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holy-puckslibrary · 4 months

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━ 𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐟

˗ˏˋ𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ˎˊ˗

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 —grumpy!erik johnson x sunshine!nanny!reader 𝐰𝐜 — 1.1k 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 — in erik's absence, his nanny takes over staging the family's elf on the shelf in order to keep the magic alive for his children. results are... questionable.

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 — i'm unhealthily attached to this made-up family send help

˗ˏˋ 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ˎˊ˗

JOSIE JOHNSON is thoroughly unimpressed by her Elf.

“Snow angels? In sprinkles? Groundbreaking.”

Dissatisfaction narrows her gray-blue eyes as she stands in front of the kitchen island.

Bernard, the Johnson family’s special scout from the North Pole, is lying limp against the marble countertop in a pool of red and green. The sugary spillage is low-effort at best, especially compared to his iPad drive-in movie yesterday and the miniature golf course the day before that.

Dumping a container of cheap sprinkles—and not even the expensive variety with confetti shapes and edible glitter—wasn’t going to cut it.

Someone was going to have to do better.

“Uh-oh! Looks like Bernard had a wild night,” Erik Johnson, her father, announces as he pads in from the dining room.

If he thinks he’s being subtle, he’s doing a terrible job. His daughter can see straight through him; his voice goes all sorts of wonky when he has a secret.

And his dye-stained fingertips aren’t doing him any favors, either.

“Wild for who? A first grader?”

Josie was in second grade now. She is far too smart to fall for his poor acting and, evidently, much too cool to bother with humoring him.

Erik cocks his head to the side. His kid could be snarky, but she typically postponed doling out remarks until the afternoon. Or until he’s had his second helping of caffeine.

Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, he thinks to himself.

Aloud, though, he opts for a simple joke. “Well, I think it was wild. Do I look like a first grader to you?”

He sets his coffee mug beside the espresso machine and puffs out his chest like a peacock. Erik’s already 6’4 without trying, so when he raises both hands and lefts onto his tip-toes for emphasis, his head nearly brushes the ceiling. He’s grinning, wide and bright.

He expects his daughter to giggle at his antics like she did when she was younger or, at the very least, crack a reluctant smile out of second-hand embarrassment.

She does neither.

Rather than pearly teeth, Erik’s met with the whites of her eyes. If Josie had rolled them any harder, they'd have gotten stuck facing the wrong way. That’s what her older brother, Reese, told her whenever she did it.

The irony of the repeated red-lettered phrase "Be Nice!" on the white background of her Grinch-themed pajamas isn’t lost on him.

“Josephine Johnson, I thought I made myself clear the last time we talked about this; you do not roll your eyes at me. Or anyone, for that matter. It’s very rude,” he reprimands sternly. “What’s gotten into you?”

Josie crosses her arms, unphased, and fixes him with an unwavering glare. She could do this all day if need be.

“What’d she do this time?” Reese asks through a yawn as he strolls into the kitchen.

You, the family’s live-in nanny, are not far behind. You’re rubbing the sleep from the corners of your tired eyes when Josie darts to your side.

She looks up at you expectantly, eyes wide and pleading. Silently, they beg for you to agree to whatever she’s planning to say next.

“Can you be in charge of it again? Please, please, please?” she asks, so sweetly she might give herself a cavity.

Josie tugs on your arm to drive home her adolescent anguish when you aren’t instantly compliant.

Panic fizzles in your chest. There was no way she knew, right?

She couldn’t. No way. You were still a few years off from the dicey reveal. No one in her grade had spilled the beans yet, and the adults in her life were content to keep up the ruse.

Surely, she meant as the Elf’s supervisor or an assistant.

Wrong.

“Bernard looks so much cooler whenever Dad lets you set up his pranks instead of doing it himself. See? Look how lazy he was this time,” Josie explains while tugging you over to the scene of the crime. “All he did was spill my sprinkles all over the counter and set my Elf on top of the mess. Like, could it get any lamer than that? He’s probably all sticky now, and he’ll have to stay that way because he’d drown in the washing machine!”

“No, I didn’t,” Erik says a little too quickly, tone noticeably defensive. “Bernard—who is perfectly fine and not sticky at all, for the record—must’ve been way too tired when he got back from visiting Santa last night to do anything else. He didn’t even bother making it hard for you to find him this morning. I’d do something “lame” too if I spent the entire night flying home from far, far away.”

Bernard wasn't the only member of their household who spent the night up in the inky sky; Erik had been in an entirely different country only four hours ago. And, instead of going straight to bed like his body urged him, he spent an hour arranging the stupid little Elf into what he thought was a fun scenario for his daughter to find the following morning.

Now, he wishes he had just left Bernard on the mantle.

He blames you. They wouldn’t be in this mess if you hadn’t introduced her to the concept. Fuck your quirky childhood tradition. All it'd caused were problems.

“I’m not a baby anymore. I know Bernard isn’t actually one of Santa’s elves!” Josie shouts, growing angry.

Reese mumbles something to the effect of “Could’ve fooled me…” under his breath, and Josie’s face pinches with frustration.

Like the miniature teenager she’s rapidly morphing into, the youngest Johnson massages the fold between her eyebrows. Then, her outburst matures into an accusation. “I know you’ve been hiding him this whole time.”

Erik balks at the allegation.

Irritated, she continues, “I’ve been sneaking down to watch you do it since I was, like, five years old. It's not my fault you aren't very observant. Or that your footsteps sound like an elephant’s. But I don’t care about that. I don't care that I know, but I do care how much effort you put into it.”

Josie clutches your hand in hers and smiles. She could get away with murder with the deep dimples indented on either side of her mouth —and she knows it, too.

She also knows flattery can get her wherever she wants. “Which is why I want you to take over again. You did such a good job while he was away. The goldfish in the paper pond was super cute, and you even made sure he was watching my favorite movie at the drive-in!"

“Fine, you know what? You’re right,” Erik confesses, conceding to his eight-year-old with a toss of his hands. “And if it really matters that much, I’ll never touch the Elf again. Okay? I give up full control and responsibility.”

Josie positively beams. She always got her way eventually.

“So, how did you even figure it out, anyway?” Reese asks.

The question is garbled; he couldn’t wait until his mouth wasn’t full of Lucky Charms to make his inquiry.

“How could I not?” Josie retorts. Her facial expression is equal parts annoyance and ridicule. Reese’s eyes loop. His little sister clarifies with a huff, “Obviously, he isn’t a real elf, Reese. Santa needs all the help he can get to make sure everyone on the Nice List gets exactly what they asked for every year. Why would he send an actual elf, who should be building a bike or sewing a teddy bear, to spy on me for weeks?”

Fair point, you think to yourself.

“Wait a minute... If you knew he wasn’t real the entire time, why did you let us keep hiding him?” Erik asks, a quizzical dent in his forehead.

Josie perks up, apparently thrilled to clue them in on the motivation behind her feigned ignorance. “Mrs. Thornton says even adults need a creative outlet because it makes them happier. Especially when they’re grouchy. Clearly, you’re the exception, Daddy.”

Reese honks, sending milk across the room from his nostrils.

Your sudden amusement is muffled by your free hand.

If it were humanly possible, there would be steam billowing from Erik’s crimson ears.

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mourirderire · 1 year

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NHL Fic Rec list

Hiii!!! I just wanted to share a few fics that really made me feel strong emotions...

Oh and make sure to check the warnings before reading :)

Avalanche:

Four times You Run Into Cale Makar and the One Time He Runs Into You - @kailyn-writes

i miss you like the very first night (Cale Makar) - @mattyanonwrites

Mistletoe Magic (Cale Makar) - @the-penalty-box-imagines

Nothin' Like You (Cale Makar) - @ghstandpucks

Teach Me To Please (Cale Makar) - @pucksalotguys

Annoying Little Brother (Erik Johnson) - @ghstandpucks

Apartment 352 pt 1 (Erik Johnson) - @imaginingsoftly

Have My Cake and Eat It Too (Erik Johnson) - @mikkorantanev

Like Father Like Son (Erik Johnson) - @ghstandpucks

look what you started (Erik Johnson) - @mattyanonwrites

Only All the Time (Erik Johnson) - @antoineroussel-archive

Overwhelming Light (Erik Johnson) - @burkymakar

the nanny (Erik Johnson) - @holy-pucks

Two Slow Dancers (Erik Johnson) - @hockeywocs

The Turn In Our Relationship (Gabriel Landeskog) - @yourfavewriteress

The Second Time (Nathan Mackinnon) - @wyattjohnston

Till Forever Falls Apart (Nathan Mackinnon & Sidney Crosby) - @pucksalotguys literally heres their whole masterlist i encourage you to read them all

Blues:

Right Under Our Noses (Colton Parayko) - @yourfavewriteress

Bruins:

5 Times the Team Told David He Was in Love + 1 Time he Realized it (David Pastrnak) - @mainlypastrnaksbae

Canucks:

Coach Hughes (Quinn Hughes) - @matsmarts

Midnight Rain (Quinn Hughes) - @babydollmarauders

Milkshakes AU (Quinn Hughes) - @hugheshugs

Devils:

Lies (Jack Hughes) - @nolanmoylee

Kraken:

Four Times His Teammates Said "I love you," and One Time He Did (Vince Dunn) - @blueskrugs

Panthers:

Baby, It's Cold Outside (Matthew Tkachuk) - @raysofcrosby

Wish We Were Older (Matthew Tkachuk) - @sorryjustafangirl

Penguins:

By The Water, Euphoria (Sidney Crosby) - @flashyfucker

Illicit Affairs (Sidney Crosby) - @blueskrugs

Two Little Lines (Sidney Crosby) - @pucksalotguys

Maple Leafs:

What Once Was (Mitch Marner) - @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69

Sabres:

All's well that ends well to end up with you (Tyson Jost) - @mattyanonwrites

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burkymakar · 1 year

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Perhaps I wrote a hockey rpf fic on ao3… and Mayhaps it includes a pairing of Andre Burakovsky and Erik Johnson… and you could potentially read it at this link here

#hockey rpf #colorado avalanche #colorado avalanche fanfiction #Colorado avalanche fanfic #Andre Burakovsky #Erik Johnson

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equallyshaw · 2 years

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The Medicated Series: features OC's with medical issues such as depression, anxiety, physical disabilities such as MS or Rheumatoid Arthritis as well as any other autoimmune disease such as Crohn's, endometriosis, infertility, etc. (not an autoimmune but you get it).

I feel, as a person with a physical disability, that there is a lack of representation and have always wanted to see myself in y/n stories. Always have and always will.

In my writing, it will have inclusivity, not exclusivity.

Love you all, stay healthy and safe.

I'm starting off with rheumatoid arthritis since this is what I have, and have so much to say ! haha. Enjoy xx

Links for information regarding rheumatoid arthritis:

https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/rheumatoid-arthritis.html

https://www.arthritis.org/diseases/rheumatoid-arthritis

triggers/warnings: medications, disformity, and talks of depression/anxiety.

Cale Makar Medicated Series Master post:

Original Character: Eliza Nicole James, 23 years old. Brunette Hair, Blue Eyes, short and curvy.

Word count: 4k.

——

Today was like any normal day. My hands are stiff, my knees unable to properly move, probably shouldn't have had that Chinese food last night but alas, here we are. When I have something like Chinese, Mexican food, or pizza, my body goes into overdrive, and well, it wants to stop working even more so than it already does. I'll wake up with night sweats which is exactly what happened this morning, and now I am walking like a penguin trying to make coffee in my kitchen as well as some toast.

“Bad morning?” my best friend/godsend/caregiver Becca smiled from her computer in the little breakfast nook. I nodded, holding onto the counter with whatever strength I had. “Fuck.” I rasped, realizing I didn't grab my coffee creamer, “Here.” Becca said getting up and bringing me my coffee creamer and giving me a hug. Today was a rough one. My rheumatoid arthritis hasn't been this bad in a while. I go through periods where I'm up and then others are down and today I was down. I’ll need a shit ton of Tylenol to get through. Maybe the full 6 before 4 pm today when I get off of work.

It is currently 7:30 in the morning and i have to get to work by 10, since i have a physical disability, i am allowed to work 10-4 every day - most days. Some days I work less and others I can work a full 8 hours. But today might be only 6 if i can manage. But wait no, today we were having this hockey team come in and visit kids that had terminal illness’. I am a social worker working with kids who are like me or similar, where we will never get better. Never. Go figure.

Becca helped me back to my room to help me get started on my morning routine since she could see I was having a day.

“Okay pretty girl, what pants and shirt today?” she asked, looking in my closet as I sat down on my bed. I bit my cheek before responding, “anything that looks good. I don’t really have the energy or ability to decide right now.” I breathed , realizing that the brain fog was kicking in. When that happens, I tend to get dizzy, the inability to concentrate and sound a bit drunk due to my words slurring.

—

As soon as I walked in, I noticed a bunch of people with microphones and cameras and I groaned internally as I walked down the hall. Eric noticed me as soon as I walked past him and a huge group of guys, the hockey team I believe.

"Eliza!” Eric called after me, and I continued to trudge towards my office and once I walked in I noticed a Trenta iced coffee waiting for me and I smiled, I could cry happy tears right now. My body always could use so much caffeine at one time. I never did not have enough energy. Eric walked in and gave me a sad smile behind me, “Eliza, you should have told me how bad it was today. You didn't need to come in.” he said looking at my cane that i was sporting. I waved him off, taking a big gulp of my coffee as I sat down.

“Thankyou ric, i appreciate it so much.” I murmured and rested my eyes for a second. The energy to get from the outpatient pavilion doors to my office seemed like nothing to a ‘healthy’ person but for me, it was like climbing up mount everest sometimes. Eric sat down across from me, speaking into the walkie he sported sometimes for events. “We should be able to start in 15 minutes. Our star speaker should be ready then.” he said, talking about me and I groaned out loud. Eric took notice and leaned forward on his knees, inspecting me.

“I'll be fine, even if I stumble over a few of my words and they think I'm drunk.” I sipped some more coffee, preparing myself for the day ahead. eric gave me a hearty laugh, knowing full well the extent of my comments.

—

“Now, I would like to introduce you to our very own warrior, miss Eliza James.” Eric announced looking at me at the side of the stage and I smiled, handing him my cane as he met me. He gave me an inquisitive look and I shook my head, smiling. I began to walk towards the podium, walking almost perfectly now that the 3 Tylenol I popped in the car ride over were kicking in.

I looked out over the crowd that was filled with hockey players, media, doctors, therapists, and so many of the warriors themselves.

I smiled before speaking, “good morning and welcome to the Denver Medical Center, Hillside outpatient pavilion for our little warriors. Who, like me, face an uphill battle day in and day out. We are incredibly grateful for your support, especially during these trying times.” I paused, taking a shaky breath.

“I first came here when I was 12, not understanding what my body was going through. I remember the first day I woke up with the inability to move. I could not get out of bed for a month after that, barely functioning to be able to eat and sleep well. I did not know why my body was giving up on me, I was angry, I was sad, I was confused. How could a little girl who did everything right- be dealt this card in life? I went through many weeks not understanding what was happening until I came here, after a long few days of testing and blood work. It was the day after I turned 12 that the incredibly kind and understanding Dr. Hart - who is here today - told me what I had. And told me that I was not alone, that I'd never be alone. And she was right, after many months of fighting through pain and virtually relearning how to walk every morning again, how to hold a spoon, a pen or how to properly sleep, I came to this hospital and met people just like me. I met people like Martha, Phillip, James, and Piper who are all here today. Who I am so very fortunate to work with every day.” I paused, smiling at them in the crowd. “Without the help that I received many years ago, I wouldn't be standing here today. I wouldn’t be who I am, doing what I love. Without the many years of physical, occupational, and talk therapy that took up my youth.” I paused taking in a breath. “And finally, many people ask us, “how do we do it?” “How are you so resilient?” and I always respond, what other choice do we have? What other options do we have? And every day with the little warriors in front of us, people witness that being in pain and living with it is possible and maybe just maybe, we won’t have to be so resilient. Thank you.” I finished smiling a grateful smile.

What I didn't notice was how moved some of the hockey players were, and the tears that brimmed their eyes over the unimaginable. Yeah, it's unimaginable until you wake up one day with it.

I walked back towards Eric, with a smile on my face as he clapped happily for me. “You did so well!” he grinned before walking past me to finish the opening and then we could get around to the hockey players meeting the patients. As soon as he was finished, I walked over to the kiddos and said good morning to them.

Martha, my favorite little Irish dancer, jumped up and gave me a big hug, “How are we doing today M?” I asked bending over a little bit to face her and be on her level. “It's okay! I can bend my fingers more today than yesterday and my hand’s aren’t as puffy.” the 7-year-old beamed. “And oh my god that's makar!!!” she said in a smaller voice, and i peered over to look to see who she was looking at and not realizing who was who. I smiled, looked back at Martha and grinned, “Wanna go color?” I asked and she nodded excitedly as her mom laughed. “Always down to color anytime, any day.” she mused and I giggled understanding her excitement. I took her hand and began to walk with her towards the play area as well as the ‘playroom’ that was used for music therapy and art therapy. Which I help facilitate and run. Five minutes later the players all shuffled in and began to walk toward different kids and began to hang out with them. I was sitting at the coloring table with Martha rubbing circles on my deformed knee. Let’s just say it was bumpy and had no cartilage left, so I was literally joint on bone.

“Hi. is this seat taken?” a young voice asked to the side of me, Martha eyed me. That nervous little chick. I shook my head, “no not at all.” I said with a small smile, taking in the hazel-eyed dark blonde-haired boy. He smiled and sat down in between Martha and I. “So what are you drawing?” the hockey player asked. Martha didn't say anything. “She's a bit shy, give her some time.” I said getting a bit closer to the guy and he nodded looking back at me.

“My name is Cale, what’s yours?” he asked after a few minutes of coloring. cale. “Mar-martha.” the young girl said and Cale smiled. “You have a pretty name, Martha.” Cale mused and Martha blushed. So did cale. “And you are Eliza right?” Cale asked, facing me a bit and I nodded.

“Hey Shelley, I'll be back. I need to go speak to Dr.hart for a few minutes.” I said to Martha's mom and she nodded. Okay, you can do this. No falling now. I pushed back the chair a bit to give myself some room, hoisting myself up and putting my weight on the table. Cale and Martha eyed me, making sure I was ok.

I stood up, flexing my knees a bit and sighing. “You ok Eliza?” Cale asked concerned and I looked down at him for a second before nodding, “Just another day with these old knees.” I half-joked before turning on my heel and walking towards the hallway. Dr. Hart looked up from her desk, before getting up and meeting me halfway. “Bad day?” she asked and I nodded. She nodded, walking over to her desk and grabbing a doctor’s script. “10 mg prednisone. Now.'' She said handing me a doctor's order and I thanked her before heading down to the pharmacy, not without letting a social worker know and having them tell Martha that if I could - I'd be back.

It was a few hours later as I was sitting at my desk, going through some paperwork before I heard a knock on my door. I looked up and saw Cale and I motioned for him to come in.

“Hey- you forgot this.” he said moving the cane closer to me and my eyes went wide. “Oh my gosh! I will never go anywhere without this thing.” I said standing up to grab it. “Thankyou.” I said smiling as I reached for it and he nodded, “Here sit down.” I motioned toward the two seats in front of my desk. “How was Martha? Did she come out of her shell?” I asked and he nodded, grinning. “She's funny and spunky for a 7-year-old. She chirps like a pro.” he said and I laughed. “Oh yeah- keeps you on your toes.” I said and he laughed.

