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fallinallincurls · 2 years ago

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I Know Something Now That I Didn’t Before

coming in at the last minute, but this fic is finally here!! thank you to @antoineroussel for hosting the summer fic exchange once again, it’s always so much fun to be a part of. this is for @hockeylvr59! the entire idea was amazing to bring to life and i hope you love it! the title comes from taylor swift’s “everything has changed” which also fits the vibe of this fic perfectly

warnings: brief mentions of childbirth and blood, side character death. if i missed anything else, please let me know!

hope you enjoy!! feedback is always appreciated! xx

word count: 7.4k

~~~~~

Out of all the titles and accomplishments that can be attached to Cale Makar’s name, being a father is the one he is most proud of. But it’s days like today that he’s unfortunately reminded of how life doesn’t always go to plan no matter who you are.

His daughter is starting preschool today. Cale’s little baby girl has grown so much over the years, but this big moment in their lives is proof that time is moving too quickly. And on top of those emotions, she’s starting school without her mom here. A reminder that Cale wishes he could change with every single passing day.

He’s currently standing at the stove making Maisy’s favorite breakfast, chocolate chip and sprinkle pancakes, when all the memories rush back unwelcome on what’s meant to be a happy morning for the father and daughter.

Cale never expected this to be his life at 23. But after being asked to join the Avalanche in the middle of their 2019 playoff run, he left behind his college years and became a professional athlete in the blink of an eye. It just so happened the Avs were playing the Flames which meant Cale was heading home in an odd way. And somehow, in all the craziness of that time in his life, he reconnected with Beatrice.

Beatrice who he went to high school with and remained one of his best friends when hockey started taking over his life. Beatrice who was so happy to see him back in Calgary even if only for a short period of time. Beatrice who made the first move when the Avs got eliminated and made the two of them official.

Everything had been a whirlwind to Cale, but reconnecting with Bea was incredible. For the entirety of the offseason, their relationship was happy and full of love. It was all he could ever ask for. But as the next season approached and Cale received word that he would be returning to the team permanently, things began to shift.

The time for training, meetings, moving from one country to another permanently, and all the other requirements of playing in the NHL started to take a toll on them. Cale couldn’t stop the inevitable, so before he flew to Denver for training camp, he gently suggested that they break up and remain friends. Because after all this time, he didn’t want her to disappear from his life.

And life went on. The season started and Cale was off to a phenomenal start as a rookie which continued to stun anyone watching him play. Bea reached out frequently enough whether with a simple text or phone call. Life was good.

Then, Beatrice called that November.

The words she said all made perfect sense, but Cale couldn’t comprehend anything. Pregnant, it’s his, what are they going to do, unexpected. The world came to a screeching halt all at once. And from that moment on, his life was changed forever.

He was going to be a dad.

Despite the fact that he and Beatrice broke up, Cale insisted on being there for her during the entire pregnancy because that’s what good friends do when they’re expecting together. He wanted to help with anything he possibly could so he did. Doctor appointments, shopping for the necessities, taking care of Bea when he wasn’t on the road. It wasn’t easy to balance both his rookie season and the preparation of having a baby, but Cale found himself getting more and more excited with each passing day.

The day his little girl arrived in the world was full of more emotions than Cale thought possible. Bea’s labor was seemingly going well, not too long and not that painful, and he was there for every step of the way. Cale was in awe more than anything of Bea and the fact that their baby girl was finally here, but before either of them could soak in the moment, chaos broke out.

The next thing Cale remembers is the nurse telling him she has to push through the afterbirth. They were both terrified, but his heart dropped the second the machines started beeping and Bea began to lose consciousness. He was immediately rushed out of the room so the doctors could help, but when the nurse approached him again with a look of despair, all he heard were the words complications with delivery and severe blood loss. Bea unfortunately didn’t make it. She was gone. There was hardly any time to process the devastating news before the nurse asked if he would finally like to meet his baby. His little girl.

With tears in his eyes, Cale nodded and followed the nurse back to the nursery. The moment she was placed in Cale’s arms, he felt his heart burst and tears roll down his cheeks. Everything he will ever do will be for her, he swears right then and there.

“Do you have a name for her?” The nurse asked quietly, not following the question with a further explanation. It dawns on him then that this decision, and everything else going forward, will be completely up to him. He’s on his own.

“Maisy. Maisy Beatrice Makar.” Cale replied, trying to keep his emotions in check. The baby girl, Maisy, wrapped one of her tiny hands around Cale’s pointer finger as if in approval of her carefully selected name. Maisy was the one both Cale and Bea had picked out in advance, but there was no doubt about making his daughter’s middle name the one that belonged to her mom. It had to be.

From then on, it’s been Cale and Maisy against the world. Of course, they both miss Bea in different ways that almost no one understands, but Cale couldn’t be anymore grateful for the help he’s received over the last four years from friends, family and teammates. They say it takes a village and Cale is the first to second that statement.

Now, he’s just won the Stanley Cup, his lifelong dream, along with the Norris and Conn Smythe. Celebrating and making the most of riding out the high this huge victory provided has been nothing short of incredible. The happiness he’s felt since the Avs became champs is like nothing else in the entire world. And through the entire season, from start to finish, Maisy has been there. The win meant just as much to her as it did for him.

Except Cale thinks that her first day at preschool might be even more exciting considering how she hasn’t stopped talking about it practically all summer.

“Daddy! I lost my shoes!” Maisy’s voice breaks Cale out of his trance where he’s reliving the good and painful memories. No matter how badly he wishes that Beatrice was here to see Maisy on such an important day, she isn’t, and he’s going to make sure his little girl knows her mom would be insanely proud of her like always.

With a glance over his shoulder, he spots Maisy’s favorite pair of sparkly Converse by the door. “By the door, sweetie!” He calls back, plating the pancakes before turning around towards the kitchen island. His eyes find the flash of blonde hair passing through the room in mere seconds as Maisy runs to get her shoes.

Before he knows it, Maisy is crawling up onto a stool at the counter and giving Cale her biggest smile. Even after all this time, Cale’s overwhelmed with emotions looking at his daughter. She’s beautiful. Identical clear blue eyes like his which shine beneath her pink framed glasses, curly blonde hair that just reaches her shoulders now, a sweet smile that reminds him so much of Beatrice’s. He adores her and can’t believe how much she’s already grown.

“Chocolate chip and sprinkle pancakes! My favorite!” Maisy exclaims when she sees the full plate at her seat. “Will you help me put my shoes on and do my hair after we eat?” She asks adorably, attention never faltering from her father.

“Absolutely I can do that. Are you sure you want to wear your jersey to the first day of preschool though?” Cale smiles as he sits next to her and they start eating breakfast together. He couldn’t miss the signature burgundy and blue that adorned the top half of her body when she came down the stairs moments ago. Maisy cherishes her Stanley Cup playoffs Makar jersey over all her others now and it seems to be her outfit choice to start school.

“Mhm! I love my jersey and it’ll be like having you at school with me in a funny way.” Maisy replies with a definitive nod. Cale can’t argue with her and as long as she’s happy, he’s happy so he just smiles while love rushes through him.

Maisy pushes her breakfast plate away from her only a few minutes later, stating that she’s full and needs help with finishing getting ready. Cale kneels down to tie her shoes before getting to work on her hair. Of course, she picked out a matching bow to go with her jersey and Cale can’t help but chuckle as he tries to wrangle in her unruly curls.

It’s only when Maisy is distractedly humming to herself while her dad puts the bow in her hair that Cale spills the big surprise.

“Maisy?” He asks, earning a soft response from the little girl. “I know you’re really excited for your first day of preschool and so am I. And even though Mommy isn’t here today, she left me something a long time ago to give you. Is that okay?”

“From Mommy?” Maisy’s voice is so quiet that Cale’s heart almost breaks. It’s not like they don’t talk about Beatrice, it’s just hard for both of them for different reasons. Maisy never got the chance to know her. She doesn’t have any memories, only the stories that Cale has told her while he feels the direct pain of the loss for both him and their daughter. Cale nods, tying her bow in place before facing her. “Can we open it together before we go to school?”

“That sounds like a great plan. Stay right here, okay?”

When Cale returns only a few minutes later with a small box in hand, Maisy’s head tilts in curiosity, but she waits until her father speaks again.

“When you were in Mommy’s tummy, she decided to write you a letter for the first day of school for each year. Because today is the first day of preschool, we can open the first letter.” Cale explains softly, kissing the top of her head as he picks up a pink envelope in the front of the box and lets Maisy open it.

“Dear Maisy,” She starts reading with a smile until her brows furrow in confusion and she looks back up at Cale. “Read for me, please?”

“Dear Maisy, it’s your first day of preschool! I’m so proud of you. I hope you have your favorite outfit picked out and all the best snacks in your lunchbox. This is a really big moment! I can’t believe you’ve grown so much and I just know you’re the most resilient, funny and bright little girl in the entire world. Daddy and I are so lucky to have you. Go make some friends, have fun and I’m wishing you the best first day ever! Love, Mommy.” Cale reads Beatrice’s handwritten words from the small card.

He doesn’t notice the tears in his own eyes until he’s wiping away Maisy’s and pulling her in for a hug. A comfortable silence settles around them for a moment, but it isn’t long before Maisy’s voice fills the air once more.

“Don’t worry, Daddy. I know Mommy is with me right here,” She puts a little hand over her heart, “and that makes today even more special. I think I’m ready to go to school now.” Maisy tucks the paper in the envelope again before tugging on Cale’s hand. She puts the letter in the safest place within her backpack to have with her throughout the day and the two of them finish up their morning routine. The heavy emotions subside only to be replaced with happiness that Cale feels with each passing second.

It is Maisy’s first day of school after all.

