On Thin Ice- Q.Hughes

It's the playoffs.

It's do or die.

Quinn Hughes is living with the weight of the world on his shoulders. It's his first year as captain and he has managed the incredible feat of leading his team all the way to the playoffs.

The pressure he is feeling is insurmountable. On one hand he wants to go all the way, needs to get to the top not only for his team but for the honor of raising the Stanley cup above his head. On the other hand he has to do it, he has no choice but to grind and grind with the only goal of proving people wrong. It's not a dream, it's a necessity.

He's young, he knows. He makes mistakes, he knows but at the end of the day the most important thing is that Quinn Hughes knows he has what it takes to make it to the highest level. To win the hardest trophy in every sport, and if he doesn't win he might just loose himself in the process.

Quinn is drowning in the pressure, in the expectations, and the sheer desperation to win. He's at his breaking point, teetering over the edge of his lowest low.

In enters Elsie Hartley, Quinn's newly appointed assistant. It's her job to follow him everywhere and surprisingly Quinn doesn't seem to mind. Her presence is a life force. A light in the darkness.

In a twist of events Elsie is the reason Quinn is able to make it to the top. She helps shoulder some of the weight, eases the suffocating pressure and believes in him so deeply it causes him to believe in himself, in his team, and their ability to win.

And of course, they do just that.

Winning the Stanley Cup is supposed to be his biggest achievement, it's supposed to be the only thing he can focus on, but lately his mind is wandering to a certain red haired, blue eyed assistant who without realizing it just made all his dreams come true.

Now, he's got another goal in mind. One more thing he has to win, the heart of that same assistant.