#Cale Makar fanfiction

[kaleforcale888]

Just Y/n - Cale Makar

Summary: You are not sure where you and Cale stand in your relationship.

Word count: 2.3K

Warning: cale being a red flag; lack of communication; anxiety

a/n: so while going through the notes app in my phone I found some of my work from the original kaleforcale888 and decided to rewrite it. Anyway thanks for sticking around as I get my crap all back together!

You didn’t know what it was about Cale, but you were definitely starting to have stronger feelings than just “liking” him. What a cliché, middle school thing to say, liking someone. You didn’t know what it was about the man; maybe it was his beautiful, blue eyes that caught you attention, or his crazy hair that sticks up in all different directions at any given moment.

Despite being incredibly good looking, he was also the sweetest person you had ever met. Cale had the best personality. On the outside he was reserved and quiet, but once you got to know him, he was actually really interesting and fun to be around.

You hadn’t been seeing or even hanging out with Cale for very long, only going on a few dates here and there depending on when he was in Denver. You had met at a King Soopers’ Starbucks, him having come in for a drink and leaving with your phone number. From then on you had been on one formal dinner date but had hung out at miscellaneous times when he was in the state. Your favorite was just spending time with him at his apartment and doing random, mundane things. You felt like you got to know the real Cale, not Cale Makar: MVP defenseman.

Spending so much time together made you feel like you had known him your entire life. One date and ever since, you had magically fallen into a routine together. When he had home games, you’d stay at his apartment until the game was over, then spend the evening together before sharing a bed together for the night. While he was away, you would sit at home, missing him, wishing he was there with you.

With your routines naturally integrating, you never had the “what are we talk.” Yeah, you kissed on a regular basis and often slept in the same bed, but some aspects of your life never fully unified; and for a time, part of you was fine with that, but as of late, it was starting to wear on you. You had never met his friends or even teammates, let alone his family, and you started to doubt your relationship, or maybe lack thereof.

***

You sat on the couch of Cale’s apartment, watching the end of the hockey game. The Avs won again, and you knew he would walk through the door nonchalantly but would be elated on the inside. After about an hour or so later, a jingle of keys in the door let you know that Cale was home. You smiled to yourself.

“I’m home,” Cale joked, throwing his bag next to the door so he could easily find it tomorrow morning.

Looking back at him, you rested your chin on the back of the couch, “Hi, how was it,” you asked, acting like you hadn’t just watched the entire game in his living room. You always liked to ask him how it went to get his perspective.

He crouched down to be level with you and smiled, “It was good.”

You rolled your eyes at his humbleness and leaned in closer to him. Cale closed the gap between you, placing a quick kiss on your lips and stood up, too fast for your liking.

There honestly wasn’t a thought running through your mind that he didn’t like you, especially not after that flirtatious kiss. You just wished you would finally make it “official.” All you wanted recently was to meet his friends and to be a part of his world, completely.

“Hey babe,” Cale called, you didn’t even realize he had walked away because too distracted by your own thoughts.

Slightly smiling to yourself at the sweet endearment, “Yeah?” Why were you even questioning anything?

“I think I’m gonna take a quick shower, then head to bed. You are more than welcome to stay if you’d like,” he said, leaning on the door frame of his bedroom, waiting for a response. You just shook your head and settled back into the couch.

***

A few days later, you found yourself back in the very same place, Cale’s apartment. You had spent the night and he had just got back from his morning skate. “So then, Mel and a few of the other girls came and picked up their new jackets, and the guys got distracted so Bednar just ended it then.”

You shook your head, just listening to him as you stole a grape from his lunch plate. You were keeping unusually quiet today and sat with your thoughts, this was new to Cale, but he could tell that there was something bothering you. All you could think about was getting a jacket with Cale’s name on the back and being able to sport it with pride on game days. You also couldn’t help but wonder if you would get along with the other girls and wanted to meet his friends.

Sitting in silence for a few more moments, opening and closing your mouth, Cale looked up at you, expecting you to speak, “do you think I’d get along with the other girls?”

“I don’t see why you wouldn’t,” he responded, walking to the kitchen, “You’d probably love them.”

“What about the guys?”

“They’d probably adore you, probably chirp you for being with me, but its all-in good nature,” he said as he opened the fridge to pretend to look busy, “But why are you bringing this up now? What’s going on?”

“I want to meet your friends, your Denver family. I want to see the other side of you and the other community you’re apart of. I feel like you’re ashamed of me or some…” before you could finish, Cale closed the door of the fridge and pinched the bridge of his nose. He let out a breath, walked closer to you, and grabbed your hands.

“I’m not ashamed of you by any means… it’s just always been hard for me to let people into my life. But listen, if it really means that much to you,” he stopped and took a deep breath, “there is a charity dinner next weekend, before the start of the playoffs, would you like to be my date? We could get all dressed up, maybe look for a dress…”

Before he could continue, you shrieked out a yes and grabbed his face, kissing all over it. “Does this mean I get to meet all the guys?”

“I don’t see why not,” he smiled at you and pressed your foreheads together before kissing you.

***

The charity  dinner was tonight and to say you were nervous was an understatement. How was Cale going to introduce you? Were you his girlfriend, his good friend? You weren’t entirely sure.

You looked in the mirror, and touched up your hair as Cale came into the bathroom connected to your bedroom. He arrived 30 minutes early as always and waited on your bed as you finished getting ready. Making eye contact through the mirror, you gave him a tight-lipped smile to which he returned, “I’m a little nervous,” you said as you scrunched into your shoulders.

“It’ll be okay,’ he said, finally walking into bathroom to wrap his arms around your shoulders.

“I know,” you turned around in his arms, “but what if they don’t like me? They have to be protective over you.”

“I promise you, if I like you, they’re going to have to put up with you. But you only have like 2 minutes, otherwise we’re gonna be late,” he said, checking his watch.

You rolled your eyes, “your definition of late or mine,” you teased and turned to finish what you were doing.”

***

As you walked into the hall, it felt like all eyes were on you and Cale, his arm interlocked with yours as you entered. “Calers!” A tall blonde man shouted across the room. Cale’s cheeks turned brighter red than normal as he directed you towards the group the man was standing with.

“Hey guys.”

“Well, well, well, Calers, who is this?” One of the men in the group asked.

“This is Y/n. Y/n this is Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan Mackinnon, and JT Compher.” He finished, pointing to a decently tall man with flaming red hair. Your heart sank in your chest, and you looked down hoping your face didn’t show too much disappointment. You weren’t officially his girlfriend; you just did relationship-y things. An awkward silence landed over the group.

“It’s nice to finally put faces to the names,” you fake laughed, breaking up some of the silence.

As the guys started up a conversation about what they could do better heading into playoff season, a woman walked up to Gabe. She gave the man a drink before stepping closer to you and offering you a smile, “Hey, I’m Mel.”

“Hi, I’m Y/n,” you smiled back at the blond.

“All this hockey talk is kind of boring, would you like to get a drink?”

You shook your head and untangled your arm in Cale’s before leaning up and whispering to him, “I’m gonna go get a drink,” to which he responded with a nod and a kiss to your cheek.

You followed Mel to the bar and ordered your drink, “I’m Gabe’s wife, if you couldn’t tell,” she joked, making you feel less nervous, “Are you Cale’s girlfriend?” She asked as you sat down at the bar together.

There it was the ever so dreaded question. Taking a sip of your cocktail to distract yourself, you shook your head, “no, just Y/n,” you said, repeating what Cale had told the other guys earlier in the evening.

Mel shook her head in understanding, “We’ll, he’s truly a good kid, if that’s what you’re worried about,” she said, looking over at her husband and the defenseman interacting.

“No, yeah, I know. We’ve been hanging out for a while and I really like him, but we’ve never made anything official.”

Mel looked at you, studying your body language, she could tell this was bothering you. “Well, I don’t know how long you guys have been “hanging out”, but I’ve known him for three years now, and he’s never once brought a date to one of these. Let alone a barbeque or team pool party.”

A slight smile crept up on your lips. At least he felt comfortable enough to be willing to introduce you to his friends, despite you having to ask him. You and Mel continued to talk and get to know each other before she excused herself. When you looked over to find Cale, you saw her talking to Gabe and Cale, who looked like he was very interested in whatever she had to say.

Not long after, you finished your drink and followed in her footsteps to find Cale who was talking to some older looking men. Tapping on his shoulder, he greeted you with a smile, pulled you into his side, and continued his conversation with the men. Once there was a lull in the conversation, he looked down to you, noticing you weren’t acting like yourself, “Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you lied, “just getting a little tired,” you finished off with a fake yawn.

Cale shrugged it off and looked at his watch, “It is getting late, why don’t we get out of here?”

As you walked to the car hand in hand, your thoughts couldn’t help but spiral. Cale opened the car door for you; this sucked, you knew when you got home you would fall directly back into the dance of avoiding whatever conversation needed to happen.

Slamming your eyes shut, you laid your head on the car seat. The quiet got interrupted by Cale gently whispering, “You’ve seemed a little off these past few days. What’s going on in that mind of yours Y/n?”

“Nothing.”

“Please don’t lie to me, Y/n.” Cale whispered, grabbing your hand.

“I’m not lying.”

“I know you are. I was talking to Melissa, and I think we need to have a conversation.”

This conversation could either be very bad or very good, there was no telling at this moment.

“I agree,” you breathed out.

“She said that I should stop avoiding telling you how I feel,” he said as gently started rubbing his thumb across your knuckle, “I hope you know I really like you,” you slightly chuckled, “like a lot.”

“Well, that’s good to know. I was really starting to doubt, I mean just Y/n. Really, Cale? You can’t even introduce me as your girlfriend,” you said, refusing to look up at him.

“I didn’t think we needed a title. For goodness’ sake, we practically spend every waking minute together!” Despite his frustration and lack of being able to truly communicate his feelings, he remained calm. He knew that raising his voice could only make the situation worse and he would only feel more frustrated, “I thought those were titles were juvenile.”

You quickly looked up at him, laughing, trying to hold back tears, “Cale, I want to be your girlfriend!”

Cale sighed and leaned over the console, putting your foreheads together.

“Okay then, will be my girlfriend?”

“Really? That’s all it took for you to finally ask me but yes” you smiled and kissed him.

“I’m sorry, by the way… I didn’t know it meant that much to you.”

“I accept your apology. But I will say, we are both terrible at communicating.”

“I agree, now can we go home?” he asked as he put the car in reverse to pull out of the parking spot.

***

A couple of weeks later, a package was delivered to Cale’s apartment addressed to you. Opening the cardboard box, you found a burgundy jacket with two interlocking hockey sticks on the arms. On the back was “MAKAR” stitched in black with a white outline and a big 8 to match his jersey. You smiled widely and hugged the fuzzy jacket in excitement. The only other thing inside the box was a note.

“Just in time for playoffs :) - M”

[eightmakar]

celebrations | c.m.

Pairing: Single Dad!Cale Makar

Word Count: 10.2k

Warnings: cursing, drinking, celebrating

A/N: this is the prequel to accidental blessing (18+)! all i could think about during the Stanley Cup celebrations was Cale with Willow so I wrote Willow into it. hope yall enjoy :)

tags: @bitchinbarzal @burkymakar @nateslehky @taking-shots @fallinallincurls @jostyriggslover96 @hockeylvr59 @matbaerzal @capsvsducks @xsyntheticsensation @corneliaskates @equallyshaw

One minute. 

Cale’s heart pounded as Tampa kept the puck in the zone. EJ came off the ice, Toewser hopped on, but Mans stayed. Cale watched him intently, doing everything he could to keep his eyes off the clock and his mind off the fact that they were less than a minute from winning the fucking Stanley Cup.

Nate and Toewser tied up the puck on the far boards, allowing time to tick down. Tampa desperately fought to clear the puck out of the mess of skates. They didn’t lay down and die quietly, and Cale knew that every second Tampa spent in their offensive zone was an opportunity for them to tie the game up. 

30 seconds. 

Nate cleared the puck down the ice, and Mans came rushing to the boards for a change. Cale leapt over the boards and raced into position while Val chased down the puck. The referee waved off icing, to Tampa’s dismay, but Hedman calmly picked up the puck and carried it down the ice. He passed Palat the puck and in an instant, Cale was on him.

Cale shoved his weight against Palat and reached around him for the puck. He landed a small poke check—enough to get the puck out of the zone and make Palat panic. He tried to recover, failed, and sent the puck deep into his own zone. 

Ten seconds. 

Bending his knees as low as he could go, Cale charged towards the puck. A Tampa player technically beat him to it, so Cale hip-checked him into the boards and shoved his body between his opponent and the puck. Tied up in his skates, two more Tampa players joined the desperate skirmish for the puck. One of them finally took control of the puck and cleared it out. The puck crossed the blue line, but it didn’t matter. 

They did it.

They fucking did it. 

Cale threw his stick in the air, gloves flying somewhere on the ice as he leapt up in celebration. He made his way across the ice, screaming, and joined the pile of teammates against the boards. Hands grabbed at jerseys, slapped at shoulders, ruffled hair, screaming and shouting filling all of their ears. 

They did it. 

Cale hugged teammate after teammate, but his mind was on someone else: Willow. Every time he tried to strain his neck and look for his family, someone else came to hug him and speak to him, which naturally made him stop to celebrate once again. Finally, he was able to break away and skate over to where he could see his family. 

Willow sat up on Taylor’s shoulders, wearing his burgundy hat backwards, and Cale’s eyes prickled with tears. Her uncle’s hat was much too large for her tiny head and made her look even smaller. Taylor saw Cale and excitedly pointed down to him, making Willow’s tiny face scrunch to see him, so Cale waved dramatically so she could see him. Her face lit up the moment she saw him and waved back with one hand while her other hand clutched a handful of Taylor’s hair. Cale blew her a kiss, then was called away by his team to go through the handshake line.

The handshakes all blurred together. Cale felt like he was walking—well, skating—through a dream. He congratulated Vasilevsky on a great series, he stopped and said a few extra words to Hedman, and Jon Cooper stopped him to say, “That’s not the only trophy you’ll be lifting tonight.” Cale pressed his lips together and thanked him, but doubted he’d be carrying home any extra hardware. He was content with the Cup.

As he was handed a Stanley Cup Champions hat, someone from operations grabbed him and told him he’d be receiving the Conn Smythe. He was shocked; why him? Why not Nate or Gabe? He didn’t feel he’d played well enough to warrant any extra attention, but as he hugged Sammy on the ice, the booming announcement confirmed what he’d been told. 

“Congratulations to the 2022 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar!”

The boys went wild as he skated over to the pedestal. He stepped onto the black carpet, shook the presenter’s hand, and lifted the trophy for a photo. He skated the trophy over to the bench, handed it off to the same operations person who’d told him he won. He tried to look at his family again, but several people were blocking them as they hugged and congratulated them.

Nate greeted him as he rejoined the boys, hugging him, then Gabe and Mikko, all telling him how much he deserved it and how proud they were of him. Cale smiled and thanked them, but all he wanted was to hug his baby girl. He kept glancing back up at the stands where she sat on Taylor’s shoulders, and he silently thanked his brother for putting her somewhere he could see her. 

Then it was time. It was time to raise the Stanley Cup. 

Gabe skated over after the presenter said a few words that Cale really didn’t process. He picked up the Cup, fireworks exploding behind him, and then hoisted it over his head. The boys screamed with him as he skated around them and showed the Cup off to the crowd. He returned to the crowd of guys, and handed the Cup to EJ.

Cale clapped and cheered and yelled for his friends and teammates. For Cogs, for Nate and Jack, for Naz, who got fought through threats and injuries to be able to hoist the Cup. He yelled a little louder when Helmer handed the Cup to Toewser, grinning widely at his d-partner. Toewser handed it off to Val, Val to Frankie, and then it was Cale’s turn. 

Frankie handed the shining Cup to Cale. He skated forward, then lifted it up over his head, grinning bigger than he thought he’d ever grinned before. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d imagined this very moment, this very feeling of joy and pride. The Cup was heavier than he’d expected, heavier than Willow was. 

Tears pricked at his eyes as he looked up at his family in the stands. Willow, still perched on Taylor’s shoulders, hand in his hair, waved at him and blew him a kiss, mimicking what he’d done before. His parents had their phones out, but they waved too. Taylor simply put up one finger at him, grinning. 

Cale rejoined his teammates and passed the Cup to Comph. He stood in the middle of his friends, the people he’d battled with for eighty-two regular season games and twenty post-season games. His brothers. He couldn’t be happier to see them celebrating, couldn’t be happier to be able to share this with them. 

Reporters had swarmed the ice and were interviewing as many guys as they could. Now that he’d had his turn, the reporters started asking him for interviews. He felt like he said the same things to everyone, that it hadn’t sunk in yet, that he was happy to be able to share this with the guys, and what he wanted to do with the Cup. 

One reporter asked him about Willow, and he grinned. Glancing up in the stands again, Cale noticed that Willow, Taylor, and his parents were gone. Had they been told to leave? They shouldn’t have, not when so many of his teammates hadn’t gotten to raise the Cup yet. He frowned a bit, but was sure he’d see them at the hotel later, and continued his interview until he was summoned to go take a group photo with the Cup. 

He gasped and laughed as Kubey fell and dropped the Cup. Dozens of photographers captured the moment, the shock of seeing the base of the Cup hit the ice. Cale and his teammates grinned widely, holding up one finger to the cameras. After what felt like forever, they dispersed, some guys going off for more interviews, others mingling with each other. 

Cale meandered around the ice, trying to take everything in. He noticed a small mob of people joining them on the ice, several wearing matching denim jackets, even more wearing jerseys, all holding Stanley Cup Champion flags. 

Their families.

Cale skated against the flow of people, carefully weaving through them and craning his neck in search of his family. He furrowed his brows as he searched. Had they passed each other and didn’t realize it? He turned around to look behind him. Surely he would've seen Taylor towering over some of the wives and girlfriends.

“Daddy!”

Cale whirled around on his skates when he heard the small voice he’d recognize anywhere and nearly fell, earning a giggle from his squealing daughter who was running towards him. Tears began to stream down his face as Willow ran up to him, Taylor’s too-big hat bouncing around on her light hair, clad in her tiny burgundy and blue number eight jersey, black pants, and purple sneakers. Cale knelt down on the ice so Willow could run into his arms. 

