“You don’t have anything in your cupboards,” Etienne told him later.
Adam had managed to eat the sandwich Etienne had put together and was lying down again, pain medication making him feel pleasantly swimmy. He made an agreeable noise.
“I’m not leaving you to go buy groceries, which means we’ll have to order some,” Etienne continued.
Adam hummed again, not really hearing what he was saying but enjoying the sound of his voice.
“What kind of vegetables do you like?”
Adam shrugged. Etienne’s thigh was next to his face and Adam wanted to rub his cheek against it, so he did. “Donuts,” he sighed, face mashed against Etienne’s leg.
Etienne snorted. “I’m not buying you junk food,” he warned. “You may be on IR but you still have to eat healthy. Donuts aren’t a vegetable.”
“But I want them.”
“You were spoiled rotten as a kid, weren’t you?”
Adam hummed agreement.
“Batted those big blue eyes and people just gave you everything you wanted,” Etienne murmured, but he sounded amused. Affectionate, even, as he absently stroked the nape of Adam’s neck.
“Donuts,” Adam mumbled.
“Fuck off, I’m not buying you donuts.”
“Glazed with strawberry icing,” Adam slurred. His phone buzzed on the nightstand and he groaned. “Can you get that?”
Etienne leaned across and picked it up. “You have roughly a million messages from your team.”
Adam whimpered. “I can’t deal with them right now. Can you….” He rolled sideways, took the phone, and opened it. He found the group chat with his eyes half-closed and then pushed the phone back into Etienne’s hands. “Tell them I’m okay, would you?”
Etienne huffed amusement and began to type. “Jesus,” he said after a minute, sounding startled.
“Hm?”
“They’re all talking at once,” Etienne said. “Jake wants to know if he can bring you food. Hideki’s offering his cleaning service. Hunt says you should have been more careful.”
Adam smiled, pressing his face against Etienne’s thigh. “They’re good guys. Tell ‘em I’ll talk later.”
Etienne touched his head, careful of the bruise, and then locked the phone and set it back on the nightstand. “All done. Take a nap.”
“Okay,” Adam said, and fell asleep.
The day passed quickly, with Adam waking only briefly a few times to use the bathroom and eat the food Etienne had made for him. Etienne stayed close, reading on his phone or using his laptop in the bed beside him as Adam rested.
He was feeling better, able to make it to and from the bathroom on his own and only a little shaky if he stayed upright for too long, but he still protested when Etienne tried to move to the couch that night.
“I’m injured,” he said piteously, pushing his lower lip out and widening his eyes. “You can’t leave me, I might be dying.”
Etienne couldn’t stop the laugh, one hand covering his mouth. “You’re full of shit.”
“Please?” Adam let the pout fall, letting Etienne see the seriousness in his words. “Having you here… it helps. Helps me sleep.”
Etienne rubbed his face, swearing under his breath. “Does anyone say no to you?”
“Lots of people,” Adam said. He stopped and thought about it. “Okay, mostly just you. Although there was that one girl who laughed at me when I tried to flirt for extra sprinkles on my donut. She said her girlfriend thinks I’m cute, though.” He grinned. “Got the sprinkles.”
Etienne laughed again. “You’re a menace. And I’m still not buying you donuts.”
“But you’ll sleep with me?”
“Key word being sleep, yes,” Etienne said.
Adam smiled and Etienne shook his head, his answering smile bemused but that was definitely affection there, curving Etienne’s lips and making his lovely eyes light up even as he brought his hand up to cover his mouth again. The motion seemed habitual, instinctive, like Etienne himself didn’t realize he was doing it. Adam was determined to find out why, but it would have to wait until he could think again.
He woke feeling almost himself, the headache retreating to a remnant of its former nasty self. Etienne brought him breakfast in bed again. Adam poked dubiously at the dark green leafy vegetable in his eggs.
“What is this shit?”
“You’re a pro hockey player and you don’t know what kale is?”
“That’s what high-protein shakes and meal planners are for,” Adam said. He took a bite and decided it wasn’t bad. “Cooking is boring.”
“Then you’re not doing it right.” Etienne settled beside him with his own plate. “How’s your head?”
“Better,” Adam said with his mouth full.
“Good. Then it’s time to talk.”
Adam froze. “Is it too late to change my answer?”
Etienne gave him an unimpressed look. “Yes. Does anyone on your team know?”
“No one knows,” Adam said, hanging his head. “No one but you.”
“So let’s talk about it,” Etienne said, his voice gentle. “How long have you been blind in your left eye?”
“I’m not,” Adam protested, looking up. “I have a blind spot, and it’s not usually even that bad—most of the time it’s just sort of… blurred in that spot. I can still see. It’s worse, since I hit my head, but I can’t tell the doctor because she’ll tell the team doctor and then I’ll really be fucked. I’ll be off the team, Tenny, I can’t—”
Etienne’s large hands covered his. “Breathe,” he ordered.
Adam obeyed, focusing on Etienne’s long fingers and the softly curling hair on the back of his hands. “All my life,” he finally said.
“What? Oh.”
“I’ve just always had it ever since I can remember,” Adam said. He rubbed a thumb over Etienne’s. “It’s just… kinda blurry there. But I can see. I’m not—it’s never been this bad before. What if—” He clamped his mouth shut against the panic.
“It’ll come back,” Etienne said, squeezing his hands. “The concussion’s probably just scrambled your brain a bit. Give it some time.”
“Hockey’s all I have,” Adam whispered. His throat was tight. “It’s all I’ve ever really wanted. What do I do if—”
“Stop,” Etienne said. “You haven’t lost it. You won’t lose it. But Cary… you should have more than hockey. You know you can’t play the game forever.”
“I know,” Adam said, blinking hard. “I want to coach, after. But I’m not ready to think about that yet. I just want to play.”
“And you will.” Etienne’s voice left no room for doubt. “Tell me the second it clears up or gets better, okay?”
“If it does,” Adam whispered.
“Wow, I had no idea you were such a negative Nellie,” Etienne said, startling Adam into looking up. “What happened to your relentless positivity?”