Rating:

Mature

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories:

M/M, Other

Fandoms:

Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid, Heated Rivalry (TV)

Relationships:

Brad Hammersmith/Sebbin, Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Victor St.Simon/Arya St.Simon

Characters:

Sebbin (Heated Rivalry), Brad Hammersmith, Boston Bears | Boston Raiders Team Ensemble (Game Changers), Ilya Rozanov, Cliff Marlow | Cliff Marleau, Victor St. Simon, Ryan Carmichael, Connors (Heated Rivalry), Shane Hollander, Arya St.Simon

Additional Tags:

Crack Treated Seriously, No Smut, Established Relationship, Married Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, No Beta We Live like Ilya, Post-Book 6: The Long Game (Game Changers), Post-Canon, Texting Fic, Idiots in Love, Friendship/Love, POV Brad Hammersmith, Light Angst, Family Feels, Family, Fluff and Humor, Family Fluff, The Boston Bears Share One Brain Cell, Soft Hockey Boys, Dumb Hockey Boys

Language:

English

Series:

Part 17 of Just Game Changer things that my brain needs to write, Part 11 of Hammer/Sebbin is my close personal headcanon

Stats:

Published: 2026-04-24 Completed: 2026-05-26 Words: 5,582 Chapters: 3/3

The Apology Tour of Brad Hammersmith

Summary

Hammer: Sorry for worrying you
And?
Hammer: And what?
That’s it?
Hammer: What do you want me to say?

Or, Brad Hammersmith learns a few important things, some of which he really should have known already, while doing a rather poor job of apologising for ghosting everybody.

Chapter 1

Chapter Notes

I'm so fucking back again, I love writing Hammer and Seb. Enjoy!

P.S. the fic Last Seen 48 Hours Ago is very much recommended reading because there's a lot of assumed context, as is the rest of the series Hammer/Sebbin is my close personal headcanon.

Hammer

hey everyone

sorry for worrying you

Chelsea

and?????

Hammer

and what?

Alex

that's all you're going to fucking say?

Hammer

what do you want me to say

Dad

language alex

but also what the fuck brad

Nicky

glad you're okay bro

Ma

thank god you're alright baby

but why did you go to toronto

Chelsea

i thought we hated toronto

no offense seb

Hammer

chelsea!

Seb

no offense taken?

why do we hate toronto

Nicky

well not a technical we

😆

Hammer

shut it nicky

Seb

what no

tell me

Alex

oh for fuck's sake

we hate it because of your girl there

Hammer

ALEXIS MORGAN HAMMERSMITH

Alex

ooh full name

i'm so scared

Seb

from three years ago?

Chelsea

it's all very fresh in our minds seb

have you forgotten the tabloid and brad running away already

Nicky

are you two even back in boston yet

Hammer

i did not run away

and our flight back is in the morning

Alex

tsk tsk tsk

obv brad didn't run away @Chelsea

Hammer

thanks you're my favorite sister

Chelsea

oh really

what would you call it then @Alex

Alex

he fucking flew away at the speed of light

Hammer

i don't have a fav sister anymore

Seb

i guess everyone but me knows about hammy not liking her huh?

Hammer

i'm sure she's a lovely woman

now can we please not talk about her anymore

Nicky

i see purple mist swirling in my magic ball

please tell me you're not sleeping with her again @Seb

Dad

that's rude nicky

but also don't tell me you're getting back with her @Seb

Nicky

and that's not rude?

Seb

i'm not dating or sleeping with anyone but hammy

is this what everyone thinks of me

Ma

of course not seb

but it's just that you know

Hammer

@Seb no one thinks that

stop it ma

Seb

they're not the first to ask me that

just what mae?

Hammer

who the fuck else is saying these things to you

Ma

you know my baby is sensitive seb

Chelsea

brad is 6'4" and 230 pounds

Hammer

how do you know my weight

and i'm not sensitive

Dad

it's on your wikipedia page

and you'll always be our sensitive little boy

we just don't want you to get your heart broken

Nicky

mom and dad are both being polite so i'll say it

@Seb we know you haven't exactly been exclusive

brad likes to pretend he's cool with it

but he's really not

Hammer

why are you all doing this rn

Alex

why do you think

we've been worried about our fucking brother brad

more so now that we saw him run away from a picture and ghost us

sorry, i meant fly to another fucking country

Dad

alex

Alex

everyone can say fuck but i can't?

