Sid’s the last one out of the locker room and he’s expecting Nova to be waiting for him so he can drive her back to his place. The team has a rare day off tomorrow and Sid wants to wake up to her tucked against his chest, even if it means her hair will be covering his nose and mouth.

She’s usually waiting in the hallway, leaned up against the wall across from the locker room doors, ankles crossed and a smile on her lips while she teases him about the awful smell of the locker room. Last week, she’d had an ice cream sprinkle stuck to her chin and in an uncharacteristic move, Sid had licked it off before kissing her. Sid’s finding that Nova makes him act up in ways he never would’ve before. It still makes him nervous sometimes, but he’s learning to get out of his little box and let loose. It’s the only way he’s going to keep Nova and keep her happy.

Especially now that they’ve gotten back together again. Admittedly, he’d been wrong to head off to Worlds without letting her know, but he’s also not used to running his plans by anyone else. He’s learning flexibility and how to fold Nova into his life. He’s been on his own for so long it’s hard to remember that there’s another person’s thoughts and feelings and schedule to consider. They’re both figuring it out together.

She’s not waiting for him though and that’s weird. He knows she was at the game - she’d sent a selfie with Iceburgh before warmups - so he wonders if she got caught up talking to someone. His girl can talk to a wall.

Shouldering his bag, Sid tries calling her, but the phone rings out to voicemail. He frowns at nothing and leaves a message, “hey, it’s me. I’m done, where are you?”

While he waits for Nova to return his call, Sid shoots her a text too: Waiting for you outside the locker room. Where are you?

When there’s nothing for a few more minutes, Sid starts to get worried. His hearts sinks into his stomach and he wishes he had taken Nova seriously when she jokingly suggested sharing locations so she could stalk and text him when he was near her favorite coffee shop. He’s still lingering by the locker room even though the arena has to be empty of everyone but staff at this point, maybe a few lingering fans in the main atrium.

He’s half ready to find security and see if they know anything when his phone vibrates with a text from Nova: mercy er waiting for an x ray 😅

Sid has to read the message twice for it to sink in and when it does, the initial gut-sinking feeling is replaced with exasperated amusement.

He heads for his car while he types: Funny. If you wanted to leave the game early, you should’ve just told me so I didn’t wait around.

It takes a second for the message to send from the depths of the arena’s parking garage, but by the time Sid gets to his car, his phone is vibrating in his hand with an incoming call from Nova.

“Hey,” he laughs dryly, “are you at my place or yours?”

There’s a little ambient noise on Nova’s end of the call. She snorts a laugh and sounds tired when she says, “I told you. I’m at the Mercy ER. Have been for like two hours now.”

“Wait, seriously?” Sid’s in disbelief. He listens closer to the background noise and it does sort of sounds like a Grey’s Anatomy episode. He hears a name that’s not Nova’s get called and some kind of alarm. “What happened? Are you okay?”

His heart sinks to his stomach and he’s already setting the car’s GPS in Mercy’s direction. The call lags for a second as his phone connects to the car’s Bluetooth.

“Mm,” Nova hums and Sid can hear the eye roll in her raspy tone, “I took a little fall. I’m fine, I swear.”

“Clearly not, if you’re in the ER,” Sid grumbles. “You didn’t get checked out here?” He pulls out of the garage with a wave at the security guard. He’s not going to be stopping for the fans, which he does feel a little bad about, but Nova takes priority.

“I did,” Nova assures him. “But I’m pretty sure I broke my wrist, so, you know, there’s only so much Mark can do at the arena.”

Sid makes a noise of acknowledgement at the name drop of one of the arena’s medical staff and pulls out into traffic. “I’ll be there in ten, are you in a room? Have you been seen?”

“I did intake a while ago,” Nova huffs. “Go home though, don’t worry about it. It could be a minute and I’m sure you’re tired.”

She sounds exhausted and there’s an edge to her tone that Sid knows is her trying to hide her pain. There’s no world where he lets her sit in the ER alone, especially when he has the day off tomorrow. And he tells her so, heart squeezing slightly when she returns with a soft little, “thanks, Sid.”

“Anytime, honey,” he chuckles. “I’ll be there soon, okay?”

Nova hums again and Sid feels awful hanging up on her even though he’s going to see her in just a few minutes.

——

With a nondescript black baseball hat pulled low on his head, Sid makes his way to the reception desk in the ER. It’s crowded - more than a few people in yellow and black Penguins gear making Sid wonder just how rowdy the crowd got tonight. He waits patiently until it’s his turn and the older woman at the desk barely spares him a glance before asking, “what can we help you with?”

“My girlfriend,” Sid says quietly, “Nova Kincaid, she’s been waiting in the back. Can I go see her?”

He tries not to get too impatient while it takes her a minute to look up Nova’s information. Sid’s also acutely aware that the longer he stays in public, the more likely it is that someone notices and recognizes him. It’s not that he minds when fans come up to him, it’s just that he doesn’t want anything to delay him getting to Nova’s side. And he also doesn’t want any sightings of him in public with Nova. Their relationship is private - the way he likes it - and being seen in the emergency room is not how he wants to get the gossip mill going.

“She’s at curtain 8,” the woman says, pausing and then smiling slightly, “go ahead back, Mr. Crosby.”

“Oh,” Sid’s mildly taken aback. He rubs at the back of his neck and grins a little sheepishly. “I - uh -“

“Don’t worry,” she laughs, “secret’s safe with me. Good game tonight.”

Sid chuckles and taps the countertop twice, “thanks. I appreciate it.” He slips through the doors and readjusts the hat on his head, scanning the emergency room for curtain 8 and beelining once he spots it.

Pulling the curtain back, Sid’s entire body releases the tension it’s been holding when he sees Nova reclined on a bed. Her eyes are shut, but they fly open when the metal rings scrape against the track.

“Hi,” she breathes, her shoulders visibly dropping from around her ears.

“Hey there,” Sid’s at her side in two strides, sitting on the edge of the bed and resting his hand on her thigh. “How’re you feeling?”

He’s scanning her body from the top of her disheveled ponytail, catching on the gauze patch taped to her temple, a few drops of dried blood on her cheek. There’s a faint bruise on her cheekbone and a glazed look in her eyes that Sid doesn’t love. Her left wrist is splinted and she’s cradling it to her chest with her right hand, one leg bent at the knee. The leather jacket she’d been wearing earlier is draped at the bottom of the bed and the vintage Penguins shirt he knows she stole from her dad is wrinkled beyond belief.

“Exhausted,” she murmurs, blinking slowly. Her voice is extra raspy, rougher than usual. “Painkillers kicked in so I’m just, I dunno? Achy?”

Sid reaches out and brushes his fingers over the gauze pad, moving stray wisps of hair off of Nova’s forehead. He frowns, “what’s under here?”

“Ten stitches,” Nova laughs faintly. “Fun fact, I’m not good with the whole stitching up my face thing. I almost fainted.”

“Shit, Nova,” Sid’s eyebrows lift on his forehead. “You should’ve -“

“Waited for you?” She interrupts him with a cock of her head. “Pretty hard to do when you’re on the ice, baby. It was fine. I’m just waiting on an x-ray for the wrist, but I’m almost positive it’s broken.”

Her fingers look black and blue under the splint and she’s not moving her arm at all, so Sid’s confident that it’s broken too. But he keeps looking at the bandage on her head.

“I’m glad you came though,” Nova says quietly, rolling her head on the pillow. Sid’s fingers squeeze gently on her thigh and he smiles shakily.

“Of course I came,” he rubs his thumb in an arc. “I wish I had known earlier. You didn’t call your parents or Maggie?”

Nova blows a raspberry with her mouth, making Sid laugh. “Maggie hates hospitals, like to the point of panic attacks,” she winces sympathetically. “And my parents are out of town. I’m a big girl, Sid, I can find my way home.”

He rolls his eyes at her. “Yeah, I know that, honey,” he glances pointedly at her head, “but isn’t it nice to have someone come take care of you?”

“Mhm,” Nova hums, a little smirk on her face, “especially when that someone is so handsome with his porn star mustache.”

Sid rubs a hand over his mouth, briefly hiding the mustache he’s been sporting for a week or so now. Nova grumbles until he moves his hand from his face, blessing him with a delighted smile that erases the exhaustion lines on her face.

“Stop calling it that,” Sid mutters, glad that she’s still got her same personality. She shakes her head and winces, Sid’s concern levels ratcheting up another degree. “Did the doctor say anything about a concussion?”

Nova shrugs. “I barely even saw a doctor,” she wiggles in the bed, wincing again when her wrist is jostled. “They were definitely more concerned with patching up my face.”

“Jesus Christ,” Sid mutters, annoyed with the level of care Nova’s received. She should’ve said something at the arena, been seen by the team doctors. He gets up from the bed, ready to stomp out into the emergency room and find a doctor. “You need to get that checked out. If it’s a concussion - how did you hit your head when you fell?”

