#i love captain stanley

[oldtvlover]

Hey E! Gang,

my standalone Gif from my yesterday’s episode.

So nice when Cap Stanley looks after the kid, shows her the engine and gives her his helmet. Such a nice gesture! Aw, I love this man.

[migorify]

u guys r never gonna guess what i have in mind..

[sashabarkovonly]

SASHA BARKOV IS A STANLEY CUP CHAMPION!! 🥹❤️🏆

[allhandsondeck1]

Alrighty buckaroo pack it up

[quinnychronicals]

Via Canucks Insta.

Quinn walking in for game 7. Looking miserable as ever.

The emotional support suit and his air forces hopefully bring us some luck and win. 💙🤍💚🫶🏻

[theflyingfeeling]

the love of my entire life

[rouzys]

love u tage thompson miss u tage thompson

[braisedhoney]

rAAAAAAH MY BOY MY OLD MAN SON MY BOOOYYYYY orz orz orz

unironically the way kat draws him is so majestic i almost see why people find him so simpable lmao. almost. he’ll always just be a silly guy to me tbh. love your artstyle kat and your traditional work slaps so hard it makes me want to work in graphite (before i remember how much it battles with me ;;)

(also messy comic i made a bit ago in addition to kat’s!! hell ye! friends 👏 beyond 👏 time 👏 👏 👏)

Here's my recent drawings somehow always having Captain or Narry involved in it.

✩ people featured: @braisedhoney @beartitled

[jo-speaks]

congratulations

in which...

fem! reader has her own way of congratulating quinn on all his accomplishments.

warnings: MDNI. 18+ readers only. use of sex toys (vibrating panties), slight exhibitionism, oral sex (m! receiving) while driving, mature language, brief mention of a captain kink.

~✩~

note: in honour of Quinn's one-year captain-iversary a few days ago! he's accomplished so much, and i love seeing how much he continues to develop as a player and a person.

You knew you wouldn’t be joining him for a regular team dinner once you saw that glint in his eyes. He was up to something, but you weren’t quite sure what.

“Babe! You ready?” Quinn called out to you, waiting for your presence in the living room of your shared apartment.

“Just give me another minute!” You replied, holding the top half of your lingerie set to your chest in the mirror. 

A few days ago, Quinn had told you about this dinner. The team had planned it to celebrate all the successes he’s had in the past year. Being named captain, leading the team to the Stanley Cup finals, winning the Norris, being on the cover of NHL 25, and so forth. 

Quinn had never been one to want to celebrate stuff like this for himself, but rather for the people who made it possible. However, he was never one to turn down free food. Originally, it was supposed to be just the team, but they were meant to be dining at one of your favourite restaurants in the city. Luckily for you, JT’s wife, Natalie shared the same love for the food here as you did. And with a few strings pulled, as JT was the one who originally planned the event, she not only managed to get you and herself a part of the occasion but a few of the other wives and girlfriends who were willing to join the celebration.

Naturally, when she told you the news, you figured it would be a great time to give Quinn a little congratulatory gift of your own. Before the event, you had ordered a Canucks blue set of lingerie, leaving very little to the imagination. It cupped your breasts in a way that was pleasing to the eye, and it did your ass the justice it deserves. The lining of the bra covered your nipples, but the rest of the material was sheer. And to add to the thrill, the bottoms of the set came with a remote. A remote that, with the click of a button, could send a silent vibrating sensation running through your body.

You didn’t want to show this number to your boyfriend quite yet, hence your decision to let him discover it later in the night. Throwing on a semi-formal dress that was appropriate for the dinner over it, Quinn was in for a surprise. You quickly strapped on a pair of heels that complemented your outfit, grabbing your purse and phone, and opening the door of your bedroom. 

The reaction on Quinn’s face was one you would never get sick of seeing. His jaw dropping slightly open as his eyes trailed up and down your figure repeatedly, trying to get the image engraved in his mind. 

“Wow.” Was all he managed to mutter out before you giggled and stepped closer to him, his hand instinctively wrapping around your waist as you placed a soft kiss on his lips which he gladly reciprocated. 

“Looking pretty handsome yourself, Captain.” You teased, knowing what that word did to him when it fell from your lips. 

He let out a sigh, almost like he was biting back words. Instead, he just pulled you impossibly closer to his body, leaving no space between the two of you. 

“I can always cancel. We could stay here…” He trailed off, slowly moving his hand to the curve of your ass. 

You smiled, “No way. I’ve been dying to see what’s new on their menu. Plus, it wouldn’t be very nice to leave your teammates hanging.”

He rolled his eyes jokingly, “They’ll be fine. I’m more interested in finding out what’s under this dress than some dinner.”

“Well, in that case.” You slipped your hand into your purse, pulling out the small remote.