Dad

*screenshot of a text from alex*

you asked me to remind you because you were using it too much

Alex

i take it back

Chelsea

anyway

we've tried to be respectful and stay out of your relationship

and we do love you seb

but we don't want see our braddy boy hurt again

Hammer

don't call me that

also we talked and we're exclusive now

Seb

i'm so fucking sorry hammy

how did i not know

Hammer

you have nothing to be sorry for @Seb

i could have said something and i didn't

it's on me, not you

Dad

i'm so glad you two talked

it's just that we worry about brad

Seb

this whole time i thought of you all as family

guess i was blind

and fucking dumb

i'm so sorry

Hammer

why are you all piling on seb for no reason

you're not dumb at all seb

forget everything they said

i'm the dumb one

Nicky

yep brad's the dumb one for not telling you

and you're our brother too @Seb

we'll always help drag brad back for you

Dad

you're our bonus child seb

no takesies backsies with the hammersmiths

Chelsea

you're spending too much time with your kindergarten class dad

also @Seb you're the only one he's allowed to be with

don't you ever even think you're not one of us

Ma

@Seb as far as we're concerned you're our son

i've thought of you as family for more than a decade now

Alex

you've always been fucking family @Seb

both of you are such fucking idiots

Hammer

fuck off

we're dating now

you're not allowed to call my boyfriend an idiot

Chelsea

oooooooh brad has a boyfriend

Seb

i love you all so much too

and i promise to take better care of hammy

Ma

WAIT WHAT DO YOU MEAN DATING NOW

have you not been dating all this time

Chelsea

@Ma you thought they were dating?

Ma

that's what seb told everyone at book club

what will i tell them now

Seb

we were always dating

i haven't been lying to the book club mae

Alex

YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FUCKING WHAT

did you know @Nicky

Nicky

no

that's not what brad said

Hammer

um because we were not

@Seb didn't we decide today?

Seb

only thing we decided today was to be exclusive

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE WERE NOT DATING

Hammer

we were?

Nicky

😆

Dad

😆

Chelsea

are you sure you two have talked to each other before?

Alex

seb if you thought you two were fucking dating

why haven't you called brad your boyfriend before?

Ma

because they played for the nhl alex

Seb

what mae said

we're waiting to retire to be out together

right @Hammer?

Hammer

yes?

Chelsea

😆

Ma

also can we book the wedding location soon

Hammer

what wedding

Seb

ours?

and don't worry about choosing the location first

i'll propose to you after we retire

Ma

it's at least a year on the location waitlists

so seb can take his time proposing

or you if you want baby

seb and i have a pinterest board already

your dad contributed some

Seb

hammy doesn't have an account yet

i'll add him to it once he makes one

Alex

a fucking what for what

Hammer

what is happening rn

Chelsea

this is the best day of my life

add me to the board too

Nicky

and me!

i'm the one with an actual design career

Dad

the board looks pretty good so far

we figured brad and nicky would have an opinion on the color scheme

it's the only thing missing

Hammer

yes i have an opinion on the fucking wedding colors

but

Seb

don't you want to marry me hammy

Hammer

ofc i want to marry you

but we just started dating

Ma

well i'm not waiting another fifteen years

Hammer

ma back up

can we talk about this after our retirement conference

Ma

fine

Seb

fine

Alex

add me to the fucking pinterest board too

Chapter End Notes

We can all agree that Hammer and Seb had some mindblowing sex in Hammer's Toronto hotel room after agreeing to be exclusive, right? I'm halfway through writing that by compiling all the bits and pieces I've collected over writing the rest of this series, and it's a bit out of order, but it's coming (hehe).

Where have I been for the last two weeks? I love these dudes, but I had a bit of writer's block with the plot. I didn't/don't want to write something I have to keep justifying in future fics without loving it, so I waited. Meanwhile, I got so inspired by this game called Rebel Princess that I wrote Chapter 2 of David 'I’m bringing my son’s friend to game night' Hollander, which turned out fucking fantastic and was 6k words I hadn't planned on writing, and it took me a week. I wrote a chapter for Could Be Better, Could Be Worse that also took a few days and was fucking long and so amazing I couldn't believe where the plot was taking me. Before I knew it, it had been two weeks, and I spent all of yesterday re-reading the Hammer/Sebbin series so I could pick it back up and decide where to take Seb and Hammer. I'm not sure where to fit all the half-written material still, so ofc I'm writing something else entirely lol. If you expected me to have a eureka moment at the end of this very long paragraph, I apologise haha. My writing happens when it wants, and I've given in to it after so long of trying to do otherwise. I'm just glad to be writing again!