“Hi Daddy!” Willow squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck as Cale wrapped his arms around her tightly. He lifted his daughter up as he stood, squeezing her even tighter. 

“Hi, sweetheart,” Cale croaked through his tears. He readjusted his grip on Willow so his right arm was under her bottom and he could look at her. 

Willow’s face scrunched as she registered Cale’s tears. She pointed to them and said, “Daddy sad?”

Cale laughed, but tears continued to flow down his face. “No, baby, Daddy’s not sad, Daddy’s happy. So happy.”

“Oh.”

 Cale pulled her head into his face with his free hand and kissed her cheek. “I love you so much,” he whispered to her, kissing her again.

“Wub Daddy,” Willow cooed. 

“You found Daddy!” 

Cale looked away and grinned when he saw his dad standing in front of him, his mom and Taylor behind him, all grinning with tears in their eyes. “She found me,” Cale said. 

Gary pulled Cale and Willow in for a huge hug. He patted Cale on the back and whispered through tears, “We’re so proud of you.”

“Thank you,” Cale mumbled back. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“We are too.” Gary gazed proudly at Cale, then moved out of the way so Laura could hug him next. 

Cale bent down and wrapped his free arm around his mom. She kissed his cheek and squeezed him muttering, “You did it, Cale. You did it.”

He agreed softly, “We did it.” 

Taylor excitedly held out his arms before Laura even let him go. He grinned and collected Cale and Willow in his arms, patting Cale’s back and laughing, making Willow giggle at him. 

“Look at you!” Taylor exclaimed. He took his hat from Willow’s head and put it back on his own. 

Cale reached up and fixed her Avalanche bow. It had been flattened by Taylor’s hat, but Willow didn’t seem to mind. Her jersey started riding up, too, so Cale tugged it down and kissed her forehead again. 

“Daddy happy!” Willow said and grabbed Cale's cheeks. 

“Yeah, Willow, Daddy’s happy. Do you remember how I told you about the big, shiny Cup? The one that’s as tall as you are? That we can eat pancakes and ice cream out of?”

Willow nodded. 

“Daddy won that Cup,” Cale explained, choking up. “Do you see it over there?”

Willow leaned backward in Cale’s arms, looking where he pointed, at EJ holding the Cup. “Pwetty!” she gasped. 

“It is pretty, isn’t it?” Cale smiled. “Soon, we get to have a whole day with it, just for us. We’re gonna go to Gamma and Gampa’s house in Calgary and have a party. Doesn’t that sound fun?”

“Cow-gawy fun,” Willow commented. The Makars laughed at her statement.

“You’re right, Willow,” Gary agreed. He opened his mouth to keep speaking, but someone yelled Cale’s name. 

Cale jerked around, making Willow giggle, in search of whoever called for him. It was another reporter, and she asked politely if he would mind doing another quick interview. 

“Do you mind if I have guests?” Cale asked, bouncing Willow in his arms. 

“Not at all,” the reporter said. 

Cale skated over to her, holding Willow in his right arm. She shyly buried her face into his neck and shoulder when she realized the reporter was there, making Cale chuckle. He waved Taylor over as the reporter went live.

“Alright guys, we are live here with Cale Makar,” she started. “Cale, I know the big trophy was what you wanted, but how did it also feel to be named the Conn Smythe winner?”

Taylor joined him and casually wrapped an arm around his brother, sandwiching Willow between them, as Cale answered, “Yeah, I mean, yeah, this is my brother here, obviously drafted by the Avs, too, and this is my daughter, Willow. But, I mean, it’s just so awesome to have family here, and I mean, that’s not an individual award, it’s a team-based thing, just guys, guys working together. And, um, I mean, we got the big one, which was the Stanley Cup so that’s all that matters.” Cale readjusted Willow in his arms and she stuck her thumb in her mouth like she did when she was nervous.

“How proud are you of your brother?” the reporter held out her microphone to Taylor and asked. 

Taylor grinned. “I can’t even speak,” he said. “It’s been—it’s been his dream ever since we were playing mini sticks in our—in our living room, banging up the walls and stuff like that. I just can’t even speak, I’m so proud of him.”

“Willow,” the reporter asked softly and kindly, “how proud are you of your dad?”

Willow’s eyes went wide. She sat up and looked at Cale, for permission or encouragement or both.

“It’s okay,” he said. “What do you think about the Stanley Cup?” 

Willow put her hands up in celebration. “Daddy happy!” she exclaimed.

“What are we gonna do with the Cup?” Cale continued. “What are we gonna eat out of it?”

“Pancakes!”

“That’s right,” Cale laughed. “And what else?”

“Ice cweam!”

“Yeah,” Cale pulled her in and kissed her head, “We’re gonna eat pancakes and ice cream out of the Stanley Cup. Are you proud of me?”

Willow nodded enthusiastically, and the reporter laughed. 

“Thanks, Willow,” she said. “Cale, to hoist that trophy after everything you guys have been through, what did that mean to you?”

Cale answered, “I mean, I’ve said it time and time again, I’m just so proud of these guys in the room, the guys that have been through this year after year of ups and downs, of Landy, Nate, EJ, and Mikko and everybody that’s been here for a while, and I’m just so proud and I’m happy that I could be a part of that success for those guys in this pure joy right now.”

“Cale Makar, thank you so much,” the reporter said. 

Cale smiled, thanked the reporter, and skated back over to his parents, Willow still in his arms, Taylor treading behind him. Gary and Laura were smiling when they returned, and Cale noticed them both wiping away more tears. 

“I hope we get that video,” Gary said. He wrapped an arm around Cale like Taylor had during the interview, just on the other side of his body, the one Willow wasn’t curled into. 

“Cale!” someone called. 

Cale whipped around and saw Toewser holding the Cup. He jerked his head to indicate that Cale should come over, so Cale kissed Willow on the forehead, said, “Daddy will be right back,” and handed her to Taylor to hold. His heart sank when he heard a sad little cry as he skated away.

Cale skated up next to Toewser, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and took hold of the bottom of the Cup so they could take photos together. Glancing back at his family, he was grateful to realize that Taylor had immediately redirected Willow; instead of her being upset that Cale had left to take pictures, Taylor had focused her attention on naming various teammates on the ice. He vaguely heard her tiny voice, but he could pick it out anywhere. 

“Who’s that?” Taylor asked, pointing to EJ.

“EJ!” Willow declared proudly. 

“Who’s that?” Taylor pointed at Nate. 

“Nay-tan!”

Cale smiled a little bigger next to Toewser before he handed his end of the Cup back to him and skated back to his family. Willow squealed in delight and leaned towards Cale with her arms outstretched. She grabbed at him with her tiny hands. 

“Daddy,” she whined to Taylor. “Want Daddy.”

Taylor replied, “Daddy has to—.”

“It’s okay,” Cale interrupted and held his hands out to him. “C’mere, baby.”

Taylor handed Willow over to Cale. She immediately cuddled into her father, taking her thumb back in her mouth as she leaned her head against his neck. 

“She’s lighter than the Cup is.” Cale cracked a grin. “But you can’t touch it, Taylor, it’s bad luck.”

Taylor threw his hands up and grinned back. “I’m not gonna! I’ll touch it when we win it together.”  

The celebrations on the ice felt like they lasted a lifetime, and Cale never wanted them to end. Standing on the ice with the people he loved the most, with Willow in his arms, everything felt perfect. 

The same operations person, someone from the NHL, found him again and said they needed him for a press conference. He nodded, then turned to Taylor. 

“Come with me,” Cale told him.

“Is that okay?” Taylor looked at their parents, almost for permission.

“I’m not doing it without you,” Cale shrugged, “so they can deal.”

Taylor grinned. “Cool.”

“We’ll take her,” Gary said, holding his hands out for Willow. 

Cale tried to pass her off to her grandfather, but she clung tightly to his jersey and wailed, “No! Want Daddy!”

“Daddy will be right back,” Cale told her softly. Gary tried to take her and Willow screamed, face red with tears in her eyes.

“Okay, okay,” Cale sighed and pulled her back into his body. She settled back into his neck and rubbed her eyes. 

“I can hold her,” Taylor offered with outstretched hands. 

“I’ve got her,” Cale protested. “It’ll be fine. I think I’ll have to go to the locker room after, so I’ll see you guys back at the hotel?”

“Sounds good,” Gary said. He hugged Cale and Willow tightly and patted Cale’s back. “So proud of you.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

Laura hugged him when Gary released him, kissing his cheek again. “We love you so much.”

“I love you guys,” Cale replied and smiled at his mom. “I’ll see you at the hotel. I can’t guarantee I’ll be sober, but I’ll see you there.”

Cale’s family laughed, then Gary said, “You deserve it.” He patted Cale on the shoulder, then Cale skated off toward the bench, Willow in his arms and Taylor trailing behind them. 

Stepping off the ice, Cale was ushered through the inner halls of Amalie Arena. Willow sat up in his arms, eyes wide, taking in the photos and murals and posters that decorated the walls in front of her and Cale.

“Wassat, Daddy?” she asked, pointing to a big, white lightning bolt painted on the dark blue wall. 

“That’s the other team’s logo,” Cale explained. He pointed to the Avs logo on his chest. “Like this. That’s what they have on their jerseys.”

“Ohhh,” Willow said in awe. She turned around, looked over her shoulder, realized Taylor was behind them, and shrieked, “TayTay!”

“Hey, Will,” Taylor laughed. 

They arrived at the press room and walked into the brightness. Willow tucked her head into Cale’s neck again, so he readjusted her in his arms and softly rubbed her back. He sat down at the table next to the Conn Smythe trophy, still holding Willow, Taylor on his other side.

Cale fixed Willow’s bow again as one of the NHL press employees announced, “Conn Smythe trophy winner Cale Makar here to take your questions,” then picked one of the reporters to ask the first question. 

“Congratulations, Cale,” the reporter started.

“Thank you,” Cale replied and fidgeted in his chair a bit to adjust Willow in his lap. He was still in full pads, so it was a little awkward, but he made it work. 

“You’ve wracked up some hardware,” the reporter continued, “with the Hobey Baker, the Calder, the Norris, and now the Conn Smythe. How grateful are you to this organization?”

“Yeah, I’m so, so grateful just to be part of the success, help the guys who’ve been through the ups and downs of this team succeed. It’s just, um, it’s just surreal. I’m not too worried about this individual stuff, just celebrating the main thing with the boys.”

 Cale pointed his thumb at Taylor and grinned. “It’s awesome to be able to have family here, too. This is my brother, Taylor, he’s drafted by the Avs, so he’s gonna be at camp in a couple weeks, so I figured I’d bring him in. And this is Willow, my daughter, she’s two and a half.” He rubbed her back as she shyly peeked at the crowd of people.

“Does your daughter understand what this means to you?” the next journalist asked. “What have you told her?”

Cale laughed, “Yeah, I mean, she gets a little of it. I told her that it’s really old, that if we win it, we get to take it to Calgary and spend the whole day with it. Willow, what are we gonna eat out of the Stanley Cup?” Cale looked down at her, then pulled the microphone toward her. 

“Pancakes,” she whispered. 

“Tell everyone else,” Cale encouraged, tapping the mic. “Say it here.” 

“Pancakes!” Willow said into the mic proudly.

“And?”

“Ice cweam!”

The room laughed and Cale said, “That’s right, baby, we’re gonna eat pancakes and ice cream out of the Stanley Cup. Where are we taking it on our day?”

“Cow-gawy!”

The room laughed again, and Willow decided she was done with Cale. She reached for Taylor with grabby hands, so he tugged her into his arms while Cale answered the next few questions. Taylor even got a question or two, and Cale scoffed when Taylor said he was the hardest person Taylor knew. 

Finally, they were excused. Cale led Taylor and Willow out to the hall, then said, “I’m going to the locker room.”

“Cool,” Taylor replied. “I’m gonna find Mom and Dad and I’m guessing we’ll meet you at the hotel.”

“Yep,” Cale smiled. He leaned in to speak to Willow. “I’ll see you back at the hotel with Gamma and Gampa, okay? I love you.”

Willow cried out, “No, Daddy stay!”

“You stay with TayTay, baby,” Cale insisted, kissing her head. “And I’ll see you soon.”

She squirmed in Taylor’s arms, reaching for Cale, and his heart broke as she started crying. Cale knew she was exhausted—it was much past her bedtime, and she hadn’t had a good nap—but he still hated hearing her cry. Taylor held her close and started to walk away, Willow red-faced and sobbing and reaching her tiny hand out for Cale. They turned a corner, and though he couldn’t see her anymore, he could still hear her as he turned and went to the locker room to celebrate. 

Cale was drunk.

He grinned as his head swam, obnoxious ski goggles on his head while he walked to the bus. He felt floaty, giggly, and his filter was all but nonexistent. Laughing as Bo yelled at some of the journalists they passed, Cale was silently thankful he wasn’t nearly the lightweight that Bo was. Not that he was a lightweight; people just forgot he went to college and could hold his own with the other college guys like Newy and OC. And that he was Canadian.

The stairs on the bus wobbled as he tried to climb them. Giggling, he held onto the rails and pulled himself onto the bus, then held his hands up and yelled in celebration. He flopped down in a seat and cheered again. As more guys got on the bus, the cheering and yelling continued and grew louder and louder with each teammate. 

Cale didn’t realize they were moving until the bus arrived at the hotel. He wandered off the bus, careful on the stairs, and followed his teammates to the ballroom of their hotel. Fans at the bar cheered for them, and he yelled back at them. With alcohol pumping through his brain, he became a different person, someone who didn’t think about every word, who said everything that came to his mind and then some, who was not the innocent person people made him out to be.

When they walked into the ballroom, their families cheered. He beelined for his family, whose backs were all turned, Willow sitting cross-legged on the floor with his mom’s phone in her hand. He hurried up to her and scooped her up, sending her into a fit of giggles.

“Daddy!” she shrieked.

“Willow!” he shrieked back. He attacked her with kisses, making her giggle even more before he put his arm under her bottom to hold her

“Smelly,” Willow said, scrunching her nose at Cale. 

“You tell him, Will,” Taylor added. “You do reek.”

“Champagne showers will do that,” Cale chuckled. “And I need another drink.”

“I need one, too,” Taylor agreed, “and I don’t think Willow’s leaving you any time soon.”

“Mom? Dad? Drinks?” Cale looked expectantly at his parents. 

Gary raised his bottle of beer and said, “I’m good.”

Laura put her hand up and added, “I am too.”

Cale nodded, then floated his way to the bar, Willow in his arms and Taylor trailing behind them. He giggled when he heard Bo and Newy yelling again. 

“Funny?” Willow asked him in confusion.

“Bo and Newy are silly,” he giggled to his daughter.

Willow glanced at them, then giggled with Cale as Bo took his suit jacket off to reveal his bare chest and yelled, waving his jacket above his head. 

“Daddy’s drunk, Willow,” Taylor teased, stepping up to the bar and asking for two beers from the bartender. 

“Dwunk?”

“Daddy feels silly like Bo and Newy,” Cale explained. 

“Why?”

Taylor handed Cale one of the beers. “Sometimes,” Cale explained, “grown-ups drink stuff that makes them feel and act silly.” 

“Oh,” Willow replied. 

Cale took a sip of his beer. “It’s also why I smell funny.”

Willow sniffed Cale, then scrunched her nose again and said, “Yuck. Smelly.”

Cale sniffed Willow back. “You smell like you.”

Taylor snorted. “Okay, weirdo, let’s go.”

They began walking back to their parents, but EJ saw them and screamed, “WILLOW!”

Cale whipped around and Willow giggled, before she yelled back, “EJ!” She leaned forward for him, grabbing out to him, so he took her out of Cale’s arms and plopped her on his shoulders. 

“WOO!” EJ yelled, running Willow around the ballroom as she screamed with laughter. “WE DID IT!”

Cale cheered and took his phone out to record. EJ passed Willow to Gabe, who also put her on his shoulders while he began to dance to “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang. She clung to his hair the way she’d clung to Taylor’s at the arena and squealed in delight until she decided she was done with Gabe. 

“Nay-tan!” she shouted, leaning for Nate. Gabe’s body tipped to the side a little as Willow leaned, and Cale’s stomach dropped. He jumped past his teammates that were crowded around Gabe with his arms up, ready to catch Willow if she fell. Nate beat him, however, and let Willow slide from Gabe’s shoulders into his arms.

“Jesus Christ,” Cale muttered, heart pounding. Thinking his child was about to fall sobered him up significantly. 

Willow cackled and clutched his shirt as Nate danced around with her in one arm. She tried to sing along to the song, but didn’t know the words, so she sang with her toddler gibberish instead. Taylor called it “Willish.”

Cale quickly finished off his beer, and keeping his eyes on Willow, he wandered to the bar for another, then another and another until the floaty, fuzzy feeling was back and the celebrations began to blur away. But one thing didn’t blur away.

They did it.

“Willow, honey, are you ready?” Cale called. “We’ve gotta go.”

Cale and his parents were waiting for Taylor and Willow, who insisted her uncle help her get dressed for the parade through Denver. Cale was secretly worried no one would be there and was anxious to get going. 

“Coming!” Willow came running out of her bedroom in a jersey t-shirt with “Makar” and an eight on it—it was far too hot to put her in her jersey. She had on purple shorts to match her purple shoes, her Avalanche bow in her hair, and her little backpack on her shoulders. 

Cale grinned at her. “Look at you, cutie!” he said as she ran into his arms and he picked her up. “Did TayTay help you put sunscreen on?”

Willow nodded, “Yep!”

Cale placed a big kiss on her cheek and immediately made a face. Taylor had, in fact, slathered her in sunscreen. 

“Jesus, Taylor, did you bathe her in sunscreen?” Cale exclaimed, wiping his mouth. 

“I don’t want her to get burnt!” Taylor protested. “You know she’ll fry out there without it.”

Cale pointed out, “It’s gonna rain later.”

“So?” Taylor shot back. “It’s gonna be sunny til then.”

“Alright, boys,” Laura said sternly, making Gary chuckle. “We don’t want to be late.”

