Shades of Black and Gold - Charlie McAvoy x Reader x Sidney Crosby

(pt. 5) Homeward Bound

Summary: During the early morning hours of June 12th, 2019, Y/n makes a decision that will change her life; its time to go home, and its time to confess to Charlie.
Word Count:
Warning(s): Swearing

120...121...122...123...
Y/n counts in her head, her tired eyes locked to the ceiling above her.
124...125...126...127...
Her desperate attempts to catch even a wink of sleep fail continuously, yet she has been trying for hours.
128...129...what number was I on?
She turns her head to look at Sidney, who is fast asleep beside her. He breathes softly, and she watches as his chest slowly rises and falls. With a sigh, Y/n climbs out of bed, being sure not to make any sound as she moves. She makes her way to the bathroom, grabs one of Sidney's robes, and tip toes to the balcony. When she opens the door, it creaks a bit, and her gaze is instantly on Sidney. He doesn't budge, too far into dreamland to hear her. Y/n makes her way out onto the balcony and closes the door softly behind her. The early morning breeze seems to go right through the robe's fabric, and Y/n wraps it tighter around herself. She settles down in one of the wooden chairs and stares over the city of Pittsburgh. Its deafeningly quiet so early in the morning; she counted twenty-five minutes between each car she saw, and the only other sound was the wind rushing past the buildings. Her gaze turns to the sky now, and she watches as it goes from a deep blue to a soft periwinkle. This became her routine since the fight between Charlie and Sidney; getting little to no sleep each night and watching the sunrise every morning. On this particular morning, though, her homesickness had gotten the best of her. Today is game seven, and the Bruins are playing the Blues. Whoever wins this game gets the Stanley Cup, and Y/n felt like she needed to be there. More than anything, though, she wanted to see Charlie's face when the Bruins won. She draws a breath in, suddenly becoming all too aware of what she needed to do. As she slips off of the chair and heads back inside, she contemplates telling Sidney. Her eyes drift over to him again, and she stands there in silence as he snores.
I need to go. I want to catch the first flight to Boston... but I can't just leave him here, alone and confused.
Slowly, Y/n packs her things into her suitcase. She folds everything nicely, and leaves the suitcase open for herself in the morning. Her eyes lock to the pocket on the inside of the suitcase, and she slips her fingers inside. She pulls out her plane ticket that will be her way home. She runs her fingers over the word 'Boston' before returning the ticket to its rightful place. She then checks her phone as she climbs back into bed.
5:30am. The game starts at 8:00pm. I'll be out of here by five.
She looks at Sidney as she drops his robe to the floor and climbs back into bed. He's done a lot for her the past couple of months, and her heart aches a little at the idea of leaving. Still, she'd already made up her mind. She lays on her side and watches his face until her eyelids get heavy, and sleep finally overtakes her.

