fraser minten x bedard!reader
warnings: slight angst, fluff, cutie pies
(i think this is my fav fic i've written)
Winters in Vancouver that were once loud and chaotic were now quiet and calm. You didn't have random boys, who weren't so random, walking in and out of your house for team dinners anymore. Your bedroom was the only room with lights on past ten o'clock at night. Your parents laid out three plates at the dinner table rather than five.
In a way, you felt behind.
Connor, who was only older than you by a year, was off in Chicago for the hockey season. You were proud of him, of course, but you missed his company. You didn't miss the rancid smell he sometimes caused to linger in the house, but you longed to have someone to talk to.
Your sister was similar: off doing her own thing with school.
Yes, you were in school, but it was only community college to get your associates degree. School never felt like your calling, so you settled for a two year degree to at least have a base for your future.
Often, your nights looked like you watching some game on the television while scrolling through social media or old pictures.
Seeing his face this time of the year made you sad.
Your families were still close, but there was some distance now that both Fraser and Connor had made it to the NHL. Their schedules were always different and they rarely spent time at home. Not to mention, there was some sort of tension that lingered between the two.
While you still message each other a couple times a week, the words are always brief. You tried to talk about the things you used to, but he would often say he was too busy.
Ever since you were little, you believed everything he said. Fraser was always smart. You remember when you were young, maybe seven years old, he told you random facts he learned in school while you two were swinging in your backyard. You didn't have to pretend to be interested because the reality was you were interested.
To this day, your mother tells you that you've always been so close because the two of you were both sort of quiet and nerdy. She tells you stories you don't even remember. Apparently you told her you liked Fraser so much because he wore similar glasses you wore.
Now, you both rarely wear those thick framed lenses.
When you were sixteen, things shifted once again. You blamed it on growing up and stupid teenage hormones, but conversations became more clipped. You heard more about hockey than you did about the book he was reading. Still, you would lean your elbows on your knees and listen to every little word he said.
His eyes shined for hockey, so you supported him.
Those were the years his relationship with Connor changed too.
They were still best friends, but they were far more competitive now. There was some other tension between them that you still don't understand. You could never figure it out.
Connor grew annoyed when Fraser came over because he usually spent his time with you. He became protective. He always was, especially when his friends picked on you when you were kids, but this was different. Fraser was a good guy, one of the best, but in the world of hockey you couldn't trust anything a player did or said.
The last thing your brother wanted was for you to get hurt.
He would never tell you that, though.
The long months of winter had finally passed, however, and things were becoming slightly normal.
"Hey, princess, wake up!" Connor opened the pink curtains of your bedroom to let the sunlight seep into the space.
It was moments like this when you thought you were crazy for ever missing your brother. His entire presence was a disturbance.
"Just because you're back home doesn't mean you can do this shit." You groan and turn around, stuffing your face into your pink pillow. Okay, it was obvious this was your childhood room, but it was also obvious your favorite color was pink. The boys used to tease you about it, but now that the pink is complimented with cool posters they tolerated it.
"Just want to spend the day with my sister," He pushed your shoulder and sat down on the edge of your bed.
"Go spend time with mom."
"Mom and dad are out for breakfast."
"What?" You shoot your head to him. You were slightly offended your parents hadn't woken you up to bring you with them.
"You were the one sleeping, idiot." He laughed slightly and stood. "But seriously, I'm not sitting around here all day, so get ready."
"I don't know, wherever the wind takes us." He shrugged. His back was to you and his hands were on the top of your doorframe. "Oh, mom also said we're having people over tonight, so maybe clean this shit hole."
"You were never welcomed into this shit hole in the first place!" You yell as you hear his feet padder down the stairs.
It wasn't until at least an hour later you were downstairs in the kitchen eating a muffin with your hair damp against your back. The window was cracked open, letting the cool breeze fly through the wide area.
With a small smile on your face, you thought about how happy summer made you. Yeah, Connor annoyed the hell out of you, but the fact he even came home mean't a lot. He could have had a new life in Chicago he liked more than here in Vancouver, but thankfully he was too awkward for that. His teammates there were nice, but home was here.
And he'd be here for months.
"Okay, first of all, horrible color." He winced and sat down on the countertop.
"It's yellow." You say between bites and roll your eyes.
"Exactly." He looked you up and down with a playful, yet judgmental look. "Anyway, mom needs food for tonight, so we have to go to the store. But I also want ice cream, so we can go to our favorite place after."
"Serious? I thought you would." He smirks. Connor was never one to brag about his income. He worked hard to get to where he was now, to get the salary he had, but he never really talked about it. He only ever brought it up when you two were together in a situation that called for spending money.
"God, you're so funny." You give him an annoyed smile and flip him off.
"Okay, chop chop." He clapped his hands together and slid off the marble.
"Your shirt has a hole in it." You say while walking behind him to the driveway. It was true. It was tiny, but you wanted to bother him.
"Are you kidding?" He stopped and twisted the fabric to try to see if there was really a hole.
"Yes," You pointed to the hole and walked past him to the passenger side of the car.
"That's nothing." He threw his hands up in frustration after seeing it.
