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wh0reforcoriolanussnow · 1 year

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Jealousy, Jealousy || D. Targaryen x oc

GIF by @anyataylorjoy DIVIDERS by @straywords

summary: Rhaenyra Targaryen was known as the Realm’s delight, but her best friend Elys? She was given the name as the Realm’s desire. A story full of jealousy and envy; what happens when Elys takes the one thing away from Rhaenyra?

a/n: im so sorry this took so long to be updated but here it is! also a scene is inspired by euphoria and the whole nate cassie and maddy thing!

P.t 1 P.t 2 P.t 3 P.t 4 P.t 5

Rhaenyra furrowed her eyebrows as she stares at her best friend who just entered the room. Flinching, Elys places her hand on her chest as she steadies her breathing, she had not been expecting her in her room.

In a slightly disheveled state, Elys awkwardly smiles at her as she lets her hair loose from its previous hairstyle. “What are you doing here Rhae? You should have mentioned you were going to visit me” She announced, getting rid of her jewelry.

“Did you forget? it’s Friday” Rhaenyra replies, emphasising the word Friday. It was a tradition for the two of them to sneak to Fleabottom and wonder around. Elys pauses her actions, looking at her through the mirror. Taking in her silence, Rhaenyra stands up and walks towards Elys.

Placing her hands on her shoulders she sighs, “Have you been okay recently Elys? You’re always disappearing and you’ve barely spoken to me, god knows what you’ve been up to” She points out. Fucking your uncle, Elys thought.

Ever since Daemon asked her to meet him in his bed chambers, the two were well acquaintances. Fucking each other at any chance they could, even if Rhaenyra was close by. Elys found it thrilling.

“I’m fine, Rhaenyra, I promise” Elys smiled at her before turning around to face her, “Now, it’s never to late to go to Fleabottom is it?” She cheekily grinned as Rhaenyra reciprocates it.

“I think I need to tell her,” Elys sighed, her cheek flushed on Daemon’s naked chest. “Tell who what, pretty girl?” His voice was soft as his hands toyed with her brunette locks. “Rhaenyra. My best friend. Your niece. About what we’ve done” Elys confesses, tilting her head up to look at him.

He doesn’t answer for awhile. “Don’t tell her” his voice cuts the silence, Elys slowly sat up, now straddling Daemon. “Why not? She will find out eventually” She fiddled with her fingers before he takes her hands in his.

“Exactly. Eventually. Not now, I enjoy being with you, you know? I want to spend as much time with you as I can before she finds out eventually” His words made Elys soft. She shyly smiles before leaning down and placing gentle kissed along his jawline making him squeeze her thighs.

“God I can’t get enough you” He moans, grabbing her waist and manhandling Elys on her back so that he was hovering over her. The two look deeply into each other’s eyes, “Neither can I” Elys whispers before Daemon returns his assault on her lips.

“I wish I could run away with him,” Rhaenyra said, breaking the comfortable silence as the two watch Daemon patting Caraxes. “Why? And leave me here with boring lords and ladies?” Elys joked, nudging her best friend.

Rhaenyra scoffs, “Well those boring lords and ladies adore you Elys. Besides, It would be nice if it was just Daemon and I in Dragonstone” She smiled to herself.

Elys felt her heart drop, the guilt of what she was doing behind Rhaenyra’s back was slowly sinking in. “Do you like him that much?” She asked as the Princess looks to her.

“Very much so. With Daemon, it feels like- you know what it’s probably silly to say it” Elys furrows her eyebrows shaking her head, “It wouldn’t be silly Rhaenyra” “As wrong as it would be, I wish to run away with him and marry him. We understand each other and he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. It’s refreshing really” She grins.

Elys takes in her words. “You love him don’t you?” She questions, hiding her guilt. Rhaenyra only smiles and looks away, she had her answer.

The rest of the afternoon Elys spent in her bedchambers, sulking in guilt. It was her own fault for doing something like this behind Rhaenyra’s back. She decided that tonight she would end whatever the fuck was between Daemon and her and tell Rhaenyra. There was a celebration being held that night, it was the perfect chance to confront Rhaenyra.

“This will be a good night, I can feel it” Rhaenyra squeezes Elys’ hand as they walk into The Great Hall. Elys tightly smiles at her before the two sit down at the royal table. Being Rhaenyra’s close friend had its’ perks.

As King Viserys’ was doing his speech, he was interrupted by Daemon walking in. Elys practically held her breath as sauntered his way to the table, a small but noticeable smirk on his face.

He sat at the edge of the table, his eyes never leaving Elys as she didn’t dare to look at him. Rhaenyra looks between the two and doesn’t think much of it.

As the night progressed and people were dancing and had one too many drinks, Elys took the opportunity to whisper discreetly to Daemon to meet him in his room.

The second Elys shut the door behind her, Daemon pulls her towards him to press kisses along her exposed collarbone. “Daemon-“ She started, “Shhh” He hushed her as a moan escaped her lips. This was not going as planned she thought.

The pleasure he was giving her was too great to end it now so she thought this would be the final time before she was going to break it off. Elys wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him even more close.

“You smell so good” He groaned in her neck as his hands made their way to her back to undo the laces. He barely got her dress off before he took her leg and wrapped it around his waist.

Aggressively pushing her up against the door, he started sucking her tits making Elys throw her head back, moaning at the sensation. He slid into her making them let out moans, as soon as she adjusted to his size, he started pumping into her at an inhumane speed.

“Oh my- fuck!” She screamed, not caring if someone heard her if they were to walk past. “You feel so good” He grunts into her ear as a smiled makes it to her lips. A sudden knock at the door made Elys gasp, Daemon immediately shutting her up by placing his hand on her mouth.

Elys stared wide eyed at him as Daemon shouted, “Who is it!” “It’s me uncle,” The sound of Rhaenyra voice made Elys panic. “Shit” Daemon mutters, “Just a second!” He shouts again as Elys tries to tidy herself but her dress was tangled.

“Daemon help me!” She urged silently as tears were brimming her eye, he quickly helped her and took her face in his hands. “Don’t cry” He hushed, wiping her tears as she covered her mouth, sobbing. “She’s my best friend, she’ll kill me!” Elys continued as Daemon pulls her to his chest.

“Daemon!” Rhaenyra knocked again making Elys flinch, He looked around the room to look for places to hide her. He quickly pulled her behind the panel divider, “Everything’s going to be okay, just wait here” He says as Elys nods, hot tears still streaming down her face.

She felt like the worse person in the entire world. Daemon’s eyes soften as he kisses her wet cheeks and walks to the door. “Uncle-“ Rhaenyra paused as she studied his appearance, a frown on her lips. “Was I interrupting something?” She awkwardly says as Daemon glances behind him, stepping out and closing the door behind him.

As soon as Elys heard the door close and their voice’s becoming faint, she slowly walks to the bed and lays there for quite some time. This was definitely not how she imagined things would go.

taglist

@lightdragonrayne @lazypinkpig @pearlstiare @cleverzonkwombatsludge @graniairish @stargaryenx @issybee0611 @piceous21 @duhitzdae @mariaelizabeth21-blog1 @judewife @lady-stark-winter-rose @hwa-chaeming @deamonloversblog @kodzuvk @mutteringghost @luna-ann @lyannesworld @xcinnamonmalfoyx @sesamepancakes @plethoravellichor @bregarc @stephaniebalanag @witch-with-the-cat @valsandoval @lyra689 @targaryenmoony @itsalwaysgay @rockerchick05 @oh-no-tia @do-youseeme @esposadomd @lyn07

#daemon targaryen #house of the dragon #house targaryen #fanfiction #matt smith #daemon targaryen x reader #daemon x reader #hotd smut #daemon targaryen smut #game of thrones #daemon targaryen fanfic #daemon targaryen x oc #daemon x oc #daemon prince #rhaenyra targaryen

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kaicubus · 1 year

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Dating Jules Vaughn

warnings ✩° : fluff headcanons, angst headcanons, jules being toxic, cheating, mentions of drug use, cursing.

pairing ✩° : jules vaughn x gn!reader

authors note ✩° : I WANTED TO POST SOMETHING TO SHOW IM STILL ALIVE. getting stuff done tomorrow so i’ll be occupied, but trust in me...wayne stuff and aib coming soon...

- Jules is probably the most interesting person you’ll meet in your life time. That’s not to say you yourself aren't, it’s just that Jules is a very different kind of interesting. You like to describe her as if Luna Lovegood and Sailor Moon had a secret love child, because that’s exactly who she is.

- She’s the definition of spontaneous. The type to sneak into your backyard and climb up to your room just to show you a funny post by someone you both mutually dislike and laugh about it for the entire night, or the type to get up and start dancing out of no where. Dead wife trope kinda.

- Around you, Jules is seriously so clingy. She loves showing PDA and showing people you're hers and vice versa, there’s no problem if you start to feel insecure about being lesser than anyone else because Jules will always shoo that feeling away by holding your hand or kissing you in the halls.

- One thing you guys love to do together is each others makeup. If you like more subtle, natural looks, you’ll recreate them on her and she’ll recreate her favorite looks of her own or even go all out. Nights like those always end up in you two not taking each other seriously because you end up messing her eyeliner or she pokes your eye by accident.

