#seth jarvis fic

[sydnikov]

Being Bold || S. Jarvis

Author: Sydney / @sydnikov

Pairing: Seth Jarvis / fem!Reader

Word Count: 7.4k

Summary: Seth has a crush on you. A bad one, and he makes it very obvious throughout the years he’s known you, though you’ve still never taken him seriously because of his immaturity and energetic personality. Much to his chagrin, you keep denying him—until one night, scorned by thoughts of your most recent ex who never knew how to touch you right, you give in to Seth’s advances.

Warnings: 18+ smut, unprotected p in v (birth control usage), oral (f receiving), very slight age gap (reader is 2 years older), alcohol mention, alcoholic consumption, minor mention of violence including blood, cursing

A/N: Wow. This one is something (it’s just smut with a small bit of plot don’t mind my dramatics). Here’s the jarvy debauchery as promised ✨ until the next, thanks for the support as always!

*Minors, you are responsible for your own media consumption. That being said, I will not block you for interacting with this fic or my blog, but always be aware of the content you choose to consume and the consequences it can have.

You’ve only seen Seth Jarvis as a kid.

Well, maybe ‘kid’ is too strong of a word to describe the immaturity gap. You’re only two years older than him, but it’s just that how he acts gives you the impression of a boy.

Not a man, but a boy. And it drives Seth absolutely insane.

He first meets you the year he joins the Hurricanes because you’re friends with the social media director (he later finds out you’re close to Lottie, Jesperi’s girlfriend, as well). He remembers the night vividly, what you were wearing, how soft your hand felt against the calluses on his own. How you looked at him, amusement and softness in the smile you flashed him.

Seth was smitten. Still is, actually, because you’re around more than ever. He sees you everywhere. After games, and even just around Raleigh because you live in the area.

He tries asking you out. Numerous times, but much to his chagrin you always turn him down.

“We just met, Seth.” A week after you first shake his hand.

“Don’t you have a girlfriend?” Well, he did. But, in his defense, he’d just broken up with her after he moved.

“I’m too old for you.” That one hurt, because that’s when he finds out you’re only two years older.

Seth is nothing if not persistent, though. He doesn’t give up even after all the rejections. He’s also pretty sure your reluctance is because you think he’s never touched a woman in his life.

Presumptuous, right? Andrei thinks so when Seth tells him after playing Call of Duty for several hours, but he recounts a conversation you had with Lottie (he still owes her and Jesperi a drink for that, actually) after Seth begged her to slide a good word in.

“You’re not into the mustache?” Lottie had giggled, taking a sip of her martini.

You were drinking a whiskey sour, which he knows because he bought it for you but had Lottie say it was from her. Your face burned red, either because of the alcohol or the question, he doesn’t know.

“No, no,” You laughed. “I like mustaches. And a nice stubble. They feel good on the thighs.”

“So what’s the problem? He’s in love with you, basically.”

“Isn’t he, like, I don’t know… Nineteen?” You had drawled, faking indifference while mixing around the olive in your drink with the little straw it came with.

“He’s twenty-two, babe.” She smirked. “Only two years younger.”

Lottie says she thinks you’re just wary of his immaturity. When he tries defending himself, Jesperi reminds him that he scored a goal the other night, pointed at you behind the glass where you sat with Lottie, and then proceeded to griddy.

Word on the street is that you weren’t impressed.

Nonetheless, Seth can’t change his personality for you, as much as he considers it. He thinks the sun rises and sets on you, but if you truly think you’re too good for him then he does have enough self respect to walk away and get over it.

But… He just doesn’t think that’s the case, here. You only seem reluctant—that’s it.

“You can’t force her to sleep with you, Jarvy.” Andrei tells him, breaking him out of his thoughts. 

“I know.” He groans, his chin falling into his hand. “What do I do, then?” And truly, he’s run out of ideas. He’s played silly, nice, gentleman… What else is there left for him to do, other than give up?

Seth thinks of your radiant smile, then groans to himself because fuck. He really doesn’t want to give up.

“Give her space?” Andrei suggests. “Have you tried, just… Going away?” He frowns for a moment, trying to think of the right words in English. “Not ‘going away’—”

“Space? You think she just needs space?”

“Well, not too much space—”

“Svechy you're a genius.” Seth interrupts, jumping out of his seat with renown vigor. “I’ll buy you a drink for this, remind me!” And then he’s springing up from the couch, grabbing his keys and sprinting out the front door.

Andrei blinks. Once, twice, then shakes his head with a laugh. He feels like he should warn you, then promptly decides this is not something he wants to get in the middle of.

Seth takes his teammate’s advice to heart, and gives you the space he thinks you need to process his zealous pursuit of you. He can tell it catches you off guard because he’s stopped following you around like a lost puppy, along with all of the antics normally associated with his creative flirting.

In fact, it’s such a sudden change from what you’re used to that it freaks you out. Hurts a little bit, too, because did he just wake up one day disgusted by the thought of you?

You tell yourself you’re disturbed because you miss the attention. It’s been a while since you’ve had a guy foam at the mouth for you, after all, so now that it’s gone you’re just going through withdrawals.

It’s more than that, though, and you won’t admit it to yourself but when you spy him chatting it up with other girls your stomach twists in a way that you know screams trouble.

Maybe it’s because you just ended things with your latest boyfriend - a bore of a man who couldn’t make time for you outside of his work - and the vulnerability of being alone yet again is getting to you.

Is Seth really so bad? You think about him sometimes, when you’re alone in your apartment or even right in front of him. You’ve always had a soft spot for him, sure, but nothing more than friendly affection.

You’re questioning this now, when his attention is no longer being directed at you, because you distinctly remember him getting into a fight with some other player on the ice, and that’s the first time you remember thinking man and not boy.

The team it was against escapes you, but you remember someone getting in Sebastian’s space with a raised arm, and then Seth came flying in with a fist to the opposing player’s face and a lot of colorful words. Your jaw had dropped as the referees tore them apart, his hair dripping with sweat and a cut welling with blood dripping down his forehead.

The moment forces you to think that maybe altogether, his energetic personality, a smile that never leaves his face, and the unwavering loyalty for his friends combined isn’t such a bad thing after all. The revelation leaves you shaking and feeling quite awkward when he’s around, or even just being brought up.

“Do you miss Scott?” Lottie asks you one day when you’re out for lunch at Perry’s - a steakhouse near her apartment in North Hills - referring to your aforementioned ex-boyfriend. Even his name is boring.

You laugh a little, unable to not roll your eyes though your ire isn’t directed at her. “No. I knew it wasn’t going to last when I got into it, anyways.”

“It’s been about two weeks since you broke up with him.” She says, a statement rather than a question. The look on her face tells you she’s trying to go somewhere with this. “Has anyone caught your eye lately? You’re too pretty to be single, you know.”

It’s obvious that Lottie is trying to ask if you’ve reconsidered Seth at all. It’s been the talk of your whole friend group, including the guys, that he’s suddenly stopped in his bold pursuit of you, though none of them think it’s because he’s lost interest.

“I don’t know.” You whine, begrudgingly stabbing a piece of potato with your fork. “I mean, he’s… Seth.”

“Seth, who has spent his entire time on the Hurricanes trying to win you over?” She says with a raised brow. “Just because he’s had his fun doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy.”

You don’t have a response to that, so instead you just nod. She is right, as much as you hate to admit it. Seth is a successful professional hockey player in his prime, of course he’s been with his fair share of women and will continue to do so as long as he’s single.

If that was your case you’d certainly be having fun, too.

“If his casualness towards dating really bothers you, you should just talk to him.” Lottie says after a moment. “He’s dying for you to speak to him, I swear it.”

You concede. “I’ll talk to him the next time I see him.”

Fortunately for you, that ‘next time’ doesn’t happen for quite a few more weeks, and when you do finally run into him again it’s when you’re slightly tipsy, drinking at a bar near to PNC Arena after the boys have won a game.

You don’t even take note of his presence at first, in the middle of gossiping with some of your friends who just so happen to know the players.

The gossip? Your ex-boyfriend, Scott, and his inability to make you come.

“I mean, he wasn’t bad or anything.” You say. “He had all the knowledge and stuff, just, like, couldn’t do anything. Y’know?” You’re slurring your words a little bit, but everyone around you nods like you’re making some big, important speech.

“So did you have to fake it?” Someone asks. You can’t even remember how Scott was brought up in the first place.

You giggle; you can’t help it. “Oh my god, yes, sometimes it was so bad I had to say I was cramping just to get him to stop trying.” That sends everyone into boisterous laughter, and in your slight drunkenness you can’t help but join in.

The song changes then, and it must be one everyone knows because it scatters you and the rest of the girls into smaller groups, some running to the dance floor while others wander back to the bar. You stay seated, however, content to watch as you sip your drink.

“Whiskey sour?” That’s when Seth makes his presence known. His voice murmured in your ear catches you off guard, and you jump a little as you turn to face him. “Seth.” You greet, not unkindly. “Yeah, but it’s only my second.”

Just as soon as he appeared, he’s jumping back up from his seat next to you. “I’ll get you a third.” You don’t have time to protest as he disappears, and your affection for this rambunctious man only continues to grow as he bounds back moments later, sliding you your drink with a smug grin.

“Thank you.” You smile, a little shy, a little bashful, as you take your first sip. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Anything for my girl.” Ah, there it is. You’re unable to hide the obvious roll of your eyes, but Seth’s smile doesn’t waver. “Not your girl, Seth. Just got out of a relationship, remember?”

“Oh, yeah.” He says. “Scott, right? Sounds like that was doomed from the start.”

You narrow your eyes, unsure of the knowing tone he’s taken on. “And how would you know?”

“He couldn’t make you come, yeah? What a tool.”

Suddenly, your throat is very dry, and you’re taking a very large sip of whiskey that has you wincing. So… He heard you say that, then. Is it hot in here? You have the sudden urge to fan yourself. Fuck fuck fuck. Seth, of all people, should not be making your thighs clench.

You don’t realize how silent you’ve gotten until he speaks up again. “I could make you, you know.”

That has you choking, and you quickly throw back the rest of your drink to soothe your throat. “What?” When you finally meet Seth’s eyes, he’s still grinning at you, though it’s more carnal. His eyes darken as he responds.

“Come. I could get you to come so hard you wouldn’t be able to walk the next day.”

Your reply is meek, knowing deep down inside you’re fighting a losing battle. “Have you even touched a girl before?” He scoffs, and you know as well as he does that he’s been with his fair share of women. It’s one of the reasons you’re so hesitant to take him seriously.

Seth is undeterred, though, as he slides even closer to you. You stare straight ahead, determined not to meet his eyes even though you’re positive there’s a red flush creeping up your neck as his breath tickles your ear.

He says your name, a low purr that’s almost mocking like he can see right through your bullshit because finally, he’s breaking through to you. “You know I have. None of them are you, though.”

You squirm in your seat as his hand creeps up your shoulders, grasping the back of your neck as he gently turns your head to face him. He squeezes reassuringly, and now you’re melting into his embrace as a gasp falls from your lips.

“I want you. You know that, baby.”

“Seth…”

“Let me show you, please?” Then those warm eyes are bearing into your own, and now you’re getting a glimpse of the boy you first met all over again. This time, though, instead of feeling innocent affection all you feel now is heat.

You were stupid to think the adoration he never hesitates to show for you wouldn’t win you over eventually.

Blinking owlishly, you move one of your hands to grip his arm, looking so dainty against the rugged muscle under his skin, and, well. You cave.

“Okay.”

Seth doesn’t expect you to give in so easily. He freezes, doesn’t move until you gain your wits back and pinch his thigh with a gentle roll of your eyes. “Are you just going to sit there or should I find someone else to entertain me?”

That gets him moving. It’s his turn to look anxious as he runs a hand through his hair, still processing the fact that he didn’t have to convince you more. He wasn’t actually expecting to get this far with you—quite literally, the woman of his dreams.

“Shit, okay.” He laughs, jumping out of his seat and lacing his fingers with yours. “You’re serious, then.”

“Somehow.” You deadpan. Somehow your legs are still clenching and your heart is beating a little too fast to be normal. “Don’t fuck it up.”

He looks to you, a little terrified, and you can’t help but break the irritated front and send him a small smile, squeezing his hand reassuringly even as your words are all snark. Truthfully, you’re also scared, but not of the sex, but rather the developing feelings that might grow deeper afterwards.

You just got out of yet another disappointing relationship. You don’t want whatever this is with Seth to end with the same result.

He does a good job of distracting you from your destructive thoughts, though, as he pulls you out of the bar like two teenagers trying to sneak away from their parents. You suppose it’s not unlike that same feeling because Jesperi catches your eye as you exit the doors, and he sends you such a shit-eating grin it has you ducking your head to avoid his obnoxious stare.

You suppose you do owe him a favor now after all.

For the first time ever, standing outside in the biting cold, Seth kisses you as you’re waiting for an Uber. You being busy trying to look like you’re not about to go hook up, he suddenly grabs you by the waist and smooths his lips against yours so good your toes curl.

“Fuck.” He murmurs into your mouth. “I can’t get enough of you.” His teeth catch your bottom lip, and you unabashedly moan. You run your hands up his chest, around his shoulders, and to the back of his neck where you card your fingers through thick strands of hair, tugging from the roots.

“Seth…” You gasp when he detaches his lips from your own only for him to smooth down your jawline, then down to your neck where he sucks wet kisses into your sensitive skin. “Fuck, we’re in public.” With a hiss, you pull him away from your neck and pointedly ignore the wetness in your panties when he groans at the loss of contact.

He looks at you like a baby getting its favorite toy taken away, and you can’t ignore how his desperation turns you on wildly. It takes everything in you to not let him go back to feasting on your neck.

“When’s the Uber getting here?” You ask after a moment. You’re both panting, tipsy from the taste of each other’s lips as you try to catch your breath.

Seth pulls out his phone, and as you admire the way the light illuminates his face you completely miss the words coming from his mouth.

You flush. “Say that again?” Seth grins wickedly, brings you in by the back of your neck and kisses you, then pulls away too soon for your liking. “The Uber. It’s right here.” He then wraps an arm around your waist, digging his fingers deliciously into your skin, and leads you into the Uber as it arrives right on time.

He rattles off his address to the driver, then settles back into the seats. His arm snakes around your shoulders, and you hum your appreciation as you sink into his chest. You feel him kiss the top of your head in response.

You could fall asleep, if you really wanted to. The sudden switch in mood from carnal desperation to gentle affection would give you whiplash if you weren’t so at ease resting against him like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

The drive passes fairly quickly, and Seth doesn’t stop touching you as you make your way up the elevator to his apartment. His hand sneaks to your ass, giving it a squeeze before you slap his arm away.

“Cameras!” You hiss, though it’s with little mirth as a small smile curves up your lips. Seth merely laughs, slides his hand back down to rest on your lower back. “They don’t care. Now c’mere.”

You make out until you can’t breathe, and as you pull away it’s just in time as the elevator doors open. Your heart rate picks up, and you hide your nerves as he grabs your hand and practically sprints out of the elevator with you.

“We have all night, you know.” You giggle, absentmindedly rubbing your thumb over the top of his hand. Seth groans playfully, but his words strike you as serious even as he masks it with a grin.

“Not long enough, babe.”

You don’t respond, partly because you don’t know how to and partly because he’s just unlocked his door, and you’re too busy taking in his apartment. You’ve been to Andrei’s house numerous times, Jesperi and Lottie's apartment, Jordan’s for his famous house parties… It’s just now that you’re realizing you don’t actually know Seth all that well.

What you do know, though, is that he’s eyeing you like he can’t wait to devour you, and the reminder that you don’t even know his favorite color exits your mind as you sidle up to his chest, grabbing him by the lapels of his suit to drag his lips down to yours.

“Time to impress me, lover boy.” You hum into his mouth, fighting a shiver when he nips at your bottom lip. Seth chuckles, one of his hands sliding down your back to squeeze your ass, the other tugging your hair back to expose your neck.

He kisses your cheek once, twice, mouths at your collarbone with teasing bites that have your eyes fluttering shut, and then it’s like he loses patience as suddenly his hands are picking you up by your thighs and curling your legs around his waist.

You squeak in surprise. “Seth!” You admonish, because of course it turns you on that he’s able to throw you around effortlessly. He seems to have that effect on you.

Seth maneuvers the two of you through his darkened apartment with ease, knowing the route to his bedroom like the back of his hand. Your attempts at distracting him include sucking a bright red hickey on his neck, fully intending it for it to be bright enough that his teammates give him hell for it the next day.

Once he pushes open the door with his foot, he brings you to the foot of his bed and unceremoniously drops you. You scoff with indignation at his manhandling, though you know he knows you like it if the smirk on his face is anything to go by.

A tiger stalking its prey, Seth crawls on top of you and meets your eager lips in another kiss. His hands smooth down the curves of your hips to your thighs, slowly spreading them open. He mumbles something, and you miss it completely.

“Hm?” You run your hands through his hair, enjoying the way the black strands are moussed from your touch. Your shirt is also already halfway up your torso as he helps you tear it off. “I said I’ll wear your marks proudly. My girl.” He coos, flicking open the clasp of your bra and immediately moving down to your chest.

“Fuck.” He groans. “They’re beautiful. You’re beautiful.”  Your laugh quickly turns to a gasp as he sucks your right nipple into his mouth.

Your other nipple is taken by his fore-finger and thumb, rolling the sensitive nub between the calloused pads. Between him sucking on one tit and playing with the other, you’re practically a whimpering mess, trying to simultaneously wiggle out of his grip yet get closer at the same time.

“Seth,” You whine. “I need you.” You’re admitting it openly, foregoing coyness in favor of your own pleasure. Yeah, so what? You like this overgrown puppy of a man, and you really want to fuck him. Pulling his head back by his hair, you eagerly slam your lips back together.

“Need me?” He grins against your lips. “Where do you need me? Gotta be specific, babe, because I can be here,” He emphasizes a quick squeeze to your tit. “Here,” The other hand smooths over your ass. “Or here...” He trails off into a low rumble, parting your eager thighs.

Based on the tortured groan he lets out, you assume he can probably feel the wetness that’s soaked through your jeans. You’re too turned on to be embarrassed, though.

“Damn it, Seth, just touch me.” You hiss, keeping his hand pressed between your thighs while the other is already working open the button of your jeans. “Fucking tease.” You mutter, though it’s light-hearted and he knows it based on his snicker.

He helps you peel off the rest of your jeans, throwing them somewhere behind you. It’ll be fun trying to hunt for those in the morning. When he sees the dainty white lace covering your pussy, he lets out his most needy sound yet.

“Shit.” He breathes. “Wore these for me? So pretty. My pretty baby.” He murmurs as he thumbs the lace, running two fingers over the soaked fabric. If you could see, you’d guarantee his pupils are blown wide.

Your hips rise at the friction, wanting more. And because you’re still hellbent on resisting him, apparently, you roll your eyes, spitting out your next words. “You knew I was coming home with you, didn’t you? Asshole.” Though your words are all snark, your tone screams laughter.

Strangely enough, the banter gets you off more than any dirty talk in the world. It’s familiar, relaxing, and Seth clearly doesn’t mind either as he merely chuckles. “I just know you that well, don't I?” The look on his face offers no room for argument.

And, well, you suppose he isn’t wrong. You are here in his bed at the end of the day, right?

You grumble something that to his ears sounds like ‘shut up’ and then you’re sliding your panties down your thighs, letting him take care of the rest as, like your other clothes, he tosses them somewhere behind him.

If you thought the sight of your covered pussy would get the best reaction from him, it’s nothing compared to the way his entire body freezes at seeing it bare.

You’d had a feeling something big was going to happen after Lottie's sly words, so you took the liberty of shaving everywhere just two nights before. You’re glad for that, as Seth is looking at the heat between your legs like he doesn’t know where to start.

Teasing him in a normal setting about not knowing how to touch a woman is one thing, but making a remark now as anxious anticipation is all over his face just feels wrong.

You do like him, after all—quite a bit, you’re coming to find.

Reaching out your hand, you wait for him to grasp it before you pull him down to hover over your awaiting form. “C’mere, baby.” The pet-name slips without thought, but you can’t make yourself regret it because the way his face lights up is a look you won’t forget any time soon.

He laughs a little as your eyes finally meet, like he can’t believe he’s actually about to fuck you and you’re going to let him. “Tell me how to touch you?” He asks, not a demand but more of a request.

Taking his right hand, you lead him down the length of your body, over your breasts and down your stomach until your hands are resting just below your navel. “You know how to find the clit?” You tease, partly joking and partly serious.

Seth scoffs like the very thought offends him, and the mild dig does its job of making him forget his earlier nervousness.

“Of course I know where the fucking clit is,” He replies, pointer and middle finger already sliding down and gathering the slickness lathered in your lower lips. “Scott is such a dumbass.”

Well, it seems the familiar, cocky Seth is back now.

“...didn’t even realize what a bombshell he had right in front of him.” You miss the first part of his sentence because he did, in fact, find your clit, and unlike your ex, knows exactly how to touch it.

Your mouth opens into an ‘o’, and Seth hums a pleased noise as his fingers work your sensitive clit into a swollen, throbbing mess. Your hips move in time with the flicks of his fingers and you don’t even realize you’re panting until Seth leans forward and licks a stripe all the way from your navel down to your soaked opening.

When you start bucking into his mouth, he grabs your hips and holds them down to the bed, forcing you to take it. You whine, hands finding purchase in his hair as his tongue laps at you like you’re his favorite meal. He dips into your entrance in time with the quick circles he’s drawing over your clit, and oh, suddenly you’re much closer than you thought.

“Tastes so good.” You hear him grunt. “Can’t get enough of you.”

“Seth,” Gasping, you can’t decide if you want to keep him close or shove him away. “Shit. Seth, fuck, I’m close.”

“Yeah? Already?” Your confession only seems to reinvigorate his efforts, and the next thing you know two long fingers are sliding their way into your cunt. “Gonna come for me?”

Quicker than you expect he finds the sensitive wall of flesh inside you, and his fingers curl up against it which sends you keening. Loudly. You slap a hand over your mouth, but Seth quickly tears it away.

“Nobody here but me and you.” He grins, and just to rub it in, presses a hot kiss to your clit. “I wanna hear you scream.”

“What a gentleman.” You manage to squeeze out, and in revenge for your snark he immediately sucks your clit between his lips and rapidly curls his fingers inside you.

Seth watches with hooded eyes as your own squeeze shut, teeth biting into your kiss-swollen lips while your hands tug at his hair. Your thighs are shaking on each side of his head, and suddenly he wants you to come for him like his life depends on it.

“You gonna come?” He asks. Your walls clamp around his fingers and he knows you’re close. “Yeah? Can you come for me? I know you want to.”

Your entire body shakes all while he keeps you tethered to the bed. Your mind, though, is floating, and you can practically see white as his lips don’t stop sucking, his fingers don’t stop curling, and it’s too much but also not enough and you want to shove him away yet demand he never stops touching you.

And your high is right there, you can practically taste it, but your body is wound so tight and you can’t remember the last time you’ve let go that you remain stuck right on the edge.

There are tears leaking from the corners of your eyes as you tug at his hair. Seth meets your eyes, looks a little concerned after reading the desperation on your face, and then understands when a broken moan tumbles past your lips.

Seth, a little shit as always, brings you back to the edge with his words alone. “It’s been so long, hasn’t it?” He slips in a third finger. “Bet you haven’t had anyone make you feel like this. Just me. Hopefully always me.”

“Seth,” You croak. “Please.”

“I’ve got you.” He urges. “Let go for me. You’re right there, I know it. You’re so tight, fuck, there you go.”

His mocking words echo in your mind with the low drawl of his voice, dark eyes staring at you like you’re a feast, and his damn fingers curling just right against your spongy wall.

His free hand suddenly moves, presses down over your lower abdomen, and oh. “Such a good girl.” Seth croons as you fall apart.

It’s the last thing you hear as your vision goes white, and the heat in your body explodes with wave after wave of ecstasy pumping from the tips of your toes all the way to the hair on your head. Your eyes squeeze shut, and you’re pretty sure you’re making some sort of strangled noise as you ride your high that seems to go on forever.

By the time you come back, your legs are still shaking and Seth is still gently stroking your inner walls with careful circles around your clit. He's my gazing up at you with pure, unbridled adoration and the emotion in his eyes makes your heart thump.

You don’t even realize your fingers are still tangled in his hair until you have to let go because they’re cramping, and then Seth finally removes his fingers and slowly crawls back up your body.

You’re still catching your breath when he presses a long, soft kiss to your lips. “How was that?” He questions almost shyly. His need for reassurance might have had a past you rolling your eyes, but right now all you want to do is hold him and thank him for making you feel so good.

Especially after Scott. Asshole.

You shudder, clit still throbbing as you wrap your arms around his heavy shoulders and bring his weight down on top of you. His very hard cock brushes against your hip with the movement, and you’re reminded that he hasn’t had any semblance of relief yet.

“Thank you.” You whisper. It’s definitely weird to thank someone after they eat you out, right? Probably, but you don’t really care.

His lips brush against your cheek in response, heart swelling at the gentle vulnerability you’re showing him. He’s planning on running to the bathroom to get you a towel, but freezes when he feels your hands peeling off the suit he totally forgot he was wearing.

“Babe?” He mumbles, a little confusingly, but all you do is kiss him and that shuts him up. He doesn’t break contact even as he shrugs off the rest of his suit, peeling off his undershirt until he’s more than halfway bare. Your hands carve lines over the hard planes of muscle on his chest, scratching lightly with your nails over his nipples which has him flinching into your mouth. Snickering, you make your way down the rest of his chest, past his waist, under his boxers, and then you’re wrapping your hand around his hot, pulsating dick.

Seth groans, almost collapsing on top of you as you squeeze lightly. It’s a dream come true, him touching you and now you touching him. He wants to close his eyes at the feeling of your gentle strokes, but he insists on keeping them open to watch the enraptured look on your face.

Then your other hand moves, unbuttoning his slacks and sliding them over his hips and that’s when he jerks back to the present. “Sweetheart,” He gasps. “You… You don’t have to.”

You smile at his breathlessness. “You don’t want to fuck me?” You pout, though it quickly turns back into a grin when his eyes widen in panic. Another day you’d blow him, when you aren’t so desperate to get him inside you.

Seth briefly removed himself from on top of you to lean over his bed, rifling through his nightstand drawer. You assume he’s looking for a condom and that his efforts fail when he eventually closes the drawer with a curse.

He looks back to you, all messy hair, swollen lips, and glistening eyes. “I don’t have a condom.” He informs regretfully.

“I’m on the pill, if you’re…” You trail off, unsure. “If you’re okay with that. And I’m clean.”

“Hell yes I’m okay with that.” He breathes. His cock hardens even more at the thought of feeling you raw, if even possible. “I’m clean too.” And then he’s kissing you again, long and slow and deep, and you’re happy to let him take the lead as your brain is still trying to play catch-up from your orgasm.

Seth eventually breaks away only to reattach to your neck, nipping at the skin likely already covered in his marks, hands now making their way back down your body. He playfully flicks your nipple as he does so, grins when you flinch upwards.

“Have I told you how much I love your body?” He says in-between kisses, almost like an afterthought. He’s in the middle of spreading your thighs open, fingers slipping through your leftover wetness and brushing your clit when you respond.

You help in his endeavors, raising your legs to curl over his hips as he situates himself on top of you. “You’ve mentioned it a few times, I think.” You reply, breath hitching when his cock presses against you.

“It’s perfect.” He continues, like he didn’t even hear you. “You’re perfect.” He wraps his hand around his dick, guides the head to your entrance and pushes in. All words escape you, and your head falls back with a moan.

He sinks into you with a pleasurable sound of his own, eyes squeezing shut as your warmth envelops him. Sucking in a breath through his teeth, he thrusts slowly into you, bottoming out. “So tight.” He hisses.

“Oh, fuck,” You whimper, digging your nails into his back. Seth stills, thinking he's hurting you. “Shit, am I—”

“Don’t you dare stop.” You quickly interrupt, crying out when his tip rubs against your sensitive inner walls just right. Seth relaxes at your words, a cocky grin spreading over his face. “Sorry, sorry.” He chuckles, picking up the speed of his thrusts.

Like before when his tongue was in you, it doesn’t take you long before noises are escaping your throat uncontrollably or for your legs to tremble from where they’re wrapped around his waist. The sensations are more because you’re already so sensitive, so strung-up, and so eager for another release that you give up any pretenses of trying to play cool.

Your head lolls back onto the bed, all strength leaving your body as Seth happily does all the work on top. Quick, short pants are coming from his mouth, and his chest is heavy where it presses down against yours. With every thrust his pelvis is rocking into your clit, sending sparks up your body as you clench rhythmically around his cock. It’s burning you from the inside-out in the best way possible, and very quickly you’re already approaching the edge.

You try to express your impending release, but all that’s able to come from your mouth is one long moan. Seth, somehow, knows exactly what that noise means, and is suddenly pulling out. “What the fuck?” You practically shout with indignation, glaring at the man on top of you with squinted eyes.

Ever the comedian, he only laughs at your irritation. “Hold on, bear with me.” His hands grab your waist, then rolls you over onto your stomach. He raises your hips, pushing down on your lower back into an arch, and all previous complaints leave you as he’s unable to help himself and runs his hands over your ass.

You’ll think later on why him being unfazed with your attitude makes your heart warm.

“Spread your legs for me.” He murmurs, tapping at the junction between your thighs. You do as he says, and shiver when his fingers go to part your cunt once you’re open. You can’t see his face, but imagine the look on it to be one of enrapturement. You turn your head finally, pressing your hips down onto his hand where it remains touching you.

