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sydnikov · 2 years

Text

Lover Boy || S. Jarvis

Author: Sydney / @sydnikov

Pairing: Seth Jarvis/fem!Reader

Word Count: 9.7k

Summary: Hockey is a violent sport, one based on luck yet also talent, and most never escape unscathed. You learned that lesson too early, and haven't quite been the same ever since. Then Seth Jarvis comes along, tearing down your hardened walls with ease, and, suddenly… You don't feel so alone anymore.

Warnings: Mentions of bodily trauma (torn ACL), social anxiety, cursing, slight PTSD, mild sexual innuendos, mentions of sex

A/N: thanks for 300+ followers guys <3 have this long ass fic as my appreciation ❤️🖤 also the cover image is by me, the separate images are not mine except for the wag playoff jackets picture.

December 30, 2021

You hate hockey.

It was just too… Much. Too much noise, too much violence, and the pressure to perform was overwhelmingly stressful.

And after one too many accidents as a kid playing the game you loved, you started to blame it for your unfortunate luck in just about everything ever since.

Tearing your ACL had ruined everything for you, and you blamed the sport ever since.

It didn't help that your entire family lived smack-dab in the center of Raleigh, twenty minutes away from the PNC Arena, and thus dragged you to every single Hurricanes game they could get their hands on.

The screams of the fans around you as a goal was scored snapped you out of your thoughts, and you winced as the flashing lights passed over you.

You hate hockey.

“Carolina Hurricanes… Goal!” Wade Minter's voice shouted through the speakers, and you rolled your eyes as someone proceeded to chuck their entire body against the glass. “Scored by number twenty-four… Seth! Jarvis!”

High-pitched screams pierced your ears after the announcer finished his sentence, and you sighed as you looked up to the clock to discover you still had ten minutes left of the third period to sit through.

“Looks like you have an admirer…” your sister, Katie, suddenly whispered into your ear, and you turned to shoot her a look of confusion. “What?” you asked, quickly glancing around you to see if anyone was staring.

“Down there, on the ice!” she pointed with an excited grin. “He's the one who just scored— Jarvis.” You followed her finger to where she was pointing to on the ice, and sure enough there was a player skating near the glass, his eyes roaming the stands, staring at you, until you awkwardly made eye contact.

Nothing really cliche happened; time didn’t ‘freeze’, nor did your heart start racing as if it were going to leap out of your chest, but his eyes were so open and warm, and his face was so full of joy with the high of playing a game you knew all too well— and that, that, had your heart skipping a beat.

He blushed, and you watched, enraptured, as he quickly turned away. Your stomach swirled with disappointment, but you quickly fought to push the feeling away. “And?” you cast a pointed look towards your sister, trying to play it off as if you didn't care.

Really, though, your heart was beating fast, and you'd blame the heat of the crowd if asked, but… his dark eyes looking into yours made you blush, too.

Katie scanned your face determinedly, but when finding no cracks in your facade she reluctantly let it go. “Mom and dad want to wait by the back of the arena to try and catch the players.” she said with pursed lips, but you could easily see the excitement on her face.

Before you were able to protest, or sprint out of the arena, the buzzer sounded that announced the end of the game, the Hurricanes easily besting the Canadiens with a score of 4-0. You wanted to stay for the storm surge, probably the only reason you still let your family drag you to these games, but you were dragged out of your seat before you could say another word.

"Can we go home now?” you whined for what had to be the tenth time, rubbing your arms furiously as the cold January wind whipped through your hair. Your parents ignored you as they remained huddled in their own world of hockey talk, and your sister merely shot you a glare.

Just as you were about to open your mouth, more complaints on the tip of your tongue, the gated doors of the arena suddenly burst open with the distant cheers of fans from behind them. This time, you remained quiet as you watched with interest as several men - sweaty men - in suits exited the arena, and your family got as close to the rails as possible without invading their personal space.

Their quiet murmurs and comments about the game just barely reached your ears, until they suddenly noticed your family, all by their lonesome, staring at them in the cold with barely-contained excitement.

Sometimes you wondered if you were the only adult in the family.

One of the players elbowed someone next to him, exchanging a few unintelligible words before they were all suddenly coming over to where you were standing, friendly smiles on their faces as they greeted your parents. Curiosity took over for a brief moment as they talked to your parents excitedly, signing autographs on their jerseys and what not, but you soon lost interest as the minutes wore on. Wrapping your thin sweater even tighter around your shivering frame, you pulled out your phone with a sigh, impatiently watching the minutes go by, scrolling through instagram mindlessly.

“Hello?” a greeting voiced more as a question broke through the silence you were immersed in, and you looked up with slight surprise to see a young, boyishly handsome face peering down at you with nervousness and determination written all over his face.

You thought you recognized him, but you couldn’t tell in the dark. “Hi?” you answered with just as much hesitancy, and you thought you saw his shoulders relax at the nervousness you both clearly felt.

“I saw you. In the arena, I mean— in the stands.” he said, nerves causing his words to falter.

You thought it was kind of cute.

“You did?” you asked, squinting through in the dark to try and get a better look at his face. You could have sworn you’ve seen him somewhere…

…but his eyes were so open and warm, and his face was so full of joy and the high of playing a game you knew all too well— and that, that, had your heart skipping a beat.

You almost gasped, but you quickly shoved that puff of air right back down your throat. Suddenly your hands were clammy with nerves, and your foot started to tap impatiently against the pavement. Him? Jarvis? What was his first name again?

“Seth,” his voice broke through your thoughts. “I’m Seth.” he seemed to answer your unspoken question, and then he put his hand out - for a handshake, of all things - his lips curled into a goofy smile, eyes wide and open and welcoming and—

You smiled, and shook his hand.

