#nathan mackinnon x reader

[writingwithciara]

mending hearts -ross colton-

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

word count: 7.8k (one of my longest)

pairing: ross colton x mackinnon!reader

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

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

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

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

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

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

and then it all changed.

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

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

and she was right.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"what are you doing?"

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

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

"within the hour. now go."

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

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

but it didn't matter.

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

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

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

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

"i'm sorry. what was that?"

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

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

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

"oh shit. are you okay?"

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

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

"for starters, you could leave."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"why's that?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"you can't be serious."

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

"hmm?"

"you okay?"

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

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

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

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

"does it really matter?"

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

"yes."

"pardon?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"i think you should forget nigel."

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

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

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

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

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

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

"i broke up with nigel."

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

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

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

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

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

"wait, what?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"amazing, huh?" he wiggled his eyebrows,

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

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

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

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

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

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

"not normal?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"we're going to be late."

"not if we shower together."

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

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

"you're insufferable, you know that?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"20 minutes?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"not my fault you're so tempting."

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

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

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

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

"who's all doing the video today?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"sounds good."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

great.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"you want to do this in an elevator?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"why'd you want me over here?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"oh? why?"

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

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

"i appreciate it, man."

"yeah, you're welcome."

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

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

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

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

"about what?"

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

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

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

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

"it was you wasn't it?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"you're not sleeping together, right?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"okay."

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

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

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

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

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

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

[willowsnook]

Masterlist

Formula One

Max Verstappen

Lando Norris

Carlos Sainz

Oscar Piastri

Lewis Hamilton

Lance Stroll

Charles Leclerc

Pato O’Ward

NFL

Andrei Iosivas

Josh Allen

Joe Burrow

Keon Coleman

NHL

Luke Hughes

Quinn Hughes

Jack Hughes

Nate MacKinnon

Auston Matthews

[withwritersblock]

The Day I Knew I Needed You

~The Day I Knew I Needed You by Marloe~ Author's Note: requested! This was fun to write :) Summary: Nate falls in love with his new neighbor. Warnings: reader is a single mom, so if that's not your cup of tea... Word count: 5,340 Nathan Mackinnon x fm!reader

It was a new chapter in her life. A chapter where she was fully independent. She’s spent the last five years still living with her parents, after having her son at eighteen. She finally found a job that paid well enough to branch out on her own.

Her son, Evan, was so excited to have his own bedroom. He had many plans to decorate it with as much Spider-Man stuff as possible. 

She rounded the corner towards her apartment with a box in her hand. Evan began to bolt away from her.

“Evan!” She called out, swiftly dropping the box by the door before chasing after him. Evan was standing in front of a blonde man who was kneeling down on Evan’s level. 

“I like your shirt,” she overheard the man say. Evan was wearing an Avalanche shirt that her brother, Tyler, bought him.

“You’re Nathan Mackinnon,” she heard Evan say from the distance. 

“That’s right,” she heard him say while laughing. 

“Evan, honey, you cannot run off like that,” Y/N let out urgently, “I’m so sorry,” she told the man, who happened to actually be Nathan Mackinnon. 

“Oh shit,” she mumbled. Her cheeks ran hot as she was suddenly aware of the sweatpants and tank top covering her frame. Her heart slammed against her chest.

Shifting his gaze towards Y/N. His entire body froze. She was beautiful. More than beautiful. He’s never seen anyone so effortlessly pretty. The smile on her lips was enough for him to fall to his knees. He swallowed harshly, his skin ran hot as he scanned her frame. He cleared his throat before he chewed on his bottom lip for a second.

He smiled as he stood up. “Strong kid, he nearly knocked me down,” he said jokingly. She let out a nervous laugh as she waved her hand towards Evan.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

“Oh don’t be, he’s all good. Did you guys just move in?” He asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. She nodded, looking back towards the apartment door with a box in front of it. “That’s awesome, it’s a great building.” he shoved his hands into his pockets for a moment before he stepped towards her. 

“I’m Nate but it seems like you guys already knew that,” he offered as he pointed to Evan’s shirt. Y/N let out another nervous laugh. Suddenly, Evan was squeezing against Y/N’s side, nerovusly. 

“I’m Y/N and this is Evan,” she said as she ran her hand up and down Evan’s small back. 

He swallowed harshly, a small smile forming on his lips. “Nice to meet you guys,” he let out softly. “My apartment is that one, if you guys ever need anything,” he explained as he pointed to the apartment with 5G on it. She nodded.

“Thank you,” she said with a toothy grin to her lips. “Good luck tonight,” she offered. He smirked as a laugh left his lips.

“Will you be watching?” he asked as he began walking backwards away from them. 

“If I can get my TV to work then definitely,” she expressed as she began guiding her and Evan towards their new apartment. He smirked as he gave them a thumbs up before he darted towards the elevator. She dropped her gaze towards the floor for a second before meeting Evan’s gaze. 

“That was Nathan Mackinnon,” Evan whispered. Y/N tossed her head back laughing. 

“Come on, kid,” she mumbled as she guided him towards their new apartment. She walked back up towards the door, taking the keys from her pocket. Quickly, she put the key into the door and unlocked it. She pushed it open, letting Even run wild into the new space.

Leaning down, she took a hold of the box and bumped into the door as she stepped inside. “Go find your room,” she called out. He didn’t hesitate as he started down the hallway that led to it. Carefully, she placed the box next to all of the other boxes. It was her final one. She rested her hands onto her hips while staring into the sea of boxes. 

She had no idea where to start. Everything was scattered and she only had two pieces of furniture that didn’t come with the apartment. Her own mattress and Evan’s. But most of her furniture will be delivered tomorrow. Which meant she needed to start unpacking at least some of the things she could.

~~~

It had been a few days since she first moved into the apartment, things were starting to finally get together. Evan was loving having his own room and Y/N was feeling the same way. It was finally starting to feel normal. She brushed her hair away from her face as she slipped out of the apartment. 

Keeping her gaze down, she was staring at the text message from her mother. Instead of paying attention to where she was going, she bumped directly into some. Lifting her gaze up, she saw Nate in front of her. His frame was covered in a dark blue suit.

“I’m sorry,” she let out urgently. He held his hands out towards her, hesitantly taking a hold of her arms. 

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly. His eyes widened as he had a small smile on his lips. 

“Yes, I’m sorry. I need to pay attention to where I’m going,” she said jokingly. He pulled his arms back to his side. Their eyes connected for a few seconds before he replied. He raised his hand up and dragged it across his crooked nose.

Clearing his throat, “How are you guys settling in?” he asked while crossing his arms over his chest.

“Really well, almost done with everything,” she expressed as she pointed towards the elevator. He nodded as they began to walk side by side down the hallway. “Great game the other night,” she mumbled.

He chuckled while meeting her eye briefly. “We lost,”

“It went into overtime,” she said encouragingly. He tilted his head from side to side before he pressed the elevator button as he leaned back. 

Their eyes connected again as he had a small smile on his lips. Squinting her eyes slightly, she fought off a smile forming on her lips. He took a fast inhale of breath as he shut his eyes for a few seconds.

“This might seem a little–can I take you out sometime?” he asked. 

The question felt awkward on his lips. He was not accustomed to asking girls out after two conversations. He liked to be friends first before even thinking about making a move. But he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He couldn’t blink without seeing her beautiful smile. 

A wide grin formed on her lips at the thought. She hasn’t gone on a date in years, felt her heart flutter at the idea of being with someone again. Her smile faltered as she took a deep breath. Every ounce of joy that she had at the idea slipped her mind. 

“Nate, I have a son,” she said in her rejection.

The elevator doors opened and they both stepped inside. “I met him, he’s pretty cool,” Nate said softly. They spun around, watching the doors close in front of them.

“I don’t date anymore,” she mumbled before taking a deep breath.

“Because you have a son?” he questioned, turning his head to the side. She met his eye. His lips curled upward as their eyes remained connected. She hummed as her gaze dipped down towards his lips.

“But I appreciate the offer,” she let out softly. He hummed as he watched her trail her gaze back up to his eyes. He pressed his lips together while pulling his phone from his pocket. 

“Well if you or Evan ever need anything…” he trailed off as he handed her his phone. She met his eye again, squinting her eyes slightly. Her cheeks flushed as she saw the subtle smirk on his lips. 

The elevator doors pulled open, revealing the lobby. He took his phone back, glancing down towards the contact she created. He began walking out first, he quickly spun around. He began walking backwards, “Oh and by the way, the offer still stands for whenever you decide you’re ready to date again,”

She stood still, feeling the elevator doors close behind her. She pursed her lips forward as she watched him tilt his head back. He grinned widely before he spun around and started walking faster out of the building.

She let out a nervous laugh as she felt her phone vibrating in her hand. Looking down, she saw that her mother was calling her. Without hesistaiton, she brought the phone towards her ear. “Hey Mom, I’m leaving the apartment now. I’m sorry,” she muttered as she took faster steps out of the hotel lobby. 

“Oh no rush, honey, I am having grandbaby withdrawals. We are having dinner and going to watch the Avs game. Do you want to stick around?” her mom asked. Y/N’s eyes widened as she felt her heart pound against her chest. 

An image of Nate’s perfect smile flashed in her mind. Rolling her eyes, she began walking towards the parking garage that was directly next door to the apartment building. 

“Yeah, we’ll stick around. I know we’re missing you guys too,” she expressed cheerfully. 

It didn’t take long for her to drive to her parents house. The entire drive her mind kept wandering towards Nate. How perfect the suit fit his frame and how bright his eyes looked with the dark blue suit. She pulled into the long driveway and instantly climbed out. She jogged up the driveway towards the garage door.

Raising her hand up, she quickly typed in the code. She stepped inside and jogged towards the door that led to the rest of the house. “Hello!” she sing-songed as she entered the house.

“Mom!” Evan called out running towards her. She let out a breathy laugh as she happily took the dramatic hug from her son.

“Hey honey, how was work?” her mom called out. 

“It was a good day,” she said as she pointed towards the couch. Evan bolted and jumped onto the couch. She walked towards the kitchen, where her mother was making all of them dinner. 

“Is there a reason my grandson believes Nathan Mackinnon lives with you guys?” her mother questioned while laughing. “Evan has not stopped talking about it,” 

Y/N’s lips parted as she felt a smile form on her lips. Clearing her throat, she quickly wiped the smile right off. “Turns out Nathan Mackinnon lives a few apartments away from us,” she expressed. Her mother spun around, her mouth completely fell open. Y/N tried to hide the smirk forming to her lips but her mother could read her like a book.

“Have you spoken to the Avs star player?” she asked teasingly before stirring the comically large pot on the stove. 

“A few times,” Y/N mumbled. “He offered to help us if we ever needed anything.” she explained further, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Oh really?” her mother questioned. She hummed as a reply. “Seems like a charmer,” 

“We barely spoke, Mom,” she offered. Her mom nodded dramatically. “I promise,” she expressed while dramatically taking large steps backwards away from her mom.

~~~

It was past ten at night, normally she would already be in bed. But she kept staring at the new contact name in her phone. She shouldn’t press the call button because why would the star of the Colorado Avalanche want to hang out with someone who had a kid. Let alone want to go on a date with someone who had one. 

There were a few seconds where she was trying to decide if it would be a mistake to invite him over. But slowly, she pressed the call button and brought it towards her ear. She was half expecting him to send her straight to voicemail or let it ring and ring. 

Instead it rang for a few seconds, “Howdy neighbor,” he said teasingly.

A sudden laugh fell from her lips, “I feel like I should hang up now that you said that,” she shot back through laughter.

“What can I do for you, Y/N?” he asked in a sing-song way. 

She took a hesitant breath, feeling her chest tighten in the process. “Do you want to come over and watch a movie or something?” she asked while shutting her eyes. He smirked as he nodded, as if she could see him. 

Widening his eyes, he began to stand up from his seat on the couch. “I definitely would like to do that,” he expressed cheerfully. 

“You can just walk in,” she said softly, “Don’t want to wake Evan up by the doorbell,” she explained while awkwardly shifting with a blanket covering her lap. 

“I’ll be super quiet,” he whispered into the phone before hanging up. A smirk began to toy to her lips as his voice sent a shock to her frame.  She tilted her head back against the top of the couch. Slowly, she watched her front door get pushed open, she saw Nate peek his head into the house. His eyes were wide as their eyes connected. “Is it safe?” he asked in a hushed tone.

She threw the blanket off of her as she stood up from the couch. “It’s safe,” she mumbled softly as she crossed her arms over her chest. He slipped inside, letting the door shut quietly behind him. 

“Hi,” she said as she met his light eyes. She watched as a tight lip smile formed to his lips as he awkwardly shifted from one foot to the other. “Thought you would be asleep,” she said softly as she looked over his features. He dragged his tongue across his bottom lip as he took a few steps towards her.

“I should be but couldn’t sleep anyway,” he mumbled as he watched her body straighten. She nodded slowly as she wandered towards the couch. She faced away from him as she sat down. Nate cleared his throat as he kicked off his shoes and rested them near the door. “What are we watching?” he asked as he mimicked jogging towards her but barely moved forward.

She tossed her head bak and laughed as she collected the blanket over her lap. She took a hold of the blanket that was dangled over the top of the couch. Carefully she tossed it towards him and he flinched as he covered it over his lap.

“I’ve got no ideas,” she expressed softly. He smirked as his eyes squinted slightly. 

“You just wanted an excuse to see me, didn’t you?” he asked teasingly. She shrugged while brushing her hair away from her face. “I’ve got a few ideas, give me the remote,” he let out as he held his hand towards her. 

She happily handed it towards him as she kept her gaze on him, admiring every small detail on his face. The way his lips were slightly curled upward at every moment. The way his cheeks were flushed slightly. She admired the way his nose was crooked, she was certain she remembered the exact play that caused it to be like that. 

Her eyes widened slightly as she looked back towards the TV screen. Nate was scrolling through the huge list of action movies, she expected nothing less. 

~~~

It had been two months since she first moved into her apartment. Evan was adjusting well and so was Y/N. Nate was at her apartment nearly every night he could. They would text during the day and she would ask him to come over after Evan was asleep. For a while, it was nice to have a friend that didn’t have anything to do with playdates. 

He was fun and made her laugh for most of the night. It seemed like every night they would get progressively closer and closer together. Each night, they would watch a couple movies; switching who’s turn it was to pick them.

She was handling the remote, scrolling through Netflix trying to decide what they should watch. “You and Evan should come to the game this weekend,” he offered as he turned his phone screen off and dropped it face down onto the couch. She tilted her head to the side dramatically. Their eyes met, a smirk toying to Nate’s lips.

“I don’t know,” she mumbled. Nate’s bottom lip fell into a dramatic pout. She rolled her eyes playfully. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” she continued while looking over his features. 

“Why not? I’ll get you guys seats in a secluded place, no one has to know that I got them for you guys,” he explained as he inched closer to her.

“He’s never been to a game in person and my dad has been wanting to take him to his first one,” she explained, trying to find any excuse. She couldn’t fully wrap her head around why she didn’t want them to go. It felt intimate, weirdly. Intimate.

“Bring your parents, your brother, bring everyone.” he begged. He took a hold of her arm, pulling her towards him teasingly. She stared towards him suspiciously while taking in a deep breath.

“Fine,” she drew out the word as she leaned forward to take a hold of her phone.

“Yes! How many tickets should I get?” he asked excitedly, pulling his own phone from his pocket.

“Five please,” she let out somewhat defeatedly. She began to type a message to her family group chat letting them know of the updated weekend plans. He was urgently texting his connections to get some seats in the lower bowl. Close to the glass, but not super close to distract him. 

Quickly, he held up his phone towards her to show that he bought the tickets. His lips fell into a pout as she saw the price of the tickets. “Jesus, Nate! You didn’t have to pay that much. Oh my god!” she let out urgently as she reached towards him. They were only a few inches apart. Quickly, she took a hold of his phone and brought it closer towards her face.

“I get two free ones, these are for the other three,” he said as he shrugged slightly as if the payment was nothing. 

“It’s that much for three tickets!? Holy shit people must love you,” she said as she handed the phone back towards him. He rolled his eyes playfully.

“I don’t make the prices,” he mumbled as he tilted his head back against the top of the couch. “You are still okay with coming right?” he asked, his eyes widened as he scanned her features. He dragged his tongue over his bottom lip as he watched her smile softly. 

“I’ll think about it,” she mumbled as she slid closer to him. “I haven’t been to an Avs game since before you were on the roster,” she said, letting out a dramatic sigh. 

His mouth fell open as he began to steal some of the blanket into his hands while looking deeply into her eyes. “That’s like seven years,” he let out. She nodded dramatically while humming. “I have to say I’m a little offended,” Their shoulders bumped as he spoke.

“I’ve always planned on going to games, but then I don’t know if you know, I had a son,” she said teasingly. 

“Who’s an Avs fan, might I remind you,” he teased again as their eyes met. “He knew my face and my name; and you were robbing him of the best–”

“Oh my god,” she interrupted him by leaning her head against his shoulder. She let out a breathy laugh. “I agreed already didn’t I?” she let out quietly. 

He pressed his lips together as she slowly lifted her head up, looking into his eyes. “Can I ask you something?” he asked suddenly. She nodded as she leaned back slightly. “You don’t have to answer,” he continued.

“Just ask, Nate,” she let out softly as she scanned his hesitant features. 

He swallowed harshly, “Where’s his dad? You and Evan never talk about him,” he questioned, suddenly avoiding her gaze. She clenched her jaw for a second as she took a deep breath.

“We dated all through high school. He was the star football player with like a million D1 scholarships. When he found out I was pregnant senior year, he broke up with me and pretended the pregnancy never existed. So when Evan was born, I did everything in my power to be the best mom. I mean my parents and brother also did so much for me and him. It didn’t matter that his dad wasn’t there,”

“Sounds like you guys are way better off without him,” he offered, looking into her eyes. She nodded softly as she felt her heart jump into her throat. 

“It helped that he barely played in college and didn’t make it big,” she said with a dry laugh leaving his lips.

“Serves him right,” Nate said teasingly.

“Yeah, I thought so,” she mumbled as she continued to look in his eyes. “But Evan’s incredible without him,” she expressed softly. 

“You are too,” Nate mumbled. The corner of her lips curled upward as she fought off a smile. Looking into his eyes, she felt her heart start to slam against her chest. “Put on a cheesy rom-com,” he offered as he pointed towards the TV. A nervous laugh fell from her lips as she took another hold of the remote and started scrolling through the TV again.

He forced his gaze back towards the TV, feeling his cheeks pink up in the process. 

~~~

The game ended with a 3-2 victory for the Avs. Nate ended up getting a point on each goal. Evan was enjoying every minute. He was jumping up and down at every goal. Dancing to every song that played and enjoying himself a giant container of popcorn. 

Her family wouldn’t stop asking questions about why Nathan Mackinnon bought them tickets. Asking about how close the two of them have gotten. She didn’t know what to say. She had nothing to say for a while. All she said was that they were friends. That’s all.

They were in the process of leaving the stands when her mom took a hold of her arm. “Can Evan stay the night at our house tonight?” her mom asked, a small smile on her lips. She squinted her eyes slightly as she looked over her mom’s features. “I miss my grandson, he’s told me you haven’t given him any ice cream in weeks!” 

Y/N rolled her eyes as she tossed her head back, “He just had like a thousand pieces of popcorn,” she explained as her eyes landed on her little boy walking side by side with her dad. She let out a dramatic huff of air, “But yeah, he can. But please, make sure he goes to bed soon. It’s already late,”

“We’ll see. Grandma’s house isn’t his house anymore.” she explained while skipping slightly. Y/N rolled her eyes playfully. 

“Nate!” she heard Evan shout. Lifting her head up, she saw Nate walking towards them. Her eyes widened as her heart jumped into her throat. Evan bolted towards Nate. Nate knealed down and waited for Evan to give him a hug. Evan wrapped his arms around Nate’s neck. Nate returned the hug as a laugh fell from his lips.

She smiled softly as she met Nate’s gaze. Evan pulled away and started talking excitedly towards Nate. Nate was nodding along, laughing and joking with Evan. 

After a few seconds, Nate stood up as Evan took a hold of his hand. “This is Nate!” he expressed as he dragged Nate towards her parents. Nate was only looking towards Y/N as he approached the group.

“How did you guys like the seats?” he asked as Evan let go of Nate’s hand. He jumped up and down as he walked towards her brother. Her dad’s eyes widened as he looked towards Nate and then back towards Y/N.

“Still cannot believe it, thank you, kid!” her dad said as he held out his hand for Nate. He instantly shook his hand.

“Of course, no one should go seven years without going to an Avs game,” he said teasingly. Y/N rolled her eyes dramatically as she fought off a smirk. 

“We’ve tried dragging her to games but she wouldn’t budge,” Tyler offered as he dramatically wrapped his arm around Y/N. He raised his eyebrows teasingly, “But the Dog swoops in and she all of a sudden wants to come to a game,” 

“Ty,” she scolded barely above a whisper.

“I told her I was a little offended that ever since I joined, she hasn’t come to a game,” Nate explained as he continued to look into Y/N’s eye. 

“Trust me, we were offended too,” her mother teased. “Well, we should be heading home.” her mom said as she met Y/N’s gaze for a second.

“I was gonna drive Y/N home but since you two live in the same building, why don’t you give her a ride,” Tyler said as he delicately pusehd Y/N away from him. Nate dropped his head while laughing.

“I was gonna offer anyway,” he let out before he raised his hand up and dragged his hand across his chin.

“Evan, come here,” she said as she watched him bolt away from her father. She knealed down in front of him. “You’re gonna stay with grandma and grandpa tonight, okay?” she explained softly. 

“Really?!” he asked while jumping up and down slightly. She nodded while smiling softly. “Thanks Mom!” he shouted as he ran back towards her dad. 

She rolled her eyes playfully as her family said their goodbyes. She shoved her hands into her pockets as she watched her family walk away from them. Her parents were holding hands with Evan. Every few seconds, they helped him jump into the air.

Nate walked closer towards her, standing side by side. “Thank you for this,” she mumbled as she met his eye. 

“Any time,” he mumbled back as his cheeks were flushed red. She smiled softly as she took a few steps forward.

“Come on,” she mumbled as she spun around to maintain his gaze. He chuckled softly as he followed after her.

The drive back to their apartment complex was full of chatter from Nate. He was talking about the game, in grave detail. If he didn’t talk about it now, it would all disappear and he wouldn’t remember a second of the game. He asked her about Evan, asked about how he enjoyed the game. 

She told him that every time Nate touched the puck, Evan shouted that Nate lived near them. It was adorable. 

Nate pulled into his parking spot, instantly putting the car into park. He shifted his body towards her, looking into her eyes. “So how was the game, really?” he asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt. She followed in pursuit.

“Definitely a lot better than the last game I went to,” she let out as she leaned her head back against the headrest. 

“Yeah?”

She hummed as a reply. He cleared his throat before he started climbing out of the car. She nodded as she began to follow in pursuit. 

