#toronto maple leafs blurb

[wildrangers]

The Planets and the Fates and All the Stars Aligned // William Nylander

Word Count: 3.5K

Summary: The three times Willy almost asked you out and the one time he finally did

{This is my submission for the lovely @jackhues for The Winter Fic Exchange 2k24, organized by the amazing @wyattjohnston!}

Warnings/tropes: mutual pining, poor communication, resolved (minor) angst, fluff, cursing, drinking

You were grateful that Auston was taking you under his wing following your big move to Toronto—seriously. It was better to be at a New Year’s Eve party where you knew all of one person rather than alone in your apartment. Though…there were a lot of loud drunk men at this party which wasn’t your favorite vibe. You’d much prefer enjoying a nice cocktail with a view of Toronto over being stuffed in one of Tony’s teammate’s suburban homes. But really—you were grateful for Auston and this somewhat odd built in social network that came with him.

You were drawn from your thoughts by a cheer from the pong table and you couldn’t help but chuckle at the intense excitement of the younger guys currently facing off there. You flipped your wrist around to see the time again just as a large, familiar hand landed on your shoulder.

“That’s at least the fifth time you’ve checked the time since we got here…what, an hour ago?” Auston teased, grinning as he took the seat next to you.

“It’s only the fourth” you grumbled making Auston raise his hands in surrender.

“My apologies for the slander, miss.”

You rolled your eyes and jostled your shoulder into his before settling your head there instead. “I’m just tired from the move and everyone here seems very…extroverted?” you tried, not wanting to speak poorly of the group you barely knew.

“Look, I get it” he replied, ruffling your hair gently. “Can I please get you a drink now? At least your hands will be busy then.”

You nodded against his shoulder before raising your head so he could go grab your favorite drink. You were surprised when his place was quickly filled by a blonde-haired boy with mischievous blue eyes.

“You must be Julia, I’m Willy” he smiled, offering his hand for you to shake. You smirked, gripping his hand in your own. You were not, in fact, Julia, but this should be entertaining.

“Nice to meet you, Willy. I hope Auston hasn’t said anything too horrific about me.”

“Oh no, nothing like that. I just wanted to make sure I talked to you before things got too serious with him.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I mean a gorgeous girl like yourself should know that I am available and a much, much better catch” he stated confidently and you threw your head back with laughter.

“Well, I may as well hear the sales pitch now” you smirked, pleasantly surprised by the tipsy man before you.

“I mean first of all” he said, simply pointing to his hairline, which drew a gasp from your mouth as you whacked his arm, “I’m just saying!”

“What are you ‘just saying’ to my cousin, William?”

Will’s blue eyes widened as he processed Auston’s words. “Wait so you’re…not Julia?”

Auston handed you your drink, “No, this is Y/N, weirdo. I was going to bring Julia to dinner tomorrow night but maybe I won’t now. How long did she have you going?”

“Long enough to put my foot in my mouth” he admitted and you smirked, pleased at the pink tinge rising to his cheeks. “But not so long that I can’t recover?” he questioned.

“Stay tuned” you replied, maintaining eye contact as you took a sip of your drink. Luckily, Auston was called away leaving just you two again.

“I swear, I’m not usually like that” he began and you tilted your head slightly.

“Like what?”

He seemed at a loss for words so you chuckled, “You’re fine, I’ll stop fucking with you now. You were just so confidently wrong, I had to see where things went.”

He chuckled to himself, “Confidently wrong is kind of a good summary for me actually…”

“The great William Nylander? No, I’d say most the time your confidence is probably just right.”

“You even knew who I was and still let me make a fool of myself?!”

You giggled and nodded, “I obviously know who you are, I watch as many of Ton’s games as I can. You’re usually playing in them too.”

“Wait, so rewind. You’re Tony’s cousin?”

“Not by blood, but yeah. We grew up together and our families are super close. He’s been trying to get me out here forever, so when a better job opened up in my company’s Toronto location, how could I say no?”

“When did you move?”

You jokingly checked your watch, “About eight hours ago now.”

“Oh well, welcome! I love it here.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah” he nodded, sipping his drink and you couldn’t help how your eyes were drawn to his mouth with the movement. “I moved around so much as a kid; this is the longest I’ve ever lived in one place. Minus summers in Sweden, obviously”

“I would love to go to Sweden” you admitted. “It looks so beautiful.”

As he began passionately talking about Sweden, conversation flowed seamlessly between you. He seemed genuinely interested in your answers to the questions he asked, eyes always remaining firmly on you in a way that made your stomach flip but also steadied you in the otherwise loud room.

You were dragged from your conversation as the countdown to the New Year began.

“Damn, it’s almost midnight already?” you questioned, checking your watch that had long since been forgotten.

“Guess so…do you want to ring in the New Year together?” Will asked and you were surprised by the tentative tone of his voice. Your eyes rose to meet his and you noted the nerves showing in the crinkle of his eyes.

“Yeah, sure” you smiled, scootching closer to him. “I have to admit, I’m surprised you didn’t seem confident I’d say yes.”

“I mean I wouldn’t want to come in too hot, making assumptions—that would be embarrassing, no?” he joked as he wrapped a tender arm around your shoulders.

“Of course, wouldn’t want to make that same mistake twice in one evening” you teased back and you earned a rich laugh from him that made your toes curl and you dipped your head to hide your grin. As the countdown entered single digits, your eyes rose to meet his again but he was focused somewhere just beyond your shoulder before turning his attention back to you.

“3…2…1…Happy New Year!” the room erupted but your world had shrunk to just you and Willy. You had a sneaking suspicion it had been Auston who briefly grabbed his attention from you, which was confirmed as he leaned in to place a gentle kiss to your cheek rather than going in for the kiss. You were disappointed until you felt his mouth brush your ear, sending a shiver down your spine, “Happy New Year, Y/N.”

***

Once Will had given the bottle of wine and his thanks to Mitch and Stephanie for hosting, his eyes were scanning the room for you. He’d been kicking himself for months since meeting you for not getting your number on New Year’s but Auston’s stern stare had scared him off, as embarrassed as he was to admit it. He just hadn’t wanted to risk his friendship with his teammate, or worse, make you uncomfortable since you’d just met. Plus, the firm “If you hurt her, you’re dead to me” lecture Auston had given him the next day at practice had driven the point home.

So, some combination of your new job and Auston’s protectiveness had kept you away from any team, family, and friends get together’s until now, just as the regular season was wrapping up. Just as he had begun to give up hope that he’d see you again, Mitch mentioned that Auston had RSVP’d for 3 people, you and a plus one that he assumed was whatever girl Tony was currently seeing. Will didn’t waste another minute before confirming his own attendance.

His heart sped up as he saw you chatting with Johnny, your body language so much more relaxed than when he met you months ago. He made his way to you and when your eyes met his, the broad grin you sent his way knocked him out.

“Willy!” you called, standing to greet him with a warm hug.

“Hey, it’s been too long, how have you been?” he asked, pulling away just far enough to take you in. “You look beautiful tonight, of course.”

He was rewarded with a dip of your head as you hid your shy smile at his compliment, “I’ve been good, busy, so I’m glad Tony mentioned this dinner, it’s nice to see everyone.”

A long pause filled the air as he simply gazed into your warm, smiling eyes. “Hey Willy, I’m here too” his captain called from behind you and Willy laughed, greeting him with a handshake.

“Sorry man, it’s just been a minute since I’ve seen Y/N here” he shrugged sheepishly. John nodded, clapping him on the back, “Since New Year’s, yeah?”

Will shot him a questioning look but Johnny only smirked before walking off to chat with another group.

“Will, you’ve been having such an amazing season, I’m so happy for you” you smiled, settling back down in your seat and patting the spot next to you. He quickly sat where directed, pleased that the small couch made his outer thigh gently press into yours—he was even more content when you didn’t shift your leg away but closer to his.

“Thanks, I appreciate it. Just trying to gear up for the Playoff’s now. How have you been, settling in well?”

As you two caught up with small talk, he wracked his brain on how to ask you out without making it weird in case you said no. This conversation flowed just as well as your first and your sly humor shone through even more now that you seemed more at ease.

“I’ve missed seeing you at other parties like this” he admitted when the conversation naturally lulled.

“I think Auston may have refrained from inviting me to a few” you admitted, rolling your eyes. “And then the last few just didn’t work with my schedule. I was happy when Ton mentioned you’d be here tonight though.”

“Yeah?” he asked, hopeful as his heart began pattering more intensely.

“Yeah” you grinned, knocking your shoulder into his. “I really enjoyed hanging with you last time.”

“Me too” he smiled, taking in the genuine joy on your face. “I was actually wondering…”

He trailed off as he saw your eyes shift behind him and widen. “Jake!” you called, standing up and waving over an unfamiliar guy who wrapped you in an embrace and quickly pecked your cheek.

“Hey pretty lady, sorry I’m a little late. The subway got delayed” he replied, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ears. “Is this Will?”

As introductions were made, Will’s heart sank as he realized your boyfriend was the plus one, not Auston’s girl. It looked like he’d missed his chance with you after all.

***

You worked your way through the crowd, pausing as people you’d grown close to since your move to Toronto stopped you to chat. Johnny and his wife were hosting the start of the season party, welcoming everyone back to Toronto after being wherever they called home in the off season. You were hoping Will would be here but had refrained from asking Auston to avoid his eye rolls and protective bullshit.

When you’d seen Will at that spring party, you couldn’t admit to him that you’d partially been avoiding him. Not because you didn’t like him, but the opposite—you’d felt so drawn to him on New Year’s only to have Auston insert himself in the middle of things. After enough time had passed, you’d finally let your coworker set you up on that blind date with Jake. Who was nice but had basically been wiped from your mind when you’d met Will’s eyes across the room that second night.

You’d let yourself get wrapped up in the press of his leg on yours, the intense focus of his eyes as you caught up. Had allowed yourself to slip into the flirtation that had flowed so naturally between you during your first meeting. Until Jake had arrived, and you’d noted Will deflate before excusing himself.

You’d seen him a few times since then but he kept a wide berth, which you understood. But it had sucked and drove home that as nice as Jake is, he wasn’t the one for you. Which is why, several months out from that split, you were determined to make your move on Will—enough with waiting.

You grabbed a drink and surveyed the room, heart fluttering as you heard Willy’s signature laugh from across the room. He was talking with a younger guy you didn’t recognize but you strode over anyway. “Will!” you called and he spun, wide-eyed, at your voice.

“Y/N?” he smiled uncertainly but you just pulled him into a tight embrace.

“How was your summer? Tell me all about Sweden” you grinned, quickly introducing yourself to the rookie beside him who made himself scarce.

“Sure, but you seem…different” he noted, scanning your form as if he could find the answer there.

“Do I? I mean, not much has changed except Jake and I broke up” you offered and his eyes widened slightly.

“I’m sorry?” he offered.

“Don’t be. He was nice but it just wasn’t it, you know?”

He nodded, eyes skimming around the room before pulling out his phone. “Here, let me show you some photos from back home.”

You leaned into the comfort of his warmth, your eyes either taking in each photo he selected to show you or tracing the familiar lines of his face as he swiped through his camera roll. He was just so beautiful.

“It looks like a great summer, are you bummed to be back?” you joked and he chuckled, shaking his head.

“No, I always love coming back to Toronto—this is home too” he replied, eyes boring into yours. You couldn’t help yourself as you reached up to sweep a strand of hair that had fallen into his face, your hand lingering there, cupping his cheek.

“Y/N…” he breathed and you were surprised when his eyes left yours to once again scan the room. His phone lit up, drawing your attention, just as he began. “I actually am…”  

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry” you cut him off, drawing your hand back, eyes fixed on his lock screen—a gorgeous shot of him with a beautiful woman tucked into his side.

His gaze followed yours and he quickly locked his phone screen, mouth forming a hard line. “No, I’m sorry. I should have been up front but whenever I see you, I just…”

“You just what?” you asked quietly, unable to stop yourself.

“I can only think of keeping you close. Even when I know I can’t, so I’m sorry.”

You sadly shook your head forcing a smile, “No, I did the same thing to you, didn’t I? I get it. I hope she makes you happy Will, have a great season” you assured him, squeezing his shoulder before excusing yourself from the party altogether.

***

Will wasn’t one to believe in fate but it seemed like the stars may be finally aligning as he entered Auston’s apartment to celebrate New Year’s Eve. He’d done his homework this time, enlisting Steph to make sure you weren’t seeing anyone. After your last encounter, his fledgling relationship hadn’t lasted long—not when all he could think about was you. That wasn’t fair to her, so he’d broken things off and thrown himself into the season. It was a contract year for him, he had to focus. But that focus didn’t stop him from noting that some of his best games were ones where he knew you’d be in the crowd.

Will wandered over to the large windows filling Ton’s living room, taking in the city skyline. He’d done a few laps but had yet to see you. Truth be told, he wasn’t in much of a party mood—he just wanted to see you. So, he wondered off from the main party down the hallway to what he knew to be Ton’s guest room for some quiet. He didn’t hear any noise from behind the door so he gently opened it, startling when he saw you curled up on the bed.

You hadn’t noticed the door opening, your head buried in a book with Taylor Swift playing softly from your phone. He took a moment to enjoy the sight before him—you, dressed to the nine’s, feet wrapped in fuzzy socks, eyes fervently scanning the pages before you, heels forgotten beside him by the door.

“Y/N?” he spoke softly, as to not startle you but you jumped anyway.

“Will?” you questioned, your head tilting to the side. “What are you doing here?”

“The New Year’s Eve party, silly, what are you doing locked away in here looking so beautiful?”

He was thrilled when you ducked your head, trying to hide the flattered smile that bloomed on your face. “Promise not to laugh.”

“Scout’s honor” he promised, settling on the foot of the bed.

“I’m on the last book of this fantasy series and I just wanted to make sure everyone got through the battle okay” you chuckled, holding up your nearly finished book. “I said hi to everyone but when I didn’t see you, I just wondered in here to try and finish it before midnight.”

“Well, is everyone safe and sound? I wouldn’t want to disturb you” he teased lightly and you rolled your eyes.

“Yeah, I have like ten pages left” you chuckled. “I’ll come out and join the party in a few, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry” he shrugged, standing up but then stopped himself. “Would you actually care if I hung in here with you? I’m not in much of a party mood.”

“Sure” you beamed, scooting over on the bed to make room for him beside you. He slipped his shoes off, crawling up the bed to settle into your side, arm wrapped around your middle as you lifted your book.

“Is this okay?” he questioned quietly and you hummed in answer.

“Here, just lay down—that way I can rest my book on your shoulders” you motioned towards your lap and he didn’t have to be told twice, settling his head on your satin covered thighs.

A comfortable silence filled the room, broken only by you flipping the pages of your book. Will could stay this way forever, your scent wrapped around him, his breathing slowing to match your own.

As he began drifting off, you closed the book and set it aside. He felt your focus shift fully to him but he kept his eyes closed, not wanting to break this peaceful spell. He could have purred when your fingers gently ran through his hair, lightly massaging his scalp whenever your hand returned to the top of his head.

“I’m single” he murmured, nuzzling deeper into your lap.

“I know” you answered and he turned to look up into your eyes, confusion evident there judging by your chuckle. “I asked Stephanie.”

He let out a loud laugh, gently taking your hand in his own, “I may have done the same thing” he admitted, causing you to snort and shake your head.

“So, what does that mean?” you asked quietly.

“Hopefully, it means that when I ask you out, you’ll say yes” he questioned, nerves oddly not coming to his stomach. He knew how long you both had wanted this, the timing just never being quite right.

“Well, I can’t wait to say yes then” you smiled, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to his brow bone as your alarm rang from the nightstand. “Oh, time to get up, it’s 11:55.”

He shifted in response, sitting up and stretching, attempting to smooth out his shirt.

“Here” you offered walking towards him, heels firmly on your feet. He paused his fussing, allowing you to straighten his collar and smooth out the wrinkles that had developed on his chest. Your hand gently ran through his hair, settling down any stray hairs that had fallen out of place. “All better. Do I look alright?”

“You look perfect” he said honestly, rising off the bed and wrapping an arm around your shoulder. As you both exited the room, he marveled at how perfectly you fit there, tucked into his side.

The countdown had begun and Will’s eyes scanned the room, noting Auston immediately finding the two of you in the crowd.

“He’s intolerable” you mumbled, eyes also falling on Tony across the room. As the crowd counted down from ten, a giggle rose in his throat as you jokingly raised your middle finger to your cousin before turning back to him.

His hands settled on your hips, pulling you flush against him as your hands cupped his jaw, thumb caressing his cheek. With the New Year beginning, your lips finally met his and he wound his fingers through your hair to pull you closer. As your mouths moved in perfect harmony together, the rightness of this moment settled around him.

As the crowd picked back up again, he pulled away, resting his forehead against yours. “Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow night?”

“You have a game tomorrow, silly” you answered, chuckling. “But you can take me out the next night.”

A/N: I hope y'all enjoyed! Please forgive any typos, I am in fact working through a concussion currently. It turns out writing for Willy has become one of my new favorite things to do. Always happy to hear feedback :)

[swissboyhisch]

Halloween Surprise

Pairing: Matthew Knies x Marner!Reader

Summary: The team's Halloween party seemed like the perfect time to reveal to everyone who you were dating.

Word Count: 2546

Warnings: Alcohol, blood, a little bit of 18+ content towards the end.

THE MASTERLIST JOIN THE TAGLIST HOCKEY DISCORD

Halloween. Your favourite holiday by far. Growing up, your parents decorated the house with tons of decorations and your mum always went all out with family costumes. When you moved to Toronto to live with your older brother and his girlfriend, you were always in charge of organising the Halloween parties or costumes. 

And nothing changed. As soon as it was announced it was Mitch’s turn to host the team’s Halloween party, he came straight to you. It was your job to organise everything but luckily, since Mitch will be busy with the start of the hockey season, Steph is more than happy to help you. It would give her something to do. And it means the two of you can spend more time together. 

First thing was to create a list of people who would get the invites. Then organise a time and place for the party. Mitch and Steph said they’re happy to have it at their place instead of hiring out a place. Due to game schedule conflict, the party was going to take place on the Friday before Halloween.

Once the who, what, when and where was decided, Steph and you designed the invites and sent those out as soon as possible. Next was the entertainment. You had a couple Halloween Playlists from previous parties you had hosted so you just said you would bring your audio system and set it up around the house and use Spotify. Food wise, Steph said that she was thinking the two of you make the food the couple days leading up to it. She loved to cook, and you loved to bake so it was the perfect pair. Drinks were just going to be bins with cans of alcohol and soft drink in them and pitchers of cocktails. Then it was just costumes for you guys and decorating the house and backyard.

“What are we going to dress as?” Asked Mitch as he joined the planning party of you and Steph on the couch. 

You just smirk, “You two are going to be a ken and barbie variant. It fits so perfectly.”

Steph let out a squeal of excitement. It really was perfect for them. “Oh my god, yes!”

“And Auston is going to be Alan. A permanent third wheel.”

“What are you going to do?”

“It’s a surprise,” You retorted to your brother. As a fashion major, you had an endless number of options. But one in particular was the number one choice. It wasn’t hard but it was a fun one. “You’ll see at the party.”

Then it was onto planning the couple’s costumes. For Steph, you were thinking of a cute pink satin dress that stopped mid high. Low cut but not as low as you could go. A pair of cute white heels and white accessories. Her hair is in waves with pink makeup and hints of silver. A white clutch to top it off.

Mitch, luckily, will go with whatever you choose. Which is going to be matching pink pants, a white button down not fully buttoned and a pink satin scarf in the pocket. That will be made from the same fabric as the dress. His hair will be styled and maybe you can convince him to have a little makeup on.

Auston was a little harder, but he was going to be dressed in blue pants that are the same as Mitch’s and shirt striped like Alan’s sweater in the movie. A permanent third wheel who you question their involvement in a relationship.

You lived in an apartment in the city, close to where you work. Since Mitch and Steph got married, well a bit before that, you managed to find an apartment and skedaddle out of there. So, you found yourself the night before the party organising your bag full of your costume to take over to Mitch’s place early in the morning. It was late but it had to be done now and you had gone to the game against the Stars.

Your apartment's buzzer going off surprised you. No-one was expected. When you peaked at the camera footage, the familiar boy dressed in the same suit as earlier was standing there waving at the camera. You were quick to let him in and eagerly await his arrival. 

“Hey,” Matt greeted as you let him into your apartment. Pressing a kiss to your lips. “What are you doing?”

“What am I doing? What are you doing here at this time of night?”

He shrugged off his suit jacket and hung it up on your coat rack, “Was on my way back to John’s from the arena and thought I’d stop in.”

“And does John know where you are?” You question. 

“Yes, I told him,” Matt whispers, his lips brushing against yours softly. His warm breath mixes with your own. “Don’t worry your pretty little head.”

You had to shower so despite Matt already showering at the arena he took up the opportunity to join in on your naked task. The two of you took a little longer than necessary but it was all in good fun. Now you were cuddled up in your bed with Coraline on the tv.

“Seriously?” Matt chuckles when he sees the movie title card. 

You just shrugged innocently, “it’s a favourite at this time of year.”

“This time of year?” He laughs harder knowing the truth behind that statement. “You mean any time of year.”

The next morning you were up early regardless of Matt’s whining when your alarm went off. The brunette tried to keep you in bed a little longer, but you wanted to get ready and head over to Mitch’s. The boys had a morning skate so you knew Matt would have to get up anyway. No sympathy from you.

“I’ll see you tonight. You have your costume right?” You mumble. 

Matt hums, pressing a reassuring kiss on your lips. “Yes, I have everything. I get dressed then just have to style my hair and splatter some blood from that bottle over my face and hands.”

“Perfect.” You pressed a kiss to his lips one final time and headed out the door. “Lock up on your way out!”

Steph and you had done most of the cooking and baking yesterday. The big decorations were already done as well, just the main decorations and little bits and pieces were to be put in place. 

The drive to your brother’s went quicker than you expected. But it was welcomed as you and Mitch crossed paths; him heading to practice and you arriving. He gave you a quick hug before you retreated into the house where Steph was eagerly waiting.

“Let’s get this started,” She says excitedly, pressing play on her phone.

Halloween themed songs started playing through the music system you guys had set up the previous day. You two finished off the food first giving it time to rest and cool. Then onto decorations. Starting with the inside, you decorated the entryway, then lounge room and dining room before finishing with the backyard.

“I think we are finished,” Steph states happily, looking over the pair of you’s hard work.

With a glance at your phone, it was 3pm. Perfect time to slowly start to get ready. “I’m gonna go have a shower and start getting ready.”

“Good idea.”

You went straight to your old room that had an ensuite and started to lay out your outfit. A pair of black booty shorts, a black lace corset bra, a blood splattered white button down and a pair of fishnets. That was the basis of your costume. Then a mask that was the same as Matt’s, both lighting up blue.

First things first, shower and prep first before starting on your hair. Then onto make-up, pretty simple, before getting into your costume. The last touch was blood splattering over your make-up. When you finished getting ready, you went downstairs to make a cocktail for Steph and yourself.

“Oo, what’s on the menu?” Steph questions as she comes downstairs in her costume.

“You look so good!” Steph did a twirl for you. “Ah, I picked the perfect costume.”

At the mention of that, Mitch came down solidifying the choice. He was the perfect Ken. Complimenting Steph’s barbie. When he came into the kitchen, he looked you over. Looking at your costume. “What are you?”

“From the purge,” You answer. You poured two cocktails into nice glasses and slid it over to Steph. “Cheers to another successful Halloween.”

“Cheers.”

When you took your first sip, the doorbell rang. Mitch went to greet whichever teammate had arrived first. And knowing the team, it’s either Mitch’s boyfriend (Auston) or the captain and his wife.

“What’s up little Marns?” Auston greets as he presses a kiss to your cheek. “I like the costume.”

“Thanks Aus.”

The group all enjoyed the music that was playing and the alcohol while waiting for others. Soon Will and his girlfriend arrived dressed as Fred and Daphne from Scooby Doo. Penny joined the other two girls drinking cocktails while the boys sat around outside chatting.

“So, are you still talking to that guy?” Steph asks.

Penny immediately turns on you. “Guy? What guy?”

“Uh,” You stutter. Steph was the only person to know you were talking to a guy. But she didn’t know who he was. “Yeah, I’m still talking to the guy.”

“Who is he?” 

You shrug and go to answer the door as an excuse to leave the conversation. The person knocked at the door again as you walked down the hallway. 

“You will tell us sooner or later,” Steph calls from the kitchen.

The door opened to reveal Matthew, dressed exactly how you envisioned. God, he looked so good. Even with the blood splattered all over him. The brunette lifted his mask and smiled down at you. Well, more like smirked. 

“Heya babe,” he muttered, making sure to peek over your shoulder before pressing a kiss to your lips.

“Hey, you look good!”

“So do you.”

You shut the door behind him and lead him through to the kitchen. As soon as Steph took in Matthew’s costume, she knew exactly who you were talking to. Her eyes lit up as she ran to hug the boy. It was the first team event for Steph to meet the rookie player.