Quinn’s eyebrows furrowed at this, his instinct being to immediately press the first button he saw. You let out a soft moan as you felt the vibrations so suddenly, reaching out to press the button to shut it off. You dropped your head to lean against his chest, taking a few deep breaths to regain your composure.

“Let me explain before you click anything else.” You mumbled, immediately gaining his attention. 

He shook his head before you could even get a word out. “It’s your underwear, isn’t it? That’s what it’s for.”

“How did you-?” You began before he cut you off. 

“I opened the box they came in. You set it to my billing address, so my name was on the box. Thought it was that book I ordered, but this was even better to see.” He explained.

You let out a short whine of complaint, “So you knew I had these?”

He nodded, “Just been waiting for you to use them.”

Just before you could say anything else, his phone rang, and a number unknown to you was displayed on the screen. “Hello? Yeah, we’ll be there in twenty.” He turned back to you, taking your hand into his, “Time to go.”

Moving on from the previous discussion, you gave him a bright smile, excited to feast with him and the team. You dropped his hand, walking towards the front door to grab his keys off the hook when he clicked the button yet again, the pleasurable buzz in between your thighs causing your legs to buckle slightly. 

He walked up behind you, grabbing his keys for himself as you leaned your forehead against the wall, eyebrows knitted together as you tried your best to keep quiet, not wanting to give him an audible reaction to his surprise attack. 

Having been with you for the past two years, he knew exactly what you were doing. So he peppered kisses alongside your neck, reaching his hand up to thumb at your covered breasts. “C’mon, baby. Let me hear those pretty noises.” 

You did your best not to give in, a small whine slipping past your lips before he clicked the button again, stopping the feeling. You let out a sigh of relief and disappointment, at which Quinn let out a chuckle

“I’m gonna have so much fun with you tonight.”

He opened the apartment door, standing to the side as he watched you compose yourself before exiting the home, following you out, and shutting the door behind you. He locked the door, placing his hand on your lower back as the two of you began walking towards the parking garage where his car was parked.

You should’ve known he would mess with you from the second you left the apartment. As you walked towards the elevator, waiting for the lift to reach your floor, he pressed the button yet again, remote concealed in the pocket of his dress pants. You tensed up at the feeling, thankful you were at least alone, until the elevator dinged, revealing an elderly couple you guys had met over the time you lived at the apartment complex. They smiled warmly at the pair of you and you did your best to silently greet them with a smile. 

“You two are dressed so nicely, going out on a date?” The woman asked.

Quinn looked at you expectantly, as if he wanted you to answer. Was he crazy? If you opened your mouth right now the only thing that would come out would be a loud moan of his name. But he didn’t seem to care as silence slowly started to linger. 

So, in an attempt to not slip up, you settled for a smile and a “Mhm.”, hoping it would be the end of the conversation. Unfortunately for you, it wasn’t.

“Where are you going? Robert and I tried this new seafood place the other day, best shrimp in the whole city!” She laughed. 

You took a deep breath, knowing Quinn wouldn’t answer for you. “Was it Coast? That’s where we’re heading right now.” 

She nodded, “Yes, yes. Something like that. Oh! Their crab dip was amazing!”

Doing your best to keep your composure, you let out a soft laugh, sighing in relief when the lift dinged again, stopping on their floor. 

“Well, you two enjoy your dinner! Treat her to an appetizer, will ya?"

Quinn laughed, “You know I will.”

They bid you two goodbye, the doors taking what seemed for an eternity to shut. Once they did, you let out a groan of relief and pleasure, the sensation becoming too much for you to bear. Quinn let out a soft laugh as you leaned back against him, your hand searching for his in an attempt to have something to hang on to. 

He had some mercy, giving you his hand and letting you squeeze it as lewd noises slipped past your glossed lips. “Gonna have to quiet down, baby.” 

“Kinda hard to do that when you made me-,” He turned up the speed. “Speak!” 

You could tell he was having way too much fun with this as you peered up at him through watery eyes, a smirk never leaving his face. Once again the elevator dinged, opening up the door to reveal the parking garage. He gave you a gentle push, your wobbly legs doing their best to stay upright and get you to the car. 

“Think you can hold on until we get to the restaurant?” Quinn asked.

You gave him a deranged look. “What? No. No way.”

He shrugged, “Either you wait or I leave you like this the whole night.”

“Quinn, please.” You whimpered, approaching the car.

He ignored your pleas, walking ahead of you to open your door for you. Even when he’s torturing you sexually, he’s still a gentleman. You slowly stepped in, doing your best to ignore the way the buzzing intensified as you settled into the seat. Quinn walked around the car and got in next to you, placing his hand on your inner thigh. You gripped the armrest of the seat, hoping it would give you the strength to hang on.

