nhl one-shots | multi

three little words | m. barzal

Summary: Mat had known since the first time he saw her, that he was in love. But now he had to tell her- and that was easier said than done.

Requested: Yes

Ever since that one night in a dingy bar, Mat had been convinced that he was in love. As cliche as it was, he knew it was love at first sight. The way Y/N danced freely as if no one was watching had him captivated, and the sound of her laughter close to his ear had become his favourite thing in the world.

Around him, people could see that he was changing. He was more thoughtful and always had a giddy grin plastered on his lips. At first a few of his friends had been concerned that he was drinking or smoking something to take the edge of hockey off- because Mat was a private person and he always claimed that he never wanted a relationship.

But Y/N had come along and changed all of that.

He wasn't sure whether or not it was the smell of her lemon perfume or the way her eyes lit up when she got excited- or how she squeezed his hand when they passed a dog in the streets. But either way, he had it bad and he was hopelessly in love with her.

In all honesty, he didn't know what to do with his feelings. He had already made Y/N his girlfriend a more than 4 months ago, but it didn't seem like enough. They had been taking things pretty slow, but Mat was fed up. He was tired of pulling at his hair late at night just because he thought he was getting ahead of himself and risking their relationship.

He wanted the whole world to know that he loved her, but first he had to tell her that he was Indeed in love.

And that had turned him into a nervous wreck.

Pacing back and forth through the basement which he had been living in since moving to Long Island, Mat groaned- he was beyond stressed out and it was actually pretty cute. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were showing an array of emotions. He was feeling every single emotion possible- ranging from frustration to complete adoration.

His phone was pressed to his ear and he whined into the mic. "Mom I don't know what to do! I can't just tell her that I love her!" He stressed. The woman on the other side of the line giggled softly- she had never seen her son so hung up over a girl and in all honesty she was happy about it. She knew that Mat's feelings were genuine and that he had never felt this way before.

At least he was old enough to really understand what being in a relationship was. Often times teenagers got into relationships and thought they knew everything about love- and that didn't always end well. More times than not, it ended in a messy heartbreak.

"Honey... Yes you can- that's exactly what you're going to do." His mother tried to reassure him, it was quite simple and she knew overthinking it would only take him feel worse.

Mat's eyes widened and he honestly felt like he was going to throw up. He had to pick up Y/N from her university dorm in less than an hour for their date and he wasn't even close to being ready- not to mention the drive was a decent twenty minutes. "It can't be that simple! What if it's too soon? What if she doesn't feel the same?" His voice grew quiet, weakness gather at the back of his throat.

Thats when Mat's mum realized just how important this was to him. He was so in love with her that he didn't know what to do if she decided she didn't share the same feelings. "Oh honey..." the tone she used was so calm and soothing that Mat felt as though she was in the room with him, wrapping her arms around him and pressing his cheek against her chest- just like when he woke up from nightmares when he was a baby.

"Mathew, This girl has been dating you for more than six months, and she has shown just as much affection if not more towards you... I can't say for sure- but I truly believe that she feels the same." The last thing his mother wanted to do was give him false hope, but he had met Y/N already when she was in town for a visit and the way that girl looked at him reminded her much of his father and her when they were young.

They were kids in love and she could see it.

Mat sighed softly, finally feeling a sense of calmness. Nodding at her words- a tiny smile graced his lips. "You really think so?" He couldn't help but get all giddy and excited- just the idea of Y/N feeling the same had him on cloud nine.

His mother's laugher filled his ears and she gushed. "I know so! Now go get ready for your date, call me in the morning and let me know what happened!" She ordered him playfully- she was definitely invested in his love life now.

Mat gave her a quick goodbye and started getting ready for their date. It was nothing crazy, just the two of them going to get some fast food and then maybe take a walk towards the beach. Settling for a pair of jeans and a hoodie, mat put on his snapback and a pair of sneakers- as much as his Chelsea boots called out to him, he didn't think they fit the occasion.

The drive to Y/N's dorm wasn't as stressful as he was expecting- his mother had given him such an array of confidence that he felt like he could take on the world- hell, he could go into the playoffs now and he felt like he might win.

Y/N had done her best to be a supportive girlfriend, attending the games when possible and always wearing his jersey- There had been a few pictures of them posted on the internet but they hadn't really made things official. People just assumed they were a thing and they made no effort to disagree.

As the familiar car pulled up outside her dorm, Y/N walked out wearing a pair of leggings and one of Mat's Islander hoodies. She looked adorable as ever and he immediately greeted her with a kiss as she got in the car. "How was your day?" She asked with a smile- the girl looked somewhat nervous and Mat took notice immediately. He decided not to comment on it, he just wanted to enjoy their time together tonight.

"It was good- Me and my mum were on the phone for a few hours, it was nice to hear her voice." He admitted, he was a momma's boy and everyone knew it, but he didn't care- his mom was one of the best things in his life and there was no shame in that.

Giggling softly, Mat felt his stomach swarm upon hearing the girl's voice- she was amazing without even trying. He had it bad.

"So I thought that we could just grab some food and walk along the beach? Is that cool?" He asked softly. The girl nodded and agreed- she was pretty easy going when it came to having plans with him. She was more of a 'lets spend time together rather than wasting time deciding what to do' type, in her mind, it was more important to spend time with those you cared about- because anything could be fun if you really tried.

A couple burgers and shakes later, the couple had made their way onto the beach- a light breeze picking up as the sun began to set. The sky was filled with colours of pinks and blues, looking like warm cotton candy. It was beautiful and Y/N couldn't stop herself from taking a few photos of mat- and then some of them together.

Her favourite was one where he had his arm wrapped around her shoulder, his face was scrunched up as she pressed her lips to his cheek- she knew that this memory would be one engraved in her mind for years to come.

As they ran around in the water for a little bit, Mat kicked the water as her- their shoes left in the sand. Squeaking, Y/N sent a big splash and it had gotten him wetter than she anticipated. Biting her lip, the girl quickly tore off into a sprint away from him- mat's hockey abilities giving him an upper hand as he caught up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her into the air.

They spun around a few times before finally mat had set her on the ground and puled her close. Feeling her breath fan against his lips, he couldn't help but smile. "I love you." He let out- it came so naturally that he almost didn't realize that he had said it.

But as the girl looked up at him with a soft gaze and her bottom lip pouted, she quickly broke into a smile and smashed her lisp against his- the kiss being reciprocated rather quickly. "I love you too you dork..."

This girl would be the death of him, but as long as she was around- it was a life worth living.