With her face crinkled up in concern, Nova shakes her head a little. “I don’t - I’m not sure? I caught myself,” she grimaces and gestures to her left wrist with her right, “hence the break. But I didn’t even realize I had the cut until one of the security guys had a wad of napkins pressed to my face. Sid, where are you -“

“Finding a doctor,” he says, pushing back the curtain. His shoulders are set stiffly. “This is - I want to know what’s happening and why you’ve been waiting so long.”

He nearly crashes into a dark haired doctor coming into the curtained off area and Nova winces when Sid grunts and tosses up his hands to steady both himself and the doctor.

“Holy shit!” Nova watches as the doctor, who had done her stitches earlier, widens his bright blue eyes in recognition. She chews at her lower lip as he continues. “You’re Sidney Crosby! It’s an honor, man. I mean, what you’ve been doing this season is just - wow! I’m a huge fan!”

Sid’s eyes narrow and he can’t hide the frown that replaces the usual mellow expression he gets when interacting with fans in the wild. His tone is sharp and icy when he replies, “thanks. I’m a huge fan of doctors doing their jobs. Does my girlfriend have a concussion or not?”

It’s blunt to the point of rudeness and Nova feels a little kick of embarrassment at his behavior.

“Sid,” Nova calls his name sharply and he turns, an unapologetic look on his face. To the doctor, she manages a tight smile, “sorry about him.”

“Oh man, no worries!” The doctor lifts his hands in the universal sign for surrender, displaying a couple of beaded bracelets on his left wrist. Nova feels awful that she can’t remember his name. And then she’s immediately worried that means she has actual head trauma. “He’s Sidney Crosby, he can say whatever he wants.”

Sid’s arms are crossed over his chest, angry scowl set firmly in place. He’s back at Nova’s side and the doctor pulls up a rolling stool next to the bed.

“Yeah, please don’t encourage that,” Nova mutters. Sid drops his hand to her shoulder and squeezes gently, prompting her to roll her eyes up at him. “You definitely are not allowed to say whatever you want.”

“We can fight about that later,” Sid smirks at her. To the doctor, he repeats himself, “concussion or not? Was she given an evaluation?”

“Based on her symptoms when she came in,” he’s flipping through Nova’s chart, dark hair flopping over his forehead, “there wasn’t a real concern about a serious concussion. The cut on her forehead wasn’t too deep and she wasn’t complaining about any nausea or double vision. I can do another evaluation now, if anything’s changed.”

Nova shakes her head slightly. “I’m just a little achy and my wrist is killing me,” she lets her head drop to the side so it’s resting against Sid’s forearm.

“Definitely normal for a fall since your body was jostled and you’re next up for the x-ray, so we’ll be able to get you in a cast if there is a break.” Nova has to bite her tongue to hide her laughter at the way her doctor keeps cutting his gaze to look at Sid, an admittedly imposing figure in his game day suit and baseball hat pulled low over his eyes. The frown, in Nova’s humble and horny opinion, only makes him hotter.

“CAT scan?” Sid asks sharply.

“Oh, come on, Sid,” Nova nudges his leg with her good hand. “I didn’t hit my head that hard. I don’t need a -“

“Yes you do,” Sid snaps, cutting her off. “Non-negotiable with a hit to the head. I’m serious, Nova, don’t argue with me.”

Nova’s about to do just that - argue with him - when she remembers his history with concussions. The hat shades his eyes, but she can see the way a muscle in his jaw tics and she realizes that he’s more worried than angry. So she nods and says, “okay, yeah. Whatever the man says.”

“Thank you,” Sid says quietly, shifting his hand to cup her cheek and then rest on the back of her neck.

——-

More than an hour later, closing in on midnight, Nova finally gets discharged with a mild concussion, a broken wrist, and a pamphlet of care instructions.

Sid’s got his arm around Nova, guiding her into the house and gripping her upper arm tightly when she stumbles over the carpet in the front hall. She exhales roughly, catching herself and grumbling. Sid smothers a laugh when she kicks her foot against the edge of the carpet and leans against the wall to take off her shoes. The bright pink cast she had insisted on is nearly glowing in the dim light. In the car, Nova had blinked slightly unfocused eyes at him and teased, “will you sign my cast, Sid?”

“Are you hungry?” Sid asks, watching Nova struggle with the zipper on her boot for half a second before kneeling down in front of her and helping. He gives each of her ankles a little squeeze before putting her foot down. “Thirsty?”

“Not really,” Nova yawns, wiggling her socked toes against the floor. “I just want to shower and go to bed.” She pouts. “This is so lame, I was planning on having sex all night with you.”

He laughs and hangs up his jacket, taking Nova’s too. “Get some rest, heal up that concussion, and then we’ll talk,” he kisses her forehead and heads into the kitchen, calling back, “I’m making you a sandwich and come here to drink some water. You don’t want to get dehydrated with a concussion. It’ll make everything worse.”

“Yes, Daddy,” Nova teases, earning herself a little glare from Sid. But he cracks a hint of a smile, so she takes that as a victory. Sid whips them both up quick sandwiches and Nova picks at hers, starting to get a little nauseous - more likely from the exhaustion and the fact that she hasn’t eaten anything since lunch than from the concussion.

“Glad to see the concussion hasn’t changed your personality,” Sid says dryly. He wraps her cast in plastic wrap and a kitchen garbage bag, taping over the top with duct tape - overkill, as far as Nova’s concerned, but he’s so cute when he’s taking care of her, all serious and gentle - so no water can get in while he helps her shower.

Sid strips to his briefs and Nova grumbles that she doesn’t even get a show, but Sid knows that she needs to avoid physical activity and doesn’t want to tempt her. Instead he nearly waterboards her with the detachable shower head by accident and makes up for it with a kiss to her hipbone while he rinses her off. Her hair is a soaked mess hanging down her back and Nova waves him off when he tries to help her blow dry it.

“This mess is a lost cause,” she laughs, directing him to wring most of the water out and twist it up into a top knot with a terrycloth scrunchie. “Diffusing takes too long and neither one of us is up for that right now. I’ll fix it in the morning.”

“I’ll help,” he offers. “You’re not supposed to be doing a lot of physical activity.”

Nova squints at him - diffusing her hair is a pain in the ass but she would hardly call it physical activity.

She tries to argue with him as he cleans around her stitches, carefully dabbing at the leftover dried blood and retaking a square of gauze over the area. He’s cute, pressing a light kiss against her hairline and stroking his thumb over her cheekbone when he’s done.

Then he’s pulling an oversized shirt over her head and flipping back the covers on her side of the bed though, so she doesn’t really argue with him. Exhaustion is sinking into her bones and her forearm is starting to get itchy. Sleep is very much needed right now.

Shrugging, Nova climbs into bed squinting against the light from the lamp. Her eyes hurt in that gritty, tired way, but Sid springs into action like he thinks it’s the concussion. He flips the light off and the room is plunged into pitch blackness. Nova snorts a laugh, “Sid, this is ridiculous. You could’ve left the light on to get into bed.”

“It’s fine - fuck,” he curses, following the sound of one of his body parts hitting into the bed frame. “I’m good.”

The mattress shifts and bounces and then Sid’s under the covers with her, his arm held out for Nova to scoot up against his side. She smiles even though he can’t see it in the dark and nestles against his side, her nose pressed into his armpit.

“Is that even comfortable?” Sid chuckles, vibrating through Nova’s body.

She hums an affirmative, her casted arm knocking against Sid’s ribs where it’s tucked between their bodies. Her good arm is slung over his chest and Sid runs his hand over her forearm, jostling the pile of bracelets on her wrist.

“Very,” she mumbles into his shirt. “You smell good. Like a man.”

“You’re crazy,” his voice is laced with affection. Sid traces over the shell of Nova’s ear with the tip of his finger, dancing around the piercings in her cartilage and the line of tiny hoops in her lobe. “Get some sleep.”

Nova slings her leg over Sid’s thigh, curling up against him like a koala, soaking in his body heat. She yawns and Sid’s hand cradles the back of her head. They’ll roll apart during the night, but Nova always sleeps best when she falls asleep practically on top of Sid.

“I love you,” she murmurs, eyelids heavy as sleep drags her under.

“I love you too,” Sid kisses the top of her head, waiting until Nova’s breathing evens out before he lets himself fall asleep.

——

Nova thought Sid was strict with his own routines, but the way he keeps her on a tight schedule while she recovers from the concussion is even more intense.

He refuses to let her use her phone or laptop without a pair of blue light glasses on. And even then, she’s limited to just a few minutes at a time. She doesn’t even feel all that bad - a few Tylenol and she feels back to normal, minus the pain from her stitches and broken wrist. He’d confiscated all of her vapes and the “in case of drunk” pack of cigarettes she thought she had hidden in his junk drawer. Plus, he’s not letting her go back to her own place until he’s confident that she’s cleared - which means Nova can’t even get the nicotine hit from the multiple packs of cigarettes she has hidden in her own place.

She’s actually starting to worry about withdrawal symptoms being worse than her concussion. Forced detox might not be that bad though.

“Concussions are tricky,” Sid says, jaw twitching when he comes home from practice to find Nova working on the couch, blue light glasses perched on her head. She hadn’t had time to drop them back onto her nose before Sid had come into his house. The look he’d given her was so disappointed, Nova had almost cried. “You can feel fine and then suddenly it’s worse. Trust me.”

