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foundtherightwords · 6 months ago

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Fallen Empires - Chapter 9

Pairing: Geta x OFC

Summary: Having done the unthinkable to secure his throne, Emperor Geta rules with ruthlessness and paranoia. Now, after escaping an assassination attempt, a badly injured Geta is saved by Daphne, a young widow, who takes him back to her remote village without knowing his true identity. As Daphne nurses the former emperor back to health, attraction blooms between them, and Geta discovers a soft side he didn't know he possessed. But can their love survive his thirst for revenge and his desire to reclaim power?

Chapter warnings: none

Chapter word count: 3.2k

Prologue + Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8

Chapter 9

The next morning, Daphne came back from her chores to find Romulus sitting at the table, all dressed up in his old cloak and belt, with his dagger in its sheath dangling from his belt. She looked at him askance, still stung from the previous night. It had started out so well—when she returned from the village, she could tell he'd been waiting for her, and she'd wanted to tease him a little, to see if he had truly missed her. Perhaps she'd gone too far. But then he had made her blood boil, and this time not in a good way. First, he'd had the audacity to order her about in the bedroom—though she didn't particularly object to the act he'd proposed, it was his tone that insulted her. And then, after she'd overlooked that first offense and stirred from her sleep to help him out of his nightmare, he'd kicked her out of the room. Her room! Ingrate fool! She could tolerate some male arrogance, but she had her limit.

"Going somewhere?" she asked coldly.

He avoided her eyes. "Yes. I think it's time I rejoin my legion." His voice was polite but flat.

Daphne's heart stumbled, as if his words had just grazed it like a knife. The day before, down in the village, she'd heard about a big battle going on in the Parthian city of Nisibis, not far from the border. Everybody had been talking about it, saying it would decide the war. She had sat with her mother and Mikkos, praying for Attikos and other men from the village, who were no doubt fighting in it at this very moment. Upon returning to the hut, it had been on the tip of her tongue to tell Romulus about the battle, but she'd stopped herself. She was afraid that if she'd told him, he would've left immediately to join his fellow soldiers. As angry as she was with him, she didn't want him to go. Not yet.

Had he heard something after all? But that was impossible. How could he have, stuck up here with no one for company except the goats? So why did he want to leave? Was it because of what had happened between them? Did he regret sleeping with her? Was he married after all and now regretting his infidelity? Or perhaps he simply didn't want to stay with a woman who had threatened to kill him. She hadn't really meant it, of course she hadn't. It was only because he'd made her so mad... Oh, why had she let her temper get the better of her?

She put the jug of fresh goat's milk down on the table and turned to the larder, bringing out bread and cheese and olive, moving slowly so she would have time to compose herself. "You wish to go to Edessa?" she said.

"Yes."

She didn't want to tell him that the army was no longer in Edessa. "But you're not—"

"I know I'm not well enough!" he snapped, reverting to his old irascible self. Then he took a breath, and continued in the same flat voice as before, like he was trying to distance himself from her. "You mentioned that there's a town a couple of days from here," he said, "where I can get passage to Edessa."

"You mean Adala?"

He nodded. "Adala, yes."

She finished setting out breakfast. "And when do you wish to leave?"

"As soon as I can. I'm well enough for a two days' walk, surely?"

"Yes." She found herself mimicking his tone and grimaced in annoyance.

He got to his feet. "Right. Prepare some food for me then." His old commanding voice was back, and she glared at him. He must have realized how he sounded, for he corrected himself, "I mean, if you could spare some food and point me in the right direction, I'll get out of your hair. I've imposed upon your hospitality for long enough." He'd never spoken to her so courteously, so coldly. She wished he would shout and whine and complain as he had before. It would be a hundred times preferable to this polite stranger.

But there was no point in clinging to him any longer. He was never going to stay. This was bound to happen sooner or later. It would be better if he left now, before she became too used to his presence.

She sighed, thinking of the long summer days ahead, when she would be alone again. Despite the heat, she would sit outside with Midas and the goats, just to feel the presence of some living things other than herself, or go into the garden and put her ears to the beehives, listening to their gentle buzzing, just to hear something other than her own thoughts rattling inside her head. She would miss him, miss this strange, infuriating man...

Then an idea occurred to her.

"Perhaps I should go with you," she said slowly. Her mind was telling her this was not a good idea. Better to cut off the wounded limb and make a clean break, than to draw out the agony. But her heart was saying otherwise. "I have to visit the apothecary in Adala anyway," she explained, "to trade for a few things and restock my shelves."

Romulus looked at her, considering the option. She thought she could see the conflict in her heart reflected in his face, as the desire to spend more time together waged war with the fear of a prolonged goodbye. "Very well," eventually he said, in that same stiffly polite tone. "I would welcome your company."

"Then give me some time to pack," she said, trying not to sound too excited. "And you don't want to travel under this sun. It's better if we leave in the evening. It will be cooler then, and you can stay hidden."

It was clear that he had not thought about the danger of being discovered. He nodded and took off his belt and his cloak.

For the rest of the day, Daphne busied herself going through the various jars and bottles and packets of herbs, taking stock of how much she had, what she could use to barter, what was running low. She had to admit that labeling the jars had been a big help. It helped, too, to have Romulus's assistance as he wrote down her inventory on the wax tablet. For a while, the easy companionship between them felt like the old days again, and Daphne managed not to think too much about the imminent departure. She also remembered to bring Amalthea and her kids to Ione, who was most eager to watch the animals while Daphne was away.

They descended the hill as a waxing moon rose over the rock cliffs. With Midas's bridle in her hand, Daphne led them around the village instead of through it. She knew that on a cool, moonlit night like this, the villagers would be out in droves, sitting on their doorsteps, the women weaving, the men fixing their tools, all sharing drinks and gossip, and this detour was the only way to avoid detection. Once out of the village, they followed the stream as it wound its way through the valley to meet the Balikh. The water was low and sluggish this time of year, but the soft murmur of the current was enough to mask the sound of their footsteps.

"You all right?" she asked Romulus, when they were deep in the valley. "Would you like to ride Midas? Or should we stop for a rest?" She had heard him wheezing behind her for a while, but didn't want to stop before they were far enough from the village.

"I'm fine" was all he said. She looked back at him. His face was gray in the pale light of the moon, his dark eyes were enormous, and he was breathing heavily.

"No, you're not fine," she said, putting Midas to a halt and moving some of the saddlebags of herbs aside. "Get on."

Romulus glanced at the donkey and made a face. "No."

Daphne sighed, exasperated. Such ridiculous creatures, men. "I'm sorry I don't have a war elephant for you," she said. "Get on. I'll not have you collapse on me again."

He looked at Midas once more, before apparently deciding that his comfort was worth more than his dignity, and climbed on the saddle. Daphne suppressed a triumphant grin as she took up the bridle and walked on.

They walked through the night, under the silver moon. After it set, they pushed on for a while longer, until the sky brightened into a pinkish gray and a strip of gold appeared on the eastern horizon. The sun rose rapidly, spreading light and heat across the valley. Eventually, when the heat became too much, Daphne drew them to a stop under a bank of willow trees by the stream and made camp. Romulus looked up and down the bank warily, but after she assured him that they would be perfectly safe, he sat down next to her, with his back against a willow. They ate some of the bread and cheese Daphne had brought along. Then, shielded from the hot sun by the sweeping willow branches above and cooled by the gentle flowing of the stream beside them, they slept.

The sun had dipped behind the hills again, but it was still light, by the time Daphne woke. Romulus was no longer lying near the willow tree across from her, and she bolted up, afraid that he might have slipped away while she slept. But no, he was still there, sitting a little further down the bank. He was trying to shave with his dagger and making a mess of it.

"Need a hand?" Daphne said.

He jumped. "Hades!" he cursed as the dagger clattered to the ground. "Are you trying to kill me?!"

"No, but you may cut your own throat if you try to shave with that meat cleaver." She pulled her own little knife from her belt and sharpened it with a stone from the riverbank, before handing it to him. "Here, try this."

He took the knife from her and tried again. One scrape, and he threw it to the ground as well. "I've never done this before," he said, sounding both frustrated and embarrassed. "There were always barbers..." He glanced at Daphne. "Can you do it?"

Daphne hesitated. "But I've never shaved anyone before," she said. "Well, I did, once. My husband. The morning he left to join the army." It had been the last time she saw him.

Romulus shrugged. "It's not hard. I'm sure you can do a better job than I."

"You trust me?"

She only meant to ask if he trusted her not to make a mess of his face, but a hesitant look came into his eyes, and Daphne remembered that she'd threatened to kill him just the night before. Of course he wouldn't trust her.

She handed him the knife. "It's best that you do it," she said.

The look in his eyes changed inscrutably as he looked from the knife to her and back again. Then, reaching out his hand, he pushed the knife back toward her and raised his chin expectantly.

Crouching down in front of Romulus, Daphne started to scrape the knife across his jaw. A small whimper escaped his throat. She jumped back, holding the knife aloft. "That hurt?"

"It's fine." He cleared his throat. "But usually the barber would put some kind of oil in my beard first, to soften it."

"Why didn't you say so?"

Daphne dug through her supplies and found a jar of almond oil, which she rubbed into his beard. The pulse just below his jaw beat wildly under her hand, and when she happened to lift her eyes to his face, the look he gave her made her own heart thump along with his. How she longed to kiss him there, on his jaw, to feel that pulse and his warm, smooth skin beneath her lips... But he would probably push her away again, and she was not willing to repeat that exercise in humiliation. She put the knife back to his beard. He was right. With the oil, the knife glided over the hair much more smoothly and easily.

"Is that better?" she asked. Romulus nodded once and sat still, as if afraid any movement would cause her hand to slip. "Relax," she said. "I won't nick you. I promise."

"I'd rather you promise not to gut me like a fish," he said.

She glared at him, but his tone was light, and something like a wry smile was lifting the corner of his mouth. She felt her cheeks grow hot. "Don't test me," she warned, trying to put on her sternest face.

His teasing smile grew, and for a moment he looked once more like the man who had taught her to read, the one who had helped her after her father's disastrous visit, the one who had held her hand when she told him about her husband. "I wouldn't dream of it," he said.

His breathing calmed after that, yet her own remained ragged as if she'd just made an uphill climb, and she couldn't help noticing the heat between them. She forced herself to concentrate. Scrape, scrape, scrape. The hair fell away under the blade, slowly. They were breathing the same air, their bodies feeling the same heat, separated only by two thin layers of linen. She wanted to hit him and then kiss him, and then hit him again, for making her feel this way. But she did nothing, only reminding herself that he would soon be gone. Scrape, scrape, scrape.

Once his jaw was clean, Daphne moved on to his mouth, trying not to notice the feel of his lips between her fingers. Then she leaned back to survey her handiwork.

"How do I look?" he asked.

"Very well."

In truth, her shaving was rough, and there were uneven patches here and there along his jaw where she hadn't gotten all the hair. But, freed from his scowl, and with his curls getting longer and falling over his forehead, the face that emerged from under the beard was sweeter, almost boyishly handsome. She cleaned the oil off with the end of her stole and flicked away the little hairs that stuck to his skin, her fingers lingering over his now-smooth cheeks. He tilted his head, pressing his face into her hand, his dark eyes gazing into hers. Daphne's heart jumped. She knew that look. He'd looked at her the same way the other night—had it only been two days ago?

It was on her lips to ask him to stay, to keep this touch, this fire between them just for a little while, just a little longer... Her thumb brushed across his mouth, and he jolted away as if her finger had been a poisoned arrow.

"We best get a move on," he said, getting to his feet.

The plea for him to stay died in her throat. With a sigh, she stood up as well and began packing their things.

They continued in silence, with only the moon as their constant companion. The next day, they left the valley and the stream behind as the path rose toward a plateau. The willows became shrubs, then the shrubs became tuffs of tired brown grass, before getting swallowed up altogether by the tired brown sand of the plateau. Adala lay on that plateau, a handful of mud-brick houses lining narrow, winding streets, all congregating around a small marketplace. Having neither pastures nor arable land, it made its living as a trading post, where merchant caravans stopped for a change of horses before heading to larger towns, and where farmers and shepherds from surrounding villages brought in their goods to barter and exchange. It was the one place Daphne had learned without her grandmother's guidance—the old woman had never left their village and had seen no need for it, but Daphne had understood early on that she could not make a living if she stayed in their village all her life. Besides, she liked the hustle and bustle of the town, though only in small doses.

They pushed on, not stopping to rest, and came into Adala in the early afternoon. Romulus had jumped off Midas's back as soon as the town came into view. Now he stalked next to her, his head low, the hood of his cloak pulled up to cover his face, and his hand gripping the dagger tightly.

"Stop worrying," Daphne said. "No harm will come to you here."

