#zach hyman fic

[toasttt11]

fighting

September 23, 2017

Hayden squeezed the water bottle eagerly drinking water as she tried to catch her breath after her extra long shift on the ice. She had been playing on a line with Trevor and Matt this game, a line she hasn’t played much yet with so it has been extra fun for her.

Hayden narrowed her eyes watching the same player who has been annoying the entire game, her jaw clenched seeing the player slam into Jack. Cole shoved the player away from Jack as Alex helped Jack back up.

Jack looked over at Hayden and gave her reassuring nod as he rolled his shoulders back and got ready for the play to began again.

Hayden narrowed her eyes not liking the way the player has been acting the entire game so far and the comments he has been making but especially at Jack and herself.

She fixed her gloves before sliding over the boards and hopping back onto the ice and immediately grabbing the puck and starting to down the ice when she was smacked from behind and fell down on the ice.

Hayden groaned annoyed as she just got crossed check in the back and she stood back up and saw the annoying player standing their with a smug grin and she knew he was the one who hit her from behind, she grinned sharply as she now how an excuse to punch him.

“Maybe you should try the girls league.” The player condescendingly told her with an annoyingly smug grin.

She just grinned at him and immediately dropped her glove and punched him across the face making him groan and his face snap harshly to the side, “How’s that for a girl.” Hayden sassed back with a mocking smirk.

He narrowed his eyes at her and threw a punch but she just ducked his fist and punched him across the face again making him blink dizzily and try to punch her again.

Hayden was quicker than him and easily dodged his punches and continued to punch his across the face and made his nose start bleeding.

Jack was grinning proudly as he watched his best friend completely win the fight.

Matt was on the ice and let Hayden fight because he has heard the comment and he saw the hit Hayden got so the player deserved a few punches and he knew Hayden can fight her own battle. He gave her some time punching the player before he skated over and gently grabbed Hayden away as the referee grabbed the other player.

“You’re no fun.” Hayden pouted as she let Matt drag her away. Hayden took a deep breath trying to calm her heart back down from all anger and adrenaline as she focused on Matt’s hands that were resting on her arms.

“Hey you totally beat him and now he knows not to ever say shit again.” Matt calmly told her with an amused grin, “You didn’t need to fight any more.”

Hayden scrunched her nose agreeing that Matt was correct but she wasn’t gonna admit it right then, “Yeah, yeah.” Hayden mumbled and waved bye to Matt as the referee came to her and guided her off the ice as she was ejected for fighting.

Hayden watched the rest of the game from the locker room as there was only a bit left of the third period when she left, they easily won.

She got cleaned up and back into her outfit and walked out of the locker room with Jack seeing their family together.

Hayden grinned seeing the proud smile on her Dad’s face, Harrison immediately high fived her once she was near him and then pulled her into a tight hug, “Beautiful right hook darling.” Harrison proudly told her. He loves watching her fight and easily beating the boys especially as they are all bigger than her.

Once Hayden said she wanted to play hockey, Harrison signed her up for fighting classes, she was very young but from a young age she learned how to fight and protect herself on the ice.

Madison smiled watching her two loves together, she didn’t love watching her daughter getting into fights but she is proud of Hayden always winning.

Hayden let go of her father and turned to her mother, Maddison smoothed down some of Hayden’s little curls, “Well done.” Maddison softly praised her daughter.

Hayden beamed in response and eagerly leaned into her mother’s side feeling her Dad’s hand on her shoulder.

She watched as Luke and Jack playfully argued with other as Quinn laughed at them. Ellen and Maddison sharing fond looks as the boys were arguing. Jim being a silent but always a comforting present. Harrison smiling at his family as he kept one arm over his wife and daughter.

There was no where else Hayden would rather be than be with all of her family. It was where she felt the most balanced, the most peaceful.

[offside-the-lines]

tell me who i run to (if not you) | anthony beauvillier

"The first sip is joy, the second is gladness, the third is serenity, the fourth is madness, the fifth is ecstasy." - Jack Kerouac

Summary In July of 2023, Evie looked at a list of cities in North America and rolled a die. Just like that, she packed up her life and moved to Chicago, a fresh start. The 2023-24 NHL season started well for Tito; he did not expect the call on November 28th telling him that he was being traded. To the worst team in the league. And just like that. 10 months after being ripped from his home, he had to pack up and move again. To an unfamiliar city, and to unfamiliar faces. Which is why, when Tito and Evie ran into each other, quite literally, on Christmas morning, they both latched on to a familiar face. Over the next few months, they became close friends. They didn’t talk about the nights shared in Chicago clubs.  They didn’t need to. Because they're just friends.  Right?

This is a completed fic split into episodes for easier reading. It was written for @bqstqnbruin as part of the Winter Fic Exchange 2k24 hosted by @wyattjohnston.

Episode 1. Blue Christmas (4.9k) Episode 2. I. Winter (4.4k) Episode 3. Pal-entine's Day (4.8k) Episode 4. Four-leaf Clover (5.5k) Episode 5. Evie's Birthday 🌶️ (5.6k) Episode 6. II. Spring (4.8k) Episode 7. Not Goodbye 🌶️🌶️ (5.4k) Episode 8. III. Summer (4.8k) Episode 9. Tito's Birthday (4.2k)

Read it in full (44.5k)

🎵 Series Playlist 🎶

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Under the cut: author's notes, tropes, warnings & disclaimer, fun tidbits, chapter summaries

Author's Notes: This fic was written for @bqstqnbruin as part of the Winter Fic Exchange 2k24 hosted by @wyattjohnston. It got so out of control long so quickly. I genuinely had so much fun writing this, it's basically my magnum opus; if you look closely, I think you can probably see my soul in there somewhere. I would like to thank @devilssacrament, @wyattjohnston, and @forgottenflowers for being my editors, holding my hand and keeping me sane in this. Also, thanks to @swissboyhisch, and @imperatorrrrr for being a sounding board for ideas . All of your help and support has meant so much to me. You are all just the fucking best, I am sorry this has been my entire personality for the past month, I will probably return to normal soon. Probably...

Tropes: a gut-wrenching mix of angst and fluff with a happy ending, slow burn friends to lover (tbh, idiots to lovers let's be real), alternating POVs

Warnings: alcohol (one instance of alcohol poisoning by side character), mature content bordering on smut (mostly occurring in clubs/public), references to a toxic past relationship. Disclaimer: This series is set in Chicago but does not mention the name of the team based there. Only other Chicago players mentioned by name are: Nick Foligno, Jason Dickinson and Connor Bedard. Other notes: NHL players featured Mat Barzal (a heavily featured supporting character/bestie) and brief mentions of Zach Hyman and Matt Martin. Assume that Tito and Evie are always speaking in French with each other.

Face claim for Evie (if you want one, but you can imagine whoever you like): Adeline Rudolph

Fun Tidbits: Original Character (she/her) called Genevieve Gignac or Evie (pronounced eh-vee) is the oldest sibling of Tito's juniors teammate and friend Brandon Gignac. Along with their other sibling Wiliam, they grew up in Montreal. Evie had been living in Toronto for six years, before moving to Chicago in the summer before the fic starts. I did way too much research so a lot of the little facts are true. Nicknames: (ma) chouette (shoo-wet): owl (mon) chou/chouchou (shoo): in practice, honey, sugar, baby, sweetheart // by definition, my cabbage or my profiterole/cream puff (depends who you ask) Solours (soul-oars): the Québécois name for the yellow Care Bear with the smiling sun on its belly Solou’ (soul-oo): a diminutive Evie decides to use

Cook, Cook, drink your tea, But save some in the pot for me. We'll watch the tea leaves in our cup When our drink is all sipped up. Happiness or fortune great, What will our future be? -- "Afternoon Tea at Pittock Mansion" by R.Z. Berry

Episode Synopses:

Blue Christmas Evie and Tito are both starting life anew in Chicago. It's an unfamiliar city with unfamiliar faces. They're both alone on Christmas. Maybe it's fate that brings them together. Jason and Alandra Dickinson are already smelling smoke from this fire.

I. Winter Tito injures his wrist in the first game of 2024, he’s out for 6-8 weeks and then his car breaks down. He thinks maybe he’s cursed. Evie becomes a shoulder to lean on. Barzy gets suspicious.

Pal-entine’s Day Tito returns her kindness by being a shoulder Evie can lean on when she is having a hard time after all-star break. She tells him it’s anxiety about work. He brings her a box of pastries and they cuddle on the couch all day; he doesn’t realize it’s Valentine’s Day. Later, a hook-up goes very wrong.

Four-leaf Clover Tito’s been playing again, and during his first stretch of away games begins to miss home. Well, Evie’s home anyway. When he sees her in the bar, he can’t help but show it. Barzy calls him out on his lies.

Evie’s Birthday Sometimes the music moves you. Sometimes the bass pounding in your chest makes you do things you wouldn’t do. Fuck it, it’s your birthday. That’s what Evie tells herself anyway. There are gifts given, but there are also secrets kept. 

II. Spring Tito tries to tell her— he does— It’s just he needs to find the right time, and something keeps coming up. Evie’s honest with herself. But does that even matter? Mat decides maybe it is his time to intervene.

Not Goodbye Evie realizes that her time is running out. To do what? She doesn’t know. But she has one last night to find out. That is until— Well. It’s too late now. Tito flies home and wonders if that will be the worst mistake of his life.

III. Summer They try to get on with their summers as if nothing is wrong, convincing no one. How long will it take them to realize they can’t keep pretending like everything’s fine? And who will finally take the leap of faith?

Tito’s Birthday Tito receives the best birthday present he has ever gotten: the girl he loves standing at his parent’s front door. It was never destiny or fate; it can only be by choice. And they’ll choose each other every time. Eventually, anyway.

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[tapedsleeves]

get rec'd!!!!

soooo, one of my goals for this year was to... I don't know. Feel more connected to the fics I'm reading even if I'm not like. in the right brain space to make a full comment. And to share those fics that I do like.

so with that, i present to you: Get Rec'd: a fic rec series. Hopefully weekly, somewhere in the realm of 3-5 fics I read this week and what I liked about them :)

if you read & liked these fics, consider leaving a kudos or comment for the author.

should have said (say it) by theundiagnosable.

Zach Hyman / William Nylander, T rated, 11,209 words.

Zach calls in a favor from Baker!Willy, whom he'd hooked up with in college to bake a cake for Mitch & Auston's wedding when the caterers bail. This fic is SOOOO cute. Zach realizing all the ways that Willy has changed, and the ways he hasn't that he still really likes.

I love my love (because I know my love loves me) - by aetherbladedstick.

Mitch Marner / John Tavares T rated, 4, 064 words.

Mitch is sick & wants cuddles. This fic is SOOOO adorable, tactile Mitch reads sooo true. Reading this fic is just like wrapping up in a cuddly blanket for me.

Last Christmas - by mere_sprite1847

Quinn Hughes / Elias Pettersson, T rated, 3767 words

Fake dating! i love fake dating!!! Quinn accidentally leads his family to believe he's dating Elias, Elias agrees to pretend to date him. This fic is so sweet, the tension was excellent.

an ever-fixed mark - by cmdld (tumblr user @boohowdy)

Connor McDavid / Leon Draisaitl, Rated E, 27, 107

Experienced sub Connor & inexperienced Dom Leon (not D/s au, just you know. Kink) this fic is excellent, y'all. The use of reddit forum is absolutely on point and one of my personal favorite things: Connor, as a sub, actually has agency.

In Defence of Serenity -by @lurlur

Vince Dunn / Adam Larsson , Rated E, 2678

Vince didn't get all his yelling out during the game. Adam offers to help him get the rest of it out. THIS FIC IS HOT! absolutely wreck that boy. Lur, I love your fic so much.

