#cole caufield fic

[wyattjohnston]

just between you and me - cole caufield

summary: you return to montreal after some time abroad and it unleashes a whole new slew of questions.

word count: 3,325

note: this is for @lam-ila for The Winter Fic Exchange 2k25! i hope you like it maleeha <3 thank you to @comphy-and-cozy and for all your help!!

main character: feminine reader insert

The windowpane offers a nice reprieve from the chaotic warmth being produced by seemingly everybody you’ve ever known being invited to your welcome back party. It’s well below freezing which isn’t at all unusual for Montreal, and—you’ll never admit this out loud—sitting next to the window is the closest you’re going to get to outside. Belgium had been utterly tropical in comparison and you’re ashamed by how quickly the Montreal weather became too much. The crowd of people sitting on the balcony are, quite frankly, out of their minds.

“Don’t think you should be sitting over here by yourself.”

You move your attention from the group outside to the person who just joined you, smiling gently when you realise who it is followed by a just as gentle, “Hi, Cole.”

The confusion across his face is clear and it lasts longer than just a passing second, before he’s saying your name back to you in such a questioning manner that you start to wonder if you’ve somehow been wrong all these years.

He shuffles further into the booth opposite you, leaning all his body weight onto his forearms and the table between them, and says emphatically, “No fucking way.”

You understand his reaction somewhat, knowing that the semester spent in Belgium had been eye opening and experimental, but you can only shrug at him because visibly all that’s changed about you that night is that you’ve put on some makeup and worn something a little tighter than you used to.

“You look—” he pauses, and you sigh to yourself because you know what’s coming next. “You look great. Belgium really did a number on you, eh?”

“Sure, you could put it that way.”

The compliment is nice, regardless, so you take it at face value and put your own arms on the table, leaning in towards him. He grins, toothy and all encompassing, and you’re shunted back to the small crush you’ve always had on him. It’s not anything that takes over your life; sometimes you’re not even sure it’s anything more than the thought that he’s available, but it’s enough to send butterflies into your stomach.

He tells you to stay put, and you do as you’re told even if you’re contorting yourself in your seat to see exactly where he’s gone and what he’s up to. The drink he brings back to you is what he knows as your favourite; you thank him for the soft drink, even if that’s also something that changed while you were away.

You can’t say you’re surprised when, a couple days later, you get a text from Cole asking when you’re next free which is quickly followed by another text with the days he’s free that week.

Hanging out with Cole wasn’t uncommon, though it was typically part of a larger group. It’s not explicit that this is one-on-one in any way other than Cole being the one to initiate and organise; he always left that to someone else and just showed up wherever the people were.

You leave them on your Lock Screen for most of the day and wait until the Habs game is over that night to text him back—whilst you wouldn’t give him the quick response he was undoubtedly after, there’s no way you’re going to put yourself in the position to wait by texting him mid-game.

The text you send reads “that depends what we’re doing” and it’s not until the read receipt pops up and you read it back that you realise it probably sounds quite flirty. It’s not not the message you were trying to convey but your palms get a little sweaty when it really kicks in that the flood gates have just been opened.

Cole’s unbridled joy is conveyed through his texts—the win probably doing some heavy lifting there—and the abundance of exclamation marks. Though, truthfully, they might not be that uncommon for Cole.

“We can go bowling!! Or ice skating!! Or you can come over??!!”

It’s endearing if not a little overwhelming.

Ice skating is the pick, and you can’t help but laugh at the idea of him using his day off to do more skating. It was his suggestion, and he doesn’t seem bothered by it, so you don’t bring it up at all.

He helps with your skates even though you’re more than capable; he just kneels down in front of you and starts lacing them up before you can even begin to tighten them yourself. He does look cute when he smiles up at you proudly, so you don’t have it in you to fight it.

Cole is holding your hand the moment you’re stepping onto the ice. You know how to skate and he knows you know how, so it’s not a tight, steadying grip. In fact, it’s having the opposite effect as your knees get weak because even through two pairs of thick, winter gloves you can feel every part of his hand against yours.

On the ice you can hear a guy yapping at his poor date about how good he was at hockey, how he could have gone pro, but he decided it was better for him to go to university and get a real job because of some made up reason that trailed off before he really finished his sentence. You couldn’t hide your laugh at it all, a full-bodied snort that drew the attention of the couple, so you curled into Cole to try and pretend it was something he’d said.

It did end up being Cole who was making you laugh, when he leant in closer whilst he kept you moving across the ice to repeat the guy’s ridiculous claims. The hockey bro voice he was putting on—or maybe just playing up—really sent you over the edge, and you had to hold onto him to keep upright as your laughter got to a point where breathing was problematic.

Being pulled effortlessly around the rink by Cole was something. It certainly wasn’t making it any easier to breathe, and even less so when you were able to gather some bearings and make eye contact with him. You weren’t sure anyone had ever looked at you with such softness and sincerity; you had to look away.

It’s so cliché when you step off the ice to get hot chocolate that you have no choice but to sit opposite him and ask him a question that’s been on your mind all day.

“Is this your go-to first date?”

“It’s…” he pauses briefly, sheepish. “It’s in the rotation, yeah. Seasonal. You’re my favourite.”

You avert eye contact, staring at your hands where they’re wrapped around the source of warmth that is your cup. Cole’s foot nudging against yours doesn’t do a lot to help keep your voice steady because your mind has conjured up an image of Cole and the poor date from earlier. She’s stunning, exactly the type of woman who would make a perfect WAG—no amount of makeup or otherwise traditionally feminine behaviour would ever make you feel like you could match her.

It’s with a weak voice you say, “You probably say that to all the girls.”

“No.” Cole doesn’t miss a beat. “Just you.”

Your cheeks warm instantly, and you’re filled with so much emotion that you screw your eyes shut because you don’t want to see the face he makes at your delirious smile.

Before you leave, the wannabe hockey player catches up with you and asks Cole for an autograph and a photo which are happily provided. He tells his date, before you and Cole can even get out of earshot, that he was a better player than Cole has ever been and would have gone higher in the draft had he kept up with hockey.

“Can’t believe the world doesn’t get to see the next Gretzky play just because he wants to…” he trails off into unintelligible mumbling.

The number of dates you’ve been on—and they are dates, Cole has made that exceedingly clear—is quite frankly outstanding for it having been two weeks. It feels like every day he’s free, and you don’t have classes, you’re together. It’s a lot, to be honest, but it’s not bad.

It’s not like you’ve never gone to a nice restaurant before—your parents were fans of the finer things in life, and you and your friends liked to treat yourselves on your birthdays—it’s just not something you ever pictured yourself doing with Cole. Though, to be fair, you hadn’t thought about doing much with Cole until he’d suddenly started showing interest.

The maître d’ knows Cole and you’re not so sure whether it’s because Cole is a regular or because he plays for the Habs. It’s likely both.

You don’t feel like you fit, despite any sudden interest in fashion and skincare you’ve developed—when you went out with your friends in Belgium, it was always met with judgemental, and disbelieving looks that you belonged.

You push down your discomfort and let Cole order your dinner because the menu is intimidating. He asks the waiter to bring the wine that pairs best with each course, and then turns to you and says, “Pop?”

“Just seltzer, please,” you say to Cole before turning to the waiter with a timid smile. “Thank you.”

When you turn your attention back to Cole, he’s visibly confused—his eyebrows pulled together, and his mouth pulled tight. You tilt your head, confused by his confusion but he doesn’t say anything to you.

“I don’t drink soft drinks anymore,” you explain. It doesn’t clear his confusion. “Just trying to take better care of my teeth. That seems to be the change that’s got you the most.”

“Just surprised. It’s not a bad thing.”

You tilt your head at him again, waiting for him to elaborate, but the waiter returns with your drinks and Cole easily shifts the conversation to his brother, Brock.

At the next table there’s a couple, probably in their early 50s, who are absolutely besotted with each other. You catch yourself staring at them a lot throughout the evening, hoping to learn what really makes a relationship perfect. Cole notices, too, though he stares far less at them than he does at you. When you catch him staring, the heart eyes he’s developed are enough to make your heart swell.

“You look really nice tonight,” he says after one of the times he gets caught, as if it’s not what he said the second he laid eyes on you at your front door.

The compliments have come through thick and fast since Cole came back into your life. You’re not mad about them, really, and you’re proud of what you’re now able to do with your makeup and the outfits you’re able to put together so that they are outfits and not just pants and a top, but every time he says something nice you’re reminded of the years where he said nothing of the sort—when you were just another person in the same room.

It comes out of nowhere, is much of the problem. It’s been a month, maybe two, of thoughts running through your head, of what you and Cole are and what he really thinks about you—about anything—and you’ve not asked. You probably should have because it’s not an inconsistent thought in your head about what any of this even means.

You and Cole are sitting on his couch, watching a 90s teen romcom, not having said a word for half an hour, when you sit up straight and stare at him.

He looks put out by having lost your body heat, instantly reaching out to pull you back, but you can’t get over Laney Boggs’ sudden transformation into a Prom Queen and so you start spilling a months’ worth of thoughts to him.

“I can’t keep this up, Cole,” you say with all the dramatics of the main character of a romcom.

It sort of feels like he’s in a constant state of confusion when you’re around and it adds to all the thoughts running through your head because what could he possibly see in you when he doesn’t ever seem to know what to expect next.

He asks, “Keep what up?”

“Pretending that it doesn’t kill me that you’re only interested in me now that I’m more of a girly girl.”

There’s a beat, where he stares at you, and you stare back, and his face screws up and your heart does the same, but you bite your lip because really, you need to hear something from him, anything.

“What?” he says—it’s less of a question than a silence filler. “No. No that’s—”

“But it is, though, isn’t it?” You cut him off before he can stumble over any more words. “Because you weren’t taking me on dates or showing any interest when I was drinking nothing but pop and wearing nothing but sports merch but put me in a dress with a boring water in my hand and all of a sudden you can’t get enough of me.”

“I didn’t… I don’t… I don’t care about water,” he says, staring at you like you’ve grown three heads. Maybe you have. You’re not sure exactly what you look like at that moment. Promptly more unkempt than when you showed up, maybe a little crazier in the eyes—maybe doing a reverse She’s All That while the end of the movie plays behind you.

“You can’t even deny it,” you argue back, sitting further back against the arm of the couch and putting more space between you and Cole. He’s listening to every word you say, rolling them all through his mind one by one. “I thought I was alright with it, but I can’t stop thinking about it. Would you have ever looked at me that way if everything about me hadn’t changed?”

Cole’s face changes even more at that point, the confusion morphing into something a little pained and that makes sense to you if he feels like he’s been called out. He leans forward, trying to close some of the space you’ve created, but pulls back a little when you show any sign of helping the space disappear.

His shoulders fall and he says confidently, “I’m into you, babe. Just you.”

There’s part of you that wonders why he hasn’t made a move. There have been makeouts and cuddling but nothing more and you’re not mad about that at all, you’re quite happy that the pace has been slow in that respect, but the fact that it hasn’t come up at all has been playing on your mind because is he into you? Any version of you?

It’s not the most burning question in your mind right then, though, and you manage to get out, “But would you have ever asked me out the way I was before Belgium?”

“I didn’t…” All his confidence is gone. “I didn’t think of you that way before.”

You nod and stand, knowing that staying in that room is going to hurt even more than the conversation you’ve just had. So you say, “Okay,” as you’re walking to the door and following it up with, “That’s all I needed to know,” when you’re turning the doorknob.

Cole is standing, too, though he’s not moving towards you. He’s standing by the couch, looking small and curled in on himself. Your heart breaks just a little bit more when he asks, “Are we—Are we breaking up?”

Despite all the dates and the time you’ve been spending together, you’re not even sure that you’re at a point where you can ‘break up’. There’s been no conversation about what you are outside of calling the time you’re spending together dates.

“I don’t know what we are, Cole,” you say, tired and desperate to get out of his house and be alone. “I just need some time to think.”

You can hear your roommate open the front door, immediately telling whoever is there that you don’t want to see them. It’s not hard to connect the dots. Especially not when they line up perfectly with the Habs returning from a road trip.

Cole is talking before your roommate has even finished speaking, hurriedly trying to say he just wants to talk to you, and nothing else, and he has to explain things and the more the talks the faster he gets, and your roommate is trying to get a word in but Cole isn’t letting her.

It’s not anybody else’s job to be your bodyguard, so you prepare yourself mentally to rescue her from his rapid-fire speech. There’s no physical effort to put in, especially not when you putting in effort is what caused all your problems to begin with, so you step into the hall wearing a two-sizes-too-large Habs shirt with a hole in each armpit and the shorts made of sweatpants material that haven’t been seen outside your house since prior to you leaving for Belgium. Your skincare routine may or may not have been neglected in the last 48 hours, you don’t actually remember. The spots brewing suggest it’s more like in the may not column.

Yet, despite that, Cole’s eyes are on you the second you’re in his line of sight, and the relief rolling off him is palpable. He stops talking, finally taking a breath, and you just nod at your roommate when she silently asks if you actually want to do this. She takes a deep breath, waits half a second for you to change your mind, and then leaves you and Cole standing in your small entry hall.

“Sorry about the road trip,” you say, suddenly struck by his silence after how fast his mouth had been moving before you were standing in front of him.

“I’m sorry.” He sounds desperate, even more so than when he was begging to see you. “I—I’m into you. I don’t want whatever you think I think to get in the way of that.”

“But you weren’t into before I looked different.”

“You don’t look that different,” he counters. “I don’t think you’re wearing any make up right now and I am still really into you.”

Your cheeks warm, and you struggle to get out anything because you truthfully don’t have a lot of will to argue with him if he’s into you. You do manage, “You never showed any interest before,” which is just a repeat of everything you’ve already said.

“Then you disappeared for months, and I realised I missed you. The timing isn’t great for whatever you think is going on, but I promise I like you. A lot. And I want to keep going on dates and hanging out and all of that stuff. You can wear whatever you want or don’t want, it makes no difference to me.”

“Why didn’t you say any of that last week?”

He laughs, a snort which is largely self-deprecating, “I couldn’t wrap my head around what you were saying because it didn’t make sense to me. Kind of put me on the spot there, babe. Also felt like a bit of a trap with the movie if we’re being honest with each other.”

You sigh, “The movie was an accident. It did, uh, cause everything to kind of burst, though.”

“Can we go back to hanging out? To dating? The last week’s sucked sorta hard.”

You can’t disagree that it’s sucked sorta hard. Despite needing the time to think about it, the absence of Cole’s silly texts throughout the day or his random minute-long phone calls because his thought was too much for a text had left a huge gap in your day that you hadn’t even realised he’d been filling.

It’s easy, then, to move towards him and wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him close.

[sweetestcaptainhughes]

the order of which this series will be written has not yet been decided. this series is currently on hold. Trust me I love this series and I plan to come back to it and finish. But this is a very very HEAVY series to write if do it properly and I don’t half ase any of my writing on my blog. That being said, currently I don’t think I am not mentally in the current headspace to do give it justice. Give me some time, but I promise I will finish it. 💜

Is today a dark day? - Cole Caufield (depression)

For the first time since you started dating Cole, your depression seems to be coming back to kick you in the ass. Scared of how Cole will react, you do the only logical thing and pull away.

Quinn Hughes (ADHD)

Can you tell me what hurts? - John Marino (PCOS)

Always struggling with having a abnormal menstrual cycle, and doctors not seeming to care. It sort of became the norm for you to just not really know what's going on with your body. After meeting John, you were worried if he would get scared with how sick you really got so often and run. Or would he be the one to stick around and try to help you figure out what's wrong?

Jack Hughes (OCD) (requested)

What are you trying to say? - Trevor Zegras (Dyslexia)

In the talking stage with Trevor Zegras you're not sure how his joking personality will respond to your struggles that you have with being an adult with dyslexia, especially since it doesn't affect you how media expects it to.

Why do you think that? - Nico Hischier (Body Dysmorphia)

Y/N was happy with Nico, he made her feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. But what happens when an old friend of Y/N visits and they start looking back on old pictures. Or how does Nico handle Y/N pushing away when her body dysmorphia seems to finally catch up to her after so long of it being pushed to the back of her mind.

Brock Boeser (Anxiety)

Matthew Tkachuk (PTSD)

Luke Hughes (Binge Eating) (requested)

Auston Matthews (Anemia) (requested)

Borderline Personality Disorder (player undecided) (requested)

I am open to the idea of adding players and different disorders or health issues to this list if you have any ideas please send in an ask.

[swissboyhisch]

Outed Secret

Pairing: Cole Caufield x Hughes!Reader

Summary: You were looking forward to the summer spent at the lake house. It was even more exciting because your boyfriend was also coming.

Word Count: 1609

Warnings: Alcohol, teasing, keeping secrets and annoying brothers.

THE MASTERLIST JOIN THE TAGLIST HOCKEY DISCORD

Summer. A time when you spent days at the Lake House with your family. You and your brothers, all together under one roof, much to the horror of your parents. It was a place where you brought heaps of friends to celebrate the offseason, spending the days on the lake and drinking until sunrise.

This year, your parents decided to let the four of you have the house to yourselves, allowing you and your siblings to invite friends to enjoy the free time. You, of course, invited your best friend, knowing the summer could only get better with her by your side. It also meant you two could get up to a little mischief.

Each of your brothers invited some teammates, past and present. Luke brought some UMich boys: Dylan, Mackie, Ethan, and Mark. Jack, of course, had some of the NTDP boys coming, who were also your friends: Trevor, Alex, Cole, Matt, and Patrick. Quinn mainly invited some of his Canucks teammates: Petey, Brock, and Kuzy.

Your boyfriend was among the hockey players invited to the Lake House this summer. Not that any of your brothers knew that. God, they’d all kill you. Maybe not Quinn, but especially Jack if he found out who you had been dating, let alone dating one of his best friends for the last year… Yikes.

You and your best friend, Ella, were the first to reach the Lake House. The boys were due to arrive over the next couple of days, but for now, the two of you could go shopping for a heap of food for the next couple of weeks. Oh, and alcohol. Can’t forget that. The boys would kill you.

“How many people are going to be staying here?” Ella asked as you packed the food away.

“Uh, like 15 of us, give or take,” you replied.

“And Cole is one of them,” Ella smirked, throwing a bag of chips at you. She was one of the few people, besides Cole’s teammates, who knew.

“Yes, he is arriving tomorrow. Hopefully before Jack and Luke.”

“So you can smooch,” Ella teased.

That night, the two of you shared a pizza and some drinks while sitting around the fire pit, gossiping about the year you both had had in Michigan. You didn’t know how you managed to get the fire started. July 4th was this weekend, so plans about the weekend also slipped into the conversation.

The backdoor opened, interrupting the two of you who weren’t expecting any company. There stood Cole with a huge grin on his face, his arms outstretched, knowing you would sprint to him. It happened many times when he’d pick you up at Montreal-Pierre airport. Ever the romantic, the two of you were.

“Cole!” You sprinted from the pit to the patio, throwing yourself at your boyfriend. His arms wrapped tightly around you.

“Hey baby,” Cole chuckled, holding you close. “I’ve missed you.”

After he had dumped his bags in his, Jack, and Trevor’s room, Cole joined you to snuggle by the fire. The two of you shared a fluffy blanket, and the three of you caught up. Ella had joined you on a couple of trips to Montreal because you needed a cover story. You couldn’t just tell your brothers the truth about all the trips. ‘Hey Jack, you know how I keep going to Montreal every couple of months? Well, it’s to see your best friend, who is my boyfriend.’ God, you could just imagine Jack’s reaction.

It was special waking up next to Cole that morning, taking in the body heat that wrapped around you. But the moment didn’t last long. You could hear the front doors opening and the voices of your youngest brothers. Shit. That woke you up quickly. They were way earlier than any of you expected.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” Cole was too sleepy to realise who the voices belonged to. Instead, you had to shove him out of the bed. The boy groaned when he landed on the cold wood floor.

“Cole, wake the fuck up. Jack and Luke are here.”

“What?!”

“They’re here early, Cole. Get the fuck out.”

That had him scrambling for his shirt and pants, and his other things, sneaking back to his and the boys' room before Jack could make his way to it. You pretended to sleep a little more before they came to get you out of bed like they loved to do.

“What’s all the noise for?” you groaned as you walked into the hall where Jack and Cole were hugging. You rolled your eyes at your brother’s over-dramatic antics and moved to the kitchen, making sure to call out behind you. “Good to know the bromance can survive being on different teams.”

“Good morning to you too,” Jack retorted.

The day continued, filled with looks shared between you and Cole, often over your brother’s shoulder. The day was spent on the boat with a small group, just hanging out and jumping on and off the boat in the middle of the lake. As the sun set, you found yourself around the fire pit once more with a few more people than the night before. Cole sat on the other side of the fire beside Jack.

“So, sis, we’ve heard you’ve got a boyfriend?” Jack grinned at you.

“What, no?” you lied, your eyes flicking to Cole for only a split second.

Jack chuckled, “Mum accidentally let slip you had a boyfriend. You can’t lie to us now.”

“Fine, I do.”

“How did you meet him?” Luke asked.

You thought about it for a split second. How do you lie and make sure no one connects the dots? “Here in Michigan.”

“Oh nice, so you met him at college,” Jack assumed.

Luke’s eyes focused on you. He was at UMich with you and didn’t remember you ever being with a guy. “At college?”

“Uh yeah?”

“What class did you meet in?” Luke continued.

“Art history,” you lied.

Luke didn’t believe you. The look on his face screamed skepticism. As the photographer for the hockey team, you hung out with him and the team nearly all the time. He knew you wouldn’t have had time for a relationship during college.

“How was your last trip to Montreal?” Jack asked, knowing you and Ella had spent a week in Canada after officially finishing college.

“It was great,” you grinned, “We had a blast.”

“Did you two catch up?” Luke asked, turning to Cole.

Now you could lie, but your poor sweet innocent boyfriend couldn’t. He lost every game of poker. “Yeah, we caught up for dinner, of course.”

“That’s good,” Luke muttered, watching Cole closely. “Glad to know she had a good tour guide.”

“He’s a great tour guide,” you interjected.

Jack stayed oblivious, but Luke’s eyes flicked between you and Cole. He did it for a solid minute before realisation crossed his face. You stood up and grabbed Luke’s arm, pulling him behind you.

“Luke, I need help getting the s'mores ingredients,” you said as you manhandled your tallest brother.

You pulled him into the kitchen and shoved him in, making sure to double-check that Jack didn’t follow you. Cole watched as you left, wanting to follow but knowing it would be suspicious.

“You keep it quiet,” you hissed at your baby brother.

“You and Caufield, seriously? How long have you two been seeing each other?”

“You can say we’re dating.”

“Gross,” Luke gagged.

“Grow up,” you retorted, poking your tongue out at him.

“No,” he sassed.

“To answer your question, we’ve been dating for nearly a year,” you told him, making him sigh once more.

“And that’s why you’ve been going to Montreal? Ella covers for you?”

“Ella actually comes to Montreal with me. But she has family there she sees,” you admitted.

Luke stayed quiet for a moment before nodding. He knew Cole and what he was like as a person. “Are you happy with Cole?”

At that very moment, Jack thought it was a great idea to step into the kitchen with Cole rushing in behind him. “Please say I misheard that,” Jack begged.

“Uh…”

“You didn’t,” Luke nodded, giving a pointed look at Cole standing behind Jack.

Jack turned to his best friend, “You’re dating my sister?!”

“About that,” Cole muttered, unsure of how to handle your brother. “Yes, I am. Our one year is coming up, actually.”

“Yeah, this weekend,” you admitted.

“So you guys got together on July 4th last year?!” Jack yelled.

At this time, Quinn finally arrived with Petey, Brock, and Kuzy in tow. Ella joined as well, wanting to double-check the arguing didn’t get physical between the siblings. She had seen them go crazy on each other before.

“What the hell is going on here?” Quinn asked, looking around the kitchen.

Jack pointed to where you and Cole were standing together and exclaimed, “These two are dating. For like a year!”

“Yeah? I know?”

“So what? Quinn got to know?” Luke frowned.

“How did you know?” you asked Quinn.

Quinn chuckled, “There are only so many times you can go to Montreal without an ulterior motive. It was either Cole or Juraj.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry Cole,” Quinn laughed.

The kitchen was quiet for a moment. The other Canucks and Ella stepped out, leaving the Hughes siblings and Cole alone. You stood next to Cole nervously, hand in hand. Quinn knew and was playing mediator now. Luke was upset about not being told, but Jack… Jack seemed pissed off. Which, to be fair, was what you expected. Then, after a moment, Jack broke the silence.

“Oh my god, that means we’re going to be brothers!”

TAG LIST:

@findapenny @mp0625 @hischierhaze @11zegras @lvrzegras 

@francesfarhadi @cixrosie @dasiysthings @dancerbailey3 @puckmaidens 

@cole-mcward48 @sammiejane22 @rleigh-47 @Devilsandpensfan @luca-fantilli 

@books-hlmc @kajasagmo @poufsouffle21 @absolutelyhugh3s

[chukys-mouthguard]

A Shot at Love: Welcome to the Mansion

5.65 words

meet the 12 eligible bachelors

It’s time, for the premier of ‘A Shot at Love: An NHL Dating Show AU’ ! The 12 lucky bachelors arrive at the mansion to meet our lovely bachelorette Y/N!

Who will impress? Who will receive the coveted first rose? It’s all up to the viewers in this one of a kind interactive au series!

Voting is only open for 24 hours, so be sure to cast your vote for who should get the first rose!

note: if you want to be added to the tag list for this series, please comment or send me an ask! :)

A deep sigh left your lips as you looked yourself over once more in the mirror, palms smoothing over your dress before nervously messing with your hair.

In just a few minutes you’d be introduced to twelve NHL players that were going to be competing for a chance at forever with you. The idea was one you sure would never come to fruition when first pitched to you, and when you found out the players of the league would be voting for the twelve eligible bachelors, you were surely convinced the concept would die.

But as the twelve players were determined and had all accepted their spots on the show, you were realizing this funny concept had turned into your reality.

“Y/n, are you ready to get this show started?”

The voice of Paul Bissonnette interrupting your thoughts as you turned to find him and Ryan Whitney, the hosts of the show, both waiting patiently for you before heading out to the front of the mansion to welcome the mystery men.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

A soft chuckle left your lips as you could feel your palms growing sweatier as you headed for the door. The limo transporting the men now visible in the distance as it drove down the long winding driveway.

“Pink Whitney to calm your nerves?”

Ryan pulled 3 mini bottles of the pink lemonade flavored vodka from his suit pocket, Biz quickly taking one and cracking it open.

“Are you guys gonna constantly plug your vodka during this show?”

“You bet your ass we are!”

Biz and Whit tapped their bottles together before throwing them back, you rolling your eyes before joining them in taking the shot.

“Alright, we are gonna go give the boys a warm welcome, then it’ll be show time!”

Nodding your head you watched as the two hosts headed down to meet the limousine, each of them climbing inside to welcome the mystery men. Your nerves at a high as you tried to imagine who would’ve actually accepted a spot on this show, quickly running through every team in the league trying to picture who would come out of the limo. Surely no stars were putting themselves on a dating show, your expectations assuming them to be lesser known guys who maybe didn’t have some superstar image to uphold.

“Holy shit Whit, look at these fucking beauties we got in here!”

Whit quickly smacked his co-host as the group seated around the limo laughed. “Biz watch the mouth! This is national television, you’re gonna get us fired before we even make it to the rose ceremony.”

Biz covered his mouth in embarrassment before mouthing an I’m sorry to the camera.

“Alright boys, so you’re all here because the players voted you all as the worst in the league when it comes to dating and the ladies. So congratulations!”

The limo erupted in laugher and some half hearted cheers. “Y/n’s waiting for you all. She’s a little nervous, but excited. And she’s a drop dead smoke show, so it’s you all who should be nervous!”

Biz went to climb from the limo, time for the grand reveal, but Whit stopped him. “Biz, I think they all could use a little liquid courage don’t you think?”

Whit pulled a bag full of Pink Whitney bottles seemingly from out of nowhere, tossing one to each of the men. “This portion of the show is sponsored by Pink Whitney, the official drink of ‘A Shot at Love.’ Cheers boys!”

As you headed to the bottom of the staircase out front of the mansion, hearing the boys all saying cheers with their shots in the limo, you rolled your eyes.

“Those two are seriously gonna plug that drink every chance they get.”

Biz and Whit reappeared and headed your way, signaling that it was finally time to meet the men that would be competing for a shot at love with you. Your mind racing as you wondered what their opinions of you would be. Would they like you? Would they think you were attractive? Certainly being professional athletes they’ve had plenty of women throwing themselves at them.

“Y/n, it’s time. Should we bring out the first gentleman?”

A simple nod was all you could muster as you patiently waited for the door of the limo to open and Biz or Whit to call their name, wondering who you might see emerging from behind it.

“From the New Jersey Devils…Nico Hischier.”

Nico stepped out of the limo, his smile immediately settling your nerves. A hand running through his hair to ensure it sat perfectly as he buttoned his suit jacket before he walked towards you.

If this was how the night would start, you couldn’t imagine who else was hiding in the limo.

Your heart racing as Nico now stood in front of you, politely taking your hand and kissing it. A true gentleman.

“Hi y/n, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Hi Nico, likewise, even though I had no clue you would be here.”

The blush on your cheeks had to be visible at this point as you couldn’t stop smiling. His accent sounded like music to your ears as he spoke.

