Icing Those Hurts (NOT MY STORY. READ DISC)

Part 27

Everyone in this room got here somehow and everyone will have to leave . So what's next?

...

Tommy doesn't come to breakfast the next morning. They all sit, leaving open a space in between Techno and Wilbur. Sapnap piles a plate high of his favorites, even though they all expect him to manage about half, and Quackity grabs him a drink- blueberry explosion smoothie. They've been slowly making their way through all the options so Tommy can pick his favorite. Drink-of-the-day. It's blueberry day.

They talk quietly, each eying the door, waiting for Tommy to appear. Waiting for Tubbo and Ranboo, with Tommy walking a bit behind them. Him in his too large sweater, with his hands hidden, with his steps careful.

They wait, and they wait, and they wait.

Schlatt is the only one brave enough to say what they're all thinking when people around them begin to pack up and leave. "Kid's not coming."

"His coach wouldn't have him up before breakfast after he spent all yesterday training, would he?" Quackity asks. Techno and Wilbur exchange dark looks.

Sapnap stands abruptly. "Fuck this. Fuck this. I'm going to get him. I'm- I'm gonna pull him off the ice if I have to. I don't fucking care."

George stands next. He doesn't speak, just nods once. He's with Sapnap. Good.

"You can't punch an Olympic coach," Techno warns. "What are you going to do? Because if you get us tossed out of here, then we can't help Tommy at all."

"It's blueberry day." Sapnap says back. And it makes no fucking sense, but he feels wild right now. None of this makes sense. Why Tommy? Why did he, of all people, have to have this bitch of a coach? He bets this place is crawling with people who've done worse versus Tommy, who has never done anything wrong in his life. "I'm not fucking leaving him to fight for himself, Tech. Come with me or don't, I don't give a fuck. I'm not leaving a teammate out on the ice alone."

Then he turns and leaves, not stopping to see who is following. When he hits the hallway though, he can tell- all of them are at his back, and something inside of him eases. His team, behind him. With him. Going to get their own. As it should be.

"What's your plan?" Schlatt asks, a bit more urgent than normal. "You better fucking have a plan, cause you're in charge for this one, man."

"My plan is whatever it takes," Sapnap growls. "I'm not leaving without him. Not unless he makes me."

"That is not a plan," Quackity hisses, but Sapnap doesn't care. When he hits the double doors of the rink, he slams them open, storming down to the ice. It looks empty for a moment, but then there's the familiar sound of blades cutting through the cold.

Tommy skates into view, and Sapnap will have to admit to being takenaback. It's weird seeing him in his own clothing for once- Sapnap got used to seeing their team colors across Tommy's back and falling from his shoulders. Not this form fitting black turtleneck, which is boring and standard and is nothing like the Tommy that he's grown to know and love.

Tommy looks at him, at them all, and for a brief moment, surprise passes over his expression, then confusion, and then it's all schooled, blank. Sapnap decides not to feel hurt.

"Tommy," he starts, about to ask what the hell he's doing, when his coach skates in from the other side of the rink, sliding right in front of Tommy.

"Hello," he says, sickly sweet, "how can I help you all today? I assume that it's urgent given the fact that you've just interrupted my skaters' scheduled practice time."

Sapnap straightens. "We want to talk to Tommy."

The coach looks unimpressed. Sapnap thinks he'll turn them away, but then, a sadistic smile crosses the man's face. "You know what? Tommy? Come."

Tommy skates over. Sapnap tries to look him in the face, just to see if there's anything at all hidden away in his blue eyes, but he keeps them down.

"Tommy, these hockey players somehow think it's their place to demand your attention and pull you away from your much-needed practice." He says. "They want to talk. What do you think about that?"

Tommy looks over at his coach questioningly.

"Speak freely," he permits. Behind him, Sapnap can hear George take a very, very deep breath.

"Tommy," Sapnap says, voice dipping into worry now that he doesn't have to think about intimidating the coach. "Tommy, is everything okay?"

Tommy blinks at him once, with wide, wide eyes- panicked. Confused. Then they narrow slightly, as if upset. As if he's distrusting. He lifts his chin, and says, with a shaky, but firm voice, "I'm in the middle of practice. Leave."

"What?" Wilbur says, pushing to the front. "No, listen, Tommy, if you need help-"

"I'm getting help." Tommy says. "Help winning gold. I don't-" he takes a deep breath. "I don't need anything else."

"Tommy, but-"

Beside him, his coach checks his watch absently. Without looking, as if he can sense it, Tommy tenses. Becomes more urgent. "Go." He demands. When he puts his hands on the rink edge, they're shaking. "Go. I'm telling you to leave."

"Tommy, please," Sapnap steps forward, tries to put his hands over Tommy's, if for nothing, then to quell the shake, but Tommy rips his hands away, skates back a few steps. For good measure, he turns away so his back is to them.

Because of the turtleneck, they all can see his shoulders rising and falling. They can all see how heavy he's breathing. How distressed he is. He wasn't like this before. He wasn't- something had to have happened. Something bad.

"Please," Tommy whispers, head back down, even when his back is to them. His breathing is controlled now. "Please leave. Please."

It's the most heartbreaking sound Sapnap has ever heard.

The coach smirks. "You heard him. Leave. Go on. The ice will be free in- oh, two hours or so. Give or take a few minutes. You did take a good chunk of my time away. But don't worry, the only person who'll be making it up is him." Then he barks, "Tommy, triple axel."

Tommy skates off. The coach doesn't even look, but still Tommy does it, in what seems to be perfection. Quick and high and smooth. Graceful and beautiful and so right that it almost seems unreal.

"Again," he says. "Do it quick this time? Not whatever that was." Tommy's chest heaves once, twice, and then he takes off again. Sapnap wants to throw up.

"Aw, look at what you've all done. Hurting him just by being here." The coach leans forward, his grin sharpening. "Maybe- just maybe- you should listen to him and leave. And think about not coming back, yeah?"

Sapnap's fists curl and he is about to start forward, but a large hand grabs his shoulder, stopping him. Technoblade.

"We're going." He says. And that's his that's the final call voice. He's in charge now- Sapnap's brief stint as team captain ended in a failure. "Tommy, if you need me, you know where to find me. For anything and everything."

Tommy, curving around the ice awaiting instructions, doesn't look over. His coach rolls his eyes.

If Techno didn't pull him out of there, Sapnap might be knocked those things right out the man's head.