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January 11, 2022

A harsh, blaring alarm broke through the peaceful slumber your body was wrapped in, and you slowly cracked your eyes open with a groan to glare at the offending sound.

It was your phone, its screen the only light in your room shrouded in darkness. Why did you set an alarm, again?

“Mom! Do you know where I left my lunch bag?” Katie's voice came shouting from the kitchen, and then you remembered.

You had a class today, presenting your first project of the new semester that would set the tone for the grading period. You were determined to do well, and had spent many all-nighters perfecting your project.

Grabbing your phone from your nightstand, you finally turned off the alarm set for 8:00 a.m. and checked your notifications.

From: Seth

-Good luck on ur presentation today! Ur gonna do great :)

Immediately following the notification of his text was a snapchat from him, and with a tired, silly smile on your face you opened his snap first.

The snap was of Seth himself looking like he just woke up, with a bad case of bedhead and a grin on his face that never seemed to waver. You could also see his bare shoulders and collarbone, but you tried to ignore those minor details.

You sent a snap back of yourself, a full-face picture with a sleepy smile to match his energy. Normally you'd feel self-conscious or embarrassed to send such a selfie (considering you barely used snapchat as it is) but with Jarvis- with Seth, it was different.

Ever since your accident two years ago, you had a hard time showing your face to anyone. Maybe it was the embarrassment of having such a terrible accident or the fact that you were about to go D1 into college, but the fact remains that blogs were talking about you for weeks, your face plastered on every women's hockey site you could find.

‘Top Prospect Injured in the middle of a game…’

‘Upcoming Hockey star taken out by a bad skate…’

‘The women's hockey world mourns the loss of…’

Social media quickly became a source of stress and anxiety after that, so you stopped using it once you began to recover.

You hadn't found a good reason to start using any of your accounts regularly again - you barely even snapped your friends back anymore - but Seth, he just…

Well, you didn't really know what it was about him; you just knew that you liked him, and were open to continuing letting your walls fall the longer you talked.

After the slightly awkward handshake between you and the hockey player when you first met, he proceeded to ask for your number with a furious blush spreading down his cheeks. You loved the fact that he was so different from every other guy, for instead of the, “You're so fine, can I get your snap?”, Seth asked, “Do you think it would be okay if I could get your number?”

Even though he eventually ended up asking for your snap about a week or two into texting, the fact still remained that he waited to get to know you better before asking. And that, well… That meant everything to you.

We love a respectful king.

And you said yes, obviously.

Shaking yourself out of your thoughts, you smoothed down your form-fitting button-up with a nervous breath, staring at yourself in the mirror. You looked young yet professional, minimal makeup used to make your eyes pop yet light enough to look natural.

You looked good, and you hoped everyone else would think so, too.

Picking up your phone, you opened Seth's last message and typed out a response.

To: Seth

-Thank you :))

And despite knowing he was at a morning practice right now, you followed up with a question.

-Wanna get a late breakfast after my class ends?

Satisfied, you put your phone in the back pocket of your jeans and left your house, ready to give the best fucking performance of a lifetime.

And a bit of motivation to get you to do well, too.

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January 11, 2022

The bright Raleigh sun cast a nice warmth through the chilly air as you walked the distance from your car to the Starbucks. Not only was it close to your college, but it was also fairly cheap compared to the other places located in the city.

Broke college student things…

It was safe to say your presentation went well, if the giddy smile on your face was anything to go by. Of course, there were things you could have improved on, like not stuttering every time someone asked you a question relating to your topic…

But, anyway. Overall, you thought you did fine. Your professor didn't look overly impressed, but he didn't look disgusted either, so you took that as a good sign you'd get a fairly decent grade.

You'd take whatever you could get, considering you weren't even planning on attending college after tearing your ACL.

Seth had agreed to your offer to meet about ten minutes into your presentation, so you hadn't seen it until you were finished. Lucky for you, he'd known that and took the liberty of already choosing a place to eat that you wholeheartedly agreed with.

And now, here you were, sitting at a table near one of the many windows and scrolling on your phone, occasionally looking to see if your hockey player was here.

An excited shout of your name soon had you looking up from your phone, being greeted with the sight of a flushed Seth who looked like he just came out of the shower. His hair was wet, dangling over his eyes and his cheeks were a familiar, rosey red.

He looked cute, you thought.

“Did you run in the rain or something?” you joked as he took a seat in front of you, slipping into playful banter.

“The moment Coach let us go I went home to clean up and then came straight here.” He responded with a sheepish grin, seeming embarrassed, but there was something about the way he implied his eagerness to see you so boldly told you he didn't mind.

“You just couldn't wait to see me?” You teased, not at all being serious, but Seth caught you off-guard when he straightened up and answered with zero hesitation:

“Nope.”

Immediately, you could feel your face heating up and hoped he wouldn't notice, but the way his lips quirked up into a smirk let you know he definitely noticed.

You looked down, trying to hide your blush to keep your dignity intact, and luckily he seemed to understand without words that you needed a few seconds to recuperate.

Every day, he found a new way to make your affections for him grow.

“I'm gonna go get us some coffee and breakfast,” he said, sliding out of the chair and pulling out his wallet. Before you could protest about him paying, he strode away with his back purposely turned towards you.

This wasn't the first time you met up for coffee, and just like every other time, he paid.

He soon strode back with your orders, one caramel latte for you and straight black coffee for him, along with two breakfast bagels. “One of these days, you're gonna let me pay.” You shot him a pointed look, a determined smile directed his way.