“Though I have no clue what to expect out of this experience, I’m excited to get to know you,and for you to get to know me. At the end of this hopefully we are jetting off to Switzerland together.”

“I mean that would definitely be a pretty great ending in my eyes!”

“Well we could leave now? Screw this show?”

Nico playfully pulled your hand to run, but stopped as he laughed, making you melt right there.

“I don’t wanna take up more of your time, I’ll let you meet the rest of the guys. But I promise they won’t be as great as me.”

Nico shot you a wink before heading up the stairs and into the mansion, your smile now permanently on your face.

“So? What did you think of that fine piece of Swiss chocolate?”

A cackle left your mouth at Biz’s drunken commentary, shaking your head as Whit moved to knock on the door of limo to signal the next man to reveal himself.

“You guys are drunk and we’ve only met one guy, oh my lord.”

You were surely in for a wild night, and this was only the beginning.

“From the Philadelphia Flyers, Jamie Drysdale.”

“Hi y/n, it’s nice to meet you. You, you look beautiful.”

“Thank you Jamie, it’s lovely to meet you. How���s your shoulder doing?”

Jamie was shocked at your question, surely he didn’t expect you to be familiar enough with him to know he’d injured the same shoulder two seasons in a row. Laughing a bit as he playfully rubbed it.

“It’s good, better than ever. I’ll never turn down a good shoulder rub though.”

“Maybe if you’re lucky we can do that later for your one on one time?”

“Sounds like a plan to me, I’ll head inside and find a good spot for a massage.”

Jamie flashed a smile before heading inside, Biz looking towards the car to see who was next. A soft chuckle leaving his lips as he gave you a thumbs up, as if to say it’s a good one.

“From the New York Rangers, Matt Rempe.”

Your eyes went wide as the Rangers rookie emerged from the limo. You’d seen him on tv and knew he was tall, but seeing him in person made that crystal clear.

“Hi.”

A soft chuckle leaving your lips as you could sense his nerves and the awkwardness emanating from him.

“Hi, um, I’m sure you get this all the time but, you’re even taller in person.”

“Yeah, I hear that sometimes. Does that mean you’ve watched me on tv?”

“I might have a few times, but don’t think that’s gonna give you any type of advantage here!”

He smiled wide as he ran a hand through his hair. “I’m just happy to be a part of this with a pretty girl like you, I’m not expecting any special treatment.”

“As long as you don’t start any fights here okay?”

He shot you a devilish grin as he headed up the stairs.

“No promises.”

“Hey, how many shots have you boys had over there?”

You shouted across the drive, noticing the two men getting the giggles. Most likely laughing at something stupid, telling you they were well on their way to being drunk.

“We might as well have just brought a whole bottle out here. These mini bottles aren’t cutting it.”

Shaking your head you smoothed your hands over the front of your dress, readying yourself for the next mystery man to emerge.

“You guys aren’t gonna make it to reveal number six at this rate.”

“From the Seattle Kraken, Vince Dunn.”

The moment Vince stepped out of the limo he’d immediately caught your eye, noticing his style differing from the first few guys. No suit for Vince as he wore a short sleeve shirt that was tastefully showing off the outline of his chest and arm muscles thanks to it being a little on the tighter side. Pairing that with some solid colored chino pants, and some slip on vans.

“Am I a little underdressed or something?”

He playfully joked as he walked up to you, giving you a hug before taking the time to look you up and down. A smile on his face as he held your hand.

“If this is your style, then never worry about being underdressed. I think you look great!”

“Suits are great and all, but my mind is always focused on when I can just throw on my sweats and be comfy.”

“Trust me I’ve been thinking about that the entire time I’ve been standing here, I especially can’t wait for the moment I can take my bra off.”

You and Vince laughed as he made his way towards the staircase to head inside and join the growing group.

“Oh me too, taking my bra off is the best part of my day for sure!”

“From the Vegas Golden Knights, I fucking love this kid-“

“Biz watch the goddamn mouth!”

“Oh fu-I mean, fudge. Jacky Eichs!”

Jack emerged from the limo laughing at the two drunk hosts, both of them giving him a little cheer as he made his way to you, giving you a hug before he introduced himself.

“Hi y/n, I’m Jack. And if we are gonna be together at the end of this, I think it’s important I be honest with you right from the start.”

“Okay, I love honesty.”

He sighed, as if to suggest it was something tough for him to say, making you nervous as this was only night one and you weren’t expecting any drama this soon.

“My, my real name isn’t Jack, it’s John. Woo, that feels good to get off my chest!”

Rolling your eyes you let out a sigh of relief, playfully smacking him on the chest as he laughed. “I thought you were gonna say something off the wall crazy Jack, I mean, John?”

“You can call me Jack, I just didn’t want any secrets on day one, big or small you know?”

He headed up the stairs as Biz and Whit are still shocked they never knew his real name was John, chirping him until he’d finally shut the door to the house behind him.

“Fuc-fudge me Biz what are we on six now? I mean I can’t even see who is coming out of the limos anymore.”

“God forbid you say the wrong name Whit, better put on the glasses for the next one.”

“From the New York Islanders, Mat Barzal.”

If your heart could stop beating, but somehow you’d still be standing and breathing, it had just happened. The minute he’d stepped from the limo you were confused as to how he’d ended up here. Mat was one of the hottest guys in the league, but he did have a bit of a reputation. So how they got him to agree to something as crazy as this, you’d never know.

“Y/n, nice to meet you, I’m Mat.”

“I know, I’ve seen you on tv once or twice, so I know a thing or two.”

“Uh oh, good things or bad things?”

His smirk shot you right through the heart and you could barely focus on speaking. Aspiring how good he looked in his dress pants as loose fitting button up, following Vince in the more casual style of dress.

“I guess you’ll have to wait and find out?”

He shot you a wink before heading inside, your heart rate not slowing down as you urged Biz to hurry up with the next man.

“From the Anaheim Ducks, Gouda!”

“Huh?”

You looked at the two hosts confused as Whit shook his head at Biz, taking the Pink Whitney bottle from his hands as he quickly corrected his partner.

“Jesus Christ, please ignore his drunk ass for the rest of the night, it’s Trevor Zegras.”

The smiley boy emerged from the limo, running a hand through his hair as he approached you. Wrapping you in a tight hug as he seemed to exude confidence.

“Hi y/n, so nice to meet you.”

“You as well, is it Trevor or Gouda?”

He threw his head back laughing as he shrugged. “Whatever you wanna call me, I’m here for it. Trevor, Gouda, maybe your boyfriend by the time things are done here. I’m fine with any of those options!”

“Confident, okay, I like it . Well, I’ll stick with Trevor for right now, don’t wanna get ahead of ourselves.”

Shooting him a wink you bid him farewell as the next man was already emerging from the limo.

“From the Vancouver Canucks, Quinn Hughes.”

To say you were shocked was an understatement. Quinn was known to you as a bit more reserved, often quiet. And quite frankly, he was the last person you expected to be on a dating show.

“You seem a bit surprised, were you expecting Jack to come out of that limo?”

He shyly laughed as he gave you a hug. Quickly shaking your head you tried to erase any thoughts from his mind that you weren’t thrilled to see him.

“No no! Not at all, you just don’t strike me as the dating show type.”

“Well I guess there’s a lot you need to learn about me. For one, reality dating shows are actually a guilty pleasure of mine. And two, maybe I’m not afraid to admit that t I might need some help in the dating department. So here I am.”

“I guess you could say I need some help too and that’s why I’m standing here. But I’m very happy that you’re here too Quinn!”

“How many more guys are there holy shi-shoot?”

Biz headed to the limo, peeking his head inside to count the remaining guys.

“Can we speed run these last guys? Like oh my gosh.”

“Imagine standing on cobblestone in heels this whole time Biz!”

“Exactly! Speed round, hello?? Whit, help me out here!” Whit shook his head as he continued with the script, not wanting to add to the list of reasons he and Biz would be on the chopping block after this episode airs. Most of those reasons being the accidental f bombs and high alcohol content.

“From the Toronto Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews.”

If you had to rank the players you were most familiar with, Auston would have been towards the top of the list. Though you knew of him for the fact that Toronto wasn’t known for doing too hot in the playoffs the last few years, though you’d never say that to him.

“Hey y/n, how are you?”

He wrapped you in a hug with a smile plastered in his face, unsure if it was him or the Pink Whitney shots that had you blushing.

“Hi Auston, nice to meet you. Loving the outfit, different from the other guys. Which is good, helps you stand out for sure.”

He playfully showed off his outfit, which was more street style than formal attire. But it was true to Auston, which you appreciated him taking the chance to just be himself and show that.

“Figured it was best to show up true to me. Glad you like it. I’m hoping that here I can bring home the win, unlike my track record on the ice.”

“Viewers, he said it, not me!”

You pointed to the camera, staring it down playfully as you laughed, Auston backing you up that it was his words and not yours.

“God bless, final 3 boys, then we’re done.”

“Biz they still have the opportunity for some one on one time, we aren’t done after this.”

“Jesus….pass me another shot.”

“From the Montreal Canadiens, Cole Caufield.”

The smile on Cole’s face never left from the time he exited the limo to when he hugged you. Kindly greeting you as he introduced himself.

“Y/n, ask him what his nickname is.”

Cole immediately shook his head at Biz butting into the meeting, “we really don’t need to do that. Maybe we can reveal that if I make it past tonight.”

Despite Cole’s pleading to ignore Biz, you couldn’t help but be intrigued. “Is it really that bad?”

Cole sighed as he rubbed his neck, debating on whether or not he wanted to tell you. “I’d rather leave you guessing for now, it’s not bad, just, not television appropriate let’s say.”

Your eyes went wide as your mind raced as to what the nickname could be, but letting it slide as you could sense Cole’s nervousness.

“Maybe later you can tell me without these two hanging around.”

Cole smiled as he headed inside, hearing him mumble “fuck I need a shot after that” on his way up the stairs, making you chuckle to yourself.

“I don’t know who let this kid in because he’s not even old enough to drink Pink Whitney, the official sponsor of ‘A Shot at Love’. But he’s here so I guess we just have to deal with it. Get this boy an apple juice, from the New Jersey Devils, Luke Hughes.”

The idea of 2 Hughes brothers’ being included in this show was not one that crossed your mind, but if it had, Luke would definitely have not been the other brother you expected to see step out of that limo.

He shyly made his way over, a soft smile on his face as he hugged you. You couldn’t help but smile, trying your best to make him feel less nervous or anxious.

“Hi Luke, very nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. I’m sure you weren’t expecting this to become Hughes’ bowl, minus Jack of course. But he’s not that great anyways, so you’re not missing much.”

The two of you laughed at his brotherly jabs, appreciating how he’d seemed to relax a bit once he made you laugh.

“Well things definitely just got interesting with 2 Hughes’ brothers in the house, I’d say cheers to the idea of you both making it to the end, but the boys said you’re not 21.”

Like shrugged off the comment, not paying much attention to that fact. “Trust me, it’ll come in handy for me when all these other guys are hungover trying to compete in some sort of physical challenge!”

You were thankful that you’d reached the last guy to appear from the limo, desperately needing to not be standing on cobblestone in your heels.

“And finally, thank the lord, from the Utah Hockey Club. That’s so fucking weird to say oh my god, John Marino.”

John appeared from the limo, laughing at Whit’s comments on his new team, and if you were honest you’d not paid much attention to him prior to him being traded. But as he walked over to you, with a smile on his face as he ran a hand through his loose curls, you were mad for not paying attention sooner.

“Hey y/n, how are you?”

“I’m good, feet hurt a little from standing for so long, but I’m surviving. What about you? Last guy having to sit in that limo all night.”

John shrugged it off, “it was worth my butt falling asleep 4 times if it meant I got to walk out here and see you.”

Playfully holding a hand to your forehead as you pretended to become faint, John laughed.

“Well it’s true! You look beautiful, and I’d wait in the car for another 4 hours if I had to. But, I’ll wrap this up so we can get inside and you can get your feet off this cobblestone. Lovely to meet you, and I’ll see you in there.”

John pulled you in for a hug before heading up the stairs, Biz and Whit joining you as the three of you followed suit. Ready to welcome all of the guys as a group.

As you headed inside, the competition was now seeming like it was going to be more difficult than you’d imagined. Thinking of all of the guys that were inside waiting. All of the handsome, funny, talented athletes, full of personality. How the hell were you going to eliminate any of them tonight?

Entering the room the men had all been waiting in, you took a deep breath. Facing them all together made you nervous as they surely had been sizing each other up from the moment they’d all settled in. All of them smiling once they saw you walk in, a few whistles and cheers coming from the group while you found your place in front of them.

“Okay, well, we’ve made it this far! I can’t speak for Biz and Whit because I think they are one shot away from passing out on us. But, I just wanted to thank you all for being a part of this crazy journey. I find it hard to believe that the twelve of you would voluntarily put yourself through something like this, for me. And for a shot at love. I’m so excited to learn about each of you for who you are off the ice, because that comes first to me. I’m not paying attention to who in this group scores the most goals, who plays on the best team. I’m here looking to find my person, and I’m excited to know that one of you will be that guy.”

The guys cheered as your lovely hosts were passing around more Pink Whitney shots, as if they’d hadn’t had enough tonight already.

“Can you two even handle another shot?”

“Are you kidding? Pink Whitney is the official sponsor of ‘A Shot at Love’, and the best pink lemonade flavored vodka on the market. Of course we can handle another shot! Plus, we made the damn thing!”

Rolling your eyes you accepted the shot from Biz, the group holding their shots up as you proposed a toast.

“Well, I can guarantee with hosts like these there will never be a dull moment around here. Cheers to ’A Shot at Love’! Sorry Luke…promise we will get you something non-alcoholic for next week so you can still feel included.”

Everyone tossed back their shots, then placed the empty bottles on the table. Immediately the competition had begun as it was a race to who was going to ask you for some time alone first.

Jack Eichel appeared at your side, taking your hand as he asked if the two of you could talk, the other guys immediately groaning at his eagerness to steal you away.

The two of you found a spot in one of the side rooms, taking a seat on the sofa with a sigh as Jack laughed.

“Tough night so far?”

Shaking your head, you smiled as you weren’t trying to come across tired or anything with the night so far. “No no, just, nice to sit down! Heels on cobblestone do not mix.”

“Well if beauty is pain, you must be in agony because you look gorgeous tonight.”

Blushing at his words you couldn’t help but smile, softly biting at your lip the way the compliment just effortlessly rolled off his tongue.

“You’re a pretty smooth talker Mr. Eichel. How’s the night been for you? Probably weird seeing all these guys under one rough and you’re all competing in a different way than usual.”

He nodded his head as he chuckled, “you could definitely say that. It’s weird seeing some of the guys, only because they seem a bit out of place in my opinion. Like I know we were voted here by guys in the league, but some of these guys, I mean Luke Hughes? He’s 20, how much dating experience does that kid have? I just think it’s a little unfair to him that he found himself thrown into this you know?”

Nodding your head you were unsure what Jack’s intentions were with this conversation. It seems odd that he’d take his first opportunity to chat with you to talk about who he believes should and shouldn’t be in the house.

“Well, hey, he’s here right? So, either he will make the best of it and find love for himself. Or he won’t. But, I think that’s for him to worry about Jack, not you, you know?”

The conversation with Jack continued on, thankfully moving away from the focus on what guys were voted in the house, but soon enough you’d be interrupted by another man trying to steal your attention.

“Knock knock, times up Eichs.”

Jack looked over his shoulder to see Auston and he reluctantly got up, playfully whining that time went by too quick. Bidding you goodbye as he exited and allowed Auston to take a seat next to you.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

You could feel your smile had doubled in size from the moment Auston walked in. Something about him just gave you butterflies, and you almost felt embarrassed for how excited you were to see him.

“How are you?”

He took your hand in his as he watched you attentively, waiting for your response as you laughed. “I mean, it probably sounds wrong to say, but I’ve got 12 pretty amazing guys all in one house because they want to date me. That’s a pretty nice feeling I’d say?”

Auston laughed with you as he sipped his drink, nodding in agreement.

“I mean, I think we’d all be crazy not to be here, and any one of us would be lucky to walk away with you after this.”

Though all the guys had made a point to say that, you could hear the sincerity in Austin’s voice, he meant it.

“I guess I just wonder how some of you ended up here, or why. I feel like you all should be in relationships and unavailable, how do some of the league's best stars get voted here by their peers?”

He shrugged as he sighed, “because that’s just it, we’re stars, so we should have a girl on our arm. And there’s countless girls we could have on our arms. But, they aren’t there for the right reasons, because of who we are. I can’t speak for any of those guys, so I’m simply speaking for myself. I’m not here for a check, some screen time to promote myself, I’m here because I genuinely think you could be the girl I’ve been missing.”

You felt your heart practically melt at his words, something you’d only ever dreamed of hearing someone say to you.

“I can’t tell you how amazing that makes me feel, hearing you say that. Truly.”

He held your hand tighter as he could see you trying not to get emotional.

“I’ve been through my fair share of rough relationships, being used or played by guys. And, it’s not fun. Thinking you’ve found someone that loves you for you, and it turns out to just be a game to them. But I can hear in your voice how sincere you are, and you mean what you say. And that really just warms my heart. So thank you.”

“Well I’m happy to be the one to say those words to you. And I hope you really do trust me when I say, you’re going to find someone here. Whether it’s me, which I hope it is, or another one of these guys, you’ll find your person. I promise you that.”

Conversations continued throughout the night, some more awkward than others. Particularly with the younger guys like Matt Rempe and Luke Hughes. Both of them taking awhile to open up, but as soon as they did another guy was coming to take their place.

Jamie made a point to ask if you were serious about his shoulder massage, to which you told him if he won the date with you next week you’d promise to give him one.

Trevor and Cole were probably the most talkative out of any of the guys, both full of energy and constantly cracking jokes. Which you appreciated since you knew you needed to find a guy that could make you laugh, that was non-negotiable.

You were sure that Nico was thankful when Quinn came to interrupt the two of you. You’d been talking Nico’s ear off asking him about Switzerland, his taste in music, anything you could think of to get to know him better in the short amount of time. But little did you know he found it adorable, loving how sincerely interested you were in learning about where he’s from, and his interests. He wished he didn’t have to let anyone else have their time with you because he could’ve talked for hours.

Quinn noticed you were a bit talked out when he walked in, but he didn’t mind. Taking the league in telling you about himself, making a point to talk about his love for his family and how important they were to him. He expressed that his past relationship struggles weren’t exactly his fault, as he wanted to be sure the girl he chose to be with would love his family and vice versa. He was a picky sort of guy, but he wasn’t the type to waste anyone’s time when he knew what he wanted, and you appreciated that. Hearing him talk about his family and the love he had for them, it warmed your heart because you could only hope that you’d be the girl Quinn chose to meet his family one day.

As the night was winding down, with only a few guys left to talk to, you found yourself realizing that also meant an elimination was just around the corner.

“How the hell am I gonna do this?”

Questioning yourself as you paced the floor, your thoughts the only noise in the room, you tried to imagine who you would eliminate. But it seemed almost impossible to choose, they were all so amazing. Sure some conversations weren’t the best, but no one had given you a reason to say goodbye to them so soon. Not to mention you still needed to decide who would get the first rose of the night.

“Ugh!”

Letting out a groan you plopped back onto the couch in a huff, resting your head in your hands. The pressure of things weighing heavily on you as you tried to calm your nerves.

“Is now a bad time?”

Looking up you saw John poking his head in the room, a playful smile on his face as he waited for your invitation to join you.

“Now is actually a great time, please.”

A slight laugh came from you as John found a place on the couch, studying your expression and sensing how stressed you were. Before you could say anything more he pulled you into his chest, one hand rubbing your back while the other rested in your hair. You felt yourself melt in his embrace, that hug not what you’d expected, but everything you needed. John could feel you relax the moment his arms wrapped around you, a smile on his lips knowing such a small action could bring you so much comfort.

“Thank you, I, I really needed that.”

A soft blush on your cheeks as you pulled away, tucking some hair behind your ear as he smiled down at you.

“It’s okay to be stressed. This is a crazy experience, probably more for you than the rest of us. But, a crazy experience nonetheless.”

John’s hand rested on your thigh as his thumb traced circles over the fabric of your dress, simply enjoying being there with you in that moment and not needing to have conversation or ask you tons of questions that could add to your stress.

“Y/n, we’ve got 5 minutes before first rose.”

Biz popped his head in to give you the warning, a soft smile on your lips as you thanked him. Looking at John with a sigh, you apologized.

“I’m sorry we didn’t get time to really talk, I was busy being stressed.”

He wrapped you in a hug once more before heading off to rejoin the group. “Don’t apologize, I think we spent our time exactly how you needed it. And I’m happy to have helped in any way that I could’ve.”

Entering the room to see all of the guys once again, you could feel your heart beating out of your chest. Their eyes on you as you stood before them holding the first rose of the night. All of them were hopeful that their name would be called, knowing it would be a boost in confidence for them heading into next week.

As you scanned the room, you took a deep breath, a smile on your face as his name sat on your tongue, eager to shout it out and see his reaction. But you kept your composure, as you finally called his name.

[thewintersoldierdisaster]

a/n: here she is! my fic for @prettytoxicrevolver for @wyattjohnston ‘s summer 2k24 fic exchange! this was so fun to write and step out of my comfort zone with cole. i hope you enjoy! ☺️

tw: some mild innuendo, zegras sister, brother’s best friend, fake dating

word count: 11.4k

summary: it’s the summer of weddings and just as you’re dreading going solo to them, your brother’s best friend, cole caufield, offers to be your date. it’s the perfect solution, too bad you’ve been madly in love with cole for years and your heart can’t seem to grasp the concept of a fake date.

“Fuck,” you mutter, flipping through the mail and spotting the thick cream colored envelope addressed to you.

And Guest.

Another fucking wedding to add to the summer slate, another fucking plus one when you don’t have a plus one to bring.

Your fingers tap against the cardstock, a frown drawing your lips into a downward curve.

“What’s with the pout, Noodle?” The familiar, grating voice of your brother startles you and you jump, sandals slapping against the pavers that lead into the backyard, the mail flying out of your hands. You could kill your mother for coming up with that nickname when you were a toddler. It’s not that cute now that you’re twenty-two and your brother uses it every chance he gets.

“Christ, Trev!” You snap, hand covering your heart. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

You narrow your eyes at him, sprawled over the lounge chair closest to the pool. It’s only late April, but it was unreasonably warm the last two weeks, so your dad had decided to open the pool early even though no one was likely to use it until closer to Memorial Day. Well, no one but Trevor apparently. if the little puddles of pool water on the ddck are to be trusted.

“Gee,” he rolls his eyes exaggeratedly, clapping both hands over his chest and putting on a faux-earnest expression, “just the welcome home a big brother was hoping for after a long and gruelling season of injury and loss.”

“First of all,” you squat down to gather up the mail, “mom and I were down in Anaheim for weeks when you busted your ankle. And secondly, if I had known you’d be coming home, I would’ve rolled out the appropriate red carpet.”

Your tone is laced with a healthy amount of sarcasm and Trevor doesn’t miss it, if the amused grin on his face is any indication.

“Mom stayed for weeks, you left after fifteen minutes,” Trevor counters. “And what does the red carpet entail? Are there fancy cocktails and snacks?”

Snorting, you fold the mail into a neat pile, holding it in both hands. “I’ll spring for a box of Cheez-its and a case of High Noon, good enough for you?”

Trevor pretends to think about it for a minute, making a show of rubbing at his chin, where a particularly pathetic attempt at a beard is growing, before nodding decisively. “I accept your offer,” he pronounces. “Seriously though, what’s with the face?”

“There’s no face,” you shoot back. “It’s just my regular face when I see you.”

“Dude, you look like someone pissed in your Cheerios,” Trevor snorts, flopping back onto the lounge chair. He waves a hand in front of his face. “You get all pinchy in the eyebrows.”

“I do not!” Your hand flies up to your forehead and smooths over the skin in between your brows, pressing into the little furrow, hating that he’s right. “Ugh, just fuck off.”

“Who’s fucking off?” A new voice, familiar, comes from behind you and you whirl around just in time to watch Cole Caufield step out onto the back deck, a bag of Tostitos and a jar of salsa held in his arms. Your heart skips a beat and you hate it. “I just got here so it’s not gonna be me.”

He grins at you, his whole face scrunching up, and you can pretend for a second until he opens his mouth again and says, “hi, Noodle.”

Fuck.

“Hey, Cole,” you manage a smile in return. “Came to freeload in Connecticut for a bit?”

Your brother’s friend laughs and plants himself on another lounge chair, tossing the bag of chips to Trevor while he pops open the salsa jar. “Is it freeloading when you’re invited?” He shrugs, giving you an impish look.

“Yeah,” Trevor supplies, his mouth stuffed with chips, “if Coley’s freeloading, then you’re freeloading too, Noodle.”

“Mom and Dad actually love having me around,” you shoot back, offended. “Besides, come fall, I’m moving out anyway, so they have to soak up all their time with me now.” You pop a hip out and flip your hair, forgetting again about the mail in your hands. The stupid, thick wedding envelope goes flying and Cole lunges to catch it before it lands in a puddle of pool water. You reach for it, but he flips the envelope over to see who it’s addressed to before giving it back.

One eyebrow quirks up and he says, “wedding season, huh?”

“Four this summer,” you huff a sigh and sit at the bottom of Trevor’s lounge chair, smacking his foot away when he twitches it to hit your thigh. “Oh my god, stop that.”

“No,” he hits your thigh again and you smack his ankle - not the previously broken one, you’re smarter than that. Cole laughs when you and Trevor devolve into a slapping and kicking fight that eventually ends with you on your ass on the patio and Trevor with chip crumbs in his hair.

“The fucking Zegras siblings,” Cole gasps out a laugh, one hand braced at his side. “You two are nuts.”

“Life was so much more peaceful when you were on the other side of the country,” you grouch at Trevor, fighting a blush when Cole sticks out his hand and pulls you to your feet. He pats the edge of his lounge chair, indicating for you to take a seat, and you do, trying to avoid the brush of your thigh against his. Your efforts are futile and it feels like your face is as hot as the sun when his warm skin touches yours.

Before Trevor can get a breath in to start fighting with you, Cole interrupts and asks, “four weddings is a lot. All friends? Aren’t you young to have friends getting married?”

You’re not that much younger than Cole - you and Trevor are Irish twins, both born in March (2001 for Trevor and 2002 for you) so, you’re only fourteen months younger than Cole, not that either one of them will let you forget that you’re younger.

“Don’t hockey players get married while they’re still in utero?” You tease, helping yourself to some chips. “I went to school in Alabama, it’s a miracle I made it out without becoming a child bride.”

“Plus one wedding’s our cousin’s and she’s thirty two,” Trevor supplies. “So not a child bride.”

Cole nods. “Yeah, fair enough. I guess we’re in the wedding season of our lives,” he laughs a little and you find yourself smiling just at the sound.

Goddamn, you’re down bad.

You force your mouth into a more neutral expression before Trevor spots it and starts roasting you. “Weddings are fun,” you admit, the next words slipping out of your mouth before you can stop them, “when you have someone to go with, anyway. Otherwise it’s just a reminder that you’re the sad single with no one to dance the slow songs with.”

Both guys are silent for a beat and you can feel the mortification working its way through your body. Good job, admitting that you’re alone and sad, in front of your stupid brother and his stupid friend that you’ve had a stupid crush on for years. Cole cocks his head at you and you spring up from the chair, nausea bubbling in your stomach. No way can you stand to hear whatever pity-tinged platitude he’s going to say.

“See you,” you mutter, jumping up from the chair and darting off inside where you can’t embarrass yourself any further.

Your mom is at the kitchen counter, chopping vegetables for dinner. She looks up when you come inside, nearly slamming the back door shut. “What’s on fire out there?” She asks, knife poised over the red pepper on the cutting board and a concerned look on her face.

“Just my social skills,” you grumble, swiping a piece of pepper. “Also, it would’ve been nice to have a warning that Terror was home.” You pause, snapping the pepper between your teeth. Add, “and bringing guests.”

“Noodle,” your mom laughs affectionately, “Dad and I have been talking about Trev’s visit for a week now. Jamie’s coming up at the end of the week too. You know your brother, always needs to have his little posse around.”

You roll your eyes at the nickname again. “No one calls it a posse anymore,” you huff, feeling all of sixteen years old again as you stomp off to your bedroom.

The guys dip before dinner, Trevor shouting through the house that they’re going for tacos, which is fine by you. The longer you can avoid Cole, the better.

Unfortunately, he’s staying in your house, down the hall in the guest room. So avoiding him is not entirely feasible, as you learn later that night. The house is dark and quiet, everyone allegedly sleeping, when you creep down the hall and slide through the back door, planning on sitting and watching the stars for a little bit. Insomnia’s been your friend for years and you’ve learned to just go with the sleepless nights, to try and make them as bearable and relaxing as possible. Sometimes you’ll manage to catch a few hours of sleep if you’re in a different location and your parents have definitely

found you curled up on the couch outside during the summer more often than not.

You’re not expecting to find Cole sprawled out on the couch when you get outside though.

“Oh!” You gasp before you can help yourself, before you can slip back inside.

Cole turns and shoots you a warm smile. “Hey, didn’t think I was going to have company,” he says, shifting so he’s not manspreading as much.

You wrap your arms around your chest and shrug a bit. “Insomnia,” you explain even though you don’t have to. “I was hoping some fresh air would help.”

