Chapter Text
Marlow looks up from his phone to meet Vicky's eyes, shaking his head slightly. Vicky closes his eyes, then sighs explosively. Marlow can relate.
"We, uh..," he begins, but doesn't really know how to follow that. Hollander's lips curl into a half-smile before he shakes his head, looking fond and exasperated.
"Yeah, he hasn't replied to me either," he says, "but I don't think he is actually mad."
Vicky scoffs. "You don't know our captain," he whines, and Hollander raises an eyebrow. Marlow snickers.
Vicky stares at him for a moment, then amends with a grin, "Yeah, okay, maybe a little. But he still will murder us later!"
Hollander chuckles. "He needs you for the game," he says with a smile. "And for the playoffs, so don't panic yet. I'll call him later and explain."
Vicky hides his face in his hands, sighing dramatically. Marlow pats his shoulder, as he meets Hollander's eyes and has to suppress his laughter.
There is a certain irony to the fact that they are late for pre-game prep, Marlow thinks as they are heading down the hallway towards the locker room, because it's basically for the same reasons as their captain earlier.
Hollander only nodded as they, a bit awkwardly, announced they needed to go, and so they left Roz's house – without Jane, but with a lot more questions.
As Vicky pushes open the door to the locker room, the conversations inside immediately stop, as if someone had knocked a fork against a glass on a function. Marlow suppresses a wince as he strides towards his cubby, not meeting anyone's eyes and especially not their captain's.
It takes a moment of stunned silence, then Carmichael leers into the room. "Did you both forget the time while fucking your girls?"
Marlow intends to ignore him, but from the other side Connors interjects, "Saint Vic's wife is on a cruise."
Before Carmichael can find a way to turn that statement into an innuendo, Vicky shakes his head. "We, uh, we had an errand."
Marlow nods. "Yeah, an errand," he echoes.
Over Vicky's shoulder he sees Connors exchange a look with Varkov, who is usually quiet and keeps away from their chirping, but today seems determined to make Marlow's life difficult.
"What kind of errand?" he asks, trying for innocent and Vicky flinches. Seeing his reaction, the rest of the players chime in as well, with varying degrees of glee and actual interest. Vicky looks helplessly at Marlow, who is about to intervene, as he hears a deep drawl behind him.
"Enough."
Their captain isn't loud, doesn't have to be, but the result is immediate. The whole locker room goes silent, as he turns to Marlow. For the first time since he entered the room Marlow looks at him, really looks, and is surprised by what he finds. He expected fury, drawn brows and a scowl which he knows comes out when they play against New York. But what he sees is not anger, more apprehension, doubt, and layered over all of it, something akin to worry. It is there for a heartbeat, then Roz's expression shutters closed. Marlow makes a decision.
"A visit," he says, and smiles at Roz. "We went to visit Jane."
There is a beat of silence following that statement and then all hell breaks loose. Over the cacophony of Why didn't you bring her, Where is she and What is she like he meets Roz's eyes, then Vicky's, then grins and yells, "Will you shut up?"
It does the trick, even if it's less effective than Roz's intervention earlier.
Marlow pinches the bridge of his nose. "We went to Roz's house to ask her if she wanted to see the game here, she didn't, end of story."
This elicits another round of accusations, until Vicky sighs loudly. "Has it ever occurred to you shitheads that she maybe doesn't want to be seen at a Bears' game?"
Both eyebrows meeting his hairline, Connors looks like he just had an epiphany. "She is from Montreal, isn't she. Of course she wouldn't want to be here."
"Loyalty is important," Hammersmith declares, and Marlow could swear he heard Roz snort at that. Ignoring his captain for now, he adds, "Yeah, she's not a Boston fan, and also she is way too classy to be seen with Roz in public." He lets the indication sit for a moment, then turns and winks at his captain. "Sorry Roz, but now that I met her I am even more convinced you don't deserve her."
Roz chuckles at that, and quietly, only for Marlow to hear, replies, "I know."
"But when she doesn't want to come here," Connors says, "couldn't we all visit her after the game? I mean," he turns to Roz, "we wouldn't tell anyone."
"Yeah, your secret is safe with us," Hammersmith adds, thumping his chest. Marlow looks at Vicky, who nods slightly, then at his captain. Roz's expression is unreadable as Marlow clasps his shoulder.
"It would be," he says to Roz. "They would be okay with it."
A small smile ghosts over his captain's face as he nods. "I will ask."
And over the commotion that erupts, he yells, "But only when we beat Nashville," and that settles it.
Predictably, they do beat Nashville. It's not as smooth a win as Marlow would have liked, and he could have sworn he saw half a dozen Bears grin and wave obnoxiously at a camera, but all in all, there is nothing to criticize.
Not even after the game, as they are sitting in their locker room, bruised and sweaty, but feeling accomplished. Marlow grins at Vicky, who returns it.
Into the silence, Carmichael clears his throat. "Rozyyyy," he drawls, as their captain looks up from his phone. For a split-second Marlow is sure Carmichael will meet his sudden death in a locker room, but then Roz's face stretches into a grin.
