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laurenairay · 1 month

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comes back to me, burning red - F. Andersen

Summary: Kendra Lee and Freddie Andersen lost touch after he was traded from Anaheim – will a surprise encounter bring back their friendship? And maybe more?

I’m jumping in as a pinch hitter for @misshoneyimhome for @callsign-denmark’s Luck of the Puck fic exchange! I haven’t written about Freddie in a little while so it was fun getting back to him – and thanks for answering all my questions! Such a lovely twist of fate after receiving my own fic from her today.

Flashback sections are in italics.

Words: 7.9k

Warnings: discussion of Freddie’s injuries, light angst, friends to lovers, cheesy flirting

Title from: Red by Taylor Swift

“Good morning Kendra Lee!”

Kendra grimaced, shutting the door to her yoga studio behind her, her long blonde hair swinging as she turned.

“Full name, first thing in the morning? What did I do?”

Her colleague and friend, Mimi, just snickered, shaking her head.

“Nothing bad, I promise,” Mimi said, smiling.

“Still ominous,” Kendra mused, swiping her staff card to log her as present in the building, “What’s going on?”

“Okay so you know how you moving over to Raleigh with me a month ago was to give you opportunities to do more yoga rehabilitation work?”

“Yes…?”

It was true, as vague as her friend was being. Having worked across yoga studios California for nearly 11 years, Kendra had jumped at the chance of diving more into rehabilitation work within yoga. Being made co-owner with Mimi and her sister Celeste was just the cherry on top.

“I was staying late last night to finish up the stock check and I got a call – specifically for you to do yoga rehab for an athlete needing conditioning to make his way back to playing. I know it’s right up your street, kind of exactly what you want to do more of, so I said yes.”

“You said yes already?” Kendra asked, surprised.

“I know, I know, but this is a huge opportunity. I said yes, with the caveat that I would double check timings with you this morning and let them know your availability for today,” Mimi explained.

“For today?” Kendra gasped.

“Yes, I know, but the guy organising it all for the athlete was insistent – the athlete chose you, off a list of yoga instructors based on feedback from other clients you had, and that’s huge,” Mimi said, wincing in apology.

Kendra took the time to think over her friend’s words, throwing her long blonde waves up in a twisted bun, her typical work hairstyle.

“You’re right. That is huge. Surprising, but huge. I guess, uh, just see what I’ve got this afternoon? I know I’ve got a couple of classes this morning already,” Kendra eventually said, “including…damn it, one that start in 15 minutes.”

Pregnancy Yoga, affectionately known as Moms who Move. Not women to mess around.

“Alright, you go get set up and I’ll call them back. Thanks, Kendra. And sorry for it being so last minute,” Mimi smiled.

“Hey, it happens. Let’s stay positive with it!” Kendra grinned.

As sudden as the work was, it really was where her heart lay, so this could only be a good thing right? Everything she’d been working towards?

“That’s the spirit I love! Get it girl!”

Kendra just laughed her way into Studio Two, her usual room, ready to make sure her class was set up in time.

By the time the afternoon rolled around, Kendra was pleasantly tired. All three classes had run smoothly so far today and there had been no major hiccups (or incidents) with any of her students. Even the Grooving Grandmas class (the adorable name her group of 12 senior ladies gave themselves) had behaved today, which only left her in a great mood.

So great, she lost track of time, until Mimi poked her head into the room.

“Hey, Kendra, your 2pm is here.”

“Oh damn, the athlete?”

“Yeah that’s the one. I’m just finishing up his intake forms if you want to join us,” Mimi said with a smile.

Kendra smiled back, nodding as she followed her friend out to the front desk. If she was being honest with herself, she would’ve liked a bit more preparation time, or even a name to start with. Hell, even the sport the athlete played in would’ve been useful, so she could start thinking of a program for them. Hopefully the athlete would understand the last minute nature of the set up. Hopefully.

But standing there in the lobby was the last person she expected to see. Just as tall and gorgeous and imposing as she’d last seen him in Anaheim, before he left over 7 years ago. He was her athlete?

“Freddie?”

“It’s been a long time, Kendra,” he murmured, smiling.

“You two know each other?” Mimi said, confused.

“How are your teaching hours coming along? You can’t have many left now before the next level, right?”

Kendra smiled up at her boss brightly. After her initial 200 hours training, she knew that teaching yoga was going to be her life’s work, even though she was only 21. Having worked insanely hard over the past two years, she was nearly ready to lead classes all by herself rather than as an assistant, and wasn’t that a heady thought? “No, not many left at all. As of yesterday I actually have 990 hours logged.”

“So you’re nearly ERYT 200?” her boss, James, grinned.

The third level of yoga instructor, after two years and 1000 hours of teaching.

“Just 10 hours left!” Kendra said brightly.

“That’s kind of perfect, if I’m being honest. We’ve been contacted by the Anaheim Ducks to run a conditioning class for a portion of the team. There are 20 players who’ve signed up, and the idea is that those who find it useful will sign up for more classes.”

“20 ice hockey players. My God. Will they take it seriously?”

She’d seen plenty of jocks in her 21 years and she knew exactly how much they goofed around when they didn’t care about things.

“Oh yeah, this is mandatory for these players and I’ll be evaluating them to send it back to their trainers. It’s serious – and it’s a big opportunity for the studio too.”

“Yeah definitely. And it’ll be good to see a different type of client for a change,” Kendra nodded.

“We love our yoga moms, don’t front,” James mused.

Kendra just grinned. She did love her beginner’s yoga mom class, he was right.

“It’ll be a big opportunity for you too, to work with them. If enough sign up, I’d like you to take on at least one for solo instruction the moment you have those 1000 hours done, to give you that experience. But if any of them give you any trouble, you let me know, okay? I won’t stand for it, regardless of who they are.”

“Thanks boss.”

“Any time.”

By the time 11am rolled around, Kendra was nervous. Not a bad nervous though, more like butterflies. She was so closed to her next stage of yoga teaching that she could almost taste it. She just hoped that this giant group of giant men would be a positive experience. They arrived in a herd, filling up the room quickly, and Kendra waited at the front of the room off to the side while her boss waited for them all to be ready.

“Alright, thanks for joining us today. I’m James Fields, owner and lead yoga instructor here, and this is Kendra Lee, who will be running this class alongside me,” he started.

She just grinned at the curious looks sent her way. Let them underestimate her, that was fine.

“As you all know, this class is mandatory and I will be evaluating you for your conditioning staff, so pay attention and we’ll all have a great time.”

Kendra watched a few disgruntled expressions popping up and fought not to laugh. Hockey players. She should’ve known they wouldn’t be any different. As her boss continued to talk, Kendra’s eyes drifted across the room, eventually landing on the man in front of her. Well, man was pushing it – this guy couldn’t be more than a couple of years older than her. A broad-shouldered redhead, pretty face, serious expression taking in her boss’s words. This one was paying attention. This one wanted to learn. Good. Even from here she could tell he would tower over her, although at 5ft2 that wasn’t really a difficult barrier. Maybe 6ft4? Maybe? Either way, this guy was going to be a good student, she could already tell.

As if he could sense his eyes on her, the man glanced over, catching her gaze. She froze, a little embarrassed to be caught staring, but he just smiled. Oh what a lovely smile that was. It was all she could do to smile back.

“If you’re all ready then, Kendra will lead you through Sun Salutation to warm up.”

She broke out of her thoughts, waving cheerfully at them all and earning a laugh. “I’ll be gentle, I promise,” she grinned.

“Yeah Freddie used to come to classes at my first studio, back in Anaheim about 10ish years ago. It’s been a while,” Kendra nodded, forcing a smile on her face.

Mimi raised an eyebrow but smiled politely at Freddie. “If you head on into Studio Two, Kendra will be right with you. I just need her to sign a form.”

He nodded, following the instructions with a smile sent Kendra’s way, leaving her alone with her colleague.

“Okay what the hell was that?” Mimi asked, wiggling her fingers in the direction Freddie went.

Kendra sighed, hands on hips.

“That was an old friend who I haven’t seen or spoken to in over 7 years. Him coming here out of the blue just threw me off, that’s all.”

“Is he going to be a problem? Because I have no issue with kicking him out if he doesn’t deserve a moment in your company,” Mimi said firmly.

It was times like this that Kendra really loved her friends.

“No, no it’ll be okay. There was no drama, we just drifted out of contact. Sure it sucked, but it was a long time ago? It’ll be fine. Besides, like you said, this is a big opportunity for me to do more with yoga rehab, right?”

Mimi pursed her lips but nodded. “Alright, if you’re sure. But let me know the second that you change your mind, if you need to.”

Kendra just gave her a quick hug, nudging her friend’s hip with her yoga mat, before heading resolutely towards Studio Two.

“So you enjoyed the last group class then?”

“I did. Anything to keep my flexibility up as good as it can get, right?”

Kendra just smiled, nodding. “Not that you seemed to have a problem with your flexibility.”

“Well I certainly haven’t had any complaints.”

He froze the moment the words left his lips, looking mortified. It was all she could do to burst into laughter at the horror on his face.

“I am so sorry. That was so unprofessional,” he groaned.

“Honestly, I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard since I’ve started here,” she said, still giggling, “You have nothing to worry about Mr Andersen.”

“Please, call me Freddie?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as his cheeks flamed red.

“Sure thing. Now let’s talk solo session scheduling – what works best for you?”

Kendra took a shaky breath as the memories of her first solo yoga session with Freddie washed over her, before steeling herself, pushing open the studio door. Freddie was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor on the mat he’d brought with him, and immediately smiled up at her, loosening a bit of tension in her chest. She could do this. She could totally do this.

“Hey, Freddie,” she said, unrolling her own mat.

“Hey Kendra. It’s good to see you,” he replied as she sat down opposite him.

“Good to see you too. I won’t say it isn’t a surprise because that would be a lie, but it is good to see you after all these years.”

Freddie winced a little, making her grimace inside. Was that too much?

“About that…”

He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck, so Kendra quickly shook her head. Their past wasn’t what this was all about, and it would do neither of them any good to hash it up now.

“You’re here now,” she said firmly, “So, yoga rehab. Do you know much about what it entails or if there’s anything your team specifically wants?”

“Uh, I only know the basics really. Obviously I’ve done it a lot before for conditioning, which is what my trainer said this mostly will be as my injury was a blood clotting issue rather than muscles or joints?”

Blood clots. Damn. And for someone only in their 30s?

“That must’ve been really scary,” she murmured.

His eyes widened a little in surprise, but he nodded, smiling sadly. “I genuinely thought my career was over. I’ve been out for stretches of time before, but never for anything like this. I felt…helpless,” he admitted.

She could only guess he was being so vulnerable because of their history but she still appreciated his honesty. It can’t have been easy to admit such a thing.

“I can imagine you would, yeah. But the team are figuring it out, right? They wouldn’t be signing you up for yoga rehab if they didn’t have a plan in place?” Kendra said, trying to be positive.

“Yeah, yeah you’re right. They’ve tried a few things and they seem to be happy with the results anyway – they’re looking at about a month if all goes well,” Freddie nodded.

“That’s fantastic. I’m glad I’ll be able to help you get back to where you need to be. I’ll do a bunch of research after today, to make sure I’m not pushing you too hard, to make sure I’m doing the best I can for you,” Kendra said, smiling.

One month. One month with a rehabilitation she’d never come across before. This was the exact kind of challenge she wanted – and it would be with Freddie?

“I know you will, Kendra. I trust you completely. I just…”

He trailed off, chewing his bottom lip, his hesitation making her chest ache.

“What is it?” she prompted, trying to be gentle.

“I don’t want this to be it. I’m not ready for my career to be over. I still want, no, need to prove myself,” he said softly.

“Your talent and reputation precede you, Freddie. Everything that you’ve achieved with the Leafs and now with the Canes? How beloved you are by teammates and fans? You prove yourself, every day.”

“You’ve followed my career?” he asked, clearly surprised.

To be fair, she didn’t think she would’ve been able to keep following him after he left Anaheim, but it was Freddie.

“How could I not? We were friends,” she shrugged, trying to keep her voice light.

A wave of sadness washed over Freddie’s expression, making her heart clench in her chest, but before he could speak, Kendra cleared her throat.

“You’ve got this, Freddie Andersen. We’re going to get you back to where you need to be, and you’re going to kick metaphorical ass. Maybe even literal ass if you need to,” she said firmly.

Freddie managed a small smile, nodding.

“Let’s do this then.”

“Hey, Kendra. Thanks for today. I really enjoyed the session.”

She looked up at Freddie as she took her hair out of the twisted bun she put it in for working, letting her hair cascade down her back in blonde waves.

“You don’t have to thank me every time, you know,” she mused.

After that fateful first group class, Freddie has eagerly signed on for more conditioning classes at her studio, and her boss had happily signed him on as her first solo yoga client the moment she reached her 1000 hours milestone. It had been intimidating, if she was being honest, but she was thriving under her own steam, leading all on her own. It didn’t hurt that Freddie was a willing student, keen to increase his flexibility and core strength. And it didn’t hurt that he was absolutely gorgeous either – but that was just for her own thoughts.

“I want to thank you though. The team, management in particular, are really noticing the work I’ve put in as full-time backup, and that’s all down to you,” Freddie said with a shrug and a smile.

“Well in that case, gold star for me,” she grinned.

Freddie barked out a surprised laugh, making her giggle as she rolled up her mat.

“Did you, uh…do you have any more classes now?” he asked, awkward enough for her to pay attention.

“No, you were my last of the day. Why?”

“There’s a new smoothie bar that’s opened up down the road and I was going to go after this – if you want, come with me? I’d love to learn more about how you got into yoga instruction so young,” he said hopefully.

Kendra eyed him for a moment, trying to read any implications or anything untoward in his words. The last thing she wanted was to give off the wrong impression, especially in her first adult job, but Freddie just looked so genuine that she couldn’t help but to smile. A friend couldn’t hurt, right?

“I could go for a smoothie,” she said after a moment or two, nodding.

“Great! Um, I’ll shower, change, and meet you in the lobby?”

“Sounds like a plan,” she mused, “See you soon.”

Within no time at all, Kendra had changed into a cute little cropped lilac sweater and black jeans, leaving her hair down her back to dry in waves. She hadn’t packed any makeup with her, annoyingly, but Freddie saw her all the time without makeup so she guessed it didn’t really matter. Even if she would’ve preferred a dashing of mascara and a swipe of lipgloss. Maybe she’d have to leave a spare of each in her work bag, just in case any future hangouts after work happened.

If today’s smoothie run wasn’t awkward, of course. Damn she hoped it wouldn’t be awkward.

“Ready to go?”

“Let’s do this!” Kendra said cheerfully.

Freddie just smiled down at her, easily towering over her 5ft2 frame with his 6ft4 one – yes she’d looked up his height to be certain, she was curious – opening up the door for her to walk through first.

“Such a gentleman,” she teased.

“I aim to please,” he drawled.

Kendra snorted, immediately covering her face in embarrassment, but Freddie grinned like a cat who got the cream.

“Cute snort,” he smirked.

“Ass,” she shot back, sticking out her tongue to let him know she wasn’t actually mad.

Freddie just laughed, a clear beautiful sound that sent butterflies in her stomach going overdrive. No, this was not the time. Be a professional. Don’t be a giggly idiot. Damn it.

The walk to the smoothie bar couldn’t have taken more than 5 minutes, the two of them staying in a comfortable silence – something that Kendra found difficult with people she’d known for years, so for her to feel such at ease with someone she barely knew? It was strange. Nice, but strange.

“Okay, what’ll it be?” he asked, looking up at the board, “My treat.”

“Are you sure?” she frowned.

Sure, this was her first job and she’d only been in it a couple of months, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t pay her way.

“Absolutely sure. I insist,” Freddie said firmly.

The intensity in his eyes, warm but solid, made her inhale sharply and nod. If he insisted…

“I’ll have almond milk, pineapple, kale, and mango, with a dash of honey. Thanks, Freddie,” she said, smiling up at him.

He just smiled back down at her, sending those butterflies into overdrive again, stepping forward to repeat her order as well as giving his own. When their smoothies arrived, Freddie walked over to a table in the corner so she followed, sitting down with a happy sigh.

“Oh man that’s good. Thanks for inviting me out,” Kendra said, after taking a sip of her smoothie.

“You’re welcome. It’s nice to actually meet someone near my age that as interested in yoga as I am,” Freddie said simply.

