Mar 20
Oreo dumped Hughes a*s
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Australia
seen from Sweden
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
seen from Hong Kong SAR China
seen from United States
seen from Bangladesh
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
Oreo dumped Hughes a*s
Kiss and Make it Better
-Mitch is broken and Auston’s the only person who can fix him-
-Angst and fluff-
-Auston x Mitch-
•••
They lost. Really badly. It was game 70 and they were fighting hard for a spot in the playoffs. They almost beat Edmonton, too. It was tied at two in the last minutes of the third period. Auston got the puck on a breakaway, but was tripped by McDavid, earning no call. Mitch chased him all the way up the ice and was two feet away from him, the net to his back. Conner took the shot and it was going wide, but Marner got his stick on it, long enough to just tip it into his own net.
The Scotiabank arena went silent, 20,000 Leafs fans’ hopes of a trip to the playoffs dwindling with each loss.
All the guys went into the locker room hanging their heads after the third loss in a row. Mitch’s eyes were especially bloodshot. When he got into the locker room he went straight to his stall, sat on the bench, and put his head in his hands after throwing his helmet on the shelf, knocking down a glove.
It broke Auston’s heart to see his best friend in so much agony. Willy kept looking between the two boys, knowing Auston’s fondness for Mitch, in an act the opposite of subtle. Auston sat down next to Mitch, their knees bumping through their pads, and put an arm around him. “Hey, Mitchy,” he whispered, “nobody blames you.”
Auston’s touch allows Mitch to pick his head up and run his hands through his sweat-soaked hair. The pain in his eyes makes Auston want to cry. “Get changed and we’ll go home.” He tells the broken boy in his arms.
He keeps an eye on Mitch while he changes. It looks like the slightest blow would shatter him. Hockey is Mitch’s life, so he knows how much it’s killing him, blaming himself for the loss.
Once Auston’s changed he sits at his stall, with a mix of yearning and protectiveness over Mitch. Ever since he’s laid eyes on him, he’s wanted him. Willy and Patty know, but at this point so does everyone else. He doesn’t know that Mitch feels the exact same way, and has for just as long as Matts.
Mitch walks out of the arena with his hoodie over his head, Auston keeping his pace. They climb into the car in silence. Mitch looks between his feet and Auston’s hands on the wheel. He so badly want a kiss from him to make him better. His crush doesn’t move his eyes from the road until he hears a sniffle from next to him. Auston’s the only person Mitch has ever cried infront of, and only when he was in drastic amounts of pain.
“Hey, hey, Mitchy,” Auston says frantically, looking between his friend and the road. He wants to pull over and hold him, but they’re down the street from Mitch’s building, so he decides against it.
“I lost the fucking game! I’m the worst hockey player ever! I’ve gone seven games without a stupid goal-wait, no, I scored the game winner for fucking Edmonton!” Mitch explodes once they’ve parked outside his building, tears streaming down his face. The sight breaks Auston’s heart.
“You are such a goddamn liar, Marns,” Auston says softly. “You’re the best player in the NHL, even if nobody else can see it I can. And, hey, look at me,” Mitch looks into his eyes, Auston meeting his piercing blue eyes bloodshot and his face soaked with tears. “We did not lose because of you. Our games a team sport, no win or loss in one guys fault. Now, stop, it’s hurting me to see you like this.”
At those words Mitch’s heart does a little flip, somehow through all the pain. Auston looks past Mitch, at his building. “You gonna be okay alone tonight?” He asks, his voice laced with concern.
“I, umm, yeah, I’m just gonna go to sleep,” Mitch replies flustered.
The guys say goodnight and Auston drives away once Mitch steps into his building. His friend’s words relieved a bit of the weight off his shoulders, but he’s still kind of upset. When he gets up to his apartment he crawls under his bed covers once he’s changed and scrolls through Instagram. His heart skips a beat when he sees Auston’s latest post, a picture oh Mitch getting a piggy-back from him, both boys in a fit of laughter, neither looking at the camera. ‘@marner93 , my #MCM’.
He likes the photo and leaves a comment, then continues to scroll. The Leafs latest post is the final score, which lessens Mitch’s good mood. He scrolls through the comment, aware of the fact that it’s probably a mistake. Some read ‘great effort’ and ‘tough loss’, but most are targeting the heartbroken athlete.
He’s supposed to be used to it, but he’s allowing the words to get to him. With a no-goal stint and a mistake so drastic, he begins to believe the hateful comments. His heart hurts as he sees how disappointed the fans are in him. He’s letting Toronto down.
Maybe Auston was wrong. If there’s a shit player on the ice, he’s gonna mess it up for the rest of the guys. He starts to silently cry again, thinking he’ll never get out of his dry-stint. He throws his phone at the wall as it begins to ring, not knowing its Auston, pretending he doesn’t hope it is.
•••
When Auston got home there was a weight on his chest. Mitch is a really sensitive guy, but nobody really knows it except him. The way they are around each other, they’re kind of blind to not see the amount of feelings between the two.
