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rsadelleSummary: In which Tyler can no longer play hockey and ends up as Segs' househusband.
Story on AO3
Tyler gets hit in a game early in the season, goes down wrong, and it's his knee. He knows before he gets off the ice that it's not good. He has surgery and spends a couple of months doing physical therapy. He gets back on the ice, and three games later, he gets hit again, twists, and feels his knee give out. There are two more surgeries and some PT, but this time they tell him he's not getting back on the ice, and that's that.
That's not it, of course. He holes up in his apartment and rages, drinks and drunk dials Segs and cries into his voicemail. Drinks some more, barely keeps up with his PT. Doesn't pick up when Segs calls him back and stops listening to his messages after the first week. Doesn't make any decisions about what he's going to do now.
Segs shows up a couple of weeks into it, well after his mom has said, "Honey, I'm worried about you," more than once.
Segs says, "You're an asshole," pushes his way into Tyler's apartment, and then hugs him.
Tyler hugs back, because there's a reason Segs is the one he drunk dialed all that time ago.
"Pack your shit," Segs says. "You're coming with me."
The only thing Tyler can think to say is, "The season's not over," because the only reason Segs would be collecting him is if they were going to Toronto for the summer.
"I know that. But you're just sitting here in your apartment, which is depressing as hell," Segs says, looking around, "so you're coming with me, and at least my place is nicer. And I have to be back for morning skate tomorrow, so don't make me spend all day convincing you."
He doesn't give in gracefully, but as usual, Segs gets his way in the end, and they pack everything Tyler wants to take with him into their cars and drive the four hours to Segs' place without stopping.
Segs ditches him "to get settled in" once everything is out of their cars and into the apartment and comes back an hour later with Marshall and food.
Tyler feels a little better once Marshall has jumped all over him, and better again once he's eaten.
"What am I supposed to do now?"
Segs shrugs. "Whatever you want. I talked to Dave" - Tyler has no idea who Dave is - "and he's going to get me the name of a good physical therapist here for you. Other than that, hang out, watch Marshall while I'm out of town, don't get wasted enough to cry into my voicemail." Segs frowns at him, which is really not an expression he's used to seeing on Segs' face. "Or at least call me back later."
They're not too into talking things out that much, so they leave it there. Tyler sleeps through Segs leaving for morning skate but wakes up when Marshall scratches at his door. He takes Marshall for a walk, watches TV for a while, naps on Segs' couch.
He picks up his PT again once he sees the new therapist. Segs invites him out when he goes out with his boys, or just with Marchy, and leaves his name at the rink "if you ever want to come to a game." Tyler turns down the invitations and changes the channel quickly every time he runs into hockey on TV.
"Okay, dude, seriously, enough," Segs says close to the end of the season. "You're depressing me. Get off your ass and come work out."
Tyler turns down Segs' first suggestion of going to the rink, but there's a respectable gym in Segs' building, and he does what he can with his knee while Segs goes through his own workout. It's more tiring than he remembers it being.
"You're out of shape," Segs says, and he's not even being an ass. It's just a fact.
Tyler gets himself back into a workout routine, and once he starts paying real attention to his body again, he also starts paying attention to the fact that they're eating takeout almost every night.
"Do you seriously never cook?"
Segs hunches his shoulders. "I cook! Sometimes. It's just practices and appearances and playoffs are getting closer."
Tyler goes to the rink the next morning - security really does have instructions to let him in even when there isn't a game - and skulks around until he can find the nutritionist and get some instructions about what Segs should be eating at this part of the season. He goes straight from there to the grocery store, and from the grocery store to home, and he has lunch made by the time Segs gets home.
"This is good," Segs says. "Thanks."
It's the first thing Tyler's managed to do right since they told him his knee was never getting better.
Segs leaves a couple of days later for a three-day road trip, and Tyler bundles Marshall into the car and drives back to Glens Falls to deal with the rest of the crap left in his apartment and return his key. He calls his mom on the drive back, and she says, "Honey, you sound better. I'm glad."
Tyler keeps cooking. There are some things that make it into regular rotation, and a couple he's pretty sure Segs eats only out of politeness.
Segs calls one afternoon to say, "Marchy's coming over. Do you want us to pick up dinner?"
