#clayton keller fic

[chukys-mouthguard]

Don’t Be a Scrooge

day 4 of the 2024 NHL advent calendar 🎄

-> 1.7k words

genre -> angst/fluff

featuring -> clayton keller x female reader

summary -> when one of your social media challenges for the utah hockey club gets on clayton’s last nerve, he finds himself working to pull off a christmas miracle to make it up to you

Just one guy left, you thought to yourself as you reset the materials for the latest challenge you were putting the team through. The gingerbread house making was a bit too messy of a cleanup, so you opted for something simple: gift wrapping.

How hard could this group of guys actually make wrapping gifts?

As you grabbed a gift from the table of toys that had been donated at a recent home game, Clayton walked in the room with a nervous smile.

“And what the heck are we up to today?”

He set his water bottle down as he found his place at the table in front of the cameras. His eyes scanned all the materials as you handed him the gift he would be wrapping.

“Easy challenge today, wrapping a gift.”

You smiled as he took the toy from you, shaking his head as he clearly knew something you didn’t in regards to his wrapping skills.

“This is gonna be fun…”

His voice trailed off as he waited for the cameras to roll and further instruction to be given.

“Okay Clayton, we are giving you five minutes to wrap this gift. You can use any of the materials on the table. Are you ready?”

“No.”

He laughed as you rolled your eyes, Clayton was never the biggest fan of the social media challenges and games you put him through, but he always pushed through anyways.

“Too bad. Go!”

You started a timer on your phone as Clayton frantically reached for the wrapping paper, immediately unraveling too much of the material and regretting that decision.

“Oh god, um, crap.”

You laughed knowing Clayton wanted to drop an f bomb or two, enjoying his struggle a bit too much as he tried holding the paper to the gift while he searched the table for tape.

“Two minutes left Clayton.”

He groaned as he began wrapping the paper around the gift haphazardly, ripping pieces of tape and slapping them onto the gift as an attempt to hold things together.

“Sixty seconds!”

You watched as Clayton immediately became flustered, an angered look on his face as he slammed his hands on the table in defeat as you called time. A sigh left his lips as you asked him to show the present to the camera, revealing his awful wrapping skills.

“Can we be done with this?”

His tone was harsh as he looked at you, practically begging to cut the cameras.

“Okay guys, cut. That’s a wrap for today.”

Clayton dropped the gift to the table as he quickly made his way out of the room to head off for practice.

“Shit is so stupid…who comes up with these dumb challenges?”

You hung your head hearing him spit out such things, taking it to heart though you knew you shouldn’t. Clayton never having been of fan of the social media extracurriculars. But it still heart knowing it was your idea for the gift wrapping and he hated every second of it.

It wasn’t a secret among the staff, and some of Clayton’s teammates that you’d always had a soft spot for him. But you did your best to hide it from him, especially since he wasn’t always thrilled when he came around knowing you were probably going to be putting him through something silly or ridiculous.

“Hey, there he is! How’d you do?”

Nick Schmaltz called out as Clayton entered the locker room to get ready for practice. Clayton simply rolled his eyes as he took a seat in his stall.

“Shit is so stupid, who keeps coming up with these ideas? First gingerbread house making, now gift wrapping. So annoying.”

Nick motioned for Clayton to keep quiet, as he hadn’t noticed that you entered the locker room having heard all of Clayton’s comments.

“What?”

Clayton turned to find you standing there, holding out his phone for him. A somewhat somber look on your face as he took it from your hand.

“Thanks.”

“You know if you didn’t want to participate in the stupid social media shit, no one is forcing you. It’s all optional.”

Clayton stood confused by your annoyed tone as you quickly left the locker room, shaking his head as he tossed his phone into his stall.

“Boy you did it this time Clayton.”

“Huh?”

“You realize y/n is the one who comes up with all the challenges and stuff you called stupid. Guarantee she doesn’t feature you for at least two weeks after that.”

Nick shook his head as he grabbed his foam roller to go stretch before practice, Clayton immediately cursing himself for being so stupid. He should have known you were involved in creating those challenges, and he never should have said the comments he did. Feeling awful that he’d clearly hurt your feelings, knowing he had to make up for being such a dick.

“Wait Nick, holdup!”

Clayton ran after his teammate, joining him for stretching as he tried to come up with a plan for fixing his fuck up.

“You got y/n for the secret santa right?”

“Yeah? Why?”

Entering the ballroom, you smiled wide at the amazing turnout for the first ever Utah Hockey Club Holiday Fundraiser. The room was decorated super festive, and players were scattered around taking advantage of all the opportunities to bond with children that were attending from the local children’s hospital.

Immediately you pulled out your phone to begin gathering content for the social media pages; photos and videos galore as you stumbled upon Clayton.

He was helping a young boy decorate a gingerbread house, a funny coincidence after his outburst earlier where he mentioned hating that challenge you’d given the guys.

You tried to go unnoticed as you took some pictures and video, but you couldn’t help the smile on your face seeing the interaction.

“Ugh, this is so stupid!”

The young boy groaned in frustration as the walls to the gingerbread house collapsed, all of his work being erased immediately. Clayton didn’t hesitate to step in and try to help quickly rectify things, despite the boy pushing the house away in anger.

“Hey hey, it’s okay man! Look, sometimes things are gonna be difficult. And we might not always enjoy them, simply because we aren’t good at them, or they aren’t easy. But that’s no reason to get angry right? That’s no reason to give up just because it gets tough. Let’s try again, and maybe we use some of these things to help hold the house together, how does that sound?”

You weren’t sure if that speech was Clayton’s way of trying to apologize to you, or him just acknowledging his actions from earlier. But either way, it meant a lot to see the interaction and how he worked to turn the young boy’s attitude around.

Clayton watched you head off into the crowd, happy that you’d gotten to see his interaction with the young fan. Hoping that it was a start at making up for his outburst over your social media challenges.

As soon as he wrapped up with the young fan, he knew he had to come find you, a further apology definitely necessary.

“Y/n, hey! Can I steal you for a second?”

Clayton pulled you outside of the ballroom, immediately nervous as he didn’t know how to apologize. Having felt stupid all day for saying things he didn’t mean solely because he wasn’t good at the challenges.

“Look, I should’ve never said those things. It was dumb of me to have such a childish outburst solely because I couldn’t wrap a fucking present. I should’ve known you had a say in the challenges, and I didn’t mean anything I said. I’m really sorry.”

You couldn’t help but smile at how nervous he was apologizing, the wringing of his hands and swaying back and forth only making it cuter how he was trying hard to say the right thing.

“I appreciate it, I do. I shouldn’t have been so hurt by what you said, but, your opinions just mean a little more to me I guess. And it hurt that you felt so strongly about everything.”

“I’ve started to realize that, especially because your feelings mean a lot to me. And seeing how I’d hurt you, made me feel awful. So, hopefully this will also make up for my stupidity.”

Clayton pulled a small box from his pocket, wrapped with a bright red bow as he smiled at you.

“What’s this?”

You tried to hide the blush that was creeping on your cheeks, taking the box from his hand as you slowly opened it to reveal a gold chain necklace with ‘Utah’ written in script. You looked at Clayton with a slight frown, the gift meaning so much as you’d told Clayton your favorite everyday gold chain necklace had broken a few weeks ago. Not thinking he would’ve ever taken it upon himself to replace it for you.

“This is really special Clayton, thank you! But, why? Just because?”

He awkwardly rubbed his neck as he shrugged.

“I, actually had you for secret santa.”

“Really?”

You tried hide your laughter, little did Clayton know you’d caught him in a lie. But you figured this was his way of trying to make sure he could apologize and make up for everything.

“Yeah, I know you aren’t supposed to tell who you get, but I felt it was appropriate considering.”

Nodding your head he caught on to your giggling, a confused look on his face as he wasn’t sure what joke he was clearly missing.

“What? You don’t like it?”

“No! I love it! It’s just, I know you didn’t have me in secret santa….you switched with Nick didn’t you?”

His face turned red as he didn’t know what to say, of course you were in charge of secret santa because why wouldn’t you be? He should’ve known that this plan wouldn’t go over seamlessly.

“Dammit, I can’t get anything past you can I?”

“You do realize that you could’ve just given me the gift regardless right?”

“Well now that you mention it I very much realize that, but, look I’m sorry! I just couldn’t have you being mad at me. I like you too much.”

He smiled at you as you tucked the gift box into your bag, the two of you needing to get back to the fundraiser.

“We’ll see how much you like me when you see what challenge I have boys doing next week!”

[ilyasorokinn]

Omg yay I have two ideas could you maybe do something about Clayton being a dad? And maybe a smut too. I wish more people would write for him more. He is so underrated 😁

FAN FAVORITE

this was inspired by that one video of kmag (f1) and his daughter. she was on a little scooter and saw someone trying to get her dad's attention, and helped the fan get his attention. little magnussun is so cute, and I'll miss kmag :( also, there's no smut because i don't write smut

tw: kids/children

the move from arizona to utah was one you were still trying to figure out. moving in general was confusing and hard, but moving with a toddler was something else.

gracie was still confused about why you were moving, but you and clayton tried to explain it to her in the simplest way possible. you were moving states for dad to play sticks.

arriving in utah, you got settled in nicely. it was still an adjustment, after having spent so many years in arizona, but utah welcomed you with open arms.

"i get to walk with daddy?" gracie asked as you put her hair up in a two pigtails.

"uh-huh." you nodded, "and you'll get to see all the fans, and take pictures." if there was one thing about gracie, she loved attention and loved taking pictures.

"pictures?" she perked up at that.

"yeah!" you nodded, tying off the hairtie and looking at her in the mirror, "are you excited?"

she nodded, "wanna go now." she demanded.

"alright, let's go find daddy and we'll be on our way." you hiked her up your hip and walked into the bathroom where clayton was getting ready.

