1988

Kitten lounged. Her head laying in his lap and an X-Box controller in her hands, controlling her character in Call of Duty.
She was on Patrick’s team and currently winning. Though Patrick would always beat her at Call of Duty, she prefered that to beating him.
He whined when he lost.

“We’re having a get together at Sharpie’s next week, you wanna go? It’s like a little welcome to the rookies.”
“And miss seeing Maddie!? Of course I wanna go.” She whipped around in his lap and gazed up at him.
She bit her lip.
“Yes, Kitty?” Patrick asked, seeing the question in her eyes.
“Can I come to Dallas with you?”
“Why not?”
“I mean...on the plane?”
“Uh-I don’t really know, Kitten. You’d have to talk to Q about that.”
“Do you think he’d say yes?”
“As long as you don’t give me a bruised jaw again.” Patrick chuckled, kissing her head.
“I told you to leave me on the couch!”
“I don’t think he’d let you sleep in the same room with me.”
“No. I’d probably have my own room. If Q agrees.”
“Q likes you. You know he’d agree.” She bit her lip again and laid back on the couch.
“So, what’s our plans for the rest of the night?”
“Um, we’re doing it.” Patrick replied, killing yet another rival soldier. “It’s an off day, Kitten. Off day means doing nothing all day.”
“We watched Pepper most of the day.”
“A perfect off day, if I do say so myself.” Kitty giggled at her best friend and shut her controller off.
“What’re you doing!?” Patrick was suddenly bombarded with soldiers and killed. “Kitten!”
“Come on, Kaner, let’s go do something fun.”
“This isn’t fun to you?” He joked. “What’s there to do, Kitty?”
“Ice skate?”
“You don’t like when I have off days, do you?” She laughed at him and dipped her head back father in his lap.
He squirmed under her and let out a groan.
“I just don’t want to lay on the couch all day.”
“Then let’s go lay in bed all day.”
Kitten grinned up at Patrick. He knew just how to push her buttons.
“Fine. But we’re watching Miracle.” Patrick had no argument. The two turned off the X-Box and raced to their bedroom.
But Kitten made it first and jumped on the bed, stretching herself out and sighing happily.
“Put the movie in.” Patrick shook his head at her, but did. And after getting the movie in, he crawled into the bed beside her and pulled her against him.
“Patty, I love you.”
“I love you too, Kitten.”
Patrick knew that because they were watching Miracle, they were going to fall asleep.
It was almost a tradition for the two. But they loved it. It was a tradition they could never deny.
And as predicted, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

“Does it piss anyone else off that Kaner gets the pretty girl while we sit and have puck bunnies?” The group laughed at Brandon Saad’s lament about their teammate and his best friend.
“Calm down, Manchild. Pat’s too scared to admit how he feels about her.” Their captain told them. “I was over there last night and he said he didn’t want her like that, but he’s just lying to himself.”
“Any guy would be lying to himself.” Brandon muttered. “But Pat specifically. He’ll keep lying to himself until that girl gets a guy and he regrets every second he didn’t spend with her.”
“Okay, one too many beers for you.” Patrick Sharp plucked the bottle from the American player.
“Patrick would never let a guy near her. He’d scare him off before the poor guy got a chance to make a move.” The team laughed at their friend’s expense.
“Where is Kaner anyway?”
“His place. With Kitten.” The team snickered.
“Why don’t we go visit them, then?” The group quickly got up and ran to the cars, ready to ruin their teammate’s off day.