“Sure.” Seth shrugged with an innocent smile, ducking away from a crumb you flicked at him.

And the centerman would let you pay— Eventually…

The thing about Seth Jarvis that most didn't know is that he had worked tirelessly around the clock at various jobs ever since he turned sixteen, and while he made an okay amount of money, he could never afford to pay for his own meals, nonetheless anyone else's.

So when he signed with the Carolina Hurricanes and got his $277,500 signing bonus, he'd been taking advantage of treating his friends and family ever since.

That included you now, too.

His dad had always told him to never let a girl pay for her own meals, and while he was all about feminism and independence and all that… He couldn't help but be traditional, in this sense.

He'd only ever had one girlfriend before he met you, and while he didn't exactly know where things would go, he planned on treating you right until he did know, and every single day after that.

“I'll tell you what,” the centerman suddenly spoke up, and you looked up with interest. “I'll let you pay for dinner, if—”

He cut himself off on purpose, enjoying the anticipation and impatience on your face until you finally gave in and huffed, “If what?”

“If we go to my apartment to eat.”

You were stunned into silence, staring wide-eyed at his face until he started to squirm uncomfortably.

“Or… We can go to yours, too. If you want. It's okay if you don't. It doesn't really matter…”

Seth started to ramble, and you almost felt bad but you were too stuck in your head to notice at first.

What… What were you doing, really? Were you ready for something like this, with him? With what he was working towards?

Did he want a relationship?

You snapped yourself out of your thoughts when he said your name again, and you looked up to see him looking at you, concern written all over his face and his eyes holding an apology for overstepping, should you need one.

You took a deep breath. No. You weren't going to let your anxiety get the best of you, not over something that could potentially turn out to be amazing.

This sweet man of a hockey player wasn't going to use you, or embarrass you. Or, well, you supposed you didn't know for sure, but you had a feeling.

And it was about time you started trusting your gut.

“Sounds like a date, Jarvis.”

────────────────────────────────

January 13, 2022

“You went on a DATE and didn't TELL me!?” Your sister's voice could be heard all the way across the house from her room, and you raised your eyes in alarm as she suddenly came barrelling into the kitchen.

“What?” You asked, feigning confusion and looking back towards your laptop, where you sat working on a paper that was due next week.

Well, you did go on a date, if that's what you called your outing with Seth, but then that would just be one of many. You were just friends, the lines only occasionally blurring when either of you made a flirty comment or two.

Katie frowned, reaching a hand forward to close your laptop and force you to pay attention to her. “Don't lie, Seth posted on his story!”

Now that got your attention.

“He did what now?” You immediately shot up, picking up your phone to try and find whatever embarrassing picture he might have posted.

But when you pulled up his snapchat - because you knew he knew better than to put anything on instagram - the picture he had up was… Not that bad.

It was a picture of you sitting across the Starbucks table, sipping your coffee with the late morning sun shining through the windows, giving your skin a serene golden glow. You weren't looking at him, but he was very clearly looking at you.

You were so used to pictures of you being associated with negative connotations ever since your injury that seeing one of you just being, well— you, that you couldn't help the way your heart started racing.

Oh God, you were falling… and you were falling hard.

Ignoring Katie's knowing grin, you swiped up on the picture and responded.

-Sneaking pictures of me now I see??

You didn't expect him to respond anytime soon, knowing he was about to play the Columbus Blue Jackets with home ice, and was probably getting ready to face them as you speak.

But, lo and behold, your phone lit up with a notification from the very man himself two minutes later.

-Can you blame me? You're beautiful ;)

With a middle finger emoji sent to try and combat the vicious somersaults in your stomach, you quickly put your phone face down on the counter, ignoring the smirking emojis he sent back right after.

And when you finally looked back up, your sister was gone, leaving you stare at the darkened sky outside, wondering just exactly what the fuck were you doing.

Once again, you just hoped letting Seth in wouldn't bite you in the butt.

Ten minutes later your alarm to stop your work for the day sounded, and with a long stretch you finally stood up to put your stuff away in your room.

The Hurricanes would start playing the Blue Jackets in about ten minutes, so you shut your room door and looked up the streaming website on your phone, tuning into the pregame show and settling down on your bed.

After several minutes of listening to the announcers ramble, you curiously eyed your closet, wondering if you had anything, well, Hurricanes related, since you now had a reason to cheer for them.

A boy, of all things, was slowly bringing back your love for hockey, and you weren't sure how to feel about it.

Staring at your clothes, the only thing remotely related to the team was an itchy red Christmas sweater gifted to you by your grandma, and you sure as hell weren't wearing that.

After several seconds of deliberating, you released a strained breath and left your room to knock on your sister's. “Katie?” you asked, “Do you, um… Have any jerseys? Hurricanes jerseys?”

There was a brief period of silence, and then your younger sister opened the door. “Why? Do you need one?” She asked, a shit-eating grin on her face.

Okay, maybe you still hated hockey a little bit.

You gritted your teeth. “I'm watching the game, and no I'm not watching it for me I'm watching it for Seth-” your words suddenly got off when a large piece of fabric was thrown at your face.

Of course, it was a Hurricanes jersey. Nobody's name on it though, thank god. “I hate you.” You muttered, though your smile betrayed your gratefulness.

“Don't stay up too late!” She cackled, and before you could argue her door was shut in your face.

Yeah. You still hate hockey.

Once retreating back to your room, you pulled the jersey over your head and crawled under your mountain of blankets, getting comfortable and then tuning back into the game.

It was only about five minutes into the first period, the announcers blabbering on about something irrelevant while the cameras panned over the players' benches.