“Hi, welcome to the team,” Steph rushes out excitedly. She looked over the pair of you and your matching costumes. “How are you liking Toronto?”

“I have a good guide,” He replies, sending a small smile to the girl beside him.

“Where’s the captain?” Mitch asks when he sees Knies. 

You waited for your brother’s reaction but it seemed like it wasn’t clicking. Oh well, it will make sense at some point in his golden retriever brain. 

Matt shrugs, “He and Aryne were waiting on the babysitter.”

“Ah, come join the boys out back,” Mitch suggests, already making his way outside again. 

Steph lets out a chuckle, “We’ll see if it clicks for him at some point.”

Matt just shrugged again and kissed you once more and made his way to join his teammates outside on the patio. When the backdoor shut, Steph and Penny both turned and gave you a look.

“The rookie? Really?”

“He’s cute,” You argue.

The pair both agree with a laugh and start to ask you a billion questions. When did you meet him? Where? What was your first date? At the arena before a preseason game. Then he took you out for a late-night meal at a diner.

Soon the house was full of team members and staff dressed in every type of costume you could imagine. Funny, scary, awesome, iconic. You name it, someone is dressed in it. Everyone was mingling and snacking on all the things you and Steph had made during the week. 

“Hey,” Matt greets as he comes up to you talking to Aryne. 

Aryne smiled at the two of you dressed up together. “I love the costumes.”

“That was all her,” The brunette grinned. He pressed a kiss to your temple but soon was interrupted by a yell.

“What?!” You turn to where Mitch was standing with William and Auston. “No way.”

Steph was quick to drag Mitch inside, with the other two of the trio following suit. Luckily not many people had seen the scene created. Knowing your brother, if you and Matt delayed the conversation any longer, he’d come and drag you too in as well. 

“Let’s get this over with,” You mutter, slipping your hand into Matt’s.

As soon as you stepped foot into the living room, Mitch only paid attention to the joint hands. “Oh no, no, no.” He speeds up to you two and separates you both. “Not for the life of me are you dating a hockey player.”

“Come on Mitch.”

He shook his head. “No. I told mum and dad I’d protect you when you moved out here with me.”

“Mitch, I’m not 18 anymore. I’m a big girl. I can date who I want without your permission.”

Knowing he wasn’t going to convince you, he turned on Matthew. He got up in the rookie’s face. “And you! I told you that my sister was off limits!”

Matt couldn’t get in a word before you stepped in and pushed your brother a step back. But he was quick to pull you into his side. 

“Mitch,” Steph murmured.

“I’m serious about her,” Matt spoke up. “She’s perfect. Smart, beautiful, talented. She’s not your sister, she’s just her own, amazing person.”

You teared up. That last point he said was an insecurity you had shared with him. People only want to be with you because of your brother. “Matty.”

“She’s my person,” Matt stated. Making sure to look your brother in the eyes to convey how serious he was. 

“Let them be Mitch,” Auston chuckles, “They like each other. If he hurts her we can beat him later.”

“Fine,” your brother huffed. 

You skipped up to him and hugged him. “Thanks Mitchy. Love you!”

Without another word, you intertwined your fingers with Matt’s and dragged him to your old room.

“Door stays open!” Mitch screams when he realises where you were going. 

You didn’t listen to your brother’s order though. Matt made sure to slam the door loud enough for your brother to hear it over the music. When the door was closed, Matt immediately pulled off your mask from the top of your head before kissing you hard. 

“God you look so good,” He groaned “And your ass in those shorts.”

After making sure the door was locked, you pushed Matt onto the bed. First piece of clothing to come off was the button down. Revealing the lacy corset for all to see. For Matt to see. 

“Damn baby.”

You giggle and dance along to the faint sound of ‘I Put A Spell On You’. Matt grabs your hips guiding you close and flipped the script, making you on the bed and leaned over you. His hand gripped onto your hip as he rubbed his hard dick against your pussy. You let out a quiet moan which only spurred the man on more.

“Yeah, I’m gonna make you scream,” He smirks.

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[leafs-lover]

“My boyfriend will kill us if he finds out.” With Auston

FWB!Auston taken from this prompt list.

A/N: I thought it would be hard to get into these, writing has been hard recently. This one came very easy but I did not proof read it🤷‍♀️

Warnings: cheating, smut, swearing, drinking

Your relationship was Auston was complicated, and that's assuming you could call it a relationship. It started off just as you'd expected it to.

Sex.

He'd message you, you'd show up, sometimes you'd watch a movie or order in some food. You always ended up in his bed, and almost always woke up beside him. Conversation came easy and soon you found yourself sending text messages while he was on the road, FaceTime and even the occasional night out for some drinks with some of the other players.

You both agreed to keep it easy and casual, no strings, and to just enjoy it all but months went by, and you found yourself yearning for more. And maybe he did too but he wouldn't admit it, and when days of silence would creep upon you or he would get uncomfortable following the chime of his phone, you knew you had to protect yourself. And that meant pulling away.

You kept telling yourself that time was the last time, then days later you were back in his bed. He had a firm hold on you and it was hard to break free.

Then came Sam.

Like Auston, it started off physical and slowly evolved, the only difference was he had no problem telling you how he felt and what he wanted. As time went on Auston’s text often went unanswered and Sam helped you to close that door.

Everything was good, great even, months went by and you hadn’t heard from him, you hadn’t even thought of him, that is until Sarah picked Locals Only as the location for girls night.

The music was loud, the drinks were cold and plentiful, and your dress was low cut and tight. It hugged you perfectly, accentuated your hips and left little to the imagination. You hadn’t worn it in a while, let it hang in the closet, but something about tonight felt like the right time to break it out again.

After spending the last three songs dancing you found yourself stumbling down the hall to the bathroom. You tug at the Flamingo bathroom. Locked. You venture to the Sunflower bathroom. Locked. The Unicorn bathroom. Locked.

"This one is open," an all too familiar voice calls from behind, making the hairs at the nape of your neck rise.

"Thanks." Your heart is pounding through your chest, hoping that the alcohol has your mind playing a trick on you, it can’t be him. As you turn around and see him, you mutter a curse word because of course he looks good. Dark curls popping under his plain white ball cap, a shirt that molds to his biceps, every muscle really. He smiles, a small and crooked one that makes his mustache curl ever so slightly, and you suddenly forget why you walked away in the first place.

You take longer than you should. Trying to think over the night, digging into your memory to try and remember if you saw him earlier tucked in a corner, wondering how long he spent watching you, if he waited for a moment to pull you aside or if it was pure coincidence.

It's two songs later when you decide to brave the outside world again. You need some water, maybe fresh air, something to calm your nerves. Surely, he isn't there anymore.

The second the door opens you feel his large body press against yours, walking you back inside. He smells richly of his cologne and booze and his cheeks are flushed.

"What are you doing?" You ask as the lock catches.

"Missed you." Auston doesn't bother answering your question, you already know.

"Auston." You almost choke on your own tongue, but when his soft hand lifts your chin and you meet the dark brown eyes, every part of you melts. They always were your favourite part.

Auston ducks down and presses his lips to yours. Even though the small voice in the back of your head told you not to surrender, to think of Sam, his lips were your second favourite thing about him, and you press forward. You take his face in the palm of your hand and scratch your nails along his jaw. His wander down your sides, venturing toward your hips. Your mouths fuse together, and the kiss quickly becomes feverish and hungry.

"Hi." Auston mumbles against you when he finally needs some air. His lips are red and puffy from kissing, coated in your lip gloss.

"Hi." You pull him back down for another kiss, you'll always have a sweet spot for him.

"I always loved this dress on you." His voice it thick, full of gravel.

"I remember."

"Remember what we did last time in this bathroom?" His face curls into a satisfied smirk as his lips ghost over the shell of your ear.

"What are you doing?" You ask as you feel his hand slip under the hem of your dress and push the satin underwear down your thighs. Just like last time, his lips hit your neck, then your collarbone, and that spot below your ear. The dangerously thin straps fall off your shoulder and your breasts spring free, quickly being met by one of his signature cocky smiles.

"Taking a trip down memory lane."

The whiskey runs hot in your veins and the bass booms under your feet. He guides your hand toward his growing bulge, and just like last time you make work at his belt and undo it, forcing his jeans a few inches down his thighs. Auston bites at your neck when your hand slips under his boxers and utters the same curse words as before when you tug on his length encouraging him to grow.

Exactly like last time, his spare hand moves between your bodies and toys at your entrance. One finger slips inside, and your walls greedily suck it in. He is quick to add another, curling them in until you are tugging at his dark curls. Just like every single time, he finds the spot that makes your knees weak and hits it over and over. His grin somehow gets cockier with every strained cry you let out.

"God, I fucking missed you." Auston pulls his fingers out and turns you around to face the mirror.

Just like last time, he kicks your legs apart and bends you over the counter, putting your ass and dripping cunt on display for him.

“My boyfriend will kill us if he finds out.” A lump forms in your throat.

"Better not tell him then."

You both moan in unison as he enters you, you always did. It takes one thrust to forget about Sam and a second to forget how bad an idea this is. By the time the third deep and hard thrust comes, shunting you up the counter, you know absolutely nothing is going to stop you until his warm and sticky cum fills your pussy. Just like every time before.

[spine-buster]

Lost in the Memory | Ryan O'Reilly | Volume III

gif credit @/heddy

A/N: This is just porn, basically.

“It’s gonna be good to be fuckin’ home, I can tell you that much.”

A delay at the airport meant that Ryan and the boys didn’t land in Toronto until the middle of the night.  Factoring in the drive from the airport to Summerhill, he didn’t walk through the door until almost 2:30 in the morning.  He walked in to the low hum of the TV, an old episode of Law and Order: SVU playing.  Whitney was asleep on the couch, clearly having tried to wait up for him, but failing.  She looked cozy under the blanket, and so peaceful that Ryan almost didn’t want to disturb her.

Though he had been living in the house since being traded, for what felt like the first time since he moved, he took a long look around the main floor.  It had been Whitney’s and Whitney’s alone for the past ten days.  Truthfully, it had been Whitney’s and Whitney’s alone since he bought it for her.  When he bought it, he did so because when he and Whitney saw it, she fell in love with it.  It reminded her of the house she grew up in, just that it was in a city, and Ryan wanted her to have it.  During the restoration and renovation, and over the years, she had truly put her mark on it.  Her stamp was everywhere, and that’s what he loved most about it.  It was a home for her, and it was a home for him, too, because wherever Whitney was, was home. 

Ryan bent down so he could be near eye contact with her, taking in her features.  Her beautiful long lashes she’d had since they were kids.  The littlest scar on her chin from when Owen accidentally hit her with a ministick.  Her perfectly shaped lips he loved to kiss whenever he could.  Her long, beautiful hair he loved to run his hands through.  He did just that, as softly as he could, to wake her up.  “Whitney…sweetness…” he cooed.  She didn’t wake up at first.  “Sweetness…” he was slightly louder.

Her eyes fluttered open, looking almost in disbelief that he was in front of her.  “Snook…” she mumbled.

“Let’s go to bed,” he said.

“I tried to stay up, Snook—”

“—Don’t apologize, sweetness.  It’s okay.  Let’s just go to bed.  C’mon,” he said, grabbing at her arms and wrapping them around his neck.  He proceeded to pick her up bridal style and carry her up the stairs to her bedroom.  Their bedroom.

Whitney was smart and had already changed into her pajamas.  After he laid her in bed, Ryan stripped out of his clothes quickly, leaving only his boxers on before her crawled into bed and pulled the sheets and comforter over their bodies.  “D’you want me to make you some French toast tomorrow morning?” she asked.

“Shhhhhh,” he cooed, snuggling up behind her as the big spoon.  She had work tomorrow, so he didn’t even know why she was offering.  Well, that was a lie…he did know: because she was Whitney.  And they always looked after one another.  But he wasn’t going to be that person – waking her up at 2am only to agree for her to wake up early to make him breakfast.  What was he, a chauvinist?  “Go to sleep, sweetness.  Don’t worry about tomorrow morning.”

He heard a little sigh leave her.  “I’m so happy you’re finally home, Snook.”

“Me too.  Me too.”

***

When Whitney got home from work that Monday, Ryan was making dinner.  She walked into the house smelling like homemade chicken soup, which she loved.  It reminded her of growing up.  And though she was grown up now, she was always nostalgic for her past; she thought most people were, especially if they enjoyed their childhoods.

“Welcome home,” Ryan was already looking over his shoulder at her as she made her way into the kitchen. 

“Thanks,” she smiled.  “Damn Snook, I could get used to this.”

He smiled.  “Smells good?”

“When you’re my husband I hope the house smells like this all the time.”

Whitney didn’t realize exactly which words were leaving her mouth when she opened it.  But when they finally came out, she couldn’t believe her mind strung the sentence together.  It was as if her innermost thoughts were starting to overpower her conscience.  She watched as Ryan chuckled slightly.  “I have some good news,” he immediately changed the subject.

Whitney gulped, pushing everything down.  “What’s that?”

“I get my cast off soon,” he revealed.

Whitney smiled wide.  “You can finally put that hand back to good use.”

“You mean, like, by scoring goals?”

“Obviously.  It’s not like it’s useful for much else.”

Whitney yelped as Ryan grabbed hold of her and pulled her towards his body, wrapping his arms around her midsection so she couldn’t escape.  “You take that back right now,” he grumbled playfully.  “These hands have probably done more to pleasure you than your own hands.”

“You severely underestimate how I often I masturbate to the thought of you fucking me,” she kept playing her game.

“You’re a sexual deviant.”

“You started it,” she winked.

Ryan peppered her face with kisses.  “I’m so happy to be home with you, sweetness.  How was work?”

I’d rather be taking care of our kids right now.  “It was fine.  Same old.  Can we cuddle on the couch tonight while watching episodes of SVU?”

Ryan smiled.  “I don’t want to do anything else.”

After eating their chicken soup and cleaning up the kitchen, Ryan queued up episodes of Law and Order while Whitney washed her makeup off and changed into something more comfortable.  When she emerged from the bedroom, Ryan was already on the couch and ready with a blanket.  She was wearing a pair of bike shorts and one of Ryan’s newest Leafs workout shirts.  While it was no doubt big on her, it was tight around her chest, making it very obvious she wasn’t wearing a bra and very obvious she’d appreciate the warmth of his body and the blanket.  The Adam’s apple in his throat bobbed dramatically when he saw her.  Without even trying, she was so incredibly sexy to him. 

“Ready?” she asked.

He nodded.  “C’mere, sweetness,” he opened up the blanket, allowing her to crawl in and snuggle up next to him, draping her legs over his.  After placing one of his hands in between her thighs, he pressed play. 

It was about halfway through the first episode they watched that Ryan’s hand began massaging between Whitney’s thighs.  She didn’t think much of it – he massaged her thighs all the time when they were cuddling like this – but then ever so slowly it began to move up.  By the time the second episode started, his hand was right near her core.  She looked over at him at one point, a small smile playing on her face.  “You can put your hand down my shorts, Snook.  It’s been ten years – you don’t have to ask for permission.”

“Yes I do,” he said quickly, moving his hand quickly so it slipped underneath the waistband of her shorts and back down to between her thighs.  He cupped her core briefly before his fingers played with her lips.  Slowly.  Painstakingly slowly.  As they watched the next episode, he teased her pussy much longer than Whitney was anticipating, though she wasn’t complaining.  Eventually, she almost couldn’t focus between her hero Olivia Benson and what Ryan was doing.  She’d close her eyes to focus on the feeling, then open them to focus on the show, rotating back and forth.

“Snook?”

“Sweetness?”

“You coming to Toronto was the best thing to ever happen,” she sighed out, her eyes closed.

He giggled at her words.  “Oh yeah?”

She let out another sign.  “Can we…” she began before trailing off.

“Tell me sweetness.  What do you want?”

“D’you remember when I came to visit you in St. Louis the first time after you won the Cup and we—we were cuddling on your couch watching TV and we—we—”

“Lie down,” he whispered, knowing exactly what she was referencing.  “Get comfortable, sweetness.”

His hand left her hot core as she lay down on the couch how she wanted.  Ryan got right behind her, his body flush against hers, mimicking every curve before he pulled his sweatpants down to free his cock.  He stroked himself quickly a few times before pulling her shorts down enough that he could slip his cock between her thighs and slowly into her core to cockwarm.  Whitney let out a satisfied sigh at the feeling, and Ryan could feel her body fully relax into his.

The sigh she let out was long and cathartic, as if all the strains and stresses of the day were released with it and she was finally at peace.  “That feels so nice,” she whispered.

“We haven’t done this in a while,” he commented, combing some of her hair back with his fingers. 

“I know.  Does it feel nice for you too?”

“Of course,” he replied.

“You’re so good to me, Snook.”

Ryan kissed her temple before draping his arm over her body, queuing the next episode of SVU to start.  They lay on the couch together in that position for at least two more episodes, making light conversation or commentary on the episode every so often.  Every time she moved slightly, Whitney was reminded of how good it felt to have Ryan inside her so intimately, even if it wasn’t sexual.  While she knew it was probably going to end with them making love eventually (at least it did last time), she truly valued just being like this with him.

While Benson and Stabler were trying to solve a case, Whitney could feel Ryan begin to slip his hand under her (his) shirt.  His hand eventually cupped one of her breasts, taking his time to knead it softly before he began to pinch her nipple.  Ryan could feel her chest rise and fall, little sighs escaping her.  Then, he began to kiss the exposed skin between her neck and shoulders, and there were more little sighs coming out of her that he could feel made his cock harden.  Eventually, neither were preoccupied with the crime Benson and Stabler were trying to solve; they were only preoccupied with each other.

“Snook?”

“Sweetness?”

“Make love to me, Snook.  Nice and slow.”

Ryan peppered her exposed skin with more kisses before he began to move his hips so he could pump his cock in and out of her in their spooning position.  He took it nice and slow, just like she wanted, because her sighs were driving him absolutely insane.  To him, they were worthy of the finest orchestras in the world.  “S’at good, baby?”

“Yeah, Ry.  It’s so good.”

“You need it like this?” he asked.  Whitney nodded her head.  “Tell me why.”

“Because I’m at work all day and all I can think about is wanting to be with you,” she said.  “And when it’s like this it’s so nice because it’s so…soft.”

Ryan couldn’t help but smile, kissing her again, making sure he didn’t get too far ahead of himself and go any faster than she wanted.  She felt incredible as always, and he was going to take advantage of being inside of her for as long as possible.  “Reminds me of the first time it happened on a couch,” Ryan whispered in her ear.  “Remember?  My parents were at a show here, Shannon was at a sleepover, and we were doing our best to watch that movie we can’t even remember.”

Whitney smiled.  “I remember.  I ended up on your lap within the first ten minutes.”

“That’s right,” Ryan chuckled.  “Couldn’t keep your hands off me.”

“If my memory serves me right, I’d say it was the other way around,” Whitney said.  “You were the one unzipping my shorts.”

“Those itty bitty jean shorts you used to wear?  Can you blame me?  Your ass looked great in those.  Come to think of it, they barely covered it.”

“That was the first time I let you fuck me without a condom, too,” Whitney mentioned.  “Remember?”

He did.  They’d been having sex and Ryan was using a condom religiously, and Whitney said the only way they could have sex without one was if they both got tested for STIs.  That’s what her parents taught her if she was going to become sexually active, and she was sticking to it.  Ryan didn’t put up a fuss about it at all.  He went to his doctor, got the required test, and showed Whitney.  Whitney did the same, even though Ryan knew she was fine since she had only ever had sex with him.  “Of course,” Ryan breathed out.  “How could I forget?”

Ryan continued to move in and out of her, his hand moving down her body and to her clit where he began to rub lazy circles, causing Whitney to squirm and let out some more sighs.  Though they were taking it nice and slow, Whitney could feel her orgasm building just as slowly, her body feeling hot after so much time of being engulfed in one another’s bodies.  She put her hand over Ryan’s, still rubbing circles on her clit.  “You take care of me in every way, Snook.  I hope you know that.”

She was met by silence from Ryan.  And in that silence, her mind began to wander.  Why wasn’t he answering?  Why hadn’t he said anything in return?  All he did was continue his movements to make her feel good, which was always nice, but…why didn’t he say anything?  Does he not believe it?  “I’m close, Ry.”

“Yeah?” he finally responded.

“Yeah.  I can’t wait to feel you come inside me.”

Eventually, when Ryan felt her entire body shiver, he knew her orgasm was running through her.  Only then did he allow himself to come too, letting all his pent-up energy release inside of her.  He made sure to continue rubbing her clit to make her orgasm last longer, until he felt her hand that was over his squeeze it to get him to stop.  “Goooddd, Snook,” she sighed out.  “That was so good.  So nice.”

“I know,” he nodded.  His cock slipped out of her but was immediately replaced with his hand, feeling her wetness on his fingers before Whitney switched positions so she was facing him instead of having her back towards him.  He brought his hand up and sucked on his fingers, tasting her like he wanted.  She kissed him immediately after.  “You’re so sweet,” his voice was barely above a whisper, considering they were so close physically.

“Will you kiss me, Snook?”

Their lips met and they continued kissing for so, so long, completely lost in each other as the hum of the TV played in the background, Benson and Stabler starting to solve yet another case.

***

Whitney looked at herself in the mirror of her ensuite bathroom, wearing another one of Ryan’s Leafs shirts – this time in white – her jersey with his name on it draped over the door.  She was wearing a pair of black lace underwear that made her ass look extra cheeky.  Her nipples were already poking through the material of the shirt, but she knew she could do better.  She looked towards the shower and thought, well, that’ll be pretty hot.  She wet the t-shirt with the shower head, so much that it clung to her body, showing every curve.  She went back in front of the mirror and began to pose, taking pictures of herself for Ryan.

She was going to tease him within an inch of his life.  Why?  Because she wanted to.  Because she was still thinking about how he didn’t respond to her when they were having sex on the couch and she said, “You take care of me in every way, Snook.  I hope you know that.”  All she could think about for the past few days was how he didn’t respond.  Did he not think that he took care of her?  Did he not want to?  Did he not want to anymore?  When Ryan said he’d always take care of her, did that mean marriage?  Did that mean children?  Did that mean a life together?  He didn’t answer, so maybe it didn’t.  Maybe it did.  She didn’t know anymore.  It was all so confusing.  What she did know was this: she was going to take care of him and his ego tonight, that was for sure.  Maybe it wasn’t the right thing to do, and maybe she should approach it in a different way; maybe it wasn’t mature and maybe it wouldn’t do anything in the grand scheme of things, but God damn it, this was how she was going to do it. 

Ryan had already left for the arena for the game against the Panthers, and she would be making her way down in about an hour.  She would be meeting Bee and Aryne before the game for some dinner and was mostly ready, except for the fact that she was taking pictures of herself as if she were competing in a wet t-shirt contest.  When she was done with the wet t-shirt contest, she tossed it in the shower and put on his jersey instead.  It was oversized, but she still knew she could make it look sexy.  She made sure her underwear was visible as she made her ass was front and centre since not much else could be seen.

When Whitney was actually ready – in her clothes she had planned to wear to the game, and not the clothes she had planned to tease Ryan in – she texted Bee that she was leaving her place and on her way to Chotto Matte, the Japanese-Peruvian restaurant that the boys had apparently been frequenting as of late.  When Bee realized that Whitney’s office was only a few blocks away from hers, she resolved that they get together more often, starting with dinner before the game with Aryne and Aberdeen.  Whitney and Bee were the same age, only three days apart – Whitney born August 28th and Bee born on August 31st – and so Bee made a conscious effort to be friends with her, and Whitney appreciated the effort because she liked Bee (and all the other women) since the day she met them.

Before she lost the WiFi service at the station, Whitney took out her phone from her purse and opened the conversation she was keeping with Ryan.

Just on my way to dinner with Bee, Aryne, and Aberdeen.  Can I show you my outfit?  I don’t know if it’s too fancy.  Have you been to Chotto Matte before?

He responded right away, letting her know that he wasn’t doing anything important.  At least not yet. 

Of course.  And no, I haven’t been.

The subway rolled into the station.  Whitney chose the first of the photos she favourited from the array she took, the least risqué of the night.  A photo of her just posing in his t-shirt, her nipples poking through the fabric, a hint of the black lace of her panties showing.  She got on the subway and took a seat, and as the subway began moving towards Rosedale station, her phone buzzed. 

Looks like you’ll be cold.  I think it needs a jacket.

She chuckled.  So he was going to be a cheeky bastard.  Fine.

By the time she made her way to Bay and Front Street, Bee and Aryne were waiting in the vestibule of the restaurant.  Within five minutes Aberdeen arrived and they were seated at their table, ordering drinks and food – Whitney ordered the black cod aji miso on the behest of Aryne.  The girls chatted up Whitney like they were old friends, and not like they’d just met merely a month ago.  Whitney ignored the incoming texts from Ryan throughout dinner and had fun with her newfound friends.

