but boy were you regretting it. it was always the classes that aren't supposed to be a lot that end up taking up the most time. and now, here you were at 11pm, reading a textbook and writing an essay.

seth understood when you were in school mode not to bother you, but it was getting a little out of hand. he had been watching you, and wasn't sure if you had even eaten anything, let alone even gotten up from your desk.

so, after, what felt like a million hours, he decided to step in. he made a quick and easy sandwich, grabbed a bottle of water, and made his way over to you. he didn't even want to be awake; he was waiting for you to be done, but it didn't look like you were getting any closer to being done.

"alright, that's it." he annoucned, startling you. you looked up from your computer screen, eyes adjsiting to the lighting before you looked at him. "you've been sitting here all day i think, and you haven't eaten. so, we're done for tonight." you opened your mouth to argue, but he shook his head. "you're done." he repeated.

you sighed, making sure your essay was saved, then you got up from the chair. your knees were a little wobbly so he caught you before you could hit the ground.

"that's not a good sign, babe." seth shot you a look.

"i'm almost done," you reminded him, closing your eyes and leaning your head on his shoulder.

"i know, you've been saying that for weeks now. you're working yourself to death. this isn't healthy." he pointed out, shaking his head. he might have been in a joking mood a few seconds ago, but now your health was coming into play, and he wasn't in a joking mood anymore.

once you were out and away from your desk, he wrapped his arms around you, holding you tight. he didn't say anything; instead, he ran a hand up and down your back.

"you need to know when to stop," he whispered into your hair, closing his eyes and just hugging you.

"i know." you mumbled. "i just, i need to finish this, then i'm done. forever." you pulled away, looking him in the eyes. he once again said nothing, but his face said everything. he was worried about your health, but he also knew there was no changing your mind. so all he could do was offer his support and an occasional turkey sandwich.

"you drive me crazy, y/n." he pulled you back into his arms, pressing another kiss to the top of your head.

so, for the first few weeks of him being in boston, you weren't there with him, which was a change from when he got traded from chicago to vancouver. you were used to having lukas there, so when he just wasn't, it felt strange.

so, you decided to surprise him a little. you didn't know many girls on the team, but the one person lukas talked about a lot, one of his newest teammates that he seemed close with was fraser.

so, you got his phone number and explained your plan to him. the moment you told him, he was all on board. they hadn't been teammates for very long, but in the short time that fraser and lukas had spent together, fraser learned that lukas talked about you a lot, and talked about missing you a lot. so, if he could do this thing for his friend to hopefully put him in a better mood, he was going to do it.

it took a few weeks to plan, but fraser managed to keep it a secret, and also managed to get you a hotel. he also planned everything else for you, which you appreciated and didn't expect.

a few weeks later, fraser managed to wrangle lukas and get him to go to the team party that someone was hosting. lukas liked team parties, but this would be the first one without you there, and that wasn't something he was used to.

"come on, it'll be fun." fraser tried to bring his mood up.

"yeah." was all lukas said in repsonse, and that was all fraser knew he was going to get out of him. but he also knew that the surprise he had up his sleeve would put the biggest smile on his face, so he brushed it off.

fraser walked ahead of lukas, opening the door and announcing their presense. lukas followed him inside, his head hanging low. he walked into the living room and was prepared to find the chair in the furthest corner, but he did a double take when he saw who was sitting on the couch, laughing at someones joke with a drink in hand.

"no way!" your head whipped up the moment you heard his voice, and you set your drink down, quickly making your way over to him.

"surprise." you smiled, leaning up and wrapping your arms around him. it took a moment for it to compute in his brain, but when his brain started working, he wrapped his arms around you, smiling bigger than anyone in the whole room had seen.

the guys were teasing, the girls were cheering, and fraser was smiling. he was proud he was able to pull the whole secret off, and he was proud he didn't spill the beans to his friend. he had come close a few times, but he managed to keep his lips zipped.

a few hours later, you had snuck away from the party and into a hallway away from all the noise and chatter. the small chair was now holding both you and lukas, and you were scared it would break at any moment.

"lukas, this chair is not going to hold both of us." you tried to hover over his lap. the last thing you wanted to do was break a chair in the home of someone you had just met.

