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dating a rival - j. swayman
pairing: jeremy swayman x reader | suggestive, a bit smutty | established relationship | wc: 729 | warnings: swearing, dirty talking, sub!jeremy
welcome post!
dating a rival wasn’t easy. when you had to move from north carolina to boston for a job opportunity, being present as a carolina hurricanes fan became impossible. you cheered from the comfort of your home, missing the energy that only raleigh could build at the pnc arena.
game day. you were split between your home team and your boyfriend’s performance. the hardest thing to deal was that jeremy couldn’t help being a fucking great goalie. the bruins weren't doing that well, but jeremy blocked every single shot from the opponent. frustrated groans left your mouth the whole game. no water, no pacing around, no hair grabbing were enough to calm you down.
“fuck. jer, why do you have to be so good?” you muttered, answering yourself seconds after, “yeah, that’s what caught my attention in the first place. fuck.”
he texted you as soon as he finished his interview, so you called him.
“hi, baby! congrats on the win, i’m so proud of you for dealing with the canes all by yourself!”
he laughed, knowing how pissed off you probably were for the loss.
“thank you, love. how are you feeling? don’t pretend to be only happy for me.”
“it was a great game, i’m proud of my other goalie too, okay?” you sighed. “you should come over, i’m gonna get us some food. it’s gonna be delivery, though. i have no brain cells left to cook.”
“no plans on poisoning my food?” he joked.
“i have some plans for you, but none of them are deadly.” you bit your lip, trying to contain yourself. lowering your voice, almost as a whisper, you said: “come over.”
jeremy froze on the other side of the line.
“okay. be there soon.”
after dinner, you talked about the game from two different perspectives. it was chill, a moment to catch up as a couple, some laughs and all of that. but deep inside jeremy couldn’t stop thinking about the real reason you’d invited him over. couldn’t stop thinking of having you all over him tonight after this win.
“i can see your thoughts working, jer. do you want to say something else?”
“i was wondering if you, hum, if you had something other than dinner in mind.”
you tilted your head, faking a confusion jeremy didn’t notice because of how nervous he was.
“well, in fact, i was thinking of congratulating you. but i didn’t want to jump right into it.”
jeremy nodded.
“do you want that right now?”
he was trying to put himself together, finding it hard to do such a thing when your eagle eyes were watching him like that.
“tell me what you had in mind.”
you got up from your cuddling position to sit on his lap. with a soft caress on his bearded cheek, you said: “i’m really proud of you. i’m proud of how fucking great you were out there.” you gave him a peck, his eyes didn’t lose focus once. “so, this is how it’s going to be… i’m going to give you everything you deserve, you’ll decide what it is. i’ll give you everything you want, jer, because you worked for it.”
you adjusted yourself on his lap, getting a helpless moan from him. he was gone already.
“i need you to tell me what you want, baby, i need your words.” your voice turned into a whisper as you got close to his ear, leaving soft kisses on the side of his neck. “want me to start by sucking your cock? let you go all the way down my throat? or do you want me to slide over it right now? i could let you come inside, you know? i think it’s a proper special occasion.”
you could feel him hardening. all the talking with soft kisses were leaving his mind blurred.
“jer, i need your words. this time it should be all about you, then in my turn i would get what i deserve. don’t you think that’s fair enough?” you grabbed his chin, facing his fucked up expression.
you waited for his response, noticing his every move. it was fun to have him like this once in a while, you were going to enjoy every step of the long way.
“please, just… just kiss me and we’ll go from there, okay?” he gulped. “just fucking kiss me right now.”
#jeremy swayman#jeremy swayman imagines#jeremy swayman scenarios#jeremy swayman smut#nhl imagines#nhl scenarios#nhl drabbles#nhl blurbs#boston bruins imagines#jeremy swayman fluff#sportswriters ❤
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i think he knows - u. simón
pairing: unai simón x female!reader | f | mutual pining | wc: 2,610 | warnings: none | note: they got history together hehe
“didn't you study together?”
ilse’s loud voice allowed me to fully understand the question she had asked. i followed her finger with my eyes, trying to figure out who she was pointing at, until i saw the little yellow dot in the shape of a person in spain's penalty area.
“ah,” i reflected for a moment, facing the crowd of people shouting around me. football made people behave strangely. “yeah.”
she’d pointed to unai simón, the starting goalkeeper for the spanish national team at the world cup.
“how do you know that?” i asked, curious.
i had never told her about simón. ilse and i became friends after i finished high school, when i managed to do a one-year exchange in costa rica. she was a very outgoing native who adopted me as her friend for the rest of my stay and even when i left a year and a half later, we were still friends.
i couldn’t decide whether or not it was depressing to reveal that she was the only friend i’d ever had. being a nerd at school didn’t open doors for me in terms of lasting friendships, but it did bring me many academic and professional opportunities. even though ilse was the daughter of the leader of the medical team and was following the world cup so closely because of him, i was there on business. her father was my boss and i was part of the medical team for the costa rican national team.
“i snooped through your yearbook,” ilse confessed, nudging my arm and then discreetly pointing to simón grabbing the ball again. she didn’t even seem upset that her team was losing 7-0. “he’s very handsome. do you think he remembers you?”
simón once found me dirty with paint; a group of stupid boys were playing a prank on the group of people they called nerds and as i passed the door to the chemistry lab, a rope was pulled and a bucket of colored paint fell on my head. i was annoyed enough to realize that i couldn't cope with a bunch of dumbasses, so i turned to leave and bumped into simón. i soiled his shirt and didn't say anything.
another time, at an ice-skating event on the school playground, i decided to risk skating, which was a bad idea. i only realized it when i slipped on the ice, fell backwards onto the ground and took him with me. all of our encounters were imminent disasters, always resulting in my complete humiliation. i remembered him.
“i don’t think so,” i replied, keeping the humiliating memories to myself. “he was quite popular.”
and, as the ridiculous tradition dictated, guys like him didn’t look at girls like me. i was always studying, stuck in the library, spending time in the biology lab, while all he had to do was be handsome and join the school football team. two completely opposite people who never stopped to say anything more that their own names. i really didn’t think he remembered me, but was pathetic enough to have never forgotten the crush i had on him.
i thought i would never see him again… until i found out that he had become the official goalkeeper of the spanish national team and had been signed by a spanish club. now, i was surrounded by his image. just like now.
“wow, that sucks!” ilse muttered as the referee blew the whistle, ending the game. “can i swear at your country?”
she looked at me expectantly. i laughed and shook my head, hitting her arm with a weak knuckle, while the coaching staff and the team’s reserve players dispersed around us.
“just a little bit,”i replied.
ilse began a session of cursing in her mother tongue and with the ugly looks she threw at every spanish player on the pitch, anyone could tell what she meant. suddenly, ilse softened her expression and turned her face towards me, smiling.
“no one will curse you more than me for cheering for the rival team,” she said.
“i was born in spain,” i retorted, as if that was enough of an argument. “and you don’t know if i supported them.”
ilse gave me a look, as if she knew i did. i made a disgusted face, not at all guilty for wishing spain would play well in their opening game, even though i sympathized with the boys from the team that had given me a job.
“what?!” my best friend exclaimed. “with a goalkeeper like that, even i was cheering! and you went to school together!”
i realized that she wouldn’t leave me alone with that fact. it was only the team’s first match day in the group stage, which meant that i would still be in the same atmosphere as my former schoolmate and that ilse wouldn’t miss the opportunity to talk about him whenever she could.
“you should go and talk to the boys,” i suggested.
she let out a dramatic sigh, but went along with my suggestion. my best friend turned her back on me and i watched as she talked to some of the players, saying words that i couldn’t hear because i was kind of far away. standing there was making me restless, so i joined the others and checked that everything was okay with the first team of players who had played today. they had lost seven to nothing to spain, a bad start for a world cup opener, but apart from emotionally, physically they were perfectly fine.
i noticed that the stadium was emptying, the pitch occupied only by the players, the coaching staff and the media team. the boys started exchanging polite greetings with the spanish players and i handed out water to some of them, i could feel ilse’s gaze on me the whole time. when i stared back, standing in the midfield, she gave me a silent look, pointing with her head at me, but i didn’t understand what she meant.
i threw a bottle to navas, who caught it masterfully and gave me a thumbs-up and a grateful smile. ilse kept shaking her head and i was about to turn around and ignore her when my body slammed into someone. as i turned, simón was right in front of me.
he was sweaty, still wearing his uniform, but without the gloves on his hands. the spain goalkeeper — and my former crush from my teenage years — raised his face towards me, a smile on his lips. then i understood ilse’s signals.
“sorry,” he mumbled in english. “i didn't see you there.”
i swallowed, feeling the sweat in my hands. for a moment, i felt like i was in high school again, where i bumped into him most of he time during a humiliating situation, but things were different now.
“it’s okay,” i replied, barely noticing that i had used my mother tongue to communicate, which gave me away. “it was my fault.”
unai simón narrowed his eyes at me.
“you speak spanish?”
i pursed my lips and shrugged.
“yes”, i agreed. “i work with the costa rican team, but… i’m spanish.”
he looked confused for a moment. his brow furrowed and his smile grew until his expression softened in total recognition.
“y/n?”
my heart skipped a beat. hearing him say my name had paralyzed my body. even when we studied together, i don’t think i ever saw him call me by my first name or even refer to me, although he was never cruel or anything like that just because he was popular, in fact, simón was always kind. he took me home covered with paint, not caring if i got his car dirty. he took me to the infirmary during my ice-skating accident. he removed all the offensive stickers that had been placed on my locker door.
“yeah, that’s me.”
surprisingly, the smile on his face widened even more. i rubbed my hands on the cloth of my pants, not knowing what to do with them, since i had handed over all the water bottles and wasn't holding anything else to occupy me.
“i think you know who i am, since you didn’t ask,” he said, scratching the back of his neck, his mile diminishing, but not completely. his beard gave him an even younger look and i wondered how he had become so handsome in just a few years. “i mean, i know you know who i am, i meant…”
“i remember you, simón,” i interrupted, explaining. “i’m just surprised you remembered me.”
he looked around quickly, but no one was paying attention to us. i took advantage of those seconds of distraction to keep noticing how handsome, charming and, as ilse would love to point out if she were with me now, how hot he was.
“i hope i’ve never been a jerk to you for you to think that,” he said, distracting me with the movements of his hand running quickly through his beard. “but the comical situations we always found ourselves in made you stand out.”
i snorted, realizing only now that we were communicating in our mother tongue and not in english.
“humiliating situations, you mean,” i corrected.
waston walked past me and we exchanged a quick high-five before he headed straight for the dugout.
“no,” simón disagreed with me. “besides, you saved me.”
i blinked at him, trying to understand what he meant. i saved you? there was nothing in my memory about that.
“you must be confusing me with someone else,” i said, moistening my lips, a little puzzled.
“no, y/n, i’m not,” the goalkeeper hastened to reply. “the swimming championship, do you remember?”
once a year, the school held a sports championship for the students to take part in and compete against teams from other schools. i never took part in anything, except as a spectator, but once, in the swimming championship, the members of the football team got into a fight with the rival team and simón was pushed into the pool.
he couldn’t swim and the pool was too deep, so on impulse i threw myself into the water and pulled him out. as soon as i got him out of the pool, my blood pressure dropped and i fainted, practically forgetting about it. i knew i had saved someone from drowning, but i didn’t know it was him.
“i didn’t remember it was you,” i confessed.
damn.
a revelation at this point of my life changed my perspective a little. he never talked to me afterwards, so i was never going to remember anything if it wasn’t said now.
“i’m sorry i never thanked you enough for that,�� he said, seeming to read my mind. “but i’m glad i found you here now. i can thank you and dedicate our victory to you. i wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t saved me.”
i smiled, because i didn’t know what to say. my pulse quickened and i took a deep breath, recovering from the vast sea of emotions that was consuming me in that unexpected meeting.
“you’re welcome, simón,” i murmured. “but you’re here on your own merits. may ilse never hear me, but i was rooting for you.”
he laughed, the sound sending a shiver down the back of my neck.
“wait a minute, did you say you work for the costa rican national team?”, he returned to the subject, only just realizing the information. “what? didn’t your country have a vacancy in the area?”
this time i laughed, shaking my head.
“it’s not that,” i explained. “i did an exchange program in costa rica and met some people. one of these people is the daughter of the head of the national team’s medical team, so i did an interview and was called up.”
only now did he seem to notice the FIFA badge around my neck, announcing my name and role: orthopedic doctor.
“you’re on the wrong team, l/n.”
i laughed again, shrugging.
“don’t worry, player,” i murmured, with a smile. “i intend to go back to spain.”
his eyes looked at me in a new way, a smile wandering on his lips. the world around us seemed to disappear for a moment and i felt nervous in his presence, but not for the wrong reasons. it was just the realization that he still had an effect on me, even after so many years.
“when you get back, pay me a visit.”
unable to say anything, i just nodded positively, sealing a silent promise that i didn’t even know if i would keep.
“and if you need a better job, please come and join your team,” he added.
spain was my home and i knew some of the players in the spanish national team, but wasn’t sure if they could be my team, as simón was keen to stress. in any case, i had liked the feeling the phrase had given me, so i didn’t turn down the invitation straight away.
“i wish you’d noticed me before,” i said, a little absent-mindedly, but it was too late to turn back now.
i mentally cursed myself for letting it slip, simón looking at me with genuine surprise before moving a little closer to me.
“i’ve always noticed you, y/n,” he confessed.
the feeling of butterflies in my stomach overwhelmed me. it seemed that teenage sensations never ceased to be part of us, even in adulthood. he had been my first crush and, as far as i could tell, he still was. i was about to say something, anything, but we were interrupted.
“hi, y/n!” gavi appeared, smiling at me.
i blinked, turning my attention from the goalkeeper to the youngest player in the team and smiled. i had met gavi during my time at barcelona, when i had to take part in a training session and replace the orthopedist for a season.
“hi, gavi,” i returned the greeting. “you look bigger than last time.”
he laughed and hugged me quickly, knowing that i didn’t care that he was sweaty.
“do you know each other?” simón asked, confused.
“yeah, she was our doctor for a while at barcelona,” gavi explained. “anyway, sorry about that, y/n, but i need to steal our goalkeeper for a minute,” he continued, turning to simón. “they’re calling for a team photo.”
simón nodded in agreement and gavi said a quick goodbye, leaving us alone again.
“am i going to see you again?” he asked.
i didn’t know that answer, but i wanted to be positive about it.
“i hope so,” i replied. “gavi has my number.”
he shook his head slowly, looking thoughtful.
“if our team lifts the cup, i’ll dedicate it to you,” he said, breaking the distance between us. “it was great to see you, y/n.”
simón took his time kissing my left cheek and i barely noticed that i was holding my breath as he approached. his beard brushed against my skin, sending shivers down my spine, and i saw his smile as he pulled away and turned his back on me.
i let the air out of my mouth and swallowed, feeling sorry for my poor heart, which was beating faster than anything. my eyes watched him walk away, analyzing his every move and interaction with his colleagues. when he looked at me from afar, catching me still staring at him, i accepted my defeat.
there could be no doubt that my teenage crush on him had been with me all my life until that moment and i wondered if he knew that.
actually, i think he knows.
i think he’s always known.
#unai simón#unai simón imagines#unai simón scenarios#football imagines#football scenarios#football drabbles#football blurbs#athletic club imagines#sportswriters ❤
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nope, no favorites around here - j. drury
pairing: jack drury x female!reader | f, slight a | co-workers to lovers | wc: 716 | warnings: mentions of jack fighting on the ice
welcome post!
y/n’s part of the medical team of the carolina hurricanes. she has a great relationship with the players since it's her job to do check-ups before and after the games.
one fine day, she almost collapses while watching jack getting into a fight with the opponent. the crowd is loud, the guys on the bench are shocked and impressed at the same time. jack dropping the gloves mid game? that's rare. she hates it.
“i don't care if you won, i don't care if it hypes up the crowd, i don't care if it's normal in this sport. are you freaking dumb?”
she's distracted until she notices jack watching her with a smug smile on his face, not even slightly offended by her rant. y/n freezes.
“sorry, shouldn't have gone that far.”
“it's alright, it's a valid worry to have… as someone from the medical team.” jack absolutely knows there's more to it, but he's having fun. she's adorable.
“of course.” she nods. “medical concerns only.”
at home, she starts overthinking about her relationship with jack, wondering if people might be seeing too much. i'm kind and attentive to everyone, right? oh, no, what if they think jack's my favorite? that's awful!
the next day, she goes to work completely self-conscious of her own actions. she greets everyone trying not to be suspicious as she almost sprints to her office. she takes care of the paperwork from the previous day and take notes of what the boss left for her. when practice time arrives, the players come around to do a quick check-up before going to the ice. she has other doctors with her, but somewhere inside she knows jack is going to her cubicle.
he does. jack walks peacefully to his favorite doctor assistant — knowing that there are a few others available —, but what catches him out of guard is how professional she’s acting. well, of course she always does her job correctly, but never this cold, this far — far from him. y/n does every step of the check-up carefully, trusting she’s great at hiding her thoughts from her expressions. they seem to be eating her up inside, that’s why she looks so focused on not messing it up.
“you alright? you look restless,” jack asks, genuinely concerned.
“all great, just got a lot on my plate today,” she replies, eyes on the clipboard with his informations. “good practice, jack. don’t come back here anytime soon.”
y/n turns her back at him to hide her frown, regretting her words. she just needs him to leave so she can breathe properly.
“thought i was your favorite patient.” he tries to lighten the mood. he really doesn’t want it to end that fast, but regrets it a second after, because when their eyes meet, she’s terrified.
“what? nope, no favorites around here. i treat every player equally. have you heard something about it?”
“hey, don’t worry, i was kidding.” jack watches her posture relax. “i promise to do my best only to come here to see you, is that okay?”
y/n freezes. what the hell is going on, right now?
“look, i like talking to you, alright? i’m not a fan of pain and bandages as well, i just don’t mind coming here when i know i’ll be seeing your pretty face.” jack decides to keep talking, afraid you’ll make any assumptions. “and i don’t want you to overthink that i’m giving mixed signs. so, y/n, i’d really like to take you on a date if you allow me.”
“yes. wait.” she covers her mouth then her face in embarrassment. jack softens, his smile grows bigger.
he waits patiently for her. in fact, he’d love to cup her cheeks on his own hands, but that’s hopefully for another day.
“i mean, yeah, it would be nice to go out with you,” she answers, holding a smile as best as she can. “but now i think you should go. wouldn’t wanna mess the queue and get me fired, right?”
he chuckles. there she is, the y/n that got him infatuated.
“of course. see you later, then?”
“don’t even dare getting a scratch on purpose, you hear me?”
“even though you’re adorable when you’re worried?”
“get out of my face right now!”
#jack drury#jack drury imagines#jack drury scenarios#nhl imagines#nhl scenarios#nhl drabbles#nhl blurbs#carolina hurricanes imagines#jack drury fluff#sportswriters ❤
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any kind of life - k. havertz
pairing: kai havertz x female!reader | a, f | ex-lovers, second chance | wc: 3,084 | warnings: none | note: slightly inspired by “any kind of life - lewis capaldi”
welcome post!
In that small moment between songs, watching guests on the dance floor, Kai Havertz felt like a miserable man. Although, he had more reasons to feel glad with his own life than to feel okay with this kind of unhappiness. His career was at its peak; he got the ideal apartment in the neighborhood he wanted, his mother finally moved in closer to his sister, who recently gave birth. Small things that were slowly coming together.
Still, it seemed like something was missing. The incessant emptiness was constantly present during his lonely nights, Kai lost count of how many times he went to sleep staring at the ceiling of his bedroom, restless body rolling side to side on his bed. It was too big for just one body, but he never went for another company, because no one would ever replace yours. What’s the point of having his life together like he wished but not having you? Didn’t make any sense.
“So…” A voice brought him back from his own thoughts. Kai turned around to find one of his friends holding a glass of wine, staring at him with a mix of emotions that he didn’t quite get. “How long are you going to stand there?”
Kai took a sip of his own drink, a cold alcohol-free lemonade, since he didn’t feel like getting drunk, even if he had real reasons for that.
“What are you talking about?”
The other man, known as Ben Chilwell, his friend and co-worker, laughed. Ben pointed discreetly to the dance floor, specifically to a woman. He didn’t need to explain much about you, because Kai knew. In fact, every guest in that party was aware of your relationship and how it ended. You had a lot of friends in common.
Kai shrugged.
“I’ve got no choice but to stand here,” he answered.
Ben pushed him with his shoulder. Kai gave the older man a dirty look.
“Don’t be so dumb, you dumb man,” he nagged. “It’s about time you take a step forward. Did you know she’s back in London?”
“For now?”
“No,” Ben said, shaking his head. “For good.”
Kai gulped with the information. His heart missed a beat, making him hold his glass a little tighter, affected by the news. Around him, people were laughing, he could hear the music echoing all over the place. You were laughing about something, joined by two kids about ten years old — they were relatives of the bride. It was the first time he saw you laughing after a while with no contact at all. The wedding brought you together because of your mutual friends, yet he felt stuck in the memory of when he watched you walk in as one of the bridesmaids about an hour ago.
At first, you didn’t notice him. You were there with your glowing smile, eyes bright with tears, a sky blue dress covering your whole body, matching his eyes. When you finally noticed him, your smile froze, your steps faltered; your heart felt like it would go out of your mouth at any second. Your hands feeling sweaty and tingly at the same time.
In that moment, both of you got locked in each other’s eyes, neither having the courage to look away. It made the two of you realize that no feeling had been gone. You got caught by a foolish hope when you saw his smile growing bigger, his blue eyes staring at you like it was the first time he ever saw you. Not only that, but as if it was the first time he understood you’d be his.
“Kai?” Ben called.
Kai blinked a few times, gulped and turned to his friend.
“How do you know that?”
Ben shrugged.
“She told me,” he replied. “To be honest, she told Mount, but you know how much of a gossiper he is, so…”
That was supposed to be a joke, but Havertz didn’t laugh. He was still processing the news and his lemonade didn’t seem ideal anymore. He wished he wasn’t sober to deal with that, but at the same time, it wouldn’t be nice to get the news while being drunk.
Two years. Two years later, you were back.
The break up wasn’t chaotic. It wasn’t scandalous nor resentful. You didn’t break up because you stopped loving each other, it wasn’t for common reasons such as jealousy or anything. You broke up because you two had different purposes and goals in your individual careers. You were accepted into Doctors Without Borders, Kai was about to move to another city for work. Both of you didn’t believe in long distance relationships and were aware that love couldn’t save everything.
You and Kai broke up thinking it’d be great for both sides, even if two years later none of you had forgotten the other for one single night. That’s why Kai Havertz considered himself an unhappy man, even though every aspect of his life was doing well. He didn’t feel whole without you.
“I thought she would stay there a bit longer,” Kai said, his german accent showing up stronger.
Ben sighed and watched you, who had stopped dancing and were now at the table of sweets with the kids. He wondered if he should tell Kai what he knew, but well, why not? He watched his friend trying to get over this relationship for two years, always avoiding meeting other women, or even dating, choosing to face one more lonely night in that cold apartment. On the other hand, Mason was the one who watched you feeling satisfied with her career, but a failure in your personal life.
“She finished the mission,” Ben answered. “She had the option of staying a little longer, of course, but Mason said she didn’t want to. Seems like she wasn’t feeling really happy, that’s why she decided to come back to explore other options, something like that.”
The german nodded. He took the chance to get rid of his — now cold and abandoned — drink when a waiter passed by. Kai rubbed his face and gulped, thinking of every text he typed but didn’t send. He never had the courage to tell you how much he missed you, how much he still loved you and how his life felt incomplete without the glow of your eyes or your melodic laugh.
You, on the other hand, tried to call him a lot of times, but the connection would never complete, since the mobile coverage was always terrible where you were. Sometimes, you were thankful for it, you wouldn’t know what to say if he picked up, to be honest. When the connection succeeded, you’d just text Mason and your parents.
And Mason didn’t talk about it. He’d never tell you anything about Havertz, unless you asked. He’d never tell Havertz anything about you as well, unless he asked.
“Havertz?” Ben called, once more. Kai sighed and turned to him. “You should take her for a dance.”
The german got shaken up by the idea. He wasn’t ready enough to say a simple “Hi”, let alone take you for a dance. He let out a nervous laugh, shaking his head.
“Don’t think it’s a good idea, man,” he admitted.
Ben smiled. He just smiled, then took another sip of his red wine. His body language was of someone who was up to something.
“In fact, it’s a great idea.”
He pointed to where you were, and when Kai followed, he saw Mason getting the kids to take pictures with the newlyweds. You were, finally, alone. Mason glanced at the men, displayed his best grin and winked to them before turning his attention back to the kids. Kai answered with a confused frown, then felt Ben giving his left shoulder a light tap.
“Go get your girl,” he whispered and left.
Kai muttered a cuss, fixed his suit, checked if his hair was in place and, at last, let loose with a long sigh. It was ridiculous the way he was feeling nervous before the chance of talking to you — well, after not hearing your voice for two years. His stomach jumped with the idea of watching your smile from so close and his fingers became restless to touch a bit of your skin.
You didn’t leave your table, letting the kids go with Mason and took the opportunity to enjoy the sweets. You got rid of your heels, feeling lighter without them. Dancing was still your favorite thing, but two kids jumping around all the time wore you out two times faster; you weren’t that familiar with high heels since you moved away to be part of humanitarian aid, so your feet hurt easier now.
“Hi.”
You were about to try out a soft looking sweet when you heard his voice. This time, it didn’t come from a dream, but reality, for real. You didn’t need to turn around to be sure it was him right there, behind you. It was his voice and his perfume, always unmistakable. Kai waited, and while he did, he noticed your bare feet, high reels set aside. He almost laughed at the scene, but that’s how you were.
You cleaned the sugar on your fingertips and got up. You gasped lightly when you faced him; his blue eyes so close made your heart skip a beat, but you didn’t mind. No matter how many times you saw him, you never got used to the overwhelming emotions that consumed you.
“Kai,” you whispered, your voice wavering.
“Y/N.”
The smile he gave you brought back the butterflies, just as a teenager realizing her first crush. Still, the sound of your name on his voice made you crack a genuine smile. It was like no time had passed for either of you.
“You look stunning,” he pointed to your dress.
“Oh, yeah.” You looked down at your own dress and touched the fabric with both hands. Your strands of hair that got loose from the braid were falling over your face. You turned to him again. “Thank you. You look just as gorgeous.”
“I’d say I’ve always been, but…” he joked, shrugging.
You laughed. You stared at each other’s eyes for a moment, no words being said, and even with music playing in the background, you couldn’t care less. It was completely silent, except for your own heartbeat ringing in your ears. Without much thought, you impulsively threw yourself on his arms for a hug; with your arms wrapped around his neck, you felt relief after so long, causing your body to instantly relax against his.
Surprised, Kai didn’t react immediately. He held you by instinct, his hands on your waist. When he finally realized what was going on, what you just had done, he hugged you back. The first thing he did was inhale your perfume, wondering if it was still the same one — it was. A delicate lavender fragrance, reminiscing him of a garden full of flowers, which suited you perfectly.
Your skin was still as hot as the sunlight. You used to say that, in that sense, he had the cold contrast of the light. You were fit for each other.
“Missed you,” you confessed.
Kai breathed that statement. He’d wished to hear that for so long that it didn’t sound real. It sounded like his mind was playing tricks on him, but his touch on your skin made him understand it was real. You were right there, he was holding you. Kai didn’t even mind you could feel his racing heartbeats.
“Missed you a lot more,” he muttered back.
You smiled, even if he couldn’t see it. You could stay there for hours in his arms, didn’t feel the slightest need to let go. In that moment, oblivious to the eyes watching you, both felt like they were free of any emptiness. That hug fulfilled everything.
You stepped back, licking your lips. Kai wasn’t able to take his hands off your waist, so you didn’t move that much. Your bodies were still very close, a silent exchange of looks, irises burning with strong feelings, lips glowing with excitement, uneven heartbeats, hands tingling for a more intimate touch.
How’s that possible? Two years have passed and you still felt like you were his.
“Please.” He held up a hand, the other still on your waist. “Would you like to dance?”
That made you look at your own feet.
“I’m barefoot.”
Kai laughed. The sound of his laugh sent waves of serotonin to your brain. You took his hand so it wouldn’t be hanging in the air, then had to hold your breath when you felt an electrical surge through your body after entwining your fingers with his. It felt like falling in love again, despite already being in love. Too late, you watched him take his own shoes, keeping the black socks. You shook your head and squeezed his fingers.
“Kai!”
He seemed unbothered.
“We’re even,” he said, smirking. “Can we go?”
Covering your mouth with your free hand, you giggled. Shaking your head in shock, you still followed him. Both barefoot, you joined the people on the dance floor, ignoring the prying eyes. Another song started playing, a romantic one, so you went for a spot in the middle. Your hands wrapped around his shoulders, his hands firmly on your waist.
Starting with slow steps, you didn’t break eye contact once. On the other side of the room, Ben and Mason watched their friends dancing like there was no one else but them in the world. Mason believed they still had a chance, they just had to admit that to each other. He was tired of seeing his best friend miserable, resenting the future she would never have with the only man she had loved — the only one she kept on loving, even from afar.
“I learned about your new contract,” you started, feeling the need to say something, anything, although the quietness didn’t bother you. “Congrats.”
“Mason gossiped to you?”
“No,” you replied. “Instagram.”
He laughed.
He used to be active enough in that network specifically, so he ended up giving the news there; like the contract closure with a new club, for instance. He thought it was possible that you’d see it, although he wasn’t quite hopeful, since you barely showed up online with the limited access to the internet where you were living.
“I also learned that you’re back in London,” Kai said, noticing your smile faltering a bit, but you kept your posture.
“Yeah, I…” You sighed, biting your lip. “I think I finished my mission.”
You carried on with the slow dance. You took in that moment, trying to hold on so it wouldn’t vanish. All your feelings were still there; being in his arms felt so right that you didn’t know how you managed to stay away from him for so long.
“And how was it for you?” Kai asked, genuinely interested to know more.
You thought about it. He made you do a little turn, then when you were back into his arms, you answered:
“Awesome and bad at the same time. I saw a lot of things I wish I hadn’t and that I’ll never forget. On the other hand, I also learned a lot of things that wouldn’t be possible in a club or a hospital. Somehow, it was a quite unique experience.”