- If you're not an anime fan, Jules converts you. But if you already are, you both will spend hours talking about old 90′s anime or new generation magical girl, slice of life, or psychological horror shows as well as your favorite characters and ships in each. If there’s a couple on screen, she’ll ask you which one you are and which one she is. Madoka and Homura for real...

- Jules could give less of a fuck what other people think of her. After what happened in front of Nate that one time early on, everyone’s already cautious around her, seeing her as a ticking time bomb before she goes off again and ends up hurting herself or someone else. But if someone fucks with you? They might as well consider themselves dead at that point because they're next on her hit humiliate list.

- I don’t really see Jules being loyal. Obviously. So when you guys have an argument or you accidentally ignore her for too long, she gets really insecure or intoxicated and ends up cheating on you with either one of her friends or one of yours. At first, you didn’t know and when she ends up telling you when things die down and everything’s back to normal, she tries to play it off like it wasn't that big of a deal.

- You guys go on multiple breaks but always end up back with each other.

- Very honest when she wants to be, though sometimes it’s hidden beneath a condescending or unsure laugh. She just can’t handle people being boring, even if it comes to you.

“Maybe you shouldn't wear that, Y/n...”

“Why? What’s wrong with it?”

“Uhmmmm...haha...never mind! Keep it on, you look great!”

- Being close to Jules also means you're close to her dad. He treats you like you're his kid, always lets you stay at their house if you want, feeds you, and sometimes even pays for things you want. Jules gets embarrassed but she knows how much he cares and loves that you two get along.

- Always going to parties and getting wasted together or being the only sober one, taking care of Jules.

- You are her safe haven, a judge free zone where she can relax and say what’s on her mind.

#kaicubus #euphoria #euphoria imagine #euphoria fanfic #euphoria fic #euphoria headcanons #euphoria preferences #jules euphoria #jules vaughn euphoria #jules vaughn #jules vaughn x reader #jules vaughn x you #jules vaughn x y/n #gn!reader #jules x reader #jules x rue #headcanons #preferences

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fallinallincurls · 2 years

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Takin’ My Time, Let The World Turn

this is my fic for emmie’s 2.6k writing challenge! thank you for putting this whole thing together @jostystyles ! and as always, shout out to @tonyspep for brainstorming this one with me. i had such a fun time writing this and can’t wait to share it with all of you! it might be one of my all time favorites.

selected song lyrics: “you know the bar down the street don't close for an hour, we should take a walk and look at all the flowers” from slow burn by kacey musgraves

gif credit to @goaliekisses

hope you enjoy!! feedback is always appreciated! xx

word count: 4k

~~~~~

Nate doesn’t want to talk to anyone. Not Cale, who is being nothing but kind as he offered

encouraging words. Not the media, who will undoubtedly ask cliche questions about why the team is in a slump and what’s happened to his play. And definitely not any of the staff members, who are mingling around the hallways doing their jobs.

He almost escapes the pitying looks and near interactions until the athletic trainer he’s almost certainly falling for stops him right before he gets into the locker room.

“Nate,” You murmur, hand catching his wrist in an effort to get him to look at you. He doesn’t. “I need to make sure your shoulder is okay and if not-”

“Y/N, no. The last thing I’m thinking about is how fucked up my shoulder is when we can’t seem to win a game and it’s my fault.”

“Woah, okay.” Your visible recoil practically breaks his heart, shatters it into a million pieces. He doesn’t want you to be scared of him. Not one bit. Yet, here he is, snapping at you and letting the anger control his immediate reactions. Nate braces himself for your departure, the inevitable moment that you give up on him despite the months and months you’ve spent flirting and getting to know each other within the trainer’s room.

Except you stand firmly in front of him, not wavering an inch.

“Come here,” You say, tugging him into the room he’s gotten more familiar with this season than he has in his entire career. He leans against one of the beds, blue eyes moving around the trainer’s room in an effort to not meet your gaze. He’s already ashamed he snapped at a person he cares about, but he doesn’t want to see how much hurt he caused.

“I have to go-” Nate starts, unsure of where his train of thought is going. But he has to get out of here. Out of the arena. Out of the place where he’s reminded he isn’t enough. He just wants to win again, get the team back on track.

Somehow, miraculously, you read his thoughts as if he said every one of them out loud.

“You know, the bar down the street doesn’t close for,” You pause to glance at the time on your watch, “an hour. We could take a walk and look at all the flowers if you want. Clear your head and just breathe.”

Nate’s breath is stolen away for a moment. It’s the first invitation either of you have made to spend time with each other outside of the arena. And even if he’s nervous, Nate knows two things. He likes you, a lot, and both a walk and a drink together sounds like exactly what he needs right now.

“Okay.” He almost whispers, eyes finally meeting yours. A gentle smile tugs at the corners of your lips and his heart rate speeds up without warning. “I’d like that a lot. Let’s do it.”

“Okay. Now, let me check your stupid shoulder and then you can shower so we can go. Yeah?”

Not even fifteen minutes later, Nate is back at the training room except now he’s void of all his bulky gear and is dressed in his gameday outfit again. The pressed slacks hug his thighs perfectly and paired with the signature black turtleneck it’s a little much to process all at once, but you can’t deny that he looks good.

And not that you know, but Nate’s thinking the same about you even if you’re still wearing jeans and the team designated polo.

“No moping, got it?” You tease with a slightly serious tone in your voice as you lead the way out of the arena. Nate rolls his eyes, but agrees. He doesn’t want to ruin this moment with his bad mood that isn’t at all connected to you.

“Got it.” He chuckles in response, already feeling lighter than he did when the game ended earlier. Without hesitation, you intertwine your fingers with his and start walking in the direction of the bar. Nate tries to hide his surprise as you work to disguise the nervousness that’s suddenly present, but the overwhelming sense of comfort envelops both of you more than anything. You realize then that you’re lucky enough to see the soft, shy side of one of hockey’s toughest and best players and that you never want that to change.

Like you mentioned, the sidewalk is lined with the most gorgeous flowers you could imagine. Nate’s never noticed the stunning colors on display, but now he looks at every single one he can as the two of you slowly get closer and closer to the bar. He’s convinced that you have helped him see the simple beauty in the world, even in little ways like these flowers. It is only one reason he knows he’s fallen for you.

When you turn towards him to ask how he’s feeling, if the fresh air has helped calm the frustration that was brewing inside him before, Nate catches you off guard by placing a delicate white flower behind your ear. The softest smile stretches across his face as he takes in how gorgeous you look.

“What?”

“Nothing. You’re just so pretty.” Nate admits like it’s the most obvious thing in the world which makes you blush. You never imagined being more than just colleagues with him, but you can tell something is going to change tonight.

“This is it,” You say, nodding towards the building that already feels like a safe haven for both of you. The moment you and Nate cross over the threshold, the rest of the real world will cease to exist and it’ll just be the two of you full of emotions that have to be discussed.

The cozy atmosphere of Brooklyn’s is much different than the arena and Nate is once again grateful for your suggestion to come here. You slide onto a bar stool, waving him on to do the same. He claims the one to your right and remains as close as he can to you, thigh pressed up against yours and brushing past each other at different moments. For the first time all day, every worry of his slips away.

“What can I get you two?” The bartender asks, completely ignoring the fact that it’s Nathan MacKinnon sitting at the bar. Nate couldn’t be more grateful.

“A Shirley Temple for me please and a beer for him. Thank you!” You reply before he turns away to make your requested drinks. You lean into Nate and you hear a gentle sigh of relief escape past his lips.

“I’m so happy to be here.” Nate confesses, the words so quiet you almost don’t hear them. But you do and you squeeze his hand in response while offering the sweetest, most genuine smile.

“Me too.”

Nate’s never been in love. At least, not really. He loves his family, his teammates, and his dog. But he’s never been in love. There have been a few times where he thought he knew what love felt like, where he thought he had fallen in love, only to realize how catastrophically wrong he was.

Except right now, Nate is pretty sure this is what it feels like to be in love.

~~~~

Holy shit.

That’s pretty much the only thought going through Nate’s mind as the team filters back into the locker room, hoots and hollers from his teammates filling the hallway. Tonight was a big game. Rivalry matchup, but more importantly, the win would mean they secure their spot in the postseason while also claiming the top spot in their division.

And even though the sixty minutes of play weren’t easy, the Avs came away with that much needed win. They were headed back to the playoffs for yet another year, keeping the postseason streak alive and getting another chance at winning the Cup again.

Except this time, it’s a little different for Nate. More so than it had been in the past. And that’s because of you.

It’s been a few years since that night at Brooklyn’s where you both finally came clean about the mutual feelings for each other. Since then, Nate hasn’t only become a better person, teammate and partner, but he’s been so inexplicably in love. He never thought he’d get to experience this kind of feeling, mostly because he’s not the easiest to love, but he wouldn’t trade what you have together for anything.

That is also the same thought that’s responsible for his recent interest in ring shopping. Not that anyone knows besides his mom.

Yet.

You walk into the locker room with the brightest smile on your face. The boys erupt into another round of cheers at the sight of who entered the room, but your gaze is locked on Nate. Everyone can sense the love between the two of you and despite the noisy celebration happening around him, everything becomes quiet when you reach him.

“Nate, baby! You did!” You exclaim, throwing your arms around his middle for a tight hug. Nate chuckles softly, feeling that overwhelming sense of adoration and pride swell in his chest. He’s quick to embrace you before leaving a kiss to the top of your head.

