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* {{Gayngst)): Played with. Darryl is more hung up on the fact that he's having sex with Aleksey Kuznetsov of all people than on Alex being another man and eventually decides that whatever is going on between them is going well enough that it's not worth getting too worked up about. It's only after [[spoiler:Alex is outed]] that Darryl really starts angsting about his sexuality and how it might affect his career if found out.
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* {{Gayngst)): {{Gayngst}}: Played with. Darryl is more hung up on the fact that he's having sex with Aleksey Kuznetsov of all people than on Alex being another man and eventually decides that whatever is going on between them is going well enough that it's not worth getting too worked up about. It's only after [[spoiler:Alex is outed]] that Darryl really starts angsting about his sexuality and how it might affect his career if found out.
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* AnnoyingPatient: Darryl becomes this when he comes down with the flu. His mom is relieved when Alex gets all of Darryl's teammates to visit his house to alleviate his boredom.
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* SingleTargetSexuality: Darryl feels no romantic sexual interest in anyone until he starts sleeping with Alex on a regular basis. He even confirms through an experiment that Alex is the one and only person who gets him aroused -- thinking of a woman or any other man doesn't turn him on at all.
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* SingleTargetSexuality: Darryl feels no romantic or sexual interest in anyone until he starts sleeping with Alex on a regular basis. He even confirms through an experiment that Alex is the one and only person who gets him aroused -- thinking of a woman or any other man doesn't turn him on at all.
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* BelligerentSexualTension: From the very beginning, Alex loves pushing his uptight rival Darryl's buttons by saying or doing something ridiculous and Darryl always hits back with some sarcastic insult despite knowing that rising to Alex's bait is exactly what the other man wants. Even after the sexual tension between them gets resolved in later chapters, their relationship still has this dynamic, albeit in a more affectionate form.
* TheBigDamnKiss: [[spoiler:Happens between Darryl and Alex at the awards show.]]
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* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: When Darryl mentions to his friend Ethan that he "isn't sure" about whether his first time sleeping with a girl ([[spoiler:actually Alex]]) was consensual, Ethan immediately assumes that Darryl raped her, when in fact the consent was dubious on Darryl's part.
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* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: When Darryl mentions to his friend Ethan that he "isn't sure" about whether his first time sleeping with a girl ([[spoiler:actually Alex]]) (actually Alex) was consensual, Ethan immediately assumes that Darryl raped her, when in fact the consent was dubious on Darryl's part.part.
* DramaticIrony: When Alex tells Darryl that he'll find the perfect girl for him, Darryl -- who has realized he's in love with Alex by this point -- thinks to himself that the irony of this is sharp enough to cut him to ribbons.
* FirstNameBasis: After they've slept with each other for a while, Alex insists that Darryl start calling him "AJ" instead of Kuznetsov, and then just Alex after Darryl proves that he knows how to pronounce his full Russian name correctly. When Darryl points out that Alex has always called him by his first name, Alex says he did it to get a rise out of him and then when Darryl didn't respond to it, just kept calling him that.
* ForcedOutOfTheCloset: This happens to [[spoiler:Alex]] when [[spoiler:a photo is taken of him kissing Darryl when the latter comes to his hotel room. Darryl avoids being outed with him because his image was too unclear to identify and Alex refuses to name him, but feels guilty that Alex has to take on the burden of being the first out player in the NHL all by himself.]]
* {{Gayngst)): Played with. Darryl is more hung up on the fact that he's having sex with Aleksey Kuznetsov of all people than on Alex being another man and eventually decides that whatever is going on between them is going well enough that it's not worth getting too worked up about. It's only after [[spoiler:Alex is outed]] that Darryl really starts angsting about his sexuality and how it might affect his career if found out.
* DramaticIrony: When Alex tells Darryl that he'll find the perfect girl for him, Darryl -- who has realized he's in love with Alex by this point -- thinks to himself that the irony of this is sharp enough to cut him to ribbons.
* FirstNameBasis: After they've slept with each other for a while, Alex insists that Darryl start calling him "AJ" instead of Kuznetsov, and then just Alex after Darryl proves that he knows how to pronounce his full Russian name correctly. When Darryl points out that Alex has always called him by his first name, Alex says he did it to get a rise out of him and then when Darryl didn't respond to it, just kept calling him that.
