nhl one-shots | completed

xxv | andre burakovsky

FIGHT | for jayellbee

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(Your Name) pulled away from Andre, smiling up at him. He was about to leave for a home hockey game at Capital One Arena. He played for the Washington Capitals, and they were to play the Boston Bruins for the second time that season.

"Good luck," she told him. "I'm excited to watch you play in person."

"Hopefully we'll win for you," Andre said, grinning.

"Hopefully," she agreed. "You should get going, though. You wouldn't want to be late."

"Yeah," he said, moving to grab his coat. "I'll see you there, alright?"

She nodded. "Of course."

Andre looked at her for a few long moments before smiling to himself and turning towards the door. "See ya!"

"Bye, Andre," she said as the door closed behind him.

(Your Name) sighed. She had been friends with Andre since he had moved to Washington D.C., but she had never felt like this. Sure, she had always found him cute, but she hadn't had any real feelings for him until recently. 

She knew that falling for him was a bad idea. He was traveling a lot and besides, he probably just thought of her as a friend. Still, she couldn't ignore the glances and small smiles he sometimes gave her.

Hours later, (Your Name) was in her seat and the game was on. From the start, tempers flared. Andre watched as his teammate, Tom Wilson, was slammed into the boards by Zdeno Chara, causing Tom to crumple to the ice. He got up slowly, shouting something at Chara as he skated away. Sure, the hit wasn't dirty, but it was late and unnecessary, and many of the players -- Andre included -- were visibly upset.

That was how, 8 minutes of play later, he found himself face to face with the giant that was Zdeno Chara.

"Wanna drop 'em?" Andre taunted, knowing he was beginning to get ahead of himself, but not caring in the slightest.

Chara laughed, raising an eyebrow. "You sure about that, kid?"

"Yeah," he replied, glancing over at the linesmen near them.

The next play, when the puck was sent down the ice, Andre turned to Chara and shook his gloves off. He smirked, copying Andre's actions.

What felt like just moments later, Chara was being pulled off of Andre by the refs. Andre's helmet had popped off and his gear underneath his jersey was visible as he sat on the ice. It was clear that he had lost, but the crowd was still cheering as he skated to the penalty box.

The game ended in a 6-2 win for the Capitals. The first thing Andre did after showering and changing was find (Your Name). He had told her to wait for him, and though she hadn't responded, he figured she had gotten the message.

Sure enough, she was waiting where he had expected, looking around for him. She perked up when she spotted him, jogging over to him.

"Andre!" she called, seemingly worried about him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he told her as she ran her thumb over the bruise that was beginning to form, her warm fingers ghosting over his jaw. "It's not that bad."

"That was pretty brave of you," she told him, pulling away. "That, or crazy."

He chuckled. "Probably the second one."

They made their way back to Andre's house shortly after, as he had invited (Your Name) over to celebrate the win. She had always enjoyed visiting his house; she'd always thought it was beautiful.

"It was a good win," she said as she sat next to Andre on the couch, "even if you did get beat up."

He laughed, the bruise on his cheek starting to sting even more. "Never doubt the strength of Zdeno Chara."

"Yeah," she agreed. "I would have been terrified if I were you. I was terrified for you."

"I hope you'll never have to fight anyone, ever," he told her, looking over at her. "I'd never want to see you hurt."

"I don't want to see you hurt, either," she chuckled, reaching up to brush her thumb over the bruise again, which was beginning to turn a dark purple color. "But I know that's not possible. You're a hockey player, after all."

He smiled, reaching up and covering her hand. She gave him a look of both shock and confusion. "Y'know, (Your Name)," he began as he pulled her hand away from his face and intertwined their fingers. His heart raced and his words almost got caught in his throat as he looked up at her. "I think I love you."

(Your Name) just started at him for a few long moments, and he could have sworn that he was going to die of anticipation. "Is that so?" she spoke quietly, her face quickly turning red. "Well, Andre, I love you, too."

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andre is such a cutie i love him

12.05.17