“But that's good. Things like this-” I said referencing the event, “make things sometimes less stressful. Even though when you grow up and don’t have the opportunity to do things like this, as a kid it’s what you look forward to. It takes your mind away from everything, even just for a little bit.” I said rambling before catching myself. “Sorry, didn’t mean to talk that much.” I said with my cheeks going red. He gave a smile, one that I couldn’t read. “All good, I like hearing you talk.” he said before catching himself, “I mean, I like hearing what you have to say. It’s eye-opening and raw. Which I think the dads in the group needed to hear. That things could change one morning and have it not be the same.” he said honestly and I nodded. “It still doesn’t get better, even 11 years later- my dad still gets upset and how he can’t help me in the way he wants to or ‘protect’ me.” I confessed. “13 years? Wow.” Cable said dumbfounded. “Yep, I'm still so young and it's daunting and honestly depressing thinking about the rest of my life. I never thought I'd get to 18 let alone 21. But here I am at 23.” I added and he took that in like a sponge. “Well I'm glad you’re here, it seems as though you are making an impact. And mean so much to these people. Is it true you helped start this wing of the hospital?” he asked very curiously. I nodded, “Yep, there was a room in the hospital next store where we would meet 2 times a week. Here, we meet every day if possible or we have rotating kids that come for therapy and to simply be a kid with others who are going through the exact same thing.” Cale nodded in awe.

Like yeah, it's one thing to be passionate, but it's another to feel the joy come after putting in the time and effort to help kids just like you. It’s more than rewarding.

“You ok?” he asked after a moment of silence. “Ye-yeah, brain fog is bad today and I also got some steroids so I’m in a funk.” I laughed and he did too. “I hate to be forward- but could I possibly get your number? Take you to coffee or whatever you feel comfortable with?” Cale asked and I froze. I looked him in the eyes, not registering what he was saying. “Uh- wait what?” I asked before realizing what I had said. “Could I possibly get your number?” he asked, feeling nervous. “Um, hmmm. That's a first.'' I said, chuckling and closing my eyes as I leaned back in my chair. “Nobody has ever asked me for my number before.” I said, reopening my eyes. Cale was taken back by that. She was gorgeous, down to-earth, and friendly, how could somebody not like her? “Here.” I said handing him my card with my email and work cell number there. “I just want to let you know, there is a very real possibility that I will cancel like I could wake up one morning feeling fine- and then bam as soon as I’m heading out the door, I have to go back to sleep or stay in because of something. '' I said, hoping he’d understand.

“If you do, there will always be another day. I promise.” he smiled a genuine smile that made my bad knees crumble as I stood up. “That's a very sweet cale, but you might be thinking differently when the time comes.” I said hoping he’d understand and I wouldn’t have get my hopes up. “Again- they’ll be another day. Or if you feel comfortable, I could always bring food or coffee over and we can hang out that way. I just want you to feel comfortable.” he said, hoping she’d get the message that he wouldn’t leave or ignore her. I nodded, “thanks cale.” and smiled.

“Now, if you don't mind- I'm outta here for the day.” I said, grabbing my laptop bag and cane, and heading out the door. “Wait, do you want me to help you?” He asked me as he followed me out. I shook my head, “I might look like I’m fragile but I can do a lot by myself.'' I said confidently and he nodded sporting red cheeks. We came up to the pavilion doors, meeting some of the hockey players that were waiting around. As soon as Cale walked up, they noticed me and smiled.

“Thank you guys again for coming out today, I assure you the kiddos won’t stop talking about this for months. It made their year.” I said smiling and they nodded. “Of Course! We had a really good time, I believe we are coming back in a few weeks to do this again.” a tall blonde and beautiful man said. mental note: gabriel landeskog. I nodded, “We will see you guys then.” I said before walking out the electric sliding doors.

“Bye James! Please don’t fall!” Eric joked/yelled from the counter, as Becca pulled up. I opened the door, and waved back to Eric, chuckling a bit. “I’ll try my very best for you, Ric!” I mused before getting in the seat.

“You wouldn’t believe what just happened.” I said as I sat down in the car.

“Ouuu tell me!!!” Becca said as we pulled away. “A hockey player asked for my number.” I said shyly. “Wait!!!!” Becca said, looking over and screaming at me. “Oh my god oh my god!!!! This is the best news!!” Becca exclaimed, causing me to laugh.

“Uh huh, just wait until he sees how many issues I have and then he’ll start running for the hills.” I remarked and she gave me a frown. “No, don't think that. He talked to you after hearing what you had to say spoonie. (autoimmune nickname) Don’t doubt yourself. You don’t realize how much of an enigma you are sweetie.” she said, grabbing ahold of my hand.

“Yeah right.” I said starting to get even more defeated. My phone buzzed in my lap, and I looked down to see a text from an unknown number.

“Text me a time and place, and I'll be there. No rush, just let me know whenever :)” the text read.

“He even put on a smiley face!!” Becca pointed out making a turn at the light.

Maybe just maybe, cale was giving her the time of day, that she deserved so very much.

—

It was a month later, that the team and orginization were going to be highlighting and honoring the kiddos from the pavilion. It warmed my heart to see how much the team was getting out of these little kids. So when I got a call from Joe Sakic himself, I was floored. They personally wanted me to facilitate the evening in whatever fashion I wanted and they’d provide anything and everything for us.

Martha and I walked hand in hand into Ball Arena, it was two hours before puck drop and we were going to see the team before the game started. Well, they were- I was just there as moral support for Martha.

Martha beamed as we walked through the tunnels, rambling on about seeing Cale again. Her and cale had become thick of thieves the few times he had been around. Sometimes on his own without the team, to see Martha and ofcourse me. We had been talking for pretty much the whole month and even had made it to two dates outside of my apartment, the other two were in my sanctuary. Cale had been so sweet and understanding, but it was only a matter of time.

Martha noticed Cale from down the hall and pointed at him, and began to get even more excited.

Cale and a couple of the other players were playing soccer, getting into the zone for the game, and relaxing a bit. “Martha, he’s busy. We will see him in a bit, ok?” I said leaning down to Martha’s eyesight and she nodded with a bit of a pout. “Were gonna go meet Sakic ok?” I said and she nodded as we headed towards Joe Sakic’s office with the nine other kids that could make it tonight. We walked past the group of players, with me attempting to keep them all in line, making sure they got to the first destination. They were like any other kids, they were excited to see the players and had to be reigned in in order for them to not disturb the players. We walked towards the office and saw the king himself, waiting outside of his office talking to my manager- Eric who wouldn’t miss this for the world.

“Hi, guys!! How are you doing?” he asked the kids as we got closer. All ten of them began to shout, and go crazy. It was a sight to see. I watched from behind them, taking in their excitement, and laughed at the whole ordeal. This is why I got into social work, to see things like this happen. And Joe Sakic was taking it all in like a pro, kneeling down and commenting on their jerseys and hats, etc. He was also quite the jokester too. After a few minutes of watching from afar, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Cale. I smiled widely, taking in his presence. “Hi Cale, how are you?” I asked turning around to give him my full attention. “I'm good, how are you today? Any surprises? I see you don’t have your cane.” he asked and I shook my head. “No, thankfully. It’s a good day.” I mused. “Well I am glad. You excited for the game?” he asked and I nodded, “This is actually my first in person game ever, so Martha promised me she’d show me the ropes. Her family being season ticket holder and what not.” I joked causing him to grin. Speak of the devil. “Cale!!!!!” Martha screamed jogging past the rest of the kids and Joe Sakic, and Cale opened his arms and kneeled to her height. Oh, how it would be lovely to kneel again.

Awhile later, the kids were running around or tempting to run around the locker room greeting all the players and having them sign their jerseys. I stood in the doorway leading into the hallway, feeling somewhat overwhelmed but kept telling myself to deal with it because who knows when this would ever happen again. I looked towards Martha who was in front of Nathan Mackinnon giving him pointers on how to not fall so much since the last game, apparently he kept falling. Nathan was enjoying this very much and played along with it, taking her notes and corrections very seriously. Even another player, Erik Johnson joined in with his so-called notes. Martha was a gem, everybody could tell. “You alright? Ever since we walked in here, you’ve been quiet.” Cale asked me as I stepped out into the hall for a brief moment. I was overwhelmed, overstimulated, and just wanted to find some coffee and a pretzel and call it an evening.

“Yeah-yeah I’m fine.” I said giving him a fake smile, which he didnt believe. “Im exhausted, I need to find some coffee and just chill. As much as I love all of this, it's overwhelming. Not gonna lie.” I confessed and he nodded. “Is there anything I can do?” cale asked, hoping he could ease some of the burden. “I’ll be fine, we will be heading to our seats shortly.” I said and he nodded. “Will I be able to see you tonight after the game?” he asked hopefully and I frowned. “Probably not Cale, I will be passed out as soon as the game is over. I know that’s not something you want to hear, but that’s me. I’m afraid.” I said and he shook his head, putting a hand on my arm. “How many times do I have to tell you, that whatever you can do is perfectly fine?” he said genuinely causing a chuckle to escape my lips. “Okay, ill text you though. No promises.” I said as the kids started to walk out.

“Pretzel time, Eliza!!!” Martha shouted causing Cale and I to laugh. “And coffee!” Shelley, Martha’s mom added and I pointed at her with a grin. “You know it!” I mused before turning back to cale. “Have a good game.” I said and he nodded and thanked me before heading back in the locker room.

“Have a good time, James!” I heard from behind me, seeing Bo Byram and I rolled my eyes laughing and waving him off.

“Now let’s see what all this hockey fuss is about, Martha.” I joked causing her to groan playfully and ramble about everything that had to do with hockey. It was time to make notes if I were to continue to see Cale.

What Eliza didn’t know was that she’d be seeing a lot more of Cale inside and outside of work in the coming months.

…

And I know cale wasn’t featured a lot here— but he will be :)

I hope you guys enjoyed it!! I can’t wait to dive more into there relationship.

Let me know!

Please like, repost, and if you want to - give me a follow to get many more stories like this and others :)

#hockey #nhl #calemakarimagine #coloardoavalanche #avalanche #autoimmunedisease #cale makar #colorado avalanche #romance #friendship #bo byram #Gabriel landeskog #fanfiction #Nathan mackinnon #erik johnson #cale makar m series

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horsesandhockeyplayers · 2 years

Text

Fourth Line Grinder-- Part 11

Author’s Note: This beautiful header is courtesy of @whatishockey and her brilliant creative mind. We continue with ALL NEW content as EJ and Nell figure out their relationship. Please see the masterlist post to see the 2019 Pacific Classic as an example race

Word Count: 5118

Word Count TOTAL: 65,488

Song: Dark Horse - Aaron Watson

Synopsis: Nell Sayer, often called The Witch for her ability to heal horses that are deemed lost causes, is content with her life. With a job where she makes a good living and her two best friends, Nell is unprepared for the changes a meeting with a once-in-a-lifetime horse and his incorrigible owner brings, knocking her off her feet…literally. If only she were as good at listening to her heart as she is at listening to the animals she loves.

Tag List: @laurenairay, @danglesnipecelly, @hockeylvr59, @whatishockey, @thebookofmags, @princessphilly, @glassdanse, @tippedbykreider, @iangiemae, @kotkaniemi-caufield-mom, @marcoscandellas, @mac-blackwood, @fanficrecsby-e

Part 11

The feeling of kisses being pressed along my naked spine woke me. True to my word I had accompanied Erik to Denver when he signed the papers for the property. I was staying at his modest Denver home for four days before flying back to San Diego.

Grinder came out of the Eddie Read with no issues, in fact he was so fit he was beginning to get rambunctious in a way that had Dick considering what to do with him if he qualified for the Breeder’s Cup in the Pacific Classic. There were two full months between qualifying and actually racing in the Longines Classic.

But that was a problem for another day. Thick fingers slipped between my vaginal lips and I moaned into the mattress. EJ pushed two fingers inside me and down to probe my G spot while his thumb rubbed my clit. I came in record time as he laughed against my shoulder blades, his hand following my gyrating hips as I shook from the orgasm.

Mile high sunshine was starting to filter into the bedroom and I knew from experience it couldn’t be much past 5am.

Erik kneeled between my spread legs and he lifted my boneless body onto all fours by my hips. We both moaned as the head of his cock slid inside me. His pace was languid and lazy as he slid a hand between my breasts and lifted me up pressing my back against his chest.

I raised my arms and clasped them behind his head, pulling him down for a kiss. I liked any kind of sex with Erik, but I loved these relaxed mornings, lazy fucking and morning breath until we had our fill of orgasms and hunger sent us to the kitchen for breakfast. It was messy and wet and I made a mental note to get a generous gift card for his housekeeper.

He continued his lazy thrusts, his hand sliding down my body and across my lower stomach like he could feel his dick inside me. Continuing down, he swirled his middle finger around my clit and snapped his hips into mine. His voice was low in my ear, “I like it when you cum on my fingers, I love it when you cum on my cock.. You gonna cum for me, Peaches?”

I shivered at his breath on my earlobe and proceeded to shatter into a million pieces in his arms. Praise slipping from his lips, “That’s my good girl,” as he fucked me hard through my orgasm, chasing his own.

When I felt his cock twitch inside me, he buried his face into the crook of my neck as he groaned through his release.

The sun had long crested the horizon, bathing our kneeling naked bodies in golden light and I knew he looked like a god dipped in starshine.

He collapsed into a mattress that seriously felt like sleeping on a cloud, he twisted as he fell and I landed on top of him, his soft cock regretfully sliding out of me.

My muscles felt like warmed jello and I was putting more effort than should have been necessary into not drooling all over his smooth chest.

Within a few minutes he was snoring softly again and I watched the sun climb across the sky through the floor to ceiling east facing windows.

When relieving myself became more urgent than laying on top of 240lbs of prime Colorado beef, I tried to slip off of him as quietly as possible and ended up getting tangled in the sheet and falling off the bed in a heap.

Erik sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, his hair tousled from sleep and my fingers. The sheet was still tucked around his body and I found myself staring at his well sculpted torso. I blinked when he spoke, “Peaches? What are you doing on the floor?”

I sighed and leaned into his hand as he stroked my hair, “trying not to wake you up,” I replied in defeat.

He glanced at the expensive watch on his wrist, “We need to get a move on anyway. We have an appointment to walk to the farm and sign documents at 9 before it gets too hot.”

With frustrating ease he got out of bed and picked me up off the floor in one motion. As the sheet unwrapped from his body I was left clutching it to my chest staring at his ass as he walked into the palacious bathroom.

His whole house was just like him, annoyingly practical while being exuberant. It was an older home in the established but monied neighborhood of Cherry Creek. It was a traditional style that had been updated from the dated granite and honey oak cabinets. A photo of Erik and his Grandmother from when he first purchased showed the mid nineties decor. It was now clean and masculine with large dark furniture.

I heard the shower start and I felt warmth start in my belly thinking about that thing EJ could do with the showerhead.

Two hours later, my hair was still damp and hanging around my face, I had a venti triple shot latte cradled in my hands and I was feeling less like a blob of hot jello and more like a human being.

Erik of course had a sensible SUV and he drove toward the Rocky Mountains, the houses getting larger and farther apart. Flat city streets turned into two lane highways and rolling hills. Eventually, we turned and wove our way through the foothills until we reached a small valley. The entrance to the farm was marked with giant stone pillars and a beautiful iron gate that was open. The long tree lined driveway bisected two large pastures.

A small band of quarter horse broodmares and their foals snorted at the strange vehicle and trotted around the irrigated grass, their tails held high.

The property was well maintained and dotted with large trees, both natural pines and trees that were planted when the place was developed. The mountains rose steeply to the west.

I rolled down the window and the air just smelled like mountains, “What’s the elevation here?”

“Ummm..” Erik hesitated fingers, drumming on the steering wheel, “just over 6,000 feet I think? I’d have to check.”

It was a good 10 degrees cooler than Denver and I was regretting not bringing a jacket. We passed the breeding barn and I craned my neck trying to see inside. He chuckled and reached for my hand, “Peaches, you’ll get to see inside, I promise.”

The main barn was a massive structure in the Monitor style. There was a beautiful fountain in the front courtyard with a bronze rearing horse sculpture in the middle. There were ten stalls on either side with long forty foot runs coming out the back. The center of the barn had two clusters of 4 double sized stalls,with a tack room, wash stalls, and grooming cross ties.

Erik parked the SUV by the front entrance and I clambered out of the car and made my way inside the huge structure waving my hands in acknowledgment of whatever he was saying and not hearing a damn word. The stalls were huge 14x14 at least, with protruding European stall fronts that allowed even more room. The small Quarter Horses hung their heads over the fronts and I came to the conclusion I couldn’t have designed a better barn. Whoever built this place did so with the intent it was comfortable and functional for the horses.

Beyond the barn was a fully covered arena. It wasn’t the largest, but it was large enough for a full dressage court. It was attached to the barn with a covered walkway and textured rubber bricks for traction.

Erik caught up to me, “The realtor is just a few minutes late. What do you think?”

I leaned into him and sighed with contentment, “It’s perfect.”

When Erik disappeared into the office to sign papers I once again began to wander. I stopped in front of a sweet looking Palomino gelding, “You seem pretty content to live here, huh guy?”

He sighed and cocked a hind hoof to continue his morning nap.

“Can I help you?”

I turned toward the voice and there was a drug store box redhead whose Aquanet style would have made Dolly Parton jealous, “I’m sorry my… partner, just bought the place, he’s signing paperwork in the office.”

Her face changed and her southern accent became a lot more pronounced, “Hi there! I’m Peggy, my husband is Shane, he’s the trainer. Have you gotten a tour yet?”

“Just from the photos on the Internet I’m afraid.”

She scoffed, “Best way to get a tour is on horseback, you ride?”

“Just racehorses every day,” I answered with a smile.

“Think you can handle an old Quarter Horse,” she gestured to the sleeping Palomino behind me.

“I can’t remember the last time I rode something that didn’t want to kill me.”

She gestured to the pink halter by the door, “he’s my daughter’s horse. His name is Earl. Come on, I’ll give you an appropriate tour.”

20 minutes later, Earl was decked out head to toe in everything pink glitter and we were plodding next to Peggy on a fiery chestnut reiner. “How old is your daughter?”

She laughed, “10 and really loves pink in case you couldn’t tell.”

I sucked air through my teeth and nodded, “Yep. Thank goodness Earl doesn’t seem to think it’s an attack on his masculinity.”

“Earl here is the best babysitter I could have ever hoped to get.”

It became clear 5 minutes in that Peggy was a Talker with a capital T. But it wasn’t a hardship to listen to her as we rode the galloping track and she pointed out trail access points into the adjoining state park.

Suddenly, I could picture my life here and the vision was so clear I felt like I had been thrust five years into the future. Riding Grinder along these very trails, the pastures dotted with Thoroughbred mares and their foals. The main barn full of rehabbing horses and racetrack failures training for dressage and jumping or even out on these trails for endurance.

My phone trilled in my pocket with William Tell’s Overture and I dug it out of my pocket, “Hey Handsome.”

“Where did you disappear to?”

“Your tenant for the next few months offered me a tour.” Earl shook a rogue fly from his ear.

EJ gave a sigh, but I could hear his smile, “Are you on a horse?”

“Yes. His name is Earl.”

“You can’t keep Earl.”

“Of course I’m not keeping Earl. I’m not in the business of breaking little girls' hearts,” I scoffed.

Peggy turned her head and giggled into her hand and the chestnut mare she was on shook her mane.

“We’re on our way back.”

His voice was tinny on the other end, “Good. I don’t think Grinder would be happy if I went back to California without you.”

I rolled my eyes, “See you in a few.”

Peggy and I finished our impromptu horseback tour and I gave Earl a thorough grooming while Erik chatted with Peggy and Shane. I fished a tired peppermint out of my pocket when I returned him to his stall and the cellophane was almost impossible to peel off the sticky treat but he waited patiently.

I gave the golden gelding a pat and ruffled his forelock as he munched, his breath smelling like hay and mint. “Thanks for taking care of me today Big Man.”

Joining the small group I lifted Erik’s arm and slid underneath it. His shirt smelled like horse and sunshine with the faint hint of his laundry detergent. I got lost in my imagination looking around the barn thinking about where I was going to put my equipment, which stall would be Grinder’s, which of Erik’s broodmares I wanted to bring in first. Basically, building my business and the ERJ racing breeding operation in my head.