“I didn’t, we did.” He replies in a soft voice, earning an eye roll from you.

“Okay, yeah, the team did it. But without you out there, it wouldn’t have happened this exact way.” You lean up to peck his lips one, two, three times which only makes his grin grow. “I’m so proud of you and can’t wait to see what you do in the playoffs.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you, baby.” Nate murmurs against your lips, nothing but happiness and love rushing through his veins. Despite the fact that his teammates and other members of the staff are also in the room, you kiss him deeply in a way that pours all your emotions into the simple action. Nate’s hands rest of your hips, pulling you in closer and the victory seems even sweeter now.

After both of you agreed to go public with the relationship a few years ago, you slowly got used to showing affection in front of the team and everyone else who works for the Avs. It’s still subdued around them, you can’t imagine the embarrassment at being caught doing something too risky by anyone, but at this very moment neither you nor Nate care.

“Hey, Dogg! Get a room or something! The trainer’s room is available.” EJ’s voice cuts through the moment which makes the two of you pull away from each other. Your cheeks heat up with a wild blush knowing everyone caught a glimpse of the PDA and upon hearing EJ’s hearty chuckle, you drop your head to Nate’s chest.

“Shut up, EJ. Kissing my girl isn’t a crime.” Nate fires back, one hand rubbing up and down your back in a soothing motion.

“No, but it is when we have to see it and you’re practically giving us a show.” EJ adds while waving his hand around the locker room in a gesture to remind you just how many people are watching.

“Erik, be nice. They’re just in love and Nate deserves to get some after those two goals tonight.” Gabe chimes in, a mischievous smile on his lips as he nudges his American friend.

“Ohmygod.” You laugh ashamedly, shaking your head back and forth before finally looking up at the two men. The chirps are nothing new, but you still haven’t gotten used to Nate’s teammates being ready to tease him, and sometimes you, over anything they possibly can.

“Are you coming out with us tonight at least? To celebrate with the team?” Gabe asks, looking at the both of you as EJ moves on to bother someone else. Nate nods with a kind smile just as you respond.

“We are! Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Good. We’ve gotta get moving though so shower and get dressed, Nate. I would say keep the PDA to a minimum, but I don't give a damn honestly.” The captain laughs before clapping Nate on the shoulder and returning back to his routine.

Nate’s focus returns to you and the sight of your pink cheeks, eyes sparkling with adoration and the soft smile that can bring him to his knees, makes his heart stop. He kisses your forehead and squeezes you tight for one more hug.

“Do you wanna walk to the bar? The flowers are always really pretty this time of year and I know how much you love looking at them.” The question escapes past Nate’s lips, an odd sense of nerves making themselves known all of the sudden. You light up at the question and that familiar thought of wanting to spend his life with you enters his mind again.

“That would be perfect. Do what you need to and I’ll see you in a little bit.”

Nate rushes through his postgame routine just to be with you again. Call him dramatic or whatever you want, but he’s in love and tonight nothing is going to stop him from reveling in that. He finds you not too long after, still as happy and excited as you were when he left you earlier.

“Let’s go for that walk, yeah?” And with that, Nate reaches for your hand and the two of you start down the well known path towards Brooklyn’s. The bar has become your place over the years and as you’re pointing out all the different flowers in bloom along the edges of the sidewalk, Nate couldn’t be happier about creating another night of memories there.

But that thought still hasn’t left his mind. Without really thinking, he decides to bring up the subject without giving anything away and the perfect chance to do so is now. Just as you pick one of the colorful flowers, the words come tumbling out of Nate’s mouth.

“What kind of flowers do you want at your wedding?”

Your brows furrow in brief confusion at the random question and Nate thinks he blew it. His cheeks become rosy with blush and his stunning blue eyes almost drop away from yours until he catches the look of awe crossing over your facial features.

“You mean our wedding?”

“Our wedding?” Nate repeats, heart racing a million miles a minute. He tries to not think too much into what changing one word means, but it’s impossible when you’re looking at him like nothing else in the world matters.

“If you think I’m getting married to anyone else, you’re crazy. Thought you had a brain in there, MacKinnon.” You giggle, tangling a hand in his hair. “Sunflowers and dahlias by the way because I’d love a summer wedding in your hometown.”

“You’ve thought about this, huh?”

“More than you know, bubs. Just waiting on a ring so I can start planning a real wedding instead of an imaginary one.” Nate catches the teasing tone as you wiggle your left hand for emphasis and laughs along with you.

“Trust me, it’s happening sooner than you think.” He reveals, pressing a soft kiss to your lips. “You’re it for me, baby.”

“You are for me too, Nate.”