Cale playfully shoved Taylor’s shoulder as they grabbed their stuff and loaded into Cale’s car with Gary driving. Taylor sat shotgun, while Cale and Laura piled into the back with Willow’s car seat. Cale sat next to Willow and smiled as she looked out of the window. 

“Willow,” Cale said excitedly. She turned to her father and stretched her hands out to him, so he offered her his hand to hold. She wrapped her two tiny fists around two of his long fingers and he wanted to melt. 

“Daddy!” Willow parroted. 

“We’re gonna see a lot of people today,” he explained. “They’re going to be loud and cheering for Daddy and for the rest of the team, but I’ll be there with you the whole time, just like TayTay and Gamma and Gampa, okay?”

“Okay,” Willow replied.

“We’ll keep you safe,” Taylor added.

Willow smiled and babbled at him, some indistinguishable Willish. Taylor chuckled in response.

They arrived where they were told to meet, a parking lot packed with fire trucks and police officers and Avs players and their families. Cale helped Willow out of her car seat, then plopped her on his shoulders. Taylor made sure to grab the two cases of Trulys they’d brought, and they trekked over to their fire truck they’d be riding. 

Taylor clambered onto the top of the truck, placed the boxes of drinks down, then held out his hands to grab Willow. She grabbed back at him and squealed when he wrapped his large hands around her wrists and lifted her up onto the truck with him. Cale climbed on after her, then Gary and Laura. Toewser and Kerry were joining them, along with a couple more people and the Conn Smythe trophy. There was a cooler already on the truck filled with beer and seltzers, so Cale dumped the boxes they’d brought into the cooler while Taylor held onto Willow.

“Will,” Taylor said, “what sound does a fire truck make?”

“Wee-ooh wee-ooh!” Willow proclaimed. 

Everyone on the truck laughed. 

“Good job,” Taylor said and held up his hand. “Gimme five?”

Willow enthusiastically gave him a high five and everyone laughed again. Through their laughter, they heard someone call that they were moving soon, that the parade was starting, so they settled in their spots on the truck. Taylor held onto Willow, since Cale and Toewser planned on standing on the truck so they could see the fans better. 

The parade began, the fire trucks moving slowly through the streets of Denver, and Cale had never seen so many people cheering for them in his life. He waved and chugged Trulys and beers, he screamed and hollered and shot beer at the crowds from a water gun. 

At one point, Taylor handed Willow over to Cale, and he placed her on his shoulders. The crowd began to chant, “MVP! MVP!”

 Instead, Cale began to chant, “Willow! Willow! Willow!”

The crowd quickly picked up on the chant. Willow squealed in delight and waved at the people chanting her name, her grandparents and uncle laughing. She joined in on as much as she could, giggling wildly at every moment.

Willow laughed extra hard whenever Cale chugged a drink or poured it on himself and cheered. The alcohol running through his veins fueled his own laughter and screams, which in turn fueled Willow’s. Someone threw a drink up to Taylor, and he made Willow shriek with laughter when he pulled his shirt over his face and chugged it through the fabric.

They arrived at Civic Center Park, but there was a bit of a traffic jam. The fire trucks they’d all been riding on had clogged up the roads, so they came to a stand still. Cale, adrenaline and alcohol flowing through him, hopped off their truck and sprinted through the street, high-fiving fans. He’d left Willow in Taylor’s arms, but she started to fuss, so Cale jogged back to the truck so Taylor could hand her down to him.

Willow happily settled into Cale’s side. He kept his arm under her bottom and she clung to his bicep with one hand and the collar of his shirt with the other. She giggled and babbled as they walked around and mingled with the fans. Nate and Gabe joined them, Gabe wrapped in a Swedish flag.

“Nay-tan!” Willow squealed at Nate. She leaned for him and grabbed at him with her small hands.

Grinning, Nate walked over to Cale and Willow and greeted her, “Hey Chill Will!”

Willow kept grabbing at him, fighting against Cale. “See Nay-tan, Daddy.”

“It’s cool, Cale,” Nate reassured. “C’mere, kiddo.”

Willow cackled as Nate took her out of her dad’s arms and put her on his shoulders. He began to chant her name, quickly getting the crowd to join him. 

“Willow! Willow! Willow!”

Cale took his phone out and recorded the cheers for his baby girl. He was so happy she got to be there with them, to be part of the celebration. He laughed with Willow when Nate danced around the streets with her on his shoulders. 

To their dismay, the trucks began moving, so they all started walking towards the Civic Center. Cale shadowed Nate and Willow as they walked. He waved at and high-fived more fans—he was stunned that so many people had come to see them.

When they reached the Civic Center, Cale tried to give Willow back to his family, but she clung to Nate and refused to let go. Cale knew she’d have a meltdown, and there were enough of his teammates around that she would be fine, so he let Nate carry her into the building.

Cale couldn’t stop smiling and giggling as he waited in the building for the rest of the guys. He was thoroughly intoxicated, hitting his peak at the perfect time. He mingled with his friends and raised the Cup a couple more times. Cale didn’t think raising the Cup would ever grow old. 

He remembered that he had, in fact, brought Willow into the building with him and he began to panic. He frantically looked for her, and easily found her atop Darcy’s huge frame. She was cackling, but wavering around unstably, so Cale made her get down from Darcy’s shoulders and took her in his arms.

“Fun, Daddy!” she squealed. 

“I’m so glad,” he croaked. He was starting to lose his voice from all the shouting he’d done. 

Mikko ran by them, yelling and double-fisting beers. Lehky ran behind him with a child-like, giddy grin on his face. Cackling at them, Willow reached out for the two Fins when they ran back by her, then squirmed to tell Cale that she wanted to get down. Cale placed her on the ground and she immediately began racing after Mikko and Lehky. 

Willow suddenly tripped over her own feet. Cale flinched and prepared for her to cry, but instead, she picked herself up and kept running. He laughed lovingly. 

The operations team started lining them up in number order, which was significantly more difficult when Cale and the boys were all smashed. Cale had to bring the Conn Smythe out with him, much to Willow’s dismay, so she had to walk next to him instead. 

The coaching staff was announced first, with thunderous applause for Bedsy. Cale cheered the best he could, but since his hands were full, he just whooped for his coach. Once the staff was all out, they began to announce the players. 

Jack went out first, then Bo, then EJ and Toewser, then finally Cale was called. He walked out, grinning, and went straight to the stand for the trophy. He placed it down and clapped and waved to the fans before he felt Willow run into his leg and hide. He leaned down, picked her up, and waved again, then walked over to join his teammates. 

The rest of the announcements were a blur of yelling and the crowd cheering until everyone was standing in a clump next to the podium. Joe gave a speech, Bedsy gave a speech, but Cale wasn’t paying attention to them. Instead, he was laughing at Willow, who had found her way into Comph’s arms. 

“Cale?” Comph called. “Why are her hands wet and sticky?”

Cale shrugged and cackled as Willow grabbed at Comph’s beard. He held his head back to try and stop her, but she giggled and kept going after it until he gave up and let her touch it. Others tried to get her to come see them instead—Nate, Burky, even EJ—but she was content in Comph’s arms. 

Gabe said some words, then called up Cale and EJ and Nate and Mikko to say something. Cale hollered into the mic, earning cheers from the crowd, and let the words spew from his mouth. He had no idea what he was saying, but the cheers and chants egged him on. Willow cackled at her dad, which spurred him even more, until he passed the mic to Mikko. 

Mikko slurred his words, accent thicker than usual. He said something about only speaking Finnish, and Cale wasn’t surprised, reminded of a vague memory of the night they won the Cup and Mikko on a table with Lehky shouting in their native language. 

After finishing his bit, Mikko came back to join the guys. He suddenly lifted Cale up onto his shoulders and clutched his thighs so Cale could hold his arms up to the crowd. The “MVP” chant returned, but Cale could hear Willow shrieking with laughter. 

“Daddy up!” she screamed at Comph. He flinched away from her. Mikko put Cale down, and Willow began reaching for Mikko, saying, “My tuwn!”

Mikko reached for Willow and placed her on his shoulders, too, to Cale’s dismay. He watched her like a hawk, not trusting Mikko to not drop his baby girl. The chants started again, but this time, Mikko led the crowd in shouting, “Willow! Willow! Willow!”

Cale was finally able to extract Willow from Mikko and held onto her tightly as rain began to drizzle down on them. He bounced her up and down, relishing in her giggles, and wished he could freeze that moment in time forever. 

Summertime was Cale’s favorite.

He spent his summer in Calgary, sleeping in his childhood bedroom, surrounded by his family and friends. He took Willow around to his favorite spots, his favorite restaurants, everywhere that meant something to him. Almost feeling like he had to make up for lost time, Cale wanted to show Willow around her second home, wanted her to have childhood memories from Calgary just like he did. 

Willow loved being in Calgary nearly as much as Cale did. Taylor was home with them, doing workouts with Cale to prepare for his upcoming sophomore season at UMass, so she got to see him every day. His parents were overjoyed to have Willow, too, and have their whole crew under one roof.

This summer, however, felt a touch different, since Cale and his family were busy planning for his Cup day. He had so many places he wanted to take it, so many people he wanted to share it with, that it was difficult to narrow it down to make a schedule, but he was happy with the way it was shaping up.

The day before his Cup day, Cale sleepily opened his eyes as sunlight lightly streamed through his curtains. His back pressed against the bedroom wall with Willow lying next to him, her tiny head on his pillow, her arm wrapped around her favorite unicorn toy and her thumb in her mouth. Plenty of people had told Cale not to let her sleep in his bed, but when she had a bad dream like she did the previous night, he wasn’t going to say no. 

Cale carefully crawled out of bed, but Willow woke up anyway. She blinked the sleep from her eyes, then cooed as she realized he was awake, too. 

“Good morning,” he greeted her as he stood up and stretched. 

“Daddy,” Willow mumbled. “Monning.”

“Smells like someone’s making pancakes,” Cale commented. He reached down for her and scooped her up to take her downstairs.

“Pancakes!” Willow sighed and rubbed her eyes. 

“We have to brush our teeth first, right?” 

“Right.”

Cale took Willow into the bathroom where they brushed their teeth together, though Willow’s version of “brushing her teeth” was mimicking Cale’s movements. He helped her after he finished brushing his own, then the two of them joined Gary, Laura, and Taylor in the kitchen. 

“Good morning!” Gary exclaimed when Willow ran to him. “How’s my favorite girl this morning?”

“Hungwy!”

Gary picked her up and pointed at the griddle. “What are those?”

“Pancakes!”

“You’re so smart, Willow,” Gary sighed, kissing her temple. “Who do you want to help you get your breakfast?”

Willow searched around the room until she saw Taylor sitting at the table. She joyfully squealed, “TayTay!”

Taylor looked up at her. “What?”

“Willow wants you to help get her breakfast,” Cale explained. 

“Of course!” Taylor leapt out of his chair and took Willow from his dad. “Whatcha want?”

“Pancakes.”

“Okay.” Taylor dropped two silver-dollar sized pancakes onto her purple plate. “Do you want bacon?”

Scrunching her face, Willow said, “Ew.”

“Ew?” Cale repeated. “Will, you love bacon.”

“Ew. Yucky.” Willow stuck her tongue out and made a noise. 

Taylor laughed and Cale rolled his eyes. Willow had been exploring saying no, making for an interesting summer. She had been refusing some of her favorite things, then asking for them later, almost testing the waters. 

“It’s okay, Will, do you want some eggs?” Taylor chuckled. 

“Yes!”

“And fruit? This fruit sure does look good…”

“Fwoot yummy!” 

“Alrighty.” Taylor carefully spooned some scrambled eggs and a few cut-up strawberries onto her plate. “What else?”

“All done.”

“What do you want to drink? Juice or milk?”

“Juice!”

“I’ll get it,” Gary said, opening the refrigerator while Cale began to load up his plate with breakfast and Taylor took Willow over to her high-chair. He plopped her down in her chair, placed her plate in front of her, then retrieved the maple syrup and poured some on her plate. 

“Mmm,” Willow giggled. “Yum.”

“Not too much,” Cale cautioned. “Unless you want sticky toddler hands everywhere.”

Taylor insisted, “She’s fine, look.” He pointed at Willow, who had carefully dipped a pancake into her syrup. 

Cale winced as she pulled the pancake out of her syrup and began to wave it around in the air, syrup dripping everywhere, including in her hair. Sighing, Cale sat down at the table next to her and glared at his brother. 

“Told you,” he said glumly.

“I’ll give her a bath,” Taylor offered and sat down, “No big deal.”

Willow proceeded to cover herself in her breakfast. Taylor looked apologetically at Cale while they ate and watched Willow until they all finished. 

“Okay, Will, we’re gonna go take a bath,” Taylor announced and carefully lifted her out of her highchair. 

“I’ve got it,” Cale said, offering his arms out. “I wanna have some time with her before tomorrow to explain, like, what’s going on.”

“Sounds good, I owe you a bathtime,” Taylor said. 

Taylor handed Willow to Cale, and he walked her into the bathroom. He set her down on the ground and gathered her towel, her washcloth, her shampoo, and her tub toys before he turned on the water. He tested it to make sure it wasn’t too hot—especially because Willow liked her baths to be a little cooler. 

“Alright,” Cale turned to her, “arms up!”

Willow stuck her arms up in the air so Cale could help her undress and get in the bathtub. She grabbed her favorite toys, a mermaid Barbie and a unicorn, and babbled as she played with them, her own world taking over. 

“Hey,” Cale said as he shampooed her hair. “Tomorrow is gonna be a weird day. Remember the big shiny Cup?”

“Cup!” Willow nodded. 

“Tomorrow is Daddy’s day with the Cup. We’re taking it to some fun places, like to see GiGi and to Daddy’s rink. But there’s gonna be a lot of people there to see the Cup and Daddy.”

“Fwends?”

“Lots of friends. It’s gonna be fun, but Daddy’s gonna be very busy, so you’ll get to be with TayTay and Gamma and Gampa too. Okay?”

“Okay!” Willow offered him her mermaid Barbie to play with, and he smiled softly as he began to play her game. 

She had no idea how crazy the next day would be. 

Cale nearly leapt out of bed when his alarm went off in the morning. He didn’t want to miss a single moment of his time with the Cup, which would be at his house soon. He hopped in the shower, then threw on a white t-shirt and black shorts and headed downstairs with a huge grin on his face.

“Daddy!” Willow exclaimed, running towards him wearing a black shorts and her number eight jersey.

“Hi baby girl.” Cale leaned down and picked her up to kiss her cheek. “Today’s gonna be a fun day.”

The doorbell rang, so Cale handed Willow off to his mom, his grin widening. He went outside to meet the Cup Keeper, Philip, who opened the case and allowed Cale to pick the Cup up. He carefully took it inside and put it down on the coffee table in the living room. 

Taylor, Gary, and Laura followed Cale, as well as a couple of the Avs media team with their cameras and a local Calgary photographer the Makar’s hired to capture the day, and they all took a moment to gaze at the Cup. Willow came sprinting in, always wanting to be included, and she gasped when she saw it.

“Pwetty!”

Taylor bent down and picked her up. “It is, isn’t it?” he asked her, leaning her in so she could take a better look. 

“Taylor, don’t touch it,” Cale warned.

Taylor insisted, “I’m not gonna! I promise!”

“I hungwy, TayTay,” Willow whined.

“Daddy’s gonna make pancakes and eat them out of the Cup,” Cale told her. He went into the kitchen and started gathering up the ingredients he needed for his gluten-free pancakes. 

“Help Daddy,” Willow fussed. She squirmed in Taylor’s arms until he gently placed her on the ground so she could run into the kitchen with Cale. Willow decided at the beginning of the summer that she wanted to cook with whoever was cooking, which Cale loved. 

“Can you ask TayTay to get your stool?” Cale asked gently. 

“TayTay,” Willow ran up to him, grabbed his hand, and said. “Pwease help.”

“Of course.” Taylor grabbed her stool from the pantry, set it up, and helped her up onto it before standing protectively behind her so she wouldn’t fall backwards.

With Cale’s and Taylor’s help, Willow measured out and poured all the ingredients into the bowl. She tried to whisk it all together but quickly gave up and made Cale do it. Everyone laughed when she gave up, and once Cale finished her task, he began to plop pancake batter on the griddle.

The smell of sizzling pancakes filled the room. While Cale worked on breakfast, Gary held Willow and pointed out different teams that had won. He read team names to her, paying special attention to the ‘89 Flames names and of course where Cale’s name would be. 

Cale brought the plate of cupcakes over to the Cup and, grinning, began to layer them up inside the Cup. Laura brought over a bowl of fruit and maple syrup. Cale spooned some fruit in with his pancakes. He looked at the camera that was on him and grinned. 

“This is a feast,” he said. Picking up the syrup, Cale added, “At least it’s Canadian maple syrup.” 

As Cale poured syrup on his pancakes, he heard his dad agree, “That’s right!”

Cale dug into his pancakes while everyone watched. “Oh man,” he said with his mouth full, “those are the best gluten-free pancakes ever!”

Cale scarfed down three pancakes and some fruit before he called Willow over to have some. Taylor picked her up and held her up to Cale’s level.

“Will,” Cale said, cutting off a Willow-sized chunk of pancake. “Want some pancakes?”

Willow opened her mouth hopefully, so Cale carefully put the fork in her mouth for her. She ate the pancake and exclaimed, “More!”

Everyone laughed, but Cale obliged, carefully feeding her until she said she was done and managing to keep her jersey syrup-free. Gary and Laura had some too, all laughing as Gary goofed off. 

They finished breakfast and after quickly cleaning out the Cup, Cale took it upstairs to his room to take some photos. Willow was confused by her dad carrying it around and not her, so she started to fuss until Taylor picked her up. 

Once they were done, they packed up the Cup to take it over to the rink Cale grew up skating at. He was planning on showing the kids’ teams the Cup, then had invited the community for a meet and greet to see the Cup too. Cale hoped people would show up; he knew at least there would be kids there. 

He couldn’t have imagined how many people actually showed up.

“Holy shit,” he muttered when his dad drove past the seemingly endless line of people wrapped around the rink. 

They cheered when he got out of the car and walked the Cup inside. Cale pressed his lips together at them, then headed inside. He was greeted by Willow sprinting at him. 

