#verycoolusername1

You were unsure what to do.

You didn't want to watch but you couldn't pull your eyes away from him.

You let out a sigh of relief when you saw the trainers help him off the ice and headed down the tunnel, presumably to the locker room.

You got up from your seat and headed down to the locker room.

The staff gave you curious glances but as soon as they saw the 87 on your back they understood.

Hesitantly, you waited outside the door. Your hand ready to knock when it opened by itself.

The medical staff nodded at you. "He's all yours."

You walked inside and your heart nearly broke at the sight of him.

His head was in his hands, deep in thought.

"Hey,"

Your voice, soft spoken immediately brought him out of this thoughts.

You always had a strange way of doing that, he'd tell you. Grounding him to reality when all else fails.

He looked up and his eyes found yours.

He wanted to get up and walk towards you, close the distance but his body wasn't allowing him to.

Sidney hated being seen as weak, especially in front of you.

You, much closer to him now placed your hand on your shoulder.

He wrapped him arms around you, burying his face in your midsection.

The tears he tried so hard to hide were the same ones you felt on your shirt in this very moment.

You rubbed his back soothingly as he cried.

Sidney wasn't a person that cried often, when he did it only meant it was personal

Reality soon seeped into his bones and was in every one of his waking thoughts.

He was supposed to lead the team- his team to gold and he gets injured now?

It wasn't supposed to go like this. Sidney always liked order, he liked being prepared.

He didn't like surprises, he especially hated this.

"I'm not playing the rest of the game." His voice, raspy as if it was his first time speaking.

If anything, he clinged onto you tighter.

"It may not look it right now," You pulled away and cupped his face, making eye contact with his tear stained eyes. "But things will get better and it's not the end of the world."

"Waited so long to come back," He leaned into your touch.

You nod. "I know, that's one thing I admire about you. Your patience."

Sidney smiled sadly at you. He realized what you were trying to get at, and he knew it was working.

"It's getting wearer by the day." He began to take off his gear.

You assisted him. "You'll push through, you always do."

"Only with you by my side." He glanced at you.

Couple of hours later, Sidney found himself in your arms.

One of the safest places he'd want to be.

After a while, you spoke.

"You know, I'm still proud of you."

He peaked his head from the crook of your neck.

"Really?"

You reached up and caressed his neck, the tension seemed to ease under your touch.

"Mhm, I'm proud of you when you win, I'm proud of you when you lose, and I'm proud of you even when you're injured."

Sidney's face softened at your words.

"It's the determination that I love about you, you're always to determined to play your best out there on the ice."

He couldn't believe that you had so much love for him just stored in your heart, he felt his eyes tear up.

"You wear the 'C' because you represent what a leader should be, you don't let anything hold you back. I could go on and on, but purely these traits you carry are also one of the many reasons why I fell in love with you."

You wiped the tear that rolled down his cheek. "Sorry, didn't mean to make you cry."

He shook his head. "It's fine, I just didn't think I'd ever mean this much to you. I'm always gone, I'm not worthy of anything you give me."

"You are worth so much more than you realize." You kissed his head. "And I choose you, you're the person I want to be with. Through the good, the bad, and the ugly."

Sidney let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. "You're amazing, always saying things I need to hear."

You smiled softly. "I just know you."

"I love you." He looked at you, his voice earnest.

You kissed his temple. "I love you. Now get some rest."

He settled yet again, his body covering yours.

As the night lulled you two to sleep, Sidney was comfortable and was in his favorite place.

Yourusername just posted!

Liked by: hilaryknight, hannahbilka, megankeller, and 435 others...

Yourusername: my girl(s) won gold!! So so proud

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Yourusername just posted!

Liked by: kristensimms, cassiehall, laceyeden, and 369 others...

Yourusername: she's back home :]

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Avamcnaughton: your page is literally just a fanpage of her atp

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Carolineharvey: happy anniversary to my favorite person <3

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Yourusername: aw babe 🥺

Lailaedwards: fav couple on planet earth

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Lailaedwards: kristensimms oh shush girl

Top defender on the team, named captain in her final year and is projected to be the first pick in the draft.

Yet somehow, she irked your soul.

It was impossible for the two of you to actually hang out, like two peas in completely different pods(laila's words apparently).

Tonight however was game day and you were going against Ohio State.

You sat in your stall, for some reason it was right next to Caroline's.

Now that was unusual, your stall would normally be fall away.

Must have been a mistake

You were in the middle of tying up your skates, the rest of your gear already on.

"Don't let us down like last time."

You jumped lightly at the voice interuppting your silence, your face quickly turned into a scowl.

Smug as ever with the 'C' on her chest, Caroline put her jersey on.

She's referring to the shoot loss against Penn State, in which you had participated in and missed.

"Maybe next time, Coach should pick you for the shootout." You put your gloves on. "Maybe then you'd actually get some goals in."

"I'm too busy to do shootouts." She scoffed.

"Busy being on the bench?" You snickered as you exited the locker room.