Your boyfriend noticed the way your thighs twitched subtly under his hand, your body struggling not to give in to the pleasure. He decided to cut you some slack, reaching into his pocket to turn up the intensity. You let out a moan, leaning your head back against the seat, your nails digging into the leather. 

Your brain was incredibly foggy, the only thing running through your mind being the amount of pleasure you were feeling. You hadn’t even noticed Quinn pulling out of the parking lot, and driving onto the main road. 

“This is your free pass, sweet girl. Let go f’me.” He encouraged, keeping his eyes on the road, silently praying for a red light. 

The traffic odds seemed to be in Quinn’s favour, the next light turning red as soon as he approached it. He turned his head, watching the way your eyes shut and your jaw dropped further, your legs trembling as you came with a cry of his name. 

If he could get this moment tattooed on the inside of his eyelids, he would. He watched as you writhed in your seat, dropping your head down as you came to. Quinn reached into his pocket, shutting off the feeling to give you a chance to calm down. 

He brought your hand up to his lips, pressing a comforting kiss to the back of your hand. He smiled as you gripped his hand, happy it was able to provide you that relief. 

“Holy shit.” You eventually sighed out, relaxing into the seat. 

Quinn smirked, “Oh, my beautiful girl. You have no idea what I plan on doing with you.” 

Letting out a breath, you opened your eyes again and looked at him. His jaw was clenched and his grip on the wheel made his knuckles go white. You quirked an eyebrow at the intensity of his gaze. “Hey, you okay?”

He didn’t answer you, he didn’t even glance at you. Now it was your turn to trail your eyes down his figure, seeing the bulge of his cock pressing against the fabric of his pants. A smirk rose to your face as you glanced at the GPS that Quinn had been following, seeing you were only eight minutes away from the restaurant.

You mustered up all the strength in your body to sit up and lean across the console of the car, pressing a kiss to his flushed cheeks. 

“I’m driving.” He mumbled, taking a deep breath in an attempt to control himself. 

You ignored his words, trailing your hand down his upper body and stopping when it reached the now extremely prominent bulge in his pants. He groaned, nose scrunching at the feeling. Smiling at his reaction, you let your kisses trail down his neck.

You could feel his hand looking for something, too distracted with palming him to realize just what he was searching for. As you fumbled with his zipper, he grabbed the remote that he had unknowingly dropped into the cupholder when you started showing him affection. He ran his thumb over the bumps of the buttons, finding the ‘on’ button yet again, but not pressing it quite yet.

You felt the object on your lower back as Quinn placed his hand there, needing to touch you as you got the zipper undone, freeing him from the constraints. 

“How much longer?” You whispered, kissing down his happy trail. 

He glanced to the side where his phone was, “Five minutes.”

You hummed, your kisses now finding his way to the base of his cock. He let out a deep moan as you took him in your mouth, the weight of it resting comfortably on your tongue. It took him a minute to adjust to the situation, trying his best to focus on driving and you at the same time. 

Quinn visibly relaxed, well, as much as he could while seeing how desperate you could be for him no matter the setting. He set the remote down, his calloused hand finding the back of your head, slowly pulling on your hair, then pushing. He sped up slowly, testing the waters. You grew frustrated at the pace, knowing you had limited time. 

As your patience grew thin, so did his. So, you reached behind to grab his hesitant hand, pushing and pulling for him. Thankfully, he got the hint and started his attack on your mouth. The gagging sound emanating from your throat made him throw his head back with a groan, immediately perking back up as he started driving off the road. 

Tears started forming in your eyes as Quinn kept pushing you far enough to reach the back of your throat. It wasn’t the most pleasurable feeling but the whimpery groans leaving his mouth were distractions enough. 

You became too entranced with his reactions to realize your hand was now resting on his knee, his hand no longer gripping your hair. The pace having set itself, he reached over, grabbing the control in his hand, and pressing the button that made you moan around his length.

Quinn groaned loudly at the vibration of your vocal cords, turning up the intensity of your panties before letting it drop to the ground and pressing your head impossibly further as he rutted his hips into your mouth. 

“Fuck, Y/N. You feel so good.” He mumbled, struggling to keep his eyes open. 

You mumbled back something incoherent, your brain going numb at the dual sensations and lack of oxygen. You felt yourself getting close again as Quinn’s thrusts got sloppier, hinting he was there with you. 

In an attempt to let Quinn know, you squeezed your hand against the bone, causing him to let out a deep whine. “You’re so close, aren’t you baby?” With the nod of your head, he sped up. “Doing so good. Come with me, yeah?”

He didn’t have to say it twice, your core tensing as your legs shook wildly, the moans escaping you enough to set Quinn off, his hips stilling as let out a groan. His hand on the steering wheel tightened, as did the one on your head, keeping you in place as you both reached your peaks. 

Even though he wanted nothing more than to turn the car around and fuck you properly all over the apartment, Quinn reluctantly pulled the car into the restaurant’s parking lot, stationing the car poorly and turning off the engine.