~~~~~

That cannot be her.

The last time Cale saw Maia, they were sitting next to each other in their sophomore statistics class at UMass the day before he left for Colorado. He hasn’t seen her since. Through Instagram, he knows that she graduated summa cum laude last year and got her dream teaching job for the following fall. But other than that, she has been someone stuck in his past that he wishes he had more time with before his college career got cut short because of hockey.

Except at this very moment, she’s standing right in front of him and his daughter at her new preschool welcoming each of the children that will presumably be her students.

Ohmygod.

Gabe, ever observant, notices the longing and surprised look on his teammate’s face and elbows Cale just enough to grab his attention again. Maisy’s arms are wrapped around one of Cale’s legs as she takes in the scene around her. It’s easy to tell that she’s nervous, scared and shy all at once, her earlier excitement seemingly having disappeared for the moment. Linnea, on the other hand, is happily bouncing next to Gabe and Cale feels grateful for the millionth time that Maisy won’t be alone today because she has such a good friend in his captain’s daughter.

“Who is she?” Gabe asks, not dancing around the subject at all. Cale tries to suppress the urge to roll his eyes as he drops a hand to Maisy’s head knowing the simple touch will keep her calm until he can talk to her.

“Who?” Cale decides to play dumb, hoping to get Gabe off the topic but it doesn’t work. He gets a level stare instead. “Maia. We went to UMass together and I had the biggest crush on her. We shared a lot of classes and hung out a lot because of that, but I never acted on anything since I wasn’t sure if she felt the same way. I haven’t seen her since I left to join the team.” He admits, awaiting some kind of reaction to the shortened story he just recounted.

“Well, judging by the look on your face you wish you did something about it then. Universe works in funny ways, Cale. Give it some time. You know she’s here now and considering she’s your daughter’s preschool teacher, I’m sure there won’t be a shortage of opportunities to talk to her.”

“I don’t even know if she remembers me, Gabe.”

With one glance back towards the woman standing near the school’s entrance, Gabe catches her eyes flickering over to where the two hockey players are standing. It’s almost impossible to miss the split second change of emotions on display across her facial features when she looks at Cale.

“I highly doubt that.” Gabe responds, patting Cale on the shoulder and offering a genuine smile before kneeling down to talk to Linnea.

“Daddy?” Maisy speaks up softly, tugging at his hand and looking up at him with her big blue eyes. Cale’s heart just about melts at the sight.

“How are you feeling, Maise?” Cale asks, putting himself on the little girl’s level. She offers him a shy smile and then hugs her father tightly for a moment. He holds her close, letting her revel in the comfort of the embrace until she’s ready to say anything more.

“I’m scared. There’s a lot of kids and I only know Lala.” Maisy admits with a small waver in her voice giving away her emotions.

“There are a lot of kids here, but you’ll have Linnea to play with and I know you’ll make so many new friends. I saw a girl with an Avalanche keychain on her backpack over there and a boy who had the same coloring book you love at home.” “Really?” Maisy says with that familiar gleam of hope. Cale only nods in response, kissing her forehead which earns him a tiny giggle. A sound he’ll never get tired of hearing.

“Really. You’ll have so much fun today and I can’t wait to hear all about it.” That seems to ease some of Maisy’s anxiety about such a big change, but he knows another question is going to follow behind so he patiently waits.

“Will we have snacktime? You packed my Teddy Grahams right?” Before Cale can answer that, yes there will be snacktime and of course he packed her Teddy Grahams, a soft female voice cuts in surprising both of the Makars.

“Snacktime is right after coloring so you’ll be able to eat your Teddy Grahams. What kind is your favorite?”

“The honey ones!” Maisy perks right up, turning right back into the happy and adorable girl that Cale knows so well. She leans right into Cale who keeps her close, but everything seems to disappear the moment he looks up at who is currently talking to his daughter.

Maia.

“Me too! Those are the best.” Maisy giggles at that, filling the air with joy just from the simple sound. And if Cale wasn’t so focused on the woman crouching down in front of them, he would’ve chuckled along too. Instead his heart is racing and he can’t form one coherent thought because after all this time, she’s right here again. The one who got away.

Her wavy hair is a little longer and darker than it was in college and her eyes are still so bright. Cale can’t help but notice how her curves have filled out since the last time he saw her and the pretty clementine print dress she’s wearing highlights that, taking his breath away. He’s in awe of how beautiful she is like he always has been.

“I’m Ms. Webber, your preschool teacher. What’s your name?”

“Maisy!”

“It’s so nice to meet you, Maisy. I love your name.” Maia responds, smiling fondly at the little girl who is already melting her heart.

“Thank you. It was picked out special for me.” She says, voice quiet with shyness but Cale can tell she’s slowly warming up to the idea of school once again. “This is Daddy! He plays hockey here. Did you know that?” Maisy continues, squeezing Cale’s arm and that’s when Maia’s gaze falls to the little girl’s father.

It is him.

Cale Makar.

When Maia received her class list at the beginning of the summer, she picked out the last name within seconds. Makar is pretty much a household name in Denver now so it wasn’t easy to overlook, but more importantly, it still belonged to the man who has held her heart since the day they first met. She tried to not get her hopes up because how could he have a daughter entering preschool at this very moment in time? Yet, here he is with that exact little girl who’s name was on her roster and looks just like her father. Not to mention, she’s full of sunshine.

“I had no idea. That’s so cool! This must be his jersey then, huh?” Maia asks, keeping the conversation going with Maisy but her eyes drift to Cale and it feels as if her heart stops right then and there. He looks almost exactly as she remembers him, maybe a little more muscular and older, but other than that he looks like the Cale she knew in college. Glasses and all. She can’t believe it.

“Well, that’s his name and number, but this is my jersey.” Maisy exclaims with a laugh and the way Cale looks at his daughter is the purest form of love that Maia has ever seen. Before anything else could be said, the school bell rings and the kids begin departing from their parents. Maia politely excuses herself to join her colleagues for the day as Maisy collapses into Cale’s arms for one last hug.

“Have a great first day, Maise. You’ll have lots of fun. I love you so much.” Cale murmurs into her blonde hair, trying to hold back the surge of emotions that have arisen in the moment.

“I love you too. I’ll have lots of fun so I can tell you about it later. Bye, Daddy!” Maisy leans up to kiss his cheek and Cale can’t help but hold onto her for just a moment longer.

There’s an unfamiliar pressure evident in Maia’s chest as she watches the father and daughter hold each other in the tightest hug before Maisy falls into step with a girl she must be friends with and together they walk backwards, Maisy waving to Cale the whole way to the door.