Let me see your real outfit

What are you wearing?

Are you at the restaurant already?  Are the girls there?

Go to the bathroom and show me how sexy you look in your outfit

Whit come on

I’m desperate here

You can’t just send a pic like that and then go silent

He was right.  It was so incredibly rude of her to go silent after she sent him such a picture.  So, as the waiter took their dinner plates away, she quickly got on her phone and sent him a second picture.  It was a picture of her in the same outfit except this time, she had her hand down the front of the black lace panties.  She locked her screen quickly, not giving it a second thought.  Within seconds, a reply flashed on her screen.

What the fuck, sweetness

The girls paid the bill and made their way to the arena on foot, taking the elevator to the family lounge where a few of the other girls were already hanging out.  When she had a moment to herself, she took out her phone and sent another picture, unsolicited: one where she was looking over her shoulder, pulling the t-shirt forward so her ass was in full view of the mirror.

Whitney

After some small talk with a few of the other women present, another: one where her t-shirt was wet and clung to her body, especially her breasts.

WHITNEY

After the Canadian and American national anthems were played, another one: a close up of her biting her lip, her nipples poking through the wet fabric of the shirt.

There’s a lot of guys in here with me

You gotta stop

As the first period went on, another: the wet t-shirt with her hand down her panties again.

Whit I mean it

Right after the buzzer at the end of the period, another: one of her in his jersey, ass in full view.

Holy fuck

She giggled slightly.  At the end of intermission, when she knew all the men he was with would be back, another: her seated on the floor, her legs spread wide, his jersey barely covering up the visual. 

I should come down to the family lounge and fuck you senseless in the bathroom.

Patience is a virtue, Snook

Stop teasing sweetness

That’s going to get you in trouble

If I’m trouble, then maybe you should roll up your sleeves, bend me over you knee, and spank me

Ryan never responded.  Whitney didn’t push it.  She knew she had him exactly where she wanted him and left it at that.  She enjoyed the rest of the game, the rest of the banter and conversation with the girls.  She finished her glass of wine and cheered on during overtime, though the Leafs lost.

When Ryan emerged from the locker room, he barely made eye contact with Whitney.  He greeted all the other women very politely and made conversation with them as they asked him about his finger and what life was like in the press box.  He milked the conversations for as long as he could, until a couple more of the guys emerged, until he finally looked at Whitney.  “D’you want a ride home?”

“That’d be nice.  Thanks,” she smiled.

She and Ryan got into the elevator to take them down to the parking garage.  He hadn’t said a word to her.  She couldn’t help the smile that was making its way onto her face after each passing silent moment.  “How’d you like the game?” she asked.  Silence.  She bit her tongue to keep herself from laughing.  Ryan didn’t even look at her.  “You look great in that suit, by the way.  Very sexy,” she offered.

Only then did Ryan give her a look, and even then – the look sent a shiver down her spine.  She was wholly unprepared for it, and after the shiver came the heat.  She knew she was in for it.  She was anxious and excited all at once.  When they walked off the elevator and started towards his Range Rover, his strides were so long and determined that Whitney almost felt like skipping to stay on pace with him.

Once they got to his car, Whitney decided to strike again.  “Are you mad at me or something?”

They were lucky a lot of cars were parked, because Ryan pulled her in between them and pushed her up against his, pinning her between the car and his body.  “You think you can just send me pictures like that and not have me go crazy?” he muttered, his lips so close to hers she could feel his breath on her skin.

“No, I knew exactly what I was doing,” she said in a hushed tone. 

“You’re a little tease, sweetness.”

“Did you have to go beat one off in the bathroom because you got a little too excited?”

“Oh no no nooo,” he cooed before giving her a hard kiss that took her breath away.  “I’m saving everything for when we get home.”

Whitney smiled from ear to ear.  “Then what are we waiting for?”

“Oh good, their car is still here!” they both her Morgan’s voice yell through the parking garage.  Ryan and Whitney separated at lightning speed.  “You just couldn’t see them because you’re short, bumblebee.”

Whitney and Ryan both emerged from in between the cars casually.  Bee was still a bit far from them, but close enough to not have to yell.  “I just wanted to remind you to text me for dates next week when you’re available for lunch,” she said.

“Of course!” Whitney was chipper.  “I’ll look at my schedule tomorrow at work.” 

Bee nodded as she watched Ryan open the passenger side door for Whitney.  “Drive safe,” she waved.

“You too!” Whitney said before getting in.  Ryan waved to Bee and Morgan before walking around the car and getting into the driver’s seat.

***

“I was not supposed to see that.  I was not supposed to see that.  I was not supposed to see that,” Bee repeated to herself over and over as she sat in the passenger seat, eyes wide but staring at nothing, waiting for Morgan to get into the car.  “I was not supposed to see that.  I was not supposed to see that.  I was not supposed to—”

“What weren’t you supposed to see?” Morgan’s voice suddenly interrupted her.

It was as if he had just magically appeared in the driver’s seat.  Bee didn’t even hear him get in.  She was too preoccupied with the scene replaying over and over in her mind: seeing Ryan and Whitney kissing in between cars when they thought no-one was watching.  And it wasn’t just some innocent kiss, either.  There was meaning behind it.  History behind it.

“Nothing,” Bee shook her head.  “Drop it.”

“Bumblebee—”

“Nothing.”

***

Ryan and Whitney rushed inside, their bodies ready to go before they even touched either other.  Ryan pinned her against the wall and kissed her forcefully, greedily, because she let him and because he could and because he’d been waiting hours to show her what he really thought of those pictures.  His knee was between her legs.  “Y’looked so fuckin’ hot in those pictures, sweetness,” he mumbled against her lips.

“Which ones were your favourites?  Wet t-shirt or jersey?”

He huffed.  “How could I choose?” he asked, and he meant it.  He picked her up in one swift movement and carried her up the stairs to their bedroom, setting her back down on her feet.  He grabbed handfuls of her ass with his hands, causing her to make a little noise at how his fingers dug into her skin.

“You wanted to fuck me so bad after seeing them, didn’t you?” she asked.

Ryan didn’t answer.  Instead, he pinned her up against the wall again, except this time, he wasn’t kissing her.  He was looking directly into her eyes as his chest rose and fell with the intensity of his breaths.  “Don’t think I forgot about your teasing that easily,” he warned, his voice low.  He could see the fire in Whitney’s eyes at her tone.  He stopped pinning her against the wall, but she didn’t move.  “You’re in a lot of fucking trouble, sweetness.”

Whitney watched as Ryan backed up further, until he was sitting in his dress shirt and suit pants on the edge of the bed, legs spread so she could see his growing bulge.  “D’you want me to s—”

“You do what I tell you to do,” his said sternly as he unbuttoned the cuffs on his shirt.  “Understood?”

Whitney nodded excitedly, biting her bottom lip.  “Yes.”

“Are you wearing the panties in the pictures?”

“Yes.”

He paused for a moment, licking his lips.  “Show me.  Nice and slow.”

Whitney knew what that meant.  She giggled slightly before she began to untuck the rest of her shirt – whatever Ryan didn’t get to downstairs – from the jeans she was wearing.  She watched as Ryan began to cuff the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows, and she swore she could have come right then and there.  She took off her top to reveal a lacy black bra, one that pushed her boobs up perfectly.  “You like what you see, Snook?”

“Take off your pants, sweetness.”

She unbuttoned them slowly, swaying her hips, before unzipping them.  Before she pulled them down, she took the few steps over to Ryan, just as he was finishing cuffing his other sleeve.  She turned around so her ass was facing him and arched her back so it was in his face, pulling down her jeans slowly to reveal the lacy underwear that drove him crazy.  She kicked her jeans off to the side and before she knew it, Ryan had pulled her on to his lap, wrapping a strong arm around her body so she couldn’t move.  “You think you’re cute sending me those pictures even after I told you there were other people around, huh,” he whispered into her ear, his free hand snaking down to her panties.

“I had a lot of favourites,” she couldn’t help but smile as she felt his hand cup her pussy.

“You’re so fucking bad, sweetness.”

She felt his hand push her panties aside, two fingers teasing her pussy already.  She writhed in his lap, closing her eyes.  “I meant what I said in the text, Snook,” she said.

Ryan paused, as did his fingers.  Using the name Snook said it all.  “Are you sure, Whit?”

She nodded her head.  “Yes.  Please.”

He kissed her shoulder tenderly.  Then he asked a question.  “Do bad girls get what they want?  Or are they going to have to beg?”

It was practically automatic, the way Whitney’s body heat up at what Ryan said.  She closed her eyes again.  “Please Ry, bend me over your knee.”

His arm’s grip on her loosened and he helped move her into the position she wanted to be in, over his lap with her ass exposed and ready.  His fingers went right back to her pussy, teasing her lips only momentarily before he shoved them in.  She let out a gasp at the intrusion, her body tensing in his lap.  “Ry—”

“You’re so fucking needy and desperate sweetness.”

“I am.”

“For what?  Tell me.”

She could feel his fingers curl inside of her, hitting a place that he didn’t normally hit and giving her a feeling she’d never felt before.  For a moment, she almost forgot what all this was for.  “I—I—”

“For what?”

“For you to spank me,” she finally let out.  “For you to make me feel good.”

“What about my fingers, huh?” he asked, curling them in her again, causing her to squirm in his lap and moan loudly.  “They aren’t good enough for you?”

“I want—I want more.”

“More what?”

Whitney was getting more turned on by the second.  She loved putting her pleasure completely in Ryan’s hands, because he was the only one who knew exactly what to do to her, who knew exactly what to say to get her riled up.  Besides, he put his pleasure completely in her hands, too.  “I want more—more—”

“More?  You think you’ve been a good girl who can get what she wants?”

“No,” she shook her head.  “I’ve been bad and I need to be spanked.”

Ryan looked at her ass in full view for him, his fingers leaving her pussy.  He hesitated for a moment, because he wanted to give her what she wanted, but he also didn’t want to hurt her.  They hadn’t done this before, in all the times they’d been together.  Toronto must have really been something special if this is what they were getting up to now that they lived together in the same city.  He brought the fingers that were in her pussy up to his mouth to taste her before he resolved to go for it.  He took one last glance at the excited anticipation on her face before bringing his hand up, then down.  Smack!

Whitney let out a yelp, writhing in his lap.  “Oh fuck,” she breathed out.

“Did that hurt?”

“No no no, it felt so good,” she assured him.  “Do it again, baby.  Please.”

Smack!

Another yelp, her knees coming together as she crossed her ankles.  He wasn’t spanking her particularly hard, but they’d never done this before.  “Fuck!” she screamed out in pleasure. 

“Feels good?”

“Feels so fucking good Ry, oh my God,” she couldn’t believe it.  “Keep going.”

Smack!

Ryan caught sight of her pussy again, wet and slick from before and from what he was doing.  He spanked her again and could practically see it throb in pleasure.  He brought his hand back to her pussy, sticking his fingers in with ease since she was so wet, and she cried out at the sensation.  This time, though, he quickened his pace and curled his fingers more often.  Whitney had stopped being quiet a long time ago, but as he did so, she really wasn’t quiet.  It was only after he’d had his fingers back in her for a while that he even realized she was trying to say something.

“B…b…”

“What is it, sweetness?  You need a break?”

“Both.”

He was confused for only a second before understanding what she meant.  “Look at me,” he grabbed her jaw with his free hand, which wouldn’t be so free after this if she meant what he thought she meant.  He forced her to look at him.  Her cheeks were so flushed red.  “You want both?” he asked.

She nodded.  “I want both, Ry.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat as he released her jaw.  “You gotta tell me if it’s too much, okay?”

“It won’t be.  I want it so bad Ry.  I’m gonna come so hard.  I want—I want it so bad.”

Ryan could never say no to her.  The only mode he knew was to indulge Whitney, and that was exactly what he was going to do.  He took a lick of his fingers before sticking them back in her pussy, using his other hand to give her another smack that made her cry out in pleasure.  Her body couldn’t help the movements it was making from the pleasure he was giving her, and Whitney couldn’t control them, either.  Every spank and every curl of his fingers brought her closer to a place where she and Ryan had never been before – an entirely new plane of pleasure they were capable of giving only each other.  “Mmmmm, ohmygod, Ry,” Whitney breathed out before cursing for the umpteenth time.  A new curl of his fingers hit the same spot from earlier, and she was desperate to feel it again.  “Right there, Ry.  Just like that.”

Another curl right on the spot.  Another cry.  Another smack.  Another curl.  Whitney felt like she was losing her breath, repeating his name over and over with every curl and ever smack.  She gripped the comforter for dear life, right before Ryan smacked her and curled his fingers at the same time, sending her entire body through an earth-shattering orgasm.  She’d never felt anything like it before, and she was as loud as can be.  She heard Ryan swear before the rhythm of his fingers changed slightly, slowing down before adopting a new rhythm.  The orgasm lasted longer than so many others, and when most of it finally passed, her hips lowered back down to his lap.

“Sweetness—”

It felt weird.  She couldn’t make it out at first – it was supposed to be Ryan’s dress pants, of course – but they felt different.  Had she really sweat that much?  Had he?  The feeling was different than what she was used to.  “Ry—”

“Holy fucking shit, Whit,” Ryan breathed out.

“Your pants—why do they feel wet?”

“Whit, I think you squirted.”

Whitney’s jaw dropped as she screamed in shock.  Ryan began to giggle, almost nervously and definitely uncontrollably, not believing what had just happened.  He could see Whitney’s eyes, nervous and uncontrollably delirious as his, smiling on their own above her hands that had cupped her dropped jaw and mouth.  “Are you serious Ry?”

He giggled some more.  “Oh my God-d-d-d,” he shook his head.

“I can’t believe I did that,” Whitney shook her head.  She wiggled off his lap and onto the bed as they continued giggling in disbelief.  She looked onto his lap to see the stain on his pants.  “Oh my God.  I didn’t even know I could do that.”

“I wasn’t expec—that was so fucking hot, sweetness.”

Whitney lay down on her side on the bed, shaking her head and covering her face with her hands.  “I’m so embarrassed.”

“What?!  Why?” Ryan demanded, moving so he could hover over her.  He tried to get her hands out of her face, but she kept shaking her head.  “Whit, there’s no way you should be embarrassed.  That was so fucking hot.  Are you kidding me?  I’m gonna be fucking dreaming of that for the rest of my damn life.”

Her chest was still heaving up and down as Ryan finally got her hands out of her face.   “You see what you do to me?” she asked.  “Only you can do that to my body, Ry.  Nobody else.  And you know what’s even better?”

So she wasn’t done.  Ryan bit his bottom lip.  “What’s that?”

“Only you get to do that to my body,” she said.  “You know why?”

“Because you’re all mine,” he huffed, his voice possessive as he stood up at the foot of the bed, facing Whitney as she lay there.  The visual of him towering over her, still with his dress shirt sleeves rolled up and suit pants on almost made Whitney come again.  “All fuckin’ mine.”

“That’s riiiiight,” she cooed.

“You ready to do what I tell you?” he asked, playing with his sleeves near his elbows.

“Yes Ry.”

“Spread your legs for me,” he said.  Whitney did as she was told.  Ryan licked his lips as he untucked his shirt.  “Look at that pretty pussy.  Fuck.  You’re so beautiful, sweetness.  So perfect.”

“You’re not so bad either,” she smiled.

“Touch yourself for me,” he ordered, beginning to unbutton his shirt.  Slow enough to tease her, but fast enough because he couldn’t wait, his hard cock straining his pants.

He watched as Whitney did as she was told, one hand going to her pussy while the other cupped her breast, pinching her nipple.  “I don’t want your hands anymore, Ry.  I want you inside me.  I want you to fill me with your cum.”

“Don’t worry, baby,” he undid his belt.  Whitney almost mewled at the sight of him doing it topless.  “I’ll give you want you want.  What you need.”

“I need it so bad, Ry.  So so so bad.”

Ryan eventually got into bed and grabbed Whitney’s legs, pushing them straight up and grabbing her ankles to rest them on his shoulders.  “I fuckin’ love you Whit.”

“I love you too, Snook.  Ever since we were kids.”

“Ever since we were kids,” he repeated, nodding and kissing her inner ankle.  “You ready to take my cock?”

“Yes, God yes.”

Ryan used his hand to position himself and he slid into her so easily, her pussy still wet from their previous activities.  Like always, she felt like heaven, her pussy hot and completely taking his cock.  “S’at feel good?”

Whitney nodded her head.  “Fuck me, baby.  Take care of me.”

Ryan grabbed her ankles, developing a strong rhythm and thrusting deep inside her as he made her cry out in pleasure.  His own grunts fuelled Whitney too, who couldn’t help but reach out to Ryan’s body, just so she could feel it.  He squeezed her ankles, ensuring they were secure on his shoulders.  “You keep them there.  Got it?”

“Yes.”

He leaned forward, his body and her legs getting hooked against her body.  “Oh fuck,” Whitney breathed out.  “Oh God Ry, it’s so fucking deep like this.”

“Gimme your hands.”

Even before she could free them, he grabbed them and pinned them above her head, holding them down with pressure so she couldn’t move them.  His thrusts became even harder, his movements rough but passionate.  She wanted a good fucking and she was going to get it – Ryan always made sure of that.  Whatever her need was, he could fulfil it.  Only him.  “Jeeeeesus Ry, fu—fuck me good, baby.  I need it so bad.”

Ryan didn’t know how he managed to last as long as he did.  Between the little strip show and the fingering and the spanking and the squirting, to now as his cock was buried deep in her pussy as they looked into each other’s eyes and whispered dirty talk to each other, his body was sweaty and practically as wet as his dress pants by the time he felt his orgasm build inside of him.  Whitney hadn’t been silent since he entered her, her voice becoming strained for how long he’d been fucking her and how long she’d been moaning and mewling and crying out and telling Ryan how good he was fucking her and how much she liked it. 

“Baby—baby I’m so close,” Whitney whispered.  “I want it harder.  Go deeper.”  Ryan pushed the final bit towards her body, hooking their bodies even closer together.  She closed her eyes to enjoy the pleasure.  “That’s it, Ry, that’s it.”

“Look at me,” he demanded, and she opened her eyes on the command.  “You love it when I fuck you like this?”

Whitney nodded.  “Always.”

“Tell me how much you love me fucking you.”

“Ever since the first time,” she assured him.  “The first time you touched me, Ry – I knew nobody else could make me feel like you do.  You were made to take care of me.”

“That’s fuckin’ right,” his voice was gravelly.

“Cum inside me, Ry.  Fill me up.  Fill me up,” Whitney begged.  “I know you want to.  And I want it so bad.”

“You want it bad, huh?”

“I need it, Ry.”

Within seconds, Whitney could feel his hot cum explode inside her, filling her up just how she wanted, another intense orgasm flowing through her entire body, from the hairs on her head down to her toes.  Her entire body shook and flushed red.  Ryan was moaning out loudly as he spilled every single drop he had into her, eventually stopping his movements in and out of her.  He loosened his push on her body so she could unhook her legs, and positioned her ankles back on his shoulders.  “Atta girl,” he gave a light smack to where her thighs met her ass.

Whitney couldn’t help but smirk and giggle.  Ryan let go of her ankles before collapsing on to her body and moving so they were laying on their sides, entangled with another.  Whitney was still catching her breath when Ryan slipped out of her.  “That was so good, Snook,” she whispered.

“God Whit, I love you so fucking much,” he kissed her.

“I love you too, Snook.  I always have.”

They didn’t say much else besides other sweet murmurs to each other, and as Ryan ran his hands through Whitney’s hair, she lulled into a deep sleep, thinking about how good Ryan was to her.  As Ryan drifted off to sleep, he kept thinking about how there was no place he’d rather be.

***

Hockey Night in Canada was a tradition in many households, and growing up, Whitney’s was one of them.  She remembered it being on virtually every Saturday night, Owen and Gareth glued to the TV to watch the Leafs and whoever they were facing.  Oftentimes the O’Reillys and Napiers would get together at each other’s houses on Saturday night, order some pizza, and make some popcorn for all the kids while they watched.  Whitney remembers always sitting in between Ryan and Gareth, and eventually Shannon, with the O’Reilly foster kids all around them starting Go Leafs Go chants.

Tonight, she was in attendance for a Hockey Night in Canada for Ryan, who was playing on the Toronto Maple Leafs.  She couldn’t believe it.

Whitney wore Ryan’s jersey and stood beside Bee, who held Axton up against the glass beside Jace, being held by Aryne on her hip.  John came around to fist bump, the biggest smile on his face as he saw his boys.  Jake McCabe came around too, waving at his kids who were excited to see their dad on the ice.  Jeska Schenn even got a picture of her boys posing with Luke, who gave them a puck from the ice.  Whitney could only hope that this would be her someday soon, bringing hers and Ryan’s children down to the glass to see their dad.

As this was the Leafs’ last home game, there was extra energy in the building.  When the women got back to their section and settled into their seats, they could feel it.  Mitch opened the scoring, and John scored about five minutes later, with a secondary assist from Ryan.  Aryne and Whitney hugged, jumping in unison.  In the second period, when William Nylander scored with another assist from Ryan, Whitney screamed even louder, Aberdeen screaming with her as they hugged too.  In the third period, on John’s second goal, Ryan got his third assist, and Whitney was elated.  The boys played so well, earning a 7-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens in their last home game of the season.  With the team saluting the raucous crowd, the girls clapped and cheered.

“Come to SoHo House with us,” Aberdeen whispered to Whitney as the girls began filing out of the family lounge.

“SoHo House?  Isn’t that members only?”

“Between myself and Bee, we can all get in as guests,” Aberdeen winked.  “And we need to celebrate, don’t we?”

Whitney smiled.  “Of course we do.”

Before Whitney, Aberdeen, and the rest of the girls were able to travel towards the locker room, they were stopped by a familiar voice – at least to Whitney.  “Whitney?  Is that you?”

Whitney turned her head to see a familiar face – Rachael, the girlfriend of Joel Edmundson, who played with Ryan on the Blues when they won the Stanley Cup.  She and Rachael weren’t exactly friends, but they tried to be friendly, though Rachael always had an iciness to her that Whitney couldn’t crack.  She didn’t know if it was just her personality or if Rachael didn’t like her.  In any case, Whitney completely forgot Joel was on the Montreal Canadiens, so it was very unexpected to see her at Scotiabank Arena.  Considering her personality, Whitney was slightly shocked Rachael was even getting her attention to say hi.  “Oh, Rachael!  Hey!” she greeted, smiling.  “You go ahead, I’ll catch up with you,” she said quickly to Aberdeen before re-routing herself towards Rachael.  “It’s nice to see you, Rachael.”

“Nice to see you too,” she said, though she didn’t outstretch her arms for a hug.

“It’s good that you were able to make the game here.  Your sister is studying here, right?” Whitney asked.

“Can’t believe you remember that,” Rachael commented.  “But yeah.  A couple of the girls and I came for the game, but I’m staying to spend some time with my sister.  What are you doing here?”

Whitney thought it was obvious.  She was wearing Ryan’s jersey, after all, which gave it away.  She pointed to the ‘90’ patch on her arm, giggling slightly.  “Ryan got traded here at the trade deadline, and I’m here, you know, supporting him.”

“No, Whitney…I mean, what are you doing here?” Rachael asked again.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I can’t believe you’re still waiting around for him,” Rachael said.

Whitney froze slightly, her eyebrows furrowing at the comment.  “What?”

Rachael rolled her eyes playfully.  “Listen, all I’m saying is…you’re hot, Whitney.  And if it were you, I’d be flirting with Auston Matthews or something, not waiting for Ryan like you always have been.”

“I’ve never been waiting for Ryan—”

“—Yes you have.  We’ve all seen it.  Every time you came to visit St. Louis, Joel and I would always see it, always talk about it.  And I just can’t believe it’s still going on,” Rachael lamented, not bothering to cover the contemptuous pity in her voice.  “I feel bad for you.  If I was waiting this long, I’d want someone to tell me how desperate I looked.  You should have taken that opportunity with Binner when you had the chance.”

Whitney could feel her cheeks flush red.  “How could you even say that?  Binner was so inappropriate with me.  There’s no way I would have even considered it – then or now.”

Rachael wasn’t letting up.  Clearly, she started this conversation with a purpose.  Were these things she wanted to tell Whitney back then and only had the opportunity to do so now, when they were alone, because Whitney trusted this conversation to be a fucking normal one?  “You have to move on and accept the fact that Ryan isn’t going to want you,” she said, her words as cold as ice.  “Move on, Whit.  He’s never going to be with you.”

Whitney narrowed her eyes at Rachael.  It took everything within her not to cry or scream in her face.  Whitney knew there were some…well, characters among the partners of NHL players, but Rachael was playing a dirty game that Whitney didn’t like, that Whitney never considered playing herself.  “Is this why you got my attention?  To tell me how desperate I am?  To make me feel awful?”

“I’m trying to save you a lot of heartache.  Trust me,” she said.  “Auston Matthews is right there.”