As you came to your senses again, you winced at the feeling of the intense vibrations still going between your legs. You reached your hand down under his seat, picking up the now familiar clicker and stopping the feeling.

You pulled yourself off of him, his cum dripping from your lips. Mesmerized at the sight, Quinn couldn’t help but press his fingers to your lips, running his thumb over them before pushing the sticky liquid in. You kept your eyes trained on his as you sucked around his finger and swallowed around it. 

“I can’t wait for this night to be over.” He mumbled, leaning in to press a sloppy kiss to your mouth. “Gonna mess you up so bad when we get home.”

Placing the remote in his free hand, his eyes looked at it momentarily before returning to stare at yours. “Who says you have to wait for the night to be over?”

[oldtvlover]

Hi guys,

back to the episode which got me started with this Gif business. lol

Enjoy this set which provides the whole story but left out the dog chasing in the station. You know why. *grins*

As said: Enjoy!

P.S.: The second storyline in this episode follows naturally.

[braisedhoney]

author’s privilege (or meme power idk lol)

thanks for the tea, sorry for the property damage o7

self imposed déjà vu

(this is why i can’t bring my old man son anywhere. he’s rude 😔)

All comically exaggerated ofc lol

[intheupside]

Two decades ago, as he awaited Malkin's arrival from Magnitogorsk, Russia, Crosby dared to dream of what they might do together in Pittsburgh. And he dreamed big.

They'd push each other to become not merely great but legendary. They'd resurrect a fledgling franchise and win the Stanley Cup - not just once, either.

They'd become friends along the way.

After a dispiriting 2014 Winter Olympics in his native Russia, Malkin returned to Pittsburgh bereft of confidence. He had found love off the ice at those Games, but his hockey heart was broken by the Russian Federation's failure to medal. He didn't even stick around for the closing ceremony.

Crosby did, having captained Team Canada to a gold medal four years after scoring a Golden Goal when the Olympics were in his homeland.

As the blur of their drastically different experiences in Sochi, Russia, cleared, Crosby noticed Malkin at first retreating, then drifting into darkness as they resumed play for the Penguins. A teammate of Malkin's for eight seasons at the time, Crosby's instinct was not to intervene.

Crosby had grown to understand Malkin a lot better than he had during Malkin's rookie season, when Malkin struggled to communicate with his teammates and assimilate into North America.

They were not yet close, but Crosby knew Malkin was proud and private - shared traits that transcended their differences.

Malkin didn't want to talk about any of it. He also needed to talk to somebody about a specific pain with which Crosby could uniquely empathize.

Crosby decided to sit down with Malkin and talk about it.

"Sid saved me," Malkin said. "Maybe then I'm not know he cares so much about me. After talk, I know we forever like brothers."

from the athletic… when your alternate and captain are so very in love

[gyudons]

During the last practice in Pittsburgh before the holiday break, Sidney Crosby brought cookies to the rink along with, of course, some banana bread – ��his mom’s famous recipe,” Marcus Pettersson said with a grin. “He’s got a little addiction,” Kris Letang added.

Crosby bakes for the group periodically throughout the season, one of many thoughtful gestures the Penguins captain makes for his teammates – impressive from anyone, much less someone of his stature. During this season of giving, Pettersson and Rickard Rakell had been marveling at the captain’s generous nature that very day.

“Me and Raks were actually just joking around about how good he is with giving gifts,” Pettersson said. “I don't know if he has a thought behind it about when he retires, that he is expecting a lot of gifts back from everybody (laughs). But I don't think so. I think he’s just a great guy.”

Crosby goes above and beyond to mark occasions for the people around him, whether it’s a holiday, a career achievement, or simply a memorable experience. His capacity to do all of that, in addition to continuing to be an elite talent at age 36 and an unparalleled leader, is remarkable.

Evgeni Malkin, Crosby’s fellow franchise center and teammate for nearly two decades, said, “It’s almost like he’s the perfect player, perfect friend. Some guys win just one Stanley Cup, they think they’re like a god, you know? But Sid, never. You see everybody wants to play here, first of all, it’s because of Sid.”

Letang joked that he wasn’t going to use the word perfect, “because there’s nothing perfect,” he laughed. “But he always makes sure everybody is taken care of, and they’re having a good time. He loves to get to know people. For me, what he did for my dad last year… the banana bread stuff… it’s just a way of looking at things, you never want to leave some people behind. There’s not a specific gesture that comes to mind, because it’s such a daily thing for him.”

Tyson Barrie, was touched by something the captain did for his agent, Bayne Pettinger, who had previously worked for Team Canada. Pettinger had been sitting with Crosby at another one of those BioSteel camps, which was in Montreal. At the time, Pettinger had recently come out as gay and mentioned in passing to Crosby how he thought the Pride warmup jerseys were so cool.