It’s going to be an interesting school year.

~~~~~

“Alright, Maisy. Are you getting your usual pizza today or something different?” Cale asks, looking down at his daughter who is holding his hand and bouncing with excitement. The father daughter pizza dates on Friday nights have become a staple in the Makar household and even if Cale’s on the road, they make time for this exact tradition no matter what.

“Mmm, my usual!” Maisy pipes up in response with a bright smile.

“Okay, go get your favorite seat and I’ll order.” Maisy nods quickly and skips off to the table they always sit at whenever they come to Proto’s Pizza. This particular pizza place is not only Maisy’s favorite, but it was also Beatrice’s whenever she used to come see Cale in Denver. It’s one way that her mom’s memory is kept alive through a simple act even if the cute restaurant has a new meaning to both of them now too.

Cale watches to make sure Maisy settles at the table with her coloring book before stepping up to the counter to order. Two Hawaiian slices for him and two plain for Maisy. The exchange with the cashier is almost exactly the same since he’s a regular here now, but as he moves towards the pick up area, Cale’s eyes spot the familiar brunette waves of not only his daughter’s preschool teacher but the girl he still carries an immense amount of love for.

Maia.

He hasn’t really seen her since Maisy’s first day of school almost two months ago. Of course she’s there at drop off and pick up, but it’s nothing more than about five minutes and Cale doesn’t know how to start a conversation that isn’t awkward because of all the time they’ve missed. But he wants her back in his life and so far, just Maisy’s teacher isn’t enough.

She’s reading something on her phone when Cale sidles up next to her. With one glance back to make sure Maisy is okay, which she is, he takes a moment to admire how pretty Maia looks in jeans that hug her curves and how she looks more relaxed than she is at school everyday.

And then he takes that leap of faith.

“Are you still ordering your half veggie half meat lovers pizza?” The question leaves Cale’s lips, a teasing tone evident in every word he says. Maia’s head snaps up at the sound of his voice, a look of utter disbelief on display across her face.

“Still a better choice than your beloved Hawaiian, Makar.” Maia fires back with that playfulness she always had around him. In that split second, their eyes lock, every memory from college comes rushing back and she suddenly finds herself nervous more than anything. Maia’s heart is racing with anticipation and she knows things have changed since the two of them were themselves, but she can’t stop the sense of familiarity that surrounds her as the conversation unfolds. They’ve had the same argument a million times so it’s easy to slip back into even if their lives are not the same. “Sorry, I mean, it’s still a great choice, but-”

“Not your favorite, I know.” Cale finishes, offering a kind smile to help ease the obvious tension she’s feeling. “It wasn’t then and I can’t imagine that’s changed over the years.” He teases, feeling a tug on his heart when thinking about what they shared at UMass.

“I’m more surprised you remember my go-to order honestly.”

“How could I forget? Every study date, late night snack and pizza craving you ever had was always half veggie half meat lovers. I’ll remember that order forever.” Cale admits with a chuckle, warming Maia’s heart in mere seconds. It almost feels as if no time has passed at all and they’re still those two kids just trying to get their degrees while figuring out life along the way.

Except, they aren’t and time has passed. A reminder that strikes Maia as the comfortable silence settles between them.

“Where’s your little one?”

“Oh,” Cale starts, momentarily forgetting that they’re currently in Proto's, not the dining hall on campus. “Maisy’s at our usual table coloring until our order is ready.” Maia looks towards where he tilts his head, spotting the curly blonde hair that belongs to one of her favorite students.

“She’s just like you. You know that?” Maia asks, surprising even herself at letting the observation slip past her lips. But it’s the truth. Everyday at preschool, she sees more and more of her father in Maisy and the emotions she thought were long gone have risen to the surface over the last two months.

“That’s what people tell me.” Cale replies, cheeks flushing pink as he scratches the back of his neck. He looks absolutely adorable and Maia can’t help but grin at the sight of him.

“She’s really lucky to have you. And we have plenty to catch up on already, but I would love to hear the story about how she got here.” Maia says softly, gaze flickering back to Maisy who is lost in her own world while coloring away.

Before Cale can do anything else but nod in response, both of their orders are ready. Maia steps forward to grab her pizza box, sparks flying when she brushes past Cale. Almost repeating her actions, he finally finds his voice again.

“Keep that catching up date in mind. There’s more to cover than you think.”

“Okay, Makar. We’ll do that soon. Until then, I’ll see you at school with Maisy. Enjoy your Hawaiian pizza, weirdo.”

“Make sure you eat the veggie slices first, Webber.” And just like that, with a small wave and a smile that could rival the sun, Maia heads toward the door. Cale snaps out of his little trance in seconds, bringing the pizza back to the table where his too curious daughter is waiting with lots of questions.

“You and Ms. Webber are friends?” Maisy says immediately as Cale sits down across from her and she forgets about the coloring book she was just working on. Her voice is full of what sounds like hope mixed with peaked interest.

“She’s actually an old friend of mine from college. We used to do almost everything together before I left to play hockey here.” Cale explains with a grin, his heart swelling like it always does at the thought or mention of Maia. The girl he loved then and never thought he’d have another chance with. “And then we went to your first day of preschool and I found out she’s your teacher!”

“Oh!” The little girl exclaims as she digs into her pizza. Cale chuckles at her reaction, but it isn’t long before Maisy keeps up her questioning. “Were you best friends? What did you do together?”

The innocent words hang in the hang for a moment. Despite their time being cut short due to Cale’s call up to the NHL, there are countless memories to recall of everything he did with Maia. So without any hesitation, Cale tells his daughter almost everything. About how they met, the way they became instant friends, how when they hung out time felt as if it didn’t exist, the late nights after his games, studying together in the back of the library. There’s so much history and although none of the almost’s slip through his story, the almost kiss, the almost confession of feelings, the almost being something more, Cale longs to change that now.

“I’m going to tell Ms. Webber tomorrow that she knows a famous hockey player. And my daddy!” Maisy exclaims after listening intently. Her blue eyes are alight with joy, a sight that makes her father smile like nothing else.

“You do that, Maise.” As the two go back to chatting about much simpler things, Cale’s mind wanders through every possibility. He would be stupid to not give them another shot, but he has no idea if those lingering feelings still exist for Maia or if they even existed in the first place.

That, Cale decides, is step one.

And he knows just the person to ask for advice on how to win a woman’s heart.

~~~~~

Gabe, unfortunately, beats him to the punch.

It’s a chilly November morning and as Linnea and Maisy reach for each other’s hands to walk into the preschool building together after saying goodbye to their fathers, Gabe voices the question that makes Cale freeze.

“So when are you gonna make a move, Caler?” Gabe teases, lightly elbowing his teammate and Cale’s cheeks become rosier by the second.

“I-uh, was actually going to ask you about that.”

“Me? Not EJ or even Devon? It’s an honor.”

“Shut up. EJ would make the whole thing a spectacle and Devon would probably be shocked that I even know how to talk to girls. You’re my best bet. And it’s not a big deal.” Cale replies, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets and tries to ignore how embarrassing this is. He’s 23 years old and is asking for advice on how to get the girl.

He’s won the Stanley Cup and is one of the most distinguished hockey players in the league this early in his career. But talking to one person who’s held his heart for years? That’s impossible.

“Okay, well what are you thinking?” Gabe prompts, eyes remaining on the girls as they say hi to their teacher before disappearing into the building.

“I don’t even know if she was into me back in college, Gabe. Like I can’t make a move thinking she feels the same way when it’s been years since we last saw each other and I wasn’t sure of her feelings then.”

“You have to figure out where you stand then.” Cale’s brows furrow in confusion, but his captain continues speaking. “By the way things seem between the two of you, she definitely feels the same way. But I think she’s unsure more than ever. You do have a kid in her preschool class and she might think someone else is in your life.”

“There isn’t.” “Maia doesn’t know that. Does she?” Cale shook his head, the realization dawning on him right then. Since Maisy’s first day of school, there’s been that distance between them. The flirting and comfortableness has returned in their brief exchanges, but not like it used to be. And maybe it’s because Maia thinks Cale’s committed to Maisy’s mom since she doesn’t know the whole story.

“I have to fill her in.”

“Exactly. And I’m sure once everything is clear, you’ll both be able to admit how you feel to each other. Finally.” Gabe says with a reassuring nod, a smile creeping back onto his face. “You’re growing up so fast. Cale Makar is going to get the girl!”

“Shush! Don’t jinx anything. Nothing’s guaranteed so don’t get your hopes up. I just have to find a moment where I can tell her everything.” Cale settes, brain already racing to find a solution to that problem.

The answer comes not even days later when Maisy hands him a paper about parent teacher conferences. The meeting is used to discuss the progress of each child in class with their parents or guardians. Cale selects a time and date for the following week before making sure to tuck the paper into Maisy’s backpack so she can hand it in the next day.

And even as Maisy rambles on excitedly that night about how she met a friend who loves horses just like Uncle EJ, Cale is stuck on the fact that he’s going to have a designated time alone with just Maia. This is what he needs to finally move their relationship out of the friendzone after all this time.

But this is Maisy’s teacher he’s talking about. Maia isn’t just someone he knows and loves anymore. She’s important to his daughter too now for other reasons. He can’t overlook or forget that. And that means if this doesn’t go as planned, the hurt and awkwardness will be felt by more than just the two of them.