Your earlier guess was right; his pupils are blown wide, jaw hung open just a little bit at having this view of you from behind. Meeting his eyes, you stare imploringly.

While the sudden need for him scares you, you don’t shy away. Rather, you meet his desires head-on in the form of pushing your hips back against him when he finally pushes in, smothering a whimper as his body looms over yours.

Neither of you talk in favor of letting your pleasure speak for you. The new position feels more intimate, oddly enough; his chest presses onto you from every angle, and you can feel his breath every time he pants into your ear. At the same time his arms are wrapped around your waist, hands kneading at the flesh of your hips while he thrusts into you from behind.

All too soon you’re reaching your peak just like before, and the buildup feels so sweet because he’s hitting you deeper, unrelenting in his thrusts despite how your arms collapse from underneath you. Seth doesn’t flinch, merely picks you back up and presses a hand to your abdomen to keep you there.

With your arms free, you realize that your clit is feeling neglected, and as you sneak your right hand in-between your legs he’s suddenly beating you to it, slapping your own hand away and replacing it with his own.

When it’s all said and done, you don’t think you’ll ever forget the feeling of his fingers circling your sensitive nub so deliciously. Between his dick rutting into your sweet spot mercilessly and the rough pads of fingers stimulating your clit, your eyes are slamming shut with your mouth opening in a silent scream as for the second time that night, Seth is sending you into release.

He carries you through it with noncommittal praise while you’re lost in white noise and starry vision. The sight of you crumbling beneath him sends sparks throughout his body, and it doesn’t take long between the rhythmic clenching of your cunt and the pleasured sounds falling from your lips for him to flood your insides with his cum.

“Oh, fuck—fuck, fuck, fuck.” Seth loses any semblance of restraint of trying to be gentle, as his last thrusts rattle your frame and have you whimpering by the time he’s done releasing, your overstimulated clit throbbing in time with the slow rocks of your calming bodies. “So good. You did so good, yeah?” Seth is rumbling into your ear, voice hoarse and tired as he carefully slides out of you. Eyes still closed, you flinch at your sensitivity. “Sorry, babe.” He whispers, having to regroup for a moment as his softening cock meets cool air after being buried inside you.

You attempt to speak, but the only sound that leaves your mouth is a groan as your aching limbs stretch. You don’t bother opening your eyes yet, either, perfectly content to lay in your post-orgasmic pleasure and not think about the future.

Seth doesn’t let you wallow for long, however, as he’s suddenly leaning over you again. “Can you turn over? I have a towel, it’s warm.” He asks, back to shy and unsure. Now that you’re not caught up in the throes of sex, he’s not quite sure how you’re going to act. “You also need to go pee.”

Your default moods of snarky and mildly irritated is what he gets. “No.” You grumble, though it’s not mean as you bury your head in his pillow, still flat on your stomach. Having no energy to move, you don’t expect Seth to do anything about it, either.

He raises a brow at your sass, not quite sure if he should be relieved or concerned. Huffing, he makes a grab for your hips. “Guess I’m carrying you to the bathroom, then.”

“Seth!” You shriek as he attempts to manhandle you, a burst of energy fueling your efforts in trying to get away. “You little shit, no, fine, fine!” And Seth wins just like that, as you concede the battle and roll from your stomach onto your back. You glare as he leans over your torso, bringing the towel down to clean up the mess in-between your thighs.

His confidence comes back, little by little, as the banter returns naturally and your dynamic doesn’t change despite indulging in your bodies’ most primal desires. “You’ll thank me in the morning.” He grins when he finishes, sliding off the bed to bring it back to the bathroom. You follow, doing your business so quickly you leave before he’s done with his own.

When he comes back you’re in the same position he left you in, like you never left. “So I’m staying the night, then?” You prompt as he goes to sit next to you, a little teasing, a little serious. Where do you stand with him now?

He shrugs, masking his nervousness. “If you want to.” He sinks his teeth into his lip, eyeing you from where he sits. He can’t tell what you’re thinking, and it slightly unnerves him.

Your mysteriousness is also what captivated him about you in the first place too, though. With that, he realizes he wouldn’t have gotten this far if you hadn’t liked him at least a little bit. Taking a deep breath, he takes the bold route, grabs your hand, and does what he does best:

Be bold.

“I want you to stay though, like, really badly.” He admits, meeting your curious eyes. You suck in a breath at his words, and Seth continues. “You know I like you. A lot. And I think you like me too.”

As if knowing he’s waiting for your reassurance, you reply quietly. “A little presumptuous of you, yeah?”

Seth grins, and you can’t help but wonder how you were able to resist it for so long.

“So… You’ll stay?” He tilts his head, reminding you of a puppy. You go to respond, maybe with another sarcastic reply, and he seems to know this even before you do. “Please?”

And, well, you can’t deny him when he’s looking at you like that; soft, brown eyes full of adoration gazing at you like you’ve hung the stars and the moon. “Okay.” You relent, grinning happily as he mouths something like ‘fuck yeah’ and rolls over next to you.

“Do you want to shower?” He suddenly asks, after you’ve already curled underneath his sheets with your body pressed against his. He makes a nice furnace, and you’re mad at yourself for not indulging in him sooner. “Because I have a big one. It has these jets that spray from different angles, and you can go alone or I can join or—”

“Seth.” You interrupt, poking his chest to get his attention. He gulps at the amused expression on your face. “Stop talking.”

“Okay.”

It’s silent for several minutes, and you’re almost asleep until he speaks up again.

“Can I be your boyfriend now?”

“Oh my god.” You hiss. “If I say yes will you let me go to sleep?”

You can’t see his face but you know for a fact there’s a stupid grin on it. “You know, I think you’re gonna fall in love with me one day.”

“Keep dreaming, babe.” You say.

But you both know he won’t be dreaming for long.

A/N: I like this one a lot tbh. But my lord I didn't realize how repetitive writing smut is so I need to have at least a little plot established before I can just jump into it 😭 regardless, I hope this is everything y’all wanted in terms of me writing for him and more! Please be sure to reblog and comment, thank youuuuu

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#seth jarvis #seth jarvis imagine #seth jarvis fic #seth jarvis fanfiction #seth jarvis x reader #seth jarvis imagines #carolina hurricanes #carolina hurricanes imagine #carolina hurricanes imagines #carolina hurricanes fic #carolina hurricanes x reader #hurricanes #hurricanes imagine #canes lb #nhl hockey #nhl fanfiction #nhl fic #nhl imagine #nhl imagines #nhl writing #writing #fanfiction #'being bold'

[goodnightoilcountry]

jo's nhl fic rec list !

hi - welcome to my attempt at being a fic writer again. i have a wip list in the works but first things first: my fic rec list of all the works i've found and adored.

if you don't know yet, you will know soon that i am such a sucker for angst. i hope you find something new to love from the list below !

i will aim to update this weekly with new additions have NEW tagged next to it. additionally, if any fics become archived / deleted i will also tag it as such.

* updated thursday 25 april 2024 *

weekly note: so, i've sadly had to remove summaries of each fic to make way for new fics. i'm going to think of a solution to work around this, but whatever i do, this will still remain the masterlist for my fic recs!

like my selection of fic recs? have a player who's not been featured? let me know and i'll go on a deep dive for you!

ANAHEIM DUCKS

better man (trevor zegras) by @starry-hughes

hard to forget (trevor zegras) by @hockey-fics

something about the sunshine (trevor zegras) by @huggybug word count: 3k

last night in anaheim (trevor zegras) by @itsjusthockey word count: 2.3k

CAROLINA CANES

do i really have to tell you (brady skjei) by @senditcolton

this is how it ends (sebastian aho) by @silverstonesainz-archive

i could love you with my eyes closed (sebastian aho) by @matthewtkachuk

finish line (sebastian aho) by @silverstonesainz-archive

lover boy (seth jarvis) by @sydnikov

being bold (seth jarvis) by @sydnikov

9PM in Vancouver (andrei svechnikov) by @thewintersoldierdisaster

in five (andrei svechnikov) by @sydnikov

NEW - sunkissed: pt 1, pt 2 & pt 3 (andrei svechnikov) by @sydnikov

NEW - all the pretty girls (pyotr kotchetkov) by @unluckyhoneybee

COLORADO AVS

summers back home (nathan mackinnon) by @happer08

crushes with beefcake (nathan mackinnon) by @ohmyeyesmyeyes

i didn't have it in myself to go with grace (nathan mackinnon) by @mattyanonwrites

monday morning (nathan mackinnon) by @matthewtkachuk

colorado (for the first time) (nathan mackinnon) by @withwritersblock

FLORIDA PANTHERS

subtle (matthew tkachuk) by @hockey-hoe-24-7 word count: 3.1k

you say you hate me (matthew tkachuk) by @pucksnsticksnhockeyboys

all for you (4 times you tried to tell Brady you loved him, and one time matty did it for you): pt 1, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4 & pt 5 (matthew tkachuk) by @comphersjost

4 times you fake a relationship + 1 time you didn't (matthew tkachuk) by @hockeywhy

4 times you didn;t find the one + 1 time you did (matthew tkachuk) by @hockeywhy

homecoming (matthew tkachuk) by @doc-pickles

NEW JERSEY DEVS

gin, tonic, and tequila shots (jack hughes) by @hockey-fics

stay the night (jack hughes) by @eyesthatroll

everybody wants you, but i don't like a gold rush (jack hughes) by @sunkissed-zegras

invisible string (luke hughes) by @hugshughes

tidal wave (luke hughes) by @babydollmarauders

drops of jupiter: pt 1 & pt 2 (jack hughes) by @youunravelme

breakable heaven series: pt 1, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4 & pt 5 (jack hughes) by @chewingcyanide

hey, i can be your boyfriend (nico hischier) by @theemporium

second best (jack hughes) by @chewingcyanideA

my heart's racing, and it isn't the exercise (luke hughes) by @sunnyskiesscareme

head start (jack hughes) by @youunravelme

first rule of fight club (jack hughes) by @thatintrovertedwriter

valentines (nico hischier) by @hischierdevils

reaching out (jack hughes) by @bedsyandco

clumsy (jack hughes) by @babydollmarauders

a walk down memory lane (jack hughes) by @letsgetrowdy43

lover of mine (nico hischier) by @ohmyeyesmyeyes

you're not the one (nico hischier) by @ladylooch

moth to a flame (jack hughes & trevor zegras) by @itsjusthockey

when the party's finally over: pt 1 & pt2 (jack hughes) by @itsjusthockey

NEW - off limits: pt 1 & pt 2 (nico hischier) by @hischierhoney

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

five times everyone knew mat loved you & the one time mat realized himself (mathew barzal) by @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69

bad luck charm (mathew barzal) by @matwith1t

show you (mathew barzal) by @islesnucks

to all the girls you've loved before: pt 1, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6 (mathew barzal) by @youunravelme

the word wing-woman (mathew barzal) by @youunravelme

this is how you fall in love (mathew barzal) by @youunravelme

it's nice to have a friend (mathew barzal) by @youunravelme

we've come so far baby (mathew barzal) by @mendeshoney

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

cause i'm not ready (auston matthews) by @misshoneyimhome

3 times people asked you if you an auston were together + 1 time you finally are? (auston matthews) by @bedsyandco

we're parents? like actually parents? (auston matthews) by @austonwithan-o

moth to a flame (auston matthews ft mitch marner) by @marnerparty

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

lucky (quinn hughes) by @43-hugs

4 times everyone else caught on before the 1 time you and quinn finally did (quinn hughes) by @mrsensitive

5 times Quinn wanted to kiss you + 1 time he finally did (quinn hughes) by @bedsyandco

friend's don't (quinn highes) by @hischierdevils

third time's the charm (quinn hughes) by @thatintrovertedwriter

fearless (quinn hughes) by @theemporium

plus one (quinn hughes) by @bagopucks

growing up is (quinn hughes) by @adoristsposts

NEW - home (brock boeser) by @bedsyandco

NEW - nothing but love (quinn hughes) by @starry-hughes

NEW - can i be close to you? (quinn hughes) by @43-hugs

#nhl imagine #nhl fic rec #nhl fic #hockey imagine #trevor zegras fic #trevor zegras imagine #brady skjei fic #brady skjei imagine #sebastian aho fic #sebastian aho imagine #andrei svechnikov fic #andrei svechnikov imagine #seth jarvis fic #seth jarvis imagine #nathan mackinnon fic #nathan mackinnon imagine #matthew tkachuk fic #matthew tkachuk imagine #luke hughes fic #luke hughes imagine #jack hughes fic #jack hughes imagine #nico hischier fic #nico hischier imagine #mat barzal fic #mat barzal imagine #auston matthews fic #auston matthews imagine #quinn hughes fic #quinn hughes imagine

[stormsplurge]

happy tears overflowing, lightning bolts so overwhelming

warnings: slight smut at the end, just fem receiving oral, 18+ read at your own risk

pairing(s): seth jarvis x fem! reader

inspired by anime eyes by kacey musgraves <3

1192 words

a/n: this is my first time writing x reader smut and my first time writing x reader stuff in a whiiiiile so i apologize if this is rough. regardless, i hope you enjoy!

“seth.” you said, putting down the knife you were chopping vegetables with, “i can feel your eyes staring a hole in the back of my head.”

“if you want me to stop you should try being less beautiful.” he replied.

before you could open your mouth to reply, he’d made his way across the kitchen and pulled you away from the counter. 

“seth!” you shrieked as he wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you into the air. 

you two had been spending the last week in minnesota, spending time with burnzie’s family and enjoying the last bits of summer before you had to get back to carolina. it was through burnzie, actually, that you’d met seth. he was a frequent customer at the animal shelter you worked at, eventually becoming a volunteer, and one of your friends.

you’d organized an adoption event, trying to find some of the pets forever homes and make room for new rescues, and burnzie offered to bring his “friends” as volunteers. he’d forgotten to mention those friends were a bunch of professional hockey players. 

seth had immediately caught your eye. his gap-toothed smile and infectious laughter, but also the edges of his shoulder tattoo peeking out from the edge of his t-shirt sleeves. everything about him was drawing you in, by the time he’d brought you adoption papers to sign off on you knew he’d had you.

“you’re adopting lulu?” you questioned, petting the gorgeous pitbull puppy in his arms.

“if it’s okay.” he responded, focusing his eyes away from the dog and looking into yours for approval.

“of course it’s okay” you said, “i’m so glad she’s finding her forever home. she’s been in the shelter for forever.”

“do you think i could get your number?” he quickly replied, before adding a “so i can text you if i have any questions about, yknow, lulu.”

“jarvis.” you chirped. “if you wanted my number you could have just asked, you didn’t need to adopt a puppy.”

“i know… but lulu was looking at me with her sad puppy dog eyes i couldn’t just leave her here.”

oh god, you thought. i’m fucked.

——

seth asked you out not even a week later.

he’d managed to get his hands on your work schedule and sent a flower every hour, all eight hours you were all at work. at first it was a daisy, with a note attached with only the word “go” you on it. next came a lily, with a note saying “out”. eventually leaving you with eight different flowers spelling out “go out with me please, love seth.” and a mystery address attached to the final one.

everything about the date was perfect, he’d found a secluded park where you wouldn’t be bothered by anybody and set up a picnic. every snack you’d offhandedly mentioned while you two had been texting, all of your favorite foods, everything you could think of was laid out on the blanket.

“oh seth…” you marveled. “you didn’t have to do this all for me.”

“of course i did.” he said, matter of factly. “my mom raised me to never half-ass anything, especially when it comes to a beautiful woman.”

“how’d you even think of this.”

“well burnzie mentioned that you’d been stressed out at work, and aho told me his girlfriend thinks this park is really romantic. so, yeah.”

“i love it.” you said, placing your hand on top of his, where it sat resting on his thigh. “thank you.”

——

from there the rest was history, the last year you’d spent with seth had been some of the best of your life. every minute of your day was filled with love, from lulu’s morning kisses to the daily texts you would get from jarvy as soon as practice was over. everything about it was perfect. 

“seth.” you said as he gently placed you on the counter. “i love you.”

“i know.” he mused, tilting your chin up and placing a kiss on your lips. 

“we shouldn’t be doing this here.” you whispered as his lips trailed over your jaw and onto your neck. “anyone could walk in at any second.”

“they wont be back for another couple of hours, i promise.” he replied as he placed his hands under your thighs and picked you up. you looped your arms around his neck, letting him carry you into the guestroom. 

the kisses were unrelenting at this point. your neck, your collarbones, the spot above your belly button. slowly making his way down to the edge of your shorts. 

“can i?” he asked, waiting for a yes to leave your lips before hooking his finger under the waistband and pulling the fabric down. the energy in the room had quickly turned from comforting to intense, seth’s eyes focusing exclusively on you. 

“you are so beautiful.” he breathes out between kisses, letting the stubble on his cheeks scratch against your inner thighs. 

“you don’t have to keep saying that.” you reply as he brings his tongue to your pussy.

seth aproached sex the same way he did hockey. making every second count, every move having an end goal. on the ice this meant helping his team and scoring goals, and in the bedroom it meant making sure you always felt good. 

you moaned his name as he inched his middle finger farther into you, bringing your hands to his hair and wrapping your fingers in the slight curls that formed at the nape of his neck. 

“you should, ah-, shave the sides again.” you whined, twitching with every slight movement he made. 

“bring back the mullet?” he chuckled, pushing his ring finger in as he spoke. “what about racing stripes should i do those too?”

a yes slipped out of your lips, followed quickly by seth pumping his fingers in and out of you at a desperate pace. his mouth made it’s way to your core as you felt yourself begin to unravel, rapidly reaching your peak.

“seth.” you moaned, throwing your head back. “i’m so close.”

“i know baby, you’re doing so good for me.” 

you were seeing stars, forgetting that you were in someone else’s house, panting and moaning and whining as loud as you could. the pressure in-between your legs growing until you couldn’t take it anymore, coming with seths name on your lips and his head in between your legs.

he was grinning at you from the edge of the bed, already back to his giggly self.

“i love you so much.” he said, making his way up the bed and tucking your hair between your ear.

you shushed him as you brought your hands to his cheeks and pulled him into a deep kiss, tasting yourself on his tongue. if it were any other day you’d happily go for another round, but the sun was getting to you so you just rolled seth onto his side and burrowed yourself in his chest. the smell of sweat and deodorant pulling you into him. as you felt your eyes begin to grow heavier you felt him drape a blanket over the two of you.

“i love you too.” 

#seth jarvis #carolina hurricanes #nhl #nhl imagine #nhl x reader #seth jarvis x reader #seth jarvis imagine #caroline hurricanes imagine #nhl fanfiction #nhl fic #carolina hurricanes fic #seth jarvis fic

[laurenairay]

every breath, every hour has come to this - S. Jarvis

Summary: Seth Jarvis was your best friend, your rock, your protector…but could he ever be anything more?

This is my entry for @callsign-denmark’s Luck of the Puck fic exchange! I’ve written a Seth Jarvis story for @mp0625, and I really hope you like this – it’s my first time writing for him and I had a lot of fun with it! Thanks for providing some really great prompts for me to work with.

Words: 2.5k

Warnings: some bad language, hurt/comfort, alcohol, terrible date, I fudged the Canes’ game schedule.

Title from: A thousand years, Christina Perri

~

For as long as you could remember, Seth had always been in your life. Two peas in a pod, two goofy little kids, always attached at the hip. Even as hockey became more and more of a fixture in his life, you were right there in the stands, cheering him on at the top of your lungs as his biggest fan. You were his staunchest supporter, always giving him reassurance when his self-confidence cracked or faltered. He was your loyal protector, pushing away anyone that was ever mean to you, including shitty boyfriends. Everyone knew in your small suburb in Winnipeg that where one of you went, the other was sure to follow.

So it was exactly no surprise to your parents (and his) when you followed him down to Raleigh the moment his entry level contract was signed.

You didn’t know what you would do without his energetic personality lighting up your day, the ultimate hype-man even before dates that both of you knew weren’t going to end well, or his sweet smiles in a terrible morning after a fantastic night out with his team. You didn’t know what you would do without his built arms wrapped around you on the sofa while you watched awful reality tv or cheesy movies, broad shoulders perfectly places to rest your head on, and especially waking up after a shared nap together, cementing his self-proclaimed King of Naps title.

Or seeing him wake up from a nap by himself, and his whole face lighting up when he saw you there too.

For as long as you could remember, you’d been in love with Seth, and there was nothing you could do about it. You’d seen the girls Seth went on dates with, and they were nothing like you. Even when the two of you were going on your first dates when you were barely teenagers, his ‘type’ seemed to be the complete opposite of you – so you’d always endeavoured to make sure the guys you dated were the opposite of him. It was the only way to preserve your heart, to keep your incredible friendship with Seth as wholesome and solid as you needed it to be, and not once had you ever messed that up.

Seth Jarvis was the best person in your life and you never wanted that to change. Not for anything. That didn’t mean that you didn’t know how hard your life was going to be when he eventually found his soulmate – but that was a problem for future you, and you refused to do anything but live in the moment.

Speaking of living in the moment…

“Hey Seth, do these shoes go with this dress?”

Living with your best friend really did have its perks – you could always guarantee an honest opinion on your outfit from him.

“Hmm, you can’t go wrong with a little black dress and nice black heels, but where is he taking you?”

“Does that matter?”

“Well yeah, you like those shoes and I know you don’t want them to get ruined by a sticky floor,” Seth pointed out.

He really did know you so well.

“He said he’s taking me out to dinner, but he didn’t tell me where or what the venue was like,” you admitted.

You ignored Seth rolling his eyes.

“The dress is gorgeous but I would change your shoes if you aren’t sure. Maybe those black ankle boots? Not too casual but not too fancy,” Seth suggested.

Incredible.

“You are amazing,” you grinned, jogging back to your room to kick your shoes off.

“And don’t you forget it!”

You just laughed at his shout across the apartment, pulling on the ankle boots he suggested. Just as you thought, he was right. With a swipe of lipgloss,  you were ready, so you grabbed your leather jacket and headed back out of your room.

“Hey, sweetheart?”

“Yeah Seth?” you asked, spinning on your heel.

“Have fun tonight. You look amazing – don’t let him forget that,” Seth said seriously, making you laugh, “And if you need anything, anything at all, call me.”

“You’re going to be my knight in shining armour?” you teased.

“With a guy you don’t know taking you out for a first date on St Patrick’s Day? Absolutely,” Seth mused.

Well you couldn’t fault him there.

“Wish me luck!”

“Luck.”

~

If only you’d know just how right Seth would be.

“Seth?” you whimpered, hiccupping into your phone.

“Woah, hey, what’s wrong?”

“I know it’s only been three hours, but can you pick me up?” you pleaded.

“Of course, I’ll leave right now. Three hours or three minutes, it doesn’t matter. Send me your location pin, but stay on the line?”

You just sniffed, nodding even though you knew he couldn’t see you, doing as he asked.

“Okay, I have it. That’s a real shitty bar, sweetheart.”

You choked out a sob. He had no idea. “Real shitty date too.”

“What did he do?”

You could hear him running out of your shared apartment, down the stairs rather than waiting for the elevator, and your heart ached with how willingly he dropped his peaceful evening just to help you.

“He lied about taking me out to dinner. Instead he took me to a bar where a bunch of his friends were, and when I asked him why he lied he told me he wanted to celebrate St Patrick’s Day with his buddies and thought I could come along. Which, fine, okay, he thought I would get on with his friends, so I went along with it. Most of his friends were fine, welcoming even, but they were getting drunker and rowdier and I don’t mind that if I’m with people I know and trust like you or your friends, but with strangers? No way. And then he…”

You trailed off, groaning at the memory, Seth just cursing under his breath. You could hear him driving, not even caring for once that he was probably breaking the speed limit. You just wanted him here.

“What did he do?”

“He started getting handsy. Slapping my ass, pulling me into his body with an arm around my waist, all of that shit, making his friends laugh even though it was obvious I was uncomfortable. But then he grabbed at my boobs and-”

“He fucking what?”

Over all the years of Seth protecting you from nasty dates and boyfriends, you’d never heard him so angry. Never.

“He groped me, in front of everyone. But I shoved him away immediately, I swear!” you insisted.

“Hey, I believe you sweetheart. I know that stuff makes you uncomfortable. I swear I’m going to kill him, I’ll-”

“No, no, I don’t want you to get in trouble, okay? I left the bar already,” you said firmly.

“You left the bar? But your location says…”

“I’m outside the bar, still in eyesight of the bouncer just in case, but I’m outside. I walked out the bar because I couldn’t stand to be near him after him threw the remainder of his beer at me for rejecting him.”

“He fucking what?!”

Okay, that was the angriest you’d ever heard him.

“Told you he was a shitty date,” you mumbled, sniffing again as your eyes stung with tears once more.

“This is not your fault. He was an absolute asshole and none of this is on you.”

“Just my luck, right?” you said, huffing out a bitter laugh.

Seth just cursed under his breath again, continuing to mutter about how men were shit and you deserved better and all the things that usually would put such a smile on your face…but right now it just made you want to be home, safe with him, curled up in his arms. Nothing felt better than being with Seth and it was only because of the few drinks that you had that you allowed yourself to think like this. Thankfully, it couldn’t have been more than 10 minutes before you saw a familiar car screeching into the parking lot, and you finally felt like you could breathe.

He pulled to a stop only metres away from you, and you wasted no time in walking over to him, even as he got out of the car and slammed his door shut, jogging over to meet you halfway.

“Shit, sweetheart, look at you,” Seth scowled.

You groaned softly as he took in your blurred mascara and beer-soaked top, and grabbed his hand to break his attention.

“Can we just go? I want to get as far away from here as possible.”

You rested a hand on his chest, gently guiding him backwards towards his car, out of earshot of the bouncer and anyone else who deigned to leave, Seth’s fuming expression never leaving the dive bar you were walking away from.

“Is he still inside? Is that asshole still in there?” Seth demanded.

“Hey, no, come on, leave it. He’s not worth it,” you pleaded.

“He doesn’t get to treat you like that and get away with it. No-one gets to treat you like that, you hear me? No-one.”

Your breath hitched in your throat and your body thrummed with heat at his furious words, his eyes wild in a way you’d only ever seen on the ice. His fists were clenched, his nostrils were flared, and his shoulders were squared, all the while his cheeks flushing with anger as well. It was only the brief flash of desperation across his face that let you know he wasn’t mad at you – no, this was Seth’s protective side coming out in full force, dialled up to 1000.

“Seth, I…”

You trailed off, running a hand through your hair as you struggled to find words to defend yourself, relying in his car to lean against and keep you upright. He might not have been mad at you, but it still didn’t feel good to know that your situation was making him react like this.

“It’s not like I go out of my way to date assholes,” you eventually managed, “they just seem to find me.”

“Shit, sweetheart, I’m not accusing you of anything. I just…”

He cut himself off, seeming to need a moment to think, and you waited silently for him to give you something. Anything. Eventually he cleared his throat, the wildness in his eyes replaced by an anguish that made your heart ache.

“I can’t take it anymore. I just wish you’d see what you could have, right in front of you.”

What?

What was he talking about?

Right in front of you?

The more seconds the silence stretched on, the more your confused thoughts swirled and the more frustrated Seth looked, until he groaned in frustration.

“I’m talking about me,” he said through gritted teeth, looking like he wanted to be literally anywhere else.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh shit.

“You?” you repeated, your voice cracking.

“Yeah and now I wish I’d never said a damn thing so can we please pretend that you’re really drunk instead of tipsy, and never talk about it again?” Seth muttered, avoiding your eyes.

As all of his words started to sink in, you found yourself shaking your head as decades-buried hope dared to surface.

“You’ve never said anything at all! You like me?” you said, needing him to say it again.

Seth huffed out a laugh, still not looking particularly comfortable.

“How could I say anything? I’m nothing like any of the guys you’ve ever dated,” he muttered.

“Because I purposely date guys that are nothing like you!” you shot back.

“What?”

You groaned as embarrassed heat filled your cheeks, turning your head away to give you a chance to save a scrap of dignity, but then Seth’s hand was cupping your face, gently turning you back to look at him properly. Never had he touched you like this, so delicately and with such purpose. His eyes were a storm, barely giving you anything to go on outside of the intensity, and it was all you could do to let out a shaky breath as he dropped his hand but stepped a little closer.

“I’m going to need you to give me a bit more than that, sweetheart,” Seth said, barely more than a murmur, edge of his voice a little rough, “What do you mean?”

“I purposely date guys that are nothing like you…because you’ve had my heart for longer than I care to remember. I never thought you could ever be interested in me because of the girls you date, and the thought of dating someone even a little bit similar to you was heartbreaking, so I just…went for the complete opposite. Clearly it’s been working out really well,” you said, choking off a bitter laugh as you finished.

Seth’s lips parted in surprise, and for once he was stunned into silence. It was only the fact that he hadn’t moved to step away that saved you from wanting to curl into a ball on the cold ground. Still, that didn’t stop the anguish from building inside of you like a volcano ready to erupt at the slightest provocation.

Eventually he let out a shaky breath, smiling weakly.

“We’ve wasted so much time,” he said softly, shaking his head.

What?

“We…have?” you asked, still in disbelief.

“We have.” Seth nodded, smiling at you in a way that encouraged you to finally smile back at him, giddy without being able to stop yourself, “You’re my goddamned soulmate, how could I ever want anyone but you? And knowing now that you’ve felt the same way all this time? It’s everything. I wish I could say I’ve been playing the long game but honestly I never thought you’d ever want me back. But we need to put a pin in this conversation until tomorrow.”