“Bayner FaceTimed me a couple months later, almost in tears,” Barrie said. “The concierge at his condo called him and was like hey, there’s a big package here for you, can you come down and grab it? Turns out Sid had gotten a Pride jersey framed for Bayner. He wrote, ‘Bayner, proud of you.’ That’s the kind of guy he is. You'll never hear about any of this stuff. He's just always doing stuff under the radar. He’s just a special guy.”

merry christmas! here’s a sweet little story about canadian hockey star sidney crosby

[citricacidprince]

could you draw the courtroom scene with relativity falls? (mabels bubble)

Gladly!!! I’ve already brought up some Stan Weirdmageddon Bubble stuff here, but the equivalent of the Mabel Trial for Stan makes me wanna blow up I just adore it!!

Okay, so first things first, here’s Captain Stan’s design, my precious baby boy <3

Figured it’d be fun to mix some aspects of Grunkle Stan’s Mr. Mystery outfit with a pirate twist, just for fun!

As for the ‘trial’, its more of a argument between two boys who just WONT talk about their issues

Fiddleford, Boyish Dan, and Anjelita are also there, but Stan isn’t mad at them. In fact, he doesn’t even care that they’re breaking the rules by being there, he’s only mad at Ford. He’s mad that Ford was just going to leave him behind and send Stan back to New Jersey by himself while he stayed and studied with their Grunkle Dipper. Leaving Stan all by himself at home. Alone to deal with their father. Alone with no friends. Alone to be the family disappointment.

But no matter how mad he gets at Ford, Stan can’t ever say that he’s hates him, and Stan would give him a million chances to fix things. So, instead of immediately throwing Ford off the deck of his ship, he gives him an ultimatum. A very easy solution to all of this.

All Ford has to do is say that he’s sorry, and Stan would let him go. He won’t leave the bubble because he actually really likes it in there, but he’ll let Ford go.

This.. doesn’t end very well

Stan, absolutely heartbroken, decides to make his brother walk the plank. If he’s dead to Ford, well then Ford is dead to him as well.

However, right before his crew could push Ford into the water, something happened.

You see, when Stan unknowingly gave the rift to Bill he only had one wish. That he’d never be alone again. So when he first appeared in his bubble it was actually completely dark and empty, except for a small light glowing in his hands. It was a little version of Ford. He smiled and laughed just like he did when they were a bit younger, and he said everything Stan wanted to hear.

Very quickly Stan realized he could manipulate the bubble and create anything that he wanted, just like he could back in the Mindscape. So he created what he knew. Glass Shard Beach, New Jerseys. It was full of never ending boardwalks, houses and attractions with silly names, and that beach he loved so much. It didn’t take long after that to realize it was still quite lonely, even with Lil’ Ford (a name he lovingly gave the small version of his brother). However, he didn’t want the town to be full of faceless nobodies or people he actually knew, that’d be weird.

Then he had the genius idea to just fill the town with himself! After all, he never had to worry about himself betraying him or leaving him behind!

Soon the town was overrun with imperfect duplicates of himself and he couldn’t have been any happier.

However, the duplicates were so much like him that it soon made a new problem arise. They started asking about Ford. Like, ‘Where is he?’ ‘Can you make one?’ ‘I miss having him around.’

Stan did have Lil’ Ford hidden under his pirate hat, but he didn’t want to tell the other Stans that he was there. He didn’t know exactly why he kept Lil’ Ford hidden away. Probably a mixture of bitterness and anger still aimed at his real twin brother and a selfishness to keep Lil’ Ford to himself. So he just declared that Fords were banned altogether and left it at that.

This was a problem when right as Stanford was about to pushed off the plank, Lil’ Ford came out from under the Captain’s hat and told Stan to stop all of this.

The two bicker for a moment and some Stans ask who that is, causing Lil’ Ford to happily state that he’s Stanley’s brother, that the two are going to sail the world together, and that he loves Stan very dearly.

This doesn’t go over well with literally any of the Stan on board and it especially doesn’t go over well with Ford

The Stans pull a mutiny and try to kill Stan because they don’t think he should be Captain anymore and one of them should run the town instead.

Hard cut to Boyish Dan, Anjelita, Fiddleford, Ford, and Stan having a high speed boat chase with other Stans and popping the bubble while escaping. (I like to think Stan popped the bubble at the last second with the help of Shanklin <3 )

Stan is NOT happy about having to leave his Weirdmageddon bubble.

“You should have left me in there. I was HAPPY there.”

“Who cares if you were happy, you were living a lie! A sad delusion! You should be happy we pulled you out of there!”

Boyish Dan has it cut in before the two start fighting right then and there

Stan eventually calms down enough to decide that he’s going to save their Grunkle Dipper from Bill, but there is a thick tension between Stan and Ford that last until the huge blow out fight at the Cipher Wheel

A fight that started because Stan wanted Ford to finally say it.