"You can't be sure of that," he mumbled, his eyes darting left and right. It wasn't a market day, so the town wasn't particularly busy, but that only made the two of them stand out more. Eyes were turning their way, with curiosity that would soon turn into suspicion, Daphne knew.

"If you're trying to appear suspicious and draw attention to yourself, then you're doing an excellent job," she said drily.

He straightened up and pushed the hood off, looking slightly abashed. After that, he walked more normally, though he still kept a hand on the hilt of the dagger.

They walked past the marketplace under the shadow of a temple of Zeus and turned into a side street. Unlike the rest of the sleepy town, it was crowded here, as the townspeople flocked to The Lynx's Head for their drinks, snacks, and daily gossip. Part tavern, part inn, part gambling den, it was the true center of Adala, much more than the marketplace and the temple ever were.

Daphne stopped a little further down the lane and nodded at the tavern. "There you are," she said. "Go inside and ask Eukleis at the bar if she knows of anyone going to Edessa. You'll get passage in no time."

Romulus glanced at the crowd gathering outside The Lynx's Head, looking uncertain, but said nothing. He still said nothing when Daphne handed him a little pack containing a change of clothes, a wineskin, some food, and a small vial of poppy juice, in case his wounds still bothered him.

"Well," she concluded. Her voice shook a little, and she cleared her throat, trying to sound cheerful. "I must hurry before the apothecary closes for the day. I guess this is goodbye."

Romulus opened his mouth, but no words came. He kept gazing at her, with a beseeching look in his eyes that she hadn't seen before. She waited. Ten, fifteen, twenty heartbeats passed. He still didn't say anything. His hand moved at his side, but he didn't reach out for her.

"May the gods watch over you on your journey," Daphne said. Then she pulled her stole over her head and led Midas away.

"Daphne?" Romulus called after her.

She spun back so quickly that she hated herself for it. "Yes?" she said, hope flickering painfully in her heart.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "And may the gods watch over you as well," he added, almost as an afterthought.

There was a pang in her chest that might have been heartache, or it might have been mere disappointment. She nodded at him and walked down the street without another look back.

Chapter 10

Taglist: @sheneedsrocknroll92, @justnobodynothingmore, @barcelonaloverf1life, @myotakureprieve, @flawssy-227, @itsrainingbisexualfrogs, @deliciousfestsalad (if you want to be tagged or removed, let me know!)

#joseph quinn #joseph quinn fic #gladiator 2 #emperor geta #gladiator 2 fic #emperor geta fic #geta #emperor geta x ofc #geta x ofc

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lightsoutmatthews · 5 months ago

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Say you won’t let go - Mikko Rantanen

summary: Mikko gets traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, what does that mean for your relationship?

pairing: Mikko Rantanen x female!reader

warnings: angst (a lot)

words: 2.4k

authors note:

* Thank you SO much for the positive response to "New Rules", I´m glad people liked it

* The Avs were on a road trip when Mikko got traded but for the sake of this we ignore that

—————————————————————————

The rain pounded heavy against the windows of your Denver apartment. The mood outside fitting to the mood inside the walls. A notification you never thought you would get. Obviously, you knew it was possible, but Mikko was the Avalanche alongside Nate, Cale and Gabe, never in a million years would you have expected him to be traded.

After the initial shock waved off uncertainty creeped up inside your head. What would happen between you and Mikko?

You had only been dating for about 9 months at this point, had never lived together or even spend more than a few nights at the same place together. Sure, you said “I love you”, you spent every second possible together and you were there for each other like no one had been there for you before, but this was bigger than being apart for two weeks when he was on the seasons longest road trip.

Messages started to ping on your phone before you could think further. The Avs better halves group chat reacting to the trade, family and friends texting. You ignored all of it. Talking to anyone but Mikko about this was the least thing you wanted to do right now.

He was out with some of the guys, enjoying a rare night off with a drink at a bar and good food. At least he was with the guys when the news hit, you thought, anxiously pacing the living room. You hated this.

The phone ringing almost made you jump out of your skin. Mel Landeskog. The screen read. You pressed the decline button. She meant well, you knew she did, but you couldn’t speak to anyone right now.

I love you.

A text sent to Mikko a few minutes after the initial news hit. It went unanswered. You wanted to text again, asking when he would be back from the bar, if he wanted you to come over but you didn’t want to seem clingy. He needed to process this too.

An hour ticked past; you didn’t hear from him. It was almost 11 now and you were getting worried. You had checked the Hurricanes schedule as soon as you processed the initial emotions. He would have to be on Long Island by tomorrow in the afternoon to play his first game.

Reluctantly you went to bed after another 30 minutes of waiting, knowing tomorrow would be emotionally even more draining than this evening. Minutes, that felt like hours, of tossing and turning, your mind racing at a mile a minute as you tried not to be too worried about the man you kept so close to your heart.

The rain was still pouring outside, the soft sounds of it hitting your bedroom window doing nothing to help you fall asleep. Another turn, another click on the screen of your phone to check if he had texted you back. A sting in your heart when the screen still came up empty.

Deep breaths, in and out, it’s going to be okay, you will be fine, he will be fine.

-------------------------------

The sudden rapid knocks at your door made you jump. You checked your phone again. A few minutes after 1 am. There was only one person you expected to be on the other side of the door at this time of the night.

The image outside the door ripped your heart in a million little pieces. Mikko looked about as good as you felt. Two big suitcases next to him, his favorite backpack slung over his shoulder. He was dripping from the rain he must have walked through. Eyes shot red like he had been crying.

He said nothing as he entered your apartment after you stepped aside to let him in. The silence that filled the living room was almost unbearable, but you didn’t know what to say. Nothing that you could say would make this situation any better.

You wanted to ask him if he was okay, but you knew he was not. Why would he? He´d been with the Avalanche for 10 years. He thought he would be an Av for live and just like that it was ripped away from him. You didn’t know the details, at this point you didn’t want to know either, but it must have been bad if they pulled the trigger this fast.

A loud sigh left your boyfriends mouth before he slumped down on your couch. It didn’t matter that he was still wearing his soaking jacked and made your throw pillows and blanket all wet.

Sitting down on the other side of the couch, giving him space, you twirled your thumbs around and waited for anything to happen. For him to break the silence, to just say anything that would give you the reassurance that everything will turn out okay.

Minutes passed in silence. “Come here, Rakas.” You almost flinched when he spoke. He lifted one arm, signalizing for you to cuddle against him like you had done thousands of times before. It felt heavier this time. So much heavier than everything you had done in your relationship.

Settled against his side he began to play with your hair, tension radiating from his body like heat radiated from a heater in a cold winter night. More minutes passed with no speaking at all.

You took a deep breath, the silence becoming too much for you to bear. “I´m sorry, Mik.” Another heavy sigh from the man besides you. “It´s not your fault.” A soft kiss placed to the top of your head, almost like it was reassurance.

“When are you leaving?” You didn’t want to know. You had mere hours left before he would move to a completely different state. “They chartered a plane eleven.”

You buried your head in his side to try and fight the tears, but they were impossible to stop. He obviously noticed even though you tried to keep him oblivious. He knew you too well. “We´ll figure it out, I promise.” He whispered into your hair. A weak attempt to make you feel better about the situation.

Both of you knew that there was a question that hung in the air but neither of you wanted to speak. Each other’s company brought comfort in a time where it was desperately needed. More silence followed until you were no longer sure how long you laid on the couch.

“What now, Mikko?” Your words hung in the air for a few seconds before he shifted to sit up again and dropped his head into his hands. “I wish I knew.” His voice was heavy with sadness.

“I will move to Raleigh. They´re setting me up with an apartment that should be ready by the time the road trip is over. I need to contact movers to pack up all the stuff from the house. I need to figure out what I will do with the house in the first place.” He was rambling. You let him because you were glad he was talking.

“I need to get my stuff from the team tomorrow. I didn’t even get the chance to say bye to most of the guys.” His hand smacked down on the soft fabric of one of your decorative pillows. “This whole situation is just so frustrating.”

You wrapped your arms around your boyfriend in an attempt to take some of the frustrations away. You didn’t know if it would help but when he relaxed into your hold you knew he appreciated it.

“It will turn out okay. You don’t have to do everything now. The house can be a problem for the off-season.” A slight nod that you only felt because his head was pressed against your shoulder.

“Raleigh is a nice city. I heard only good things about the Canes players. Sebastian and Jesperi are there. So are Tyson and Sean. It´s not all bad, honey.” An unrecognizable grunt from him. You knew that would not make it better.

“What will happen to us, Mikko?” A heavy question. You knew you had only been dating for a few months. You weren’t expecting him to ask you to move with him. Right in this moment, you weren´t even sure if you wanted him to ask.

Your job, your friends and family, everything you had built over the years before you met him were in Denver. Were you prepared to leave it all behind for a man you didn’t even know a year ago?

On the one hand you were. You loved Mikko, obviously. You could not imagine a life he wasn’t in anymore. On the other hand, you wondered what would be if this is not working out. What if you broke up? You didn’t want to imagine breaking up but, in this scenario, you had to.

You would have to build a whole new life in Raleigh. New friends, new work. No work? You didn’t even know if it was worth it. The season would be over in a few months and who knew if he would re-sign with the Hurricanes or if you had to move again by July.

With each second that passed without an answer from him your heart grew heavier. Of course, it was a lot to consider but you secretly hoped he had already made up his mind when he ghosted you for hours earlier in the night.

“Your whole life is here.” You heart sank. “I don’t want to be selfish and take you away from it.” Your hands started to tremble. “Mikko…” You were prepared to argue, to show him that he should reconsider, but he stopped you by raising his hand.

“Sweetheart I love you, but I would never forgive myself for taking you from your friends and family.” Tears once again filled the rims of your eyes. You couldn’t breathe. Words that you wanted to say kept getting stuck in your throat.

His big hand reached out and touched your cheek so tenderly that it only made you cry harder. “Don´t do this.” Your voice merely above a whisper. You weren’t even sure that he heard it.

“I want to stay with you until we´re grey and old. I don’t care if you make me move halfway across the world, I just want to stay with you.” Sobs ripped through every other word you said.

His expression was painful, heartbreak written all over his face. He didn’t want to do this; you could see it in his eyes. “Ask me to come with you.” Words filled with desperation, your eyes stained with tears.

“Baby…” You didn’t want to hear what he had to say, it hurt, knowing he didn’t want to move in life with you. At the same time, you knew that you were not dating for a long time. His reasoning probably would make sense if you heard him out, but you didn’t want to.

“Leave.” The word left your mouth before you could even think about the consequences this would imply. He was taken aback. “Rakas…” The Finish term of endearment burnt in your heart. “No, if you´re just here to break up with me you did just that, you can leave now, have fun in Carolina.”

The reaction was harsh, an attempt to protect yourself from the heartbreak that would undoubtedly still follow. “Leave, Mikko.” Heartbreaking sobs were tearing through you as you got up and walked out of the living room. You couldn’t stand the heartbreak in his eyes.

Back in your bedroom you laid on the bed. Face buried into the mountain of pillows you had acquired over the years. Half of them smelled like him, the countless times the two of you had slept in this bed together coming back to you.

His presence filled up the room as soon as he entered. “Baby…” He repeated his words from a few minutes ago. Turning away from him you grabbed your phone as a distraction. He slammed his hand to the frame of your bedroom door, so hard you were afraid the neighbors would hear. “Would you just hear me out, please”

“What´s there to hear?” Silence. “That´s what I thought.”

He sat down at the end of the bed just like did on mornings where you had woken up together. When he got back from the shower, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and brushing your hair out of your face with the other before placing a soft kiss to the top of your head.

“Would you just listen.” He almost spit the words in your face, frustration clearly on his tongue. This time he didn’t wait for a reply, he just kept talking.

“I would never forgive myself if I would take you from your family and friends, but I would also never forgive myself if I wouldn’t ask you to come with me. I love you so much, sweetheart. I don’t want to do life without you. There´s nothing more that I want than for us to build a home together. Wherever it might be.”

His words had you facing him again. Eyes open wide from the confession he just dropped on you. “Why didn’t you say that earlier? Why did you hesitate?” Questions over questions pooled into your head.

“Seeing your heart break in real time had my heart break to. You could say I was too stunned to speak, or whatever the expression is.” If the situation wouldn’t have been as serious as it was, you would have laughed.

He got back up and sat down right next to you. His hands found your cheek again and he brushed soft circles over your skin. “Move to Raleigh with me?”

A small smile spread on your lips before it turned back to a serious expression. “Are you really sure?” you questioned. “We haven’t been dating for that long.”

“I have never been surer about anything in my entire life.” You sat back up, facing him directly this time. “Yes, Mikko, I will move to Raleigh with you.”