What? Why?

You didn’t know what was showing on your face but it made Seth laugh – a little deliriously, maybe, but a bright laugh that you were so used to all the same.

“You’ve been drinking, sweetheart. You’ve literally just ended a bad date covered in beer, as well as had quite an emotional night,” Seth explained.

“That still won’t change how I feel about you in the morning,” you pointed out.

His smile turned a little bashful, but definitely pleased, making the butterflies in your stomach riot.

“Then I look forward to hearing you say it again tomorrow. Just…let me take you home? Away from this gritty old bar parking lot?”

You nodded without hesitation, making him huff out a laugh again but take your hands.

“Take me home, Seth,” you murmured, squeezing his hands, barely able to believe the words coming out of your mouth.

With Seth’s wide grin, it looked like he could barely believe it either.

“We’re going to be amazing, you just wait.”

#my writing #seth jarvis fic #luck of the puck exchange #seth jarvis fanfic #seth jarvis imagine #carolina hurricanes fic #hockey fic #hockey imagine #hockey fanfic

[hockeyboysimagines]

would you write #1 from the smut list with Jarvy? I need more of him on this app thanks☺️☺️

So happy I got a Seth request. He’s definitely underrated and if you like reading about him, might I interest you in the fic I have for him? I’ll link it here!

Enjoy🤍

Seth Jarvis was a tease. There was no other way to describe him at this point and he was killing you slowly and he knew it.

His accidental touches and dirty text messages over the last few hours, had finally boiled over the second he closed the car door.

This is how you and him had ended up tangled in the back of the Tiguan, windows fogged up, thankfully because you were parked in a public parking lot.

He was more touchy than normal tonight and what would have been a quick make out any other time, was turning into something else. He had your skirt pushed up around your hips and was attempting to yank down your underwear, and hold you upright at the same time. The backseat was spacious enough to make it possible but not comfortable.

“What-what are you doing?” You asked breathlessly as he slid them down your legs and undid the button on his jeans. Your chest felt tight and your breath was coming out in gasps as you reached forward and gave the hair that hung down the back of his neck a small tug.

He grinned “I’m about to give you the ride of your life.”

You felt your cheeks redden and looked around. The parking lot was not empty, not even close and there were people walking around everywhere. The others were still inside and it would be mortifying is Svech came out looking for you guys and saw something he shouldn’t, but the idea of getting caught was kind of hot. Seth sometimes forgot he was an nhl player and just did things that normal people would get in trouble for, but taking a risk like this was a big one.

“Really? right here? you know people are going to see us...”

The cheekiest smile you’d ever seen spread across his face and he moved his jeans out of the way, patting his knee.

“Jump on babe.”

The sensation of him inside never ever got old, no matter what the situation was. It was chilly and cramped in the car, and you were almost positive you had thrown your back out and had a brush burn on your right knee, but he had one hand fisted in your hair and the other hand anchored on your hip as you moved up and down his length. His lips moved across your chest tongue wet and hot against your skin and you gave a little shiver

You knew people were shooting looks at the car, and they definitely knew what was going on in there, and you were thankful for the window tint and the condensation on the glass so they couldn’t see that it was Seth Jarvis in the car and not someone random.

“Seth I think people know we’re-“ you braced a hand on the window, fingers slipping against the wet glass.

“Let them look.” He said breathlessly “Let them see how beautiful my girl is.”

You didn’t have a chance to respond because he started thrusting harder and your vision went fuzzy as you got smacked with an earth shattering orgasm. Breathing heavily you leaned forward, forehead pressed against his.

“Okay that was pretty hot.” You whispered in his ear, lips grazing his skin. His heart was beating loudly in his chest and he looked down between you, reaching for your underwear and handing them to you.

He smiled “Told you. Now let’s get out of here before someone calls the cops for indecent exposure.”

“Really? No round two in the car?”

He raised his eyebrows “Oh you wanna go again?”

“Just figured since we’re already here, and you’re into exhibitionism now apparently. No one will see us at home.”

He smiled slyly, and started the car “We can open the blinds”

#seth jarvis #seth jarvis fic #seth jarvis imagine #seth jarvis x reader #hockey fanfiction #hockey tumblr #hockeyblr #hockey fic #hockey imagine #hockey romance #hockey fandom #hockey smut #hockey rpf #hockey writing #hockey tag #hockey blurb #hockey players #hockey player x reader #nhl fanfiction #nhl fic #nhl smut #nhl oneshot #nhl rpf #nhl fanfic #nhl imagine #nhl x reader #nhl players #nhl blurb

[prettytoxicrevolver]

give me seth jarvis fic requests right NEOW!!!

(he’s so underrated 😭)

#i need to write for him #seth jarvis x reader #seth jarvis imagine #seth jarvis x you #seth jarvis fic #seth jarvis x y/n

[ilyasorokinn]

not okay ― seth jarvis

note: this was inspired after seeing this interview. he literally has a whole other mouth above his lip. also this isn't me romantisizing injuries at all, it's moreso a comfort fic. summary: after getting injured in game 5, seth feels fine, but after the hard-hit in game 7, seth doesn't feel so hot. warnings: seth’s injury (both the strome one and the trouba one) word count: 655 words

hotdog in hand, you sat with the rest of the girls, enjoying just being there. you were having some serious imposter syndrome.

just a few months ago you were sitting in an arena nowhere as big as pnc arena you were used to, and now you were sitting next to the partners of the carolina hurricanes, in a playoffs jacket of your own, cheering on your boyfriend who was on the very team.

you were mid-conversation when you watched seth fall to the ice. you stopped talking when you saw he wasn't getting up. the play kept going but seth stayed on the ice, holding his face, which sent you into a panic.

"oh, god." you stood up, eyes stuck on the ice. the whistle was blown and a trainer was rushed onto the ice. you could see the specks of blood on the ice all the way from the box. he stood up and the trainer immediately pressed a towel to his bleeding face and held it.

the moment he shuffled down the tunnel, you gathered your stuff and moved faster than the flash. someone followed behind you but you honestly didn't care.

the only thing that mattered was seth.

you made it down to the medical room and found him sitting on the table, towel against his mouth, "oh, my god." you gasped, rushing in and pushing his hand that was holding the towel out of the way.

"i'm-"

"if the next words out of your mouth are "i'm okay", i'm gonna knock you out." you glared.

"okay, i'm not okay." he shrugged.

"seth, stop trying to act all nonchalant. this is serious."

"i really do feel fine. i'm okay," he told you.

4 days later, it was finally time for game 7. you were about 8 minutes, almost 9, into the 1st period. things were great, you settled into your seat with a snack in hand when jacob trouba barreled straight into seth.

he didn't even get back up and skate back over to the bench, he crawled over. the play continued and the rangers scored, but that was the last thing on your mind.

he crawled back over to the bench.

a few of the guys were huddled in front of him, checking in on him but you knew something was wrong. they helped him up and down the tunnel, a trainer following behind him.

you sat in your seat, trying to comprehend what you had just witnessed, "okay, let's get you some water." one of the girls rubbed your back while someone got a cup of water.

you took the water and drank it down. all the girls were focused on you, making sure you were okay, the game forgotten, "you wanna go down?" you nodded, "all right, let's go." one of the girls gathered your stuff and walked with you down to the medical room you were in only 4 days previously.

he was laying on the table this time, his eyes closed. you walked in slowly and pulled up the chair next to the table. he opened one eye and looked over at you.

"hi." you whispered.

"i'm not okay." he whispered.

your brows furrowed together, "i know, baby. i know." you leaned down and kissed his head.

after getting evaluated, he was for sure not going back out. after being sent home, you helped him through the door of your apartment and helped him into bed.

you turned off the lights and got him a glass of water. after you got ready for bed, you climbed into bed next to him. he immediately wrapped his arms and legs around you.

you wrapped your arms around him, pressing a kiss on his head, "i'm really proud of you. you were amazing." you whispered.

he didn't respond, but you knew he heard you because he squeezed your side softly, "i love you." he murmured.

"i love you, too."

-

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so proud of seth (and the rest of the canes, obviously) and praying that seth is okay and he has a safe recovery.

#seth jarvis imagine #seth jarvis imagines #seth jarvis x reader #seth jarvis blurbs #seth jarvis fic #seth jarvis #nhl imagine #nhl imagines #nhl fic #nhl blurbs #nhl #hockey imagine #hockey imagines #hockey fic #hockey blurbs #hockey #carolina hurricanes imagine #carolina hurricanes imagines #carolina hurricanes fic #carolina hurricanes blurbs #carolina hurricanes #taylor writes #taylor writes: hockey #taylor's blurbs #nhl writing #hockey writing #hwncloud #hwn cloud

[cellythefloshie]

;; Icebreaker Chapter Three of Cool for the Summer

Table of Contents Chapter Two «« 🤍 »» Chapter Four

Summary: Harper has to work, but that doesn't stop Andrei from trying to get to know her. TW: No triggers apply. Word Count: 4k+

This series to be read in conjecture with @hockeyboysimagines I Loved You Three Summers.

That heaviness your body has when you've actually slept through the night without interruption? Harper had it. It was a fog on her mind as she rolled over in her bed, her hand searching the darkness for where her phone had fallen after aimlessly scrolling through social media when her mind had been too loud to sleep. Blindly, she searched until the covers, her bare legs tangling with the blankets until she found it tucked until one of her too fluffy pillows that had been pushed to the other side of the bed. Her eyes squinted, preparing for the bright light of her phone as she pressed the power nutty again and again, but the light never came. It was dead. 

Cursing, she pushed her blanket aside, her mind and body now suddenly awake as she searched a nearby box for her digital clock. Her hands fumbled over familiar objects, catching corners and awkward shapes before she saw the deep neon green glow of the snooze button. She dropped to her knees; the carpet burning her knees as she fished out the box and read the big bold numbers. Then, as quickly as she picked it up from the box, Harper was dropping it back into her mess of belongings. 

She was late. 

Pounding against her chest, and up into her ears was her heart as she moved through the room like a summer storm. Harper tripped over boxes as she lurched for a light switch, but the harsh fluorescent lights were still not enough to keep her from kicking the bed as she walked by it, nor could she seem to find anything she needed for her workday. Every bit of her life was still packed away in a box in a room that was familiar, yet it didn't feel like her own. 

She stumbled through just as she stumbled through life, on the verge of tears and a veil of self confidence as she pulled on the same shirt she had worn the day before and a pair of yoga pants from the top of one of the boxes. Quick hands pulled her blond hair back in a messy ponytail and for time's sake she would go barefaced. Then, Harper was taking the stairs two steps at a time and moved straight for the kitchen. 

Makeup could be skipped, but coffee could not. 

Passing her sister, who sat propped up on the stool at the kitchen island, Harper envied her for only a moment. If only for her calm in the early morning, and the big bowl of watermelon that sat in front of her on the counter. 

Harper's stomach growled, her eyes shutting as she tried to ignore the feeling of hunger that became all the more consuming as she stood in the kitchen. Her hands fumbled around her cup, ice rumbling in the refrigerator as it spilled down into the cup. Some rattle there. While others missed and fell to the floor. She groaned, so close to swearing and tossing her cup into the sink. But she persisted. Even as the ice tumbled to the floor again, she did her best not to let it get to her - even if sitting in a drive through for an ice coffee just seemed easier. She needed to do it for herself. 

A heavy breath rocked her, the rush of hair blowing loose hair that had fallen out of her ponytail out of her face. 

“I won't be home until after dinner, running club tonight so don't worry about me-” Harper's words were rushed as she rounded the counter, one hand putting her coffee down to pick up her work bag before she was hugging her sister in a quick embrace - hoping that if her shirt stunk, Maddie would be bold enough to tell her before she left. But when they exchanged nothing more than soft, tired smiles and see you later, Harper was stepping into a pair of Crocs and running out the door. 

Stumbling down the steps, she almost lost one of the bright sunshine yellow Crocs. Her steps stuttered as she tried to fit her foot back into it just right as she jogged down the crowded driveway to her Jeep that was parked on the street, out of the way until she could return to U-Haul by the end of the night, hopefully. 

Her hand fell to the handle, pulling it twice before she realized she hadn't unlocked the door. Harper dug through her work bag, searching for her keys. It was with her head down, as she mumbled to herself about how she should just call in and cancel all her appointments to her day, that Harper was greeted by a thick low Russian accent that left her jolting with the sudden realization that she wasn't alone. 

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

Harper glanced back over her shoulder and to the driveway that neighbors hers. Seth and Andrei stood in it, fully dressed for their days and smiling. Smiling when she wanted to do nothing more than scream and cry and go back to bed when nothing seemed to be going right. She hated it. 

“Work,” she answered him simply as her hands wrapped around the keys. Her thumb pressed down on the fob, unlocking it with ease. 

“What do you do?” Andrei asked, his hands falling into the pockets of his shorts as he moved down the drive. 

Harper bit the inside of her cheek. He was a good kid; she was sure of it, but she didn't have time for this. 

“Physiotherapy,” she kept her answer short as she climbed into the front seat, leaving the door open as she settled in. Harper needed to go, but she wasn't going to slam the door in his face. 

“When do you get off?”

Second thought, maybe she should slam the door in his face. 

“Late,” she bit out as she reached up to fix her rear-view mirror. 

“So, you'll need a lunch date, then?”

Harper's eyes rolled at his boldness. Oh, how nice it must be to be so young, attractive and used to getting everything you wanted. And no one could tell her Andrei was treated otherwise. Not when the cocky, confident smile he wore said it all. The boy wasn't used to rejection, on or off the ice. 

“If you want to see me between the hours of nine and five, you'll have to make an appointment,” Harper took a breath, the professionalism in her words almost exhausting as her hand dropped to her cupholder where her cup of coffee was supposed to be. 

Harper leaned her back against her headrest, defeated. Her coffee was still on the counter. 

“Are you al-” Harper could hear the concern in Andrei's voice as he stood just outside the front door of her Jeep, her eyes watering, on the verge of tears as she started to get out of the car to rush back inside for her drink. 

But then she sees Maddie practically tiptoeing over the cold driveway, her iced coffee in hand. She's still in her pajamas, an oversized t-shirt that doesn't quite seem long enough and a pair of frilly pink shorts that Harper hoped was a big enough distraction for Andrei to forget that he was so close to seeing her cry. 

“You're a lifesaver, Mads!” Harper sighed, reaching out with one hand for the coffee before forcing a smile and looking up at Andrei, who still lingered nearby. Who still wore a look of concern as he looked down at her perched in her driver's seat.

Her skin crawled under the gaze of the unwanted attention, her hands reaching out to grasp at the steering wheel as she tried to divert his attention away from her. “I work today, but Maddie here, she's free all day,” she spoke quickly, hoping Maddie wouldn't mind. 

“Maddie, this is Seth's friend, Andrew-”

“Andrei,” he was quick to correct her. 

“Right,” she nodded, not even looking at it in fear that he would somehow see in her eyes or on her features that she knew his name, first and last. Or somehow learn that her curiosity had gotten the best of her and that she had spent the better part of her night scrolling his NHL stats page when she couldn't sleep. “You three should do something.” 

The suggestion seemed sweet, sincere, as she reached up and pulled her sunglasses from the sun visor. Forcing a smile, Harper slid them up the bridge of her nose and offered the pair a wave before she left them as nothing but a reflection of her rearview. 

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Sweat dripped in beads down the back of Andrei's neck. Not the shade of the golf cart, or the ball cap he wore on his head, could save him from the heat of the sun as it continued to rise in the sky. They couldn't have been on the course for more than an hour, but it had already felt like it had been all day. Andrei didn't know why it felt that way. Maybe it was simply the heat, or maybe it was the fact they were only on the third hole and Seth was still busy trying to teach Madison how to hit a golf ball. 

The petite blonde stood in the tee zone, taking her time positioning herself around the tee as she shook out her thick hair that hung down her back in waves. Maddison had an effortless beauty, one that other women wanted and one any guy would have gone crazy for - and Seth was every bit of his attention devoted to her as he guided her every move with his words or a casual touch. But Andrei’s mind was still thinking of Harper. 

Leaning against the back of the golf cart, Andrei sipped back an ice cold water bottle and tried to rid his mind of the sad look in her eyes that she had when she drove to work earlier in the morning. It made his heart sink. He didn’t know her - and it was clear in the short time he had gotten to speak to her that she was far from interested in getting to know him - but that didn’t deter Andrei. A beautiful girl like her deserved to smile, and he wanted to be the one to do it. 

His hand dipped into the pocket of his shorts, grasping at it as he hesitated to draw it out. Andrei wanted to find out where she worked. He wanted to go there, to bring her lunch and try to brighten her day. But he also knew how weird that was. It would be creepy to stalk her out like that, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask Madison about her. Would it?

Leaning into the cart, Andrei put his water into the cup holder before approaching Maddie and Seth at the tee, interrupting the conversation they were having with his own selfish question. “So, your sister, she doesn’t like me. Yes?”

Maddie turned in place, her shoulders tensing, then relaxing as she looked him up and down with a small smile on her lips. “Now, why would you think that?” She cocked her head to the side, her wide blue eyes bright with the sparkle of mischief. 

Andrei’s shoulders slouched, his hands dropping into his pockets in an attempt to seem careless. But his scoff betrayed him. “She knew my name wasn’t Andrew.”

Her giggle was so sweet it turned his stomach sour as he stepped back to give Seth room to fumble around the cart. It left Andrei wishing he had his own distraction as his hands began to sweat as bad as the back of his neck. Maybe he shouldn’t have started such a conversation. 

“You caught that? It’s not that she doesn’t like you. Harper’s just been through a lot.”

Andrei leaned in, hoping to be given even the slightest insight. “Like?”

“I’d love to fill you in,” Maddie told him and he held his breath, only for it to release slowly and sadly, like a deflating balloon, “but that’s Harper’s story to tell.” But she indulged him in the slightest, “For context, her ex is an asshole, and she just moved back home. She’s still a little fragile right now, so if she comes across as being rude, it’s because she’s still hurting.”

There was a clamor in the back of the golf car, curing through the seriousness of the conversation with a swear and another curse from Seth before he joined the conversation. “Who’s an asshole?”

Seth was someone who could insert himself into anything. He had a charisma that was magnetic, and an approachability that left everyone comfortable no matter the situation. Which was probably why Madison was so comfortable as he reached around her to check his phone in the golf card, and why she didn’t even flinch as his body grazed against hers. A part of the entire interaction made Andrei jealous. He wanted a connection like that. 

“Darren,” Maddie told him simply, before her smile grew wider and her hand was reaching out to pat his forearm, “Your friend here has a thing for my sister.”

Seth shrugged. “Not surprising. Everyone has a thing for your sister.” His words had left his lips so carelessly that Andrei could see Seth’s eyes go wide before he could find the words to backtrack. “Not me though. I’ve never liked your sister. That would be, uh- weird.”

“Yeah,” Andrei agreed, his voice then dropping low enough for only Seth to hear, “because she is the wrong sister.”

Seth cocked his arm, ready to throw a punch at him, but it never came. If it had been just the two of them, maybe they would have come to blows. Nothing serious, just roughhousing until one of them conceded. In the presence of Maddie, however, they behaved. Or well, tried to. 

“Harper can be complicated,” Maddie spoke again as she leaned back against the golf cart, her arms folded over her chest casually, “but she’s worth it. She’s got a lot going on, but these last few days I’ve started to see the old Harper more and more. She’s healing, and father than I think anyone expected. She’ll come around. You just have to get to know her.”

“I want to, but she’s making it difficult,” Andrei’s words slipped from his lips in a sigh. His head hung for a moment at how pathetic they sounded. He should have been letting himself get so distracted by her. Not when she was so blatantly disinterested. Not when he had intended to spend his time in Winnipeg training, not yearning after the girl next door. 

And yet, when Maddie smiled, “guess that means you have your work cut out for you. Now, who’s taking me for a ride?” Her question punctuated with the shrill jingle of keys, Andrei was the first to jump at the opportunity because the time alone with her meant time he could use to get to know Harper. 

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

The wrapper of her lunch was left soggy from the steam of what was now a cold burger and fries from the McDonald's down the block. It was the downside of waking up late and having to get lunch delivered, and Harper was suffering for it. Its cheese felt like plastic on her tongue and the fries were stiff. The only redeeming quality of each bite was the extra pickles they hadn't forgotten, for once, and a generous amount of ketchup. But not even that one small feat could distract her from the notifications on her phone as she pulled it from her pocket and placed it face up on the table. 

Three missed calls and seven text messages. They were all from Darren.

Harper had left him the engagement ring. She had packed up all her belongings and left the apartment she had once lived in on her own before he moved in with her. And she had told him countless times that they were over. Yet, he couldn't seem to accept the decision that she had made to move on with her life without him. 

Her fingers danced over the screen, deleting each text and each call from her history. But when her finger hesitated over the last call, with his picture and his name so clear to her eyes, Harper contemplated calling him. She considered listening to whatever half-assed apology or excuse he had crafted for her. Harper even considered accepting it and going home to him just to feel a semblance of normalcy. To go back to a life she hated, instead of feeling so tired, and alone and sorry for herself. Because going back to Darren would be good, at least for a time. He would help cook, and he would clean, even buy her small gifts, just to remind her that he cared. And he would do all of that until he didn't. Those sweet acts of kindness would fade into nothingness, into heartache. So Harper deleted that last call, and his contact in her phone - as if she didn't have his number memorized - and instead, she texted her sister, Maddie. 

Of course, Seth was a nice guy. He always had been, ever since he was a kid- Harper ran a hand over her face, her eyes shutting in a long, tired realization. Madison wasn't talking about Seth. She was talking about Andrei. 

Harper noticed she wasn't blind. Andrei probably looked good in anything. It was the perks of being an athlete and well, good genetics. With his strong jawline, charming smile and soft eyes - if Harper was 5 years younger, maybe she would have considered taking the time to get to know him. But she wasn't about to fulfill Andrei's older-woman summer fling fantasy. 

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Crouched down in the middle of the sidewalk, Harper fumbled with the laces of her runners that had come untied somewhere between her dark and the sign-in station by the front door. She had swayed the loose lace back and forth as she signed in each runner, some she recognized and others that were new, but with only a few blank spaces on the list and start time drawing near, she needed to be ready to go. There was a patter of feet around her, then there was a rush of voices. So many at once she couldn't make out just one. But there was a sense of excitement in every voice. She could hear it, feel it even as she pushed up off the ground to stand and dusted her hands off on her shorts. And it excited her too, to get started on their run in the early evening, but when she looked at the running group that had clustered together in what looked more like a mob, it quickly became clear that it wasn't the run the group was excited for, but for an unexpected guest. Seth.

No. Two guests. 

Andrei was there, too. 

He was hard to miss, standing a towering six-foot-two in a group that was primarily women and their children who stood no taller than five-foot-nine. And he was a walking poster for the Carolina Hurricanes in black and red team branded gear that not even Seth had thought to put on for the run. For a moment, Harper thought that it might be all he had, but then she remembered the conversation they had in the driveway that morning. Andrei wanted to know where she worked, he wanted to take her out to lunch. He was there with Seth, so brightly dressed in red to be seen, not by the runners but by her. 

Gripping her clipboard tight, Harper left her post by the door where she had been waiting for the final runner to arrive and maneuvered through the crowd with a smile and a soft excuse when it was needed. She could hear the click of the exaggerated noise of a camera lense snapping on each smartphone as pictures of Seth and his teammate were taken. And she could hear each friendly exchange they shared with her runners. 

“-my son is never going to believe this-”

“-yeah let's get a picture to show him-”

“-I used to work with your mother, you know-”

“-I'll be sure to tell her you say hi-”

But not even their politeness could fully rid of the knot that threatened to take her face. They weren't supposed to be there. How they even found out where-

Harper sighed. Of course, they would find out. They spent the entire day with Madison, and if it hadn't been her, she wouldn't have put it past her dad to tell them, either. In the end, it didn't really matter who did it. The pair were there now, and she was being forced to deal with it. 

“Hey guys,” Harper spoke with a false pleasantry, her back and shoulders stiff as she looked between the two hockey players that were smiling as if they were children that had just been caught doing something wrong. “Are you on our participation list?”

Seth pressed his lips together, fighting back the smile she knew could so quickly become a laugh. “Should be. Check under Seth and-”

Her eyes rolled as her gaze dropped to the clipboard in her hands. She scanned over each name and signature and found the two blank spaces at the bottom of the list. They had been late in the day additions, written in her coworker’s scrawl: Seth J. and Andre S.

“Perfect,” Harper spoke through the grit teeth of her smile, “That's everyone then.”

Raising her clipboard up, she flagged down the attention of her coworker and shouted, “we got everyone! I'll take the rear!” 

It seemed like the smart thing to do at the moment. Hanging At the back of the group meant giving her enough time to tuck the clipboard away in the office and lock up. It meant avoiding having to lead the pre-run warm up and only really having to offer support and guidance to those who fell behind. Best of all, Harper thought it would give her the biggest distance between herself and the two athletes that continued to impress the group with their mere presence. But she was wrong. 

While Seth ran with the bulk of the group, his energy contagious and keeping morale high, Andrei fell back, his pace slow and steady to match her own. He ran by her side, silent and focused, only looking at her when he was spoken to two blocks into their route. 

“What are you even doing here?” She asked him, genuinely curious. Did they not have anything better to do with their time?

“Running,” he answered simply, smiling. 

“But why?” Harper asked.

Andrei answered. “It was too late to book the afternoon appointment.”

Harper's head snapped in his direction, her expression softened in disbelief. She didn't want to believe that he had even tried to make an appointment, because Harper couldn't understand why. He had only just met her yesterday, and his interest in her was unlike anyone else. Maybe he was just bored, or didn't like being told no - but he was kind, albeit a little awkward and unorthodox in his methods. 

“Usually, when people make appointments with me, it's because they need help with something. Not because they wanted to buy me lunch, and I said no,” Harper pointed out as a hand raised to push her hair out of her face. 

Andrei's smile split over his features, a low laugh rumbling through him before he spoke. “My ankle. It hurts from time to time.”

“What happened?” 

Sighing, his smile wavered. “Zdeno Chára.” 

“Oh,” Harper didn't press any further, her gaze dropping to the sidewalk to watch as the cracks in the pavement fell in their wake with every stride.

“It's good,” he assured her, and Harper swore she could feel the warmth of his hand reach out to her in a ghost of a touch that didn't reach her shoulder. “No pain right now. I will tell you if it comes. But next time, maybe we can just go out for lunch?”

Harper had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing. She bit down so hard her lip began to swell, and the two ran together, side by side, for the rest of the run in silence. 

She didn't know what, but the kid was giving up on her just yet. Maybe Seth had put him up to it, like some kind of cruel bet to get back at her for making him go to bed early when he was ten. Or maybe Andrei genuinely wanted to take her out and a single rejection wasn't going to stand in his way. 

And would keep declining. She had to. Sure, the Carolina Hurricanes forward was cute, but he was young. Harper didn't know it was by a year or two or five, but her standard wasn't one that was going to be bent for anyone, not even an NHL player. Besides, maybe the second rejection would be enough to show she wasn't inserted. And if it didn't? Harper was sure there would be the opportunity for a third time. 

Taglist: @starshine-hockey-girl , @wingedwheelprxncess , @mp0625 , @misunderstoodwerewolf , @callsign-denmark , @puckmaidens , @xciciix , @cixrosie

#andrei svechnikov #nhl rpf #nhl fanfic #nhl fanfiction #hockey rpf #hockey romance #hockey imagines #seth jarvis #collaboration fic #andrei svechnikov x original character

[behoright]

holy l b. burns (+ canes)

i could make it for you / cause you're so beautiful

summary: burnzie teaches the boys how to treat a woman by his standards.

wordcount: 5.1k 

song: holy - king princess

warnings: this is absolutely depraved. 18+ only, minors dni. smut, smut, smut. BDSM, dd/lg relationship, voyeurism, cuckolding. lots of dirty talk and baby talk. 

a/n: I… don’t know what came over me. Nobody asked for this, yet here it is. sorry. please let me know what you think !! also more love countdown coming before the end of the week. this is barely edited oops. also. this is a work of FICTION. it has absolutely nothing to do with anyone’s real, personal, private life. this is just a story: an idea, a creation of imagination, something we fantasize about. nothing more, nothing less.

𓏸 ₊ 📹 ⋆ ݂𓏸 ₊ 📹 ⋆ ݂

“Dude, is that the same chick that Jarvy hit the other night?” 

“Wait, what?”

All the boys’ heads turned to gather around Martin, whose eyes were currently stuck on his phone.

It wasn’t unusual for the team to split into younger and older guys after morning skate. They all scattered at the rink, going through the steps of their own routines. 

“That’s totally her.”

“Let me see.” 

“KK fucked the same girl as Jarvy!” Martin screeched to Andrei, who was already giggling.

Jesperi and Seth looked at each other, right before fist bumping. It was easier for them to have these conversations away from the more senior members of the team, let alone any coaches or managers.

“She was good, huh? Too bad her face looked like that!” the comment from Jarvy caused the rest of them to go into hysterics. 

“Oh man, I had to turn her around immediately. How are you going to fuck athletes and still look like that?”. Everyone laughed, as they kept chatting. Just locker room talk, no harm in that.

Burnzie, however, couldn’t help but overhear their conversation, as he stood here, incredulous. He tried to not let it get to him, but some of the comments completely crossed the line.

“You guys are so fucking pathetic.” he said. His voice was loud enough that it constantly stopped everyone in their tracks - all of their younger guys dropped silently and turned to face him.

