#stlb

You had been quietly working on cleaning the kitchen in order to distress when your phone had started vibrating against the counter capturing your attention to see that Vince was face timing you. Quickly picking the phone up you moved away from the kitchen as you tapped to accept the call.

 The first thing you noticed about him was just how tired he looked, and then the disappointment in his eyes broke you even farther. It just made the distance that much harder to deal with. 

His voice pulled you from your thoughts as you settled on the couch. “Hey there pretty girl,” even his voice was full of emotion and you knew he didn’t need to be reminded of the series. He didn’t need to talk about hockey tonight he just needed to see you. 

You were quick with a plan on a distraction for him as your lips pulled up in a warm smile. “Just because you’re coming home a few weeks earlier than planned doesn’t mean I’m sharing the tv with you again. It’s Harry Potter marathon every day,” you had managed to get a laugh from him which for tonight was all that you needed.

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Despite the fact that the playoffs had ended sooner than the team would have liked you were excited to have your boyfriend home again. He had assured you repeatedly that there was no need for you to meet him at the airport, but you would be damned if he was back in the same city and you had to wait even an extra twenty minutes. Of course you would be there to see him, because despite whatever thoughts swirled around that beautiful head of his you just wanted to be there for your boyfriend who was always there for you. 

“Y/N,” his voice was soft as he approached you not wasting even a moment as he dropped his bags at your feet and wrapped his arms around your waist holding you tightly to his chest. He took a deep breath in as he buried his face in your soft hair just needing to be as close to you as he could be.

You stayed quiet as your own arms wrapped around his sturdy body rubbing his back tenderly giving him however much time he needed in that moment. There would be a long night to comfort him, but you were in no rush to step away from your boyfriend. 

You weren’t sure how much time had passed when you finally felt him stepping away from you, but before he could completely break from you he reached for your hand. You knew what it was like just needing to touch the person you loved the most to bring you any sense of comfort. “How about we get you home?” he asked you as if there was anywhere else you’d rather be.

Vince had barely allowed you to step into the apartment that you shared before he was pulling you towards the couch. You had figured that you would have ended up there anyways, but you couldn’t help the quiet laughter at how predictable he was. Whenever either of you were struggling you always ended up on the couch curled around each other. 

He didn’t hesitate to force you to sit on the couch before he shifted to lay down with his head on your lap and he slid his hand underneath your teeshirt simply to rest his hand against your bare skin. You were rubbing his back tenderly again taking in the silence knowing that when he was ready he would talk to you. 

Time seemed to slip by the two of you as you sat there in the quiet when he finally pulled his head up just enough to look back at you. “Can you hold me tight tonight?” He asked you as if it was even a question.

With a small smile you brushed his hair back knowing how much comfort that usually brought him. “Vince, I’m never going to let you go. Not for anything so you might want to get use to me being here.”

You watched as the usual cocky smile that you fell in love with appeared on his lips as he moved to sit up so that he could pull you into his lap. Now that you were straddling his lap with your arms around his neck and his around your waist you were able to truly study his face. He still looked exhausted, but at least you could slowly see the light come back to those eyes. 

“Are you saying that I’m going to get to come home to this for the rest of my life?”

You rolled your eyes but you knew that was exactly what you were agreeing to, but you had known that for so long now. “Only if you put a ring on it, Dunner. Otherwise I’m going to have to marry my other favorite defense man.”