Caroline grumbled under her breath.

The game started soon after, Ohio was faster but you and the team were faster.

Deep into the second, you had gained possession of the puck as it headed behind the net.

Caroline was also on the ice, her line being paired with yours.

Unfortunately for you however, you didn't notice someone was coming for you from behind.

A player from the opposing team checked you into the board, it was rather harsh.

You landed awkwardly and sorta just laid there for a bit, clutching your head in pain.

Caroline, wasn't sure what happened but when she saw you go down.

Her vision immediately turned to red, she shoved the player down.

Before she could get a punch in, she felt someone pulling her off.

It was Laila.

"I almost had her!" Caroline snapped.

Laila just glanced over in your direction as a response.

Laila didn't say anything, nor did she have to. Caroline knew what she meant, they always did.

She skated over and kneeled down infront of you.

And did something that shocked your teammates.

Caroline held your hand and gave it a firm squeeze.

You could barely process it all, first you were playing then you get checked hard, you're lying on the ice and the person you hated most on your team was holding your hand?

Yeah, you definitely had to be hallucinating.

Caroline whispered encouragement in your ear as she and the trainer helped you off the ice.

After the game, resulted in a 3 - 1 win.

You had officially placed on the Injury Reserve with a lower body injury but you also failed the concussion protocol.

You were making your way to your dorm when someone had called your name. It was Caroline.

You looked back at her. "I'm not really in the mood."

Her expression falters slightly as she caught up to you.

"I'm not here to tease," She shook her head. "Just wanted to see if you're alright after that hit."

You scoffed. "Alright? I just got back from injury just to be back on the shelf again. So, no, I'm not alright!"

Caroline frowned, her face showing a hint of guilt but also... no, concern? That's not possible.

Hesitantly, she placed her hand on your arm.

"Look," Caroline sighed. "I know we don't always see eye to eye and it's important that we do on the ice to win. Just because I don't like you doesn't mean I'm just gonna stand by and let some jerk hurt you. You're on my team, I protect my teammates and I will protect you. Whether you want it or not."

You nod slowly, you couldn't believe what you were hearing.

"You're the only one who truly gets to me and I hate how you do that, how I just let you in." She admits. "When you fell, I just couldn't let that slide. I couldn't let you get hurt, not again."

You nearly tensed at the reminder, of your past injury.

Caroline will always remember how long you lied there unmoving, her heart stayed still for just as long.

"So you... you care about me?" You asked.

Her jaw clenched at the question but relaxed in the same time frame.

"I care about my team." She says. "And that... that includes you."

"Right." You clutched your gear bag tighter.

That simple action reminded Caroline that you needed to get some rest, and she probably should as well.

She cleared her throat and stepped back, her confident demeanor returning. "Now go to bed, always so stubborn."

Caroline walked away, leaving you there in the hallway.

"Jerk." You muttered under your breath.

One of the first questions that came to mind.

"Did Jason notice?"

You sighed.

There a knock on the door.

"Hey, babe, you alright in there?" Jason's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Your food is getting cold."

You cleared your throat as you tried your best to smooth out your clothes.

"I'll be out soon." You told him.

Didn't stop the tears from clouding your eyes as well as your judgement.

You let out a small sniffle, Jason caught it.

He knocked on the door again, softer this time.

"Baby?" Jason whispered. "Baby, please don't cry. Open up the door for me."

His voice was consistent but mainly pleading with you.

"Can't." You whimpered.

"At least tell me what's wrong, that's the best you can do." He pleaded.

"I gained weight." You revealed. "I can't fit anything and soon you're gonna want someone skinnier and you'll leave me."

Jason swore he felt his heart break, he loved you. Probably more than average, obsessed with you.

He finds it hard to believe that you think he'll leave you because you gained weight.

The bitter taste evolved in your mouth as the silence strayed on.

He heard the familiar click of the door unlocking, while he was relieved he was also unsure if you even wanted him to come in there with you.

He knew his size could be overwhelming or intimidating but this wasn't about him, not physically at least.

It was about you, one of the only good things in his life that had managed to stay consistent.

Jason didn't see it but he felt how vulnerable you were, with the quiver and the unsteadyness in your voice.

These insecurities have been eating at you... for a while and Jason has never felt more like a fool for not recognizing it sooner.

The way you tugged down the sleeves of your shirt or how you always wore hoodies even when it wasn't needed to when you refused to eat your favorite meal that he cooked all because 'you weren't that hungry'.

The guilt slowly began to creep into his veins and was ignored, he couldn't possibly think about himself right now when you needed him more.

Jason turned the knob and opened the door, his eyes locked onto yours in an instant. The tear stains that dried up on your cheeks was enough for him to crack.

He walked over to you, not caring about your appearance or protests and hugged you tight.

Your jeans may still have been unbuttoned but in his eyes, Aphrodite couldn't even come close to the amount of beauty you hold.

His hand rubbing your back continued to ground you as Jason broke the silence.