He snatches up the laptop and brings it with him into the kitchen to keep it out of Nova’s reach, even temporarily. She flops back on the couch and nearly concusses herself again when she forgets about the cast and goes to drape her arm over her face.

“Shit,” she mutters under her breath, dropping her plaster-covered arm to her side. Nova rubs the tip of her finger around the stitches on her forehead, they’re getting itchy too. “I’m sorry,” she calls out to Sid. “I’m bored!”

“You should be good for a light walk,” he replies, bringing a protein shake into the den with him. Nova wrinkles her nose at it. “Nothing more than that though. It’s a delicate process.”

Nova sighs, sticking a pencil down her cast to scratch her arm. “Sid, I love you so much, baby, but I’m fine. Really. I need to work or do literally anything,” she shifts and rolls up onto her knees to look at him. “I get your history with concussions is coloring this whole thing, but mine was super minor. It’s been five days. I haven’t had any symptoms or orgasms! A girl has needs! And I miss watching your games!”

The tips of Sid’s ears go a little red and he chokes on his protein shake. He hits his chest and coughs, voice strangled when he replies, “sorry, honey. It’s not like I’ve been having fun with you all over me and not being able to do anything about it.”

Nova rolls her eyes. “You could do something though,” she whines, blinking big eyes at him, “trust me when I say I feel good and give me a good dicking down.”

The laugh that bursts out of Sid’s mouth makes Nova grin. He shakes his head at her and closes the gap between them, wrapping his arms around her and leaning in to kiss her, tasting of vanilla protein powder and bananas. Nova sighs into the kiss, sucking on Sid’s tongue and smacking his shoulder with her cast when she tries to loop her arms around his neck.

“Sorry!” She rasps when he pulls back, rubbing at the spot. “Still not used to this thing, unfortunately.”

“I’ve taken harder hits in practice,” Sid laughs. “It’s fine.”

“That’s not reassuring,” Nova pouts, poking her lip out further until Sid kisses the expression off her face. “Does this mean you’ll let me climb you like a tree?”

Sid snorts, shaking his head. Sometimes the difference in their ages is extremely apparent and this is one of those times. He knows he’s overly concerned about the concussion, but with his first-hand experience in how they can derail everything, Sid wants to make sure Nova doesn’t have to deal with even a fraction of what he did. Maybe he’s over doing it, but he’d rather be too cautious than not.

“How about I give you a nice, relaxing orgasm instead?” Sid offers. “I still don’t want you overexerting yourself.”

“You’re so sweet,” Nova sighs, rubbing her thighs together. Sid raises an eyebrow at her and Nova scrunches up her face at him. “It’s not my fault, Sidney, do not give me that look. It’s been a full week without any fucking and I’m just a girl with a hot boyfriend.”

“I’m just trying to make sure you don’t lose that insane personality of yours,” he grumbles, holding out his arm to brace Nova when she climbs over the back of the couch and hooks her legs around his waist. He braces his arms under her ass, shaker bottle and all, trying to resist the smile that’s threatening when Nova starts peppering kisses all over his face.

Nova brushes her nose against his, smiling when she feels the puff of air against her chin that’s Sid’s laugh. “I love you for that,” she says against his skin. “But I genuinely think I will crash out if I don’t get to have sex with you right this second, Sid. Care about my wellbeing just a little bit less for now. Be selfish, I know you have to be dying too.”

Sid’s already walking towards the stairs, reassured by the warmth of Nova’s body against his, cock twitching in his pants. He’s used to going a few days without the feel of Nova’s cunt wrapped around his cock, with road trips and pre-game abstinence, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little hard up too.

“You’re going to be the death of me, you know that?” He adjusts his hold on her going up the stairs and Nova clings to him happily.

“But what a way to go, huh?” She teases, squeaking when he pinches her ass. He scoffs and doesn’t dispute it, carefully depositing Nova on his bed. She beams up at him, smugly delighted that she’s gotten her way with him. He crosses his arms over his chest, watching her wiggle out of her shorts, trying not to laugh at her desperate enthusiasm. Truthfully, he’s missed having sex with her too, so it’s not such a hardship to cave to her demands. But it is fun for him to see her all whiny and needy.

He grinds the heel of his palm against the growing bulge of his cock and clicks his tongue at her, drawing Nova’s attention to his face. The shaker bottle gets discarded to the floor for him to deal with later.

“I’ll give you everything you want,” Sid says seriously, Nova’s gaze darting all over his face, “but you have to promise to wear sneakers to games from now on.”

Nova’s eyes widen, she hadn’t been expecting that, and a laugh startles out of her chest. Nearly clipping herself in the face with her cast, she crunches up into a sitting position, legs falling open. Sid’s lips twitch when she nods eagerly, laughing, “is that my official treatment plan, Dr. Crosby?”

“Yes,” Sid finally laughs. “I don’t want to worry about you slipping in your boots again.”

“I tripped up the stairs,” Nova points out reasonably, watching with hawk eyes as Sid peels off his shirt. She loses her train of thought for a second in the distraction of watching Sid’s muscles shift and move. He smirks at her and hooks his thumbs in the waistband of his pants, her eyes dipping to the bulge. Nova coughs and continues, “I, uh, sneakers won’t help with that.”

He undoes the button and zipper, letting his fly fall open. Nova zeroes in on the damp spot on his briefs, the way his cock bulges out of the open zipper, and whines. She leans forward and Sid takes a step back, out of her reach, chuckling when she gasps his name on a little wail.

“Promise me,” he says.

Nova, eyes never leaving Sid’s groin, nods. She gives up easily, “I promise. Please, Sid, let me get my hands on you.”

“What a good girl,” he teases, finally dropping his pants to the ground and stepping into Nova’s reach. She sighs when she hooks the fingers of her good hand into the elastic band on his briefs, tugging them down to let his cock spring free. It’s heavy and already flushed and the delighted noise she makes is like a spark to Sid’s system. “Get your touches out now, because in a few minutes I’m putting you on your back and taking care of you,” he warns, grunting when Nova’s hand wraps around his base.

“You’ve been so good to me,” Nova coos, leaning in and pressing a delicate kiss to the tip of Sid’s cock, making his hips jolt forward and his cock dribble more precome, “let me take care of you now.”

“Jesus,” Sid groans, burying his hand into the messy pile of Nova’s curls to hold her face in place. “Don’t - your head -“

Nova giggles and licks at the bulging vein on his cock, gliding her hand over his lower stomach and raking her nails against his skin. “Don’t worry,” her breath is warm on his cock, “my head game is just fine.”

He barks a laugh at her joke, thumb rubbing at her hair. “More than fine, honey. Just don’t hurt yourself,” he’s breathless as she sucks on the first few inches of his cock, wondering just how the day got so out of hand. He really didn’t expect for Nova’s sex drive to ratchet up like this after a few days of nothing. He tries not to think about how young she is compared to him, how she can go and go and go when Sid needs a break.

“I know how to handle you without hurting myself,” Nova continues slicking up his cock with her tongue, enjoying the way he’s hardening in her grip. “Doctor said I could get back to my normal activities, what better way to start than this?”

As she lowers her mouth and the head of his cock hits the back of her throat, Sid honestly can’t think of anything better.

The Pens are down by one, with a period and a half of the game left, when Nova realizes that she’s on the Jumbotron. She blinks up at herself, more than life-sized, and clocks the pink and red hearts on the border, the stylised script spelling out “Kiss Cam.”

“Oh no,” she says out loud, shaking her head, even as the camera pans to include the man to her left. Mark - a Flyers’ fan that was a total stranger to her an hour ago and who she’s had only polite conversation with since - grimaces slightly, but turns to her with a little shrug and a sort-of hopeful look in his eyes.

“What do you say?” He asks, the arena cheering and booing around them. Maggie snickers on her right and Nova shakes her head.

“I have a boyfriend,” she says, understatement of the century. She glances at the ice and said boyfriend is staring off into the middle distance, glaring. He doesn’t know where she’s sitting because Maggie had gotten the tickets comped from work so Nova’s not in the usual family section. So now he’s just glaring, although if it’s about Nova’s cameo on the Kiss Cam or just his general hatred of the Flyers, Nova can’t be sure. Knowing Sid, it’s probably the latter.

The arena erupts in boos when the camera swings away from them, clearly wanting to get a move on with the bit, and Nova sighs in relief.

Mark shrugs, “worth a try.” His smile is easy and he’s taking the rejection well, something Nova is grateful for.

And then the camera is back on them and Mark waves, Nova’s stomach sinking. She waves a little at the Jumbotron, still shaking her head, saying loudly, “I have a boyfriend! I’m not with him!”

She’s not sure if the fans or the camera guy can lip read, but she keeps shaking her head to try and get them to move on.

