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nylwnder · 2 years ago

Text

i love you, grumpy | cale makar

gif by gabelandeskog

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

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

word count: 3.1k

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“no.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

just as much as he’s always understood you.

—

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

rolling your eyes at him. “fine.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—

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

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

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

—

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“it’s kinda funny.”

“no it’s not.”

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

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

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

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

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

“it’s funny.”

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

“glad you think so.”

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

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#the winter fic exchange 2k23 #cale makar #cale makar fic #cale makar imagine #cale makar fluff #cale makar x reader #colorado avalanche #colorado avalanche fic #colorado avalanche imagine #nhl fic #nhl fanfiction #nhl imagine #nhl fluff #nhl x reader #nhl writing #hockey fic #hockey fanfiction #hockey imagine #hockey x reader

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thatsdemko · 2 years ago

Note

Can you do

“I don’t know what you want from me?”?

With either Cale Makar or Jack Hughes? I couldn’t find your who your write for list ):

↳ I do not own this gif. this gif belongs to its rightful owner.

masterlist

pairings: cale makar x nurse!reader

warnings: arguing + cale being a dick + lightly proofread

you’re too drained to even notice the time when you got home from the hospital. these past two weeks you got stuck with night shifts and they’ve been brutal. a patient died on the table, two emergency surgeries, and three ICU patients admitted. coming home felt like a reward, but it hasn’t been these past couple of days.

your boyfriend, cale, wasn’t being as supportive of the night shifts as he used to be. he always was one to make you meals for the shift, do your laundry, etc. but this time he’s been frustrated because every time you come home you go right to bed. he missed you. and there was no denying you missed him as well, but sleep was a priority for you.

when you got home that morning, you immediately started getting ready for bed. there was no time to waste considering in a couple of hours you’d have to be back up again taking care of other people’s lives. it was exhausting and draining, but it felt rewarding when you saw a patient get discharged.

entering the bedroom, cale was still asleep. usually when you got home he was right at the door getting ready to leave or just there to help take the load off for you. but recently he’s still been in bed, and by the time you climbed in his alarm was just going off.

finishing your routine, you heard cales alarm go off unexpectedly earlier than normal. sighing, you moved out of the way of the bathroom to allow him to get ready. hardly any words were ever spoken during this exchange. and to be fair, no words have really been expressed all week.

“morning,” he mumbled brushing past you. it hurt to see just sudden his mood changed with you. he used to be so in love with having a girlfriend that was nurse, but nowadays it seemed like he wanted a girlfriend like his teammates had. someone who waited around and moved whenever he did. but you just couldn’t do that. you loved your job.

“how did you sleep?” you asked from the other side of the bathroom door. you heard him mumble a few words, but nothing you could make out. so this is how it’s going to be? you thought to yourself. you rolled your eyes deciding to climb into bed now.

the bathroom door opened and there stood Cale’s body in the door frame. you couldn’t make out much but you could tell he was shirtless and still in his boxers. “bad day at the hospital?”

you shook your head adjusting your pillows, pulling the blankets closer to your body, “no, just tired.”

“you’re always tired.” he complained, you heard him rummaging through his drawers trying to find something to wear. you didn’t want to have this argument with him. not now. not when you needed sleep.

you sighed, closing your eyes, “cale, I just worked a whole week of back to back night shifts. I am beyond tired.”

“I get it, y/n. work is rough. just trying to have a conversation.” he shook his head, leaving for the bathroom with his clothes it allowed you time to get settled into bed before he came back into the bedroom.

“think you can make it to the game tomorrow? or will you be at work?” his tone came out like venom. like he was trying to push your buttons or make you feel bad. he knew you couldn’t make it, but it gave him something to talk about with you.

“I can’t, cale. I’m working.”

“what do you want from me, y/n? I can’t even have a conversation with you! I get it you’re tired, but it’s a job. you don’t have to take it so seriously.”

sitting up out of bed, you flipped on the light on your bedside table so he could see just how upset those words made you. it wasn’t just a job for you it was your career. you couldn’t even imagine saying that to him.

“how dare you, cale! I would never say that to you! this is my life and I love my job. you don’t get to just say that to someone.” your voice rose with anger. you could feel the heat inching around your face. this was a conversation you did not want to be having with him. not when he was about to leave for practice and you should be sleeping.

“I’m sorry, but I feel like I don’t have a partner anymore. so I don’t know where this leaves us. it’s the job or me, y/n.”

shaking your head in disbelief, you got up to start packing your things. you couldn’t stand to look at him right now.

“my job is what makes me happy, and right now? you’re making me sick.”

#hockey imagines #hockey #hockey blurb #hockey fic #nhl #nhl fic #nhl imagine #nhl blurb #cale makar #cale makar imagine #cale makar blurb #cale makar x reader #colorado avalanche #colorado avalanche imagine

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hockeylvr59 · 2 years ago

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I Got You || Nathan Mackinnon

Authors Note: This is my entry for @antoineroussel‘s winter fic exchange 2k23. I wrote for @raysofcrosby who requested an OC fic and left most things open to my creative process after we agreed that it would be Nate. This was a concept that I dug out of my ‘someday I’ll write’ pile and I’m so glad I did. Song inspiration is I got you by Leona Lewis but the overall concept comes from season 8 of SYTYCD with Marko and Melanie’s lyrical hip hop (linked under the tag 047 on my page). This one got a little away from me and even changed a bit as I was writing it but I really hope you enjoy it.

