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Sid dropped the last bags of his Ice Melt sand, pushing and prodding them into the display near the front of the shop. He straightened with a satisfied sigh, rubbing his back. Last night had been the first snowfall of the season and, despite the fact that it had melted almost immediately, Sid knew the reminder would be bringing in his regulars for a new supply of sand.He turned with a smile, welcoming the break as the bells on his shop door chimed merrily. “Hello, welcome to Icing. Can I help you find something?” The man — slicked-back blond hair, stubble, rather craggy features but attractive — peered around like he wasn’t sure he was in the right place. Sid thought he looked vaguely familiar but couldn’t quite place him.The man ran his fingers idly across the top of an antique vanity Sid used to display his balms for cold-damaged skin and chapped lips, picked up and put down a tube of Stay Chill antiperspirant, and finally paused to stare at the cabinet filled with multi-colored potion bottles. Sid liked to recycle old bottles for his potions, so it was kind of a hodgepodge of shapes and sizes.“Um. I’m not sure. One of my team-, er, co-worker’s wife’s grandmothers,” he seemed to realize how awkward that sounded and broke off with a crooked grin that flashed some serious dimples. “Someone recommended your arthritis cure?”That smile — with more teeth than Sid was used to seeing — and the stutter over the word “teammates” were the last clues Sid needed to connect the man in his shop to the hockey player he’d watched score the game-winning goal for the Penguins last night. Holy crap! Jeff Carter was here. In his shop!“Oh, for sure.” Sid smiled reassuringly and led the way to a display on the other side of the store. Galvanized tubs that slotted into racks held various colored bath salts, while a nearby hutch held more creams and potions. “I have bath salts for soaking the aches out, or creams for rubbing on particularly achy joints, although if you use those before a, um, game, you want to make sure they have time to really sink in so you don’t just sweat them right off.”“Busted, huh?” Jeff beamed at Sid, gesturing lazily toward his mouth. “And here I thought the full set of teeth might be more of a disguise.”“Well, it might have worked better if I hadn’t just watched the replays of your goal last night. A few times,” Sid admitted sheepishly. “I mean, it was a really sick goal! The way you deked around the defenseman and shot it back across your body …” He broke off with a blush as he remembered exactly who he was gushing to. “Yeah, well, you probably know.”Jeff limited his amusement to the quirk of an eyebrow and a small twitch of his lips. “Always nice to meet an informed fan. Were you at the game?”“No, not last night. With the snowfall, I needed to be here. Perfect time for spellwork, eh?” Sid shrugged a little self-deprecatingly. “So, about that arthritis pain. Do you feel it most when you wake up in the morning, when you’re playing or after a game? Maybe when the weather is changing? Any particular joint?”Jeff’s grin turned rueful. “Yes? Pretty much all of those. Mostly it’s my knees and left wrist, although, when the weather changes, I can really feel it in my right hip.”“Hmm, okay,” Sid grabbed a bottle of bright green potion and a jar of pinkish-red lotion off the shelf, and put several scoops of bright white crystals into a cloth bag, tying it closed with a yellow ribbon from a nearby basket. “Here’s what I’d recommend. Put this,” he held up the bottle, “in the fridge when you get home. Tomorrow, after it’s chilled, drink half a cup of the potion — no more. Do this once a week. You can mix it in something cold, like a smoothie, if you don’t like the taste, but don’t heat it. It needs to be cold to work properly. That should help reduce the aches and joint swelling. If you weren’t a professional athlete, that would probably be enough.” He handed Jeff the bottle.“But since you’re actively working those joints in the cold, I recommend applying this lotion to the sore spots about an hour before warm-ups; that will give it time to be absorbed and for the heat to settle into those ligaments and tendons. It should help them stay warm and limber.” He held out the jar to Jeff but didn’t immediately let go when Jeff reached to take it. “This won’t help at all if you don’t have any cartilage left or if you have torn ligaments or tendons. If you still have pain after using this once or twice, please have some x-rays done and consult a medical professional or healer.”“I can do that,” Jeff promised solemnly.“Good. Thank you.” Sid handed over the bag of soaking salts. “These are for recovery. The spell is triggered by heat, so I’d recommend a hot bath, soaking for at least 30 minutes after a game if you can manage it. If you can’t find time for that, you can use these in a steam room or sauna in a pinch. They’re designed to stimulate blood flow, which should also reduce some of the swelling and pain. They won’t be harmful to anyone if you’re sharing a sauna or whatever, but you may want to warn them that it’s normal to experience a tingling, flushed feeling in your skin.”“Sounds good, man. What do I owe you?”Sid walked him up to the counter and rang up his purchases. Jeff paid and, with a quick smile and wave, he was gone. Sid stared at the signature on the credit card receipt for long moments, wondering if it would be too fanboy to save it and frame it later.Sid didn’t have long to think about his famous visitor because traffic in his shop picked up shortly after. Just as he’d known it would, the first snowfall reminded many of his regulars that it was time to stock up on winter supplies and business was brisk enough that, by the end of the day, he’d forgotten all about Jeff Carter’s visit.  * * * * * * * * * * A week later, Sid was working in the kitchen workshop in the back of his store, putting the finishing touches on a batch of burn salve, when he heard a pounding on his door. He ignored it because it was still an hour before he normally opened and the salve was a special order from the Children’s Hospital that he wanted to get just right.Sid gave the thick liquid one final stir before turning off the heat and setting it aside momentarily while he readied the tins into which he’d pour it shortly. The pounding distracted him again and, with a frustrated sigh, he marched to the front of the shop; he needed to deal with this irritation before he cast the final spell or there was no way he’d be able to manage the necessary concentration.Mumbling under his breath about rude customers who couldn’t read the clearly marked shop hours printed on his door, he wound his way through the various displays. He could tell the customer was tall but a puffy coat, scarf and toque hid most of the details. When he got close enough, he was able to see that the man was on crutches.With a sigh, Sid twisted the lock on the door and opened it just far enough for him to speak through. “I’m sorry, we don’t open until —” “Yes, saw sign, but is emergency.” The man pulled down his scarf as he spoke, revealing a strong chin covered in dark stubble and plush red lips emphasized by the barest hint of a mustache. His lips were pinched and bracketed by lines of pain instead of dimples, and Sid felt something in him melt at the man’s obvious distress.“I’m really sorry, but if you come back in an hour …” Sid’s voice died as he looked up to meet liquid brown eyes. Sid wasn’t sure how long he stared, mouth agape, but a persistent pecking at the back of his calf finally drew his attention down and away.“Puck? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Sid squatted down to better check over the penguin.“Is that real penguin?” The man, who’d seized his moment to pull the door fully open, sounded genuinely excited.“Uh, yeah. This is Puck, my familiar. Normally, they are very shy.” Sid ran gentle fingers over the penguin’s head and back, scritching lightly under the bird’s flippers, which caused the familiar to chirp softly and lean into Sid’s touch.The man leaned forward awkwardly on his crutches, tentatively offering a hand before quickly drawing it back. “Sorry. Know better. But is, like, penguin! And I’m Penguin. Er. I’m huge penguin fan.” Sid looked up again at the abashed man. The heavily accented English, the expressive features and crutches finally clicked together in Sid’s brain. “Evgeni Malkin. You’re Evgeni Malkin from the Pittsburgh Penguins.”The man, Malkin, grinned as he shrugged an awkward agreement. “So, you name him Puck because you like hockey?” Sid smiled fondly as he ruffled the feathers on Puck’s chest. “I usually tell people it was because we were reading ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in English class right around the time Puck appeared. They were so playful and mischievous even when they were tiny that the name just ... seemed ... to … fit?” Sid trailed off as Geno’s right eyebrow kept rising — and rising — as his skepticism grew. “Umm.”“You want me to believe hockey fan witch named cute little fluff of penguin after character in story? Not after little black round of rubber that scoots across ice?” Geno snorted his epic disbelief and Sid lost it, his smile breaking first, then his chuckle, before finally a full body laugh overtook him. “Oh, my god! You should have seen them as a baby sliding across the ice on their belly with their little flippers flapping madly. They totally looked like a self-propelled puck.” Sid’s grin was huge and fond at the memory. Puck’s flippers indignantly batting at his calf did nothing at all to squelch his amusement. “Yeah, okay, you got me, but it sounds more professional if I go with the other story, so don’t spread it around, okay?”“Story safe with me.” Malkin’s grin was small and conspiratorial.Deciding all was well with Puck, despite their unusual appearance in front of a customer, Sid gave Puck a final pat before rising to his feet. Even with Malkin slouched on crutches, Sid wasn’t quite as tall and he had to look up to meet Malkin’s eyes.“So what brings you to Icing?”“Icing, like hockey penalty.” Malkin’s tone was pure droll amusement.“Sort of a play on words actually. I’m a thermodynamic elemental witch so …” Sid broke off at Malkin’s confused look of incomprehension. “A temperature witch? A Therm?” Sid actually hated that term, it was so imprecise, but at least Malkin’s face lit with understanding.“Ah! So, cold, ice … Icing!” Malkin’s pleased smile lit his face, re-arranging his mobile features into an expression of such glee that Sid couldn’t help but smile back. “And hockey pun! Yes, perfect!”“So glad you approve,” Sid’s dry amusement colored his words. “Was there a reason you came to my shop if you didn’t even know what my specialty was?”“Cartsy said maybe you can help me, and this first opportunity I have to come.”Sid gestured Malkin farther into the shop. “And you couldn’t wait until I was actually open?” Sid mentally groaned even as the words left his mouth. He hated being interrupted but … “Oh, crap! The salve. Can you just hang out for, maybe 10 minutes? I was right in the middle of something when you interrupted,” Sid called back over his shoulder even as he raced back to the kitchen.The liquid had started to congeal and Sid swore as he turned on the burner and placed it back on the heat. A gentle tapping at his thigh indicated Puck wanted to be picked up and Sid scooped them up in a practiced move, settling them on a special extra-wide stool stationed with a good view of his workbench.“Careful, I don’t want to burn you,” Sid reminded them absently as he sifted the standing funnel a little farther away. A surprisingly loud and disrespectful squawk was his only answer. Sid smiled despite himself.Once again pulling the hot liquid off the burner, Sid took a deep breath and settled himself before casting the spell that would cool inflamed flesh and irritated nerves and bring relief to burned skin. It wouldn’t help with the third- and fourth-degree burns that covered many of the children’s bodies — the nerves were already burned away — but it would help ease the pain and soothe the less-damaged skin, making it easier for the child to rest comfortably and heal. It was such a small thing, but Sid wanted to do whatever he could to help.“Heat begone, pain away, burn no more. Chill to soothe, pain away, cool instead. Heal. Heal. Heal.” Sid pushed his magic through the words as he stirred the salve three times widdershins. Healing magic was always tough for him, but he could feel Puck lending their strength and power to the spell. Tapping the spoon three times on the pot, Sid added a final drop of wintergreen oil to the mixture. A rush of cool wind circled the room, causing papers to rustle softly before disappearing as quickly as it came. “Yes!” Sid’s pleased exclamation drew a soft chuckle from the man leaning in the doorway. “You always so excited when you cast spell?” Malkin asked curiously. “Think you be used to by now.”At the words, Sid spun to look at Malkin, but he could feel himself blushing so he quickly turned back to the salve, picking up the pot and pouring the liquid through the funnel into the first tin. When it was full enough, he slid the container out from under the stand and positioned the next tub. When they were all full and his cheeks were no longer pink, Sid peeked at his visitor again. “Healing magic always takes a special effort. It’s just nice when it works out on the first try.” He busied himself carefully wiping up any drips.“Cartsy swear by your arthritis cures. Pretty soon you have half the team here, I think.” Geno carefully maneuvered himself closer to Sid’s workbench so he could better see what Sid was doing.The praise made Sid squirm internally and he could feel the blush creeping up his cheeks again. “They’re not really cures, they just make people more comfortable. I’m not a full healer.” “Hmm,” Malkin’s noise was non-committal. He watched curiously as Sid placed the labels he’d made earlier on each lid. Picking one up, he read the label questioningly. “Icicle Sap? Like tree,” Malkin pinched his fingers together and made an up and down motion to indicate dripping.“It’s going to the Children’s Hospital burn ward. And sometimes the kids need a little bit of extra magic to believe it will help them heal.” Sid carefully arranged each lid next to a tin. “They need to cool for a while now before I can pack them up.” He gestured to a glittery blue box half filled with sparkly tissue paper off to the side of his workbench. The soft smile on Malkin’s face as he read the tag “Special Delivery from the North Pole!” caused a swoopy feeling in Sid’s stomach so he busied himself making sure the burners were off and the used equipment was soaking in a bath of salt water to clear away any remnants of the spell before he used them again.Finally, Sid turned to face Malkin more fully, gesturing silently toward the door that led back to the shop. Sid was surprised he wasn’t more bothered by having a practical stranger in his workspace but shrugged it off as just another part of an odd morning.Once they were back in the main store area, Sid did his best to project cool professionalism. “So, how can I help you, Mr. Malkin? You said it was an emergency?”“Evgeni or Geno. Mr. Malkin sound, like old, like dad.” Malkin — Evgeni — wrinkled his nose.“Ev-gen-ie.” Sid tried, causing Malkin to wince ever-so-slightly.“Maybe stick to Geno, is easier for English speakers. Is what all teammates call me,” Geno assured him.Sid resolved to look up a YouTube video on the proper pronunciation later, but decided Geno was definitely easier for now. “So, Geno, what do you think I can help with?”Geno’s expression grew almost constipated, as he gestured to his knee. “Knee is not healing. Is bad, swollen, lots of pain. Had surgery but is not getting better.” He shrugged angrily, shifting his weight around uncomfortably. “Supposed to be back with team by now, but can’t even get on ice. Tests don’t show problem, but doctors talking about doing another surgery. Explore-story?”“Exploratory,” Sid corrected absently. “Have you consulted the team witch or a healer? It could be a curse or some kind of magical ailment?”“Yes, yes. Talk to healers, trainers, therapists, witches, specialists. Talk to everyone.” Geno sighed sadly. “Gets better for little while, then gets worse again.” “I’m not sure what I can do for you then. I’m sure they are all more qualified then I am to determine the problem …” Sid trailed off quizzically.“Cartsy say your potions best ever for taking away pain. Willing to try anything.” Geno shrugged half-heartedly, desperation warring with hope in his gaze and voice. The lines of pain bracketing his lips became more noticeable.Sid’s brow furrowed in thought. He wasn’t really a healer, but … “I suppose it can’t hurt anything if I take a look.” Sid gestured to a door, nearly hidden behind a display of rocks and crystals in the back corner of the store. “There’s a small dressing room back there, it will give us a bit more privacy. If you want to get settled, I’ll knock in a few minutes.”Geno merely nodded, limping off toward the small room. Sid spent a couple minutes fiddling with his displays before knocking on the door.“Yes, come.” Sid opened the door to find Geno perched on the bench, dressed (rather ridiculously) only in a ratty Penguins sweatshirt, threadbare yoga pants and winter boots, the rest of his outerwear was shoved in a corner on top of his crutches. His dark hair was flattened from being under the toque.His leg was stuck more-or-less straight out in front of him. Geno hissed and swore as he tried to tug the pants over a grossly swollen knee that just emphasized the lean musculature of the rest of his leg. A rough-looking incision, swollen with strained keloid scarring, ran down the center of the knee.“Shit! Okay, that’s worse than I thought it would be.” Sid knelt down to get a better look. “When did you say your surgery was?”“April. Right before playoffs.” Geno grimaced but Sid couldn’t tell whether it was because of the injury or remembrance of the Pens’ first-round exit.Sid extended a hand, feeling the heat before he’d even touched the irritated skin. Geno hissed at the contact but gestured for Sid to go ahead when he hesitated.“I want to reduce a little of the heat and swelling so I can get a clearer picture of what’s going on. Do you mind if I cast a small spell?” Sid looked to Geno for permission.Geno bit his lip but nodded hesitantly. Sid closed his eyes and chanted the familiar words softly under his breath. He personally thought of this as his “ice pack” spell since he’d perfected it on himself and his teammates in minors when they got bruised up during games. A soft, relieved sigh was his reward and Sid couldn’t resist watching as the pain eased from Geno’s features, leaving him sagging with exhaustion against the wall of the small room. The sleepy, half-lidded gaze and slack features reminded Sid of something else entirely and he tried not to dwell on the fact that he was on his knees in front of Evgeni Malkin.  “Better?” His voice came out scratchy, almost as if … Sid shuffled his knees, trying to hide his growing interest.“So good! Best, Mr. Witch. Best!” The combination of pain relief and exhaustion made Geno’s voice come out a little slurry, and Sid couldn’t help wondering if that’s how he’d sound after sex.He cleared his throat softly, reining in his wild thoughts once more. “Sid. Sidney. Crosby. You can call me Sid.”“Sid!” Geno beamed at him. “Best!” A huge yawn ripped through his smile. “Sorry, hurt so much haven’t been sleeping well.”“Yeah, I figured.” Sid gently cupped Geno’s knee in his hands. The swelling was down noticeably and the heat, while not gone, was considerably less. “I’m not sure why the team witch isn’t doing more to help with the pain.”Geno’s expression did a complicated dance before finally settling on faint disgust. “Witch is old, specialize in curse breaking, not ‘babying professional athletes’.”“Pain management is not ‘babying’,” Sid protested immediately, even as Geno waved off his protests.“No, no. He just grumpy old man should have retired years ago. Penguins, Mario, very loyal, you know? Keep him because he worked there forever.”“Yeah, okay,” Sid said, grudgingly. He could appreciate that kind of loyalty but …Geno grinned. “He have best stories about Flyers hexes.”Sid’s lips twitched reluctantly. “Yeah, I’ll bet. Especially if he was there in the ’80s.” Turning back to the knee, Sid ran his fingers lightly over the back and sides of the joint. An odd bump near the knee cap caught his attention but Geno hissed and jerked away when Sid started to probe. “Sorry!” Sid’s apology was immediate. “I didn’t mean to go so deep. There’s definitely something there, though.” Sid pointed to the spot on Geno’s knee. “I don’t know what exactly, but let’s see if we can’t get rid of more of the swelling and irritation first and then we can go from there, eh?”“Yes, sound good. Knee feel better than it has in months,” Geno relaxed back into his graceless sprawl. Sid rocked back on his heels, not wanting to think about other things he could do to make Geno feel better. “Great, glad to hear it, but that spell won’t last forever.” Geno let out a sad little moan, his lips pursing into a moue of displeasure.“Hey, none of that.” Sid tried not to sound charmed at Geno’s obvious pouting, but wasn’t sure he totally succeeded. “I’ve got some supplies that can help keep you comfortable, let you get some sleep and will help keep the inflammation from getting out of control again. Then maybe you can come back in a couple days and I can take another look.” Geno brightened immediately. “Yes! Best plan. Want sleep so bad.” “Okay, then wait here just a minute. I’m going to grab some ointment and some Ice Stones and maybe …” Sid’s mind drifted to the various different treatments he could offer Geno. With a soft, almost absentminded pat to Geno’s leg, he left to gather up what he’d need.When he returned a few minutes later, his arms were full of tubes and jars and boxes and … rocks? Geno looked on with bewildered awe as Sid dumped his bounty on the floor next to him.“Okay, we’re going to start with my Icy Hot. Don’t wrinkle your nose at me. It smells way better than that commercial crap and it works a whole lot better, too.” Sid opened a tiny jar of green paste and the smell of balsam and citrus filled the small room. With gentle fingers Sid slathered the paste over and around the whole knee joint. The paste melted rapidly into a lotion that was visibly absorbed into Geno’s skin. Geno’s breath hitched as the icy sensation seemed to settle in his muscle and tissues. “Sid! That is amazing! Is, is …” Geno trailed off in wordless awe.