He put both hands on your cheeks and pulled you in for a kiss. A kiss you had been waiting for ever since he stepped foot into your living room earlier in the night. “There´s no one I´d rather move states with.”

#mikko rantanen #carolina hurricanes #colorado avalanche #mikko rantanen imagine #nhl imagine #mikko rantanen x reader

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cuteandhughesy · 7 months ago

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This Love | Mikko Rantanen (instagram edit)

summary: your and mikko’s instagram posts after you finally get back together - from vacation, date nights and the new hockey season

warnings: none other than suggestive comments <3

face claim: sydney sweeney

a/n: hey guys! another insta edit for you to feast on - they will all come slowly and surely and you can check out my masterlist to see which fics will be featured! also working away on my vince dunn xmas fic as well as filtering through requests and picking some of my favourite xmas ones ! tis the season ❤️🎄

link to this love

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liked by cradnec, mel.landeskog and others

yourusername vacation and man of my dreams ☀️

tagged cradnec

comments

user1 also the man of my dreams

user2 holy shit titties

user3 you look STUNNINH

landeskog_92 what a man 😍

yourusername back off

user4 you’re glowing

user5 ugh looks so beautiful

mel.landeskog i’m jealous

user6 mikko can’t handle all that😍

cradnec you’re my favourite girl

kaileyrankin shut upppp 😩

user7 so pretty

user8 boobies

tracymakar_ need to visit this vacay spot asap

liked by landeskog_92, syddbad and others

yourusername back home and cozying up for fall ❤️ a dump of some moments from last week ft. my fav flamingo mug I steal from mikko

tagged cradnec

comments

syddbad miss your face

user1 how does it feel to live my dream?

user2 give the rest of us a shot

juliannemanson still thinking about those coffees

cradnec do I always look that handsome 😍

yourusername so humble

user3 love thissss

landeskog_92 hate that mug

yourusername the flamingo mug lives forever 🦩

user4 you’re so pretty

user5 need that mug immediately

user6 🤩🤩🤩🤩

6erikjohnson6 mikko is so devishly handsome

cradnec stop it you 😍

yourusername yeah stop it. 🤺

liked by kaileyrankin, cradnec and others

yourusername had a long and exhausting week at work and came home to the cutest stuffy 🥲 plus mel and I finally got our boys out of the house for a breakfast date 🤩

tagged mel.landeskog, cradnec & landeskog_92

comments

user1 how cute 🥰

user2 who doesn’t love a good jellycat 🐰

mel.landeskog love you and our bottomless mimosas

yourusername i’m still recovering

user3 this is so sweet

user4 hottest couple

user5 serving looks in those scrubs

jellycat always here to brighten your day

landeskog_92 mikko stunting per usual

cradnec model

user6 i’m looking at your man respectfully

liked by mackinnon29, charlotttewalker and others

yourusername date night 🫣

tagged cradnec

comments

6erikjohnson6 holy shit

6erikjohnson6 this is insane

yourusername jealous?

landeskog_92 I am ✋🏻

user1 omfg 😩

user2 the hand placement are you serious

user3 i need him

charlotttewalker you look so beautiful

user4 am I interrupting???

traceymakar_ so pretty

kerrytoews gorgeous

user5 you are both so hot life is so unfair

cradnec 😍

liked by charlotttewalker, 6erikjohnson6 and others

yourusername hockey season is back in full swing and I can’t tell if I love it or hate it 😩 on one hand mikko now loves the puck more than me and on the other hand I get the bed to myself while he’s away… 🤣

tagged cradnec & coloradoavalanche

comments

mel.landeskog this but my husband doesn’t play but still applies

landeskog_92 I don’t like these comments mel.

user1 slaying

traceymakar_ amen

user2 i’m obsessed with your boyfriend

user3 you’re such a hottie

user4 🥰

mackinnon29 mikko looking hard in pic 3

user5 mikko is dedicated to the game fr fr

charlotttewalker no thank god for you or else i’d loose my mind y/n

user6 give me a chance

user7 mikko doesn’t even know what he’s got 😩

juliannemanson preach girl

kaileyrankin okay ski queen

liked by bowen.byram, cradnec and others

yourusername it’s been way too long since i’ve posted a selfie - on another note i’m missing summer 😭

comments

user1 BEAUTIFUL

user2 holy fuck 😍

syddbad missing that smile - you look stunning

kaileyrankin stfu you are hot

user3 summer hits so different

mel.landeskog yesss you posted this ❤️

user4 blessed to see this

user5 hottie

user6 the hair is giving in this pic

cradnec 🤩 wow

user7 i’m convinced you’re perfect

liked by mel.landeskog, syddbad and others

yourusername mel told me to come over and help make halloween treats with the kids - they weren’t expecting the amount of dedication and seriousness I brought to the table

tagged mel.landeskog

comments

landeskog_92 get off my island - I eat off there

yourusername you also eat off mine and you don’t even want to know what’s happened on that island

user4 OMG ^

user1 I already know the kids loved it

user2 need a halloween treat 🎃

user3 slay

mel.landeskog i’m still going through cookies

user4 so hot

cradnec 😍😍😍

user5 boobs 🍈🍈

user6 you ate

6erikjohnson6 slippers on the counter 😬

yourusername slippers down your throat ?

user7 such an icon

liked by charlottewalker, calemakar_ and others

yourusername happy november dump (last slide includes a no context bereal mikko sent me)

tagged cradnec, charlotttewalker, mel.landeskog, tracymakar_, kerrytoews & juliannemanson

comments

user1 the bereal is so wholesome

user2 you’re both so nice to look at

6erikjohnson6 need mikko to carry me like that toy car

cradnec come over

user3 😍

calemakar_ squad up

tracymakar_ I can’t 💀😭

user4 tell mikko to score for my fantasy team

user5 i’m so happy for you 😭

user6 you’re so stunning

landeskog_92 look at lehky 🥰

user7 bad

charlotttewalker love you

cradnec you look pretty 😘

liked by josty17, cradnec and others

yourusername has the best bday weekend thanks to my hunny 🤍 also I can’t with mikko using my head as a place to rest his bowl! i’m just trying to cuddle with him 🥲

tagged cradnec

comments

user1 happy birthday!!!!

user2 birthday girl

cradnec ❤️🥳

user3 so beautiful

mel.landeskog 26 🎉

user4 don’t look a day over 18

user5 he’s so lucky

charlotttewalker happy birthday girly 🥰

traceymakar_ ahhh the queens bday 🍾

user6 mikko is so sweet

juliannemanson can’t wait to celebrate with you

user7 the bowl 🤣

user8 that pizza looks delicious- hbd 🎉

6erikjohnson6 need mikko to punch me in the face

yourusername same

liked by mackinnon29, jtcompher and others

cradnec happy birthday babe ❤️

tagged yourusername

comments

user1 everyone shut up. mikko posted

6erikjohnson6 caption king

user2 she’s so bad

user3 😍😍

user4 happy birthday queen !

bowen.byram hbd y/n

landeskog_92 happy 35th birthday y/n

yourusername gabriel

user5 happy birthday 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

mackinnon29 happy birthday y/n

kaileyrankin yasss my queen

devontoews happy birthday!

user6 you’re so lucky mikko 😍

user7 happy birthday mrs. rantanen 🥳

coloradoavalanche happy birthday to an honorary av ❤️💙

user8 give me a chance

───────── ౨ৎ ─────────

a/n: not spell checked currently.

I do not own any of these photos - full credits to original owners.

70 notes · View notes

laurenairay · 22 days ago

Text

I just wanna get to know you - M. Rantanen

Happy birthday @wyattjohnston! This is the fifth and final of your birthday blurbs, Demi, and I really hope you like them. This one features a flirty Mikko (he really does hit different in Victory Green!) ❤️

Word count: 885 words.

“Aren’t you going to thank me?”

You raised your eyebrow at Roope as he appeared next to you.

“Thank you for what?” you asked dryly.

You’d known Roope (and Miro, and Esa, and all the other variations of Dallas Stars Finnish Mafia) since you’d moved to Dallas years ago, and you knew better than to inflate Roope’s ego when he was in this kind of mood.

“Bringing Mikko here so you could have some more eye candy,” he shrugged.

It took all your effort not to choke on your drink. You should’ve known deep down that Esa couldn’t keep a tequila secret on your preferences in men – and Mikko was exactly your type on paper. Not that you were going to give Roope the satisfaction.

“Unless you personally had a hand in him signing in Dallas and drove him here to Esa’s yourself, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” you said simply.

Despite your attempted nonchalance, Roope’s smile turned sharp, clearly pleased with himself.

“You don’t have to play hard to get. We all know you’re not shy,” he smirked.

Rude. Not entirely wrong, but still.

“Eat my ass,” you shot back, smiling sweetly.

Roope just cackled, drawing just enough attention as he walked off to make your cheeks heat up slightly. The nerve of that guy. That’s what you got for admitting you’d spent a summer in Helsinki to a drunk homesick rookie Miro Heiskanen you supposed – all the charms of the friends that came with him.

Not that you’d change them for the world.

“Why is Roope looking so pleased with himself, hm?”

The low voice you’d quickly grown to love sent a shiver down your spine that you could barely repress.

“Oh who knows. It’s Roope,” you shrugged, playing cool.

Mikko just laughed, nodding his agreement, leaning against the railing of Esa’s back porch next to you, glancing out at the small group dotted around the backyard.

“If anyone had said I’d be right here a year ago, I would’ve called them crazy,” he murmured.

Your breath hitched in your throat. This was one of the things you loved most about Mikko was his ability to be vulnerable at a moment’s notice. For such a big guy that played the loud life of the party, he really could switch to gentle giant so easily. It was endlessly endearing.

“And now you wouldn’t change it for anything?” you offered.

Mikko just grinned, nodding. “It’s different. Very different than Denver. But I love it.”

You could understand that.

“Of course it helps to have such a pretty face around,” he said innocently.

You swallowed heavily, thoughts freezing for a moment. Surely he didn’t mean…

No, of course not.

“Yeah Roope really is too pretty for his own good,” you said, desperate to keep your calm.

Mikko barked out a laugh, drawing attention just like Roope had. The man in question looked over to you and Mikko, eyes sparkling as he assessed the situation, before he gave you a not-so-subtle thumbs up. Brilliant.

“He’s not great at subtlety, is he?” you sighed.

“Never has been,” Mikko grinned, “And we both know I wasn’t talking about him.”

Blunt as always.

“We both know that, do we?”

Mikko hummed softly, turning his body to face you properly as his face shifted to a serious expression for the first time since you’d met him, and this time you couldn’t stop the way your heart raced as he towered over you.

“I might be slightly more subtle that Roope but I have no interest in playing games. I want to get to know you better – away from these meddling assholes, just you and me,” Mikko said simply.

Oh wow.

Had a guy ever been this direct with you?

“Is that so?” you managed to breathe.

Mikko’s face broke from its serious tone as he smirked slightly, clearly enjoying the effect he had on you.

“If you’re interested, that is. I mean, I don’t think Miro would lie to me but…”

Oh Miro was in on this too? Fantastic.

“Meddling assholes indeed,” you said, huffing out a laugh.

A tension you didn’t realise he was holding relaxed slightly, softening your nerves a little.

“I’m interested, Mikko,” you admitted.

“Yeah? Thank fuck for that. Esa did say I was your type when I asked him what he thought, but you’re hard to read sometimes,” Mikko said, smiling.

Esa too? Right, that was it.

“How about you ask me what I’m thinking and feeling next time hm? Rather than asking all the guys?” you mused.

To his credit, Mikko blushed, smile turning a little sheepish. “Ah, yes. Noted. Sorry.”

Adorable. You could hardly stay mad at him now.

“You can apologise by taking me out to dinner. Maybe drinks too,” you said, tilting your head invitingly as your eyes trailed over his torso.

Damn, he really was your type.

“Yeah, I can do that,” he nodded quickly, lips parting slightly, breathing hitching in his chest.

“GET A ROOM!”

Roope.

“DON’T YOU DARE!”

Esa.

You just snickered as Mikko’s blush deepened. These boys.

“I could do with another drink right now, come to think about it. How about you join me in the kitchen?” you said, grinning up at him.

“Yeah, I’m thirsty,” Mikko said eagerly, voice turning a little rough.

#my writing #mikko rantanen blurb #demi birthday blurbs #mikko rantanen fic #mikko rantanen imagine #nhl fic #nhl blurb #hockey fic #hockey blurb #hockey imagine

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starscelly · 2 months ago

Note

If we're talking about the anglocentrism of hockey fans, the way Rantanen got treated on the Avs as always second best to Makar and Mackinnon I think really speaks for itself. Even in games where his individual performance would be the highlight of the night, people would somehow still make it all about the other two— even the home announcers talked about Rants that way!

