After disappointing games, nothing quite cheered up Kent Parson like a marathon of cat videos on his phone and Swoops sitting next to him.
The Aces all knew that their captain was moody and almost unbearable around after difficult losses, especially during away games. No one wanted to sit with him on the bus or the plane, but they all felt like they were obligated to at least try (but also because they cared too). So, they had been on a rotation schedule to make sure that their captain never had to sit alone.
At first, when Swoops joined the team, it had been “make the rookie do it because he didn’t know better”. The guys on the team figured they would get a month’s reprieve before Swoops would bitch, and they would be back to taking turns again. They were all surprised, however, when Swoops never said a word about Kent’s unpredictable moods. In fact, he almost seemed happy to sit with their captain, even when Kent was snarling and wanted to bite everyone’s heads off.
So, it became a thing that everyone accepted but never really acknowledged: Parse and Swoops sat together.
And if the rest of the guys noticed that Kent’s shoulders were looser and his fists weren’t clenched so tight when he was with Swoops, they kept it to themselves. Just like they pretended they missed the saccharine glances that Swoops gave their captain when he thought Kent wasn’t looking.
(It wasn’t matchmaking, they told themselves. It was a mission.)
It started with a few inconvenient, but wholly unoriginal pranks.
“Ha-ha, guys. Very funny. You hid all my clothes while I was in the shower. Now, give them back.”
“I think they’ve actually all left.”
“Swoops, you’re the only one here?”
“Yeah, I got held up. Hey, wanna borrow my clothes? I have extra.”
Then, they graduated onto more sophisticated plans (complete with secret diagrams drawn out on whiteboards).
“Hey, where are the rest of them?”
“Vinny said his baby got sick, Marsh and Dougie got last minute Cirque du Soleil tickets, and I actually really don’t know what happened to the rest of the guys.”
“So, it’s just you and me then?”
“Well, since we’re already here, we might as well eat.”
“Yeah, sure, whatever. Wait, I thought the reservation was for eight. Why are they taking us at a small table, and oh—it’s got candles on it too?”
It was for the good of the team, the guys told themselves, and it was good for the team.
Kent’s smiles grew soft, and he laughed more now (and it wasn’t the hollow, self-deprecating laugh from before either). Some days, he showed up at practice with an expression that could be described by Smithy as “head over dick in love” and an infectious energy that brought them all closer.
Kent still took some losses hard on the road, but by the time he settled into his seat with Swoops beside him, it always turned into a tired contentedness.
And if any of the guys on the team caught their captain asleep and smiling with his head nestled on Swoops’ shoulder, none of them said anything.
(Actually, Kent was drooling one time, and it was too cute to pass up, so Dougie took pictures, which eventually ended up on the slideshow at the wedding.)