“Oh, c'mon Burns, you know what we mean.”

“Yeah, I remember those days. You think you’re such tough shit, huh? You’ve been fucking for, maybe 4-5 years but think you know it all. Meanwhile, all those girls you’re running through go home and finish on their own because you pump and dump them. At the end of the night, you’re both left with nothing. An empty, meaningless transaction.”

They all stared at their older teammate with their jaws on the floor, absolutely speechless. They held each other accountable, but none of them had been called out this harshly in a while.

“Oh, you think you’ve got it so much better because you’re old, huh?” Jalen tried to hit back, awkwardly chuckling.

“Trust me, I know how good I’ve got it. I know what I’m doing.”

“Dude, what are you even talking about?” KK chimed in.

Burnzie picked up his bag and turned towards them before heading out. 

“If you’re really curious, come to the ranch on Friday. There’s no game, but stop by at night. Actually, think about it, and if you want, text me. I’ll let you know the details. Perhaps you’ll see and learn something that doesn’t involve a puck.” he said, tranquil, before heading out.

⊹ㅤִ ໋⊹ㅤִ ໋

All they got was an address, a time, and a set of rules for the day. It was sent as a group text to them, so they all assumed they weren’t going to be alone. As they all individually pulled up, they recognized each other’s cars. Brent had a huge property, and his house was on the outskirts. It looked almost like a manor.

“Do you know what we’re even going to do?”

“No clue. But curiosity is getting the best of me.”

“Me too. That’s the only reason why I’m here.”

They were greeted at the door by a maid, who lead them through the house. No questions were asked - they were certainly being expected. Once reached a door at the end of the corridor, she took their phones, locked them away in a box next to the entrance, and left. They all looked at each other before Jarvy was brave enough to open the door.

The guys walked into a dark room. 

It was relatively small but had an otherworldly feel that none had ever experienced before. Andrei ran his hand against the black textured wall as he looked around. Huh. Soundproof. The only objects in the room were 12 chairs, all black, neatly separated, all facing a sort of window. The boys all approached it. The glass looked tinted, but they could distinctly see through it. They could see a room, with a king-sized bed, red and black sheets perfectly tucked into the mattress. A black dresser stood against maroon painted walls. A mirror enveloped the ceiling, except for a small chandelier that dimly illuminated the room, most of the light coming from the two bedside lamps sitting on the nightstands. The floor, was a dark mahogany, partially covered by a creamy fur rug that sat in front of a lit fireplace. Last but not least, in the corner of the room closest to them, a velvet futon. On the wall opposite from them, only a door stood, tightly shut.

Neci leaned closer, placing his palms on the glass.

“This looks like one of those windows from Law and Order. You know, the ones where they can’t see you but you can see them?”

All the boys looked at each other - it’s what would have made the most sense. Most of them failed to see the outline of a door in one of the walls that surrounded them until KK pointed it out. 

“Should we open it?”

“No.” Andrei said, sternly. “He stated in the text to not touch anything unless specified.”. “Man, what did we get ourselves into?”

“A show, boys.” Andrei added, nodding at the door in the bedroom opening.

Heart beating, they all took a seat. 

Burnzie entered, wearing a suit. All of the guys were very used to seeing him, in his over-the-top, almost ridiculous, custom-made suits. But this one was different. He had on a simple black suit, neck framed by a dark gray tie. They had never seen him with his hair slicked back, or with the trim on his beard that he was sporting tonight. 

Their teammate placed his hands on his hips, standing in front of the fire. Slowly, he took off his shoes, tie, and belt, and set them on top of the dresser. As he unbuckled his cufflinks, he finally looked up at the window, giving a small nod. The boys had been acknowledged. 

“I’m not sure who’s here and who’s not.” he started. “I hope you guys remembered the rules. The maximum number of you in there should be 12. No women allowed. No one from outside of the team, not today at least. “ he sighed, placing the links on a small tray that sat on the right nightstand, the one closest to the viewers. 

“You are all free to leave at any point tonight, from the same door where you came in. Once we are done, that’s where I expect you to exit. If you linger on any point of the property, be aware that I will know.” he continued, rolling up the sleeves of his white dress shirt, and looking directly at them. 

“We are not able to see you from here. You can obviously tell by now that you can see every single corner of this room. Additionally, we cannot hear you either. Do with that information as you will. If I require participation, I will ask. That is the only time when you can touch that small door to your left,  where you will come in here with us. Do not touch it unless I ask you to. Do not do anything in there that my staff will not be able to clean up. And most importantly, do not take any pictures or videos. Do not talk about this with anyone else. I have all of your phones, counted and safe with me, and they will be given back at your exit.”

Burnzie was now standing directly in front of the window. Somehow, the boys felt as if he could really see them.

“Do not disappoint me, boys. This is a rare chance you are getting tonight.”

He looked down and headed towards the door in the bedroom, adding before disappearing behind it:

“Watch and learn.”

All of the guys looked at each other. A mix of nerves, tentativeness, and excitement filled the room. Neci sat in the front row, palms rubbing together, while Dylan shook his back from the row behind him. The two young Russian players, Andrei and Pyotr, found a place right in the middle, next to Martin, and were raising their eyebrows at each other. Collectively nervous, some showing more than others. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Moments later, Brent walked in, accompanied by a young girl.

You.

“Holy shit, this is really happening.” Teuvo whispered from the back row.

They all leaned forward in their seats to study your face. To their surprise, as their older teammate moved from view, they saw you were blindfolded, with absolutely no clothes on. 

Brent guided you to the edge of the bed. You could feel his presence standing in front of you.

“Do you know where we are, little one?” he asked.

“Um, in the room. The room.” you said, clammy hands placed on your lap. 

“That's right. How did you know?”

“The crackling of the fire. It sounds different in a room with no windows. I could feel the wood floor when we came in, too” you added.

“Good job, baby. So attentive, aren’t you?” he coaxed, running a hand down your hair. He had gotten closer, heat emerging off of his frame towering over you.

You bit your lip and nodded slowly, his tone already making a puddle form on the sheets under your naked body.

Brent’s hands moved along behind your head, your senses firing extra due to the blindfold. You felt his fingers untie the knot and saw him coming into vision, eyelashes batting at him as soon as you were freed. Brent kissed your forehead and kneeled in front of you, taking his lips to your right ear. 

“Do you remember why tonight is special, baby? Why is tonight a little different than usual?” he whispered. Your head snapped towards the dark glass placed on the wall to your left, heart beating faster already.

“Yeah, we have some viewers today. That’s still okay, baby?” he asked, tilting your chin back at him. You nodded, doing your best at hiding the trembling in your body. 

“I need to hear you say it. We don’t have to if you don't want to, doll.” he said, unsmiling.

“I want to.” 

Brent stood up in front of you once again, beginning to undo his dress shirt. 

“Can you remind me of our color system, little one?” he proceeded, voice stronger than before. It must have been for whoever was watching.

“Yes, um, r-”

“Louder, baby.”

“Uh, red, yellow, and green. Stop, slow down, and go.” you gulped, raising your voice shily. 

“You’re so good, love. Very good.” he said, caressing your cheek with his knuckles, now shirtless. Brent walked over to the left side of the bed, facing the window, and sat down. 

“C’mere.”

You waltzed over to him, where he turned you around and sat you on his lap, facing his same direction. The idea of someone sitting behind there, watching you, was incredibly nerve-racking, and you knew Brent could sense this. He knew you inside and out.

“They’re watching, yeah. Right there, right in front of us, look.” he said, beard tickling your shoulder as he spoke. 

“My baby, come. Don’t worry.” he whispered when he turned you around, his lips suddenly colliding with yours. Brent grabbed the sides of your face, intertwined his fingers in your hair, and split open your mouth with his tongue. The contact and dance you were having in your mouth seemed to ease your jitters. 

“They’re so lucky to see Daddy treat you like this, right?” he asked, pulling away for a split second, before attacking your mouth once again. “Yeah? So lucky, right?” he questioned you, in between sloppy kisses. You nodded your head as he overtook you completely, swapping spit with you.

“We’re going to teach them a thing or two today, okay?”. Brent looked deeply into your eyes. As much as you contractually, verbally, and constantly gave consent, he had never, not once, stopped looking for it in you. 

“Okay.” you whispered, joining your lips again with him. 

Brent took the chance to pick you up, not breaking your kiss, and moved over to the corner of the bed. You were now at the closest point to the window, where they could see you and him perfectly. They had a chance to see most angles, light reflecting perfectly off of you.

Brent’s hands moved over to your thighs, easily splitting them apart and sitting you on his legs, face to face with him. 

“You sit on my thighs so well for me, baby. Grind on them.” he said, as you uncertainly started moving your hips, peering over to the window. You knew that you couldn’t see who was there, but you were simply not able to shake the feeling off of you. 

“Keep staring at me, baby. Only me.” he turned your face back to his with a slight tuck at your cheek.  

“I want you to kiss Daddy’s cheeks as you grind on me, baby. I know you like it, c'mon.” he said, placing his hands on your hips. “C’mon my love, my princess.”

The coaxing always got you going, starting to grind your hips a little faster while kissing his face.

“Good girl. Focus on me, little one, c’mon.”. The friction of his suit pants against your bare cunt was starting to feel incredibly delightful, inching your body closer to his as you moved faster. One of Brent’s hands quickly came up and spanked your ass, pulling a moan out of you, which just invited him to smack you twice more. The more he encouraged you, the harder he spanked you, and the whinier your moans were becoming. 

“Shh, shh, that’s a good girl, right there. I know it’s sensitive, little one, I know. You’re doing so well for me.” he said, calloused hand spanking your sore spot once more. “Do you see what you do to me? Do you see my cock growing for you?” 

You could only moan. You had just started and already felt like falling apart right in front of him. 

Meanwhile, things were getting a bit stuffier in the viewing room. The boys were no longer looking or interacting with each other, eyes peeled on the couple in front of them. Even the cockiest of them, the ones that had talked themselves up the most, had fallen silent, faces completely flushed. Many of them felt grateful that the chairs had been placed at a distance from each other, giving them more private space. They were incredibly close and comfortable with each other normally, having spent a lot of time changing and naked; they were able to play and joke around it usually, with no awkwardness found there. But this was wholly different. Pyotr adjusted his hat and leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees, as many of them were already. 

“Ебена мать…”

“Do you want to touch it, baby?” Brent asked, looking at you, vigorously rubbing yourself on him. 

“Yes, please.”

“Do you see how good you make me feel, doll? Can you feel it, in your little hands?” 

“Do my thighs make you feel good too? My pants are soaked already, angel. Do my big thighs make you quiver and moan? You look so little when you sit on me like this, pretty girl. Does that turn you on?” Brent’s words felt like lightning shooting down your nervous system.

“Yes, god, yes.” you huffed, placing your forehead on his tattooed shoulder. 

“Uh-uh, baby, focus on me. There you go, look up at me. Are you falling apart for me, already, my little flower?”

Only moans came out as a response. Your breath was so shallow that you could think of no words. None.

“Not yet, baby, slow down. Shh, shh. Relax, my little girl, calm down.” he tightened his grip on your hips, changing the pace. 

“Make my thighs wetter, baby. Stay on my face, princess. I know, I know, baby, I bet it feels really good.”  

You looked deeply into his gaze, dark and lusting for you, and took a deep breath. 

“Look at that, look how good you’re being. You do exactly what Daddy tells you, don’t you?”

“I do, Daddy.”

“Tell them. Say it out loud, tell them.”

“I-, I do whatever Daddy tells me.” you choked out in between whimpers, face burning red.

“And why is that, baby?”

“Because I trust you, Daddy.” you said, gaze shooting up at him.

“Good girl, baby, good girl. You know Daddy will take care of you. Stick out your tongue, angel.” 

You did as told, your connection somehow reinforced after that exchange.

Brent gave you a small smirk, and wiped his tongue against yours, feverishly, before wrapping it up in his mouth. 

“Faster, now baby, faster. Show me how good I can make you feel.” Brent said, before attaching his lips to your neck, leaving the other side exposed for the guys to see. You picked up the pace again, the little break he gave you before just aiding to you edging, on the brink of falling apart. 

“Spread your legs, my dirty girl. Let me play with you.” he said, lips still touching the side of your neck.

You took more deep breaths as you tried to keep it together. When you moved, you could see the wet patch left on his pants. He helped you move, legs shaking, and set up enough pillows at the end of the bed to prop you up, your wet cunt open wide and showing to all the guys behind the glass.

“Lay down, princess. Right there, just like that.” Brent bent down in front of the bed, face dangerously close to your pussy.

“Oh, you’re such a mess. So pretty for us, baby.” His fingers dipped inside you just before circling your clit, causing your head to fall back into the mountain of pillows. It was hard to hold it together, unable to stop shaking or keep your knees from collapsing in. Brent stood up, thrusting his fingers deep inside you.

“Can you hold it in for me, baby? You’re not getting too ahead of yourself, are you?”

“A little.”

“Let’s slow down, maybe, flower. Open your mouth for me. Show me your tongue again.” Brent’s soaked fingers grabbed your chin sternly, right before spitting on your tongue twice.

He proceeded to dip his other hand right in your mouth, spreading his spit all over you.

“That’s so good, look at you. Let’s keep going, little one.” As he pulled his fingers out of your mouth, a trail of saliva fell from his digits and left a string on your body; his hand was back inside you as soon as it was gone, eliciting more and more moans from you.

“God, he really wasn’t kidding.” Dylan whispered in the room, all eyes still diligently stuck on the couple on the bed. 

“...Yeah.”. They did their best to hide how tight their pants were all getting but to no avail. It didn’t matter anyways - they had all signed up for this, and were all free to leave. Nonetheless, no one dared to move a muscle, too transfixed with the scene unfolding before them.

“Look at her pussy. Don’t stare at her face. Do whatever I tell you.” Brent’s voice changed from sweet to demanding, as he turned his head towards the glass to instruct the guys, who all followed commands, unknowingly to you, too blissed out to even worry.

His movements became quicker and more precise, knowing exactly where to touch you to make sure you twitched and squirmed.

“That’s right. You do so well by Daddy. I’m going to go faster now, baby. C’mon. I know, baby, I know, I know. Show them, my love. Show them how good my thick fingers make you feel. You’re so tiny I could just fuck you like this, my hands fill you up so well. Yeah?”

“Look at her, look at her, boys. You see how good I’m making her feel? Print that in your fucking heads and try to do the same when you touch a girl. Every time you see anyone from now on, you’ll think about this, this right here, and how good I can make her feel, just come apart in my hands.”

“She’s fucking trembling.”

“I know.”

“Jesus.” they all cursed.

“Give it to me, baby, c’mon, princess. Yeah, that’s right. Like that, like that, oh, fuck.” You grabbed Brent’s shoulders as you shuddered, orgasm rippling through you while he tried to coax you through it, watching you closely from above you.

“Good job, baby, good job. You are so gorgeous, baby. You’re so sweet, so kind, so pretty. There you go, pretty baby.” he said, slowing down and rubbing your folds while you came down from your peak. “Do you need some water? Yeah?” he asked, placing a kiss on your forehead, his hand gently tapping your pussy. 

“She wants water. Get her some. One person only. And do it fucking quickly.”

The guys all scrambled, sitting up and looking at each other since they first walked in. They had never seen each other in this state, sweaty and bodies flushed and swollen, ready for sex. There was absolutely no water in there. There was nothing. Neci, the closest to the exit, quickly left and came back, a victorious look on his face with a water bottle in his hand. Until he realized he needed to go in. He turned and gulped at the black door separating them from the couple, laying in bed, staring at the glass in front of them. Pyotr swore at that moment that Burnzie had lied about not being able to see or hear them.

“I said fucking fast!” he raised his voice, leading Neci to swiftly turn the handle and walk into the room. As he came towards you, still heavy breathing and wide open in front of him, he thought he might fall or just cream his pants. 

“Don’t fucking look at her. Look at her feet while you give me the water.” 

Martin did as told, and even if feet did absolutely nothing for him, he started to understand what Burnzie had meant in the locker room. Everything about this was so goddamn erotic. After handing over the water, and hearing a tiny “thank you” from you, Martin walked back and shut the door behind him, finding his chair fast and keeping his cap low, hoping the rest of the group wouldn’t chirp him. No one said anything. They all knew that could have been them going in there soon. Some were hoping, truly, to participate.

Brent tilted the water bottle back while holding it up to your mouth, whispering reassuring sweet nothings in your ear as you quenched your thirst.

“Color, baby?”

“Green.”

“Lovely, my girl. Take Daddy’s pants off.” 

You sat on your knees, working the button of Brent’s pants, while he looked at you, with the sweetest smile, until his erection sprang free. It wasn’t your first time seeing him, but it never failed to get a gasp out of it. Brent was a big man, and he was big and thick everywhere. As you leaned down to wrap your tongue around the tip of his cock, you felt a gentle tug at the back of your head.

“So sweet, my angel, but I want you already. Come rub yourself all over Daddy’s cock.” he said, sitting up back at the corner of the bed, legs confidently planted on the floor. 

“How bad do you want it, flower? You’ve been so good, waiting for me. All of those guys, they can’t satisfy you like I do, isn’t that right?” he looked up at you, while you were spreading your soaking folds up and down his shaft. 

“No one else can, Daddy.”

“What a pretty, good girl you are, baby girl. C’mere, take me, princess.” he said, immensely satisfied with your response, and guiding you all the way down his cock, until you were flush together at the hips. 

“Oh, oh, my god.”

“I know, baby. You can take me though, right?”

You nodded, hastily, as you began to bounce on him. He was so big you felt like he was splitting you in two, in the best, most pleasurable way possible. All you could do is moan, moan and moan. And whimper, head fully tilted back, as a tear slid down your cheek.

“My angel, are you tearing up? That’s okay, relax, my love. I got you. What’s your color, princess?”

“Green, green. It’s just so…, big.” 

“I know, I know. You can tear up, that’s alright. I’m right here, my dove.”

You bit your lip, hard, and looked back at his face. He was in heaven, and not afraid to show it.

“You feel so fucking good, flower. You feel so amazing, so snug around me. No one makes me feel like this, princess. God, fuck. Look at me.” 

Your eyes connected once again, Brent looking for …something in you.

“Can you take a little more for me, my sweet girl?”

“Yes, yes.” you said, not stopping your movements. 

“Slow down, yeah, like that. Milk Daddy very slowly.” he planted a kiss on your cheek, right before grabbing your face and uniting your tongues once again.

“I need one person here. Just one. And let it be a new one. Fast.” Brent raised his voice, facing the glass.

All his teammates looked at each other once again, yet this time, Andrei was the only one to stand up. 

“Must be your turn, brother. Good luck.” Sebastian uttered, from the back row.

Andrei looked around, slightly panicked. It sure seemed like it was going to be him. He took a deep breath before opening the connecting door, moving fast in order not to aggravate Burnzie. He walked in and simply couldn’t help but stare at you, fully naked with your eyes rolled back, grinding and bouncing steadily on his older teammate. 

“Don’t you dare fucking look. Go over to the dresser.” Brent ordered.

The young Russian strode towards the dresser on the opposite end of the bedroom, eyes planted on his shoes. 

“Middle drawer on the left. Tan rope. 1 ft. Bring it over.” 

Andrei grabbed the rope out of the organized bunch, shut the drawer and walked back, heart beating out of his chest. 

“Stand behind her. If you have to look, look at her feet. Hurry up.” 

Andrei stood behind her, the only thing he could see apart from the bottom of your feet was his bulge, rock hard in his slacks.

“Can you do a double column tie?”

“Uh, no.”

“Fucking-, anyone else? You have 5 seconds to come out if you do.”

2,3,4,5. No one. 

“Useless. Get close to her, I’ll tell you how to do it.” he said. “You keep grinding, my girl, you’re doing so well. Can you put your wrist behind your back for Daddy and his friend? Yeah? Good girl.”

Your small wrists appeared in Andrei’s field of vision, head diligently down. Andrei attempted at not getting distracted, but he was sure there were sweat beads emerging from his hairline. He followed all the instructions, which Brent made sure to explain as efficiently as possible. 

“Fold it in half.”

“Now, turn it counterclockwise.”

“Put that piece over and under, and squeeze it. Make sure it’s not too tight, so we’re not hurting her.”

Before he realized it, her hands were securely bound behind her back. Andrei mentally patted himself on the back. He caught a glimpse of you, slowly crumbling on top of Brent. All of the guys could have walked in right now, and Andrei thought you would have not noticed nor cared. You were completely wrapped up in Brent. 

“Can you be good, baby? Can you say, thank you, Andrei? For Daddy?”

Dazed and with your head resting on Brent’s shoulder, you moaned a thank you, which made Andrei’s knees buckle. 

“Out of here now.”. Andrei walked back, shirt sticking to his back, into the room with the guys, who were all staring at him, jaws on the floor. Once again, no one said a word. Andrei honestly couldn’t wait to get to his car, but he was too curious to leave just yet.

“How does it feel, baby?” “Good. So good, yes.”

“You sound so amazing, my little dove. What’s my name, love? Tell them. Tell them.”

“Daddy. Your name’s Daddy.” you said, increasing your speed.

“Good girl, baby, good. You’ve been so good today I’m going to fill you up so nicely, flower.”

Brent’s calloused hands balanced you carefully as you kept fucking yourself on his cock, which was growing harder as the boys grew more impatient with every move.

“Squeeze, baby girl. Squeeze me tight. Cream all over me, fuck.” the air in both rooms was getting warmer, exponentially. 

Your eyes locked for one last time before you crumbled all over him, juices running down Brent’s lap as you shook.

“See, boys? Look how beautiful. Shut up and listen to her, hear how incredible she feels. God, just looking at her is going to make me cum.” Brent fucked up into you and kept calling out for you as he shot his seed deep inside you, his big thighs tensing up under you. Little one, baby, angel, princess, love, flower… every single one rolling right off his tongue over and over, eyes fluttering. 

The guys moved around more and more, uncomfortable in their chairs. 

Brent quickly flipped you over, immediately untying your hands after you both caught your breath again. He held you tightly in his arms, rocking you back and forth, caressing your cheek, and placing kisses all over the marks on your wrists.

“You did so well. I’m so proud of you, angel. I’m always proud of you. My gorgeous princess.”

He kept going for a while, feeding you water, some candy from the nightstand, and enveloping your body fully. In the meantime, none of the guys could barely hold it together, all trying to see what was going to happen next, or waiting to speed home to have some private time.

“You guys are lucky I’m not making any of you come out here and lap up her juices. I’ll be nice today. Get the fuck out of here.” Brent said, lastly, before going back to paying full attention to you.

The chairs squeaked at how fast everyone sat up, exiting through the same door, retrieving their phones, and heading towards their cars, not one word was spoken. None of them could believe what had happened, what they had witnessed. There were no goodnights or goodbyes. 

They all raced home, speeding into the night, a thousand memories already forming in their heads. 

One thing they knew for sure. None of them were ever going to forget this night. 

#brent burns #carolina hurricanes #smut #nhl imagine #nhl smut #nhl fic #nhl #andrei svechnikov #teuvo teräväinen #sebastian aho #seth jarvis #pyotr kochetkov #jesperi kotkaniemi #jalen chatfield #martin nečas #dylan coghlan #kikiwrites

[mp0625]

🌷 favorite sweet quote from a published work

🍎 favorite angst quote from a wip

🌻 favorite funny quote from a published work

🌷: “So we need a stand, lights, some ornaments and a star.” Kate says, pushing the cart down the different aisles. “What do we think of these lights?” She asks the boys turning around to show them the multicolored lights, but they were nowhere to be found. As she walks down the aisles trying to find them as she turns down the last one she sees them playing with two hockey stick ornaments. “What are you two doing?” As the two of them look up sheepishly. “I think we have found our first two ornaments, put them in the cart. Any more ornaments while we’re down here in this aisle?” Slightly sweet slightly silly. From a Winter fic exchange fic called Jouluiloa a Teuvo Teravainen fic

🍎: “What do mean that you found that in her bag? How did you even find that?” From a unnamed Seth Jarvis fic

🌻: "Y/N you did it wrong, it looks nothing like the instructions." He said with a frown on his face. "What do you mean I did it wrong, it looks like the instructions." You said "Y/N you had the booklet upside down!" He said with a laugh. From Under the Moonlight a Jeremy Swayman fic

#fanfic writer ask #teuvo teräväinen fic #seth jarvis x reader #jeremy swayman x reader

[sydnikov]

Lover Boy || S. Jarvis

Author: Sydney / @sydnikov

Pairing: Seth Jarvis/fem!Reader

Word Count: 9.7k

Summary: Hockey is a violent sport, one based on luck yet also talent, and most never escape unscathed. You learned that lesson too early, and haven't quite been the same ever since. Then Seth Jarvis comes along, tearing down your hardened walls with ease, and, suddenly… You don't feel so alone anymore.

Warnings: Mentions of bodily trauma (torn ACL), social anxiety, cursing, slight PTSD, mild sexual innuendos, mentions of sex

A/N: thanks for 300+ followers guys <3 have this long ass fic as my appreciation ❤️🖤 also the cover image is by me, the separate images are not mine except for the wag playoff jackets picture.

December 30, 2021

You hate hockey.

It was just too… Much. Too much noise, too much violence, and the pressure to perform was overwhelmingly stressful.

And after one too many accidents as a kid playing the game you loved, you started to blame it for your unfortunate luck in just about everything ever since.

Tearing your ACL had ruined everything for you, and you blamed the sport ever since.

It didn't help that your entire family lived smack-dab in the center of Raleigh, twenty minutes away from the PNC Arena, and thus dragged you to every single Hurricanes game they could get their hands on.

The screams of the fans around you as a goal was scored snapped you out of your thoughts, and you winced as the flashing lights passed over you.

You hate hockey.

“Carolina Hurricanes… Goal!” Wade Minter's voice shouted through the speakers, and you rolled your eyes as someone proceeded to chuck their entire body against the glass. “Scored by number twenty-four… Seth! Jarvis!”

High-pitched screams pierced your ears after the announcer finished his sentence, and you sighed as you looked up to the clock to discover you still had ten minutes left of the third period to sit through.

“Looks like you have an admirer…” your sister, Katie, suddenly whispered into your ear, and you turned to shoot her a look of confusion. “What?” you asked, quickly glancing around you to see if anyone was staring.

“Down there, on the ice!” she pointed with an excited grin. “He's the one who just scored— Jarvis.” You followed her finger to where she was pointing to on the ice, and sure enough there was a player skating near the glass, his eyes roaming the stands, staring at you, until you awkwardly made eye contact.

Nothing really cliche happened; time didn’t ‘freeze’, nor did your heart start racing as if it were going to leap out of your chest, but his eyes were so open and warm, and his face was so full of joy with the high of playing a game you knew all too well— and that, that, had your heart skipping a beat.

He blushed, and you watched, enraptured, as he quickly turned away. Your stomach swirled with disappointment, but you quickly fought to push the feeling away. “And?” you cast a pointed look towards your sister, trying to play it off as if you didn't care.

Really, though, your heart was beating fast, and you'd blame the heat of the crowd if asked, but… his dark eyes looking into yours made you blush, too.

Katie scanned your face determinedly, but when finding no cracks in your facade she reluctantly let it go. “Mom and dad want to wait by the back of the arena to try and catch the players.” she said with pursed lips, but you could easily see the excitement on her face.

Before you were able to protest, or sprint out of the arena, the buzzer sounded that announced the end of the game, the Hurricanes easily besting the Canadiens with a score of 4-0. You wanted to stay for the storm surge, probably the only reason you still let your family drag you to these games, but you were dragged out of your seat before you could say another word.

"Can we go home now?” you whined for what had to be the tenth time, rubbing your arms furiously as the cold January wind whipped through your hair. Your parents ignored you as they remained huddled in their own world of hockey talk, and your sister merely shot you a glare.

Just as you were about to open your mouth, more complaints on the tip of your tongue, the gated doors of the arena suddenly burst open with the distant cheers of fans from behind them. This time, you remained quiet as you watched with interest as several men - sweaty men - in suits exited the arena, and your family got as close to the rails as possible without invading their personal space.

Their quiet murmurs and comments about the game just barely reached your ears, until they suddenly noticed your family, all by their lonesome, staring at them in the cold with barely-contained excitement.

Sometimes you wondered if you were the only adult in the family.

One of the players elbowed someone next to him, exchanging a few unintelligible words before they were all suddenly coming over to where you were standing, friendly smiles on their faces as they greeted your parents. Curiosity took over for a brief moment as they talked to your parents excitedly, signing autographs on their jerseys and what not, but you soon lost interest as the minutes wore on. Wrapping your thin sweater even tighter around your shivering frame, you pulled out your phone with a sigh, impatiently watching the minutes go by, scrolling through instagram mindlessly.

“Hello?” a greeting voiced more as a question broke through the silence you were immersed in, and you looked up with slight surprise to see a young, boyishly handsome face peering down at you with nervousness and determination written all over his face.

You thought you recognized him, but you couldn’t tell in the dark. “Hi?” you answered with just as much hesitancy, and you thought you saw his shoulders relax at the nervousness you both clearly felt.

“I saw you. In the arena, I mean— in the stands.” he said, nerves causing his words to falter.

You thought it was kind of cute.

“You did?” you asked, squinting through in the dark to try and get a better look at his face. You could have sworn you’ve seen him somewhere…

…but his eyes were so open and warm, and his face was so full of joy and the high of playing a game you knew all too well— and that, that, had your heart skipping a beat.