“Yeah? Not too many friends or girlfriends wanting to join you?” she asked, somehow managing to stop herself cringing to hard at the wording of her question.

Freddie just smirked slightly but didn’t call her out, thankfully. “No friends who want to do yoga with me, no. Most the team only do yoga when they absolutely have to. And no girlfriend either.”

“That’s a shame,” she said lightly, ignoring the zing through her body, “Yoga is fun and a great stress-reliever.”

“Is that why you got into it then?”

Kendra relaxed back into her seat, taking another sip of her drink, before starting to talk. Over the next hour, the two of them exchanged life stories, getting to know each other properly. Freddie talked about his career so far in the Danish league, how different and difficult it was to move over to Anaheim in August, how he’s just trying to make his mark now he’s been with down with the AHL team most the season and only up for a week. In turn, Kendra talked about how she’d always lived in California, having moved from her hometown in Santa Monica to Anaheim after meeting her now-boss at a training course, how she’d seen her mom doing yoga with her friends and fallen in love with the flow and peacefulness of it as well as the strength it gave. Talking to Freddie felt like they’d been friends for all her life, something she’d never experienced before, and she could only hope this wasn’t the last time they got to do this. Freddie was special, that was clear as day, and she felt lucky to see this relaxed side of him that she doubted many were privy to.

Eventually though, once their smoothies were finished, they had to leave before they overstayed their welcome, and Freddie walked her back to her car.

“I’m perfectly capable of walking across the parking lot on my own, you know,” she mused, jerking her chin in the direction of his car, all the way on the other side.

“And if some weirdo stalks you to your car when I can prevent that, I’d rather avoid you being alone,” he shrugged.

“Aww are you my knight in shining armour, Mr Andersen?” she teased.

Interestingly, his cheeks dusted with a blush.

“I’ll sweep you off your feet any time you need, Miss Lee,” he smirked.

Kendra just burst out laughing, shaking her head at his banter flirting. Ridiculous guy. This was going to be a fun friendship, she could already tell.

“Give me your number? We can sort out another smoothie run,” Freddie said, smiling.

She ignored those traitorous butterflies and nodded, unlocking her phone and handing it over. It could only be a good thing to have more friends in Anaheim, right?

“You think you can handle seeing me outside of the yoga studio?” she mused.

“Oh I know I can.”

Kendra and Freddie settled on three yoga sessions a week for his rehabilitation, 12 in total, to give him the conditioning build up he needed while still taking care to manage his recovery. She’d spent all night after that first meeting researching and planning the best course of movements and flows for him, making it challenging but helpful, eventually dragging herself back to bed at 4am, satisfied that what she’d planned would help him.

With any client, she would want to make sure she was satisfied, but with Freddie? She needed it to. Even after everything, she didn’t want to let him down.

Their first two sessions went well, the first mostly easing Freddie back into the swing of things, assessing where his strengths and weaknesses were, and the second session left Freddie groaning but smiling, happy he was able to push himself. Their third session, which Kendra was preparing for, would be another mild push, nothing extreme but still to see where she would need to adjust any plans.

It was all a process, but one she was enjoying immensely. Not just because of her student.

“Knock knock.”

Kendra jolted out of her thoughts, hand on her heart as Freddie walked into the studio with a grin.

“You are the worst,” she groaned.

“So you don’t want the smoothie I picked up on the way?” he mused.

He brought her a smoothie?

Her lips parted in surprise, but she stuck her hand out anyway, Freddie just laughing as he passed it over. The moment she took a sip, a wave of nostalgia ran over her. All she could think about were the smoothie runs and coffees hangouts and even the occasional lunch they used to go to together. Two and a half years of memories all flooding through her system, and it was all she could do to keep her face calm and neutral as the memories of conversations and vulnerability and laughter swirled through her thoughts. This wasn’t fair. This really wasn’t fair. She wanted to be mad at him for daring to dive back into their past like him leaving meant nothing, but how could she? How could she be mad when those memories still brought her joy?

“Almond milk, pineapple, kale, and mango, with a dash of honey. My favourite. Maybe you’re not the worst. You really remembered this?”

“Of course I did. I loved our smoothie dates,” Freddie nodded, smiling.

Dates?

“Dates?” she said, raising an eyebrow.

“Figure of speech? I don’t speak English?” he offered.

“Yeah nice try, I’m pretty sure your English is better than most people I know,” Kendra mused.

Freddie blushed but laughed.

“How could I forget anything about the girl who got me doing the best Bridge pose of my life, hm?”

She tried valiantly not to think about how good Freddie looked bent over in a backwards arch. Valiantly.

“Alright, but don’t think this means I’ll go easy on you, Freddie,” she said brightly, “We’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he grinned, “Give it to me rough.”

Kendra took a moment, trying to hold in her laughter, before she gave in and cackled.

“Oh man that was so bad, even for you,” she grinned.

“Not my finest, I’ll give you that,” Freddie shrugged, a light blush on his cheeks, “Still made you laugh though.”

Well he wasn’t wrong there.

Kendra sipped on her drink while Freddie laid out his mat, leaving the cup in a safe spot as she moved to stand in front of him.

“As always, let’s start with Sun Salutation,” she grinned.

The next hour flew by. As she promised him, Kendra did push him hard – some of the poses he wasn’t quite ready for, she could see that, at least even for the length of time they were trialling today. His natural flexibility hadn’t left him, that much was obvious, but there was still work to do. At least she could take pride in being part of rehabilitation that would never push him further than he was ready for. His safety, physical and mental, was the most important thing.

But he could do this. She knew that he could do this, and that excited her.

“Alright, that’s us done for today. Thanks, Freddie,” Kendra said softly.

Freddie opened his eyes, practically floating from savasana, face flushed from exertion.

“Thank you, Kendra. I feel awesome. Tired but awesome,” he grinned.

“Not aching too much anywhere?” she asked, standing up gracefully.

Freddie groaned as he stood up, rolling his shoulders as he checked in with himself. Kendra smiled wryly at the action – at least she could trust an athlete to know his own body.

“No, not too much,” he said.

“Are you sure?” she frowned, hands on hips.

“I promise. I know the difference between aching from a good workout to aching from injury and pain. This is good,” Freddie insisted.

Well alrighty then.

“That’s what I like to hear,” Kendra said happily, rolling her neck from side to side to loosen tension, “Take a shower, Andersen, I can smell you from here.”

Freddie barked out a laugh, shaking his head in amusement.

“Care to join me?”

“In your dreams.”

Freddie just smirked, sending a shiver down her spine. There. That was it, the spark she’d been missing for so many years.

“See you on Wednesday?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Freddie nodded.

From: Freddie I have a return date March 7th

From: Kendra That’s amazing! I told you that you could do it! These last eight sessions have really paid off! Do you feel ready?

From: Freddie As always, I should’ve trusted that you were right lol I think so? My body does for certain

From: Kendra And your mind? If you don’t feel mentally ready, Freddie, please don’t let them push you

From: Freddie Thanks, I appreciate that I think it’s more nerves than not mentally ready? Like, I don’t want to let the team down. And I don’t want critics to call me washed up

From: Kendra You could never let the team down They can see your passion, see how hard you’re working And screw the critics. They don’t know you or your body You are the furthest thing from washed up, so don’t talk about yourself like that

From: Freddie I’ve missed your fire. Yes ma’am

From: Kendra Damn right you have. That’s more like it

From: Freddie Can I still finish off my course of session with you? And maybe carry on for a few more afterwards? Just to make sure I still have that confidence?

From: Kendra As many as you want I’m here for whatever you need

From: Freddie Whatever I need? I like the sound of that

“So today’s your last official yoga rehab session with Freddie. How are you feeling?”

“Yeah, it’s all gone really well. It’s been nice reconnecting with him, as well as seeing him grow back into his conditioning and confidence. You were right, Mimi, this was a great idea,” Kendra grinned.

Mimi and Celeste both smiled at her, but the smiles quickly turned hesitant. What? What was wrong?

“Has he said something? Have the Canes said something?” she asked, starting to worry.

Had she done something wrong and he hadn’t had the guts to tell her?

“No, no, god no. Freddie’s had nothing but high praise for you since he got here and I have no doubt he’ll be saying the same to his team,” Celeste said quickly.

“He talks about me?” Kendra asked, not knowing whether to ignore the butterflies in her stomach or not.

“He does. And he always has a smile on his face when he leaves here, same as you. We just…”

“Just what?” she prompted.

“We just want you to be careful,” Celeste said, finishing her sister’s sentence.

What the hell?

Mimi winced at Kendra's expression before clearing her throat.

“When I met you, it was obvious that part of you was missing,” Mimi said softly, Celeste nodding.

What?

“What do you mean?” Kendra frowned.

“This fun flirty side of you? These beaming smiles? It’s great, don’t get me wrong, but seeing you around Freddie makes so much sense,” Mimi explained.

Okay that was crazy.

“We really are just friends,” Kendra said, shaking her head.

Mimi and Celeste send her matching disbelieving looks.

“No, really,” Kendra said, shrugging, “We always had this flirty banter but it was never anything more than that.”

“Never anything more?” Celeste said, raising an eyebrow, “Not even once?”

“No!” Kendra laughed, “He would come to my yoga classes, we’d get coffee or smoothies occasionally, sometimes lunch, but never anything more.”

“I really don’t think you see what we see. What no doubt everyone sees when they watch the two of you,” Mimi said.

“You can’t fake that kind of chemistry, Kendra. He clearly has feelings for you,” Celeste added.

What?

He had feelings for her?

And everyone saw it?

Mimi and Celeste watched her obvious turmoil with soft pitying smiles.

“Think about it. Just think about it. That’s all we’re saying,” Mimi said, her voice warm and reassuring, “And be careful?”

“You’re our girl, okay? We just want you to be happy,” Celeste said, smiling.

“Uh yeah, sure. I’ll think about it,” Kendra murmured.

It was all she could do to walk in a straight line for their staff kitchen, desperately needing a cold bottle of water to sip on while she sorted through her thoughts.

She’d always found Freddie attractive. That was something she could admit to without hesitation. But it was something she’d buried deep, knowing she could never act on it. Bringing that acknowledgement back up to the surface was terrifying, because it wasn’t just a physical attraction – it was everything about him. If she let herself think about how attracted she was to him, let herself think about his laugh, and his kindness, and his terrible taste in coffee, and his soft smile when he talked about his family, and literally everything else about him…she felt like she would explode.

How was she supposed to behave normally around him in their last scheduled yoga session, when all of these dangerous feelings were bubbling at the surface?

No, she had to find a way. She couldn’t ruin everything, not when she’d just got him back into her life. She just couldn’t.

Somehow, she managed to keep a lid on her emotions for her entire day until Freddie’s session at the end of her evening, running through the most challenging routines that pushed him to his limit, but left him with a smile on his face. He was ready. He was really ready for his return to play in two days time.

So why did it feel like everything was ending?

Freddie had stayed mostly quiet, focusing on his movements, but there were times in between flows that she caught him staring at her as if he was thinking. Thinking hard. It was almost off-putting, if it didn’t make her feel giddy. Were her friends right? Were her feelings really reciprocated?

Whatever was going through his mind, she didn’t know, but even she could feel a trembling intensity between the two of them that she couldn’t put a finger on. It felt like…anticipation.

When their class was over, Freddie insisted on waiting for her to grab all of her things, Mimi and Celeste just smirking as he waved goodbye to them, escorting her out to her car. This time he apparently hadn’t parked that far away from her, so he was insistent on walking her properly, although it could definitely be classed as more of an extremely slow stroll rather than a walk.

Like he was drawing this out as much as she was.

“You must be freezing,” Freddie murmured, “Here take my jacket.”

Before Kendra could form a word of protest at his sudden words, Freddie was slipping his jacket off and placing it over her shoulders. The warmth immediately hit her body, thrumming through her veins, and she knew without a doubt that her burning cheeks gave her thoughts away.

“There. Better?”

It was all Kendra could do to nod, staying silent as Freddie made a grunt of approval. Why was this affecting her so much? It was a just a jacket. It was just a jacket, right? It didn’t stop her sinking into the warmth though, picking up the scent of his cologne, ignoring the way her heart started beating that little bit faster.

She had to say something. She had to say something.

“Freddie…I need to ask you a question,” she said softly.

“Go for it,” he mused.

“Did you know it was me when you agreed to do a yoga rehab course?”

“What?”

Kendra exhaled a little shakily, but shook her head. She needed to know.

“When your team suggested yoga classes as part of your rehab treatment plan, how did you pick a teacher? Did you know I would be running this for you?”

“Ah.”

A single word. How ominous.

But Kendra just stayed silent, unwilling to say anything else before he did. She needed to know. It would change everything.

“The team gave me a list of options, with short descriptions about the teacher and any feedback from other clients. And…the moment I saw your name on the list, I didn’t have to think any further or look at anyone else,” he murmured.

“What?”

Freddie let out a shaky breath, halting his walk, so Kendra stopped next to him. What did he mean by that?

“I took it as a sign from the universe that I finally had a chance to make up for letting our friendship fizzle out. You were one of the best parts about Anaheim for me, and I was so wrapped up in my head in Toronto that I was stupid enough to let our friendship go. To let you go. I wanted to see you again. I knew that you would be amazing from the yoga side of things, but to get the chance to say that I’m sorry? I couldn’t pass that up.”

As he spoke, his words clear and his expression more serious than she’d ever seen, her heart started racing like it never had before. He really meant all of that, didn’t he? He really chose her?

“You have nothing to apologise for,” she eventually said, a little more breathless than she would care to admit.

“Yes, I do,” Freddie replied, huffing out a laugh, “You deserved better than I treated you.”

He looked relieved, like her being mad at him was even a possibility (not with them, never with him), but she just shook her head. Yeah, it had hurt at the time, when she finally resigned to losing contact with him – but that was over 7 years ago. With time, that hurt had faded into an ache, which in turn faded to occasional wistfulness. She could never hold a grudge against him for a trade, and certainly not for following his dream. That just wasn’t who Kendra was.

She started walking again, Freddie wasting no time in joining her, even though their steps were practically glacial in speed.

“Maybe I deserved a little better communication but it was so long ago, Freddie. I’m not holding onto past grudges. And honestly, the fact that you chose me because you wanted to reconnect? That’s all I needed.”

“Really?” he asked, voice hopeful.

“Really really,” she grinned, “Although I’m sure you can think of something to make it up to me.”

A grin spread across Freddie’s face too, making her feel a little giddy.

“Anything you wanted, Kendra Lee.”

“That is a dangerous offer, Frederik Andersen,” she shot back.

He just shrugged, grin not leaving his face. “You know I’m good for it.”

This, these flirty exchanges, served to do nothing other than light her blood on fire. Why was it always so easy to slip back into this with him like nothing had changed? That was a good thing, right?

“Come out with me on St Patrick’s Day night,” she blurted.

He raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed, but she just laughed.

“I’m going to a karaoke bar with Mimi and Celeste – join us,” she explained.

“That’s what you want? Out of all the things you could’ve asked for…you want me to join you for karaoke,” he said incredulously.

Kendra inhaled sharply at the implication in his words but nodded anyway, hoping she wasn’t making a huge mistake.

“I do. It’ll be fun, to see you outside of work, and to do something with you that we’ve never done before. We already have a little booth booked and it’ll be better than cramming into a regular bar for St Patrick’s Day,” she said firmly.

He laughed softly, shaking his head in disbelief, before eventually nodding.

“Alright, I’ll be there. Text me the address,” he mused.

Kendra just grinned, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach as they finally reached her car.

“Thanks for lending me your jacket, Freddie.”

“Any time.”

By the time the evening of the 17th March rolled around, Kendra was buzzing. She'd not seen Freddie since his debut back on the ice, him having given the three of them tickets to say thank you. Watching him win? It was everything, and she couldn't have been prouder of him. But with his schedule and hers, he hadn't scheduled any more classes like he'd said he'd wanted to, so Kendra had been limited to text messages, hoping that her daydreams weren't just silly fantasies.

Kendra, Mimi, and Celeste had been in O'Malley's for an hour, and Freddie still hadn’t arrived. The longer that time went on, the more disappointed she felt, not wanting to believe that after everything they’d regrown between them that he would just ghost her. No, that wasn’t Freddie. It couldn’t be Freddie.

“Breathe. Have a drink. He promised he’d be here, right?” Celeste said with a sweet smile.