Kai couldn’t help admiring the amazed expression on your face while you talked about it. Leaving you was the hardest thing he’d ever done, but at the same time, it was the best.
“What are your plans now?”
You weren’t able to answer immediately. Looking over Kai’s shoulder, you saw Mason and Ben with the kids. The first one caught your eyes and sent you an encouraging smile, to which you returned the same.
“I don’t know.”
The german caressed your bare back, sending shivers through your body. You smiled, almost feeling your breathing trying to betray you after the knowledge of still loving him so much that made you want to try again. He wasn’t acting like he had forgotten you, quite the opposite. The smile, the racing heartbeat you could feel through his chest over the suit, the touch of intimacy. All of him suggested that he wasn’t able to move on without you as well.
When the song ended, neither of you let go.
“I was an idiot,” Kai muttered.
You got surprised and moved your face away just to frown at him.
“What?”
“I was an idiot to let you go,” he explained. “I’m not saying that I should’ve stopped you from going after your dream, I’m just saying that I shouldn’t have let you go without knowing…” He paused to take a deep breath. “Without knowing that I don’t want any kind of life without you here, Y/N.”
You opened your mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, you did what you dreamed of doing for a while, whenever you went to sleep in that cold lonely bed every night. You brushed your lips against his, no kissing happening at first. Just a slight brush. Lips touching one another, bodies hugging, the empty dance floor watching you. Another song started, but no one bothered to dance.
Finally, Kai moved his lips and kissed you slowly. It didn’t last long, until you moved away with a smile on your face, eyes bright with a genuine hope. For God’s sake, you also didn’t want any kind of life without that man by your side.
He forgot to add sugar and milk to his coffee every morning, never enjoyed binge-watching scary movies and always slept in the middle of a rom-com. Every weekend, he left a new book over your bedside table, nourishing your reading habit and your love for new and unknown books. He liked to wake you up with kisses all over your face and always beat you on FIFA.
“What are you doing now, Kai?”
The german opened the prettiest smile and touched your cheek with his thumb, the answer on the tip of his tongue, as if he always knew what he wanted to do. He grabbed the moment and pushed away the emptiness he felt for almost two years. Now that he was aware how complete he felt with you, there was only one answer to be said.
“What I should have done from the start, Y/N,” he states. “I’ll never give you up.”
#kai havertz#kai havertz imagines#kai havertz scenarios#kai havertz fluff#kai havertz angst#football scenarios#football imagines#arsenal imagines#football drabbles#football blurbs#sportswriters ❤
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it’ll be okay — trent alexander-arnold
“Trent?” You called from the living room. You’ve heard the door opening and closing, the sound of his things hitting the floor, but then silence. Dead silence. “Baby?”
When he let out a strange grunt, you jumped out of the sofa and quickly made your way to the front door, finding a petrified Trent with his back against the door, his backpack on the floor and his eyes closed.
“Oh baby, it got worse?” you approached him, imagining that his state could only be caused by one thing: his recent injury. But never prepared you for his next words.
“He’s leaving” Trent murmured, his eyes fluttering open to face you and all you could see was sadness.
You didn’t understand at first, staying in place as you didn’t know if he wanted you to get closer or if he needed space.
“What? Who?” you asked, confused. Trent only shrugged, looking defeated.
“Jürgen is leaving by the end of the season” he sighed.
It hit you instantly and you wanted to ask him if he was joking, but by his state you knew he wasn’t.
“Oh, Trent…” you got closer to him and he spread his legs so you could fit between them. “I’m so sorry”
He gave you a sad smile, his hands immediately finding your waist.
“Nothing lasts forever, right? I should’ve saw it coming and I should be ready for it, but I’m not”
“Do you wanna talk about it?” you stroked his jaw, trying to ease his pain. In fact, you would’ve taken it all for you if you could.
“He reunited us after training and it was an emotional mess” he sniffed. “I don’t want him to go, but he said he’s tired. Managing a club it’s too much and he needs a break”
“And we’re glad he’s respecting his limits, right?”
“I want him to stay, baby” Trent whined, reminding you of a little kid that doesn’t know how to deal with the frustration.
“You want the Klopp you know to stay” you brushed his tears. “And if he hadn’t made this decision, prioritising his mental health, soon the Klopp you know wouldn’t be the same”
“I know. Can we talk maturely later? I just wanna complain and mourn now” he asked you sincerely, which made you giggle.
“Sure we can” you smiled, kissing the tip of his nose. “Let’s get you in your pyjamas, uh?”
Trent nodded, letting you guide him through your shared house, dragging his feet behind you.
When you got to your room, you let him sit on the bed and looked for the warmest pyjama you could find, coming back and chuckling when he raised his arms so you could undress him.
“You’re a big baby” you whispered, but helped him with a smile. After changing his trousers as well, you caressed his cheek. “Anything else?”
“Can we cuddle?” Trent pouted, and you wanted nothing that to melt against him.
“Yeah” you smiled, pecking his lips. “I’ll just get changed”
“One of my shirts, please?” he pleaded and you nodded, choosing your favourite. Whatever your man with big brown eyes asked for.
When you finally laid beside him, Trent hugged your body instantly, covering you both with his heavy blanket.
“Do you want to watch something?” you asked him, relaxing against the fluffy mattress.
“Can we watch that tv show you’re always watching?”
“The Vampire Diaries?” you chuckled, searching for the streaming on your huge tv - Trent likes to think he’s in the cinema.
“What? It’s entertaining” he shrugged, holding you tighter.
“Fine, let’s see where we stopped”
“Damon was telling Elena he loves her” he whispered, making you laugh.
“Next time you think of complaining about watching it I’ll punch you”
“I don’t hate it, I just don’t like when you can’t give me attention because you’re watching it!” Trent snorted, but you just rolled your eyes at him.
“Big baby”
“Yeah, but I’m your baby, right?” he murmured, nuzzling his nose against your neck.
You knew he was trying to take his mind out of the fact he had just lost one of the most important things he had in life, so you played the tv show and started scratching his scalp, sighing when he snuggled his body against yours.
“It’s late, pookie” you told him after a lot of episodes. “You need to sleep”
“I don’t want to” Trent pouted, but you just scratched his scalp and turned the TV off.
“Look at me” you asked, after a few seconds in silence. You could see his big eyes due to the lampshade light, and the way they were shining broke your heart a little. “You still have a few months with him, baby. It’s ok to feel sad and cry and it’s ok to want him to stay knowing he won’t, but I just want you to enjoy the time you still have with him, can you do this for me?”
Trent nodded like a kid, and your heart pounded when you noticed the way he gulped.
“I love you” he kissed your collarbone, hiding his face in the crook of your neck the way he likes to do. His shoulders shook a bit and you sighed, getting comfortable before caressing his back.
“You can let it go now, Trent. It’s just you and me” you whispered, holding your own tears when his strong sobs shook his body violently.
Holding him tight during the whole time he cried, you thanked the universe for the opportunity to hold your boy in his most fragile state, kissing his head to brush the thought of him crying alone out of your own.
“It’ll be okay” you whispered, relaxing when the violent cry turned into tiny sobs and then stopped. It was only when Trent fell asleep that you allowed yourself to feel sad about the news, letting a few tears roll down your face.
#trent alexander arnold#football#“can we talk maturely later? i just wanna complain and mourn now” it's exactly how i felt#this is beautiful okay#fav
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assistant boy — trent alexander-arnold
You were at Trent’s house as soon as he came back to Liverpool, wanting to comfort your boy.
He’s a grown man and perfectly capable of dealing with his feelings, but it is not usual to have your smooth ass on screen for the entire world to see.
You knocked and waited, but Trent was quick to open the door for you. It didn’t need any words for him to be embarrassed, shaking his head the instant his gaze met yours.
“Hi baby” you giggled, wrapping your arms around his waist and waiting for your kiss. Trent pecked your lips before pulling you inside and locking the door so he could give you a proper kiss, cupping your face and pressing your back against the door.
“I missed you” he mumbled, his lips brushing yours. “I think you should start coming to away games with me”
“Oh, so I can shout from the stands for you to pull up your shorts?” you giggled, kissing his pretty pout.
“Stop” Trent groaned, raising you by your thighs. You wrapped them around his waist and your boyfriend walked towards his sofa. “I never felt more humiliated”
Trent sat on the sofa and you adjusted your body on top of his.
“Poor boy” you stroked his cheeks, pecking his lips again. “At least it was a pretty assistance”
“Babe, stop” he whined, throwing his head back. “Now I’ll have to see pictures of my butt every match week”
You left a kiss on the base of his throat. You think his despair is valid, but you can’t control the teasing.
“And I’ll be the first one to reblog them” you shrugged, laughing when Trent frowned at you. “It’s a pretty butt, bubba. What can I do?”
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Idk why but I need some Willy angst…like you met at the end of last season and decided to officially start dating in the off season spending it all together in Europe but once you’re back in Toronto and the season starts you feel like he’s lost interest or is embarrassed by you because he doesn’t want you going out in public with him nor does he introduce you to the team and other WAGs. And Willy does it because he’s worried the public eye and comments will be horrible to you so he wants to keep you away from that and emulate the chiller lifestyle you got to have in Sweden but he can’t communicate his reasoning so you tell him you want to end things because you can’t love someone who doesn’t want to be seen with you and he breaks down, and it’s the first time you see him cry🥲
Well, to be fair we all need a little Willy angst once in a while 😉 I absolutely love the idea bb! And I hope you’ll enjoy reading it, just as much as I did writing it ❤️
・✶ ｡ﾟ
Gonna give it to you, in capital letters | William Nylander 🖋️ 1️⃣5️⃣0️⃣
"We need to talk…"
A message nobody wants to get, and definitely not one William Nylander ever expected to receive. Especially not at this particular moment.
**
You’d met William last season, just before the playoffs, at a coffee shot downtown and quickly, you’d developed a connection of some sort.
Initially, it was a relaxed and easy-going friendship, kept low-key as you had recently ended a relationship, and casual due to William's hectic schedule.
Nevertheless, it was a strong friendship.
But then, gradually, things started to escalate a bit. You stood by William throughout the playoffs on the sideline, offering support, aa you both simply relished each other's company. Thus, what began as a casual friendship, involving late-night conversations and casual coffee meet-ups, gradually shifted towards something more intimate and physical.
As William faced the highs and lows of the games, dealing with intense stress on good and bad days, you remained a constant source of support for him. Usually, you were his go-to for random talks. However, one night, after a particularly tough loss, he felt a need for more, and made a move on you.
It was subtle, neither too eager nor forceful. He merely became a bit touchier and more sensual in his tone and behaviour, melting you completely under his touch.
Admittedly, William was undeniably attractive. Most people thought so, and you were no exception. However, despite the cheeky banter, friendly flirting, and shared laughter, you both maintained a platonic relationship until that fateful evening.
And it was nothing short of incredible.
The sex had been gentle and sensual at first, before you’d both been eager to explore each other further, and soon it had become rather heated and intense.
Yet, it also resulted in something more.
At first, you reckoned William probably just needed some physical release due to all the ups and downs of the matches. But as it turned out, he longed for much more than that. William seemed to want you around all the time, or at least to swing by late in the evening after games or when he returned from away matches.
It kind of felt like you were his dirty little secret, but honestly, you didn't dwell on it much. His schedule was all over the place, not your typical 9-to-5 routine, so you didn't read too much into it. Well, at least not in the beginning.
And just when you were thinking it might be a good idea to chat about what was going on between you two - not that you were necessarily in need to put a label on it, you just wanted to know if William was still keen on you - he completely surprised you by inviting you to join him in Europe during the off-season.
Initially, you were a bit taken aback and hesitant since you'd only been going out with him for a few months. But William was persistent, and since the idea sounded pretty intriguing, you thought, "Why not?" and decided to go with it.
And boy, were you glad you did.
Your time in Sweden was absolutely amazing. William showed you all around Stockholm, shared his favourite spots and eateries, introduced you to Sweden's hidden gems, and treated you like royalty.
He whisked you away for romantic dinners, really putting on his a-game in the dating department. And before long, he opened up about wanting you to be his. Which in casual-Swedish-27-year-old-guy speak, basically meant you were now dating seriously.
You were over the moon about your time in Scandinavia. You witnessed a different side to the easy-going forward, experienced his more tender side first hand, and had mind-blowing sex for weeks.
And then, just when you thought that was it, he took you to other European places. Places you'd never even heard of and couldn't quite pronounce, making you feel like you were in a fairy tale - so much so that you had to pinch yourself to believe it was all real.
However, despite the pinching, your fairy-tale had to come to an end at some point, and you had to return to reality and everyday life in Toronto.
But returning to Toronto turned out to be way different from what you had expected.
William, the guy you'd just spent over a month with every single day, suddenly kept his distance and limited your interactions to phone calls or late-night chats after training and games.
It felt odd.
You genuinely believed that during the off-season, you both had connected on a deeper, more intimate level, taking your relationship several steps further. But William's actions contradicted those feelings.
He didn't take you out for dinners anymore, nor did he seem interested in meeting up during the day or having you over if there was a chance someone else might be around.
Even when you mentioned being at the arena to support him during a home game, he just told you to head straight to his place instead of waiting for him while he finished showering.
It was like you were suddenly back to being his secret, hidden even from those closest to him: his teammates.
When you were alone, he talked about them incessantly, sharing every little detail about his teammates, the ones he was closest to, and those he felt played best with him. Yet, it felt like he didn't want them to know anything about you.
And before long, you'd had enough.
William was an incredible guy, and your feelings for him ran deep. But this situation was becoming uncomfortable and unpleasant. It felt somewhat absurd that he could be jovial and happy around you at any hour, but as soon as you weren't snug in his condo, you became a stranger to him. Or someone he'd call just to chat.
In a way, you felt ridiculed. And eventually, you decided to take the mature step, safeguarding yourself from potential heartache by ending it.
However, you wanted to handle it properly, so you texted him to arrange a meeting.
**
"Hey, can we meet up sometime soon? We need to talk…"
Across the city, William felt a pang in his heart as he read your text.
He had just finished today's workout and was about to head for a shower when he saw your message, causing him to gulp in an attempt to remain composed in the locker room.
However, his expression didn't go unnoticed by his teammates.
"Hey, everything okay, Willy?" Auston asked, a hint of concern in his eyes as he observed his Swedish teammate.
"Yeah…" William attempted to reply, but his tone lacked conviction, after reading your text multiple times.
"You're sure?"
And William knew he couldn't hide the truth from his closest friends.
"No… it's y/n…" He let out a deep sigh.
"Is she okay?" the team's captain, John Tavares, chimed in, wearing a slightly concerned, paternal expression.
"I don't know… she just sent me 'the text'…" he spoke softly, trying to conceal any hints of disappointment, though failing when he showed your message to the boys.
"Ooh… that's the worst…" Auston replied, attempting a light hearted comment to lighten the mood. "That can only mean one of two things: either she's dumping you… or she's knocked up."
However, despite Auston's attempt at humour, it did little to alleviate the situation. So instead, Tavares stepped in, offering his support.
"She probably just wants to talk about your relationship," he said, flashing a reassuring, warm smile. "Making sure you're still into each other, you know, communication."
William tried to reciprocate the kind smile and nodded lightly.
"Yeah, that's not exactly my greatest talent…"
"I know, so maybe this is your chance," the elder teammate suggested. And with those comforting words in mind, William agreed to meet you at his condo in 20 minutes. He then quickly wrapped up in the locker room and made his way out.
As William made his way back home, a strange sensation settled in his chest. He had never faced a situation where a girl might be pregnant despite using protection – at least not to his knowledge. Additionally, he couldn't quite comprehend why you suddenly wanted to end things with him.
And this was a new scenario for him. Typically, he would be the one ending things with girls, sending them the text about how things weren't working out. But now, finding himself potentially on the receiving end of a breakup, he couldn't quite wrap his head around it.
So, when you stood in front of him in his living room, tears threatening to spill, William felt another tug at his heart.
"Willy," you spoke softly, attempting to sound confident and self-assured, despite having rehearsed this moment multiple times, knowing you most likely wouldn't be able to remain composed. "I think we need to stop seeing each other…"
You felt the tears welling up but tried to hold them back by controlling your breathing.
"Y/n… I don't understand… I mean, why? I thought we were having a good time," William replied, matching your subdued tone.
"I think we both know why…" You silently hoped he would reach the same conclusion as you, but William's thoughts were far from aligning with yours.
In his mind, William ran through potential reasons you might have: Your schedule is too busy and unpredictable,' You’re away too often,' 'I’ve found someone else,' or 'I just don't have feelings for you.'
However, your actual words were far from what he anticipated.
"I know you're embarrassed about me… and I just can't love someone who doesn't want to be seen with me or introduce me to their closest friends… you're keeping me as a secret, and I know I can't ignore my feelings for you, which only makes it even more hurtful… But I'm tired of feeling ridiculed by this… so, I can't be with you anymore…"
You’d given up on holding back your tears midway through your heartfelt speech, letting them stream down your cheeks as you spoke from the depths of your heart, despite the aching pain in your chest.
William was baffled. Embarrassed? You believed he was embarrassed about you.
His eyes widened, fixed directly on you as his mind scrambled to form comforting words, to assure you that this wasn't the truth. But the words seemed trapped, unable to escape his lips.
"And although it hurts like hell," you continued, briefly looking upwards, trying to gather your tears, and sniffled lightly. "I try to understand. I mean, we had a wonderful time during the off-season when you had plenty of time. But we were away from this normal, everyday life, and you didn't have all those girls around like you do here… so perhaps, you've just lost interest in me since coming back, which is okay – I mean, I can't change the way you feel… I just…" You took in a deep breath, gathering the courage to continue. "I just wish you'd told me, so I wouldn't look like a fool, like I do now…"
Silence enveloped the room after your heartfelt confession, your voice almost cracking near the end of your final words.
But William's mind was in complete disarray. And your words cut deep within him as he realised the weight of his actions.
"Fuck…" he softly mumbled to himself, briefly looking down before meeting your gaze.
Your body seemed to fold into itself, arms wrapped around your chest in a stance of defeat and vulnerability. Your eyes held a soft yet sorrowful expression, and William could tell you were truly hurt.
And as he had admitted to Tavares, William wasn't the greatest at expressing his emotions. But now, he was beginning to realise the extent of the damage caused by his lack of communication. And this was his chance, as the captain had mentioned.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to find the necessary words.
"Y/n… I'm not… I'm not embarrassed about you," William's chest felt heavy, emotions stirring within him. "Shit…" He threw his arms up in frustration, finding it immensely difficult to speak. "It hurts like hell hearing you say that… Why would you think I'm embarrassed about you? Or that I've lost interest in you?"
His words came out sharper than he intended, emotions bubbling to the surface, as he couldn't contain his frustration, realising that he was the cause of your pain.
"Because you don't want to be seen with me anywhere… you only want me around here, in hiding, and you never want me to meet any of your friends and teammates, Willy…" Your voice rose as you cried out, mirroring his frustrations.
"I'm just trying to protect you, y/n!" William almost shouted, surprising you with the intensity of his response. "I just… I want to keep you safe and away from all of that!"
"Protect me from what, Willy? Because from what I can see, you don't want to be seen with me or let anyone know that we're dating," you firmly shouted back, not entirely convinced by his defence.
"That's not at all how it is! You don't get what it's like."
"Then please explain to me what it's like!"
William took a deep breath, struggling to control his emotions from boiling over. You were pushing all the right buttons, and he knew you had every right to do so.
"People can be cruel, y/n… the media, people online… and I don't want you to experience that," he exhaled. "I'm NOT embarrassed about you, GOD, I can't believe you'd think that… I just – I want to shield you from all the awful things people say about me… and other players and their girlfriends… I fucking love being with you, and the last thing I want is for you to be scared away by those who post hurtful comments online or make up lies to stir up drama between us…"
Now, it was William feeling the tears welling up.
"But then why wouldn't you even introduce me to the team? You always talk so much about them, but for some reason, you don't want them to know about me! Don't you see how that makes me feel?"
William sensed himself becoming overwhelmed, realising the depth of the situation, and he couldn't hold back any longer. A tear escaped and trailed down his cheek, as he tried his best to explain.
"I didn't want to drag you into my world, y/n! It can be messed up, and you deserve so much better…" His voice cracked, tears flowing uncontrollably.
And witnessing William cry evoked a wave of emotions within you.
You had never seen him even close to tears. In fact, you had never seen him display anger or hurt, nothing beyond hockey, and even that only extended to minimal frustrations. William was always known for his calm and composed demeanour, never letting his facade crack. Yet tonight, you had cracked him wide open, causing him to spill his thoughts and feelings.
"All I wanted was to keep everything easy going and wonderful between us… just like it was in Sweden. It was so perfect, and when I realised you were the one, I wanted to be with, I guess I just tried to do whatever I could to keep it that way… so you wouldn't leave me."
“Willy,” you softly breathed out. “Why didn’t you tell me all of this? That this was how you felt…”
Your question resonated with the right reason, prompting a timid smile to form on his lips as he let out a sigh.
"Because I'm not good at this… explaining everything and talking… feelings, y/n…" he softly admitted, your eyes locking in a heartfelt moment of deep honesty.
Relaxing your tense posture, a bit, you slowly moved towards him, flashing a soft smile.
“Willy, I want to be with you… I know I don’t fully understand your world, but it’s part of you, and… I want all of you, no matter what,” you reassured him, coming to stand so closely that your bodies gently touched.
William sniffled before managing to form proper sentences, briefly looking downwards as his hands found their way to rest on your hips.
“I’m sorry, y/n… I just thought it was better to keep you away from it, you know…”
“I know, those were your best intentions,” you softly smiled, gently resting your hands on his chest. “But Willy, if you really want me around, in your life, you have to let me in… for better AND for worse…”
“I do, y/n… I do want you in my life… I just don’t want you to be scared away,” he timidly admitted.
“Don’t worry, babe. It takes more than that for me to leave,” you tried to ease the tension, and fortunately it seemed to work.
“Good…” William sighed in relief, his forehead gently meeting yours.
“Just promise me one thing,” you said, looking up at him again.
“Anything.”
“Next time if you have these kinds of thoughts, please just tell me… I can’t read your mind, and I NEED you to let me know what’s going on inside that pretty big brain of yours,” you chuckled lightly. “You have to use your words – in capital letters, please,” you emphasised, prompting a chuckle from William as well.
“I promise I’ll try to do better,” he replied with a smile, before leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on your soft lips.
It was a huge relief for him to finally get everything off his chest. Realising that this was mostly due to his not-so-well-thought-out plan, he now saw a great chance of having you in his life for much longer.
“By the way,” William suddenly added as your faces withdrew slightly. “The team does know about you… in fact, they know all about you.”
“What!?”
“Yeah, so really, you haven’t actually been that much of a secret…” he chuckled, seeing your baffled reaction. “But I guess that’s just one less thing for us to check off then.”
“You’re really something special Nylander… did you know that?” you chuckled lightly.
“Yeah, and now I’m yours something special,” you merely replied, before pulling you in for a deeper and more heartfelt kiss this time.
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Yours - Frederik Andersen
Summary: Due to a slight age difference Y/n and Freddie decide to keep their relationship a secret. However, the reader eventually gets scared there might be more to it.
Words: 1928
Y/n and Freddie met at a wedding they were both invited to. Y/n was the bride’s coworker and Freddie knew the groom for years although they could barely remember how they met. The two found themselves alone at the table where they were seated. It was a late evening; everyone was having a good time and they were single and lonely. An uncomfortable small talk turned into a fun conversation and conversation turned into dancing the night away. Y/n at that time was getting over a breakup, she was almost certain she was over it finally but the thought of jumping into another relationship didn’t even cross her mind. Freddie on the other hand was content with his life in all aspects. He was happy with his career, with the people he had around him and everything seemed to be going in the right direction. He wasn’t particularly interested in dating. He felt like he didn’t have enough time anyway and he believed it’d be unfair to his potential partner. But the immediate connection between them quickly made them rethink things.
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the worst wing-woman
author's note: just like all my other fics, we are existing in an alternate plane where tito was never traded. also i've never worked for the nhl, so i have no idea how accurate being a photographer is but guess what. idgaf. also sorry for the amount of italics in this fic, i have no self control apparently. and shoutout to my new friend @dani746 for helping me with this monstrosity.
summary: you've been in love with mat barzal for as long as you can remember, so what do you do when he asks for your help to win over your friend?
pairing: mat barzal x islanders photographer!reader
warnings: cursing and low self esteem
despite working for the isles for two years now, you still got nervous walking into work.
you weren't a stranger to the team, some of them you knew quite well. anders and marty being two players you were friendly with (mainly due to the fact that you were somewhat friendly with their wives). but there was always one player who eluded you, who you'd only ever had professional interactions with.
mathew barzal.
and it shouldn't be surprising, you were a measly photographer whereas he was the star player of his team, the winner of the calder trophy, an nhl heartthrob. why should he pay attention to you?
media day was one of your favorite days, mainly because it was the closest you ever got to holding full conversations with him. not that the conversations went anything beyond "look right here" or "great job, mat."
you didn't even think he knew your name.
the longest conversation you had with him consisted of him asking to see the photos you took and patting you on your back when he liked what he saw before he went off to talk to tito.
"you having a good day?" you nearly jumped a foot in the air when your staring was cut off by anders walking up to you.
"yeah," you said when your heartbeat returned to normal. "just busy is all." you held your camera up as if that was enough of an explanation.
anders nodded. "any of the boys giving you a hard time?"
you shook your head rapidly. "nope, they've all been on their best behavior."
"even barzy and beauvillier?" at the mention of their names, the duo turned their heads and locked eyes with you and anders.
you wanted to dig a hole and die in it.
"what about us?" mat asked, sauntering over with his best friend right behind him.
"you haven't been giving her a hard time, have you?" anders crossed his arms. and if you weren't panicking at the closing distance between you and mat, you might've noticed the shared smirk between the three hockey players in front of you.
"us?" tito asked. "why would you think that? we've only ever been angels."
before anders could ask you to corroborate tito's story, your name was called. you awkwardly waved to the three men before walking over to another set of props, ready to photograph another hockey player.
"done embarrassing yourself?" your coworker tyler asked.
you lightly shoved his shoulder. "shut up."
"seriously, you're not his type," he added. "he's not gonna go for you."
tyler might as well have stabbed you in the gut with how much his words hurt you, but you put a smile on and nodded. "yeah, i know. i know."
and you did.
you knew.
but you'd be delusional for a little while longer if it meant going to work wouldn't suck every day.
later that night, you found yourself at a bar with a group of your friends. you didn't want to go originally, but when alexa said she needed to go out to get over her ex, you felt like you had no other choice.
which is how you found yourself sipping a soda water in a booth while your friends danced and took body shots.
your gaze wandered around the bar aimlessly before you checked your phone for the time.
you'd only been there for an hour.
it took all self restraint not to bang your head against the table.
"having fun?" your head snapped up at the familiar voice only to see anthony beauvillier standing at the edge of your booth with a self satisfied smirk.
"i--"
"i didn't take you as one to go out drinking on a weeknight," he said.
you slumped into your seat. "i'm not. my friend alexa wanted to go out because her boyfriend just dumped her and she wanted a distraction."
anthony took the seat opposite of you. "and that is...?" he gestured at your drink.
"soda water," you answered. "i'm the DD for tonight."
"oof," he groaned before taking a sip of his beer. "that's rough."
you shrugged. "it's not that bad, i'd rather my friends get home safe than get drunk and show up to work hungover."
anthony nodded in a way that you'd seen other men do, the type of nod that comes right before someone looks around for someone more interesting to talk to.
"but what about you?" you rushed out, nearly tripping over your own words.
tito smiled. "what about me?"
"why're you here?"
he shrugged. "mat wanted to come out and didn't want to go out alone, so here i am."
mat.
you wanted to vomit.
"oh," you mumbled. "mat's here?"
tito nodded and gestured with his bottle to the bar. "he's over there talking to some brunette."
you followed with your eyes and when you finally locked eyes on him, you wished you hadn't.
he was talking to alexa, smiling at her the way you wished he'd smile at you.
maybe you could leave the bar and get hit by a taxi on the way out, that would be less painful than seeing the man you're in love with flirt with your friend.
"you okay?" anthony asked, nudging your leg with his foot.
you turned your gaze back to him and attempted to give him your most convincing smile. "i'm great!" you said before throwing your soda water back and coughing when the carbonation burned.
anthony didn't say a word.
when you looked back at the bar, alexa was nowhere to be found while mat was fiddling with one of his wristbands. you looked around to find alexa, thinking maybe she was in the crowd dancing or perhaps she was in line for the bathroom.
but she popped up at your table, sweaty and smiling.
"you good?" she asked before fixing her eyes on anthony who was sipping on his beer. "who's this?"
"anthony. i know him from work." tito gave her a small wave before taking another sip of his beer.
"alexa," she smiled before her attention focused back on you. "i actually met one of your coworkers, mat right?"
you forced a smile and nodded. "the one and only. what did you think?" though, to be fair, you didn't really want to know her opinion on him. not when you thought the world of him.
alexa shrugged and tossed her perfect hair over her perfect shoulder and gave a perfect smile that was a healthy balance of nonchalant and mildly interested. "he was alright, he knows he's attractive which is rather unattractive if you ask me."
tito choked on his beer while you stared in awe.
of all the words you'd use to describe mat, "alright" was not even close to the top 25.
"something funny?" alexa asked.
"nope," tito supplied, shaking his head. "nothing at all."
alexa looked at him, unconvinced, but didn't let it bother her. "i'm gonna go dance, you coming?" she asked.
you shook your head. "not really my scene."
alexa nodded and pranced off to the dance floor where the rest of your friends were grinding on strangers to the tune of some 2000s pop song.
"she's a delight," tito said.
you sighed. "she's practically miss america." you were too busy staring at her having fun to notice another person walk up to your booth until he was standing right in front of you with a question posed on the tip of his lips.
mat.
your mouth went dry at the sight of him.
"you know her?" he gestured over his shoulder to where alexa was laughing with one of your friends.
you nodded.
"are you two close?"
you shrugged.
mat sighed. "are you capable of speaking?"
tito spoke up. "mat, you just bombarded her without a single hello, chill."
mat pinched the bridge of his nose. "sorry, i just--she rejected me and i don't know why."