Tyler looks at the oven, and at the recipe he's working from. He can probably add another vegetable - there's some asparagus in the fridge he was going to use tomorrow, but he can always go to the store again - and make it work for the three of them. They just won't have leftovers. "I already have chicken in the oven," he says. "But you could get a bottle of wine. Maybe dessert."
"You didn't tell me you had a housewife now," Marchy says when he and Segs show up later and Tyler has the table set and is just pulling the chicken out of the oven.
"He's the wife," Tyler says absently as he divides dinner onto three plates and Segs opens the wine.
Marchy snorts, but compliments the food. Tyler returns the sentiment in kind by not being too obnoxious about getting to eat more of the cake than either of them.
"You're coming out with us tonight," Segs says a couple of days later. "No choice. Marchy told everyone about your cooking and now they want to hang out with you and probably say horrible things and angle for dinner invitations."
It's more fun than Tyler thought it would be. It's nice to get out of the house, to talk to someone other than Segs and the grocery store checkers, to be around hockey players again.
"I don't get why you've been hiding him," Lucic says with a shit-eating grin. "He's not even that pretty."
Segs grins right back at him and says, "Prettier than your wife," which gets him in a headlock and the whole table laughing - and keeps anyone from asking too many more questions.
Tyler drives home because Segs is just short of wasted, and Segs leans heavily on him in the elevator and into the apartment.
"You should come out more," he says, and he flings his arms around Tyler in a completely uninhibited hug. "You're a good wife. They should know that."
"You're the wife," Tyler reminds him, and he tips Segs into bed to let him sleep it off.
Two days later, the Bruins play the last game of the season at home. Tyler takes Marshall for a longer walk than usual to work off some of his nerves, and then he goes to the game. He ends up in a box with a bunch of people he doesn't know, which is probably for the best, and spends half the first period with his fists clenched at his sides. It gets better as the game goes on, because watching when he knows he'll never be able to play again isn't as bad as he thought it was going to be and because Segs is on fire. Tyler cheers as loud as anyone for Segs' hat trick.
The pass they gave him lets him go anywhere he wants, so after the game Tyler wanders down to hang around the hallways outside the dressing room with a bunch of people who are obviously family. He hasn't met any of them, but there are a handful of women and a couple of kids in jerseys or Bruins shirts hanging around, so he must be in the right place.
Guys start drifting out in ones and twos. Tyler says hi and chats with the ones he knows - Marchy smirks at him, Ference is pleasantly warm, Lucic introduces him to his wife - and Segs is one of the last people out of the room.
"Look who we found," Marchy says, and he steps away to open up the circle Tyler hadn't really noticed forming around him.
Segs' grin lights up his whole face. "Man, you came!" He steps through the people around Tyler and hugs him.
Tyler hugs back. "Sweet hat trick."
Segs thumps his shoulder. "What are you doing hanging out with these losers? Let's get out of here."
Tyler doesn't expect the looks they get, or Lucic's leered, "Yeah, better get your wife home," even though he probably should.
Segs has the sense not to repeat his words about Lucic's wife right in front of her, but he does flip off the whole group and drape his arm over Tyler's shoulders.
Tyler took a cab to the rink, so he rides home with Segs, who can't keep grinning. "Playoffs next week," Segs says. "Are you going to come to more games?"
Tyler leans his head against the window and says, "Yes." It hurts to watch when he can't play, but he'd forgotten how much he loves hockey. And it'll be worth it if it always makes Segs this happy.
The first two games are away, and Tyler watches them from home. Things are different for the playoffs, so he doesn't see Segs as much once he's home. But he wakes up from a nap on game day and finds a jersey - one of Segs' - hanging from his closet door.
He looks at it for a long time before he puts it on.
The families just smile at him, but he has to put up with chirping after the game, when the guys he knows start coming out of the locker room. It's worth it for the way Segs smiles at him.
He lets it go until after the Bruins have won the first round and Segs has a little break between games. They're being stricter about nutrition for the playoffs, but Tyler dishes up two small bowls of ice cream and sits next to Segs on the couch.
"You know I'm basically your trophy wife, right?"
"You're not really that pretty," Segs says. "And trophy wives just look pretty. You do way more than that."
Tyler snorts. "I don't do anything."