[msmargaretmurry]

Hi! Not sure if you’re taking asks about this but if you are - you’ve mentioned how important it is for you to know/keep in mind what non-POV characters are thinking. I’m an absolute sucker for an outsider POV view of things. If you’re willing to share, I’d love to know some of McDavid and Zach Hyman’s thoughts in HAW — Leon says that McDavid’s known for a while, so how did that conversation go? Had Zach Hyman started to put things together before Leon told him directly, and how much did Leon actually say? Thanks!!

hi anon! for the record, as long as people are asking politely i'm generally always taking asks about anything! i might not always answer right away but i always try to answer reasonably quickly 💕

the short half of this answer is that poor zach hyman had no idea what was going on until matthew showed up on leon's doorstep. honestly tragic imo that he only gets that one scene because he was so fun to write in it 😂

as for connor,

he doesn't know all the sordid details about what's been going on, but he does know something's been going on, and by that last game in the fic he knows matthew has done something to make leon upset/unhappy, and he is extremely team leon. in general connor has always thought matthew was a decent guy off the ice and enjoys being friendly with him, but leon's his best friend on his team! they're close pals! obviously if he thinks matthew fucked up then he's gonna be team leon.

there was passing mention in HAW and more stuff in the first pov swap scene (leon's pov from boots & hearts) about how connor knows leon has been interested in matthew for quite a while — connor would characterize this as a crush, mostly just to tease because of how leon insists it's not a crush, it's just an interest, because matthew is attractive and potentially available to hook up. (ftr, leon's version really is closer to his real feelings leading up to the events of HAW, although there is more crush-potential there than he is willing to admit, and once they have that first hookup at boots his interest and attachment start ratcheting up real fast) (connor is still so valid to tease him about a crush though)

anway, leon shows up after a long absence at boots wearing matthew's t-shirt, and connor bugs him for details, which leon withholds mostly because he feels weird about how the blowjob went down, but connor isn't an idiot and can tell the leon/matthew landscape has shifted in some way — once the season starts, leon gets extra fidgety before their games against the flames, and then there's that whole chirping/flirting incident during warm-ups, and once leon and matthew start texting regularly, leon doesn't hide that from connor — if connor asks who he's texting and the answer is matthew, he tells connor that! connor's his best friend on the team, and leon doesn't really see a reason to keep this developing relationship totally under wraps, although if connor asks like "what's going on there" leon will mostly kind of shrug about it and be like, idk we're just talking (but usually with a stupid sheepish little grin, which does not help his case, lol).

the thing is, while matthew is over there going through five stages of self-loathing or whatever, leon's view of the relationship is more like... well, he can tell matthew has some issues and that it's mostly just about the sex at first, but leon really thinks they're making progress toward something more than that. he clocks that he's growing feelings sooner than matthew but does not clock how fucked up matthew is about his own feelings, so he just doesn't feel the need to be super secretive about it, and it's nice to be able to not hide it from connor. like i said, he doesn't give him the nitty gritty details (matthew's issues aren't connor's business, even if leon's love life is a little bit connor's business) but he is somewhat open about the fact that they're talking, and that he thinks there's something there and he's happy/hopeful about that. he tells connor that they made plans to hang out after the game right after new year's, and when he's big fucked up smad afterward, connor knows it didn't go well; he doesn't tell connor what went down in florida during the asg, but connor can tell that being around matthew for the events and isn't easy for him — connor doesn't get much more explanation from leon other than "turns out we weren't really on the same page about things" but it's really obvious that leon's fucked up about it. and that's about where things stand before leon and matthew fix things at the end of the fic.

leon and connor do have a longer and better conversation about all of it after that last game, after matthew leaves — once again without all the details, but more details than before, enough that connor can get that it wasn't just matthew being a bad guy, there were points where leon didn't really handle things great either. because leon doesn't want connor to think badly of matthew if they're gonna really do the relationship thing! connor does continue to side-eye matthew for a bit afterward, because he thinks leon is too in his feelings to be objective enough about everything, which is probably too, but once it's clear that matthew is making leon happy then connor is happy to be, like, one of the few people they can hang out with as a couple for that first stretch before they really start telling people.

[hockeyconfessional]

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Ready to confess? Confess here!

[daydreamingabouthockey]

A Bookish Meet Cue (Zach Hyman imagine)

Blurb: you go Christmas shopping for your niece and unbeknown to you Zach Hyman helps you find his book.

Word count: 1,900

Note: I got this idea after going to a book signing for my favourite soccer player and some lady said super loud who is he? I was a total mess meeting him he asked me if I go to games and I said I used to because I’m too embarrassed to tell him tickets are way too expensive to go anymore. But anyway this was a blast to write and I had so much fun thinking of this. Y/N is for you to insert your name and a little background you are a history major at Uni of Toronto. Feedback or just a comment is appreciated!

It had been a really stressful day and you were rushing around to find those last minute gifts for Christmas.The last person on your list was your six year old niece. You had no idea what to buy her but, you knew she liked ice hockey and she had been chatting on about some book that a famous hockey player had written and had recently been released so you guessed that was a good idea.

You started the drive to your nearest Indigo book store. You pulled into the parking lot with a sudden sense of panic. It was a quarter to five and you had no idea what time they closed. You Rushed to park praying it wasn’t five.

You ran into the store, they were still open but the sign signalled they closed in fifteen minutes. Running around the store, you desperately looked for the book. You got your phone out scrolling through your texts for the name of the author, mm it seemed like he was called Hyman. You cursed desperately looking around the bookstore and nearly knocking over a stand. “Do you need some help?” A voice asked you look up to see a brown haired man smiling widely. He had jeans, a white polo neck and a chunky knit cardigan on, that made you think made him look cuddly. Very bookish. Finally someone who works here. “Yes I’m looking for a book by an author called Zach Hyman?”

“Ah yeah that’s over here,” he said showing you to table, there was only one left. “Oh that was lucky,” you say “this guy must be popular,” you chuckle to the boy. He smiled sheepishly “yeah kind of,” he says shyly.

“My niece has been so excited for this book, she loves hockey,” you ramble

“Oh she’s a big maple leafs fan then?” He asked his eyes suddenly lighting up “Oh yeah huge her and my sister watch every game on TV,”

“Do they go to the games ?” He asked.

“No tickets are way too expensive,”

“Oh,” he says almost a little sad

“Yeah, like they stood by where they arrive and leave but she couldn’t get close enough,for even a photo, but you know these guys are busy ” you say with a shrug.

“Oh that’s sad to hear, i’m sure they would love to meet her if they got the chance, are you not a fan?” He asked

“No not really,” you say with a shrug.

“Well maybe I could change you mind on that sometime,” he says.

“Maybe you can,” you say flirting back.

You looked at your watch again. “Oh shoot I have to go thank you for your help,” you said suddenly trailing realising you have no idea what his name is “Zach,” he finished “and it’s no problem,” he says with a smile walking off.

You continue walking around suddenly when it dawns on you that you never got his number. You crane your head around the store, peering over the tall bookshelf like a meerkat, but to no avail, cute boy shop boy was gone. You sigh coming to the conclusion that it was not meant to be, maybe he had already gone home. You could come back another day but even if you did it was A. Creepy stalkerish b. He might not even be here and C this book store was on the complete opposite side of town, like a full fifty minutes from your apartment. So really there wasn’t much logic in that. You still had a few more minutes till the store closed and the store was quiet. You allowed yourself to relax, wandering around the bookstore tracing your fingers over the spines till you touched a book that took your interest.there was something Inherently calming about bookstores. You managed to pick up a book for yourself, some cute new YA book called “Meet cue” which sounded like the perfect light and fluffy read after all the boring history books you’d been reading for college.

Finally a tannoy came over the store that the store was closing and you knew it was

time to pay you wandered up to a desk with two young guys. Your face lit up when you saw it was Zach, the cute guy who helped you earlier. His friend the blonde on the left was a typical hipster. Blonde hair with a black toque, round wire framed glasses and a beard. He had his feet up on the desk showing off his extremely ripped jeans and expensive looking white trainers. Zach pushed the blondes feet off the desk. “Willie this is a bookstore not your living room have some respect dude,”

“My legs hurt,” the blonde wined

“You did a long work out of course they are going to hurt,” he sighed. You chuckle at the pair arguing like an old married couple. “Hi again,” You ask putting the book down in front of them. Expecting to pay. “Hi,” the brunette said with a wide smile. You dig into your bag for some money, “so what’s the damage how much do I owe?”

“erm we don’t actually work here, but he can sign it for you,” the blonde haired boy said pointing to a sign which had a photo of the brown haired boy smiling, hockey player and author Zach Hyman signing his book today!

“you don’t work here,” you say slowly You can feel your cheeks burning. Oh no how embarrassing. Not only did Zach not even work there, but you had flirted with a famous hockey player who probably thought you were just doing it to get free tickets.

“Not unless, he’s got a side job on top of his successful hockey career” Willie laughed. Zach shot Willie a glare. “Will,” Zach snap, Willie stuck his tongue out at Zach. “sorry about him,” but he pauses when he realised he doesn’t even know your name “y/n” you finish. “Y/n” he says and oh boy there was that cute smile again “Let me sign this though, for your niece right?” He says encouraging you to pass him the book. “Yeah,”

“great, y/n was telling me her niece was a big fan of the leafs watches every game,” Zach says directing the conversation to his friend Willie. Who she was guessing was also a player.“Oh yeah she’s only five but she loves pointing to players and telling us their names. “Does she have a favourite player?” Zach asks

“Well it’s obviously going to be me,” Willie boasts putting his hands on his chest

“I actually think it’s, erm Marner,” you reply scrunching up your nose as you tried to remember the name she had been yelling only yesterday. “Better luck next time buddy, “ Zach laughed slapping him on the shoulder clearly unfazed by not being named the favourite. “Marns of course it’s him, stupid canadian boy he’s practically a kid that’s why they love him,” Willie mutters under his breath. Clearly not miffed at all. “what’s her name? ” Zach asked now passing over the book to Willie to sign. “Daisy,”you say smiling “Cute name, well tell Daisy anytime she wants to come to a game, she is very welcome to, we’ll have two tickets waiting for her,”

“No no you don’t have to do that,” you say now embarrassingly waving your hands, you never wanted their pity. “No honestly, we hate disappointing our fans, in fact we’d love her to come down and meet us after the game and I still need to convince you that hockey is great” Zach says

“You’ve never been to a game?” Willie asks incredulously “but you live in Toronto?”

“Yeah,” you laugh awkwardly “it just never seemed like my thing” you lie not wanting to tell another person about the fact you couldn’t afford it as you were a poor college student. “Can I sign your other book,” Zach asks suddenly says pointing to the other book tucked under your arm “But it’s not one of yours” you say dumbly looking down at your copy of “meet cue” He shrugs and passed it over to him anyway, not watching what he is scrawling with his sharpie. Instead you make polite conversation with Willie about plans for Christmas. He seems to be a pretty funny guy “Oh shoot we have to head off, we have a team to thing but it was nice meeting you y/n” he says handing you both books back “You too,” you say waving goodbye. Thank god you never did ask for his number, that could have been awkward. You wander towards the door before quickly realising you never paid for the books. You stride to the real checkout, before they accuse you of shoplifting. It was only when you got to your car you remember to read Zach’s note in Lily’s book. You open it to the first page where he has written the note in beautiful cursive writing.