The drive to the store was loud. The windows were rolled down and Connor had some random playlist playing at full blast. Your hair blew in the wind and ended up with huge knots due to the fact it wasn't dry when you first got in the car.
Connor always made grocery store trips as fast as he could. He made the two of you split up and meet back in the middle. You were in charge of the drinks while he was in charge of grabbing the food. In his head, everything was faster when you split up to get the job done. So when the trip took less than ten minutes, he was beyond ecstatic.
"Vanilla?" He turned to you and peeked through the top of his sunglasses. You two made it to the ice cream shop in no time. It was your favorite place because it was a drive through. After ordering you always just sat in the parking lot and talked.
"And chocolate swirl." You corrected.
When you were handed the cone, the cool dessert already dripped down your finger due to the warm air.
"When are you done with school?" Connor questioned as soon as he pulled into the furthest parking spot.
"Like two weeks." You shrug.
"Sucks," He mumbled and scooped his ice cream into his mouth in the most diabolical way.
"Okay, random," You start, "but have you talked to Fraser at all?"
"Was it normal? Like a normal conversation?" You narrow your eyebrows.
"I mean, it was about hockey. So, I guess." He shrugged.
"Well, we don't talk about hockey, but we also haven't talked about anything recently."
"He's busy." Connor's words are slightly clipped. "He probably just got home."
"Yeah, but this has been all season." You shake your head, trying to act unbothered to brush the discomfort away.
"I think you're making this a bigger deal than it really is. The guy was in Boston doing whatever he wanted." Connor slouched back and turned to you. "Why does it bother you?"
"Because we're friends." You shrug and look at your brother like he was dumb. "I mean, I didn't think he would start ghosting me, so I was just wondering."
"You'll see him soon enough."
You thought about that conversation the rest of the day. While setting up for whatever this dinner was tonight, your thoughts drifted all over the place. Connor was good at brushing any conversation about Fraser under the rug like it was dirt. You felt slightly guilty for talking to him about it because you didn't want it to seem like you cared more about Fraser than you did your own brother. The reality was you just wanted to see him. Hear his voice. Then, there was a question of what you even cared about in the first place. You understood you had to go separate ways and grow up. So why was he always lingering in the back of your mind?
The sun is barely setting in the sky. At least a few more hours of sunshine was due, but your father decided starting the fire now was best.
"Who is even coming?" You turn to your mom who was laying out the table cloth.
"It's a surprise." She shrugged with a guilty smile. "They'll be here any minute."
As if on cue, you could hear the sound of flip-flops clicking down the sidewalk. By the time you turned around, you could see them standing there.
His parents were there too, but that didn't matter. You didn't even notice his mother say his younger brother was out with friends and couldn't make it. Your gaze was stuck on him.
"Yo!" Connor's voice broke you out of your trance. He shoved past you, dapping Fraser up, pulling him into a friendly hug. "What's up?"
"Hey," Fraser laughed and clapped Connor's back.
You could see his smile as he hugged your brother, which made you smile. There was a small churning sensation in your stomach. It wasn't bad. It felt like you were a little kid again running through your backyard with him.
He took his time hugging your parents and answering their random questions about how he's been. Your dad kept commenting on how "manly" he had gotten since he last saw him. You waited patiently in the back, ignoring the way Connor was glaring at you.
By the time Fraser had escaped your parents, you shifted your weight from your heels to your tippy toes.
"Hi," You smile up at him with your head tilted ever-so-slightly to the right.
"Hi." He reciprocated your grin and opened his arms up.
Stepping into his arms made you feel safe. You didn't realize how much you missed his warm embrace until his hands were back around your waist. It wasn't anything romantic, but it was enough to make you feel butterflies.
"How have you been?" He pulls away while questioning softly.
"Uh, good." You shrug and wrap your arms around your torso. "Up to the usual. You?"
"Same. Up to the usual." He laughed slightly and pushed his curly hair back out of his face. "It's, uh, really good to see you."
"Yeah, you too. This was quite the surprise." Your laugh was slightly awkward, but only because you were so nervous.
The two of you continued to chat for a few more moments before Connor pulled Fraser away and the two moms pulled you away. Now, it was the three ladies sitting around the fire with fruity drinks in their hands. Well, you had a lemonade, but that counted.
"You look just as beautiful as last summer," Chantal, his mother, commented. "Everything's going well?"
"Thank you," You blush slightly at her comment, "yeah, school's fine."
"You've always said that." She laughs at the tone of your voice. You guess things haven't really changed as much as you thought they have.
"No," You laugh and take a sip of your drink. "You don't meet many guys when you go to community college."
"I bet." She nods and looks around the yard. "You know, maybe it's time you and Fras just get together like your father’s always said you would.”
You laughed at this comment and the way your mother still rolled her eyes when something similar to the topic of you and Fraser together was brought up.
"Ladies, come get food before it's all gone!" Your dad yelled from the grill. While you walked over, the two boys walked past you with mountains of food on their plates.
"Wow, save some for the rest of us." You comment under your breath only for Connor to flip you off and Fraser to laugh.