This is what I plan on doing for this fic:
1. Hammer's family
2. Seb's family
3. The Boston boys

So which Hammersmith sibling is your favourite? Thank you so very much for reading, and let me know what you think as always!

Chapter 2

Chapter Notes

This is the morning after Seb and Hammer reunite in Toronto. I wrote an E-rated fic called Everything Everywhere All at Once that's set after chapter 1 on the night before this chapter if you'd like to read that :)

Life got a bit in the way as I tried to write this chapter, which is why it took a while, but in the sense that I ended up having to work before I could spend my time writing fanfiction haha. Enjoy!

Marly added Hammer to the conversation.

Hammer

thanks for packing the lube @Carmy

Carmy

you're welcome :)

Viggy

THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE FUCKING STARTING WITH???

Hammer

i'm sorry for worrying you?

Marly

and???

Hammer

and what?

Roz

this is all you are going to say?

Hammer

what else do you want me to say

Viggy

what the fucking fuck hammer

Marly

are you okay tho?

Hammer

i'm ok

thanks for helping seb look for me

Marly

anytime man

Roz

yes yes but do not run away again

also where is connors

Seb

he's probably zonked out

dude had a long day yesterday and a heavy dinner

Carmy

connors heavy or heavy heavy

Hammer

man ate a pound of steak by himself

we'll wake him up before we leave for our flight

Carmy

a pound isn't that much

he was complaining about being hungry all day

Seb

he said he would drive the car back for his dad

and then take a flight to boston later in the week

Hollzy

glad you're okay hammer

hope you both got some sleep too

Marly

@Seb you must be super sleep deprived

Seb

not sleepy at all actually

i think i'm high on fucking hammy

Hammer

💜

Marly

my eyes!!!

we got a hammer heart emoji before gta 6 lol

Hammer

i'm in too good a mood to tell you to fuck off

but fuck off

Carmy

😆

Connors

what a fucking good nap it was

also carmy is right

a pound of steak isn't that much

but it was sooooo good

come over to my room @Seb @Hammer

i'll drop you two off at the airport

Hammer

on our way

thanks connors

Roz

you are boyfriends now yes?

Hammer

yes why?

Viggy

what do you mean why

you owe us an explanation

we were all so worried about you

Marly

hi arya

Seb

heyyy arya

Viggy

you are all so unfair

i'm missing out unless i steal vic's phone or beg marly for updates

why can hollander be in this chat and not me

i've been with boston longer than some of you

no offense shane

Hollzy

uh none taken

Roz

i vote yes

arya does not use privacy word unlike my husband

Hollzy

fuck off ilya

Viggy

you're the best rozy

Roz

i know i know

see мой мишка? i am best

Marly

arya has my vote too

best gossip buddy

Viggy

yayyy back at you cliff

Roz

you are no longer best friend marly

how can you say this

barrett is my new bestie

Marly

ALWAYS AFTER YOU ROZ

i would never!

Roz

fine you can be best friend again

but you are on thin ice

Marly

💜

Carmy

are we all doing purple hearts now

💜💜💜

arya reads everything anyway

so why not

Connors

we can finally hear arya's stuff directly instead of from marly

Marly

come on

i tell you everything

Viggy

from the source is always better marly!

@Seb @Hammer?

Hammer

ofc it's good with us arya

Seb

sorry we got distracted

Connors

yeah by making out in my bed

*picture of seb and hammer making out in connors' bed*

this is the thanks i get

Seb

i just want to wrap hammy in a blanket and squeeze him so hard

Connors

is this from one of your porn videos?

Viggy added Arya to the conversation.

Roz

you will understand when you are big boy and have partner @Connors

Arya

seb just said he wants to cuddle hammer

what porn has that?

Connors

why didn't he just say cuddle then

these two unnecessarily complicate shit

Viggy

you can spell unnecessarily but didn't get what seb meant?

Connors

😑

Carmy

now that you're back together @Seb @Hammer

TALK

gwen says communication is important

Roz

you got new girl and now you are relationship expert carmy?

Carmy

can she be in this chat

Viggy

let us at least meet her first

also what do you mean back together

Marly

yeah didn't they just get together?

also @Carmy are we still on for next week?