“Hi Daddy!” she said, reaching her arms up to him. She wanted him to hold her. 

“Hi, Will,” he said, “I have to hold the Cup, I’m sorry sweetheart.”

Willow’s face scrunched in distress until Taylor picked her up instead. He made a snorting noise and kissed her cheek to make her giggle as Cale walked down towards the ice with the Cup. 

He stood on the ice, Cup next to him, and gazed at the letters on the wall that he’d grown up with. Thoughts of his childhood flooded his mind—his first goal, his first penalty, his first everything all happened on this ice, and there he was, a Stanley Cup champion.

The kids began to stream out onto the ice to see Cale and the Cup. Cale grinned as he talked to them and directed them and took photos with them, thinking about how much he would’ve loved this as a kid. 

The group he and Taylor trained with brought their skaters out, too, who were much older and much more starstruck. Many of the kids were too young to understand, but the teenagers understood. 

Between photos and greetings, Cale glanced up at the window that looked out over the ice. He smiled and waved at Taylor and Willow, who stood in the window, watching. Willow looked up at Taylor while she pointed at Cale to let him know she saw her dad. Taylor nodded, said something, and Willow turned and waved enthusiastically at Cale. 

Cale eventually brought the Cup back to the lobby for the community meet and greet. Sweat was pouring down his face, but he couldn’t stop grinning as people began to cycle through to see the Cup.

After several hours of greeting people—plus staying late to make sure he got to see everyone—Cale finally sat down for a moment. Halfway through the meet and greet, Willow fell asleep in Taylor’s arms, so Cale held his arms out to take her for a moment before they left. 

Taylor handed her off and mumbled, “Thanks, my arms are cramping like crazy.”

“It’s only gonna get worse from here,” Cale chuckled. 

Willow suddenly scrunched her face and rubbed her eyes as she woke up, sat up in Cale’s arms, and looked at him sleepily. 

“Daddy,” she sighed, grabbing at his face. 

Cale kissed her fingers. “Hi, honey. Are you ready to go see GiGi?”

“Yeah.” Willow yawned adorably. 

“You’re gonna ride with Gamma and Gampa and TayTay and I will see you over there, okay?”

“Okay.” 

Gary appeared, ready to carry his granddaughter to the car, and Cale handed her over so he could grab the Cup. When he looked back, Willow was snuggled into Gary’s chest, already asleep again as he took her out to the car. 

Cale grabbed the Cup and took it outside to the fancy, old-school car he’d rented. He clambered into the car, placed the Cup next to him, and held it away as Taylor got in next to him. 

“Don’t touch it!” Cale warned.

Taylor settled carefully into his seat, and the driver was off to the assisted living home their grandma lived in. They enjoyed the ride in the convertible, taking in the sun and waving at all the cars that honked at them when they drove by.

When the driver pulled up to the stop sign right before the home, Gary was waiting on the sidewalk, a huge grin across his face. 

“This is crazy, the seniors are all outside cheering,” Gary said.

“No way!” Cale replied as they turned around the corner.

Cheers erupted and Cale’s driver honked the car horn at them. His heart swelled and he felt like he could cry seeing all the seniors who he’d known and visited for so long celebrating him. He smiled and waved as he clambered out of the car, then picked up the Cup and walked over to his grandma Helen with a huge, proud smile.

“Grandma,” he said excitedly. 

Clad in his jersey, she smiled up at him from her spot on the bench and stared at the Cup in awe. 

“Lemme see how heavy it is,” she said, reaching for the Cup. 

Cale started, “Oh, I can’t let you—I don’t know if you can hold it.”

“Oh, for crying out loud!” she exclaimed, shocked. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty crazy, eh?” Cale laughed. 

“Daddy!”

Cale whipped around to see Willow sprinting at him, Taylor rushing behind her. “Hey, sweetheart,” he greeted, putting the Cup down and squatting so she could hug him. “Did you say hi to GiGi already?”

“Yeah!” Willow exclaimed, then walked over and hugged her great-grandma’s legs. 

Helen patted her on the back. “She sure hasn’t slowed down,” she said. 

“No, she hasn’t,” Cale agreed with a laugh. 

He took the Cup inside and placed it down on the table set up for it. For the next couple hours, the seniors came to see him and the Cup, and he shook countless hands and heard countless stories. The seniors were all incredibly amused by Willow, how she would just run up to any of them to tell them something in Willish or show them her stuffed unicorn. 

Cale eventually took Helen out on a little drive with the Cup in the car, much to Willow’s dismay; they left Willow screaming in Laura’s arms while Cale drove around the block. 

“I’m so proud of you,” Helen told Cale during their ride, patting his shoulder. 

“Thank you, Grandma,” Cale said, fighting back tears. Sharing the Cup with her meant the world to him. 

He drove her back to the front of the Senior Center so Taylor and his parents could get her into their car to take her home for the party. He helped her out, then he and Taylor clambered back into the car, but Willow came sprinting over to the side of the car, Laura chasing after her. 

“Daddy!” she screamed. “Go with Daddy!”

“I can hold her,” Taylor offered, holding his hands out.

“Are you sure?” Laura asked.

“She doesn’t need to be screaming in the car with Grandma,” Taylor insisted. “She’ll be fine with us.”

“Alright,” agreed Laura. “Will, baby, you’re gonna ride with Daddy and TayTay, okay?”

Willow reached out for Taylor from Laura’s arms and Taylor pulled her into his lap. She wanted Cale to hold her, and she whined a little when Cale continued to hold the Cup, but then she settled into Taylor’s chest. He held her tightly when the driver started up the car and began to drive to their family’s favorite spot that overlooked Calgary.

Clambering out of the car, Cale hauled the Cup with him. Someone handed him a bottle of champagne, which he easily popped open and poured into his family’s and friend’s waiting flutes. Cale gazed across his city, across the view, and he smiled to himself. God, he couldn’t believe how lucky he was.

“Daddy, up!” Willow called from the ground. He looked down to see her reaching her arms up to him, so he leaned down and picked her up. Willow nuzzled into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

“I love you so much, Willow,” Cale mumbled to her and kissed the top of her head. “You’re my biggest blessing.”

“Wub Daddy,” she sighed happily. She’d been confused and a little jealous that he hadn’t been able to hold her as much, so he was glad to get to spend a few quiet moments with her before the photographer they’d hired started directing everyone for photos. Cale tried to hold on to Willow for as many photos as possible, but when he needed to hold the Cup, he reluctantly handed her over to Taylor or his parents. 

Once their photoshoot ended, Cale wanted to make one last stop before their party back at his parents’ place. He climbed back in the car with Taylor, Willow, and the Cup, then drove to 7-11. Back during his rookie season, he told a reporter–Emily Kaplan, he believed–that he splurged and bought a Slurpee one day, so he thought having a Slurpee from the Stanley Cup was only fitting.

Cale lugged the Cup into the small convenience store and immediately caused chaos. Willow cackled behind him as he and Taylor filled up the Cup with various Slurpee flavors. The other customers went crazy at the sight.

Cale carried it back outside, sending Philip rushing in to pay for the Slurpee. Grinning, someone handed Cale a straw and he took a long sip. He motioned for Taylor to join.

“Can I?” he questioned.

“You can drink, just don’t touch it,” Cale said. 

Grinning, Taylor leaned down and took a sip with Cale. Someone told them to look up, so they both looked at the cameras surrounding them in the perfect picture. 

“Yummy, Daddy?” Willow asked.

“Oh, that’s the best Slurpee I’ve ever had!” Cale exclaimed, laughing. “Here, you have some, Will.”

Willow stood on her tiptoes and sipped out of the straw Cale held. She looked up at him and giggled, “Yum!”

Everyone took their turns, smiling and laughing and drinking Slurpee out of the Cup until they had their fill. Then, they returned to the Makar’s home for their final gathering of the day. Before everyone arrived, however, Cale took Willow inside to change her clothes.

Cale plopped Willow down on the bed and she giggled as she bounced. She yawned, then sleepily rubbed her eyes.

“I know, baby, you’ve had a big day,” Cale said comfortingly. “Just a little bit more, then bedtime, yeah? Are you ready to put on your party dress?”

“Yeah!” Willow replied. She’d picked out a sparkly, purple dress just for this final party. 

“Okay, arms up!”

Willow obliged, and Cale quickly helped her change out of her jersey and pants and into her dress. She squealed, delighted, and once Cale put her down on the ground, she sprinted downstairs to see everyone as they arrived. 

A flurry of family and friends joined them a short time later. Cale spent the evening with them, and wished and wished for more time, but as the sun went down and the party bus they’d rented for one last ride around Calgary arrived, Cale sighed and smiled at the Cup. 

He’d done it.

And he’d done it for Willow.

[mourirderire]

NHL Fic Rec list

Hiii!!! I just wanted to share a few fics that really made me feel strong emotions...

Oh and make sure to check the warnings before reading :)

Avalanche:

Four times You Run Into Cale Makar and the One Time He Runs Into You - @kailyn-writes

i miss you like the very first night (Cale Makar) - @mattyanonwrites

Mistletoe Magic (Cale Makar) - @the-penalty-box-imagines

Nothin' Like You (Cale Makar) - @ghstandpucks

Teach Me To Please (Cale Makar) - @pucksalotguys

Annoying Little Brother (Erik Johnson) - @ghstandpucks

Apartment 352 pt 1 (Erik Johnson) - @imaginingsoftly

Have My Cake and Eat It Too (Erik Johnson) - @mikkorantanev

Like Father Like Son (Erik Johnson) - @ghstandpucks

look what you started (Erik Johnson) - @mattyanonwrites

Only All the Time (Erik Johnson) - @antoineroussel-archive

Overwhelming Light (Erik Johnson) - @burkymakar

the nanny (Erik Johnson) - @holy-pucks

Two Slow Dancers (Erik Johnson) - @hockeywocs

The Turn In Our Relationship (Gabriel Landeskog) - @yourfavewriteress

The Second Time (Nathan Mackinnon) - @wyattjohnston

Till Forever Falls Apart (Nathan Mackinnon & Sidney Crosby) - @pucksalotguys literally heres their whole masterlist i encourage you to read them all

Blues:

Right Under Our Noses (Colton Parayko) - @yourfavewriteress

Bruins:

5 Times the Team Told David He Was in Love + 1 Time he Realized it (David Pastrnak) - @mainlypastrnaksbae

Canucks:

Coach Hughes (Quinn Hughes) - @matsmarts

Midnight Rain (Quinn Hughes) - @babydollmarauders

Milkshakes AU (Quinn Hughes) - @hugheshugs

Devils:

Lies (Jack Hughes) - @nolanmoylee

Kraken:

Four Times His Teammates Said "I love you," and One Time He Did (Vince Dunn) - @blueskrugs

Panthers:

Baby, It's Cold Outside (Matthew Tkachuk) - @raysofcrosby

Wish We Were Older (Matthew Tkachuk) - @sorryjustafangirl

Penguins:

By The Water, Euphoria (Sidney Crosby) - @flashyfucker

Illicit Affairs (Sidney Crosby) - @blueskrugs

Two Little Lines (Sidney Crosby) - @pucksalotguys

Maple Leafs:

What Once Was (Mitch Marner) - @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69

Sabres:

All's well that ends well to end up with you (Tyson Jost) - @mattyanonwrites

[midnightsnyx]

hi!! could i request “how about something warm? it will help you sleep” and “shush and go back to bed” from the fluff prompt list for a blurb with cale makar?? thank you!!

hi friend!! ty for the request & I hope you like it :) requests are open. also, for the peeps who've sent in requests, I'm working on them <3 I don't write in any particular order just because some ideas i can write as soon as i see it but others take a little longer for me to get on paper!!

You love your job but one of the downsides of working with kids is the seasonal flu that you always manage to catch. Without fail, you always end up sick with whatever bug that is going around and this time, it’s a head cold.

You know that you should probably get up and eat something but you’re so cold due to the fever that all you want to do is stay in the burrito of blankets you’ve managed to roll yourself into. Cale is due home soon and you had planned on preparing dinner but that plan flew out the window when you struck a fever and despite your best efforts, you fell asleep and didn't wake until you felt a cool cloth being placed on your forehead. 

It’s Cale of course, kneeling down beside the couch you’re curled up on with a concerned expression on his face. 

“You should’ve told me how sick you were,” he says quietly, pressing the back of his palms to your cheeks. 

“Was gonna make dinner,” you mumble feverishly and he shakes his head fondly. 

“I’ll make dinner. How about something warm? It will help you sleep.” 

All you can manage is a nod, whining and reaching out for him when he stands up. His hands catch yours and he presses a gentle kiss to your palms before tucking the blankets securely around you. 

“Hush and go back to bed,” he whispers. “I’ll wake you when the soup is done.”

You fall back asleep with a smile on your face and when he wakes you an hour later, the two of you curl up on the couch, eating soup and watching your favorite movie. 

(later, when you’re both in bed, you mumble a tired thanks and just catch his reply before you fall asleep. 

“Always.”)

[nylwnder]

i love you, grumpy | cale makar

gif by gabelandeskog

a/n: this a special fic for @gravestrain as part of @antoineroussel ’s winter fic exchange 2k23!!! sorry for the delay, apparently life had more planned for me than i would have liked, but better late than never! i must say i’ve never written the grumpy/sunshine trope before nor had i written for cale yet, so this was a really fun challenge for me! i hope you like it, elle!!! enjoy bb, hugs and kisses <333333

warnings: sunshine!cale x grumpy!reader, when the grumpy breaks >>, some swearing, just fluffy

word count: 3.1k

you couldn’t help but gain a great attachment with the small, kind and rosy boy in your kindergarten class. you were very socially anxious, which is valid considering you were being forced to submerge yourself in just the beginning of an insanely toxic social structure. and for what?

he made everything better. he was so sweet with you, it’s safe to say even too sweet. he almost always focused his attention on you, and you never understood why. when you felt like you didn’t belong anywhere, he would quite literally grab your hand and drag you everywhere with him. you always wondered why he wasn’t like all the other stupid boys playing soccer and bothering the other girls. why he always, at any opportunity, chose to spend every minute of his time with you. he invaded your space everyday with his blaring sunshine personality and even if you bothered him whenever you could, you knew you needed him.

so you and cale grew up together, and you two were always learning every possible thing there is to know about each other. that also meant that you two were going everywhere and experiencing everything together. you could list every single shitty thing that's happened to you so far throughout your life, but then you can also list everything cale has done to help you through it. and it goes both ways. cale often shares his gratitude for your ability to take him out of stupid situations, or help avoid them all together. he can be quite naive sometimes, which always makes you feel the need to defend him because you couldn’t possibly see him not have that fluffy ass smile plastered on his face.

he has come to know you aren’t necessarily the most exuberant person, which is also supposedly a reason for your incapability of keeping relationships (per a handful of stupid assholes). but cale, unlike the others, never minded. he always told you how he loves the way he can break you. since he has, making his favourite sight in the whole world: a smile creeping up on the end of your lips — it’s absolutely picture perfect if he miraculously gets a giggle too. if you must say so, nobody has had a higher “breaking y/n count” than cale himself. he just adds it to all of his other impeccable stats.

once cale left for umass, it was embarrassingly obvious how you began spiralling, and it presented you with an epiphany. the main point: you are a complete simp for him and it’s honestly disgusting. you can’t even say the exact day you fell in love with him, because there wasn’t a day that you didn’t. so in conclusion, cale is the only person you need by your side, because you are entirely positive you would go insane if otherwise. even if you sometimes act like that’s not the case.

so you drove to massachusetts one day to go visit him. that night, you two headed to a campus party where cale ended up quaffing far too many drinks. dragging his mumbley ass to his room, he slumped down and laid half on the bed and half on the floor. you gave out a small laugh, not without rolling your eyes, as he was trying his very best to tell you a story he could barely make out.

that was until he started muttering things about you. you stopped fixing his room and sat on the floor beside him. he turned to look at you, his head dangling off the bed now. “i wanna tell you sm’thing” you nodded, “what does your blabbermouth wanna tell me now?”

he giggled, before he spat out everything he wanted to say, all at once. telling you how he can’t get you out of his mind, how he misses someone waiting for him after games and practices, or the way you make fun of him, and your laugh, “oh that fuckin laugh you have it kills me y/n, in the best way.”

“i think the blood is rushing to your head.” you said, almost instinctively and you didn’t know why. your self-sabotage started to seep in, and you hated how you always made yourself feel as if you aren’t worthy for someone like cale to reciprocate your feelings.

but you were so grateful for his slurred confessions, as it eased your worries of looking like a total fool when you end up telling him what you came to say. he stared looking at you, waiting for your reaction. “do you hate me now?” he asked.

“no.”

“i should’ve just shut up. oh fuck no i messed it up, im s’stupid. ugh you’re always so right i'm such a dumbass. fuck-” he began mumbling, as he sat up and rubbed his face.

“cale stop.” you demanded. “you’re not stupid. you’re stupid for thinking you're stupid.”

“thanks” he said, softly. a pinky shade started to itch up on his face.

you turned to him and looked into his glossy eyes as he nipped on his lip. “okay. i miss you. i need you. i need you so much. i always knew that but i tried so hard to act like i don't. but life’s shit with you over here” you said, while you internally cursed yourself for the incoming wave of tears.

“nobody’s ever made me feel the way you make me feel. i’m not this bitchy, grumpy asshole when i’m with you. you don’t piss me off, not like you might think. no, i love you too much to think you're annoying.” you ranted.

you heard cale sniffle, as you looked up at him you saw tears falling down his face far more than yours — predictable. you laughed at him, reached for his hand and pulled him down to sit with you. “i love you, s’much” he said, as he pulled you in for a tight hug. and you loved it, feeling like you could just finally melt into him after discarding the weight off your shoulders.

cale felt the same. he thanked the far too many beers he had to give him that push. it didn’t end up going as he had rehearsed for years, but he didn’t lose you and he was so grateful about that. “it’s been a privilege that you let me accompany you through everything, all these years. i gotta say it’s something so very special to see you, you, oh you, let yourself be, you, with me. the really you.” cale told you, his head buried in your hair. you smiled, he wasn’t really making sense but you understood.

just as much as he’s always understood you.