The only player you cared to see was soon shown talking to Sebastian Aho, his face pulled in concentration and anger. They seemed to be frustrated about something, but for what you didn't know because all you could focus on was this one bead of sweat trickling down his neck somewhere into his jersey.

Fuck.

────────────────────────────────

February 28, 2022

“Seth!" you barked, glaring at the twenty year-old. “Give me my phone back!”

The man you were currently yelling at smiled snugly from where he stood from behind his couch, holding your phone above his head. “Nope. You're too distracted, you gotta take a break!”

“Checking my email isn't distracting!”

“Yes it is,”

“No it's not,”

“Yes it is,”

You stood at a stalemate, staring into each other's eyes until you finally cracked with a small smile. “I hate you,” you said as you fell back onto the couch with a dramatic groan.

Seth followed you, the pleasure at his victory written all over his face as he settled next to you wrapping an arm around your shoulders to pull you in close. “Sure you do,” the hockey player grinned.

Ignoring his smug smile, you merely rolled your eyes and sunk your body against his, letting the tension leave your muscles as you relaxed fully against him, the warmth of his body a pleasant factor in aiding your relaxation.

You didn't really have a good answer to give as to when your 'relationship' with him got so… Physical.

It started after you first went over to his apartment for dinner, fleeting touches starting to become more prominent here and there- a brush of your hand, squeezing by when there was plenty of space to go around, etc.

You'd never been a fan of being touched. Even as a kid, you liked your personal space; it became even worse after your accident, because for two years all you had was people touching you, helping you to walk, guiding you—

But with Seth, you just didn't seem to care. Maybe it was because of your growing crush on the centerman, or the fact that you got butterflies every time you felt his hand on the small of your back when walking through an unfamiliar place…

The fact is, you felt comfortable around him. And that was a nice feeling to have.

You could feel him sigh as he relaxed from behind you, grabbing one of the fluffy blankets originally put off to the side to drape over. The television was running in the background on low volume, but you weren't complaining considering you didn't have the energy to focus anyway.

Seth started to play with the ends of your hair, and you held back a shiver when you felt his hands brush against the nape of your neck. Probably on purpose, knowing him.

But again, you weren't complaining.

As your eyes began to flicker, body balancing between a limbo of being asleep and awake, you suddenly heard the hockey player whisper your name, pausing his ministrations with your hair.

“Yeah?” you answered groggily, rubbing at your eyes from where they had begun to fall shut.

When he didn't respond, you looked up from where you had your head resting on his chest and found him to be staring intently at the television without actually watching.

“Seth?” you prodded once more, sitting up straighter when you noticed how suddenly tense he had become. “Are you okay?”

He seemed to take a deep breath, and then he was suddenly following in your lead and straightening up, causing your head to slip from his chest.

You raised your eyes curiously, wondering why he was so nervous when he finally looked down at you.

“We've been… friends— for a while now, right?” He asked tentatively.

“Yeah?” Really, it had only a few months and then some, but to you, it felt so much longer.

Staring at him in confusion, Seth looked away for a moment and said something that sounded vaguely like “fuck” before nervously running a hand through his hair.

“The guys made this seem like it was so easy,” he gave a breathless laugh, his words only furthering your confusion. Made what seem easy?

Seth said your name, and after he was sure he had your attention he gently took your hands in his, making sure you were okay with the contact before continuing.

“I… I like you, I think. No, actually, I don't think I do, I know I do.” he said. “I like spending time with you, and meeting up for breakfast and lunch and dinner. I think you're funny, and I love that you don't treat me different just because I'm a hockey player or something,”

“Seth-” you tried interrupting, your face on fire because you weren't used to having someone be so open with you.

He placed a finger on your lips to quiet you, and you would have slapped the smirk off his face if you weren't so taken with what he was saying. “Nope, I'm not done yet.

“And, I don't really know how you feel, and that's okay because you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, but… but - please don't make fun of me for telling you this- ever since I saw you for the first time at the game we played Columbus, I knew I was a goner. For you.

“And asking for your number was probably the best thing I think I've done since coming to Raleigh. Other than kicking ass at hockey, of course.” he finished with a cheeky smirk, trying to ease his nervousness with humor.

Seth finally stopped to take a deep breath, having been rambling for what felt like hours but had really only been a few minutes. After feeling like he got everything off his chest, he cast you a wary glance to try and gauge your reaction.

You were speechless. Flabbergasted, astonished, awestruck. He had somehow managed to put into words exactly how you were feeling without even realizing.

But… Were you ready? For opening up yourself to him fully? Were you prepared to let the mile-high walls surrounding your heart fall to let him in?

You liked Seth, sure. You liked him a lot, and you could see that potentially turning into so much more, but…

… the screams of fans as you collapsed onto the ice…

… your teammate falling to the ground after fighting the one who tripped you…

… your family rushing to the ER as you screamed in agony…

… your boyfriend breaking up with you that same day, unable to handle the publicity and stress of standing by your side…

A soft whisper of your name, and you quickly looked back up to see Seth gazing at you with soft eyes, full of nervousness and affection and trust and—

You scooted even closer to him, if that was even possible. And then, you took a deep breath, and opened up.

“I like you a lot, too.” you said nervously, eyes crinkling at the corners as you watched a wide smile overtake his face.

“Can I kiss you? I really want to kiss you,” he asked almost all in one breath, and with a small giggle, since when did you giggle?, you only nodded once before he was cupping your cheeks with his hands, tentatively brushing his lips against yours.

Neither of you hesitated after that.