"I asked," he says simply. "She said yes." Over the ensuing noise he adds, "You are invited to my house."
"Behave," Marlow says warningly.
"What, right now?" Connors asks.
Roz shrugs. "Why not," he says. "You're here, no need to wait."
Hammersmith lays a hand over his heart and gasps in mock outrage. "But we can't," he whines, "we need to bring something to impress her."
Roz snorts. "I am enough to impress," he says over Hammersmith's affronted wheeze. Vicky cackles at that.
"But seriously," Connors says, attempting to sound reasonable and failing to hide his glee, "he is right. Shouldn't we, I don't know, bring flowers?"
Roz levels him with a glare that normally only Scott Hunter sees in face-offs and Connors shrinks back. "No," he says shortly.
Turning to the rest of the room, meeting each gaze, he straightens slightly, then says, "You can come to my house, but…" He trails off, and Marlow picks up. "But everything concerning Jane is a secret, okay, so you fuckers need to keep your mouths shut. This can't reach the media."
He sees the others exchange looks, but they all nod eventually.
"Don't worry, cap," Carmichael says, "if you don't want to tell us, we won't." He winks. "What happens in Boston, stays in Boston."
The others groan, but Marlow sees Roz's shoulders slump slightly as he nods.
By the time they leave their group has diminished to six people – the rest having other commitments, and are not so disturbingly invested in their captain's private life, Marlow thinks with a chuckle.
As they file out of the cars in Roz's driveway, Marlow has a bout of trepidation at the avalanche he kicked loose, but Roz looks surprisingly calm as he levels a warning glare over his shoulder, then strides ahead to open the door. Marlow sighs and follows.
They shove each other as they take off their shoes in the entryway, but all commotion dies down as the person sitting on the sofa gets up to approach them. Shane Hollander is not wearing Roz's jersey anymore, he changed into a linen shirt and jeans, but his sight is still enough to make jaws drop.
Marlow chuckles. "Hi, Jane," he says with a wave.
Hollander's smile is somewhat wobbly but he returns the greeting. "Hi, Cliff."
Most of the Bears' heads are still turning rapidly between them, when Marlow steps into the living room, Roz and Vicky on his heels.
"Do not stand there," Roz grumbles, but Marlow recognizes the worry under the gruff exterior. The Bears file into the living room, squeezing onto the sofa, whereas Hollander sits down in the armchair he occupied earlier, Roz plopping down on the armrest next to him.
No one says a word, until Connors clears his throat, looking up at Hollander. "Hi," he says, a bit awkwardly, and Hollander smiles.
"Hello," he returns. Roz exhales through his nose.
Marlow exchanges a look with Vicky. "We, uh, thank you for having us."
Hollander smiles at that and nudges Roz with his shoulder. "It was his idea," he says, "and it's his house."
Roz smiles briefly back, but it doesn't reach his eyes.
Connors inhales as if to add something, when Carmichael straightens. He points an accusing finger at Roz as he says, barely constrained anger in his voice, "You lied to us."
Before Roz can reply, Vicky turns to Carmichael. "You're an idiot," he says coldly. "What was he supposed to say? 'By the way, I am in a relationship with the enemy. Come to barbecue tomorrow.'?" He glances at Roz. "No offense, cap. You, uh, you are together, aren't you?"
Roz and Hollander look at each other, then they both nod.
"We are," Hollander says.
"Have been for a while," Roz adds.
Carmichael scoffs. "Still," he insists, shaking his head, "it's a fucking big deal."
"Yes, that's why it's a secret." Vicky glares at him. "And if you so much as breathe a word of this to anyone…" He trails off, the threat lingering in the air as the rest of the Bears nod.
"What do you take me for," Carmichael sniffs. "I'm no snitch." He looks up at Roz who meets his gaze. "It's just… It's a lot," he says finally.
Hollander hums. "For what it's worth, it was me who insisted on not telling anyone. The only people who know found out accidentally." He glances at Roz. "Ilya would have invited you to dinner and walked around in a Montreal jersey if he could." He grins as Roz squawks in outrage, shaking his head furiously.
"I would not," he says sternly. "Never."
Connors and Varkov snicker, and Hollander adds, "He trusts you."
Marlow shares a pleased grin with Vicky as Roz scoffs. "I do not," he says petulantly, "you are all idiots and I hate you."
"Aww," Connors laughs, "you're breaking our hearts, cap."
It seems as if the ice is broken after this, the air in the room feeling lighter. Marlow breathes a quiet sigh of relief. Roz settles back against Hollander with a soft smile, as the Bears get more comfortable on his sofa. The conversation eventually turns to hockey, of course, but it doesn't feel forced. They revel in their recent victory, and Hollander comments on the gameplay. At one point Roz goes to get them a few light beers, and Hollander offers to order pizzas for all of them.
It was a good day, Marlow thinks, as he watches his captain hand Hollander a plate. Even if it took a few unexpected turns.