If he scores a goal, well Makar was really the star of that play. Sure, Rantanen got a hat trick, but Mack got three assists. They always seemed physically pained to give him his flowers, and when he got traded it was suddenly he's such selfish player who doesn't care about the team- not like Nate and Cale care! Those two took team friendly discounts! Even though Rantanen only got traded so those two could get their pay raises next contract.

i did not ever follow the avs Like That so i did not know they talked abt mikko like that that is CRAAZZYY.... i did know he got less flowers than the other two By Far but to get that kinda snub from ur own announcers is insane

i did note how quick the tonal shift was and how quick people were to Not give him the benefit of the doubt amongst all those trades, despite him stating multiple times it wasnt what he wanted regarding col and that he was shocked bc he thought they were working on a deal, and then despite the canes gm (iirc) saying their coach's comments abt mikko not wanting to play there were just Not True ... and yet everyone was like aaah hes a real piece of shit case closed. like ???????

not quite the same but the col situation reminded me a little bit of when klingberg had to leave the stars.... his agent kept wanting to hold out for more money whereas klinger was more focused on staying in dal and then ended up getting screwed over bc of the agent and going to Goddamn Ducks despite literally not wanting to leave .... but the public response to that was SO different bc every stars fan was like ohhh agent's fault! and thats not even a commentary on avs fans or media (which i will comment on. briefly. in a sec) but like .... what is sooo different that your instinct is to blame the player and not the agent ???? despite, imo, everything Eye read it seeming to be more of an agent than a totally mikko thing ....

also like idk . i dont Love how much + how long the stars are paying him but liiiike get ur bag always??? they literally are putting their bodies on the line for entertainment every night i think its Fine to want to be fairly compensated for having an unusable body by like age 40..... but Obviously this has to be demonized because he's not a Hardworking Canadian Boy !!!

BUT ALSO.... sorry im so stuck on the avs announcers thing i cannot imagine having an announcer that is anything other than utterly infatuated with whoever is doing cool stuff on the ice And Man Is He Doing Cool Stuff !!!! especially a FINN... which is maybe more a dallas announcer/org bias but Yikes. that's so sad like genuinely !!!! at least he is loved and lovingly commented on for being Large nightly by razor (and josh!) <3

#sorry kinda . stream of consciousness response so sorry if it doesnt make sense but WOW #justice for mikko 2k25 through. whenever his contract expires #i cant look at the stars current contracts rn or my head is gonna combust so just. whenever #also. i feel like kristi allain has written abt the Good Canadian Boy identity vs like. i feel like it was specifically russians actually?#but similar vein. in terms of treatment #cel phone

21 notes · View notes

hockeyblorbopolls · 14 days ago

Note

I present (perhaps prematurely): nazem kadri propaganda

you may be thinking… I’ve heard that name before. And you’d be right. It was me whispering it in your ear/awkwardly slipping it into conversation/shouting it from the rooftops. he’s played on the leafs, the avalanche (won a cup!!) and now the flames. Are you a London knights fan? oh boy do I have news for you!

that is our FATHER and I say “our” because he’s team dad but he’s also my dad in my heart of hearts

now for some visual supports…

LOOK AT HIM (this is also wolfie propaganda and frostbee propaganda—ik it’s only 1/2 of frostbee but still)

little baby naz. he’d tell you he broke curfew and technically he did, but only because he got home at 10:02 when he was supposed to be back by 10

#1 Mikko rantanen defender

let’s go back to the London Ontario thing. naz has the most aggressive London Ontario accent I’ve ever heard and I say this hailing from London Ontario. If I close my eyes he sounds like my uncle. I love an accent so BOOM blorbo quality

if being good at hockey is your most important blorbo trait:

naz had a career high 35 goals this year on a team that ostensibly was crap at scoring!! (third last in goals for all season I believe? That stat also counts as wolfie propaganda). he also scored back to back overtime goals which made him the first flames player to ever do so.

Matty Coronato thinks he’s funny so obv he’s The blorbo of all time

in conclusion vote nazem kadri and also if you know where the calgary flames can acquire a kaz hmu

thank you for the propaganda! ❤️

#nazem kadri #calgary flames #blorbo propaganda

12 notes · View notes

adelphenium · 2 years ago

Note

In exchange for a request you draw Kaapo Kakko, here's some lore for you!!

Got a speeding ticket on a jet ski

T1 diabetic and celiac

Said he'd replace his missing tooth over a year ago and still hasn't

Lost said tooth in an off season training accident

Loves minimalism and concrete and tiny houses

Definitely had a teenage crush on Mikko Rantanen and has trained with him in the off season for a while in Turku

Insists on keeping his sticks the same length since he was 15 despite being disproportionate to his 6'3 frame. To the point that back when he played for TPS Turku in Finland, the equipment folks cut some longer for him and he snuck away to cut them shorter.

He's a weirdo but he's my favorite weirdo

- 💖

aaah amazing,, i love this lore drop !!!

i ended up drawing his draft picture bc it really called out to me,, i think it's very much in the spirit of all his silliness as you've shown :) ty for the the req and for sharing !!

#part of the reason why this one took me so long is that i really deliberated over which reference to use.....#i thought i should do smth more recent but in the end this one was just too silly and goofy to resist !!#kaapo kakko #new york rangers #hockey art #req!#adelart

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pumpkinrootbeer · 4 months ago

Text

A Tale Two Trades: A Full Breakdown

I've seen a lot of confusion, a lot of misinformation, and a lot of misunderstanding about what happened. Let me try and clear some of this up!

Introduction

The year is 2019 (stay with me) and the NHL preseason has just begun. However, the Colorado Avalanche are still missing one of their top players and draft picks: Mikko Rantanen. Despite the season technically already starting he's not even in the country! No, instead he's still in Finland currently awaiting a contract agreement from the Avalanche front office as a restricted free agent. Most reports assume he will get signed for around 10 million. The captain, Gabe Landeskog, comes out and defends Mikko, siting his love of the team and emphasizing how much of a team player he is. When Mikko does end up getting signed, Gabe is waiting outside the arena with a "Welcome Home, Mikko" sign. He was signed with the Avs for 9.2x6.

During his time there, Mikko was the third player in franchise history to break 50 goals in the regular season, as well as the third Finn ever. He currently holds the franchise record for most goals scored in a season, and has put up back to back 100 point seasons with them. During 48 games played there without Mackinnon, he has scored 22 goals and gotten 30 assist for a total of 52 points in 48 games— a better point per game average than his games with him. In the first half of the '22-'23 season, Mikko will either make or have the primary assist on more than 50% of the Avalanche's goals.

Then, in 2025, he will be the highest point per game player to be traded at the deadline since 1994.

The 2024-25 NHL season

The Colorado Avalanche are riddled with injuries, like Landeskog who has still not made his return since him being placed on IR, as well as several other players. This is not a new development; they have never been fully healthy at any given time in more than five years. When asked about the injuries in a post game, Mikko will say that he feels like it's been like this his entire time there.

Mikko, who is nearing the end of his six year contact, has been in contract negotiations all summer. Midway through the summer, it's reported that they're nearing an end to the deal. Then the Draisaitl contract hits. Rantanen and Draistaitl share an agent, and negotiations immediately stall. And then Mikko Rantanen scores a hattrick on the opening night of the 2023 NHL season. And that's when contract negotiations officially go off the rails.

The first thing to understand about contract negotiations is we don't have all the information. Agents and management will leak information to the press. There will be baseless rumors. Players will say one thing while something else happens behind closed doors. Two insiders will have conflicting reports and people will insist this means someone's lying. That's the first thing to understand.

The second thing is money is not the whole picture, there will be other incentives like a No Movement Clause or it will come down to the amount of years signed. Kadri didn't resign with the Avalanche because they would not offer him a deal longer than a one year contract. Location is a factor, a team's cup window impacts choices. There's a lot of moving pieces and that's just for the players.

The third thing is players rarely get bargaining power in these negotiations. Their value is directly tied to how well they are preforming, and if you're not preforming- well. Players do not get to choose who they sign with typically and don't get to look at multiple offers at the same time, unless they are UFAs— unrestricted free agents. Other teams cannot approach players with offers if they are already signed with a current team, but if it's UFA, they get to see all the offers and make a move from there. The only time a player will have the upper hand in negotiations is if they become an unrestricted free agent. Anything besides that, and you better hope you have a NMC or else you can get flipped at the drop of a hat.

One thing that will go on to impact contract negotiations is most agents are moving to a percentage based negation as opposed to just solid figures as the salary cap increases. As in, 15% of of the teams salary cap as opposed to the number of 14 million.

Something to note, specifically in this instance, is Mikko is an incredibly private person. He's very friendly with reporters and always willing to talk to them, but his first pre season interview he makes it clear he does not want to discuss his contract. Despite this, the one thing he makes clear is that he, under no uncertain terms, wants to stay in Colorado. His exact quote is "We won the cup here, why would I want to leave." This will be his only statement on where he wanted to end up for the rest of this saga.

Rumors quickly fly around that the Rantanen camp is looking for 14 million from the Avs and Mikko is unwilling to have any negations until after the trade deadline. While I have seen zero confirmation that negotiations stalled, in fact reports later go on to contradict this, the reason the 14 million number gets floated around is because it's reported by insiders that Rantanen's camp believe they can get 14 million on the open market as a UFA. This has never been stated to be their asking price.

The Avalanche have an internal salary cap of 12.6, their lead point scorer and the league's MVP, Nathan Mackinnon's number. It will be important to note that Mikko before getting traded will make up more than 15% of the teams goals and roughly 18% of the teams points. 14 million AAV would be come out to 15% of the teams salary after the cap increases in the coming seasons. It's also important to note that the Mackinnon deal was made when the salary cap was in a completely different place.

Most reporting on this believe the Avalanche will offer 12.5 or 13 million and sign Mikko for 8 years, maybe with a NMC and some other perks. This turns out to be massively overselling their offer, but we'll come back to that. Mikko goes on to score two more hat tricks, break his record for his career highest point streak, and, right before the trade, be second in the league points. Second only to his linemate.

There are games where only Mikko scores, there are games where Mikko gets his first natural hat trick, and there are games where Mikko puts up five points in a night. He is completely dominating, he's named the NHL's second star of November, and he's on pace for 40+ goals and another 100 points. Despite their record breaking absysmal start, the Avalanche are looking stronger and it's starting to feel like this might just be another legitimate cup run and a large portion of that is attributed to Mikko.

And then, in the middle of the night, during a roadtrip, months before the trade deadline, rumors start circulating that Mikko Rantanen is getting traded to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Carolina Trade

Most people think it's fake, most insiders and reporters believed he would be on the Avalanche for life. And then it gets confirmed, in a massive three way deal, Mikko Rantanen gets traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for four draft picks, Marty Necas, and Jack Drury. Carolina gets Mikko Rantanen from the Avalanche and Taylor Hall from the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks, who are also in this deal don't forget, get their own third round draft pick back and pick up 50% of Rantanen's salary while their at it. This trade immediately puts the Carolina Hurricanes as the new favorites to win the cup.

Around this time, the first solid number for the Avs contract is stated to be 11.75x8. (Some report lower, but absolutely no one says higher than that.) Almost a million less than any offer suggested by insiders or reports leading up to the trade and not even coming close to the artificial salary cap placed by the Avalanche front office.

Almost immediately after the trade, the New York Times start reporting that Rantanen was completely blindsided by this trade. Many fans insist that this can't be true, that the Avalanche would have exhausted all possible options, and they, at the very least, would have communicated with the team's leadership before making such a blockbuster trade. Then, as interviews start coming it, it is confirmed by all four players involved in the trade that there was zero communication with the players.

Mikko outright states that he was willing to take a team friendly deal, that he was under the impression they were still negotiating, he didn't know they were in a rush to get it done, and that for the first time he now knows how brutal the industry can be. He stresses that he had no idea a trade was coming.

Interviews with the Avs assistant captains both say they never say this coming, Nate in particular stresses that he never thought Mikko would leave and he's heartbroken to see his friend go. He talks about how important he was off the ice, how much he meant to everyone in the room. The coach Jared Bednar talks about how hard it is to lose a close friend like this. This narrative will never be contradicted by any Avalanche reporting and the Avalanche general manager will go on to say it happened quick and they felt they had to jump on it.

Old teammates of Mikko's will be interviewed and will express their shock that they would ever let him go. Erik Johnson will comment "what the hell" on the trade announcement, and reach out to the Hurricanes commentators to let them know what an incredible person and player he is. During the opening face off of his first game with the Hurricanes, an Islander player tells Mikko he'll be alright.