“He did. But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t have changed his mind,” Kendra sighed.

“Hey, no sad faces. It’s St Patrick’s Day and we’re having a good time!” Mimi said cheerfully.

Kendra just groaned, taking a big gulp of her beer, her friends just cheering. They were right. She couldn’t dwell on this. If Freddie was going to come or whether he wasn’t, she was still out with her friends to have a good time. That was what she needed to focus on.

“Up next, Kendra singing Red!”

“Ooh girl that’s you, go!” Mimi squealed.

Kendra took a deep breath to steel herself, sliding out of their booth with a confident smile. If anyone could make her feel better, it would be Taylor Swift, she knew that much. As the intro music starting playing, she focused on letting it flow through her, tapping her foot in time with the beat.

“Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street, Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly, Loving him is like trying to change your mind, Once you're already flying through the free fall, Like the colors in autumn, so bright, just before they lose it all.”

As if summoned by magic, the door to the pub opened, and Freddie walked in. Within seconds he saw her standing on the karaoke stage and stopped in his tracks, offering her a small stunned smile. He came. He didn’t ghost her. Freddie actually came as she asked him. That had to mean something, right?

“Remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes, Tell myself it's time now gotta let go, But moving on from him is impossible, When I still see it all in my head, In burning red, Burning, it was red.”

She found herself pouring her emotions into the words, pouring everything she felt about Freddie into the song, not able to take her eyes off him. By now, Mimi and Celeste had noticed how she was performing just for Freddie – she could see their grins from across the room – and a few other patrons were starting to notice too. But she couldn’t stop herself. Her body felt almost out of control, singing her heart out to the only man who’d ever truly held it.

“Oh, losing him was blue, like I'd never known, Missing him was dark gray, all alone, Forgetting him was like trying to know, Somebody you never met, 'Cause loving him was red, Yeah, yeah, red, Burning red.”

His eyes were almost wild, locked onto her like she was the only person in the room. It was a heady feeling, giving her the confidence she needed to finish the song with a smile.

“And that's why he's spinning 'round in my head, Comes back to me, burning red, Yeah, yeah.”

She curtseyed dramatically to cheers and applause as the song ended, a wide grin on her face, and she moved to step off the stage, Freddie was already there with a hand extended to help her down. She took it silently, inhaling sharply as Freddie didn’t let go – instead her guided her across the room to the bar, the crowd parting with whatever intensity was on his face, so much so that they were served immediately.

“Two baby guinnesses,” Freddie asked politely.

The barman just laughed, nodding as he poured the shots, Freddie not letting go of her hand even as he paid for their drinks. He passed her one of the shots with a hopeful smile, the sweetness in his eyes intoxicating, so she clinked the glass gently with his, the cool liquid sliding down her throat smoothly.

“I wasn’t sure if you would make it,” Kendra said, offering him a small smile.

“I was thinking. Thinking about a lot of things. And I have something I need to say,” Freddie murmured, voice barely audible above the rumble of the room’s conversation.

“Oh?” she said, breath caught in her throat.

“I need to be honest with you, Kendra. I don’t think I can do any more classes with you.”

Oh. Everything in her chest felt like it was crumbling, Kendra barely able to get a breath in.

Wait, what?

“It would be incredible unprofessional of me,” Freddie added.

“Unprofessional? Freddie, if I’ve done something-”

The last thing Kendra was expecting was for Freddie to cut off her words with a kiss.

And not just any kiss. A toe-curling, melt into his arms, curl her fingers into his shirt kind of kiss. As his hands cupped her face and his lips moved with hers, it was all she could do to let out a soft little moan, interrupted only at the chorus of cheers and whistles around them. Freddie broke the kiss with a soft laugh, Kendra just feeling dazed, but his shy smile just made her giddy all over again.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long. I just didn’t think I could,” he admitted, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

They were right. Mimi and Kendra were right.

“What changed?” she managed to ask.

“We changed,” he said. “We’ve both grown so much in ourselves since I left Anaheim and I am proud of both of us for taking what we need to make ourselves happy and successful. But I don’t want to lie to myself any more, thinking that I don’t need you too.”

“You need me?” she said, surprised.

“I do, in every way. I was an idiot for so many years, Kendra. I don’t want to waste any more time,” he said seriously.

“Jesus, Freddie, knock a girl for six why don’t you,” she said, huffing out a laugh.

He froze at her words, clearly fearing the worst, but Kendra just grinned. How could she be anything but excited?

“I’m yours, Freddie Andersen. I always have been,” she said happily.

The smile that spread across his face was worth a thousand lifetimes. This was what she had been waiting for. Exactly this.

“Now, buy me another drink and sing a song with me, and I’ll consider kissing you again,” Kendra grinned.

He laughed in disbelief but grinned so widely in response that it made her giddy. “One blue moon pale ale, coming right up.”

Her favourite girls night drink? How did he remember everything she’d ever said? They were really doing this. They were finally doing this.

“You’re going to be trouble, aren’t you?” she laughed.

“Probably. You love it though.”

That she did.

#my writing #frederik andersen fic #luck of the puck exchange #frederik andersen imagine #frederik andersen x oc #frederik andersen fanfic #carolina hurricanes fic #hockey fic #hockey imagine #nhl fic #nhl imagine

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behoright · 1 year

Text

smitten l f. andersen

shorty, would you join me for one night?

summary: freddie wakes up next to a lovely stranger, and he really can't remember how you got there.

wordcount: 3.2k

song: pretty kitten - dua saleh

warnings: 18+ - minors dni! smut and sexual situations. tw: unprotected sex (oops), bruises and hickeys, mention of partying, alcohol and hangovers.

a/n: barely proofread. wrote it today - ig I was in a freddie mood. to anon who asked about him - hope you like this!

︎ ︎ ︎⠀¡ 🎀 ׄ 𓄼⠀⠀.⠀⠀︎ ︎ ︎⠀¡ 🎀 ׄ 𓄼⠀⠀.⠀⠀

“Oh, my fucking head.”

Freddie’s eyes blinked open early, thanks to the lovely tension that wrapped his head tightly. It was so painful that he felt like even blinking made his temples spasm in pain.

It took him a second for Freddie to place himself in space and time. The last thing he remembered was winning the game, the Canes’ first stadium series game, and going out with the team. They all went to a bar together, or, was it a club?

That’s when things started to become blurry for him. Considering Jarvy forced everyone to start drinking in the locker room, he wasn’t surprised.

Freddie wasn’t a huge party guy, but he had fun when it was called for.

Not usually like this, though, he thought.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had gotten blackout drunk.

The pounding in his head and slight recoiling in his stomach quickly reminded him why. He laid in bed, his eyes still adjusting to his room, waiting for any flashbacks of the night before.

Nothing.

Thankfully, he recognized his room, a tiny bead of sunshine seeping through the crack in his curtains. He must have been really wasted considering that, from what he could see, he left the bathroom light on and his clothes were all over the floor.

Even if he wanted to, Freddie felt like he couldn’t move. He wanted to grab a pillow and bury his head in it until he fell asleep.

That is until he went to reach over for one next to him and ended up grabbing…you.

Freddie’s heart jumped as soon as he recognized a head of hair on the pillow next to him, his hand retrieving dramatically.

This, he really had no recollection of.

He attempted to puzzle everything together.

At closer inspection, the clothes on the ground were not only his. Your purse and heels thrown half haphazardly on the chaise that sat in the corner of his room.

“Oh, fuck.” he chuckled. He hadn’t had a night like this in a while. In longer than he liked to admit.

He watched you, mesmerized, as you turned onto your back and slowly opened your eyes.

“Uh, hi. Good morning.”

“Hello.” you said, quietly, looking up at him.

Your sweet voice prompted something in the player’s head, something he couldn’t quite place his finger on. Suddenly, he had just a taste of memory from last night. Maybe… talking to you somewhere?

He sighed, coming to terms with the harsh truth. He might never remember what happened.

“I, uh. I’m sorry.” he said, rubbing his face in his hands. “I, I don’t remember a single thing from last night.”

“Yeah, we were pretty drunk.” you uttered.

“Do you remember?”

“Bits and pieces.” you chuckled, watching his face light up slightly. “I remember enough.”

“Did we, um?” he asked, gesturing at the room.

You could only nod, sitting up and covering your bare chest with his sheets.

“Okay, that explains the, um, you know, the clothes and all.” he said, eyeing your body move under the blankets.

Freddie quickly opened his nightstand drawer just to find, to his horror, his stash of condoms untouched.

Shit.

Well, it was too late now to do anything about it, he thought, looking back at you.

Who was this? Who was this beautiful woman, and how did she end up in his bed?

“I hope I didn’t, um, do you anything, that you didn’t…”

You turned towards him more, finding that worried gaze, shaking your head before he even finished.

“Oh, thank god.” he sighed. “I-, I was afraid that, you know…”

“No, no. I definitely came here of my own volition.” you said, putting your hand on his arm as reassurance. “The parts I remember were, uh. They were fun.”

“Oh, okay, good.”. Freddie looked down, blush spread all over his face.

From what he could piece together, despite the growing hammering in his head, was that you were both almost equally as drunk.

The rest was still unclear.

But you didn’t seem repulsed, or disgusted, or afraid of him, and that was a good sign in Freddie’s books. Because after all, even if he couldn’t remember it, that meant he had managed to get you naked, and it had felt good enough to disregard any use of protection.

Drunk Freddie had great taste but poor choices, he thought to himself, before letting out a big, belly laugh.

“This is so fucked.” he exclaimed.

“I know! I never, really, do this, so. I understand.” you sighed, laughing along with him.

“Oh, fuck it.” he said, extending an arm to you. “C’mere.”

He wrapped his forearm around your shoulders, letting your head fall with a sigh on his bare chest. He obviously knew you were naked, but it didn’t hit him until he felt your soft skin come in contact with his under the sheets. A tiny spark went off in his head, the memory of the feeling of your body slowly coming back to his senses.

“I can see why I came home with you.” he said.

“Yeah?” you asked, looking up at him. “I’m not a regret? You’re not kicking me out?”

“No, no. Stay.” he said. “But only because I don’t remember anything. I need someone to help me put together what the fuck actually happened.”

“Oh, I see! So I’m only allowed to stay here for memory purposes only.” you chuckled.

“Absolutely.” he said. He thought you couldn’t tell, but it was quite obvious Freddie’s eyes had locked on your lips as you two kept the banter going.

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t think I remember much more than you. I don’t believe I’m going to be too useful in that department.”

“Perhaps I should kick you out, then. What am I going to do with you?”

“Right, right. Nothing. Maybe I should go.”

Freddie didn’t even let you finish the sentence before his grip tightened against your body, bringing your face closer to his.

“You’re too warm right now. If I let you leave, I’ll get cold and stuff, so. I do need you to stay here. Cuddling purposes only.” he said, winking at you.

“I think I can be a good cuddler.” you said, placing your cheek on his shoulder.

“So far, so good.” he uttered, his gaze never leaving your face. “But maybe you could get a little bit closer.”

Your scooched closer, hooking your leg around his hip, bodies flushed and touching. As soon as your thigh met his hips, however, it was impossible not to feel his morning wood.

“You’re hard.” you said, boldly, looking back up at him.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry.” he stammered. “Sometimes, you know, that’s awake earlier than I am. I’m really sorry.”.

Freddie went to adjust your leg, attempting to move it away, before you stopped him.

“No more cuddles?”

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” he said.

“I don’t mind. It’s okay with me.”

“It, it might get worse with your leg, you know, moving on top of it like that.”

“My leg is on it, isn’t it?” you said, slowly applying a tiny amount of pressure. “Is it bothering you? I can move.”

“No, no, no, that’s okay.” he spewed out, perhaps a bit too hurriedly. “It feels kinda good, actually.”

“Oh, it does?” you asked, moving your leg up his length now, with more pressure now.

“Hey!” he laughed, throwing his head back. “Come on, now. Yeah, yeah, that feels good.”

“I mean I’m just getting comfortable!” you chuckled. “I want to make sure I give the best cuddles, since this is why I’m here.”

He kept laughing, his chest moving as he threw his head back into the pillows, before finding your sparkling eyes looking up at him again.

“Oh, you’re doing great. Yeah, those are…” Freddie’s voice lowered as he brought his face close to yours, the tip of your nose touching his. “...they’re great cuddles.” He whispered against your mouth before pressing his lips into yours.

Feeling your tongue run down his bottom lip, Freddie parted his lips, letting you in his mouth and letting more memories play front center in his mind.

He could immediately remember first tasting you, the taste of you and the drinks mixed on his tongue as the cool winter breeze hit his face.

You moved closer to him, your leg clenching on his hard cock, bringing him back to the present.

Freddie pressed his hand against your cheek as he brought you somehow even closer as your kiss grew wetter and more heated.

There was no fighting for dominance, your tongues lapping at each other, interlocking and twisting while your lips rubbed harshly the more turned on you both began to get. You were moving so smoothly, stroking his member steadily with your soft thigh, making Freddie ant more and more. It took one moan out of him for you to straddle him, his lips never leaving yours.

“You’re wet.” he said, his eyebrows shooting up as soon as your pussy sat flush on his dick.

“Yeah, I mean, sometimes that’s awake befo-”

“Shut up!” he exclaimed, jokingly pushing at your arm.

Now that you were on top of him, Freddie could see the evidence from the night before, along with how beautiful your body was.

Marks covering your velvet skin, from your neck all the way down to your lower belly.

He ran his calloused fingers down your abdomen, staring agape at the dark bruises that adorned your skin.

“It was all you.” you said so quietly, it was almost a whisper.

“I-, I don’t usually do this.” he said, keeping his eyes on the clusters of marks as you rolled your hips hard onto him.

“Well, it felt really good.” you moaned, your head lolling back as you began to rub your wet cunt up and down Freddie’s cock.

He let out a quiet moan, his fingertips grazing upwards until they found your now exposed neck. He traced the burgundy lovebites gently as he watched your eyes roll to the back of your head.

“Keep rolling your hips like that, fuck.” he moaned. “Like that, baby, yeah.”

As you picked up the pace, your juices wetting his pulsating cock, you looked back down at him. Freddie’s freckles on his chest were highlighted by the redness that now covered him, his breathing picking up exponentially faster.

The mix of his cum from the night before mixed with your arousal made both of your sexes slick and slippery with desire, allowing your clit to glide smoothly on his member. You would both moan louder whenever your swollen nub would reach Freddie’s head, the palpitations of your lust sending shockwaves all throughout your bodies.

And Freddie thought this was so fucking hot.

“Oh, fuck me.” he said, letting his fingers through his hair. “You’re making me throb like crazy.”

He could feel your thighs clenching from the desire, almost beginning to tremble, as you started to lose yourself on top of him. Your warm fingers were now placed firmly on his lower abdomen, right where Freddie was starting to feel the pleasure build up briskly. He loved that you weren't necessarily riding his faster, but instead letting your weight go more and more on top of him, letting that delicious pressure heighten the feeling.

Freddie could feel your entrance slide on him, and it was starting to become unbearable. He sat up, wrapping your arms around your low back, finding your hazy eyes as you didn’t quit your movements.

“You want it so bad, don’t you?” Freddie whispered into your lips. “You’re driving me crazy. baby.”

You almost fell onto him, your glistening and plump lips bouncing against his over and over in a series of aggressive and sensual kisses. If there was a lack of dominance before, it had now turned into a messy and sloppy fight of a makeout session, constantly interrupted by little hasty pecks. The thought of letting you completely overtake his mouth made Freddie’s cock twitch against your swollen cunt.

“I can’t take this anymore, baby.” he said, his biceps easily picking you up and throwing you, face down on his mattress.

He swore he heard a little giggle as you hit the sheets, your ass slily sitting up and back for him. The quick movements made Freddie’s headache worsen, the room moving slightly; he didn’t know if it was his hangover or how turned on you had him, but he frankly only cared about one thing.

“You’ve had your fun for now, you minx.” he said, positioning the head of his cock at your entrance.

Freddie’s fingers grabbed your ass harshly as he bottomed out inside of you, his bottom lip tucked tightly beneath his teeth. His body covered in goosebumps rapidly as he felt his pubic hair touch your ass.

As he started thrusting he suddenly remembered filling you up in the same way the previous night. He remembered your hair tightly in his grip as he buckled his hips into yours over and over again, the sweetness of your moans sounding just how they did right now.