Warnings: angst, minor cursing // Word Count: 4,747 + song lyrics

~~~~~~~

A place to crash

I got you

No need to ask

I got you

Just get on the phone

I got you

Come and pick you up if I have to

Emily Bowers learned one thing a long time ago. She would do anything for Nathan MacKinnon. And she was fairly confident that he knew it. Their meeting had felt inconsequential at the time and yet somehow they’d managed to become friends.

But friends were all they’d ever be because when they’d met he’d already had a serious girlfriend. Alexandra was fine, Emily had met her and had absolutely nothing against her, she was easy to like. She seemingly adored Nate and put up with him even when he was being difficult, often providing Emily the chance to be the one to call him out and tell him when he was seriously being a moron. And Nate adored Alexandra. Emily could only hope one day to find someone who looked at her like that.

Of course the couple had their fights like all couples do, but lately those fights seemed to be occurring more frequently and didn’t blow over as easily.

So when Nate called her around 2am one night Emily already knew what had happened before she picked up the phone.

“Hey Em…” He mumbled, “Sorry for calling so late…”

Before he could even finish she was replying with a sigh.

“Where are you? The airport?”

Nate’s soft ‘yeah’ filled her ears and though Emily was worried, she didn’t hesitate, staying on the phone with him as he grumbled softly about how cold it was while she threw on sweats, a hoodie, and boots and grabbed her wallet and keys to head to her car.

Following Nate’s directions to the private charter side of the airport, it wasn’t long before she pulled onto the empty lot where Nate was standing talking quietly to someone who appeared to be part of security. Unlocking her doors, Nate approached her vehicle and opened the backdoor, tossing his bag inside before opening the passenger door and folding himself into the seat.

“Hey.” He whispered gruffly and tiredly. “You’re the best.”

“And don’t you forget it.” She couldn’t help but tease softly, feeling proud when that drew the slightest smile onto Nate’s face. “I take it you want my couch?”

Nate’s nod as he turned to lean against the window answered her question and so Emily drove home with her unexpected overnight guest. She didn’t need to know what had happened to know that this had been a rough fight but like always she was sure that after a night of space (though she could never understand how they needed more space after Nate had just been on the road) things would settle.

Arriving home, Emily pulled out extra pillows and blankets from a closet and as she sat them beside where he was sitting on the couch he reached for her hand, his palm warm against her own.

“Thanks Em.”

“I got you. You know that.”

What's weird about it

Is we're right at the end

And mad about it

Just figured it out in my head

I'm proud to say

I got you

Go ahead and say goodbye

I'll be alright

Go ahead and make me cry

I'll be alright

Emily knew that Nate was planning on marrying Alexandra. After all, he’d been sending her pictures of rings for the past two months soliciting her opinion on what she thought Alex would like since she was a girl and all. Still, knowing it was coming didn’t make it sting any less when her phone dinged with a photo of Nate kissing Alex as she showed off that brand new extravagant engagement ring Emily knew Nate had spent a small fortune on.

I’m so happy for you. Enjoy the moment.

Though she sent the words, Emily knew the meaning behind them was hollow if not a lie and she couldn’t help but wonder if Nate did too somewhere deep down.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be happy for him, because she did, he deserved to be happy. It was just that in a way, that picture signaled a further shift in their friendship, one that she wasn’t sure was sustainable looking forward.

After all, do friends ever last long when one has their heart broken by the other?

Grateful that she was at least at home alone and not out in public, Emily pulled her knees to her chest and sobbed softly letting the past three years of emotions finally wash over her after being bottled and shoved deep down for so long.

It wasn’t fair for her to feel like this. She knew that. She knew that Nate had done nothing but stay within the boundaries that had been set back when they first met. This wasn’t his fault.

It had been her fault that she’d fallen a little bit in love with him knowing that those feelings would never be returned. It was her fault that she continued to let him use her as an emotional backstop when things had gotten hard in his relationship. It was her fault for hoping that someday maybe things would be different. It was her fault for wanting more than he could ever offer.

But knowing it was her fault and not his didn’t make it hurt any less.

So today, today she’d let herself cry and mourn what was never to be. And tomorrow, tomorrow she would get up, rebury all of those feelings, and support Nate through the craziness of wedding planning with his bride to be.

And it might not happen quickly but someday, someday she’d be alright.

And when you need a place to run to

For better for worse

I got you

Ain't falling apart, or bitter

Let's be bigger than that and remember

The cooling outdoor when you're all alone

We'll go on surviving

No drama, no need for a show

The sun was shining, it was warm but not overly hot, it was a perfect day for a wedding. Entering the church that Alexandra had picked, Emily felt a swirl of emotions. Today was the day that Nate would officially be married. Dipping off towards the groom’s room, Emily knocked on the door before smiling as Gabe opened it, waving her into the room.

“He’s a little anxious. Maybe seeing you will settle him down.” Gabe whispered, motioning to where Nate was standing looking out a window, the tension visible in his body. Nodding, Emily moved across the room toward her best friend. When Nate noticed her he opened his arms and Emily stepped into them wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

“Big day.” She whispered. “And it’s beautiful out, which is perfect.”

“Yeah.” Nate agreed, squeezing her tight. “You look pretty.”

“Thanks.” Though she knew it was just an offhanded polite comment, Emily banked it in her mind nonetheless. “You look dapper, and you’re still sober, which I suppose are both good signs.” She could feel him roll his eyes at her even without looking up at him and after a moment he pulled away ruffling his hair until she had to reach up and fix it.

“I should go get to my seat but I just wanted to check in first.” She added. “Next time I see you, you’ll be a married man.” There was a twinkle of excitement in Nate’s eyes but also an undercurrent of nerves which she assumed were only to be expected at this point.

***

It wasn’t long after she settled into her seat that Nate and his groomsmen appeared at the front of the church for the ceremony to begin. As he stood there, Emily could see how uncomfortable he was at the venue and she bit her lip remembering how contentious that decision had been. She hoped Alex was happy to have gotten her way.

Emily had figured that it would only be a few minutes after Nate took his place before the bridesmaids would start filtering down the aisle followed by Alex. But she couldn’t help but peek at her phone in her purse noting that the wedding was supposed to have started already. Seeing Nate fidget, Emily quickly slipped out of her seat and out the back of the church going in search of the missing bride. Instead, she found the bridal room completely empty. There was scattered trash signaling that people had been here but there were no people and no bags of personal belongings. Stepping further into the room Emily saw a ring box sitting on a table with a note tucked under it and keys beside it.

Peeking at the ring box revealed Emily’s worst fear as it contained the ring that had been on Alex’s hand for the last year. She had left. Just up and left him standing at the end of the aisle. Grabbing the items, Emily raced back to the side entrance of the church the groomsmen had come through. Once there she cracked the door open trying not to draw the attention of the entire guest list.

“Gabe.” She whispered quietly drawing the groomsman’s attention. “You gotta get him out of there.”

Seeing the panic on her face, Gabe nodded and announced that there must be a dress mishap or something and that they’d be right back.

Leading the group out of the church Gabe mouthed to her asking what was going on and Emily glanced around before mouthing back ‘she left’. With wide eyes, Gabe looked at Nate who was completely befuddled but still relatively calm as he followed the rest of the groomsmen back to the room.

“She left?!” Gabe whisper yelled, his face turning angry.

“Left her engagement ring, house keys, and a note.” Emily whispered, waving the items in her hand. “It’s not our place to read the note but considering there is literally no one and nothing else over there I think it’s safe to say she’s gone.”

“Fuck that.” Gabe murmured, snatching the note and unfolding the simple piece of paper. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. This wasn’t what she expected, my ass.” He continued, rubbing at his face before handing the note back. “Fuck. What’s the plan?”

Swallowing hard, Emily rubbed her sweaty palms on her dress. This was not how today was supposed to go and while a part of her thought maybe she’d be relieved, she wasn’t. Nate didn’t deserve this.

“Get him out of here. I don’t care where you take him so long as it isn’t here or home. Get him drunk if need be.” Emily started. “And turn his phone off.”

“I’ll take care of that I guess.” She continued, tipping her head toward the still full church. “And then I’ll go pack up all of her things at the house, he’s not going to want to see that. And I’ll text you when that’s done.”

After ensuring that she had his cell number and he had hers, Gabe disappeared into the groom’s room upon her direction to just hurry and get Nate out of there.

Emily knew that Nate was going to be confused and hurt and she hated that but all she could think about right now was doing as much damage control as possible. With Gabe texting her that Nate was reluctantly out of the building, Emily took a deep breath and stepped back through the church’s doors.

“May I have everyone’s attention?” She said with as loud and strong of a voice as she could. “I know Nate and Alex appreciate everyone coming today. However I regretfully inform you that the bride has decided there will not be a wedding today.” Gasps went up throughout the church and she let her eyes meet those of Alex’s family who seemed just as surprised by that news as everyone else.

“I cannot speak any further on behalf of the bride, but Nate requests that everyone please give him the time and space to process these developments. He also requests that you please feel free to proceed to the reception venue as the food and drink has already been paid for. Again thank you all for coming.”

Stepping down from the front of the church, Emily took a few deep breaths trying to calm and focus herself. A moment later Nate’s parents and sister raced through the doors she had just exited and she approached them with a sad smile.

“He’s with Gabe and the groomsmen. I told them to take him anywhere that wasn’t here and feel free to get him drunk.” She murmured softly. “I’m going to head over to the house now and pack up all of her things.”

“What the hell happened?” His mom Kathy questioned, already close to breaking down herself.

“I didn’t read the note because it’s not my place but Gabe did and murmured something about ‘this not being what she expected.’ So I don’t know.”

After talking between themselves for a moment, Graham murmured that he was going to text Gabe about where they’d gone and Kathy asked if she could come to the house. Nodding because a second pair of hands would make things go faster, Emily asked Sarah if she could go pick up some boxes and packing tape and bring them to the house.

****

It was dark by the time everything that screamed Alex in Nate’s house had been packed up and loaded into Sarah’s rental car to take over to a storage unit for Alex to pick up whenever she was ready.

With Sarah and Kathy gone, Emily moved to change Nate’s sheets after texting Gabe that if Nate wanted to come home he could. With Gabe replying that they were on their way only a few minutes later, Emily sent a thumbs up and settled down at the island with a bottle of water, again breathing deeply to keep all the bubbling emotions under control.

Though Nate was drunk when he walked through the door, he wasn’t quite as drunk as Emily had been expecting. Still, Gabe urged him up to bed and as he did so, she got water and pain meds ready to be at his bedside when he awoke. Heading upstairs, Emily watched as Gabe settled Nate into bed and frowned as mumbles of ‘I don’t understand why she did this?’ filled the room.

“No one does.” Gabe murmured back softly. “But get some sleep man you’ve had a hell of a day.”

With Nate seemingly on his way to sleep, the two stepped out of the room and closed the door.

“I’m gonna stay with him if you want to head home.” Gabe declared with a yawn.

“Gabe, you have a wife and kids. Go home. I’ll stay with him.” Emily insisted. Eyeing her for a moment, Gabe nodded and murmured softly that she was a good friend and Nate was lucky to have her.

“I could say the same for you.” She replied. “Now go.”

With the house finally quiet, Emily sunk into Nate’s couch tugging a throw blanket she had gotten him over her legs as she tried to settle down to sleep for a few hours.

When she awoke she was a little surprised to hear Nate in the kitchen, the smell of eggs filling the air.

“Hey…” She whispered cautiously, not sure how he was going to be feeling this morning. Though he looked tired and a little worse for wear, he also seemed relatively stable considering.

“Eggs?” He asked, voice a little gruffer than usual.

“Sure.” Emily replied, honestly starving as she had been so focused on doing whatever she could for Nate last night she hadn’t eaten since lunch the previous day. Sitting up at the island counter, she just let Nate cook not wanting to interrupt him.

“Was thinking…” Nate started out of nowhere making Emily jump a little. “You don’t start your new job for a couple more weeks right?”

That was not a topic that Emily was expecting Nate to bring up but it was true that she was off for a few weeks between jobs.

“Want to come to Fiji with me?”

Nate had glanced over his shoulder with the question and Emily could only meet him with a blank look.

“I mean the honeymoon was already booked and paid for and I’m not going to not go…” Nate mumbled. “Thought maybe you’d want to come…drink, eat, tan, swim, just chill.”

Though it seemed a bit taboo to go on someone else’s honeymoon, Emily could tell that Nate really didn’t want to go alone and when else would she get a chance to go to a beautiful resort in Fiji.

“You know what…sure. I’m in.” She declared. The way Nate’s whole body relaxed told Emily it was the right decision and as he slid a plate of eggs across the island to her there was even the smallest trace of a smile on his face.

“Awesome. Eat up and go pack. Flight leaves at 3 so I’ll swing by at noon to get you.” Blinking a few times, Emily tampered her surprise because of course the flight was leaving today. She definitely needed to rush to get ready though because she certainly hadn’t planned on going anywhere.

But now, now she was just going to go with the flow.

****

Three things popped into Emily’s head when they arrived at their villa on Royal Davui Island in Fiji. First…the travel had been a complete bitch and she was exhausted. Second, she had never seen a view this beautiful in her entire life. And third, though she should have expected it, there was only one bed. At least the couch looked comfortable enough.

“Nate…this is stunning.” She declared immediately opening patio doors to step outside onto the balcony. It was truly paradise in every way. She could literally just spend the next week sitting here and staring at the view.

First though she needed a shower, a change of clothes, and possibly a nap.

Checking the first two off the list, Emily saw Nate sitting in a chair off on the living room patio and she moved over to him, surprised to see drinks and food waiting there already.

“Figured it had been awhile since we ate.” Nate declared motioning for her to sit. Everything looked absolutely delicious and Emily couldn’t wait to dig in. But Nate was holding up his drink in toast and she wasn’t going to leave him hanging. “To new chapters.” He murmured softly.

“To friendship.” Emily echoed clinking her glass against his before taking a sip. If the drinks were this good she was about to spend this whole trip more than a little buzzed.

Enjoying their lunch, Emily just gazed out at the view once again amazed at how stunning this place was. There was a certain peace that came from being here, to finally be still after all the chaos.

Deciding that that nap sounded like a great idea, Emily moved to lounge on the couch under the cool ceiling fans and though the room was bright, sleep came easy.

Her nap was followed by a trip down to the white sand beach with Nate and exploring the rest of the amenities on the island before they settled back at their villa for a private dinner.

When it came time for bed, Emily moved to settle on the couch once again and though Nate looked like he wanted to say something, he kept his mouth shut.

Overall the next few days were similar, Emily and Nate dined together but they didn’t always spend the whole day attached to each other’s sides. Nate used the fitness center on the island while Emily curled up on a lounger tanning and reading. Nate went hiking while Emily enjoyed the plunge pool at their villa.

They did go on a scuba excursion together and there were the couples’ massages Nate had arranged which had been slightly awkward but for the most part they just relaxed whether they were together or off on their own.

On the fourth morning, with Emily having awoken while Nate chose to sleep in, she sunk into the plunge pool just relaxing and looking out at the ocean as the sun rose. After about twenty minutes she heard footsteps before Nate’s voice softly asked if he could join her. Nodding, Emily shifted along the edge and Nate approached her, sinking down beside her.

Neither said anything, just watching the new day start. Shifting, Nate’s leg brushed against hers under the water and Emily startled a bit not expecting the skin to skin contact. It wasn’t unpleasant, just unexpected. And though he apologized, Nate’s energy felt like it had shifted. Over the course of the past few days he’d been pensive which made sense given the way his life had just been upended and Emily couldn’t help but wonder a bit what he’d been thinking.

“Are you sleeping okay on the couch?” He eventually asked. “Because it’s a king sized bed. It wouldn’t be that awkward to share it. You know if you wanted to…”

Emily had known Nate long enough to know that while he may have phrased it in a way that put the ball entirely in her court, he wouldn’t have said anything if it wasn’t something he wanted at least a little.

“I mean I guess I could be sleeping better.” She admitted leaving it at that and knowing that he’d draw the rest of the conclusions for himself.

Sharing Nate’s bed that night after spending the day paddle boarding and snorkeling once again had been surprisingly comfortable and it wasn’t a surprise to Emily when she ended up tucked under Nate’s arm with his chest pressed against her back. It likely wasn’t a surprise to Nate either and if it was he played it off easily getting up to go get a morning workout in.

While he did that, Emily soaked in the jacuzzi tub before settling down with another book. She was 100 or so pages in when Nate flopped down beside her on the other lounger.

“So Alex texted asking if I had gotten the ring, keys, and her note.” Nate stated.

“They’re uh on your dining room table.” Emily murmured, peeking over at him.

“I know.” Nate sighed softly. “I saw them.” He paused. “I told her I didn’t understand why she had walked away. Or why she had waited until we were literally getting married. She hasn’t responded yet. And I don’t know what to expect if she does or if she even will. Was it my fault Em? Was it something I did? Something I didn’t do?”

Closing her book, Emily sighed and twisted to sit up and look at Nate. It was clear that this had been bugging him for more than this morning but that he had finally worked his way through it enough to talk about it.

“I can’t answer that Nate. I’m not Alex so I don’t know what it was that she was expecting or why she waited so long if she wasn’t happy and didn’t say something first. But regardless of her reasons, the way she went about it was shitty. I know that and I know you know that. You deserved better than to be stood up at the altar with just a flimsy note of excuse and no warning.”

Nate mused over that for a second before murmuring that Alex had also inquired about getting her things.

“Your sister already sent her the info for the storage locker.” Emily replied. “So you can just ignore all of that, it's been taken care of.”

Looking lost in thought, Nate sat there for another fifteen minutes before murmuring that he was going to go take a nap. Knowing that he needed as much space as he wanted to sort through it all, Emily returned to her book just basking in the backdrop knowing that they were leaving in the morning and not wanting to waste a second of the view.

Just wanna say

I got you

After spending most of the day sitting and reading, Emily decided to go for a walk and when she returned another private dinner was set up.

“God I’m going to miss this food.” She declared calling out to where Nate was leaning against the balcony.

“Yeah.” He agreed though it was clear that he was as lost in his thoughts now as he had been earlier.

It was another quiet meal with her not pressing him to talk about whatever it was on his mind. While he took the dishes outside for the staff to retrieve, Emily leaned against the balcony as the sun started to creep lower in the sky.

And though she heard Nate’s steps return, she expected him to lean against the railing beside her. Instead, he stepped behind her, sliding his arm around her waist in a reverse hug.

“You’re gonna be okay Nate.” Emily whispered. “I know it’s hard now but you’re going to get through this.”

“Did you read it?” Nate asked, his voice low in her ear.

“Read what?”

“Alex’s note.”

“No Nate. That wasn’t my place.” Emily insisted. “That was a note meant for you.”

“Except it had your name on it.”

Before she could insist that no it hadn’t, Nate had placed a crinkled piece of paper into her hand. There plain as day in Alex’s handwriting was Emily, not Nate written on the front. How had she not noticed that? Unfolding the paper Emily started to read the message that had been intended for her eyes not Nate’s.

So that was where Gabe had gotten his mutterings and he’d stopped reading right there. Continuing on, Emily found herself biting her lip.

By the time she had finished, Emily had practically stopped breathing. That was…a lot. Her brain was spinning and her legs felt weak. Thankfully Nate’s arm secure around her waist held her up. He’d obviously read the letter a few times even if it was never met for him and Emily couldn’t help but feel guilty. Alex had left because of her. This was her fault.

With her legs collapsing completely, Nate’s grip tightened even more and he shifted them back to the couch, pulling her onto his lap.

“I got you.” His words were muffled by the press of his mouth against her bare shoulder but she heard them loud as day. How many times had she said those same three words to him in the past four years? And yet coming from his mouth they felt completely different.

They sat there with his nose just teasing against the skin of her shoulder until the sun had sunken fully in the sky and her breathing had regulated.

“Em…” He started softly, his voice vulnerable. “I know it might not be time just yet but when it is….I think I want to take that chance. Will you take it with me?” Her nod was instinctual, there was no other explanation for it, but it was enough for Nate’s shoulder’s to relax. “Yeah?” He questioned.

The kiss that followed could barely even be called a kiss but it held a promise. As Nate cupped both her cheeks, his lips grazed against hers faintly before his forehead pressed against her own communicating without words.

I got you.

#nathan mackinnon #nathan mackinnon imagine #nhl imagine #nhl imagines #hockey imagine #hockey imagines #colorado avalanche #colorado avalanche imagine #the winter fic exchange 2k23 #047 #cavalanche

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prettytoxicrevolver · 2 years ago

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Hockey

How to Navigate:

❤ Heart = Fluff ★ Star = Taylor Swift Song Fic ⬥ Diamond = My Favorite Italics = No Work Posted Currently

New York Islanders

Montreal Canadiens

Vancouver Canucks

Colorado Avalanche

Toronto Maple Leafs

New Jersey Devils

Boston Bruins

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lukeevangelista · 2 years ago

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are you sure? - tyson jost

the trade made me sad and i never wrote anything sooo here we are

He’s been on another team since I wrote this——>>>>>> this takes place when he was traded to minny bc I’ve had this since he was traded to minny.

I’m gonna do another with him being claimed by BUF eventually.

now i know they boys were on the road when he was traded but this is fiction.

i don’t think there’s any warnings other than sadness.

i did tag colorado since he was an av AND there are other avs players included in this.

———————————————————————————

“are you sure you want to go with me?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around your body.

you just had gotten the news that he was going to be traded. you just didn’t know where he was going yet.

tyson had warned you that they were trying to move him, mainly because he didn’t want you finding out in social media before he could say something.

you had seen the rumors already.

and he knew it.

a couple of months ago, you had asked him and he didn’t know anything at the time. and then it all died down. but the last couple of days, it had started swirling again.

with you having social media comes the consequences of dating a profession athlete and you knew this was good possibility it could happen. tyson had warned you early in your relationship that he could be shipped off so fast without any reason.

“tyson,” you said, running your hands across his chest to his shoulders, “anywhere you are is where i want to be too.”

“good, because they’re calling.” he sighed as he looked towards the table, seeing his phone light up with joe sakic’s name. you stepped out of his arms, allowing him to answer the phone, his face falling shorty after he answered.

“yeah, i understand.” he whispered, a tear slipping out of his eyes, “thanks for everything.”

your hand flew to your mouth as you watched him hang up the phone, his hands going straight to his hair as he tugged.

“minnesota.” he said as he went to wrap his arms around you, “i’m leaving tonight.” he said, burying his face in your hair, “i don’t want to go.” he whispered, his arms tightening.

“i know you don’t, but imagine all the new people you’re going to meet. you’re going to do great up there.” you whispered back, tears starting to run down your face.

“why are you crying?” he sniffled.

“because you are.” you replied, as you wiped another tear away off of his face.

tyson let out a laugh, “i don’t want to go without you.”

“you won’t have to.” you stated, “let me take care of loose ends here and i’ll be up there by the end of the week.” you said, placing a kiss to his lips, “but for now, lets spend some time together and i’ll help you get packed up.” you offered, him nodding as he guided you to the couch,

“i’m going to miss everything here.” he murmured out, “especially the boys..” he continued, “and our house.. oh god.. our house.” he groaned, “we literally just bought this!!”

“babe, its okay. great get away home.” you joked as you nudged him in the ribs, trying to make a joke, “stop overthinking it. you’re going to do great up there and you’re going to love it all.”

fortunately for you, you were actually born and raised in st. paul, so really, this trade kinda made you excited to get to return to your home.

“dad has already texted and said you can stay with them until you find a place.” you stated, tyson nodding as you could see the sense of relief of not having to find a place to live on such short notice.

“thank god. because rooming with your dad is so what i want,” he joked, “but no, seriously thank him. he made this a little easier.”

“already did babe.”

—————

it had been a couple of hours since the trade was told to tyson before you heard pounding on your front door.

“holy shit, shut up!” you shouted as you walked towards the door. you swung it open, ready to chew out who had woken you up. luckily, tyson slept through it.

“where is he?” gabe asked as he shoved past you, a couple other following him.

“gee, hello to you too gabe. i’m doing great! thanks for asking.” you grumbled as you shut the front door, locking it.

“quit talking to yourself like a crazy person and answer his question.” erik replied causing you to throw him the bird.

“he’s asleep. he’s taking it hard.” you said as you leaned across the counter, “hang out here for a bit, he should wake up in a little bit.” you turned away, grabbing some waters out of the fridge, passing them out to the tall men in your kitchen.

“are you going with him?” jt asked, a frown lacing his lips.

you nodded as you took a sip of your water, “he warned me minutes before the call was complete.” you sighed, “he asked if i wanted to go or what i wanted to do. he wanted to make it work between us either way. I’ve got some stuff to take care of here, but then im going up with him. he’s not making this transition alone. not on my watch.”

“god i’m so lucky to have you.” you could hear tyson mumble behind you as his bare feet patted against the hard wood floor, his arms going around your waist as he looked over your shoulder, “i’m assuming you guys heard?”

“yep.” gabe responded, the other guys nodding along, “i’m not happy josty.”

“me either landy, me either.”

“when do you leave?” cale asked.

“tonight.” he sighed.

“tonight?! that’s barely enough time to do anything!” nathan spoke up.

“doing what i’m told.” tyson shrugged as he took a sip of your water, “speaking of which, need to get to packing, so if you’ll excuse me..” he muttered.

it didn’t take tyson long to pack what he needed and by the time he walked out, the rest of the team was already in your living room and standing around the kitchen.

“what’s this?” he laughed as he looked around, you meeting him at the bottom of the stairs, wrapping your arms around his waist.

“you really thought we weren’t going to send you off without proper goodbye, did you?” you asked as he looked down at you.

“god, i love you so much.” he whispered as he pressed his lips to your forehead.

#tyson jost #tyson jost imagine #colorado avalanche #colorado avalanche imagine #nhl imagine #minnesota wild #minnesota wild imagine

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huttons · 1 year ago

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i've found love (and all that goes with it)

Word Count: 5.9k

Summary: Some people would feel shame surrounding the amount of soulmate tattoos that Luna has splattering her skin, but she’s learned to love them more than anything. All it meant to her was that she has loved and will be loved. Sure, there was some heartbreak along the way, but if it meant that Luna could shower more people with her love - well, it was hard to be sad most days.

Author's Note: this was written for @fallinallincurls as a part of the summer fic exchange, run by the amazing @wyattjohnston! You can also check out the playlist I made for the fic here.

Part One

“I know my life’s meaningful because I’m a good friend. I love my friends, and I care about them, and I think I make them happy.” — Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life

Luna may be a lot of things, but one thing she isn’t is ashamed — at least when it comes to her soulmate marks. It may have taken her a while to get to that point, but now Luna has a harder and harder time taking issue with it.

“Is that another mark?” Max inquires. “I swear you have another one every time you come here to study.”

Luna shrugs. “One of the regulars at the museum gave me her number. Said she’d like to hang out sometime without her kids around.”

“So like…a date?” Max replies, squinting curiously.

“Nah, she’s happily married. It’s just another platonic mark and she didn’t get one anyways,” Luna explains as she dumps her textbooks on the library table. “All I’m taking from it is that I must be good at my job if parents want to hang out outside of work situations.”

“I still have no idea how you do it,” Max whispers. “But seriously, she didn’t get a mark? And you’re still hanging out with her?"

“I just like making friends and I’m bound to have some of them be platonic soulmates,” Luna says, smiling widely. “Besides, not everyone is going to feel the same way. I know that not every mark is going to work out, you know?”

Max raises an eyebrow. “You always say that it’s platonic. Don’t you ever want it to be romantic?”

“You know how that went, and I am perfectly okay forgetting that situation ever happened. I mean, the mark is gone and everything,” Luna sighs.

“Sure, whatever you say,” Max replies, rolling his eyes. “And you sure you aren’t hurt about not having matching marks?”

Luna shrugs. “I’ve learned to get over it, you know? It’s happened often enough to me that I can’t take it too personally anymore.”

“Okay, if you say so, but I’m here if you want to talk about it,” Max says, hesitatingly, knowing that Luna is trying to brush it off. “Time to study, though. Aren’t you excited about legal landscapes in arts and culture?”

Luna groans. “Ugh, don’t make me think about it. Can’t we talk about soulmate marks again?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Max snorts. “I’m about as excited as you are, but the sooner we get the homework over with, the better. We’re so close to finishing the course, I can feel it.”

“If by ‘feeling it’, you mean the weather is getting warmer, sure,” Luna says, rolling her eyes.

—

After a solid study session and knocking out a week’s worth of homework, Luna makes her way back to her apartment. The spring breeze holds a certain warmth to it, promising warmer days on the horizon. There’s a certain excitement Luna has for summer, even with the knowledge that summer camps at the museum are fast approaching. As much as she loves connecting with families, it can be overload during the summer.

Once Luna makes it to her apartment, she heads to her room and checks her email and notices a new one from her boss at the museum. Normally, she would wait until she was actually working to check, but the subject line caught her interest - Hockey Week Summer Camp.

Hi Luna,

As you know, I have been finalizing the details for our summer camp this year. We finally got confirmation for one of our week-long camps - the Hockey Week camp partnering with the Colorado Avalanche.

Now, everyone here is a fan of the Avs, but you’re one of the few staff that actually understands the game. Which is why I wanted to reach out to you first about your interest in helping lead this camp. I know that it is not your main job during the summer, but I know that you offered to assist as needed.

Please think it over and let me know by the end of the week how you feel about it. I have attached the tentative schedule to this email. While most of the activities would occur at the Denver Children’s Museum, it would end at the Av’s arena for the kids to learn from some of the staff that stayed over the summer.

Again, please think this over as it would be a large commitment, especially as I know you are getting closer to the research part of your master’s. Even as a part-time employee, I want to ensure that you are balancing your time correctly.

Sincerely,

Emma

“Oh my god,” Luna whispers. “This would be amazing. There is no way in hell I would be turning this down.”

Luna can feel herself vibrating with excitement until she arrives at the museum the following afternoon for her shift. She makes her way over to Emma’s office and softly knocks on the door. Sure, Emma said to think on it, but Luna couldn’t imagine saying no to the opportunity.

“Come in,” Emma says. “What’s going on, Luna?”

“Uh, hi,” Luna replies, sheepishly. “So I read your email last night and I know you said to think on it, but I really want to help out with it.”

Emma laughs. “I figured you would be more than a little excited for it. I also have Anthony set up to help lead that week as well, so you’ll be in good hands with the summer hires as well.”

“Thank you so much Emma, you have no idea how excited I am!” Luna exclaims.

“I think I have a small idea,” Emma says, smiling softly. “Now go get to work, I heard that the building blocks area was destroyed by a group of under fives.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll get out of your hair,” Luna replies, rolling her eyes.

The rest of Luna’s day passes by in a blur, her mind overtaken with thoughts of the hockey camp. Sure, it��s still weeks away, but if there’s anything Luna loves more than her museum work it’s hockey. While she didn’t grow up around it, it was hard not to get swept up in the excitement when she moved to Denver for her undergraduate degree. There’s just something special about it, and it definitely doesn’t hurt that some of the players are nice to look at.

—

By the time the week of camp rolls around, Luna can hardly contain her excitement. It feels surreal that it’s finally happening, and no amount of preparation could have helped her for what she was about to learn the morning of the first day of camp, even if she wouldn’t know about the impact it would have until later.

“You’re good to run the check-in booth, right Luna? I’ll have Alex there to help contain the chaos,” Anthony asks. “I’ll be there to help tomorrow, I just want to have another run through of our supplies.”

“Yeah, it’ll be fine,” Luna answers. “It’s a smaller group, right — only ten kids?”

“Correct, only ten since this is a pilot run,” Anthony replies. “Also Emma gave you the rundown, right? That one of the kid’s parents works in the Av’s front office? She’s the one that helped get this set up and will be helping us on our field trip at the end of the week.”

“No, she did not tell me that,” Luna replies with a strained voice. “But I can keep my chill. I promise it won’t be a big deal.”

Anthony nods. “Cool, cool. Just radio me when you’re headed back.”

Luna nods and walks to the check-in area with Alex. Her nerves only seemed to get more intense, but she knows the importance of being calm. Besides, it’s not like she’s going to be meeting any of the players today and even then, Luna’s professionalism would have won out anyways.

The day — and week — run as smoothly as possible leading up to the big field trip at the end of camp. As always, Luna charms the parents and was able to convince a few to possibly become members. But what was next is the part Luna’s most nervous for. Normally, field trips aren’t a part of summer camps since most everything can be contained within the museum and any off-site trips were usually for school presentations.

“Luna, you look like the world is going to end the second we step foot outside of the museum,” Anthony teases.

Luna scowls. “You don’t have to say it like that. I just — it’s a little bit scary taking the kids out, you know? Like, sure, I signed up for this and everything, but…”

“I know, it’s definitely weird, but it’s a small group, and it’s not like we’re taking public transport or anything,” Anthony says. “Besides, Emma is one phone call away and she’s great at fixing things.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Luna sighs.

“Now go work your magic and continue charming parents at check-in,” Anthony replies, smiling wide. “We still might make a few of them members.”

Luna rolls her eyes. “It’s not magic, it’s just called being charismatic.”

“Sure, whatever you say,” Anthony laughs.

Check-in is going smoothly, like it has all week. Most parents drop off their kids early to give them time to still get to work on time, but there’s a couple that show up right before Luna and Alex take the kids up to start camp.

“Oh thank god, I thought we were going to be late,” Gabrielle says, walking her daughter Kayla up to the booth. “You know, if you were going to be at the arena all day, we could have just met you there since I’ll be there all day.”

“You work there?” Luna asks, trying to be subtle.

She hadn’t confirmed which parent worked with the Avs previously, too nervous about making things awkward.

“Oh, I thought I mentioned that already. Yeah, I work in the front office with social media and community outreach,” she answers. “I’ll be there to help in the afternoon, actually, so I guess I can expect you to be there?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” Luna replies, smiling. “Well, I guess we’ll see you soon! Are you ready to start your day, Kayla?”

Kayla nods shyly, and walks over to take Luna’s hand, like she has the last two days. Gabrielle smiles fondly before waving goodbye and heading off to her car. Luna’s mind is still reeling with new information, but keeps her cool like she promised Anthony.

—

Before she knows it, Luna and the rest of camp are off to Ball Arena. She still feels weird about the name change, but thankfully the kids are well-behaved enough to not make too many jokes about it. Kayla is especially excited since her mom will be there helping with the tour and for the skating portion of camp.

And, well, Luna really doesn’t have to worry about a thing. Everything goes off without a hitch and she may have convinced Gabrielle to come back more with Kayla. Anthony teases her about being able to convince any parent to join the museum’s membership program, but Luna just explains it as being able to hit the right talking points more than anything.

Part Two

“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.” ― Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

Before Luna knows it, fall has rolled around again, which means even more studying. It’s her final quarter of classes before focusing more on writing her thesis, which means even more library time with Max. Both are nervous, but something about having someone else who is suffering just as much makes things a little bit easier.

“Dear lord, how many more soulmate marks did you get?” Max exclaims.

“Shush, we are in the library,” Luna teases. “And not many, only three, but two of them are from the summer staff from the museum. The other one —”

“Is a parent from the museum?” Max guesses.

Luna rolls her eyes. “I can’t believe I’m this predictable.”

“Well, I can’t imagine any other place where you meet that many people,” Max laughs. “Are they cool at least?”

“Duh, I wouldn’t have their mark if they weren’t,” Luna scoffs. “But they are cool – they’re office staff for the Avalanche.”

“That’s neat, have they offered any season tickets yet?” Max asks.

“I can’t believe that’s the first question you ask,” Luna answers. “No, they haven’t offered season tickets. Gabrielle said they might be able to get a couple of tickets for some weeknight games, though. And before you ask, yes, I’ll take you to any games I get tickets to.”

Max smiles brightly. “I knew me getting you into hockey would pay off.”

“Whatever you say,” Luna replies. “Anyways, I came here to study, not gossip about my new platonic soulmates.”

Max rolls his eyes, but lets it drop.

—

It’s a chilly November afternoon when Luna’s phone starts buzzing. She was about to head back to her apartment after a long day in the library, but she curiously checks her phone. Gabrielle’s name pops up and it piques Luna’s interest since she doesn’t get many texts from her.

Hey Luna, I know this is last minute…

But do you think you could watch Kayla a bit before the game tonight?

Like just at the office? I’m helping with some social media stuff and can’t get a sitter so last minute

Yeah, I could do that!

Do I need tickets or something?

No, no, you’re good

I think we have some nosebleed seats available if you wanna watch the game after

Tempting, but I do have some reading I need to finish

Am I good to just read in the office while hanging with Kayla?

Yes, that’s totally fine, I’ll get you cleared in no time!

No problem!

Luna and Gabrielle manage to work out the rest rather quickly, and Luna hurries off to the apartment to get ready to watch Kayla. This isn’t a common occurrence, but it's happened enough between pre-season and the first few official games that Luna didn’t question it.

“Thank you so much,” Gabrielle says, sounding exhausted. “It’s just — I couldn’t get a sitter in time and you know that it’s just me and —”

“Look, you know I don’t mind,” Luna replies. “Kayla is a great kid and I was just planning on studying tonight anyways.”

“I appreciate you,” Gabrielle sighs. “I might be around for some post-game interviews, but some of the other staff can take over if you don’t want to hang around the office all night.”

“Again: I was planning on finishing studying and preparing for my thesis tonight. There is no scenario where I go to bed early tonight,” Luna explains. “Besides, we always have fun, don’t we Kayla?”

Kayla nods shyly and holds onto Luna’s hand. Gabrielle smiles softly, and heads off for the night. Normally Luna wouldn’t like to blur the lines like she has in this moment, but it was hard to say no to Gabrielle and Kayla, especially if it wasn’t too inconvenient. Besides, it’s not like they visit the museum enough to make her feel truly guilty about hanging outside of that space.

The evening passes by quickly, and before Luna knows it, she’s handing a sleepy Kayla back to her mom. Gabrielle seems to be caught up in conversation with one of the players, so Luna hangs off to the side so they can finish up their conversation.

“Oh, I can take her,” Gabrielle says, picking Kayla up. “Did you have fun tonight, honey?”

Kayla nods before curling into her mom and falling asleep. Luna tries her best to not freak out that the player Gabrielle is talking to was Cale Makar of all people. He’s one of her favorite players on the team, and she definitely isn’t going to show it.

“So you’re the babysitter?” Cale inquires softly.

Luna snorts. “No, I’m just a good friend who can help out in a pinch.”

“She’s my museum friend,” Gabrielle says. “You know, the one who —”

“Is getting their master’s degree?” Cale finishes.

Luna blushes. “Oh, I didn’t realize I made it into casual talk, Gabrielle. I’m moving up in the world.”

“Oh, please,” Gabrielle huffs, rolling her eyes. “No, it’s just that the players noticed my new soulmate mark. And unlike some people, I don’t get that many. Not that it’s a bad thing —”

“You’re fine, Gabrielle,” Luna says, smiling widely. “Anyways, I should let you two finish up. I’ll catch you later!”

After waving goodbye, Luna rushes off to her apartment, trying to not freak out. The fact that one of her favorite players knew who she was, even if it was tangentially, was wild to her. She immediately texts Max, freaking out.

I can’t believe I met him!!!

Soooo any soulmate mark yet?

Oh my god, you’re the worst

I hate you

We’re no longer friends

Riiight of course

But no mark?

Contrary to popular belief, they don’t appear immediately

But like….I also would not be opposed

I know you wouldn’t 😏

Rude 🙁

Lmaoooo

But honestly just waiting for the soulmate mark

Bold of you to assume I’ll see him again

Like???

In what world do I see him again

Idk, he knew who you were

That has to count for something right?

Not in my world it doesn’t!!

Anyways I’m going to bed

This was too much for one day

—

Weeks pass and Luna comes to watch Kayla several more times. Gabrielle feels terrible about it, but Luna constantly assures her that it’s not that big of a deal. That’s what platonic soulmates are for, aren’t they? Besides, if it means that Luna gets to see Cale a few more times, then she doesn’t see any reason to complain.

“So, you seem to be fixated on one of our players,” Gabrielle says casually one night, as they finish up a movie at her place. “Care to drop any details on that?”

“I have…no clue what you’re talking about,” Luna replies, sheepishly.

“What’s that thing you always say about platonic soulmates? Something about how we can always tell each other everything?” Gabrielle teases.

Luna groans. “You’re the worst. But okay, I might have a teeny tiny crush on Cale, okay? He’s just cute and seems nice.”

“Well, well, well, you are in luck tonight then,” Gabrielle says. “Someone might be thinking the same thing about you.”

“Cool, I tell you about my crush and now you’re going to make fun of me for it?”

“No, I’m serious. Cale might have mentioned something last time you came by and I might be able to set something up.”

“I don’t want to make things weird and this seems like it might make things weird,” Luna says. “Like, I can admire from afar. That’s what I’ve been doing since he came here for the playoffs.”

“Look, I wouldn’t say anything if I didn’t mean it, okay? And I promise this isn’t breaching some weird contract or whatever. I just see two good people who maybe kind of like each other and I have the chance to set you up,” Gabrielle explains.

Luna hesitates. It’s been a long time since she’s been on a date, much less with someone she hardly knows. But she’s never going to get a chance like this again, and if things end badly, well…she’ll cross that bridge when she gets there.

“Fine, I’ll give it a shot,” Luna sighs. “But only because I trust you.”

Gabrielle cheers quietly, trying to not wake Kayla. “I promise that you won’t regret it. Can I give him your number?”

“I suppose so,” Luna says. “I hope this goes well.”

“I’m sure it will,” Gabrielle replies, smiling widely.

It’s a few days before Luna receives a text from none other than Cale Makar, although it feels like an eternity. After leaving Gabrielle’s place, she can’t help but regret her decision. Sure, Luna is used to putting herself out there, but it’s always for the sake of meeting new friends, never a romantic interest. But she has to reassure herself that Gabrielle wouldn’t have offered to help if she didn’t think it would end well.

This is Luna right?

I don’t have the wrong number?

….depends on who’s asking

Oh!!

It’s Cale

Cale Makar from the Avalanche

Gabrielle gave me your number

I hope that’s okay

She said it was but…

Chill, you’re fine!

I said it was okay

Also yeah, this is Luna 😀

Okay, cool

I wasn’t sure if Gabrielle was serious or not

Like I figured she would be

But idk

She was definitely very serious

I’m surprised that you took her up on the offer though

Wasn’t sure if it would be too bold

Tbh she asked in front of Gabe and Nate

Probably knew I wouldn’t say no in that situation

And I’ve been putting off texting you long enough

Nate wouldn’t stop bugging me for updates

….that doesn’t surprise me tbh

So like…do you want to go get coffee sometime?

You beat me to it

Rude 🙁

Look, you just told me it took you three days to just text me

All I’m doing is spreading up the process

I can’t believe you’re already bullying me

This is unfair

Is it bullying if it’s true?

I’m starting to regret this

Fineee I’ll lay off

But seriously, do you want to get coffee sometime?

Sure, I think we can figure something out 😀

—

It’s only a couple of weeks later when they meet up in the early morning at a local cafe to grab coffee together. With the way their schedules line up, it's the soonest they can see each other outside of a game setting.

“Sorry for making you get here so early,” Cale apologizes.

Luna rolls her eyes. “How many times do I have to say that I don’t mind? Besides, this’ll give me more time to actually work on my thesis anyways.”

“If you say so,” Cale says, still worried.

After ordering their coffee and some breakfast, they take a seat at a table in the corner of the cafe. Luna would be lying if she said she wasn’t at least a little bit nervous. She’s still in disbelief that any of this is happening, but she won’t take any of it for granted.

As she takes her coat off, she notices Cale eyeing her arms. Well, she can’t really blame him with how many soulmate marks litter them. As much as she isn’t ashamed of them, it does feel a bit intimidating having someone stare at them so intently. Max is usually the only one bold enough to do so, and Luna has known him for years.

“That’s, um, that’s a lot of marks,” Cale says nervously, like he might be reprimanded.

And he might have been, if it was anyone other than Luna. But she’s used to it at this point.

“Don’t worry, they’re all platonic or familial,” Luna explains. “And not all of them are reciprocated anyways, so it looks like a lot more than normal.”

“Sorry, I know that was a bold question for our first time hanging out,” Cale replies sheepishly.

Luna shrugs. “I’m used to it at this point. I know most people don’t have this many soulmarks, and I can’t blame you for being curious.”

“If you say so,” Cale says. “So, what’s your master’s focused on? Gabrielle mentioned it briefly, but I think most of it flew over my head.”

Part Three

“There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment.” ― Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever

Before Luna realizes it, winter rolls into spring and the weather finally starts to warm up. Her advisor warned her that time would go by faster than expected once she dove head first into working on her thesis, but she didn’t quite believe it until it was happening.

And maybe going on a handful of dates with Cale helped move things along as well. They hadn’t made anything official yet, but Max likes to tease that they’re basically together. Luna tries to not worry about the lack of a soulmate mark, even though she knows it's normal for her. It’s just…not everyone sees it the same way.

“So, you and Cale…any updates?” Gabrielle inquires tentatively, as she pauses the movie.

Luna sighs. “No, it’s the same as last time. It’s like we’re both waiting for something to happen before we make our first move.”

“Would that thing happen to be a soulmate mark?” Gabrielle suggests. “You know that you don’t have to wait for one to ask each other out.”

“I know, but this is just the first time in a long time where I haven’t gotten one with someone I care about,” Luna explains. “You know me, I’m the girl who always gets platonic marks within days of meeting someone. Romantic marks seem to take their time with me and I don’t want to disappoint him, I guess.”

“Have you considered functioning like almost everyone else and asking out someone they like even without a mark?”

“Yeah, I’ve thought about it, but…I’m just scared, I guess. It’s been a long time since I’ve cared for someone like this.”

Gabrielle shrugs. “Doesn’t mean you can’t ask him out. I know I’ve said it a million times, but for most people, these things take time, especially with romantic partners. I mean, you’ve said you’ve had partners previously.”

“Yeah, but…” Luna says, trailing off.

“Let me guess, it didn’t end well? And it’s making you scared?” Gabrielle guesses. “Look, we both know Cale is one of the kindest people to ever exist. I promise he won’t have this big reaction like you’re building up in your head.”

“I guess you’re right,” Luna replies softly.

“And if it does end badly? It’ll be easy enough to avoid him,” Gabrielle says.

Luna snorts. “Yeah, I’ll only ever remember it whenever I see his face plastered around during hockey season.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Gabrielle laughs. “But seriously, just talk with him about it, okay? Surprisingly, dragging this out makes things worse.”

“Yeah, mom, whatever you say,” Luna teases, rolling her eyes.

—

It takes Luna a couple of days to build up the courage to text Cale about wanting to talk through everything. With how much they’ve both been dancing around the subject, it feels intimidating and Luna almost backs out of saying anything. But she knows that it’ll need to happen eventually, and she might as well bite the bullet.

Hey Cale!!

I was wondering if we could meet up some time to talk

Like nothing bad

I just have some stuff I wanna talk through if you don’t mind

Yeah, that would be great actually

I’ve been wanting to talk about about some stuff as well

I can come over to your place today after practice

Just let me know when you’re on your way ♥️

Luna paces around her apartment for the rest of the day, hardly able to focus on her thesis. By the time Cale texts her saying that he’ll be there in twenty minutes, Luna’s already gone through a million different scenarios, none of them ending well. While she knows that’s being a bit overdramatic, it’s hard to not get caught up in her head.

When she hears Cale knocking at her door, she nearly jumps out of her seat. Luna rushes over to open the door, and lets him right in. They’re both quiet at first, neither wanting to broach what was coming next.

“Um, I guess I could go first since I texted you about it,” Luna says, awkwardly.

Cale shifts nervously. “I have a feeling we’re thinking about the same thing.”

“I don’t even know why I’m nervous because I think I know my answer but…I was wondering about making it official? Like, us dating and everything?” Luna asks softly. “I know that we don’t have soulmate marks yet or anything, but I know that sometimes they don’t always appear right away, but…”

“You don’t have yours yet?” Cale responds, sounding more confused than hurt.

Luna freezes. In those million different scenarios going through her head previously, this was not one that she thought of. The thought of someone getting her mark, but Luna not getting one in return…

“I didn’t know you had one,” Luna whispers. “You never said anything.”

“I…I guess I was waiting for you to say something. Like, you’re always talking about your platonic marks right away, but you never mentioned getting a mark for me,” Cale explains. “I guess that makes sense why you never said anything.

Luna takes a shaky breath. “It’s just…romantic soulmate marks take a while for me. And I guess I feel a little bit self-conscious about it since it’s not the same for platonic marks.”

“So it’s not that it’ll happen for you, it might just take some time?” Cale asks.

“Yeah,” Luna replies shakily. “I’m sorry I never said anything to you about it, though. I just hoped that it wouldn’t take so long.”

Cale reaches over to Luna and pulls her into a hug. She tries to not cry, afraid of scaring Cale off by being too intense about the whole situation.

“Look, I want to give us a shot, regardless if you have a mark or not, okay?” Cale says softly, pulling away.

“Okay, if you’re sure,” Luna replies, holding back tears. “I’m sorry for making this harder than it had to be.”

“No, you didn’t make anything harder. You’ve only ever made things easy,” Cale whispers, wiping away the tears that rolled down Luna’s face.

“God, Gabrielle was right,” Luna laughs, grabbing Cale’s hand that stroked her face. “You’re too kind for your own good.”

Cale smiles. “Maybe I am, but I wouldn’t have it any other way, not when it comes to you.”

—

Luna walks into the museum office one spring morning and notices Emma standing by her desk. This either meant something very good or very bad if Emma had the time to wait around for Luna to start her shift. Her nerves start thrumming, worried about what’s coming next.

“Uh, good morning, Emma,” Luna greets, setting down her bag. “Is something up?”

“No, I just heard from a little birdie that you and Cale made things official recently,” Emma answers, smirking.

Luna rolls her eyes. “I can’t believe Gabrielle spilled the beans. We literally just made it official a couple weeks ago, anyways.”

“I’ve just been wanting to see you happy, and Gabrielle just happened to know why you’ve had an extra pep in your step,” Emma replies. “Oh, would you look at that? Your boy is here?”

“Huh?” Luna says, confused, turning around.

And none other than Cale is walking through the door with coffee from Luna’s favorite cafe. Emma silently goes back to her office, leaving the two as much privacy as possible.

“What are you even doing here?” Luna inquires. “How did you even know I was working today?”

Cale shrugs, handing Luna her coffee. “Gabrielle owes me a favor, and she got your schedule from Emma.”

“Well, I guess that would explain why Emma knew we were dating,” Luna says, laughing. “I can’t believe how fast this has been getting around.”

“I mean, we did have a long build-up,” Cale says. “The guys haven’t been able to shut up about it ever since I told them. Which reminds me…I wanted to invite you to a team dinner in a couple of weeks. It’d be a good chance to meet everyone and I want you to officially meet them as my girlfriend.”

Luna blushes. “Oh, yeah, I think I could do that. Just let me know the details so I can make sure I’m free.”

—

By the time the team dinner rolls around, Luna is a bundle of nerves. This is her first time meeting almost everyone, and the few players she has met, she met them as Kayla’s unofficial babysitter. Cale has told her multiple times that everyone will love her, but she knows that the Avalanche is basically his second family.

“I promise everything will be fine,” Cale assures her one last time, as they approach Gabe’s house. “And they know better than to ask about soulmarks, okay? Nobody is going to mention it unless we do.”

Luna nods. “I got this, it’ll be totally fine. Nothing bad will happen.”

“And I’ll be with you the whole night,” Cale says. “Now, let’s go.”

Unsurprisingly, Cale is right — at least when it comes to the team being welcoming and respectful. They do, in fact, get separated at some point, but Luna does her best to not freak out about it, especially since she seems to be in good company with the WAGs she’s with. As much as she’s used to talking to strangers at the museum, this feels a bit out of Luna’s element.

“I’m so glad that you and Cale made it official,” Melissa says. “He kept beating around the topic for a while.”

“Yeah, I guess we were both waiting for the other person to make the first move,” Luna replies, hesitantly.

“Well, we’re glad to have you around at these events. I’ll have to add you to our group chats so you can keep up with everything going on. There’s some WAG stuff going on, especially with playoffs coming up,” Melissa explains.

“Oh,” Luna says, surprised to be immediately included. “I would really appreciate that, thank you.”

Before she knows it, Luna and Cale are headed out for the evening. As nice as it was to meet some of the important people in his life, Luna is grateful to be headed back home. Something about it felt special, knowing that Cale was ready for her to get to know the team. It felt like he truly meant what he said about not caring that Luna didn’t have her mark yet and well…it helped put her at ease.

—

Another summer rolls around, but this time Luna is a little bit less stressed. Sure, camps are as hectic as ever, but there’s something reassuring about having Cale around on top of it all. She was surprised when he decided to stick around for a little bit before heading home to Calgary, but Luna wasn’t going to complain about it.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted,” Luna complains, flopping onto her bed after a long day. “I love kids, but summer camps do something to them, I swear.”

Cale laughs. “It’s a fun change of pace for them. They get to do fun stuff that isn’t at school or with their family.”

“Yeah, I know, but I’m grateful every day that I don’t have to worry about having my own kids for a very long time,” Luna sighs.

“You want kids?” Cale asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Honestly…ask me in winter when I’ve had time to recover from summer camps,” Luna groans, sitting up and taking off her cardigan.

Cale looks at her, confused, before reaching out and touching her left shoulder. Luna looks down and sees something that wasn’t there when she was getting ready. Or, well, maybe it was — she’s hardly been awake when getting ready this week, it’s entirely possible that she missed it.

“You have my soulmate mark,” Cale whispers in amazement. “I — this must have just happened.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Luna says softly. “Well, that’s a nice surprise isn’t it?”

Cale smiles brightly, before bringing her into a kiss. And at this moment, Luna had a hard time feeling stressed about anything.

#cale makar #colorado avalanche #cale makar imagine #colorado avalanche imagine #nhl imagine #hockey imagine #the summer fic exchange 2k23

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misshoneyimhome · 2 months ago

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Through the Dark I Husband!Nathan Mackinnon ✐

#nm29 #nathan mackinnon imagine #colorado avalanche imagine #nhl imagines #nhl fanfic

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senditcolton · 11 months ago

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Warmer in the Winter

Bantering, judging each other but in a way that’s like, “what you’re doing right now is really stupid but you’re adorable and I can’t help but love you.”

part of my Valentine's Day prompts requested by @smileysvech | word count: 1k | warnings: none! bonus instagram edit!!

Every relationship went through its fair share of ‘firsts.’ First date, first time meeting friends, first ‘I love you’, first holiday with family, first trip, etc. But it seemed that dating a professional athlete came with its own set of firsts.

One of which you were experiencing right now: first family skate.

The NHL Winter Classic had finally made it to Colorado and your boyfriend Mikko invited you to the game. That invite wasn’t new; you had come to Ball Arena multiple times to support him and cheer him on from the box seats with the other wives and girlfriends. But when he told you that he was bringing you to the family skate the day before, you freaked out a little.

This was big – this was Mikko publicly claiming you as his. You knew there would be media and it was likely that you would be posted on the Colorado Avalanche socials sooner rather than later. It felt like a big step in your relationship. Your nerves of the media attention were only combined with your nerves of skating in front of everyone.

You would be the first to admit that you weren’t the strongest skater. Sure, you could stand, you could coast. But matching the speed and ease of your professional hockey boyfriend? That wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. And Mikko knew it. In fact, he relentlessly teased you about it.

You were thankful for the teasing though. It was never malicious and, in all honesty, it just made you want to prove yourself. That was usually the goal whenever you stepped onto the ice with Mikko. But today, the goal was simply not to make a fool of yourself.

That goal was on loop in your mind as your step out onto the ice, the snow falling gently around you, Mikko’s hand firmly in yours. He smiles at you and you force yourself to smile back, loving the sight of his blond hair peeking out from underneath the Colorado Avalanche beanie. Mikko pulls you along as he skates backwards, helping you balance.

“You don’t look like Bambi anymore,” he chirps as you move your feet, your gaze focused on the ice.

“Gee, thanks babe,” you mutter, your hand tightening in his.

Mikko guides you around the rink a little longer, gliding you through turns and you start to relax. Your eyes lift from the ice to look around Mile High Stadium. The bronco is emblazoned, the snow not covering it just yet. You couldn’t wait to see that it covered tomorrow – not with snow but with Avalanche fans cheering on their team. Those hopes swirl through your mind, distracting you momentarily, so much so that you don’t feel Mikko’s hand slipping away from yours until it’s almost gone. You immediately tighten your grip, turning your gaze back to him to see a mischievous smirk on his face.

“If you let go of my hand, I’ll kill you,” you say, fixing him with a stern look. Mikko’s only response is another grin as he continues to wiggle his hand free.

“You would need to skate on your own in order to catch me,” he chirps right back, finally releasing himself from your grasp and pushing backwards a few paces.

Your face hardens in a playful scowl as you move your feet, trying to propel yourself forward, all while attempting to stay upright. Mikko just continues to skate backward a few feet ahead of you, that smug smirk still on his face as he takes in your determined flailing as you try to keep up with him.

But Mikko – no matter how skilled and confident of a skater he was – was no defenseman. He pushes himself backward once again to keep the distance between you, but he stumbles over his own two feet. He practically flips in the air, falling on his back with a heavy groan.

The initial worry subsides when you hear him laugh, the noise bringing forth your own cackle. You skate up to his form splayed on the nice, glancing down with a smirk on your face oh so similar to the one he was wearing a few minutes ago.

“Need any help there, babe?” you ask, the words dripping with amusement.

His steel blue eyes look up at you, a slightly embarrassed smile on his lips made more evident by the pink in his cheeks. Mikko lays there for a minute, contemplating your offer before he pouts, holding his hand up to you in defeat.

As soon as your hand is clasped in his, you feel his hold tighten in yours. Your eyes widen as you subtly shake your head, realizing his plan a moment too late. The pout on his face quickly morphs into a wicked grin and before you can react, he is pulling you forward. Your center of balance fails you, your body tipping as you fall, landing on top of Mikko with a shriek.

“Mikko,” you squeal, playfully smacking him on the chest. “What was that for?”

“Couldn’t let everyone think you were a better skater than me,” he laughs, his hands falling to your hips as your body straddles his.

“I think your secret is safe,” you reply, looking down at him with a grin. Mikko just smiles up at you, his hand lifting to brush the snow from your cheeks.

Gravity was to blame for a lot of things and if you needed to, you could blame gravity on the way your body lowers itself until your face hovers over his. A moment passes before you move those final centimeters, pressing your lips into his. Mikko returns the kiss with a fervor, pulling you impossibly closer. The chill from the ice starts to seep through the fabric covering your knees but you don’t care that much because the desire pouring from Mikko warms you from the inside.

“Hey, get a room you two. There are children here,” you hear Nate chirp, his voice breaking through the bubble and breaking the two of you apart. You playfully scowl in his direction, a glare that he only responds to with a laugh.

You carefully remove yourself from on top of Mikko, pulling yourself onto your feet with the help of the solid boards next to you. Mikko peels himself off the ice, dusting the snow off his clothes before taking your arm in his. You let him guide you back towards the center of the ice as the snow continues to fall.

#nicole writes #casual intimacy series #mikko rantanen fic #mikko rantanen imagine #mikko rantanen fluff #colorado avalanche fic #colorado avalanche imagine #nhl fic #nhl imagine #hockey fic #hockey imagine

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izzylovesyou2022 · 2 years ago

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Comment, Reblog this, or Message me with your thoughts on me writing a NHL fanfic based around "first girl in the NHL"

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hockeylvr59 · 11 months ago

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Here With Me Part 30 || Taylor Makar

Author’s Note: Taylor takes Kelsey to Banff National Park for a hike after which they finally get some much needed alone time, even if it does lead to more embarrassment for Kelsey. FC: Marina Laswick (@marooshk on instagram).

A/N2: Since apparently T isn't allowed to have any goals he can at least get an update.

Warnings: relationship tension, awkwardness, smut, cursing? // Word Count: 7,958