By time the day of the meeting rolls around, Cale is trying to desperately focus on how this is supposed to be about Maisy. The little girl who already owns his heart. It’s constant reminders of how although this is the perfect opportunity, he won’t get distracted by what’s actually at hand: his daughter’s wellbeing.

After dropping Maisy off to spend the afternoon with Nate, who was more than happy to spend time with the much cuter Makar as he says, Cale drove over to the school. The trip seems quicker than usual because before he knows it, Maia is welcoming him into the little classroom that’s colorfully decorated.

“Hi Cale.” Maia greets, her soft smile lighting up her face and Cale feels his heart swell with adoration. “Thank you so much for coming in today.”

“Hi,” Cale murmurs with a nod of acknowledgement, suddenly becoming the shy person he usually is when meeting others for the first time. “Your classroom is really cute. Decorate it yourself?”

“I did! It’s my second year teaching so I figured out what worked best last year and made this little space my dream classroom.” Cale’s gaze moves around the room, taking in every little detail about where his little girl spends part of her days now. He sees Maia’s desk in one corner, neatly organized, hand paintings from the class taped up on one wall, different signs hanging around with numbers, colors and letters on them and the small library of books nestled in the reading corner. A slow smile blossoms across his lips, making butterflies erupt in Maia’s stomach.

“I love it.” Cale says simply. And he does. The whole classroom is exactly as he imagined it would’ve looked when she talked about in college.

“Thank you.” Maia replies, tucking a piece of hair behind her hair. “Let’s sit and get started.” Cale follows her to a little table on the other side of the room and takes a seat in a tiny chair made for preschoolers. He hardly fits in it, knees bending at an awkward angle, and Maia can’t help but giggle at him. Despite everything they’ve missed over the last few years, he’s still the boy she’s in love with.

“So first off, everything I have to say about Maisy today is good. She’s a wonderful student and an even more amazing little girl to her classmates in every situation. It’s clear you’ve done an excellent job raising her.” Maia begins, her warm smile and kind words melting Cale’s heart in an instant. He still isn’t used to accepting compliments about how good of a father he is even if it’s true. He just wants to be enough for Maisy. As long as she’s happy, he did his job right.

“Thank you so much.”

“Oh, of course! There’s plenty more praise for Maisy coming throughout this meeting.” She laughs, the beautiful sound bringing a sense of happiness to Cale that he hasn’t experienced in quite some time. And he can tell Maia feels it too. “Maisy is also ahead of her classmates in several areas of her education. She’s got her ABC’s down and can write her name, her basic math skills are off the charts and she has a pretty good grasp on recognizing words which is great for how young she is.”

“Oh, really? That’s good to hear. I was worried we hadn’t done enough at home to prepare her.” Cale admits with relief, fumbling with his fingers under the table as a small distraction.

“Absolutely no worries there. Maisy is right on track for kindergarten and doing so well with things like reading and writing already at her age. We love seeing her here everyday. You and your partner should be so proud. You’ve raised a beautiful and incredible daughter.”

This is his chance. Tell her the truth.

“I- uh, it’s actually just me and Maisy. But I appreciate that. It means a lot.”

“Oh, I apologize-”

“You can stop me if this is an inappropriate time to tell you this, but-”

Both of them stop speaking, not wanting to talk over the other. Blush spreads across Cale’s cheeks as Maia’s beautiful eyes drop down in that way which quietly shows she’s nervous.

“Go ahead.” She almost whispers. “I know we’re here to talk about Maisy and we pretty much covered everything I had planned, but there seems to be a lot of other things we both have to say.”

With one deep breath and a racing heart, Cale jumps into his well thought out explanation. He tells Maia about everything that’s happened since he left UMass. Meeting Bea, the tragedy of losing her but gaining his daughter at the same time, taking care of Maisy since then while still playing for the Avs. Every word comes out in a rush, but she listens to every single bit and her gaze begins to fill with hope.

“I just wanted to make it clear that there isn’t anyone else in my life. You’ve been in the dark this whole time and that didn’t feel right.” Cale concludes, feeling the weight of his confession in the air. But the reaction he gets erases every worry present in his mind.

“Cale,” Maia chuckles, her expression soft with joy. “I was honestly so shocked to see you on the first day of school even if Maisy’s name on my classlist gave it away a little bit. But I can’t help and think that us being right here, together, means something more. We never gave ourselves a real chance back in college, but now might be the time. My feelings haven’t changed,”

“Mine either.” Cale interrupts politely, voice quiet but full of emotions.

“So do you want to give this thing another go? For real this time?” The question falls off of Maia’s pink lips, but he can see she’s still unsure if this is real. He’s wondering the same thing. They’ve waited so long for each other and now here’s the opportunity they’ve been waiting for.

