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imaginingsoftly · 4 years

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4 Times He Left You Behind and 1 Time He Didn’t - Matt Grzelcyk

Type: childhood friends to lovers, age progression, fluffy

Requested: No

Warnings: N/A

(Y/N = Your name)

A/N: I love these 4+1 fics, and thought I’d try my hand at writing one. Let me know if you’d like to see more of them!

1: 5 Years Old

Your small legs struggled to keep up with the boys. They were only a year older than you, but your brother and Matty were somehow flying ahead of you, one of their steps making up two of yours. Matty had promised you would play together today, but then your brother asked him if he wanted to play in the pool and he was gone. Your brother had yelled back at you to keep up, and you were trying, but they were too fast. They didn’t even notice you weren’t behind them anymore, and you trudged back to your mom sadly.

She looked at you and then at the pool, where your brother and Matty were now slapping each other with pool noodles. “He’ll slow down for you one day honey, you’ll see. They’re just boys right now.” You didn’t believe her. You were too small to play with the boys.

Matty came back to play with you when your brother began playing tag with the other boys, and you were both too young to understand the look your parents gave each other as Matty handed you a plate of dino chicken nuggets to share.

2: 10 Years Old

The boys were going down to the creek to build a treehouse, and your brother had promised you could tag along if you could keep up. They had hopped on their bikes and taken off, and you were left to try and catch up to them. They were better at biking than you, your mom not letting you go out and bike as much as your brother, and you were quickly falling behind.

“Matty, wait up,” you called ahead, hoping that he would slow down. He turned around for a second, and you saw him hesitate before one of the boys grabbed his arm and tugged. Matty turned forward again and began pedalling faster to catch up to the others, but he threw another look of regret back in your direction. “Sorry,” he mouthed. You slowly turned your bike around to head home again.

Your mom was waiting when you walked back in, a cookie and some chocolate milk waiting. She knew without you speaking that the boys had left you behind. “They’re boys, Y/N. I’ll talk to your brother about slowing down for you. One day they’ll be chasing you, just watch.” You rolled your eyes. No way would any of those boys be chasing you. You didn’t want them to; they were gross, and they were friends with your brother.

Matty came over for dinner that night, and he gave you his cookie afterwards. “Sorry, Y/N,” he said, “I didn’t know where they were going or I would have waited for you.” You shrugged, and split the cookie in half. As you handed him the larger piece, you said, “it’s okay, Matty. I know nobody wants a girl tagging along.” He didn’t have a response, you could see that, so you smacked his shoulder and jumped up, yelling “tag! You’re it!”

Your parents laughed as you took off running across the house, Matty laughing and jumping up as well. He tagged your brother, and then all hell broke loose. It was one of your favorite summertime memories.

3: 15 Years Old

Matty’s games were your favorite events to go to. Sometimes he invited a girl, and you’d become their go-to source of information on everything hockey when they didn’t know the rules, which was often. Most of the time they were cool, and spent a lot of the game asking you for embarrassing stories about him. This new girlfriend was your least favorite so far. She had a problem with you, for some reason, and she rolled her eyes every time someone made an inside joke. The group you were with had been together for years, mostly neighborhood kids that had been together in diapers, but she was from Belmont. She’d met Matty at one of the Belmont High School football games, when Matty went to go watch one of his teammate’s brothers play and she was cheerleading.

“So, like, why do you come to Matthew’s games if you’re not dating anyone?” You looked at her questioningly. “I grew up with Matty,” you said slowly, “I’ve been going to his games since he learned how to skate. He played with my brother.” That earned you another eye roll. She didn’t speak to you for the rest of the game, which made it more pleasant, and you and the rest of the group spent the third period yelling at Matty to shoot. It was one of his pet peeves, but you knew it would make him laugh coming from you guys.

