#Elias Pettersson imagine

[ohmyeyesmyeyes]

flowers in the window - ep40

summary: elias pettersson x f!reader // inspired by this song! // just moments of your relationship with elias (each break has a timeskip of a few years)

warnings: mentions of drinking alcohol, reader can play the piano, fluff, i think there might be some tense mistakes at the start, panic attacks, anxiety, angst, swearing, , stress relating to teaching/work, mentions of dying alone, mentions of marriage, babies (+Quinn's fictional partner is called Kat!)

word count: 8.1k

You watched the slender fingers dance playfully over the keys, catching occasionally on the ebony, tapping out a random and entirely chaotic tune that had you trying not to smile at the attempt to pull something out of you – mostly anything to distract you from the lies Brock had fed you in order to promise your attendance, and to his efforts, it was working.

The loud chatter and bustling crowds were still on your mind, there was no doubt about that, but with your back to everything and your ‘peace-offering’ doing his best to distract you, it was starting to work. Although, it was hard to break the habit of looking at your watch every five minutes, knowing that you’d have to get out of bed early the next morning for work. In fact, it was that knowledge that made you reluctant to even attend this ‘small gathering’ in the first place, something Brock had taken in his stride and then proceeded to lie about.

Hence, the peace offering in the form of a very familiar Swede, who was a little too willing to get you to crack a smile for someone who didn’t usually do that kind of thing.

You shook your head at his obnoxious banging of keys, the sound hardly even heard over the voices behind you, and gently reached your own hands to tap his away as you played out a short snippet of something that at least sounded vaguely nicer than his nonsensical mess.

You could feel his eyes intently watching where you put your fingers, his own palms resting against the tops of his jean-clad thighs. The tune was one of the first ones you’d learnt as a kid: Für Elise, and although the notes of the piano were quieter due to the party-scene raging, you could tell Elias was still trying to commit your motions to memory, just further down on the piano.

His hands came to rest against the keys once more, head tilting back in your direction to where your own fingers were still poised over the correct keys, translating the pattern to his own hands. Back and forth, back and forth between his hands and yours, and his sheer concentration on getting his fingers in the correct place actually prompted a soft laugh from you.

Despite his focus on his hands, you saw the way the corner of his mouth quirked up at the sound, a triumphant little smile that stuck around until you began slowly playing the first couple of notes for him to copy – then it faded a little, upon the realisation that he couldn’t quite assemble his fingers and move them to the correct notes in the right order.

“Here.” You mumbled, scooching across what little space was left between you both, until your shoulders, hips and thighs were pressed together, and reached under his fingers to place your own hands.

His hands were a little cold, and almost without even intending to, your attention shot briefly to the sweating bottle of beer placed rightfully on a coaster on top of the lip to the piano, before shooting back down to your hands. His touch was delicate, as though he was half-hesitating on whether or not he should fully allow his weight to rest over the backs of your hands, and you pushed your hands a little further into the palms of his, encouraging him to place his fingers over the back of yours.

You lowered your fingers to the keys, ensuring to press slowly so the pattern would be easier to digest, and then stopped. When you tilted your head a little to gauge his reaction, his eyes were already fixed on you, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

He wasn’t even watching what you were trying to show him.

“I didn’t know you could play.” He said, lifting his hands from yours so you could remove yourself from his grip.

“I just know a few things.” You shook your head, dismissing his comment with a few melodic taps against the keys, drawing his attention from you to the piano under your hands, “How do you know I can play anyway, we can barely hear it over Brock’s racket?”

“I just…” He trailed off, his fingers tapping out what you’d shown him, before pausing. Your eyes snapped to his side profile, taking in the slight furrow of his brow and the slight part of his mouth when he got stuck on the next key.

You straightened on the bench, leaning over to move his fingers to the right keys, and, like a switch had been flicked, he seemed to relax, his fingers continuing as though he’d not had that small stumble in the first place.

“I guess it’s just blind faith.” He laughed a little under his breath, the avoidance of eye contact screaming everything he didn’t say, and you felt your face flush a little at the insinuation.

His honesty, no matter how long you’d known him or how long you’d been dating, never really failed to stun you. You weren’t sure if he knew what he was doing to you when he said things like that so effortlessly and so easily, and you felt your breath hitch a little in your chest.

No one really knew about you guys – Quinn definitely did, but that was only because he, quote, unquote: could just tell. Neither you or Elias were putting in much effort to hide your relationship, but it had slowly gotten to the point where Brock was trying to set you guys up with other people; at first it was a little amusing, but as the weeks drifted by and he still remained insistent in the matter, it became less endearing.

Though, there had been many times where Brock had done or said something that might have hinted at him knowing something. For instance, today’s ‘peace offering’ came in the form of Petey sitting by himself, his back to the party and his elbow draped across the shut lid as he drafted a text to you and it wasn’t the first time Brock had used Petey as a selling point whenever you were sceptical of going out.

You inhaled, blinking away from him, “Noted.”

He nudged you with his elbow teasingly, “Are you turning red?”

You rolled your eyes fondly, shaking your head, “Give me a song.”

“Uh,” he leant his head back slightly in thought, “do you know the Blinding Lights intro?” He quirked a brow in your direction, blue eyes staring straight into yours with a softness you’d learnt was mostly reserved for you.

You swallowed, “Yeah, I can try to…just give me a minute.” You tapped on a few keys, trying to match it to the intro you knew, vaguely aware of Elias’s intent gaze now locked on you, a far cry from the subtlety he usually reserved for you in public settings.

It was partially why you weren’t surprised when his phone buzzed on top of the piano, a message notification from Brock. He sighed audibly, you continuing to play around with the keys, and swiped the notification open, sneakily tilting his phone in your direction when he read the screen.

You pretended to keep playing, your eyes now taking in the message, before rolling your eyes with an amused smile.

Brock Canucks: When I start kicking people out it doesn’t apply to you guys

“I knew he’d regret inviting this many people.” You muttered, your attention suddenly getting stolen by a wet nose nudging your leg. Your hands flew off the piano, reaching down to show Milo some love, before hauling him up to sit on your knee.

Fifteen minutes later all three of you had migrated to the couch, all seemingly a little too tired to be actively engaged in the conversation Brock had instigated with Quinn and JT. Elias had shivered when he’d sat down, the sudden loss of the crowd sending the temperature plummeting in Brock’s apartment and subsequently doing nothing to shield his bare arms in his short-sleeved t-shirt. 

You hadn’t said anything to him, just thrown the blanket you knew to rest across the back of the couch across both your laps, and watched him settle his head snugly against your ribs, the blanket pulled right up to his chin and his legs kicked out across the carpet. Milo had somehow buried himself under the blanket too, his nose tucked under Elias’s chin and body draped across the both of you, acting as a living, breathing hot water bottle.

After a while, though, Elias’s hand stroking Milo’s head had slowed, and his eyes had fluttered closed after a yawn, and from your higher position, you could just make out the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. You didn’t know if it was because he was already exhausted before he even left the house, or the combination of alcohol, warmth and the gentle sweep of your fingers across the bridge of his nose and cheekbones that had sent him over the edge, but you’d made sure the latter was hidden from his teammates by the lump of Milo’s body. 

Brock must have seen, though, but he hadn’t said anything, just smiled.

***

It was a knock at the door that had you peering over the top of your laptop screen to share a confused glance with Petey. His hand momentarily tightened on your calf when he turned around to glance at the front door, turning back to you with a ‘what the hell?’ look pasted on his face.

“Are we expecting anyone?” You asked, snapping the lid of your laptop shut and swinging your legs out of Elias’s lap to put the laptop on the coffee table.

It was always a shock when someone knocked on your apartment door, mostly because the only people who could essentially get that far in the building were people that lived there, otherwise security would have buzzed up. Needless to say, when that person knocked again, you were both propelled so quickly off the sofa that your newly-adopted dog startled awake and eagerly followed you both on your heels as you rushed to the door, slipping slightly in your socks.

It was Elias that managed to slide to the door quicker, rolling his eyes and immediately retreating back to the couch after peeking through the peephole. You watched him with a frown, the dog between you both snapping his head back and forth, eventually settling for rejoining the Swede on the cushions once more.

“Who…” You started, immediately understanding the lack of enthusiastic reaction when it was Brock on the other side of the door, pink-cheeked and looking a little nervous.

“Hi.” You threw open the door with a friendly smile, a hand coming to rest on your hip as Brock seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

“Hey, sorry to barge in here unannounced,” he started, stuffing his hands in his pockets, stepping into the apartment when you opened the door to let him in. He seemed to scan the entire room, the worried crease between his brows disappearing when he couldn’t see Elias, who, rather rudely, had hidden himself on the sofa, not a single socked foot or hair visible from where Brock seemed to lead you over to the kitchen island, “I just need to talk to you now Petey’s not here.”

Your eyes zipped to the sofa, a little suspicious but entirely too invested in the anticipation to even bother correcting Brock – probably at his own expense, but you had no issue dealing with any potential fallout later.

He rifled through your cupboards, not saying anything else until he’d pulled out a glass and filled it with water from the tap, before turning to you and gesturing to the island stool, a nervous expression on his face.

You swallowed, a sudden pebble of dread settling in your stomach as you took the seat, too apprehensive to tease him for making himself at home.

“So…” he started, clearing his throat, before deciding to take a sip of water.

“You’re kind of freaking me out–”

“It’s nothing bad, I swear.” He interrupted, spluttering slightly as his cheeks coloured, “In fact, it’s really good.”

You blinked, a little unsure, “Okay.”

“Thank you.” He said, a little breathlessly and with an air of finality, an awkward smile on his face. 

You blinked, expecting him to elaborate, but when all he did next was take another sip of water, you felt your face contort into a confused frown. You’d known Brock for years, he’d been the one to introduce you and Petey in the first place, but even after finding out about you two, he’d never acted weirder than he was now. He was tetchy, out of breath and pink – the latter wasn’t exactly unusual for him, but combined with the other two things? 

Concerning.

“What for?” You asked, folding your arms against the countertop. 

There was a clacking of paws and a chinkling of a collar making its way towards where you and Brock were in the kitchen, and you instinctively reached a hand down, a wet nose greeting the inside of your palm before wandering over to nudge Brock in the leg.

He bent down, using the interruption as a reprieve from answering your question, “Hey, girl.” He cooed, scratching Tuesday behind the ears until her attention had dwindled and she silently padded back to the sofa, disappearing from sight once more as she presumably curled up against Elias once more.

Brock cleared his throat, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, “Um…I don’t know how to say it.”

You inhaled, pursing your lips, “Right.” There was a pause, neither of you quite knowing where to go from there, “Just say what you’re thinking and then correct it if it doesn’t sound right.”

He nodded, running a hand through his hair, “I guess I just wanted to thank you for loving Petey the way you do, and I know that’s a weird thing to thank someone for, because a thank you implies that it’s some kind of chore, which it isn’t but…It’s comforting to know my best friends are happy with each other and have someone looking out for them.” He took a breath, watching you carefully, “I think it’s kinda weird, actually, because I remember this one time distinctly before he met you and he’d had quite a lot to drink, he ended up talking about how he was probably gonna die alone, so it’s just nice to know that that’s not the case. Also, you guys are good together. Just wanted to say that because I don’t think I’ve ever said how glad I am that you found each other when you did.”

The only thing you could truly register was the pounding of your heart against your sternum. That, and the way your jaw seemed to have dropped as you took in everything Brock was saying. It was a lot.

“Oh.” Was all you could say, entirely too overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation for the man in front of you, his hands clenching and unclenching as though he wasn’t sure if he should approach you or not, to even get anything else out.

“Are you okay?” He asked softly, leaning his head down to get a look at your face. When he realised you weren’t in the least bit upset at what he’d said, he seemed to relax, an easy smile making its way onto his face.

There was a distant shuffle from somewhere behind you, and you saw Brock’s eyes dart to the sofa, mouth immediately setting itself into a hard line as his head dipped down mid-sigh. It was pretty easy to guess what he’d figured out when his eyes swung back to you, now shooting a sheepish smile in his direction, “Is he over there?” He mouthed, and it was the slight wince in his features that you took pity on, shaking your head.

“He’s asleep.” You lied, voice loud enough to make sure Elias would get the memo in case Brock decided to do some investigating of his own, “And I’m fine, I just wasn’t expecting you to say all of that.”

He shrugged, buying your excuse, “It needed to be said.”

You reached a hand across the counter to lovingly pat his own, “Thank you.”

He smiled, exhaling, “I promise my speech will be better at your wedding.” He grinned cheekily, clearly getting a jab in at Elias where he could, and you simply rolled your eyes, unable to help breathing a laugh at him.

Brock’s eyes flickered back to the couch, before settling on you, your cheeks a little pinker at his insinuation. You didn’t correct him, there wouldn’t be much of a point – marriage had been talked about so often between you and Elias that the nerves surrounding the entire thing were little to none. You had plans, and Brock was aware of those plans. It still didn’t stop him teasing the both of you every now and then.

Yet, because you and Elias had talked about it, it also meant you were privy to some information that Brock wasn’t – not that he knew any better when it came to your word.

“What makes you think you’re going to be the best man?” You asked, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

He blinked, before tilting his head, “I’m not?”

He was. Maybe.

You shrugged coyly, enjoying the furrow in his brow and his stuttering, “Well, who is if not me?” His voice was shrill with disbelief, perhaps verging on being a little bit panicky – as though he hadn’t ever thought of the possibility of not being the best man, and you felt a stab of guilt at his sudden change in demeanour, “Is it Quinn?”

And because he looked so heartbroken at the possibility, you couldn’t not tell him a partial truth; the only thing stopping you was the tiny likelihood of Elias changing his mind, “I don’t know, we haven’t actually talked about that.” Was what you settled for.

He nodded, relaxing almost immediately. It was difficult to miss the way his gaze darted to the empty space on your left ring finger, brows twitching.

You leant across the counter, mindful to lower your voice so Elias couldn’t overhear, “Do you know something I don’t?” You whispered, eyes wide. You could feel your pulse pounding in your ears when he shrugged, trying not to smile at you.

“I love what you’ve done with the place.” He said loudly, pointedly looking everywhere but at you, which did nothing but tell you more than his avoidance on the matter did.

You said nothing, but delighted in the new slip of information, unable to help laughing at the blonde in front of you, “You know we haven’t redecorated since we moved in.”

Brock smiled, “How long ago was that, again? Two years?”

“Three.”

“Ah.” His smile didn’t waver, though there was an added layer of mischief, one which had you squinting curiously in his direction.

He was hinting at something, that much was for certain.

“Right.” He sighed, sticking his hands in his pockets and shrugging, fully aware of the seed he’d just planted in your mind, “I best get going. Coolie and Milo can only be away from me for so long until they get separation anxiety, so…It was nice to see you.” He trailed off, making his way to the door, you not too far behind.

He stopped in the doorway, the wall shielding him from any blonde Swede potentially watching from his seat, and turned to you with a gentle, genuine smile on his face, “He’s not asleep, is he?”

You shook your head, “No.”

“Give Petey my love.” Brock said, once more loud enough for Petey to have heard him, and he wasted no time in wrapping you up in a brief hug.

“Thanks for what you said, it means a lot.” You mumbled, “Love you too, y’know?”

He pulled away, “Yeah, I know.”

“I’ll see you next week?” You asked hopefully, Brock opening the door and stepping out into the hallway, hands tucked securely in his pockets as he nodded.

“See you.”

As soon as you shut the door, you found yourself making your way back to the couch with some urgency, only to falter at the sight of Tuesday draped across Elias’s torso, her nose tucked into his shoulder as he hugged her to him. His eyes were open, and there was a rueful smile on his face that remained, even when you sat on the edge of the coffee table and folded your arms, attempting to look a little annoyed.

“So…” You started, tilting your head.

“So…” He echoed, pursing his lips in an effort not to laugh.

“We have really good friends.” 

He just nodded, one hand absent-mindedly rubbing across Tuesday’s back.

“Almost too good, I mean, you could argue Brock’s loyalty lies more towards me than you.” You looked away from him pointedly, disappointed that the coffee table was too low for you to start swinging your legs, and when you looked at him out of the corner of your eye, he’d perked up a little.

There was a small crease between his brows, and the sheepish smile on his lips had vanished, his suspicion piqued at your words.

“What did he say?”

“Well,” you shrugged sarcastically, “you’d know if you didn’t choose to ignore him at the door.”

He groaned, lifting a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, “In my defence, Quinn sent me a text telling me if I saw Brock and he came in asking for you, to make myself scarce. I’d have said something if he hadn’t initially asked if I was there.” He sighed, turning to you, “Now, what did he say?”

“Nothing I didn’t already know.”

***

You were pacing, hand against your chest in a futile attempt to calm your racing heart and the crush of dread coursing through your veins. You’d ended up in this situation a little too often lately for comfort: on the verge of a panic attack at the mere thought of your job. It certainly wasn’t a good sign. Not only that but it was terribly inconvenient, too.

You were at some gala Elias had been invited to along with a few other teammates, and all it had taken was for a well-meaning, polite ‘so, what do you do?’ from a kind stranger for everything to come crashing down. You’d answered easily, trying to ignore the way the world seemed to fall away at the time, but almost as soon as you’d answered, you’d excused yourself and shut yourself in one of the farthest rooms from where the event was taking place.

This was the fourth time these mini-panic attacks had happened – though, three out of four times you’d managed to calm yourself down to a sensible enough composure and prevent it from ever reaching the ‘panic or heart attack?’ stage that you’d dealt with the first time.

Elias didn’t know about them. No one knew – but this time you just knew you were going to have to come clean because the truth of the matter was that you were having a hard time, and Elias knew you were, but you didn’t talk about it, and you knew he was worried for you. You’d caught him looking at you differently lately, and if you were being honest, the longer you left it before you told him, the worse it’d get, and that wouldn’t be good for anyone – least of all you.

Your chest was aching, and even despite your hand massaging the tenderness, it did little to ease the pain.

The door creaked open slowly, and you stopped pacing, still continuing to inhale and exhale steadily as you watched it carefully, anticipating someone to clearly stick their head through the door–

“Thank fuck, what are you doing here?” You seemed to recognise his voice before your brain could comprehend his blonde buzzcut and piercing eyes, and the anxiety bubbling away under your skin seemed to react accordingly, prickling a little as the heaviness momentarily spiked.

He’d never seen you like this: every time you’d had these little episodes he hadn’t even been in the house, or you were hiding in a closet in the school away from everyone, and for a second you were scared of what he’d think of you. 

Only, when he stepped further into the room and shut the door behind him, all that self-consciousness seemed to melt away when he immediately clocked onto the way your hand was rubbing insistently at your chest. You couldn't even imagine what your face looked like, but you knew your eyes would be rimmed red (you absolutely refused to cry because you’d spent a long time getting ready for this, and ruining your makeup at this point would only make things worse), and that alone was enough for him to say something.

You frowned, not hearing anything but the rushing of blood in your ears, and then you were worried for him. He was looking at you, and you couldn’t remember if he’d ever looked at you with such concern before. If he had, you were almost certain you’d never seen it, but if he hadn’t, that meant that he knew something was very, very wrong.

Sometimes you really didn’t know why you underestimated his ability to read you and to know you as well as he did, because it was beginning to get to the point where he could read you more often than he couldn’t, and you were exhausting any possible methods of trying to hide things from him, because, as usual, he’d begin to see through those behaviours too.

“Huh?” You asked, a little breathlessly.

He hesitated, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides as though he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself, “What’s wrong?” He repeated, looking so utterly serious that you suddenly had the urge to laugh.

You didn’t, though. In fact, your face barely moved from what it looked like, and you were too overwhelmed to even think about wondering what it looked like, because your heart was racing and panic still had an iron grip on your heart, and you were sure you were rubbing the skin on your chest red with the heel of your hand, but if you stopped, you had the bizarre notion that things would only worsen.

“I…” You started, swallowing and inhaling sharply. It was difficult to look him in the eyes and say what you wanted to say, what you’d planned to say, and even though you could just tell he had a million questions on the tip of his tongue, he was going to great lengths to keep them at bay for your sake, and you loved him even more for it in that moment.

His eyes drifted to your hand, and you looked away – there was a painting on the wall and if you focused on that…You didn’t even know, but it felt right to focus on that.

“Can I touch you?” He asked softly, and you nodded, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth, eyes fixated on the painting.

It looked like it could be a replica Monet.

He seemed to breathe a quiet sigh of relief, and before you had time to think about it, his cold hands came to close around yours, and you stopped rubbing your chest, a shaky exhale passing your lips. You had no idea if he could feel your heart hammering wildly, and if he could he made no move to show it.

His cold hands felt nice against your burning skin. Some of the pain alleviated a little, and the tightness eased – not completely, it was still there – but the cold touch was heavenly. Against your own will, you felt your eyes flutter shut.

“This isn’t the first time this has happened, is it?” He whispered, and you shook your head, concentrating on your breathing. Calming an erratic heart rate was hard when it mattered, though it was undoubtedly easier with someone else to distract you a little bit.

He didn’t say anything in reply, but his hands squeezed yours and this time you felt it within yourself to manage words.

“How’d you know that?” You whispered, peeling your eyes open slowly. 

His lips twitched upwards a little bit after you looked at him, a small triumph in the grand scheme of things, but you couldn’t quite reciprocate it just yet. Though, when you asked the question, it seemed to flicker and he fell back into that concerned stare, the smile melting completely off his face, “You were already doing breathing techniques.”

You nodded.

“This room’s cute.” He mumbled, turning his head.

It was the first time you’d noticed it, actually. There were windows on your left, and you could see the view from the building: the event wasn’t that high up, but from where you were standing the building directly opposite the street was much smaller, meaning you could see for a couple of blocks around. The sun was beginning to set, and the orange light was reflecting off the glass, and you knew if it had been under any other circumstance, you’d have thought this room to be a little romantic. The paintings certainly helped, but the wooden shelves seemed to ruin the whole mood. 

Still, you agreed with him. Partly because it did help to take your mind off everything, and partly because you knew the engagement would help him too. It was a win-win.

“I think that painting’s a Monet one.” You muttered, using your free hand to point over his shoulder. He kept his own securely wrapped around the one pressed to your chest, and turned to look.

“Looks like it.” He paused, before turning to look at it again, “It’d look good in our living room, don’t you think?”

You pulled a face, “Nah, it’ll clash with the walls.”

“And for that reason, it’d be a solid pick for Brock’s taste.”

This time you laughed – it felt a bit pathetic, but the endorphins helped ease the tension everywhere, and with a bout of relief, the tightness seemed to fade further, and your heart rate decreased, and you found you could actually hear the event down the hall; you could smell the woody scent of the room, and how it must have grown stronger in the warmth, and you could smell Elias’s aftershave. 

The latter felt like a soft nudge in the ribs, one of nostalgia, like your brain saying ‘hey, we know that smell, it means good things’, and with that your shoulders relaxed.

“Sorry.” You said, your head still a little fuzzy.

“Don’t apologise–”

“I should have told you.”

He shook his head, but didn’t say anything. If he was being honest, he didn’t know what to say in this kind of situation.

“It’s work.” You continued, taking another deep breath; the hand on your chest flexed, and Elias took the hint, unravelling his hands, only for you to still grab ahold of one. You needed it, especially if you were about to talk about the very thing that sent you into this panic in the first place, “The new head of department is…He’s really unhelpful, not approachable, and a fucking dick, like…” you breathed a bitter laugh, beginning to feel your eyes water, “He’s changed the entire department’s structure, doubled the amount of practicals and added new stuff and I’ve been trying to plan new lessons in the middle of the lessons because I’m not allowed to work overtime and get it done then, which is why I’ve been doing it at home. And half the department’s off with stress already, so I’ve been teaching food, too, on top of textiles, and…” You took a breath, realising Elias already knew half of what you were saying, but he was still listening as intently as he would have done the first time you’d said it, “He’s friends with the Principal, too, so even if I wanted to complain about him it wouldn’t get very far.”

He inhaled sharply, “He’s friends with the Principal?” 

“Unfortunately, yeah.”

“Fucking hell.” He groaned like someone had just shot down the only idea in his arsenal for this conversation, “I knew it was bad, but I didn’t know it was that bad.”

“Um…I had a plan, like what I was going to tell you, but I can’t remember that now because I obviously wasn’t expecting this to happen now.” You laughed a little, even despite yourself, but it lacked energy, and it was strangely empty. 

Elias tilted his head, brows knitting together, and he sighed sadly, his thumb tracing across the back of your hand. And because you knew him, you knew that keeping this huge thing from him hurt him. He didn’t show it outwardly, though, not intentionally, “You know you don’t need a plan with me, right?” 

You felt your chin wobble – completely out of your control, “Ye–You’re gonna make me cry, and I spent hours on–”

“-Your makeup, yeah. Come here.” He used your interlocked hands as leverage to pull you into him, your chin resting on his shoulder thanks to your heels, and you sniffed, once more turning to focus on the painting behind him, trying to ward off possible tears.

“I’m gonna book a Doctor’s appointment and get a sick note, I don’t know how long for, and I’m gonna take some time off to figure it out, y’know, maybe it’ll be okay if I move schools, or–or maybe I don’t want to be a teacher anymore, I don’t know.” You trailed off, squeezing your eyes shut.

Teaching had been a large chunk of your career, and you knew it was a big bomb to drop in probably not the best moment: his team were outside, as were important donors and sponsors, and here you were, shut in a room together, because maybe the degree you went to college for wasn’t actually something you were meant to do, and everyone around you had these big plans, ambitions for their futures, and you didn’t. You hated your job, now. Most mornings you’d get up and have to fight with yourself to just get ready for school, and the more you thought about it, the more you knew you should have told him sooner.

“That’s okay, y’know? It’s okay.” Was all he said, his arms wrapped securely across your shoulders, “It’s okay if you don’t want to go back into teaching, too.”

You almost started crying then and there, but you held off, “I don’t know what I’d do, though.”

He shrugged, “You don’t have to do anything.”

There was a thinly veiled insinuation there, one that he’d made before, mostly as a reassuring joke, but to say it in this moment, to say it now, you knew he wasn’t joking anymore. Maybe he hadn’t ever been joking.

“I think I’d go crazy if I didn’t do anything.” 

He huffed a laugh, “We don’t have to think about that yet, though.”

“I should’ve told you.” He’d have helped make you feel better, perhaps take some of the weight off your shoulders.

“You told me now. There’s no point dwelling.”

“I can feel a ‘but’ coming…”

“Not a ‘but’, but…” you both huffed a laugh, “Part of my job, not as a hockey player, but as your boyfriend is to help you with this kind of thing. We share the load, right?” 

“Yeah.”

You stood like that for a while, until your breathing and heart calmed, until the pain in your chest subsided, and until it looked like you weren’t about to start crying.

“Do you want to go home?” Elias mumbled into your hair, ever patient.

“Not yet. We should stay for a bit longer.”

He hummed, the vibration ticking the skin on your forehead, “You wanna stay here for a bit longer or go back in?”

“Stay here. Five minutes.”

***

Elias was a little nervous at exactly what would happen when Quinn would come down the steps with his brand new baby girl in his arms, but admittedly not for the reasons anyone would expect. He’d held newborn babies before, Quinn wasn’t the first teammate to have a child and he certainly won’t be the last – no, Elias wasn’t worried about that.

His apprehension stemmed from something inside his own mind, a paranoia of sorts. You guys had been together for six years and married for two, and so he knew the expectations of the natural order to follow after that much time together. It was only typical for people to assume that kids were the next thing: his own parents were bad enough, asking when they were going to get a grandbaby on their hands, and if he was being honest, Elias felt like everyone was looking at him for it.

Which was illogical, because not only was no one looking at him; he knew the teasing was utterly and completely harmless…only, the more he got chirped for it, the more he seemed to doubt his own thoughts.

He was thirty now. You guys had talked about having kids in your future, they were on the cards, but he didn’t want them yet. He guessed he was lucky in the fact that you didn’t either, but he was afraid that baby Lily Hughes, with her little fists and chubby legs, would change his mind.

And a change of mind was the last thing Elias wanted. If he was being completely honest, he wouldn’t mind having kids right now – he was broody, he was starting to pay more attention to names and clothes, and he felt a pang of something in his chest when he’d see his teammates with their kids at the family skate sessions. Yet, the one thing holding him back the most was his career.

When he eventually has kids of his own, he doesn’t want to leave both you and your child at home for weeks on end whilst he was off skating fuck knows where. He didn’t think he could do that; it was already hard leaving you alone, but there was something so utterly heart-wrenching about the thought of adding a child into that mix.