“Cool,” Cole nods and then winces. “Not cool that you have insomnia. ‘Cause I’m sure that sucks. But, uh, cool that the fresh air might help? That doesn’t really make sense either.”

A laugh bubbles out of your chest and you shake your head. “You’re spending too much time with my brother, you’re going to turn into a yapper too,” you hear the affection that’s leeched into your tone and you bite your lip before you can say anything else.

“That ship’s sailed,” Cole laughs. “You can sit, I don’t want to get in the way of your routine or whatever.”

He shifts more to the side of the couch and you chew on the inside of your cheek briefly before taking a seat at the other end of the couch, propping your feet up on the coffee table. Your neon pink toenails glow in the moonlight and you wish you’d put on a pair of socks.

“I don’t really have a routine,” you sigh, pulling your sweatshirt sleeves down over your hands and curling them into fists. “Just kind of sit out here and contemplate life until I pass out or my mom gets breakfast started.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Cole nod and you wonder why he’s outside in the middle of the night but you were born with a brain to mouth filter, unlike Trevor, so you don’t ask. There’s a light breeze, so the pool water ripples and you watch it, zoning out until Cole speaks and startles you out of your thoughts.

“Huh?” You squint at him elegantly, having completely missed what he said.

Cole laughs a little and his smile feels too soft for this late at night. “I was saying, do you have a plus one for all of your weddings this summer?”

God. Why is he bringing this up again?

Your stomach twists and you nod reluctantly. “Yeah. The ‘and Guest’ has been like taking a bullet to the chest every time I get an invitation and remember I have no boyfriend to speak of.”

The joke doesn’t come out quite as light as you meant it.

“What if you did?” Cole asks, turning so he can face you. Your brow furrows again and - dammit, Trevor - your hands fly up to your face to smooth out the wrinkles. Cole continues, “like, I could be your plus one.”

“You have nothing better to do this summer?” You blurt out, regretting it immediately. It sounds rude and you’d love to spend at least four guaranteed days with him.

Cole shrugs, still grinning. “Tell me when the weddings are and I’ll tell you if I have plans,” he says. “I like weddings. They’re fun, especially when you’re just a guest with no responsibilities.”

“Um,” you start ticking the dates off on your fingers, “one’s June eighth, then there’s June 29th, July 14th, and the last one’s August 3rd.” You pause. “The June 29th one is down in Alabama, but the other three are here, in Connecticut.”

There’s nothing but the sound of crickets and the water hitting the side of the pool while Cole looks up and to the left, clearly running through his mental schedule. You resist the urge to gnaw on your thumbnail. Oh my god, this is awful. Why the fuck are you even discussing this with him?

“Count me in,” Cole says and even though you hear him perfectly, your response is a very eloquent, “huh?”

“I’m in,” Cole repeats. “I’ll be your wedding plus one, Noodle.”

That fucking nickname.

But wait.

Cole’s agreeing - volunteering - to be your plus one.

“All four?” You raise an eyebrow skeptically.

He nods. “All four. We’re doing Europe in May, but otherwise I was just gonna spend the summer bouncing between cities to see my family and stuff. I can do that and still be your date for the weddings.”

The fact that he’s volunteering is throwing you off. You rub a hand over your forehead, feet falling to the deck as you lean in, a serious frown on your face. “Like, I appreciate the offer, Cole, I really do,” you pause, chew at your lower lip. Cole’s gaze flickers down and you ignore the burst of heat low in your stomach. Do not even go there.

“But, um, isn’t it going to be annoying, if people come up to you?” It’s a flimsy excuse and Cole sees past it easily.

“I don’t think I’m that recognizable down in Alabama or even up here, unless I’m with Z and Drysy,” he laughs, self-aware and self-deprecating. “I’d like to be your date.”

“I, um,” you have no more excuses. The little devil on your shoulder is screaming at you to take advantage of the time with Cole, to use it to maybe make a real move. “Okay, yeah. That would be nice.”

Cole knocks his knee against yours and a spark shoots over your skin. “Don’t sound so excited,” he teases. “I’m a great date.”

That’s what you’re worried about.

——

The rest of the week passes without mention of the weddings or Cole being your date - you don’t even know if he told Trevor, but you’re betting he hasn’t.

Jamie joins the family for a couple of days and you spend the back half of the week trying to avoid being tossed into the pool every time you have the misfortune of wandering out into the backyard while your brother and his friends are out there.

They go out every night, catching up since they’re spread across the country for the season, and you’re called upon more than once for a pick-up, hauling their drunk asses back home while they act stupid in the backseat.

Cole never mentions the weddings and before you know it, it’s May and the house is quiet again because the trio is off to Europe for a couple of weeks. As crazy loud as the house was before, it feels even quieter now and it’s a little unnerving. You end up outside more often than not, skimming your feet through the pool water now that it’s warmer, thinking about Cole too much.

As if you manifested him, your phone lights up with a text from him. You tap at the screen and smile when you see a selfie of the three of them, cheesing with a gorgeous view of Prague in the background.

‘proof of life, but gonna shove z off a cliff if he asks one more would you rather….’ is the attached message and it makes you laugh out loud, the sound echoing around the backyard.

‘now you know how i felt on all those childhood road trips 😂’ you reply, sliding your phone into your sweatshirt pocket, quietly enjoying the fizz of excitement that Cole’s attention provides.

It’s almost too late to back out of the wedding date offer, not that you really want to, but you’re so nervous to slip up and say something while spending so much time with him. Especially after your friends have asked who you’re bringing as your plus one, curious since you haven’t dated anyone seriously in nearly a year. You really regret RSVPing to your cousin’s wedding with the plus one, your aunt was almost immediately on the phone with your mom, asking all about him even though she didn’t have a name.

That of course opened you up to the conversation with your mom, where she was very surprised when you told her Cole is going to be your date.

“He, um, asked,” you offer her an explanation when she asks, technically the truth.

She pins you with that classic mom look, the one that says she knows there’s more to the story than you’re letting on, but mercifully doesn’t say anything else. She just nods and hums and says, “well, Cole is basically family anyway. It’ll be nice to have him there. You should teach him some of the steps for the Greek dances.”

And that’s that.

But you’re pretty sure she knows that you’re harboring a massive crush on him.

Not that you were overly subtle about it when Trevor first became friends with Cole. But you like to think you’ve managed to maintain some level of chill around him in the past few years.

Your chill is about to be tested in an extreme way.

——

It’s June before you know it and it’s weird to have Cole staying at your house without Trevor also down the hall.

Trevor’s out in California with Dixie. The two of them are back on since he got back from Prague and honestly you can’t keep track of their relationship, so you’re more than happy to ignore it.


Cole comes into town on the seventh, bearing a European tan and souvenirs for you. A handmade candle to join your, frankly obscene, collection and a tiny pocketknife with a fish shaped handle.

You run your fingers over the fish’s scales, overwhelmed by the fact that he even thought of you at all.

“Z bought one and I figured I couldn’t let you be unarmed in the next Zegras sibling battle,” he teases. “They’re like this whole cult thing in Prague apparently.”

“Thanks,” you grin at him genuinely, heat flushing your cheeks. “This was really thoughtful and, um, really handy when I need to give Trev a middle of the night payback haircut.”

After dinner and hanging out with your parents to watch a movie - how fucking sexy - you almost wish you’d told Cole to meet you at the venue. You feel all jumpy in his presence, never having spent this much one on one time with him. Usually Trevor and a whole host of other NHL players are a buffer.

“What time do we have to leave tomorrow?” Cole appears in your bedroom doorway, arms crossed over his chest, shoulder leaning on the door jamb.

Fuck that’s so hot.

“Oh, um, ceremony’s at 4, so like 3ish? I guess?” You twist the ends of your hair around your fingers and then force yourself to stop.

“Sounds good,” he smiles at you, winks. “Get some beauty sleep, Noodle. Not that you need it.”

The whiplash between your nickname and the compliment has your head spinning for the better part of an hour and you don’t know what to make of any of it.

Somehow you manage to sleep and the next morning is spent getting your makeup sorted out and begging your mom to help you fix your hair. It’s nearly three by the time you’re done and Cole is hanging out with your dad in the kitchen, discussing hockey, of course.

“Okay, ready to go?” You grab up your car keys, knowing Cole will just end up fighting you for them. He doesn’t respond and you look up, heart pounding when you see the way his jaw is slightly dropped and his eyes are a little glazed over. “Um, everything okay?”

Your voice trembles and Cole shakes his head, clearing the fog. “Sorry, yeah, sorry. Just, you look really good,” he says quickly.

“Thanks,” you smooth your hands over your hips, barely able to make eye contact. “Ready?”

Cole nods and follows you out of the house, fights you for the car keys and wins. You slink off to the passenger side, secretly happy that you don’t have to make the drive. You’d much rather be a passenger princess.

The drive is normal enough, with Cole telling you all the non-parent friendly details of the European adventure and you filling him in on just exactly whose wedding you’re going to - your sorority best friend, coincidentally raised in Connecticut too before going to Alabama for college.

Even though you know nearly all of the guests, it’s nice to have Cole at your side when you walk into the venue. He acts a little bit like armor, keeping you from the bouts of social anxiety that you’re prone to. A couple of the guys recognize him, but for the most part it’s low key.

Until he introduces himself as, “Cole, the boyfriend,” and your entire brain becomes the blue screen of death.

You blink at him stupidly for too long and Cole’s face falls into a look of concern. He pulls you by the wrist to a corner of the room and stands so he’s blocking you from the rest of the reception.

“Hey,” he ducks his head a little to maintain eye contact, “are you okay? Did I say something wrong? I thought - well, wasn’t the point of this, of me coming to like stop people thinking you’re single?”

As he speaks, he looks more uncertain and you’re growing more and more horrified. This was a miscommunication of epic proportions.

“No, oh my god,” you whisper, palms sweating. “I didn’t…that wasn’t…I mean, yeah, it sucks to be like the last single girl standing, but I would never have asked you to be my fake boyfriend!”

“You didn’t ask, not really. I offered,” Cole replies, leaning in slightly, enveloping you in the scent of his cologne and your own body wash that he must’ve used in the shower this morning. It makes your head spin a little. “Jesus, Noodle. I should’ve talked to you about it.”

“I…oh my god, Cole. This is so stupid,” you start to giggle, hysteria bubbling up in your stomach. “We need to go correct the narrative before -“

A group of your sorority sisters descend on you in the corner, squealing about meeting your new boyfriend, introducing themselves and congratulating you in hushed whispers on what a cutie he is.

“That happens,” you finish your sentence in a muttered aside to Cole once the girls are gone.

He has the slightly shellshocked look most people have after they’ve been spun around in the sorority girl vortex and you can’t help but let out a reluctant giggle. He just looks so damn confused, it’s beyond endearing.

“Just…don’t say anything else and I’ll deal with the fallout tomorrow,” you sigh. “Maybe you should skip the other weddings too.”

Cole shakes his head, a strange smile on his face. “What if we just, you know, play along? Like, I already thought I was pretending to be your boyfriend, why not have some fun with it?”

Because playing pretend might actually kill you, you think. But you find yourself nodding anyway, agreeing to Cole’s suggestion. And the next thing you know, he’s got his hands on your hips and your arms are around his neck, swaying in a slow dance with the rest of the couples on the floor. Your heart beats wildly in your chest, Cole’s hands a searing heat on your hips.

Your gaze keeps flickering up to his chin and lips, watching the way he half-smiles every time he catches you looking.

“So, um,” you murmur, trying to break some of the tension that probably only you feel, “what exactly were you going to tell people, when they asked about our re-relationship?” You stumble over the word. “Since we never discussed it.”

Cole’s fingers flex on your hips and you think you might stop breathing momentarily. He chuckles and his smile is sheepish now. “I was just gonna go with the truth? Most of it, anyway. We’ve been friends because of Z for years and it just…evolved.”

“Evolved,” you repeat quietly. “Friends to lovers, huh?”

His eyes widen slightly and you kick yourself mentally for saying the word ‘lovers.’

Before you can word vomit some backtracking, Cole nods. “Yeah, friends to lovers, I guess.”

The slow song ends and Cole’s hands don’t move. You try not to read into it - he’s pretending, it’s all just pretend - but by the time you’re in the car on the way home, you’re convinced that your poor heart won’t make it to the end of the summer.

——-

Cole flies out the next afternoon, off to spend some time with his family in Wisconsin. He texts you nearly every day though, which is new.

You try to tell yourself that you’re just building a cover, in case, what? One of your friends steals your phone to try and prove you’re actually in a relationship?

By the time your flight lands in Alabama on the 28th, your nerves are a little frazzled and you’re more in love with Cole than you’ve ever been, thanks to the constant texting and random FaceTime calls. His flight lands thirty minutes after yours, coming from Philly where he was hanging out with Trevor and Jamie, so you wait around the airport to Uber to the hotel together.

“Hey, Noodle!” He greets you with a big hug, swinging you around a little, making you laugh.

“Hey,” you’re still giggling when he puts you down, barely able to protest when he grabs the handle of your suitcase and wheels it out to the curb. “I could’ve gotten that.”

“I know,” he winks, “but what kind of boyfriend would I be if I let you pull your own suitcase?”

Your lips tilt up in a smile, teeth biting down on your tongue to stop the reminder that this is all fake from spilling out.

“A terrible one, I guess,” you joke instead, climbing into the Uber. “How’s Trevor after the latest Dixie debacle?”

“They’re back together,” Cole informs you on a delighted, if exasperated laugh. “At least, they were when I was at the airport.”

“Jesus,” you roll your eyes. “When we break up, promise me it won’t be as dramatic as they are.”

Cole coughs suddenly and you look up from your phone in concern. He waves you off, face a little red. Sounding slightly strangled, he says, “sure, yeah, no dramatic breakup for us.”

“Cool, now let me show you this Tik Tok,” you grin, shoving your phone in his face. “It’s a compilation of all your on-ice falls last season.”

“Wow,” Cole deadpans. “That’s so nice of you to show me.”

You spend the rest of the car ride in your little sister mode, being annoying and showing him the random Tik Tok edits you find of him and Trevor. You’re both laughing uncontrollably as you pile out of the car and into the hotel, but the laughter stops when you try to check in.

“What?” You repeat incredulously. “How do you lose a reservation?”

The young guy at the counter, he can’t be much older than you or Cole, winces at the sharp bite of your tone. “I’m so sorry. But like I said, we have Mr. Caufield’s reservation, but can’t find yours, Ms. Zegras,” he winces again. “It’s a busy weekend for the hotel, we have a dental conference happening.”

“Okay, but I literally paid for my hotel room weeks ago!” You scroll through your email for the confirmation and wave it in the guy’s face when you find it. “Am I getting a refund or what?”

You can hear Cole sniggering behind you, your reputation as the bossy Zegras sibling precedes you.

“We can do a partial -“

“No way,” you cut him off, feeling slightly bad. “I need a room for the next two nights and a partial refund is not going to cut it if I have to go find a different hotel.”

“Little Z,” Cole draws your attention and when you look over your shoulder at him, he’s smirking a little. “Why don’t you stop harassing the nice man and we’ll just share my room.”

“Share…” you trail off and you must look horrified or something because Cole rushes to continue.

“It’ll be like two summers ago when Z booked that studio Air BnB and we all had to sleep in one room,” he shrugs. “It’s only two nights and neither of us snore like your brother does.”

“I…” you really have no excuse, because if this stupid hotel doesn’t have another room for you, you’re pretty much fucked. “Yeah, okay. Let’s do it.”

Cole finishes checking in and somehow manages to swing an entire refund for you, probably because he’s being nice to the guy and not freaking out on him.

You just hope there’s two beds in the room.

——

There’s one bed in the room.

And you’re trying not to show your internal struggle, going about your business of unpacking your suitcase and hanging up your dress so the wrinkles can release.

Neither of you mention the elephant in the room while you get ready for the welcome dinner. Cole’s hand finds your lower back while you walk into the restaurant and it takes all of your effort not to shiver in pleasure at his touch. You let yourself lean into him slightly, telling yourself it’s okay to show some physical affection since you’re telling everyone you’re dating.

He taps his fingers against your lower back absently as you chat with a few of your friends, never straying far from your side. When you finish your drink, he promptly delivers you another one, making your friends whisper excitedly about what a gentleman he is.

You’re grateful that you discussed a general idea of how your relationship happened because otherwise you’d be caught off guard when one of the bridesmaids asks you how you and Cole started dating, considering you’ve never mentioned him before.

“Oh,” you murmur, looking across the room where Cole’s chatting with a couple of the groomsmen, “well, he’s friends with Trevor, so I’ve known him for years. Things just kind of…evolved.”

“Y’all are the cutest,” she gushes. “Keep a hold on him and maybe the next Delta Nu wedding will be yours?”

You choke on air and manage to excuse yourself to the bathroom without dying. The bathroom is empty, thank God, so you get a chance to breathe and compose yourself. It’s too easy to get wrapped up in Cole’s attention, in his gentle touches and soft smiles, and it’s getting harder and harder to remember that this is all pretend.

There’s a knock on the door and then Cole’s voice calling your name. “You okay? I saw you run off…”

“I’m fine,” you call back, unlocking the door and pulling it open. He’s got a concerned frown on his face. “Just, um, you know,” you wave a hand over your shoulder, “had to use the little girls’ room.”

Your whole body cringes and Cole laughs, “is that a Mama Z saying? ‘Cause it sounds like her.”

“Yes, exactly,” you sigh, grabbing onto the opportunity to blame your mom, “she says it all the time. So weird.”

Cole’s smile is knowing, but he doesn’t say anything. He just holds his hand out for you and asks, “want to rejoin the party? Or head back to the hotel? It’s getting kind of late.”

You stare at his hand for a second before taking it, heart skipping a beat when he laces his fingers with yours, an undeniably couple-y thing to do. “Maybe one more drink?” You suggest, letting your smile turn a little sly. “And then we’d probably better call it a night since someone will need his beauty sleep.”

It’s easier to tease him, to stay in that annoying little sister zone, than to examine how your entire body reacts to the feeling of his hand around yours.

Cole laughs and squeezes your hand, letting your good-natured teasing roll over him. “Well, we know it’s definitely not you that needs the beauty sleep,” he says, the compliment genuine and surprising enough that you stumble a little in your heels, forcing Cole’s grip on your hand to tighten.

He doesn’t let go of your hand for the rest of the night, not until you’re back in the hotel lobby and heading for the elevator. Your fingers tingle from his touch and you’d truthfully forgotten about the single bed until it’s right in front of your face again.

“Which side do you want?” Cole asks, unbuttoning his cuffs.

“Hmm?” You blink at him. “Oh, I’ll take the floor or something, it’s your room.” The thought is disgusting, but you’ll take a couple of blankets and it’ll be fine. Anything other than sharing the bed with him.

He looks at you like you’ve grown another head. “Seriously? No chance I’m letting you sleep on the floor. It’s a Queen, plenty of room for us both.” He raises an eyebrow. “Unless you kick in your sleep or something?”

“No,” you laugh faintly. “I don’t kick. I just…I’m fine on the floor. We really don’t have to share.”

“Noodle,” Cole grins, undoing his belt. Fuck, Christ on a cracker, you’re trying so hard to not stare at his hands. This is ridiculous. “I don’t have cooties. We can share a bed like adults.”

Your face feels like it’s on fire, but you really have no room to argue, so you reluctantly agree and grab your toiletry case and pajamas, heading for the bathroom. You change quickly, thanking past you for packing sweats and an old Anaheim tee since you like to keep your hotel rooms cold. While you wash your face and brush your teeth, you give yourself a pep talk, a reminder that you’ll stay on your side of the bed and he’ll stay on his and it doesn’t mean anything.

Cole’s in his own sweats and tee when you get out of the bathroom. “I lowered the a/c to 65, is that cool?” He asks, twirling his toothbrush in between his fingers. “I remember you freaked on Z when he had the temperature set to 70 the other day.”

“That’s perfect,” you reply, tossing your toiletry bag on top of your suitcase and climbing into bed, the right side since it’s farther away from the door. You yank the covers up over your body, curling up into a little ball as far away from Cole’s side of the bed as possible. He already has a Friends rerun playing on the TV, so you zone out for a bit and let the familiar characters distract you.

When he’s done in the bathroom, Cole gets into bed too, stretching out on top of the covers. “We can change the channel, if you want?” He offers.

You shake your head. “Friends is good. So, how’s the rest of your summer been, when you’re not playing fake boyfriend?” You ask, turning onto your side so you can look at him. If you act normal, everything will be normal.

“It’s been good,” he replies, tucking one hand behind his head. You try not to focus on the way his bicep pops. “I’m going to head back out to Wisconsin after this, spend some more time with my family. Then I’ll be in Jersey the week before the next wedding, you should come hang out.”

You snort. “If Trev’s there, Quinn will like, have me blacklisted from the entire state. We’re not allowed to be together because we’re and I quote ‘more annoying than two humans have any reasonable right to be.’”

Cole’s grin is crooked and you want to press your fingers against the curve of his lips. “Yeah, Quinny hates it when you and Z are doing your sibling comedy show bullshit,” he laughs. “But it’s fucking hilarious.”

“Thank you, I’m glad someone appreciates our entertainment,” you reply, fluttering your lashes at him. “But if it’s just Jack and Lukey, maybe I’ll come out for dinner or something one day.”

You yawn and close your eyes, still maintaining a quiet conversation with Cole, the laugh track from the TV filling the brief silences.

The next morning, you’re surprised to find that you wake up rested and still on your side of the bed, albeit with your arm stretched out to Cole’s side, fingers just inches away from touching him. He’s snoring faintly and you laugh under your breath, taking the opportunity to get yourself out of bed and ready to go. You’d both slept in later than you anticipated, so you’ll have to start getting ready sooner rather than later.

It’s getting easier to be alone with Cole, conversations flow and if you’re distracted with your hair and make-up, you don’t think too much about how good he looks in his suit.

“Hey,” you poke your head into the bathroom, sheepish, “can you zip me up?”

Cole dries his hands on a towel and nods, “yeah, no problem.” His fingers are cool when they brush against your bare skin and you shiver, nipples tightening painfully. The zipper sounds impossibly loud in the room, blood rushing in your ears.

“Thanks,” you murmur and when you turn around, you’re mildly surprised to see the tips of Cole’s ears going pink. You’re pretty sure he can’t see your nipples through the fabric of your dress, but you glance down anyway to double check.

“You look beautiful,” Cole comments, looking you over. “I think I’m the luckiest guy at the wedding.”

“Not the groom?” You joke, heart pounding.

“Nah,” Cole’s smile is your favorite one, “definitely me.”

——

“I can’t believe I caught the bouquet,” you groan, holding the surprisingly heavy bundle like a baby in your arms.

“I can’t believe you almost spiked it to the ground when you caught it,” Cole unlocks the hotel room door and holds it open for you.

You shrug, kicking your heels off. “It surprised me!”

“I thought the little redhead was going to tackle you to the ground for it,” Cole laughs, toeing off his own shoes and undoing his tie. The ends hang loose over his chest and your alcohol hazy brain wants you to grab them and pull him into a kiss.

“Lola,” you reply, shaking your head like an Etch-a-Sketch to get rid of that thought and putting the bouquet on top of the dresser. “She’s been with her boyfriend since they were fourteen and she’s getting antsy.”

You both start getting changed without regard for the other person, tired and sore from dancing and scream-singing to Taylor Swift all night. You can still feel the impression of Cole’s hands on your body as you slow danced to ‘Lover.’ It really is so different getting to slow dance at a wedding with someone instead of sneaking off to the bathroom or watching from the sidelines.

“Jesus,” Cole snorts, voice muffled as he pulls his shirt on over his head. His hair sticks up in all directions when his head pops through the neck hole. “No one needs to get married before twenty-five.”

You nod your agreement, crawling into bed with a full face of makeup. You’ll regret it in the morning, but you just can’t be bothered right now. Not with the way your eyelids feel heavier and heavier with each blink. “She’s a child bride,” you mumble. “I wanna do stuff before I get married. Travel, get my Masters, get a puppy…”

Cole laugh is too close to your ear and you blink one eye open to see his face, just inches from yours.

“What kind of puppy?” He asks and you can smell the faint alcohol on his breath. It’s not unpleasant.

“A miniature dachshund,” you reply. “Gonna name him Quinn, just to piss off Quinny.”

Cole’s laugh is the last thing you’re aware of before falling asleep.

——-

You wake up with a dry mouth, a slight headache, and something hard pressed against your chest. It takes a minute in the dark room to realize what’s going on, but you finally recognize Cole’s back pressed to your chest, his ass snug against your hips.

Your leg is trapped in between his, the thick muscles keeping you locked in place.

His arm is over yours where it rests on his waist, his hand holding yours against his stomach.

Your cheek is pressed to the back of his shoulder, his heartbeat steady.

A quick spike of panic floods your veins, but then it dissipates just as quickly. He’s still asleep, he never has to know how tightly packed together you are. But there’s no way to disentangle your body without waking him up, so you sigh and give an experimental wiggle of your leg, trying to get it free.

Cole grumbles softly in his sleep, grips you tighter.

It’s useless to try and escape and sleep is already grabbing hold of you again, the warmth of Cole’s body relaxing you back into the mattress.

A few more hours of sleep couldn’t hurt.

You snuggle against him, your nose brushing his shoulder blade, and close your eyes, pretending.

———

When you wake up again, for good this time, you’re on your opposite side and Cole is gone. His side of the bed is still warm, though. You roll onto your back and scrub a hand over your face, trying to forget the feeling of your body wrapped around his.

The dull ache between your legs is making that really difficult.

The hotel room door opens and Cole walks in, two cups of coffee in his hands. “Oh!” He smiles when he sees you, so maybe you rolled away from him in the middle of the night and he didn’t wake up with you wrapped around him like an octopus. “Morning, I went and got coffees, figured we could use them. I didn’t want to wake you since you looked so peaceful and quiet,” he smirks and you roll your eyes, “but you drink an iced flat white, right?”

“Right,” you reply faintly, taking the proffered coffee. You draw your knees up to your chest and take a fortifying sip. The caffeine goes straight to your brain and you feel better immediately.

“So, how’d you sleep?” He asks, dropping down onto the mattress.

You squint at him, trying to gauge his tone. His face is unreadable. “Good,” you venture carefully. “Um, slept right through the night.”

Cole nods. “Yeah, me too. I’ll still probably manage another couple of hours on the flight to Wisconsin.”

He’s not acting any weirder than usual so you figure you’re in the clear. It gives you permission to act normally too, so you make small talk while you both pack up your suitcases.

“Should I toss this or bring it home with me?” You ask, lifting the bouquet up.

“Bring it home,” Cole nudges your foot with his. “Make sure you remember that you’re supposed to get married next.”

You roll your eyes at him. “I think we can count that out.” But you put the bouquet on top of your carry-on tote anyway, fingers tracing over the soft rose petals.

———

You take your own trip to the lake for Fourth of July with your girlfriends, getting the Spanish Inquisition about Cole and why you never mention him, why you never post him.

Surprisingly, it doesn’t bother you and you find that your answers are more honest than you’d expect in the situation.

You don’t mention him because you want to keep him to yourself. You don’t want everyone to know about your inside jokes and the smiles that you’re pretty sure are yours alone. You don’t want everyone to know about the way your skin tingles when he touches you, how you can feel the phantom touch of his hands long after they’re gone from your lower back or your arm or the back of your neck.

You don’t post pictures of him because you only have a handful of drunken selfies, blurry and out of focus.

You don’t mention him because it’s going to break your heart to have to go back to being just friends at the end of the summer and you won’t get to pretend that any of this is real.

——

You do end up spending a day in Jersey and unfortunately for Quinn, Trevor also pops up unexpectedly.

“Noodle!” He cheers when he sees you, lounging on Jack and Luke’s couch. He draws you into a huge, smothering hug and you fight him, pinching his sides to get him to let go.

“Oh my god,” you whine, pushing him away. “It’s like you didn’t just see me.”

“It’s been more than a month, you dweeb,” he retorts, flopping down next to Quinn and stealing a handful of popcorn. Quinn shoots him a dirty look and yanks his snack away. “You’ve been wedding hopping all summer.”

“It’s been two,” you sigh. “And at least I haven’t been in the Dixie Tik Tok fame vortex.”

Luckily for you, that opens Trevor up to being chirped by all three Hughes brothers and Cole. You settle back into the couch, feet tucked up under you while you watch the five guys take potshots at each other.

Trevor defends himself and turns the heat on Cole, shouting about how he’s hiding a secret girlfriend. Your stomach sinks to your feel and you feel hot and then cold all over.

Cole scoffs. “Just because I didn’t want to flirt with a couple of girls at the bar doesn’t mean I’m hiding a secret girlfriend,” he mutters.

“But there’s a girl involved?” Jack teases.

You think you’re going to throw up.

“No, no girl,” Cole says quickly, too quickly.

“There’s definitely a girl,” Quinn laughs. “Look how red he’s turning.”

“Dude‘s been so cagey about his plans,” Trevor says, taking more popcorn from Quinn. “Can’t keep track of him some weekends.”

Even though none of them are paying attention to you, too busy trying to get information out of Cole, you slip your phone from your pocket and look at the black screen. “Oh, I’m gonna head out,”

you announce, getting to your feet. “Long drive back to Connecticut.”

It’s a little unnerving when five sets of eyes all land on you.

“I just got here,” Trevor complains.

“Okay, so, I know this is a difficult concept for you to understand,” you say slowly, “but my life doesn’t revolve around you.”