Mikko will seem shell shocked in interviews, he will struggle to adjust to games, and he will get norovirus, an injured leg, and a black eye all while facing intense pressure from the Carolina front office to sign an 8 year extension. He will get off a plane and play with Carolina the same day he's traded. He struggles to adjust to the Hurricanes' system, which is notoriously one of the most difficult systems in the league, he struggles to build chemistry with his linemates, and he struggles to score goals. He will also be playing 5 minutes less.

While being interviewed, Sebastian Aho says that the team had slowed down and expected Mikko to lead the way, and he says they can't sit back and expect him to carry them. That they need to show him why they're such a good team and show him where he fits within that.

Despite this, Mikko Rantanen leads the Canes in shots on goal, off the rush chances, and chances generated. Every stat of his goes up from Colorado, except for one: his shot percentage. Mikko typically has a shot percentage of 15% and in Carolina it goes down to 4. Around him, the entire team seems to struggle, with the whole locker room getting sick, a struggling power play, and the break for four nations. Mikko manages to put up 2 goals and 4 assists in his 13 games with them. About half of his normal production which typically averages out to a point per game.

A contract number of 12.5 to 13 million is reported to be offered to Mikko, who does not outright reject it but asks for more time to consider since he has played less than ten games there.

Carolina's GM calls this trade risky and a gamble. Marty Necas goes on to say in an interview with Colorado press that the Canes never should have made the trade if they didn't already know he would sign. Their coach will say after the trade deadline that Rantanen told them he was not interested in signing, in direct contradiction to statements made by insiders, and that no trade should have been made unless they had a guarantee that he would sign.

Later, much later, an insider will report the Canes got positive feedback (not confirmation) from the Avalanche, not Rantanen or his agent, as teams are not allowed to negotiate with players on different teams directly, that Rantanen would be willing to sign. They also say that Rantanen's agent believed the whole trade suggestion to be a bluff by the Avalanche. A bluff like that would not be unprecedented, general managers do things like this frequently in the NHL.

At the end of the day, they did not know, as their were no advanced discussions with any of the players by their own teams, and they will have traded for him anyway on the hope they can convince him to stay. They won't.

The Dallas Trade

About a month before the trade deadline, rumors start circulating that Mikko is going to get traded again as his point production continues to suffer. He is placed first in the trade boards. Then, a week out from the deadline the first credible report goes out that Tulsky has asked around the league for interest in Rantanen. This will later be the time that Mikko will say he was sure he didn't want to stay in Carolina. Their first choice is the Leafs but the deal is contingent on Mitch Marner waiving his NMC which he is fully unwilling to do. Back to the drawing board.

Teams across the league apparently we're looking at Rantanen and making offers for him. Panthers, Leafs, Oilers (yes really), all were interesting in securing Mikko to their team. When it became apparent the Hurricanes were going with the Stars, several gms are reported as half-joking about sabatoging the trade because it would make the Stars too good.

The night before the trade, or early morning depending on how you look at it, it gets reported the Hurricanes are working out a deal with the Dallas Stars. A few hours later, the terms of a deal, Logan Stankonev and two draft picks, have been agreed to by both front offices but it hinges on Mikko Rantanen signing with the Stars. These negotiations between Mikko and the Stars go on for hours with reports they've stalled multiple times. Until three hours before the trade, when it's confirmed he has signed to the Stars for 12 million AAV (annual average value) for 8 years, making him the highest paid player in franchise history and the first one to ever to sign an 8 year deal all without playing for them once. The Stars become the new favorites to win the cup.

And in his first game with them, he puts up a third of his point total from his entirety within the Carolina system within one night of playing for the Stars. He scores the same amount of goals from 14 games in Carolina to 2 in Dallas.

The Aftermath

So, where does this leave us? Where does this leave Mikko, and the total of five players that have been moved around in trades centering him?

Necas and Drury have been settling into the Avs wonderfully. Hall, though not scoring any official goals, has been playing well for the Canes. Stankonov scores the game winning goal with his first game with the Hurricanes. Mikko for his part seems to be doing much better, fitting smoothly into the Stars system and mood noticably improving. He does over four interviews during his first day with the Stars and appears to be in pretty good spirits. The fans however are not.

Immediately there is heavy backlash from both Avs and Canes fans. Avalanche fans claim Mikko is a traitor who was asking for far more than he was worth and then signed for the same deal he rejected from the Avs just so he could play with a division rival. Hurricanes fans claim Mikko knew the whole time he didn't want to sign there but dragged things along to intentionally sabotage the Hurricane's front office. They will use Tulsky saying that since the Rantanen deal took so long he couldn't make trades for anyone else as evidence of this.

Mikko will say that he went with Dallas ultimately because he believes it to be a better fit and that he had to consider every aspect of his life, not just on the ice. He says he had to take his family into consideration, while mentioning his long term partner, Susanna Ranta, by name as someone he was taking into consideration. This leads a large portion of the affirmationed fanbases to stalk her Instagram, harass her, and flood twitter with some of the most misogynistic drival you can imagine. Fans will wish harm on both of them and spam images of him getting hit three times in a game against the Oilers. They will post hoping he tears his ACL, spamming under every possible post about him that he's a piece of shit who betrayed the Hurricanes or the Avalanche— depending on which teams colors they have in their profile picture.

Let me make it clear, I do not think this is representative of Canes or Avs fans. I know those men don't speak for you, but I mention the sheer outpouring of negativity because I think it's important and it is directly impacting Mikko and his family. He will never mention Susanna again, and you can see him cut himself off when he's talking about reasons why he chose Dallas during an interview with Oilers' media. Which will, in itself, be picked apart; people will mock him for stuttering and not being able to speak English— like he couldn't be stuttering because it's possible his words are being picked apart and one wrong choice will result in even more harassment for him and his family.

In a interview with Finnish media, Mikko will say he was overwhelmed by stress during his time with the Hurricanes due to trade talks and contract negotiations and that he had no idea what would happen next. Across interviews and articles, he will talk about the stress and uncertainty he was facing- how he was just trying to make the best of a bad situation. People will take a clickbait-Google-translated headline out of context and use it as evidence of Mikko talking bad about the Canes. There will be conflicting reports coming from Hurricanes media about whether or not they got confirmation about whether Mikko would agree to sign before coming here, and Mikko will take the flack for it all.

On the Avs side of things, several reporters have come out in defense of Rantanen but that they understand any negative feelings fans have about him not just playing for a long time division rival but signing there long term. They will also acknowledge that at the end of the day, it was the Avalanche who shipped Mikko out first.

Mikko has said that it's going to be hard and weird playing against the Avalanche the first time he does, and the second, and third. Bednar has said that he will be rooting for Mikko, just not against the Avs. Mackinnon said that it doesn't bother him, he plays against his close friends all the time. Toews said that it's going to be really hard and he's not looking forward to playing against Mikko for times a season. A lot of bittersweet sentiments from all sides.

Conclusion

There's really no good way to end this, a lot of information is still coming out and has been for days. A lot of ill-backed up claims have come out and been taken at fact, which bothers me simply because I'm autistic and the minutiae of getting ultimately irrelevant details correct is important to me. I've tried to cover every possible angle here but I know I have unavoidably missed context some fans are going to find unforgivably important, and I'm sorry about that.

While I think it's important context that Mikko was actively losing value in Carolina and the longer he stayed there the harder it would be to keep his contract number up, I understand why a signing like this would sting for Avalanche fans. I also understand why Hurricanes fans would be upset another star player wasn't interested in playing for their team long term. Hockey is a brutal business and these things hurt.

I've tried to break this timeline down in the most understandable manner while including all details that I find important. I cut a lot of stuff that, while interesting, wasn't really relevant. Hopefully I didn't cut to much. Feel free to send me an ask looking for further clarification on anything.

#:v #mikko rantanen #carolina hurricanes #colorado avalanche #dallas stars #avs lb #stars lb #This took days to write and I know I'm still missing shit

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foundtherightwords · 4 months ago

Text

Fallen Empires - Epilogue

Pairing: Geta x OFC

Chapter warnings: none

Chapter word count: 1.6k

Prologue + Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 14 - Chapter 15 - Chapter 16 - Chapter 17 - Chapter 18 - Chapter 19

Read on AO3

Epilogue

A year later

The sun was dipping low behind the hills, and a hint of crispness in the air signified autumn was on its way. Geta fixed the bundle of linen more securely under his arm as he strolled to the edge of the pasture and whistled. Hearing the familiar signal, the animals all came over. At the head were Vulcan and his mate, Charis, a long-legged doe goat, both strolling sedately. Vulcan's brother had been traded for Charis, and now the black goat, despite the limp in his hind leg, was walking proudly as the leader of the herd. They were followed by Amalthea's three new kids, born just that spring, with Amalthea herself behind, and Midas taking up the rear, watching over them with the benevolent air of a beloved uncle.

Geta walked behind the animals, running through the things that needed doing around the house. There was the garden fence that needed fixing. One of the window shutters had broken and the hinges needed replacing. The goat pen was still without a roof. After what had happened to Vulcan, Daphne didn't want to risk leaving the animals out in the open again, even in the summer months, so Geta had been slowly building a pen for them—slowly, because he was learning as he went. He could have asked Mikkos or any of their neighbors for help, of course, but he wished to build something with his own hands for once in his life.

It still felt strange to Geta that he should concern himself with such trivial, mundane activities, he who had once had empires and armies and conquests on his mind. His empire had now been reduced to this hill with its little hut and gardens, and he welcomed the change.

The hut came into view, and as usual, no matter how many times he'd seen the simple thatch roof under the branches of olive and laurel, the mud-brick walls glowing like gold under the setting sun, they never failed to bring joy to his heart. It was home. A home he'd never had, and never thought he could have.

But that humble hut would never feel like home without Daphne, who was sitting on a bench outside the door, her head back, her eyes closed, basking in the warm late summer sun. She had kept her word and gone to meet Geta at the edge of the pasture every evening as he came home with the animals. Lately, as she grew big and heavy with child, he had asked her not to walk so far, but as was Daphne's wont, she insisted on meeting him anyway, even if it was just outside their front door.

Geta let the animals into their half-finished pen and approached his wife. Sensing his presence, Daphne stirred. "Romulus, is that you?" she said. His name, as written down by Master Kavos in the village census, was Romulus Publius, and Daphne still called him Romulus most of the time. Whenever she called him Geta, he knew he was in trouble.

"Here I am," he said.

She slowly opened her eyes, and here was another sight that never failed to set Geta's heart fluttering with happiness and gratitude—those green eyes, soft and shining with love as they rested on him. Every day Geta asked himself what he'd done to deserve the love from such a woman. He never found an answer, but he thanked the gods for her all the same.

Leaning down, he gave her a chaste and gentle kiss on the lips and placed his hand on her belly. "This baby should get here soon," he said, "because I'm tired of having to reach around him to kiss you."

"Or her," Daphne said, smiling sleepily at him.

"Or her," he agreed. He sat down next to her, kissed her belly, and then her lips again, not so gentle and not so chaste this time.

"Did you see my mother?" Daphne said, once they broke apart.

He handed her the bundle of linen. "She sent you some things for the baby and promised to come as soon as Mikkos and his wife have settled in."

Timon's death had been a blessing in disguise for his family. Without his dark presence holding them back, they were able to rebuild their own lives. Attikos, who found life in the village too dull after the army, had gone off with a merchant caravan, traveling up and down Syria and Judea, though he made sure to come back every few months or so, laden down with gifts for everyone and full of entertaining tales from his journeys. Mikkos had set up his own carpentry shop and married a nice girl from the village. As for Doumia, she had lost that haunted, frightened look that had hung over her like a veil when Geta first saw her and was having a grand time handing over the running of the household to her new daughter-in-law. When Geta asked her to come and help them during Daphne's confinement, Doumia had gladly accepted.

Daphne spread out the bundle and started sorting through the little pieces of fabric whose use was an entire mystery to Geta, but he enjoyed watching her nonetheless, delighting in the simple domestic scene and feeling excited about what that linen meant for them in the very, very near future. Only a little over a year ago, he would never have dreamed that a simple thing like watching his wife fold linen would bring him such fierce joy. He wouldn't even have dreamed of having a wife or a child. He had been the Emperor then, leading the Roman army against the Parthians. It seemed like such a long time ago that it had nothing to do with his life at present, and the person he had been back then was no more than a half-remembered dream.

"Is there any news in the village?" Daphne asked.

"There's news from Rome," said Geta. He'd heard it from Kavos and had been saving it to tell Daphne.

Hearing the serious tone in his voice, Daphne stopped fussing with the linen and looked up at him expectantly.

"Macrinus is dead," he began. Daphne's eyes widened as she waited, breathlessly, for him to continue. "My aunt, Julia Maesa, has raised an army to put her grandson, my cousin Varius Avitus, on the throne, and they have killed Macrinus and his son in Antioch."