“For real this time.”

~~~~~

“Family, friends and community members, I welcome you to this year’s preschool graduation.” Principal Andrews announces with a bright smile while standing at the podium that’s in front of the small crowd. “These children are on their way to kindergarten in the fall and this ceremony is to recognize the achievement they have all reached during their time in preschool.”

“Crazy you’re going to have a kindergartener soon, huh?” Maia teases, bumping her knee against Cale’s. Her fingers are intertwined with his, their hands resting in his lap.

“Don’t remind me.” He rolls his blue eyes and laughs in response.

It’s been six months since the two of them admitted their feelings to each other and started dating. Despite the fact that the Avs didn’t win the Cup this season, much to Cale and his teammates’ dismay, their relationship has only grown stronger and more incredible. Maisy couldn’t have been more thrilled even if she tried when they told her, the joy of her father finally having someone and that someone being the teacher she adores was the best news. Maia fits right into their lives like she’s always belonged there, something that makes Cale’s heart all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it.

Now, it’s graduation day for the preschoolers and Cale couldn’t be happier sitting with the girl he’s always loved waiting for his daughter’s name to be announced. He presses a quick kiss to Maia’s temple before they both turn their attention back to the ceremony.

“These fifteen young, bright children have grown in so many ways over the course of this past school year. And now, many would say, they’re ready for the big leagues also known as kindergarten.” The crowd laughs along to the joke, hundreds of emotions being felt at the same time. “The teachers and myself have all cherished the time we had together with these little ones so this is just as special for us as it is for you. Without a further ado, we’ll now be presenting the students with their preschool diploma.”

All the little kids stood up in front of their chairs, the biggest smiles plastered onto each of their faces. Cale spots Maisy easily. Her curly blonde hair is pinned back on the sides and her pink glasses aren’t hard to find in a small group. She picked out her favorite dress, a sparkly blue one, just for today’s event. Watching her shuffle forward on the stage, beautiful and happy, makes Cale think about how much she’s grown up. Time has passed too quickly for his liking and seeing his little girl up there now, moving onto another monumental time in her life, strikes his heart like never before.

The sadness doesn’t stick around for long though as Maisy steps up and Principal Andrews says her name out loud.

“Maisy Beatrice Makar.”

Tears spring into Cale’s eyes while he and Maia stand to clap and cheer. Maisy walks with joy in her step across the stage, accepting a tiny diploma and waving out to Cale right afterwards. With a watery smile and his usual rosy cheeks, he waves back to her. And when Maia leans into his side as silent support, the whole moment couldn’t be any more perfect than it is.

“She did it.” Cale whispers in awe and Maia giggles softly next to him.

“She did. But it’s only preschool. You have at least three more graduations to get through.”

It’s then that the entire class stands in front of the crowd with their diplomas and the principal declares them all preschool graduates. Everyone erupts in cheers, pictures being taken from all angles and Cale is pretty sure the grin on his face will be stuck there for days.

“Before we conclude our ceremony, it’s part of our school’s tradition to invite parents or guardians on stage for pictures and to represent who will be offering support to the students as they continue on with their education. So, those special individuals, please make your way to the front.”

“Ready?” The question is a mumble, but Maia hears it. She nods, grabbing Cale’s hand again. Both of their hearts are beating so fast that it’s a surprise no one around hears. Together, they walk towards the stage to join Maisy who is clueless to the moment that’s about to unfold.

“Daddy!” Maisy calls when she sees Cale come up the stairs. Her excitement is incredibly infectious, something that Maia adores about her too. “And Maia? You both came up?” She asks, obvious confusion crossing over her facial features.

“Of course. Maia is part of our family, isn’t she? We always say so.”

“She is! Principal Andrews said parents so I only thought you would come up, Daddy, but it’s way better with Maia here too. We’re a family.” Maisy says gently, warmth in each word as she processes what this means.

“We’re a family, Maise.” Maia repeats back before kissing the top of the little girl’s head and earning a giggle. Cale watches on as pure love makes his heart swell. This is all he’s wanted for so long. The girl of his dreams and his daughter. Life couldn’t be any better.

And later, when they’re settled at their usual table at Proto’s for Maisy’s celebratory dinner and Maia hands over her gift which of course is a copy of “Maisy Goes To School”, her personal favorite of all the Maisy Mouse books and fitting for the occasion, Cale is hit with a realization.

No matter what happens in his life going forward, he knows something now that he didn’t before. As long as he has these two, Maia and Maisy, everything will always be okay. And that is all he will ever need.

tagging some friends/mutuals who might be interested! @tonyspep @starshine-hockey-girl @kailyn-writes @rosesvioletshardy @sorryjustafangirl @laurenairay @miracleonice87 @hockeyunits @stroopwaffle8 @musiclove-12 @eightmakar @ilyasorokinn @barzysreputation @broadstflyers @breezymichelle99 @comphyjost @ya-pucking-nerd @jostystyles @ch-ristiane @beauvibaby @sourjoonie @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69 @itrocksmysocks @tysonjost-taylorsversion @boqvistsbabe @happer08 @antoineroussel @tpwkstiles @hockeylvr59 @2manytabsopen @senditcolton @equallyshaw

#cale makar #cale makar fic #cale makar imagine #cale makar blurb #summer fic exchange 2k22 #nhl imagine #nhl fic #hockey fic #hockey imagine #fluff #hwncloud #hwn cloud #colorado avalanche #cale makar x oc

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broadstbroskis · 5 years ago

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five times you shared a bed with your best friend plus one time you didn’t | matthew tkachuk

lol so @slimskjei-dy requested the prompt 16. We’ve been sharing a bed since we were little so why is this weird now? from a list i put out a couple days ago to write blurbs for and this spiraled out of control, so here’s nearly 4k.

one

The Tkachuk’s move into the house next door to your family the summer before you start preschool and at the ripe age of three, you are too young to have any idea what going with your mom to drop off “welcome to the neighborhood” brownies is going to mean for your future.

Really, it likely has more to do with the fact that “welcome to the neighborhood” brownies turned into a glass of “welcome to the neighborhood” wine between your mom and Chantal Tkachuk, which turned into a bottle of wine while you and Matthew played in the backyard with Brady’s chubby little baby legs trying his hardest to keep up.

By the time Keith arrived home from a midday skate session, with your dad awkwardly following behind, babbling about how your mom had just planned on dropping something off quickly but was still missing, their friendship was basically cemented. Chantal and your mom did everything together. And your dads’ friendship didn’t take long to form after that.

Which meant you and Matty were right there with them.

But neither of you cared. You’d settled quickly into a friendship, just like your parents had, where you’d play hockey with him and he’d begrudgingly play soccer with you, and you both pretended you had no idea what Brady was talking about when he ran to tattle that you were ganging up on him and not letting him play.

There’s countless pictures of the two of you growing up, getting into all kinds of trouble, but then also, of the quieter moments too. Sitting too close to the TV watching movies, eagerly waiting by the door for Keith to come home from a road trip with souvenirs, the naps curled up around each other in one of your beds.

“The quietest twenty minutes of the day.” Keith continues to joke, anytime one of those pictures resurfaces.

two

You wince at the sound of glass crashing behind you and decide the best course of action is to keep moving forward with your mission to find Matthew. Whichever hockey bro of Matthew’s house this is can take care of that; it’s not your job.

Besides, the room is spinning from the cheap beer and booze you’d been drinking all night since the two of you arrived at this party, and you’re pretty sure it’s a bad idea to go near glass.

You find Matthew in the kitchen, with a few of his St. Louis hockey bros, a couple of them guys that you’re still friends with even after he’d left to go join the NTDP, as well as a few faces you don’t recognize. You slip up into their circle, sliding under Matty’s arm when it lifts to wrap around your shoulders, grateful for the solid body to lean against.

The room is really starting to spin.

“You okay?” He asks, ignoring whoever’s speaking.

“I don’t think I can go home tonight.” You admit.

He laughs. “Text your mom and tell her you’re staying with me. Big Walt and Chantal are at a tourney with Brady and Taryn; nobody’s home.”

“You don’t think she knows your parents aren’t home?” You scoff, but you’re already pulling out your phone and carefully drafting the text, making sure to avoid any spelling errors that might give your drunkenness away.

“Yeah, but she can’t prove what she hasn’t seen.” Matty winks at you and you roll your eyes.

“Is that what you told your mom after you left her a three minute voicemail at 3am last month?” You chirp at him, smiling at the instant laughter from the friends around you and accepting a fist bump from Luke Kunin.

That line of chirping continues for a few minutes, until Matty manages to turn it around on one of the boys, and then it dissolves into a free for all before they’re all just laughing at each other.

By the time the giggling ends, you’re about three seconds away from falling asleep on Matt’s shoulder, and it’s his nudge that wakes you. “You ready?” You nod, joining him in making goodbyes to your friends, and then following him out the door to begin the walk back toward your houses.

The fresh air does some good to sober you up and you feel marginally less dizzy by the time you and Matt make it to his room. He throws you a t-shirt to change into and you fall into bed after changing, waiting for him to join you, eyes shutting the second you feel the bed settle beside you.

three

The night before Matty’s due to leave for Buffalo for the draft, your phone buzzes with a text from him. You’re expecting more of the same that you’ve been exchanging all day with him-in various group chats with your friends, at a barbeque with both your families, when the two of you were chatting with Brady while you hid in the far corner with the beers you snuck while Taryn and your sister were off doing their thing.

It’s not. Let me in the text says, so you shove the blankets down and make your way downstairs to open the door for him.

“Shh.” You tell him. “They’re all asleep.”

“It’s 3am, of course they are!” He whispers back.