Hollzy

ilya insisted we book tickets so we'll be in boston on tuesday

Carmy

yes to wednesday!

they've been together for more than a decade wdym

Arya

yeah weren't they in an open relationship before

and isn't game 7 on sat

Roz

yes but we will already win tmr

full week for hangover

who told you people sebby and hammer were together before

Hollzy

don't jinx it!

but i mean i also thought seb and hammer were dating?

Connors

awww hollzy you're cute

but the cup is not even in question anymore

and obv they were together wtf

Roz

ikr my husband is sooooo cute

but he does not know sebby and hammer

Carmy

we have eyes to see how cute hollzy is

so it's me, connors and arya vs roz, marly and viggy then

what's the bet

Connors

this is my dad's car

*picture of seb and hammer eating face in the back seat*

losers pay for the next weekend vacation?

Roz

deal

hammer said they are not in relationship already

fuckers are fucking but not talking about anything else

Arya

how is vic younger but with nowhere near the same stamina

😢

Viggy

oh puhlease babe

seb and hammer are freaks

even roz couldn't keep up

Roz

sad but true

i wish i could fuck hollander more

Hollzy

i love you but there isn't enough time in the day for more

Marly

or enough space in you 😂

Roz

😂

Marly

really tho

sebby can hold it back for so fucking long it's insanely impressive

Hollzy

why do you even know that

Carmy

have you seen his porn choices

dude's a beast

Connors

hammer makes him do the holding back

that's who's a beast

Seb

hammy is obv amazing in bed

but we do it the other way too

he just doesn't have as much stamina as i do

Hammer

you're also way cuter so you can't blame my stamina

Seb

💜

Marly

okay okay don't care about this rn

clarify your relationship

HAVE YOU BEEN FUCKING DATING THIS WHOLE TIME

Viggy

maybe we should let them figure it out for a sec in peace?

Arya

who are you and what have you done with my husband

Roz

this is your bad influence hollander

Hollzy

🙄

Viggy

i was trying so hard to be cool

but fine, i'm dying to find out what happened

so have you two been together this whole time or not

@Seb??? @Hammer???

Seb

yes

Hammer

no

Seb

but we're exclusive now

Hammer

we just started dating

don't start this shit again

Carmy

what shit is seb starting

Hammer

did you know seb and my ma have a fucking wedding pinterest board

fuck connors is driving

but he just screamed when i read my text out loud

Seb

we offered to add you to it

you were the one who said you needed time

Carmy

for whose wedding

is one of your sisters getting married @Hammer?

Hammer

no

it's apparently for when seb and i get fucking married

when we haven't even been dating

Seb

we have been!

Marly

how long have you and teresa had the board @Seb

Hammer

i've been too worried about a heart attack to ask

Seb

maybe three years or so

Viggy

i was also worried about a heart attack

so glad seb didn't say a decade or something

Hammer

me too man

Roz

wait you cannot decide when you started dating?

Hammer

according to me we just started

i'm not brave enough to ask how long seb thinks we've been dating

Carmy

why don't we let hollzy break the tie

he's a rational dude

Roz

yess my husband is so smart and pretty

🥰🥰🥰

Hollzy

stop it ilya

but yes i can analyse without bias

Viggy

none of these fuckers know what bias means

Hollzy

um okay sorry

don't seb and hammer regularly spend time with each other's moms?

Seb

yep why

Hollzy

and you've lived together a long time?

Hammer

uh huh

Arya

and hammer does the finances afaik

i think they have some shared investments?

Hammer

i manage money for the both of us

Connors

seb cooks and hammer cleans

his cooking tastes exactly like mrs hammer's

so fucking good

okay dropped them off and driving back now

later boys

Carmy

safe driving man

it tastes the same cuz seb learnt from her

it's actually really good hollzy

oh can we do next wed at your place and can you cook @Seb?

Seb

sure text me what gwen likes

ask if she has allergies

Carmy

yayy

also @Hollzy they've never roomed separately

like it's a thing for boston

bad juju otherwise

Marly

i don't think hammer's seen his own mail in a long time

seb sorts through it for the both of them

Roz

whose side are you on marly

but they also do valentine's day watching every year

maybe you are together @Hammer

sorry

Hammer

come on, you too roz?

btw boarding now

Viggy

ah ah only almost every year

you've been together every valentine's except when @Hammer?