"Recently?" Daphne's voice was hushed.

Geta shook his head. "Back in June," he said. News traveled slowly in these parts.

Daphne let out a long sigh and put her head on his shoulder. Geta realized then, as he wrapped his arms around her, that despite her strength and calm, she had been holding her breath for an entire year, waiting for an assassin to show up at their door at any moment. Now with Macrinus gone, they were finally, truly safe.

They were quiet for a while, just holding each other. Then Daphne spoke up, "This cousin of yours, how old is he?"

Geta tried to remember. Varius had still been wearing his bulla when Geta left Rome for the East; the boy couldn't have been more than fourteen or fifteen now. He told Daphne.

"Just a child then." She sounded rather sad. Geta remembered that he and Caracalla had been that age when they were named consuls alongside their father, but he refrained from pointing that out to Daphne. Besides, they had been children back then as well, not understanding the gravity of their positions. "Do you think he'd last?" Daphne asked.

"I don't know. I don't care. We're safe here, and that's all that matters."

Daphne raised her head to look at him more closely. "Do you regret it?"

"Regret what?"

"If you had gone to meet her in Hemesos, your aunt might have supported you and helped you reclaim the throne."

The thought had occurred to Geta. He shrugged. "Perhaps. But knowing Maesa, she is just as likely to have me quietly killed so she could put her grandson on the throne instead. She had always been jealous of my mother. My mother was the younger of the two, you see, yet she was married to an emperor and gave birth to two emperors." He fell quiet for a moment. The thought of Caracalla no longer made him cower with guilt and fear, but it still made him sad. "Though I have to say, being wife and mother to emperors had not done my mother any good. She died broken and alone. So... no. I don't regret it. Not one bit."

Daphne took his hand, caressing the remaining stump of his little finger, before lifting it to her lips. "You forgot, I'm also married to an emperor and about to give birth to a would-be emperor," she said, the hint of a smile in her voice. "It's not all bad."

"Only a former emperor, my sweet laurel," he reminded her, smiling. "That makes all the difference." He pulled her into his arms again and caressed her belly, as they both looked over the quiet hills, steeped in the last golden rays of the sun. "And our child doesn't need an empire to rule. Empires fall. So can emperors. But to be free, to rule one's own domain, to rule one's own mind and heart and soul? No one can take that away. That's what I've found here, with you. And that's all I want. For us and our child."

THE END

Varius Avitus is the birth name of Emperor Elagabalus, whose disastrous reign followed Geta and Caracalla's. He only lasted four years and was assassinated along with his mother by the Praetorians. So perhaps it was a good thing that Geta never appealed to his aunt for help.

Anyway, this wraps up the story of Geta/Romulus and Daphne. It has been such a wild ride, but through all the uncertainty and frustration with the source material, I still had fun writing it, and the response has blown me away. Thank you so much for coming along on this journey!

Taglist: @sheneedsrocknroll92, @justnobodynothingmore, @barcelonaloverf1life, @myotakureprieve, @flawssy-227, @itsrainingbisexualfrogs, @deliciousfestsalad, @charmingballoon

#joseph quinn #joseph quinn fic #gladiator 2 #emperor geta #gladiator 2 fic #emperor geta fic #geta #emperor geta x ofc #geta x ofc

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writingwithciara · 7 months ago

Text

mending hearts -ross colton-

summary: things begin to change when y/n's brothers new teammate moves into the apartment she shares with him

word count: 7.8k (one of my longest)

pairing: ross colton x mackinnon!reader

notes: sorta enemies to roommates to lovers, toxic relationship, brief violence

y/n and nathan were always inseparable growing up. she looked up to him and he did what he could to protect her. nobody was allowed to be mean to her & only he was allowed to pick on her. but that's just a brother's right.

when nathan went to the nhl, y/n was the happier than anyone. she loved seeing him succeed.

and the distance only strengthened their relationship. y/n would've joined him in denver right away but she still had a few years of schooling left. but everyone knew exactly where she would be going when she graduated.

the day after she graduated high school, she flew from halifax to denver and met up with nathan. he introduced her to his teammates and she immediately hit it off with cale, gabe and mikko. the three of them began protecting y/n as if she was their younger sister, despite cale being the same age. they were her best friends and she loved being around them.

y/n immediately moved into nate's apartment and started going to school for media production. she went with nathan to a lot of his games and practices and as soon as she was able to, y/n joined the media team for the avalanche. she gained the ability to spend even more time with her favorite people, as she was also allowed to travel with them on roadies. she was having the time of her life.

and then it all changed.

before the 2023-24 season began, ross colton was traded to the team from tampa. the boys immediately bonded with him and it took y/n time to come around.

but it was more difficult than she wanted to admit. especially after nathan told her that he was letting ross take the guest room in the apartment. she thought that being in a close proximity to someone she hated was not ideal.

and she was right.

they were constantly butting heads. about everything. nate found it funny when they would argue against each other but would have the same points of view on the topic. it just wasn't as funny to them. in fact, it was absolute torture.

it got worse the more time they spent around each other and the only upside was that nathan was no longer the only one who had to suffer through it.

luckily for him though, the team found it just as amusing. they loved to point out the similarities between the two, only to cause them to start bickering more about how different they believed they were.

it was chaos at home. but the fun kind of chaos.

the bickering began to simmer down after the team was knocked out of the playoffs by dallas. turns out that when they were stuck in the same place when hockey isn't on the forefront of their brains, y/n and ross kinda got along.

the 2nd week of the off season, y/n was at home cooking dinner. ross walked into the kitchen and eyed her suspiciously. she never cooked.

"what are you doing?"

"what does it look like?" she turned and rolled her eyes. ross just shrugged and continued to watch her. "fine. if you must know, nigel and i are celebrating our 2 year anniversary tonight. you need to be gone before he gets here." she started dating nigel almost right after she moved in with nathan.

"alright. when's that supposed to be?"

"within the hour. now go."

"alright, alright. i'm leaving." ross shook his head, grabbed his wallet and headed out the door.

y/n finished cooking and 5 minutes before nigel was supposed to show up, she set the table. she kept checking her outfit and hair, just to make sure everything was perfect.

but it didn't matter.

nigel was nearly two hours late and as y/n stood up to reheat the dinner, there was a knock on the door.

"it's about damn time you got here." she opened the door and she was not pleased with who was standing there.

"um, sorry. forgot my key. i'll go grab it and be out of your hair in 5 seconds." ross gently rushed by her and went to his room. when he came back out, he noticed the empty chair and the untouched dinner on the table. "where's nigel?"

"i have absolutely no idea." she sighed and mumbled under her breath, "he never showed up."

"i'm sorry. what was that?"

"he never showed up!" she raised her voice, causing ross to jump back a little. she never yelled.

"are you serious?" ross asked. when y/n didn't answer, he continued to talk. "wow. i'm really sorry, y/n. even someone like you doesn't deserve that."

"thanks, i think." y/n tried smiling but it hurt her to think of the effort she put into the night, only for it to fall apart. and before she knew it, tears were falling down her face.

"oh shit. are you okay?"

"seriously, does it look like i'm okay?"

"no." he sighed. "what can i do to make you feel better?"

"for starters, you could leave."

"wow. i was just trying to help & be a good roommate. but if this is the thanks i get, then just forget it." ross pulled his key out of his pocket and headed back towards the front door.

"wait. i'm sorry." y/n called after him. "thank you for trying. really. it's the most effort anyone has given me all day." she grabbed her phone and when she still had nothing from nigel, she wanted to throw her phone and be angry. but she couldn't do it.

"this may not help, but if you ask me, nigel is an idiot. he should be ashamed he forgot something as monumental as a 2nd anniversary with someone he claimed to 'love'. and i bet the dinner you made tastes delicious. it sure smelled good 2 hours ago."

"i wouldn't really know what the full thing tastes like. i only did a few taste tests while cooking it. didn't want to dig into the meal until nigel got here." she sighed.

"well," ross checked his phone. he was supposed to meet someone for dinner an hour ago but suddenly, he felt like he had something more important to do. "why don't i reheat the dinner and we can sit down to enjoy it?"

"what? do you not have anything better to do?"

"better than spending time with my annoying roommate? never." ross sent a smirk in her direction and when she turned her head to avoid his gaze, he knew she blushing. "so, what do you say?"

"fuck it. let's eat." y/n grabbed the food from the table and headed into the kitchen. ross followed and stopped behind her. "instead of reheating this, i'll just reheat what's still in the pot. at least it's still a little warm."

"okay. whatever you feel is best." ross stood back and watched as she dumped the plates in the trash bin and went over to the stove. as she stirred the food in the pots, ross went to the fridge. "do you still want to drink wine with dinner or do you want a more casual beverage?"

"wine is fine." y/n looked over her shoulder and watched as ross reached in the cabinet next to the fridge. he grabbed a bottle from the top shelf and before he caught y/n looking at him, she turned her attention back to the food.

less than 20 minutes later, the two of them were enjoying dinner and for the first time since meeting each other, a decent conversation. y/n was learning all kinds of things about someone she thought she couldn't stand.

"wait, no way. did that really happen?" y/n laughed at a story from ross' childhood.

"it really, honestly did." ross chuckled and sipped his wine. it's crazy how just an hour ago, the girl in front of him was home alone, crying over her shitty boyfriend and now she was laughing with tears in her eyes as he told her several stories from his childhood. he couldn't believe how civil they were being with each other. but he decided to blame it on two things. the wine and the fact they were alone.

"that's absolutely insane." y/n set her fork down on the plate and looked at ross. "hey, thanks for tonight. you really turned the night around for me."

"you don't have to thank me. if anything, i should be thanking you."

"why's that?"

"well for starters, that dinner was incredible. and i honestly can't even remember the last time i had this much fun."

"oh. well, you're welcome." y/n found herself suddenly blushing. she decided to blame it on the wine she had consumed tonight. she stood up and grabbed the dirty dishes, bringing them to the kitchen without another word.

ross stood up and followed her. y/n set the dishes in the sink and turned around, not realizing ross had followed her into the kitchen. he looked down at her as she jumped back a little.

"sorry. didn't realize you were right behind me."

"it's alright." he looked at his roommate. "where's nathan tonight?"

"at his girlfriends. um, for the night. he wanted to give me and...well, you know." she looked away and sighed. "i can't believe i put in so much effort and he couldn't even show up." by now, she could feel hot and heavy tears rolling down her cheeks. she turned away so ross couldn't see her but he moved to stand in front of her.

"hey, please don't cry over that asshole. he doesn't deserve your tears."

"i can't help it, ross! i love him and he just-he just," y/n looked up at the ceiling and tried to get the tears to stop. without thinking, she threw her arms around ross' torso and sobbed into his chest. "i should've expected this, though. it's not the first time he forgot something important."

"what else did he forget?" ross rubbed her back gently but found himself getting angrier with every bit of new information he found out about nigel. he always thought nigel was a terrible person and he could never figure out how y/n was with him. he still didn't understand what she saw in him.

"i celebrated 2 birthdays during the relationship and he forgot both of them. the first time, i'm not mad about because it was only 2 weeks after we started dating. but the second birthday, he claimed it was work related but he was posting on instagram all night while at another girl's birthday party."

"you can't be serious."

"dead serious." y/n stopped crying but she didn't remove herself from the comforting embrace. she was more angry than upset but somehow, ross rubbing her back in slow circles was beginning to soothe her. by the time she finally willed herself to look up at him, she could tell he was now angry. it was like while he was rubbing her back, he took all the emotions from her. "ross?"

"hmm?"

"you okay?"

"what?" he shook his head and looked down at her. "yeah. totally fine."

"i don't believe you but i don't want to start an argument right now so i'll just accept your answer."

"thanks." he avoided her gaze but still held onto her. his phone buzzed on the counter next to them and y/n accidentally glanced at it, thinking it was hers.

"ross, did you have plans tonight?" she asked as she caught a few words from a text before he snatched his phone off the counter. he typed a response and put it back in his pocket.

"does it really matter?"

"not really. just wanted to know." y/n shrugged and turned to look at the dirty dishes in the sink.

"yes."

"pardon?"

"i had plans tonight. i was supposed to meet this girl named nicole at a restaurant over an hour ago but i texted her and told her i couldn't make it. that i had a family emergency.

"you didn't have to stay here with me, you know."

"i know i didn't have to. i wanted to. some things are more important than a date, you know?"

"oh." y/n looked at her feet. "does that make us friends now?"

"yeah. maybe." he walked over to her. "did you say nate was going to be gone all night?"

"yeah. why?" she turned to face him, failing to remember how much room was actually in the kitchen. it was a fairly small space for such a large apartment. and with how close the two of them were standing, it was like all the oxygen was sucked out of the room.