~~~~~~

Twenty Nine

When the alarm Taylor set went off shortly after 6am Kelsey jolted awake with a groan having been restless for most of the night. Rolling out of Taylor’s arms and then bed, she made her way to the bathroom doing everything she needed to there before finally returning to Taylor’s room to throw on one of the outfits she had brought for a day outdoors. Once fully dressed, she pulled her hair into a ponytail and finally made her way downstairs where Taylor must have already wandered as she hadn’t passed him again upstairs.

She found him in the kitchen getting bottles of water ready and filling a backpack with plenty of water and snacks.

“How can I help?” She asked softly, yawning as she leaned against the counter.

“Make yourself coffee for the car.” Taylor insisted, stepping toward her to kiss her softly in a morning greeting. “Everything else is already ready. Water, snacks, sandwiches, sunblock, bug spray. I’m gonna go change and then we can figure out breakfast.”

Nodding, Kelsey went through making herself a cup of coffee in a travel mug that Taylor had left on the counter for her. She wasn’t particularly hungry but she knew Taylor was going to make her eat something so she looked through the fridge to see what might be light enough for her to force down.

Spotting some yogurt, Kelsey grabbed it along with some fruit and made herself up a small dish, topping it off with just a little bit of granola.

Before she could eat there was a knock at the door that made her jump. Who the hell was at the Makar’s door at 6:30 am? When the knock came again, Kelsey raced out of the kitchen and upstairs interrupting Taylor as he was pulling on shorts.

“Someone is at the door…” Kelsey whispered, panic filling her voice.

“Probably just Mark.” Taylor replied immediately not at all phased by her distress.

“Why is Mark here at 6:30 in the morning?” Kelsey questioned.

“If I had to guess I’d say he’s planning on crashing our hike.” Taylor declared, pulling a light colored dry wick shirt on and grabbing a pair of socks from his drawer.

Shaking her head, Kelsey rubbed at her face. It was way too fucking early for that and she hadn’t had coffee yet.

“Ugh. I’m too tired to care one way or another but you’re dealing with him.” Kelsey mumbled, retreating downstairs where she’d left her breakfast and the travel mug full of coffee which she clearly already needed some of.

After a moment, Kelsey heard Taylor on the stairs and then the front door opened. Soon after, Taylor and Mark both entered the kitchen where Kelsey was leaning against the counter munching on her light breakfast.

“So what hike did you have planned?” Mark inquired of Taylor causing the two of them to chat back and forth while Kelsey glared lightly at how peppy their uninvited guest was this early in the morning.

After washing out her dish and putting it to dry, Kelsey took another few sips of her coffee before leaving the kitchen needing just a few minutes of quiet.

She usually wasn’t this cranky in the morning but having not slept well meant that she was more on edge than usual and she was looking forward to having a day alone with Taylor which apparently wasn’t happening.

Taking some deep breaths, Kelsey tried to calm herself while drinking her coffee to the point where she was going to need to make another mug before they actually left. After a few minutes, Taylor entered the room eyeing her for a moment before approaching.

“We don’t have to go on a hike if you’re too tired.” He offered.

“I want to go Taylor.” Kelsey stated, sighing softly. “I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks.”

“Are you sure you’re good?” Taylor pressed a little bit.

“Fine.” Kelsey mumbled. Taylor’s gaze didn’t let up and Kelsey let out another long sigh. “I slept like shit okay. And I thought today was going to be the one day I’d get you completely to myself. But it’s fine. I’m fine. Let’s just go.”