Hammer

except when seb was in toronto

and last year when he was seeing somebody

Seb

no i wasn't

you were the one seeing somebody last year

Hammer

no i wasn't

i haven't been with anyone but you in 3 years

Seb

no one but you since the start of last year

3 years?!?!

Hammer

you what???

we need to talk about this

Seb

no we need to talk about this

Arya

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa what is happening rn

i love being in this chat

Roz

😂

Carmy

how are you both on the same fucking page

but also not anywhere on the same fucking page

🤯

Seb

what's that supposed to mean

Hollzy

what the fuck

you're clearly in a fucking relationship

Marly

ooh kitten has claws

Hollzy

🖕

Seb

see hammy? even hollzy agrees

Hammer

not very unbiased of you hollzy

let's just agree to disagree

see you boys in boston

Chapter End Notes

New headcanon: Itty bitty cutie Connors won spelling bees in school because he has a fantastic memory, but only one braincell?

> I love how they're at utterly different points of their relationship with another while being (unknown to Hammer) on the exact same page when it comes to plans for the future
@unfittingpuzzlepieces mentioned this a couple of fics ago, and it's been stuck in my head, so I had to do this with the Boston boys in this chapter, and it fit so well! We're clearing up the misunderstandings one at a time!

Also, there have been a bunch of new entrants to the Hammer/Sebbin obsession, so welcome! <3 And a big hug for everyone who's back here! <3 It's such a pleasure to know you all share my enjoyment of this rarepair. Thank you for reading and for being a part of this with me! Holler at me in the comments, love reading what you think!

Chapter 3

Chapter Notes

Oof what a journey this chapter has been. I went back and forth on my ideas for a long time, had to scrap a lot of what I'd written and rewrote this whole baby last night. Good thing I didn't post it right away tho lol, it needed some work, but here we are in the light of day because I woke up early to edit before work. Enjoy!

Hammer’s head thunked on the table as soon as he sat across from Teresa. The wood was cool against his forehead, and Hammer wondered if they cooled the tables with ice for the guests. Good for Hammer, because he needed the cooldown from the heat that beating himself against the table would generate.

He hadn’t talked to Seb after hearing about Seb not having slept with anyone else for a whole year. Never mind that Hammer hadn’t been with others for the last three, but Seb? Seb, who said every thought out loud the second it entered his brain? Seb, who never suppressed the urge to say things out loud, hadn’t been with anyone else for a year and somehow hadn’t fucking mentioned it to Hammer. What the fuck was up with that?

Hammer had found out about the unknown exclusivity as they boarded the plane from Toronto to Boston in a fucking group chat, refused to discuss it with Seb by saying they could talk about it in private at home, then put on a sleep mask like a dramatic asshole, as though he hadn’t already spent the whole weekend being dramatic.

Seb had looked like a kicked puppy, a little miserable but happy to be holding Hammer’s hand all through the flight. Fuck it, Hammer had also been embarrassingly happy about the hand holding and had pecked Seb’s lips in apology when no one was looking, but he had still texted Teresa at baggage claim to meet for lunch on her break. Now here he was, having waved Seb off with a promise to see him at home later, slamming his forehead on this very nice table, hoping either the impact or Teresa would knock some sense into him.

“You okay, Brad?” Teresa already knew about the tabloids, Hammer’s sprint to Toronto, and the making up afterwards, because Hammer had texted her the story in the cab on his way to the restaurant. He had wisely omitted the part where Seb had fucked him so well last night that Hammer had briefly forgotten he was supposed to be mad.

Hammer loved Seb, he really did, even if he hadn’t quite said it out loud to Seb yet. He would never say no to being glued to the man for the rest of his life, but was it too much to ask to get stuck gradually? The answer was apparently a resounding yes, because somehow Seb had skipped straight past dating and landed Hammer in whatever the fuck this was.

“Sorry for missing Sunday brunch,” Hammer murmured in response, lifting his head slightly and catching Teresa’s eye. “And for not texting you back.”

Not that Seb and Hammer didn’t spend most of their time together, okay fine, all of their time together, but it had never been as a couple. Most people naturally assumed they were attached at the hip as one of the best defensive pairs in the NHL. Hammer wasn’t exaggerating either because they were at the top of the d pair lists consistently, and they sat next to each other on road trips and flights, slept on each other’s shoulders, and stole food off each other’s plates. They shared a room every day, for fuck’s sake, but not couple stuff, you know?

