Long Distance Lovers
Chapter 1/1
||Paul’s POV||
I skated out onto the ice about an hour before practice started. It was cold and snowing outside on that December morning. I was shivering, more because of the fact that the Chicago Blackhawks were in town than the fact that it was freezing inside. I shook my head and grabbed some pucks from the box near the bench.
“Paul! What are you doing here this early?” I jumped and turned to face Lindy Ruff, our head coach.
“I was trying to get some practice in before the other guys arrived,” I said simply. Lindy shook his head.
“You’ve been doing that since you found out they’d be coming to Buffalo this year. Is it because of him?” he asked. I hung my head and nodded.
“Yeah, it’s because of Brian,” I said quietly. Lindy came out onto the ice and led me off.
“Sit here and warm up. You’re frozen, I can see it,” he ordered. I nodded and pulled my coat out of my locker. He handed me a cup of hot coffee, which I accepted gratefully. I took a sip of the warm liquid and sighed in relief. He smiled at me.
“Coach, I think I need to take a walk for a little bit,” I said suddenly.
“You should go home and rest before the game, otherwise you’ll work yourself to death before you even see him again,” Lindy said. I nodded and grabbed my keys. Changing back into my normal clothes, I walked out of the arena and drove home.
||Brian’s POV||
I was with fellow teammate and Buffalo native Patrick Kane as we headed to HSBC Arena. We parked in the lot and walked inside. I smiled as I saw the familiar arena once again. It was like I had never left. Lindy Ruff walked up to me and pulled me aside.
“Good to see you again, Brian,” he said, his face all business.
“You too, Lindy,” I responded warily.
“Paul’s been worried about seeing you again, you know,” he said conversationally. I winced; our relationship hadn’t ended on a good note once I’d left. “I think you should try and work it out with him.”
“I will, Lindy,” I promised. “Where is he?”
“He’s at home, resting. I gave him today’s practice off since he’s been working so hard since he remembered the Blackhawks were coming to town tonight,” he responded.
“I’ll talk to him later, before the game starts,” I decided. He nodded and walked off. I caught back up with Patrick, who gave me a questioning look. I ignored it and went into the locker room.
||Paul’s POV||
Around 2:30 in the afternoon, I woke up to someone pounding on my door. I groaned and rolled out of bed.
“Paul! Paul! PAUL!” Someone outside screamed my name. I winced as I recognized Patrick Kaleta’s voice.
“Dude, he’s probably sleeping!” Adam Mair’s voice chimed in.
“It was your idea to come here!”
“No, it was yours. Why ruin his day? He already knows he’s coming to town.” I realized they had forgotten they had keys to my house.
“Guys, shut up!” I shouted downstairs. There was a long pause.
“Sorry, Paul,” Adam said quietly. “Can we come in?”
“Sure, come in,” I said resignedly. Adam, Pat, Ryan Miller, Drew Stafford, Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder walked into my house. I groaned and the guys laughed.
“We’re here to cheer you up,” Ryan said, grinning. He held up three bags of popcorn, Toni had three cases of Pepsi, Pat had an X-box 360 and Adam had NHL 10. We sat on my couch while Ryan popped the corn and we started our NHL 10 Tournament of Champions. I was winning about halfway through the tournament when my phone rang. I paused the game and went to answer it.
“Hello,” I said.
“Paul, it’s Brian.” came the response.
“I don’t want to talk to you right now, Brian.”
“Please, it’s important. I wouldn’t call if it wasn’t, you know that.”
“Look, can it wait until later?”
“No, it can’t.”
“Fine, where are you at?”
”I’m at the arena. Please come alone.” I hung up and headed toward the hallway. The guys watched me retreat in silence as I grabbed my keys, put on my coat and headed out.
||Brian’s POV||
I paced back and forth restlessly as I waited for Paul to get here. I was nervous because of how our relationship had ended. We had been so close to each other, and all of that was torn away when I told him I’d gotten traded. I was so lost in my thoughts; I didn’t hear him walk in.
“Brian.” I turned around and there he stood, his brown hair covered in snow, his eyes black with his anger and pain. I could see the toned body even through the coat and jeans he wore. I wanted to feel that body against mine again. I took a deep breath and drew myself away from those thoughts.
“Paul, Lindy wanted me to talk to you,” I started.
“Well, I’m not talking to you out here,” he said.