“Kels…” Taylor started. “I can send Mark away and we can go just the two of us.”

“Let’s just go Taylor.” Kelsey said. “I’m not gonna be that bitch okay.”

“Hey…come here.” Taylor murmured squatting down in front of her and rubbing his thumb over her hand. “No one would think you’re a bitch okay.”

Kelsey looked at him signaling that she didn’t believe him but that she wasn’t about to fight him over it.

“Please let’s just go.” She whispered, body deflated.

“Alright.” Taylor agreed. “I’ll go make you some more coffee and load the car.”

As he stood, he kissed her forehead and then retreated back to the kitchen shaking his head softly at Mark as he sent Taylor a questioning look.

“She wants to just go.” Taylor shrugged. Given that it seemed like there wasn’t any option to make her completely happy at this point, Taylor was just going to respect her wishes, she wanted to go so they would go.

Making her another mug of coffee the way she liked it, Taylor put shoes on and took the bag out to the car, letting Mark also throw his in the back as well.

By the time he was walking through the front door again, Kelsey was sitting on the bottom step, putting her own shoes on.

“Ready?” He asked after moving to grab her coffee.

“Yeah.” Kelsey agreed, taking the mug from him with the slightest smile. “Thanks Tay.”

With Taylor locking up, they headed out to the car and Kelsey slid into the passenger seat as Taylor climbed behind the wheel with his cousin already situated in the backseat.

As Taylor backed out of the driveway and headed toward the highway, no one said anything. Taylor sipped at his smoothie while Kelsey drank her second cup of coffee and Mark alternated between scrolling through his phone and unsuccessfully attempting to sleep.

Eventually, Taylor put his country playlist on quietly in the background as he drove down the highway toward Banff needing something other than silence during the just shy of two hours drive.

After about 40 minutes, Kelsey twisted slightly in her seat and tipped her head toward Taylor.

“Hey Tay…can you see if you can find somewhere to stop. I need the bathroom.”

“Yeah, I’ll find somewhere in Canmore, we could use gas anyway.” Taylor agreed. Kelsey had no idea how far Canmore was, she hadn’t really been paying attention to signs, but she assumed it was close if Taylor mentioned it specifically.

It was less than ten minutes before Taylor was taking an exit and pulling into a gas station to fill up.

“Be right back.” Kelsey murmured, hopping out to head inside and use the gas station’s bathroom.

By the time she exited, the car was no longer at a pump but parked outside the building with Mark standing beside it. Clearly Taylor had also decided to use the bathroom while they were here though she hadn’t passed him on her way out.

“Hey Kelsey.” Mark started. “I’m sorry if me tagging along upset you. Just wanted to get to know the girl T loves better.”

“Guess I’m learning everything with T is a family event…” Kelsey joked lightly.

“What can I say…once you’re in…you’re in.” Mark shrugged, smiling.

“Maybe just send a warning text next time…” Kelsey suggested. “And not just to T because he’s not always great at telling me shit.”

Laughing, Mark nodded and pulled her into a hug which Kelsey returned.

Before either could say anything else, Taylor appeared from inside and unlocked the car doors. Breaking the hug, Kelsey climbed back into the passenger seat and looked toward Taylor who had a small convenience store bag he was looking through. After a moment he pulled a small candy bar out of the bottom of the bag and handed it to her. Taking it, Kelsey looked at the package. Aero Bar. It was not a candy that was available in the States that’s for sure but she definitely remembered Taylor mentioning that it was his favorite.

“This is your favorite…why are you handing it to me?” Kelsey questioned curiously.

After setting the bag with the rest of its contents at her feet, Taylor rested a hand on her thigh.

“Try it.” He murmured, backing out of the parking spot so that they could get back on the road toward Banff and the hike.

Opening the wrapper, Kelsey broke a small piece off before popping it into her mouth. It was basically just chocolate. Aerated chocolate. It was good, but it was also still not even 8am so there was no way she was finishing the whole bar. And if they left it during the hike it was absolutely going to melt. So Kelsey took a few pieces and then offered the rest to Taylor who declined before passing it back to Mark to finish.

“It was a little chilly out there.” Kelsey murmured.

“Not supposed to get any warmer really either.” Mark reported. Yesterday had been in the 80s but looking at her phone, apparently it was only hovering around 50 now. And Kelsey had only worn a t-shirt so hopefully she didn’t get too chilled during the hike.

“It was 80 yesterday.” Kelsey stated, shaking her head at the big temperature swing.

“You and your American temperatures.” Mark teased.

“Hey now. I will concede that some American measurement systems suck. Temperature however is not one of them.” Kelsey defended. “Especially for practical use. Fahrenheit is more precise and reduces the need for decimals. And humans can tell the difference between a single degree Fahrenheit when it comes to comfort.”

“Alright no need to get heated.” Mark joked.

“Haha. So funny.” Kelsey deadpanned before turning to Taylor. “Are we there yet?”

“What are you? Five?” Mark chirped.

“Like another half hour, Kels.” Taylor responded, chuckling as Kelsey exaggerated a pout. “If you pout you’ll miss the views.”

It was definitely a pretty drive and looking out the windows Kelsey’s anticipation grew at how good the views could possibly be once they were actually hiking. When Taylor finally pulled into a parking lot it took him about three trips around before he found someone who was actually leaving and whose spot he could take.

Climbing out of the car, Kelsey stretched her legs from the drive and then moved around to the driver’s side where Taylor was climbing out. Knowing that she hadn’t been easy to deal with this morning, Kelsey wrapped her arms around him for a moment while pressing up on her toes to kiss him softly trying to show him she appreciates his patience and grace as the up and down anxiety of the trip got the better of her.

After a moment, she pulled back and Taylor rested a palm on her lower back to guide her toward the trunk where Mark was waiting to grab their packs. Grabbing theirs, Taylor also grabbed a hoodie, packing it into the top of the bag.

“Since you’re always cold…and didn’t pack any of your own.” He mumbled, referring to their conversation the night before when he had started packing a few things for the cabin and Kelsey had commented on him adding a sweatshirt she could steal since they didn't fit in her bag.

“I love you Tay.” Kelsey replied in acknowledgement.

Before they left the lot, Taylor paid for parking and made sure the sticker was in the window. Then they made their way toward the washrooms for Kelsey to attempt to empty her bladder once more before they were out in nature and she’d have to relieve herself in the way she hated most. Then they applied a quick coat of sunscreen to protect themselves because even if it wasn’t hot out, there was still a good chance they would burn.

Finally, they set off onto the trails and Kelsey was a bit surprised by just how crowded it was. The congestion had her primarily focused on making sure that she didn’t get separated from Taylor so she didn’t have any idea that they were approaching Lake Louise until Taylor stopped after weaving through some people and gently pulled her in front of him, his hands resting on her hips.

Suddenly turquoise blue water surrounded all around by mountains filled her vision and Kelsey audibly gasped.

“You’re joking…” She mumbled. “Oh my god Tay.”

“This is only the beginning, Kels.” Taylor replied, giving her a moment to take it all in. “Our hike will have even better views, promise.”

Eventually it became impossible to block out the crowds and so Kelsey nodded for them to continue on, a look of awe still present on her face. With Taylor checking to make sure Mark was still with them, they headed along the lakeshore trail for a short stretch as they passed a large hotel. Reaching the first trail divide, Taylor guided them right and they started uphill along a trail that also ran alongside the lake. It was relatively easy terrain, the perfect way to warm up and Kelsey couldn’t help but smile every time she got a glimpse of the lake below them.

After what felt like a little over a mile to Kelsey they reached a small lake that Taylor identified as Mirror Lake and she smiled as he pointed out the Beehive Mountain which rose above it. With no real reason to linger on besides pausing to hydrate a little and for the boys to grab a snack, they continued and diverged right onto a trail marked as the Little Beehive Trail. Following that slightly rougher trail they again turned right to continue to Little Beehive. As they climbed Mark chatted about whatever random thing came to mind and though Kelsey chatted back a bit she was mainly focused on just taking the beautiful day in even if it was definitely chilly and she might have to have T pull the sweater out at some point.

Reaching the sign for Mt. St. Piran, it became apparent that this was definitely a path less taken because while they’d previously been on well carved out paths, this one seemed a bit more overgrown. Still, Kelsey trusted Taylor and continued down the path as it led through some thicker woods before opening up a bit once they rose above the treeline. Now surrounded by boulders outside the thin path and with the altitude rising more steeply, Taylor urged Kelsey to take the lead so that he could serve as more of a security net.

“Sure and I guess I’ll catch T.” Mark chirped. “Or just take him along with me.”

“Watch it.” Kels joked. “Or we can just say a bear got you.”

Mark feigned hurt before shaking his head.

“Now I really understand why you weren’t worried about Carvy.” He stated.

Walking along the narrow path, Kelsey made sure to take her time to ensure her footing was solid. Thankfully there were plenty of switchbacks to make the climb easier but it was still quite the hike.

“I get it now. You weren’t worried about keeping her safe.” Mark piped up from behind Taylor. “You just wanted your turn to stare at her ass like she’s been staring at yours all day.”

“I mean I work hard for this ass for a reason.” Kelsey threw back before starting up another switchback, peeking over her shoulder at Taylor who was slightly pink though it was hard to tell if it was from the hike or embarrassment.

Nearing the summit, the narrow path turned to nothing but rock and Kelsey very carefully made her way over them until she reached the top. Though some fog lingered in the air, it was mostly clear and the views of the entire area surrounded her. As Taylor and Mark joined her, Taylor guided her down just a little bit to one side in order to get a little bit better of a view.

From up here, Lake Louise looked even bluer and Kelsey could only smile amazed at what they had just done.

Stepping into Taylor’s side from slightly above him, Kelsey let him wrap an arm around her and she laid her head on his shoulder just taking it all in and listening as he named the mountains and the third lake in the view.

“This is stunning.” Kelsey declared, just basking in a few minutes with him while Mark explored the rest of the summit.

“I like showing you beautiful places.” Taylor stated softly.

“I like when you show me beautiful places too.” Kelsey agreed. “I don’t know what I was expecting but it wasn’t this. This is just incredible. How lucky are we to live in a world where places like this exist?”

Lifting her head, Kelsey kissed his cheek before reaching into her pocket for her phone to take a photo of the gorgeous view below them. This was definitely a day to remember.

“Selfie?” Taylor asked before taking her phone from her when she nodded eagerly. Turning slightly so that the lakes and best portion of the view were behind them, Taylor took a few pictures of the two of them so that Kelsey could pick the best one.

“Hey! No taking selfies without me!” Mark yelled before scrambling over the rocks to get to them.

Rolling her eyes fondly, Kelsey let Mark sneak in beside her while Taylor took a few more photos.

Satisfied, they headed to some of the more stable ground at the peak where they could perch to take a short break, drinking water and getting something to eat. Kelsey had had an energy chew on the way up but otherwise hadn’t eaten since breakfast so she was starving. Eating most of a PB&J sandwich and downing three fruit pouches, Kelsey packed all her trash up into a plastic grocery bag for Taylor to stash back in the backpack once he and Mark were done eating.

At the peak, there was a completely uninterrupted breeze and Kelsey shivered slightly before reaching for the backpack at Taylor’s feet to grab the hoodie he’d stashed there. It was definitely going to be oversized which wasn’t ideal for hiking but the descent was going to require less exertion and so Kelsey knew her body was going to feel the chill more easily.

Pulling it on she could only smile because it smelled like her boyfriend and that was a smell she had missed more than she could describe. It sent that spark of attraction through her that drew her attention to things she previously hadn’t fully noticed.

The way Taylor’s shirt clung to his torso from sweat, the way his shorts clung to his thighs, his hair peeking out from the hat on his head…all of it implanted itself into Kelsey’s brain causing her to need a swig of water to try to suppress the flood of hormones.

Thankfully the boys had finished eating and were packing back up to start their descent. This time Mark took the lead with Taylor following and Kelsey trailing behind. Descending down the first few switchbacks, Taylor would walk a few steps ahead of her before pausing to make sure that Kelsey made her way without issue. It was a slow process with such a steep incline and Kelsey’s knees definitely already hurt at the end of it but eventually the summit was once again towering above them. Having reached the bottom of the switchbacks, Kelsey called out for a break and moved to stretch her knees a bit to try and alleviate some of the pressure she’d put on them. She also needed water and to take a few more pictures of just how beautiful Lake Louise and the surrounding scenery was before it was once again hidden by trees.

After about a five minute break, they continued down the mountain pausing every kilometer or so to give their knees a bit of a break even if it wasn’t quite as steep now as it had been before. Kelsey couldn’t deny that she was enjoying her view of Taylor’s back and ass as he hiked in front of her and that it only made her want to jump him even more.

Eventually Mark switched to the back again, not enjoying the fact that it was harder to chat their ears off from in front of them than it was from behind.

“So has Taylor told you he produced two of the tracks on my new EP?” Mark questioned, switching topics.

Stopping, Kelsey turned to face him, a look of surprise on her face.

“Wait what?”

“Guess he hasn’t told you then.” Mark grinned, hyped to be able to share the news. “Yeah T produced two tracks on my EP, one’s called Way Back Home with a little bit more of a moody country guitar feel and the other is super upbeat called Let’s Ride. Release is the first week of July.”

As they resumed their hike down the mountain, Mark continued on about how this might be his favorite EP yet and how Taylor had helped produce a few of his songs in the past as well. Letting him talk for a bit, Kelsey looked at Taylor wondering why he had never mentioned this to her. It seemed like it was something important to him and yet he’d given no indication. She wasn’t going to question him about it in front of his cousin but it was something they needed to talk about later.

When Mark asked her about her own music tastes, Kelsey just shrugged.

“I don’t really listen to a whole lot of music but when I do it’s pretty much whatever. Country. Pop.” Kelsey admitted. “Lately I probably listen to the playlist T made me more than anything.”

Stopping to take another short break, Taylor told Mark about some of the songs on the playlist while Kelsey grabbed one of the protein bars to get a little more fuel and finished off most of her water. Thankfully they were at least halfway down and the hardest part was definitely over as the incline decreased the rest of the descent.

After checking that the boys were ready, Kelsey started off down the trail again knowing that if they waited around any longer she wasn’t going to want to get going again as fatigue started to settle in a bit. This was definitely the longest hike she’d been on in awhile and probably the most difficult, even if skill wise it wasn’t all that challenging.

With the boys behind her, Kelsey continued their hike, letting out a small breath as they reached the first portion of the trail where there was a concrete path and only a gradual decline. That meant that they were almost done and slowly Lake Louise appeared between the trees once more, still that stunning turquoise blue that Kelsey really couldn’t believe was real.

Finally reaching the lakeside trail, Kelsey paused for just a moment to take it all in one final time before they hiked the last little bit back to the car after using the bathrooms.

When they reached the car, Taylor offered Kelsey a fresh bottle of water for the trip home and Kelsey took it gratefully.

“Any chance there’s pain meds?” Kelsey questioned softly, wanting to get ahead of any misery that might hit during the car ride home. Tossing her a bottle, Taylor grabbed water for himself before putting the bottle away once she’d popped the meds. Cooling down for a few more minutes, Kelsey groaned mentally as Taylor adjusted himself in his shorts causing arousal to pool in her underwear. She needed him so badly that it was starting to drive her crazy.

Forcing her gaze away from her boyfriend, Kelsey moved to climb into the car feeling tired but on edge. She needed him so much but thinking about it certainly wasn’t doing her any favors.

Thankfully it wasn’t long before Taylor and Mark climbed in the car and Taylor started the drive back to Calgary. It also wasn’t long before Mark was tapping her shoulder from the backseat asking if she wanted to hear the songs Taylor had produced before they’re released.

Kelsey was definitely intrigued and so she took Mark’s phone plugging it into the car’s speakers before selecting the tracks he had mentioned. Neither song was something that Kelsey would naturally be drawn to but she’d watched as Taylor tapped on the steering wheel to the beat of each and it made her stomach swirl with more desire. It was Mark’s voice but this was something that Taylor had made and there was something so sexy about knowing that this song existed because of her boyfriend’s brain and skill musically. A skill she hadn’t even known he possessed.

Even after switching the music back to Taylor’s phone, Kelsey’s mind lingered on how hot it was discovering a new thing that made her boyfriend happy. No amount of water that she drank seemed to cool off her hormones and she shifted in her seat feeling achy and frankly just horny.

The rest of the drive couldn’t pass quickly enough and given that it was two hours, it felt like it dragged on forever. When they arrived home, they all climbed out of the car to stretch their legs and after Mark transferred his backpack back to his car he followed them inside to use the bathroom before leaving.

After he finished in the bathroom, Mark pulled Kelsey into a tight hug.

“Thanks for letting me tag along today, was nice spending some time getting to know the girl T adores so much.” Mark murmured in her ear. “Next time you can tell me to fuck off though, I won’t be offended.”

“Noted.” Kelsey replied as she ended the hug and moved to use the bathroom herself while Taylor said goodbye to his cousin.

“Sorry for dropping the music thing on her, figured she knew.” Mark declared hugging his cousin. “You found yourself a good one T.” Mark added. “Though you don’t need me to tell you that.”

Taylor quickly shrugged off the apology, hugging his cousin before pulling back.

“She’s the best.” He stated softly, glancing in the direction of the bathroom. She might be a handful at times but he really did adore her and the look on his face showed it.

“I’m out.” Mark said, giving Taylor one last pat on the back. “But tell Kels not to be a stranger okay.”

He was out the door and his car had left the driveway before Kelsey returned from using the bathroom and washing her hands.

“So…” Taylor murmured, focusing on his girlfriend. “Mom is working late and dad is having a guy’s night so we’re on our own.”

Kelsey hadn’t been expecting that but it certainly wasn’t a big deal. They could figure out something for dinner after they took showers.

“Alright.” Kelsey shrugged. “Not like we can’t take care of ourselves. What do you want to do for dinner?”

“No idea.” Taylor replied, stepping closer to her while lifting an arm in an offer for her to slide into his side. Shaking her head, Kelsey maintained the distance between them.

“Tay…if you touch me right now I may lose it.” Kelsey admitted, still massively turned on with the scent of his hoodie still surrounding her.

“And…?” Taylor questioned, smirking slightly. “Just us Kels. But a cold shower is all yours if you want it.”

There was really no comparison between having Taylor and having a cold shower, yet she still hesitated for reasons she didn’t understand. If she was going to be with him though they’d need protection and it certainly wasn’t something she had packed.

“Do you have condoms?”

“Yes Kels. Brand new box upstairs.”

After a moment, Taylor tugged her into a hug and his breath fanned across her ear as he spoke. “It’s your call Kels. Whatever you want.” It wasn’t a long hug, but it was long enough that Kelsey felt him half hard in his shorts signaling that he wanted her too. Long enough that another wave of desire rolled over her, making her whimper.

“Please…” She breathed, body nearly shaking with want.

“Upstairs Kels.” Taylor signaled, tapping her ass lightly until she started up the steps to his bedroom. Following behind, Taylor closed his door behind them, locking it just to be safe before pulling her body back toward his to kiss her.

They hadn’t kissed like this in so long and Kelsey couldn’t help but moan into it as Taylor’s hands gripped her waist, sliding up under his hoodie and the shirt she’d worn under it. Feeling frantic, Kelsey quickly pulled Taylor’s hat off his head before sliding her hands down to immediately start tugging at his shirt wanting it off.

“Hey…breathe.” Taylor murmured, breaking the kiss while breathing heavily. “There’s no rush.”

“Waited three weeks…” Kelsey mumbled back before kissing him again hard. Though the stubble on Taylor’s face rubbed at her, it was something Kelsey mostly ignored and even enjoyed slightly, more focused on his lips against hers.

Still kissing, Taylor lifted her up and carried her over to his bed, laying her down on it while hovering over her. Pulling back to breathe he brushed his nose against hers gently and spoke softly.

“Kels…trust me. I’m gonna give you my dick if that’s what you want. Just calm down and actually enjoy it.”

As much as she wanted to relax, it was all too much and Kelsey couldn’t help but squirm under him, needing him now. Realizing that Kelsey wasn’t going to be able to calm until her body found some sort of release, Taylor shifted slightly and moved his hand to press against her core through her clothes while he kissed her again.

Instantly, his touch drew another moan from her throat and Kelsey arched her hips into his hand, eager for the friction. Within just a few minutes of Taylor stroking her, Kelsey’s muscles tensed before finally relaxing as a mini orgasm rolled through her.

“You with me now?” Taylor questioned, shifting his hand up to her hip to allow her a moment to settle without being overstimulated. Nodding, Kelsey sighed and reached for Taylor once more, her hands sliding up under his shirt.

“Better…but still need you inside me.”

Chuckling, Taylor shook his head.

“I told you I’d give you my dick.” He murmured, reaching over to the bedside table containing the box of condoms and a bottle of lubricant. After retrieving the necessary items, Taylor hovered over Kelsey again and slipped his fingers below his borrowed hoodie until he reached the waistband of her leggings.

Easing the stretchy fabric off her hips, Taylor took her leggings along with her underwear down and off her legs until they hit the floor as he knelt at the foot of the bed. Then his long fingers worked the button and zipper of his shorts open before he shed the clothing from his own lower half.

Sliding back up the bed, Taylor kissed Kelsey again before reaching for the condom and lube beside her. It only took a moment to sheath himself and apply a generous coating of lube before he settled himself over her fully, his dick nudging at her folds.

“Tay please.” Kelsey pleaded as Taylor paused to ensure her consent before pressing inside of her inch by inch. Between the lubricant and Kelsey’s arousal, Taylor slipped inside of her smoothly and Kelsey moaned happily at the stretch of her body around him, finally being filled the way she needed most.

“Ungh…yes.” She mumbled, her head thrown back against the pillows in pleasure.

“So needy for me.” Taylor chirped softly, kissing along the exposed skin of her neck before capturing her lips with his once more and slowly starting to roll his hips to create friction.

It was far from the slowest sex they’d had but it also wasn’t rushed, both just enjoying the way the other felt as their bodies reconnected in the most intimate way. Kelsey tangled her fingers in Taylor’s hair and tugged gently as his dick brushed against all the spots that sent sparks up her spine. She’d really missed this and moaned into his mouth to show her appreciation for how it felt to be wrapped around him.

With it having been three weeks since they’d had a chance to be intimate, both were pushed quickly to the edge by the smallest things. For Taylor, the grip of her around him made his own hand pale in comparison and the fact that she was currently still wearing his hoodie only served as an additional turn on. For Kelsey, the feeling of him inside of her, his weight over her made her finally feel whole, once more safe and complete, surrounded by him.

As Taylor continued to roll his hips against hers, he slipped his free hand down to rub at her clit without any barriers in the way. With the combination of it all, Kelsey flew over the edge, crying out against his mouth as the intensity of her orgasm overwhelmed her. Hips stuttering as she clamped down around him, Taylor gave into his own orgasm pumping the condom full and groaning her name.

Remaining inside of her until their breathing settled and Kelsey’s body relaxed around him, Taylor carefully pulled out before disposing of the condom into the trash can in his room and wiping himself clean with a tissue. Then he settled onto the bed beside her once more, kissing her softly and checking in to make sure she’s okay.