"there are my girls." he beamed happily, setting down whatever he was doing and opening his arms.

you handed gracie over to him, smiling when he peppered her face with kisses and making her giggle, "you excited for today, gg?" he asked.

she nodded her head rapidly, "i'm gonna get my pictures taken, daddy."

he gasped, "are you?" she nodded again, “well, let’s get going.” he rearranged her in his arms and started running around the room, pretending she was a plane.

you smiled, gathering all your things and following them outside to your car, “bye, gg. i’ll see you there.” you waved to her and kissed her head.

“bye, mommy.” she blew you a kiss as clayton buckled her into her car seat.

"are you ready, gracie girl?" clayton asked, looking at her through the mirror.

"yeah!" she wiggled around in her seat.

"alright, let's go." he quickly switched gears and pulled out of the garage.

they quickly arrived at the arena, made their way through security, and were led to the front of the arena, where a carpet was set out, and a swarm of fans on either side of the carpet.

clayton hiked her further up his hip as they looked out the window at all the fans, "look at all the cameras, gracie." he couldn't help but smile at the look of awe on her face.

"wow." she looked up at him and flashed him a little toothy smile.

"and look, there's mommy." he finally spotted you and pointed down to where you were standing. gracie found you easily and waved at you.

you smiled and waved back, blowing her a kiss. she blew one back then looked back at clayton, "can we go down and see mommy?"

"what? you already tired of me." he joked. he kissed her head, "we're gonna see her soon, gg."

after all the players had arrived, they were led down to the carpet, and they walked out one by one. gracie held onto clayton's hand and smiled for all the cameras as clayton began signing autographs.

he waved to fans, took as many pictures as he could. gracie was smiling and waving to the fans too and could hear someone trying to get her dad's attention.

she looked over at her dad and could see he couldn't hear, so she decided to help. she tapped on his leg, and when that didn't work, she started gently tugging at his pant leg.

he looked down at her, and followed her finger when he pointed to the fan trying to get his attention. he smiled and made his way over to the fan, signing her jersey and taking a picture with her.

clayton held out his hand for gracie, who grabbed it and the two began walking away, but not before gracie looked back at the fan and blew her a little kiss.

after the game, you were in bed, waiting for clayton to join you, and scrolling through different apps. while on tiktok, you scrolled past a video with a little girl who looked very familiar.

"clay." you called out, and he popped his head out of the bathroom, "i think our girl is famous." you joked, turning your phone around to show him the tiktok.

it was a video of the interaction from earlier from a fan behind the girl. the comments were all calling gracie adorable and thought she was the cutest, all of which melted your heart.

"careful, clay, gracie's coming for your spotlight."

requests are open!

[nhl-stories]

Rue – Clayton Keller

Summary: Ines has a bit of a dilemma, marry her ex-boyfriend or get deported

Author’s Note: I don't even go here but an anon suggested Clayton and I ran with it and loved every moment. This is obviously a dramatized version of immigration in America, while I tried to keep aspects as authentic as possible, I also took creative liberties to fit the story.

Also his mom's name is Kelley Keller and that is just so insane to me

Word Count: 9.2k

Album Series Masterlist

Don't wanna make it worse I'm gonna make it work

“What if you married Clayton?”

“You think marrying my ex-boyfriend for a green card is the answer?”

Ines doesn’t mean to raise her voice; Kat is just trying to help. But it’s been a long 24 hours and she can’t really control her emotions anymore.

“I think there should be reformed paths to citizenship. But that’s not going to happen in the immediate future, so I’m spit balling here.”

Ines flops face down on couch cushion and screams.

“I don’t hear you coming up with any better solutions,” Kat adds.

She lifts her head in shock, “You’re being serious?”

“Kat’s serious about what?” Nick comes back with drinks, his solution for comforting Ines.

“Nez should marry Kells for a green card,” Kat keeps saying it like it’s realistic.

Nick ponders the idea for a moment and shrugs, “It’s not the worst idea.”

“I’m just in a hellish nightmare, I’ll wake up and everything will be normal and everyone will be sane,” Ines rubs her temples.

Kat rubs her shoulder and nudges the drink closer to her.

Ines downs the drink and Schmaltzy passes his own drink before retreating for refills.

“I know it just happened, but have you thought at all what you’re going to do?”

“I mean, I’ve spent my whole life thinking about what I would need to do, it’s just never been so real.”

Ines feels a fresh batch of tears coming, she takes another drink to push them back. Nick comes back with a pitcher of drinks this time, clearly sensing where this night is headed.

“Didn’t one of your sisters have immigration problems?” Nick asks as he pours her a refill.

“Sort of, but it only came up because she was getting married and applying for a green card.”

Kat opens her mouth and Ines shoot hers a glare, “to the man she loves who happened to be an American citizen.”

 “Yeah, well, you kind of still love Clayton,” Kat mumbles, “I mean you guys still have pretty regular sex right, Nick?”

Ines turns her boiling anger towards Schmaltzy, “Oh my god, he told you we were having sex?!”

“No, you told her,” he points towards Kat, “and she told me, Kells hasn’t said anything.”

“We don’t do it that often.”

She huffs defensively before squeezing her eyes shut, hoping to return from whatever alternative universe she stumbled into.

“I know the idea sounds insane but think about it, you have all these pictures of you two together, you never made some big breakup announcement or anything, and you still live with him.”

“I mean it would be pretty hard to prove that you aren’t together,” Nick adds.

“From what you’ve told me about this babe, marrying someone is the easiest way for you to get on the right track for citizenship without having to go back to Mexico, where you might not be allowed back.”

She knows Kat is right, that she’s making an excellent case, but that doesn’t make the idea any easier to swallow.

“There’s not enough alcohol in the world.”

Ines spends the next couple hours putting that theory to the test; she doesn’t process much, too busy preserving her brain in alcohol. She loses track of time, of what she should be feeling.

The alcohol makes her feel warm and giddy, but her brain is screaming at her to feels anxious and alert. The mix of the emotion just leaves her a sobbing mess, curled up in Kat’s arms.

Then she hears a shuffle at the door followed by Clayton’s voice.

“You told him?! Oh my god,” she buries herself further into Kat.

“We called him to take you home, we thought you’d prefer to wake up in your own bed.”

Nick is speaking to him in hushed tones and Ines is immediately suspicious.

“I don’t need you to marry me, arcilla, I’ll be fine in Mexico,” her filter is non-existent at this point but somehow, she can still talk this much through her tears and inebriation.

“What is she talking about?” Schmaltzy clearly didn’t spill the beans.

Kat sits up, cradling Ines off to the side, like she’s a child who’s not supposed to hear an adult conversation. Even one this pertinent to her.

“Someone found out she doesn’t have legal citizenship and he’s probably going to report her.”

“What the fuck,” Clayton feels every muscle in his body tense.

“And these two idiots think you should marry me so I can get a green card.”

“Oh.”

Clayton’s never been great with big emotions, and Ines’ tears mixed with her words has his brain frazzled. He came thinking he was just being the DD for Ines, not DD for Ines in distress.

“Nez, babe, why don’t we table this for tonight. Let Kells take you back to your own bed and sleep it off. We’ll start fresh tomorrow,” Kat gently moves some hair behind Ines’ hear.

Ines doesn’t respond, just stands up and follows Clayton to his car on wobbly legs.

The drive isn’t far, but Clayton still feels like he has to say something, anything. He can’t find the words; they aren’t his strong suit. So instead, he wordlessly reaches across the console and grabs Ines’ hand.

⁄⁄⁄

The sun pours through her curtains with a vengeance; telling her it’s pretty late in the morning without even needing to open her eyes. Normally, she would hate wasting most of her day away in bed, but sleeping is a nice escape; not just from reality but from the pounding headache she feels behind her eyes.

Ines flips onto her back and throws an arm over her eyes, debating whether getting up and eating something is better than sleeping more.

Clayton makes the decision for her with a knock on the door, he sheepishly pokes his head in before coming to sit at the end of the bed. Offering up a bag of food, which Ines greedily takes knowing it contains her favorite breakfast sandwich.

“You’re a lifesaver,” she moans after taking a bite, digging into the bag to grab the extra hot sauce she knows Clayton didn’t forget.

She looks up and chokes on her sandwich.

Clayton is holding open a ring box with a diamond ring.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“I talked to Schmaltzy and Kat this morning and you know, I think they’re right. Getting married to me is gonna be the easiest way for you stay in the country.”

“And ruin your life.”

“How will being married to you be that much different than it is now?”

He makes a good point. They broke up before the last off-season and he had offered to let her stay in his house since he would be traveling for a big chunk of the summer. Not worry about finding a new place while she got back on her feet. That was months ago and she’s still here, cooking him meals, cleaning up around the house, having sex with him.

The only real difference is she has her own room now.

“I don’t know, legal paperwork, maybe me being detained by ICE, you being shackled to me for god knows how long, probably two years at least. What if you meet someone?”

“I’m a professional athlete, I don’t think people would be to shocked if I cheated on you.”

Ines isn’t impressed by his attempt at a joke.

“This isn’t fair to you.”

“And it’s fair that you have to move back to a country you barely remember living in?”

He has a single-mindedness that no amount argument will sway. Especially while Ines is in this hungover state.

“Okay, Mr. Machismo, where’d you get the ring?”

“I– um– got it this morning, Kat helped pick it out. You know, need some proof this is real. And before you freak, I bought it with cash so there’s no paper trail or whatever.”

“Christ, you really thought this through?”

“You always told me it could be a possibility, so you know, I thought about what I’d do, especially when we were actually together.”

The look on his face makes her want to cry. He’s so sure; certain that she’s worth the effort, was worth having an escape plan for her.

“I know it’s crazy, but I’d hate to just sit by and watch you get torn away from your life when I could do something.”