“Yeah, it’s pretty great, but the downside is, because it works on deep tissue, you can only use it once a day and it only lasts about 8 hours. Sid met Geno’s look with a stern one. “I mean it. Less is more with this stuff. You can do real damage to your nerves if you use too much of this. I recommend using this before bed, which means you need to go home and sleep now.”“Supposed to see trainers this morning, but can call off,” Geno seemed a little too pleased by that prospect in Sid’s opinion. “Sleep most important!” Geno emphasized that sentiment with an obviously fake yawn and stretch that pulled his sweatshirt up just enough for Sid to catch a tantalizing glimpse of his happy trail.“Yeah, okay. But just once. I won’t be responsible for you getting into trouble with your medical professionals.” Sid focused his attention, and thoughts, firmly back on Geno’s knee. “So, I’m also going to wrap it with a chill wrap. It’s kind of that whole ice-compression thing the trainers recommend rolled into one package. It’s spelled to last about 8 hours, after that you need to recharge it by throwing it in the freezer for a few hours. You’ll know it’s ready to reuse when it tingles when you touch it. I’m going to send you home with a couple of those, so you can alternate them.“I’m also going to give you some Ice Stones.” Sid showed him some smooth amethyst stones. “You can tape these to your knee with athletic wrap if you have a particularly bad spot, or if you need an extra bit of help with swelling. And finally, I’m going to recommend this for your incision. Rub it on after your shower in the morning, it will feel hot and tingly, but that’s just because it’s drawing extra blood flow through your scar tissue to promote healing.” Sid offered a small tube of cream. “Yes, good. I’m take everything.” A genuine yawn interrupted, causing Geno to look a bit sheepish. “Really has been long time since I had a good sleep.”Sid patted Geno’s thigh lightly. “I’ll go ring you up while you get dressed to go back out in the cold.”“Yes, thank you, Sid. I’m most appreciate.” Geno’s hand rested over Sid’s for just a moment, a there-and-gone-again touch that nonetheless left Sid wistfully imaging the fanciful possibilities.Sid busied himself turning on the lights and setting up the cash register for business since he needed to open in a few minutes anyway. He rang up Geno’s total and was just turning the sign to “Open” when Geno limped back into the store on his crutches.Geno offered his credit card without even looking at the total and Sid quickly processed the payment.“How I’m get in touch with you for next appointment?” Geno asked when Sid handed him the bag. Sid grabbed one of his shop’s business cards and, after a moment’s thought, quickly scribbled his personal cell number on the back. “Just in case you need to reach me after hours or before the shop is open.” Sid handed him the card. “I imagine your schedule is a little more chaotic than mine.”Geno made a waffling motion with his hand. “Less now when I’m not traveling with team, but still, like, so many appointments.” He grinned ruefully.“Well, call or text me when you have time and I’ll find a way to get you in. Let me walk you to the door.” Sid picked up the bag so Geno wouldn’t have to carry it while working his way through the shop on his crutches. When they reached the door, Sid couldn’t resist looking around. “You didn’t drive here, did you? I’m not sure, with your knee …”“No worries. I’m call driver when I’m getting dressed. Be here in just a minute. Actually, think there he is now.” Geno nodded at the car coming up the street toward them. Reaching into his pocket for his gloves, Geno spilled his hat onto the ground.“Oh, umm, you dropped this.” Sid offered the hat when he noticed it on the ground, but Geno’s hands were filled with crutches, his purchases and the door he’d just pulled open.Feeling a little awkward, Sid offered, “Here, let me.” Geno ducked his head to let Sid pull the hat over his head.Sid couldn’t resist tucking in a stray wisp of hair behind Geno’s ear as he smoothed the knitwear into place.“Best, Sid. Thank you!” Geno said with a heartfelt smile and a small wave as he made his way toward the car.Sid spent the rest of the morning with a pleased little smile on his face. * * * * * * * * * * Sid was just dishing out the peas to go with his dinner when he got a text from an unknown number three days later. “Sid! Need to see you.”Sid was debating how to answer the strange text when a follow-up came through. “This Geno. Knee feel so good for 3 day but now start to hurt again.”Well, crap! That wasn’t supposed to happen. The supplies Sid sent should have been more than enough to keep him comfortable and pain free for at least a week. Sid texted back. “It shouldn’t be hurting again so soon. When do you want to come in?” Immediately followed by, “When you say hurting, is the pain intensifying or is the swelling coming back? How’s the redness?”Sid waited on pins and needles until he finally got a text back that said, “Can call instead of text? English hard.”“Yes.” Moments later, Sid’s phone rang with a call from the same number.“Hello?”“Hi, Sid. This is Geno. This okay time to call?”Sid eyed his dinner cooling on a plate near the stove; it would reheat later. “Sure, it’s fine. So what’s going on with your knee?”“Knee feel so much better after see you. Think you, like, fixed it, right?”“You know I’m not a healer —”Geno cut him off before he could say anything else. “Yes, yes, you say. But it feel so much better, better than before surgery. Not hot, no tender spots. So good, Sid.” Geno said the last almost longingly.“That’s good. That’s what was supposed to happen.” Sid affirmed.“Yes, but tonight, pain start to come back. Feel new lumps and red and swell come back. Not as bad as before but …” Sid could hear the shrug in Geno’s voice.“Are you running a fever or experiencing any new symptoms?”“No, same as before, just not as good as it was last few days.”“Okay, well that’s not good news, but if you can find time to come in tomorrow, I can take another look. Would you have a couple hours? Maybe I can get the swelling down and then do a more thorough examination right away?”“Have therapy with trainers tomorrow morning, I come by after that?” Geno proposed.The temps were dropping and it was supposed to snow tomorrow so Sid had been planning to collect spell ingredients but he wasn’t making any special requests, just refilling his stocks. He could always work on that later, after he’d looked at Geno. “Sure, come on by whenever you get the chance.”“Thank you, Sid. See you tomorrow.”“See you then. Take care, Geno.” As he stuck his plate of dinner in the microwave to reheat, Sid’s pulse may have raced a little at the thought of seeing the handsome Russian center again. * * * * * * * * * * Geno showed up with two huge bags of food just after one o’clock the next day. “Think maybe you don’t have time for lunch today, so brought extra.” Geno offered the bags to Sid.With the winter weather arriving in the early hours of the morning, it had been a fairly quiet day and Sid had just been contemplating running down to the little sandwich place on the corner for some lunch. The spicy smells emanating from the bags made his mouth water. “Thanks. It smells wonderful.”“Chef Geoff make fajitas today,” Geno said gleefully.“Why don’t you come back to the workroom? I can set up the food on the table there and still keep an eye on the shop. You’ll be able to sit down and rest your knee.”Geno followed him slowly, the knee obviously painful again today. Sid couldn’t help noticing that despite this, Geno looked much better, the pain lines around his lips were not as intensely drawn and the ashen cast to his skin and dark bags under his eyes gone after a few nights worth of good sleep.Sid quickly cleared a space on his work table to make room for the food. “Here, let me help you with your coat.” Sid held Geno’s coat as he maneuvered his crutches to slip it off first one arm then the other. Sid hung it next to his own on the hooks by the back door while Geno settled on one of the high stools next to the table.Geno busied himself pulling food out of the bags and opening containers. “You have forks? Geoff send plastic ones but,” Geno’s animated features scrunched in displeasure. “And spoons? Geoff send tortilla soup, too.” Geno made a pleased hum at that discovery. “OK, just forks, found …” Geno reached for the crockery jug where Sid kept his casting tools.Sid batted his hand away as gently as he could. “No! Not those. Those are for spellwork. Not a good idea to eat with those,” he said apologetically. “I have food silverware over here.”When Sid turned back from retrieving the eating utensils from a drawer by the sink, Geno was sitting there with his hands in his lap, looking abashed.“Sorry, Sid. I’m not think. Magic in Russia is different. More secret, not so,” he gestured expansively toward the front shop area. “Is like, after-dark, back-room kind of thing.”“Ah. I didn’t know that.” Sid was intrigued. “I mean, I know it used to be persecuted over there, like after World War II, but I thought it had gotten much better in recent years.”Geno made a face and waffled his hand. “Maybe little bit less in big cities, but rural areas still not so public.”“Here.” Sid offered him the silverware. “Why don’t you start dishing up the food. I want to cast a quick ice pack spell on your knee so the swelling goes down and then I can take a look at it after we eat.”Sid hissed in surprise when he saw how bad the knee had gotten. It was almost as bad as it was on Geno’s first visit. Sid pressed his hands lightly to the tender skin and muttered the spell, concentrating hard enough to give it a little extra potency. “There.” Geno sighed happily as the spell started to take effect.“So tell me more about magic in Russia. Is it all magic that’s practiced under the table, or just certain kinds? Do healers get a special pass? I know that’s pretty common in some parts of the world.”They spent the next hour happily talking about the history of magic in their respective countries and Sid was sorry to hear his shop bell ring. He excused himself reluctantly to go take care of the customer.Fortunately, it was a quick sale — crabby Mr. Milbury needing some Ice Melt sand and waiting until the last minute, like always.When he came back he found Geno had cleared the remains of their meal from the table and had put the kettle on for tea. “Is this right kettle? Found in cupboard, but want to double check.” Geno grinned, half-teasing, half-serious. “Yeah, anything in the cupboards or drawers is for food. It’s just the things on the counter you need to steer clear of.” Sid pulled open a cupboard, to show a wide variety of teas. “What are you in the mood for? I have a deal with a local herbalist who blends all my teas for me.”After a friendly debate, they finally settled on peppermint to aid digestion and Geno settled down with his drink while Sid moved on to his examination. With the swelling down considerably, Sid could see a large number of smallish lumps just under the skin all around the knee. They ranged in size from an elderberry to a blueberry and they caused intense pain when Sid pressed on them.“Geno, these almost look like boils or cysts. Has anyone biopsied these to find out what they are?”Geno looked at his knee in surprise, poking at one of the lumps and yelping when it shot pain through his knee.“No, don’t think so. Usually too swollen,” Geno mimed the general balloon-like nature of his knee’s earlier state. “Well, you should definitely have someone do that. I don’t like the look of these,” Sid tried to keep his tone even and not convey how concerned he really was.Geno gnawed on his lip. “Can you do?” As the immediate protest sprang to Sid’s lips, Geno rushed on. “Afraid leave here and knee swell again before someone else can see. Don’t have to if not safe but …” He looked so genuinely worried, Sid couldn’t just put him off the way he wanted to.“Look, I’m not really comfortable doing this, but let me talk to a healer buddy of mine and maybe you can come back tomorrow and he can take a look at it?”“You trust him to be,” Geno mimed, locking his lips and throwing away the key.“Yeah, for sure. Colby’s great. He’s a good friend and a really good healer.”“Okay, then you call and I come back tomorrow.”Before either of them could say anything further, Puck waddled into view, carrying something in his beak. They watched until the penguin got close enough to drop the small pebble at Geno’s feet.Geno looked at Sid for a moment before turning back to Puck. “Is for me?” When the penguin flapped their wings and bobbed their head in obvious agreement, Geno slowly reached to pick it up.“It’s warm!” Geno exclaimed delightedly as he rolled the smooth, flattened oval between his fingers.“You gave Geno a Hot Pocket stone?” Sid asked his familiar curiously. The penguin squawked and cocked their head at Sid. Sid could practically feel their eye roll come through the bond but the penguin just turned back toward Geno, who was still running his fingers over the stone.“Is okay I keep?” Geno looked questioningly from Puck to Sid and back again. The penguin gave a satisfied chirp and patted Geno’s calf with their flipper before waddling away. “Yeah, he definitely wants you to have it.” Sid shrugged away the oddness of his familiar.“Why is warm?”Sid grinned. “I, uh, call it a Hot Pocket stone. If you tuck them in your pockets or under the laces of your boots, it will keep your fingers and toes warm when you’re out in the cold.”Geno looked positively delighted. “Work in skates?”“Your feet get cold when you are playing?” Sid couldn’t keep the disbelief out of his voice, making Geno laugh.“Not now, no, but think of when play outside as kid. Would have come in very handy.”Sid laughed outright, even as he flushed. “It might have been my very first piece of magic. When I was a kid I always wanted to stay out just a little bit longer playing on our backyard rink, but Mom was always worried about frostbite. I was annoyed and pouting in the mudroom after she’d made me come in one night and flicking pebbles across the floor from a bowl she kept in there to help with odors. Her magic is sensory, especially scents, so hockey equipment …” Sid shrugged off his rambling. “Anyway, the next morning when she was cleaning up my mess, she noticed all the stones were warm to the touch. After she figured out why, she started my magical training.”Geno’s smile was small and maybe a little bit fond as he tucked the stone into his hoodie pocket. “I keep then. Always cold at ice rink. Very handy.”“Yeah, for sure. I’m not sure why Puck gave you that one, it’s kind of plain and boring — I usually use polished stones now, since customers seem to like them better — but you should definitely keep it if you want.”“Best stone, Sid. Puck give it to me because they know you don’t appreciate it.” Geno smugly patted his stomach over where the stone rested in its pocket.Sid snorted, amused. “Let me give Colby a call and see what time he can be here tomorrow.”After a little discussion and some grumbling on Geno’s part, they arranged to meet at the shop early the next morning.“Great. See you tomorrow, Sid.”“Thanks again for lunch. This was fun. Well, not the part about your knee hurting, but lunch and talking and …” Sid trailed off, flustered by his babbling. It wasn’t like it had been a date or anything.“Yes, I’m have fun, too. Like hearing about your magic. See you tomorrow. So early,” he whined playfully as he left. * * * * * * * * * * Pounding on the shop door the next morning interrupted Sid and Colby’s breakdown of the Penguin’s power play the night before. “Just a sec, that will be Geno.” Sid flipped on the shop lights so Geno would know he was on his way and so he wouldn’t stumble through the store in the winter morning gloom.Too curious by far to wait in the back, Colby trailed him through the store.“Hey, Sid,” Geno greeted as he came through the door, looking like he was still half-asleep. “Why your sidewalk not have any snow or ice on it? You have special magic sand or something?”Colby guffawed loudly at that, drawing all eyes to him. “That’s literally exactly what he has, buddy, magic ice repellent sand. He’s famous for it in Pittsburgh.” “Colby,” Sid sighed as Geno flushed, looking from Sid to the sidewalks and back to Sid, putting two and two together.Instead of being insulted like Sid feared he might, Geno grinned broadly, “Must have two, no three bag! Scary old lady walk fat old poodle so early every morning, shoveling people never have time to get walks clean first. She bang on my door at least once a week to complain. Think she leaves dog poo on my lawn but can never catch her.” Sid cracked up at the thought of some blue-haired old woman banging on Geno’s door and reading him the riot act. “Sure, Geno. You can definitely get some magic sand before you go. Now, get in here so Colby can check out your knee.”As they trooped to the back work area, Sid noticed that Geno’s knee again appeared swollen and painful and he was relying much more heavily on his crutches.Sid quickly performed introductions before directing Geno to one of the tall stools. As Sid knelt beside him, he could see how the baggy sweats pulled tight around the knee. “Hmm, swelling is back again today, do you mind if I —?” Sid gestured to the worn sweats Geno had pulled on that morning. “Yes, sure. Why I’m here.”Sid wasted no time pulling up the soft material, doing his best to avoid the painfully swollen joint, but not entirely succeeding. “Jesus, Geno, that’s …” Sid trailed off, not wanting to worry him.“Yes, looks worse than before.” Geno seemed to know what Sid was thinking.“I thought you said there were bumps you wanted me to look at?” Colby peered over Sid’s shoulder. “That just looks like a whole lot of post-operative swelling to me. When was your surgery again?”“April.” Geno informed him blandly.“Hmm, okay, that’s,” Colby tried to backtrack. “You said something about lumps, Sid?”“Let me just cast my ice pack spell. It needs about 30 minutes to work and then you should be able to see the bumps, they kind of get lost under all that swelling.”At Geno’s nod, Sid cast the now-familiar spell, Geno’s sigh all the sign he needed that it was working as it should.Colby started to quiz Geno on his surgery, subsequent medical treatment and what had been tried already, so Sid slipped away to make some tea. He watched as the pair of dark heads bent together, Geno gesturing expressively, Colby, head cocked intently as he listened, crooked nose in sharp relief as he bent over Geno’s leg for a closer look at something.When the kettle shrilled, Sid set tea balls filled with a spicy orange tea to steep in three mugs, even though he knew very well Colby would take one sip and grumble about drinking grass and weeds. It was a long-standing game they played, Sid trying to find a tea that Colby didn’t instantly hate and Colby pretty much hating everything just to spite Sid.Setting out milk, sugar and honey, Sid pushed the steaming mugs across the table toward the other men.“Thanks, Sid.” Geno said with genuine enthusiasm as he wrapped his hands around the warm mug and inhaled the steam greedily. Colby muttered and rolled his eyes but sniffed tentatively at the mug. Sid considered the fact that he didn’t immediately make a face or push the mug away a total win.Adding a spoonful of honey to his own mug, Sid settled in to wait, listening half-heartedly to their discussion about who had already tried what on Geno’s knee. The list appeared to be long and distinguished, if Colby’s expression was anything to go by.When enough time had elapsed, Sid interrupted to suggest they take another look at the knee.“Well, I’ll be damned,” Colby said as he gently rolled up Geno’s pant leg. “Squid was right, there really are lumps under all that swelling. Can I?” He wiggled his fingers at Geno’s knee. “Just a quick diagnostic scan, nothing invasive to start with.”Geno gave permission and Sid got to observe, awed like always when he watched the master healer at work, as Colby’s hands started to glow with a warm golden light. Geno seemed startled but one look at Sid’s calm expression and smile and he relaxed back into his seat.It didn’t take long for Colby to gently run his hands over and around the knee, the light fading as he finished his scan.“Huh. Okay, there’s definitely something on there. If it’s a spell, it’s really, really subtle. It almost seems like swollen lymph glands but,” he reached up, gently touching either side of Geno’s neck, prodding lightly behind his ears, working his fingers downward. “Hmm. No signs of swollen nodes there.” Colby muttered almost absentmindedly to himself as he worked.“Geno, I need to examine the swelling more closely. Sid says they’re painful to touch?”“Yes, but if you need to go ahead.” Geno looked more resigned than anything.Colby pinched lightly at one of the lumps, making Geno hiss. “Sorry, sorry,” Colby apologized even as he continued to palpate the bump. He pressed and rolled, pinched and prodded while Geno looked miserable and endured.“I think I’m going to need to biopsy one of these. Unless you’d rather have your regular doctor?” Colby offered. “Should probably let Pens’ doctors,” Geno said slowly, “but they have months and not even find bumps, so … do what you need to. Can do here or need to go to hospital?”“Well, it’s not exactly orthodox, but Sid did say privacy was a concern so I brought along my field kit. Sid, do you have any of that numbing gel?”“For sure, let me go get it.” Sid grabbed a small tube of the gel he normally made up for teething babies. Concentrating briefly, he checked its potency before adding a small spell to make it stronger.“Here,” he offered the gel to Colby, who’d set up a small sterile area and was prepping Geno’s knee with surgical scrub. Colby distractedly offered his thanks, fixated as he was on Geno.  When everything was clean, Colby smeared the ointment generously over Geno’s knee, applying a second layer over a lump the size of a large blueberry. “Sid?” Geno’s voice was a little worried.“Oh, sorry, it’s just to temporarily numb it, make it so you can’t feel it. Kind of like what they use at the dentist’s.” Geno’s concern faded and Sid’s heart warmed at that sign of trust.