He’d be a fucking mess. The guilt? The loneliness? He’d miss his family too much.

But, there was a little voice in the back of his mind, known as Kris Letang – or rather, words that he’d spoken and Elias had read once upon a time – telling him that maybe it wouldn’t be all that bad if he had a child that grew up understanding and appreciating what it was he did. 

The idea of taking a mini-you and mini-him to those family skating sessions sounded like an absolute dream. As did having a little one behind the boards at his games, and a plethora of other things, too.

And to top it all off, he was standing in his best friend’s living room, staring at the cards and flowers in the window, you upstairs and out of sight at Kat’s bedside, and everything he’d tried to bottle was coming to the surface and he essentially had absolutely nothing to stop it.

Except–

“Hey,” Quinn pushed open the door, Elias’s attention snapping to the bundle of blankets in his arms, “Lily, meet your Uncle Petey.” Quinn cooed, face alight with utter joy as he positioned the baby girl in his arms for Elias to peer down–

Oh.

Oh.

Elias swallowed, something in chest melting at the brown eyes blinking wearily up at him and little fists struggling in the air. 

She’s gorgeous.

“I know, right?” Quinn breathed, watching Petey’s reaction with glistening eyes.

Had he said that out loud? 

He had no time to dwell on it before Quinn was talking again, “You wanna hold her?”

He felt himself nodding before he even thought about speaking, and Quinn carefully, slowly, gently lifted Lily into Elias’s waiting arms, adjusting his arms to support her head. Elias blinked, registering the warmth seeping into his arms from the blankets, the weight in his arms almost too light to be an entire human being – she was so tiny.

She wasn’t that much bigger than his entire hand.

He traced a finger so gently across her cheek, unable to really realise that Quinn was laughing at him as he wandered into the kitchen to get a start on making some coffees. 

In fact, Elias couldn’t really look away until he heard your footsteps coming down the stairs. Only then was he able to realise that he hadn’t even moved from his spot when Quinn had handed him Lily initially. Though, when he took a quick glance down at her, her eyes were shut, mouth open a little as she slept, and he seemed to fall even deeper down the rabbit hole of what-the-fuck-I-might-want-a-baby.

That was how you found him when you finally entered the living room: standing as still as humanly possible by the window, his gaze locked firmly on the bundle in his arms and something in his entire demeanour that had you sharing a rather bewildered glance with Quinn, who was blinking tiredly from where he’d sat down on the couch.

Despite Petey’s clear hesitancy to move in fear of waking her up, he looked strangely natural holding Lily with such care and adoration. You didn’t say anything or approach him, but you did take a seat next to Quinn.

“You did good.” You whispered, a smile on your face, “She’s gorgeous.”

He grinned, “I know.”

“Is anyone else coming today or are we your last visitors?”

His eyes zipped to the clock on the mantelpiece, “You guys are the last ones for today. We’ve got the grandparents tomorrow.”

“Grandparents.” Then, after a brief pause, “It feels so surreal that you’re a Dad now. A good surreal, but…”

“Weird?” He offered, and you nodded, “You know what’s next?”

You hummed, feeling his foot nudge your leg playfully, “What?”

“Baby Peteys.” 

You rolled your eyes, “We’ll see.”

You nodded your head in the direction of Elias, who still had his back to you, and Quinn smiled in understanding, letting you go. 

“Hi.” You mumbled into Elias’s shoulder, resting your cheek against him and looking at baby Lily asleep.

“Hi,” he greeted back, and you could feel the heat of his eyes on the side of your face as you stroked her cheek, your nose scrunching up in a managed reaction to her cuteness when she stirred. Gosh, she was too cute. Elias must have been thinking the same thing, because just as you thought those words, he was talking, “She’s so cute.”

You breathed a quiet laugh, “Of course she’s cute, look at her parents.”

“Quinn isn’t cute.” He teased, throwing his head back and winking at his friend with humour, before turning back to you, “Baby cuddles?”

You shook your head, “I had baby cuddles upstairs.” You rubbed his arm, “I think we need to go–”

“Already? We just got here.” Elias protested, pulling his mouth downwards much to your amusement.

“I know, but they’re tired. It’s only been four days, they need some time to themselves without having to wait on other people.”

It didn’t come as much of a shock when the first thing he said after shutting the door behind him was “I think we should talk when we get back”.

***

You hope the blonde stays forever, and with Elias’s Swedish genes and being very blonde himself, you had a feeling that was going to be the case, because Hanna’s almost white hair peeking out from under her pink bucket hat, still a little damp from the seawater, was just too adorable to cope with.

She was every bit Elias’s twin, and it was so hilariously obvious when they were sitting side by side, Hanna in her high chair and Elias with one arm draped over the back of it, conversing with her unintelligible baby babble with a sweet grin on his face only ever reserved for her. She had his deep blue eyes and an adorably infectious giggle, even as he playfully swiped suncream across her face.

“It’s such a lovely day–”

“Sea!” Hanna yelped, a chubby arm almost smacking Elias in the face as she pointed to the blue sparkling water over the decking of the restaurant, the word startling both you and Elias into a dumbfounded silence.

You swallowed, sharing a look with him, and a smile broke onto your face at the way he seemed so utterly speechless; his mouth was parted slightly, and his eyes were wide and before he could regain his senses, you leant across the table, successfully garnering Hanna’s attention from where her arm was still outstretched and her eyes were fixed on Elias.

“Baby, can you say that again for us?” You asked, heart melting when she blinked and reached to grab a small chunk of cut up apple from her bowl.

Elias seemed to snap out of his shock because he pointed to the water over his shoulder, “Sea.”

Hanna stuffed the piece of apple into her mouth, head swivelling back and forth between you and Elias with an adorable blend of confusion and curiosity, seemingly refusing to say anything else after a heavy pause filled with a kind of excited anticipation, the both of you wanting nothing more than for her to repeat what she just said.

You’d had these heart-stopping moments on a few occasions now, where Hanna would say something that sounded like a word and point to something that could be related to what she’d said, but she’d yet to repeat it. 

Technically, her first word was ‘woof’, though arguably it wasn’t really much of a word, but she had been pointing to a dog at the time, which kind of made you think that she had some level of understanding about what was being said around her, but…it could be a fluke.

Elias groaned jokingly, ducking his head down only to be attacked by a little palm patting the top of his cap, before looking back up at you, a slightly bewildered look on his face. 

It was nice to see him unwind after the chaos of the end of the Canucks’ season; Stanley Cup winners the year before meant that the expectation of possibly winning again this year was pretty high, mostly for Quinn (as much as he tried to deny it), but you could also tell it had taken its toll on Elias, too. It was mainly the questions from reporters repeatedly asking them what they were gonna do to help maintain their win streaks, and answering the same questions paired with unsolicited criticism from fans and almost every other person in the conference rooms that was so exhausting.

They hadn’t won this year, much to everyone’s dismay, but they’d held on until the seventh game of the third round of the play-offs.

Needless to say, a break to Sweden to see his family was definitely a good choice if the constant grinning was anything to go by. 

“What is it?” Elias asked, a knowing glint in his eye as he adjusted the hat on Hanna’s head.

You hadn’t even realised you’d been staring, but there wasn’t a single part of you that felt embarrassed by having been caught in the act: you’d known each other for so long now that things like getting caught admiring each other was an honest blessing. He knew why you were staring, you knew why you were staring; it was hard not to stare most of the time when Elias always looked so good, but there was something about the way he seemed to radiate pure joy when he was around Hanna (and you – but that went without saying) that always seemed to captivate your whole attention.

Moments like that were worth the difficult goodbyes and the time apart and the rough nights.

You just shook your head, resting your cheek on your fist, “Nothing.”

There was an unreadable expression on his face, but the slight squint of his eyes told you everything you needed to know, before you were sighing, eyes zipping to Hanna, because whilst you weren’t bothered about getting caught staring, it didn’t mean you don’t still get nervous when he divided his entire attention to you, “You look really happy right now.” Was what you settled for.

He softened, a smile melting onto his face as he moved one of his hands to the middle of the table to take yours so he could place a delicate kiss on the inside of your wrist, “I am.”

[laurenairay]

Lately you've been on my mind - E. Pettersson

I’m jumping in as a pinch-hitter as part of @wyattjohnston’s winter fic exchange, with an Elias Pettersson story for @typical-simplelove! I really hope you enjoy this Claudia– I had a lot of fun creating something from the prompts you gave me, and I was just so inspired that I wrote it all in one day! And thank you Demi, for being a sounding board for me as I put together my ideas.

Summary: Brock Boeser is the ultimate match maker – he knows he is. And he is determined to set his friends up.

a.k.a. you and Elias are both friends with Brock, and keep finding yourselves in moments alone.

Words: 4.9k

Warnings: idiots to lovers, self-doubt, Brock is a meddler

Title from: Adore you, by Harry Styles

~

2019 was already shaping up to be a fantastic year. The sun was shining brightly, the January air was crisp and cold, and you had Spanish Banks dog park essentially to yourself, seeing that it was excruciatingly early in the morning.

But damn if the views of the North Shore mountains weren’t worth it. Your dog seemed to agree, with the way he was running up and down the sand. You’d lived in Vancouver all your 20 years so far, still living with your parents where you’d decided not to go to university, and it was moments like this that reminded you just how fortunate you were.

Your peace and quiet lasted for all of another half an hour before you heard enthusiastic barking from behind you. Recalling your dog to your side – which only took a couple of attempts, which was an improvement – you turned your head to see what was coming your way, only to freeze at the guy you saw walking towards you.

A guy that was clearly the up-and-coming star of your family’s favourite sports team, the Vancouver Canucks. Brock Boeser, in the flesh.

“Hey, sorry for interrupting your quiet.”

His smile tightened slightly when he realised you clearly knew who he was, with whatever your face was doing, but you quickly shook your head to reassure him. No, he was here just the same as you, to walk his dog. You could be cool with that.

“It’s a beautiful off-leash park – it would be a shame not to share it,” you shrugged, smiling back at him.

Brock immediately relaxed, easy a tension you didn’t realise you had.

“Who’s this beautiful pup, hm?”

“This is Bailey. I’ve had him, like, three months now? He’s only 18 months old so he’s still learning not to jump up, but he tries his best,” you mused.

“He’s perfect…”

Yes, Brock was definitely a dog person.

“…a border collie, right?”

“Yeah that’s right. He was abandoned a few months ago at a shelter my mom volunteers at, and I barely had to beg her to let me adopt him,” you laughed.

Brock just grinned. “Coola was a rescue dog as well. I adopted him back in February last year, after the All Star Game, but he lived in Minnesota with my parents while I finished my rookie year. I know the feeling of not being able to resist a sweet little dog.”

At least he understood.

With a smile, you motioned for Bailey that he was allowed to run again, and within moments Coola was joining him, the two dogs playing in the surf.

“So, you live here then?”

You and Brock walked your dogs for nearly another hour, the two of you talking like you’d known each other all your lives, before Bailey flopped at your feet, a clear sign he was done and ready to leave.

“Looks like that’s my cue,” you said dryly, making Brock laugh.

“Definitely,” he teased, “but hey, maybe we could exchange numbers? I’d love to walk Coola with you and Bailey again, now that I know they’re friends.”

You hesitated slightly, unsure whether he actually meant that, but the earnestness in his eyes told you everything you needed to know.

“Sure, I’d like that. Bailey could use all the friends he could get,” you mused.

Brock just grinned.

“I don’t know, I have a feeling we’re going to be pretty good friends as well.”

~

Nearly five years on and you were (somehow) genuine friends with Brock. He’d been right, against all odds. There was just something about his straightforward friendship that made your life that little bit easier, knowing that you could rely on him to be a breath of fresh air, no drama. And you knew he appreciated your chilled approach to pretty much everything, never judging him, always his biggest supporter – both on the team and for him as a person. Brock Boeser was probably one of the best friends you’d ever had, and you cherished everything about him, like an older brother you didn’t realise you needed.

Brock had always insisted that you needed to be integrated into every part of his life, so you spent more time with his team than you ever thought you would (and hadn’t that been a starstruck moment, when you’d first attended a team gathering). He pretty much brought you to all gatherings, events, and anything to do with Coola (and now Milo), and while at first it had been overwhelming, you’d quickly adjusted when you realised just how ridiculous his teammates were.

So it wasn’t a surprise to Elias Pettersson when he walked into Brock’s house and saw you sitting on the sofa surrounded by dogs.

“Well this looks cosy.”

You grinned at his teasing words, waving him over. “It’s good to see you too, Elias.”

He shared a small private smile with you, lifting Milo’s legs to take a seat on the sofa next to you. The dog in question huffed out his displeasure but didn’t move, allowing Elias to settle in properly.

This guy, more than anyone else, was the teammate you enjoyed spending the most time with alongside Brock. Elias was definitely the most sane of all Brock’s Vancouver friends, and his dry sense of humour always had you in stitches. It was rare that he showed much of himself to anyone, as reserved as he was, but the more you’d gotten to know him over the years, the more you recognised the little signs of his reactions and collated them like hoarded treasure. And the more that Elias had gotten to know you, the more willing he seemed to be to share jokes and smiles and laughter with you, forging a friendship of your own.

And yes, sure, you couldn’t deny that you found him attractive – you’d be crazy or blind to think otherwise - but he’d never shown a hint of interest towards you in that way. And there was no way you’d ever say anything unless you were sure things were reciprocated (there was just no way), so you were more than happy to have him as a friend. Elias Pettersson was an unmistakeable joy in your life, and the last thing you wanted to do was ruin that.

He really was so handsome though.

“I’m surprised Brock isn’t buried under puppies like usual,” Elias said.

“We haven’t been long back from walking the dogs, so I said I’d get them settled while he showered and got ready to head out with you,” you explained, running your hand over your Bailey’s head.

“He does need to look pretty enough to leave the house, that’s true,” he mused.

You couldn’t help but laugh, the both of you knowing Brock needed no help in looking pretty, Elias just smiling widely.

It just goes to show how wrapped up you were in Elias’s attention that neither of you noticed Brock standing at the bottom of the stairs, eyes lighting up at your laughter and Elias’s smile.

~

It was early, far too early, but here you were fulfilling Bailey’s every need. You were wrapped up warm, puffer jacket, woollen hat, gloves, and scarf, walking your border collie through Hadden Park, allowing the travel mug of coffee to wake you up fully while you took in the views surrounding you. Bailey was in his element, trotting about and sniffing every single leaf and twig, and it was only your phone buzzing that broke you out of your silent contentment.

From: Brock Hey, are you walking Bailey?

To: Brock Yeah we’re at Hadden Park Wasn’t sure if you would be getting up early after your game last night so I didn’t text

From: Brock Hah yeah fair enough Do you mind if Petey comes along?

You tried not to fantasise about why Elias was so willing to join you both on a dog walk, so early on a day off. You tried so hard.

To: Brock Of course I don’t mind

From: Brock Of course?

You felt heat dancing across your cheeks. Damn it Brock.

To: Brock You know I think Petey is great.

From: Brock Well I definitely do now.

You groaned, already able to picture the smirk on your friend’s face.

To: Brock Don’t be dumb I’ll see you soon

The last thing you needed was Brock teasing you, especially in front of Elias. The last thing you wanted was Elias to feel uncomfortable around you, just because you find him attractive. The last thing you could bear would be if you lost your friendship with Elias just because Brock was reading into things that weren’t true.

But there was nothing you could do for damage control until Brock was in front of you. All you could hope was that he didn’t make you look like an idiot.

It couldn’t have been more than 20 minutes before you saw the familiar pair walking towards you, dogs at Brock’s side, and you found yourself smiling despite your trepidation. You gave them both hugs in greeting, travel mug long empty and placed in your bag, Bailey barking happily.

“What a beautiful morning,” Brock said happily.

“Cold but beautiful, sure,” you mused.

Elias nodded his agreement, thick scarf wrapped in loops around him, Brock just laughing.

“Petey, you don’t mind taking Coola while I walk Milo, do you?” Brock asked.

Elias narrowed his eyes, as if trying to read into Brock’s words, but Brock just kept smiling at him.

“Sure, I can walk Coola,” Elias eventually said.

“Great!”

The moment that Coola’s leash was in Elias’s hands, Coola darted forward, Elias crashing directly into your body. It was only through his quick reflexes that you didn’t end up on your ass, his hands clutching at your hips while you clung to his jacket.

“Coola! Chill!”

Brock’s giggled words did little to calm his dog down, all three dogs dancing around your feet as Elias steadied you. His face was impossibly close to yours, breath practically mingling. How had you not realised how blue his eyes were before this? His lips were parted slightly, as if he was still processing, but it was only when Bailey bumped into both of your legs that he abruptly let you go, and you dropped your hands too.

“Sorry, sorry,” he blurted, stepping away sharply.

“No apologies needed. It wasn’t your fault,” you said, shaking your head with a weak smile.

“Aww you can’t blame Coola for being excited,” Brock grinned, kneeling down to give fuss to both his dogs.

There was something in his smile that you just couldn’t put your finger on. Hm.

“Shall we walk then, if they’re so excited?” Elias said dryly.

All three dogs started barking at the word ‘walk’, making you laugh and nod, Brock just grinning even wider.

~

From: Brock Petey is taking the roadtrip losses really hard. Come over tomorrow?

~

You don’t know what it was that possessed you, but the moment you received those texts from Brock, you knew you had to do something. Elias was such a stoic guy, so reserved in his emotions, so the fact that it was obvious enough he was suffering that Brock asked for your help? There was no way you weren’t going to do everything in your power to ease any tensions they had, especially Elias.

There wasn’t much you could do, but you could do this.

When you arrived at Brock’s house the next morning, you were only mildly startled to see Elias opening the door instead of Brock, his eyes flashing in surprise before he smiled.

“Did Brock not say I was coming over?” you said hesitantly.

The last thing you wanted was to intrude.

“He said we were going for brunch, but this is a welcome surprise,” Elias said, smiling softly.

Oh. Now you felt stupid.

Wait, a welcome surprise?

“I don’t know what is making your face do that, but I’m not lying when I say it’s good to see you,” Elias said firmly.

“Alright, I believe you,” you mused.

Elias just grinned, walking over to the bottom of the staircase.

“SHE’S HERE!”

“GOOD! YOU’RE COMING FOR BRUNCH, RIGHT?”

You rolled your eyes fondly at Brock’s assumptions. It wasn’t like you had much else planned for today, but still!

“YEAH I’LL COME!”

Elias laughed at your matching volume, making you smile back at him, a light flush dusting across your cheeks. His laugh was magical and you weren’t going to shame yourself for liking it.

“Brock’s just finishing his hair and then he’ll be down. That’s what he said anyway,” Elias explained, sitting down on the arm of Brock’s sofa.

“He’s got an image to maintain, can’t be looking anything less than perfect,” you teased, the familiar joke making you smile.

Elias just snickered, shaking his head. You leaned up against the back of the sofa, standing close enough to Elias that the blue of his eyes was almost hypnotising, before you remembered why you came over in the first place.

“It feels a little silly now, but I heard from a little bird that you were taking things a little rough, so here’s a little something,” you said.

“Brock needs to keep his mouth shut,” he grumbled.

You just laughed, reaching into your bag to pull out the gift. But as you placed it in his hands, Elias froze.

“What’s this?” Elias said, eyes wide in shock.

You bit your bottom lip, before letting out a shaky breath. Here goes nothing.

“You were having a bad day. So I made you a hat,” you said simply, trying to keep your voice light and airy.

“You made me a hat? You knitted this?”

Elias stared down in wonder at the soft light blue woollen bundle in his hand, a look of pure astonishment on his face. It was only then that you realised how close it was to the colour of his eyes.

“Uh, yes, I did? I got back into knitting recently, so it’s nothing fancy, but I just wanted to make something to cheer you up?” you said, trying not to cringe at yourself.

“No-one’s ever done anything like this for me before.”

Your lips parted in surprise at his soft words.

“Really?”

“Really really,” Elias nodded.

“I’ve never had a hat made for me either.”

You flinched at the sound of Brock’s voice coming from behind you, Elias immediately scowling over your shoulder.

“Wouldn’t want to cover up your Prince Charming hair,” Elias grumbled, shoving the hat into the pocket of his hoodie.

You didn’t mention the dark blue hat you’d knitted for Brock that was tucked into your bag. Brock pouted as you snickered, slinking into the kitchen, leaving the two of you alone again.

“Look, I know it’s not really my place. And that we’re just friends because of Brock. But these losses were just a bad blip – you’re going to get over them in no time at all, and be back to destroying the other teams like you were born to,”

Elias smiled wryly. “It doesn’t feel like that right now. But thanks.”

You pursed your lips briefly before huffing out a breath. Telling him what you really thought was hardly the most embarrassing thing you’d ever done.

“You make me so proud. You know that, right?”

“What?” Elias frowned.

“You go out there, every single day, and give this team, this city, your all. Your pour yourself into everything that you do, always give 100%, and as your friend, as someone who has known you for years…I am so proud of you.”

As your cheeks heated from your words, Elias swallowed heavily, a flush dusting across his own cheeks.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve this, to deserve your kind words, but I appreciate it. Thank you,” he murmured.

Your heartbeat raced at the intensity in his eyes.

“Brunch? Can we go?”

Elias scowled again at Brock’s grinning interruption but walked away towards the front door. You were read to grumble at Brock yourself, until you saw Elias pull the knitted hat out of his pocket and slide it on over his hair. It looked…perfect.

“Are you good?” Brock asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I’m great.”

Your voice was far breathier than you would ever admit.

*

Another month, another team event. This time Brock had invited you to be his plus one to a formal gala, hardly the first time he had asked and yet this time he practically begged you to come along. You didn’t need him to beg, you could admit that much – the events were always fun and hey, you got to dress up nicely – but his behaviour was strange, even for him.

Either way, Brock had looked ecstatic when you said yes, even going as buying you a gorgeous midnight blue evening gown, sleeveless and high-necked, as classy as it was beautiful, so you were going to complain. He could have his secrets – you knew you’d get it out of him eventually.

He picked you up after you’d gotten your hair and nails done, make-up subtle but elegant, wide smile on his face as he drove the two of you to the event. You didn’t have time to be suspicious about his good mood as the two of you greeted his teammates and their better halves, your attention consumed by all the cheek kisses and compliments, but you should’ve known he was up to something. Because the moment that the two of you joined Elias at a table with a few chairs around it, Brock all but disappeared, leaving the two of you completely alone.

“Hi Brock. Bye Brock,” Elias said dryly.

“I have no idea what’s gotten into him tonight, I am so sorry,” you sighed.

“Hey, no, don’t apologise for him. I’m sorry that he’s abandoned you already,” Elias said, frowning.

“Well at least I’m near a chair,” you said, huffing out a laugh, “High heels are not my friends.”

Elias immediately pulled a chair out for you to sit on, and you felt a gentle heat brush across your cheeks at the gentlemanly action.

“Thanks Elias,” you said, more shocked than anything.

Not too shocked to smile at him as he sat down right next to you, after picking up a couple of flutes of champagne from a passing waiter. If he wanted to join you…well, you weren’t going to complain. Not if you got his attention all to yourself.

It can’t have been more than an hour before Brock wandered back over, but by the flush on his cheeks and the glassiness of his eyes, he was more than a little tipsy. Damn it Brock.

“You’re not going to ask this beautiful woman to dance, Petey?”

Elias immediately blushed furiously, eyes narrowing at his friend, making you want to die a little inside – but also to shield him.

“Oh no, these heels are killing my feet already. Elias is just being kind enough to keep me company,” you said sweetly.

Brock snickered, shaking his head, but walked away without any further pestering. You both sat there for a moment in silence, reeling from the short conversation. What the hell was that, Brock?

“You didn’t have to make up a lie to defend me,” Elias said, finally looking at you again.

“I wanted to.”

The mortification that filled your body upon your blurted words was immediate and all-consuming, especially with how surprised Elias looked. How could you save this? How the hell could you save this?

“Besides it’s the least I could do for Brock dumping me on you in the first place,” you said coolly, shrugging, trying to calm yourself down and failing miserably.

Elias hesitated before something flashed across his face, and he looked at you with an expression you’d never seen from him before. It made you shiver. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Oh.

Oh.

He…really?

You’d spent so long convinced that he didn’t see you that way, that he wasn’t attracted to you in the slightest, and now that he’d said this? Giving you enough to let yourself hope, to admit to yourself that your sweetest daydreams and deepest fantasies could actually be reality?

While your mind raced, full of swirling realisations that perhaps things weren’t so unrequited after all, Elias just watched you, expression just as intense as before. It wasn’t until you let out a shaky breath, smiling a tiny smile at him, that he nodded, clearing his throat.

“Another drink?”

“Yes, definitely.”

*

Movie nights were sacred. It didn’t matter who they were with, not really, but now that you had your own tiny apartment, a night in watching your favourite movies and eating your favourite snacks was always the best way to unwind. Usually Brock was your only companion, or Brock with a few of his teammates, and that was the plan tonight. Brock and Elias were both joining you for a movie night and you couldn’t wait to have a chilled night in with two of your favourite people. Even if your whole world had been shaken up only last week at that eventful team gala.

The pizzas you’d ordered hadn’t long arrived before Elias arrived at your door, beers in hand, and you let him in with a happy smile.

“Thanks for inviting me,” he said, smiling shyly back at you.

Your breath caught in your throat at the sweetness in his face, and you found yourself just nodding.

“You know you’re always welcome. Come on, pizza just got here too.”

Elias all but raced you to the kitchen, making you laugh as he opened the cardboard lids. But your phone buzzed before you could reach for a slice.

From: Brock I can’t make it tonight. Have fun. Both of you.

You heart started racing at his implications, knowing deep in your bones that Brock never intended to come this evening. Had he known all along, how you felt about Elias? And how you hoped Elias felt for you too?

Surely not.

But then again, Brock always surprised you. You had always tried not to underestimate your friend, but it appeared that you’d fallen for that sweet innocent smile just the same as everyone else.

“Is Brock on his way?”

“Brock isn’t coming.”

“Oh.”

Elias seemed to hesitate, making you inhale sharply.

“Did you want to reschedule?” he asked, wincing.

You could be brave, right? Or at least take a step towards bravery?

“You’re already here…so we can still have our own movie night?” you suggested, unable to stop yourself from chewing your bottom lip.

Elias’s eyes flickered down quickly towards your mouth, before he cleared his throat and smiled softly at you. “Yeah, of course we can. Also means we don’t have to listen to Brock whining that we aren’t watching one of his rom com choices.”

The dryness of his tone made you giggle, immediately cutting through the lingering awkward tension. You could absolutely do a movie night just with Elias. You could absolutely handle being alone with him like this.

Absolutely.

The two of you ploughed through the pizzas while you watched one of you go-to action movies, laughing and talking all the way through, even finishing the popcorn and a couple of beers each by the time the credits were rolling. Bailey had happily sat by your feet the whole time, actually behaving himself for once, and you couldn’t remember a time when you’d felt so content. So relaxed and happy. Brock had always brought that out in you, and now that Elias had too? It just filled you with butterflies in the best way.

“Shall we watch another?”

“Definitely,” you nodded, smiling up at him.

Elias smiled easily back. “You choose? I’ll clear up.”

Before you could protest or even help him, Elias had picked up both pizza boxes and all the empty beer bottles, leaving you alone on the sofa. You heard him opening the trash can, snapping you out of your surprise, so you started scrolling through Netflix again, eventually deciding on a light-hearted comedy just as Elias re-entered the room. Bailey had trotted out to his own bed when Elias left, so it really was just the two of you now.

Something that made your breath hitch in your throat was the way that Elias sat down closer to you this time. Unmistakably closer, close enough to feel the heat from his body and to smell his cologne. He did that on purpose, there was no doubt about it. But his face gave you no answers, nothing more than his usual smile around you, so you let it go. Overthinking things was definitely not the way to go, you knew that much.

It didn’t make your heartrate calm down at all though.

You pressed play to get the movie started, lightly tossing the tv remote onto your coffee table before settling back into the sofa, letting the familiar introduction wash over you.

It took ten minutes for everything to change.