“Okay,” Ines’ voice cracks, wet through the tears she can’t hold in anymore, “If you’re sure.”

Clayton nods, plucks the ring out of the box and holds it out on his palm for her; it seems too intimate or too sacrilegious for him to slip it on for her.

“I’ll call my immigration lawyer,” she twists the ring on her finger.

⁄⁄⁄

“Hola Ines!” Sierra, her immigration lawyer squeezes her tightly.

“And this must be the famous tonelada de arcilla,” Sierra grins at Clayton and shakes his hand.

“I can’t believe she told you that,” Ines grumbles as she takes a seat.

“Soledad couldn’t keep her big mouth shut if she tried,” Sierra moves to the other side of her desk, “besides I love your mom’s inability to understand American names, like Ashton.”

“Oh yeah, tonelada de ceniza,” Ines giggles.

“You’re saying I’m not special?” Clayton smirks.

“You’re very special mi arcilla,” she bumps his knee with her own.

“So, we’re here to talk about a marriage green card?” Sierra gets to business.

“We got engaged right before this, but now some asshole is threatening to report Nez’ status to immigration. So it sounds fishy, but we just want to start the process before anything happens.”

Ines nods with a tight smile. She was expecting Clayton to be here for moral support, not for him to take the lead.

“Okay, so we don’t know if he’s reported anything or if ICE will even investigate you. But since you work for a political organization that isn’t exactly beloved in Arizona, we’ll prepare for the worst.”

Instinctively, Clayton reaches out to hold Ines’ hand, stop her from fidgeting before she even starts.

Sierra looks at her watch, “we probably don’t have time to get you married today, but definitely can get your license today. It’s probably for the best, since this is kind of rush job you’ll probably want to dress up, have some friends as witnesses, make it clear this is above the board.”

Ines squeezes Clayton’s hand. Sierra is too busy shuffling through papers to notice any nerves, or maybe she’s just used to it.

“How’s that sound? Married by tomorrow, try to finish the paperwork in the next couple weeks?”

“Um- what about signing a pre-nup?” Clayton snaps his head towards Ines, “I mean I know it’s best if we have like joint accounts to show it’s legit or that I won’t end up on welfare immediately, but most people aren’t marrying millionaires.”

“You don’t need to sign a pre-nup,” Clayton sounds almost hurt at her suggestion.

Ines slips her hand out of his, “Don’t be stupid, we’re only moving this fast because of me, I don’t want you to be at any legal risk just because I need a green card.”

“I haven’t worked with a case quite like this, but a pre-nup might help your case that this is for the right reasons and not just for a green card.”

Ines starts chewing on her thumbnail, Clayton grabs her hand to stop her.

“I’m not your agent, but we can probably draft a quick contract of sorts that will say she will sign a post-nuptial and you can sort that out after with your people.”

Sierra then goes on a spiel about what to expect, what documents they’ll need, forms they need to fill out, the medical exam Ines will need. Clayton is trying to pay attention, but his eyes are glazing over. She hooks her foot around his ankle and tries to give him her most grateful smile, she hopes it doesn’t look too much like a grimace.

They find themselves at the courthouse the next day. Kat had insists they don’t see each other before the wedding, so they go in separate cars. It makes no sense since the foursome all knows this isn’t real, it’s all an act.

Kat stops her on the steps of the courthouse,

“You have your something old with the dress,” she gestures to the huipil her abuela had made for her mother, it was the only mostly white thing she owned, though it was mostly covered in bright colored flowers.

“And your something new with that rock on your finger, so here’s your something borrowed and blue,” she digs through her purse for a box with a pair of simple sapphire earring.

“You know it’s not–“

“This may not be your dream wedding, but let’s no fuck around with good luck.”

Kat looks like she wants to say more, but that’s not something Ines wants to dissect at the moment. She pulls her into a tight embrace instead.

Clayton and Nick are already waiting inside. Ines makes a silly scrunched up face that Clayton returns.

“Don’t be gross,” Kat nudges her, it’s when Ines realizes she’s filming.

“I honestly thought you were gonna wear a Gucci t-shirt,” Ines grins when they stop in front of the guys.

“I made him put on something with a collar,” Nick gives Clayton a playful shove.

“Aww he could have been your something blue,” Kat coos as Ines fixes the collar of Clayton’s steel blue shirt.

“But I still would have needed something borrowed,” she laughs until she remembers she’s borrowing Clayton, she drops her hands to her sides like they caught on fire.

Thankfully, the clerk calls their names, saving them from dwelling too long on that truth.

The ceremony takes all of 15 minutes. Ines all too aware of her hands sweating in Clayton’s as they hold hands in front of the judge. Picture perfect.

“By the power vested in my by the state of Arizona, I know pronounce you married!”

When neither react right away the judge speaks up again and winks, “now would be a lovely time to kiss.”

An awkward giggle bubbles out of Ines, but then Clayton is cupping her face and kissing her. She kisses back, and what should probably be a more chaste kiss gets a little heated. Ines likes kissing Clayton, sue her.

They’re broken a part by the obnoxious cheers from Kat and Schmaltzy. Both are flushed when they pull away, neither quite sure if it’s from lust or embarrassment.

“Now that’s how you start off a marriage, congratulations,” the judge smiles.

⁄⁄⁄

Ines is fidgeting with everything. She’s moved a vase of flower about twenty times, though it’s only moved about 1 inch away from its original place.

Clayton grabs her arms and pins them to her sides, “relax, it’s just your family.”

“Oh yeah, my totally calm, quiet, chill family. Nothing to worry about.”

“Your family loves me, we’ll be fine,” he lets her arms go and she immediately moves the vase again.

“Where’s your ring?”

She reaches into the pocket of her dress, “My mom will notice it immediately, I’ll put it on after we tell them,” she starts to turn before wheeling back around, “that we’re engaged they don’t need to know we’re actually married, I don’t want them worrying about immigration.”

Clayton nods.

“And where’s your ring?” she instinctively grabs his hand to look.

“You just said they shouldn’t know we got married,” he laughs at her pinballing thoughts.

Ines opens her mouth to say something but he cuts her off by pulling out one of his chains, the silver ring hanging off of it.

“Okay,” she lets out a sigh, “keep it in your shirt, arcilla.”

Ines moves over to straighten an already pristine tablecloth; all the deception is making her ill. She doesn’t want to tell anyone, but she knows the news will get out somehow, and her mother will never forgive her. She might not forgive her if she learned she’s already married.

“When are we gonna tell your family? We can’t just be ‘engaged’ for two years or so without them knowing.

“We can call them after probably,” he shrugs, his confidence over this decision clearly wavering a bit. Ines feels secretly happy about that, they’re on a level playing field.

The doorbell rings, the commotion of her immediate family barely muffled through the door.

“Showtime,” Ines plasters on a big smile.

The family stumbles in, a cacophony of Spanish follows as they all speak over each other to greet Ines and pass off food.

“Clayton, mi amor,” Ines’ mom cups his face and kisses him all over before pulling him into a tight embrace, “I knew you two would figure it out.”

“Yeah, I’m glad we did.”

He takes some food and follows Ines to the kitchen as she gives directions to her family in Spanish. They’ve been together long enough he recognizes some of it, but he feels bad for never trying to learn Spanish in earnest.

One of her sisters, Teresa, is pouring shots of tequila. Ines smirks at him and is about to comment when a small body rams into him.

“Clayton! Look I lost a tooth at hockey,” Ines’ niece, Marisol smiles to show off the gap.

“She didn’t lose it during a game, she lost it shooting in our driveway,” her twin brother Mateo sneers.

“You’re just mad you have all your teeth still,” she sticks her tongue out.

“You know when you get adult teeth you want to keep them all, even as a hockey player,” Ines butts in.

“Whatever tia,” the little girl rolls her eyes and gets a scoff back from her aunt.

“The new season just started, how’s the new gear?” Clayton changes the subject.

“I don’t have to wear three pairs of socks in my skates anymore, and the sticks are so nice.” Mateo’s eyes gleam with excitement.

“Maybe later we can shoot around a bit,” Clayton smiles back.

The twins cheer at the idea before running off to tell their mom.

“You bought them gear for their new season?” Ines furrows her brows.

“Yeah, I have my connections,” he tries to play it off.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“No, but last season they had all that hand-me-down gear, it was literally the least I could do for getting them into the sport in the first place.

Ines nods.

“Lovebirds, we’re taking shots in your honor,” Teresa calls them over to the rest of the adults and hands them cups.

“¡Arriba, abajo, al centro y pa’dentro!”

The tequila goes down smooth, relaxing her enough to rip off the band aid.

“Well, we have something else for you to cheers,” Ines leans into Clayton’s side before reaching into her pocket and putting on the ring, “we’re engaged.”

There are screams, hugs, kisses, and even some tears. Ines feels the alcohol going to her head far faster than it should. Another glass being thrust into hand and another toast.

“Felicidades mija,” Ines’ dad brings her in close.

He’s a man of few words, partially because he never really learned the language of his new country. Those two simple words and the joy in his eyes makes Ines want to weep. He turns to Clayton, placing a strong hand on his shoulder and holding his other hand out.

“Bienvenido a nuestro familia.”

“Uh, gracias Hector, soy muy um–“ he leans over to Ines “how do I say I’m very excited?”

“Está muy emocionado, papi.”

“¡Más tequila!” He shouts and the family cheers.

“He’s happy for us, right? Not trying to kill me?” Clayton ribs Ines.

“I think this might be a test, if you die you wouldn’t have fit in anyway,” she smiles back.

“So, when are you going to get pregnant, mija?”

“Jesucristo mamí,” Ines furiously blushes, “couldn’t you have at least asked that in Spanish?”

“It takes both of you, I thought he should understand too.”