But the camera is insistent, the crowd is insistent, and Nova can feel her face heating at the attention. Sid is definitely aware of what’s happening, if the agitated swinging of his legs and the deep set frown on his face is to be believed. He keeps looking up at the screen and then scanning the crowd. Nova sighs and tilts her cheek towards Mark, allowing only the briefest brush of his lips against her skin before she’s jerking away. The crowd goes crazy and finally, thank God, the Kiss Cam goes away.

The players, including Sid, skate to center ice for the next face-off, and the game is back on.

“Thanks for playing along,” Mark chuckles. “Good thing your boyfriend’s not here, huh?”

Nova manages a tight smile, not impressed with his comment.

Maggie bumps Nova’s thigh with her knee, tipping her chin at the ice, laughing, “you-know-who is so not happy about that.”

Nova’s eyes find Sid and sure enough, he’s skating around like he’s been shot out of a cannon. He looks like a demon on the ice, sending snow flying as he stops short for the puck.

“Shit,” Nova mutters, leaning forward on her elbows, stack of bracelets slipping down her arm. She reacts a second after the arena does when Sid lifts his shoulder for a totally clean hit that sends Trevor Zegras headfirst into his own bench. The arena erupts and Nova sticks her fingers in her mouth to whistle, even as she worries about Sid. But he seems fine, careening towards the goal and throwing the puck at Vladar’s head.

It bounces off the goalie’s mask and Kindy picks it up for a rebound that hits the back of the net.

“He looks possessed out there,” Maggie laughs, screaming when Sid picks up his speed on the way back to the bench and crashes right through Jamie Drysdale, sending the younger defenseman sprawling to the ice. Flyers fans erupt with boos, but Sid doesn’t get penalized, sitting on the bench with a murderous look on his face.

“He’s going to get hurt,” Nova mutters, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms tightly over her chest to keep her hands from shaking. “And then I’m going to have to kill him.”

Mark looks at her side-eyed and mutters sympathetically, “you put money on the game?”

Nova startles - truthfully, she’d forgotten Mark was there the second Sid started acting like a lunatic - and tilts her head slightly, chuckling, “something like that.”

She wants to dig her vape out and suck at it to ease some of her nerves. But security will only accept the “Sid’s girlfriend” card so many times and Nova hates playing that card anyway.

Sid swings his way back onto the bench after another quick shift and Geno pats him on the head, doing nothing to mitigate the scowl on Sid’s face. Nova shakes her head and leans into mutter to Maggie, “I can’t wait to hear what the guys have been saying.”

“You know they’re going to roast the shit out of him,” Maggie laughs and Nova can see Sid getting jostled a bit during the next TV timeout.

The game goes into the third tied at 2, with a minute remaining on an interference penalty called on Sid. He’d knocked Travis Konecny’s stick from his hands and then pushed the dropped stick away with his skate. Even from a distance, Nova can see the intense look on his face and she knows the third is going to be a shitshow.

The entire team comes out like their asses are on fire and Sid sends a puck flying past Vladar into the back of the net so fast no one’s really sure if it’s a goal. But Sid’s sure. He throws his arms up in celebration for what ends up being the game winner, drawing his linemates to his side for the group hug.

And then of course he takes another penalty, throwing a punch at one of the stupidly named Flyers’ rookies, who shoots a punch right back, sending Sid’s visor snapping into his nose. Nova grimaces at the burst of blood that appears.

“Jesus,” Maggie mutters, leaning forward. A scrum breaks out and Sid’s on the ice. “He’s really mad, Nov.”

“He’s acting like an asshole,” Nova grumbles. She’s a fucking hypocrite though - rolling her eyes about his fighting while her panties are growing damp. Eventually, Sid’s removed from the fight, helmet off and hair sweaty. There’s blood all over his face and Nova’s stomach jumps, a mix of arousal and worry, but Sid gives the crowd a bloody grin and waves his hand to pump up the crowd. It’s a little uncharacteristic of him, but extremely attractive.

Maggie smirks at her and leans back to take a sip of her beer, “and you’re gonna jump him the second he gets home later, right?”

“Well, obviously,” Nova deadpans for a second before breaking into laughter. She clinks her beer against Maggie’s. “Why waste a night when he’s going to be completely feral?”

“I know once upon a time I said I wanted details,” Maggie winces as the puck hits off a post with a loud pinging sound, “but I actually don’t think I do. Not if I want to keep enjoying hockey.”

“Noted,” Nova says, her eyes tracking the puck. “So I shouldn’t tell you about the handprint on my ass?”

Maggie’s shocked cackle of laughter draws the attention of the people around them and Nova gives them a sheepish grin, punching Maggie’s thigh gently to get her to stop. Maggie’s laughter tapers off to a choked giggle and she shakes her head, “I definitely don’t want to know about the handprint on your ass. But very happy for you, SuperNova.”

Nova shows off all her teeth in an exaggerated grin that morphs into a scowl when Travis Sanheim takes a run at Sid. She jumps to her feet, shouting, “that’s a fucking dirty hit. Are you fucking blind?”

Still in her seat, Maggie rolls her eyes and mutters, “yeah, Sid’s the only one that’s completely feral. Lunatic.”

“I’m unashamed,” Nova shrugs, dropping back into her seat. No Flyers penalty, but Sid’s fine. So she figures it’s a wash.

The rest of the game is full of Sid’s intense face and him storming up and down the ice as if he were 21 instead of 39. He picks up another assist on a Tanger empty net goal and that makes it a three point night for him. It’s been the most dominant game he’s had so far in the early days of the season.

After they win and give Silovs his goalie pats, the guys salute the crowd and step off the ice, but Sid pauses. He scans the crowd quickly, mouth tipping up in an involuntary smile as the remaining fans chant his name. Nova’s stomach lurches the moment he spots her and makes eye contact.

His smile widens and his brows lower, a version of the intense look that’s only for Nova. She bites at her lower lip and waves slightly, letting out a little puff of a laugh when he waves back, somehow making the gesture into a warning.

Maggie slings her arm over Nova’s shoulder and gently bumps her head against Nova’s cheek. “Let’s get you home, lover girl, you can shave your legs and get ready for your man,” she teases.

“Please,” Nova scoffs, letting Maggie lead her out of the arena, “I’ve been waxed all week.”

Maggie’s cackle echoes off the concrete and Nova has a little spring in her step that even the cool October air can’t diminish.

—-

Maverick is curled up on Nova’s feet, a sleeping dead weight, when Sid comes through the front door. She can hear him go through his routine - keys on the hall table, toeing off his shoes, dropping his bag to the floor, the swish of his suit jacket sliding off his arms - and then his footsteps get louder as he comes into the den to find her.

The light is low, but Nova gasps at how bad his face looks. Two black eyes, already turning a dark purple, and the cut on the bridge of his nose give him a gruesome look that shouldn’t be as hot as it is. The narrowed eyes and flat lipped expression he’s giving her only add to the look.

“So,” Nova says, dragging the word out into two syllables, “are we going to talk about what happened?”

Sid drapes his suit jacket over the back of the couch and loosens the tie around his neck with two fingers. He’s quiet for a beat, studying the thin t-shirt and tiny pair of cotton shorts Nova’s wearing. She lifts an eyebrow at him and Sid smirks, clicking his tongue before he says, “later. Right now I need to get my cock in that perfect pussy of yours. Remind her who she belongs to after that little stunt.”

Nova’s entire body heats and she can’t help the slow grin that stretches across her face or the sharp edge it takes. “Stunt?” She laughs, kneeling up on the couch to face Sid fully. He smells good, like the last remnants of his cologne and the locker room soap. “How was I supposed to avoid being on the Kiss Cam, Sidney? How would the arena camera crew know to avoid me. Enlighten me.”

Undercutting her words is the tension that’s been building up slightly - their relationship is feeling more secret than private lately. Nova doesn’t need to take out an ad in the paper, but she’s starting to feel a little cranky about it. They had a big fight back in June, after Sid went to Switzerland for Worlds without even letting her know he was leaving the country. The summer was rocky and fall has only been slightly better, but Sid’s attention is purely on hockey and Nova respects that. Loves it about him, even. But she’s got a brewing unease that she can’t explain.

“Did it have to be a Philly fan?” Sid grumbles after a moment, clearly unable to come up with a good option.

“Next time,” Nova says dryly, “I’ll turn and kiss Maggie.”

She expects Sid to laugh, to break the moment so they can go upstairs and fool around, but to her surprise he catches her chin in his fingers and tilts her face up to his. There’s a serious look in his eyes when he says, “there’s not going to be a next time, honey. First thing tomorrow, arena staff’s going to get a picture of you and a quick lecture.”

“Oh, a Sidney Crosby lecture?” Nova teases, her thighs clenching. “Wouldn’t want to be on the recieving end of that.”

Sid’s fingers tighten on her chin and he drops his head to give her a quick, hard kiss, breath ghosting over her lips when he murmurs, “get upstairs and ready for me and you won’t be.”

Nova pouts her lips out to kiss Sid again and when he steps back, she wrinkles her nose at him, already getting off the couch, “are you more mad that Mark’s a Flyers’ fan or that I was on the Kiss Cam in general?”

“Mark?” Sid’s voice lifts at the end and Nova shrieks a giggle, running for the stairs when he tries to grab at her. “You know his name?”