"it'll be fine." lukas reassured, pulling you down to sit down in his lap. it creaked a little when you sat down, but that was it, so you let it go. somewhere between catching up on your week and him inviting you to the upcoming game, your lips locked, and you were kissing.

things were getting heavier, but before clothes started coming off, you heard someone clear their throat. you both jumped apart so fast and hard you almost hit your head on the wall behind the chair. you looked up in horror to see who was standing there.

"so, this is where you lovebirds snuck off to," sean kuraly teased with a smirk.

"look-"

"i'm not gonna tattle, but i think you should head home before things get too steamy," he joked, laughing at the horrified looks on your faces. "you kids have fun," he spoke over his shoulder, leaving you alone in the hallway.

the moment you were alone, you and lukas looked at each other, speechless. "i think we should head back to your place," you told him.

"i think you're right." lukas couldn't stand up fast enough. he said goodbyes for the both of you, and practically dragged you out the door.

"lukas." you laughed.

"what? i haven't seen you in so long. i'm going to enjoy my time with you before you have to leave." he shrugged with a smile. you smiled, reaching over and grabbing his hand, placing a kiss to the palm of his hand.

the music was pounding through the speakers so loud your seat was shaking from how loud the bass was. all around you, the entire carolina hurricanes hockey team was celebrating. fans were drinking with their favorites, screaming as loud as they could whenever someone lifted the cup over their heads.

you smelled like champagne and were equally as sticky, but you didn't care. for once, you didn't mind the feeling. you could shower later; now you were going to celebrate.

"are you even listening to me?" makayla asked, needing to shout over all the noise. you blinked a few times before looking away from andrei and back over to her. "what is up with you? you've been so distracted." she chuckled.

"nothing." you shook your head. you felt a pair of eyes staring right at you, but with makayla looking at you, you couldn't meet them. the moment she wasn't looking at you, you finally met his eyes.

he was about 10 drinks in and there was no sign of stopping anytime soon. not that you were going to march up to him and try to tell him to stop.

when you first started with the canes a little over a year ago as a pr manager, you had no intention of ending up in the position you were in. secretly in something that you couldn't call a relationship, but also not a fling with star player andrei svechnikov. it sort of just happened.

the first few months, nothing happened. you were still getting a flow for things, and you didn't even exist to the players, you were almost shadowing makayla, but when you went on your first roadtrip, that was when things started to change.

only one of you was needed, so you were sent on the road with the team while makayla handled things at home. and with you still being so new, you didn't have time to introduce yourself to anyone, so when team dinner rolled around, you ended up at a table all by yourself.

you were halfway through dinner when someone sat down next to you. of course, that someone was andrei, and from there, he was always there, making sure you were okay and had enough to eat, grabbing you an extra coffee in the morning. now, flashforward almost two years, you were hopelessly in love with him, and he had no idea.

as the night went on, people started clearing out. it was nearing 2am and you had a full list of things to do in a few hours, so you decided to call it a night. you took one last sip of your drink and scooped up your bag.

"i'm gonna call it a night," you told your group of friends. they all smiled, waving and saying they would be following after you soon enough. as you walked, you felt those same eyes staring into the back of your head.

andrei had been watching you practically the entire night. he was drunk, and he never got drunk. he was russian, it was hard for him to get drunk, so for him to be so far gone was an accomplishment of sorts.

after a year, sober andrei was tired of waiting. he wanted the entire world to know he was in love with you. but he also knew he couldn't just blurt it out. drunk andrei decided to make the decision for him.

he got onto the top of the bar and grabbed a microphone that definitely was not supposed to be used for declaring your love to your not-girlfriend. someone turned the music down, waiting to hear what he had to say. everyone was expecting him to say some drunk nonsense, but andrei had other plans.

"hi, everyone." you stopped the moment you heard his slurred words come through the speakers. "i just wanted to say that i am in love with that girl right over there." your eyes went wide the moment he looked at you and pointed.

suddenly, every pair of eyes was on you, and you wanted the world to swallow you whole. "i'm tired of keeping it a secret and needed the whole world to know. thank you." he set the microphone down, jumped off the bar, and made his way over to you.

the music started back up again and just as quickly as he had gotten everyone's attention, they all went back to whatever they were doing. you watched him walk over to you, eyes wide in horror.