Nate quickly rounded the corner and waited for her to walk side by side with him. Instead she began walking ahead of him. He scanned her frame as he shook his head slightly. “Y/N,” he mumbled. 

She spun around on her heels meeting his gaze. He stood still as he looked over her features, his breathing was slightly unstead. His lips parted for a second before he clamped his lips shut. 

“Nate?” she questioned while tilting her head to the side. A breathy laugh left her lips as she looked into his gaze. He took a few steps towards her while taking a deep breath.

“We’ve got movies to watch,” he offered as they started walking towards the elevator to take them to their floor. 

He took a hold of her arm, pulling her towards him. A gasp left her lips before he leaned down and kissed her urgently. She hesitantly rested her hands onto his arms as she began to kiss him back. He looped his arms around her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. 

After a few seconds she pulled back. “Nate,” she mumbled.

“I know, I’m sorry,” he tilted his head back as he scanned her features. She shook her head as she leaned towards him, kissing him urgently. She ran her hand across the base of his neck as she parted her lips allowing him to deepen the kiss. “Should we head upstairs?” he mumbled against her lips.

“Please,” she mumbled as she pecked his lips. He smirked as he began walking ahead of her. He took a hold of her hand and began leading her towards the elevator. 

~five years later~

Nate was sitting on the couch, staring at the ring box in his hand. It was a diamond ring that Y/N’s sister-in-law helped him pick out. Tyler, Nate, and Tyler’s wife went ring shopping several weeks back. It took several weeks to decide if it was the right one. But her sister-in-law swore it was perfect.

He was trying to decide when was the best time to do it. But it didn’t matter until he got Evan’s permission. Clenching his jaw, he took a deep breath. Tilting his head back, he looked towards the clock on the wall. Y/N would be home in an hour. 

“Evan! Can you come here please?” Nate leaned back as he shoved the ring box into his pocket. Nate heard muffled yelling from upstairs but it was soon met with loud footsteps climbing down the steps. He stood up as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Evan walked through the hallway towards the living room.

Nate kept his hands in his pockets as he watched Evan stare towards Nate expectantly. “What’s going on?” he asked softly. He looked towards the kitchen then towards the giant clock on the wall.

“Let’s go sit,” he offered as he pointed towards the couch. Evan nodded slowly as he followed after Nate’s footsteps. Nate sat on the couch, leaning forward. His hands stayed in his pocket, his grip tightened around the box. Evan sat down directly next to Nate. 

“Nate, you’re scaring me,” he mumbled.

“Sorry,” he let out while laughing. “I’m just nervous,” he muttered. Evan furrowed his eyebrows harshly while crossing his arms over his chest. Nate took a deep breath as he pulled the ring box out of his pocket. He flipped the box open and showed Evan the ring. Evan’s mouth fell open as a gasp left his lips.

“No shit,” Evan mumbled.

“Dude,” Nate let out while shaking his head. Nate tried to stop himself from laughing but the way the word fell from his lips nearly made him laugh loudly. 

“Sorry,” he let out as he leaned closer towards the ring.

“Before I asked your mom, I wanted to see if you were okay with it,” Nate explained as he handed the ring box towards him. Evan took a hold of it and brought it towards his face. He was examining every single tiny detail of the ring. Nate took a deep breath, “Can I marry your mom?” he asked softly.

Evan giggled softly, “It’s about time,” he offered as he shut the ring box. He handed it towards Nate again. Nate tossed his head back while rolling his eyes. 

“Are you sure?” Nate asked softly as he met Evan’s eyes. 

“I don’t know anything different. Do I have to wear a suit at the wedding?” Evan asked as he stood up from the couch. Nate smiled widely as he watched his kid dance awkwardly in front of him. 

[lightsoutmatthews]

It´s always been you - Nathan MacKinnon

summary: you and Nathan used to date but things came to an end one day in Nova Scotia. Attending the Makar´s wedding together wasn´t something you planned on doing, but unfortunate circumstances leave you no other choice. What happens when old feelings who seemed to be forgotten, aren´t as forgotten as you thought they were?

pairing: Nathan MacKinnon x female!reader

word count: 8.8k

warnings: alcohol consumption, heavy make out, allures to sex (no on page intercourse) probably still advise to read at your own risk if you are not +18

authors note:

I know Cale did not get married in Mexico but for the sake of the story we will imagine he did

I took this idea from a prompt list over the summer, unfortunately I can´t find it anymore to tag the creator

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

The Makars wedding invitation came when you were still together, now it was pinned to the pinnboard in your new apartment, weeks after you and Nathan had broken up.

It wasn’t that the break-up came out of the blue, fights had cracked your relationship. Nathans hard working ethic when it came to hockey often something that got in the way. Not that you blamed him. But he and the Avalanche once again failed to make it further than the second round of the playoffs, losing to the Stars in six games.

He grew cold. Not the first time it happened. Nothing you hadn’t dealt with before, but you were tired of it. The arguments, the storming out and the days without hearing from him after he left for Halifax were the final nail in the coffin you needed to end things.

You flew to Nova Scotia just like you were supposed to but left the next day with a broken heart and the determination to find a new apartment as soon as possible. You did after a few days somehow, finally moving out of your… of Nathans apartment.

You moved on, trying not to think about him too much, trying not to let the different corners of Denver remind you of memories the two of you shared.

Then the week of the wedding came.

Cale and Tracy would get married in Mexico, something that had been planned months in advance. Something you had planned together with Nathan. Something you had also booked together with Nathan.

You tried talking to Tracy, hoping she and Cale had another room so that you could attend. Attending together with Nathan something you weren’t ready to. Unfortunately, there were only so many rooms they booked for the wedding.

Tracy said it was your choice if you´d attend but in the same breath she made clear that there was no way they would ask Nathan to not attend. Not that you ever expected them to.

So, tomorrow you would leave for the wedding. How it would pan out something you would deal with when you got there. But then the message pinged your phone.

Nathan MacKinnon: We should talk about the wedding.

No hello. No how are you. Just we need to talk about the wedding.

At first you were unsure if you should reply. Starring at the phone for minutes, the chat open, his words doubling over in your mind.

I Yes, we should.

No indication as to where, how and why exactly, nothing more than his text.

Nathan MacKinnon: I emailed them asking if I can cancel the reservation and book two separate rooms, they declined and said we would not get our money back if we cancelled.

I I asked Tracy the same thing, she said basically the same to me.

I You can go. I don’t need my money back either. Cale is your friend and teammate.

Nathan MacKinnon: I don’t want to keep you from the wedding of a friend.

I And what is your plan? Are you offering to sleep on the beach?

You were slowly getting annoyed with him. Dealing with this over text pissed you off. If he wanted to speak, he could at least have the guts to call.

Nathan MacKinnon: We could attend like planned. Sharing the hotel room. We were together for three years, we can deal with this.

You rolled your eyes.

I Yeah, and there´s a reason we´re not anymore.

Nathan MacKinnon: We can be civil with each other for one week. For our friends.

You swallowed. Hard.

He was right and as much as you did not want to share a hotel room with him for a week, Tracy and Cale wanted both of you there. They planned this expecting you to be there together. For the sake of their special day you could pull through, right? You wouldn’t have to be around him aside from when you would both be sleeping, right?

I You´re right. It´s just a week. We cohabitated without speaking for almost as long before.

You knew it was a low blow. Throwing his behavior at him years after it happened but you could not let him think this would be anything but you doing this for the sake of your friends.

Nathan MacKinnon: I´ll let Cale know, see you there.

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

Two days later you got off the plane in Mexico. The heat outside hitting you like running into a wall. It had been warm in Denver but August heat in Mexico was a different beast.

Just like the entire plane ride the shuttle to the resort had you overthinking. What had you thought agreeing to room with Nathan for a whole week? He was your ex-boyfriend for goodness sake.

Anger was still lingering underneath your skin. Maybe even a little love that was still left for the man who you shared a life with for multiple years.

You weren’t prepared to face him again, but when you stood in front of the wooden hotel room door with shaking hands you knew there was nothing you could do.

You stood there outside the room for longer than you probably should have. The heat from the burning sun giving you a sunburn through your shirt but it was still more comfortable than facing who was inside the room.

You heart couldn’t beat faster if it tried. Not even running a marathon could made you breathe this heavy.

But when the door opened a few seconds later everything stopped. The droplets of sweat on your face suddenly more prominent than ever. The slight breeze that was brushing over your skin spreading goosebumps alongside your arms.

He looked the same as when you left him in Halifax. Unsurprising, given it had only been a couple of weeks.

He was a little more tanned. His hair seemed blonder, probably from the sun as well. His bright blue eyes hidden by a pair of sunglasses you hadn’t seen him wear before.

The world moved in slow-motion as you looked up at his tall frame. His lips were moving but didn’t register any words that left his mouth, too caught up by this being the first time you met him since the breakup.

“I´m sorry, what?” You breathed out, voice quiet. His brows furrowed and a shiver immediately ran down your spine. “I said, there you are, the front desk called the room asking if you made it her okay. I was just leaving to meet some of the guys at the beach, see you later.” Before you could get another word out, he was already ten steps down the path vanishing as quickly as he apeared.

The door snapping shut right in front of your nose pulled you back into reality. The interaction leaving a bad taste in your mouth. Of course, you came here hoping to interact with him as little as possible, but somehow you did not expect him to give you the cold shoulder.

With a loud sigh you finally gathered the courage to enter the room. The coolness of the air-conditioning a strong contrast to the heat outside. Nathans familiar smell hung in the air, indicating that he had been here for quite a while.

Stepping further into the room you noticed his suitcase next to the small couch that formed the center of the main part of room. To the left was a door to what you guessed the bedroom and to the right another door that probably led to the bathroom. You would explore in a second because what really captured your attention was the patio. It held a small pool, some deck chairs and a path that led right to the beach.

The beautiful turquoise that you were faced with at the end of the path took your breath away. The palm trees and flowers that lined the path down to the sand nothing like you had seen before. Cale and Tracy picked a beautiful place to get married and you would enjoy your time here regardless of the man you had to share a room with.

----------

The first wedding activity followed that evening. You hadn’t seen Nathan until shortly before you had to leave. His eyes lingered on your flowy sundress a little too long for your liking when he opened the door, but he went for a shower without any word.

The resorts restaurant where Tracy and Cale held their welcome dinner was equally as beautiful as the rest of it. The sun, which was dipping low over the ocean, colored the surroundings in a soft orange glow.

When you stepped into the area reserved for the wedding party you were greeted with people, friends, you hadn’t seen since the hockey season ended for the Avs in mid-May. Susanna Ranta and Mel Landeskog immediately embraced you with hugs and how are you´s before pulling you a chair on their table.

Mikko and Gabe acknowledged you with soft smiles but no words. Their two girls the ones you had been closest with while being in the wag circle of the Colorado Avalanche, you considered them more than acquaintances but since they´re still Nathans friends, they´re not yours.

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

He entered the patio with the confidence that surrounded him wherever he went. He was walking like he owned the place, his light summer pants rustling with the steps he was taking. The navy shirt matched them perfectly.

You always appreciated his ability to style himself. It had always been easy to match if needed.

His large strides led him to your table, Mikko and Gabe obviously being the guys he wanted to sit with.

His eyes roamed, once again lingering on your frame for longer than a normal glance should be. Goosebumps formed at the back of your neck when his piercing blue eyes met yours for a brief second, before he looked away again and pulled out the chair across from you.

The energy around the table shifted as he sat down. The air was heavier than before. Everyone obviously knowing your history. No one knowing how they should react. Susanna asking if you had a good trip here broke the silence a short while after. Following that the guys broke into their own conversation.

You didn’t miss how Nathan´s eyes flicked to you occasionally. Lingering. Almost longing.

You ignored it, rather falling into comfortable conversation with Mel and Susanna about the summer. They painted beautiful pictures about the home countries of their partners. Sweden and Finland always having been countries you wanted to visit.

Gabe and Mikko clinked themselves in when they picked up on the topic, raving about how you really needed to visit and how you could stay at their places no questions asked. Many polite smiles and nods were shared. You knew you didn’t belong into their circle anymore, but they still felt like the friends you were when you and Nathan were together.

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

The itinerary told you tomorrow would be a relaxing day with different activities planned. You talked with Mel and Susanna about joining Tracy and some of her friends at the beach and later at the resorts spa. You had seen the place when you walked here. The epitome of luxury combined with calm, and relaxation immediately drew you in. A massage truly was what you needed after the past weeks.

When you returned to the room after taking a walk along the beach. Nathan was already there. You were faced with his muscular back as you walked through the door.

He was hunched over his suitcase, looking for something. His back muscled moved as he searched, his big biceps, which hiding behind used to be your save space somehow seemed even bigger than before.

The memories of being snuggled up against his side on the couch, his arms wrapped around you, keeping you save, flooded your mind. You blinked rapidly to wash them away before making yourself known.

“Do you still need the bathroom?” He flinched, apparently, he hadn’t heard you come in. The air shifted when he stood. The space suddenly feeling incredibly small.

“No, all finished. You can take the bed too, I´ll take the couch.” You took at the uncomfortable looking piece of furniture. It was small, there was no way it could hold all six feet of him. He probably would have to tuck in his legs to fit.

“I can´t let you do that. Your back will kill you tomorrow.” His eyebrows shot up, but he didn’t reply. “How else would we solve this?”

“Let´s just sleep in the bed. We´re both adults, Nathan, we can handle sleeping side by side. We did it for years.” He brushed his hand through his already tussled hair and sighed. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“It´s fine. Let´s just go to sleep and get this over with as quickly as possible.” You could see that he swallowed hard. But he didn’t say anything this time either, just gave you a single nod before going back to searching in his suitcase.

You didn’t bother making any more conversation, leaving for the bathroom instead, where you took a long shower, delaying the return to the bedroom where he undoubtedly would already be asleep or still scroll through his phone.

You took your time brushing your teeth, going through all the steps in your skin care routine, spending extra time on massaging the creams in just to spend more time away from him.

After, you scrolled through your phone for another five minutes but when tiredness took over your vision and you were ready to go to sleep you mustered up the courage to go outside again. The doors to the balcony were still open, the soft sounds of waves crashing to the shore mixing with unfamiliar animal sounds. It gave you a sense of peace, the bustling atmosphere of Denver usually not holding this sense of calm.

You paused for a second, watching, breathing in the salty air that filled the room, before closing the door. The absence of the nature sounds casting it in silence.

No sounds were coming from the bedroom either but when you entered Nathan was still awake, typing on his phone.

He didn’t say anything, but his eyes found and roamed your body as soon as he spotted you. They followed you as you walked only looking away when you sat down on the other side of the bed. You didn’t miss how he settled on his usual side. The side he had taken in your shared home as well.

You weren’t sure if it was out of habit or because he knew that you preferred to sleep on the side facing the window and you shouldn’t be touched by the gesture. But you were.

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

When you woke up the next morning something heavy was draped around your waist and your back was unusually warm. Yes, you were still in Mexico, but this was not the heat from the sun already burning down outside.

Your mind didn’t process, just took in the warmth and went back to sleep. Not for long until you realized who exactly was giving you this warmth. Turning around quickly but carefully you were faced with a sleeping Nathan. His arm still wrapped around you as his chest rose and fell slowly, steadily.

Being close to him again was familiar, comfortable even, his body one you fell asleep next to for a long time. But when your brain caught up with the situation you scrambled away from him which woke him up, blinking heavily to get rid of the sleep in his eyes.

When he grasped what had happened, he ran his hand over his face and sighed loudly. “I´m sorry.” He broke the silence, his voice still heavy with sleep. “Force of habit, probably,” he continued.

You knew you should call him out on it, tell him it cannot happen again. But you couldn’t say the words. So, you just glared at him, and he glared back at you. Until he ripped his glance away and got up, almost running out of the bedroom, fleeing an uncomfortable situation.

You let him. It was for the better.

---------

After breakfast you met up with some of the girls to go to the spa. The group enjoying almost the whole day getting pampered. You had never felt so relaxed. The situation with Nathan this morning being pushed out of your mind as soon as the misuse started rubbing your back, easing you of the tension that had followed you since you had left Nathan back in Halifax.

Chatter follower as your group made their way to the pool early afternoon. You would meet with the girls respective partners for a late lunch. Everyone being paired up again as soon as you arrived stung a little more than you expected. This should’ve been you and Nathan as well.

Said man was leaning against a chair a few steps away from his friends and their partners. He looked as misplaced as you felt.

Mel shot you raised eyebrows as you kept looking in his direction. Taking in the body you were once completely familiar with. The subtle shake of your head made her look away again.

Thoughts filled your mind. Thoughts about the vacations you and Nathan had taken. Last year’s off-season, when you spent the summer at his house in Halifax. He was walking around shirtless most of the day when you were at home because the heat was unbearable. As little clothing as possible was the only option.

The number of times this had ended with him dragging you inside, taking off the little clothing you had left and worshipping you until the both of you passed out, were uncountable. The best summer of your life, you had described it to the other girls when the both of you returned to Denver in early September.

“You´re starring.” The voice right next to your ear snapped you out of the memory. Gabriel Landeskog was standing there, shooting you a shit eating grin while wiggling his eyebrows into his friends direction.

You swatted at his chest and laughed. “I was not starring.” Both of you knew it was a lie, but he let it slip. “He was starring too, he´s just better at covering it up.” Gabe´s confession made you heart beat faster. You took a second to take in a deep breath. The sun suddenly feeling way to hot on your skin. The closeness to Gabe suddenly being too much for you.

“I´m going to get another drink,” you mumbled, hoping he heard it, before you almost sprinted away. The floor burning the bottoms of your feet as you walked. You ignored it, just wanting to get away from the situation. He was starring too. Gabe´s words echoed through your head.

But you reminded yourself that you couldn’t go down this road.

----------

In the early evening the whole group met up at one of the resorts bars that had been reserved for the night. You didn’t return to the group after Gabe had stated the obvious to you earlier. You didn’t see Nathan prior to the party either.

You knew he had been in the room when you retuned from another walk on the beach. His swimming trunks were drying on the balcony and a pair of his sneakers were missing. You didn’t question where he went, it wasn’t your problem anymore. As much as the past two days had given you a familiar feeling with a hint of habit.

-----

Arriving at the party Tracy handed you a colorful looking drink which you immediately took a big sip out of. She didn’t question where you went that afternoon, just shot you a knowing look and nodded to the back of the terrace where Cale was surrounded by his teammates, Nathan included.

You ex-boyfriends eyes found yours as soon as you stepped further into the space. The neon lights reflecting, giving them a slight sparkle. He was sipping from a bottle of beer as he more or less listened to Miles Wood telling a story.

Your glance was looked on his for a while. It was like this was a game. Whoever looked away first lost.

It was him who broke away, when Cale wrapped his arm around his shoulders. Looking like he had already some beers in his system, rocking back and forth, clinging to his friend for support.

The warmth that fled through you as you kept looking at him was familiar. It felt like every other party you had attended together. Him wandering off to chat with people, but always keeping an eye on you, always making sure you´re okay and had everything you needed.

Maybe it was a force of habit, like the cuddling this morning.

“You and Nate seem awfully like you used to.” Mel said next to you, making you jump. “It´s nothing.” She shook her head laughing. “Sure, nothing, just like it was nothing when you ran away this afternoon after my husband told you that he´s been behaving just like you.” She took another sip of her drink, and you followed suit, avoiding having to answer immediately.

“It´s nothing, Mel. We used to be together, we´ve only been split up for a few weeks. Old habits die hard.” The blonde raised her eyebrows. “Sure, keep telling yourself that you and he are not shooting longing glances at each other all day.” With a wave of her hand, she left again, disappearing as quietly as she had shown up at your side.

-----------

Hours into the party the music was drumming in your ears, louder than it probably was. You were a few cocktails deep into the night and the soft buzz had made itself known as you almost stumbled into a waiter who was trying to deliver another load of beers to the group of Avalanche players sitting around one of the few tables that were placed around the open space.

You were desperate to sit down at one. Your feet burning from the heels you had been wearing all night, but every chair was occupied. So, you opted to lean against the fence that split the bar area from the rest of the restaurant it belonged too.

The sun was low on the horizon, telling you it was not that late, yet people were leaving, the early starting hour of the party something no one was really used to but most of them appreciated since tomorrow the wedding activities would resume with the rehearsal dinner as well as final preparations for the big day two days from now.

Tracy and Cale had been the perfect example of a couple heavily in love, preparing for the best day of their lives. When slower songs were played the couples gathered on the makeshift dance floor and danced, clinging to each other. This should have been you as well. You should be out there with Nathan.

The more you thought about the man, the more it stung and that odd feeling of longing and missing something you once had crept its way into your mind. When Nathan took one of Tracy´s friends for a spin jealousy was probably written all over your face. You tried to hide it but old feelings that you should’ve buried deep inside you bubbled up again, telling you that you maybe weren’t as over your ex as you thought you were.

---------

When a thunderstorm made its way upon the resort everybody retreated to their rooms. The silent bolts of lightning followed by the blaring rumble of thunder let shudders move all over your body. You had never been a big fan of thunderstorms. Sleep being impossible most nights they occurred.

Whenever he was home Nathan had held you. Rubbing soothing circles on your back until you fell asleep and he knew you were safely tucked in his embrace. There was nothing more you wanted to do right now than to experience this again.

Maybe it was the alcohol or the protected feeling he always gave you as soon as you were pulled against his chest but the thought of not having it today made you let out a quiet sob. Emotions crashing down on you heavy.

There was so much that was better when Nathan was in your life. Being with him but not actually being with him had shown you how much your lives had been intervened when you were together.

The silence of the room did not help the sadness that was suddenly overwhelming you. Lightning casting the space in a bright flash every other minute followed by the walls almost shaking from the thunder and the thoughts of the past made the tears fall quicker than you imagined.

You tried to take deep breaths. Grounding yourself by lying flat on the bed trying to calm down. When it didn’t work you curled yourself into a ball and let the tears fall. Stopping them would be more exhausting than just letting them out anyways.

You weren’t sure when the door opened but at one point Nathan returned from wherever he went when the party started to clear out. The feeling of not being alone anymore something that calmed your heartbeat like it knew that the man on the other side of the door would slip into bed momentarily providing the comfort you so desperately craved.

Only this time you would get it. He would turn around, facing the door, maybe scroll through his phone for a few more minutes before he would close his eyes and sleep. All that without acknowledging the stare you were currently in.

Your heart wrenched at the thought. Another sob leaving your mouth, the sound probably louder than you wanted it to be.

With the sheets pulled up higher, hoping the fabric would absorb some of your heartbreaking cries you turned around and faced the window again. Lightning still flashing outside, rain heavy and loud against the glass.

The darkness was heavy too. Like it was hiding secrets you never wanted to come into the light. Specifically, the thoughts about how much you missed being around Nathan.

He came into the bedroom at one point, using his phone screen as a flashlight. Your shoulders were still shaking. He can´t see this, you thought, quietly pulling the sheets even higher to try and hide not only from him but from the world.