Trevor scowls at you and flips you off, a gesture you return before waving good-bye and heading for the door. Cole is a few steps behind you, catching your wrist just before you open the door.

“Hey,” he rubs at the back of his head with his free hand, “that was…there’s no…”

He’s at a loss for words and you don’t really know what to say. He doesn’t owe you an explanation.

“It’s fine, it’s whatever, Cole,” you manage a small smile. “Have fun with the guys.”

Cole’s eyebrows draw together and he looks like he wants to say something, his jaw working briefly. You wait.

“I’ll see you on Sunday,” he says eventually. “Let me know what time I have to pick you up.”

“I’ll text you,” you nod, your wrist warm where his fingers were gripping it.

You step out of the condo and shut the door behind you, of course he’s got some girl that he sees. Just because he’s been your pity date to a few weddings doesn’t mean anything. You’d be smarter to remember that.

——-

Wedding three of four and you’re exhausted of them.

Or maybe you’re exhausted of pretending that you don’t care if Cole sees other girls while he’s got his arm wrapped around your shoulder and is introducing himself as your boyfriend, as if that’s his life’s crowning achievement and not his professional hockey career.

You chew crankily on a piece of bread, too stuck in your own thoughts to notice Cole returning to his seat from the bar.

“Someone kick your hypothetically puppy?” He jokes, sliding a glass of wine in front of you. “Do I have to defend puppy Quinn’s honor?”

“No,” you rearrange your features into a more neutral expression. Or what you hope is a neutral expression. “I just was thinking.”

“Always dangerous,” Cole replies, knocking his knee against yours. You can’t tell if it was an accident or not. You don’t know if you want it to be an accident or not.

Without really intending on it, you ask, “where do the guys think you are this weekend?” And then almost immediately, you wince and say, “you don’t have to answer that, Christ, I’m sorry.”

The stupid chirping in Jersey has clearly burrowed its way into your brain and won’t let go and you feel like an asshole.

“Uh, on my way back to Montreal, actually,” he admits, a strange expression on his face. “Told the guys I was gonna drive up, just to like check on my place.”

“Oh, okay,” you nod, hoping that he would’ve told them that he was with you. But it’s stupid because you’re not really dating.

Cole studies your face and you avoid making eye contact, choosing to knock back half of your glass of wine.

“Want to dance?” He asks you quietly, resting his hand, palm up, on the table in front of you.

“Yeah, I do,” you sigh, putting your hand in his, heart clenching when he laces his fingers with yours again. He pulls you to your feet and has you laughing and dancing halfway through the song. Cole twirls you around, catching you around the waist before he dips you dramatically.

The melancholy is long gone by the time you’re back in the car to make the quick drive home.

“I can’t believe you caught the stupid garter,” your laugh is too loud, soaked in alcohol. You stretch the garter between your fingers, aiming it at the windshield like a slingshot but never releasing it. “What are the freaking odds?”

“A million to one,” Cole laughs. “Isn’t it a thing? Like the person who catches the bouquet marries the person who catches the garter?”

“I think that’s only if it’s at the same wedding,” you reply, leaning your head against the glass. “Hey, Cole?”

“Yeah, Noodle?”

“Thanks for being my wedding date this summer,” you sigh. “I know it’s probably not what you really wanted to spend your time doing, but it’s been so much fun. You’re the best fake boyfriend and real friend a girl could ask for.”

You close your eyes, but can hear the smile in Cole’s voice when he replies, “anything for you.”

——-

“What are you doing here?” Trevor pulls open the front door, pushing you out of the way with the other hand.

“Jesus, Trev,” you snap, kicking at his shin. You smile at Cole, “please, welcome to the Zegras siblings show, refreshments are in the kitchen.”

Cole skirts past the two of you and closes the door behind him, smirking. “I’m early, I know,” he shrugs a little. “Figured I’d hang out while you guys get ready.”

Trevor’s eyes are narrowed and he’s got his palm in the middle of your forehead, keeping you at arm’s distance. “Dude, we’ve got our cousin’s wedding today. Did I double book?”

“No,” you roll your eyes and smack Trevor’s hand away, stepping to the side. “Did you ever think Cole’s here to see me?”

“Why would he be here to see you?” Trevor crosses his arms over his chest, wrinkling his button down.

“He’s my date for the wedding,” you shrug casually, dropping the bomb and heading for the kitchen. You pull a pair of Spindrift cans from the fridge and toss one to Cole. He catches it easily.

Trevor’s eyes bug out of his head and you laugh, enjoying his dramatics. “He’s your date?” He asks incredulously, gaze ping-ponging between the two of you. “What the fuck?”

Cole nods, “yeah, I’ve been taking Noodle to all her weddings this summer.”

Trevor’s jaw drops. And then it snaps shut and his eyes narrow angrily. “Are you fucking dating my sister? Without talking to me about it?”

“Oh calm down,” you snatch a throw pillow off the couch and whack Trevor in the stomach with it. “Not that who I date is your business, but Cole’s been pretending to be my boyfriend, just to like, keep everyone from being all ‘oh, look at the poor sad single girl.’”

“You’re fake dating?” Trevor looks stunned. “Dude, you and mom need to stop watching all those Hallmark movies.” He shakes his head and ruffles his hair.

“Yeah, fake dating,” Cole repeats, twisting the can in his hands. “It’s been fun.”

“You’re both insane if you think fake dating at a family wedding is a good idea,” Trevor cackles. “But good fucking luck and don’t even think about actually dating my sister, asshole.”

He turns on his heel and heads up to his room, leaving you and Cole alone with his parting words. You scoff and give Cole a tiny smile. “Still time to back out, if you don’t want to deal with the extended Zegras clan.”

“I’m all in, Noodle,” he reassures you and for once, the childhood nickname doesn’t grate on your nerves like it usually does.

“Oh,” your cheeks hurt from the size of your smile. “Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

——-

The warning turns out to be unnecessary.

Cole fits in stupidly well with your extended family, charming aunts left and right, discussing golf and hockey with your uncles. Hell, even your younger cousins are having fun hanging out with him.

“This is ridiculous,” you grumble to your cousin, unable to hide the faint smile on your face.

She laughs and bumps your hip with hers, “aren’t you supposed to want your boyfriend to get along with your family?”

You hum, “right. Yeah, definitely want Cole to get along with the fam.”

“Bold move, bringing him to the wedding,” she says idly. You’re quiet as you watch Cole and Trevor do some stupid made up dance routine to ‘Shake it Off,’ one that involves literally so much ass shaking.

“He assured me he could handle it,” you reply, the music changing to a familiar rhythm, all of your Greek relatives transitioning into a circle for the traditional wedding dances. You join the circle and end up between Trevor and Cole, holding their hands with yours. You barely know the steps, but neither do Trevor and Cole, so you’re all tripping over each other trying to keep up with the fast music and your relatives.

“This is crazy,” Cole shouts on a laugh, his hand sweaty in yours.

“I told you!” You laugh back, stepping on Trevor’s foot and nearly falling to the ground. Trevor keeps you upright with his side, sort of pushing you back onto your feet, and you’re off for another circle around the dance floor.

The DJ plays two more songs and goes back to the popular hits, leaving you, Cole, and Trevor sweaty and out of breath as you stumble towards the bar. “Fuck,” Trevor mutters, pushing his hair off his face and ordering three beers, “I don’t think I’ve even attempted those dances since I was a kid.”

“And you still suck just as much,” you tease, taking a sip of your beer.

“I’m not the dumb fuck that almost took down the whole group,” Trevor shoots back good-naturedly.

Cole holds up his hands, “children, children, this is a day of love. No fighting.”

You hold up your own hands in a sign of surrender. Trevor salutes Cole with his beer bottle. “I’m gonna go see a man about a horse,” he says, dropping the old-fashioned saying like it’s a normal thing to say.

Cole squints after him as he walks away. “What the fuck does that mean?” He asks you, casually guiding you off to the side of the bar where it’s just a little bit quieter.

“He’s going to find our dad and see if he’s got any leftovers from dinner that he can steal,” you laugh. “He’s done it since we were kids, no idea where it started.”

“Fucking weirdo,” Cole laughs too and you know he’ll use that bit of information to make fun of Trevor in the future. You fall into w comfortable silence, sipping at your beers, until Cole nudges the back of your hand with his knuckles. “Did I tell you that you look gorgeous? You look insane in red,” his smile is soft and his cheeks are tinged pink.

Your own face feels hot, pleased that the strategic deployment of your skin-tight red party dress is doing what you wanted it to do. “I’ll always take another compliment, especially if it’s from you,” you reply quietly.

The air in between your bodies crackles, shifting imperceptibly. Cole leans forward and subconsciously, you do too. The noise of the reception fades away and all you can focus on is Cole.

“I wasn’t…” he pauses, rubs his free hand over his chin. “I should’ve said something earlier or waited, I don’t know. Fuck, I’m not explaining myself well.”

Your heart feels like it’s stopped beating in your chest, your lungs frozen as you hold your breath, waiting for Cole to spit out whatever he’s trying to say. What you hope he’s trying to say.

“Can I kiss you?” He asks, after a few heartbeats’ worth of silence and you’re pretty sure you misheard him.

“What?” You ask stupidly.

Cole’s smile grows and he steps even closer to you. “I would very much like to kiss you, can I?”

You can only nod, blood rushing in your ears and your heart pounding in your chest. Cole’s free hand comes up to cup your cheek and his thumb brushes over your cheekbone and the next thing you know, his lips are slotted over yours and your only thought is that Cole Caufield is actually kissing you.

A soft little whimper leaves your mouth, swallowed up by Cole’s lips and you can feel him smile, his fingers sliding into your hair to pull your face closer to his. A frisson of pleasure sparks low in your stomach, heat pooling between your legs.

Your mouth falls open, giving him access to slide his tongue into your mouth and the kiss gets a little messy, teeth and tongue and your free hand lands on Cole’s chest, fingers curling around the lapel of his jacket, crushing the fabric and pulling him in.

Eventually, you get dizzy - from lack of oxygen or from Cole’s kiss, who’s to say? - and you pull back slightly, breathing hard. Cole’s forehead rests against yours and he huffs a little laugh against your cheek.

“Um,” you murmur, head spinning.

“I’ve wanted to do that,” Cole says quietly, his fingers still buried in your hair, “for months.”

A giggle bubbles out of your chest and you nod, bumping Cole’s nose with yours. “I’ve wanted you to do that for years,” you confess, equally as quiet.

“Cool,” Cole presses his lips to yours again, a softer, sweeter kiss. “Can I take you on a date?”

“I’m all out of weddings for the summer,” you tease, leaning back against the wall and letting Cole press his hand against the wall next to your head.

“I think we’ll be able to figure something out,” his smile is contagious and you can’t believe that this is really happening.

——-

“Here lies Trevor Zegras’s sanity,” Trevor pronounces loudly, drunkenly, before tossing a handful of grass onto the fire burning away in the fire pit. “It died a week ago when I saw my best friend (“Hey!” Jamie interrupts indignantly.) groping my sweet, innocent baby sister (“Gross!” you yelp, fake gagging.) in my own living room!”

“I may never know peace again,” Trevor continues, ignoring yours and Jamie’s interjections, gesturing wildly with his White Claw. “But thank you all for joining me in memorializing the death of my vision.”

“Oh my god,” you whine, leaning forward to throw the pillow behind your back at Trevor. He bats it out of the air, just nearly missing the fire. “You didn’t even see anything!”

The Hughes brothers and Jamie all snigger when Trevor’s face falls into a sharp expression of suspicion. He squints at you, the effect ruined by the way his stupid polarized sunglasses fall down his forehead, “was there anything to see?”

Cole pinches your ankle where it’s resting on his lap, a warning. You shoot him a winning grin, before turning back to Trevor and deadpanning, “a lady never blows and tells.”

The uproar of noise from your brother and his friends makes you cackle, Cole’s hand around your calf like a brand. He catches your eye and shakes his head at you, smirking. You paste an innocent look on your face and lean in for a kiss while the guys are distracted.

“Stop,” Trevor whines, “my ears are dead now too! My best friend and my sister! Conspiring against me!”

“Okay, Ross Gellar,” you snark, “chill out. And stop sacrificing the grass to the fire pit, Dad’s going to freak out when there’s a bald spot.”

Trevor flops down onto an armchair, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table. “I’ll just blame you, Noodle,” he teases, holding his hand out for another spiked seltzer. Jack passes him one and takes one for himself.

The backyard is cool, mid-August starting to transition into fall. The guys will be heading back to their corners of the continent in the next few days, but it’s the last hurrah for summer. They’ll spend the night and get in their last bits of ‘guy time’ before the season starts. They do it every year and this year an invitation was graciously extended to you. Aka you tucked yourself up against Cole’s side and flipped Trevor off when he demanded that you leave.

No chance you were missing out on any time with Cole before he heads up to Montreal and you head down to Villanova for grad school. You’ll probably end up see Jamie the most out of any of the guys during the season.

“Can we just talk about the fact that these two were dating all summer under our noses?” Jamie jabs his thumb in your direction, passing around a container of Zyn.

“It wasn’t all summer,” you correct with a shrug. “It’s only been a week.”

For whatever reason, Trevor hadn’t mentioned the fake dating portion of your summer, instead just sending around a blast to the group chat that you and Cole were ‘offending his delicate sensibilities’ by making out in front of him at your cousin’s wedding. The fact that he sent the text literally at the exact moment Cole was biting down on your lower lip to muffle mutual laughter at Trevor’s overdramatic soap opera-esque gasp only makes the story better.

Cole stayed in Connecticut after the wedding, taking you out on the promised date and sneaking into your room every night after the rest of your family had gone to bed.

You’d already booked a flight to Montreal for your fall break while wrapped up in his arms, telling bad jokes in your ear while you tried to remember your credit card number.

It’s only been a week, but it feels like much longer and you’re not ready for the season to start again.

“You’re the secret girl he wouldn’t tell us about all summer,” Quinn comments.

“I didn’t need you fuckers saying anything stupid before I actually asked her out,” Cole defends himself, rubbing his thumb over your ankle bone.

“Who? Us?” Jack cackles, setting off a chain of laughter.

You giggle and lean forward, bending at the waist and angling your knees towards Cole’s chest so you don’t knock yourself in the face. The breeze shifts and blows smoke from the fire pit in your direction so you bury your face in Cole’s shoulder to avoid the smoke stinging your eyes. He tangles his hand in your hair, scratching lightly at your scalp, drawing a contented groan from your throat.

“You two are disgusting and I hate it,” Trevor whines, sunglasses fully over his eyes now even though it’s pitch black beyond the glow of the fire.

“I thought your vision was dead?” You snap back, turning your head so your cheek is pressed to Cole’s shoulder. “Isn’t that why we were all called to this funeral?”

Trevor nods, “right, yeah, almost forgot.” He starts humming ‘Pomp and Circumstance,’ and that’s what ends up killing you. Laughter bubbles out of your chest and soon you’re unable to control the hysterical laughter that has you gasping for air.

The rest of the guys crack up too, leaving Trevor to cut off his humming and snap, “what?”

“That’s the graduation song, you dumbass,” Cole chokes out around laughter.

Trevor shrugs, “who gives a shit? You’re graduating from my best friend to Noodle’s boyfriend, it kind of works.”

The heat radiating from your face has nothing to do with your proximity to the fire pit and everything to do with Trevor’s use of the b-word. It’s been a week, sure you’ve been in love with Cole for years, but you have no desire to scare him off.

“What song are you gonna hum, badly, when I graduate to being your brother-in-law?” Cole teases, keeping his arms around you so you can’t wiggle away and escape.

Without missing a beat, Trevor shoots back, “the Hannah Montana classic, ‘Everybody Makes Mistakes.’”

“God, your entire existence was a mistake,” you groan, enjoying the way Cole’s hand is rubbing up and down your back. Without really noticing, Cole’s managed to manoeuvre your body so you’re sitting on his lap, one arm banded around your stomach to keep you in place. You lean back slightly, your head on Cole’s shoulder and he presses a kiss to your jaw, making you smile.

Trevor flips you off and the conversation shifts again, the guys discussing the upcoming season and the changes they’re all going to be facing on their respective teams.

“Hey,” Cole whispers in your ear, making you shiver. “Insider info, Brock’s proposing to Caroline soon.”

You hum, warm in his arms.

“Think you’d want to be my plus one?” He asks, kissing the side of your neck. “As my real girlfriend, not a fake one.”

“Oh,” you breathe. “Well, I guess I can make that work. We’ll have to get our story straight though.”

Cole laughs against your cheek, “it’ll evolve.”

You turn and press your mouth to his, nipping gently at his lower lip, letting your tongue trace over his teeth. His hand roams up your spine and cups the back of your neck, pulling your face impossibly closer to his. Kissing Cole will never get old.

A sharp whistle draws your attention and one of the guys, you’re too dazed to differentiate their voices, jokes, “get a room!”

Cole bites at your lower lip, sucking it between his teeth. You grin against his mouth, moaning a little just to annoy the guys.

“Shut the fuck up,” the voice is unmistakably your brother’s, “they’re gonna use my room just to piss me off.”

You giggle, the noise swallowed by Cole’s kiss, and make no plans to move from your perch. Based on Cole’s grip on your neck, he has no plans to move either.

Now that he’s yours, after years of crushing, you’re not taking a single second for granted.

[cupidbedsy]

how you get the girl ; cc13 ୨୧

➪ summary: cole seeks out his best friend for help to ask out his crush, and it takes her a while to figure out its her he's talking about

➪ warnings: reader is oblivious, crying, cole is down bad bad

➪ word count: 5.1k

➪ cupid's notes: i think this might be one of my favorites. i love cole sm and i should really start writing for him more

© cupidbedsy ; do not copy, repost, or translate my work and designs on any other website or here

stand there like a ghost shaking from the rain, rain she'll open up the door and say, are you insane

There was a knock on the door, and y/n jumped up from where she sat in her dorm room. She landed on the ground with a soft grunt, making her way to the door and opening it. 

When she saw who was standing there, her eyes widened but couldn’t help the grin that made its way up on her face, “Hey Coley.”

Cole was dripping wet as he stood there, having had to run from the bus stop and then stand outside the building waiting for someone to either walk in or out, which was an awkward situation to explain, ‘Hi, can you please let me in? I used to go here and now I play in the NHL, which doesn't matter but I’m looking for my best friend.’

And that’s how Cole was here. Wet and shaking from the rain, “Hi y/n/n.”

“What are you doing here? Are you insane? Don’t you have a game tonight? How’d you get in?” Her mind raced with a bunch of questions, confused and concerned. 

“I needed to see you, I missed you.”

Y/n pulled Cole into her room and gave him a change of clothes, “Let me go throw this in the dryer.”

When the blanket was warm enough she brought it back and threw it at him, “Okay now what is the real reason you’re here?”

Cole shrugged, sitting down on the bean bag she had in the room, “I just felt like something was wrong with you.”

“So you missed your NHL game to come to see me because you had a feeling that something was wrong?”

He nodded, now realizing how weird and stupid that sounded. He gave her an awkward, lopsided, smile, “Yeah.”

She shooked her head, a grin making her way onto her face, “You are fucking insane Cole Caufield.”

“Only for you.” He gave her a wink.

ू ₒ ु ୨୧ ू ₒ ु

say it's been a long six months and you were too afraid to tell her what you want, want

The past few months had been nerve-wracking for Cole and y/n. They both knew the time till Cole’s NHL debut was decreasing and decreasing. They made the most of it however, spending every waking moment with each other when they could, staying at each other’s dorms, going out to dinner, y/n going to his games. They were never apart unless they absolutely had to be.

Cole’s feelings had only deepened with the more they hung out. Every time he would see her his eyes roamed her figure up and down memorizing what she looked like in case one day he would have to pack up everything and leave. 

At games he would see her in his jersey, something in his stomach twisting nervously. He would see her talking to his teammates or another guy and all he could feel was jealousy. Then he would be hanging out with her and she would ask to wear his hoodie and he quickly took it off to hand it to her. 

Y/n wasn’t the only one who had stolen the other’s things. Cole always had a hair tie on his wrist in case she ever got too hot and needed to pull her hair up or it was blowing in her face and giving her a hassle. He stole some of her larger jackets just because they smelled like her and her scent was comforting. He stole her rings sometimes, the metal around his finger giving him something to fidget with when he became anxious. 

As much as they both would love Cole to be in the NHL they were both worried about leaving each other. They had been friends since childhood, always with one another. Their bond strengthened throughout their younger years, each sticking up for the other when needed, and going to each other’s games.

She wore his jersey at World Juniors, and he wore her jersey at her soccer games (both made by her), both screaming out their support. They would wait for each other in their designated spots after each game, running to hug each other once they laid eyes on each other. They always gave one another a small present, a pin or a sticker, or a piece of jewelry. 

The last six months they both noticed the slightly growing distance between them. They were trying to lessen the hurt of him leaving when it came time. Cole had been more worried about her than he ever had been before. He didn’t know if it was his best friend’s protective instincts kicking on or if it was the deeper feelings that had made him feel like this. 

Despite both harboring unknown feelings for each other, they both knew there was a chance that if the other didn’t feel the same, their friendship could fall apart. They were both afraid of how the outcome would end. Cole’s worries were worse than y/n’s, she had been by his side for so long, never doubting him one step of the way, he couldn’t let his stupid little feelings get in the way of that. 

He had been on his way over to her dorm when he received a text from the girl, ‘Bring ice cream and tissues, please.’

His heart broke slightly at the message, confusion plastered on his face. He typed his message in response, asking if there was anything particularly wrong or if something had happened.

She didn’t respond, just emphasizing her first message. Cole sighed at the lack of communication that was going on before turning around and walking back to the parking lot of his dorm to grab his car and go to the store to pick up her favorite ice cream and the soft tissues she had requested.

While he was there, his eyes caught the leftover Valentine’s Day decorations, candy, and other gifts that were severely messed up from the number of times people had gone through them. He sighed when he saw couples rummaging through remnants of the red and pink objects, teddy bears and other stuffed animals, and heart-shaped boxes with chocolates in them. He could’ve been getting them for her. 

He did end up buying a teddy bear, one from the kids section and not from the Valentine’s Day spot. He grabbed her favorite ice cream and some apple juice, picking up her favorite chips and cookies as well. If she was upset, he was determined to make her feel better. He picked the softest tissues he could find and when he was walking his eyes caught sight of the book section.

He looked down at his watch before making a rash decision to take a peek down the aisle. He spotted one of the books she had been wanting for a while and picked it up before heading to checkout. He bagged everything before running back out to his car and driving to her dorm. 

He was lucky that one of the kids that had lived there was walking into the building when he got there, so he just followed suit behind him. He didn’t want to make her come down and get him when he could’ve easily found a way in. He ran up the stairs, not bothering to wait for the elevator, and knocked on her door. 

Y/n sat on her bed, her blanket wrapped around her as she watched her favorite show. She had tear-stained cheeks and puffy eyes, her nose a little stuffed from the crying she had done. She walked over to the door and opened it, before she smiled at him, “Cole!”

He padded over to her, wrapping her in a hug as he murmured, “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head before scooting over and patting the bed, “Come sit.”

Cole jumped onto the bed, placing the Target bag between the two of them, taking each item out one by one, “I got you ice cream, chips, cookies, apple juice, tissues, and that book you’ve been wanting. And I got you a teddy bear.”

Her eyes immediately filled with tears again, clutching the bear in her arms, burying her head into his shoulder, “‘M gonna miss you.” 

The boy furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, “What do you mean? I’m not going anywhere.”

“You don’t know that Cole. You could get the call any day saying you have to go to Montreal. You could leave any day.”

He frowned and wrapped his arm around her, rubbing her shoulder with his thumb, “Is that what’s making you upset?”

She nodded, “I don’t want you to go.” 

He smiled slightly, “I don’t want to go either.”

The two sat in silence before y/n spoke up again, “It’s been a long six months worrying about this.”

“I know.”

And yet, Cole was still afraid to tell her what he wanted.

ू ₒ ु ୨୧ ू ₒ ु

and that's how it works that's how you get the girl

“Start with a romantic gesture. Maybe something from her favorite movie, or something cliche. For example, standing in the rain at her doorstep. Or maybe singing a song in front of a large crowd of people. Or maybe doing one of your fears to impress her.”

Cole nodded as he sat on his best friend’s bed, taking mental notes on everything that she was saying. He had come to her for advice on how to ask out a girl that he had liked for what felt like ages at this point. Despite multiple attempts, the girl couldn’t get out a name, not even a hint about the girl, and that was because he could not let her find out it was her.

“Anything else?”

Y/n nodded as she flipped through the pages in her mind, “She will probably tell you that you’re insane for doing something like that, but… it’s cute. A lot of girls would like a big romantic gesture like that.”

“How would you react if someone did that for you?”

She shrugged, “I dunno. I’m not a fan of public things. That’s embarrassing.” She breathed out a laugh, moving her attention to a stack of books she had to organize.

Cole thought, so singing in front of a crowd is definitely out of the question then. He watched as she rearranged her books on her bookshelf, following her every movement. She had started to talk again, unbeknownst to him. She stepped in front of him, snapping her fingers in his face, “Cole! Cole! Cole!”

He flinched, “What?”

“Pay attention, Cole. I’m trying to help you here.”

He nodded and shook his head of his remaining thoughts, focusing on her, “Okay so… how long have you liked her for?”

He shrugged, “A while, I think. But I think I noticed it about 6 months ago.” 

She nodded, “And you’ve been too afraid to tell her what you want, right?”

He let out a noise in agreement and sat up fully on her bed, “Yeah.”

“Okay, well if you do what I say. You’ll be sure to start dating her in no time.”

“Are you sure?”

“That’s how it works. That’s how you get the girl.” She patted his head and launched herself onto her bed, “What do you want to watch?”

ू ₒ ु ୨୧ ू ₒ ु

remind her how it used to be, be yeah, with pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks, cheeks

Cole was unpacking a box his mom had sent to him, things from home that he might’ve wanted in his new apartment. He felt uneasy going back through some of these things, most of them being something related to hockey. When he got to the bottom of the box he saw a few rectangular objects wrapped tightly in bubble wrap.

He pulled them out, moving the box out of his way. He placed them down before unwrapping the first one. He felt the picture frame and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but when he saw which picture it was he smiled. It was from when they were younger, it was their first day of first grade and y/n’s mom made them take a picture. Y/n gave him a joking kiss on the cheek and both y/n and Cole’s mom had captured the moment. He placed it on his nightstand and unwrapped the next one. 

This one was similar to the one before, but this time it was one from his and y/n’s high school graduation. They were both in their caps and gowns still and she was leaning over and kissing his cheek. Cole was holding both of their empty diploma cases. 

Following that one was another one of a similar pose. It had become one of their signature photos. Every year on the first day of school they would do it, but he had only seen a couple of them. Most of them either lived on an old hard drive or were buried deep in photo albums in one of their houses. This one had been when they had just moved into their freshman dorms and they decided to recreate the photo once more. 

He gathered the two frames he just opened and placed one down on the living room table and one in the kitchen. His apartment instantly felt more at home to him. Something to remember his best friend by made him feel more relaxed. 

ﾟ+*:୨୧:*﹤

When she visited for the first time she noticed the pictures immediately, “Where did you get these?”

“My mom sent them to me. I had them in my room back at home.”

She nodded and held the one that he put in the living room in her hands, “We were so little… and cute.”

The two giggled at her comment, “You’re still cute.”

“Thanks, Coley. You are too.”

The two both blushed at each other’s comments before sitting in silence. Y/n smiled sadly when a thought plagued her mind, “I miss how it used to be. Everything was so simple back then.”

Cole nodded, throwing his arm on the back of the couch, “Yeah. We were never apart back then, were we.”

She laid her head on his shoulder, “I miss you, Cole.”

“I miss you two, y/n/n.”

ू ₒ ु ୨୧ ू ₒ ु

tell her how you must've lost your mind when you left her all alone and never told her why, why

One week after Cole had left, y/n had fallen into a tiny depression state. They hadn’t gone even a couple of days without seeing each other ever, let alone Facetime each other. Cole had been so busy with flying out to Edmonton making his debut and then having to go to Calgary, before finally being able to settle into his new apartment in Montreal. 

She was nervous for him but she was also nervous for herself. They hadn’t got to say goodbye to each other, she had gotten his text while she was in class that he was leaving. She tried to call him but it went straight to voicemail and she felt defeated. 

On the flip side, Cole had been anxious, not about himself but about y/n. He knew about how she typically handled things when she was alone and most of the time it wasn’t the best thing to happen. When he finally got a chance to breathe and sit in his apartment, he called y/n and she answered on the first ring, “Hi Cole! How’s your apartment? Everything going okay up there?”

He nodded, a smile tugging on his lips when he laid his eyes on her picture on his screen, “Yeah it’s been going okay.”

“Anyone giving you any trouble because I’ll fly up there to beat them up for you.”

He laughed, “I know you would.”

The two went silent for a few minutes, a slight frown gracing y/n’s face, “I’m sorry.”

She tilted her head in confusion, “For what?”

“For leaving you. Especially without warning really.”

Her frown deepened at his words, “It’s not your fault Cole. You were, are, moving on to bigger and better things.”

“But I didn’t want to leave you, y/n/n. I need you to know that. I would’ve stayed for you.”

“I know you would’ve, Cole. But like I said, you’re doing something greater for yourself. I shouldn’t be holding you back from your dreams.”