—

it’s an average frigid and snowy day in colorado, and you find yourself cuddled up on your couch, watching a show on crave. you were wrapped up in the custom made quilt your now boyfriend gave you when you were both in middle school. it might sound corny, but god it was comfortable.

the freshly decorated christmas tree lit up the dim apartment. it was already mid-december when you were semi-forced to set it up, despite the fact cale originally wanted to put it up in november. cale was in the kitchen cooking up dinner for the two of you. you could hear him humming tunes to himself, something he often did which you love cause he always made sure to remind you, you weren’t alone. even if you teased him that you appreciated his absence when he was on road trips, he knows you always missed his stupid humming or his frequent whining, and yeah even his heart warming hugs that he would always refused to end.

he walks over with the bowls of food in hand. organizing the plates on the coffee table in front of the two of you, he can finally accompany you in finishing what you were watching. not forgetting to gently kiss your temple as he sat down beside you. and you may or may not have devoured his “classic home cooked meal, made with love” faster than cale himself, which he immediately laughed about since you had earlier mentioned you weren’t “that, that hungry”.

your pleasantly snug state started to diminish when cale mumbled the plans for tomorrow. “what? absolutely not!” you quickly stated, as cale made his way back to you. his team was hosting their annual family skate, which you often tried to dodge since cale always seemed to somehow embarrass you in front of everyone with your lack of skating abilities. and now, the catch this year? it would be in a huge outdoor rink.

“oh come on, everyone’s gonna go. it’s gonna be adorably decorated and… don’t forget you still need to learn how to actually skate,” cale says, booping your nose. “and, look, we already finished watching everything on our list, so we gotta make a whole new list and we can do that sunday.”

“no. no, look how cold it is outside! and i don’t recall being chilly in the cozy comfort of my own home.”

you fall back when cale tries to reach his hands out to grab yours. “i’ll give you the warmest hoodie i have so you can add it on top of the 50 layers you already habitually put on. i promise, baby ” cale reasons, as you try to fight him off so he couldn’t pull you up. you shoot him a look as he pouts at you, “you love hot chocolate, with whip cream. and i’ll make sure they have marshmallows too, of course.” he continued trying to convince you along with his sweet smile.

rolling your eyes at him. “fine.”

“fine? yes? perfect! oh honey, you’ll have fun, i promise. don’t worry baby.” he says, pulling you into his chest and kissing you everywhere. you scrunched up your face, trying to move the opposite way of his attacking lips. “you let me fall, makar?” you say, sternly pointing him down and giving him a warning look. he throws his arms up, his cheeks beginning to blush naturally, “i won’t, i won’t. never would. you know that.” you scoffed, “you better say that.”

as you made your way to grab some juice, cale sneaked up behind you. “wanna go to costco?” cale suggests enthusiastically, before snuggling his nose into the crook of your neck while wrapping his arms around your waist. you shook your head, “cale, you do know you’re literally the only one that loves going there. not me.”

“lies, you love their selection of snacks and you always eat allllllll the ones i buy. if you didn’t love costco, you wouldn’t eat their — well priced — stuff either.”

“i still prefer sam’s club” you unhesitatingly denote.

cale gasps, dramatically holding his chest as you look up at him. you moved your head down to pour the juice into a cup, and you couldn’t help but break into a tiny smile. he was such a kid.

“y/n, take that back” he whiningly utters. you walked to him, mockingly booping his nose “no”

but you couldn’t hold the smirk back, and cale knew you were just teasing, like always. even if you did hate going to costco, especially because of the impeccably large crowds and the fact that the promoted samples never seem to actually be ready to grab, cale loved it. and you know you always want cale to be happy.

—

the following day, you did not hesitate to grab the hoodie cale mentioned you could use from his closet. as you stand in the mirror, what’s accompanying the sweater and your puffer jacket, is a “heat tech” t-shirt, a thick long sleeve, some long johns below your fleece sweats and your long and fat scarf wrapped around your neck. you also quickly yanked cale’s favourite beanie from his drawer which was a compromise he was willing to make despite having to dig for another hat to wear.

cale couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of you struggling to put your thick boots on with your million layers. “i don't have to put them on, you know.” you taunted him. “no i’m sorry, i’m sorry. let me help you, here” he said, as he got on his knees to loosen the laces on each of the boots.

when he held one out for you, you snickered. “what? what happened?” he asked innocently, looking up at you. “i like it when you’re on your knees. specifically for me.” you say, running your hands through his hair and tugging just a bit. his reaction was predictable, his cheeks immediately turning flush as he cleared his throat and proceeded to tie your laces back together. you often take much enjoyment in getting him all flustered with your suggestive comments. he just looks really cute.

—

once you arrived at the outdoor rink, you found out it actually wasn’t as cold as you made it seem, but you weren’t going to let cale use that against you so you stayed with every layer you had put on. even if a part of you admits that you admire his cheeky smile whenever he knows he’s right.

before heading towards the ice, cale asks you if you want some hot chocolate first, as you noticed many other couples were heading to the little hut. you said you were fine, preferring the idea of smudging whip cream on his face after skating just in case he does end up dropping you.

sitting on the bench, cale helped you put on your skates before his. a few of his teammates were happy to see you. ej had a mischievous grin on his face as he greeted you. “just let me know when you wanna gang up on your boy.” he whispers in your ear, making you smirk and nod. ej was a gem, he always liked how you would affectionately bug cale. and he was always ready to help you.

“you better look like a stanley cup champion out there.” you tell cale as he grabs your hand. he laughed, “oh i will!”

gripping on his forearms, you finally step onto the ice trying to not immediately slip. cale starts skating backwards, as he lightly pulls you in to follow him, in which you do at a seemingly better rate than the first time he took you to a rink. continuing with the movements, and gaining more confidence on the ice, you mimicked some of cale’s skate tricks seeing where it would take you. you simper as you learned how to take a long stride and break on your own with a ‘t-stop’. and then again but with a ‘plow stop’. though, cale catching you before you could fall.

“see, you are having fun.” cale mentions as he smiles, turning to skate beside you again. “yeah yeah. whatever. i mean it’s more fun when you don’t fall.”

doing laps around the rink, you catch ej looking over at the two of you. so you tilt your head, signalling he could start to fool around. but before he could even make his way over to you or cale, your skate gets caught on a dent in the ice making you swing your arms, sending cale falling back.

he fell on his back, his head didn’t touch the ice — but you didn’t know that. “oww” he whines. you turn to him, softly chuckling at the sight of his sprawled out body. but then he closed his eyes, and held his hand to his head, groaning. “oh shit, cale!” you yelp, falling to your knees to look at him. “did you hit your head?? fuck i told you they should give out helmets here.”

“mm god my head is pounding.” he mumbles, trying to get up. “don’t get up, you could have a concussion. you should know that.” you tell him. he groans once again so you start to internally panic. you just pushed, and potentially injured, your boyfriend who has to go back and play in a couple of days. “shit. cale don’t die. fuck don’t die you have a game in four days and i can’t have your coach hating me for this.”

nate comes around, “hey cale, you okay?” he asks. cale doesn’t move, nor says a thing. you shake his arm, and nothing. “cale!!” you call out. he’s limp.

“oh god i killed him, nate. fuck i’m screwed. no cale wake up. please wake up. come on you rosy cheeked sunshine boy. fucking get uuuuup.” you whine at him, shaking his entire body as much as you can.

“BOO” cale yells, jolting up and grabbing you. you let out a tiny shriek, scrunching your shoulders and closing your eyes. he was in a fit of giggles. “CALE DOUGLAS MAKAR NEVER FUCKING DO THAT.” you cry out.

“i got youuuu” he mocks. you smack his shoulder, not as gently. he smiles, “it’s cute that you thought i died.”

“that’s not funny. i thought you smacked your head.”

“it’s kinda funny.”

“no it’s not.”

pulling him up, everyone else laughed at you two. ej truly surprised cale turned the tables on you. nate patted cale’s back before you started heading over to go get hot chocolate.

“two please.” cale orders before shaking off the snow on his pants. the lady hands you both your cups and you head over to the bench. “so you didn’t hit your head?” you asked cale quietly, looking at him with soft eyes. he smiled, “no, and you didn’t see so i took advantage.” you sneer at him.

as cale blew his hot chocolate, you scooped a bit of the whip cream and hid your hand. “hey, it’s pretty h-” cale began saying before you took a small sip and acted like you burned your tongue. you whimpered in pain, shutting your mouth. “hot it’s pretty hot. are you okay?” he asks, wrapping his arm around you to pull you closer.

that’s when you lifted your hand and smeared the whip cream all over his face, cale gasped. “y/n!!” he exclaimed, wiping off what fell on his eyes. you started laughing at him.

“how dare you. i didn’t even let you fall”

“it’s funny.”

he laughed, despite the way he was still cleaning his face. “it is funny.”

“glad you think so.”

he grabs your cup and moves it behind him with his own, “that’s enough for you.” you still had a smile on your face. he moves his finger and dabs a bit of whip cream from his face onto yours. so you grab his blushy cheeks and pull him in for a kiss. his lips were warm and soft and you couldn’t help but feel all lovesick inside. “i love you” you murmured. “i love you more, grumpy”

[ join my taglist if you enjoyed reading! : click here <3 ]

[chickensaladquinn]

Chicken Salad Quinn Pt. 6

Other Parts: Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Pt. 3 Pt. 4 Pt. 5

Now that Quinn has had his chicken salad fix, it's time to get ready for the game. However, during practice that day, Quinn can't seem to focus. The chicken salad helped him in saying up and energized, but his mind is just somewhere else.

"Dude, you good? You seem really distracted," One of Quinn teammates, Kuzy, says.

Quinn shrugs his shoulders. "I guess it could be this girl I saw today at Chicken Salad Chick"

"NO WAY, HUGGY BEAR HAS A CRUSH??" Kuzy yells. The whole team swarms over, surrounding Quinn and asking questions.

Quinn rolls his eyes as he sits on the bench, the team standing in front of him expectantly, waiting for him to give up some details.

"Spill the tea, sis!!" says Elias Pettersson.

"Alright, alright," Quinn says, giving a slight smirk, "Well, her name is y/n..."

After telling the boys about y/n, they get back to practicing and Quinn seems to be doing a bit better, but he still can't get her off of his mind. That and his next bowl of creamy chicken salad obviously.

As the game approached, Quinn sat in the locker room by himself before his teammates came in.

Quinn Hughes sat in front of his locker, lacing up his skates as he prepared for the big game. But his mind was elsewhere - he couldn't stop thinking about his favorite food, chicken salad.

As he tightened the laces on his skates, he pictured the creamy mayonnaise, the tender chunks of chicken, the crisp celery, and the squish of the grapes against his tongue. He could practically taste it already.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He needed to focus on the game ahead, not his next meal. But as he stood up, his eyes fell on the container of leftover chicken salad sitting on the shelf above his locker, and he couldn't resist.

He reached up and grabbed the container, opening it up and taking a deep breath of the delicious aroma. As he scooped a forkful of the salad into his mouth, he closed his eyes in pleasure. This was what he lived for.

Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him and spun around, startled. But it was just Elias Pettersson, walking into the locker room. Quinn quickly stuffed the container of chicken salad back onto the shelf, hoping Elias hadn't noticed.

"Hey, Quinn," Elias said with a grin. "Ready to slay out there?"

Quinn nodded, trying to act nonchalant. But all he could think about was how badly he wanted to finish that container of chicken salad. He could feel his mouth watering at the thought.

As the rest of the team filled the locker room, Quinn couldn't help but steal a glance back at the container of chicken salad. The team knew about his obsession. Hell, they even sometimes called him chicken salad Quinn. But it still felt weird for him to devour this bowl with them watching. It was too intimate. Maybe if they won, he would reward himself with another bowl later.

As he stepped out onto the ice for warmups, he felt his stomach tighten. And no, it wasn't from the chicken salad.

It was because once again, now that Quinn's pregame chicken salad was out of the way, all he could think about was y/n.

He kept missing his practice shots because all her could picture was her lips, muttering those sweet, sweet words.

"It's a chicken salad"

He ran into his teammate as the image replayed in his mind over and over again.

"Dude, you have to get it together." he said to Quinn.

Quinn sighed, skating past the glass and looking at all the blues fans already filling the stands. Just as he was about to turn away to try another shot on the goal, he saw her.

Y/N was at the game.

AN: OMG this is so crazyyyy what a coincidence. What do we think will happen??

[fourteenerfic]

Biosteel camp is here!!! which seems like as good a time as any to plug burn that bridge when we get to it

[kaleforcale888]

Just Y/n - Cale Makar

Summary: You are not sure where you and Cale stand in your relationship.

Word count: 2.3K

Warning: cale being a red flag; lack of communication; anxiety

a/n: so while going through the notes app in my phone I found some of my work from the original kaleforcale888 and decided to rewrite it. Anyway thanks for sticking around as I get my crap all back together!

You didn’t know what it was about Cale, but you were definitely starting to have stronger feelings than just “liking” him. What a cliché, middle school thing to say, liking someone. You didn’t know what it was about the man; maybe it was his beautiful, blue eyes that caught you attention, or his crazy hair that sticks up in all different directions at any given moment.

Despite being incredibly good looking, he was also the sweetest person you had ever met. Cale had the best personality. On the outside he was reserved and quiet, but once you got to know him, he was actually really interesting and fun to be around.

You hadn’t been seeing or even hanging out with Cale for very long, only going on a few dates here and there depending on when he was in Denver. You had met at a King Soopers’ Starbucks, him having come in for a drink and leaving with your phone number. From then on you had been on one formal dinner date but had hung out at miscellaneous times when he was in the state. Your favorite was just spending time with him at his apartment and doing random, mundane things. You felt like you got to know the real Cale, not Cale Makar: MVP defenseman.

Spending so much time together made you feel like you had known him your entire life. One date and ever since, you had magically fallen into a routine together. When he had home games, you’d stay at his apartment until the game was over, then spend the evening together before sharing a bed together for the night. While he was away, you would sit at home, missing him, wishing he was there with you.

With your routines naturally integrating, you never had the “what are we talk.” Yeah, you kissed on a regular basis and often slept in the same bed, but some aspects of your life never fully unified; and for a time, part of you was fine with that, but as of late, it was starting to wear on you. You had never met his friends or even teammates, let alone his family, and you started to doubt your relationship, or maybe lack thereof.

***

You sat on the couch of Cale’s apartment, watching the end of the hockey game. The Avs won again, and you knew he would walk through the door nonchalantly but would be elated on the inside. After about an hour or so later, a jingle of keys in the door let you know that Cale was home. You smiled to yourself.

“I’m home,” Cale joked, throwing his bag next to the door so he could easily find it tomorrow morning.

Looking back at him, you rested your chin on the back of the couch, “Hi, how was it,” you asked, acting like you hadn’t just watched the entire game in his living room. You always liked to ask him how it went to get his perspective.

He crouched down to be level with you and smiled, “It was good.”

You rolled your eyes at his humbleness and leaned in closer to him. Cale closed the gap between you, placing a quick kiss on your lips and stood up, too fast for your liking.

There honestly wasn’t a thought running through your mind that he didn’t like you, especially not after that flirtatious kiss. You just wished you would finally make it “official.” All you wanted recently was to meet his friends and to be a part of his world, completely.

“Hey babe,” Cale called, you didn’t even realize he had walked away because too distracted by your own thoughts.

Slightly smiling to yourself at the sweet endearment, “Yeah?” Why were you even questioning anything?

“I think I’m gonna take a quick shower, then head to bed. You are more than welcome to stay if you’d like,” he said, leaning on the door frame of his bedroom, waiting for a response. You just shook your head and settled back into the couch.

***

A few days later, you found yourself back in the very same place, Cale’s apartment. You had spent the night and he had just got back from his morning skate. “So then, Mel and a few of the other girls came and picked up their new jackets, and the guys got distracted so Bednar just ended it then.”

You shook your head, just listening to him as you stole a grape from his lunch plate. You were keeping unusually quiet today and sat with your thoughts, this was new to Cale, but he could tell that there was something bothering you. All you could think about was getting a jacket with Cale’s name on the back and being able to sport it with pride on game days. You also couldn’t help but wonder if you would get along with the other girls and wanted to meet his friends.

Sitting in silence for a few more moments, opening and closing your mouth, Cale looked up at you, expecting you to speak, “do you think I’d get along with the other girls?”

“I don’t see why you wouldn’t,” he responded, walking to the kitchen, “You’d probably love them.”

“What about the guys?”

“They’d probably adore you, probably chirp you for being with me, but its all-in good nature,” he said as he opened the fridge to pretend to look busy, “But why are you bringing this up now? What’s going on?”

“I want to meet your friends, your Denver family. I want to see the other side of you and the other community you’re apart of. I feel like you’re ashamed of me or some…” before you could finish, Cale closed the door of the fridge and pinched the bridge of his nose. He let out a breath, walked closer to you, and grabbed your hands.

“I’m not ashamed of you by any means… it’s just always been hard for me to let people into my life. But listen, if it really means that much to you,” he stopped and took a deep breath, “there is a charity dinner next weekend, before the start of the playoffs, would you like to be my date? We could get all dressed up, maybe look for a dress…”

Before he could continue, you shrieked out a yes and grabbed his face, kissing all over it. “Does this mean I get to meet all the guys?”

“I don’t see why not,” he smiled at you and pressed your foreheads together before kissing you.

***

The charity  dinner was tonight and to say you were nervous was an understatement. How was Cale going to introduce you? Were you his girlfriend, his good friend? You weren’t entirely sure.

You looked in the mirror, and touched up your hair as Cale came into the bathroom connected to your bedroom. He arrived 30 minutes early as always and waited on your bed as you finished getting ready. Making eye contact through the mirror, you gave him a tight-lipped smile to which he returned, “I’m a little nervous,” you said as you scrunched into your shoulders.

“It’ll be okay,’ he said, finally walking into bathroom to wrap his arms around your shoulders.

“I know,” you turned around in his arms, “but what if they don’t like me? They have to be protective over you.”

“I promise you, if I like you, they’re going to have to put up with you. But you only have like 2 minutes, otherwise we’re gonna be late,” he said, checking his watch.