To Daisy

I hope you enjoy your new book! We’d love for you and your family to come to a game and meet the players! Go leafs Go

Love Zach Hyman and William Nylander

You smile so glad he wrote such a nice message. He’s also included a slip of paper with the number for Leafs PR. You smile and put it back on the passenger side seat and that’s when you notice the other book. Your other new book he wrote in.

To Y/N

Our meet cue was pretty cute,in case you’d like to meet again sometime for a coffee

And underneath was his number. You squealed in delight. This could be the start of something. You quickly grab your phone to call your sister and tell her about your weird but wonderful day all thanks to your five year old niece.

The pair of you do go out on a date and end up hitting it off . In Fact you become a regular at ice hockey and yes your five year old niece does have explain all the rules of the game. Zach even keeps his word of meeting the boys after the game. Daisy is starstruck by them all until Mitch starts a dance battle in the middle of the room. William is still slightly sulking about not being the favourite although does slowly manage to win Daisy around with bribes of pucks and his famous Swedish sweets. Eventually you and Zach become a thing you meet officially his teammates who much to Lily’s delight become a regular at your place. She suddenly only wants you to babysit her. William Nylander still likes to make fun of you for mistaking Zach as a bookseller and regularly likes to chirp him about the latest books especially when they drive past a bookstore. “Hey are you not going to work today Zach it’s right there!” You keep the book he wrote in safely on your bookcase. When he eventually proposes to you it’s in at Casa Lomas in the library room obviously. Your niece Lily plays a big part in the wedding since she was the reason you two met.

[grittyreadsfic]

hi, what are your favorite pretend/fake dating fics? i really appreciate your recs <33

some fun gritty lore for you, my friend, is that fake dating? it's my all time favorite trope. so this list is gonna be a lil bit uhhhhhhhh excessive? hope you don't mind

but because it's long, i will stick it below the cut

throw me on the first line by lotts is my all time favorite fake dating fic, and more fun gritty lore: i tweeted about rereading my fav fake dating fic recently and then had to explain to ao3 user lotts that it was their fic. the mortifying ordeal of being perceived, ya know? but it's an absolute gem of a zach hyman/willy nylander fic. their characterization and dynamic are so fun, and zach is his own biggest enemy. it's fun and charming and sweet, and cannot rec it enough

something old by uraneia is a danny briere/claude giroux fic that on top of being fake dating, is a break up and make up fic. i really love the twist of having the fake dating be between exes, because it's a different kind of tension than you normally get

all i wanna, ain't no other by crookedsilence is actually a nate mackinnon/cale makar fic that i read for the first time this week-i didn't know crookedsilence had a fake dating au, and when i stumbled across it i was so excited-add bonus of also being a "didn't know they were dating" fic, which meant that about half way through my second hand embarrassment got so bad that i had to close out of the fic and put my phone down for a few hours until i could finish it. absolutely worth it though

give you the moon by therainbowsedge is a travis konecny/nolan patrick fic where they're both long term camp counselors at summer camp. it's funny and sweet and the take on fake dating is a personal fav of mine

figures drawn to scale by lotts back again with more lotts but this time it's nate bastian/mikey mcleod/dylan strome, an absolute gem of a college au with fake dating and polyamory negotiations. it's a slightly different take on the trope (fake dating for a study, rather than one of the usual reasons) and it's fresh and fun and one of my favorite polyamorous ships in hockey, tbqh

baby that's the fun of me by blamefincham and thistidalwave is an absolutely stellar carter hart/kevin hayes fake dating au, with the best twist-they're pretending to date, not to fool anyone or anything like that, but so that carter can (kind of reluctantly) learn how to date. we all know i love a good trope inversion

stop making sense by vidriana is a kasperi kaparnen/willy nylander is just, peak soft idiots to lovers, which is entirely what i want to see in the trope. the dynamic between them, the chirping and how much they care about each other, is just so so so good

wait and see by marmolita is a sidney crosby/nate mackinnon BDSM verse fic where doms have to collar a sub by a certain age to stay in the league. it's a super fun, and i think that sid/nate is a ship that is just so overlooked for those who are into friends to lovers

too fragile just to guess by spiritsflame is jamie benn/tyler seguin and it is an excellent example of miscommunication and how complicated things can get when the people faking a relationship have a history beyond friendship

swear to be overdramatic and true by lotts i know this is the third lotts fic on this list but hear me out it's tyson barrie/nate mackinnon and an absolutely beauty of the idiots to lovers trope, as well as being a nontraditional take on fake dating.

sure thing by bitter_leaf is just the loveliest nate bastian/mikey mcleod fake dating fic-it's messy and delves into the ways that fake dating can hurt the people involved, and it just feels so real, when it comes to the emotions

[toasttt11]

sad

September 19, 2019

Hayden nodded to what the coaches were saying and then what Connor was saying to the team from where she sat at her stall. Hayden stall was next to Connor and the stall was the same one her father use to use.

Hayden followed the team onto the ice for her first preseason game, she genuinely smiled for the first time since she got in to Edmonton once she saw Quinn on the ice.

Hayden and Quinn get to play their first preseason against each other and Hayden’s first NHL game she gets to play against Quinn too.

Quinn looked over as he heard the Oilers getting on the ice and smiled seeing Hayden on the ice and skating towards him.

Quinn skated right to her and pulled his sister into a tight hug and they both let out happy sighs as they hugged each other.

Unfortunately Quinn had came right off the plane to the game and would be going right back to Vancouver after the game so he didn’t get to see Hayden besides on the ice.

“I missed you.” Hayden softly whispered making Quinn squeeze her tighter before they reluctant pulled away, “I missed you too.” Quinn told her back softly.

An Oilers photographer asked for a picture and they leaned against each other and smiled at the camera.

Leon and Connor shared a look noticing how happy Hayden looks around Quinn and it’s the happiest they have seen her in the past two weeks. They haven’t seen her smile until right now.

Hayden and Quinn shared a look before skating off to their own benches and focusing on their own games.

Hayden managed to score the only goal for the Oiler’s but Vancouver scored six so the Oilers had lost.

Hayden honestly didn’t even care about the loss just because she was so happy seeing Quinn.

Hayden luckily got out of media as it was her first game and the veteran’s took the media instead. She showered and changed back into her white dress pants and navy blue long sleeve.

Hayden was sitting at her stall brushing out her wet hair already feeling little pieces of her hair curling and wanting to put it up.

“Hey.” Connor softly spoke as he came back from the shower and sat down next to her in his stall.

“Hi.” Hayden mumbled back her eyes flickering over to Connor to let him know she was listening.

“You played a damn good game today.” Connor honestly praised her, since the moment he got to watch her step on to the ice and they practiced together she has just continued to surprise him with her skill and how amazing of a player she already is at 18. She was quick and she didn’t let anyone knock into her or shove her around, she held her ground well.

Connor could not wait to see what Hayden will do in the NHL and he is glad to be able to watch up close.

“Thank you.” Hayden nodded truthfully appreciating the compliment from him.

“If your not busy i was hoping you would go to the family room after, Lauren has been dying to meet you.” Connor asked hopeful. Since Connor told Lauren about Hayden she has begged to meet her and Connor had feeling Lauren wanted to adopt her.

Connor also knew Leon had tell Celeste about Hayden and Celeste is so sad she will be gone for a few more months and won’t be able to meet Hayden for a little while.

Hayden paused as she stopped brushing her hair, She didn’t really want to go back in the family room but also knew she couldn’t shut out the entire team forever. Her parents would want her to get close with the team so slowly she could try and let herself get close to some of her team.

Hayden nodded making Connor grin crookedly, “Awesome. Are you ready?”

Hayden nodded to his question again and grabbed her phone and keys slipping them into her pocket and her post game drink and followed Connor out of the locker room.

Connor noticed Hayden’s eyes drawn to mural of her father as they walked out but he didn’t say anything and continued walking with her up to the family room.

Hayden let out a small sigh of relief realizing Lauren was standing out side of the family room and Hayden didn’t have to go into the room.

Lauren lite up seeing Hayden follow Connor. She gave Connor a small kiss on the cheek but her attention was fully on Hayden. Lauren noticed first was his sad Hayden’s eyes are and it made her sad to see someone so young with such sad and dim eyes.

“Hi Hayden. I’m Lauren.” Lauren very kindly said as she smiled at the young girl, she was very excited to meet Hayden but kept calm wanting to make sure she didn’t overwhelm Hayden.

“Hi.” Hayden mumbled back and felt warmer from the kind smile from Lauren.

Lauren managed to make some conversation with Hayden for a good few minutes, much more conversation that Connor or Leon had gotten from Hayden yet.

Connor watched the two talk with a fond smile, well more Lauren talking but Hayden seemed content to listen and nod along. Connor noticed that some of the tension from Hayden’s shoulders seemed a bit loser.

Connor understood completely that Hayden seemed more comfortable around Lauren, he felt the same way where he met Lauren. Lauren just has a comfortable presence for everyone.

“Oh my gosh we have to have the dogs meet!” Lauren gasped excitedly as they Connor and her had just recently gotten Lenny and they absolutely adore their dog.

Hayden’s face softened thinking about her dog, “Archie would love that.” Hayden truthfully answered as Archie loves playing with dogs and meeting new people and dogs.

“Perfect we will have to plan a day!” Lauren clapped her hands happily, “Oh and there is a really good dog park close by to Arena.”

Hayden nodded agreeing with Lauren to plan a day.

Hayden said her goodbyes to the couple and headed out of the arena.

Lauren and Connor watched Hayden walk away, “She’s so sad.” Lauren whispered feeling terrible as you can tell Hayden’s spark is just not there and it was because of losing her parents.

Connor nodded looking just as upset about the fact Hayden just doesn’t look happy and she should be, she just got drafted first overall to the NHL and it should be the best time for her life but it was obvious she was still grieving.

[huttons]

title: love (wip)

ship: mitch marner/zach hyman

word count: 6.8k

summary: Look, Mitch never expected to fall in love with Zach, but it’s really hard not to. And as much as he would love to never confess his feelings, he knows he can’t keep them secret forever. But each time he tries to confess, something keeps getting in the way.

ao3 link | playlist link

author’s note: this was written for @hockeynetwork‘s summer gift exchange for @thebluejayawe! I was a pinch hitter for this, and I had such a great time writing this! I really hope you enjoy it, Blue! Title was also taken from a San Holo song of the same name :’) I also want to give a shoutout to @antoineroussel for helping me plan this fic, as well as being an amazing beta reader :’)

~ ~ ~

“If you ever ask me how many times you’ve crossed my mind, I would say once. Because you came, and never left.” — Ritu Ghatourey

The preseason has just started to ramp up, and Mitch has found himself lounging at Zach’s apartment again. Over the last year or so, Mitch has found himself spending more time with Zach, especially when things start getting more intense. There’s just something so calming about Zach’s energy, and Mitch can’t help but gravitate towards it. He loves all of his friends on the Leafs equally, but there’s just something that can’t be matched with Zach.

At this point, Zach has stopped questioning when Mitch turns up out of the blue, and just lets him into the apartment. Right now, they’re not even really doing much. Mitch is barely paying attention to the NHL game that’s on TV, while Zach is working intensely on his next book. Granted, Mitch could be doing this at his own place, but he’d much rather be with Zach right now.

“Is it okay if I just have dinner here?” Mitch inquires, despite it still being the early afternoon.

Zach smiles softly. “You know you’re always welcome here, Mitch. I’ve told you to stop asking because if I didn’t want you here, I would have said something.”

“I know, it just feels a little weird, I guess,” Mitch replies, faintly blushing.

“Well, consider this your open invitation to stay as long as you want to whenever you come over,” Zach says, smiling brightly.

This only makes Mitch blush even more. “If you’re sure…”

“Of course I’m sure.”