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but you’re a part of that dream. Yet, he couldn’t get them out. He wasn’t going to be the one to ruin their friendship over something like this, she didn’t deserve it. So he kept his lips shut and listened to her talk about whatever had happened that day, the reason he called, going blank in his mind. 

ू ₒ ु ୨୧ ू ₒ ु

and that's how it works that's how you lost the girl

“I don’t think she’s into me, y/n/n.”

“What do you mean?”

“I tried what you said but she didn’t even bat an eye to it. She completely dismissed me.”

Sure it was weird for Cole to be talking about his girl problems to y/n when she was the girl he was talking about, but it’s not like she would ever know. Cole was thankful at that moment for his friend’s obliviousness, it came in handy sometimes.

“Maybe she did and she just doesn’t know what to think about it, maybe she’s still trying to figure something out.”

Cole signed on the opposite side of the phone, growing a little frustrated at both himself and her. Why couldn’t he just say how he was feeling, if she didn’t like him then fine they could just move on, try and move past this, “But what if she just doesn’t like me.”

“I’m not accusing you of anything Cole, but did you do anything stupid to make her think differently about you? Or think differently about her feelings toward you?”

“I mean, I did kind of leave her without telling her why…”

“You’re telling me you didn’t tell her you were leaving to go play in the NHL? You just got up and left her?”

“Well when you put it like that, it sounds worse.”

Y/n rolled her eyes, “You probably broke her heart, Cole.”

Cole let that thought sink in, the thought of leaving y/n there all alone in Madison with little to no friends. Of course, she had other friends but she was always hanging out with him. He repositioned himself on his bed and placed his free hand on his head, rubbing his forehead. He didn’t mean to hurt her.

“Cole?”

“I’m such a fucking idiot. How could I do that to her?”

Y/n felt heartbroken for him, he sounded so upset with himself for his actions. She was also heartbroken by the fact that Cole had these strong feelings for someone else, someone who wasn’t her. She tried to keep her composure by staying silent, letting a tear make its way down her face. She wiped it before talking again, “Cole, it’s okay. There are ways to fix these things. Did you at least apologize to her?”

“Yeah, kind of I think? I totally have lost my mind, haven’t I y/n?”

She just shrugged, “I don’t think you ever had a mind, to be honest, Cole.”

He forced a small laugh, “Gee, thanks.”

“Has she talked to you since then? About what happened?”

“No. She hasn’t brought it up. She said she supported me after I apologized but that’s about it. She sounded sad but also a little angry.”

She stayed silent for a minute, “I hate to be the person to tell you this but I think you lost her.”

Cole ran a hand over his face in frustration, letting her words hit him like a truck. 

ू ₒ ु ୨୧ ू ₒ ु

and you could know that I don't want you to go

It was the first Friday without Cole and she was sitting in her dorm room. He had made his debut two days ago and she couldn’t even gather the strength to watch his game. She felt horrible about it, she was his best friend, and she should support him through everything. 

She watched the movie that they were planning on watching that day, 13 going on 30. It was y/n’s week to choose, hence the reason why it was a Rom-Com. Cole didn’t mind, he would watch every cheesy romantic movie with her if she wanted to watch it. 

He had a game that day, but once again, y/n had no desire to watch it. It was just another reminder that he was gone, she could only handle so much. She sat on her bed, the movie playing on the TV with a bucket of popcorn sitting on her right side. 

Of course, she had to pick the movie in which the two main characters of the movie were love interests and were best friends. It was like the universe was mocking her of some sort. She couldn’t escape the facts. Her heart sympathized when Jennifer Garner’s character felt as if she lost her best friend to the girl he was getting married to. She couldn’t imagine life if Cole got married to someone else.

It was like a blow to the face watching it. She had the chance to do something but she still sat in her dorm room doing nothing but stuffing her face full of popcorn. Much like Elle in Legally Blonde, when the final scene of the movie came up and Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo got married she threw her popcorn at the screen in frustration, why couldn’t she have that life?

She looked at her phone to see a text from Cole, saying they lost and he didn’t want to talk tonight. He had taken the loss as a burden to himself, being new on the team and not being able to contribute. She was honestly grateful that he texted her that because if he hadn’t she would then have to come up with an excuse on why she didn’t want to talk. 

She scrolled through pictures of her and Cole in her camera roll, tears welling in her eyes. As much as she wanted Cole to go and pursue his dreams, the thought in the back of her mind was being selfish, she didn’t want Cole to leave her. They had been together for so long and hockey just ripped him away from her. She had been so supportive of him so she thought she at least deserved a little bit of selfishness.

She threw her phone across the room much like she had done with the popcorn. She sat there crying as the credits rolled across the screen before Netflix gave her more recommendations on what to watch based on the movie, but she was in no mood to watch another romance movie. She rolled her eyes, tears still streaming down her face. She backed out of the menu before putting on a random stand-up show.

He could’ve known that she didn’t want him to go because, in reality, he didn’t want to go either. However, y/n’s mind was like Cole’s and she didn’t want to ruin their friendship due to her feelings. It felt stupid and silly. They had a perfect friendship so why should she ruin it because of her feelings? 

ू ₒ ु ୨୧ ू ₒ ु

remind me how it used to be and say you want me, yeah, yeah

The clouds covered a majority of the sky, not a star in sight. The moon was visible every few minutes once one cloud passed by before another one came and covered it. When the moon was shining, it shone right into y/n’s dorm room where she sat in her normal state with her blanket wrapped around her watching her and Cole’s favorite movie. 

They had watched it since they were children. Every Friday night Cole and y/n’s families would have one another over for dinner and y/n and Cole would sleep over at each other’s houses depending on where they were that night. They would choose a movie to watch and most likely if they didn’t know, that movie would be the one chosen. 

It had been a month since she last saw Cole. She had flown out to Montreal as soon as she was finished with school, going to his games when she could. She had stayed there for a week or two before going back home for the rest of the summer. It being her first time in Cole’s apartment, she noticed the lack of decorations in it, the only thing really there was pictures of her and him.

She looked around her room and a picture frame caught her eye. Cole was wearing his World Juniors USA jersey, his medal hanging from around his neck. They had just won and Cole was beaming and y/n’s lips were pressed firmly against his cheek. The photo they had been recreating since they were 6. 

She smiled when she saw it and something clicked in her brain. Cole had three of the same picture just at different times in his apartment, and when she saw them she remembered how they used to be, much like now. Continuing to mentally flip through things she had told him, she remembered telling him to make a grand gesture; singing in front of a crowd, standing in the rain-

“Holy shit…”

She jumped out of her bed, the blanket falling from around her shoulders. She couldn’t believe what she was thinking, there was no way that her best friend liked her. I mean she knew that she liked him but Cole Caufield, liking her? It was one of the most unbelievable things that had happened in her lifetime. 

She continued to run through everything and anything that she might’ve told Cole that he could’ve done. Even running through things Cole had done for her that seemed even remotely romantic. He had bought her a book that he knew she was eyeing, he bought her cookies and chips when she didn’t even ask him to. He showed up at all of her games that he could. He apologized for making his NHL debut and leaving her alone at Madison when it wasn’t his fault. 

He bought her multiple gifts for her birthday and Christmas, he dropped everything to make sure that she was okay, he made her food when she was feeling down and felt like she couldn’t do anything, he helped her with her homework and helped her study for exams. He did everything for her and she was just now realizing it. 

She mentally punched herself in the head for not realizing it sooner. He had done so much for her that basically screamed ‘I love you.’ Why did it take her this long to notice? She was frustrated at herself for not doing something about it. She literally gave him the advice to get the girl but she should’ve been following her own advice and picking up on the cues. 

She was quick to book a flight to Montreal and repack her suitcase. She ran out of her bedroom, explaining how much she needed to go see Cole and her mom just gave her a knowing smile before ushering her off with a ‘be careful’ and an ‘I love you.’

ू ₒ ु ୨୧ ू ₒ ु

and then you say i want you for worse or for better i would wait for ever and ever broke your heart, i’ll put it back together i would wait for ever and ever

Flying to Montreal wasn’t something she had on her list. But when she had her epiphany she had to see him, she had to get to Cole. 

Of course, it was raining when she arrived. She did her best to shield herself from the water but ultimately failed with how hard it was coming down. To her luck, her Uber had dropped her off a block away from where Cole’s apartment was. Instead of waiting to get a new one she just walked there, her suitcase in toe. 

She arrived at his house, shivering from the rain. She wrapped her coat tightly around her as she knocked on the door to his apartment. It didn’t take long for Cole to open the door, a bright smile on his face when he opened it, “Y/n! What are you doing here?”

“I needed to see you.” 

“Are you fucking insane? Aren’t you supposed to be going on a trip with your family right now?”

“I needed to see you, Cole.”

Cole let her in, stepping aside to create space for her. She stepped in and before she could even think about reaching for her suitcase, Cole grabbed it and moved it in. She was visibly shaking and Cole pulled off his hoodie to give it to her. 

He took her jacket, placed it in the drying, and directed her to the couch.

“So what was so important that you needed to fly to Canada to see me?”

“Remember when you were asking me about that girl?”

Cole nodded his head, looking confusedly at her, “Yeah? What’s this about?”

“And you remember what I said to you when you asked?”

“Yeah you told me to say I want you for worse or for better, I would wait forever and ever. I broke your heart, but I’ll put it back together.”

She only gave him a soft smile and waited to see if the words would click. It didn’t for at least five minutes, causing the two to sit in awkward silence. Cole’s face lit up when he realized what she was trying to say, “Are you serious?”

“If I wasn't, would I be doing exactly what I told you?”

Cole stood up and walked over to her, grabbing her face, his thumbs rubbing gently under her eyes. He let out a soft breath, still smiling, “Can I kiss you?”

“Do you even have to ask?” He kissed her immediately after that, both of them smiling into the kiss. 

If only y/n was as good at following advice as giving it, they would’ve been in this position so much earlier. 

and that's how it works that's how you got the girl

꒰ MISCELLANEOUS PLAYER TAGLIST ꒱

@toasttt11 @chiblackhawks @pucks-goals-penalties @dancerbailey3

CC13 MASTERLIST ; NHL MASTERLIST

TAGLIST ; NAVIGATION

[rowdyluv]

𝒀𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑴𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒔 · 𝒄𝒄22

summary: in which Cole’s long term girlfriend brings home a new puppy that resembles Cole’s childhood stuffie and it stirs up feelings inside him

warnings: use of y/n, not edited, established relationship, fem reader x cole,

word count: i wrote this in my notes app on my phone so I have no idea :(

notes: yes i know this is cole’s doggo it just fit, @toasttt11 gave me the suggestion / idea / request thank you ily toast mwah🥰

Cole sat on the edge of the bed, his hands clasped together as he leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. He stared at the tiny dachshund puppy, its fur a mix of chocolate and cream, as it lay contentedly on the soft, fluffy blanket. His girlfriend, y/n, had brought the puppy home only mere moments ago, introducing it to him as their new pet. Cole's heart had immediately melted, and he had found himself completely smitten with the adorable little creature. The puppy quick to sense his overt affection, as it rolled over onto its back, its tiny paws flopping in the air, revealing its belly. Cole couldn't help but chuckle as he moved to kneel and reach out a gentle finger to scratch the puppy's soft underbelly.

As they continued to play, Cole suddenly lost his balance. He hadn't realized how many toys were scattered across the floor, and as he tripped over one, he tumbled forward, sending him and y/n both tumbling into a heap of laughter. The puppy, startled by the sudden movement, let out a yelp before wriggling its way out of the way from Cole's tumbling body. It stood wide eyed and shakily on all fours, tail wagging furiously, as if nothing had happened.

Cole felt a wave of affection wash over him once more, and he knew that he couldn't bear the thought of sharing this little creature with anyone else but with his love.

As he sat up, dusting off his clothes is when he truly noticed a distinct resemblance between the puppy's markings and his favorite childhood stuffed animal. It was as if fate had brought this little puppy into their lives, meant to be a cherished reminder of his past. He let himself wonder if y/n had noticed the same thing about the puppy’s markings and if the similarities between the two persuaded her decision.

She had seen multiple pictures of him as a young child. Which in those photos he would almost always have his stuffie. Cold leaned over, picking up the puppy and holding it close to his chest. Its tiny body was warm and soft against his skin. It let out a contented yip as it nestled into the crook of his arm.

While they all continued to play, Cole's mind drifted back to a conversation he and y/n had a few days earlier about starting a family and what that would look that. He and her had been together for some time now and both were very serious about the other. It only seemed logical that the conversation came up. During their conversation and thinking back on it now, Cole was overcome with a surge of affection towards her, and he wondered what kind of parents they would make together. He imagined them raising their children in a home filled with love and laughter, just like he hoped they will with the puppy. The thought of sharing his life with her, building a future together, made his heart race. It raced the same way it did the first time he laid his eyes on her. He was as into her now as he was then.

He gathered up the courage he needed, taking a deep breath before speaking. "Y/n," he began, her name rolling off his tongue like honey. "I know we've talked about this before, but I want you to know that I'm serious. I want us to take the next step. I want you to move in with me. I think we are ready for it. I can't wait to see what the future holds for us." He paused, he swallowed down his nerves, searching her eyes for any signs of hesitation or doubt. But all he saw was love and understanding.

She nodded slowly, her gaze never leaving his. "I feel the same way, Cole. I've been thinking about it a lot, and I'm ready. I want us to start this new chapter of our lives together. Whatever it is, I know we can face it together." Her words sent a shiver of anticipation down his spine. He reached out, cupping her face in his hands, and leaned in to kiss her. It was a soft, tender kiss that spoke of promises and possibilities of their life to come.

As they pulled away from the kiss, she smiled up at him, a sparkle in her eye. "So, what do you say? Shall we go pick out a new place together? One that will allow us to keep this little guy?” She squeezed the puppy affectionately, who yipped in agreement. Cole grinned back, his heart swelling with happiness. "I say that sounds like a plan." He glanced around, taking in his cozy apartment, one she’s already filled with her love and laughter, his first place on his own. "But first," he added, "let's take this little guy to the vet, make sure he's healthy. Then we can really start our new life together."

[babydollmarauders]

CHRISTMAS MIRACLE — COLE CAUFIELD

cole caufield x fem!reader

12 DAYS OF KINKMAS

summary: in which y/n gets stuck with her enemy, Cole, and finds out hate can lead to some miracle discoveries

warnings: NSFW CONTENT, long intro, handjob, p in v (protected), sub!cole (ish?). (4.7k words)

notes: welcome to day 10 of my 12 days of kinkmas! we’re in the final stretch of kinkmas and i hope you guys are enjoying it!

this isn’t how i want to be spending the first day of my break.

well, i guess the first hour of my break.

i was just getting ready to head home, dreading driving in the blizzard of a snow storm and taking my time to psych myself up, when an equipment manager called me over. he told me a player forgot his ipad and is asking if anyone would be willing to drop it off on their way home because he’d like to go over plays during the break.

hesitantly, i said sure, i’d bring it to them; but what i wasn’t aware of, and what i’m sure my coworker conveniently forgot to mention, is that the player in question is Cole fucking Caufield.

it’s not necessarily that i hate Cole; on the contrary, i had always thought he was extremely kind and talented.

in fact, when i had originally interned with the Laval Rocket, he was always incredibly nice to me. and in turn, i fell for him a little each day.

but then, he was called up to Montreal, and the following season, i was offered the position of media manager for the Canadiens.

i was excited, i spent the week leading up to my first day thinking about how wonderful it would be to be able to joke around with Cole again. i thought of sketch tiktoks for the team to do, most with Cole as the leading man because i knew he was a fan favorite, and questions to ask as they took the ice for practice.

and it was great at first. Cole was sweet and he was always willing to take part in team tiktoks, always greeting me with a smile. but around a month later, something changed.

no longer was he the kindhearted individual i was familiar with, instead he was cold shouldered and rude; snarky and arrogant. and that’s the way it’s stayed. for the past few years it’s felt like pulling teeth to try and communicate with him, and even worse to convince him to be in team tiktoks.

which brings me to now, standing at the front door of his house, an ipad tucked under my arm as i stand in the blistering cold. snow sticks on my lashes, flurries in my hair, but my toque does nothing to shield me from the cold Montréal air.

if i drove here on the icy roads, my windshield wipers at full speed, just for him to not even answer the fucking door, i’m gonna lose it.

i bang my fist upon the door again, body shivering from the cold, and it takes merely a moment for him to finally open the door.

he greets me with a wide smile, but when he sees that it’s me who stands before him, that cheery facade drops, a cold, blank expression taking its place.

i can hear the news blasting from his living room as the heated air wafts out of the home, blasting my face and making my nose go numb from the sudden cold to warm.

“what?” he asks, voice monotone.

“here,” i shove the ipad into his chest harshly, making him cough from the sudden impact, “next time, don’t leave your fucking ipad at the rink.”

he glares back, taking the ipad into his hands and parting his lips to argue.

“it was an accident,” he sneers, “trust me, if i knew you would bring it to me, i definitely would’ve double checked i had it.”

you.

my body fills with anger, insulted yet hurt by the way he says it. as though he’s repulsed by me.

“ya know what, asshole?” i don’t even get to finish my quip before i’m cut off a loud alarm coming from the tv.

it gathers both he and i’s attention, his head snapping back to look at the screen, while i peer around him to see it.

“with the blizzard picking up and roads becoming icier, officials have reported that all roads will now be closed for the night. stay inside and stay warm. we’ll get back to you when the storm passes.”

the news reporters words echo through my head, forcing me to end my comeback and just turn around.

i take a step towards the stairs that lead up to his door, but i’m stopped almost immediately.

“hey, where are you going?” Cole calls out from behind me.

“home!”

“they just said the roads are closed.”

“exactly,” i huff, “which means i need to get going quick so that if i get pulled over, i can say i was already driving.”

i’m about to take a step down the stairs when a hand wraps around my forearm, pulling me back.

“don’t be stupid, y/n,” he says, “you’re gonna crash, and i’m not living with your death on my fucking conscience.”

i turn to look at him, a heated glare in my eyes, “i’m not staying with you.”

a mischievous smirk spreads across his lips as he pushes me toward his open door, “yeah, you are.”

i stumble into the warm house, a stark contrast to the weather outside, and i just get my bearing when i hear the door shut, Cole flipping the lock and walking idly past me towards the living room.

“what the fuck is your problem?” i huff, shaking my head as i succumb to my fate, removing my coat and hanging it on a coat hook next to his door.

“my problem?” he looks over at me astonished, “i’m trying not to let you die.”

i roll my eyes, my arms crossing over my chest.

“i would not have died.” but he’s not paying any attention to my words, his eyes locked on something else entirely.

i follow his line of sight straight down to my breasts, inadvertently pushed up from my crossed arms, and my nipples pebbling through my thin dress.

“oh my god,” i hiss, moving my arms to cover my breasts, “fucking pig.”

his eyes snap up to mine before he rolls them.

“get over yourself, it’s nothing special.”

for some reason, i feel offended. not that him looking at them was great, but the way he shrugs it off and implies my tits are average?

“oh fuck off,” i fume, “people would pay to see these.”

he smirks, wiggling his eyebrows a few times, “you saying people pay to see you naked?”

“what? no!” i’m at a loss for words, not an easy achievement for most people, and yet a common occurrence when i’m around him.

“pretty sure that’s what you implied. and i’m sorry to let you down, but i’m not paying twenty bucks to see your rack.”

i gape, blinking at him in shock, “you couldn’t even pay me fifty to see these!”

i’m not even sure why i’m letting this conversation drag on; why i’m even entertaining it.

i sigh, stalking past him and bumping into his shoulder as i make my way to the living room.

“why would i pay when i could see them for free?” he chuckles at my lame tantrum, following behind me.

“what makes you think that?” i sneer, dropping down on the couch, Cole quick to follow.

“well that’s why you took the job, right?” he laughs, “it’s why you were constantly putting me in the spotlight of the team tiktoks and why you were always so buddy-buddy with me? you’re into me.”

i stare back at him in anger, but also frustration. frustration that anyone would think i would take a job just for a man.

“let’s set things fucking straight,” i snap, “i took the job because it was good pay and i grew up here, therefore, the Canadiens are my team and the plan was always to work for them. long before you showed up.

“i put you in the spotlight of the tiktoks because you’re the fan favorite. you have teeny-bopper girls fawning over your nice guy act and for some reason they fucking eat it up. and finally, i was ‘buddy-buddy’ with you because i thought you were a nice fucking guy and you made me believe we could be friends. never would i ever make a career decision for a fucking guy.”

i’m absolutely seething by the end of my rant, one knee bent on the couch and my body twisted to face him.

“sure.”

that one worded response sets me off. i don’t know what it is about Cole Caufield that gives him the ability to get under my skin like nobody else has, but i’m absolutely rageful.

“god, i can’t believe i ever fucking liked you!” i freeze. the words slipped out before i even had a second to process them, and now i watch as a cocky grin paints his face.

“so you admit, you like me.”

“liked. past tense,” i tell him, “i fell victim to your charming, nice guy facade. but never again.”

“you keep saying that!” he grunts, “i am a nice guy!”

“yeah? well, you certainly pick and choose who to be nice to, and for some reason, i’m not on that list.”

i can’t understand for the life of me why i’m suddenly feeling emotional, but i decide in the moment to blame it on pent up frustration. i always have been an angry crier.

“which is fine,” i sniffle, “but god, you didn’t have to be such a fucking dick. i liked you and i thought you liked me; but then all of a sudden you switched up. you started hating me, and i don’t even know what i did!”

Cole seems at a loss for words, shocked by sudden change of emotions. but, he also seems confused, his brows furrowed and a frown upon his lips.

“you don’t know?” he huffs, “i literally asked you out like five times, y/n! and you rejected me every single time!”

now it’s my turn to be confused, “what? no, you didn’t.”

“uh, yeah, i did! i asked if you wanted to go out for drinks after games like five times and every time you said no!”

realization dawns on me, clarity filling my head, and i can’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

“why are you laughing?!” Cole groans, head falling onto the back of the couch and hands covering his face.

“because,” i giggle, “this is ridiculous.”

“how?” his response is muffled by the palms of his hands, but i can hear the frustration in his voice.

“because you asked me out five times and all five times, i thought you were just asking if i wanted to join the team for drinks!”

his hands fly away from his face, head snapping up to look at me, “what?!”

i nod my head, overcome by a fit of giggles.

“you thought i was asking you…. to hang out as a group?”

“yes!” i cackle, “and i get uncomfortable in crowded bars, so i made excuses! jesus, Cole! we’ve hated each other for years because i misunderstood your idea of a date!”

Cole is silent for a moment, staring off in front of him at the news playing on the tv, before he slowly begins chuckling.

“oh my god,” he laughs, a hand slapping down on his thigh and making me laugh even harder, “so you hate me now, don’t you?”

“oh yeah,” i nod, “you were a dick!”

“hey!” he chuckles, “you weren’t very nice to me either! i mean just like fifteen minutes ago you shoved an ipad into my chest!”

“you deserved that.” i point to him, narrowing my eyes.

he shrugs, “alright, yeah, i deserved that.”

the room goes mostly quiet, Cole watching the news, while my sight is drawn to the window, watching the snow cascade down to the ground.

we sit there for at least half an hour, him flipping through channels and me watching the blizzard, before a lightbulb goes off in my head.

“hey, i have an idea.” i announce, catching Cole’s attention.

“hmm?”

“i’m sure we both still have some pent up anger and frustration, we can’t exactly just erase the past couple years of hating each other,” he hums for me to continue, “how about a snowball fight?”

he glances over at me with a singular raised brow, “a snowball fight? what, like we’re six?”

“exactly!” i nod, “we get to pelt each other with snowballs and let out any residual anger towards each other, and then we get to start anew. get a clean slate. whadd’ya say?”

his eyes flicker between me and the window for several moments before he nods, “i say let’s do it.”

with that, we scurry from the couch, bundling back into our coats and toque’s, he even lends me a pair of gloves, and then we’re running out into the thick blanket of snow that covers the ground.

we agree on fifteen minutes to build our shields, hurrying to build snow walls as high as we can, and once i deem the ten minutes over, i’m hiding behind my wall, crafting snowballs into a pile beside me.

grabbing one in my hand, i peer out from behind my shield, watch as Cole does the same, and on instinct my hand flexes forward, throwing the snowball as hard as i can.

obviously not from here, Cole’s shield crumbles upon my third snowball throw, making me cackle as the snow cascades down upon him.

he looks over at me with a glare and i duck down, listening to the pelt of snowballs against my shield, but then it goes quiet and all i can hear is the crunch of snow until suddenly it stops.

my brows thread together as i keep an ear out for any sound, but just as i’m about to peer over my wall, it comes crumbling down, and i look up to find the culprit grinning victoriously.

“hey! no fair!” i huff, throwing a snowball right at his chest. he gapes back at me in astonishment.

“you knocked mine down too!” he shouts, a snowball hitting me in the shoulder.

“yeah, but that was an accident! yours was just poorly made!” another snowball to his shoulder, “mine was made well, you knocked it down on purpose!”

he shrugs, taking off and crunching through the snow as he tries to get away. he stops to pick up more snow and i take my chance to throw, hitting him square in the back.

but he doesn’t even turn around, tossing a snowball over his shoulder. i attempt to dodge it but my efforts are in vain as the snow lands directly on the top of my head, making me scoff in frustration.

“rude!” i yell, taking aim and hitting him directly in the back of the head. snow sticks his hair and he whips around to look at me, but upon seeing me; my hat knocked off and snow covering the top of my head, he starts laughing.

“that’s it!” i call out, stomping over to where he’s fallen onto his butt mid-laughter, his eyes squeezed closed as he chuckles with glee.

towering over him, i hold a snowball in my hand, not throwing it, but instead smashing it upon the top of his head.

his laughter falters, his eyes flying open to scowl up at me as i begin to giggle.

“you’re right, that was pretty funny!” i laugh, but i don’t make it long before i step forward, my foot hitting an icy patch of grass, and i fall forward, a squeal leaving my lips as i land on top of him.

“shit.” i breathe out.

“guess you really did fall for me.” he quips and i roll my eyes, but despite the cheesy line and the freezing cold air, the spots in which his hands rest on my sides are burning.

“that was so corny..” i tell him.

“yeah?” he raises a brow, one hand leaving my side, and i almost mourn his touch, but then a handful of snow is being shoved down my coat and i’m squealing, wiggling on top of him as the snow begins to melt into icy water and trickle down my body.

“oh my god, Cole!” i moan in frustration, my face twisting in discomfort.

“don’t do that.” he stiffens, his hands holding me still on top of him.

confusion pinches my face, but then i feel it, his half hardened cock pressing against my thigh.

my teeth sink into my bottom lip, a spark running through my body, but i push myself off of him, standing up and brushing off my coat.

“ya know what sounds good?” i ask him, stepping back as he stands as well.

“what?” he grunts, a small glare pointed my way.

“hot cocoa,” i smile, “or… something else to warm us up.”

“i don’t know if i have cocoa, but i have coffee.”

i nod, “that works! it’ll warm us up and wake us up!”

Cole trudges into the house and i follow suit, but despite my attempt to change the subject, my mind is still stuck on him being turned on.

a gust of air blows through as i reach the door, a shiver traveling down my spine, and i quickly step inside, shutting the door behind me.

i shed my coat and gloves before kicking off my shoes, hanging my now damp hat on the coat hook over my coat.

trailing behind him into the kitchen, i watch as he opens cupboards, rifling through them. i hop up on the counter, legs pressed together, sitting silently until he huffs and turns around.

“i-” he trails off and i follow his eyesight back down to my breasts for the second time today, my nipples stiff and poking through my dress from the previous frigid air.

“Cole.” i snap my fingers, grabbing his attention as his eyes flick back up to my face.

“hmm?”

“god, if you wanna see ‘em, all you gotta do is ask,” i joke, flipping my hair over my shoulder as Cole steps forward.

“can i see them?” he asks, a wicked smirk plastered to his lips.

my lips part, my eyes wide as i blink back at him.

is he serious right now?

surely he’s joking, but i call his bluff, my thumbs slipping through the shoulder collars of my shirt and pulling them down.

i pull my arms out, the top of the dress now only covering my chest, but he continues staring at me. leveling him with a raised brow as i pull the top of my dress down.

i have every intention of just slowly teasing him, but the fabric glides too quickly, my breasts fully exposed to the chilly air now.

his eyes widen and he stumbles slightly in his hurried steps toward me. my teeth sink into my bottom lip, watching him admire my naked chest.

“you actually-” he cuts himself off with a chuckle, his hands hover in the air before them as he peers at me, “can i?”

i nod, and when his cold skin meets mine, a chill runs through me.

lightly pawing at my breasts, his thumb and pointer fingers pinch my nipples, making my back arch involuntary at the stinging touch.

“Cole.” i whimper through a quiet moan.

he steps even closer, nudging my legs open with his body, and my hands reach out, locking around the back of his neck.

“can i kiss you?” i breathe out.

“fuck yeah.”

i pull him forward, finding his lips with mine in a long overdue kiss, and what starts out slow and careful, quickly heats up into something intense and messy.

my tongue slips into his mouth, pushing and battling against his as he continues playing with my nipples, pinching and pulling, rubbing them between us.

a moan reverberates from my mouth and into his, causing him to smile into the kiss.

“you don’t understand how long i’ve been waiting for this.” he mutters, his lips brushing against mine.

“probably not as long as i have.” i tell him honestly, earning a light giggle from him.

his lips capture mine once more, but his hands divert their attention, trailing down my body and pushing my dress down as a result.

