#hbd nate mac

[puckngrind]

Leave Her Wild: 1.1 - N. MacKinnon

Author's note: This is a parallel to chapter 1 but via Nate's perspective. I started it thinking this was the way I was going to write the entire series but got going and never came back. In honor of the birthday boy, I figured might as release this unedited blurb.

Warnings: swearing

Word count: 900

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"Took you long enough!" Tyson groaned as Nathan manages to open and shut Cale's condo door with pizzas in hand.

"What's wrong with you?" Cale emerges from the kitchen.

"Nothin', birthday boy? Really, you jackasses put birthday boy as my pick up name?" Nate lied through his teeth at what was wrong with him. Cale clearly read his face well.

"I'd say it was the best name ever for the birthday boy!" JT chirps from the couch.

The boys eat a piece of pie each before deciding to head out to play spike ball in the park across the street first. Nate nods at the man they passed in the hall then turns when he swears he hears a tiny whistle come from the stranger. Shaking it off they emerge from Tyson and Cale's building. Nathan fishes the game out of his Jeep then looks up before crossing the street.

"You good dude?" Tyson asks.

"Yeah, totally man. Just thought I saw people staring out the window. Must've been nothing." Nate hands the bag to Tyson a tad harder than Tyson was expecting.

"Sure." He coughs out.

The game was intense specially with the unseasonably warm start to September they were having in Denver. The boys were drenched in sweat by the time they crashed back at Cale's. Gaming started after more pizza and drinks. You would never know these were grown men and not teenagers by the trash talking gaming that was being spewed across the living room. Nate was distracted by adding some "Damn dude." comments here and there until finally he didn't start the next game. He retreated to a corner and started tapping on his phone. "Fuck." He thought it was in his head but when all three guys turned around he realized it was not.

"Talk. You have been different since you got here." JT states.

"How the fuck does tinder work? Or I don't know, Bumble?" Nate taps on his phone again.

"Wwwwhhhhyyyy are you all of a sudden interested in dating apps? Nate looking to get some?" Tyson blurted out then got hit with a pillow by JT. "Sorry." He whispered.

"There is a girl I met. She lives here. I this building. So I thought if she was on one of those damn apps I could find her cuz all I know is that she frequents the pizza place, lives here, has the cutest twang but also maybe midwestern voice, and her name is MacKenzie." Nate looks up to see his teammates all with their mouths hanging open.

"Here." Tyson hands over his phone. "And I fucking swear if you swipe left on someone I would totally go for I may in fact hurt you."

"Like you could do that." Cale retorts.

"Fine, I would sent Z after you." Tyson shook his head verifying he meant business.

Nate started swiping. He was looking for any version of her name. Mac, Kenzie, MacKenzie, Kenz... but really he was focused on her hair and that sparkle in her eyes. He did not notice that all three were standing around him.

"Swipe riiiiggg..." Tyson starts looking at Nathan's quick swipes left on his account.

"You aren't important here Tys." JT scolded.

"Check Instagram, Twitter, Facebook." Cale suggests.

"I don't fucking have Facebook." Tyson announces.

"I do." Nate sheepishly admitted. The shocked sounds escaping the group made him laugh quietly.

The boys spent the next hour unsuccessfully sleuthing for MacKenzie with no luck.

"She's our age, right?" JT questions flipping through the multiple results for MacKenzie on Instagram.

"I mean... she looked like she was. You know I'm bad at that shit." Nate blew out in frustration. "I guess..."

"We can keep looking Mac or go to the pizza place..." Cale taps his forehead trying to come up with more ideas.

"Yeah, no. Yeah. It was a good try. Maybe I'll run into here again, but Denver is a big ass city." Nate lays his head back on the couch.

"But this building isn't." Tyson sing-songs out.

Nate threw himself into pre-season training the rest of September. A visit from his mother set mind into work mode. She always had a way of making sure Nate was on track even from thousands of kilometers away.

"I'll see you in a few month, eh?" Kathy MacKinnon hugged her son tight.

"Whenever ya want." Nate squeezed back.

"And whatever is nagging at you, please fix before the season is in full bloom." Kathy placed her hand on his cheek patting it slightly. How she read her son like a book was something Nate only wish he could understand. He nodded not sure exactly what she was speaking of but went with it. "Enjoy the youth event next week, Son." She loosened their embrace to head towards TSA.

"Will do." Nate waves watching fish out her passport.

Nathan and Cale walked out from their locker room area to the sound of about forty kids or so attempt to skate.

"This should be fun." Cale elbowed Nate. "Mac?" He waves his hand over Nathan's face.

"It's her." Nate whispers.

"It's who?" Cale tries to follow his gaze but only sees a very tall, brunette man surrounded by kids.

"Mac... Kenzie." Nate can hardly speak.

"Pizza girl? Where?" Cale almost yells out. Nate ignores him and makes his way to the ice feeling a tug and goosebumps explode over his body.