“How about the locker room? They’re both empty,” I said. He nodded and started off toward them. I followed behind him slowly. The pain seemed to make me drag. I sat heavily on the benches in the locker room, staring up at Paul.
“Well, what did you want?” he asked harshly. I winced at the anger in his tone.
“I want to know what happened between us,” I said. I held up a hand as I saw him about to interrupt. “No, let me finish. I was fully willing to have us have a long distance relationship after I’d left. I intended for us to still be a couple. Do you know how heartbroken I was when you told me you never wanted to see me again? It hurt, Paul.”
“Don’t go acting like you’re the only one hurt by it.” His tone was so cold.
“Paul, you’re the one who broke up with me, in case you didn’t remember! I loved you so much! How could you have just thrown that away?” Tears pushed at my eyes, and I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted the answer to that.
“I never loved you,” he said coldly. My tears spilled over, and I ran out of the locker room as they cascaded down my cheeks.
||FF: Game Time||
||Paul’s POV||
I paced restlessly outside of the locker room. I was nervous because I knew I’d get hit a lot. I’d hurt Brian bad, I knew, but he hurt me, too, so he deserved it, right? I sighed, running my fingers through my hair as I stepped out onto the ice. After the anthems came the puck drop. On my first shift, guys flew at me. I couldn’t do anything to stop it.
“Paul, pass the puck up here!” Toni Lydman called out to me. I moved toward it, and suddenly it felt like a truck had run me over. My head slammed into the boards, and I felt myself collapse to the ice. Stars danced in my vision and exploded, and I knew nothing more.
||Brian’s POV||
Paul went down hard after Dustin Byfuglien rammed him into the boards. I watched on in horror as the athletic trainer raced toward him. After five minutes, they had to carry him off on a stretcher. I was worried out of my mind; without even thinking about it, I headed toward my locker room, changed and followed them out.
||Paul’s POV||
There was a brightly light clearing in the middle of Letchworth State Park. I gasped at the breathtaking sight.
“Brian, it’s beautiful,” I breathed. He smiled and we set up a picnic lunch there. We did a bit of hiking before heading back to his place. He kept me out of the kitchen all day. By the time 7:00 rolled around, he called me in to a romantic candlelit dinner. “Oh, Brian,” I said, hugging him tightly.
“This is just for you, Paul,” he said. “I got you this.” He pulled out a box with a sterling sliver cross necklace in it. “It’s to replace the one that you lost.”
“Brian, this is amazing,” I said, kissing him lightly on the lips. “I love it.” He kissed me back, and we sat down to eat the delicious dinner he had prepared.
||Brian’s POV||
I sat next to Paul in the ambulance as it made its way to Buffalo General Hospital. A paramedic was taking all of his vital signs when suddenly Paul stopped breathing. My heart stopped in my chest as the ambulance pulled off to the side of the road while the paramedics scrambled to get his breath going again.
||Paul’s POV||
We were driving in Brian’s car down a stretch of the 90 as the autumn leaves began falling around us.
“Brian, I don’t recognize this at all. Where are we going?” I asked. He smiled.
“You’ll see,” he said. I noticed we were getting closer to the New York- Pennsylvania state line. We reached Alleghany State Park a short time after I noticed this.
“Brian, why are we here?” I asked. He didn’t say anything; he just grabbed my hand and led me to a spot deep in the woods. We found a cave that was isolated from everything else. He pulled me into it and kissed me on the mouth passionately. My eyes fluttered shut as my hands found his hair. He pulled at my coat, and it quickly got heated from there.
||Brian’s POV||
“Come on, breathe!” A paramedic shouted. Tears coursed down my cheeks as the thought that he wasn't going to wake up again fluttered around my brain. All of a sudden, Paul took a heavy breath, and I let out a sigh of relief. He half opened his eyes to stare at me.
“Brian,” he gasped.
“You’re going to be all right, Paul,” I whispered, grabbing his free hand. He squeezed mine with a lot of strength.
“I’m sorry, Brian. I didn’t mean what I said earlier. I could never hate you.”
“I know, Paul, I know. Can we try to make us work?”
“Absolutely. I love you so much.” His eyes closed as he fell into an easy sleep. I kissed his forehead, and I knew everything would be just fine.
I skated out onto the ice about an hour before practice started. It was cold and snowing outside on that December morning. I was shivering, more because of the fact that the Chicago Blackhawks were in town than the fact that it was freezing inside. I shook my head and grabbed some pucks from the box near the bench.
