nhl one-shots | multi

always been you | m.barzal

It was true, Y/N had grown even closer to Mat since the two of them moved away from Vancouver, with him in Long Island and her in Toronto- they had made a promise to keep in touch and not let the distance affect them.

As her face turned red, Y/N glared- pushing her hair out of her face. "You know its not like that Auston..." She spoke lowly, crossing her arms- she felt her heart start to race- was he right?

Once the memory had faded from Y/N's mind, she sprang up in her bed, her heart was pounding and she was about to fall into a full blown panic attack. Her chest was tightening as she felt a shortness of breath wash over her. All the touches, the travelling back and forth between Toronto and Long Island, the late night cuddled and whispers- everything she had shared with Mat had been fuelled by love... But she was too blind to see it.

Too caught up in the title of best friend and the fact that Auston Matthews had taken an interest in her. She was blind then- but now she could see clearly. Y/N was in love with Mat Barzal.

Running out of her bedroom and throwing things into a suitcase, Y/N knew what she had to do- she couldn't wait any longer to tell Mat, and a phone call was not going to do her justice. Grabbing an uber to the airport and hurting her bank account, the woman threw herself onto the first flight to New York-

Mat climbed out of his bed rather early the next morning, he had checked his phone a few times but there was still no message from Y/N. No happy 'Game-Day' text or 'good luck bestie" like he had grown accustomed to over the years. It was odd not to see it, and after getting sent to voicemail when he called her- the pit in his stomach began to grow twice as large.

He was becoming desperate as the day went on, even contemplating texting Mitch to see if Auston and Y/N had gone out the night before. As much it would hurt him to see- at least he knew that she was physically safe.

Y/N pulled her suitcase from the back of the taxi as she got out in front of Mat's apartment, it was early in the evening and she knew that he would be at the arena already. Mat's routine was always the same on game days he went to morning skate, lunch and then back to the arena around game time. All she had to do was throw her suitcase in the guest room, get ready in his jersey and head to the arena.

She had shelled out a large amount of money to get seats right by the players bench, her seat was on the side of the tunnel so she was able to lean over the rail and see him.

Using her spare key, she let herself into the empty apartment and instantly noticed how neglected it had become. She felt pain twist in her chest and frowned- making herself busy, she cleaned the dishes and tidied up before grabbing a shower and getting ready for the game. Thankfully they weren't playing the leafs- as that would me more than awkward.

Once she had gotten out of the shower, she dried her hair and put some makeup on- finishing the look with Barzal jersey and jeans and sneakers. She had a winter coat, hat and gloves then took off for the arena- the taxi dropping her off at the front of the building.

As the game grew closer, the anticipation was building in Y/N's body, she wanted to run to him and call out- holding onto him like the world was ending, but she had to wait. Getting herself some food and a drink before warm-ups had ended, she quickly got her seat.

The players were coming off the ice at the end of warm-ups and Mat didn't look happy. His eyes had dark circles under them and he was paler than usual, his hair quite long and unkept. As he stepped off the ice, Y/N pushed herself to the edge of the tunnel.

"Mat!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, knowing she would have to be louder than the crowd if she wanted him to hear her-

Upon recognizing the voice, his head whipped to her direction and his eyes filled with astonishment. He quickly got out of the way of the other players and moved towards her. "W-what are you doing here? Jesus!" He pushed towards her and before he got an answer, he saw the girl bend down, pulling him close by the collar of his jersey and kissing him deeply.

His eyes widened and security started to move towards the pair to stop Y/N- but as they saw the hockey player's arms wrap around the woman and pull her closer, they backed off. The way their lips fit together was perfect, moving as if they had practiced this a thousand times. Pulling away and cupping his cheeks- Y/N had tears in her eyes, Mat holding onto her and looking at her with a smile. "I was wrong..." she breathed out heavily. "I was so blind before- and I understand if you've changed your mind... But god dam it Mat I love you.." She confessed, her voice become shaken.

Mat couldn't stop himself from smiling, that frat boy look disappearing and being replaced with a giddy child like innocence. "I've been waiting to hear those words for too long." He pulled her close again and Kissed her deeply as cheers erupted around them- before long, Mat's coach had come down and pushed him through the tunnel-

That night, Mat got his groove back- he scored a hat-trick and they won the game, but he had gotten a prize better than any puck in a net.

He won the girl.