Elias wasn’t a big hugger. You knew this. Brock knew this. The whole of the Vancouver Canucks knew this. So when you felt a pressure along your shoulders, you tried not to flinch, realising it was his arm stretching across the back of the sofa when his hand lightly brushed your opposite shoulder. Elias…Elias had put his arm around you. He’d put his arm around you? You glanced up at him, trying to get any sense of his thought process, but his eyes were resolutely glued to the television, his body a frozen line of tension. All over again, your heart started racing. You were right after all. Maybe…maybe Elias really did have feelings for you, just as he’d finally hinted at the team event, and now he was making a gentle move in the most Petey way ever.

The ball was in your court.

Ever so slowly, you relaxed against under his arm, sinking into his side, head resting on his chest. You could hear just how fast his own heart was racing and it made you smile, feeling giddy that he was just as affected as you were, even more so when his arm draped around you properly. This was really happening. Elias Pettersson had really instigated snuggling with you on the sofa. This was better than any dream you could’ve imagined.

The next thing you knew, you were blinking your eyes open. The sky outside was pitch black, the curtains still wide open, and the Netflix landing page was glaring bright. But the main thing you noticed? You were curled up against Elias’s side still, head resting on his chest, his arm having fallen down to your waist and his head lolling back on the sofa. You’d fallen asleep together? Was there anything more cliché than that? Still, it felt like your heart was going to beat out of your chest with how right it felt to be in Elias’s hold. His hands were so large and so warm, the heat spreading through the contact on top of your sweatpants. His chest was so solid and calming under your cheek. And as you lifted your head, ever to slightly to look at him properly, even just through the light from the TV he looked so handsome. Beautiful and peaceful. But there was no way that could be comfortable for him, and the last thing you wanted was for an aching neck to put a damper on what was the perfect evening.

So you lightly rested your hand on his chest, shaking him gently until you heard him grunt in displeasure.

“Hey, Elias, we fell asleep on the sofa,” you murmured.

He immediately groaned, making you laugh softly, smiling at him as he finally lifted his head.

“I was having such a good dream,” he grumbled.

Then he seemed to freeze as he realised where he actually was, taking note of how you were still tucked into his side, and where his arm and hand were holding you.

“Damn it, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“Hey, no, we both fell asleep eh?” you said, interrupting with a smile and a shake of your head, “It’s fine, Elias. We were both cosy.”

He swallowed heavily before nodding.

“I don’t think I’ve ever fallen asleep on the sofa with someone before,” he mumbled, “It was…nice.”

You felt your cheeks heating up with the gentle compliment, your smile letting him know you felt the same.

“I should go,” he said softly.

No!

Well, now was your moment. Now was the time to be brave where you’d never needed to be so brave before. After everything that had been building between the two of you…now was the moment.

“Or, maybe you could stay, and we could talk in the morning,” you offered as calmly as you could.

You felt Elias inhale sharply where your hand was still resting on his chest.

“The kind of talk that I’ve been wanting to have for a while?” he asked, hope evident in his eyes.

Oh wow.

For a while?

You felt like you were floating as his words sunk in.

“Yeah I think we’re on the same page,” you murmured, your blood thrumming with possibility.

The smile that spread across Elias’s face made your heart soar, and you found yourself smiling just as widely back. And when he leant forward to press a soft kiss to your forehead, you’d never felt more alive.

You could only imagine Brock’s satisfied grin when you told him.

[ilyasorokinn]

the perfect father , elias pettersson

note, this was originally written for jacob markstrom but i decided to rewrite it for someone else. just a personal thing. also, this fic is part of the "home with the petterssons" series. check out this masterlist for more. timeline: this takes place between february 2021-october 2021 pair, elias pettersson x reader summary, y/n and elias manage to keep a huge secret from the world during quarentine. warnings, children/kids, pregnancy, covid/quarantine, a little cheesey word count, 3873 words

(gif not mine)

The NHL schedule was confusing during the regular season, but now you were even more confused with the 2020-2021 season underway. So, to make things easier for you, Elias bought a calendar with your favorite animals and filled it out with all the dates of games.

The calendar really came in handy when planning your doctor's appointment. You had a hunch about what was causing all your sickness and it wasn't a cold.

So, you called the person you knew you could rely on, the one person who would give you the advice you needed to hear and would give you the cold hard truth even if it would hurt.

Holly Horvat.

She did indeed give you the cold hard truth and confirmed your suspicions. She also stayed on the line with you while you booked your appointment.

In the meantime, to ease some anxiety and nerves, you went to the store and grabbed as many pregnancy tests as you could fit in your hands. You purchased them and rushed home as fast as you could.

You sat on the closed toilet lid, head in hand as you waited for your timer to go off. Those two minutes felt like hours. You didn't ever understand that feeling before, but you did now. Time really did go slower.

You and Elias had been together for almost five years, engaged for less than a year, and everything was great. You were great. You had talked about babies briefly, but you talked about it as if it was something in the distant future. After marriage, after a few years more in the league. Clearly, life doesn't always go the way you want it to.

When the timer went off, you jumped out of your skin. You pulled your hands away from your eyes and flipped the tests over, inhaling as you looked at all of them.

"Holy crap." You muttered.

-

“I’m home!” Elias announced a few hours later, walking into the house. He found it strange that Luna, your dog, didn’t immediately run up and greet him. He followed the sound of the TV into the living room, where he found you fast asleep, and Luna curled up around you.

He smiled, turned off the TV, and draped a blanket over you, but not before kissing you on the head. He made his way into the bathroom to take a shower. He was waiting for the water to warm up a little when he spotted something sticking out of the trashcan.

He pulled it out of the trash and his eyes widened. He dug deeper into the trash, not even caring that he was digging into the trash, and looked at all of the tests in front of him, "Holy..." He covered his mouth in shock before he ran as fast as he could to the living room.

He dropped them on the coffee table then shook you awake, "Y/N." He called out, continuing to shake you before you turned around.

"What?!" You snapped, turning around, about to snap at him again, but you stopped when you noticed the tests sitting on the table, "Oh..." You looked back up at Elias, who was looking to you for confirmation, "Surprise." You gave him a nervous smile.

"Really?" He broke out into a smile, and when you nodded, he jumped onto the couch with you and wrapped you in his arms. You hugged him tighter, kissing his cheek as he pulled away, "Are you okay? Do you need anything?" He frantically asked, cupping your face and then looking down at your stomach.

"No, I'm okay." You smiled at his sudden panic, but stopped and thought about it, "Actually..."

"Anything." He stated before you could finish.

"Anything?" He nodded, "That's a lot of responsibility, Mr. Pettersson." You joked.

"I can do it." He nodded.

"If you say so." You shrugged, before listing off the things you wanted at that very moment, which he grabbed from the kitchen with no hesitation.

-

Because your plan to surprise Elias was spoiled, you changed your appointment to a day when Elias would actually be home. When that day finally came, Elias woke up before you and made breakfast big enough to feed a small family.

While you ate, you pointed off to different dishes you didn't want and he gave them to your next-door neighbors, who were thrilled and excited by the Swedish dishes Elias had made.

When it was finally time to drive to the doctor's, he was bouncing off the walls of the car, barely able to contain his excitement, "I really can't go in with you?" He frowned as you slipped your bag onto your shoulder.

"I'm sorry." You pouted, "But I'll ask if I can FaceTime you." You promised.

"Okay." He perked up a little at that, "I love you. Say 'hi' to the baby for me." You smiled, leaning over to kiss him.

"I will." You gave him a salute then were on your way in. You waited anxiously, texting Elias the entire time while you waited.

"Pettersson." You stood up, dropping the magazine sitting in your lap and garnering a few looks from the other people sitting in the waiting room.

"That's me." You announced. The nurse offered you a warm smile and nodded, gesturing for you to follow her. She led you into an empty room and instructed for you to sit down.

"Is this your first time?" She asked, typing a few things into the computer.

"Is it that obvious?" You laughed nervously.

"It's okay." She gave you a smile that let you know she knew what she was doing. After she asked her questions, she quickly took some tests and rushed them off to test. And that left you by yourself in the complete quiet. And in that time, everything started to sink in.

You were pregnant.

You didn't know how much time had passed, you were so stuck in your own little world, but someone knocked on the door, and that shook you from your thoughts. A woman you presumed was a doctor popped her head in and gave you a smile.

"I'm Dr. Rowe, it's nice to meet you." She reached out and shook your hand before she made her way over to the small sink, "Y/N, right?"

"Yes." You nodded. She snapped on a pair of gloves and then sat in the chair next to the big bed-table thing next to you.

"So, we got your results back, and congrats, Mrs. Pettersson, you are pregnant." She told you. You let out a breath you hadn't known you were holding and a choked laugh, "Now, I know this is a little overwhelming, so if you need a minute..."

"I'm good." You shook your head, "I'm ready."

"All right, well, I'm going to walk you through what I'm going to do then do it, is that okay?" She smiled when you nodded again.

True to her word, she walked you through what she was going to do, step by step. She then grabbed all the tools she would need and helped you lie down.

"Can I call my husband? Would that be okay?" You asked.

"Of course." She nodded. You whipped out your phone and immediately dialed Elias' number.

"Is it time?" He asked, picking up before the first ring was over. You and Dr. Rowe laughed.

"Yes." You nodded, flipping the camera around as she squirted jelly onto your stomach.

"All right, let's find a baby." She moved the wand around your stomach. Both you and Elias watched in fascination as she moved the wand and a little blob showed up on the screen.

"Is that-?"

"Your baby." She nodded. Neither you nor Elias could say anything as you stared at the screen in pure awe, "Would you like to hear the heartbeat?" You felt yourself nod and heard Elias say 'yes' immediately again.

She pressed a button on the machine and you were in awe all over again, "Elias..." Was all you managed to say through the tears. A silence enveloped the room, the only thing filling it was the heartbeat of your baby, a sound you had decided was your new favorite.

"Would you like some pictures?" Dr. Rowe asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes, please." You nodded.

You walked out of the doctor's office 10 minutes later, sonogram in hand. You made it back to the car and looked at Elias, "It's real."

"We're actually having a baby." He tearfully smiled.

-

After your appointment, all Elias could talk about was seeing your little baby in a little Pettersson jersey and how cute it would be, so before he came back, you decided to make part of his dream come true.

When Elias finally did have to leave for the little stint of away games, you decided that would be the perfect time to enact your plan. You went to the team store and got a little baby jersey customized, almost crying in your car when you pulled the jersey out of the bag and finally got a look at it.

As soon as you got home, you wrapped the jersey with your nicest wrapping paper, slapped the prettiest bow you owned on it, and began the countdown until Elias would be home.

He wouldn't be home for a few more days, and when he came home, you heard him before you saw him. He came through the door, looking disheveled.

"I'm home." He hummed, dropping his stuff where he stood and making his way over to you quickly, "Did I miss anything? Are you okay? Do you need anything?" He spoke frantically.

"Okay, you need to breathe." You laughed, "I'm fine. We're both fine." You reassured him, "Why don't you get changed and come back out here? I have something for you."

"This feels backwards. I should be bringing you gifts." He laughed.

"Just go." You pushed him towards the bedroom. You waited patiently, trying to keep your excitement at bay. When he finally came back into the kitchen, he looked at the bag on the coutner confused.

"You used the pretty wrapping paper." He pointed out, eyeing the gift suspiciously, "You only use that when it's a good gift."

"Just open the gift, Elias." You told him snappily. He raised his hands in surrender but opened the gift. He froze when he caught a glimpse of the tiny jersey.

He picked up the jersey and held it up so he could look at his name sprawled on the back of it, "Y/N..."

"You talked so much about the baby wearing your jersey, so I got one made." You told him, making your way over to him, "Are you okay?" You asked, worried when you saw he was frozen in place.

"This is perfect." He said, his voice so quiet you almost didn't hear him.

"Oh, Eli." You cooed, wrapping him in a hug.

-

"Cakes here!" Elias shouted from the door. He shut the door with his foot and carried the cake to the kitchen where you were waiting for him.

You looked at each other nervously, not because the cake was bad, but because you were finally, after months of waiting, going to know the gender of Baby Petey, and that thought filled you with both joy and anxiety.

"You ready?" You asked. He nodded, "All right." You took a breath and set up your camera while Elias grabbed the cake cutter from one of the drawers, "Pettersson family gender reveal." You clapped in front of the camera, imitating one of the movie clappers.

Elias pulled the cake out of the box and you both inhaled sharply. He set it down and his hand hovered over the cake cutter. You grabbed his hand and together, you held the cutter.

"One, two, three." You counted down together, then cut into the cake. When you pulled the slice out, you burst into tears.

"A boy!" He cheered, dropping the cutter and wrapping you in a hug, unable to fight his own tears so you stood in your kitchen, crying tears of joy together at the thought of your unborn son.

-

With all the guys away on a roadie, one of the girls decided to have a little get-together at her house so you could all watch the game together.

When you knocked on the door, instead of it being the host, it was Gunner Horvat, who must've seen you through the video camera and ran to the door before anyone could stop him.

"Hi, G." You laughed, "I don't think you're supposed to open the door without an adult." He simply stared at you but raised his arms, wordlessly asking for you to pick him up, "I missed you, too, bud." You laughed when he wrapped his arms around you.

"Let her get in the door, Gun." Holly laughed, grabbing the bag in your hand so you could hold onto the child more easily. She led you to the main room where a few other girls were already.

"Surprise!" They all shouted. You gaped in shock at the scene in front of you. Instead of being a little watch party, there were baby decorations all around the living room and kitchen.

"What the heck?" You gasped, tears filling your eyes as you looked at all the other girls.

"Elias told us you were a little bummed that you couldn't have a gender reveal party, so we decided to throw you a little shower." One of the girls explained with a smile.

"This is so sweet." You smiled tearfully. They led you over and grabbed some snacks before leading you to the living room where a small mountain of presents sat, "Wow."

"We might've gone a little overboard." They all laughed. Before they started, they made sure you had everything you needed and wanted before you began.

You opened so many things you didn't even know you needed but all the other mothers told you you needed. The last present was smaller than the others but they all looked excited for you to open.

You pulled out an exact replica of your special denim jacket with 'Pettersson' on the back. Everything was the same, even down to the special patches you had put on it.

"Wow." You gaped, at a loss for words as you turned the jacket around to look at every detail.

"Do you like it?" You could hear the worry in her voice.

"I love it. It's beautiful." Your eyes filled with tears again, and they all crowded you in a big hug.

-

It was really late. Way too late for you to be up late. It was almost 3 in the morning, and you were awake. Why you may ask? Because the baby wouldn’t stop moving, plus she was craving food.

You knew Elias was asleep. It was evident by the loud snoring. Instead of trying to fall back asleep, you got out of bed. As soon as your feet swung over the edge of the bed, Luna was up and standing next to you.

You smiled when she trotted alongside you towards the living room. By the time you made it to your destination, you were a little tired, but the overwhelming hunger outweighed the tiredness. So, you turned on the TV, before making your way into the kitchen. You grabbed an armful of different snacks and headed back to the living room.

You settled on the couch, the dogs curling into you on each side. You got through half an episode when you heard footsteps coming down the stairs, “What are you doing up? It’s almost 3:30.” Elias rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he made his way over to you on the couch.

“I was hungry, and couldn’t sleep.” You shrugged. He gave you a tired smile and carefully sat down next to you.

“Why didn't you wake me and tell me you were hungry?”

“You looked peaceful, and I just didn’t want to wake you.” You told him.

“I wish you had told me.” He yawned, and you chucked.

“I’ll be sure to do that next time.” You nodded.

"How's baby?" He asked sleepily, leaning his head on your shoulder.

“He doesn’t know when it’s time to play and when it’s time to sleep.” You told him, looking down at your bump and rubbing it.

“And how are you?”

“I’m really tired.” You admitted, looking over at him. When you finally met his eyes, he could see how tired you really were.

He grabbed your hand and pressed a few kisses to it. He grabbed the chip bags surrounding you and took them back to the kitchen. By the time he got back, your eyes were drooping, and you were on the verge of sleep.

“Come on. Let's get you to bed." He got off the couch and helped you get up too. He placed a kiss on your head before leading you down the hallway, back towards your bedroom.

He helped you get situated back in bed, tucking you in and making sure you were comfortable. He then climbed in next to you, "Sleep well." He whispered, caressing your cheek. He made sure you were asleep before he fell asleep.

-

Your due date was a few days away, and both you and Elias were getting very excited. Every day, you would wake up, and waddle down the stairs where Elias was already making breakfast. You would sit at the kitchen island, and the two of you would talk about the dreams you had the previous night.

You would spend most of the day lounging around the house. Either watching TV, reading books, going for drives, organizing the house again, it was the same thing every day.

Then, after dinner, the two of you would go out for a walk with the dogs. It was really the only outside interaction you would get all day unless you went out to the backyard.

The night was no different. After dinner, you grabbed your jackets and leashed up the dogs. All throughout the day, you had stomach pain. You brushed it off all the time as stomach pain. Elias usually walked ahead because he had quicker strides, but never too far because he was protective.

You were walking in silence when a sharper pain hit you, and you let out a pained noise. That caught Elias' attention, and he whipped around, “What is it? What’s wrong?” He asked, cupping your face with one hand, while his other went down to your stomach.

“I-” Before you could finish, you felt a wave of liquid trickle down your leg, “I think I’m going into labor.” You winced. You looked at him and saw all the color drain from his face, “What are you doing?!” You hit him in the arm when he didn't move, “We gotta go.”

That snapped him out of it, “Come on, baby. Let’s get you to the hospital.” He helped you walk, well waddle, back towards the house, “Breath baby, breath.” He kept telling you and placing kisses on your temple.

-

“He's beautiful,” Elias whispered as he leaned down over your shoulder to look at the newborn.

“He's perfect.” You smiled at him, cradling your son closer to your chest. Leonardo Michael Pettersson was perfect in every way. When you called and told Brock that you had given Leo his middle name, he almost cried.

Elias had been nothing but supportive throughout the whole process. He waited on you hand and foot, the same way he had all throughout your pregnancy, getting you whatever you asked. He even let you curse at him, and squeeze his hand which was the least he could do.

A few hours after birth, you had fallen asleep, leaving Elias and the baby alone. Elias was sitting in the chair next to your bed without a shirt, cradling little Leo to his chest. He had read somewhere that skin-to-skin contact was good for babies, so he figured he would give it a try. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the little baby.

“We’re so happy you’re here.” He whispered. Leo couldn't understand a word he was saying, but he looked up at him with his big blue eyes. His blue eyes, “We waited so long for you, and now that you’re here, you’re gonna be so spoiled.” He pressed a kiss to his chubby cheek.

“You’re already so loved. You have aunts and uncles who are so excited to meet you.” Somewhere in between his conversation, you started to wake up, but kept your eyes closed, “And of course mommy and I are so happy you’re here.” He added.

You continued to listen to Elias talk to Leo, and it warmed your heart. You knew, from the moment you told him you were pregnant, and he started taking care of you and telling you not to lift a finger, you knew he was gonna be a great father.

And boy were you right.

-

5 months later, February 2022

After months of waiting, you finally got the clearance for Leo to a game, and Elias was thrilled. You slipped the little Pettersson jersey on him, a surprise Elias didn't know you had in store for him.

You bundled him up in a blanket, and even got a little beanie with the number 40 embroidered on the top of it, "Papa is so excited for tonight, and you probably won't remember anything, but it's such a big night." You whispered as you got Leo ready.

You parked yourself in front of the arena, standing alongside a few of the other girls and their kids, as you waited for the guys to skate out.

When they skated out, Elias did his usual skate around the ice, tossing a few pucks over the glass to a few fans, and shooting at the net a few times, before he finally skated around to where you were standing. 

You couldn't help but smile when you saw the smile on his face. His face showed nothing but pride as he watched Leo sleep. He blew you a kiss, then blew a kiss at Leo, who blissfully continued to sleep.

He tossed a puck over and one of the guards standing in front of the ice caught it and handed it over to you, "Thank you." You smiled at the man, slipping it into the bag and gathering your stuff.

After the game, and an OT goal from Elias which he chalked up to dad strength in a post-game interview, you finally met up with him in the parking garage.

"I'm so proud of you." You wrapped him in a hug before he could get into the car, "An overtime goal." You cheered.

"I had my good luck charms with me." He beamed, kissing your head and then kissing Leo's. When he pulled away, he finally noticed the jersey and gaped, "It's the jersey."

"It felt fitting for his first game." You shrugged with a smile.

"It's perfect." He picked up Leo carefully and cradled him to his chest, kissing his head again, "I love you." He leaned down, leaning his forehead against yours.

"I love you, too." You hummed, leaning up to kiss him.

-

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[oleksiak-pettersson]

Pick Me - Elias Pettersson

howdy hey everybody! It's been a hot minute... sorry not sorry.

this is the first part of a three part series i've been cooking up in my head for a few years now. I want to emphasize that this is set in a completely fictional world and is complete AU. The Canucks featured in this fic don't play hockey in the story. The timeline is also not accurate to real life.

warnings: angst, a certain celebrity featured as the villain, pregnancy, labour, swearing, this is an AU, only Quinn still plays hockey, almost cheating, emotional cheating in a way (will be expanded on more in the next parts)

word count: 4.5k

Pick Me | Choose Me | Love Me

There’s nothing better than the warmth of a comforter wrapped around your body. You pull it closer around your body, not caring if it leaves your lover without.

Your eyes blink open slowly, arms clutching the pregnancy pillow to your chest, comforter wrapped around the pillow and over your body.

As your eyes blink open, once, twice, a third time, you notice that at some point in your restful slumber, you’d stolen the comforter completely from your husband. Never one to complain, Elias must’ve grabbed the second duvet from the hall closet.

Your husband is lingering in the bathroom, you can hear the sink running as he goes about his morning routine.

He must notice you moving, as he approaches softly. He’s freshly showered and the smile on his face is soft and mellow in the morning light.

“Hi,” you murmur, taking in his beauty as it’s illuminated by the golden sun. His blue eyes twinkle with fondness as they take in your sleepy form.

You stretch a little, turning over to the side of the bed he sits on. His hand comes up and brushes a stray eyelash from your cheek. He holds it up to show you and let you make a wish, a simple gesture you taught him in your early stages of dating. There’s a kind of tenderness to his touch that no one else could quite possess.

“Hi.” Elias smiles back, hand falling from your face to hold yours. “How did you sleep?”

“So good, these two didn’t move a bit.” You prop yourself up against the headboard, free hand coming to rest on your belly.

“Probably too exhausted from kicking you all day yesterday,” Elias jokes, his smile causing his eyes to crinkle. He leans forward and presses his lips against yours. It’s a soft and sweet kiss. His mouth is minty fresh from brushing his teeth and it makes you smile.

He’s slow to pull away and you chase his mouth as he goes. He chuckles softly, hand caressing your cheek. 

“I’ve got to go meet Brock and Quinn soon for golf, I made you breakfast, it’s on the counter,” he announces, standing back up and stretching.

“What no in bed delivery? The service here sucks,” you lilt, the teasing evident in your voice. Ever the drama Queen, Elias rolls his eyes leaning down to press a kiss on your forehead.

“I’ll be back this afternoon, call or text if you need anything.” And with that he’s out the door.

You stretch as you get up, your back cracks and your belly feels heavier than normal. You feel like you’re resting lower than yesterday and there’s a weird feeling settling in your gut. You shake it off though, pulling on your lounging outfit. Your doctor had warned you about Braxton hicks contractions and you were sure that this feeling in your belly had to be that.

Your due date was fast approaching and you couldn’t wait. Pregnancy is hard enough but when you’re carrying twins it’s a whole other beast. You’re incredibly lucky to have such a kind partner who has taken such good care of you. Elias’ job as a content creator allows him to control his hours, unlike his good friend Quinn who captains the local Vancouver NHL team and whose schedule is rigid with intense travel.

It’s a slow waddle to the kitchen and you take it slow. One of your cats lounges in the middle of the hallway and you have to gently nudge her from your path with your foot. She mewls in uproar but does nothing to stop her movement. You have to lean against the wall in support to move her and your stomach twists once again. You take a breather against the wall, staring up at the popcorn ceiling.

Upon finally reaching the kitchen, you feel the need to sit down. The kitchen island chairs look incredibly unsupportive and the kitchen table has the worst chairs for relaxing. You let out a huff at the idea of having to move into the living room.

Your breakfast is still warm and you bring it into the living room to relax on the couch. The pain isn’t slowing down but instead seems to be moving up your back.

It’s just Braxton Hicks, you think. There’s no way I’m going into labour.

You find a comfortable position on the couch and rest your plate on your belly. Your feet come up to rest on the coffee table and you flick through the channels. 

The scrambled eggs and toast is just what you needed. The pain in your gut quells a little and you find the perfect spot on the couch to rest. There’s a throw blanket hanging on the back of the couch and you pull it over yourself.

Both cats follow your lead and curl up near you on the couch. You hold your hand out trying to call either into your lap, but neither take the bait. You sigh, moving slightly in an attempt to tuck the blanket under yourself but giving up quickly as you tire.

The curtains that cover the living room windows are wide open and the light from the mild spring day is bright but you can’t find it in yourself to get up. The simplest of actions, getting up and getting food, have exhausted you and your eyelids begin to feel heavy.

//

You wake up with a jolt of pain that causes your whole body to cease. The groan that leaves your mouth causes both cats to jump up from the couch and disappear down the hall.

The pain is intense and you briefly can’t move. It’s over as quick as it came on. You sit up on the couch trying to regulate your breathing. Your heart is racing as you throw the blanket off of your body and stand up. 

There’s no more denying it. You’re in labour. You need to find your phone and get a hold of your husband. It’s time.

The waddle down the hallway back to your bedroom feels like an eternity, you know there’s time before your next contraction will ripple through your body but you still feel a bit panicked. You twist your wedding ring around your finger as you go, trying anything to calm the fog of anxiety that’s beginning to descend around you.

Your phone is where you left it the night before, on the nightstand still plugged in to the charger. You’ve got a single notification, a text from Elias’ coworker Natasha Dion, inviting you out for brunch next week.

But there’s no time to respond to her. You need Elias. You perch yourself on the bed, legs holding you up as you focus on your phone.

You quickly unlock the phone, your face ID failing you - forcing a password attempt that you’re not too sure how you even managed to get the numbers correct. You close the instagram app sloppily, a leftover from last night's pre-bed scrolling session, and open your phone app.

Elias’ contact is the most recent number you’ve called and you waste no time clicking on it.

The phone dials up and the line begins to ring. You stifle a sob and try to take a deep breath as the line continues to ring. Your free hand cradles your belly. One of the twins moves beneath your hand, causing a little chuckle to leave your mouth.

“Mama will see you soon,” you murmur, the line continuing to ring in your ear.

Suddenly there’s a beep and Elias’ voice comes through. “Hey, you’ve reached Petey. Can’t get to the phone right now but leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”

“Shit,” you curse and then the beep sounds through. “Hi babe, it's me. Um, I think I’m in labour and I need you to get home uh, right away? Call me back please.”

You take another breath, trying to remember what they taught you in Lamaze class. You flick through your brain trying to recall the class you practised breathing. You can see the teacher saying something in your mind but you can’t hear it, you were too focussed on the feeling of your husband's rock hard abs against your back. It certainly hadn’t helped your breathing, to the point that the teacher had come over and corrected your breathing. Again though, Elias’ breath on your shoulder had distracted you.

Goddamn your sexy husband and his too-hot-to-handle existence. 

You decide to send him a text too.

To Hubby: Hi babe, can you call when you can? I’m pretty sure I’m in labour…

Another contraction convulses through your body. Your spine feels like it’s on fire and your belly tightens. You cry out vocally, trying to breathe rhythmically. You let yourself fall back against the pillows, just trying to get through the pain. You dig your fingers into the comforter, eyes screwing shut. It’s way worse than any period cramp you’ve ever had and you find yourself cursing your husband under your breath. Of course he can’t fucking be reached right now. Asshat.

Once the pain eases, you force yourself back up and grab your phone. There’s no new notifications and you resist the urge to cry. Then it hits you, Elias is golfing with Brock and Quinn. Brock’s phone is always on, something about never wanting to miss a call from his agent for the next big Hollywood hit or whatever, you don’t care about his reasoning right now but you’re thankful for him.

The phone starts to ring and you click the speaker phone option. It rings once before there's an answer. God bless Brock.

“Hello gorgeous mother of my future godchildren, how are you?” He answers, charming as always. 

“Hey Brock,” You chuckle at his greeting, trying to hide the tinge of pain behind your voice. “Can you give the phone to Elias? He’s not picking up and I think I’m in labour.”

There’s a pause on the other end and some shuffling. You think you can hear Bella in the background asking what's going on, that causes you to furrow your eyebrows. Why would Bella be golfing with them? She hates it as much as you do. Then you hear the phone being grabbed from Brock’s grip as he cries out a loud “hey!’.