“Better now?” He asked, brushing a strand of hair from her face. Nodding, Kelsey kissed him softly again, basking in all the happy hormones. “Good. Now go pee and shower. I’m gonna go start dinner.” Though she pouted a little, Kelsey knew that Taylor was likely starving and they did need to get some food since they would already be eating if it weren’t for her detour.

Slowly pulling herself out of bed, Kelsey wiped herself down with a tissue before throwing her dirty clothes back on and moving to dig in her bag for something clean to wear after a shower. As she did so, Taylor threw his own shorts back on and she heard him use the bathroom quickly before heading downstairs.

Moving into the bathroom herself, Kelsey stripped out of her dirty clothes before starting the shower and setting it to be warm but not hot. Taking her time, she went through her full routine, washing her hair, face, and body because she wasn’t sure if she would get a full relaxed shower at his family’s cabin. Feeling completely relaxed, she got out and dried herself off before getting dressed. Brushing her hair out, Kelsey looked in the mirror to find that the skin around her mouth was super red. Kelsey had used her usual face soap, but maybe something she had touched throughout their hike had caused her to have an allergic reaction. She’d ask Taylor what he thought when she went downstairs and she’d definitely keep an eye on it but there wasn’t much else she could do for now.

Finishing up, Kelsey took her things back to Taylor’s room and got everything situated back into her bag. Then she made her way downstairs to trade off with Taylor so he could also get a shower before having dinner.

When she got there he was putting some butter in a pan to melt before the steaks sitting on the counter beside him got added.

“So…” Kelsey started. “I think I have a rash…I have no idea what from and I feel fine breathing wise and everything but the skin around my mouth is all red. Any thoughts?”

“I can get you an antihistamine if you want…” Taylor declared, otherwise having no suggestion.

“Couldn’t hurt.” Kelsey agreed. While Taylor fetched the pill, Kelsey got herself a glass from a cabinet, filling it with water. “Thanks. Now I can take over this while you shower.” She declared having figured out that Taylor was just making steaks in the skillet and broccoli in a pot on the stove. Nothing complicated.

Nodding, Taylor kissed her cheek before heading back upstairs to get cleaned up himself. While he did, Kelsey got the steaks cooking and checked on the broccoli before scrolling through her phone looking at the pictures she’d taken on their hike.

By the time Taylor came back downstairs dressed in clean shorts and a fresh t-shirt, dinner was ready and Kelsey was transferring it onto plates for them to go sit and eat.

While Kelsey took the plates, Taylor brought in bottles of gatorade to replenish their electrolytes.

“So uh…about that rash…” Taylor murmured sheepishly. “It’s brush burn from my stubble.”

“I…are you sure?” Kelsey questioned, moving around the table to brush her fingers against his jaw and upper lip. Though the scruff wasn’t all that visible it was a little bit bristly, more so than she had expected.

“The way you were kissing me…yeah.” Taylor declared.

“Oh…” Kelsey murmured gently touching above her lip because it really did sting. If he was right at least it wasn’t an allergic reaction or something but that knowledge also didn’t help much.

Pulling her hand back, she moved to sit down so that they could eat, both starving after a long day’s hike and their extra curricular activities. It didn’t take long for them to devour their dinner and after cleaning up Kelsey stepped into Taylor’s chest needing his affections having not gotten their usual post sex snuggle.

Pulling her close, Taylor moved with her into their family room, sinking into the couch and pulling her on top of him.

“Any TV requests?” He mumbled softly causing Kelsey to shake her head as she burrowed herself into his body. All she needed was this, his warmth and security.

They hadn’t had alone time like this since she arrived and Kelsey found herself finally relaxing, enjoying the silence outside of the tv and being with just Taylor without wondering what anyone else might be thinking.

Of course, eventually his parents would be coming home and Kelsey cringed at the thought of them seeing how red her mouth was. If there was any dead giveaway that they’d fooled around it was that. And while Laura had told her that they didn’t care, Kelsey couldn’t help but think that they’d judge her for it even if they didn’t say anything.

Burying her face further into Taylor’s chest, Kelsey focused on his scent and the rhythm of his heartbeat, slowly drifting off after a long physically and mentally exhausting day. She only stirred at the sound of the front door and footsteps entering the house. Laura’s voice filled her ears a moment later and Kelsey silently groaned as she realized Taylor’s mom was home and she was still on the couch where she’d have to face her.

At the very least she could be not lying head to toe on Taylor’s body looking super intimate when his mom walked in so she shifted to get up off of him, sinking into the area previously occupied by his feet when he sat up, holding her to keep her from leaving the couch altogether.

“I brought dessert.” Laura called from the kitchen causing Taylor to jump up immediately to see what his mom had decided to treat him with. Kelsey on the other hand stayed put. It hadn’t been that long since they’d had dinner and well at least the family room lighting wasn’t as bright and judgmental as the kitchen’s was.

Even over the TV, Kelsey could hear Laura head upstairs, probably to change, before coming back down. She could also hear cabinets and drawers open in the kitchen as Taylor clearly worked to get some of whatever dessert Laura had brought home.

After a few minutes, Taylor came back into the family room with two plates and forks.

“Strawberry cake?” He offered.

“No thanks T.” Kelsey declined, not really wanting anything sweet.

Not pushing, Taylor just set the second plate down on the coffee table, leaving it there for her if she changed her mind. When she didn’t and his had been gone for a few minutes, Taylor offered it again.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m good T.” Kelsey insisted softly. Eventually Taylor grabbed the second plate, taking a few bites before putting one on the fork and offering it to her.

“It’s really good…” He added, full on puppy dog eyes on display. Because he looked so pathetic, Kelsey opened her mouth to let him feed her a bite. It was okay, definitely tasted off in the way that told her it was gluten free but it wasn’t bad. It just didn’t really do anything for her.

Eating another few bites, Taylor offered another one to her causing Kelsey to shake her head.

“I don’t want anymore T.” She insisted, “but thank you.” As he continued eating the second plate, Taylor tried to offer her a few more bites causing Kelsey to sigh and shake her head. She was a bit relieved when he finally shoveled the last bite into his mouth before moving to take the plates into the kitchen to be cleaned.

That relief didn’t last when different footsteps entered the room and the couch sank beside her as Laura sank down leaving a decent amount of space between them.

“How are you doing Kels?” Laura asked.

Sinking her head further into her arms and knees which had already been pulled to her chest, Kelsey did her best to hide her face.

“Tired.” She mumbled softly.

“Anything else?” Laura prodded gently.

“No.” Kelsey mumbled, still hiding her face.

The couch shifted a bit and Kelsey felt Laura’s hand rub up and down her back. Eventually Kelsey lifted her head a bit revealing her red mouth before dropping it again, her shoulders starting to shake slightly.

“C’mon Kels, let’s go get you some moisturizer for that.” Laura offered standing and holding a hand out to Kelsey. After a gentle tug, Kelsey stood, though now it was more than her mouth that was red as embarrassment coated her cheeks and she blinked back tears from red rimmed eyes.

Guiding Kelsey upstairs, Laura led her toward the master bedroom.

“Apologies for the mess but my husband lives here.” Laura stated, trying to lighten the mood as she dug through a drawer in the bathroom before coming up with a bottle that she handed off to Kelsey. It was a basic moisturizer, unscented but with aloe. Taking it, Kelsey squirted a little onto her fingers before rubbing it onto her face making sure to use an extra gentle touch on the area around her mouth.

All the while she still refused to meet Laura’s gaze, eyes downcast as she mumbled thanks.

“Is there anything else Kels?” Laura asked gently, not used to the downtrodden shy girl that was once again in front of her.

Immediately, Kelsey shook her head in reply.

“If nothing else is wrong, why do you look like you’re about to cry hun?”

Kelsey immediately rubbed at her eyes with the hand that hadn’t used moisturizer but as much as she tried to make it appear like she wasn’t going to lose it, her bottom lip still wobbled unconsciously.

Stepping closer, Laura reached out in a signal that she was going to hug Kelsey but was giving her time to refuse. When Kelsey didn’t, Laura pulled her into her arms hugging her tightly.

“Kelsey sweetheart…what you and Taylor do alone is none of my business as long as you’re careful. I’m not your mom. There’s no judgment here and you’re safe to just be yourself with us.”

As much as Kelsey didn’t want to start crying, the tears spilled from her eyes into Laura’s shoulder anyway. It was baffling to Kelsey that Taylor’s mom was so calm and accepting when she had been so scared of the lecture she’d been certain would come once it became evident that Kelsey had had sex with Taylor in their house.

Even as she cried, Laura only continued holding her, rubbing her back once again until Kelsey’s body finally started to settle. Squeezing her, Laura pulled back just enough to speak.

“Feel any better?” She asked softly.

Nodding, Kelsey bit her lower lip gently.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m such a mess this week.”

“Kelsey, we’ve thrown a lot at you the last few days, cut yourself a little slack, it’s okay.” Laura assured her.

Letting out a deep breath, Kelsey nodded.

“I’m gonna go find T.” She murmured, knowing he probably was wondering where they disappeared to.

“Of course. If you need anything hun just let us know.” Laura insisted, letting go of Kelsey fully. “And feel free to tell Tay to shave.”

Heading back downstairs, Kelsey followed the voices, finding Taylor and Gary in the kitchen talking about Gary’s golf game. As soon as she entered the room, both sets of eyes turned to her and Gary smiled, immediately opening his arms in a hug.

“There she is.” He exclaimed. “You and T have to tell us all about your hike today. How was it?”

Hugging him, Kelsey then stepped into Taylor’s side where his arm was lifted to welcome her back into his grip.

“I had no idea he was taking me to Lake Louise.” Kelsey murmured. “Words can’t even describe how beautiful it was.”

Recapping their hike, including Mark crashing it, Taylor and Kelsey talked about their day, sharing the pictures Kelsey had taken with Laura and Gary. Then they talked about plans for tomorrow with heading to the cabin by mid morning so that they could be there and settle and have groceries by dinner.

As they continued to talk, Kelsey twisted in Taylor’s arms a bit, burying herself into his torso more fully. She really was starting to get tired as it got later and later and she just wanted his arms around her completely. After all, they had gotten up insanely early and it was starting to get late.

“T, why don’t you take Kels to bed already.” Gary declared after a few more minutes, observing her sleepy behavior.

Kelsey felt Taylor nose against her head and she yawned before squeezing him tighter.

“Bed Kels?” He whispered, not moving until she nodded and reluctantly pulled away so that they could head upstairs and get ready for bed.

“See you tomorrow.” Kelsey murmured to his parents before slowly making her way up the steps. After using the bathroom, brushing her teeth, and changing into pajamas, Kelsey slid under the blankets of the bed just waiting for Taylor to join her before snuggling up against his body.

Tomorrow they were headed to British Columbia and Kelsey made a promise to herself that she would do her best to leave the drama and fear here and not into the next step of her trip. She really just wanted to enjoy this time with Taylor, that was why she was here. Everything else needed to be pushed to the wayside.

Kissing Taylor softly goodnight Kelsey rested her head on his chest. “I love you Tay.” She whispered. “But can you please shave in the morning?”

After a moment his chest rumbled beneath her as he chuckled slightly and she felt his breath across her forehead.

“Love you too Kels. Now sleep.”

That was exactly what she was going to do.

#taylor makar #taylor makar imagine #colorado avalanche #colorado avalanche imagine #hockey imagines #hockey imagine #nhl imagines #nhl imagine #taylor makar nws #nws #lemon #nhl smut #hockey smut #cavalanche #046

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prettytoxicrevolver · 2 years ago

Text

Pool Party | Cale Makar

summary: you and Cale host a pool party wc: 630 ps: this one is really bad tbh

Since the season was finally over, you and Cale had spent the majority of time relaxing and enjoying your time together. During the season you were constantly at work while Cale had games, practices, roadies, media days, and so on. The first few days of summer break were always together cuddling, sharing meals, watching movies, and lazing away.

You and Cale had just finished up breakfast, the two of you migrating into the living room and collapsing onto the couch together. You were scrolling through your phone, Cale’s head resting on your lap and his eyes fluttering slowly shut as you run your free hand through his hair.

“Hey,” Cale says and you move your phone to look at the rosy cheeked boy.

“Wanna host a pool party?”

“Today?” you ask and Cale shrugs.

“Why not? It’s supposed to be over 90 degrees outside and I’m already missing some of the guys,” he admits shyly and you can’t help but grin at his explanation.

“Okay.”

Cale and you spend the next half an hour inviting people over, calling, texting, and setting a time so you two could get the house in order before everyone showed up.

“Do we have time to run to the grocery store?” you ask, glancing over at Cale.

“With the way you drive? Absolutely,” he jokes and you shove him lightly.

The two of you head out into the warm weather to grab snacks, drinks, and anything else you might need to host others at your house for the day.

You’re in the middle of pouring a bag of chips into one of your sharing bowls when the bell rings.

“Got it,” Cale says, pecking your cheek before heading towards your front door.

“Cale!”

Your face brightens when you hear your best friend's voice and when it's followed by the sound of her kids yelling you can’t help the giggle that escapes your lips. You wash your hands and head to the foyer where Cale is in the middle of swinging your niece around in a hug.

“Aunt (y/n)!”

You’re tackled by her two kids, the two wrapping their arms around your legs and you jokingly fall to the ground opening your arms up to pull them towards you.

“Oh my gosh! You guys are so big now!” you exclaim and it sends the pair of siblings into a fit of laughter.

After getting your hugs in, you finally stand and make your way to your best friend and plant a kiss on her cheek as your greeting. The kids run into your house, following Cale into the living room. You catch up with your best friend as you walk and the kids are already incredibly excited about the pool party.

“Are other kids going to be here?” Your best friend asks nervously.

“Gabe and the family are coming too,” you tell her and she nods in relief.

The six of you finally head out to your backyard, the kids already jumping into the pool while you grab your best friend's stuff and put it to the side so it's safe. You two take a seat, continuing to chat while Cale wanders off to answer the door again.

For the next half hour, the two of you switch off, greeting people, replenishing food and drinks, pointing people to the bathroom and so on. As the day wears on, people come and go and you and Cale end up on the same lounge chair, his arms wrapped around you and your head resting on his chest.

“I think this was a success,” he murmurs in your ear and you smile tiredly.

“I think we should make this a regular thing.”

“Anything for you my love,” Cale responds, pecking your lips before returning to this previous conversation.

#cale makar x reader #cale makar fic #cale makar blurb #cale makar imagine #Colorado Avalanche x reader #Colorado Avalanche imagine #colorado avalanche blurb

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ilyasorokinn · 2 years ago

Note

Can I get an Erik Johnson with the prompts "Would you like to stay?" and "Because I fell for you, isn't it obvious." please.

900 CLUB

happy birthday to my fav horse loving king. i hope landy gives you a big smooch.

16. "would you like to stay?" 36. "because i fell for you, isn't it obvious?" (from this prompt list, fluff)

you had completely forgotten erik was coming over until he knocked on your door, "what're you doing here?" you asked, furrowing your brows together.

he raised a brow, "we were supposed to get lunch today." he checked his phone to make sure it was the right day.

"that was today?" you smacked a hand to your forehead as it all came to you, "crap, i'm sorry. i forgot."

"it's all good." he shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"i can't leave, i have a meeting in like 20 minutes, on zoom, but would you like to stay?"

"are you sure? i mean, we can do this another time."

"no, the meeting shouldn't take too long, so you can stay, then we can get some food after." you suggested.

"all right." he nodded, and you smiled, moving aside so he could enter. he walked in and walked straight into your kitchen to grab a drink.

you took your seat back at your table and waited for your meeting to start. erik fiddled around with his phone while he waited for you. you finally shut your computer about 45 minutes later and gave him a smile.

"so, what're you thinking?"

"whatever you want is fine."

"fine, just don't get mad when i pick something that you don't like." you grabbed your keys and headed for the door, erik following after you.

as it turned out, you picked a restaurant that he wasn't too fond of, "here? really?"

"you said you were fine with whatever, and i want a chicken sandwich."

"fine." he groaned, getting out of the door and walking into the restaurant like a whiny toddler.

yu ordered your food and talked and caught up, "so, you coming to the game on tuesday?"

"i don't know. got some errands i need to run, so we'll see."

"let me know,"

"aye-eye, captain." you saluted him with a smile.

a few days later, you were running your errands, all of which were a surprise for erik. he was set to play a big milestone game, so you were planning a little celebration after.

everyone but erik was aware of the party, so they were all in on the surprise. the little celebration was set to happen at the family suite. you got streamers, a banner, huge cutouts of erik's rookie headshot, and of course, shirts with a funny photo you had of him drunk.

you drove around, handing out the shirts so all the guys and girls had the shirts. and you made sure to send him a text that read "congrats on 900, king!" and a bunch of heart emojis and a couple others that he would understand.

you watched the game from the family suite, rocking your drunk erik shirt. he had yet to see your shirt, but he knew you were there. after the game, everyone made it up to the suite, the only person you were waiting for was erik.

"wow, this is really good." landy complimented as he finally got a chance to greet you.

"thank you. do you think it's too much?"

"i think it's perfect," he reassured.

a security guard led him up to the suite, and when he got there, he was greeted by everyone shouting "congrats!"

he nearly jumped out of his skin, but let out a laugh and covered his mouth in shock as he took in all the decorations, "wow, thank you." he started hugging people as he looked around.

he finally noticed the shirts, and sighed, "i know who did this." his eyes danced around the room before they landed on you, "you."

"surprise." you shrugged.

"we agreed that this picture would never see the light of day."

"well, you talked and i listened." you corrected.

he groaned, "you're crazy." he pulled you in for a hug.

the party was in full effect after that. drinks were flowing, music was blasting, and erik was having a lot of fun, "you know, you guys didn't have to do this. i would've been fine with like, a cake, or something."

"yeah, we know that, which is why we didn't plan this." gabe responded.

"then who did?"

"who else, dude?" mikko asked, nodding his head in your direction where you were talking with a couple of the girls.

"y/n did this?"

"of course she did." erik was too shocked to say anything, so nathan shoved him in your direction. you looked over when you saw him making his way over to you and smiled.

"you having fun, mr. 900?"

"tons." he nodded, "can i talk to you for a second?"

"sure." you set your drink down and followed him into the hallway, "so, what's up?"

"you did this? the party and the shirts. and the banners and the cutouts of my head?"

"well, yeah. i knew you wouldn't say you wanted a party, so i decided to do it anyway," you answered.

"why?"

"what? do you not like it?" you felt the panic bubble forming in your stomach.

"no, no, i love it." he reassured, "it's just, why? you didn't have to do anything. a cake would have been fine."

"i know, but i wanted to do something special." you shrugged, looking down at your feet.

"why?" he repeated.

"because i fell for you, isn't it obvious?" you finally blurted out. you watched erik's face change about 20 times, and that worried you because he didn't say a thing, "erik?" you asked after about a minute of him just staring at you like a fish.

"you... like me?"

"like? love? however you want to prhase it."

"why didn't you say anything?"

"because i didn't want to ruin anything."

"you didn't want to ruin anything? i didn't want to ruin anything.''

"what do you mean?"

"like? love? i feel it all for you, silly." now it was your turn to gape at him like a fish.

"are you serious?"

"if anyone else had printed me drunk on a shirt, we'd have a problem."

you let out a breathy chuckle, "we're really stupid, aren't we?"

"just a little." he nodded. you loped your arms around his neck and pulled him down to meet your lips.

"if we had just admitted a little earlier, we could've been doing this instead of pretending to enjoy those crappy chicken sandwiches."

"hey! i actually like them!" you hit him in the chest.

"no, you don't."

you pouted, "...the chicken is a little dry."

"that's what i've been trying to tell you!"

taylor's 2.5k celly!

this is a celly blurb, but it was the perfect time to write ot. so, happy birthday to my favorite guy ever (he shares this spot with about 10000+ other guys lol). you are so slay king *muah*

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cuteandhughesy · 4 months ago

Text

This Love | Mikko Rantanen

summary: you and mikko used to hook - up, but after a classic miscommunication, your arrangement ends, leaving nothing but sour greetings between you both. It doesn't help that mikko is your neighbour - and everything seems to end up with you on each others doorstep.

15.8 K

link to masterlist

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you switch from your left foot to your right, fingers running along the strap of your work bag. the material is a momentary distraction from the awkwardness that floods and sits thick in your apartment elevator.

there's no noise other than the hum of the elevator raising up the shaft and the gentle ding that comes with reaching every floor. you don't look around, eyes downcast at the dark green carpet.

beside you, a throat clears, a subtle reminder that you're not alone.

you can't help yourself from looking - your eyes darting to the left. mikko isn't looking at you, his eyes are focused straight ahead with his eyebrows pulled tight. his large hands are shoved in his dark gray sweat pants, his black compression shirt hugging his biceps so perfectly, that if it was 3 months ago - you probably would've pounced on him right in the elevator.

but, you don't.

three months ago, yourself and mikko were actively jumping each others bones. always stealing glances in the lobby, groping each other in the hallway, mikko trailing kisses along your neck while you tried to unlock your door, and having sex: on a regular basis.

it was pretty much dating - only without the labels and commitment. it was good while it lasted. really good.

you had been new to the building when you introduced yourself to your handsome, tall, and blond neighbour. his accent had your stomach swooping, and the way his large hand had covered yours as they meet in a greeting had your cheeks flushing. mikko was just as enamoured with you as you were with him, and he invited you out to the bars that night. one thing led to another and he was bringing you into bed, treating you to three orgasms.

you two were obsessed with one another. he made you breakfast when he didn't have early practice, and you made him laugh after a bad game. not to mention the toe curling, earth shattering sex: you still think about it (not without cursing yourself for it). the situationship was perfect.

but then something changed. you had been at one of his games, waiting for him with the rest of the girls in the tunnel. he had greeted you like normal, large forearm wrapping around your shoulders, hips pressing into your backside. somebody said you two were a cute couple and...mikko got cold. you just laughed it off, respecting the agreement you both had, but mikko had pulled away from you. he didn't touch you for the rest of the night and didn't even hang around you at the bar afterwards.

you asked him about it in the elevator that night. you're not even sure what you fought about, and can't remember what you threw at him or what he said back. and then you went into your respective apartments and didn't talk again.

you were hurt. hurt because maybe you did want a full relationship with mikko, not just the sex and non commitment. you wanted love. you were ready for love with him. clearly, mikko found that laughable and now here you were.

today, in that elevator, you and mikko rantanen were not friends.

you sigh, looking up towards the electric screen which lets you know you're almost on your floor. you can feel mikko look over at you, but you don't give him the satisfaction of eye contact - because when there's eye contact there's usually a sour look, followed by a jab and then before you know it you're arguing.

still feeling mikko's stare, you finally give in and look back towards him. you raise your brows when he doesn't look away. "what?" you snap.

"you look like shit." he deadpans. his accent sounds thicker today, which unfortunately sends the butterflies loose in your stomach.

registering the actual words he said, rather than the finnish accent, you sigh loudly. "gee, thanks."

mikko takes a hand out of his pocket, running it through the fresh buzz cut atop his head. "rough day at work?"

your brows pull together, "why do you care?"