Whitney looked directly into her eyes.  “Go fuck yourself, Rachael.”

Whitney turned on the balls of her heels and walked away, disappearing quickly behind a door Rachael wasn’t allowed access through.  Instead of going directly to where Aberdeen and the rest of the women were, she escaped into the washroom, if only to make sure that the tears welling in her eyes and the redness in her cheeks wouldn’t be visible when she saw them all again.

Rachael’s words ruminated in Whitney’s mind and made her stomach bubble as looked at herself in the mirror.  “Stop waiting for Ryan.  I feel bad for you.  Move on.  He’s never going to be with you.”  She wasn’t right.  Whitney knew Ryan loved her, yet for some reason, he didn’t want to be with her.  Ryan adored her, but couldn’t be with her.  Ryan was her forever, and she was Ryan’s forever, but something was stopping him from putting a label on that forever.  She’d cheated on her boyfriends with him.  She broke guys’ hearts because of him, so desperate to be with her that they would have walked barefoot on lava.  But Ryan was her beginning, end, and everything in between, and she wasn’t interested in men willing to walk on lava when she had Ryan willing to do anything for her.

Except be with her.

Except call her his girlfriend.

Except make her his wife.

She burst out of the washroom, walking down the flight of stairs to see Aberdeen and an array of the other girls waiting for the boys.  “All good?” Aberdeen asked.

“Mhm,” she nodded quickly, burying her feelings within her.  “I’m ready to drink.”

***

Ryan noticed something off about Whitney the moment they got into the car.  Something was off.  She assured him that everything was fine, that she’d just heard a fan say something stupid about him in the stands and it had made her angry, but he knew she was lying.  Stuff like that never bothered Whitney before, so why was it bothering her now?  The drive to SoHo House wasn’t long, but he tried to get the truth out of her with no success.  He resolved to get to the bottom of it by the end of the night, even if he had to pry it out of her.

Whitney immediately approached the bar, ordering a margarita and finishing it within the first ten minutes.  SoHo House wasn’t that kind of scene, of course, but Whitney didn’t care – if she was going to have to drink her feelings away, she would.  Upon ordering her second, she felt Ryan behind her.  “Will you tell me what happened, please?”

“I said it’s nothing,” she said. 

“Then slow down,” he said, watching as the bartender handed her the second margarita.  “I wish you would just be honest with me.”

He’s never going to be with you.  “I am being honest,” she said.  “Please, Snook.  I just want to have a fun night out with the girls.  You’re gone all next week and I’m going to miss you.  I don’t want to start thinking about it now.”

Ryan digressed, because he always did.  He knew how much Whitney missed him when he was gone – he got to see it now when he came home to her.  When they were separated for months, it was even worse.  So he let her be with the girls and he hung out with the guys, and he noticed her get a third margarita, except this time it was after a while and a few glasses of water.  He kept his eye on her, her animated face lighting up at the stories she’d tell or listen to, her laugh loud and rambunctious.

“There’s nothing going on between you two, right?” William Nylander asked as he watched Aberdeen interact with Whitney. 

“Nah.  Why?”

William knew Ryan was lying.  William knew Ryan was lying because William had something to hide once too, and Ryan wasn’t nearly as good or meticulous as he was in hiding it.  Besides, Aberdeen had said she didn’t think Ryan and Whitney were just friends, and William trusted her judgement.  “You’ve been eyeing her all night.  Just want to make sure you look around the room a bit.”

Ryan couldn’t help but chuckle.  “I’m good, Will.  Seems like she and Aberdeen get along great though.”

“Aberdeen loves her.  She’s wondering why it’s taking you so long to make Whitney your girlfriend.”

***

It was about 1:30 in the morning when everybody decided to leave.  Ryan only had one drink at the beginning of the night and water the rest of the time through, so he was good to drive.  When they arrived home, they walked in without a word to each other.  Both ended up in the kitchen, with Whitney getting glasses and pouring them some ice-cold water to have. 

“I wish you would be honest with me about what was bothering you tonight,” he said, still wanting to address the situation.  He knew it probably wasn’t the wisest thing to do, but he needed the truth from Whitney.

He doesn’t want you.  I feel bad for you.  “I could say the same,” she whispered before taking another sip of water.

It may have been a whisper, but Ryan definitely heard.  “When have I not been honest with you?”

Move on, Whitney.  “You tell me.”

“Whitney,” his voice was serious.  “What the hell are you talking about?  I’ve always been honest with you.  Now will you tell me what’s bothering you?”

Whitney finished her glass of water, wishing it was some sort of hard liquor that would give her liquid confidence.  “Rachael was at the game tonight.”

“Who’s Rachael?”

“You remember Joel’s girlfriend?”

“…Okay,” Ryan said.  “Did you guys see each other?  Did she say something?”

Whitney paused.  It was now or never.  She knew that every thought she ever had about this would come rushing out of her after she started talking, so she tried to compose herself ahead of time.  She didn’t want things to get messy.  “She said she couldn’t believe I was still waiting for you like I’ve always been,” she began.  “She said she felt bad for me, that I should have taken the opportunity to be with Binner when I had the chance.  She told me to move on because you’re never going to be with me.”

Ryan was silent.  The words hung between them as silence filled the air.  ‘”So do you?” Whitney asked out of the blue.  “Do you want to be with me?”

“You—you don’t want to be with me, Whit.”

Whitney couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  “Excuse me?  I cheated on my boyfriends with you, Snook.  And you think that?  You actually say that out loud?”

“Listen, Whit— I’d do anything for you.  You know that.”

“No you wouldn’t.  Stop lying to me,” her voice was getting angrier each passing second.  This was the moment.  This was it. 

“I’m not lying to you—”

“You won’t marry me.  You won’t even call me your girlfriend.  We’ve been doing this song and dance for ten years and you still won’t even call me your girlfriend.”

The words hung in the air again.  Ryan’s heart was almost beating out of his chest.  “You’re right, Whit.  I won’t marry you.”

Whitney could feel her cheeks flushing red.  She’d been rejected plenty of times before – but not by Ryan.  And, of course, never for something so big.  The way he said it made it sound so definitive.  “Why won’t you be with me, Snook?” her voice quivered.

“Sweetness…”

“What is it?  What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing!  Whit—Whit—my god—” Ryan’s voice was frantic.  “Why would you think you did anything wrong?”

“How could I not?” she demanded back.  “Is it because you don’t love me?”

“No!  I love you more than anyone else.  I’ve always loved you Whit.  You know that.  How—how could you say that?”

Whitney began shaking her head.  She didn’t understand why he was saying such things to her.  He wasn’t making any sense.  He loved her, but he couldn’t be with her.  She didn’t do anything wrong, but he didn’t want to be with her.  It was cutting deep; every word that came out of his mouth carving deeper and deeper into her.  She bolted from the kitchen and ran upstairs, Ryan following behind her calling her name.  “What’s wrong with me?  What’s wrong with me that you won’t be with me?” she demanded of him once they were in their bedroom.

“Nothing is wrong with you.  Not a thing.  You’re perfect.”

“Then why!!!” she began to cry.  “Then why, Snook?  We tell each other all the time how much we love each other.  We tell each other all the time that we’re the only ones for each other.  I mean it when I say it, Snook.  Do you?  I want to marry you.  I want to be your wife.  I want to have a family with you, Ry – only you.  I’m not having a family if it’s not with you.  Don’t you want that too?  With me?  Why don’t—why don’t you want that too?”

“I do.”

“You’re not making any sense!” she yelled, trying to wipe away her tears with the back of her hand.  “Why don’t you love me?”

“I love you more than anybody else Whit.  That’s—that’s why I can’t.”

“Why don’t you love me?” she asked again.  She wanted an honest answer out of him.

Ryan’s face was flushed now, too.  “I can’t marry you because of me, sweetness.  It has nothing to with you.  It never has and it never will.”

Whitney paused.  Was he seriously giving her the “it’s not you; it’s me” excuse during the most significant and momentous argument they’d ever had?  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’d ruin your life, Whit.”

Okay, now he truly wasn’t making any sense.  Nothing coming out of his mouth made sense.  “How could you possibly ruin my life when you are my life?” she asked.

Those words hit Ryan hard.  Hard.  Because he knew how true they were.  And for as long as their lives have been intertwined, she had been his life too.  “Whit…” his voice began trembling too now.  “Whit, you don’t understand.  I can’t—I can’t—”

“Ryan, you’re being—”

“—No, Whit, let me—”

“—You’re being irrational—”

“—No I’m not.  It’s not—I’ve thought about this.”

“No you haven’t.”

“Yes I have.  I can’t be with you.  I can’t marry you.”

“Yes you can.”

“No I can’t.  I—I—” he stuttered, not even bring able to bring himself to say the words out loud.  “I’ll hurt you.  Like I did before.”

There was silence between the two as the words hung in the air.  “What?” Whitney’s voice was much calmer than before.  “When did you ever hurt me?”

Ryan looked away.  He bit his lip, chest heaving up and down at how emotional he was getting.  He couldn’t even bear to think about it, let alone say it out loud.  The memories still paralyzed him.  They brought back so much hurt, so much pain.  “The accident, Whit,” he whispered.

“What accident?”

“Tim Horton’s.”

More silence.  The gears were trying to shift in Whitney’s mind, but they were stuck.  “You didn’t hurt me, Snook.”

Ryan finally looked at her again.  “How could you say that?  Of course I did,” he said through gritted teeth, the pain of remembering overcoming him.  “You called me that night to pick you up and I was supposed to keep you safe.  I gave you a concussion, Whitney.  I—you weren’t the same for months, and it was because of me.  I did that to you.”

Whitney began shaking her head, watching him as he sat down on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands.  “Snook, no—”

“I don’t know how I even live with myself after hurting you.”

“Snook, no.  Listen to me—” she got down on her knees in front of him, trying to cradle his face in her hands, but he nodded them away.  He wasn’t deserving of it.  He believed he wasn’t deserving of such affection. He wasn’t worthy. 

“And I promised him,” Ryan whispered, tears falling down his face and evident even in his voice now.  “I promised Gareth I’d take care of you.  And I didn’t.  I did that to you.  I couldn’t—I didn’t—I—”

“—Snook—”

“—He was dead in the casket, Whit, and I p—I promised him—”

“—Snook please—”

“—I didn’t keep my promise, and what if—what if I hurt you again?  What if—”

“—You won’t—”

“—I love you more than anyone, Whit.  If I hurt you?  I can’t hurt you, and if we—there’s too much risk.  Because of me and how stupid I was.  I could hurt you again and—”

“—You won’t, you won’t, you won’t,” Whitney repeated desperately, hoping it would get through to him somehow.  “Snook, that’s in the past.  It’s okay.”

Ryan shook his head.  “It’s always with me that I did that to you.”

“C’mere,” she urged, and without another word she hugged tightly, his head in the crook of her neck as he cried.  She felt his tears on her skin there as she tried to calm him down by running her fingers through his hair or rubbing his back, but there was no use.  This was something that Ryan had been carrying deep, deep within him for years now, and she had no clue.  The revelation of it being the reason keeping them apart was enlightening, painful, and heartbreaking all at once.  “Let’s pretend it never happened, Ry.”

“I’ve tried.  I can’t.  Every time I try to erase the memory, I get lost in it.  All I can picture is you passed out beside me in the truck, or you in the hospital bed crying.  I hate myself for doing that to you.  I never got over it. I hate—I hate mys—”

“Shhhhh,” she cooed.  “Snook, there’s nobody else for me out there but you.”

“I know.  And I feel the same.  But I don’t deserve you after what I did.  I can’t take care of you.”

“Yes you do,” Whitney said.  “And yes you can.  You’re the only man in this world that can take care of me.”

“No.  No.  No,” he shook his head vigorously.  “I can’t take care of you if I hurt you.”

“Yes you can Snook, please,” she urged, tearing up again.  “Don’t do this to me.  Don’t make me live a life without you.  I can’t live a life without you, Snook.” 

They cried together.  It was the only thing they could do after the catharsis, after the truth had been revealed for both of them.  Ryan pulled her up and into his lap.  Whitney could feel Ryan gripping onto her, his cries still coming.  “I don’t want to live a life without you,” Ryan mumbled, “but I don’t know how I can live a life where I can take care of you how I want to…how I’m supposed to.  Up to my standards.  I promised Gareth.  I didn’t—I didn’t live up to it early on.  What if I never can?”

“I’m telling you that you can.  I’m telling you that you’re the only one,” Whitney said.  “You bought us this house, Snook.  This house is for us, right?”

“Yes.  For you, but for us.  I know it is.”

“Think about the memories we already have here.  And think about the memories we can make here,” she whispered, finally cradling his face in her hands as she stared directly into his eyes.  “The smell of your chicken soup.  The feel of your body against mine in our bed.  Think about it, Snook.  Think about our kids sliding across these hardwood floors.  Movie nights where we’re all cuddled on the sofa together under blankets.  Carting the kids around to hockey practice.  Bringing them up to Bluewater Beach to swim like we did when we were kids.  I want that with you, Snook.  D’you want that with me?”

His breath hitched in his throat at the thought of children – their children, with all their personality quirks and mops of hair and sandy toes from the beach.  “I want that more than anything.”

She made sure to kiss him quickly – a peck so small it almost didn’t register as a kiss.  “Then what’s stopping us?  Why can’t we do it?  Because you don’t feel like you can take care of me even though you have since I was seventeen?  You’ve taken care of me, Snook.  All this time.  You’ve taken care of my body.  You’re the only one that’s taken care of my body.   And more importantly, you’ve taken care of my mind, my soul.”

“I’ve taken care of you because I love you,” he whispered.

“Have I taken care of you?” Whitney asked.

Ryan nodded his head immediately.  “You always have.  Just by being you.  By being there for me.  By being my sweetness.”

“Then let’s do it.  You and me.  Because we love each other.  Because we’ve loved each other since we were kids.  Because we take care of each other.  Right?”

“Right.”

“If I take care of you, will you take care of me?”

Whitney waited.  She waited and she waited and she waited, looking into Ryan’s big blue eyes for a response.  The same blue eyes she fell in love with as a kid.  The same blue eyes that brought her so much comfort and love.  The same blue eyes she could find her own soul in.

Finally, he spoke.  “Yes.”

Whitney had waited a long time to hear those words.  She wanted to make sure she wasn’t hearing things.  She needed to confirm.  “Yes?”

He nodded.  “Yes.”

More confirmation was needed.  “We’ll get married, Snook?”

“That’s all I’ve ever wanted.  I’ve just been scared, sweetness.  We’ll get married,” he confirmed.  “I’ll give you everything.  I’ll take care of you.  I love, you Whit.”

She kissed him again, much more passionately this time.  “I love you, Snook,” she said against his lips.  “I can’t wait to be your wife.  We’re going to spend the rest of our lives taking care of each other, right?”

“Yes.  Yes,” he affirmed, kissing her again. 

Ryan held her tight onto his body as he moved back on to the bed.  They continued to kiss for a long time, long enough that Whitney’s lips got red and puffy, with Ryan whispering “I love you, I love you so much” over and over again like he was reciting a prayer.  To have Ryan be hers was all Whitney ever wanted, and she couldn’t believe they had finally gotten to this point.  After ten years and countless secrets, grief and elation and success, Ryan was able to overcome his fear.  Whitney was able to help him.  They would be able to live their lives now as they always wanted to; no longer in secret.  They could hold hands in front of their parents.  They could give each other quick kisses on the backyard deck.  They could wrap their arms around each other in front of friends.  Nobody would have to second-guess or question their love for one another.  They could just be how they were with each other in front of other people.  Whitney anticipated it to be the most liberating feeling in the world, to be able to proclaim that she loved Ryan O’Reilly, and Ryan O’Reilly loved her, and that they were going to build a life together.  A life they wanted.  A life they deserved together.

“Make love to me Snook,” she whispered in his hear as her hand played with the hair at the nape of his neck.

Ryan took his time, kissing along her jawline before moving down to her neck and clavicle, covering every inch of her skin with his kisses.  He helped her get out of her shirt and bra before she helped tug his own shirt off.  Whitney quickly leaned back so Ryan could take her pants and underwear off – same with him – before she got back into his lap, wrapping an arm around his shoulders so they were physically close.

“I love you, Snook.”

“I love you too, sweetness.”

“You need to know you’ve never hurt me before in my life,” she stressed.  “Not even the accident.  Never, okay Snook?”

Ryan nodded his head.  “Let me kiss you.”

Their lips crashed together again, their tongues stuck down each other’s throats.  Whitney made sure to run her fingers through his hair, because she knew he liked that.  Ryan made sure to drag his hands down to her hips, squeezing at the flesh there and making her grind into his lap before moving his hands onto her ass.  “You need to know something too,” he said, his voice low.

“What’s that?”

“It’s always been you, Whit.  Since we were kids.  I’ll take care of you until the day I die.”

Those were words Whitney had wanted to hear for a long time, considering he was saying them now in the context of her being his wife.  She felt so elated and so happy that it was almost as if the ten years of waiting was worth it.  “Make love to me, Snook.  Like you love to do.”

One of his hands snuck between their bodies so he could position his hard cock at her entrance.  He took the opportunity to tease her only for a few seconds before pushing it in.  Whitney grinded her hips in his lap, getting him all the way inside her.  She paused, her mouth open against Ryan’s.  She didn’t care how many times it happened; every time he was inside of her, Whitney swore she saw stars.  “You’re so big, Snook.  So perfect for me.”

“Love you so fucking much, Whit,” he whispered in her ear.  His hands moved back to her hips, helping guide them as she moved in his lap.

“God you feel so good,” she whispered, leaning back slightly and exposing more of her neck and decolletage to Ryan.  He took the opportunity to kiss her everywhere, leaving some love bits on the way as he licked and sucked at her skin.  Eventually, he made his way down to her breasts, taking a nipple in his mouth and swirling his tongue around it, causing her to sigh in pleasure.  Her nails were digging into his back; she was holding on to him for dear life.  “Keep doing that, Snook.”

He kept up with his kissing and love bites between her breasts, eventually moving to the other and taking the other nipple in his mouth too.  Whitney continued her movements in his lap, and he could tell that she was trying to make this last.  Good.  If it were up to him, it would last all night.  He’d test the limits of what was physically possible.  “You’re so beautiful, Whit.  I could kiss every inch of you.”

“You’re lucky you have,” she couldn’t help but smile.  “And you’re going to get to the rest of your life.”

They looked deep into each other’s eyes then, the heat of their bodies radiating between them.  “I can’t wait for you to be the mother of my children.”

Whitney smiled widely this time, unable to contain it.  “I can’t wait, either.”

“Don’t think I didn’t ever want that with you.  I did.  I always did.  I was just scared—”

“—It’s okay, Snook,” she put her index finger on his lips.  “You don’t have to be scared of hurting me anymore.”

He kissed her, unable to say anything else.  Whitney began running her hands through his hair.  They kissed again for a while, until both could feel their orgasms building.  “I love you, Snook.  Will you come inside me?”

Ryan nodded quickly.  “Always,” he said.  “I’m the only one.”

“That’s right.  You’re the only one that gets to come inside me.”

After some more kissing, both Ryan and Whitney felt their orgasms rush through their bodies at the same time.  Whitney held him close, gripping on to Ryan for dear life, their heads on each other’s shoulders as they cried out in ecstasy.  They let it last as long as possible, riding it out for as much as they could before their breath started to come back to them and they sunk into each other’s arms. 

Whitney was the first to pull back slightly, only to have her lips meet with Ryan’s again in a series of small, slow, lazy pecks.  She could rest her lips on him all night if she could.  “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

“Will you hold me in your arms as we sleep?”

Ryan couldn’t help but smile.  “You never have to ask me that.  I’ll always hold you.”

They shifted positions, Ryan pulling the covers off the bed and Whitney getting under them.  She snuggled into his body as he draped the covers over them, and he wrapped his arms around her when he was done, making sure she was comfortable.  “Hey Whit?”

“Yeah Snook?”

“I’m sorry you were waiting for me.”

Whitney couldn’t help but smile slightly to herself.  There was no reason for him to feel guilty.  It took a while, yes, but this was their story.  And it would always be their story now.  “Don’t apologize,” she said.  “I have you.  That’s all I need.”

[nylwnder]

telling them "you're so pretty" and then they get flustered

with whoever you feel doesn’t get told they’re pretty enough

thank you anon for this request!!! michael bunting. that’s it. that’s the post. <3

4. telling them “you’re so pretty” and then they get flustered

“hmm what about this one? it’s a cute colour no!?” you said, placing a tawny coloured button up on his chest. “okay, go go try it!! i wanna see how you’ll look!!” you directed while pushing a smiley bunts into the dressing room direction.

you waited outside the door while you heard michael fumble around and put all the specially hand-picked articles of clothing on. when he unlocked the door, you were met with your boyfriends now very aesthetically pleasing outfit. you smiled, thinking all the layered clothing looked cozy and cute on him. “i like it!!” he says, turning to the mirror and posing.

you giggled, “yeah, its cute on you! plus these colours add more diversity in your bland closet” he giggled back, “hey don’t come for my grey apparel”

you turned him around to lay a soft kiss on his smiley lips. he pulls you in closer by your waist, you look up at him with massive heart eyes but it seems like bunts is not all too familiar with the look. “what?!” he asks, you broke out into a smile again, “you’re so pretty” you say, booping his nose.

he immediately puts his head down, a soft blush appearing on his shy face. he just giggles it off as you give him a hug. “shit” he mumbles as he fumbles on taking off the layers of clothes. you helped him by peeling off the button up, “i mean it. you’re so cute and i love you!” you say affectionately, kissing his shoulder. “i wuv you” he softly says, laying a kiss on the top of your head.

join my celly!!

[hockeyisit]

Just felt pure joy when I realized the leafs play the Blackhawks on my birthday in my city❤️😭🥹

[hockeybabe]

Family Skate | M.Knies

Not my gif

Parings: Matthew Knies x gf!reader

Summary: you and mattthew are new to the dating scene and he makes it official to the public by inviting you to the family skate.

Warnings: pure fluff, swearing, insecurities, kissing, slight cocky Knies, ngl rushed af

Word count: 756

Note: this has been in my drafts for a while. Also requests are open, send them in! And I saw Olivia Rodrigo!!!!

The moment you met Matthew, you two instantly clicked. You had lived in Toronto your entire life working for the leafs. To the team you were like their little sister and the John well you were like his kid. When the leafs called up Matthew you had lost your apartment and John was there to help you.

So gradually you lived with the Tavares residence, along with Matthew becoming professional babysitters for John and Aryne. But what the outside world didn’t know was that you and Matthew were a little more involved with each other than just friends. 

You were a couple. One that you kept away from the world because of people not always being accepting. It was your idea. You had seen it happen to so many and while they could handle it; you weren’t sure you could. However, after multiple talks with Aryne and other girlfriends, they finally convinced you to be shown off.

And what better to have it done at the family skate.

“Babe, you ready.” Matt called for you pulling on his jersey. “Yeah.” You said fixing you scarf and pulling your hair out. “How do I look.” You turned around showing him your outfit which consisted of a handmade leafs jacket with his name on it and black leggings. 

Matthew stared down at you with a cheeky smile gabbing you hands at your sides and leant down giving you a kiss. “You look perfect.” He mumbled. “We should probably get going.” He said heading for the door. As he walked away you slowly feel your nerves creeping up. Matthew notices you lack of presence.

“Y/n,” he calls out. “Everything alright?” He asks once you come to the door. “What if they don’t like me?” You asked, twiddling your thumbs. “Who’s not gonna like you?” He asks clueless making you groan. “The fans, you dummy.” You placed your hands on his chest, looking up at him. “What are they gonna do? You’re mine and I’m yours. They’re just gonna have to accept that.” He says, putting loose hair behind your ear.

“But-” “If they judge, they judge don’t let them tear you apart. I love you.” He says, opening the door. “I love you too.” You mumble. “What was that?” You groan, “I love you too.” You said louder. “That’s my girl.” He said, watching you exit the house and getting into the car.

Once you guys got to the rink, you trailed behind Matthew as he waved to the fans what you didn’t expect were the amount of fans calling your name. You had no clue how they knew who you were, but they were cheering for you.

“Looks like you don’t need to impress anyone.” Matthew turned around, looking down at you with a smirk. You gave him a smile, tightening your grip on his hand as you gave shy waves to the fans. When you finally got to the rink, you sat beside Steph. “Looks like they love you.” She commented.

“Could be a facade.” You shrug. “Fans are brutally honest about liking people. I guess they realized that because you've been dating for a while, then there’s nothing they can do.” She said as she watched Mitch and Matthew grab their girl's skates.

“Hi baby,” Matt said, kneeling down and tying your skates as you told him when it was tight enough. “You know you’re going to be dragging me everywhere, right?” You laugh. Matthew chuckled, “I got you.” Once your laces were fully tied, you took his hands and walked to the rink.

Matthew set foot into the ice first and took your hands, holding you tightly as you slightly wobbled in his grasp. “You doing great.” He cheered as he strides across the ice, pulling you with him. When the two of you passed close by the fans, they’d gush about how cute you two looked.