"you're too attractive and you know it," you blurted out before you could stop yourself. you quickly slapped a hand over your mouth like that would stop any other bullshit that might come out.
mat tilted his head and leaned in. "huh?"
"her words, not mine," you said like it would absolve you of any guilt.
"what do you mean by being 'too attractive' and 'knowing it'? how does that even make sense?"
you shrugged for what felt like the twelfth time that night. "alexa's not really into guys who are obsessed with their appearances. she just got out of a relationship with a guy like that," you explained.
mat ran a hand down his face before placing both hands on his waist. "so what do you suggest i do?" he groaned.
"i--"
he snapped his fingers and looked at you for what felt like the first time. it sent a chill down your spine that you had a problem suppressing. "can you help me?"
your mouth dropped open. "huh?"
"you're friends, right? can you help me win her over?"
you could list about a thousand other things you'd rather do. you could think of five just off the top of your head.
but he looked so earnest and willing and how could anyone possibly resist him when he looked at you like that--
"of course!" you smiled.
of course?! yes would've sufficed but now you've got him thinking you'd enjoy this. which you most certainly wouldn't.
oh who were you kidding? all attention was good attention when it came to mat barzal and you'd give anything to keep him looking at you.
"thank you!" he smiled before clapping tito on the shoulder. "ready to head out?"
anthony nodded before addressing you. "i had a nice time. see you tomorrow?"
you smiled and nodded, giving them both a small wave as they walked away. the second they were out the door, you thumped your head against the table.
playing wing-woman for mathew barzal.
what the fuck was wrong with you?
how to be a wing-woman: a guide
usually when you went to work, you kept your head down and stayed out of the way. occasionally, you'd run into anders or marty, or maybe even tito, who would say their polite hellos, but for the most part you stayed out of the way during practices.
you were looking at the photos you just took when someone banged on the glass. a quick glance (that turned into a double take) let you figure out it was mat based on the 13 on his jersey and the fact that you could pick him out of a crowd anywhere.
he waved and smiled (and you might've died inside). "can i talk to you after practice?"
you nodded frantically before gaining a semblance of self respect and slowing down.
"great! meet you outside of the locker rooms!" he said before skating away.
"what was that about?" tyler asked. you turned, not even realizing he'd made his way towards you considering you thought he was on the other side of the arena.
"what? can't i talk to the players?"
tyler laughed. actually laughed. "considering barzal has never so much as looked at you, i'd say him approaching you during practice is pretty strange."
your shoulders sunk at the weight of the truth. "if you must know," you started. "he wants to date one of my friends, so i'm helping him out."
tyler laughed again and walked away without saying another word while you scrolled through the photos you took again until practice ended.
you headed towards the locker rooms only when the last player had been off the ice for ten minutes, you didn't want to chance waiting around too long looking like an idiot.
as you waited, you made a mental note of all the editing you'd have to do when you got back to your cubicle. you got a few good shots earlier, but they'd need some tweaking before you sent them to the social media team. in fact--
"hey, what're you doing here?" you glanced up and saw anders, hair wet from whatever brief shower he took.
you shrugged, not sure if it was your place to give away mat's intentions. "just waiting around."
"for?" he pushed.
"barzy needs her to play wing-woman," tito said from over anders' shoulders. "he wants to get with her friend, but her friend isn't interested."
anders threw his head back and laughed. "barzy not getting a girl? that's fucking hilarious."
tito smirked. "tell him what your friend said" he told you.
"she doesn't like that he knows he's attractive," you mumbled.
if it was even possible, anders laughed even louder. "un-fucking-believable."
"what's so funny?" mat walked up, running a hand through his damp hair.
you said "nothing" at the same time anders asked "you got rejected, barzy?"
mat's face dropped before looking at you and tito accusingly. anthony sighed and nudged his best friend. "chill out, barz. she didn't bring it up, i did."
mat's shoulders relaxed before he punched tito in the arm. "dick," he mumbled.
anders looked between the three of you and sighed. "i don't have time for this shit," he said. "i'll see you later." and he was off down the hallway.
"so what's the plan for today?" tito asked.
"you're not included," mat said. his gaze focused on you. "can i have your number?"
you blinked. "what?"
mat laughed a little and you could feel heat and shame running up your spine. he asked you one fucking question and you had to go act like a weirdo. "so i can text you? i think we should sit down and create a strategy."
you nodded and read off your number as he typed it into his phone. "great," he gave you his megawatt smile. "i'll text you."
"okay," you breathed out as he walked away without a thought.
tito kept standing there, smirking to himself. "you're so fucked," he said.
you nodded because there was nothing else to say.
step one: talk him up
you and mat got lunch two days later on a saturday when he didn't have a game. it was rather surreal, sitting across from him in public. the delusional part of you was begging you to imagine this as a date instead of a meeting to set your friend up with mat.
when did your life turn into something so pathetic?
"okay," he started. "tell me about your friend."
you would rather do anything else.
"she just got out of a long term relationship with this guy named jared. he was a bit self absorbed which is probably why she didn't like you knowing how hot you are." you paused as the words left your mouth, ready to set yourself on fire if he reacted. but he didn't, he only leaned in closer to listen. "she uh--she likes daffodils and goes to the farmer's market at union square every saturday."
"but what's she like?" he asked. "what's her personality?"
how would you say she's the trademarked cool girl? the girl every guy wanted, that mat was one man in a long list of men who tried and failed to win her over.
"she's sweet and affectionate," you started. "she pretty girly on the outside but knows her way around a car. she grew up with three older brothers so she knows a fair bit about sports, just not hockey, but if you wanted to talk stats about football or basketball, she's your girl. in college, she held the record for fastest shotgun in her sorority."
you racked your brain for more information about your friend, but it was difficult under pressure to sum up someone you'd known since freshman year of college.
"what else?" mat asked.
"she's a bit of a partier, but knows how to settle down and just chill. she's a really good friend, like last year i dated this guy who was cheating on me the entire duration of our relationship, which i should've known about because he said he had to go on business trips all the time but he worked as a barista, and she held me while i cried for three days straight and even threatened to fuck up his car."
mat stared at you without saying anything in a way that made you want to sink into a hole, never to be seen again. "you dated a barista and thought he needed to go on business trips?"
you blinked. "that's what you got from that? me dating a shitty barista?"
he shrugged. "i heard everything else, but that was definitely the funniest part. how long did you date him?"
"six months," you replied quickly. "but that's not the point! alexa is going to play hard to get because she doesn't want anything too serious right now."
"great! neither do i!"
"but she's not a one night stand kind of girl anymore. so if you want her, you have to prove to her you can be serious enough for a relationship but not serious enough that you get clingy and overbearing and propose within six months."
mat blinked at you. "how the hell does that make sense?"
"believe me, there's a balance."
he sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. "and you would know this how?"
"well i uh--" you sputtered. your nerves were only encouraged by his light chuckling. "all girls know these things! we don't want overly possessive boyfriends but we also want someone to care. it shouldn't be that hard to comprehend."
"it's not," he defended. "just a little...complicated, don't you think?"
"alexa's a complicated girl!"
he sighed and ran a hand down his face. "okay so how do i show her i mean business but that i'm not looking to settle down and get married?"
"i guess i could talk you up to her in passing conversation?"
"what would you tell her? we don't know each other very well."
"i know more than you think!"
"please, share with the class."
shit.
do you confess that in the two years you'd worked for the islanders that you watched him borderline obsessively?
"well, i know you're good with kids, if your interactions with young fans is anything to go by. you don't like dogs, which is a bit of a red flag in my book, but alexa shouldn't mind. you're a fantastic hockey player, and a great teammate."
"is that enough to convince her?"
you grimaced and shook your head. "she's a bit more personable. she one time broke up with a guy because he was rude to waitstaff. she would want to know how you treat non millionaires and authority figures. for instance, how much do you tip a server?"
"25%," he replied. "but why does that matter?"
"alexa used to be a server throughout college and couldn't stand people who she knew had money but would cheap out on the tip because she didn't greet them fast enough."
mat opened his mouth, presumably to ask another question, when his phone started ringing. "shit," he mumbled. "listen, i gotta go. it was nice talking to you, i'll be in touch." he pulled out a few twenty dollar bills and put them on the table before getting up and walking away.
you waited for the server to come back before paying the bill and told them to keep the change before you got up and walked home.
when you got back to your apartment, alexa was already standing at the door, waiting to be let in.
"finally," she said. "i was wondering when you were gonna come home."
"you could've texted me," you said while unlocking the door.
she followed you inside and shut the door behind her. "i could've, but your phone was on do not disturb for some reason, so i doubt my texts would've gone through in time. where were you anyway?"
"getting lunch with a friend from work," you replied.
alexa groaned as she all but collapsed onto your couch. "please tell me it's not tyler. i hate how he treats you."
you dropped your bag by the door and headed back to your room, but not before calling over your shoulder. "he's not that bad, he's like that to everyone!"
"doesn't make it any better!"
you changed into some comfortable clothing before joining alexa on your couch. "did you have fun the other night when we went out to the bar?"
alexa looked at you weirdly.
shit. you must not have been as subtle as you thought.
"i did," she said. "but what makes you ask."
you shrugged. "i know it's been rough with your breakup lately, but i saw you talking to mat and you looked happy."
alexa groaned and sunk into the couch. "i thought we talked about this already. he knows he's attractive, it's such a turn off. you should've seen the way he was talking, it was like he knew that if he gave me a look, i'd be going home with him."
"well he's really nice, i promise! you should see him with kids at the stadium--"
"you mean the kids who idolize him? yeah i bet he's real nice to them."
okay, switch strategies.
"he tips waitstaff really well!"
"with what he makes? he better." alexa sighed. "listen, i'd be more impressed if he could tell me anything about you, but seeing as you've worked there for two years and he couldn't tell me anything other than your name the other night says all i need to know about him. so can we talk about something else?"
you nodded, ignoring the jutting pain in your chest at her words. you knew well enough that mat knew nothing about you, why would he? but to hear it come from the mouth of someone else stung.
getting them together was gonna be harder than you originally thought.
step two: get them interacting
you were dreading the next time you saw mat for the first time in your life. you were in your cubicle editing photos from the game that night to be posted tomorrow to distract yourself from the inevitable conversation you'd have to have with him. tyler, unfortunately got the shot that was posted immediately to the islanders' instagram account to celebrate their win over the rangers and he had no problem letting you know it. and while it was annoying, it served as a great distraction from your other problem.
"maybe you'll get it next time," he sneered as he packed his bag. most days you hated the fact that you were cubicle neighbors, but neither of you were powerful enough to request moving spaces. and even if you could, you knew it would just make you look hard to work with.
"have a good night, tyler," you replied, not even wanting to give him any ammo to use against you.
the door shut behind him with a click, locking you into sweet sweet silence.
until a minute later when your phone went off with a text message.
mat barzal: where ru?
mat barzal: wanna go to a bar with me and tito and you can bring alexa?
you scoffed. "you can bring alexa," you mocked under your breath. "like that's not the sole reason for you asking me to go out tonight." you packed your bag up and shot a quick text to alexa, asking if she wanted to go out. she replied with an immediate yes, asking where to meet you, which prompted you to reach out to mat who sent you an address in response.
which is how you ended up on a sidewalk in front of an incredibly busy bar with alexa next to you.
"i've never been here," she remarked. "how'd you hear about it?"
"oh, a coworker mentioned it," you said in what was hopefully a nonchalant manner.
she looked at you a moment too long before grabbing your hand and pulling you inside. "you find us a place to sit and i'll grab our drinks!" she shouted over the music.
you quickly looked around for mat and tito, the former who'd texted you the second they arrived. you saw a head of dark hair and immediately knew it was mat. you hurried over, panting when you arrived from having to shove your way towards them.
"you made it!" anthony said. you looked at him and mat, eyes bouncing back and forth between them, when you realized your first problem.
they were sitting on opposite sides of the booth.
which meant you would have to sit with one of them, and alexa would have to sit with the other. if mat had it his way, he'd sit next to alexa, but you knew your friend wouldn't have that. she'd feel manipulated and uncomfortable.
"is there a problem?" tito asked.
you gestured to the booth. "alexa will want to sit by me. she's still not convinced about you, mat."
mat, to his credit, didn't look shocked or offended, he just shrugged and moved to tito's side. "this work?" he asked as you sat down.
you nodded.
"so what's the plan? how should i approach this?" he asked.
"keep the conversation on her, when she tries to turn it on you or about your career, focus on other people, applaud your teammates, your coaches, but whatever you do, don't talk about yourself too much. she already thinks you have a big ego."
"to be fair," tito started. "he does."
mat didn't even dignify that with a response. "so keep the conversation on her and others, got it."
alexa found you a moment later and didn't do a great job covering up her disinterest in sitting with mat and beau.
"i couldn't find anywhere to sit," you explained.
alexa didn't buy it if her eyes bouncing around the bar to find empty tables said anything. but she sat next to you anyway, placing your drink in front of you.
"you remember mat and anthony from the other night, right?" you asked.
she just hummed and took a sip of her drink.
"so, alexa," mat started. "what do you do for a living?"
she stared at him and sighed. "i'm a vet tech," she said, but offered no other information.
"she especially loves the cats," you added.
"cats are great!" mat said a little too enthusiastically.
alexa drained the rest of her glass and got up, leaving the three of you behind.
the second she was gone, beau broke into laughter, slapping his own chest. "that was fucking hilarious," he said.
"yeah yeah yeah, laugh it up," mat grumbled, swirling his cup around instead of making eye contact with anyone.
"i'm serious, i don't think i've ever seen you fail so quickly. it's kind of amazing."
mat focused his eyes on you. "what did i do wrong? i tried asking about her life and she seemed wholly uninterested."
you shrugged. "i don't know! maybe she feels cornered?"
tito took a sip of his beer. "i think you need to workshop this. clearly, neither of you thought this through."
you groaned and rested your head on the table.
this was already harder than you anticipated.
step three: reevaluate and regroup
you met mat in a booth of a coffee shop after you got off work. he was staring at his phone when you walked in, completely unaware that you even existed.
which wasn't abnormal considering you didn't even think he knew who you were a few months ago. but the second the barista called your order out, his head whipped up.
you could've sworn time stopped at that moment.
you made your way towards him and plopped down in the booth opposite of him.
"hi," you smiled. "what's up?"
"i don't know what to do, she doesn't seem interested in me." he groaned into his hands before running one of them through his hair.
god he was so attractive.
you snapped out of your reverie. "listen, you've got what it takes, we just need to reevaluate our strategy. i think the bar thing was a bad idea, she felt ambushed and it probably set us back a little, but i have an idea."
he leaned his forearms on the table. "let's hear it."
"practice dates," you said.
mat blinked once. twice. a third time before he spoke. "practice dates?"
"okay hear me out," you said, pulling a notepad out of the bag you brought. "i have a list of things that alexa likes to do and i was thinking, you and i can do them and work on conversations and how to approach her. so when the time comes, you don't feel out of your element."
"who said i feel out of my element?"
you stared at him. "you said last night 'cats are great!' and expected conversation to flow naturally."
"okay so not my best moment."
"not even close." you sighed. "listen, i wanna help you, and i feel like this is your best bet in winning her over."
mat ran a hand down his face. "okay fine. what's the first date?"
practice date one: pumpkin patch
to be quite frank, you were nervous when proposing the idea, scared that he wouldn't be willing to sit in a car with you for three hours just to get to the pumpkin patch. and maybe he would find it childish.
when in fact, he said nothing about the long car ride, he even offered to pick you up from your apartment, and laughed when you offered to pay for gas. when you finally arrived, you jumped out of mat's car like an excited child. mat stepped out like he knew he was the romantic lead in a movie, suave and collected.
you two could not be more opposite of each other.
it took everything in you to focus on the task at hand, and not fall deeper in love with him. but how could you not? when he looked so boyfriend in a coat and flannel and beanie and jeans that hugged his thighs just right--
you were getting ahead of yourself. you were doing this for mat and alexa, not your own selfish ambition.
"so what's the plan?" he asked after locking his car with the key fob.
you shrugged. "what would you do if you were here with alexa?" the words tasted bitter in your mouth. it was such a painful reminder, knowing that this wasn't real and was in service to hook him up with your friend.
mat looked around and shoved his hands in his pockets. "corn maze?" he pointed. you must've made a face because he spoke up again. "what?"
"alexa hates corn mazes."
he paused. "to the pumpkin patch then?" you nodded and followed his lead. "so how did you meet alexa?"
"she was my first roommate in college, we shared the smallest dorm in history."
"that sounds like an exaggeration."
"says the man who never went to college."
he laughed. "i don't need a college education to identify a hyperbole when i hear one."
you gasped and looked at him with wide eyes. "a hyperbole? what a word."
"laugh it up," he said. "but i'm not a complete idiot, you know."
"never said you were. i just haven't heard anyone use hyperbole in a sentence outside of my english lit classes."
"well, you should know i'm full of surprises."
the two of you approached the pumpkin patch and started weaving between families and the occasional rogue toddler. mat had to tug you out of the way a few times when you about stepped on a child because you were gazing at pumpkins.
"if you don't mind me asking," mat started. "why are you helping me? you don't owe me anything. i feel like i'm taking advantage of your kindness."
you shrugged. "you wouldn't be the first one."
"what's that supposed to mean?" you looked up from the pumpkin patch to see mat's brows furrowed together and his mouth twisted in a cute frown.
"well, i mean, i've been told i have a habit of being a doormat at times."
"who said that?" his tone had changed to a softer one.
"huh?" you asked.
"who called you a doormat?"
you shrugged again, that seemed to be your go to move around him. you squatted down to look at a particularly fat pumpkin, inspecting all sides of it before you responded. "i've heard it all my life, some have said it in meaner ways, others have been nicer about it."
"i'm sorry," he said.
you stood to your full height which was still much shorter than mat's. "why? it's not like it's not true."
"what if i helped you?"
it was your turn to frown. "help me? with what? ice skating?"
mat rolled his eyes. "no, with confidence. maybe even get you a date."
you guffawed, mouth opening and closing like a fish. "what?"
mat pulled you out of the way of yet another child and kept his hand on your elbow until you were clear of the pumpkin roots. and if your heart stopped for a few seconds, that was your business, no one else's. "you heard me. you're young, single, and attractive and you spend all your free time at the office or DDing for your friends. we can work on your confidence and get you out there."
"i don't know..." though your mind was still focused on the fact that he'd called you attractive.
"what about that other photographer guy? tony?"
you cackled. straight up burst into laughter. "tyler? that's fucking hilarious mat."
"what?" the two of you continued down the patch, occasionally gazing at the pumpkins, but mostly just talking. "you two are always talking."
talking or being insulted?
you shook your head. "enough about me, we're here for alexa."
mat nudged you with his elbow. "actually we're here for me to win alexa over."
you kicked a small stone with the toe of your shoe and said nothing. the tragedy of your own personal situation wasn't lost on you, neither was the idiocy of your plan. what were you thinking, spending your free time with mat? to win over your friend?
it was textbook self inflicted torture.
"where'd you go?" mat nudged you again. "i lost you there for a second."
you bent down and picked up a smaller pumpkin. "what do you think about this one?"
"it looks fine. you're ignoring my question."
you juggled the pumpkin back and forth in your hands to determine if you liked it or not. "what question?" you looked up just in time to see mat roll his eyes, but he dropped the topic anyway.
the both of you walked over to the stall to pay for the pumpkin. you reached into your tote bag to grab your wallet, but mat was already holding out a five dollar bill to the vendor.
"you didn't have to--"
"do you wanna get some cider?"
you could've started drooling at the idea of drinking cider. "yes!"
mat chuckled and started walking towards the cider stand where a small family waited in front of you. "does alexa like cider?" he asked.
"what a random question."
"well you're not giving me anything to work with!"
you almost groaned. because he was right. you got caught up in the idea of hanging out with mat outside of work that you forgot the real reason both of you were there in the first place.
"she loves cider, especially when it's spiked. she also loves mulled wine." mat scrunched his face up. "not a fan?" you asked.
"warm wine? no thank you."
mat paid for the cider, going as far as having the cash ready before you could even order.
"you really don't have to keep buying things. i can pay!"
"oh this is all a bribe to get you to go through that corn maze with me."
your face dropped. "alexa doesn't like mazes."
"so i won't go with her next time, but you're here now and i wanna go."
you let him drag you along until you were in the thick of the maze. you let him guide the both of you through it like he knew what he was doing even though you were pretty sure you hit every possible dead end in the maze.
two little kids ran past giggling and smiling. "we found the end, mama!"
you almost laughed at the look of irritation on mat's face.
it took an obscene amount of time to get through the maze, and mat was in a much worse mood when it was all over.
needless to say, the ride home was quiet.
practice date 2: dinner at mat's
you weren't quite sure what mat was planning on making for dinner, but you were willing to bet the smell of smoke wasn't a part of the plan.
the scene when you walked into his apartment could only be described as chaotic. the smoke detector was going off and when you walked into the kitchen, mat was going between waving a towel under the detector and opening every window in his kitchen.
"you weren't supposed to be here yet!" he shouted over the noise before darting past you into the living room to open the windows in there.
you dropped your things on the counter and took over waving the towel under the smoke detector.
"what happened?" you asked.
"i suck at cooking!" he came back in the kitchen and took the towel from you. "i'm taller," he said like that was an explanation.
the beeping ceased and left the two of you in a hazy apartment. when you looked around the kitchen, you saw what had to be charred meat and veggies in a skillet.
"okay so when you cook dinner for alexa, don't. just hire a chef."
mat held up his phone. "or order pizza. you in?"
"do i get to financially contribute?"
he gestured to your belongings on the counter, one of which was a bottle of red wine. "you already did."
"you can't keep buying everything," you said. "it's not fair."
"why not? i'm the millionaire here, i'd look like a dick if i made you pay for anything. besides, when i date alexa, it's not like i'm gonna let my girlfriend pay."
girlfriend.
right.
that was the end goal for him.
you kept forgetting.
you cleared your throat and dusted your hands on your pants despite them being clean.
"you can go pick out a movie or something while i order the pizza?" mat suggested.
you had no choice but to nod and wander into his moderately decorated living room. it definitely still looked like a bachelor pad, but if a bachelor had enough money to hire someone to say he needed artwork, decorative pillows, and a couch that wasn't brown.
you were scrolling through netflix when mat came into the living room and plopped on the sectional beside you, shucking his shoes off. why he was wearing shoes in his own apartment was beyond you, but you weren't one to judge.
"you look nice," he commented, as if just noticing you for the first time that night.
you looked down at your own outfit. it was a pair of jeans and a nice blouse. "this?"
"are you wearing something else that i'm not seeing?" he teased.
before you could die of embarrassment, you switched subjects. "what do you want to watch? i haven't made a decision yet." you handed the remote to him, hating being the one to make the decisions.
he shifted on the couch so he was sitting up instead of lounging on the chaise and took the remote. "what's alexa's favorite movie?"
"birdbox."
mat did a double take. "she likes birdbox?"
you shrugged. "she's into suspense."
mat was about to select birdbox until he took one look on your face. you don't know what you looked like but it made him pause. "but are you?"
"why do you care what i like?"
"because you're here, alexa's not. i don't wanna make you watch something you'd hate." mat shifted on the couch. "why don't we work on those dating tips i talked to you about."
"oh i don't think--"
"why not?" he asked. "you're always so jittery whenever we talk about it."
oh.
was he referring to the other day after practice when he saw tyler tormenting you and mat misinterpreted that as flirty banter? mat had come up to you afterwards to give you pointers but you practically ran away.
"it's not that simple, mat."
"i think it is."
you threw your hands up. "well then, by all means you must be right."
"what's with the attitude?" he asked. "did i say something?"
it was a good question. one that shouldn't make you want to cry, but life felt overwhelming in all the worst ways. between tyler harassing you every second of every day and pretending like you weren't in love with mat so you could set him up with your friend, and taking photos for games and practices, you were exhausted.
"i'm not sober enough for this," you said before getting up and popping the cork on the wine bottle and drinking straight from it.
it was another thirty minutes before the pizza arrived and the both of you were well on your way to wine drunk, you more so than mat. who could blame you though? your life was a sad excuse for a single twenty-something and you were tired of thinking about it.
"truth is," mat started with a mouth full of pizza. "you just need to act like you're the best thing that's ever happened to this city. guys love confident women."
"and that's your biggest issue with alexa right now."
"wanna switch personalities?"
you laughed.
"what?" he asked. "what's so funny?"
"i'm trying to picture you without an ego and i don't think it's possible."
mat rolled his eyes but had a smile on his lips anyway. it shouldn't have made your heart pound the way it did, but you were weak for that man, you had been since day one.
so you switched courses.
"okay," you started. "how do i make get a guy to wanna date me?"
mats eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "you're serious?"
you nodded. "as a heart attack."
mat sat up on the couch and faced you. his eyes scanned your face like he was looking for something but couldn't find it. maybe he was looking for a reason to change the subject.
"alright," he said. "you gotta be confident, even if you don't feel like it. most guys don't mind a little insecurity, they find it kinda cute, but a guy who wants an insecure girl is a red flag."
"should i be taking notes or...?" you took a large sip of your wine and smiled when mat rolled his eyes again.
"secondly, you can't be hiding behind your camera all the time."
you guffawed. "i do not hide behind my camera!"
"oh give me a break, you totally do! you walk around like it's a safety blanket or something."
"because it is!"
"exactly my point! thirdly, chivalry isn't dead. if he's not doing basic things like opening doors, walking on the closest side to the street, and he's only talking about himself? run."
"what? he can't be a good person if he doesn't do those things?"
"if he can't do a basic kind gesture, he's not going to do larger ones. sorry. i don't make the rules."
you blinked. "but you kinda are making the rules for me, right now."
"you're such a smart ass, just like tito."
"is that a good or bad thing?"
mat shrugged and took another bite of pizza. "hard to say, i love tito most days."
love.
don't be an idiot and read into things.
"so," mat leaned back into the couch. "i gave you advice, it's my turn. how do i win over alexa?"
you thought back to the conversation you had with her a few weeks ago about mat. and one comment stuck out the most. "i think the biggest sin you committed was not knowing anything about me despite working together for two years," you admitted shyly.
mat's brows furrowed in that cute way they always did. "what do you mean?"
"she said she's not impressed by you being nice to kid fans or tipping waitstaff. she would be impressed if you knew anything about me because i'm not a hockey player."
mat recoiled as if physically struck by your words. "she thinks that low of you?"
"no she didn't mean to say you were--" you paused. "me? you think she has a low opinion of me?"
mat crossed his arms. "she just insinuated that you weren't important enough for me to know."
"no! that's not what she meant! she was saying that you think you're better than me."
"that's not even remotely true." and he said it so confidently, you almost believed him. "it's not, you know that right?"
you hesitated and you might as well have punched him in the gut.
mat said your name so softly like it was precious. like it was something special. "you have to know, i have never, not once, believed you were beneath me."
you gave him a small smile. "you don't need to explain yourself to me, mat."
he reached over and grabbed your hand, tugging on it lightly. "no. i need you to know, you are important to me."
your heart fluttered at his words, or maybe it was the fact that you were holding hands and you could feel the calluses rub against your own palm.
you could've stayed there forever.
"jesus fucking christ, why does it smell like something burned in here?" the front door opened and slammed sending you and mat sprawling apart like you hadn't been locked in a staring contest and holding hands. tito rounded the corner and crossed his arms, a smug expression on his face. "what do we have here?"
"nothing!" you squeaked out. "i was just leaving!"
"no you weren't," mat started, eyes wide with an emotion you couldn't place. "beau was just leaving."
you looked as confused as tito was. "what? no i'm not." you glanced back at mat who could not have looked more annoyed if he tried. "or i can...?"
"no!" you said. "i need to get going anyway. got work tomorrow, long day."
mat stood up when he realized there was no convincing you. "i can walk you out--"
"don't worry about it! i'm a big girl." you were leaving when you heard whisper shouting. you couldn't fully make out what they were saying, but before you shut the front door behind you, you could've sworn you heard them mention "liking her."
you did your best not to let the talking break your heart even more.
practice date 3: ice skating
you made mat pick out the last date but he hadn't told you what it was, just asked for your shoe size.
aside from that?
radio silence.
maybe you should've seen this coming. you'd talked to alexa a few days ago and she'd suggested that maybe you should put yourself out there more, find a date, find a boyfriend, find some happiness.
after practice, you found yourself scrolling through your camera roll in one of the seats in the arena when a pair of skates came into your peripheral. you looked up expecting to see a mop of black hair and hazel eyes.
but it was tito with a sheepish grin on his face.
"hey," he said.
you put your camera down and smiled. it was always good to see tito, with the exception of the other night. "hey, what can i do for you?"
anthony playfully rolled his eyes. "you don't live to serve us," he said. "i don't need anything, just wanted to say hi."
"hi!" you smiled even brighter.
"i was wondering, what're you doing friday night?"
you jaw dropped. and it must've been funny because tito threw his head back and laughed. "what?"
tito smiled at you and gestured towards you. "i was wondering if you'd want to get dinner with me on friday. i don't know what time you get off work, but i was thinking 6:30?"
you blinked. you blinked again. "are you serious?"
"why wouldn't i be? you're attractive, single, and i like your company. i think we'd have a fun time."
"okay," you smiled again. have you ever smiled this much in your life? you were unsure. "okay yeah, friday at 6:30 is perfect."
"great," tito grinned. "can i have your number?" you handed your phone over rather quickly, watching as he typed his number in and texted himself. "i'll see you," he said.
"bye tito!" you waved until he was out of sight. and even then, you continued to stare at the spot he was once occupying.
"what the hell was that about?"
you jumped about a foot in the air when tyler made his comment from over your shoulder. "jesus fucking christ, tyler." you placed a hand over your heart to feel how rapidly it was beating. "are you some sort of lurker?"
"what did beauvillier want with you?" he condescended.
"it's none of your business." you rolled your eyes when your phone buzzed.
mat barzal: come down to the locker room.
"who is that?" he asked, peering over your shoulder, but you stood up and started walking away.
the both of you headed down to the locker rooms, though you weren't really enjoying the company. tyler kept talking about your lackluster photography skills like the both of you didn't have the exact same job title.
you were rounding the corner when you saw mat leaning up against the wall, still in his hockey gear. tyler, being confronted with an audience, immediately departed. if you had to guess, he probably went back to his office to scheme how else to make your life miserable.