“It’s okay,” Teresa said, her eyes crinkling at the corners exactly like Seb’s when she smiled. “I also sent my son a strongly worded message when I saw that tabloid photo.” Hammer loved Teresa for this. She shared Hammer’s feelings about Toronto girl, and it wasn’t hate, of course, since neither of them had actually met her, but a theoretical dislike of the concept of her and the city, so far away from Teresa and Hammer.

Boyfriend.

The word sat weirdly warm in Hammer’s chest, feeling like panic and excitement, like the start of a playoff run he already knew would stretch at the very least to the conference finals, if not all the way to the Cup.

Normally, Hammer would have gone to his own ma, but she was living in the exact same shared delusion as Seb. Why the fuck had Hammer spent the last few months stressing about asking Seb to try being in a relationship if everybody already thought they were in one? Seb had said the word boyfriend so many times in the last day that Hammer’s head was swimming in it.

Boyfriend.

Hammer himself had only said it twice, both times in group chats, and each time it had left him giddy. The word made him happy and nauseous and ecstatic and scared all at once, and Hammer’s stomach swooped like he was on the downward swing of a rollercoaster run by those aliens they definitely kept in Area 51. “Did Seb ever tell you he and I are in a relationship?”

“Well,” Teresa said, and that word alone nearly took Hammer out, because what did she mean by well? “He didn’t tell me anything, but I was under the impression you were a certain sort of together.” Well, fuck lawyer speak. Of course, Seb and Hammer were fucking together. They had been fucking for fifteen years, but they hadn’t been dating.

“We weren’t—” Hammer stared at her, “I mean, we were together, but we weren’t, you know,” He gestured vaguely, waving one hand in the air like the word might appear if he waved hard enough before giving up after a few seconds of floundering, “we were just fucking.”

“That’s what I thought it was,” Teresa said mildly, confused but willing to entertain Hammer’s issue, “Brad, who said you were in a relationship?”

“Your son, Teresa. Sebby. Seb said we were.” Hammer shot back, then paused to remember the rest of his complaints, of which the first was the board he couldn’t stop mentioning because it was that insane, “He has a wedding inspiration board.”

Teresa’s loud laugh was entirely unbothered by the existential crisis that was Hammer sitting across from her. “A wedding board,” she repeated.

“A shared Pinterest board with both my fucking parents!” Hammer muttered, throwing his hands into the air, “For a wedding I did not even know was happening.” Hammer’s ma had been looking up venues in Boston, and his dad had been pinning flower arrangements, while continuing to act utterly normal for the last three years they’d had the board with Seb.

Teresa goggled at him for several silent seconds before a surprised giggle escaped her, and then Hammer snorted too, because honestly, what else was there to do? The entire thing was crazy. They ended up laughing so hard that Hammer’s ribs hurt.

“That does sound like him,” Teresa managed eventually, and it did. It sounded so much like Seb that Hammer suddenly missed him despite having been apart for less than two hours. Seb would’ve been delighted by this conversation, and deeply confused about why Hammer was confused, and he would absolutely defend the Pinterest board.

Teresa ordered for both of them, and Hammer slumped back in his chair, then folded forward because he couldn’t find a comfortable fit. Why couldn’t they make chairs for people with wide shoulders? Part of him was always hanging awkwardly off the sides, and it was entirely Seb’s fault that things like this bothered him now. “They’ve also been talking about booking a venue for next year.”

“I never asked either of you,” Teresa admitted after his admission triggered another round of laughter and handed the menus off. “Honestly, when he brought you around, Brad, I thought you were lovely with my son, and the two of you were good for each other.”

“That’s it?” Hammer frowned, suspicious. Over the years, the tabloids had shared so many pictures of Seb in sunglasses, Seb in parking lots, Seb leaving restaurants with people who looked aggressively hot. It had never bothered Hammer before because he had been in the tabloids as much as Seb, though in the last few years, Hammer had progressively decided not to examine the pictures too closely. After all, he technically had no right to be weird or annoyed about it, but maybe he had?

“It hadn’t occurred to me you two were fucking, as you so charmingly put it,” Teresa said dryly, stabbing a fork in her salad, “Nick figured it out five or six years after we met you, when Seb mentioned thinking of an idea in bed with you.” Seb laughing with someone on a beach last summer had to have been an older recycled picture, because he had been home with Hammer.