Segs turns to face him. "Have you seen my stats since you moved in? They're good. Really good."
Tyler's watched the sum total of six games since he moved in; he didn't know that.
Segs shrugs. "You're taking care of stuff. I don't have to worry about it, and I can just play. It's working."
Tyler doesn't really know what to say to that, so he eats his ice cream instead.
"Although," Segs says, "the other guys with wives are probably getting laid out of the deal too."
Tyler chokes, swallows too fast, and gives himself a brain freeze.
Segs laughs at him like the asshole he is.
The Bruins make it through the second round, and it's starting to take its toll. Tyler's pretty sure Segs is losing weight, despite the fact that Tyler used Segs' absence in the next set of away games to learn how to make his grandmother's sugar cookies from scratch, and the beard doesn't do much to hide how tired Segs is.
Tyler stays out of the way, mostly, and lets Segs sleep and cuddle Marshall.
The Bruins get knocked out at home in the third round, and Segs doesn't speak at all on the way home from the rink.
Tyler makes muffins with breakfast in the morning, and Segs comes into the kitchen clean-shaven.
Tyler touches his cheek before he can think about it. "Sorry," he says, and, "Sit down and eat," because Segs really did lose some weight.
Segs sways toward him, so Tyler pulls him in for a hug first.
"You're the best wife ever," Segs says into Tyler's shoulder. It's the first thing he's said to Tyler since the game.
Tyler almost gives him the "you're the wife" line, but stops before he opens his mouth and says, "You're a good husband," instead.
Segs says, "If I promise to buy you pretty things, will you stay forever?" and they're pressed close enough that Tyler can feel him shaking a little when he does.
Tyler takes a deep, steadying breath and asks, "Am I ever going to get laid out of this deal?"
Segs pulls away and looks at him with wide eyes. "Do you want to?"
"I'm not just in this for the compliments on my cooking."
Segs says, "Oh," and he smiles like his team didn't just get knocked out of the playoffs. "Okay. Yeah, you can get laid out of the deal."
Tyler doesn't wait for anything else before kissing him, but he stops them before Segs' hands can slide all the way down to his ass. "Breakfast first. You need the calories."
Segs smirks at him. "Yes, dear."
Story on AO3
Tyler gets hit in a game early in the season, goes down wrong, and it's his knee. He knows before he gets off the ice that it's not good. He has surgery and spends a couple of months doing physical therapy. He gets back on the ice, and three games later, he gets hit again, twists, and feels his knee give out. There are two more surgeries and some PT, but this time they tell him he's not getting back on the ice, and that's that.
That's not it, of course. He holes up in his apartment and rages, drinks and drunk dials Segs and cries into his voicemail. Drinks some more, barely keeps up with his PT. Doesn't pick up when Segs calls him back and stops listening to his messages after the first week. Doesn't make any decisions about what he's going to do now.
Segs shows up a couple of weeks into it, well after his mom has said, "Honey, I'm worried about you," more than once.
Segs says, "You're an asshole," pushes his way into Tyler's apartment, and then hugs him.
Tyler hugs back, because there's a reason Segs is the one he drunk dialed all that time ago.
"Pack your shit," Segs says. "You're coming with me."
The only thing Tyler can think to say is, "The season's not over," because the only reason Segs would be collecting him is if they were going to Toronto for the summer.
"I know that. But you're just sitting here in your apartment, which is depressing as hell," Segs says, looking around, "so you're coming with me, and at least my place is nicer. And I have to be back for morning skate tomorrow, so don't make me spend all day convincing you."
He doesn't give in gracefully, but as usual, Segs gets his way in the end, and they pack everything Tyler wants to take with him into their cars and drive the four hours to Segs' place without stopping.
Segs ditches him "to get settled in" once everything is out of their cars and into the apartment and comes back an hour later with Marshall and food.
Tyler feels a little better once Marshall has jumped all over him, and better again once he's eaten.
"What am I supposed to do now?"
Segs shrugs. "Whatever you want. I talked to Dave" - Tyler has no idea who Dave is - "and he's going to get me the name of a good physical therapist here for you. Other than that, hang out, watch Marshall while I'm out of town, don't get wasted enough to cry into my voicemail." Segs frowns at him, which is really not an expression he's used to seeing on Segs' face. "Or at least call me back later."