When a strong arm wrapped around your waist moments later you flinched harder than you probably should have. The warmth of his body a strong contrast to the cool room. “Shhhh. It´s okay. I´ve got you.” He mumbled into your hair, softly brushing some of it out of your face. You were stunned by the tender action. This being the last thing you expected him to do.

He pulled you into his chest and interlinked his fingers with yours. The familiarity of his hand in yours something that calmed you down in an instant. There were many questions in the air but there was no time for them right now. That was a conversation for the next morning.

As he kept rubbing soft circles over your back, whispering soft nothings in your ear, you finally drifted off to a light sleep.

At this point just glad he was there for you, like the last time there was a thunderstorm. Little did he know, he was part of the thunderstorm that was brewing inside you.

-------

Waking up in Nathans arms the next morning felt less uncomfortable than it was the morning prior. His massive arms were still wrapped around you, your head resting on his chest, while his legs were tangled with yours.

When you looked up at him, he was already looking down at you. His eyes soft, roaming over your face, a small smile spread across his lips. Everything about this moment felt like before. Like the breakup had never happened and you were here at the wedding happy and still very much in love.

Were you still in love?

“Morning,” Nathan mumbled. “Hey,” you whispered back. His grip immediately loosened around your waist. Like reflex you pushed yourself further into his chest until he wrapped them around you again.

If this was the last opportunity you had of being close to him before everything would go back to how it was yesterday you would take it. Regret be damned.

Silence spread through the room again. The sun casting it in a soft glow. The chaos from last night almost forgotten.

You weren’t sure how long you just held each other. Both taking in the comfort the other person brought, maybe for the last time.

You felt him move and even though your eyes were closed you knew he leaned his head down again when he placed a kiss, nothing more than a light brush, to the top of your head.

The tender action made you whimper into the fabric of his shirt.

When he placed a hand on your cheek and made you look at his again it was filled with so many emotions at once. Longing. Regret. Love.

His eyes started to flicker between your eyes and your lips. Your thoughts racing a mile an hour trying to figure out what his next move would be.

On the one hand you desperately wanted him to lean down and kiss you. Feel his soft lips against yours again after weeks of being deprived of them. On the other hand, this would complicate things so much. What would happen if you went down that road again? What would you want to happen?

Before you could overthink too much Nathan took the decision from you and leaned down to connect your lips. For a second at first, like he was trying to see what your reaction would be. When you did nothing but look up at him with pleading eyes he leaned back down, the kiss much more heated this time.

It felt like he was pouring every emotion he had into this kiss. Everything he didn’t say, everything he wanted to say but maybe was too afraid to.

You interlaced your arms behind his neck and pulled him closer into the kiss, equally trying to pour as many emotions into it.

You didn’t know how long you made out like that but at one point he started to slowly move his hands to the hem of your shirt and that’s when you pulled back. “Nate,” you whispered out of breath. Your lips were swollen from the minutes they had been on his.

He immediately pulled his hand back. “Sorry.” He rushed to get up, so fast he got tangled up with the sheets, almost planting onto the floor face first. “God,” he said, smashing his hand against the nearest wall when he stood solid again.

You were surprised at his sudden outburst. “Sorry, I´m…. shit… I´m sorry. I shouldn’t have.” Words failed him as he kept brushing his hand through his hair and over his face.

“Nate,” you said, quietly at first, but when it gained no reaction from the man across from you, you repeated yourself louder. “Nate!” His eyes snapped back to you, and he stopped in his motions.

“Will you calm down, please,” you plead. His eyes seemed darker in the morning light, but they were still equally as piercing when they starred directly at you. “Why are you sorry?” The question left your mouth before you could think about it.

“I… We broke up. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, we´re here to celebrate our friends.”

You leaned your head back against the headboard and starred at the ceiling. “Don’t be. It´s not like you forced me into this.” From the corner of you eye you saw his posture relax at your words. “Still, we´re her for four more days. I don’t want you to not be able to look me in the eyes at breakfast later.”

When you got up and walked over to him you did the least rational thing you probably should have done in this situation. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss.

He placed his hands on your back and pulled you flush against his chest, deepening the kiss immediately.

When you wrangled yourself out of his hold another few minutes later, he eyed you curiously. “See, now we´re equal,” you whispered against his lips before pressing one last kiss to them and rushing out to the bathroom.

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

When you arrived at breakfast Nate was already sitting at a table with the Landeskog´s, Miles Wood and Ross Colton. Everyone greeted you with a warm “good morning,” before you sat down at the only empty chair. Obviously, it was next to him.

“Do you have any plans until the rehearsal dinner?” Miles asked mid chew which made you chuckle. “Nothing exciting.” Was the collective response.

You didn’t miss how Nate kept eying you from his seat. The kisses had not left your head ever since you had stormed out of the bedroom and locked yourself in the bathroom under the disguise of getting ready for breakfast.

How soft his lips felt against yours, how perfect you still melted together was all you could think about when you looked at the man sitting next to you.

“What´s up with you two?” Ross called out after he apparently observed your subtle non interactions for a few minutes. “Nothing,” Nate replied too quickly which earned him a round of raised eyebrows.

You tried to look anywhere but into Nate´s general direction. When your eyes met Gabe´s across from you his face held a knowing smile, but he promised you with a subtle nod that he wouldn’t say anything until the two of you said something first.

You appreciated that, there was nothing to tell anyways.

The rest of the day was spent tanning at the beach. You finally took the chance to continue to read you book while the other girls had another day at the spa and Tracy was running around with her wedding planner for last minute preparations for the big day tomorrow.

The guys followed your idea and set up a game of volleyball at the beach. Every now and then you ogled the group, they´re hot athletes, there was nothing wrong with that.

Nate´s eyes caught you starring more than once and he shook his head with laughter before pushing his sunglasses into his hair and shooting you a wink.

It was a simple gesture that shouldn’t make butterflies flip in your stomach. The kiss from the morning once again playing on repeat in your head and you wanted to do nothing more than to walk over to the group and beg Nate to give you another.

“What are you daydreaming about?” Tracy´s voice almost made you jump out of your chair. “Nothing really. Just thinking.” You put the bookmark back into the book and put your whole attention to your friend. The subtle voices of the guys faded into the background and started to mix with the waves crashing down on the shore. You tried to focus on that instead of giving away what you and your ex-boyfriend had been doing just hours prior.

“Just eye-fucking the ex-boyfriend, what´s the big deal really, right?” Your eyes shot up and you starred at her like she just caught your red-handed. “I knew it,” she almost shouted. “You still have feelings for him. Shit, I owe Gabe 50 dollars.”

Your brows furrowed. “You and Gabe placed a bet on me still having feelings for Nate?” She grinned. “I´m sorry?” It was more a question than a real apology. “You two were so good together, we were just rooting for you.”

“We were for a while, then we weren’t anymore.”

She placed a comforting hand on your arm. “You both looked out of it at breakfast this morning, what happened?”

“Nothing really,” you paused, considering your next words carefully. “He comforted me last night when the storm happened.” She placed her sunglasses on her head, eying you suspiciously. When she didn’t say anything, you hoped that she believed you.

It wasn’t a complete lie. You just left out that after that the two of you made out in the morning, twice.

“I have to get back to the venue. If there´s anything you want to talk about you know I´m always here for you, right?” Your arms wrapped around her before she could finish speaking. “Of course.”

She smiled when you let go of her again. “Keep ogling your ex, Cale told me Gabe told him he likes it.” With that she got up and left you alone again.

------

For the first time on the trip Nate and you walked to the room together after the afternoon spend on the beach. You didn’t speak much, your actions from the morning and a conversation that should be held still looming over you.

At the same time you still felt the overwhelming urge to it again. To do more.

“You can go shower first if you want to.” Nate mumbled as he pulled out his phone, seeming like he suddenly had really important notifications. “Yeah, sure.” The tension surrounding the interaction wasn’t lost on you. But neither of you acted on it.

You grabbed your clothes for the rehearsal dinner out of the bedroom and locked yourself in the bathroom once again while he did god knows what.

The hot water of the shower did nothing to clear your head. You were spiraling. On the one side you wanted to act on the tension, on the other hand you didn’t want to go down that road again. There was a reason you and Nate broke up. There was no way it would work a second time…. Right?

-----

The rehearsal dinner went without any specific happenings. You and Nate arrived together, which raised the eyebrows of some people, but you shrugged it off.

When the group made their way over to yet another bar for one drink before everyone would go back to their rooms early in the light of the day tomorrow you walked close to him. His hand brushing yours every now and then, sending shivers down your spine as you continued to try to ignore the feelings that were coming back to you.

The wind picked up as you sat on the open balcony built directly over the ocean. You rubbed your shoulders trying to warm up a little in your thinly strapped dress. It had been an immediate yes, when you saw you had packed it and Nate´s reaction was worth freezing now.

“Here.” A blazer was draped over your shoulders. The navy color something you immediately recognized. Your “Thanks,” a mumble at best but you slipped into the fabric and let the warmth engulf you. It smelled like Nate´s signature aftershave. The mix of wood and cinnamon something that felt like home to you, even after being apart for a while.

Tracy raised her eyebrows and wiggled her fingers between you and Nate when she spotted you wearing it, but you just waved it off. “Nothing,” you mouthed.

The look on her face told you that she didn’t believe you at all, but she turned back to the conversation she had prior leaving you and the man next to you alone.

-----

The group exchanged goodbyes and see you tomorrows soon after. You and Nate walked back to the room together, the tension that had built between the two of you so thick it could’ve been cut with a knife.

You didn’t say anything, just followed him into the room quietly when he unlocked the door with the key, he fished out of the pocket of the blazer you were still wearing. Even engulfed by the warmth you shivered at the look Nate was giving you as he subtly touched your arm to steady himself while searching in the pocket. A look full of lust but mixed uncertainty, as if he was debating if he should act on it.

He brushed his hand over your arm he was still holding, unintentionally it seemed, innocent almost but his eyes didn’t lie. He wanted you, and he wanted you now but there still was this hint of almost insecurity in his eyes.

Neither of you spoke as he closed the door, placing the key and his phone on the shelf next to it. You shrugged off his blazer and let it fall to the floor with a soft thud. His eyes snapped back to yours, roaming over your body.

The moment you enter the bedroom, he had enough and decided to act on what had been lingering in the air the entire day. He pressed you up against the wall next to the door, the one where he stood just this morning.

His lips were on yours, just for a second, before he traced the column of your throat. You turn your face to the side and see the cheeky grin on his face.

“See, I don’t know if you´re still mad at me for how things ended between us.” He pulled your chin up, having you meet his gaze before pressing his lips to the corner of your mouth. “But if you are, forget it, I’ve been thinking about this for the entire night and I know you have too.”

And then his lips were on yours again. His tongue swept into your mouth and danced with yours. The woody scent that weavers around him fills your nose. His kiss was demanding, claiming and deliciously slow, as his fingers laced with yours at your side, pinning you deeper into the wall with his hips.

You could feel him hard already through his pants. He parts your legs with his knee and trails his finger down your cheek to your jaw, under the curve of your ear.

“I thought about this since this morning actually.” He pulled your dress down to expose more of your chest. A low groan escaping his lips before he carefully bites into your shoulder, releasing it as he moved on to your collarbone.

The dress hit the cold floor of the room as he pushed the straps down your shoulders, his fingers finding your pearled nipples effortlessly through the lace of your strapless bra.

“I thought about it all through dinner too. Do you know how hard it was for me to not drag you out of your chair and back to this room?” His voice was gravel in your ears as heat pools into your panties.

You whine against him, inch yourself closer to him. He pinches your nipple. Hard. Before reaching down, cupping your pussy, pressing the heel of his palm into your clit. All you could do was whimper.

You were in sensory overdrive because his other hand was still working slow on one of your nipples.

He looked up and let his eyes rake over every inch of your body, standing before him just in your bra, panties and heels you matched the dress with.

“This might be the hottest thing I´ve ever seen,” he growls as he stands, grabbing your arms, pulling you back onto the bed.

You moan. His lips meet your shoulder blade as you pant. Taking the few seconds, he took to undress himself. You need him to touch you. Somewhere. Anywhere.

His fingers trail under the back of your thong, sliding downward to your ass as he grips you tight with his other hand. A low grumble rumbles through him as you arch your back at the move.

“Fuck, yes.” You breathe out. “What do you want, sweetheart?” The man in front of you far from the man you were met with this morning. This version of Nate one you had only seen in the bedroom after particularly rough games, when he desperately needed to take out all the buildup tension.

Those nights were some of the bests of your life.

“Answer me,” he growled against your ear as he kept trailing your body with his hands but not acting on anything just yet.

Another moan left your mouth as he trailed over the one particular spot, he knew all too well.

“Fuck me, Nathan,” you breathed, seconds before pleasure was taking over your entire body.

--------

Waking up the third morning in paradise felt different than the other two. You woke up in Nates arms, just like you did the other days but this time there was this funny feeling in your stomach.

Warmth and butterflies mixed with that delicious burn from the actions of last night between your legs. The sun was already peeking through the curtains, but you knew that it was still very early.

The wedding would be until midday so there was no rush in getting up and getting ready, especially since neither you nor Nate were in the wedding party. So, you snuggled back into his embrace, his arms immediately tightening around you as he grumbled.

“Good morning,” he whispered and placed a soft kiss to your head. “Morning,” you mumbled back, pressing yourself even closer to him.

Neither of you said anything but soft touches and kisses that were exchanged spoke for you. He connected your lips softly on multiple occasions and followed it up by trying to remove even more space between your bodies.

“How are you feeling?” The question was heavier than expected. How were you feeling?

For one you were feeling good, happy to be in this place again, like you had returned to a place you hadn’t been at in a while but loved endlessly. At the same time, you were feeling conflicted. What would all of this mean for you and Nate?

How would this continue when you returned to Denver? When he got back to Halifax? Would this continue? Was this just a vacation fling, a way to close this chapter of your lives?

Looking up into Nate´s warm eyes, that softened at the attention you were giving him again, you let out a heavy breath.

“I don’t know, Nate,” you paused. “Conflicted, maybe? But also, happy.” A soft smile spread on his lips. “No regrets?” Your eyebrows shot up. “No, no regrets.” He leaned down again and captured your lips with his.

After you made out for another few minutes you looked at each other again. Questions lingered in the air. Unspoken confessions and feelings. The only thing you were sure off was that you were happy. Happier with him than you were without him.  

You missed him. Every day since you broke up. You didn’t realize it before. Not when you saw him again the first day you came into the room. Not the first time you kissed post breakup and not last night.

Looking back at the weeks that had passed since that morning in Halifax you suddenly noticed subtle details that were related to missing him.

How he always opened doors for you. How he put your coffee in the fridge before he left for practice or morning skate so it would be cold when you woke up. How your car was never low on gas.

Things you didn’t really think about until now.

“What´s on your mind?” Another heavy hitting question.

“What does this mean for us, Nate?”

Silence.

“What do you want it to mean?” An unexpected question, that at the same time was giving you the feeling he had already made up his mind.

“I don’t know. I need to think about it.” Silence, which he met with silence. Only for a while before he spoke again.

“How about we just get through this day, celebrating our friends and we figure everything out tomorrow?” You nodded. That gave you time to think. To bring your thoughts and feelings in order and to figure out if you wanted to do this again.

“Yeah. Good idea.”

---------

The wedding passed in a blur. Tracy was the most beautiful bride you had ever seen and when Cale shed a tear seeing her walking down the aisle you couldn’t hold yours back either.

Nate, sitting beside you, which obviously raised eyebrows with his teammates and their partners, grabbed your hand rubbing soothing circles to the back of it as you watched your friends exchange their vows.

The reception dinner was delicious, followed by speeches that had you holding your belly laughing, which probably was a side effect of the multiple glasses of champagne you indulged in as the hours passed.

Nate rarely left your side. Once to chat with his teammates, more often to supply you with more drinks or a snack from the massive display of sweets, desserts and fruit the Makar´s put up.

It was almost like before. The routine something you grew familiar with and missed. His protective eyes something you craved. But you still hadn’t made up your mind.

There were pros and cons to getting back together with him. You were weighing them all day.

Sometimes the pros won, sometimes the cons did but you weren’t closer to a conclusion either way.

The dance floor opened shortly after the cake was cut. Everyone was jumping around, screaming, celebrating, having a good time. You were surrounded by your friends, having a blast. Experiencing joy you haven’t felt in a while.

When the newlyweds came together for their first dance and invited everyone to join them you stepped to the side as everyone coupled with their respective partners.

You watched everyone for a bit before a familiar hand was held in front of you. “Dance with me?” “With you? Always.”

With a smile he led you out to the others. As you wrapped your arms around his neck he placed his on your waist.

The both of you swayed in silence for a few seconds. Enjoying yet another intimate moment.

“Come to Halifax with me,” he whispered. “Let´s figure this out. I know we can.”

Goosebumps. Confirmation that he had really already had made up his mind in the morning.

The world around you slowed down when you looked him into the eyes. The other wedding guests that were still mingling around you blurring into the background, their voices quieting.

“What?” your breath hitched. Nate´s touch burning at your wrist sending splashes of memories through your mind. How he held you for the first time. How he had wrapped his arms around you after winning the Stanley Cup. How you held him after he lost in the playoffs earlier in the year.

“After this, come back with me, like you were supposed to. Let´s try again. I love you. I never stopped. Do you have any idea how much I wished to take my actions back? To follow you to the airport and apologize?”

“I waited for you. Before security.” A subtle change in his hold which felt like a bigger than it was. “I wished for nothing more than for you to come and try to save us.”

He stopped swaying and placed his hands on your cheeks, making you look him directly into the eyes. His stern determined look burning into your memory.

“We both needed this time to realize some things, we know this. It was the right thing to do at the time. But we realized this is not how it was supposed to end.”

“Nate…” the words came out quieter than you expected. You weren’t even sure he heard them.

“I already told you I still love you. Please, let´s go back to us,” he plead, grabbing your hands, squeezing them.

A smile spread across your face. All the worry, all the doubts that had crept into your head disappearing the more he said. You looked up at him with light in your eyes.

“We need to talk this out, Nate. Not here, but when were back in Nova Scotia. There is still a reason why we broke up.” But based on the look on his face he didn’t listen to a word you said after you said, “when were back in Nova Scotia”.

“Thank you. For giving me another chance. I promise you I won´t waste it,” he said before dipping you back and kissing your right there in the middle of the dance floor of your friends wedding reception, clapping and whooping from your friends in the background.

[cuteandhughesy]

Any more cute daddy Nate blurbs pls 🥹

“say dadda! come on big boy, say dadda!”

nathan’s soothing and familiar voice echoed through the otherwise quiet home, his tone light and airy—the perfect baby voice that never fails to make your son giggle.

and on que, the sound of your babies belly laugh rings through the living room. you’re in the kitchen, view obstructed with your back turned to the family room, but you just know that nathan’s got his hands under your sons pudgy arms, lifting him up and down in the air to further elicit those adorable sounds.

the adorable sound that makes you want to give nathan a million more babies.

you smile automatically thinking about them, and your body moves towards them on autopilot, bonding the fresh cut vegetables you’d been slicing for a homemade chicken salad. you wipe your hands down the backs of your jeans before you scratch gently at nathan’s scalp in a silent greeting.

“hey you two.”

you son catches sight of you and squeals, tiny fists opening and closing as he attempt at reaching for you. you sit down beside nathan, and tickle your babies side affectionately, “hello little man. is daddy trying to make you say his name?”

nathan snickers and hush your son close to his chest. almost 8 months old now, your son isn’t as easy as he once once, and now instead of melting into your husbands chest like he used to, he’s pushing off with his hands, craning his head around to look at anything and everything.

he spots you again and laughs, a little dribble of drool falling off his chin from his open, gummy smile. on instinct you reach out and wipe it away.

“he’s close,” nathan says triumphantly, running a large hand over the back of your babies head, feeling the soft pattern of hair that is growing at what feels like rapid speed. “I can fell it. isn’t that right buddy? who can feel it? is it, dadda?”

you smile, rubbing your knuckle over your sons chubby cheek. he’s so cute and soft you want to kiss him over and over again. you love him so much it’s actually unhealthy. and nathan? he’s the same way.

“I don’t know,” you trails off teasingly, shooting your husband the ultimate side eye, “I think he’ll say mama first? isn’t that right my big boy?”

you son just laughs in nathan’s arms, not giving anything away. he only just babbles nonsense that nathan claims is him trying to say dadda. in his fucking dreams.

your husband presses a loud and obnoxious kiss to his cheek, eliciting another round of belly laughter from your baby. his little palms gently slap at nathan’s stubbled jaw, trying to grab his skin between those little baby fingers.

more drool falls form your sons mouth, which is practically second nature at this point, falling onto the collar of nathan’s avalanche hoodie. the day either of you wear something taht doesn’t end up covered in some kind of baby inflicted mess, will be a miracle.

not that you would change that though.

you smile again because it’s impossible not two when you’re watching your two loves interact, and push deeper against nate’s side. it’s a little awkward because he’s holding the baby, but you make it work. and this, right here, is everything you could’ve dreamed for.

—

(unedited)

[cailinsblog]

😻MASTERLIST😻

These are the teams I have written for so far💕💕

Request open

Reblogs are heavily appreciated 

NHL

New Jersey devils

Montreal Canadians

Vancouver

Florida panthers

Blackhawks

New York rangers

columbus blue jackets

Colorado Avalanche

Philadelphia Flyers 

Utah hockey club

Michigan

San Jose

__________________________________

Formal one

McLaren

Ferrari

Red bull

[hockeygirl101]

Hi guys! I’m going to start a small little song series based of Taylor Swifts 1989. This is one of my favourite albums from her, I love the storyline of the album.

These will be updated on a weekly basis (one song per week) along with some other stuff. Please let me know what you guys think! And if you have any recommendations for anything please tell me 😊 Masterlist

1989 (Taylor’s Version)

Welcome to NewYork- Jack Hughes

Blank Space- Quinn Hughes

Style- William Nylander

Out of the woods- tbd

All you had to do was stay- Jamie Drysdale

Shake it off- Trevor Zegras

I wish you would- Luke Hughes

Bad Blood- Auston Matthew’s

Wildest dreams- William Nylander

How you get the girl- Connor Bedard

This is love- Will Smith

I know places- Sidney Crosby

Clean- Matthew Kines

Wonderland- Quinn Hughes

You are in love- Mathew Barzal

New Romantics- Anthony Stolzar

Vault tracks

“Slut!”- Jack Hughes

Say don’t go- Nathan McKinnon

Now that we don’t talk- William Nylander

Suburban Legends- Connor Bedard

Is it over now?- Quinn Hughes

[literaryslapshot]

i'm a little wine drunk. thinking ab being wine drunk with your man.

when you're tipsy to the point where you get giggly and handsy. he loves it, he's all for it. this is his favorite stage of you being drunk. one more drink then you get really flirty, another drink after that you get aggressive, then one more drink and you can't stand up. so right before shit hits the fan, he's all for it. he loves when you slide a hand over his chest through his button shirt, he loves when you run your hands through his hair making it look like post sex hair, messing up the gel he put in an hour previous. oh, he also loves when you give him a sloppy kiss right after taking a big swig of your drink. he can taste the tequila mixed with lime on your tongue, then he has to put his hands firmly on your hips to get you to slow down and take a breath. he loves when you're still tipsy that he can still have a conversation, because he knows realistically he has about ten minutes before he's having to follow you around making sure you're not picking up someone else's drink. he loves when you're tipsy.