He began moving, slowly, in and out, letting his precum coat every inch of your walls.

“Oh, yes, baby. You’re so fucking perfect.” he groaned.

Freddie was a big man overall, towering way higher than you, and that translated to all of his body. You could feel the places inside you that had been touched by his cock the night before, traces of his touch marking you still. No matter how wet and ready you were for him, it was still a compact fit, his cock tightly snug inside you.

A big part of Freddie’s weight was resting on your ass and lower back, his strong forearms tensed as he pushed you down into the mattress and fucked himself deep into you.

It wasn’t enough.

He wanted to be closer to you, deeper.

And the more he pushed in, the louder it ripped moans out of you.

He could be really rough, as you vaguely remembered, but it was clear that Freddie had a shy, more reserved side, even as he started to pick up the pace. He only let go of his unyielding grip on you to gently reach over and turn your head to the side so your cheek was pressed against the mattress.

“No muffled sounds, baby.” he groaned, positioning himself back onto you. “I want to hear you.”

Just like that, he started hitting you harder, his swollen and leaking head tapping at your cervix by now.

“Oh, oh my god.” you moaned. The angle and pressure of his hands pushing your stomach down were creating a turmoil of pleasure in your hips. He was strong, but it was hard to keep from squirming back into him.

Seeing you struggle to keep your movements down caused Freddie’s cock to grow harder within you, almost jolting against that spot that made you quiver in pleasure every time.

He couldn’t believe this was unfolding right below his eyes. The mixture of pleasure, pain growing deeper in his head and straight frustration made his skin flush somehow deeper. The fact that he could only remember small moments from the night before was making him cramp with discouragement. He woke up next to a drop dead gorgeous girl, who was somehow already naked, funny, and sweet, and he couldn’t remember how he got her there.

Something about it made him thrust more aggressively.

It was hard and hot, and he didn’t feel good, he felt dehydrated and overheated, but at the same time, he was totally overwhelmed by your aura and your body, desire tingling within him.

“Oh, god.” he moaned. “I don’t even know your fucking name, and I-”

“Keep going, baby. Please fill me deeper. I want more.” you moaned, his hips rhythmically slapping against your ass.

It felt so dirty and primal to him, the fact that he could see and feel the spots he had been around the night before, even if he didn’t remember it. You were so close that his thighs were rubbing against yours, fully, both of your skins reddening at the stimulation.

Freddie was conflicted between focusing on it all or choosing to fixate on his balls slapping against your wet clit, your thighs quivering against his, your moans or your walls clenching tightly against his cock. The back and forth between it all and the memories of last night playing over again in the back of his head made his eyes roll all the way to the back of his head, legs twitching so hard that he brought his chest to your back, moving his grip to your hips. Your sweat mixed together whenever you both heaved, now moving in unison as your bodies were fully in contact again.

“Oh, fuck, I’m going to fill you up.” he moaned. “Oh, oh, this is, this not-”

There was a part of him that remained responsible; a part that knew that this was a very bad idea. But the pleasure had taken over, derailing whatever common sense he had left. He let his head fall in the crook of your neck, moving his face fully into your hair. The writhing of your body beneath him felt like ecstasy, the soft skin of your ass rubbing against his pubic bone. Every time he trusted deeper inside you, his chest would slide all the way up your back. He had you completely engulfed in his frame, his arms locking you tightly flush against his body.

“Oh, baby.” he moaned, right before a series of curses tumbled from his mouth as he felt your pussy flutter around him, slowly beginning to crumble in his arms.

Your orgasm hit so deep, his cock pounding into you, that you failed to control or hold back any moans, all of it pouring out of you at once. Feeling you tremble so hard in his arms, Freddie wasn’t far behind.

He buried his face all the way in your hair, letting your smell overcome him as he shot thick ropes of cum inside you, his big thighs tensing against you. He couldn’t help but squeeze you tighter and tighter, craving to feel your quivering body against his as you kept coming around his twitching member.

Heavy breathing filled the room as you both stayed immobile, his body growing heavy around yours.

“Oh, my god.” you whispered.

Freddie couldn’t help but chuckle, his arms eventually releasing you as he sat up, letting his cock grow soft inside your warm, cum filled pussy.

“You’re so beautiful, by the way.” he said, running his fingers through your hair to find your flushed face looking for him already. “Oh, my god, indeed.”

Your laughs turned into simultaneous whimpers he pulled his cock out of you before coming to sit next to you.

Freddie’s eyes traveled down your body as he trailed his fingers up and down your back, right until you had enough energy to sit up and find him with a kiss.

“Fuck.” he said, eyes staring deeply into yours. “This is going to be embarrassing but…. what’s your name?”

#frederik andersen #frederik andersen smut #frederik andersen rpf #frederik andersen x reader #frederik andersen one shot #frederik andersen imagine #freddie andersen #freddie andersen smut #freddie andersen imagine #freddie andersen x reader #freddie andersen fic #freddie andersen rpf #nhl smut #nhl #nhl rpf #nhl imagine #nhl fic #smut #kikiwrites

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mp0625 · 2 months

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Elsker

Masterlist. Taglist.

Freddie Andersen x Reader

Thank you Demi @wyattjohnston for doing this little love fic fest thingy, it was so fun to do!!! I am choosing to do number 3 from the Fluff column “Are you about to monologue your feelings for me?”

A/N: I was planning on doing an angsty one but I wrote this at 5am on valentine’s Day cause insomnia sucks so y’all are getting fluffy. Sorry if it makes no sense, it made sense to my half asleep brain but I promise I did reread it before I posted it. Sorry it’s super short.

“Hey Freddie I don’t know if you’ll hear this as you’re in the middle of a game, but I have something to tell you and when you get this will you call..”

“Y/N, you do know I’ve been on this call the whole time?”

“What? I thought I heard the beep, and aren't you in the middle of a game?”

“It's the second intermission, I don’t know how you heard a beep, I’m sitting in the locker room. Are you about to monologue your feelings for me via voicemail?”

“Maybe, can I or do I need to hang up the phone and call again so I get voice mail?”

“You can do it now.” And you could tell he had the biggest grin on his face.

“Freddie, you know how you asked me to move in with you right before you left for the road trip and I was so stunned I couldn’t answer you right away and you told me to take my time, I think I know my answer. Yes. I would love to move in with you and all of your plants. And you make the best dinner in the world, and I can’t wait to take our relationship to the next level!!” After your monologue you couldn’t hear anything from the otherside of the phone.

After a moment he softly spoke. “I can’t wait for you to move in with me.” And you could hear the tears in his voice. “Hey, I’m sorry I can’t talk longer we are about to go back out for the third.”

Taglist: @studioreader @honethatty12 @slafgoalskybaby @swissboyhisch @topguncultleader @wondershells @cixrosie @kajasagmo

#nhl x reader #lowkey lovefest 2k24 #carolina hurricanes fic #freddie andersen x reader #frederik andersen imagine #freddie andersen #nhl blurb #nhl imagines

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knifeshoeboys · 3 months

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Little Do You Know - F. Andersen

It’s finally done! This fic was written for the Winter Fic Exchange 2k24 hosted by @wyattjohnston and is for @mp0625. It was a nice challenge to write a reader insert for the first time, I had a lot of fun creating this story and I hope you enjoy readiit just as much!

Also, everyone be warned, I didn’t look at a single calendar or any actual game scores. I just did what felt right and hoped for the best. Also, don’t think too closely about the reader’s job. I have no idea how it actually works, I just put a lot of imagination and confidence into writing it. There also is a guest appearance of Seth Jarvis.

Summary: Suddenly working for the Carolina Hurricanes wasn't how you'd thought your year would end. Everything that followed was just as surprising.

Pairing: Frederik Andersen x f!reader (no mentions of y/n)

Words: 11.9k (I’m sorry, this was planned to be like 3k words at most?? I have no idea what happend)

Warnings: a few swear words? Reader is described as shorter than Freddy, otherwise no physical descriptions. It might sound just a little angsty at the beginning, but it's really not; mostly fluff and maybe some light hurt/comfort

Jane's grin should have been enough to make you suspicious.

It was one evening, after another long shift at work and overtime that you would probably never see the pay for.

Even without looking at her, you knew the look Jane would give you. One of those pitying ones that made you a little more defensive than you should’ve been - a constant reminder that perhaps the year hadn't exactly been perfect.

But that didn't automatically mean Jane was right. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, you had once tried to tell her once. You were happy. No, really.

Sure, the breakup at the beginning of the year had been long and accompanied by a lot of shouting and tears. At the beginning you had been so sure that he was the one - only to be disappointed once again a few months later. But you could always use that as a learning experience, couldn’t you? Jane didn't know what she was talking about when she’d said that you seemed lonely sometimes. Better alone than with the wrong person, right?

And sure, the water damage to the apartment wasn't ideal either. But at least the only thing that couldn’t be saved was the kitchen. Everything else just needed time to dry and, well, maybe a new coat of paint. Two weeks later you had managed to find a new place to move into with your best friend, Jane.

Maybe she wasn’t entirely wrong about your job being more than miserable. Seemingly endless overtime and the salary just enough to make ends meet.

Maybe Jane had a point, even though you hated to admit it.

You weren't unhappy per se. But maybe, just maybe, there was still room for improvement.

And now it was December.

Jane had gotten a telltale glint in her eyes when you both realized that. Less than four weeks left to end the year on a good note. Or maybe you should just wait for the next one and hope it’ll get better. So, with a shrug of your shoulders, you'd put the thought aside for the moment.

Her grin should’ve made you suspicious. But instead, it was already forgotten by the next morning.

–

"Jane!" Your voice was far too loud considering she was sitting barely a meter away.

"Hm?" Jane looked up from her book, confused, maybe a little worried. You weren’t paying enough attention right not to get a good read on her expression.

You couldn't believe your eyes. Even after reading the text for the third time, you wanted to pinch yourself. Hard. This had to be a strange dream.

The words blinking up at you from the screen seemed unbelievable.

"Did you- Did you submit my application with- to the- the Carolina Hurricanes?!"

Jane seemed to process your words in her head. Then understanding began to spread across her face.

Your mouth kept opening and closing, but no words came out. You didn't even know what you would have, should’ve, said. What was a normal response in this situation?

Jane straightened up a little and leaned toward you. She was looking over your shoulder at the laptop.

"Oh, they were faster than I expected."

"How... What..."

Sure, you'd complained to her just the other day that the youth team you'd applied to had suddenly realized they didn't have the budget for a full-time position after all. The interview at the equipment store on the other side of town left a lot to be desired after their first question was how much overtime you could put in per month.

But this? You’d never have expected that.

"Are you crazy?" Your voice was still unexpectedly shrill.

“It’s not a rejection letter”, she sounded a little too proud for your liking.

You squinted your eyes at her.

“Then I would’ve killed you. After burying myself out of embarrassment.”

"Oh, come on. You have to admit, it sounds perfect for you," Jane simply shrugged her shoulders. Leaning back again, she looked a lot calmer than you felt.

Nevertheless, you did have to admit that it sounded almost perfect. Often you had helped out with the equipment in small teams in the past and had always enjoyed the work. It was close to the action without being in the foreground.

But still.

"I can't believe you." You slumped back against the couch and ran your fingers through your hair. "This is crazy. You’re crazy..."

Jane sighed. "Hey, if you're not interested, don't answer." Then she turned back to her book.

She made it sound so easy.

"I didn't say that!" you defended yourself immediately.

Jane snorted, then at least a brief twitch of the corner of her mouth.

–

Your hands were shaking as you pushed open the nondescript door. It had all happened so fast.

Someone had called you the very next morning.

It was all so unbelievable that you could barely remember the phone call.

"It's a temporary position, but it needs to be filled quickly," the man on the phone had said, that much you could recall - immediately followed by the question of when you could start.

Apparently, someone had gotten sick after they were already understaffed and so they urgently needed someone to fill in.

Your experience at the small hockey center in your hometown had probably paid off after all. While growing up you had helped the coach, who trained the children’s hobby group, with the equipment.

In return, he always gave you old skates and sticks that were once forgotten by someone and never got picked up so you could try them out during your own team’s training.

Maybe they also decided on you because they just didn’t have many applicants with previous experience of any level available at such short notice. But who knew. And really, you didn’t really care either way.

Especially as just a few hours after the call you were now following hurriedly written down directions through the corridors of the arena that you had previously only seen as a visitor.

Anthony, whose first words had been "Call me Tony", had been awaiting you already. His tour of the most important rooms was not only packed with way too much information but also constantly interrupted by other people’s questions and demands.

Nevertheless, Tony remained friendly and patient with them as well as you, even when you had forgotten which direction you had come from for the third time in a row. Once or twice, he might even have stifled an amused grin.

"Let me just show you the storage rooms and then..."

"Anthony," an older man interrupted from the side. He had his arms crossed over his chest and a grim expression on his face.

An official-looking ID was hanging around his neck.

Tony grimaced at the use of his full name.

"What is it now?" he asked, barely able to hide his annoyed voice under a wavering polite smile. It was the first time you'd seen Tony anything other than friendly today. It was almost weird.

The man didn't really look at Tony, but rather past him, even though the words were clearly directed at Tony. "The sticks are all mixed up." The accusatory tone in his voice was clear, as if Tony had personally caused the mess.

"We don't know what belongs to whom."

Tony sighed. "Of course, you don't", he muttered so quietly that only you could hear the words. However, the other man would have been able to see the hint of an eye roll hadn’t he turned away again, apparently to grumble at the next person.

"Don't let Mike intimidate you," Tony explained, turning back to you, "in case he ever snaps at you. He likes to feel more important than he is." He rolled his eyes with a wry grin.

Someone hesitantly tapped Tony’s shoulder. This time a young man, who looked like he'd just graduated high school.

"Sorry, I know you're busy - I don't mean to interrupt - but, uh, a strap on a goalie pad broke."

Anthony ran a hand over his forehead. "Another one? Shit." He exhaled noisily. "That's the third one in two days. It has to be a production error. Has the manufacturer responded to the complaint yet?"

The boy's eyes widened, and he shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

Mike called impatiently for Anthony from the next room. Torn, he turned briefly at the voice, then looked back at the boy next to him. "They probably need the goalies for training right now?"

The boy nodded shyly: "They said it was urgent."

Anthony sighed again.

Then he looked at you with a wry grin: "Looks like you'll get something to do sooner than expected."

He got handed a paper from someone walking past him. While searching for something on it he continued talking.

"We only have a few pads left in stock. The new order hasn't arrived yet and we need the ones we still have for the game tonight. Do you know how to sew?" He looked up.

"A little?" Your grandparents had taught you a long time ago, but it wasn't something you had to do regularly in your daily life.

"Great, that should be enough for now. It doesn't have to be pretty, as long as it does the job."

Anthony patted you on the back approvingly. Then he left you standing alone in the hallway, his exit accompanied by another long "Anthony" yell.

You were left standing there. Uncertainly you looked at the young man next to you.

He shrugged his shoulders just as unsure. He murmured quietly: "In that room over there." With a finger, he pointed at a door.

Well, then you should probably get to work. 'That room over there' really wasn't hard to find. It was only a few meters away.

What you didn't expect, however, was to almost walk into a huge man as soon as you entered the room. You always knew that hockey players tended to be quite tall, but it still took you by surprise.

You had to tilt your head back to look the man in the face. Of course, having lived here long enough you knew all the players on the team, at least by name. You weren't some crazy fan but at least invested enough to watch the games whenever you had the time. For your last birthday you had even gotten tickets to watch one live in the arena. It had been great.

Now you were faced with a certain goalie. Stubborn ginger strands fell into his face, his cheeks slightly flushed from training or the cold. Television did not do him justice at all.

Stay professional, you had to order yourself. This was your job. You couldn't mess it up, especially not on the first day.

Frederik looked up. He ran his eyes over your form for a moment. Then he tilted his head. "You're not Tony," his voice sounded unexpectedly soft.

"Oh, uh, no. I'm new here. First day today." Wow, very smooth. Good job.

If Freddie thought the same, he didn't let on. Quite the opposite. He openly watched you, his mouth twisted into a crooked grin. "Well, in that case. Welcome."

You mumbled a "Thank you."

A brief silence filled the room. While you reminded yourself to get yourself under control, you could still feel his appraising gaze on you - not hostile, just curious.

"How do you like it so far?" You could see little lines forming around his eyes as he smiled at you.

"I mean, a map would be helpful. All these corridors are like a labyrinth," you tried to joke.