“Okay, just keep staring at Squid there, don’t look down. This will only take a minute. I’m just going to draw a little fluid out,” Colby narrated as he worked. “What the ever-loving fuck?”Sid and Geno both looked down at the exclamation, only to see the small syringe filling with black goo.“Jesus! What is that? That can’t be normal.” Sid made no effort to hide how appalled he was.Colby pulled the full syringe from Geno’s skin, but a small amount of black pus continued to ooze from the hole, filling the room with a horrible stench.“Oh, my god, that’s foul!” Sid waved his hand in front of his face as if that would clear away the hideous smell of rotting things. Catching a look at Geno’s horrified face, Sid was quick to apologize. “Sorry, Geno, sorry. It’s bad but I’m sure Colby can fix it. Right Colby?”Colby quickly taped up the small wound. “I”m going to do my best. We know now from the color and smell that it’s definitely magical in nature, so that’s the first step. I’m going to take this home with me,” he tapped the full syringe, “and do some testing, see if I can figure out a countercurse. You should probably have your own healers take a look at this and get their own sample. The more people who are working on this the better. It doesn’t seem to be spreading, yet, but we definitely don’t want it to get into the bloodstream or spread to other lymph nodes or whatever.”Geno looked stricken by the possibility. “Yes, okay. I’m have team doctors look at, too.”“Sid,” Colby turned to him. “Can you keep working on the pain and swelling? I think it’s there to disguise the problem but I’m sure it’s not helping Geno’s immune system to be in constant pain. We want him to be as healthy and comfortable as possible when we finally find the countercurse.” “Yeah, for sure. Anything I can do to help.” Sid tried to look positive and reassuring for Geno’s sake.Colby looked back at Geno. “I’m not going to lie to you. This is a sophisticated and subtle curse. I’ve never encountered one that disguised itself like this before. But, now that we know it’s there, I’m sure we can heal it.”Geno ran a hand through his already messy hair. “Good, yes. Thank you. Sid say you best and I can see that is true. Appreciate your help.”“Got to,” Colby assured him with a small grin as he rose to his feet. “Sid would kill me if I did anything to mess up the Penguins’ power play.” Geno managed a wan smile in return.Sid and Colby exchanged a few quick words while Colby packed up his gear and exited through the shop’s back door. Geno sat there numbly, not really taking in anything or moving to get dressed again in his outerwear.“Geno?” Sid’s hand on his shoulder jarred Geno out of his stupor. “Are you okay?”Geno shrugged a single shoulder and frowned. “Yes, no. Maybe? Is, like, good to know for sure is a curse, but curses are bad, can be hard to fix, you know? Don’t want more testing and poking either but,” he grimaced, “know this means more of that. And means still can’t get on ice.” The last was said with a dejected sigh.“Yeah, okay, that definitely sucks, but now they can start working on a cure and you’re that much closer to being back on the ice. And I am more than willing to help with pain management or whatever you need until then, okay?”Geno’s smile this time was more real. “Yes, thank you, Sid. You do so much already. Hate to ask but …”“It’s really no problem, Geno.”“Because of Penguin’s power play?” Geno asked teasingly.“Not just because of the power play,” Sid responded in kind, before turning more serious. “You’re a … I mean, you seem like a really nice guy and I just … I hate seeing people, seeing you, in pain. If there’s something I can do to help, I want to help.”“Best, Sid. Thank you,” Geno patted the hand that Sid had forgotten to remove from Geno’s shoulder.Sid flushed, uncomfortable with the sincere appreciation and finding himself wanting more of that touch on places other than just his hand. “So, I guess we’d probably better make plans to see each other more regularly, eh? Is there a time of day that works better for you? I can try to clear my schedule.” Sid welcomed the opportunity to turn away and grab his calendar off the fridge. “I have a few special deliveries coming up but nothing I can’t work around.”Geno groaned half-heartedly. “Hate to trouble, but still not sure what best schedule will be? Maybe morning before see doctors so they can see lumps? Or after morning session with physio? Always hurt most after that? Maybe need to see you more than once a day?” Geno didn’t look at all dismayed by that prospect, which kind of warmed Sid’s heart.“Okay, well, then let’s play it by ear. You text me before you come in and I will do my best to clear my schedule or let you know if I can’t. Now, maybe I should renew the ice pack spell so it will last long enough for your healers to look over the knee.”Sid matched actions to words, closing his eyes and concentrating on his spell, focused on making it last at least a couple hours so Geno would be as comfortable as possible during the upcoming poking and prodding.“There, hopefully that will keep the swelling down long enough. If not, let me know and I can try to spell something to make it last longer.” As Sid wrapped the knee in a chill wrap and pulled down the leg of Geno’s sweats, Puck magically appeared on the workbench. They waddled over to Geno and dropped another plain, boring pebble next to Geno. Sid was a bit surprised. He didn’t recall spelling so many plain rocks.“Nice!” Geno said appreciatively as he tucked the gray stone into his glove. “Thank you, Puck. Is best rock.”“It’s not even pretty.” Sid disagreed. “I mean, it’s just a plain, gray stone.”Geno and Puck exchanged a “look” then turned identically disdainful looks toward Sid. “Best, Sid.”Sid chuffed, amused despite himself. “Okay, whatever. Enjoy your boring rock.”Geno sighed in theatrical disappointment at Sid’s lack of appreciation as he slipped the glove onto his hand, wiggling the rock until it was in the perfect position.“Got to go now, but see you soon, yes?”“For sure. See you, Geno.” The shop felt oddly empty as Sid went about opening up for the day. * * * * * * * * * * Sid was surprised when he got a text from Geno about an hour later asking, “What Colby’s family name?”“Armstrong,” Sid texted back. When nothing more was forthcoming from Geno he gave into his curiosity. “Why?”Long minutes later another text came through. “Doctors worry some duck poking around at my knee.”WTF? Sid wasn’t sure what to make of that text. Even accounting for the possibility of autocorrect that text didn’t make a lot of sense. Finally, Sid texted back. “Duck?”Geno’s text was, thankfully, faster this time. “Sound Gonch teach daughter duck make.” Followed by a shrugging man and an eye roll emoji.“Sound a duck makes?” Sid muttered to himself. “A quack?” Sid couldn’t help but laugh out loud as he finally made the connection and began texting a lengthy reply.“Quack is a slang term for a fake doctor. Which Colby most definitely is not. Please tell them that he’s a licensed master healer and guest instructor at Pitt, specializing in magical diseases and curses. He also has hospital privileges at UPMC. I’m kind of surprised they haven’t consulted him already.”  Sid waited a long time for a response but it was several hours before he got a reply. “Showed them your text. Much less unhappy noises after that. So many tests.” * * * * * * * * * * The following day, Geno texted that he’d be stopping in about lunch time and bringing lunch, if that was okay with Sid.It was more than okay with Sid and led to a mostly enjoyable lunch hour — after Sid had finally coaxed Geno into telling him what the doctors said (not much), what the next steps were (tests on goo, tests on knee, just so many tests!) and if there was anything Sid could do to help (keep swelling down so doctors had bumps to poke at). Sid was happy to perform the ice pack spell and to use some of his numbing gel so the lumps didn’t hurt so much when touched. He really wished there was more he could do but he was secretly thrilled that he was helping, even if it was in such a small way.Geno, for his part, was entertaining and charming, sharing funny stories about teammates and pranks and life as a professional athlete. The hour — okay, hour and a half — passed quickly and Sid was reluctant to go back to work until a sudden rush of customers forced the issue. Over the following week, Geno found time at least once a day to pop in for a chat and some “ice” for his knee. Sometimes he brought breakfast or lunch, sometimes he only had a few minutes between appointments, but their visits almost always brought a smile to Sid’s face.When Saturday rolled around and Sid hadn’t heard anything from Geno, he started to get a bit concerned. He distracted himself by bagging and spelling the new truckload of sand that had been delivered but he kept checking his phone for any messages. By Sunday morning, he couldn’t resist any more and texted Geno. “Hey, everything all right? Need another ice pack?”“Sorry, Sid. Not want to bother. Can wait until Monday.”Sid frowned at his phone. “It’s not a bother. Really. I’m happy to help.”“Don’t want to take advantage.”Okay, that was just strange. Sid hesitated only a minute before calling Geno.The phone rang several times before Geno finally picked up. “Hello.” He sounded almost curt and cold to Sid’s ear.“Hi, Geno. It’s, uh, Sid. I just wanted to check and see how you were doing? See if everything is okay? I missed you yesterday.”Geno was quiet for a long moment. “Stopped by shop yesterday. You were not there.”“Oh, I was just out back working on a new batch of Ice Melt sand. I’m surprised they didn’t just send you back.”Geno huffed. “No, didn’t send me back. Girl told me you were too busy to be disturbed. When I explained you were helping me every day, she say all the more reason not for bother.”“What? No! You’re absolutely no bother. Ever. I want to help!” Sid tried to remember who was working the shop yesterday. He wasn’t super good about separating his work and personal life, especially since he lived in the apartment above the store, but he hired weekend help so he could try and have some time off. Or at least work on spells and orders that were time consuming or couldn’t be interrupted.“Hmm, I think it was Lakeisha, who was working yesterday? If it had been Bridgit, she’d have recognized you instantly and probably swooned. Lakeisha is relatively new and rather fiercely protective. She seems to think people are trying to take advantage of me because I’m too nice.” Sid chuckled at the ridiculousness of the thought.Geno did not. “Sid, maybe she right.”“No. No! Geno, you are not taking advantage of me! I like being able to help.”“I know you do. But you deserve time off, too. Time to spend with girlfriend or family.” Geno sounded kind of sad at that thought.“No boyfriend and the only family I have right now is in Nova Scotia.” Sid did his best to reassure him. “Besides I like spending time with and, um, helping you.” Sid barely resisted face-palming. Maybe coming out and then confessing attraction to a Russian professional athlete wasn’t the smartest thing in the world to do? Sid had never hidden his sexuality but he didn’t have to advertise it either.“Like spending time with you, too.” Geno’s voice sounded positively delighted, though, so maybe it wasn’t all bad?“So, uh, you never did get your Ice Melt sand. Want me to bring it over and maybe I can take a look at your knee?”Geno was silent for a long moment. “Unless you don’t trust me with your address. Which is fair! Because it’s not like you know me all that well. And it’s not like we’re friends or anything …” Sid rushed to fill the silence.“Sid! We friends. Don’t mind giving you my address. Just, are you sure I’m not take advantage?”Sid’s breath left him in a relieved sigh. “Yeah, for sure. I’m volunteering.”“You say if I do?”“I promise. If I feel like you’re taking advantage of me, I’ll let you know,” Sid vowed.“Okay, here’s address.”Sid jotted it down. “It’s gonna take me about an hour to get there, I think.”“See you in an hour, then.”When Sid arrived at Geno’s house, Geno met him — despite the cold — on the front terrace of a beautiful two-and-a-half-story brick home. He directed Sid into an open garage bay, following him  in and closing the door behind him. Despite the new layer of snow, Sid could tell from his brief drive through the neighborhood that herbology witches either lived or worked here on a regular basis. He’d bet the lawns and grounds were beautiful in the summer months. It was a far cry from his own small apartment above the shop.“Hi, Sid. Thank you for making trip out. Know it’s long way to come.” Geno beamed at him as Sid exited his car into the five-car garage. Sid tried not to worry that he was parked next to a Porsche that probably cost as much or more than all of his last year’s sales.“Hi, Geno. Nice to see you again. I’m so sorry my clerk didn’t just come get me when you came by yesterday. How’s the knee?”“Eh. Knee, okay. Some swelling and sore again but at least tender bumps are hidden?” Geno tried to put a positive spin on it, but Sid could see it was hurting again.“Well, maybe you can go inside and sit down and I can take a look at it?”“Yes, fine. Follow me.” Geno led the way through a mudroom and into a glorious kitchen, stopping at the massive fridge to offer Sid a drink.“Have fizzy water, Gatorade, milk or juice, you want something to drink?” He handed bottles of water to Sid without waiting for Sid to reply. “You carry, I’m on crutches.” His tongue poked out between his teeth and his eyes sparkled mischievously. Sid couldn’t help but tease back.“What if I wanted juice instead?”“Well, now you know where to find. Glasses in that cabinet.” He pointed to the correct cabinet. “But know you too polite Canadian boy, not ask for drink even if you want. Lots of polite Canadian boys in hockey, too.”Sid laughed. “Okay, Geno, if you say so. Water’s fine.”“Yes, good. Come.” Geno walked out of the kitchen, leaning more heavily on the crutches than Sid had seen him in a while.They bypassed a formal dining room and living room and ended up in a well-loved and obviously lived-in den. Unfolded blankets draped over both plush sofas, a pair of dirty socks lay near one of the matching recliners, and the dirty dishes from several meals or snacks covered the coffee table and one side table. A college football game played on the big-screen television facing the room.“Sorry, not great housekeeper to start but having crutches make picking up tough, you know? So kind of messy.” Geno looked rather sheepish at the admission.“No, I get it. I’m not always the best at tidying either since there’s no one but me to see,” Sid shrugged with a half-smile.“Sit, we watch game. You like football?” Geno eased himself down into a huge recliner.“I do. Mostly the Steelers. I play fantasy football with some of the guys I went to college with.”“Sit, sit.” Geno waved him toward the other chair.“I want to take a look at your knee first.” Geno huffed but didn’t actually protest when Sid knelt in front of him and pulled up the leg of his yoga pants.“Oh, man! This looks …” Sid broke off to look up at Geno. “Yes, just as bad as when I first came to shop,” Geno finished for him.“Hurts just as bad, too, I’m guessing.” Geno’s response was to shrug nonchalantly. “Yeah, okay, hockey player, I get it,” Sid teased gently. “Let me.” He cast the by-now-familiar ice pack spell, but instead of Geno’s usual sigh of relief, Geno barely eased under the spell.“Okay, either we let it get out of control or it’s getting worse. I could make a compress to go along with it if I had the right ingredients, but …”“What you need?” Geno asked.“Well, a couple towels, some wintergreen oil, which I might have in my car, some pine or balsam or cedar fronds, ideally some fresh snow or at least frost, a pinch of salt, some rubbing alcohol and a couple Ziploc bags.” Sid ran through the list in his head again to see if he’d missed anything. “I think that’s it.”“Yes, good. Alcohol and towels in upstairs bathroom, snow and trees in backyard, salt and bags in kitchen.” At Geno’s direction, Sid began a scavenger hunt through the house and backyard, tracking down the ingredients he needed. The snow wasn’t as fresh as he’d prefer and he had peppermint, not wintergreen oil, in his car, but Sid found enough ingredients to cobble it together.Working quickly, Sid packed each bag half full of snow, sprinkled in the cedar clippings and oil, added the salt and put in another layer of snow. He added a quarter cup of alcohol to each before zipping the bags closed and giving them a shake. Concentrating on the effect he wanted, Sid laid a hand on each bag and cast the spell. “Chill of frost and ice, kiss of snowy flake, drive heat and pain away, leave solace in its wake.” Sid felt the wash of power flow through his hands, causing the snow-filled bags to turn into icy gel packs. Satisfied, Sid wrapped each in a towel and headed back to the den.Geno smiled when returned. “Find everything you need?”“Yeah, enough.” Sid tucked one of the bags under Geno’s knee and placed the other on top. “How does that feel?” “Like ice packs trainers use but colder,” Geno said after a moment’s thought.“Yeah, these are basically the homemade version, but the spell will keep them from melting for at least a couple hours and the magic kind of targets the cold on the worst of the swelling. But, just like those, you need to keep the towels around them so you don’t get frostbite.”“Yes, got it. Now you watch game with me?” Geno gave his best puppy dog eyes, making Sid laugh.“Sure, Geno. I’ll stay and watch the game with you.”The game morphed into dinner, “just reheat meals from team chef, Sid, is no problem!”, which turned into talking and chatting well into the evening. By the time Sid left, he was tired but happy. It had been a long time since he’d enjoyed spending time with another person so much. * * * * * * * * * * Monday morning dawned bright and cold, icy winds making it feel even colder than the single-digit temps indicated. Sid shivered as he stepped out onto his small deck to fill his bird feeders.An angry cardinal squawked at him from a nearby tree, annoyed that he’d been chased away from the last crumbs of seed he’d been scavenging. Sid grinned at the pissy bird, making sure to fill the feeder to the very brim so the bird could eat his fill. The cold morning was gray and overcast, but the air was so crisp and bright, burning its way into his lungs, that Sid knew he needed to call in help for the shop this morning so he could harvest spell ingredients. The wind alone would be invaluable for at least a half-dozen spells and he could see the hoarfrost coating the branches of nearby trees. Ideally, he’d have time to run to Schenley or Riverview Park to harvest some fresh, clean hoarfrost from branches before the sun came out and it started to melt. He might even be able to get some ice crystals from the edge of the stream if he could get to it before it froze solid.Thoughts racing with the work ahead, Sid called Bridgit, one of his weekend shop clerks, to see if she could open the store and then started packing his preservation-spelled jars and tubes and vials carefully into his backpack and carry cases. He worked with a local glassmaker and the artisan’s witch partner, who created spell-component collection jars of all shapes and sizes, and he was delighted with the quality of their products.Sid slathered on some of his Rosy Cheeks cold weather cream, added warming rocks to his heavy hiking boots, gloves, coat and jean pockets, then layered up and headed out for a morning of hunting the perfect spell components. He could regulate his own body temperature to a great degree, but experience taught him he often forgot to do that when he was focused on harvesting the perfect ingredient.Sid hummed happily as he set out for Riverview Park. Collection days were a rare kind of treat, feeling more like playing hooky than a real day of work. Sid loved being out alone in the silence of a frozen wonderland, the pristine chill filling his soul and renewing his magic like nothing else. He knew days like this could mean the difference between having enough components to get through a long, hot summer or losing business when he didn’t have the correct ingredients to make special orders, but mostly he was just thrilled to have a chance to play in the frosty woodland.When Sid arrived at the park, his was the only car in the visitor’s lot. It was hardly surprising, since this wasn’t most people’s preferred weather for outdoor recreation. He picked one of the longer hiking trails and set out. The snow was light but fresh from the night before, lending everything a bright, white winter coat. As the morning sun started to brighten the day, Sid paused to enjoy the splendid sight of a natural corridor of trees glistening with hoarfrost. He set to work, capturing scrapings and snippets of frost and snow crystals, color-coded lids helping him work quickly without losing track of what he’d collected. When he came to a clearing at the top of a small hill, Sid captured icy gusts of wind in bottles, perfect for creating the frosty concoctions that were such a hit with women suffering from hot flashes. Puck appeared at some point during the collection, settling themselves between Sid’s boots.