You plated your food quickly and found your way to your chair. Coincidentally, Fraser had sat in the one beside yours.
Whatever Connor was talking to him about must have been pretty important because neither of them acknowledged your presence. You caught yourself looking at the side of Fraser's face every time he laughed at something your brother said.
"It's comforting to know the two of you still bicker like you always have." Fraser finally included you in the conversation after the old one died down.
"Well, Connor is an idiot."
"Oh my God! You're always coming at me like I did something terrible to you." He groaned with food in his mouth.
"You called me princess this morning." You shake your head at his behavior.
"Your bedroom is pink." He shrugged.
"Still?" Fraser smirked and tilted his head at you in question.
"Sue me for liking a color." You threw your hands in the air, feigning surrender.
Connor let out a small mumble you couldn't understand and stood from his spot to go get seconds. That left you and Fraser alone.
"Do you want to go down to the creek?" Your words spill out before you can catch them.
There was a small bench down by the dirty water you used to sit in as kids. When you thought about Moments with Fraser, you thought about afternoons by the creek.
That was where the two of you told each other your biggest secrets.
You weren't planning on dumping your emotions onto him this time, but the area itself brought you a sense of comfort.
"Yeah, let's go." He stood before you even did and began walking down the familiar path.
Grass tickled your ankles as you walked barefoot down the greenery to the murky water.
"How was Boston?" You question as soon as the two of you sat on the rotting bench. It was still stable enough to hold you, so you weren't really worried about it.
"It's great there with the team, you know? They all know the area pretty well, so they know the fun spots." He nodded and looked at the glimmering water. "It's nothing like home, though."
"You watched?" He turned to look at you.
"Why wouldn't I? I spent the winter alone here, the least I could do is watch yours and Connor's games." You turned back to him and offered a small smile. The sun made the green in his eyes sparkle.
"Just thought you'd be up to other stuff." He shrugged and looked back in front of him.
"Is that why you shut down my messages?" You bite your lip but knew it was the right time to ask about it.
"No," He shook his head. He also wasn't denying the fact he purposefully ignored a few of your texts every once in a while.
"I was adjusting." He shrugged. He wasn't being very believable.
"For months?" You furrow your eyebrows. "Did I do something?"
"No," His voice came out worried. "God, no, you didn't do anything."
"Connor? No?" He shook his head. He knew where you were going with the fact Connor has been weird when you two were together for years now.
"Have you ever just wanted to leave the past in the past?" He finally turns to you.
"Uh, I mean, no." You shake your head.
"Yeah, well I tried to." His words were sharp. Not the way he said it, but the way they impacted you. If he wanted to leave the past in the past, that meant leaving you behind. That's why he didn't reply. That's why every conversation was clipped.
Your heart broke slightly. In your head, after his mother said what she said, you thought she was right. Maybe you should just get together.
But you guess you're just old news.
"Oh." You whisper and press your lips together to repress any emotions.
"No, I didn't mean it like that." His hand fell down to your exposed thigh. Sparks shot up your body. "I tried to move on in Boston, but I can't leave the past."
You stay silent, unsure of what he was getting to.
"I thought Boston would help me move on."
"Move on?" You shake your head, keeping your eyes on his hand still rested on your tanned skin.
"We grew up with our parents telling us we would get married one day." He let out a small laugh. "But you always brushed it off. I was always stuck on it."
"It has always been you. Here. Us"
"What are you saying?" You turn back to look at him. You knew what he meant but you wanted him to say it.
"There's no future in Boston if I can't leave the past. But I can't leave you in the past." He started. "I need you in my future."
After he said those words the world was quiet. You forgot Connor was less than a hundred feet away. You forgot you were supposed to be mad at your best friend for leaving you high and dry. All you could see was him. Little Fraser, in his silly glasses, looking at little you, in your silly glasses.
"I thought you didn't feel it." You admit, words coming out soft and vulnerable.
"I've felt it every day since I was fifteen." He speaks.
"Our parents?" He laughed gently. "Well, we're not to the marriage stage yet."
"So what stage are we at?" You smile, feeling the blush rise from your heart to your cheeks. Every time you've blushed around Fraser in the past it's been because you were embarrassed. This wasn't that. It was love.
"If you're going to make me say it," He let out a dramatic sigh, "if you'd like, uh, you can be my girlfriend."
He stuttered. It flattered you that even after all these years of hidden emotions his nerves still came out in his tone. And the way he said it made you light up.
"I'd like that." You smile.
Without thinking, you leaned in. A kiss that should have happened in the same place when you were sixteen and he was telling you he'd be leaving to play with the Maple Leafs was happening now.
It was everything you've dreamed of. Because, yes, you've dreamt of kissing Fraser for years.
His hand remained rested on your thigh, but the other cupped the back of your neck, exemplifying the sense of security he always gave you. It was slow and perfect. Every little emotion was poured into the touch.
"Connor's gonna kill me," You pull away, letting your forehead rest against his.
"He knew this was coming," Fraser laughed a breathy laugh as if the kiss made him breathless.
"I guess we all knew it was coming."
