport."

Tommy thinks about that for a while.

When the practice ends, the second Tommy is off the bleachers, he's got them all swarming up to him, Wilbur leading the pack. He steps back a bit, overwhelmed, but George grabs the back of Wilbur's hoodie, nearly choking him.

"Stupid fuck," George says matter-of-factly. "If you want a hug, you need to ask first."

George lets go, and Wilbur rubs at his neck, throwing a glare at him before straightening. He smiles at Tommy, and, with colored cheeks, goes, "hey Tommy. Missed you. Can I have a hug?"

"Me too?" Quackity peeks from under Wilbur's arm.

"Me first," Sapnap demands, clambering over all their gym bags.

Tommy gives a small smile, and nods. "Yes, but Techno first."

They all groan, but Techno, who was sitting there, just watching in amusement, laughs. He opens his arms and Tommy hugs him, letting himself be wrapped up. Then, he goes around to all of them, letting them all cling on for a bit. Tommy would pretend that he isn't pleased, but he's never gotten so many hugs in his life, so he couldn't possibly.

The last one is Schlatt, who hugs for the longest and tucks his chin against the top of Tommy's head like he's planning to take a rest like that- with Tommy held in his arms.

"Missed you, kid." He says gruffly. "Don't disappear like that again, alright?"

Tommy hums, squeezing slightly. An apology and an agreement all in one.

When he pulls away, Schlatt hands him his sweatshirt and makes him put it on because apparently, Tommy's damn near freezing and it's freaking him out. Tommy isn't, but he tugs it over his head immediately, grinning at the softness it provides.

Schlatt's eyes gleam when he sees him, and he reaches out to ruffle Tommy's already ruined hair. "There you go, kid. Warm now?"

"Warm," he confirms. And tired. And hungry.

Thankfully, Quackity reaches over and grabs Tommy's hand, lightly pulling him towards the door. "Come on, Tomas, you've missed the drink-of-the-day, and also, I need to tell you about every little bit of drama that happened this morning. Talk and walk with me, your favorite."

Tommy laughs. He neither confirms nor denies, but he lets Quackity take him wherever he wants as the rest of them follow behind.