Her family is a little less embarrassing the rest of the party, they genuinely seem excited for Clayton to join the family. Her niece and nephew ask if Clayton is finally their real tio while she watches them pass around a ball on the sport court in the backyard.

Her heart aches with the truth.

It’s keeping her up in her bed. Usually, after that much tequila she’d be asleep within minutes, but there’s too much going on in her brain.

Her door creaks open and Clayton creeps into the room.

“How drunk are you still?” Ines tries to suppress the smile in her voice as Clayton clumsily crawls into the bed.

He merely grunts in response and moves around to get comfy.

“And you’re in here why?”

“I think the air conditioner isn’t getting into my room,” he mumbles and drapes an arm over Ines, burrowing his head into neck.

He can’t see her epic eye roll; she knows the air conditioner is probably fine and there are two other guest rooms he could use.

“You don’t have to lie, I know you like to cuddle when you’re drunk, babe.”

She winces at her casual use of a pet name, feels Clayton freeze for a second too.

She runs a hand through his hair until he relaxes again, “since my family tried to poison you, I’ll make you a hangover-approved breakfast before practice tomorrow.”

He hums in response, breath evening out until he’s asleep.

Ines is quick to follow, the weight of his arm a grounding comfort.

⁄⁄⁄

A month into the regular season and Ines still hasn’t been to a game. Kat warned her some of the significant others were starting to talk. Rumors of her breaking up with Clayton before the off-season had been swirling around. Sure, those rumors were true, but there was no concrete reason to believe them until her recent absence.

From what Ines heard about other teams, this group wasn’t particularly cliquey or gossipy. But sometimes that meant when there was something to talk about, they were hyper-focused. And that seems to be the situation now.

So being the girlfriend/fiancée/wife/whatever the hell she is to a member of team leadership, she invited the group over for dinner and drinks to watch an away game.

In actuality, it comes at the perfect time. Ines likes planning and organizing and it’s the perfect way to keep her mind off everything else. The most pressing being that Clayton is in St. Louis and made her promise to Facetime with him and his parents after the game. Keeping up appearances when she didn’t travel for the first game with her future in-laws.

Coming in at a close second is the fact the Blues are playing in town the day before Thanksgiving, so his mom thought it was a great time to visit for the holiday. Especially since Ines couldn’t make it out to Missouri this trip.

She’s already nauseous at the thought of moving her stuff back into the master bedroom, hiding all evidence of the truth. For now, the door is locked, so no nosy and/or drunk women pop in tonight.

“Pour yourself a drink and sit the fuck down Nez, the game is about to start,” Kat warns from her spot on the couch.

Ines stops organizing the growing pile of mail and rolls her shoulders back. She grabs a new bottle wine, knowing this group has already emptied the ones on the table before the anthem is even finished. She settles in the middle of the couch and cuddles into Kat’s side.

It’s nice to be back with a group of friends. Ines always gets lonely in the summer when most of them go back home and she’s stuck here, but this summer had been especially brutal.

“Ines, what the hell is that?” Claire shouts moments after puck drop.

Ines’ eyes dart around the room, looking for a scorpion or something that made it into the house.

“The ring on your finger!” Claire is grabbing her hand; the game is quickly forgotten in favor of this.

“Clayton proposed,” she feels her mouth attempt to smile, but it feels all wrong.

“Finally!” Someone cheers from behind her and the rest of the group seems to concur.

She didn’t mean to leave the ring on, it still feels so bulky and foreign. But she’s trying to at least wear it to work, so it doesn’t seem like some secret green card relationship. Though maybe keeping it from the WAGs makes it seem like a dirty secret.

In her mind it’s easier to cut and run from work acquaintances if this all blows up in her face. Clayton is stuck with most of these people, and Ines can’t imagine hurting him when he’s being so kind.

“Look how red she’s turning, no wonder she was staying away from us, Nez hates the spotlight,” Claire laughs.

“How did it happen?”

Ines wants to melt into the couch.

“Nothing special, he just brought me my favorite hangover breakfast and proposed while I was still in bed,” she shrugs, not wanting to lie more than necessary.

“Makes it convenient if you’re already in bed,” Kat waggles her eyebrows and Ines punches her arm.

“He knows I wouldn’t have accepted anything that wasn’t lowkey.”

“Yeah, except that gorgeous diamond, good work Kells,” Claire adds, giving the ring one last look before the action onscreen grabs back their attention.

Ines is a little wine drunk by the time the ladies clear out. Her face feels flushed and warm as she tries to clean up wine glasses and plates.

 There’s one bottle with a little wine left and she pours herself another glass while she waits for Clayton to call.  She starts to go through the mail she tossed aside before the game. A reminder for a dentist appointment, a credit card statement, a letter asking to go paperless for billing.

Her phone starts to buzz against the kitchen island, she answers the Facetime wishing it were a phone call instead.

“Hi arcilla, you played well tonight,” she’s actually not positive he played well, she mostly drank and caught up with her friends.

She looks down to the mail again, an official looking envelope addressed to her stares back at her.

“You, okay?”

“Yeah, sorry I’m a little tipsy,” she holds up her glass of wine for him to see.

“You had fun then?”

His dimple is on full display when he smiles and it reminds her of when they used to do this all the time; a call before either went to bed just to say hello or see each other’s faces. Ines knows what every hotel wall and headboard looks like in the NHL.

She plays with the corners of the envelope, “This is great and all, but I thought this was so I could say hi to your parents.”

Clayton starts to move, “they wanted to give us some privacy first.”

“Did they think we were gonna have quick phone se-ehh,” Ines peters off when his parents appear on screen.

Clayton is trying to hold back a laugh while Ines feels her flush grow brighter, “Hi Kelley, hi Bryan.”

“Hi honey, when are we gonna get you out here?” His mom asks.

“Sorry ,work never seems to be in my favor.”

She lies, it’s easier than saying she hasn’t been on a plane in 20 years because she’s afraid she’ll get deported. She’s never seen Clayton’s family outside of Arizona or somewhere within driving distance. They haven’t seemed too bothered, but she’s always worried they’re just good at hiding their true thoughts.

“One day,” she smiles, “we’re excited to see you in a couple weeks, is there anything you want us to make special for Thanksgiving?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? You’re coming to our house.”

“Let me be a mom and take care of it” she scoffs, “you are my first daughter.”

Ines just nods because her voice might crack if she speaks.

“We’re getting a late dinner, so we’ll let you go. But can’t wait to see you, Ines,” Bryan says and gives a wave.

“Yeah, should be fun, enjoy dinner,” she waves back.

“Bye babe, love you,” Clayton waves, his eyes go wide before the call ends.

She’d give the moment more thought if she wasn’t itching to rip open the envelope in her hands.

Notice to Appear.

December 11th.

Suddenly the walls feel like they’re closing in.

⁄⁄⁄

When Clayton gets home from the road trip Ines is in the hot tub. Her muscles having felt wound tight for the last week.

“Saw you’re all moved in,” he says as he dangles his legs into the tub.

Ines doesn’t open her eyes to look at him, just nods.

“And you have your immigration hearing in December.”

She nods again, she left the letter out by the table where they put their keys. She didn’t want to talk about it, but she had to tell him.

“I’ll be in Buffalo that day, but I­–“

Ines opens her eyes, gives him an exasperated look, “You’ll play a hockey game and I’ll be fine on my own.”

“It’s not–“

She moves closer, almost to the space between his legs, “you’re doing so much for me, please don’t fight me on this. Just go play hockey.”

“Okay,” he nearly whispers.

Ines thinks about how easy it would be to give him a blow job right now, let her mind go blank for a bit. Shut up Clayton for a bit.

Before she can actually act on those thoughts, he places a hand on her cheek, running his thumb across her cheek bone.

“And you’re doing, okay?”

She honestly doesn’t know, but she does know she doesn’t want to talk about it.

So, she grabs Clayton’s wrist and pulls him in closer. She doesn’t wait for him to catch up, smashing their lips together and pushing her tongue into his mouth before he even starts kissing back.

He’s quick to catch up to her. Pulling her flush against him, filling the space between his legs. It’s the first time they’ve done this since they got married, it feels like all the building tension is finally exploding. Ines feels molten.

Clayton unties the back her bikini top and tosses it somewhere behind him with a wet splat. His hands cover her chest and she can’t help but shiver, maybe from the cold air but probably not.

She grabs his hair and pulls him away from her, “we should take this inside.”

Without second thought he pulls her out of the hot tub and towards the house, the strings of her bottoms undone and left outside as well. Ines paws at his shirt, trying to get her own fill of skin.

He pulls it over his head in one fluid motion as he maneuvers Ines towards the bedroom. Her back hits the mattress before she realizes they’re in the master bedroom.

They haven’t done this here since the break up six months ago, like it’s too intimate, too full of the past.

Clayton is hovering over her, the chain with the wedding ring dangling. The room is filled with her belongings again and she feels like she’s in some alternate universe. A world where they never broke up, where marriage was a logical step in the future.

She tries to clear her mind again, pulling Clayton down for a kiss because she wants this.

⁄⁄⁄

An alarm starts to blare and she feels the other side of the bed move.

“Sorry, that’s mine,” Ines apologizes and turns it off.

She lays back and stares at the ceiling for a bit. It feels too familiar to wake up in here, naked in the softest sheets she’s ever felt. But nothing has actually shifted, she’ll get out of bed and everything will be as it was.

She rubs the sleep from her eyes and gets out of bed to take a shower. Clayton is getting ready for practice when she gets out of the bathroom.

“I forgot how nice that shower is, you should redo the one guest bathroom, it could have better water pressure,” she jokes, though it doesn’t really land.

She wanders into the walk-in closet where she’s haphazardly put away some of her clothes, she feels Clayton follow her in, even though he’s mostly dressed.

“My parents get in today; do you want to go to the game with them tonight?” He sounds like he’s asking out a girl for the first time.