I got a hip in my side and EJ shook my shoulder realizing I wasn’t paying attention, “Did you like it?”

“Of course, it’s a beautiful property,” I replied nodding.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I took the case off and retrieved a sad and wrinkled business card that was pressed between the phone and the case, handing it to Peggy. “If your daughter ever becomes more interested in boys than horses, you give me a call and you can name your price for Earl.”

The redhead laughed as her husband growled, “She’s not dating until she’s 40.”

Erik just sighed, “I knew it.”

I gave him an elbow in the ribs, “Grinder will need a retirement buddy.”

We all shook hands and EJ pulled me toward the SUV, “I’m taking her home before she tries to buy all your horses.”

Peggy offered a wave as we got into the vehicle, “Y’all can come help Earl stretch his legs anytime!”

As we made our way down the beautiful driveway, I pulled one of EJ’s hands off the wheel and wove my fingers through his, giving a contented sigh.

He pressed his lips against my knuckles, “Are you going to buy every horse you fall in love with?”

I grinned and pulled my eyes from the stunning view flying by the window, “We can afford it.”

A small smile curled the corner of his lips and I enjoyed the Colorado Summer air as we headed back into town.

—————

Things started to fall into place as I stopped fighting with Erik, with myself, with the universe. I had decided to just let life take me where it wanted and if it all fell apart? Well I was certainly more wealthy than I had been, I had invested a lot of the money back into equipment to help me help more horses, I had Jesus and it would suck for awhile, but I would build everything back up again.

Grinder continued to train like a machine and we enjoyed our afternoons in the California sunshine.

I was sitting on him bareback as he grazed, just wearing a halter, the lead rope over his withers and dangling loose down his shoulder. My eyes were closed and I was meditating, breathing in and out to the count of his ripping and chewing of the grass.

To the shock of absolutely no one except myself, I found taking some time during my day to focus and center myself just for the sake of myself actually improved my work. Any lingering headaches soon completely disappeared.

EJ was fully on board with this new “Nell Takes Care of Herself” movement and regardless of time he was always pressing some sort of smoothie in my hand before I left the house in the mornings. I never asked what was in them because they were always palatable if not actually delicious and I didn’t want the illusion ruined knowing I was drinking raw blended chicken gizzards or something weird.

August on the Southern California Coast was absolutely gorgeous, foggy mornings gave way to mid afternoon sunshine and temps in the 80s. Erik was ramping up his training and come the end of the month, I knew he would be spending more of his time in Colorado than California.

My meditation fell apart as I began to worry about what was to come. We hadn’t talked about when I would be joining EJ in Colorado. Peggy and Shane had the property rented through December. But we had discussed bringing some of our horses earlier as they were only using a fraction of the stalls. They were looking for places close by and Peggy and I had a plan to keep their show stock on so they could utilize the covered arena in the winter. I was getting daily photos of Earl from her daughter Daisy and they almost always featured some sort of costume or hat. He really was the best babysitter.

Grinder snorted and shook his head bringing me back to the present. It was still midsummer and we had time. I pulled the big gelding’s head up from the grass and pointed him back to the barns, enjoying the feel of his large swinging walk.

My phone vibrated on my belt and seeing EJ’s dumb toothless face on my screen I swiped to answer it, “Hey, Grinder and I are just heading back to the barn.”

He cleared his throat, “Would you consider yourself a perfectionist?”

I felt my face scrunch, “Not really, but that’s a weird question.”

He hummed, “Ok what about a planner, would you consider yourself one of those?”

One of Grinder’s elegant black ears flicked back, listening to the conversation, “No more than anyone else? Erik, what’s up with the questions?”

I heard paper rustling in the background, “oh nothing I just found large, to scale drawings of all the barns with the names of horses in each stall, locations of your equipment, you even have a list of where each saddle is going to go in the tack room.”

My throat suddenly felt a little scratchy and I coughed, my voice a little high when I replied, “Um that is normal.”

“It’s not but ok, we can start making a plan after dinner, a lot of these mares I don’t want to haul out until after their breedings next season and we confirm they are in foal. Some I’d like to unload at auction.”

I sighed at having been caught, “Ok. I’ll be home in about an hour, do you want me to pick up dinner?”

Dishes clanked in the background, “Nah, Peaches, it’s lean protein and vegetables tonight.”

Wrinkling my nose, I made a mental note to pick up some Ben and Jerry’s on the way. I didn’t have to worry about being a professional athlete.

I felt better when I followed EJ’s diet with him, but at what cost?

When I got back to the Del Mar condo, pint of ice cream in my hand, he was in the kitchen cooking away, dish towel swung over his shoulder looking like he was the main course.

I tossed the dessert in the freezer and snagged the big man around the waist for a kiss. He gave me a pouty look, “I suppose you didn’t bring a pint for me.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said feigning innocence.

He just raised a brow, and we settled into our little slice of domesticity. I sat at the island going through emails, texts, and pouring over my schedule while he cooked.

After dinner, he spread the plans on the kitchen island, “Shane and I have been talking, and I think they are going to move into that small house by the broodmare barn for the foreseeable future. We are going to have way more available stalls than we know what to do with for awhile and I don’t think having them on the property is a bad idea for a little extra income.”

I started erasing all the names I had written into the stalls, “I agree.”

EJ put an arm around my shoulders, his voice soft, “When do you want to move in?”

Frowning, I shifted in my chair. I had been expecting this conversation to happen at some point. “I don’t know. I mean there’s so much to do to get all the horses you want to winter out there ready. We have to buy blankets, order feed, bedding, we have to have guys on the ground ready for horses, we have to have guys here ready to pack up horses. There’s so much Erik.”

He kissed my temple, “It’s only August, Peaches, we have time.”

“I suppose you’re right,” I said, leaning into his kiss.

A large hand pulled the elastic out of my hair, “I am happy that you’re thinking about it though.” His voice dropped and the air became charged.

I offered a hum in response as his blunt fingers began to massage my scalp.

——

As August ticked by and we settled even more into a routine, even with EJ starting to spend more and more time in Colorado, to the point, I didn’t know what was going to happen when the season started. It would be questionable if he would even be available the day of the Breeder’s Cup, but first Grinder had to qualify.

The days marched toward Grinder’s first grade 1 stakes in his entire life and when race day arrived I was an odd mixture of nervous and confident.

Grinder’s story had spread among the race community and there was a feature article in that week’s Racing Forum about our weird little family. The horse no one wanted to take a chance on, the miracle worker, and the hockey player that was entranced by my witchy wiles.

Like all days on the California coast, this one dawned bright and perfect. After an early morning hack around the track property to stretch his muscles, I was banned from seeing Grinder before the race.

I sat in my truck in the parking lot, unsure of what to do with myself. I hadn’t booked any clients for the day, because I knew I wouldn’t be able to focus on them, and I was right. Erik had a handful of interviews to give and he left it up to me whether I was going to be tucked into his side like the dutiful girlfriend or throwing up in a trash can from nerves around the corner.

EJ climbed into the passenger seat without a word and handed me a large paper cup with a lid. I took the warm beverage gratefully and took a sip. I was expecting espresso mixed with milk and yummy syrup and I got something else entirely. He chuckled when I made a face.

“It’s herbal tea, Peaches. You don’t need anymore caffeine to tie your stomach in knots.”

I took another sip with a generous shrug because he was probably right.

Next, a breakfast burrito and a race program with a $100 bill tucked into it slid onto the center console of the truck.

My brow arched and I got a wiley grin in return.

“You had a smoothie at 5am. Eat the burrito and then we are going to play a little game.”

“I’m listening,” I replied before taking a bite of the egg-y, cheesy, potato-y goodness wrapped in a tortilla.

His grin got impressively wider, “There’s a handful of claiming races on tomorrow’s card, what you win handicapping with this $100 bill today, you will use to buy the horse of your choice tomorrow.”

I inhaled a piece of potato and started choking, “What?”

Erik gave me a slap on the back and I felt the piece of potato dislodge from my throat, “You need to be distracted and this will be a challenge, even for you.” He settled into the leather seat and reclined it, “better get crackin’ on that program, the cheapest claimer tomorrow is $7500 and the first post is in an hour.”

Staring at the $100 bill tucked into the program, I chewed thoughtfully. Turning $100 into enough to buy a horse with? How did he even get this idea?

Keeping the bill safely between the pages of the racing program I picked it up and thumbed to the first race.

An hour and a half later, Grinder was only occupying the furthest recesses of my mind as the horses of the first race flashed under the wire, in the exact order I picked them for the straight trifecta. I had just quadrupled my money.

EJ twisted his program in his hands and squinted at me from beneath the brim of his fashionable hat, “Should I call Gabe and just tell him I’m retiring now?”

I smacked him in the chest and disappeared to collect my winnings.

By the time The Pacific Classic was called to the post, I was up several thousand and I had put the whole kit and kaboodle on Grinder whose odds were reasonable at 10 to 1.

I had tucked the betting slip into my bra for safe keeping and idly wondered if it was still worth anything soaked in boob sweat. A large hand spanned the small of my back and I could feel the heat of the palm through the dress I had changed into. It was a simple jersey wrap around in a bright royal blue that matched the ERJ Racing silks. I had paired it with a suede heeled bootie and some hammered silver earrings and pendant. It was simple, it was elegant, and as always, it was machine washable.

EJ kissed my temple and my phone vibrated, it was a facetime from Carlos. I hadn’t apologized for my behavior and at this point I didn’t really know how. He wasn't speaking to me, but when I answered the facetime call, there was Grinder in all his glory, being saddled. Carlos kept the phone on him as they walked around the paddock and the call disconnected as the horses departed to the tunnel and made their way to the track.

“I see you’re still being stubborn and Carlos is still not talking to you.”

Grabbing his arm, I wrapped it around my middle, “ I don’t even know how to bring it up or what to say.”

I could hear the amusement in his voice, “Well I think you start with ‘I’m’ and end with ‘sorry’”

Heaving a sigh, I wondered if anyone would blame me for crushing his toes under the heel of my fashionable bootie this close to hockey season. “Thanks for the advice, smart ass.”

The horses started filing onto the track, nine gleaming thoroughbreds in various shades of red, brown, and grey. Then there was Grinder, marching across the dirt to the turf, his coat so shiny it almost looked like an oil slick. There were no bad vibes this time. These were good horses, real competition and somehow the big black gelding made them all look like scrawny mustangs gathered from the Nevada desert.

Large hands closed over mine and Erik pried my phone from my death grip before sliding it into his pocket, “Please try not to destroy anything with your hulk hands.”

Frowning, I looked at my hands, “They’re not hulk hands.”

“Peaches last time he raced and you held my hand I heard bones crack.”

There were 11 horses in the race, including Grinder. It was a decent field and I started to worry it was going to be too much. Too many horses, too much traffic, and if he did win, what about the Breeder’s cup where the field could be even larger?

The horses completed the post parade and started to warm up. I watched the horses, looking for weaknesses, lameness, anything that might give me peace of mind that my horse was the best. There was nothing. These were some of the best horses in the country and Grinder was amongst them.

Time stretched like a lazy cat and the warm up seemed to take forever, but all too soon the horses approached the gate and started to be loaded. Grinder had pulled the first post position and because of his running style, no one was a fan. Everyone wanted to be on the rail, to run the shortest race. That didn’t matter for Grinder, he was fit, he was a closer, but he could get caught in the mad rush. He could get bumped, or worse, stuck in traffic. I didn’t know what the ornery gelding would do if he was forced to run in the middle of the pack, Mikey and I had discussed it and we had both decided it was best to never find out.

Grinder was one of the first horses loaded, and I pressed the binoculars to my eyes watching his feet. They were flat on the ground and he stood like a statue while the rest of the horses were slotted into their spots. What was less than a minute stretched for eternity and finally the bell clanged and the gates opened. Grinder shot forth and I had to pull the lenses away from my eyes to blink before replacing them.

The big black horse was surging with the pack. He was on the rail and stretching to keep his nose in front of the competition. He broke fast and he was…. Leading?

“What the fuck?” Erik’s words spoke to both of us. I could tell from the body language both Mikey and the horse were surprised as well.

I let the small binoculars fall, resting in my hand against the wall of the owner’s box, “I mean, we wanted to keep him out of traffic. This is fine. As long as Mikey stays out of his way, this is fine.”

And shockingly it was. Mikey helped rate Grinder and the fractions were fast, but not otherworldly. The frontrunners in this race were decent but Grinder was faster and he held them off with ease.

Into the far turn, the field started to challenge him and every time a horse pulled alongside him, Grinder found another gear. The crowd roared as the big black horse headed for the finish, leading the field wire to wire.

I didn’t remember when I started screaming but I was still screaming when the rest of the field passed under the wire and Erik was spinning me around.

Time seemed stuck in fast forward as the ERJ Racing team took photos in the winner’s circle. There were interviews galore and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. The whirlwind didn’t cease until the sun had long gone to bed and I was leaning on Grinder’s stall door with my elbows, watching the horse munch his evening hay.

A warm hand found the small of my back and Erik shouldered his way next to me, “he was spectacular.”

My cheeks hurt but I still couldn’t stop the smile, “yeah he is.”

“He’s spectacular because of you.” He nudged my shoulder with his.

“No, he was always spectacular. Just no one else saw it. No one else believed.”

EJ pulled me into his body and kissed my temple, “Come on Peaches, we got a big day of horse buying tomorrow and then I have to be in Colorado by Monday morning.”

And there it was, the kicker to my absolutely perfect day. September was starting and just as I felt I had gotten my footing in my new life, it was going to be changing again.

#fourth line grinder #flg #Erik Johnson #erik johnson imagine #erik johnson fic #erik johnson x ofc #Colorado Avalanche #colorado avalanche imagine #colorado avalanche fic #colorado avalanche rpf #Colorado Avs #avs imagine #Avs fic #avs rpf #Hockey Fanfiction #hockey fic #hockey imagine

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miracleonice87 · 2 years

Text

Turn The Lights Off, Carry Me Home with Nathan MacKinnon (feat. Erik Johnson) - part two of Feelings and the Final

a/n: I mean, was there really another gif I could use? 😂 congrats to the Colorado Avalanche! hope you guys enjoy this one. the part about Gabe is completely true and comes from the most recent episode of Spittin Chiclets where they interview EJ lol. obviously for legal reasons the part about Nate and EJ is fiction lmao!

warnings: swearing, alcohol, nudity, allusions to / jokes about smut but nothing graphic

word count: ~1,200

_____

Nate was crying again. Tears of joy again, for which you were grateful. You couldn’t imagine the alternative… except, after last season, you supposed that you nearly could.

But this year, he had done it. The man who had disgustedly announced that he “hadn’t won shit” after last season’s crushing end, had now, indeed, won shit.

Your husband had won the damn Stanley Cup.

And here the two of you stood at center ice at Amalie, his frame towering over yours in his skates as he held you with every ounce of strength he had, sniffling as tears tracked down his face. His cheek rested against the top of your head, and you couldn’t even muster up a joke about his sweaty beard mussing your hair because of the desperation you felt radiating from him.

In the moments where he felt his world was crumbling around him, when he felt himself buckling under the weight of infinite expectations, none heavier than his own – Nate needed you in those moments. He needed you to be his anchor, to hold him together when he knew he could fall apart at any second.

And in the moments where he felt so light and buoyant and joyful that he was afraid he may just float away – he needed you in those moments, too. Like this one, right here. He needed you to ground him even in victory, even in his relief. Having you in his arms was his only clue that this was, indeed, real life.

He eventually drew a deep breath and stood up straight, settling his eyes on you. He shook his head in silence, still trying to find a grip on this reality.

As you pressed your hands to his cheeks, you only wanted to know one thing.

“Was it worth it?”

As a smile slowly turned up the corners of Nate’s mouth, you knew he knew exactly what you meant.

Was it worth it? Waking up at 4 a.m. as a kid to travel two, three, or more towns over to practice on free ice. Moving away from home at 15. Not attending university like the rest of the guys he’d grown up with and feeling like he was missing out. Was it worth it? Rarely getting to travel home to see his family during the season for more than 24 hours, if that. Birthdays and anniversaries and weddings that absolutely broke his heart to miss. Having to leave you at home for long road trips. The injuries and heartbreak and doubts and sweat and blood and tears. Was it worth it?

Nate nodded, then kissed your forehead.

“It was,” he assured, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “Thank you for believing in me.”

You wrapped your arms around his sturdy waist and leaned against his chest.

“Until the world stops, baby.”

_____

You’d stumbled into your room, a handsy Nate pressed against your back, no earlier than 7:30 the next morning after a good 10 or so hours of partying with the team and their families. He’d barely let you tap your key card to open the door, in favor of mouthing hungrily at your neck and jawline as you fumbled with the door handle, giggling all the while. Eventually, somehow, the lock had clicked open, and before you knew it, Nate had ushered you inside and pushed you against the closet door, his lips on yours as he pushed the beer-and-champagne-soaked denim “29” jacket from your shoulders and tore the maroon silk camisole from your skin.

No, he literally tore the seam.

You scoffed and playfully smacked his shoulder. “Nathan!” you gaped accusingly, but he could see the mischievous glimmer in your eyes.

“I’ll buy you a new one,” he muttered before hoisting you upward, your legs automatically wrapping around his hips. He took a few long stride with you koala’d around him, dropped you onto the mattress, and took his fill of you until neither one could keep your eyes open for another second, drifting into a glorious, blissful haze.

You’d assumed you’d been asleep for hours when you heard a knock at the door. You blinked bleary eyes to peer at the alarm clock on the bedside table: 9:16.

You groaned and flopped back onto your pillows, knowing you’d put the privacy card outside your door for the entire stay. Whoever it was would have to wait. You burrowed back under the covers and pressed yourself into a still-sleeping Nate’s chest. For a few more seconds. Until the knock came again. Louder this time. You let out a growl, which finally stirred Nate.

“What’s happening?” he moaned, voice hoarse.

“Nate,” came the voice from the other side of the door.

“EJ, I swear to god, I’m gonna murder you,” Nate called back, pulling an extra pillow over his face. “Go away. Go to bed.”

“Why? Are you guys having sexual intercourse?”

“Erik!” “EJ!” You and Nate both sat up in bed as you shouted your warnings.

“I won’t look, just open the door,” Erik promised. “Trust me.”

Nate rolled his eyes, pulled the covers up to shield your bare chest, threw on a robe from the closet, and opened the door… to find Erik Johnson butt-ass naked with the Cup in his hands, covering his… manhood. An enormous, toothless grin on his face as he peered into the room over Nathan’s shoulder.

“First of all, you said you weren’t gonna look,” Nate pointed out, rubbing his forehead. “Second… what the fuck are you doing?”

EJ pushed his way past Nate and let himself into the room, placing the Cup on the TV stand.

“First of all,” EJ mocked, gesturing to where you lay in bed, “she’s all covered. Unfortunately.” That last addition earned him a backhanded smack to the chest from your husband. “Oww! Jesus. And second, this is how Gabe delivered the Cup to me this morning, so I wanted to keep the tradition going,” he shrugged. “She’s all yours!” he exclaimed, squeezing Nate’s shoulder as he headed for the door, pausing at the closet. He turned to you.

“Can I borrow your robe?” he asked, glancing at the garment.

You sighed then made a sweeping gesture with your arm.

“Have at it,” you said dryly.

EJ nodded enthusiastically, taking the robe from the hanger and wrapping it around himself.

“Thanks,” he said simply. “Okay, I’ll leave you three alone. See you later. Love you.”

With a loud kiss to Nate’s cheek and one last grin your way, he was off, the door shutting itself behind him. Nate simply looked at you and shook his head, laughing quietly.

“What a fucking nut job,” he giggled, then glanced at the Cup. “But this is pretty sweet though, right?”