“Okay, but you didn’t think it was weird? Or ask more questions?” Hammer pressed, chewing on a slice of cucumber. Teresa had never pried about Seb and Hammer, and Hammer liked that he could talk to her separately from his relationship with Seb. Why were they eating rabbit food? “You never wondered why we never, I don’t know, announced it, or did, like, couply things?” Teresa raised an eyebrow, and Hammer had to give her that one, because they did do some couple stuff. “Publicly, I mean,” Hammer corrected weakly. Seb, with a hand on someone’s back, Seb leaning in close for a—Hammer pressed his fingers into his temples, wishing Teresa didn’t have to go back to work so they could get drunk on some mimosas.

“I presumed it was because your personal lives weren’t compatible with your careers, and I was right, wasn’t I?” Teresa’s mouth twitched faintly when Hammer glumly nodded, but Hammer didn’t get to find out if it was a pitying smile or a commiserating one. “Brad, you’ve been doing couple stuff publicly for fifteen years, people just haven’t caught on due to heteronormativity and sheer dumb luck on your parts.” And the Bears working quietly on their behalf to keep Seb and Hammer from getting caught with their pants down, both figuratively and literally.

Hammer knew what heteronormativity meant since Teresa had explained it to him once before. Since everyone expected hockey players to be straight, nobody even considered the possibility that they were fucking each other and everything was a bro move instead, whatever the fuck that meant in their case.

“We weren’t exclusive,” Hammer tried to explain, his thoughts sloshing over the rim of an already overfull mental jug, “but I haven’t been with anyone in a while.” A steak arrived in front of him, and he brightened, so much better than that sad salad.

Teresa’s eyes narrowed as she cut into her meat. “You haven’t?” Hammer had also assumed Seb was seeing other people. Seb was Seb, and there were photos, there were always photos.

“No one but Seb,” Hammer said, shaking his head, “Seb said he hasn’t in a year either, and I’m not sure what changed last year.” Hammer needed to know what had changed. What had Hammer done to make Seb want to only be with him? How could he keep doing what he had been doing for the last year when he didn’t know what he started doing in the first place?

“Since when have you been only with him?” Teresa asked, and Hammer looked away as he swallowed. She always asked the questions he avoided, the ones that sat at the edges of his mind until she forced them into the middle, but thinking about them always helped Hammer, so he was going to do as she asked.

“Since he got back from Toronto, so around three years?” Hammer had stopped after a rather boring realisation that the idea of going home with someone who wasn’t Seb sounded exhausting instead of fun, so he had followed the idea to its natural conclusion and stayed there. “I didn’t, like, make a declaration about it or anything,” Hammer added quickly, in case she thought Seb had not listened to Hammer, “and I didn’t think it meant we were in a relationship.”

Teresa considered that carefully, then nodded once. “Right, you never had a conversation about it, because it wasn’t a relationship.” Teresa understood Hammer because this was what he was talking about. Seb had thought they were together without talking about it.

“There are steps that Seb has jumped over, Teresa, leapt over like he’s a fucking monkey on speed,” Hammer complained, unfairly relieved that Teresa got what Hammer meant, “there are labels, and there’s supposed to be a process to dating.” Hammer was starting to realise he wanted that process. He wanted awkward conversations and tentative firsts. Hammer didn’t realise how much he had been looking forward to asking Seb out properly and holding hands while pretending it was new instead of something they’d already been doing for years.

“From your perspective, this is all new,” Teresa agreed, “and marriage is a bit fast even if you really want it to happen.” Seb had skipped directly to being secret life partners. “Do you want dessert?”

Seb would have ordered too much dessert for himself with lunch, sugar addict that he was, so Hammer waved away the menu, secure in the knowledge that he would be having leftovers later, and surprisingly, so did Teresa, who had as big a sweet tooth as her son. She asked for after-meal espressos instead.

“I can’t tell Seb I don’t want to get married.” Hammer groaned and dropped forward again after their plates were cleared, forehead back on the table. “Oh my fucking god, he’s going to freak.”

There was a pause, and then he felt Teresa’s hand on the back of his head, stroking his hair gently. “You look happier, Brad.”

“I am,” Hammer mumbled into the table. “I’m so fucking happy, Teresa, but I’m also furious and confused, and I want to strangle Seb and kiss him at the same time.” And hold him by his neck down long enough to demand answers about the fucking Pinterest board, or by his dick, Hammer wasn’t choosy like that.

Teresa huffed a quiet laugh as she blew on her little cup. “And you do want to marry him, right?”