“Hey, buddy. Good to see you. Too long since we had a collection day, eh?” Sid ruffled the dense feathers on their chest while swapping out full containers for empty ones. Puck squawked happily, flapping his wings.By the time he was done, Sid’s face was burning with cold and the tips of his fingers were frozen. He spent a minute running through a warming mantra, heating himself to avoid frostbite. He also took a minute to re-spell his socks and gloves for extra heat, wishing his magic extended to water-proofing.As Sid finished packing up his carry case, Puck nudged his leg with his head before battering at Sid’s calf with his wings. When Puck was sure they had Sid’s attention, they flopped on their belly and tobogganed down the hill.Sid laughed, delighted by the reminder of the many winter afternoons they’d spent racing down sledding hills together. “Sorry Puck, no sled for me today.”Puck’s raucous chirruping clearly conveyed it was Sid’s loss.As the clouds started to blow away, Sid took a chance that there might be some newly formed ice on the stream not too far from his location. Water in its first transition from liquid to solid held powerful magic and Sid didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to gather some if it was available.He had to walk along the shore for a bit before he found some rocks that offered some protection from the swirls and eddies of the stream. There in the shelter and shade of the stones, he found the gossamer crystals he was seeking. It took some doing, but Sid managed to drape himself over the rocks in such a way that he could scalpel free the whisper-fine sheets with one hand and capture them in a collection bag with the other. There wasn’t a lot, but Sid managed to collect a couple small sheets that would keep the Children’s Hospital in burn cream all summer.Since he was already damp and this pair of gloves soaked beyond salvaging, even with a warming spell, Sid decided to capture some of the icy water as well. Liquid Air Conditioning sprays were as popular in summer as the Ice Melt sand was in winter. Yes, he could buy Nearly Frozen Water at the witches’ market, but he preferred collecting and spelling his own from the wild, so he knew the source of the water and that each tube was at the perfect temperature when it was harvested. He knew from his lessons in Nova Scotia that the connection to place really made a difference in the effectiveness of his spells.By the time he was done, he was thoroughly chilled, his fingers going numb with cold. He swapped out his gloves for a drier pair and once again renewed heating spells on his clothing, but he could tell by the burn in his cheeks and frosty rime on his scarf that it was time to go. Shouldering his backpack he started the hike back to his car.He had to pause, though, as he came across an old fallen log, sheltered from both sun and snow, that was covered in delicate frost flowers. The silky strands of frost looked almost like a puff of snowy cotton candy, blooming from the wood itself. They were beyond rare and worth a king’s ransom on the wizarding market boards — not that many became available. Quickly stripping off his gloves, Sid poured the contents from one of the vials of water he’d collected earlier into his hand. A short, sharp Word of Power (a magical shortcut he’d spent years mastering) pulled magic from his very core, and the water formed into a razor sharp ice dagger.Sid carefully scraped one flower free of its wooden home into a specially designed bell jar that would hold it suspended in midair at the perfect temperature until he needed to harvest the strands. He had no idea what he’d do with it yet, but he knew he’d find something.He looked longingly at the other blossoms, wishing he could harvest at least one more, but he only had the one container and adding a second would be a risk. He also knew that by the time he could find another container and hike back here, the blossoms would be long gone. With a final look at the wonder before him, Sid offered his heartfelt gratitude to Mother Nature for providing such beauty and bounty. * * * * * * * * * * By the time Sid returned to his shop, dusk was settling in. He was cold and wet, tired and hungry after a long day tromping through the snow and icy winds. He was longing for a hot shower and a hot drink, but he needed to at least empty his cases and properly label and store his collections before he went to bed. He opened the back door of the shop, just long enough to deposit his backpack and carrying cases, happy to hear the sound of Bridgit chatting with a customer. The shop would be closing soon, but late customers usually meant a busy day.A quick run upstairs and he was back with dry sweats and a ratty old Penguins sweatshirt that had seen better days; its main redeeming quality was that Sid had pre-spelled it for warmth and all he had to do was trigger it — a good thing, since he’d exhausted most of his magical energy reserves on the dagger. A pair of warm wool socks and slightly demented-looking bunny slippers — a gift from Colby on his last birthday — and he was ready to go, comfy if not exactly professional.He slipped silently into the workspace at the back of his shop, put a kettle of water on the stove to boil for tea and then rummaged around in his freezer for some soup he was sure he’d put there for lunch the other day but never gotten around to eating because Geno had delivered food.And speaking of Geno, Sid cocked an ear toward the storefront, the low rumble of a male voice sounding familiar. Sid threw the soup container in the microwave and poked his head around the curtain that separated the store from his workspace just in time to hear Geno ask, “Sid still not here? You sure he is okay? He been gone all day and no one hear from him? You’re not worry?”Bridgit’s voice was an odd mix of star-struck and apologetic. “I’m sorry he’s not back yet, I’m sure if he had known you were coming in he wouldn’t have missed it for the world but, as I told you on the phone earlier, he’s out collecting spell ingredients. Sometimes he gets really involved in his work and forgets to check in. I’m sure he’s fine, it’s not like a Therm would freeze to death and he has his cellphone if there’s an emergency.” Sid patted his pockets before remembering he’d chucked his phone in his car’s storage console before setting out. He rubbed the back of his neck guiltily, knowing Bridgit would scold — and rightly so — if (when) she found out he’d gone tromping around the woods without it.“Uh, hey, Geno. Is everything all right? Did I forget an appointment? I’m sorry, I just got back.” Sid couldn’t keep the concern out of his voice as he poked his head around the curtain. “Sid!” Geno’s face lit up at the sight of him, making Sid’s heart beat a little faster. “Everything fine, just stopped in to say thank you for Ice Sand. Works great.” Geno’s gaze raked him from top to bottom, lips quirking when they reached the hot pink bunny slippers.Sid’s lips quirked in response when Geno finally lifted his eyes back to Sid’s. “Gift from Colby.” He shrugged. “Ugly, but warm.”Geno cocked his head, looking Sid over again quickly. “You cold? Thought temperature witches could regulate body heat?” He reached out to grab one of Sid’s hands, pressing it between his own to check Sid’s temperature for himself.Sid grinned ruefully, even as his pulse quickened when Geno didn’t immediately release his hand. “Eh. We can, mostly. I just sometimes forget when I get busy.”“Sid!” Geno scolded gently. “Need to take better care of yourself.”Bridgit’s sharp snort interrupted their moment, causing Geno to drop his hand and step back. And when, exactly, had he gotten that close to Sid? “Good luck with that. That’s what I’ve been telling him for years! Did you at least have your cell phone with you?”Sid couldn’t help the guilty duck of his head.“Idiot!” The spitfire red-head scolded, less fondly and more exasperated, small sparks flying from her hair and crowning her in a fiery halo. “It’s not safe for you to wander around the woods in winter without your cellphone — even if it’s ‘only’ a city park.” Despite being in her mid-forties and not-nearly old enough to be his mother, she frequently treated him like he was her 10-year-old son.“I know! I know. I’m sorry. It was in the car and I didn’t want the battery to die out in the cold, and I just forgot it,” Sid said, his voice trailing off sheepishly.“Maybe you should consider updating that brick of a phone then, huh?” Bridgit’s flatly unimpressed tone was familiar — it was a conversation they’d had before.“Yeah, maybe.” Sid agreed without really agreeing.Bridgit just shook her head, knowing what that really meant. “Well, everything is locked up and everyone is out except himself.” She nodded to Geno.On the pretense of showing Sid something at the cash register, she tugged him aside gently, before muttering under her breath. “And since when are we patronized by the Pittsburgh Penguins’ star player and you don’t tell me, huh? Like this wasn’t important information you should be sharing with your favorite staff?” She huffed in mock annoyance. “Next thing I know you’ll be covering up the visits of the entire team and training staff.”Sid smiled, kind of guiltily, and her eyes narrowed. “Who else?” she demanded, hands on her hips.“Um, just Jeff Carter?” Sid offered weakly, knowing he was about to have his ears blistered. He wasn’t disappointed.Her voice got a little shrill. “Dreamy Jeff Carter was here? In the shop? And you didn’t tell me?” She looked over at Geno, who was unabashedly watching them, and flushed an embarrassed red before lowering her voice again. “Jeff was here?”“It was just one visit,” Sid defended himself. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I’ve just been so busy working with Geno ...” He knew right away that was the wrong thing to say, but it was already too late to take it back.Her eyes narrowed. “Tea. Tomorrow. You and me. No excuses! I need all the details.”“For sure. Absolutely. I’ll pick up some fresh scones and we can catch up on all the news,” Sid agreed readily. And just like that, Bridgit’s disposition returned to her normally cheerful demeanor. “Right, then. I’m off. Have fun, but not too much.” The last was said with a pointed look at Geno. Sid hoped Geno didn’t notice his blush as they watched his clerk sail through the curtain with a wave.“She is little bit scary,” Geno finally said when they heard the back door of the shop close behind her. He gestured at his head, miming little explosions.Sid laughed. “Yeah, she’s got a touch of fire magic and a bit of a temper when she’s mothering me but mostly she’s the sweetest person alive. She’s, uh, kind of a rabid fan though. If you hadn’t guessed.”Geno smirked as Sid gestured him back toward the workroom. “Might have noticed she seems to have a bit of a thing for Carter.”Sid chuckled. “Just a little bit.”“If I get Jeff to sign something for her, think she go easier on you tomorrow?” Geno offered as he settled on one of the stools while Sid puttered around the kitchen, pulling the soup out of the microwave and splitting it between two bowls. “Oh, you don’t have to do that. She’s not really angry or anything. Just a bit miffed she missed out on something so exciting. Really,” Sid assured him when Geno didn’t look convinced. “Don’t want you losing good help because of us.” Geno looked down in surprise when Sid put the first bowl of soup in front of him. “Don’t mean to steal your dinner either.”Sid nudged him with his shoulder as he settled on the stool next to him with his own bowl of soup. “No worries, just got busy today and forgot to eat so I needed a little something to tide me over until dinner. I still have to label and sort my collections before I can call it a day.”“Meal to tide you over before dinner called ‘lunch’, Sid,” Geno said drily, making Sid laugh.From there the conversation turned toward lighter topics, with Geno telling Sid about the last-man-standing drill the guys had done that day, where the loser — Bryan Rust — got to be “mustache boy” for a month.When they finished their soup, Sid put the dishes in the sink. “Do you mind if I work while we talk? I need to label my collections before I forget what everything is. Or maybe you need to get out of here? I don’t need to monopolize all your time.” Sid paused for consideration. “I suppose you came for some treatment, huh? I should probably do that so you can get going. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you here.”“Sid,” Geno put his hands over Sid’s, stilling their movement where they’d come to rest over Geno’s knee. “Is fine. Knee not hurt any more than usual, can wait til tomorrow to treat. Beside, is not exactly a hardship to share meal with handsome man, you know? Do what you need to do with your collections. I’m not in hurry.”Sid flushed, torn between pleasure and embarrassment at being called handsome. “Let’s compromise. I’ll set up the ice pack spell, and you can keep me company while it works.”Geno shook his head fondly but released Sid’s hands, his fingers trailing lingeringly over Sid’s fingers before — reluctantly? — letting go. “So stubborn! Yes, we do your way.”Sid grinned victoriously as he set up the spell.Geno asked lots of questions as Sid removed containers from his packs, labeling each with the ingredient and the date and location collected. Sid told him some of the common uses for each ingredient and how he used them in spells or potions.“How you know is gust of cold wind and not just empty bottle?” Geno held up an “empty” container, eyeing Sid curiously. Sid took the bottle, pressing a finger to the blue stopper. “Well, it’s got a blue lid, which is my code for an air element, but it also just feels different, kind of icy and gust-y. “It’s just …” Sid shrugged.“Magic.” Geno grinned cheekily at him. Sid laughed. “Yeah, I guess it is.”It took a couple hours to label and store each item in its proper place. Geno had noticed the big armoires lining the walls on his first visit but assumed they were leftover shop accessories. It turned out that each one was filled with shelves and racks and bins, each designated to hold a certain type of spell component.As Sid tucked the final test tube, holding a tiny icicle, away in his ice armoire, he sighed in satisfaction. Today had been an excellent day all around — time spent outdoors in a wintery wonderland, sharing a meal with Geno, spending time just laughing and talking companionably — it was good, renewing in a way he hadn’t realized he needed. He turned to survey his now clean workspace, only to realize there was one component he hadn’t put away. Looking around he realized he must have left the bell jar and its precious contents in his vehicle.“I’ll be right back. I just need to run out to the car for a minute. I’m missing a spell component,” Sid rushed out the door to the sound of Geno’s teasing.“So much stuff! How you can tell anything is missing?”When Sid reappeared moments later, bell jar balanced carefully between his hands, Geno’s teasing tone turned to one of wonder. “Sid, what that? Is … beautiful!”“It’s called a frost flower. They’re fairly rare, and finding one after the snow’s fallen is kind of a surprise, but there was this little hollow that was kind of sheltered and there were all these blooms on an old log there.” Sid paused when he set it in the middle of the work table, realizing that Geno wasn’t really listening as he stared in awe at the snowy blossom made completely of frost strands.“Sid! Is … is …” Geno turned wide eyes to Sid, speechless with wonder. Sid grinned back,  remembering the first time he’d ever seen a frost flower, a small meadow of grasses dotted with cotton candy twists of frost that he and his mother had stumbled across one fall morning.Sid bent closer so they were shoulder to shoulder as they peered into the bell jar. “Pretty magical, eh? And all completely natural. Mother Nature at her finest.”Geno’s gaze drifted between Sid and the frost flower, looking completely awed. “Sid,” he whispered softly, as their gazes met and held. They slowly straightened to standing, gazes locked the whole time. “Sid.” Geno lifted his hand to cup Sid’s cheek. Moving slowly, like he was giving Sid a chance to move away, he gently pressed their lips together. It was a sweet, barely there kiss, so chaste and fleeting, Sid would wonder if he’d only imagined it, if not for the way his lips tingled and his cheek heated under Geno’s palm. Delight fizzed through Sid’s body as he closed his eyes to better savor the sensation.The sound of a car back-firing shattered the moment, causing them to spring apart.Geno’s eyes were heavy-lidded, languorous. Sid watched, mesmerized, as he licked his full lips as if savoring Sid’s taste. Geno looked regretful when he finally spoke. “Should probably go now. Have early skate tomorrow. Have to see trainers while team works out.” Sid swallowed hard to clear his throat. “Oh, for sure. That’s ... that makes sense. Thanks for coming by and spending the evening with me. It was nice to have company.”Geno looked reluctant even as he called for a ride and made his way to the front of the shop. As had become usual for them, Puck appeared to drop a plain gray stone at Geno’s feet. Geno cooed appreciatively over the boring rock and put it in his pocket while the familiar puffed up and preened like he’d bestowed the most magnificent gift ever. Sid could only shake his head in fond resignation over this bizarre tradition.Sid waited with Geno until his car came to a stop outside. They exchanged quiet farewells before Geno hobbled off, leaving Sid to lock up behind him and head to his own apartment.As Sid lay in his bed that night, he couldn’t help thinking about that kiss. It was so unlike what he’d dreamed their first kiss would be — when he actually allowed himself to daydream about it. He’d imagined something hot and passionate and fierce, maybe a little needy (at least on his part). The sweet, almost delicate kiss made him wonder what else he’d gotten wrong in his little fantasies.Sid closed his eyes and imagined he and Geno stripping slowly together after a long day. He imagined teasing touches and lingering kisses, maybe some playful groping. He wondered if Geno would be a talker or the strong, silent type, focused and intense like he was when he played hockey.He imagined them falling into bed together, then Geno rolling on top of him, pressing him down into the bed with his whole body weight, pinning Sid down and kissing him breathless. Geno would string leisurely kisses over his face and neck and shoulders. Sid shivered as he imagined Geno whispering filth in between nibbles on his earlobe. Sid would be breathless and aching when Geno finally started to slowly rut against him. Sid grabbed the lube from his nightstand and slicked his hand as he pictured Geno rubbing their cocks together, the heat and friction between their bodies causing sweat to form and act like lube as they frotted against each other.Or maybe …Geno would work his way down Sid’s body, his lips seeking out and teasing all of Sid’s sensitive spots, until he finally got to Sid’s dick. Sid’s hand clenched helplessly on his penis at the very thought of those plush lips closing around the head of his cock, Geno’s dark eyes smiling up at him as he sucked the head, swirling his tongue around and around. Sid settled his hand into a smooth, fast rhythm as he imagined Geno’s dark head bobbing between his thighs, his long, hockey-callused fingers teasing Sid’s hole before sliding in slowly. Dream Geno used lots and lots of lube, slicking him and stretching him until Sid’s body longed to be filled. Would Geno tease and tease until Sid was begging? Or would he get impatient at last and slide into Sid with one forceful thrust? Sid’s hand sped up as the many possibilities flowed through his head, catching and repeating, heating his blood and filling him with longing. Rolling to his side, he grabbed the lube again and quickly slicked up a couple fingers. He pressed and teased just enough that his hole gave in, granting his fingers entrance. One hand still stripping his cock, he pushed his fingers inside, in one long, slow slide. Curling them just enough to graze his prostate, he came with a wordless grunt, his mind filled with thoughts of Geno. * * * * * * * * * * The next day was another cold winter’s day, but the sun shone brightly, making the world sparkle and glow. Sid made a quick run to a nearby bakery, grabbing scones and coffee for his upcoming conversation with Bridgit. After a brief chat with the owner, Sid paid for his purchase with a quick heating spell renewal on their cake display stands, ensuring their pastries would stay fresh-out-of-the-oven warm for the next week. The baker was delighted and added a couple chocolate chip cookies to his order. Sid smiled and waved and headed back to Icing to open up for the day.Bridgit arrived mid-morning, just in time to help with a visit from the local senior center crowd. A bus drove anyone interested downtown once a month for shopping and Sid’s arthritis cures had become something of a sensation. Bridgit stepped in to man the cash register, leaving Sid free to listen to litanies of aches and pains and to recommend potions and creams and soaks. He smiled and nodded noncommittally as some of the older ladies talked about their beautiful, single! granddaughters about his age, diplomatically reminding them that, as a business owner, he didn’t have a lot of time for dating. He was sure he heard Bridgit giggle when one spry old warlock patted him on the ass and told him to ignore the old hens, he had a handsome young grandson who he was sure would be more to Sid’s liking.It was just past 11 before they finally had the shop to themselves for a few minutes. Sid was grabbing the food and drinks out of his own warming cabinet in the workroom when he heard the bell ring to signal another customer. Bridgit was still out front, so he didn’t think much of it until she poked her head back and said, “Uh, Sid, there’s someone here to see you.”The emphasis made him think it might be Geno, so he put the kettle on for tea in case Geno had time to join them for their snack. Grabbing the cups and bakery bag, Sid pushed aside the curtain to see the Penguins’ starting goalie, Marc-André Fleury, grinning at something Bridgit said.“Ah, and there’s himself now.” Bridgit swooped in to rescue the coffee cups Sid had almost dumped in his surprise at seeing his visitor.“Hi, I’m Sid. Can I help you?” Sid found himself grinning back reflexively as the other man’s trademark genial smile lit up his face.“Ah, Sid. Hello. Nice to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you and your marvelous shop!” His voice lilted with a lovely French-Canadian accent that reminded Sid of family trips to Montréal and the Gaspé Peninsula. “I am Marc-André, or Flower, if you prefer.”“Nice to meet you, Marc-André. Who, um, what brings you in today?”Marc eyed him shrewdly for a brief moment. “Cartsy swears by your cures for aches and pains, and Geno, he goes on and on about how magical you are.” His dimples flashed as his smile flashed again. “How helpful you’ve been in treating his knee, no?”Bridgit snorted softly before drifting away to straighten up a display.“Uh, It’s my pleasure, I mean, I’m happy I could help. At least a little bit.” “Mmm, well, they are both very satisfied, particularly Geno,” Marc-André’s eyes sparkled with amused mischief. “Although perhaps not as satisfied as he could be, you know?”Sid could feel his cheeks heating at the barely disguised innuendo. “His knee, you know.” Marc-André went on. “We’d all like it to get better as soon as possible.”