Freddie laughed. "Oh yeah. You don't want to know how many times I got lost in here at first."

Maybe he was just saying that to make you feel better. However, you decide not to question it and just let the words calm you down a little.

"Are you almost done?" a woman poked her head into the room. Her stern features were emphasized by her narrow glasses. She reminded you of a strict principal scowling at running students.

You were almost certain you'd seen her in the corridors earlier today. Maybe Tony had told you her name and position, but if so, you'd already forgotten again. For the first dozen names you had made an honest effort to memorize them. The numerous ones following after that were buried in the sea of information that had poured in on you in a very short space of time.

"Oh yes, almost done," you grinned at the woman as convincingly as possible.

With a skeptical look, she let her eyes wander back and forth between Freddie, you and finally the pad, still hanging down loosely on his leg.

"Hurry up”, she ordered. You nodded dutifully.

When she had disappeared again, you breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes had literally bored right through you and left you feeling a little uncomfortable. Freddie had squirmed under her eyes just as much.

You didn’t want to risk her turning up here again.

"I think I'll go and get some stuff. To fix that."

Freddie nodded patiently.

Huh.

Well. There was just one problem.

"You wouldn't happen to know where they store needles around here, would you?"

Again, the corners of his mouth pulled to the side in amusement. "Aren't you the one working here?" He was obviously just teasing you, but your cheeks immediately felt a little warmer, nevertheless.

"Right."

In the end, Freddie did help by searching through the drawers in the small cupboard behind him while you examined the rest of the room.

Once needle and thread were found, the work was done quickly. The strap was tight again. It should hold on for the next few hours at least. The stern-looking woman had walked past the room a few more times – more than necessary in your opinion – as you had noticed out of the corner of your eye. However, she had not re-entered the room.

Freddie and you had had some simple conversations on the side so the work had gone by quickly. He had asked your name and where you came from.

All in all, your first job could have gone a lot worse. You were almost a little proud of yourself.

Maybe this was all quite doable after all.

It was terrible.

You couldn't remember the last time you'd walked so much, feeling your feet ache with every more step you took. By the time just half of your shift had been over, your legs were already heavy.

Once the game had started, the processes seemed a lot more structured.

The rather hectic running around of the afternoon was replaced by a lot of counting and carrying things from one place to another.

With all the work, you almost missed the end of the game completely.

However, the disappointment was hard to miss. It put deep creases in everyone’s faces; reflected in the way shoulders slumped and voices were muffled.

Losing again after a long winning streak probably always hit everyone hard.

Tony and you got handed the equipment to be washed and dried.

At least one thing hadn't changed though. All sorts of people still wanted something from Tony. He had mumbled to you "I'll be back in a moment", only to definitely not come back after a moment.

Afraid of getting lost for good, you decided to wait here for him anyway.

Everyone around you seemed to have clear tasks that they were silently following. It was almost strange to see the corridors so quiet, in contrast to a few hours earlier.

No matter where you stood, you had the feeling that you were interfering with the routines of other workers and so you gradually ended up further and further to the end of the narrow hallway. Not knowing exactly where you were was nothing new today. However, this time you were pretty sure this corner hadn’t been in Tony’s tour.

One by one, players came around a corner. They walked past you individually or in small groups. Very few of them probably really noticed you. Their mood was also noticeably subdued.

You weren't entirely sure whether you were happy to see Freddie again as he slowly stepped around the corner, or whether you would’ve preferred not to see the disappointed look on his face.

You gave him what you hoped was an encouraging smile.

For a brief moment, the corners of his mouth lifted, a hint of a crooked grin as he had almost passed you, but as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished again.

He exhaled forcefully. The heaviness in his eyes returned.

With a long breath, you watched his slowly shrinking figure.

No longer could you stand being in the hallway. You had seen enough disappointed faces for one day. A door caught your eye. It was held open by a chair jammed into the doorway. The cool light falling through the opening was brighter than the ceiling lights.

You dared to take one last look over your shoulder, Freddie had already disappeared from your view. And there was still no sign of Tony. So, you crossed the corridor with slow steps.

The door led directly to the spectator stands. It had apparently been opened after everyone had left the arena.

You let yourself fall against the door frame.

After a quick glance over the seating area, your gaze fell onto the ice surface. Your heart ached in your chest. Before, you hadn't realized how much you missed being on the ice yourself - or you had successfully pushed it to the back of your mind. Only now, when you were so close to it, did the longing come back to you in full force.

"Do you have skates?" The voice so close to your ear made you jump. Lost deep in thought you hadn’t noticed when Tony had appeared next to you.

"What?"

"Do you have skates," he repeated more slowly, "I have to be honest. I'd be a bit disappointed if I had to find out like this that you don't own any." He flashed an amused grin at you.

You frowned. "Yes, of course. I mean, I have relatives in Canada. They'd probably disown me if I didn't."

"Then what's stopping you from taking a few laps on the ice?"

He shrugged as if it were that simple. It couldn't be that simple.

"What? But no, I can't do that..." You found it difficult to find the right words. You didn't even know what you were trying to say yourself.

"The way you look at the ice longingly, it'll melt away otherwise," Tony teased.

You couldn't help but roll your eyes. "No, but really. Is that allowed?"

"Yep," Tony pointed over his shoulder. "Back there on the list are the times when the ice is free. As long as you don't mind the ice not being fresh, of course."

You could hardly believe what Tony was telling you. There was actually a possibility that you could skate on the ice? It’d been so long since you had skates on your feet. It’s been even longer since you’d last held a hockey stick.

When you thought about what it would be like to practice again after so long, a yearning overcame you.

"Nobody else usually uses it on Mondays and Wednesdays." Tony gave you a significant look.

The ice had obviously been heavily used. It couldn't have bothered you less.

The first step on the ice was shakier than you expected. And it still felt so relieving. Like rediscovering one of your favorite childhood sweets years later. Or finding change in your pockets that you’d already forgotten about.

Your face beamed with joy, becoming more relaxed with every step. After two laps around the arena, it felt as familiar as before. Your chest rose and fell at a fast pace.

Even after another ten minutes, you were still alone on the ice. When Tony had said no one else usually used the free ice time on Mondays, he hadn't been exaggerating.

You were still a little unsure before, but now you took the stick you had brought with you and a few pucks that were still in a bucket on the side from the last training session.

The last time you’d played hockey was even longer ago than the last time you’d skated. So, it wasn't surprising that you missed the net a lot the first few tries. The times you did hit the goal, however, felt all the better.

The skillful shots from your youth, when you still had time to go to training regularly, no longer worked nearly as well. In the past, you could’ve done them blindfolded.

Adult responsibilities however got in the way at some point, so you were glad that you were still able to attend a hobby group at least once a month until last year. And it paid off. After a short time, the stick no longer felt so strange in your hand. Maybe Hockey was a bit like riding a bike. You would never quite forget how to do it.

You almost missed the other person coming onto the ice.

Even without his number on his back, you could’ve identified him without a doubt. To be fair, there probably weren't that many people walking around in professional goalie gear. Especially those with access to the ice and a Canes logo on their chest.

Without a doubt: Frederik Andersen had just stepped onto the ice. The exact ice you were standing on.

Uncertain you looked back and forth between the exit and him. You were sure you hadn't misread the time on the list. The clock on the wall also told you that you hadn't just been here much longer than you thought.

Still, should you leave the ice? If he was here, he probably wanted to practice. You'd just get in the way.

After the game on your first day on the job, the Canes lost two more games. And as always happens, critical voices immediately got loud on the internet. Even if you hadn't looked any further, you could imagine what they said about Freddie – hopefully, he followed the media team's advice not to read any of it.

Freddie looked at you for a moment. Then he crossed the ice. However, instead of heading for the other half of the ice as you’d have expected, his path led straight into the net on your side.

Fascinated, you watched as he stretched and moved in quick order. Finally, he straightened up again, leaned forward and tapped the ice several times with his stick.

You looked at him in confusion. But when he then flicked a puck across the rink towards you with his stick, it was a more than clear invitation.

In this moment you were so glad to have had some time to warm up before he arrived.

Your first shots at the net were careful. And apparently, they were way too predictable and easy for Freddie, as he blocked each of them with ease. He didn't even look strained in the slightest.

You took it as a challenge.

The next shots were more confident. You even started to skate a few steps towards the net on each of them, instead of standing rigidly in the middle of the ice.

However, after a lost puck on the way to the net elicited a playfully disappointed shake of the head from Freddie, you made it your mission to mix in a particularly bad shot every few tries. Freddie’s reaction made it more than worth it.

If you looked very closely, you imagined you could even see the smirk under his mask every time.

In the end, you didn't know how long you’d played for.

When Freddie pushed his mask up, a few strands of hair were sticking to his forehead. His features were more relaxed than any of the last times you'd seen him here. It looked good on him.

As you went your separate ways again, he gently nudged you with his shoulder. The smile lingered on your lips for a long time.

–

"Do you think the small suitcase will be enough for three days?"

Jane looked at you over her shoulder. "Are you going on a trip? Without me?" She clutched her chest dramatically.

"There are a few away games coming up. And I'm supposed to come with them”, you explained. Your nerves must be written all over your face.

"Not that I think I'm really going to be that much help.", you added.

You had only just started to feel like you were slowly getting used to the work in the arena. By now, you could count on one hand how many times you got lost in the seemingly never-ending hallways of the arena in a shift. Even all the tasks no longer appeared as overwhelming as they did at the beginning.

Still, it had taken you days to even come close to finding your way around the arena. Even now, you kept discovering new rooms that you had never seen before.

Now, arriving in a completely foreign arena? You'd never seen how away games were run behind the scenes. And now you were supposed to help out yourself. Over the last days carefully established routines to make work easier would have to be broken again.

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot that you're super important now," she teased.

As if. "Hardly. More like the assistant to the assistant."

As you turned back to your bedroom, Jane called after you: "I’m sure it won't be as bad as you think."

Packing took longer than expected. This was probably partly due to the fact that you kept placing stuff in your suitcase just to take it out again minutes later. Should you pack a fifth sweater after all? Would one spare pair of pants be enough or maybe take the black ones with you as well?

By the time you had loaded your bags into your car, you were on the verge of being late. Enough time for you to arrive on time, not enough to get stuck in traffic or spend ages looking for a parking space.

However, you didn’t even get that far.

Your car made a tired stuttering noise before it fell silent again. The same sound was heard on the second attempt. By the third turn of the key, your fingers were already getting clammy.

"Damn it. That can't be true now." Try again. This time the engine only made a muffled scraping sound. "No, no, no!"

You dropped your head against the steering wheel. Frustration rose up inside you.

Another sharp turn. Your hand clutched the armrest. You preferred not to look too closely at the speed limit. Jane ignored your pointed glances toward her anyway - and today, at least, you were almost glad of her habit of speeding.

The bags on the back seat were a heavy reminder in the corner of your eye.

You almost felt like you were back in your teenage years, being driven around by your parents and older friends. Then the airport finally came into view.

Jane parked and let you out. A car honked behind you. Quickly you thanked her and got out of the car.

You didn't know how, but you were still on time.

–

After the flight, it was a blessing to arrive at the hotel room.

The room was small, had a strange orange wall color and a dubious stain on the floor that you strictly avoided stepping on. But at least you had the room to yourself. Reason enough to breathe a sigh of relief.

In the evening, you fell into bed early, exhausted from the day. Sending a photo of your room to Jane would have to wait until tomorrow.

The next morning, you were awake long before your alarm clock. You didn't know who exactly was in the room next to you, but whoever it was had started snoring loudly at some point.

Even after a while, you couldn't fall back asleep. You were slow to pull yourself out of the warmth of your bed, but happy to escape the constant noise. So, you got ready for the day.

When you arrived in the breakfast room with a sectioned-off area for the team and players, the buffet had only just been opened. Apart from you, there was only one other person here so far, who ignored you as politely as you ignored them.

Most people would probably eat later. The game wasn't until late afternoon, so there was no rush to prepare, and morning skate wasn't scheduled for a few hours, as you’d heard.

With a full plate, you sat down at one of the many empty tables. While you ate, you checked your messages.

Jane had texted you last night to tell you that she’d taken your car to the mechanic. Already, they had sent you an email with a list of what needed to be repaired. Your hope that it would only be just a minor repair instantly vanished as you saw the length of the list.

You gulped a second time at the amount at the bottom of the mail.

Shit. That would easily consume an entire month's salary. You dropped your forehead to your hands.

"Does breakfast in general make you unhappy or is it this one in particular?" The chair next to you was pulled back. A certain ginger goalie fell into the seat.

You couldn't suppress a faint snort.

"I wouldn't count my car as breakfast," you tried to joke. Just the thought of your car made you grimace again.

"Oh," his brow furrowed gently. "That doesn't sound good?"

"Yeah. I mean, it has made a weird noise for a while now, should’ve known something like this would happen eventually. I just hoped to have a little more time before having to get it repaired."

Groaning you let your head fall into your hands again. Freddie shook his head, an amused glint in his eyes.

Then he seemed to have another thought.

“Wait, so how did you get to the airport?”

“Oh, I had someone drive me.” You turned your head to look at him.

“Boyfriend?" Maybe it was just hopeful wishing, the way Freddie's eyebrows drew down a touch further. “I mean, not that it’s any of my business.”

"My roommate, Jane." After short consideration, you also added: “Don’t think my ex would’ve even bothered to drive me.” You couldn't see Freddie’s face at that moment as your eyes were drawn to a new incoming message. Just Jane complaining about the weather.

“That sounds like there’s a story.”

You snorted. “Not a good one.”

Freddie seemed to get the drift. He did however furrow his brows slightly and asked slowly: "Wait, how are you getting home then?"

You could almost have sworn that Freddie was sitting closer than at the beginning.

To be honest, you hadn't really thought about it yourself. "Probably an Uber or...?" you mumbled but didn't finish the thought.

Someone from the marketing team - Angela? Angelica? Angeline? - sat down on a chair opposite you.

The conversation was paused for now. Instead, the blonde woman chattered away happily as you just nodded at the appropriate times.

You hadn't noticed when the room had started to become so crowded.

–

When they’d said: "I have an exciting task for you today", you hadn't thought that cleaning helmets would be a big part of it.

Being allowed to take on more tasks on your own was wonderful. And you were grateful.

There were various parts on a few of the helmets that needed to be replaced or checked. By itself a nice and relaxing work. However, having to polish helmets had always been very low on your list of favorite activities. And today you had to clean every single one after the repairs.

One by one, some players arrived to collect their helmets for training themselves. Others were picked up and taken away by staff on their way past. By the time the last helmet was shiningly clean, there were only three left on the table next to you, waiting to be picked up.

And, well, one of them was a beautifully painted goalie mask of a very specific goalie.

Another player came to collect his helmet. You immediately suppressed the disappointment that welled up in your stomach when you realized who was coming through the door. Or rather, the disappointment at who it wasn't.

He was friendly, exchanged a few brief words with you and finally thanked you before disappearing again.

And then, Freddie came into the room. You almost missed it over your struggle of trying to get a new rag from the top shelf.

“Let me help you”, the deep voice from behind surprised you.

He probably could’ve stepped around you and still reached the pile of rags easily enough. However, Freddie appeared behind you, not quite touching you, but close enough that you could feel the heat coming from his body.

Even after grabbing the desired item, he didn’t step back a whole lot, stayed close. If you would’ve wanted to you could’ve taken a step to the side. There was more than enough space and even if there wasn’t you knew Freddie would’ve moved immediately and apologized if you’d asked. But you didn’t.

You stayed exactly where you were.

The air between you felt almost charged. You wanted to see what Freddie’d do. You didn’t get the chance to.

The moment was over as quickly as it had come when the door was pushed open. You both jumped.

Until now you’d only seen Seth Jarvis occasionally from a distance in the hallways. Apart from that, you haven't had much to do with him yet.

The first thing you noticed about him today was that he was already holding his helmet in his hands. It was hanging over two fingers as if he had forgotten he even had it. You dimly remembered giving it to one of the employees not long ago.

You looked down at him once with furrowed brows. The rest of his equipment looked complete too and in working order.

Freddie huffed.

Seth's gaze flitted back and forth between him and you. A far too pleased grin began to grow on his face.

For a few seconds, his gaze stayed wandering between you two.

Finally, you broke the silence when it didn’t seem as if he intended to say anything.