You nodded, then gestured for him to bring the trophy closer. “Might as well make the most of it,” you said. “C’mon, let’s take some naked, messy bed selfies to embarrass our kids with someday.”

Nate beamed, shedding the robe. “I thought you’d never ask.”

#nathan mackinnon fanfiction #nathan mackinnon fanfic #nathan mackinnon fic #nathan mackinnon blurb #nate mackinnon fanfiction #nate mackinnon fanfic #nate mackinnon fic #nate mackinnon blurb #colorado avalanche #colorado avalanche blurb #colorado avalanche fanfiction #colorado avalanche fanfic #colorado avalanche fic #nathan mackinnon #nate mackinnon #erik johnson #my writing

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tonyspep · 2 years

Text

and you can keep up all the chatter bout my happy ever after (cause all that really matters is he’s mine)

a/n: this is for @jostystyles 2.6k top tracks writing challenge celebration. the lyrics i chose were "i've got his name i've got his nights" from the song "bragger" by kelsea ballerini and the player i picked was erik johnson. his love interest is an actress who looks like camila mendes from riverdale, palm springs and do revenge. thanks to @fallinallincurls who helped me brainstorm and is just the best. gif credit goes to @landyskog

~*~and you can keep up all the chatter bout my happy ever after~*~

(cause all that really matters is he's mine)

pairing: erik johnson x oc

summary: isabel ramos has always tried to keep her private life away from the white hot glare of the spotlight, but with a man like erik johnson on her arm, how can she not brag

rating: t

[red carpet debut]

he ain't from round

this side of town

but he fits into every crowd

and he knows just how to do my body and my heart right

At this point red carpets - for vanity liquor launches, for the latest Netflix drama or superhero tentpole flick to even the Oscars - Isabel had been there and done that. She knew what to expect; the white hot glare from all of the lights, the constant flashes of hundreds of cameras, forty different people shouting her name and of course the dozens of interviews from various entertainment news outlets.

Tonight - walking the white (pun intended) carpet - for the second season premiere of HBO Max's newest crown jewel in White Lotus would be just a little different. She wouldn't be walking the carpet alone. She knew everyone was gossiping about her and her co-star, the handsome British actor, Theo James, but tonight she was putting those rumors to bed for good.

Guiding her down the carpet for the first time was going to be her husband (yes, husband you read that right) Colorado Avalanche stalwart defenseman, Erik Johnson. Her lips couldn't help but curl proudly as her long time makeup artist worked her magic. Keeping things private was never easy, not even Ben and Jen had managed to keep their wedding reception from leaking. But Erik's teammates were sweet in respecting their wishes and her friends were all too familiar with things getting out to the public before you wanted them to.

She touched the four point five karat sapphire ring on her finger, her heart picking up speed while butterflies erupted in her stomach. She had done this a hundred times - since she was sixteen and had broken out on the soap opera General Hospital, playing mobster Sonny Corinthos's headstrong daughter whose mother was his former lover and attorney, Alexis Davis - but this was truly different. Even though she had walked carpets with her exes and flings and everything in between, Erik wasn't them. He was everything she had hoped and dreamed of as a girl watching every rom com she could get her hands on.

Slipping her wedding ring from her left ring finger to her right, she laughed softly. There were still some things they wanted to keep for themselves.

"Hola, esposa," Erik's jumbled Spanish made Isabel smile, her own dimples appearing to match his. "Nice try, Blanquito," Her voice was soft and placating but Erik took it in stride, her teasing making his stomach tumble like only she could.

Growing up with Brazilian parents, Isabel learned Spanish before she learned English and could speak conversational Portuguese as well. Erik was trying his hand at Spanish and more often than not he mostly succeeded in making her laugh as he asked why she couldn't just teach him the naughty words.

Once her makeup was finished, he let out a whistle at seeing her full white carpet look. A summery silk maxi dress in a deep green with a plunging neckline and silvery strappy heels while her velvet black hair was twisted into an elaborate braid crown gave her the glam of the star she was and kept with the show's luxury resort theme. It was hard to believe she was his. He was just a hockey player, a Minnesotan born and bred raised in his small town that somehow made it to the league, forget being drafted number one overall and now winning the Cup.

Their first night, the thin Mountain air around them, her sneaking into Denver on a private flight in the wee hours (Erik knew it wasn't his best display of leadership but fuck it, Isabel was too good to be true) on a game day, she told him - their bodies plastered together, sticky with sweat, that's what she liked most about him. That he was the small town boy who made good. It reminded her that she was a small town girl, having left her Brazilian tropical life behind, for a brighter future in the States, her parents wanting to give her everything they never had. That she was just Isabel. Not this international celebrity, a point of fascination for strangers, but a girl who ached for love like any normal person would.

Everything was dimmer with Erik on her arm - the white hot glare warm instead of intense, the shouting not as invasive - except her smile. She knew it was blinding as they posed, his large hand on the small of her back. She missed the cool metal of his ring against her skin but she would make do. No one needed to know everything about her.

The headlines from The Cut to Duemoix to TMZ came fast and furious once they were at the after party at Balthazar with the rest of the cast and director and creator, Mike White.

@IsabelRamosUpdates WE TOLD YOU!!! WE TOLD YOU!!! OUR GIRL DID NOT DISAPPOINT ON THE WHITE LOTUS RED CARPET. SHE LOOKED STUNNING IN VINTAGE CHANEL AND OH YEAH DID YOU SEE HER MAN???? CHECK HER FOLLOWS SHE'S BEEN FOLLOWING AND LIKING THE COLORADO AVALANCHE POSTS SINCE LAST JUNE!!! SHE HAD Y'ALL FOOLED WITH THOSE THEO JAMES RUMORS HA HA HA HA @TMZ @THECUT @VULTURE @USWEEKLY AND WE HAVE THE RECEIPTS

[screenshots of her likes] [video clip of her saying she does not have a man] [posing with fans at the avs playoff games] [instagram comments on @6erikjohnson6's photos/videos]

@IsabelRamosUpdates come to us for the real stuff our girl was slick and got herself one good looking man. 6 '4 235 SIGN US UP AND DOES HE HAVE FRIENDS???????????

@TMZ on the white lotus white carpet dazzling isabel ramos gushes about new man, hockey player erik johnson "he looks pretty good huh?" "i'm very happy" "oh i'm always at every game i can go to just because you haven't seen me doesn't mean I'm not there"

@USWeekly theo james who???? putting to bed those pesky rumors two time emmy nominee isabel ramos debuts hockey player beau on the white lotus red carpet. she jokes with our carrie reynolds "a lady doesn't kiss and tell buuuuut all that time on the ice has its benefits''

Isabel wasn't surprised how easily Erik fell in with the cast and crew, charming them like he had charmed her. She couldn't imagine being any happier and that meant she was entitled to brag, posting a black and white shot of them in a heated embrace in their private car on the way back to the hotel. His large hand slipping under the silk of her dress while her hands were tangled in his soft blonde hair, their lips locked in a steamy kiss.

@isabel life has never been this good @6erikjohnson6

[banner night]

i don't want to be a bragger

but my man's a heart attacker

like mcconaughey and jagger

Tonight at Ball Arena they would be raising the Avs Championship banner and she wouldn't have missed this for the world. Filming for her next project - playing Sue Storm in the upcoming MCU version of the Fantastic Four opposite Henry Golding as Reed Richards - wouldn't start until the next summer, so now she was in supportive wife (girlfriend to everyone else) mode. The custom denim jacket Mel Landeskog had made for herself and the other wives and girlfriends fit well. The burgundy crop top and ripped jeans were more sporty than she normally dressed but the platform sneakers made her feel more like herself, elevating her closer to Erik's towering height like her trustee heels would normally.

The hat she wore belonged to him, the scent of his cologne lingering and that distinctive warm vanilla and woodsy scent he naturally carried made heat course through her veins.

He was too good to be true, stepping out of their bedroom in his well fitted suit, the broadness of his shoulders too much for her to take.

As good as he looked in his suit, when he took the ice in his full pads and jersey, she couldn't resist snapping a picture and if her caption sent people spiraling oh well.

@isabel [picture of erik during warm ups] whatta man whatta man whatta whatta man whatta mighty mighty good man

@ISABELRAMOSUPDATES OUR GIRL IS THIRSTY AND WE SUPPORT IT GET IT QUEEN

@tonyspep quote tweet STARS THEY'RE JUST LIKE US LOOK AT KRISTINA (she'll always be kristina from gh to me) THIRSTING OVER MY GUY ERIK JOHNSON YOU LOVE TO SEE IT

[live with kelly and ryan]

and he'd never tell you he don't want attention

but he's just too damn good not to mention

"Now, Isabel…." Kelly started, waggling her eyebrows while Ryan laughed beside her. "Let's talk about this very handsome, very tall man named Erik Johnson. Have you heard of him? I hear you two are close."

"Have I heard of him? Hmmmm. His name sounds familiar. Would you happen to have a picture? Maybe if I saw what he looked like I could answer your question, Kelly."

"Well, Ryan I do believe we have a few pictures don't we?"

"Yes, Kelly, I believe we do. Just queued up from Miss Ramos's instagram ready to go. Like this one from the night of the White Lotus premiere, you're amazing on the show by the way. There's also this one from Del Mar race track. This one is from their kitchen. People eat on counter tops, young lady. And oh this one is from the night his team raised their championship banner."

"Huh, I guess I do know Erik Johnson. Oh my Gosh he will kill me for this as he likes to think he's all mysterious. He's really a big teddy bear. He throws his weight around on the ice and all that, but when we have down time we're usually with our horses and dogs and he loves those animals so much. We have our five dogs and then we foster Berners and Goldens, too. So it's crazy at home sometimes and that's actually how we met; I ride, I've done it since I was five back in Brazil and he raises race horses. And it doesn't help that he looks very good in his jeans on the ranch."

"And on the ice, too. Judging by this comment on the picture you posted of him. Is this what the kids would call thirsty, Ryan?"

"You would have to ask the kids, Kelly."

"Oh my gosh! Stop it!"

"We'll be right back with more Isabel Ramos after the break where we promise to ask her about the crazy second season of her show White Lotus!"

[one year later]

i've got his nights, i've got his name

there ain't no shame in this girl's game

if he were yours you'd do the same without apologizing

@isabel [picture of her and erik lounging by the pool his hand on her butt, wedding ring on display] [picture of them with her hand on his abs, her ring on display]

now playing "bragger" by @kelseaballerini i've got his nights/i've got his name #itsisabeljohnsonbitch

@ISABELRAMOSUPDATES [SCREAMING] OUR GIRL WENT AND DROPPED A WHOLE NEW NAME!!! WE HAVE TO RUN SCREAMING INTO THE NIGHT AS WE CHANGE OUR @ BECAUSE QUEEN HAD A WHOLE SECRET WEDDING!!! AND OMG LOOK AT THAT ROCK!!! ALSO THOSE ABS ON HUBS WE ARE LOOKING AND NOT RESPECTFULLY WE MIGHT BE BACK IDK WE ARE HAVING A FULL ON MELTDOWN GAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!

TMZ newsroom "okay wow wow that is all i have to say!!! wow!!! over the weekend superstar isabel ramos broke the internet with her reveal that she is MARRIED!" harvey yelled.

"you guys," charlie gushed. "this is aaaaamazing. like first of all the pics she dropped were hot af. like look at her! and look at her husband!"

"charlie is plotting how she can reveal jake as her surprise husband," derek joked.

@USWeekly SECRETLY MARRIED!!!!! [pictures of erik and isabel]

Their phones hadn't stopped buzzing and eventually Erik put them on do not disturb. Rolling over so her lithe frame was pinned under his bigger, stronger body, he started to kiss her neck, slow and sweet the way she liked best.

Her back arches, bare breasts rubbing against his bare chest. She sighs softly, her tongue melting with his own as they kiss. Her fingers rake across the muscles in his broad back while his hands mold to her curves, feeling every inch of her porcelain skin.

"Should we get started on a secret baby now?" He asks, lips sucking at her perky breasts. "Who says we haven't been already?" She arches a perfectly shaped brow.

"Izzy," He's the only one who calls her that and hearing it, so soft and hopeful but still with that growling edge because he wants her so bad, makes her heart skip several beats. "It's too soon to know for sure," Her cheeks flush, soft smile on her pretty lips. "But I'm late." She confesses and by the pool, in the hot Denver sun Erik shows her just how bad he wants to start their family if they haven't already.

[ten months later]

if he were a wine he'd be the shelf at the top (top)

if he were a house he'd be the end of the block (block)

walked up to my heart and went knock knock knock

so i've got to show him off

@isabeljohnson this isn't a surprise @6erikjohnson6 and i could keep a secret matteo "matty" david johnson was born yesterday at mount sinai. he weighed in at 7 pounds and twenty one inches long and we couldn't love him more #mama #daddy

[picture of isabel, erik and matty]

#erik johnson #erik johnson x oc #colorado avalanche #fanfiction #hockey fanfiction #hockey rpf #erik johnson imagine #hockey imagines

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imperfectlyxangelic · 1 year

Text

This song as a series with either Erik or Adonis would be so dope.

It could be about a girl (at least 18) and her forbidden relationship with Erik or Adonis (at least early 20s) because her mother feels like he’s not good enough for her, he’s a gangster/drug dealer or whatever, he’s rumored to be involved with other women… etc, etc. but she continues to sneak around with him until her mother finds out and threatens to disown her unless she leaves him alone…

Somebody make this happen!!! Please!!!

#erik killmonger fanfiction #adonis creed fanfiction #I prefer it to be adonis because there aren’t many adonis fanfics out there #but I guess Erik is fine because I think that whole thing I came up with fits him more 🤷🏾‍♀️#erik killmonger #adonis creed #adonis johnson fanfiction #adonis johnson #Spotify

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night-unfurls-its-splendour · 1 year

Text

When the Longing Returns

Phantom of the Opera (2004) Fanfiction

Chapter 2

Read a spicier version on AO3

Read chapter 1 here

Pairing: Erik (The Phantom) x Christine Daaé

Rating: M

Chapter Summary: The Phantom returns Christine to the Opera Populaire, where she must conceal her new attachment to the Phantom from Raoul.

Chapter Word Count: 5,690

You can now enjoy this chapter with my custom made immersive soundscapes! Follow the links in the story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Music is the only sensual pleasure without vice. ~ Samuel Johnson

~~~~~~

Christine grasped the Phantom's hand as he led her through the cemetery gate to where the barouche and horses stood waiting. She looked at the empty driver's seat and only then fully realized that it was he who had driven her there. She had been so caught up in her inner musings she hadn't even noticed who was driving when they departed the opera house.

But if the Phantom had brought her, what had happened to the driver?

A sudden anxiety gripped Christine's heart and she stumbled.

Immediately sensible of her faltering, the Phantom turned, reaching out and taking her upper arm to steady her. The mere sensation of his stable hold eased her, but the fear that had made her stagger reminded her that those same strong hands were not beyond choking the life from a man.

He could see instantly that something in her was amiss.

"Christine?" His voice was soft, concerned.

Hers was quiet, but surprisingly steady as she asked, "Where is the coach driver?"

His eyes studied her face as he took in her question, and she thought she saw a flash of dark humor in them.

"In the carriage house, unconscious," he replied, looking forward as he began to walk again. Christine followed, feeling relief begin to slowly relax her tense muscles. "I knocked him out, then gave him a sedative; he's quite unharmed, I assure you," he continued, before glancing back at her, the flawless, unmasked side of his face bearing an arch expression. "Were you afraid that perhaps I'd killed him?"

Christine felt her stomach tighten as he said aloud exactly what she had been thinking for that brief, horrible moment. It was silent but for the soft crunch of their footsteps over the frosty ground as she considered how best to reply to his supposition.

"You've killed before," she said quietly, and despite the tremor in her voice, and her crystal clear recollection of the horrific thud and the sight of the body that had crashed down to the stage—her hand nevertheless tightened around his as he pulled her along.

"Yes, I have..." he said after a moment, his voice almost as quiet as hers as he felt her grip his hand.

They had reached the carriage now and he turned to face her again, silently staring; marveling that, in spite of her obvious disquiet regarding his guilt, she still stood there with her hand clasped trustingly in his, and his ring on her finger.

He lifted his still-gloveless left hand and reached slowly, cautiously, toward her face. Still, she did not flinch from his touch. It was the very first time he'd ever touched her face with his bare hand. His breath caught at the first moment of contact, and Christine felt hers leave her in a sudden rush as well. As his palm came to rest on the side of her face, he stroked her cheekbone reverently with his thumb and savored the smooth softness of her skin.

His eyes were soft as she accepted his touch, and her gaze drank in the tenderness that flooded his. Her hand came up to rest over his, lovingly, comfortingly.

His eyelids slid closed, and he had to take a deep breath before he could speak again. "I am not..." he paused, desperately searching for adequate words to ease her, "...not a senseless killer, Christine," he said softly, looking down to her again, his eyes pleading and gentle.

The words he'd found were not remotely adequate, he knew, but for the moment, if they gave her any solace, they would have to suffice.

Christine could not interpret all of the emotions on his face, but she felt his plea, and nodded her head in understanding.

Slowly, she drew closer to him, letting him hold her as she rested her head against his chest and felt his heartbeat under her cheek. She inhaled deeply and tried to discern each note in his unique scent: the silk of his waistcoat... the earthy tang of the subterranean tunnels he frequented... hints of many exotic spices... alcohol, but something rich and pleasant; cognac, perhaps?... and the mellow, floral sweetness of roses. It took several deep, intoxicating pulls for her to identify all these notes and there was more, much more to decipher. She would have time to apprehend them all. But not right now.

She resented that she could not remain there longer, but the clouds and fog of the early morning were thinning with the approach of dawn. Allowing herself just a few moments more in the warmth of his arms, she finally lifted her face to his.

"You must take me back now," she said grudgingly.

He nodded, stroking her face again, still in awe of her affection. That he should have to return her again, when he finally had her, uncoerced, in his arms! It was a torture, but a necessity. He could bear it only because he knew that he would have other opportunities to embrace her soon enough. "No one must know anything has changed between us," he said solemnly. "Carry on as you have done until now. I will return you in the carriage. Once it has stopped inside the coach house, I will leave you. If you are noticed returning, tell the truth: you visited the cemetery, you didn't notice the driver."

"Yes," Christine said, listening intently to his instruction as he helped her into the barouche.

"You will come to me tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow?" she asked, confused, and slightly dismayed.

"Did you sleep well last night?" He asked in a subtly pointed tone. Christine had more than an inkling that he knew exactly how much rest she'd gotten—which was not much at all. She had drifted in and out of sleep, but the moon had seemed too bright, and her head and heart too full of agitating thoughts and emotions for her to stay at rest very long before she woke again, gasping. After only a short time, she'd stopped trying and lain awake, waiting until it seemed a reasonable hour to wake the porter.

She didn't answer, but blushed slightly, looking sheepishly at him.

"I think I robbed you of enough sleep last night. I would prefer not to deprive you again so soon. You need rest; for your voice and your health."

"I know," she acquiesced. It wasn't the first time she'd heard him admonish her on the subject. The sense of familiarity in it warmed her.

"You should go to bed as soon as possible after you return, so you will be perfectly rested when you come to me tomorrow night. Promise me you will."

Christine was further warmed by the tenderness of this entreaty, and smiled as she responded, "I will, I promise."

The ghost of a smile played on his lips. "Good. Now that you've returned to me, I have much to teach you."

Christine nodded again, feeling a little surge at that suggestion in his expression. She could not see him sooner, but she knew that he would see her. A wave of nervous excitement washed through her at this knowledge—which might have struck her with a measure of horror just yesterday—and she took no pains to hide it. It was rather like the nervousness she'd often felt when she would sneak to the chapel, sometimes early in the morning, others late at night, for her singing lessons. Similar, but not entirely the same. These tremors reached deeper.

An obstacle then occurred to her—one that hadn't existed when she'd taken her secret lessons with the Angel of Music.

"What about Raoul?" she asked. "He slept outside the dormitory last night; I had to sneak past him to come here. I am sure he means to again tonight, and probably tomorrow night as well."

The Phantom's lip curled ever so slightly at the mention of his rival's name. "I will see to it that he doesn't interfere," he replied in a hard voice.

Seeing a glimmer of worry behind Christine's eyes, his expression softened into one of reassurance. "I'll have Madame Giry take care of it," he clarified. "You have my word, no harm will come to him—only a stern word from a ballet mistress. And, failing that, a harmless sedative." He reached up and allowed himself the liberty of holding her hand once more, squeezing as if to say trust me. She returned the pressure, and he lifted her hand to kiss it again, holding it there for several heartbeats.

Finally letting go, he fixed her with a last, lingering gaze before pulling his glove on, covering his face with a muffler, and climbing into the driver's seat.

The carriage began to roll, and Christine felt an intense mixture of emotions at the enormity of her decisions that morning. She gazed down at the gold ring, running the tip of her index finger fondly over the smooth, smoky stone.