[secretlittlerandezvous]

Home With You - Nathan MacKinnon

Summary: Nathan and his girlfriend spend a quiet winter day together.

Words: 1490

Nathan woke up before the sun came up. He blinked a few times, slowly adjusting to the darkness in the bedroom. Y/n’s body was pressed against his, radiating heat. She was curled up beside him, her face nestled into the crook of his arm, and he couldn’t help but smile happily. Her hair was a bit messy, her breathing soft and steady as she slept peacefully.

He loved these mornings, especially the ones where he had no schedule to follow, no game or practice demanding his attention. Just the two of them in their quiet, cozy home. He felt the weight of her resting against him, the way her body seemed to mold perfectly into his. It was a feeling he never got tired of, no matter how many times it happened. These rare moments where everything felt still, where it was just them in their little bubble, made him feel incredibly lucky.

Nathan watched as Y/n shifted slightly in her sleep, her head lifting just enough for her to nuzzle into him again. Her fingers lightly traced patterns on his skin as if seeking him out even in her dreams. He chuckled to himself, thinking about how she always did that when she was asleep - seeking out the comfort of his presence. It was a simple gesture, but it made his heart full in a way he didn’t know how to explain.

For a moment, he just lay there and watched her and enjoyed the quiet. The world outside seemed distant, and all he wanted was to stay in this peaceful bubble with her. He ran his fingers through her hair gently, savoring the moment, before he finally decided to get up.

Slowly and carefully, he slipped out of bed, making sure not to disturb her. He watched her for a second, her face relaxed in sleep, before he quietly escaped to the bathroom.

When he returned to the bedroom, he found Y/n still curled up under the blankets, her breathing slow and even. Nathan lingered by the bed, looking at her for a moment longer. She had a way of making even the most ordinary mornings feel special. He couldn’t imagine life without her beside him, especially in these rare, quiet moments when the world felt like it had stopped for just the two of them.

A few minutes later, he walked into the kitchen, the warmth of the coffee machine greeting him. He busied himself preparing breakfast, thinking about how lucky he was to wake up next to Y/n, to share this life with her. He couldn’t wait for her to wake up and join him, knowing that the day ahead would be filled with the same comfort and joy he always felt when she was near.

He poured himself a cup of coffee, and just as he reached for Y/n's mug to fill it, he heard the soft shuffle of feet behind him.

Without a word, Y/n wrapped her arms around him from behind, her face resting gently against his back. The familiar warmth of her body against his sent a quiet surge of happiness through him.

“Good morning,” she murmured, her voice still thick with sleep. Nathan smiled softly and leaned back into her embrace for a moment, letting her warmth seep into him.

“Good morning.” Nathan said back.

Y/n grinned. “Smells good in here.” She let go of Nathan and went to grab her cup of coffee, joining Nathan by his side.

Nathan kissed the top of her head, pressing his lips to her hair gently. “You know,” he said quietly, “These mornings with you? I could get used to this.”

Y/n pulled back just enough to look up at him. “I think I could too,” she said.

Nathan’s hand instinctively reached for hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. She squeezed back, her fingers lacing through his. There were no grand gestures, no dramatic proclamations — just the quiet, steady rhythm of two people in love.

Nathan pressed a kiss to the top of her head, the gesture so familiar, so comforting.

Y/n’s heart melted a little at the words. She hadn’t even realized how much she learnt to love mornings, these peaceful, slow mornings, when she was with him. “I feel the same,” she said.

Nathan’s smile was soft and warm. “Good. Because you’re stuck with me anyway.”

After breakfast, Nathan suggested they go for a walk in the nearby park. The park was covered in a thick layer of snow, and the trees were dusted with frost.

“Race you to that bench!” Y/n suddenly yelled. Before Nathan could even react, she took off, her boots kicking up snow as she sprinted ahead.

Nathan raised an eyebrow, a grin spreading across his face. “You’re unreal,” he said, quickly running after her.

She glanced back over her shoulder, her cheeks rosy from the cold, and gave him a teasing smile.

Nathan laughed and took off after her, his longer stride quickly closing the distance.

Y/n was fast, but he caught up within seconds, reaching out to grab her around the waist, pulling her into his arms before she could reach the bench.

“Gotcha,” he said, holding her tightly against his chest as she laughed in surprise.

Y/n grinned up at him. “You totally cheated!” she protested, though her voice was full of laughter.

“I didn’t cheat,” Nathan teased. “I just know how to win.”

She pulled away, but didn’t try to escape his embrace. Instead, she leaned back in and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. “Fine, fine. You win this time,” she said.

He kept his arm around her waist as they continued walking. “I’ll take the victory,” he said, clearly pleased with himself.

“You’re lucky I love you,” Y/n said, her face bright with a smile. She pressed a kiss to his hand, red and cold.

“Lucky, huh?” Nathan grinned, raising an eyebrow.

“Very lucky,” she said, teasing.

They wandered further into the park, the snowflakes falling around them. Y/n made fun of Nathan’s competitive side, joking about how he always had to win at everything. Nathan defended himself with a chuckle, claiming it was just part of his charm. “You wouldn’t love me if I didn’t always win,” he teased.

Nathan pulled Y/n closer, his arm wrapped around her waist as they walked. The cold didn’t bother them, not when they were wrapped up in each other’s company, teasing and laughing like kids in the snow.

They reached a little coffee stand near the park entrance, the thought of hot coffee made Y/n excited given the weather. “Want to get some?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Definitely.” He replied.

As he stood in the line for the coffee, he looked back to steal a look at her. She was smiling so brightly, so carefree, and it made him feel proud.

Once they arrived home, Y/n wrapped herself in a fluffy blanket, curling up on the couch as Nathan joined her, his arm draping over her shoulders. The lights were dim, the room glowing slightly from the warm lights.

“I’m exhausted after all that running around,” Y/n admitted, her voice quiet as she snuggled closer into Nathan’s side. Her eyes fluttered slightly, the calm and warmth of the evening already putting her into a relaxed state.

Nathan chuckled, his hand gently brushing through her hair. “Told you I’d wear you out,” he teased, though there was a softness to his words. He kissed the top of her head, then picked up the remote to start the movie they picked.

The movie played, but Nathan could feel the weight of the day catching up to him too. He glanced over at Y/n, who was resting her head on his chest, her breathing slow and eyes barely opened. The warmth of the blanket and his presence made it hard to stay awake. Nathan smiled to himself, already knowing where this was headed. He leaned back into the couch, trying to stay alert.

Y/n’s hand found his, intertwining their fingers as they settled into the stillness of the evening. The movie continued to play in the background, but neither of them was really paying attention anymore. There was something peaceful about the way they fit together.

It wasn’t long before Nathan noticed her breathing had evened out, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. He looked down to find her eyes closed, her body relaxed in a way that told him she had drifted off to sleep. He smiled softly, brushing a strand of hair out of her face as he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

“I love you,” he whispered. It was a quiet confession that came naturally.

“I love you,” she mumbled from her sleep, snuggling up even closer to him.

He leaned back again, allowing himself to relax completely, the soft glow from the TV and the rhythm of Y/n’s breathing luring him into the same peaceful sleep.

[asunsetgrace16]

✧ 𝗗𝗜𝗘𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗔 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗞𝗘𝗡 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧⎥ 𝗡𝗠29

Pairing: Nathan MacKinnon x fem!reader

Summary: It turns out that it is possible to die of a broken heart

Warnings: sad sad sad, swearing,

Notes: I take it back. Kind of. I don't think my groove is entirely back, or maybe it was just the fics I was working on. I wrote this in four hours around midnight and this is my first attempt at writing something sad. I will say that it was hard to not cry writing this, so hopefully 🤞 you guys feel some emotions too. There isn't much dialogue in the beginning. Also, broken heart syndrome is in fact a real thing

masterlist ⎥ navigation

Word Count: 3.7k

Nate is numb. He’s been numb since about 10:30 last night, when the police knocked on his door. He had been home for 20 minutes max, having just gotten back from Cale’s house, supper with him and Gabe and Mikko. Tracey was up in Calgary for a few days. Y/N had dinner plans with her work friends, it was Shannon’s birthday. The world tilted on its axis as he was told that Y/N was killed. They soberly tell him what happened forty-five minutes ago. Hit-and-run…they are looking for the driver…happened in the restaurant parking lot…no, she was the only one. Nate’s pretty sure he stops breathing, because he feels a firm hand on his elbow guiding him back into his house, coaxing him to take deep breaths. Blood rushes in his ears like a wave, and he thinks, Australia, their honeymoon. He lifts a hand to wipe his face. When did he start crying? 

The police stay for a while, watching him carefully until they are sure he won’t spiral into a panic attack, ironic all things considered. When he is semi-into it, they explain everything again. 

Ok,” Nate says, “would you...you mind, um, coming back in the morning? I need to hear this once some of the shock wears off.” His voice is quiet and strained. He doesn’t fight the tears silently rolling down his cheeks. They agree to his request, leaving with a handshake and squeeze on the shoulder, hints of agony shining through their masks of professionalism.

Nate stays sitting at his kitchen table, head in his hands. Sobs shake his body, uncontrollable and awful. He cries so hard he thinks he might cry himself sick. Eventually, he leans back, face twisted with emotion and damp with tears. Slowly, he heads to bed. Each movement is mechanical. He tosses and turns, his sleep is plagued by once-sweet memories of Y/N turned into cruel reminders that she was ripped from him.

Eventually he gives up and moves to the guest bedroom. He cries more, more than he ever has. He wants Y/N, he wants to kiss her, and hold her, and take her to games and-.

-

Next thing Nate knows, he is waking up to the sun streaming through the curtains. He is confused at first, the stiffness of the bed isn't what his bed feels like. As he opens his eyes, last night comes rushing back. He doesn’t want to believe it. They had just started their life together, with promises of love and kids and 60 more years. The tears start again, slower than the previous night but no less gut-wrenching. Reluctantly he heads to the bathroom. He looks worse than imagined. Red and puffy eyes that unfortunately make the blue pop, pale skin and chapped lips. Nate’s hands shake as he splashes water on his face. 

Taking a deep breath, he tries to get some semblance of a list to make sense in his mind. He shoots off a vague text to Bedsy, letting him know that he might be late for practice, not knowing how long the police will take. 

It turns out that it only takes half an hour. The same officers from the night before knock on Nate’s door at 7:30, introducing themselves and Parker and Walker. They recount the night before in more detail. Y/N was killed at 9:48 pm, during a hit-and-run in the restaurant parking lot. She was the only one, none of her friends were even injured. They tell Nate that it was an instant death, painless…that she didn’t suffer. Nate is frozen in his chair, back ramrod straight and hands clasped tightly. Walker leaves a copy of his first report, and his phone number in case Nate has questions. He walks them out, shaking their hands and thanking them for coming over again.

Returning to the kitchen, he pulls out a notepad and pen. Nate lists off the things he needs to do. Call his parents. Call Y/N’s parents. Call the funeral home. Talk to C-Mac and Bedsy and the team. Get through practice. 

He decides to wait on calling his parents, saving that for the afternoon. Same with the funeral home. He is in a daze the whole time he prepares for practice. He makes his usual protein drink, but he thinks that he used orange juice instead of water. Nate’s not sure. He also isn’t entirely sure how he made it to the arena without running a red light.

His whole walk to Bedsy’s office is stressful. He dreads the thought of having to have this conversation more than once. He knocks on the open door, seeing C-Mac there as well. 

“Hey Nate, I got your text.” Bedsy starts, looking at Nate, concerned, “You ok? Respectfully, you look like shit.”

“Feel like it too. Can uh, both of you come down to the dressing room? Like now? I have some, some uh,” Nate stops, swallowing, “some news, and I want to say it as few times as possible.”

“Sure, all right.” Bednar and C-Mac glance at each other, worried. They’ve seen Nate be not ok before, but this is new. Nate is silent during their trek to the dressing room, still holding his orange juice and green protein powder monstrosity. Bedsy opens the door, gesturing for Nate to go through first.

“Hey Nate, you forgot your jacket at mine last night. You didn’t pick up when I called.” Cale tells him. Nate is standing where Bedsy usually stands.

“Uh…ok thanks, Cale. I was um…I was a little preoccupied last night. Sorry” He responds. His voice is shaking, his hands are shaking, Bedsy and C-Mac are getting increasingly concerned and Nate feels on the verge of a panic attack.

Cale grins suggestively at him, “Ohhh, I see, I see how it is. Getting a little lovin’ on with Y/N I s-”

Nate interrupts abruptly, cutting straight to the chase, “Y/N is dead. She’s dead.”

The whole locker room freezes. Cale’s jaw drops. Someone's water bottle hits the floor.

“Holy shit-” 

“Oh my god.”

“Nate, you need to sit down.”

The voices swirl and blend around him. Nate’s vision loses focus, and cotton balls are stuffed in his ears. Hands find his elbows, easing him into a stall. Someone kneels in front of him. Nate stares, glassy eyes unseeing. 

Slowly, he comes back. His throat is raw and scratchy and he needs water. Mikko tosses over a water bottle and a clean, damp towel.

“Start from the beginning, Nate.” Jo urges softly.

So Nate recounts the story. The entire team is close around him as he repeats what he was told this morning and last night. Their faces reflect the horror and agony Nate feels. Tears fall when he says that her death was instant. He hears sniffles from somewhere, and everyone else is crying now, too.

“It’s good,” he says, “knowing that she wasn’t in pain, but it is awful knowing that there was no chance of saving her.” His voice breaks, he covers his mouth with a hand sobs as quietly as he can. Cale hugs one side and Jo’s on the other. Once the tears slow, he takes the towel that Mikko’s holding. 

“Practice is canceled, today and tomorrow.” Bednar says, “I don’t want Nate to be left alone. Cale, Jo, Mikko, go with him and grab Gabe too. I will talk to the league, see about rescheduling the game tomorrow. I will have to tell them, Nate.”

“No, you guys play. Say I’m out day to day or something. A practice muscle strain.” Nate objects.

“Nate, your wife died less than twelve hours ago. We will not be playing hockey. I’ll phone in and say we forfeit. I will tell Bettman that the news doesn’t go out until you, me, and C-Mac give an interview.”

“Ok.”

-

The afternoon follows a similar pattern. Cale drives Nate home, Jo phones Gabe. Mel brings soup when she comes with Gabe. She folds Nate into a hug as he cries. He makes the excruciating phone call to his parents and hers. Cale smartly suggests doing a triple call so there’s only one conversation. 

“Where should I bury her?” Nate asks, “Here, or should she be back home?”

“Nate, her home has been with you for years. Keep her close to you.” Y/N’s dad tells him. Nate nods forgetting that they can’t actually see him. Gabe takes notes while they discuss the funeral over the phone. Granite headstone, brown casket, service at St. Andrew’s and burial in the graveyard nearby. The reception will be held in the hall near Nate’s house. He doesn’t want people in his house. The date is set for March 5th. 

The media has a field day upon the announcement that the Avs have forfeited their game against the Stars. Sid calls him within a minute.

Nate forces the team to play their next game three days later on February 28th. It’s at home against Buffalo. They lose in an uncharacteristic fashion, so much so that the Buffalo players notice something is really wrong.

Gabe takes care of most of the funeral arrangements, and Nate is forever grateful. He meets with the funeral director, sending with him the clothes he picked out for Y/N to be buried in. Before he leaves, he hands Nate a box.

Opening it, Nate finds her purse. Her phone. A box with her wedding rings. Jo finds him with shaking shoulders and his head in his hands.

On March 2nd, a week after Y/N died, Nate asks for a press conference. The Avs lost both games they played in that week, with Nate a very conspicuous absence. Bedsy asks over and over if Nate is sure that he wants to go through with it.

“I’m sure. It won’t be a secret for much longer.” Nate says. Bedsy just nods. The trio of Nate, Bedsy, and C-Mac file into the media room.

Nate starts, wanting to get this over with as fast as possible. “I’m aware you all have been wondering where I have been this past week.”

The reporters nod. Nate takes a deep breath.

“On February 23rd, I received news. News that my wife was killed in a hit and run accident. It happened in a restaurant parking lot as she was heading to her car.” He stops as hands fly up. C-Mac picks someone.

“Nate, I am very sorry for your loss. Is this why the game was forfeited last week?”

“Yes, it was. It was a shock to all of us, and none of us were in any condition or mental state to play.”

“How is this going to affect the rest of your season?”

Nate scoffs quietly. His wife is dead and they are concerned with hockey. “I have decided to take an extended leave of absence from the team. I won’t be playing in the game tomorrow night, nor will I be for the rest of the season. My life was completely torn apart a week ago, I have more important things right now. I do ask that I be left alone right now, no reporters at my house or on the street. I want privacy.”

With that, Nate walks out. Cale is waiting to drive him home and he takes one look at Nate and pulls him in for a hug. He is tired of crying and tired of people saying they are sorry and tired of missing Y/N and tired of being tired.

-

No. 1 

February 24, 9:09 pm

Nate: Hey guys, I have some news.  Davo: Period at the end of the sentence. This won’t be good Nate: Y/N was killed last night, hit and run Sid: Oh my god, Nate Sid: Are you ok? Were you hurt? Davo: Oh shit Nate: I’m fine, but I guess that’s relative right now Nate: I wasn’t there. She went to dinner with friends. It happened in the parking lot Auston: I am so sorry, man. I realize that that is probably not what you want or need to hear, but I don’t know what else to say Nate: No no, it's ok. I appreciate it. I think I’m still in shock, so not much room for anything other that devastated right now Ryan: Is there anything we can do? Nate: No, not right now. Funeral’s on the 5th, if anyone wants to come. My place is full, but any of the guys would let you stay with them Sid: Of course we want to come, it's just a matter of whether we can Ryan: Even if any of us play, once the news is out most teams will probably want a player there for support Davo: I checked and it's in the middle of a break for us. Ryan and I will be there, Leon too probably Jack: We’re out west on a road trip, but I could try and pull some strings to come. Nico will try to be there too Owen: We are at the end of a homestand that day, but I’ll probably get to come. Can’t do much worse than we already are Owen: That was bad, sorry. Lame-ass excuse for a joke Nate: Don’t be. It almost made me not frown. Thank you Juraj: I’ll be there. We are in LA the day before. Newy will want to come Baby Connor: I’ve got a break before our trip down there. I’ll be there. Dammit why am I baby Connor again? Nate: Cause you are a baby. I really appreciate it, guys. Thank you Baby Connor: Dude obviously. You can’t just drop the worst news of your life and not expect your number 1 buddies to rally the troops and support you Nate: The kid’s gonna kill us all. I didn’t need to cry again but everything makes me cry now, I guess Baby Connor: Oh my god, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to Nate: I know, just messing with you

-

The funeral goes perfectly. Nate’s and Y/N’s parents arrived a few days ago and have been staying with him. It’s a comfort to have them there, though most days he feels like he’s wading through quicksand. There is usually a teammate there, or two. Sid flies in the day before, same with all the guys from the groupchat. Naz comes from Calgary. EJ and Tyson come, and Josty and Bo make the trip out with Owen. Alex comes with Juraj. Nate spends the day crying silent tears and hugging more people than he cares to remember. Mikko, Cale, EJ, Jo, Tyson, and Sid are pallbearers at the funeral. He gives a speech, short as he can get away with. His voice breaks and wavers the whole time. Y/N’s parents and Nate’s say a few words, and the priest reads the eulogy. 

The weather is mild for the burial, Nate almost wishes it was miserable. The day passes in a daze, making awkward small talk with people he barely knows, Thankfully they leave within an hour. The rest of the people there manage to lift the mood a little and Nate moves from crying to barely frowning. Connor Bedard sticks close to him most of the time. Nate is grateful for him, he’s a good kid with a good heart. He hugs Connor extra hard before he leaves to catch his flight to Utah.

-

“Nate!” Cale calls, knocking on his door again. He’s normally never late, but things still aren’t normal. Nate was the one who suggested that they go skate, not practice, but just to skate. A change of scenery. Cale finally gives up and digs his key out of his pocket. He’s a little confused when he sees that none of the lights are on. Nate hasn’t been himself, but this is weird. Nate’s dog Aspen appears from the hallway. 

“Hey buddy, where’s Nate?” Cale asks him. Aspen circles Cale once before heading back towards Nate’s bedroom. Cale follows him. Nate’s door is shut tight and Aspen has his nose shoved in the corner. Opening the door, Aspen bounds to Nate’s side, where he looks to be still asleep. He whines, getting his nose under Nate’s hand.

“Oh my god.” Cale whispers. Nate is a shade of gray no living person should ever be. “Oh my god.” He moves to the bed. Nate is cool when Cale touches his wrist. He fumbles for his phone, dialing 911 when he doesn’t find a pulse.

-

“Sid…” Kathy calls up the stairs, “Get down here, you have to see this.”

Sidney hustles down at the tone of her voice. Kathy is standing behind the couch, remote gripped in one hand. He stands behind her, hand on her waist. Her hand drops the remote, coming up to cover her mouth as they hear the news.

"... and now we have saddening news coming from Denver, Colorado. It is with our deepest condolences that we announce the death of NHL star, Nathan MacKinnon. He was found early this morning after failing to meet teammate Cale Makar, for morning skate. Makar called 911 when he found MacKinnon in bed after he didn’t answer the door. According to law enforcement agencies, MacKinnon died peacefully at home overnight, but suddenly, with no chance of resuscitation once they arrived on the scene. His death comes just weeks after the death of his wife, Y/N. What this means for the Avalanche and the rest of the season, we don’t know. More, after the break.” 

Sid thumbs open his phone to the news app. Every headline is the same variation of announcing Nate’s death. Tears fall on the screen.

Colorado Avalanche teammates of Nathan MacKinnon, coach Jared Bednar, yet to speak on the star’s sudden death.

Breaking News: NHL Superstar Nathan MacKinnon, dead at 29. What does this mean for the Avalanche?

“The NHL offers its deepest sympathies and condolences to Nathan and Y/N MacKinnon’s families during this time of tragedy.”

“Nathan MacKinnon, announced dead this morning weeks after his wife, Y/N MacKinnon, was tragically killed…”

Details about Nathan MacKinnon’s death are expected soon.

-

THE COLORADO SUN

Details emerge on the death of Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon

J.P Burrow, 12:00 pm March 30th, 2025

Four weeks ago, the hockey world was shocked when Nathan MacKinnon, 29, appeared in a press conference after being notably and unusually absent from two home games, both lost in depressing fashion to weaker teams. What he revealed that day was the furthest thing from what anybody expected.

We were told that a week prior, MacKinnon’s wife Y/N, 27, was killed in a hit-and-run car accident. Her funeral was three days later. Understandably, MacKinnon withdrew from the public. His teammates were a constant source of support, but that only goes so far when grieving your spouse. He decided to take the rest of the season off.