“He introduced himself after puck drop,” she laughs her way up the stairs, Sid hot on her heels. “It was only polite!”

Sid lets out a noise that’s part growl and part strangled laugh, chasing Nova into their bedroom and saying, “from now on, you’re only allowed to be polite to me, Nova Kincaid.”

Nova throws herself backwards onto the bed, comforter and pillows bouncing up around her, and wiggles her way up to the top. She watches Sid stop at the foot of the bed, hands on his hips. His tie is loose around his neck and the damage to his face is at contrast to the slight smile playing on his lips.

“What does being polite to you entail?” She props herself up on her elbows, crossing her legs at the ankle. “Because, if you watched, Mark only got to kiss my cheek very briefly. I guess I can - ah!”

Sid grabs her foot and tugs her down the bed, lifting her leg so he can kiss the inside of her ankle.

“You’re such a fucking terror,” Sid says affectionately, free hand going to undo his belt. “Letting some other guy kiss you and then giving me attitude when I’m trying to get my hands on you. Your generation is bratty as fuck.”

He shakes his head and Nova wiggles her toes in his grip.

“I probably should be punished,” she says, sighing heavily. “For the disrespect, you know?”

“Yeah, you probably should,” Sid lets her foot fall back to the mattress and undoes his fly, cock hard and tenting the fabric of his briefs and slacks. “Get naked for me, Nova. Want to see how wet you are.”

“Very,” she shoots back, wiggling out of her shorts and yanking her shirt over her head, sending her hair into a staticky mess. Sid laughs when he sees it, his slacks on the floor. “Come on, speed it up, old man.”

Nova’s naked on the bed, nipples already pebbled into stiff points, her legs spread so Sid can see how wet and pink she is. He stares at her a little dumbly, button down hanging open over his chest and cock straining at his briefs.

“So goddamn mean to me,” he shakes his head, movements unhurried as he discards the rest of his clothes to the floor. Nova’s fingers ghost over her stomach and down to her clit, playing with the swollen bundle gently.

“I think you can take it,” Nova watches with appreciation as Sid climbs onto the bed, kneeling between her legs. His cock hangs heavy between his legs, dragged down by its own weight, and Nova can feel herself get wetter at the sight. Arousal drools out of her, pools under her ass.

Sid wraps his hand around his cock and strokes himself, groaning a little under his breath, precome slicking his hand.

“Only thing I want to take right now is your clit in my mouth,” Sid mutters, readjusting so he can lay between Nova’s legs and kiss her inner thigh. He works his way up her leg, tongue darting out to lick at the crease of her thigh. His cock grinds into the mattress, hips working and ass bouncing. Nova shivers at the feeling of Sid’s breath over her cunt and she slumps back against the pillows before remembering.

“Hey, wait,” she breathes, poking her toes against Sid’s obscenely muscled thigh, “as much as I’d love to grind on your face, you broke your nose tonight.”

Sid’s head pops up from between her legs, eyes wide.

“Yeah,” she deadpans, “I do occasionally check out the Twitter feed after games. Plus with the cut on your nose, it would be super unsanitary and probably really unpleasant for you.”

“Burying my face in your cunt is literally never going to be unpleasant for me,” Sid retorts, fingers finding their way to Nova’s inner thigh. He strokes at her, enjoying the way she clenches around nothing, thighs trembling.

Nova shivers and reaches down to push at his shoulder. “But think about that Urgent Care visit,” she wriggles under his touch, breathing harder when his fingers find her entrance and circle lazily. His middle finger dips inside and Nova hiccups.

“Pens’ medical staff signs non disclosures,” Sid huffs a laugh against her clit. “But I’ll keep my nose far away from you, don’t worry.”

She whines - Sid’s nose really is one of her favorite body parts of his to grind against - but doesn’t get to complain for long before Sid lips latch around her clit and suck, hard, jerking her hips off the bed. Two of his fingers slide home, curling up in her cunt and making her wail his name as the press against her g-spot.

“SidSidSid oh my god,” she writhes, twisting the comforter in her hands. His fingers pump in and out of her, mouth working at her clit like it’s a lollipop, spit and slick making her messy.

The orgasm hits hard and fast, unexpected. She clenches around Sid’s fingers and through the fog in her brain, Nova can feel his stubble chafe against her inner thighs as he rubs his face against her skin like a cat.

“I think you can do better,” Sid rasps, fingers still pumping inside of her, slower now. “What do you say, Nov? Wanna give me another?”

She nods and Sid grins at the way her body is limp and boneless from just the one orgasm. He shifts again and slings her legs over his, so she’s half sitting in his lap, half laying on the bed, and focuses his energy on thumbing at her clit and watching his fingers disappear into the tight heat of her cunt.

“Couldn’t believe I was seeing you on the screen,” he says roughly, Nova’s whines and whimpers increasing the harder he presses his thumb against her clit. She’s soaking, responding so nicely to his fingers. “Guys thought I was possessed.”

“Looked - you looked,” Nova gasps, clamping down hard on his fingers and squealing when his free hand presses down low on her stomach, increasing the pressure, “looked it. Loved it - so fucking - oh god oh god right there - hot, Sid!”

Sid doubles down, adding a third finger, and grunts at the tight fit. Nova’s hips chase his fingers and her ass rubs against his cock, the leaking tip pressed in between her cheeks.

“Felt like,” he continues, paying attention to the subtle changes in Nova’s body, “I was going crazy. Seeing some other guy kiss your cheek.”

Her body goes taut and Nova whines, “Sid, Sid oh my god stop I’m going to -“

“But you’re mine,” he says, slightly changing his angle and pressing down on her stomach and grinning when Nova cries out his name and squirts all over his fingers. She soaks his arm and his stomach and his cock twitches hard against her ass, slick dripping everywhere. He finally pulls his fingers out of her cunt with a squelching sound and Nova groans, throwing her arm over her eyes.

Sid laughs and sucks his fingers clean, free hand stroking gentle circles over Nova’s hip and stomach, scratching blunt nails against her skin.

“That’s a new record,” Nova mumbles, dropping her arm out to the side and squinting at Sid as he pops his fingers out of his mouth. “I’m not usually -“

“I know your body,” Sid chuckles, gathering her body up in his arms so she’s really sitting on his lap now, his cock trapped between their bodies. “You know I can make you fall apart whenever I want, right?”

He bites down on Nova’s shoulder and she wiggles in his lap, smirking when he grunts.

“Yeah, yeah,” she huffs, breathless, “generational hockey player, generational orgasm giver. What can’t you do?”

“Not much,” he replies smugly, the cloud of Nova’s hair tickling his face. He gathers it back in one hand, twisting his fingers through the curls, and tugs to pull her face back. With a sly smile, he kisses her messily, teeth and tongue and Nova’s little whimpers. Sid bucks his hips up and Nova’s moans are swallowed up by his mouth.

“Sid,” she pouts, pulling back, “can I have just a little bit, please?”

His sweat-slick chest glides against hers, her nipples painfully tight as she rubs up against him subconsciously. Two orgasms and she still wants more, needs more. Nova scratches her nails against the nape of Sid’s neck and leans in to lick at a bead of sweat trailing down his jaw.

“Just the tip, huh?” Sid chuckles under his breath, jaw muscles ticking as Nova’s mouth makes its way down towards his chin. She nods against him, the top of her head narrowly missing his nose. She’d meant a little bit of a break from the stimulation, but just the tip of his cock also sounds really good.

“And then the whole thing,” she adds, lowering to kiss his throat. Sid’s pulse jumps under her mouth and his cock jerks against her stomach.

She’s not sure how it happens, but Nova finds herself straddling Sid’s thigh, rubbing her cunt against his leg. His hands are huge on her hips, guiding her movements until his skin is slick from her arousal.

“Oh,” she gasps, catching her clit against his leg hair, dropping her head forward to rest on his shoulder. She can see his thigh glisten with each pass of her hips and his cock bobs between them, looking painfully hard. “Sid, please,” she whines, wanting the stretch of his cock. “Just a little bit.”

He’s so obsessive about wearing condoms, which Nova can appreciate, but the few times Sid’s given up control and let his cock slip inside of her bare have been insane. She feels like an addict, jonesing for just a few inches of him, and Sid knows that.

“That sounds like a reward for you,” he mutters, rolling her nipple between his fingers and tugging on it until she moans. “Because I don’t think you deserve a reward.”

“Siiiiid,” Nova pouts, tugging at his hair a little. Pleasure builds up again, her chest heaving. His muscle flexes under her cunt and she jolts, overstimulated. “S’a reward for you,” she manages, shifting her hips and biting down on her lip. She’s going to come like this, rubbing herself on his thigh, the scrape of his stubble against her neck. Sid pinches her nipple, hard, and she yelps, feeling the shock all the way down in her clit.

“Tell you what,” he says, strangled like he’s suffering just as much as Nova is, “come on my thigh and I’ll give you my cock, okay?”