"i don't." mikko says immediately, "just making conversation."

"well don't."

the ding of the elevator has you looking away, breaking the staring match between you. the metal doors open at your shared floor.

you adjust the strap on your shoulder, stepping forward to leave the stuffy space. mikko moves at the same time, which results in you bumping into his strong chest. you shut your eyes in frustration, taking a sow breath through your nose.

"go ahead," mikko huffs, hand outstretched towards the hallway.

"no, please," you shove your hand out, "be my guest."

"really, I insist." mikko grits.

the elevator doors shut again and you huff, pushing the button so they slide open once more. this time you don't wait for him, pushing past mikko and down towards your apartment.

you can hear him following behind you, probably too close for your liking, so you don't dare turn around to see. digging through your bag, you find your keys.

you miss the keyhole the first time, dropping your keys to the ground.

upon hearing your hushed curse, mikko looks down to his right to see you bent over, black scrub pants hugging your hips in a way that's so right it has his own pants getting tighter.

you stand back up, shoving your key in aggressively, ignoring the blonde's snicker as you open the door. just before you are out of his sight, mikko calls you back.

he's half way inside his own apartment, gripping the door his his long fingers. "same time tomorrow?" you give him an odd look which has the corners of his lips turning up in a subtle smirk. "our elevator ride. are you going to be in a mood again?"

you squint, "is this funny to you?"

"no," he says quickly, "it's not funny. that's what makes this awkward hating thing so much fun."

"akward hating thing?" you mimick, "god you're so incredibly infuriating."

mikko tongues his cheek, "thank you."

you scoff once again, slamming the door.

—

"I had a really good night."

"yeah, me too." you lean farther against your open door, looking up to meet the eyes of your tinder hook up. you're pretty sure his name was jett, but you can't be too sure.

after, like mikko predicted, your rough day at work, you spent the night scrolling dating apps in hopes of feeling something. jett (maybe) was nice. he caught your attention and before you knew it - he was in your bed. it wasn't something you typically did - but with your long work day yesterday on top of mikko's quips, you needed to get laid. it helped that jett (you're pretty sure) was 6 foot of solid muscle.

"well," he says, patting against his jeans once, "I should probably get going to work."

you laugh, "I should as well."

then he leans in, down into your space. you can hear an apartment door open just as jett (probably) closes the gap between you both, placing a heavy kiss on your dry morning lips. he pulls away with a small smile, bidding you goodbye once more before taking the stairs down to the lobby.

the door next to yours clicks shut. "seriously?"

you suppress a groan, turning your body so you can face mikko. "what?" you grit out, crossing your arms over your horse pyjama shirt - you're pretty sure it was a gift from erik johnson, hopefully mikko doesn't remember that detail.

"parading your hook up for the world to see?" clearly, he's not concerned about you wearing his friends gift, because he's not even looking at you when he bites out the snarky question -too busy locking his apartment door.

he's dressed in a similar outfit as the night before, and knowing the time, mikko is most likely on his way to morning skate.

"like you said, rough day at work. needed to blow off some steam."

mikko eyes your sickly sweet smile, clearly trying to get him to bite back. so he mirrors your expression, pocketing his set of keys and turning towards you. "well, you've always loved blowing."

you can feel yourself flush at his sexual innuendo. your clear your throat, "are you done?"

"are you done making out with random men in the hallway?" there's a certain bitterness to his words that has you scoffing.

you can't help but bite back, "I wasn't making out with him. we were saying goodbye with a quick kiss."

"whatever you want to call it." he huffs. he moves past you without another look in your direction, his shoulders tight. mikko sounds more miserable than normal with his last comment - he almost sounded...

you laugh out and it has mikko stopping in his tracks, shooting a glare over his strong shoulder. "what?"

you clap your hands together gently, subconsciously already having turned your body in his direction. "oh my god! you're jealous."

he bellows a deep laugh, spinning back around. "jealous? me? no, i'm not jealous of your sorry excuse of a parting kiss."

"ah, you're so jealous. this is fun to watch." you smirk.

"this is a common area. leave the PDA at home next time?”

"this is my home." you tease, shrugging your shoulders.

mikko pauses, almost taking a step towards you. much to your disappointment, he doesn't engage, just licks his teeth and turns around, stalking grumpily to the elevator. his thick thighs are flexing as he moves, back muscles shifting as well. both are just as drool worthy, and it has you feeling hot again.

he makes it to the elevator and scratches the back of his neck as he waits for it to arrive.

you don't wait around, shutting the door before he can look back at you. leaning against the door, you close your eyes, taking deep breaths. and just like you always did when you saw him, you think about what went wrong.

you can never come up with an answer through, just in a loop of what was.

—

the avalanche had won their game. it had mikko feeling good, leaning back casually in the elevator as he enjoyed the peaceful journey up.

although he was a little dissatisfied because you hadn't been in the elevator, he tried not to dwell on it. because of his game performance, media had run later than usual, so he had missed you on your way home from work.

the door dings open, and mikko's subtle smile that had been adorning his face all night fell. he sees harvey, the old man who runs the maintenance at your open apartment door, a sullen look on his face as you two speak.

he starts making his way to his own apartment, and the conversation becomes clearer.

"the family upstairs had already vacated for the night," harvey sighs, "but the guys will be here really early to fix it, it's too dangerous otherwise."

mikko can't help but peek inside when he passes, and the sight before him immediately has him stopping. "holy crap," he whispers behind harvey.

you groan at his presence and it lights an unpleasant fire in his stomach.

"what happened?"

you watch as mikko looks at your ceiling, the once white plastered flat area now half fallen down, cracks covering the space. "it's fine," you sigh.

harvey's eyes widen, "it's not fine, and i'm not sure how long it will take to repair. you gotta get out of here."

you meet mikko's large blue eyes, swimming with what you think is concern. but it's mikko, you think, so it's definitely more amusement at your predicament rather than care for your well being.

harvey turns toward the 6'4 athlete behind him, "the residence above her had fell asleep with the bathtub running, which is obviously a big no no. the floor got so wet and soft that it cracked, and then when they moved around in a hurry to stop the water, the floor gave out, leaving this hole and all these cracks."

"shit," mikko whispers, and then his eyes meet yours again. "are you okay?"

you don't allow his question to affect you, only sending him a quick nod. "yes, it's fine."

harvey, although a sweet man, sends you a deadly glare. "no, i'm not letting you stay here. you got somewhere you can go?"

you frown, swallowing thickly. "maybe? hotels are still open right?"

harvey is in the middle of a shrug when mikko pushes closer to your open door. "she can stay with me."

you send him a bewildered look, "like hell i'm staying with you."

harvey's brows pull together ever so slightly, sending you a concerning glance, "you two know each other?"

"we're neighbours"

"we're friends."

you say at the same time. you give mikko another disapproving look but he just shrugs.

"we're friends and neighbours," the blonde tells harvey, sending him a shiny grin. "pack a bag and let's go. you're not staying in a hotel alone."

you grit your teeth. "mikko, it's fine."

"y/n." he warns through a smile, "I insist."

harvey just smiles, "well, what a gentleman."

you send the maintenance manager a tight lipped smile, doing your best to look happy at the new arrangement, "oh you have no idea."

harvey doesn't catch on to your tone as you spin around, slightly stomping through your apartment to gather your things. you find a duffel bag pretty quickly, shoving an array of clothes into it.

"don't forget anything," you hear mikko call into your apartment, "harvey says it might be a couple days."

you scoff to yourself, unplugging your charging cables from the outlet, "mikko you're forgetting I live here, I can pop over if i need anything."

"not if it's a construction zone."

you don't brother answering, only rolling your eyes. he is right, you won't be able to access your things properly if there's men in here patching up your ceiling and any other damages caused. so you do pack your skin care and makeup, along with things like your meds and all your underwear.

you meet mikko back at the door with slow steps. he's not looking at you when you approach, himself and harvey in a conversation about something or other and you can't be bothered to listen in and find out about. you shift on your feet, trying not to panic about having to live with your ex hookup for the foreseeable future.

you eyes wander around your now dusty apartment, the con-caved ceiling behind you and the drywall covering the floor. you knaw your lip, trying to keep your emotions at bay.

"alright, let's get out of harvey's hair and head next door." mikko says, as if he could sense your worries.

you blink tiredly, "ok."

mikko rolls his eyes when you push past him, arm brushing his abdomen. he's glad you don't linger there, because he can feel his abs tense at your touch. he follows behind you, pulling out his keys.

your standing silently at his closed door, switching weight between your two feet, no doubt uncomfortable from the weight of the bag on your shoulder and the situation you're about to be in.

mikko sighs gently, unlocking the door.

quietly, you enter. it's just like it was three months ago: suspiciously clean. you suppose it's because mikko was very rarely home, and when he was, he wasn't making a mess. mikko always liked that you were the opposite, leaving a tornado anywhere you went. you werent dirty messy, just messy enough that mikko felt like he was at home. your socks were usually left on his couch, a mug on the coffee table, your lipgloss on the bathroom counter.

you place your bag on one of his bar stools, eyeing his back suspiciously as he bends to look into his fridge. "you thirsty?" he mumbles.

"are you not going to make fun of me?" you blurt out, brows raised.

mikko faces you with a look of confusion, "why would I make fun of you?"

you scoff, "my apartment literally fell apart, leaving me helpless. this is exactly the situation you'd be sure to drive me up the wall about."

mikko has a filthy thought at your words - images of him pressing you against the wall of his room with his body. your legs spread open as he thrusts up into you.

he clears his throat, "no. i'm not going to make fun of you."

"oh." you frown slightly.

mikko catches it and his chest fills with guilt. you just look so exhausted and stressed and kind of adorable. he shakes his head to try and be rid of his feelings. "want a tea?"

you fiddle with your thumbs and sigh gently, "I only like - "

"chee tea," he interrupts you, pulling out and waving around the flavoured tea packet from the cupboard.

he pronounces it wrong, like he always has. "it's chai tea." you correct gently.

mikko flicks on his kettle, "that's what I said, chee."

you suppress the giggle that works its way up your throat.

"are you going to say thank you?" he teases a moment later, long thick fingers preparing your drink. you ignore how he makes it in your favourite flamingo mug, and uses two perfectly sized scoops of sugar...feelings would resurface other wise.

"thank you." you quip, accepting the mug once he slides it over the counter. it easy when he's like this, you think. this is the mikko that you fell for many months ago. you don't dwell on those thoughts much longer, picking up your mug to take a sip of the tea.

he made it perfectly, even though the temperature burns your mouth a little. you hiss, and mikko gives you a knowing look. "don't start." you warn.

he chuckles, "wasn't going to."

you nod, blowing on the top of the beverage before taking another sip.

mikko turns back your direction after putting away the milk carton, crossing his impossibly large biceps over his chest. "you can have the bed. i'll take the couch or I can get out the air mattress for myself...i'll put it in the office."

you put your hand up, "no. i'm not going to be responsible for you getting a shitty sleep on the couch and then sucking on the ice as a result. you take your bed."

he smirks, "it would be your fault." he teases and you send him a look, "i'm being serious. take the bed, i'll be fine."

"don't try this with me," you warn, "i'll take the couch."

you see his face scrunch up in annoyance, "why can't you accept my kind gesture?"

"because, mikko," you breath, "I can't go in your room and sleep in your bed, it's... it's too much."

his shoulders deflate and you look away, back down into your steaming mug grasped tightly between your hands.

"I was just trying to be nice - I can be nice sometimes."

"yeah, thanks, but i'll be okay." you whisper.

it's silent for the rest of your tea, and mikko busies himself with doing the few dishes in the sink.

after, mikko grabs extra sheets and a blanket from his closet and helps you make your bed on the couch. nothing is shared between you but the occasional brushing of limbs, which obviously has you feeling nervous.

"i'll be leaving early tomorrow, we have a road trip." mikko says in the middle of fluffing a pillow.

you nod, "okay."

"but stay here until your apartment is done. i'll only be gone three days. there's no point in spending money on some shitty hotel room."

he's not even looking at you and it makes you almost sad. "are you sure?"

he grunts, "obviously."

"obviously," you mimick, in a high pitched voice. you clear your throat, finishing tucking the sheet underneath the plush couch cushions.

his lips quirk up in amusement, "I don't sound like that."

"obviously," you tease him, standing to your full height.

he joins you, all 6"4 of him towering over you. "i'll leave the key on the counter if you're sleeping."

you nod, "i'd hope so."

he gives you a look.

"goodnight," you smile sickly.

mikko raises a brow, "goodnight, y/n."

you spend the night turning and tossing. you can't believe what's happened. your apartment, staying with mikko...it was very overwhelming. you try not to think about how the last time you slept on this couch, you were sleeping beside the finnish native. his hair was longer then, his skin tan from the summer. he wanted you back then, and now...he hated you for reasons unknown.

he hadn't been that intolerable tonight, you think. he didn't nitpick you too bad, and he made you your favourite tea - helped you get your bed ready. it gave you a glimmer of hope that maybe things could get better. maybe you and mikko could get that friendship back that you missed so much.

but the morning came. you were awake when mikko exited his room, dressed in his slacks and a button down. he didn't even say anything to you, only tossing the keys beside you on the couch.

and your glimmer of hope is gone.

—

thankfully, although the damage looked like a lot of work, it only took two days for everything to get fixed in your apartment.

you were pretty much only in mikko's apartment to sleep. your last couple shifts at the hospital kept going into overtime, resulting in 10 hour days that left you exhausted. there's nothing to really clean up at his apartment, so you just grab your stuff and get relaxed back into your own space.

you're glad you didn't spend too much time at his place, because the whole apartment was filled with memories - ones that were so soft and sickly sweet they left a bad taste in your mouth.

you were off on saturday, which was the day mikko was coming home from the avs road trip. it was just after 11 p.m when mikko knocked on your door. your eyes had been fluttering closed on the couch, body on the verge of sleep when he arrived.

you look through the peephole even through you knew it would be him, your hand clutching onto his gold key.

"you got my key?" are the first words mikko says.

your lips tug down, brows scrunched together. "yes," you scoff.

he raises his brows, his palm up and outstretched in your doorway. you slap his key down in his hand with a sarcastic smile. "thanks." you grit.

"relax," he whispers, shaking his palm out after your rather harsh slap. "no need to get all irritated."

you take a step back, mimicking his high brows, "you're the one who came here with an attitude."

mikko laughs once, "I don't have an attitude, but thanks."

mikko walks away from you, granted it was about four steps before he stopped at his door, angrily shoving the key in the lock and jiggling the knob until the door opened.

he doesn't look at you, barley flinching when your door shuts with a rather loud bang for this late at night. he takes a gentle sigh, walking into his apartment. mikko had already tried to get into his apartment before he knocked on yours, figuring you'd still be living there - clearly not. he was in a shitty mood because the team lost both games on the road, ending their winning streak and all he wanted to was climb into bed - not knock on your door and argue.

he tosses his duffle bag by the legs of the bar stools, huffing as he pours himself a glass of water. he lets his eyes wander around the space, surprised that there's no mess or sign of anybody living there (like usual).

then he sees that damn flamingo mug, your lipgloss smeared on the rim. mikko then opened the cupboard above the kettle, and finds that all your chai tea bags are gone.

a gentle smile takes over his face and he gently closes the cabinet. he leaves the mug by the sink and heads to bed.

—

8 months ago

your eyes scan through the section of shelves that carry the boxes of tea bags, hands on your hips as you search for your desired pick.

you hum, dancing from flavour to flavour; green, orange pekoe, english breakfast, apple cinnamon...

"I don't see chee." mikko states. he's mimicking your stance with his hands on his hips, one foot propped out in a way that makes his thigh look extra strong.

your brows furrow, a glimmer of a smirk appearing, "chee? that's not a tea."

"you said chee." mikko muses, turning his large body towards yours.

"chai," you correct with a smile, "pronounced like lie."

mikko hums once, and then tries again "ch...ee."

you laugh and mikko throws you a playful look, "don't make fun of me." then his bottom lip juts out, looking plump and wet.

you mimick his face and his arms fall flush with his sides. you laugh again, stepping forward into his chest. "i'm not, i promise," the end of your scentence is quiet, pushing up on your toes to grab mikko's face.

he closes the distance between you, kissing your pouted lips deeply. his hands grip your hips over the blue sundress you're wearing, pulling you impossibly closer.

with a groan, you drop back down to the heels of your feet, breaking the kiss before mikko can slip his hands under your dress. "we're in public."

mikko grunts, "let's go home then."

home.

you breath a laugh, "we can once I find my.." you turn towards mikko just as he reaches for the top shelf, grasping onto a box of your beloved chai tea.

"I got the chee," mikko smirks, "let's go."

you giggle, grabbing onto the cart to push it down the isle. mikko tosses in the box and slaps your butt gently.

—

"fuck." your curse, fiddling with the nut that holds your shower pipe to the shower head.

you had finished a night shift at the hospital, wanting nothing more than to get home and shower off any traces of sweat, antiseptic or bodily fluids that may be on you, but of course, your shower head breaks off as soon as you turn it on.

you drop your arms again, running a hand through your oily hair, freshly down from your ever so tight bun. you had already contacted the front and asked for maintenance, but they couldn't do anything until tomorrow and there was no way you were going to stew in your filth until then.

"god damn it," you huff, pulling out your phone. you open your contacts and scroll until you find him. you knaw your lip, hesitantly opening the chat and typing a message.

y/n

hey, sorry to message you but my shower is broke and I need help fixing it. can you help?

you shut your eyes at how desperate your message come across. you don't wallow much longer because your phone buzzes with a response.

mikko rantanen

who is this?

your mouth drops open slightly, because, was he being serious. when another message doesn't come through you start typing.

y/n

it's y/n. you seriously deleted my number that fast?

mikko rantanen

I thought it's what you would've wanted me to do

oh. you frown ever so slightly. your phone buzzes again.

mikko rantanen

i'll come help you

y/n

the doors open. let yourself in.

you attempt to get the pipes back together once more while you wait, which turned to be very unsuccessful.

you're up on your tip toes when mikko walks into your apartment, making his way to the bathroom he's showered in many times before. he takes a moment to admire the way your scrub top has ridden up, exposing the dimples on either side of your spine.

mikko clears his throat and you jump slightly, turning towards him with your shower head clutched tight.

"having some trouble?" he teases, brows raised at your flushed cheeks and messy hair.

your squint, "listen, i've had the longest shift at work and all I want to do it shower. maintenance cant do anything until tomorrow. the last person I want help from is you, so please don't provoke me."

his big hands shoot up in surrender and he takes a step back, "I can leave if you really don't want my help."

you take a big sigh, closing your eyes momentarily. "no. although I many not want your help, I need it. can you fix my shower?"

he smiles triumphantly, "happy to help."

you send him a close mouthed smile, and you push the shower head to his chest, hitting right between his hard pecks. mikko looks down slowly and then his eyes dart back to you. "what's the magic word?"

"mikko." you deadpan.

"nope, that's not it."

"please." you grit out.

he smirks, hands overlapping yours. for a moment, your shocked at his bold movement, but then his fingers are gripping the shower part and your remember he's literally just grabbing the things you shoved at his chest.

he steps into your tiled shower, biceps flexing as she starts to work on putting the parts back together. you can see the tiny trail of hair below his navel as his arms lift, leading down beneath the band of his athletic pants.

mikko fixes it in like, 5 minutes, which was a little bit annoying. even more annoying when he sends you a knowing smirk: a little I could fix it and you couldn't smirk.

you tilt your head with a sarcastic face, "my hero."

he breaths, "I know right."

"don't push it." you say, your hand out infront of him to further your words. mikko chuckles slightly at that, watching as you move past him and test the dial, turning on the shower and watching the water as it successfully pours out the head.

"thanks," you say quietly, "now leave. I can't be in these dirty clothes any longer."

"you're welcome," he says deeply, "not going to walk me out?"

you send him a glare over your shoulder, "go away."

he tongues his cheek with a smirk before walking out. when you step into the steamy shower and finally have a moment to reflect, you realize that it was the first time since you and mikko 'broke up' you didn't truly argue. it was...refreshing.

—

7 months ago

mikko's strong arms wrap around your waist, your soft skin only covered by his dress shirt.

"wondered where you went." his voice is hoarse, words mumbled into the crook of your neck as he leans in.

you sigh contently when mikko's lips start pressing gentle kisses to your exposed shoulder and throat column.

"the sunset is really pretty today." your head falls back against mikko's chest, fingers tracing the veins along his hand. the warmth of the august sun is settling on your exposed skin, a reminder of the dwindling summer.

"you're really pretty," mikko teases, kissing your cheek as his hands slide down your body, slipping underneath the hem of his shirt to touch you. "thought you maybe left."

you spin around, arms coming up to warp around his neck. mikko's hands grab a fistful of your naked ass, tugging gently. "wouldn't do that unless you knew I was leaving."

he smirks, "good." then he leans down, capturing your lips in a hot kiss that has you moaning out.

you're thankful that your apartments balconies are enclosed, because you didn't want anybody to see the way mikko has you come undone on his balcony.

—

you have a bag of garbage in your hand and smiley face slippers on your feet when you run into gabe landeskog and his wife melissa in the hallway. it's almost 8 p.m. and the sight of them has you stopping dead.

"y/n," they smile in unison, all white teeth and blonde hair invades your space as they swoop you into tight hugs.

when you and mikko were seeing each other, you were often with him when the team all hung out. you had grown close with the landeskogs, and you and melissa often texted and had lunch dates.

"hey," you say, very aware of the star pimple patch stuck your forehead, "how are you guys?"

"good," gabe says gently, "i'm getting close to getting back out there."

you smile, "that's amazing."

the elevators ding, opening just as cale makar makes his way out, heading in your direction. your brows furrow, because why the hell are you running into two avalanche players in an apartment they don't live in.

"what's going on?" you breath a laugh, watching as cale smiles politely in your direction, moving past you and the landeskogs. then he knocks on mikko's door and everything makes more sense.

"mikko is having a party," gabe says, "it was his turn to host."

just as gabe finishes his scentence, the door next to yours swings open, revealing the finnish native dressed in a black hoodie and light jeans. you can smell his cologne and your knees almost buckle.

"you didn't know?" melissa asks.

you shake your head, switching the garbage bag to your other hand before your fingers have the chance to cramp.

"moose!," gabe calls out, pulling you under his arm, "you're having a party and didn't invite y/n? have you no soul?"

your eyes widen as gabe laughs. cale's expression mimics yours, mumbling something incoherent before moving past the winger and into the rather crowded apartment.

"oh, it's fine." you tell the couple, "mikko doesn't have to. we aren't really friends."

"and?" gabe questions.

"you're our friend," melissa smiles, tugging a strand of your hair playfully.

mikko looks at you all sheepishly and that has you swallowing thickly. "you don't need to, mikko. seriously i'm like totally not ready to mingle with people," melissa gives you an all too knowing look, "seriously i'm in my pyjamas."