You almost gasped, but you quickly shoved that puff of air right back down your throat. Suddenly your hands were clammy with nerves, and your foot started to tap impatiently against the pavement. Him? Jarvis? What was his first name again?

“Seth,” his voice broke through your thoughts. “I’m Seth.” he seemed to answer your unspoken question, and then he put his hand out - for a handshake, of all things - his lips curled into a goofy smile, eyes wide and open and welcoming and—

You smiled, and shook his hand.

────────────────────────────────

January 11, 2022

A harsh, blaring alarm broke through the peaceful slumber your body was wrapped in, and you slowly cracked your eyes open with a groan to glare at the offending sound.

It was your phone, its screen the only light in your room shrouded in darkness. Why did you set an alarm, again?

“Mom! Do you know where I left my lunch bag?” Katie's voice came shouting from the kitchen, and then you remembered.

You had a class today, presenting your first project of the new semester that would set the tone for the grading period. You were determined to do well, and had spent many all-nighters perfecting your project.

Grabbing your phone from your nightstand, you finally turned off the alarm set for 8:00 a.m. and checked your notifications.

From: Seth

-Good luck on ur presentation today! Ur gonna do great :)

Immediately following the notification of his text was a snapchat from him, and with a tired, silly smile on your face you opened his snap first.

The snap was of Seth himself looking like he just woke up, with a bad case of bedhead and a grin on his face that never seemed to waver. You could also see his bare shoulders and collarbone, but you tried to ignore those minor details.

You sent a snap back of yourself, a full-face picture with a sleepy smile to match his energy. Normally you'd feel self-conscious or embarrassed to send such a selfie (considering you barely used snapchat as it is) but with Jarvis- with Seth, it was different.

Ever since your accident two years ago, you had a hard time showing your face to anyone. Maybe it was the embarrassment of having such a terrible accident or the fact that you were about to go D1 into college, but the fact remains that blogs were talking about you for weeks, your face plastered on every women's hockey site you could find.

‘Top Prospect Injured in the middle of a game…’

‘Upcoming Hockey star taken out by a bad skate…’

‘The women's hockey world mourns the loss of…’

Social media quickly became a source of stress and anxiety after that, so you stopped using it once you began to recover.

You hadn't found a good reason to start using any of your accounts regularly again - you barely even snapped your friends back anymore - but Seth, he just…

Well, you didn't really know what it was about him; you just knew that you liked him, and were open to continuing letting your walls fall the longer you talked. 

After the slightly awkward handshake between you and the hockey player when you first met, he proceeded to ask for your number with a furious blush spreading down his cheeks. You loved the fact that he was so different from every other guy, for instead of the, “You're so fine, can I get your snap?”, Seth asked, “Do you think it would be okay if I could get your number?”

Even though he eventually ended up asking for your snap about a week or two into texting, the fact still remained that he waited to get to know you better before asking. And that, well… That meant everything to you.

We love a respectful king.

And you said yes, obviously. 

Shaking yourself out of your thoughts, you smoothed down your form-fitting button-up with a nervous breath, staring at yourself in the mirror. You looked young yet professional, minimal makeup used to make your eyes pop yet light enough to look natural.

You looked good, and you hoped everyone else would think so, too.

Picking up your phone, you opened Seth's last message and typed out a response.

To: Seth

-Thank you :))

And despite knowing he was at a morning practice right now, you followed up with a question.

-Wanna get a late breakfast after my class ends?

Satisfied, you put your phone in the back pocket of your jeans and left your house, ready to give the best fucking performance of a lifetime.

And a bit of motivation to get you to do well, too.

────────────────────────────────

January 11, 2022

The bright Raleigh sun cast a nice warmth through the chilly air as you walked the distance from your car to the Starbucks. Not only was it close to your college, but it was also fairly cheap compared to the other places located in the city.

Broke college student things…

It was safe to say your presentation went well, if the giddy smile on your face was anything to go by. Of course, there were things you could have improved on, like not stuttering every time someone asked you a question relating to your topic…

But, anyway. Overall, you thought you did fine. Your professor didn't look overly impressed, but he didn't look disgusted either, so you took that as a good sign you'd get a fairly decent grade.

You'd take whatever you could get, considering you weren't even planning on attending college after tearing your ACL.

Seth had agreed to your offer to meet about ten minutes into your presentation, so you hadn't seen it until you were finished. Lucky for you, he'd known that and took the liberty of already choosing a place to eat that you wholeheartedly agreed with.

And now, here you were, sitting at a table near one of the many windows and scrolling on your phone, occasionally looking to see if your hockey player was here.

An excited shout of your name soon had you looking up from your phone, being greeted with the sight of a flushed Seth who looked like he just came out of the shower. His hair was wet, dangling over his eyes and his cheeks were a familiar, rosey red.

He looked cute, you thought.

“Did you run in the rain or something?” you joked as he took a seat in front of you, slipping into playful banter.

“The moment Coach let us go I went home to clean up and then came straight here.” He responded with a sheepish grin, seeming embarrassed, but there was something about the way he implied his eagerness to see you so boldly told you he didn't mind.

“You just couldn't wait to see me?” You teased, not at all being serious, but Seth caught you off-guard when he straightened up and answered with zero hesitation:

“Nope.”

Immediately, you could feel your face heating up and hoped he wouldn't notice, but the way his lips quirked up into a smirk let you know he definitely noticed.

You looked down, trying to hide your blush to keep your dignity intact, and luckily he seemed to understand without words that you needed a few seconds to recuperate.

Every day, he found a new way to make your affections for him grow.

“I'm gonna go get us some coffee and breakfast,” he said, sliding out of the chair and pulling out his wallet. Before you could protest about him paying, he strode away with his back purposely turned towards you.

This wasn't the first time you met up for coffee, and just like every other time, he paid.

He soon strode back with your orders, one caramel latte for you and straight black coffee for him, along with two breakfast bagels. “One of these days, you're gonna let me pay.” You shot him a pointed look, a determined smile directed his way.

“Sure.” Seth shrugged with an innocent smile, ducking away from a crumb you flicked at him.

And the centerman would let you pay— Eventually…

The thing about Seth Jarvis that most didn't know is that he had worked tirelessly around the clock at various jobs ever since he turned sixteen, and while he made an okay amount of money, he could never afford to pay for his own meals, nonetheless anyone else's.

So when he signed with the Carolina Hurricanes and got his $277,500 signing bonus, he'd been taking advantage of treating his friends and family ever since.

That included you now, too.

His dad had always told him to never let a girl pay for her own meals, and while he was all about feminism and independence and all that… He couldn't help but be traditional, in this sense.

He'd only ever had one girlfriend before he met you, and while he didn't exactly know where things would go, he planned on treating you right until he did know, and every single day after that.

“I'll tell you what,” the centerman suddenly spoke up, and you looked up with interest. “I'll let you pay for dinner, if—”

He cut himself off on purpose, enjoying the anticipation and impatience on your face until you finally gave in and huffed, “If what?”

“If we go to my apartment to eat.”

You were stunned into silence, staring wide-eyed at his face until he started to squirm uncomfortably.

“Or… We can go to yours, too. If you want. It's okay if you don't. It doesn't really matter…”

Seth started to ramble, and you almost felt bad but you were too stuck in your head to notice at first.

What… What were you doing, really? Were you ready for something like this, with him? With what he was working towards?

Did he want a relationship?

You snapped yourself out of your thoughts when he said your name again, and you looked up to see him looking at you, concern written all over his face and his eyes holding an apology for overstepping, should you need one.

You took a deep breath. No. You weren't going to let your anxiety get the best of you, not over something that could potentially turn out to be amazing.

This sweet man of a hockey player wasn't going to use you, or embarrass you. Or, well, you supposed you didn't know for sure, but you had a feeling.

And it was about time you started trusting your gut.

“Sounds like a date, Jarvis.”

────────────────────────────────

January 13, 2022

“You went on a DATE and didn't TELL me!?” Your sister's voice could be heard all the way across the house from her room, and you raised your eyes in alarm as she suddenly came barrelling into the kitchen.

“What?” You asked, feigning confusion and looking back towards your laptop, where you sat working on a paper that was due next week.

Well, you did go on a date, if that's what you called your outing with Seth, but then that would just be one of many. You were just friends, the lines only occasionally blurring when either of you made a flirty comment or two.

Katie frowned, reaching a hand forward to close your laptop and force you to pay attention to her. “Don't lie, Seth posted on his story!”

Now that got your attention.

“He did what now?” You immediately shot up, picking up your phone to try and find whatever embarrassing picture he might have posted.

But when you pulled up his snapchat - because you knew he knew better than to put anything on instagram - the picture he had up was… Not that bad.

It was a picture of you sitting across the Starbucks table, sipping your coffee with the late morning sun shining through the windows, giving your skin a serene golden glow. You weren't looking at him, but he was very clearly looking at you.

You were so used to pictures of you being associated with negative connotations ever since your injury that seeing one of you just being, well— you, that you couldn't help the way your heart started racing.

Oh God, you were falling… and you were falling hard.

Ignoring Katie's knowing grin, you swiped up on the picture and responded.

-Sneaking pictures of me now I see??

You didn't expect him to respond anytime soon, knowing he was about to play the Columbus Blue Jackets with home ice, and was probably getting ready to face them as you speak.

But, lo and behold, your phone lit up with a notification from the very man himself two minutes later. 

-Can you blame me? You're beautiful ;)

With a middle finger emoji sent to try and combat the vicious somersaults in your stomach, you quickly put your phone face down on the counter, ignoring the smirking emojis he sent back right after.

And when you finally looked back up, your sister was gone, leaving you stare at the darkened sky outside, wondering just exactly what the fuck were you doing.

Once again, you just hoped letting Seth in wouldn't bite you in the butt.

Ten minutes later your alarm to stop your work for the day sounded, and with a long stretch you finally stood up to put your stuff away in your room.

The Hurricanes would start playing the Blue Jackets in about ten minutes, so you shut your room door and looked up the streaming website on your phone, tuning into the pregame show and settling down on your bed.

After several minutes of listening to the announcers ramble, you curiously eyed your closet, wondering if you had anything, well, Hurricanes related, since you now had a reason to cheer for them.

A boy, of all things, was slowly bringing back your love for hockey, and you weren't sure how to feel about it.

Staring at your clothes, the only thing remotely related to the team was an itchy red Christmas sweater gifted to you by your grandma, and you sure as hell weren't wearing that.

After several seconds of deliberating, you released a strained breath and left your room to knock on your sister's. “Katie?” you asked, “Do you, um… Have any jerseys? Hurricanes jerseys?”

There was a brief period of silence, and then your younger sister opened the door. “Why? Do you need one?” She asked, a shit-eating grin on her face.

Okay, maybe you still hated hockey a little bit.

You gritted your teeth. “I'm watching the game, and no I'm not watching it for me I'm watching it for Seth-” your words suddenly got off when a large piece of fabric was thrown at your face.

Of course, it was a Hurricanes jersey. Nobody's name on it though, thank god. “I hate you.” You muttered, though your smile betrayed your gratefulness.

“Don't stay up too late!” She cackled, and before you could argue her door was shut in your face.

Yeah. You still hate hockey.

Once retreating back to your room, you pulled the jersey over your head and crawled under your mountain of blankets, getting comfortable and then tuning back into the game.

It was only about five minutes into the first period, the announcers blabbering on about something irrelevant while the cameras panned over the players' benches.

The only player you cared to see was soon shown talking to Sebastian Aho, his face pulled in concentration and anger. They seemed to be frustrated about something, but for what you didn't know because all you could focus on was this one bead of sweat trickling down his neck somewhere into his jersey.

Fuck.

────────────────────────────────

February 28, 2022

“Seth!" you barked, glaring at the twenty year-old. “Give me my phone back!”

The man you were currently yelling at smiled snugly from where he stood from behind his couch, holding your phone above his head. “Nope. You're too distracted, you gotta take a break!”

“Checking my email isn't distracting!”

“Yes it is,”

“No it's not,”

“Yes it is,”

You stood at a stalemate, staring into each other's eyes until you finally cracked with a small smile. “I hate you,” you said as you fell back onto the couch with a dramatic groan.

Seth followed you, the pleasure at his victory written all over his face as he settled next to you wrapping an arm around your shoulders to pull you in close. “Sure you do,” the hockey player grinned.

Ignoring his smug smile, you merely rolled your eyes and sunk your body against his, letting the tension leave your muscles as you relaxed fully against him, the warmth of his body a pleasant factor in aiding your relaxation.

You didn't really have a good answer to give as to when your 'relationship' with him got so… Physical.

It started after you first went over to his apartment for dinner, fleeting touches starting to become more prominent here and there- a brush of your hand, squeezing by when there was plenty of space to go around, etc.

You'd never been a fan of being touched. Even as a kid, you liked your personal space; it became even worse after your accident, because for two years all you had was people touching you, helping you to walk, guiding you—

But with Seth, you just didn't seem to care. Maybe it was because of your growing crush on the centerman, or the fact that you got butterflies every time you felt his hand on the small of your back when walking through an unfamiliar place…

The fact is, you felt comfortable around him. And that was a nice feeling to have.

You could feel him sigh as he relaxed from behind you, grabbing one of the fluffy blankets originally put off to the side to drape over. The television was running in the background on low volume, but you weren't complaining considering you didn't have the energy to focus anyway.

Seth started to play with the ends of your hair, and you held back a shiver when you felt his hands brush against the nape of your neck. Probably on purpose, knowing him.

But again, you weren't complaining.

As your eyes began to flicker, body balancing between a limbo of being asleep and awake, you suddenly heard the hockey player whisper your name, pausing his ministrations with your hair.

“Yeah?” you answered groggily, rubbing at your eyes from where they had begun to fall shut.

When he didn't respond, you looked up from where you had your head resting on his chest and found him to be staring intently at the television without actually watching.

“Seth?” you prodded once more, sitting up straighter when you noticed how suddenly tense he had become. “Are you okay?”

He seemed to take a deep breath, and then he was suddenly following in your lead and straightening up, causing your head to slip from his chest.

You raised your eyes curiously, wondering why he was so nervous when he finally looked down at you.

“We've been… friends— for a while now, right?” He asked tentatively.

“Yeah?” Really, it had only a few months and then some, but to you, it felt so much longer.

Staring at him in confusion, Seth looked away for a moment and said something that sounded vaguely like “fuck” before nervously running a hand through his hair.

“The guys made this seem like it was so easy,” he gave a breathless laugh, his words only furthering your confusion. Made what seem easy?

Seth said your name, and after he was sure he had your attention he gently took your hands in his, making sure you were okay with the contact before continuing.

“I… I like you, I think. No, actually, I don't think I do, I know I do.” he said. “I like spending time with you, and meeting up for breakfast and lunch and dinner. I think you're funny, and I love that you don't treat me different just because I'm a hockey player or something,”

“Seth-” you tried interrupting, your face on fire because you weren't used to having someone be so open with you.

He placed a finger on your lips to quiet you, and you would have slapped the smirk off his face if you weren't so taken with what he was saying. “Nope, I'm not done yet.

“And, I don't really know how you feel, and that's okay because you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, but… but - please don't make fun of me for telling you this- ever since I saw you for the first time at the game we played Columbus, I knew I was a goner. For you.

“And asking for your number was probably the best thing I think I've done since coming to Raleigh. Other than kicking ass at hockey, of course.” he finished with a cheeky smirk, trying to ease his nervousness with humor.

Seth finally stopped to take a deep breath, having been rambling for what felt like hours but had really only been a few minutes. After feeling like he got everything off his chest, he cast you a wary glance to try and gauge your reaction.

You were speechless. Flabbergasted, astonished, awestruck. He had somehow managed to put into words exactly how you were feeling without even realizing.

But… Were you ready? For opening up yourself to him fully? Were you prepared to let the mile-high walls surrounding your heart fall to let him in?

You liked Seth, sure. You liked him a lot, and you could see that potentially turning into so much more, but… 

… the screams of fans as you collapsed onto the ice…

… your teammate falling to the ground after fighting the one who tripped you…

… your family rushing to the ER as you screamed in agony…

… your boyfriend breaking up with you that same day, unable to handle the publicity and stress of standing by your side…

A soft whisper of your name, and you quickly looked back up to see Seth gazing at you with soft eyes, full of nervousness and affection and trust and—

You scooted even closer to him, if that was even possible. And then, you took a deep breath, and opened up.

“I like you a lot, too.” you said nervously, eyes crinkling at the corners as you watched a wide smile overtake his face.

“Can I kiss you? I really want to kiss you,” he asked almost all in one breath, and with a small giggle, since when did you giggle?, you only nodded once before he was cupping your cheeks with his hands, tentatively brushing his lips against yours.

Neither of you hesitated after that.

You shivered into the kiss as he pressed forward, his stubble scratching against your cheeks in the best way possible as the two of you moved together as if doing this for years. Seth leaned forward, and you let him press you down into the couch until the two of you were smiling so hard you ended up breaking the kiss with soft giggles erupting from your chests. Taking your breath away, your brown-eyed boy pressed soft butterfly kisses around your cheeks and eyes as you recovered. And, just because you could now, you reached your hands up to tangle in his hair at the nape of his neck and bit back a grin when he shivered at the contact.

Seth's head fell to bury in the nape of your neck, pressing a small kiss to the sensitive skin before resting his weight on top of you.

You didn't mind, though— not one bit.

The hockey player mumbled something into your neck, and you held back a laugh as you tried to look down to meet his eyes but his arms wrapped firmly around your waist held you in place.

You laughed, gently tugging at the strands of his hair. “What?” you asked.

Seth finally looked up, his eyes hooded and slightly darker than they were before, but there was the familiar softness you were used to that made you feel safe and comfortable.

“So…” he started, teasingly trailing off to watch your reaction.

“So…?” you sent him a lighthearted glare, urging him to continue.

He grinned that beautiful smile of his. “Does this mean I can be your boyfriend now?”

You threw your head back with a laugh, and unbeknownst to you was the look he gave in return, one full of sentiment and tenderness, and he would only say it to himself for now, but…

He knew, without a doubt, that with time he was going to love you.

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April 9, 2022

You were about to step foot on the ice for the first time in, well, ever.

The last time you'd put skates on to play hockey was when you were almost done with rehab; your leg had still been in the process of healing, but it was better and you were going to try to work your way back to play the sport.

Only, you'd been a lot more damaged than you thought. In front of all your teammates, the moment you set your blades on the ice you were toppling over onto your knees, only worsening the pain in your leg.

That was the last time you tried to play hockey, and step foot in an ice rink in general.

Until Seth came around, that is.

“I've got you, it's okay,” he gently murmured into your ear as he stood at the entrance of the ice rink, your shaking hands clasped tightly in his as you stared, terrified, at the ice glaring back at you.

It was a game-free day for the Canes, but despite that you figured they would all still be super busy with practices, or something.

Apparently, that was not the case.

Spending the night at Seth's the night before, tangled in his arms and lulled to sleep by his warmth, you expected him to be gone when you woke up, but instead he was merely scrolling on his phone, an arm wrapped loosely around your waist.

“Good morning,” he had greeted, then did a double-take when he saw that you had stolen his shirt. “I love seeing you in my clothes.”

“Shut up,” you mumbled, only slightly hating his ability to make you blush. “Don't you have practices to go to?” you asked, taking a quick glance at the time.

“Yeah, but those aren't till later, and there's only one or two we have to go to.”

For being the first in the division, you thought there'd be a lot more practice in their schedule. But, apparently not.

“Do you want to go ice skating at our practice rink later?” he'd blurted out after sitting with you in comfortable silence, completely taking you off guard.

You'd told him not long after you first started dating about how you used to play hockey, tearing your ACL, and some minor details about rehab. It wasn't everything, certainly not every single detail of the trauma you'd experienced from it, but it was enough to let him know how big of a deal ice skating again in general was to you.

That's why, when he saw your face, he followed up with, “It's okay if you don't, I just thought— well, some of the guys are bringing their girls today, and, well…” he trailed off, had been at a loss of words for what to say, but you understood completely.

You'd only been dating for a little over a month, been friends for over four, and in that time-frame you'd discovered that Seth was definitely a man who liked others to know he was dating, in his words, “the most amazing, incredible, funny, selfless woman known to man.” He was smitten with you, to say the least.

But you felt the exact same way.

You had trauma with the ice rink, a terror you'd never been able to get over, but if it was for Seth… Well, here you are.

Casting a wary glance at his teammates and their respective partners already on the ice, you looked back to Seth and saw him waiting patiently, zero judgment in his eyes.

“Don't let me fall, okay?” you whispered quietly, adjusting your grip on his hands before hesitantly placing your foot on the ice.

You thought you were going to fall immediately, your leg having already started to shake the moment it left the ground, but Seth held you close, his hands steady as he guided one to your back to help you make the final step out on the ice. “Never.” he responded just as softly, a proud smile on his face as you managed to keep yourself standing.

It felt good, you thought, to be skating again, even if your legs were basically locked and Seth had to skate backwards to even keep you moving, but you know what? It counted.

It fucking counted. You were skating again.

You looked up from where you had been staring at your feet with childlike excitement, your smile so wide and bright that Seth couldn’t help but kiss you, taking your breath away with a gentle sigh.

“You're doing so good,” he grinned against your lips, causing the butterflies in your stomach to increase ten-fold. Trapped in your own little bubble, neither of you noticed the knowing glances of his teammates or the curious ones of their partners. “Think you can skate on your own?”

Immediately, panic gripped your heart with a vice, but Seth remained steady with his grip, helping to keep you grounded. “I'm not gonna let you fall, I promise.”

You stared into his eyes for several long moments, taking a few seconds to ground yourself with deep breaths. Fingers flexing nervously around his hands, you nodded slowly and had to resist the urge to grab his hands back once he slowly untangled them yours.

Shooting Seth a nervous look, you watched as he gave you an encouraging smile and took a few steps back, far enough to give you space to skate yet close enough to catch you should you fall.

Slowly putting one foot forward, you remembered back to lessons as a toddler learning to skate when the first thing the instructors told you was to act as if you were walking. You took that advice, and released a shaky breath when you took one step without falling.

Another step, and then another, and another, until you were starting a slow, shaky glide.

You barely noticed your boyfriend skating backwards as you began to move forward, too focused on remaining balanced.

“Remember to bend your knees,” you heard him remind you, and you shot him a small smile when you noticed your legs were pinned straight.

Slowly, it began to come back to you. The memory of making it to the other side of the ice without falling, your first assist, goal, hat trick…

You lifted a foot to push off the ice, and suddenly muscle memory was taking over and then you were gliding across the ice for the first time in years, right into Seth's awaiting arms.

“Oh my god,” you gasped, clutching into his arms with barely-contained excitement. Seth was grinning so widely as he spun you around, the two of you twirling around the ice as if you had all the time in the world.

“Baby I'm so proud of you,” Seth clutched your arms with elation just as you had been doing to his, giving you that adorable grin of his that you couldn't help but stand on your toes to kiss him, practically sighing in pleasure when he pulled you closer. “That was amazing, you are amazing.” he told you as he pulled back, keeping his arms wrapped around your waist.

“I only skated, like, six feet,” you huffed, trying to cover how flustered you were by his constant praise.

“So?” he responded, slowly pulling back and holding your hand so the two of you could skate side-by-side. “This is a big deal for you— I'm so proud of you.”

You met his eyes then, shy and warm and soft and you almost said it, right then and there.

I love you, you thought, in big, bold letters.

“Thank you for being with me,” you murmured, briefly resting your weight against his side. “I don't know what I'd do without you.”

“Probably still afraid of the ice,” he joked, knowing your boundaries by now and when to stop. You gasped dramatically, shooting him a mirthless glare. “That's it, no cuddles tonight for you.”

And then you were off, laughter bursting free from your chest as you flew past his teammates and others on the ice, Seth hot on your tail.

Some of his teammates' girlfriends that you'd met and gotten friendly with started to join you, and spinning around with a grin you immediately locked eyes with the only man you had eyes for.

You and Seth were lovestruck, identical smiles on each of your faces and hearts beating in tandem.

Soon, you thought, soon.

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April 19, 2022

You hummed softly to the music playing in the background, chewing on your lip subconsciously as you read one of the many chapters your professor had assigned that night for homework.

Lucky for you, you were almost done, having been grinding on your schoolwork all day the moment you got home for class.

Normally you would have procrastinated until the last week it was due, but Seth and the rest of the team were coming home today after being on the road, so of course you were going to see your boyfriend.

“Is Seth here yet?” Katie asked as she walked into the living room. You'd only introduced your family to Seth after the first month you met and they were immediately smitten with him.

Whether that was because they genuinely thought he was a good guy, he was a professional hockey player, or because he was dating their rather lonely daughter, you'd never know. Probably all three.

Checking the time on your computer screen, you hummed out a response. “Should be, in a bit. Depends on if traffic is bad.”

Your sister nodded in response, collapsing on the couch next to you. “Well, tell him to hurry up. I have so much stuff to tell him!”

You scoffed. “Yeah? Like what? And since when do you guys talk?”

“When you're busy taking two hours in the bathroom to get ready before you go on a date.”

Touché.

Out of the corner of your eye you saw headlights pulling into your driveway from the window, and giving your sister one last glare you quickly shut your computer and made way to greet your boyfriend first.

Seth was making his way around his car when you opened the door, and the moment you caught sight of each other, you were suddenly sprinting down the steps, crossing the distance left between you and jumping into his arms.

“Welcome home,” you giggled into his neck as he put his hands under your thighs to wrap your legs around his waist.

“Oh my god, I missed you,” Seth exclaimed with a large smile, peppering kisses all over your face.

He'd only been gone for about five days on a road trip, but every time he left it always felt like a lifetime had passed by the time he came home to you.

“I missed you too,” you grinned, looking up for a kiss only to find him one step ahead of you as he reached down to press his lips to yours.

You sighed into his mouth in relief, having missed your lover boy more than you let on. “How many more roadies are left again?” you asked once you both stopped to take a breath, resting his forehead against yours.

Seth groaned. “Too many.” After letting you back down, he gestured towards your house. “You got your bags and stuff packed?”

You nodded in confirmation, stealing another kiss from his lips before leading the way inside.

You missed the goofy smile on his face as you turned around, the way his eyes lit up as for the millionth time since he met you, he wondered how he got so lucky for him to be able to call you his.

You'd already met his family and some of his close friends, and had even sat in the family section with some of the other girls at games - for that he was ridiculously proud of you for - but tonight, he was going to ask you a question that would surpass all of that.

Well, in the grand scheme of things, asking you to wear a playoff jacket with his name on it wasn't that big of a deal, but in the hockey world? The hockey players? It meant everything to have the love of your life there supporting you.

That's why he hoped you'd say yes.

“Seth!” He was broken out of his thoughts by a younger voice excitedly calling his name, and as he followed you into the house he saw your little sister bounding forward with a big grin on your face.

“Katie!” He greeted with just as much enthusiasm, missing the fond look you shot his way at how he seemed to love your sister just as much as she loved him. “How's it been?”

“So boring,” the girl groaned, throwing a mocking glare your way. “She's done nothing but complain about you being gone.”

You just about strangled your sister when your boyfriend turned to you with a wide, mischievous grin. “She did, did she? Well, if it makes her feel any better I got hit in the head by Coach while he was talking because we were too busy texting,” Seth was talking to Katie, but it was clear he was addressing you by the way his eyes never left yours.

God, how was it possible to be so obsessed with one person?

“When you two are done gossiping,” you playfully enunciated. “I'll be waiting outside.” Striding towards the door with an overnight bag in hand, you bit back a giggle when you heard your boyfriend hurriedly say goodbye to your sister, rushing out behind you.

At this point, it was kind of redundant to even be bringing clothes to spend the night considering Seth now had a drawer dedicated to your clothes and other things anyway, but to acknowledge that would lead you into new territory you weren't ready to explore yet.

“How are the rest of the boys doing?” you asked out of pure curiosity, having gotten to know most of them enough - mainly Jesperi and Martin - to where you genuinely cared about them.

“Good, for the most part. Most just wanna go see their wife and kids, and the others… Yeah.” Seth didn't say it, but you could tell he rather disapproved of some of his teammates' choices to go out to bars and party instead of spending time with their significant other.

You didn't understand it either. Other than some of your college friends, you spent most of your free time with Seth and couldn't wait to see him the moment he got back from anywhere, and vice-versa.

“You can't tell anyone I said this,” you started slowly, biting your lip to hide a grin when your boyfriend turned to look at you. “But I don't understand how some of the girls haven't broken up with them yet.”

The hockey player snorted loudly at that, having to try and cover his laugh with a cough. "I think I agree with you on that one."

The two of you fell into comfortable silence after that as he drove to his apartment, the street lamps the only source of light as they zipped past the windows.

“I have something to ask you,” the centerman suddenly blurted as you came to a stop at a red light, his eyes refusing to look away from the road.

“Yeah?” you responded, wondering why he seemed so tense. You hadn't seen him this nervous since he asked you to be his girlfriend.

Seth gulped. “So— the playoffs are coming up, right?” he started, turning left onto the street that led to his apartment complex once the light turned green.

“Mhmm, and you guys are gonna clinch first in the division,” you grinned, heart beating with pride as you briefly got distracted by the thought. You'd never watched a playoff game before, nonetheless had a boyfriend playing in one.

He let out a breath as he parked the car, turning off the ignition and briefly sitting in silence. It was unnerving how so out-of-character he was.

“I don't know about that now but we're gonna try,” he gave a breathless laugh, bringing a hand up to fiddle with a loose string on his shirt. Noticing the nervous tick, you reached over and took his hand.