“Babes, Petey isn’t here with us?” Bella states, sounding equally as confused as you.

“Put it on speaker,” Brock demands in the background, not as loud as Bella. The sound of the phone shifts slightly as she switches it.

“He said he was golfing with you and Quinn today.” You reply, groaning as another shockwave of pain runs over you. You groan loudly into the phone. The pain causes you to drop the phone on the bed and forget the phone call as you try to breathe it out.

“That’s impossible because Quinn is in-” Brock counters, slightly oblivious to your pain. You love him to death but he can be such a blonde sometimes.

“Brock, it doesn’t matter right now,” You can hear the annoyance in his girlfriend’s voice as she interrupts his thoughts. Her focus is quickly back on you. “Y/N, are you in labour?”

The cry of anguish you respond with clues her in immediately. She springs into action on the other side of the phone. “Brock, get the keys. We have to get her to the hospital.”

“No.” You cry out, pain subsiding slightly. 

“Y/N, babes, you’re in labour,” Bella levels, her calmest and most rational voice on full display. It’s what you need right not but the irrational part of your brain doesn’t want to leave without your husband. “Brock will keep calling Elias but we need to get you to the hospital.”

“Okay,” you relent, getting up from the bed slowly, you pick your phone up and head for the nursery.

“Do you need me to stay on the phone with you?” She asks, Brock is in the background stomping around the apartment. Anyone unfamiliar with the actor would think he’s mad, but knowing him, you know that’s just simply the way he moves. A lot less elegance than he looks like he may possess. 

“Yes please.”

///

In the time it takes Brock and Bella to get to your apartment, you manage to change and grab your go-bag before letting yourself relax on the couch. You achieved all of this between crippling contractions. 

Your favourite two people in the world let themselves in with the key they have to your apartment. They have sympathetic looks on their faces as they take in the sight of you on the couch. 

You must look like a mess, you’re sweaty and stressed. “Hi,” is all you manage from your spot.

“Hi gorgeous, ready to go become a mama?” Bella coos, squatting down in front of you. There’s a glimmer of excitement in her eyes and you can feel it now too. It’s slowly becoming real. You nod, holding out your arms so she can help you up. You brace against her arms as you get up, smiling gratefully.

Brock stands behind her sheepishly, flitting with his phone. His thumbs are moving a mile a minute and you hope to god that he’s talking to Elias and Elias is on the way.

“Is Elias going to meet us there?” There’s hope in your eyes that slightly breaks Brock’s heart.

In a split second decision, he lies. “Of course, so we should get going.”

Truth is, Brock has no fucking clue where his best friend is. He has no fucking clue why Elias lied about being with him. He sure as hell knows he’s going to chew out Elias’s ass the moment he tracks the Swede down.

The lie does seem to pacify you and Brock is quick to be at your side and help you to the car, Bella follows along behind, having grabbed the go bag. Brock leads you down the hallway as his girlfriend locks the apartment. 

///

Brock has never been more stressed in his life. He was once looking forward to having children of his own with his beautiful girlfriend but after driving you to the hospital in the state you were in, he’s not so sure. You cried out in pain nearly every 8 minutes on the way, Vancouver traffic never one to be considerate of a crisis.

The screaming from the back of his car had Brock white-knuckling the steering wheel and peaking sheepishly in the rearview mirror at Bella holding your hand. The pale look on his face nearly caused Bella to laugh, until you gripped her hand harder, head thrown back against the seat headrest. 

Between glancing back to make sure you’re okay and glancing at his Apple CarPlay in hopes of a response from your husband, Brock was struggling to pay attention to the road. 

Not the best attitude to take when driving a pregnant woman to the hospital. It caused your anxiety to skyrocket and Bella to yell at Brock which certainly did not help the situation.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Brock is quick to let you and Bella out at the emergency entrance, before circling around to go find a parking spot.

Bella has your elbow in her arm, supporting you as she guides you to the entrance. Your go-bag is over her shoulder.

“Thank you,” You murmur between breaths. The gratitude is quickly overtaken by a contraction though and you stop dead in the middle of the entryway, paralyzed with pain. Bella is quick to hold you up.

“Breathe, just like this,” her lips purse and she blows out her breath in a weird pattern. You copy along as a nurse approaches you. You recognize her as the nurse who does your check-ups.

“Hi Mrs. Pettersson, looks like we’re having these babies,” She smiles, coming to your other side and helping Bella guide you to the wheelchair an orderly brought over. You just nod your head, trying to follow along with Bella’s breathing technique. 

The orderly begins pushing you along to a room, the nurse lags behind with Bella. The nurse has a look of concern on her face as she turns to Bella.

“Where is Elias?” She inquires, she’d always admired how dedicated your partner was during check-ups. He always had questions and a detailed list of what you’d been experiencing since the last check-up. It had taken her by surprise when he wasn’t there but ever the professional, she’d schooled her shock.

“I don’t know, he should be arriving soon.” Bella supplies, speeding up to keep up with you.

The nurse nods her head and heads back to her station to grab her gear. Brock comes rushing through the door, spotting his girlfriend lingering outside of your room. 

The nurse slides between them to get into your room, the door is cracked as she begins to get you ready. Bella brings your go-bag in as you get changed into an IV-compatible gown. She plugs in your phone charger and checks to see if there’s an update from Elias. Your phone only shows a text from your mom. 

“Y/N, your mom texted, should I let her know?” She calls out to you.

Your reply comes muffled through the bathroom door. “Yes please.”

Both Bella and the nurse chuckle at your response. Bella is quick to shoot off the text, eyes lingering on where Brock is pacing outside the room. His phone is in one hand and the other is pulling at his gorgeous blonde locks in what can only be described as one of the most stressed actions she’s ever seen.

As you settle in the hospital bed and the nurse begins to fasten different machines to you. You’re oblivious to the stress emanating off of the actor outside of your room as you relax between contractions.

“Is it too late for an epidural?” You inquire sheepishly. Your nurse laughs.

Bella excuses herself and slips outside. She swears she shuts the door as she joins Brock outside. They can still see into your room, you’re chatting politely with your nurse as she fixes the blood pressure cuff around your bicep.

“Do you know when Elias will be here?” She asks softly.

Brock’s face drops as he turns away from the window. He’s seen your lipreading skills before and even though you’re distracted, he’s not taking the risk. “No.”

“Well what did he say when you talked to him?” Bella inquires, eyebrow peaked in interest. She also turns away from the window.

“I didn’t.” Brock says, eyes dropping to the floor. “I don’t know where Elias is.”

“But you said-”

“I needed to keep her calm,” Brock makes eye contact with Bella, the love for you is clear behind his eyes and she softens at the admission. “She can’t know that he’s not coming.”

“He’s not coming,” Bella repeats, trying to wrap her head around the fact.

“What do you mean he’s not coming?” Your voice sounds from behind them; you’re standing in the doorway, gown-clad and attached to a mobile IV unit. The look of shock on your face breaks both Brock and Bella’s hearts. Your voice grows quieter. “You said he was coming”.

Brock reaches out to comfort you but you’re now freaking out like he’s never seen before. The heart rate monitor spikes and the nurse in the room rushes to get you into bed.

There’s so much emotion flowing through your body. You’re hyperventilating and want to scream. No one is prepared for the way you pass out. Brock and your nurse lunge to catch you, struggling to get you into the hospital bed.

“Shit, shit, shit.” Brock is also freaking out now.

The nurse has no time for him though as she reaches for a large red button on the wall. Bella stands idly in the doorway watching the chaos unfold. She’s frozen in shock, unsure what just happened and what she needs to do.

The nurse is quick to spring into action, and she peers over her shoulder at your two companions. “You both need to get out of here. We have to take her to the operating room.”

///

Elias’ phone is on the counter in the other room. He’d placed it on the kitchen counter as soon as he’d entered Vanessa’s luxury penthouse. He’d had to dance around baby toys sprawled around the floor but it made him chuckle thinking about how your apartment would soon look like that.

Elias had met Vanessa Morgan a year and a half ago when he and Natasha had helped with creating some ads for Riverdale’s production team. He kept his friendship with the actress on the lowdown from you. You’d been suspicious of her since you’d met her. She seemed weirdly obsessed with your husband, but Petey thought of her as a friend.

He’d offered to help her set up some of the baby furniture she hadn’t had the chance to before she’d had her baby three months ago. 

He’d already finished the changing table and the glider chair. Elias was working on the crib, the instructions almost confusing to him. He’d had no trouble putting the twin’s cribs together. To Elias, it was something a father-to-be should take pride in. 

It’s why Elias stepped up for Vanessa. Her baseball player husband had left her early in her pregnancy. He couldn’t comprehend how a man could up and abandon his family with no hesitation.

“How’s it going in here?” The short actress asks from the doorway. She’d just finished putting her little guy down for a nap, thankful she’d been wise enough to buy a bassinet for her bedroom for her baby’s first few months.

“I think you may have bought the most complicated crib in the world,” Elias laughs, looking up at his friend with a playful smile. “Did he go down for his nap easily?”

Vanessa nods, strutting into the room, she admires the other pieces of furniture he’s built in his couple of hours helping her. “I’m surprised you’re not with your wife today.”

Elias hums, his focus back on trying to fit the pieces together. “What do you mean?”

“She’s getting close to her due date, isn’t she?” She inquires, there’s a tone to her voice that Elias can’t quite place. The tone he can't quite place? Smugness. The kind of hubris possessed by a woman with ill-intentions.

“Yeah but all the boys in my family have arrived late,” Elias insists, twisting the screw driver. “She’ll be fine.”

Vanessa could point out that his wife is carrying twins and therefore more likely to have her babies early but why would she force Elias back into his wife’s arms? No, she’d much rather keep him to herself for as long as possible.

While Elias might think of Vanessa as his friend, Vanessa thinks of Elias in a less pg way. She’d been wanting to get into his pants since the first time they met. Of course she was married at the time, but it had never stopped her before. 

“You know, that looks like hard work,” She starts, adopting her most sensual voice. She’s determined to reel him in. “Why don’t I make you a snack?”

Elias is quick to agree and they both proceed to the kitchen. He leans against the kitchen counter as she scuttles around the kitchen. Vanessa hands him a glass of water that he accepts happily and sips slowly as he watches her.

“How’s the show going?” He asks, as she gathers condiments from the fridge.

She smiles at him, placing her ingredients down on the counter beside him. “It’s good, they’ve been really good about me staying back with River.”

Elias nods, thinking about how easy it’ll be for him to help out with the twins with his job that he can work from home. “That’s awesome. You’ve got a good support system, hey?”

“Yeah, I’m extremely grateful for everyone in my life,” Vanessa puts her butter knife down on the counter, turning to Elias and moving closer to him. She places a hand on his chest and begins to trail her fingers along the ridges of his body. “Especially you, you’ve been so good to me.”

Elias freezes, this must be what you meant when you said Vanessa had a weird energy to her when it came to him. She leans in close, and he can feel her breath on his face. He’s briefly amazed that such a short person can reach him so easily but then she closes her eyes and leans in.

He’s saved by the bell. Okay, maybe not quite a bell but the loud, shrill ringing of his phone is a close enough substitute. He dodges out of her reach to grasp his phone. Brock’s profile picture is on display and once he’s certain she’s not following him, he clicks the green connect button before retreating into the living room with his phone pressed against his ear.

“Hello?” Elias says into the phone, silently thanking whatever deity he can that Brock saved him.

“Dude where the fuck are you?” Brock starts, he sounds panicked and Elias is instantly worried. “Actually, I don’t fucking care. You need to get down to Vancouver General now.”

“Why? Brock, what’s going on?” Elias demands, pacing around the living room.

“Your wife went into labour. After finding out you weren’t coming, she passed out and had to be rushed into an emergency c-section to save the babies.” Brock recites robotically. Elias has never heard his best friend so angry at him. 

Then Brock’s words hit him. His heart stops, and he jolts to. “I’ll be right there.”

///

Elias is quiet as Brock and Bella lead him to your room. Neither of them could truly look at him after he’d told them where he was. He couldn’t blame them.

He was a bit of a wreck. He’d driven over the speed limit to get to you. He hadn’t been there when you needed him and something could’ve happened to you or your babies.

Your room is also quiet. There’s a small whimper coming from one of the bundles in your arms. He stops dead in his tracks, seeing you holding your twins is everything he’s ever wanted. You, the love of his life, with his children. And he missed their arrival.

“Hi,” He says, finally. He’d stood in the doorway somberly long after Brock and Bella had headed home. He’s sure Brock has already informed Quinn of what happened, that’s why his phone is blowing up in his pocket.

“Hello,” you reply coldly, without even looking up at him. Your eyes remain on your sweet boys the entire time. You’d known he was standing there since the moment Brock and Bella led him there.

Your reply is a sharp contrast to the way you’d been with him this morning. It’s shocking to Elias how a single day can change everything in a mere matter of hours.

“So, we’ve got sons.” He starts, dragging his feet on the floor as he walks over to occupy the seat beside your bed.

“Well, we knew that already.” You deadpan, finally looking up at him. There’s pure hurt behind your eyes and Elias wants to reach out and hold you but he knows better.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. 

You scoff. “Whatever.” 

Elias reaches for a baby and you hand him one.

“I’m here now and I’m not leaving.” He says, sure of himself. It’s too bad you don’t believe him.

Next Part

[bitchinbarzal]

🎄🎄🎄“You spent how much on Christmas decorations?” with Elias please!

Elias handled your finances so when he saw the credit card statement for the month he came rushing into the living room

“We’ve been robbed”

You almost dropped your coffee “What?!”

He shows you the screen “Someone spent almost $2000 at Canadian Tire-“

Your mouth forms an ‘O’ shape

“Yeah that was me”

You watch his eyebrows furrow “Excuse me?”

You stand up, shrugging “We needed Christmas decorations”

He chokes “Christmas Dec- you spent how much on Christmas decorations?!”

You stand infront of him with a soft pout “Lias don’t be mad…. I just wanted us to have a nice first Christmas in our new home”

Elias sighs “Baby….”

You lean over to the side table and grab a mistletoe decoration you bought and held it above your heads

“Will this help?”

He smirks and leans into you “only a little”

[nhl-stories]

I'll Call You Mine – Elias Pettersson

Summary: Elias is sick of being the single guy on the team so he asks his friend with benefits to pretend to be his girlfriend. Good thing pretending to be a girlfriend is her profession.

Author’s Note: Explicit sexual content below, sex work (the two aren’t one in the same)

Word Count: 9.6k

Album Series Masterlist

Break me down And I'll call you mine And I know I've been around

Geena feels a hand press between her legs, her body pushes against the friction by its own volition.

She doesn’t have time for this, she says as much in her grogginess.

“Too worn out for another round?”

“Whatever makes you feel better Casanova,” she removes the hand and throws it behind her.

It doesn’t completely deter him; he moves to kiss her bare shoulder.

“E, seriously I can’t smell like sex at work, and I have just enough time to sleep for 10 more minutes and shower.”

He lets out a heavy sigh and buries his face between her shoulder blades.

“Who gets an escort at 4 pm on a Tuesday?”

Elias always says escort like it’s any other job. Like he’s mentioning a waitress or accountant or something. It is like any other job, but it’s not how most people react.

“It’s my favorite client, once a week he has me hold his hand at an early dinner and wear a sundress.”

“Okay then come back tonight,” he glosses over the details without judgment.

It’s refreshing.

They’re just fucking; she never has to put up with any shit even if he gave her any. If she ever felt slighted in the least, she knows she could find at least ten other guys to put in her sex rotation.

But Elias is the most consistent partner she’s ever had and it would be hard to give up just because he was being a judgmental ass.

She’s spent years putting up with that kind of behavior, she has thick skin. But there’s something nice about not needing to shield herself, let her soft underbelly show.

“I have a second client afterward, that might run pretty late and don’t you fly out tomorrow?”

“No, we just have an optional morning skate tomorrow.”

“So, you’re going to skate? Optional isn’t really your thing,” she smirks even though he can’t see, she knows him so well.

Elias wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her into him, makes sure she can feel his arousal. Makes sure she knows what she’s giving up for some extra sleep and a shower.

She lets out an airy sigh that borders on moan. Instead of leaning into that desire she rolls over and out of the bed.

“I’m not humoring you on this,” Geena laughs so Elias knows she’s not actually angry, “but I don’t work tomorrow so I guess I can come back tonight.”

It doesn’t quite appease Elias, who grabs her arm and pulls her back into a kiss. It’s simple, no demands behind it, but it still makes Geena second guess leaving. She has just enough will power to pull away and go to the bathroom, not giving Elias a second glance.

She comes back out already dressed; a blue sundress that brushes her mid-thighs, her hair tied into a single braid hanging over her shoulder. It’s the picture of innocence, but it sets something on fire in Elias. He kind of understands now why the man wants her to dress like this.

Geena seems to notice the flash of lust in his eyes and blows him a kiss, worried what will happen if she gets too close, “don’t wait up.”

Elias waits up, not entirely on purpose. He’s playing video games with some friends in Sweden when he hears the apartment door open. He’d given her a key so she could come and go when they meet up late for booty calls, her words not his.

“You’re not streaming, are you?” He hears her whisper from the doorway.

“No, but I’ll be done in a minute.”

He continues to play and Geena comes and wraps her arms gently around his shoulders, careful to not jostle him.  She gives him a couple of soft kisses along his jaw and he feels something cold press against the back of his neck.

He turns to see the outfit change Geena made since he last saw her. The braid is replaced with a mane of wild waves and she’s wearing a virginal white dress that almost glows, even more so against the leather harness she’s wearing over it.

He mumbles something in Swedish before turning off the game and turning towards her.

“This is new,” he plays with the metal ring that sits between her clavicles.

She rolls her eyes, suddenly looking exhausted.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she runs her hands over his shoulders until they link together behind him, “but I could use some help taking it off.”

“I think I could lend a hand.”

Elias stands up and kisses her, she tastes like gin; he wraps his fingers under the straps to pull her closer.

She’s on her tip toes to reach his lips, leaving her unbalanced or maybe that’s the feverish pace of the kisses.  

“Wall… bed… flat surface,” Geena breaths out between kisses.

Elias smirks against her lips and pushes her towards the nearest wall slotting his knee between her legs.

“I’m glad you came back,” he bunches up her skirt and rubs her through her lacy underwear, a patch of wetness already forming, “I guess you are, too.”

“Just do something,” she bucks against his hand.

He moves to kiss down her neck, but doesn’t make any forward progress with his fingers. If anything, his touch becomes lighter, only ghosting over Geena even as he moves her underwear down her legs.

The frustrated groan Geena makes has his cock twitching.

She pushes him away with some force, enough to give her space to kick of her panties and pull Elias back by his waistband. His thigh is pressed back against her and she moves rhythmically against him, desperate for friction.  Her hand reaching in his shorts and gripping his cock, stroking it to full attention with expert quickness.

“Fuck G,” he groans and pulls her back into a kiss, desperate to find some leverage.

Her hips circle more erratically, like she’s close to finding her climax just rubbing against his leg like an animal. As hot as that is, Elias wants more.

He moves his hands down her body, over her ass and to the back of her thighs, lifting her further up the wall and off her feet.

She gasps, half in displeasure at the loss of contact when she’s so close to falling over the edge and half in excited anticipation.

Geena helps line him up while he holds her against the wall; she doesn’t have time to waste, knowing she won’t last long.

Elias shows his control and strength as he slowly lowers her down his length. It’s too much, but it’s perfect. They feel every centimeter on the way down, until he bottoms out.

He looks up and sees her pupils blown out looking back down at him. Geena opens her mouth like she has something to say, but a strangled sound comes out instead.

She leans down to kiss him, mouth hot and tongue clashing against his. She grips his shoulders and pushes herself up, aching for Elias to move. He gets the hint and jackhammers his hips up towards her.

He keeps up the brutal and unrelenting pace, he can’t keep his lips working at the same time and leans his head forward on her chest. Geena digs her nails into the back of his neck, digging crescents so deep they might draw blood.

He bites into one of the leather straps of her harness, his movements becoming more irregular, wilder.

“Babe, I’m close, just keep going.”

Geena leans back into the wall, changing the angle just enough.  Everything feels hotter and tighter, and Elias bites harder into the leather as he feels her milk his orgasm out of him.

Still, he doesn’t slow his pace even as it becomes almost too much, too overstimulating. He thrusts until Geena lets out a whimper and goes nearly limp in his arms. Elias suddenly aware of her weight and the burning in his arms and thighs.

He slides her down the wall until her feet touch the ground again. Her legs wobbles and he has to hook his fingers under the straps to help hold her up.

Elias pulls her along to his bedroom, sitting her down in her post-orgasm haze. He gently undoes the straps of the harness and slides it off her body. He moves to her dress, pulling the garment over her head. She’s pliant and dazed, but gives him a soft smile before she scoots up the bed.

He goes to the bathroom and gets a washcloth and runs it under warm water. He gently washes the mess between her thighs, where her juices and his come are leaking out of her, running down her thighs.

“Sorry, I should have showered,” she says sleepily, giving his bicep a gentle squeeze.

He doesn’t respond, just removes his own clothes that never came off and joins her in the bed. He gently kisses below her breasts, her sternum, her shoulders where deep red marks from the too-tight straps of the harness scream out red and raw.

Elias wants to say something, ask her questions but it’s not his place to ask. He doesn’t fully understand the intricacies of her job, but they’re just fucking and she doesn’t owe him any answers or explanations.

He kisses her shoulders once more and then her lips, hoping his actions speak a little bit of what he really wants to say.  She cups his face like she understands and curls into his side before closing her eyes.

His fingers rub gently over the indentations around her back until sleep takes him too.

\\\

Geena is cooking eggs when he comes back. Elias has never hated his closet full of baggy clothes more than right now; Geena is swimming in one of his shirts making her look like she’s more of a blob than a tantalizing, half-naked woman.

“I thought you going to be ready and waiting for me in bed?”

“I got hungry,” she plates her food before she turns around, “definitely needed to refuel if there was a repeat performance.”

She hops up onto the counter and Elias hates his baggy shirt a little less when it rides up her thighs.

“Before we get back to it…” Elias places a hand on her thigh, “there’s this team event…” he doesn’t know why he’s so nervous.

“Like right now? You could have just texted if you needed to do something.”

“No, there’s this get-together this weekend and I wanted to know if you would… escort me?”

“Escort you…?”

“I’m sick of going alone to these things and wives trying to find me dates while everyone else has significant others.”

“I thought Quinn was single cause he broke up with that girl with the stripper name?”

Elias laughs, ignoring the giddiness he feels when Geena remembers even the most mundane things he brings up between their benefits.

“Lux?”

“Yeah, where was that name when I was a stripper? It’s perfect, you can go with Luxxx with three Xs or Lux Luxury; she’s sitting on a gold mine.”

“Yeah, well Quinn has a new girlfriend.”

“Wow, good for Huggy,” she grins to herself before going back to her food.

“So, what do you think?” Elias tries to get back on subject but is a little embarrassed to say the words again.

“You want me to be your date to get people off your back because you’re fine with having casual sex and don’t need a real relationship, but clearly saying that isn’t working?”

“More or less yeah.”

“I mean I am a professional dater…” she has a devious little grin, knowing she’s making him squirm a bit.

“A big part of why I’m asking you and not one of my other hookups,” he smirks like he actually has a list of other hookups.

She sets aside her now empty plate and runs her nails over his scalp and the buzzcut she’s grown to love.

She lets out a heavy sigh, “I don’t know E, we’re having sex.”

“Not at this exact moment,” he can’t help himself in the moment, being in her proximity brings it out of him.

She rolls her eyes but can’t stop the smile, “I don’t have sex with clients so it would be kind of weird and wrong to make you sign a contract or something.”

“I’m not asking for this to be a big official thing.”

“Elias, you’re thinking this is just a one and done thing, but if you want these people off your back I can’t just show up once and then fuck off.”

She cups his face, wants to make herself crystal clear.

“It means I will have to show up a few times, which makes this a time commitment, and some of those times will be during my prime working hours, which means I’ll be doing my job without making money and that makes the whole thing like an unpaid internship.”

“Okay, then let’s do this under the table,” he kisses up her jawline towards her lips, “and I pay you in sexual favors.”

“In an attempt to avoid me becoming a prostitute for you, you’re suggesting I become a prostitute for you,” she shoves him back a little bit, but he’s between the vee of her thighs and can’t go too far.

“I think the correct term is sex worker.”

Geena lets out a surprised snort.

“I appreciate your nuanced terminology, but I’m technically kind of a sex worker as an escort, so I’m just using it to differentiate. Also, I’m legally allowed to sell sex but it’s illegal to buy sex in Canada so we’re entering a real murky area here.”

She hooks her ankles behind him and pulls him close, “Will you give me a bit to think about it, like a day max.”

“Yeah of course,” he gives her a quick peck, “are you still gonna stick around for the day?”

“Yeah, you properly using the term sex worker weirdly does it for me.”

\\\

She ends up agreeing, there wasn’t really any doubt. She likes making Elias happy.

Geena rolls into Elias’ apartment two hours before he says to come over with a suitcase in tow.

Elias is watching TV in his boxer briefs and looks almost embarrassed to be caught being lazy and disheveled. Even though Geena knows he got in late from a road game in Winnipeg, where the plane had been delayed due to weather.

“Why are you here so early?”

“You gave me like no information about tonight, so I brought some outfit options for any occasion from super casual to full black tie.”

Elias just blinks, not sure how to respond as Geena starts opening the suitcase.

“G, we haven’t even discussed how I would,” he rubs the back of his neck, “pay you.”

He’s getting second thoughts about the whole thing.

“I decided the first one is free, see if I fit in and it feels natural then we’ll discuss payment plan,” she winks and continues pulling out outfits.

“This is a little overwhelming.”

“You’re getting the full Ruby experience. You can still call me Geena though, since we know each other intimately, going with my escort name might be confusing.”

He feels a bit nauseous. He assumes it’s showing on his face because Geena stops what she’s doing and joins him on the couch.

“E, this is literally my profession, I’m taking charge here so you don’t have to worry about stuff. But I have to get some information so you can relax and follow my lead.”

She gives him a quick kiss as a form of reassurance.

“It’s in a private room at a nice-ish restaurant.”

“Great start,” she gets up and holds up a black jumpsuit and a blue dress.

“Uhhh, the dress.”

“Excellent choice, now how do you want me to be?”

“What?”

“How do you want me to act? Cheery? Cerebral? Demure? Mysterious?”

“I just thought you’d act like yourself; I like how you are.”

Geena feels her face heat up.

“And PDA? Are we a little handsy–“

Elias laughs at the irony of that.

“I said handsy not hand job Elias,” she puts a stop to this tangent immediately, “but let’s say casual touching, nothing below the waist.”

“What if I want to grab your ass?” Geena quickly making him calmer about the whole thing.

“Okay, we’ll play the PDA stuff by ear.”

Geena knows the PDA situation the moment the hostess starts leading them to the private room in the back of the restaurant. The confidence Elias had thought he built up immediately crumbles and his whole body tenses up beside hers.

She grabs his hand, knowing she’ll probably be a calming touch away the whole night.  

Were he any other client she wouldn’t say the next thought out loud, “Loosen your grip E, you don’t want them to think you have to physically force a woman to go on a date with you.”

“No, I just have to pay one,” he whispers with a smirk.

She squeezes his hand, reminds him to stay this loose.

The tension comes back almost instantly. Apparently, Geena is the first date Elias has ever brought around, so meeting her is the main event of the evening.

Tension ratchets up further when the obvious question comes up, “how did you two meet?”

His eyes widen and he starts to stutter for a response. Geena has to practically pry her hand loose so she can wrap an arm around his waist and tuck herself into his side. His grip on her shoulder is only a little too tight.

“I was supposed to be meeting a guy in his building for a date,” Elias is shocked that Geena is telling the real story.

“And I’ve been waiting for 15 minutes already and this dude is not answering his buzzer and of course my phone has died in the meantime so I can’t call him or a car to leave. And obviously at this point the weather also has to be terrible and it starts pouring rain and I happen to be standing in front of the only luxury apartment building that has no overhang to stand under.”

She’s a natural conversationalist, Elias looks around, everybody is already enthralled just by the way she talks.

“So, I’m getting absolutely soaked while I’m thinking about what to do next, when Elias comes running from a car that just dropped him off and he lets me into the lobby because I must look too pathetic to be a thief or something.”