“Have I told you how gorgeous you look with rosy cheeks?” He smirked, making you blush. “I would slap your chest, but I’d probably fall.” You grunt. “And now you’re saying you’ll fall for me. How great.” He gave you a goofy smile, making you groan.

“Thank you.” You said to him. “For what?” He asked, confused. “For letting me see past the negatives. I love you.” You said quietly. “What was that?” He said, leaning down. “I love you.” “I love you too.” He responded by leaning down giving you a kiss as the other players' sticks clacked with the ice as they cheered with their partners. 

[jackhues]

karma - auston matthews

notes: this is based off of @matthewshisch's idea (karma is the guy on the leafs)! so s/o to her <3 also, reader is a singer :)) AND gif not mine !

likes are good, reblogs are better!

being a celebrity meant that no matter what, one thing would always be a fixed thing in your life. and that was the rumours.

one week you were dating a new guy. the next, you were engaged to some kid from your hometown. the next week, you were back with your ex.

no matter what, the dating rumours always flew around you. maybe the fact that you never made it public with anyone fuelled those even more. whatever the case, it was funny reading them.

especially when you thought about what you had planned for tonight.

a knock sounded on your door, followed by a familiar voice, "did someone order some flowers?"

you couldn't help the smile growing on your face as you made eye contact with auston in the mirror.

you were in your dressing room at the stadium, getting ready for the opening night of your multi-month tour. you'd worked hard to get to where you were now -- one of the most successful female artists in the world.

and right there by your side, supporting you for the past year, was none other than auston matthews, your boyfriend. you'd met at a leafs game years ago, but he'd only reached out to you just over a year before. ever since then, the two of you kept your relationship under wraps for the most part, doing your best to just enjoy your time together without the media's comments.

you'd talked about going public before, but for the most part, decided to let life take it's course. of course... tonight would be a pretty big surprise.

"hi, you made it," you got up from your chair, sinking into his arms for a hug.

"i wouldn't miss this for the world," he responded, placing a kiss to the top of your head. "it's my girl's big day. first tour in almost three years. nothing's gonna stop me from being here."

you grinned stupidly to yourself, finding auston's words so comforting and sweet. even after a whole year, he managed to make you feel giddy.

"i'm really happy you're here," you whispered, pulling away. "oh! i've got a surprise for you, but i can't give it to you right now. i'll give it after, okay?"

"a surprise for me?" auston repeated. "it's your day."

"hush, i wanted to do it," you said.

another knock sounded on your door, and your assistant, jenny, poked her head in. "y/n, we've got to start in ten. let's go. auston, mark's got your seat saved. head over quick, or someone'll spot you."

"that's not a big deal," auston waved it off. "if someone spots me, they spot me. it's not the end of the world."

"well, fact remains, we need y/n right now," she said. "c'mon, you can have her back when she's done her show."

"i'll see you soon," you kissed auston, before following jenny out to your position.

you adjusted your earpiece, waiting for the lights to dim. as soon as they did, the platform you were standing on moved higher, allowing you to enter directly on stage.

the lights turned back on, and the crowd went wild.

"let the show begin," you whispered to yourself.

---

"'cause karma is the thunder," you sang, "rattling your ground. karma's on your scent like a bounty hunter. karma's gonna track you down."

the crowd waved their flashlights in the air, following you as you continued dancing to the beat of the song, singing along. getting closer and closer to the surprise you planned for auston.

"step by step from town to town," you continued. "sweet like justice, karma is a queen. karma takes all my friends to the summit..."

you paused for half a second, allowing production to ready themselves and for the crowd to pay attention to the small change.

"karma is the guy on the leafs, coming straight home to me!"

you stomped on the mark, blue sparklers going off on either side of the stage -- matching with the colour of your dress and the leafs' colours.

the crowd screamed as you continued your performance, losing their minds at the confirmation that you and auston were dating.

"cause karma is my boyfriend," you locked eyes with auston in the crowd, noticing him smiling widely to himself as people nearby recorded the interaction. winking at him, you continued your song, "karma is a god."

the crowd continued chanting throughout the song, no one truly getting over the lyric change you'd done.

you had a feeling there were gonna be rumours about this for a while.

---

tags : @woodruff-edwards , @austinbutlerscaresme ,  @svechnikovvv ,  @hockeyboysarehot , @emptyflowerpots ,  @mysticaldonkey , @lam-ila ,  @babydollmarauders , @starjoyyy  ,  @kjohnson-91 , @gavinbrindley, @hischierdevils , @jackhughesily  , @panarin10 ,  @equallyshaw ,   @power2myheart  ,  @lynnismypseudonym , @beccaiscold , @akengii , @nowandkei , @cinnamonpancakes , @mitchymainer , @lifeofpriya ,  @marshmallow-babe, @hughesx3 ,  @emsully2002  ,  @starsandhughes , @huggy-hischier73 ,  @doglady5678 , @thatoneblog , @exonct07 @hughesmedicine , @qwanelledingele , @mindless-rock , @ireadthensuetheauthors , @huggy-hischier94, @slaythehousedownboots , @diary-of-jj

join my main taglist!

[huggybearluvr]

chatty cathy | am34

summary: After a harsh break-up you move to Toronto to be closer to your older brother. However, after many sleepless lonely nights in your new apartment your brother notices your changed persona and insist you come on a roadie with him to L.A.

pairing: auston matthews x marner!Reader

Masterlist

After you opened up to your older brother about how you've been feeling lonely he insisted you join him on a roadie to get out of your apartment.

You agreed, However you didn't expect to be sat at a bar in L.A beside his teammate and bestfriend.

Mitch had spent the night running between teammates and yourself rambling on and on about anything and everything.

"He can really talk can't he?" Auston laughed as Mitch ran off to the next group to ramble on some more.

"That he can," You joined in laughing, "When we were little he would talk himself to sleep."

"No fucking way," Auston said laughing even harder.

"Now thanks to that fucker, I can't sleep without some kind of noise or someone with me," You said, slightly opening up.

"I don't mean to be nosy or anything but Mitch told me you came with us because you've been lonely?"

"Yeah, My Ex and I broke up six months ago," You sighed looking down at your glass.

"Are you not over him?" He asked.

"No I definitly am, I broke up with him," You said now looking to meet Auston's eyes.

"So then it would be okay for me to ask you on a date, when we get back to Toronto?"

"I think I would like that very much," You smiled, over at the hockey player.

[sweetiepoison]

Famous Baby (social media blurb)

Who’s (Y/f/n) (Y/l/n) Dating Now?

(Y/f/n) (y/l/n) has been in the spotlight since she was 15 so it’s no surprise her relationships have been as well. From first love to whirlwind romance , we’ve seen it all from the singing sensation. She’s mainly been in serious relationships, but the lineup is impressive.

Shawn Mendes

(Y/l/n) and Mendes came into the spotlight around the same time. The pair met, instantly hit it off, and became the new young Hollywood “it” couple. They dated for three years from 2014-2017 and wrote a few of their hit songs about each other. (Y/f/n)’s song ‘Dandelions’ on her debut album is about Mendes. The love wasn’t one sided though, as Mendes reveled many of his love songs were about (y/l/n). After winning an American Music Award, Mendes said, “All of my songs are about her, so this award is as much hers as it is mine, she’s my inspiration.

We loved watching their young love romance evolve, but the two split in early 2017. (Y/f/n) discussed the breakup on the Jimmy Fallon show. “We just realized we were growing apart and going in different directions, but he will always hold a special place in my heart as my first love and no can ever replace that.”

Harry Styles

The British singer is (y/l/n)’s longest and most high profile relationship. The two began dating at the end of 2017 and remained together for four years before breaking things off. Their love caught the attention of the world and had many talking. It’s believed Styles hit song, Adore you is about (y/l/n) before they were official.

The couple raised the bar for relationships. Harry took (y/f/n) on a vacation to Greece for her 21st birthday. Which she followed up by throwing him a massive surprise party with all of his close friends and family. When asked about their relationship in an interview (y/l/n) said, “Harry is the type of boyfriend girls dream of. He loves me so well and he wears his heart on his sleeves which is beautiful.”

The breakup came as a surprise to many as it seemed the couple was going strong. It didn’t last for long though as they got back together at the end of 2022 before finally calling it quits mid 2023. Neither have revealed why they split, but both have remained consistent and committed to supporting each other.

Michael B. Jordan

During her brief break with Harry, (y/f/n) dated Creed actor, Michael B. Jordan. Despite the 11 year age gap the couple had a lot in common and spent plenty of special occasions together. Jordan helped her celebrate her 24th birthday where we got their most infamous pictures together as a couple.

The relationship lasted 10 months before they broke up and (y/l/n) was back with Styles. Despite the sudden end Jordan had only good things to say, “She’s an amazing, hardworking woman who deserves all the success she’s had.”

Auston Matthews

The newest boyfriend on the list may be NHL superstar, Auston Matthews. An insider reveals they saw Matthews and (y/l/n) at a bar together in Toronto. They were with a group of friends including Justin and Hailey Bieber, but the two seemed particularly close. The pair was also spotted leaving together at the end of the night. While nothing is confirmed, we could definitely get behind this match.

[wildrangers]

"Slut!" // William Nylander

Word Count: 2.8K

Summary: Famous singer reader x our boy Willy

{For my 1989 Vaults Track Challenge}

Warnings/tropes: fluff, resolved angst (very minor), mentions of anxiety, strong allusions to sex but no serious smut (like PG-13-ish), cursing

You were used to attention but even you had a limit. You’d hit it a few months ago after the tabloids latched onto you being seen with a mystery man, aka Marc from your agent’s office. When your team published that to dispel the rumors, the media reframed it as you sleeping with him for favoritism within your agency. While they hadn’t actually been yelling “Slut!” at you, they may as well have been and you’d needed to get away from New York.

You’d escaped to Toronto because you enjoyed the city whenever your tour had passed through and decided it was busy enough to get lost in without attracting the press. You were hunkered down working on your next album, doing your best to lose yourself in the rhythm of the city and get back to what you loved most—your music.

Got lovestruck, went straight to my head

Got lovesick, all over my bed

Love to think you’ll never forget

Handprints in wet cement

You’d been walking your dog, Edith, when the air changed around you—you couldn’t quite explain it, but you could feel a group of people getting excited about something and it set you on edge—had you been spotted? You froze, eyes darting around as your breath fogged in front of you.

You spotted a group of maybe a half dozen girls giggling as they walked away from a tall, blonde man with two dogs. As you let out a deep sigh of relief, Edith spotted the other dogs and yanked the leash out of your grip, charging for them and their owner.

“Edith!” you called, heart in your throat, as you jogged after her. Luckily, you were in a quieter part of the city but you were still panicked until you saw the guy grab her leash.

“I am so, so sorry, thank you so much” you called out once you were in speaking distance of him.

“It’s no problem” he replied, smiling easily at you. “I was relieved when a dog was running over—when I heard someone yelling ‘Edith!’ I worried a grandma was really in trouble.”

You chuckled and shrugged, “I mean, she’s just an Edith, you know?” Normally, at this point, you’d disengage to avoid being recognized but his face was so open and you hadn’t realized until now how lonely you’d been holed up writing. “Who are these gentlemen?”

William introduced himself, as well as Banksy and Pablo. You discovered your buildings were near each other so when he offered to join you on your return there, you took him up on it despite your reservations.

“So, what do you do for work?” William asked after a natural lull in conversation and your pulse picked up.

“Oh, I work in the music industry, what about you?”

You felt him reassessing you and his cheeks suddenly flared pink, “I’m sorry, I thought you looked familiar but it didn’t click until just now.”

“Please, don’t be sorry” you laughed, your own embarrassment rising to meet his. “It was nice talking with someone as a human being.”

“Yeah, I get that” he sighed.

“Oh?” you asked, wracking your brain for how he could possibly relate to such a strange feeling.

“I play for the Maple Leafs” he explained and you nodded, pretending to know what that meant. He must have caught on because he let out a rich laugh that made you smile from the sound alone. “The NHL team here, this is kind of a hockey town.”

“Well, that explains the girls back there…” you mused, reflecting back on the frenetic energy that comes with a person meeting someone they only know through a TV.

“They were sweet” he shrugged and you glanced over, noticing his legitimate nonchalance.

“It doesn’t bother you?”

“Not really, it comes with the territory and 95% of the time people are nice.”

“Well, that’s good” you mumbled, mostly to yourself. While your fans were lovely, your mind flashed to all the times you’d been met with judgement and jealousy from girls who were into your famous exes. It was a bizarre, shame-inducing experience despite you doing nothing wrong.

“Hey look!” Will said excitedly, pulling you from your thoughts. “Come here, quick.”

You followed him in confusion towards a small section of sidewalk that had been replaced and was surrounded by caution tape. “What exactly are we doing?”

“Come on, we gotta do our hand prints, no?” he grinned and his genuine excitement made you smile too.

“Fine, but quickly” you agreed and he whooped before taking his left hand out of his glove, you doing the same with your right hand. You two quickly stuck your hands in, the wet concrete cold to the touch.

“My plan worked” he smiled and you tilted your head in confusion. “Now you have to come over, make sure we can wash that concrete off your hands. Can’t play guitar with chunks of that stuck to you.”

Lovelorn and nobody knows

Love thorns all over this rose

I’ll pay the price you won’t

You must have dozed off watching the Leafs game because you were woken by Will softly greeting the dogs. You stretched, letting the throw blanket fall around your waist as you yawned.

“I’m sorry, babe, did I wake you?” he asked quietly, placing a kiss to your forehead.

You hummed in response, wrapping your hand around the back of his neck to pull his lips to yours. His kiss was gentle and attentive—he always seemed to anticipate just what would make your heart flutter in your chest. He pulled away a moment later, his blue eyes shining with joy that warmed you from within.

It had only been a few months since you’d met and, if you were being honest, you were a little terrified by how quickly you were falling for him. Contrary to what the tabloids said, you normally guarded your heart quite closely. But with Will, it was beginning to feel like all you needed was him.

“Where’d you go?” he asked and you realized he’d sat down beside you, concern all over his face.

“I’m sorry, just got lost in my thoughts.”

“What were they saying?”

You hesitated, trying to decide how to phrase it, “It just worries me how much you mean to me already.”

“Oh, älskling” he replied, pulling you to him. Your arms wrapped around his middle and you buried your face in his neck, breathing in his scent. “What concerns you about that?”

“I’m scared of people finding out” you admitted softly.  

“Because of the media being assholes?” You nodded, pulling him tighter. “Y/N, people say shit about me all the time. It’s just what happens when you’re in the public eye.”

You sighed, pulling away slightly to look at him. He didn’t get it—how different it was being a famous woman versus a man. “What would the story be about you if it came out that we’re dating?” you questioned and he grinned.

“Just that I’m lucky to have somehow landed a woman that is way out of my league” he replied and you rolled your eyes, butterflies filling your stomach at the compliment.

“What do you think it would be about me?”

He took in your serious expression and paused to think before shrugging, “Tell me.”

“Y/N, dating William Nylander!” you proclaimed dramatically. “Another new man for the songstress! Will she ever settle down? How many famous men will she use for attention? What will her ex think? When can we expect the break up album?”

You’d tried being light-hearted but your voice cracked on the last word as tears pricked your eyes. “Hey, hey” he said quietly, embracing you again and running a soothing hand through your hair. “They can say whatever they want. Only we know what this is—how real it is. They can’t take that from us. But, if we keep hiding, think of all the things that fear is taking from us. You coming to a game, me being able to go to a show of yours someday. Me being able to take you out to celebrate a win or on a nice date.”

Tears flowed freely at his words, “I didn’t mean to hide us, I’m just scared.”

“I know” he replied, wiping away your tears. “And I’ve loved getting to know you and developing this relationship, just us two. But that’s not how relationships work—I want you to meet the team and me to meet your friends, see your home in New York.  I mean, if you’d want that” he said, faltering at the end.

You grabbed his face in your hands, placing a gentle kiss to his nose. “Of course, that’s what I want” you reassured him, getting lost in his deep blue eyes. And as he leaned in to kiss you again, you accepted that you’d likely get backlash in a way he wouldn’t. But you wouldn’t let that stop you from being with him fully.

But if I’m all dressed up

They might as well be looking at us

And if they call me a slut

You know it might be worth it for once

You were nervous as you left Scotiabank Arena with Steph and a few other girls. You’d felt safe up in the suite, watching the game with the other partners and families but away from prying eyes. Now, on the street surrounded by fans, you felt your anxiety rising. You could feel people watching your group, noting the WAG jackets—you couldn’t tell if they’d realized who you were or were just intrigued because of your relationship with a player.

As you saw Will’s car pull up to the curb, you confirmed with Steph which bar you’d all meet up at to celebrate the win before sliding into his passenger seat.

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Will asked, eyes scanning your face.

“Yeah, I’m sure” you nodded, despite the nerves filling your stomach. His strong hand gripped yours as he pulled out, heading a few blocks away to the bar. You’d gone to a few closed team events to meet everyone—parties at people’s apartments, joining the girls for at-home brunch, etc. All to help you feel comfortable enough for this milestone.

“You look beautiful, Leafs blue suits you” Willy complimented as he pulled into a spot and you squeezed his hand in thanks. He quickly came around to your side, opening your door and helping you out as he always did, ever the gentleman—it was one of the things you loved about him. You paused for a second at that thought before deciding you had enough to worry about tonight without bringing the L word into it.

You were escorted to a private room where you enjoyed a few hours of joyful company, dancing and drinking, celebrating the guys and their hard work. You’d almost convinced yourself you’d overthought this outing—everything was going great, why had you been so worried? But by the time you were leaving, cheeks flushed from the warmth of the bar and the alcohol flowing through you, your fears were confirmed as cameras began flashing.

Will wrapped a protective arm around you as your name was shouted from all around, Steph tucking herself closer to your other side, bracketing you in their safety.

Send the code, he’s waiting there

The sticks and stones they throw froze mid-air

Everyone wants him

That was my crime

It was the following afternoon and you were spiraling. All those moments you thought were private were plastered across the internet. You and Steph cheering after a goal, you picking up John’s daughter so she could see the ice better, you shielding your eyes when Will had taken a hard check. Let alone all the photos they’d gotten outside the arena and of you walking into and out of the bar.

Even worse, a fan had gotten past your building’s security, knocking on your door shortly after lunch. Luckily, she’d been sweet but it still rattled you. Your building’s manager had apologized profusely, quickly changing all the codes into the building and retraining the staff on privacy procedures.

Will was at practice and wouldn’t be over until later that afternoon, leaving you to your own devices. You’d successfully fought off Googling your own name for hours before finally caving.

Y/N spotted with William Nylander—but is she still with Marc?

Y/N has gone through all of Hollywood’s men—she’s moved onto Toronto now!

When can we expect the Nylander album?

That last one had been the worst—as if your music was owed solely to the men you decided to be with, not something you worked tirelessly on. Your phone vibrated beside you and your shoulders sagged in relief as Will’s name popped up.

“Hey babe, are you almost here?”

“I’m outside, can you send me the new code? It’s a zoo out here.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry, I totally spaced, it’s 161152. I’ll call George to let him know you can come up.”

A few moments later, you were pulling Will into your apartment and locking the door behind him. You began to explain everything that had happened today but instead simply burst into tears.

“I’m so sorry, älskling—I believed you but I didn’t realize how crazy it would be. But we’re going to figure this out, okay?” And you let yourself believe him as he rubbed soothing circles on your back, his presence filling you with a sense of safety. “And I’m going to be taking your laptop away from you” he added, spotting what you’d been searching.

You chuckled through your tears, pulling away to grab a tissue from nearby, “I knew I shouldn’t but couldn’t stop myself” you admitted and he nodded. “I’m sorry about all of this.”

“Hey, no” he countered, gently gripping your face between his hands. “We knew this could happen.”

“I know but why would you want to put up with all of this?” you asked, emotion clogging your throat again.

“Because I’ll take anything and everything that comes with being with you” he answered, eyes serious as they held yours. You didn’t know what to say to that so you just wrapped your arms around his middle again. “Want to take a nap? I could use one after the last twelve hours.”

Half asleep

Taking your time

You’re not saying you’re in love with me

But you’re going to

A few hours later you were woken by kisses placed all over your face and gentle hands caressing your waist. “There she is” Willy mumbled into your ear and you giggled, turning your face so you could capture his lips with your own. His exploring hands made quick work of both your clothes and soon he was a comforting weight on top of you.

You’d obviously had sex with Will countless times by this point but this felt different somehow. You both normally favored faster, rougher sex but Will was moving so purposefully and slowly, seemingly drawing out the time you two were joined together, impossibly close.

Later, as you came down from your high and felt his rhythm falter, you opened your eyes to meet his and the look there stole your breath away. Such affection and care were in his deep blue eyes before he dropped his head to your chest, burying his face in your neck as he caught his breath.

“That was incredible, Y/N” he said softly and you pulled his face up to yours, pouring all your unsaid feelings into the kiss.

Half awake

Taking your chance

It’s a big mistake

I said it might blow up in your pretty face

A few nights later, you were curled up in Will’s bed, wrapped in his embrace. The dogs were fast asleep around you but you were clinging to wakefulness, enjoying the warmth of Will behind you after a long day in the studio.  

“Y/N?” Will said softly and you hummed in response, turning in his arms to face him.

You smiled up at him sleepily but felt yourself wake up a bit more at the intensity in his eyes. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just…” he began, swallowing thickly. You frowned slightly at his nerves, reaching up to brush a piece of hair out of his eyes. “I just love you, that’s all.”

You fought back a smile, “Oh is that all?”

“Shut up” he giggled, hiding his face in your neck, pulling you even closer to him somehow.

You ran a hand through his hair, placing a kiss to the top of his head. “I love you too, William.”

“Yeah?” he questioned, pulling back just enough to gaze up at you.

You nodded before smirking, “You may come to regret it but yeah, I love you.”

He placed a gentle kiss to your collarbone before settling into your chest again, “I could never regret this, my love.”

A/N: My first Willy story! Thanks to those who sent support for this little series I'm working on to hopefully get out of this writing slump. I wrote this in a few hours so please let me know any feedback you have ☺️ 'Say Don't Go' with Lindgren next!

[dmercer91]

hey e!!!!!!

i was wondering if you could write something angsty about matthew knies? maybe reader is having a rough time while he’s in toronto and she’s still in Minnesota? or maybe they get into a little argument before a roadie? or whatever angst you’d want to write!

feel free to write it whenever ! love u❤️‍🩹!

mother aryne accidentally fixes everything because she just emanates those vibes

also matty is a complete dickhead in this blurb pls dump your boyfriends if they treat you like this thank you

also, hi!! i love u too 🫶

unbearable emotions, mk23

“i miss you, matty,” you murmured into the phone, a deep sigh coming in through the other end.

“did you even listen to a thing i said,” he sounded angry, and you furrowed your eyebrows, you hadn’t known you’d done something wrong.

“sorry, matt,” your tone was sincere, and you frowned to yourself when he stayed silent. we’re you not allowed to miss him?

“usually when you need to vent about hockey you just want me to listen, i didn’t realize-“ you were cut off by a groan, your heart beating quicker. did he not want the distance anymore? was he finding his out?

“i’m just fucking sick of hearing you complain about it. i’ve got enough going on, y/n, i don’t need to be reminded of how i’m burdening you by having a job,” your lips parted in shock at his words, your original comment coming from sentiment and not disdain.

“i’m sorry, i didn’t mean for it to come off like that. i was just-“ his voice lapped over yours, so you stopped talking, not wanting to anger him further

“whatever. i’ve gotta go, bye,”

“i love you, matty,” you whispered, the line doing dead without a response from your boyfriend.

tears streamed down your face as soon as you turned your phone off, confusion and shock prominent and your stomach churning from heartache

he never texted the next day, never called, so neither did you. it went on for about a week and a half, and then aryne reached out to you and asked if you wanted tickets to the game at the wild.

you agreed, still wanting to support him despite his recent mood with you.

you sat with aryne and the tavares kids throughout the game, and she’d invited you to come back with her to wait after the game was over

she’d mentioned that matt didn’t know you were there, and that she thought it’d be a nice surprise for him to see you

despite his recent coldness towards you- she claimed that he always spoke about how much he missed you.

he came out of the room with a glum look on his face, even though the team had won.

he turned, saw you, and his face fell even further.

you frowned, but walked over, wrapping your arms around his torso and burying your head into his neck.

he stiffened and then quickly returned the favour, hand going to your head and scrunching your hair in the process.

he kept you held close, nose smooshed against your hairline.

“i’m sorry, baby. i’m so sorry,” he whispered, rocking the two of you back and forth and closing his eyes.

“i didn’t deserve that.” you mumbled, looking up at him and tilting his head down, his eyes opening.

“i was having a rough day, and i wanted you to be there, and it sucked being reminded that you weren’t. i was a prick, and m’ sorry,” he confessed, giving you a begging look

“please, can we talk,” he whispered, your heart aching in your chest.

you simply nodded, putting your head back on his chest. you were mad, but for now you just needed to soak in the time you were given with him.