Mitch just smiles in return, and goes back, looking at the TV. He knows that Zach really doesn’t have any issue with him just hanging out, but it feels weird, especially when they’re doing separate things. Whenever he’s hanging out with someone else on the team, there’s always something going on. But in Zach’s apartment, it’s like everything slows down and it feels like Mitch can finally catch his breath.

“Do you ever get bored of me just hanging around here and not doing anything?” Mitch asks curiously. “Like, I can’t remember the last time we really did something together.”

“We went to check out that new cafe last week,” Zach answers, frowning. “Is this you hinting that you’re bored? Because I’m sure some of the other guys are free if you want to go do something.”

“No, it’s just… I don’t want you to feel like I’m intruding or whatever when we’re just chilling. Like I never do this with any of the other guys.”

Zach shrugs. “I really don’t mind. You know when I want space and it’s nice having someone around while I work on other stuff. It gets kind of lonely otherwise.”

“Oh, well, I’m glad to keep you company then,” Mitch says, smiling a little.

Zach smiles back. “I’m glad that you think I’m worth hanging out with, even when we’re not doing anything together.”

“Of course,” Mitch says softly, before letting Zach get back to working on his book.

There are moments like this where Mitch wonders if there’s something else he’s feeling when he’s with Zach. It’s just that there’s nobody else on the team he’s had these quiet, intimate moments with. All of it is probably nothing, and Mitch is probably just reading too much into it. But there are moments like this where he wonders if there’s something more to everything; that there is something going on. As he usually does, though, Mitch just shrugs it off and goes back to paying attention to the game.

It’s not until a couple months into the season where Mitch starts to notice that he and Zach have developed a routine of sorts. Every time there’s a hard loss or rough practice, he finds himself gravitating towards Zach instead of anyone else. They do what they always do, just lounge around or go get a nice meal somewhere. All of it feels much more domestic than anything else Mitch has ever experienced. 

How normal it feels is what throws Mitch off the most. He wouldn’t want to trade this for anything, and it’s in that moment where it starts to hit Mitch. All of it seems to have crept up slowly enough to where he wouldn’t have realized it unless he thought about it. 

Mitch has a crush on Zach. And he’s not mad about it.

It’s just… the casualness of how they go about being around each other says more than anything. Sure, they’re different enough from each other, but Mitch feels like it helps them balance one another. They work together and there’s something about Zach that just makes him feel so incredibly happy. However, Mitch isn’t really sure what to do with all of this information.

Mitch knows that Zach likes men, at least, but he’s not sure if Zach likes him specifically. Sure, they spend a lot of time together, but that doesn’t really mean a lot. Zach would probably let anyone on the team hang around like this if they wanted to. So, Mitch can’t really take any of that to mean all that much. And Mitch really doesn’t want to say anything, either, out of fear of ruining their friendship and the ease of just hanging out.

This leaves Mitch in a weird spot where he wants to keep hanging out with Zach, but also has the irrational fear that he’ll accidentally say something. So, for the first time since coming back to Toronto for training camp, Mitch starts bailing out on Zach, coming up with random reasons that he can’t hang out. He feels bad, but he panics every time he thinks about it.

After practice one day, Tyson comes over to Mitch, and awkwardly asks, “Are you free today? I was wondering if we could hang out?”

“Yes, of course,” Mitch replies, a bit too quickly, excited at having another excuse to avoid Zach. “Did you just want to hang out at your apartment or like...actually do something?”

“Uh, just chilling sounds good,” Tyson says with a small smile. “Are you sure you’re okay with it being at my place?”

“Definitely. It’s still in the same building as Naz’s right?”

“Yeah! I’ll see you there then.”

Thirty minutes later, Mitch is chilling with Tyson, watching some reality baking show. He’s honestly not totally sure why Tyson wanted to hang out, but they’re good enough friends that Mitch doesn’t question it. Not wanting to be alone is something he totally understands, so he’ll gladly sit through this if it means keeping a friend company.

“There’s actually something I wanted to ask you about,” Tyson says during a commercial break. “And you can totally not answer it if you don’t want to, but I just need to ask.”

Mitch tilts his head in confusion. “Uh, yeah, ask away.”

“It’s just… I’m only asking because I went through something similar when I was on the Avs and I want to help if I can. But do you happen to like Zach?” Tyson inquires. “Like, do you have a crush on him?”

“Well, uh, maybe? I haven’t had too much time to think about it,” Mitch answers, blushing a little. “Wait, how did you even figure that out? Have I been that obvious?”

Tyson shrugs. “Not really, unless you know what you’re looking for. I mean, you and Zach have this weird ritual and then it just stopped out of nowhere. And any time the two of you talked, you got this look on your face that just looks like you’re trying to hide something.”

“Do you think he knows?” Mitch asks, worried.

“God no,” Tyson snorts. “I really doubt Zach has picked up on any of that.”

Mitch sighs. “Well, that’s good at least. And… do you mind if I ask what happened on the Avs? It’s just, you mentioned it and it seems like you know exactly how to read me.”

“I’m not really sure if it’s my story to tell,” Tyson says softly. “But I had some teammates go through the same exact thing of dancing around each other for too long.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Mitch sighs. “It’s just hard to know if saying something is worth the risk of losing Zach, you know? He’s become one of my best friends and I don’t want to lose him.”

“You know, even if he didn’t feel the same way, I really doubt Zach would be one to hold it against you.”

“That was a very confident statement,” Mitch points out. 

“I mean, I can’t be sure, but it would never hurt to like… actually bring it up. There’s no sense in all the what-ifs, especially if you know it won’t end badly.”

“But it could end badly.”

“Sure, but what would you rather be stuck with? Wondering if things could have worked out or a bit of awkwardness for a little while?”

Mitch groans. “You’re probably right.”

“I know I’m right. Besides, avoiding Zach isn’t going to work forever. I’m surprised he hasn’t said anything yet.”

“You know he’s too nice to act hurt about it. He gets it more than anyone when things pop up and make you busy. The dude has five million different things he’s doing.”

Tyson snorts. “That’s very true. At the very least, please stop avoiding him because that’s not going to make either of you happy in the long wrong.”

“Thanks for the pep talk, Tys,” Mitch says softly, before turning back to the TV.

~ ~ ~

Thankfully, Zach never really questions why Mitch stopped hanging out with him for several weeks. He just shrugs, and says that he’s glad that they can get back into their routine. Mitch is extremely grateful for that because he’s still not completely comfortable with trying to explain the real reason why. And so things go back to normal for the next few weeks as Mitch tries to plan out what he should do next.

Mitch knows that Tyson said to just admit his feelings, but it just doesn’t feel right. He feels like it needs to be special because this is something important. Sure, Mitch can probably do something casual and Zach would be perfectly happy with it, but Zach deserves something amazing because he’s amazing. And so this is how Mitch ends up asking all of the married guys about nice restaurants in Toronto.

“What’s the occasion?” Spezza says when Mitch asks him. “Is it like… a date? Since when were you dating?”

Mitch blushes. “Oh, um, it’s not a date. But hopefully there will be a date if it goes well?”

“Ah, I get it now. Who’s the lucky person?”

“It’s, uh, Zach.”

“Like...Zach Hyman? Our Zach?” Spezza inquires, surprised. “Not what I was expecting, but also makes sense the more I think about it.”

Mitch smiles faintly. “Yeah, I hope it goes well.”

“And I’m sure it will. I’ll ask Jennifer when I get home to see what some of her favorite places are and then I’ll text you.”

“Thank you so much,” Mitch says gratefully. 

“I’m sure he’ll say yes, and even if he doesn’t, I don't think things will get weird,” Spezza says.

“Tyson said that too.”

“Because he’s right. But I’m sure it’ll go well.”

Later that night, Spezza texts Mitch with a list of restaurants in Toronto, including a couple of nicer places that have just opened. Mitch skims through the options, and chooses something that looks to have a relatively chill atmosphere. As nice as he wants it to be, he doesn’t want it to be too much.

When he calls to make a reservation, the soonest time they have open that doesn’t conflict with the Leafs schedule is almost a month away. It’s further away than he wants it to be, but hopefully this gives him time to build up the confidence in asking Zach out. There’s so many different options to go through, and Mitch wants it to be perfect.

They’re chilling in Zach’s apartment one night when Mitch brings up the dinner plans.

“So, Spezza told me about this cool place that’s just opened up and I wanted to check it out,” Mitch says, faking casualness. “And I was hoping that you’d want to go with me? I know you like checking out new restaurants here.”

“Oh. yeah, that’d actually be really cool. When is it? I want to make sure that my schedule is clear.”

“It’s on the 10th at 6pm, if that’s okay?”

“Yeah, I can make work,” Zach says with a small smile.

Mitch smiles back, and puts his focus back on the hockey game that’s playing. He feels slightly guilty about not telling Zach the real reason why he wants to have dinner, but it’s better this way. Besides, Zach deserves something nice with all of the work he’s been putting in with his book, so Mitch tries to use that as the reason why confessing his feelings couldn’t be done over something casual.

Before Mitch knows it, it’s the week of the dinner. Zach has seemed way more stressed over the edits his book received, so Mitch hopes that it doesn’t get in the way of dinner. But it also makes him second guess if he should really say anything. Zach is already under so much stress… but Mitch tries to shrug it off, thinking that there really isn’t much of a time that Zach isn’t worried about something.

But it’s after practice only two days before Mitch’s plans to confess his feelings that Zach pulls him to the side.

“Look, I know that I promised to go to dinner with you, but my agent has to have a last minute meeting with me about the book. The soonest we could meet is on the 10th and I don’t know how long it’ll last,” Zach explains, apologetically. “I really hate to bail out on you, but I’m sure someone else will be happy to go with you.”

“Oh,” Mitch says, trying to hold back tears. “Yeah, that’s totally fine, I get it. I’ll let you know how the food is.”

Zach smiles brightly. “Thank you so much for understanding. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“Of course you will,” Mitch says, laughing a little.

Zach nods and walks down the hallway. Mitch tries to not get emotional about it, but he was really hoping that this would be the moment he could confess his feelings. But it just means that he’ll have to figure something else out. He’s not really sure what that’ll look like, but Mitch will figure it out.

“Mitch, are you okay?” Tyson inquires, concerned. “I just saw Zach walk down the hallway looking stressed.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Mitch says quietly. “I was actually planning on taking him to dinner and telling him about my crush, but he cancelled on me.”

“Did… did he find out or?” 

“No, he just has a meeting with his writing agent on the same day,” Mitch explains. “Now I have to figure out some other way to woo him.”

“I could try and help if you want. If you haven’t cancelled the reservations yet, we could brainstorm over dinner?”

“That would actually be really nice, if you don’t mind.”

Tyson smiles brightly. “I would love nothing more.”

Dinner actually goes really well, and Mitch knows that he’s got a good friend in Tyson. They decide that something a little bit more casual might work better so that Mitch can adjust the date if Zach has surprise meetings again. And that way, Mitch can also build up his confidence a bit more, and if things go badly for any reason, it’ll also be easier to bail out.

The next day after practice, Mitch plops down on Zach’s couch, feeling a little tense, unsure of what to say or do. Zach gives him a questioning glance, but doesn’t say anything at first. Mitch flips through a couple of channels, trying to find something mindless to watch before Zach says anything.

“So, how did dinner go?” Zach inquires. “You haven’t said anything yet, which means it’s probably not that great.”

“It was good, I guess. I went with Tyson,” Mitch replies. “Food was decent, but I don't know if I need to go back any time soon. Didn’t seem worth the price, to be honest.”

“So you won’t take me there?” Zach jokingly asks.