"what the hell was that?" you asked, hitting him in the shoulder.

"well, like i said, i was tired of hiding it." he shrugged, taking no offense to you hitting him. after all, he hadn't discussed this with you at all.

"but you didn't think to talk to me about this?" you reminded him, crossing your arms and glaring at him.

"y/n, i love you," he stated, his tone so sure it made your heart stutter. no longer were his words slurred, and he quickly sobered up. "i want the entire world to know, i'm tired of hiding."

you sighed, dropping your head into your hands. "next time you confess your love, let me know beforehand." you playfully glared at him.

he got a new table partner at school, which was exciting for him. he loved school and making new friends. he made friends everywhere he went, a trait neither of his mom or dad knew where it came from.

what eli didn't know was his dad had come home early from the roadie, and he was going to surprise him at the end of the day.

after a week long roadie, freddie walked through the door with a pain in his joints and an ache in his bones. but above all else, he was happy to finally be home and to see his family. jasper was the first person to greet him, as usual.

but you trailed not far behind. both kids were at school, so it was only you in the house. you were happy to have a few kid-free hours to yourself to get some tasks around the house done and get some work done. but, time ticked by quicker than you thought, and school pickup was right around the corner.

"i can do it." freddie volunteered before you could even get the words out. you raised a brow. he had just come back from a long road trip with bags under his eyes that signalled he hadn't been sleeping the best.

"fred..." you sighed, already reaching for your keys on the counter. he shook his head, grabbing them from your hands.

"i can do it. come on, when am i here to do pick up ever?" he made a good point, and you still had a lot of work to finish up. not a lot of convincing was needed, and before you knew it, freddie was out the door.

the first stop was alma's school. when he walked in, the lady behind the desk looked a little confused, but when he said who he was there to pick up, they recognized him. while he waited, he made his way over to alma's little cubby, picking up her pink backpack and matching lunch bag, slinging the backpack over his shoulder while he waited.

he could hear alma talking to one of her teachers, talking the woman's ear off. when the door opened, she wasn't prepared to see her dad, of course expecting her mom to be standing there like she had been the past week.

so, when she saw her dad instead, she stopped talking mid-sentence and launched herself into her father's open arms. "papa!" she exclaimed, wrapping her little arms around his neck as tightly as she could.

"oh, i've missed you." he hummed, pressing a kiss into her hair. the pigtails you had tied off earlier in the morning with pretty pink bows had long since fallen, and her teachers had taken the bows out and handed them to freddie instead. "you ready to go home?" she nodded frantically, beginning to tell him all about her day, speaking a million miles a minute.

freddie smiled, nodding along to whatever she was saying. he didn't quite understand what she was saying, but whatever she was saying, he would just nod along. he signed her out, waved to her teachers, and they were on their way.

the next stop was to pick up elias. he got out of school a little later than his sister, so while they waited, freddie decided both kids deserved a treat. he stopped by a starbucks and picked each kid up a cake pop.

alma immediately dug into hers, happily singing and kicking her feet along to the music. instead of waiting in the carline for pickup, freddie decided to surprise eli in front of the school.

eli walked out of his school, backpack slung over his shoulder as he looked down the parking line, trying to spot his mom's familiar car. instead, he spotted his dad standing near a bench, a smile on his face.

the moment eli saw his dad, he broke out into a smile, and ran over to him. "papa!" eli jumped into his arms, wrapping his arms around his neck just like alma had done. "mama said you were coming home tomorrow." the little boy pulled away, raising a inquisitive brow.

freddie smiled at the look on his face. "i wanted to surprise you and alma." he pressed a kiss to his son's head before placing him back down on the ground. "now, how about we go home? mama's waiting for us."

so when the final buzzer sounded, that was when the noise in your ears started to sound real and when you felt like you were coming back into your body. watching jesperi lift the cup was a feeling you'd never be able to describe or replicate.