She nods and moves her hips faster, legs trembling. But she slants her mouth over Sid’s, sucking on his tongue while he helps her move, her cunt gliding over him with barely any friction from how wet she is. He rubs against her clit with one hand, biting at her lower lip, and Nova’s coming again, with little hiccuping gasps into his mouth. She gushes all over his thigh and nearly slips right off until Sid catches her around the waist.

“Jesus,” he mutters, flushed and achy. “Baby, you’re like fucking miracle.”

Nova slumps over, the chains of her necklaces all tangled together around her neck. Wisps of hair stick to her sweaty forehead and there’s a flush spreading from her cheeks all the way down to her stomach. Sid loves it when she’s like this for him. He traces over the constellation of birthmarks on her hip and grins at her. His free hand strokes his cock, squeezing the base of it to keep himself from finishing too early.

She scoffs at him, his thigh still between hers, even as she’s half on her side on the mattress. “I take it back,” she rasps, voice cracking, “I don’t need any of that inside me. Three orgasms are enough.”

“Didn’t think you were a quitter,” Sid goads her, dragging her higher on his thigh and smirking when she squeaks at the sensation. Her legs fall open around his waist and he grips the base of his cock to steady it. Nova writhes and moans, the sound choking off when Sid slaps his cock against her cunt with an obscenely wet noise.

“Oh god!” She kicks her legs out, stomach muscles jumping, and he does it again, making sure the tip hits against her clit. She shrieks his name and Sid shifts onto his knees, holding Nova down with one hand on her hip and guiding the tip of his cock to circle her clit and dip down to her entrance.

“You think I’m going to let this end without you creaming on my cock, honey?” Sid chuckles, holding his cock in place. Nova wiggles, hips jumping as best they can with Sid’s pressure keeping her pinned down. Her heels dig into the comforter. “Been needing this since I saw Mark,” he sneers the name with a curl of his lip, “kiss your cheek.”

“All this for a cheek kiss,” Nova huffs, red faced and cunt clenching, “what would I have gotten for a real kiss?”

Sid narrows his eyes at her and says flatly, “a fucking spanking.”

Before Nova can respond, he thrusts forward, the head of his cock pushing inside Nova’s cunt and punching a gasp from her lungs. Sid groans, dropping his chin to his chest, staring at the place where they’re joined and just holding his hips still. Nova clenches around him, complaining for more, but Sid shushes her with a little swat to her hip. His thighs shake with the effort of keeping still and if he sinks in any deeper, without the condom, he’ll burst.

“Next game, then,” Nova giggles, tugging on Sid’s arm. “More, please.”

“Can’t,” Sid grits out, sweat beading at his hairline. “Not gonna - need a condom, honey.” He’s starting to sound a little nasal now, the bruising around his eyes looking worse.

She groans and nearly cries when Sid pulls back, his cock slipping out and hitting her inner thigh. She’s half ready to tell him to fuck it - to fuck her - and forgo the condom. But she knows Sid won’t do it, so she only pouts when Sid leans over and rummages in his night table drawer for a condom. She runs her fingers over his side, down his hip, distracting him while he rips the foil open and rolls the condom on.

“Ready?” Sid asks unnecessarily. Nova’s legs are spread wide for him, a loose, easy smile on her face. She nods and hooks her ankle around the back of his thigh.

“More than,” she laughs, lifting her ass slightly out of the absolute puddle of her slick. “Any wetter and you’re just gonna slide right back out.”


Sid groans and notches his cock at her entrance. He leans forward, his body covering Nova’s, and presses inside slowly. He’s holding his breath and Nova’s mouth is open in a silent whine as he stretches her out. Her nails scratch at his back, surely leaving lines that he’ll get chirped about in the locker room, and she drags him closer. His cock disappears inch by inch until he’s fully seated inside her.

“Good so good oh god,” she whimpers, Sid’s chest crushed against hers. “Move please oh my god Sid.”

She feels so good wrapped around his cock and Sid knows he’s not going to last long. His hips pull back and snap forward, jolting Nova higher up on the mattress with the force. She’s chanting his name like a prayer, legs locked around his hips, heels digging into his ass.

“Perfect,” he mumbles, dripping sweat. “My perfect girl, all for me. All mineminemine.”

It’s messy and sweaty and Nova’s gushing around his cock, maybe she came again, Sid honestly can’t be sure. She’s squeezing the life out of him, choking his cock and pressure builds at the base of his spine, his balls tighten and he spills into the condom, Nova’s cunt still spasming and fluttering.

He collapses on top of her, burying his face in her damp curls, Nova’s heartbeat racing against his chest. He winces at the sharp pain in his face, knowing the bruising is going to be worse than if he had just come home and rested. They’re both breathing hard and Nova’s hands slip through his hair, a wheezed chuckle escaping her lips into Sid’s ear.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, rolling partially off of her. His cock is still half-hard and Nova rolls with him, keeping her leg hooked over his hip.

“I like it,” she mumbles. “Like a weighted blanket. Soothing.”

Sid rubs his hand over her side, thumbing at her nipple on his upwards pass. Truthfully, he could lay here with Nova for hours, her vanilla lotion scent invading his senses. There’s a hint of something extra sugary sweet buried in her hair tonight and he hides his face in her neck, wincing when his nose is jostled.

“Do you need some ice?” Nova asks softly, pressing her thumb into a muscle on his back.

“Nah,” Sid’s response is light. His hand drifts up to play with the row of gold hoops in Nova’s earlobe. “Shouldn’t have pressed it so close to you. I’m fine.”

She hums like she doesn’t believe him and Sid knows she’s going to come back to bed later with a bag of ice for his face. Which is definitely throbbing a little bit from all the pressure and exertion. Worth it.

They’ll have to get up soon, sweat is drying on their skin and the sheets might honestly have to be burned at this point. The adrenaline is draining from Sid and he’s almost sheepish about how possessive he was being. Nova yawns and Sid rolls onto his side, making her whine and scratch at his bicep to try and pull him back.

“Gotta get you cleaned up, Nov,” he presses a kiss to her shoulder. “Don’t think you want to sleep on these sheets.”

“No, definitely not,” she yawns again, skin still buzzing. “Don’t get mad at me, but I’m definitely going to try and get myself on the Kiss Cam again so I can have a repeat performance of that.”

It takes a second for her words to skin in, accompanied by the sly look in her half-lidded green eyes, but when it does, Sid barks a laugh.

“Nova, honey,” Sid’s heart goes gooey at the soft smile she’s giving him, “I’ll give you anything if you just ask. Do not get on that Kiss Cam again.”

“Mm, we’ll see,” Nova sniffs, shrieking with laughter when Sid’s fingers dig into her sides, tickling her until tears trickle down her temples and she cries for mercy. Her abs cramp with all the movement and her hair feels like it’s a rat’s nest at the nape of her neck, but life has never been better.

After a summer spent mostly apart, Nova’s been worried that jumping right back into things in the fall would be awkward. But Sid cups her cheek now and kisses her with tongue and a smile against her lips and she’s right where she wants to be.

The unease is easy to ignore when Sid’s kissing her neck, whispering that she’s all his. Later, when they’re both not sweaty and post-orgasmic, they’ll have a conversation and Nova will explain her concerns. But for now, she rolls on top of him, the heat of her cunt against his lower stomach, and leans down to suck a hickey against his pec.

On his 42nd birthday, Sidney Crosby wakes before his alarm and goes for a run. He ghosts his hand over Nova’s bare back before he gets out of bed and pulls on his sneakers. She burrows her face further into her pillow and lets out a soft little grunt.

Sid laughs under his breath and watches her for a moment longer, resisting the urge to brush her hair out of her face. He knows that’ll wake her and Nova’s informed him no less than a million and one times that summer is for sleeping in. Especially when she takes her vacation days instead of working remote.

He lets her sleep and heads out into the foggy morning, running down the driveway and onto the street that’ll take him into town. Sid’s feet pound the pavement and his music plays at a slightly too loud volume in his ears. It feels good to sweat and let his mind wander, replaying the last few months and thinking about what’s next.

He’s officially retired from hockey, his days wide open and unscheduled for the first time in decades, and Sid’s a little afraid of what that’ll do to him.

The last month and a half has been a whirlwind of celebrating and traveling, recovery from the physical gauntlet of winning a Stanley Cup at 41. He’s pretty sure they spent the month of July in various stages of drunk, sobering up in order to propose to Nova a few days after lifting the Cup in the air again.

Then it was more celebrating and more drinking, an impromptu engagement party held by Nova’s parents, and the Cup parade through downtown Pittsburgh.

The retreat to Halifax for the month of August is much needed. The town is ecstatic, obviously, but Sid feels less scrutinized here. He and Nova have been able to retreat from the public eye and enjoy their new engagement. She hasn’t mentioned his retirement, but she knows that the closer they march towards the fall, the harder it will be for him.

Just yesterday he’d floated the idea of signing another one-year deal. He hadn’t been serious, not really, but the high of winning another Cup erased all the physical pain he’s been in for months. Now, with a month and a half of rest, Sid feels good again. His broken finger is healed and the sprained shoulder he suffered in the first round is getting better. Maybe he could do one more year.