“Paul! What are you doing here this early?” I jumped and turned to face Lindy Ruff, our head coach.
“I was trying to get some practice in before the other guys arrived,” I said simply. Lindy shook his head.
“You’ve been doing that since you found out they’d be coming to Buffalo this year. Is it because of him?” he asked. I hung my head and nodded.
“Yeah, it’s because of Brian,” I said quietly. Lindy came out onto the ice and led me off.
“Sit here and warm up. You’re frozen, I can see it,” he ordered. I nodded and pulled my coat out of my locker. He handed me a cup of hot coffee, which I accepted gratefully. I took a sip of the warm liquid and sighed in relief. He smiled at me.
“Coach, I think I need to take a walk for a little bit,” I said suddenly.
“You should go home and rest before the game, otherwise you’ll work yourself to death before you even see him again,” Lindy said. I nodded and grabbed my keys. Changing back into my normal clothes, I walked out of the arena and drove home.
||Brian’s POV||
I was with fellow teammate and Buffalo native Patrick Kane as we headed to HSBC Arena. We parked in the lot and walked inside. I smiled as I saw the familiar arena once again. It was like I had never left. Lindy Ruff walked up to me and pulled me aside.
“Good to see you again, Brian,” he said, his face all business.
“You too, Lindy,” I responded warily.
“Paul’s been worried about seeing you again, you know,” he said conversationally. I winced; our relationship hadn’t ended on a good note once I’d left. “I think you should try and work it out with him.”
“I will, Lindy,” I promised. “Where is he?”
“He’s at home, resting. I gave him today’s practice off since he’s been working so hard since he remembered the Blackhawks were coming to town tonight,” he responded.
“I’ll talk to him later, before the game starts,” I decided. He nodded and walked off. I caught back up with Patrick, who gave me a questioning look. I ignored it and went into the locker room.
||Paul’s POV||
Around 2:30 in the afternoon, I woke up to someone pounding on my door. I groaned and rolled out of bed.
“Paul! Paul! PAUL!” Someone outside screamed my name. I winced as I recognized Patrick Kaleta’s voice.
“Dude, he’s probably sleeping!” Adam Mair’s voice chimed in.
“It was your idea to come here!”
“No, it was yours. Why ruin his day? He already knows he’s coming to town.” I realized they had forgotten they had keys to my house.
“Guys, shut up!” I shouted downstairs. There was a long pause.
“Sorry, Paul,” Adam said quietly. “Can we come in?”
“Sure, come in,” I said resignedly. Adam, Pat, Ryan Miller, Drew Stafford, Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder walked into my house. I groaned and the guys laughed.
“We’re here to cheer you up,” Ryan said, grinning. He held up three bags of popcorn, Toni had three cases of Pepsi, Pat had an X-box 360 and Adam had NHL 10. We sat on my couch while Ryan popped the corn and we started our NHL 10 Tournament of Champions. I was winning about halfway through the tournament when my phone rang. I paused the game and went to answer it.
“Hello,” I said.
“Paul, it’s Brian.” came the response.
“I don’t want to talk to you right now, Brian.”
“Please, it’s important. I wouldn’t call if it wasn’t, you know that.”
“Look, can it wait until later?”
“No, it can’t.”
“Fine, where are you at?”
”I’m at the arena. Please come alone.” I hung up and headed toward the hallway. The guys watched me retreat in silence as I grabbed my keys, put on my coat and headed out.
||Brian’s POV||
I paced back and forth restlessly as I waited for Paul to get here. I was nervous because of how our relationship had ended. We had been so close to each other, and all of that was torn away when I told him I’d gotten traded. I was so lost in my thoughts; I didn’t hear him walk in.
“Brian.” I turned around and there he stood, his brown hair covered in snow, his eyes black with his anger and pain. I could see the toned body even through the coat and jeans he wore. I wanted to feel that body against mine again. I took a deep breath and drew myself away from those thoughts.
“Paul, Lindy wanted me to talk to you,” I started.
“Well, I’m not talking to you out here,” he said.
“How about the locker room? They’re both empty,” I said. He nodded and started off toward them. I followed behind him slowly. The pain seemed to make me drag. I sat heavily on the benches in the locker room, staring up at Paul.
“Well, what did you want?” he asked harshly. I winced at the anger in his tone.