You rolled your eyes, “your definition of late or mine,” you teased and turned to finish what you were doing.”

***

As you walked into the hall, it felt like all eyes were on you and Cale, his arm interlocked with yours as you entered. “Calers!” A tall blonde man shouted across the room. Cale’s cheeks turned brighter red than normal as he directed you towards the group the man was standing with.

“Hey guys.”

“Well, well, well, Calers, who is this?” One of the men in the group asked.

“This is Y/n. Y/n this is Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan Mackinnon, and JT Compher.” He finished, pointing to a decently tall man with flaming red hair. Your heart sank in your chest, and you looked down hoping your face didn’t show too much disappointment. You weren’t officially his girlfriend; you just did relationship-y things. An awkward silence landed over the group.

“It’s nice to finally put faces to the names,” you fake laughed, breaking up some of the silence.

As the guys started up a conversation about what they could do better heading into playoff season, a woman walked up to Gabe. She gave the man a drink before stepping closer to you and offering you a smile, “Hey, I’m Mel.”

“Hi, I’m Y/n,” you smiled back at the blond.

“All this hockey talk is kind of boring, would you like to get a drink?”

You shook your head and untangled your arm in Cale’s before leaning up and whispering to him, “I’m gonna go get a drink,” to which he responded with a nod and a kiss to your cheek.

You followed Mel to the bar and ordered your drink, “I’m Gabe’s wife, if you couldn’t tell,” she joked, making you feel less nervous, “Are you Cale’s girlfriend?” She asked as you sat down at the bar together.

There it was the ever so dreaded question. Taking a sip of your cocktail to distract yourself, you shook your head, “no, just Y/n,” you said, repeating what Cale had told the other guys earlier in the evening.

Mel shook her head in understanding, “We’ll, he’s truly a good kid, if that’s what you’re worried about,” she said, looking over at her husband and the defenseman interacting.

“No, yeah, I know. We’ve been hanging out for a while and I really like him, but we’ve never made anything official.”

Mel looked at you, studying your body language, she could tell this was bothering you. “Well, I don’t know how long you guys have been “hanging out”, but I’ve known him for three years now, and he’s never once brought a date to one of these. Let alone a barbeque or team pool party.”

A slight smile crept up on your lips. At least he felt comfortable enough to be willing to introduce you to his friends, despite you having to ask him. You and Mel continued to talk and get to know each other before she excused herself. When you looked over to find Cale, you saw her talking to Gabe and Cale, who looked like he was very interested in whatever she had to say.

Not long after, you finished your drink and followed in her footsteps to find Cale who was talking to some older looking men. Tapping on his shoulder, he greeted you with a smile, pulled you into his side, and continued his conversation with the men. Once there was a lull in the conversation, he looked down to you, noticing you weren’t acting like yourself, “Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you lied, “just getting a little tired,” you finished off with a fake yawn.

Cale shrugged it off and looked at his watch, “It is getting late, why don’t we get out of here?”

As you walked to the car hand in hand, your thoughts couldn’t help but spiral. Cale opened the car door for you; this sucked, you knew when you got home you would fall directly back into the dance of avoiding whatever conversation needed to happen.

Slamming your eyes shut, you laid your head on the car seat. The quiet got interrupted by Cale gently whispering, “You’ve seemed a little off these past few days. What’s going on in that mind of yours Y/n?”

“Nothing.”

“Please don’t lie to me, Y/n.” Cale whispered, grabbing your hand.

“I’m not lying.”

“I know you are. I was talking to Melissa, and I think we need to have a conversation.”

This conversation could either be very bad or very good, there was no telling at this moment.

“I agree,” you breathed out.

“She said that I should stop avoiding telling you how I feel,” he said as gently started rubbing his thumb across your knuckle, “I hope you know I really like you,” you slightly chuckled, “like a lot.”

“Well, that’s good to know. I was really starting to doubt, I mean just Y/n. Really, Cale? You can’t even introduce me as your girlfriend,” you said, refusing to look up at him.

“I didn’t think we needed a title. For goodness’ sake, we practically spend every waking minute together!” Despite his frustration and lack of being able to truly communicate his feelings, he remained calm. He knew that raising his voice could only make the situation worse and he would only feel more frustrated, “I thought those were titles were juvenile.”

You quickly looked up at him, laughing, trying to hold back tears, “Cale, I want to be your girlfriend!”

Cale sighed and leaned over the console, putting your foreheads together.

“Okay then, will be my girlfriend?”

“Really? That’s all it took for you to finally ask me but yes” you smiled and kissed him.

“I’m sorry, by the way… I didn’t know it meant that much to you.”

“I accept your apology. But I will say, we are both terrible at communicating.”

“I agree, now can we go home?” he asked as he put the car in reverse to pull out of the parking spot.

***

A couple of weeks later, a package was delivered to Cale’s apartment addressed to you. Opening the cardboard box, you found a burgundy jacket with two interlocking hockey sticks on the arms. On the back was “MAKAR” stitched in black with a white outline and a big 8 to match his jersey. You smiled widely and hugged the fuzzy jacket in excitement. The only other thing inside the box was a note.

“Just in time for playoffs :) - M”

[tonyspep]

WHO LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS BRE??????? HOW DO YOU KEEP DOING THIS????? you already know i love this fic it's so cute and works so well with cale, like, friends to lovers AND fake dating???? COME ON!!! i absolutely loved the pajama scene it's as adorable as we brainstormed but so much more, you really captured that moment between them and how it would go!!! i loved him seeing her in her dress and noticing the bracelet he gave her!! but the scene of them dancing and confessing was EVERYTHING!!!

all’s well that ends well to end up with you

here is my entry for @wyattjohnston’s summer fic exchange 2k23!! this fic is for @ya-pucking-nerd !! i had so much fun writing this and i hope you love it just as much! writing cale has always been a favorite of mine and this one was no exception. and shutout to @tonyspep as always for brainstorming so much of this idea with me!

i ALSO made a playlist for this fic which you can listen to here! 

