#hereforbordswrites

You had been at one of the parties hosted at campus; Matty had gotten you a drink, and you’d been working on it all night long. You were content just to hang out in the corner and watch the party unfold (parties weren’t really your scene), but Briss had decided you were being “a stick in the mud” and pulled you onto the dance floor. Kent had given you a thumbs up, so you allowed yourself to relax. Brendan was super sweet too and was always looking out for you.

You danced a couple songs with Brendan and then told him you’d had enough; he’d taken you back over to the drink table. You had just turned around with your drink when someone crashed into you, spilling your drink down the front of you.

“Shit! Sorry!” You looked up to find none other than Thomas Bordeleau standing in front of you, apologizing profusely. “Oh my gosh, y/n, I’m so sorry.”

“Bords, it’s ok. It was an accident.” You said, looking at Bords. He’d clearly had a couple drinks, but he wasn’t too tipsy yet.

“Here, take my jacket.” He said, peeling off his jacket and handing it to you.

“Bords, I don’t need your jacket, but thank you.” You said, looking over at Kent, who had an eyebrow raised.

“Please, sweetheart, just take it.” The term of endearment slipped out before he could stop it. “I feel really bad.”

“Fine.” You said, sliding it on. “My brother’s coming over here. Just let me do the talking, ok?”

“What’s going on over here?” Kent asked, looking between you and Bords. “Why is my sister wearing your jacket?”

“Thomas accidentally ran into me and spilled my drink all over my shirt,” you said, showing Kent the drying soda stain on your shirt. “It’s just until I can get home. I was planning on heading out soon anyway.”

“Alright. I’ll take you home.” Kent said. “Just let me tell Owen I’ll be back.”

“Kent, I can walk home by myself.” You tried to protest; Kent had always been overprotective of you, and sometimes while it was nice, other times (like tonight), it was annoying. You could handle yourself, thank you very much.

“Let me, please?” Kent asked. “I just want to make sure you get home safe.”

“Fine.” You weren’t going to tell Kent your roommate was gone, or he’d probably try to stay the night. “Night Bords. See you tomorrow at practice.”

“Night.” You and Kent left, and when you got home, you fibbed and said your roommate was working late and would be home later. Kent seemed to buy it, and after he left, you changed into your pjs. You definitely were intrigued by Bords, and you thought what harm could come from giving him your number. That wasn’t breaking Kent’s rule. You took of Bords’ jacket and slipped a piece of paper into the pocket with your number and a text me! :) on it.

The next day, you made sure to give Bords his jacket back in the presence of Kent. “Thanks again.” You said. Kent nodded approvingly and as soon as he left to hit the ice, you whispered to Bords, “check the left pocket”, and walked out of the locker room.

That had begun a secret relationship; it had started as texting, but the more you two communicated, the more you found you had in common. Trying to find a way to have a date without Kent meddling in everything had been challenging, but Owen (who had figured things out pretty quickly, and kept your secret) had helped you out there-he had insisted Kent come out for a movie with him (and you knew it was because Owen had a crush on your brother, and you knew Kent liked Owen-you felt a little like the pot was calling the kettle black- it was ok for him to have a relationship with a teammate, but you couldn’t?) and that bought you and Bords a couple hours to go out to dinner and have a nice time.

You started sitting closer to Bords more than before, when Kent called you out on it, you always had an excuse- “we’re binging “Euphoria” together, “I was actually talking to him about a class assignment”-and the one time you sat next to Bords (holding his hand under the blanket), Briss and Matty (who had figured things out and were helping run interference) had kept Kent occupied with hockey questions so he didn’t have time to focus on you and Bords.

Right before the Olympics, Bords looked at you one day after practice, before Kent got into the locker room. “I want to tell him.”

You slapped a hand over Bords’ mouth. “No!” 

Bords looked at your wild eyes and quickly backtracked. “Alright.” He softened a little. “I’m just tired of hiding.”

“Me too.” You quickly moved away as you heard your brother approaching. “I’ll text you later, ok?” You said, making a beeline out of the locker room.