“Yeah, of course. You know I’m not a healer, right? I just help keep him comfortable.” Sid’s flush deepened as he heard Bridgit’s barely stifled laugh. He rushed to clarify, “I mean, I help keep the swelling in his knee down. He’s working with my good friend Master Healer Colby Armstrong on the actual healing part.” “Yes, of course. He mentioned you were exceptional at that, providing comfort.” Bridgit’s shoulders began to shake with the force of her suppressed amusement. “Which is why I am hoping you can help me, with my wife.”Sid’s jaw dropped, as he was struck momentarily speechless. “Um.”Marc-André continued on as if he had no idea where Sid’s mind had just gone. “She has cold feet, you know? All the time. And she likes to tuck them,” he gestured at himself.  When Sid just stared at him, he prodded, “You do thermodynamique magic, no? Can you help?”“With your wife’s cold feet?” Sid said slowly, just to clarify.“Yes, it is most unpleasant. Every time I sit down, or go to bed, cold feet in my lap or against my shins.” Marc-André mimed shivering.Sid grinned, charmed despite the teasing. “For sure, I have some Happy Feet socks I think might be just what you’re looking for.” Sid led the way to a display of knitted goods, socks, scarfs and gloves, wraps and blankets. “I can actually spell just about anything that’s not synthetic so, if she has a favorite pair of kidskin slippers or even leather shoes, you could bring those in and I could put the heating spell on those. But if you want something for a gift, these are all hand-knitted out of virgin wool, alpaca fleece, or silk by a local woman. I’m pretty sure she’s a Pittsburgh sports fan, actually, there’s always a great selection in black and gold.” Sid gestured to bins of soft socks in a rainbow of colors and thicknesses, as well as the special display of yellow and black goods he privately thought of as the Penguins display.“Her birthday is in a couple months,” Marc-André said absently, as he plucked a pair of pale yellow socks in a chunky knit out of the display. “Oh, so soft, and warm!” He looked startled, as the socks started to heat in his hands“They use body heat to trigger the warming spell. The spell is guaranteed to last for a year and after that if you need them re-charmed you can just bring them in and, for a small fee, I’ll re-set the spell for another year. If she needs them a little warmer or not quite as warm, have her bring them back and I’ll tweak the spell.”“Oh, these are magnificent. Véronique will love them!” Sid left Flower to browse through the socks and gloves, and returned to the cash register where Bridgit was loitering. “So, boss, I suddenly find myself in need of some morning hours. I think it would be very beneficial for me to get experience with some of your more exclusive clientele. We never get customers like this on the weekend and it’s no fair hogging them all for yourself.” Bridgit grinned cheekily at him. “Excellent! I’m sure Mrs. Hardwick-Smythe, and Warlock Potts and Mrs. Cliffson from the senior center will be delighted to get to know you better. Especially, once they realize you’re a single mother. I’ll put you down for Tuesday mornings, shall I?” Sid grinned back impishly. * * * * * * * * * * The next couple weeks saw an influx of Penguins players visiting his shop singly or in pairs. They always took the time to introduce themselves and mention how much they’d heard about him from Geno. Bridgit seemed to find the whole thing hysterical, but Sid wasn’t sure how he felt about the team so obviously checking him out. What the heck was Geno saying to make them all so darn curious?But it wasn’t until Kris Letang stalked into his shop that things really got bizarre.Sid glanced up from where he was replenishing his supply of Hot Pocket stones when the door chimes sounded. He paused, halfway through his “Welcome to Icing” greeting, as the Penguins’ top defenseman gave him a coolly unimpressed once over before dismissing him to saunter around the shop. He ran his fingers over every surface, disinterestedly picking up and putting down a wide variety of  items.Sid retreated behind the counter to watch the man frown — and, yes, he managed to look handsome even while scowling — as he picked up and put down yet another bottle, this time of — Flash Free, hot flash cooling potion? Letang finally came to a glaring halt in front of the knitted goods, his hands jammed into the pockets of his gray wool peacoat, oddly enough not touching any of the soft fabrics.When Sid felt Letang had more than glared the knitwear into submission, he decided to approach. “Hi, I suspect you might already know this, but I’m Sid, the owner. Is there anything I can help you with or should I throw those socks out for whatever offense they’ve committed that’s made you look so unhappy with them?”Letang’s lips twitched before he glowered at Sid instead of the footwear. “I’ve been informed that I need to bring home a pair of Véro’s magical socks or I will be sleeping in the guest room.”Sid nodded to the display while pressing his lips together firmly to keep from smiling. “Ah, well, you’ve come to the right spot.”“It has also been requested that, ‘since I was dropping by anyway,’ maybe I could ‘pick up a few things’ for teammates.” Kris drew several pieces of paper with handwritten lists from his pocket and waved them at Sid.Sid took the papers but barely glanced at them before looking back at Kris. “Sure, I can help with that.” “If you do anything to hurt him — and I do mean anything at all — there is no place that you can run, no place that you can hide that I will not find you, you understand?” The threat was spoken so softly and matter-of-factly, that it took Sid several long moments to realize what Kris meant.“I would never … I mean, he’s my friend … I wouldn’t,” Sid spluttered rapidly.“Good. Then we shall have no problems. Now, help me find the best pair of socks. And maybe some gloves, and a hat. Perhaps a blanket. Véro does not have a blanket yet. If Cath has a blanket and Véro does not, then I will not be the one hearing about it, no?”Sid shook off his shock over the unexpected shovel talk and helped Kris sort through blankets, not having the heart — or nerve — to tell him that Marc-André had already commissioned a blanket for his upcoming anniversary. While Kris debated the merits of several blanket options, Sid excused himself to fill the rest of the team’s orders. When he realized just how big the order was, he brought out a flat cart from the back to load up the bags of sand as well as some boxes to better pack the potions and ointments.“Osti d’tabarnak de câlice! Did those idiots decide to order the whole damn store? What the fuck is all this stuff?” Kris exclaimed, horrified at the nearly full cart.“Well, Jeff, um, Carter, Brian Boyle and Brian Dumolin wanted some of the Ice Melt sand, and Jeff needed a refill on his arthritis potions. McGinn needed some Icy Hot for a sore shoulder, Marino needed some cold compresses and Jarry and Flower both wanted some No Sweat that is safe to use on their face, so they won’t constantly be dripping sweat in their eyes during games. Almost everyone wanted some Luscious Lips lip balm and some Hot Pocket stones. And I can’t remember who, but someone must have a teething baby because they ordered some Ice, Ice Baby teething gel and …”“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Just help me load it in my car, and you’d better add a couple bags of that stupid magical sand for me, too.”Kris swore again when Sid told him the total but handed over his AmEx Black without protest. Working together, they had all the purchases loaded up in the back of Kris’ SUV in short order.“Hey, next time you guys need something, maybe have the guys go online to place their orders — or give us a call — and I’ll deliver it to the practice rink or the arena or wherever, eh?”Kris’ eyes narrowed. “Did those fuckers know you’d deliver?!? You know what? Never mind, I think this just became a rookie chore.”As Sid watched him drive away, he hoped Kris wouldn’t be too mad when he found out that Sid had included a flier advertising his delivery service with every order.Walking through the store, Sid straightened the potions shelf, picking up a misplaced bottle of Flash Free to put it back where it belonged. He juggled and almost dropped it when he felt the presence of a strong Reader spell clinging to the bottle. Suspicion caused Sid to look around for other things Kris had handled and, sure enough, the same spell lingered on almost everything he’d touched. A small shiver rippled down Sid’s spine as he realized Kris’ threat hadn’t been nearly the idle posturing he’d believed it to be. Letang was a strong, if untrained, Reader and, now that he knew the flavor of Sid’s magic … well, it was just a good thing Sid had no intention of hurting any of the guys, especially not Geno. * * * * * * * * * * When Geno visited later that afternoon, after the team left for a quick couple games in New York, Sid finally brought up the visits.“So, uh, I met Letang this morning. He’s a pretty strong Reader, eh? Maybe a little gruff but not really a bad guy.”Geno waited until Sid settled a mug of tea in front of him, catching Sid’s arm before he could move away. “What he say to you?”Sid patted Geno’s hand gently before settling next to him at the workstation table. “Oh, it was nothing bad really, he was just a bit concerned about you that’s all. They all were, really. Even Flower, although I think he enjoyed teasing me more than anything.”Geno’s brow furrowed. “All? Sid how many teammates you meet?”“Um. I think most of them? Maybe not the call-ups but,” Sid smiled faintly and shrugged. “Possibly a few of the training staff? But they didn’t specifically introduce themselves.”“Teammates come here? To shop?” Geno sounded like he was puzzling out the logic of Sid’s answer.“Is that so hard to believe they might want to shop here?” Sid’s voice was filled with faux annoyance.“No, Sid! That came out all wrong. Is great shop! Not mean why shop here …”Sid giggled at Geno’s frantic verbal tap dance. “I know what you mean. Honestly, I think most of them came here to check me out because they were concerned about you.”Geno looked a little gobsmacked at that.“You know, make sure I’m not some scam artist or gold-digger, trying to sell you some fake cure or, you know, get into your … good graces.” Sid looked down and fiddled with his tea mug to hide his blush as he thought of what else of Geno’s he wanted to get into. “Apparently, you’ve mentioned me a time or two?” Sid tried for a playful tone but couldn’t entirely hide his curiosity.Geno sipped his tea so Sid couldn’t get a read on his expression, but his ears turned slowly red. “Yes, team ask where I’m go all time, so may have mentioned you’ve been most helpful.”Sid swallowed, a bit of disappointment lodging behind his breast bone. “Yeah, for sure. I guess that makes sense.”Geno peeked at him over the lip of the mug. “And may have mentioned how kind and handsome you are. Once or twice.”Disappointment turned into a warm, satisfied glow and Sid had to fight back the stupid grin that wanted to spread across his face. “Well, that might explain the threats then.”Geno’s mug hit the table with a hard thunk. “They threaten you?”Sid grinned. “Mostly that was Kris. But honestly, I think they were just worried about you. It was kind of sweet — in a hockey player kind of way.”Geno groaned. “Sorry, Sid. I’m tell them to back off. No need to pester you, especially not at your place of work.”“Don’t you dare! I don’t think Bridgit would forgive me if the guys just suddenly disappeared. It’s pretty much the highlight of her day when she gets to wait on an actual Pittsburgh Penguin. She demanded more hours, you know, just on the off-chance one of them might come by.” Sid’s eyes crinkled with mirth.“Hmph,” Geno snorted. “Doesn’t ever seem that excited to see me. Mostly, she remind me you have a shop to run, and tell me not to take up all your work time.”Now it was Sid’s turn to stammer an apology. “I’m sorry. She definitely shouldn’t have said that. You aren’t keeping me away from other work.”Geno grabbed one of Sid’s hands to capture his attention. “She say, if I want to spend so much time with you, I should, like, ask you out to dinner, instead. So, I’m do this. Have dinner with me, Sid?”After a little bit of date wrangling, both men were smugly pleased when they finally settled on Saturday night for their date. * * * * * * * * * * Thursday morning found Sid fretting just a bit as he pulled his old suit out of the closet. Geno told him they were going somewhere “nice” for dinner and Sid assumed, for a professional hockey player, that probably meant a suit.Sid frowned and sniffed as he pulled the suit out of the plastic suit bag. He wondered if he still had time to take it to the dry cleaners for freshening because the last time he could remember wearing it had been when he’d been applying for a business loan to open Icing. He was flicking through one of his lesser used spell books, looking for a dry cleaning spell when his phone rang with Colby’s number.“Hey, Colby.” Sid answered absently. “What’s up?”“Creature! How are you? We still on for basketball Sunday?”Sid groaned internally and momentarily wondered if his date went really well, if he’d be too tired or sore for basketball, but the thought made him blush so hard it was a wonder Colby couldn’t feel the heat through the phone. Deciding he couldn’t handle Colby’s interrogation if he canceled, Sid just agreed that they should meet as usual.“So, I’m meeting Dr. Vyas at his PPG Paints office at 10 and wondered if you wanted to come along. I’ve found a cure for Geno’s curse and we’re going to try breaking it then. It would be helpful if you could reduce the swelling as much as possible, so I can see what I’m working on. Geno seems to appreciate your treatments a whole lot more than conventional medicine.” As if that wasn’t enough to get Sid there, Colby sweetened the deal. “The Pens play tonight so maybe you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the game-day locker room.”“Yeah, sure. I can be there.” Sid tried for nonchalant, but Colby’s chuckle told him he’d failed. They made arrangements for Sid to meet Colby so they could go in together.A quick glance at his phone told Sid there was no time to dawdle if he wanted to get Icing open before Bridgit showed up, even as he thanked his lucky stars that she was already planning to come in this morning to help. He had a couple special orders that were being picked up today and he needed to give her instructions to pass on to the customers.Sid parked where Colby told him and was pleased that his friend showed up just a few moments later. They walked into PPG Paints together and Colby identifying himself and “his assistant” got them an escort into the non-public parts of the building after security verified they were expected.Sid did his best not to gawk, but it was hard. He was in the Penguins’ private area of PPG Paints Arena! This was where Geno and Kris and Flower trained and warmed up before games. The locker room was right …  down … there.As they passed the huge windows enclosing the team’s training room, Sid saw some of the guys working out or stretching. A few of them smiled or nodded in acknowledgement as he trailed after Colby and the guard, Flower outright grinning wickedly at him when he noticed Sid walking by.Their escort drew to a stop before a closed door, tapping softly before opening the door when bidden. “Colby Armstrong and assistant to see you, doctor.”“Thanks, Myra.”As the guard left, a middle-aged bald man of Indian descent held out his hand to greet Colby. “Ah, Healer Armstrong. Thank you for coming. I’m Dr. Vyas, the team’s doctor.”“Nice to finally meet you in person. Thank you for letting me consult. This has been such a fascinating case. It’s been my pleasure to work on it.” Colby shook hands then turned to Sid. “And may I introduce my associate, Sidney Crosby. He’s been working quite closely with Mr. Malkin on pain management.”Dr. Vyas’ eyebrows rose as he extended his hand toward Sid. “Ah, yes. A number of your treatments have been showing up around the rink lately. And, of course, Geno speaks very highly of you. You’re a thermodynamics witch?”A cool rush of energy swept through Sid, so fast he almost thought he’d imagined it when he shook the doctor’s hand.“Ah, yes. I have a small shop over in the Strip District.” Sid tried to rub his tingling palm surreptitiously against the leg of his pants.“Sorry,” Dr. Vyas’ eyes twinkled when he noticed. “Occupational hazard. I have a tiny gift of medical diagnostic magic and it’s pretty much second nature to sneak in a scan whenever I get my hands on someone. Hockey players are ridiculously bad about accepting medical attention, unless they’ve been knocked out cold first. You’re in excellent health, by the way.”“Thanks,” Sid grinned at the doctor, charmed by his self-deprecating candor.“Geno should be here any minute. If you want to have a seat?” He gestured at a couple chairs sandwiched between his desk and the medical table taking up the bulk of the space.Sid settled into one of the chairs as Colby and Dr. Vyas started a discussion filled with medical jargon that went way over Sid’s head. He was relieved when he heard the sounds of a familiar voice talking to someone as they came down the hallway. But the closer they got, the more Sid realized Geno didn’t sound exactly happy.As they made their way closer to the doctor’s office, Sid could hear a querulous older man’s voice vehemently insisting that this was all just medical voodoo bullshit, if this had really been a curse he would have broken it long ago.Geno knocked once on the half-open door before pushing his way into the office, heaving a put-upon sigh and rolling his eyes theatrically.Sid had to hide his smile behind his hand.“Ah, good, Geno. And Wizard Kelly.” Dr. Vyas offered Geno a warm smile that became more tight-lipped acknowledgement when he glanced at Wizard Kelly. “I’m afraid it will be rather crowded with all of us in here, so you don’t need to stay if you’ve got other duties that need your attention, Wizard Kelly.”“I’m not gonna just trust Geno’s knee to any old quack who wanders in off the street saying they can miraculously break a curse that ain’t fuckin’ there.” The older man crossed his arms and propped his rangy frame against the door jamb, jutting his chin pugnaciously. Despite his traditional black robes, his craggy features were tanned and almost leathery. Combined with the bitter scowl he wore, Sid was left with the impression of a villain in an old Western movie.An awkward silence followed that pronouncement. Dr. Vyas finally cleared his throat. “Well, then, Geno. Come in, we’re ready to start whenever you are. Healer Armstrong, I’m going to let you run the show from here.”“Healer, my ass,” Kelly muttered.Sid’s shoulders tightened at the insult but Colby just ignored him. “Geno, if you could bare your knee and then take a seat on the table, we can get started. This shouldn’t take long and soon you’ll feel like a whole new man.”Geno removed his slides and dropped his sweats with an absolute disregard for his audience, leaving him in nothing but a T-shirt and pair of gray boxer briefs. Sid couldn’t help taking a swift inventory, from long, slender feet up pale but muscular calves and thighs to the substantial bulge outlined nicely by thin cotton. He felt his cheeks heat when his eyes met Geno’s knowing gaze.Handing his crutches to Dr. Vyas, Geno hopped gracelessly onto the table, propping his knee up so everyone could see the still-inflamed incision and swollen bumps surrounding it. He gestured grandly at his knee. “Let the magic begin.” Colby snorted. “Sure thing, bud. Sid, can you do a cold -pack spell? I want to keep you as comfortable as possible for this and I’d like to minimize the swelling before we start so I have the best possible view of the lumps.”“He’s a fuckin’ hockey player, not some pampered pansy.” Wizard Kelly glared when they all turned to stare at him. “Quit your stalling and just get on with your so-called curse breaking.”Sid glared and bit his tongue. He wanted to read him the riot act, explain that pain management was only sensible, and not indicative of someone’s toughness, but he wasn’t sure it would do any good; the guy seemed like a total ass. Turning his back on the wizard, he moved close enough to lay hands on Geno’s knee. “Ready Geno?”“Sure, Sid. Do your worst.” They exchanged grins and Sid cradled his knee between his palms. He closed his eyes and mentally recited the spell, focusing his energy on improving the blood flow and easing the inflamed tissue. He added a little extra push with his magic to strengthen the spell as he settled it on Geno’s skin.Geno twitched slightly as the spell sank into his knee. Sid looked up immediately to check his reaction.“Just seem extra cold today, Sid.”“Sorry. I may have put a little more juice into the spell. I just didn’t want you to be uncomfortable if Colby needed to poke and prod.”“Not a fuckin’ princess,” Wizard Kelly muttered.Sid tensed, feeling the urge to once again give the idiot a piece of his mind, but Geno just rolled his eyes. “You say no to good drugs when you get hurt in fight, Bob? No! Me neither! Not volunteering to hurt if I don’t have to.”The old wizard harrumphed, but didn’t say anything else.Geno patted Sid’s hand where it still rested on his knee. “Thanks, Sid. Appreciate.”“Sure, Geno, anytime.” Sid stepped away and looked at Colby and Dr. Vyas. “It will need a few minutes to work before you start seeing results.”“Thanks, Sid.” Colby offered a quick grin, then focused his attention on Geno. “While we wait for the swelling to go down, let me tell you what I found, Geno. After extensive testing on the ‘goo’ we took out of your knee, we determined that the curse was a modified boil spell.”“No fuckin’ way. That’s amateur shit and it causes skin problems, not deep-tissue issues. What a fuckin’ quack.” Wizard Kelly stepped forward, looking like he was going to take a swing at Colby. Sid tensed and edged closer to Colby, willing to get between his friend and Wizard Kelly if need be.“Wizard Kelly!” Dr. Vyas’ voice cracked through the room. “If you can’t keep your opinions to yourself, you’re welcome to leave immediately. You’re here as a professional courtesy and if you can’t behave, I’ll have you removed if necessary.”The wiry old man settled back into his slouch against the wall with a snort and a look that clearly said “you-and-what-army.”“So, as I was saying, it’s a modified boil spell. But instead of being cast on your skin, the spell was cast on your lymph nodes.” Dr. Vyas sucked in a sharp breath but didn’t interrupt. “Where did you say the surgery was done?”“Orthopedic surgeon in Philly,” Geno told him with a frown. “He work on my knee last time and I’m not have any problems.”