hope you enjoy!! feedback is always appreciated! xx

word count: 5.3k

~~~~~

Cale’s offseason has hardly started, yet his phone is already lighting up with a call from you to no doubt make summer plans before he heads back to Calgary to enjoy time with his family and to start his summer training. 

It’s not unusual for his best friend to call him and the soft, giddy smile on his lips at just the sight of your name on his phone display is nothing new either, but when the call connects and words are practically spewing from your lips, he knows something must be wrong.

“Woah, woah, woah. Slow down. I can’t understand a word you’re saying.” Cale cuts you off, trying to figure out what’s going on.

“I said,” You emphasize, taking a deep breath to ensure you speak slower this time, “you got invited to Ryan’s wedding right? The one that’s in a few weeks in Montana?”

“Yeah, I did. What about it?”

“Well, uh, I kinda realized that showing up by myself would be lame right? Like this guy used to be insanely in love with me, but now he’s getting married and I’m, well, not even close to being in a relationship let alone a serious one.” 

Keep reading

[totaleclipseofthesanity]

introduction.

hi, i'm m. this is a blog that's strictly for fanfiction and fanworks, mostly of the hockey variety.

i've been in fandom for a long time, but was only recently drawn to hockey by a team that shall not be named, as they traded the guy i got into them for.

i use they/them, i'm bi, and i'm 5'8.75, according to my doctor. aries sun, taurus moon, libra rising. autistic. ADHD.

my current favorite players include: any and all goalies, the 2015 draft class, gritty, sidney crosby, the 2017 draft class, cale makar, and every single player on the toronto maple leafs.

i will not tolerate hate on my page, whether hockey-related or just because you're an asshole. (there is an exemption for the knights and the rangers as organizations, not their players.)

masterlist to come when i actually post shit.

be kind to yourself and others, and remember, keep on bloomin'.

- signing off, m.

[eightmakar]

postgame | c.m. | 18+

Pairing: Cale Makar x Original Character

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: MINORS DNI. plotless smut. cale being bossy and rough, but respectfully, as only cale makar could be. teasing, fingering, unprotected sex, slight cumplay(?)

A/N: hello always be honest with your partners and have conversations about what your comfy with!! cale and charlie have had this convo and you can tell because he doesn't do things she has said she doesn't like and he checks on her boundaries so pls do that. thanks for coming to my ted talk.

EDIT: soz i forgot to add that this goes along with accidental blessing (18+) and calgary bc this relationship is established in accidental blessing (the Meet Cute). enjoy!

tagging: @taking-shots @harlowhockeystick @flashyfucker @fallinallincurls @jostystyles @jostyriggslover96 @burkymakar @cuttergauth @matbaerzal @hockeylvr59 @hockstuff @tkachukslut @mikkorantanev @gabelandeskog @cale8makar

“Fuck,” Charlie Evans muttered as she watched the puck fly past her boyfriend, Cale Makar, and into the Avalanche’s empty net. She saw the look in this eye, the glint of fault and disappointment, as he skated back to his side of the ice for what would likely be the final faceoff of the game.

Cale’s daughter, Willow, was already asleep in her bedroom. It had been a whirlwind of a day; Charlie had to go into the office for a big presentation, then had to rush back to take Willow to a skating lesson, which started shortly before Cale had to report to the arena. Charlie was still going to try to make the game, but when Willow fell asleep on the drive home from skating, she made the decision to stay home. Cale was disappointed, but he was grateful that Charlie was watching out for Willow. 

Charlie watched Cale and his teammates trudge sadly into the locker room. Shortly after, she got a text from him. 

Cale: That was fucking terrible

Cale: Two of the goals were my fault

Charlie: It wasn’t your night, but it’s not your fault

Charlie: Everyone looked bad. Nate didn’t have good puck control, the whole D core couldn’t keep the puck in or clear the puck out, and Mikko couldn’t hit the broad side of the barn. 

Cale: I didn’t have my legs

Charlie: Neither did anyone else, love

Cale stopped answering, and Charlie took the time to get ready for bed. On nights when Charlie and Willow didn’t go to games, Willow was fast asleep before Cale got home, so Cale would go check on her when he arrived, then come to bed with Charlie. She figured Cale was showering, and he’d be home soon. 

Charlie felt the garage door open and close, followed by the soft sound of the kitchen door shutting. She heard Cale walk down the hall to Willow’s room, then after a few moments, he walked back and into the bedroom. 

Cale’s jaw was clenched tight as he entered the room. Charlie put her phone down and smiled at him anyway, genuinely happy to see him regardless of how he was feeling.

“Hi, babe,” Charlie greeted Cale. 

Cale stalked over to Charlie and her heart pounded as she swallowed hard. Cale was in a mood, a mood that only she was familiar with, a mood he hid from everyone outside of their bedroom. He stood next to Charlie, then harshly grabbed her by the hips and hoisted her to her knees in front of him.

“Hi,” he grumbled softly. “I’m very frustrated, and all I want to do is shove you into the mattress and fuck you. How does that sound to you?”

A shiver went through Charlie’s body. This was exactly what she was expecting when he walked in. It didn’t happen too often; Cale was usually a soft, kind lover, but even he needed a little more sometimes. He always made sure to communicate when he wanted to go a little rougher with her, and always made sure she knew she was really the one in control. 

“I think that sounds like what we both need,” Charlie replied, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

“Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page,” Cale growled, then grabbed the back of Charlie’s thighs and tossed her down on the bed. He tugged up her oversized t-shirt to reveal her comfy panties she slept in. 

“Sorry,” Charlie muttered.

“Why are you apologizing?” Cale hastily pushed her panties down her legs and tossed them behind him, then slowly dragged a finger through her pussy.

Charlie closed her eyes and inhaled at Cale’s touch. “I,” she breathed, “they’re not sexy.”

“Why does it matter if they’re not sexy?” Cale kicked off his dress shoes and clambered onto the bed. “You hate sexy panties anyway.”

He sat against the headboard, then harshly grabbed Charlie and yanked her into his lap, her back to his chest. She inhaled shakily, leaning into his warmth as he ran his hands all over her body. He wrapped his left arm across her body, his hand coming up to grip her chin and jaw. Charlie’s breathing labored from her slightly open mouth, her heart pounded. 

Cale softly nuzzled his nose into her, a stark contrast to his hands on her body. He nibbled her earlobe and she leaned into him more. Dragging his hand slowly over her thigh, Cale chuckled as a shiver ran down her spine. 

“Someone’s excited,” he teased, gently scratching his short fingernails across her right thigh, starting at her knee and dragging up to her hip. 

Charlie made a face, then wiggled her hips and ass against Cale’s crotch, since she was pressed up against him. He groaned, and she felt him harden and smirked, proud of the reaction she’d elicited from him despite his control of the situation. 

“Hmm,” Cale thought. His grip on her jaw tightened ever so slightly. “So that’s how it’s gonna be tonight?” He leaned in, bit down on her neck, and sucked the soft skin into his mouth between his teeth. He dragged his rough fingertips along her inner thigh, all the way up to tease the lips of her pussy. Charlie jumped, bucked her hips to try to get more from him, but he just chuckled again and dragged his fingers back down her thigh.

Cale surprised Charlie as he suddenly spread her legs out wider and pulled her back into him even more, angling her on her tailbone. He covered her pussy with his hand, giving her nothing, no relief from the hot rush of arousal. She bucked her hips and made a small whine, which made Cale laugh again.

“Don’t be mean,” she complained, trying to turn to look at him.

Pressing his forehead to her temple, he peppered kisses along her jaw. “Why would I be nice when it’s so much more fun to watch you squirm?” he whispered against her cheek. He removed his hand from her pelvis and tapped her mouth with fingers. She opened it obediently and swirled her tongue around Cale’s fingers after he shoved them in her mouth. His fingers triggered her overly-sensitive gag reflex, and he immediately pulled them back out.

Charlie turned her head to look at Cale and was met with concern. Cale knew even the thought of puking or gagging made Charlie nauseated, so he tried to keep her gagging to a minimum. 

“I’m good,” she said quickly. “I’m good.” 

Cale smiled softly, kissed her temple, then dragged his wet fingers down between her breasts and finally swiped them through her folds. She closed her eyes as he teased her slit, pressing against it with his middle finger but not letting it slip inside her yet. Cale readjusted his grip on her with his left hand, pressing against her sternum with his fingers fanned out.

“You gonna–,” Charlie started to chirp Cale, but he sank his middle finger into her as she did, grinning evilly.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said sarcastically, “were you saying something?” He pulled his finger nearly all the way out of her, then shoved both his middle and ring fingers back in, then out, in, out, until he established a quick rhythm, filling the air with sinful, wet slaps. Charlie’s head rolled back against Cale’s body, ending up on his shoulder, breathing heavily as he fucked her with his fingers.

Charlie suddenly felt empty and cold on top of the electric heat that raced through her body. Cale had withdrawn his fingers from her and held them out to admire her arousal coating them. He stuck the two fingers that had just been inside her into his mouth and loudly licked them off. Charlie watched in awe.

“You like that, hm? Watching me lick your cum off my fingers?” Cale taunted.

Charlie nodded, then tried to grind herself against Cale or the mattress or anything to get herself closer. She tried to close her legs, but Cale caught one of them with his wet hand, then released it. He brought his hand back between her legs, pressed hard on her clit and rubbed slow circles on it. Charlie’s eyes went out of focus at the contact, her mouth falling open. 

She forgot how to breathe. Her body was hot and cold and numb and on fire all at once. Her hand flailed before desperately gripping Cale’s hair behind her in an attempt to ground herself. She gasped as Cale slid his fingers inside her again, then slid his other hand down her body and continued the circles on her clit. With both hands touching her, Cale gently kissed the base of her neck, his hot lips widening in a smile.

“You close?” he asked her tauntingly.

“So,” she managed out. “So close.”

With a final kiss on her neck, Cale removed his fingers from her and let her fall back against his body, limp. She groaned in frustration, but she knew sometimes he teased her like this so when he did make her come, it would be worth it. 

“Don’t worry, babe,” Cale said, echoing her thoughts. “Lay down on your stomach for me, yeah?”

“What about your clothes?” Charlie pulled herself up on her knees and turned around to look at Cale, nearly letting out a moan when she squeezed her legs together.

“Help me get out of them,” he directed softly. He leaned forward so she could unbutton his dress shirt and push it off his shoulders. He gazed at her softly as he tugged his arms out. Charlie tossed Cale’s shirt aside, then got to work on his belt. Cale reached out and tugged her oversized shirt over her head. She paused her work on his belt to let him pull it over her arms, then he tossed it over with his dress shirt, and Charlie returned to the belt. 

“Why the fuck can’t I get this goddamn belt off?” Charlie complained.

Chuckling, Cale gently helped her remove his belt, then unzipped his dress pants and lifted his ass so he could pull them off with Charlie’s help. She tugged his striped socks off, and finally he was just left in his boxer-briefs. 

“Fuckin’ finally,” Charlie mumbled.

Cale laughed. “Lay down on your stomach for me, babe.”

Charlie did as he asked, grabbing her pillow and laying on it with her arms crossed underneath it. She felt Cale gently running his fingertips over the soft skin of her ass. 

“So pretty,” he muttered, using his fingernails to scratch her softly. She groaned and wiggled her ass for him in hopes he’d do something. She could hear the amusement in his voice as he asked, “Giving me a show, eh?” He softly smacked her ass with his right hand.

“Do that again,” Charlie moaned, shaking her ass more.

Cale obliged, smacking her slightly harder. “I love watching your ass jiggle,” he giggled as he continued to play with the supple skin, each slapping sound making Charlie wetter and wetter.

“You’re being mean again,” Charlie commented. 

“Oh? Am I?” Cale grabbed her hips, pulled her ass up higher, spread her legs a little, and elicited a sharp gasp from Charlie as he leaned down and licked through her exposed folds. Charlie moaned loudly into the pillow beneath her. 

Cale reached over her and grabbed another pillow, then placed it underneath her hips before reattaching his mouth to her clit. He sucked harshly on it, then released it with a slight pop. Charlie buried her face into her pillow as Cale slid his index finger into her pussy and massaged the soft, warm flesh. She clenched around him and he laughed.

“So desperate,” he taunted. He playfully smacked her ass with his free hand, then pulled his finger out of her. Charlie turned her head to watch him stroke himself a few times, but she shoved her face back into the pillow beneath her as he adjusted his body position and slid his cock inside her. It was so cliche, but he was made to fit perfectly in her.

Cale gripped his dick and pushed it against the back wall of her pussy, dragging it along, then letting his tip pop out of her. He slid just his head in her and sat there, unmoving, so Charlie pushed her hips back to sink him deeper into her pussy. She bounced back on him a few more times and relished in the feeling of him until he stilled her hips with his hands. Cale grabbed a handful of her ass, massaging it.

“Please,” Charlie groaned, “I need you so bad.”

“Do you?” Cale asked tauntingly. “Have you been good enough to have me?”

Charlie nodded desperately. “I’ve been so good for you.”

Cale moved his hands to the small of her back, pushing her down into the mattress, and harshly snapped his hips against hers, thrusting deep inside of her. Charlie bit the pillow beneath her to silence herself, which became harder and harder with every roll of Cale’s hips. 

He laid down on top of her, completely engulfing her in him. In his scent, in the heat of his body, in his soft, breathy grunts in Charlie’s ear. She was overwhelmed with him, and it was incredible. Every bump of Cale’s balls against her ass sent her closer and closer to the edge. 

“So tight,” Cale murmured in her ear. “Feel so fuckin’ good.”

Charlie released the pillow from between her teeth and croaked out, “So good.”

Cale suddenly moved off of her, kneeling behind her and lifting her ass up in the air, but keeping her chest and face pressed into the bed beneath her. Charlie’s back arched as he hit a new angle inside of her.

“C-Cale,” Charlie choked out. “S-so c-close.”

“Yeah?” Cale asked. “Me too, baby.”

Cale grabbed Charlie’s arms and easily pinned them behind her back with one hand, his other hand desperately hanging onto the headboard of the bed for leverage. Charlie’s face pressed deeper into the pillow and she yelped into it as Cale’s thrusts slammed into her even harder. 

“Oh fuck, I’m about to come,” Cale groaned. “Can I come on your ass?”

Charlie couldn’t answer, so Cale paused, dick inside her, and pulled her up out of the pillow. He pressed her back flush against his chest while she panted. 

“I asked you a question,” he said quietly but sharply. “And I need an answer before we keep going, please.”

“I want you to come on my chest,” Charlie croaked.

“No face,” Cale said calmly. Charlie was pretty sure she would hate him coming on her face, but they tried it once anyway, and it confirmed how much she despised it, so that was one of their rules.

Charlie shook her head in agreement. “No face, please.”

Reaching down to rub her clit, Cale gently pressed a kiss to Charlie’s cheek. Her head rolled back onto his shoulder, giving Cale access to her neck, which he began kissing sloppily. Charlie knew he was giving her some time to recover before they finished, and she was grateful that they knew each other’s minds and bodies so well. 

“Do you need more of a break, my love?” Cale whispered in her ear. He grazed his teeth over her earlobe. 

“One more kiss?” Charlie asked, turning her head to look at him. 

Cale smiled softly and lightly pressed his lips against hers. They stayed still for a moment, then Cale pulled back and laid Charlie back down on the bed, then rolled her over to face him. He covered her body with his, tangled his hands in hers, and slid back inside her, making her arch her back again. 

Hot lips attached to her collarbone, Cale pulled out and slammed back into her. Charlie gaped up at him as he re-established a very similar rhythm to moments before, but somehow more desperate, more needy. He was close, and she was close, and they both knew it. 

Cale moved and pressed his sweaty forehead to Charlie’s. He took both of her hands in his left hand, then used his right hand to press down on her lower stomach, adding more pressure and more pleasure for both of them. His eyes closed and he bit down on his lip so hard Charlie was afraid he’d bleed. 

“Oh fuck,” Cale moaned, “oh fuckfuckfuck, I’m gonna come.”

Cale pulled out of Charlie, scooted up her body a little, and used his right hand to harshly jerk himself off until he painted Charlie’s breasts with his cum. He threw his head back and breathed heavily as he squeezed his head, stroking himself a few more times before he scooted back down and pressed himself back into Charlie, eliciting a soft moan from her. 

“C’mon, baby,” Cale said softly, leaning back down to press his forehead against hers and pressing his free fingers against her clit while slowly thrusting into her, letting her feel every inch of him. “I want you to come for me.”

“Fuck,” Charlie squeaked. 

Cale captured Charlie’s lips in a kiss, then mumbled against them, “Come for me, Charlie.”

“More,” Charlie mumbled back, “I need more.”

“I’ve got you.” Cale’s circles on her clit increased in speed as his strokes went deeper and deeper in her, brushing up against the spot inside her that made her whole body clench.

“Motherfucker,” Charlie yelped.

Cale chuckled, “Good?”

“Fuck yes, keep going.”

Cale did as Charlie asked, keeping up the same pace until she clenched, coming undone around him, her back arching and her vision going white. Cale fucked her through her orgasm, then slowed to a stop as she came down. His forehead still pressed against her, they tried to catch their breath together. 

“Shit,” Cale panted, “You did so good for me, baby. So good, so pretty.”

Charlie softly smiled up at him. “Can you help me up?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course.” Cale pulled out of Charlie, then grabbed her hands and helped her sit up. Cale scooted off the bed, then offered his hands to Charlie again to help her up. He wrapped a careful, protective arm around her waist and walked her into the bathroom. 

“Whoa,” Charlie giggled, “my legs feel like jelly.”

“Sit on the counter?” Cale laughed back. “I think my cum is about to drip off you.”

Charlie looked down and commented, “Gross.” 

Cale grabbed a towel, wet it, and carefully wiped Charlie off. Once she was clean, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. Cale hugged her back, putting his cheek on top of her head. 

“I love you,” he said softly. “That really helped me feel better after the shitshow of a game we had. You did so good, babe.”

“I love you too, baby,” Charlie mumbled against Cale’s chest. “I enjoyed it too, you know that, right?”

Charlie felt Cale smile. “Yeah, I know you did. Can we move this back to the bed? Exhaustion just hit me.”

“Of course.” Charlie untangled her arms from him so they could both use the toilet, wash up, and brush their teeth before bed. She pulled back on her panties and shirt, and Cale pulled on a clean pair of boxers. 

They clambered back into bed together. Cale wrapped a warm arm around Charlie’s waist and pulled her close into his body, spooning her. She felt safe and loved, and fell into an easy sleep in her love’s arms.

[nhlandotherimagines]

One Thing- Cale Makar

@natbarzal @anastasiyaigorevnadobrodevskaya @jonnytoews19 

Here we go with blurb #3 of the Up All Night series! It’s mostly fluff, and quite a bit of pining :) Let me know what you think, and if you’d like to be tagged in any of the future blurbs in this series

I’ve also decided that instead of Wednesday’s, Fridays, and Sundays I’m just going to post one every other day :)

I’ve tried playin' it cool, but when I'm lookin' at you I can't ever be brave ‘cause you make my heart race

As you stand in Nate’s backyard, Cale catches your eye. He is leaning against the side of the deck, sunglasses sitting on the top of his head, and eyes crinkling as he laughs loudly at something Nate said to him. His laugh makes you smile to yourself. You haven’t been introduced to Cale yet, but Nate was positive the two of you would get along perfectly.

As if on cue, Nate yells out for you snapping you from your thoughts. As you look over, he motions for you to join them. Grabbing your drink from the table you’d been standing at, you make your way towards them. Nate smiles at you mischievously, and then turns to Cale.

“Makar, this is my friend Y/n. Y/n, this is Cale Makar.” Nate introduces the two of you, and you giggle lightly at the mock formality he forces into his voice.

“Nice to meet you Cale Makar.” You say his full name in a playful tone, sticking your hand out for him. Cale stares at it for a moment too long, before reaching out and shaking it.

“Hey, Um yeah you can just call me Cale. Or if you want you can call me Cale Makar. Or you can call me just Makar. I don’t care, call me whatever you want!” He rambles, and the more he speaks the redder his cheeks get. You smile at him, and can’t help but notice how adorable the tint on his cheeks is.

“Well Just Makar, you know you can stop shaking my hand now right?” You tease, glancing down to where he still grips your hand in his.

Cale sputters out an apology, dropping your hand immediately. Before you can even get another word in Cale awkwardly excuses himself, and you turn to Nate. He is standing next to you, eyes trained on the young defensemen, mouth slightly agape, and brows furrowed in confusion. “What the hell was that?” Nate asks, his voice laced with pure astonishment. You shrug, because you are also very confused.

Cale, however, was now trying to find a drink. He heard Nate talk about you everyday for the past week, but not once had he mention how absolutely stunning you were. Now Cale was sure he had completely embarrassed himself, and ruined any chance he may have had at befriending you.

Cale spends the rest of the party trying to build the confidence to speak to you again, so he can at least apologize for his previous behaviour. He even talks himself into it a few times, putting on a brave face, but as soon as his eyes fall on you again he chickens out.

Shot me out of the sky, you’re my kryptonite. You keep making me weak, frozen, and can't breathe

The next time you see Cale is at a bar after a big Avs win. As you walk towards the group, you notice how comfortable all of the boys look. “Win drunk” and surrounded by all of their friends, the boys are happy. Cale’s smile seems the biggest as he watches Kadri tell a very animated story, and you can’t help but smile too. You’re not sure what it is about Cale, but you’re drawn to him.

As you approach the table, Cale’s eyes find you first. He’s in the middle of saying something, but immediately stops. His face turns red, and he is frozen in place. Sure, he knows you’re good looking, but tonight in your band tee and leather jacket, he’s sure he’s never seen anyone look so effortlessly good.

“Sorry did I interrupt something?” You ask, embarrassed by the reaction. All eyes are on Cale as attempts to tell you that you hadn’t interrupted anything. His face is bright red now, and you feel kind of bad for him. Cale can’t seem to catch his breath, no one has ever made him feel this way.

Something's gotta give now 'cause I'm dying just to make you see that I need you here with me now 'cause you've got that one thing

“Makar why have you been so weird every time we hangout?” Nate asks as he finds the younger man in the kitchen of his apartment. Cale has been hiding in the kitchen for the last 10 minutes, wondering if he can even go back into the same room as you. He wants so bad to just be able to talk to you, but he can never seem to find the words.

Cale just shrugs, embarrassed that his friends are noticing his behaviour. “It’s Y/n isn’t it?” Nate smirks, nudging Cale playfully.

“I don’t know why I can’t just talk to her!” Cale groans, dropping his head and rubbing at the back of his neck in frustration. Nate just laughs, clapping his hand against Cale’s shoulder.

“You’ll get there, just stop thinking so hard. It’s painful to watch.” With that Nate leaves the younger man standing in his kitchen, joining the rest of the guests in his living room. Leaving Cale, once again with just his thoughts. Somethings gotta give.

So get out, get out, get out of my head, and fall into my arms instead

“What’s going on in that head of yours Just Makar?” You tease. You had slipped away from everyone else to get a drink, and maybe also to find Cale. His eyes snap to you, and he watches as you grab a glass from the cupboard next to him. The smile on your face when you turn to face him again makes his heart race.

“Just thinking.” He smiles, “How’s it going in there? No ones injured yet?”

“Surprisingly not yet!” You giggle, “But I’m sure it won’t be long.” You add, pouring a drink and then leaning against the counter beside Cale. You’re close enough that your shoulders are just barely touching, and immediately Cale gets flustered. He just wants to be able to throw his arm around your shoulder, and pull you into his side. He’s not even sure when those thoughts about you started, but all he knows is that he can’t get you out of his head.

I don't, I don't, don't know what it is, but I need that one thing, and you’ve got that one thing

As you stand over the stove in the kitchen, you hear a knock at your door. Glancing at the clock, you furrow your brows in confusion. Turning down the burner on the stove, you make your way to the door. As you pull it open you are even more confused as you see who stands on the other side.

“Hey, sorry to bother you, but um- could I come in?” Cale asks, a blush on his cheeks. You stare at him for a moment, mouth agape, still confused. He looks at you hopefully, and you realize you’ve yet to speak to him.

“Oh yeah, uh sure I’m just making dinner, would you like some?” You ask, pushing the door open to allow him in.

“Oh I’m sorry, I can- um I could come back later?” He is sputtering again, and looking everywhere but at you. You place a shaky hand on his bicep, hoping he can’t feel your sudden nervousness.

“It’s fine! There is enough for two if you’re hungry of course.” He smiles, and nods. You walk back into the kitchen, tending to the stove again. Cale leans against the counter offering to help, but you quickly turn him down telling him you’re almost done.

Cale watches you intently. You’re so focused on the task at hand, tongue poking out from your lips slightly in concentration. Cale is lost in you once again, he can’t place it but there is something different about you. You are so different than any person he’s ever met, and he can’t shake you from his mind.

He’s snapped from his thoughts, when you turn to him and speak. “So not to sound like I don’t enjoy your company or anything, but why are you here?” You ask, a small smirk tugging on your lips. Cale starts to panic, sure he practiced this conversation all day, but he’s not sure he’ll ever be ready.

“Well I’m-“ He sighs dropping his gaze to the floor. “I wanted to see you. The truth is I always do. I’m sorry I struggle talking to you, but I just think you’re so amazing and it’s intimidating. I don’t know exactly what it is about you, but I’ve been drawn to you since the moment we met. So I hope this isn’t too forward or too awkward, but I was wondering if you’d let me take you out sometime. On a date. Only if that’s something you’d want to do of course.”