Then came the Olympics. You were the proud sister- you were so happy for Kent and Owen. You were also proud of Matty and Briss. You knew Bords was bummed about not being picked, but he definitely wasn’t complaining- especially when you were spending almost every moment with him. This was nice to not have to hide. You still knew what would happen if Kent found out though.

Truss was letting you stay over at their place (a compromise with Kent. As far as Kent knew, you were sleeping on the couch; in actuality you were sleeping in Bords’ bed), and he was giving Kent updates on things.

You almost blew it the one time you answered the FaceTime call from Bords’ room; thankfully Owen was there too and distracted Kent long enough for you to bolt downstairs to the couch. If he noticed anything, Kent didn’t say a word.

You made sure to watch all of the boys’ games (usually with Bords and Truss; Kent had gotten a couple pictures from Truss of the three of you-in the first one, you were in between the boys, and after he received the reply, he frowned and said, “switch me spots for a sec”. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out; you plastered on a smile and Truss sent the new pic to Kent, and then you resumed your spot in the middle).

Unfortunately, both Canada and the US weren’t going to be playing for medals, and that meant the boys were going to be on their way home soon. You figured you still had a couple days before that happened, so you were still a little lax on your “hiding things” mode. Which ended up being when all hell broke loose.

You had just come back into the locker room (you had a separate area to shower and change). The boys had all gotten dressed in their suits already, and you were just buttoning your suit jacket when you sat by Bords and rested your head on his shoulder. That’s when you heard the “What the hell is going on?!” You looked up to find your brother looking between you and Bords, and oh shit!

“Kent!” You started. Luke and Blanks started getting everyone out; Matty, Briss, Truss, and Owen stayed back. Matty and Truss came to stand by you, Briss went to Bords, and Owen went to Kent.

“How long?”

You stared down your brother. “Since the party.” You admitted. “It wasn’t planned, but it happened.”

“I had one rule. One fucking rule.” He said.

“You know, you think you’d be happy for me. At least you know him. And he likes me for me. He’s not just wanting to ‘bag the hot girl who plays hockey with the boys’. He’s sweet and caring.” Now that you were on a roll, you couldn’t stop. “You know, he wanted to tell you so many times, but I wouldn’t let him. Because I knew this is how you would react.” You felt tears sting your eyes. “I know you think you’re helping, but you’re not. I’m my own person, and I’m a grown ass woman. I can make my own decisions. I don’t need your approval. I just need my brother to be there for me and trust me.” You broke free of Matty’s grip and went barreling out of the locker room, Matty and Truss trailing after you.

“Way to go asshole,” Bords said. “You know, I have a sister too. And while I want to protect her, I also know she has to feel like she doesn’t have to hide things and she can talk to me about anything. Come on Briss, I’m done here.” Briss and Bords left, and it was just Owen and Kent in the room.

“I fucked up, didn’t I?” Kent asked, sitting down on the bench.

“Honestly? I know you don’t want to hear it, but yes.” Owen said, expecting the glare he got from Kent. “I understand it, babe, I do. Think about it- you told her she can’t date a teammate, but here you are dating me.” Owen sat down by Kent. “You know, I actually hung out with them one time together. He treats her well. Really. She definitely could have done worse. Plus, I’m sure Bords knows you would beat the shit out of him if he ever hurt her, so there’s that.” Owen said.

“I want to go talk to her.” Kent said. “I need to talk with her.”

“Let’s go home tonight, ok? We’ll do it in the morning when we’ve all got clear heads.”

“No. Tonight.” Kent said. Owen sighed and fired off a text to Matty warning them that Kent wanted to come over.

When he arrived at the house, Kent was a little unprepared for what he saw. Truss was in the hallway between the two rooms, and he fixed a glare on Kent. “I’m making sure they don’t see each other, don’t worry.”

“Huh?”

“Briss and Bords are in Bords’ room, and Matty’s with your sister in his room. I’m the one to make sure that no one sees each other.”

“Can I talk to her?” Kent asked. Truss went and knocked on the door. Matty came and opened it, and Kent could hear your sniffles. Truss whispered something to Matty, who’s gaze hardened. He went back into the room for a minute, and then Kent heard footsteps. He got his hopes up for a minute, until you came to the doorway.