“i love you, y/n/n,” he gave you a squeeze, his cheek pressing to your forehead.

[leafs-lover]

The Finality

Another installment of the Auston Matthews X Friend series, taking place a few months after YN left his barbeque.

Warnings: Swearing, smut - fingering, P in V, cream pies (wrap it kids 😉) 18+

Three months.

That’s how long it’s been since you saw or even spoke to Auston, someone you’ve known for over fifteen years, one of the most important people in your life. Your best friend.

It’s been three months since you spoke to your best friend.

After storming out of his house with your dress inside out and clinging to your damp bathing suit, you didn’t look back. In the weeks that followed, you’ve talked to Kayla, and to Sarah, even messaged with Trevor a little. Trevor told you Auston was a miserable ass the last few weeks he spent in Arizona.

They all told you basically the same thing - get your head out of your ass and admit what you’ve been feeling.

They all assume you are in love with your best friend.

You’re not.

And it’s ridiculous advice. That’s why you are sitting at a table in a dimly lit, high-end pretentious restaurant with Jerome. He is your roommates - boyfriend’s - college friend’s - roommate’s - brother. And his personality is about a lively as the atmosphere in the restaurant.

Maybe he’s not as dreadful as you think, but sitting in complete silence, in a stark white room, sounds more exciting than being at this table. It is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and most people have already taken off to fly home, the streets even had an eerie emptiness to them. But your lack of enthusiasm has little to do with the mostly empty restaurant, and more to do with the company.

He is your cliché accountant. Or was it investment banker? Account manager? At this point you can’t even remember. The only reason you remember his name is because he has referred to himself in third person at least seven times, while telling you stories that you can only assume were obnoxious and boring. He mentioned the cylinders and torque on his blue Lamborghini within minutes of picking you up, and at that moment you knew tonight would suck. And every time he opens his mouth it just gets worse.

If this date was orchestrated by Kayla or Sarah, you would have thought they purposely picked the most ignorant and self-righteous person known to man. But neither your roommate nor her boyfriend know about what happened in August.

You are barely halfway through dinner, but you just can’t take it. He is just so annoying. Maybe if he let you get more than six words in at a time, or talked about something other than money, cars and Armani you’d be slightly interested in getting to know him more. But if you were to ask him any question about yourself, even something as basic as your hometown, he wouldn’t even be able to tell you the answer, because he never asked.

“Can you excuse me.” Your chair scraps loudly against the wood floor, the sound almost nails on chalkboard, drawing eyes from the small group of patrons. “I just forgot; I have something I have to do.”

Tossing the napkin onto the entrée you barely touched; you reach for your purse and fling the strap over your shoulder. For the first time you see an emotion spread on his face – confusion. His brows are creased, and lips pursed as he watches you.

“Right now?” he blinks, putting his fork down on table. “In the middle of dinner?”

“Yes, it’s very important.” Pulling out your wallet you drop a couple bills on the table, ignoring his objection, and walk out of the door without another word. He might have offered to drive you home, or maybe he was telling you to keep your money, he could have asked when you’d be available to reschedule, or he could have said nothing, you have no idea. You just needed to get away from him.

It’s dark.

There is a crispness to the air, and hazy dark clouds blanket the sky, all indicative of an incoming storm. This time of year in Toronto, it could be rain, it could be snow.

He couldn’t tell you what woke him up at 6am. Felix wasn’t scratching at the door, still curled up beside him on the bed, kicking and whining as he chased the ever-elusive rabbit in his dreams. The halls were quiet, none of his neighbours making a noise. His phone had no new notifications, no missed calls, nothing that could have prompted him walking up almost two hours early when the sun had barely peeked its way through.

But there he is, sitting on the park bench waiting for Felix to pee before he can go back upstairs. He feels a few drops on his hands, saw a few stain the light grey track pants he decided to wear.

“Fuck,” he mutters under his breath, hoping Felix would finish up before the storm really starts.

Once Auston opened the door and shook off the wet bucket hat, Felix was gone. Instantly running away towards the kitchen. Odd behaviour, given his breakfast was handed out at 8am like clockwork.

A loud crack of thunder is followed up by the sound of rain, water trickling down the floor to ceiling windows. Going to make himself coffee, Auston’s heart flips and his stomach tightens seeing a silhouette crouched over in the dark kitchen, petting his dog as if they are welcome in his home. What’s worse is Felix is eager to accept the pets from the trespasser.

“Such a good boy,” the all too familiar voice calls out, and his heart rate begins to settle.

“YN?” Auston flips on the light, his voice sounding as broken as you feel. He doesn’t look okay; in fact, he looks like hell - the bags are darker than his actual eyes and his shoulders are slouching, trying to bear the metaphorical weight that has been holding him down. Rain drips from his dark curls and clings to his forehead, his long sleeve is drenched.

While it’s obvious you’re tired, his first thought was ‘fuck,’ because you look fucking good. The little black dress holds true to its name, ending high on your thighs, the cut in front low displaying a sliver of your breasts - not too much, just enough. Your makeup is light, showcasing your natural beauty, only the light pink cheeks cheeks and slight glow evidence you’re wearing any at all. He hates that you look good, but mostly that this look wasn’t for him.

“Hi,” you breathe out. It wasn’t until you spoke that he finally acknowledged you are real, and not a dream – something he had been having recently. Giving Felix one final scratch behind the ears, you wobble to your feet and stare at him, nervous waves threatening your balance.

“What are you doing here?” his brows furrow and arms cross over his chest.

You’d like to say you thought about it on the drive to the airport, the five-hour flight, while entering the combination to his keypad, the twelve minutes you spent in the dark and empty apartment. But you didn’t think about it once. The reality is, the second you left that restaurant everything is clouded by a heavy fog, and you really don’t know why you are in Toronto when you are supposed to be working in LA in a few hours.

“I had a date," your voice is quiet, as if the full weight will cause everything around to shatter.

“In Toronto?” he tries to disguise it, but you can hear the hurt in his voice.

“In LA,” your response is short, it’s all you can handle right now.

The gentle drizzle grows into a sudden downpour, and Felix curls at your feet, hiding from the crackling thunder and violent gusts of wind that shudder against the windows. “And you came to Toronto to tell me about it?” He hasn’t moved from the doorway; he can’t move from the doorway. “Sounds like something you could have said in a text, but that would involve you acknowledging me.” There is the bitterness he no longer tries to hide.

“It sucked…he sucked.”

“YN, what are you doing here?” he shakes his head frustratedly, not wanting to engage in this any further.

After you abruptly left his house he took a few days, then he sent you a message. Then another, and another, almost one every day. You never replied. He sent you snapchats of Felix, forwarded you memes on Instagram, tried just about everything to contact you, and you never replied. In fact, you would take days or weeks even to open those messages.

Then eighteen days ago he stopped.

He had tried, and now he was done. He couldn’t even lie and say that didn’t hurt, the fact that you turned off the switch to your friendship so effortlessly. But he couldn’t keep trying, because every time he didn’t see your name on his phone, his heart broke a little bit more.

“You kissed me.” It’s a hollow attempt to explain your presence.

“You kissed me back,” he counters.

“You kissed me,” your eyes dart to the floor but he see’s the heat building inside. “You touched me,” you barely manage to whisper the last part out.

“You wanted me to.”

Normally Auston wouldn’t speak on your behalf, but the way your body arched into him, the moans and groans catching in your throat, the tugging on his dampened curls, he has zero doubt you wanted that, wanted him. And he is 100 percent right.

“Nobody has kissed me like that since…made me feel…” you trail off, playing over the dozen dates you have forced yourself on to try and act as a distraction. Some of the guys were nice, funny, handsome, everything you would look for in a potential boyfriend, but they didn’t kiss you the way Auston did. They didn’t fill you with an insatiable desire for more, instead they only caused your heart to ache for the man more than 4000km away.

“Made you feel what?” Auston finally moves from where his feet had been glued, now only inches separate you. So close you can hear his heart beating, and if willing, could touch him.

“Complete,” you barely manage to speak. “Happy.” Your eyes finally meet his, and they are void of usual confidence, and instead are full of a raw vulnerability you have never seen. “They weren’t you.”

Those three words were all he needed to bring you in for a hot, fiery kiss, full of tongue and wandering hands. He reaches down to grab your ass, but this time instead of setting you on the counter he carries you down the hall and drops you on his bed. His sweater and trackpants are gone, leaving his hard chest and muscular body fully on display for you to gawk at. A trail of hair descends down his chest and disappears under the tight black boxers, that slowly tighten as he takes you in.

He wastes no time crawling between your legs and hiking your dress up, bunching the fabric above your hips. Sucking on the thin cloth that covers your core, he moans at the anticipation ready and waiting for him. He can’t even be bothered to slide it down your legs - it will take too long, and you can’t even bother to scold him when you hear fabric ripping and cool air connecting to your pussy lips, erupting chills through your spine.

“Shit YN,” he places a few kitten licks to your entrance, coating his lips in your flavour. “I’ve barely touched you and you’re soaked.”

“Have been since I last saw you,” you gasp when he wraps his lips around your clit and drives two thick fingers inside. A disgusting slurping sound overpowers your moans as Auston fucks his fingers in and out, drenching them in your essence. Your toes curl into the bed, and you fist the duvet, reveling in his touch.

Auston adjusts the speed and depth, playing around while listening to your breathing and moans. Finding the spot that jolts your entire body into his face, he does it again, and again, and again, every time smirking into your heat.

The scruff on his jaw burns the inside of your thighs. The knot in your stomach tightens and threatens to snap. The tears in your eyes build. The curse words being spewed get louder. Tears kiss your cheeks and the headboard rattles against the wall, all while the knot unravels. Pure euphoria floods your veins, and your hips arch further into him, writhing against the touch of your best friend. He slows his fingers ever so slightly to draw out your orgasm, not wanting it to be over.

“Fuck, that was better than I could have imagined,” he grins, licking the mess off his finger. Leaving a trail of featherlight kisses up your body, he nips and sucks, marking you along the way. Stopping at your lips, he places a soft, warm kiss, letting you briefly taste yourself on his tongue, then lets his forehead fall against yours. “I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been wanting to do this every single day for the last ten years,” Auston’s voice is soft as a light layer of tears glisten on his pupils.

“Me too,” you breathe, bringing him in for a kiss that starts soft but quickly builds to more.

**

“I still can’t believe you’re here,” he runs the pad of his thumb over your cheek, feeling the sweat that sticks to your skin.

“Me either, I literally left during dinner and climbed in a cab. Then I was just at the airport, I don’t even have a toothbrush,” you laugh lightly explaining the events of last night.

“We can go shopping,” Auston gently kisses you.

“I only have that dress, I don’t even have underwear,” you murmur faintly against his lips.

“Sorry,” he kisses you to hide the devious grin that threatens to blanket his face. “They were in my way.”

“You’re not sorry,” you whisper, shaking your head lightly.

“I’m not sorry,” he says, kissing you again.

The kiss deepens, your hand runs up his tattooed arm, then back down, his body pulling you closer. His erection begins to harden between your bodies, and your hand snakes down and wraps around it. Giving him a few tugs, encouraging it to grow, he pulls away and whispers a few curse words, then tries to roll you onto your back.

Having already spent time on your back handing control over to him, you push back, grinning when you’re straddling his waist. The goofy boyish smile on his face makes your heart swell, and you line his leaking tip up to your entrance. Taking a second to adjust to the stretch, your eyes roll into the back of your skull.

“Fuck, this is a good view,” his dark eyes sparkle as he breathes you in. His dark hair sticks in every direction on the pillow, some clinging to the beads of sweat on his forehead.

It doesn’t take long for one hand to find your hip and the other moves to your clit. You whimper when he drives slow but deep circles into your aching bundle of nerves, all while his cock grazes the spot that teeters with your release.

“Aus,” it’s a deep, uneasy breath that catches in your throat. The previous two orgasms have you tingling, barely able to contain yourself, but you haven’t had enough of him. Don’t know if you ever will.

Auston wants to thrust up into you, retake control and have you and your perfect breasts bouncing all over his cock. He also recognizes those signs of your impending orgasm, and waits, continuing to do exactly what he had been doing at the same speed as before.

“Cum for me,” Auston pads around your clit again, waiting for the soft moans and curse words to be all that is heard.

“I love you,” you murmur. Tracing the tuft of hair that runs down his abs, you clench around him, letting your release soak his cock. Within seconds of feeling you spasm around him, he is painting the inside of your walls with a sticky white seed. After a few shallow thrusts, his hands ease up, and he lets you fall into the space beside him.

Tears burn when he doesn’t say it back.

Was this just sex for him, a way to release pent up stress, nothing serious? You didn’t exactly talk about anything, once you started kissing you were both naked in minutes. And since getting naked you haven’t left his bed, tangled up in the other.

“Did you mean it?” he whispers, his voice full of hesitation, the answer threatening to ruin everything.

“Of course,” you choke back a sob, “I love you Auston, been in love with you for a while, just took me a bit to figure it out.”

Relief washes over him and is soon replaced by joy. Wide and beaming eyes, a fluttering in his stomach, his heart palpates in his chest. “I love you too YN.” Everything feels right in the world when he says that. “I love you so fucking much.”

**

The next five days were the best five days. You spent it cuddling, cooking, walking Felix, watching his hockey, kissing – so much kissing. He scored a hattrick and presented you with the puck in the hall. He ignored Will’s teasing and Mitch patting his shoulder, shouting, “it’s about damn time,” as he kissed you after the game. He rejected the offers for post-game drinks and dinner, instead opting to get takeout at his favourite restaurant and barely getting three bites in before kissing you again. You couldn’t your hands off him, and he couldn’t keep his dick out of you. By the time you woke up Friday you couldn’t walk right, but that only encouraged him more.

Then Sunday came. He and Felix lay on the bed, reluctantly watching you fold the couple pairs of trackpants, leggings, sweaters - all the clothes he had bought you – and tuck them neatly into his dresser.

“Stay another day,” a hint of desperation is in his words.

“My boss wasn’t thrilled that I missed Wednesday,” you reply, gently closing the final drawer. Walking over to him, you crawl into the bed beside him, falling into his warm embrace. “I can’t miss another day.”

“Move here,” he isn’t entirely joking.

“You know I can’t,” you whisper. You don’t have a job in Toronto, you also don’t have a visa required to get a job, you have a roommate you can’t exactly leave high and dry, and countless responsibilities waiting for your return. You can’t recklessly abandon your life and move to Toronto, no matter how much you want to.

“Felix will miss you,” the bernadoodle’s ears perk up upon hearing his name, before settling back in for some pets.

“I’m going to miss him too.” Flicking your eyes up to his face, your heart breaks. You’ve never seen so much turmoil before, it’s oozing out of every pore. “And you.”

The kiss is soft but halted by his heavy gulp. “How do we do this?”

“One day at a time,” you offer, gently running your nails through the scruff on his jaw.

Auston just lets go of a defeated sigh, it’s not the answer he wanted. He was hopeful of some wise words, an actual plan, maybe another weekend in which you could visit again. Any sort of inner workings of a schedule.

But this was so unexpected, you didn’t have time to process what was happening until you were standing in his kitchen kissing him. You barely remembered to book a return flight home so caught up with him and the bubble you had built in his bedroom.

There is FaceTime and snapchat, and it worked to fill the void while you were just friends, but you’re not just friends anymore. In normal circumstances the pain wouldn’t faze him, but you are far from normal to him. He finally has the piece he didn’t know he’d lost, and now he has to let it go. It could be a week, could be a month, maybe even more, he has no idea. All he knows is you’re leaving and taking a part of him out that door.

[spine-buster]

Lost in the Memory | Ryan O'Reilly | Volume IV

gif credit @/schwizzle-schwartz

A/N: Soooooooo many good things! And bad things! And emotional things! Next volume, the playoffs start 😐

“Ryan and I have something to tell you.”

Early the next morning, Whitney felt cold as she woke up in her bed.  After being spoiled by having Ryan’s arms around her all night, it wasn’t a welcome feeling to wake up without his body close to hers.  She rubbed her eyes and they opened slowly, the light from the window causing a longer adjustment period.  When she could finally see at least semi-clearly, she looked around for Ryan.  Luckily, she didn’t have to wait long.  She found him sitting on the edge of the bed, his back to her. 

She got up slowly and quietly, wiggling her way out from underneath the covers before crawling over to him.  He was so deep in thought that he didn’t even turn around, didn’t even feel the bed move under her weight.  When she touched him – her hand tracing a line up his back along his spine – his head finally moved to the side.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders.  “G’morning, Snook,” she said, her voice still sleepy.

“Morning, sweetness.”

“Did you sleep okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” he said, lying partially.  “I always do with you.”

Whitney watched as he brought his hand up to caress her arms, his fingertips trailing over the skin on her forearm as he brought it close to him and gave it a quick kiss.  In return, she kissed his bare shoulder.  He was quiet.  And if Whitney knew anything about Ryan, she knew that when he was quiet, he was thinking.  Stuck in his own head.  There were two people able to get him out of his own head: his dad, and her.  She knew she’d have to do that now.  “What are you thinking about, Snook?” she asked.

“Last night.”

“What’s wrong?  Aren’t you happy?”

“Yes,” he responded immediately, leaving no room for any doubt.  “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, sweetness.  I’ve just…I’ve been up thinking about all the memories.  I dreamt of them all night.  Of you and me.”

“What stood out?” she asked.

“So many.  Too many,” he said, leaning back slightly into her body and looking at her over his shoulder.  “I never—I never led you on, did I?”

“No,” Whitney shook her head.  “It just took a while to get to this moment.”

“Did you ever not feel loved by me?” he asked again.

“Never.  I always knew you loved me.  And I don’t just mean when we first got together, when we first kissed when I was sixteen,” she clarified.  “I mean, I always knew you loved me.  Always.  Every time you picked me to be on your team, or gave me extra Nutella on my toast, or let me eat from your bowl when Gareth would steal my popcorn.  I knew that was love too.”

Ryan stayed silent, thinking over her words.  That helped with many of his insecurities, but not with the biggest one.  “You need—you need to do something for me.”

“Anything, Snook.”

“If we’re going to do this, you—you have to tell me if I ever hurt you.”

Whitney’s heart hurt, hearing those words come out of him after everything that was said last night.  “That’s imposs—”

“Whitney,” his voice was stern, serious.  He looked deep into her eyes.  “I mean it.  If I ever hurt you, or—or if I ever don’t take care of you, you have to be honest with me.  I made those promises to you, and you have to tell me when I break them.”

Whitney knew that deep down, all men were insecure about a multitude of things, but in the deepest part of them, there was always one thing they were the most insecure about.  This was it for Ryan.  He wanted to be perfect for her.  He wanted to hold himself to a standard he set, that only he could attain, that would be impossible for everybody else.  This was his deep insecurity because he thought he failed on it in the past.  Ryan had never failed in anything, but he thought he failed in following through on his promise to Gareth, protecting her, taking care of her.  He was never going to let that happen again. 

She nodded.  She knew it would give him piece of mind.  “I promise,” she said.  She moved her hand to cradle his face.  “Snook, I hope you know how happy you make me.”

“I do,” he nodded.  “And you make me so happy too.  Happier than anyone.  You deserve the world, Whit, and I’m gonna do my best to try to give it to you.”

She smiled, giving him a kiss on the lips.  “You know how you can start?”

“How’s that?”

“Make love to me one more time before you leave for the week.”

Ryan smiled.  He still had a while before having to get to the airport, so he knew they could get up to a lot.  “That I can do,” he whispered, giving her a quick kiss.

He turned around fully to get back into bed, but instead of going at each other immediately in a flurry of lips and tongues and kisses, they took their time.  Whitney lay back down and Ryan lay beside her, propping himself up on one arm before beginning to kiss her.  It reminded Whitney so much of how all of this started, how he’d drive them out to Lake Huron for some privacy in case someone in town saw them and they’d put the back seats down and lay like this, ignoring the sunset that they were supposed to be watching.  Ryan was just as sweet and gentle then as he was now.  His core hadn’t changed.  It was just one thing Whitney loved about him.  Hockey and the NHL and all the success that came with it didn’t change him.  He was the same kid from Varna that she grew up with, the same kid who’d give you the shirt off his back.

Come to think of it, they were in the same position in which so many of their rendezvouses happened.  Ryan trying not to overpower or intimidate her with his size, Whitney trying to pull him on top of her body because she wanted him there.  “Snook?”

“Hmm?”

“When are we gonna tell our families?” she asked in between kisses.

“When I get back,” he said.  “I don’t want you to tell them without me here.”

“Okay.”

“We’ll drive up Friday afternoon.  Maybe we’ll even spend the night in Goderich.”

Whitney nodded.  “They’ll be happy for us,” she said in between kisses.  She didn’t know if she was saying it to convince herself – she didn’t know why she was saying it at all, really.  She knew their families would be happy.  “We’ll have to Zoom Owen.”

“We will, we will,” he whispered, attaching his lips to hers again.  He didn’t let up this time; Whitney was barely able to get a breath in until his tongue left her mouth.  “Whit, can I taste you?”

She nodded her head quickly, a quick “Yes, yes” escaping her as Ryan kissing down her body before helping her out of her pajama bottoms. 

He took a pillow and placed it under her hips.  “Hey, look at me,” he whispered, looking up from between her legs.  Ryan waited a few moments after they made eye contact to speak.  “I love you,” he said, his tone strong and steadfast.

“I love you,” she replied, her tone equally as strong and steadfast as it could be when Ryan O’Reilly was between her thighs.

She watched as he kissed the skin of her inner thighs before placing his tongue on her pussy softly.  He was going to enjoy this – she knew he was.  The first time he ate her out, he was just as gentle and just as slow, mostly because she was so nervous.  He held her hand through the whole thing and was down there for so long Whitney thought it was abnormal that it was taking her so long.  Ryan had assured her that it was normal, and that there was no way he was coming back up without making her come. 

She reached her hands down and grabbed on to his hair gently, little sighs and moans escaping her as she felt him suck on her clit expertly.  He knew exactly what to do to make her feel pleasure, knew exactly what to do to make her feel like she was the luckiest girl in the world.  She felt his tongue lap at her pussy, drinking her up like a thick milkshake.  “You do that so good, Snook,” she sighed out, one of the only things she’d said this entire time.

Ryan looked up at her with his big blue eyes, his lips still on her pussy, his beard giving her the best beard burn possible.  She thought she’d be used to it after all these years, after how many times he’d been between her thighs, but she wasn’t.  It was still such a sight to behold.  She could see him smile.  She smiled back and giggled softly before tightening her grip on his hair.

Whitney adjusted the pillow under her hips slightly when she could feel her orgasm building.  “Keep doing that, Snook,” she said.  “Just like that.”

Ryan listened, because he knew what Whitney liked, but also because he knew what he was doing.  He continued to lap at her, her orgasm building within her.  Eventually, with an arch of her back, she cried out as her orgasm flooded over her.  She squeezed Ryan’s head between her thighs inadvertently, but he didn’t move, his lips and tongue staying on her as she rode out her orgasm, getting every last drop from her.  “God, Snook, every damn time,” she couldn’t help but giggle as she felt his lips leave her pussy.  His lips and beard were glistening with her juices, and she bit her bottom lip at the sight.  “Look at you, baby.”

Ryan pulled back and stood on his knees, and it was only then that Whitney was able to see how hard he’d become just by eating her out.  He pulled his boxers down, freeing his hard cock from its confines before crawling over her.  “You don’t want me to—”

“No no,” he interrupted her softly.  “I need to be inside you.”

She spread her legs for him easily, and he hooked one of them over his torso before pushing into her slowly.  He watched as she closed her eyes, taking all of him in.  When he was fully inside her, he stopped and began moving some hair away from her face gently.  “You’re so deep, Snook,” she breathed out, opening her eyes to look at him.  “It feels so good.”

“When we get married, when you become my wife, I’m gonna spoil you so much,” he said, giving her a quick peck.

“You already spoil me.  How could you spoil me more?”

“I’ll find ways,” he said as he began to move in and out of her slowly.  “You want a bigger house?”

“No.  I love this house.”

“Then I’ll get flowers delivered every week,” he said, causing her to giggle.  “Or brownies.  You love brownies.”

“I can make brownies every week,” she offered.  “But that means extra time training with your dad.”

“Or more sex to burn off all those extra calories.”

Whitney laughed out loud, unable to believe they were actually having this conversation while he was inside her.  “Tell me what else, Snook.”

“Our wedding will be perfect because you’re planning it,” he continued.  “We’ll be surrounded by our family and friends.  We’ll dance all night.”

“Sounds perfect.  We can have it on the lake.  God knows we need to see at least one sunset over Lake Huron one of these days,” she joked.

“I still won’t see it because I’ll be kissing you all night,” he said.

Whitney smiled.  “Tell me more, Snook.  I love this.”

He kissed her before continuing.  “We’re gonna have as many kids as you want.  In this house.”

