Diapers and Defensemen Ch. Twenty-Three- Quinn Hughes
Summary: The second round of the playoffs have you at you at your old stomping grounds, and Quinn's attention to details make it a trip worth remembering.
Warnings: Cussing (duh), Quinn acting weird, and subtle reminders of the earlier chapters if you were paying attention. Probably poor editing
WC: 2.2k
Notes: I have been desperately trying to finish this series before school starts so I won't have to leave you guys hanging for too long, but classes start in a week and I don't think I'm going to be able to finish it by then. We're getting awfully close though.
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First Chapter | Previous Chapter
shot the puck off the fucking foot of a Dallas player and into the fucking goal. You knew Quinn was talented and a hell of a playmaker, but never in a million years had you ever expected that kind of play. You’d stayed home and wished you hadn’t, would’ve killed to witness that in real time.
When Quinn got home around 11:00, you’d expected him to crash from the adrenaline drop or run straight for the shower. Quinn wasn’t ever the type for crazy or random ideas, especially after a hard fought game. Instead of his normal post-game exhaustion, he had a look in his eyes that told you he was up to something, and his first sentence all but confirmed it.
“You should come to Colorado.”
You looked up at him from your phone, eyebrows scrunched together. “I’m fine, how are you?”
“Doll.” Quinn’s head tilted as if that wasn’t the response he was looking for, but even if you had thought about it for longer than five seconds you would’ve still had the same feedback.
“You can’t just walk into the bedroom and say something like that out of nowhere, Quinn.”
“Why not?” Quinn questioned as you watched him toss his shirt in the general direction of the hamper, the fabric hanging half over the edge.
“Two reasons. Number one: you’re coming off of a huge high right now and things like that make your brain fuzzy.”
“I am the most clear headed I’ve been in weeks, thank you very much.”
“And two: I am eight months pregnant, I would like a valid reason as to why you want my ass to get on a plane to Denver and see that creepy fuckin’ horse statue against my will.”
“I- horse?” Quinn stopped dead in his tracks, looking over his shoulder from the dresser as he gathered a fresh change of clothes.
“I am not explaining the lore of Blucifer at 11 o’clock at night.” You groaned as you stretched your legs out under the covers, your hips practically screaming at you in protest with the inability to get comfortable. “Why do you want me to come to Colorado?”
“Figured it might be fun for you, get you out of the apartment for a few days.” Quinn was dancing around his true intentions, and in a normal relationship it would be cute. A loving and adoring partner planning a sweet surprise for their love.
Hockey players don’t do romantic gestures, and Quinn definitely didn’t do romantic gestures. Or at the very least, didn’t do them in the middle of the fucking playoffs.
“I’m onto you, Hughes. You’re hiding something.”
“I’m not hiding anything, I’m just making a suggestion to get you out of the apartment, ya homebody.”
“Oh, are we really going to talk about homebodies when you’re only ever here or at a rink? Be so fuckin’ for real right now.” You huffed, leaning back against the headboard. “What is this about?”
“I’m just.. Paying some past dues.” Quinn smirked, tossing a pair of sweats over his shoulder and disappearing into the bathroom.
Past dues? Against your body’s better wishes you rolled off the bed and followed him. “Am I supposed to know what that means? You don’t owe me anything.”
“You’re both right and wrong.” Quinn laughed as he started up the shower, quickly pulling off the rest of his clothes. “I don’t technically owe you anything, by your standards at least. But I do have one debt that I have waited months to pay, and if this is going to be my only opportunity then I’m taking it.”
“Now I’m even more confused.” You grumbled, having absolutely no self control as you examined Quinn’s bare body while he tested the temperature of the water.
“Don’t worry about it, just pack for a three day trip and I’ll take care of the rest.” Quinn simply said before disappearing behind the shower curtain.
“You’re saying that to a massive control freak, Quinn.”
“You’re not a control freak, you just can’t stand surprises.”
“And you don’t plan surprises. I have more than enough reason to be worried.” Your voice came out almost whiny, as if the change in tone would get him to relent. It didn’t, the boy was far too stubborn to fall for it. “Okay, fine. Don’t tell me what weird little plan you have. Doesn’t bother me one bit.”
“Uh huh, sure.” You heard Quinn shout over the water sprays, not believing your words for a single minute. You rolled your eyes hard enough to put a cramp in your neck as you walked back out to the bedroom. The actual audacity he had to call you out on your bullshit? The man was getting too comfortable.
When he emerged from the shower, he still had that stupid crooked smirk on his face, a small laugh escaping when you glared at him. “I think this is exactly what you’ll need, Doll.”
“What exactly is in Colorado that I need?” You asked as he reached the edge of his side of the bed, pulling back the covers and climbing in next to you. “I have everything I need here.”
“Just.. trust me on this one.” Quinn exhaled, scooting in close and grabbing your hand. “Please?”
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Quinn’s alarm had gone off three separate times before he finally pulled himself out of his hotel bed. Brock was still snoring in the other bed, completely dead to the world despite the grating tone that came from Quinn’s phone.
This was probably the stupidest thing he possibly could’ve done in the middle of the playoff run, but his plans couldn’t fail now. He’d managed to avoid all of your questions about his reasons for dragging you out to your old stomping grounds, and had gone through a dumb amount of research to make sure he could squeeze this into the schedule. The fact that Coach had postponed morning skate until the next day was a blessing in disguise, because it gave him even more time to get this day going.