"hey," you said as you approached. "what's up?"
mat reached down and tossed a duffle bag at your feet. "open the bag," he directed.
you squatted and opened the zipper to see a pair of ice skates. you looked up at mat who looked pleased with himself. "what're these for?"
"you ever been ice skating?" he asked.
the short answer? no.
the long answer? once in second grade for a field trip.
"kinda?" you said instead.
mat laughed, like an actual laugh. there was a shiver that went down your spine at the very sound of it. "it's a yes or no question."
"i would say yes, but i was like eight."
"yeah, doesn't really count anymore. grab the bag, let's go." he walked off without a second thought, leaving you scrambling with the bag and rushing after him.
"what's the point of this?" you called after him.
"you told me to pick the last date, this is it!"
you stopped walking immediately. "mat, i don't know if this is a good idea..."
as if sensing your hesitation, mat turned around and walked back towards you. he rested his hands on your shoulders and squeezed lightly, ducking his head down towards yours. "i'm not gonna let anything bad happen to you, i promise. you have nothing to be afraid of."
"what if my boss sees? what if lou sees? i'm a lot more replaceable than you are."
mat scoffed. "first of all, you're not replaceable. second of all, it's gonna be fine. i'll take all the heat if we get in trouble, which we won't because it's not a big deal." he reached down and grabbed your hand that wasn't holding the duffle bag. "now c'mon."
he led you out to the bench where you sat down and placed your camera on the bench. "take your shoes off and put these socks on." he tossed a pair of socks at your head that you barely caught in time.
"but i'm already wearing socks," you said.
"these are longer, unless you want the boot to cut into your ankle."
safe to say, you put the socks on.
mat knelt in front of you to help put the skates on, tying them up so they were secure on your feet.
you wanted to swoon at the sight of him before you. thankfully, he stood up and helped you to your feet before you could start imagining anything preposterous.
like him proposing.
you watched as mat slid over the top of the bench railing and onto the ice. he turned around and looked at you expectantly.
"oh hell no," you said. "where's the door, i'll use the door."
he cackled as you walked and opened the door, but skated to you anyway to give you some assistance when stepping onto the ice.
"easy does it," he said, chuckling when your grip was practically crushing his fingers. "you're okay, i'm not gonna let you fall."
"it's not you i don't trust, it's me."
mat kept a grip on your hands and led you out to the center of the ice. on the way to the center, you slipped twice, a squeak leaving your lips. you quickly latched onto mat who only laughed at your death grip on his forearms.
"it's not funny," you whined. "i'm terrified."
"you're right, it's not funny. but it is cute." he removed your hands from his arms and skated away from you. "okay, now come to me."
he was easily twenty feet away.
you glanced down at the ice and then back at mat. you would've sat down if you knew how to without eating it. "mat, i'm telling you right now, that's not gonna happen."
"it's not that hard."
"you've been skating since you were a child. i have not." you attempted to take a step forward, but thought differently of it. "besides, how does this help you with alexa?"
"easy," he said. "if i can teach you to skate, i can teach anyone."
"so your idea of a romantic date is a girl busting her ass over and over for an hour?"
"not quite," he said, skating circles around you.
literally.
"you're being an ass,' you whined. "why did the one practice date you pick out have to do with hockey?"
"because it's what i love. and if a girl can't hang with it, our relationship is doomed to fail."
you rolled your eyes. "that's a bit dramatic. you can appreciate and love hockey without having to ice skate. thousands of fans do it all the time."
"but my girlfriend won't be just a fan, now will she?"
your heart sank at the idea of alexa and mat in a similar situation. alexa actually trying to skate and looking beautiful while doing so. you pictured them laughing as she slipped and mat catching her before she could fall.
"you okay? i lost you again." mat skated right up to you, leaving maybe a foot of space between the two of you.
"yeah," you breathed. "just thinking."
mat smirked and skated backwards. "uh oh. that can't be good. less thinking more skating. would it help if i pushed you?"
"no!" you shrieked. "it definitely wouldn't!"
but it was too late. mat was skating up behind you and placing his hands on your waist. "relax," he murmured. "i'm not gonna push you without a little guidance."
relax?
relax?
when his hands were on your waist and he was mumbling in your ear?
how the hell was anyone supposed to live, laugh, love in these conditions?
mat added a little pressure to your back. and suddenly you were moving. "that's it," he praised. "now just move your feet."
it was easier with mat's hands on you, the sensation forcing you to focus on the warmth of his palms than the fact that you were skating on sharp knives.
"see? this isn't so bad, right?"
it wasn't too terribly bad, truth be told it was just like roller skating, just ten times scarier.
"yeah," you said. "not too bad."
"so you're ready to go by yourself?" his hands starting slipping away, leaving a burning sensation in their wake.
"i--"
but he was already skating away. he stopped about twenty feet away and smiled. "skate to me."
"mat--" your voice shook at the idea. skating with him was one thing, skating to him was another.
"hey," he said quietly. "eyes on me, okay? i'm not gonna let you fall, if i think you're gonna fall, i'll catch you. i was the fastest skater in 2020, remember?"
you nodded. "just like roller skating," you mumbled.
"except better," mat added.
you took a deep breath and put one foot in front of the other, slowly but surely gliding towards him. you started picking up pace the closer you got to him.
"mat?"
"you're doing great!" he smiled.
"i don't know how to stop!"
mat laughed even as he caught you. his arms gripped your biceps and his smile was a mile wide. "you okay?" he asked.
you couldn't help but smile. "yeah," you breathed.
there was hardly any room between the two of you. your heart was beating wildly in your chest at the proximity, the rush of skating alone, who knew? you surely didn't.
you looked into his eyes and could've sworn his gaze dropped to your chin, but you were known for your hopeless romantic delusions, so maybe--
"hey!" whatever trance you were in ended when you saw a man in coveralls standing at the end of the rink. "time's up, i gotta clean the ice!"
"sorry!" mat called. "we'll get out of your way!" he gently took your hand in his and skated the both of you back to the benches.
mat helped you take off your skates and walked you back up the tunnel towards the locker rooms. the both of you stopped just outside of them, considering mat still had to shower and go home while you had the rest of the day to do your work.
"this was really fun," you said. "terrifying but fun."
"i'm glad you enjoyed it." his smile just about made you collapse into a puddle.
but you got a grip on reality and nodded. "well, i hope this helps with alexa, i'll try to talk to her in the next day or so, see where her head is."
mat's jaw clenched but he nodded. "i'll be seeing you."
"bye, mat."
you might as well have been on cloud nine by the time you got up to your office. you were in a different zone, focused on the way that mat's hands felt on your body, in your own hand. the feeling of euphoria wouldn't leave your body, you were sure of it. nothing could take that feeling away.
until you got to your desk and saw tyler.
who was sitting on your desk and using a paper clip to get the dirt out from under his nails.
"what were you and barzal doing?" tyler asked, moving off your desk, instead choosing to lean up against the cubicle.
you ignored him.
"i asked you a question," he said.
"i heard you, tyler. but i have work to do." you signed into your computer and plugged your camera in, ready to start uploading and editing photos from practice and the game yesterday.
“do you really think sleeping your way through the roster will help you get your pics chosen for the social media accounts?” he sneered.
you froze, your fingers hovered over the keyboard. "what?"
"i said--"
"don't repeat it." another voice joined in and when you turned around to see who came in, you were flabbergasted.
mat.
"barzal i--"
"where do you get off talking to her like that? talking to anyone like that?" he stepped into the room, chest puffed out.
in all of your time working for the isles, mat had never been much of a fighter, but he looked ready to pummel tyler if need be.
"mat, it's fine," you mumbled.
"no, it's not. is this how he normally talks to you?"
you said nothing.
that only seemed to make mat angrier. "you need to go to HR about this. this is workplace harassment. now apologize," he directed at tyler.
"for what? speaking the truth? is this how you think you can get ahead in life?" tyler said to you. "first beauvillier now barzal?"
you and mat both froze. in the corner of your eye you could see his jaw clench before he looked at you.
"can you do your work from home?" he asked.
you nodded. "i just have a shit ton of editing but i can do that on my laptop--"
"great. i'll take you home."
"but my boss-"
"if anyone has a problem with it, they can talk to me. let's go." mat was spinning on his heel and walking out of the room as quickly as he came in. you were unplugging your camera and logging off your computer, packing up your things, before sprinting after him.
"mat! mat, wait up!"
he stopped walking and looked at you, an unfamiliar expression in his eyes. "can you wait for me outside the locker room? i still have to shower and change."
you nodded. "why did you come upstairs anyway?"
"to give you the skates." you glanced down at his empty hands. "i forgot the bag, and by that point, i was too lazy to go down and get them without you."
the both of you continued your walk until you got to the locker room.
"i'll be a few minutes and then i'll take you home."
true to his word, mat was only gone for ten minutes before coming out freshly showered and ready to go home. neither of you spoke until he was pulling the car out of the parking garage.
"what did tyler mean when he mentioned tito?" mat asked after moments of silence. his fists were gripping the wheel tightly, though you didn't know why.
"tito asked me to dinner on friday."
mat's fists tightened their grip on the wheel and his jaw clenched so hard, you were afraid he was going to chip some teeth.
"oh." was all he said.
"something wrong? i just figured for once i wouldn't be hiding behind my camera like you said and i thought it would be fun, you know? we get along fine. why? do you think i shouldn't go?"
"no!" mat said quickly. "no, i just, it just caught me by surprise is all. i'm sure you'll have fun."
"and i can give you alexa's number if you want to ask her out! she's coming over tonight so i can talk you up now that i know more about you, make it seem more genuine."
"yeah," he choked out. "yeah, that would be great."
mat pulled up to your apartment a few minutes later and watched as you got out. "i meant what i said in your office," he said. "you need to tell HR about tyler's behavior."
"i will." you probably wouldn't. "thanks, mat."
he nodded as you shut the door and waited for you to go inside before driving off.
you walked up the stairs to your apartment and unlocked the door. as you shut the door behind you, you felt the weight of today bearing down.
tito asking you out.
the moments with mat.
the slut shaming comment from tyler.
when did your life get so dramatic?
step 4: get her to say yes
you had alexa over that night, armed with a million reasons why she should say yes to mat.
and the one reason why she should say no was locked deep in your chest. your happiness and affection for him shouldn't deter her.
besides, you would eventually get over your silly little crush, right?
right?
"so what's new in your world? i feel like you've been so busy lately. it's kind of strange," alexa said before shoveling a forkful of pasta in her mouth. it should've been disgusting, but she made it look graceful.
"oh you know, just working."
"is that why you were in the middle of nowhere a few weeks ago? work?"
"what?"
"i checked your location, you were on a farm. didn't realize the isles was doing photoshoots that far out of the city."
"oh they're not," you explained. "i was with mat, we were just hanging out."
alexa blinked. "since when do you and mat hang out?"
ouch.
but true.
you couldn't come out and say it could you? that the reason the two of you started interacting was because he wanted to date alexa?
no, you couldn't.
so you lied.
"oh, the social media team wanted me to get some information on mat, like a get to know you segment. they wanted something outside of work, so we were just hanging out so i could write this article on him."
a complete lie. you haven't had to write anything on anyone since your college journalism class. but alexa didn't know that. you never told her what you do all day for work. for all she knew, you could be running the tiktok account.
alexa raised an eyebrow. "and how did that go? was he talking about himself the entire time?"
"no!" you said. but then you paused, realizing that getting defensive would just look suspicious. "he told me a lot about how he doesn't like mulled wine and loves corn mazes despite being absolutely shitty at them. he loves his friends and hockey, obviously. he refuses to let anyone pay for anything while you're with him because he has money and likes to treat people. and he sticks up for the people that are important to him. and once you're in with him, you don't have to worry about your place in his life or how important you are because he will keep reminding you."
alexa stared at you. "are you sure you don't want to go out with him?"
you guffawed and hoped that it covered up your embarrassment. "what? no! he's clearly into you, and i think you should go for it."
"give me one good reason why."
"because he's kind, and nothing like your ex. he cares, legitimately cares about people and their lives." you sighed, not sure if you were convincing her. “it’s just one date, lex. if you don’t like him at least you got a free meal.”
alexa chewed her lip, letting you anguish in silence. "fine. you can give him my number and we'll set up a date. i trust you."
"fantastic!" you were already pulling your phone out. "he'll be so excited--"
"only if you can look me in the eye and tell me you don't have feelings for him."
you opened and closed your mouth. "i don't have feelings for him," you said with as much confidence as you could.
"honey..."
"no! i don't! if i had feelings for him, would i be going out to dinner with his best friend on friday?"
alexa didn't look fully convinced, but your date with tito was a welcomed distraction as she started rattling off questions about what you would wear and where he was taking you.
alexa left two hours later, meaning you could go to bed at a reasonable hour. as you laid in bed, you grabbed your phone and opened mat's contact, drafting a text to him.
here's alexa's number. managed to convince her you were worth a shot. xxx-xxx-xxxx.
you locked your phone and put it on do not disturb before you could see his response.
when you woke up the next morning, you saw mat had simply liked the message and left it at that.
by noon, alexa texted you that her date with mat was on saturday.
step 5: let the dates begin
friday came faster than you were anticipating. you kept your distance from mat, unable to look at him without thinking about how he was taking your friend out the very next day and that your interactions from that point on would probably be through alexa.
tyler kept his distance, must've been the threat of going to HR (that you still hadn't gone through with) that had him treating you like a human being with feelings.
as for tito, you probably should've been more excited for your date that night, but all you could focus on was how mat and alexa would fall in love and get married and have beautiful babies and grow old together.
and you would be the sucker who set them up because you could never tell mat no.
a slam against the boards startled you enough to look up from your camera to see tito standing there with a smile on his face.
"you okay?" he asked over the sounds of his teammates on the ice.
you gave him what you hoped was a convincing smile and nodded. but he rolled his eyes.
"we'll talk later," he said before skating away. you smiled and waved at him before you made eye contact with mat who was clenching his jaw. at what? you weren't sure. you even turned around to see if tyler had entered the arena, but you were standing alone.
like you always were.
you were headed back to your desk to do some editing as practice let out, but your name was called before you could get away.
when you looked over your shoulder, you saw tito doing an awkward half jog half walk towards you with a tired grin on his face. "hey," he said. "how do you think practice went?"
you turned to face him fully. "you're asking me? a professional asking some photographer how practice went?"
tito rolled his eyes. "oh c'mon. you've seen our practices, by now you should be able to determine whether or not it was a good one."
"well, no one fought each other, so i guess that's a win."
tito shook his head. "nah, that's when the best practices happen. when everyone's pissed at each other."
you smiled. "shows what i know."
"i think you know more than you think. you've worked here for awhile now."
"i've just gotten better at motion capture photography and following the puck around the ice. doesn't mean i know shit about hockey."
"don't think we don't notice you getting riled up during games when calls are missed."
you tilted your head and furrowed your brows. "we?"
tito shrugged and laughed to himself. "mat usually points it out before i can." you must've made a face because he added more. "it's usually on the bench, he's focused on the game when he's playing."
the both of you turn your heads at the other players walking down the tunnel. when the both of you caught sight of mat, tito smiled.
"will you send me your address? so i can pick you up?"
your attention snapped back to tito. "yeah! of course!"
he nodded and started his walk towards the locker rooms right when mat walked up to you. "what was that about?" he asked.
you shrugged. "just going over details for tonight. he needs my address to pick me up."
mat clenched his jaw again and looked down the tunnel, nodding his head. "that's tonight?"
"yep. at 6:30."
he wouldn't meet your eyes. instead, he looked at your shoes, your camera, the hallway, his teammates, but would never look at your face.
"you and alexa go out tomorrow, right? where are you taking her?"
he ran a hand through his hair and nodded at anders as he passed by. "yeah, we're going out to this sushi place. did you ever talk to HR?"
"well no but--"
"do i need to talk to HR?"
"he really hasn't been that bad lately--"
"because i threatened to tell HR on his ass. he's gonna get comfortable and start insulting you again. it's just a matter of time."
you nodded, feeling a lump in your throat form at the idea of mat scolding you, in front of his teammates no less.
mat sighed and ran a hand through his hair again. "i'm not trying to fuss or tell you what to do, i just don't like seeing you treated like that."
"thanks, mat," you mumbled.
he still wouldn't meet your eyes, instead looking down the hallway to see most of his team in the locker room. "i gotta go, but um, good luck tonight. beau's a good guy."
with that he turned on his skates and walked away.
you felt every bit of pathetic as you watched him go.
that night, you settled on a pretty dress that wasn't too fancy, seeing as the only details tito had given you were that it was nicer than an olive garden but not a michelin star restaurant. you were strapping yourself into your heels when you heard a knock on the door.
your phone said it was only 6:15, but maybe tito was accounting for traffic. he never did specify when the reservation was.
"coming!" you called as you put your last heel on and made your way to the door. "i wasn't expecting you this early, you never told me when the reservation was--" your voice trailed off when you opened the door and saw who was standing on the other side.
mat.
he looked more disheveled than you'd ever seen him. it was clear he'd been running his hands through his hair repeatedly just by the strands sticking out every which way.
he still looked handsome.
"mat, what're you--"
"i think you're beautiful. and smart. and passionate about a lot of things. and i think anyone who tells you otherwise is an idiot, and i'd fight them if you'd let me." your eyes started welling up with tears. "i think you're perfect for me and if you'd let me take you out, i promise i'll spend the rest of my life proving it to you."
you blinked until the tears disappeared by sheer willpower, not willing to cry in front of him. "that's perfect," you said. "say that to lex and she'll be eating out of the palm of your hand."
you turned around to grab your bag and coat before you could see mat's face drop in confusion. by the time you turned back around, anthony was standing next to his best friend.
"you ready?" he asked, only glancing at mat out of the side of his eye.
you nodded and squeezed mat's arm as you passed; you couldn't help yourself. "get home safe, mat."
neither you or tito spoke until you got into his car. "what was that about?" he asked.
you shrugged. still not fully comprehending why mat showed up at your door in the first place. "he was telling me what he was gonna tell lex tomorrow, i think."
"really." he didn't sound convinced.
"why else would he show up?"
tito mumbled. "i can think of a few reasons."
after he parked the car, tito got out and opened the door for you while you were answering texts from alexa. he offered you a hand to get out that you took.
there were no sparks, no electric sensations going up your arm. just physical contact, just the warmth of his palm in yours.
he led you into the restaurant which was moderately fancy, like he said. the two of you were escorted back to a table in the corner, away from windows and therefore away from prying eyes.
like a gentleman, he pulled your chair out and helped you scooch up to the table.
"i can't remember if i told you this, but you look lovely," he said with a smile.
"thanks," you replied. "you look handsome." and you meant it. if you weren't in love with his best friend, in another life, you could see yourself falling for his blue eyes. and maybe you still could. mat was going on a date with your friend tomorrow so it was better that you just get over him already and--
"so how long have you been in love with mat?"
you choked on your own spit, and for a minute, tito looked apologetic. for his timing, you had to guess, not the question itself.
surely you heard him wrong.
"what?" you asked when you finally got your bearings.
"how long have you loved him?"
nope. you heard him correctly.
"i--"
he leaned forward, arms braced on the table. "you don't have to lie to me, i know. i've known for awhile."
"i--"
but the server came up and asked for drink orders. tito ordered a bottle of red for the table after asking for your thoughts.
you were still reeling from his question, safe to say you didn't have any thoughts.
"sorry," tito started. "i didn't mean to make you feel cornered, i just wanted to be honest."
"it doesn't look like you're the only who needs to be honest, it's me." you fiddled with the ends of your dress.
"why'd you do it? why'd you help set mat up with your friend?"
you shrugged. "i just wanted to see him happy. and i wanted alexa to find a good guy, i knew mat was one. they make sense together."
"even if it makes you unhappy."
"even if it makes me unhappy."
tito nodded, and looked at you like he could see something you couldn't. "let's forget about him for now and just enjoy dinner, eh?"
you gave him your best smile and nodded.
the rest of the night flew by. soon enough, tito was walking you up to your apartment and kissing your cheek before he left. you wished you felt butterflies, or something, but there was no special sensation. nothing to make you weak in the knees.
it was like a kiss from an old friend.
your phone buzzed with a text from alexa.
alexa: how'd your date go?
you typed out a quick response.
it was good. just got home.
you locked your phone and placed it on your nightstand before collapsing into bed. but your phone buzzed again. you thought about ignoring it, but if it was alexa, you didn't want her to think you were upset at her.
mat barzal: did you have fun?
you blinked before typing back.
yeah. tito's great.
not a second later, you got another text.
mat barzal: good. have a good night.
you fell back against your pillows and cursed at the ceiling.
step 6: let them fall in love
you woke up the next morning and stayed in bed until your bladder was about to burst. after the date with tito and the reminder that mat was going out with alexa tonight, it was all enough to put you back in bed as soon as you peed.
and you stayed there, flicking through netflix shows and wallowing in self pity. you usually weren't this pathetic, but the idea of alexa and mat getting cozy on their date that night was enough to warrant your sadness.
you'd pull yourself together by monday when you'd have to go back to work and see how happy she made him.
that's what you kept telling yourself, that at the very least, two of your friends would be happy.
by 7pm, you were sitting on the couch, waiting for takeout to arrive.
when a knock on the door signified your food arrived, you got up with your blanket burrito and walked to the door. you didn't even bother checking before yanking the door open and looking down at your doormat.
only to see a pair of shoes.
"what the hell," you mumbled. "i thought i said leave at the door...' your voice trailed off as your eyes lifted to meet a pair of hazel.
mat barzal.
he had your food in one hand while the other was in his pocket.
"mat?" you whispered. suddenly, you were throwing the blankets off your shoulders and behind you into your apartment where they'd be out of sight.
though it was then you realized you were in sweats and you hadn't done anything with your hair all day so you were probably better off with the blanket burrito instead.
"hi," he breathed. "here's your food." he handed it over, nodding when you murmured your thanks, and shoved his other hand through his hair.
you glanced at the time on the clock on your wall to make sure you weren't hallucinating. "why're you here, mat? shouldn't you be with alexa?"
"that's what i wanted to talk to you about, actually."
"oh no," you started panicking, your eyes widened. "did she not show up?" you turned back into your apartment and went to your phone, searching for texts from alexa to explain her absence. "i swear i thought she'd show. she told me she would and she's usually a woman of her word."
you turned around when your front door shut with mat standing in the middle of your living room, looking out of place and right at home somehow.
your phone was vacant of any text messages from alexa.
"no, she showed. i left early."
that caught your attention.
you set your food on the coffee table and turned around to face him.
"why did you leave early? was she rude? are you sick?"
mat shook his head. "no, i'm fine, she was fine. that's not why i'm here. i mean it is but that's--that's--i want, no i need to tell you something."
"tell me what?"
he rolled his eyes. "i'm getting to that." he started pacing your very small living room. you wondered if he knew how much space he took up in your apartment. you wondered if he cared how messy your place was. "i'm just gonna come right out and say it, and don't interrupt me this time." you nodded.
mat ran both hands through his hair for the twentieth time since he showed up. "when i said all those things last night, i wasn't talking about alexa. i was talking about you."
what.
but he continued.
"i'm not gonna pretend i've loved you this whole time, but i fell in love with you along the way. the way you kept analyzing every fucking pumpkin for the perfect one, or how you bring red wine to dinner unprompted because you can't not contribute to something, or the way you trusted me enough to take you on the ice and show you something i love, or how you laugh like no one has ever said something mean to you in your life even when i know that jackass tyler harasses you on the daily. you're kind to literally every person i've ever seen you interact with.
"but i hate the way you shrink yourself like you're afraid to take up space. i hate the way you act like alexa's better than you, like i couldn't fall in love with you when you're literally the most generous, kindest, passionate, and beautiful person i've ever met in my life. because i do love you. every fiber of my being loves you."
you blinked once. twice. and breathed.
"what?" you whispered as tears gathered in the corners of your eyes.
"i know you just went out with tito last night, and if you like him, if you love him, i get it. he's a great guy and you'd be great together. but i'm asking you to give me a chance, give us a chance. i've had fun with you the last few weeks and i cannot bear the thought of not calling you mine any longer." his chest was heaving as the words rushed out of his mouth.
you rounded the coffee table to get to him. as soon as you were in arms' reach, mat was pulling you to him. with your hips pressed together, your lips just a breath away, you spoke softly.
"please tell me this isn't a dream."
a small laugh escaped his lips and echoed over your own. "it's not a dream, baby. this is real. i love you so fucking much."
"i love you too, mat."
any words you had left to say were lost as he brought your mouths together.
you weren't sure how much time had passed before you separated from him with your hands pressed on his chest. mat tried to follow your lips, but you kept a firm hand on his sternum so you could speak.
"what about alexa?"
mat pulled back. "what about her?"
"you were on a date with her and just left her there?"
"i more than covered the tab if that's what you're afraid of--"
"what if she hates me?"
he laughed. like threw his head back and laughed before kissing you again. "baby, we were there for fifteen minutes and all i could talk about was you. she told me to come here and tell you the truth."
you smiled. "thank god for alexa."
"thank god for alexa."
mat led the two of you over to the couch where you immediately curled into him. he kissed the top of your head, seemingly addicted to having his lips on your body at all times. "you're fired, you know."
you would've pulled away had mat's grip allowed it. "what? fired from what?"
"the wing woman business. you're absolutely horrible at it."
"yeah, well i think it worked out pretty well."
he pressed his lips into your hair and mumbled. "yeah, i think so too."
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Show you - Mathew Barzal x Reader (4+1 fic)
A/N: its here!! barzy fic with a lot of romcom influence and a bunch of taylor swift lyrics references
Word count: 7.2 k
Warnings: mention of alcohol, mention of illness (nothing serious but just in case) and there's one scene where the reader throws up
Summary: after hearing something he shouldn't have Mat is set on proving he is serious about dating you
Masterlist
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1.
“One date. Promise it will be worth your time.” he said followed by his signature half smirk, usual Barzal charm full of action.
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
“I’m serious, I wanna take you out on a date.”
“You don’t wanna date me, you wanna take me to your bed because I’m the only girl here that’s not dreaming of that.” You gestured to the rest of the bar, more precisely the girl standing nearby that wouldn’t take her eyes off him. “It’s kind of childish really, the more you can't have it the more you want it.”
“I don’t wanna take you to my bed.” Pause. “At least not at first.” He corrected himself followed by a wink, and if said wink caused butterflies in your stomach you were going to deny it till you died. “I wanna take you on a couple dates first.”
You deadpanned at him. He wasn’t being serious, he couldn’t be. It was Mat after all. That’s how your relationship was: he’d jokingly flirt with you, you’d turn him down. It was a game, your little playful dynamic. It was never real.
“I’m not joking.” he persisted. His tone made you doubt, it sounded like he was being genuine.
“What has gotten into you?” He looked away, there was something he wasn’t telling you and it made you equally curious and anxious not knowing. “Mathew spill it out. Right now.”
“It was an accident, okay? I swear I wasn’t eavesdropping or anything.” The way he was nervously defending himself beforehand only made you feel worse. Your heart started racing. No, there was no way he could’ve heard that- “Last friday at Beau’s, you were talking to Emma …”
Shit. He had heard it.
“You weren’t supposed to hear that.” you said, looking away as your cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
“I know, I know. I swear it wasn’t on purpose, I was going to get a beer from the fridge and you two were talking in the kitchen.”
“Forget it.”
“You said you’d date me.”
“Mat, forget it.”
“You’d date me.” he repeated, as if he himself still couldn’t believe it.
“You’re missing the ‘if’. I said I would date you if you weren’t you.” You remembered it very clearly. The if that was just impossible to ignore because was essentially part of himself.
“I don’t get it.” You didn’t want to explain it, there was no point. Nothing good was gonna come out of it, nothing was gonna change.
“You’re a great guy Mat and I really like what we have, let’s just pretend I never said that and go back to normal.”
“I’m serious about this.” He wasn’t going to let it go, you knew him. But you weren’t going to simply accept, because you also knew the consequences that would inevitably follow.
To you it was no news you liked him, how could you not? Apart from his obvious good looks, he was funny and sweet and caring and many more amazing qualities that would make almost anyone like him. But you knew it could never go past that, past a silly little crush. Because apart from being all those good things Mathew Barzal was a manwhore and that was surely going to end up with you getting hurt. So you decided to ignore whatever it was you were starting to feel and to stick with the jokingly flirting, not allowing yourself to even entertain the idea of him being anything more than a friend.
“You don’t do dates.”
“I do with you.” You rolled your eyes. “Come on, you can't just rule me out like that, at least give me a chance.”
You looked at him for a second, really taking him in. It didn’t seem like he was lying or attempting one of his stunts to just take a girl home, you had seen a lot of them. Still you weren’t going to give in and he could tell the hesitation in your eyes.
“I’m not like you Mat. I don’t fool around. I’m 99.9% sure if I let the slightest thing happen between us I’m gonna end up hurt because I can’t keep things casual and casual is all you do.”
He looked taken aback by it, like he suddenly realized the reputation he had and how it could make anyone not take him seriously.
“I’m gonna prove it to you.” he suddenly said after a moment of silence. Now it was your turn to look at him in confusion. “I’m gonna show you I’m serious about this.”
Before you could analyze what he truly meant Tito arrived, putting an end to the topic.
The bar started getting more and more crowded by the minute and in said crowd, just like every other night you went out with these two, there were girls looking over at your table, looking over at them. You were already used to it, at some point Tito was going to complain about how awkward it was making him feel and how much he missed Emma, and Mat being the polar opposite would enjoy every second of the female attention until deciding which girl was going to be his catch of the night and go for it.
Tito did as expected, however Mat was still sitting by your side pretending not to notice them. You then understood it was part of his plan to show you he was being serious about wanting to date you, how serious would he look if he went and made out with another girl in front of you?
“This must be killing you.” you told him.
“What exactly?” Mat turned to look at you. He knew what you were talking about. Tito’s ‘here we go’ got lost under the noise, but his face said it all. Everyone, prepare yourself for another round of banter.
“Not being able to take any of these girls home.” you explained, even though there was no explanation needed. “That blonde one is basically throwing herself at you. You can always accept you weren’t serious about me and go with her. I won’t be offended, I swear.”
