“Hey Greenie. Way to blow us off last night. The bar was hopping. You should have seen the girl that Carly landed. Totally hot as fuck.” Mike looks up from his skates, working on his tape job, and Beagle gives him a wide grin.

He’s the first one in the dressing room so when Beagle, Carly and Nicky show up as one, he can throw some extra tape Beagle’s way and duck his head so they can’t see his frown. The day before, after hanging out at Ovie’s, Mike had called Dell and his head was still spinning from the whole conversation.

She’s going through a bad spot, he reasons as he finishes up putting on his upper body gear. Her roommate, what a dick. And the whole Xbox thing. Mike is shaking his head at all of it when Nicky appears at his elbow.

“I think Ruth might be stalking me.”

Mike blinks over at his friend, all movement stilling. “Ruth? Dell’s sister, Ruth?”

Nicky nods solemnly and hands over his phone with a variety of texts from the older sister. They’re standard flirting fare and Mike isn’t sure what the problem is. When he voices this to Nicky, the Swede huffs and pulls up a text from yesterday. “It was good. Good, overseas because she didn’t send much and it was usually cute. She is very cute.” He smiles fondly off into the distance before shaking his head and glaring back down at his phone.

“When I came home from Ovie’s last night, I sent her a message to tell her I was back. In town. She send this back.” He hands over the phone again and Mike breaks out into laughter.

Ruth: I need you in me. Yesterday. What are you doing right now?

As weird and awkward as it is to read sexts from his girlfriend’s (he’s sticking with the term, no matter what) big sister to his best friend that’s a pretty corny line. “I think she’s trying for a booty call. What did you say back?”

Nicky turns bright red. “I told her I was cleaning. Alone, at home.” There is so much more to this story and Mike is finding himself incredibly interested in what’s coming next. “She showed up at my door, Mikey. I send text, telling her I’m cleaning, and then she is knocking at the door. As though she knew I would be there.”

Mike can’t help the undignified snort of laughter that escapes and Nicky frowns at him deeply. “Everyone in DC knew you were coming back. It was in the papers.” That makes Nicky frown a bit less but he’s still disturbed. Mike takes a good look at him and notices that his friend is beet red. Not beet red enough to disguise the hickey, though, on his neck. Mike is ashamed he hadn’t noticed it sooner. He pokes at it with a finger and Nicky bats his hand away.

“Looks like you didn’t kick her out.”

Nicky’s face slides into a guilty smile and Mike laughs even harder. “She’s still at your place isn’t she?” Nicky nods and Mike howls.

They’ve attracted the attention of everyone in the room by now and Mike has to wave his hand, gesturing at Nicky to fill the rest of the guys in because this is too much for him to handle. The rest of the guys are similarly amused by the time Nicky finishes his stammering explanation. Mike’s had a chance to collect himself and one thought gets stuck in his head.

“So, Ruth is in DC. Dell doesn’t know, does she?” Because that phone call last night would have been that much crazier if Ruth was involved somehow.

“No. Ruth said she would, just not now. She wanted alone time-“ And Nicky is blushing again. Mike hooks an arm around his neck and ruffles his hair.

“Do we need to have an intervention and get rid of her?” From the look of distress that passes on Nicky’s features Mike is going to guess no. No they don’t need to get rid of her. He’s saved from any more strange details when Ovie rolls in, looking fantastically not-hung over (how does he even manage?) and announces that it’s time to go to work.

And it is. They’ve got three more days of player-run practices and then Sunday, camp stars. Mike shivers unconsciously because finally. After months, fucking finally.

Ovie pushes them but not overly hard. With a new coach coming in and a new set-up no one really knows what’s in store for them on Sunday but Mike is huffing anyway when they finally call it a day. Dell has called but he doesn’t return it. He’s feeling leery of saying the wrong thing again; he has no fucking idea what the right thing to say even is.

Instead, he follows Nicky home when the Swede suggests they grab dinner with Ruth. A strange suggestion but Mike thinks Nicky wants someone else around to make sure Ruth isn’t going to go crazy. From what Dell’s told him of her sister, Ruth is flighty and demanding; able to switch moods at a moment’s notice. So startlingly different from her little sister.