after years of trying, a trade, injuries, and everything in between, all of his hard work finally paid off. you couldn’t help but cry a little while you watched him skate around with the biggest smile on his face.

after everyone got their turn with the cup, family members were slowly led onto the ice, and you were anxiously waiting your turn to be reunited with jesperi.

you looked around through the sea of red and white. you eventually spotted him, talking with a member of media, so you waited for him to finish up with his interviews.

once he was done, and the man stepped aside, his parents were the first to bombard him in hugs, kisses, and congratulations. he hugged them back, relishing the feeling of having them there. after all, without their support, he wouldn’t be where he was.

once they stepped aside, he turned to you and before you could get any words out, he was reaching out and wrapping an arm around you gently, and pulling you into him. you wrapped your arms around his neck.

“i’m so proud of you!” you cheered, trying to pull away from him, but he kept his hold on you, not wanting to let you go even if it was just to look in his eyes.

“don’t go anywhere.” he whispered into your ear, his lips so close to your ear you could feel them moving against the shell of your ear.

“i’m not going anywhere.” you whispered back, squeezing him tight to emphasize your words. “i can’t believe it.” your voice cracked as emotion seeped through your words.

“stanley cup champs!” he cheered. after a second, he finally pulled away, looking into your eyes. he reached up and wiped a tear from your eyes with a teary smile of his own.

you opened your mouth, trying to think of words, but no words would come out. jesperi smiled, wrapping you in another hug, leaning his head in your shoulder.

“i love you so much.” he spoke into your ear.

so, without you knowing, when he went to get some new suit jackets for the season, he added in another special request and got one done with photos of you and him throughout the years. would he wear it for arrivals? he didn't know yet, but he would wear it on speical occasions, even if not in such a public setting like to work.

a few months later, the suit jacket was done, and he couldn't wait to wear it. he had gone back and forth in his mind, unsure if he wanted to wear it to the game. but ultimately, he decided it would be funny to surprise you when you saw a photo of him on instagram because he just knew this photo would not only be all over the senators instagram, but every other media page that was relevant to the sport of hockey.

he took a breath before getting out of the car, making sure his hair looked good. he had never cared as much about his appearance for a walk-in photo than he did in that moment.

he didn't care about everyone else on the internet seeing him, but he cared about your opinion. of course, you thought he looked handsome wearing a pair of old sweats and no shirt, but he wanted to impress you.

he made sure his hair looked good for the fifteenth time before finally getting out of the car. he unbuttoned the middle button as he walked into the building. as he got closer and closer to the hallway where he knew the photographers and social media team were, he started getting a little nervous.

"hey, guys." fabian greeted, unable to help but smile proudly as he opened his lapels to show off the photos all around the inside. the photographers snapped pictures as he walked, smiling and giving him a thumbs up.

"that's so cute." the media girl smiled, taking a quick video. fabian smiled and kept walking, giving them all fist bumps as he walked down the line.

by the end of the night, he was correct in his presumption. his photo was on the main nhl account and a few other hockey pages with thousands of comments saying how cute it was and how much they loved the jacket.

through the thousands of comments and messages he had gotten, there was one person who hadn't responded, and truthfully, it was the one person who's opinion mattered more than anyone elses to fabian. so, he did some media, answered some questions about his jacket, took a quick shower and got redressed before he was on his way home.

you had come to the game but left earlier on about halfway through the game, so he wasn't surprised to see you sitting on the couch with a glass of wine. he set his bags down the second he stepped inside, slipped off his shoes and made his way over to you.

you smiled as soon as he came into your space, sitting as close as possibly to you without crawling into your skin. he wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

"so, i saw the post." you finally admitted.

"and?" he asked, pulling away just far enough that he could see your face and watch your face for any sort of reaction.

"you really love me, huh?" you teased, unable to stop the playful smile on your face. you leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek, but didn't stop smiling.

he smiled, shaking his head, "just a little," he responded in a tone just as teasing.