Your heart is pounding so loud you’re sure he can heart it. When he lifts his eyes to yours again, you can see the hope in them. You don’t know it now, but you’re holding Cale’s heart in your hand, and you could easily break it with just a few words. Your mind has been made up about Cale since the moment you had seen him across Nate’s backyard. He was captivating, absolutely adorable, and a total gentleman.

The smile that breaks across your face as you nod, has a sigh escaping Cale’s body. His smile is even bigger than yours, even though you would have thought that was mpossible. “Well Just Makar,” you wink, and Cale groans at the stupid nickname. “How about we have dinner here tonight, count this as date number one. If tonight goes as well as I expect it will, then I will absolutely let you take me out.” You suggest, stepping closer to him. The two of you are about as close as two people can stand without touching, your eyes both begging the other to close the gap.

“Would it make me a bad date if I kissed you before the date actually starts?” Cale breathes out, leaning in impossibly closer.

“I think you’d be a bad date if you didn’t.” You try and tease back, but your voice is shaky and full of want. You don’t have time to really be embarrassed, because Cale is pressing his lips to yours.

You can feel Cale smile against your lips, and you can’t help but mirror the action. Who knows what will happen between the two of you? All you know is that there is something about Cale. He’s always on your mind, and you wouldn’t want it any other way.

[midnightsnyx]

Cale Makar - Let Me Go: Part 1

pairing: cale makar/reader

warnings: fluff and angst

word count: 1.2k

a/n: well this took a 180 that i truly wasn’t expecting or planning on but i hope you guys like it anyways

my masterlist

Cale Makar

“It was incredible.” Cale breathes and all I can do is nod, hoping that I don’t look like the hopeless fool in love that I am.

It’s late and we just got back from him playing his first game in the NHL. It was incredible and I never knew how proud I actually was of him until he stepped out on the ice. I spent our whole childhood listening to him talk about what he thought it would be like and it clearly didn’t disappoint because I’ve never seen him this awestruck.

“It was.” I agree and he looks over at me with a crooked smile. We’re laying in a hammock in his backyard and in a movie, this would be the perfect romance scene but well, this isn’t a movie and when he moves a piece of hair out of my face, it’s because it was poking me in the eye and not because he was about to kiss me.

“I’m really glad you were there.” He says and I smile, shrugging my shoulders.

“How could I miss it? You’ve been talking about it for years.”

He laughs and runs his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, I’m pretty the first thing I ever said to you was ‘I’m going to play in the NHL one day’.”

“You didn’t even ask my name.” I joke, thinking back to when we met. It was fourth grade and we got paired as math partners and from that moment on, we were inseparable up until he had to move away for hockey. We kept in touch while he was away and when he got signed to the Colorado Avalanches, he sent me a plane ticket to come watch his first NHL game.

“You look tired.” I whisper, noticing how droopy his eyes are becoming. I should tell him to go inside and go to bed but I’m greedy for every moment I can spend with him before I go home tomorrow.

“It’s been a long day.”

“Well that’s an understatement,” I say and he laughs, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me closer.

“I missed you.” He mummers and that’s when I know he’s really sleepy because it’s when he starts getting clingy.

He was always like it when we were teenagers. When he was tired, he would lay his head on my lap or sheepishly ask me if we could cuddle.

I always thought it was cute and tried not to read in to it much because then feelings would start to develop and falling in love with your best friend?

Recipe for disaster.

But it happened anyway, no matter how hard I tried to fight it. Part of me thought maybe he felt the same way but I was always too terrified to ask him in fear of losing him and by the time I thought I was ready, he was gone.

“What’re you thinking about?” He mumbles quietly, lips touching my neck just barely but I know that he will be out like a light any minute now so I wait until his breathing is evened out and I know he is asleep before answering.

“You.” I whisper.

He just snores in response.

. . .

Cale manages to find the time to bring me to the airport the next day so I don’t have to spend money on an Uber. I woke him after about an hour last night and he grumbled when we went inside and against my better judgement, I let him drag me to his bed. I spent half the night awake and thinking about what could be and it left me in a bitter mood when I woke up.

He noticed and we haven’t spoken since he asked what I wanted for breakfast. It was disappointing that we would be spending our last hour is silence.

It surprises me when he offers to walk me in to the airport. I came with only a carry on so after checking in my bag, we make our way to security.

We both stop at the place where he won’t be able to follow me and for some reason, it feels so final. I turn to look at him and he has an unreadable expression on his face so I offer him a small smile which he returns but it looks forced.

“Look, Y/N…”

“It’s fine.” I say quietly. “You don’t have to,” but he shakes his head.

“There’s something I wanted to tell you before you leave.”

It’s my turn to shake my head because whatever he is going to say, I don’t think I can handle it.

“That’s the problem, Cale. I’m leaving.” I say quietly and he looks frustrated.

“But you’ll be back.” He says and I wrap my arms around myself so I don’t do something stupid like fall in to his arms.

“Will I be?” I whisper and he clenches his jaw and nods his head frantically.

“Yes. You will be.”

“But what will I be coming back to?” I ask, staring at my feet because I can’t look him in the eyes. Not now.

“Me.” He says firmly and it’s like a punch to the stomach but I force myself to look at him. His eyes are filled with determination that I know won’t always be there. It will go away one day and we both know it.

“You can’t promise me that.”

“Y/N, you know how I feel about you.” He says softly.

“No, I don’t.” I say stiffly. “And I won’t be the pathetic girl who sits at home waiting for your calls every day until you decide you don’t want her anymore.” I shake my head. “I can’t do that. I don’t want to.”

He’s quiet for a moment, staring at his feet and I know he’s going through different scenarios in his head trying to find one that things could work out but there isn’t one and he knows but won’t accept it.

“You have to let me go.” I whisper and he shakes his head, still staring at his feet.

“Please.” I say and my voice cracks because I’m trying not to cry. He slowly looks at me and my heart breaks when I see that his eyes are red and he’s holding back tears.

I let him walk towards me and take my face in his hands gently. I wrap my fingers around his wrists as he wipes a stray tear away.

“Maybe I’ll come visit sometime, okay?” I say for his benefit. He doesn’t nod or say anything. He just presses a kiss to my forehead and takes a few steps backwards.

“Have a safe flight, Y/N.” He says and I turn my back to him and walk away knowing that I will never look back.

--------

a/n: part 2?

[huggybug]

For the fic cale would be nice for his conn smyth!

the winner takes it all - cale makar

word count: 1.0k words

okay i couldn’t help it… two mini fics because cale and nate both deserve it. this is SO short i’m sorry but it’s simple and cute and i’m gonna go cry now

“Cale Makar, you’re absolutely insane” You grin when Cale’s cheeks turn red as he laughs.“Seriously, leave something for everyone else to win”

“Stop” Cale, bashful as ever, was blushing like crazy as you praised him.

“No, you’re a super star Caley” You continue to tease him as the team and their families swarm around you. The ice is full and Cale’s been dragging you around in search of his parents who you had lost as soon as you got down here.

You finally spot Taylor who’s running towards you, tackling his brother in a hug which knocks Cale’s hand out of yours. “Champs Baby!” Taylor yells and Cale laughs.

“Cale! You’re up for an interview” Nate skates up and you hug him as Cale leaves, heading in the direction of the reporters who have been cycling through the team. “He really won it all” Nate says quietly and you nod.

Nate had always been a guy Cale’s looked up to, ever since he started playing with the Av’s and it honestly made you proud of your boyfriend when the respect became a two way thing. The two guys have sang each other’s praises all season and you can tell it’s helped Cale probably just as much as it has Nate.

“He’s gonna give you a run for your money” You teased, poking his arm and Nate laughed loudly.

“I don’t doubt that”

You found Cale’s family and excused yourself from Nate, making your way back to where everyone was waiting for your boy. The energy around you was unreal, everyone that had been waiting for this moment whether it be the wives, parents, coaching staff, and the players themselves were all basking in it. It truly was the greatest feeling.

“Ready?” You look up to see Cale with the cup, grinning from ear to ear. The photographers are apparently waiting so you all gather around him, his parents on one side and you and Taylor on the other. They snap the photos and you’re pretty sure there’s some phones taking photos as well which you’ll have to hunt down later.

The cup’s passed onto the next guy who’s patiently waiting and once again, Cale’s family falls away leaving the two of you. “Hey, I don’t know if I’ve said it yet but I’m proud of you”

The awards and accolades he’s earned this season amazed you. The Norris Trophy itself was crazy but then to go on and win the Conn Smythe and the Stanley Cup all in one season, it was an understatement to say you were proud of him.

“Only about a thousand times” Cale smiled. You were his biggest supporter, always have been and always will be, ever since you met Cale when he played at UMass and then eventually followed him to Denver.

“Well get ready because you’re going to hear it all summer” You laugh when Cale rolls his eyes with a smile.

“I can’t believe it” He says after a beat of silence, “We actually did it, we got the cup and we’re gonna get the rings” You looked up to see stars in his eyes. Cale was the league’s prized possession, the young superstar that would pave the way for the new generation of players. While you didn’t doubt that for even a second, he was more than just that. He was your Cale, the boy who just wanted to play hockey and help his team out. He was the most selfless person and hockey player who deserved it all, which he did finally get.

“You sure did” You say quietly with a soft smile. He probably wasn’t even listening to you, it happened more often than not. When there was something big that he was trying to process, he’d speak out loud but not hear any response which you found endearing. It was like something this exciting was too much for him to wrap his mind around.

“I guess it’s only fair that you get one too” You furrow your eyebrows at him when he finally looks down at you.

“I don’t think that’s how it works… I think it’s just players and coaches. Maybe staff too I guess” You were trying to remember who actually got the championship rings, looking around the ice at all the different people who contributed to this season’s success.

“Different kind of ring” Cale tugs on your hand and you look back to find him down on one knee, right there on the ice in front of everyone.

“Cale…”

“We’ve been through it all together, I’ve gotten everything I’ve ever wanted except for one thing. I want you for the rest of my life so Y/n, will you marry me?” He fumbles with the ring in his hand, tilting it so it catches the light and you can feel tears pricking at the corner of your eyes.

“Yes!” Cheers erupt and you’re suddenly aware everyone is looking at you. Luckily, you’re more in the centre of the group, blocked from the view of fans so everyone that saw the actual proposal was your friends which made it all the more special. Cale slides the ring on before getting up to kiss you, raising you off the ice and spinning around.

“How are you going to outdo this next time?” You ask him, laughing as the guys swarm you both.

“Next time?”

“Engagement for this cup win, you’ve gotta do something for the next”

“Alright let’s not get too ahead of ourselves” Cale smiles, cheeks rosier than before if that’s even possible, “Let’s just enjoy this one”

“I love you and I promise, I’m not just with you because you win all the trophies” You wink while giggling, gazing down at your new gorgeous diamond ring.

“Good to know” Cale shakes his head but the ever-present smile tells you he’s happy as ever.

[fourteenerfic]

we three boys together clinging 5540 words, adult (NC-17) Nathan MacKinnon/Sidney Crosby/Cale Makar

Nate had invited him along to Europe like it was no big deal, like he would actually be disappointed if Cale said no. Turning down the offer hadn’t crossed Cale’s mind, honestly. Aside from the allure of summertime Nate up close, he hadn’t seen a beach in a minute.

Agreeing to go to Greece was a no brainer.

we three boys together clinging

[fredweasleysrightear]

Matilda

Cale Makar x GN!Reader

Based on the song “Matilda” by Harry Styles

TW: Talk of toxic family. Manipulation. Abusiveness. Angst. Fluff. 

Word Count: 3k

It's Y/N's 21st birthday, and instead of inviting their family, they only invite their friends. This causes some questions and concerns to arise amongst their friend group, only to soon discover the backstory for what caused this.

-

    As the clock ticked the pain in your chest began to hurt more. It's officially been 2 hours since you’ve been sitting here alone, you were sitting at your dining room table by yourself at 11 pm, on your 18th birthday. You were told they would be here, by they you mean your family. You got told your father had to stay at work for a few more minutes just to work on a project, and your mother was picking up your siblings and some groceries from the story that she had needed for dinner tonight. But it seemed as though you were somehow forgotten, how do you forget a child?

    Scooting the kitchen table chair out, you begin to get up to start putting your cake and plates away to head to bed. As you stand up you hear your front door unlocking, turning around you see your missing family barge in holding takeout boxes from your favorite restaurant. You roll your eyes and turn away to head back towards the kitchen.

“Y/N, Sorry were late. Your dad met us at the store and we had just decided to stop by someplace and grab some food, we picked you up some turkey in case you were hungry we figured you’d want to make a turkey sandwich!” Your mom says as she sets the bags of groceries onto the counter, unpacking them. 

“I thought we were going to celebrate, ya know… with cake and stuff and then head out to eat?” You question her, as you watch her closely.

“Shit, I completely forgot we were gonna do that. We could just do it next year right?” She says, glancing over towards your dad, not even bothering to look at you.

    You felt the tears start to well in your eyes, so you smile at her lightly before heading into your room and closing the door. You wished they didn’t treat you like this. Like you didn't matter, it was your 18th birthday. That's a milestone, you’re an adult now and they treated that like it was nothing. How can somebody treat somebody like this? Like they were nothing? And to just say they “forgot”?

-

    Fast forward three years and here you were, living alone with your cat, and pet Cactus. It didn’t bother you that much that you were no longer in contact with your family, only a little bit during the holidays and birthdays, but you celebrated with friends instead. None of them knew about the situation with your parents, you had just been telling them that your family went on a cruise every year for your birthday while you were away in college. They never questioned it, instead, they just thought it was rude to not invite you. You didn’t have the mental energy or emotion to tell them what went down, from forgetting birthdays to blaming things on you that had nothing to do with you to the toxicness of your household, it was too much for you to even handle, let alone tell people about. 

    If somebody was to ask your friends to describe you in one word, they would all say something along the lines of “warm”. None of them would dare call you a mean person, they didn’t even believe you had a mean bone in your body, you were the type of person to stay up on the phone and comfort somebody until they fell asleep, or even if you were upset you would hide it if someone was ever in need of comfort. You were selfless and warm, and you shined brighter than the sun. Or at least that's what Cale thought.

    Cale could never think bad of you, and he never has. One of those reasons was because you were a good person, and the second is because he had a crush on you, though he would never tell you that he always thought you could do so much better than him. Little did he know you also had a crush on him, but unfortunately like him, you would never tell him. Your group of friends could see. They saw the soft smiles, the little side glances, the look of worry when one of you was running late, and the blush that rested on your cheeks when speaking to each other. They’ve all considered making the two of you go on a blind date but instead decided to leave it alone. 

    You decided since today was your birthday you were going to treat yourself to something since it was always rough for you this time of year and since your friends had decided to throw you a small party it would work out perfectly. You made yourself an appointment to get your hair and nails done last week, so you did that today. After those appointments, you decided to head back home to get ready to go to the party, and seeing as Cale was going to be there you put a little bit of extra effort into your outfit for tonight.

    Time flew by as you were getting ready, and the next thing you knew you were on your way to your friend's house. Seeing as it was only 2 blocks away, you decided to instead just walk because why waste gas and more time when you could just walk. But seeing as you lived in Colorado, maybe it wasn’t going to be the best idea to walk back home late at night, though to be fair you would probably end up staying over at their house. As you walked towards your house you felt your phone buzzing in the palm of your hand, lifting it slightly you saw it was from your mother. You thought you had deleted her number? Why is she even texting you, you haven't spoken to her since you were 18, after finally becoming a legal adult you moved out of your house and moved to Colorado to pursue your dreams of going to college. 

    There were some choice words said that night, but all you could remember now were the words they had said to you as you walked out of the front door. You would never dare to say that to your child if you ever had one that was. You considered having children, maybe if you found the right person, but you would feel guilty bringing a child into this world. The fear of turning into your parents took over your body every time you thought about having kids, you didn’t want them to be raised or treated how you were raised and treated. Your siblings were favored over you, they took priority in their life, not you, you were like the bottom of their shoe. They didn’t treat you like their child. You were forced to pay rent to live in their house when you got your first job, which was at 16. They manipulated you into thinking this was normal, that all parents did this. You found out it was not normal, none of your friend's parents did this to them. After that you began to re-tract from them, saving up money and looking into jobs and apartments in different states. When you turned 18 and had enough money saved up, you left. 

       As you arrived at your friend's apartment, you took a deep breath before knocking on the door. Not even a second after you knocked the door swung open to reveal your friend. They had the biggest smile on their face. They pulled you into a hug before saying Happy Birthday and dragging you inside. When you got inside it was completely dark, you couldn’t even see where you were going, as you rounded the corner going into their kitchen the lights flipped on quickly, revealing all of your friends standing around the kitchen island yelling, “Surprise!”.

    You were shocked, nobody had thrown you a party before, this was a first. After hugging and thanking everyone you realized Cale had been missing, when you had spoken to him yesterday he told you he’d be here today, yet he wasn’t.

“Hey, did Cale say he was going to come?” You say towards your friend while looking around for him, just in case, he slipped in while you weren’t looking.

    Your friend proceeded to freak out internally, how could they explain why he wasn’t here? It would blow the surprise, so they lied, “Oh yeah um, he texted earlier letting me know he couldn’t make it, he had a…. thing.”

You felt your heart drop at the words. He had told you he’d be here, why would he lie, “Oh okay, I just wasn’t sure cause he told me he would be here, but if he's busy I get that.”, You say with a small smile, before walking away and going towards the kitchen.

    You feel your phone buzz again, you turn it over to see that your mom had texted you for the 15th time in a row.

“Call me.”, read the last message she had sent. You begin to feel your heart rate pick up, and your hands sweat. What could she want?

    You ignored the message as you put your phone into your pocket before walking back out into the living room with the rest of your friends. As you turn the corner into the living room you saw him, he made it. You can see your friend look at you out of the corner of their eyes as they quickly say something to Cale before walking away and going into the kitchen. You felt awkward, you weren’t sure what you were supposed to do, but out of the corner of your eye you saw Cale walking toward you, so you quickly started heading towards the couch to sit with the rest of your friends who were in the middle of an Uno game. 

    Cale felt a pang in his chest as he watched you turn away from him. He wasn’t sure why you did it, maybe you didn’t do it on purpose and you were just oblivious that you were walking away from him, either way, it kinda hurt him, even if you didn’t mean it. He leaned against the wall, listening to his surrounding friends attempt to talk to him as he watched you laughing at your friends getting angry over the simple card game, he always thought you had the most beautiful smile. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his friend shouting his name loudly causing everyone to look over at him, he felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. 

    He started paying attention to his friends until he heard somebodies phone start ringing, everyone stopped their conversations and turned their heads toward you. Your cheeks heated up in embarrassment as you grabbed your phone from your pocket and looked at the caller ID. You felt your heart drop as the caller ID spelled out the letters of your mother's name. You quickly stood up off the couch, looking at your friends sitting next to you and quickly saying something before turning to walk towards the front door.

    As you walked out the front door everyone started to resume their conversations, except for Cale. He was worried about you, he saw the look on your face when you looked at your phone. Was there something you weren’t telling him? Did you have a boyfriend? Hundreds of thoughts raced through his head. He felt himself starting to get jealous, and he wasn’t even sure why. He never told you he had a crush on you or even saw if you had any interest in him, but it didn’t even seem like you did. Maybe he should just back off? 

      After 5 minutes Cale started getting worried about you. You had been outside for a while, and it was nighttime in downtown Colorado. He excused himself from the conversation before heading towards the front door, as he opened the front door he could see you pacing back and forth on the sidewalk, holding the phone up to your face. He could see you were upset, your eyebrows were scrunched together, and he could see the tears welling in your eyes. He took a deep breath before he walked down the steps towards you. You didn’t see him or hear him walk outside, you were too busy getting yelled at on the phone with your mother. She had called to yell at you about being selfish, not coming back to New York to visit for your birthday. YOU weren't coming back to THEM on YOUR birthday. You couldn’t believe it, after not hearing from them for 3 years straight they suddenly call you out of the blue yelling at you, blaming you for causing them to be distressed that they didn't get to see their child on their birthday. 

    Cale watched from afar as you started crying, he wanted to run up to you and hold you but he couldn’t cross that line. He was scared you’d push him away, tell him you didn’t like him like that, and then leave. As he zoned out he began to feel useless, he wanted to know who was making you feel like this. He was also concerned at the fact that you were crying, he's never seen you cry, you've been friends for three years, and he's never seen you even show any emotion other than happiness. 

    Suddenly he heard somebody yelling, snapping him out of his trance, “I wish you were fucking dead, you’re a shitty human being and I’d rather call a toilet my daughter than I would, you.”. Those words had come from your mother.

    Cale had never snapped his head to look at you quicker than he ever has in his entire life. When he heard those words he quickly walked over to you, taking the phone out of your hands and hanging up. He shoved the phone into his pocket, and then wrapped his arms around you, bringing you into his chest as you started sobbing. As you started sobbing harder he began to move you towards the steps outside of your friend's apartment, sitting you down and then sitting next to you.

    Your mom had said some shitty things to you before, mostly telling you that you were a failure or that you were a horrible daughter, but never once had she ever told you that she wishes you were dead. It hurt. Even though you weren't their biggest fan, they were your parents, she gave birth to you. How could she ever say that? Especially over a birthday?

    You leaned into Cale’s side, sobbing as the words continued to process in your mind. Meanwhile, Cale was still in shock, he didn't know what to say. He was furious and sad all at once, how could they treat you like this, he doubts that you’ve done something terrible to upset them like this.

“Y/N, can you tell me what happened?” Cale says, questioning the crying person leaning into his side.

Y/N lets out a small whimper, “I didn’t go home for my birthday, and my mother was upset because of that and she started screaming at me, saying that she gave birth to me, raised me, and provided for me and I should be grateful and repay them.”

    Suddenly Cale’s sadness disappeared, quickly turning into anger, “You don’t owe them shit. She's wrong everything she said was completely wrong and 100% false.”

“I feel like a failure.” You sobbed out, wrapping your arms around him while continuing to lean into his side.

    He quickly put his arm around your back, shushing you while using his other arm to rub your shoulder, attempting to comfort you. He wasn’t good at this but he was going to try his best.

“It’s okay. You’re all right.” He says, in a hushed tone as you start to calm down after a few minutes.

 “Can I tell you something?”, It was now or never, Cale thought to himself as he stared at the empty street in front of him, showing the sunset perfectly behind the apartment buildings. 

    You looked up at him, nodding slightly before resting your head on his shoulder. You could get used to this, you like being this close to him, it was comforting. He made you feel warm and fuzzy inside. 

“You can let it go, your family. You can throw a party full of everyone you know. You don't have to invite your family, they never showed you love, and you don't have to be sorry for leaving and growing up. You've shown me a power that's strong enough to bring the sun to the darkest days. You don't have to go home. In other words, I know they won't hurt you anymore as long as you can let them go. You can start a family who will always show you love. You don't have to be sorry.” Cale says, kissing the top of your head after speaking.

    You take a deep breath while looking at the sunset in front of you, “Cale, I think I’m in love with you.”

-