Y/n is awoken by the sound of the coffee maker, and she searches for her phone almost instantly.
9:00am.
She sits up slowly and rubs the sleep from her eyes, then glances around the room. She quickly spots Sidney, sitting out on the balcony exactly where she had been sitting a few hours before. As she makes her way out of bed and to the door, she notices the cup of coffee waiting for her on the table.
"Morning, Sid." She says as she opens the door.
"Hey, angel," he smiles at the sight of her. "You managed to get some sleep, huh?"
"Yeah, and it feels... refreshing."
"Good. Come sit, will ya?" Sidney asks. She hops onto the chair beside his and wraps her hands around the coffee cup he'd set out for her.
"We're getting out today." She states and studies his face for a reaction.
"You seem to have a plan."
"I do," Y/n sips her coffee "and we're gonna have fun today."
"I like the sound of that." He grins. Y/n smiles a little and looks down at the mug in her hands. Sidney looks out over the city and squints against the sunlight.
"It's a good day for whatever you're planning." He comments.
"I know." She tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear and takes another sip of coffee. Her mind buzzes now, regret clouding the edges of her vision, but she keeps a lighthearted smile on her face. As she looks at Sidney again, she struggles to keep her smile.
We're going to have a great day. We're gonna have fun. I'll ask him to take me to all of his favorite spots in the city, and then I will dump him and go home.
Her heart twinges at the idea, but it was already set in stone. The pair finish their coffees and head back into their shared apartment, fingers intertwined as they went.
"I saw you cleaned up the apartment a bit at some point." Sidney comments.
"Yeah, it was starting to bother me." She replies and lets go of his hand. He takes her mug from her, and walks over to the sink. Y/n wanders over to her suitcase and grabs an outfit for the day. She picks a gingham dress and changes into it, then sits crosslegged on the bed to braid her hair. Sidney sits with her and watches her delicate hands as she braids, and smiles when she ties off the two braids with blue ribbons.
"Get ready, babe." She meets his eyes and smiles softly.
"I couldn't help but watch you braid your hair, sorry." He hops off the bed and collects his own clothes for the day. She glances at her phone.
10:30am.
She draws in a breath, slow and slightly shaky, and waits for Sidney to finish getting ready. When he's finished, Y/n wraps her arm around his. She guides him out of the apartment, purse in hand, and down the halls. The pair head into an elevator at the end of the hall.
This is our last date. I should make it special somehow.
"Show me around the city, Sid. Take me to your favorite places." She says, watching him push the elevator buttons
"Really? That was your plan?" Sidney says with a smile "I'm not complaining. Just surprised."
"I want to see the beauty of Pittsburgh."
"Say no more." He says as they walk out of the hotel. "I'll make you fall in love with this city."

It's 3:30pm when Y/n decides its time to say goodbye. The park around them was surprisingly empty for such a beautiful place in the city of Pittsburgh, but she couldn't even take its beauty in when she knew what was about to come.
"Sidney." Y/n says slowly.
"Yes, angel?" Sid stops and turns his gaze to her, his features laced with curiosity.
"I can't do this anymore."
"What do you mean?" He looks at her, now shocked.
"I'm breaking up with you, Sid. I need to go home. I can't keep lying to myself." She looks down, her voice shaking a bit.
"You're... breaking up with me?"
"I'm sorry. I belong in Boston... and I belong with Charlie McAvoy." Y/n slowly looks up, and instantly regrets it when seeing the pain in his eyes.
"Charlie McAvoy? But what about us. What about what we had?" Sidney's brows furrow.
"He had my heart in the palms of his hands from the moment I met him. There's nothing I can do about that... but I did love you... just not like I love him."
"So I was just a backup boyfriend? You knew this was going to be temporary all along?" His voice cracks a bit, and Y/n can't read the muddied emotions within it.
"No, Sidney. It wasn't like that, it—"
"Go get your stuff. Get out of here."
"Sid—"
"Just go."
Y/n looks at her now ex-boyfriend, trying to best to ignore the tears streaming down her face. She turns and hurries back in the direction of the hotel. Again, the streets of Pittsburgh were losing their color... but it was different this time. There was a force like no other, telling her to pick up the pace. Imploring her to hurry. Begging her to get home.
So she ran.
She ran down the streets of Pittsburgh, up to the hotel, and into the elevator. The other people in the elevator look at her in confusion, and she ignores their gazes. When it reaches her floor, she hurries to her and Sidney's shared room and grabs her suitcase... but she pauses in the room. Her eyes drift across everything in the room, drinking in the sweet memories one last time before she flees. She makes a quick stop at the vanity, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She stands there, taking in the smell of Sidney's cologne, before finally leaving the room behind for the last time.
On the vanity, something glitters in the midday sun. Its a ring with Y/n's birthstone in it. The promise ring Sidney had given her the day after his fight with Charlie on the ice. Little did she know, Sidney would find that ring sitting on the vanity and keep it in hopes that she would return to Pittsburgh someday... in hopes that she would return to him.