"Is there… A problem with your helmet?"

Seth blinked at you. Then he followed your gaze down to his hands.

He shook his head, almost confused by your question. "No, everything's fine."

Okay? Then he probably hadn’t returned for that.

"Then... Anything else I can help you with?" you continued to ask.

He looked down at himself once more and seemed to think for a moment. Freddie started to speak, a meaningful glint in his eyes: "I'm sure it isn't-"

Somehow that just made Seth’s mischievous grin reappear.

He interrupted Freddie: "Hm, I don't know," he thought slowly, "My shin pad has been kind of weird these last few days and…"

Freddie scowled at him. But Seth didn't let it bother him at all. On the contrary, his grin widened a little more.

Amusement flashed in his eyes. There seemed to be some kind of silent communication between the two.

Finally, Seth concluded: "But it's not really that bad.”

So, you were back to square one.

"Then, anything else I can help you with?"

Seth’s answer came too quickly: "I guess I forgot why I came here. Can’t have been that important."

Turning around, however, took him longer than it should have, and you were pretty sure he did it on purpose. At the door, he threw another grinning look back.

Finally, you two were alone again.

You continued blinking at the door. What was that?

"I should probably see what he's up to," Freddie sighed but offered no other explanation. Nevertheless, he made no effort to leave.

Instead, almost absentmindedly he traced an invisible line in the table.

It took you a moment to notice - he lingered.

You didn't know what to do with the realization. Staring at Freddie the whole time only made you feel stranger. Whatever this conversation just was already left you almost dazed, so you picked up the last remaining helmet beside Freddie’s mask again.

You already knew it was spotless. Not for nothing had you spent so much time cleaning it earlier.

Just to have something to do, you picked up another cloth and set to work again.

Freddie watched you silently. There was something comfortable, almost familiar about sharing the silence.

When the last helmet was finally picked up by another employee, it was the signal for Freddie to leave.

You handed him his mask as well. Your fingers touched too long to be just a coincidence. It made your heart beat loudly in your chest.

For a moment you hesitated. Then you raised an arm briefly to his shoulder and gave him a quick squeeze. "Good luck!"

Before you had a chance to regret your decision, you went back to your work.

–

The high spirits of some of the players you spotted hours later in the hallways told you how the game had turned out, even though you’d been too busy to watch.

You didn't think Freddie would send you more than a quick smile as he walked down the corridor. Two others caught up with him. One of them, easily recognized as Seth Jarvis, and one of the rookies. Seth said something to Freddie, then pushed him to the side straight at you, laughing with one hand behind his back.

With a slight color in his cheeks, no doubt still from the game, he took a few steps towards you. Smiling, he raised an arm. He waited a moment, as if offering you a way out. Instead, you gladly took a small step in his direction.

His arm wrapped around your shoulders. You were pressed firmly against Freddie, who murmured a quiet thank you against your hair. Then, he let go of you all too quickly.

What exactly he was thanking you for you didn’t know. You also didn’t get the chance to ask.

As they passed you, the other two players behind Freddie greeted you cheerfully. You didn't even know other players knew your name. Seth looked almost as amused as earlier today.

–

By the last day of the road trip, you could no longer stand being in your room. Something about the specific shade of the wall color made your skin itch if you looked at it for too long.

It was unexpected how much you missed home. Even after just those few days in hotel rooms.

Maybe it was having to live out of a suitcase because it wasn't worth putting your things in the closet when you might be traveling to the next city that same night or the next morning. Or maybe it was the way you were constantly surrounded by the general working atmosphere.

You couldn't put your finger on it. What you could say, however, was that you couldn't wait to get home.

Just one last game.

After dinner, you couldn't bring yourself to go back to your room. Instead, you explored the common room reserved for the team and staff.

Through the window, you could see some players playing with a ball in the backyard below. At a table in the corner, various people were playing a card game you had never heard of.

In a quiet area, you settled down with a book.

Everything was ideal for reading. It was quiet enough; the sofa was comfortable and you were wearing one of your coziest sweaters.

Still, you couldn’t concentrate on your book. Your thoughts wouldn’t calm down, leaving you feeling restless. Every few minutes you shifted in your seat.

You would have liked to fast-forward the day so that it would finally be evening, and you could go home. If it was up to you, you would have already been on a plane.

Every time someone walked past or entered the room, you unconsciously raised your eyes. And every time, you were annoyed that you had lost the line in your book again. Not that you could remember much of the story anyway. Your attention wasn't quite there.

However, it also meant you noticed when Freddie entered the room.

He stopped several times to talk to people. When he was only a few steps away from the sofas, he looked back and forth between them.

Before you could think about it too long, you slid a little to the side, as if an invitation. There was more than enough space next to you for him to sit down without you touching. However, you left the final decision to him.

You didn't have to wait long. Freddie plopped down on the couch - just a touch closer than usual, but still far enough away that you almost questioned if you were just imagining it. Not that you were complaining.

He opened the book he'd been holding under his arm.

Not exactly subtle, he kept watching you out of the corner of his eye. As soon as you lifted your head, however, he immediately averted his gaze.

Actually, you didn't want to ask. You weren't sure you wanted to hear the answer. What if it was a problem just you had. But still.

After another moment of thought you blurted: "Do you ever get tired of away games?"

"Huh?" He looked up, apparently not having anticipated such a question.

Well, there was no turning back now anyway.

"Like, traveling around all the time, being away from home so much?" you tried to explain.

His answer came easily. "Oh, absolutely. I used to hate it so much. Now it’s not as bad anymore. I mean, some days I would still be rather at but, ehn." He shrugged his shoulders.

Only after a moment did you ask further, having the feeling he wasn't going to add anything more.

"Used to? What changed?"

"Mainly the team. Getting to know the people you spend the days with has been incredibly helpful. It feels less like a business trip and more like… Like a school trip when you were younger." For a moment he got a far-away look in his eyes as if lost in thought.

Your gaze glided across the room. ‘Business trip’ summed up pretty well how it felt to you. Even though you've had superficial conversations with a lot of people, you probably didn't know any of them nearly well enough to put them anywhere near the friends category.

But of course, you’d also noticed how many of the others were always planning activities in groups or just talking and joking over the meals.

You exhaled briefly.

Freddie watched you for a moment. He tilted his head, then continued slowly. His words seemed measured: “You know, the first road trip after my trade here was particularly hard."

You hadn't even thought about that. Your stomach tightened at the thought of how Freddie must have felt.

"Of course, at most everything is the same, but it still feels so- so unfamiliar. You don't know who's sitting next to whom on the plane. You don't know who's a good roommate and who might snore loudly or leave their things everywhere. And all these little rituals and changes that might not even exist at home games."

"But it got better?" You looked at the hands in your lap.

"It really does. The first few times the unfamiliarity, it's so exhausting. But with each more trip, it becomes more and more of a habit."

After a beat of silence, Freddie added slowly: "I don't want to lie to you. Sometimes I'd still rather stay at home. Home games are definitely more enjoyable, as far as that goes. But they're exceptions, just like everyone has bad days."

Encouragingly, he gently pressed his shoulder against yours. The brief touch turned into a long moment, somehow your whole sides touching. Your arm rested against his, your legs just a few inches away.

After a few moments, when he still hadn't slipped away again, you let yourself relax against him. Gradually you could feel Freddie’s muscles losing their tension as well.

"What about Denmark? Do you ever miss being there?" you asked into the silence between you. Freddie looked out of the window.

"When I was younger, I missed it a lot more than I do now. I haven't lived there for so long now that I hardly know any different."

Your eyebrows drew together. You didn't know whether the statement reassured you or whether it made you want to give Freddie a long hug. Somehow it sounded so sad.

"I can still visit it regularly. And it's not as if my family would ever let me forget the language." He pointed to the book next to him.

You hadn't looked at it closely before. But now you noticed that the title consisted of large - obviously Danish - words.

"Just sometimes..." he shrugged his shoulders unsure. Then he picked up his book again with a sigh.

This effectively ended the conversation. You wanted to ask more, but the far-away look in Freddie’s eyes stopped you. Now you felt bad. Making Freddie sad hadn’t been your intention.

As if he could read your mind, he knocked his elbow against yours gently. You took a deep breath. Returning the gesture, you began reading again as well.

While your earlier worries had calmed down for the time being, now, with every breath you took, you were made aware of how close you and Freddie were sitting to each other.

You didn't want to have to get up again.

–

The flight home was uneventful. A general tiredness hung over everyone.

You yawned again as you finally stepped outside into the cool night air.

The tiredness made you inattentive and you flinched when someone unexpectedly appeared next to you.

By now you didn't even need to look at him to recognize Freddie. Just his stature and the hint of ginger hair were enough.

He casually reached for your bag and took it from your hand.

Baffled, you almost stumbled over your feet, looking up at him.

"That's my bag."

"Yep," he said with a grin. He had slowed down to give you a chance to catch up. "At least I hope it’s yours and not some random one you just took."

You rolled your eyes. “Then what are you doing with it? Now that we've established that it is my bag."

"I'm giving you a ride." He stated casually, then started walking again.

If you hadn't been so exhausted, you would have at least tried to protest out of politeness.

Nevertheless, you couldn't help but at least tease tiredly: "Maybe I've got another ride by now."

"Is that why you have the Uber app open?"

You looked down at the phone in your hands. Huh, you couldn't say anything against that.

Freddie became serious for a moment. "Hey, if you really don't want to, I'm happy to just wait here with you until your Uber arrives. But the offer stands."

"You really don't have to," spoke the good manners out of you. Your parents would have been proud. Even to your ears, however, it sounded very half-hearted.

Freddie stopped. You almost ran into him. Since you managed to stop just in time, you were now standing right in front of each other instead. If you had leaned forward just a little, you would have been touching.

For a long moment, Freddie held your gaze. "I know I don't have to. But I want to." The sincerity in his words made you swallow. For a few seconds, you stood in front of each other, looking at each other. You could have sworn Freddie's eyes flickered down your face for a moment.

But then he just cleared his throat and started walking again. You ignored the small spark of disappointment in your stomach.

You were sure that Freddie purposely made himself taller as he looked down at you and joked: "And no offense to you, but you're really not big enough to be threatening."

"Hey! I can be scary if I want to be."

"Uh-uh. Whatever you say."

You stuck your tongue out at him, even if he couldn't see it, as he opened the trunk.

For some reason, you had expected the car ride with Freddie to be awkward. Instead, comfortable silence spread between you. After you had told him your address, he navigated the car slowly through the dark streets.

You watched the streetlights pass by the windshield for a while.

"So, do you give all the poor stranded newbies a ride?" It could be taken as a simple joke. You tried to keep your voice carefully neutral. Still, the mood in the car shifted. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but rather more serious than before. It felt important.

"Would you believe me if I said I was just being helpful?" Freddie didn't even sound like he believed the reason himself. It wasn't a straight answer, but it wasn't an immediate deflection either. You could just accept this as the answer and move on, just, you didn’t want that anymore.

"Normally? Yes. But when you say it like that? Not really”, you still kept the tone light.

"Yeah... My sister is the only one in our family who is a good liar. As a teenager, I always envied her for that. She could outsmart our mother every time."

A small smile graced your lips at the story. You could literally see it in front of you, a young Freddie stammering as he tried to come up with a story about why he was home late.

Freddie parked the car in front of your house. He continued to look straight ahead. In the dim light, you couldn’t be sure, but you could have sworn his ears were turning red.

"I mean, it really wasn't a big deal. And you're not the worst company either."

"Such a high compliment," you grinned, "Not the worst company."

Maybe his cheeks had gained a little color too.

"But really, thank you, for the ride. It probably wasn’t on your way."

"It was nothing, really. And maybe it was also a little selfish." He said it into the quiet of the night as if it were a precious secret. He turned his head towards you and looked straight at you. There was warmth in his gaze, perhaps a spark of hope.

"I like- I like spending time with you."

You couldn't help but smile at the words. Freddie smiled back.

Very slowly, one of his hands moved towards your face, as if he was giving you time to object. You immediately leaned into the touch as he cupped your cheek.

He stroked the corner of your mouth with his thumb. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up. One of your hands rested on his forearm.

"Good thing I like spending time with you too," you whispered softly.

Afterward, you couldn't remember who moved first. Freddie's face came closer towards yours. Your free hand buried itself in his shirt, the other one letting go to run through his hair.

As soon as your lips met, time seemed to stand still for a moment. You forgot all your previous thoughts. The only thing existing was the feeling of his lips pressing gently against yours.

Soon, the sweet kiss turned deeper. The angle wasn’t great, but you made it work.

When you finally broke away from each other, you didn’t move far. Your forehead rested against his, you could feel his breath against your lips.

A small giggle escaped you. Your eyes met. It made Freddie’s smile widen, before his hand slid into your neck to pull your lips to his once again.

–

It was pure coincidence that you had packed your skates.

After a morning of unpacking deliveries and doing inventory, you were ready to just go home and curl up on your couch. Only Sarah, with whom you had shared the work, had made it more bearable. Before, you had only known her by sight. Now you couldn't remember the last time you had made friends with a colleague so fast.

She was also the first who saw the note on your locker. With a raised eyebrow, she watched as you read it. Your expression had apparently told her enough because she didn't question your decision to stay in the arena and instead said goodbye with a wink.

The note was pretty inconspicuous.

'Meet me on the ice?’

It was the thought of who the message was probably from that made your heart skip a beat.

When you stepped onto the ice this time, Freddie was already skating slow circles across the rink. You were delighted to realize that you could be faster than him in full gear and after several hours of training.

It was a moment of being inattentive – and maybe also you getting tired after a few laps – that he took advantage of. With a gentle push, cushioned on all sides by his pads, he pushed you against the glass.

With your back against the glass and his arms on either side of you, you stopped.

"Hi." You grinned up into his face. Through the mask, he grinned back just as widely.

"Hi."

"What a coincidence to see you here."

"What, were you expecting someone else, skat?" The way Freddie emphasized the last word told you he knew exactly what that would do to you. Your heart melted.

"Writing notes. Pet names. Is this becoming some high school romance novel?"

"I don't even know what you mean, elskling." You could hear the amusement in his voice. Before you had a chance to answer, Freddie had already pushed himself away.

He positioned himself in the net and leaned down. It didn't take you that long to get used to shooting again.

–

With your skates in hand and a pleasant exhaustion making your legs heavy, all you wanted to do was grab your stuff and finally head back to your apartment.

As you turned the corner, you almost ran into someone. You only just managed to stop in time.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting you to still be here. Didn’t you finish several hours ago?" Tony looked down at you. In one arm he carried a pile of sticks, in the other a large folder overflowing with notes.

"But, oh wait, it's actually good that you're here."

The next words made your heart stop for a moment.

"I just need to talk to you for a minute."

When had that sentence ever been followed by something good?

You couldn't say for sure how long Tony had been standing here. Maybe he had just seen you with Freddie. Before that, you hadn't even thought about whether that was allowed. What if both you and Freddie got into trouble for it?

Or even worse. What if he found out about you and Freddie off the ice? You had only briefly skimmed the contract when you’d signed. You had been far too fascinated by this world, which was secret to every normal fan, to care about that stuff. Not that you’d even expected something like this to happen.

Now you were desperately trying to remember if there was a paragraph about whether relationships with players were allowed at all.

"I won't keep you long," Tony finally snapped you out of your thoughts.

"Brynn - that was the one who was ill. You were his replacement, I don't know if you ever heard his name." You couldn't remember it, but you'd been told so much in the first few days that you could very well have just forgotten it again.

"Anyway. Brynn will be back tomorrow," Tony's face stiffened, "So technically, we don't need any extra help anymore."

"Oh." Of all the fears that had been running through your mind, that hadn't been a scenario you’d considered. You had known from the start that it would only be a short-term job. But you’d have never expected it to be this short.

Tony smiled somberly. "I'm really sorry. I didn't think it would be so quick."

"Yeah, of course. I mean, it's great for Brynn." You weren’t lying. Obviously, it was good to hear, that he was healthy again. But at the same time, knowing you’d lose your job made your heart ache. Even in the short time, you’d grown to love it.

"Yeah," Tony nodded a little absently. He looked conflicted. "Okay, so. Technically I'm not supposed to say anything yet, but... my boss is retiring in the next few weeks. His replacement should be decided by the end of the week. We've had a few conversations and let's just say... I feel like I've got a pretty good chance of getting the role."