~~~~~

Christine had the length of the return journey to think, which was fortunate, as she had a great deal to consider while she stared up at his back.

The choice she had made was rash, irrational; rooted solely in emotions and not at all in logic or propriety. And there would be much more questionable behavior on her part in the weeks to come.

She was going to break her engagement to Raoul; but first she was going to lie to him outright. Could she sustain this? Continue to receive Raoul's affections, pretending to take comfort in them when her true source of comfort lay elsewhere—in a man she knew Raoul would happily see in prison? Or even dead? Could she so actively deceive her childhood friend and late fiancé?

It seemed that these questions should be a great concern to her, but as she posed them to herself, she found that she already knew the answers, as certainly as she'd ever felt anything.

Yes. She could.

Her greatest challenge now would be continuing a façade of her girlish, wide-eyed fright at the mention of the Phantom; that would be particularly difficult when she so longed for his nearness. It seemed fortunate to her that shivers and shudders could often indicate obverse emotions.

She felt so differently now from how she had the night before; resolute and purposeful. It was a relief to no longer be haunted by her repressed emotions flapping in the back of her mind, like a bat trapped in a cage. This engagement was just as secret as hers to Raoul had been, and the consequences of it being discovered of a much more dire magnitude, and yet, somehow, she felt so much... freer with the Phantom's ring on her finger than she had with Raoul's around her neck.

She looked down at the dark stone in its simple, elegant setting again. It fit her, and it was of slender enough proportions that it did not look out of place on her delicate white hand, but it was very plainly not made for a woman. This was his ring; taken from his hand and given to her—not just a symbol of promise, but a token of himself. It was an incredibly, almost overwhelmingly, intimate favor, and Christine loathed the idea of having to go through the day hiding it from view. A chain would not do now, she thought. Chains could be lost... stolen. She would have to secrete this treasure closer to her person.

As they re-entered the city, Christine pulled herself from her inner thoughts and was forced to focus on her present task. Her heart was pounding again, from anxiety now, rather than the more pleasant, passionate excitement she'd experienced in the cemetery.

Working to calm herself, she reluctantly slid his ring from her finger and clutched it for a moment, feeling it dig into her palm; then she tucked it down the front of her bodice where she knew it would be safe.

As she did so she glanced up to look at the broad line of his back and shoulders again, and saw his head half-turned to look back at her. His mask concealed his expression, but his gaze caught hers briefly before he turned forward again.

The multitudes held in that sparkling eye as it connected with hers! He had seen her tuck the ring away; seen that she had chosen to hide it, not in a pocket, not in her sleeve, but in such an intimate area, where it would be concealed, but very much felt.

She was glad of his notice; glad to see, in his smoldering blue eye, that mixture of awe and triumph and a hundred other emotions so knotted together she could not distinguish them all.

Emboldened by the deep understanding of this silent, charged exchange, Christine took a deep breath and steadied herself as they approached the opera house.

~~~~~

The carriage rolled around to the coach house and Christine felt sweat begin to prickle on her palms. She clutched hastily at her cloak to dry them. The roll slowed, and the conveyance lurched before finally coming to a halt.

As soon as the horses were still, the Phantom swept down from the driver's seat—performing this maneuver with an almost shocking speed and grace—and darted into the shadows. He paused only once, to glance back at her, before disappearing around the corner.

Swallowing and allowing her previous expression of distracted contemplation return, she climbed out of the barouche. She'd not taken three steps when...

"Christine!"

It was Raoul's voice. He was rushing toward her, his face in transition from an expression of extreme anxiety to one of profound alleviation. He must have awoken only shortly before their arrival; he looked very disheveled and hadn't properly dressed—just in his shirt, trousers, and shoes (how he'd slept the previous night)—in an evidently distraught haste to find her.

"Christine! Thank God, thank God!" He threw his arms around her, crushing her with the force of his relief. "My God, Christine, I looked everywhere for you," he said, taking the right side of her face in his hand. She appreciated the care in his touch, but it did not stir her. "I was so terrified, I thought—"

Christine cut him off. She knew exactly what he'd feared. "I'm sorry, Raoul." The apology was most sincere; she was not insensible of the alarm she'd caused him. How could she be when his concerned eyes darted across her face so? "I didn't mean to worry you. I'm perfectly fine," she said, placing her hand on his and gently pulling it away from her face. It felt wrong to let him touch, so easily, the exact place where the Phantom's cautious and supplicant hand had rested not an hour before.

Of course, Raoul couldn't know that what he held was no longer his (if, indeed, it ever truly had been), so she cloaked her motive in how she held his hand with care, conveying to him only reassurance that he need not worry for her. It seemed to her a natural enough response.

Raoul must not have found anything unusual in this action or in her eyes, because he simply held her to him again, hugging her fiercely. The force of it caused the Phantom's ring in her bodice to shift until it was nestled between her breasts. She had to work very hard not to gasp at this sensation.

"Where did you go at such an early hour?"

"To the cemetery; to visit my father," she replied, keeping her voice solemn and steady. Raoul would surely understand this desire.

"Of course," he said sympathetically. "But you..." He became still suddenly, like a stone, his eyes fixed on a point over her shoulder.

"Raoul? What…?" She turned to follow his gaze, already knowing that it rested on the empty driver's seat, and the horses, unattended to and still hitched to the carriage. He let go of her just as suddenly as he'd frozen and darted to the porter's office. Christine knew what he would find there: the porter, asleep.

Raoul turned to look at the barouche again, his mind working feverishly behind his eyes. "But then who...?" he wondered aloud, then exclaimed as enlightenment struck, "Dear God!" He rushed back to her and took hold of her shoulders. "What happened, Christine? Tell me exactly!" he demanded, his voice full of panic.

His eyes were intensely bright and paranoid. Christine knew it was out of concern for her safety, but it almost frightened her. She let herself feel that hint of fear as she replied in a tone of upset confusion.

"I-I came down and woke the porter," she started, her brow furrowing in concentration. "He was rather groggy—I think he must have fallen asleep drunk last night..." This was true; she had found him very much in that state, and there had been a great deal of partying with drink backstage during the masque. "I paid him and told him I wished to visit the cemetery, and then I went to dress and fetch a coat. When I came back, the carriage was ready, and I climbed in."

"Did you not see who was driving?"

"N-no, I didn't notice—it was foggy, and I was very much in my thoughts. Why...?"

Raoul's hands gripped her shoulders harder, shaking her slightly.

"The porter is asleep, Christine—he couldn't have driven you!"

She cast back to what her reaction to this leading revelation might have been twenty-four hours ago, gasping as if a horrifying conclusion had just dawned on her. "Raoul!" She clutched his forearms in terror, the exclamation a breathless whisper.

He held her to him again in a consoling embrace she knew too well. This was the first time she hadn't actually taken any comfort in it, but she pressed her hands to his shoulders as if she did all the same.

After a few moments he pulled away to look her in the face again. "Christine, why didn't you wake me?" he asked, his tone bewildered and reproachful. "If you wanted to visit your father's grave, you should have told me; I'd have gone with you."

She knew that.

I didn't want you to, she thought with a slight rush of irritation at his... obtuseness. But she mustn't say that to him out loud—not in so many words. "I... I just wanted to be alone, Raoul."

"You mustn't be so foolish," he told her, almost a reprimand. She didn't like it, and it must have shown on her face, because he then softened slightly. "I'm sorry, Christine, I don't mean to sound harsh; but really, you mustn't go off on your own! It's a miracle that... that monster didn't carry you away..."

Christine hid the surge of indignation she felt at his use of the epithet, fighting to keep it from breaking into her face, but she couldn't prevent her grip on his arms from tightening, harder than she believed possible of herself. She played it off as a fright. Raoul noticed. "Oh, Christine, don't think of it," he said soothingly, stroking her hair.

Then his expression became puzzled, his gaze drifting in thought. "But...why didn't he?" His eyes darted back to her, perplexed. "Why didn't he kidnap you?"

"I—" Christine's brow furrowed quite naturally, though there was no mystery for her to unravel. "I don't know, Raoul." Her voice was soft, trembling almost as if in fear. An expression of worry she did not feel stole over her face and into her eyes.

The enigma seemed to disturb Raoul even more than the potential danger, the lines in his brow deepening as he searched for an explanation. "Perhaps... perhaps his only goal was to taunt us…."

"But why? If I'm what he wants, why taunt us at all? Why would he not just... take me?" Something inside her quivered at her own choice of words.

"Hubris?" he suggested, his voice thick with contempt. "We already know how exceedingly arrogant he is."

Despite a clear measure of satisfaction in his own deduction, Raoul still looked disconcerted by the Phantom's apparently anomalous behavior.

He shook his head, and focused on Christine again. "Enough of that for now, dearest. Put it from your mind, as much as you can. Look at you," he lamented, stroking under her eye with his thumb. "You look as though you barely slept."

"I barely did sleep," she responded meekly. "I was too disturbed to get any rest. It was the reason I wanted to go to my father's grave. I always find a sense of solace there. I hoped a visit would help to calm my mind."

"Did it?"

"Yes, actually," Christine replied placidly. "More so than I had even expected."

This seemed to bring some relief to Raoul. He would not have been so eased by her words if he could know the true reason why the journey had brought her such serenity.

Christine almost felt ashamed.

Almost.

"Then I insist you go back to bed at once, and get some proper sleep," Raoul said firmly, in a tone that brooked no further comment as he linked her arm through his. "You must rest, Little Lotte."

Christine smiled at the nickname.

To Raoul this smile would look like one of fond reminiscence. But in truth, she'd grown tired of being called by her childhood nickname.

It was patronizing, and abrasive.

She was sure he'd not meant to be; that he said it out of a desire to draw her thoughts back to a time of ease and happiness. But she'd been living in that time with him for months, and dolls and goblins and shoes were no longer subjects with which she wished to occupy herself... not when she had the Angel of Music to sing songs in her head.

So she smiled. Not out of fondness for the name, but out of a sympathetic appreciation for the best reason he could have had for using it.

Raoul took a moment to wake the porter—who roused with a little difficulty and a bad headache but was, otherwise, perfectly unharmed, just as the Phantom had promised he would be—and help him see to the horses. The porter thanked the vicomte for his kind condescension and apologized profusely for his own negligence.

As this interaction took place, Christine stood with her arms crossed over her chest in the shadowy doorway which led back to the opera house proper, gazing at the corner around which the Phantom had disappeared.

"Brava, brava, bravissima~" a ghostly, melodious voice whispered from some dark corner nearby—or perhaps from within the very wall.

Christine's pulse raced and her breath shuddered at the sudden and unexpected sound of his voice, luxuriant with praise. She felt almost as though he were standing right behind her, and imagined feeling his breath on the back of her neck. She hugged herself little tighter, and the metal of the ring hidden in her bosom suddenly felt especially warm. She relished it, and wondered if he could see the blush rising in her face from wherever he was hidden.

She made no response other than these reactions, unable to risk Raoul noticing her talking, apparently, to herself; but Christine somehow knew that no other reply was needed—all was understood.

Raoul was soon finished with the porter, and, having told him that he would have more questions for him later, rejoined Christine (who had, by now, recomposed herself) and led her back inside.

On the way to the dormitory, they met Madame Giry, who was, of course, relieved to know that Christine was returned safely, and quite understanding of the fact that she had slept very poorly. All things considered, the girl could not be grudged a few hours more sleep.

When they reached the dormitory, Raoul kissed her once—uninhibited, as always—on the lips, and then again, on her forehead, before retreating so that she could undress. Would he guard her all day as well?

Once the door was closed and she was alone, she took the Phantom's ring out of its hiding place and admired it, fondling the warm metal between her still-chilly fingers just briefly before placing it under her pillow. She began to undress and, as she loosened the laces of her corset, stopped for a moment. He was there; she could always tell. Could he see her? Her face became very hot at the thought, but she resumed her action, her hands shaking when she unslotted the studs in the front of the corset to remove it, which she did without hesitation. Clad only in her cotton chemise, she crawled into her bunk, smiling, and lay down, rolling onto her side and curling up contentedly with half her face buried in her pillow.

She was very tired after the cold walk in the cemetery and from the tumult of emotions she'd experienced from midnight to dawn. The morning light now streaming in her window didn't bother her at all as she settled under her covers. She felt under her pillow for the gold ring and drew it out. The dark cat's eye stone it held had looked a rich bluish gray when she'd examined it in the faint light of dawn, but in the sunlight, it now seemed closer to green. She pondered this trick of the light briefly, and then kissed the treasured symbol before hiding it under the pillow again, holding it fast in her hand and drifting easily into the slumber that had evaded her the previous night.

~~~~~

In a passage beneath the opera house, the Phantom leaned against a wall; this, his first opportunity to properly examine the morning's haps and comprehend them—or attempt to.

The frames of the events swam in his head in total disorder, Christine's face the central feature of every picture. This was nothing new—but how changed everything else was.

Her performance in the carriage house had been magnificent.

Christine was not a devious creature by nature, he knew. Yet how perfectly she had beguiled the vicomte. How superbly she had played the mortified ingenue, clutching at her dashing hero and shaking in terror. It had so delighted him to watch her dupe the over-righteous whelp, that he had almost laughed aloud at how absolutely the gallant idiot had swallowed her affectations of dread.

She had followed his instructions exactly, and had met every query the damned fool had posed to her with aplomb. Further, she had used her own intuition to play to his boyish affection, while simultaneously deflecting his touches with such subtlety that the Phantom himself would almost have been convinced that nothing had changed in her feelings for her erstwhile lover, had he not known her face and mannerisms so well. He could see her underlying coolness at the vicomte's touch—especially because he could now compare it to the warmth she had exuded at his own.

The excellence of her acting and her nuanced defenses against the insolent boy's touches, however, did not mean that it had been easy to watch as he presumed to put his hands on Christine the way he did. Seeing him hold her or touch her face in such a cavalier manner had made him seethe, but when he'd shaken her, the Phantom had wanted nothing more than to cut the vicomte's hands off at his limp wrists. Christine had borne it dutifully, though. And all for his sake.

Only a very profound emotion could have compelled Christine Daaé to justify such willful falseness. And the boy had been utterly taken in. The young nobleman must truly never have known the joy of experiencing Christine's passion, even when they'd kissed so joyously on the rooftop—surely if he had, he would not have been able to mistake the sedate affection she had just now shown him for true love.

A small, hateful voice in the back of the Phantom's mind whispered for a moment that perhaps she was naturally deceitful and that it was he whom she was deceiving.

He beat that notion down.

He'd known her too long. Long before she'd had any idea there was a man behind the Angel of Music to deceive, she had shown daily in her behavior that the core of her character was both compassionate and honest.

And—he thought, a gentle weakness stealing over him—he could not disbelieve the instant, blushing exhilaration in her face as he had whispered his praise to her from the shadows (nothing like the timid humility she had always shown when he used to praise her as the Angel); or the trusting hand that had squeezed his, even as he acknowledged his guilt of murder.

Her expression of tenderness as he reached out and touched her face had been too ardent, the warmth in her eyes when he'd taken his ring from his finger and placed it on hers too pure. It was same welcoming warmth as when she'd first approached him and allowed him to fold her in his embrace. He couldn't bring himself to mistrust the earnestness with which she had clung to him and begged, with her breast heaving and rosy lips parted, for him to kiss her.

This could not be real—couldn't be true, he'd thought at the time. She could not be coming to him so readily... and yet could all of his senses delude him at once? Her voice requested, her eyes pleaded; her arms, her hands, clutched herself to him; and then, when, finally, he gave in to this astounding advance, her lips had guided his, and given them the courage which his doubt had tried to subdue.

He could still feel the reassuring warmth of her loving hand on his face, and then the heat of her mouth against his. The memories were a healing balm to his cracked soul.

It was too much, he thought now, as he slumped further against the wall. His legs felt weak just from remembering her pleasured moan as he'd gripped her waist, let his fingers dig into her, and forced the length of her body flush with his. Lust had begun to surge in him then, but nothing had risen from his passion because the emotion had just been too overwhelming. He'd not been prepared for the sensations to overpower him so. The reality of what was happening, of the fact that his hands had produced that sound from her--perhaps the very first time such a sound had ever escaped her--and the way it had poured right into his mouth... it had nearly crippled him. And then, at that vulnerable moment, he'd remembered that she had promised herself to that milksop of a vicomte! The only reason she did not wear Raoul de Chagny's ring was because he had stolen it from her neck. Surely then, this was a single kindness she'd chosen to bestow upon him—perhaps out of pity—which would never be repeated. His ardour had guttered in the cold wind of that thought.

But he'd been blessedly wrong. Her beseeching fervor had been wholly in earnest. There was a fire in her eyes as she affirmed it, and his all-but-extinguished passion had returned; but he had controlled it, though her zealous kiss had done its best to sorely test him.

And control had been difficult, but it was well worth the effort.

She'd come willingly to him, without shyness or apprehension, and it was even sweeter than in his dreams.

He couldn't have said exactly when the dreams had started—perhaps a little over a year ago—but it was around the time he'd begun to realize that the fondness and sense of kinship he felt for his protégé (emotions already so unique and foreign to him) had evolved into something much deeper; an intense love, a desperate longing, and he'd made up his mind to win her.

Whether the dreams had precipitated this epiphany, or been the results of it, he was equally unsure.

He allowed himself to sink to his knees in the shadowy passage; to sink into the truth of his fresh memories of the real Christine Daaé—not a siren in his imagination—actually seeking his love and offering hers in return.

She had come to him, imploring, "Kiss me, my Angel..."

It was not just a hope that he now held in his mind and hear as he knelt in the stygian shadows. The images in his thoughts were real, and they were just the beginning—a foretaste of a more complete union.

I will not leave you now.

She had declared herself for him, and the evidence of her blossoming desire, which had first begun to show themselves in his lair so many months ago, had all been made manifest in one morning—in her ruby lips; her dark, gleaming eyes; her enthusiastic kisses, her readiness to hold him and be held by him.

She had his ring... it had made him shake, to kiss that ring as it rested against her flawless knuckle, and the memory of seeing it there made him shake now. It was mere metal and stone, but it was his possession, and it was hers now. As he was.

All he was and all he had was entrusted to her, and she knew it. She accepted it; not only that, she kept the precious, gem-crowned band intimately close, even when she needed to hide it. The look on her face when she'd glanced up and seen him watching as the ring disappeared under the black, trimmed neckline, cut so very low—how his veins had sung at that moment! Deeply intimate, subtly erotic... and then the fervent sweetness with which she kissed it as she went to sleep....

She was his, and he would have her completely soon enough, he felt confident (he allowed himself confidence, but dared not presume certainty)—but all in time.