"i think you should forget nigel."

"oh." she looked up at him. "wait, what? why?"

"because i can't kiss you while you're still in a relationship."

and before y/n could reply, ross was heading down the hallway to his bedroom.

the rest of the night, she was laying in bed, wondering why ross would say something so bold and then just walk away. did he mean it or was it just the slight intoxication?

not wanting to lose a chance to find out, she quickly sent a text to nigel. she checked it over to make sure her message was clear and when she saw the bubble pop up at the bottom, indicating he was typing a response, she locked her phone. she didn't care about whatever excuse he was about to come up with. all she cared about now was finding out the truth from ross.

without another thought, she got out of bed and walked out into the hallway. conveniently at the same time ross was walking out of the bathroom they shared. his hair was wet and he had a towel hanging around his hips, indicating he had just taken a shower.

"i broke up with nigel."

"and why would you do that?" he chuckled and moved closer. he already knew the answer but wanted to hear what she had to say.

"you said you couldn't kiss me while i was still in a relationship. i needed to know if you meant it."

"wouldn't that suck if i didn't mean it and you just broke up with your boyfriend for nothing?"

"after tonight, i was planning on breaking up with him anyway." she stepped closer and ran her finger down his chest. "as for if you meant it about the kiss or not, i couldn't care less. you don't have any effect on me."

"liar." ross smirked and held her face gently. he felt her body shiver underneath his touch and his suspicions were confirmed. "you want it just as bad as i do."

"wait, what?"

"just shut up." ross smiled and pulled her lips to his. he gently pushed her against the wall next to his bedroom door and when she gasped, he took the opportunity to slide his tongue in her mouth to explore. the sudden surge of pleasure sent shockwaves down y/n's body and ross felt everything. "i knew you wanted me." ross chuckled when they pulled away to breathe.

"oh, shut up." y/n smirked and kissed him again. she had no idea what was coming over her tonight. everything going on was not normal for her. she didn't kiss her roommate or her brother's teammates out of habit. and she was certainly never this bold with what she wanted. granted, nigel was the only person she had genuine feelings for. a crush on gabe when she met him doesn't constitute real feelings. and what was going on between her and ross wasn't real feelings either, right?

she didn't care. as long as she was getting what she needed, it was all good.

and even though her night started out shitty, it ended how she wanted. even if it was with a completely different guy than the one she originally had planned to end up in bed with.

ross and y/n were woken up the next morning when nathan came home. he knocked on ross' door but got no answer so he went to y/n's door.

"nate, it's 6 in the morning. what do you want?"

"have you seen ross? he's not answering his phone and we have training camp in an hour."

y/n looked over at ross and raised her eyebrow. "no i haven't seen him. are you sure he's not already there?"

"no. guess i could check." he started walking away but turned back. "oh i forgot to ask. how was last night?"

"it was amazing. thanks for giving us some alone time, nathan. i owe you."

"yeah." he smiled. "maybe one day you could do the same for me and jennifer."

"will do, bro." y/n closed her eyes as she listened to her brother leave the apartment. when he was sure nathan was gone, ross looked over at y/n.

"amazing, huh?" he wiggled his eyebrows,

"shut up." y/n jokingly shoved his bare shoulder. it was then that she noticed the marks on his chest. "oh boy. you gotta come up with a cover story for those in case someone sees them."

"why can't i just say i had sex last night? that seems like the least suspicious thing to say."

"okay, you have a point." y/n grabbed her phone and noticed her reflection. "are you serious, ross? how am i going to explain these to nathan?"

"let's see, shall we?" ross sat up and chuckled. "he knows you and 'nigel' had sex so just roll with that story. plus, you're 26 years old. you can't let your older brother stop you from doing amazing things."

"ugh. stop making sense. this isn't normal."

"nothing that has happened in the last 24 hours is normal, y/n." ross chuckled and grabbed his towel from last night, considering it was all he had on when he pushed y/n into her room. "what we did was-"

"not normal?"

"i was going to say amazing and possibly use the word mind-blowing but if you think it wasn't normal, then we can forget it ever happened."

"no, ross. it was perfect." she sighed again "but i can't go behind my brothers back. we can't. it would violate his trust for both of us."

"oh you're so cute when you worry about other people." he leaned in closer to her. "sneaking around is what makes life exciting."

"didn't i just tell you to stop making sense?" she looked at him and smiled. "i hate that about you, ya know?"

"that i'm making sense or that i'm always right?"

"both obviously." she rolled her eyes and got dressed. "we should leave separately since we both have to go to the arena for training."

"yeah, you're right." ross went to walk out of the room but stopped. "so, where do we go from here, vis-à-vis the sneaking around?"

"we'll talk later." y/n smiled.

"or we can talk in the shower?" ross suggested, causing y/n to blush and laugh.

"we're going to be late."

"not if we shower together."

"or i can use nate's shower and you use ours."

"you know that's not very fun." ross stood in the doorway, effectively blocking y/n from leaving the room. "admit it."

"you're insufferable, you know that?"

"oh i'm well aware, baby." ross bent down close to her ear and even though he didn't have to, he whispered. "your call. i'll be in the bathroom in case you decide to join me."

y/n watched as ross entered the bathroom. he didn't even bother to shut the door. and before her brain could process what was happening, her feet were taking her into the bathroom and closing the door behind her. she grabbed ross' hand before he turned the water on.

"i knew you'd be joining me eventually." he smirked.

"just one shower. no funny business. okay?"

"come on, darling. you know it's hard to control myself around you."

"ross, i'm serious. i'm willing to share the shower with you but it's gotta be just that." y/n sighed. "i'm only saying this because it's hard to resist the temptation & because if we do anything other than shower, we're going to be late to training. then everyone will get suspicious & then sneaking around won't be a possibility anymore." she looked up at ross with a smirk as she started to undress. "and you wouldn't want to give that up, now would you?"

"um. n-no. absolutely not." ross removed the towel and got in the shower. he set the temperature to y/n's favorite and waited for her to get in.

the second y/n got in, their deal was forgotten. their lips were like magnets. finding each other without hesitation. the connection between them was stronger than it had ever been with anyone else.

so what should've been a 15 minute shower, was stretched into a 45 minute one. y/n could now check 'shower sex' off her list. as she got dressed, she made a mental note to add 'best sex i've ever had' in the margins next to her list.

ross watched y/n get dressed then suddenly remembered he needed to do the same thing. he went into his room and searched for something to wear.

y/n appeared in the doorway with a smile on her face. "so, i gotta thank you again for this morning. i mean, i have never had such mind-blowing sex before."

"yeah, me either." ross slipped the shirt over his shoulders and turned to face y/n. "so, you're not mad i ignored your 'no funny business' rule?"

"hey i'm just as guilty as you are." she smiled up at her roommate. roommate. she had to keep reminding herself that's what he was to her. nothing more. but every time she tried to tell herself that, she kept picturing his body and the way he had been making her feel, not just last night & this morning, but since he moved in.

"if i were to propose that we keep sneaking around, what would you say to that?"

"honestly, at this point, i think i would say yes." she looked over his shoulder. "why? are you asking?"

"yeah." he smiled widely. "i think i am."

"okay. but we gotta be careful because nate is smart. he'll catch on easily if either one of us slips up."

"got it." ross smiled and they walked to the front door together. "i'll see you at the arena?"

"20 minutes?"

"yes ma'am." ross leaned in to kiss her cheek and smiled before making his way down to the parking garage. y/n waited for about 5 minutes before she headed to her own. ross and nathan's spots were empty and she got in her car. she attempted to start it but nothing was happening at first. but after a 5th attempt, it sputtered to life and then immediately shut off. she was going to be late if she called a ride share service so her fingers hit ross' contact & she waited. but only for a second.

"hey. miss me already?" she could hear the smirk through the phone.

"yes. but that's not why i'm calling." she took a deep breath. "my car won't start and i thought about calling an uber or something, but-"

"you'd be super late to training." ross looked at his phone. "don't worry. i'm not too far. i'll turn around and come pick you up. as long as you're okay with arriving together."

"we won't have to hide the reason, thankfully." she smiled. "see you soon?"

"yes ma'am." he chuckled and turned around at the first opportunity. as he pulled back up to their building, y/n was waiting on the steps. she got in and smiled.

"thanks for doing this, ross." she buckled herself in and looked at him. "you're going to be late too."

"you don't have to thank me, y/n. it just gives me an excuse to spend more time with you." he winked at her and drove to the arena. "are you gonna tell nathan that you and nigel broke up?"

"eventually. i gotta figure out a way to explain it without him being suspicious of anything, or anyone for that matter."

"you'll figure out the best way, i just know it." without thinking, ross reached across the console and placed his hand on her knee. it was an almost intimate gesture but neither of them thought about it more as ross parked in the parking lot. he removed his hand and got out. "think they'll be upset we're a little later than normal?"

"we would've been on time if we had just taken a normal shower." y/n playfully rolled her eyes and walked into the building. ross followed behind her and he had to admit to himself that the view of her ass was amazing. clothed and unclothed. it was all perfect to him.

"not my fault you're so tempting."

"keep it down. someone might hear you." y/n smiled and stopped outside the media room. "are you able to give me a ride home after?"

"i hope so. if you're done before me, are you willing to wait around until i'm done?"

"of course." y/n opened the door and walked in. she immediately went to her desk and checked over the calendar. "oh, we're having them do pickup lines?"

"yeah. the fans are gonna go nuts over them, i think. are you excited?" her coworker, adam, smiled up at her as she sat down.

"who's all doing the video today?"

"um, let me check." adam grabbed his sheet and looked it over before looking back up at y/n. "landy, nate, logan, cale, mikko, georgiev, ivan, drouin, girard and ross."

for some reason, knowing she'd be in the same room as ross while he was attempting pickup lines, made her heart speed up. she didn't know what was happening.

while the boys were doing their training, adam and y/n were setting up the room and getting some good pick up lines. y/n found one that she would've loved to hear from a guy. and suddenly she was picturing ross saying it to her, making her weak in the knees.

"hey, before i forget, what are you doing this saturday night?"

"why? do you want to set me up with your brother again?"

"just one date with him. i promise you won't regret it."

"sorry, adam. but my boyfriend and i just broke up. i don't want to be set up yet."

"you and nigel broke up? when?" nathan appeared in the room, followed by cale and gabe.

"um, this morning. can we not talk about it?" y/n looked at her feet when ross walked into the room.

"what's the video topic today?" he asked.

"um, pick up lines. cheesy, romantic & weird."

"okay. cool." ross smiled and walked over to the bowl. "there's a lot here."

"i tried to find really good ones." y/n walked over to the camera as the other guys walked in. "do you guys wanna do this as a one-on-one competition or one at a time while trying to be as serious as possible?"

"we should do it like how we did the dad jokes." gabe suggested. the boys nodded and y/n put their names in a bowl so she could make the pairings.

"alright. the pairings are landy and logan, nate and girard, jonathan and ivan, ross and cale, & mikko and georgiev. gabe, you and logan are up first and we'll close it out with ross vs cale."

"sounds good."

adam hit the record button and gabe pulled out the first pick up line. it was a cheesy one and he made logan laugh before he even finished it.

the pick up lines competition was filled with tons of laughter. y/n found herself laughing at most of them and swooning at a few. mostly gabe's and one of jonathan's. and if she caved easily at theirs, she was dreading how she would react to ross' attempts.

as cale and ross took their seats, y/n remembered that none of the guys had picked up the special one she put into the mix.

as they began pulling out paper, ross kept glancing up at y/n. he knew she picked all these because she just mentioned it earlier but even if she hadn't, he would've known. they were as creative as she was.

y/n watched as the bowl got down to 2 slips of paper. either cale or ross was going to be reading off her favorite pick up line & she knew she would be screwed.

"roses are red, my face is too. that only happens when i'm around you." cale smiled and looked at the camera. "i love that and it works because i've been told my cheeks are almost always red."

and if that was cale's last pick up line, that meant ross really was going to be saying the special one she put in the bowl.

great.

"guess it's my turn again." ross smiled and pulled out the last piece of paper. he looked at cale and then towards the camera, knowing y/n was right there. "i'd never play hide & seek with you because someone like you is hard to find."

"awe that one was cute." cale looked at the camera and smiled. "that was fun. we should do that stuff more often."

as everyone left the room, ross stuck around to help y/n and adam clean up. adam gave him a suspicious look as he followed y/n around.

"shouldn't you be leaving with the boys?"

"i told nate you got a ride here with me this morning and that i had to wait for you to clean up. he said it was okay then he asked what you would want for dinner tonight."

"interesting. he never lets me choose what we have when it's his night to cook."