"then get changed," gabe sing songs, releasing your shoulders. swiftly, he takes the garbage bag out of your hand. "i'll do this, you go get ready."

gabe leaves, somehow knowing where the hell the trash shute is. you curse the swede silently. melissa sends you a poke and a smile before leaving you in the hallway, crossing the threshold into mikko's apartment.

mikko is still standing there, staring at you with an emotionless expression.

you shrug, "seriously, I don't have to come if you don't want me to."

he sighs gently, "the doors unlocked." then he leaves, shutting the apartment door between you.

you nod to yourself, spinning right around and back into your own apartment. you do the best you can at getting presentable. not wanting to waste the skin care you had already applied by putting on makeup just to wash it off, you just rip off your pimple patch - thankfully the redness has disappeared.

you drag a brush through your hair before putting on the first pair of leggings you find and and plain fitted tshirt. you don't bother with shoes and keep your smiley slippers on. you spray your perfume and then you're leaving, turning to your right and letting yourself into mikko's apartment.

the smell of cologne hits you immediately, but you expected that in a room full of men with too much money. you smile politely at faces you recognize, making your way through the space, teammates of mikko's stopping you to greet you excitedly, hugs and small talk alike. nathan even cracks a smile when he sees you, which was crazy.

you see that mikko has set up a table for drinks near the built in fireplace. there's nothing crazy on the table with it being the middle of the season, and most of the bottles look untouched. melissa is standing there, and you march your way over.

"melissa," you hiss, "i hate you for this."

she smiles at you, "don't hate me. gabe started it."

"yeah and when I find him i'm going to kick him in the dick."

the blond snorts, pouring 7 up into her cup of tequila. "everyone is so happy to see you though, everybody misses you."

you frown, "I miss them too." and you do. although they were mikko's teammates primarily, they had become your good friends in the months you two were seeing one another. logan o'connor and his fiancé always wanted you to join their hikes, bowen byram was constantly sending you new imessage games and devon towes was always talking to you about all your mutually watched tv shows.

the team had been your only friends when you moved to denver, and now you barley saw them.

you clear the emotions from your throat, "maybe if mikko wasn't so stuck up and -"

"hey, ross!" melissa says quickly, deescalating your upcoming flur of anger. the brunette in question turns towards you both, already sporting his wide, shining smile. "ross, you remember y/n, right?"

ross colton then turns his body towards you, and you blush under the gaze of an attractive man (what's new). ross has always been handsome to you, all styled hair and strong muscles. he was pretty. pretty in a way that was almost distracting and way out of your league.

"yeah, I haven't seen you in forever."

you notice that melissa has slipped away, and you have to remember to flick her arm for that later.

"how have you been?" ross smiles.

"i'm okay," you breathe, "all things considered."

"you look great."

"really?" you wince, "i'm pretty sure this shirt has a stain on it and my skins all oily from the pounds of moisturizer i put on..."

"i'm complementing you, y/n, take it."

your cheeks heat up, "okay. thank you ross. you clean up nice." you immediately regret that, your choice of a compliment coming off very grandma like. "I mean-"

"thank you," he smiles.

"you didn't think I sounded like an elder?"

ross laughs gently, seemingly standing closer than he was when your conversation first started. "no, I'll take any compliment from a pretty girl like you."

"like me?" you splutter.

he laughs again, arm reaching out to squeeze your bicep. "is that okay?"

mikko, your brain screams. what about mikko?

"yeah," you whisper anyways. you tell your brain to zip it: because why the hell would you be thinking about mikko. I mean sure, ross wasn't as tall as mikko, or as big as mikko. you've always liked blondes, but brunette hair was good too.

"okay," ross whispers back. you flash him a smile and he releases your arm. "how about you put your number in my phone? we can hang out when our schedules line up."

you almost jump for joy. this is what you wanted, you think. ross seems stable, like he wants more than just that unfulfilling hookup culture that mikko wanted. "yeah," you say, "for sure."

you punch in your number, adding a little smiley face emoji beside your name in the contact.

"sweet," he smiles, pocketing his phone, "I gotta get back to logan but i'll text you."

"alright," you nod once, "i'll be seeing you."

"yeah," then ross leaves, disappearing back into the small crowd of people gathered in mikko's apartment. you watch as ross joins o'connor and a couple other people on the couch, taking his seat. for a moment you let yourself wonder if ross knows his teammate has been all up in your guts on that very couch.

you snap out of it, turning back to the table and making yourself a drink.

"what the hell did he want?" mikko's deep voice mumbles from above you.

you sigh, "nothing."

he moves so he's standing closer to your left, making his own drink beside you. "didn't look like nothing." mikko mutters.

you roll your eyes, turning to face him. "are you watching me?"

he looks into your eyes, "it's hard not to notice when you're eye fucking my teammate."

"I was not-" you pause, surveying the expression of the blonde's face. his brows pull together when you suddenly stop speaking, eyes burning into yours inquisitively. "why is it any of your business anyways?" you question.

"you're in my house." mikko spits. his cup is still only half made, abandoned on the sticky table top.

"you're jealous again."

he laughs, "that's funny."

"am I wrong?" you ask, arms crossing over your shirt. mikko watches the way your boobs push together in your v-neck, his adam's apple bobbing as he swallows.

"i'm not jealous, i'm being absolutely reasonable." mikko sighs, "my ex is flirting with my teammate right infront of me. am I not allowed to question it?"

"am I really your ex if we never dated?"

mikko looks taken back by your question, licking his lower lip as you stare at one another. then he's clearing his throat, stepping closer to you.

he chooses to ignore your last question, only answering the initial accusation, "why would I be jealous of somebody like him?"

you gulp, looking up at him as mikko leans down slightly to whisper.

"maybe you should back off a little," you bite out. mikko scoffs at your threat and it has you frowning, "just because you didn't want me, doesn't mean somebody else doesn't."

mikko pulls a face of what seems like confusion, "you don't even know what you're talking about."

you roll your eyes at his rude accusation, your throat tightening with all too familiar emotions. you look away quickly, leaving mikko to watch as you turn on your heels and leave him standing alone, left with nothing but both untouched drinks on the table.

—

melissa has an expensive pair of dark sunglasses on when you sit down - so tinted you're not even sure if she notices you at first, busy looking over the menu.

"hey," she greets with a smile - clearly aware of your presence.

"hi," you huff. you're still in the burgundy v-neck from the night before, you've only switched out your black leggings for a pair of jeans - smiley slippers turned converse.

melissa texted you early the following day after the get together at mikko's apartment, buttering you up with the promise of breakfast and what she claims as 'quality time with your best friend' - she had you at breakfast.

"I didn't see you leave last night," melissa muses.

you laugh gently, "that was the point."

she eyes you over the menu, one perfectly shaped brow raised. "something happen?"

the menu that you had previously picked up was slapped down to the table. irritated, you run your hands through your straightened hair, a heavy breath leaving your lips. "mikko happened! god, mel, he's so fucking frustrating."

she sends you a small pitiful smile, "what he do this time?"

what he do this time - because melissa knows better than to assume you two have just stopped your arguments and sudden hatred and just left one another alone. she is too smart and knows you and mikko too well: both stubborn.

"well, it's started when ross asked for my number -"

"he did?!" melissa gleams.

"yeah, anyways," you dismiss, "he was all in my business because he saw ross and I talking - he was basically shaming me for talking to a friend. like are you kidding?!"

she hums, "sounds like he was jealous."

"yes!" you chant, "he totally is and i told him he was and that made it worse. he said 'why would i be jealous of someone like him?'" you mimick the finnish natives deep voice and then scoff, "god melissa, what does he even mean by that."

melissa takes a slow sip of her orange juice, brows pulled together. "sounds like he's trying to convince himself all while trying to tell you. maybe he's still got some feelings for you-"

"definitely not," you cut your friend off, "he made that clear when he blew me off at the thought of being in a relationship with me."

the blonde frowns gently.

"I don't even like fighting with him," you whine, "but he seems so admit of poking the damn bear until I have no other option but to bite back."

"gabe says that mikko never talks about what happened," melissa says gently, "anytime somebody asks him about you, he shuts down. maybe you two need to have a conversation and find out why."

you brows draw together, "why what?"

"why he never talks about what happened and why he treats you in a way that consists of arguing and jealousy." melissa says. you pull a face so she sighs, "something isn't right about it - don't you think you owe it to yourself to figure it out."

you pick up your menu again, "I don't want to get my feelings hurt again. although we fight, i'd rather not get along then not have mikko in my life at all."

melissa looks like she has something else to say, but then a young teenage employee is stopping at your table - effectively ending her train of thoughts.

"hey guys, i'll be your waiter today, what can we get started for you?"

nobody brings up mikko for the rest of the meal - you make sure of that. busy asking your friend about the kids and your shared book club.

the rest of the day is spent by yourself in your apartment, watching movies until your eyes start to hurt - a sign for a break and to start your dinner.

you're mid bite of chicken alfredo when somebody knocks at your door. the sound has you freezing, slowly placing down your fork to stand.

through the peephole you see mikko standing there, eyes looking down the hall as he waits for you to answer. you swallow your chicken, wiping your face before you open the door.

mikko looks almost surprised to see you, most likely assuming you wouldn't answer after your last conversation- you're honestly surprised that you did.

"last night," he starts, "I was mean. I hurt your feelings."

mikko pauses, watching your face for any sort of reaction - waiting for you to say something. you don't though, only crossing your arms and raising your brows as if urging him to continue.

"i'm sorry." he sighs.

"okay," you hum, "thank you for apologizing."

mikko shoves his hands in his pockets but immediately takes them back out. he's clearly debating saying something more, you can tell by the pull of his face and by the way he rubs the back of his neck.

"what?" you deadpan.

mikko looks at you shocked for a moment, brows raised and eyes wide. then his shoulders fall and he's sighing, "whatever happened between us a couple months back - can we just move past that? I'm tired of fighting with you."

you blink three times...'whatever happened between us' - like he wasn't the one who blew you off. although you want to defend yourself and your feelings, you don't.

you take a deep breath, "sure. we can move past that."

a ghost of a smile graces his plump lips. "maybe we can even be friendly?"

you squint, "we will see."

he bites his lip, "c'mon i'm trying to be nice."

"last time you tried to be nice it ended with getting your keys thrown at me."

his mouth drops open ever so slightly, "I didn't throw them at you, I lightly tossed them beside you." mikko argues.

you raise your brows at the blonde, and with the look on your face he stops himself, taking a slow breath through his nose and plastering a smile on his face.

"so what do you say?"

mimicking a sarcastic grin, you uncross your arms and jut your small hand in his direction. he looks down at your palm and tongues his cheek, a small breath of a laugh leaving his lips. mikko grabs your hand in his own, shaking it once.

"no more arguing," you hum.

mikko smiles, "no more arguing."

—

5 months ago

"hello? are you listening to me?"

mikko blinks hard, "what?"

bowen byram just lets out a hearty chuckle, swishing around the beer in his bottle against the high top table.

"I said -"

mikko's eyes dart away, moving through the crowded denver bar until he spots you again. your head is thrown back, laughing at something melissa has just told you.

you're holding a clear cup of some orange drink in one hand, your other palm pressed against the pale pink material of your summer top.

mikko has never known someone so beautiful, he thinks.

as if you can feel his stare, your head turns and you're locking eyes with one another. immediately, mikko feels his lips tug up in a smirk.

you smile back. one of your eyebrows pull up in a question for his stare.

mikko just shrugs, slow smirk becoming impossibly bigger. you shake your head in disbelief, a breathy giggle slipping between your lips. it has mikko biting his lip, not once breaking the eye contact between you.

"wow, you must really like her."

bowen's words have mikko clearing his throat, head swiveling around to meet his young teammates gaze. bowen's wearing a knowing smirk, taking a slow sip of his beer.

mikko shrugs but smiles with all his teeth. that's enough of an answer for bowen.

—

not arguing with mikko is actually not as hard as you initially thought it would be. sure, sometimes you both can't help yourselves and start poking at one another about stupid things.

but in the elevator you just smile at one another politely and ride up to your floor in peace - sometimes even small talk is exchanged between you. mikko even goes as far as taking out your garbage so you don't have to trek down to the trash shute. it's...nice - familiar. he's starting to remind you of the mikko you were in love with and that always sends your heart rate sky rocketing.

you're thinking about your and mikko's change of relationship while you're cutting your celery - which you probably should've been paying more attention to, rather than thinking about the 6"4 attractive sex god you once had the pleasure of having. your hand slips, the knife you had been using veering to the left and catching your index finger.

you hiss, dropping the blade to grab your finger. "fuck."

the blood seeping out beneath your fingers is enough indication that you had nicked your skin. suddenly you're panicking, everything you know about your profession exiting your brain. you have always been good with human fluids and injuries- that's why you got offered the job in denver in the first place: you were a great nurse. but anytime it came to your own body and self inflicted injuries - you clamped up.

with another shaky breath you leave your apartment, struggling momentarily to open the door without the proper use of your hands. you use your elbow to knock on mikko's door, praying that he's between a practice and game.

it's not a moment later that he opens the door, his eyes a bit hazy - probably just waking up from a nap.

you feel yourself get emotional, tears beginning to leak down your cheeks while you stand in front of him.

mikko's eyes widen and he reaches out to you, eyes dancing between your face and blood covered fingers. "what happened?"

you sniff, "I cut myself, and i'm too scared to see if I need stitches."

"oh, for the love of— come in and let me check." mikko guides you into his apartment with an arm around your shoulders, his free hand is over top yours, applying more pressure to your wound. you get to his bathroom, and you finally get a glimpse of yourself in his mirror.

your mascara is smudged under your eyes and your lips have swelled up like the typically did when you were crying.

"okay, let me see." mikko whispered, his hands prying your tight grip away until he can see your finger.

your eyes clench shut, and your breath quickens as you cry harder.

"i'm going to run it under the water so I can see it better, okay?"

"okay," you whisper. you let your eyes open so you can watch as he manoeuvres your finger under the tap. your breathing is a bit laboured which has mikko using his free hand to rub your back - if you weren't so emotional you'd probably be blushing.

"looks like it's not bleeding anymore."

you wince as you watch the water turn red, washing away the blood.

mikko's eyes dart to the side of your wet face, brows pulled together in the middle. "does it hurt?"

you shake your head, "I - no, I don't think so. I don't know," you cry.

he doesn't laugh or tease you about your stuttering, he just eyes you gently. he brings your hand back towards himself, using the paper towel by his sink to dry your finger. "it's not deep - doesn't need stitches. you probably cut it weird, that's why it bled like that-" he smirks gently, "but you're smart so you probably knew that."

you've stopped crying for the moment, and mikko is grateful for that. he wipes the skin with alcohol before putting a baindaid on your finger.

he's wrapping the tails around your digit when you sigh, your free hand coming up to wipe your face. "i'm sorry if i woke you up from your nap, I know how important they are."

mikko shrugs, "you're more important than a nap." you feel yourself soften at his words. he taps your freshly bandaged finger twice, a close mouth smile on his face. "that feel okay?"

"yeah," you whisper, "thank you, mikko."

"that's what friends are for, right?"

you nod, "right."

he thumbs behind him, back into the hallway that leads to his living room. "did you want to stay? you were pretty upset."

you huff, images of your crying face flashing through your mind, "don't remind me...i've never been an attractive crier."

he laughs gently, "nah, you looked," he hums for a moment, "pretty." mikko almost reaches up and brushes away your stray hairs, but he doesn't.

you wish he had. you clear your throat, eyes wandering down to your covered finger. you run your pinky over the edge of the baindaid as a distraction, "always a flirt." you tease him.

you look up just in time to watch mikko smirk softly, a tinge of pink covering the tips of his ears. "only for you."

there's a moment then, were your eyes and mikko's met in a soft gaze. thousands of emotions and unspoken words swimming between them. you breathe out, your minty breath hitting the white crinkled fabric of his shirt.

he blinks slowly and you mistake him for being tired - bored of your meltdown. you shake your head, breaking eye contact. "i'll go now," you take a few steps back, "let you get rest...i don't want to be responsible for you playing like shit."

your comment has mikko thinking about when you last slept in his apartment, vacated out of your own. although he's hurt by your sudden change of attitude, he doesn't show it. he knows you don't want the soft connections and commitment, so he just nods, "well it would be your fault."

you pause with a gentle smile, also thinking back to that night you spent on mikko's couch just a few weeks ago. you say goodbye again and walk out of his apartment, still fiddling with the brown bandaid on your finger.

mikko wishes you stayed.

you wish mikko wanted you.

—

4 months ago

you shove another one of your favourite chocolate cookies in your mouth, chewing quickly. the movie on tv isn't anything new, in fact you'd seen the hunger games well over 100 times by now. it still has you hooked though, blindly shoving another cookie in as your eyes watch the screen.

the tea mikko made you before the movie started is probably cold by now, sitting in the flamingo mug you claimed on the coffee table. when mikko said he'd never seen any of the hunger games movies you had sat him down, pushing him to the couch and bribed him with a make out and some dry humping to watch the movie. spoiler alert: it worked.

another cookie is in before you swallow the previous one, crumbs falling down your hoodie.

you're eyes snap to your right when mikko's thumb brushes your lips, gently wiping stray chocolate crumbs of your mouth.

"watch the movie," you say between swallows.

he breaths a laugh, "I am."

"no," you tease," you're watching me."

he just shrugs, clearly not feeling guilty. using the sleeve of your hoodie, you wipe over your mouth. mikko's brows come together and he pushes your hand away, using his own hands to wipe of the smudges of chocolate.

you flush, which makes him smirk. then he's pulling your face towards his. it isn't long after that you have to rewind the movie, missing the most important parts because mikko and you got distracted with each other.

—

two weeks after the whole crying in your old situationships/neighbour/friends apartment - you get a text from melissa landeskog.

you finish a gulp of wine, picking up your buzzing phone.

mel landeskog

gabe says mikko has been happier...

mel landeskog

did you take my advice and talk?

you sigh, placing down your glass.

y/n

we haven't really talked about it, no.

y/n

but you'll be happy to know we called a truce

y/n

and it's kind of working? we haven't had a real fight in a couple weeks

you catch yourself smiling at your phone at the mere thought of mikko. you stop yourself with a shake of your head just as a reply comes through the phone.

mel landeskog

yay! this is progress

mel landeskog

does that mean you can come to the game tomorrow night to keep me company? i haven't hung out with anybody but the kids in forever.

y/n

only if you buy me a beer

that's how you ended up at the ball arena, a place that just a few months ago you never thought you'd step foot into again. you have luke landeskog between your body and the plexiglass of the rink, your hands tight on his little hips.

gabe still isn't playing, not yet out of the lengthy healing process of his last injury. melissa still liked to bring the kids to games though. linnea loved seeing all her uncles and friends at the arena, and luke was starting to get to the age where he recognized what was happening in front of him.

"look, linnea!" melissa exclaims, bent down to her daughters level, "is that nate?" the blond is pointing through the glass and in the direction of the star player.

linnea giggles, shouting a yes and bangs on the boards. nathan's too far to hear her, but the little girl is excited anyways.

luke dances in your grip, hands pressed to the glass with a gummy smile. you laugh at his excitement, pointing out players as they warm up around you.

you're looking at melissa when a body comes at you, nathan's skates snowing the boards as he makes a hard stop. the kids giggle and wave excitedly as he waves back at them, his own smile cracking on his lips.

"does mikko know you're here?" melissa asks.

you send her a bewildered look, eyes wide. you pray nathan can't hear her question. "mel, people can hear you, ya know?"

your friend giggles, shrugging her shoulders. "well? does he?"

"no," you say, "why would I tell him?"

"you do know he plays for this team right?"

you whip your head around to look at her, but she's sporting a teasing grin, clearly trying to egg you on.

"ha ha," you muse, looking back through the plexiglass to watch the avs warm up.

"do you like mikko?!" linnea shouts up at you.

melissa shushes her immediately, reminding her to use an inside voice. you take a deep breath and try to remember that children are just curious.

"of course I do," you smile, "we are friends."

"oh, are you?" melissa muses.

you send her a look before glancing back down to the strawberry blond girl. "do you like mikko?"

"yes!" she cheers, banging on the glass when you see another player approach in your peripheral vision. "hi mikko!" linnea cheers.

your head snaps up, locking eyes with the man of the hour. you're at an advantage with the ice being a foot lower than the stands and you're almost eye level with mikko. he's still a bit taller though, and that's just hot in itself.

you wish you didn't flush at the sight of him, knowing that melissa would tease you about it later.

his brows raise slightly, surely wondering why the hell you're at the game. then he smiles all slow and syrupy at you....and you might just die.

you tickle one side of luke, using your other hand to take one of his chubby fits and wave it in mikko's direction. the fin smiles at the baby, tapping his stick against the glass at him. luke laughs, pushing against the surface.

then mikko takes his stick and hits the glass by your face, pulling your attention away from the kid. he gives you one more smile before turning away, although he stays in the same spot, just practicing his stick handling with his back turned to you.

you make the mistake of looking at melissa and she's already beaming at you, a raise to her brows. "friends indeed," she hums.

"stop." you warn, cheeks surely permanently flushed red for the foreseeable future.

after the third period ends with an avalanche victory, it's only minutes after the team leaves the ice your phone is buzzing in your lap.

mikko rantanen

i didn't know you were coming

mikko rantanen

want me to drive us home?

you smile at the way he worded the question, even though there was nothing special behind his words.

"I know who y/n is texting," melissa sings in a baby voice to luke, hugging him in her lap.

you ignore her.

y/n

melissa drove me

mikko rantanen

that's not what i asked. do you want me to drive us home?

his assertive texts give you a momentary flashback to other times mikko had been assertive with you. there's nothing to overthink, you remember. mikko is simply just offering to take you back to your shared apartment building - a place he's already going. he's saving melissa a trip, if anything.

y/n

okay, yeah.

you pocket your phone and turn towards your friend. "mikko is going to take me home."

melissa smirks, "I thought so."

you roll your eyes playfully but stand up from your seat, bidding goodbye to the landeksogs and making your way through the arena and down into the avs locker room hallway, flashing your badge at the security guards.

when mikko spots you, he smiles. in that moment it was easy to get caught up in the familiarity of your old selves - walking back to mikko's car and talking about the game. your heart cracks at the memories, because no matter what he's still the guy who doesn't want to love you the way you craved him too.

—

3 months ago

you're breathless, chest heaving up and down as you lay flat on your back. a smirk is playing on your lips, heart racing as you take a moment to collect yourself.

mikko rolls over and up on to his elbow, leaning over your body. he's smiling softly down at you.

"i like the freckles on your nose," he whispers, "and the ones on your cheeks. and i like your eyes and your lips."

you grin, a hand reaching up to run through his blonde curls - the action much softer than minutes ago when your were gripping his hair at the roots as he brought you over the edge.

"or I just like you." mikko muses, his free hands moving up until he can hold your face, his thumb stroking gently over your cheek bone.