The thought made Whitney’s breath hitch in her throat.  That was all she ever wanted – a life and a family with Snook.  Now she was getting it.  “Yeah?”

“When you want, when you’re ready, you’re going to take out your IUD, and we’re gonna start a family, Whit.  And when you get big and round I’m gonna go insane cause that’ll be my baby in you.  Our baby.  Ours.”

“You gonna fuck a baby into me, Snook?”

“Yes,” there was the slightest growl in his voice, the slightest hint of possessiveness in his voice.  She knew it would get him going, that wording it the way she did would set him off.  “I’ll give you as many kids as you want.  I’ll give you everything.  We’re gonna raise them here.  They’ll go to Bluewater Beach like we did.”

Whitney almost felt like crying.  They had such an idyllic, pastoral childhood, and she wanted to give that experience to her children, too.  “We’ll put them all in hockey.  We’ll clear space in the basement for all their smelly gear,” she said, making Ryan chuckle.  “We’ll all play street hockey with the neighbours, and on weekends we’ll be in Goderich looking up at all the stars.  In the winter we’ll put on our snowshoes or skates and go out on the frozen lake.  We’ll read them bedtime stories and tuck them into bed together.”

Ryan nodded his head, as if in agreement, as if that’s exactly what he was thinking about and wanted too.  Every single thing Whitney said, he could picture vividly in his mind.  “That’s right.  That’s right.”

“You and me, Snook,” she said to stop from crying. 

“You and me, Whit.”

They continued to make love until Ryan felt close, increasing his pace slightly to get himself there.  Whitney knew – she could feel it in him – and arched her back to get a better angle.  “You close, Snook?”

“Yeah,” he struggled to get out.

“Come inside me, Snook.  I want to feel you.  I want you to make me feel good.”

Ryan came inside her as he always did, her walls tightening around his cock as she went through another orgasm.  He buried his face into the crook of her neck, kissing her skin there until he felt his orgasm fade.  Whitney wrapped her arms around his shoulders before he lowered his body, settling into her side and on the bed as he slipped out of her.  “I love you, Whit.”

She was still catching her breath, but she replied easily.  “I love you too, Snook.”

“I’m gonna give you everything you want.  I’m gonna give you a home, kids.  I’m going to spoil you.  I’m going to take care of you,” he huffed out as he looked at her.

Whitney smiled, cradling his face in her hands.  “I’m going to take care of you, too.”

***

Ryan had packed for the five-and-a-half day road trip to Sunrise, Tampa, and New York City.  He had his suitcase by the door and had called a taxi to take him to the airport.  Whitney had been preparing something for him to eat on the way, even though the team probably had snacks and food waiting for them on the plane.

“Whit!  Taxi will be here in two minutes,” Ryan called out, slipping into a pair of sneakers at the front door.

Whitney emerged from the kitchen, carrying a chickpea tuna sandwich and some carrots in a bag.  She watched as he finished putting his shoes on before handing him the sandwich and carrots.  “Do you have everything you need?” she asked.

“Think so,” he said, putting the sandwich into his jacket pocket.  “I’m gonna miss you,” he said, leaning in to kiss her quickly.

Except it was never just a quick kiss with Ryan and Whitney.  One kiss turned into two turned into three turned into seven.  It was only when Ryan felt the lightest of tears rolling down Whitney’s cheeks did he pull away.  “Hey hey hey, what’s going on?” he asked quickly.

“I’m sorry—I don’t mean to,” she pulled away, too, wiping the tears away quickly with her fingers.  “It’s just a long trip.  I want you here with me is all.”

Ryan cupped her face in his big hands.  “Don’t cry, sweetness.  I won’t be able to go if you’re still crying.  They’ll have to delay the MLSE jet.”

Whitney couldn’t help but chuckle at that, putting her hand over Ryan’s just as she saw the taxi pull up on the curb.  “Go.  Go baby,” she put her hands on his chest.

“Not until you—”

“I’ll be okay, Ryan.  I just can’t wait for you to come home so we can tell everyone.”

“It’ll go by quick, I promise,” he said.  “One more kiss, sweetness.”

She leaned into him and they kissed, except this time, Ryan really didn’t let go.  He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tight against his body, his tongue forcing its way in her mouth.  A little noise escaped her mid-kiss, and when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her backed her up against the wall at the entrance, a knee between her thighs, pinning her there.  His big, strong legs were a favourite of hers.  The things she imagined doing to herself on those thighs…the things she had done to herself on those thighs.  It gave her goosebumps to remember.  Their open-mouth kisses were getting hot and heavy, until—

Beeeeep beeeeep!

The taxi honked its horn inconsiderately from outside.  They stopped kissing immediately, looking out the front door panels.  “Go.  You’re going to be late.  I don’t want to be responsible for holding up the MLSE jet.”

“I’ll just blame it on traffic.”

“Go!”

He gave her one last look and (truly) one last kiss before grabbing his suitcase and opening the door.  She stood in the door frame and watched him walk out to the car, putting his suitcase in the trunk after waiving the driver’s offer for help, getting into the backseat.  He waved at her.  She waved back.  Then he was gone down the street, away for five and a half days. 

***

It was a beautiful spring day in southwestern Ontario.  The sun was out, there were only a few clouds in the sky, and although it was still a bit chilly out, it felt like people were finally awakening from their winter hibernation, ready to hit the ground running into spring and summer.  Though Whitney felt like she had new life in her ever since Ryan got to Toronto, she couldn’t help but feel an extra skip in her step at the good weather.

It was the perfect opportunity for her to take a drive. 

To Seaforth.

To St. James Catholic Cemetery.

Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.

The grass at the cemetery was still dull, not fully brought to life yet, but that didn’t matter.  With a bouquet of flowers in her hand, Whitney made her way to the site she knew best, the site she could walk to with her eyes closed.  As she stood at the foot of Gareth’s grave, she read the inscription as she always did when she visited.

Gareth James Napier

March 1st, 1991 – June 5th, 2013

Beloved son and friend

“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal;

Love leaves a memory no one can steal”

She kneeled, placing the flowers against the tombstone before she brought her hand to her mouth, kissed it, and touched his name engraved.  “Hi Gareth,” she whispered.  “It’s me again.”  She paused momentarily, feeling the wind run through her hair.  “I know you’ve been watching, but I want you to hear it from me.  We’re finally together.  Ryan and I.  It’s official.  We’ve loved each other for a really long time and we finally—something just clicked.  I found out Ryan thought he couldn’t keep his promise to you.  That’s what’s been keeping us apart for so long.  That’s what was holding him back all these years.  You know him.  I mean, you were best friends.  He always set high standards for himself but I think this was the highest.  Can you…Gareth – can you help him realize that he doesn’t need to be scared?  I always regret not telling you what was going on between us.  I think you would have been happy after the initial shock.  Maybe if we had, it wouldn’t have become a secret for ten years.  I’ve always been happy with him.  And now, Gareth…we’re getting married.  I’m gonna become Mrs. O’Reilly.  We’re going to start a family together.  And that’s something I’ve wanted with him all along.  I wanted you to be the first to know.  Before mom and dad and everyone else.  Because he was your best friend.  You were my best friend too…”

Whitney paused.  She tried to reign in her emotion, but there was no use.  Tears began falling from her eyes, sobs coming up in her throat.  That she had to speak to a headstone as opposed to her beloved brother was an injustice of the highest degree.  Nobody deserved this.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.  “I miss—I miss—I miss you so much.  I want you here so bad.  So bad, Gareth.  I don’t want to do this without you.  I always think to myself…why was it my brother that had to die?  Why did it have to be Gareth?  What did it have to be him?  It could have been anyone else in the world.  I know that won’t bring you back but it’s so unfair that you were taken from us so early.  You still had so much to do.  You still had so much joy to spread.  I want—I picture you at our wedding, dancing and singing like you always did, being the life of the party.  You were the brightest star in every room and I can’t deal with the fact that you’re not here for this.  I’ll be thinking about you always.  Our kids are going to know how amazing their Uncle Gareth was.  I promise.”

She took some time to compose herself, wiping her tears away with her long sleeves.  “Look over me, Gareth, like you always did.  And look over Ryan too.  I know you always do, but he’s going to need it.  I love you Gareth.  And I miss you more than words can say.  I’ve had a hole in my heart ever since you left us.  I love you.  I love you.”

Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.

***

Whitney didn’t know how long she sat at Gareth’s grave for.  She didn’t know how long she felt the wind blow gently through her hair.  She didn’t know how far the sun and clouds moved across the sky.  Everything was a blur, and time wasn’t real.  She didn’t know what time it was when she got up, placed one more kiss on her hand and touched Gareth’s name, and walked back to her car.  She barely even remembered getting into it, starting it, and pulling out of the parking spot to get back on to the main road.  The only reason she knew where she was going was because it was like muscle memory to her.  She’d done this route countless times before – the cemetery to her parents’ house, or the cemetery back into Toronto.  She could have done it with her eyes closed.

She practically was.

As she drove down the country roads to get to the highway, she began thinking even more than before.  Memories flooded her mind.  She kept thinking about her brother.  She kept thinking about how big his smile was and all the goofy faces he’d make to get her to laugh.  She kept thinking of how he would “let” her play Mario Kart with him if she was “good” because she wanted to fit in with him, Ryan, Cal, and Tara.  She kept thinking about the time he broke his ankle playing hockey and made her his personal slave.  She kept thinking about when she went to high school and all her teachers would say, “Whitney Napier?  Are you Gareth Napier’s little sister?  Oh my God, your brother is such a gem!”  She kept thinking about the first time she and Gareth travelled to Colorado together to watch Ryan play and Gareth was crying in the stands at seeing his best friend in the opening lineup of an NHL game.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!

Whitney swerved her car to the right on pure instinct, narrowly escaping a clip collision with an oncoming pickup truck by mere milliseconds.  She screamed at the loud noise, pushing her break and skidding along the road until she came to a full stop that was so forceful her chest nearly hit the steering wheel.  The dust from the sand and rocks at the side of the road came up in the air around the front of the car.  Her chest was heaving up and down as she finally realized what had almost just happened.

She closed her eyes.

She couldn’t believe what she’d just done.  She had become so lost in her own thoughts and memories of the past that she hadn’t been paying attention to the present.  In a vehicle, no less.  It was fine if it was in the privacy of her own house, alone, in bed, at night, whatever it was – but in a vehicle?  She felt so stupid.  So…irresponsible.

She burst into tears.  Loud, ugly wails escaped her as she sobbed alone in her car.  There was nothing she could say that hadn’t already been said, and there was nothing she could say that would make the situation better.  The sadness would be with her always, the pain of not having Gareth with her, with Ryan.  While they had found ultimate happiness in each other, and would feel that happiness for the rest of their lives, Gareth’s memory would always be a part of them, too.  With it brought joy, sadness, jubilation, and hurt.  Whitney heard once that grief was just unexpressed love.  When she watched Fleabag and Fleabag said “I don’t know what to do with it.  With all the love I have.  I don’t know where to put it now”, she felt that more than anything.  It was how she felt about Gareth.

Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.

It was only when she stopped crying nearly an hour later, trusting herself to not get too emotional and actually make her way back home safely, did she allow herself to start her car again.  As everything turned on, the radio station played a song: “Dancing in the Moonlight” by Toploader.

Gareth’s favourite song.

***

The Toronto Maple Leafs won their last three games of the season.  Ryan had scored against Tampa, and had taken rookie Matthew Knies under his wing in his dressing room and on his line.  The Leafs were now in playoff mode.  The entire city was buzzing.  Whitney drove out to Pearson Airport to pick him up.  She waited with Bee and Aberdeen, who were bundled up in chunky knitwear and a Leafs hoodie over the top, as if they coordinated their outfits.

Bee hadn’t told anyone what she saw.  Not even Morgan.  It wasn’t her secret to tell, and she didn’t want to be that person.  She wasn’t that person.  She’d been a victim of horrible rumours before, and she wasn’t going to be the person telling everyone.  She wasn’t even sure what she saw, in that she didn’t know what it meant.  Though she could tell the kiss had a lot of feeling and history behind it, she didn’t know what that feeling was, or what that history was either.  However, she did remember back to the first time they spoke, at Whitney’s first game and afterwards at Aberdeen’s surprise birthday party, where a drunken Aberdeen told Bee that she sensed that Ryan and Whitney were definitely not just friends.  If Aberdeen could see it, could others see it too?

When the boys began to file through, Bee made sure to keep a sneaky eye on Whitney.  She greeted Morgan and gave him a kiss and a hug, looking over his shoulder to see Ryan greeting Whitney politely and civilly.  They hugged, but it was quick and nothing special.  Bee heard Whitney ask Ryan if he was tired and Ryan saying yes.

“We’ll see you guys soon, yeah?” Morgan called over his shoulder at them before taking Bee’s hand in his.

“Absolutely,” Ryan nodded.  “Drive safe, bud.”

Their walk to Bee’s Civic was quiet.  She popped the trunk so Morgan could deposit his suitcase.  After he got into the passenger seat and she started the car, Morgan looked over at her.  “I think you’re going to need to order Whitney one of those wag jackets,” he said out of the blue.

Bee whipped her head to look at him.  Her heart was in her throat.  “Why do you say that?”

Morgan sighed, as if he was burdened with the news like a Victorian duchess.  “It was an accident,” he said.  “I was standing beside him as the luggage was coming out.  He was looking at his phone.  I…caught sight of his screen.  Bunch of texts from her.  I caught the word lingerie.  Then the thumbnail of a photo of her in said lingerie.  But I didn’t see anything, I swear.”

Bee was sure she looked like an owl for how wide her eyes were.  Nope.  Not happening.  She was not going to deal with this in the middle of the night.  Not today, Satan.  Not today.  She put the car in reverse.  “Morgan Frederick Rielly, we are not going to gossip about our friends.”

She was also not going to tell Morgan she already ordered a jacket for Whitney.

***

Ryan and Whitney’s drive back home was mostly quiet.  She could tell he was tired from being on the road, and the time that the team got in didn’t help, either.  She made sure to drive as safely as possible, considering what had happened.  She hadn’t told Ryan yet, and she needed to.  God, there were a few things she needed to tell him about what she’d been up to while he was away.  It had been a long five-and-a-half days, made especially longer by her visit to Gareth. 

When they were in the privacy of the house, with everything locked and alarms set, they made their way to their bedroom.  Whitney stood in front of her floor-length mirror to take off her earrings, and she watched through the reflection as Ryan came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to his body and settling his face in the crook of her neck.  She couldn’t help but smile at the warmth of his body.  He left a trail of kisses on her skin before looking at her through the reflection.  “I missed you,” he whispered.

“I missed you too, Snook.”

“What did you get up to when I was gone?”

“Looked for wedding venues.”

He smiled from ear to ear, chucking lowly and giving her skin another kiss.  “That’s my girl.”

She winced slightly, but Ryan couldn’t tell, because he couldn’t see it yet.  A little souvenir from her recklessness in Seaforth.  “Snook…can we talk?”

“What about?”

She paused.  She knew the second she told him it was going to eat him alive that he wasn’t there.  She almost thought she shouldn’t tell him, but then that meant she wasn’t being honest.  Plus, once he saw her little souvenir, there was no way she could lie.  “You know…you know how I get when I go too far into my head sometimes,” she began.

“Of course, because I get the same way,” he said.  As she continued to stay silent, and only look at him through the mirror, he caught on that this wasn’t going to be a normal conversation.  “What’s wrong?”

She could barely look at him.  She was so ashamed, because she was going to scare and hurt him so much.  “I went to go tell Gareth,” she said, tears already welling in her eyes.  “I went to go tell Gareth and I almost got into an accident.”

“You what?” Ryan asked immediately.  “Whit, what do you mean?  Are you okay?  Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.  I swerved out of the way just in time,” she said.  “I went—I went to St. James to visit Gareth and tell him about us.  I s-spent a lot of t-t-time there just t-t-talking to him, Snook.  And as I was driving b-back home – I was s-still just outside Mitchell – I—I kept thinking about G-G-Gareth and Snook, I don’t know what came over me— b-but all of the s-sudden I hear this loud horn and I’m ab-b-bout to clip this oncoming pickup truck—”

“Oh my fucking God, Whit,” he uttered nervously, spinning her around so they didn’t have to talk through a mirror anymore.  “Did you get hurt?”

She shook her head.  “No,  I swerved out of the way and I just…went on the side of the road and tried to calm down.  I just…” she trailed off, bringing her hands up to pull down the collar of her crew neck, exposing her “souvenir”: a loudly coloured red seat belt abrasion that ran diagonally down her collarbone and chest.  She quite literally heard Ryan’s breath catch in his throat at the sight.  “I already went to my doctor.  It looks bad but it doesn’t hurt too much.  She said it should be gone in two or three weeks.”

Ryan shook his head.  “Oh, Whit,” his voice quivered.  He brought a hand up and lightly, with his fingertips, traced the bruising along her skin.  He had to compose himself.  “Oh, Whit…” his eyes glossed over, the memories of that night in his pickup truck coming back to haunt him.

“Snook, I’m okay, I swear.  That’s not the issue here, anyway,” she tried to get his memory off it.  “I just…I miss him so much.”

Ryan was silent as he could only consider the how and why this happened to Whitney.  He was overcome with emotion at hearing what happened and seeing the abrasion, but what hurt her more was deeper.  “I miss him too, Whit.”

“He would have been your best man, right?” she asked, unable to stop herself from asking, from imagining what their wedding would be like if Gareth was still with them.  “God, can you just imagine what he’d be like at the wedding?  At the reception?  Why can’t I have my brother there, Snook?  Why does he have to be gone?”

“He would have been the life of the party,” Ryan offered, unable to say much else since his own tears were falling now.  “I miss him every day, Whit.  I want him to be with us, too.”

She reached up to wrap her arms around his shoulders, and he picked her up and brought her to the bed, sitting with her in his lap.  “I want to have him be here for the happiest moment of my life,” she said.

“I know you do.  We all do.”

“That’s why I was so sad.  And that’s why what happened, happened.  And I’m so sorry to scare you or make you worried—but I wanted to talk to him, Snook.  I wanted him to be the first to know.”

“We’re going to get through this,” he assured, nodding his head.  It was only natural that Whitney told Gareth first.  “Before we go to our parents’, I’m gonna see Gareth too.  We’ll go together.”

Whitney nodded her head, smiling slightly.  “That sounds nice.”

He let out a long sigh.  He tried not to think about how rough the stop had been if it left such a mark on Whitney’s skin.  “You’ve gotta be careful, Whit.  I mean it.  I just got you.  I can’t lose you.”

Whitney cupped Ryan’s face in her hands.  “You always had me, Snook.”

“You know what I mean.”

She leaned forward to kiss him quickly.  “I’m so happy you’re home, Snook.  I can’t wait to tell everyone tomorrow.”

Ryan finally smiled again.  “Me too.”

***

It was another beautiful spring day in southwestern Ontario.  The sun was out, there were only a few clouds in the sky, and although it was still a bit chilly out, it felt like people were finally awakening from their winter hibernation, ready to hit the ground running into spring and summer.  It was the perfect opportunity for Ryan and Whitney to take a drive. 

To Seaforth.

To St. James Catholic Cemetery.

With a small bouquet of flowers in his hand, Ryan made his way to the site he knew best, the site she could walk to with his eyes closed.  As he stood at the foot of Gareth’s grave, he kneeled and placed his bouquet delicately next to hers, still there from days previous.  He brought his hand to his lips and kissed it before placing it over Gareth’s engraved name on the headstone. 

“I love your sister, Gareth,” he began.  “I always have.  And the funny thing is, I think you know that.  I think you knew that when you were still here with us.  You never said anything, you never gave me funny looks—I don’t know, maybe I’m imagining it all or looking at it with rose coloured glasses because you’ve been gone for so long, but deep down inside me, I think you knew.  When you—when you were in your casket, the last time I spoke to you before they closed the coffin and I was one of your pallbearers, I told you I was going to take care of Whitney.  I want to think that I have.  She wants me to know I have, even though I made some pretty dumb mistakes along the way.  You—you gotta know that—I—I—” he stuttered out, trying to keep his emotions in check.  “I try my best, Gareth, because she’s my entire world.  She everything to me.  And I know you’re watching, so I just want you to know that I want to make everything right.  No more being scared.  No more waiting.  I’m going to get her a ring, and we’re going to get married, and we’re going to have a family.  And you’ll be part of it.  There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about you.  I just hope that on that day, the day that Whitney and I get married, that you’re there too.  Send us a sign, Gareth.  Send us a sign.”

***

James and Alice Napier invited Bonnie and Brian O’Reilly over anyway, so Ryan and Whitney didn’t even have to make two trips.  Because of course James and Alice would invite Brian and Bonnie over.  Hell, Brian and Bonnie were probably already there.  Alice was making frozen margaritas and Bonnie was laughing and saying something about it still being too cold for frozen margaritas when Ryan and Whitney walked through the door.  James was setting the table and Brian was cooking something on the stove.  They even mentioned Tara coming over for dessert (Alice had gotten a chocolate and peanut butter tart).  Ryan and Whitney gave each other a look from across the kitchen at one point, taking it all in.

Over dinner, they discussed the playoffs first.  Ryan was excited to get going with the Leafs, and everybody spoke about his work ethic and how he could help them.  Bonnie reminisced about when he’d skate every waking moment of the day he wasn’t in school at the Seaforth Community Centre with Cal, Owen, and Gareth, with Tara and Whitney in the stands.  James reminisced about driving the kids into Toronto on weeknights to watch Ryan’s GTHL games when he played for the Toronto Jr. Canadiens before getting drafted to the OHL.  Alice would prepare sandwiches as dinner for the road and they’d show up at the arena right on time.  Ryan would always wave to them when he got out onto the ice.  When the game was done, they’d wait for him to get out so they could give him long, warm hugs before piling back into the car and driving home.  Gareth and Whitney would be passed out in the back seat by the time they arrived home.

“There’s something Ryan and I have to talk to you guys about,” Whitney finally said as she played around with the last of the potatoes on her plate.  She looked up, and suddenly, all eyes were on her, before they moved to Ryan, then back to her.

Alice, James, Bonnie, and Brian genuinely looked taken aback.  “Is—is everything okay, honey?” her mom asked.

“It’s fine,” she assured Alice.

“Ryan?” Brian asked his son.

Ryan look one last look at Whitney, smiling slightly, before addressing everyone.  “Everything’s okay, dad,” he said gently.  “It’s just that…since I got to Toronto, Whitney and I have been doing a lot of talking.  And we’ve been doing a lot of talking about…well, us.”

“Okay…” James looked at his daughter, then back at Ryan.  “Us?”

“Us,” Ryan said definitively, nodding his head.  “I…Whitney and I have loved each other for a very long time.  There were a few things that got in the way of us being together that were mainly on me.  I hold myself to a very high standard – you all know that – and this was no different.  I wanted to be able to provide for her, to take care of her, and for years I felt like I couldn’t do that properly after what had happened in 2015,” he explained.

“Oh Ryan…” Bonnie cooed.

“How long is a very long time, dear?” Alice asked her daughter.

Ryan and Whitney agreed in the drive over that they had to be upfront and 100% honest about everything – every question their parents would ask.  “The first time Ryan and I kissed I was sixteen.  But I’d had feelings for him before that, too.  And since then.”

“Wait – so you’re admitting to us that things have been…happening…since then?” Brian asked.

“Yes,” Whitney answered.

“Through Calum and Aaron?” James asked.

“Yes.”

“Through Justine and Kayla?” Bonnie asked.

“Yes,” Ryan nodded.

“We’ve loved each other for a very, very long time,” Whitney reiterated, her heart beating in her chest as the moment came.  “Ryan and I have had a long talk and we don’t want to waste any more time.  Mom, dad, Bonnie, Brian – Ryan and I are going to get married this summer.”

There was a pause of silence.  “Married?” James asked Whitney.

“Married,” she was firm.

“Married?” James asked Ryan.

“Married,” he was firm.

The four parents shrieked out loud.  Whitney couldn’t help but laugh at their reactions – same with Ryan.  Alice even stood up from her seat and rushed over to Whitney, engulfing her in a hug.  “Oh my God oh my God oh my God!” Alice was overwhelmed with emotion as she hugged her daughter.  “I’m so so so happy!  I can’t believe it!”

“This is a lot of information to get all at once!” Bonnie joked, a huge smile on her face as she got up from her chair, too.  “You’re getting married!  You’re getting married!” she yelled as she hugged her son.

“This is the best news, kids,” Brian couldn’t hold back his emotion as he hugged them both.  “Oh goodness, this is – this is just magical.”

Ryan and Whitney could breathe a sigh of relief.  Truthfully, they thought there would be a lot more questions.  Perhaps even some “You cheated on people?” questions or more questions about how long and how far this had already gone.  But apparently not.  Maybe they always knew?  Maybe this was something their parents had been waiting for and they were just too nice to say it out loud.  Maybe their parents had seen it all those years ago and were just waiting for the news. 