Nate knows then, as his fingers intertwine with yours again and you continue walking to the bar, that he’s going to propose. He doesn’t want to go through life with anyone else but you. There will be a ring on your finger soon and that thought alone makes him unbelievably happy.

~~~~

“Introducing for the first time as husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. MacKinnon!” Deafening screams and cheers erupt from the crowd as you and Nate enter the reception hand in hand. You both have genuine beaming smiles on display, nothing but love dancing in your gazes. He spins you around, letting the beautiful white dress flare out for everyone to awe at, before pulling you in close again for the first dance.

It has been a long time coming, but you are finally married to the man of your dreams and share his last name. And Nate still can’t believe that he gets to spend the rest of his life with the woman he loves more than anything in the whole world.

Nate asked the fateful question towards the end of that summer where he said your ring was coming sooner than you thought. He was right. On a chilly August night in Cole Harbour when you were both cuddled up together by a fire looking out at the lake, he got down on one knee and asked if you would give him the honor of being his wife. The answer was a teary eyed “yes, of course” as if you even had to think about it.

The following offseason, you officially tied the knot during a small ceremony in his hometown just like you both dreamed of. Besides yours and Nate’s families, Sidney and your best friend Rose were there. Cox, Nate’s beloved German Shepherd, even got to be part of the ceremony. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

Now surrounded by a much larger group of your family and friends in Denver at the gorgeous outdoor venue purposely selected to enjoy the last fleeting moments of warm summer weather in the city, the long awaited reception is in full swing.

As the selected love song plays and the two of you dance together with everyone watching, Nate acknowledges the fact that he didn’t know he could be this happy. Winning the Cup doesn’t even come close to the pure elation he feels at this very moment. Even though the matching rings have found their home on both of your left hands for two months already, getting to celebrate with everyone important to him is nothing short of amazing.

In fact, it’s everything Nate has dreamed of for so long without realizing it.

When the closing notes of the song come to an end, you share a deep kiss that earns a loud collective cheer from the audience before making the rounds to greet everyone. The sun warms your skin and Nate notices the glow of pure happiness on you. It’s a look he wants to see you wear everyday, all the time. And he may not know it, but those emotions are only present because of him.

After the cake is cut and both the bouquet and garter toss are done (Rose caught the bouquet with the deepest blush on her cheeks and EJ couldn’t have been more proud that the garter ended up in his hands based on the smug look on his face), the focus shifts more to dancing the night away while having the best time possible.

You and Nate seem to dissolve into the background for the first time since the reception started and it’s a little relieving.

When you turn towards your husband, you find him already looking at you with soft eyes and the smile you adore more than anything. For the millionth time, the thought strikes you that he looks incredibly handsome, but going forward, this man is yours for life. He’ll be there through it all no matter what and you couldn’t ask for anyone better.

“Hey, babe,” Nate grins, pressing a kiss to your temple as he leans in to whisper. “Everyone seems to be having a really good time, I don’t think they’d notice if we slipped away.”

“Nathan! Save it for later, we’ll have plenty of time.” You exclaim, lightly hitting his shoulder and Nate can’t help but chuckle.

“Trust me, we’ll get to that. But that’s actually not what I meant.”

“Oh?”

“Wanna take a walk? Look at all the flowers? You know, the usual.” Nate asks with a teasing tone, blue eyes glistening with a sense of playfulness and love. “The bar’s open for a couple more hours, we can slip away for a little bit. Promise no one will notice.”

The idea is tempting and it’s sweet to think about spending a moment at Brooklyn’s, the place it all began, just the two of you. With one glance around, you find that everyone is preoccupied with things that don’t involve you or Nate. Gabe is dancing with Linnea, her tiny feet on top of his as they laugh together. Sidney is talking with your family, undoubtedly charming them as he always does despite the fact he met them for the first time years ago. EJ in the seat right next to Rose at the bridesmaid table, their faces close together in a conversation and matching grins on their faces.

“Okay,” You start, reaching for Nate’s hand. The glimmer of the gold band on his ring finger makes your heart do somersaults all over again. “Let’s take a walk and look at the flowers, bubs.”

Somehow, you both slip away without being noticed thanks to Nate timing the escape perfectly. Nate pulls you in for a breathtaking kiss the moment you’re out of everyone’s sight before starting on the familiar path to the bar. The walk to Brooklyn’s feels different this time. Maybe it’s because you’re wearing a wedding dress and Nate is in his tux. Or maybe it’s because it’s the first time you are taking the well known route to the bar that’s become a special place for you as a married couple. Whatever it is, you can feel it.

During this time of year, the wildflowers and greenery are gorgeous so it’s Nate pointing out the prettiest ones throughout the walk. The smile on your lips never falters and you find yourself admiring both the flowers and your husband the whole time. Your husband. It still feels like a dream.

“Here we are!” Nate says in excitement, holding the door open for you and the comforting sounds of the bar welcome you. Over the years, almost nothing about the place has changed except for the two of you. Since the first time you both came here, you’ve grown and got a little bit older and fell deeply in love. But through it all, every celebration, anniversary and special occasion that was held at Brooklyn’s felt like home.

Nate leads the way to the bar, sliding onto one of the stools effortlessly and making sure your dress doesn’t get ruined as you sit next to him. You lean up to kiss his cheek and keep your shoulder pressed against his in an effort to be as close to him as possible. A few seconds later, the bartender comes over and offers a bright grin to the two of you.

“Our favorite regulars! Congratulations! We’re all so happy for you two.” He exclaims, making Nate blush and you giggle in response. A flurry of thank you’s slip from yours and Nate’s lips, but you acknowledge the man’s kindness. “What can I get you tonight? On the house, of course.”

Nate answers without a moment of hesitation. “A Shirley Temple for her and a beer for me, please.” He smiles, glancing at you and you wish more than ever that you could freeze time. You would stay right here with the love of your life in the place that means more than words in your relationship.

It doesn’t matter that the reception is still happening without the bride or groom there. All Nate cares about is being here with you, away from the production of a big wedding. And all you care about is cherishing this special moment with him on the (second) first day of forever together.

“I’m so happy to be here.” You whisper, repeating his words from that first night you spent in this very bar all those years ago as you lean into him. Nate squeezes your hand in a silent response before placing a tender kiss to the top of your head.

“Me too, Y/N. Me too.”

Nate hadn’t ever been in love until he met you. Through the years, you taught him what it felt like to be unapologetically loved and how beautiful life could be with that special person by his side. But right now, spending a rare moment alone on your wedding night, Nate knows he couldn’t be more in love.

He waited his turn for this kind of love and still has a lot to learn, but the slow burn was worth everything. Because at the end, he got you.

taglist: @tonyspep @miracleonice87 @starshine-hockey-girl @kailyn-writes @happer08 @stroopwaffle8 @rosesvioletshardy @sorryjustafangirl @laurenairay @hockeyunits @musiclove-12 @ilyasorokinn @jostystyles @breezymichelle99 @comphyjost @ya-pucking-nerd @beauvibaby @sourjoonie @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69 @itrocksmysocks @typical-simplelove @boqvistsbabe @antoineroussel @spookysvech @equallyshaw @eightmakar

#nathan mackinnon #nate mackinnon #nathan mackinnon fic #nate mackinnon fic #nathan mackinnon imagine #nate mackinnon imagine #nhl imagine #nhl fic #colorado avalanche #nathan mackinnon x reader #hockey fic #hockey imagine #fluff #nathan mackinnon fluff #hwncloud #mackinnon

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mccarthawrites · 1 month

Text

Happy Birthday, Nate

Relationship: Nate Kulina & Jay Kulina, Nate Kulina & Lisa Prince

Rating: General audiences.

Warning: Use of "faggot" once

Summary: Nate celebrates his birthday with Jay, Lisa, and his younger brother, Shayne.

Author's Note: This is an AU where Lisa doesn't lose the baby and Nate doesn't die. Shayne is the Kulina/Prince baby - named after Shane Gray and Shayne Topp. Luke is a completely original character and is Nate's love interest in this AU I have created. Depending on the reception of this, I might post more from this AU.

Words: 1,626

March 15. Nate’s birthday. Jay and Shayne crept into his room. Jay tossed him on th bed, startling Nate awake.

“Wha-” Nate rolled over to see his little brother. “What are you doing in here?” He asked.

“Happy birthday!” Shayne threw his hands up in the air.

“You couldn’t wait til I was awake?” Nate asked, slightly annoyed.

“He wanted to be the first to wish you a happy birthday,” Jay explained.

“Thanks, bud.” Nate rustled Shayne’s hair, before playfully pushing his head, making him fall backward on the bed.

“Hey!” Shayne giggled. Nate rolled over, hoping to fall back asleep. “Mama’s making breakfast!”

“Yeah, so get your ass up.” Jay pulled the pillow under Nate’s head, making him groan.

“Can’t a guy sleep in on his birthday?” Nate asked, looking at Jay.

“No.” Shayne giggled.

“It’s almost eleven. We did let you sleep in. Come on.” Jay grabbed Shayne and pulled the cover off of Nate. “Happy birthday. If you’re not in the kitchen in ten, I’ll be the one jumping on top of you,” Jay warned, carrying Shayne under his arm into the kitchen where Lisa was making breakfast.

“I told you guys not to bother him.”

“You’d let him miss breakfast on his birthday?” Jay asked. “How cruel.”

“Yeah, how cruel,” Shayne repeated. Jay high-fived his baby brother.

“I need to stop letting you two spend so much time together. He’s becoming your mini-me.” Lisa teased. The decision to move to the East Coast was an easy one when Lisa got the job offer. There wasn’t much left for her in Venice after Alvey refused to meet her demands for being in Shayne’s life. Then when Jay and Nate had decided to come along for the cross-country move and help her with Shayne as they had since he was born, she found it impossible to turn them down. Shayne loved following his brothers around and they adored him. While their family dynamic was far from conventional, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“You hear that, Shay? Your mom doesn’t want us to hang out anymore.”

“Why?” Shayne asked.

“It’s too early for this,” Lisa replied. Nate walked into the kitchen. “Happy birthday!”