At the right time.

~~~

Author's Notes

#poto fanfiction #when the longing returns #erik x christine #phantom of the opera fanfiction #poto e/c #eristine #e/c

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holy-puckslibrary · 5 months

Text

━ 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄.

-ˏˋ. 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ˊˎ-

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 — dilf!erik johnson x ex-nanny!reader

𝐰𝐜 — 2.1k

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 — “you stuffed your bird, now its my turn.” — or, how erik and his nanny-turned-girlfriend spend their first thanksgiving as a couple.

18+ MDNI — content warnings under the cut.

𝐜𝐰 — mention of children, innuendo, profanity, unintentional risky location + exhibitionism, breeding kink + cum play, minor breath play, mention of birth control use, oral + fingering (f receiving), a lil bit of overstim, mention of food, minor EJ housewife kink lolz, d/s dynamics, spiritual iteration of my weird attachment to “birdie” as a pet name / the colloquial use of “bird” in the 60s/70s, discussion of serious commitments + a fun little cameo at the end!

ERIK’S SMIRK IS MOLTEN ON YOUR SKIN.

A day-old shadow blankets your body in goosebumps as he snuggles his warmed face into the crook of your neck, softly humming to himself as you enjoy the brief reprieve from the holiday hustle and bustle.

It’s wonderfully domestic.

Right down to his wandering hands…

Under the guise of assisting with the smorgasbord of desserts, your boyfriend—newly minted and proud of it—slipped out of the crowded dining room hot on your heels. While various family members and other loved ones groggily delighted in Erik’s affinity for the quieter acts of service, one glance at his charged countenance and you knew his motivations were decidedly un-wholesome.

You slice half a pumpkin pie before he bends you over the kitchen island.

────────────

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kailyn-writes · 2 years

Note

congrats on 100 followers!!!!!! so well deserved 💓

may i please request 129 from prompt list 2 (“i told you i’d come home to you.”) with the toothless love of our lives, erik johnson?

thank you, happy writing, and again congratulations 🎉

word count: 1k

warnings: mentions of menstruation, tw pregnancy scare.

The day you left Erik Johnson was one of the hardest days of your life. The two of you hadn’t been doing well for quite some time, though neither of you were willing to admit it. The fighting had become a daily thing, both of you snapping at the other over nothing. It didn’t help that it had been over two months since you had been intimate with each other.

You told Erik that you were going to spend some time with your family, something you hadn’t been able to do for a couple of years. You packed a bag and booked a flight and left that next morning. Erik dropped you off at the airport, wordlessly saying goodbye with a soft kiss to your forehead.

“I’ll be home soon. Love you.” It wasn’t a total lie, you loved Erik very much, but was it enough?

You spent three amazing weeks with your family; Your sister brought her kids over on the weekends and you relished the time with the young children. You’d wanted kids for as long as you could remember, but the timing never seemed to be right and now you weren’t sure you had the right person for it.

Your mother had known that something was up. You hadn’t really told her anything except that you were coming to stay with them for a bit and the day that you arrived, you spilled everything to your mother. It wasn’t like you to keep something this big from her, she was one of your favorite people in the entire world, she always had the best advice. She always knew exactly what to say to ease your worries. She also always knew when you weren’t feeling like yourself.

For the last few weeks, you’d felt off. You couldn’t pinpoint why or exactly how, just that something didn’t feel right. You were more tired than normal, you’d been craving sweets more than normal and your jeans didn’t seem to fit right, even though the scale didn’t reflect any weight gain.

Your mother didn’t pester you about these things, until the very end of your trip. You had two days left before you flew back to Denver and you were trying to soak in the last of the relaxation before going back to your crazy schedule. You were napping on their couch, a throw blanket covering your legs, when you felt a bag drop into your lap.

Opening your eyes, you frowned at your mother, who was standing behind the couch. You reached into the bag and pulled out a pregnancy test and a candy bar. Chuckling, you rolled your eyes and dropped both of the items back into the bag.You knew what it sounded like when you told your mom how you were feeling, but you’d had your period just a few weeks ago.

“Go pee on the stick, love.” Your mother says, patting your hand gently. She walks away and you begrudgingly get up and head for the bathroom, bag in hand

Peeing on the stick was the easy part. Waiting for the time on your phone to go off was much harder. You couldn’t help the ‘what ifs’ that filled your head; What if you actually were pregnant? What if Erik didn’t want to have a kid with you? What if you went home and before you could tell him, he broke up with you? How would you even tell him?

The timer beeped loudly beside you, pulling you from your thoughts. You grabbed the test with shaky hands, eyes closed as you took a shaky breath before opening them.

Negative.

Relief and sadness washed over you. You weren’t pregnant. You knew, though, that you loved Erik and you wanted to have a family with him. You knew that you were going to have to fight for this relationship like you’d never fought before.

“Honey, is everything okay in there?” Your mom asks, knocking softly on the door. You sniffle, opening it.

“‘M not pregnant, momma.” You say, handing her the stick. She sighs, moving to rub your back gently.

“Are you sad about that?” She asks and you huff a bit, shrugging.

“A little. I want a baby, but I want my relationship to be solid before I have one.” You say and she nods.

“Smart girl. Now come on, dinner is almost ready.”

That next morning, your parents drop you off at the airport. Your dad hugs you and kisses your cheek, telling you to be good. Your mom has tears in her eyes as she hugs you, something that happened every time you left their home.

“Go work it out with Erik. That boy loves you so much, I see it in the way he looks at you.” She whispers as she rubs your back. You nod, sniffling.

Your flight back is easy enough. You’d texted Erik before you took off that morning, asking him to pick you up and attaching your flight details. He hadn’t responded, though he’d opened the message shortly after you sent it.

You took your time getting off the plane and heading for baggage claim, unsure of what was awaiting you. It didn’t take you long to spot Erik, though. He was waiting near baggage claim, a bouquet of your favorite flowers in his hands. He had bags under his eyes, which were bloodshot from lack of sleep. He smiled a soft toothless smile, though, and your heart fluttered just as it always did. You let your suitcase drop as you quickly made your way towards him, jumping at the very last second to wrap your arms and legs around him, koala style.

“Thank you for coming back.” He whispered into your hair, kissing the top of your head gently. Both of you were crying, holding tight to each other.

“I told you I’d come home to you.” You say, looking up at him. He leans down, pressing a tentative kiss to your lips, which you return.

In that moment, it felt like everything would be okay.

#erik johnson x reader #erik johnson blurb #nhl imagine #nhl writing #nhl fic #nhl fanfiction #nhl imagines #tw: pregnancy scare #erik johnson imagine #kailyn celebrates a milestone

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kniesyswrld · 3 years

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#hockey imagine #hockey smut #nhl fanfiction #nhl imagine #nhl smut #hockey #nhl #mat barzal imagine #hockey fic #nhl x reader #auston matthews #tyler seguin #marc andre fleury #jack hughes #kasperi kapanen #brad marchand #elias pettersson #erik johnson

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ghstandpucks · 3 years

Text

Like Father Like Son ~ Erik Johnson

Hope you like it! Requests are open!

Request/Summary: Can I request something involving like dad Erik Johnson? Something along the lines of a family.

Master List

You were watching your toddler run after their 5-year-old brother in the backyard through the kitchen window as you finished up the dishes from lunch. As you were drying your hands off, your phone started to ring. “Hey love,” you answered, smiling at your husband’s toothless grin.

“Hey baby. How is everything going? How are the kids?” Erik fired off and you could tell he was getting ready to board the plane home. After a two week stretch on the road, you were happy it was coming to an end. You knew marrying him that the road trips and time apart were hard, but now juggling two kids you missed him even more. While he was gone, you had to play both mom and dad.

“They’re good. Lily is chasing Zayden around. Let me go get them,” you said, heading to the open door.

“Wait Y/N. How are you doing?” Erik asked quickly, and you stopped just outside the house.

“I’m good,” you smiled at him, but Erik studied your face for a moment.

“You look tired,” he said quietly, taking a seat on the plane.

“No more tired than you are,” you countered with a sigh. To be honest, you were utterly exhausted. Zayden had just started hockey and Lily had just started a tiny tots ballet class. Running them both around to practices had you falling asleep the moment your head hit the pillow. Thankfully Linnea took dance classes at the same studio, so Mel would pick Lily up once a week while you ran Zayden and Lucas to hockey. The next week you would switch, taking the girls while Mel took the boys. It helped that the boys were the same age and on the same team. You could see Erik starting to worry, so you waved him off. “I’m fine babe, I promise,” you said, walking out to your kids. Upon spotting you, your youngest ran over and you lifted her up. “Say hi to daddy!”

“Dadda!” Lily squealed, blowing kisses at the screen with her little hand.

“Hey princess!” Erik cooed.

“Dad!” Zayden yelled as you bent down and handed him the phone.

“Hey bud! What’s up?” Erik asked. You sat on the grass with your daughter as your son told Erik all about practice the other day. Zayden was always so excited to tell Erik about his hockey practices. Whenever he would do something, he would always come skating over to you, asking if he looked like his dad. Erik smiled and asked questions as he talked with your son, Lily starting to get fussy as her nap time was coming up. After another 5 minutes, the plane was going to be taking off and Erik had to hang up. “I love you all. I’ll be home soon. Be good for your mother,” he said, winking at you before hanging up.

You were putting Lily down for bed that evening when you heard the front door open and Zayden’s feet padding through the hallway. Making sure Lily was tucked in and already asleep, you left her room and walked toward the kitchen where you heard voices coming from. Walking around the corner, you smiled at the sight before you. Zayden was sitting on the counter swinging his legs around happily as he caught your husband up on the last two weeks. Erik was solely concentrated on his son when you came up behind him and wrapped your arms around his sternum. “And Mommy let us have ice cream after bed time on Friday!”

“Oh did she now?” Erik turned to look at you.

“Bud, that was our secret,” you laughed, going to tickle your son.

“Don’t make him have secrets from me,” Erik grabbed your waist and pulled you away from Zayden while laughing.

“But Dad, you said not tell Mommy when we got slushies…”

“Hey! Don’t tattle,” Erik teased your son while picking him up off the counter and throwing him over his shoulder. Zayden was giggling away as Erik put him to bed, then went to say goodnight to Lily. When he walked into your bedroom, you were busy sorting through his suitcase, taking out everything that needed to be washed. “It’s late. I’ll do that tomorrow,” Erik said, pulling you off the floor and into his lap as he sat on the bed.

“We have Zayden’s game tomorrow,” you reminded him, turning so you could face him.

“Then I’ll do it after. Just let me spend some time with my wife,” he pulled you into a soft kiss. You pulled back and rested your forehead on his.

“You can spend time with me even if I’m unpacking your stuff,” you argued. You hated when he left his bag sitting around. Erik leaned back onto the bed, taking you with him.

“We wouldn’t be doing what I actually want to do though,” he whined, flipping you over so your back was on the mattress and he was hovering over you, trailing kisses down your neck.

“Mr. Johnson,” you said, teasingly scandalized.

“Mrs. Johnson,” Erik smirked back at you. You shook your head, pulling him down for another kiss.

“We have to be quiet.” You whispered against his lips.

“Yes ma’am.”

~ ~ ~

“They’re going the wrong direction,” Mel pointed out as you watched Zayden and Lucas skate together to the wrong side of the rink. They were taking the puck back to their own goalie.

“Zayden, baby! The other way!” you tried to yell over the other parents, plus Erik’s and Gabe’s laughter. Zayden passed the puck rather slowly to Lucas, and Lucas shot it past the goalie. You and Mel just looked at each other as your husbands stood up to cheer very loudly; Lily in Erik’s arms and Linnea jumping on the bench to cheer with her dad. Zayden and Lucas decided to chest bump in celebration, and they both lost balance and fell onto the ice. Laughing as they stood up and cheering along, you were happy the refs did not count the goal as you would have to explain to two very sad 5-year old’s that they scored on their own side.

“I’m slightly terrified at how much you two are wearing off on our children,” Mel laughed, looking over at Gabe and you nodded in agreeance.

The game ended, Zayden actually scoring a goal in the correct net. You were so proud of him, and he was so excited to have Erik there watching his game this time. After the game, some of the boys were still skating and messing around. You were standing at the boards with Erik when Zayden skated over to you and handed you his helmet with his mouth guard attached to it. His dirty blonde hair was all sweaty, sticking out at weird angles. You absentmindedly ran your fingers through it to try and calm it. “Mom, Dad, watch this!” he said, skating away from you. He went to look behind him at the two of you to make sure you were watching, then lost his balance as he turned back around. Faceplanting onto the ice, you gasped. Handing Lily off to Mel, you rushed onto the ice behind Erik. When you made it over to Zayden, Erik was already kneeling next to him and guiding him to sit up. You got on your knees and went to help your son.

Large crocodile tears were starting to stream down his face, but beside a red nose he looked mostly fine. “Bud are you okay?” Erik asked, while you fussed over him and wiped his tears away. Zayden nodded, opening his mouth and you almost lost it. Where were his two front teeth? One had been loose, but where were they? There was a little bit of blood and you used the sleeve of your jacket to try and clean it off.

“I fell on my mouth,” Zayden mumbled, trying to be a big boy and not keep crying.

“We see that. Does anything else hurt?” Erik asked, concern showing through. Zayden shook his head, hands coming up to his mouth. Upon feeling the hole where two teeth used to sit, his eyes widened with a look of fear.

“It’s okay, it’s okay!” you tried to calm him. Standing up, Erik easily lifted Zayden and carried him off the ice, you trailing behind the two looking at the ice. It was a little hard to find a small white tooth on the ice though. Erik sat him down on the boards in front of the bench so he could get a better look at Zayden. Beside the teeth, he couldn’t find anything wrong.

“You’re okay Z. Are you sure nothing else hurts?” he asked, and your son nodded. Gabe walked over and patted Zayden’s knee.

“Hey little man, you alright?” he asked and Zayden nodded, trying to smile through his tears. Gabe chuckled and you shot him a death glare. He caught it, and held his hands up in surrender. “No no! Y/n, do you not see it?”

“See what!?” you panicked, overlooking your son again.

“Nothing bad. Zayden, can you smile again?” Gabe asked, and Zayden complied. “You got a little twin there EJ.” Your jaw dropped for a second. Your son did resemble his father, but now you saw why Gabe was laughing. Your little one had no front teeth, just like his father. Erik saw it too, and took his fakes out, grinning at his son. Zayden let out a little laugh and grinned back at his dad.

“I’m just like you daddy!” he squealed, and you could have cried over the sight. He wasn’t crying anymore, but back to being your bubbly son. Though the sight was one of the cutest you had ever seen, you were glad it was only your son’s baby teeth, and he would be getting new permanent ones growing in soon. Not that you minded, obviously you married a man without his front teeth, but you knew the dentist bill would be huge.

“Yes you are! Let’s get you changed and home bud,” Erik took his son to change, and you took Lily out to the car to get her settled into her car seat.

Once home, both kids knocked out on the couch on top of you and Erik. You were running your fingers through Lily’s hair as you looked over at Erik and Zayden, the younger Johnson’s head on his father’s lap as he was fast asleep. “We’re raising a mini you with that one there, aren’t we?” you asked Erik with a smile and small laugh, keeping your voice down. Erik chuckled, looking down at your son before looking at you.

“Let’s just hope that one is a mini you or this house might get very crazy,” he smiled at you, motioning to Lily.

“This house is already crazy,” you laughed and Erik nodded. “I wouldn’t have it any other way though.” Erik reached across the couch for your hand, giving it a little squeeze.

“Neither would I.”

#nhl imagines #nhl fanfiction #nhl fic #erik johnson imagine #erik johnson x reader #colorado avalanche fic #colorado avalanche imagine #nhl imagine

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equallyshaw · 1 year

Text

the medicated series: jamie drysdale pt 2

Warnings: swearing, grieving, medications/hospitals, talk of body issues, talks about weight.

Word Count: 4.8k +

Little Background: Eliza James is the girlfriend of Cale Makar, she has rheumatoid arthritis. She prevously worked at The Pavillion with kids who had dfferent autoimmune diseases and chronic pain. She now works with the orginization. Cale's Masterlist can be found here.

← Part One. & Part Three. →

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Sofia turned over onto her side, watching the morning Denver sun bleed through her new white shades. She sighed, rubbing her eyes trying to get herself to wake up a bit more. Sofia had been in Denver for the past month, adjusting to the mountian air, elevation and treatment. Two days after she flew in with Erik, she met the top neuraologist and rheumatologist at Denver Medical Center - per Erik's help and discretion. He spared no expense for the younger sister, missing games and practices in order to accompany her to numerous doctor appointments and tests. He would also drop her off and pick her up from meetings with a social worker in The Pavillion; that is a center located within the Denver Medical Center for numerous chronic pain and autoimmune conditions. Most notably run previously by Eliza James who now works as a community outreach manager for the avalanche organizaiton. Though Sofia did not know, Erik was having some of the guys over that morning for brunch as well as there other halves and had invited Cale and Eliza over. He was hoping potentially, that she'd convince Sofia to attend talk therapy. She had been pushing it off, convincing herself that she didn't need it or that she could manage without. That proved to not be the case.

Sofia got up and got changed, slowly as possible. In order to not fall or get uncomfortable, she took her time and then went to her connected washroom. She brushed her hair, washed her face and brushed her teeth before putting on her gold earrings to her double pierced ears. She smiled, weakly. She stared at herself in the mirror, taking in who she was. Now. She saw the weight gain that came with MS and the medications it required, she saw the never ending under eye bags from chronic fatigue and restless nights. She saw somebody older than her birth age, 21. She didn't recgonize this Sofia Rose but nevertherless, it's what had been dealt and knew she just had to keep going. What other option was there? Sofia walked out of the office turned bedroom on the first floor, and heard people talking. She sighed and silently cursed herself. Well, cursed Erik for not saying anynthing.

She walked out into the kitchen, across from where the group was having brunch. Erik was the first perosn to notice her starting up the expresso machine, she scrolled mindlessly on her phone trying to ignore the eyes peeling into her. As well as the text messages from Trevor and Jamie. The two would be there that week for a pre season game, and she was nervous. She hadn't spoken to either of them and did not want to. She couldn't bring herself to 'expose' who she was now. Physically, that was. Sofia walked over to the fridge to grab some coffee creamer and as she walked back she looked over and saw some faces looking at her, she smiled and continued what she was doing. Stirring the expresso, she quickly put away the creamer and headed out towards the backyard. Trying to take in some of the last days of hot weather. She sat down on the back steps and sipped her expresso, while also checking her email. She had a social work appointment today to check in with how she was doing physically and see if they wanted to make any adjustments for treatment. She sighed, seeing some messages come in through the text app. Her group of friends out in California, seperate from Jamie was asking her if she was coming back anytime soon. They knew she had MS and were curious to see if she was finishing her last two semesters on time or not. She didn't know, but she knew she would become restless soon. She would need something to focus on and simply, 'distract her' from what was going on.