“Yeah, well, that’s going to be something for the medical board to look into, because the spell would have been set while your knee was cut open for surgery.” Colby exchanged a look with Dr. Vyas, who simply nodded.“Not want to get anyone in trouble. Maybe accident? Could have rubbed off from someone already cursed?” Geno looked between the two medical men.Colby shook his head slowly. “I really don’t think so, but there will be an investigation and the medical board will get to the bottom of it. I will say it’s a good thing we got to it when we did. If it had spread to the lymph nodes in the rest of your body, it could have killed you.”Now it was Sid’s turn to suck in a sharp breath. His eyes met Geno’s, sharing the horror of the near miss. What if Jeff hadn’t come into his shop that day? What if he hadn’t been able to reduce the swelling so they could actually see the bumps? What if he hadn’t called in Colby? He could have lost Geno before he’d even gotten to know him. Geno looked almost as shocked as Sid felt. Geno looked back to Colby worriedly. “So, you can fix?” “Yeah, using the samples we took, I’ve worked out a countercurse and I’ll apply that in just a minute.”Geno visibly sagged with relief.“Okay, so that’s the good news.” Colby looked at Geno sympathetically. “The bad news is that I want to drain the boils first, get as much gunk out of the lymph nodes as possible before I apply the spell. This will leave less for the spell to heal and you’ll be back on the ice scoring power play goals sooner rather than later.”“So another surgery?” Geno looked a little green at the thought.“More like an outpatient surgery. If Dr. Vyas will assist, we can do it here and now, but we’ll need to actually numb up the knee and make some small incisions.”Geno looked less than thrilled. “Have to do?”“No. If you prefer, I can just cast the countercurse right away. But it will probably have to be reapplied at least a couple times a week and you’ll extend the healing time by 2-4 weeks. Your body will need the extra time to neutralize the infection that’s already built up.” Colby looked at Geno directly. “But it is your body and this is your decision.”“Don’t be a pussy. It’s just a few little cuts. You’ve had worse, even if this is all a crock of shit.”“Wizard Kelly!” Dr. Vyas bristled with outrage as he jerked the door open, “It’s time for you to leave!” Kelly merely raised an eyebrow. “Would you prefer I ask security to escort you?”Kelly sniffed disdainfully but stood, glaring at Geno. “Don’t come crying to me when this doesn’t work. Never heard a bigger bunch of horseshit in my life.” With a swirl of robes and glares all around, he flounced from the room.Dr. Vyas heaved a visible sigh of relief. “I’m so sorry about him, gentlemen. I should have insisted he leave earlier.”“Not your fault, Doc. I could have insisted, too.” Geno waved off further discussion. “So, think if you can do today, I want to do. I want this to heal and get back on ice.”Colby patted him on the ankle. “Okay, good. Then, Dr. Vyas, if you can get a sterilizing kit and some lidocaine. Sid, it might be best …” Colby looked between Sid and Geno.“Yeah, for sure, I can definitely wait outside.”Geno nudged Sid’s hip with the foot on his good leg when the doctors went back to their discussion. “Thanks for help, Sid. We still on for Saturday?”Affection welled warm and gooey in Sid. “If Colby says you’re good, then yeah. But if we need to postpone for a while, I’ll understand.”“Great. Pick you up at 6 then.” Geno’s cocky self-assurance shouldn’t be that charming, but Sid found himself grinning back.“See you Saturday at 6, Geno.” * * * * * * * * * * Saturday night found Sid nervously pacing around the shop’s workspace, trying not to muss his navy blue suit too badly. Despite Geno’s assurances that his knee felt worlds better, Sid hadn’t wanted him to climb the flight of stairs to his apartment and risk aggravating it unnecessarily. At least, that's what Sid told himself, not entirely willing to admit -- even to himself -- that part of him secretly hoped that less stress now meant Geno might be up for something a little more energetic by the end of the evening.When the knock on the shop door finally came at 5:59, Sid wiped sweaty palms down his thighs as he rushed to the storefront. “Hey,” Sid said as he opened the door. Geno’s smile bloomed slowly as he took his time giving Sid a bold once over. His gaze raked Sid from the dark curls he’d attempted to tame down to his freshly polished dress shoes and back, taking in every inch of the navy blue suit, crisp white shirt and cobalt blue tie decorated with a subtle snowflake pattern. “Hi Sid. Very handsome.” Sid felt his cheeks heat at the genuine appreciation Geno’s tone conveyed. “Thanks. Let me just grab my coat and we can go.”Geno waited while Sid locked up before placing a hand at the small of his back to guide him toward a sleek white Porsche. Sid’s stomach swooped giddily at the solicitous gesture. Geno opened the door for Sid, letting him get settled before closing him in the heated interior. Sid closed his eyes and breathed in the spicy scent of Geno’s cologne, hardly believing he was actually going on a date with this dream of a man.“You fall asleep already?” A crisp rush of icy air and Geno’s teasing tone as he slid into the driver’s seat caused Sid to open his eyes.“Nah, just … savoring the moment I guess.” Sid smiled at Geno.Geno’s gloved hand reached out to cover Sid’s, squeezing lightly. “Hope we have lot more to savor by night’s end.”“Yeah. So, uh, where are we going?” Sid asked as Geno started the car and pulled into traffic.“You ever been to Altius?” Geno named one of Pittsburgh’s more exclusive restaurants. When Sid admitted he’d never been, Geno grinned, delighted. “Excellent! Best place to get caviar in Pittsburgh. You ever try?”They chatted easily as Geno drove them to the restaurant.With the nerves and excitement over their upcoming date, Sid hadn’t really noticed Geno’s limp, but as Geno handed over his keys to the valet and guided him into the restaurant and up the flight of stairs to their private dining room, Sid couldn’t help but notice Geno wasn’t moving with the perfect ease he’d been claiming.They hadn’t really had time to see each other since Colby had worked the countercurse, but Geno had kept him updated on his “miraculous” progress with nightly phone calls. According to Geno, the knee had been so much better by Thursday evening, he’d dispensed with the crutches entirely. He’d been working with trainers and physical therapists who were developing a strengthening regimen designed to help him recover after months of inactivity. Maybe he’d just overdone it a bit today? Not wanting to ruin their date when Geno had obviously put so much thought into it, Sid made a mental note to ask him about it later. Geno proved to be a very charming date. They ordered wine and the promised caviar. Sid didn’t mind the salty, slightly fishy taste, but the texture was another matter entirely. He must have made quite the face because Geno burst into laughter and promptly declared that he was claiming the rest of caviar for himself since it was wasted on a barbarian like Sid. Sid agreed that was probably for the best.They laughed and talked as the food and wine arrived, enjoying the view of Pittsburgh at night through the immense windows surrounding the room. Geno told funny stories about the less glamorous side of life as a professional hockey player — lost equipment, rabid fans, awkward media moments — and Sid responded by telling him some of his funnier customer stories.Sid thought everything was going exceedingly well, until he realized Geno didn’t seem to be listening to him anymore. A closer look revealed Geno seemed a little glassy-eyed and overheated. They’d only had one bottle of wine between them so Sid was pretty sure that wasn’t the problem.“Hey, Geno. Everything okay? I’m not boring you to death am I?” Sid tried to keep the question light.“Most sorry, Sid. Not feel so good suddenly.” He wiped at the sheen of sweat on his forehead. “Maybe we should call it a night then?” Sid suggested. “Let you go home and lie down. Maybe call the team doctor?”“No! Don’t want to cut date short. You should have dessert if you want. They have most delicious cheesecake.”While cheesecake was always tempting, Geno really didn’t look good. “I think we should take a rain check on dessert. You look like maybe you should be home in bed, resting.”“Hoping maybe to spend night in your bed,” Geno tried to wiggle his eyebrows lasciviously, but Sid could see it was an effort.“Another time, maybe. Let’s just get the bill and go home tonight.” “Yes, okay, I’m go —.” Geno stood, swayed dizzily and, before Sid could get to him, collapsed on the floor.“Oh, fuck! Geno. Are you okay? Geno?” Sid patted Geno’s cheek but he appeared to be unconscious. A shout down the stairs summoned the maitre d’ and waiter in short order, and they rapidly called for an ambulance. Sid did his best to make Geno comfortable, straightening his limbs and rolling up his jacket to place under Geno’s head while answering questions, first from the restaurant staff and then the paramedics, who rapidly guided Geno onto a gurney and then out into the night, leaving Sid behind with the wreckage of his date and no way home.Feeling off-balance and unsure how to proceed, Sid thanked the staff and tried to settle the bill. The manager, who arrived sometime during the fuss, assured him that Mr. Malkin had taken care of everything and informed him that Geno’s car would be safe overnight in their secure garage.With all of the practicalities taken care of, Sid decided there wasn’t any reason to linger. He called for a ride and waited numbly, debating with himself the merits of following Geno to the hospital versus going straight home. By the time the car arrived, Sid had decided to go home, since he was sure no one would talk to him or let him go in to see Geno, even assuming he wasn’t still in the emergency room awaiting treatment.Sid didn’t really remember the ride home, too busy replaying memories of Geno’s collapse over and over. He climbed the stairs to his apartment, distantly noting the unsteadiness in his hands as he fumbled to get his key in the lock. He collapsed on the couch, worried about Geno and longing for an update on his condition but unsure what more he could do or who to call. Finally, unable to settle, he decided to call Colby. If nothing else, maybe his friend could check on Geno and let him know that he was still alive.“Hey, Creature! It’s Saturday night! Shouldn’t you be on a hot date or something?” Colby answered teasingly.“Well, I kind of was until he collapsed on me and had to be taken to the ER?”“What the fuck! Sid, what happened? Did he choke or have an allergic reaction of some kind?” Colby was suddenly all business.“It was Geno. We’d gone out to dinner and it was really nice at first, but …” Sid let Colby coax the details of the evening from him.“Did he have any flu-like symptoms? Did he eat something you didn’t eat? Maybe it was food poisoning.” Colby asked when he’d ascertained it wasn’t any kind of accident or allergic reaction.“He did eat most of the caviar, but I tried it and I didn’t get sick. And I didn’t notice him coughing or sneezing or anything like that.”“Anything else off about him tonight?”Sid thought back over their evening. “I mean, he was limping a little, but I figured he’d maybe just overdone it at PT or something.” Sid scoured his memories trying to recall other signs that Geno might have been ill earlier in the evening.“He was limping? Really? He shouldn’t have been having any more problems with the knee now that the curse has been lifted. Did he say anything else about it? Talk about what he was doing in therapy? Anything like that?”“Um, not tonight. We’ve talked a couple times since you performed the countercurse and he said it was all better, still too weak to skate on but lots better. He wasn’t using crutches or anything anymore.” “It’s probably nothing, Sid, maybe just a case of food poisoning, but I think I’m going to give the hospital a call just to check in. Where did you say he was being taken?”“UPMC Mercy, I think.” Sid was suddenly far more worried than he already had been. “Can you, I mean, when you find out something, will you —?”“I’ll try, Sid, but it might be late or covered by privacy laws. Don’t stay up waiting for a call, okay?”“Thanks, Colby. I appreciate you looking in on him.”“Sure thing, Sid. I’ll ask him to give you a call as soon as possible. Good night.”Sid puttered around, hanging up his suit, making himself some tea, and turning on a game but he just couldn’t seem to concentrate long enough to actually follow the action. As the time got later, he stared at his phone, willing it to ring with an update from someone, but it remained stubbornly silent.When the last of the West Coast games finished up without Sid getting a call, he finally decided to call it a night and went to bed, physically and emotionally exhausted and desperately hoping that Geno wasn’t lying somewhere alone in a hospital bed.Sid went through his morning routine on autopilot, stopping regularly to check his phone for non-existent updates. He opened the store, drifting from display to display rearranging things before putting them back as they originally were.  Over lunch, he frantically scoured news and social media for updates from the team but there was nothing talking about Geno being hospitalized or suffering a setback.Around 1 p.m. Colby finally sent a text from the hospital saying that Geno was recovering from an unexpectedly virulent relapse with his knee. He couldn’t tell Sid much more, but Geno was resting and would call him when he could.It was Monday morning before Sid got a call from Geno.“Geno. Thank fuck! Are you okay?” Sid asked before even saying hello.“Hi, Sid. Sorry I’m worry.” Geno sounded exhausted to Sid’s ears, not like he’d been resting for the past two days. “Had relapse with knee. Curse came back, like, extra strong. Very sick with infection.”Sid frowned. “It came back? Curses aren’t supposed to come back once you’ve broken them unless they are cast anew. Is that what the doctors think happened?”Sid could hear fabric rustling but couldn’t really tell if it was Geno shifting in bed or shrugging his shoulders. “Think that must be what happened. No other explanation. Colby come to hospital, drain nodes and break curse again but I’m not feel so good afterwards, you know?”“For sure, that makes sense,” Sid agreed. “But you’re doing better now?”“Yes,” Geno agreed but it didn’t sound to Sid like he was totally convinced of that. “Get out of the hospital later today. Then home and then try start therapy again tomorrow.”“That’s good, I guess. Hopefully, the countercurse sticks this time, eh?”“Yes, hopefully.” There was a moment of silence on Geno’s end, before he audibly sucked in a deep breath. “So, can’t remember what happen at end of date. Hopefully, it wasn’t too bad? Don’t want to scare you off. Maybe willing to try again?” The hopeful tone in Geno’s voice made Sid smile.Sid quietly let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “Oh, well, it was a little … I mean, you stood up and just collapsed like a ton of bricks. And then I couldn’t wake you up, so, um.” Sid didn’t really want to scare Geno with how frightening the whole event had been but he wasn’t sure how to downplay it more than that. “The manager said it was all right if your car stayed there for a couple days, but if you need me to go and get it, I’d be happy to bring it to your house.”“Thanks but not necessary, Sid. I’m already make arrangements for have them bring to arena.”“Ah, well. That’s good.” Sid tried to keep his disappointment at not having an excuse to see Geno out of his voice. “So, everything is good then and you’ll make a complete recovery?”“Yes, Sid. I will be fine. We could maybe try another date next Saturday, if you’re willing?” Sid felt something inside him melt at Geno’s hopeful tone.“Maybe let’s see how you feel before we make plans, eh?”“You keep Saturday open, not, like, make any plans with old warlock’s grandson.”Sid laughed, delighted that Geno even remembered his story about the senior citizens’ best efforts to hook him up with their endless supply of single grandchildren. “While it will be tough to resist, I think I can manage to keep the date open for you.”“Yes, good. You do!” Geno commanded playfully. Before he could say anything else, Sid heard the sound of voices in the background. “Sorry, Sid, have to go. Nurses here to poke and prod.”“For sure. I’m just glad to hear you’re okay. Take care of yourself.”“Thanks, Sid. Bye.”Sid found himself smiling fondly, even as the call disconnected. * * * * * * * * * * They called and texted frequently over the next few days but Sid didn’t actually see Geno again until Friday morning.“Hi, Sid.” Geno waved goofily at him when Sid glanced up at the sound of the bells above Sid’s shop door.“Geno!” Sid’s smile was instinctive but faded quickly as he took in the crutches and Geno’s pallor, the dark purple bags under his eyes and the hectic flush on his cheeks. “Wow! You look like crap. Should you be up and about?”Geno’s grin was a quick flash of amusement as he clomped over to Sid. “Nice to see you, too.” Geno’s gaze raked slowly over Sid’s trademark black long-sleeved T-shirt with the shop’s snowflake logo over his heart, crisp blue-jeans and dark sneakers, with clear appreciation. “Look good, Sid.”Heat rushed to Sid’s cheeks. “I mean, it’s good to see you, obviously, but crutches again?” Sid winced in sympathy.Geno heaved a big sigh. “Yes, it not very pretty.”  His face wrinkled in disgust. “Vyas checks daily and Colby cast countercurse every other day, but,” he waffled his hand from side to side. “Still not get much better.”“So, I’m guessing that means it hurts, huh?” Sid didn’t wait for an answer. “Why don’t you come sit down in the back?” Sid held the curtain aside as Geno slowly maneuvered behind the counter and toward the workroom.While Geno settled himself on one of the stools, Sid busied himself putting the kettle on to boil for tea and setting out two mugs. He chose a willow bark, rosehip and chamomile blend for Geno, — good for both reducing pain and easing stress — and a plain Earl Grey for himself. He added a generous dollop of honey to Geno’s mug because he looked like he’d lost weight while he’d been in the hospital.When Geno was perched on the stool, leg stuck out rather awkwardly in front of him, Sid brought the mugs over to the work table. He nearly tripped on Puck as they appeared at Geno’s feet with a pebble.“Hey, bud. I know you mean well, but I’m not sure this is the best time for that, eh?”Puck dropped the pebble, or rather crystal, at Sid’s feet then squawked loudly before waddling toward the shop.Sid picked up the flat piece of amethyst and immediately recognized it as one of his Ice Stones.“Huh,” Sid said as Puck appeared with another one, “Guess, that’s a hint, huh?”Sid looked over to see Geno smiling fondly at his familiar. “So, you gonna let me take a look at the knee? Puck seems to think I should be helping.” Geno winced but obediently pulled up the leg of his sweats. “Well, if Puck say. They smartest, prettiest penguin, so I’m let you look.” The ankle elastic caught on a bulky ace bandage as Geno tugged the faded black fabric over his knee.Sid reached out to help, but Geno caught his hand before he could touch. “Fair warn, Sid, is not pretty.”It wasn’t exactly pretty before, all red and inflamed, but Sid still sucked in a sharp breath as he unwrapped the bandage, and gauze pads saturated with black pus met his sight. The noxious smell of rotting eggs wrinkled his nose as he gently eased the pads away from the dozens of small oozing cuts covering Geno’s kneecap and surrounding area. “Fuck, G! “No, no!” He soothed immediately as Geno tried to pull his leg away. “It just took me by surprise. And it shouldn’t have, you warned me. Just let me …” Sid’s thought was interrupted by Puck reappearing with another Ice Stone. “Okay, yeah, thanks, Puck.”“Colby want knee to drain so spell small cuts to not scab.” Geno looked and sounded embarrassed. “It disgusting.”“Geno. It’s okay. It’s really not that bad. I just wasn’t expecting it, even though you warned me.” Sid tried to convey concern rather than repulsion with his soft gaze when Geno finally met his eyes. “I’m just going to get some things to clean this up and re-bandage it and I’ll put those stones to good use.”“Yes, okay.” Geno’s lips were pinched tightly and a sheen of sweat covered his forehead. He looked exhausted and in pain and Sid wished, not for the first time, that he’d gotten healing magic rather than temperature magic.Sid poured some of the boiling water he’d used to make tea into a small pitcher. He grabbed a bowl, a couple towels and the first aid kit he kept in the shop under the cash register. Kneeling beside Geno, he tore the wrapping off half a dozen of the gauze pads from the first aid kit. Sid gently lifted Geno’s foot until it was resting on Sid’s thigh, before wrapping towels around Geno’s calf. He settled the bowl below Geno’s knee. “I don’t want to touch your knee more than necessary, so I’m going to pour the water over your knee to clean away the pus, okay?”Geno nodded but stiffened when Sid picked up the pitcher of water. “Sid, hot!” Geno hissed in warning.Sid stared at him before his smile grew, and grew, until he was barely holding back a chuckle. “Thermodynamic witch, remember? I promise, it’s not going to be too hot. It’s just slightly warmer than body temp. Ready?”Geno bit his lip nervously but nodded. Sid poured the water slowly over his knee and the tension in his body seemed to drain away with the black goo dripping into the bowl and running into the towels.He watched in silence as Sid worked  for several minutes before cocking his head thoughtfully. “You always able to control temperature of water so exactly?”“Not just water, all liquids, and some solids. Air and most gasses, too. It’s more about the volume of the thing than the form,” Sid said absently as he delicately wiped away the last traces of water and pus with a gauze pad.“You need spell to do?” Geno’s curiosity was obviously piqued.