You shivered into the kiss as he pressed forward, his stubble scratching against your cheeks in the best way possible as the two of you moved together as if doing this for years. Seth leaned forward, and you let him press you down into the couch until the two of you were smiling so hard you ended up breaking the kiss with soft giggles erupting from your chests. Taking your breath away, your brown-eyed boy pressed soft butterfly kisses around your cheeks and eyes as you recovered. And, just because you could now, you reached your hands up to tangle in his hair at the nape of his neck and bit back a grin when he shivered at the contact.

Seth's head fell to bury in the nape of your neck, pressing a small kiss to the sensitive skin before resting his weight on top of you.

You didn't mind, though— not one bit.

The hockey player mumbled something into your neck, and you held back a laugh as you tried to look down to meet his eyes but his arms wrapped firmly around your waist held you in place.

You laughed, gently tugging at the strands of his hair. “What?” you asked.

Seth finally looked up, his eyes hooded and slightly darker than they were before, but there was the familiar softness you were used to that made you feel safe and comfortable.

“So…” he started, teasingly trailing off to watch your reaction.

“So…?” you sent him a lighthearted glare, urging him to continue.

He grinned that beautiful smile of his. “Does this mean I can be your boyfriend now?”

You threw your head back with a laugh, and unbeknownst to you was the look he gave in return, one full of sentiment and tenderness, and he would only say it to himself for now, but…

He knew, without a doubt, that with time he was going to love you.

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April 9, 2022

You were about to step foot on the ice for the first time in, well, ever.

The last time you'd put skates on to play hockey was when you were almost done with rehab; your leg had still been in the process of healing, but it was better and you were going to try to work your way back to play the sport.

Only, you'd been a lot more damaged than you thought. In front of all your teammates, the moment you set your blades on the ice you were toppling over onto your knees, only worsening the pain in your leg.

That was the last time you tried to play hockey, and step foot in an ice rink in general.

Until Seth came around, that is.

“I've got you, it's okay,” he gently murmured into your ear as he stood at the entrance of the ice rink, your shaking hands clasped tightly in his as you stared, terrified, at the ice glaring back at you.

It was a game-free day for the Canes, but despite that you figured they would all still be super busy with practices, or something.

Apparently, that was not the case.

Spending the night at Seth's the night before, tangled in his arms and lulled to sleep by his warmth, you expected him to be gone when you woke up, but instead he was merely scrolling on his phone, an arm wrapped loosely around your waist.

“Good morning,” he had greeted, then did a double-take when he saw that you had stolen his shirt. “I love seeing you in my clothes.”

“Shut up,” you mumbled, only slightly hating his ability to make you blush. “Don't you have practices to go to?” you asked, taking a quick glance at the time.

“Yeah, but those aren't till later, and there's only one or two we have to go to.”

For being the first in the division, you thought there'd be a lot more practice in their schedule. But, apparently not.

“Do you want to go ice skating at our practice rink later?” he'd blurted out after sitting with you in comfortable silence, completely taking you off guard.

You'd told him not long after you first started dating about how you used to play hockey, tearing your ACL, and some minor details about rehab. It wasn't everything, certainly not every single detail of the trauma you'd experienced from it, but it was enough to let him know how big of a deal ice skating again in general was to you.

That's why, when he saw your face, he followed up with, “It's okay if you don't, I just thought— well, some of the guys are bringing their girls today, and, well…” he trailed off, had been at a loss of words for what to say, but you understood completely.

You'd only been dating for a little over a month, been friends for over four, and in that time-frame you'd discovered that Seth was definitely a man who liked others to know he was dating, in his words, “the most amazing, incredible, funny, selfless woman known to man.” He was smitten with you, to say the least.

But you felt the exact same way.

You had trauma with the ice rink, a terror you'd never been able to get over, but if it was for Seth… Well, here you are.

Casting a wary glance at his teammates and their respective partners already on the ice, you looked back to Seth and saw him waiting patiently, zero judgment in his eyes.

“Don't let me fall, okay?” you whispered quietly, adjusting your grip on his hands before hesitantly placing your foot on the ice.

You thought you were going to fall immediately, your leg having already started to shake the moment it left the ground, but Seth held you close, his hands steady as he guided one to your back to help you make the final step out on the ice. “Never.” he responded just as softly, a proud smile on his face as you managed to keep yourself standing.

It felt good, you thought, to be skating again, even if your legs were basically locked and Seth had to skate backwards to even keep you moving, but you know what? It counted.

It fucking counted. You were skating again.

You looked up from where you had been staring at your feet with childlike excitement, your smile so wide and bright that Seth couldn’t help but kiss you, taking your breath away with a gentle sigh.

“You're doing so good,” he grinned against your lips, causing the butterflies in your stomach to increase ten-fold. Trapped in your own little bubble, neither of you noticed the knowing glances of his teammates or the curious ones of their partners. “Think you can skate on your own?”

Immediately, panic gripped your heart with a vice, but Seth remained steady with his grip, helping to keep you grounded. “I'm not gonna let you fall, I promise.”

You stared into his eyes for several long moments, taking a few seconds to ground yourself with deep breaths. Fingers flexing nervously around his hands, you nodded slowly and had to resist the urge to grab his hands back once he slowly untangled them yours.

Shooting Seth a nervous look, you watched as he gave you an encouraging smile and took a few steps back, far enough to give you space to skate yet close enough to catch you should you fall.

Slowly putting one foot forward, you remembered back to lessons as a toddler learning to skate when the first thing the instructors told you was to act as if you were walking. You took that advice, and released a shaky breath when you took one step without falling.

Another step, and then another, and another, until you were starting a slow, shaky glide.