* ForcedOutOfTheCloset: This happens to [[spoiler:Alex]] when [[spoiler:a photo is taken of him kissing Darryl when the latter comes to his hotel room. Darryl avoids being outed with him because his image was too unclear to identify and Alex refuses to name him, but feels guilty that Alex has to take on the burden of being the first out player in the NHL all by himself.]]
* {{Gayngst)): Played with. Darryl is more hung up on the fact that he's having sex with Aleksey Kuznetsov of all people than on Alex being another man and eventually decides that whatever is going on between them is going well enough that it's not worth getting too worked up about. It's only after [[spoiler:Alex is outed]] that Darryl really starts angsting about his sexuality and how it might affect his career if found out.
* IShallTauntYou: Alex constantly goads Darryl into taking bets or challenges with him, knowing that Darryl won't be able to resist taking him up on them.
* OppositesAttract: Darryl is straight-laced, disciplined, and the golden boy of Canadian tennis; Alex is rambunctious, operates more on instinct than reason, and is constantly treated as a villain by the hockey press.
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* SingleTargetSexuality: Not only did Darryl never have any sexual interest in anyone until he ended up sleeping with Alex on a regular basis, but he confirms through an experiment that he literally can't get it up to the thought of anyone - female or male - other than Alex.
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* SingleTargetSexuality: Not only did Darryl never have any feels no romantic sexual interest in anyone until he ended up starts sleeping with Alex on a regular basis, but he basis. He even confirms through an experiment that he literally Alex is the one and only person who gets him aroused -- thinking of a woman or any other man doesn't turn him on at all.
* StealthInsult: When Darryl's snide remarks about Pritchard's dirty play only cause him to get bad publicity and encourage other opponents to play dirty against him too, Alex advises him to say nice things about other players more often and phrase his insults about them in a similarly "nice" way that the media can'tget it up to the thought of anyone - female or male - take offense with.
-->'''Alex:''' So that part is honey on tongue, right? You say sweet things about otherthan Alex.players, and everybody think you great guy, classy guy. And then when you gotta talk about dirty guys, you say stuff like, "Maybe Mack gonna be good player one day, but only if he learn to keep elbow down." Or for Pritchard, you say, "Well, he have so much potential to be decent defender, is very sad he feel like he have to play dirty to keep up with everybody else." See? That part is ice in heart, but it still sound sweet, so nobody gonna criticize you. You can just say is advice for them, and what they gonna say back, hm? Is still trash talk, just different kind.
* ThatCameOutWrong: Alex's lack of fluency in English causes this a couple of times:
** Alex agrees to let the producers of his and Darryl's reality TV show pay for their plane trips to see each other, jokingly dubbing them "booty calls". When Darryl asks Alex if he feels guilty letting the TV network pay for what really ''are'' secret booty calls between them, Alex replies, "Why feel guilty? I mean, yes, is definitely going to be booty call, but they also gonna film us!" After a long pause, an abashed Alex adds that he "didn't mean it [[HomePornMovie like that]]".
** When Alex and Darryl play a basketball game of "Horse", they perform so poorly that they give up on the game three letters in but Alex still loudly celebrates getting the last ball in, shouting "I win at Ho-or!" Darryl has to hastily tell Alex that shouting ''that'' at an all-girls' elementary school isn't appropriate.
* StealthInsult: When Darryl's snide remarks about Pritchard's dirty play only cause him to get bad publicity and encourage other opponents to play dirty against him too, Alex advises him to say nice things about other players more often and phrase his insults about them in a similarly "nice" way that the media can't
-->'''Alex:''' So that part is honey on tongue, right? You say sweet things about other
* ThatCameOutWrong: Alex's lack of fluency in English causes this a couple of times:
** Alex agrees to let the producers of his and Darryl's reality TV show pay for their plane trips to see each other, jokingly dubbing them "booty calls". When Darryl asks Alex if he feels guilty letting the TV network pay for what really ''are'' secret booty calls between them, Alex replies, "Why feel guilty? I mean, yes, is definitely going to be booty call, but they also gonna film us!" After a long pause, an abashed Alex adds that he "didn't mean it [[HomePornMovie like that]]".