“yeah, i forgot, you have the hots for me.” he grins as i lift my hips, allowing him to pull my dress down my legs and fling it onto the counter.

i roll my eyes, wrapping my legs around his waist lightly, “shut up and take me to your room.”

“yes, ma’am.”

i’m almost frightened by the way my core dampens from his reply. i’ve never generally been a dominant person in the bedroom, but there’s something about him that makes me want to become one.

when we reach his bedroom, i unhook my legs, my front sliding down his body and rubbing against his hardened length as my feet lower to the floor.

my hands find the waistband of his sweatpants, still slightly damp from the snow, and i peer at him through my lashes. when he breathes out a lust-driven ‘yes’ in approval, i push them down, allowing him to kick them off and free his cock from the restraint. he pulls his shirt over his head in a rush, leaving him naked before me in all his glory.

tight muscles and chiseled abs make my mouth water, a sculpted v-line leading to his thick cock.

well, now i know why he has his nickname.

leaning in until my lips are nearly pressing against his ear, i whisper an unsure demand, “get on the bed.”

Cole swallows harshly, nodding as he pulls me toward his mattress. sitting on the edge, he looks up at me, awaiting approval, but i shake my head.

“in the middle.” i clarify.

he follows my orders, sitting prettily in the middle of the bed. an animalistic sensation comes over me, urging me to crawl forward on the mattress, and when i do, i hover over him.

one hand rests upon his abs, tracing the results of his stern training regime, while the other presses into the mattress, holding myself up.

i can feel him shiver underneath me as my nails graze across his torso before i find myself trailing down, wrapping my fingers around his erection and giving a small tug.

a hiss falls from his lips, his jaw clenching as his hips jerk up into my fist.

“aww, look at you.” i coo. i bring my hand up to my mouth, licking up my palm before spitting into it twice, rubbing my fingers into it to lubricate it well.

gripping his cock once again, i slowly begin flicking my wrist, pumping as i stare down at him.

shaky curses and tight grunts come from his mouth, his body writhing underneath me, and the sight is enough to make my core pulse, wetness dampening my panties.

i take the moment to trail wet kisses up his chest, starting from the top of his abdomen and leading all the way up to his collarbone.

“so good for me.” i hum, backing away to spit on his cock.

my thumb rubs over his tip, the mix of precum and saliva helping my hand pump his dick smoothly, and he groans loudly, eyes squeezing shut as his face scrunches in pleasure.

“please, y/n,” he whimpers, his voice cracking, “i’m not gonna last. i wanna be inside you.”

“yeah? you think you deserve my pussy?”

i don’t even know who i am anymore, but i find myself liking the newfound confidence that fills my body.

“yes,” he nods harshly, “yes, please!”

my hand stills, releasing him and flattening against the comforter to wipe off the spit.

“condom?” i question, and he points to his bedside drawer, watching closely as i lean over and grab one.

i open the foil packet carefully, discarding it on the nightstand and pinching the tip before slowly rolling it onto him. my motions earn another huffed out breath of pleasure from his lips.

my thumbs hook into the waistband of my panties, pushing them down and off my legs before i throw them to the floor.

crawling back over top of him, i grasp his cock in my hands one more time, rubbing it through my slick folds. it’s glides smoothly through my wetness, and my head tips back as it rubs against my clit.

“fuck, Cole.”

lining him up with my entrance, i sink down slowly, the tip of his cock penetrating my core and stretching out my walls. the stinging pleasure worsens as i sink down lower, and i begin slowly bouncing with shallow movements until it becomes easier to slide onto his erection.

his hands grip my hips tightly, fingertips digging into my skin, but i can’t bring myself to care as i finally take all of him.

“shit.” he curses through gritted teeth, voice tight.

i slowly begin grinding my hips, my clit brushing against his pelvic bone with every movement, and i cry out as i begin bouncing on top of him, his hips meeting mine with shallow thrusts upwards.

my jaw slackens, breathy moans drifting out as i work my hips up and down, listening intently to the sound of his cock sliding through my wetness as my walls draw him in with each downward motion.

“god, you’re so big.” my words are shaky, my hands clutching at his chest in order to support myself.

soon, my legs begin to tire, shaking in both pleasure and exhaustion, and Cole catches on quickly, taking over the brunt of the work as he begins to pound into me from below.

the intensity of his thrusts sends me falling forward, my tits pressing against his chest, and he takes of the position, capturing my lips with his in a heated manner.

his lips press against mine, his tongue exploring my mouth, and it’s a struggle for me not to cry out as the new angle causes the tip of his cock to graze my g-spot with every thrust.

my stomach begins tightening with slowly building pressure, my walls clenching around him with my impending orgasm.

my toes curl, and knowing i’m close, i break our kiss, snaking my hand between our bodies in order to rub my clit.

“fuck, i’m close.” he gruffs, his hips smacking against mine as his thrusts speed up.

i nod my head against him, “me too.”

my fingers circle my clit, pushing me further and further towards the edge, but before i can get there, Cole is one step ahead.

he lets out a harsh grunt, spilling out into the condom as he fucks me through his release, and the feeling of his dick pulsating inside me spurs on my own climax.

my breath hitches, toes curling as i cum around his cock, my fingers slowing down on my clit.

slumping entirely against him, my head lays against his shoulder, his chest rising and falling rapidly beneath me.

“what the fuck just happened?” i pant, rolling off of him in favor of burying myself into his side.

his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me tighter to him as he chuckles.

“a goddamn christmas miracle.”

i giggle loudly, a snort escaping me and in turn making him laugh harder.

when we finally calm down, our breathing evening out and our bodies feeling somewhat more relaxed, Cole gets out of the bed, disposing of the condom in his en-suite bathroom trashcan before returning with a wet rag.

i open my legs, my hips jerking as he cleans me up, and i wait patiently as he pulls on a pair of boxers, throwing me a pair and a clean t-shirt.

i pull them on quickly, eager to cuddle more, and when he finally joins me back in the bed, my leg is quickly thrown over his hips, my arm resting on his chest as my head gets buried in his neck.

“you’re a cuddler.” he states the obvious, his hand running up and down my back as i hum in agreement.

“is that a problem?” i question, eyes fluttering shut, and i can feel him shake his head.

he pulls me in tighter, pressing a kiss to my forehead, “just an observation for the future.”

“the future?”

“oh yeah, you’re not getting rid of me now.” he tells me, but i can hear it plain as day; he’s nervous.

i heave out a deep sigh, my body melting into his before i answer, “wasn’t planning on it.”

[huggybearluvr]

Hughes sister with Caufield

lover | cc22

pairing: cole caufield x hughes!reader

summary: Cole is dating Jacks twin sister and Jack isn't the biggest fan of his best friend and sisters relationship.

Masterlists

y/nhughes

tagged: colecaulfield, alexturcs, jackhughes, quinnhughes, lukeshughes, and others...

liked by lukehughes, colecaufiled, and others...

y/nhughes hughes style summer with my absolute favs (minus jack)

view all comments...

colefaufield Love you baby! So excited for you to move in with me!

y/nhughes I love you too! I'm beyond excited!!!

jackhughes MINUS JACK?! wow i see how it is, we can share a womb and you still hate me.

y/nhughes shhhh yk I love you.

lukehughes more than me?

y/nhughes no moosey you know your my fav

trevorzegras I still can't believe jack is cool with you and Cole

colecaufield oh he's not, he was whining the whole time last night while you were past out in the bush.

y/nhughes "Why do you have to be all lovey dovey with MY SISTER" and then runs off like a child stomping his feet.

trevorzegras thats accurate.

quinnhughes FAV SIBLING

y/nhughes O M G QUINNER WITH THE ENERGY?!?!?

lukehughes FAV SIBLING?!

quinnhughes yes.

colecaufield

liked by y/nhughes, lukehughes, and others...

colecaufield it's official we moved in together

view all comments...

jackhughes WHY IS MY SISTER HALF NAKED INFRONT OF YOU?!?

colecaufield cause she's my girlfriend? and can be?

jackhughes no i don't like it.

lukehughes me either.

quinnhughes I like you cole. But I don't like it either.

y/nhughes WE. DO. NOT. CARE.

y/nhughes I love you <33

colecaufield I love you too <3

trevorzegras congrats guys! much love!

[prettytoxicrevolver]

Begin Again | Cole Caufield

wc. 3.5k

You start a new year with Cole. Inspired by Begin Again by Taylor Swift and the fact that 2025 starts on a Wednesday. Happy New Years y'all <3

You loved New Years. 

You loved a fresh start, a new beginning, a new chance at life. You had resolved years ago that a fresh start could come whenever, wherever, and however you wanted but the symbolism of this time of year never failed to make you wistful. 

Granted, you gave up new year’s resolutions years ago. You were quick to learn that almost every time you set one, you were prone to breaking it shortly after and that frustrated you to no end. What was the point? You just wanted to enjoy the new beginning. 

This year you were a bit happier that the new year was finally here. After a particularly difficult 2024, the symbolism of the new start was like a wave of relief flowing over you. It was breathing life back into you to be able to begin again. 

2024 brought its unique set of blessings as most years did, with the challenge of a difficult breakup, a job loss, and an unexpected move. In May, your boyfriend of almost two years broke up with you unexpectedly. That unexpectedness quickly turned into the knowledge that he had been cheating on you for at least half the time you were together. This shocking revelation was followed quickly by being let go from your job, two back to back blows in your life that you didn’t think you would make it through. 

You were quick on your feet though, resilient enough to compartmentalize until you got your life back in order. You moved back to your parents house after the break up and instantly started applying for new jobs. You applied anywhere and everywhere, knowing it would be best for you to take a chance now rather than later. 

Thankfully, a handful of places got back to you quickly but one had caught your eye since the beginning. It was a position at the local library with opportunities to create new programs and generate interest into the library itself. It also came with the responsibility of managing their social media and website. 

You went through two separate interviews before they offered you the job and you happily accepted. The only challenge left? The fact that you had to move to Montreal. 

Your parents warned you against the move, scared to have you so far away in case anything happened with this job or god forbid an emergency but you were quick to remind them that if you handled everything with your ex this well and this quickly you could do it again. Besides, Montreal wasn’t a whole other planet away or anything. 

Your parents helped you move into a modest apartment about 15 minutes away from your new job in Canada and when they left you couldn’t help but feel the profound sense of sadness and loneliness take over. Back home, you either lived with a roommate, your ex, or your parents. It was strange to be all alone in a brand new place. 

Thankfully, you settled into your new job quickly. You learned the layout of the library, they started you off with easier work and you jumped into every opportunity they offered you. About four months into the job, you scheduled your first kids program. 

Your whole life you had been a huge hockey fan because of your dad. While you were always a diehard fan of your hometown team, you had been loosely following the Montreal Canadiens ever since their cup run in 2021. The team was young and fun and honestly had the best social media presence out of most of the other NHL teams. 

You reached out, not truly expecting anything, and asked if some of the players would like to come to the library and do a reading for the kids. You were shocked when they said yes and beyond excited as you started to plan out the event. 

In total, most of the players would be there for a total of two or three hours. They would do a couple of readings, answer questions from the kids, and have some free time to take photos and sign autographs. Your boss was extremely impressed by your event and happily RSVP’d to it when you sent out an email to the rest of the staff. 

When the day came for the players to show, you were shaking from nerves and exhilaration all at once. Their social media manager and PR person showed up early and you were getting the final details all set when the boys started to arrive. You couldn’t help but feel a bit starstruck when you were introduced to them as they came in. 

“(y/n), this is Nick Suzuki, Captain of the Canadiens. Nick this is (y/n) the librarian who put this all together,” the PR manager introduced you and your face heats up when Nick smiles at you as he shakes your hand. 

“Thank you for inviting us to such a special event,” Nick says and you nod at him, unable to articulate a sentence for fear of embarrassing yourself. 

The kids had started to file in with parents chasing after them and you were quick to wrangle them, your years of practice coming in handy. The parents looked at you like you were a godsend as you got their kids to play with other kids kindly, look through books on the shelves, or simply sit and wait patiently for the players to read. 

“Hey,” you hear from behind you and you turn to see none other than Cole Caufield standing there. 

“Nicole said you were in charge?” he asks, gesturing over to where the PR manager is surveying the scene. “I’m really sorry for being late.” 

“No worries,” you manage to squeak out and your heart jumps when he smiles at you. “I’m (y/n). The first reading starts in about 10 minutes with Nick so you still have time.” 

“Great. Thanks,” he says and right as you think he’s gonna walk away he pauses. “I’m being rude, I’m Cole.” 

He extends a hand towards you and when your palm meets his it feels like an electric shock to your system. You shiver just slightly under his touch and for a moment there’s a recognition of a familiar feeling on Cole’s end. 

“Uhm,” you say and Cole retracts his hand, clearly embarrassed. “I’ll let you know when you’re next up for the reading.” 

Cole nods and thanks you again and it takes one of the kids tugging on your hand and asking you to show them the bathroom for you to remember where you were and what you were doing. 

Cole was feeling similarly dazed by your interaction. He stumbles to the side of the room to meet up with his other teammates and Dvo stands there with a knowing smirk to his lips after watching Cole interact with you. 

“You should have just asked her out,” Dvo says and Cole whips around to look at him. 

“What?” 

“Exactly,” Dvo says, clapping a hand on Cole’s shoulder and laughing lightly. 

The rest of the event goes on without a hitch, Nick, Cole, and Sam all reading different books to the kids and the free time at the end was the biggest hit. The guys wanted to genuinely take their time with each kid and each family as much as they could and the families were respectful of the players' time. As the library started to empty out both by families and players, you felt a sense of relief and excitement wash over you. 

This is what you meant when you loved new beginnings. This new job, this new place, this new life was all a beginning that you were beyond grateful to have. 

“Hey,” you hear from behind you as you just put away the last book from the shelf and had started to tidy up the rest of the kids area. You look up to see Cole standing there again and you smile. 

“This event was awesome,” he says and your smile widens at his compliment. “Thank you for inviting us.” 

“Of course. I’m glad you guys were able to come and we’d love to have you back.” 

“We’d love to come back,” he says but the way he trails off has you eyeing him with confusion. “You can talk to Nicole or um, you can call me?” 

Your head rears back for a second, confusion and shock at his words evident on your face but you start to nod regardless. 

“Oh uh yeah, yeah absolutely,” you stutter out and Cole starts to smile. 

“Here,” you say, grabbing a pen from your pocket and holding it out to him. He takes the pen from your hand but you’re quick to realize you have nothing for him to write his number down on. 

“Just um,” you say, holding your hand out and Cole looks at you with worry but when you nod he takes your hand into his. 

He slowly scribbles his number on your palm before signing just underneath it. When he’s finished, he hands you back the pen and you smile awkwardly at him. 

“By far my favorite signing of the day,” he says with a wink and your cheeks flame.

“I’ll see you around.” 

Ever since that day at the library, you and Cole had plenty of more run-ins with just as much flirtation as the first time. He invited you out to a game, to a celebration of a win with the guys, you invited him back to the library, and you were quick to learn that Montreal is smaller than it seemed. However, your interactions with the young hockey player never seemed long enough to satisfy you.  

Even with your new found friends and excellent job, you couldn’t help the pang of sadness that reached around your heart in random points throughout the days and weeks. While you compartmentalized your breakup with your ex at the beginning, for months now you had been mourning it. This whole time all you could think was that all love ever does is break and burn and end. It hurt and it hurt and it hurt. You weren’t sure if you’d get over it. 

The beautiful thing about the days going fast was that you didn’t even realize it when December had crept up on you and new years was right around the corner. The Canadiens were off playing in Vegas before coming home on new years eve. The library had given you new years eve and new years day off and you were happy for a bit of a break before jumping headfirst back into your job in 2025. 

“Caufield!” Gally calls from the other side of the plane and Cole turns to him. “Got any plans for new years?” 

“I know where he wants to be on new years eve,” Dvo chimes in and Cole rolls his eyes but lets the teasing bounce off of him. 

“I’ll either end up with you idiots or (y/n)’s place,” he calls back and Gally takes his turn to roll his eyes. 

“You should really just ask her out man,” the eldest Canadiens player tells him and Cole leans back in his seat with a huff. 

Cole had been thinking about doing just that ever since he met you back in September. However, he had known about your previous relationship and never wanted to step over any boundaries. Did he flirt with you every chance he got? Absolutely. Asking you out was a whole other thing though. 

But with the new year starting in a few days he couldn’t help but think about how all he wanted was for 2025 to start with you. He wanted to be yours right at the beginning of the year and follow it up for as many more years after that you would have him. He couldn’t think of a better way to kick off a new beginning. 

When the plane lands and he’s headed back to his apartment in Montreal, he finds himself dialing your number. It takes a second, but after a couple of rings you finally answer. 

“What are you up to?” Cole asks and you look around your living room with a quiet sigh. 

“Absolutely nothing,” you respond with a soft laugh in your answer. “Why? What’s up?” 

“Would you like to go out with me?” Cole rushes the question, nerves taking over. “I’d love to take you out on New Year’s Day if you’re free.” 

He’s about to smack himself in the head, hang up the phone, and head for the rink to punish himself with laps for asking the question when your response stops him cold. 

“I’d love to.” 

You plan to meet on Wednesday, New Year’s Day, in a cafe not far from either of your apartments. You weren’t sure exactly what made you say yes, to your current knowledge you were still mourning your last relationship, but when Cole asked it felt like you might stop breathing if you said no to him. 

You went to sleep late New Year’s eve, with a “happy new year’s. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow :)” text from Cole on your phone and a smile on your lips as you passed out. You woke up far too early the next day, showering and getting dressed in a simple dress and black pump heels. 

Before you leave, you pause and look in the mirror, scanning over your appearance. You take a deep breath, nerves coating you from head to toe. This was Cole. Your friend. You could do this, right? Your mind betrays you though, your eyes catching on your shoes and thinking back to your ex who always hated when you wore heels that made you taller than him. You flinch thinking of the memory but when you scan your outfit one more time you’re struck with the realization that you didn’t just look good, you looked damn good. And that was all that mattered anyway. 

You take another deep breath, smoothing out your dress under your hands before turning towards your door and heading out. The ride to the cafe is short and you park down the block and as you get out, you check the time. It was almost 1, the time you were supposed to meet Cole but your brain flashes back to your ex and all the times you showed up early or on time for him to be late. You suddenly worry that Cole would keep you waiting just like you had all those years before but when you walk into the cafe, your eyes scan the room to see him sitting at a table towards the back. 

He’s quick to stand, waving you over and the smile on his lips has your heart melting in a way that hasn’t happened for a long time. You nod at the hostess before walking over and Cole grins at you the whole time. 

“Hi,” he says and you’re struck with those pesky nerves all over again. 

“I got here kinda early,” he admits, gesturing for your jacket which you hand him and he hangs it up on your chair before pulling it out and helping you in. 

You’re struck with how incredibly nice the gesture is and your heart skips a beat as you take your seat and Cole takes his across from you. The two of you order before jumping into conversation, starting off with how the game against vegas was, how your job is going, and so on. 

“Did I tell you about the kid that hid in the corner of the library until closing?” 

“What?” Cole exclaims and he leans forward to listen to you talk. 

You tell him the whole story, his eyes never leaving yours or your face and you’re shocked at how easy it is to talk to him. Not in a bad way, just in a way that you haven’t felt around anyone in a very long time. It also didn’t help that you really really liked Cole and you were really really nervous for this date. 

“Listen, I couldn’t even blame the kid,” you say laughing. “If that was my mother I would also hide in the library and call her those names when she tried to bring me home.” 

Cole laughs loudly at your words, his head thrown back similar to the way some of the kids at the library do when their friends make them laugh or you say something particularly silly to them. The sight is one to behold, his full white teeth on display, lighting up the entire cafe with the sight and the sound. You want to keep him laughing, seeing that sight because not only could you watch him laugh forever, but you thought it strange for someone to laugh this much around you. Had your ex ever done this with you? You weren’t sure. 

“So, what team did you root for as a kid?” he asks, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. 

“How did you know I like hockey?” you ask, a challenging look on your face. 

“Cause I’ve never met one girl who has successfully explained both goaltender interference and offsides while also cussing about a player not shooting the puck enough.” 

His explanation truly makes your face turn a shade of red you’ve never experienced before. He grins at your sheepish look and leans over, placing his hand on top of yours. The contact makes your heart jump and you find yourself nervous to tell him about your past. After pouring your heart out to your ex who had taken it and trashed it after cheating on you you were finding it hard to let go and let Cole learn about you. But then he squeezes your hand and you feel some calm mixed with courage flow through you. 

The conversation continues to flow between the two of you and you don’t even realize the sun is setting until Cole points it out. You look outside, shock coloring your features and you can’t help the soft laugh that escapes your lips. You hadn’t felt this good, this giddy in a long time and you really didn’t want it to end. 

“Can I walk you to your car?” he asks and you nod. 

He stands, helping you out of your chair and into your coat once more. You watch as he hesitates before holding a hand out to you and you take it. He intertwines your fingers and warmth floods through you with a skip of your heart. 

Your eyes trail his figure as the two of you walk in silence and for some reason you get the urge to tell him about your ex. You wanted Cole to know what you were thinking and feeling, why you might have been a little extra nervous and why you held back more than usual. Just as you’re about to open your mouth, Cole comes to a stop in front of your car and turns to you with a dazzling smile. 

“Home Alone,” he states and you turn and tilt your head at him. “It’s the movie my family watches every Christmas.” 

You nod, savoring the answer to the question you asked him earlier and smile imagining Cole in Christmas pajamas, curled up with his dog, his family surrounding him as they watch Home Alone. The image erases any thought of your ex and you realize all you want to do is sit and talk about every Christmas movie Cole has seen, his traditions with family, and so on. With that thought you realize in this moment you have let it all go, that what’s past is past. You were ready for this new beginning. 

“Um, I had a really great time,” Cole says and you meet his eyes to see him smiling lightly at you and your heart starts to kick up again. 

“So did I,” you respond. 

You forgot Cole was holding your hand so when he pulls you closer, his other hand coming to rest on your waist you gasp in surprise. Cole looks down at you and remembers for the millionth time why he chose today of all days to ask you. He knew he wanted to start off this new year with you in this way. It was the perfect beginning of all perfect beginnings and he imagined a time in your lives when he talks about this day at your wedding; but he was getting ahead of himself. 

Cole leans down slowly, eyes never leaving yours and when you push up to meet him your lips brush and electricity zips throughout your body. You melt into him, his strong body holding you up and you almost sigh in relief at this moment. For 8 months all you thought about was how love breaks and burns and ends. 

Yet here you were, getting the most maddening kiss of a lifetime and your thoughts change once more because of the incredible man in front of you. Cole was a breath of fresh air, all good things in the world wrapped up in the form of a stout hockey player who laughed loudly and loved hard. You were so lucky. Especially since now, on a Wednesday, in a cafe, you were able to watch your life begin again. With a man who would care for you forever. 

[bbrissonn]

𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐲 - 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝

in which even if you've been there the longest, you'll always be second to her

disclaimer: english is not my first language and this is not proofread so please excuse any errors and if any words are missing add them in your head :) also this is a work of fiction, this doesn’t reflect how these boys act in real life, and it isn’t how i imagine them acting 

warnings: angst, swearing , not proofread  

pairing: cole caufield x reader

wc: 5.4k (including lyrics)

a/n: the end is complete shit, but i really wanted to be done with this fic cause ive been working on it for like a month now so yeah sorry about that

guts masterlist

Lacy, oh, Lacy, skin like puff pastry

Aren’t you the sweetest thing on this side of Hell?

Dear angel Lacy, eyes white as daisies

Did I ever tell you that I’m not doin’ well?

Ever since you could remembered it had always been you and Cole, the first picture taken of you two was the day of your birth, two days after Cole’s. Your dads meet at work, and quickly became best friends, and so did your moms when they met. When they all found out they got pregant around the same time, they were over the moon, already knowing their kids would be best friends. 

And they were right. The two of you spent everyday together, your moms always taking walks with the two of you when you were still babies. When you became toddlers, playdates happened almost every evening when you’d get back from daycare. Cole was by your side when the two of you started kindergarten, graduated elementary school, started middle school, graduated middle school, and when you started high school. You were there for each other through it all. 

You went to Cole’s games every weekends and week nights, even going away for a tournament with him and his family during spring break of 8th grade. It was like your two families became one the day you were born, something neither of your parents minded. The longest period of time you were apart was maybe five days when you went to visit your grandparents out of town in 9th grade. 

Of course, that all changed when Cole made the NTDP team, meaning he would have to move to Michigan for the whole season. You were happy for him, obviously, but the fact that you’d be losing your best friend pained you. The two of you promised to talk everyday, but of course things always got in the way with his busy schedule and you started to work a part time job. 

Eventually, your daily phone calls turned into weekly phone calls, and then every two weeks, and eventually you wouldn’t hear from him for a whole months some times. It hurt, of course it did, you always saw his snapchat stories of him and his new friends having fun, messing around, and he couldn’t even find the time to send you simple text. 

You didn’t really understand where his sudden lack of communication came from, but it all quickly made sense when you found out from his brother that he had gotten a girlfriend, one that clearly wasn’t comfortable with how close the two of you were. You had cried in Brock’s arms that night, Cole couldn’t even bother to tell you himself about this, instead finding out from Brock when he was in town for a game. 

When your mom told you Cole would be coming home the next week, your reaction confused her. You didn’t show any signs of happiness at the thought of being reunited with your best friend, instead just shrugging and mumbling a small okay. Later that night, your mom called yours, and she was as surprised as your mom about your reaction, neither you or Cole had mention about a falling out, and the two of you barely ever argued.

Cole’s mom questioned him when he came home, asking if anything had happened between the two of you, the boy quick to answer with a simple no. He hadn’t asked to stop by your house before going home, something he always did when he’d come back from an away tournament, something she found really odd.

When your parents mentioned going to the Caufield’s house that night for dinner, you lied and said you had work. Your parents questioned you about it, you hadn’t mentioned having a shift that night, so you lied again, saying you had to cover for someone else’s shift. They didn’t believe you, at all, but clearly going to see Cole wasn’t something you wanted to do, so they didn’t push it. 

You didn’t hear from him the whole summer, but to be fair, you hadn’t reached out to him either. It was like he became a total stranger in the last year, slowly slipping away from you, and he did nothing to stop it.

But that all changed the day before he left to go back to Michigan. You had woken up that morning with a text from him, asking to meet up at your usual spot at 11. You accepted, of course you did, all you’ve wanted since the boy left the previous year was to see him again. 

You were sitting in the same booth the two of you always sat, watching your phone as the seconds ticked by. Then, 20 seconds before the clock hit 11, he walked in. His skin was tan, his hair a little longer than usually, the only thing that hadn’t changed was his height. 

“Hey.” He spoke softly as he sat down in front of you. Your eyes were piercing through his as your mouth stayed closed. “It’s nice to see you.” He added once he realized you were not going to great him back. His words made you nod a bit as your eyes stayed focused on him. He looked so different, but he still looked like your Cole, the one you spent every second of every day with for sixteen years. 

“Mhm.” 

“I wasn’t sure you were gonna answer me, honestly.” He admitted, even the way he talked had changed. You finally looked away from him, and instead down at the menu. He knew you were doing it simply because you didn’t want to look at him, the two of you had gotten the same thing here ever since the first time you came after one of his hockey game. 

“Wasn’t sure I was ever gonna hear from you, honestly.” You mocked him a little. The boy in front of you sighed as he looked down at the menu as well. 

“I am sorry.” Was all he could say, making you scoff before looking back up at him. His head was straight, but his eyes were still staring at the menu. 

“Fuck you, Cole. I haven’t heard from you in almost nine months and all you have to say is I am sorry?” 

“I know, I know. I fucked up, okay? Trust me, I know. And I am so sorry, Y/N/N, it’s just Bella… She wasn’t comfortable with how close we were.” 

“So you decided to pretty much just end our seventeen years of friends for some girl you just met? Thanks, Cole, that just makes me feel so much better, truly.” You spoke, your voice laced with sarcasm. 

“I didn’t end our friendship-” 

“Oh, then what was it? ‘Cause last time I checked, you just decided to not answer me anymore, without giving me any type of explanation. For fuck’s sake, I had to find out from Brock that you had a girlfriend. I though we promised we’d always tell each other everything! You could’ve just told me how she felt and I would’ve backed off instead of just cutting me off like that. How do you think I’ve been feeling since you left? Have you ever thought about that?” You said, making him go speechless. Luckily for him, a waitress came and took your order. Cole started, going with his usual, but his eyes quickly focused on you when he heard you select something else off the menu. 

“You changed your order?” 

“Yeah, you’d know if you hadn’t cut me off.” You sassed, making the boy sigh slightly before looking down at his lap. 

“Y/N/N…” The boy sighed, his eyes looking back up at you. “I’m sorry, I really am. I shouldn't'… I shouldn’t have pushed you away, and I am sorry I hurt you.” 

“You should be. I had to find out from Brock if you were even still aliv. Have you even thought about how I’ve been feeling? First, you leave, promising we’ll talk everyday, and then you cut me off like we haven’t been friends since we were literally born.” You said, tears starting to form in your eyes, but you quickly blinked them away. You had already cried enough because of you. 

“I know, I know. I am so sorry, Y/N/N. Let me make it up to you, please.” He begged, and you could tell he was being honest. Nothing about his body language was showing you that he was telling you the truth, you just knew. You always knew. 