“Hmm, no, I can do that just by touch.” Sid applied fresh gauze pads over the still oozing cuts, then wrapped them lightly with gauze wrap. “It’s kind of how you know you’re a thermodynamic witch.” He grinned impishly up at Geno. “Once I came into my powers, I had the best outdoor rink in the neighborhood.” Geno laughed as he imagined baby Sid grooming his ice.Sid wrapped a fresh ace bandage over the layers of gauze. Then, once the knee was covered, he started adding the flat stones into the layers of wrapping. A shiver rippled through Geno as the resulting icy numbness encased his knee. “Yeah, this is pretty intense.” Sid patted his calf lightly as he finished off the wrap. “You can’t leave this on for more than 20 minutes max and you need to make sure the stones don’t actually rest against your skin. They function just like really intense ice cubes, but without the messy melting.”Geno sighed and shivered again, even as the ache in his knee started to fade.“Here,” Sid grabbed a warm woolen shawl off a hook near the door and draped it over Geno’s shoulders. “This should help a bit.”Geno practically purred as the heated wrap settled over his shoulders, pulling it tight around him. “Oh, best! Most nice.”Sid grinned at him fondly as he cleaned up the mess and set a 20-minute timer on his phone.“So, you do magic by touch? Why you need spells? Ingredients?” Geno gestured vaguely around the shop.“Oh, the touch thing only works for a short time, while I’m touching it or until it returns to its normal state. If I want to heat or cool something that doesn’t normally retain a certain temperature, like a rock or a wrap, or if I want someone else to be able to use the item, I need to spell it so that it lasts when I’m not in direct contact. I channel a little of my magic into the spell, which amplifies it in certain ways and transfers the powers into the item.” Sid looked at Geno curiously. “Why the sudden interest?”Geno looked thoughtful. “So why you always make tea in kettle? Could boil water instantly, yes?”“Oh,” Sid looked faintly embarrassed. “I guess I just like the ritual of making tea. It’s soothing, I guess.” He shrugged slightly.Geno reached out to run his thumb lightly over Sid’s cheek. “Yes, I’m like tea ritual, too. Remind me of home.” Geno’s gaze seemed to slip off to some far-distant thought for a moment before he refocused on Sid, cradling Sid’s cheek in the hollow of his large hand.It was Sid’s turn to shiver as the calluses rasping over his skin caused goosebumps to ripple down his back.Geno’s gaze was dark and serious as he focused on Sid. “Just want to make sure I’m not … using up … all your magic.” “Oh,” Sid breathed softly, touched that Geno was worried about him. “No, you don’t need to worry about that. I’m, uh,” Sid ducked his head slightly. “Pretty powerful. And, you know, I use my magic regularly for the shop, so that keeps me in touch with the magic; kind of like exercise, the more you use it, the better shape you’re in. And spells mean I use less of my personal power, so, yeah, you don’t need to worry about that.” Sid glanced up to meet Geno’s gaze again. “But thanks for worrying about me.”“Sid.” Geno used the hand cradling Sid’s face to draw him in closer. When it came, the kiss was soft and tender and full of affection. Geno’s lips moved gently over his, his tongue dancing lightly over Sid’s, tasting him and inviting Sid to do the same. Sid felt … cherished, something he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt before.Geno’s hands on his hips maneuvered him carefully, drawing him closer, into the V of Geno’s thighs, until Sid was pressed against Geno from chest to groin. Sid lost himself to sensation as Geno gripped his hips and rocked them together, letting Sid feel his growing interest. Sid wrapped his arms around Geno, removing the last of the space between them and deepening the kiss. They kissed until they were both breathless and had to break apart for air.“G,” Sid moaned as Geno’s lips moved up his jaw to nibble on the lobe of his ear. He shivered as he was hit with another wave of goosebumps. Who knew earlobes could be so sensitive?The bells on the shop door went off seconds before the jangle of the timer Sid had set, causing them to jerk apart. The wrap slid from Geno’s shoulders, catching on his necklace, which caused Geno to gasp as the weight of the shawl pulled it tight against his throat. Geno rocked unsteadily on the stool as he tried to grab the shawl, which jostled his knee into Sid and caused him to hiss sharply at the renewed pain.“Fuck, Geno, hold still. Let me —” Sid lifted the wrap and reached for the clasp of the necklace, trying to remove it from where it had snagged in the nubbly wool of the wrap.“Excuse me? Is anyone here? I need some assistance,” a nasally voice called, followed by the crisp tap of high-heeled shoes coming toward the back of the shop.“Um, just a minute, I’ll be right out,” Sid called, hoping she wouldn't come back and find them in such an unprofessional position. Under his breath, he mumbled for Geno’s ears only, “I’m gonna unhook it and …” The chain slithered free of Geno’s throat as the wrap slid to the floor. “Fuck! Let me just —” Sid stepped back and grabbed his phone to silence the alarm just as the woman pushed aside the curtain.“I’ll be right with you,” Sid did his best to sound professional as he stepped in front of Geno to shield him from the woman’s view as much as possible. “I just need to finish up here and I’ll be out to assist you.” Sid gestured toward the door.The woman raised one imperious eyebrow. “I’ll only be a moment,” he said more firmly, “if you wouldn’t mind waiting in the shop,” he finished as the woman didn’t seem to be taking his hint.She sniffed disdainfully, but let the curtain close behind her. The sharp taps of her heels told them she hadn’t gone far, no farther away than the counter at most.Sid ran a hand through his hair, feeling ruffled and a bit discombobulated. “Let me take the stones out, and if you want, you can call a car and escape through the back, just have the driver pull around the rear.” Sid spoke so softly Geno had to bend closer to hear him. “I have a feeling she might be a bit difficult.” Sid rolled his eyes. He quickly unwrapped Geno’s knee, removing the stones, and then efficiently re-wrapping the knee and pulling down the leg of Geno’s sweats.“Yes, okay. Thanks, Sid.” Geno grabbed Sid’s hips, using them for balance as he pulled himself up. It put them very close and for a long moment they just stared at each other.The sound of a throat being cleared ostentatiously, caused them to grin before stepping apart.“Later, Sid.”“Later.” Sid exchanged one last conspiratorial look with Geno as he slipped out of the workroom.Sid spent the rest of the day hopping from one demanding customer to the next. The time flew by and, by the time the store closed, he was exhausted. He was delighted to find a text from Geno. “You have magic touch, Sid. Make me feel so good.”Sid snorted and flushed at the images Geno’s probably unintentional pun conjured. He finally settled on a slightly flirty text of his own, “Glad you’re feeling better. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.” He didn’t receive a response but wasn’t really surprised. More than likely Geno was sound asleep, hopefully healing.He woke the next morning to a string of eyeless smileys that put a smile on his face as he went about his morning.The morning news showed a winter storm headed their way, and Sid rightly guessed that meant another crazy day at the shop. He was thankful it was Lakeisha’s day to help out in the store; there was no way he could have handled it on his own. He didn’t get lunch and it was almost 4 p.m. by the time he even got a break.He checked his phone but didn’t find any new messages. He sighed and went back to the workroom to spend the evening spelling more Ice Melt sand.The snowstorm that hit that night was more blessing than curse as far as Sid was concerned. He opened the shop as usual that morning, but he expected a quiet day as people hunkered down to wait out the storm. It gave him a chance to restock the shelves and tidy up the store. He texted Geno a quick, “Good morning. How are you doing today?” but wasn’t surprised when he didn’t get an answer. He knew Geno spent most mornings with doctors or therapists.Sid spent the morning sorting inventory and putting away some of the deliveries that had arrived the day before. There was lots of work to do, but that didn’t prevent him from checking his phone regularly to see if he’d missed a text from Geno.It was early afternoon before he finally got a message. “Miracle! Knee all better. Doctors so surprised. Happy, but don’t know why? Need more tests.” Sid laughed at the extensive string of eyeroll emojis that followed.“That’s excellent! I’m so glad you’re feeling better. They letting you back on the ice soon?”“Not yet. Want to make sure it not come back.” Sid could almost hear the frustration behind that text.“Sorry. That sucks.” Sid replied, not sure what else to say. He waited for long minutes, hoping he’d hear something more, but finally concluded Geno might be stuck doing more of those tests he’d been complaining about.The rest of the week passed in a similar manner. Sid texted good morning, got a few short and simple texts from Geno in response and then, nothing. It hurt, honestly. If Geno was really feeling better, why didn’t he call or text? He’d mentioned wanting to go on another date when he was recovered. Had he changed his mind? Maybe their last date had been too traumatizing to want a repeat? Their last kiss had been pretty amazing, though, and it hadn’t felt like Sid had scared him off. But maybe now that he was better he didn’t need Sid anymore?Sid threw himself into work to keep from dwelling, spending long hours making potions or doing more complicated spellwork that forced him to concentrate. He went to bed late every night and woke tired and groggy the next morning.When Bridgit mentioned she hadn’t seen Geno around lately, Sid pasted on a smile that felt decidedly fake and told her that he was doing much better. She looked him over wordlessly, taking in the bags beneath his eyes and general air of exhaustion, muttered, “Oh, honey,” and drew him into a tight hug. Sid let himself settle into the comfort of her embrace for a good long moment. At least until sparks started popping around them. “If you need me to —” Bridgit started.“No! Nothing like that,” Sid rushed to assure her. “We still text a bit. He’s friendly.” He shrugged, not sure how or if he wanted to convey his fading hope for something more.“If you change your mind,” Bridgit offered fiercely, making Sid smile at her ridiculousness.“Thanks, Bridgit. You’re the best.” * * * * * * * * * * The next morning Sid was sweeping and tidying, preparing to open the shop like usual when he heard a knock on the door. He looked up and saw a couple peering through the glass. He frowned but set aside the broom. They could clearly see the closed sign on the door. Maybe there was some kind of emergency? When he got close enough, the guy, an older white man of average height and build, going slightly gray with a receding hairline, offered his badge for Sid’s inspection. The woman, a petite African-American woman with long braids knotted in a complicated pattern, drew aside her coat so Sid could see a similar badge clipped to her belt. The shape was odd, more of a star than the shield he’d seen depicted in television shows. The design tickled his memory, but not enough to be able to place it. Had there been some kind of trouble in the neighborhood? Sid opened the locks and gestured the officers out of the cold that had hit Pittsburgh with a vengeance in the wake of last week’s storm. “Can I help you?”“Detectives Mason and Brown.” He used his thumb to gesture first at himself and then the woman. “Are you Sidney Crosby?” the female officer asked. “Uh, yes, I’m Sid. What can I do for you?” “We need to ask you a few questions.”Sid looked down when he felt a sudden press of something against his calf. It was an uncharacteristically quiet Puck, pressing themselves tightly against Sid. Sid looked up quickly, hoping the detectives wouldn’t notice Puck just appearing beside him, but both officers were already staring at the penguin.“Ah, forgive me, Wizard Crosby? Or is it Warlock Crosby?” Brown asked.“It’s Witch Crosby, if you must be formal, but I much prefer Sid.” Sid glanced between the two detectives as the man continued to stare at Puck and the woman’s smile became slightly pinched. “So what brings you to my store this morning, detectives?”Sid frowned, trying to remember seeing anything strange or out of the ordinary recently.“So, Mr. Crosby, er, Witch Crosby, what kind of magic do you practice, exactly?” Detective Brown asked as her partner appeared to be looking around the shop for clues.“I’m a thermodynamic witch. Is this about the shop’s permits? I assure you I’m licensed for magical sales.” Sid’s puzzlement grew. The city’s inspectors had just come through a couple months back and renewed his certification.“Thermodynamics, huh? That very useful for healing?” This time it was Mason who asked, his suddenly keen gaze locked on Sid.“Healing? I’m not a healer.”“Oh really? That’s not what we’ve heard. We heard you were pretty handy with healing up joints and suchlike.”Sid felt like he was missing something here but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what. “I mean, I make some cures for arthritis that help ease inflammation. I understand that makes some people feel much better, but it’s not actual ‘healing’. Can you please tell me what this is all about?”Both officers focused on Sid again. “We’re investigating a complaint of magical malfeasance.”“Magical malfeasance?” Sid repeated numbly as his brain finally connected the dots between the pentagram shields and the Magical Enforcement Division of the Pittsburgh P.D. Had someone’s Ice Sand malfunctioned and they slipped and fell? Or no, they asked about healing, maybe something happened with one of his senior shopper’s arthritis cream?“Did one of my products not work? I mean, I use all-natural products and spell ingredients whenever possible, but I suppose someone could have had an allergic reaction or something? Did someone file a complaint or something?” Sid wracked his brain to see if he could think of anyone who might have been dissatisfied recently.“Funny you mentioned a reaction,” Brown said thoughtfully. “What do you know about curses? Specifically, curses to cause boils?”Sid flinched as he recognized what this must be about. His lips and tongue felt thick and clumsy, but he forced himself to answer. “I didn’t … I mean, this is about Geno, right? I didn’t have anything to do with causing the boils. I was trying to make him feel better.” “Yeah, yeah, that’s what we understand. You fixed him right up. Fixed him so good it was almost a miracle, at least that’s what I heard.”  Brown exchanged a skeptical look with her partner.“So, Geno’s all right? The boils didn’t come back or anything?” Sid’s brain felt like it was trapped in quicksand. Had Geno accused him of some kind of malfeasance? Surely, he wouldn’t have done that. They were friends, weren’t they? But if not Geno, who? Dr. Vyas? Sid’s thoughts raced around like NASCAR drivers on a track.  Neither of them answered his question. “When’s the last time you saw Mr. Malkin?” Detective Brown asked.Sid had to think back, mentally counting the days. “Last Friday, I think.” “Have you spoken to him since then?”“We exchanged a few texts but I haven’t actually talked to him.”“So what has he said about his knee?” Mason tried to project idle curiosity but Sid wasn’t buying it.“Not a whole lot. Last I heard, it was doing much better and the doctors were running tests to try to see why it had … cleared … up … so …suddenly.” Sid said slowly as the pieces started to click together. “You think I had something to do with that?”Mason shrugged. “You tell us. He’s injured and not healing and all the best doctors and healers in the city can’t figure out why. He comes to visit you, you introduce him to your friend the ‘healer’ and all of a sudden, you break the curse and save the day. Pretty miraculous, right?”“That’s not exactly the way it happened. And I don’t like your insinuations!” Sid snapped despite himself.“Take us through it. What did happen?” Brown scrounged a notebook and an actual quill pen out of her pocket. The quill hung poised in the air above the pad she held, magically ready to copy Sid’s words.Puck pecked him sharply on the calf, a clear warning to be careful.So Sid slowly and carefully described meeting Jeff and then Geno, working with him to reduce the pain and swelling in his knee, introducing him to Colby, the discovery of the curse and the breaking of the spell.“And where did this so-called curse breaking take place?” Mason asked.“Um, in Dr. Vyas’ office at PPG Paints Arena.” Sid tried not to glare; he was sure they already knew this.“So you and Master Healer Armstrong were alone with Mr. Malkin when the hex was broken?” Detective Brown’s sneer at the mention of Colby’s title annoyed him.“You’re welcome to check Colby’s credentials with the state’s Medical Board of Health and Healing, if you don’t believe me.”“Oh, we will,” Mason assured him. “Now about this curse-breaking …”It took Sid a moment to remember the original question. “No, we weren’t alone. Dr. Vyas was present for the whole procedure. And the team’s cursebreaker, Wizard … Kelly? was present as well. In fact, he left just moments before I did. I wasn’t actually in the room when the curse was broken.”Sid saw them exchange loaded glances at that.“All right, so you left the room and Master Healer Armstrong and Dr. Vyas were the only ones in the room when the curse was broken?”“Well, Geno was there, too. But, otherwise, yeah, I waited in the hall. They wanted to drain the magical pus — goo — infection from his knee, so there’d be less for the countercurse to heal. I’m not an actual medical practitioner,” he stressed, “so I stepped out of the room.”“Did anyone actually see you out there?”Sid tried to remember. “I don’t know. There were several people coming in and out of the treatment rooms with trainers and stuff. I didn’t recognize them all. It was game day so mostly I tried to stay out of the way.”“Okay, what next?” Brown prompted.“Geno came over on Saturday. He was doing much better. Limping a little bit, but no crutches. We went out to get something to eat,” Sid tried to gloss over the fact that it was a date, not wanting to clue in the PPD to the fact that Geno was bi if he didn’t absolutely have to. “We got to the restaurant, had dinner and Geno started feeling ill. As we were getting up to leave, he collapsed and the restaurant staff called an ambulance.”“I’m going to need the name of the restaurant and the names of any staff who might verify your story,” Brown pressed for details.Sid winced mentally. “Altius. And I’m sure the manager and maitre’d will remember enough to be able to confirm it.” Sid didn’t miss the raised eyebrow or the quickly exchanged glances the cops shared.“Go on. So, his knee collapsed and they called an ambulance …” Mason prompted.“Um, no. It wasn’t his knee.” Mason looked highly skeptical, which had Sid fighting down a growl. “At least, we didn’t know it was his knee right away. I actually thought it might be food poisoning or an allergic reaction initially.”“Food poisoning at Altius?” Disbelief was blatantly apparent in Detective Mason’s tone.Sid rubbed the back of neck and bit down on the first three things he wanted to say. “He had the caviar and I didn’t. I took a tiny bite but the flavor’s kind of strong.” Sid shrugged. “It could have been totally off and I would have never known since I’d never tried it before.”“Well, presumably Mr. Malkin, being Russian , would have known if there was a problem with the caviar.”Sid crossed his arms and glared back at Mason.“What happened next, Witch Crosby?” Sid turned his glare toward Brown at her placating tone.“I called a rideshare to get home and called Colby to see if he could check on Geno to make sure he was okay.”“Who told you it was the curse coming back that made Mr. Malkin collapse?”“Colby couldn’t share privileged medical info so all he said was that Geno was in the hospital but doing okay. I’m pretty sure it was Geno who told me when he called a couple days later.”“So what happened then.” Sid talked them through what he could remember of the next few days, concluding with Geno’s visit to the shop and his very visible relapse by that point.“So he came to visit you here in the shop?” Brown clarified.“Actually he was mostly in the workroom. He didn’t look good so I wanted him to get off the leg and rest his knee.” Sid corrected.“Mind if we take a look?” Brown asked.Sid hesitated, he wasn’t sure he wanted magical strangers poking around in his work room.“We could always get a warrant,” Mason informed him blandly.“Fine,” Sid sighed, “you can look, but don’t touch anything. I’ll bill the department if you contaminate any of my spell ingredients.”“Fair enough.” Brown gestured for him to lead the way, which Sid did rather grudgingly.“So you were both back here what? Talking about his knee?” Mason’s tone was really starting to rub Sid the wrong way. Everything that came out of his mouth sounded snide or like innuendo.“I was actually treating his knee with Ice Stones to help with the swelling and inflammation.” Sid grabbed a couple stones out of a bin and handed them to Detective Brown. “They act like ice without the messy melting.” She held them in her palms for a couple minutes, probably examining the magic, before nodding to her partner and handing the rocks back to Sid.“Then what happened?”Sid closed his eyes for a moment picturing the scene. “Uh, I washed off the knee, applied fresh gauze to the leaking wounds, added the stones to the wrap around his knee. Geno was a bit chilled — the stones can be a bit intense — so I grabbed him a wrap.  We were chatting and drinking tea and just … hanging out.”“Mmm-hmm, hanging out, huh?” Mason said with an eye roll.“Yes, just hanging out. We were talking about the differences between innate magic and spells.” Sid gazed back, face blank, giving nothing away. “We were interrupted by a rather rude customer just as the timer for the treatment went off.” Sid pictured the scene in his mind. “Geno startled and almost fell off the stool and his necklace got tangled on the wrap …” Sid’s voice trailed off as his gaze moved to the wrap hanging by the back door. He didn’t remember picking it up and putting it away. Maybe one of the girls had hung it up? Surely Geno had remembered to take the necklace with him when he left, but maybe … Sid headed for the wrap to check.“Hey! Where are you going? We’re not done here,” Mason snapped, even as Brown moved to follow Sid.