“Yes,” Hammer said without hesitation, lifting his head enough to look at her, cheek still pressed to the wood. “Obviously, I want to marry him, I just,” he squeezed his eyes shut. “I need more time to get there.” Hammer needed time to catch up emotionally to the plane of existence Seb was on, in the fucking clouds.

“My son isn’t an unreasonable man,” Teresa offered, amusement threading through her voice, “even if he sometimes acts like a two-year-old who’s been denied ice cream.” Oh, that was a good reminder for Hammer to pick ice cream up for Seb on the way back home.

“Do you think he’ll be mad?” Hammer asked, sipping slowly at his espresso. Seb would go quiet and pull his shoulders inward, and Hammer already hated the idea of hurting Seb. The only thing Hammer hated more was the thought of disappointing Seb.

“I think,” Teresa answered, “he’ll be hurt for a bit, but he’ll also be relieved you want the same things as him once you explain.”

“I want it all, same as him.” Hammer scrubbed a hand over his face, pushing himself a few inches away from the table. “I just need a second to catch up to our relationship.” Hammer also wanted to ask Seb out and go on an actual date where he could kiss Seb, maybe at that Valentine’s Day restaurant again, so that he could rub it in someone’s face that he landed Seb, maybe even hold Seb’s hand all the way home.

“You should go home, Brad,” Teresa reached across the table and squeezed his hand, “he’s likely been driving himself mad.”

“Good, let Seb suffer a little,” Hammer said, but he waved a server over to ask for the bill. Sue him for being a little impatient to get home and fuck his boyfriend into the mattress, kiss Seb silly for loving Hammer this much.

Teresa tried to reach for the bill as always, but Hammer reminded her it was his turn to pay. “Thanks, Brad.”

“Hey, Teresa?” Hammer paused with one hand on the back of the chair after he got his card back. “Thank you for taking my side.” Even if Teresa didn’t have every detail of their issue, she had at least agreed it was ridiculous to jump as far ahead as marriage already.

Wait, had Seb and Hammer already been exclusive at Roz and Hollander’s wedding? It was the first thing Hammer was going to ask Seb when he got home to his boyfriend.

“Ask your mother to add Nick and me to the Pinterest board, will you, Brad?” Teresa grinned at Hammer as he held her car door open.

Fucking fuck that Pinterest board, Hammer needed to burn it to the ground.

Chapter End Notes

I've rewritten this chapter thrice, and I'm still unsure if I like it, but sometimes things grow on me, so let's see how that goes. However, I do like how I've written Teresa, who is a real breathing adult lol, and would probably get along great with Yuna, even if she's not the most involved with hockey.

I had an insanely strong urge to start another WIP while I cried about disliking my own writing in this chapter, and the fic is basically Sasha and Sveta showing up in Ottawa a month before the Hollanov wedding, if you'd like to give it a try - Love Makes Room

> Hammer’s stomach swooped like he was on the downward swing of a rollercoaster run by those aliens they definitely kept in Area 51.
My favourite line! I forgot that I'd mentioned Hammer's alien thing in Ilya ‘My husband Shane Hollander’ Rozanov until writing this line sparked something off in my brain, and I went looking for an alien line lol and here it is :)
> Hammer knew more about aliens than anyone should know about aliens

Hammer is such a conflicted boy, and this is exactly what I want for him, he's happy, and he's mad, and poor baby really tried to make sense of his own feelings in this chapter. Somehow, this was on neither the funnier end of my writing nor the angsty side, but a strange Hammer-style introspective that actually moved the plot forward for once, but I hope you still like it!

New headcanon because it's an A/N tradition now: POV Toronto girl fic about why Seb's friends are so weird around her, though she's met them exactly once during drinks after a Toronto/Boston game. She thought she and Seb were friends with benefits, and so did Seb. He just heard people call her his girl, and went 'girl isn't a girlfriend' and never clarified, and she thought poor baby had been homesick the whole time, so he needed some comfort. She knows nothing about Hammer because they didn't really talk lol.

Thank you so much for reading and tell me what you thought in the comments! <3

P.S./ IMP / PLEASE WEIGH IN: The next oneshot in this series might be a socmed fic about an Instagram account (?) that posts sightings of Hammer and Teresa in brunch restaurants as recommendations, and it's run by a shipper account, but as I was writing it, I realised they don't have a ship name, so what should it be for Sebbin/Hammer? Semmer? Hebbin? idk they all sound weird to me, but I guess most do until you get used to them, so tell meee, thanks!