Sid chuckles out loud at the memory of Nova’s deadpan look, the way she’d rolled her eyes at him and rasped, “or I could just take a hammer to one of your body parts right now. I’ll even let you pick.”

After that, curled up together in bed, her mouth against his collarbone and his fingers buried in her cunt, Nova had whispered, “you promised, Sid.”

He had promised, no more hockey after the end of this last deal. Going out on a high of a fourth Cup was all he could’ve asked for, but he’s never going to stop thinking about what another season could mean. It’s in his blood.

When they get back to Pittsburgh in September, Sid has options waiting for him. Broadcast offers, the Penguins front office, the hockey world is his oyster. He just has to pick a path.

For now, he’s got Nova and the gorgeous summer weather, his parents down the road in one direction and the MacKinnon family in the other.

For now, Sid’s going to rest.

——

Humidity sticks to his skin by the time he finishes his run and gets back to the house. He’d tugged his shirt off two miles ago and now it’s draped over his shoulder as he houses an apple, standing in the kitchen and trying not to drip sweat everywhere.

The house is still quiet, so Sid knows that Nova’s asleep and he polishes off the apple and a spoonful of peanut butter before creeping back upstairs to take a shower and get ready for the day before she wakes up.

She’s rolled around in the time that Sid’s been gone, flat on her back now, arms thrown up over her head so her torso stretches and her breasts are exposed to the air instead of crushed against the mattress. Sid stops in his tracks and watches her chest rise and fall with her breathing, nipples pebbled tightly in the cool air. The sheets are tangled around her legs, but he knows she’s naked under there too and his fingers itch to touch her.

Her skin is still red from the scrape of Sid’s beard and teeth last night and he can hear her whine about beard burn, followed closely by her “but don’t shave it!”

Nova mumbles in her sleep and Sid wonders if the noise of the shower will wake her. Maybe she’ll join him.

He strips and tosses his sweaty clothes in the hamper, taking his time under the hot water and letting it ease his muscles. It’s still hard to believe that he won’t be lacing up his skates in a couple of weeks for training camp. Every time he thinks he’s okay with retirement, that little voice in the back of his head says maybe not yet. But this season was hard on his body and harder on his mind, especially without Geno and Tanger at his side. The team built around him was good, obviously, good enough to win a Cup. But it wasn’t the same as playing with his guys.

Sid shakes his head as he gets out of the shower, today’s not for overthinking. He’s got a birthday to celebrate and he’s hoping that celebration will continue with Nova as soon as she wakes up.

He swipes at the steamed up mirror and grins when he spots movement in the bed behind him. Nova’s legs shift and kick under the sheets and Sid goes still, pretending to ignore her so she’ll wake up on her own.

There’s moisturiser on his face and his toothbrush is in his mouth when a pair of hands land on his lower back.

“Morning, birthday boy,” Nova’s voice is extra raspy with sleep.

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty,” he replies around a mouthful of toothpaste. He spits into the sink and catches her eye in the mirror. Her hair is crazy and she still looks like she’s barely awake, but her lips are curled up in a smile.

Nova’s forehead drops to rest in between his shoulders and Sid can feel the fabric of her shirt against his back when she flattens her chest to him. She presses a kiss to his skin and lets her mouth linger there, fingers hooked in the towel wrapped around his hips.

“Good sleep?” He’s enjoying the simple connection of her body against his. His cock twitches against the terrycloth.

“Mhm,” Nova’s hum vibrates against his spine. “Some old man wore me out last night.”

Sid laughs loudly and he can feel Nova’s answering smile curve against his skin. “Yeah? Good to know I’ve still got it,” he teases. Nova’s hands slide around his sides and splay against his stomach. He’s softer, thicker than he had been at his peak. Sid’s still in incredible shape, but it’s been an adjustment to see how his body’s changed over the years. Muscle isn’t as defined anymore and he feels wider, just a touch slower. Nova’s never seemed to mind though.

“Oh yeah,” she giggles. “You definitely still have it.”

She shifts her hips forward, bumping them against his ass. Her engagement ring sparkles under the lights as her fingers flex against Sid’s stomach.

“Better enjoy it,” Sid tries to tease, but his voice comes out sounding a little melancholy, “couple of years, I might be too old to go all night.”

Nova’s nails scratch lightly at Sid’s stomach and the muscles jump under her touch. She brushes the tip of her nose against his shoulder blade and laughs, “are you fishing for compliments, Mr. Crosby? I wasn’t vocal enough for you last night? Do you want me to tell you how much I love your mouth and your fingers and your cock? You want to hear how I saw stars every time you slid into me?”

She peers over his shoulder to catch his eye in the mirror and the smirk that slants his lips. He shrugs.

“It is my birthday, honey,” he says, resting his hand on the knot of his towel. “Aren’t you supposed to be extra nice to me?”

“Oh, twist my arm,” Nova sighs. She covers Sid’s hand with hers, playing with the towel knot until it’s loose and gaping, exposing the head of his cock, already flushed. Her lips are on Sid’s shoulder, green eyes peering at him from behind, sharp with glee. “That forty-two year old cock is looking pretty excited.”

Sid laughs and his cock jumps, the towel falling open the rest of the way, held up only by Nova’s hips pressed against his ass.

“Get your hands on it and see how much more exited it gets,” Sid grins, watching Nova’s fingers dance delicately down the planes of his stomach and brush against the dark hair at the base of his cock. Her left hand stays flat against his stomach, holding him in place. He groans when her fingers wrap around the base of his cock, her hand warm and soft.

“Sid, my love,” Nova scrapes her teeth over his shoulder, enjoying the way he shivers, “you just stand here and let me take care of you. First of many birthday presents.”

He nods and drops his chin to his chest so he can watch her hand stroke over his cock, bracing his hands on the edge of the sink. Nova’s nails flash hot pink, her tanned skin a contrast to the flush of his cock. Precome gathers at the tip and she swirls her palm over it to slick up her hand. It’s not enough to smooth the glide and her hand skips and catches. They both grunt a little and Nova huffs a little sigh against his shoulder, lifting her hand to his mouth and demanding, “lick.”

Sid catches her eye in the mirror and holds contact when he flattens his tongue over the palm of her hand and licks his way to the tips of her fingers, sucking her index and middle fingers into his mouth briefly. Nova’s breath catches in her chest and her fingers tighten against his stomach.

“Good?” He asks in a low rumble. Nova nods and gets her hand back on his cock. The wet sensation of her palm feels good against the hot, hard ache of his cock, but it’s still not an easy glide. So Sid ducks his head and lets a glob of spit gather on his tongue, opening his mouth to let it dribble onto Nova’s fingers and his cock.

“Oh!” She gasps, shifting behind him so the towel falls to the ground and Sid’s ass rocks back to press against her hips. Her skin’s hot too, and Sid wishes he could reach back and feel how wet she is. But his knees are locked, thighs trembling from Nova’s grip on him.

His cock sags under its own weight, Nova’s hand tightening and loosening as she works him over with the pressure and flick of her wrist she knows he likes. Sid grunts when she squeezes, hisses sharply when she dances her fingers over his dripping slit.

“Nova, baby,” he grinds out the words, knuckles going white with his grip on the edge of the sink.

She makes a little noise at the back of her throat and nuzzles her nose against his shoulder. “Feels good, huh, baby? All nice and hard and throbbing in my hand. Y’know, I can still feel how deep you were in my cunt last night,” she says, almost casually. “Stretching me out with this big ass cock of yours. My favorite cock. The only cock that makes me come so hard and so good.”

Sid groans with her words, watching his dick disappear in her grip. He’s so hard it hurts, his balls tight. She’s got a filthy mouth and he loves it.

“All for you, honey,” he manages to choke out. His cock leaks, making a mess of her fingers, and Sid has the sudden, violent urge to see his come make a mess of Nova’s face. “Wanna -“

“Oh no,” she cuts him off, “I’m enjoying this. You’re so hot, Sid. I like when you fall apart in my hands.”

She’s usually the one that’s a wreck, pliant in his hands, but Nova’s watching his face go red and sweat bead at his hairline. His body is taut and she knows it won’t take much longer for him to come. To torture him, Nova slows her pace, muffling her laugh in his skin when he bites out a curse.

“Good things come to those who wait,” she teases, stroking him slowly. Her other hand rubs up his chest, flicking her thumbnail against his nipple. Sid jolts, his cock jerking in Nova’s hand. “You going to come for me, Sid? Make a mess of my hands?”

She lifts up on her toes and kisses the nape of his neck, jerking his cock at an upwards angle. A bead of sweat rolls down his temple and Nova licks at the hinge of his jaw, grinning when she can feel the way he’s clenching his teeth.

“Fuck, Nova,” he whines, turning his head to try and kiss her. He misses her mouth, getting her cheek, and he huffs a laugh that ghosts over her face. Nova giggles too, her left hand coming up and tangling in the chain around his neck. “Gotta - you gotta give me more. Faster, please, honey.”