“His necklace got stuck on the wrap. A necklace he wears all the time . The perfect tool to hold a self-renewing spell to make the boils keep coming back.” Sid grabbed the shawl off its peg.With a yelp he dropped it. “Ow! Fuck, that’s foul!” Sid shook his hand like he’d touched something slimy he wanted to shake off.“What? What’s going on?” Mason asked, hand going to the butt of his gun. Brown grabbed a wand off her belt and pointed it at the wrap at Sid’s feet.“What is it?” she demanded.“The wrap is contaminated, something foul and just evil. I know it didn’t feel like that when I gave it to Geno. You’re welcome to check, but I’d bet anything the necklace or probably the pendant is what holds the modified boil spell and that it’s still stuck on the wrap somewhere.”The cops exchanged a look. “I’m going to need —”“I’ll go get your kit,” Mason said at the same time and spun on his heel toward the entrance of the stop.“Do you need me to cast a countercurse?” Detective Brown kept her distance but her gaze was fixed on Sid’s hand.Sid looked down. His hand was already looking a little red and swollen.“Fuck! Yeah, probably, but I’m going to need to call Colby or Dr. Vyas. I know it’s not a standard curse, so I’m not sure exactly what needs to be done to break it.”“Go ahead and call. The last thing we want is for someone else to get injured.”Sid grabbed his cell phone and happily stepped aside to let the detectives deal with the wrap and necklace.Colby’s phone rang and rang before going to voicemail. Sid tried again, and again, knowing Colby was busy but hoping he’d pick up. Finally, he left a voicemail telling him he urgently needed the countercurse for Geno’s boils and hung up. His hand was really starting to throb and swell now.Sid racked his brain for who else might be able to help Dr. Vyas was a long shot because he wasn’t a magical practitioner, but maybe he and Colby had talked enough about it that he could explain to someone else? And of course, Sid didn’t have a phone number for Vyas, but maybe — probably — Geno would?Sid was a little reluctant to call, considering the state of their relationship and the fact that he was under police investigation, but he was in enough pain now that he was willing to give it a try. How the hell had Geno handled this for months? Sid’s fingers were so swollen he could barely hang on to the phone long enough to call up Geno’s number. “Please, please, please,” he muttered under his breath as the phone rang. And rang. “C’mon Geno, pick up!”A breathless sounding voice answered, “Sid? That you?”“Yeah, sorry to bother you, Geno, but I really need to talk to Dr. Vyas and I don’t have a number for him.”“Dr. Vyas? Why you need him, Sid? Knee is all better now.” Geno’s confusion came through loud and clear.“Yeah, well the cops are here and we found the cause of your curse and I kinda got zapped with it and I really need to talk to Colby to get the countercurse but he’s not answering so I was hoping maybe he told Dr. Vyas what needs to be done to break it? And I’m kind of grasping at straws here but I don’t know who else to ask.” Sid was kind of rambling but his stomach was knotted and he was starting to feel a little hot and feverish.“Zapped? You hurt? What happen? And why are there cops there? I’m go find Dr. Vyas right now and we be there soon.” Sid could hear the sound of Geno moving rapidly down a hall, people’s voices calling, but he was suddenly feeling weak enough he needed to sit down. He bumped his hand against the worktable and wasn’t able to hold back a pained whimper.“Sid! Fuck, Sid! You hurt. What happen? What zap?”Before Sid could find the words, he heard a pounding and Geno yelling for Dr. Vyas. More voices. Geno saying, “You come! Sid hurt.” Squawking as it sounded like the good doctor was being towed down the hall. “Here you talk to Sid. He got zap.”“Sid? This is Dr. Vyas. Can you please tell me what’s going on? Geno is very upset.” “Sorry about that, Doc. I was actually trying to reach Colby because I need the countercurse to that modified boils spell. I’m pretty sure I found the cursed object.”“Sidney, did you touch it?” Now Dr. Vyas' voice sounded urgent.“Sadly, yes. Which is why I need Colby.”“All right, just sit tight, we’re on our way. Geno, so help me, is driving, so we’ll be there shortly. I’m going to see if I can page Colby and get him to meet us. Are you at your shop?”Sweat was starting to gather at Sid’s hairline when he finally put the phone down, a sure sign he was sporting a fever. He watched as the detectives, gloved and gowned in magical repellent gear, used null tongs to pick up the wrap. They shook it out over a containment box and no one was surprised when Geno’s St. Christopher medallion fell out. They bagged the wrap in a magic-proof evidence bag and were just getting ready to seal up the box when Geno and Dr. Vyas came rushing through the door.“Sid!”“Sidney?” “Hold on! Stay where you are!” “This is a magically contaminated crime scene and I’m going to have to ask you to step back.”Geno, Dr. Vyas and the detectives spoke practically on top of each other.“Crime scene? Sid you okay?” Geno ignored them pushing his way around the detectives to get to Sid.“Geno! Do NOT touch him!” Dr. Vyas’ voice cracked like a whip, halting Geno in his tracks inches away from Sid. “If Sidney has been exposed to the curse, you absolutely cannot touch him without risking re-infection. Please step back.”“Sid!” Geno’s voice was anguished. “You get curse?”Sid tried to smile ruefully but suspected it looked more like a grimace. “Yeah, Geno. I found the source of the curse. Remember I said spells needed an object to last any distance from the caster? It was your necklace, Geno. The curse was on your medallion.”Dr. Vyas moved cautiously around the detectives to get closer to Sid, as well. He set his bag  down on the chair and pulled on his own set of magic-resistant gloves. “I’ve had Master Healer Armstrong paged and hopefully he will call me shortly, but I’d rather not wait if we don’t have to. I suspect the curse has been gaining virulence since it’s been unable to regularly discharge its … payload, if you will.” He turned to the detectives, “I don’t suppose either of you is a healer?”“Not a healer,” Detective Brown said, “but I do have the ability to cast a countercurse, if it’s not too complex.”“Maybe we should …”“Sid.”Sid tuned out the discussion entirely as he heard Geno call his name. Geno was staring at him with soft, worried eyes. “Hey, G. You look loads better than the last time I saw you.” Sid grinned weakly.“You, not so much,” Geno reached out instinctively, but Sid flinched back. No way was he re-infecting Geno!Geno dropped his hand but his eyes continued to scour Sid for signs of worsening illness. He sucked in a sharp breath when he finally noticed Sid’s swollen and misshapen hand. Sid tried to tuck it behind his back but hissed when he bumped the back of the chair into which he’d settled.“All I have to say is, you must be one tough bastard to live with this for months, Geno. This is miserable.” Sid swayed a little on his chair, suddenly feeling woozy and a little light-headed.“Sid!” Geno’s shout put an abrupt stop to the discussion and brought the others running — just in time to catch Sid as he passed out and tipped from the chair. * * * * * * * * * * When Sid woke up he was in the hospital. The curtains were drawn and the lights were dimmed, which made Sid suspect it might be night or very early morning. His damaged hand was swaddled in what seemed like miles of gauze wrap, preventing Sid from seeing how much actual damage there was. Nestled into his hip was Puck’s small, warm body. They opened one eye when Sid scratched the fingers of his good hand through the dense feathers of their chest.“Hey, bud,” Sid whispered as he sent thoughts of affection, comfort and gratitude down their bond. Puck just closed their eye and snuggled closer.Despite the IV line he could see running out of his good hand, Sid was parched. He turned slightly, looking for a water pitcher, but his gaze caught instead on the sight of the rumpled man sleeping in the chair.“Geno.” Sid’s voice was barely a scratch of sound. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Geno.” This time his croak was loud enough that Geno actually stirred, sleepy eyes blinking open blurrily.“You awake!” A huge smile split his face. He shrugged off the blanket he’d been covered with and immediately reached for Sid. Sid started to reach back then flinched away. A look of hurt and confusion flickered across Geno’s face.“Am I still contagious? I don’t want you getting sick again,” Sid hunched back, trying to make himself smaller in the bed.Understanding and relief lit Geno’s face and voice. “Oh! No, you all better now. Colby removed curse. Doctors just wanted to keep you in hospital until nodes all flushed out.” Geno reached out again and this time Sid melted into his touch. One callused palm cradled his cheek; the other landed on his shoulder, squeezing lightly before sliding slowly down his arm until he could gently gather Sid’s good hand in his own, careful of the IV. Sid felt his insides melt as Geno ran his thumb delicately over his cheekbone. He closed his eyes momentarily to better savor the touch, but he finally had to ask, “And you’re really all healed, too, right?” Sid could see for himself how much improved Geno was, but he needed the reassurance.“Clean bill of health. I’m skating again. Still not with team, but should be back just after new year.” The joy in that declaration came through loud and clear and Sid’s grin almost matched Geno’s.“Excellent! That’s just wonderful.” His voice cracked slightly on the last word as he remembered the week of radio silence just before the curse drama.Geno reached for the small plastic pitcher and poured Sid a glass of water, reluctantly releasing Sid’s hand so he could drink. Sipping slowly, Sid used the time to gather his thoughts. “So, what finally happened with the cops?”Geno heaved a weighty sigh, looking suddenly sad and tired. “Medal cursed, just like you say. Traced back to hospital in Philly. Have to take off for surgery, you know? Surgery nurse there have gambling problem. Her bookie a huge Flyers fan, promise to forgive her debts if she do curse. She confessed everything when police ask.”“God, Geno, that’s just messed up.” Sid’s stomach churned at the thought of all the pain and suffering her stupid curse had caused.“Curse not supposed to work on anyone but me, but you have small cut here,” Geno ran a finger over the fleshy part of Sid’s thumb.“Yeah, cut myself with a box cutter when I was opening inventory,” Sid admitted.“And curse ‘leaked in’ through cut. It was extra strong because it hadn’t been cursing me for a week, so you get very sick, very fast.” Geno’s gaze dropped and he started twisting a fold of bedding between his fingers. “Understand if you mad at me.”“No! I’m not mad. None of this was your fault.” Sid grabbed Geno’s hand and squeezed until Geno looked at him again. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” Sid put all his conviction into the words, hoping Geno would believe them. “I’m not mad at all. You’ve really gone above and beyond sitting here all night with me. I know you’re busy and probably still recovering, and sleeping in a chair can’t be good for a professional athlete. And I’m sure you have much better things to be doing, now that you’ve healed.”Geno looked confused and then a little bit hurt as he registered Sid’s words. “Where you think I’m go, when man I care about is in hospital?”Sid felt his stomach swoop a little at those words but they didn’t really make sense in terms of the last week, when Geno had practically disappeared. “I mean, you’re all better now, you don’t really need me anymore,” Sid tried to shrug nonchalantly. “And you’ve been awfully busy the last week or so. I mean, it’s natural that you don’t have time for me anymore now that —”Geno pressed his fingers lightly to Sid’s lips to stop his rambling. “I did not use you just for knee. Know I not around much last week but doctors, healers, witches; Wizard Kelly insist so many people examine knee, make sure ‘so-called’ curse really gone. Then I have trainers and workouts and skating, and it has been nine months. I’m so tired when not at arena, fall asleep as soon as I come home. Sorry, I not call.” Geno accompanied his explanation with the most hang-dog expression Sid had ever seen and it was impossible not to believe him.Sid kissed the fingers that had lingered on his lips and Geno drew them away. “Forgiven. I do understand being exhausted. I just … missed you.” Sid hoped the dim lighting of the hospital room hid his blush. “And maybe I worried that you were done with me.”“No! Not done,” Geno insisted. He grinned, dimples coming out in full force. “Still owe you date.” Before Sid could think of a suitable response that wasn’t just “Yes, please!” the door opened and a nurse popped in. “Oh, good, you’re awake. I just need to check your vitals and change your fluids. The phlebotomist will be in shortly, as well, for one more blood draw. Doctor wants to release you in the morning, so he wants to be sure there’s nothing lingering in your system.” Geno retreated to the corner as the nurse bustled around Sid, asking him questions and taking her readings. Things happened rapidly after that. The lab tech showed up for the promised blood draw. The doctor making morning rounds appeared and examined Sid. She removed the bulk of the gauze, and Sid was glad to see very minimal swelling and no black goo oozing out. He’d secretly been a little worried about that. The doctor applied a much more manageable wrap that Sid was told to keep on and dry for the next two days, just in case there was any residual leakage from the inflamed cut on the base of his palm.She gave Sid a clean bill of health and promised that discharge papers would be processed shortly. Geno ran to the cafeteria to get them both coffee and a pastry while they waited for the paperwork to get done. And finally, the nurse came to disconnect Sid from all the monitors and IVs. Sid tried to insist that he was perfectly capable of walking but the nurse insisted on bundling him into a wheelchair and taking him downstairs while Geno brought his car around.When they were finally alone in the car, all Sid could think was that he needed a nap already. But he should probably go back to the shop and see if anyone had been by to open it up and …“Sid, okay if I take you home with me? Not want you all alone in your apartment. Besides, think it is my turn to prove I can take care of you little bit, you know?”Sid longed for that with his whole being, but … “I should probably go home. I need to check on the shop, see if anyone even opened today, make sure everything is okay. I don’t even know if someone locked up when they left.”“Worry I overstep, but used your phone to call Bridgit, she promise to take care of everything until you get back. She say not to worry and to call her when you feel better. This okay?” Geno looked worried, but Sid’s heart melted at the thoughtfulness.“Yeah, it’s definitely okay. Thank you. I really appreciate it. But I should still probably check in, and —”“Please Sid, just want to take you home with me, so I can watch over you. You could call and talk to her while I drive us home.”Sid waffled, he really wanted to go home with Geno and just … let someone else be in charge for a while. But it felt like he was slacking off on his responsibilities.“Please, Sid? Want to spend a little time with you and make sure you are okay. Was afraid I’d lost you before I ever really got to have you.” Geno mumbled the last, ducking his head to hide his face from Sid.And how could Sid resist that? “Okay, let’s go to your house. I’ll call Bridgit and let her know I’ll be in tomorrow.” Geno looked momentarily mutinous, but he just steered the car toward the exit they needed to get to his house. Sid figured they might be discussing this again later, but he was content for now.When Sid finished talking to Bridgit, who assured him everything was under control and he wasn’t needed or wanted until he was completely healed, Geno called in a food order they could pick up on the way home. Sid suspected the Belgian waffles and omelets and bacon weren’t exactly on Geno’s meal plan, but it was hard to beat as comfort food.They settled on the big sofa in Geno’s den to eat, both of them more intent on eating than talking. When they were both stuffed, Sid couldn’t fight back a yawn. Hospitals were anything but restful.Geno apparently saw the yawn because he said, “Yes, best idea, Sid. We nap.” Holding out his hand to pull Sid off the couch, Geno laced their fingers together and led the way upstairs. He paused once at the top, looking uncertain. “Have guest bed, but would rather you sleep in mine, if you want?”“I want that, too.” Geno’s smile was blinding and Sid couldn’t help smiling back.It probably should have felt awkward, crawling into bed with a man he’d barely even kissed, but it was surprisingly comfortable. He and Geno took turns in the bathroom. When Sid came out, Geno had folded the covers back invitingly on Sid’s side of the bed. Sid eyed the basketball shorts and worn-soft Pens T-shirt Geno had laid out for him, before changing into the shirt and stripping down to his underwear.Geno pretended not to be watching but Sid could tell he was keeping a surreptitious eye on things. “No way your shorts fit me G, I’m pretty sure I’ve got more of a hockey ass than you do.”Geno laughed, delighted, and pulled Sid close enough to kiss when he slid under the covers. “You do have great ass, Sid. I’m admire it very much.” He playfully groped Sid’s hip.Sid fought it but couldn’t stop another yawn from escaping. “Sorry, you’re just going to have to admire it more at a later date, I need sleep now.”“Promises, promises! I hold you to that.” Geno said with a fake leer as he tucked Sid into his side, lightly cupping Sid’s ass to pull him closer.“Sleep well, G.” “Sweet dreams, Sid.”Sid suspected it might take a while to fall asleep in a strange bed and in a man’s arms — it had been a long time since he’d last done that — but exhaustion sucked him under before he could start to fret about it. * * * * * * * * * * He woke to Geno pressed warmly against his side, long arm draped over his waist, his gentle snores rumbling in Sid’s ear from their shared pillow. Sid turned his head so he could see the mobile features that were rapidly becoming so dear to him. He hadn’t thought he’d moved enough to wake Geno but a sudden change in breathing indicated Geno was waking, as well.Sid watched as Geno slowly blinked open lazy-lidded eyes. His eyes crinkled as a small smile spread across his face. “Hi, Sid.”“Hi, G.” Sid felt something warm and melty fill his insides at the tenderness in that look. “Feel better?”Sid stretched slowly, taking a quick body inventory. "Yeah, I feel good."“Think I have to check for myself how fine you feel,” Geno teased with a playful squeeze of Sid’s hip.A sudden squawk interrupted whatever Geno had planned and caused them both to look around the room.It didn’t take them long to spot Puck coming out of the walk-in closet. They waddled over to Geno’s night stand, grabbed … something, and waddled back toward the closet. Sid wasn’t exactly sure what was going on but his familiar wasn’t normally prone to theft, which made the behavior rather puzzling.“I’m sorry, I don’t know what they’re up to, they don’t normally take things that don’t belong to them.” Sid apologized.The familiar turned to glare at Sid, flapping and squawking loudly. With what could only be described as a flounce, they wiggled their tail at Sid and waddled back into the closet. Sid and Geno exchanged glances as they heard rustling and an almost grumbling purr followed by a chirruping call.“Maybe we should …”“Yes.” Geno hopped out of bed with Sid hot on his heels. By silent agreement, they moved quietly to the closet and peeked inside. A large collection of pebbles was nestled amid a heap of old T-shirts piled on the floor. Sid’s breath hitched when he realized the penguin was rolling and pushing a plain gray pebble into what could only be a nest. “Sid, what they doing?” Geno whispered, probably hoping not to irritate Puck.“Um, I’m pretty sure they are building a nest.” Sid whispered back.“This normal familiar behavior? Have to have nest to sleep in when you here?” Geno asked, sounding intrigued.Sid felt his cheeks heat. “No. That’s not, exactly, what nests are for. I wonder where they got the pebbles?” Puck squawked and flapped their wings until Sid and Geno moved far enough out of the doorway. They waddled over to the nightstand and, straining up on their toes, plucked another gray pebble off Geno’s bedside table. Holding it carefully in their beak, they waddled back to the closet and proceeded to place it very carefully in the nest, purring and chirruping as they worked.“You always keep rocks on your nightstand?” Sid looked at Geno curiously. Geno cocked his head consideringly. “Sid, those are pebbles Puck been giving me every time I visit you. The ones you say are warming rocks.”Sid walked over to the nightstand and picked up one of a handful of pebbles left. It was round and smooth, feeling strangely pleasant in his hand, but it wasn’t warm at all. “That’s odd, the spell must have faded. These aren’t warm any more.”Geno frowned and picked one up himself. “What you talking about? Still warm.” He handed Sid the stone.“Oh,” Sid exclaimed breathily, as understanding dawned. “Oh, that’s, I didn’t expect —”“What, Sid? What you expect?” Geno demanded impatiently, as Puck waddled out and batted at Sid’s calf until Sid handed them the pebble.Sid turned to look directly at Geno. “It’s a heart stone. Puck is building a … mating nest. Supposedly only your … soulmate will feel the heat of the stone.” Sid’s voice was shaky as he finished his explanation.“Sid.” Geno’s voice held awe and excitement. A slow smile lit his face as he reached out to Sid, pulling him slowly into a loose embrace. “You are my soulmate?”“Well, my magic thinks so.” The harsh squawk from the closet was definitely scolding. “And Puck apparently agrees.” Sid was torn between wanting to move deeper into Geno’s arms and wanting to stay back so he could better judge Geno’s reaction to his next words. “And I know things between us are fairly new, but I'm pretty sure I do, too. Is ... is that okay?" Geno’s features softened with tenderness and affection. His smile was bright with joy.  "More than okay. Best, Sid!" They were both too involved in the kiss to notice lacy patterns of frost blossoming across every piece of glass in the room.