You barely noticed your boyfriend skating backwards as you began to move forward, too focused on remaining balanced.

“Remember to bend your knees,” you heard him remind you, and you shot him a small smile when you noticed your legs were pinned straight.

Slowly, it began to come back to you. The memory of making it to the other side of the ice without falling, your first assist, goal, hat trick…

You lifted a foot to push off the ice, and suddenly muscle memory was taking over and then you were gliding across the ice for the first time in years, right into Seth's awaiting arms.

“Oh my god,” you gasped, clutching into his arms with barely-contained excitement. Seth was grinning so widely as he spun you around, the two of you twirling around the ice as if you had all the time in the world.

“Baby I'm so proud of you,” Seth clutched your arms with elation just as you had been doing to his, giving you that adorable grin of his that you couldn't help but stand on your toes to kiss him, practically sighing in pleasure when he pulled you closer. “That was amazing, you are amazing.” he told you as he pulled back, keeping his arms wrapped around your waist.

“I only skated, like, six feet,” you huffed, trying to cover how flustered you were by his constant praise.

“So?” he responded, slowly pulling back and holding your hand so the two of you could skate side-by-side. “This is a big deal for you— I'm so proud of you.”

You met his eyes then, shy and warm and soft and you almost said it, right then and there.

I love you, you thought, in big, bold letters.

“Thank you for being with me,” you murmured, briefly resting your weight against his side. “I don't know what I'd do without you.”

“Probably still afraid of the ice,” he joked, knowing your boundaries by now and when to stop. You gasped dramatically, shooting him a mirthless glare. “That's it, no cuddles tonight for you.”

And then you were off, laughter bursting free from your chest as you flew past his teammates and others on the ice, Seth hot on your tail.

Some of his teammates' girlfriends that you'd met and gotten friendly with started to join you, and spinning around with a grin you immediately locked eyes with the only man you had eyes for.

You and Seth were lovestruck, identical smiles on each of your faces and hearts beating in tandem.

Soon, you thought, soon.

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April 19, 2022

You hummed softly to the music playing in the background, chewing on your lip subconsciously as you read one of the many chapters your professor had assigned that night for homework.

Lucky for you, you were almost done, having been grinding on your schoolwork all day the moment you got home for class.

Normally you would have procrastinated until the last week it was due, but Seth and the rest of the team were coming home today after being on the road, so of course you were going to see your boyfriend.

“Is Seth here yet?” Katie asked as she walked into the living room. You'd only introduced your family to Seth after the first month you met and they were immediately smitten with him.

Whether that was because they genuinely thought he was a good guy, he was a professional hockey player, or because he was dating their rather lonely daughter, you'd never know. Probably all three.

Checking the time on your computer screen, you hummed out a response. “Should be, in a bit. Depends on if traffic is bad.”

Your sister nodded in response, collapsing on the couch next to you. “Well, tell him to hurry up. I have so much stuff to tell him!”

You scoffed. “Yeah? Like what? And since when do you guys talk?”

“When you're busy taking two hours in the bathroom to get ready before you go on a date.”

Touché.

Out of the corner of your eye you saw headlights pulling into your driveway from the window, and giving your sister one last glare you quickly shut your computer and made way to greet your boyfriend first.

Seth was making his way around his car when you opened the door, and the moment you caught sight of each other, you were suddenly sprinting down the steps, crossing the distance left between you and jumping into his arms.

“Welcome home,” you giggled into his neck as he put his hands under your thighs to wrap your legs around his waist.

“Oh my god, I missed you,” Seth exclaimed with a large smile, peppering kisses all over your face.

He'd only been gone for about five days on a road trip, but every time he left it always felt like a lifetime had passed by the time he came home to you.

“I missed you too,” you grinned, looking up for a kiss only to find him one step ahead of you as he reached down to press his lips to yours.

You sighed into his mouth in relief, having missed your lover boy more than you let on. “How many more roadies are left again?” you asked once you both stopped to take a breath, resting his forehead against yours.

Seth groaned. “Too many.” After letting you back down, he gestured towards your house. “You got your bags and stuff packed?”

You nodded in confirmation, stealing another kiss from his lips before leading the way inside.

You missed the goofy smile on his face as you turned around, the way his eyes lit up as for the millionth time since he met you, he wondered how he got so lucky for him to be able to call you his.

You'd already met his family and some of his close friends, and had even sat in the family section with some of the other girls at games - for that he was ridiculously proud of you for - but tonight, he was going to ask you a question that would surpass all of that.

Well, in the grand scheme of things, asking you to wear a playoff jacket with his name on it wasn't that big of a deal, but in the hockey world? The hockey players? It meant everything to have the love of your life there supporting you.

That's why he hoped you'd say yes.

“Seth!” He was broken out of his thoughts by a younger voice excitedly calling his name, and as he followed you into the house he saw your little sister bounding forward with a big grin on your face.

“Katie!” He greeted with just as much enthusiasm, missing the fond look you shot his way at how he seemed to love your sister just as much as she loved him. “How's it been?”

“So boring,” the girl groaned, throwing a mocking glare your way. “She's done nothing but complain about you being gone.”

You just about strangled your sister when your boyfriend turned to you with a wide, mischievous grin. “She did, did she? Well, if it makes her feel any better I got hit in the head by Coach while he was talking because we were too busy texting,” Seth was talking to Katie, but it was clear he was addressing you by the way his eyes never left yours.

God, how was it possible to be so obsessed with one person?

“When you two are done gossiping,” you playfully enunciated. “I'll be waiting outside.” Striding towards the door with an overnight bag in hand, you bit back a giggle when you heard your boyfriend hurriedly say goodbye to your sister, rushing out behind you.