"That's really great for you?" you said slowly. Not that you weren't happy for Tony, but your enthusiasm was limited after you'd practically been fired just a minute before.

"That means there's a job opening to be filled." He looked at you meaningfully.

It took you a moment to finally understand. "Oooh."

"Yeah," he nodded, now with a hint of a grin on his lips. "I could put in a good word."

"Really?"

Tony nodded. You had to suppress a loud cheer.

–

It was a strange feeling. Last away games you’d wished so desperately to be home again. This time you wished you could join. Having to sit at home and having to say goodbye to Freddie sounded almost worse.

"I'm going to miss you for the next few days."

Freddie came up behind you. His arms wrapped around your waist and pulled you against his chest. More than willingly, you let yourself fall against him.

He looked at you questioningly over your shoulder. "You're not coming?"

Then it seemed to come back to him too. "Oh, right."

It had taken you almost two days to tell him about the conversation with Tony. You were unsure how to. Plus, an annoying voice in the back of your head that would convince you that Freddie wouldn't care at all.

In the end, you blurted it out one afternoon. In your head, you stuck your tongue out at the nasty voice when Freddie immediately took you in his arms and asked how you were doing.

Even now, he gave you another apologetic hug.

Only one more day until the day Tony would hopefully call.

The timer beeped. Sighing you peeled yourself from Freddie to take the tray out of the oven.

You sat it down on the counter next to the first, a lot less successful attempt.

You had wanted to do something nice for Freddie, had read up on Danish pastries the day before and after long contemplation finally saved a recipe on your phone. You didn’t know how to pronounce Brunsviger properly, but the pictures had looked great and the recipe seemed easy enough.

You still didn't know exactly where things had gone wrong. Although you had assured Freddie that he really didn't have to – and really, shouldn’t – he had tried a forkful of it anyway. As expected, it wasn’t good. Still, there was a traitorous wetness in his eyes and a long hug.

For the second attempt, Freddie hadn't left your side and guided you through it.

You left some on the counter for Jane. A silent apology for the last time you’d had Freddie over. You might have forgotten to tell her beforehand.

Or maybe, tell her about this at all. There just hadn’t been a good opportunity, especially also constantly having to think about your job.

On this day of all days Jane had come home a lot earlier than you anticipated. For a few seconds, she’d just blinked at you two sitting on the couch, you with your legs in Freddie’s lap.

Then, with a tight voice, she had asked: “Do you have a moment.” Her head nodding to the kitchen.

It had made you feel a little guilty how shocked she looked. Her first words being: “Is that Frederik Andersen in our living room?”.

Obviously, she was happy for you, after the first shock wore off.

The piece of Brunsviger was gone the next morning as you brought Freddie to the door.

"You're gonna be great," you told him goodbye.

The hug was long. Neither of you wanted to be the first to leave. In the end, it was time that drove you apart. If Freddie wanted to get to the airport on time, he had to hurry.

–

Of course, you watched the games. The first game was great, the second one maybe even better. It was also the first time since the new job that you were actually able to give the games your full attention again. Even if you hadn't really noticed it before, you had missed it a little.

You had a good time. When Freddie had a particularly good save, you wrote him a message. You knew he would reply after the game in the flustered way he always reacted to compliments.

The phone call one evening still took you by surprise. A smile spread across your face. "Hey."

"Hej."

Before you could even reply, you heard a voice in the background.

"Hey, Freddie, what got you smiling like this?" You didn’t recognize the voice but you also didn't have to in order to understand the clearly teasing undertone.

The rustling from the line told you that Freddie must have covered the microphone for a moment. The muffled words he threw back sounded a lot like an insult. The response was laughter.

"Talking to your girlfriend?" came another voice, also obviously meant to tease.

Freddie didn’t reply. You could only imagine his facial expression.

Apparently, it was an interesting one. They probably also had expected some kind of denial.

Now there were several voices talking excitedly over each other.

"Wait what?" - "Wait are you serious?" - "Since when?"

"You can't just say that and leave! You have to-"

Then the voices in the background suddenly disappeared.

"Sorry, I just need to change rooms for a minute”, he said a little sheepishly. "They might have found out that we've been talking."

"Do you mind?" You chewed on your lower lip as you awaited the answer. Freddie didn't sound too worried, but still, probably better to ask.

"Eh, not really" Then came the cautious question from him too: "Does it bother you?"

You took a moment to really think about it. Maybe it should have bothered you. Especially considering the fact that this was still so new with you two. Still, you couldn't find it in you to worry about it right now. You were far too happy for that.

"No. It probably had to come out somehow. Even if it was quicker than I thought. For hockey players, they're surprisingly smart."

Freddie's laughter rang out from the line. It made you miss seeing the little crinkles form around his eyes. "I'll tell them you said that”, he warned.

"Tony called today."

"Tony? From equipment?" Immediately you could hear Freddie perk up.

As if you knew another Tony.

"Uh-hu. You still have space in your car for one more person?" You let yourself fall backward onto your bed as you gave him a few moments to understand what you were saying.

A few seconds of silence and then a cautiously hopeful: "Yeah?"

"Just so I’m not almost late again, obviously." The corners of your mouth slowly began to pull into a grin.

"Really? Does that mean...?" The joy in his voice only made your grin widen.

"I'm employed. Permanently this time. Not just temporary."

Even as you heard the news from Tony himself, you could barely contain your happiness. As soon as you'd hung up, you'd jumped so loudly that even Jane had come out of the next room.

"That's fantastic!"

You couldn't even put into words how incredibly happy you were just then. The only thing that would’ve made the moment better was if you could have hugged Freddie at that moment.

–

Before you knew it, the day of the third and final game of the road trip had arrived. As you watched the game on the side while you prepared your dinner, you had a good feeling.

The first period wasn't ideal, but it wasn't disastrous either. The second period started with a goal for the Canes. You jumped up and down enthusiastically, broccoli in hand.

After that, it was all downhill. At the end of the second 20 minutes, the Canes were already 2 goals behind. Two more goals followed. Freddie got pulled in the last 5 minutes. You could almost feel his frustration through the screen as he went down the tunnel.

At that moment, you wished you could’ve been there. How much you would’ve liked to give him a hug and tell him that everything would be okay.

You hesitated for a moment before sending a text. You definitely didn't want to annoy him. A text could never really express the comfort you wanted to give him, but it felt even worse not to write anything.

You tried not to think too much about it when you still hadn't heard back after half an hour. He was probably busy with his post-game routines. After all, they were set to travel back today and arrive late tonight. Surely, he would reply on the plane.

–

It was pure coincidence that you were looking at your phone at that exact moment. Of course, you hadn't been checking for new messages every 5 minutes all evening. Who would do that? Definitely not you. (There were at least 6 and a half minutes on average between each time you checked your phone.)

So, it was definitely a complete coincidence that you were able to read the text the minute it flashed up on your phone.

It was just two short lines. An address.

It wasn’t even a question if you should go. Before you could even really think about it, you had already grabbed your jacket and put on your shoes.

As you closed the front door, your cell phone beeped with another message.

‘Only if you want to. Might not be in the best mood tonight.’

An obvious offer of a way out. As if you hadn't been waiting for this the whole evening. As if the thought of seeing Freddie again in just a few minutes didn't give you butterflies in your stomach.

Your heart broke a little at how uncertain the texts sounded, as if you hadn't missed him for the last few days.

Excitement tingled in your fingers as you finally stepped into the elevator to Freddie’s apartment. It had been a short drive.

The door swung open. Freddie was standing in front of you. For a moment, you just looked at each other silently, then he literally pulled you against his chest. More than willingly, you sank into his arms.

You buried your face in his sweater. The warmth of his body and his familiar scent enveloped you. You could’ve stayed like this forever.

Freddie pressed a gentle kiss into your hair before holding you just a little tighter.

It was the rumbling of his stomach that finally separated you. Even though Freddie was reluctant to let you go, you shooed him into the apartment. He shouldn't have to starve because of you. Who knows when he’d last eaten before the flight?

Freddie apparently understood what you wanted from him and so he led you through the entrance area into the open kitchen. There was already a pot on the stove, some kind of pasta in it. Next to it was a pan of chopped vegetables.

While he took a large wooden spoon and stirred it slowly, you jumped onto one of the counters and sat down. Given your height and the height of the counters, which were definitely adapted to Freddie, it wasn't as easy as you thought, but the twitch in the corner of Freddie's mouth made it worth the effort.

From your position, you could watch Freddie. How his movements were all a little too choppy and the tense line in his shoulders. How he put the spoon down too hard on the counter. How he didn’t raise his eyes.

"It wasn't your fault." You said quietly.

Freddie exhaled in disbelief. He didn't look up at you.

Only when you reached out a hand for him did he come closer. He propped himself up with his arms on both sides of you, resting his forehead against your shoulder.

"Even though you might not believe me just yet, it wasn't your fault," you repeated, hoping that your words would get through to him eventually.

One arm wrapped around his shoulders, the other you let run slowly through his hair.

"You did everything you could. It just wasn't your game. Can't win them all."

He let it pass for a moment, then took a deep breath. He turned his head. With a quick kiss against your neck, he pulled away from you.

"Thank you." He couldn't quite meet your gaze, but you still saw his words for what they were. Not just a thank you for right now, but the texts, the coming over, all the times before that.

"Nothing to thank me for," you confirmed. Freddie shook his head lovingly.

Nevertheless, he probably decided not to disagree for the moment. Instead, he took a plate from the cupboard. Silently he held it out to you, but you shook your head. You’d already eaten.

While Freddie ate, you sat beside him on the sofa. Your legs pressed together with soft music playing in the background for company.

When Freddie got up to take his plate back to the kitchen, you watched him.

Until he came back you hadn't moved from your seat, but apparently, Freddie was no longer satisfied with your previous seating arrangement. With a little shifting around, he finally settled behind you.

His legs were on either side of you, his back against the couch cushions, your back against his chest. One of his arms was wrapped around your waist, drawing slow circles into your side. The other hand was intertwined with yours on your lap.

Your words were quiet. You talked about the last few days, hockey the topic you both ignored. While you told him about the cute dog you'd seen while going grocery shopping, Freddie about something funny one of his teammates had done at team breakfast.

So much more important than your conversations, however, was the fact that you were together at that moment. You enjoyed the closeness; the body heat that radiated from him and slowly made you sleepy.

Every once in a while, Freddie took turns in gently kissing your temple and your forehead. Each time you sank a little more against him.

–

"Happy New Year," Freddie murmured. His arms around your waist pulled you closer to him.

"Happy New Year," you whispered back against his lips. With your hands on the back of his neck, you reached up for a kiss.

Even after all these years, you still weren't tired of it. Hopefully, you’d never be.

#hockey imagine #hockey fic #frederik andersen #frederik andersen imagine #frederik andersen fic #frederik andersen x reader #frederik andersen x f!reader #nic writes #winter fic exchange 2k24 #winter fic exchange

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ilyasorokinn · 1 year

Note

Congrats on 2.5k! Can you please write "gentle ear rubs because person b knows person a loves them" with Freddie Andersen ? I'm a sucker for domestic scenarios ! Thank you!

STUPID OSCAR HARRISON

"gentle ear rubs because person b knows person a loves them." (from this prompt list)

"ANDERSEN ADVENTURES" SERIES MASTERLIST

tw: kids/children

freddie felt like his head was going to explode. he now had even more love and respect for you than he did before. you were sick so he was taking care of both alma and elias.

he was a good father, there was no doubt, but alma was in her clingy stage and only wanted to be held by you and elias was in his curious stage so he was always off making explosions or digging something up in the backyard.

jasper eased his nerves as he lay by your side, playing the role of protector.

with alma and elias distracted with a movie in the living room, freddie snuck up to your bedroom where you were passed out asleep. the bags under your eyes from the lack of sleep were becoming more evident, so he did his best to stay quiet.

jasper whined when he saw the door open. he looked up, but when he saw who it was, he put his head back down on your stomach, keeping watch on you.

freddie carefully got into bed next to you and cupped your cheek, caressing your cheek softly. you mumbled and shuffled but didn't wake up.

he watched you sleep peacefully for almost half an hour, checking the baby monitor in the living room to make sure elias and alma were both okay every so often.

you woke up to a coughing fit, which startled both jasper and freddie. once you were done hacking up a lung, you laid back down and sighed, "is there anything i can get you?"

"drugs." you responded, "it was little oscar harrison who got me sick, i know it."

"the little kid in eli's school?"

"eli said he was coughing during storytime that one time. i picked him up and eli let oscar borrow his toy."

"and he got you sick?"

"yes! that's the only explanation!" you told him loudly, leaving more coughing.

"all right, let's just lay back down. i know, it's all oscar's fault that you're sick." freddie nodded in agreement, helping you lay back down.

you laid back down and frowned, "i hate being sick."

"i know." he sighed, cupping your neck and rubbing the spot behind your ear. you sighed happily, "go back to sleep. i'll bring up some soup later."

"thank you, fred." you smiled, yawning then closing your eyes.

"i love you." he whispered, leaning down and kissing your forehead before grabbing his phone, giving jasper one last scratch, then heading down to the living room to finish the movie with elias and alma.

taylor's 2.5k celly!

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wyattjohnston · 5 months

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Can you write please "needing to go to an event after a party and having to pretend as if they aren’t angry with one another the entire time" with Freddie Andersen or Nico Hischier, but they make up at the end of the night ! Thank you 😘 I Love You writing !

okay fair warning... i forgot to have them make up. sorry but thank you very much <3

There isn’t much that could be said for the fight. It’s one you’ve had so many times you almost don’t even need Freddie to be there to have it; you’re sure Freddie can say the same. Is it a silly fight? Yes, definitely. Are you in the wrong? Yeah, that’s not anything you can argue against either.

Still, it’s the end of the season and you need to head to the Skjei’s for the final get together of the season. You can pretend you aren’t fighting. It wouldn’t be the first time.

You and Freddie are all smiles as you walk through the door to be immediately greeted by a slew of teammates and their families. They don’t suspect that anything is wrong, nor should they, because you stand beside each other and touch each other without hesitation. It’s nice to have his warm touch against the back of neck when the entire day has been frosty.

“When do you guys head to Denmark?” Gracia asks.

Freddie’s hand freezes, the skin no longer as warm as it had been.

“We’ve got another week here before we leave,” Freddie answers, his voice low and calm.

“I’m trying to convince Brady that we should go. I think we left it a bit too late to organise it, but next year for you.” She looks at you when she says, “I’m so jealous that you get to go there all the time with an excuse to say as long as you want.”

You choke on your words a little when you say, “Yeah, we haven’t even decided when we’re coming home.”

The use of the word home isn’t lost on Freddie—he has always used it to refer to Denmark, and you only use it to refer to Raleigh. That shouldn’t be an issue, really, its just how it is but perhaps you do it rather passive aggressively and in direct response to any mentions of Denmark.

Nobody seems to notice any changes in your behaviour and you just let Gracia continue to talk about her dreams of a lengthy Scandinavian vacation.

#frederik andersen fic #frederik andersen imagine #hockey fic #hockey imagine #nhl fic #nhl imagine #homemade fic #1200 follower requests

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hockeyblogg · 1 year

Text

pov: sleepover fantasy w/ freddie

you’re both laying on the couch, blankets on the floor bc of your maneuvering around, fred leans down to pick up a thin sheet, draping it across you two and you cuddle into him, half asleep. freddie feels your thin panties pressing against his bulge which is hardening by the second, your breathing becomes shaky as you subconsciously start grinding against him, and eventually you feel him push his boxers down, his dick popping out and pressing into your thigh. fred grabs your panties and pulls them to the side, slowly and gently pushing deeper and deeper into your tight hole, biting his lip to stop from growling. finally reaching the hilt, balls deep, he sighs, “is that good kæreste?” your breath is soft and shaky in his ear and you grind your hips into him, pressing your face into his neck and eagerly nod. you both are too sleepy to do anything, but it’s a game of chicken that will end with stream after stream of his thick, sticky cum pouring inside and coating your walls.