“Well so was I until you woke me up!” You start walking back toward your room, knowing he’ll follow.

Matthew doesn’t speak again until the two of you are in your room, the door is closed, and he’s lying on his side to face you in your bed. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“You can’t possibly be nervous.” You whisper back, knowing he’s talking about the draft. He shrugs and you reach your hand out to shove his shoulder down, allowing it to rest there. “Matty.” He blinks at you a few times as you think of what to say next. “You’re gonna go somewhere and you’re going to be great. One of these teams is going to love you enough to draft you and everyone after them is going to be mad they didn’t have the chance to and almost everyone before them is going to be mad they didn’t end up picking you and you’re going to go off to whatever city does and forget all about me back here.”

Matthew wraps his arm around your waist and pulls you closer to him so you move your hand from the top of his shoulder around to rub at the blade gently. “First of all, that’ll never happen. You’re stuck with me forever.”

You nod seriously. “Somebody’s got to put up with you.”

He pokes you in the side for that one and you have to bite your lip to keep in the squeal of laughter. “Second of all, almost? Almost everyone is going to me mad they didn’t pick me?”

“Leafs got first pick to get Auston! I just don’t think they’re going to regret that!” He pokes you again and you don’t manage to hide the squeal this time. “Matty! Everyone’s sleeping!”

“You should be nicer to me.” He tells you, once you settle down.

“I should be nicer to you? You wake me up at 3am to talk you off the ledge and I should be nicer to you?”

He nods, pulling you even closer to bury his face in your hair. “Always.”

You laugh, the sound muffled into his chest now. “Are we all good now?”

“Hmm?” He says, sounding sleepy already.

“Never mind.” You tell him, rubbing his back again. “Good night, Matty.”

“G’night.”

four

Calgary is a thousand times more incredible than you’d ever imagined. You’d been teasing Matty about being stuck in a frozen wasteland, sending him snaps from sunny gamedays at Mizzou and laughing anytime you get one in return with snow in the picture.

There’s snow on the ground when you arrive in December, fresh out of finals, and still feeling both the mental exhaustion from your exams and the hangover from a day of binge drinking with your friends immediately after they’d ended. You’ll never fly hungover again; the next time you do this, you’ll leave yourself a day of rest between exams and flying up to visit your best friend, since you know you won’t stop drinking earlier.

College is making you smarter already!

Matthew actually laughs when he meets you in the pick up lane, like puts his head on the steering wheel and has to hold off on driving. He gets honked at by the car behind him. “Your laugh is making my headache worse.” You whine.

“So I take it you don’t want the bottle of wine I bought for us to split tonight?”

You look over at him suspiciously. “What kind of wine?”

He laughs again, but softer this time. “Atta girl.”

It’s a red blend, a favorite of the two of you, but a much nicer one than you’ve ever bought before. You let out a low whistle as Matthew places the order for dinner. “Suddenly you’ve got some cash flow and Barefoot’s too good?”

“Hell yeah! Wait until you see what kind of vodka I got for us for Saturday.”

You perk up. “What’s on Saturday?”

“Party with the team before my parents come in.”

You laugh, accepting the glass of wine he pours for you. “You don’t think Big Walt would want to come to the party?”

Matty gives you a look. “I know that’s exactly what would happen and that’s why I told them to come Sunday.”

“Smart thinking.” You admit.

“See, who needs college?” He teases, which settles the two of you into your familiar teasing and banter while you wait for the food to arrive.

It isn’t too long after dinner and Netflix that you and Matthew are heading to bed, pressing yourself as close as you can to suck up as much warmth that he’s radiating. “Fuck, your feet are cold.” Matty mutters as you giggle and press your toes into his calf.

“Haven’t you missed me?” You sling your leg over his for maximal toe digging, laughing when he jumps.

“I guess.” He says, but his tone says Absolutely.

five

“So what are your plans for after graduation?”Ashley, Sean Monahan’s girlfriend (and soon-to-be fiancee if Matty was to be believed) looks at you during a stoppage of play late in the third.

“God, don’t remind me.” You groan. You’d wrapped the fall semester of your senior year a couple days ago and then taken off to Calgary in what had become your annual post-finals trip. It’d be the last one you ever took, with your final semester of college looming over your head.

Ashley grins. She’d become a close friend of yours over all your trips to visit Matthew, even flying down to St. Louis last season when the Flames were in town and spending a weekend with some of the other girls visiting you at school afterwards. “Just come hang out up here forever.”

You burst into laughter. “And live where?”

She gives you a look, like it’s the most obvious thing ever. “With Matt?”

“Oh my god, you’re serious.” It takes a full minute for you to recover. Play has resumed, there’s a minor scrum on the ice in front of the two of you but you barely even notice, too shocked by Ashley’s words.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because why would I ever?”

“Because you already do.” She says, with more patience than you’ve possessed in your entire life combined, and then laughs at the look on your face. “YN, what you two have is so special! To fall in love with your best friend at age three and still feel that way is amazing! If Sean and I can look at each the way you and Matt do after twenty years, we could only be so lucky.”

“We’re not in love.” You deny. “Matty and I-we’re just-we’re not.”

Ashley bites her lip, but doesn’t push it any further. “Alright.” She agrees, and thankfully, the game ends there, so you’re able to just gather your things with her and make your way down toward the family room to meet the boys.

But you can’t get her words out of your head as you and Matthew arrive back to his place and start getting ready to go to bed. You move around each other with a practiced ease, handing him the toothpaste before he even asks for it and accepting the oversized sweatshirt he passes to you, somehow knowing that you’re extra chilly tonight.

Lying next to him in bed, the same way you have for nearly twenty years, suddenly feels suffocating. You roll onto your side, hoping for some room to breath, but now it just feels awkward; this isn’t how you sleep.

You sit up, ditching the sweatshirt. Maybe you’re just too warm. Lying back and pulling the covers back up does nothing to solve that problem, and actually, you’re shivering, so you sit back up and yank the sweatshirt back on.

“Could you settle down?” Matty mumbles, pulling you into his side the second that you’re flat again. His arm rests on your waist, thumb in the dip of your hip, a position it’s been in many times, but suddenly you think you’re having trouble breathing. You open your mouth to tell him this, but he presses a kiss to your temple and says, “Relax, just sleep.”

You don’t sleep a wink the entire night.

plus one

“What do you mean you’re not coming?” Dylan, a good friend of both yours and Matthew’s, is usually one of the most upbeat people you know, so the sound of disappointment coming throughout your phone actually makes you wince. “YN?”

“I just-” You hesitate. You’d have to leave right now in order to get to St. Louis in time to make the Skills Competitions, and even then you might be pushing it, and things were still weird for you with Matty, as evidenced by how things were between the two of you when he came home for his short Christmas break. And things were weird. Everyone noticed- your families, your friends, Matthew. The two of you had spoken only once since, in the group chat where Matthew had texted an invite to your group chat to come home for the weekend for the All Star Weekend and you’d noncommittally responded wow that’d be awesome. “I’m super busy.” You finish lamely.

Dylan sighs. “Look, YN, I don’t know what the fuck is going on between you and Matt and I don’t really care. It’s not my business. But I know he’d really want you there no matter what’s going on and I know you’ll regret not going if you don’t.”

You close your eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. He’s right. “I’ll see you in a few hours, Dyl.”

“Hell yeah,” Dylan cheers.

By the time you make it to St. Louis, you have to race to meet your friends in your seats and the cheer they send up is poorly timed, but it does make you smile. “Shitty seats.” You accept the bottle of Bud Light someone passes you.

Dylan laughs and points up to the giant platform next to you guys. “He’s going to be shooting from there in a while.”

“Alright.” You nod. “I guess this is acceptable then.”

It’s a good while before Matty and the rest of the guys participating in the Shooting Stars event start making their way up, but it’s nice to catch up with your other friends while you wait. If you got a big cheer when you rolled in, the one that goes up when Matthew walks by is deafening (and boostered by the friends of Brady’s that are sitting right behind you guys). The two of them look over at you guys, grinning already, and you see it in Matthew’s face when he spots you, the smirk softening a little and his eyes locking on you.

You’d read about moments where time stands still but it’d never actually happened to you until now. It’s like the crowd doesn’t exist around you, like you don’t actually need to breathe. The only thing that matters is the moment in time when your eyes meet Matty’s.

And that moment’s broken by Brady shoving him forward.

As you watch Matthew throughout the entirety of the last event, you know you’re screwed. You’ll get through this weekend, go back to school, and get over these thoughts by the time summer comes. Everything will be back to normal by the time you see Matty again.

In the meantime, you do your best to avoid him once the Skills Competition ends and you join everyone at the after party on the rooftop bar of the hotel. It’s easier than you think it would be to do. When Matty’s talking with some of your local friends, you find yourself catching up with both sets of your parents. When he starts making his way toward your parents, you excuse yourself to the bathroom. You see him make a beeline towards the bar, so you dart off in the opposite direction, where Brady is talking with a couple of his Atlantic Division teammates and push yourself in between the height of him and Auston Matthews, which seems like a safe spot to hide.

“YN!” Auston grins, throwing his hands up in the air, in a drunken greeting that you’d love to be more lowkey.

You reach up and grab them, yanking them down. “Listen, I know it’s been a while since we’ve last hung out and all, and I know from the way you talk and dress and everything about you that this is a hard thing for you to comprehend, but I’m really going to need some subtlety from you.” Next to him, Mitch and Freddie burst into laughter. “Down low, boo. Down low.”

Auston is laughing as well and you remember that while the times you’ve spent with him have been few and far between, unable to visit Matthew as frequently during his time with the NTDP as you have been in Calgary, they’ve certainly been memorable...so moments like this are unshocking to him, to say the least.