Matty took longer to come out of the locker room than if you guys were going back to his house to watch a movie. For him that wasn’t unusual; he usually took longer when a girl came to the games, and actually fixed his hair rather than slapping his ratty old Red Sox hat on. The girl threw herself into his arms as soon as he appeared, and you made gagging noises behind her back. Matty saw and chuckled a little, which the girl took to mean he was happy to see her. She smashed her lips onto his, and you’d had enough of the horror show, preferring to greet the other guys to watching your best friend get his face sucked.

“You coming with us, Y/N?” You didn’t get a chance to answer before the girl was cutting in. “I was hoping we’d get a chance to spend some time alone together, Matthew,” she said in what you thought was supposed to be a seductive tone. She began pulling Matty away before you could even congratulate him on the win, and he barely turned around to look at you before turning back to the girl.

Your mom was sitting in the kitchen when you stomped back to the house, mumbling under your breath. “Boys,” you cut your mother off before she could say what she always said. “No, mom,” you shouted, “it’s not going to change! He’s always going to leave me behind.” Your voice broke on the last syllable, and she was sweeping you into a hug. “Oh, honey,” she whispered, “you’ll see. That boy follows you around like a lost puppy most of the time. He just hasn’t figured it out yet.”

Matty showed up later that night, climbing the tree outside your house onto the roof by your window. You were already sitting on the windowsill, waiting for him to show up. You didn’t speak when he sat down next to you, and you knew he could tell you were angry. “I broke up with her,” he said quietly. “She had a problem with us being friends. And she called me Matthew.” He made a face at the last sentence, and you giggled a little. It was hard to stay mad at him. Matty leaned his head onto your shoulders, and you reached down to grip his hand. You sat like that for hours, and didn’t notice when your mom opened your door quietly and took a photo.

4: 20 Years Old

Spending a year in Montreal was going to be good for you and your career, you knew that, but it didn’t make leaving home any easier. You were spending your last year abroad, perfecting your French and learning marketing from somewhere other than BU. Your parents held a party to celebrate your move, a going away and a congratulations party all in one, but really you knew it was just an excuse to get everyone together for a little while. Your friend group had spread out as the years went on, with moves and new professions and college and professional hockey. Matty had stayed nearby, at least, but now you were going to be apart anyway.

“What’cha thinking about, Y/N?” Matty bumped your shoulder with his own, and you almost fell over with the force of the bump. You shook your head, and he shrugged. “I’m gonna miss you, nerd. Who else is going to look after the rookies on campus this year?” You laughed, and bumped Matty’s shoulder back. “I’ve got something to make you smile,” he said mischievously. “Tag!” Matty smacked your shoulder and took off running, laughing like a little kid as he dodged people across the deck. You laughed and took off after him, chasing him like always.

The game took almost an hour before everyone called it quits, and by the end the entire neighborhood group had joined in, even your brother with your nephew strapped across his chest. As luck would have it, Matty was the last person who got tagged. You caught him on the ankle as he tried to jump into a tree, and he dropped back down in front of you. “Tie?” He held out his hand for you to shake on, and you grabbed it with a nod. “Tie.”

Your mom looked on and turned to Mrs. Grzelcyk with a smile. “They’ve been chasing each other their entire lives. It’s nice to see they can still be children about it.” Mrs. Grzelcyk laughed and nodded. You and Matty were too busy sharing dino chicken nuggets like you did when you were little to notice.

+ 1: 25 Years Old

It was sunny outside, and the breeze from the ocean was fluttering the curtain to your right. Your mom was adjusting your dress with a serious expression on her face, and Mrs. Grzelcyk was sitting in a chair trying not to cry. Today was your wedding day, and Matty was somewhere in the house waiting to go outside.

The Cape was shining in the sunlight, and the breeze knocked white fabric around your ankles gently. Matty stood at the end of the aisle of sand with all of your two sets of brothers, and you could see he was already tearing up. Your dad was definitely already crying next to you, and you were struggling to hold it together. Everyone in the chairs had been witness to the dance you and Matty had been performing since you were little, whether they knew it at the time or not. So many of them had said I told you so when you and Matty finally got together upon your return from Montreal, no one more so than your mother.