“Seth, baby,” you said gently. “You're stalling. What is it?”

His cheeks blushed furiously at the pet name, and you had to bite your lip to hold back a smile at how cute it was, how cute he was.

“Will you wear a WAG jacket with my name on it during the playoffs?”

Several seconds of minutes passed by, Seth getting more nervous by the second and you expecting him to follow up with something else.

“Wait,” you started, confused. “Is that it?"

He turned to stare at you incredulously. “Um… Yes?”

Sometimes your nonchalance really caught him off guard.

Your face broke out into a wide smile, feeling slightly guilty as you adjusted more to face him better. “Sorry,” you giggled. “It's just… I thought there was more. Did you expect me to say no?” you were merely teasing, but as his cheeks turned an even darker shade of red you decided to take pity on him.

“Seth, my amazing, thoughtful, wonderful, handsome boyfriend,” you could barely contain your laughter as the hockey player jokingly threw his arms up and opened the car door, waiting for you to step out with him. “Of course I'll wear a jacket with your name on it.”

Your combined laughter echoed throughout the empty parking deck as he playfully threw you over his shoulder, his face still on fire. He felt silly now for thinking you'd say no to such a simple request, but you knew deep down how much asking that question and you saying yes meant to him.

Which is why, as you finally entered his apartment, you pulled his face down to yours and reunited your lips. You both moved in sync, his hands traveling down to grasp your hips and yours moving to his hair. It was amazing, you thought, how you knew each other's bodies so well now.

Finally separating to catch your breath, you pressed your forehead to his and softly whispered, “Thank you for letting me wear something so important to you,”

And Seth could do nothing but smile, your favorite smile, as he stared at you with nothing but adoration. “Anything for you.”

────────────────────────────────

April 30, 2022

It was official. You loved playoff jackets.

You stood in the middle of Nykki's luxurious apartment with Nelli and Nykki herself, unboxing the jackets that had been delivered to each of your doorsteps.

Originally, you were planning on opening the box in the seclusion of Seth's apartment while he was away at practice, that way it wouldn't be spoiled, but then you got a call from Nykki, and, well, how could you refuse?

You hadn't had such close friends since your accident, if you could even call them that. Nykki was a ray of sunshine and Nelli was nothing but sweet; you couldn't be more thankful towards Seth for pushing you to meet them.

“Oh my goodness, these are gorgeous,” Nelli gasped, stating what all three of you were thinking.

And truly, they were.

They reminded you of letterman jackets from the eighties, the sleeves lined with black and white stripes that pulled the leather-like look together. The numbers were big and bright, with the last name of the play outlined in red and covered in sparkly jewels.

You had no words. They were beautiful.

Running your hands over the jewels encrusted across your boyfriend's name, you bit your lip with a large grin as you thought of the look on his face when he'd see you in it.

You both were possessive like that; he liked seeing you wear his name, and you adored being the one to wear it.

Nykki already had her phone out, taking several pictures and probably a video for a vlog she'd post later, knowing her. “Martin's going to flip when he sees the jackets this year,” she grinned, shooting you and Nelli a knowing look.

You immediately understood her innuendo and shot her a playfully disgusted look, but poor Nelli just stared in confusion. “Why? They're just jackets.”

“Let's just say Martin really liked last year's playoff jackets.” Nykki threw in a wink for extra emphasis.

Nelli got it that time, and as her face turned a bright shade of red you and Nykki burst out in laughter, and eventually Nelli joined in with tears streaming down from each of your eyes.

“Nykki, you're disgusting,” you gasped out once you caught your breath, your chest still shaking with silent laughter.

The blonde giggled, running a hand through her hair as she sat back up. “You guys still love me,”

You didn't even have to think about it before responding.

“Yeah… We do.”

They didn't catch the weight of those words as they left your mouth, but you did, and you couldn't help but feel warmth blossom from your chest as Nelli joined you on the couch, scooting in close to your side to admire each of your jackets again.

These were your friends, and you couldn't be more happy to have them in your life.

You went home a few hours later, hugging Nykki and Nelli tight before getting into your car and driving home. Seth's apartment was home now, and you were practically giddy at the thought of it.

Once arriving, you let yourself in with a spare key the hockey player had given you a few days ago. The apartment was rather clean for once, and you took full credit for keeping it tidy. You adored your boyfriend, loved him… But he was as messy as could be, and it drove you crazy.

Gently folding your jacket back into the box it came in, you hid it under a stack of your clothes in your designated drawer and told yourself you'd only pull it out again on gameday.

As tempting as it was, you didn't want to accidentally leave it out and ruin the surprise of keeping them hidden from all the players.

Once that was done, you pulled off your shirt to replace it with one of Seth's oversized t-shirts, one that smelled like him and would give you comfort as you waited for him to come home. After checking the time, you figured he wasn't going to be back for another hour or two, so after grabbing a fuzzy blanket you curled up on the couch, taking the remote and turning the television on to some random channel.

It didn't take you long for your eyes to start fluttering after that, the excitement of the day finally catching up to you as you slowly laid your head down on a pillow, telling yourself you were only going to rest your eyes…

That was where Seth found you as he quietly walked into his apartment, for with it only being a few hours till midnight he'd figured you'd be asleep. Placing his keys on the counter, the centerman kicked off his shoes and walked into the living room, first spotting the running television and then you, wrapped in one of his blankets and curled up fast asleep.

He resisted the urge to pull out his phone and take a picture. He'd have plenty of other chances for that.

Instead, your boyfriend walked around to gently settle down beside you, his eyes tired but full of warmth and adoration and love. Softly running a finger down your cheek, Seth couldn't help but whisper into the quiet of the room:

“I love you.”

It wasn't the first time he's thought it, but it was the first time he said it, and for that he couldn't help the way his cheeks turned pink at realizing just how strongly he felt for you.

Gods, he loved you.

Unbeknownst to him, you'd woken up the moment you felt his hand softly brushing against the skin of your cheek, but you still felt so tired, and just wanted to enjoy the feeling of him being close without having to say a word.

And then, you heard his words uttered softly into the peaceful quiet. The words. The words you'd been thinking for months now but hadn't had the courage to say out loud.

You opened your eyes, immediately locking with Seth's as he was staring at you absentmindedly. In slow motion, you watched as surprise, nervousness, and then panic flickered across his face in seconds, but before he started to spiral—

“I love you too.”

A minute passed of the two of you just staring at each other, and then suddenly he was grabbing your hips and practically throwing you atop his lap, his lips meeting yours a second later with a desperation you hadn't felt since your first time together.

You threw your arms around his neck, digging your nails into his shoulders as he devoured your mouth with his own. Seth was everywhere and nowhere all at once, his hands couldn't decide where they wanted to be because he wanted to feel all of you, his heart so overcome with emotion because you fucking loved him—

Seth groaned deep in his chest when you boldly nipped at his lip, and he quickly had to force himself away before he got carried away and, quite literally, carried you to the bedroom. He didn't go far, though; he rested his forehead against yours, his hands finally settling to cup your cheeks.

“You love me?” he asked, blinking rapidly to try and keep his tears at bay.

Fuck toxic masculinity. You loved a man who showed emotion.

You smiled so wide your lips hurt. “I've loved you for a while now… I just didn't know how to say it.” you answered bashfully, attempting to move back so you could see your boyfriend better.

The hockey player didn't let you go far— sliding his hands down your cheeks, he settled on holding your waist, keeping you firmly pressed to his lap. “And to think I was waiting for you to say it this entire time,” Seth grinned, which sent you both into giggles as you realized you could have gotten that milestone out of the way a long time ago.

“Guess we're both kinda clueless,” you murmured, letting your eyes briefly dip to his lips before quickly moving away.

Seth caught it, though; he caught everything about you.

It was only now that you realized how suddenly tense the room had gotten, electricity rippling in currents between the two of you as you just stared and stared and stared—

You both moved at the same time, crashing into each other's lips as you moved as one. Each touch was filled with burning heat and passion, your hands roaming the expanse of his muscular chest while his were busy dipping under your shirt to feel the soft skin of your waist.

“Say it again,” you panted into his mouth, eyes heavy-lidded and wanting and so full of love.

Seth moved a hand up to tangle in the hair, tilting your head back gently yet firmly so he could press lingering a kiss to the sensitive spot on your neck. “I love you,” he murmured into your skin, letting his teeth nip at the spot before soothing it with his tongue.

You let him press you back down onto the couch, his body hovering over yours as he met your lips once more, this time much more calm and slow and needy all the same.

God, you thought as you ran a hand through his hair, I love him. I love him so much.

“I love you,” you whimpered, overcome with emotion as you met his eyes, just as teary-eyed as your own.

Your hockey player,

Your best friend,

Your boyfriend,

Your lover,

Seth.

A/N: if someone catches the taylor swift reference I put in here I will be so happy. And yes the dates I used are based on the Hurricanes' 2021-2022 game schedule because I'm an overachiever like that. Anyways, I think this might be one of my favorite fics yet, lemme what you guys think! Reblogs and comments are very much appreciated <3

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william nylander

cole caufield

jamie drysdale

matthew knies

seth jarvis

cale makar

⎜genres i write ⎜

horror

thriller

angst

romance

alternate universes (e.g. soulmate au, college au etc.) 

fluff

summer lovin' - l.hughes (requested)

synopsis: a summer down at the lake house always had a way of changing peoples relationships.

oh captain, my captain - n.hischier

synopsis: as the new team nurse of the new jersey devils you knew that staying at arms length with the players was for the best, but injuries can bring out your deepest emotions.

my all star - e.pettersson

synopsis: you’ve been dating for a while now and after receiving an invite to go to the all star weekend with Elias you realise your relationship is about to change.

puppy love - t.frederic (requested)

synopsis: you met him once by accident, you don't know what to do when you start your new job with a little bit of puppy love

shameless flirt - a.matthews

synopsis: working as a team trainer came with many ups and downs, when you pull one of toronto's super stars the downs seem to outweigh the ups - but auston is always willing to bring you back up.

#nhl x reader #nhl imagine #jack hughes #quinn hughes #trent frederic #luke hughes #nhl fic #nhl hockey #nhl #nico hischier #jamie drysdale #jeremy swayman #mat barzal #elias pettersson #cole caufield #joseph woll #william nylander #auston matthews #dawson mercer #timo meier #john marino #alexander holtz #matthew knies

[laurenairay]

Hi everyone! Happy weekend!

I've written and posted 4 new stories so far this year (on top of my birthday headcanons), so if you haven't read them already, I'd love your feedback!

Elias Pettersson - Lately you've been on my mind Brock Boeser is the ultimate match maker – he knows he is. And he is determined to set his friends up. a.k.a. you and Elias are both friends with Brock, and keep finding yourselves in moments alone.

Jack Hughes - hopeless hearts just passing through Jack had messed up, again. Can he make it up to you this time, or is it too late?

Seth Jarvis - every breath, every hour has come to this Seth Jarvis was your best friend, your rock, your protector…but could he ever be anything more?

Frederik Andersen - comes back to me, burning red Kendra Lee and Freddie Andersen lost touch after he was traded from Anaheim – will a surprise encounter bring back their friendship? And maybe more?

#my writing #elias pettersson fic #jack hughes fic #seth jarvis fic #frederik andersen fic

[hockeyboysimagines]

I’ve loved you three

Summers

Chapter 2

Warnings: Language, mild angst, fluff, kissing

Here’s chapter two, and the link to @cellythefloshie chapter 3!

Enjoy!!

Harper came flying into the kitchen like the house was on fire the next morning startling Madison at the island while she was eating a bowl full of watermelon. She watched, amused as Harper stumbled around the kitchen attempting to make an iced coffee, spilling it twice and dropping ice on the floor.

She blew her hair out of her face and turned to her “I won’t be home till after dinner, running club tonight so don’t worry about me-“ she caught her in a hug before hurrying out the door.

Madison chuckled and yelled goodbye as she heard the door slam and her sisters footsteps descend the front stairs. The house was quiet and Madison stretched as she stepped off the stool, moving to put the bowl in the dishwasher when she spotted Harper’s coffee on the counter.

“Shit.” She hissed and snatched it, hurrying out of the kitchen to the door, and then down the front steps, to find that Harper was still in the driveway and she was not alone.

Seth and his teammate, Anthony or something like that, were in the driveway with her sister who looked more than annoyed.

Madison stopped and looked down, suddenly self conscious about the fact that she had a pair of tiny sleep shorts, no shoes and a tshirt on, and turned to hand her sister the coffee clearing her throat awkwardly, but Harper seemed not to notice and smiled with relief “You’re a lifesaver, Mads” she sighed and took the coffee before turning to Seth and whatever his name was in the driveway, to continue what she had been saying.

“I work today, but Maddie here, she’s free all day.” She moved to get into the front seat of her car, but paused “By the way Maddie, this is Seth’s friend. Andrew”

”Andrei” He corrected, and Maddie shared a glance with Seth stifling a giggle, knowing that her sister had 100% done that on purpose. She crossed one leg over the other and tugged her T-shirt down attempting to cover herself a little and turned as Harper continued ”Right. You three, should do something-” her sister suggested and put on her sunglasses before offering them a wave and leaving the three of them in the driveway.

Maddie was grinning as she watched her sister zoom down the street before she turned to them.

“She’s sweeter than she seems trust me.”

Seth laughed and turned to Andrei “This is Madison, Harper’s sister. Mads, this is Andrei.” She shook his extended hand and he gave her what she assumed was his best smile. A smile that got him anything he wanted, but it wasn’t working on her.

“Nice to meet you. Your sister is very beautiful, and now I see it runs in the family.”

Maddie chuckled and crossed her arms “Your very smooth Andrei. But your right. My sister is very beautiful, kind…and single.” She said quietly, turning to Seth and waggling her eyebrows.

“Remind me of her job again? She’s a-?” Andrei asked, glancing at the U-Haul still in the driveway.

“Physiotherapist.” Madison said with a small smile “She’ll be there all day, and then she’s going running after work…it’s like a club…” she smiled and turned to walk into the house before she called over her shoulder “That you have to sign up for online. Have fun!” She made a move to walk into the house but Andrei saw a window of opportunity closing fast. Her tagging along with them had two benefits. One for Seth and one for himself.

“Hey!” She turned, hair spilling over her shoulder “You should come golfing with us.”

She raised an eyebrow and looked at Seth “I don’t golf.”

“Come on!” He said slapping Seth on the chest “It’ll be fun. Right?”

Seth was looking at him puzzled before he turned to her “Definitely. You should come.” Seth’s brows were pulled low over his forehead and he had his lips pursed.

She thought it over for a second and took a step up on to her porch, foot braced on the step “I need like 20 minutes.”

She disappeared inside and Seth turned to him frowning “Svech I-“ but he waved his hand to stop him “Relax buddy. I invited her for you not me. I like the other one.”

Seth rolled his eyes and shoved him “Shutup.” He mumbled. He wouldn’t admit it, but Andrei had heard the disappointment in his voice yesterday when he asked about her sudden absence in the driveway, and he’d seen him inadvertently straighten up when she’d come out the front door. Since he was apparently too scared to do it on his own, Andrei would do it for him. Plus he figured it wouldn’t hurt to get some more details on her sister.

40 minutes later they were out on the golf course. Andrei was sure Seth was going to throw up when Maddie descended her front steps in a short black skirt and a white polo, long hair hanging loose asking if it was golf appropriate, and he stumbled over his words for a second before Andrei saved him.

“You look great. So good Seth’s speechless.”

Seth glared at him as she chuckled and slid into the backseat of Seth’s car and they backed out of the driveway and made their way to the golf course.

The sun was shining down on them as Seth attempted to show her how to hit a golf ball correctly. She was looking at him like he was speaking another language, leaning on a golf club with one hand and holding a drink full of pink liquid in the other.

“Get it?” Seth asked.

“No. But let’s try it anyway.” She downed the rest of her drink and set the cup on the fender of the golf cart.

Andrei watched as she made her way to the ball, and shook her hair out. She was beautiful, and he should have been into her. She should have been enough of a distraction for him but she wasn’t.

Now Seth on the other hand.

Seth had it bad. He hadn’t said it out loud but he didn’t have to. It was all over his face as he watched her hit the ball, eyes moving up her legs more than once. They were cute, and he liked seeing Seth so happy, but it made him realize he was third wheeling.

While she was focused mostly on Seth and keeping things as natural and normal as they typically were with him, she was more than curious about Andrei.

Who was he? Why was he here? Why did her sister seem to hate him so much?

Madison knew why. The smile on his face when she’d seen him fawning over Harper in the driveway told the story of why her sister was being uncharacteristically rude to him. He seemed nice enough, oozed charm and was exactly the type of guy who would send Harper running for the hills.

She watched as he fiddled around on his phone apparently deep in thought until Seth tapped her shoe with the golf club.

“Are you paying attention? I’m trying to teach you something here.”

She shook her head “I wasn’t really.”

She noticed a ghost of a frown cross his face as he looked at her and then Andrei behind her and before he could say anything else she cut him off “No I wasn’t if that’s what you were thinking.”

He shrugged “I wasn’t gonna-“

“You were. But it’s not like that. Trust me.”

Seth didn’t say anything but Maddie knew where his mind was. Even if she had an interest in Andrei she’d be barking up the wrong tree. He had practically flooded the driveway with drool this morning over Harper and Madison would never compete with her sister and she didn’t want to. It was nice actually that Andrei didn’t look at her like she was a piece of meat like most the guys she’d dated or hung out with. He just looked at her like she was a living breathing human being who had thoughts, and feelings. Like Seth always had. Normally it would have annoyed her that he even said anything, but this time it gave her some hope. If he cared, that she was interested in Andrei maybe it meant he liked her. He’d never said a word about any guy before. Maybe that walk last night had been good for them.

She was jarred from her thoughts however when she heard Andrei behind her “So, your sister, she doesn’t like me. Yes?”

Maddie turned and looked at him evenly but she had a small smile on her face “Now why would you think that.” She turned her head to the side, eyes twinkling mischievously.

Andre scoffed “She knew my name wasn’t Andrew.”

Maddie giggled and watched Seth switch clubs before turning back to him “You caught that? It’s not that she doesn’t like you, Harper’s just been through a lot.”

“Like?” He wanted to know more, everything he could about her. Her favorite things, music, hobbies, thoughts ideas all of it. But Madison shook her head.

“I’d love to fill you in, but that’s Harper’s story to tell. For context her ex is an asshole and she just moved back home. She’s still a little fragile right now, so if she comes across a being rude it’s because she’s still hurting.”

“Who’s an asshole?” Seth asked as he made his way over. He leaned around Madison to check his phone and Andrei didn’t miss how he went out of his way to brush against her, one hand on her arm.

“Darren. Your friend here has a thing for my sister.” She patted Andrei on the arm and moved past him towards the cart with a smile, and Andrei saw a flash of Harper for a second, and hoped he would be able to see a real genuine smile from her one day.

Seth shrugged “Not surprising. Everyone’s had a thing for your sister.”

She paused and half turned eyebrows raised, as he quickly corrected himself “Not me though. I’ve never liked your sister. That would be, uh- weird.”

“Yeah cuz she’s the wrong sister.” Svech said lowly from behind him.

Seth aimed a backwards punch at him as Madison leaned against the cart, arms folded, crossing her legs at the ankle “Harper can be complicated, but she’s worth it. She’s got a lot going on, but these last few days I’ve started to see the old Harper more and more. She’s healing, and faster than I think anyone expected. She’ll come around. You just have to get to know her.”

“I want to but she’s making it really difficult.”

Madison laughed and looked at Seth “Guess that means you have your work cut out for you. Now who’s taking me for a ride.” She glanced between them jingling the keys in her hand.

**********

Maddie had just gotten out of the shower when she heard her phone buzzing.

She’d gotten home only a half an hour before and felt like she’d been out in the heat for three years. Whether she was sweaty from that or Seth she wasn’t sure but either way a shower had been in order.

She glanced at the phone to find a message from her sister and smiled

H:Sorry I threw you to the wolves earlier

M:Haha it’s okay. I get it. Besides, it gave me an excuse to spend some time with Seth.

H:Are you at least having a good day?

M:It’s okay. It wasn’t bad. He’s a nice guy, and he sure likes you.

H:Kid got to spend the whole day with you and he still asked about me? I don't get why.

Maddie rolled her eyes. Andrei had exactly zero sexual or romantic interest in her and either Harper didn’t notice or was being purposely ignorant.

M:I think “kid” likes his women a little older, and is smart enough to know I’m not interested. Or maybe my charm isn’t what it used to be. Either way he asked lots of questions. He must have a cougar complex. And he looked really good in that golf shirt. Just sayin. And don’t pretend you didn’t notice.

H:Don't encourage it, okay? Nice or not, he’s not my type.

M:If that’s your story.

H:Besides, I don't think I'm ready for anything with anyone right now. Today's been tough.

M:You know what they say Harper. To get over someone, get under someone else.

She could practically see Harper’s face on the other end of the phone and started laughing.

H:Mads! That's horrible. I'm going to pretend I didn't just read that. Love you lots. Have to get back to work.

M:Hahahahha. Don’t act like it didn’t make you smile. Have a good day. Don’t think about Andrei too much. Love you!

Curiosity it seemed had gotten the better of her big sister. Maddie giggled and grabbed the phone, wrapped her towel around herself and headed to her room. She sat on her bed and took a deep breath. She was exhausted from the golfing, even though she gave up around the 9th hole and mostly watched.

She glanced up and froze.

From her window she could see clear into Seth’s room, and was both surprised and delighted to find him shirtless, rummaging through a drawer. She stayed there, not wanting to move so he didn’t notice she was looking, and felt her face and body burn up as she watched him find whatever he was looking for. He left his room, presumably to go shower himself and Madison let out a long breath.

She was going to need another shower.

**********

“So Madison?” Andrei asked later on when it was just them.

“What about her?” Seth said offhandedly. They’d dropped Madison off a while ago, having spent the afternoon with her. He liked her a lot, and he could see why Seth did as well. She was easy to talk to and seemed like a fun time, and by the end of the afternoon she and him were like old friends talking and laughing like they’d known each other for years. She’d left them with a wave and smile, and Seth had been avoiding talking about her since then no matter how many times Andrei brought her up. And it had been a lot.. Andrei could tell he was a little apprehensive probably because Madison wasn’t just any girl. She was a girl who had been a pretty prominent figure in his life for the duration of it. Things could get tricky for all involved.

“You know what.”

Seth smiled and gave a little chuckle “She’s my neighbor. We grew up together. Her sister was my babysitter.”

“What does any of that have to do with anything? I know you like her.”

Seth shrugged “Of course I do. She’s my friend.”

“Yeah that’s not what I meant.” Andrei said shaking his head. There was no such thing as having an argument with Seth. He’d learned long ago that trying to get him to admit something he didn’t want to would be impossible, even if it was already known, and Seth wasn’t giving this up too easy. Andrei had only heard Madison mentioned now and again in passing and now he could understand why Seth didn’t bring her up very often. There was some underlying tension that Andrei knew nothing about. But he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to find out.

Seth rolled his eyes “Even if hypothetically I did like her, I don’t think she feels the same.”

“Why? You two spent the day attached at the hip. And she laughed at all your dumb jokes. She wouldn’t do that if she didn’t like you.”

“First of all.” Seth said pointing at him “You can fuck right off. My jokes are hilarious. And second of all you laughed at them too so what’s that say about you?”

Andrei chuckled to himself but continued “So never anything between you two?” He’d never been so invested in someone else's non relationship, relationship but he had never seen Seth so worked up and he needed to know more. He had friends who were girls, but never a girl friend that close or one who he had feelings buried under the surface for. Plus it was a welcome distraction from his constant thoughts about Harper.

“I mean I kissed her once.” Seth said casually, glancing down as he pulled at a hangnail.

Andrei whipped around mouth falling open “When?!”

“6th grade spin the bottle.” Seth was smiling but Andrei was looking at him puzzled “You know spin the-No? Everyone sits in a circle and spins a bottle and whoever it-You know what. Never mind. It was a stupid 6th grade thing.” He said waving him off.

“How stupid can it be if you remember it still.”

He looked at the ceiling in thought “True I guess. I don’t know things seem weird with her lately.”

“What do you mean?”

Seth paused a second before he spoke. Andrei was seeing a different side of Seth that he’d never seen before. The Seth he knew was wild and fun, and rarely took life or himself too seriously, but this Seth seemed hesitant and serious. Andrei suspected Madison knew both sides, and she was the only one to bring this one out of its shell.

Seth cleared his throat and chose his words carefully “Last summer right before I left we got in a…it wasn’t a fight, but an argument I guess and then I didn’t really talk with her like I usually do when I’m gone. And now it’s just different. Like the vibe is off if you know what I mean? I’ve never felt weird around her but now it seems like things have changed.”

“Changed how?”

Seth looked at the ceiling in thought “Uhm I don’t know. I mean it was weird when she left the driveway yesterday right?”

Andrei shrugged. He’d been so entranced by Harper he had almost forgotten about Maddie’s mysterious disappearance from the driveway the day prior. But now that Seth had mentioned it, it was definitely weird.

He shrugged “Sure. Did you ask her about it?”

Seth shook his head “No. I’m kind of afraid to ask.”

Andrei stuffed his feet in his shoes “Maybe you should talk to her.”

“I’ll talk to her when you talk to Harper.” Seth was grinning ear to ear. He thought it was both hilarious and unexpected that Svech had fully committed to pursue Harper, who should be getting ready to get married, and Seth was secretly pining over Madison his lifelong friend and Harper’s younger sister. The summer had barely started and it was already full of surprises.

Andrei scowled and pointed at the clock “What do you think we’re going to do? After that it’s your turn.”

Seth rolled his eyes and stood, grabbing his keys and made his way outside “Come on creepy. Let’s go stalk my neighbor.”

***********

“Do you remember spin the bottle? 6th grade?”

Maddie and Seth were sitting by the pool in the dark sometime later. She’d seen Harper in passing when she got home from running club, both surprised and not surprised that Seth and Andrei had actually shown up, and she’d been in her room since then. Harper called it decompression time and Maddie found herself making her way out to the pool to do some decompression and thinking of her own. A short while later she felt someone looking at her and turned to see Seth at his window. She waved him down and now they had been sitting in comfortable silence together for a bit.

She turned and smiled, half of her face in shadow “Of course I remember. Why?”

He shrugged “Just curious. I remember I was so psyched about kissing you.”

“What? Stop it.” She waved a hand and rolled her eyes. She did remember it, like it was yesterday and she was surprised he did too. It had been so long ago now she was sure that it was buried amongst all the other girls he’d kissed since then.

He looked offended that she waved him off “No I was. You were like the most popular girl in school then, and well for the rest of the time we were in school after that, and I got to kiss you. Top ten coolest things that have ever happened.”

“Got to kiss me first.” She corrected.

“Wait what.” He turned to her fully “What do you mean?””

She was smiling as she watched the water cast reflections across the pool. She was beautifully illuminated by the blue light from the water as she turned to him and spoke “You were my first kiss.”

His mouth fell open and he let out a breath “Are you kidding.”

“Is that surprising?”

“Of course it is. Guys have always been crazy about you, even in 6th grade.”

She shrugged “ I don’t know about that.” He nudged her “Come on.You know it’s true. You’ve always been smart funny and from my recollection you were always the prettiest, most popular girl at school.”

She felt her face get red and giggled “You have such a way with words.”

“It’s true. And those aren’t my words, I’m just repeating what every friend I’ve ever had has said to me. Everyone I’ve ever known.”

“That can’t be true. If it was I’d have a lot more boyfriends than I did.”

“Not a single one of them were ever good enough. And dating is overrated anyways. That’s why I ended things with Kristen-“

“Who?” She asked cutting him off, she was looking at him blankly.

“This girl I dated in North Carolina off and on, she-“

Something he wasn’t familiar with flickered across Madison’s face and he could tell she was immediately uncomfortable and he stopped talking “What?” She asked quietly. She wasn’t looking at him, but rather staring across the darkest part of her backyard.

“What?” He leaned forward looking at her questioningly.

She chuckled and pursed her lips “Okay.” She pulled herself angrily to her feet and turned to walk away from him.

“Woah wait. What’s the-“

“Save it Seth.” She snapped turning to face him “You can’t do that okay?”

“Do what?” He was so confused about why she was so upset.

“You can’t sit here and tell me about being psyched about kissing me, and that I’m pretty and then turn around and tell me about a girl you dated in North Carolina.”

“Madison-“

“It’s not fair to me.” She was getting dangerously close to professing her feelings to him right there in the backyard but she didn’t care. She wasn’t going to put herself through this for the whole summer. It was barely even June she still had two and a half months of this left.

“I didn’t know it would upset you-I just-I don’t know why it is even upsetting you?”

Madison felt tears prick at her eyes and she let her head fall backwards “Really Seth? You don’t. If you don’t know why I’m upset then I guess you don’t really know me as well as you thought you did.” He continued to stare at her blankly until she spoke again “I’m jealous okay? Jealous of the girl in North Carolina, jealous of that girl last summer. Can you not see that?” She just didn’t care anymore. She couldn’t keep it to herself any longer. It was better to be honest and risk whatever was about to happen than run the risk of having to watch him meet someone. At least if it blew up in her face she wouldn’t have to see that.

“I had no idea-How was I supposed to know that?”

Madison crossed her arms and looked at him sadly “You just are.”

She turned to walk away but he caught her by the elbow spinning her around “Wait I-“ He leaned forward a little.