"always the charmer," you whisper back. "I like you too."

your words send prickles down mikko's spine, the redness of his skin deepening down his chest and up past his neck.

his hand leaves your cheek and scoops behind your back, bringing your body flush to his own. your naked boobs push against his strong chest, his large leg slotting between yours.

sex with mikko was always phenomal, but the tenderness he showed you after was always the best part.

your pleather jacket makes a crinkly noise as you uncross your arms. you pull out your phone from the oversized pocket to check for an unread text from ross colton. you knaw on your lip again, and you're sure all your lipstick is gone now form the constant nibbling. there's no texts, no missed calls, no unheard voicemails.

you're being stood up - on fucking valentine's day. you shift on your feet in the hotel lobby, leaning forward to see if maybe ross has pulled up to the curb - waiting for you in a car with a bouquet of roses. but nobody is there.

you're embarrassed, standing alone in your tights and skirt. you even put on your favourite red top to match the holiday aesthetic. you did your makeup nice and styled your hair for what?

you sigh, pocketing your phone again. you can already feel the looks of pity from maintenance man harvey and jaclyn: the middle aged woman who runs the front desk.

you're going to go upstairs and cry - that's the only thing to do. you spin on your heels, avoiding eye contact as you sulk back towards the row of elevators. your hand shakes as you reach out and push the button.

the doors open not 10 seconds later. your eyes meet mikko's just as he pulls out his phone.

"hi," he whispers, blinking three times fast. he looks handsome. he's wearing dark jeans and white dress shirt. the first two buttons are undone, exposing his chain. he's got a gray peacoat on as well, pulling the look together.

"hey," you force a smile, "sorry, i'm going up."

his eyes dance over your face, no doubt taking notice of your teary eyes and flushed cheeks. "are you okay, y/n?"

"i'm great," you cheer quitely. you side step him, walking into the open elevator. his body spins to follow your movement, worried eyes still on yours. "just going to head to sleep. long day."

"are you sure-"

"yes, i'm fine." you chirp, the elevator doors sliding closed and separating the two of you.

mikko takes a deep breath, staring at the silver doors as they carry you up to your shared floor. you we're definitely not okay.

"she was stood up."

mikko turns, eyeing harvey and jaclyn as they sit behind the lavish reception desk. harvey is taking a slow sip of what smells like coffee, brows raised as he looks at him.

jaclyn was the one who spoke, her lips turned in so she can kiss her teeth.

mikko frowns, taking four big steps forward until he reaches the table, leaning on it as he eyes the employees. "she was?"

"huh uh," harvey hums, "she came down here twenty minutes ago all dolled up and she just stood by the door until, well, you saw her go upstairs."

"she didn't have to say anything," jaclyn says, "you don't get all dressed up for valentine's day for no reason. whoever she was supposed to see tonight - they didn't show up."

mikko curses silently, running a hand over the top of his head. his hair is longer now, pieces of blonde hair curling between his fingers. "I feel terrible."

"you didn't do anything wrong," harvey says, "but you could be the one to make it right."

mikko's brows furrow together, "what do you mean?"

"you're friends right?" mikko nods.

"then go check on her." jaclyn interrupts. "unless you're heading somewhere."

"no, I'm not." mikko does have somewhere to be. him and a couple of the single guys on the team were going to hit up a local bar and get a couple drinks. he was already opening the text thread to tell them he wouldn't be there.

"here," jaclyn hums, plucking a pink rose from the vase that sat on top of the reception desk. "take this and go make her happy."

mikko thanks them, getting back to the elevator and pushing the button rather frantically until the doors open.

25 minutes have passed since you'd made it back up to your apartment. you cried while scrubbing the makeup off your face, but thankfully your tears have stopped. you swapped your skirt and jacket for your favourite pink sweat set. you're moping around your kitchen, glasses slipping down the bridge of your nose. you huff, moving to push them back up but a series of knocks on your door stops you.

you don't bother checking who it is, pulling open the white door slowly with a blank expression.

mikko looks up when the door creaks and he watches your face contort into one of cunfusion.

"what are you doing here?" you whisper.

"I live here," he teases. "this is for you," he hands you the delicate rose, and you frown while holding it to your chest.

"what is happening right now?"

"i'm not going to let you be alone on valentine's day, y/n."

"how do you know-"

"come with me." mikko grabs a hold of your free hand and brings you next door. you've noticed now he's not wearing his coat anymore, and another button of his shirt has come undone.

you walk into his apartment and are greeted with the tv on, its light casting a cool glow in the living room. it smells like candy, thanks to the candle on his kitchen counter. there's a few lamps on around the apartment and your favourite chocolate cookies are on a plate centered on the coffee table.

"what's all this?" you ask, words gentle as you gawk at the space infront of you.

he shoves his hands in his pockets, "I thought because you didn't get to go out for valentine's day, I would get you over here to relax and watch a movie."

"mikko-" you stop yourself, rose still clutched in your palm. "you didn't need to do all this."

"I wanted to." he insists. then he walks into the kitchen, flicking on the kettle.

you watch him wordlessly, your mouth hung open. he opens his cabinet and takes out a chai tea bag, plopping it into that mug you love so much.

confused, your brows furrow. "where did you get those?"

mikko glances at you over his shoulder, "what? the chee tea bags? i've always had them."

you don't mention his mispronounced word, walking forward until you are standing beside him. "no. when I stayed here a little bit ago, I finished them off."

he nods slowly, "okay. I bought more." he pours the steaming water into the cup, the liquid turning brown as the tea bag gets soaked.

"you don't like chai tea." you whisper.

he shrugs, scooping two piles of sugar into the mug. "no, but you do."

oh.

you look up at him with a million emotions, placing the rose down on the counter. mikko clears his throat, passing you the cup. "let's watch a movie."

you two end up on the couch moments later, both with your own throw blankets as the movie starts. mikko had chosen 'love, rosie' which was one of your favourite movies for valentine's day. you had told mikko this during one of your very first pillow talks and you're surprised he remembered.

"did you not have plans tonight?"

mikko looks over at the sound of your voice. you're not looking at him, eyes still on the screen while you hold you drink.

he shrugs, "nothing important."

"really?" you meet his eyes, "you were dressed up."

"just a thing with a couple of the guys," mikko says, "wasn't anything I wanted to go to anyways." he adds when he sees your worried face.

a beat passes.

"this movie reminds me of you."

your brows raise, "because I told you i liked it?"

mikko ponders momentarily, lips pursed. then he shakes his head, "you remind me of rosie. you and her love the same way."

you're speechless in that moment, eyes wide as you look at him. mikko's head falls back against the couch cushions, what looks like a smile beginning to tug at his lips.

"anytime I miss you, I watch this movie."

then you begin to smile, following suit and leaning back into the plush cushions. "that's a really nice thing to say to me."

"Thought that after all the terrible things we've said, I better say something worth while."

by the time to movie finishes you're both laughing with one another, the movie filling a void of happiness in both of your chests. only you had cried during the wedding scene - but you always had.

the credits begin to roll when you feel mikko's eyes on the side of your face. you don't hesitate to look over at him. "what's up?"

he bites his lip, "are you going to tell me who stood you up?"

your face falls, "how did you know I got stood up?"

"harvey and jaclyn are very perspective," he hums. you just nod once, taking a slow bite of your cookie. mikko continues, "plus you looked upset when I first saw you."

another nod.

"so," mikko hums, "who stood you up?"

"I don't want to tell you."

he chuckles gently, "why not?"

you don't crack a smile and that has mikko sitting up straighter, brows furrowed as he reaches out towards you. "why not?" your nervous expression had his stomach plummeting ever so slightly. "do I know him?"

you sigh, "yeah, but - "

"tell me."

"mikko, I don't want to start anything-"

"tell me who."

"seriously, you can't do any-"

"y/n." mikko warns.

you exhale deeply, hands falling down to your lap so you can fiddle. you don't look at him when you say, "it was ross."

the next morning at practice, mikko cross checks ross colton into the boards, definitely harder than necessary for a practice drill.

when ross turns around his face is red, "what's your problem dude?!"

mikko leans down slightly, "apologize for standing y/n up or a cross check will be the least of your worries."

ross scoffs, pushing off of mikko's chest, mumbling a 'yeah, whatever' on his way past.

mikko was fuming. if ross wasn't his teammate he would've smashed his face into the ice as soon as he stepped out. to ask his ex out in his apartment to then stand her up on valentine's day...mikko couldn't think about that or he would chase ross down.

—

it's after 10 when mikko gets home from his game, exhausted from the hard battle with the bruins. he is still wearing his suit, minus the tie, while he fills a cup with orange juice.

the avs lost, which was always frustrating. that combined with the ross thing was putting the blonde in a very sour mood. he chugs his drink in three gulps.

there's a soft knock on his door as he rinses the dish. he makes his way over, brows furrowed with annoyance at being bothered so late. he pulls open the door.

you stand in the hall, "did you say something to ross?"

mikko sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "listen..."

"I told you not to say anything." you show him your phone, the screen displaying the very brief chat between you and ross.

mikko frowns, taking your cell.

ross colton

i know standing you up was shitty

but tell your guard dog to back

the hell off

y/n

what?

ross colton

mikko. he fucking checked me

and told me to apologize or whatever

y/n

I didn't want...

mikko doesn't read the rest, scoffing as he gives you your phone back. "he's a dick," he muses, "I told him to say sorry to you, not treat you like a child."

you shove your phone in your jeans back pocket, "mikko, I didn't want you to say anything. the last thing I wanted was to put you in an awkward spot. this is why I didn't want to tell you-"

he leans against his door frame, arms crossed. "even if you didn't tell me who it was, i would've found out."

"mikko," you sigh, frustrated.

"if you think I wasn't going to say anything after he stood you up...you don't know me very well. nobody should treat you that way, y/n. you deserve more than that. better than that.."

your shoulders deflate, "stop saying things that..." you stop yourself, bottom lip coming between your teeth.

mikko gulps, pushing off the doorway. "stop what?"

your eyes bore into his, hesitant but desperate all at the same time. "stop saying things that make me want to kiss you."

mikko feels himself get warm, stomach swooping with nerves he hasn't felt since he met you. he takes ahold of your hand, pulling you into his apartment by the tips of your fingers. you go willingly, stumbling forward until you can push the door shut. mikko holds your gaze the entire time, pushing your body against the now closed door.

you tilt your head up so you can look at him properly. he's still gripping your hands, thumb running along your knuckles in a way that's so gentle and familiar it had your knees feeling weak.

a hoarse whisper, "kiss me." mikko squeezes your hands three times quickly and licks his lips, "please."

you don't need to be told again, pushing up on the balls of your feet until you're close to his face. mikko leans down just enough so you can press your lips against his.

his brows pull together, enchanted by the soft press of your mouth on his. you pull back after 5 seconds. mikko's eyes flutter open just as yours do, chests tight as you stare at one another.

just as you go to drop down again, mikko's hands are on you, one arm gripping your back to pull you up against his abdomen and chest, holding you to him. his other hands finds your face, just as both your hands grab his shoulder and neck and then you're devouring each other.

the kiss is passionate, full of heat and longing for what once was. months upon months of not having one another all boiling down into this heated exchange.

his hand is hot on your face, an all so familiar feeling that has you reeling with anticipation. the thought has you smiling into the kiss, mikko following suit. you're placed back to the ground and mikko is bringing you over to his couch, not once stopping the clash of teeth and lips you're both locked in.

he spins you around so that the back of your legs hit the couch cushions. the feeling has you dropping down, breaking the kiss as you fall into the plush cushions. mikko towers over you with a gentle smile. "you're so beautiful." then he's dropping to his knees infront of you, grabbing your legs to pull you to the edge of the couch.

you squeal, legs falling open to cage him in. using your hands, you push off his black suit jacket, the expensive item falling to the floor beside him. you smirk when his biceps flex underneath the tight material of his dress shirt. "I need you so bad, mikko."

he groans quietly. his hands dart up and pop open the button of your jeans, quickly tugging down the zipper. you help him when he moves to tug the denim down, lifting your butt off the couch so he can pull them away, soon joining his suit jacket.

mikko pushes your legs further apart, placing wet kisses against your thighs. he starts at your knee cap, slowly making his way down to your core.

he has one hand wrapped around the thigh he's kissing, and his other hand reaches forward, tugging your underwear to the side until you're exposed.

the air against your core has you whining, bucking your hips up. mikko smirks at the sight, "where do you need me, kulta?”

you moan at his native tongue, head rolling back. mikko wrapping your other leg in his arm has you looking back down at him, lip between your teeth. he's looking at you with raised brows, so close to where you want him.

"I need you on my pussy, mikko, please."

mikko has always been a good man, you think. because after your first beg he dives in, licking a heavy strip up your folds until his tongue reaches your clit, gently rubbing the sentive nub.

you moan loudly, your hand reaching out to grab ahold of his curls. you're thankful that he's started to grow out his start of the season buzz cut, because in this moment you'd never been happier to tug and pull his blonde locks.

he sucks oh so perfectly on your clit, and you think you could cum already. he pulls off with a pop, his long thick fingers immediately taking over and plunging into your hole, slowly pumping in and out.

your mouth falls open as he looks into your eyes, "you taste so good - better than I remember."

he continues pumping his digits into your warmth. using his other hand he pushes up to your face, capturing your lips in a messy kiss. the taste of yourself combined with his fingers and sloppy kiss have you cumming.

you groan loudly into his mouth, legs shaking as he works your through your orgasim. "fuck," you heave, head falling back. "you're so good at that"

"yeah?" mikko teases with a smirk.

your fingers start fiddling with his buttons, "yeah." you confirm. "you're wearing too many clothes."

you drag his dress shirt down his arms, gasping as more and more skin is revealed. he looks better shirtless than you remembered.

"so are you," mikko mumbles, clearly not bothered by the way you're ogling his arms and abdomen. he rips off your oversized t-shirt, leaving you completely bare. "no bra?" he smirks.

"no," you giggle, "i was getting ready for bed...oh." mikko attaches to one of your nipples, sucking on the bud until it becomes painfully hard.

he switches to your other boob, his hand wasting to time groping the unattended nipple.

"mikko, I wanna...please I need you inside me."

he release your boob and nods at you, eyes glazed over. "fuck...yeah, lemme..." mikko stands up, grabbing your hands so you're also at full height. his hands start fiddling with his dress pants, eyes burning into your bright ones as he does. you smile slowly, your own fingers joining in helping him take off his pants.

he finally gets them off, pushing them down his legs until they fall around his ankles. you blink slowly, watching the way his boxers strain to contain his hard dick. you reach forward, palming him through his boxers until he moans, eyes downcast to watch you stroke him over his underwear.

"take these off." you whisper, locking eyes with him through your lashes.

he swears, waisting no time in pushing down the last article of clothing that stands between you.

you smile gently, hands running up his strong chest until you reach his neck. mikko reaches down, connecting your lips in another desperate kiss. he missed you so much, he could kiss you for the rest of the night and be satisfied with only your lips.

your hands drag back down his collarbones, down his pecks until they rest over his nipples. he shivers at your touch until you're giggling, pulling away from the kiss.

mikko's hand slips between your bodies, making its way between your legs until he finds your core, still dripping with your release.

as he's gathering your slick you groan, gripping his bicep to keep yourself upright. "where do you want me?"

mikko just might melt. he slicks up his cock, pumping it slowly. "fuck, kulta, on your back. I need to see you."

your stomach swoops. you get back to the couch, dropping onto your back infront of him. automatically your legs fall open, making room for the 6"4 winger.

mikko wastes no time climbing on top of you, slotting between your thighs just like he used to. "you ready?" he asks you, still fisting himself, the tip of his dick pressing against you.

you nod, hands holding onto his broad shoulders. "yes, fuck, please."

with that, mikko lines up with your entrance and wastes no time pushing into you. in sync you both moan, eyes fluttering closed at the familiar sensation.

he begins thrusting, the hand that was previously pumping himself grabbing ahold of your thigh, hauling it over his hip until you can wrap your calf around his lower back.

"you feel so right...so good." mikko huffs, leaning down to kiss the corner of your mouth. he trails his lips down your face until they get to your neck, sucking on your sweet spot.

'you feel so right'

you could cry at that, because it did. you missed him so much that you couldn't believe what was currently happening. mikko's thrusts become harder, sending you up the couch in a way that so hot - you're moaning loudly.

"mikko..." I love you.

"I know, fuck." he grunts, his eyes flickering down to where your bodies connect.

but he doesn't know, you think. you feel a tear slip out of your eye and you turn your head, trying to ignore your brain and let your body go back into its euphoric state.

it's not hard when mikko is quite literally splitting you in half, thrusting in a way that's so deep it has you tightening around him. "I think i'm close." you rasp, meeting his blue eyes once again.

he was already watching you, mouth hung open as he breaths heavily. "you gunna cum on my cock?"

you nod, "yeah."

"cum on me," he moans. your eyes squeeze shut, your walls clamping down on his dick as you hit your peak, releasing all over him.

you moan once again, body falling flat against the couch cushions. mikko's thrusts increase speed, spluttering slightly as he chases his own release.

"i'm gunna cum here, m'kay?" he presses his free hands against the bulge in your lower stomach. it has you nodding, moaning quietly.

it's only three sharp thrusts later until he pulls out of your entrance, rubbing his dick over your stomach as his cum shoots hot and sticky over you. he grunts loudly, pumping his dick a few times until all of his seed is on you.

"fuck." he moans.

"yeah," you rasp.

mikko's eyes flicker up to meet yours and he smiles softly. he crawls back up your body, and just when you think he's going to kiss you again, he leans over the side of the couch to grab his suit jacket. he uses the material to wipe up a majority of his cum.

"isn't that expensive?" you muse.

he shrugs, balling up the fabric and tossing it near the bar stools. "i'll get it dry cleaned."

you smile very briefly, "not worried about them seeing your cum all over it?"

he cracks a smile, "maybe i'll just throw it out."

his eyes flicker down to your plump lips and you feel yourself flush. he leans in, eyes fluttering a few times. then he's pulling away, clearing his throat. "do you work tomorrow? you should probably get some sleep, no?"

you swallow thickly, sitting up. "yeah, it's probably late." you didn't work tomorrow, but facing the embarrassment of being kicked out after a hook up was not something you needed right now.

mikko knaws his lip, "okay, yeah...yeah, i've got practice tomorrow."

"okay," you hum, busying yourself by throwing your clothes back on. you curse yourself for having jeans on, having to jump slightly to pull them over your uncomfortably wet underwear. "i'll see you around, right?"

"of course," mikko hums, "neighbours and all."

you let yourself out, mikko watching your back with a frown.

when you get into your own apartment, nothing can stop the sobs that rips from your chest.

you hadn't seen mikko all day. you heard him leave for practice around 7, and he returned a couple hours after that.

you had moped around your apartment all day, nothing but guilt of the day prior and regret for not confessing weighing heavy on your chest.

you had called melissa earlier in the day, already crying before she picked up. you had vented about your feelings, and what happened the night before and how you couldn't just be another hook up for mikko. instead of an 'I told you so' from your friend, she was so supportive. this time in a much lighter sense, she suggested you talk to him and just lay your heart out there - talk about everything.

"if he's not the one, then you telling him won't change anything. but if there's something there...it will be worth it."

—

three days has passed and you still hadn't seen mikko - not in the elevator, not in the hallway or lobby. he hasn't reached out and it sort of had you feeling angry. you're not in high school - you were grown adults. and sure, even if he didn't want you the way you wanted him, he should have the decency to tell you. not repeat the whole hating game that you had already gone through.

the avalanche didn't have a game today, you had checked. you hadn't even heard mikko leave for any sort of practice or team thing - he must've had an off day.

you were ready to talk. you wanted to know why all those months ago he blew you off and started hating you. you wanted to know what went wrong. you needed to know if you were just a booty call.

so you matched over there, placing three heavy knocks on the white apartment door that belonged to mikko rantanen.

a beat later the door is pulled open. he's wearing a long sleeve team branded shirt and sweatpants. at the sight of you his face changes, brows pulling together in what seems to be confusion.

"6 months ago...why did you stop talking to me?"

he pales, "what?"

you sigh heavily, "why when after somebody said we'd make a cute couple...why did you turn on me. why did you start hating me?"

he stands up straighter, shoulders back. "what? I didn't turn on you...I was respecting you if anything."

"respecting me?" you bite out, "mikko you did anything but respect me."

"that's not true," he says, "I wanted it to work out but you changed...in the elevator that night-"

you breath a laugh, "that's not true! I didn't change - I loved you the entire time!"

his face falls and he takes a step back, "what?"

"god mikko," you laugh, "I was just respecting the stupid arrangement. the whole friends with benefits thing we had. but I loved you...god, I loved you so much. and then when we fought in the elevator...you blew me off just at the thought of being with me - being in a relationship....you broke me. and then you started picking fights and being an asshole so I fought back! because I wasn't going to let you continue to stomp on my heart without doing anything about it."

he runs a hand over his face, "are you being serious?"

you hands fall to your sides and you feel your eyes welling up with tears. "the sex was a mistake mikko. if all you want is sex...I can't do that with you. I thought maybe you felt something for me - a couple nights ago I..." you take a shaky breath, "mikko, I love you."

he takes a step towards you, a frown tugging on lips. "that night in the elevator...I thought that you didn't want me anymore. I only started being angry with you when I thought you hated me. i've never hated you, y/n, never. I thought you only wanted sex."

"what?" you whisper. at some point during your confession you had stepped into his apartment. the door remained open behind you so mikko reached forward, pushing the door closed gently. you watch him the entire time.

"I only argued with you because it was the only way I got to talk to you after we ended our relationship. I only got mad at you because I couldn't have you anymore. I only got jealous because I didn't think any guy was worthy of you or your time - and there not! you're so amazing."

"mikko-"

"a couple days ago, when he had sex again...it felt so right. the entire time I was so happy just to be with you again I couldn't bare the thought of being just a hook-up so I pretend it was more."

you sniffle, tears falling down your cheeks. "we were really bad at communicating huh?"

he takes another step towards you, "I've kept a box of chee tea in my cabinet since i met you and i've kept your chocolate cookies in there as well. I watch love, rosie every night and I cry at the wedding scene. there's a picture of us still up in my room. I've never not wanted you in every way humanly possible."

mikko grabs a hold of your face, tilting your head back until your eyes meet. "do you remember when we went to the grocery store together that one time? and we got the tea?"

you nod.

"that was the moment I fell in love with you."

you stomach swoops and your mouth goes dry.

mikko's lips curl gently, "and do you remember when you had to stay here with me after your ceiling fell?"

another nod.

"that's when I realized i'd never stop loving you...and I haven't. i'm in love with you. and i'm so sorry for not telling you before, i'm sorry for pulling away from you all those months ago. i'm sorry."

"im sorry too," you whisper, "I should've just talked to you." you laugh gently, "melissa told me I should've."

he laughs too, "gabe told me the same thing."

"maybe we should've listened to them."

mikko smirks all slow and hot and you blush. "yeah, we should've." mikko's thumb rubs your lower lip, tracing the outline gently. "I want you to be with me. all the damn time."

"I want that too," you smile, gripping mikko's wrists by your face. "now, please kiss me."

mikko smiles, leaning down and pressing a long kiss to your lips. he never planned on stopping.

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