Patrick heard a moan, and a loud bang. He knew it wasn’t Kitten, she was still curled up in his arms. And he saw Puck curled up at the end of his bed.
So there was only one option left.
His team was here.
Patrick heard another moan and Kitten rolled off his arm and curled up into her side of the bed. He groaned but got up and went to the door of his apartment. He ripped the door open and stepped into the hall.
“What are you jackasses doing here?”
“We just wanna spend some time with Kitten.” Sharp said.
“She’s fucking sleeping. And so was I.”
“Just wanna hang out with you guys.”
“Manchild, get the hell outta here.”
“I wanna hang out with Kitten!”
“Shut up! You’re gonna wake her up!” Patrick hissed. “If you wake her up, I’ll fucking kill you.”
“What’s so wrong with wanting to spend time with-?”
“Pat…?”
The team whipped to look at the little girl standing in the doorway. She yawned and moved towards her best friend.
“Hey, babe.” His teammates seemed years away as he wrapped his arms around his best friend. “The guys got here and they-”
“I know….I just didn’t know where you went.”
“Just here.” The team was collectively shaking their head at the forward.
“Do you guys wanna come in?” She asked the team. “I can make some dinner.” Andrew Shaw smirked at Patrick Kane.
“We’d love to.”
“Let me get dressed and I’ll start dinner.” Kitten leaned up and kissed Patrick on the lips. The entire team went wide-eyed as she went back inside.
“What the hell was that!?”
“What?”
“You just kissed her! She just kissed him!” Shaw jerked around to look at Jonathan Toews.
“You didn’t know?”
“That they kiss!? No!”
“Oh...well, they do.”
“It’s just affection,” Patrick said. “Go inside before I send you home.” The team trudged into the apartment and Patrick found Kitten in the kitchen, looking through the freezer.
“Babe,” She jumped slightly as Patrick’s hand found her hips, but she stayed in the freezer. “You don’t have to make them food.”
“They’re already here, Patty. And plus, I haven’t made dinner for the team in forever.” She pulled meat from the freezer and turned to face him. “I miss them.” She touched the frozen meat to his arm and he jumped and stepped back.
“Little witch.” She giggled and went to the stove to start making dinner.
Patrick went to his living room, finding his teammates already playing his X-Box.
“What the hell!?”
“What?”
“That’s my fucking X-Box! What the fuck do you think you’re doing!?”
“Uh-playing Call of Duty…?” Andrew Shaw mumbled, more focused on the game than his teammate.
“On my fucking X-Box!?”
“Patrick,” He heard Kitten call him from the kitchen and he had to drag himself there in order not to hurt his teammates.
“Yes, Kitty?”
“It’s an X-Box.”
“But it’s my X-Box.” He whined. He ignored the food in front of her and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. “They didn’t even ask me.”
“Well, you’re all over twenty, I would expect you to know how to share.” She giggled.
“I would expect them to know how to ask.” He grumbled.
“You should know better of that team. Now, go play CoD with them and have fun. I’ll call you all when dinner’s ready.” Patrick groaned, but trudged back into the living room to snatch a controller from Manchild and shove him to the side.
It was nearly thirty minutes later when Kitten called out that dinner was ready. The hockey players abandoned the game and rushed the kitchen, only to be stopped by the tiny girl that had made them food.
“Dining room.” They all rushed to the dining room of Kane’s apartment.
Somehow, Kitten had gotten their steaks into the dining room without them hearing her and had set up dinner for the team.
“Abby will thank you.” Patrick Sharp said, digging into his steak.
“She can later. I’m gonna-”
“You’re not eating?” Patrick Kane pulled her back.
“There wasn’t enough. I’ll be fine.”
“Kathleen.” Her mouth closed and she pursed her lips. “You need to eat.”
“I’m fine.”
“I’ll make you something.”
“Patrick, I’m fine. I’ll eat later.”
He didn’t want to fight her here, so he let her go and as she passed Andrew Shaw, she pat his shoulder.
Patrick knew she was going to their room to fall asleep. She always made him frustrated.
“You are the luckiest man in the entire world, Patrick Kane. And you won’t ever understand it.” Johnny Oduya muttered to him.
“I do understand it.”
“No, no, man. She stays because she wants to,” Duncan Keith began. “She’s not your girlfriend, not your wife, or your sister. She’s just your best friend. And she loves you enough to make you and your team food. And she doesn’t have a boyfriend.”
“How would you know?” Kane asked.
“Because we know you, Kaner.” Toews said. “You wouldn’t let a guy near her. You don’t even let Shawzer look at her.”
“I do….not.” Patrick stared down at his food. “It’s not like the guys in Chicago would be worth her time anyway.” The team grinned at their teammate.
He was in deep.