They're not too into talking things out that much, so they leave it there. Tyler sleeps through Segs leaving for morning skate but wakes up when Marshall scratches at his door. He takes Marshall for a walk, watches TV for a while, naps on Segs' couch.
He picks up his PT again once he sees the new therapist. Segs invites him out when he goes out with his boys, or just with Marchy, and leaves his name at the rink "if you ever want to come to a game." Tyler turns down the invitations and changes the channel quickly every time he runs into hockey on TV.
"Okay, dude, seriously, enough," Segs says close to the end of the season. "You're depressing me. Get off your ass and come work out."
Tyler turns down Segs' first suggestion of going to the rink, but there's a respectable gym in Segs' building, and he does what he can with his knee while Segs goes through his own workout. It's more tiring than he remembers it being.
"You're out of shape," Segs says, and he's not even being an ass. It's just a fact.
Tyler gets himself back into a workout routine, and once he starts paying real attention to his body again, he also starts paying attention to the fact that they're eating takeout almost every night.
"Do you seriously never cook?"
Segs hunches his shoulders. "I cook! Sometimes. It's just practices and appearances and playoffs are getting closer."
Tyler goes to the rink the next morning - security really does have instructions to let him in even when there isn't a game - and skulks around until he can find the nutritionist and get some instructions about what Segs should be eating at this part of the season. He goes straight from there to the grocery store, and from the grocery store to home, and he has lunch made by the time Segs gets home.
"This is good," Segs says. "Thanks."
It's the first thing Tyler's managed to do right since they told him his knee was never getting better.
Segs leaves a couple of days later for a three-day road trip, and Tyler bundles Marshall into the car and drives back to Glens Falls to deal with the rest of the crap left in his apartment and return his key. He calls his mom on the drive back, and she says, "Honey, you sound better. I'm glad."
Tyler keeps cooking. There are some things that make it into regular rotation, and a couple he's pretty sure Segs eats only out of politeness.
Segs calls one afternoon to say, "Marchy's coming over. Do you want us to pick up dinner?"
Tyler looks at the oven, and at the recipe he's working from. He can probably add another vegetable - there's some asparagus in the fridge he was going to use tomorrow, but he can always go to the store again - and make it work for the three of them. They just won't have leftovers. "I already have chicken in the oven," he says. "But you could get a bottle of wine. Maybe dessert."
"You didn't tell me you had a housewife now," Marchy says when he and Segs show up later and Tyler has the table set and is just pulling the chicken out of the oven.
"He's the wife," Tyler says absently as he divides dinner onto three plates and Segs opens the wine.
Marchy snorts, but compliments the food. Tyler returns the sentiment in kind by not being too obnoxious about getting to eat more of the cake than either of them.
"You're coming out with us tonight," Segs says a couple of days later. "No choice. Marchy told everyone about your cooking and now they want to hang out with you and probably say horrible things and angle for dinner invitations."
It's more fun than Tyler thought it would be. It's nice to get out of the house, to talk to someone other than Segs and the grocery store checkers, to be around hockey players again.
"I don't get why you've been hiding him," Lucic says with a shit-eating grin. "He's not even that pretty."
Segs grins right back at him and says, "Prettier than your wife," which gets him in a headlock and the whole table laughing - and keeps anyone from asking too many more questions.
Tyler drives home because Segs is just short of wasted, and Segs leans heavily on him in the elevator and into the apartment.
"You should come out more," he says, and he flings his arms around Tyler in a completely uninhibited hug. "You're a good wife. They should know that."
"You're the wife," Tyler reminds him, and he tips Segs into bed to let him sleep it off.
Two days later, the Bruins play the last game of the season at home. Tyler takes Marshall for a longer walk than usual to work off some of his nerves, and then he goes to the game. He ends up in a box with a bunch of people he doesn't know, which is probably for the best, and spends half the first period with his fists clenched at his sides. It gets better as the game goes on, because watching when he knows he'll never be able to play again isn't as bad as he thought it was going to be and because Segs is on fire. Tyler cheers as loud as anyone for Segs' hat trick.
The pass they gave him lets him go anywhere he wants, so after the game Tyler wanders down to hang around the hallways outside the dressing room with a bunch of people who are obviously family. He hasn't met any of them, but there are a handful of women and a couple of kids in jerseys or Bruins shirts hanging around, so he must be in the right place.