MacKinnon and Y/N were married for three years, and together for nearly ten. They were fan-favorites throughout the league, despite them being notoriously private. MacKinnon never smiled as much as he did when he was talking about his wife. 

Now, thirteen days ago, the world was rocked again when it was announced that MacKinnon was dead. Details surrounding his death have been revealed after an autopsy. The report revealed that his heart sustained damage after Y/N’s death, caused by a sudden, constant surge of adrenaline in the days following. This causes a disruption of blood flow in the heart, similar to a heart attack. It is fittingly called Broken heart syndrome, where the death of a loved one can trigger the condition. Death is rare, but it happens.

We reached out to friends of MacKinnon’s across the league, his own teammates commented in a press conference earlier today.

Connor Bedard: Nate was a close friend of mine, he helped me a lot when I first got into the league. I looked up to him a lot. Once I got to know him outside of hockey, I learned just how amazing of a person he is– was. I was shocked to learn that he died. We had just landed in Denver for our game against them when Cale [Makar] called me.

Sidney Crosby: It was a lot for all of us, the whole month. I’ve been close with Nate for ten years, he's my best friend, so to say that I’m going to miss him is an understatement. I saw how much Y/N dying crushed him, they were made for each other. Hockey was his first love, but Y/N was his true love.

Gabe Landeskog: The season changed for all of us after Y/N died and Nate took time off. There will be no replacing Nate, his skill, his passion…it left a hole. I’m not going to sugarcoat things. This will be really difficult to come back from. It won’t be this season, maybe not even next season, but we are going to fight, for Nate. He would want us to.

-

“He really died of a broken heart.” Cale says before turning to bury his face in his wife’s hair, crying silently. He hasn’t been the same since finding Nate, taking his own leave from the team.

For the second time in a month, the Avalanche and company are reunited, standing in black around a grave beside the one they stood around three and a half weeks earlier, but another person short. Y/N’s headstone will be put in the same day as Nate’s. EJ is holding Aspen’s leash, who took him in when Nate died. He’s retiring, he told everybody when they gathered the second time. The past month reminded him that life is short. He is moving back to Denver to take over Nate’s house. They had found a notebook in his bedside table that had the beginnings of a will written in it. He wanted EJ to have Aspen, and the house if he wanted it. Pictures, his suits, and Y/N's wedding dress were to go to his parents, donate his and Y/N's clothes, and box away his Avalanche gear and ship it to Sid in Nova Scotia. Their wedding rings go to Sid too.

“But now they are together again.” Jo says, smiling through his tears. The thought brings some comfort to them, knowing that Nate has been reunited with the love of his life, and won’t spend the rest of his life missing Y/N.

[alltaternotot]

The Recovery Plan | N. MacKinnon

Summary: Nathan and Y/N have a date planned, but a nasty cold gets in the way.

WC: 2K

CW: Sick fic! Bad communication, slight insecure reader, so the tiniest little bit of angst. Tooth rotting fluff, Nathan is a sweetheart. Confessions, swearing, lightly proofread. Let me know if I missed anything!

A/N: Hart trophy and best boyfriend award goes to this fella!

<><><><>

You let your phone ring and ring, then go silent, the third call coming through and going to voicemail.

One thing everyone knows, you, his teammates, the media, basically the whole hockey-enjoying public, is that Nathan MacKinnon is a health nut. Like, twenty-four hours a day, never shuts off kind of health nut. In the few months you had been exclusive, he had maybe three cheat days, and had never seen you sick. So when you woke up with chills, a fever, a cough, and a head stuffed to the brim with pressure, you decided to let Nate’s calls go to voicemail and curl up in your cocoon of blankets.

He was leaving in a few days for a long, important road trip, and you were not going to be the reason Nate couldn’t play. A cold was absolutely unacceptable to pass along to him. No amount of phone ringing or anything else could convince you otherwise. You would just have to instacart some NyQuil and some soup and tough it out solo. You were not going to bother him with your issues when he had much more important things to be worrying about.

The problem was, today was Nate’s off day, and the original plan was to meet up at your favorite cafe for a light lunch, then take a trip to Red Rocks. There was absolutely no way that was happening now. You hoped he would just assume you were tired and make his own rain check of the date. You didn’t let the thoughts swirl too long before falling asleep.

Nathan was completely and utterly worried.

You had never blown him off like this, not once in your year-ish long friendship or your few months of dating. He knew you always had your phone on you, and there really wasn’t a good reason to not have it. He was calling from the cafe, now 15 minutes past your arranged meet time. After dialing you about five times, he dialed Miles Wood instead, who happened to live in the same complex as you.

“Hey Dogg,” Woody answered, “what’s up man?”

“Hey, um, have you seen Y/N? I’ve called her a bunch, we were supposed to meet up but she isn’t picking up the phone.” Nate explained, hearing a faint hmm on the other end.

“I haven’t. I’m a ways out from home otherwise I would go check for you. Maybe she forgot?” Woody offered, secretly hoping it wasn’t that because of the awkwardness that would ensue if that was the case.

“Ok, I’ll go check on her. Thanks Woody.” He said, and hung up the phone after their goodbyes.

He threw on a cap and his sunglasses, making sure he had all of his essentials before locking up and getting in the car. You had given him a spare key in case of anything, so it was going to be no problem getting in. He just hoped for the best, but still assumed the worst secretly. He had a nasty habit of doing so sometimes.

Once he arrived at your complex, admittedly speeding a little to get there, he found your car still parked in its reserved spot. That was slightly relieving. He basically skidded into the guest spot and hopped out, locking up quickly. He chose to take the stairs up to your floor, deeming it faster than waiting in the lobby for the elevator. Your door was locked, understandably, the irrational thoughts slowly leaving his anxious mind. He slid the key into the lock, twisting and opening the door softly to a dark apartment.

Not a single light was on, the only light coming in from the window in the living space. It was very, very quiet, unusual for the space when you were in it. He loved how you lit up every room you graced. Things were tidy and normal, so no crazy robbery and kidnapping. He roamed around, looking for a sign from you in the kitchen, the living space, and the balcony, finding nothing.

Finally, he came to your bedroom, slowly twisting the handle in case you were inside, he didn’t want to startle you if you were. He noticed the black out curtains drawn, the room completely dark save for your salt lamp in the corner. Your floor was messy, tissues littering the ground and stacked high in the trash can. Your phone was on the nightstand, plugged in face down. Your bed was an absolute mountain of blankets unlike anything he had ever seen, just a tuft of your tangled hair sticking out the top on the pillow.

“Oh, baby.” He muttered to himself, a pang of guilt washing over him.

Now he understood. His girl was sick and sleeping while he was definitely ringing her phone off the hook. He stepped closer, trying to find you under all of that fabric. Your head was poking out onto your pillows, hair a mess and cheeks blazing red. You had a crumpled tissue in your hand. He stuck his hand out, running the back along your forehead. You were roasting under there, but he could feel your body shivering from the chills. You stirred, but didn’t wake.

He quickly stood straight, leaving you with a quiet click of the door. He locked up, dashing back down to the car and speeding to the local Walgreens. He filled his basket with all sorts of cold and flu necessities: medicine, cough drops, peppermint tea, your favorite Gatorade, a few of those crackable instant cold compresses, and a thermometer. He hoped no one would stop him in here, wanting to be as fast as he could. Luckily it didn’t appear that anyone knew or cared that he was there, shouting a thanks over his shoulder.

The next stop was Whole Foods, so he could grab some chicken noodle soup that was remarkably close to how his own mother made hers, when Nathan or his sister were sick as children. He threw in a sandwich for him to eat later, an extra couple of your favorite drinks and a chocolate croissant for you when you were feeling up to it. He checked himself out, making his way back to your apartment as quickly as he could. He walked back in with everything, trying to be as quiet as possible. He quickly set up a little tray of soup, medicine, and gatorade. He heated up some water in your kettle and steeped a couple of the tea bags. He cracked the cold compress and wrapped it in a paper towel before making his way back to your room.

He set the tray down on your desk, walking over to your window to crack it under the curtains, airing out the stuffy, overheated space. He checked the thermometer, making sure it was calibrated and working. Now he could finally sit down on the edge of your bed, and start the Nathan MacKinnon recovery plan.

He placed the thermometer on your forehead, dragging it across and down, 102.2F flashing back at him when it stopped thinking with a beep. That made him worried, more than anything else. He grabbed the cold compress, resting it on your forehead so, so softly. You stirred again, this time waking up. The throbbing pressure in your head had only gotten worse, the pain now rattling your jaw and your teeth. You were sweating under all of those blankets, but so impossibly cold at the same time. You groaned in pain before rolling over into a heavy mass that was dipping your side of the bed. Nate’s hand found your face, his thumb brushing over your cheek in feathery dashes.

“N-Nate?” Your voice coming out hoarse and patchy. “No, no you need to get out of here.”

“I’m not going anywhere, babe. You need to break this fever.” He said, his hand sliding down to brush over your shoulders.

“No, you can’t get sick because of me. You have so much to worry about right now, I’ll be fine.” You insisted, watching his face slide into a sad frown through sleepy, delirious vision. “I’m just gonna instacart s-some meds. Go home before you catch this.”

“I beat you to it already. I’m not leaving so you can stop trying to convince me.” He crouched down, “do you think you can sit up to take something?”

You nodded, gingerly sitting up, trying to keep the pain from getting any worse. The blankets slid down as you sat up against the head board, now noticing that you had slept until 3:30pm. You guys would have been enjoying the beauty of Red Rocks by now. Nate grabbed the tray of goodies from your desk, setting it down gently. He popped the two gel caps out of the package, silently asking for your hand before unscrewing the cap to the Gatorade.

“We need to keep you hydrated, so keep taking sips of that,” he mentioned, watching you weakly swallow the cold medicine. “I hope you like chicken noodle soup, it’s very good.”

He picked up the spoon, taking some and guided it to your lips, letting you take a few bites. It definitely helped to settle your stomach, but chewing was painful. You honestly had no strength for more than half of the little bowl of soup, so Nate picked it up and returned it to the desk, placing the Gatorade next to you again. This time, Nate rounded the bed, climbing in and grabbing the remote, earning little hoarse nonononono’s from you.

He didn’t listen, of course, just adjusting so your head was resting in his lap, pulling a couple of the endless blankets up over your shoulder. He laid his hand gently over the cold compress, keeping it in place, while he picked an easy watch kind of show. Finally he sent a text to Woody, letting him know you were ok and that they were going to have a sleepy day in. His hand found your head, dragging his fingers through the tangles so you wouldn’t have to brush a huge birds nest out of your hair when you were back on your feet.

“Nate, please go, I can’t even imagine getting you sick. You guys have h-hard division rival teams coming up, they need you more than-“ you tried to reason.

“I told you already that I’m not leaving. Your fever was pretty high, and you needed to eat and drink something. I’m here to support you, whatever that looks like, and today it looks like this.” He explained, calmly and softly like it was the easiest decision he had ever made, “plus, I’ve been with you the last two days, slept here, and I haven’t gotten sick. And if I do get sick, I’ll figure it out with the staff. I’ve done it before.”

“I ruined the whole day, and my body hurts, and I don’t want you to have to deal with me right now.” You said, your eyes beginning to mist up with frustrated tears, “please, I promise I can deal with it.”

He realized you had begun to cry softly, a couple of tears dripping onto his shorts, “oh baby, you didn’t ruin anything!” He turned your body so you were laying face up, his hands coming to brush away your tears, “Also, I’m not dealing with you, I want to be there for you when you’re struggling. I don’t want you to handle it by yourself. This is just what you do when you love someone.” He rambled, the words coming out quicker than he could think.

He… loves you?

That’s the first time either of you had said it. He had planned to take you on a nice date, give you flowers, wine and dine the hell out of you, before finally telling you he loved you. Of course he knew he loved you, so he gave up the momentary wave of apprehension and went with it. No time like the present, even if that present was stuck in bed with a brutal cold.

“You love me?” You asked, choking on the words a little bit.

“Yeah, I do.” He said, looking deep into your eyes for any sign of rejection, “and I want you to be ok, so rest. We can talk about it more when you’re ready to.”

You turned back towards the tv again, Nate grabbing the cold compress to put back on your head. You close your eyes, feeling sleep call you. Nate returned to carding his fingers through your hair, keeping a slow and steady pace. Every once in a while he would run the compress over your neck and shoulders, trying to cool your burning body. The meds were already helping to bring the fever down. He could feel your breath begin to even out against his leg.

“Nate?” You asked, almost too quiet to be heard.

“Hmm?” He hummed, leaning down to hear you better.

“I love you too.” You admitted, feeling his lips press into your head before sleep overtook you again.

<><><><>

:)

[willowsnook]

Heat Check (18+)

Nate MacKinnon x reader

summary: enemies to lovers, friendship with the team, smut

—--------------------------------------------------

Disciplined. Focused. Dedicated.

That’s how Nathan MacKinnon was wired, and your mere existence threatened that. 

The Avalanche hired you before the season started to join the marketing team, and your job required you to work closely with the players.  You made sure they were always where they were supposed to be for different non-hockey events, and watched over press conferences and interviews - that sort of thing. 

Being in your mid-20s had a major advantage; you had enough years out of college that the players took you seriously, but still young enough that they messed around with you. You loved most of the players, but specifically, you were close with Jack Drury and Parker Kelly since they were the closest in age to you. 

They took pity on you for not knowing anyone in Denver when you moved and quickly integrated you into their friend group which you were very grateful for. Being friends with them was easy since you had pretty much the same hectic schedule. 

While those two loved you, there was one player who did not love you. Unfortunately, he just happened to be the most important one. 

Flashbacks

You were only two weeks into the job when Nate MacKinnon’s sharp voice echoed down the hallway.

"Why the hell am I the only one here on time?" he snapped, glaring at the half-empty media room.

You checked your clipboard and calmly replied, “Because you didn’t read the schedule. Your slot isn’t for another 20 minutes.”

He narrowed his eyes. “So I’m just standing here like an idiot?”

“If the shoe fits,” you said sweetly, not looking up from your notes.

His jaw clenched. You didn’t flinch.

—--------------------------------------

“I told you I don’t want to do this ad,” Nate muttered, arms crossed as you stood in the locker room doorway.

You didn’t blink. “And I told you it’s in your contract. You skipped the last two. You’re out of excuses.”

“I have a routine. This screws it up.”

“Then I suggest you adjust,” you said, stepping aside and gesturing toward the waiting car. “Or do you want to explain to PR why your face isn’t in the team’s biggest sponsorship campaign?”

He muttered something under his breath but followed you out.

—--------------------------------------

“You didn’t tell me I had to speak,” Nate hissed as you straightened his name tag at the pre-event check-in.

You raised an eyebrow. “I did. Twice. You rolled your eyes both times.”

“I’m not a public speaker.”

You gave him a cool smile. “Lucky for you, I already wrote your speech. Try not to make it sound like a hostage video.”

“Why do you always have an answer for everything?” he growled.

“Because someone has to,” you replied, turning on your heel and leaving him standing there, speech in hand.

End of flashbacks

Jack and Parker always chastised you for going toe to toe with Nate but you just brushed them off. You didn’t have to answer him the way that they both did. Most of the team found it amusing, how easily you could get under his skin but you were more irritated by it – he was living up to the stereoype of stuck-up athlete who thought they were above listening to people like you. 

During games, you sat in a team suite with other marketing people that had to be there and some operations folks. The Avs captain, Gabe, usually sat up here with you for away games and you had grown to really enjoy his company. The team was playing in St. Louis and you had just settled in next to Gabe who was intensely watching someone during the warm ups. 

“Who are you watching?” You asked curiously, handing him a water. 

“Nate,” he said, his eyes not leaving the rink. “Something is up with him, seems like he’s in a bad mood.”

“He’s always in a bad mood,” you muttered and Gabe let out a short laugh, grinning at you. 

"Just to you, but this is different," Gabe replied, his expression turning serious again. "He's been off since morning skate. Usually, he's laser-focused before games, but today he's... distracted."

You followed Gabe's gaze to where Nate was on the ice. Even from this distance, you could see the tension in his shoulders as he took shots with more force than necessary. One clapped off the crossbar so hard it echoed through the arena.

"Maybe he just woke up on the wrong side of the bed," you suggested, settling back in your seat.

Gabe shook his head. "No, this started after he checked his phone in the locker room. Something's bothering him."

"Well, whatever it is, let's hope he channels it into scoring tonight," you said, trying to sound nonchalant despite your curiosity being piqued.

He did not channel it into scoring. You watched shocked as things started off bad and then just kept getting worse. He got into a fight 5 minutes into the first period and ended up in the penalty box. Nate MacKinnon in the box for fighting??? This hadn’t happened in ages. 

The crowd was relentless, chirping him nonstop and for the man who prided himself on his ability to laser focus, you could see him starting to crack. 

“What the fuck is going on?” You mumbled, watching him get into it with another Blues’ player. 

Gabe was in just as much shock as you, “I have never seen him like this. I can’t even tell you the last time I saw him really in a fight.”

The two of you watched the rest of the third period in silence after Nate was pulled. You could tell, even from way up where you were, that he was fuming. The game ended, the Avs losing 2-0 and you packed up your stuff from the suite, heading down to one of the buses where you waited to leave with the team. You sat with another girl in marketing for the short ride to airport, boarding the jet quickly to get back to Denver. 

As much as you wanted nothing more than to pour a glass of wine and curl up on your couch, you had just a little bit of work to finish up before you went home. So your first stop when the busses brought you back to the facility was to your office. 

45 minutes later you decided to wrap it up and finally head out. You grabbed your coat and retreated downstairs, heading towards the parking lot. Someone came out from another part of the building and was a couple of steps ahead of you towards the same direction. 

It was Nate.

Of course it was Nate.

You debated turning around—just calling an Uber and coming back for your car in the morning—but then he turned his head, clearly hearing your footsteps behind him. His shoulders tensed, and you sighed.

Too late.

You kept walking, giving him a wide berth as you reached your car.

“What?” you snapped when you caught him glaring at you from across the row.

“You have something to say?” Nate barked, tossing his bag into the back of his SUV with more force than necessary.

“Nope,” you said, popping your trunk. “But apparently you do, since you're throwing bags around like a toddler.”

He scoffed. “You think this is funny?”

“I think you picking fights on the ice like a pissed-off frat boy is a little pathetic, yeah.”

Nate stalked a step closer, jaw clenched. “You don’t know what’s going on with me.”

“Because you don’t let anyone know,” you fired back, slamming your trunk shut. “You just sulk and snap at everyone who breathes too loud near you.”

“And you always have to be right, don’t you?” he bit out. “Every damn time, there you are—telling me what to do, acting like you’re better than everyone else.”

Your jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”

He stepped even closer, tension radiating off of him. “You don’t respect me.”

“No,” you said, standing your ground, chin raised. “I don’t coddle you. There’s a difference.”

Nate was quiet for a moment, his breathing shallow. His eyes darted over your face like he was trying to figure you out for the first time.

“You drive me insane,” he muttered.

“Good,” you shot back. “It’s mutual.”

There was another pause, longer this time. Something charged in the air. You were both too stubborn to back down, standing in the glow of the parking lot lights, faces inches apart.

Neither of you knew it - but you weren’t alone in the parking lot. Cale and Gabe had also stayed behind and were standing by the doors, watching your little showdown. 

“Do you think we should intervene?” Cale asked, scratching the back of his head. They had watched the two of you yell at each other from across the row to now yelling in each other’s faces. 

Gabe started to say yes as your finger came up to Nate’s face but stopped short at what he saw. Your finger was in Nate’s face for less than a second before he pushed you back against his car, his lips on yours in a searing kiss. You were frozen for only a millisecond before you responded back harshly against him, wrapping your hand into his hair and pulling roughly. 

Gabe and Cale were both slack jawed watching the scene in front of them. 

"Holy shit," Cale whispered, eyes wide as he watched his teammate and you locked in what could only be described as the most aggressive make-out session he'd ever witnessed.

"We should... probably go," Gabe said, but neither of them moved, too shocked by the scene unfolding before them.

Meanwhile, your mind was racing even as your body responded to Nate's touch. His hands were everywhere—in your hair, gripping your waist, pulling you impossibly closer as if the space between you was personally offensive to him. The kiss was all teeth and frustration, months of tension finally breaking.

When you finally pulled away for air, your chest heaving, Nate's eyes were dark and intense. His hair was disheveled where you'd run your fingers through it, and a flush had spread across his cheekbones.

"What the hell was that?" you breathed, staring at him in shock. 

His jaw tightened, “Get in the car.”

“Make me,” you barked back, full of attitude. He yanked open the door behind you and pushed you in. You scooted back in his spacious back seat and he was on you again in an instant. 

His lips crashed against yours, hungry and demanding, as he slammed the door shut behind him. Your back pressed against the leather seat, his weight pinning you down as his hands found the hem of your shirt. The windows quickly fogged as your breaths came in short, desperate gasps.

"I fucking hate how much I want you," he growled against your neck, teeth grazing the sensitive skin there.

"Shut up," you hissed back, tugging his hair hard enough to make him groan. "Just shut up for once."

“God I can’t wait to fuck that attitude out of you,” he growled, flipping you over to where your arms rested against the door. He yanked down your pants and ran his hand over your ass once before slapping it hard. 

“I’d like to see you try,” you said brattily, as you looked over your shoulder at him. 

His eyes darkened at your challenge, a dangerous smirk playing at his lips. "You always have to push, don't you?"

His hand came down again, harder this time, and you bit back a moan. The sting radiated across your skin as his fingers dipped between your thighs, finding you embarrassingly wet.

"Look at that," he murmured, his voice rough with satisfaction. "All that attitude, and this is what you really want."

You tried to maintain your composure, but it crumbled when he slid two fingers inside you without warning. Your head fell forward against the door as he curled them just right, making your knees weak.

"Fuck," you gasped, arching back against him.

"That's the plan," Nate replied, his free hand moving to unbuckle his belt. The sound of his zipper sliding down sent a thrill down your spine. He fingered you for a few more minutes before you pulling out, replacing them with the head of his cock at your entrance. 

You knew he was going to tease you and you weren’t going to give him the chance. Moving back quickly you pushed yourself onto his cock all at once, making him groan. 

"Jesus," he hissed, his hands gripping your hips so tightly you knew there would be bruises tomorrow. "You just can't let me have control, can you?"

"Not when you're so slow," you taunted, rolling your hips back against him.

That was all it took to snap his restraint. Nate growled low in his throat and pulled almost all the way out before slamming back into you with enough force to push you forward. One hand snaked around to grip your throat, applying just enough pressure to make your pulse quicken as he established a punishing rhythm.

"Still think I'm slow?" he panted against your ear, his other hand reaching around to circle your clit.

Each thrust was deep and deliberate, like he was trying to brand himself into you. The car rocked with the force of his body driving into yours. 

Your thighs trembled as you struggled to maintain your position, the dual sensation of his fingers and his relentless pace pushing you rapidly toward the edge.

