It was awful. Matt hated it. He wanted to disappear. He didn't want to be laying flat on ice, on his back, trying to try and move his fingers, his legs, his head, anything to let himself know he's ok. He can't though. He keeps looking straight up while his teammates and the training staff huddle around him.

"Give him room!" someone yells and it really sounds like Gabe but Matt doesn't know for sure.
"Matt can you move your fingers for me." The trainer closest to him says and he tries, he tries very hard.
Matt doesn't feel pain, in fact he can't feel anything. he couldn't have been hit that hard, could he? Matt's eyes shift to over where he thought he heard Gabe's voice,  but the blonde swedish captain isn't there. Matt heard more yelling than there was and he could definitely hear a fight and he swore to god that if it was Gabe he'd.. He didn't know what he'd do.
"Matty, c'mon buddy, I need you to move something." Greg said beside him and his eyes shifted to the trainer, he gave him a look filled with plead. He concentrated everything on moving at least one finger. At least a little wiggle. He closed his eyes and focused on his left hand, his index finger.
"There we go, you're ok buddy. You're gonna be fine." Greg's hand left Matt's shoulder and he breathed out in relief, well not exactly he was still hurt. "I need a stretcher, asap." He heard the trainer yell and Matt could now at least move his head too. He guessed the shock left his body and now he could move a little bit.
He looked right in the direction of the open ice and he was right. Gabe was fighting Wilson. Well more like he was using him as a punching bag, beating the living s*** out of him. Matt loved to watch Gabe fight, in fact Matt loved to watch Gabe do absolutely anything. When they do autograph signing and meet and greets he watches as Gabe hugs yet another little kid who has been dreaming about meeting Gabe, the Captain, and shyly asking Gabe, who isn't any less shy, to sign his jerry, poster, phone anything really. And the smile that spread on his peps, Matt just wanted to kiss, but that would ruin everything. His career, Gabe's probably, most definitely, ruin the friendship they have build over the years, ruin everything Matt has worked so hard to get. Matt knew he was in way too deep when he couldn't go a day without seeing Gabe's face or hearing his voice, he couldn't sleep without having et another dream about Gabe, whether it's a memory or, Matt was actually very ashamed about this, but dreams where there was way too much naked sweaty skin, and two large hands doing impeccable things to Matt's body. Matt was sure that falling for his f***ing captain, of all people who he could have fallen for, he chose Gabe, the f***ing captain.
Gabe was still mercilessly beating Wilson as Matt was being stretchered off. Matt glanced in Gabe's direction, hoping, just hoping, he could catch his eye. And he did, Gabe plastered Wilson to the ice, he looked up and stared right at Matt, helplessly and a hint of terror. Matt tried to smile, to let his best friend know he was ok, he was going to get better again.  The stadium was loud, cheers and applause, even if they didn't play at home. The support from people who appreciated the sport was pleasing Matt a little. But what were they cheering for, Tom's hit or the fight, because Matt wasn't obviously strong enough to hold out, he wasn't strong enough to be ok after a what seemed like a harmless hit. Still he had Nathan skate with the staff and the stretchered Matt until they were off ice, and gave a light tap with his stick against Matt's leg, and Matt felt it. And that was delightful.  
Gabe was furious. He want to kill every single person on the ice he moment he saw Matt, solid on the ice, not moving to even try to get up. He saw Nathan skating over to help matt and then the whole line crowing around, and the Caps guys were checking in on him too. Gabe skated over the last, he didn't want to see Matt in pain, on the ice. He desperately needed to see Matt's eyes again.
"C'mon Dutchy." He thought, he wasn't going to be all sentimental and feelingy here on ice.
He told the guys to give him some room when Greg came over to make sure Matt wasn't injured too bad, but the terror flooding Gabe's stomach wasn't doing much to help him stay calm. He watched Tom as he looked over someone else's shoulder to make sure he didn't hit too hard, but guess the f*** what? He did. He f***ing hurt Gabe's matt and there was nothing else Gabe wanted more but to beat him, make him hurt the way he hurt Matt and they way Gabe is hurting right now. So that's exactly what he f***ing did. He jumped Tom, and started beating him. Hit after hit, his knuckles were splitting from the impact, bloodying the scene, but Gabe could honestly care less. Matt was hurt and  Gabe was furious. He had an excuse.
The game ended 5-4, Avs winning, but Gabe was ejected from the game and went to the hotel early, not even waiting for the team. He knew it was douchy of him to do that, but he honestly was too tired from everything and all he needed was to see Matt's blue eyes again, and that shy smile he has. The truth is Gabe was hopelessly in love with his liney. Matt was the opposite of Gabe, in some cases. Matt was quiet and more drawn back, he was shy, and Gabe was loud and more out there for people to see. Gabe was at the top of everything, he was the captain and he was the leader, and Matt, well, he helped Gabe get where he is, and he was the support Gabe needed, and still needed. If you take away Matt from Gabe, well then you got a lost little puppy who needs his best friend, who he was in love with.