At this point, it was kind of redundant to even be bringing clothes to spend the night considering Seth now had a drawer dedicated to your clothes and other things anyway, but to acknowledge that would lead you into new territory you weren't ready to explore yet.

“How are the rest of the boys doing?” you asked out of pure curiosity, having gotten to know most of them enough - mainly Jesperi and Martin - to where you genuinely cared about them.

“Good, for the most part. Most just wanna go see their wife and kids, and the others… Yeah.” Seth didn't say it, but you could tell he rather disapproved of some of his teammates' choices to go out to bars and party instead of spending time with their significant other.

You didn't understand it either. Other than some of your college friends, you spent most of your free time with Seth and couldn't wait to see him the moment he got back from anywhere, and vice-versa.

“You can't tell anyone I said this,” you started slowly, biting your lip to hide a grin when your boyfriend turned to look at you. “But I don't understand how some of the girls haven't broken up with them yet.”

The hockey player snorted loudly at that, having to try and cover his laugh with a cough. "I think I agree with you on that one."

The two of you fell into comfortable silence after that as he drove to his apartment, the street lamps the only source of light as they zipped past the windows.

“I have something to ask you,” the centerman suddenly blurted as you came to a stop at a red light, his eyes refusing to look away from the road.

“Yeah?” you responded, wondering why he seemed so tense. You hadn't seen him this nervous since he asked you to be his girlfriend.

Seth gulped. “So— the playoffs are coming up, right?” he started, turning left onto the street that led to his apartment complex once the light turned green.

“Mhmm, and you guys are gonna clinch first in the division,” you grinned, heart beating with pride as you briefly got distracted by the thought. You'd never watched a playoff game before, nonetheless had a boyfriend playing in one.

He let out a breath as he parked the car, turning off the ignition and briefly sitting in silence. It was unnerving how so out-of-character he was.

“I don't know about that now but we're gonna try,” he gave a breathless laugh, bringing a hand up to fiddle with a loose string on his shirt. Noticing the nervous tick, you reached over and took his hand.

“Seth, baby,” you said gently. “You're stalling. What is it?”

His cheeks blushed furiously at the pet name, and you had to bite your lip to hold back a smile at how cute it was, how cute he was.

“Will you wear a WAG jacket with my name on it during the playoffs?”

Several seconds of minutes passed by, Seth getting more nervous by the second and you expecting him to follow up with something else.

“Wait,” you started, confused. “Is that it?"

He turned to stare at you incredulously. “Um… Yes?”

Sometimes your nonchalance really caught him off guard.

Your face broke out into a wide smile, feeling slightly guilty as you adjusted more to face him better. “Sorry,” you giggled. “It's just… I thought there was more. Did you expect me to say no?” you were merely teasing, but as his cheeks turned an even darker shade of red you decided to take pity on him.

“Seth, my amazing, thoughtful, wonderful, handsome boyfriend,” you could barely contain your laughter as the hockey player jokingly threw his arms up and opened the car door, waiting for you to step out with him. “Of course I'll wear a jacket with your name on it.”

Your combined laughter echoed throughout the empty parking deck as he playfully threw you over his shoulder, his face still on fire. He felt silly now for thinking you'd say no to such a simple request, but you knew deep down how much asking that question and you saying yes meant to him.

Which is why, as you finally entered his apartment, you pulled his face down to yours and reunited your lips. You both moved in sync, his hands traveling down to grasp your hips and yours moving to his hair. It was amazing, you thought, how you knew each other's bodies so well now.

Finally separating to catch your breath, you pressed your forehead to his and softly whispered, “Thank you for letting me wear something so important to you,”

And Seth could do nothing but smile, your favorite smile, as he stared at you with nothing but adoration. “Anything for you.”

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April 30, 2022

It was official. You loved playoff jackets.

You stood in the middle of Nykki's luxurious apartment with Nelli and Nykki herself, unboxing the jackets that had been delivered to each of your doorsteps.

Originally, you were planning on opening the box in the seclusion of Seth's apartment while he was away at practice, that way it wouldn't be spoiled, but then you got a call from Nykki, and, well, how could you refuse?

You hadn't had such close friends since your accident, if you could even call them that. Nykki was a ray of sunshine and Nelli was nothing but sweet; you couldn't be more thankful towards Seth for pushing you to meet them.

“Oh my goodness, these are gorgeous,” Nelli gasped, stating what all three of you were thinking.

And truly, they were.

They reminded you of letterman jackets from the eighties, the sleeves lined with black and white stripes that pulled the leather-like look together. The numbers were big and bright, with the last name of the play outlined in red and covered in sparkly jewels.

You had no words. They were beautiful.

Running your hands over the jewels encrusted across your boyfriend's name, you bit your lip with a large grin as you thought of the look on his face when he'd see you in it.

You both were possessive like that; he liked seeing you wear his name, and you adored being the one to wear it.

Nykki already had her phone out, taking several pictures and probably a video for a vlog she'd post later, knowing her. “Martin's going to flip when he sees the jackets this year,” she grinned, shooting you and Nelli a knowing look.

You immediately understood her innuendo and shot her a playfully disgusted look, but poor Nelli just stared in confusion. “Why? They're just jackets.”

“Let's just say Martin really liked last year's playoff jackets.” Nykki threw in a wink for extra emphasis.

Nelli got it that time, and as her face turned a bright shade of red you and Nykki burst out in laughter, and eventually Nelli joined in with tears streaming down from each of your eyes.

“Nykki, you're disgusting,” you gasped out once you caught your breath, your chest still shaking with silent laughter.