Guys start drifting out in ones and twos. Tyler says hi and chats with the ones he knows - Marchy smirks at him, Ference is pleasantly warm, Lucic introduces him to his wife - and Segs is one of the last people out of the room.
"Look who we found," Marchy says, and he steps away to open up the circle Tyler hadn't really noticed forming around him.
Segs' grin lights up his whole face. "Man, you came!" He steps through the people around Tyler and hugs him.
Tyler hugs back. "Sweet hat trick."
Segs thumps his shoulder. "What are you doing hanging out with these losers? Let's get out of here."
Tyler doesn't expect the looks they get, or Lucic's leered, "Yeah, better get your wife home," even though he probably should.
Segs has the sense not to repeat his words about Lucic's wife right in front of her, but he does flip off the whole group and drape his arm over Tyler's shoulders.
Tyler took a cab to the rink, so he rides home with Segs, who can't keep grinning. "Playoffs next week," Segs says. "Are you going to come to more games?"
Tyler leans his head against the window and says, "Yes." It hurts to watch when he can't play, but he'd forgotten how much he loves hockey. And it'll be worth it if it always makes Segs this happy.
The first two games are away, and Tyler watches them from home. Things are different for the playoffs, so he doesn't see Segs as much once he's home. But he wakes up from a nap on game day and finds a jersey - one of Segs' - hanging from his closet door.
He looks at it for a long time before he puts it on.
The families just smile at him, but he has to put up with chirping after the game, when the guys he knows start coming out of the locker room. It's worth it for the way Segs smiles at him.
He lets it go until after the Bruins have won the first round and Segs has a little break between games. They're being stricter about nutrition for the playoffs, but Tyler dishes up two small bowls of ice cream and sits next to Segs on the couch.
"You know I'm basically your trophy wife, right?"
"You're not really that pretty," Segs says. "And trophy wives just look pretty. You do way more than that."
Tyler snorts. "I don't do anything."
Segs turns to face him. "Have you seen my stats since you moved in? They're good. Really good."
Tyler's watched the sum total of six games since he moved in; he didn't know that.
Segs shrugs. "You're taking care of stuff. I don't have to worry about it, and I can just play. It's working."
Tyler doesn't really know what to say to that, so he eats his ice cream instead.
"Although," Segs says, "the other guys with wives are probably getting laid out of the deal too."
Tyler chokes, swallows too fast, and gives himself a brain freeze.
Segs laughs at him like the asshole he is.
The Bruins make it through the second round, and it's starting to take its toll. Tyler's pretty sure Segs is losing weight, despite the fact that Tyler used Segs' absence in the next set of away games to learn how to make his grandmother's sugar cookies from scratch, and the beard doesn't do much to hide how tired Segs is.
Tyler stays out of the way, mostly, and lets Segs sleep and cuddle Marshall.
The Bruins get knocked out at home in the third round, and Segs doesn't speak at all on the way home from the rink.
Tyler makes muffins with breakfast in the morning, and Segs comes into the kitchen clean-shaven.
Tyler touches his cheek before he can think about it. "Sorry," he says, and, "Sit down and eat," because Segs really did lose some weight.
Segs sways toward him, so Tyler pulls him in for a hug first.
"You're the best wife ever," Segs says into Tyler's shoulder. It's the first thing he's said to Tyler since the game.
Tyler almost gives him the "you're the wife" line, but stops before he opens his mouth and says, "You're a good husband," instead.
Segs says, "If I promise to buy you pretty things, will you stay forever?" and they're pressed close enough that Tyler can feel him shaking a little when he does.
Tyler takes a deep, steadying breath and asks, "Am I ever going to get laid out of this deal?"
Segs pulls away and looks at him with wide eyes. "Do you want to?"
"I'm not just in this for the compliments on my cooking."
Segs says, "Oh," and he smiles like his team didn't just get knocked out of the playoffs. "Okay. Yeah, you can get laid out of the deal."
Tyler doesn't wait for anything else before kissing him, but he stops them before Segs' hands can slide all the way down to his ass. "Breakfast first. You need the calories."
Segs smirks at him. "Yes, dear."