"i loved it, though. it was a nice surprise to see my face on my own feed," you joked, leaning back in and putting your head on his shoulder.

he had been planning the proposal for months, but he had been thinking about marrying you months into dating. he hadn't disclosed that to anyone, but it was something he knew.

he had gotten a text from your friend, who he had been in cahoots with the moment he announced he wanted ot propose, telling him they were leaving the small shopping excursion he was sponsoring, and you were headed to the restaurant he was waiting at.

he watched your icon on life360 move closer and closer to the restaurant. he slid his phone into his pocket and wiped his hands on his pants. he looked over to the photographer and videographer, giving them a nod and keeping his eyes on the door.

"a seperate room?" he could hear you ask from the other side of the closed door.

"yeah, we've got some more reservations coming in later," the hostess explained, trying her best to come up with something believable. you were right there, you couldn't turn around now.

she pulled open the door, and you gasped the moment you saw seth standing in the mostly empty room. you felt someone grab your bag, and you glanced back at your friend, who was smiling, giving you an encouraging nod.

"what the heck is going on?" you asked with a nervous laugh, stepping towards him and taking his outstretched hands. "seth, what''re you doing here?"

"i've been planning this for months," he began, taking a breath. his hands were shaking, you could feel it. you gave them a squeeze, reassuring him with a nod. that gave him the boost of confidence to keep going. "but i knew the day when we were skating at the pond that you were it. i didn't need anyone else."

you smiled, feeling tears form in your eyes. you wiped a stray tear, taking a deep breath as he continued. "i love you so much, y/n, and i can't imagine being with anyone else but you. i don't want to live in a world where you aren't there by my side."

"i want to wake up every day with you, go to sleep with you. tell you every little thing that makes me excited for the rest of my life." he let go of your hands and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small navy velvet box.

he slowly bent down onto one knee, looking up at you with the most love you had ever seen in your life, and opening up the small box, he took another breath, hands still shaking ever so slightly. "y/n y/l/n, will you marry me?"

you nodded before he could even finish his sentence, tears filling your eyes and hands shaking just like his. "yes, of course." he nodded, bending down and wrapping your arms around his neck. you pulled him close, so close you could feel his heart beating.

you felt tears streaming down your face, and hid your face in his neck, holding him close. after hugging and crying, you pulled away and let him slip the ring onto your finger. you wiped your eyes, laughing as you looked at him.

"i love you." you wrapped your arms around his neck again, pulling him close.

the only day that everyone could agree on was a weekday, and when you initially agreed, you weren't coming off of a 10-hour shift where you had been standing for practically all 10 hours. past you was more optimistic when making plans.

andrei had been kind enough to drive you and pick you up so you wouldn't have to drive anywhere, knowing you would be tired. he even managed to pick up a coffee on the way to make sure you could stay awake for a few hours.

you let out a yawn as andrei pulled down the street and found a parking spot. once parked, he made sure the car was off before looking at you. he reached over and grabbed your hand.

"you okay? i can tell everyone we couldn't make it," he said.

you shook your head, letting out another yawn. "i'm good. give me a few drinks, and i'll be good," you reassured, giving his hand a squeeze. you reached for your bag and were out of the car before andrei could blink. he followed after you, locking the car and grabbing your hand. he gave your hand another squeeze as you walked up the steps.

a few hours later, you were a few drinks in, but instead of getting happy-party girl drunk, you got sleepy-quiet girl drunk. you had found yourself, eyes closed and on the verge of sleep, on a couch in the corner. the party was still going all around you, but you were dead to the world.

you and andrei had separated the moment you walked through the door, being pulled apart by your friends, but after a few hours, he was missing you and wanted to be by your side. he found you on the couch, back facing the party, eyes closed.

he smiled, bending down to your level and running a slow comforting hand up and down your back. he pressed a soft kiss to your head, "you want to go home?" he whispered into your head. you hummed, shaking your head. "you're falling asleep." he reminded you, smiling at your stubbornness.