Mitch snorts. “You deserve better, trust me.”

It almost looks like Zach blushes, but Mitch ignores it, though, assuming that he just saw things. They spend the rest of the day just hanging out, and Mitch enjoys the ease of just being around Zach. It’s rare that he feels comfortable doing nothing with someone else, so he enjoys every second of today and decides to not ask about exploring Toronto. He doesn’t want to ruin the moment, even if it wouldn’t be suspicious.

The following morning at practice, Tyson skates over to Mitch, and gives him a questioning look, obviously curious how the previous night went. He raises an eyebrow when Mitch doesn’t say anything at first.

“I just… got nervous, I guess,” Mitch says quietly, even if Zach is on the other side of the rink. “I swear Zach can read me so fast, and I didn’t want to mess anything up.”

Tyson frowns. “Waiting isn’t going to make you less nervous.”

“I know that,” Mitch sighs. “But it just didn’t feel right. And before you say anything, I know there’s never a perfect moment, but last night was not it.”

“Fine, but I won’t let you put it off forever. I can’t deal with all this pining again,” Tyson jokes.

Mitch snorts. “Whatever you say.”

When he and Tyson join the group again, Zach gives him a questioning look, but Mitch shrugs it off. He knows he wouldn’t be able to think of a believable lie on the spot, and Tyson probably wouldn’t help matters either. Thankfully, Zach doesn’t say anything about it, even after practice. Ignoring it probably isn’t a great option, but Mitch needs to build up his confidence again.

It takes a couple of days, but finally Zach corners Mitch after practice. Tyson gives him a quick thumbs up before leaving the locker room. He can feel his heart race, even though there’s nothing he needs to hide. Mitch is just nervous that he’ll confess his feelings if he doesn’t get his nerves in check.

“Are you doing okay, Mitch? You’ve seemed a little off the last few days,” Zach inquires softly.

“Yeah, I’m doing okay. Just been busy hanging with Tyson,” Mitch answers, unsure of what else to say. “He was asking me about some places here in Toronto.”

Zach gives him an unsure look. “Well, if you say so.”

“I am,” Mitch says, gaining a little bit of confidence back. “I was actually wondering if you wanted to go to a couple of places we found? There was this really cool bookstore and cafe that I think you would absolutely love. And a cool retro gaming store as well, if you’re not tired of either of those things.”

“That… would actually be really nice,” Zach replies. “When were you thinking?”

“I mean, whenever you’re free. I’m not sure of when you have meetings and stuff when we have off days,” Mitch says.

“Let me double check, and then I’ll text you?” Zach says, hesitant.

Mitch smiles. “Yeah, sounds good.”

Zach gives him a soft smile in return before leaving the locker room. Mitch lets out a sigh, and grabs the rest of his stuff before heading out. He has to keep telling himself that everything will work out, and even if it doesn’t, Zach isn’t malicious enough to ruin the team dynamic. Whatever happens will happen, and Mitch tries to keep telling himself that.

Only a few hours later, Zach texts him saying that the following Monday should be good, since there’s no games or practice, and he doesn’t have any meetings. Mitch replies excitedly, before panicking as he realizes that’s less than a week from today. Which means in less than a week, Mitch will know if Zach feels the same way as him. It’s terrifying to think about, which means Mitch ends up texting Tyson, considering he’s the only other person who knows about this whole situation.

Zach said next Monday!! I think I’m going to panic before then, is what Mitch ends up saying.

That’s exciting!! Do we need to go over the plan again?

I think I’m okay?? But idk dude, Zach will fucking know in less than a week!! That’s kind of terrifying??

You’ll be fine, and if not, you can always come cry on my couch :’)

Good bc you’re the reason this is even happening at all

:)))

Mitch just rolls his eyes, and tosses his phone to the side. It’s not that he’s not excited at the thought of finally dating Zach, but the thought of knowing that Zach could say no to it all is what’s scaring Mitch. He doesn’t want to deal with the awkwardness of being around the person who turns him down, but he also can’t fathom the thought of losing Zach either. They’ve gotten too close for Mitch to be able to imagine not having Zach around.

Before he knows it, Monday is here, and he’s walking the streets of Toronto with Zach. There’s a small hint of the cold weather to come, but nothing neither of them can’t handle. Things seem to be going well, but then again, the day has only just started, meaning there’s been no way for Mitch to mess things up already.

“So, was it you or Tyson that found these places? Because in all our time hanging out together, you’ve never suggested a bookstore before,” Zach jokes.

Mitch blushes a little. “I mean, Tyson found it, but I figured you got enough of books and stuff since you’re an author and everything. Didn’t want to do anything you would find boring.”

“I’d never find anything with you boring, Mitch. Besides, just because I write doesn’t mean I’ve been to all the bookstores here in Toronto,” Zach explains, smiling.

Mitch blushes a little. “Well, that’s good to know you’re not bored of me yet.”

“I don’t think anyone could ever get bored of you,” Zach says, laughing a little. “I’m just happy we get to spend some time together. So much of my time recently has been spent in meetings, practices, or games. This is nice.”

Mitch smiles softly, before falling silent. In moments like this, he’s almost certain that Zach feels the same way. Considering none of his other friends have ever said something like this to him before, it has to mean something, right? At least this is what Mitch assures himself with as they make their way to the bookshop.

“This place is amazing,” Zach whispers, as they enter. “How did Tyson even find this place?”

Mitch shrugs. “I have no clue, but I’m glad he did. Is there anywhere you want to look at first?”

Over the next hour or so, Mitch follows Zach around as they check out all of the sections. Zach ends up buying a couple of books before they make their way over to the attached cafe that Tyson promised was good. Mitch insists on buying their coffee, trying to make today feel like as much of a date as possible. He’s honestly not sure if it’s getting across, but Mitch wants to be sure that he’s doing everything he can to make Zach feel special. They end up grabbing a table in the corner, and talking about the upcoming season.

“I have a good feeling about this year,” Mitch says confidently. “I might be speaking too soon, but I like our team dynamic.”

Zach smiles. “Yeah, I think we’re finally figuring ourselves out. Hopefully this doesn’t haunt us eventually.”

They continue to make small talk as they finish their coffees before heading back out into Toronto. As they slowly make their way to the retro arcade, Mitch feels himself gaining the confidence to say something to Zach. Even though the day is barely getting started, he feels like this is the moment he’s been waiting for.

And then Zach’s phone is ringing loudly, snapping Mitch back to reality. Zach sighs, but picks it up when he sees who’s calling. Mitch frowns a little, but let’s Zach talk to whoever is on the other line. When Zach starts to look more stressed, Mitch gets worried that something serious is happening, making him extremely anxious.

Zach hangs up, and sighs. “Look, I hate to do this, but I really have to go. I guess there’s something urgent my agent needs to talk about that can’t wait.”

“Oh, um, okay,” Mitch says, unsure of what else to say.

“I really hate that this is happening again, I feel so bad,” Zach replies, frowning. “I would put it off if I could but…”

“No, I know you would. Can I at least walk you back to your apartment?”

“Yeah, that would be nice,” Zach says with a soft smile.

Mitch is sure he can say something now and confess his feelings, but that seems like a cheap and rushed move to make. Zach deserves better than a rushed confession, and he seems stressed enough about whatever his agent said that Mitch doesn’t want to throw something like this out there. He’ll just have to figure something else out, whatever that may be.

“Well, I guess this is me,” Zach says once they get to his apartment building. “I’m really sorry that today got cut short, I feel bad.”

“No, I know you can’t control when you have meetings. We’ll just have to hang out some other time,” Mitch says, faking a smile.

“I’ll see you at practice then,” Zach replies, before heading up to his place.

Mitch sighs, and makes his way back to his place. When he finally flops down on his couch, he starts to feel a bit discouraged. That’s twice now that Mitch hasn’t been able to confess his feelings, and there’s a small part of him that wants to take that as a sign to not say anything. It’s probably overdramatic, but he can’t help but to feel like the universe is trying to tell him something.

The following morning at practice, Tyson gives him an inquisitive look, obviously curious at how the previous day went. Mitch just frowns and shakes his head, not wanting to talk about it. Thankfully, Tyson doesn’t say anything, and lets it be until after they’re heading out for the day. 

“Did he say no?” Tyson inquires. “I didn’t think he would.”

“I never actually got the chance to ask. He had another meeting come up,” Mitch explains, sighing.

Tyson frowns. “Really? Another meeting?”

“That’s what I was thinking!” Mitch exclaims. “I really think I need to take this as a sign.”

“No, you’re most definitely not taking this as a sign. The only way you’ll know for sure is if you ask him outright,” Tyson insists. “Look, maybe it doesn’t need to be something special, it could just be on a day that you’re just chilling.”

“It’s Zach, though, it needs to be special. I want it to be.”

Tyson sighs. “Okay, well, we can think of something else. Maybe something after the All-Stars game since his book should be published by then. No random meetings then, right?”

“That’s… actually a good idea.”

“I told you, I have experience with this. I promise it’ll work out just fine.”

~ ~ ~

And so for the next couple of months, Mitch tries to not think about just asking Zach to go on a date outright. As tempting as the idea is, he’s really set on making sure things are special for when he does end up asking Zach out. Sure, he would probably end up being happy with anything, but Mitch has plans. 

As the All-Star game approaches, Mitch starts spending more time with Tyson, partly to plan how to ask out Zach, but also partly because they enjoy hanging out with each other. Their newfound friendship never really comes up in conversation when Mitch is with Zach, besides when Mitch has a funny story to share, which is convenient. He would really hate having to try and explain why he and Tyson have been hanging out more.

Of course, as soon as Mitch thinks he’s in the clear is exactly the time that he’s not. Mitch never really thought that there would ever be much of an issue after Zach seemingly just shrugged at the idea of Mitch and Tyson becoming friends so quickly. But of course Zach became curious one day after he was explaining something dumb Tyson did.

“I’m surprised that the two of you got this close this fast,” Zach remarks one day. “I didn’t even realize the two of you were friends.”

Mitch freezes briefly. “I mean, I guess we just found out that we had some stuff in common and just clicked.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” Zach says. “Would he want to hang out with us sometime? We haven’t hung out too much and if you like him so much...it’d be nice to get to know him.”

“Um, maybe? I’ll have to ask him about it,” Mitch replies, hesitant. “Maybe sometime after the All-Star game?”

“Afterwards? There’s still a couple of weeks until you leave for that,” Zach points out. “I’m sure we could do movie night or something before then.”

“We just have… plans before then? And it’s nice just chilling,” Mitch says awkwardly.

Zach frowns a little. “Okay, if you’re sure.”

Thankfully, Zach doesn’t push it anymore, so Mitch tries to not think about it. Normally, he would be fine hanging out before the All-Star game, but he and Tyson have plans to try and figure something romantic out for what they’ve dubbed ‘Operation Zach’. There’s a small part of him that feels bad, but it’s for the best that Mitch tries to avoid the issue at hand before he ruins everything.

And things seem to settle back to normal, letting Mitch enjoy the usual build-up to the All-Stars game. Things go as well as they always do at the game as well, and he’s able to forget everything in the fun. It’s a nice break from worrying about Zach finding out about his feelings before he’s ready to say anything. 

When he gets back to Toronto, Mitch is feeling confident that whatever he and Tyson plan out next, it’ll work. He’s determined to not have anything get in the way this time, even if it doesn’t go perfectly. Mitch is feeling relaxed enough about it all that he doesn’t really notice Zach acting a little bit out of the norm, brushing it off as getting back into the swing of things after a long break.

It’s not until Mitch and Tyson are talking about whether or not Valentine’s Day dates are too cheesy in the locker room that things go wrong. Most everyone has already filtered out after practice, leaving the two of them to argue what qualified as ‘too much’ for a first date.