“I thought you were a wet dog when I saw you out of the corner of my eye,” he jokes and squeezes her tighter as she gives him a playful bat.

“Okay, I guess he let this wet dog in the lobby and I explained what happened with this other guy, and Elias offers to call me a car but makes me give him my number so I can text him that I made it home safely, which was clearly just a way to get my number– “

“Hey, there are security cameras in the lobby I didn’t want to be the last person on camera to see you if you got murdered.”

Elias feels his face heating up, he’s glad his teammates think it’s because he’s being called out for using a cheesy line. Because while the night really did end that way, Elias had actually invited Geena up to his place to charge her phone and take a dry sweatshirt first.

They ended up having sex on his couch while her phone charged.

“Uh-huh, sure, that’s the reason,” she rolls her eyes before kissing his cheek, he heats up even more.

Suddenly, Elias is relaxed. It’s like Geena passed a test and integrated into the group. She stays a touch away while they mingle until dinner starts.

Elias keeps a casual arm on the back of her chair during dinner, Geena working the room so well he has no idea why he was so nervous.

Then he notices the way Garland is looking at her, like he knows something. He pushes the feeling down and focuses on the warmth of Geena’s body against his palm. Garland spends most of the dinner looking like he wants to ask something, which keeps Elias on edge for most of dinner.

Eventually he gets the courage to ask, “Sorry Geena, you look so familiar, have we met before or do you just have one of those faces?”

Elias stiffens and Geena places a hand on his thigh and rubs it, telling him not to worry.

“I think I have one of those faces. Last time I heard that, someone told me I looked like some woman from pornos, so maybe I have porno face.”

She has big, innocent doe eyes when she says it while other people snort on their drinks. Conor turns pink as his fiancée is torn between laughing and being grossed out. She breaks the tension with a laugh and the topic is dropped.

Geena wouldn’t be surprised if he recognized her, her days as a stripper brought a lot of NHL teams to the club. Even some of the Canucks had made an appearance now and then, no judgement with what adults want to do, just facts.

Many a rookie party wrapped up in the strip club, when most people were too far gone to think about their inhibitions any longer. One of the rookies, usually the most or least sober, would be handed a stack of ones and shoved towards a back room.

She remembers bringing one rookie back herself. When he sat down, she finally realized he was really a boy just playing dress up as a man. Then he burst into tears, words garbled up through sobs and intoxication, something about this not being who he is.

They were about the same age, but Geena felt maternal in the moment.

Geena rubbed his back and assured him she didn’t need to do anything; they could sit until he calmed down. When he finally stopped, she got ice cubes to help get rid of the puffiness around his eyes, a trick of the trade. Once he looked presentable, she slipped him a pair of underwear into his back pocket, a very Sixteen Candles move.

“Oh my god you were incredible,” Elias says as they get into his car after dinner, “no wonder you do this for a living.”

“And you’re so quick on your feet! That porno line, I thought Garly was going to swallow his tongue,” he continues.

“Customer service is the most important part of sex work,” she gives a soft smile.

Normally, after a date with a client she’d have a joint or an edible and if she was still feeling wired, she’d call someone for a hook up. But Elias is her go-to hook up and it makes her whole routine feel out of whack.

She wants to go home with him, have a night cap and at least make out a little, but everything is different and that feels like a boundary she can’t cross. Even with her lover turned sort of client.

“Hey E, can you take me back to my place?”

His foot stutters on the brake, bringing them to a jerky stop and go.

“It’s just I’m tired and since we’re treating this like a real job it feels wrong. I wouldn’t go home with a client; I wouldn’t even get in a car with them.”

“Oh right, of course. That makes perfect sense.”

The car is silent as the lights of Vancouver flash by, Geena slouching further into her seat. The weight of everything seeping into her bones.

Elias pulls up in front of Geena’s building, “Thanks for tonight, I really owe you. But we can discuss my payment later,” he gives devilish smirk and Geena can’t help but smile back.

“Cool, let me know the gossip about me in the group chat later.”

She leans in for kiss, but even though that’s their norm it feels like a violation to her own code of conduct. She bails last minute for an awkward kiss on the cheek which ends up with Elias kissing her right below her eye.

She scampers away before she can see his reaction.

\\\

The weird feeling doesn’t go away after her joint. Not after a boiling hot shower or the cold shower she takes afterwards.

It still doesn’t go away when she texts u up? to the contact ‘For a Good Time 💦’ and she lets him fuck her throat until she’s a mess of tears and snot and can barely talk, let alone think.

After a good night’s sleep, the feeling is still crawling under her skin. It makes Geena want to rub it raw. Since the weirdness isn’t going away any time soon, she pulls up her wish list she sends to some clients, she usually calls it tipping, and sends it to Elias.

Ten minutes later she realizes without context the list seems weird and follows up with: For payment after our next date, leaving what and how much up to you, think of it as my friends discount lmk where and when you need me next

Geena turns off her phone and tries to enjoy her day off, the weird feeling settling like a pair of glasses, still there but no longer aware of them.

It helps that the Canucks are on an East coast road trip. They’ve been hooking up for almost two years but don’t really keep tabs on each other. It’s like the moment either of them leave the greater Vancouver area they become strangers.

So, she’s not surprised that she just has a thumbs up as a response when she turns her phone back on. But she is surprised when two days later there’s a large package at her PO box. She wasn’t actually expecting Elias to work so fast, to be thinking of her on his work trip.

She opens the package at home, there’s a note on top of the tissue: To keep my snack warm, E.

Geena rolls her eyes, but gasps when she pulls out a slate blue cashmere coat. It’s the kind of expensive thing she puts on her wish list without expecting to ever get it. Like putting something too fancy on a wedding registry hoping some rich, distant relative will actually go for it.

She does a grossed-out shiver thinking about Elias as a rich, distant relative.

But it doesn’t stop her from stroking the luxurious coat with awe. She puts it on and it fits perfectly, she thinks she might live in it from now on. It’s too much for one date that was supposed to be complimentary, too grand a gesture. Still, she loves it too much to care.

She shows up at Elias’ place after his first home game back. They won; she knew because the buzz on her phone from the NHL app kept going off during her date with a client. He turned out to be a big Canucks fan, but still it made her mind preoccupied on the job. Always a bad thing in her line of work.

Geena knocks on his door, worried that he isn’t alone. He’s a star Canuck who just won a game in a pretty rough season. He would deserve it and it wouldn’t be hard to find someone for him. Still, Geena ain’t no cock block.

His jacket is off and tie loosened when he opens the door, like he just got home.

“Hey G, the coat looks nice,” Elias smirks as he lets his eyes rake up and down her body, he doesn’t move aside to let her in

“Thank you, it was way too much, but it’s nice.”

Geena tries to casually peer around him, making sure he’s alone. He immediately catches on.

“Are you here for business or pleasure?” his tone cocky.

She shrugs, “I haven’t decided yet.”

Elias makes a show of moving out of the way, revealing for certain he’s alone.

Geena makes a show of walking past him and taking off her coat, revealing her burgundy slip dress with a dangerously high slit.

“Had a client tonight?” Elias moves closer to her.

She nods and takes a step back, “a business man who was a big Canucks fan.”

“That make you think of me?”

“Yeah, and that’s not great for business, I was so distracted I don’t think he’ll give me a good tip,” Geena pouts.

“That’s too bad, you love a good tip.”

The game of sexual tension chicken continues, slowly making their way towards the bedroom. A strap of her dress falls down her shoulder. She has to tense her muscles to not shiver under Elias’ gaze. Before she knows it, she’s falling back onto the bed and Elias is caging her in.

He kisses up her bare shoulder, up her neck, and nips under her ear.

“I guess you’re here for pleasure,” she feels his low voice rumble against her, vibrating her bones.

He starts to suck a mark into her neck and she can’t let that happen. He’s so focused on the task, she takes advantage of the moment to flip him over so she’s on top.

“I guess I am,” she smirks down at him before pulling off her dress and tossing it off the bed.

Elias rubs his hands up her sides, over her silky matching set, “This for your client, too?”

She wants to lie because the truth is boring, this underwear happened to work with the best with the dress. But the truth is also scary, she did think of how Elias would react when she picked them

“No, just for you,” she rolls her hips and Elias groans.

“Next time just wear this under the coat,” he sits up and captures her lips.

She bites his bottom lip and tries to work the buttons on his shirt, “You need less buttons on your shirt.”

Elias laughs and pulls her along as he lays back down. Pulling her body up his, her legs bracketing his shoulders. She’s about to question what’s happening as he kisses the insides of her thighs, moving towards her vagina. He grips her hips to holds her in place as she squirms at the sensations.

She’s so used to giving, this makes her feel off-kilter. She never knows quite what to do when it’s one way towards her, but it should feel good. Biologically her body is reacting like it should, she gasps when he mouths at her through the silky material.

“E,” she tries to push her body up but he doesn’t let her get far, “you don’t have to do this.”

His grip loosens and she’s able to sit back a bit, fully see his face.

“How many times do I have to tell you I want to do this, I like doing this,” his fingers dip below her waistline while he waits for a response.

“Okay,” her voice is smaller than he’s ever heard it, “if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” he pulls the waistband of her panties down, “now take these off and sit on my face.”

She does as she’s told, gripping at the headboard and riding his face to an orgasm that makes the blood slosh in her ears. Elias has to tap her thigh to get her to move in the stupor.

“Sorry,” she mumbles and starts to do only thing she know how, return the favor.

Geena moves down his body, but Elias stops her. Instead, he maneuvers her to his side, wrapping an arm around her.

“I’m kind of tired,” he kisses the top of her head, “let’s just sleep.”

“In your clothes?” She’s hoping that will be enough to start something, she hates feeling like they’re on uneven ground.

He rolls his eyes and then out of bed, taking off his clothes as he makes his way to the bathroom. Any of their heat from earlier dissipates as Geena watches him start brushing his teeth through the open door.

He rummages through a drawer and holds out a toothbrush, the green one he bought for her when she started staying over. She hesitantly gets up and joins him at the counter; Elias has his and hers sinks and they each stand in front of one and silently brush their teeth.

Elias keeps making faces in the mirror trying to get Geena to look and laugh, he’s pretty close despite her trying to avoid looking. Then he fakes a blow job: pushing it into the inside of his cheek, then gagging and spitting out the the white foam.  Geena can’t help but let out a belly laugh and chokes on her own toothpaste.

“Don’t try and kill me for a bit,” she gives him a shove after she rinses her mouth.

He just smiles and plucks her toothbrush out of her hand and places it in the cup next to his. There’s a swooping in her stomach, when did being so domestic become so normal?

She lets herself get pulled back into his side when they get back into bed, and she pretends she doesn’t sleep more soundly in his grasp.

\\\

Geena wakes up the next morning in an empty bed. It’s oddly comforting even if she’s not in her own home. She gets up and digs through Elias’ dresser finding a pair of shorts and a shirt, she doesn’t feel like trying to shimmy back into a constricting dress.

She pads out into the living room, gathering her coat and purse, shoving the dress into the tiny bag.

“Morning,” Geena nearly jumps out of her skin.

“Fuck me,” she takes a deep breath and finds Elias holding a mug of coffee and a plate with a croissant.

“I can do that, but maybe you want to eat first,” he smirks before noticing her holding her stuff, “you heading out?”

“I- uh- I thought you left so, yeah,” she still kind of wants to leave now.

“I just went out to pick up coffee, I would have invited you, but thought you could sleep and I’d bring you breakfast in bed.”

Geena isn’t exactly sure what her face does, but Elias frowns.

“Do you need to leave?” His voice is soft.

“No breakfast is good, maybe we could sit outside, it’s actually nice,” that seems to appease him.

Elias has a smoothie with his coffee and Geena gingerly picks at the pastry.

“The team has been asking about you, you were a big hit,” he finally speaks up.

“So, I need to make another sparkling appearance?” she’s grinning but doesn’t look up at him, staring at her toes in the sunlight.

“They were wondering if you wanted to sit with them at a game, and if we win, we can go out after.”

“Like hang out with them when you’re not there?”

“If it’s too weird then don’t worry about it, but you can see a free game and you can even show up late if you want to avoid that much time with them.”

“No, I can do it, it’s fine.”

She pulls her feet up onto the chair, curls her toes into the cushion. Flexing and unflexing, something to remind her she’s not lost at sea, she’s on solid ground.

“Great, would Friday work for you?”

“I’ll have to check my schedule, but that should work.”

She knows she’ll have to cancel with a client, it’s last minute on a weekend night. But she doesn’t want to disappoint Elias.

His smile grows twice in size.

“And in return could you get me reservations at Kissa Tanto?”

He scrunches his eyebrows.

“It’s like impossible to get good reservations there, so use your pretty boy Canuck connections and squeeze me in on like a Saturday.”

“Oh. Yeah, I can probably swing that.”

“I know you can,” she pops the rest of the croissant in her mouth and downs her coffee, “I do have to go now, but I’ll see you later.”

She’s more nervous about the game than she cares to admit. Changing her outfit about four times, stalking WAGs on Instagram just to make sure she’ll mostly fit in. She doesn’t even know why she cares so much, it’s not the first time she’s had to fit in and schmooze a group of significant other, but it is the first time she’s done it without her date.

She shows up during the second period, trying to limit the amount of time she’ll have to spend without hockey going on. Geena knows she can survive one intermission.

As soon as she gets to the seats Samantha pulls Geena to sit next to her.

“Thank god you’re here.”

Geena laughs nervously, wondering why this girl she talked to for maybe 30 minutes is so excited to see her.

“I’m new here too, so it’s nice to have some back up. This whole world is new to me.”

Samantha is smiling, but Geena can read the self-consciousness on her face. She knows what it’s like, back when she was new to a higher class of living, she always felt like people would know she’s some kind of dirty whore, that she didn’t belong and never would.

She soon learned pretending to be confident could go a long way.

“If it makes you feel better this is the fourth outfit I tried on,” Samantha squeezes her arm in response.

The game is fun, it’s the first time she’s seen a hockey game while not on a job in a long time. Though technically she’s still on a job, she doesn’t need to entertain someone else. She forgot how fun it could be. And she finally gets to focus on Elias, how gracefully he skates, the power of his shot; it’s kind of beautiful.

Elias scores a goal and Geena goes nuts, she didn’t know she had that kind of excitement in her.

One of the girlfriend’s films the reaction and the rest of the crowd cheering before Geena can slink out of view.

“What’s your handle Geena?”

“Oh, I don’t do social media,” she shrugs, she does but it’s under the name Ruby and definitely not for all audiences.

There’s a chorus of shock that follows.

“I’ll tag Petey in it then,” she smirks and types away on her phone.

The goal turns out to be the game winner and the group is buzzing, Geena is almost excited to go out with them, like they’re just a group of her friends.

It’s as if she’s in a drunken haze as they make their way into the depths of the arena to greet the players, then she’s pulled into a hug and obligatory kiss with Elias. Suddenly she’s piling into the back of a car that’s so crowded she’s half on Elias’ lap.

It all happens so fast she doesn’t even notice what bar they’re going to until she’s in the door and it’s too late to turn around. She definitely can’t make a scene, so she tries to hide behind the bigger hockey bodies as they go to the VIP section.

She drinks a little too much a little too fast. It loosens her up enough to go out onto the dance floor with some of the other ladies without a second thought. It’s when they go to the bar for some water that reality sets in again.

“Ruby”

Geena is pretty good at compartmentalizing her double life, so she doesn’t react to her alter ego name at first.

“Ruby!”

“I think that guy is trying to talk to you,” Samantha nudges her, making her finally look over to acknowledge the man.

She mumbles an expletive under her breath when she sees her manager, Michael. He likes to keep an eye on the escorts when they’re in a bar, it always seems to be where incidents happen.

“It’s some guy I gave a fake name then ghosted. I’ll go talk to him then meet you guys back at the tables,” she tries to shake the confused stares as she walks over.

“I thought you were taking the night off Ruby?”

“I’m here as Geena, I didn’t realize I was coming here until it was too late.”

“Shit, well Sam is here and he’s not too pleased with his replacement, so you might want to get out of here before you lose one of your best clients.”

“Fuck, I’ll get out as soon as I can. Sorry.”

“Geena, you’re allowed to have a life, just maybe not here of all places,” Michael gives her a sad smile.

She weaves her way back to the group, trying to blend in with the crowd. She clearly looks concerned when she sits back down next to Elias, who hands her his drink.

“You okay?” He leans in close, warm breath on her neck.

"I have a lot of dates here and the client I cancelled on for you is here,” she doesn’t mean to let that last bit of information slip but she’s nervous.

She leans back to look at Elias reaction, she’s not quite sure if he’s worried or happy. She gives him a long kiss in response before moving back to his ear again.

“So, if we get a bit handsy, so you can sort of hide my face and make it so it seems like we’re leaving to go bang that would be great.”

She kisses the spot below his ear, “we can also actually leave and go bang, too.”

Geena’s throwing out her rules of not sleeping with her faux-client after a date, anything to get out of here sooner rather than later.

“Yeah, sure,” he pulls her closer, “I think I can do that.”

They’re in a darkest corner of the table with his teammates, but the moment Elias’ tongue slips its way into Geena’s mouth there’s some cat calling from the boys. She can feel Elias’ hand move off of her, assumably to flip them off.

“I think they’ve had enough of a show,” he whispers and yanks her into a standing position.

There are some obligatory waves to the team before he’s pulling her into his side, hiding her a bit under his shoulder, leaning down to kiss her a bit as they walk to cover her whole face until they’re outside.

Her skin is on fire and the burst of cold air is doing nothing to change that. Geena feels the sudden urge to pull Elias into an alley and get on her knees for him, but she knows that has to wait until they’re as far away from this bar and any prying eyes as possible.

“Thanks E,” she can’t stop from kissing him again, with a little less heat this time.

“No problem, I was promised we’d go bang so not really a problem for me.”

He smirks and grabs her arms and pins them to her side to avoid the playful smack that was sure to come, and kisses her until her knees are weak.

\\\

Elias shows up at Geena’s apartment on a Saturday.

A woman in a silky robe answers the door and Elias worries he’s at the wrong place.

He’s only been inside her apartment once: taking Geena home when she arrived at his place for a booty call a little too drunk. He brought her home and practically carried her into her room, thinking it was best if she slept it off in her own bed.

“Hi, sorry I must be at the wrong apartment–“

“Baby Slut, your lover is here!” The woman shouts back over her shoulder and leans on the doorframe with a smirk.

“What are you talking ab– oh shit E, what are you doing here?”

Geena is also in silk robe holding a mascara wand.

“The Kissa Tanto reservation? It’s tonight.”

She blinks a few times before seeming to come back online.

“Oh, you made them for us,” she points between the two of them, “I was gonna take Xa,” she points to the woman in the doorway.

“I shouldn’t have assumed I was your plus one. You two should go together.”

Elias tries to hide his disappointment and embarrassment but apparently does a bad job.

“No, you two go have a cute little date,” Xa smiles a bit conspiratorially.

“But we’ve been wanting to go there forever,” Geena pouts, Elias hates that he feels like he’s being rejected.

“And I’m sure we can make that happen another time,” Xa give Elias a wink, “Would you be able to do that for us.”

“Uh- yeah of course,” Elias smiles back, “sorry about ruining your plans.”

“Don’t worry about, I can always go to the club make a quick buck,” she’s moving aside so Elias can come in, “someone’s gotta keep Baby Slut here in the life she’s grown accustomed to. Since you’re monopolizing all her billing hours.”

Elias feels his cheeks heat up.

“Let me throw on clothes real quick,” Geena cuts in, “behave yourself Xa.”

As soon as she seems out of earshot Elias asks, “Baby Slut?”

“I took her under my wing when she first started stripping, showed her the ropes. Barely legal girl who could barely get on stage without shaking. She didn’t have anyone taking care of her, so she became my little baby and well–“

She waves her hand implying all the things that could be associated with sex work, making slut seem like low hanging fruit.

It’s a reminder that Geena has already lived hundreds of lives in her short time on Earth. While Elias had only lived his solitary, safe life.

“I wasn’t legal,” Geena is dressed in record time, probably to avoid Xa sharing any embarrassing stories.

“Shhh, I don’t know how long the statute of limitations lasts on abetting a minor in her crimes.”

Geena rolls her, grabbing her coat and shoving Elias towards the door.

“Nice meeting you,” Elias calls over his shoulder.

“You too, have fun and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Wow, that really narrows it down,” Geena flips her off as she slams the door.

Both parties are desperately trying to decipher dinner’s meaning, is it a date? A real one? With no prying eyes of teammates or payments?

It makes it a little awkward.

They’re staring at their menus in silence like they can’t think of a single thing to talk about, which is absurd for two people who have spent so much time together. Most of it was in throes of passion, but there was always time between rounds or during mornings after lazing in bed or while munching on midnight snacks.

They talk enough that one dinner with no expectations should be easy.

The waiter comes by and takes their orders and they’re both grateful when their drinks arrive.

“Well cheers to our first date, I guess,” Geena makes a goofy face, which make Elias laugh despite the confusion it causes.

“You look really beautiful.”

Geena blushes like no one has ever told her that before. Elias realizes he never has, not without some kind of heat behind it, some innuendo. He wonders if anyone has ever sincerely said it to her.

She starts to nervously gnaw on her lip and Elias knows he needs to change the subject.

“I didn’t realize you had a roommate, Xa seems nice.”

Her face nearly splits with excitement.

“Yeah, she’s the best. I wouldn’t be anything without her. I would still have the pseudonym Buttercup if it wasn’t for her.”

“Buttercup?”

“Don’t laugh!” She kicks his shin, “I was 16 and thought it was all ‘I’m innocent but sexy’, which I was neither.”

“It’s a really terrible stripper name.”

“Like 16-year-old Elias could’ve thought of something better.”

“I think it would at least be a step better than Buttercup.”

Suddenly, the ice is broken. They’re joking and talking like normal, the location is different, but it’s still comfortable. So, Elias takes a calculated risk and reaches across the table to hold Geena’s hand while they finish their drinks after dinner. She doesn’t pull away.

“That was fun,” Geena smiles as she settles in his passenger seat, reaching across the console to put a hand on his thigh, “want to keep it going?”

And of course, he does, he always does. But tonight feels different, so he wants to treat it differently.

“I’m gonna drop you off at home…”

Geena scoffs but doesn’t remove her hand from his thigh, if anything she moves it higher.

“And I’m gonna walk you to your door and kiss you goodnight. Like a respectful date.”

“Your dick has been in like all of my orifices, I think we’re kind of past respectful first date bullshit.”

“So, this was a first date?” he keeps his eyes forward but grins as Geena gives his thigh slap.

“I’ll send you the bill later,” he can hear her rolling her eyes.

“Worth it.”

\\\

“Are you dating Elias Pettersson?”

Geena almost chokes on her champagne.

Her date pats her back as she sputters, she kind of hopes she just chokes to death.

“Am I what?”

They’re standing out on the patio, a black-tie event happening inside. Just her and a long-term client getting some air. She’ll usually do some playful touches let him giver her his jacket to warm her against the chill; anything to make his coworkers think the heat is still alive between them after years together.

But this is new. He’s never asked Ruby about her life outside of their arrangement. He didn’t need to, he just needed arm candy while he wined and dined other rich business men that did something Geena never fully understood.

“Are you dating Elias Pettersson, the Vancouver Canuck?”

Geena feels lightheaded.

“My assistant saw some pictures of you with him. You were at a game with the wives and then out at a restaurant. You looked pretty cozy.”

“We’re not dating.”

“So, he’s a client?”

“I can’t tell you that, you wouldn’t want me telling people about us.”

“No, but I can’t risk looking like a fool because you’re out with someone in the public eye.”

A lump forms thick in her throat. She can’t speak around the feeling.

“So, you’ll understand why this has to be our last date.”

She nods while she tries to find her voice.

“Do you want me to make a scene? I can go a little crazy, make you get a little sympathy for dealing with your crazy girlfriend?”

“I was just going to tell people it didn’t work out because you wanted kids.”

“Very dignified,” she straightens her posture, trying to remain professional.

“I’ll still pay your full rate, but if you want to sneak out early that’s okay too.”

Her eyes burn with tears. She’s never cried in front of client, at least not if they weren’t paying for it. When it’s clear she won’t be able to hold them back for long, she slinks off in shame.

Her first thought is to go to Elias, seek comfort in his arms. She doesn’t even want anything sexual and her shame is replaced with unease. Geena’s not sure which she hates more. So, she takes to her bed like some Victorian maiden and hopes this is all some kind of nightmare.

It’s not.

Xa lets her stay in bed for two days before telling her she has to move on.

“Life happens, shit happens. You of all people should know that,” Xa says as she brushes her hair, a little intimacy that Geena never wants to admit she craves.

Her first outing is to the strip club, which maybe isn’t her best idea. Because being in a strip club at 1 pm on a weekday is never a good look. It’s just her and four men around the main stage. They keep sending her drinks as if she’ll go home with them or give them a lap dance.

She’s drunk by 2:30.

“You coming back to the club, Buttercup?”

Geena’s getting a lap dance from a dancer she used to work with, Sasha, who can only talk to Geena if she keeps dancing.

“If I came back, it would not be as Buttercup,” she’s basically talking to her tits.

“Fine, is Ruby coming out of retirement?”

“Ruby only retired from the stage, but she may be retiring entirely soon,” she slips some money Sasha’s her G-string.

“Shit, another whore going to the good side?”

“I don’t want to, I love what I do, I’m good at it. Just things are getting complicated. How do you live a normal life and do this?”

“It’s not easy, I have to work this shift now so I can see my kids. Money’s not as good but it’s worth being able to have dinner with them and go to their soccer games and shit.”

Geena furrows her brows.

“There’s nothing wrong with living this kind of life if you like it. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up the normal things. You don’t have to live in the shadows just because people make you feel seedy or dirty about your job.”

Sasha gives her forehead a kiss, which is weird after she was grinding into Geena’s crotch.

“You’re not baby Buttercup anymore, you’re badass Ruby and she can do whatever the fuck she wants. And if you don’t believe me Xa will kick your ass into believing. Now get out of here before the night girls come and make you get on stage.”

Geena stumbles out of the club, smelling of thick perfume and booze. Like she used to most nights. It feels like a safety blanket.

In her drunken stupor she calls an Uber to her most common destination, Elias’.

She generally tries to avoid showing up completely unannounced, but she’s too tipsy to think about that and lets herself in without a second thought.

And sitting at the table are two people, who are clearly Elias’ parents.

“Oh shit,” she says it too loud, both heads whip towards her, she can’t sneak out now.

Instead, she stands there frozen, mouth agape, probably looking like a fool.

“You must be Geena, Elias didn’t say you’d be coming by,” Elias’ mom smiles

“Oh yeah,” Geena returns a dopey smile, her brain is about five steps behind.

“I’m Irene and this is Torbjörn,” she stands up and walks toward Geena, “are you a hugger?”

“Nice to meet you and um yeah,” Geena holds out her arm and accepts the hug.

Irene pulls away a smile still on her face. She’s either great at hiding her judgement or doesn’t care Geena reeks of liquor. Knowing Elias’ inability to hide his judgement, she’s guessing the latter.

“Elias should be back from practice any minute.”

“Okay, I’ll just go freshen up really quick.”

She scurries to Elias’ room, hearing Swedish behind her. She hopes they’re not saying anything too bad, hoping it wasn’t too bad of a first impression. She flops on the bed, squeezing her eyes shut when the room starts to spin.

Why does she even care? It’s not like she’s actually Elias’ girlfriend, she’s just convenient, in every kind of way. Nothing more.

But he told his parents about her. His mom was excited to meet her. It felt nice. Like someone stuck around long enough to break through the hard shell around her heart. And maybe she is allowed to have that.

Elias comes in and flops down next to her. Geena finally opens her eyes, turning her head to the side to look at him. His smile is so nice she can’t stop herself from kissing him.

“You smell like a strip club.”

She lets out an airy laugh, “do your parents know that?”

“I don’t think so, they know you’re drunk though. I wanted to give you more warning before you met them, so, sorry.”

“Why would you introduce me to your parents? Did one of your teammates let it slip that you have a girlfriend?” She uses air quotes around the last word.

Elias sits up to get a better look at her, “no, I wanted – we went on a real first date – I thought…“

“E, are we dating now? You want to date me?”

“Of course, I do G! I didn’t realize how much until we started to fake date. But I like spending time with you outside of sex.”