‘I’m Sorry.’

[quinnychronicals]

This has to be one of my new favourite photos of Quinn.

He's so precious and perfect. He can do no wrong in my eyes.

Like the hair. The beard. His eyes.

[sunsetchicane]

i love you, i'm sorry [QH43]

quinn hughes x fem!reader

word count: 2.9k

summary: two years after breaking things off with Quinn, you find yourself going to Game 1 of Round 2 of the Playoffs, completely unprepared to see the man you still harbour feelings for.

based off of: this is loosely based off of I Love You, I'm Sorry by Gracie Abrams

warnings: aggressive amounts of pining (like, probably annoying), two swear words, a few kisses, mentions of a breakup (so like, kinda angst? idk man), copious amounts of cheesiness, probably extremely inaccurate descriptions of the game, not great writing lol. let me know if i missed anything!

author's note: okay, i haven't written anything on here yet due to a horrendous case of writer's block and many hours of working. so, this is definitely not my best work, but it was a fun way to try move past my writing slump. i really do hope that anyone who reads this does enjoy! love, addi <3

Vancouver’s streets preserve memories well. You found that out when, even two years after things had fallen to pieces, you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing the two of you holding hands, sharing quiet laughs, and stealing kisses. You’d thought that after two years you would’ve been able to shake those memories off when they plagued your mind; but it was hard when he was plastered across banners and fans sported his jersey for half the year. 

He was making his name known throughout the NHL, and you couldn’t ignore the buzz around Quinn Hughes when the Canucks made it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

After you and Quinn had broken things off, you had to find separate friend groups to belong in. The two of you had shared too many mutual friends. The group of ladies you did manage to find yourself among knew nothing about your past relationship with the captain of the Canucks. When the city was gearing up for the first round of the playoffs, even your friends couldn’t stop talking about the sport. 

You were standing outside, leaning against the railing on a BC ferry, returning from visiting family on the Island, when you received a call from your friend Lydia. You picked up without hesitation. 

“Hey, what’s up?” you asked. 

She immediately giggled, which honestly had you a little scared. “I have a surprise,” she said excitedly, the last word dragged out. 

You snorted. “Am I allowed to ask what it is?” 

“It’s a really big surprise, and you have to promise not to scream when I tell you,” she laughed, acting like a teenage girl again. It was one of the things you really did love about her – her ability to bring childlike joy with her wherever she went. 

“I promise not to scream, Lyd,” you assured her, hoping she was satisfied. 

She paused for dramatic effect, and you let her. You knew she was having fun with it. 

“We’re going to the first game of round 2 of the playoffs!” she squealed. 

Your phone nearly slipped through your fingers, almost lost to the sea. You stepped away from the railing, suddenly very glad there was no one on the deck with you. Your heart clenched in your chest. The last time you had been to a game was when you and Quinn had still been together. He wouldn’t even know you were in the crowd, but you would be painfully aware of him in the centre of the arena. 

“Okay, you’re even quieter than I thought you’d be,” Lydia commented, reminding you that there was someone on the other end of the line. 

You debated for a moment what to say. Would it best to just blurt out that you had dated Quinn Hughes and you were not exactly ready to go watch him play again? Definitely not. 

“Uh, yeah, I’m just surprised!” That wasn’t a lie. “How’d you get the tickets?” 

“My dad,” she said simply. “When I told him I wanted to go see the Canucks, he was suddenly the proudest parent in the world. You know how he is – once he gets an idea in his head, whether it’s planted there by me or not, he has to do it.” 

“Wow, that’s–that’s crazy!” you said stiffly, still unsure of how to act. 

“Yeah, and it gets better! We’re sitting right behind the Canucks’ bench!” 

You nearly choked on nothing. “What?” 

“I know, right? I don’t know how my dad managed it, but he did,” she told you, completely unaware of your stuttering heart. “Who knows, maybe we’ll catch some players’ eyes,” she joked, and you tried to force a laugh out with her. 

“Yeah, maybe.” What you didn’t add out loud was your brain screaming please no. 

After a few more minutes of chatting and you pretending to be completely sound of mind, Lydia said goodbye, telling you she would send the details soon. 

You pocketed your phone and leaned against the railing once more. You watched as the sun brushed the horizon, casting a beautiful pink against the clouds. Vancouver was getting close, and for obvious reasons, you were suddenly dreading it. You wanted to sit on the ferry until it returned to Vancouver Island. 

You sighed and rested your chin on your folded arms. You heard a faint buzzing sound above you, and lifted your eyes to the sky. A plane was coming to land at the Vancouver Airport. As it approached, you let yourself imagine it was Quinn flying back from Nashville, and you felt your heart tighten in your chest once more, because you were terrified to see him again, but also because you still missed him. Maybe you were scared to see him because you missed him. 