They don’t even faze Brady, who’d grown up with both you and Matthew, and is merely looking at you with an entirely too familiar smirk and a raised brow. “What’s the subtlety for, YN?”

“Fuck off, Brady.” You flip your middle finger up at him quickly but it’s just enough time for the entire group of hockey players around you to pounce. You really should have known better.

“I knew something was up!” Auston grins.

“Nothing’s up.” You deny, very poorly.

“Really?” Brady grins. “‘Cause Matt’s like right there.” He points. “On his way here. So I guess if nothing’s wrong, you can-” He starts immediately laughing when you shove your way out of them.

You think you manage to lose your best friend by pushing through a large group of players and family from the Metro and Central divisions and throwing yourself out the door to the outdoor patio, which is mostly empty, despite the unseasonably warm winter St. Louis has been experiencing. You can see Brady, Auston, and Quinn laughing together through the glass door, but Matty’s nowhere to be found, and you sit down on the closest bench, taking a minute to just breathe.

“You gotta tell me what I did.” The voice scares you, but it shouldn’t, because you really should have known better than to think that Matty wouldn’t be able to find you.

When you look over at Matty on the bench beside you, you can’t think of another time he’s looked this devastated. Maybe that semi-final loss in World Juniors? Maybe? It’s all over his face and you can’t just leave him like this any longer. “It’s not you.” You tell him, holding back tears. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Then tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it!” Matthew says, frustratedly.

“You can’t fix it!” You sniffle, trying to scoot away from him, to give yourself some distance, and feeling the tears start to fall when he closes that space again. “You can’t go back and stop Ashley from making me realize that I’m in love with you, okay? So you can’t fix this and I just-I need some time, Matty! Okay? I need some time!”

“Don’t be fucking stupid.” He breathes, like he’s only just recovered the ability to talk, which, he might have, and you tilt your head to meet his eyes, which puts you in a perfect position considering he’s already leaning toward you.

Matthew fumbles for a second, his hand reaching for your cheek and catching your ear instead with you turning, but he recovers quickly, stroking gently down the side of your face. You gasp, the kiss entirely unexpected, and Matty takes the opportunity to tug on your lip gently before pulling away and you let out a whimper at the loss of contact.

He smirks.

“Don’t be smug.” You shove at his shoulder.

“Don’t be stupid.” He repeats, pulling you closer. “How could you ever think I wouldn’t be in love with you?”

“I didn’t want to ruin us.” You tell him softly. “But I am willing to concede I was wrong.”

Matty grins. “Sure were. Can do this anytime I want now.” He kisses you again, leaving you just as breathless as before.

You suppose, at some point, that’ll start to wear off, but as the two of you trade lazy kisses on the rooftop, you can’t imagine that point ever coming. This is perfection, this is the piece of your relationship you didn’t even know was missing coming together, this is-

-Brady knocking on the window?

What?

You blink again, realizing where you’re at. Still on the rooftop bench, with your arm wrapped around Matty’s neck, your legs draped over his lap, and your face tucked into his shoulder. Matthew’s arms are wrapped around your waist, holding you close, and his head rests on top of yours. Somehow still asleep through all the banging Brady’s been doing.

“Matty.” You poke him awake.

“What?” He groans, sitting up.

“Brady.” Matthew looks over at the window, where Brady is still gesturing that it’s time to leave, with a very smug grin on his face. Matthew lifts one hand off your waist to flip his brother off, allowing you to climb off.

“You couldn’t have answered any of the texts we sent you?” Brady asks, once you step inside, but he doesn’t sound annoyed at all, still looking between the two of you with the biggest grin on his face.

Matthew shrugs. “Must have fallen asleep.”

“Bullshit.”

“You just saw us!”

Brady rolls his eyes, knowingly. “Just kiss her already.”

Matty grins. “Gladly.” And then he’s pressing a heated kiss against your lips, looping his arm around your waist, and it’s all you can do to grip his arm with one hand to keep yourself standing and flip off the crowd around you with your other as whoever’s left at this after party burst into applause and wolf-whistles.

#matthew tkachuk imagine #matthew tkachuk fanfic #matthew tkachuk fanction #hockey imagines #hockey fanfiction #nhl imagines #hockey fanfic #my hockey fics

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icariamusing · 4 years ago

Photo

CHARACTER BASICS

FACECLAIM: Saoirse Ronan

NAME: Larkspur Durham Fox

AGE: 27

BIRTHDAY: July 20, 1993

OCCUPATION: PhD Candidate in History at Icaria University / Freelance copywriter and Editor

HOMETOWN: Calgary, Alberta, Canada (although she has not lived there since she was twelve)

PETS: Red-eared slider turtles named Justin Turtleake and Alanis Tortoisette

POWERS

Manipulation in volume and origin point of the sound of the human voice in real time. While technically unvoiced consonants are not, well, voiced, she can take those along for the ride too. Unable to distort the contents of the speech (or scream, I guess), but can make them inaudible or painfully loud with perfect clarity. This ability does work on recorded voices, but has less effectiveness the more distortion is built into the audio. Lark has an odd tendency to slightly raise her own volume without thinking about it, but she’s also just loud without powers. Your guess is as good as hers when she’s using powers or just shouting. She would be better with her powers if she made a point of using them, but she has not tested them heavily outside of verbal conjecture. While she has never tried it, Lark considers her best offensive tactic to shift the origin point to within an opponent’s inner ear and amplify.. but she’s a pacifist, and does not like to think about it.

BIOGRAPHY

Lark came in two volumes: Loud and VERY LOUD. An intellectually brilliant radical anarchist, she was prone to protesting against Icaria’s government and for a different cause every week. Although she certainly spread awareness for some significant issue, not every cause Lark champions is noteworthy… or even logical. Whoever came within her radar will inevitably hear an earful. She could best be described as a gigantic nerd- particularly history- that knows a lot of stuff but lacks in common sense.

Her conception kicked off in a dramatic fashion. Diana Fox was a sixteen year old Canadian teenager when she attended her first protests (various feminist ones, mostly). After one of them, she met up with a strange guy who just seemed to get it who would debate her for fun. He (the god Zelus) was definitely too old for her, but she lied about her age, and ended up pregnant after a few trysts. Diana decided to keep the kid, but she most definitely wasn’t ready to be a mother. Thinking the name sounded cool, Diana named her daughter “Larkspur” after pretty flowers… and also she was kind of a punk who got a kick out of her kid being named after something poisonous. And that was about as much contribution as little Larkspur’s parents offered up in terms of upbringing for those early years. Gods weren’t about that sort of child-raising life, and Diana wanted to enjoy what remained of her adolescence.

Cecilia and Dale Fox stepped up, and raised their granddaughter. Larkspur adored her grandparents, even if they did not quite expect to have to raise a baby at their age. They were only in their late forties, but had not expected to deal with a grandchild while they were both still working. Cecilia’s job didn’t pay as well, so she took a few years off to be the primary caretaker for the little girl age four and preschool became an option. Larkspur frankly thought her name was embarrassing. She was much happier to go by Lark in school, or even just Fox. Even though her mother could have cared less about books and learning, Lark took to school rather well. Rarely needing to study, Lark knocked out essays and reports without thinking too hard about it. Marks didn’t mean much to her, but she still skipped grade two and continued to excel academically.

When Lark was nine, Dale started to get sick, which inspired Diana to head back home. After moving back in, Diana tried to be more than a parent, but only when it was convenient. Lark saw right through her mother, and clung to her grandmother, or shut herself up in her room for a while. The only time that Lark felt really close to her mom was when she took her along to protests. Lark was absolutely arrested for protesting before, but it never resulted in any real convictions. Her mom is the one who’s actually seen prison time, which Lark always considered extremely cool. Diana and Dale could not be considered sterling examples of propriety, but they did not quite agree with the coolness level of any criminal activity. They always did their best to point the kids (i.e. Diana and Lark) in the right direction.

Not that long after returning home, Diana explained the mystery of Lark’s parentage to the family using print-outs of search results from Google. Even after doing some research on Zelus, Lark decided that her dad was terrible, and did not actively seek him out. Lark met her father once, and while he was less awful in person than she had expected, she still could not get over his poor judgment. Later in life, Lark would make a game out of ignoring him when he visited on Icaria. Anyway, Lark’s grandparents were the best parents that she could have asked for, and her mother… helped.

It devastated the family when Dale passed away when Lark was twelve, but Cecilia took it especially poorly. When the opportunity came up, Cecilia accepted a job transfer opportunity with slightly better pay in the UK, where she was born (while technically she was from Northern Ireland, the job was in England where some family lived). Diana wanted to stay in Calgary, but Lark wanted to go with her grandmother. Making her first mature decision in a long time, Diana conceded, and applied for jobs overseas.

Lark had never been a popular child, and her ease of making friends did not suddenly improve after moving thousands of miles away. The person that she got on best with was Steffi, a recent transplant from Germany. Since Steffi did not seem to have any friends either, Lark latched on immediately. The mean comments did not exactly phase Lark (especially because the older girl didn’t seem to outright hate the idea of being friends). While they were very good friends, it still did not come up in conversation where they both settled on schools until acceptance time came. Heidelberg University’s History program was amazing, and Lark couldn’t turn down how reasonably priced German schools were. She casually-but-not-casually suggested that she and Steffi room together, and was pleasantly surprised to start the next year with a roommate that wanted to be friends. Their friendship was always odd and a little codependent, and Lark sometimes struggled to figure out whether her infatuation with Steffi was strongly platonic or a romantic crush. Whatever it was, Steffi apparently did not have any romantic feelings for her, and Lark wondered if that was for the best. After that graduation (Lark was 20 at the time), Lark and Steffi went to separate universities for graduate school, and largely lived separate lives apart from a few odd chance encounters. Lark even began to make more like-minded friends in her Musicology masters program at the University of Birmingham. The professors seemed not to hate her either; she was “a pleasure to have in class” but not the student with the highest grades.