** When Alex and Darryl play a basketball game of "Horse", they perform so poorly that they give up on the game three letters in but Alex still loudly celebrates getting the last ball in, shouting "I win at Ho-or!" Darryl has to hastily tell Alex that shouting ''that'' at an all-girls' elementary school isn't appropriate.
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* YouNeedToGetLaid: Alex and Darryl's teammates all believe that Darryl should get laid with a girl and expend a significant amount of time and effort in trying to make this happen, much to Darryl's irritation.
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* GretzkyHasTheBall: Used in-universe to BluffTheImpostor. Talking to a girl at a bar, Darryl suspects she is lying about being a hockey fan, so he mentions "the [[UsefulNotes/{{Basketball}} tipoff]] after the second half" that "led to the fifth [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball field goal]]". An ice hockey game starts with a ''faceoff'', is divided into three ''periods'' and involves teams attempting to score ''goals''.
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* BreadEggsBreadedEggs: Media speculation about [[spoiler:the man Alex is caught kissing]] ranges from "is drugged, is underage, is a prostitute, is a drugged underage prostitute".
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* BreadEggsBreadedEggs: Media speculation about [[spoiler:the man Alex is caught kissing]] ranges from includes "is drugged, is underage, is a prostitute, is a drugged underage prostitute".
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* AwardSnub: An in-universe example in the climax, where [[spoiler:the Hart trophy goes to Darryl, not Alex, presumably because Alex is bi]].
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* CluelessChickMagnet: Darryl. When an attractive woman at a nightclub mentions that she's cold, talks about "wanting something to warm me up" and spills a drink over her top, his only reaction is to give his sweatshirt to her.
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* CluelessChickMagnet: Darryl. When an attractive woman at a nightclub mentions that she's cold, talks about "wanting something to warm me up" and spills a drink over her top, his only reaction is to give he reacts by giving his sweatshirt to her.
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* NoodleIncident: Darryl's teammate Janssen threatens to reveal "that thing with the thing that happened three years ago" if Darryl doesn't let the footage of himself running away from his fangirls.
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* NoodleIncident: Darryl's teammate Janssen threatens to reveal "that thing with the thing that happened three years ago" if Darryl doesn't let air the footage of himself running away from his fangirls.
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* ShowWithinAShow: The reality show following the lives of Darryl and Alex. Later on, [[spoiler:it changes its format to focus entirely on Alex and the aftermath of him coming out of the closet]].
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* ShowWithinAShow: The reality show following the lives of Darryl and Alex.Alex grows to be extremely popular. Later on, [[spoiler:it changes its format to focus entirely on Alex and the aftermath of him coming out of the closet]].
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* BreadEggsBreadedEggs: Media speculation about [[spoiler:the man Alex is caught kissing]] ranges from "is drugged, is underage, is a prostitute, is a drugged underage prostitute".
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* NoodleIncident: Darryl's teammate Janssen threatens to reveal "that thing with the thing that happened three years ago" if Darryl doesn't let the footage of himself running away from his fangirls.
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''Heart In Hand'' by salifiable is a novel-length SlashFic about two UsefulNotes/IceHockey players in the UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague. It was originally a RealPersonFic about Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, but the author changed the names of characters and teams when she realized that it was garnering a PeripheryDemographic of people outside fandom. For convenience's sake and to avoid confusion with actual players, we will be using the names provided in the newer version.
Darryl Colton is a star NHL player for the Pittsburgh Hawks with all the publicity it entails. He prefers to stay out of the limelight, but that becomes impossible when he finds himself starring in a reality TV series with his rival Aleksey Kuznetzov of the Washington Bears. Despite their team allegiances and their clashing personalities, friendship grows quickly between the two until it becomes something more.
The fic can be found [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/259462/chapters/405457 here]]. If you have an Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn account, you can also access the original version through [[http://archiveofourown.org/users/salifiable/pseuds/salifiable the author's profile]].
'''The examples below may contain spoilers. It is advised that you read the fic before proceeding.'''
----
!''Heart In Hand'' provides examples of:
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Although it's made clear that they do have a good relationship with each other, Darryl's sister Brynn embarrasses and teases him, often teaming up with his teammates or Alex.
* TheBet: Darryl's spur-of-the-moment bet that he will sleep with Alex if the latter scores a "Mexican hat trick" (six goals in one game) kickstarts their relationship. This plays with the standard RomanticComedy plot of the hero approaching his love interest to fulfill a bet, only to find himself falling for her for real.