“Even though I’m a dirty sex worker?”

“I wouldn’t call you dirty, unless you wanted me to,” he smirks.

“I just lost a big client because he saw a picture of us together. What happens if more people find out, on either side? I don’t want to quit my job because you’re in the public eye.”

“I’m not asking you to do that, you like what you do and from what I saw firsthand you’re really good at it. So, if you want to tell people what you do, I don’t care. I’ll do whatever you need me to, I just want you to be mine.”

“You really don’t care?”

“What you do doesn't change who you are or what I feel or want to give you.”

“So, you’re kind of mine then?”

He nods and pulls her up for a kiss.

“We should probably leave my bedroom before my parents think we’re having sex.”

“If they already think it…” Geena waggles her brows and playfully bites his shoulder.

He gives her a playful shove back onto the mattress before grabbing her hand, interlocking their fingers and pulling her towards the door, and the future.

[whatsaninterestingplacethisis]

Boyfriend Quirks - Elias Pettersson

Headcon

whipped, nervous Elias x Latina!reader

cw: none

+

- so a relationship with Elias is like also having a best friend I think. And it starts that way, having a laugh together until one laughing fit, you catch eye other’s glance and it’s like ✨spark✨

- another spark moment though was heading out on a snowy evening and you have a Canucks colored beanie on and he just adjusts your beanie just to touch you

- on said night, y’all strolling through a park, your hands get cold and he puts them in his pocket to keep you warm. But also intertwining his hand into yours

- he confesses his feelings when y’all get back home and immediately becomes red because of how nervous he was. Ofc you tease him and y’all sleep in the same bed together that night.

- Elias in the mornings is the classic, “noo stay five minutes more” and of course you don’t protest. He’s the type to engulf you in snuggles until your bodies can no longer be any physically closer.

- during and after finishing breakfast, he’ll just stare in adoration at you. Observing your features as you watch your favorite show.

- if he has practice, leaving won’t be such a struggle. He’ll ask for quick cuddles right before he needs to change. What’s meant to be a quick kiss goodbye, turns into a soft make out before you push him out the door.

- when gets back he looks for you for a long hug before you tell him to shower, he pouts but knows you’re right.

- right out the shower he’s asking for cuddles, again. No exception for cuddles, unless he’s starving. But right after he takes his last bite, cuddles.

- if you get hot easily and tell him to back up, he’ll slightly pout but understand. But if it’s winter, cuddles are endless. If you get cold easily, he eats that up. “No worries, I’ll make you warm” grabs a blanket and wraps both of you like a burrito.

- for your birthday he would gift you a necklace pendant, “it has small photo of us inside”

- Now games. If he scores a goal he comes to you after the game all giddy, “Did you see my goal?” He loves when you get to see him play in person.

-If the team loses he’ll sulk in cuddles and ramble about what could have gone better.

- he tries to avoid arguments/fights but when they inevitably happen, he respects if you want time alone even if his heart aches. He can’t help but think if that night was it, the end of you together.

- eventually when you come to your senses and do the walk of shame to reconcile, he’s quick to accept you with open arms. The dude is genuinely terrified of never seeing you again.

- after some time together he gathers the courage to say those three words. He figures it should be as important as if he were to propose (in his mind he’s already decided to) so he sets up the perfect date. “Why are you sweating? Are you okay?” “Oh I’m fine” He’s just about to tell the girl he wants to spend the rest of his life with that he loves her.

- after you say you love him back, I mean how could you not? Kisses after that night hold very different meaning. Before he leaves for practice: “I love you” *kiss* Right before bed: “I love you” *kiss* When you’re napping: “I love you” *kiss* He follows the promise with a kiss so many times that a kiss speaks for itself.

+++

-silly prompt: idk why but he would leave selfies on your camera roll with a plain face and that’s it. Or would take selfies of the both of you when you’re taking a nap and you tell him to delete them but he’s like nope.

[hky101]

Friends to Lovers /// Elias Pettersson

* i do not own the gif above!!

"this shit cost a lot," you were rapping with 21 as you cook in your apartment, enjoying a thursday off until someone rudely interrupted your session.

none other than the amazing, holly horvat.

"hey hey," you answer her facetime call as you see her and gunnar's face on the screen.

"hey you! how's your day off going," she asks and gunnar waves at the camera. you smile and wave back before answering, "cooking, maybe cleaning but i don't know. i'm kind of lazy right now. and then football! how about you?"

"calling to remind you about the party tomorrow! you know the boys will drag you out of bed if you don't come or forget and sleep instead. and you can meet petey since you guys have miraculously haven't met yet."

holly's been bothering you about him and how she wants to set you two up.

"yeah yeah, my so-called twin. just cause we have the same taste in music doesn't mean he is my twin. but okay, will be there! um, any last minute things you need that i can bring," you ask.

"just bring yourself and that's all i need."

"love you! and i think gunnar is getting cranky for food, definitely took on his dad for that. go feed the little beast," you joke.

"you're not wrong about that. see you tomorrow!" you plate your food and take a seat on the coach as the canucks game was in the 3rd period. tie game, you watched anxiously to see who would score and break the tie as the clock ticked down to under 2 minutes.

your phone rang again as you saw natalie miller call.

"drinks on you if my husband scores," she says before you can even say hello.

"same for you but i'm betting on my so-called twin." as you said those words, huggy gave the one-timer pass to petey who ripped it into the back of the net.

"drink on you girl!" you laugh as natalie groans.

"alright, damn it. my husband has failed me once again. okay, hun, see you tomorrow!" you hang up and place your empty dishes in the sink before heading into your room and dropping onto the bed.

Lights out!

Lights on as you check yourself out in the mirror. you wore black leather pants and a tight black top. needless to say, the outfit was hot but the face still had to be worked on.

as you finished up and applied a gloss over your red-painted lips, brock called asking if you wanted to catch the uber with him and his girlfriend since you guys lived in the same building.

"bless your soul, i'll be out in 5," you hang up and quickly throw on your heels, grab your phone and shoes before walking down to meet the couple.

"why do you always wear all black," brock questions.

"oh hey broccoli, i'm doing good thanks," you say while rolling your eyes.

"let's go, uber's here."

"damn, what a hottie!" holly hypes you up as she hugs you.

"says you, gunnar's got a hot mama." she smiled before leading you to her room to leave the keys there safe and sound.

you definitely look hot.

"petey won't be able to take his eyes off you, he's wearing all black too" she smirks

"there's probably more people wearing all black. i have limited colour in my life," you joke

"c'mon, let's go party!" she loops her arm with yours and pulls you back to the party.

after a bunch of mingling and chatting, you and quinn found yourselves partners for beer pong.

"quinner you suck. you went to umich and you suck at beer pong," you shove him.

"hey! don't shove me. so aggressive, and i don't suck." he defends himself.

"huggy bear," you taunt. "new partners," bo yells as you hear jimmy crooks playing.

"gotta throw a party for my day ones," you vibe as you didn't notice petey next to you.

"alright game on!" you turn to see him already looking at you.

"hi," he says.

"you better not suck at this," you reply as he looked surprised for a second before smiling.

"i'm one of the best," he says as he directs his attention to bo throwing.

he was cute, you found him cute in photos but he hit differently in person. the drinks were flowing in you as you were vibing and making shots. your partner was playing well, and you both dominated the match, although you missed the times he would look at you and smile.

after the game, you and petey went to the kitchen to refill drinks. you guys chatted quite a bit, getting comfortable and close. the others were happy to see you together and they knew they were right as soon as they saw both of you vibing out in the kitchen.

"i've been blowin' through the money like it grow on trees. i've been fuckin' on a French bitch, c'est la vie," you rap while dancing toward the girls.

"one more time! hit my line," you smile and hand holly the glass of water she asked for.

"so what do you think," she asks.

"he's cute, and fun to vibe with. he showed me his playlist and i felt like i was looking at my own. he's cool. he asked to hang out and i said yes, so we have a day planned. sunday after the game, cause we're going to be too hungover to hang out tomorrow. the game is an afternoon game so maybe a dinner or something. any other questions about him," you say in one go. you look at the girls who showed so much excitement and high-fived each other as you glance over to see brock shaking him and the boys cheering.

"you're coming to the game. and you're gonna wear his jersey."

you smiled to yourself thinking, how this could become something special.

sunday came around as you head out of your apartment and headed to the arena.

meeting holly, natalie and the kids, you head down with a beer in hand as the kids run to the glass. you smile as they wave at the boys. come coming to wave back and fist bump them. petey and brock came by with bo as they interacted with the kids.

cute.

"who's jersey are you wearing? better be my jersey cuz," brock yells.

"sorry cuz," you turn around to show the '40' on the back. the name was hidden from the hood and your hair but the number said more than enough.

"betrayal! you betrayed me for my best friend! how could you," the drama queen begins.

you made a half a heart and smiled since one hand was available. petey was smiling as he says, "good choice, someone that plays hockey better."

you laugh as brock tackles petey. you felt a tug on your leg as you look down to see one of the kids asking you to pick them up so they could see better.

the poor girl was tired of standing on her tippy toes. you happily pick her up, being careful of the drink and more importantly the little one.

the boys finally let go of each other as they see you point.

"who's that," you ask scottie. she leans towards the glass as you move forward so she can rest her hands there.

"uncle p," she yells and petey smiles as he brought his hand to the glass. the horn blows as the players head back to their rooms and we make our way to the suites.

the game ends with a win as you make your way down with the girls and kids to wait for the boys. elias has texted you to meet him there.

"hey! careful, don't fall!" you yell as scottie takes off. you speed behind her as she ran to the door where the boys were coming out from.

"i wanna see daddy,' she says looking for him.

"sweetheart, he is coming," you say, bent down to her level.

"i see him, daddy!" she runs to him as jt picks her up.

you see elias coming right behind him as his eyes scanned the area until they fell on you. you smile and wave as he smiled back and came to you.

"good game! nice shot," you say as you hug him. he relaxed in your arms as he hugged you back.

"thank you, but my body is so sore. i got bullied this game."

"you did but hey, 3-point night. there's a reason why you get picked on by the physical players," you say looking up at him.

"yeah but i still need to work on a lot of things," he quickly says as you both walk out the building. "did you drive here?"

"nope, i came with holls and the kids," you reply as you stood outside.

"alright, let's go and decide what we wanna do in my car."

"okay let's get food. im starving, what should we get?" petey asked as he started the car.

"um, what does your meal plan look like right now? healthy or junk," you ask knowing athletes have to follow plans.

"fuck it, i don't care right now. let's get pizza, im craving for it. it's been a while," he says.

he drove us to this cute little pizza place as we order to-go. you convinced him to hang out at home since he was sore and tired. we got 2 boxes and headed home.

you were not going to share your pizza which is why he ordered two boxes. he was the same, no one touches his pizza.

soon you both entered your apartment and went straight to the kitchen. you grabbed some plates as petey set down the boxes of pizza before taking his blazer off.

"screw the plates, let's just eat from the box. it's only us two and we're not sharing anyways," petey laughs grabbing his box, opening it and taking a bit of a slice.

"my thoughts exactly but i didn't know if you'd be okay with it. alright, you said you haven't seen the new season of f1 right? we are watching that! i have to see it still myself," you say grabbing your box and leading him to the living room.

he sits down next to you getting comfy as you throw on the fourth season of f1.

"what team are you supporting? this is a very important question that may change our friendship," you say half joking and half serious.

"i like the redbull, not to sound like a rookie fan but i really love how aggressive max is. the way he drives and pushes, it's like he really has no fear and nothing to lose. lewis is a great driver too but team redbull," he finishes.

"our friendship is untouched, i'm on the same page. personally, i find lewis like a pretty boy which he is a good-looking man but yes, max for the win!"

"good to know. but i also like gasly and his story," he added.

"right! it's so emotional and inspirational to what he has been able to achieve after going through so much. roman was just act of god," you say, feeling the same goosebumps and emotions as you rethink that episode.

"oh my god, that was just crazy. i couldn't believe my eyes. we forget sometimes how dangerous the sport can really be. would you ever go to a race," he asks looking at you.

"is that even a question? fuck yeah, it's on my bucket list! it would be so much fun," you say excitedly thinking about what the experience could be like. petey had so much admiration in his eyes as he thought about how he liked you so much already. he liked your smile and excitement over little things and he adores your child-like self when it comes to hot chocolate. he finds it so cute.

although he kept those thoughts to himself and himself only.

over time you and petey were close, not dating yet but basically best friends. you lost hope that he may feel the same as you did but in your mind he did.

reality, he felt the exact same.

december had begun as you were spending your friday night at home, cozy on the couch in a comfy pair of pj's and fuzzy warm socks. holding a warm christmas mug of hot chocolate as you watched beauty and the beast. the snow was falling lightly outside, and your apartment was a little messy from setting up christmas decorations and wrapping some gifts.

it was nearly midnight as you were about 2 thirds through the movie but you were interrupted by your phone ringing. you pause the movie and grab your phone to see quinn calling.

"yes huggy," you answer

"hey! can you, can you, can you- i forgot. damn it. what was i going to say." quinn questions himself and you picked up on the fact he is drunk. probably drunk with the boys and you're getting the pick-up call.

"send me your location, i'm coming to get you." you set your mug down and grab a jacket while staying on the phone with quinn to make sure he doesn't do anything dumb.

or well try to.

"oh yeah! i needed to call my uber, you're my personal uber. the amazing best friend. you know how much i appreciate you? have i ever told you that you're like the sister i never had? and how much i love you and how many times i've given pistol a brotherly lecture because i will fight any boy who breaks your heart," quinn continues to talk.

"love you too quinner. also, i don't see the reason why you are lecturing elias? he has done nothing," you say as you throw on your shoes and lock the apartment. "and roxy right?"

"yeah and i know he hasn't done anything. the boys including me are after him to do something! he's being a bitch."

you faintly hear in the back, "who do you think you're calling a bitch? you're a fucking bear."

"quinn hughes, do not tackle him-," you were too late as you could hear quinn drop the phone and petey yell.

"wait give me the phone, i wanna talk to her. she's mine," elias says in the back away from the phone.

oh god, you thought as your phone connects to the car and you drive off to get these drunk idiots.

"are you still there," you hear elias ask.

"yes elias, i'm here." you turn the heat up higher as you were feeling colder.

"there's my girl. you're my girl, my favourite girl. i love you so much," he drunkenly says. dragging out the 'so'

you were about to say something until petey starts talking again.

"you bear, get off me. let me talk to her, i don't care what you say or whatever best friend, brother, whatever!" you listen to the two argue as you make it to the parking lot.

"carefully come outside, it looks a little icy," you say as you kill the engine and get out in your pj's, shivering as the cold air breezes. "hurry up you drunk idiots!"

soon petey and huggy coming running out the door.

"hey slow down! there's an ice patch right-," you were too late again.

huggy slipped but balanced himself. however, petey slid right into huggy and they both went crashing down.

"ow, you stupid giraffe. why did you take me down," quinn complains.

"shut up, why did you stop right in front of me. you dumb bear," elias fired back.

"shut up and get up. it's cold and i need to check your guys for any injuries," you say and carefully help them up.

huggy was a-okay but elias found himself bleeding on his palm since landed on his hands.

you rush them to the car and take the spare shirt you had in your car and press it to his hand.

"keep the pressure there, i'll take a good look at home." you could tell the fall took a tool on petey and you brought them back to your apartment since it was closest and snow was falling heavier.

"huggy, you know where your stuff is in the spare bedroom. can you give elias his spare clothing as well please," you ask and huggy has left for the guest room.

you sit petey on the couch and bring a first aid kit. you remove the shirt and begin to clean the cut.

"ow, i don't like that. can you make the stinging stop," he asks as you cleaned it up, seeing the cut wasn't deep enough for stitches.

"sorry sorry, but that should be good. if it continues to bleed through the night into the morning then i'll take you to the hospital." he embraces you into a hug unexpectedly and lifts you off the ground.

"elias, put me down," you say, holding him tightly.

"we're going to sleep," he says making his way to your room

"okay, but i can walk elias. put me down."

he dumps you on your bed as you huff. you try to get off to go get him clothes but he sees that and shoves you back on the bed.

"why are you so aggressive," you joke and try again.

although this time you got whacked in the face with a pillow.

you grab a pillow and whack him back as he stumbles. you quickly get up and shove him on the bed.

"stay here, i'll go get you clothes. i'm pretty sure quinn changed and went to sleep. as always," you say and walk out of the room. quietly going into the spare room, you were right. it took everything in you to not laugh when you saw the way he was passed out on the bed. you grab some of elias's spare clothes and head back to find him staring at the back of his phone with a smile.

you throw the clothes at his face as he drops his phone.

"not nice love," he says as he goes to change. you pick his phone up off the floor and see a small polaroid of you two in the clear case.

a photo of you both leaning into each other while laughing and holding cups of hot chocolate. you smile remembering this moment and brock who took the photo. you didn't even notice petey came back until he was looking over your shoulder.

"that is one of my favourite photos of us," he says. you look over your shoulder to see him smiling at you and you return it.

"one of my favourites as well. and one of us baking cookies! that timer one with our cookies and mess of us trying to decorate a gingerbread man. that was fun," you say as you noticed him staring at you in a way that was making you feel butterflies.

his hand made its way to you face, moving a strand back before it rested on your cheek. he leant in as your heart began to race.

he's drunk, you remind yourself.

"elias, you're drunk." you placed a hand on his chest. you saw the hurt in his eyes as he backed away.

"i'm sober now," he responds, his hand dropping from your cheek to hold your hand.

"elias, get some sleep. we can talk in the morning," you say, squeezing his hand.

you knew he wasn't happy and he was hurt. as much as he nodded and let go of your hand trying to hide it. you saw right through.

he was heading out the door before you stopped him, "where are you going?"

"to sleep on the couch," he responded.

"elias no, you can sleep on my bed. you'll wake up with your back and neck hurting if you sleep on the couch," you say.

"you're not sleeping on the couch either." you both stared at each other for a moment. there was tension in the room before you hear elias mumble, "fuck it."

you looked at him confused as he pulled you to the bed and made you lay in it before he got it.

"are you sure-," you got cut off as always

"shut up and go to sleep." he turned away from you.

"you like cutting me off huh," you quietly say, not expecting him to hear you.

"always. now sleep."

the next morning was tense. you were making breakfast as elias sat on the kitchen stool, not helping you for once. it was quiet, all you could hear was the sizzling from your cooking and elias setting his glass of water down.

until a very cranky and grumpy quinn came down.

"morning grumpy," you say as you hear elias cover his laugh with a cough. of course, he understood your reference to the dwarf from snow white.

it took quinn a minute before he glared and mumbled a small, "fuck you."

you give him a glass of water and some advil for his headache as he takes it. you made some light breakfast and served it to the two hungover boys knowing their stomachs can't handle heavy food at the moment.

"what did you do to your hand," quinn asks as you look at elias's hand. "oh never mind, that's karma for taking me down."

"i have too much of a headache right now to deal with your dumb things," elias responds. he was more so finishing his food as quinn ate most but couldn't finish cause of how his stomach was.

"don't force yourself to eat it all now, you can have it later too. go get some more sleep," you say ruffling his hair. he smacks your hand away before heading back to his claimed room.

"same for you," you softly say to elias as you pick up quinn's dishes. "and is your hand still bleeding?"

"i haven't looked yet," he says monotone.

you place the empty dishes in the sink and cover the remaining food before keeping it aside. you head over to him and ask, "may i take a look?"

he hesitantly gives you his hand. you carefully take off the medical tape and gauze to see the cut is no longer bleeding and healing.

"okay, looks like it's healing really well. i'm going to clean some of the dried blood and reapply some medicine before wrapping it up again." you grab your first aid and do exactly as you said.

elias watched you, and you felt his gaze. the tension was so thick, and you wanted to hurry up and move away from how close you both were.

you finished wrapping his hand and say, "let me know if it starts to bleed at any point. we'll go to the hospital cause i don't trust myself that i'll know what to do if it does."

you backed away and put the kit away. as you were about to exit the kitchen, elias softly spoke, "i trust you."

you turned around to see him already looking at you.

"i know you do," you say with a smile.

a smile that didn't reach your eyes. and he saw right through it.

you both knew last night's moment is affecting you both. although none of you want to break the tension.

you went back to your room to shower and get ready for the day to do nothing.

as you exited the bathroom, as you saw elias sitting on your bed on his phone. he looked up to see you as you turned away to unwrap the towel and let your wet hair down.

you began to dry your hair with the towel as elias walked up to you. he grabbed the towel and began helping you, like he would do when you washed your hair. you closed your eyes, taking in the familiar feeling.

"you know, i wasn't drunk at the end of last night right?" you opened your eyes to see him put down the towel.

"i really loved that photo of us, but i also really love the one that is my phone background." he shows you his lock screen, a photo of him hugging you from behind as he has the biggest smile on his face while you were laughing.

"i also love this photo that you see in the back of my phone case. and this polaroid of us," he continues as he pulls out a polaroid from his wallet.

the polaroid of you hugging him while wearing his jersey as the lifted you off the floor after a big win.

"i also really love the person i'm with in these photos. do you know her?" you couldn't get any words out of your mouth.

"she's the most caring person, she's a child at heart which is something i find adorable. she's got a heart of gold, and she makes me happy. i love her smile, it makes me smile and happy to see her happy. her bad days become my bad days but she will make my days better. always. i love her hugs, one of the many things that i love to get. she's one of the most supportive supports i have. she'll review clips with me and she's a great passer for me to practice my one-timers. she's educated me to know all Disney movies and i love how she doesn't care about what others have to say. she's a hot chocolate addict, but she finds comfort in that drink. she appreciates little things, but she isn't into expensive stuff. she's always there when you need her, she always picks me up when im drunk. takes care of me and quinn especially. also, did i mention how good she is at cooking and baking? i love the fight she puts up, even though i'll never let her pay for anything while she's with me and always surprise her. she's one independent woman, i can say that. and i'm very proud of her and i'm thankful to have her in my life. and i could go on and on about her, but i think you get the idea." he finishes.

you stood there, staring at him feeling touched. no one has ever made you feel the way you felt right now. you've never heard anyone say or know so much about you as the man in front of you did.

okay well, maybe quinn who took on being the brother you never had but still.

elias walked up to you, his hands holding yours. "i mean every single word i said."

his hands made it up to your cheeks, as he softly spoke again, "you have a hold on my heart. i really do like you. actually, fuck that, i'm pretty sure i'm in love with you and i fall harder every day."

he leant in as you did as well. his lips meeting yours in a soft kiss. he pulled away, you smiled as he did too before kissing you harder.

you pulled away, resting your hands on his shoulders.

"i love you too petey." he had the biggest smile as he wrapped his arms around you before lifting you in the air and spinning you around.

he set you back down before kissing you again. you were having your moment until you heard, "hey! where did my food go? i want my food, i am a hungry hungover child!"

[severalforraelee]

WikiHow: Elias Pettersson x Reader

Photo credits to DocSports

Word count: 2,189

Written by raelee / Posted August 8

Masterlist

NHL Masterlist

I watch the two players through my phone screen, their polished shoes carrying them past me. My finger turns off the recording and I watch as it replays the scene.

“How’d it turn out, Y/N?” Nils asks, briefly stopping next to me to watch the video.

“Probably the same as every other video that she takes of us,” Elias mutters.

I can practically feel the disapproving look that Nils gives him.

“It’s kind of my job,” I murmur back, adding a quick caption on the video about Sweden before posting it.

My soles push me into a standing position and my body turns around. Nils is still paused next to me, probably waiting for me to start walking so that we can walk in together, while Elias is standing a few feet away, shifting from one foot onto the other and glaring at me with impatience.

I look around for a saving grace- and I find it in the form of a 5’10 defenseman.

“I, uh, I actually have to talk to Quinn about something,” I stutter out an excuse.

Nils frowns at me, clearly telling that it’s a lie, but Elias is already moving before anything else can be said, and Nils is forced to follow behind his friend.

I breathe a sigh of relief as soon as the taller Swede enters through the doors into the building and a laugh echoes through the parking garage.

“You don’t actually have to talk to me about something, do you?” Quinn questions.

“No,” I confess, “I just needed to leave that situation ASAP.”

“He’s Swedish, it’s just how they are,” he responds to my unanswered question.

It’s his response everytime Elias is rude to me- which is often. Ever since I joined the Canucks last year as their social media coordinator, Elias has been cold and distant towards me.

It started small at first. He wouldn’t respond to my hellos, he would begrudgingly agree to be in videos and photos to post online, then comment that he was only doing it for the fans. But over time he’s become ruder. He’ll make snide comments whenever he gets the chance and at times he’ll even decline being in photos or videos just so that he doesn’t have to interact with me.

I don’t know what I did wrong.

I’ve been kind to him since the beginning, even now when he’s being mean to me I won’t be mean back to him.

Quinn doesn’t know what I did, Brock doesn't know what I did, and Nils doesn’t know what I did wrong and they’re his three closest friends here. They keep telling me that I should ask him and have an honest conversation with him about our feelings, but I’m a non confrontational person, so that’s my last resort.

For now I’ll just deal with the little quips here and there.

“Good luck tonight, Quinn.”

“Thanks,” he grins at me.

What I don’t see is Elias standing across the room from us, eyes locked on the interaction and gleaming with jealousy.

~

“Great job tonight, boys,” I hear Conor cheer from all the way across the bar. It’s obvious that he’s already had one too many drinks.

Samantha, the graphic designer for the Canucks, and I roll our eyes with smiles at the interruption, returning to our conversation about our plans over the short winter break.

“Hey, Y/N,” Conor shouts.

My eyes shift back to the tall man, watching as he holds up a pink drink and shakes it around with a cheeky smile. I give him a thumbs up with a laugh.

“What’s that about?” Samantha asks.

“I’ve been trying to get him to try this drink for months now, it’s really good,” I explain.

“Looks like someone’s a little jealous,” she sings.

My lips curve downwards at her words and my eyes scan around the room for someone who looks jealous. They pass over Quinn and Nils playing darts, then Brock ranting enthusiastically to a few of his teammates, and over Elias who sits quietly next to Brock, gaze downcast while he sips on his drink.

“Who?” I question, confused.

“Elias,” she says, like it’s obvious.

I watch Elias as his gaze flickers up and onto Conor, eyebrows scrunched and teeth clenched like he’s studying him. He stares at the right winger for a little bit, then his eyes flicker over to me. As soon as his blue eyes connect with mine, they flit back onto his drink, like he was caught doing something wrong.

Now my eyebrows scrunch, and I’m even more confused.

What would he be doing wrong by looking at Conor? Or looking at me?

“I don’t get it,” I breathe out.

“It’s because he likes you.”

My head snaps towards Samantha. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I got caught in the moment, so focused on Elias that I forgot that she was sitting right next to me, or the words that left her mouth that catch me off guard more.

“Elias doesn’t like me,” I deny, rolling my eyes at the mere thought of it.

“You are so oblivious,” she groans.

“He’s mean to me, he doesn’t like me,” I repeat.

“He’s mean to you because he likes you,” she explains.

“What? That doesn’t make sense, we’re not in middle school anymore, we’re adults.”

“It doesn’t have to make sense,” she shrugs. “Sometimes boys are so stupid that they think being mean to you will make you like them. Playing hard to get or something.”

I shake my head, wanting to get the thought of Elias liking me off my mind. It’s not something that I’ve ever considered before, and it’s not something that I want to consider now. I thought that it’s common sense to treat those that you appreciate with kindness and respect, but he treats me the opposite of that. “Let’s talk about something else.”

A few hours go by before I’m ready to head home, wanting to slip into bed and give my body a well deserved rest.

“I’m heading out,” I inform the table consisting of a few players, everyone else gone already.

“Alright,” Conor rises to his feet, pulling me into a hug. “Text me when you get home.”

“I will,” I tell him, “Bye, everyone.”

They all give me drunk goodbyes as I head towards the front door of the bar. As I walk, I can’t help but feel eyes on my back, as if someone is watching me. While my hand yanks open the door, I glance behind me, locking eyes with Elias. He watches as the door closes behind me.

~

“Can you skate?” Brock asks, watching over the boards as Quinn finishes tying my laces. 

“Not at all,” I shake my head. “But I did read WikiHow’s instructions before coming here today.”

It’s the day of the family skate. Last year I was able to get out of skating by using my work as an excuse, but today I was told to put the phone down and just enjoy the family skate.

I mentally cursed at my boss when he told me that.

“Quinn’s probably the worst person to teach you how to skate,” Ethan comments as he skates past.