“Look, I know you want it to be a memorable experience, but it doesn’t need to be something extravagant,” Tyson sighs. 

“But it’d be our first date,” Mitch replies, frowning. “I want it to be something special.”

“Please, anything you do will be considered special. I really wouldn’t overthink it, that will only make things more stressful.”

Neither of them notice Zach coming into the locker room until he clears his throat. Tyson and Mitch look over and freeze, both terrified that he overheard more than he should. Nobody says anything for a few brief moments that feel like an eternity.

“Am I interrupting something?” Zach asks awkwardly.

“No, I’m just trying to knock some sense into Mitch about Valentine’s Day,” Tyson explains. “Did you forget something in here?”

“Uh, yeah, just realized I forgot my hat. Um, I’ll let you get back to it then,” Zach says, grabbing his hat, and then rushing out of the room.

Mitch groans. “He totally overheard us. I’ve completely ruined it.”

“No you didn’t, he hardly heard anything, much less you confessing your undying love for him.”

“But still… what if this makes things weird?”

Tyson snorts. “I promise nothing is going to be weird between the two of you. Just talk to him, okay?”

“I guess,” Mitch says with a small frown. “You sure everything will be fine?”

“I’m certain. All you need to do is talk to him, and everything will work out.”

However, trying to find time to talk to Zach turns out to be harder than expected. If Mitch didn’t know any better, he would guess that Zach was trying to avoid him. But he tries to brush it off as Zach having more important things to do than hang out with him. It hurts, but Mitch gets it, Zach is busy.

However, after two weeks of Zach doing his best to avoid Mitch, even during practices and games, he goes to Tyson, not feeling comfortable bringing it up with any of the other guys. Something about it just doesn’t feel right to him, especially considering how much he and Zach have previously been hanging out.

“I just don’t know why he’s avoiding me. Like… I don’t think I said anything to him and I can’t clarify because he won’t get anywhere near me!” Mitch complains as he flops down on Tyson’s couch. “Do you think he could have found out that I like him? I know you said he didn’t but…”

“I really don’t think he heard anything,” Tyson says calmly. “Maybe something is happening with his book or the gaming company. He has a lot on his plate right now.”

“But he’s always felt comfortable complaining to me. I feel like I messed things up, but I don’t know how.”

“I think you just need to text him and be upfront with him. Zach appreciates honesty more than anyone I know, so if you just tell him, you can start working things out.”

“I don’t know if I’m ready to have my heart broken yet,” Mitch whispers. “I know he’d let me down gently but I don’t know if I can handle that.”

“Look, I know you don’t want to because it’s scary, but it’s better to just get it over with, you know? And you know I always have junk food here that we definitely shouldn’t be eating. You also have the other guys on the team to support you too,” Tyson explains reassuringly. 

“I know you’re right. I’m just scared of knowing the answer.”

“How about you text him now and if things get weird, you can hang out here for the rest of the night.”

“That… sounds really good actually.”

So Mitch pulls out his phone and says, I know you’re probably v busy, but it’s been weeks since we’ve hung out. I wanna hang out sometime and if I made something weird, we can talk about it bc I miss you :(

Zach doesn’t reply immediately, which isn’t much of a surprise, so Mitch eats dinner with Tyson, anxiously waiting for a reply. It takes a reply, but the second he sees a notification from Zach, Mitch opens the text.

Sorry I’ve been busy, but I should be free Saturday after practice?

Yeah!! I can do that!! :)

“Oh, well, that’s soon,” Mitch says, after setting his phone down.

“Yes, all the sooner to clear things up,” Tyson replies pointedly. “And if you need any help, I’m here for you, okay?”

Mitch nods, sighing. He’s not sure if he’s quite ready for it, but he knows that Tyson is right. And he does feel better knowing that there’s a definite day that he can talk things out with Zach. Even if things don’t go the way Mitch wants, at least he’ll finally have an answer.

Things are still a little weird leading up to Saturday, especially since Zach still won’t really talk to Mitch. One way or another, he’ll confess his feelings, even if it ends up not being everything he hopes it’ll be. Tyson is right in the fact that he just needs to say something at this point, otherwise he’ll just be caught up in almost always doing it.

When Saturday rolls around, Mitch can practically feel himself vibrating out of his skin. Knowing that in just a few hours, everything about his relationship with Zach will be changing is terrifying. Mitch does his best to try and stay calm, but it’s difficult to focus during practice. The second they’re finished with drills for the day, Mitch skates over to Zach, wanting to make sure that their plans aren’t forgotten.

“So, uh, my place?” Zach inquires as they head towards the locker room.

Mitch nods. “Yeah, that would be great. I’ll see you there?”

Zach nods, smiling a little before going to shower and change. In comparison to practice, it seems like no time has passed by the time Mitch gets to Zach’s apartment. Tyson had given him a thumb’s up before he left the locker room, so he really hopes today ends up going well, even if it’s hard to not focus on everything that could go wrong.

As per usual, Mitch and Zach flop down on the couch and pull up a show that doesn’t require much thinking power. They sit in silence for a few minutes, as they settle in and get relaxed. Just as Mitch is thinking of how to start the conversation, Zach turns to him. And it catches Mitch off-guard by how hurt Zach looks, tears obviously threatening to spill over.

“When were you going to tell me that you and Tyson were dating?” Zach asks, voice breaking. “I thought we were friends. You could have told me.”

“I—what? You think Tyson and I are dating?” Mitch replies, confused. 

Zach sighs, and turns away from Mitch, trying to hide his tears. “I mean, the two of you started hanging out seemingly out of nowhere, and then a couple weeks ago in the locker room… I heard the two of you talking about a date.”

“That—I, fuck that makes sense, but we aren’t dating, I swear,” Mitch sighs. “Just… let me explain, please?”

Zach turns to face him, looking visibly torn. This really isn’t how Mitch wanted everything to go, but he has to set everything straight.

“Tyson and I only started hanging out because he confronted me about being in love with you. He read me so fast, and only wanted me to help confess my feelings because he went through something similar on the Avs,” Mitch explains. “And the date we were talking about? We were talking about my first date with you.”

Zach looks at him in disbelief for a moment, eyes searching for any sign of a lie. “You’re not joking?”

“No, I’d never joke about this,” Mitch whispers. “I, Mitch Marner, am undoubtedly in love with you, Zach Hyman.”

“Oh my god,” Zach says softly, before reaching out to grab Mitch’s hand. “I was so sure you were with Tyson.”

“He’s amazing, but not really my type,” Mitch says. “You’re much better.”

Zach lets out a soft laugh at that. “Well, that’s good to know.”

“You, um, you feel the same way, right?”

“Of course I do, you idiot. I’ve wanted to say something for so long, but wasn’t sure how to. I got so scared of rejection every time.”

“I would have never said no,” Mitch says softly.

And with that, Zach leans in, and kisses Mitch. It’s everything he imagined when kissing Zach, and he can’t help but to lean into it, trying to make up for all the lost time. He’s not sure how long they sit there, trading soft kisses. By the time Mitch pulls away, he feels like he’s in a complete daze, trying to process what just happened.

“We could have been doing this for so long,” Mitch whispers. “I’m sorry I never said anything before, though. I had so many chances and just… didn’t.”

“Is that why you wanted to take me to dinner that one time? And taking me to the bookstore? Was that supposed to be a date?” Zach asks in disbelief.

Mitch blushes. “I mean, yeah. But it obviously didn’t work.”

“I demand a redo,” Zach replies, laughing a little. “I want to do the dating thing properly this time.”

“I can live with that,” Mitch says, before kissing Zach again. 

“I burned so long and so quiet, you must have wondered if I loved you back. I did, I did, I do.” — Annelyse Gelman, from “The Pillowcase”

[lovedyouless]

zach really is out here live-streaming video games with alex nylander .... brother in law energy

I am silently screaming at this domesticity!

[msmargaretmurry]

"(you make my heart beat) like a hurricane" parentheticals can be included or just for context lol. as for pairing, i mean, matthew/leon brainrot, but if you can think of a more fitting one i'm all ears!

nah, let's go with the matthew/leon brainrot. what are we even on this earth for if we don't let the brainrot win sometimes?

so, ignoring the obvious punny impulse to concoct some sort of futurefic or alternate timeline where they both play for the hurricanes (carolina was runner-up in last summer's tkachuk sweepstakes, there's totally something that could be done there), i think what i'm feeling here is a tropey bottle episode of a fic. an "oh no, it's storming and you're stuck in my house overnight" fic.

actually, because i personally think it would be funny: an "oh no, it's storming and you AND your teammates are stuck in my house overnight" fic.

so, the oilers come to south florida pretty early in the season. it's still technically hurricane season, but the current tropical storm is only supposed to graze them, not make landfall, so no one is that concerned about it. how do we get a bunch of oilers over to matthew's house? i don't know, maybe something like — okay, so i believe in my heart for reasons that matthew and connor mcdavid aren't, like, FRIENDS friends but that they get along just fine and are kind of weirdly fond of each other off the ice (the reasons for this are like 90% just the fact that connor has referred to him as "matty tkachuk" more than once on camera), so maybe they wind up hanging out a bit at the NHL awards this summer, kinda laughing about the old battle of alberta rivalry days — maybe a reporter asked one of them about it in some weird attempt to make a story, like, oh you're not on rival teams anymore but would it still be extra fun to beat him out for the hart? and they both think that was kind of stupid and funny. connor has some great stories about media being deeply stupid and funny, they can bond over it a little bit, and so maybe matthew "loves to play host in his giant florida home" tkachuk, slightly drunk, is like, hey when you guys are in florida next season bring some of the boys over for dinner. bury the hatchet for real.

ANYWAY. god. okay. i'm just giving up on making these short now. the oilers come to florida pretty early in the season, etc etc, and connor shows up to dinner at matthew's with, like, leon and zach hyman and kailer — kailer and matthew overlapped for a year at the program, they could totally be friendly. everyone feels a little bit weird about this, including matthew and connor, who are the ones who committed to this in the first place, but no one involved is going to be the one to back down first.

but oooh, what of the leon of it all? when connor informed him he was coming along he probably snorted and said "yeah, i'm sure he'll love that," and connor rolled his eyes and said, "oh, come on, it'll be fine," and leon, unfortunately, is too loyal to not dutifully come along. someone has to be there to keep connor from being the most awkward human alive. and also maybe leon kind of wants to go. maybe he has something to say to matthew tkachuk, except it's really hard to get a guy alone for a conversation when you're on different teams and you're not friends and also one of you moved across the continent.

so they all show up for dinner when they get into town the night before the game, and it's a little weird and awkward at first, but it gets pretty fun, actually! sasha barkov and sam bennett are also there — for backup, just in case, matthew jokes — and it's a pretty good time! there is a series of comedic errors where every time leon thinks he's getting a moment alone to say something, he gets interrupted, because it's ALSO hard to have a conversation when there are five other dudes hanging around. it's also possible that matthew is avoiding him a little bit. this is understandable, considering the one and only time matthew ever texted him — hey, good series. good luck. take care of yourself, in the early, early morning hours of the morning after the oilers had eliminated the flames from the 2022 playoffs — leon never texted back.

not, like, on purpose. he was just distracted. by the playoffs. and he didn't know what to say. and he kept thinking about responding and then not responding and then it had been too long to respond without it being awkward, which was fine, it's not like they were friends, they only even had each other's numbers because someone put all the members of the pacific division all star team in a group chat that weekend in 2020, but leon has felt a tad bit guilty about it ever since. he just wants to apologize! then he can go on with his life with a clear conscience.