“The twins have a music recital or play or something I said I’d go to, but they can take my car to the arena so you don’t have to worry about that.”

She drops the towel on the floor and starts getting dressed for work, stopping before she zips up her dress, reading between the lines of Clayton’s question.

“But I’ll be at the game with them on Wednesday, I mean if you can get me a ticket,” she turns to flash a smile at Clayton to find that’s he’s only a step away.

“I think I can manage that,” he turns Ines around, moving her hair out of the way and zipping up the dress for her, fingers lingering at her neck for a second too long.

Ines stops herself from shivering and turns around, “I have to leave, but see you after the game.”

She gives him a quick peck against her better judgement, “good luck.”

The casual touches don’t disappear in the following days. Ines can’t tell if they’re putting a show on for his parents or not. The touches seem too instinctive to just be a spectacle, but maybe that’s because they’re sharing a bed again and can’t seem to keep their hands off each other behind closed doors.

Though that seems to be seeping outside of the bedroom, too.

The morning after his parents arrive, Kelley is in the kitchen making coffee and gives them a knowing look when they come out of the bedroom, as if to tell them they were too loud even from the other side of the house. Ines decides to pick up breakfast on her way to work rather than sit through breakfast at home.

That night Ines is laid out on the couch not paying attention to the football game playing on TV. Clayton lifts her head up and then places her back down on his lap when he sits.

She groans as she tries to get more comfortable, “You make a terrible pillow, you’re too bony.”

“I think it’s the titanium rod in my leg,” he says back, squirming underneath her to make her more frustrated.

“You were bony before then too,” she rolls her eyes and pretends to focus on the game and ignore Clayton’s fingers brushing under her shirt.

Wednesday is a half day for Ines, she gets home to a surprisingly empty house and enjoys drinking a beer and mindlessly watching Tiktoks in peace.

“Hey, wasn’t expecting you home,” Ines jumps when Clayton comes up behind her.

“Wasn’t expecting to find an empty house,” she shrugs.

“My parents are picking up Jake from the airport,” he wraps his arms around Ines’ waist, “I was about to take my pre-game nap, but I wouldn’t say no to some company.”

He presses a couple kisses into her neck, “an afternoon nap sounds nice.”

She barely finishes the sentence before he’s walking her to the bedroom. Clayton is a little handsy as Ines crawls into the bed.

“I’m serious about an actual nap, I won’t be held responsible if you have a bad game.”

Clayton rolls away, hands up in surrender.

Ines rolls towards him wrapping an arm around his middle, “For all your suffering, I’ll give you a blow job if you win tonight.”

“A victory blow job? You didn’t even do that when we were dating,” he chuckles, the sound amplified with her ear on his chest.

“What can I say, I’m in a giving mood,” she kisses his pec and closes her eyes.

Clayton’s alarm goes off and Ines groans.

“You can sleep longer,” he runs a hand through her hair before slipping out from under her.

“Nah, I’ll just be more tired later,” she rolls over but doesn’t get out of the bed, watches Clayton go into the closet.

“You should wear the green suit from the awards, it’s a special request from Marisol.”

“Oh yeah?”

“She thinks I have a say over what you wear and she told me it’s her favorite,” she watches Clayton start to get undressed, “you did look hot in it,” she smirks when he fumbles with a hanger in response.

When he comes out dressed, he still has bedhead. Ines gets up to fix it, he jokingly bats her hands away as they leave the room.

“Just let me fix this one piece arcilla, you look like we just fucked,” she stops in her tracks at the sight of Clayton’s family, “Hi Jake, good to see you.”

Jake nods in her direction, not particularly friendly, but she can pretend it’s because of the awkward conversation they just heard.

Ines knows Clayton told his brother everything, or more than Ines would like. She’s not sure exactly what he told his parents about the break up, but they seem to have forgiven anything pretty quickly. She knows Jake is a little weary of her now, and maybe her motives.

Clayton is either oblivious or just trying to play it off and gives him a bro-hug before he heads off to the game

The awkward air between Jake and Ines remains, not that they were ever specifically close, but this feels extra icy. She tries to avoid sitting next to him, but the two get caught between the parents. And she’s not even in her usual seats near Kat to have a buffer.

The game is a bit messy, passes aren’t connecting, the power play might as well be missing, but the crowd is into it. Mullett is small enough to feel like you’re always in the game, which helps Ines because before Clayton she knew next to nothing about hockey. Being this up close means she’s 99% sure she understands the rules, except goalie interference.

The second period ends with the Blues up by one, which isn’t too bad considering how the game is looking.

“Have you two talked about any wedding plans?” Kelley turns to Ines,

On her other side she hears Jake snort on his drink, she makes a mental note to double check how much Clayton has told his brother.

“Not really, I had a quinceañera so I already had my big party and fancy-dress moment,” it’s the truth, her 15th birthday fulfilled a lot of princess dreams she may have had.

“You’re both still young, you can have long engagement to figure it out if you want.”

Ines feels the anxiety seep out of her bones.

“You two could even get married at a courthouse if that’s that you wanted.”

The tension comes back so quickly it almost gives her whiplash.

Jake shoots up and mumbles something about food. Ines would follow him, but she’s not sure a public confrontation is the best idea.

Thankfully there’s some more hockey to distract her, the Coyotes end up clawing back but lose in OT on a poorly timed line change.

There’s not a great place to wait for the boys at Mullett, so they sit in their seats for a while before meandering down.

Kat jumps on Ines the moment she sees her.

“Look who’s gracing us with her presence,” Kat kisses her cheek and slides off her back before she can accidentally knock them to the ground.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it, bad WAG alert,” Ines swats her away.

She hears Jake mumble something, but can’t quite make it out. That’s when Kat actually seems to comprehend that Clayton’s family is here.

“The two lovebirds have been busy being cooped up, we haven’t seen them both in the flesh for a while,” she gives a cheeky smile and winks at the Kellers.

“We’re in the same house and they’re having a hard time keeping it in the bedroom, so consider yourself lucky,” Bryan laughs with Kat while Ines cheeks burn.

“Oooh la la Nez, loving this pre-honeymoon phase for you,” she gives Ines a meaningful pinch on the side, a warning they will be talking about this later.

“Speak of the devil,” Kelley laughs and pulls her son into hug.

“Kells show me some of this PDA everyone is talking about,” Kat is clearly not above egging this on despite the sharp look Ines gives.

Clayton pulls her in tight, ducking his head so he can whisper to her.

“Sorry, I didn’t live up to our end of the bargain. No prize for me,” he fake pouts.

“Cause I’m still in a giving mood, here’s a consolation prize for a one-point night,” Ines pulls Clayton in for a kiss, ignoring the catcall from Kat.

“That’s it?” Clayton her pulls her in tightly to his side.

“Don’t push it,” she elbows him in the side, ignores the knowing look Kat is directing her way.

Ines manages to convince everyone the brothers should ride home together, since they don’t see each other enough. Partially, to prove to Kat that there’s nothing going on; partially hoping that Clayton and Jake will talk through whatever weirdness is going on.

⁄⁄⁄

“Do you have to go golfing and leave me alone with your mom?” Ines complains before stuffing her face in the pillow

“You like my mom,” Clayton rolls back onto the bed and rubs her back.

“Yeah, but preparing Thanksgiving is like serious mother-daughter shit, I’d love some backup.”

“You could come golfing.”

“Cause I’d love to get made fun of instead.”

“Those are kind of your two options,” he kisses her shoulder.

“Fine, staying home it is,” she flips over onto her back, “can you at least make sure Jake won’t be weird when you guys come back.”

“He’s just looking out for me, doesn’t want you taking advantage of me,” Clayton absentmindedly traces up and down her arm.

“Did you tell him this was your suggestion? And that I signed a pre-nup? I won’t take advantage and steal your money if that’s what he’s worried about.”

His hand stills for a moment, “I’ll talk to him again, don’t worry about it.”

He stands up again, “have fun cooking.”

“I hope you lose!” Ines calls back.

Ines wanders into the kitchen an hour later, Kelley already deep in prep.

“Sorry, I went back to sleep. Though I’ve never cooked Thanksgiving so I don’t know how much help I’ll be.”

“You’re a great cook, I think you’ll be fine,” Kelley laughs before instructing her on how to finish prepping the stuffing.

Ines takes off the engagement ring and places it in the middle of the island, out of reach. She rubs the naked finger and notices there’s already a faint tan line. She flexes the fingers, like that will give her some answers. Like why taking it off doesn’t feel like unhooking an anchor that’s pulling her under anymore.

She looks up to see she’s been caught by Kelley. If she has some thoughts, she doesn’t share them with Ines.

They work mostly in quiet, the Thanksgiving Parade playing on the TV in the other room. Kelley stopping every once in a while, to watch or tell Ines about watching the parade growing up. How Clayton used to worry the balloons were going to eat the people holding them when he was a toddler.

“This is your first turkey?” Kelley says as Ines puts the bird in the oven

“Yeah, I spent most of my Thanksgivings helping my mom with housekeeping, so can’t do this but ask me to make a bed, I got you,” Ines laughs.

“This calls for a toast then,” Kelley finds some Bailey’s and pours it into their coffees, “To sharing my secrets with my new daughter.”

She clinks her mug against Ines, the sound scrambles something in Ines’ heart, “You know Clay and I broke up right?”

Kelley takes a long sip of her coffee and hums.

“He told us you needed some time apart. Because of all the uncertainty around the team and some things he didn’t really get into,” Kelley trails off.

“It’s understandable you’re both so young and had to go through some really intense things together. I think it was really mature what you two decided, but I’m really glad you worked it out, you make Clayton so happy. I think happier than hockey, if that’s possible.”

Ines lip starts to wobble, she tries to stop the tears. But how can she when even Clayton’s mom believes their lie? How can she break her heart down the line?

