Post Olympic

Nick and Nico

Yalls, we almost done with part onnnnee, just five more chapters and we're half way. Oh boy oh boy. 

ALSO, NOTE: there was a three week time jump in this, from November in Boston, to early December. I'll give you an update on the team: they're still losing, badly. And on Nico and Fen: they're basically hopeless, but continue.

Music: Better Not - Louis the Child, Wafia 

Uhm, also, Fletcher is a character from Yeti Protocol, one of my other stories, it's not a promo for that, more like I got writer's blocked and needed familiar content. 

COMMENT N'STUFF

-rabid

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"Alright boys." I leap up onto the table in the common room of the cabin in Candle Lake. "We're here for teamwork training, because you guys suck at it." I look around, Fenrir looks uneasy. "First thing I want you all to do is grab your line mates."

I watch the room bustle. Everyone lines up in their groups. Three offensive in a group, two defensive. Then the goalies, just milling about.

"Now. Rearrange. Nobody on the same line to a group, but I want the same numbers. No overlapping positions either." They move about a little more. Finally, I'm satisfied.

"Now, goalies. One of you per defensive duo." They add. Now I've got teams.

"What are we doing?" Keegan pipes up from the back.

"Give me a second," I dig around in my bag. "GPS and radio. In each of these bags is water, a tracker, so if you are in immediate peril, we can get to you, a compass, and a paper map of the lake. First team back wins. If you need help, radio. If you don't, don't radio." I toss Fenrir a bag, then Ireland and his team, then Greenbean and his team, Yeti and his. When I'm done, I look around.

"Meet me back here in ten minutes once you find all your snow stuff. I hope you brought warm clothes." Then, I hop off the table.

"One of us is going to die." Fenrir catches up to me, slipping his arm into a flannel, and then a jacket. He's got on heavy boots and is already in snow pants. I give him a once over, I'm tempted to grab his snow pant suspenders and pull back.

"You'll be fine." I chuckle.

"Can I have you in my group?" He asks.

"Hell no. It's cold." I turn around to look at him. "You'll be fine."

"Agh, Nico," he scratches the back of his head.

"Shh, your team isn't bad, feel bad for the guys with Ireland."

"I got Pikachu." He whines. "You know he's annoying."

"Oh, but isn't that the point? Teamwork dear."

"You use dear when someone is irritating you."

"I use dear when someone is asking me to do something I don't want to." I laugh. "It's different."

"Vhat eif you knew vhe vere goink to die." He pouts.

"Oh that's not fair." I laugh. "Come on, get on the bus, you'll be okay."

We board the bus and take the team to the opposite side of the lake where the late afternoon sun is glinting off the ice and snow. I get off he bus first.

"Alright. Good luck boys!" They look at me and zip their coats. Fen has his team's backpack, and I watch them all start to walk.

"Who are you?" I hear a little kid voice behind me, and turn. There's a small boy with dark hair and scary icy blue eyes standing behind me.

"I'm Nico," I say. "Who are you?"

"I'm Nick!" He sounds excited. "Are those guys like the actual Wolves? Like really?"

"Yeah, like really." I say. He's wearing ice skates and I see a tall guy making his way over. He's got the gait of a goalie. He looks like the father, his freckles mimic little Nick's.

"Nikola." He moves easily across the ice. If I didn't know better, he skates exactly like Paxton. "Don't bother her, she's working." I laugh a bit.

"I don't mind." Nick looks rather fascinated. "So your name is Nikola?"

"Yeah," he's pretty damn cute.

"Mine's Nicolae." I laugh. "We're name buddies."

"I've heard a lot about you, Dad thinks you're going to be exactly what the Wolves need." Nick reaches up and grabs the man's hand.

"I'm Fletcher," he sticks out his hand and I shake it. For a man so young, his hands are worn, weathered.

"Nice to meet you." 

"I want to be just like Von Albrecht when I grow up." Nick throws his arms wide and I laugh. Fletcher just smiles down at his kid.

"Well, practice extra hard and maybe I'll get to coach you someday." Nick has to be the cutest little Canadian kid I've ever seen in my entire life.

"Come on, Nick, Mom has hot coco all ready for when we get back, I'm sure she's waiting for us." Fletcher sits down on a stool and grabs a boot from behind him.

"Nick," I bend over to catch his eye. "Come down to the camp tomorrow, I can introduce you to Fenrir. He'll like you."

Little Nick's eyes go the size of dinner plates. "DAD, DAD, DID YOU HEAR?"

"I did," he laughs, lacing up his second boot. "You don't mind if we do?"

"Nah, please, come down, Fen will love him." Fletcher slips his hands under Nick's arms and hoists him all the way up onto his shoulders. He's making it so that Nick doesn't have to take off his skates.

"Well, Nick, sounds like we're going on an adventure tomorrow." Nick is grinning like crazy.

"YES!" He yells out onto the lake.

"Alright, I gotta go, Ella's going to kill me if we're not back immediately. I told her we would be home fifteen minutes ago, but I can't seem to get him off the ice."

"Hey, I totally get that." I laugh. Fletcher laughs with me.