#too intense?#nah #ok maybe #but its freddie #that man deserves this #frederik andersen x reader #frederik andersen imagine #freddie andersen x reader #freddie andersen imagines #thirst night #kazzy speaks freddie

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nylwnder · 2 years

Text

lustful nights

a/n: hello!!! here’s the first fic out of my birthday series!! i hope y’all enjoy this soft yet smutty fic and i’ll see y’all tomorrow with another drop hehe

pairing: frederik andersen x fem!reader

warnings: SMUT, light mentions of oral (f receiving), essentially memories from last night and nights passed

word count: 1.03k

taglist: @11livpangburn , @stars-canucks , @spine-buster , @melissasturges90 , @themotogirl , @thenhlhastakenovermylife , @deviltsunoda , @harlequinbeautyxoxo , @je-ne-regrette-rien

series masterpost

you relished in the large feel of warmth beside you. you hugged it, before your eyes opened and focused on the soft face of your boyfriend. you admired him, the way his face would scrunch, his lips lightly twitching, his red hair shining from the creeping sun.

you got up softly, making sure to not bother his sleep. you stretched as you made your way to the bathroom. looking at the mirror you fixed your bed hair before you noticed the darkening marks on your collarbone. taking off the large shirt you were currently wearing, you smirked as you saw another mark below your breasts. your mind immediately replayed the build up to yet another lustful night shared between the two of you.

as you got into the shower, you stood there letting the warm water drip down your figure. closing your eyes, you were met with freddie’s chocolate eyes. you smiled, seeing how your fingers traced the sides of his growing beard. his eyes fell to your lips, in which you bit down on as his hands made their way to your ass and you were placed down on the bed.

your fingers made their way to your neck. you felt the way frederik’s breath hovered over it, his lips targeting the spot he's perhaps eyed for hours. his teeth grazing your skin, your other hand could feel the way you’d let your hands fall from his shoulders down to his forearm. you parted your hair so water could fall down your back. the movement reminded you about all the times freddie would part your hair so he could fit his head into the crook of your neck. whispering how gorgeous you look in your ears.

your fingers fall down to your chest, picturing the way your back arches into frederik. his tongue tracing the curves of your breasts. a light moan escaped your mouth when you could feel freddie’s lips attached to your sensitive nipples. your fingers tracing the path freddie always took down to the place that ached for him the most. his hands holding your hips down. you could picture the way you’d squirm, he's barely touching you but instead watching how your body can picture his soon to come actions. knowing just how good he feels and how much you want it.

“say it” you requested, once. “say what, love?” he asked gently, “my name.” you ran your fingers through his hair as freddie smiled at you. “y/n” he murmurs against your chest.

“again.”

“y/n.” his lips against your stomach.

“y/n.” then your thighs.

“y/n.” then your heat. not before pulling back and bringing out a whine from you.

your thighs were next, fred would always tease you by giving the softest kisses yet. holding them in his hands as he asks you what you want him to do to you. “worship me” you pleaded once, humming at your response “my pleasure” he says. his mouth diving in to eat you up. you could picture how your first moan always overpowered you, opening your eyes you blush at the thought.

you closed them again, seeing how fred kisses your heaving chest. your doe eyes looking up at him, your mouth slightly agape. he loved your post-orgasmic state, you looked so fragile, so vulnerable. “are you real?” you’d ask, he only wanted to hold you close, in which you wanted as well with your arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

your head fell back at the thought of his cock stretching you out. you rubbed your cheek as freddie would, “you’re alright love” he’d say. your little whines in his ear as his hands steady you into his build. thrust after thrust after thrust. your nails digging into his back, a groan leaving his mouth.

your hands ran down your sides, squeezing where frederik’s large hands would. when your hips would roll into his, and your teeth nibbled on his lip, his eyes watching you so carefully. a grip around your “useless hands” could be felt in your wrists as he held them above you. you could also surely remember the pain in your thighs when freddie would fold your legs on his broad shoulders. your hands picturing the soft feel of a handful of freddie’s hair. your eyes habitually rolling back.

frederik always took an opportunity to show you his love. whether it would be with simple actions, or toe-curling, unholy fucking movements. every time you didn’t picture your life with another man. you didn’t want anyone else’s lips marking you other than freddie’s. he gave you everything and more. it’s perfect.

arms snaked around you. your mind thinking you were merely picturing it as freddie nibbled on your shoulder, your fingers tracing the veins on his strapping arms. you let your head fall back, but freddie’s voice helped you gain back your senses.

letting your eyes flutter open, you saw freddie smiling down on you. “what are you doing, love?” he asks, kissing your wet hair. “hmm, daydreaming i guess.”

“yeah?” he murmurs, kissing the side of your head. “mhm, about you.” you say, turning around to face him, “about your hands, and your lips, and your…” you say looking down at his very large-

“cock?” he denotes, you look up and giggle. “already got you all flustered before i even woke up, hmm?”

“can you blame me? you rot my brain everyday with all the filthy things you’ve done to me. it’s a miracle i’m not jumping you every minute.” he laughs at your statement. “darling, you don’t know how many times i’ve picturing your glistening figure sprawled out just for me.”

you look up at him again and kiss his chin. “really?” you ask, picturing he might have a bit more control on things like this compared to you. “you don’t think i’d dream of that dripping wet pussy of yours? it eats me alive knowing i can’t always have it right in front of me, waiting patiently to be licked up”

you bite your lips at his words. “fuck” you say before he smirks and lifts you up to pin you to the wall. “we’re in the same boat, doll. now let’s make those dreams of yours come true. i think i know how they go,” frederik says.

[ join my taglist if you enjoyed reading! : click here <3 ]

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misshoneyimhome · 3 months

Text

「2️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ FOLLOWERS CELEBRATION」

"Because I know you" I Frederik Andersen (🌺)

Summary; Encountering a handsome man sitting solo in a coffee shop late at night was far from what you envisioned as the beginning of a close relationship with the Danish goaltender

Tropes & warnings; Strangers to friends, friends to lovers, clueless reader, sweetheart Freddie; no warnings

Other notes; nothing really - just a little something on my favourite Danish man 🤍 Hope you like it

Word count; 2.3K

・✶ ｡ﾟ

Frederik Andersen was probably the most significant and conflicting person in your life.

He was the dependable pillar offering solace and steadiness, yet he was also the type of friend with whom you could engage in heated arguments.

Freddie always exuded calmness and kindness, likely the most amiable man you'd ever encountered. But he could also be incredibly stubborn, much like yourself.

You could transition from being the closest of friends to quarrelling about trivial matters in the blink of an eye, only to return to being close friends again.

Whether it was debating what to have for dinner, with you suggesting something in line with his diet and training, only for him to argue why it wasn't suitable for you or discussing the ideal snacks for a movie night.

And over time, your disagreements would delve into more personal subjects like dating, relationships, and even sexual experiences.

However, as much as you would argue, he would equally be your closest confidant, providing comfort and support. He was always there for you, whether it was calming your nerves before a work presentation or lending a sympathetic ear after a rough day.

Despite his incredibly hectic schedule, he always managed to carve out time for you, and you did the same for him.

Though, your girlfriends often found it a bit odd hearing about the amount of time you spent with Freddie. They always wondered why you were always at the rink, cheering him on during games, and hanging out with him on his days off. And naturally, they'd ask the obvious questions:

"If you spend so much time together, why aren't you dating?"

"Are you sure you're not in love with him?"

"What would happen if either of you started dating someone?"

But you easily dismissed their inquiries. You and Freddie were simply good friends, and neither of you ever viewed each other as anything more.

It all began in a quiet little coffee shop.

You had moved to the city just a few days prior, and now you were treating yourself to a late-night hot chocolate.

And as you’d entered the coffee shop, Freddie was already seated there. Initially, you hadn't noticed him, but when he stood up from his seat and approached you, almost nervously, he caught your attention.

"Hi, sorry, but are you... Denise?"

His voice was gentle, his imposing figure towering over you, and a faint smile beginning to form on his lips.

"Uhm, no… I’m sorry," you replied, shaking your head softly.

And you could see the disappointment wash over his face, his fleeting hopes dashed once again. Then he politely excused himself and returned to his seat.

However, as you ordered and waited for your hot drink, you couldn't help but steal glances in his direction, wondering why such a handsome man was sitting alone, waiting for 'Denise.'

And seeing him still seated as you collected your drink, his fingers idly playing with the coffee mug in front of him, you decided to strike up a conversation.

"Hey there, are you alright?" you asked, with a hint of concern.

He looked slightly surprised as he glanced up at you. "Oh yeah... just um... waiting for someone..."

There was a hint of sadness in his tone, his honey-brown eyes reflecting a sense of defeat.

"For Denise?"

"Yeah... but I guess she probably won't show..." he attempted a faint smile, though it seemed forced.

In that moment, Freddie had to acknowledge that he'd been stood up.

Your heart went out to him. He appeared so gentle and kind that you couldn't help but feel drawn to learn more about his story.

So, stepping a bit out of your usual character, you decided to take a chance, thinking it might be worthwhile to try making some new friends in this new town.

And Freddie was more than happy when you asked to join him. Though he had already resigned himself to leaving within the next minute or so, you managed to change his mind

"I'm y/n," you introduced yourself as you took a seat opposite him.

"I'm Freddie."

His smile had grown slightly, a sense of relief evident in his demeanour.

"Well, Freddie, whoever this Denise is... she's out of her mind for standing you up like this... I mean, it's just so rude," you tried to comfort him with a light chuckle.

"Yeah, I suppose so... guess that's just the downside of agreeing to go on blind dates."

And from that moment, the conversation flowed effortlessly. Something that felt a little strange to you; no awkward moments with this stranger, just a gradual process of getting to know each other, sharing laughter and smiles.

You just felt an immediate sense of openness with Freddie, and soon you found yourself spending more time at the rink than you ever imagined. Hockey was somewhat new to you, at least in terms of watching it several times a week. But you had a blast learning about the sport, especially with Freddie as your guide.

And since he had also recently moved to the city, he enjoyed teaching you about his passion. While he had his team to hang out with every day, and you had your new colleagues in Raleigh, the time you spent together was like no other.

A year and a half later, it felt as if nothing had changed.

Although both of you had become much busier since your initial meeting, you still managed to find time to be together. There were even nights when you stayed at his place while he was away, as your roommate often had guests over, and over time you found solace and tranquillity at Freddie's flat. Plus, he had a much larger TV for watching away games, and a comfy sofa where you could snuggle up under a blanket and enjoy some snacks.

But then things began to shift ever so slightly. You were encouraged by a few colleagues to dip your toes into the online dating scene, and while Freddie remained your rock through all the disappointing dates, he started to feel a bit uncomfortable being the shoulder you leaned on whenever things didn't work out.

Not that you were overly dramatic about it; you ended things with guys just as often as they ended things with you.

However, after several instances of hearing about your likes and dislikes regarding the guys you'd been set up with, those you'd given a chance only for them to end things with you, Freddie decided to address it.

"Y/n," he began as the two of you strolled down the street, holding cups of beverages. "Maybe you should take a break from dating, just for a while."

His suggestion didn't exactly resonate with how you were feeling about your dating life at the moment, but as always, honesty was key between the two of you, and you valued his input.

"Hmm, maybe, but I'm actually having quite a bit of fun," you said cheerfully, briefly glancing up at the tall ginger-haired man. "I mean, I've been having so much sex, I'm not sure I can live without it!" you playfully added, prompting Freddie to let out a deep chuckle.

“Well, great sex is important. But don’t you think you've been playing the field enough?”

“Hmm, I suppose. I just... I don’t know. I feel like I've almost got everything; a good job, stable finances, good friends. I guess the only thing I miss is someone to... share more intimate moments with, you know, to share the most personal parts of ourselves.”

As you spoke, you hadn't noticed that you had suddenly walked slower and eventually come to a stop, turning to face Freddie, your eyes meeting his, both flashing soft smiles.

“So, you're not going to take my advice, are you?” he chuckled lightly, briefly glancing down at the pavement.

“You know, Freddie, I might actually listen to your advice this time,” you flashed him a sweet smile.

“No, you're not.”

“What do you mean, no, I'm not?” You let out a playful gasp, overemphasizing your tone a little. “How would you know that?” you teased with a sarcastic note, rolling your eyes slightly.

Freddie couldn't suppress another chuckle. “Because I know you. I tell you one thing, and we both know you'll do the exact opposite.”

“I do not do that!” you tried to defend yourself, although both of you knew he was actually telling the truth.

“Yes, you do,” Freddie continued, laughing under his breath. “But it's okay, it's one of the many things I love about you.”

You shared in his heartfelt laughter as he then slowly started walking again. However, a brief moment passed where you remained still before a tiny bell in your head suddenly reacted to his choice of words.

"What did you just say?"

"What? That's one of the many things I like about you?" he questioned, stopping in his tracks and repeating his own words.

"Well, you said 'love'..." you tried to point out, but Freddie just shrugged it off nonchalantly as always.

"Did I? I mean, I guess I do, you know, love things like friends, right?" he flashed you a crooked smile.

You couldn’t quite decipher what was going on in the mind of your friend. Your eyes darted from side to side, searching for any hints in his expression. But you found none. Although Freddie wasn't always the easiest to read, it was a skill you had developed during the time you had spent together. However, in this particular moment, he left you absolutely clueless.

But finally, you managed to break from your stare and force your voice to speak. "Yeah, like friends."

Although the two of you kept walking as if nothing had happened and finished your drinks before parting ways, you couldn’t completely shake off what Freddie had said.

Sure, you loved each other on a friendly level; you did consider him your best friend after all, and you strongly believed he considered you as his as well.

But in the evening, as you rested on your bed and scrolled through all the messages and photos you and Freddie had exchanged over the past year or so, you couldn’t help but let your mind wander – what if there was something more going on between you?

Was that the reason you could never find someone you felt compatible with like Freddie?

The way the two of you had been texting every single day, sharing Snapchats and Instagram posts, even calling each other when he was on the road or when either one of you was feeling lonely. You looked over the photos you’d taken together, noticing how closely you stood in almost all of them, some where you were even sitting on his lap, which at the time had felt completely innocent. But then you noticed how his large hand always seemed to rest on you, whether it was your shoulder, your waist, or even your thigh – Freddie always kept you close to him.

He was like the protective best friend, almost brotherly, yet you didn’t think of him as your brother. At least you wouldn’t have shared so many intimate details with him if so. And it’s not like he felt like just another colleague that you’d share foolish and immature jokes with. With Freddie, you could have deep conversations, share feelings, and whatever else you needed to get off your chest. And furthermore, he was rather attractive. Right?

The only detail you hadn’t considered until this very moment was that you actually had feelings for Freddie. Feelings that went beyond just friendship.

Sitting straight up in your bed, you let out a light sigh. "Fuck..."

Normally, you weren’t the quickest to get out of bed, but right now, you couldn’t leave the apartment fast enough.

Swiftly, you grabbed your coat, slammed the door, and dashed down the stairs, not even bothering with the lift. The train ride, which usually seemed rather quick, felt like an eternity as you made your way to Freddie’s place.

And after a few hard knocks on his front door, he greeted you with a smile. Though you were out of breath, you tried your best to formulate an understandable sentence.

“You... you said 'love'... things you love about me,” you breathed out, gazing up at him with a slightly concerned expression as you confronted him, nervously.

“Well... yeah, but I also said as friends—”

But you couldn’t let him have this one either. You had finally noticed the signs and admitted your own deep feelings to yourself.

“No, not just as friends, Freddie...” you spoke with a soft tone, finally managing your breathing, and you saw how his smile faded and he let out a deep sigh.

“No... not just as friends...” he softly admitted.

And you couldn’t help but feel your heart skip a beat in your chest as you saw how he had finally admitted his secret. Your eyes locked, as it took you a brief moment to fully comprehend the situation. But without much thinking or any words spoken, you instead let your arms wrap around his neck and leaned in to close the gap between you, connecting your lips.

Freddie immediately met you in the kiss, his hands swiftly finding your waist to hold you closer.

It started off soft and tender, but gradually grew deeper and more passionate as you both allowed yourselves to explore each other. His tongue gently passed your lips, meeting yours in soft motions, before you both pulled apart to catch your breaths.

Again, you looked at each other, exchanging soft moans and sharing the air between you.

A tender silence hung in the air, but licking your lips, you decided to break it.

“So, were you ever going to tell me?” you let a crooked smile creep onto your lips, trying to defuse the tension a little.

“Probably someday…” he let out a soft chuckle, still holding his hands onto you.

“No, you weren’t…”

“And how would you know that?” he cocked an eyebrow.

“… because I know you."

#2️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ followers celebration #freddie andersen imagine #frederik andersen imagine #frederik andersen x reader #carolina hurricanes imagine #nhl fanfiction #nhl imagine

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