“Thanks, Lisa.” He smiled.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop those two from waking you up. Trust me, I tried.” She told him.

“It’s okay.” Nate sat at the kitchen table, going through and responding to the birthday messages. Opening Alvey’s, he scoffed, turning his phone to show Jay.

Alvey: happy birthday

“Can’t believe he remembered this year.” Jay laughed dryly.

“What?” Lisa asked.

“Alvey actually wished him a happy birthday this year,” Jay reported.

“Wow.”

“He’s making an effort,” Nate replied, deleting the message. Nate still acknowledged that Alvey was his father who did his best when Christina walked out. But Nate’s relationship with his dad ended the night he came out and Alvey called him a faggot. No apology was ever given.

“So what are you doing? Did you make any plans with friends? Or Luke?” Lisa asked.

“I don’t have any plans. I was going to just sleep in and work on the pieces for the show next week,” Nate explained. He quit fighting and took up painting. Christina’s art skills turned out to rub off on him. Having been invited to show his work at various galleries and art shows. Selling his art didn’t pay as much as fighting did, but he enjoyed it more. He didn’t feel like he had anything to prove anymore. “And then dinner with you guys like we planned.”

“Did you invite Luke to dinner?” Lisa asked.

“No. Why would I? It’s a family dinner.”

“You’re allowed to invite your boyfriend to your birthday dinner.” She told him.

“Luke’s not my boyfriend.”

“I beg to differ,” Jay looked at Nate.

“And how would you know?” Nate asked. “We’re just- talking. It’s nothing serious. If it’s not serious he doesn’t need to come to a family dinner even if it’s my birthday. What about you? Did you invite Zach?” Lisa narrowed her eyes at him. “Exactly.”

“I don’t know about you, Shay, but I actually like Zach and Luke. Maybe we should invite them to dinner.” Jay teased. Shayne nodded in response.

“No!” Nate and Lisa both said at the same time. Shayne giggled.

“We seem to have hit a nerve.” Jay looked at Shayne who smiled.

“Luke always has Legos.” Shayne pointed out.

“Can you pick up the cake before dinner?” Lisa asked, Jay. “I’ll be in Connecticut for a few hours.”

“For what?” Nate asked. “It’s the weekend.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Lisa told him. “Jay?”

“I know you think I’m irresponsible, but I do have my shit together seventy percent of the time, right, Shay?” Jay winked at his brother.

“Jay has his shit together,” Shayne assured his mom. Nate chuckled.

“You can’t say that. Remember? That’s a grown-up word.” Lisa looked at Shayne.

“Sorry!” He covered his mouth with his hand.

“Don’t worry. I will pick up the cake. You want to come with me to get the cake?” Jay asked Shayne who nodded.

Nate sat on the tarp in his studio. When they moved into the house, they converted the garage into his studio with some rogue workout equipment. His phone rang. It was Christina. Wiping his hands on his pants, he answered.

“Hello?”

“Happy birthday to you.” She began singing off-key, making him smile. “Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Nathaniel. Happy birthday to you.”

“Thanks, mom.”

“How are you?” She asked.

“I’m alright.” He replied. His relationship with her wasn’t the best, but it had gotten better in the last few years. “How are you?’

“I’m good. It’s good to hear your voice. I miss you. Are you planning on making a trip to visit? Maybe in the summer.” She suggested.

“Jay and I talked about it, but- there’s so much going on here.”

“Jay sent me some photos of your work last week. I’d love to see you in person.”

“You could always come to New York.” He told her. “I’ve got another art show next week.”

“That’s exciting! Maybe I will have to take a trip to go see you. How’s Lisa and the baby?”

“They’re good. Shay’s not a baby anymore. He’s getting huge. Sometimes he’ll come into the studio and paint with me,” Nate explained, looking up at the painting Shayne made that they had hung up.

“Aw. That’s adorable. He wants to be just like his big brother.”

“Yeah. He’s great.”

“I’m glad everyone is doing well. I miss you and your brother. Just wanted to wish you a happy birthday, but I’m sure you’ve got a packed day with celebrations and you’ve got things to do. So I’ll let you get back to it. I love you.”

“Love you too. Thanks for the call, mom. Bye.” Nate hung up and stood up. Checking the time, he figured he’d better clean up before dinner.

After dinner, Jay brought the cake to the table. It was decorated with Van Gogh’s Starry Night in frosting.

“Wow.” Nate couldn’t hide the smile on his face. “You went all out.”

“Wanted the best for our little Van Gogh,” Jay explained.

“I am nowhere close to Van Gogh, but I appreciate it. Thank you.”

“It was Shayne’s idea because of that Lego set you guys put together,” Lisa explained, putting candles on the cake.

“Oh, really?” Nate looked at Shane who nodded. “Thanks, bud.” Just as Jay was about to light the candles, the doorbell rang.

“Who’s that?” Lisa asked.

“Who knows?” Nate asked, opening the Ring camera on his phone. It was Luke. “Uh- I’ll be right back.” Getting up from the table, he walked outside to meet Luke who held something behind his back. “Hey.”

“Hi. Happy birthday.”

“Thanks. What are you doing here?” Nate asked.

“I didn’t come to crash dinner. Don’t worry. I just wanted to give you your gift.” Luke told him, pulling a box of a Lego set from behind his back. “Figured since you and Shayne had a good time with Starry Night, I’d get you your next project. It’s The Great Wave by Hokusai.”

“Thanks. He’s going to love this. We’re both going to have a good time doing it.” Nate smiled, looking at the box. “They actually got me a cake with Starry Night on it because of the last set you got us. You know we’re about to cut the cake. Do you want to come inside?” Nate asked.

“No. It’s okay.” Luke understood Nate’s hesitation to bring him around his family.

“Come on. You came all this way. They got a cake for like twenty people, but it’s just the four of us.”

“Are you sure?” Luke asked.

“Yeah.” Nate welcomed him into the house. “We have a guest.” He announced, leading him to the dining table.

“Hey, Luke. What are you going here?” Lisa asked, giving Nate a look.

“Wanted to drop off Nate’s gift, but he said I could join you for cake if that’s alright with everyone.” Luke sat down cautiously next to Nate.

“Yeah! We have more than enough,” Jay replied.

“Look, what I got.” Nate showed Shayne the box.

“More Legos?”

“More Legos.” Nate laughed.

“Alright. Ii hope everyone has been practicing and has warmed up their voices.” Jay lit the candles.

“I thought you weren’t going to sing.” Nate looked at his brother.

“We don’t turn our backs on tradition, Nathaniel. You’re just going to have to suck it up.” Jay told him. They began singing excruciatingly, but Nate appreciated it. Not that he’d let them know that. After everything had happened, he was finally happy. The happiest he’d ever been. Surrounded by the people he loved most.

#Kingdom (2014)#Nate Kulina #Nick Jonas #Jay Kulina #Jonathan Tucker #Lisa Prince #Kiele Sanchez

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spine-buster · 1 year

Text

That Which We Are, We Are | Nathan MacKinnon | Chapter 5

gif credit @/happer08

A/N: 7000+ words of...well...

Sorcha had texted the address to the coffee shop to Nate earlier that morning, and now, in a turn of events, she was waiting for him instead of the other way around. She only had to go into work in the afternoon today anyway, so she decided to take advantage of her free time in the morning. She’d already ordered a cappuccino and an almond croissant as she kept glancing towards the door, waiting for him to come in.

Only about five minutes later, she watched as Nate slipped into the café wearing a baseball hat and workout gear. With one quick look up, he spotted her at a table against the red brick wall and moved quickly, not needing to be waved down. “Hey,” she greeted him as he slipped into the chair opposite her. “Thanks for meeting with me. I really appreciate it.”

“There’s no way we could have left it where we did,” Nate said. “I’m such a fucking dick. I’m sorry for yelling at you outside your work.”

“I’m sorry for yelling at you outside my work,” Sorcha added. “And I’m sorry I wasn’t more…you know, forthcoming with why I didn’t want to go to your house. It’s just—”

“—Don’t apologize, I should have known,” Nate said. “Not only am I a dick, I’m an idiot too.”

“You’re really not,” Sorcha shook her head, clasping her hands together on the table. She stayed silent for a moment, trying to find the words to say what she wanted to say to Nate. “It’s just really, um, hard for me, Nate…because I know they’re your friends, but I also know that I have to set boundaries,” she explained, her words coming out slowly – though that only increased their impact. “Kehoe I don’t mind – all he did was dote on you all your life, and he was kind of like you in the way that he never actually said anything, but laughed along with everything. Lucas is sort of the same, I guess. But Noah and, of course, Shane…I don’t want to be around them, Nate. I just don’t.”

“I get it. I—don’t worry, I get it,” Nate said. “It took me so long to realize why you said no, and it was a huge mistake on my part. I would never want to make you feel uncomfortable. God, that’s the last thing I want to do.”

“It’s not even about me being uncomfortable. It’s about the years of rage I have pent up inside me,” Sorcha explained, smiling slightly at the end. “I don’t know what I’d do or say if I was in the same room as them, but I know it wouldn’t be pretty. I guess I kind of wanted to save you from that, too.”

Nate shook his head. “You don’t have to. They deserve everything that’d come their way,” he said through gritted teeth, clasping his own hands together on the table, dangerously close to Sorcha’s. “I only really talk to Kehoe and Lucas, you know. The others just hang around in the summer when they know I’m home. It’s not like they reach out much when I’m out in Colorado.”

Sorcha furrowed her brows. “Then why are you even friends with them anymore?” she asked. Nate shrugged his shoulders. “I—okay, never mind, that’s none of my business. Can we just—”

“—Can I say one more thing?” Nate interrupted.

“Of course.”

He looked her in the eye. “I meant what I said on the phone. About how all I could think about was you that night. How I missed you. How I want to spend time with you.”

There were those words again. A shiver ran up Sorcha’s spine upon hearing them again. She had tried so hard to reject them that night, until she finally came to the conclusion that she deserved to hear them – and deserved to hear them from someone like Nate. Someone who she enjoyed the company of, had gotten to know better, and thought about more often than she liked to admit. “I know you did,” she said, her voice low. “I—please Nate, can we just—can we apologize and move on? Can we pick up from where we were?”

“I want nothing more than that,” he nodded. “I’m sorry, Sorcha.”

“I’m sorry, Nathan.”

They looked each other in the eyes and smiled, almost bashfully, as the words hung in the air between them. Of course, clear communication had resolved the fight they’d had, which began due to a lack of communication. Sorcha internally vowed never to do that to Nate again. Nate internally vowed never to lose his temper around Sorcha again. “What are you doing th—”

“—Excuse me,” a voice suddenly interrupted their conversation. A man who looked like he was in his late thirties, dressed in jeans, a polo shirt, and a baseball cap approached their table apprehensively. Sorcha watched as his eyebrows raise as he rested his eyes on Nate. “I’m very sorry to interrupt, but are you Nathan MacKinnon?”