In any case, the night turned into a celebration.  Brian rushed out to get some champagne.  When he came back, Tara, her husband, and their four kids were walking through the door with him.  When Tara asked what necessitated champagne, Ryan and Whitney told her the news.  She shrieked too.  They FaceTimed with Owen and his wife Bernadette, and then with Cal and Terra, and then with Shannon.

There was an almost overwhelming amount of joy.

Before they left, Alice brought Ryan and Whitney up to hers and James’s bedroom.  She dug into the back of her closet and retrieved an old cookie tin, opening it in front of them.  “I would have given this to your earlier if I had known,” she said, rummaging through the contents inside.

“What is it, mom?” Whitney asked.

“Ah!” she said, finding the small pouch she was looking for.  “This was your great grandmother’s – from Scotland, when she got married in the 1920s,” she said, handling the pouch delicately as she took out a plain gold band.

Whitney had never seen it before in her life.  Her jaw dropped as her mom held it up between her fingers.  “Oh my God, mom,” she gasped.

“She gave it to me when we met her in North Berwick on our family trip.  She thought you were just so darling when she saw you, so beautiful and so kind and the best type of Gray woman, and she wanted you to have it, my baby.”

“What?  Are you serious?”

“Mhmm,” Alice nodded her head.  “It’s too big for your dainty fingers,” she half-joked, “but what I was thinking is, you can melt it down into something that fits, and any extra can be used for the prongs—”

“Or it could be put into my ring too,” Ryan said lightly.  “Whit’s not just becoming an O’Reilly.  I’m becoming a member of your family too.”

Whitney and Alice smiled at the thought.  “You two can do with it what you see fit,” she said, placing it back in its pouch.  As she handed it to Whitney, Alice smiled.  “One day, maybe you’ll be able to give it to your daughter too.”

In that moment it was Whitney’s only hope.

***

When Whitney and Ryan stepped foot into their house in Goderich, they were still on a sort of high from the events of hours prior.  They weren’t jumping off the walls, but they were buzzing.  It was getting later in the day, but they didn’t feel tired at all.  They couldn’t stop smiling.  They couldn’t sit or stand still. 

“That went surprisingly well,” Whitney couldn’t help but giggle out slightly, looking at Ryan. 

“You think?” he joked.  “My mom was already talking about taking all my old clothes out of storage and washing them.”

Whitney smiled, thinking back to all the clothes her mom kept too.  Now the clothes would definitely be retro and very 90s, but she was sure there were some nice vintage sweaters in those boxes – specifically old Leafs sweaters or anything knit that grandparents made.  “It would be cool to see, though.  I had this one sweater with Belle on it from Beauty and the Beast that I loved.  I wonder if she still has it or if I wore it out from wearing it so much.”

“Oh my God, you were obsessed with that movie,” Ryan smiled.  “I remember having to put it in the VCR for you all the time.  You used to sing along with all the songs but with the wrong words.”

“Well thank God I got better at singing, hmm?” she asked.

“Oh yeah.  I love listening to you sing over Taylor Swift in the car.”

“Hey!” she snapped playfully.  “I’m good!  I’m on tune!  And I know all the words!”

Ryan was smiling with his eyes.  She knew he loved her singing, even if he screamed over it in jest when she did.  This was the man who learned Taylor Swift songs for her on his guitar just because she wanted him to.  “Go get comfy on the couch.  I’ll be there in a sec.”

Whitney just assumed that Ryan would go to the washroom or something.  But when he came back into the family room carrying one of his guitars he took off the wall in their bedroom, Whitney found herself smiling from ear to ear.  “Ryyyy,” she cooed.

He sunk into the couch, sitting upright with his legs outstretched.  “Come sit like you always do,” he began to say, but before he even finished the sentence, Whitney was moving to sit where she always would when he played guitar like this, their legs entwined.  Far enough to watch him strum, close enough to lean in for a kiss.  The perfect position.  “What do you want me to play?”

“Whatever you want.”

“You don’t have a request?” he played a few quiet precautionary strums.

Whitney shook her head.  “You haven’t played in so long because of your finger.  I’ll enjoy anything.”

Ryan thought for a few moments, strumming absent-mindedly before leaving the sound of the strings to fade out.  Then he began to play some familiar chords – it took a few moments for Whitney to realize what song it was, but when she did, she couldn’t help but smile. 

Oh darlin’ I feel your pain

And the summer rain in your eyes

Trying so hard to put the blue

Back into your sky

It was “The Plan” by Matt Mays and El Torpedo – one of the bands that they’d listen to whenever driving the country roads, especially those on the way to the beach.  And he’d chosen the song he’d sing to her when they’d call each other and she would cry over the phone about missing him while he was in Colorado. 

Oh darlin’ I’ve been dreamin’ of you

Have you been praying for me?

As I cast my mind and soul to the sea

I’ve got a plan that’ll get you through

Whitney hummed along as Ryan sang to her, shivers running up her spine as they locked eyes and he sang “Cause for me it all comes down to you” to her.  Her hand squeezed his calf gently, her eyes welling with tears slightly at the tender moment.  He’d sung to her numerous times before – over FaceTime, at campfires, when they were the only ones left standing at 4am after his Stanley Cup party – but this was extra special.  Snook was hers now, and she got to look forward to this for the rest of her life.

When Ryan finished singing, he noticed the welling in her eyes.  Before he could mention it, Whitney spoke first.  “Do you think it was always meant to be us, Snook?”

“Yes,” he nodded automatically.  “It’s always been you, beautiful.”

“I love you so damn much.  And after this past week, there’s just been so much more.  Sometimes I don’t know what to do with it all.”

Ryan leaned forward, placing a kiss on her lips.  “Soon, you’ll be able to put it into our marriage,” he said, causing her to smile.  “We’ve love each other since we were kids and we still have so much love to give.  Isn’t that amazing?”

Whitney nodded.  “The most amazing thing.”

He leaned forward and kissed her one more time.  “Can I keep singing to you?”

“Do you even have to ask?”

***

Ryan and Whitney made it back into Toronto on Saturday morning just in time to make their 11:30 brunch reservations at United Bakers Dairy Restaurant in North York with Morgan and Bee.  Whitney had probably become closest with her in her short time of knowing the other partners – they got along well and had the same opinions on so many things.  And while Whitney was also close to Aberdeen and Aryne, she and Bee were only days apart – Whitney felt a special connection with her for some reason.  She had an inkling that they would be lifelong friends.

Morgan and Bee waved them down from the booth the moment they saw Ryan and Whitney waiting at the front.  After making their way through their restaurant and greeting each other with hugs, they sat in the booth together.  Coffee was poured.  Orders were taken.  Bagels were chosen.  Whitney was excited for her lox and cream cheese platter.

“This is for you,” Bee said as she handed an envelope towards Whitney.  “It’s an invitation for our wedding this summer.  We’re really hoping you’ll be able to attend.”

Whitney opened it immediately.  It would probably give her some inspiration for her own.  “Oh my goodness!  Of course we’ll come,” she said, showing it to Ryan too.  “Look how pretty.  Oooooh, it’s at the King Eddie?  How divine.”

“I know, right?  We were so lucky we booked early.  Now it’s fully booked something like 18 months in advance.”

Ryan smiled, turning his head to look at Whitney.  “Fully booked for 18 months?  Looks like we can’t have our wedding there, then.”

Everything stopped.  Whitney was grinning at Ryan like the Cheshire cat.  She looked towards Morgan and Bee and saw them giving confused, dead stares.  “Um, excuse me?” Morgan asked.

“Wait, what?” Bee added.

Whitney smiled at her.  “We’ve been hiding something from everybody,” she said.  “Snook and I are getting married.”

Bee shrieked, her hands coming up to cover her dropped jaw.  A few people from surrounding booths eyed them, but only momentarily.  Morgan didn’t even bother covering his jaw drop.  “Come again?!” he demanded.

Ryan and Whitney couldn’t help but giggle.  “It’s a long story, but, well…Whitney and I have loved each other since we were kids, and about a week ago, we decided to stop being stupid about it all and just get married, which, deep down, is what we’ve both wanted all along.”

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeep!” Bee shrieked, clapping excitedly at the news.  “Married!  You’re getting married!  God, you’re both lucky that we’re having brunch because I’m going to need to know the whole story and all its details!” she exclaimed to everyone’s laughter.  “And your ring!  Where’s your ring!”

���That’s for this afternoon,” Ryan chimed in.  “I’ve already called my guy.”

Morgan nudged Bee slightly.  “You should give Whitney her gift.  It all works out.”

Whitney’s brows furrowed.  “Gift?  What gift?”

Bee reached for something beneath the table.  “Listen, I didn’t want to overstep my boundary or anything, but I knew that I had to include you in this or else I’d live to regret it,” she began.  Bee wasn’t going to tell Whitney about Aberdeen having a feeling from the very beginning that they were more than friends, or how she saw her and Ryan kiss against their car that one night after the game.  “It would have felt wrong not to give you one since you’ve joined us, and especially since we’ve gotten so close.”

Bee handed over a folded up jacket from across the table.  Whitney immediately knew what it was.  “My very first jacket,” she smiled, noticing the ribbing, the vintage font, and of course the 90 on the sleeve.  She unfolded it, getting a good look at it before looking over at Ryan.  “My first one.”

“Get used to it.  You’re going to be wearing it for a while starting Tuesday.”

***

Ryan and Whitney went to the jeweler but Ryan didn’t let Whitney see the diamond.  “I want at least something to be a surprise,” he said, and Whitney was anxious but acquiesced.  They chose their wedding bands to be prepared for the summer.  Her finger was measured and her great-grandmother’s ring given to the jeweler to melt down and craft the engagement ring.  “This will be rushed, Mr. O’Reilly, for you only.  But the craftsmanship – I guarantee you that I will be taking of it, and it will not suffer.  Everything else will be put on hold to get this done for Wednesday.”

When they got back home, there was no reason to wait.  They climbed up to their bedroom and began kissing each other fervently, the wait of the day just acting as a slight form of torture.  With the playoffs beginning on Tuesday, Whitney knew Ryan would be mentally preparing.  And she, for her part, had to plan a wedding that would happen in only a few months.  This would, at least, be a little moment to themselves before things became hectic. 

Ryan dragged his hands all over her body but paid particular attention to her breasts, cupping and squeezing them through the fabric of her top.  He imagined that in a few short months, he would be doing this exact same thing except Whitney would be in her wedding dress.  And if they had their way, just a few short months after that, her belly would start to swell because they’d be having a baby.  His brain rushed through the possibilities of what their family would look like.  “Take this off,” he huffed.

He helped her pull it over her head, discarding it absent-mindedly somewhere on the floor.  He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his torso, barely stopping her kissing.  When she felt herself being dropped onto the bed, she began tugging on his shirt, too.  “Off.  Off.”

It came off within seconds.  Her favourite part of Ryan (that was a lie – all of Ryan was her favourite part of him) was on full display for her.  Ryan stopped momentarily to see the red streak that still appeared on her skin from the seatbelt.  Whitney was wise enough to wear high-cut tops in front of their parents and Morgan and Bee so no questions were asked and no emotions ran high.  But when he saw it again, he couldn’t help the aching feeling in his heart.  He dipped his head down and began leaving light kisses along it, as if they would cure her, as if with every kiss, a patch of redness would disappear.  “It’ll be gone soon, Snook…” she could only breath out.

“I know.  It just hurts to see,” he whispered.  “Do you remember your promise to me?”

She nodded her head.  “Do you remember your promise to me?”

He nodded too.  “Of course.”

She kissed him.  “In a couple months, you’ll be doing this to me in my wedding dress,” she said.

Ryan couldn’t help but chuckle.  “Funny you say that, because I was just thinking the same thing.”

“And then after that,” she continued, giving him another kiss, “we’ll be going at it even more than we do now, because you’re gonna fuck a baby into me.”  She got so turned on by the grunt he let out at the words as she kissed him again, her kisses becoming more frantic.  “Isn’t that right, Snook?”

“Fuck yes,” he barely let out.

“I can’t wait to feel my body swell with your baby.  You’re going to fill me full of your hot cum over and over.  We’re gonna have a big family like we both had.  Will you be excited to fill my pussy?  To see me pregnant with your babies?”

“Yes, yes, fuck yes,” his own voice was frantic now, the thought of what she was saying turning him on.  She cupped his crotch and could feel his growing member being restrained in his pants.  She fiddled with his belt, trying to set him free.  He pulled off her leggings easily, and helped her snake the belt around the loops before throwing it on the floor and undoing the zipper himself.

“I want you to fuck me, Ry,” she breathed out, switching his nickname, grabbing onto his biceps and sinking her nails into them.  “I need it.”

“Yeah?  You want me to fuck you?” he asked.  She gulped as she nodded her head.  She felt him push her body and flip it over in an instant.  “Get on your hands and knees for me.”

Whitney did as she was told.  Easily.  She got on her hands and knees for Ryan, looking behind her to see him practically tearing off his pants.  She arched her back to give him a better view.  “You like what you see?”

“Fuckin’ right,” he growled.

She looked over her shoulder, tossing her hair dramatically for effect.  “Just for you, Ry,” she winked.  “This is aaalllll for you.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the tone of voice she was using, and the thing she did with her hair that she knew would drive him wild.  “You know just what to say and do to get me aaalllll riled up, don’t you?” he asked, mimicking her voice and the way she said the word.

“I’ve had a little bit of practice,” she said sarcastically.

Ryan grabbed her hips, pulling her body towards his before one hand went back to stroke his cock.  His other hand began playing with her pussy, teasing her lips and making her mewl.  “You like me teasing your pussy like that?” he asked.

“Yes Ry,” he watched as she nodded, watching as she moved her body in sync with his strokes for maximum effect.  “But I love your cock inside me more.  Any way you give it to me.  Because it was made for my pussy.”

He made sure to tease her entrance with his cock, gliding it up and down her pussy slowly before finally pushing it in.  Whitney gasped at the feeling, letting out a moan.  When he was fully inside her, he grabbed her hair and brought her up so her back was flush against his chest.  He moved some hair away from her ear so he could whisper.  “On Wednesday, after we get back from the jeweler, I’m going to bring you back here and fuck you while you wear nothing but that ring.”

Whitney smiled at the proposition.  “Sounds perfect,” she said.  “I’m looking forward to it.  The first thing that signifies I’m becoming Mrs. Whitney O’Reilly.”

It was the first time either of them had said what would be her new name out loud.  Whitney O’Reilly.  It had a beautiful ring to it.  Ryan found himself repeating it over and over in his head.  Whitney O’Reilly.  Whitney O’Reilly.  Whitney O’Reilly.  “That’s right,” he whispered again.  “The perfect ring for the most perfect girl.”

“I’ll be sure to send you some pictures of me wearing it with that pretty pink set that you like,” she continued.  “You know, the one with the garter belt?  The thigh highs with the lace?  Maybe I’ll even send ones wearing just your jersey.  I know how much you enjoyed those the last time.  You can look at them while you’re alone in your hotel room in Tampa and my pussy is empty and waiting for your cum to fill it up.”

Ryan let out a grunt at the thought.  “Because I’m the only one that gets to come in your pussy.”

“That’s right, baby.”

“You gonna take my cock like a good girl?”

“Mhmmm,” she nodded, biting her lip in excitement.

He pushed her back down onto the bed, holding her down as her ass and hips were up, waiting for him to move.  He didn’t take it slowly after their discussion; instead, he began thrusting into her so deep that he could see her grab the sheets and her knuckles get white.  She didn’t take it quietly, either, screaming his name over and over between moans and sighs.  “Oooooh fuck, Ry, it’s so deep—”

“—Take it, take it—”

“Harder, Ry.  I want it deeper.”

Ryan grabbed hold of her hips and put as much force into it as he could without hurting her.  She got louder, and he could feel her come for the first time shortly after.  Her body began to flush red, the walls of her hot pussy squeezing around his cock.  Her legs were so shaky she even lowered slightly, though Ryan made sure to pull her hips up quickly after.  He slapped her ass, causing her to yelp in unexpected excitement.  “Keep your ass up, sweetness.”

“Yes Ry,” she barely nodded.  “I want more.”

He spanked her again.  “Like that?”

Her knuckles got white from clutching the sheets again.  “Just like that.”

He spanked her again.  “I want you to count how many times I make you come.  Understood?”

“Yes.  I promise.”

Ryan continued to fuck her; continued to feel her orgasms rush throughout her body as they built up sweat from the pace and how long they were lasting.  After God knows how long, Ryan wanted more.  He grabbed a handful of Whitney’s hair and yanked her up so her back was flush against his chest again.  He combed her hair off her sweaty forehead with his fingers before placing his hand at the base of her neck.  “You okay, Whit?” he whispered tenderly in her ear.

She nodded.  “It’s a lot, but it feels so good,” she said.  “I—I can take one more.”

He felt a shiver run up his spine.  Once he knew she was okay, he knew what he wanted to do, what he needed to do, to give her what she wanted.  “Look at me.”  She craned her neck to do so.  One hand had stayed at the base of her neck, but the other came up to her face.  “Open your mouth, sweetness.”

She inhaled sharply, so fucking turned on, before doing what she was told.  He stuck his fingers in her mouth and her lips closed around them, her tongue swirling to get them wet.  When he took them out, he still kept them close.  “Spit.”

She spit on his fingers, and watched with heightened anticipation as they lowered further down until they finally fixated directly onto her clit.  “Holy shit, Ry.”

“Give me one more like a good girl and then you can get my cum in your hot pussy,” Ryan said.  “Okay?”

“Yes baby, yes.”

Holding her body up with one arm, rubbing her clit with his other hand, and using his body to fuck her senseless, Ryan could feel his orgasm building as Whitney got louder and louder.  He watched as she closed her eyes shut, watched as she threw her head back into him, watched as her body began to shake as one hand clasped at his hand on her neck.  “Ry—Ry—fill me—”

“—Come for me, sweetness—”

“—Fill me up with your cum, Ry.”

He finally exploded inside of her, her entire body trembling at the feeling of her orgasm spreading throughout her entire body as she screamed and cried out in pleasure.  He had to hold her up in his arms or else she would have completely collapsed onto the bed, but he was so close to doing so himself, too.  Instead, he leaned back slightly, allowing her body to lean back and almost collapse into his.  Their breaths were hoarse, their bodies still trembling, his cock still inside her.

He felt around her pussy and the insides of her thighs and they were so slick, so wet.  He placed a gentle kiss on her temple.  “How many?” he asked.

A small, tired smile crept onto her face.  She had been so thoroughly fucked she couldn’t think straight.  “Lucky number seven.  At least.”

“At least?”

“It gets blurry sometimes,” she tried to explain in as few words as possible.  “You know what you can do to me.”

Ryan couldn’t help but smile.  “You want to keep my cock in you as we lie here?”

Whitney nodded.  “Don’t you dare take it out.”

***

Later that night, Whitney tried on her new jacket.  It fit easily enough, and she took a mirror selfie for Bee to show her.  After she took the photo, Ryan walked into the room.  “Playoff ready?” he asked, looking at her through the mirror. 

“You bet,” she nodded.  “Are you ready?”

Ryan nodded too.  “I’m ready.”

[prettyboywoll]

Our eyes only - Joseph Woll + Matthew Knies

warnings: this is my first time writing smut (be aware), not proofread, sexual themes, p in v (unprotected), choking kink

“I could make so much money just by posting these pictures on onlyfans” you whispered, looking through the pictures of Joseph covering your breasts with his hands.

“Why would you wanna do that?” Joseph asked with a confused look on his face. He lets his hands roam freely while kissing your neck.

“So I could buy myself pretty things” you smirked, moaning when you feel him pinch and twist your nipples around.

“Matty’s not gonna like that, honey”

“Does that mean you’ll let me?”

turning your body to straddle his naked waist, you shudder when he lowers you onto his cock. The slide is easy and quick as he holds onto your waist. “Fuck you’re so good to me,” you cried, shutting your eyes and willing the painful burn to go away quickly.

“What am I not gonna like?”

Matthew walked out of the bathroom wearing only a towel around his waist. Sighed when he saw his best friend underneath his girlfriend.

“She wants to post our pictures on onlyfans” He says, panting and moaning as you grind harder against him. Matthew walks towards you to grip your neck tightly.

“I want you to listen. These pictures are for Joey and I to use on the road. Our eyes only.”

He teases you, giving small, gentle amounts of pressure, squeezing lightly on the sides of your neck, as his fingers grip tighter, the pressure increasing. Your breath stutters as you forget how to breathe, feeling the pleasure go straight to your cunt, as it clenches around Joseph’s cock.

“Woll, i’m gonna teach you how to punish this brat”

[toasttt11]

daughter

August 7, 2006

Sidney was pacing out side the hospital walls, hearing the screams of Jasmine, who has been in labor for 17 hours now. Sidney had sent home his parents and younger sister as they had been with they all day and he wanted them to at least get some sleep.

Sidney’s head snapped up as the door opened and one of the nurses walked out, “Mr. Crosby, your daughters been born.” The woman gave him a kind smile.

“Daughter!” Sidney choked out as Jasmine didn’t want to find out the gender as she didn’t care for it.

Sidney shook his head pushing back the emotions, “Can i see her.” Sidney questioned looking desperately towards the nurse.

“Of course.” The nurse kindly replied and gestured for him to walk into the room.

Sidney walked in and only spared a single glance at his ex-girlfriend, who was turned away from the door and away from the bassinet that had his newborn daughter in it.

Sidney took slow steps and looked down and saw the most precious thing in the whole work, Sidney knew his daughter has already stolen his heart and nothing was more important to him then her, he gently picked her up and she made a small cooing sound as her little fingers wrapped around his finger.

“Hello Cameron.” Sidney lovingly mumbled, letting out a watery laugh as he feels his cheeks wet from his tears.

He has picked out the name when he found out about her, He loved it because it fit for a girl or a boy name, just like his.

“Sir?” One of the nurses kindly called out gaining his attention, “You have to write out full name and as Ms. Waters has signed away all of her rights so you will need to sign this for the birth certificate.” The nurse set down the papers in front of her him and handed him the pen.

Sidney nodded and shifted his daughter carefully to his one arm and picked the pen up in the other hand, he wrote out her name, Cameron Taylor Crosby. And signed everything he needed too and handed the papers back to the nurse.

“We just need to clean her up and give her a checkup and you’re good to bring her home dad.” Another nurse kindly told Sidney and stretched her hands out towards to take Cameron, Sidney hesitated not liking the idea of letting go of his daughter.

The nurse just calmly smiled because she is use to parents not wanting to let go of their kids, “Why don’t you come with us.” She kindly suggested and Sidney quickly nodded and followed the nurses out of the room not even sparing a glance at his ex, he picked up his back pack swinging it onto his shoulder.

Sidney followed them into the room and gently and reluctantly set his daughter onto the bed, he stayed closed by her side tho and let her fingers stay gently wrapped around his finger.

The nurse started doing a thorough check up on the newborn making sure everything was good and she was healthy before she then started cleaning her up, “Do you have an outfit to bring her home in?” The nurse asked him as many parents will bring in an outfit to bring their baby’s home or the hospital will give them one.

Sidney nodded and opened his backpack pulling out a white and pastel yellow onesie that has little flowers on it, the nurse helped him put it onto Cameron.

The nurse then made sure she went over everything with him as she could tell he was nervous and she knew he was a single father so she wanted him to feel prepared.

“And you are ready to take your girl home.” The nurse kindly told Sidney making him smile, he nodded and thanked the nurse before he started the walked out of the room and down the hallway towards the front of the hospital, he walked out of the front doors and to his car.

Sidney opened the back door and gently laid his newborn daughter into her new car seat and he gently caressed her tiny and soft cheek and gave her one more lovingly smile before he shut the door and he walked around putting all of his stuff into the car before he got into the driver seat.

Sidney took a nervous breath as he turned on the car and slowly and cautiously pulled out of the parking spot and drove the short drive to his house in Nova Scotia, he had recently bought his own house in his home town and bought a house in Pittsburgh as he wanted his daughter to have homes.

Sidney gently grabbed his peacefully sleeping newborn, he slung his bags over his shoulder.

He walked into his house for the first time with his daughter and it felt like home with her.

He set down all of his bags by the door and gently walked over to his couch and slowly sat down being mindful of his daughter in his arms.

Sidney knew he needed to tell his parents and younger sister, and his team that his daughter has been born but he wanted some time alone with Cameron, taking a moment to just have with his daughter.

Sidney slowly and gently slipped his shirt off as he read in one of the parenting books that babies enjoy skin to skin contact and he gently rested his newborn daughter on his chest and pressed a gentle kiss to her head.

Sidney knew that being a single dad and only about to start in his second NHL season, he knew it would be a lot of work but he had a good support system and it would all be worth it for his daughter.

Sidney felt his daughter squirm around slightly and he gently hummed a small soft tune and gently rubbed his tiny back and felt her let out a little puff of air before relaxing fully against him once again.

Sidney smiled contently and relaxed more into the couch and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head and could feel his eyes slowly beginning to fall shut.