Quinn curses at his teammate before holding his hands out, helping me step onto the ice.

“Push off with the left foot,” Quinn instructs.

“WikiHow says to march.”

“Well, as a professional hockey player, I’m telling you to push,” he snarks.

“This is going to be good,” Brock leans against the boards with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest.

Nils and Elias stop next to Brock, watching as I fall for the fifth time in less than a minute.

“Is he teaching her how to skate?” Nils inquires.

“Yeah. It’s not going well so far,” Brock responds.

Elias doesn’t say anything, he just watches as I fall again.

Ethan’s right, Quinn is an awful teacher. He gets frustrated after ten minutes, storming off to skate some laps to cool down. Brock tries next but has to stop because he laughs so hard every time I fall down- which is often. Nils is too nice to correct my techniques or form, so his teaching style fails. Conor tries as well, before deciding that it’s no use and I just don’t have the skills to learn how to skate, and even poor Ethan tries before I tell him to just leave me.

“What are you doing?” A Swedish accent asks as I place one foot on the pavement to step off the ice.

“Going to sit down,” I say it like a question, confused on why Elias wants to know my whereabouts.

“You’re going to give up? Just like that?”

I sigh. “I’m just not meant to ice skate, Elias. It’s okay, it’s not a skill that I need to have.”

It’s his turn to sigh, like what I said really annoyed him. He holds a hand out towards me. “Come on.”

I stare at him in disbelief. “What?”

He gives me a blank expression. “You heard me.”

I reluctantly put my hand in his and he tugs me back onto the ice. He moves behind me, hands resting on my hips.

“Push off gently with your left foot only using your toes,” he instructs.

My foot does as he says and I stumble before one of his hands moves to my stomach, straightening me back up. Then it slides back to my hip.

I look up, knowing that if I stare at my feet any more I’ll lose balance. I accidentally catch eyes with Samantha, who smirks at me and mouths ‘I told you so.’

I roll my eyes at her.

“Are you even listening to me?” Elias questions.

“Yes.”

“What did I just say?”

“... I don’t know.”

He huffs, repeating the instructions. I move forward, slowly but surely. After ten minutes of almost falling down but Elias catching me everytime, the frustration begins to take over my body.

“Elias, really, it’s alright, you don’t need to help me with this,” I attempt to reassure him.

“No, you’re going to learn how to skate.”

“Why do you want me to learn how to skate so badly?” I ask him the question that I’ve been wondering since we started this lesson.

“Because you’re so determined with everything, you can’t give up now.” The tone of his voice is almost harsh, but his words are kind. I want to ask him why he cares if I give up now because he hates me, but I don’t want to irritate him and cause him to leave me in the middle of the ice by myself.

I’m sure Brock would love to see that, though.

So instead, I ask, “You think that I’m determined?”

He pauses, stopping me as well. “Do you remember the team's Halloween party last year?”

“Yeah… You, Brock, Quinn, and Nils dressed up as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, right?”

“Yeah,” he nods, “And you spent a long time trying to get the perfect photo of us in the right poses, like a really long time, like a super-””I get it, Elias.”

He chuckles at the interruption. 

“I just remember watching you look at the poses, adjusting Nils’ arm or Brock’s leg, and thinking about how determined you were to get a good picture. And if you were that determined to get a good picture of a Halloween party for Instagram, I couldn’t help but think about how determined you would be in other aspects of your life. And over the past year or so, you’ve really amazed me.”

I’m frozen in place, breathless. I didn’t realize that such a simple question would cause Elias to become vulnerable with me, much less compliment me. He noticed and admired my personality despite not liking me.

His skates glide him in front of me, and his hands move from my hips to grab my gloved hands.

Like he read my mind, he says, “I don’t hate you, Y/N. I’ve never hated you. In fact, I admire you, a lot. But I’ve never had the confidence to tell you, and you’re just so smart and pretty and too good for me and-”He stops, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

His cheeks are turning red and a bashful expression takes over his face.

“I like you. I really like you.”

“Elias,” I say softly, “Why couldn’t you have just told me that instead of being mean to me?”

“Because I’m childish,” he murmurs.

“We’ll have to work on that.”

“We?”

“Yeah,” I smile gently at him, “I like you too. I really like you.”

His lips move forward, resting against mine and moving slowly. My lips move in sync with his and my arms wrap around his neck, pulling him closer to me as his hands gravitate back towards my waist.

It would be a romantic moment, it really would be, if we weren’t surrounded by a bunch of hockey players.

The cheering and hollering breaks the intimacy of the moment, but it sparks smiles from both Elias and I.

[thomasschabot]

here comes your man

elias pettersson x director!fem!reader

great loves come around only once in a lifetime, and if you’re lucky enough they come back

word count: 3.6k

warnings: cursing, light allusion to sexual activity, alcohol consumption

a/n: this is my piece for @selfindulgentpoorlywritten in @antoineroussel’s winter fic exchange!! i hope you like it andi, i had a blast creating this angsty little world that eventually gets wrapped up with a hopeful little bow 🤍 as always, a million hugs and kisses go out to demi for organizing another majorly successful event!!!! props to @matthewtkachuk​ i guess for proofreading 0.5 seconds before i posted (love u b xx)

⭑⭒⭑

He’s impossible to forget, no matter how much you want to.

Elias Pettersson was the love of your life from the moment you laid eyes on him. It was a normal day, filled with redoing shots and redoing their blocking over and over because athletes are notoriously horrible listeners, until he came in and rocked your world as soon as he stepped in front of the camera to introduce herself. All kind eyes and confident smirks, Elias shook your hand and invited you to get drinks after finishing up so the pair of you could get to know each other better, seeing as you’ll also be following up north in a few weeks to shoot another promotional piece. The night had ended well into the morning, and you were inseparable from that moment on. Everyone around you was pleasantly surprised, knowing how much it took for you to let people in, but something about Elias just made you feel safe.

Things progressed quickly, but naturally, and eventually you moved in with him because his salary allowed for a much more prolific and comfortable lifestyle. You fit together naturally, like two sides of the same coin, and you loved him with every fibre of your being. Elias reciprocated, protecting you fiercely from overbearing Canucks fans and doing everything he could to show just how much he cared. Moments where hockey didn’t take precedence were rare, but he made them so special every single one was impossible to forget. Brock and Nils did their best to keep teasing from the team and other family members to a minimum but neither of you minded much — you were so in sync and had each other to get through whatever was going to get thrown at you.

Everything changed after the Canucks failed to make the playoffs for three consecutive years, though you understood why to a point. While the situation had been hard on you, watching him dissolve into a frustrated mess, it was excruciating on Elias — after all, he was the face of a rapidly sinking franchise. You did all you could to support him through the ups and down, taking time off work when he needed extra care and making sure he didn’t do anything that could cause too much stress and decrease the value of his sparse point production. Elias wasn’t shy about letting you know much he wanted to be back on top, picking fights when you would return from all-day shoots and giving you the cold shoulder for days when he returned from lost road trips. Despite his pain and hostility, you thought the pair of you were working through the issues, and you had been waiting for the perfect time to do the conventional and pop the question to your love.

The plan disintegrated after Elias left, crumbled like dust in the wind. You had been away on a promotional shoot with the rest of the team to hopefully quell discontented fans, with only him and a handful of Canucks staying in Vancouver to focus on recovering fully from their injuries before scattering to every corner of the world. No one had alerted you to his strange behavior, his recession into himself  — whether it had been intentional or not you’re still not sure. When you entered the condo upon your return to the city there was nothing but silence and darkness instead of Elias’s laughter and excitement bouncing off the walls. He didn’t leave a note — just packed a bag and left. You tried to call him, but the number was out of service, and no one in his family responded to your panicked messages in haphazard Swedish. Elias’s close friends in Vancouver provided no details, and you were forced to live in a paid-off unit that used to belong to the one solid person in your life but now belongs to you. You assume he came back to the city at the start of the season, but you begged for a transfer to another department and no longer work on the sports media side of the firm, so you’ve got no way to be sure since you vowed to never engage in hockey again.

Time certainly hasn’t made it easier, despite your friends endearing statistics to prove the common saying, and you spend hours every day reliving what you once had. He’s everywhere — travel mug in your office from when he used to slip away from training to eat lunch with you and the commercials you did with him over the years replaying on television so you can never escape him and the love you’ve lost. He’s still in the apartment you once shared, trinkets and books and clothes left for you to pack up and donate. Elias Pettersson made it difficult for you to move on, no matter how desperately you want to.

⭒⭑⭒

“I call dibs on the left side!” Elias shouts, pushing past you and running full speed into the hotel room. It’s All-Star Weekend, and you’ve joined your boyfriend in sunny Southern California, ready to soak up some rays when not inside the chilly arena. You needed a break from work after months of near constant shoots, and Elias was all too willing to enjoy more time by your side, even if he technically had a job to do.

You frown, upset with him for picking the side you always sleep on. “But I always sleep on the left,” you whine, before realizing you sound like a child. Instead, you square your shoulders and enter the room while doing the best you can do pretend like it doesn’t bother you.

Elias laughs when he sees you, bright and bubbly in stark contrast to your broodiness. “Oh baby,” he coos, closing the distance between your bodies and wrapping his toned arms around your waist, “I just want to be able to protect you, stay between you and the door. These young guys are like dogs and I don’t trust them.”

His concern is endearing, and you’ve never been great at staying angry with Elias. Any and all negative emotions vanish the moment he kisses you. It’s tender, loving, but with a gentle buzz of electricity humming underneath to let you know her his intentions. You’d risk your life a thousand times over if it meant you got to kiss Elias whenever you wanted.

“Okay,” you sigh breathily when he finally pulls away, breathless and moving to deadbolt the door, as if preparing for a night with no distractions whatsoever.

“Okay?”

You look at him confused, as if he couldn’t have possibly forgotten what made you upset in the first place. “You can sleep on the left side of the bed, but only if I get to be the big spoon while we watch our show.”

Elias smiles. “That’s my girl.”

⭑⭒⭑

You’d do anything to have him call dibs on part of the room right now.

Instead, you open your hotel room door to find two double beds placed a perfect distance apart. You’re bunking with Emily, your new assistant, and while she’s friendly enough and the two of you get along well, she’s not the one you want to be sharing a hotel room with in Wisconsin in the middle of January. She isn’t the one you want to brush your teeth with and make small talk about the upcoming shoot with.

There’s no real reason for you to slam your duffel on the floor beside the bed left to you, but you do. Elias isn’t here, isn’t coming back, and you need to get the fuck over yourself. Knowing doesn’t make it any easier, and when you face plant into the stiff mattress and let out a gravelly scream Emily gets incredibly concerned. She’s noticed you’ve been off since arriving at the hotel — it wouldn’t take anyone remotely close to you to realize something’s got you down in a major way.

“What’s the matter?” she asks tentatively, worried her words might set you off further. “The idiots we’re going to film over the next couple of days stressing you out?”

Emily doesn’t see you roll your eyes because they’re tucked so close to the blanket it’s suffocating, but you can’t help it. Of course she’d think your issue was the job you both came here to do — she didn’t know Elias besides him being a superstar athlete or the fact you once loved him so much it made it difficult to breathe when he was around. You remind yourself it isn’t her fault and manage to muster up a response.

“It’s nothing, I swear. Sorry for making you think there was an issue, especially about the shoot. I’m excited to do it.”

There’s no way she bought the lousy excuse, but Emily is also smart enough to leave well enough alone. If she hears you sobbing in the shower she doesn’t mention it. When you eventually step out of the bathroom and walk towards the left bed Emily gave you without a fight, you can’t help but notice she doesn’t watch television to unwind. Instead, she’s set up a puzzle on the small coffee table in the room and is working in complete silence. It was something you did with Elias as a sort of grounding exercise, to distract you both from the horrors of the real world, and you’re confused why it isn’t common practice.. The silence in the room suddenly makes your ears ring and you cover them in an attempt to block out the pain and loneliness the sound represents because Elias isn’t ever going to pressure you into watching some fishing show ever again.

She isn’t clueless and refuses to believe there isn’t something seriously wrong with you when you refuse to even look in her direction. “Okay, what the hell is going on? If you don’t want to room with me just say so. They’re other crew members I can stay with, and they’ll probably be much nicer than you.”

“No,” you sigh, so exhausted by the weight of your emotions, “I don’t have an issue with bunking with you. This is just the first time I’ve had to stay in a hotel since breaking up with my boyfriend, and we spent a lot of time together in rooms pretty much identical to this one over the years. I guess I’m struggling more than I thought.”

Emily nods like she understands, and while you don’t think she really gets the gravity of your confession, it’s nice to know someone is there for you. When she asks about him and what he was like you laugh — how do you encompass Elias Pettersson into a single sentence? The task seems impossible but Emily is patient, letting you talk as much as you want. Once the words run out and you’ve cried enough tears to fill a swimming pool the two of you turn out the lights and try to sleep. There’s still an Elias sized hole in your soul, but having someone not skirt around her in conversation because they’re afraid to see your face fall is refreshing.

⭒⭑⭒

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

You close your mouth, open it, and close it again, but no sound comes out. Elias is standing on the doorstep in a sharp all-black suit, red pocket square contrasting the darkness and knocking the breath out of your lungs. He had insisted on getting ready for your firm’s yearly charity gala separately, to ‘keep the mystery alive’, and you’re glad he left early this afternoon to get ready at Brock’s. If he hadn’t, neither of you would have made it to the event

“Shut up,” you grumble, pulling him inside and kissing him with the fire of a thousand suns. “You look like a classical sculpture.”

Elias giggles, runs a hand through his hair to tousle it to perfection, and reconnects your lips. “Me? This old thing? You’re the real smokeshow here, baby.”

The deep green long-sleeve dress you found in the back of your closest pales in comparison to what he’s wearing, but the way Elias is eyeing you makes it seem as though you’re wearing a tiara gifted personally by the Queen. A warmth creeps up the back of your neck and wraps around to your cheeks, fueling the fire for Elias to continue to marvel at you.

“Come on, you,” you sigh, looping an arm around Elias’s waist and leading him out the door. “We were supposed to pick up my boss nearly fifteen minutes ago.”

He doesn’t speak, knows you’re right, and follows you willingly. Elas does the driving, always has, and when he opens up your door he steals another quick kiss. Your laughter bounces off the roof of the car the entire way to the next destination.

⭑⭒⭑

The knock doesn’t belong to Elias. There’s no plan for him to accompany you to the gala this year. Hell, you don’t even know if he’s in the country. The Canucks schedule no longer takes up space in your mind given the split, and you don’t really even know if it’s technically hockey season anymore. You know all that, and yet you can’t stop yourself from hoping Elias will be on the other side of the door when you open it. He isn’t — it’s your friend James, looking incredibly dapper in a tuxedo that must be from his high school prom but somehow still fits. A corsage rests gingerly in his hand, and you could cry at the sight of it. The small bouquet is made of lilies and baby’s breath, known by everyone as Elias’s favourite flowers because they remind him of home.

“I thought you might want a piece of him with you tonight, even though it hurts a lot,” he says tenderly, and slips it onto your wrist. Tears well in your eyes, but they’re mostly the happy kind. Of course you wanted Elias with you, in any capacity you could get though your romance has long since gone cold, and the fact James didn’t hesitate to make it happen makes you cherish him more. Before his hand can leave yours you raise them both towards your face, placing a chaste kiss to the back of his in thanks.

He’s patient as you lock up and opens the car door for you like a true gentleman. Though you adore James Taylor and would probably follow him to war if he asked, he isn’t the person you want beside you. Your heart and soul yearns for Elias in a way no one else will ever understand. It’s sort of ridiculous that you’re still hoping because there’s been no contact for nearly ten months, but you’re a hopeless romantic at heart and want him to come back so badly. James doesn’t pretend to share your pain, which you’re incredibly thankful for, and is the only person in your life who isn’t pressuring you to get past the monumental loss that was Elias leaving.

“I miss him so much,” you sigh when the car stops at a red light.

There’s a beat of silence before he responds, as if he’s letting you feel just how much you miss your long-lost love at this very moment. “I know, kiddo. I know.” When you turn to face him, James offers a smile and turns the radio up a little louder. It takes a moment for the sound to reach your ears, but when it does you begin to cry again.

Through the crackling speakers of the old truck is the song you and Elias shared your first kiss to. It had happened on the make-shift dance floor of the wrap party for the third shoot the pair of you collaborated on , in front of everyone, but it had been absolutely perfect. You still remember the cheering from Quinn and a couple other teammates he brought along, and your friends’ fond smiles because they were relieved you finally let your guard down enough to love somebody. Time eclipses you, and you’re thrown back to that night for the rest of the song. You’re a little shaken up when the car jerks into park at the event space, and James gives you a moment to compose yourself before he leads you inside and stays close the rest of the night, always there to cheer you up when the loneliness begins to hover a little too close.

⭒⭑⭒

The years pass, torturously slow at first but then at a rapid-fire pace, and the pain of losing Elias turns into a dull ache that only flares occasionally. A passion project that started in your living room turned you away from sports related content and into the world of the silver screen, relocating you to Los Angeles and into one of the most in-demand directors for action movies that manage to still pack a gut-wrenching punch. Rarely do you have a spare moment to think these days, and almost never do you let the thoughts drift to your ex-boyfriend. 

It’s been nearly five years since he walked out, smashed your life to smithereens without a second thought, and while you’ve healed from the trauma of it all there’s still the occasional moment where something reminds you of Elias and it makes it hard to breathe. Tonight, it’s the sight of a hockey game on the television of the dive bar you frequently haunt when you’re home for more than forty-eight hours. Shallow puff of air float through your mouth as you look for him on the screen, realizing that it’s a stupid idea because Vancouver isn’t even playing. You then remember how much fun you had watching Elias’s games, and you curse him for taking something joyous away from you. Another round of drinks is ordered, the bartender eyeing you wearily but complying, and you wallow in silence for longer than you’ll ever admit to anyone. 

Hours pass and midnight is rapidly approaching. While you don’t have an early morning, not having to be at a table read until the late afternoon, you know you can’t hold your liquor the way you could when you were younger and staying out much later is going to cause more hassle than it’s worth. 

“Could I trouble you for one more and the bill?”

It’s getting increasingly loud in the dive, and you have to yell to be heard. However, it still isn’t working, and the bar staff can’t seem to understand what it is you want. Damn them for making you spend more time here. You clear your throat, about to try again, when a voice you never thought you’d hear again speaks from behind.

“Combine her tab with mine and close it out, if that isn’t too much to ask?”

The hairs along the nape of your neck bristle. “I can pay for my own drinks, thank you very much.” You refuse to turn around, knowing that if you do your resolve will crumble. Anger is the primary emotion when you think about Elias, but you also miss him so goddamn much. Never getting any closure makes things tricky. 

A chuckle fans out behind you. “Never said you couldn’t. I do, however, think it’s the very least I could do for you.”

It’s true, and you let him know it. Still facing away from him, you don’t utter another word, even after the final drinks are brought around and everything is squared away. Elias doesn’t push you, knows your stony resolve still after all the time away. The silence is deafening as you wait for him to finish his beer before downing your cocktail. Not a word is uttered between the two of you, but the air is slowly losing its tension. 

Eventually you turn towards him, haphazard and full of spite, though it’s lowering considerably. You hate the way he destroyed your life when he left, and you hate the way looking at him in the dim makes your heart soften considerably. 

“I hate you.”

“You should.”

“Are you going to apologize?” you ask, unsure why it wasn’t the first thing out of his mouth. 

Elias cocks a brow. “Will it make anything better?”

“I suppose not.”

Silence. It isn’t uncomfortable, but it isn’t like it used to be either, and you aren’t exactly sure what to do next. Elias decides for you. “I’d like to maybe work towards being friends again,” he speaks cautiously, as if he’s terrified of your reaction. “I don’t know many people in the city, or in southern California for that matter, and seeing the occasional friendly face would help out a lot.”

He explains that he was traded to Los Angeles in the off-season, and that though he knew you were around sometimes he didn’t want to reach out after all the pain you experienced because of him. You like that he doesn’t try to apologize or make excuses, just acknowledges he did a horrible thing and is content to sit with the consequences for the rest of his life.

You consider his proposal, thoroughly mull it over in your head, but you can’t find any logical reason to turn Elias down. Your parents taught you to give everyone a second chance, and it seems like you’ll be in complete control of whatever happens. 

“We can do that. Just slowly.”

A nod of understanding comes from him, and with that he stands from the bar stool he’s occupied for the last little while. “I’ll see you around then. I kept my old number for convenience, so just give me a call when you’re ready.”

You nod, mimicking Elias’s previous action, and offer a short wave as he retreats into the busying street. Los Angeles is a city that comes alive in the night, and you can’t help but wonder if the universe sent Elias to you for a second chance because it knew just how much you still loved him. Maybe you find yourself hoping this proposed friendship drifts back to the way things were, but you’ll never tell a soul.

⭑⭒⭑

enjoy this fic? give it a reblog :) <3

[wildrangers]

Home // Elias Pettersson

Word Count: 3.1K

Summary: This is my submission for the lovely @ryngrvs in The Winter Fic Exchange 2k23, organized by the wonderful @antoineroussel! It’s an established relationship with lots of fluff so I hope everyone enjoys ☺️

Warnings: cursing

“Holy shit, you’re going to lap me soon!”

“Oh, fuck off, Elias” you grumbled as your boyfriend skated past again. His laugh trailed behind him as continued his laps around the rink. You sighed, watching his effortless glides as you desperately tried to stay upright without grasping onto the boards. A month from now, the Canucks were hosting their annual Friends and Family Skate Day and you were deathly afraid you were going to embarrass yourself by wiping out on the ice.

While Elias had been skating basically since he could walk, no one in your family knew how so you were learning now as an adult. You knew you physically could do it but you didn’t have the benefit of being a carefree kid, unafraid of a scraped elbow or twisted ankle—you were acutely aware of the many ways you could accidentally hurt yourself on the ice.

“Need a boost?” Elias called as he approached from behind and you threw your arms out in response. A moment later, you felt your boyfriend’s hands latch onto your waist. “This is the one, I can feel it” he murmured, placing a quick kiss to your ear before carefully pushing you forward for some much-needed momentum.

You took a deep breath, keeping all of Elias’ tips in mind as you moved your legs. You felt giddy as you skated across the length of the ice before grasping onto the corner boards. “I did it!” you called and Elias whooped before stopping in front of you.

“At this rate, you may not embarrass yourself after all” Elias teased and, without thinking, you lurched forward to give him a playful shove.

“Maybe I should ask Brock to train me, he’s way nicer than you” you retorted, pressing your hands into his chest to push him away. A moment later, you realized you’d skated quite a few feet as you moved him away from you after his sarcastic barb. “You asshole, you goaded me into skating without psyching myself out.”

“And it worked, didn’t it?” he smirked, gesturing to how far away you were from the boards. “Also, Boeser is too nice, he’d just coddle you. You wouldn’t learn in time.”

“Wow, it’s almost like you know me or something” you joked, matching Elias’ strides as he kept himself just out of your reach.

“I guess dating someone for almost a year can do that” he agreed, eyes studying your form. “You’re still too tense, älskling, loosen up your knees a bit.”

You did as instructed, surprised and relieved to feel the pressure on your ankles let up slightly as you corrected your stance. “You just don’t want me to demand a foot rub like last time, huh?”

“No, I don’t want you in pain for three days again” he corrected, though you doubted his intentions were entirely pure. “Now, remember, the corners can be tricky but you just have to let your body move with your feet, not fight them. And no knee locking again.”

You nodded, your brows furrowing in concentration as you tried to mimic his movements. You had nearly cleared the corner when you felt your heart skip a beat as your torso naturally came closer to the ice’s surface. You immediately tried to tilt the opposite way to give yourself some distance but that only resulted in you flailing and falling onto your ass. “Fucking hell!” you groaned, laying your head back on the ice and closing your eyes.

You felt Elias settle beside you as his hand gripped yours. “You got to let go and trust your core muscles” he corrected gently.

“I know” you sighed. “But I hate feeling off balance like that.”

“You’re not off balance, you’re actually perfectly stable until you panic and then you lose your balance” he noted as he laid down next to you. You two lay in silence for a few moments as you caught your breath and felt your heart rate return to normal. When you finally opened your eyes to face Elias, he was already studying you intently.

“What?” you questioned softly, meeting his gaze.

“Just admiring the view” he replied quietly, gently brushing the loose strands of hair out of your face.

“Flatterer” you accused even as you felt butterflies rush into your stomach. “What are you really thinking?”

“That I’m lucky to have a partner who cares enough about me to teach themselves how to skate even though it kind of scares the shit of out of them.”

“And I’m lucky to have a boyfriend with enough patience to teach me even though you can occasionally be a bit cranky about it” you grinned, causing him to roll his eyes.

“I’m sorry I lost my patience watching you cling to the boards and refuse to move for half an hour our first time out here” he retorted drawing a loud laugh from you.

“I know, I know, I just couldn’t help myself” you responded, lifting your linked hands to place a kiss to his. “Can we please go back to one of our places now?”

“Only if you can make your way over to the exit on your own. We need to end on a good note, yeah?”

You begrudgingly nodded and Elias got up to help you to your feet. As you readied yourself to skate back across the ice, he wrapped you in a tight embrace, resting his chin on the top of your head. You smiled into his chest, holding him close and stealing some of his eternal warmth.

“I’m proud of you, sweet pea” he mumbled into your hair and you pulled away just enough to place a quick kiss to his lips.

“Thank you, sweetie pie” you replied. “But let’s move this indoors, yeah? I’d like to feel my toes again.” Elias chuckled and nodded before making his way over to the exit to wait for you. You took a deep breath, loosening your knees as you pushed off and easily made your way over to him.

***

“Oh my god, Bela!” Elias groaned, eyes glued to the TV. It was a few hours later and he knew you were feeling much better after eating some takeout and curling up beneath a blanket.

“I thought you didn’t like this show” you teased from beside him. He didn’t need to glance over to know you were smirking, quite proud of yourself for finally getting him hooked on Sex Lives of College Girls.

“I don’t” he stubbornly responded. “I just think she’s doing stupid shit this season.”

“Mhm” you replied knowingly. He finally paused the TV to turn and face you, noting the amused quirk of your lips.

“I’m sorry, did you want me to stop massaging your sore ankles?” he asked, pausing his movements to raise his eyebrows at you.

“You’re no fun at all, just admit I was right and you like the show” you said, matching his stubbornness. Elias sighed, taking in the determined glint in your eye that he knew meant you weren’t going to let up, even with his empty threats.

“Fine, I’m invested in these girls’ lives and the stupid shit they get themselves into” he grumbled, loathe to prove you right but knowing you’d won this round. He was rewarded with a broad grin as you leaned up and wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him in for a deep kiss.

As much as your relationship was filled with teasing and sarcasm, it was equally grounding and comforting. Whenever Elias had a tough game, which was happening plenty this season, he knew he could call or stop by and you would know just what to say to calm him down. With every passing day together, you were becoming his home and he hoped you felt the same way.

As you pulled away, he wrapped his arms around your waist to keep you close, resting his forehead against yours. “I love you” he said quietly, not wanting to break the peace of this moment.

“And I love you” you responded “…especially when you admit I’m right.”

“Oh my god, Y/N!” he laughed, jokingly pushing you away as you cackled at his annoyance. He released a deep breath, shaking his head, as he pressed play and resumed massaging your tired ankles.

***

A few days later, you were curled up in bed totally lost in your book. You jumped slightly at the loud knocking coming from your front door, brows creasing together in confusion. You weren’t expecting anyone and the nightstand clock said it was just shy of 11PM. You got out of bed, padding to the door and peeking through the hole, only to see a frustrated looking Elias on the other side.  

“Baby?” you questioned taking in his exhausted features as you unlocked the door.

“I’m sorry, I tried calling and texting but you weren’t answering and I just, I needed to see you” he rushed out in a burst, his accent thicker than normal which was a dead giveaway he was upset.

“You don’t need to be sorry, what happened? Are you okay?” you questioned, ushering him inside.

“I’m just so frustrated and tired of this fucking season” he sighed, tossing his bag to the side and plopping down onto your couch. He cradled his head in his hands as you sat beside him, giving him a moment to gather his thoughts. “It’s like we’ll have a couple of games where things click and then everything goes to shit and the locker room is so fucking tense and it just sucks.”

“Come here” you replied quietly, gently pulling his hands away from his face and pulling him to you. He buried his face in your neck, wrapping his arms around you tightly. You rubbed his back with one hand while the other brushed through his hair in soothing patterns.