* ButLiquorIsQuicker: Darryl drinks vodka to work up the courage and lower his inhibitions before [[spoiler:sleeping with Alex]].
* CareerVersusMan: Darryl provides a RareMaleExample when [[spoiler:the photograph of him kissing Alex is leaked, but he is not identified as the person pictured]]. He fears that his NHL career would be destroyed if he owns up to it, but if he stays silent, that means [[spoiler:Alex will have to face all the media attention alone]]. He chooses [[spoiler:his career, but later finds that the two aren't mutually exclusive]].
* ClosetKey:
** Alex, for Darryl. Although Darryl does not express attractions to other men even after meeting Alex, he identifies as gay by the end of the story.
** Darryl for Alex is a downplayed example. Alex states that he has "fooled around" with male partners before, but it's implied that Darryl is the first time he had fallen in love with a guy, and that Alex did not consider himself bisexual before.
* CluelessChickMagnet: Darryl. When an attractive woman at a nightclub mentions that she's cold, talks about "wanting something to warm me up" and spills a drink over her top, his only reaction is to give his sweatshirt to her.
* CoolOldLady: Alex's mother, former Olympics gold medalist in basketball, beats current NHL players soundly at a game of backyard basketball. She is also fiercely supportive of Alex when [[spoiler:the photograph of him kissing another man (Darryl) is leaked]].
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: When [[spoiler:Alex comes out of the closet]], Canadian and American reactions are mixed, but positive overall. [[spoiler:The Ice Hockey Federation of Russia]], on the other hand, threatens to [[spoiler:ban him from ever playing in or for Russia]]. Darryl reflects on (and feels somewhat guilty about) how he would never have to face the same ordeal just because he is Canadian.
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: When Darryl mentions to his friend Ethan that he "isn't sure" about whether his first time sleeping with a girl ([[spoiler:actually Alex]]) was consensual, Ethan immediately assumes that Darryl raped her, when in fact the consent was dubious on Darryl's part.
* IHaveThisFriend: Darryl uses a variant to talk about his relationship with Alex to his friend - he doesn't hide that it's his own problems, but he frames it as "girl trouble".
* LoveEpiphany: Happens to both of the protagonists. Darryl has this realization when Alex visits his house while Darryl is recovering from a flu, and Alex about two months later, when Darryl kisses him after a visit to a school.
* PunBasedTitle:
** The title refers to the climax, where [[spoiler:Darryl approaches Alex with the Hart trophy in hand]]. It represents his apology and his "heart" (or love) for him.
** The ShowWithinAShow's title styles the two protagonists' names into gun models: "AK-47 ['''A'''leksey '''K'''uznetzov] & Colt 45 [Darryl '''Colt'''on]".
* QuestionableConsent: [[spoiler:The first time Darryl and Alex have sex, Darryl is intoxicated, and felt that he had the obligation to fulfill the "bet" even though he really didn't want to]]. It's addressed in-universe in that [[spoiler:Alex]] feels guilty about it afterwards and [[spoiler:Darryl himself]] still feels unsure about whether it was consensual, long after the deed is done.
* ShowWithinAShow: The reality show following the lives of Darryl and Alex. Later on, [[spoiler:it changes its format to focus entirely on Alex and the aftermath of him coming out of the closet]].
* SingleTargetSexuality: Not only did Darryl never have any sexual interest in anyone until he ended up sleeping with Alex on a regular basis, but he confirms through an experiment that he literally can't get it up to the thought of anyone - female or male - other than Alex.
* WeNamedTheMonkeyJack: Alex names a stray cat "Gary" after the unpopular NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, because he has "dark hair, a funny face, and a [[CurseCutShort really really tiny...]]"
----
Darryl Colton is a star NHL player for the Pittsburgh Hawks with all the publicity it entails. He prefers to stay out of the limelight, but that becomes impossible when he finds himself starring in a reality TV series with his rival Aleksey Kuznetzov of the Washington Bears. Despite their team allegiances and their clashing personalities, friendship grows quickly between the two until it becomes something more.
The fic can be found [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/259462/chapters/405457 here]]. If you have an Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn account, you can also access the original version through [[http://archiveofourown.org/users/salifiable/pseuds/salifiable the author's profile]].