He walked inside his apartment, locking the door and throwing the keys on the kitchen counter. Matts grabbed an apple and threw himself onto the couch.
There’s nothing good on tv, so he scrolls through Instagram. He sees his recent post and smiles at the joy on their faces. Then he reads all the disgusting comments about his best friend, wiping the grin off. He runs a frustrated hand through his hair and calls Mitch. He doesn’t pick up. Still no response a second, third time.
A voice inside his head reasons he might be asleep. He doubts it, but he needs the rest too. They have the second game of a back-to-back tomorrow. Auston yawns, throws the apple core in the garbage, and heads to the bathroom.
•••
He next morning, there’s no call or text from Mitch. They have practice this morning, so he’ll see what’s up when he goes to pick him up. While he’s brushing his teeth, he gets a FaceTime from Willy.
When he picks up he sees him and Kappy lying side-by-side on Willy’s bed.
“Hey, lovebirds,” Auston chirps, earning the finger from Willy. Kappys never really cared, too in love with Willy.
“Has your boyfriend talked to you? He was really upset last night and we saw the comments on the final score.” Asks Kappy.
“Oh really? I hadn’t noticed. He hasn’t spoken a word to me since I dropped him off. Oh, and, he’s not my boyfriend!” Austin points his toothbrush towards the camera and mumbles around a mouthful of toothpaste.
“Maybe not, but you wish,” Willy chirps.
Auston doesn’t argue. The guys continue talking, Matts nodding or shaking his head for the most part while he washes his face and shaves. “Alright, gotta go pick the kid up. See you on the ice,” Auston says and hangs up.
•••
Austin drives as fast as he can without getting pulled over to Mitch’s house. He knows he isn’t gonna get buzzed up, so when he gets there he uses his own copy of Mitch’s keys to get into the building and then his silent apartment.
Auston makes a beeline to his friend’s bedroom, not bothering to knock before stepping in.
Mitch has the covers pulled up over his head, but Auston recognizes the lump under the blankets. “Marns,” Auston says gently, fondness dripping from his words. Mitch whimpers under the covers as Auston sits on the edge of the bed. “What’s going on, man? We’ve got a game tonight, and practice in 15.”
Mitch’s blue eyes and messy hair peek up at Auston from under the covers. “I’m not going,” he says defiantly.
Auston restrains himself from running his hand through Mitch’s hair. “Marns, I saw the comments last night. People really suck, but people are also li-“
“No!” Mitch shoots up, revealing his bare chest and strong arms to Matts. “Everyone’s right! I fucking suck! Aus, I don’t wanna- I cant go.”
“Mitchell Marner. Every hockey player goes through this shit. But you’re so much better than every hockey player. You’re fucking fantastic. You make plays that shouldn’t even be possible. You’re also the best goddamn friend in the world!” Auston’s yelling, but he either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care. Mitch’s eyes aren’t as sad as they were a second ago, so he continues. “Mitchy, you’re the best thing to ever happen to me. You make garbage games fun. Just being around you puts me in a good mood. You have that dumbass smile on your face all the time. And-“ he cuts himself off, almost accidentally confessing his feelings to an awestruck Mitch.
“And what?” Mitch asks so quietly it’s almost a whisper.
“No, it’s, don’t worry,” he stands up, glancing at Marner’s eyes. The tears are gone. “Just get up and put some clothes on. If we don’t leave now Babs is gonna have our asses.
Mitch doesn’t move. “Aus, what were you gonna say?”
“Nothing! Don’t worry about it.”
“Auston Matthews,”
“Marns, get-“
“Aus, fucking tel-“
“I like you!”
Mitch goes silent. “I like you Marns. I like you a lot.”
Mitch gets pissed. “Who the fuck told you?! Look, Matts, it’s not funny to play with someone’s feelings like that. It’s just a stupid crush,”
“You think I’m joking? You actually think I’m kidding. Mitch, you’re clueless.”
“You’re an asshole. You’re-“
Auston lunges at Mitch and kisses him, hard. One hand is on Mitch’s shoulder, the other on the wall behind him. Mitch freezes for just a second, then his arms reach around Auston’s waist, pulling him close. Auston’s hands come up into Mitch’s hair and he kisses him and kisses him and kisses him. He’s wanted to do this for three damn years.
Auston pulls away. “Do you believe me now? You’re fucking incredible.”
“You fucking suck,” Mitch giggles and kisses him again. Auston kisses him back and pulls away to stand up.
“We have to go now,” he starts, but Mitch pulls him by the wrist back onto the bed. Auston laughs. “You’re adorable.” He runs his hand through Mitch’s hair and licks his own lips, then stands up and throws a shirt at Mitch. “If we don’t leave right now we’re dead meat.”
Mitch groans but pulls the shirt on over his head, not bothering to change out of his sweatpants or even brush his hair. As the boys walk towards the door, Mitch grabs Auston’s hand, looking pleased with himself. Auston licks his lips, glancing at their intertwined fingers. “You’re coming over after practice for fuckinh sure.”