Part of you really enjoyed seeing him try to prove himself to you, being his center of attention. But you wouldn’t get your hopes up because he still was Mathew Barzal and there was a big chance, huge chance, he just wanted to get into your pants and once you put enough resistance he would simply give up and move on to the next girl who would hopefully (and probably) give in way easily. He’d probably forget about it and go back to his old ways next week.
“No thanks. The only girl I wanna take home is sitting next to me, but as I said that won’t happen before a couple dates. I’m a gentleman.” Tito chuckled, not the world he’d use to describe his friend.
“Such a gentleman.” you added, eyes squinting in annoyance accompanied by a fake smile. However his smile wasn’t fake, he was enjoying this a little too much.
“I’m getting another one. Want one?” You nodded and handed him your glass as he got up.
You watched as he made his way through the crowd to the bar, his broad shoulders pushing through the sea of bodies moving to the rhythm of the music. Faces turned when he walked by, some because they recognized him and others simply because of his looks.
“What’s that thing about proving he’s serious?” Tito brought you back to reality, your thoughts were still stuck on Mat’s shoulders.
“Apparently he wants to date me, but it’s Mat, we both know he’s incapable of anything remotely close to seriously dating someone.”
“So he finally confessed, eh?” Your brows furrowed at his comment. “Shit, he didn’t. Just forget I said anything.”
“Anthony!” you said a little too loud earning some weird looks from the people around you. “You can’t just say something like that and then tell me to forget it!”
“Ok, look I shouldn’t tell you this, but believe him. I know Barzy is Barzy, but when he says it’s you over any girl he’s not lying. Give him a chance to prove himself.”
That only made you more confused. Tito told you to give him a chance so was Mat being sincere? Did he really want to date you? No, that couldn’t be true. Tito wouldn’t just say something like that to help his friend, it couldn’t all be part of Mat’s scheme to get into your pants, could it? Were you seriously considering giving Mathew Barzal a chance? Your plan to not get your hopes up was already off to a rocky start.
Too lost trying to make sense of everything that had happened the past hour, you didn’t notice Mat was already back with one glass on each hand and a smirk on his face. You tried to shake off that weird dubious feeling that had settled in.
“One for the lady.” he said, placing the glass in your hands and then took his previous spot on the couch between you and Tito. “So, what did I miss?” He could help but notice your change in demeanor since he had left.
“Nothing.” Tito was quick to answer, but something did happen. A lot had happened.
2.
Your head was killing you and the ringing of your apartment’s bell wasn’t making it any better. Guessing it was just a door-to-door salesman you ignored it, but a minute later there it was again. You got up, ready to tell off whoever it was that was bothering you, but before you could even talk Mat was already asking you to let him in. Extremely confused you did so, knowing there was no point in asking for an explanation over the intercom.
“W-what are you doing here?” you said opening the door only to be met by the man himself holding a grocery bag.
“You’re sick, right?” he asked and you nodded slowly, confused as to how he could know since you hadn’t told anyone.
“How did you-” The obvious answer came to mind before you even finished the question. “Emma.”
“Well not Emma exactly.” he explained as he walked into your apartment, heading to the kitchen. “Beau mentioned earlier at practice she was supposed to be hanging out with you today but you canceled cause you weren’t feeling good.”
He placed the grocery bag on your kitchen counter and started to look through the cabinets as you inspected what was inside the bag. A small smile appeared in your lips when you recognize the containers. You tried to hide it quickly when he turned around to face you but he caught it.
“So you bought soup and my favorite dessert and your plan is to what? Look after me?”
“Yeah.” he answered matter of factly. This was clearly part of his ploy to show you he was serious about you, since you assumed he didn’t show up to take care of just any girl when they were sick. “Now go get comfy and put on a movie or something. I’ll heat this up and help you with anything you need.”
You were too tired to even attempt to put any kind of resistance against his stuid plan. Plus it would be nice to feel taken care of, especially in the state that you were in. So with a simple shrug of your shoulders you left him in the kitchen and headed back to the couch.
The possibility of Mat burning down your apartment trying to heat up the soup was real, too real; but minutes had gone by and the fire alarm still hadn’t gone off. Before you knew it he was handing you a steamy soup bowl with a proud smile on his face, he was also worried about burning down the place.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Anything else I can do for you?” He seemed eager to help, to prove himself useful.
“Not that I can think of.”
His face fell. Yes, this was all to prove he was boyfriend material. Still he didn’t want to go, it felt wrong to leave you all alone when you weren’t feeling good, he wanted to be there for you. You could tell this, it was clear in his face, and truth be told you didn’t want him to leave, it was nice having him around, especially if he was willing to play your personal maid for the day. You could also tell he wasn’t going to ask to stay, he didn’t want to bother or be a burden. You’d have to ask him to stay, leaving your pride aside because at the same time you’d be helping him prove his point.
“Could you stay? You know in case I get worse and get a fever and stuff.”
“Yes, yes. Obviously.” He tried not to sound so excited about it. He failed.
At first he took a seat on the armchair beside the couch. He crossed his legs, then uncrossed them, leaned against the backrest, started bouncing one leg, leaned forward elbows resting on his thighs, leaned back again and started drumming his fingers on the armrests. Unable to find a comfortable position, he got up and started walking around the living room, just couldn’t stay still. You could hear him, feel him pacing up and down behind you, the creaking of the floor driving you insane.
“Mat?” He stopped, finally.
“Yes?” You signaled with your hand for him to come closer and he did. When he appeared again in front of you he looked worried, ready to call an ambulance.
“Can you please stop moving around? I swear all your pacing is making me feel sicker.”
“Yeah, sure.” He sat again on the armchair and finally the only thing that could be heard was the movie playing on the tv. It lasted less than a minute.
“I’m sorry. I never really took care of someone sick, except for my sister that one time but she was 10 and my mother told me what to do over the phone so it doesn't count. I don’t exactly know what to do. Do you want water? Another blanket? Tea? More soup?”
Maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t all just part of his plan to prove you wrong. Maybe he genuinely cared. And maybe (definitely) your heart warmed at his concern.
“Come here.” You patted the spot next to you on the couch.
He sat but his eyes were stuck on the tv. He was being weird, weirder than usual. You took his hand, making him face you. He still looked uneasy, not the chill Mat you were used to.
“You’re doing a great job, okay? I’m already feeling better.” He relaxed a little. ”Now please just calm down and enjoy the movie. I chose one with cartoons so you could understand it.”
“So funny.” His words dripped sarcasm, the Mat you knew was back.
As the movie went on it was getting harder and harder to fight the sleep; to keep your eyes from closing, your head from falling. At one point you gave into it, closed your eyes and let your head rest on Mat’s shoulder. And if you cuddled closer into him, that happened unconsciously when you were already asleep.
Mat got tense at first. Ever since this started, this being him knowing he had the slightest chance with you, everything that once was normal between the two of you had a whole new meaning for him, made him feel and think and react in a whole new way. This wasn’t the first time you had fallen asleep on him. Okay, yes, the previous times were because you were too bored or too drunk at some party and needed somewhere to rest your head; you were in the middle of the club or someone’s place surrounded by people. Now it was different, you could’ve laid against the armrest but you laid against him, and you were alone in your place. It felt intimate. It made him feel anxious or maybe nervous, he wasn’t sure what he felt, but it was the good kind of feeling.
3.
You weren’t sure how you ended up this drunk. Well, you actually did but you weren’t going to admit it even to yourself yet. Tito helped you into the uber, or maybe it was Mat? You also weren’t sure about that.
At some point you got to your place. You were changing into your pajamas when you heard a noise in the kitchen. Slowly you made your way there and almost had a heart attack when you spotted a man’s figure roaming your fridge. Almost, until you noticed it was Mat.
“Dude you scared me.” He turned around confused. “I forgot I wasn’t alone.”
“You’re that drunk?” You flipped him off. “See I was getting you a glass of cold water, but if you’re gonna treat me like that I don’t think you deserve it.”
Your mouth watered at the thought of water. You were indeed that drunk. He laughed at the look in your eyes when he mentioned water and handed you the glass, which you took no time in gulping down.
“Slow down or you're gonna-” he started to say but the look in your face told him it was too late.
“Shit.” you said and rushed to the bathroom, hand on your mouth trying to at least delay the inevitable till you reached your toilet.
Mission accomplished, you made it in time but that didn’t make what followed any nicer. In no time Mat was behind you, holding your hair with one hand and caressing your back gently with the other. It just wouldn’t stop, when you felt it was over and there couldn’t possibly be anything left in your stomach to be pushed out, there it was again.
“Still wanna date this puking mess?” you were able to joke in that rare moment your body decided to give you a break between pukes.
“I wanna date this puking mess so much you have no idea.” he said and sounded so genuine you could’ve smiled had it not been the feeling of more disgusting liquid coming up your throat.
Eventually the throwing up stopped, thankfully, and Mat helped you up from your bathroom floor. He kept his arm around you as he guided you to your room, not that you needed it but you weren’t going to complain.
You let yourself fall into the mattress the second you reached your bed, too tired (and still drunk) to care about sleeping over the comforter or the position you were in. Mat’s soft chuckled could be heard behind you, making your insides tingle at the sound. It was hot, you could admit that.
“Why did you drink that much?” he asked as he helped you get in a more sleeping-appropriate position. It was more of a rhetorical question but your drunk brain didn’t catch that. Apparently your drunk brain also felt like being honest and sharing a truth you hadn’t even shared with yourself yet.
“That bitch wouldn’t stop checking you out.” Mat looked down at you surprised. “Sorry she wasn’t a bitch, that’s not very feminist from me.”
“You got drunk because a girl was looking at me?”
“Not exactly like that.” Your train of thought wasn’t the brightest back at the party and now wasn’t much better. You were sure what you were about to explain wasn’t going to make any sense, but again your drunk brain didn’t care. “She wouldn’t stop looking at you and then she was playing beer pong and I really wanted to beat her because she was looking at you.”
“But you suck at beer pong.”
“I know. She kicked my ass.”
He laughed. It wasn’t the cocky laugh you expected after admitting you had gotten jealous over him; it was a sweet laugh. Actually what was sweet wasn’t the laugh itself but the way he was looking at you, his eyes were full of adoration. You should’ve felt embarrassed after just confessing that, but you weren’t because it was Mat. Not old stupid-fratty-dude Mat, it was this new lovely caring Mat. You could almost feel your hopes getting up but the second and the alcohol in your blood wasn’t helping.
His laughter died when he felt the way you were looking at him so intensely, intrigued by what was going on in your head. “Penny for your thoughts.”
When he spoke your eyes went to his lips and so did your thoughts.
“You have really kissable lips.” Any type of filter you had was gone because of the alcohol. “They look soft and big. I once thought you had fillers. Still kinda do honestly.”
There it was again, that laugh, that smile that made your insides burn. “You’re gonna regret saying all of this in the morning.”
“Kiss me.” The words left your lips before your head even processed them, not that it would’ve made a big difference if you had.
“What?”
“I really want you to kiss me Mat.” Your hand went up to cup his face, to draw him closer, but he didn’t move.
“And I really, really want to kiss you. Believe me I do. But it’s not gonna be like this.”
You pouted, earning a chuckle and roll of eyes from him. It took every bit of self control he had not to kiss that pout out of your lips.
“I’m gonna kiss you one day, you just wait.” Now you were rolling your eyes, cocky Mat was coming back, but just like Mat in general this was a new cocky, a cocky you could tolerate and actually liked. “When I finally kiss you it won’t be because you’re drunk and needy-”
“Hey!” You punched him in the chest, trying your hardest to seem offended. The smile on your face didn’t help you sell the part.
“When I finally kiss you you’ll want me to kiss you, there’s gonna be no doubt in your mind how serious I’m about you, how real my feelings are.”
He left you speechless. If only he knew your barrier was breaking down and you were second away from reaching that point, from falling completely head first blindly for him.
You held his gaze until you couldn’t anymore, still drunk and exhausted your body gave in and your eyes closed.
Mat thought you had passed out, if not he would have said it. “You’re the one for me, I know it. I’ll prove it to you.”
You heard him. Then you felt his lips gently kissing your forehead and lastly his steps walking away.
4.
Mat was losing his mind, which wasn’t ideal since the game was going to start any minute. He couldn’t get the image out of his head, you sitting next to that other guy, laughing at something he said. The brain was a tricky thing because the moment he could stop thinking about it his eyes would wander to that specific sector where he knew you were sitting and it was hell all over again.
The first period ended and they were tied on 0, so even if his head wasn’t in the game it wasn’t that bad. The problem was when by the end of the second period they were down by 2, one being a puck lost by Mat because he couldn’t stop looking over where you were and the second a power play goal made on a stupid penalty he took when frustration took over.
The second intermission came and by the way Anders was glaring at him as they made their way off the ice he knew what was about to come. He took a seat next to him, which wasn’t his usual seat, and laid it on him the second Lambert was done giving indications.
“Get your shit together man. What has gotten into you?”
“Nothing. Bad day.” Anders looked at him, not believing a single word. Then he looked over at Tito sitting on Mat’s other side waiting for an explanation.
“She came with another guy to the game.” There was no need to clarify who the she was.
“Look Mat, the girl you like brought another guy to your game, it sucks, believe me I get it. But the worst thing you can do is play like shit in front of them, ok? You’re the most competitive guy I know, go there and play the game of your life, show off, make her regret it.” Mat nodded. That was exactly what he needed, to use this as fuel to play better, as motivation.
Before they left the locker room and headed back to the ice he sent you a text. It was a simple ‘meet me outside the lockers after’. He wasn’t just going to leave it like that. Yes he was the one trying to prove something and pushing for a date, but after what had happened the last couple weeks it felt like things had changed, things were heading in the right direction. This didn’t make sense, it felt like a betrayal no matter how dramatic it sounded, and he felt like he was owed an explanation.
Anders' words indeed worked because he was a completely different player that last period, even came close to scoring a natural hatty had it not been for the final bell. With his two goals and one by Pelly they completed the comeback and won the game.
You watched the clock run out of time, begging for it to go slower. Mat’s text confused you, you had no clue what it was about but it couldn’t be good. You decided it would be better to head over there and get whatever it was going on over with before the game ended and thousands of fans started to flood the hallways trying to get out. So after saying goodbye to Pete, sending him off with some lame excuse about having to catch Emma before she left, you made your way to the locker room.
You had been there before maybe once or twice, normally choosing to wait for your friends outside the arena. It felt weird, even out of place, to be there surrounded by girlfriends and wives of the players when you were neither. Thankfully the girls hadn’t arrived yet, it was just you, some stuff and guards.
Mat had apparently given your name to security because you were allowed in the private zone without any problem and just in time to see them walk down the hallway, big smiles and victorious screams after such a great comeback.
The ones that noticed you said a simple hi or gave you a friendly nod. Mat was the last to get off the ice since he had been named first star of the game and his whole attitude changed the second he saw you there waiting for him. Bad signal.
“Congratulations-” you started to say when he approached you but were cut off by his hand grabbing yours and gently drawing you some steps away from the locker room entrance. You thought he’d shower and change before you talked about whatever it was he so urgently needed to talk about, but it seemed it couldn’t wait.
He had his helmet on one hand and stick on the other. Skates still on so now he towered even more over you. It was weird to have him standing in front of you in his uniform.
“Do you like me?” he let out, cutting straight to the chase.
“W-what?” You were taken aback by it.
“Do you like me? It’s a yes or no question.” It was not that simple, even if you had known he’d ask that it would’ve taken you some time to come up with the right answer. Hell, even you didn’t know the answer to that yet. Yes, you liked him but was that the type of like he was referring to? Was it like as in friends? As in more than friends? As in friends that could potentially be more than friends eventually?
“Mat what’s going on?” You avoided his question again, hoping he’d give you an explanation and you could move on from it.
“Ok, I’m gonna assume you like me because I like you. I like you a lot. So much that I’ve been trying to prove to you how much I like you and how serious I am about this. It would be a huge fucking pity if after everything you don’t even like me.” He could feel himself getting more heated up by the second, adrenaline still running in his veins from the game.
“I don’t get where this is going.”
“If you like me, why are you going on a date with another guy? Why are you bringing him to my game? What kind of sick game is this?” Once you realized what he was talking about you had to fight back your laugh.
“This is about Pete?”
“So he’s called Pete.”
“Pete my friend. My coworker. My married coworker may I add.”
“Oh.” was all he was able to say. He stared at you in slack-jaw, processing everything.
Mat had done some pretty stupid things in his life but this had to be on the top 10. He should've known it was not what it looked like, he knew you and knew you wouldn’t do something like that.
“Yeah ‘oh’.” you replied with a smile on your face. The more you thought about it the funnier the whole situation was.
“Can we just pretend this never happened?” His cheeks turned red and he scratched the back of his neck. It was adorable to see Mat out of his element, his confident exterior completely gone.
“I don’t think I want to, you look cute freaking out.”
“I’m cute, eh?” And just like that the Mat you knew was back, embarrassment disappearing as his cocky smile grew.
“Shit forgot rule number one: never give Mathew Barzal a compliment.”
“You’ve got more rules?” He leaned against the wall and accompanied the question with a jerk of his head.
“Rule number two: he will automatically assume the worst so be careful who you hang out with.”
“Ha. Funny.”
“If it makes you feel better it showed you care. In a really stupid twisted way, but it did.”
“Good. Because I really do care.” He said with so much sincerity, looking you in the eyes, hoping you could see in his how genuine he was being.
“I know.” you replied with the same amount of honesty.
The two of you went silent, only staring at each other with bright eyes and adorable smiles. There was nothing left to say.
If you had to pinpoint the moment in which you gave up trying to hold back your feelings this would be it. You had unsuccessfully tried to not get your hopes up all this time, while truly you knew there was no point in trying, it was gonna happen anyway. The only thing left for you to do was hope it didn’t end up with you getting hurt.
As if he could read your mind Mat opened his mouth, ready to ask you that one question again, but in that moment the locker room doors flung open.
“Barzy!” Anders called him, his head peeking through the door. “You and Pelly are up for the postgame interview, go shower already.”
“I should go.” he said and you nodded. He started walking away reluctantly, not wanting to leave you, not wanting the moment to be over. You didn’t want it to be over either.
“Mat?” you called and he turned around. “Are you free on friday?”
“Are you asking me on a date?” One of his brows went up in amusement.
“Still haven’t decided if I’m calling it a date or not.” He was not going to push it, not when after all he was (maybe) getting what he had been after all this time.
“I’m free.”
“Good. We can arrange everything later.”
“Good.”
There you were again, looking at each other with stupid love eyes, unable to hide your happiness. Mat told himself he was going to wait, he was going to rush it, but God he wanted to grab your face and kiss you so much it was painful to abstain.
“Mathew!” It was Anders again, this time louder and more annoyed.
“I’m going! I’m going!” he shouted back and rolled his eyes, making you laugh. “See you on Friday.”
He leaned in to kiss your cheek, that would have to make it for now. That tingle in your stomach was back, you’d have to call it The Mat Barzal Effect because he was the one always causing it. It made you feel like a silly 15 year old with a crush, which apart from the age wasn’t that far from the reality.
“Goodbye Barzal.” you said as he walked away.
He stopped to give you a final smile before pushing the doors open and walking in. That stupid tingling again.
His teammates looked at him as he walked over to his stall, each one of them ready to chirp him about the lovesick look he had in his face and the spring he suddenly had in his step. Anders was the first. “I’m gonna assume that smile isn’t because you got named first star.”
+1
For a not date, it looked a lot like one. You wouldn’t have spent an hour dressing and undressing looking for the perfect outfit, and another extra hour fixing your hair and makeup, if it were just two friends hanging out. Mat wouldn’t have shown up at your door with flowers if it were just two friends hanging out. Most importantly the two of you wouldn’t be this nervous if this wasn’t a date, but still you refused to call it that.
It was tense at first, a bit awkward, but once you sat on the table he had reserved everything started to ease up. There was an unspoken pact to not talk about that certain topic, the elephant in the room, the reason you were sitting at the restaurant having a lovely dinner in the first place. So you spoke about everything else.
Conversation flew but you expected it to. Nerves aside it was Mat after all, you were friends, kind of. You talked, joked, laughed; as if it was a normal night with him just hanging out like you’ve done many times before.
He was charming, he always was charming with you, but this time you saw him with different eyes. When he told you you looked beautiful for the fourth time you didn’t roll your eyes thinking it was just a joke; you thanked him and even blushed a little. This new Mat, that was exactly like the old Mat but with a different undertone echoing his words an action; this new Mat was making you fall harder than what you expected. And while the idea of free falling into him and letting your emotions run wild was tempting you had to hold yourself back.
After dinner he proposed to go for a walk in an attempt to prevent the no-date from ending. You agreed, not wanting the night to end either. As soon as you walked into the street he took your hand in his and you were about to make some snarky comment about how holding hands was only reserved for real dates, but it felt good to have his hand wrapped around yours. Plus you could take it had taken him a leap of faith and a bit of courage for him to do it so naturally by the way he was avoiding all eye contact, so you decided to be nice just this once.
You walked into a park and when you passed by a nice bench illuminated by a lamppost it felt like a divine sign that it was the time and place to have that conversation.
“Let’s sit for a moment.” you said, already dragging him to the bench by your still entangled hands.
“It’s time to have that talk, isn’t it?” You could almost see the nerves from before coming back to him.
“Chill Barzal. I’m not going to interrogate you or anything. I just have one question.”
“Ok, shoot.”
There was no doubt in your mind Mat has proven he could seriously date someone, but part of you still wondered if he wanted to date you. Part of you was terrified that the only reason he was set to prove you wrong in the first place was because that night he heard you say he could have a chance. It was cynical to think you were just a challenge for him, especially after what you had gone through the past weeks, but you couldn’t help it.
“I know we’ve always had this kinda playful dynamic where you flirt with me and I pretend you’re the most despisable man on earth, and I always took it as a joke. Was it always a joke until you heard me and Emma that night?”
There it was, the question was out in the open and Mat now held in his hands the future of whatever it was the two of you were building. He took a second to reply, a second that felt like eternity and only made the anxious feeling grow inside of you.
“Kind of. Yes.”
Your heart broke. He gave you the one answer you were hoping he wouldn’t. When it all started you told yourself you’d never get your hopes up for him exactly for this reason, but you couldn’t control it and they inevitably did. But before tonight you swore no matter how much you wanted it you’d put an end to it all if there was the slight chance his feelings and desire to date you suddenly started after realizing he simply could.
You moved your hand away from his. He noticed the impact his answer had on you and has to fix it. He couldn’t let it slip away just because he chose the wrong words.
“No. Wait.” He took your hand in his again.
“Mat-” you started to say and pulled your hand away again but he cut you off and tightened the grip.
“It’s more complicated than that.” He was silently begging you to let him explain. Since you didn’t move away he took that as a yes. “See I always liked you, ever since Emma introduced you to the group. But I know my reputation, so I knew you wouldn’t date me. I never blamed you for it, I know I haven’t been the most stand up guy when it comes to my love life. So I guess I started to jokingly flirt with you to deal with my feelings in a way. If it was just a joke then it wasn’t real.”
“And then you heard me that night.” you added. He nodded.
“And then I heard you that night. When I realized I had the slightest chance with you I knew I had to take it.”
“That was a way better answer than your first one.” you said, unable to hide your smile.
Mathew Barzal had passed the test. Any ounce of doubt that was left in your mind disappeared. He liked you, he really liked you and had done so for longer that you ever imagined. It wasn’t some shallow meaningless plan to get his way with you. Now you were ready to dive in head first fearless.
“You seriously never noticed how much I like you?” He always thought he wasn’t being that obvious, but according to everyone that had ever seen you two intercat Mat was. Sometimes he couldn’t take his eyes away from you, even when you were standing on the other side of the room. He’d laugh a little too much at a joke you made. He’d always order your favorite drink for you whenever you went out. Countless times his friends had chirped him about it. It was crystal clear to everyone, to everyone except you.
“I always thought you were joking. That and I didn’t think I was your type”
“What!?” he seemed genuinely shocked by your answer. You were a little embarrassed to admit how much you had compared yourself to the girls he would flirt with, but you had done it and it was painfully clear you weren’t the type.
“Come on, I’m not like the girls you usually like Mat. I’m not like the instagram models, new york socialites, puck bunnies, bombshells you normally pick up on bars. I’m just me.”
“Well just you is a thousand times better. Just you has been driving me crazy from the day we met with her snarky comments and roll of eyes.” You rolled your eyes at his comment but couldn’t stop the blush from creeping into your cheeks. “You're beautiful and smart and funny and nice. I thought you were so out of my league. Still think so.”
“Well you convinced me Barzal, there’s no doubt in my mind how serious you are, how real your feelings are.” you repeated his words from that night.
“You remember that?” he asked surprised.
“You didn’t expect me to?” Your eyebrow went up defyingly.
“No, no. It’s just we never talked about it after so I just assumed you were too drunk and forgot everything.”
“Mhm. And I also heard something about being the one for you.” His cheeks turned red and he looked away. A shy Mathew Barzal might be the cutest thing you had ever seen. “Are you blushing? Am I making the Mathew Barzal blush? Oh my god-”
Your words died the moment he attached his lips to yours. It was clumsy at first as you laughed against his lips, but you fell into rhythm when you tilted your head so your lips could meet firmly and happily at once. His lips were soft like you had joked that night, and they tasted like the wine you had shared over dinner. It was intoxicating, the feeling of his lips on yours, his hand in your waist pulling you closer, your hand on the back of his neck. He gripped you firmly, as if trying to stop you from escaping.
You were the one to pull away first, but his lips chased yours making you giggle. You gave him a final peck, knowing there would be plenty more kissed like this sooner rather than later. That made your heart burst with happiness.
“Would you go out on a date with me?” he asked once again, knowing this time he would earn himself a different answer. You smiled up at him.
“I don’t know…”
“Smartass.” he said in the most endearing way possible as his hand went to cup your face, drawing you closer so his lips could find yours again.
You whispered a ‘yes’ into the kiss, but were unsure if he heard it. He didn’t have to anyway, he already knew the answer.
-
Well hope you guys liked it!! It feels so good to be back. Likes and reblogs are always appreciated and dont be affraid to tell me your thoughts on the fic. Thank you so much!!! <3
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captain doesn’t have to know - jeremy swayman
summary: you’re patrice bergerons little sister visiting him and his family during the holidays for christmas. one so you can go to the winter classic but also to see the family- the bergerons are hosting a small dinner for any of the team that wanted to show up on christmas eve. this is where you’re reunited for the time of the better with jeremy swayman..
warnings: smut 18+ , literally the longest one person fic i’ve ever written, jeremy swayman gets a little kinky in the end, porn with plot and lots of it, no proofread which is probably an awful idea, maybe wrong wag names sorry
The environment that patty and his wife steph create for you when you visit is nothing you’ll ever take for granted, especially this year during christmas. when you arrived and got up to the guest room, you saw steph had lit candles and given you new sheets and silk pajamas for the two weeks. she had given you soaps and salts for baths and the bathroom connected to the bedroom was nothing but beautiful with amenities for you to enjoy while in their humble abode. the flight to boston had been nothing but stressful but you gave it some praise due to the fact that it had been worse two days before christmas in the past.
you knew tomorrow was their little get together so you relished in the fact that it was calmer in the house, as you turned on the lamps in your room and put on the silk pajamas that had been laid out for you. you unpacked and knew you could smell something being cooked downstairs as you saw coming in, when patrice had gone to pick you up, that steph was cooking dinner but also preparing for tomorrow night as well. you enjoyed it, knowing you’d get a nice home cooked meal. college has been kicking your ass, so home cooked meals are far and few between.
making your way downstairs, the kids were giggling as they played with toys, sitting on the floor with patrice. you walked past them, smiling at the fact that they were filled with blissful ignorance, knowing only that christmas was two days away and that tomorrow, they’d probably be brought gifts by the team to add to their collection of gifts under the tree.
seeing stephanie behind the counter, you made your way to sit on one of the stools, starting small talk with her before she asked “where are y’all’s parents for the holidays?” knowing you probably wouldn’t be in boston if it hadn’t been for some other reason.
“did patrice not tell you?” you questioned.
“he did, but i will be frank, i just don’t remember” she shrugged as she cut away at some vegetables going into a dish.
“ah, well they’re going to south america for a few days, they’re coming back up north to boston for the winter classic though” you said as you watched her hands move expertly. in the few seconds of silence, she got an idea and smiled “would you like to try some of this soup? it’s for tomorrow night but i need a good judge.” you smiled and nodded and she gave you a bowl, which sparked thoughts in your noggin.
“so who’s coming tomorrow? to the party” you said as you took a spoonful into your mouth, as you swallowed you gave her compliments on it and smiled. she smiled at your compliments before thinking on the question.
“oh well, brad, his wife and kids, mcavoy, jeremy and jake, taylor and linus and linus’ wife, nick and his kids and probably a few other kids or girlfriends or even players. i cook to feed an army so that everyone is well fed.” she shrugged, she began to clean up, wiping down the counters before pulling some plates out. it was time for dinner and after dinner maybe you’d go and take a bath after. but alas, right now you were about to chow down. “dinner time!!” steph shouted, the kids and patty walked into the kitchen ready to eat.
—
that night you found yourself in the bathroom, in the tub taking a warm bath while you looked through instagram, taking every name you remembered and searching them on instagram. it wasn’t as if you forgot names or faces but in reality you hadn’t been around the team enough in the last few years to remember them all perfectly, especially the older guys. you knew you liked jeremy, i mean you were following him on instagram and he followed you but honestly, even then you didn’t know him super well. you thought he was cute but you thought charlie was also cute.. even david- besides the point. you continued your adventure before you shaved and washed yourself down. you found yourself back in the silk pajamas and soon enough in bed. you had another long day ahead of you so you knew sleeping early would strongly be to your benefit.
the moment you laid down, you honestly knocked out, sleeping well into the morning, showing further how tired you were when you woke up to knocking on your door before the kids ran in to wake you up. “auntie!!” they chanted before attacking you in bed, shaking you before you sat up. smiling, you held them and shook them around before patrice came and got them. “cmon kids, aunt y/n needs her beauty sleep.” he smiled as they ran to him, gently closing your door before you got out of bed.
“i guess that was a good wake up call..” you mumbled as you looked at the clock, seeing as it said 9:56 am. you realized you slept in so late and almost cringed a little before you went and brushed your hair, teeth and washed your face. instead of remaining in your pajamas, you simply changed into some simple clothes for the day and made your way downstairs.