Your vows were short and sweet, more about reminiscing on your childhood than anything. “I left her behind more often than not when we were little,” Matty admitted to a crowd who loudly agreed, and you laughed harder every time he shared a story. “For some reason she always stuck around, although I suspect it was because of the dino chicken nuggets.” You leaned forward far enough that your head was resting on Matty as you laughed, and you felt his chest move as he laughed along with you. “I promise you, Y/N, that even when it feels like I’m leaving you behind, I will always come back to you.” You weren’t laughing anymore, but crying. Your story was one of him always coming back, and you hadn’t ever thought about it that way.

Later that evening your mom found the two of you, slipping a small box into your hands. “I took this when you were teenagers,” she said with a small smile, “and I’ve been saving it for your wedding day.” You looked at her incredulously. “I told you, Y/N, one day he would stop running from you. This is what I meant.” She hugged you both, and Matty slid the top off the box. Inside was a framed photo of the two of you sitting in the windowsill, a silhouette of two people joined in shadow, the moon illuminating only enough to see your outlines.

You had spent so long chasing Matty, and now, like the picture, you were connected to each other by more than just friendship.

#matt grzlecyk imagine #nhl imagines #nhl imagine

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imaginingsoftly · 4 years

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Uncle Gryz - Matt Grzelcyk

Type: angsty, best friends, really fluffy ending

Requested: No

Warnings: a couple of swears, pregnancy

A/N: I started this and had no idea where it was going, so here’s some angsty shit with a fluffy best friend ending!

Rain pounded on your hood as you walked across the city, breathing in the smell of wet cement and rain as you tried to hold back your tears. The streets of North End were nearly empty thanks to the rain and the late hour, and you managed to recognize the peace around you despite the exhaustion threatening to take over. Times like these were the ones where it was so easy to love the history of the city, to appreciate the cobblestones and how old the city felt. Matt’s building appeared to your left, and you slipped inside with one more glance at the rain and the moon. The front desk receptionist waved as you slipped past, familiar with your face after so many years of visits.

The trek from the elevator to Matt’s door felt like it took years, and you were practically hanging on the door for support by the time Matt opened it. He was still dressed from the plane ride home from Winnipeg, his tie hanging loose around his neck and his shirt partially unbuttoned. “Y/N?” He was tired, you could tell, his eyes a little less bright than they normally were. Maybe you should have waited until morning.

“Matty, I,” you stopped, pressing your lips together to suppress a sob. Matt swore, gently tugging you into the condo. He closed and locked the door with one hand while simultaneously pulling you tightly into his chest with the other. You shook from your tears and the cold damp that felt like it had settled into your bones, and Matt somehow pulled you even closer. Neither of you spoke as you cried. Matt tangled a hand in your hair. “Can you tell me what’s wrong?” You cried harder. “Okay, sweetheart, okay. You don’t have to tell me.”

Slowly your tears stopped and the exhaustion settled in with a new vengeance. Matt caught you as your legs gave out, smoothly scooping you up into his arms. “Let’s get you warm, yeah?” You nodded wearily against his shoulder, struggling to keep your eyes open. It had been a long couple of days, and your body was just now relaxing enough to sleep. Matt set you gently on his bed, cupping your cheek with a concerned look on his face before retrieving sweatpants and one of his shirts.

“Get into some dry clothes, and I’ll make you a snack.” You opened your mouth to feebly protest, but Matt held up a hand. He had his captain face on, and you knew better than to argue with that. “You look like you haven’t eaten in days. I’ve got some of mom’s chicken parm in the fridge. You’re eating it.” Even in your half-conscious state you knew better than to turn down a Momma Grzelcyk meal. You nodded tiredly, and were rewarded with one of Matt’s smiles.

His clothes were warm, and smelled like him. Matt had been a constant in your life since you’d moved to Boston for college, your first and favorite lab partner, and the smell of his laundry detergent and cologne smelled safe. You’d suffered through Biology together, and somehow the hotshot local hockey player had adopted you as his new best friend. You were both older now, college long gone, but your friendship had remained, especially since you’d remained in the area for med school and then as a doctor at Brigham and Womens.