"maybe it's because you and nigel broke up." adam called out from his desk. he had his bag over his shoulder and was about to leave. "i believe that's what you told him a few hours ago, correct?"

"that's right. i did indeed." y/n smiled and grabbed her bag. "ready to head home, ross?"

"i keep forgetting you guys live together. maybe that's why nigel broke up with you. he was probably jealous of the insanely good looking guy you're living with and felt like he couldn't compete with it."

"thanks for that, adam. now ross is gonna be talking about it non-stop on the way home." y/n rolled her eyes and followed the two boys out of the media room. "he doesn't need anymore of an ego than he already has."

"hey, i speak the truth. openly and honestly. and ross colton is an extremely good looking man, whether you agree or not."

"thanks, man." ross smirked and looked over at y/n. she was walking beside him. close enough to where he could hold her hand but far enough that it would be obvious. especially to adam, who apparently sees everything.

"i'll see you on saturday, okay?" adam smiled as he got in his car and drove away.

"he's gay, right?" ross looked at y/n.

"yes. why?" she looked up at him and smirked. "wanna go on a date with him?"

"what? no." he chuckled and got in his car. y/n got in the passenger seat and turned to him. "after what we did last night and this morning, how could you think i played for the other team?"

"relax. i was just messing with you." y/n laughed. "why did you want to know if he was gay?"

"i was just wondering." ross avoided looking at her as he drove out of the parking garage.

"wait, are you jealous of my relationship with him?" she faced him. when he didn't respond and she noticed his grip had tightened on the wheel, that was all the answer she needed. "ross, he's pretty much my best friend at work. there's no need to be jealous. and before last night, there was nothing between you and i. so why exactly are you jealous?"

"can we talk about this later?" ross parked in the parking garage of their building and got out. y/n followed him to the elevator and when they were in, ross pressed the button to their floor but y/n hit the stop button. "why'd you do that?"

"we're alone. nate's not around to overhear our conversation. let's talk about what happened in the last 24 hours." y/n moved closer. her confidence was suddenly overpowering every part of her. it was taking over and it scared her a bit.

"you want to do this in an elevator?"

"why not? nobody can hear the conversation. we're completely alone." y/n leaned clsoe to his ear and whispered. "don't you want to try it?"

"try what, exactly? i thought you just wanted to talk." ross smirked.

"well if you wanna 'just talk' then we can definitely do that." y/n took a step back and smirked when ross followed her.

"i'm not saying that." he backed her up into the wall and held her waist gently. "i just wanted to do whatever you wanted."

"and i do want to talk. later. but right now, we're alone and i don't know the next time we'll be able to do this." she reached behind him and played with the hairs on the back of his neck. "but if you don't want to do this, then we don't have to."

"you make some really good points." ross chuckled. "and as much as i want to continue this, i don't think the elevator is a good place. it's not comfortable."

"alright. maybe we can get away from nate for a night."

"you owe him some alone time with jennifer. maybe we can use that to our advantage somehow."

"oh for sure. maybe this weekend since it's your free week."

"we can talk to him when we get inside." ross backed away and hit the stop button again, causing the elevator to start moving again. he leaned against the opposite wall and stared at y/n. "come here."

y/n did what was asked and stood in front of ross. he continued to admire her.

"why'd you want me over here?"

"so i could kiss you. one last time before we had to go back to the apartment." ross chuckled and gently placed his lips on hers. she didn't hesitate to kiss him back. just before they got to their floor, they pulled away. out of breath and with his eyes still closed, ross managed to mutter "i don't know if i can wait until the weekend."

"you'll live, ross." y/n smirked and got off the elevator when it opened onto their floor. ross followed her and when nate opened the door, he froze in shock.

"where have you been? i was so worried about you, y/n."

"nate, relax. the elevator got stuck for a few minutes. i'm fine."

"i thought maybe you guys ran into nigel and he was upset about the breakup and did something horrible. but then i remembered you were with ross so if nigel had cornered you guys, you would've been safe. because even though you two don't like each other, i know ross would've protected you with his life. right?"

"oh yeah. for sure." ross looked at y/n and entered the apartment.

"oh. speaking of being with ross and being safe," y/n began. ross gave her a look, thinking she was about to tell her brother what they had been doing behind his back. but she didn't say a thing about it. "we were thinking that maybe this weekend, we could give you and jennifer 2 full days of alone time while we went somewhere else."

"yeah. or we could send you guys somewhere for two days while we stayed here." ross smiled. "how does that sound?"

"it actually sounds like a good idea. thanks, guys." nate chuckled and sat on the couch. y/n went into the kitchen while ross sat next to nathan. "you'll protect y/n while i'm away, right?"

"of course i will, nate. she may not be my favorite person. but she's important to you so i'll do everything to make sure she's safe."

2 days later, nate and jennifer were on their way to a fancy hotel while y/n and ross were laying in bed together. it had only been 2 hours & they had already had sex 3 times.

as they debated if they were going to have another round or not, there was a knock at the door. y/n went to get out of bed but ross stopped her and slipped on some pants.

"i'll get rid of whoever that is. be right back." he kissed her before walking to the door. he opened it and nigel was standing there. "hey. what's up?"

"is y/n here? i need to talk to her."

"one minute. i'll go see if she's here." ross let him in and went down the hallway."hey. nigel's here and he wants to talk to you. he looked really upset."

"oh okay. tell him i'll be right out." she searched for her clothes while ross went back to nigel.

"she's jsut getting dressed. she'll be out in a minute."

"how's she been the last few days?"

"she's been alright, i suppose." ross looked at y/n's ex. "heard you guys broke up. sorry man."

"it's my fault. i shouldn't have been careless with her. she's special."

"yeah. if you say so." ross looked back towards the hallway, hoping y/n would emerge soon.

"i gotta admit, i was always a little jealous of you."

"oh? why?"

"y/n always talked highly of you and nathan. mostly you, honestly. always thought something was going on between you."

"i can guarantee that absolutely nothing is going on between us. never has been and never will be."

"i appreciate it, man."

"yeah, you're welcome."

"hey, nigel. what are you doing here?" y/n finally came out of her bedroom. she was fixing her jeans as she approached the guys.

"i wanted to come talk to you. apologize for being careless, and whatnot." he looked at her.

"we're not getting back together, nigel." y/n shook her head slightly.

"i know, i just wanted to apologize." he handed her a small box. " i bought this for you months ago. i'm sorry." he looked up at her as she set the box on the shelf in the front hallway. he could see a dark purple mark on her shoulder, just under her shirt. it looked fresh and suddenly, his attitude changed. "are you serious?"

"about what?"

"it's been 3 days and you're already getting someone to mark up your body?"

"oh, this? you've got it all wrong, nigel. it's a burn."

"i always had my suspicions that you might've been fooling around with someone else. but i thought you were better than that." nigel chuckled dryly.

"okay, buddy. you are in no position to talk about 'fooling around' during the relationship." ross stepped between the former couple, shielding y/n from the anger he could seebuilding inside nigel. "you forgot every important event in your relationship with y/n, in favor of spending time with another girl. and a different girl each time. maybe you should rethink things before you start treating y/n like she was the problem."

"it was you wasn't it?"

"just leave, nigel." y/n looked around ross' body. "please?"

"you two are seriously pathetic." nigel shook his head. as he turned around, a thought came to his head. he turned back towards y/n and punched ross before walking out of the apartment.

ross watched him leave and y/n held his face. "are you alright?"

"yeah. it's just a little busted lip. i'll be fine." ross chuckled. "how about you? are you alright?"

"just a little emotional damage. but nothing i didn't really ask for myself."

"whether it was your fault or not, he shouldn't have ever spoke to you that way." ross kissed her forehead. "and it was never your fault."

"ross, i know it was. i was the one who broke up with him."

"but he was the one who forgot all the important events with you. he built it all up until you had enough." ross looked at her. "you didn't deserve that. you're a better person than i am for putting up with it as long as you did."

"i only did it because i thought we were in love. but i guess it was just one-sided."

"you deserve someone who loves you & puts in the same amount of effort to keep the relationship alive."

"and so do you." y/n smiled and rested her head against his chest. "thank you for defending me. i could've done it myself but you did it better"

"you've been thanking me a lot lately." he couldn't help but chuckle. "but i don't mind. i think i like it a lot."

"well if you like me thanking you with my words, i'm sure you'll love how i thank you another way."

"is it sex? please tell me it's sex." ross chuckled.

"yes, ross. it's sex." y/n smirked and took off towards her bedroom. she was already half undressed by the time ross arrived.

"you're so perfect." ross pulled his pants off and pulled her in for a kiss.

over the rest of the weekend, y/n and ross couldn't count the amount of times they had sex. they both just knew it was a lot.

nathan and jennifer were due home any minute and ross didn't want to stop having fun. he had grown quite attached to y/n outside of their extra curricular activity, even if he would never admit it to anyone.

"nate's going to be home soon and unless you wanna tell him you've been sleeping with his sister, then i think we need to stop." y/n tried to reason with ross but he kept kissing her neck in the spot that made her the weakest.

"i can't help it." he smirked.

"well then can we at least put some clothes on, just in case he comes in here?" y/n used all the energy she had to pull away from him. she ignored his protests and got dressed, smiling when he did the same.

"i'm not ready for the weekend to end."

"i'm not either." y/n admitted. "maybe we really should tell nathan."

"are you serious? he'll kill me."

"no he won't. i'll make sure of it. it's my turn to protect you." y/n smiled. she heard the keys in the front door. "and now's the perfect time."

y/n and ross greeted nate in the front hall. he had seen them exit y/n's room together but didn't question it. he knew they were finally becoming friends and was happy about it.

"hey guys. how was your weekend?" nate asked as he set his bags down.

"it was surprisingly fun. who knew ross could be such good company?"

"well, i did." he chuckled and turned to his teammate. "did you protect her?"

"oh yeah. nigel came over the day you guys left and wanted to see her. then he got mad, accused her of sleeping with me and punched me in the face when i defended her."

"you're not sleeping together, right?"

"actually, i need to tell you something, nate." y/n turned to her brother. "it started the night that was supposed to be my super special two-year anniversary dinner with nigel. he kept me waiting for 2 hours & he ended up not showing up. so ross, being the kind person he is, cancelled his plans and stayed with me so i wouldn't feel bad. i broke up with nigel that night and i know this is going to make me sound terrible, but i don't care. i had sex with ross that night and we've been sleeping together every day since then. sometimes even more than once a day."

"so, the morning after the anniversary, when i couldn't find ross, he was in your room?"

"yeah." y/n looked up at her brother.

"when you moved in with me, i gave you one rule. and that was to not get involved with my teammates, new or old. and you broke that rule." nathan shook his head, clearly upset. "how could you be so stupid, y/n?"

"hey man. don't be mad at her. it's my fault. i couldn't get enough of her. she's perfect and i think..." he paused for a second before shaking his head. "no, i know." he turned to look at his friend. "i love her, man. she's my best friend and she's the best thing that has ever happened to me, honestly. nigel clearly screwed up, and i hate that. but she deserves to be loved properly. and i-i want to do that. if you could just give me a chance to prove it to you."

"well, i think that would be up to her, actually." nate smiled. even though he was upset a minute ago, hearing his friend say he was in love with his sister, made him happy. and not just for y/n, but for ross as well.

they both looked towards y/n, who was just standing there. completely speechless. her gaze traveled from nate to ross, shocked to have heard what was just said.

"so, what do you think about that, y/n?"

"i don't know what to think." y/n looked at ross. "you love me?"

"yeah. i really do. and at first, for me, i thought it was just about the sex. but after the second time, i knew it was real and that there was a genuine connection between us."

"i thought i was the only one who felt it, honestly." y/n smiled and approached ross. "you love me." she repeated.

ross chuckled. "yes i do. who knew?"

"i kinda thought there was something between you guys months ago. i had hope that whatever hatred you two had in the past would turn into something. and i was right all along." nathan smiled.

y/n smiled at her brother and turned to ross. "for the record, i love you too, ross."

ross went to lean in for a kiss but nathan stopped him. "hold up, buddy. let me go over the rules, okay?"

"okay."

"first, if you hurt her in anyway, i'll kill you. second, no pda in front of me. third, just treat her how she deserves. and fourth, protect her. keep her safe."

"okay. i can handle the rules. and don't worry about her being safe. i'll do anything to protect her."

"good." nathan smiled and headed to his room. "okay you can resume your pda."

ross wasted no time in crashing his lips onto y/n's. y/n kissed him back with as much passion as she could muster.

the kiss was different. but in a good way. perhaps it had everything to do with the fact that their feelings were finally shared and everything was out in the open.

they had no reason to hide. nor did they want to anymore.

#ross colton #colorado avalanche #ross colton x reader #nathan mackinnon #cale makar

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