Ruth isn’t overly surprised when Mike walks in after Nicky and she even gives him a big hug. He returns the embrace, laughing a bit on the inside because she’s wearing a pair of Nicky’s sweats rolled up and one of his shirts too. Maybe not too different from her little sister at all.

“Mr. Green! How nice to see you again. I imagine Nick has convinced you to rescue him from my devious clutches. And how is my baby sister? I hope you’re finally getting her to loosen up. She’s so fucking boring during the school year.”

Well. Never mind. Ruth is still babbling when she rounds on Nicky and gives him a full kiss that leaves Mike blushing at the intimacy and Nicky groaning. Maybe he should just go. Ruth appears to run her nails down the Swede’s back. Yeah, he should probably-

“What do you want to eat?” Ruth, again. Now meandering off to the kitchen. Mike exchanges a look with Nicky and they both agree silently that this woman might well be insane. Nicky trails after her. Mike thinks the sex must be amazing, not that he wants to know at all, in any way, shape, or form.

An hour later they’re polishing off food from a Greek place around the corner. Nicky and Ruth are sprawled across the sectional, Ruth’s legs propped on Nicky’s lap. Mike is trying to watch Sports Center, anything to avoid to constant blush on Nicky’s skin. Ruth will have none of it though and she chucks a pillow at Mike’s head. He balances his plate and his beer precariously as he rights himself and he just levels a glare at her.

She’s kind of annoying. Like, a lot.

“So, you never did tell me. How’s Dell?”

Mike takes a deep drink of his beer, still staring at Ruth, before he shrugs. “Busy, like you said. Her roommate up and disappeared so she’s a little freaked out about that but I haven’t gotten any panicked texts, so I imagine she’s all right.”

Ruth frowns at that and stares at the ceiling for a moment. “What’d you way when she told you?”

She’s really fucking nosey too. “I told her not to worry about it and that I’d cover her rent. It’s not like money is an issue with me.”

Ruth laughs right at him, shaking her head sadly. “You’re an idiot.”

“Hey!” What a bitch! There’s no reason, whatsoever, for that. Nicky even echoes his displeasure, because: really, who is Ruth to judge him.

“My sister is the most independent person ever, in the history of ever. After that dick bag ex-brother-in-law of mine bankrupted her and almost drove her out of school she’s supported herself. Period. She wouldn’t even take out loans to finish up her Bachelor’s. Offering her a free ride is like telling her she should give up on Archaeology and be a . . . “ Ruth thinks really hard for a moment. “That’s like telling her she should manage a McDonalds. Just rude, man.”

Mike’s jaw drops open at the bomb that’s just been delivered to his brain. “Wait, what?”

Ruth takes a sip of her own beer, her smile small and triumphant. She’s probably mentally gloating because she’s surprised him. She seems the type. “She’s seriously never refused something because it was expensive?” Ruth sounds doubtful.

Dell has told him no plenty of times when it’s come to his pricey life. It’s pretty much been her MO.

“She totally has. I knew it! We were poor as fuck growing up and by the time she married fuck face she had a decent job by sheer force of will. After him, she’s pretty much been working and saving her pennies to pay off the debt. I think the only stuff she spends money on is food and gaming things.”

Well, that certainly puts things into perspective right fucking quick for Mike. It would explain all the times she’s been cautious around his stuff, trying not to break things. It would also explain why she’s never accepted a gift or an offer from him that wasn’t food or a used article of clothing.

He’s honestly never been in a situation before where his money is a turn-off for a woman. He doesn’t know whether to scream in frustration of get all giggly with amused relief.

“Honestly, you’re best bet is to give her some space and then buy her a new Xbox.”

“But, didn’t you just say-“

“What I said is that she only spends money on a few things. Oddly enough, she’s totally okay with other people spending money on those things for her too but if something isn’t important enough for her cash she wants nothing to do with it.”

Oh. Oh.

Mike really should have had this conversation with Dell but at least he’s got some perspective now. Already his mind is coming up with plans and ideas; ways to help Dell out without seeming like he’s trying to force her into accepting something she isn’t comfortable with.