“I want to know what happened between us,” I said. I held up a hand as I saw him about to interrupt. “No, let me finish. I was fully willing to have us have a long distance relationship after I’d left. I intended for us to still be a couple. Do you know how heartbroken I was when you told me you never wanted to see me again? It hurt, Paul.”
“Don’t go acting like you’re the only one hurt by it.” His tone was so cold.
“Paul, you’re the one who broke up with me, in case you didn’t remember! I loved you so much! How could you have just thrown that away?” Tears pushed at my eyes, and I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted the answer to that.
“I never loved you,” he said coldly. My tears spilled over, and I ran out of the locker room as they cascaded down my cheeks.
||FF: Game Time||
||Paul’s POV||
I paced restlessly outside of the locker room. I was nervous because I knew I’d get hit a lot. I’d hurt Brian bad, I knew, but he hurt me, too, so he deserved it, right? I sighed, running my fingers through my hair as I stepped out onto the ice. After the anthems came the puck drop. On my first shift, guys flew at me. I couldn’t do anything to stop it.
“Paul, pass the puck up here!” Toni Lydman called out to me. I moved toward it, and suddenly it felt like a truck had run me over. My head slammed into the boards, and I felt myself collapse to the ice. Stars danced in my vision and exploded, and I knew nothing more.
||Brian’s POV||
Paul went down hard after Dustin Byfuglien rammed him into the boards. I watched on in horror as the athletic trainer raced toward him. After five minutes, they had to carry him off on a stretcher. I was worried out of my mind; without even thinking about it, I headed toward my locker room, changed and followed them out.
||Paul’s POV||
There was a brightly light clearing in the middle of Letchworth State Park. I gasped at the breathtaking sight.
“Brian, it’s beautiful,” I breathed. He smiled and we set up a picnic lunch there. We did a bit of hiking before heading back to his place. He kept me out of the kitchen all day. By the time 7:00 rolled around, he called me in to a romantic candlelit dinner. “Oh, Brian,” I said, hugging him tightly.
“This is just for you, Paul,” he said. “I got you this.” He pulled out a box with a sterling sliver cross necklace in it. “It’s to replace the one that you lost.”
“Brian, this is amazing,” I said, kissing him lightly on the lips. “I love it.” He kissed me back, and we sat down to eat the delicious dinner he had prepared.
||Brian’s POV||
I sat next to Paul in the ambulance as it made its way to Buffalo General Hospital. A paramedic was taking all of his vital signs when suddenly Paul stopped breathing. My heart stopped in my chest as the ambulance pulled off to the side of the road while the paramedics scrambled to get his breath going again.
||Paul’s POV||
We were driving in Brian’s car down a stretch of the 90 as the autumn leaves began falling around us.
“Brian, I don’t recognize this at all. Where are we going?” I asked. He smiled.
“You’ll see,” he said. I noticed we were getting closer to the New York- Pennsylvania state line. We reached Alleghany State Park a short time after I noticed this.
“Brian, why are we here?” I asked. He didn’t say anything; he just grabbed my hand and led me to a spot deep in the woods. We found a cave that was isolated from everything else. He pulled me into it and kissed me on the mouth passionately. My eyes fluttered shut as my hands found his hair. He pulled at my coat, and it quickly got heated from there.
||Brian’s POV||
“Come on, breathe!” A paramedic shouted. Tears coursed down my cheeks as the thought that he wasn't going to wake up again fluttered around my brain. All of a sudden, Paul took a heavy breath, and I let out a sigh of relief. He half opened his eyes to stare at me.
“Brian,” he gasped.
“You’re going to be all right, Paul,” I whispered, grabbing his free hand. He squeezed mine with a lot of strength.
“I’m sorry, Brian. I didn’t mean what I said earlier. I could never hate you.”
“I know, Paul, I know. Can we try to make us work?”
“Absolutely. I love you so much.” His eyes closed as he fell into an easy sleep. I kissed his forehead, and I knew everything would be just fine.
♠ ♠ ♠
For astronaut.'s Original Slash Contest and for cyanide-poisoning's Write about whatever you want contest. Also now in Just Ry's Pre-write #2 contest. Now in poprockprincess' Freedom To The Author Random One Shot Contest. And Lynnie Vicious' The First Step Is Denial. Contest.And x!Flash.'s Slash Contest-Original or Fan fiction.
Word count: 1,731