“Oh darling,” Kelley pulls her into a tight embrace that only a mom can give, “love is never easy, and if down the road it’s not right anymore, that will be okay too. It’s privilege to find love at all.”

That sends Ines into another wave of sobs. She buries her face into Kelley’s shoulder as she gently rubs Ines’ back and sways them side to side.

Once her cries seem to calmed down to sniffles, Kelley moves away enough to see Ines’ face. She wipes away the few stray tears, “I see the way you two look at each other when you think no one’s watching, I think you’ll happy together for a very long time.”

Kelley smiles, her eyes a little glossy like she might cry too. And with a shaky breath Ines tries to give her a smile back.

They hear the door open and the boys start to come into the house.

“Who won?” Kelley calls out as they come around the corner.

Ines tries to busy herself by rolling out the pie crust they had forgotten.

“Jake squeaked one out,” Bryan comes around the island and kisses Kelley, “smells great ladies, you need any help?”

“Not right now, we were gonna take a break soon,” Kelley winks at Ines.

Clayton comes and leans into Ines from behind, his hands boxing Ines in. He kisses her cheek before he notices her eyes rimmed red.

“You, okay?” He whispers, kissing below her ear.

“Yeah, whatever onions we bought were like tear gas,” she cracks a smile and leans back into him.

“We had to evacuate for a while, I think we just got it under control before you guys came home,” Kelley smiles and pulls Bryan out of the kitchen, following the sounds of a football game Jake put on.

Ines turns around, still boxed in by Clayton. She wraps her arms around his shoulders and hangs her weight on him, feeling a bit tired. He moves his hands to her hips, giving them a gentle squeeze.

“Was it rough morning alone with my mom?”

“No, it was really nice, actually.”

She pulls back to give him a genuine smile, plays with the ends of his hair, “And did you talk to Jake?”

“Yeah, and I let him win so I think he’ll be in a good mood.”

“Wow, you did that for me?”

“Yeah, of course,” he smirks before dipping down to kiss her.

“Why can’t you let me win?” Ines pouts when the pull a part.

“I can’t act that well,” he’s biting back a mischievous grin, “but if you ask nicely, I can help you improve your back swing.”

He’s gently moving her hips side to side when Ines gives him a playful shove, “Keep it in your pants Keller, your family is in the other room.”

“Hasn’t stopped you much this week,” he pulls her flush against his chest, his hands wandering to her ass.

“Oh my god, there’s not gonna be that kind of giving today.”

Clayton’s about to respond, “Is it safe to come into the kitchen or are you two fondling each other?”

Ines moves Clayton’s hands off her butt and to his sides, “All clear Jake, your brother was just leaving to take a shower, a cold one,” she whispers the last part.

Jake makes a gagging sound, “you two are gross.”

“One day you’ll have someone to fondle other than yourself,” Clayton punches his brother in the arm on the way out of the kitchen.

⁄⁄⁄

Ines and Kat are sitting on the steps of the courthouse, finishing their coffees. The coffee was probably a mistake, it’s sitting acidic and heavy in her stomach.

At least the universe wasn’t cruel enough to have her hearing at the same courthouse as she got married. She doesn’t think her heart could take the irony.

Kat is jittery, her knee bouncing erratically. Caffeine doesn’t have that kind of effect on her, so Ines knows it must be something else.

“I think I’m supposed to be the nervous one.”

“I still don’t understand why you broke up with Clayton in the first place.”

Ines whips her head around like there’s someone waiting around the corner to record this kind of damning evidence.

“You said you’d explain, but you never did. And it’s clear you still have feelings for him.”

Ines scoffs.

“Fine, you don’t love him, then tell me why you broke up and why you never moved out? You had plenty of time to find a new place, Nick and I would have let you move in.”

“I was tired of holding him back.”

Ines gulps down the cold remnants of her drink.

“It was so exhausting telling him no. No, I can’t go home with you to meet your parents. No, I can’t go to the All-Star Game in Florida cause it’s not in driving distance. I can’t be your date to a wedding because I can’t get on a plane. I can’t have bye week with all our friends in the fucking country I was born in because I may not get to come home!”

She tries to take even-keeled breaths; she doesn’t want to start crying before her hearing even starts.

“And he couldn’t tell people because what if someone slipped up and I got deported, or worse they found my parents or Soledad. She has kids!”

Kat puts a gentle hand on her knee.

“And he shouldn’t have to deal with that, he could find someone less complicated and someone who could actually be there for him.”

“Did he ever tell you those things were a problem?”

“No, but I could see how frustrating all those little things were becoming; how upset he’d get with every new thing I couldn’t do.”

“Yeah, he’s upset because you couldn’t live a full life without worry. Because he loves you, Ines! He’s still in love with you.”

“No, he isn’t. He’s just nice. He would have said something by now, not just married me and suffered in silence.”

“Oh, he should have said something? Like you’re saying something because you clearly still love him, too?”

Ines just blinks at Kat, like her brain can’t possibly comprehend what her friend is saying. She doesn’t even get the chance to argue because her alarm goes off.

“You have a court hearing, but don’t think justice will stop us from talking about this later,” Kat says sternly.

In the court room, Ines sits between her lawyer and Kat. Her brain feels too fried to keep up with the basics the judge opens up with.

“Now it says the couple was wed on September 14th of this year. Just a few days before the official report was filed about Ms. Ruiz’ status. You’ll understand why this seems a little convenient.”

“Yes, your honor,” Sierra stands up holding a file, “but the couple was engaged before any officially filings were made. And you can see in the documents we have a receipt from when Mr. Keller bought the engagement ring back in March of this year. If you need to see Ms. Ruiz’ ring for confirmation she can approach the bench.”

“That won’t be necessary. Seeing as all the applications are going through the appropriate channels, I see no reason to hold Ms. Ruiz in custody while she waits for her green card interview.”

The gavel bang echoes in Ines’ head, but the judge is already moving on to the next case. Sierra and Kat help lead her out of the courtroom. They’re excitedly chattering, and Ines knows she should join in, knows this is good news, but she hasn’t quite caught up.

She sends Clayton a text: Hearing went well, won’t be going to prison, then promptly turns off her phone.

⁄⁄⁄

Ines gets two days to stew before Clayton comes home.

He picks her up and spins her around in excitement the instant he sees her. His smile falters when he sets her down and sees the borderline grim look on Ines’ face.

“You bought the ring in March?”

Clayton doesn’t know what to say, shocked by the realization.

“They brought up the receipt during the hearing, to help prove that it wasn’t just a last-minute wedding.”

Ines bites at her thumb nail, the ring catching the light. Clayton feels some relief that she hasn’t taken it off.

“You wanted to marry me before we broke up?”

“You breaking up with me kind of ruined my plans,” Clayton shrugs, not sure the direction this conversation is taking.

Ines laughs in spite herself.

“There were all those weddings you couldn’t come to and I thought you needed a chance to think without any pressure from my life, I didn’t expect it to be permanent.”

Ines audibly swallows, they’re walking around the heart of the issue, both too scared to be the first to show all their cards.

“I still got to marry you, not in the way I wanted. But I don’t regret that, no matter what you think.”

Ines moves to take off the ring, Clayton holds his breath while his heart clenches painfully.

“Ask me again.”

“What?”

Ines hands him the ring, her voice wavers a bit, “ask me again.”

He fumbles with the ring for a second before dropping down to one knee.

“I- uh don’t have anything romantic to say. But I love you Ines and I want to be with you as long as you’ll have me. So will you marry me?”

Ines lets out a small sob before covering her face, “Oh my god I can’t believe I’m a girl who cries when she gets proposed to.”

“Is that a yes? Cause otherwise this is really fucking mean.”

“Shit, sorry, yes. That’s a yes,“ she clambers to get Clayton standing again and kisses him desperately.

“I love you arcilla, I’m sorry it took me a while to realize I never stopped,” she says between kisses, not wanting to stop now.

Clayton laughs and pulls away enough to put the ring back on, “it was worth the wait.”

This time Clayton pulls her into a kiss, savoring the moment he imagined for months and months.

[cailinsblog]

Collisions and love-Clayton Keller

Clayton Keller x reader

Send in request and please reblog pookies

The hallway leading to the media offices at Mullett Arena was quiet, save for the rapid clicking of Y/N’s boots on the linoleum floor. Her heart raced as she glanced at her watch. *Five minutes until the meeting starts.* She cursed under her breath, clutching a stack of papers and her ever-essential coffee cup. The life of an intern was chaotic, and today was no exception.

As she rounded the corner at full speed, she slammed into something—or rather, someone—solid and unyielding.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Y/N gasped, feeling the familiar sense of dread wash over her. She knew exactly who she’d bumped into before even looking up.

Clayton Keller stumbled back slightly but recovered quickly, his hands instinctively going out to steady her. “Whoa, hey, it’s okay,” he said, his voice warm and steady. “Are you okay?”

Y/N’s papers scattered everywhere, but miraculously, her coffee remained intact. She dropped to her knees immediately, frantically gathering the loose sheets. “No, no, it’s my fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

Clayton crouched down to help, his dark practice gear making him look effortlessly cool despite the early hour. “Here, let me help you,” he offered, his hand already reaching for a stray paper near his foot.

Y/N waved him off, her voice rushed. “No, really, I’ve got it. I’m just—ugh—I’m always rushing.” She groaned softly, her watch catching her eye. “Crap, crap, crap. I’m going to be late!”

Without waiting for further help, she snatched the last paper from the floor and scrambled to her feet. “Thanks, but I’ve got to run!” she said over her shoulder, already halfway down the hall.

Clayton watched her go, an amused smile tugging at his lips. As he stood, he noticed one last piece of paper lying near his skate bag. He picked it up, his eyes scanning the top. It looked official—something about a media schedule and player photo assignments.