"Answer me," he demanded, giving your throat a gentle squeeze.

"N-no," you gasped, pride still battling with pleasure. "But I bet you can't make me come before you do."

You felt rather than heard his chuckle, a rumble against your back as he leaned over you.

"Always a competition with you," he muttered, but his fingers moved faster, more precisely against your clit. "Fine. Challenge accepted."

Nate shifted his angle slightly, hitting a spot inside you that made stars burst behind your eyelids. His rhythm never faltered as he used everything he'd learned about your body in the last few minutes to dismantle you completely.

"Shit," you whimpered, feeling your orgasm building. But you still had one trick left up your sleeve. 

Clenching deliberately around him, you heard his breath catch. "Fuck," he groaned, his rhythm faltering for just a second.

"Not so confident now?" you managed to say between ragged breaths, even as your own control was slipping.

Nate responded by sliding his hand from your throat into your hair, gripping tightly and pulling your head back. His mouth found your ear, teeth grazing the sensitive skin. "Nice try," he whispered, voice strained with effort. "But I know what you're doing."

He released your hair only to snake his arm around your waist, lifting you slightly to change the angle. The new position hit something deep inside that made your entire body jolt.

"Oh god," you gasped, your arms trembling as they braced against the door.

"That's it," he encouraged, his voice husky and commanding. "Let go for me baby.” 

He thought he had you exactly where he wanted you but he caught sight of you in the reflection of the window and that sent him over the edge. Your hair was a mess, and you were panting hard but he had never seen anything hotter than you in this moment. 

Your name fell from his lips in a strangled groan as he came, his hips stuttering against you. The feeling of him pulsing inside you combined with his fingers still working against your clit sent you crashing over the edge just seconds later, your body clenching around him as waves of pleasure rolled through you.

For a moment, the only sound was your shared ragged breathing fogging up the windows of his luxury SUV. Reality slowly began to seep back in as your heartbeat returned to normal.

"Fuck," Nate muttered, carefully pulling away from you. The loss of contact felt sudden, almost jarring.

You straightened up, wincing slightly at the soreness already setting in, and began to fix your clothes in the confined space. The post-orgasm clarity was hitting hard, and with it came the realization of what you'd just done. Not giving him a chance to say anything, you simply opened the car door and stumbled out. You didn’t look back as you walked towards your car and it honestly felt like you were in a fever dream. 

You hated Nathan MacKinnon. Hated him. So why then did you just fuck him in the back of a car like a tennager? 

—---------------------------------------

Work the next day wasn’t awkward but that was mostly due to the fact that you normally avoided Nate at all costs; you hadn’t even spared him a glance when you were both in the lobby that morning. Your game plan was calm, cool, and collected. There was no reason for him to know that he was the reason you didn’t get any sleep, your head playing the car scene on replay and then getting mad at yourself for doing it. 

Morning skate was over and you were standing outside the locker room talking to Cale and Parker about an upcoming charity event they both had to be at. 

“Just send us a reminder the week of please,” Parker begged and you laughed, agreeing to his request. 

“So y/n, do anything fun after getting back last night?” Cale asked randomly and both you and Parker gave him a weird look. 

“Can’t say that I did,” you said confused, “Just went home and hung out.”

“So you hung out at a home? Not anywhere else?” Cale pressed. 

You shot Cale a perplexed look. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," he replied too quickly, a strange smile playing at his lips. "Just making conversation."

Parker glanced between the two of you, clearly sensing something was off. Before he could question it further, the locker room door swung open and several players filed out. Your heart skipped traitorously when Nate emerged, his hair still damp from the shower.

His eyes locked with yours for a split second before he ducked his head, brushing past your small group without a word. The faintest hint of his cologne lingered in his wake, bringing unwelcome flashbacks of being pressed against him.

"That was weird," Parker commented, watching Nate's retreating form. "He didn't even glare at you. Are you sure you two didn't finally hash things out?"

“Yeah, like in a car or something?” Cale added and you froze. 

“What does that mean?” Parker asked and you turned ot Cale who had a shit eating grin on his face. 

“Can you give us a minute Parker,” you managed to stutter out, mind racing at the words that just came out of this man’s mouth. Parker nodded slowly before turning to catch Jack who was on his way out. 

“How do you know?” You seethed at Cale once Parker was out of sight. “And why would you fucking bring it up?” 

Cale just laughed and grinned down on you, “You two weren’t the only ones in the parking lot last night. Gabe and I got an eyeful.” 

Your stomach dropped to your feet. "Oh my god."

"Don't worry," Cale said, lowering his voice. "We left as soon as things... escalated. But maybe next time pick somewhere more private than the team parking lot?"

You covered your face with your hands, mortification washing over you in waves. "I'm going to die. Right here. This is how it ends."

Cale chuckled. "Relax. Gabe and I aren't going to tell anyone."

"Does Nate know that you saw?" you whispered, peeking through your fingers.

"No idea. We didn't exactly stick around to exchange notes." Cale's expression softened. "Look, whatever's going on between you two—"

"Nothing is going on," you cut in quickly. "It was a... momentary lapse in judgment. A stress relief thing. That’s all.” 

“Hmm,” he said, looking at you carefully. “Just interesting for a guy who has said he’s so focused on the team that he won’t even think about girls to be caught fucking one in the parking lot. Specifically one he claims he can’t stand.” 

You rolled your eyes but didn’t say anything, filing away that comment for later. 

—---------------------------------------

Gabe was standing in the locker room, hovering near Nate’s locker as he scanned the room for a perfect accomplice in what he was about to do. Cale had told him what you had said about the following night so now he wanted to put to the test if you were the only one hot and bothered about it. 

“Charlie!” His eyes lighted up as he caught side of the new Avs player passing by. Glancing over to make sure Nate didn’t have his headphones in he continued on. “Tough game yesterday.” 

“No kidding cap,” Charlie said. “Definitley was happy to get home.” 

“Good thing we have people on the team to support us,” Gabe tried to say casually. “Have you met y/n yet?” 

Gabe watched Nate still at the mention of your name while Charlie nodded. 

“Yeah - she’s cool,” he said. 

“Kinda hot too right?” Gabe urged on and Charlie gave him a bewildered look. 

“Yeah - aren’t you married?” Charlie asked. 

“Doesn’t mean I can’t call it like I see it,” Gabe said, already thinking of ways to make it up to his wife for this performance. 

“Enough,” barked Nate and Gabe grinned. “Don’t talk about Avs employees like that.” 

Charlie started to back away, desperate to get away from whatever was going on as Nate glared daggers into the side of Gabe’s face. Gabe pretended to ponder for a moment. 

“Hmm good call, what’s your take on hanging out with them outside of work? Like in the backseat of a car?” 

Nate was on his feet in an instant, shoving Gabe across the locker room. Shouts went out as other players watched Nate stalk over to where Gabe had landed. 

"What the fuck, man?" Nate growled, looming over Gabe who was sprawled against the lockers.

Gabe held up his hands in surrender, but couldn't hide his smirk. "Just asking a question."

The locker room had gone silent, everyone frozen in place watching the scene unfold. EJ took a hesitant step forward, ready to intervene, but Gabe waved him off.

"You saw," Nate hissed, his voice low enough that only Gabe could hear. "How many others know?"

"Just me and Cale," Gabe replied, getting to his feet and straightening his shirt. "Your secret's safe. Though I wouldn't call it a secret when you're going at it in the team parking lot."

Nate ran a hand through his hair, jaw clenched so tight it looked painful. “It didn’t mean anything.”

Gabe grinned, “Then why’d you throw me across the locker room?” 

—--------------------------------------

You were in your head at work these days and still had refused to talk to Nate. You wish you could say that you were over what happened but that definitely wasn’t the case, in more ways than one. 

“Are you sure I can’t stay the night?”

You looked up over at the guy you’d matched with on Hinge hovering near your door with mild sympathy. 

“Yeah - I’m sorry, I have a really early morning,” you lied, hoping your face looked like you meant it. 

“Okay, well this was great, let’s do it again sometime,” he said, coming over to kiss you one last time before heading out. You waited until you heard the door click shut to fall back on your bed and scream into your pillow. 

Everything about this guy was perfect. He was hot as fuck, had a great job, and seemed genuinely interested in you. But the whole time you couldn’t stop comparing him to that fucking asshole on the Avs. 

You shouldn’t have let him come back to your apartment but you did in hopes that it would snap you back into reality but the opposite happened. You had to fake it for god sake. 

It had been two weeks since your unfortunate parking lot adventure and this was the second time this had happened. You just couldn’t “get it up” anymore. 

You hadn’t meant to cross paths with him.

But of course, when you turned the corner into the media room to double-check tomorrow’s charity schedule, there he was leaning against the table, arms crossed, talking with Gabe and Cale.

You stalled for a second in the doorway, hoping maybe he wouldn't notice you. No such luck. His eyes locked on yours immediately, his expression sharpening like he’d been waiting for you.

You moved to the far side of the room, rifling through the papers you needed. He wasn’t going to rattle you today.

“I sent you the updated itinerary,” you said aloud, without looking at him. “So there’s no reason you shouldn’t be where you’re supposed to be tomorrow.”

“I know how to read a schedule,” Nate snapped, his voice curt.

You turned to face him, eyebrow raised. “Could’ve fooled me last week when you bailed on the hospital visit.”

“I told PR I wasn’t feeling well,” he replied, his tone clipped. “I’m not going to show up for a photo op when I’ve got a fever.”

“No one’s asking you to pose on a red carpet,” you shot back, crossing your arms. “It’s called being a professional.”

“Don’t lecture me about professionalism,” he said, stepping closer. “Especially not when you—”

“Nate,” Gabe warned gently, but you held up a hand to stop him.

“No, let him finish,” you said, eyes narrowing. “Since he’s so good at making things personal.”

The room tensed. Even Cale took a step back like he wanted to pretend he wasn’t witnessing this.

Nate’s jaw flexed. “You walk around here acting like you’re the one in charge of everyone. You don’t know what it’s like out there, what we’re dealing with.”

“And you think you’re the only one carrying weight?” you replied. “You think it’s easy managing egos the size of this building? Try keeping an entire media schedule from falling apart while you throw tantrums over a twenty-minute interview.”

He moved even closer, standing toe-to-toe with you now. “You really have a way of getting under people’s skin, you know that?”

“You’re not exactly sunshine and charm either,” you retorted, glaring up at him.

For a second, neither of you moved. The tension between you buzzed like an exposed wire. It wasn’t just anger—it was something else, something sharper, more dangerous.

Cale cleared his throat loudly. “So, uh... we’re gonna go.”

“Yeah,” Gabe mumbled, already walking toward the door. “Enjoy… whatever this is.”

Once they were gone, the silence between you was deafening.

You stared at Nate, heart pounding in your chest. “We can’t keep doing this.”

“Then stop starting it,” he replied, voice low.

You rolled your eyes and turned to gather your paperwork, but his voice stopped you.

“Don’t act like you don’t feel it too.”

You froze.

He was still standing there, arms crossed again, but his gaze had softened. There was something behind it—uncertainty, maybe even regret. And underneath that, the same pull that had been growing stronger since the moment you met him.

You swallowed. “Maybe I do,” you said. “But it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.”

His eyes darkened just slightly. “Most of the best things in life aren’t.”

You shook your head, but couldn’t fight the small smile tugging at your lips. “You’re impossible.”

“Yeah,” he said, voice quieter now. “But you don’t seem to be going anywhere.”

—-----------------------------------

All you wanted to do after the shit day you had was go home and take a bath and pop open a bottle of wine, but begrudgingly you found yourself at a bar in downtown Denver per Jack and Parker’s request. 

It was Ross Colton’s birthday and you were friendly with him so the boys insisted that you come. You did enjoy the opportunity to let loose and dress differently than you did at work. Your long hair was curled down your back, laying atop of a tight black top paired with cargo pants. 

The bar was loud, buzzing with bodies and laughter and music thumping just a little too hard through the walls. You were doing your best to pretend you were having a good time—smiling when Parker made a dumb face, clinking your glass with Jack’s—but you couldn’t shake the weight in your chest.

Eventually, you drifted away from the group, needing a break. You made your way to the bar, perched on the edge of a stool, and ordered a sparkling water, hoping the coolness would help ground you.

You didn’t notice the guy until he was already too close.

“Hey there,” he said, voice low and way too confident. “Been watching you all night.”

You glanced at him briefly. “Cool,” you muttered, turning your attention back to your drink.

But he didn’t move.

“You alone?”

“No,” you said quickly. “Just needed some air.”

He grinned like you’d invited him in. “Well, lucky for you, I’ve got time to keep you company.”

“I’m good, thanks.”

He leaned in anyway, his shoulder brushing yours. “You sure? You look like you could use a strong drink and a stronger distraction.”

You shifted slightly in your seat, trying to put space between your bodies. “I said I’m fine.”

“C’mon,” he said, lowering his voice as he moved closer. “Don’t be like that. I’m just trying to be nice.”

His hand landed on your leg—too high, too firm—and your entire body stiffened. You pushed it off immediately, heart rate spiking.

“Don’t touch me,” you snapped.

He smiled like it was a joke. “Relax. You don’t have to play hard to get.”

You stood up abruptly, your barstool scraping loudly across the floor. “Back off.”

He grabbed your wrist.

Not hard—but enough to freeze your blood.

“Let go,” you said, trying to keep your voice steady even as panic started crawling up your throat.

A second passed. Then another. Finally, he released you with a mocking smirk, like you were the one overreacting.

You spun on your heel, pushing past people, your breath shallow. You didn’t stop until you reached the hallway near the bathrooms. The music faded just enough that your pulse was the loudest thing you could hear.

You locked yourself in the farthest stall and sat on the closed toilet seat, burying your face in your hands.

Your fingers trembled. You felt sick. A few tears made their way down your face and you couldn’t stop your mind from flashing the look on that guy’s face when he looked at you. It chilled you. 

Pulling yourself together you made it to the bathroom sink, splashing water on your face to calm down. Your eyes were a little red-rimmed but you hoped that the low lights of the bar would fix that. Smoothing your hair, you gave yourself one last look before heading back out. 

Parker was the first person you saw and you beelined towards him, not even noticing it was Nate who he was talking to. 

“Hey,” Parker greeted as you barreled into him, he started to say something else but shifted gears. “What’s wrong?”

Nate’s attention snapped towards you, taking in your red eyes and the general nervousness you were exhibiting. 

“Nothing,” you said, trying to sound normal. “Just tired.” 

Parker accepted the answer and kept on what he was saying but Nate wasn’t listening, his eyes were trained on you. You met them for a second before blinking away and that was all he needed. He knew what he saw. Fear. 

“Who is he?” He interrupted Parker mid-sentence and you shifted from one foot to another. 

“It’s fine,” you told him. 

"It's not fine," Nate insisted, his voice low and dangerous. "Tell me who he is."

Parker looked between the two of you, confused. "What's going on?"

You shook your head. "Nothing. Just some creep at the bar, but I handled it."

Nate's jaw clenched as his eyes scanned the room. "Which one?"

"Nate, seriously—"

"Which. One." His voice left no room for argument.

You sighed, discretely gesturing toward the guy who was now leaning against the bar, watching you with that same smirk. "The one in the blue button-down. But please don't make a scene."

Nate was already moving before you finished your sentence, his shoulders set in a hard line as he cut through the crowd. Parker cursed under his breath and followed, clearly sensing trouble.

You scrambled after them, heart hammering in your chest. "Nate, don't—"

But he was already standing in front of the guy, his presence commanding even in the crowded bar. You pushed your way through just in time to hear Nate's deceptively calm voice.

"I understand you've been bothering my friend."

The guy's smirk faltered slightly as he looked up at Nate, clearly recognizing him. "We were just talking, man. No big deal."

"Grabbing someone isn't 'just talking,'" Nate replied, his voice dropping even lower. "And I don't like when people touch what's mine."

Your breath caught in your throat at his words. Parker shot you a surprised look, but you couldn't tear your eyes away from the scene unfolding.

The guy straightened, trying to match Nate's height and masking his panic with a fake sense of confidence. 

“Do you usually let your girl dress like a slut then?” He shot out and it wasn’t a second after the last word left his mouth that Nate’s fist was flying towards his face. 

The bar erupted into chaos. The guy staggered backward, blood already trickling from his nose as he crashed into a table of drinks. Glasses shattered across the floor. Someone screamed.

"Nate!" you shouted, lunging forward to grab his arm before he could land another punch. His muscles were coiled tight under your fingers, ready to strike again.

Parker was there in an instant, pulling Nate back with both arms. "Not worth it, man. Not here."

Security descended on your group within seconds, burly men in black shirts materializing from the edges of the room. One of them recognized Nate immediately, his eyes widening.

"Everyone out. Now," the head security guard commanded, pointing toward the exit.

The guy with the bloody nose was still sprawled against the broken table, clutching his face and cursing. "You're fucking dead, MacKinnon.”

Nate just grinned at him. A sadistic sort of grin that had heat flwogin through your body. 

“I’ll see you outside then.”

You followed close behind as security escorted Nate out of the bar. 

Parker and Jack flanked Nate on either side as you all spilled out onto the sidewalk, the cool night air hitting your flushed skin. Nate shook his hand out, knuckles already reddening from the impact.

"What the hell was that?" Parker hissed, keeping his voice low as curious onlookers gathered nearby.

"He had it coming," Nate replied flatly, his eyes still burning with anger.

You stepped in front of him, placing a hand on his chest. "Are you insane? You can't just punch people in public. You're the face of the franchise!"

His eyes locked with yours, intense and unrepentant. "He put his hands on you."

"I handled it," you insisted, though your voice wavered slightly.

"Not from where I was standing," he growled.

Jack glanced nervously over his shoulder. “We might get round 2 soon guys.” 

“Good, I was just getting started,” Nate boasted and you rolled your eyes. 

“No,” you said, irritated. “Your hand is already bloodied and I’m not going to be the reason you have to sit out a game. You two go back in and have fun, I’m taking him to get cleaned up.” 

Parker and Jack both raised their eyebrows at you but didn’t argue. Nate looked like he was going to protest but one glare from you shut him up. You led him down the street and towards your apartment; the walk was silent but luckily short and you were soon climbing up the familiar steps to your place. 

“Come on,” you murmured as you stepped in, motioning for him to follow you to the kitchen. 

He followed you silently, eyes taking in every detail of your apartment. It was tidy but lived-in, with touches of your personality everywhere—books stacked on the coffee table, a sweater draped over the couch, a few framed photos on the wall.

"Sit," you instructed, pointing to a barstool at your kitchen counter. Nate obeyed without argument, watching as you moved to the freezer and pulled out an ice pack.

You grabbed a clean dish towel, wrapped the ice pack inside it, and gently took his hand. His knuckles were already swelling, skin split across two of them.

"This was stupid," you muttered, carefully pressing the ice to his hand. "You know that, right?"

"Doesn't feel stupid," he replied, his voice quieter now, all the rage from earlier simmering down to something more controlled.

“You laid a claim on me to that guy and Parker and Jack,” you said, looking him the eye now. “Why?”

“You are mine,” he said with a shrug, as if it was the most casual thing in th world. 

“I am not yours,” you argued. “We don’t even like each other.” 

“You became mine the second you didn’t push me away,” he said seriously and you groaned in frustration. 

"That doesn't make any sense," you said, pulling away from him and setting the ice pack on the counter. "One hook-up in a car doesn't make me yours."

Nate's eyes followed you as you paced the small kitchen. "It wasn't just the hook-up."

"Then what was it? Our constant arguments? The way you glare at me across rooms? Please, enlighten me."

He stood up, closing the distance between you in two strides. "It's the way you don't back down. How you call me on my shit when everyone else just nods and agrees. It's how you walk into a room like you own it." His voice dropped lower. "It's how you felt against me that night."

Your breath caught in your throat. "Nate—"

"I can't stop thinking about you," he admitted, the confession seeming to surprise even him. “You’re in my head constantly - it’s infuriating.” 

You smirked at that, only he would find a way to be into you and pissed about it at the same time. Well maybe you felt that way too. 

“I’ve had to fake two orgasms since then,” you blurted out and his head snapped up, faint amusement on his face. 

“Oh yeah?” He pressed. 

Your face was scarlet and you turned away mumbling, “Keep thinking about the car.” 

Nate stepped closer, so close you could feel the heat radiating off him. His injured hand hovered near your hip like he wanted to touch you but wasn’t sure if he was allowed.

“You think I haven’t thought about it too?” he asked, voice low. “That I haven’t replayed that night a hundred times?”

You swallowed hard, unsure if you were dizzy from how close he was or from the confession itself. “Then why are you such an asshole to me?”

His jaw ticked, but he didn’t look away. “Because I didn’t know how else to act around you. You get under my skin. You make everything feel... unsteady.”

Your breath hitched. “Unsteady isn’t always a bad thing.”

He reached out slowly, giving you time to pull away—but you didn’t. His hand settled lightly on your waist.

“Let me take you out,” he said, softer now. “Not to the backseat of my car. A real date. Just us. No yelling. No insults.”

You stared up at him, heart thudding.

“You’re intense,” you said quietly.

He gave a small grin. “So are you.”

The silence between you now felt different—warmer, heavier with something that wasn’t just lust or rivalry anymore.

“Okay,” you said, your voice almost a whisper. “One date.”

Nate exhaled like he’d been holding his breath for months. “One date,” he agreed. “But I’m warning you now—I’m not planning on it being the last.”

You rolled your eyes, but your smile betrayed you.

He leaned down, brushing his lips gently against your cheek, this time not rushed or heated—just a promise.

And for the first time in weeks, your chest didn’t feel so heavy.

[withwritersblock]

Daylight

~Daylight by Taylor Swift~

Author's Note: requested! I love Nathan Mackinnon Summary: erm friends to strangers to friends again to lovers? Warnings: swearing maybe? Word Count: 5,431 Nathan Mackinnon x fm!reader

It was a huge life decision that she was convinced was going to fail miserably. Moving to the States felt like an awful decision but she was tired of staying in the same place she has lived in her whole life. 

Her newly found ex-boyfriend also had lived there his entire life and it showed. There was never any desire to grow or change. There was no way she wanted to stay in Nova Scotia her whole life. Despite it being one of the most gorgeous places in the world, there was plenty gorgeous places in the States too.

She sent her resume to probably a hundred different places and Denver ended up being the best option. They offered the most travel money and salary. It seemed perfect. Her apartment was only two blocks away from her job and on nice days she was more than willing to walk.

Today, it was April and her apartment was covered in boxes. The movers were able to bring everything into the apartment but after that there was nothing they could do. She was making good money, great money. Some of the best money she’s ever made in her entire life so she might’ve went a little big on the apartment; and a little big on the furniture.

Instead of happily unpacking, she found herself sobbing on the floor after she pulled out a framed photo of herself with her ex. It was something she either accidentally packed our the movers did. She was not sure.

They had been together since they were seventeen and they broke up a decade later. It was a lot of her life that she sometimes wished she could get back. There was times she wished she ended it sooner. Because who waits a decade to even bring up marriage. 