The thought that sticks out the most is the need to reassure her that he’s not the type of guy who cares about how trendy she is, about how much money she might have. He really needs to make sure she understands that he just cares about her. More than he was really expecting to at this stage in a relationship.

Nicky kicks him out after another awkward half hour of Ruth pawing at the Swede and then asking Mike random questions. Nicky doesn’t really need rescuing; not at all.

The next day is Thursday. The team has almost completely reassembled so when he gets to practice there are twenty of them at Kettler and Mike falls back so easily into the locker room camaraderie that there’s almost no gap between the end of last season and now. They’re missing some guys and there are some new faces but everyone is smiles after they’re done for the day. Tomorrow is going to be the last of the player-run practices. Saturday they break and Sunday . . . camp. He’s half nerves and half strong resolve when he thinks about it, still.

What doesn’t help is that he misses Dell like crazy through all of this. He’s got his hand in a few cookie jars of plans and a special order out to the local GameStop. He’s talking to all of his guys, checking to see if anyone needs a roommate (and how fucked would that be to have his girlfriend living with a teammate instead of him?) or if they’ve got space for a house guest. Only a few have met Dell but they all relay that she seems pretty cool (fucking right she is) so he’s got three offers when he texts Dell that night.

Friday night, there’s gonna be a party. Of course there’s gonna be a party. Training camp is gonna suck and no one knows what the schedule is gonna look like but 48 games in four months is insane. This party won’t be the last, not at all, but it’ll be the first where everyone is there. Ovie has something planned, likely at his house but maybe not, and Dell should be there.

He does a tiny jig when she texts back and says she’ll make it.

The guys push practice to the afternoon for Friday and Mike drives his happy ass down to the Smithsonian. He finds out that his guest pass, which had been a bit of an ordeal to acquire in the first place, is no longer valid and instead of ruining his surprise lunch visit he gets Mike Too on a phone line. Mike Too tells him that Dell is over at the NatHis and he walks over, texting her if see if she wants lunch. He’ll sweet talk his way anywhere, if he can, just to see her, but he’s got a nicer surprise.

In his back pocket is a map with her name and number on it, saved from that first day that they met. It’s actually sort of awesome that she’s in this building today because that means he can pull off his totally sweet and nice plan. When he’d run his idea past Nicky and Ruth they’d both gotten a little doe-eyed. He’s fantastic.

Dell appears out of the same door he’d watched her go into not four weeks ago. The sight of her punches him in the stomach and he realizes that he has missed her, more than he’d been willing to acknowledge. She’s frowning down at her phone and he takes a few quick steps, stopping right in front of her. She flushes and then smiles at him and he goes through his whole spiel, dropping as many compliments as he can without overdoing it. She’s blushing prettily when he gets her to a mostly private area.

Mike really wants to kiss her. The desire is almost overwhelming but he wouldn’t risk her job like that. He does understand the idea of professionalism, after all. He’s been a professional for almost a decade now. When he presses their foreheads together, whispering that he missed her, her response draws a grin out of him. He grabs her hand and almost takes off a dead run from the museum. He gets them down to the Mall, Dell laughing crazily behind him.

He pulls her in tight when the reach the grassy area between the museums and just breathes her in for a few moments. Something tight builds in his chest. She leans back to say something and he just kisses her instead.

Dell tastes like coffee and sugar. She tastes . . . like heaven. He groans and slips one arm around her waist, anchoring her to him while the other gets buried in her hair. Jesus fuck he missed her. She arches under his hands, her own hands burying themselves in his hair. They’re going to get arrested for public indecency and Mike gives exactly zero fucks.

Dell’s stomach grumbles loudly and the sexual tension between them lightens. Dell giggles into his mouth, pressing one last sweet kiss to his lips before she takes a deep breath. “I really really missed you.”

He nods. “I missed you too. Now, lunch!”

Dell fills him in on her activities since that awkward phone call Wednesday and he’s not surprised that she’s not mad anymore, seeing the whole situation with Andrew as one more hurdle in front of her.