“morning sunshine” stephanie said as you walked into the kitchen, she was cleaning up from breakfast but pulled the plate with your food on it from the microwave. she sat it down as you sat down and offered you some coffee before she went back to doing what she was doing. her and patrice had been cleaning the house and cooking some more already, as they wanted to take the kids ice skating before the party tonight. to not only fire them out a little but to give them a nice skating experience on a nice day like christmas eve.
as you finished eating, everything for the day was set in motion and everyone finished getting ready to leave the house. you joined them in ice skating and the outing was a success. you all had fun but coming back home, you knew you’d probably be sore the next day. to relieve this, you took a warm shower before everyone planned to arrive, doing your makeup and hair as well. you picked out a dress to wear that night way before you had even packed to come to boston. it was a deep red, crushed velvet dress that held your hips while puffed out at the sleeves. you had white tights and black boots with it , and it was almost santa-ish when you looked in the mirror. looking at yourself, you felt cute and hoped to gain something from it. whether it was compliments from wives or the kids saying “you’re so pretty!” you hoped to gain something.
you walked down the stairs and saw the tree lit up with all the other gorgeous lights and christmas decorations lit up. you smiled and walked through the living room to see the dining room and eating area near the kitchen set with gorgeous dining areas and beautiful centerpieces. you walked into the kitchen, it being empty as steph was with the kids helping them get ready. patty walked in and was wearing a nice button up. “you look nice” you smiled to him and he nodded. “same to you. i hope you feel good about tonight. i know it may be weird for you to spend christmas eve with the boys and not mom and dad.” he said leaning into one of the chairs at the bar top. you shrugged.
“it’s fine. i think i’ll enjoy myself.” you smiled, before hearing the sound of a knock at the door. you hustled to the door with patrice following behind you. you answered the door with a smile, it was brad, sloane and the kids. he smiled seeing you- “Y/N Bergeron, who dragged you into town!”he smiled before offering you a hug as him and his family walked in. the rest of the night when letting people in, it was all very similar except for when jeremy saw you…
he was one of the last ones to show up, fashionably late with flowers for stephanie and some baked goods for desert. you were on door opening duty while stephanie and patrice hosted. opening the door, you saw his tall thin stature walk up to the door. “hi!” you smiled and he stared at you for a moment, silent before he realized he needed to speak. “h-hello! i didn’t realize you were coming into town-” he laughed, his cheeks turning pink. “it’s good to see you.” he smiled walking in. you closed the door behind him, offering to take the flowers from him. “it’s good to see you too..” you smiled up at him, but he simply was staring. you thought that maybe he was a little dumb but seeing him this shocked at your presence made your cheeks burn.
you walked with him into the area everyone else had made themselves home at. a few guys waved to him and charlie stared at you for a moment before staring back at him as you walked through the living room to the kitchen. charlie gave jeremy a thumbs up- against my own knowledge. standing in the kitchen, you showed steph the flowers that jeremy had brought her and ordered him to sit down the dish he brought with him. the rest of the girls who stood with steph talking complimented the flowers which just made jeremy’s cheeks burn brighter before he dismissed himself.
“hey y/n?” sloane said as you cut the ends of the flowers off to put them in a vase.
“yes?” you turned your head, looking at her as you placed the flowers into the vase. she noticed the way jeremy stared at you and was curious.
“do you and jeremy talk outside of when you come to boston?” she asked , you were a little confused but complied. “uh, no not really. sometimes we chat, like he’ll respond to a story i’ve posted. we’ve had a few long conversations before though” you shrugged and went back to looking at the flowers.
“hm, do y’all talk a lot when you come to town?” she said , thinking ab other events that you had attended with him present.
“yeah i’d say so. he’s probably the easiest to talk to. we’re pretty close in age and he’s super sweet.” you smiled to her, trying to figure out what she was getting at. you knew that the moment you finished in here, you’d go into the living room and sit next to him and you both would pick up a conversation like you didn’t have lapses in speaking.
“hm- okay!” she nodded her head and continued on before you interrupted her. “wait- why do you ask?”
“jeremy was red in the face the moment you walked him in here.. i just think he likes you.” sloane spoke with the utmost confidence while steph and janelle agreed. a small smile came to your face, because you knew you had fond thoughts of him but just never chose to say or do anything about it because it never seemed right. i mean he’s the goalie for your older brothers team. it’s not like jeremy is older than patty or anything but it just seems wrong. the whole team will be on his ass if he breaks your heart. that’s caps sister.
your heart ached a little before you walked back into the living room, seeing the empty seat next to him where you felt as if you had seen someone sitting in before but you ignored it as you came and sat next to him.
“so- how have you been?” he said, looking down at you with a smile. you turned to face him, his eyes shining with the christmas lights that decorated the room. “i’ve been good.. how about you?” you said, nudging him slightly. “it’s been good. being apart of a professional sports team isn’t the least physically demanding job yknow, but i get by.” he smiled, leaning back against the couch. you did the same, getting comfortable. “you started your senior year this year right?” he asked, watching as you turned to look at him.
“yeah it did, it’s going pretty good. senioritis hasn’t really hit me yet, i’m hoping it doesn’t. the faster i can get to boston to stay, the faster i’ll be glad college is nearing its end.” you spoke, your body a little closer to his as you turned to speak to him easier, your hands at your thighs, playing with the hem of your dress.
“oh- you’re coming to boston after college??” he said, trying to hide his excitement. “how come?”
“i was offered a job with the boston celtics once i graduate” you looked down, staring at your hands, hiding the joy on your face.
“seriously?? that’s awesome, y/n!!” he say up, placing his hand on your arm, almost overjoyed at the idea of you getting a successful job with someone so soon.
“i know right!!” you giggled, looking up at him. he had a beaming smile on his face and you were just a little stunned at how … cute.. he was. your cheeks were warm as you looked away, and before you knew it, dinner was called. the growing tension was broken as he pulled his hand away from your arm to stand up, but when he stood up, he noticed your heels and offered you his hand. “mlady..” he smiled as you took his hand, he kissed it gingerly, watching you stand up from your seat.
“why thank you, kind sir..” you smiled back, squeezing his hand before letting go, him following behind you as you went to get food. Filling your plates, everyone scattered to the different seating areas, you finding yourself in the dining room, one of the first to sit down. after a few minutes, jeremy walked into the dining room. “do you mind if i sit with you?” he asked, pointing to the seat next to you. you shook your head, he came by and joined in by sitting with you at the table. others came and sat down around the two of you, but a small bubble formed around the two of you as you both talked and giggled over stupid stuff that no one at the table would get like the two of you.
when you finished your food, you got out of your seat after speaking to him saying “are you done? i can take your plate..”. this resulted in him also getting up, he followed you to the kitchen and the two of you were standing alone in the kitchen while you cleaned off your plate and his. most people had migrated back to the living room if they weren’t still chatting at the table. everyone who had finished, respectfully had cleaned off their plates and you praised them silently for it.
jeremy walked around, picking from the ham left out. you turned around and snapped at him. “hey! knock it off” a laugh fell from your lips, grabbing a towel to dry off your hands.
“i’m sorry!” he stuffed a piece into his mouthc watching you throw away the paper towel. you walked over to him and stood against the countertop after having grabbed a small piece for yourself. he turned to watch you, placing his hand on one side of you to lean against the counter rather than standing on all his weight.
“you’re here for the winter classic right?” he said, staring down into your eyes, he was good at eye contact in conversations. you nodded, swallowing before giving an answer.
“i have to go home like the day after, but i definitely am.. why do you ask?”
“oh well.. uh i was wondering if you wanted to go out and get breakfast or lunch or coffee or something one day.. while you’re still here. you should even come to the game on saturday or something.. i won’t be here tuesday or wednesday..” he almost kicked himself when he said the last bit. of course you knew he wouldn’t be here, his captain is your brother.
“are you asking me out, jeremy?” you tilted your head over against your shoulder, giving him a devious little smile.
“yeah.. i think i am.” he said leaning in a little closer, arrogance washing over him a little. confidence came easy when girls gave into his flirtatious acts. “i should’ve done it a long time ago.” he said as he leaned closer to you. your cheeks burned a dark red as he got closer. you took a moment in your head to acknowledge what he was wearing.
it was a dark brown flannel, jeans and some boots that matched the rest of the outfit. his sleeves were rolled around his wrist and his hands that you thought were usually bare, had a nice little bracelet around his wrist. everything about him just screamed he was more than an athlete. he seemed so genuine and soft with what he wore. you knew he was outdoorsy and you thought that was super cute about him. his face was gentle, and facial hair always fit how he looked. you’d thought in passing about how it would feel to kiss him, but right now as he inched closer, you thought about it now more than you ever had in your time knowing him.
“yeah?..” you spoke in almost a whisper, allowing him to come closer, as he placed his other hand down next to you.
“mhm” he hummed, coming in closer. “is it too soon to kiss you?” he said, a short laugh falling through his words. you shook your head and he placed his lips against yours, pulling himself in closer, with his legs on either side of you, a hand coming to hold the side of your face as your lips fit almost perfectly to his.
his were soft despite the constant chill he finds himself in. he couldn’t stop thinking ab the strawberry taste on your lipgloss. he would kiss you forever if it meant he’d taste it over and over again. slowly, he pulled away with a smirky little look on his face before he let go of your cheek and stood up straight. “we’ve spent too long not talking to each other enough..” the two of you let out a gentle laugh at his words.
“i’ve always been fond of you.” you shrugged as you stood up on your feet, stepping out from under him. before walking away, to join people in the living room, you have him a quick kiss on the cheek. “i can’t wait for you to take me on a date, jer.” you spoke in his ear before joining everyone else.
you sat with him for the rest of the night, but honestly couldn’t stop thinking about how you managed to pull him in a simple few hours. you had always wanted him and how you finally had him.. life is on your side.
you also just couldn’t get his lips off your mind… ugh.
—
christmas came and went.. it was a lovely day but honestly you couldn’t get your mind off of jeremy. that night after he went home, the two of you chatted almost the entire night until you forced yourself to sleep, knowing the kids would just wake you up in the morning. they did. but in that night where you talked to jeremy, you had decided where you would go and you decided thursday after they had come home, you’d go and get dinner together.
dinner was intimate, but maybe not as intimate as breakfast. patrice still doesn’t know but as long as jeremy can keep it a secret, you’ll be flying smooth. on the two nights they were gone, you helped steph a lot, hanging out with her and getting deep into conversation with her as well. you folded and told her about jeremy, but only so she could help keep it a secret.
“me and jeremy are going to dinner when they come home tomorrow ..” you hummed to her, thinking about it, but also just needing to see if she could cover for you. “i don’t want to tell patrice.. do you have any idea of how to cover it?”
“aww that’s so cute.. did he ask you out at dinner?” she said, sitting down, handing you a warm cup of tea, thinking about a resolution to your problem.
“yeah he did..” you smiled, looking down at your mug, trying not to blush at the basic idea of it.
“well, do you have any friends here? any that you just like don’t keep much contact with?” steph asked
you shook your head.
“what if you just pretended to be going on a date” she shrugged. you honestly thought that was probably the best idea and nodded your head.
“oh yeah, that’s definitely a good idea- especially cause i’ll probably be dressed up. you’re brilliant!” you smiled, leaning back into the couch, taking a sip of your tea. the kids had been laid to bed a bit ago, but you and steph stayed up watching the hockey game. you had watched the game the night before when jeremy had played, later that night you talked to him until he forced himself to sleep- he was bummed about the overtime loss against the senators. tonight linus was playing. you didn’t know linus that well, you wish you did though. he seems very sweet and you know that him and jeremy were very close.
that night you slept in peace knowing that they’d be home in short time tomorrow, their game only having been in new jersey. you spoke to him a little after the game but you were just tired and maybe a little over excited about the dinner date to come. waking up the next day, it was probably the most peaceful day so far because somehow steph got the kids out of the house with her to run errands before you even woke up. when you woke up it was late morning and you had 1. a goodmorning text from jer, 2. a text explaining why steph and the kids were gone and 3. a text from patrice saying what time they’d land and be home, but it was to a group chat with you and steph in it. you thought it was a little silly, but carried on.
over the day, you drank a nice cup of coffee while staring out the window, the day being not totally gloomy but a few grey clouds in the sky. you then ate something for breakfast before going to your room to take a long bath. in the almost hour and a half you spend in the bath you end up shaving your legs, doing a face mask and washing your face, preparing to wash your hair and simply just thinking about that guy you were gonna see tonight.
after washing your hair and body, you got out and did the rest of your routine, hoping this late morning was shifting quickly into a late afternoon which it was. Patrice, Steph and the kids have come home at this point, which helps you gauge where jeremy is in his day, though you knew anyways as between everything you’ve chatted with him. he got home almost an hour ago… two hours ago… oh god you’re just behind on everything you need to get done.
he was getting you at 5 and after stalling in the bath, while also stalling between coffee and breakfast and breakfast and picking clothes and picking clothes and a bath- time slipped away from you, so now you had to get hair and makeup done in the time between now and five..
you hustled and hustled until you were satisfied, seeing that text from him saying “i’m on my way now” made it all worth it, as you kicked your shoes out of your way to sit down on the bed for a moment, taking a deep breath. you flailed your hands around your face, fanning it before you leaned over pulling your shoes on, they were boots, leaving you a few inches taller than you were with them off. you grabbed your things and made your way downstairs.
steph and the kids were sitting in the living room watching a movie, patrice was in the kitchen making dinner.
“wow!!” steph exclaimed, prompting you to give a small twirl while the kids stared in awe before exclaiming how pretty you looked. patrice walked over, observing how you looked. “where ya goin, pip?”
“i have a date with someone i met on a dating app” you shrugged with a small smile. he nodded quickly and turned around to go back into the kitchen.
“does he have a jacket you can wear? it’s chilly outside..” he said, referring to your dress. it wasn’t short but alas it was a dress, you’d be chilly no matter what.
“yeah i’m sure he does..” you felt your phone buzz in your hand, you looked down to see his text light up your phone. “oh goodness, he’s here! okay! bye!! love y’all!!” you said as you slipped out the front door, hustling so that the chances of patrice seeing his vehicle were low.
he unlocked the car and the moment you got in, his infectious smile grew. “hey..” he said, leaning over his center console. you gently kissed him on his lips. “hi..” you smile in response to his own.
“how was the fight?” you asked as you pulled the seatbelt over your lap, staring at him as he pulled his car into drive, his eyes stuck on the road.
“ah it was good.. little bumpy but it’s a cloudy day, i can’t complain..” he shrugged, one hand on the wheel, while another leaned into the center console. his hand was sickeningly close to yours, you held your breath hoping he’d move closer. “how has it been since christmas? anything new you haven’t told me about?”
“ah no.. but i convinced patrice i was going on a date with some guy i met online, tonight..” a giggle left your lips, seeing the slight part of his lips from shock.
“you devious little fuck” he laughed. the two of you acted like two teenagers who were forbidden to see each other in some world where your two families or something were at odds. it was fun to act that way, even though you being with jeremy maybe wasn’t as big of a deal as you both made it out to be.
the drive was filled with small laughs and conversations, talking about some tv show you both had watched in passing and favorite movies and actors. his hand slowly sat atop of yours before you got to the restaurant, somewhere in downtown boston you honestly had never been to. when arriving, he opened your door for you, helping you out and continuing to hold your hand as the two of you walked to the entrance. he was nothing but a gentleman.. it really shocked you how calm he was about everything, especially because of how he acted when he first saw you on that saturday night.
though you thought he was calm, in his head his thoughts were racing. he controlled his big smile and blushing face while just thinking about you. your dress was flattering and he tried his best to keep innocent eyes on you. he wanted everything right, so much lead up to this that he needed it to end right- he needed it to end with you.
sitting through dinner was nothing but pleasurable, especially when you shared desert with him, watching as whipped cream sat on his upper lip. “jer, lick your lips please” and as he did, he realized why you spoke your request. he was so.. silly and always had something funny to say. he was never super witty or rude, but was silly. he paid for dinner in whole, and you suppose maybe it was the fact that he was a hockey player and was rich or maybe that he was just a gentleman but you felt flattered by the gesture.
leaving, the two of you slowly walked back to his car.. slowly. you knew you didn’t want to leave him, he felt the same way. standing outside of his vehicle, the two of you stopped. he leaned over you and you stared into those mesmerizing eyes.. thinking about whatever he could possibly be thinking. in silence, he leaned closer to you, and before you knew it the two of you were kissing again.
his hand came to your cheek and pulled you just a little closer. while your hands were against his chest, slowly pushed their way up to his neck wrapping around the back of it. your kiss was deepened by the closer contact until you pulled away to take a breath.
“you should come back to my place..” he spoke quietly, barely above a whisper. the close contact made his silence so loud to you. you nodded and a smile spread across his cheeks. you kissed him once more, then again and again very quickly before the two of you let go of each other so that he could let you into his car so he could drive you back to his. when he got back in and began to drive, his hand ended back over on your side of the car, this time now on your thigh…
-
he lived in some nice apartments, and when standing in the elevator together, your hand brushed against his before you linked your pinky with his. he walked you down his hallway and as you got to his door, you stood there very patiently as he nervously fumbled with his keys. he got the two of you inside and you were almost in awe at how clean it was. he lived lavishly, not in an irresponsible way, but in a way that shows he spent a lot of time and money in making it his home.
he offered you to sit on his couch while he poured the two of you a glass of wine, but you turned down the offer, instead you asked if he had any sodas or .. whatever they called it in alaska. he nodded and asked
“is coke okay? i don’t drink it very often i just keep it mostly for guests.”
and you nodded as you sat down. “sorry i didn’t want a glass, i don’t wanna somehow end up in any situation where i’m hungover tomorrow” you claimed as he offered for you to pull your shoes off and you complied. you already had a drink or two already so you were satisfied anyways when he came over and handed you the can.
“glass or anything?” he asked, standing above you, watching you as you shook your head. he nodded and as he moved to sit down, you spontaneously grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him down to kiss you. he responded by quickly sitting down, deepening the kiss while placing his palm on your thigh, gently squeezing it as you pulled him closer.
“mhh” a soft sound left him before you pulled away.
“yes?” you asked quickly “is this not okay? i’m sorry if i got the wrong-“
“what? no! i was just trying to get a little more comfortable i’m sorry.” he said through a chuckle. your face flushed, a little embarrassed.
“how would you like me to sit for you?” you asked, trying to make both of you comfortable.
“you can sit in my lap?” he asked and you nodded, waiting for him to turn so you could sit in his lap, placing your legs on either side of his. the way he stared at you as you were just barley elevated above him made your stomach twist. his eyes glowed as he placed his hands on your sides, his palms cradling your hips while his fingers gently squeezed the sides of your belly.
you leaned over him and as he turned his head back to meet you, you kissed him. this time it was all more passionate than the last. your hands moved to his shoulders, one closer up his neck before it was holding his face. slow kisses turned into his tongue pressed against yours. his hands slowly moved around your body, down your thighs before taking a gentle squeeze. your dress began to ride up your thighs and helplessly, you allowed him to hold your bare legs, refusing to stop him as his palms held your ass.
your hands on the other hand, moved down, trying to pull at his jacket to get it off of him. breaking the kiss, you whispered “jer..” loud enough to make him stop so he could remove his blazer, while underneath having a dark button down on, something easy for you when you’re kissing him again.
he held you with one hand while the two of you worked together to get the jacket off, before throwing it somewhere else in the living room. the two of you were back to your stupid little tango of touching each other while messily making out, maybe too scared to go further until someone else makes a move.
as you two moved some more, you began to unbutton his shirt.. slowly getting further down to his belt that held his shirt between his skin and pants.
“jeremy..” you spoke softly, separating from him.
“yes, baby?” he said, staring at you, his hands pushing under your dress against your back. your cheeks burned at the word “baby.”
“i need these clothes gone.. yours and mine-” you were embarrassed at the words, you felt needy.. ugh.
“do you want to go to my bedroom instead of the couch?” he asked, his eyes bore into yours. he was mostly trying to ignore your chest in front of him, but was also just trying to seem as confident as possible.
“sure.” you smiled down at him, the question seeming so personal. he made sure he had a good grip around your ass as he picked you up, wrapping your legs around his waist, leaning into his shoulder as he carried you to his room. your hands were linked around his neck as he opened the door, kissing your cheek before placing you down on his plush bed.
you took a moment to observe his room, with big window and gorgeous design, it matched the rest of the apartment. it was clean and his sheets smelled nice- thank god the boy respected himself this much.
“do you think i could take off your dress?” he said, pulling away as he sat you down to get a good look at you as he asked. you nodded and watched as he tried to contain a smile into a sly smirk as he took his hands and slowly pulled the soft material from above your hips up past your belly, chest and then over your head after saying “lift your arms” kindly.
as he threw the dress elsewhere, he observed what you wore underneath. it wasn’t matching on purpose, but definitely had that effect. your bra was a soft yellow while your panties were a lacy black. the bra had a clip in the front while the back had more lace connecting the bra together. “i um..” he blushed as he stared at you.
“sorry- it .. wasn’t super on purpose..” you laughed nervously but he shook his head.
“no, don’t apologize- it’s perfect” his eyes met yours, both of your cheeks burning before he leaned down over you to kiss you. as he did so, he used his free hand to unbuckle his belt and then push down his pants. his shirt remained buttoned as he slowly pushed you back farther onto the bed until you were fully laying down. your hands moved to his shirt and slowly unbuttoned it, until you were reaching down far enough to struggle. he pulled away, unbuttoning the shirt before pulling it off of him. you examined his thin but fit body before he leaned back over you and kissed you again.
he moved past your lips and was kissing at your neck, leaving soft kisses on your skin while he slowly moved down to the valley between your breasts. his hand slowly slid up the side of your ribcage, feeling very divot in your skin before taking your breast into his hand, as he began to kiss at the skin under your bra. he used his free hand to pull the fabric to the side as he kissed and sucked at your soft skin. eventually he switched everything, kissing at the other while holding the previously kissed. after much impatience, he fully sat up again-
“can i take it off?” he said, his hands placed against your ribs, cupping your bra. you nodded.. before speaking
“yeah you can.” you had a small smile on your face as he seemed satisfied with himself as you had said yes. he had you sit up a little and as you were nose to nose with him again, you pressed your lips to his as he unhooked your bra. as he did, he threw it to the side and laid you back down, moving back down between your breasts. as he sucked and kissed at the soft flesh, his knee was placed against your panties, allowing you to helplessly grind against his bare thigh as he sucked at your hardening nipples.
while your ground against his thigh, gentle and weak moans left your lips, until he pulled his thigh away, letting a soft apology leave his lips as he moved down your stomach in kisses, making his way down to your thighs. he asked quickly if he could pull off your panties, and as he did, he kissed at your thighs until he could fully have access to your cunt. it was dripping, and you knew it was as he let out a soft groan as he got a good look at you. he leaned in, a kiss pressing against your clit before his tongue gently licked over it. he replaced his tongue with his thumb momentarily, moving down so he could drag his tongue through your folds. tasting your slick cunt, he tries not to groan as he begins to eat you out, taking you like he was a starving man. his thumb rubbed at your clit, creating a steady rhythm. after a while he switched, beginning to finger you while licking at your clit. your legs began to shake as he flicked at your clit.
“j-jer..” his name fell from your lips as your hips began to buck into his face. “fuck.. jeremy..” you cried out, your head thrown back while your hands came to his hair, gently pulling at his soft curls. he began to work with more pressure, him fingering you a little faster, as he felt your legs shake and press his head between your thighs he knew you were at your edge- and as you cried out his name, your back coming off of the bed, he got the satisfaction of feeling your legs tighten around his head until you could finally come down from your high.
he slowly sat up, leaning over your to kiss you before he looked at your flushed face. your eyes were doughy as you stared at him.
“you okay?” he spoke softly, moving your hair out of your face. you nodded and he smiled. “you need some water?” and you nodded again. “do you have any words?”
“yeah.. i’m just saving them for later..” you teased, poking him in the belly before he rolled his eyes, getting out of the bed to go and get you a glass of water. as he walked back, you observed his body, seeing the trail of ginger hair that trailed down his midriff. you stared at his frame, he had so much muscle on his skinny frame, almost making you drool before you sat up to take the water. he handed it to you, sitting down next to you. you tilted your head back, downing almost the entire glass.
when you finished, he took the glass from you and placed it on the bedside table. the slender guy leaned over you and pressed a few kisses against your mouth. “you ready for a second round?” he moved your hair from your neck as he looked down at your body. “yeah i think so..” you smiled.
“would you maybe want to ride me? if not it’s okay..” and you looked up at him, nodding. you wanted to stare at him and just everything about him. “you sure?” he asked.
“yes i’m sure , jer.” you smiled softly as you sat up a little more, urging him to sit down so you could sit in his lap.
as the two of your switched around, he relaxed into the back of the bed frame, allowing you to sit on the lower halves of his thighs, looking down at how his boxers were low on his hips, doing nothing to hide that hardon he had in his boxers.
“can i take them off?” you asked, your hands around his hips. and as he gave you a “yeah” of confirmation, your fingers hooked in the elastic, pulling them from his legs. he pushed his head back, his cheeks a little red from embarrassment before you stared at him for a moment.. your mind was racing as you took your hand and gently wrapped it around his cock.
“nice..” you mumbled, feeling his veins against your soft palms. he was hard in your hand as your fingers barely met in a ring to your thumb. your slowly began to stroke him, observing his abdomen before he finally pushed his head back forward to look at you, watching as you sat there stroking his cock.
“fuck..” he groaned as you rubbed your thumb over the tip of his cock. his hair was a mess from you pulling at it, which only added to the effect of his heavy breaths, soft groans and flushed face. “fuck.. baby- i just.. please just ride me don’t do me like this…” he whined in his deep voice, forcing you to listen. he was so fucking hot.
“yeah okay..” you rolled your eyes, sitting up to place a kiss against his lips. your hand was placed on his chest to hold yourself up while your other hand held his cock, directing it to press against your cunt. his hands came up to your sides, as the tip pressed against entrance. “j-jer..” you whimpered. and again he realized that he had you in the palm of his hand while you began to sink yourself onto him,
“fuck..” you whined, your hands moving up to his neck, wrapping around the back of his neck. your head fell forward, trying to keep yourself composed. his hand moved to the back of your head, tangling into your soft hair, trying to comfort you.
“shhh.. babydoll..” he cooed while he himself tried to stay composed, having mumbled some curses while you took his cock. as you finally adjusted to him, while he fit perfectly inside of you, he helped you begin to fuck yourself on his cock. his hands were on your hips, helping raise them off of his cock. once your legs gained their strength back, he allowed you to hold yourself up on your knees.
“why don’t i fuck you baby..” he spoke softly his mouth close to your ear. he held your hips high as he thrusted his cock up into your cunt. you placed your face in the crook of his neck, your hot breath against his neck as he slowly thrusted into you. his breath was heavy, groans leaving him as you whimpered his name.
“f-fuck.. i’m sorry i-“ you whined, trying to apologize for not being able to ride him like he wanted.
“shh.. it’s okay baby- this is better anyways” he had a smirk on his face, thinking about how not only he was fucking the girl of his dreams, but he had her like putty in his hands. your moans came out in whines and moans as he began to thrust into you just a little harder.
“oh please. jeremy…” you cried, your breath sending goosebumps across his skin.
“yeah baby? tell me..” his hands gripped your hips, his hands on your ass as he thrusted into you.
“it feels.. so good..” your words were drawn out as you called out to him. your eyes rolled back , gasping as he pounded your guts in, increasing his pace and thrust as he fucked into you. your words soon became a slurred mess as he ruined your brain.
he could feel himself getting closer, as his muscles tightened. his grip on you became harder and as you neared the same fate, you struggled to hold yourself up on your knees.
“just a little longer baby.. just a little bit. i can tell you’re about to cum..” he said as he struggled through clenched teeth and holding back on cumming.
“please.. jeremy.. let me- jer please..” you strung together as your knees began to give out. “f-fuck!”
he finally gave in. “okay baby cum for me” he spoke softly, pulling you down on his dick. he held back. he needed to be able to ask if he could cum inside and he was just torturing himself to not let himself go. he let you sit there on his cock, your walls squeezing around him as you sat there with your hands gripping his shoulders while your face was pushed into his neck. you could barely think but as you came down from your high, you just realized he hadn’t cum.
“can i cum inside of you..” he was quiet about it, the room was quiet and it seemed a little awkward.
“oh i’m so sorry i didn’t tell you- yes jer you can.. i’m on something.” you smiled, kissing his neck affirming my before he suddenly picked you up and turned you over, laying you on your back before he was on top of you, pushing his dick inside of you. before you could say anything you were overcome by his cock deep inside of you again, pressing against that weak spot that caused you to whimper.
he took your leg, pushing it over his shoulder, leaning forward. “cmon baby.. do you think you can cum again..” he said as he began to not just thrust into you. he began to fuck you. his free hand was placed on your lower abdomen, reminding you and him of who your cunt belonged to now as he was gonna pump you full of his thick cum.
“oh my god.. baby..” he groaned , almost drowning out your own overstimulated cries. his thrusts were wild and lacked rhythm but probably felt better than anything else as he intended to make you cum as he filled you up.
“fuck im so close.. cum for me again baby.” you could feel it coming as he demanded for it again. “im gonna fill you up, i’m gonna fuck this cunt full..” he threw his head back, groaning deeply again. your body was shaking as he grabbed your other leg, pushing it over his shoulder. you could hear the slapping as he fucked you as hard as you’ve ever been fucked.
“god im gonna cum- baby i’m gonna cum inside of you” he finally said before his cock , which filled you entirely, was fully inside of you, pumping his thick cum all over your walls. he leaned over , pushing your legs with him, showing him how flexible you truly were as your third orgasm came with it. the feeling of his cum inside of you did nothing but send you over the edge, the both of y’all’s moans and groans mixing together to create the most annoying neighbors ever.
his name fell from your lips until you could finally think again. he was still buried deep inside of you as you came back from your high. he sat there, your legs still to your chest.
“you can stay inside of me all you want, but i would like to have legs that work tomorrow..” you said, running your hands through his hair. he nodded and said he sat up, he kissed you quickly before he moved back, letting your legs fall to his sides. he then thrusted into you one more time for good measure.. but mostly just to see your cute reaction to his big cock.
slowly, he began to pull out, staring as the cum became to seep out of your cunt.