Sorcha’s breath hitched in her throat. She hoped to God this wouldn’t happen when out with Nate, but it was bound to happen sooner or later. It just so happened that it had to come after one of their more intense and emotionally charged conversations. “That’s me,” Nate nodded, putting on a smile.

“I’m sorry to bother you and your friend, but my kid is just outside with his mom and he adores you. Do you mind if I call him in?” the man asked.

“Yeah, of course,” Nate agreed. The man thanked him profusely before power-walking towards the door of the café. Sorcha watched as he called out to his son, and he re-entered the café holding his son’s hand. “Hey buddy,” Nate said gently when they were close enough.

When the little boy realized who Nate was, his eyes were wider than the sun beaming outside. “Nathan MacKinnon?!” he gasped.

“How are you?”

“I’m g—I—I’m your biggest fan!” the boy exclaimed, still awe-struck. “I play hockey just like you and I want to play just like you and Sidney Crosby!”

“Well let’s hope you play more like Sid and less like me,” Nate joked, causing the dad to laugh. “How old are you, buddy?”

“I’m eight.”

“And what’s your name?”

“Oliver!”

“Can Oliver get a picture with you?” the dad asked, piping in for his son. Nate agreed – of course – and Oliver jumped in. Before he got his phone out of his pocket, the dad eyed Sorcha, who was looking on quite amused by the situation. “Sorry,” he offered.

“It’s no problem at all,” she was gracious. If it had been the dad asking for a picture and autograph in the middle of their conversation, it would be one thing, but this was about a kid meeting his idol. The dad snapped a few pictures before telling Oliver to thank Nate for his time.

“I hope you win the Stanley Cup this year, Nathan MacKinnon,” Oliver said. “I hope you win and I hope you bring it back here so we can all have a parade.”

Sorcha eyed Nate discreetly. She knew that, at his core, he was still torn up about not winning it this year. “Thanks buddy,” Nate replied, giving the boy a smile. “Have fun playing hockey. Maybe you’ll be the next superstar from Cole Harbour.”

Oliver and his dad left after a plethora of thank yous. Nate focused his attention back on Sorcha, breathing out for the first time since the interaction. “That was nice of you,” she said.

Nate shrugged off the comment. “What I did wasn’t nice. It’s what anybody would do.”

“I sometimes forget how much people idolize you,” Sorcha said. Despite hearing his name on the news all the time, to be hit with his influence right in the face was completely different. “You mean a lot to that kid. You probably made his childhood.”

“Do I mean a lot to you?” Nate asked suddenly.

The question took Sorcha off-guard. She wasn’t prepared for it, and didn’t know how to respond. The one thing she did know was that she had to tell the truth. There was no use in lying, or masking the truth to appear as if she wasn’t vulnerable, or that them getting closer these past few weeks meant nothing to her. “You’re getting there, I think,” she replied.

Nate nodded slightly. “What are you doing this weekend?”

“Nothing that I’m aware of.”

“Wanna come over mine? Just us, alone?” Nate asked.

Sorcha couldn’t help the bashful smile that took over her face yet again. He was relentless. He just couldn’t give up. At the same time, she was willing to give in. Because she deserved it. She deserved good things. And this was a good thing. “Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes.”

***

It was Wednesday night when Victoria sent Sorcha – who was curled up with Juno on her couch watching re-runs of Schitt’s Creek – a post on Instagram followed by a text:

SPOTTED: Superstar curator, acclaimed East Coast artist, and all-around amazing human being Sorcha Saint-Coeur seen in the background of a photo with some apparently famous guy named Nathan MacKinnon who kids want to take pictures with. xoxo, Gossip Girl

Sorcha chuckled slightly, opening the post Victoria sent. It was from the other day, when she and Nate had met up at the coffee shop to apologize to each other and a father and son had approached Nate for a picture. Sorcha was caught in the background of the photo – smiling, thankfully, and looking at Nate and the kid taking the picture. Sorcha noticed Nate was tagged in the picture, but that it wasn’t from the dad’s account. Instead, the NHL’s official Instagram account had re-posted it, with the caption “When in Halifax!” Sorcha 100% believed they couldn’t come up with anything more creative. With over 190 comments, she became curious. What could possibly be so interesting that it warranted almost 200 comments? She clicked on the caption.

@_alexandrajones: new gf?

@thompsondavis14: no way lol must be a sister or a cousin

@daisydee: girl in the back nate’s new girl?

@terry55: a hockey player would never date a non-blonde

@jennyyy497: tumblr bout to find out that girl’s blood type

@5356annie: for real. new gf?

@marinalove: no way in hell that’s natemac’s gf

@johnnyg: it’s very obviously an old friend or cousin

What made it so fucking obvious? Sorcha huffed reading the last comment, and it took everything within her not to hit the reply button and type out ‘actually, we fucked last night’ on the thread of responses, just to fuck with everybody. But she knew she didn’t need to because she had nothing to prove. She didn’t need to because nobody needed to know who she was, what her role in Nate’s life was, or any of her business for that matter. It was better (and safer) to remain completely anonymous and let people speculate whatever they were going to speculate.

@avsfan92: friend or girlfriend in the back?

@jessyjohnston: obvious friend

@erikjohnsonfanclub: cute kid, but the girl in the back?

@tamasingryfe: friend? cousin? dentist? anybody but gf, clearly

Sorcha’s eyes rolled so hard she was afraid they’d get stuck. What was it about people that made them think the hockey player would never be with someone with her body, and not the other way around? Were people still so backward, so stupid? Instead, she swiped out of the comments and post, back to the conversation with Victoria.

sorchasaintcoeur: I think that should be his superhero nickname sorchasaintcoeur: Apparently Famous Guy™

Sorcha locked her phone and snuggled more into Juno, ignoring any thoughts about the comments she’d read just seconds earlier.

***

Nate couldn’t help the smile that overtook his face when he saw Sorcha exit her apartment with an overnight bag and Juno on a leash. He’d been leaning against the side of his Range Rover waiting for her after he’d called to say he was there to pick her up. Earlier that day, while she was at work, he’d gotten groceries, two bottles of wine (though he knew he had a bunch at his house), and craft beer from a local brewery and put it in the backseat. Sorcha was wearing a summer dress and sneakers, having changed out of her work clothes. She kept her hair long and curly, just how he liked it, although he knew she wasn’t dressing for anybody except herself. “This must be Juno,” he said, pushing himself off his Range Rover.

“Of course you acknowledge my dog first,” Sorcha joked. “I don’t blame you though, she’s kind of a babe.”

“Hello Juno,” Nate put on his dog-voice as Juno approached him, Sorcha letting the leash elongate enough so Juno could smell his outstretched hand. Once she finished with his hand, she moved on to his knees, and shins, and feet, sniffing furiously all over his legs. “Do you smell Cox on me? You’re going to meet him very soon. He’s a bit of a hunk.”

“Oh geeze,” Sorcha rolled her eyes playfully. “Sorry to break it to you, but no dog is as beautiful as my Juno.” Instead of respond, she watched as Nate outstretched his hand once more; in turn, Juno began to lick it, signalling her approval of this new figure. Nate eventually opened the trunk so Juno could get into the tailgate, and Sorcha made sure to put her overnight bag in the backseat next to the groceries.

As Sorcha slipped into the passenger’s seat, Nate turned on the ignition. She noticed a USB cord. “What are we listening to?” she asked.

“Surprise me,” Nate said, handing her the cord. “Just no country music.”

Sorcha arched her brow. “Do you honestly take me as the country music type? I lived in Florence for God’s sake.”

“No,” he snorted. He loved how she used living in Florence as a justification for not being into country music. “Just a warning, that’s all.”

Nate put the car in drive and signalled to join the road. Sorcha was scrolling intently through her phone, with a definite purpose. Finally deciding on a song, she tapped her screen and made sure the volume was up. The beginning sounds of “Compton” by Kendrick Lamar filled the car, and Nate’s jaw dropped. “Kendr—Com—Sorsh, you’re into hip hop?!” he was shocked.

“Uh, yeah,” she was confused by his reaction, although she had an inkling she knew what his reaction was all about. “I love hip hop. I’ve been listening to it forever. Do you—you’re into it too?”

“Yes! I love hip hop! It’s practically all I listen to!” he exclaimed. God, first they had the German shepherds in common, and now this? Nate couldn’t believe it. “You’re telling me that the entire time you had your headphones in during high school, you were—”

“—I was listening to hip hop, yeah,” she finished the sentence, blushing, chuckling, not believing this was happening at all. “Kid Cudi, Drake, ASAP Rocky, Kendrick, plus a bunch of the older stuff – Eminem, Nas, Jay-Z, early Kanye, Tupac, Biggie, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre…”

“How did I not know this?!” Nathan exclaimed, flabbergasted at the discovery. “How is it that all this time we were into the same music and I never knew?”

“You never asked, Nate,” her answer was simple, but honest.

They were both quiet, the impact of Sorcha’s words weighing on them slowly but surely. He didn’t know because he never asked, because he had better things to do, like play hockey and hang out with his friends who called her ‘Sorcha the Orca’ and laugh at all the rumours they spread about her. He didn’t know because he was caught up in his social circle and being a teenage boy, and it was extremely rare – almost a miracle – if a teenage boy ever thought that someone beyond their social circle could have similar interests. He didn’t know because he never took the time to actually get to know her until now.

“I guess I didn’t, huh?” he asked, ashamed, like so much else to do with Sorcha and their past.

“At least we know about it now,” Sorcha offered, not wanting to see guilt in his face or hear it in his voice. “Does this mean I can control the music the entire way up to your place?” she tried to lighten the mood.

“It does,” Nate smiled, making sure to signal his merge onto the highway. “This also means I get to ask you so many questions.”

They couldn’t shut up about hip hop music for the entire car ride. They asked each other about their favourite albums, fought over whether College Dropout or Late Registration was Kanye’s best, discussed the age-old question of Tupac versus Biggie, and so much more. It was clear to both of them just how much they missed of each other growing up being closer to sworn enemies than friends from not speaking. What could have been if they knew this – and more – about each other when they were 12? 13? 14? How would the trajectories of their lives have changed? What kind of relationship would they have today? Though they both tried not to focus on the ‘what ifs’ and focus on the now – being in the car together driving up to Nate’s house – they both couldn’t help but linger on the thought.