'''The examples below may contain spoilers. It is advised that you read the fic before proceeding.'''
----
!''Heart In Hand'' provides examples of:
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Although it's made clear that they do have a good relationship with each other, Darryl's sister Brynn embarrasses and teases him, often teaming up with his teammates or Alex.
* TheBet: Darryl's spur-of-the-moment bet that he will sleep with Alex if the latter scores a "Mexican hat trick" (six goals in one game) kickstarts their relationship. This plays with the standard RomanticComedy plot of the hero approaching his love interest to fulfill a bet, only to find himself falling for her for real.
* ButLiquorIsQuicker: Darryl drinks vodka to work up the courage and lower his inhibitions before [[spoiler:sleeping with Alex]].
* CareerVersusMan: Darryl provides a RareMaleExample when [[spoiler:the photograph of him kissing Alex is leaked, but he is not identified as the person pictured]]. He fears that his NHL career would be destroyed if he owns up to it, but if he stays silent, that means [[spoiler:Alex will have to face all the media attention alone]]. He chooses [[spoiler:his career, but later finds that the two aren't mutually exclusive]].
* ClosetKey:
** Alex, for Darryl. Although Darryl does not express attractions to other men even after meeting Alex, he identifies as gay by the end of the story.
** Darryl for Alex is a downplayed example. Alex states that he has "fooled around" with male partners before, but it's implied that Darryl is the first time he had fallen in love with a guy, and that Alex did not consider himself bisexual before.
* CluelessChickMagnet: Darryl. When an attractive woman at a nightclub mentions that she's cold, talks about "wanting something to warm me up" and spills a drink over her top, his only reaction is to give his sweatshirt to her.
* CoolOldLady: Alex's mother, former Olympics gold medalist in basketball, beats current NHL players soundly at a game of backyard basketball. She is also fiercely supportive of Alex when [[spoiler:the photograph of him kissing another man (Darryl) is leaked]].
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: When [[spoiler:Alex comes out of the closet]], Canadian and American reactions are mixed, but positive overall. [[spoiler:The Ice Hockey Federation of Russia]], on the other hand, threatens to [[spoiler:ban him from ever playing in or for Russia]]. Darryl reflects on (and feels somewhat guilty about) how he would never have to face the same ordeal just because he is Canadian.
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: When Darryl mentions to his friend Ethan that he "isn't sure" about whether his first time sleeping with a girl ([[spoiler:actually Alex]]) was consensual, Ethan immediately assumes that Darryl raped her, when in fact the consent was dubious on Darryl's part.
* IHaveThisFriend: Darryl uses a variant to talk about his relationship with Alex to his friend - he doesn't hide that it's his own problems, but he frames it as "girl trouble".
* LoveEpiphany: Happens to both of the protagonists. Darryl has this realization when Alex visits his house while Darryl is recovering from a flu, and Alex about two months later, when Darryl kisses him after a visit to a school.
* PunBasedTitle:
** The title refers to the climax, where [[spoiler:Darryl approaches Alex with the Hart trophy in hand]]. It represents his apology and his "heart" (or love) for him.
** The ShowWithinAShow's title styles the two protagonists' names into gun models: "AK-47 ['''A'''leksey '''K'''uznetzov] & Colt 45 [Darryl '''Colt'''on]".
* QuestionableConsent: [[spoiler:The first time Darryl and Alex have sex, Darryl is intoxicated, and felt that he had the obligation to fulfill the "bet" even though he really didn't want to]]. It's addressed in-universe in that [[spoiler:Alex]] feels guilty about it afterwards and [[spoiler:Darryl himself]] still feels unsure about whether it was consensual, long after the deed is done.
* ShowWithinAShow: The reality show following the lives of Darryl and Alex. Later on, [[spoiler:it changes its format to focus entirely on Alex and the aftermath of him coming out of the closet]].
* SingleTargetSexuality: Not only did Darryl never have any sexual interest in anyone until he ended up sleeping with Alex on a regular basis, but he confirms through an experiment that he literally can't get it up to the thought of anyone - female or male - other than Alex.
* WeNamedTheMonkeyJack: Alex names a stray cat "Gary" after the unpopular NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, because he has "dark hair, a funny face, and a [[CurseCutShort really really tiny...]]"
----