Gabe had no idea where Matt, didn't know if he was still at the hospital getting tests done, or if he was back in his hotel room, their hotel room. Roomies and all. Gabe took out his room key and opened the door to their room.
There he was.
His Matt.
"Hey." Matt croaks out and groans.
"Hey. Do you need anything? Anything is hurting?" Gabe's over protective boyfriend kicked into full gear and he couldn't, didn't really, try to stop it. MAybe he can finally show Matt how he feels about him without actually saying it, because that would be embarrassing, and humiliating if Matt was not into this whole thing.
"No, no, I'm ok?" Matt answered, but he was questioning himself if he was actually ok or not.
"You sure. I can go get anything you need." Gabe continued and Matt gave him a weak, but still a Matt smile. Gabe knew to back off before this got any more obvious.
"Hey Gabe," Matt started talking, sounding a little drunk to Gabe now, "I need to tell you a secret. Can I? You can keep secrets right?" Matt asked him a jumble of questions and GAbe gulped down, but nodded. He had no idea what Matt was going to say, but whatever it is, sober Matt wouldn't necessarily want Gabe to be hearing it. Everyone knew drunk Matt has no boundaries, and a Matt obviously high and drunk off of pain killers wasn't going to be any better.
"Yeah- uh- sure. Go ahead." Gabe forced out and sat on his bed across from Matt.
The older line mate got quiet for a second and Gabe was starting to think he fell asleep, so a big mess could be avoided. But he was very wrong when Matt started talking.
"I have a secret, that I never told you because it would ruin everything. It would ruin us, as people and best buddies, and when I think about you those thoughts aren't exactly buddy thoughts. Every time I look at you I want to kiss you. I want to fall asleep next to you, and I want to wake up to you cooking breakfast because that's what you do. I want to be with you." Matt was drifting off. His eye were closed and he was drunkenly content from the pain killers the doctors gave him. He wasn't in control of what he was saying, the fact that he was actually saying it.
Gabe sat on his bed, mouth hanging open and he wasn't sure he was even breathing. Gabe wondered if it was Matt speaking the truth from somewhere deep down, but still a apart of him told him that Matt was just high, he wasn't in control of whatever that was happening. He wanted to cuddle up next to Matt, hold him in his arm and runs soothing hand down his back and whisper sweet nothings into his ear to make sure he knew he had Gabe. He was finally his. Gabe wanted to reach out and kiss him, finally feeling Matt's lips.
"Can you just hold my hand tonight?" Matt asks, more like pleads and Gabe knows this is a bad idea, but he can't stop himself from reaching out and grabbing Matt's soft hand that was stretched out . He twines their fingers together and runs his thumb over Matt's. Matt releases a content sigh and squeezes Gabe's hand. Matt really has no idea what's going on but he can feel Gabe's touch burn his hand and that fire spreading all over his aching body.
"I need you Gabe." Matt breaths out and turns his head to look at Gabe.
"Yeah Matty. we all need you too." Gabe focuses on his hand holding Matts.
"Do you need me?" Matt wonders and sounds like a little kid again.
"Of course I do, I need you on ice out there wi-"
"God Gabe, I need you more than I need you on ice. I need you in my life, every morning and every night, I need you." Matt jerks his hand away from Gabe's hold and the movement strains Matt's aching body and he makes an unpleasing sound and groans in so much pain that he can feel tears in his eyes.
"Matty, tell me you're ok? Do you need anything? Anything hurts, you need more pain killers?" Gabe rushes to his side and sits next to him, maybe a little too close to be taken as friendly. At this point he could care less.
"No, I need you to need me too." Matt huffs out and Gabe looks away from him. He draws his hand away from Matt's warm body.
"I do need you Matty, I need you so much." Gabe admits, for the first time aloud.
"Then just please, please, please," Matt doesn't even know what he wants but knows he wants to have Gabe close to him.
"Yeah, anything." Gabe gives in and mentally curses because he and Matt will regret this so much.
"Just hold me." Matt says and feels Gabe's careful arms slide around his hurt body and Matt groans a little.
It's dark in their room, and the only light that's polling into the room is from the street lamps outside. Gabe is curled around Matt, careful to not cuddle him too hard, and squeeze his body, he doesn't want to hurt him anymore than he already is.
The morning comes and Gabe wakes up still next to Matt, gently curled around him. Matt's chest rises and falls as he breaths and Gabe can't help but stare at his sun highlighted face. He looked beautiful, Gabe would admit that much. He would also admit that he wanted to wake him up with a kiss and cuddle him closer. If this was any other given occasion Gabe would do just that but Matt was hurt, and he didn't know where they stand anymore. Between the drunk and high confessions of last night, and the sleeping together, curled up on Matt's bed, Gabe was afraid.