"I'll always love you and choose you in every lifetime." He looked down at you, his gaze intense.

"Your body changing won't make me leave, not then, not now, not ever."

Your bottom lip trembled as you took in his words.

"But... don't you want someone skinner?" Your voice cracked. "Someone who doesn't cry because they can't fit in their jeans."

Jason scoffed. "Not really, no. If they aren't you, I don't want them."

"You promise?" You whispered.

"I promise, on my life." Jason caressed your cheek. "Besides, you look good, really good. Ethereal even." He kissed your head.

You finally wrapped your arms around him and leans into your touch.

"Could probably still benchpress you too." Jason mumbled. "Want more compliments, baby? I'll keep them pg even, and that's huge."

You let out a small scoff at that, the first positive reaction from you all morning.

"You never keep anything pg." You shook your head.

He chuckled. "That's true, but I'm trying to be nice, for you, my beautiful partner, my baby."

You hid your face in his chest, unknowingly gave him a real good look at your behind, he let a low whistle.

In response, you punched him playfully in the chest. "You perv."

He chuckled. "I didn't even say anything."

"You didn't have to, you were silent which means you were totally staring." You rolled your eyes.

"Guilty as charged." Jason looked you up and down with a smirk and shook his head. "Let's go get you some new clothes first before I lose my mind."

"I could always just borrow yours," You suggested.

Jason gave you a warning look. "No way."

You frowned. "Why not?"

Jason stated the obvious. "You always say borrow yet somehow I never get them back."

"I don't know what you're talking about." You stepped beside him and exited the bathroom.

"Kleptomaniac." He muttered under his breath. "I'm in love with a kleptomaniac."

She hiccups before murmuring. "Baby,"

You glanced at her. "Yeah?"

"You look pretty." She giggled.

You smiled softly. "Thanks honey, you alright? That medal sure looks heavy."

Caroline frowned. "Carrying it just fine." She mumbles.

"Of course, you are." You kissed her head.

Laila glanced at Caroline. "Oh, yeah she's so wasted."

Ava laughed in agreement.

"And even more clingy." Megan sipped her beer.

"You plan on taking her to your room soon?" Hannah asked.

Hilary moved a bit of hair from Caroline's face.

You nodded, answering Hannah's question. "Yeah, I mean just look at her. She can barely stand on her own."

"Must be the medal weighing her down." Joy snickered.

"Oh definitely," Tessa agreed. "Just look at her."

"Literally me on a friday night." Brittany sipped on her beer.

Hilary glanced at Brittany with a knowing look.

"Now you know that's not true."

Brittany shrugged. "I could have been a party girl in high school."

"Your face gives it away." Aerin shook your head.

"Anyways, back to KK." Haley said. "She needs to go to bed."

You sighed. "Yeah, Laila help me carry her."

"Of course." Laila nods.

Together, you and Laila carried a drunk but now sleeping Caroline to your hotel room.

Her head was resting on your shoulder, getting drool all over your sweater.

If you told her that the next morning, she'd deny even when the evidence is presented in front of her.

You used your keycard and the door opened.

"Alright, let's get her in bed." You told Laila.

Caroline was then laid onto the bed, you thanked Laila as she headed out.

You took off her shoes and jacket, Caroline only snuggled into the bed as a response.

Additionally, you placed a water bottle on the nightstand closest to her with a pain reliever pill for her future hangover.

You laid next to Caroline and admired her sleeping form, even when she's not awake.

She still reaches for you, it was only then you too fell into a deep sleep.

In the early wake of dawn, Caroline let out a low groan.

Her face hiding in your neck, your scent overclouding her thoughts instantly.

"You feeling okay?" You asked.

She sighed. "Ask me that in a few hours, why'd you let me drink so much?"

"You were happy after that win, I'm sure the other girls have a hungover too." You chuckled.

Caroline sat up and noticed the water and pill.

"You're the best." She took the pill in one go followed by a sip of water.

"You love reminding me, babe." You kissed her shoulder.

She tilted her neck back, wincing as she does so.

"You okay, The medal too heavy for you?" You looked at her.

Caroline sighed. "Maybe."

"It can't be that heavy." You snorted.

"But it is," She whined. "Here you try it on, you meanie."

You rolled your eyes but obligated.

Caroline put the medal on you, her hands staying on you for a moment before pulling away.

"It's not that heavy, you're being dramatic." You looked down at the medal.

She shook her head. "You're lying, you're making that face when you lie."

Caroline stood up, you got up after her.

The two of you walked to the bathroom, her arm easily wrapped around your waist.

Her head rested in the crook of your neck.

"The medal looks really good on you." Caroline kissed your neck. "Feeling jealous about that."

You felt your heart growing more fonder from the compliment.

"Good thing, it's yours. You earned it." You placed your hand on top of hers.

"Maybe, but it can never compare to you." Caroline looked at your reflection in the mirror.

You tilted your head towards Caroline, she didn't need any more instructions as her lips met yours, nice and slow.