Back inside, the conversation turned towards Sofia and how she was doing. As soon as Erik left practice that one day to fly out to California they knew something was seriously wrong. Erik would never leave, let alone jet off to another state. And when they came back, they saw less and less of Erik- for good reasons of course. Erik (without Sofia's knowledge) had taken on some guilt and helplessness with everything. How could somebody her age get such a debilitating disease? It did not make sense, and thankfully Eliza has been able to speak to him everyday he is at the arena. Eliza has been giving him advice on how to be there for Sofia, how to be there for himself and how to not put the blame on himself. There was no way that he could of prevented or protected her from getting this disease. Somethnig Eliza's father had done and from time to time still does, when her arthritis is bad. "How is she doing mentally?" Eliza questioned sipping her water. Erik sighed, feeling the tension in his body rise. "She still won't admit that she needs help- mentally. She doesn't do anything besides her daily morning ane evening walks. All she does is read, nap and listen to music. Sometimes she'll bake. But other than that, nothing." He admitted and the team could see him visibly sigh. "I mean im no doctor but I think that's good. I mean not good, but she's getting out and is moving twice a day. Baby steps, EJ. Baby steps." Eliza offered giving him a soft smile and he nodded. "Have her stop by the arena tomorrow if you can. Or I can head over to the pavillion and check in." Eliza continued and Erik nodded, "That'll be good. She has an appointment tomorrow at the Pavillion but she's dropping me off at practice so she can stop in." Erik confirmed and ELiza nodded. "Isn't Jamie coming in tomorrow?" Gabe asked realizing what tomorrow's date was. Erik nodded along with Jackie, "Are they gonna see one another?" Mel questioned and Erik shrugged. "I said that it was up to her, but he's gonna try to force it and she just doesn't need that right now." He confessed and they all nodded, "If I am correct, they are on a break. He calls and texts but she doesn't respond." He concluded and they all nodded. "God, that's rough. They're so young." Bo Byram added and everybody nodded. "You're the same age idiot!" Gabe joked lightheartedly causing everybody to laugh.

Sofia walked in the house to laughter and made her way back to the kitchen before taking off for her morning walk around the neighborhood. "Sofia! Come meet everybody." Erik called over and she sheepishly made her way. Erik said the name of each person at the table and she waved softly, "Hi, im Sofia. The superior Johnson sibiling." She mused causing everybody to agree. Erik put a hand to his heart and pretended to fake sob. "You'll get over it,buddy." She mused before saying goodbye to everybody and walking out the front door.

She made her way back into the house, and to her surprise the guests had left. "Hey Sof!" Erik said from the living room and she made her way into there, curious to see what he wanted. "Hey, Eliza left this for you. She would love to talk to you when you drop me off." He explained handing her the card, "She's the one that worked at The Pavillon who now works with us." He explained after seeing her confused look. She sighed and nodded, walking back into her room to shower. She didn't need help she thought, she was going to get through this on her own. She glad she had walked out of the room or else she would of gone off on him, but he didn't need any of that. Not after everything he had done for her. She hopped out of the shower and brushed her hair, thinking of what she wanted to do that afternoon. Cookies? Yep, she was going to be making cookies. After getting dressed for the day and making sure her hair was untangled she walked into the kitchen ready to make a mess.

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Sofia pulled up to the arena and begged his sister to come in with him, he wanted to show her something. Eliza's office that was. Sofia sighed, agreeing to go look at some merchandise real quickly before heading off to the Pavillion. The two made there way inside, Erik greeting workers that passed. The two got into the elevator and buzzed up to the 6th floor. "Woah." Sofia stated as soon as she saw the window that overlooked the ice. "Yeah." Erik smiled seeing his sister light up with a huge smile. "Oh my god!" She said as she stepped next to the window. She stared at the ice for a few seconds before she heard chatter behind her. She took one last look before turning around and walking back to Erik. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. "That's wickedly cool bro, its so HUGE!" She said using her hands while laughing. She looked in front of her and saw him. Jamie followed Trevors stare and Jamie's eye grew wide. Sofia looked towards Erik before being saved by the angel herself. Eliza quipped, "Sofia!" She smiled with Sofia whipping towards Eliza who rushed towards Sofia; trying to find some comfort. "Sofi-" Erik cut Jamie off, and blocked him from moving past him. "Come on EJ, let me talk to her!" Jamie begged as Eliza shut the door on the guys. Sofia sat down at the chair in the corner, the fluffy one that all the guys took when getting advice from the angel herself; ELiza. Sofia wrapped her arms around herself, trying to make herself small. "Hey, Sofia." Eliza said softly, pulling a chair in front of the sad girl and sitting down. She rested a soft hand on her knee, trying to comfort the girl. "He saw me." She sobbed, and with tha Eliza pulled the girl into her arms. "He saw me, and I-I didn't want him to. Not yet. I wanted to sur-surprise him when I went back out." She said crying. Eliza frowned, trying to piece together what she meant. Sofia gave her clarification. "I've gained so much weight, Eliza. I look so different. I'm just not the kind of girl who dates guys like him." She sobbed, thinking the worst. "Oh Sofia." Eliza cooed, trying to control the shakes the sad girl was having. Eliza pulled back after a few moments and wiped the tears off of Sofia's cheeks and pushed some hair behind her ears. "They're you are, pretty girl." Eliza mused and Sofia softly smiled. "Im im sorry." Sofia apologized and Eliza shook her head. "No, don't ever apologize. Your feelings demand to be felt and released. Don't self doubt yourself Miss superior Johnson." She mused to the younger girl, who nodded sniffling; while cracking a small smile. "Now, why don't we talk some more about Jamie? Or anything you want? Literally anything." Eliza smiled, grabbing two bottles of water for them.

Sofia wiped her nose with a kleenex, "Well Jamie had I have been together for two years. As soon as we both came out to California we met, but didn't date until two years ago. So we met eachother four years ago, he's my best friend. A shoulder to cry on, lean on, best surfing partner and late night dancing pro." She said sipping some water, Eliza listening intently. "But, I don't think we'll be together again. Again, I am not the kind of girl who are seen with him. I've gained 30 pounds since started these medications that are supposed to be helping me. They are, I think I don't have many tremors but - gosh, I wanted to surprise him with the girl he fell in love with." She finished looking at the wall. "Well, unfortuntly. Weight gain is the con we have to take in order to feel better. I've gained,lost and maintained weight since I was diagnosed when I was 12. I was put on a steroid and my god, it loves my body. I can't get off it of it, but the weight gain or water retention is worth my ability to function as normal as possible." Eliza opened up, and Sofia looked towards her. "Yeah, it's not pretty or fun." She shrugged, "But I wouldn't have been able to hike or kayak this summer in BC with Cale. No chance." She finished and Sofia nodded. "And believe me- I was and still am sometimes insecure being with Cale. You see how I am, I am not skinny. I am curvy, I have big boobs and im short so im stumpy looking but Cale loves it. He loves me." She said trying to reassure the girl. Sofia nodded, "A little weight gain makes you hella sexy. Or beautiful. I don't know what you liked to be called." Eliza said making a silly face, causing Sofia to giggle. "So screw what any guy thinks and if that's Jamie so be it. If not, fuck him. Ill let Cale know to heckle him on the ice. Which will probably take a lot of convincing and chicken parmesian but anywho." ELiza trailed off causing Eliza to laugh loudly. Unknown to Eliza and Sofia, but EJ stood with Jamie down the hall. Talking and trying to convince Jamie to not do anything. But then they heard her laugh, "You really think im gonna stay away now hearing that again?" Jamie said looking at EJ like he was dumb. Erik rolled his eyes, "Five minutes and after that I'm grabbing Trev to get you ok?" Erik demanded and Jamie nodded, thanking the older hockey player.

Back in the room, Eliza went on about what she did for the team and what she used to do at the Pavillon. "Oh you have to see Eric! One of my best friends and you have to meet Martha! She loves the team, and is so fucking sassy it kills you. She always has notes ready for Nate when Cale and I go see her." She smiled, pulling out a sheet from her work bag. "Wait? Cale goes and visits?" Sofia questioned and the older girl nodded. "That's where we met actually. Where he pestered me into giving me my number." Eliza joked and Sofia smiled. "Even though it is a little different between Cale and I. With me having it pre realtionship, but from what I have heard from Erik about Jamie- that boy loves you. I would give him a chance, if he's really to be there for you and talk to you." Eliza said, gaging her reaction. "Okay, Ill talk to him." Sofia announced and Eliza smiled. "Here's my personal cell number, incase you need to talk to somebody day or night. I gotcha girl." Eliza smiled writing her number on a sheet of paper and handing it to the girl. Sofia smiled widely as she wrapped her arms around the older girl. ELiza smiled, before pulling apart. "And it's Sofie or Sof. That's what my friends and family call me." Sofia mused and Eliza nodded, before walking over to the door and opening it for her.

Jamie's head perked up as soon as he heard the door open, and he saw Sofia walk out. She looked in front of her and saw Jamie. Jamie looked on with curiosity and sadness. Maybe with some frustration sprinkled in there. She gave him a small smile, and met up with him. "Hi Jamie."She said avoiding his gaze, while he tried to take in her presence. She wrapped her arms around her chest, looking at the ground. "Ho-how are you?" He questioned and she shrugged, "Im fine. I guess." She said looking up and meeting his gaze. His eyes poured into hers, and she felt the same butterflies she had so many times before. Yet, she saw the concern laced with tears. "How have you been?" She questioned, adjusting her stance. He shrugged, "I've missed you. Sof- God, i've really missed you." He said honestly and she nodded, feeling her lips tremble. "I know, me too." She sighed, rubbing her hands on her arms. "Are you- are you gonna come back?" He questioned, hoping to hear a hopeful answer. She nodded, "At some point yes. However, Im gonna be back in my dorm. I need to be around my friends." She responded and she saw the small faint smile slightly dim. He nodded, clearing his throat. "Well, let me know when you get back ok?" He asked, trying to read her reaction. She nodded, "I will Jamie, don't worry." She smiled softley before leaning in kissing his cheek. He melted into the small kiss, upset that it was cut short. "Bye, Jamie." She said before walking off.

She made her way back to her brother's car. She texted him, letting him know she was on her way to the Pavillion. She drove off, listening to some Renee Rapp, Tswift and Adele. Old tswift ofcourse, thanks to trevor. She parked close to the door as possible, and made her way down the path that took her straight to the outpatient center. The front desk ladies smiled at her, and she smiled as she signed in. "How are you today Miss Johnson?" one of them asked, and she shrugged. "Im alright." she responded, before perking up. "Did you guys know Eliza who used to work here?" She questioned, hoping they did. She saw two big wide grins appear on their faces and they looked at one another. "We've known Eliza since the first day this pavillion opened. Our cherished warrior, showed everyday despite any pain or setbacks. She did so much for our little group of warriors, and its just a shame she left us." One of them explained, "But she's doing so much for the Avalanche. Besides, she comes in here every week to check up on the little one's and us ofcourse." The other added and they both nodded. "Oh wow, I actually spoke to her today and she reccomended to meet with Erik." Sofia casually proclaimed. "Oh yes! Erik and her; thick as thieves. So much justified chaos with them. We would hear them hooting and hollering after the pavillion closed for the day. Erik is the absolute best, and is such an amazing supporter of her and Cale too." One of them said giddily. Sofia smiled and nodded, "Is it true that Cale comes in here too?" She asked curiously. The two women looked at one another with a small smile, "Every week Sofia, and if he can't he'll come in twice the next time he can. With or without Sofia. He's a cherished visitor and avid one at that." and with that Sofia felt more at ease. "We love Cale. He cares about us, gave us such nice gifts for our birthdays this summer. Which reminds us to tell Erik to stop giving out precious info about us." The one joked causing Sofia to giggle. "Well thankyou so much, I appreciate it." Sofia said readjusting her purse on her shoulder. "Would you like to meet with Erik?" The one on the right asked, "He has an opening after your appointment." She stated, and Sofia pondered. "Just a meet and greet, besides anybody who knows Eliza is always welcomed." The left one said, and Sofia nodded. "He is down the hall from your appointment, just head on that way afterwards. And Im Marcia." She introduced herself. "And im Alice." The other said and Sofia smiled, "It's nice meeting you both officially and chatting. I really appreciate it." Sofia smiled and then walked off towards the door on the right.

35 minutes later, she was out of her appointment and headed towards this Erik dudes office. Erik looked up instantly, when he heard the knock. He took in all 5'3 of Sofia and smiled widely. "Sofia!!! It's so great to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you." Erik said sweetly, as he stood up to hug her. Sofia gave him a confused look, unsure of how he knew about her. "Eliza couldn't stop talking about you and I also peeked at your file." He said clarifying. She nodded, sitting down. "Water, gatorade, starbucks coffee?" He questioned, heading over towards his mini fridge. "Water is great, thankyou." She thanked him as he brought one over. He sat in the chair next to hers, hoping to make this a casual conversation. "How did you appt go?" He asked sincerely, sipping his starbucks coffee. "It went well, sticking with the same plan. And came up with a plan to start working out again, and trying to lose some weight. More me, than their plan." She said sipping her water. He nodded, "Good good. Hannah is fantastic at her job! Im so glad you got her..she goes above and beyond." He mused, Sofia nodding. "So Sofia tells me you stopped by her office today." He stated, crossing his leg over his other. "Yeah, well. I was kinda ambushed by my ex...and well, I confided in her my fears and insecurities." She confessed, alarmed by her open honesty. Erik nodded, "And how she wanted me to see somebody or talk to her about everything." Sofia added. Erik nodded, "We can most certaintly set you up with the best. Though, I am a little sad that our previous gal isn't here anymore." He said sadly. Sofia gave him a sheemish smile. "I think she wants to keep a distance between being your therapist/social worker and having a friendship and confidant. What I gathered from our brief text messages today." He explained and she nodded, "Yeah, I got that too from our convo. Though, could she possibly reconsider?" Sofia toyed with the possibility. Erik thought for a second, "Girl I would have had her be my official therapist if she would." He joked, causing Sofia to laugh. "So no?" Sofia clarified, and Erik shrugged. "She may, that's up to her. Though in the meantime, I will send some info your way about Hannah and you can schedule on your own time." Erik offered and he swiftly moved back to his desk, to forward her contact info to her email. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket, and confirmed that she got it. "Thankyou Erik, I really appreciate it." She said sincerely, for the first time in a long time; that had to do with her MS. He nodded leaning back in her chair, studying her. "She was right, you are easy going and an enigma." He mused, giving her a smile. "Besides, anybody who is a friend of Eliza, is a friend of mine." He said sincerely standing up. She did too, following him towards the door. "I hope to see you soon Sofia." He offered and she smiled, giving him a hug goodbye. "Drive safe." He stated before shutting the door. Maybe just maybe, things might be turning around.

Sofia walked inside to see Erik at the kitchen counter with..Jamie. Jamie looked back at the door once he saw Erik perk up a bit. "Hi guys." She simply stated, dropping off her keys and bag by the door. She looked for Jackie in her office, before she made her way back towards the kitchen. "Where's Jackie?" She questioned EJ. "She's still at work, should be back in about an hour." He responded, and she nodded. She stood between the two, on the side of the counter. "Jamie was just stopping by to chat. That's all." EJ explained, and she nodded. "Could we have 5 minutes?" She inquired, looking at EJ and he understood who she was reffering to. He nodded, smiled and walked out. She slowly looked over at Jamie and gave him a small smile, sending instant relief through him. "We we- need to talk. I owe you that." She said, making him nervous. He nodded, and she motioned for him to follow her. She shut the door behind him, as he took in her new surroundings. California Beach themed room, he didn't expect anything less. She was absolutley enamored with California.

He sat down at her desk chair, and she sat down on the bed facing him. She sighed, getting ready to just dump everything on him. Though knowing, he only had limited amount of time before he had to leave to go back to the team's hotel. "So as you know I have MS, it is a agressive and progressing disease. Once it starts, there is no way to stop it. Yes, medications can help slow the progression but at the end of the day, i'll never get better. Yeah, I'll have better days than others, especially because im so early into treatment BUT I want you to know everything so that if we get back into a relationship again, you know what you are in for. I owe you that, because this diease is not friendly especially to those around the person." She stated, and he nodded swallowing. He nodded for her to explain, and she did.

She went through the never ending doctor appointments, tests, how she was going to be needing therapy every week to start her treatment. How much medication she took, why she took so much, why it mattered. She then spoke about the hopes of her treatment, what the doctor had said. She explained the side effects, the ugly realities of living with an incurable disease. She explained that this would isolate people in her life and their's; again, if they got back into a relationship. She explained that not everybody would understand what was wrong, why she wasn't going to get better, the ignorance she could possibly experience with that and the sheer isolation this disease and any disease for that matter could accompany. She allowed Jamie to take it all in, accept and embrace it. As much as he could, because at the end of the day she couldn't force or make people understand and accept, she couldn't; and that was something she knew she needed to talk about in therapy. "Finally, even if we do get back together I want you to know that things will change. It's inevitable, but I want you to know my love won't change for you. I will still hold the same love for you even if I can't show it how'd id like to show it J." She confluded.

Jamie looked down at the his hands, trying to comprehend and understand what everything meant. He knew no matter what or despite what she told him; he still loved her. He wanted to be with her for the long haul, even if it took her awhile to come around. "Sof-" He paused looking back up at her, took a brief second before he smiled at her. He had tears brimming his eyes, one's of gratitude, compassion, understanding and all together, unrequited love. Even if he didn't full understand just yet; he knew he would over time. Sofia took in the tears she saw visibly, and held her breath. "I promise to be there no matter what, I promise to show up even when im not there physically. I promise to be there for doctor appointments, drive you to and from tests and therapy. I promise to be by your side always, without hesitation." He paused standing up and squating in front of her as soon as he saw that she was beginning to cry. She held her hand to her mouth, trying to hush her sobs. This was everything and more she wanted to hear, but it was understandably overwhelming. "I'm here until you don't want me to be there anymore. I promise to be your best friend, confidant and partner through it all. I promise that we will go through this together. I love you Sof, this doesn't change the way I feel about you or our future." He concluded, as she covered her face with her hands. He gently pulled at her wrists so she could properly look at him. She frowned, in embarrsment. He wiped her cheeks clean of them, all was left was redness. She shook her head, nervously giggling. "What are you thinking in that pretty head of yours?" He inquired bringing her hands to his lips and holding them there. She sniffled and blew out air. "I just- I'm overwhelmed a bit thats all. I really did not expect you to stick by me." She confessed, and he shook his head. "Never, will I leave you my love." He stated confidently. She smiled before pulling him in for a much needed and long overdue kiss. Everything that they still wanted to say but didn't know how to put it into words, they portrayed in that kiss. They parted, pulling eachother back into their arms. The familiar warmth oozed off of Jamie, sending a signal of 'home' into her body. She smiled into his shoulder, in awe of him.

I hope you guys enjoyed !!!!!

Tags: @fallinallincurls @nicoleloveshockey @hockey-lover-22 @hockeyboysarehot @jayrami3 @nolanmoylee

Please like and reblog; I appreciate it !!

#Jamie drysdale #jamie drysdale x oc #Jamie Drysdale M Series #nhl #hockey #nhl fic #hockey fic #trevor zegras #erik johnson #colorado avalanche #Anaheim ducks #romance #fanfiction #friendship

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zackcollins · 3 years

Text

when i don’t belong, you say i am yours || erik johnson

masterlist

Author’s Note: Bonjour! I’ve officially hit a wall with the Tyson Jost fic, so I’ve decided to try to write other fics to see if that’ll help me figure out how to continue it. The best way forward is through, right? And to do that, I just gotta keep writing and hope something happens, I guess. Anyways. GIF credit to samgirard!

Warnings: I have no clue if this is even worth a warning, but. The reader is the parent of a disabled child. The disability is specifically mentioned to be autism, though it’s only used as a general term. I don’t want any pitchforks or torches showing up at my door, so I’ll just go ahead and say I am autistic myself. So, yeah. Don’t think there’s anything else. Feel free to let me know if I should warn about anything else though.

Word Count: 870 (short boi)

Title: You Say by Lauren Daigle

Additional: The reader is gender-neutral again. I’m just trying to go along with that survey that my friend and I did where people said they preferred the reader to have they/them pronouns. Which, to me at least, meant they wanted a gender-neutral reader. So, I’m doing the best I can to live up to that. Anyways. I hope you guys enjoy this!

Being the parent of a special needs child wasn't easy. Most of the small things about life, such as getting dressed, usually became big things. You knew this all too well. Your son, Hunter, was severely autistic and required quite a lot of supervision. Despite this fact, you were very patient with your son. You knew that Hunter couldn't really control the way he acted, so there was no need for you to get angry with him; it wouldn't solve anything.