"Don't leave." Matt mumbles in his sleep and Gabe wants to stay more than anything, but he knows they need to get up because they have a plane home and he was getting very comfortable next to Matt and the thought that this, what ever this is, can't last made this whole situation harder for him.
"I have to." Gabe forced himself to say and Matt tried to hold onto him but their morning was interrupted by another one of Matt's horrible groans.
"Do you want pain killers?" Gabe asks walking over to the bottle of pills that had Matt Duchene written on the side.
"I want you." Matt mumbles and Gabe stops.
It's not real. He's sleep dazed.
"It says here you need to take two in the morning. C'mon Matty sit up." Gabe comes back with a glass of water and two pills and helps Matt sit up.
"I'm sore. It hurts" Matt whines and Gabe understands and just rubs his shoulder.
Matt gulps down the pills and drinks the whole glass and gently lies back down. Into the pillows and under the covers.
"Do you remember what I told you last night?" Matt's voice comes from under the covers and Gabe doesn't know what to do.
"You remember that?" Gabe retorts.
"Of course I remember you dummy, I tell you that I like you more than a friend and you can't even have the decency to tell me how you actually feel." Matt's voice is angry now.
"Because we can't happen Matt." Gabe said and he wants to take it back, he wants to tell Matt that he wants him too, he wants to be his boyfriend, and he wants to do all that relationship s*** with him because he loves him more than anything.
"W-what?" Matt stumbles on his words and looks like someone just ran over his puppy.
"We can't be together. Now get up, get ready because we have a plane to catch." Gabe said coldly and turned away from Matt and started packing his clothes and changing into his travel suit. He leaves without a second look at Matt.
They don't speak for 3 weeks and the team starts to wonder if they are doing ok. If they are in a fight and if it will end soon because it's driving everyone crazy and the top line is not clicking. Well Gabe and Matt aren't clicking so the whole line doesn't work they way they used to.
"Talk to him." Is all Nathan says to GAbe after practice and leaves shortly after. Gabe looks over to where Matt is taking the tape off his stick and Gabe can't help but stare. Matt looks up at him and his eyes look cold and empty and Gabe wants to kill himself. He want's to not be here in this room with Matt staring at him like he means nothing to him.
"What?" Matt barks and Gabe shakes his head and turns his gaze to his laces.
Gabe leave him be for the time being and he knows that he needs to fix their relationship, at least to the point where they can play good on ice.
"Matt can we talk?" Gabe asks and Matt's eyes search for anything, literarily anything that can save him.
"Now you want to talk?" Matt fires back and he's angry, more angry than Gabe has ever seen him be.
"Yeah, about us.." Gabe trails off to check if he hit a nerve and if that was still a touchy subject to Matt.
Matt was hurt. He was hurting since the morning Gabe told him that he couldn't be with him for some odd reasons that Matt didn't necessarily understand. it was hard for Matt to be in the same room with Gabe and not be able to hug him, or press up against him, or to even feel his eyes on him again. Matt received nothing from Gabe, just cold silence, so Matt thought, this game is for two. Matt was done being a little hurt b****, but the truth is he was still hurting, he still wanted and needed Gabe more than anything. But if Gabe didn't need him enough to be with him, well then Matt had to get over him.
"Seriously Gabriel! Now you want to talk. After three weeks. I was hurting, I still am and you decide that this is the time you want to talk about us. Haven't you hurt me enough as it is." Matt glares at Gabe, he tries to make himself look bigger, but all he wants to do is crawl under his blankets and cry himself to sleep. He wants to stop hurting so bad, but at this point he doesn't even know if he can.
"Matt can you please just listen to me." Gabe pleads.
"Are you f***ing kidding me?" Matt yells at him.
"Matt, I love you!" The captain shakes his center man and Matt actually shuts up.
"I told you I couldn't be with you because of all that can happen to us, but I realized that the worst thing to go through is not talking to you, to be the one who was hurting you, ok? I get it if you hate me, I hate myself too. I just wanted to explain why, even if it's a very bad excuse, I'm sorry Matty." Gabe apologizes and drops his hands from Matt's shoulder, and Matt really wants them back on him, touching him.
"I missed you calling me that." Matt says with a small smile playing on his lips.
Gabe looks at him hopeless and he was about to turn away from Matt when he says "I love you too you big jerk."
Gabe face actually splits from the huge grin he smiles but he can't help himself. He walks back over to his stall and pack up his bag, and patiently waits for Matt. He knew he's gonna have a lot of apologizing to do, but he was happy he finally could call Matt his.