“Guess you’ll be needing this,” he muttered to himself. He glanced down the hall, but Y/N was already out of sight. With no time to chase her down, he folded the paper carefully and slipped it into the pocket of his hoodie.

---

The next two days were a whirlwind of activity for Y/N. The team had several shoots lined up, and the stress of coordinating schedules, props, and locations was weighing heavily on her. But nothing compared to the panic of realizing she was missing *the* paper.

She had torn her office apart three times, checked her bag, and even retraced her steps in the hallway. Nothing. It was gone. And with it, her peace of mind.

“If I don’t find that schedule, I’m toast,” she muttered, slumping into her chair.

Her boss had been patient so far, but she knew that patience wouldn’t last. Especially not with deadlines looming.

---

By day three, Y/N was running on little sleep and a lot of caffeine. She barely registered the familiar surroundings as she sped through the hallway again, her thoughts consumed by the ever-growing list of tasks.

And once again, she turned a corner and collided—hard—with Clayton Keller.

“Oh, come on,” she groaned, stumbling backward.

Clayton caught her by the shoulders, steadying her with a laugh. “You’ve really got to slow down,” he teased.

Y/N sighed, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face. “Sorry, again. I swear I’m not trying to make this a habit.”

Before she could launch into another apology, Clayton reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out the folded sheet of paper. “I think this is yours. You dropped it the other day.”

Y/N froze, her eyes widening as she recognized the missing document. “No way.” She snatched it from his hands, holding it up as if it were a lost treasure. “Oh my god, I’ve been looking *everywhere* for this goddamn paper. You just saved my life.”

Clayton grinned. “Glad I could help. I was starting to wonder when I’d see you again to give it back.”

Y/N let out a soft laugh, her nerves finally easing for the first time in days. “Well, considering how often I run into you, it was only a matter of time.”

They stood there for a moment, the bustling arena around them fading into the background. Y/N glanced up at him, really seeing him for the first time—his hazel eyes warm, his smile soft yet confident.

“I’m Y/N,” she said suddenly, realizing they’d never properly introduced themselves.

“Clayton,” he replied, offering a hand.

She took it, and the simple touch sent a surprising jolt through her. They held each other’s gaze, and for a moment, everything else seemed to fall away.

Then her watch beeped again, snapping her back to reality.

“Ah, crap,” Y/N muttered, tucking the paper into her bag. “I’m late again.”

Clayton chuckled, shoving his hands into his pockets. “You really need a new watch.”

She rolled her eyes but smiled. “Thanks again, Clayton. I owe you one.”

Before she could dart away, Clayton took a step closer. “Actually, if you want to repay me, how about grabbing coffee sometime?”

Y/N blinked, momentarily caught off guard. “Coffee?”

“Yeah.” Clayton shrugged, his easy smile making her heart skip a beat. “You know, when you’re not running late.”

She hesitated for only a second before nodding. “Okay. Coffee sounds great.”

Clayton pulled out his phone. “Can I get your number?”

Y/N smiled, taking his phone and typing it in. “There you go. Don’t lose that, or I’ll never forgive you.”

He laughed, pocketing his phone. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

Y/N glanced at her watch again, biting her lip. “I really have to go, but… I’ll be waiting for that text.”

“Count on it,” Clayton said, watching her disappear down the hall once more.

This time, though, she left with a smile, and Clayton couldn’t help but feel like their hallway collisions were the best part of his week.

---

Later that evening, Y/N’s phone buzzed with a new message.

**Clayton:** *Hey, it’s your favorite collision partner. Coffee tomorrow?*

Y/N grinned, her fingers flying across the screen.

**Y/N:** *Only if you promise not to spill it when I bump into you again.*

The rest, as they say, was history.

[toasttt11]

sunflower

August 15, 2022

Viola had come back to Montreal a few weeks before Cole as school and her season was starting before his so she was home alone for a few weeks while Cole visited his family.

Viola was going to go on the date today that she has had planned with Maveric for almost a month now. They haven’t been able to see each other in almost five months.

Viola was zipping up her last knee high boot when she heard her doorbell ring, she looked at herself in the mirror once more, she was wearing a plaid skirt with a white sweater and black knee high boots. “Coming!” Viola called out as she grabbed her phone and put it into her purse and slipped her purse over her head.

Viola walked through the apartment and opened the door, she looked up into her favorite pair of eyes and smiled sweetly.

Maveric beamed back and quickly took a step forward picking her up into a tight hug and started spinning them around.

Viola squealed as he picked her up and started giggling once he spun them around, she had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and buried her head in the crock of his neck.

Maveric chuckled loudly at her giggles but slowly stopped spinning them and gently set her feet back to the floor. He wanted to see her gorgeous face in person but she seemed content to hide in his neck.

“Giggles.” Maveric soflty cooed, feeling her warm cheeks on his neck and smiled softly loving how any nickname or pet name makes her melt for him, “Come on i want to see your gorgeous face.”

Viola blinked rapidly but reluctantly pulled away and looked up at him through her lashes, “Hi.” Viola soflty mumbled biting her lip.

“Hello Belle.” Maveric softly mumbled back and Viola tried not to fold at his extra strong accent when he speaks french.

Viola leaned up on her toes to be closer to his face even though she is quite tall he is still a whole foot taller than her. Her hands started fiddling with the nape of his neck.

Maveric watched her intently looking over her face multiple times wanting to make sure he didn’t miss any changes he couldn’t see over the phone.

“Are you going to kiss me now?” Viola teased him with a flirtatious smirk, remembering when they almost kissed at the end of last season.

“There is nothing i would like more.” Maveric lovingly mumbled leaning his head down closer to hers, he could only hear the sound of his heartbeat in his ear and his nose was filled with her perfume she always wears.

Viola smiled wider making her dimples come out and Maveric gently brought his hands up from her waist to her face and gently cupped her face. His thumb gently caressed her dimple and then her cheekbone before he eventually pulled her even closer making their noses gently bump against each other.

Viola kept her eyes flickering between his lips and eyes before she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his softly but definitely desperately.

They both let out identical sighs of reliefs as their lips finally touched. Viola’s hands moved from the bottom of his neck to through out his hair, running through his curls.

Maveric brought one of his hands to the back of her neck gently pulling her closer as his other hand rested on her lower back.

Viola gently pulled away but stayed close enough her nose was still touching his, “Will you be my boyfriend now Mav?” Viola sweetly smiled batting her eyelashes up at him, flirting with him.

“As long as you want me Ma Belle.” Maveric softly promised leaning back down and pressing multiple kisses to her dimples making her giggle and squeal trying to move away but Maveric held her there.

“Mav!” Viola giggled and Maveric smiled and kissed her cheek once more before reluctantly stopping.

“Now i believe i promised your date.” Maveric reluctantly stepped back but still held out his hand for her and Viola smiled happily grabbing his hand intertwining it with hers.

Viola locked the front door and they walked down the hallway and into the elevator, Maveric hit the lobby button before standing back next to Viola and pressed a soft kiss to her head. Viola made a hall sound and leaned her head on his arm and closing her eyes contently as the elevator started the long ride down to the bottom floor.

Finally the elevator opened and Maveric and Viola walked out and walked through the front lobby to the parking outside where Maveric left his car.

Maveric led them to his car and he unlocked his car and opened the passenger seat for her letting Viola hop in, he leaned over pressing a soft kiss to her lips before sadly stepping back and closing the door.

Maveric walked around the car and walked to the back door and opened it and grabbed something before shutting the door and opening the drivers door and hopping in, he pulled out a bouquet of sunflowers, Viola’s favorite flower.

“For you giggles.” Maveric soflty spoke handing the bouquet to her, Viola smiled softly feeling extremely touched because no one has ever gotten her a bouquet of her favorite flowers, sure when she was younger after a hockey game once or twice she got flowers from her family but never just because and sunflowers.

“Thank you.” Viola softly beamed at her now boyfriend and leaned over pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek.

“Always.” Maveric winked at with a soft smile and gently grabbed her hand pressing a kiss to the back of it before intertwining their hands and resting them on her thigh, “Now i believe i owe you a date?”

Viola beamed and nodded happily back.

[leafs-lover]

Who should I write about? Central Battle

I've had this idea in my head for weeks now, and I just can't get it out of my head, so I'm going to write it :)

That said, I am wildly impartial to who the player is and have decided to leave that up to you! There are some requirements for the player in order to make the story work, so unfortunately some players are not eligible for this.

This story is more smut than anything else, so the player isn't all that important to me. To make it easier to navigate, I am splitting the polls into each division, these polls will last one week. I will be taking the top 8 overall and making a poll with them. The winner of that poll is who I'll write about.

Pacific Poll // Metro Poll // Atlantic Poll

Quick fic summary:

Reader insert. Reader and player grew up together but an unlikely friendship (he was a jock and she was a socially awkward band member)

Smut, smut, and even more smut! (I may mix in a sliver of plot, but its basically all smut)

Not a friends to lover trope

Player will be readers teacher, coaching her on everything in the bedroom 🥵

Could have multiple parts but they will all be stand-alone pieces. May also be months between them (I long ago gave up the idea of committing to writing schedules)

Don’t forget to reblog!

[fannyyann]

everyone should go read this fic and join me in my rapid descent into making matthew/quinn my entire personality

[simulationhockeyleague]

The Manhattan Rage have the first overall selection in the S72 SHL Entry Draft. Who will it be? Find out Friday, July 14th, at 8PM eastern.

Not on the board yet? It's not too late - the S72 SMJHL Draft is Tuesday, July 18th! Join us, create your own player, and begin your journey to the Hall of Fame!

Start your own story today at simulationhockey.com!