After finishing off her masters, Lark stuck around Birmingham for a year. She wrote prolifically- scholarly writing for her own enjoyment, and copywriting professionally. The future seemed murky, but Lark assumed that she would head back into academia at some point. She had no plans of moving to Icaria until she got her heart figuratively ripped to shreds, and decided on a spontaneous move to Greece.

It had never seemed like a good idea to mention her demigod status until Lark and Steffi bumped into each other… on Icaria. Overjoyed to have her friend back, Lark suggested rooming together again, but this was shot down. She kept up her freelance positions, but she had a difficult experience filling her time. Eventually, she decided on starting up a PhD program in history at the local university (on the topic of music’s impact on ancient Greece). Unfortunately, Lark’s previous tendencies toward procrastination have not served her well without a short timeline to hide behind. The June 2021 deadline has haunted her ever since she started it up, but she leveraged many distractions.

lisa| she/her | 28 | pacific

#zelus

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larkfox · 4 years ago

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( SAOIRSE RONAN, FEMALE, SHE/HER ) ⌇ have you seen LARKSPUR FOX around icaria? they are the TWENTY-SEVEN year old child of ZELUS. they remind me of HOMEMADE PROTEST SIGNS, SING-SCREAMING ALONG TO THE RADIO, and A HEAVY STACK OF HISTORY BOOKS. They’ve been on the island for 4 years.

Lark comes in two volumes: Loud and VERY LOUD. An intellectually brilliant radical anarchist, she is prone to protesting against Icaria’s government and for a different cause every week. Although she’s certainly spread awareness for some significant issue, not every cause Lark champions is noteworthy… or even logical. Whoever is within her radar will inevitably hear an earful. She’s also a gigantic nerd- particularly history- so she knows a lot of stuff but lacks in common sense.

She has a very weird, codependent friendship with Steffi, whom is probably her best friend at this point because fate keeps shoving them in the same place. They are both very annoying for different reasons, and the two together can get chaotic. Important: Lark likes Steffi more than Steffi likes Lark, but Lark is more fond of people as a whole than Steffi.

You may be thinking: Lisa! Why do you have two bumbling, good-intentioned loud characters that can be irritating to others? Is Lark going to just be Chloe 2: Electric Boogaloo? Fair question. Lark and Chloe are self-aware in completely opposite ways. Chloe would never indulge in this kind of reckless behavior or be anything close to this argumentative. Anyway, I’ve basically written an essay about Lark below, so you can see for yourself.

Further information/bio:

Basics

A PhD candidate in History at Icaria’s University, she is keen on finishing her dissertation soon and trying to get a job at The Icaria Museum. If that doesn’t work, she supposes she will just have to see about becoming a professor or something. She’s so close to finishing, though, it’s palpable.

On the side, she does some copyediting and tutoring because living isn’t cheap. Sometimes she also does some music production, but that’s not a big thing.

Lark is a bit immature, and an absolute disaster at interpersonal relationships. She is heavily opinionated, and rarely keeps anything close to her chest. A gay mess, she didn’t have her first relationship until her early twenties. She has very mixed feelings about her demigod status (and her dad, whom she didn’t meet until he swung by to tell her about the disappearances and urge her to move).

Early Life

Her conception kicked off in a dramatic fashion. Diana Fox was a sixteen year old teenager in Canada when she attended her first protests (various feminist ones, mostly). After one of them, she met up with a strange guy who just seemed to get it (also he seemed to like debating for fun). He (the god Zelus) was definitely too old for her, but she lied about her age, and ended up pregnant after a few trysts. Diana decided to keep the kid, but she most definitely wasn’t ready to be a mother. She named the child Larkspur because she thought it sounded cool, the flowers were pretty, and also she was kind of a punk who got a kick out of her kid being named after something poisonous. And that was about as much contribution as little Larkspur’s parents offered up in terms of upbringing for those early years. Gods weren’t about that sort of child-raising life, and Diana wanted to enjoy what remained of her adolescence.

Larkspur frankly thought her name was embarrassing. What kind of mother named her kid after a poisonous plant? She was much happier to go by Lark in school, or even just Fox.

Even though her mother could have cared less about books and learning, Lark took to school rather well. She rarely had to study, and knocked out essays and reports without thinking too hard about it. Marks didn’t mean much to her, but she still skipped grade two. Even after that, she continued to excel in school.

A Turn for the Worse

When Lark was nine, Dale started to get sick, which inspired Diana to head back home. She moved back in, and tried to be more than a parent when it was convenient. Lark didn’t like that very much, so she clung to her grandmother, or shut herself up in her room for a while. The only time that Lark felt really close to her mom was when she took her along to protests.

Lark has absolutely been arrested for protesting before, but it’s never resulted in any real convictions. Her mom is the one who’s actually seen prison time. Lark actually thinks that’s very cool. Diana and Dale did not agree with the coolness level of any criminal activity, but did their best to point the kids (i.e. Diana and Lark) in the right direction.

Zelus

Lark thinks her dad sucks even if he’s supposedly one of the good guys. It doesn’t even matter that Zelus seemed to be the god of nothing good. She didn’t find out who her dad really was until Diana came back home and sat the family down. I will now present you with an excerpt of the conversation:

Diana: So I’m sure that you’re all wondering a few things.

Dale: Yes, I’m always wondering things, Annie.

Diana: About Larkspur’s dad!

Dale: Ohh. Yes, we’ve all been wondering about that.

Lark: I haven’t!

Diana: You haven’t?

Lark: Not really!

Cecilia: Grandpa and I have been wondering. Diana, where were you going with this?

Diana: Oh. Right. So it turns out he’s a god… Here, let me show you…

Lark: Is this a print-out from a Google search?

Cecilia: Her father is Zeus? Like the greek god Zeus?

Diana: No!! Zelus! There’s an entire extra letter in there. He’s like Zeus’ pal. Or at least that’s what I’ve read about on Google.

Lark: So he’s still a greek god. But like a discount greek god. Eh. Zeus is probably just as good of a dad as this one is.

Cecilia: Zelus. Like zealots. Oh. Oh no. Let’s just… Make sure nothing happens with that.

Dale passed away when Lark was twelve, which especially devastated his wife. Cecilia had gone back to work a while back, and she took the opportunity when it came up to transfer into a slightly better paying opportunity in the UK. It helped that she was born there, and still had aunts and cousins around. It was about time to move back. Diana wanted to stay in Calgary, but Lark wanted to go with her grandmother. Making her first mature decision in a long time, Diana conceded, and applied for jobs overseas.

Steffi

Lark had been poor at making friends in Canada, and this did not improve thousands of miles away. The person that she got on best with was Steffi, a recent transplant from Germany that did not seem to be fitting in well either. Since Steffi did not seem to have any friends either, Lark latched on immediately. The mean comments didn’t exactly phase her (especially because the older girl didn’t seem to outright hate the idea of being friends).

Her friendship with Steffi is… weird. Here are some helpful references: the entire main character group from Friends as two people. All of the characters from Derry Girls (including side characters) as two people. Rosie and Tanya from the MMCU (Mamma Mia Cinematic Universe). The Odd Couple. You get the picture.

Anyway, while they were very good friends, it still did not come up in conversation where they both settled on schools until acceptance time came. Heidelberg University’s History program was amazing, and Lark couldn’t turn down how reasonably priced German schools were. She casually-but-not-casually suggested that she and Steffi room together, and was pleasantly surprised to start the next year with a roommate that wanted to be friends.

After graduation, Lark and Steffi went to separate universities for graduate school, and conversation was not quite as frequent as Lark would have liked. She did start to make more like-minded friends in her Musicology masters program. The professors seemed not to hate her either; she was “a pleasure to have in class” but not the student with the highest grades. Oddly enough, she and Steffi just kept running into each other without planning on trips and the like.

Poorly thought through things that Lark has suggested to Steffi (list is not exhaustive):

Protesting for squirrel rights on their university campus at 2 AM (nobody else agreed to join her)

That they should have split custody of a shiny beetle that Lark found on the ground. She stopped trying to persuade her friend after the beetle started flying around the room

Marriage pact if they are both still single by age 42

Reenacting various historical scenes while sober

Road trip across Europe on a beercycle (with only two people)

Powers

Power-wise, she has some control over the human voice, which she finds easiest to use for controlling the volume of her own voice. Lark can’t change the concepts of the sound, but she can alter the volume or “throw” the sound so it comes like it originates somewhere else. If Lark were actually interested in starting a cult or being a politician or something, she could use her superior control over the voice to make herself heard without distortion, and deafen the voices of those that opposed her. A loud enough voice could even cause real damage. Fortunately(?), Lark has little interest in all of that, and isn’t especially charismatic to begin with. She only really uses it to force people to listen to her when she’s trying to tell people something deemed important. Or to secretly help shy friends that don’t know how to project. Or to make annoying mansplainers stop talking over her. Or to make Steffi go shhh when she shows up in her apartment in the morning

#icaria: intro #//this is grotesquely long i'm sorry #lemme know if you want highlights

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