The blonde giggled, running a hand through her hair as she sat back up. “You guys still love me,”

You didn't even have to think about it before responding.

“Yeah… We do.”

They didn't catch the weight of those words as they left your mouth, but you did, and you couldn't help but feel warmth blossom from your chest as Nelli joined you on the couch, scooting in close to your side to admire each of your jackets again.

These were your friends, and you couldn't be more happy to have them in your life.

You went home a few hours later, hugging Nykki and Nelli tight before getting into your car and driving home. Seth's apartment was home now, and you were practically giddy at the thought of it.

Once arriving, you let yourself in with a spare key the hockey player had given you a few days ago. The apartment was rather clean for once, and you took full credit for keeping it tidy. You adored your boyfriend, loved him… But he was as messy as could be, and it drove you crazy.

Gently folding your jacket back into the box it came in, you hid it under a stack of your clothes in your designated drawer and told yourself you'd only pull it out again on gameday.

As tempting as it was, you didn't want to accidentally leave it out and ruin the surprise of keeping them hidden from all the players.

Once that was done, you pulled off your shirt to replace it with one of Seth's oversized t-shirts, one that smelled like him and would give you comfort as you waited for him to come home. After checking the time, you figured he wasn't going to be back for another hour or two, so after grabbing a fuzzy blanket you curled up on the couch, taking the remote and turning the television on to some random channel.

It didn't take you long for your eyes to start fluttering after that, the excitement of the day finally catching up to you as you slowly laid your head down on a pillow, telling yourself you were only going to rest your eyes…

That was where Seth found you as he quietly walked into his apartment, for with it only being a few hours till midnight he'd figured you'd be asleep. Placing his keys on the counter, the centerman kicked off his shoes and walked into the living room, first spotting the running television and then you, wrapped in one of his blankets and curled up fast asleep.

He resisted the urge to pull out his phone and take a picture. He'd have plenty of other chances for that.

Instead, your boyfriend walked around to gently settle down beside you, his eyes tired but full of warmth and adoration and love. Softly running a finger down your cheek, Seth couldn't help but whisper into the quiet of the room:

“I love you.”

It wasn't the first time he's thought it, but it was the first time he said it, and for that he couldn't help the way his cheeks turned pink at realizing just how strongly he felt for you.

Gods, he loved you.

Unbeknownst to him, you'd woken up the moment you felt his hand softly brushing against the skin of your cheek, but you still felt so tired, and just wanted to enjoy the feeling of him being close without having to say a word.

And then, you heard his words uttered softly into the peaceful quiet. The words. The words you'd been thinking for months now but hadn't had the courage to say out loud.

You opened your eyes, immediately locking with Seth's as he was staring at you absentmindedly. In slow motion, you watched as surprise, nervousness, and then panic flickered across his face in seconds, but before he started to spiral—

“I love you too.”

A minute passed of the two of you just staring at each other, and then suddenly he was grabbing your hips and practically throwing you atop his lap, his lips meeting yours a second later with a desperation you hadn't felt since your first time together.

You threw your arms around his neck, digging your nails into his shoulders as he devoured your mouth with his own. Seth was everywhere and nowhere all at once, his hands couldn't decide where they wanted to be because he wanted to feel all of you, his heart so overcome with emotion because you fucking loved him—

Seth groaned deep in his chest when you boldly nipped at his lip, and he quickly had to force himself away before he got carried away and, quite literally, carried you to the bedroom. He didn't go far, though; he rested his forehead against yours, his hands finally settling to cup your cheeks.

“You love me?” he asked, blinking rapidly to try and keep his tears at bay.

Fuck toxic masculinity. You loved a man who showed emotion.

You smiled so wide your lips hurt. “I've loved you for a while now… I just didn't know how to say it.” you answered bashfully, attempting to move back so you could see your boyfriend better.

The hockey player didn't let you go far— sliding his hands down your cheeks, he settled on holding your waist, keeping you firmly pressed to his lap. “And to think I was waiting for you to say it this entire time,” Seth grinned, which sent you both into giggles as you realized you could have gotten that milestone out of the way a long time ago.

“Guess we're both kinda clueless,” you murmured, letting your eyes briefly dip to his lips before quickly moving away.

Seth caught it, though; he caught everything about you.

It was only now that you realized how suddenly tense the room had gotten, electricity rippling in currents between the two of you as you just stared and stared and stared—

You both moved at the same time, crashing into each other's lips as you moved as one. Each touch was filled with burning heat and passion, your hands roaming the expanse of his muscular chest while his were busy dipping under your shirt to feel the soft skin of your waist.

“Say it again,” you panted into his mouth, eyes heavy-lidded and wanting and so full of love.

Seth moved a hand up to tangle in the hair, tilting your head back gently yet firmly so he could press lingering a kiss to the sensitive spot on your neck. “I love you,” he murmured into your skin, letting his teeth nip at the spot before soothing it with his tongue.

You let him press you back down onto the couch, his body hovering over yours as he met your lips once more, this time much more calm and slow and needy all the same.

God, you thought as you ran a hand through his hair, I love him. I love him so much.

“I love you,” you whimpered, overcome with emotion as you met his eyes, just as teary-eyed as your own.

Your hockey player,

Your best friend,

Your boyfriend,

Your lover,

Seth.

A/N: if someone catches the taylor swift reference I put in here I will be so happy. And yes the dates I used are based on the Hurricanes' 2021-2022 game schedule because I'm an overachiever like that. Anyways, I think this might be one of my favorite fics yet, lemme what you guys think! Reblogs and comments are very much appreciated <3

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