“Promise me, when you leave again, you won’t do the same thing. Promise me, Cole.” It was now your turn to beg. You wanted nothing more in the world than to get your friendship back, but you did not want to get hurt again. You refused to get hurt again. 

“I promise. I promise, Y/N.” He whispered, his eyes staring right into yours. You nodded slightly, sniffling a little, and the two of you sat in silence until your meal arrived. You slowly started catching up, Cole telling you about his new life in Michigan, while you updated him on all the drama from your high school. When the topic of his girlfriend came up, you stiffened slightly. You knew she was reason he had stopped talking to you, and you knew they were still together since you saw them not long ago. You only wondered if she knew he was here with you. 

“Her name’s Alana, I really think you’d love her. She reminded me a lot about you at first, I think that’s why I was so drawn to her.” He explained, a smile you had never seen before plastered on his face. Those words were exactly the ones you didn’t want to hear. He hadn’t just pushed you aside, he replaced you. He found someone to fill the gap in his life that was missing. 

“Your mom talks about her sometimes, she seems great.” You said, forcing a smile onto your face. The truth was, from what you had heard from Kelly, she was nothing like you. Not only physically, but also in the way she behaved. She seemed a lot more outgoing and high-energized, just like Cole. 

They were a great match, you thought. Perfect for each other. But then, the conversation you over heard your mom having the night before while you were in the kitchen and she was in the living room replayed in your mind. Kelly claiming something felt off about his girlfriend, sometimes giving the family weird looks while she was at their house. In the moment, you didn’t think much about it, but now it kept playing in your head. Cole loved his family so much, they held a very special and important place in his heart, so would he be okay with his girlfriend not getting along with them? 

You wanted to ask him, you really did, but you knew you shouldn’t. Questions about how you knew that information would be asked, and having to explain that you just overheard a silly little conversation your moms had on speaker phone would be weird to explain. So, you stayed quiet. 

Ooh, I care, I care, I care

Like perfume that you wear, I linger all the time

Watching, hidden in plain sight

And ooh, I try, I try, I try

But it takes over my life, I see you everywhere

The sweetest torture one could bear

When Cole left for Michigan again, your friendship was almost what it used to be. There were multiple things that hadn’t picked up again, like your weekly movies night cuddling on the couch in his basement. He has a girlfriend, he can’t just cuddle with a girl now, you had to remind yourself every time you’d think about it. 

It felt weird, like the guy in front of you wasn’t the one you grew up with, like he was replaced by some stranger. But it was him, it was Cole’s eyes staring back at you, not some stranger’s, his smile lighting up the whole room, his voice echoing in the house. It was Cole, just not your Cole. 

Thankfully, he had kept his promise of keeping contact with you, face timing you once a week, and texting you everyday. But it was all so different. He was always busy, either with hockey, or hanging out with Alana, and when he wasn’t busy, he was sleeping. It was hard, but it all changed when he came home from the holidays, alone.

Your families shared a Christmas evening, giving each other gifts, talking during dinner around the table and in front of the fireplace. Festive songs were playing the whole time, the volume so low you couldn’t hear it if multiple conversations were taking place. Eventually, you ended up in Cole’s room, laying on his bed as he sat on his desk chair. 

“I have somethin’ for you.” He mumbled, sitting up and walking over to his closet. He pulled out a letter, your nickname written messily on the front of it. “Wrote it when we were, I don’t know, seven maybe. Found it when I came back last summer, thought it’d be a good time to give it to you.” He explained, handing you the envelope. 

“You had a horrible handwriting when we were young, there’s no way I can read a whole letter of this.” You joked, pointing at the messy letters that spelt your name. 

“Shut up and read the damn thing, Y/N/N.” He whispered, his cheeks turning a little red front your teasing. He was now next to you, sitting next to you as you pushed yourself up. You carefully opened it, pulling the letter out carefully. 

Dear Y/N/N,

I donot kno when you will read tis but I want to tel you that you are my favorite person ever. You are a great bestfriend and I hope you will be in my lyfe for a long time. I realy enjoi when you come to my gamez, I play a lot bedder when you are tere. I think you are very prety two Jacob talk about it all the time. I wish when you read this we are stil bestfriend becoze I love you so moch. 

Cole :)

You couldn’t help but laugh at the spelling mistake he had made, Cole was probably the worst kid in your class at spelling, while you were one of the best. You felt your heart warm up at the thought of seven year old Cole writing this, the sweet smile of his on his face as he messily wrote. 

Cole was reading the letter over your shoulder, he hadn’t opened the envelope when he found it, wanting you to read it before him. His cheeks redden a bit again as he read the second to last sentence, coughing a bit as he looked away. 

“That’s real sweet, Coley.” You whispered, looking over at him with a soft smile once you were done reading the letter. “Your spelling wasn’t cute, but you know, you learned.” 

“Okay, considering I was seven, I think I did pretty good.” 

“You did, you did.” You mumbled as you wrapped your arms around him, his going to your waist as the two of you sat there for a couple of minutes, holding each other close. Well, that was until you were interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing, Alana’s contact popping up the screen. 

“Sorry.” He said, picking up his phone and leaving the room. You couldn’t help the heartache you felt as he left you for her, once again. It wasn’t right, you shouldn’t be feeling so jealous towards her for having his attention, but you were. You had been feeling this way ever since he left for Michigan, you didn’t understand it at first, but now it was all so clear to you. 

You loved Cole the way he love Alana.

Smart, sexy Lacy, I’m losin’ it lately

I feel your compliments like bullets on my skin

Dazzling starlet, Bardot reincarnate

Well, aren’t you the greatest thing to ever exist?

The next summer, right before the draft, you finally met Alana. Her hair sat perfectly, her outfit hugging her perfect body as the two arrived at the restaurant. Your parents decided to have a night out to celebrate the two of you finishing high school, and of course since Alana was in town, she was invited. 

You were sitting next to Brock, Cole in front of his brother and Alana in front of you. Your parents were in their own little worlds, your moms gossiping about who knows what, and your dads talking about sports like always. 

“You look really pretty.” Alana said after a couple of minutes of the two of you being quiet and listening to the brothers. You were previously focused on the two, but your eyes quickly moved over to her when you heard her voice. It was so sweet, like an angel had just talked. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Cole look over at her briefly, a grin appearing on his face. 

You knew she was trying to be nice, befriend you since you were such an important part of her boyfriend’s life. Yet her words made a bullet shaped hole form in your heart. A year ago she had pretty much forced Cole to leave you behind and forget you even existed, and here she was, trying to be all friendly and nice to you. 

“You too.” You mumbled, thankfully the server arrived at the same time, taking your orders meaning your conversation witht he girl wouldn’t continue any longer. 

“So, Alana, where are you going to college next year?” Your mom asked once all your plates had arrived and you all started eating. 

“Wisconsin.” She answered with a smile, smiling shortly at Cole before looking over to your mom. Great. Now you’d be stuck having to see them together every single day next year. Fucking amazing. 

In the car ride home, the only thing your mom was capable of talking about was how amazing Alana was. Alana this, Alana that. You were so fucking tired of hearing everyone talk about this girl all the time. You tried to block out her words until your name was mentioned. 

“Honestly, Y/N, I always thought you and Cole were going to end up dating one day, but this Alana girl, god, she’s perfect for him!” She exclaimed, unaware of your burning crush for the youngest Caufield siblings. That was the last thing you needed to hear your own mother say. When you finally arrived home, you were quick to make your way to your room, locking the door and going to sleep. 

The next morning you woke up to a couple of texts from both boys, but mainly from Brock, asking if you were okay and why you hadn’t answered either of them. Normally, whenever you wouldn’t text the siblings after telling them you would, Cole would text for hours, spamming you letters just so you would answer. One time, he almost came over to your house at midnight after you hadn’t text him for ten hours. 

This time it was different thought. Cole had only left two messages, compared to the hundreds he used to send. 

Hey you get home okay?

Are you alright? 

That was it. No, do I need to come over? Did something happen? Is everyone okay? Answer me please. Nothing. Not even a good night, granted you didn’t text him that either, but it all just felt so weird. It was like your friendship was back, but with an obstacle that made it impossible for the two of you to go back to how your friendship was before he left for Michigan. The obstacle being Alana, of course.

You eventually texted them, telling the both of them that you had fallen asleep almost as soon as you got home and forgot to text them. Brock answered you almost immediately, while Cole didn’t answer you until later that night. You found out during the afternoon that him and Alana were spending the day together, just them, meaning all Cole was focused on was her. Not you, her.

Ooh, I care, I care, I care

Like ribbons in your hair, my stomach’s all in knots

You got the one thing that I want

Ooh, I try, I try, I try

Try to rationalize, people are people

But it’s like you’re made of angel dust

You never thought of yourself has a greedy person, well that was until Alana, of course. You hated her. You had been in Cole’s life since the beginning, literally, you were there for him through every step of his career, whether that be his first game to away tournaments. You were there for all of it. Until you weren’t. 

You weren’t the first person he hugged after his game anymore, and you sure as hell weren’t the first he hugged when he got drafted by Montreal. You weren’t even in Vancouver, the boy completely forgetting to ask for a ticket for you. So, here you were, on your couch watching as Cole smiled brightly into the camera, the habs jersey engulfing him. 

You knew it was rubbish, he shouldn’t have gotten picked at the fifteenth spot. He was so much better than many guys that got drafted before him, but you knew deep down why the teams had chosen them over him. He was too small. Guys before him were almost all at least half a foot taller than him, stronger than him, of course general managers and scouts would look at them before him. But if going fifteenth meant getting drafted by the Canadians, then you were fine with it. 

When you were kids, the Caufield siblings would always talk about one day being the coach of the Canadians, even going as far as taking French classes in high school. Back then, you would all just laugh about it, but now here he was, getting drafted by them. You couldn’t remember the last time you had felt so proud of him, this moment not even coming close to when he told you he made the NTDP squad. 

Tears formed in your eyes as you watched your lifelong best friend, who felt like home and a completely stranger at the same time, accomplish his dream. Yet your heart ached as the camera showed his family, Brock and Alana sharing a hug as they all cheered for him. That should’ve been your spot. 

You had been there for everything, and suddenly this girl just shows up and takes your spot? It made you angry, so angry. She had everything you wanted, she had the one boy you ever wanted. Knowing you’d have to be on the same campus as them next year only making it hurt so much more. You’d be stuck seeing her be with him every single day. See her enjoy having the one thing you’ve ever truly wanted. 

You hated yourself for not realizing your feelings for the boy sooner, maybe if you had you’d be the one wearing his new jersey at the moment. Instead, you’re laying on your bed, Brock on the other line of the phone since Cole was apparently too busy to answer you. 

“It was weird.” The oldest sibling stated, making you fur your brows slightly. 

“What do you mean?” You questioned. 

“Not having you there. It was so peaceful, I loved it.” The boy joked making you roll your eyes as a grin grew on your face. Brock laughed, clearly proud of the very sad joke he had made. 

“It was so obvious I wasn’t there. I would’ve never let you walk out the hotel room with that suit.” You teased, making the boy gasp a bit. 

“Was it really that bad?” He whispered after a couple of seconds making you giggle a bit. 

“No. You looked great.” 

“I am serious though, Y/N/N. It was weird not having you there. I know Cole will never admit it, but he regrets not inviting you, you know.” The boy told you, his tone going from a light one to a very serious one. 

“Is it bad if I say I am not that mad I am not there?” You mumbled after a short period of silence. Your words confused the boy on the other end of the line. 

“What? But you and Cole have been talking about this for years. He should’ve invited you.” Brock stated, getting a little worked up at the end. “You’re more family than she is.”

“She’s more important to Cole than me. She’s his best friend now, not me.” You told the boy. You had been thinking about it for a while, but saying the words out loud hurt so much more than you though it would. 

“He’s being stupid. He remembered to invite some of our cousins we haven’t seen since we were babies, but forgot you? He’s so fucking stupid.” 

“She doesn’t want me there. She thinks of me as like… an obstacle, I guess. I was getting in the way of her relationship with him at the beginning, she asked him to stop talking to me and he did. I wouldn’t be surprised if she asked him not to invite me and he agreed.” 

“Do you? Get in the way?” You knew he wasn’t asking it in a rude way. He just wanted to know if you had done something to make her act that way about you. 

“No. At least I don’t think so. But if Cole would’ve told me before they started dating that he was seeing, I probably would’ve became one on purpose.” You admitted into the phone, leaving Brock a little shock. 

“You love him?” 

“Yeah. I hate her for taking him away from him, but she makes him so happy. She makes him happy, not me.” You cried out, tears starting to form in the brim of your eyes. 

“Does he know?” The boy asked. You scoffed loudly, blinking the tears away before they fell on your cheeks. 

“Of course not.” 

“Are you gonna tell him?” 

“And give her a reason to actually think of me as an obstacle and possible lose my friendship with Cole? Absolutely not.” 

Oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh

The first month of college surprisingly went quite smoothly, you barely ever ran into Cole and Alana. But that all changed when the first game of the season approached, Brock asking you to be there of course. Being so close with Cole meant you had also always been there for Brock’s big moments in the show. You were for his first USHL and College game, having to skip a little school sometimes. But now you had no excuse not to come. 

So, here you were in the stands of the Khol centre, your friends standing next to you as the crowd cheered the Badgers on. Alana was sitting a couple of rows in front, sitting with the friends she had made over the last month and a half. You couldn���t help the jealously you felt every time your eyes landed on her, a Wisconsin jersey hiding her frame, C. Caufield written on the back. 

Your feeling only grew stronger when you made your way down to where Brock had told you to wait, which was of course where Cole told Alana to wait for him. The two brothers came out at the same time, the girl next to you letting out a squeal when her eyes landed on Cole. 

“You were amazing, babe!” She exclaimed as she threw her arms around him. Thankfully, the eldest sibling came in front of you, hiding the couple from your line of sight. 

“Thank you for coming, munch.” He mumbled, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and bringing you into his chest. He didn’t use that nickname often, only during moments where he was really thankful to have you there. 

Your friendship with Brock was one you held so close to your heart, he was like the brother you never had, and you were the sister you never had. You could always talk to him about anything, whether that be something stupid you did, or just wanting to gossip. He had helped you with your nerves on your first day of high school, giving you a tour of the place himself before class started. He was one of your favourite person ever. 

Another reason why you were so scared of telling Cole how you felt about him. What if that meant losing Brock as well, and their parents. You didn’t know how you’d survive without him in your life, he was somehow always right there when you needed someone, becoming more of a comfort person than Cole was. 

“Let’s get out of here, I am hungry.” The boy told you after looking over his shoulder, getting glimpse of his brother and his girlfriend deep in a make-out session. He made sure you didn’t see them, but the sound of their kisses was something he just couldn’t hide from you. 

“They’re disgusting, anyone could see them.” You mumbled as the two of you walked away from the couple, Brock’s arm still around your shoulder. The boy chuckled slightly as he opened the door for you. 

“Be glad you’re not his roommate. Think I might have to invest in earplugs soon.” He joked, making a sour look creep up on your face. 

“You can come crash at mine if you ever need, you know.” You told him. Brock had always been there for you, helping you through though situation, it was always fair for you to return the favour. 

“Got place for an extra tonight?” 

Lacy, oh Lacy, it’s like you’re out to get me

You poison every little thing that I do

Lacy, oh Lacy, I just loath you lately

And I despise my jealous eyes and how hard they fell for you

Yeah, I despise my rotten mind and how much it worships you

As the year went by, your feelings towards Cole’s girlfriend slowly became mixed. You couldn’t help but hate her, but you also envied her so much at the same time. You wanted to be her, you wanted to live her life. Be the most important person in Cole’s life, but most importantly have the boy look at you like you hung the moon. 

But that was never going to happen. You would always be second in Cole’s life from now on, meaning you’d eventually have to move on from this overwhelming crush you had on him. Even if the two of them ever broke up, he’d find another girl to take her spot, a girl that wouldn’t be you either. You were his childhood best friend, and that’s all you were every going to be to him. 

You hated it, but you eventually found yourself trying to become another version of Alana. Picking up on some of her little quirks and manners, something that didn’t go unnoticed by the older Caufield. 

“You’ve been acting weird lately.” Brock stated as the two of you sat on the couch of his shared dorm apartment with Cole. You furred your brows slightly, lifting your head from his chest and looking at up. 

“What? No I am not.” You scoffed, only making the boy next to you sigh. 

“But you are. You switched your coffee order, the order you’ve had for four years. You switched from silver jewlery to gold, you’ve been doing your hair differently, you dress completely the opposite of how you used to. It’s like… it’s like your trying to become Alana.” He mumbled the last part. Now it was your turn to scoff. 

“‘M not.” 

“But you are. Gosh, Y/N/N, you even talked about dying your hair the same colour as hers. Look, if this is how you plan on getting Cole to look at you differently, you need to stop. Becoming someone you’re not isn’t going to help you, it’s only gonna hurt you.” 

“Then what’s gonna help me, Brock?” You asked harshly, fidgeting with your fingers. The boy next to you sighed once again before answering you softly. 

“You need to move on, munch. I know you don’t want to hear this, but Cole loves Alana. I mean yeah, he had like the biggest crush on you when you guys were in third grade, but he moved on, and so should you.” He explained softly. His words hurt, a lot, but you knew they were true. “Why not me? Why her, and not me?”

guts taglist <3 @cixrosie @nhlfs @privatemythss

[sweetestcaptainhughes]

i love having you home - Cole Caufield

Word Count - 2.9k

Author's Note - Thank you as always for reading and being patient with me as I get back into writing on a semi more regular basis.

Warnings - smut with very little plot, mentions of masturbation, male receiving.

Summary - Cole comes home from a very long and disappointing roadie, and he finds his girlfriend asleep on the coach. He decides to wake her up, to tell her that he's home, but what happens when in her groggy sleepy state she admits something she normally never would.

Slowly Cole made his way out of his car and up the driveway to his house. It had been a rough roadie, and it was hitting him hard because he felt like he was leaving everything out on the ice and yet his team was not winning despite his best efforts. Cole knew he couldn’t do everything, that they were a team, but somehow despite being a young team, he was finding himself annoyed with himself, asking himself what more he could do so that they could start winning again. But all of his thoughts were pushed behind him as he stepped into his house, he left his hockey duffle and shoes by the door, he could see a soft light glowing from the kitchen. Y/N he thought to himself, he found himself smiling for the first time that day at the thought of her being awake. 

Cole walked further into the home, he sighed deeply when he realized she must have kept the light on. Even though he knows she does this on purpose because she hates coming home to a dark house, and she never wants Cole to either despite it not bothering him.Somehow when he first saw the soft glow of the kitchen light he forgot this fact, and suddenly was slightly pouting that Y/N was in fact asleep. As he passes the family room on the way to the staircase that leads to upstairs and his bedroom he stops abruptly. Cole notices a lump on the couch and it makes him feel something warm in his chest at the idea of her falling asleep on the couch while waiting for him. Originally his plane was supposed to land at 11 at night, but something was wrong with the plane so they had to switch planes and he didn’t land in Montreal until closer to 3 AM. Cole slowly turned his body to come to the family room as quiet as possible, he debated with himself if he should just carry her to bed rather than wake her up. But ultimately he missed Y/N too much not to at least attempt to wake her despite knowing that was sort of selfish of him. 

He squatted down and rested his weight on the balls of his feet, as rested his arm on the coach for support, the other going to pet her hair. “Baby imm home.” he softly spoke as his hand made it down to her bicep shaking her attempting to wake her up. “baby.” He spoke a little louder this time as he softly shook her again, he stopped when he watched the crinkle of her nose knowing she was at least not completely asleep anymore. She attempted to pull the blanket up and snuggle back into the coach further, and Cole couldn’t help but chuckle, his girl was probably the one person he knew who loved sleep more than anyone else he knew. “Sweet girl.” he spoke again, and his grin turned into a smile as she snapped her head towards his voice. “Do ya not wanna come to bed wit- me?” he asked. 

“Cole?” she asked except due to the sleep in her voice, it came out more as coley rather than cole. 

“Im home baby.” he answered her as she finally opened her eyes. “I’m sorry it’s so late but I needed to hear your voice so I woke you. “ he admits looking down suddenly being shy, and Y/N smiled at him, as she reached for him in a bone crushing hug pulling him from the floor and onto the coach. 

“Missed ya-.” she mumbled into his neck as she's practically laying on top of him. Cole finds himself closing his eyes, getting lost in the smell of her conditioner that he hasn’t smelt in a week. Before Cole could respond that he missed her too, Y/N continued talking,“Especially when you dropped that thirst trap on your story.” she mumbled it still in that state of half asleep and half awake. 

All Cole could do is smirk as he tried to crank his neck to look down to her. “Oh yeah.” The cockiness was clear in his voice. All Y/N could do was nod her head along, as he dragged his hands up and down her back, teasingly at the hem of the bottom of her shirt, Y/N lightly moaned as one hand slipped on the shirt and the other slipped down to her ass and kneaded it. Continuing to edge her on he teased her with his words “You missed me eh?” 

“Hmm.” she mumbled, as she bit her lip softly as she felt Cole’s hands on her. “My fingers just aren't the same, Coley.” she admitted. It was obvious in her confession, that she didn’t realize what she had said as she tried to snuggle deeper into Cole’s side fully content with Cole’s soft touches loaring her back to sleep.But suddenly any tiredness that Cole had felt had vanished as all his mind could think of was Y/N being so horny while he was away that she had to rub one out. Not to mention that she only got horny because of a photoshoot he had to do for a brand deal over a month ago.While Y/N was practically back to sleep, all Cole could focus on was the image of Y/N moaning for him while she looked at a fucking picture from an Instagram post.

He was able to shift them so he was on top of them as he kissed her exposed neck, finally she was waking up fully at his words, his voice much deeper than before. “Oh yeah baby, you missed my cock.” 

Y/N snapped her eyes open as Cole continued his attack on her neck, spending extra time on that one sensitive spot below her jaw, even nipping at it with his teeth gently. Y/N’s hands found Cole’s dark blonde curls, not sure if tugging on them was more to keep herself grounded or to hear those pretty little grunts that Cole makes. She tried saying his name but couldn’t finish as he started to kiss in the valley of her breasts as much as he could despite the button up silk pajama shirt. She arched her back, as Cole sucked on a sensitive spot on the top of her breast. Y/N found herself begging as she clutched her legs around Cole bringing him closer trying to get some relief.  

“Ccole.” she gasped, hoping he would take pity on her. He slowly unbuttoned her silk pajama shirt, but still left it on. Cole took his tongue, looking up at her through his lashes as he dragged his tongue over her chest and under her boob, finally stopping by lightly sucking her left nipple. He took his hand and played with the other one, Y/N couldn’t make eye-contact and tried to throw her head back but Cole stopped as she did. Immediately she snapped her head back, eyes wide as she stared at Cole above her, his silver chain lightly dangling in front of her face. “Babe, please,” she whined, trying to show him how much she needed him. 

Cole moved back further resting on his feet between her legs. He took his hand, lightly caressed his fingertips onto the soft skin of her stomach right above her waistband. She lightly pouted at him, her eyes silently begging to give her some relief. His fingers lightly slipped under her waistband but stayed her stomach, she whined in response. “You know what I think?” he asked her, knowing she wouldn’t be able to form words he continued. “I think, since you were so horny,” he raises his eyebrows and a soft smirk is on his lips as he continues. “While I was away that you didn’t even think to call me as you rubbed one out that maybe I should leave you like this.” he threatens. 

“Na na no. please, please don’t.” she begs. “I only used my fingers cause you weren’t here.” she cries out as he slips his hand out from under her waistband and goes to tease the exposed skin on her inner thighs from her sleep shorts. 

“Hmm.” he says. “Still I wanna see what it looks like when you’re so despite that you need to use your hand. Were you too horny to grab your vibrator?” he taunts, she mumbles a response but he can’t hear her, so he takes his thumb and puts pressure on her clit through her shorts. She cries out, as asks again “what was that baby?” 

“It -” she gasps trying to answer him, despite how her legs starting to tighten she felt like she was seconds away from cumming but she knew it was just because of Cole’s edging her on that she felt like this. “It was ta- too far.” she gasped, hoping that was enough of an answer to please him. 

He frowned his eyebrows in confusion, “but it’s kept in the nightstand.” Y/N glances at him wincing, watching as if a lightbulb goes off when he realizes. “Oh my lil’ slut, where were ya if you weren’t in bed?” he asks, a full blown smile on display as she feels her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. He bends down to her ear, as he rubs light circles on her hip bone, she can feel the heat from his mouth as he says “tell me baby. Where. Were. You.” As he sucks on that sensitive spot behind her ear she moans as a response. 

“Here.” she practically yelps, louder than she needs to. “Here. I was here.” she repeats. 

“Oh yeah now you definitely have to show me,” he says as he leans back smiling as she twitches beneath him. 

“Cole.” she whines in embarrassment trying to take her hands and cover her face as she blushes at his words. 

“Nope, you want my help you gotta show me what you looked like when you imagined I was fucking with you but all you had was your little fingers.” sounding as cocky as ever.

Y/N bites her lips and lets out a small whine as Cole leans back to rest on his heels again as he looks down at Y/N as shimmy out of her silk pajama shorts and underwear. He has a smirk on his face, as he watches Y/N use one hand to tease her boob and the other going on lightly touching her inner thighs. Cole can’t help himself from palming himself over his sweats as he watches Y/N arch her back and close her eyes as she continues to tease herself. 

Cole grunts as he watches her hand that was teasing the sensitive skin on her thighs lightly touching her outer lips finally stopping at teasing her hole. Cole’s voice is deeper than normal when he asks “Fuck pretty girl is this what you were doing while I was away?” Y/N's only response is a little moan, as she opens her eyes just in time to watch Cole as he pushes his sweats and boxers down just enough to slip his hard cock out of his boxers. She can’t help but let out a little moan as she watches Cole spitting on his hand so he can lazily stroke his cock. 

“Answer me, pretty girl.” he demands. “What were you thinking about as you fucked yourself with your fingers?” 

“Ya- you,” she gasps. “It’s always you.” as she finally inserts two fingers, lightly pumping out of her center. Cole watches with hooded eyes as dark as the night sky, as she tries to reach with her thumb to rub little circles on her clit. But due to the angle that she is laying down on the coach she can’t and she just becomes frustrated with herself. Cole notices that she almost looks like she was in tears mad at herself for not being able to reach. 

“Baby you can do it.” He encourages her and she whines begging him for help but all she’s met with is Cole shaking his head ‘no’. Finally, she somehow cramps her hand and lightly creases her clit teasingly, causing her to arch her back more and gasp from pleasure, as she feels herself being pushed even closer to a release. Removing her hand that was kneading her boob she starts to make small steady circles on her clit as she pumps her fingers at a faster pace out of her cunt. Cole has to stop himself from nutting right there as she cries his name as she cums, he talks her through her high. Cole even takes over rubbing her clit, when she can't because she’s too lost in the pleasure from her cuming. “There ya go baby.” he coos at her, as she’s trying to control her breathing again. 

“I think that was the hottest thing you’ve ever fucking done.” he claims with a wide smile on his face. Y/N smiles up at Cole, a warm feeling spreading in her stomach at his compliment. 

She looks down and notices his tip is still bright red and the vein looks a little more strained than normal, suddenly Y/N has a very deep sense overcome her as he wants nothing more than to lick the vein of his dick. Y/N slowly sits up shifting towards her boyfriend as she crawls off the coach and onto her knees, but before Cole can even question her. She is blinking up at him saying in a soft voice “I wanna a taste, please.” Her mouth is now dangerously close to the tip of his cock, blinking up at him with her eyes the size of saucers. 

“fuck.” he whispers to one in particular. Cole slowly nods his head as a ‘yes.’ Y/N wastes no time in starting from the base of Cole’s dick and licking the she wanted, ending with his tip in her mouth. Cole grunts, one going to her hair, grabbing it tightly as he guides her in and out of his dick. The other tightening in a fist as he tries to grab onto something as if he needs it ground him. One of her hands is helping her balance on his thigh, leaving little half moons from her nails, her other hand going to play with his balls. 

Cole wants to watch her as he fucks her face, he loves when she blinks up at him while he’s controlling the pace. But as she goes deeper and faster he grunts, throwing his head on the back of the coach in an attempt to make him last longer. “Fuck baby, I, I’m close.” he gasps, at his words she somehow even quickens the pace. “Can I make a painting, pretty girl?” he asks, which is his cheesy way of asking to cum on her face, he knows it’s always a yes for him but he still insists on asking every time because consent is important. As soon as his brian registers, she’s nodding your head, he pulls out and he cums immediately as he watches her close her eyes, tongue sticking out waiting for his load. Y/N closes her mouth and swallows immediately, opening her mouth again to show Y/N she swallowed. 

Slowly he takes his thumb and collects some of his seed that was on her cheek and chin, dragging slowly towards her mouth. Cole has to bite his lip as she opens her mouth again welcoming his thumb and sucking hard, swallowing her tongue around his thumb as if it was nothing. He removes his thumb and she whimpers a little, as if she needs something of him in her at all times to keep her content. “Always such a good girl fa’ me.” he whispers, pulling her up to his level to kiss her. she crawls in his lap to deepen the kiss as his tongue slips into her mouth and she moans into the kiss. 

Finally, both of them pull away, gasping for air. “I’m happy you’re home.” she mumbles, wrapping herself around him like a koala bear. 

“Me too.” he answers her softly. “I’m happy to have a stretch of home games.” Y/N perks up, at his words softly lifting his head to get a better look at her. 