You dropped your forehead to your arms once more and groaned loudly, the ocean and the brightening city lights your only listening companions. 

When the morning of May 8th arrived, you found yourself unable to shake the anxiety that had made a home in your chest over the last few days. There was a tenseness in your shoulders that never left, and a squeezing at your heart that seemed relentless. 

The group chat you shared with your friends had been buzzing incessantly, the girls incredibly excited. Every now and then you made your fingers put a message out there that hopefully hid your anxieties from them. 

After much procrastination, you eventually made your way to your closet. After tugging on a simple pair of blue jeans, you reached towards the back of your closet. Your fingers closed around the unmistakable, thick material of the jersey. Taking a deep breath, you pulled it out. Your only Canucks jersey of course, had to be Quinn’s home jersey from two seasons ago. No one would know it was the jersey that he had pulled over his head before every home game. However, you knew. There was no C on the left side of the chest, and your mind was pulled back to the relationship you had shared.  

You often questioned why you and Quinn had even ended things. You missed him so much still, and you were plagued by the way you knew it had been the wrong choice. You had been growing apart as he was dealing with growing attention and expectations within his career, and a promotion at your own job had stolen your energy and attention. You had both been tired and short with one another, and eventually the tension built and had blown up in a terrible way. 

You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to force both the guilt and continued yearning out of your busy mind. 

When Lydia texted that she and the girls were on the way to your apartment, you reluctantly pulled the jersey over your head. The sleeves covered most of your hands, and the fabric fell past your hips and part way down your thighs. You pulled on a pair of shoes and left the safe space that was your apartment, locking the door behind you. 

Rogers Arena was packed and the energy in the building made you feel like you could start vibrating. You and your friends held hands so as not to get separated. You were glad when your friends made no comment on how tightly you squeezed their hands, or how sweaty your palms might have been. 

You were made significantly more nervous when you realised that Lydia had not been exaggerating about your seats. You were sitting right behind the bench. 

The arena was filling up steadily, and you sat there in between your friends, not speaking a single word. It had been a couple years since you had been here, and while you were very nervous, the familiarity came rushing back to you and it helped to slow your fast beating heart. 

If you closed your eyes, you could imagine Quinn smiling at you from the other side of the glass, and laughing when you blew him a kiss. 

You wrapped your arms gently around yourself, the once very stiff material of the jersey now very easily shifted and manipulated. You knew it didn’t smell like him anymore, but when you let yourself get lost in the feeling of his old jersey, it was like he was right there. You were wrapped in him still, and you doubted it would ever go away. 

You were shocked out of your own thoughts when your friends, along with the rest of the fans around you, started cheering. The Canucks and the Oilers were on the ice, starting to warm up. Your eyes searched the ice quickly, and gliding easily across the ice on the opposite side of rink, was the captain, the number 43 embroidered on his jersey, just like the one you adorned. 

Your own cheeks heated up when it really hit you that you were wearing his old jersey. You weren’t together anymore; what were you thinking? He could see you– what would he think when he saw you right behind his bench, wearing the jersey he had gifted you?

You suddenly wanted to throw up more than ever. He exchanged a few words with Elias, and laughed at something his buddy had said. Your heart ached in longing once more. You had missed his laugh so much. 

Quinn now had facial hair, something he hadn’t had when he was with you. His hair was longer, peeking out from beneath his helmet. He already seemed much more grown up. He looked like a captain, something who had become used to leading his team. Quinn had always been somewhat confident in his abilities as a hockey player, but it was easy to tell that he had really gotten used to his role on the team and had come into his own over the past two years. 

The girls grabbed your hands and walked into the aisle, just to get right up to the glass. Your face burned and you tried to hide behind some of your friends. You kept your heads down and your arms folded. 

Your friends held up hats and other paraphernalia that they desperately wanted signed by players. 

“Y/N!” One of your friends practically shouted. You suddenly noticed that they had all stopped cheering. You looked up to see them parted in front of you. 

Quinn was on the other side of the glass, looking right at you. 

Your friends shoved you up the glass, giggling and squealing. You nearly ran into the glass from the force of their shoves. Quinn laughed at you, his smile exactly how you remembered it. 

He pointed at the white Canucks towel in your hands and shouted, “toss it over!” The arena was so loud you were glad he had mouthed it clearly. You hesitated but threw the towel over. With one glove off and in the other hand, he caught it. He gestured to one of your friends to throw over the Sharpie she was holding. She did gladly, happy to be included. He caught it easily and started to write quickly on the white fabric. Your heart did flips while watching him, and your hands shook with nothing to hold onto. 

He finally capped the pen and threw both the towel and marker over the glass. You struggled to catch it, but thankfully, you managed to hold onto it. You held it flat before you. 