Mike thinks that she might lose her shit, just a bit, when he surprises her tonight, before the party, but for now he smiles the whole time and watches her face. She is so beautiful. His stomach clenches when he thinks that he almost lost this, lost her. Even if he hadn’t really known. Dell still turns him on his head. He thinks he’s going to get used to it, at least a little, eventually.

When he drops her off back at work he kisses her, light and sweet ad fuck if she doesn’t lean in more, trying to deepen it. He laughs and backs away, sending her on her way. First, before he watches that perfect, Mike-sized figure disappear, he promises to pick her up at six tonight.

He has a few things to do yet today. The first is swinging by the restaurant where he knows Andrew works. He’d been in twice before, both times apparently just missing the guy. This time, though, he can see Andrew working through the window and he frowns, even as the bubbly voice of the hostess asks him if he’d like a table.

The girl can’t be more than eighteen and she doesn’t look guarded like the last hostess had been. Mike wonders if Andrew had warned the staff about Mike and Dell, telling them to distract the both of them if they showed up. The girl in front of him, her name tag reads Meg, doesn’t recognize him. He feeds her a line about knowing the owner.

Ten minutes later he’s seated at the bar, a glass of iced tea in front of him, when the owner of the establishment approaches. He’d done his research. Greg Kloept. Mid-thirties. Wildly successful with three restaurants in and around DC. Mike hasn’t met him but he knows for a fact Ovie loves his downtown joint and Kloept definitely recognizes him.

It’s not like Mike to use his fame to get what he wants, not anymore, but this is one situation where he thinks he can pull the sports celebrity card. Andrew has a lot to answer for. Kloept looks surprised when Mike introduces himself and then gets right down to business.

“My girlfriend’s roommate is one of your chefs. Well, ex-roommate. See, Andrew ditched her without a word and took some of her stuff. I need your help; I need to get her shit back.” Whatever assistance Mike had hoped to find in the owner, he’s not expecting Kloept to laugh at him. Whatever goodwill Ovie’s patronage might have afforded him initially disappears right in Mike’s face.

“You can’t honestly expect to walk in here, demand things of my staff, Mr. Green, and have anything good come of it.”

Oh, but that’s exactly what Mike expects. “The things he stole are valuable. He’s also broken his lease agreement with my girlfriend. I don’t want to bring the law into this but I will. There’s a good reason Caps players don’t get arrested in this town and it has nothing to do with good behavior.” Alright, that’s sort of a lie because they really don’t misbehave. Kloept doesn’t have to know that though. “Furthermore, I’m sure you can understand how detrimental it might be if your establishments lost most of their famous clientele. I’m on a first name basis with the majority of the Redskins.”

Another lie because Mike loves football but he certainly never has time to go to games during the season let alone meet the players. But, for Kloept, this threat is more serious than anything else. His third restaurant is down by Fedex Field and gets a decent amount of business from the games. The man pales and then clenches his hand. “What, exactly, do you want from me?”

Mike smiles. The guys have been giving him shit for his beard and his hair, saying it makes him look too soft. Like a hippie pushover. But now, he bares his teeth and he knows he looks dangerous. “I’d like a few minutes of Andrew’s time. I might have to borrow him in order to retrieve my girlfriend’s things. That’s it.”

Kloept looks back through the window. Andrew still hasn’t noticed them. Mike is glad. He doesn’t want to have to run this guy down. Kloept nods, still tense, and leads Mike back to his office. He’s left alone for all of two minutes before Kloept ushers Andrew in.

Dell’s ex-roommate does try to bolt as soon as he sees Mike standing there but his boss blocks his way. Mike schools his features to be patient. “I’m not gonna hurt you. I just want Dell’s stuff back.”

Andrew visibly relaxes. Mike sighs in relief. This is actually a lot easier than he thought it’d be.

An hour later he drops by GameStop and picks up the custom system he’d ordered for Dell. The guys have done a great job and he snags a couple of matching controllers for her too. Then he’s off to the store to get her a new toaster.

He’s whistling as he jumps up the steps to Dell’s apartment building. Andrew’s key burns in his pocket and he hopes that Dell hasn’t changed the locks yet. He’s running out of time before she gets back from work and he really wants to get everything in place for her before she walks in on him.