“yeah.. i think this date was a success..” he teased as he got up, resisting the urge to lick your creamy pussy. he got up and found a clean pair of boxers before running off to his bathroom go get you a washcloth to get everything cleaned up.
“me too..” you responded as he came back. he got down between your legs and gently cleaned you up before placing a kiss against you clit. he gave you a clean pair of his boxers and a t-shirt to wear.
“you should spend the night..” he said as he handed you the clothes. you nodded in agreement while putting them on. you looked at yourself in the mirror, seeing smudged makeup and a very tired girl with a very cute guy in the background to the mirror. he came up behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, kissing your ear and your cheek until you turned your head to kiss his lips. “you’re beautiful…” he said in the softest tone you’ve ever heard from him. “let’s lay down..”
you ended up staying the night and sleeping in late the next morning. the two or you slept, cuddled up like bears. the two of you knew that this secret relationship wouldn’t be a secret very long, especially with you being in boston for another week or so but however much time you could savor with jeremy was enough. you’d be moving back soon anyways but until then
captain doesn’t have to know..
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A GUIDED HAND
WARNINGS: absolutely none. Just some pure, sweet aftercare. 18+ readers only
PAIRING(S): Quinn Hughes x Fem!Reader
SUMMARY: in which Quinn Hughes knows exactly how to take care of Fem!Reader after intense sex.
Y/N slowly opened her eyes. Everything was fuzzy and heavy, yet she felt that warm tingly all behind her eyes. It was a few moments before the aches and pains began seeping in. She was dimly aware of lying on her left side, but everything else was a hazy ache.
She groaned as more and more aches began to wake up with her. Her lips were tender when she tried to wet them with her tongue. A rush of sensations flooded in as she shifted. From her shoulders, to her back; there were far too many aches and dull pains to name all at once. It was difficult just attempting to move.
A soft voice said, "Good, you're awake."
Y/N's eyes cracked open as her mind struggled to understand why those words were important to her. The room was dimly lit from light streaming in from an open door in the distance. The door was only about half way open.
"Here, baby." Quinn said gently, something moving before her face. It was just a gray blob. "Open your mouth."
Y/N opened her lips, and something softly brushed between them.
"Sip. Slowly." He firmly instructed in a soft voice. She tried to sip, but found herself to be struggling. On her second attempt, something cool and wet came into her mouth. "Swish the water around in your mouth, then swallow."
With an effort, Y/N did so. Immediately, her mouth felt better with the blessed moisture. And when she swallowed, her throat burned at first, but that quickly passed.
His hand gently caressed over the side of her head, beyond her eyes and above her ear. "Good girl. Take a couple more sips, sweetheart."
Her world became about that blissful water. Soft sip, swallow, soft sip, swallow, soft sip. Her aches seemed to ease bit by bit as the soothing water permeated her. His hand lovingly caressed over the side of her head and cheek. His touch and the water she sipped made all the aches fade away. She was beginning to sink back into that fuzzy haze again when Quinn spoke again.
"Y/N," Quinn paused a moment before continuing in more stern tone. "You've been such a good girl for me, but you're sinking again. I need for you to stay with me. Can you do that?" The hand left her cheek and the straw was withdrawn. "Focus, baby."
She blinked several times, dragging her mind back from the brink of that wonderful place.
"Shit, I really wore you out, didn't I?" He mumbled, softly.
"Yes." She mumbled weakly, beginning to sit up.
"Sh, sweetheart. I didn't ask you to sit up, did I?" His hand pressed gently to her shoulder, preventing her from rising.
"No. I'm sorry, Quinny." She whispered.
"Hey, none of that. It's okay, you're okay. Look at me." He cooed soothingly, as she started to look around. He tilted her head up to look at him, his eyes looking down to meet her gaze with love and concern. "You did good, baby. So good. Always my perfect girl."
He gently slid his thumb across her mouth, and she looked up at him, her eyes pleading. "Go ahead." Quinn said with a smile.
Eagerly, she started sucking on his thumb, her tongue sliding along the pad of his thumb as she suckled it. He watched as she came back to him, coming back to the surface.
His warm hand returned to the side of her face and head, soothing her with slow strokes. "That's my girl." He said with praise. "Take your time. I'm not going anywhere. l've got you."
Finally, she looked up at him, letting his thumb fall from her mouth and she smiled at him. "Hi." She whispered, shyly.
"Hi, baby." He said and gently kissed her lips. Before her lips could form words, Quinn continued. "You've done so well. Beautifully and wonderfully well." His hand ran reverently over her hair. "I need for you to do something for me."
His hand left her hair and she felt his hand gently tug her hand ever so gently. "I need for you to stand up. Do you think you can do that?"
As if the words went right into her muscles and deepest core of her very being, Y/N rose to a sitting position, her legs going over the edge of her bed. With a deep breath, she slowly pushed herself to her feet. Standing on shaky legs, she straightened, eyes straight ahead. Suddenly, she realized that she was freezing. She could feel the cool air upon her skin.
"You're doing great, sweetheart." His soft hand cupped her cheek. "I know you're cold, but it will only be just for a second." He spoke sweetly, the usual gravel and bass in his voice fading with every word as his arm hooked underneath her and around her waist, pulling you into his arms with ease, letting her wrap her legs around his hips as her head rested against his shoulder.
With Y/N still in his arms, Quinn set the tap on the bath running, pouring in some of your favorite bubble bath and letting it run. His hand was quick to brush her hair out of her eyes as he looked at her with a gaze of pure adoration. “I’ve never seen a girl so beautiful and so good, I’m so proud of you.”
Quinn set her down with her backside pressed against the cool bathroom counter, the cool sensation helping her to regulate the way her skin was hot with pleasure. He grabbed her hairbrush, taking a few moments to brush through the knots that occurred as her head tossed against the pillows. Y/N was still breathing heavily as she let his delicate fingers make light work of brushing through the knotty strands. He smiled at her every time he caught her staring at him, enamored by the way his biceps flexed and his own breathing regulated.
Quinn went to put down the brush on the counter, his hands going to trace small circles on her lower back. “How are you feeling, baby?”
“Like I’m on cloud nine. Thank you for taking care of me.” Y/N softly smiled at him, her free hand pushing his hair out of his face as the other brushed it, cheekily using her leverage to pull him into a kiss and earning a satisfied chuckle from him against her lips as his hands moved upwards, nails grazing against her skin before resting either side of her neck, holding her into the kiss a little longer, leaving gentle pecks against each other’s lips as they pulled away from each other.
“I’ll always be here to take care of you. Are you ready to get you into the bath?”
Y/N nodded eagerly as Quinn gently helped you off the counter, arms wrapping around her again as he smothered her with a bear hug, a giggle falling from her lips as he finally let her go to check the temperature of the water, letting her use his shoulders as stabilization as she climbed into the tub.
“Are you staying?” Y/N asked sweetly, hands still pressed against his shoulders as she stood with her feet in the warm, bubbly water.
Quinn pressed his hands against her hips, biting the inside of his lip as he thought. “Do you want me to?”
Y/N nodded quickly, letting him step into the tub with her, pulling her down and into the water with him, her back pressed against his chest while his large hands scoop up the warm, bubbly water, letting it run down her shoulders and over her chest as he took her hands in his, interlacing their fingers as they sat in the water together blissfully. The ambient sounds of the water movement as well as his steady breathing helped bring her back down to earth.
He then released her hands and reached back to grab one of their many loofah's and Y/N's favorite peach body wash. He soaked the loofah in the warm tub water, then as he stood, put some body wash on it. She blushed as her boyfriend began to methodically wash her.
Starting at her neck, Quinn pulled up her hair up to wash around her neck and over the backs of her shoulders. He moved slowly, and gently. Y/N's eyes suddenly slid closed, as it felt too good.
Quinn chuckled softly. "Yeah, just relax and enjoy it, baby. You've definitely earned it."
The loofah worked between her breasts, below them, around and over. They were tender, though thankfully her nipples seemed to have checked out and didn't respond to the material going over them. She couldn't help but arch and push her chest out as it seemed he wanted to make sure they were extra clean.
Then it was time for her stomach, up and down her sides, and then she was told to turn. His hands were upon her as she turned, keeping her steady as she slowly turned. The washing of her back was rougher. With the many impacts of the last three hours, Y/N couldn't help but let out soft whimpers when particularly sensitive spots were bathed.
"You're doing absolutely amazing. Always so good for me." Quinn whispered as he worked.
With the warmth of the bathroom, her eyes closed as he worked over her skin. She swayed and he chuckled as he pushed a hand to her back to steady her. The loofah worked down her back, then along her ass.
"Some of these must be so sore." He mumbled to himself as he ran the lootah over her cheeks.
Thankfully, it only ached like rubbing a bruise, but it snapped Y/N fully awake. The loofah was rinsed in the warm water, re-soaped, and her ass and back of her thighs were washed again. He knelt down and bathed the rest of her thighs, and all the way to her feet.
Standing with his arms coming around her, he had a bar of lavender scented soap in his hands, and gently lathered his left fingers and palm. "One last detail, sweetheart."
Quinn carefully lathered around her sex, and then opened her outer lips to lightly wash there with the remainder of soap on his fingers. Reaching to the side of the tub, he pulled up the tub hose, ran it a moment into the water below, tested it with his left hand, and rinsed Y/N from neck downward. Again, he opened her outer lips to make sure he got all the soap. Once sure she was rinsed in the warm water, Quinn replaced the nuzzle into its respectful place.
Leaning in close behind Y/N with his chest pressing gently into her back, Quinn whispered into her left ear, "Sit back towards me again, between my legs."
In an instant, he had his arms wrapped around her shoulders, while pressing butterfly kissing to her temples, neck, and shoulder.
"Are you doing okay?" He asked, softly.
"Yes." She whispered, starting to turn her head towards him. "I'm just a bit tired. I really like it when you're rough in bed." She blushed, shyly.
"Do you now?" He had a smug, proud look on his face, teasing her with no remorse.
"Quinn." She whined, settling herself against him.
He chuckled breathily, grabbing her by the jaw to place small kisses wherever he could to the side of her face. Once he felt it was enough, he decided to end it with a small bite to her cheek. "I'm happy you enjoyed it."
"Gross." She groaned, feigning disgust and wiping her cheek with her hand.
"I literally spit in your mouth an hour ago, Y/N." Quinn said, confusion written all over his face.
"Shut up." She retorted, her cheeks absolutely blazing.
The two sat in the tub for a while, just relaxing and relishing each other's company. Time became meaningless as Y/N laid there. The warm water just up to her nipples, the wonderful mixture of peach and vanilla, the loving arms and legs of Quinn wrapped around her, and the occasional squeeze of the arms about her.
"I hate to do this, baby." Quinn whispered into her left ear. "But it's time to get up. The water is starting to cool."
Aftercare with Quinn was always one of her favorites. He took such good care of her; whispered loving words, held her close, tended to any and all of her needs, whether it was that she was feeling cold, hungry, or just needed to cuddle. Whatever it was, he gave it to her. He was ready to give her the moon and the stars from the sky had it been in his power to do so.
And, of course, Y/N didn’t have anything against the events leading to the aftercare, quite the contrary, even if it meant a dull ache between her legs, some bruises on her hips and a few hickeys along her neck and collarbones, like now. Quinn’s eyes moved past the bruises and he smiled apologetically as he handed her a warm towel.
She watched him with warm eyes. “It’s fine, really.”
“I’ll be more careful next time.” Quinn said while he gave her another kiss on the forehead. “When you’re ready, there’s pajamas waiting for you on the bed. I’ll go prepare the ice cream.”
“Chocolate ice cream?” Y/N asked hopefully, slowly massaging the soft towel against her wet hair.
He winked at her with a grin. “As always.”
Moments later, Y/N was dressed in the comfortable pajamas, wrapped inside of a blanket and sitting snugly between Quinn’s legs, resting against his chest and holding a bowl of ice cream in her hands. One of his hands was running through her hair while the other one was fiddling with the remote control as he surfed through Netflix in search of her favorite show.
“Ah, there, the second row!” Y/N said suddenly and pointed at the TV excitedly. He let out a knowing sound and kissed the back of her head.
“I almost missed it.” Quinn said quietly and pressed play, allowing the sitcom to start. He put the remote down and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin against the top of her head slightly.
“I love you so much.” He whispered, tightening his arms a little but loosening them again when she laughed and said that it was difficult to eat. He smiled to himself and let his eyes slowly move from her ice cream bowl to the TV. “Is there anything else you’d like, baby?”
Y/N placed the bowl on her lap and wiped the corners of her mouth, pondering for barely a second. “One thing would be nice.” She said as she lifted her head so that she was looking up at Quinn. He raised his eyebrows, eyes soft with love and lips in a small smile. She grinned and placed a hand on his cheek. “A kiss, please.”
“Your wish is my command.” He said with a chuckle, leaning down to kiss her sweetly on the lips, teasing them with his tongue only enough to get a slight taste of the chocolate ice cream.
After that came another kiss until they were both wrapped inside of the cozy blanket, Y/N sitting comfortably on his lap with his arms around her, his hands caressing her side and leg as the sitcom played in the background with a quiet volume.
Y/N was barely aware of his movements as she laid there floating in a lightless, soundless void, feeling spent and blissful. She remembered something about a warm, soft bed with thick, heavenly pillows for under her head, and a comforter that could not have been anymore lovely than if it were sent by God.
She faintly recalled feeling Quinn’s warm body behind her, an arm draped over her waist and words that made her grin happily as darkness overtook her. "Love you, sweetheart."
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OUT — JACK HUGHES
jack hughes x fem!reader
summary: in which everyone has been wondering about the hair tie on Jack’s wrist, and they finally get the answers they were looking for
notes: THANK YOU MADDY ( @thatintrovertedwriter ) FOR THIS IDEA!!! I’M OBSESSED WITH IT!! not proofread and written while heavily sleep deprived
a relationship was never part of my intentions when i accepted my job offer.
in fact, any sort of love was pushed to the far corners of my mind. my focus was on showing everyone that not only men can be equipment managers in the NHL.
i had gone through so much rejection. countless teams citing that they decided to go in a different direction, and hiring a male for the job instead; and though most of the staff would try to deny that my gender was a part of it, there was always that one guy that had no problem with admitting they didn’t believe that a woman had any place in the NHL.
as if the job was hard. as if i couldn’t hand players sticks just as well as any man could.
but then the New Jersey Devils came into play. they had heard some talk about me and were the first team to reach out to me. they offered me the job, and i eagerly accepted. i felt i had something to prove. my gender doesn’t diminish the performance of my job.
so most of the 2022-23 season, i put all my focus into my job. i was amicable with the players, making sure i knew any superstitions or things i shouldn’t do with their equipment, but i never let it pass into any real level of friendship.
and then Jack Hughes happened.
when he got injured and had to sit out for a few games, i was put in charge of keeping him company. for four games my job description changed from handing players new sticks, to babysitting a twenty-one year old, and i wasn’t happy in the slightest.
it felt insulting, and apparently Jack felt the same way. somehow in those four games, we went from sitting across the suite from each other, to bonding over how stupid it was that i couldn’t do my actual job, to forming a friendship.
and in a matter of weeks, our friendship blossomed into something more.
it started with him coming back to my apartment after rough games, watching movies and letting off steam by joking around and playing drinking games. then along the way, we stumbled into bed. one hookup turned into two, which turned into another, which turned into a date, and finally by the end of the season, he was asking me to be his girlfriend.
it took me a week to finally tell him yes. an entire week of struggling with the decision. wondering if, if i start a real relationship with this player, am i proving all those men who told me i had no place in the NHL, right? but ultimately, i decided that my happiness was worth more than someone’s opinion of me, and i told him yes.
***
jackhughes
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subbanator 🚀
user83 is he wearing… a pink hair tie on his wrist?
user45 where?
user83 it’s on the same wrist with his bracelets
user16 omg you’re right
user02 is his hair even long enough to put up?
user77 @/user02 apparently
user91 what if it’s a girlfriends? oh my god
brendan.brisson Same time next year
***
i’m running late.
i’m running late and i’m rushing.
i’m running late, i’m rushing, and i’m contemplating breaking all rules of the road to arrive to work on time.
nothing is going right for me today.
i was supposed to have the morning off, so i didn’t set an alarm, but then i woke up to find six missed calls from my boss and a text asking if i could come help get equipment ready for practice because one of the other equipment managers came down with the flu.
then, i had to deal with getting yelled at because i didn’t have my ringer on and therefore, woke up after practice ended and didn’t come in and help.
then, i tipped over my brand new bottle of cold brew and had to spend almost an hour mopping my kitchen floor and wiping down the counters to get rid of the stickiness.
then, at the last minute as i was stepping out the door to head to the arena, my hair tie broke. and now i’ve spent the last fifteen minutes scouring my apartment for a new one, only to come to the conclusion that i have to leave now or else risk being yelled at for a second time today.
i give up entirely on my search for a hair tie, accepting my fate of wearing my hair down and rushing out of my apartment so fast that i almost forget to lock up behind me.
when i finally make it to Prudential Center, i’m able to clock in just before i’d be considered late, and i have absolutely no extra time to search for my boyfriend amidst the chaos of the season opener.
instead, i set off straight to the equipment area, working in tandem with my colleagues to make sure every players gloves, pads, and everything in between is ready, before i put each players gear into their respective locker room stalls.
i stack pucks in a high pyramid at the bench, ready for warm-ups, and line sticks up against the glass behind the bench, all set to be handed out when needed.
amongst the frantic running around the arena and getting things ready, i lose track of how many times i’m adjusting my hair; flipping it over my shoulder and tugging it out of my face.
finally, i get a split second to breathe, pulling my hair up in a makeshift ponytail with my hands as i stand outside the locker room, on standby in case any of the players need me.
“hey.” i instinctively drop my hands at the sound of someone talking, my shirt falling back down to cover the sliver of my abdomen that had shown when they were raised.
at the sight of my boyfriend, i sigh in relief, his chuckle reaching my ears as his arms snake around my waist.
“i scare ya?” Jack teases.
his helmet hits against my back, as he holds it in one hand. he’s all geared up, ready to hit the ice for the first game of the season, and oddly enough, i can’t help finding it incredibly attractive.
“just a little.” i huff, and a wide grin spreads across his lips. i smack his chest, but all that it hurts is his padding. “don’t be mean! i’ve had a bad day.”
his smile drops into an exaggerated pout, and he leans down to press a kiss to my lips.
“i’m sorry, baby.” i hum in acknowledgment, waving it off when he asks if i’d like to rant.
“no, it’s okay. i’ll rant later.” i assure him. “after you win your game.”
“our game.” he states, and i roll my eyes.
he’s made sure to never let me forget how much work i put into the team’s equipment and gear. citing that they wouldn’t be able to win without my help.
in his eyes, it’s as much my wins and losses as it is his.
“right.” i nod, patting his shoulders. “in that case, i’m gonna be very upset if you lose our game.”
his head tips back, laughter pouring past his lips, and it sounds like a melody in my ears.
“i’m confident. we’ll win this game.” he assures me, finally letting go of my waist and backing up. “if we don’t, you and i will never hear the end of it from Larks.”
ahh yes, Dylan Larkin. the Red Wings captain and Jack’s friend, whom i met over the summer while visiting Jack at his lake house.
“go!” i shoo my boyfriend off as the rest of his teammates begin pouring out of the locker room, heading off to line up, ready to hit the ice for warm-ups.
waving to the guys, who smile back at me in return, i head out to behind the bench.
as the guys warm up, i double check the bench stock of smelling salts, tums, stick tape, skate blades, and whatever else the guys may need during the game, before standing idly by.
*
finally, the game is underway, seven minutes left in the second period, and my boyfriend has already gotten a penalty in first for ‘roughing’.
i’m watching my boyfriend skate around the ice as i tend to his teammates, anxiously holding my breath as the clock winds down.
Jack zips across the ice, and i’m gnawing at my lip as he gains control of the puck. but before i know it, he’s just scored his first goal of the season.
a small smile splays across my lips, attempting to contain my excitement as he skates past the bench, bumping fists with his elated teammates before taking another lap around the ice.
Luke turns his head to grin at me, but he’s sidetracked as i’m interrupted by a teammate.
“y/n, can i get some salts?” Timo asks, and i nod, spinning around to grab some, my hair whipping in my face as i do so.
i let out a frustrated groan, turning back around to hand the little packet of smelling salts to number 28.
“you okay?” Timo questions, his brows threading together and i nod.
“it’s my damn hair.” i huff as he moves down on the bench, making room for my boyfriend and his line mates who now join on the bench. “i usually wear it up, but my hair tie broke and it’s getting on my nerves.”
wordlessly, Jack absentmindedly sheds his gloves off, pulling something from his wrist before holding it out to me where i stand directly behind him.
my lips part in surprise as my eyes lock on the pink hair tie that’s pinched between his index finger and thumb.
my hair tie.
“oh.” i breathe out, plucking the hair tie from his grasp. i smile, immediately pulling my hair up into a high ponytail. “thank you, love.”
he turns his head just enough to spot me, beaming back at me for a moment before turning back to focus back on the game that’s about to restart.
i lean forward a little, my hand lightly resting against the padding on his back, but he must feel the slight pressure because he leans back a little to show me he’s listening to what i have to say next.
“congratulations, babe. i’m proud of you.” i speak lowly, only for him to hear, before i stand back again, as though the interaction never happened. both of us focusing back on the game that takes place in front of us.
***
***
Jack lays beside me in my bed, absentmindedly scrolling through his social media, nodding along as i rant about my day.
“…but seeing you in the box was a plus.” i finish off my long winded ramble, effectively gaining his attention back at my teasing.
he locks his phone, tossing it to the side as he looks over at me.
“what was that?” he asks mockingly, raising an eyebrow. but before i can repeat myself, his fingers are working against the bare skin of my stomach.
my abdomen tightens as i laugh, squirming and trying to get away from his touch.
“stop!” i cackle, attempting and failing to push his hands away as he tickles me.
“no, say that again!” he chuckles, maneuvering his body now to straddle my legs so that i can’t run away, even if i wanted to. i shake my head wildly. “say it again! what was that? i don’t think i heard you right! cause it sounded like you just said the highlight of your day was seeing me get penalties!”
“that’s not true!” i squeal and he momentarily ceases his attack, tilting his ear towards me as if he’s listening closer.
“i said they were just pluses.” i defend myself, quickly following up, “the highlight of my day was finding out you wear my hair tie on your wrist.”
he looks down at me with a smirk, obviously quite proud of himself.
“stole that from your apartment.” he announces with pride.
“when?” i laugh, reaching up to cup the back of his neck, pulling his face closer to mine.
his hands now rest on either side of my head, holding himself up.
“the second time we hooked up.” he murmurs, dipping down to press a kiss to my lips. “you had complained that day when you forgot you hair tie at home. i never wanted you to be uncomfortable again, so i took one when i left here that night.”
i blink back at him in surprise, my heart thumping loudly in my chest, whooshing in my ears.
“are you telling me, you’ve been wearing that hair tie on your wrist, for the past seven months, just in case i ever needed it?” i ask.
“mhm.” he hums, his nose nudging against mine as he nods, the corners of his lips quirking up in a soft smile.
“i’m so in love with you.” i whisper, pulling him down to capture his lips in a kiss.
his lips slot against mine, his tongue slipping in to tangle with mine in a deep and sultry kiss, before he pulls away.
“oh good, because apparently our interaction tonight on the bench?” he pauses and i furrow my brows, nodding for him to continue. “yeah, apparently that happened while the camera was on me.”
a gasp slips past my lips, and he cringes slightly, nodding his head.
“yeah, we’ve been outted.”
we both let that sink in for a moment, pondering what our relationship will be like now that everyone knows. fans certainly analyzing our every move now.
but despite that, we can finally go on dates in public, and post each other on our social medias without panicking that we may have accidentally posted on our public stories instead of our close friends ones.
“i think i can live with that.” i finally break the silence, and he grins.
“yeah?” he questions, pressing a kiss against my lips, and i nod against him.
“yeah.”
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late night teasing | jack hughes
summary: in which y/n arrives home in a slightly inebriated state from a late night out with friends, desiring only one thing all night, jack's touch. therefore the one thing which plagues her mind upon arrival home is jack
pairing: jack hughes x fem!reader
notes: hello! this is a little bit more heated than anything i've ever really written before so please bear with me! i hope you enjoy <3
-----------------------
the familiar clicks of your heels signal your arrival home, it was nearing 1:35am in the morning
jack always stayed up to make sure you got home safe, especially when he knew you were going to be out, drinking
he watches as you walk through the door, mumbling profanities under your breath as the bottom of your heel accidentally clips the foot of the door, causing you to lose your balance momentarily. thankfully you're quick to regain it, steadying yourself by placing your hand on the door handle behind you
"and this is why i don't wear heels" you mutter to yourself, exhaling softly as you continue to walk towards the marbled kitchen counter, placing your phone and purse down
you were completely oblivious to jack's presence despite his obvious, longing gaze on you. his eyes rake down your body and the expanse of bare skin that had been left exposed. your black, silk dress hugs your body, leaving little to the imagination
jack was trying to be relatively subtle, when you eventually turned around however, meeting his gaze, you noticed his mouth slightly agape, gawking. he had been taking in every inch of your body
jack was mesmerised, you looked insane
"you finished gawking j?." your voice was soft, laced with a hint of seduction as you slightly bend over, beginning to fiddle with the straps of your heels
when his gaze finally makes it's way up your body to meet your eyes, a smile naturally plants itself on his features. your face was flushed red from the alcohol and a playful smirk plays on your lips. clearly you wanted something
ignoring your question, jack clears his throat, making his way over towards you. he lightly grabs your arm, haltering your movements and slowly pulling you back upright to meet his gaze
"let me take those off for you baby" he hums
you smile softly towards the brunette boy in front of you before nodding your head in agreement. you trail closely behind him as he leads you both towards the plush couch
finding a place on the couch you sit yourself down. you watch as jack kneels down on one knee before you. he begins to pull your heeled foot up onto his muscular thigh
jack begins to fiddle momentarily with the laced up string, his warm hands splayed on your calf while you watch him intently. his full focus had been drawn to the task at hand
he chooses to ignore the way your dress had started to ride up your thighs, keeping his gaze on your heeled foot
fuck. this was much harder than he thought
you watch him with a loving gaze. the way he looked now, his face flushed, while pure concentration was laced on his features as he removes your heels for you, was unmatchable
after slipping off your first heel he moves on to the second. his finger tips lightly brush your ankle as he continues his previous actions, fiddling with the laced up string. eventually he slips off your second heel, placing it neatly next to the other one before his eyes land on you. he gazes intently, refraining from breaking eye contact. you feel your cheeks begin to flush once more, an even deeper shade of auburn red colouring your cheeks
"thank you, j" you speak softly. your voice was low, sultry even. it was a clear attempt at being seductive, and thankfully for you, it had worked. you watch in admiration as jack's lips curve upwards slightly into a soft smile, peering at your doe eyes
"always baby" he responds back. a slight break in his voice is enough to indicate that your teasing was working, well and truly. you had the middle hughes worked up and before he could stop himself he abruptly shifts forward between your legs placing a chaste, sweet kiss to the inside of your upper thigh. you bite your lip back in response as desire builds up in your core
you watch as the wheels turn in his mind. a clear debate on what his next actions should be. jack begins to stand before he holds his hand out for you to grab, "let's get you dressed hm?"
a small wave of disappointment overwhelms your senses
he was good, too good. you both had an underlying sense of mutual respect and understanding for one another, especially in regard to each other's limits when intoxicated. jack hadn't planned on pushing those boundaries
"j. i'm not drunk, i promise"
he sighs softly, before he goes to squat down in front of you once more. he places his hands on both of your thighs tracing circles softly with his fingers. "i know you're not baby, but you're also not completely sober either. we can't do anything tonight y/n"
when he's met with silence he shifts to sit next to you on the couch, resting one of his hands on your thigh while the other cups your cheek
"it doesn't mean i love you any less baby, it just doesn't feel right". he plants a soft, chaste kiss to your lips before pulling away
he watches as the previous smirk that had covered your features begins to falter
"you do look fucking insane in this dress though" he compliments. his hand moves to feel the silk material that hugs your curvaceous body in a very flattering manner
your lips curve upwards in to a bright grin at his sweet words. despite dating for nearly four years, his compliments still had an overwhelming effect on you
not being able to withhold the overwhelming love and endearment you currently felt for the boy in front of you, you lean into him, pressing your lips to his
they were warm and soft, and your lips part slightly as you find yourself naturally smiling into the kiss, allowing room for jack's tongue to slip inside momentarily before he pulls away. his hand still remains cupping your cheek
"you're driving me crazy y/n" he breathes out
you smirk to yourself knowingly
you place a few more chaste kisses to his lips before the two of you begin to lose yourselves in the heat of the moment. jack ushers you to sit on his lap and you quickly oblige, moving to straddle him. your arms find their familiar spot loosely wrapped around his neck while his hands grip your waist tightly, preventing you from moving against him
he was trying to keep the kiss as innocent and pure as possible, although his attempts were short-lived
you begin to play with the soft brown curls at the nape of his neck. he watches you intently, adoration laced clearly in his eyes as you carry out the simple act. his hands rest on either side of your waist
"baby" you whispered, peppering a trail of soft kisses along his jaw. you slightly rock your hips against his as you reposition yourself, attempting to shift into a comfier position. in doing so you feel jack's grip on your hips tighten, haltering your movements. he sends you a knowing look, raising his eyebrows at you. feigning innocence you send him a soft smile, "was just getting into a comfier position". you knew he didn't believe your excuse for a second, however any uncertainty is overtaken by the feeling of your lips pressed against his neck. jack's hold on your waist tightens as you do so
"y/n baby. fuck-" desire fills jack's core as you continue to pepper a trail of kisses down his neck, he feels you smile against him, clearly satisfied
he snakes his arms around your waist, pressing your body closer against his
breaking the kiss you begin to slowly lift his shirt up. your fingers softly trace the lines of his defined abs. they were a display of pure, unwavering strength. clear evidence of the hard work put in to the sport he loved, the sport he now played for a living
"y/n" he deadpans, watching a smirk slightly creep onto your features as your hands continue to trace up and down his bare chest. you knew you were pushing it, however there was only one thing on your mind, him
you hum in response, raising your eyebrows expectantly at the middle hughes
"is something wrong? do you want me to stop, j?" you continue, your voice hangs low in the most seductive tone you can muster. your hands rest on the small area of his bare, toned chest while you continue peppering kisses along his neckline
he shifts one of his hands from around your waist to place a stray piece of hair that had fallen behind your ear. he then cups your cheek, finding your eyes
"no further than this, yeah?" he affirms, watching as you softly nod your head in response
he breathes out, closing his eyes momentarily as if to mull over the decision, before a sudden sense of urgency overwhelms him
his arms are quick to move, cupping your face as he plants his lips onto yours. your bodies immediately press together heatedly as jack bucks his hips, pressing himself further against you. you feel your breaths become heavier and more desperate as you continue to deepen the kiss
his hands leave your face, snaking around your waistline once more before lowering to squeeze your ass softly. a breathy moan leaves your lips as you shift your head into the crook of his neck
jack shifts your hair to one side, leaving the other side of your neck completely exposed. using this to his advantage he begins to peck at the skin of your neck softly
he knew they were your weakness
"jack" you breathed out softly
he continues to make his way further down the exposed skin of your neck, cupping your jaw softly with his hand, preventing you from moving away
"feels good baby?" he questions in between kisses
"so good j, don't stop"
you feel him smile against your neck at the praise before continuing, shifting to kiss the sensitive spots under your ear. jack knew your body like the back of his hand, he knew exactly where your sweet spots were, which unfortunately for you came in handy when he was asking for a favour
"have a good time tonight with the girls y/n"? he questions, his voice was hoarse, low and extremely hot
"m' of course. but couldn't wait to come home to you" you mumble softly, your voice breathless as he continues to suck softly on your skin. suddenly he pulls away, tilting your chin downwards, before softly planting a kiss on your lips
it was a simple act, yet your heart warmed immediately. you loved this boy so damn much
your dress had begun to ride up significantly, bunching up into a heap at your waistline. you feel jack rub his hands up and down your now exposed legs as he pulls you in to his lips once more. he deepens the kiss, eliciting a soft moan from your lips in pleasure at his touch
"jesus y/n" he mumbles. his breath fans against your neck sending chills to erupt throughout your core. you naturally shift, rocking your hips back and forth as you readjust yourself. you feel him harden beneath you
you looked up breathlessly, lips burning as jack pulls away. jack's cheeks were flushed, a smirk lacing his lips. god he looked so so good
"let's get you dressed and ready for bed y/n" he states simply
your smile begins to falter at the sudden loss of contact before your eyebrows furrow in confusion, "j.. what about" you pause as your gaze shifts down to the obvious bulge in his pants
"we'll get you in to bed and i'll take care of it later, yeah?"