"i want to stay." you sat up, rubbing your eyes. he smiled, pressing another kiss to the top of your head.

a few hours later, the party was dwindling down, but there were still a few people there talking and chit-chatting. andrei was still there, so you were still there. you had moved positions and were now straddling his lap, head on his shoulder and dead asleep.

if the others thought it was strange, they didn't say anything. after all, you had just worked an entire long shift. while you were still awake, he would check on you and make sure you were okay and didn't want to leave. when you fell asleep, he knew he couldn't move without waking you up, so he made peace with where he was sitting.

but coming into the group of dallas stars girlfriends, wives, and partners was another ballpark. of course, there were stories about wag groups in the league, so it was scary. but unlike all the stories had said, everyone was welcoming and warm, some of them even offering to take you out to dinner after the game.

getting used to living in dallas was easy, especially with the other women being so kind. you tried to go to as many games as you could, but you were still new at your job so getting time off or asking to leave early wasn't something you could do easily.

but, on the off chance that everyone wrapped up early, you were let go early. and this night was one of those nights. so, you quickly made your way back home, got ready as fast as you could, and drove to the arena.

"look who made it!" you were pulled into a few hugs, and someone handed you a drink. you smiled, taking a sip. "does he know you're here?"

you shook your head, "was gonna wait till the end." she smiled, laughing as she led you furhter into the family room.

the game went on like any other, and wyatt even managed to snag the third star of the game for his two assists. you situated yourself in one of the chairs, half listening to the conversation the other girls were having while you waited for the guys to be done with media and get ready to leave.

you were checking your texts and emails on what you would have to do the next day at work when you felt someone come up behind you. you finished what you were typing, then turned around to wyatt, a smile on your face.

he sat down next to you and let out a deep but contented sigh. you leaned in, wrapping your arms around him. "i'm so proud of you, mr. third star of the game." you teased him, smiling as you leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

"you didn't tell me you were coming," he responded, pulling away just far enough that you were at eye level.

"wanted it to be a surprise." you shrugged, pushing a piece of wet hair that had fallen onto the top of his forehead. "and i'm happy i did. would you have played this good if you knew i was here?" you joked.

"oh, it would've been a huge distraction." he went along with your joke, playfully rolling his eyes. you laughed, shaking your head and reaching for your bag. you turned to the rest of the girls to say your goodbyes when you saw they were all already looking at you.

"what?" you asked, freezing in place, suddenly scared you had done something wrong. the night quickly replayed in your head, trying to figure out what could have gone wrong.

"we thought you were dating smitty." one of them spoke up. her head was tilted to the side, and her brows were pulled together. everyone else was wearing a similar look of confusion, while also trying to figure out where it could've gotten lost in translation.

"no," you lightly chuckled, shaking your head. "wyatt and i have been together since we were like 7," you joked.

at the same time, he internalized a lot, so whatever he was feeling, you weren't going to sit down together and have a conversation about it. so, whatever you could do to support him, you were going to do.

you heard the door open and popped your head around the corner, a smile on your face. you watched as he set his stuff down and toed off his shoes before he turned to you. the moment he saw you, it was like his whole body visably relaxed.

his shoulders dropped, and the crease between his brows disappeared. he let out a sigh, and when you wrapped your arms around him, his entire body melted into your's.

"you okay?" you asked, running a hand through his hair and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. he said nothing, simply hummed and closed his eyes, and basked in the feeling of having you in his arms and having your arms wrapped around him.

you found yourself sitting on the couch, jackson still wrapped around you like he wanted to crawl into your skin. you ran a hand through his hair, half paying attention to whatever was playing on the tv. you glanced down at jackson, who hadn't said many words to you, but he looked content right where he was.

you moved your hand from his hair to glance at your phone, and the moment your hand moved out of his hair, he grunted and looked up at you like you had offended him.

"seriously?" you chuckled, playfully rolling your eyes. you set your phone down, then continued running your hand through his hair, occasionally scratching at his scalp the way he liked. "i've created a monster," you mumbled.

you didn't know how much time had passed, but you were now lying down on the couch, and jackson was flat on top of you, his hands buried underneath your body and his head buried in your chest, positioned right above your heart.

you glanced down at him. he had been home for some time now, and he hadn't said much. "are you sure you're okay? are you hungry or anything?"

he shook his head and finally looked up at you, a ghost of a smile on his face. "just missed you." he responded, leaning up and pressing a kiss to your lips before returning to the position he was in. he hummed, running a finger over your wrist, feeling your pulse.