[goodnightoilcountry]

jo's nhl fic rec list !

hi - welcome to my attempt at being a fic writer again. i have a wip list in the works but first things first: my fic rec list of all the works i've found and adored.

if you don't know yet, you will know soon that i am such a sucker for angst. i hope you find something new to love from the list below !

how to navigate

i update this list weekly (try to) and place all the new fic recs at the top under NEW.

when searching for a specific player, they will always be listed under their current team.

* updated sunday 17 november 2024 *

weekly note: very tiny, tiny update for this list this week but i hope it's enjoyable nonetheless 🤍

like my selection of fic recs? have a player who's not been featured? let me know and i'll go on a deep dive for you!

NEW

with or without you (jack hughes) by @nhlclover summary: jack grapples with overwhelming guilt after betraying you, struggling to reconcile his love with the mistake that threatens to destroy your relationship. word count: 3.5k

dress (juraj slafkovsky) by @nhlclover summary: caught up in a secret romance with juraj, you find yourself toeing the line between desire and discretion. total word count: 2k

all's fair in love and war (quinn hughes) by @nhlclover summary: trevor invites you to a lakehouse for the summer, attempting to set him up with his friend. however, the summer doesn't go to plan when you meet his older brother who captures your eye and flips everything upside down. word count: 11.6k

FIC REC MASTERLIST

total number of fics: 171

anaheim ducks fic rec list players: trevor zegras

carolina canes fic rec list players: andrei svechnikov - jack drury - pyotr kotchekov - sebastian aho - seth jarvis - tyson jost

colorado avs fic rec list players: cale makar - nathan mackinnon

detroit red wings fic rec list players: jt compher

florida panthers fic rec list players: matthew tkachuk

montreal canadiens players: juraj slafkovsky

nashville preds fic rec list players: brady skjei

new jersey devils fic rec list players: jack hughes - luke hughes - nico hischier

new york islanders fic rec list players: mat barzal - matt martin

philadelphia flyers fic rec list players: erik johnson - jamie drysdale

pittsburgh penguins fic rec list players: anthony beauvillier - michael bunting - sidney crosby

toronto maple leafs fic rec list players: auston matthews - mitch marner - william nylander

utah hc fic rec list players: clayton keller

vancouver canucks fic rec list players: arturs silovs - brock boeser - quinn hughes

ALL OUR WONDERFUL WRITERS

thank you to all the incredible fic writers on this godforsaken app ! i am always so in awe of how creative people are and am constantly inspired by your minds ! i can't wait to find more of you on here 🤍

@43-hugs @adoristsposts @austonwithan-o @babydollmarauders @bagopucks @bedsyandco @behoright @bitchinbarzal @blueskrugs @bqstqnbruin @cellythefloshie @chewingcyanide @comphersjost @comphy-and-cozy @doc-pickles @eyesthatroll @fallinallincurls @happer08 @hischierdevils @hischierhoney @hockeyboistrash @hockeywhy @hockey-fics @hockey-hoe-24-7 @holy-pucks @hookingminor @huggybug @hugshughes @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69 @islesnucks @itsjusthockey @ladylooch @letsgetrowdy43 @marnerparty @matthewtkachuk @mattyanonwrites @matwith1t @mendeshoney @misshoneyimhome @mrsensitive @nhlclover @ohmyeyesmyeyes @pennylanefics @prettytoxicrevolver @pucksnsticksnhockeyboys @silovsmenot @starry-hughes @senditcolton @silverstonesainz-archive @stormsplurge @sunkissed-zegras @sunnyskiesscareme @sydnikov @thatintrovertedwriter @theemporium @thewintersoldierdisaster @undertaurus @unluckyhoneybee @withwritersblock @yelenasdog @youunravelme

[letsgetrowdy43]

Thinking about a little piece of Honey lore that I dropped in a fic once and never talked about again… but does anyone else remember that she had a short fling with Clayton Keller while he was in USNTDP (he was on the u18 team while Quinn was on the u17) and she was a media intern

I don't know why I was thinking about that, but I feel like Quinn definitely gets jealous even thinking about the two being together, and he hates playing against him

[chukys-mouthguard]

2024 Advent Calendar: NHL Edition 🎄

Nothing says the holidays like an advent calendar…but this advent calendar is a little different.

5 surprise fics/blurbs featuring 5 of my favorite NHL men!

Day 5 🎁Ugly Sweater Weather (fluff/suggested smut)

-> featuring: Matthew Knies

Day 4 🎁 Don’t Be a Scrooge (angst/fluff)

-> featuring: Clayton Keller

Day 3 🎁 Memories Missed (angst)

-> featuring: ?

Day 2 🎁 The Greatest Gift (fluff)

-> featuring: ?

Day 1 🎁 Keep You Warm (smut)

-> featuring: ?

[ilyasorokinn]

can you do clayton keller where y'all get into a huge argument & you walk out, so he freaks out and drives around to find you

WORK PARTIES

i love clayton keller so much and he deserves so much and he is so slay! also, i kind of changed the prompt around a little, but it mostly follows it.

"clayton, i'm sorry, i really am, but it's just one party." you sighed, rubbing your forehead.

"where's marcy? why can't she go with you?" he asked.

"she has plans. i tried to find someone else to go with me, but you really are my last resort. i already signed up with a date."

every year, your company would have a little party just so everyone could mingle and clayton hated going to those things. he hated team events because he didn't like faking smiles for hours and sweet talk people. it was overstimulating for him at times.

"so why can't you just go without one?"

"because i just can't." you sighed.

"y/n, i don't want to go." he groaned.

"fine." you grabbed your bag and headed for the door, slamming it as you walked down the hallway.

as the door slammed shut, clayton was left alone with his thoughts and the more he thought about it, the more he realized how much it really meant to you.

he groaned, rubbing his eyes as he realized what he had to do. he got up and, as quickly as he could, got dressed in the most formal outfit he could put together on short notice.

he was in the car and driving through the streets near your house, trying to find out. your office was fairly close to your apartment, so you usually walked to work.

luckily for him, you didn't make it too far and were walking down this street, a sad look on your face which successfully broke his heart.

"y/n..." he rolled down the window and shouted. you froze, "i'm sorry." he drove slowly alongside you as you kept walking, "i know it means a lot to you for me to be there, so here i am."

"that's the worst apology ever." you crossed your arms.

"i know." he sighed.

"i know you hate these parties, and i really did ask everyone i knew but for some reason, today is a very popular day to plan parties cause everyone else was busy."

"well, i'm here now." he smiled, stopping the car.

you sighed, "last one, i promise."

"are there those finger sandwiches? that was always the best part of those parties."

"yes, i checked just for you."

"we might just survive this party then." he switched gears before reaching for your hand as he drove off.

again, requests are closed :)

[cailinsblog]

I see y’all liking the fic so far I hope the new master list made it easier for you guys

And do you guys like the story’s so far??

And do you guys want smut

And send in request

Do you guys have a theme

Or a favourite one of my story’s?

[toasttt11]

really well

July 24, 2022

Viola was sitting out on the dock waiting for the sun to start rising, she had a hot chai in a mug in between both of her hands and her favorite very large blankets draped around her.

Viola doesn’t love waking up early but she seems to always wake up early at the lake house to watch the sunrise.

Quinn held a coffee in his hands as he walked through the dewey grass and onto the dock and walked down to his baby sister and sat down next to her.

Viola knew who sat next to her and lifted her blanket up and wrapped it around Quinn, Quinn joins her most mornings she is out here and they always like to go on a run after.

Viola rested her head on her brother’s shoulder and enjoyed the peaceful silence only hearing the ripples of the lake and chirping of the morning birds and watching as the lake look like glass from the night.

“You wanna tell me about this boy.” Quinn soflty asked his baby sister, he’s seen her over the last few months seeing how happy she is on her phone and could hear through their shared wall the many Facetime’s she has with him.

No one besides Cole noticed it but Quinn saw how happy she was when they were watching the draft when a certain player was drafted and Quinn noticed he played on her team and had the same name as the name she gave them, and Quinn knew that was the boy who’s been making his baby sister giggly again.

Viola bit her lip and nodded slightly as she knew Quinn would never tease her in a way that makes her upset, “I met him my first day when i went to get a tour and to see my doctor for the first time.” Viola cleared her throat and brushed her finger over the ring of her mug.

“I wasn’t doing great with my injuries and um he just always kept popping up and making me laugh. Felt like he was the only person who wasn’t looking at me like glass.” Viola hated how much her family, friend and coaches kept looking at her like she was going to break, she understood their worry but it was frustrating the only who didn’t was Cole and then she met Maveric and he just treated her like normal.

“Does he treat you well?” Quinn frowned hating how much she was going through this last year and how he couldn’t be there more for her but he was glad she had found someone who made her laugh on the hard days.

“Really well.” Viola smiled brightly, they aren’t even together yet and he treats her like a princess.

“Are you guys together?” Quinn smiled and wrapped an arm around his shoulder giving her a squeeze.

“No, not yet.” Viola just shrugged she wasn’t worried, Maveric has been very honest about his feelings for her and she knows he likes her but they didn’t want to start a relationship before summer especially because it’s his draft year and he’s crazy busy all summer.

“We are going on a date when i get back.” Viola blushed slightly remembering how he asked to take her out on a date the other day when they were facetiming.

“I’m happy you’re happy Vio. I’m so proud of you.” Quinn kissed the top of her head and Viola beamed back always being slightly bashful from praise.

“Thank you Quinny.” Viola mumbled back.

[thewintersoldierdisaster]

Omg yay awesome could you write for Clayton Keller and Will Borgen ?

keller is on the coyotes (rip) right? and is borgen on the kraken?

i honestly don’t know too much about the western conference players so i don’t know if i would be able to do a fic about them justice 😅

[peniswentz]

You should write for Clayton Keller

I'm very kindly declining this suggestion, anon😅 as I am (1) not a fic person at all and (2) I hate writing lol