“Go away. I don’t want to see you.”

“I just want to talk.”

“Well, I don’t. Go home Kent.” With that, you slammed Matty’s bedroom door shut.

“You heard her. Let’s go home.” Owen said. “Come on.”

“Take care of her Truss.” Kent said, “Please.”

“I will. You know that. Now go before I escort you out.” It was in that moment that Kent realized how much all his teammates had your back and would protect you.

*

In the morning, you were still feeling like crap; Matty had tried to get you to eat something, but you weren’t hungry. You just wanted last night to be a dream, but looking at all your missed texts, you knew it wasn’t. “Matty…” you said. “That... that really happened. It wasn’t supposed to happen like that.” Your tears started again.

“I know.” He said, hugging you tight. “I know it wasn’t, sweetie. Come on though, you need to at least shower. I wouldn’t put it past your brother to come over again today.”

You groaned. Matty was probably right. “Ok. Can I talk to Bords?”

“Let me check with Truss and Briss, ok?” Matty said. “You take your shower and we’ll have an answer when you come out.”

When you came out, feeling a little more human, you found Bords sitting on Matty’s bed. “Hi honey.” He said; you could tell he’d been crying all night too from his red, puffy eyes. “I’m sorry about last night.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about.” You said. “I’m sorry. My brother is an asshole.”

“He is.” Bords laughed. “But I get it. I’m pretty sure I’d go all ‘brother bear’ on whoever wanted to date my sister. But, I’d trust her too. I get it if you need to break up with me.”

“And let him win? No fucking way.” You said. “He’s going to have to deal with us, whether he likes it or not. I’d rather not have a brother instead of losing the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“You mean that, sweetheart?” He asked, eyes wide. He knew how much Kent meant to you.

“I do.” You said, grinning as he tackled you in a hug back on the bed. You were both lying there when there was a knock on the door and Truss poked his head in. “Are you up to seeing Kent?” He asked.

“Yeah.” You said. “He can come up.” Truss raised an eyebrow at you, but grinned.

“Alright.”

You and Bords sat up on the side of the bed. You again leaned into his side. “Here we go.” You said, as there was the knock on the door. “It’s open!”

For the second time in two days, Kent walked in to find you with Bords. This time however, he didn’t fly off the handle. “Can I come in?” He asked, standing in the doorway.

“Yeah.” You were still pissed at him, but you’d at least give him a chance. You owed him that much. “You can sit in the chair over there.”

“I’ll go.” Bords said, suddenly feeling awkward in the situation. He looked between the two of you. “This is a family situation.

“Stay.” You and Kent said at the same time; you grabbed Bords’ hand, holding him in place.

“I want to start by saying I’m sorry.” Kent said. “To both of you. Bords, what you said last night made me realize that I needed to trust my sister more and always support her, even if it’s hard or uncomfortable.” Kent turned to look at you. “Sis, I’m sorry. If you’re happy, it shouldn’t matter who you’re dating. Even if it breaks my rule. You’re right. You can- and should be able to- make your own decisions. It’s going to take some work, but I’ll do my best to support you and put my feelings aside.”

You stood up and went over to Kent. “I love you. That’s all I can ask.” You hugged him. “I’m assuming Owen also gave you a talk?” You grinned, knowing already he had (Owen had texted you all about it).

“He did. So did Briss, even though he didn’t have much stake in the game. Bords there gave a pretty impassioned speech, and Matty ripped me a new one. I’m also pretty sure Truss was going to beat me up if I didn’t leave.” That caused you to chuckle a little; Truss was the most mild-mannered one of them all. “They’ve got your back, and it made me realize they’d always be looking out for you, and that I should be too.”

“I forgive you.” You said, walking back over to sit by Bords. “I’m assuming there’s going to be some ground rules though?”

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “I was thinking though- we should do this at my place. If I have ground rules for you and Bords, it’s only fair you have a set of rules for me and Owen too.” He said. “Equals?”

“Equals.” You said. “Bords, what do you say? Do you feel like going to my brother’s and getting the rules and shovel talks out of the way?”

“I’m in if you are. Babe. ” He grinned, looking at Kent. “Um, are pet names ok?“

“We’ll talk about that.”