Meet me by my car after. Usual spot. Your breath stopped slightly when you saw a rushed heart drawn next to the words. You looked back up to see him putting his glove back on. He gave you a warm smile that set you on a fire from the tips of your toes to the top of your head. You took a deep breath and nodded to him. His smile widened slightly. Before he turned to skate away, you saw him mouth the words, “nice jersey.” You stuttered for a second, and he simply winked and turned. 

Your friends all screamed and crowded you, looking at the towel. 

“Usual spot? What the fuck is going on?” Lydia yelled over the noise, cackling. 

You just blushed and shook your head, returning to your seat with the towel gripped tightly in your hands. 

As the teams continued to warm up, you explained as quickly as you could that you and Quinn had once been together. Your friends, of course, were shocked but also very excited for you at the prospect of reuniting with him. You simply waved your hands in protest. 

“I don’t even know if he wants to get back together with me! He might just want to catch up or something… we’re cool now and I don’t want to mess anything up.” 

“Girl, please!” one of your friends shouted. “He drew a motherfucking heart and winked at you! Of course he wants you back.”

You all laughed and you embraced the next blush that warmed your cheeks. 

The players left the ice, and minutes later, the lights went dark. The deafening sound of nearly 19,000 people screaming almost broke your eardrums. Blue light filled the room, and you looked up to see what was playing on the large screens above you. 

You watched the intro video and let a nostalgic, giddy feeling overtake you. You couldn’t help but smile. 

The arena fell back into nearly full darkness. You heard the beginning of a familiar sound of twinkly guitar that dragged you right back to 2011. Goosebumps rose up along your skin all over your body. That was the last time the Canucks had made it to the Playoff finals, and you hoped dearly that they could get there again. The playing of Where The Streets Have No Name from their intro from 2011 made hope take hold of you.

You couldn’t help but raise your particularly special white rally towel in the air to wave alongside all of the other Canucks fans in the building. 

It had been surprisingly easy to get into the players’ parking garage. Despite it being two years since you had been in the building, you were recognized by several people, who let you walk wherever you wanted. 

Your friends had practically shoved you to go after the game, screaming after you to call them later. You had laughed and walked away, your steps lighter than they had been in a long while. 

You later found yourself standing by Quinn’s car. It was the same one he’d had when you had been together. Your hand brushed the shining hood of the car, and you could see yourself in the passenger seat, laughing at something he’d said as the two of you drove around downtown Vancouver. 

“Thank God you actually showed up.” 

You whipped around, seeing a freshly showered Quinn in sweatpants and a hoodie making his way towards you. 

You tugged on the hem of the jersey, your heart beating quicker and quicker with every step he took. 

He stopped in front of you, and when you looked up, you both spoke. 

“I love you.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

Your eyes nearly popped out of your head. “You-what?” 

He bit his bottom lip before repeating himself. “I love you. I know it’s been two years, but-” 

“I love you, too,” you said quickly, blood roaring in your ears. “And I am so, so sorry. I never should’ve-” 

It was his turn to cut you off. “Don’t apologise, please. It’s not your fault.”

“Can you… can you please accept my apology, at least?” 

He smiled softly. “I forgive you. I’m sorry, too.” 

“I forgive you, too,” you whispered softly, your heart swelling with affection as you looked at him. You felt an intense relief flood your body. Your shoulders finally relaxed for the first time in what felt like years. He reached out and wrapped you in a warm hug. You melted into it, returning the gesture. 

“I missed you. So much,” you mumbled into his hoodie. 

One of hands gently scratched the back of your neck like he used to do. “I missed you, too.” He pulled away just enough to lean down and kiss your lips softly. Nothing had ever felt so natural. His playoff beard scratched your face and you laughed at the sensation, pulling away. 

“Not used to the beard,” you admitted, smiling widely. 

He smiled, too. “Yeah, what do you think? Should I keep it around?” 

You shrugged, leaning back into him. “Well, you’re very handsome either way.” 

“You think?” 

“Mhm. Your hair also looks very good. I like it longer like this,” you told him, ruffling his brown hair. He swatted your hand away and kissed your cheek. 

“Noted.” He looked down at me again. “Should probably get you a new jersey.” 

“Hm, you think I need the big ole C on here, Captain?” 

He shook his head, blushing. “Don’t call me that.” 

You laughed, wrapping your arms around him, bringing his head down for you to kiss. “Couldn’t help myself.” You grabbed his hands. “Congratulations on the big win, by the way.” 

“I can’t believe you came. I thought I was hallucinating or something when I saw you,” he told you honestly. 

“Well, I’m glad I came,” you admitted, running a hand through his hair. 

“You have no idea how happy I am right now,” he said, smiling wider than you had seen all night. 

You laughed, feeling pure joy in your heart. “I think I might have an idea.”