they eat; they drink; time flies when you're having fun; and then kailer looks out the window and goes, "oh shit, it's really coming down."

the tropical storm changed paths, and now there's a flood warning and it's no longer safe to drive. cue much checking of weather, and it becomes clear the safe thing to do is not go anywhere until morning. good thing i have guest rooms! matthew says. we don't want to impose like that, connor starts to protest, but matthew puts his foot down: he is NOT dealing with the drama that would happen if the best hockey player in the world got swept out to sea on his watch. and it's important for everyone else to stay safe too, or whatever. between the guest rooms and the sofas, there's plenty of room. connor calls the oilers coach about it, it's all gonna be fine.

leon finally gets matthew alone when matthew is cleaning up in the kitchen after insisting he doesn't want any help, so everyone else is sprawled in the living room watching sports. no one's getting wasted because they have a game tomorrow, but everyone's had a few beers, and it's getting a little rowdy. leon says he's getting a glass of water and find matthew washing the steak knives. he awkwardly thanks matthew for dinner ("hey, thanks for coming, always fun to have people over," matthew says) and then, also awkwardly, apologizes for not texting back. you know, a year and a half ago. there was a lot going on. he was on a lot of painkillers.

matthew hisses and drops the knife he's washing into the sink. leon's at his side in seconds, but it's a shallow cut, and matthew just rolls his eyes and sticks the wounded finger in his mouth. which is a better reason than leon has previously had to look at matthew's mouth, at least.

but— "it's no big deal. the texting thing," matthew says, around his finger, then normally when he takes it out of his mouth to add, "i was really fucking drunk when i sent it anyway. i don't know what i was thinking." he trails off a bit at this last part, because leon has taken it upon himself to examine the wound — it really is fine; matthew's finger is more red from his own teethmarks than from the cut.

anyway, it's good that matthew wasn't upset about the texting thing, he says. he'd felt bad about it. he didn't know if matthew was trying to be friends or what. and matthew gives him this funny little look and is like, "well, we could be friends." leon looks up from the very important medical attention he's providing, except now he's just looking at matthew's mouth again. he considers some variations on the definition of "friend."

except of course they're interrupted here by a commotion from the next room, which completely breaks the moment, and the next few hours of hanging out in matthew's living room with all the guys go pretty normally, except for how leon keeps catching matthew looking at him, and which keeps making matthew give him this sheepish grin before looking away, which makes leon feel some very stupid things. there's something in the water down here, he thinks. he has a disease now. he has a matthew tkachuk disease. when everyone starts shuffling off to bed at a semi-reasonable hour, matthew running around distributing towels and spare toothbrushes and whatever else people need, leon hangs back, poking at his weird little feelings, until matthew comes back downstairs to ask with a crooked grin, "so did you draw the short straw for the couch down here?"

"more like wrestled it away from connor," leon deadpans. matthew is all loose and cheerful like someone who's still a little tipsy, and leon knows logically that he's also a little bit drunk, but he feels very sober. maybe this is why it seems totally logical, when matthew gets close enough, to tug him in by the hem of his shirt and kiss him on the mouth.

he gets about three seconds of kissing in before actual logic kicks in, and he jerks back — "shit, sorry, i don't know why i did that." matthew just kind of stares at him for a mortifyingly long moment, brow furrowed, then he licks his lips and swallows and says, "you know, there's somewhere else you could sleep besides the couch."

and oh, leon is so tempted. he's SO tempted. but it's a bad idea, right? it's probably a bad idea, especially with all the other guys in the house. so.

"probably not a very good idea," he says, apologetic. matthew gives him a half-smile and a shrug, says to let him know if he needs anything, and goes back upstairs.

except after a couple of hours of lying on the couch, after everyone else has fallen asleep, obviously leon tiptoes up to matthew's room and they immediately have intense, fucknasty trying-to-stay-quiet sex. literally everyone can tell the next morning, and they never, ever, ever live it down.

[haydnfleury]

Flatline

**MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH DISCLAIMER**

Who: William Nylander, Zach Hyman

Type: Dark Fic

Word Count: 2.4K

Addendum: Title is from the song Flatline off the Hotline Miami soundtrack.

~AO3 Version

 The next morning seemed like any other winter morning in Toronto. Frost forming on the windows from the dropping temperatures, the sound of early morning traffic on the streets below, and the alarm blaring its usual tone. Except, something’s different. Wrong.

 “I love you Zachy.”

 “I love you too Willy.”

 They kissed and held each other closely under the covers, beginning to fall asleep.

 The next morning seemed like any other winter morning in Toronto. Frost forming on the windows from the dropping temperatures, the sound of early morning traffic on the streets below, and the alarm blaring its usual tone. Except, something’s different. Wrong. Zach is usually the first one to get out of bed anyway, but Willy doesn’t seem to have woken up like he always has when the alarm went off before practice- in fact he doesn’t seem to have moved at all from where he was the night prior.

 “Honey?” Zach asks trying to shake him awake.

 Nothing. A little louder and harder this time- nothing. Starting to panic, Zach bursts into the closet digging around for their travel suitcases. After having thrown half of the clothes out, he finds them, and grabs a small hand-held mirror from the toiletries bag. Holding it under Willy’s nose the glass starts to fog up. Good, he’s not dead at least.

 Zach hurriedly throws on some clothes and phones up emergency services, as well as the new coach and several teammates. EMT’s arrive within five minutes of him calling, and rush Willy out to the ambulance, constantly monitoring his dangerously low vitals on the way to the emergency room.

 By the time he was stabilized and Zach was let into the room, the entire team had arrived, bleary-eyed from sleep but still quite visibly concerned. The doctor began to explain that he suffered from a stroke sometime in the early hours of the morning, and that he was stuck in a coma. The rest started to become a blur as Zach got lost in his own thoughts, How did he get a stroke? We’re both too young for-- When is he going to wake up-- Is-- is he going to wake up? Please don’t leave me like this. I don’t--

 The thoughts are interrupted by Mitchy’s hand on his shoulder.

 “Hey, are you okay?”

 When he looks up the doctor had already left, and everyone was looking at him, all with the same question on their face.

 “I. I don’t know,” is all he can manage to say, he doesn’t really know the answer to that himself yet.

 “In light of events this morning, we’ll move practice to tomorrow,” Keefe decides and everyone nods in agreement, “Hyman, take the week off if you need it, I won’t think any less of you if you need more time off.”

 Outside in the ward, they start to hear a growing chatter, and the clattering of equipment. The Media.

 “Oh boy, already? I need to go take care of this. John? Do me a favour and call Kyle, have him restrict the media for injury protocol.”

 And with that the coach goes out and closes the door behind him, and Tavey steps into the bathroom to make his phone call. Zach pulls a chair over to the bedside and sits down, grabbing Willy’s hand. At this point he can’t hold back, lowering his head onto his hand and bed underneath it, as the tears start to break through.

 Mo makes his way over and puts his arm around Zach. Mitchy is suddenly reminded of his own boyfriend, Marty, being suddenly taken away from him when his plane crashed on his way back from the off-season, and starts tearing up. Tys pulls him into a hug and lets him cry into his shoulder. Everyone else in the crowded room just looks on solemnly.

 Zach stays at the hospital for three days. Initially Tavey steps up as captain and visits them first, bringing Zach food each day so he’d remember to actually eat. Everyone else visits in their own time.

 After the third day Zach returns to practice, something to hopefully take his mind off of what’s going on. It works well enough, returning to drills and playing on the first line for games. Focus. Focus on something else. The team. The game. Getting that puck into the net. Focus.

 It’s been three weeks since that cold morning. Zach’s thoughts are composed enough now, and they’re in the middle of a game at home. He’s in a face-off when he sees Kyle entering the player bench on the phone, they’ve been discussing different trade opportunities lately- a Marlie or two for a player from one of the other teams- so he doesn’t think much of it. When the play ends though to an off-side, he calls a timeout. Yeah, they’re losing 5-2, but they’re still in the second period, so they shouldn’t need it yet right?

 But when they all come together, there’s no whiteboards, no iPads, no talk of plays or strategies. Keefe seems to have lost his tongue, shuffling in place, so Kyle speaks up.

 “He’s gone. William. He’s gone.”

 It’s dead silent on the bench, aside from the few who had dropped what they were holding, and Zach’s world seemed to be crashing down along with them.

 “It was about four minutes ago, I had just got off the phone with the doctors. We um, we’ve decided to forfeit the game; I don’t think any of you wants to continue playing now.”

 Nobody seems to have the strength to respond. But they all stand up and make their way down the tunnel to the locker room while Kyle radios to the staff to forfeit, and block all media personnel from the Leafs’ sections of the building. When they’ve all dressed and make their way to the parking garage Zach is the first person to even say a word since Kyle told them.

 “Morgan, can you drive me home? I can’t really think straight.”

 He agrees and, and he’s not exactly wrong. At the moment everything is just noise, bright and blurry colours, and the cold air; he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between 60 km/h or 150 km/h, or a red light on an intersection with a car coming from the other direction. Not to mention the fact he couldn’t bring himself to drive in their car, knowing Willy would never be in the passenger seat again.

 When they get to Zach’s apartment, he fumbles with the keys to get the door open. But seeing their home, *his* home now, makes his stomach churn. He bolts nearly through the bathroom door and pukes his guts out in the toilet. Composing himself, he gets himself back up and washes his mouth out in the sink, as his mind becomes a tempest of emotions: anger, frustration, despair, guilt.

 As he looks in the mirror, the anger takes over and he punches the glass with his hand, cracking it, and drawing blood from his knuckles before he collapses against the wall, bending his legs towards him and crying. The sound of breaking glass had Mo rushing over to see what happened, only to see the shattered reflections, and his teammate in tears on the floor.

 “Hey, hey, it’s going to be okay,” he bends down and then notices the blood, “shit, we better fix that.”

 Having been to their place enough times, Mo knew his way around, and so he dug through the cabinet to find the first aid kit. First examining the hand, then grabbing the tweezers to pull out the remnant shards of glass. Switching to a piece of cloth and wetting it with alcohol, he cleans the wound. It draws a sharp, pained breath from Zach.

 “Sorry, I know this probably hurts like hell,” once it’s cleaned, he wraps it tightly.

 He manages to get Zach ready enough for bed and sits on the couch, figuring he should probably stay and keep an eye on him for a while. Meanwhile Zach tries to sleep, but his thoughts are racing. He’s gone. William. He’s gone. - I love you Zachy. That’s the last thing I ever heard him say… and I can’t ever hear his voice again, or see that smile of his, the deepness of his eyes, his- his- his fucking laugh that could brighten an entire room. - Why wasn’t I there… Why- why him? Why do bad things happen to good people? It- it should’ve been me, not him, never him. I- I can’t- I’ll never be able to feel his touch again, never be able to hold him- I- I-… his thoughts trail off, and he’s whisked away to sleep.

 In the morning the tears are gone. There aren’t any left. Period. In its wake is just emptiness. A void which can’t be filled. Mo had made breakfast for them by the time Zach got out of the bedroom. They eat in near silence, Mo tries several times to say something, but can’t find the right words to say. All he can think of is “I’m sorry,” which the only response he gets is Zach looking up at him before looking back at the food.

 That night, he tries drinking his problems away. Forget. Just forget. It works for a while, but it always comes flooding back in the morning. The time they visited Niagara Falls with the team, when they were on the Ferris wheel together, the first time they kissed literally during a game, moving in together when his lease on the last place ended, all their date nights, the stroke-- he stopped. What was the point if it was only temporary.