“You’ve suffered enough,” Nova kisses the side of his neck and lets Sid lean some of his weight back against her as she drags him to the edge. His cock thickens even more, his balls drawing up, and Sid groans Nova’s name as he comes in thick spurts that stripe the sink and mirror. Nova’s hand doesn’t stop, the noise obscenely echoing in the bathroom as she continues to stroke him through his orgasm, come all over her fingers and his shaft. She angles his cock and hot come hits his stomach.

“Oh, good boy,” Nova breathes, her thighs rubbing together behind Sid, arousal drooling out of her cunt. “Love when you make a mess for me to clean up.”

Sid lets out a strangled noise, chest heaving. He watches his come make a mess, dripping to the floor, and a fresh release spurts out, Nova’s fingers slipping on his softening cock. She lets him go and his cock slaps against his thigh heavily, come dripping down his leg.

“Jesus,” Sid mutters, breathless. His spine tingles from the orgasm and he jerks himself once, roughly, to try and ground himself. Nova’s draped over his back like a blanket, both hands on his body, leaving smears of come on his skin.

“Just me,” she giggles and Sid barks a laugh at the terrible joke. He pinches at her forearm and reaches back to rub his hand over the side of her thigh. She’s pants-less and he reaches higher, finding no panties either. “A little higher and to the left, you’ll find another gift,” she jokes.

His arm is twisted at a weird angle behind him and he can’t quite reach where he wants to touch, so Sid shuffles them around, Nova’s ass pressed against the edge of the sink now. He grins down at her, enjoying the flush in her cheeks and the brightness in her eyes.

“Hi,” he says, hands on her hips, pushing the stretched out and cut-off tank top up until he can look down and see the tops of her thighs and the glistening trails of arousal in between them. “Good start to the birthday.”

“I thought you might like it,” she grins, hooking one leg over his hip and opening herself up to him. Sid can feel the heat radiating off of her. “Maybe you’d like to take care of your fiancée now? After all, I was very good to you.”

Nova blinks innocently up at him, her face bare and tan from the sun. She’s got a smattering of freckles over her nose and cheeks, darker and more prominent in the summer than the rest of the year. Sid kisses her, unable to resist biting down on the pout of her lower lip. Her lips are a little chapped, scraping across Sid’s and making his cock twitch.

“I dunno,” Sid kisses the side of her jaw. “I need another shower after the mess you made.”

“Mess I made?” Nova laughs, running her hands through Sid’s hair, enjoying the glint of his greys. “I think this mess is all you, baby.”

“We could see if this old man back of mine can still hold up while I fuck you against the shower wall,” he suggests casually, one hand trailing over the curve of her hip and kneading at Nova’s ass. She cups his chin in her hand, rubbing her thumb over the edge of his jaw.

With a pleased little hum, Nova nods, “I think I like that idea.” Sid’s hands on her ass tighten and he hoists her up in the air, drawing a little shriek from her lips, her legs locking around his waist. He rests her ass on the edge of the sink.

“Or…” he drags out the word, “I could put you on your knees and you could put that mouth of yours to good use.”

Nova licks her lips, her smile sly.

“Whatever the birthday boy wants,” she shrugs lightly. “But he better make a decision soon because he also promised the soon-to-be parents of three that we would take Wyatt and Thea off their hands today.”

Sid winces slightly, remembering the plan he had set in place with Nate last night. A full day of babysitting so Nate could pamper his six-months-pregnant wife and then everyone coming over to grill for Sid’s birthday dinner. Hanging out with the girls is a fun way to spend his birthday and it also serves as a little pre-anniversary gift for the MacKinnons too.

“Forgot about that,” he admits a little sheepishly. Nova laughs and plants her palms flat on his chest, fingertips resting on his collarbones.

“You had a few other things on your mind,” she teases, glancing down between them. His cock is slowly starting to come back to life. “Shower quickie really kills two birds with one stone.”

Sid pumps his hips up into hers. “Quick doesn’t mean unsatisfying,” he says.

“Not with you, it doesn’t,” Nova agrees. She cocks her head at him, hair falling in her face. “Well? What are you waiting for? We’ve got a busy day ahead of us.”

——

On his 42nd birthday, Sidney Crosby babysits his goddaughters and eats a homemade birthday cake that has more than a few eggshells accidentally cracked into it.

He runs through the sprinklers with toddlers pulling on his hands and sneaks kisses from his fiancée.

The people he loves most in the world grill steaks and vegetables and sing ‘happy birthday’ to him loudly and off-key.

Nova curls up in his lap after the sun goes down, the fire pit crackling, and they enjoy the quiet lapping of lake water. Her head is tucked under his chin, the fleece of her pullover tickling at his neck.

When she yawns, she makes a little squeaking sound that Sid loves.

He’s got marker on his arms and Nova has glitter in her hair.

but anyway, it takes a while for them to introduce each other to their families because even though they’re together by the end of the season, the relationship is still really new and just a little bit rocky as they go into training camp and the new season

(both sid and nova have a lot of behaviours to unlearn in relationships and are actively working on them)

nova never even tells her parents that she’s dating sid because 1. her dad is a huge pens fan, season tickets, the whole shebang and she doesn’t want to worry about his reactions and 2. she’s the youngest and only girl after four brothers and they always freak out on the guys that she dates

their first summer together is interesting because nova does tell her parent she’s seeing someone, just because she keeps disappearing and cancelling plans with them or her brothers to hang out with sid when he’s in pittsburgh. because he definitely goes home to see his parents and train, but nova doesn’t visit him in canada. and then their first fall together they’re still trying to figure it out

at some point before everyone meets each other, there’s a period where sid and nova are fighting and nova’s dad invites her to a game because he’s got the second seat in the arena and it’s her turn to come join him or her brothers all couldn’t go and nova’s like “ugh fine yeah i’ll come” even if privately she’s like 😒🙄 i don’t want to watch that jerkoff play. but she can’t tell her dad that she’s beefing with the first line center or that he ghosted her for a chunk of last year

nova’s parents end up meeting sid first and totally by accident. all four of them are in the grocery store, probably in late november/early december. nova stays at sid’s place sometimes and they’re grocery shopping when they run into her parents in the dairy section. and it’s like the spider-man meme where they’re all pointing at each other. except at first, they don’t recognize nova, instead focusing on sid and her dad’s like “wow, sid, great game the other day” etc. and when nova pops up with the gallon of milk, she freezes

her mom and dad are like jaw dropped shock and later, sid’s going to ask her why she didn’t tell them that she was dating him and nova will point to the jaw dropped expressions (low key this causes a tiny fight too even if sid gets it)

her parents are perfectly polite to sid but they also freak out on nova later, worried about what sid’s lifestyle and public profile will do to nova. they don’t love that he’s 11 years older than her, even if they think sid’s a good person from what they know about him

(solidifies for nova that she can never tell them what their first year of knowing each other is like, they’ll hate sid)

she swears that they’re doing okay and that she can handle sid’s profile and that he does what he can to keep her and their relationship private. which he does.

she also makes them promise they won’t tell her brothers and that they can meet sid properly for dinner or something.

(they do, and they love him, honestly. doesn’t stop them from being worried about nova)

sid’s parents meet nova next, when they’re in town for some games. post christmas for sure. neither one of them wants to do the whole holiday meet and greet thing because it feels like too much pressure. but during february? the all star break with sid participating, that feels like lower stakes

sid introduces nova to his parents in a more normal way than stumbling upon them in the grocery store, so it already feels like a win. his mom loves her immediately and they spend the weekend getting to know each other, meeting up for breakfasts and walks around whichever city the all star game is in. his dad is also on board with the relationship when nova starts spouting stats from the season, offering up her opinion on the special teams

(they’re both also aware that sid’s coming down to his last few years of playing and want him to be in a good place to start a family maybe and nova seems good for sid from their perspective, so they’re happy as long as sid is happy)

nova’s brothers and sid’s sister all find out towards the end of the season - texts and calls and now that they’re on more solid footing after officially dating for a full year, sid and nova are more comfortable announcing the relationship to their families

the general consensus from nova’s brothers is “YOU’RE dating SIDNEY CROSBY? 🤯” because like, that’s their baby sister and they just view her as this tiny feral animal that they used to bully growing up and not a woman that could land a literal hockey god, and then the immediate “we want to meet him”

the brothers are super protective over nova - grilling sid on if he has a girl in every city (he doesn’t, obviously) and what his intentions are with their sister (forever, ideally) - and then when they start to get along, they roast the shit out of her in front of sid and he always sticks up for her and defends her, which also passes a test of theirs

(the one thing sid can’t defend nova on is when they tease her for all the hair shedding and when she leaves hair on the shower walls. sid will absolutely chime in on how many vacuums nova’s hair has broken and how gross unclogging the drain is. but he does defend her cheating at board games bc he’s always on her team and he likes to win. he also defends the glass of water graveyard on her night table and the obsessive purchasing of fuzzy blankets for their bed and couches)

nova’s oldest brother is only two years younger than sid, so it’s a little bit of an awkward meet, but they all do eventually get along well. sid likes having brothers-in-law because it kind of feels like a big locker room when they all get together, and he especially likes seeing nova with her nieces and nephews