You were in Matt’s bed by the time he returned, changed and snuggling under his covers. Matt smiled gently at the sight. He balanced two plates of food in his hands as he climbed in next to you, handing a plate off so that he could slip under the covers as well. “We haven’t done this in a while,” he remarked, gesturing at the food and where your legs were fighting for space further down on the bed.

“Kyle didn’t like it.” Your voice broke as you mentioned your now ex-fiance, and Matt’s mouth tightened as you mentioned him. They’d never gotten along, Kyle assuming that Matt wanted you for himself and Matt stuck on Kyle’s trust fund and general distaste for anyone who hadn’t gone to medical school.

You’d just taken a bite of the chicken parm when Matt spoke again. “Do I need to gather a few of the boys and go kick his ass?” You choked on the food. Of course he went the violent route. You fiddled with your now ring-less left hand, and Matt noticed immediately. His voice was considerably more gentle when he spoke again. “What happened, Y/N?”

He reached out to squeeze your right hand, and you stared at your joined hands as you tried to summon the strength to speak again. “He doesn’t want kids. Like ever. Says he doesn’t want my body ruined by childbirth.” You shook your head and stared up at the ceiling so you didn’t have to look at Matt’s face. You knew he was approximately two seconds away from storming down to Kyle’s apartment to do god-knows what, so you squeezed his hand back and continued. “I’m pregnant, Matty. He was so pissed. He started throwing things, accusing me of doing it on purpose.” Matt was barely breathing by the time you were done talking, and his face was unrecognizable. It was blank, the kind of rage you had never seen from him.

It took a lot of effort for you to turn away from his face and resume eating, giving Matt a chance to process everything you’d said. It had taken you days to process that you were pregnant at all, and then the fight with Kyle tonight had been a few hours ago. Honestly, you were still processing everything yourself. You were almost finished eating by the time Matt picked up his fork again, but he didn’t eat. He pushed the food around his plate until you were finished, and then he wordlessly took both of your plates back to the kitchen. He didn’t bother to wash them, and he was back in the room almost immediately, sliding back into the bed with the same cold look on his face. It was honestly starting to scare you.

“Matty,” you said gently, touching his cheek. He jerked, snapping back into himself with a shake of his head. “Please say something.” Matt bit his lip before pulling you into his chest again. He didn’t speak for a while, and neither did you as you began to let sleep overtake you.

“I’ve got your back, sweetheart. No matter what.” You were fully alert again as he spoke the words you’d been dying to hear from someone. “This baby is gonna have an entire team’s worth of good attractive male role models to look up to.” He pulled back enough to look at your face. “I mean, if you’re gonna keep the baby. Which, you know, if you aren’t I’ll go with you to get everything taken care of.” You choked out another sob at his words, gently kissing his cheek.

“Yeah,” you whispered. “I’m gonna keep it. I’ve got enough vacation time saved up just in case, and I’m monetarily stable, and I’ve got you guys.”

Matt’s eyes lit up in excitement. “You’re gonna be such a good momma, Y/N. And I’m gonna be the best uncle. Uncle Gryz sounds pretty good, yeah?” His excitement had you giggling through your tears, and you nodded in agreement.

The two of you slid down the bed frame until Matt had you cuddled into his chest, and he only let go of you long enough to turn off the light. It had been a long time since you’d done this, at least two or three years. Since Kyle. It felt right, a reminder of the all-nighters the two of you had endured together as students and then that Matt had been there for as you survived med school.

He was the brother you’d always wanted, the best friend you knew you deserved. There really wasn’t a better word to describe him to your baby than uncle, because he was family.

“I like Uncle Gryz, but only if Charlie can be Uncle Cheeks.”

Matt’s laugh rumbled through his chest.

“Obviously.”

#matt grzlecyk imagine #nhl imagine #nhl imagines

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