“Oh yeah. Me too. I love having you home.” she shyly adds.

“Yeah I know cause I’m better than your fingers.” he chirps at her, laughing lightly.

“I take it back, you can go on another roadie.” Y/N pouts at him, finally getting up from his lap turning as if she’s heading for the stairs. But she doesn’t make it every far, as Cole pulls her back to him landing on his again. 

He takes his hands and softly holds her face, making her look into his eyes so she knows he’s not lying when he says. “Hey I was kidding, baby. You know I hate being gone just as much as you do.” He dips his head to her ear, lightly kissing right under it, she gasps at the attention to her sensitive skin. “”Cause I can promise you, my hand isn’t as good as you are, baby. At his words she feels his cock lightly poking her upper thigh. “Let me make it up to you, show you how much I missed you.” he jokes, a big smile on his face as she blushes at his words.And in that moment Y/N knows it’s going to be a long night. 

[swissboyhisch]

F1 x Hockey

Liked by yourbestie, colecaufield and others

yourinsta: the brother and in-laws decided to take me to a Habs game. Let's do this hockey! tagged: scottyjames, chloejames and lancestroll

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canadiens: thanks for coming! it was awesome having you and the squad come cheer on the team.

user: was this your first hockey game?

yourinsta: no! I'm a huge fan of hockey. Though it was my first Habs game.

user: Ahhhh! It was such a good game

chloejames: Bestie you're more wild than Lance games

yourinsta: 🙈

user: Who is this?

user: She is the younger sister of Olympic Snowboarder, Scotty James. He is engaged to Chloe Stroll, sister of F1 Driver Lance Stroll. The Stroll family are rich rich. Scotty is also best friends with fellow Aussie, Daniel Riccardo who also a F1 Driver.

user: Dont forget she is also a stylist for her brother, the Stroll siblings and their mother, Riccardo and a couple of F1 drivers. On the odd occasion she will style other people but she liked to be close with the people she styles.

user: anyone else see Cole in the likes?

canadiens: 👀👀👀

user: The fact that she was a fan of

user: 🤔

Liked by user, user and others

habsfan: Caufield and Suzuki walking into the Centre Bell for last night's game tagged: colecaufield and suzuki14

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user: Cole got a new suit?

user: is it just me or have they got new suits?

user: they look so good

user: Cole 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

yourinsta posted to their story

Liked by yourinsta, user and others

astonmartin: Got some special guests today for the weekend. Another F1 x Hockey crossover?

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colecaufield: thanks for the invite!

astonmartin: don't thank us, thank you know who 🤫

user: um WhAT?!

user: These three are chaos waiting to happen!

user: Imagine if these three met Lando 🤣

user: admin won't leak who :(

scottyjames: I'm glad that it was shorty

chloejames: SCOTTY!

yourinsta: 🤦🏻‍♀️

user: Did anyone see the comments by Scotty before it was deleted?

user: Cole has to be dating baby James

lancestroll: Just another sport added to the gang Liked by colecaufield

jackhughes: thanks for the hookup colecaufield

Liked by colecaufield, chloejames and others

yourinsta: Well... my idiot brother spoilt our 6 month hard launch plan. But here's the F1 X Hockey couple ❤️

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colecaufield: my little speed demon 🫶🏻

user: NOT WHO I EXPECTED!

user: they're steamy 🥵

jackhughes: fly us out to another race?

yourinsta: uhhhhh let me think... no.

jackhughes: boo you whore

user: Jack with a mean girls reference?

user: this is something I didn't know I need

chloejames: can't wait for a little brother

lancestroll: um what about me?

chloejames: 👩🏻‍🦯👩🏻‍🦯👩🏻‍🦯

Tag List:

@findapenny @mp0625 @hischierhaze @11zegras @lvrzegras @francesfarhadi @cixrosie @dasiysthings @dancerbailey3 @puckmaidens @cole-mcward48 @sammiejane22

[chukys-mouthguard]

To Have and To Hold

3.1k words

genre: smut

featuring: cole caufield x female reader

warnings: 18+ content, minors DNI

summary: cole can’t help but thinking about all the things he wants to do to you at brendan gallagher’s wedding

“Cole! Do you have my bag?”

“I’ve had it in my hands for the last 20 minutes, you know since we were leaving in 5 minutes, 20 minutes ago!”

Rolling your eyes at your reflection in the mirror, you put the finishing touches to your makeup before spritzing some setting spray to your face. Fanning yourself before opening the bathroom door to find Cole leaning against the dresser, your bag in his hand as his jaw was now practically on the floor.

“Babe, you can’t wear that.”

“Why!?”

Your face immediately scrunching to a look of disappointment, thinking you’d looked beautiful in the light blue colored dress accompanied by your hair and makeup that clearly took longer than anticipated.

“Because I’m not gonna be able to keep my hands off you! And that’s gonna be a little bit of a problemmm!”

Cole pulled you into his chest, kissing you before teasingly biting at your lips. His hands roaming from your waist to your ass. Lightly smacking it before biting his own lip in approval.

“Easy there tiger! This is Gally’s big day, please don’t ruin it by thinking with your dick and not your brain!”

Lightly poking him in the temple, you grabbed your bag from him and led the way out the door and to the car. Cole trailing behind, purposefully slow to be sure he got to admired how amazing you looked in your dress. Catching his gaze as you climbed in the front seat, you scowled at him.

“Cole Caufield, pick your jaw up off the driveway and let’s go!”

He quickly jogged to the car, laughing as he climbed in to join you.

“Sorry baby, can you blame me for staring? You look fucking sexy.”

He leaned over the center console, pulling your chin close as he kissed you. What you thought was set to be a quick peck, Cole instead made a battle between your tongues for dominance. A smirk on your lips as you pulled away.

“What did I say? No thinking with your cock. Now let’s go, we are late!”

Cole’s hand rested firmly on the bit of your thigh that was exposed by the slit of your dress. His thumb tracing circles on your skin as his eyes were fixated on the road. Surely trying to control his thoughts that were all but holy. Though you couldn’t say you hated the thought of Cole being driven mad all night that he couldn’t get his hands on you. Seeing the way his body tensed as he tried to surpress the idea of pulling over and taking you in the backseat. The risk of missing the ceremony not one he cared about at the moment.

But he knew he’d never live it down if he fucked up this day, it being one of the best days of his teammates lives, and he needed to be there. So despite his urges, despite how good you looked in your dress, and how much better you’d look out of it. Cole forced himself to ignore the thoughts.

Or so you thought.

Settling down in your seats for dinner, with Cole already several drinks in, his hand immediately found its way back to the slit of your dress that exposed your thigh oh so tastefully. Enough for Cole to hypothesize what thong you’d opted for underneath.

Lace, that was obvious. But the color, that’s where Cole almost always got it wrong. Was it blue to match your dress? Or did you switch it up for something different, maybe red? God, he could only hope it was red.

“Cole…hellooo?”

You’d caught him staring at his plate while his thumb danced over the skin of your thigh, knowing he’d been letting his intrusive thoughts take over. Slightly rolling your eyes at him playfully before leaning over to whisper in his ear.

“If you trying to guess the color of my panties, you’re wrong.”

Cole couldn’t help but blush, embarrassed that he was so easy to read and predictable. Pulling his hand from your thigh he tried to shake his thoughts and enjoy dinner. Though your comment wasn’t helping.

He was wrong? But he hadn’t even guessed. Was he that historically bad at guessing what color you had on that you just knew he’d be wrong this time?

Shifting in his seat he tried to disguise of any growing issues in his dress pants, only earning a laughing from you as you loved knowing the effect you had on him. His mind was surely running rampant after your last comment, and his reactions always made it so fun to tease him.

“Dance with me baby?”

Wrapping your arms around Cole’s neck as he sat and chatted with his teammates, you peppered his face with a few kisses. The alcohol in your system had your skin warm to the touch, which Cole relished in for a moment as his hand traced the skin of your forearm before taking a hand in yours.

Laughing as he turned slightly to face you, not needing his teammates to hear his response.

“If I dance with you, then we are going t’get kicked out because I’m gonna need t’take you right there on that dance floor in front of everyone.”

His eyes were intoxicated with lust more than anything as they looked you up and down. Staying a bit longer on your chest that was in better view as you were leaned down to talk to him. His tongue darting out to lick his bottom lip as his hand now rested at your hip. Wishing he could just pull you into his lap, let you feel how hard he’d become from thinking about you all night.

“Suit yourself then babe, have fun watching!”

Kissing his lips, you made sure to linger a bit. Your hand caressing his cheek as you opted to dip your tongue past his bottom lip he just so conveniently teased you with prior. Cole not bothering to fight for dominance as he was fine letting you take charge. Smirking into the kiss as you lightly tugged at his soft curls. The taste of his cocktails on your tastebuds as you pulled away, shooting him a wink before you headed to the dance floor.

Cole paying attention to the way your dress perfectly framed your ass, hugged your curves just enough but not too tight. The way your legs looked, especially the one peeking through the slit.

His eyes were focused solely on you as he sipped his drink. His thoughts surely out of control now as he needed you, bad. Point, blank, period.

He needed your dress on the floor of the hotel room, to finally see what set of lingerie you were wearing, to be able to release his strained cock from its confinements of these god forsaken dress pants.

The way your thin straps of your dress fell off your shoulders as you danced around, holding part of your dress in one hand so as to not trip. But giving Cole a much better view of your legs. Your tits lightly bouncing only making him imagine what they’d be doing later once he’d finally gotten to have his way with you.

His hand falling to his pants to try and hide his growing issue, knowing that he couldn’t wait much longer or the two of you would be fucking in front of everyone. Surely not how Gally would have imagined his big day to go, and not at all something Cole was willing to attempt. Sure he’d occasionally get handsy in front of his teammates or the crowd at the wedding, but you were Cole’s, and his alone. He’d never dare let anyone see the things he did to you, mostly because they wouldn’t believe the man Cole turned into when it came to sex with you.

Nine times out of ten, Cole liked to take charge. The way his dirty talk and direction would fall from his lips was a harsh contrast to the smiley boy everyone saw. His cockiness and competitiveness cranked up to an eleven in the bedroom, and it was fucking hot. Though he would occasionally have his nights where he let you take charge, following your direction, and doing things to your liking.

However, tonight was not one of those nights.

He knew you had been making it a point to tease him throughout the night. The way you tossed your hair back over your shoulder, exposing your neck and chest to him when intently listening to conversation at the dinner table. The way your hand rested higher than normal on his thigh during the ceremony. And the comment about him guessing the color of your lingerie, which still was on his mind.

As he took the last few sips of his drink, he’d seen enough. He’d been patient as long as possible. But with his dress pants ready to burst at the seams, he knew it was time to call it a night.

Grabbing his suit jacket, he conveniently draped it over his arm to hang in front of him, hiding himself from any possible onlookers. Making his way to you on the dance floor before wrapping an arm around your waist from behind.

“You ready to go mamas?”

The pet name rolling off his tongue like the sweetest song you’d ever heard, sending shockwaves all through your body. But most notably making your pussy throb. The way his voice was slightly hoarse, the sound of intoxication mixed with lust. Everything about it had you practically dripping for him right there on the floor.

He smirked as he knew the word had you melting for him, it being something he’d held onto for situations like these where he wasn’t able to hold himself back much longer.

Taking his hand you exited the floor, Cole having already grabbed your bag from the table, not allowing for any more wasted time as he pulled you from the ballroom.

As you waited for the elevator he couldn’t contain himself as his hand gripped your ass while the other grabbed a hold of your chin, tilting your head away from him so he could kiss and bite at your neck. His growing problem in his pants brushing against you as you softly moaned at the much needed attention.

The ding of the elevators arrival snapping you two from your public display you’d been giving. Quickly entering, choosing your floor, making sure to close the doors before anyone else could join.

Cole's lips were immediately on yours as his hips pinned you to the wall. Grinding his hard on into you as you moaned into the kiss, hands tangling in his hair as you fought his tongue for dominance. But as one of his hands came up to your throat, lightly choking you to gain control, you knew tonight Cole would be in charge. Not that you were opposed, sex with Cole when he was needy like this often was the best. The way he’d take control and turn into a different man in the bedroom always something you found so hot. His boy next door image would surely be erased if anyone ever heard the things that rolled off his tongue while he fucked you from behind.

The ding of the elevator coming once more as you’d reached your floor, neither one of you ready to pull away from the kiss, but Cole finally caved. Taking your hand in his as he was practically running down the hall while you tried to keep up. He fumbled slightly with the key card before finally pushing the door open, picking you up and carrying you inside before he tossed you on the bed.

Immediately doing away with his dress shirt while you crawled to the edge, taking care of his belt and dress pants. His eyes watched as you painfully teased him, taking your time with his belt, then the button and zipper. A groan leaving his lips as he finally discarded them, letting his hard cock freely move in his briefs as he joined you on the bed.

His chiseled arms on either side of your body as he leaned down to kiss you again, this time a soft peck as he tucked some hair behind your ear. His fingers resting on your chin as he smiled.

“You’re so fucking beautiful baby.”

Any blush that was forming on your cheeks surely wouldn’t be noticed as the cocktails had already taken care of that. Cole’s cock brushing against you as he began to kiss down your neck then to your chest, where he made sure to nip and bite slightly at the exposed skin.

“Ready to show me what color you're wearing mamas?”

Again that word sent shock waves through you, and you could feel yourself grow wetter because of it. But you smirked as Cole helped you to your feet, taking care of the zipper at your back, turning to find him impatiently sitting at the edge of the bed.

“Cole, I told you that you’re wrong. Whatever the guess is, you're wrong.”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

He leaned back on his hands, a cocky grin plastered on his face as he questioned you. Eyes watching as you slowly slipped out of your dress revealing you’d opted for no panties this evening. Well, that was once you noticed how fixated Cole’s thoughts had become and you excused yourself for the restroom to take them off and ditch them in your bag.

He watched as you guided the dress the floor, slightly bending over, ass facing Cole as your legs slightly spread. Revealing to him just how wet you already were. His hand immediately falling to his cock to stroke it over his briefs. The urge to thrust into you right then and there was tempting, but he knew he wanted to get you back for all the teasing you’d done.

Cole picked you up and brought you into his lap, your lips crashing with his as his hands gripped your ass. Grinding you against his cock that was desperately craving to be released from the confinement of his briefs.

“You have fun teasing me all night?”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about baby.”

A playful smirk on your lips as Cole raised an eyebrow at you, flipping you over to lay you down as he did himself of his briefs. Letting his cock slap his stomach before stroking himself in preparation.

He stood at the edge of the bed, his body lightly glistening with sweat as he stroked himself. Staring down at you with lust filled eyes and a cocky grin. You were in for it, but you didn’t seem to care.

“Mmm, so I should tease you right back then huh?”

Pushing open your legs he found his place between them, licking his fingers before trailing them up your slit. Relishing the feeling of just how wet you were for him before taking a moment to taste you. Sucking his fingers clean as you bit your lip, scooting closer to him by the second. Desperately needing him to have his way with you already.

“Please Cole.”

The whine from your lips only urging him to continue, taking his cock and repeating the action of his fingers. Tracing your slit painfully slow, before slightly pushing past your folds, only to pull himself out immediately.

“Shit Cole, please. Just fuck me already. I need you.”

Your hands reached for him in any attempt to get what you wanted. Cole slid you up on the bed, making room for him to join you as his lips found yours once more in a kiss. All while he continued to tease with his cock, enjoying every whimper that fell from your lips. Then without warning he finally thrusts into you, not able to withstand the teasing anymore. Your back arching off the bed as your nails dug into his bicep.

The two of you moaning in unison, Cole pausing as he bottomed out, giving you time to adjust to the feeling before he continued.

Your legs wrapped around his waist to allow him to go deeper, his lips attacking your breasts as he kissed and bit the skin. Fingers tangled tight in his hair as your eyes fluttered shut.

“Oh my god Cole, please don’t stop.”

“Yeah? Feels good baby?”

Nodding your head you bit your lip as you could feel your walls tightening around him. He could see on your face you were close, but wanted to really work you through your high.

One hand lightly gripping your throat as the other fell to your clit, quickly circling the nub as you felt your legs shake. The overstimulation becoming almost unbearable as your felt your mind going blank.

“Come on baby, I know you wanna cum for me.”

His words pushing you even closer to the edge as you couldn’t hold back your moans, breathy as his hand left you throat to grip your hips as he you was close. His thrusts fast and sloppy as he couldn’t hold out much longer.

Cole grunting as his fingers dug at the skin of your hips, bruises surely already forming, while yours pulled at the sheets. Your release finally overtaking you.

“Fuck Cole, I’m cumming!”

“Me too baby. Fuck-“

His lips enveloped yours once again, the two of you swallowing each other's moans as you rode out your highs. Taking your time to catch your breath before bothering to move.

Cole quickly retreating to the bathroom to grab a towel, reappearing to clean you up as he places kisses along your thighs. Your body slightly flinching as you were still sensitive to his touch.

He tossed you a tshirt while he threw on some shorts, pulling back the covers to wrap you up in his embrace. Placing a kiss to your head as your fingers traced the crescents your nails had left in his arm. A giggle leaving your lips as you were imagining the comments he’d receive from the guys in the morning.

“You think Gally will notice we left early?”

Cole shook his head, eyes shut as he held you tight. “No chance, he was so hammered he’s lucky if he remembers who he married by the end of the night.”

The two of you laid in each other's arms as the tick of the clock was the only sound filling the room. Cole’s breath slowing down as you knew he was falling asleep in your arms.

“So, I guess you too tired for the after party then huh?”

Cole laughed in the crook of your neck, rolling over as he pulled you into his lap. Your hands resting on his chest as you smiled down at him.

“If you’re not too tired yourself, then something tells me we need to have an after party of our own.”

[snorky]

One Day You'll See That Your Tainted Wings Are Heavenly

Hey y’all! An angst to comfort fluff fic featuring Cole Caufield for y’all that I hope you enjoy! Currently I’ve been feeling extremely under the weather, and so I wrote something that is once more, self-indulgent. Slightly not proofread, so let me know if something is insanely off. A gentle reminder to you all lovely people that you are worthy, no matter what you have to offer, or what you don’t offer. You deserve to be cherished and loved, regardless of anything that you feel like you lack. I hope you all are doing well, and take care of yourself!

Pairing: Cole Caufield x F!Reader

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: Mentions of self-doubt, Angst, Mentions of low self-worth, (let me know if I need to add anything)

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The bathroom tiles felt cold against her skin as she sat on the floor, knees brought up to her chest. Her breaths uneven and unsteady, and yet she remained silent, in hopes that he couldn’t figure out that she was crying.

She was always afraid of crying in front of Cole, she never wanted him to see her at her most vulnerable, something so horrifying to her. It was her imperfections that scared her, she wanted to do everything but disappoint him. The tears felt like a symbol of weakness, a flaw that she couldn’t seem to grow out of no matter what.

It ran down her burning cheeks like heavy rain, seemingly endlessly as time passed. Maybe it was for a few minutes, but it felt like an hour to her, stomach sick and swaying, churning at the mere thought that made her cave into her own cries in the first place.

“Sweetheart, sweetheart?” His voice echoed through the apartment, a warm-cheery tone that he always seemed to have with him, along with a bright smile that never seemed to fade.

She held her breath, afraid of her own voice betraying her. His footsteps drew closer, and closer, his heart knowing each and every one of her habits when she seemed down. A knock came on the bathroom door, echoing.

“Are you in there sweetheart? Is everything alright?”

He knew her better than she knew herself, despite having only known him for a year. Cole was an angel in her eyes, perfect in every way, sweet and caring, unapologetically. His actions made her feel loved beyond any realm, and yet her doubts still came and went to haunt her.

“I’m here—” her voice croaked, her heart dropping knowing that there was no doubt in Cole’s mind that she had been crying.

“Please open the door,” he said softly, worry laced within his words.

As she remained sitting on the ground, she looked up at the door, hesitating. She pulled her knees closer to herself, hoping that would at least ground herself, steady her for a brief moment.

Her breaths remained uneven, tight in her chest as she tried to exhale and inhale each breath. Tears stung at her eyes again, threatening to fall down her face once more like a rushed storm.

He knocked on the door again, gently and patiently. Anger was an unfamiliar emotion to Cole when he was around her, his voice never raising, his temper never boiling. It was the type of love that she could only believe occur in fairytales, a true love’s kiss or a happily ever after.

“Please, sweetheart? I promise you that you’ll feel a little better once you’ll let me take care of you,”

The idea of laying in his arms, his hand softly playing with her hair, caressing her shoulders as if she were a beautiful sculpture, seemed more than tempting to her. It was all she ever wanted, and yet she wouldn’t utter those simple words that would allow her to have it.

She never wanted to ask, to beg for something so simple. It should’ve been so easy for her past partners to understand, right? To be cared for was the bare minimum, and yet all that ever happened was that she gave and gave, never took.

Getting up, she twisted the doorknob, cold to the touch, and the door creaked open. Immediately, she was engulfed in Cole’s arms, wrapped in warmth and heavenly gentleness. She let out a sob, almost faltering into his arms as he held her close to his body, never wanting to let go.

“It’s okay sweetheart, I’ve got you.” He placed a kiss onto her shoulder, gently rubbing her back with his hands. “I’ll always be here for you.”

She nodded slightly, exhaustion catching up with her body as she stood there. He picked her up with ease, carrying her to the couch covered in soft pillows and blankets. Sitting down on the couch, with her still in his arms, he moved the blanket so that it would cover the both of them.

After moving into a comfortable position for the both of them, he pulled her closer. 

“Comfy?” His hand trailed up to her face, his thumb gently wiping a stray tear away from her face.

As she hummed in response, he placed a soft kiss on her cheek, a small smile appearing on her face as he did so. His heart warmed at the sight of this, despite her eyes puffy and red, nose runny, and face stained with dry tears.

She was a goddess to him, a being so perfect and heavenly. He always wondered how he got so lucky, how he ended up with someone that he loved so much.

“I love you so much, I hope you know that,”

The tears threatened to fall again at the sound of his kind words, and it did. Drop after drop streamed down her face as she tried to hide it from Cole, burying her face into her hands.

It was everything she wanted to hear, and yet, she doubted it when she did hear it. She didn’t doubt the sincerity of it, no, she doubted the fact of whether or not she deserved it, the words that fell from Cole’s lips sounding sweeter than honey and more perfect than anything.

“Is everything alright?” He felt a slight panic, not knowing why she was crying so heavily again. “Sweetheart, c’mere,” he said softly as he pulled her closer, his hand rubbing small circles into her back.

“Why?” She sniffled. “Why do you love me?” Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper as she spoke.

Doubts ran wildly in her mind, worried about how she looked at the moment with tears running down her cheeks, nose running, lips slightly chapped from her struggling to breathe through her nose. 

It seemed like the entire situation was against her, and yet, Cole still looked at her with such love and devotion.

“How could I not love you,” he said, letting out a soft laugh. “You’re beautiful, sweetheart.”

His hand cupped her face, kissing her lips softly, not caring if whether or not they were chapped. She melted into his touch, relaxing into the comfort that he brought.

“You’re beautiful here—” He placed a kiss on her cheek. “Here—” Another on her lips. “And here—” A gentle kiss near her eyes. “As well as here—” His lips were pressed gently on her hair.

He trailed down slightly further before she realized what he was doing, and stopped him. “Okay, honey—” she let out a small laugh. “I think I understand now,”

His lips curled into a smile at the sight of her feeling a little better, and he engulfed her in a hug, laying on top of her with his head resting on her chest. He wrapped his arm around her waist, always wanting to hold her closer to him.

“You’re always beautiful, sweetheart. Don’t forget that,” he murmured softly, his hand playing with her hair. 

Her heart warmed at his words, the feelings of her doubts fading away. “You too, you’re the sweetest, Cole,” she said, placing a soft kiss on his head.

As they both grew sleepy, their eyelids feeling heavier, they drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms, their hearts beating softly in rhythm, breaths calm, and minds at peace. 

[cupidbedsy]

୨୧ the letters ; cc13

➪ summary: with cole being gone, sometimes it gets a little hard to keep up with the mess of the holidays. but he always makes sure that they'll continue the tradition that has happened since they were kids.

➪ warnings: none... i don't think

➪ word count: 1.1k

➪ cupid's notes: part of ho ho hockey! i changed the summary of this fic so many times. i originally had it as a dash and lily hockey spin off but then it made my head hurt so i changed it, and then i changed it five time after that. and also lowkey this isn't the best thing i've written so let's ignore that, please.

© cupidbedsy ; do not copy, repost, or translate my work and designs on any other website or here

It was a tradition that had been in her and Cole’s family since they were born. Every year, even when they were just babies, their parents would write them a letter to open up and read. It usually consisted of funny memories that had happened throughout the year, achievements that they’ve had (their first word, they walked, graduated preschool, etc.), and always at the end there would be words of encouragement and telling them how much they loved them. It was her favorite part about Christmas.

They didn’t stop it even as they went off to college and Cole moved to Montreal. It didn’t stop when she graduated college and she moved in with Cole. It didn’t stop when they started dating, it didn’t stop when they didn’t see them for Christmas, and it wouldn’t stop now. Even when Cole and y/n were just starting the tradition as parents.

It would be their first Christmas since their son was born, and the pressure of continuing the tradition weighed on their shoulders. Y/n sat at their kitchen counter, head in her hands as she soaked up the quietness that surrounded her. She had just woken up to Oliver crying, getting up to go calm him down and get him back to bed. 

She made her way out to the kitchen, quickly realizing that there was no way she was getting herself back to sleep, especially after seeing what time it was and knowing that Cole would be home soon. She made herself a cup of coffee, sipping it slowly as she stared at the door, almost like she was willing him to walk through it. 

It had been a long few days for her and her son, Cole was gone on the start of the Canadiens road trip that would pick up after the holiday break, and she had to finish up some last-minute Christmas shopping and baking. She was utterly exhausted, but she had to wait until Cole got home so they could write the letter together, something the two of them had been looking forward to since they found out she was pregnant. 

It was late into the night when she heard the door unlocking, looking up from her almost empty cup of coffee and the blank sheet of paper that sat next to it, seeing Cole step through the door with messy hair and his bag slung over his coat-clad shoulder. 

She watched as he slipped his shoes off, placing his bag down next to them. When he finally looked up from the ground, his eyes landed on her tired form. Immediately his eyes softened and his lips turned down slightly, moving over to her, “Hey sweetheart.”

“Hi,” her voice was soft, laced with sleep as she leaned into his side, head resting on his chest.

“You doin’ okay?”

“Yeah, just tired. Missed you.”

“Missed you too, baby.” He pressed a light kiss to the top of her head, “I’m gonna go change and then we can do that if you want,” He gestured to the paper and the pen. 

She only nodded in response, resting her head on her arms as she watched him walk towards their bedroom. 

ﾟ+*:୨୧:*﹤

Before she knew it, Cole was coming back out of their bedroom, now dressed in a random pair of old shorts and one of her favorite Canadiens sweatshirts of his. She smiled at the sight of him, opening her arms and bringing him into a hug once he got close enough to her.

“Did you watch the game?” He let his hands slip under the shirt she was wearing, 

“Yeah, Ollie slept through most of it.”

“How long has he been asleep now?”

She glanced over at the clock before looking up at him, “15 minutes.”

“M’sorry baby, wish I could be here more to help.”

Y/n just shook her head, “Don’t. It’s okay, you’re a good dad, Cole. You’re going to have so many moments with him, and trust me, you’re not missing anything.”

His grip on her tightened, burying his head into her hair as he stood there. The two just hugged each other in silence for the next few moments before he pulled away, reaching for the pen and sitting down next to her. 

They stared at the paper for a while, both unsure of what to actually write. After ten minutes, the two shared a glance and immediately busted out laughing, unable to catch their breaths.

When they finally calmed themselves down, y/n sighed, reaching over to take the pen from her boyfriend’s hand, “I don’t know how our parents managed to do this every year, it feels so awkward.”

More minutes passed by, the two only exchanging soft words of ideas that were swirling in their minds. Yet as soon as she pressed the pen to the paper and started writing, all thoughts evaporated into thin air as she wrote. She knew exactly what she wanted to say, exactly how she felt, even if he wouldn’t be able to read it Christmas morning, he could look back on it.

She was done with the page before she handed it to Cole, an embarrassed grin as she did so. He raised an eyebrow, turning the paper over slowly, “Get a little carried away there?”

“Shut up and write. Though there’s no telling how well he’s going to be able to read it.” She teased, pushing him slightly.

“Hey! My handwriting is not that bad!”

“Really? Because I think I still have the card from our anniversary last year that definitely does not say my name on it.”

“It does too! I wrote it letter for letter. I think I write and say your name enough for me to know what it is.”

“Tell that to my card then.”

He rolled his eyes, a grin still plastered on his face as he reached over and tickled her sides. She squealed, jumping up and trying to get away from him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her down into his lap.

She leaned into him, kissing his cheek as she settled in her new ‘seat’. It was only a few minutes after when she heard the soft cries coming from Oliver’s bedroom, groaning in response.

“You go get some more sleep, baby.” He slid her off his lap, patting her butt once her feet hit the ground, “I’ll get him to bed and I’ll finish writing this letter, then I’ll come find you.”

She nodded, kissing him before walking into their bedroom, curling up in the messy sheets.Maybe Cole’s schedule wasn’t the most convenient, but that didn’t mean they would have to stop doing traditions or the letters, or any of it. They’d make it work, they always did.

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