However, your ex-husband, Tony, didn't get that. He would constantly yell at Hunter if he wasn't listening or if he was having a meltdown. Even though you and Tony had been high school sweethearts, you knew that you had had to divorce him and cut all ties with him. He was toxic to Hunter and being toxic wouldn't help your son thrive.

Today was the first time since the divorce was finalized eight months ago that you were going to take Hunter out in public without the help of one person or another. To say that you were nervous would be an understatement.

After spending twenty-one minutes exactly dressing Hunter in his coat and shoes, you both embarked on your journey to Hunter's favourite hamburger restaurant. You were thankful when the ride ended up being uneventful, save for the brief outburst of sorts that Hunter had when his favourite song came on the radio. Not one to disappoint your son, you had turned the radio up and listened with a smile on your face as he clapped and did his best to sing along with his limited verbal skills.

Once you were at the restaurant and seated at a table, Hunter started fidgeting. You reached across the table, grabbing Hunter's hand and rubbing small circles into it. That usually calmed your son down tenfold. This time, however, Hunter began to make noise.

People that were sat near you began to stare. You began to apologize profusely, somewhat embarrassed by Hunter’s outburst. Despite your apologies, a couple of people gave your son looks of disgust. One guy even stood from his seat and walked over to your table.

"Why don't you control your fucking child?" The guy seethed. "He is disturbing me."

Before you could answer, a man with blonde hair approached the table. You prepared yourself for more insults, but the guy, instead, turned to the guy that yelled at you.

"Look, buddy." When the man spoke, you saw that he had a couple front teeth missing. "The kid can't help it. It's kinda obvious that he's severely autistic."

"Oh, that explains it," The other guy snickered. "He's re--"

"Don't even say it," the toothless guy interjected. He glanced at you, to which you quickly mouthed 'thank you.' He nodded quickly before he looked back at the other guy. "Nobody is that. Just because he's different than you doesn't make him any less of a human being."

"This coming from a guy that has no front teeth," the rude guy chuckled darkly. "I wouldn't be surprised if you had such poor hygiene that you got terrible cavities that caused them to fall out."

"If you must know," the toothless guy pointed to the Erik Johnson Colorado Avalanche jersey that was hung on the wall above your table. "That's my jersey up there. I lost my teeth because I'm a hockey player." Erik sounded angry as he pointed an accusatory finger at the rude guy. "Now, if you don't leave these poor people alone, I will call the cops on you for harassment."

The rude guy raised his hands in surrender and walked away from your table. A chorus of applause echoed through the small dining room. Erik raised his hand in appreciation.

You slid over in the booth to allow Erik to sit down beside you. Erik pulled his phone out and handed it to Hunter, who clapped in excitement.

"EJ! EJ!" Hunter smiled as you watched him click onto YouTube.

"That's right, bud." Erik ruffled Hunter's hair before he turned to look at you. Your facial expression was one of relief. "You're welcome before you even say it."

"I appreciate it so much," you said, a small smile on your face. "This is the first time I've brought him out on my own since I got divorced eight months ago."

"Mind if I asked why you got divorced?"

"My ex-husband was incredibly toxic to Hunter. Tony was a lot like the guy you just shooed off. He would always yell at our son for not listening. He couldn't understand that Hunter couldn't help it."

Erik grabbed a napkin from the dispenser and a pen from his pocket. He scribbled his phone number down on it. He handed it to you. "Whenever you're ready to date again, give me a call. I would love to have you and Hunter come to a game."

You blushed deeply. Erik smiled as he grabbed his phone back from Hunter and slipped out of the booth. As soon as Erik was gone, you grabbed your phone and punched in Erik's number.

"Hello?" Erik answered after a couple of rings.

"It's (Y/N), the one whose son you defended. I'm ready for that date."

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yourfavewriteress · 4 years

Text

the turn in our relationship | gabriel landeskog

Teaser: “This is really not just platonic for me anymore, and I’d rather tell you so that you know.”

Warnings: definitely a longer one; mentions of cancer

October 2019

“I thought you said she was going to be here,” I groaned.

“I thought she was going to be here, too!” Tyson exclaimed. “She canceled last minute and I thought you liked to hang out with me and not just her, Y/N.”

“Obviously,” I sighed, rolling my eyes. “It’s fine, I’ll just call her later.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked, looking down at me outside of his front door where his party was currently going on. The same party that I was supposed to spend with Kacey, Tyson’s sister, until she decided to ditch and not tell me.

I had met Kacey a while ago through school and we immediately became best friends. And, because of her close relationship with Tyson, the three of us were always together. But, tonight, I wanted to see Kacey because I was 100% sure she was the only person that would know what to do in the situation I was currently in.

“I’m fine, Tyson. I just need a drink.”

“Okay,” He sighed. “Can you have fun tonight? You need it.”

“How sweet of you,” I glared at him. “Yes, as soon as I drink something.”

We went inside, and when Tyson went to rejoin his teammates, I beelined straight for the kitchen where the drinks were. As I was looking through the selection, one of Tyson’s teammates appeared. I recognized him as Gabe, the captain of the team.

I have had very little contact with the captain of the Colorado Avalanche, other than the one time Tyson introduced us at a party. Since then, we never really crossed paths, even though I had built a friendship with EJ, someone he was also close with.

“Hey, Y/N,” Gabe smiled. I furrowed my eyebrows, surprised he even remembered my name. I recovered quickly, smiling politely,

“Hi, Gabe.”

“Why did you make that face?” He laughed. “Is there something wrong?

“No.”

“So,...?” He trailed off, still smiling.

“I didn’t think you remembered my name.”

“Well, I remember,” He responded, grabbing a beer from the fridge. “Is Kacey here?”

“No,” I sighed. “Which is great.”

“I’m sure you’re still gonna have fun,” He said, leaning on the counter. “Tyson would probably lose his mind if you didn’t.”

“Yeah, he would,” I laughed. “The perks of being frie-”

“-Landy! The game’s starting, let’s go!” EJ exclaimed, walking into the kitchen. “Y/N, nice of you to show your face for once.”

“You’re welcome,” I grinned at him.

He rolled his eyes, “Whatever. We’re gonna do shots later so you better not leave.” He warned me.

“I’ll see you later, Y/N,” Gabe emphasized my name, making me roll my eyes, suppressing the blush that was creeping up my neck.

****

After failing to find any quiet inside of Tyson’s house, I settled for finally making my way to the backyard, sitting on the steps. I really wish Kacey showed up tonight. I sighed, looking up into at the sky that was littered with stars.

A few minutes alone with my thoughts and fears was enough to force tears to cloud my eyes. As I wiped them, I heard the door open behind me. It closed moments later and I felt someone take the place next to me. Wholly expecting it to be Tyson, I continued holding my head up with my hands.

“It’s crazy how uncontrolled drunk hockey players are.”

I froze, immediately knowing that the voice did not belong to Tyson. Or EJ, for that matter. I picked my head up slowly, locking eyes with Gabe. For the second time in one night.

“Yeah, you guys get pretty wild,” I commented, looking back up at the sky.

“Are you doing okay?” He asked, and I could feel his stare in the side of my face.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I responded.

“I know we’re not close but I know that look,” He said, smiling softly. “Are you sure you’re good?”

“Like you said, we’re not close. I’m not gonna bore you and you don’t have to act like you care.”

“I do care, though,” He said. “And, it’s wouldn’t bore me. This party is boring me.”

I laughed lightly, shaking my head. “Welcome to the club.”

We sat in silence for a few moments before I spoke again. “I had a really tough day and I just wanted to see Kacey because I feel like she’s the only person that would know how to hold me together right now. But, even if she was here, I still have no idea what to say.”

“Why do you need to be held together?” He asked, his voice soft.

“You can’t mention this to anyone, especially Tyson,” I said, turning to him.

“I won’t.”

“I don’t even know why I’m about to tell you this,” I breathed.

“Look, we don’t really know each other, you don’t have to worry about me telling anyone what you’re gonna say. You can just get off your chest, here with me, have fun tonight and talk to Kacey tomorrow. You’ll feel better.”

“Are you sure you won’t tell anyone?”

“Y/N, I promise you that it will stay between us. You have my word,” He smiled, reaching over and squeezing my hand.

“It’s personal,” I sighed, running my hands through my hair. He nodded. “I found this lump, on my, you know.” I gestured towards my chest area.

“Are you serious?” His face dropped.

“Not the best reaction, captain.”

“Shit, I’m sorry, you’re right,” He moved closer to me. “Keep going.”

“I was showering and I feel like everything just froze. I didn’t know what to do. So, I googled, which was probably the worse decision. Everything on the internet makes you think you’re gonna die.”

“Anyone would have told you that the internet is the last place to look for anything like that,” He smiled.

“I had my appointment this morning and I got a mammogram done,” I said. “And, I’m really fucking scared of the results.”

“Have you told anyone?”

“Nope, just you,” I looked down. “Sorry, I know you probably expected something a little less serious.”

“Hey, I asked and I wanted to know,” He assured me. “But, look, you’re what, 27, right?”

“26.”

“Even better. You’re young, Y/N, and you don’t know for sure. It could be nothing.”

“Or, it could be cancer.”

“Look at me,” He said. His hand found mine again, squeezing gently. “Don’t think of the worse, I know it’s hard. But, come on, last I heard, all the guys are scared of you. Even if it is something, which we don’t know for sure, I’m positive it’s no match for you.”

“Thank you,” I said, my voice cracking slightly. Gabe smiled, pulling me into him, hugging me tightly. “I guess we’re no longer acquaintances anymore.”

“Yeah, that was a real turn in our relationship, without a doubt,” He laughed, his chest rumbling against mine.

After the party had ended, I made my way home. I did see Gabe again while taking shots with EJ. When I saw him, I thought I was going to regret telling him everything, since he is a stranger. But, I knew for some reason that I could trust him. Probably because Tyson trusts him so much.

Once I got home, I saw a text from Kacey.

‘Hey, there’s some really crazy shit going on with the fam, sorry I couldn't make it tonight. I’m just dealing with a lot right now.’

‘Dude, do not worry about it. Everything okay? You wanna hang or space? I’m here for you.’

‘I definitely want to talk to only you, but I’m heading home like now so I won’t see you for at least a couple of weeks.’

‘Facetime me WHENEVER’

‘i will, how was the party?’

‘spent some time with gabe actually.’

‘don’t even text me the details, it has to be over facetime tomorrow, WTF GABE!? did y’all kiss?’

‘bye Kacey lmao we did not.’

November 2019

Two days after the party, I got a text from an unknown number.

‘Hey, it’s Gabe. How are you feeling?’

‘Hi, I’m fine. How did you get my number?’

‘I’m pretty sure we were in the same group chat once and I saved it. Just to know who was talking in the chat.’

‘Sneaky.’

We texted every day for at least a week, just getting to know each other. He was actually a really funny guy and we got along really well. There was never a dull moment in our conversation and I found myself waiting around for texts from him. And, I knew I was developing a crush but I was positive he was responding just out of pity for me after what I told him at Tyson’s party.

Speaking of, I was getting ready for my follow-up appointment, practically pacing around my room as I got dressed.

'What time is your appt again?’ Gabe texted me.

‘Soon, I’m getting ready now.’

‘Kacey and Tys are going right?’

‘No, they're dealing with family stuff right now. I’m going alone.’

‘You’re lying..’

‘No, and you’re distracting me from getting ready.’ Before I could set my phone down, Gabe’s name flashed across my screen. I contemplating not answering, not only because I knew why he was calling, but also because we had never spoken on the phone before. All of our communication has been through text.

I answered, holding the phone up to my ear. “Yes, Gabriel?”

“I’m just calling because I know what you’re gonna say if I text this to you so I wanted you to know for sure. I’m coming to get you and you’re not going to your appointment alone.”

“Gabe,” I sighed. “That’s really sweet of you but we basically just met a week ago, there’s no reason for you to take time out of your life for me.”

“For the last time, we’re friends, and that’s not gonna change at this point. I’m not taking no for an answer. I’m not going to let you go alone, Y/N,” His voice softened at the end and I paused.

“I’ll text you my address,” I mumbled, deciding that it wouldn’t be bad to have Gabe there. He knew exactly what to say at Tyson’s party, who’s to say he won’t do that at the hospital?

Once we ended the call, I finished getting ready, continuing to pace in my living room as I waited for Gabe. I grabbed an apple to try to distract myself but lost my appetite after the first bite. Luckily, there was a knock at the door. I opened it, seeing a smiling Gabe.

“Hey,” He said.

“Hi, I’m giving you another chance to back out, no hard feelings at all.”

“Shut up,” He rolled his eyes, pulling me into his chest and hugging me tightly. I oddly felt safe in his arms, hugging him back. “You ready to go?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

****

“Y/N Y/L/N?” The nurse appeared from behind the door. My breath hitched in my throat and Gabe paused in his sentence about Tyson’s locker room antics.

Gabe eyed me before holding his finger up to the nurse. He looked back at me, “Hey, you’re gonna be fine. I’ll be right out here.”

I furrowed my eyebrows at him, staring at him for a second before looking down. “Yeah.”

“Unless you want me to come in with you?” He asked. I blushed slightly, remembering that we had just gotten close a week ago and there is no reason for him to be in the room. But, I still feel like I might fall apart without someone in there. In all honesty, I think I would have fallen apart already if it hadn’t been for him.

“Oh, um, no, that’s okay. You can wait out here,” I stood up. Before I could move, Gabe stood up as well, looking down at me.

He grabbed my hand, eyes moving over my face. “Y/N, if you want me to come in with you, I absolutely will. You don’t have to go in alone, I mean it.”

“Would you?” I mumbled.

He nodded, smiling slightly before wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me towards the nurse. As the nurse took my vitals, Gabe stood off to the side, periodically smiling at me. I couldn't help the butterflies that were flowing around my stomach as he kept his full attention on me.

Once the nurse was done and we were left alone in the room, Gabe spoke up. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m nervous but I just want to know at this point. I’m exhausted from thinking about it.”

He smiled in response but before he could respond, the door opened again and my doctor appeared.

“Y/N, nice to see you again,” She smiled brightly.

“Hi, doctor. It’s nice to see you, too,” I responded. “This is my friend, Gabe.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You as well.”

“Okay, I figured we should just get right to it. I’m sure this has been on your mind a lot.”

“I’m kind of scared,” I said, my eyes darting to Gabe. He smiled comfortingly at me, squeezing my leg. Holy shit, his hand is on my leg.

“Yeah, I think I’ve never experienced this much anxiety.”

“I’m sorry about that,” She nodded. “But, I do have really good news.”

“Are you serious?”

She smiled, “Yes, the lump is not cancerous at all. You are 100% in the clear.”

“I expected the absolute worse,” I mumbled.

“Most people do,” She laughed. “But, I am going to give you a referral to a dermatologist that can help.”

“Okay, that sounds good.” I nodded. She made up the referral before leaving the room.

“What did I tell you?” Gabe smiled.

“I almost peed myself, I swear.”

He laughed, hugging me tightly. “I didn’t doubt it.”

March 2020

It had been months since my cancer scare and I was back to work. Kacey and Tyson were back and I had told them everything. Kacey freaked but was happy that Gabe was there for me.

In fact, they were both so happy that Gabe and I became close that they made it their mission to put us together in various situations. Inviting me to a gala where I would have to dress up and see Gabe, check. Split up carpools so Gabe and I were alone, check. Make Gabe and I partners in beer pong, check. Make Gabe and I sit together at team parties, check times 300000.

And now, it’s at the point where I can’t continue to be friends with Gabe.

“I’m falling for him.”

Tyson paused, smirking. “I knew it.”

“Tyson, it’s starting to physically hurt to just be his friend,” I admitted. “This isn’t cute anymore, it’s a little too real.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“What should I do?” I responded.

“Just tell him,” He shrugged.

“No way.”

“Why not? If you tell him, you get it off your chest. If he doesn’t feel the same way, which you and I both know is not true, at least you won’t feel like your feelings are invisible because you told him and he’s not like that.”

****

Taking what Tyson said, the next day I was standing in front of Gabe’s door. I thought about turning around but Tyson's voice continued to ring in my ears. I knocked three times, breathing after. There’s no turning back now.

The door opened, “Hey!” He smiled widely, “What are you doing here?”

He pulled me into a hug before I could respond. I prayed that he couldn’t feel the thud of my heart in my chest. “I need to talk to you.”

“Okay,” He said, pulling away and looking down at me. “Come in.”

I walked past him into his house, turning back around.

“Do you want to sit? You’re making me nervous.”

“Yeah.” We sat down in his kitchen, him staring intently at me.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I smiled. “I just wanted to tell you something that I haven’t really been able to get out of my head. You being there for me when I had that scare meant the world to me. For you to just be there during one of the worst times of my life, I can’t even explain how that makes me feel. You’re one of my closet friends and I know that I made jokes a lot about how you didn’t have to worry about me after I got the results, but I knew we would be really good friends by how easily I told you something that was struggling to even tell Kacey.”

He smiled widely, “I’m honored.”

“Ever since then, we’ve just gotten closer and I really do appreciate you and who you are. But, Gabe, this is really not just platonic for me anymore, and I’d rather tell you so that you know.”

He paused for a moment, clearing his throat. “First of all, you know how much you mean to me and you’re one of my best friends. It means a lot to me that you’re telling me this and how you’re feeling. But, Y/N, I am kind of seeing someone, tonight actually.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” I smiled, even though I felt like I had just been punched in the chest for the 100th time. “I just wanted to get it off my chest.”

“Hold on, Y/N, it’s just that I-”

“-No, seriously, it’s okay. I feel like I made things weird. I should go,” I mumbled.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Gabe said, reaching out to grab my hand as I stood up. “Let me finish.”

“No, it’s fine, really. I’ll talk to you later.”

He looked at me, “Y/N.”

“Gabe, I don’t really want to talk about it anymore.”

He sighed, “Can you call me when you’re ready to talk? And listen?”

I nodded.

April 2020

“Gabe?” I asked, opening my front door. “What are you doing here?”

“When I said I was seeing someone, I meant I had a few dates with this girl EJ introduced me to. I was getting ready to go out with her that night.”

“Gabe, it’s re-”

He cut me off by pushing his way into my home. I closed the door behind him, sighing. “I stopped by her place after you left and told her I couldn't go out with her anymore.”

“What?”

“I met her before we ever really talked and she’s nice but we’d been on at least 5 dates and I still didn’t want to kiss her or anything.”

“You don’t need to explain anything to me,” I mumbled.

“Yes, I do,” He responded. “When we talked at the party, I knew that there was something between us. But I was overthinking so I kept seeing her. I thought you were too good for me. And, I felt like you were going through real shit and I just wanted to be there for you and not push anything.”

“Me? Too good for you?” I scoffed. “Gabriel, you went to a doctor’s appointment to find out if someone you barely knew had breast cancer. You sat in the room!”

“And, I would do anything for you,” He mumbled, stepping closer to me. “This is more than just platonic for me, too, and I would have told you that if you would have called me like you said you would.”

“I thought I embarrassed myself,” I blushed.

“You didn’t,” He smiled.

“I’m sorry.”

He stepped closer to me, pulling me into his chest and hugging me tightly. “Since when could you not just tell me how you’re feeling?”

“Since I was positive you didn’t feel the same way.”

He laughed, pulling back slightly so that he could look down at me. “Well, you were wrong.”

He grabbed my face, leaning down to press his lips to mine. I smiled against him.

“I want to take you out, on a real date,” He mumbled against my lips.

“I’d like that,” I kissed him again, right before my front door swung open.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” I groaned and Gabe laughed, looking over at his teammate.

“I told you we should have knocked!” Kacey said, following Tyson, who was smirking at Gabe and I.

“Hey, I knew this was coming, I’m not surprised,” He laughed, walking in and making his way into the kitchen. “No pressure, but you guys do look good together and I take full credit.”

“Carry on, we’re just gonna start up in the kitchen,” Kacey smiled sheepishly.

“Start what?” Gabe asked.

“A forced movie night because apparently, I’ve been neglecting them,” I responded. “You should join.”

“I wouldn’t want to get in between your odd trio thing,” He teased. I shoved him lightly.

“Don’t be rude.”

“I’ll stay,” He smiled. He kissed me again, his arm wrapping around my waist to pull me closer to him. “As long as I get to keep kissing you.”

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