After a quick shower and a double check that his beard didn’t look too raggedy, Quinn snuck out of the hotel room without waking Brock and made his way down to the rental car he’d ordered in advance before making his way to your hotel not that far from where the team was staying. He’d tried to get a room for you in his, but nothing works faster than out of town Avalanche and Wild fans when it comes to booking luxury hotel rooms.
“Hey, are you up?” He asked through the phone as he pulled into the short term parking, making his way through the hotel entrance.
“Yeah, I was actually about to order breakfast.”
“Don’t. I’ve got plans for us. Come downstairs.”
Ten minutes later you emerged from the elevator, looking comfortable in the hoodie you stowed away from his closet and one of your hundred pairs of black leggings. You hadn’t even bothered to put on makeup, which was probably the best case scenario. He was completely convinced you were not walking away from this without releasing some, if not all, of your emotions.
“Please tell me I’m not under dressed.”
“For where we’re going? You’ll fit right in.”
Quinn remembered a lot of unimportant things. The stats of the best players in hockey history, the first round pick at every draft for the last 30 years, and plenty of others came to mind. He’d also learned a lot of things that you didn’t deem important either, like why you had an obsession with lavender scented products or the real reason why chocolate was superior to vanilla. But of all the details he’d learned about you over the last hockey season, there was one that stuck to the walls of his brain. And as he pulled into the parking lot of the tiny little brick building and saw your face light up like a kid on Christmas morning, he knew that remembering one specific text message from way back in Vancouver was all worth it.
That’s right, you were finally getting Waffle House.
“You remembered?” Your voice was already getting choked up, your bottom lip quivering like he’d just given you the world and tears welling in your eyes.
This was not the part of the day where I was expecting her to get emotional.
He laughed and climbed out of his seat before making his way to the other side to help you out, the car seat a little too low to the ground for someone with a tilted center of gravity. “I can not believe you remembered this.” You hadn’t even mentioned Waffle House much, maybe a few times at most. But every time Quinn filed it away, trying to find the perfect time to offer you a chance to get the thing you thought you’d never get before the baby arrived. And yeah, he could’ve done it in Dallas, but there was another reason why he chose Colorado.
The two of you ate greasy hashbrowns and waffles, all while he watched you hit a state of euphoria he didn’t even think was possible with fast food. Stopping for Waffle House first was probably a smart decision, because he knew that giving you a big dopamine hit first was necessary for what was yet to come.
Quinn had a lot of free time on the plane, and while he often tried to catch up on sleep, in recent weeks he’d been planning this trip. He wanted this to happen before you gave birth, as you’d grown a lot throughout your pregnancy. You’d been looking back at your childhood with a different understanding, not getting as sad when you thought about your dad and the ‘what ifs.’ He did a lot of research, found exactly how he could help you find at least a little bit of closure, and bringing you back to your roots was part of that.
The clouds had barely started to hit the sky above when the car had made its way through the small ranch town an hour south of Denver. It was quaint and oddly peaceful despite the heavy personal history it had to you. At first you didn’t even realize where you were, until Quinn drove past a road you recognized. With a small gasp, you turned to look at him at the same time he glanced to you, your heart thumping so hard Quinn could feel it in your tangled hands.
“You asked what you needed in Colorado.” Quinn said as he turned onto a street with a 10 mph sigh, following the directions he looked over one last time before he got into the car at the restaurant. He put the car in park before turning to face you fully, reaching over to wipe away a small tear. “I didn’t bring flowers, but he didn’t sound like the type to enjoy them.”
“Quinn..” you whispered, shaking your head slowly. He’d brought you back to your hometown, your original hometown, to see your dad. Something told him you needed space as you climbed out of the car, walking straight for Andrew’s grave. Like you’d never forgotten the way there, even after all these years.
Quinn watched you carefully as you made it to his headstone, running your fingers along the top as you wiped at your cheeks with your sleeve. He witnessed you get on your knees and talk to the stone like your dad was there and having a full conversation with you, pulling at a few stray weeds that were sprouting at the base, and brushing away the dried up grass off the granite. Eventually you looked towards the car before looking back, a sad smile on your face before you spoke a few more sentences with a small nod.
After giving you a few minutes alone, Quinn finally came up to help you back on your feet. The moment you stood up, you wrapped your arms around him tight with your face tucked into his chest. “Thank you, Quinn.” You mumbled, still sniffling from the tears you let out.
“You’re welcome, Doll.” He hummed, kissing the top of your head and squeezing you softly before tilting your head up to look at him. “Go sit in the car, I’ll be right behind you.”
When you were out of earshot Quinn faced the stone. It was fairly simple, with just his name, the dates, and a pair of cowboy boots engraved in the corner. You’d brushed away the thin layer of dust from the surface, but hadn’t gotten it out of the carved grooves, but it was fitting for a man who’d lived and died by the ways of the ranch.
Quinn didn’t know what to say at first, didn’t really think he needed to say much at all. He obviously never got to meet him, though judging from how he had tried so hard to get you back in his life, he would have loved to. Standing in front of that gravestone really put into perspective how lucky he was to have his entire family, and how you now had that family too. Before he could stop himself, the words finally came out.
“I’ve got your girl. She’s loved and safe.”
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Next Chapter (Coming... eventually)