“Kitten, you said you’d eat.”
“I’m not hungry.” She shrugged.
The team had gone home a while ago, now.
“Kitty...please.” Patrick leaned on the bed and pulled her close to him. “You need to eat.”
“I’m not hungry, Patrick.”
It always stung when she called him Patrick so harshly. He was so used to hearing her lovingly call his name that a harsh tone hurt him physically.
“Kitten, I just want you to be okay…” She sighed and turned to face him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself to him.
“I know you do. But sometimes...it’s hard, Patty.”
“I know it is, babe. For the both of us.” He hoisted her up into his arms and sat on the edge of the bed, setting her in his lap. “But - hey - we can get through it. We’ve gotten through some pretty tough stuff.”
“Like you losing a Deathmatch?” Kitten looked up at her companion and smiling.
“Shawzer cheated and everyone knows it.” She giggled and buried her face in his neck.
They sat quiet for a moment, but Patrick wasn’t a person who gave up.
“Will you please come eat something?”
“Okay.” And Kitten wasn't a person to keep arguing.
So Patrick hoisted her into the kitchen and set her on the kitchen counter. He turned his back to her and pulled a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese from the cabinet. Kitten giggled and swung her feet over the ground. When Puck saw, he began jumping at her legs and she laughed.
Patrick went about making Kitten dinner, taking his time and admiring the girl sitting on his counter.
“Pat, the water!” He jumped and looked over at the stove. The water was boiling over and he - without thinking - grabbed the pot.
Three things happened: Patrick screamed and dropped the pot of boiling water, Kitten laughed loudly and yanked her feet up before the boiling water splashed her, and Puck dashed out of the room without another thought.
“Patty! Are you okay!?”
The room stayed frozen for a moment.
But suddenly, Patrick began laughing, throwing his head back. Kitten began laughing again and Puck peaked his head back into the room. Patrick crossed the room to Kitten and leaned against the counter.
“Oh my god.”
“I’m never letting you cook.” Kitten chuckle.
“I’m not a cook, I’m a hockey player.”
“Well, Mr. Hockey Player, you’re not supposed to grab the pot when it’s over boiling. It’s not a hockey puck.”
“I know. I’m quite aware.”
“Where is my food, though?”
“I don’t know.” The two giggled to each other. “I’ll order something.”
“You better.” Patrick laid a kiss on her lips and went to find the menus they had accumulated for take out.
“I hate Chinese food…” Kitten mumbled to herself as she sifted through the menus.
“I know. That’s why there’s not in here.” Kitten decided and tossed the menu at Patrick before jumping down and landing in water.
“You order and I’ll clean this up.” She kissed his neck and went to find a mop. Patrick quickly called the restaurant and watched quietly, from his chair, as Kitten cleaned the floor of the hot water. When she was done, she went over to Patrick and curled up in his lap.
“Patty, I love you.”
“I love you too, Kitty.” She kissed his neck and trailed the kisses slowly up his neck to his jaw.
“Kitten, stop…” But Patrick’s plead didn’t seem convincing to the kitten, as she continued her kisses along his jaw and towards his lips. And right before she kissed his lips, she leaned her forehead against his and bit her lip. He didn’t stop her, so she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him against her, kissing him full on the lips and slipping her tongue in his mouth.
Patrick’s hands found her back and jerked her forward.
But before they could continue their session, there was a knock on the door and Patrick knew that Kitten’s food was there.
“Kitten, stop.” His voice, this time, was stern and she stood from his lap and let him go to get her food.
Patrick came back into the kitchen with her food and she kissed him, once again on the lips, before digging into the food. Patrick sat beside her and was rubbing circles into her thigh as she ate slowly.
“So, are you gonna talk to Q?”
“I did. While you guys were eating. He said I could come on the plane, but I was last on and last off. After the media left.”
“So, you’re not riding the bus with us?”
“I can’t. Q set me up a car, though. Like I’m gonna use it, really.” Patrick shrugged. “But I’m gonna be staying in the hotel with you guys. I’m gonna have my own room on a different floor, though.”
“Q knows we live together, right?”
“Yes,” Kitten laughed. “But he’s not gonna make the team buy another double room just for me.”
“You can room with me.” He argued, squeezing her thigh slightly.
“What’s gonna happen if someone sees us?”
“Fuck what they think.”
“Patrick.” Her voice was soft this time. He prefered this voice to her previously used one.
“What?”
“People will think and they will question, you know this better than anyone.” Sadly, he did.
“I just want you to sleep with me.”
“You’d be horribly off your game if I did. I’ll be up there before the game.”
“Can I take my pre-game nap with you?”
“Of course.” Patrick nuzzled his nose into her cheek and she giggled.
“Can we go to bed, now? It’s late and I really want to get some sleep.”
“I’ll be done in a minute. You can go to bed now.”
“I don’t wanna go without you.” She smiled softly at him and leaned on him.
“Then let’s clean this up.” The two took no time cleaning the table and shuffled to their bedroom to get some much needed shut eye.
They had a long flight ahead of them tomorrow.Au