nhl one-shots | multi

𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 | 𝙛. 𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙣

Y/N suddenly glanced up and him and had tears in her eyes. Causing Freddie to drop his food on the table and turn to take her hands into his own. "Hey hey what's going on?" He asked worriedly.

He could see the torment in his friend's eyes, how glossy they were as she took a breath to collect herself. "I got a job in Calgary." She mumbled. And suddenly just like that, Freddie's safe space had been ruined. The warm and cozy bubble that he had created was suddenly popped.

It wasn't fair for him to wish that she would turn it down. But he did. Inside he was praying that she was going to say no and that she was going to stay there with him. He didn't know if he could go back to being alone after having her in his life. Even if it was as a friend, her presence had changed him. He finally knew what it was like to feel happy and comfortable- would all of that suddenly change when she left? Would she take his happiness away with her?

Y/N had been working so hard to advance her career. This was a once in a lifetime offer. She wouldn't just be the equipment manager's assistant anymore, she wouldn't be given runt work- she would be the one in charge- her status would change and so would her financials.

But was it worth leaving everything in Toronto behind.

All of her life she had been trying to find something meaningful, and suddenly her friendship with Freddie had provided that. But was it enough? There was no doubt that Y/N had slowly been developing feelings for the Red haired man. But he had shown no signs of reciprocation in that department.

He was good at hiding the way he felt, so he swallowed his pride and smiled. "Thats amazing! When do you leave?" He asked, trying to keep the rawness in his throat from becoming too noticeable.

Y/N took a deep breath. "Next week." She told him. Life in the NHL moved fast, almost too fast to process- but Y/N knew that if she wanted this job, she didn't really have time to hesitate and think about it.

Freddie knew that too.

"Well we best get packing then- welcome to the big leagues!" Freddie forced out a smile, trying his best to seem happy for her. He was... But not if it meant that he was going to lose her.

And so that night their time usually spent with takeout and trashy TV had been replaced with stacks of cardboard boxes and trash bags that were filled with clothes for the donation centre. Y/N was really leaving.

For the first month, Freddie was able to ignore YN's absence. He texted her as often as he could and she did the same. But once the season really started to get underway, it was harder to stay connected. On the rare occasions that Y/N would come to Toronto with the flames- they would meet each other for coffee and laugh just like old times, but it never really felt the same. At the end of their rendezvous, they had to say goodbye and each time that got harder.

Freddie was losing his mind. He missed Y/N dearly and it showed in his performance. His friends and teammates had sat him down and talked to him about it- causing Freddie to not only confess his feelings for the girl that moved away, but also causing him to admit that fact to himself. He loved her.

She was his person and he knew that the moment she told him she was leaving.

So day after day, Freddie did his best to pull himself together. He acted like everything was fine on their phone calls and he even made an effort to go out and try and date just to distract himself. But it never worked. He was fine for the first half of the date, but whenever it escalated to something more, he found himself coming up with reasons for why he didn't want to take the woman home-

Y/N had been trying to find her footing in Alberta, and while working with the team was fine, she was lonely. She thought that this major upgrade in her job would give her a sense of purpose, but she felt more empty than ever. She no longer had that smile and laugh that used to follow her around at the Scotiabank arena. Her exhaustion was getting the better of her and she was irritable all the time.

She spent most of her nights looking at pictures and videos from the leafs' instagram and social media, it was too hard to look at the pictures of her and Freddie in her camera roll. Y/N knew that she missed him, and she knew that she had feelings for him- she loved him too.

It took her an entire year to finally build up the guts to do something about it. And When Y/N wanted to do something, she never did it in a simple way- she was pretty dramatic like that. So saying goodbye to the flames and the saddle dome arena, Y/N quit her job and took a flight back to Toronto.

Y/N wasn't one to show up unannounced at her friends or family's houses. But she thought that this situation called for desperate measures. After all, who would turn down a heartfelt confession in the middle of the night?

It wasn't hard to get into Freddie's building which was slightly concerning. One glance at the security guard and she was in- Ernie was a nice old man and he had seen Freddie and Y/N together many a times. There was no reason for him to worry about her.

Taking the elevator up to Freddie's floor, Y/N's heart started pounding and she felt like she could hear her own pulse in her hears- her throat was suddenly achingly dry, as if she hadn't drank water in days. Her hands made themselves busy by picking at her coat sleeves, the nerves practically eating her alive.

But soon the doors opened and with them, Y/N's anxiety washed away. Freddie was standing at his apartment door with his duffle bag on his shoulders- the same blue one that he had used since the very first day they met. His curls were blazing hot red and his scruff was trimmed neatly.

Once glance at him and Y/N knew that she was home.

"Fred!" She called. Pushing through the elevator and making her way down the hallway.

Whipping his head around, Freddie was in full shock, barely processing what he was seeing before Y/N had crashed into his chest- embracing him tightly. Letting his bag fall the floor the man wrapped his arms around her. His eyes lit up like a thousand fireworks and he felt his heart clench. "Y/N! What are you doing here?" He gasped- "Are you okay?- did something happen?" He quickly pulled back and pressed a hand to her cheek to inspect her, if someone had hurt her he was going out for blood.

Y/N smiled brightly. "I am perfect... I am so perfect." She told him, unable to stop smiling- the light that Freddie had been missing in his life and that Y/N had seemingly lost was suddenly radiating off of her. "Im back Freddie..." she told him, her voice hanging above a whisper as she looked into his eyes.

Confusion flashed across the goalie's face, his features contorting as he took note of what she said.

"Im back freddie- I quit my job I left Calgary." Y/N spoke quickly. "I came back for you." She confessed.

And like that everything was out in the open.

There was no telling how long Freddie had wanted to hear something like that, he couldn't believe that it was really happening and he had to all but stop himself from pinching his skin to wake up from a dream. If this was a dream he certainly didn't want it to end.

"You came back for me?" He affirmed.

Y/N nodded, her hair brushing into her face as she moved closer to him. "I know that we have been friends all this time, and that when you first asked me to hang out- you swore it wasn't a date... But I cant be friends anymore Freddie. I love you- and I want to be with you..."

A giant smile stretched upon the man's cheeks, his arms reached ut and he brought her crashing into his chest once more- kissing the top of her head. "I love you too.... I love you so much." His days had been darker without her near, but she was back and she wasn't leaving him again. She was there for him and he would do his best to never let her go.

Pulling away, Freddie leaned forward and captured her lips against his, his hands grasping at her hips as he kissed her on the doorstep of his apartment. They were soft and moulded against his just perfectly.

They were the perfect fit, and Freddie knew that was exactly what they were. She was his missing piece and he was hers.