“Don’t.” She leaned away from him “Don’t just kiss me because I said all that, I don’t need a pity kiss I-”

Seth moved right in not bothering to go slow and pressed his lips against hers. She kissed him back, hands coming up to grip his shirt and pull him closer as they stood kissing in the backyard between their two houses. A yard they’d spent their whole lives in.

He pulled away and came back in at a new angle, sweeping his tongue across her lower lip, and she opened her mouth. This was way better than in the 6th grade. Had it not been for the grip on his shirt and his hands on her waist she would have passed out and fallen over, but he held her in place. Her heart was beating so loud it was drowning out everything else as they stood kissing under the stars. It was everything she’d been dreaming for the 10 months. When he pulled away they stood staring at each other.

“Are you still jealous?” He asked quietly giving her waist a squeeze.

“Do you still wanna date Kristen?”

“Who?” He asked with a smile “All I know is I wanna kiss you again.”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Cool for the Summer: Chapter 3

#seth jarvis #seth jarvis imagine #seth jarvis fic #andrei svechnikov #serh jarvis x original character #carolina hurricanes #hockey fanfiction #hockey tumblr #hockeyblr #hockey fic #hockey imagine #hockey blurb #hockey rpf #hockey romance #hockey fandom #hockey writing #hockey tag #hockey x oc #hockey x reader #nhl fanfic #nhl fic #nhl rpf #nhl fanfiction #nhl imagine #nhl players #nhl x oc #nhl writing #nhl x reader #real people fanfiction #andrei svechnikov x original character

[goodnightoilcountry]

don't overthink when you could be loving me - sebastian aho (a sneakpeek !)

a/n: for months on end i've had so many fic ideas floating around in my head but just haven't put aside the time to properly flesh them out (wips list incoming !). it's been a battle trying to pick which one to start with but i've recently gone on a tangent of just exclusively seeking out canes fics and there's a bit of a drought in that area. so here's something new! (this sneak peek is also to keep me accountable lol)

summary: your inadvertent friendship with some of the canes players was not something you advertised in your day-to-day life. but an evening of friday night drinks changes that when you find yourself trapped in the same bar with your new co-workers and one love-struck sebastian aho who’s determined to make it known that you’re spoken for… well, tentatively that is. 

❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑❂⁑

You won’t lie - you weren’t always a big believer in keeping your personal life and work life separate. 

Despite the numerous warnings about how “your co-workers aren’t your friends”, you couldn’t help but become close to them no matter where you went. You’ve always felt like you’ve lucked out in that department.

The moment when your luck seemed to wear out was at your old office.

It didn’t start off any different than your previous roles. Everyone was cordial when you joined the team, you’d attend a few casual after-work drinks to not come off standoff-ish, and then a work dinner or event would eventually roll around where free-flowing drinks were guaranteed to loosen up everybody’s lips, including yours. 

It’s not like you would run around advertising the fact that you were family friends with Seth Jarvis growing up. But hockey culture was thriving in Raleigh and conversations couldn't pass without a mention of the Canes thrown into the mix. And more often than not, you were happy to pass on any unused tickets that Seth had reserved in your name every year. 

Of course, the first round of tickets, generally no one questions where they came from. But by the fourth round, who would believe that you just accidentally bought expensive seats not knowing you already had plans? 

So, it would eventually come to light that you knew the Canes more than just their names and the responses you would receive usually followed the same pattern. You’d get the looks of amazement and disbelief, followed by thirty minutes of inquisitioning, and then the excitement of the news would eventually fade before moving on to something salacious that had happened earlier that week. 

With this set of co-workers though, the news of your affiliation was volatile.

Suddenly, your tickets weren’t viewed as a generous offering but rather as a right. People in different departments whom you had never met started taking you out for lunches with a casual mention of how they hadn’t ever been to a live game; your boss expected you to give them up for the sake of appeasing potential clients; girls would invite you out with the hopes of them showing up to wherever you were. 

You resigned after four months. 

So when you signed your letter of offer for your new role, you made a silent promise to yourself to keep that portion of your life separate. So, you distanced yourself. 

Seth had noticed. He had known that you would occasionally give up your tickets when you knew you weren’t able to make a game. But as more and more weeks had passed, he had maybe seen your seats filled twice. Once by a few of your closest girlfriends and the other was when your parents had come to town for a long weekend. 

Outings with him and the team became infrequent as you declined to attend any sort of public event that would bear the risk of you being caught out by your new colleagues. And when you were eventually questioned why, you simply excused that your new job had you locked down. 

The second person to notice your increasing absence was Sebastian. 

Since Seth’s rookie days, you had been, on more than several occasions, his plus one to team events. And over the years, you had gotten to know some of the younger members who were able to keep up with Seth’s redbull-fueled energy. That included Sebastian. 

The first time you had actually properly spoken to him was at a Canes charity gala. Seth and KK had been swept into a conversation by a few board members, leaving you to quietly people watch from your assigned seat. 

“Refill?” 

You turned to find Sebastian with an arm extended out; a glass of champagne delicately sat between his fingers. You returned a gracious smile as he sat down in Seth’s seat. 

“You manage to avoid the noise fest?” you lightly poked, looking over at Seth where Andrei and Jack were now caught. 

He let out a laugh and shook his head while looking down, “I’ve definitely done my fair share of the sucking up.”

“You didn’t feel like joining your boyfriend?” 

You choked on your drink as soon as the assumption left his mouth. You couldn’t help but begin laughing as you coughed up a response, “Oh my god, no. Seth and I grew up together back home. Our parents were close friends.” 

His face flushed red at the revelation. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I just assumed because you’ve come to a few of these things with him before and you’re at our games a lot,” he tried to reason as he rubbed the back of his neck to ease the embarrassment. 

You shook your head with the same amused look donned across your face, “he’s really never mentioned that we grew up together as kids?”

“I’m sure he’s mentioned it but it’s hard to catch everything he says. He talks… a lot.” 

You couldn’t help but giggle at the blunt statement. 

You had found it easy to talk to Sebastian. The conversation flowed seamlessly, from the standard questioning of each other’s jobs to the shared ache of missing home. Before you knew it, Seth had returned with a sheepish look on his face; apologetic for his disappearance but not missing the flash of disappointment across his teammate’s face when you said goodnight. 

After that, the trajectory of your relationship with Sebastian had shifted into something more. Sure, you both became friends, growing comfortable in the presence of one another. But as time went on you couldn’t help but feel like the line between you two would occasionally go hazy; blurring completely on a big night out following a hard-fought win.

#sebastian aho fic #sebastian aho imagine #sebastian aho x reader #canes fic #canes imagine #nhl fic #nhl imagine #my wips

[knifeshoeboys]

Little Do You Know - F. Andersen

It’s finally done! This fic was written for the Winter Fic Exchange 2k24 hosted by @wyattjohnston and is for @mp0625. It was a nice challenge to write a reader insert for the first time, I had a lot of fun creating this story and I hope you enjoy readiit just as much!

Also, everyone be warned, I didn’t look at a single calendar or any actual game scores. I just did what felt right and hoped for the best. Also, don’t think too closely about the reader’s job. I have no idea how it actually works, I just put a lot of imagination and confidence into writing it. There also is a guest appearance of Seth Jarvis.

Summary: Suddenly working for the Carolina Hurricanes wasn't how you'd thought your year would end. Everything that followed was just as surprising.

Pairing: Frederik Andersen x f!reader (no mentions of y/n)

Words: 11.9k (I’m sorry, this was planned to be like 3k words at most?? I have no idea what happend)

Warnings: a few swear words? Reader is described as shorter than Freddy, otherwise no physical descriptions. It might sound just a little angsty at the beginning, but it's really not; mostly fluff and maybe some light hurt/comfort

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Jane's grin should have been enough to make you suspicious.

It was one evening, after another long shift at work and overtime that you would probably never see the pay for.

Even without looking at her, you knew the look Jane would give you. One of those pitying ones that made you a little more defensive than you should’ve been - a constant reminder that perhaps the year hadn't exactly been perfect.

But that didn't automatically mean Jane was right. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, you had once tried to tell her once. You were happy. No, really.

Sure, the breakup at the beginning of the year had been long and accompanied by a lot of shouting and tears. At the beginning you had been so sure that he was the one - only to be disappointed once again a few months later. But you could always use that as a learning experience, couldn’t you? Jane didn't know what she was talking about when she’d said that you seemed lonely sometimes. Better alone than with the wrong person, right?

And sure, the water damage to the apartment wasn't ideal either. But at least the only thing that couldn’t be saved was the kitchen. Everything else just needed time to dry and, well, maybe a new coat of paint. Two weeks later you had managed to find a new place to move into with your best friend, Jane.

Maybe she wasn’t entirely wrong about your job being more than miserable. Seemingly endless overtime and the salary just enough to make ends meet.

Maybe Jane had a point, even though you hated to admit it.

You weren't unhappy per se. But maybe, just maybe, there was still room for improvement.

And now it was December.

Jane had gotten a telltale glint in her eyes when you both realized that. Less than four weeks left to end the year on a good note.  Or maybe you should just wait for the next one and hope it’ll get better. So, with a shrug of your shoulders, you'd put the thought aside for the moment.

Her grin should’ve made you suspicious. But instead, it was already forgotten by the next morning.

–   

"Jane!" Your voice was far too loud considering she was sitting barely a meter away.

"Hm?" Jane looked up from her book, confused, maybe a little worried. You weren’t paying enough attention right not to get a good read on her expression.

You couldn't believe your eyes. Even after reading the text for the third time, you wanted to pinch yourself. Hard. This had to be a strange dream.

The words blinking up at you from the screen seemed unbelievable.

"Did you- Did you submit my application with- to the- the Carolina Hurricanes?!"

Jane seemed to process your words in her head. Then understanding began to spread across her face.

Your mouth kept opening and closing, but no words came out. You didn't even know what you would have, should’ve, said. What was a normal response in this situation?

Jane straightened up a little and leaned toward you. She was looking over your shoulder at the laptop.

"Oh, they were faster than I expected."

"How... What..."

Sure, you'd complained to her just the other day that the youth team you'd applied to had suddenly realized they didn't have the budget for a full-time position after all. The interview at the equipment store on the other side of town left a lot to be desired after their first question was how much overtime you could put in per month.

But this? You’d never have expected that.

"Are you crazy?" Your voice was still unexpectedly shrill.

“It’s not a rejection letter”, she sounded a little too proud for your liking.

You squinted your eyes at her.

“Then I would’ve killed you. After burying myself out of embarrassment.”

"Oh, come on. You have to admit, it sounds perfect for you," Jane simply shrugged her shoulders. Leaning back again, she looked a lot calmer than you felt.

Nevertheless, you did have to admit that it sounded almost perfect. Often you had helped out with the equipment in small teams in the past and had always enjoyed the work. It was close to the action without being in the foreground.

But still.

"I can't believe you." You slumped back against the couch and ran your fingers through your hair. "This is crazy. You’re crazy..."

Jane sighed. "Hey, if you're not interested, don't answer." Then she turned back to her book.

She made it sound so easy.

"I didn't say that!" you defended yourself immediately.

Jane snorted, then at least a brief twitch of the corner of her mouth.

–  

Your hands were shaking as you pushed open the nondescript door. It had all happened so fast.

Someone had called you the very next morning.

It was all so unbelievable that you could barely remember the phone call.

 "It's a temporary position, but it needs to be filled quickly," the man on the phone had said, that much you could recall - immediately followed by the question of when you could start.

Apparently, someone had gotten sick after they were already understaffed and so they urgently needed someone to fill in.

Your experience at the small hockey center in your hometown had probably paid off after all. While growing up you had helped the coach, who trained the children’s hobby group, with the equipment.

In return, he always gave you old skates and sticks that were once forgotten by someone and never got picked up so you could try them out during your own team’s training.

Maybe they also decided on you because they just didn’t have many applicants with previous experience of any level available at such short notice. But who knew. And really, you didn’t really care either way.

Especially as just a few hours after the call you were now following hurriedly written down directions through the corridors of the arena that you had previously only seen as a visitor. 

Anthony, whose first words had been "Call me Tony", had been awaiting you already. His tour of the most important rooms was not only packed with way too much information but also constantly interrupted by other people’s questions and demands.

Nevertheless, Tony remained friendly and patient with them as well as you, even when you had forgotten which direction you had come from for the third time in a row. Once or twice, he might even have stifled an amused grin.

"Let me just show you the storage rooms and then..."

"Anthony," an older man interrupted from the side. He had his arms crossed over his chest and a grim expression on his face.

An official-looking ID was hanging around his neck.

Tony grimaced at the use of his full name.

"What is it now?" he asked, barely able to hide his annoyed voice under a wavering polite smile. It was the first time you'd seen Tony anything other than friendly today. It was almost weird.

The man didn't really look at Tony, but rather past him, even though the words were clearly directed at Tony. "The sticks are all mixed up." The accusatory tone in his voice was clear, as if Tony had personally caused the mess.

"We don't know what belongs to whom."

Tony sighed. "Of course, you don't", he muttered so quietly that only you could hear the words. However, the other man would have been able to see the hint of an eye roll hadn’t he turned away again, apparently to grumble at the next person.

"Don't let Mike intimidate you," Tony explained, turning back to you, "in case he ever snaps at you. He likes to feel more important than he is." He rolled his eyes with a wry grin.

Someone hesitantly tapped Tony’s shoulder. This time a young man, who looked like he'd just graduated high school.

"Sorry, I know you're busy - I don't mean to interrupt - but, uh, a strap on a goalie pad broke."

Anthony ran a hand over his forehead. "Another one? Shit."  He exhaled noisily. "That's the third one in two days. It has to be a production error. Has the manufacturer responded to the complaint yet?"

The boy's eyes widened, and he shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

Mike called impatiently for Anthony from the next room. Torn, he turned briefly at the voice, then looked back at the boy next to him. "They probably need the goalies for training right now?"

The boy nodded shyly: "They said it was urgent."

Anthony sighed again.

Then he looked at you with a wry grin: "Looks like you'll get something to do sooner than expected."

He got handed a paper from someone walking past him. While searching for something on it he continued talking.

"We only have a few pads left in stock. The new order hasn't arrived yet and we need the ones we still have for the game tonight. Do you know how to sew?" He looked up.

"A little?" Your grandparents had taught you a long time ago, but it wasn't something you had to do regularly in your daily life.

"Great, that should be enough for now. It doesn't have to be pretty, as long as it does the job."

Anthony patted you on the back approvingly. Then he left you standing alone in the hallway, his exit accompanied by another long "Anthony" yell.

You were left standing there. Uncertainly you looked at the young man next to you.

He shrugged his shoulders just as unsure. He murmured quietly: "In that room over there." With a finger, he pointed at a door.

Well, then you should probably get to work. 'That room over there' really wasn't hard to find. It was only a few meters away.

What you didn't expect, however, was to almost walk into a huge man as soon as you entered the room. You always knew that hockey players tended to be quite tall, but it still took you by surprise.

You had to tilt your head back to look the man in the face. Of course, having lived here long enough you knew all the players on the team, at least by name. You weren't some crazy fan but at least invested enough to watch the games whenever you had the time. For your last birthday you had even gotten tickets to watch one live in the arena. It had been great.

Now you were faced with a certain goalie. Stubborn ginger strands fell into his face, his cheeks slightly flushed from training or the cold. Television did not do him justice at all.

Stay professional, you had to order yourself. This was your job. You couldn't mess it up, especially not on the first day.

Frederik looked up. He ran his eyes over your form for a moment. Then he tilted his head. "You're not Tony," his voice sounded unexpectedly soft.

"Oh, uh, no. I'm new here. First day today." Wow, very smooth. Good job.

If Freddie thought the same, he didn't let on. Quite the opposite. He openly watched you, his mouth twisted into a crooked grin. "Well, in that case. Welcome."

You mumbled a "Thank you."

A brief silence filled the room. While you reminded yourself to get yourself under control, you could still feel his appraising gaze on you - not hostile, just curious.

"How do you like it so far?" You could see little lines forming around his eyes as he smiled at you.

"I mean, a map would be helpful. All these corridors are like a labyrinth," you tried to joke.

Freddie laughed. "Oh yeah. You don't want to know how many times I got lost in here at first."

Maybe he was just saying that to make you feel better. However, you decide not to question it and just let the words calm you down a little.

"Are you almost done?" a woman poked her head into the room. Her stern features were emphasized by her narrow glasses. She reminded you of a strict principal scowling at running students.

You were almost certain you'd seen her in the corridors earlier today. Maybe Tony had told you her name and position, but if so, you'd already forgotten again. For the first dozen names you had made an honest effort to memorize them. The numerous ones following after that were buried in the sea of information that had poured in on you in a very short space of time.

"Oh yes, almost done," you grinned at the woman as convincingly as possible.

With a skeptical look, she let her eyes wander back and forth between Freddie, you and finally the pad, still hanging down loosely on his leg.

"Hurry up”, she ordered. You nodded dutifully.

When she had disappeared again, you breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes had literally bored right through you and left you feeling a little uncomfortable. Freddie had squirmed under her eyes just as much.

You didn’t want to risk her turning up here again.

"I think I'll go and get some stuff. To fix that."

Freddie nodded patiently.

Huh.

Well. There was just one problem.

"You wouldn't happen to know where they store needles around here, would you?"

Again, the corners of his mouth pulled to the side in amusement. "Aren't you the one working here?" He was obviously just teasing you, but your cheeks immediately felt a little warmer, nevertheless.

"Right."

In the end, Freddie did help by searching through the drawers in the small cupboard behind him while you examined the rest of the room.

Once needle and thread were found, the work was done quickly. The strap was tight again. It should hold on for the next few hours at least. The stern-looking woman had walked past the room a few more times – more than necessary in your opinion – as you had noticed out of the corner of your eye. However, she had not re-entered the room.

Freddie and you had had some simple conversations on the side so the work had gone by quickly. He had asked your name and where you came from.

All in all, your first job could have gone a lot worse. You were almost a little proud of yourself.

Maybe this was all quite doable after all.

-

It was terrible.

You couldn't remember the last time you'd walked so much, feeling your feet ache with every more step you took. By the time just half of your shift had been over, your legs were already heavy.

Once the game had started, the processes seemed a lot more structured.

The rather hectic running around of the afternoon was replaced by a lot of counting and carrying things from one place to another.

With all the work, you almost missed the end of the game completely.

However, the disappointment was hard to miss. It put deep creases in everyone’s faces; reflected in the way shoulders slumped and voices were muffled.

Losing again after a long winning streak probably always hit everyone hard.

Tony and you got handed the equipment to be washed and dried.

At least one thing hadn't changed though. All sorts of people still wanted something from Tony. He had mumbled to you "I'll be back in a moment", only to definitely not come back after a moment.

Afraid of getting lost for good, you decided to wait here for him anyway.  

Everyone around you seemed to have clear tasks that they were silently following. It was almost strange to see the corridors so quiet, in contrast to a few hours earlier.

No matter where you stood, you had the feeling that you were interfering with the routines of other workers and so you gradually ended up further and further to the end of the narrow hallway. Not knowing exactly where you were was nothing new today. However, this time you were pretty sure this corner hadn’t been in Tony’s tour. 

One by one, players came around a corner. They walked past you individually or in small groups. Very few of them probably really noticed you. Their mood was also noticeably subdued.

You weren't entirely sure whether you were happy to see Freddie again as he slowly stepped around the corner, or whether you would’ve preferred not to see the disappointed look on his face.

You gave him what you hoped was an encouraging smile.

For a brief moment, the corners of his mouth lifted, a hint of a crooked grin as he had almost passed you, but as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished again.

He exhaled forcefully. The heaviness in his eyes returned.

With a long breath, you watched his slowly shrinking figure.

No longer could you stand being in the hallway. You had seen enough disappointed faces for one day. A door caught your eye. It was held open by a chair jammed into the doorway. The cool light falling through the opening was brighter than the ceiling lights.

You dared to take one last look over your shoulder, Freddie had already disappeared from your view. And there was still no sign of Tony. So, you crossed the corridor with slow steps.

The door led directly to the spectator stands. It had apparently been opened after everyone had left the arena.

You let yourself fall against the door frame.

After a quick glance over the seating area, your gaze fell onto the ice surface. Your heart ached in your chest. Before, you hadn't realized how much you missed being on the ice yourself - or you had successfully pushed it to the back of your mind. Only now, when you were so close to it, did the longing come back to you in full force.

"Do you have skates?" The voice so close to your ear made you jump. Lost deep in thought you hadn’t noticed when Tony had appeared next to you.

"What?"

"Do you have skates," he repeated more slowly, "I have to be honest. I'd be a bit disappointed if I had to find out like this that you don't own any." He flashed an amused grin at you.

You frowned. "Yes, of course. I mean, I have relatives in Canada. They'd probably disown me if I didn't."

"Then what's stopping you from taking a few laps on the ice?"

He shrugged as if it were that simple. It couldn't be that simple.

"What? But no, I can't do that..." You found it difficult to find the right words. You didn't even know what you were trying to say yourself.

"The way you look at the ice longingly, it'll melt away otherwise," Tony teased.

You couldn't help but roll your eyes. "No, but really. Is that allowed?"

"Yep," Tony pointed over his shoulder. "Back there on the list are the times when the ice is free. As long as you don't mind the ice not being fresh, of course."

You could hardly believe what Tony was telling you. There was actually a possibility that you could skate on the ice? It’d been so long since you had skates on your feet. It’s been even longer since you’d last held a hockey stick.

When you thought about what it would be like to practice again after so long, a yearning overcame you.

"Nobody else usually uses it on Mondays and Wednesdays." Tony gave you a significant look.

-

The ice had obviously been heavily used. It couldn't have bothered you less.

The first step on the ice was shakier than you expected. And it still felt so relieving. Like rediscovering one of your favorite childhood sweets years later. Or finding change in your pockets that you’d already forgotten about.

Your face beamed with joy, becoming more relaxed with every step. After two laps around the arena, it felt as familiar as before. Your chest rose and fell at a fast pace.

Even after another ten minutes, you were still alone on the ice. When Tony had said no one else usually used the free ice time on Mondays, he hadn't been exaggerating.

You were still a little unsure before, but now you took the stick you had brought with you and a few pucks that were still in a bucket on the side from the last training session.

The last time you’d played hockey was even longer ago than the last time you’d skated. So, it wasn't surprising that you missed the net a lot the first few tries. The times you did hit the goal, however, felt all the better.

The skillful shots from your youth, when you still had time to go to training regularly, no longer worked nearly as well. In the past, you could’ve done them blindfolded.

Adult responsibilities however got in the way at some point, so you were glad that you were still able to attend a hobby group at least once a month until last year. And it paid off. After a short time, the stick no longer felt so strange in your hand. Maybe Hockey was a bit like riding a bike. You would never quite forget how to do it.

You almost missed the other person coming onto the ice.

Even without his number on his back, you could’ve identified him without a doubt. To be fair, there probably weren't that many people walking around in professional goalie gear. Especially those with access to the ice and a Canes logo on their chest.

Without a doubt: Frederik Andersen had just stepped onto the ice. The exact ice you were standing on.

Uncertain you looked back and forth between the exit and him. You were sure you hadn't misread the time on the list. The clock on the wall also told you that you hadn't just been here much longer than you thought.

Still, should you leave the ice? If he was here, he probably wanted to practice. You'd just get in the way.

After the game on your first day on the job, the Canes lost two more games. And as always happens, critical voices immediately got loud on the internet. Even if you hadn't looked any further, you could imagine what they said about Freddie – hopefully, he followed the media team's advice not to read any of it.

Freddie looked at you for a moment. Then he crossed the ice. However, instead of heading for the other half of the ice as you’d have expected, his path led straight into the net on your side.

Fascinated, you watched as he stretched and moved in quick order. Finally, he straightened up again, leaned forward and tapped the ice several times with his stick.

You looked at him in confusion. But when he then flicked a puck across the rink towards you with his stick, it was a more than clear invitation.

In this moment you were so glad to have had some time to warm up before he arrived.

Your first shots at the net were careful. And apparently, they were way too predictable and easy for Freddie, as he blocked each of them with ease. He didn't even look strained in the slightest.

You took it as a challenge.

The next shots were more confident. You even started to skate a few steps towards the net on each of them, instead of standing rigidly in the middle of the ice.

However, after a lost puck on the way to the net elicited a playfully disappointed shake of the head from Freddie, you made it your mission to mix in a particularly bad shot every few tries. Freddie’s reaction made it more than worth it.

If you looked very closely, you imagined you could even see the smirk under his mask every time.

In the end, you didn't know how long you’d played for.

When Freddie pushed his mask up, a few strands of hair were sticking to his forehead. His features were more relaxed than any of the last times you'd seen him here. It looked good on him.

As you went your separate ways again, he gently nudged you with his shoulder. The smile lingered on your lips for a long time.

– 

"Do you think the small suitcase will be enough for three days?"

Jane looked at you over her shoulder. "Are you going on a trip? Without me?" She clutched her chest dramatically.

"There are a few away games coming up. And I'm supposed to come with them”, you explained. Your nerves must be written all over your face.

"Not that I think I'm really going to be that much help.", you added.

You had only just started to feel like you were slowly getting used to the work in the arena. By now, you could count on one hand how many times you got lost in the seemingly never-ending hallways of the arena in a shift. Even all the tasks no longer appeared as overwhelming as they did at the beginning.

Still, it had taken you days to even come close to finding your way around the arena. Even now, you kept discovering new rooms that you had never seen before.

Now, arriving in a completely foreign arena? You'd never seen how away games were run behind the scenes. And now you were supposed to help out yourself. Over the last days carefully established routines to make work easier would have to be broken again.

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot that you're super important now," she teased.

As if. "Hardly. More like the assistant to the assistant."

As you turned back to your bedroom, Jane called after you: "I’m sure it won't be as bad as you think."

Packing took longer than expected. This was probably partly due to the fact that you kept placing stuff in your suitcase just to take it out again minutes later. Should you pack a fifth sweater after all? Would one spare pair of pants be enough or maybe take the black ones with you as well?

By the time you had loaded your bags into your car, you were on the verge of being late. Enough time for you to arrive on time, not enough to get stuck in traffic or spend ages looking for a parking space.

However, you didn’t even get that far.

Your car made a tired stuttering noise before it fell silent again. The same sound was heard on the second attempt. By the third turn of the key, your fingers were already getting clammy.

"Damn it. That can't be true now." Try again. This time the engine only made a muffled scraping sound.  "No, no, no!"

You dropped your head against the steering wheel. Frustration rose up inside you.

Another sharp turn. Your hand clutched the armrest. You preferred not to look too closely at the speed limit. Jane ignored your pointed glances toward her anyway - and today, at least, you were almost glad of her habit of speeding.

The bags on the back seat were a heavy reminder in the corner of your eye.

You almost felt like you were back in your teenage years, being driven around by your parents and older friends. Then the airport finally came into view.

Jane parked and let you out. A car honked behind you. Quickly you thanked her and got out of the car.

You didn't know how, but you were still on time.

–    

After the flight, it was a blessing to arrive at the hotel room.

The room was small, had a strange orange wall color and a dubious stain on the floor that you strictly avoided stepping on. But at least you had the room to yourself. Reason enough to breathe a sigh of relief.  

In the evening, you fell into bed early, exhausted from the day. Sending a photo of your room to Jane would have to wait until tomorrow.

The next morning, you were awake long before your alarm clock. You didn't know who exactly was in the room next to you, but whoever it was had started snoring loudly at some point.

Even after a while, you couldn't fall back asleep. You were slow to pull yourself out of the warmth of your bed, but happy to escape the constant noise. So, you got ready for the day.

When you arrived in the breakfast room with a sectioned-off area for the team and players, the buffet had only just been opened. Apart from you, there was only one other person here so far, who ignored you as politely as you ignored them.

Most people would probably eat later. The game wasn't until late afternoon, so there was no rush to prepare, and morning skate wasn't scheduled for a few hours, as you’d heard.

With a full plate, you sat down at one of the many empty tables. While you ate, you checked your messages.

Jane had texted you last night to tell you that she’d taken your car to the mechanic. Already, they had sent you an email with a list of what needed to be repaired. Your hope that it would only be just a minor repair instantly vanished as you saw the length of the list.

You gulped a second time at the amount at the bottom of the mail.

Shit. That would easily consume an entire month's salary. You dropped your forehead to your hands.

"Does breakfast in general make you unhappy or is it this one in particular?" The chair next to you was pulled back. A certain ginger goalie fell into the seat.

You couldn't suppress a faint snort.

"I wouldn't count my car as breakfast," you tried to joke. Just the thought of your car made you grimace again.

"Oh," his brow furrowed gently. "That doesn't sound good?"

"Yeah. I mean, it has made a weird noise for a while now, should’ve known something like this would happen eventually. I just hoped to have a little more time before having to get it repaired."

Groaning you let your head fall into your hands again. Freddie shook his head, an amused glint in his eyes.

Then he seemed to have another thought.

“Wait, so how did you get to the airport?”

“Oh, I had someone drive me.” You turned your head to look at him.

“Boyfriend?" Maybe it was just hopeful wishing, the way Freddie's eyebrows drew down a touch further. “I mean, not that it’s any of my business.”

"My roommate, Jane." After short consideration, you also added: “Don’t think my ex would’ve even bothered to drive me.” You couldn't see Freddie’s face at that moment as your eyes were drawn to a new incoming message. Just Jane complaining about the weather.

“That sounds like there’s a story.”

You snorted. “Not a good one.”

Freddie seemed to get the drift. He did however furrow his brows slightly and asked slowly: "Wait, how are you getting home then?"

