Two for Roughing (Minor Penalties)

If there’s one thing missing in Kilian Howard’s life, it’s dignity. Talent, good looks, and social skills wouldn’t go amiss either, but more than anything, he longs to be taken seriously. With everyone on his team treating him like a child, including the second hockey coach in two years threatening to bench him for not being good enough, is it any wonder Kilian turns to a virtual stranger in the form of Damir Denisov to explore some very adult needs?

Damir is more than willing to engage with Kilian’s clumsy attempts at seduction. Kilian might be a menace on the ice, but he’s sweet in bed. As a gay, Muslim Russian, Damir’s life has been a long sequence of rejection for one or the other part of his identity, and the pressure is getting to him. Kilian is at first a welcome distraction and then one of the only people to understand Damir’s situation.

When Kilian is traded to Damir’s team, what worked as a long-distance situationship becomes much more complicated than either of them anticipated. With Damir’s support, can Kilian overcome his self-doubt and find a place in the world of hockey? Or will Kilian’s desire to become the queer role model he never had force Damir to abandon their budding relationship to protect himself?