She got out and that’s all that matters. 

Wiping the tears from her face she stood up from the floor and stumbled towards her bathroom, the only room that was semi-unpacked. She decided to shower and get a freshstart on the day. Even though it was well into the afternoon.

After another hour she decided to head down to the coffee shop that was only two buildings over. They were nearly a twenty-four hour place, which is just the coffee shop she needs. 

It was starting to get dark as it was close to six at night, but the sun was setting over the mountains, casting a pink and purple hue to the sky. The sidewalks were suprisingly busy with tourists. It was evident by the way they were taking pictures and speeding down the sidewalks towards their next destination. 

She smiled towards herself as she stepped inside the coffee shop and it wasn’t crowded. Maybe people didn’t have as big of a caffeine addiction like she did. She walked behind the small line towards the counter, three blonde men stood in front of her and she kept her distance. 

She was tuning out their voices as she was listening to the Taylor Swift song playing in the background. After the last one ordered, the three of them erupted into laughter. 

“New contract, Caler, thanks for the coffee,” one of them said as they smacked their hand against his upper back. They all barked out a laugh before the first two wandered towards a table near the center of the shop. 

The man in front of her, Caler apparently, paid for the coffees before he followed his friends. 

The barista smiled towards her, looking somewhat exhausted. She felt a little guilty now that she was there. “Can I get an iced lavender latte to go?” Y/N asked her. She nodded immediately grabbing the largest size clear cup and started writing on it.

“Shut up man,” she heard one of them say from the corner but she chose to try her best to ignore it. She handed her card over to the barista and quickly paid for it, keeping her gaze towards her. “Nate don’t be weird,” she heard again. 

She took her card back and subconsciously glanced towards the three of them. She stopped short, holding her card in the air while she met one of their gazes. A man she hasn’t seen in eleven years.

Well, she’s seen him but not like this. Not face to face or in public. He was much older and had a different smile but it was Nathan. 

She thought Denver was too big to run into him, especially since he was dominating the NHL at the moment.

“Y/N,” he let out barely above a whisper as he crossed around the table, moving quickly towards her. Her eyes widened as she slowly put her card back into her wallet.

“Nathan,” she let out with a soft grin.

“What are you doing in Denver?” he let out excitedly, his hands were interlocked; almost as if he was trying to decide if he should hug her. She slipped her wallet back into her hoodie pocket as she stepped away from the counter. 

Glancing towards the other two boys whom she assumed were his teammates. She was a Canadiens fan since that’s who her parents root for. But she was never obsessed with the sport. Based off of the decor in the coffee shop, she could see from behind Nathan’s head that she should know who they are.

Swallowing hard, “I just moved here for a job,” she explained. His eyes widened as he smiled.

“Where’s Carter?” Nathan asked while whipping his head around to see the two guys staring towards him. He waved his hand at them hoping they would stop. 

Her mouth fell open while she took in a sharp breath, “We broke up a few months ago,” she let out.

He pulled his head back while nodding; crossing his arms over his chest. “That sucks, I’m sorry. You guys were together for a long time,”

She chuckled while tilting her head to the side, “Too long, but it’s all good. Needed a fresh start,” she explained while brushing a piece of hair away from her face. He nodded before pressing his lips together. 

“Denver’s a great place for that,” he mumbled.

The barista called out Cale’s name and the two other guys jumped up from their seats to go grab their drinks. They were all hot coffee in to go cups.

“It is,” she mumbled as she continued to look into his eyes, “H-how’s the season going? You know I don’t really pay much attention-” 

“Still a Habs fan?” Nathan asked as Cale handed him his drink. She smiled and nodded. “Well, we’re heading to the playoffs in a week so we’ll see.” 

“Better than the Habs,” she muttered jokingly. He chuckled as he continued to look into her eyes. “That’s great, I hope it works out for you guys,” 

“Tha-thanks,” he mumbled.

“Nate, we gotta head out,” the other guy said walking up behind them, “Got to get to the arena. Why don’t you get her number and call her after our meeting?” he teased as he pushed past them. Nathan chuckled as watched them walk away before he met her gaze again. 

“That’s Gabe, doesn’t know how to switch off being captain,” he explained. She smiled as she looked into his light eyes again, something in them made her heart flutter. He looks so good.

“I see,” she mumbled as she saw the barista hold out her drink towards her, “Thank you,” she said as she gladly took the drink. Nathan took in a sharp breath as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

“My number’s changed a few times since secondary school,” he explained as he held out an empty contact in his phone. She took a hold of it and added herself to his phone. “Just in case you need some friends in the city, I’ve got a few to spare,” he continued meeting her eye.

“Thanks Nathan, I guess I’ll see you,” she muttered. He nodded before he walked out of the coffee shop. She watched him leave and felt herself overthinking the conversation. Did that really just happen?

“I’m so sorry but how do you know Nathan Mackinnon?” the barista said as she leaned over the counter. Y/N pulled herself out of the small trance she was in and looked towards the dark brown haired girl beside her.

“We grew up together back in Canada. I haven’t seen him since we were sixteen,” Y/N explained, shocked to say the least. The barista smiled widely. 

“Wow, that’s like-so cool,” she said while shaking her head. She turned around and immediately started cleaning something.

Y/N nodded with a hum falling from her lips, she continued to walk out of the coffee shop to head towards her apartment again.

~~~

It had been a few days since she ran into Nathan and they had been texting constantly since Nathan was incredibly busy with the end of the season coming up and their first round in the playoffs against the Predators. 

Her apartment was slowly starting to come together. Majority of her furniture arrived and she convinced the movers to place it exactly where she needed it to be. Even after a handful of “wait can you actually put it on that side, thank you.” She hated being that person but she didn’t have anyone to help her move them.

The thought of asking Nathan to help crossed her mind but it was such a difficult and essential time in his life. They were in Minnesota for the last game of the season and even in the text messages it was obvious that he was nervous. But he was Nathan Mackinnon and he was not supposed to be nervous. 

For the first time by herself, she decided to sit down and watch a hockey game. Her former boyfriend was a huge hockey fan, specifically the Pittsburg Penguins. Because he was such a nice guy he had the multi-broadcast so she could watch the Habs play as well. Whenever they were playing at the same time.

She sat at the center of her new couch and draped a light pink blanket over her lap and she turned on the local Altitude broadcast. She put on her Lehkonen jersey that her father gave her after she said she was moving to Denver. 

He told her that if his two favorite people were moving to Denver at least she should have his favorite player’s jersey. He was joking mostly, but her mother didn’t find it that funny. But she promised that she would wear it every time she watched a game or went to one. Especially since her dad actually was close to heartbroken when he was traded.

The game started and she saw Nathan take the draw. She found herself smiling. She was also excited to watch the game again. She hasn’t been excited to watch the game since she was a kid. The joy of watching it with her dad and bonding with him over it was everything. Except Carter took that away from her. The game was ruined for her because of the rage he would get every time they made a bad play or lost the game.

But she was alone, a glass of rosè in her hand and her dad’s favorite player on her jersey. The apartment was nearly pitch black and the only light was the TV screen. 

The game ended with a difficult loss but she was happy to actually have enjoyed the game. 

All she knew was that the next set of games were going to be hard and she was excited to watch and excited to talk to Nathan about it. The more she thought about him over the last few months, the more she realized how close they used to be.

There was a time in her life where Nathan was always around and they were inseparable. Until he joined Halifax and he became a future star. It wasn’t intentional with how he left, he tried to reach out and be there but his life was going warp speed and hers was slowly moving on. 

She never forgot about him and he clearly hasn’t forgotten about her. She took in a deep breath before she stood up from the couch. Placing her empty glass onto the coffee table before she folded the blanket and draped it over the top of the couch.

Her father started to video call her and she pulled her head back for a moment. Never someone to call this late, let alone call her ever. She answered it and held it ahead of her waiting for him to show up on the screen. He smiled widely as he saw the Habs jersey on her body.

“Were you watching hockey?” he asked. She nodded as her lips curled upward into a small grin.

“I ran into someone,” she muttered. Her dad’s eyes squinted while he furrowed his eyebrows. “Nathan,” she let out simply. He tilted his head to the side for a second before his mouth fell open.

“Our Nate?” he let out. She wasn’t sure if he meant Nova Scotia’s or their little social circle. 

“Yeah, literally two days after I got here. How crazy is that,” she expressed.

“Man, you guys haven’t talks since he joined the Mooseheads, wow,” he let out. Something felt off with his tone, nearly sarcastic.

“Why are you talking like that?” 

“I’m not talking like anything,” he said, pouting his bottom lip slightly.

“Dad,” she nearly scolded.

He took a long dramatic inhale before shutting his eyes, “Nate told his mom about running into you and then she called your mother and we’ve been waiting for you to bring it up to talk about it,” he opened his eyes and glanced away from his phone, most likely her mother.

“I forget how tiny that town is sometimes,” she muttered before she ran her hand across her eyes.

“Are you guys talking?” her mother shouted, it sounded faint through the phone.

“We’ve been texting but he’s busy-you know- being a professional athlete.” she explained while laughing nervously.

~~~

The series against the Predators ended with a sweep for them which led to a long break until the next one for the Avalanche. Which led to Nathan coming over to help finish decorating her apartment. Aka, she went on a late night shopping spree while wine drunk and now her living room is full of boxes once again.

The doorbell rang and she felt her body jolt. She walked towards the door, taking in a deep breath. She pulled the door open and Nathan was standing there holding a bottle of wine. He smiled widely once he met her gaze.

“Hey,” he mumbled. She smiled as she stepped aside letting him into her apartment.

“Hey, you didn’t have to bring anything,” she expressed, referencing the very expensive bottle. He glanced down, smirking. 

“It’s actually not meant to be drunk tonight,” he let out. Meeting her eye, she nodded as she watched him delicately place it down onto the counter. Squinting her eyes suspiciously as she pursed her lips forward. He pressed his lips together as he continued to look into her eye. 

“I know it was a long time ago but I’ve been doing some thinking. The last time we hung out before I started playing for Halifax we talked about what would happen when I joined the NHL. Do you remember?” he asked, a smile toying to his lips. She shook her head as she leaned against the counter. “We talked about what would happen if I get a chance to win the Cup.”

She nodded, “Oh yeah,” she said with a smile.

“We talked about if I win, we’d drink a $500 bottle of wine and celebrate just you and me,” he expressed. She glanced down towards the wine before flickering her eye back towards him. Furrowing her eyebrows slightly, she tilted her head to the side. 

“Every playoff run I’ve thought about that conversation. Even though you were back in Nova Scotia, I still thought about it,” he explained as he tapped his fingers against the countertop. “This was the first season I bought a bottle. I bought it two days before we ran into one another at the coffee shop,”

“Wait, so you bought it before you knew I moved here?” she mumbled.

“If we won the Cup, you were going to be one of the first people I called,” he explained as he smirked towards her. She nodded as she took in sharp breath, “Anyway, let’s get to decorating.” he said switching the subject quickly. She pursed her lips forward as she delicately took a hold of the bottle. Slowly, she delicately ran her thumb across the label, hoping she would get a chance to open it with him.

“I’m looking forward to opening it,” she let out nonchalantly as she put the wine bottle onto a different more secluded counter.

He chuckled nervously as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Gotta win the Cup first,” he mumbled.

“You will, Nathan,” she said with a wide smile. He smirked as he stumbled backwards towards her living room. “I honestly don’t remember what I bought, so this should be fun,” she sat down in front of one of the boxes as he followed in pursuit. Without hesitation, he ripped open the box. He pulled out a picture frame an empty picture frame.

“An empty frame?” he let out while chuckling. She rolled her eyes playfully as she attempted to rip open the box in front of her.

“I told you I was wine drunk,” she defended as she finally ripped open the box. She let out a sudden laugh as the blanket she purchased came into full view. It was a red and white Habs blanket. She pulled it out and held it towards Nathan. His mouth fell open as he giggled.

“You’re going to have to put that away when I come over,” he said while shaking his head.

“Oh, just wait,” she teased while raising her eyebrows. She stood up from the ground and quickly sped walk down the hallway towards her bedroom. After a minute she returned to her living room holding up her Habs jersey against her chest. Nathan looked up towards her giggled. 

“Who is it?” he asked while moving his head back and forth trying to see the number on the side. Spinning it around, she showed the Lehkonen on the back. He clapped his hands together while tilting his head back. 

“Now you’re just rubbing it in my face!” he let out while laughing.

“At least he plays on your team now,” she said as she sat down on the floor again, delicately placing the jersey on the couch directly behind her.

“Fucking great guy,” he let out while raising his eyebrows. 

The rest of the evening was filled with giggling and showing off the ridiculous decor she bought. It nearly reminded her of how they were when they were teenagers. It was as if there wasn’t a decade between the last time they hung out like this. 

It’s been years since the last time she felt so giddy. It was almost impossible to let him leave. They hovered at her door for several minutes before he slipped out of the apartment. Hovering for a long time, lot of intense eye contact. Subtle smirks and lack of distance.

~~~

Tonight was a roller coaster of emotions. It was game five against the St. Louis Blues and Nathan had a hat trick and an assist. It should’ve been more than enough to push the Avs to the third round. Except the Blues tied it late and won it in overtime. 

She watched the game from her couch, despite Nathan telling her she could hang out with the WAGs. She declined because it felt weird to her since she wasn’t a part of the club. She had her Habs blanket wrapped around her shoulders, squeezed tightly to her chest just beneath her chin.

Her gaze shifted towards the bottle on the counter a few feet away. Knowing that they will get to open that bottle this season. The post-game show was playing in the background but she was only half listening as she was scrolling through her Twitter feed. Most of it was about anything but hockey, it was a decent distraction.

Her eyes widened as her phone started to vibrate in her hands, Nathan was calling her. Her lips curled upward as she saw his name, she knew he wasn’t going to be in a great mood but she answered it anyway.

“Hey,” she mumbled.

“Hey, can I see you?” he asked, his voice was grogging and raspy. It was sudden but she hummed unsure of how to reply, she couldn’t tell how he was truly feeling. “Okay, I’ll be over in like ten,” he said before he ended the call. She pulled the phone away from her ear, staring towards it for a moment before she delicately placed it beside her. 

She took a hold of the TV remote and put on New Girl to have in the background. She kept snuggling the blanket in the pitch black apartment, the TV being the only bit of light.

Her phone buzzed beside her and she glanced down to see a text from her dad. She smiled as she lifted her phone to read the message: Give Nate a hug for us, he’s got the next one.

She replied quickly before she turned off her phone and wandered towards her kitchen. She reached into the freezer and pulled out a small pint of ice cream. Quickly, she took a hold of a spoon and began to eat some of the ice cream before Nathan arrived. He was very determined on sticking his diet so he would not be phased by it even if she was eating it in front of him. 

After a few minutes, there was several knocks on the door and she set the pint down onto the counter. She walked towards the door and pulled it open. Nathan stood in the doorway, he looked exhausted. His lips fell into a small pout as he looked into her eyes. She reached her hands around his neck and pulled him into a tight embrace.

He loosely wrapped his arms around her waist as he slowly stepped inside gliding her inside. The door shut behind them as he continued to hold her to his chest. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” she whispered as she started running her fingers through the ends of his hair for a moment. He pulled away looking into her eyes, as if for the first time.

“I’m just glad you moved here,” he let out as he continued to look into her eye. She furrowed her eyebrows, confusion written all over her features. His lips curled up into a small grin, “It was a tough night but next game we’ll win,” he let out.

“That’s it?” she asked suspiciously.

“We lost, did it suck, absolutely, but there’s next game and we’re winning it. Simple,” he explained before he slowly slipped away from her grasp towards the couch. 

“You used to go silent after games you lost. There was a time you didn’t talk for nearly two days after you lost a regular season game back before the Mooseheads,” she expressed as she quickly reached for her ice cream and walked towards the couch again. He let out a dry laugh before he rubbed his nose.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Y/N, I’ve grown,” he said sarcastically while he took a hold of the Habs blanket and draped it over his lap, “You’re lucky Drouin’s over there,” he muttered as he held it open for her to sit beside him. Delicately, he laid it over her lap. 

Every times the Hab’s were even slightly brought up, he had to have a dig towards the fact that she was a fan, always hinting that she should convert to an Avs fan. Even left her a gift of Lehkonen’s Avs jersey on her doorstep. Said that Lehky’s gonna be sticking around, so you better get an updated jersey.

“It’s good to see you… like that,” she expressed, finding it difficult to get the right words out. 

“I would do the silent thing for a long time in the league. I would just get so mad that it was easier to stay quiet than talk,” he said as he held his hand out towards her. She stared towards him mildly concerned. He stole the spoon from her hand and took barely any ice cream and brought it towards his mouth.

“Did you just-”

“Yup,” he teased before he dropped the spoon back into the pint. She chuckled as she took a much bigger spoonful and brought it towards her own lips. “I’ve gotten a lot better and letting things go,” he continued. He took in a sharp breath, “Letting go most things,” he let out as he met her gaze for only a second before looked back towards the screen.

Swallowing hard, she stared towards his side profile. She was always fond of his nose, despite how crooked it looked since his teenage years, he was elegant. “What haven’t you let go?” she poked.

Looking back towards her, meeting her eye he fought the words he wanted to say. “It’s stupid,” he dropped his gaze towards his lap.

“Say it,” she pressed as she leaned forward, placing the ice cream onto the coffee table. 

“The night we talked about the Cup and the wine bottle or whatever back then, I remember that was the moment I realized I liked you,” he expressed, “I didn’t really realize it fully but that night I felt something for you I never felt before and then we never hung out again. Which was my bad so I-I guess that I never let go of the fact of what would have happen if I told you, I guess,” 

She smiled softly, staring down towards her lap. “What do you think would’ve happened?” she asked, sliding towards him slightly. He tilted his head back against the top of the couch. 

“Honestly, we probably would’ve gotten together and I probably would’ve ruined it,” he ran his fingers through his hair, awkwardly. 

“Why would you say that?” she pressed further turning her body towards him, leaning her head against the top of the couch. He turned his head, meeting her eye.

“Same reason why I stopped reaching out, being away from you would’ve been too hard,” he expressed. She nodded as she continued looking into his eye.

~~~

She was on the couch watching Nathan raise the Cup. He was crying tears of joy with the horrendous scraggly beard on his face. The Stanley Cup champion hat on his head, he had achieved his childhood dream. The summer of celebrations was about to happen. She wiped her hands across her cheeks, clearing the tears from her skin before she stood up. 

She took a hold of the wine bottle and placed it into the fridge because who likes warm wine?

A smile formed to her lips as the Avalanche jersey on her frame was something she never thought she would wear. Especially with how serious her dad was about the Habs. But she knew that he was rooting for Nathan and so was she.

She sat back on the couch and laid down as she watched the remainder of the broadcast, Nathan’s interview, and the team photo. An audible laugh fell from her lips after she watched Nicolas Aubė-Kubel drop the Cup. Everyone’s face was ridiculous.

She reached for her phone to see a text from Nathan: I can’t wait to be in Denver to celebrate with you.

The following morning she awoke to several missed called from Nathan almost as if he spent most of the night trying to get a hold of her. She rolled her eyes playfully as she began to call him back as she stumbled towards her kitchen and her coffee maker. 

It took a handful of rings before he answered.

“Hey,” his voice was nearly gone, so hoarse it was barely audible.

“Hey champion,” she teased.

“Still does not feel real,” he let out. 

“Denver was crazy last night, they’re excited for you guys to bring it home,” she explained. He chuckled.

“Can’t wait to see you,” he let out, “-And that wine bottle because it fucking happened and we are fucking celebrating,” 

It was that same night and she has spent most of the day simply waiting for Nathan. Ever since game five against the Blues, they started flirting more and the tension between them was getting more and more intense. 

It was hard to decipher exactly what was the tension from, lust or longing. It was impossible but tonight was the night she was going to try and dissect it and figure it out. She ran her fingers through her recently styled hair and stared into her reflection, trying to decide if she was happy with the way she looked. 

It didn’t matter as Nathan rang her doorbell three times. She leaped out of the bathroom and jogged down towards her front door. She pulled it open and smiled towards him. Without hesitation he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. A giggle fell from her lips as slowly glided her inside of the apartment. 

“It was better than I ever could’ve imagined,” he mumbled against her hair. “Wish you were there to experience it,” 

She slowly pulled away, meeting his gaze as she rested her hands on the base of his neck, “I’ll be there for the next one,” she let out. He smirked as his gaze flickered towards her lips for much longer than he would like to admit. 

“Yeah?” he let out. She nodded, keeping his gaze towards her lips. “Where’s that bottle?” he said slowly slipping away from her grasp. Perhaps in the need of some liquid courage. 

She pointed towards the fridge and he immediately pulled it open to look towards the bottle that’s been on his mind for over a decade. He pulled it out and delicately rested it onto the counter. She had already placed two glasses onto the counter as he was fetching the bottle. 

He popped it open, a grin wide on his lips. They giggled as he happily poured two large glasses of wine. He placed it back down as he slid the glass towards her. He brought it towards his lips at the same time as she did and they both took a long sip. It was probably the fanciest wine she’s ever had. He shut his eyes content as he took in a long breath. 

It had been several hours later and safe to say they were giggling and incredibly wine drunk. They were laid across her bed, nearly a bottle and a half shared between them, both of them were quite the lightweight. 

“No-no cause look I’ve got a bruise from that hug-alright!” he let out while laughing, he tossed his body to the side to try and find the bruise from the impact, he was unsuccessful, it just ended in more fits of laughter. 

They slipped in and out of different conversations as they were sprailedd out on her bed, distant at times and really close at others. In this moment it was one of those times where they were incredibly close. Their nose bumping at times from how close they were.

“When I moved here, I genuinely didn’t think I would see you,”  she expressed. He hummed as he kept his gaze on her lips, his bright red cheeks were not hiding the fact of how intoxicated he was. Her rambling words were a sign of hers. “Like it didn’t even cross my mind that you lived here because it had been so long but I’m so glad I ran into you,”

“Me too,” he let out.

He reached over towards her and took a hold of her chin as he leaned towards her kissing her delicately. It wasn’t urgent but so delicate that it was almost a confession of love in the process. 

He pulled away, keeping a small distance between their lips. A smile formed to her lips before she leaned towards him, kissing him again. She slowly rolled onto her back allowing him to climb on top of her. 

[ohmyeyesmyeyes]

supermarket run-ins (the start of something new)

summary: nathan mackinnon x f!reader // the supermarket meeting...eventually they'll get married (from this)

warnings: nate being adorably awkward

word count: 3.2k

< i'm gonna link this to a series called 'funny how life works out' (in the works) on my main masterlist and if there's anything you want to see from this universe, please shoot me an ask, my requests are open! >

Nate knew there was always going to be a risk of running into someone he went to school with when he came back to Cole Harbour: the place was pretty small, and nearly every time he’d gone out he’d see a familiar face hiding around the corner, but he wasn’t sure if he could take another awkward conversation, least of all when he was grocery shopping. 