*

Owen had given you a hug when you’d come in the door; you’d whispered a “thank you” in his ear, knowing he’d probably been the one who had the most impact on Kent- Owen had always been willing to go to bat for you.

The talks went about as well as they could; it was awkward talking about relationships (and mentioning your sex life) with your brother, your brother’s boyfriend, and your boyfriend, but you made it through. Kent had even relented a little and said that you two could sit on the plane together as long as no “funny business” happened (hand-holding was ok though).

And Bords was able to call you “babe” in front of everyone else- “honey” and “sweetheart” got saved for private moments. You didn’t mind though. 

The rest of the team crushed you in hugs when you and Bords announced that you were dating.

The next season, Kent surprised you (and Bords and Owen as well) by saying the four of you should all get a house together. Once you knew he was serious, you ran over and gave him a hug. “Thank you.”

“Of course sis.”

*

Bords had been acting a little off lately; you looked to Owen, who hadn’t been much help. You really didn’t want to, but you finally went to Kent. “Kent? Bords is acting weird, and I don’t know what’s going on. Can you talk to him?”

“I will.” Kent promised (already knowing what was going on; Owen did too- he was keeping the secret as well). “I got your back sis.” 

You finally got your answer the night you won the Big 10 championship. There was a locker room party in full swing when Bords had Matty cut the music. “I know we’re all celebrating hockey, but I think we need to celebrate something personal too.” You barely had any time to react before Bords was on his knee in front of you. “Before you say anything, Kent was fully aware this was going to happen,” he said, causing everyone to chuckle. 

“Yes.” You said, before he could even get out the speech he had planned. “The answer is yes.”

“I had a whole speech.” He laughed. “Do you want to hear it?”

“Not really.” You grinned, “Not in front of everyone anyway.” You smirked, knowing he would be on the same page.

“Oh. And that’s our cue to leave.” He grabbed your hand after sliding the ring on.

“Bords!” Kent’s voice caught the two of you off guard. You both turned around, unsure of what was coming next. When Kent realized he had both of your attention, he said, “Have a good time. Bring her back in one piece in the morning. And for god’s sake, use protection. I am too young to be an uncle!”

“Kent!” You squeaked out, face turning red. You laughed though. “You too. You might not be able to knock each other up, but wrap it before you tap it.” You grinned as Kent turned red like a tomato. Even Owen had a pink flush tinting his cheeks, and the locker room was erupting in laughter. You turned to Bords. “I got that right, didn’t I?”

Bords was laughing so hard he was wheezing. “Yes, you did sweetheart. Perfect delivery too. Come on, let’s go home.” He reached out his hand to you.

Home. You liked the sound of that. Home was wherever Bords was. You took his hand and waved to everyone as you left. 

Later on, when you were tangled in the sheets together, almost asleep, Bords gave you the speech he had planned on giving in the locker room. While it was sweet, you were glad that only you two got to share the moment together.

“I’m so glad you crashed into me at that party.” You said, running your hand through his hair, closing your eyes.

“Me too, mon amour.” Bords said. “Je t’aime.”

“Je t’aime.” You said back. Bords had been teaching you some French. “I love you so much.”

“Je t’aime.” Bords said one more time, giving you a kiss goodnight, and then started running his hand through your hair and speaking French to you, knowing it would put you to sleep.

In the morning when you woke up, there was a bouquet of flowers at the bedside and a note telling you to meet Bords at Yost.

You went there and found the whole team in the locker room, where they threw you and Bords an engagement party (which, Matty told you, was all Kent’s idea).

Owen pulled you aside during the party. “I know you are generally supposed to ask the father for permission, but I think your approval is more important.”

“Oh Owen, of course, yes.” You said, giving Owen a tight hug. “You make my brother happy, which makes me happy.”

You were careful to not wake Matty up when you got in; you showered and climbed into bed.

In the morning, Matty’s mom made you all breakfast; Matty had some more press to do, but as soon as it was over, he took you out for the day, wanting to say thank you for all your support.

“So, Seattle?” He asked as you waited for your food at the diner. “What do I need to know?”