When they arrived at Nate’s driveway, he opened the gate using his special remote and waited for it to open. There were butterflies in his stomach now, though he didn’t know why. “Where’s Sid’s house?” Sorcha asked.

“The lot to the right,” he said, pointing amongst trees. “I don’t know if he’s in town, though.”

“Well it’s not like I want to visit him.”

Nate chuckled. “And what if he just popped over for a visit unannounced?”

“Does he do that?”

“He does. A lot.”

“Then you might have to perform CPR on me, because I’d die.”

Nate laughed out loud, driving his car along the driveway towards his house, which was set back further into the lot, near the lake. “I was never trained in CPR – think I might have to call an ambulance.”

“God, they’ll never get here in time. At least I’d die knowing Sidney Crosby knows that I exist.”

Nate desperately wanted to say ‘He already does, don’t worry’, but decided against it. Too much could have been opened up with that simple sentence. Instead, he waited as his house came into view, the trees surrounding it swaying slightly in the wind, the perfectly manicured lawn glistening. “Here it is,” he said.

Sorcha had been watching the entire time. She tried to make it so that her jaw didn’t drop upon seeing the house, but she was so overwhelmed with the sheer size and beauty of it that she was sure her jaw did drop. “Holy cow, Nathan,” she whispered. “What a beautiful home. Tim Horton’s must be paying you a lot of money for those commercials.”

He snorted, parking his car outside of the coach house. “Come on, get your stuff. It’s even better inside. And Juno can meet Cox, finally.”

Nate went to get Cox first, and after a great initial meeting between the dogs, he got the groceries out of the car while Sorcha grabbed her overnight bag and portable crate. Walking into the house, she was amazed at the simple yet beautiful interior. After setting the grocery bags on the kitchen counter and setting up the portable crate next to Cox’s, Nate gave her a tour of the house: the formal living and dining rooms, which he barely used and were only really there to collect dust; the huge eat-in kitchen that had massive accordion patio doors out to the deck that overlooked Shubenacadie Grand Lake; the office, which the architect planned for the house, even though Nate didn’t particularly need an office; the five bedrooms upstairs, including the guest space Sorcha was staying in, and his master bedroom with its own balcony overlooking the trees and the lake; and finally to the basement games room, entertainment room with bar, and the massive gym with floor-to-ceiling glass doors that opened to the outdoors.

To say Sorcha was impressed was an understatement. The house was so tastefully done, and though it was large, it was still homey – it didn’t feel like a show home or one of those houses where she was scared to sit on the furniture. After seeing it all, she concluded that it was all very Nathan more than anything: big, but unpretentious. “Your house is beautiful, Nate,” Sorcha said quietly, as they stood in his gym looking out the glass doors onto the lake. She could feel him look over at her so she looked over at him. “I know—I know it probably doesn’t mean much coming from me, but I mean that sincerely. This is a beautiful house.”

“It actually does mean something coming from you, so thank you,” he said, nodding once, noting the sincerity in her voice. “It was mostly the architect and interior designer. And, you know, input from my parents and stuff. But thanks.”

“You’ve built quite the life for yourself,” Sorcha continued. “It’s great to see. I never thought I’d say that, but it is.”

Nate couldn’t help but smile. Oh, how times had changed. Just a few weeks ago, he’d never thought he’d hear those words come out of Sorcha’s mouth. Hell, he didn’t think he’d ever see her again. She had virtually completely slipped from his memory. And now here she was, in his house, the way he wanted it to be right now. “C’mon…let’s go back upstairs and get started on dinner.”

They went upstairs, Juno and Cox following behind them, and began taking everything out of the grocery bags. Sorcha had sent him a list of everything she needed to make the side dishes that night, whereas Nate was responsible for the protein. Nate took the two bottles of wine out of the bag last and held them up. “Shall we begin?” he asked.

“Definitely,” Sorcha smiled, watching as Nate opened a cupboard and reached for wine glasses. “Do you have speakers in here? I can connect my phone and make a playlist.”

“God yeah, it’s on Bluetooth,” he informed her. He watched her take out her phone before he eyed all the ingredients set out on the counter. “So what exactly are you making here?”

“Don’t worry about it,” she mumbled, not even bothering to look up from her phone.

He chuckled slightly. “Come on. What is it?”

It was only then that she eyed him. “Oh my God, are you one of those Tom Brady types who doesn’t eat, like, iodized salt and nightshade vegetables?” she asked.

“No!” he got defensive. “Not at all!”

“Oh my God you are, aren’t you?!” she exclaimed.

“No I’m not! I’m just genuinely curious!” he tried to cover.

She eyed him skeptically. “I’m making an orzo salad and then some panzanella.”

“Panza-what?”

“Panzanella. It’s a traditional Italian dish from Florence. It’s why I asked you to get the stale, on sale bread instead of the fresh one.”

Nate smiled. “You gonna cook me some Italian food, Sorsh?” he winked playfully.

“Don’t push it,” she said, though her heart couldn’t help but flutter slightly at the wink. Nate finally uncorked the bottle of wine and poured some into the glasses, sliding one across the counter towards her. She took it in her hands, looking Nate in the eye. God, they were so blue. “What are we toasting to?” she asked.

“To alone time,” he said, raising his glass slightly.

Sorcha smiled. He was going there. He was really going there. And she was going there too. “To alone time,” she clinked their glasses together delicately before taking a sip of the wine. “Oh, that’s delicious.”

He smiled, too. “Start the music. I’ll start marinating the chicken.”

They worked in harmony around the kitchen, with Nate marinating the protein simply with olive oil, salt, pepper, and parsley, and with Sorcha boiling the orzo and chopping all the necessary vegetables to go in the pasta salad and panzanella. Nate watched as she chopped and prepped everything expertly, rapping along to the music as she did so. He’d join in, too, and they’d look up and smile and giggle at each other. When he started the charcoal barbeque, he set the table outside. Soon, Sorcha came outside with her orzo salad and panzanella dishes, even handing Nate his wine glass. Before he knew it, he was sitting down with Sorcha across from him, perfectly grilled chicken thighs, orzo salad, and panzanella adorning his plate.

The music was lowered and made for some great background noise as Nate and Sorcha ate their dinner and carried on their conversation while the sun set over the lake. While they still talked about rap music, they also moved on to other subjects, and just like the drive up, they couldn’t keep quiet. Between the good food, the good wine, and the silence surrounding them from the lake, Sorcha had to admit this was one of the loveliest dinners she’d had since living in Florence. For Nate, who was enjoying the company more than anything, it was definitely the loveliest dinner he’d had in a while, too. He made sure to eat slowly, and pour himself and Sorcha a second and third glass of wine, just so it could all last longer. And when they finished the first bottle, Nate wasted no time opening the second.

“Hey Nate?”

“Hmm?”

“D’you remember…God, this is so stupid—”

“—Tell me.”

Sorcha took a deep breath. This was probably the alcohol talking, but she needed to let it out. “D’you remember one of first dinners – the one where we just ate Sober Island oysters all night?”

“Yeah…”

“Remember how I said after high school, I made the choice to embrace people who loved me and didn’t judge me, and take every opportunity that came my way so I could live the life I wanted to?

“Of course,” he nodded.

“Well, I’m happy I made the choice to come here with you,” she admitted out loud. “I—I’m happy to be spending this time with you, alone up here with no-one around. And I feel—I feel I can be myself around you, when I wasn’t able to when we were growing up. I think that’s the biggest thing. You know the real me now, just like how I know the real you and not the guy I see on TV all the time.”

Nate couldn’t help the smile that took over his face as she said those words. She was standing near him, countless glasses of wine deep and saying those words to him, and all he could feel were butterflies in his stomach. “I think it help that you’ve been getting the real me from the beginning,” he said. “I never pretended to be someone I wasn’t. Just like you.”

“It did help,” she nodded her head. “I mean, it got us here.”

By the time the food was finished, the both of them were, well…tipsy. With two bottles of wine split between them, they were in a giggly mood, and so playful with one another. With the third open and on route to being poured, any semblance of nervousness, apprehension, or timidity about spending time alone together at Nate’s house was completely gone. “I’m gonna play some more music,” Sorcha smiled as she picked up her phone while Nate loaded the dishwasher, seeing a couple of missed notifications from Victoria on her lock screen before swiping and going into Spotify. She clicked on the first thing she saw – “King Kunta” by Kendrick Lamar – before pressing the shuffle button.

“Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh noooooooooo!!!” Nate exclaimed, covering his face with his hands as he blushed from embarrassment. “Why would you do this to me?! Why?!”

Sorcha furrowed her brows. “What do you mean?”

“This song! This song is gonna haunt me forever!”

“Nate, what the fuck are you talking about?!”

His eyes got a bit dewy as he looked at her. “You—you haven’t seen the video?”

“What video?”

With his critical thinking capacities affected by the alcohol (and the fact that it didn’t look like they were going to stop drinking any time soon), Nate pulled out his phone instead of letting the whole thing slide. He swiped through his videos folder before shoving his phone at her. The infamous video from the 2015 World Championships played, much to Sorcha’s astonishment. She started laughing uncontrollably at his stupid dancing, the hand motions, the beer drinking, and the stupid smile on his face. He was so proud of his dance moves. “Oh my God, Nathan.” She watched him shimmy back and forth with his stupid face, half of the team watching and filming him. “Oh my Gooood, Nathan!”

“We had just won the gold medal!” he exclaimed, as if that explained it all. “Give me a break!”

“What is…what is this?!” she asked, mimicking part of the dance moves. “What is that?!”

“Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhh!” Nate was crushed.

“You are a disaster,” she giggled out, shaking her head in amusement. She never thought she’d see him so embarrassed, even though it wasn’t really something to be embarrassed about. Everybody had stupid dance moves they went to – even her. “You’ve gotta teach me this dance, Nathan.”

“No, I really don’t.”

“Yeah, you really do,” she said as she closed the dishwasher. The other dirty plates could wait until tomorrow. She grabbed her wine glass and took a gulp. “Come on. How do I shimmy like you?” she asked. “Like this? Eh, eh, eh, eh!” she mimicked the sounds he made in the video.

“Sorsh!”