You could almost have sworn that Freddie was sitting closer than at the beginning.

To be honest, you hadn't really thought about it yourself. "Probably an Uber or...?" you mumbled but didn't finish the thought.

Someone from the marketing team - Angela? Angelica? Angeline? - sat down on a chair opposite you.

The conversation was paused for now. Instead, the blonde woman chattered away happily as you just nodded at the appropriate times.

You hadn't noticed when the room had started to become so crowded.

–  

When they’d said: "I have an exciting task for you today", you hadn't thought that cleaning helmets would be a big part of it.

Being allowed to take on more tasks on your own was wonderful. And you were grateful.

There were various parts on a few of the helmets that needed to be replaced or checked. By itself a nice and relaxing work. However, having to polish helmets had always been very low on your list of favorite activities. And today you had to clean every single one after the repairs.

One by one, some players arrived to collect their helmets for training themselves. Others were picked up and taken away by staff on their way past. By the time the last helmet was shiningly clean, there were only three left on the table next to you, waiting to be picked up.

And, well, one of them was a beautifully painted goalie mask of a very specific goalie.

Another player came to collect his helmet. You immediately suppressed the disappointment that welled up in your stomach when you realized who was coming through the door. Or rather, the disappointment at who it wasn't.

He was friendly, exchanged a few brief words with you and finally thanked you before disappearing again.

And then, Freddie came into the room. You almost missed it over your struggle of trying to get a new rag from the top shelf.

“Let me help you”, the deep voice from behind surprised you.  

He probably could’ve stepped around you and still reached the pile of rags easily enough. However, Freddie appeared behind you, not quite touching you, but close enough that you could feel the heat coming from his body.

Even after grabbing the desired item, he didn’t step back a whole lot, stayed close. If you would’ve wanted to you could’ve taken a step to the side. There was more than enough space and even if there wasn’t you knew Freddie would’ve moved immediately and apologized if you’d asked. But you didn’t.

You stayed exactly where you were.

The air between you felt almost charged. You wanted to see what Freddie’d do. You didn’t get the chance to.

The moment was over as quickly as it had come when the door was pushed open. You both jumped.

Until now you’d only seen Seth Jarvis occasionally from a distance in the hallways. Apart from that, you haven't had much to do with him yet.

The first thing you noticed about him today was that he was already holding his helmet in his hands. It was hanging over two fingers as if he had forgotten he even had it. You dimly remembered giving it to one of the employees not long ago.

You looked down at him once with furrowed brows. The rest of his equipment looked complete too and in working order.

Freddie huffed.

Seth's gaze flitted back and forth between him and you. A far too pleased grin began to grow on his face.

For a few seconds, his gaze stayed wandering between you two.

Finally, you broke the silence when it didn’t seem as if he intended to say anything.

"Is there… A problem with your helmet?"

Seth blinked at you. Then he followed your gaze down to his hands.

He shook his head, almost confused by your question. "No, everything's fine."

Okay? Then he probably hadn’t returned for that.

"Then... Anything else I can help you with?" you continued to ask.

He looked down at himself once more and seemed to think for a moment. Freddie started to speak, a meaningful glint in his eyes: "I'm sure it isn't-"

Somehow that just made Seth’s mischievous grin reappear.

He interrupted Freddie: "Hm, I don't know," he thought slowly, "My shin pad has been kind of weird these last few days and…"

Freddie scowled at him. But Seth didn't let it bother him at all. On the contrary, his grin widened a little more.

Amusement flashed in his eyes. There seemed to be some kind of silent communication between the two.

Finally, Seth concluded: "But it's not really that bad.”

So, you were back to square one.

"Then, anything else I can help you with?"

Seth’s answer came too quickly: "I guess I forgot why I came here. Can’t have been that important."

Turning around, however, took him longer than it should have, and you were pretty sure he did it on purpose. At the door, he threw another grinning look back.

Finally, you two were alone again.

You continued blinking at the door. What was that?

"I should probably see what he's up to," Freddie sighed but offered no other explanation. Nevertheless, he made no effort to leave.

Instead, almost absentmindedly he traced an invisible line in the table.

It took you a moment to notice - he lingered.

You didn't know what to do with the realization. Staring at Freddie the whole time only made you feel stranger. Whatever this conversation just was already left you almost dazed, so you picked up the last remaining helmet beside Freddie’s mask again.

You already knew it was spotless. Not for nothing had you spent so much time cleaning it earlier.

Just to have something to do, you picked up another cloth and set to work again.

Freddie watched you silently. There was something comfortable, almost familiar about sharing the silence.

When the last helmet was finally picked up by another employee, it was the signal for Freddie to leave.

You handed him his mask as well. Your fingers touched too long to be just a coincidence. It made your heart beat loudly in your chest.

For a moment you hesitated. Then you raised an arm briefly to his shoulder and gave him a quick squeeze. "Good luck!"

Before you had a chance to regret your decision, you went back to your work.

–   

The high spirits of some of the players you spotted hours later in the hallways told you how the game had turned out, even though you’d been too busy to watch.

You didn't think Freddie would send you more than a quick smile as he walked down the corridor. Two others caught up with him. One of them, easily recognized as Seth Jarvis, and one of the rookies. Seth said something to Freddie, then pushed him to the side straight at you, laughing with one hand behind his back.

With a slight color in his cheeks, no doubt still from the game, he took a few steps towards you. Smiling, he raised an arm. He waited a moment, as if offering you a way out. Instead, you gladly took a small step in his direction.

His arm wrapped around your shoulders. You were pressed firmly against Freddie, who murmured a quiet thank you against your hair. Then, he let go of you all too quickly.

What exactly he was thanking you for you didn’t know. You also didn’t get the chance to ask.

As they passed you, the other two players behind Freddie greeted you cheerfully. You didn't even know other players knew your name. Seth looked almost as amused as earlier today.

– 

By the last day of the road trip, you could no longer stand being in your room. Something about the specific shade of the wall color made your skin itch if you looked at it for too long.

It was unexpected how much you missed home. Even after just those few days in hotel rooms.

Maybe it was having to live out of a suitcase because it wasn't worth putting your things in the closet when you might be traveling to the next city that same night or the next morning. Or maybe it was the way you were constantly surrounded by the general working atmosphere.

You couldn't put your finger on it. What you could say, however, was that you couldn't wait to get home. 

Just one last game.

After dinner, you couldn't bring yourself to go back to your room. Instead, you explored the common room reserved for the team and staff.

Through the window, you could see some players playing with a ball in the backyard below. At a table in the corner, various people were playing a card game you had never heard of.

In a quiet area, you settled down with a book.

Everything was ideal for reading. It was quiet enough; the sofa was comfortable and you were wearing one of your coziest sweaters.

Still, you couldn’t concentrate on your book. Your thoughts wouldn’t calm down, leaving you feeling restless. Every few minutes you shifted in your seat.

You would have liked to fast-forward the day so that it would finally be evening, and you could go home. If it was up to you, you would have already been on a plane.

Every time someone walked past or entered the room, you unconsciously raised your eyes. And every time, you were annoyed that you had lost the line in your book again. Not that you could remember much of the story anyway. Your attention wasn't quite there.

However, it also meant you noticed when Freddie entered the room.

He stopped several times to talk to people. When he was only a few steps away from the sofas, he looked back and forth between them.

Before you could think about it too long, you slid a little to the side, as if an invitation. There was more than enough space next to you for him to sit down without you touching. However, you left the final decision to him.

You didn't have to wait long. Freddie plopped down on the couch - just a touch closer than usual, but still far enough away that you almost questioned if you were just imagining it. Not that you were complaining.

He opened the book he'd been holding under his arm.

Not exactly subtle, he kept watching you out of the corner of his eye. As soon as you lifted your head, however, he immediately averted his gaze.

Actually, you didn't want to ask. You weren't sure you wanted to hear the answer. What if it was a problem just you had. But still.

After another moment of thought you blurted: "Do you ever get tired of away games?"

"Huh?" He looked up, apparently not having anticipated such a question.

Well, there was no turning back now anyway.

"Like, traveling around all the time, being away from home so much?" you tried to explain.

His answer came easily. "Oh, absolutely. I used to hate it so much. Now it’s not as bad anymore. I mean, some days I would still be rather at but, ehn." He shrugged his shoulders.  

Only after a moment did you ask further, having the feeling he wasn't going to add anything more.

"Used to? What changed?"

"Mainly the team. Getting to know the people you spend the days with has been incredibly helpful. It feels less like a business trip and more like… Like a school trip when you were younger." For a moment he got a far-away look in his eyes as if lost in thought.

Your gaze glided across the room. ‘Business trip’ summed up pretty well how it felt to you. Even though you've had superficial conversations with a lot of people, you probably didn't know any of them nearly well enough to put them anywhere near the friends category.

But of course, you’d also noticed how many of the others were always planning activities in groups or just talking and joking over the meals.

You exhaled briefly.

Freddie watched you for a moment. He tilted his head, then continued slowly. His words seemed measured: “You know, the first road trip after my trade here was particularly hard."

You hadn't even thought about that. Your stomach tightened at the thought of how Freddie must have felt.

"Of course, at most everything is the same, but it still feels so- so unfamiliar. You don't know who's sitting next to whom on the plane. You don't know who's a good roommate and who might snore loudly or leave their things everywhere. And all these little rituals and changes that might not even exist at home games."

"But it got better?" You looked at the hands in your lap.

"It really does. The first few times the unfamiliarity, it's so exhausting. But with each more trip, it becomes more and more of a habit."

After a beat of silence, Freddie added slowly: "I don't want to lie to you. Sometimes I'd still rather stay at home. Home games are definitely more enjoyable, as far as that goes. But they're exceptions, just like everyone has bad days."

Encouragingly, he gently pressed his shoulder against yours. The brief touch turned into a long moment, somehow your whole sides touching. Your arm rested against his, your legs just a few inches away.

After a few moments, when he still hadn't slipped away again, you let yourself relax against him. Gradually you could feel Freddie’s muscles losing their tension as well.

"What about Denmark? Do you ever miss being there?" you asked into the silence between you. Freddie looked out of the window.  

"When I was younger, I missed it a lot more than I do now. I haven't lived there for so long now that I hardly know any different."

Your eyebrows drew together. You didn't know whether the statement reassured you or whether it made you want to give Freddie a long hug. Somehow it sounded so sad.

"I can still visit it regularly. And it's not as if my family would ever let me forget the language." He pointed to the book next to him.

You hadn't looked at it closely before. But now you noticed that the title consisted of large - obviously Danish - words.

"Just sometimes..." he shrugged his shoulders unsure. Then he picked up his book again with a sigh.

This effectively ended the conversation. You wanted to ask more, but the far-away look in Freddie’s eyes stopped you. Now you felt bad. Making Freddie sad hadn’t been your intention.

As if he could read your mind, he knocked his elbow against yours gently. You took a deep breath. Returning the gesture, you began reading again as well.

While your earlier worries had calmed down for the time being, now, with every breath you took, you were made aware of how close you and Freddie were sitting to each other.

You didn't want to have to get up again.

–   

The flight home was uneventful. A general tiredness hung over everyone.

You yawned again as you finally stepped outside into the cool night air.

The tiredness made you inattentive and you flinched when someone unexpectedly appeared next to you.

By now you didn't even need to look at him to recognize Freddie. Just his stature and the hint of ginger hair were enough.

He casually reached for your bag and took it from your hand.

Baffled, you almost stumbled over your feet, looking up at him.

"That's my bag."

"Yep," he said with a grin. He had slowed down to give you a chance to catch up. "At least I hope it’s yours and not some random one you just took."

You rolled your eyes. “Then what are you doing with it? Now that we've established that it is my bag."

"I'm giving you a ride." He stated casually, then started walking again.

If you hadn't been so exhausted, you would have at least tried to protest out of politeness. 

Nevertheless, you couldn't help but at least tease tiredly: "Maybe I've got another ride by now."

"Is that why you have the Uber app open?"

You looked down at the phone in your hands. Huh, you couldn't say anything against that.

Freddie became serious for a moment.  "Hey, if you really don't want to, I'm happy to just wait here with you until your Uber arrives. But the offer stands."

"You really don't have to," spoke the good manners out of you. Your parents would have been proud. Even to your ears, however, it sounded very half-hearted.

Freddie stopped. You almost ran into him. Since you managed to stop just in time, you were now standing right in front of each other instead. If you had leaned forward just a little, you would have been touching.

For a long moment, Freddie held your gaze.  "I know I don't have to. But I want to." The sincerity in his words made you swallow. For a few seconds, you stood in front of each other, looking at each other. You could have sworn Freddie's eyes flickered down your face for a moment.

But then he just cleared his throat and started walking again. You ignored the small spark of disappointment in your stomach.

You were sure that Freddie purposely made himself taller as he looked down at you and joked: "And no offense to you, but you're really not big enough to be threatening."

"Hey! I can be scary if I want to be."

"Uh-uh. Whatever you say."

You stuck your tongue out at him, even if he couldn't see it, as he opened the trunk.

For some reason, you had expected the car ride with Freddie to be awkward. Instead, comfortable silence spread between you. After you had told him your address, he navigated the car slowly through the dark streets.

You watched the streetlights pass by the windshield for a while.

"So, do you give all the poor stranded newbies a ride?" It could be taken as a simple joke. You tried to keep your voice carefully neutral. Still, the mood in the car shifted. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but rather more serious than before. It felt important.

"Would you believe me if I said I was just being helpful?" Freddie didn't even sound like he believed the reason himself. It wasn't a straight answer, but it wasn't an immediate deflection either. You could just accept this as the answer and move on, just, you didn’t want that anymore.

"Normally? Yes. But when you say it like that? Not really”, you still kept the tone light.

"Yeah... My sister is the only one in our family who is a good liar. As a teenager, I always envied her for that. She could outsmart our mother every time."

A small smile graced your lips at the story. You could literally see it in front of you, a young Freddie stammering as he tried to come up with a story about why he was home late.

Freddie parked the car in front of your house. He continued to look straight ahead. In the dim light, you couldn’t be sure, but you could have sworn his ears were turning red.

"I mean, it really wasn't a big deal. And you're not the worst company either."

"Such a high compliment," you grinned, "Not the worst company."

Maybe his cheeks had gained a little color too.

"But really, thank you, for the ride. It probably wasn’t on your way."

"It was nothing, really. And maybe it was also a little selfish." He said it into the quiet of the night as if it were a precious secret. He turned his head towards you and looked straight at you. There was warmth in his gaze, perhaps a spark of hope.

"I like- I like spending time with you."

You couldn't help but smile at the words. Freddie smiled back.

Very slowly, one of his hands moved towards your face, as if he was giving you time to object. You immediately leaned into the touch as he cupped your cheek.

He stroked the corner of your mouth with his thumb. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up. One of your hands rested on his forearm.

"Good thing I like spending time with you too," you whispered softly.

Afterward, you couldn't remember who moved first. Freddie's face came closer towards yours. Your free hand buried itself in his shirt, the other one letting go to run through his hair.

As soon as your lips met, time seemed to stand still for a moment. You forgot all your previous thoughts. The only thing existing was the feeling of his lips pressing gently against yours.

Soon, the sweet kiss turned deeper. The angle wasn’t great, but you made it work.

When you finally broke away from each other, you didn’t move far. Your forehead rested against his, you could feel his breath against your lips.

A small giggle escaped you. Your eyes met. It made Freddie’s smile widen, before his hand slid into your neck to pull your lips to his once again.

– 

It was pure coincidence that you had packed your skates.

After a morning of unpacking deliveries and doing inventory, you were ready to just go home and curl up on your couch. Only Sarah, with whom you had shared the work, had made it more bearable. Before, you had only known her by sight. Now you couldn't remember the last time you had made friends with a colleague so fast.

She was also the first who saw the note on your locker. With a raised eyebrow, she watched as you read it. Your expression had apparently told her enough because she didn't question your decision to stay in the arena and instead said goodbye with a wink.

The note was pretty inconspicuous.

'Meet me on the ice?’

It was the thought of who the message was probably from that made your heart skip a beat.

When you stepped onto the ice this time, Freddie was already skating slow circles across the rink. You were delighted to realize that you could be faster than him in full gear and after several hours of training.

It was a moment of being inattentive – and maybe also you getting tired after a few laps – that he took advantage of. With a gentle push, cushioned on all sides by his pads, he pushed you against the glass.

With your back against the glass and his arms on either side of you, you stopped.

"Hi." You grinned up into his face. Through the mask, he grinned back just as widely.

"Hi."

"What a coincidence to see you here."

"What, were you expecting someone else, skat?" The way Freddie emphasized the last word told you he knew exactly what that would do to you. Your heart melted.

"Writing notes. Pet names. Is this becoming some high school romance novel?"

"I don't even know what you mean, elskling." You could hear the amusement in his voice. Before you had a chance to answer, Freddie had already pushed himself away.

He positioned himself in the net and leaned down. It didn't take you that long to get used to shooting again.

–

With your skates in hand and a pleasant exhaustion making your legs heavy, all you wanted to do was grab your stuff and finally head back to your apartment.  

As you turned the corner, you almost ran into someone. You only just managed to stop in time.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting you to still be here. Didn’t you finish several hours ago?" Tony looked down at you. In one arm he carried a pile of sticks, in the other a large folder overflowing with notes.

"But, oh wait, it's actually good that you're here."

The next words made your heart stop for a moment.

"I just need to talk to you for a minute."

When had that sentence ever been followed by something good?

You couldn't say for sure how long Tony had been standing here. Maybe he had just seen you with Freddie. Before that, you hadn't even thought about whether that was allowed. What if both you and Freddie got into trouble for it?

Or even worse. What if he found out about you and Freddie off the ice? You had only briefly skimmed the contract when you’d signed. You had been far too fascinated by this world, which was secret to every normal fan, to care about that stuff. Not that you’d even expected something like this to happen.

Now you were desperately trying to remember if there was a paragraph about whether relationships with players were allowed at all.

"I won't keep you long," Tony finally snapped you out of your thoughts.

"Brynn - that was the one who was ill. You were his replacement, I don't know if you ever heard his name." You couldn't remember it, but you'd been told so much in the first few days that you could very well have just forgotten it again.

"Anyway. Brynn will be back tomorrow," Tony's face stiffened, "So technically, we don't need any extra help anymore."

"Oh." Of all the fears that had been running through your mind, that hadn't been a scenario you’d considered. You had known from the start that it would only be a short-term job. But you’d have never expected it to be this short.

Tony smiled somberly. "I'm really sorry. I didn't think it would be so quick."

"Yeah, of course. I mean, it's great for Brynn." You weren’t lying. Obviously, it was good to hear, that he was healthy again. But at the same time, knowing you’d lose your job made your heart ache. Even in the short time, you’d grown to love it.

"Yeah," Tony nodded a little absently. He looked conflicted. "Okay, so. Technically I'm not supposed to say anything yet, but... my boss is retiring in the next few weeks. His replacement should be decided by the end of the week. We've had a few conversations and let's just say... I feel like I've got a pretty good chance of getting the role."

"That's really great for you?" you said slowly. Not that you weren't happy for Tony, but your enthusiasm was limited after you'd practically been fired just a minute before.

"That means there's a job opening to be filled." He looked at you meaningfully.

It took you a moment to finally understand. "Oooh."

"Yeah," he nodded, now with a hint of a grin on his lips. "I could put in a good word."

"Really?"

Tony nodded. You had to suppress a loud cheer.  

–

It was a strange feeling. Last away games you’d wished so desperately to be home again. This time you wished you could join. Having to sit at home and having to say goodbye to Freddie sounded almost worse.  

"I'm going to miss you for the next few days."

Freddie came up behind you. His arms wrapped around your waist and pulled you against his chest. More than willingly, you let yourself fall against him.

He looked at you questioningly over your shoulder. "You're not coming?"

Then it seemed to come back to him too. "Oh, right."

It had taken you almost two days to tell him about the conversation with Tony. You were unsure how to. Plus, an annoying voice in the back of your head that would convince you that Freddie wouldn't care at all.

In the end, you blurted it out one afternoon. In your head, you stuck your tongue out at the nasty voice when Freddie immediately took you in his arms and asked how you were doing.

Even now, he gave you another apologetic hug.

Only one more day until the day Tony would hopefully call.  

The timer beeped. Sighing you peeled yourself from Freddie to take the tray out of the oven.

You sat it down on the counter next to the first, a lot less successful attempt.

You had wanted to do something nice for Freddie, had read up on Danish pastries the day before and after long contemplation finally saved a recipe on your phone. You didn’t know how to pronounce Brunsviger properly, but the pictures had looked great and the recipe seemed easy enough.

You still didn't know exactly where things had gone wrong. Although you had assured Freddie that he really didn't have to – and really, shouldn’t – he had tried a forkful of it anyway. As expected, it wasn’t good. Still, there was a traitorous wetness in his eyes and a long hug.

For the second attempt, Freddie hadn't left your side and guided you through it.

You left some on the counter for Jane. A silent apology for the last time you’d had Freddie over. You might have forgotten to tell her beforehand.

Or maybe, tell her about this at all. There just hadn’t been a good opportunity, especially also constantly having to think about your job.

On this day of all days Jane had come home a lot earlier than you anticipated. For a few seconds, she’d just blinked at you two sitting on the couch, you with your legs in Freddie’s lap.

Then, with a tight voice, she had asked: “Do you have a moment.” Her head nodding to the kitchen.

It had made you feel a little guilty how shocked she looked. Her first words being: “Is that Frederik Andersen in our living room?”.

Obviously, she was happy for you, after the first shock wore off.

The piece of Brunsviger was gone the next morning as you brought Freddie to the door.

"You're gonna be great," you told him goodbye.

The hug was long. Neither of you wanted to be the first to leave. In the end, it was time that drove you apart. If Freddie wanted to get to the airport on time, he had to hurry.

–   

Of course, you watched the games. The first game was great, the second one maybe even better. It was also the first time since the new job that you were actually able to give the games your full attention again. Even if you hadn't really noticed it before, you had missed it a little.

You had a good time. When Freddie had a particularly good save, you wrote him a message. You knew he would reply after the game in the flustered way he always reacted to compliments.

The phone call one evening still took you by surprise. A smile spread across your face. "Hey."

"Hej."

Before you could even reply, you heard a voice in the background.

"Hey, Freddie, what got you smiling like this?" You didn’t recognize the voice but you also didn't have to in order to understand the clearly teasing undertone.

The rustling from the line told you that Freddie must have covered the microphone for a moment. The muffled words he threw back sounded a lot like an insult. The response was laughter.

"Talking to your girlfriend?" came another voice, also obviously meant to tease.

Freddie didn’t reply. You could only imagine his facial expression.

Apparently, it was an interesting one. They probably also had expected some kind of denial.

Now there were several voices talking excitedly over each other.

"Wait what?" - "Wait are you serious?" - "Since when?"

"You can't just say that and leave! You have to-"

Then the voices in the background suddenly disappeared.

"Sorry, I just need to change rooms for a minute”, he said a little sheepishly. "They might have found out that we've been talking."

"Do you mind?" You chewed on your lower lip as you awaited the answer. Freddie didn't sound too worried, but still, probably better to ask.  

"Eh, not really" Then came the cautious question from him too: "Does it bother you?"

You took a moment to really think about it. Maybe it should have bothered you. Especially considering the fact that this was still so new with you two. Still, you couldn't find it in you to worry about it right now. You were far too happy for that.

"No. It probably had to come out somehow. Even if it was quicker than I thought. For hockey players, they're surprisingly smart."

Freddie's laughter rang out from the line. It made you miss seeing the little crinkles form around his eyes. "I'll tell them you said that”, he warned.

"Tony called today."

"Tony? From equipment?" Immediately you could hear Freddie perk up.

As if you knew another Tony.

"Uh-hu. You still have space in your car for one more person?" You let yourself fall backward onto your bed as you gave him a few moments to understand what you were saying.

A few seconds of silence and then a cautiously hopeful: "Yeah?"

"Just so I’m not almost late again, obviously." The corners of your mouth slowly began to pull into a grin.

"Really? Does that mean...?" The joy in his voice only made your grin widen.

"I'm employed. Permanently this time. Not just temporary."

Even as you heard the news from Tony himself, you could barely contain your happiness. As soon as you'd hung up, you'd jumped so loudly that even Jane had come out of the next room.

"That's fantastic!"

You couldn't even put into words how incredibly happy you were just then. The only thing that would’ve made the moment better was if you could have hugged Freddie at that moment.

–  

Before you knew it, the day of the third and final game of the road trip had arrived. As you watched the game on the side while you prepared your dinner, you had a good feeling.

The first period wasn't ideal, but it wasn't disastrous either. The second period started with a goal for the Canes. You jumped up and down enthusiastically, broccoli in hand.

After that, it was all downhill. At the end of the second 20 minutes, the Canes were already 2 goals behind. Two more goals followed. Freddie got pulled in the last 5 minutes. You could almost feel his frustration through the screen as he went down the tunnel.

At that moment, you wished you could’ve been there. How much you would’ve liked to give him a hug and tell him that everything would be okay.

You hesitated for a moment before sending a text. You definitely didn't want to annoy him. A text could never really express the comfort you wanted to give him, but it felt even worse not to write anything.

You tried not to think too much about it when you still hadn't heard back after half an hour. He was probably busy with his post-game routines. After all, they were set to travel back today and arrive late tonight. Surely, he would reply on the plane.

–  

It was pure coincidence that you were looking at your phone at that exact moment. Of course, you hadn't been checking for new messages every 5 minutes all evening. Who would do that? Definitely not you. (There were at least 6 and a half minutes on average between each time you checked your phone.)

So, it was definitely a complete coincidence that you were able to read the text the minute it flashed up on your phone.

It was just two short lines. An address.

It wasn’t even a question if you should go. Before you could even really think about it, you had already grabbed your jacket and put on your shoes.

As you closed the front door, your cell phone beeped with another message.

‘Only if you want to. Might not be in the best mood tonight.’

An obvious offer of a way out. As if you hadn't been waiting for this the whole evening. As if the thought of seeing Freddie again in just a few minutes didn't give you butterflies in your stomach. 

Your heart broke a little at how uncertain the texts sounded, as if you hadn't missed him for the last few days.

Excitement tingled in your fingers as you finally stepped into the elevator to Freddie’s apartment. It had been a short drive.

The door swung open. Freddie was standing in front of you. For a moment, you just looked at each other silently, then he literally pulled you against his chest. More than willingly, you sank into his arms.  

You buried your face in his sweater. The warmth of his body and his familiar scent enveloped you. You could’ve stayed like this forever.

Freddie pressed a gentle kiss into your hair before holding you just a little tighter.

It was the rumbling of his stomach that finally separated you. Even though Freddie was reluctant to let you go, you shooed him into the apartment. He shouldn't have to starve because of you. Who knows when he’d last eaten before the flight?

Freddie apparently understood what you wanted from him and so he led you through the entrance area into the open kitchen. There was already a pot on the stove, some kind of pasta in it. Next to it was a pan of chopped vegetables.

While he took a large wooden spoon and stirred it slowly, you jumped onto one of the counters and sat down. Given your height and the height of the counters, which were definitely adapted to Freddie, it wasn't as easy as you thought, but the twitch in the corner of Freddie's mouth made it worth the effort.

From your position, you could watch Freddie. How his movements were all a little too choppy and the tense line in his shoulders. How he put the spoon down too hard on the counter. How he didn’t raise his eyes.

"It wasn't your fault." You said quietly.

Freddie exhaled in disbelief. He didn't look up at you.

Only when you reached out a hand for him did he come closer. He propped himself up with his arms on both sides of you, resting his forehead against your shoulder.

"Even though you might not believe me just yet, it wasn't your fault," you repeated, hoping that your words would get through to him eventually.

One arm wrapped around his shoulders, the other you let run slowly through his hair.

"You did everything you could. It just wasn't your game. Can't win them all."

He let it pass for a moment, then took a deep breath. He turned his head. With a quick kiss against your neck, he pulled away from you.

"Thank you." He couldn't quite meet your gaze, but you still saw his words for what they were. Not just a thank you for right now, but the texts, the coming over, all the times before that.

"Nothing to thank me for," you confirmed. Freddie shook his head lovingly.

Nevertheless, he probably decided not to disagree for the moment. Instead, he took a plate from the cupboard. Silently he held it out to you, but you shook your head. You’d already eaten.

While Freddie ate, you sat beside him on the sofa. Your legs pressed together with soft music playing in the background for company.

When Freddie got up to take his plate back to the kitchen, you watched him.

Until he came back you hadn't moved from your seat, but apparently, Freddie was no longer satisfied with your previous seating arrangement. With a little shifting around, he finally settled behind you.

His legs were on either side of you, his back against the couch cushions, your back against his chest. One of his arms was wrapped around your waist, drawing slow circles into your side. The other hand was intertwined with yours on your lap.

Your words were quiet. You talked about the last few days, hockey the topic you both ignored. While you told him about the cute dog you'd seen while going grocery shopping, Freddie about something funny one of his teammates had done at team breakfast.

So much more important than your conversations, however, was the fact that you were together at that moment. You enjoyed the closeness; the body heat that radiated from him and slowly made you sleepy.

Every once in a while, Freddie took turns in gently kissing your temple and your forehead. Each time you sank a little more against him.

– 

"Happy New Year," Freddie murmured. His arms around your waist pulled you closer to him.

"Happy New Year," you whispered back against his lips. With your hands on the back of his neck, you reached up for a kiss.

Even after all these years, you still weren't tired of it. Hopefully, you’d never be.

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