You two sat in comfortable silence as his shoulders slowly but surely loosened and his body finally fully relaxed into yours. “Have you eaten?” you questioned and he shook his head against your chest. “I’m going to put on some water for pasta, you get out of that suit and into something comfortable, yeah?”

You felt him nod and he slowly got up, placing a kiss to your forehead before trudging down to your room to change. You walked to the kitchen, finding your forgotten phone on the counter. As you waited for the pot to fill with water, you scrolled through the multiple missed FaceTime’s, calls, and texts from Elias. Each message was more frantic than the one before and your heart sank. You’d meant to have your phone with you since it was a game night but you’d lost track of time while reading.

You sighed, chastising yourself, as you placed the pot on the burner. Adrift in your thoughts, you didn’t realize Elias had returned until you felt his hands rest on your shoulders, turning you towards him.

“I’m really sorry for just showing up like this, especially so late.”

“Lias, I promise it’s okay. I’m so sorry I didn’t have my phone with me, I knew it was a game night and forgot to keep an eye on the clock…”

“And you got lost in that book of yours” he teased and you laughed, nodding.

“Yeah, that too. But I’m here now and I’m all yours” you promised, cupping his face in your hands. “I’m sorry this season is so challenging and stressful. But you can only control yourself and you’re having an amazing run, especially with all this adversity.”

He sighed sadly but nodded in agreement, “I know you’re right, it just feels so hopeless after a tough loss like tonight. And the thought of going back to my apartment alone sounded like torture.”

“Then stay here tonight” you offered and he agreed, placing a kiss to your forehead. You moved away, adding pasta to the boiling water as Elias began heating up some leftover chicken. You two moved around each other easily, slipping wordlessly into a routine you’d instinctively created together.

As Elias began eating his late dinner, you hopped up on the counter, studying your boyfriend.  You took a deep breath, sharing the thought you’d been mulling over for a month now. “What do you think about moving in together?”

Your boyfriend’s bright blue eyes shot up to meet yours, “Really?”

“Yes, really, or I wouldn’t have brought it up” you replied, nerves flooding your system at his non-answer.

“I’ve been trying to figure out how to ask you for weeks” he admitted and you felt your shoulders loosen. “Especially tonight, the whole way here I just kept thinking how much easier it would be to know that no matter how shitty my day was I’d be coming home to you.”

“Well, good thing one of us was brave enough to say something then” you teased and he rolled his eyes at you.

“Are we really doing this?” he questioned, eyes searching yours, and you nodded, smiling. He wrapped you in a tight embrace and you felt like you were already home just being in his arms.

***

“How are you feeling?” Elias asked. It was Friends and Family Skate Day and you were feeling confident given the weeks of practice you’d had.

“Good, actually, thanks to you” you admitted, bumping your hip into his making him grin down at you. “Still a little nervous about the corners but you’ll stay with me, right?”

“Of course, älskling” he promised, pressing a quick kiss to your forehead as you two reached the outdoor rink. You sat down and removed your boots as Elias unpacked his bag, taking out your skates so he could put them on for you. As Elias gently slid each of your feet in before tying them securely, you looked around, taking in the crowd. You waved at a few people you knew, your smile widening as Quinn arrived and sat next you.

“How’s the move going you two?” Quinn asked as he laced up his skates.

“Good, all my things are officially in Elias’ apartment now. Not put away yet but at least my old place is cleared out.”

“It’s not ‘Elias’ apartment’ it’s ‘our apartment’” Elias corrected, tapping your foot so you knew you were ready to go. You stood up and leaned against the boards so he could take your seat to get himself ready.

“Yes, yes our apartment, what a silly mistake for me to make” you joked, causing Elias to glare up at you while Quinn fought back a grin. “Are you able to come to the house warming party next week?”

“Yeah, can’t wait. I’ve been to Petey’s place a hundred times but now that it’s Petey and Y/N’s apartment, I’m sure it’ll blow me away” he replied and Elias shoved his friend with his shoulder.

“Very funny you two” Elias grumbled, reluctantly accustomed to you and Quinn ganging up on him.

“I’m sorry, babe, you just make it so easy to annoy you” you smiled, grabbing his hands as he rose to stand beside you. “See you out there, Huggy!”

Elias pulled you onto the ice and you skated over to Brock pulling him in to a quick hug. “How’re you doing? It’s been forever since I’ve seen you.”

“I’ve been good, you two have been crazy busy. We’ll have plenty of time to catch up at your party next week” Brock grinned at you. “Feeling good about today?”

You nodded, squeezing Elias’s hand, “Lots of training so I won’t embarrass myself too much.”

“Stop being modest, you’re going to be great” Elias corrected.

“This guy has really softened up since you two decided to move in together” Brock teased and you fought back a grin as Elias’ face flushed red.

“Drop it Brock, Quinner was already razzing him before we even got on the ice. If you two keep this up, he’ll uninvite you from the party” you threatened jokingly. Brock raised his hands in mock surrender before skating off to say hi to another teammate and their partner.

“Don’t worry, sweet pea, you’re still my big, tough, strong hockey man” you teased and Elias removed his hand from yours, skating purposefully away and towards the corner boards. “Wait come back!”

“Nope, you come here” he challenged, crossing his arms over his chest. You sent him a pout with widened eyes but he simply shook his head causing you to sigh. You took a deep breath, loosening your knees as you’d done countless times at this point.

As you skated towards the corner boards, you found you were surprisingly calm. You’d been practicing for weeks and you knew if you fell, Elias would help you up and, minus some embarrassment, you’d be okay. You glanced up to see him grinning at you and that urged your feet on a little quicker, hoping to reach him that much sooner.

As you effortlessly glided around the corners and into his arms, Elias let out a whoop of celebration as he pulled you into a tight embrace. “You did it, älskling!” he cheered, lifting you off the ice and swinging you around a few times. You laughed as he did, holding onto him as the world delightfully spun around you.

“I did it!” you repeated as he finally set you down. His eyes were bright and so full of love that you couldn’t help but pull him down for a quick kiss.   

“Better watch yourself, Pettersson, I’m coming for your job next” you joked, skating away from him. You knew he’d catch you quickly but it was worth it to make him smile. As you felt his hands grab your waist, you let out a startled laugh before dissolving into giggles as he lightly tickled your sides.

“What was that you said?” he asked, amusement obvious in his voice. You were about to relent and take it back when Elias’ weight was suddenly gone from behind you.

“Go, Y/N, go!” Brock called and you turned to see him and Quinn holding a struggling but smiling Elias back. You didn’t need to be told twice—you were off and skating, fearlessly taking each corner as it came. As you completed the full lap to pass Elias, you cheered.

“See, I did lap you after all!” you teased skating back to him as the boys finally let him go to give you high fives.

“And with no help or cheating at all, very impressive” he said sarcastically and you grinned up at him.

“Of course not, I would never” you replied and he rolled his eyes at you.

“You’re lucky I love you” Elias said, ruffling your hair.

“Don’t I know it” you agreed, wrapping an arm around his waist so you two could continue on together, arm in arm.

A/N: Thank you for reading! C, I hope you enjoyed 💕 Thank you for giving me so much freedom with what to write, I tried to infuse what you shared with me as much as possible so it felt personalized. Now, I can finally follow you! I didn’t want to ruin the surprise beforehand lol

Swedish translation (according to google):

 älskling = darling/ my love

[laurenairay]

hc request: elias pettersson + insecurity :3

Ahhh this is my first Petey headcanon and it was so interesting to put together! My love for this man just grows more and more, so thank you for this!

Elias Pettersson is a bit of an enigma to most people. Maybe it’s his cool Swedish temperament, or his dry sense of humour, but he’s a beast on the ice and he never lets anyone forget it.

But for all the confidence in the world, there are always going to be moments of doubt.

Maybe he has a few bad games in a row, and can’t get out of that mental space where he’s thinking about his talent. He knows he’s better than this so why is he performing so badly? Why is he letting down his team? What are the coaches going to think of him if he can’t pull himself together?

Maybe it’s about his body. He sees the guys bulking up over summer and knows that while he’ll never be built like a tank thanks to his natural leanness, why can’t he put on a few more pounds of muscle? He trains so hard so what is wrong with him? Why can’t he be enough?

Maybe it’s even about his hair. He knows the attention he got was ridiculous when he buzzed it down from the longer white boyband cut, but was that a mistake? Was he too rash? Did he really look like an alien like people teased him for?

Elias is also the kind of guy that knows he has to take his mental health seriously though – so eventually if it became too much to handle he would talk to someone, even just dropping a comment here and there in passing, and the people who know him and love him (family, friends, team, his partner) would help him get through his insecurities each and every day.

[ilyasorokinn]

leo pettersson's great all-star adventure ― elias pettersson

note, the first of my all-star works because i'm slow so idk when the svech fic will be out but i'm working on it. also, this fic is part of the "home with the petterssons" series. check out this masterlist for more. summary, leo pettersson has the time of his life at his first all-star game. warnings, kids/children word count, 1327 words

you and elias had been to all-star games before, but this one would be different. leo and alicia were coming along with you. leo was excited but alicia was still too young to understand, but she did understand she was going on vacation which was exciting.

brock volunteered to tag along on your trip, which you accepted. he got dragged from disneyworld to fla live arena with you. he even entertained both kids on the plane while you and elias took some alone time and crashed on the 3-hour plane ride.

"we really owe you for this one," you commented as you got alicia dressed for the skills competition day, and he got leo dressed.

elias had already left, so brock being there really helped, "i get to spend time with my favorite little petey's. that's all the reward i need."

"still, you could partying it up in aruba or something, and you decided to spend it with my children in florida. i appreciate it, we both do."

"you're my family." you both shared a smile.

when you arrived at the arena, many fans stopped to take pictures with brock, which you had expected, so you made your way down to the tunnel where the locker room was and where you knew elias would be.

"uncle bo!" leo jumped up and down when he saw bo horvat. he hesitated when he saw bo wearing an islanders logo.

"hi, buddy." bo bent down and greeted him, "how was disneyworld?"

"fun." leo then went on to tell bo every single detail of your trip from when brock accidentally ordered 10 bottles of water to when elias got on a ride without you all cause he thought you were following him.

"wow, sounds like you guys had fun. did aly have fun, too?"

"yeah, she got to ride all the kiddy rides, but i rode all the big kid rides." leo boasted.

"whoa, you're a big boy now." bo's eyes widened.

"why're you wearing that?" leo's nose scrunched.

"well, you see," bo looked up at you nervously, "i got traded."

"traded?" leo asked.

"yeah, the islanders." bo nodded.

leo frowned, "but you'll still come visit, right?"

"of course." bo nodded, the smile finding it's way back onto his face.

you hummed, "that was easier than i thought it would be."

"i'll see you guys out there. by aly." he ran a careful hand through alicia's hair before heading down the hallway.

you waited a little longer for elias to come out and luckily, players were coming out, and mitch marner came out and started talking to leo, distracting him.

he even signed a puck for leo, which leo clutched to his chest like a prized possession, "will you keep it safe for me, mama?"

"of course." you nodded, slipping it into your bag and showing him the spot so he knew it would be safe.

elias walked out in the retro canucks jersey and a canucks hat, "papa!" leo exclaimed, rushing over to his father.

"hi, leo." he greeted, bending down and picking up leo, "were you good for mama and uncle b?"

"i met mitch marner and he gave me a puck!"

"wow, really?"

"and i saw uncle bo."

"did you?"

"he got traded. did you know that?"

"i did, yeah." elias nodded, nervously.

"but he promised he would come and visit us." leo added.

elias nodded, "now, do you wanna sit in the stands with mama, aly and brock or do you want to stay with me down on the ice?"

"will i get to sit next to hughes?" leo asked.

you and elias laughed, "yeah, i'll see what i can do."

you found your seat very easily due to brock waving you down like a madman the moment he saw you. you sat down and your eyes darted around the ice, trying to find your son.

"he's over there." brock pointed to the bench where leo was sitting happily in between jack hughes and andrei svechnikov, elias standing in front of him, wearing a hockey helmet, pads, a jersey, and hockey pants.

"oh, dear," you muttered.

leo spotted you somehow in the crowd and waved to you like crazy. you laughed, waving back, and waving alicia's little hand back at him, which made him giggle.

"look who it is, aly." you looked down at her face, before looking back up at leo.

"leo!" she squealed.

while sitting over on the bench, leo got to meet tons of new players. he got to sit next to gunner and all hi favorite players, "papa." leo called out to his father.

elias skated over, "what?" elias smiled.

"i met sid and mackinnon." the smile on his face was so big, it warmed elias' heart.

"wow, that's so cool." elias' eyes widened as he listened to his son's recap of his day so far, "i'm so glad you're having fun." he leaned over the wall of the bench and kissed leo's head, both of the completely unaware of the various cameras on them, taking photos.

as the night dragged on, leo found himself on the ice, playing with few of the other kids, amongst them were little ovi, who stole the show, one of taresenko's kids and a few other kids.

leo watched excitedly, pausing his game with the other kids, to watch elias. elias got ready, taking his stick before skating up fast and shooting the puck.

he skated in a circle before checking his score. 100.8 mph. he looked over at leo, who gave him a big smile and a thumbs up. elias gave him a thumbs up back before getting into position for his second shot.

he skated up to the puck and shot it into the net. it took a second for the numbers to pop up, but when they did, a collective gasp could be heard around the arena.

103.2.

and he was hard to beat. the other guys went after him but missed him by only a little. once he was crowned king of the challenge, pk pulled him aside for a quick interview.

halfway through the interview, leo skated over and hugged his dad's leg. elias let out a laugh as he stumbled forward a bit, but continued what he was saying, "i just wanted to beat that today, so yeah, very happy with it." he ran a hand through leo's hair, glancing down at him.

pk smiled too, "last question, how do you shoot 103? what's your secret?" he asked.

"i lay all my weight into it, so yeah." elias smiled.

"all right, well it's a lot of weight. congratulations." elias nodded before pk turned back to face the camera, "elias pettersson, hardest shot." elias beamed happily as he bent down to pick up leo and hold him.

"what'd you think?" elias asked.

"so cool." leo answered enthusiastically.

the next day, you were seated in the stands, leo sitting inbetween you and brock while alicia sat on your lap for the all-star game tournament.

leo and alicia were both repping the retro canucks jerseys with their last names and their dad's number. as well as their number '40' beanies.

"from the vancouver canucks, elias pettersson!" leo stood up in his chair and clapped.

"that's papa!" leo hollered, jumping up in his seat.

"that's right." brock smiled.

the firt period was almost up. there were less than 3 minutes on the clock and puck was down on the other side of the ice. fiala shot it out and got it away from the net.

fiala got it, skating further away from the net and shooting it up to elias who was further up the ice. elias skated forward, then passed it to bo.

bo skated right up to the. net and looked like he was gonna shoot it. he, instead, passed it over to elias, who was by his side and shot it. leo started cheering while you and brock shared a sad look.

-

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[oleksiak-pettersson]

Shitttttt... I accidentally deleted this blurb.

The sun has long set by the time you look up from your book. Vancouver winters have a habit of sneaking up on you.

With the fire place roaring and the fuzzy blanket on your lap, you’d created the perfect reading atmosphere. The grumble of your stomach draws you out of your reading reverie.

Concrete, the cat you share with you boyfriend, cracks an eye open from the other side of the couch where he’s curled up like a shrimp. He mews softly at your movement before turning back over and resting his paw over his eyes.

You laugh at the cat, “Drama queen,” you poke his belly teasingly as you shed the blanket and stretch. The cat doesn’t even move, just continues to nod off into dreamland.

You can see the lights of Vancouver beginning to turn on from the buildings surrounding yours. You sigh contentedly as you glance at the clock on wall.

It’s dinner time. Lacking the energy to make food, you scoop up your phone and go in search of Elias. It’s an easy search, you can hear the echoes of his game from down the hall.

He’s left the door open a crack, you can hear the gameplay and he drops a f-bomb that has you chuckling.

You push the door open, watching with soft eyes as he’s focussed on his computer. There’s a headset covering his ears and a microphone attached to it that hovers near his pink lips.

His hair is a bit of a mess. You can hear the guys he’s playing with through the headset.

Brock, Nils, Quinn, and is that Kuz? You can’t be too sure.

“Petey? What do you want for dinner, babe?” You inquire, leaning against the doorframe.

You’re not prepared for how quickly he pauses the game and whips around in his chair. His jaw has dropped slightly and you can hear the confusion of his teammates and friends falling through the headset that previously rested on his head before he ripped it off.

“Sorry sweets, did I scare you?” You ask again, confused as to why he’s reacting this way.

“What did you just call me?” He counters, dead serious. There’s silence from the peanut gallery in the headphones.

“Sweets?” You shrug, still confused about the reaction.

“No, before that,” Elias rises from his chair, hands grabbing your hips with an urgency you’ve never seen him possess before.

“Babe? I call you babe all the time.” Your own hands come to rest on his chest. You raise an eyebrow at the seemingly now high-strung Swede.

“Before babe.” His eyes narrow into thin skits and you try not to chuckle at the long forgotten ‘alien death stare’ he’s sending your way.

“Petey?” You question, confusion taking over your face.

“Yes.” He says grumpily.

“But that’s your name, babe!” You laugh, hand moving up to cup his cheek.

“No. That’s what the guys call me, that’s what the fans call me.” He pauses, eyes watching your face shift. “You are my girl, the love of my life. I’m not just Petey with you.”

Your heart soars at his baring of emotion. You can’t help it as you pull his face to yours and press your lips against his.

He smiles into your grip, lips plush against yours as his tongue slides out to meet yours.

“Now that Peteys done being cheesy, can we have him back?” Brock’s voice rings in your ear.

“No!” Both you and Elias chorus as you pull apart.

“Play without him boys, it’s date night.” You grab the mic and place the headset back before smiling suggestively at your boyfriend.

You don’t think you ever seen him shut down a game so fast.

[bitchinbarzal]

make a decision | elias pettersson

summary: elias makes his decision

part one

-

The next available flight that Elias could get was the next evening, he’d called the airlines and surfed the internet but to no avail the first available seat was over twenty-four hours later.

He desperately wanted to be with you, to find you and talk about this.

He told him family what happened, why you left and how upset he was with himself.

They were upset with him too, shouting at him how they raised a better son and how disappointed they were by his reaction.

He felt horrible. He felt like a horrible person, boyfriend and dad.

He however felt a million times worse when the news played the next morning.

“and we have breaking news coming out of Canada! An international flight has crashed coming in to Vancouver. It’s not yet been announced which flight it was or where it departed from… there have been several casualties reported”

Elias felt like he couldn’t breathe.

He began crying, grabbing his phone to see if there was any extra news and trying to call you.

He got your voicemail time and time again.

He couldn’t sit here any longer, he had to do something. So he took himself to the airport — if it was your flight he’d be better in Vancouver than in Sweden.

The entire time in the airport, Elias was pacing back for forth, asking random by-passers any news on the plane crash.

If by a strike of luck, as Elias sat on his plane seat on the runway his phone lit up with a notification

‘it has been confirmed the vancouver flight crash originated out of heathrow airport - 6 people have been confirmed injured’

Maybe he should have felt guilty about the relief he felt when he read that.

It wasn’t relief those people were hurt.

It was relief that you were safe, his love was safe and his baby was safe.

The almost 10 hour flight was just filled with anxiety and Elias’ seat-mate was not too fond of his very shaky leg.

By the time he touched down in Vancouver airport Elias was sure he was going to have a panic attack, he tried calling you again.

There was still no answer.

He had claimed his luggage and went through customs before he fought his way through just about every tourist in the taxi rank so he could get a ride to the apartment.

When he got there he ran in, straight to the elevator completely ignoring the doorman who was welcoming him home.

When he made it to the apartment, he fumbled around in his pocket for keys — his fingers were too shaky to get a proper grip.

He flicked through the keys; his home in Sweden, Brock’s apartment, Canucks training facility, Nils’ home and finally your apartment.

The door unlocked and he threw the door open, letting out loud, winded breaths.

His eyes immediately fell on your sleeping form on the couch, fast asleep.

Shutting the door quietly as to not wake you , he rushed over to your sleeping form.

Kissing your head, his thumb rubbing over your cheek and pressing kisses on your shoulder too before he pulled the blanket from behind the couch over you.

After, he sat on the floor next to you in silence just staring at your chest rising up and down with every breath.

He sat there for four hours, not a word, not a sound before he began to fall asleep. When you woke, you saw his face not too far from yours, his head had fallen to the side and lay next to your stomach.

You grabbed a pillow from behind your head, lifting his softly and sliding it under knowing that he was going to wake up with a sore neck if he slept like that any longer.

You lay there a little longer, hand carding through his hair and scratching his scalp lightly.

He hadn’t chased you down the hallway of his parents home but he had followed you back to Vancouver. Maybe he was here to tell you to leave? To pack his stuff?

You didn’t get much of a chance to continue down the rabbit hole you had begun mentally climbing as Elias stirred awake under your hand.

You smiled at him softly “hey, baby, hey”

Once he’s fully regained his consciousness he grabbed your hand and kissed your knuckles repeatedly. You only let him, in this moment just needing to be by him.

The sweet moment soon turned to worry when you felt his tears on your hand and watched his shoulders shake with sobs

“Hey, hey what’s going on? What’s wrong?”

“I thought- I thought I’d lost you” he gasped.

You furrowed your eyebrows “I wouldn’t leave, I told you this was your choice. I just had to come home, I’ve been home waiting for you” you explained.

He shook his head “No, no there was a plane crash and I thought- I thought you were hurt, the baby was hurt!”

Your heart simultaneously broke and soared as you listened to him.

Your hands gripped the sides of his head and made him look at you “Babe, I’m here! We’re okay I promise…”

“I was so scared” Is all he said, now pushed up on his knees to kiss you.

When you pulled away from the kiss and your foreheads rested against one another he said

“I want this baby, I want this baby with you! I was scared and selfish but I love you and I know we are going to be good parents”

You sucked in your bottom lip and nodded “I can do this alone if you’re not confident, please don’t do this if you are not-“

He cut you off with another kiss “I am one hundred percent sure I want to start a family with the woman I love”

The tears that lined your eyes fell and you smiled “We’re having a baby”

He nodded “We’re having a baby”

You watched as Elias moved down your body, pulling the blanket down to your waist before you felt your shirt lift and he kissed your belly

“du är redan mitt allt” you are my everything already

You laughed “What are you two talking about down there?”

Elias smiled “That’s between me and baby”

“Can’t mom know?” “No, then we’ll let out all of our secrets”

You only smiled and said “I love you ‘lias, so much”

“I love You more, my angel”

Six months later and they were still up to their secret conversations.

You lay in your hospital bed listening to Elias speak to Astrid in Swedish.

“jag älskar dig redan, astrid” I love you already, astrid

She cooed, no idea what her dad was saying.

“din mamma är bäst. vi är så lyckliga som har henne” your mom is the best we’re so lucky to have her

You could identify words, not sentences. They were talking about you “You two talking about me?”

Elias looked up at you, still bouncing your daughter in his arms “it’s secret, we won’t tell our secrets”

You only rolled your eyes “you two and your secrets”

[hockeywhhores]

house hunting- e. pettersson

elias pettersson x gn!reader

warnings~ two mentions of nudity, nothing really

genre~ fluff

word count~ 1.2k

main masterlist

buying a house with a partner is always a major step in the relationship; an extremely stressful one at that . when elias first suggested it you thought it had been a joke. you were both curled up on the couch messing around on your own phones, even though the tv was turned to some swedish soap opera. having felt like a bother asking to use his macbook charger everyday, you had mentioned going back to your apartment to grab it, due to the late time you were just going to stay at your house for the rest of the night. you were just beginning to sit up and start heading out when elias just blurted out, “why don’t you just move in?” to say you were shocked would have been an understatement. 

“don’t you think its a bit soon for that?” you asked back, the relationship was just barely at the one year mark. “i can’t have you getting tired of me too fast.” 

“i could never get tired of you.” elias said back very seriously. “I think it could be a great choice; you already practically live here. our nights are already numbered due to away games and i hate sleeping without you. i just think you should at least think about it.” 

“i do hate sleeping without you.” you agreed and he gave you an ‘i-told-you-so’ look which made you giggle. “how about, if we are still going strong in six months, we will start looking. this apartment is too small for the both of us and we both have roommates.” you pointed out. its like he just remembered he still shared a space with quinn, because his smug look went away as he looked around the apartment and noticed the other man’s belongings. 

“that's a fair deal.” he finally decided. you laughed and tackled him with a hug. 

“i am having to go home tonight. i need my laptop charger for class tomorrow, besides you have a super early skate tomorrow. you need the rest.” you mumbled while kissing his neck. elias only grunted, not at all happy with what you have just said. “you can meet me back at mine after my 9 am class gets out, and we can go out for lunch?”

“that sounds lovely.” your beautiful swedish man said. 

~~~

you stayed true to your word. six months came and went, and now here you are looking at condos on the upscale side of vancouver. every condo looked the exact same: stupidly expensive, white walls, and real wood flooring with excess to a community pool and fitness room perfect for the summer. elias didn’t understand why you didn’t just choose the first one. they were all the same and perfect for both of you. 

“how do you feel about this one?” the blonde realtor asked you both. 

“i love it, how about you (y/n)?” elias quickly replied. 

“i love it too.” you said, not missing the sigh of relief elias gave out. 

“wonderful! i’ll have the contract sent to you both before the end of the week. you should be able to move in about two weeks after signing.” the realtor exclaimed typing away on her cell phone. you took one last look around the massive master bedroom you were all standing in, and gave out a sigh. this was all super nerve wracking. you were excited and scared. 

feeling the anxiety rolling off of you elias wrapped his arms around you from behind.“this is going to be great. waking up next to each other every morning. its going to be like heaven on earth” he whispered in your ear, kissing just below it to help calm you down. 

“i know, i know. i’m excited to finally live together, it’s just i don’t want us to move too quickly and get tired of each other.” you voiced your concern, leaning into his strong hold on you. 

“that won’t happen. i love you too much for that to happen, (y/n)” elias said after turning you around to look him in the eyes. you could have just melted into the ground right there, under the heat of his love. 

“i love you too.” you said back to him, giving him a kiss on the lips. 

~~~

back at your apartment packing has been a wreck. clothes, boxes, and hair products are thrown everywhere, and your roommate is insisting on keeping the pan set you both went half in on. you knew that elias would buy a new pan set and a whole new kitchen set if you asked for it, but you had always hated feeling like a bother. elias was packing the first load of packed boxes into the moving truck. “need help with the next boxes?” he asked. 

“sure. its just more clothes.” you chuckled out, feeling stressed. “kacey is refusing to give up the pans we bought when we moved in, so we are going to need to go get some.” 

“thats fine, honey. i took the liberty of furnishing the place before we moved in, if we need anything else i’ll just order it.” he said while continuing folding your jeans and placing them into the cardboard box in front of him. 

“babe, you know you don’t need to take on all the costs, right?” you inquired. 

“i know. i was very blessed with my contract this year, and want to put it to use. think about it as an investment into our relationship.” elias gave you the warmest smile and you felt yourself start crying. 

“i am so blessed to have you, elias. i don’t know what i would do without you.” you marveled still in disbelief that you had gotten so lucky in life. 

“i don’t know what i would do without as well.” he answered leaving the box he was working on and made his way to you. he sweeped you into his arms and kissed the very top of your head, wiping the tears from your eyes as well. “i can’t wait until we move in and i can wake up next to you, naked of course.” he winked then joined you in laughing at the comment. 

~~~

bright light shined into the room causing you to squint as soon as your eyes were open and you felt the weight of a hockey player under you. looking up, you noticed elias had yet to wake. taking this precious moment, you just watched his chest rise and fall calmly.

 after feeling like a creep, you kissed his chest and went to get up. elias immediately pulled you back down to him. “where do you think you’re going?” his morning voice coming through; his accent extra thick. 

“i need to go let the dog outside, and then i was going to start on breakfast.” you explained,

“just a few more minutes, pleeeesee.” he whined.

“no sir. bella needs to go outside, and i want some breakfast.” you said trying to pull away from him again as he continued to groan. “i’m not planning on getting dressed yet, so you better hurry if you want to watch me in the kitchen.” you chuckled as he sprung up and looked fully awake. it may have been stressful making such a big move in the relationship, but it has the best thing you have ever done for yourself and your relationship.

finished