NHL Imagines & One-Shots

Carter Verhaeghe

Note: there's some fighting and a lot of arguing at first (and LOTS of talking, too)

It was a lazy Sunday evening—I looked up at the cloudy sky as I ran my feet through the grass. Carter sat near me, crouched over with his face buried in his hands, his hair blowing in the wind. I could hear him crying, so I sat up and moved closer to him.

"What's wrong, Carter?" I asked, wrapping my arm around him. He sat back up, uncovered his face, and looked at me.

"Everything, Y/N... You've been watching the finals, haven't you?" He hissed. I nodded my head and he kept talking. "You've seen how my team's been playing lately, especially last night."

I stopped and paused to think, remembering all the stupid penalties and misconducts the Panthers had received this series so far. I cupped my hands on his face and gave him a kiss. "I know how undisciplined the Panthers have been lately, but you shouldn't beat yourself up over it."

Carter stood up and shook his head. He turned away from me, looking at the back of our house, then took a breath. "Yes I should, baby-" He said, then I cut him off. I looked up at him in anger and felt raindrops hitting my skin.

Before I could speak, a bolt of lightning struck nearby. I shivered in surprise, then quickly regained my confidence. "You should be proud of yourself!" I shouted and started to stand up, seeing him turn toward me again, staring into my eyes with anger. I stared back at him, seeing the frustration brewing on his rain-covered face.

"And why should I be?" He said as he grabbed my arm and yanked me off the ground. "Why should I be proud, Y/N?!" He added, tears flowing from his sparkling green eyes. I tried to break free, starting to run away, but he wasn't having any of that. He pulled me toward him and slapped my face.

He put his hand off my arm and I clenched my fist. "What was that for?!" I screeched and impulsively punched him in retaliation. He stood there with a blank, surprised expression and shed a tear.

"You wouldn't understand!" He scoffed and turned around, taking a few deep breaths. "Baby, I'm sorry—I'm going inside now." He added as he walked toward our house's back door and I quickly followed.

We sat down on the couch together and I hugged him. Carter laid down and rested his head on my lap, then I ran my hands through hair and smiled. "Sorry for getting heated during that argument and punching you... Do you forgive me, love?" I asked as I looked into his eyes.

"Yes, of course I do." He said and wiped the tears from his face. He sat back up and looked at me. "But, Y/N... Do you forgive me?"

I assured him that I forgave him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm not mad at you, I just want you to love yourself, like you love me."
I said as I pulled him toward me and we started hugging.

"Baby, it's hard to love myself when my team has played so bad lately." He said and buried his head in my arms.

"But-" I said and he covered my mouth with his hand, shutting me up.

"Y/N, just forget it! There's no point in cheering for my team—we're just gonna blow it when we're in Vegas on Tuesday." He muttered. I took his hand off my mouth and sighed.

"Well, if you keep acting like that, then it'll surely happen, Carter." I said and he shrugged. I reached out to the side table and grabbed my phone. He squeezed my hand to catch my attention and I looked at him.

"I just want to give up." Carter sighed as I scrolled through my phone and opened the YouTube app. He looked into my eyes and frowned.

I pointed my phone toward him, playing various highlights of the Panthers' playoff games so far. I sat in silence as he watched, until I got to the highlights of game seven against Boston. I paused the video and sped it up, and he donned a blank expression on his face.

"If you want to give up, then give up." I said as I unpaused the video and handed my phone to him. "So give up, then—and all your efforts will be in vain." I added as the video showed him scoring the game-winning goal against Boston. He stared at the screen as he held the phone in deep thought. I sped up the video and showed him the highlights of game three against Vegas, and that lit the spark inside of him.

"I won't give up. I can't give up." He said and exited out of the YouTube video, handing me my phone. He looked into my eyes with a look of confidence and I smiled.

"Now that's what I want to hear, Carter." I said and hugged him tight, then kissed him on the lips. He thanked me and we kept cuddling for a while. A few moments later, I looked at the window and saw that the night had already came. "Hey, love, you should probably get ready soon if you're leaving for Vegas tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, and thanks for caring so much. I love you, Y/N." Carter said as he stood up and walked towards the bedroom. "Join me, and let's get a good night's sleep before I leave tomorrow." He added and I followed him to the bedroom, got ready for bed, and we snuggled up together.

"Now, get some rest, love... And forget about Saturday—that's in the past." I said as I hugged him and ran my hands through his hair. He nodded his head and started to drift off to sleep in my arms, leaving me with a look of happiness on my face. "I love you, Carter. Goodnight."

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Author's Note:
It took me forever to actually get to writing this because I was angry about the loss on Saturday. I tried to make this as realistic as possible, and hopefully you like it.