“Show me, you goof!” she demanded. It took some egging on, but finally, finally, Nate danced with her, just as ridiculously as he’d done in the original video, and for the rest of the song they danced together to the funky beat, giggling at each other’s moves along the way. Sorcha ended up laughing so hard she had to stop, almost falling over before leaning herself over the counter as leverage. “You’re never going to live this down,” she managed to get out.

“Don’t I know it.”

“I’m gonna remind you about it every day for the rest of our lives.”

Nate couldn’t help but smile at the insinuation, at the thought that she’d be around for that long. “You promise?” he asked. He didn’t know if that was the alcohol talking or not.

“I promise.”

They both took another big gulp of wine. The song changed and Nate opened the fridge to grab yet another bottle of wine, as if he hadn’t just opened one. “I got smores in the cupboard too,” he said, a stupid drunken smile appearing on his face. “You want some?”

“Do you even have to ask with smores?” Sorcha shot back.

Nate grabbed the smores, holding them against his chest. Sorcha grabbed the wine bottle and replenished their glasses until the third bottle was empty. Two drunk idiots near a fire probably wasn’t the wisest choice, but they miraculously managed not to burn themselves once Nate turned the flame on. As the songs played and they assembled their smores with the fine motor skills of a two-year-old, Sorcha couldn’t stop giggling and staring at Nate like she was still a schoolgirl; for his part, Nate couldn’t stop staring as Sorcha either, mentally kicking himself for ever having doubted how great of a person she was and how it took him so long to realize they were so alike. He would never be able to recover the lost time, but he certainly wanted to make up for it. Despite the darkness around them, both Sorcha and Nate felt nothing but light in them. The night was going as perfectly as either could have hoped. They danced their stupid dance moves, rapped along with the songs, drank the rest of their wine, and had chocolate and marshmallow all over their mouths by the time they were done.

It was only when ‘Smile Like You Mean It’ by The Killers came on that Nate paused and looked at her weird. “This isn’t hip-hop,” he chastised.

“God Nate, I don’t listen to only hip-hop,” Sorcha rolled her eyes. “I love other music too.”

“Like who?”

“Them,” she raised her wine glass up to signify The Killers, before taking a huge gulp. As Nate turned off the flame for the fire pit, she listed more bands. “Mumford and Sons, Sam Fender, Arkells, Springsteen—”

“—My parents love Springsteen—”

“—They have great taste,” she smiled. “Maggie Rogers, The Lumineers,…oooh! And I’ve been loving Leon Bridges.”

Nate watched her as she listed the names of the artists she loved, as she bobbed her head along to the song as she did so, and how, in between saying names and right after she was done, she sang along with the lyrics. He took a huge gulp of wine before deciding half way through to just finish off the glass. “Have you looked up yet?” he asked her, trying to distract himself and the feelings that were creeping up in his chest.

“Why?”

“To see the stars,” he said. “We’re out of Halifax. No light pollution.”

Sorcha looked up, and when she did, he watched as her jaw dropped. “Ho-ly shit! Look at all those stars!” she exclaimed.

“Cool, isn’t it?”

“You get this all the time while you’re here?”

“When the sky’s clear, yeah,” he said. “The house sort of blocks behind us, but on the balcony outside my bedroom—”

“—take me to the balcony,” Sorcha demanded. “Oh my Goooddd! Take me!”

She almost left without him, grabbing the fourth bottle of wine and her phone from the counter as they hurried through the house. When they stepped out into his balcony, Sorcha dramatically whipped her head up again, seeing even more stars than before. “Wooooowwww,” she was rendered speechless at what she was witness to. “I can’t believe how clear it is! How many there are!”

“Told you,” Nate smiled.

They stayed silent as Sorcha kept her head up and admired the sky above. She’d never really seen it so clear before, and so populated with stars. It was so beautiful to her, and something she knew she would want to see over and over again. How could she not? For a girl who grew up and lived in cities her entire life, stars so bright in the night sky could be so magical.

Nate had taken the wine bottle from her and replenished both their glasses – sloppily. He definitely spilled some. “Hey Sorsh?”

“Hmm?”

“Show me your favourite Leon Bridges song.”

Sorcha bit her bottom lip to keep the grin off her face. She scrolled quickly through her phone and took another big swig of wine before tapping. There was silence before beautiful, simple guitar chords began to play peacefully, with nothing else accompanying them. Nate watched as Sorcha swayed with them, closing her eyes and mouthing along to the lyrics sung by one of the most soulful voices Nate had ever heard.

Been travelling these wide roads for so long My heart’s been far from you, ten thousand miles gone Oh, I wanna come near and give ya every part of me But there’s blood on my hands, and my lips aren’t clean In my darkness I remember Momma's words reoccur to me "Surrender to the good Lord and he'll wipe your slate clean" Take me to your river, I wanna go Oh, go, take me to your river, I wanna know Dip me in your smooth water, as I go in As a man with many crimes, come up for air As my sins flow down the Jordan Oh, I wanna come near and give you every part of me But there's blood on my hands, and my lips are unclean

Nate couldn’t handle it anymore. He took a few steps forward then, as Sorcha opened her eyes to look at him. The presence of his body in such close proximity to hers felt so good, so nice. She liked it so much. So much. Was that the alcohol talking? He wrapped his arm around her waist, looked down at her, and in one swift movement without hesitation, he kissed her.

Like, kissed her. Not a little peck. Not something innocent. A full-blown kiss – open mouth, full force, tongue grazing her bottom lip already desperate for entry.

Sorcha kissed back just as hard. Not shocked. Not scared. Fully wanting it. Fully wanting to give it, too. Maybe all the wine gave her the boost she needed.

Nate had wanted to kiss her since he saw her come out of her place, and she not much longer after that. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down, sticking her tongue down his throat with him reciprocating shortly after. They stumbled a bit until they backed into the railing, but didn’t take their lips off each other. Sorcha could feel Nate’s big hands grab on to her hips and the material of her dress, squeezing at her flesh there before moving his hands to grope her ass over her sundress, causing her to gasp out. Before either of them could say anything or pause, their lips were desperate to be reattached. Their kisses were sloppy and felt almost manic due to the pent-up energy they both had in them from wanting this for so long.

In the briefest second that their lips were parted once more, Sorcha was able to whisper something she never thought she’d whisper to Nathan MacKinnon. “Take me to bed.”

Nate got excited. They moved from the balcony back inside to his bedroom with their lips not leaving one another’s until he sat down on his bed and pulled her on top of his lap. Her sundress rode up her thighs as she did so, exposing them and allowing Nate to squeeze at her flesh there too, eventually moving back to squeezing her ass underneath the fabric of her sundress. Eventually, his lips and tongue made their way down her neck, and his hands came up to pull down the straps of her dress. Groping her over the fabric, he kissed along the top of her breast then, with Sorcha tugging at his shirt and pulling it over his head before he kissed at her other breast. There was no room for words, no room for speaking, no room for much else besides kissing and groping and moaning.

Sorcha had been with other sexual partners before, but there was something about Nate’s body that drove her absolutely wild. It was so toned, but not overly muscular, and it was clear that he maintained it seriously but still made sure he had fun. Sitting on his thighs and grinding on them meant she could feel how thick they were. She could also feel how hard he was getting, and her body was hot from the intense passion they shared. She bunched up the material of her dress, and Nate helped get it over her head, leaving her in her bra and panties on top of him. Nate flipped them over quickly so she was laying on the bed and he was on top of her. She fumbled with the button and zipper of his pants but eventually got it, sliding them down. He took off her bra, and made sure to suck at her nipples quickly before sliding her panties down.

They kissed each other a few more times before Sorcha could feel Nate push inside of her. It felt incredible instantly for both. “Ooooh Jesus,” she let out, her voice barely louder than a whisper as she arched her back slightly. “God, you feel so fucking good.”

Nate attacked her lips, pumping in and out of her. He let out a grunt at her words. “You feel incredible. This is incredible.”

They looked into each other’s eyes then, relishing in the feeling of their bodies connecting in a way they never thought plausible just a few short weeks ago. Sorcha thought she’d never see Nate again, and now she was under him in bed having some damn good sex. Nathan never thought he’d see Sorcha again either, and now he was fucking her in his bed after making the first move himself.

Their moaning got louder as Nate increased his pace, and he could feel himself getting closer with every thrust. Their pent-up energy meant that this wasn’t going to last long – there was no way it could with how much passion and alcohol that was between them. It was meant to start and end quickly but be a hell of a ride. “Can I come inside you?” he asked, the alcohol consumed slurring his speech.

Sorcha nodded. “Please.”

More sloppy kisses. More moans from her, and grunts from him, getting louder and louder. Nate could feel her walls tighten, and she let out a cry as she orgasmed. He came with her, burying his face in the crook of her neck, trying to catch his breath from how incredible it all felt. He gave her one last kiss before collapsing beside her in bed, the both of them trying to catch their breath.

Neither spoke. Neither said a single word. Instead, the alcohol caught up to them, as did the events of the day, and instead of realizing exactly what they’d just done, they drifted off to sleep.

***

Nate’s eyes fluttered open at the God forsaken hour of 6:30 the next morning. Before he could even really wake up or open his eyes, he could feel his head pounding. He’d have to get water. And Advil. Maybe he’d throw up at some point and feel better. Maybe he’d have to break open some Gatorade to recuperate. He’d have to get the same for Sorcha, and have them ready for her when she woke up: an extra strength Advil, a water bottle, and a blue Gatorade. Maybe she preferred red.

He rubbed his eyes for a good minute, and tried massaging his forehead to bring some sort of relief to his headache. He turned his head to the side Sorcha fell asleep on, expecting to see her naked body in bed, her curly hair against the white of the pillow, her beautiful face sleeping.

Except she wasn’t there.

That woke Nate up quickly. He furrowed his brows. Okay, maybe she had gotten sick during the night and ran to the washroom to throw up and just ended up sleeping on the floor. That had happened to him and a lot of his buddies before. So he got up out of bed slowly, with his head pounding, and walked over to his ensuite.