It was early May, and the second round loss in the playoffs against the Sharks was still a remarkably sore ache, and the last thing he wanted was for someone to offer their condolences for it: he knew people meant well, but sometimes it did just rub salt in the wound – and for that reason, he decided the best course of action was to do his grocery shopping a little way out of town and at the strangest time possible, i.e. seven A.M on a Thursday morning, because who the fuck else would be insane enough to go grocery shopping that early in the morning?

Or, at least, that was part of his strategy. The other part involved wearing his sweatpants and zip up (it was chilly that early in the morning) and a baseball cap inside to make himself seem as glum and as unapproachable as possible. He wasn’t necessarily trying to hide his identity – it never worked with a baseball cap in those superhero movies – nor did he actually believe that people in Halifax would genuinely care who he was, because he wasn’t the only person to have made it to the NHL in these parts, and he certainly wasn’t the most famous, either. In fact, people were more blase about it than not.

Still, that didn’t stop him from keeping his head down when he walked through the doors as soon as the store opened, nor did it stop him from keeping his eyes on the floor as he navigated his way through the aisles, listening rather closely to the faint music playing over the intercom as he picked up a basket and made his way for the fresh fruit and veg aisle. 

Despite having only been back home for a few days, he already had plans, and those plans consisted largely of cooking, eating, working out, and then walking the short distance from his house to Sid’s so they could mourn the devastating loss of their Stanley Cup for this year. Though, Nate did feel as though he had more of a reason to mourn this time: Sid had won it three times already, and this season the Penguins didn’t even make it to play-off contention, whereas the Avs had. Second round. Still bitter. And Nate had yet to get his hands on Lord Stanley.

Even the mere thought of it made his jaw clench. He wondered what he must look like to an onlooker: murderous glares at the carrots usually weren’t a good sign for anyone. In fact, even that thought had him swiping a bag of carrots and looking both ways down the aisle as a precaution, as though he was guilty of doing something – yet, as far as he was aware, the only thing he was guilty of was being this miserable sore loser at seven-ten in the morning. 

He reckoned that was a new personal record – he could usually hold it off until half past the hour, but it seemed the early morning pining had gotten to him exceptionally early.

He took a step to the right, reaching for the bag of lettuce, when something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Usually he wouldn’t have bothered looking: he was in a supermarket, and people were expected to walk through pretty often, but he’d been the only person sad and mad enough to wait outside the doors until they opened up, and he knew for a fact that no one else had followed him in immediately after.

Only, when he turned his attention to the end of the aisle, he saw someone. A woman. She was walking down towards the back of the store, the aisle directly in line with his. He didn’t know if she’d seen him, but she had headphones on and was wearing athletic gear: shorts, trainers, a long-sleeved top under a short-sleeved one. Nate knew that because he recognised the logo on her shoulder and he had one of his own, only it a different colour, and it was much bigger.

He blinked, turning back to his own list. 

He didn’t make it through another five seconds before giving in and looking back at her. He couldn’t quite shake the air of familiarity she encompassed. Even though he hadn’t seen her face, there was something undoubtedly recognisable in the way she moved and stood.

He’d seen that woman before. Knew her, even. He didn’t know who she was, but he knew that much. He just had a feeling, the kind that settles so delicately in your bones and has your heart pounding just that little bit faster – he couldn’t quite ignore it.

Still, he continued on with the rest of his shopping, even going so far as to treat himself with some cake mix (that he was probably going to just bake and give to his parents, because he’d have one slice and get bored and before he’d know it, he’d have to throw the entire thing away because it’d gone stale), and it was as he was making his way back up to the tills, walking straight through the ready meals aisle, that he saw her again.

She was standing in front of the refrigerated section, her basket on the floor as she held two boxes in her hands, seemingly undecided on something. A small part of him hoped that she’d see someone coming and look at them (him, really), so he could deduce who she was. In fact, a large part of him wanted that. It was all he wanted at that moment. He wasn’t sure if he could leave the supermarket without figuring it out before he left – and he immediately shut that thought down because he sounded like an absolute creep.

He kept his steps mildly loud and purposeful, not moving too fast or too slow to rouse suspicion, and he kept to the centre of the aisle. At some point his hands seemed to have made the decision to take his cap off his head, because when he briefly looked down at his basket it was sitting on top of the cat food (probably for the better, because it’d be weird if he ended up saying he didn’t actually own a cat even though he had cat food – that was guessing he’d even end up saying something anyway: it was all rather a large question mark in that sense), and he ran an anxious hand through his hair, fluffing it up from where it had been squashed, before looking up.

The woman reached down, dropping a box into her basket, the other one nestled safely back on the shelf, and whether he’d timed the entire thing impeccably well, or whether she’d actually seen him, she looked up. Right at him. And, before he could even do anything consciously, his legs had slowed to a stop.

He was right. He definitely knew her. In fact, the very woman standing in front of him was the exact same one he’d had a crush on in school from the age of ten to…well, he wasn’t quite sure when it stopped because he left shortly after that, but now she was standing in front of him, smiling politely, and Nate instantly felt like a giddy ten-year old again.

It was you.

You, who upon seeing he’d stopped in his utterly bewitched stupor, had taken the headphones off from over your ears and had turned to face him.

All because he stopped in his tracks.

“Hi.” You said, picking up your basket on the floor and regarding him with some sense of confusion.

He blinked, his mouth falling open dumbly, the words sitting right there on the top of his tongue, but he seemed suddenly incapable of even stringing anything together. 

He shut his mouth almost immediately after that realisation, and the flush in his cheeks almost seemed inevitable — as did your curious quirk of an eyebrow, because even the people that didn’t know him well knew it was never a good sign for someone who was so used to being in the public eye, to stutter and make a fool of themselves simply trying to have a polite conversation.

“Is everything okay?” 

He didn’t know it was possible to blush even harder, but he felt it tingle in his toes and the tips of his ears. 

“Sorry, I—” he cleared his throat, heart hammering in his chest like there was no tomorrow, “You just took me by surprise, I guess. Haven’t seen you in years.” He managed, tongue feeling thick and heavy in his mouth. He’d never struggled so much before, but old habits do die hard and he’d never been completely normal talking to you when he was ten.

A look of pleasant surprise crossed your features, and only then did it occur to him that it might be weird of him to say something like that, because you two hadn’t really known each other at all. A few weeks sitting at the same table didn’t exactly constitute the kind of friendship that’d be so profound you’d shock him.

“Would that surprise also have something to do with the fact that we’re apparently the only two people with the thought to go shopping at this time?” You ignored the latter half of his bumbling ramble, probably for the better, and instead seemed to find some relief in the fact that he had regained his ability to talk.

He didn’t quite know which was worse.

Nevertheless, he stuck on a smile and tugged awkwardly at his earlobe for a moment, “It might, yeah.”

You hummed, rocking back on your heels with the faint trace of an amused smile on your face.

It was only then that he noticed the old, slightly worn in Halifax Mooseheads logo printed squarely on the front of your t-shirt, and he very quickly averted his eyes — only the more he seemed to look at your face, the more obvious it became that you were every bit still as beautiful as you had been to his ten year old self, if not more. 

“So, where are you, how are you these days?” He asked, once again the words tumbling straight from his mouth with little thought, but you seemed to appreciate the question, if he read the look on your face correctly.

“I went to college in Montreal, and I’m still there. I work for a law firm as a legal translator…And I guess I’m doing well.” You shrugged, “What about you?”

Nathan swallowed nervously, the crushing weight of the loss almost crashing into him full force, and he knew he froze for a good couple of seconds, trying to get his head back into the present moment. He didn’t know if you could tell just where his mind had gone, or if you were just that patient, but you didn’t say anything or do anything to indicate his lack of immediate response.

“I’m good, yeah. I mean, I’m still reeling from the play-off loss, but it’s nice to come home and recharge.” He inhaled, “But other than that, Denver’s treating me well.”

“That’s good.” 

“As good as it can get to say I got absolutely no choice as to where I had to live when I was eighteen? I’d say so, yeah.” He agreed, feeling himself ease up a little.

He couldn’t get his mind to quieten, and he felt jittery; he didn’t know what to do with his hands and he knew all of that would be solved if he just stopped thinking so hard about a simple conversation, but all he could think about was his poor younger self, who, upon finding out he had to move to Minnesota, did wonder what happened to you.

If his younger self could see him now…

You laughed softly at his sarcasm, and he felt the clouds part for a moment – a laugh meant he wasn’t completely making a fool of himself.

“What are you doing here now anyway?” You asked, wandering across the aisle, your basket still on the floor, and he watched, one hand stuffed in his hoodie pocket, as you picked some cheese off the shelf and made your way back to the basket.

“I’m restocking my fridge and avoiding any possible run-ins with people–well, with people I went to school with, actually.” 

You just grinned, and for some reason he had an idea of what your next words would be before you even said them, “How’s that working out for you?”

Nate shrugged lamely, “There are worse people to run into.”

And from the comical look on your face Nate had an awful feeling that you knew exactly what he was talking about.

“Is that why you’re here too?” He continued, acutely aware of the fact that you were mid-shopping trip, and he knew for a fact that even if he did want to keep standing there and chatting to you for a little while longer, he couldn’t. Not really. Still, it hadn’t been quite long enough yet to end it now.

If he did, he knew he’d regret it if it was the last time he’d ever see you again for the rest of his life.

You shrugged, showing no signs of his presence or conversation either dulling or pissing you off, and answered without hesitation, your basket now in your arms again, “Yeah, but I’m also busy for the rest of the day so I couldn’t go at any other time.”

“Oh, anything nice planned?” 

“It’s my Dad’s birthday, so there’s some family coming over and then we’re all going out for dinner.” There was a pause, and for a brief second Nathan felt himself get hot with panic at the mere thought of that brief pause turning into an awkward silence, but you spoke again, and his heart rate dwindled and his body temperature lowered with the help from the fridges, “You got any plans for today?”

Nate felt himself begin to nod before he could spew the words out, “Yeah.” He said, “I’m seeing Sid tonight.” It was only after he finished talking and had the chance to double-check that he hadn’t said anything wrong accidentally, that he realised that you might not know who Sid is.

He had no clue if you even liked hockey. In fact, he knew little to nothing about you apart from that fact that you were clever, played soccer quite violently from what he’d heard from some of his friends, and that you went to college in Montreal, and both lived and worked there now. And it was your Dad’s birthday today.

In fact, now that he thought about it, you hadn’t actually given him any indication that you knew who he was. You’d not said his name, how would he know you weren’t faking it to be polite?

He didn’t voice any of that, though. If he did, it wouldn't matter if you knew who he was or not, because the second he voiced exactly what was running through his head, this entire thing would turn into a car crash.

“Kind of crazy how that works out, huh?” You asked rhetorically, and Nate raised a brow, waiting for you to elaborate, “I remember you talking about him in class, and now…”

Nate grinned, only just resisting the urge to sigh in relief, and all at once his mind seemed to clear. It quietened; he could think properly now. All because you remembered him. 

He felt a little bit pathetic, actually, at how easy it was for him to physically brighten because of one vague thing from fourteen or so years ago (fourteen!), that he probably told everyone who would listen – but he had a strong visual in his mind, then, of everyone else on that school table tuning out his Crosby-rambling, and you were the only one listening. He remembered you’d ask him questions, and…you liked hockey, he remembered that now.

It was funny how a moment so insignificant in the past could feel like a tectonic plate shifting under his feet. 

“Oh, yeah.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. God, he really did chat hockey a lot, didn’t he? “And they say don’t meet your idol.”

You fucking remembered him!

You breathed a laugh, and Nate felt something in his chest splinter at the sound, only when he seemed to really look at you next, you shivered, teeth pressed together and shoulders trembling. He didn’t know how he hadn’t noticed it before, considering you were standing in a cold aisle with shorts on, and him with full length sweatpants and a hoodie, but it was freezing. Really cold, and the guilt that came with that observation had him immediately stepping away slightly.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I should let you get back to your shopping.” He rambled nervously.

“It’s okay, I’m not really in a rush.”

What was he supposed to say to that? What did it mean? Was it an invitation to stay longer? To keep chatting? He had no fucking clue, and he was sure the chaos of his thoughts was unfortunately also mirrored on his face judging from the way you were now looking at him (or was he overthinking that, too?); yet, the only thing that came out of his mouth was: “It was nice catching up with you–”

“I have three days left before I go back to Montreal.” You interrupted, and Nate blinked.

He blinked again. His heart was in his throat. What–Oh. 

“Do you maybe want to get drinks before you go?” He asked, heart pounding so very painfully against his ribs. He didn’t know why asking that question was so nerve-racking, especially considering you’d half fone the job for him anyway, but there was something tugging at him that had his hands trembling slightly as he put his number in your phone. He looked over to see you doing the same on his phone, and though your fingers were shaking too he couldn’t say for certain if it was because of the cold or your own nerves.

“Tell your Dad happy birthday from me.” He muttered once he’d repocketed his phone and managed to make eye contact with you without a) smiling too hard and looking like a crazy person, or b) looking like he was constipated.

“I will.” You promised, “Have fun tonight, too.”

“I’ll try.” He managed a normal smile, “See you later.”

“See you.”

And he spent the entire walk back to his car trying not to scream out of excitement. He’d never been so giddy for later.

[eyesthatroll]

my champ | n. mackinnon

pairing; nathan mackinnon x fem!reader

warning(s); kissing, cursing, mention of insecurity/self pressure??

summary; not long enough for a summary but took inspiration sort of from this tweet!!!! (🥹🥹)

word count; 0.83k

author's note; guys, i don't know how it happened, but i became enamored with nathan mackinnon in the time span of like 17 hours. i don't know what it is, there's just something about him!!!!!! anyways, go canucks!1!1! also this was going to be a lot longer but i haven't written in a while and just wanted to get back into the swing of things, hope it's not too bad. love ya!

Entering the hotel room, you feel an overwhelming sense of fatigue, prompting you to collapse onto the plush queen-sized bed positioned at the room's center. Disregarding the conventional way of removing your shoes, you nudge them off with your toes, allowing them to tumble onto the soft carpeted floor, not really caring where they land while simultaneously hoping Nathan doesn’t trip on them. 

"Baby?" Nathan's voice echoes from the bathroom. In reply, you emit a soft hum, the gentle cascade of water from the sink filling the room's silence.

Exiting the bathroom, he casually discards his jacket onto a coat rack affixed to the wall. Crossing over to the opposite side of the bed, he bends down to meet your gaze at eye level. "You okay?"

You roll your eyes, a subtle sigh escaping your lips. "Tired, hungry, dreading the weekend.”

He rises from his previous position, and you shift on the bed, making room for him to join. Settling in effortlessly, he turns his body to lie on his side, supporting his head with his elbow, giving him a perfect view of you. His gaze focuses on your left hand, where you absentmindedly fiddle with the gorgeous 4-carat radiant-cut diamond ring adorning your finger.

"I'll never get tired of seeing that on your finger," Nathan's voice is a gentle murmur, as if he fears that speaking any louder about your wedding ring would broadcast it to the entire world.

You respond with a soft smile, lifting your gaze to meet his deep blue eyes, filled with nothing but adoration. "It's a beautiful ring."

Indeed, it truly was. The diamond, precisely cut to the shape you desired, struck the perfect balance in size—not overly showy, as larger ones might seem to you, yet not too small, just perfectly proportioned. Leave it to Nathan to discover and present you with your dream ring, even though you had only casually mentioned your preferences maybe once in the past two years.

"You're beautiful," he comments easily, his free hand reaching out to gently tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.

Your teeth graze your bottom lip as you fight back a smile. "You're so corny.”

His thumb meets his middle finger to flick you in the forehead, shaking his head as he falls back onto the pillow. "Fuck off."

Seeing an opportunity, you use it to gracefully climb over him, your posture settling over the waistband of his sweatpants, which were hanging dangerously low. Taking a moment, you allow yourself to truly look at him, your breath catching in your throat as you admire your husband.

"What?" he asks, eyebrows quirked.

You shake your head. "You're so handsome."

He truly was, in every inconceivable sense of the word. You made it a point to express that sentiment and offer other compliments on a daily basis. Nathan, being a professional athlete, tended to be hard on himself and often overly critical. While you knew your compliments couldn't fully dispel what brewed below the surface, you liked to believe they provided some solace at least a little bit. 

"Who's corny now?" he teases, his hands shifting from his sides to your waist, slipping under the thick material of one of his old hoodies that you've stolen.

"I'm serious," you groan, laying a gentle slap against his chest.

"So was I," he counters. "And I-"

You lean down swiftly, pressing your lips against his in an attempt to silence him, and it works like a charm. Though, you can feel his famous Nate Mackinnon giggle against your lips, prompting one of your own. When you pull apart, a soft smile graces your lips as your fingers trace down the scruff of his beard. "My Stanley Cup champ."

His cheeks redden at your words, and he lets out an airy laugh.

"I'm so proud of you, you know that?" you ask, and he nods. His tongue darts out to wet his bottom lip, undoubtedly carrying a lingering taste of strawberry from your tinted lip balm.

"You tell me every day," he answers with a quick retort, rolling his eyes. However, a smile lingers on his lips.

Raising a brow, you inquire, "Do you believe me?"

Asking the question seemed to hang in the air, the silence stretching before he responded. His brow furrows, and you could almost feel the weight of his thoughts. A heavy sigh escapes his lips, a mix of something you couldn’t quite put your finger on. “Course I do,” he finally answers. 

You narrow your eyes at him, sensing his hesitation. That wasn’t a very convincing answer, but you decide not to pressure him further. Instead, you lean down and rejoin your lips with his. This time, his hands migrate from your waist to your bum, their grip firm and reassuring as he sucks in your bottom lip.

"I love you so damn much," he murmurs, between kisses down your neck. 

God, did you love this man with everything in you.

[cailinsblog]

Can you please write something, anything with Nathan Mackinnon, I've re read your imagines with him a couple of times, and I love it !

Omg yesss I love Nathan I got you💕💕💕

Nathan’s Little Rookie |nathan Mackinnon

Nathan Mackinnon x reader

Masterlist

Nathan MacKinnon was known for being intense and fiercely competitive on the ice, but off it, with his wife Y/N, he was the epitome of love and care. And ever since Y/N had told him two months ago that they were expecting their first child, that care had turned into full-blown protectiveness.

Y/N was barely showing, but Nathan treated her like she was carrying the most delicate treasure in the world—which, to be fair, she was. From the moment the pregnancy test showed positive, Nathan had stepped into the role of protective dad-to-be with enthusiasm that was both heartwarming and a little over the top.

---

It was a quiet Sunday morning, and the sunlight filtered gently through the curtains of their cozy Colorado home. Y/N stirred in bed, slowly waking up to the smell of fresh coffee. She smiled, knowing Nathan was already up and busy in the kitchen. Sure enough, a few moments later, he appeared in the doorway, carrying a tray with a perfectly prepared breakfast.

“Good morning, mama,” he said softly, setting the tray on her lap before leaning down to kiss her forehead.

Y/N chuckled. “Good morning, daddy. You didn’t have to do all this.”

Nathan shrugged, sitting beside her. “Of course, I did. You need to eat, and you need to rest. I’ve got everything covered.”

She took a bite of the toast he had buttered just the way she liked it and sipped on her decaf coffee. “You do know I’m only two months along, right? I can still make my own breakfast.”

Nathan gave her a pointed look. “You’re growing our baby. That’s more than enough work. Everything else? I’ve got it.”

Y/N couldn’t help but laugh, even as her heart swelled with love. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

Nathan smiled, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I just want to make sure you and the baby are okay.”

---

Later that day, Y/N decided she wanted to tidy up the living room. She was halfway through fluffing the couch cushions when Nathan walked in and immediately froze.

“Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing?” he exclaimed, rushing over.

Y/N looked at him, puzzled. “I’m fixing the pillows?”

Nathan gently took the cushion from her hands and placed it back on the couch. “You’re not supposed to be lifting things,” he said seriously.

Y/N raised an eyebrow. “It’s a pillow, Nate.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he replied, guiding her to sit down. “You’re supposed to be relaxing. Let me handle it.”

She sighed, but there was no arguing with him when he was in full protective mode. “Fine. But you’re going to have to ease up at some point, you know. I can’t sit around doing nothing for the next seven months.”

Nathan knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his. “I know I’m being a little much,” he admitted, his voice soft. “But this is our baby, Y/N. I’ve never been more excited or nervous about anything in my life. I just want to make sure everything is perfect.”

Y/N’s expression softened, and she leaned down to kiss him. “I know, and I love you for it. But we’re in this together, okay? I promise I’ll tell you if I need anything or if I’m feeling tired.”

Nathan nodded, though the protective glint in his eyes didn’t fade entirely. “Deal. But I’m still making dinner tonight.”

Y/N laughed. “Fine by me.”

---

As the weeks went on, Nathan’s protectiveness didn’t waver. He insisted on driving her everywhere, carrying all the groceries, and even vetoed her idea of reorganizing the nursery closet, claiming it was “too much effort.”

One evening, they were curled up on the couch, watching a movie. Y/N was nestled against Nathan’s side, her head on his chest as his arm draped protectively around her. She could feel the steady rise and fall of his breath, the warmth of his presence grounding her.

“You’re going to be an amazing dad,” she murmured.

Nathan glanced down at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of love and vulnerability. “You really think so?”

Y/N nodded. “You’re already so dedicated and caring. Our baby is lucky to have you.”

Nathan pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I just want to give them everything, you know? And I want to make sure you’re taken care of every step of the way.”

“You already are,” Y/N said, placing her hand over his heart. “And I can’t wait to see you with our little one.”

---

One weekend, Nathan surprised Y/N by bringing home a stack of baby books. He spread them out on the kitchen table, his face lighting up as he explained each one.

“This one’s all about what to expect in the first year,” he said, holding up a thick, colorful book. “And this one has tips for new dads.”

Y/N chuckled as she flipped through one of the books. “You’re really going all in, huh?”

Nathan grinned. “Of course. I need to be prepared.”

They spent the afternoon reading through the books together, laughing at some of the more ridiculous tips and marveling at the journey ahead. Every now and then, Nathan would pause to rest his hand on Y/N’s stomach, even though it was still too early to feel anything.

“I can’t wait to meet them,” he said softly, his eyes full of wonder.

Y/N placed her hand over his, her heart swelling with love. “Me neither.”

---

One night, Y/N woke up to find Nathan missing from their bed. Concerned, she got up and found him in the nursery, sitting in the rocking chair they had just assembled. He was holding a tiny onesie, his expression a mix of awe and anticipation.

“Nate?” she said softly, stepping into the room.

He looked up, a sheepish smile on his face. “Sorry, couldn’t sleep. I just... I can’t believe we’re going to have a little person in a few months.”

Y/N walked over and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. “It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

Nathan nodded, his hand resting on her stomach. “I’m so glad I get to do this with you.”

Y/N kissed him, her heart full. “Me too.”

As they sat there, rocking gently in the chair, they both felt a sense of peace and excitement for the journey ahead. Nathan’s protectiveness, while sometimes overwhelming, came from a place of pure love. And Y/N knew that with him by her side, their little family was going to be just perfect.