 The funeral services had been arranged by Tavey and Kyle, it was an extremely private ceremony, attended by teammates and the bereaved family. Zach was quite visibly a wreck, but no one was really much better. It had shaken up everyone, he was more important to everyone than they had even realized. Zach managed to speak in basic Swedish that he learned from Willy to his family. David [Pastrnak] also showed up to mourn, on the verge of quitting his career in hockey- he just lost one of his oldest friends.

 Within the week, a joint statement was released by Kyle and Keefe about the death, to a shocked nation. Everywhere, from Los Angeles to Halifax, or Vancouver to Miami, almost every major city in Canada was pouring in support and remembrance. Everywhere Zach went, he would see some calibre of remembrance on a poster, billboard, or bus- a constant reminder, He’s gone.

 Cigarettes was the next thing he tried, but to no avail. He had felt the exact same as before after one, and so he threw the rest back into a drawer to be forgotten.

 The team had taken nearly a month away from playing, but had gotten back to it. But it wasn’t the same. You lose a player they’re usually either traded or retired. Their place in the lineup or their stall in the locker room would be changed out, but they’d still be around, just not under the same colours. Not this time. No team would ever have him again. The players just keep moving forward, it’s all they can do, but the thought always lingers in the back of their minds.

 Mo didn’t intend to, but he effectively moved in with Zach until he thought it was fine for him to be alone, besides Gards would keep their place up until then. It never really improved though. Zach would just go through the motions. Get up, eat, practice, sleep. Get up, eat, play, sleep. Repeat. He could definitely still score, and help the team, but the celebrations never had the same feeling. There was always someone missing that would never come back, and be on the ice, be on the lineup. Life had started to lose it’s luster, and nothing changed that. Get up, eat, practice, sleep. Get up, eat, play, sleep. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

 Time didn’t seem to have a meaning anymore either. It could be seconds, days, weeks, or months, Zach couldn’t tell the difference. It was always the same cold, dark world that it was yesterday. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. He’s gone. He’s fucking gone.

 Was there any emotion left? No one knew. Everyone was consoling each other, but Mo, he didn’t know how to help. He’d never lost someone that close to him, Gards was there and waiting for him to come home. He did what he could, but even before starting to talk to a therapist he could see Zach was a husk of what he used to be. Everything was cold. Cold and dark, all of it a blur.

 Mo was already asleep on the couch, and Zach in bed when the city’s power grid failed and plunged the Greater Toronto Area into darkness. Zach walked out of the bedroom and through to the veranda, and sat on the railing. He looked up. Stars. It felt like eons since he last saw them. There’s something. A memory. Faint, but still there. Willy. When they both joined the Leafs in 2016, Zach was lost. It was a new place, new people, new everything. Willy was one of the first people he met. Willy had been to and from Toronto so many times as a kid with his father, he knew the area well. One of the first things they did together was drive out to a spot Willy would always go to. Since he was a kid, there was always this one place outside the city he would go to. It was a secluded little clearing where at night you could see the stars above. They had become friends quickly after that. It felt like centuries ago now though.

 Zach can’t feel anything anymore. He could be falling, but he doesn’t know. He swears he could hear someone calling his name, but it seems so far away and distorted. He doesn’t bother opening his eyes to check, everything is cold and dark, and the world around him is the same, there’s no point to. I love you Zachy. I love you too Willy. He feels like he hears that being said again, but it’s coming from everywhere, and nowhere. Then, nothing. Oddly, it becomes warm, warmth he hasn’t felt in who knows how long it’s been now. He feels something touch him. It’s familiar, yet completely foreign.

 “Zach.”

 Willy. Zach actually has the willpower to open his eyes now. Willy is pulling him up. He feels oddly weightless, and disorientated. He’s on the sidewalk. He tries to look behind to where he was but Willy holds his head with his hand and stops him.

 “Don’t.”

 He stops. By now he notices they’re both hovering off the ground.

 “Are we dead?”

 “Afraid so.”

 Willy moves over to the side of Zach and holds his hand as they both float away.

 “Where are we going?”

 “I don’t know, but I waited for you. Wherever it is, we’ll find out together.”

 “I love you honey.”

 “I love you too, forever and always.”

[pucking-rare]

pucking rare: former teammates (part two)

Lawson Crouse/Travis Konecny

retro love by lilcrickee

Technically, there’s nothing wrong with Philadelphia. They’ve been a good team for the last five years and have a plethora of draft picks that are developing well. They’re poised for a deep playoff run this year if everyone can stay healthy.

Removing technicalities, there is one thing wrong with Philadelphia. Or, rather, one person.

Noah Hanifin/Miles Wood

Miles High Club by ariadne83 

Noah and Miles had a Thing a couple years ago but that doesn't mean it carries over to college. Does it?

Alexandre Fortin/Jeremy Lauzon/Philippe Myers

I Think I Saw You In My Sleep (Darling) by love_stella 

“Am I dreaming,” Alex asks, once they’re all settled on his too-small bed.

“Nope, mon petit, we’re really here,” Phil says softly into his shoulder.

“And we aren’t leaving,” Jér promises.

Alex DeBrincat/Dylan Strome

it was always you and me either way by preciousthings 

He doesn’t want a boyfriend, but he told Connor he’d find one, and he isn’t about to let Worries McHeadache have satisfaction at the hands of Dylan’s failure to find a significant other on Tinder.

if i’m dreaming, baby (please don’t wake me up) by stonesnuggler 

“You know those moments when you’re running drills,” he says, suddenly, “and suddenly one thing goes, like, minorly haywire but it helps you to figure out the best way to do the thing?”

There’s worry in his tone, like he’s worried Alex won’t understand what he’s trying to say.

Of course she will. She’ll get it, because she gets him.

Still, Alex nods, says, “Yeah. What about them?”

“I think I just had one,” he says, slow and calculated, like he’s choosing his words very carefully.

Alex resists the urge to grab his hand, and instead takes a deep breath and says, “and it’s not about hockey.”

Dylan huffs a laugh, shaking his head as he looks down at his hands, then over at Alex. “Not entirely."

[Or: Alex and Dylan are best friends. That's it. That's all. Until it's not.]

Marcus Johansson/Evgeny Kuznetsov

come home to my heart by ghosthunter 

The Caps go to overtime. By the time their game is over, they’re on their way to Columbus to try and eliminate the Blue Jackets, and the Devils are eliminated and on their way back to New Jersey.

Mathew Barzal/Dante Fabbro

let your heart beat here by amaura 

Dante is thirteen the first time he understands what being in love feels like.

He’s expecting it to be grand, like it is in most of the movies he’s seen, but it’s different than anything he’s felt before. For one, he wasn’t expecting it at all. You’d think falling in love comes with a warning or something, but Dante found out the hard way that it didn’t.

felt this way for far too long by aimerai 

Mistletoe is not Mat's friend. It's not.

(It might be).

John Tavares/Mathew Barzal

Money changin’ colors like tie-dye by Mooresomore 

When he and John climbed into bed that night, Mat couldn’t help the “I love you” that slipped out. When John leaned over and gave Mat a goodnight kiss and said, “I love you too”, Mat knew he’d said the right thing.

Jack Eichel/Auston Matthews

running with the thieves by removedhergrace 

don’t answer

Sent 11:18pm, 4.25.18

meet me in phoenix.

Zach Hyman/Jason Zucker

my youth is yours by theshipstorulethemallwrites 

5 times the Leafs find out about Zach and his boyfriend and one time the world finds out about Zach and his husband

(or soft jewish boyfriends)

PUCKING RARE MASTERLIST

[daydreamingabouthockey]

New story coming soon

So I’ve written a new little imagine thing mainly about Zach Hyman and featuring a bit of side Nylander . Which I’ll probably post in the next few days as I just need to finish the last few details of it and quickly proof read it one last time.

[astrangesociety]

y’all i need some help

so my stupid ass was like ‘imagine the leafs as the breakfast club and like who would be who and write a fic about it! >:)’

well too bad for her cause we literally never finish the fics we start and suck at writing.

ANYWAYS i need help here.

the criminal (john bender): I HONESTLY CAN’T THINK OF SOMEONE

the princess (claire standish): it’s either mitch marner or william nylander and thats that

the brain (brian johnson): zach hyman. no comments needed. wait maybe alexander kerfoot. KERFY DID GO TO HARVARD :0

the athlete (andrew clark): not gonna lie could be auston or maybe like morgan rielly? maybe freddie?

the basket case (allison reynolds): it’s gotta be like auston matthews or frederik andersen.

vice principal (richard vernon): maybe like john tavares? idk i don’t wanna do my boy like that. jason spezza? fr cant do my babes dirty. OMG WE BRING BACK BABCOCK

the janitor (carl reed): it’s definitely like joe thorton, i can picture jumbo. WAIT OMG WAYNE AND JUMBO THE JANITOR BUDDIES #periodt

i mean if anyone wants to write this i won’t be mad 👀

[grittyreadsfic]

do u have fic recs that are relatively long? i’m going on a trip and need to kill a loooot of time. preferably no tknp if possible.

*cracks knuckles*

oh hell yeah i do-some of which are actually queued up to post soon, so normally i wouldn't include them since i try not to double rec but honestly they're all too good not to mention so!

i also recently did a long fic rec list but honestly i love to share my opinion (i'm also gonna spare you me rereccing my entire mcstrome rec list since i've been on a big kick for them lately, but the next next one, burn the straw house down, i've never been a natural (all i do is try try try) are all 35K-80k and incredible)

i think the shortest fic i specifically rec on here is maybe 32k, and the longest is 130k, and i tried to give you some variety of pairings, teams, and overall vibes, but i promise they're all great!

i'll know it at the hook by lotts is the ever iconic zach hyman/willy nylander enemies to benefits to boyfriends fic that i reread with an embarrassing frequency. there's also a very lovely podfic by annapods if you like audio formats (i'll also add that filtering their fics by word count gives you SO many phenomenal options, they're one of my favorite writers of all times and they have a handful of different pairings in fics that have at least 15-20k)

there was an old lady who lived in a shoe (series) by shoshanah-ben-hohim is a series, but you can honestly skip the shorter fics and just read the two bigs ones (like 70k and 130k each) if you're not vibing with them while traveling. it's sid/geno and alex galchenyuk/olli maatta, but it's about a handful of the russian players smuggling children out of the country for safety. it's some pretty heavy stuff, but honestly the best fics i've read, well, ever. if they're not your usual thing i really recommend you give them a try

slip under the tongue into translation by lighthousetowers is one of the all time best leon draisaitl/matthew tkachuk fics-the pacing and the evolution of their relationship is so perfectly executed and feels so organic, and it's as much of a love letter to language as it is a love story in general, and it's just so wonderful

here there be dragons by theundiagnosable is actually...not fic? it's orginally hockey fiction, so it's a calgary flames team made up of entirely ocs, but theundiagnosable is THE hrpf writer as far as i'm concerned, and the story is so so so wonderful, just a great look at found family and mental health and finding where you belong, and i really think it's worth the read

yours through endless time by symphony7inamajor ( @symphony7inamajor ) is a kyle connor/mark scheifele regency au that is just. so delightful and full of emotion and twists and everything that i, an avid fan of jane austen and historical romance, absolutely adore about the genre

sure thing by bitter_leaf ( @dylancozns ) is an absolute gem of a nate bastian/mikey mcleod fake dating au. the trope is a bit of a twist in it's execution, and it's just. everything good about fake dating, about friends to lovers, about miscommunication, it does perfectly and wonderfully, and i cannot stress enough how much i love it

the not so thrilling life of succulents by sheesusnat is the brock boeser/morgan reilly fwb fic you didn't know you needed. it's charming and fun and the author makes the pairing work in a way i never knew they could