you squint your eyes for a brief moment, feeling slightly guilty before nodding your head
you shift from off his lap before following him into the room, taking a seat on your bed
jack walks over towards your shared closet, fumbling around in the drawers for one of his shirts
he places the shirt on the bed beside you, while his hands come under your arms, helping you stand up on your feet. you lean into his touch, turning around so he can undo the back of your dress
you feel his fingers softly brush your exposed back as he begins to unzip your dress. jack was being extremely careful with you, gently and slowly sliding the zipper of your dress down, so as to not break it
his gaze lands on the back of your black lacy bralette and he chooses not to follow your skin any further down. his mind was racing with a million thoughts, most of them being not so innocent. you use your hands to slip the straps off your shoulders which causes the dress to land on the carpet beneath you, pooling at your feet
jack inhales a shaky breath as his gaze remains on you. you were standing in front of him, in just your underwear and a very pretty bralette
he was really being tested tonight, you were driving him insane
breaking his gaze he reaches across and picks up his shirt from the end of the bed. “do you want to take this off before…?” he questions softly, gesturing towards your bralette when he eventually catches your eye
you nod in response, reaching behind you to undo the clasp, allowing it to slip from your shoulders to the floor. jack places all of his attention towards getting his shirt and covering your half-naked body
“thank you baby" you smile, suddenly feeling an overwhelming amount of adoration for your boyfriend
before you get the chance to stop yourself you wrap your arms around his middle, embracing him. he places his hands in your hair this time, taking in your scent, which was mixing with his own now that you were in his shirt
“y/n baby, if you were sober right now" he confesses, placing a chaste kiss to your forehead
“i'm sober enough” you state simply
he still shakes his head against you, "you and i both know you're not in the state to, i'm not going to be that guy"
he follows behind you as you shift to your side of the bed, enveloping yourself in the doona cover. you feel jack's fingers through the doona, tucking in the sides of the sheets to ensure they wouldn't fall off during the night
"i'll be back soon y/n"
he places a sweet kiss to your forehead as you nod before he continues
"i'm glad that you enjoyed your night, i would love to hear all about it tomorrow. i've got morning skate, so i should be home by around 11 maybe if you're not up before me"
he's met with silence
jack chuckles slightly at the sight of you. your eyes closed as you fall into a deep slumber
he kisses your forehead once more, "i love you"
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Canes red
TW warning ⚠️ : I won't sugarcoat it. NSFW content.
Disclaimer : Fiction is fiction and is not representative of them in real life nor their relationship status. You are responsible for what you choose to read. Yes this is RPF it's okay if it's not your thing. At this point you have been warned.
Pairing : Jesperi Kotkaniemi × Female reader
Author’s note : In honor of Jesperi giving the Canes a win against his former team and getting a sweet silent revenge 😇
Hey do u still have my Habs jersey?
That was the text message you received immediately after the Hurricanes' win over the Canadiens. Although this question brought a small smile to your face, you couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Yea?... why do you ask?
Slumped in bed in your pajamas, you had just watched your boyfriend give his team a big win in a shootout. All of it in front of his old fans, in his old city... in your old city. Worthy of a Hollywood script.
Want u in it when I get home
It took you by surprise. So much so that you thought he was bluffing, so you only responded with a little kinky while rolling your eyes. You went on with your night routine, brushed your teeth and did your skincare. Jesperi would probably be home around 1 or 2 a.m. so you had enough time to take a quick nap. Once back in your bedroom, you looked at your phone one last time.
I’m serious. We're taking off soon, see u soon I love u
You gulped. Maybe you should finally trade in your pajamas and comply with his request.
It was so weird to put that jersey back on after two years. The familiar, yet foreign feeling of the colors on your skin. His name carved in the red, white and blue. The 15 instead of 82 on the sleeves. Yet this uniform that he had worn for four consecutive years had never seemed as impersonal as it did at that moment.
You looked yourself in the mirror and shrugged. It was his request after all. Whatever his intentions were, he had earned the right to make that demand after that big win. You were proud of your man and if wearing his ex team’s jersey was doing it for him? Then it was fine with you.
***
You woke up to the sound of the apartment door opening. Jesperi dropped his duffle bag on the floor and you got up to hug him. His eyes scanned your body from bottom to top, stopping at the Habs logo displayed on your chest. A slightly amused expression displayed on his face.
“Hi bubs, welcome home,” you whispered, leaning your head against his chest.
You felt his fingers gently rest on your chin to lift your head and force you to look at him.
“What did you think of that shot?” he said in a slight cocky tone.
You looked up at him, batting your eyelashes and brought your hands to the buttons of his shirt. “I think…” You started, undoing all of them. “That was pretty mint.”
He chuckled at the mention of that expression, remembering how he and Victor Mete were always using that back in Montreal. Once the buttons were all undone, you got rid of his tie as well and let your hands run down his firm chest. Jesperi didn't need to talk, the connection you shared was so strong that you only had to look at him to read the message he was trying to send you.
“Wait,” you said. “You actually wanted me to wear that… because…”
You went silent, your cheeks reddened just at the thought of what he could possibly have in mind.
“Yea…” he whispered in your ear, as he lightly grabbed your buttocks. “I want to fuck you. In this jersey.”
“Are you serious?” you questioned.
He smirked at you, before bringing his hands down to your hips to flip you off and make sure your back was pressed against his chest. His lips roamed over that soft spot on your neck, making you shiver before nuzzling your earlobe. Without warning, he pushed you face down on the mattress, a little gasp falling from your lips.
You stood still and heard the sound of his pants and belt hitting the ground.
“Get on all fours.”
You obeyed without flinching. You felt the mattress sink under his weight, as he hovered over you to kiss the back of your neck. You felt his firm, calloused hands move up your thighs and stop so close to your pussy.
“Is this okay?” he whispered into your ear.
You nodded, but he repeated, asking you to be clearer. “Yes Jes. I consent.”
He pulled back for a moment to retrieve what he needed from the nightstand, before returning to position himself behind you. You were hot. The jersey was starting to stick to your skin and become slightly uncomfortable, but you didn't care. You let a breathy moan escape from your mouth as you felt lube slicked fingers sliding inside you.
“That's it baby,” he said through clenched teeth, “I don't want to hurt you.”
Slowly, he crooked his fingers upward in search of that spot that was driving you completely crazy. You let his name slip from your lips a few times, as he scissored his fingers to open you up for him. He knew you needed more to cum, but it wasn't in his plans right now. Seeing your hand reach down to touch you where you desperately needed, he pushed it away with a firm “no.”
You groaned in frustration and he removed his fingers making squirm even more against the mattress.
“Jesperi... please,” you begged.
He placed a hand on your chest and pulled you up to rest against him before moving it up to your throat, but without applying pressure.
“Be a good girl. I'm going to fuck you in this jersey and then I'm going to make love to you. Got it?”
“Y-yes.”
You felt him pull the jersey up slightly on your hips. He smacked your ass and you pushed your head into the mattress to stifle your little whine.
“O-oooo Jesperi, fuck, yes,” you moaned as he pushed into you. He didn't move for a little while, letting you adjust to his size before testing the ground with little thrusts of his hips. “I-I can you... go ahead...” you whined.
You didn’t have to say it twice. He gripped your hips firmly before pounding everything he had left in the tank. It was a brutal, punishing pace, but it didn't hurt. You just knew you weren't going to get any benefit from it. You groaned every time his balls hit your sensitive bundle of nerves, asking for nothing more than to be able to touch yourself.
“Jes... please,” you groaned. “Let me touch myself.”
He grabbed a fist full of hair and pulled it tugging you upward. The change in angle made you feel so much better. His firm arms wrapped around your body and his head buried in your neck to muffle his grunts. He lowered his hand to your pelvis, letting it rest there without giving you satisfaction and it made you cried out.
“Shhh baby,” he cooed out of breath. “I'm so close, I'm going to make you feel good afterwards.”
He sucked on a mark on your neck and quickened the pace of his coming and going. Without restraint, you had the idea to spice things up even more.
“Tell me how it felt to score? Did it feel good baby? Yes? Did you get your revenge? Yeah?”
He grunted and you felt the grip on your hips tighten. “You wanted to fuck me in that jersey? Prove how they should never have let you go? Is that it?”
“So good,” he groaned. “I'm going to - I can't.”
“It's okay Jes, let yourself go for me.”
You felt his thrusts go sloppy and he came inside the condom with a sharp, long sigh of relief. He withdrew immediately and you groaned at the loss of sensation and the memory of your throbbing pussy.
“Take that off,” he ordered as he grabbed your jaw to kiss you fiercely. “I don't want to see it anymore.”
You blinked and stood still before finally taking it off. Jesperi returned from the bathroom and threw a Hurricanes Jersey at you with a smile. “Put this one on.”
You nodded, trading in the 15 for his 82 and immediately the features on his face became softer. He smiled and pushed you onto your back, hovering over your body as he kissed you carefully.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered against your lips. “Do you want me to make you feel good? Yes?”
You nodded and immediately opened your legs to invite him to take position inside them.
He kissed gently on the inside of your thighs, sucking on the skin and you squirmed to make him understand your impatience.
“So needy,” he mocked.
You sighed as his mouth made contact with your needy cunt. Like the little tease that he is, he ran his tongue everywhere but on your clit. You cussed and fisted the sheets in anticipation. He removed his mouth to go back up and kiss you. His hands slipped under his jersey to play with your sensitive nipples.
“I - please,” you begged. “Make me come.”
He chuckled and placed a kiss on your forehead before returning to his previous actions. He didn't waste any time this time, going straight for your clit. He sucked it between his lips and pulled a bunch of moan from your lips. Your hands went to his hair, grabbing a few strands and tugging lightly. He understood the message and inserted two fingers inside you. The squelching sound was dirty and you swear you've never been so wet in your life.
Jesperi continued to suck your clit and looked up to make eye contact with you. You knew that's all it would take to push you over the edge.
“Are you going to cum princess?”
You nodded vigorously and it took another flick of his tongue on your sensitive bundle of nerves for you to come in a scream that echoed through the room. You pushed his head away from you, your legs shaking from the adrenaline rush in your body. You let yourself fall back, exhaling a sigh of relief as you laughed.
“Fuck,” you said as you watched Jesperi lay down next to you. “Tell me you're playing the Habs again this season sometime.”
He laughed as he brushed a few strands of hair out of your face. “Why? You want to do this again?”
“Mhmmm maybe.”
You got up to take off his sweaty jersey and put on an old t-shirt before coming back to lie next to him in bed.
“I'm so proud of you my love,” you whispered. “Proving all of them wrong like you do so well.”
Jesperi pulled your face against his, capturing your lips in a frantic kiss. “Not gonna lie, you look way much better with number 82 than 15.”
“Oh yeah?” You teased him.
“Canes red was made for you,” he replied.
“And for you too.”
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Hi! Could you do a Luke Hughes x reader where the reader still goes to UMich while Luke is in Jersey w/ Jack and she speculates he’s cheating on her? Angst with a happy ending, preferably? Thank you!
[ 604 miles ] l. hughes
paring : Luke Hughes x fem!reader
summary : after seeing Luke on Jack’s private story, his girlfriend begins speculating that he’s doing more than just playing hockey
warning(s) : angst ! but w a happy ending. mentions of cheating. reader still goes to Umich
author’s note : oooh this is gonna be juicy
༺═──────────────═༻
She trusts Luke. She swear she does, but she can’t help but feel the little pull at her heart when she watches him in the background of Jack’s private story.
A bunch of their mutual Michigan friends started to text her while she was doing homework. Even fans on social media have been posting about it and tagging her in posts.
She was confused, then she opened Snapchat to see what they were talking about.
In one video, Jack’s drunk and dancing to some song that she doesn’t know. In the background, she sees her boyfriend sitting at a booth with some blonde at his side. He isn’t touching her, but she’s sitting too close to him.
In another video, Luke’s in the background dancing with that same girl. She notices the smile on Luke’s face when he faces the camera.
It brings tears to her eyes as she jumps to an immediate conclusion. She’s been right every time so far.
She truly thought he was different than the other hockey players she dated. They all cheated on her too, and Luke promised her over and over again that he would never do that to her.
Well, here he is. Probably cheating on her and Jack is posting it all over his private Snap story for all their mutual friends to see. It’s embarrassing for her.
It took months for Luke to break down the wall she built around her heart. They met halfway through their freshman year at Michigan. It wasn’t until the beginning of their sophomore year that they started dating.
With her sadness turning into anger and tears rolling down her hot face, she calls Luke. It keeps ringing. And ringing. So she calls one more time.
And gets his voicemail.
“Luke Warren Hughes, you have five minutes to call me back or you’re going to end up without a girlfriend,” she says into the phone. “I mean it. And you better have a damn good reason you’re dancing with some random blonde girl on Jack’s Snapchat.” Then she hits the end button and puts the phone on her desk with the screen up.
A minute passes and her phone doesn’t ring. She doesn’t get a text.
Two minutes pass and her fingers are itching to call him again. She wants to stay true to her word because if Luke has a good explanation as to why he’s with some blonde then he’ll call her back.
Four minutes pass from the call. She drafts a text to Jack that she’s going to send in a minute if her phone doesn’t ring.
‘ tell luke i’m going to send him his things that i have in my apartment and that i want mine back. i’m done. ’
After five minutes pass, she sends the text.
It’s not the first time that this has happened, and it’s the last. Not only is she done with Luke, she’s done with any hockey boys in general. Too many times has she gotten her heart broken because the relationship had to go long distance. Too many times has she had too much trust.
Two minutes after she sents Jack the text, her phone rings. Jack is calling her.
“I really don’t feel like explaining why-”
“What do you mean you’re done?” Luke interrupts before she can finish her sentence. “What did I do?”
Her jaw drops. “You can’t be serious, Luke,” she replies. “I saw you in the background of Jack’s snaps getting too comfortable with a blonde girl. Sitting with her and a smile on your face while dancing with her? You told me you wouldn’t break my heart.”
“That’s not- baby, she’s a friend,” Luke tries to defend. “Jack’s friend if I’m being honest. He was busy hanging out with Nico and Dawson so she came to sit with me. She dragged me out onto the dance floor and told me to dance. I told her I had a girlfriend and she still dragged me to the dance floor and got close to me. I didn’t try to do anything with her because I don’t want to.”
Tears sting her eyes. “I gave you a chance to explain yourself,” she tells him. “I called you twice before I texted Jack. It took me texting Jack before you called me from his phone. You told me you’d never break my heart but you did. I don’t trust you, Luke. I’ve been told that same story over and over again.”
Luke stays silent. She has to dry her own tears that have rolled down her cheeks. She has to cover her mouth so she doesn’t let out a sob that he hears.
She’s standing her ground. She’s protecting her heart. The 604 miles between them should be enough space and make it easier to move on.
“(Y/N), I would never cheat on you,” Luke tells her. She can hear the sincerity in his voice but she still doesn’t believe him.
“Luke, I can’t right now,” she softly says. She’s pretty sure he can’t even hear her because of how loud it is in the bar or wherever they are. “I’m sorry.”
Then she hangs up. She shuts her phone off and crawls into bed, completely forgetting about her homework. All she wants to do right now is wallow.
His words are just words. She knows what she saw. Right now, nothing that Luke can say to her will change her mind about being done.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
It’s nearly two in the afternoon when she hears a knock on her off-campus apartment door. She hasn’t gotten up out of bed in nearly forty-eight hours except to use the bathroom. Her phone hasn’t been turned on since her talk with Luke the other day.
Someone is probably coming to check on her since she has fallen off the face of the Earth for the moment. That is the only reason why she drags herself out of bed to go answer the door.
When she swings open the door, it’s the last person she expects to be on her doorstep. He actually supposed to be in California right now. They have a game to play in a few hours in Anaheim.
Luke holds a single rose out for her and a little basket full of snacks is in his other hand. “I was going to get a whole bouquet for you but I forgot to grab one at the store,” he tells her. “If anyone asks, I did not pull this from the bed by the front door of the building.”
“What are you doing here?” she asks. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I wanted to talk,” he replies. “You haven’t been replying to any of my texts or answering my calls. I told Lindy that I needed a few personal days and he told me that I can come back when I’m ready to. I didn’t want you to keep thinking that I was cheating on you or hurting you. That was never my intention.”
She rolls her eyes and walks into the apartment. Luke is quick to follow her and shut the door behind her. “You can say what you have to say then you can get on a flight to Anaheim to play tonight,” she tells him as she sits on the couch in the living room.
He sets the basket of snacks on the coffee table in front of her and sets the rose next to it. Luke pulls out his phone and taps on it for a second. She’s about to say something when he shows her his screen.
It’s a picture of the blonde girl that was with Luke, but she’s all cuddled up with Jack. Jack looks happy and is looking at her like she’s the only person in the world. It was taken at the beginning of the night because she can tell that there is something behind Jack’s eyes.
“It’s Jack’s ‘friend’,” Luke assures her. “They’re together but aren’t telling people they’re together but they make it obvious that they are. The reason she was hanging out with me for a little bit was because she wanted to know how to tell Jack that she’s ready to publicly be together.”
She looks up at Luke behind the phone. “You couldn’t answer your phone and just tell me that?” she asks.
“I left it in the car,” he tells her. He taps on the screen a few more times and holds up a screenshot of his and Jack’s locations. They weren’t together, and it looks like Luke was right outside the building.
It’s all making sense to her. Her and her trust issues were wrong this time.
A pout forms on her lips at the same time tears form in her eyes. “You really weren’t lying to me,” she mumbles. Her voice is incredibly shaky.
“I told you that I would never break your heart,” Luke tells her. “Not intentionally. I definitely wouldn’t cheat on you. I know you’re past with that and no matter how upset I am with you, I wouldn’t resort to that. Unlike everyone else you’ve been with, I’m more willing to communicate. Hell, I took time away from the team to come make sure we were okay.”
One of the tears rolls down her cheeks and Luke uses the back of his pointer finger to wipe it away. She leans into his touch and looks at him. “I’m sorry, Luke,” she says. It comes out as more of a sob than actual words.
He moves closer to her and throws an arm over her shoulders. She curls up against him and Luke kisses the top of her head. “It’s okay,” he assures her. “I know how you think so I gave you a little bit then came to talk to you. Just needed you to think with your head and not your past.”
She frowns and throws her legs over his lap. Luke holds her close.
“Do you want to go to Anaheim to play?” she asks as she looks up at him. “There’s enough time for you to make it for warmups.”
Luke shakes his head. “I think I want to spend a few days with you,” he replies. “I’m pretty sure they can handle a couple of games without me. I need a handful of days off where I don’t think about hockey. I haven’t been playing the best so a break sounds nice.”
“It’s your first season,” she tells him as she runs her fingers through his curls. “There is so much pressure on you because of your last name. You’re most likely feeling it without realizing it.”
He looks at his girlfriend. “I know,” he sighs. “Just give me a few days and I’ll head back to Jersey to play when they get back from the California trip.”
She leans forward and presses a long kiss to his cheek. “I love you,” she tells him. “I think you’ll grow into your NHL skates. You’ll have an insane season next season, or even for the last 20 something games of the season.”
“I love you too,” Luke replies. “Sorry I made you think I was cheating on you.”
“Got you to come see me so I guess I forgive you,” she teases.
It’s been a few weeks since Luke came to see her. They watched the All Star game together in the apartment. That was the last time they saw each other.
Luke gets comfortable on the couch. “Can we take a nap since we’re okay?” he asks. “I’m exhausted.”
“Only if we move to the bed because you are too big to share a couch with.”
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yellow / julián álvarez
summary: your mood isn't the best when your sister, the one who almost dragged you into the etihad stadium to watch coldplay, bails in the last minute. although the show wasn't bad, the highlight of the night was someone else.
wc: 1.8k words
author's note: don't ask me how i wrote so much with the 17 sec video we got from emilia. i thought it was cute so here you go!! this is so self indulgent it's insane but I DON'T CARE kajskajsk
you plopped down ungracefully into the seat, annoyed. apart from checking that the seat was the one you were supposed to be seated at, you weren't even watching your surroundings, too engrossed in the conversation you were having with your sister.
[you] said: what do you mean you've upgraded your seat?
[you] said: what about me?
[ana] said: you don't even like coldplay!
yes, it was true: you were dragged to the etihad stadium to see the band solely because your sister, ana, who worked with the man city team had gotten ahold of some tickets, and as she didn't want to go on her own, she practically begged you to come with her. as the younger sister, you would do anything for her, so you complied. but now, with the news that she wouldn't be joining you, the idea of getting up from your seat and going home was too compelling to ignore.
[ana] said: you can't go back home, though. i came with you, remember?
you could have screamed out loud, god and the rest of the souls close to where you are forbid you, if it wasn't for the cute guy that sat beside you. you couldn’t prevent your thoughts from reminiscing about taylor swift’s lyric given the boyish look that he had, with the plain white shirt joined with a grayish jacket he was wearing. “is this seat taken?” he asked kindly, signaling to your right -where your sister should be-, and you shook your head.
[you] said: you’re lucky the cutest guy in the whole fucking stadium has just sit on your place
[you] said: otherwise i would have left already
[you] said: are you talking about rúben dias?
you huff out a laugh before locking your phone for good, and focusing on the man who was seated by your side. “my sister was supposed to be on your seat”, you clarify, waving a bit your phone in the air to explain what you were laughing about. he has a confused look on his face now, wiping away the cute smile he previously had on, and you rush to explain that he’s allowed to sit there. “but she’s clearly not, so you’re good to go”.
he’s a bit more shy this time, you notice, and his english comes a bit more rough. “i’m sorry, can you speak a bit… slower? i’m not from here, and-”. you stop him with your wavering hands, and you curse yourself out for, maybe, being too enthusiastic about it, but you were never one to avoid casual conversation. much less with a stranger this cute. “wait, where are you from?”.
“argentina” he says, and you widen your eyes in response. “argentina!” you repeat effusively, clapping your hands, and although some people turn around to see what the noise is about, you don’t really care. the sight of the boy in front of you, cheeks slightly rosy due to your enthusiasm was all you could focus on. “español, no? hablo un poquito” (spanish, right? i speak a tiny bit) you say, pinching your fingers together with a very small space between, emphasizing it’s a tiny amount, and he laughs. it’s the sweetest sound you’ve ever heard, and you have to direct your eyes elsewhere to avoid your cheeks from hurting due to how big you’re smiling.
soon enough, the concert starts, cutting short you conversation with the handsome guy at your right. you notice, by this point, that you never asked for his name, and in return, he doesn't know yours either, so you have to swallow the disappointment of never seeing him again after the two hours are up. were you being dramatic? yes. could you ask for his name now? again, yes. why weren’t you doing it, then?
your thoughts bring you back to the etihad after having wandered away when you hear the familiar song, and your gaze shifts onto the wristband you’re wearing, that is now tinted in yellow. “i know this one! conozco esta!” you almost scream into his ear so he can listen to you, and he smiles, nodding enthusiastically. the whole stadium lights up, and it's a beautiful sight to see, how everyone has their arms up to enjoy the music and, at the same time, be a part of the yellow sea that paints all-over the normally light blue stadium.
always having protested against those who oppose filming concerts, you take your phone out of your pocket and proceed to open the camera on instagram. it’s still the first verse, though, so you wait until the all-too-familiar “and it was all yellow” line hits to start filming. the soft yellow glow that shines through the etihad takes your breath away in the most beautiful way, and even if you’re trying to avoid screaming your lungs out to the lyrics to avoid ruining the video, the impulse to do so is just too much. you don't just film the stage where the band is, but also the whole sight of the stadium, and you pan to your right side just in time to catch the beautiful stranger singing the “you know i love you so” part with the most beautiful smile on his face.
you don’t even realize when you post the story but you do, fingers still tingly from the warmth that spread through your body at hearing the words. they weren’t even his own, but chris martin’s, but still, something about him made you believe love at first sight might be a thing.
all nice things must end, unfortunately, because soon enough the once awaited but now dreaded ending of the show has arrived. he’s about to tell you something, you realize, but your phone starts ringing and the screen screams your sister’s name. he nods, encouraging you to take the call, and you do so, not before mouthing “mi hermana” (my sister) as to which he nods again, understandingly.
you almost can’t understand her through the screams, barely a “best concert of my life!” and “they’re awesome!” being identified in the endless stream of unrecognizable words. its not long, though, until she finally tells you the information you didn’t want to hear. “i’m already in the car, where are you? thought you would’ve been seated and ready to go by now” she giggles, and you have to fake a laugh too, eyeing the beautiful man who was waiting for you at your side, while being on his phone to distract himself from spying onto your call. “yeah, well…” you try to explain, but it’s useless. “it’s late, y/n, i have work tomorrow!”. you sigh, defeated, and end the call after informing her that you would be with her in minutes.
he focuses on you now, after he sees you saving your phone into your front pocket, and his eyebrows furrow when he sees your deflated state, so different to what he had seen a couple of minutes hago. “i have to go,” you inform disappointingly, and he nods in understanding, even if you had said the sentence in english. “¿te puedo acompañar a tu auto? digo, no si te parece raro, solo-” (can i accompany to your car? i mean, not if you find it weird, just-). you find his ramble cute, although you don't quite grasp the words since he can speak so quickly in his mother tongue. still, the first part of the sentence has you nodding shyly, and you can’t thank enough these couple of minutes more that you gained by this.
you get there fast, unluckily, or at least faster than you would have made it on your own. he walks the stadium like he knows it, or has been here before somehow, and you realize you didn’t even ask him what had brought him to london, or what his job was.
your sister waves enthusiastically when you two make it safe and sound to your parking space, and your cheeks warm up a bit in embarrassment when he waves back. it feels like those rom-com movies, where the parent watches their kids by the window when they get home after the first date. “te veo pronto” (i’ll see you soon) he says confidently and you nod approvingly, although it doesn't come to mind right there that you, again, don’t really know his name, or got some social media profile of his, to keep in contact. when you realize this, he has already planted a shy kiss on your cheek and turned around, hands in his pockets, destiny unknown, at least to you.
“you’ve met julián!” is the first thing that comes out of ana, your sister’s mouth, after you get close enough to her to greet her with a hug. the tone is joyful and her eyes are glowing, but since the name doesn’t ring any bells for you, you furrow your brows in response. she looks at you strangely, but gets inside your car nonetheless, after you unlock it so you can both make your way home as quickly as possible. “álvarez?” she tries again, now with that person’s last name, you guess. still, no face attached to that name shows up in your mind, so you shake your head.
ana’s quick in getting the phone out of her bag. you can hear her typing furiously on her screen due to her long nails hitting the phone, but you tune her out, focusing on the road. the next time she talks, or rathers, signals for your attention, you're on a red light. it looks like she has a guy’s instagram open up, and you can read the “juliaanalvarez” on top, letting you know who the guy in the photo was.
you can’t quite grasp the fact that the beautiful stranger’s face from earlier was smiling widely at you from your sister’s phone, and much less, that he was wearing a man city kit on it, before the light turns green again, and you have to continue driving. “is he a part of the staff like you?” you ask, dumbfounded, and her palm hits her forehead like you had said the stupidest thing she has ever heard. “no, silly! he’s our second striker. haven’t you been watching our games?” she reprimands, and you smile awkwardly at her, which answers the question on his own. “oh, you so need to join me at the etihad next weekend!”.
the rest of the way is silent, given that you’re still trying to process the news. you still don't quite understand why he hasn't said anything about who he was, but realize that, maybe, he was more comfortable with remaining anonymous. your feet drive you mindlessly to your bed, and you’re laying on it when you take your phone off your pocket. you have many notifications on the lockscreen, given that you hadn't really paid attention to it since the show started, but the only one that catches your eye is from instagram.
juliaanalvarez requested to follow you.
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