“It rains a lot.” You laughed. “Like, seriously, if it doesn’t rain or isn’t overcast, it’s a miracle. Winters are usually nice and mild; sometimes you get some snow, but not very often. The temperatures are comfortable and it’s really green.”

“I think I’ll like it there.”

“I think you will too.” You said.

“What was your favorite part of living there?” He asked.

“The summer and spring storms.” You said; “I spent a lot of time on my front porch.” You smiled at the memories. 

“It’s probably a lot to ask, but would you like to come with me when I go there?” Matty asked.

“I would love it.” You said. “If you want me there.”

“I do.” He said. “I‘ll see if they can find me a place with a balcony so we can do some storm watching.”

“Matty, you do have to do that.”

“I want to, honey.” He said. “Besides, it’s the least I can do for you giving me all your Seatte-lite experiences.” He chuckled.

“Alright.” You said. “Oh, and you’re going to want a sweatshirt. Trust me on that one.”

*

Matty had made the jump to Seattle quickly; you had a few more loose ends to tie up, but you were soon joining him. The weather had been good so far, and there hadn’t been too many storms. He had gotten a place with a balcony too, and tonight, he brought you a sweatshirt, along with a glass of wine. “Hey sweetheart. How was your day?”

“Good.” You said, sliding on his sweatshirt and taking the wine. “How was yours?”

“Long.” He chuckled. “Better now that I’m out here with you.” He wrapped you in a hug.

Just then, you felt raindrops. It was supposed to have stormed all day, but most of it had skirted the area. This round was headed straight for you though. “You wanna experience your first storm on a balcony?” You grinned.

“You know I do.” He grinned, sitting on the chair and pulling you down on top of him. “I gotta see what’s so special about these.”

“Just wait.” You smiled.

By the time it was over, your glass of wine was gone, and you and Matty were both soaked to the core. “See, I told you they’re awesome.” You said, feeling like you were home again. “There’s just something about a Pacific Northwest thunderstorm.”

“That was pretty cool,” he admitted, “but I’m cold now. Can we go in and get rid of these clothes and take a warm shower together? I’d really like cuddles.”

And who were you to deny your boyfriend cuddles? “Of course we can.” You grabbed his hand.

When the next thunderstorm hit and Matty dragged you out in the rain, you could only laugh and say, “I converted you, didn’t I?”

“Quite possibly.” He grinned. “Besides, I always wanted to dance with you in the rain.”

“Ooh, are we having our The Notebook moment?” You couldn’t help but tease.

“Maybe.”

“Well, thank you. It’s perfect.”

“Not as perfect as you.” Matty said.

“Ooh, such the charmer, Mr. Beniers.” You smiled as he carefully spun you around on the balcony.

“Hey, the Sharks are coming to town tomorrow night. Is it ok if we hang out with Bords for a bit after the game?”

“Matty, you don’t even have to ask. Of course it’s ok. I’ve missed him too.” You paused. “I’ll be the responsible one too-I know the shenanigans you two can get up to.” You chuckled.

“This is why you’re my favorite and I love you.” He said, leading you inside. 

Once you were fully dry and comfy on the couch, Matty said, “I’m glad it was Seattle.”

Tonight, he had invited you out to the game; you had decided to go (you hadn’t gone quite yet because you weren’t ready to deal with all the questions; you and he had done a good job of keeping your relationship out of the public eye, and you wanted to keep it that way). He had asked you to wear his jersey. You weren’t sure, but then he said you’d be up in the press box with his dad and Jordan, so you gave in.

That night, he got a goal and he pointed up at you. You sent him a “heart hands” back and at the end of the night, he met you after the game. “Come on, let’s go home. Just you and me tonight.” He said. You weren’t going to complain-some alone time would be nice.

He had a glass of your favorite wine waiting (which you knew Pat had totally gone and bought, since Brendan couldn’t get alcohol yet). You sat down on the couch to watch a movie, but he was spending more time staring at you instead of the TV.

“Bren? Whatcha doing?” You asked, pausing the movie.

“I could just stare at you forever.” He said, grinning.

“Creep.” You laughed. 

“Oh, you know you love it.”