Work Text:
When Cale saw all the snow blanketed across the yard, he lit up like a Christmas tree. He rushed through the house and up to his boyfriend, Ryan’s, office; he was in there reviewing game footage of the Golden Knights to help him prepare for the upcoming game in Lake Tahoe on the weekend. He knew that he should leave him to it but he was too antsy and excited about what he wanted to do with him in the snow to stop himself from knocking on the door.
“Come in, babe,” Ryan called out.
Cale smiled, swung the door open, and hurried into Ryan's office. Ryan had moved his chair away from his computer and was staring intently at his boyfriend. He had a small smirk on his face as he leaned against the top of his desk, arms crossed over each other.
“You didn’t have to knock,” he chuckled, sitting up straight in his chair. He ran a hand through his hair, face shifting to a look somewhere between sympathy and confusion. “You know that, right? You’re my boyfriend. You live here and help pay the household expenses too. That makes every room in the house just as much yours as it is mine.”
Cale's cheeks and the tips of his ears heated up as he stood there. It felt nice to hear Ryan say that because it had been a long time since he had been with someone as caring, loving, and considerate as he was. Growing up gay in a conservative area of Canada made it hard to find someone that appreciated him to the extent he deserved in a relationship. When he met Ryan after moving to Colorado after accepting a biochemical engineering degree at the University of Colorado, he felt like it had been fate. Ryan was from Canada; Cale was from Canada. Ryan was gay; Cale was gay. Ryan had had a hard time finding relationships because he was a hockey player; Cale had had a hard time finding relationships because a lot of guys felt threatened by what he wanted to do as a career (they assumed he was either too boring or too smart and steered clear). Ryan was one of the few people that didn’t feel threatened and saw got to know Cale beyond surface value. Because of that, he was the best boyfriend he could have and nothing would ever change that.
Cale walked across the room after taking a moment to gather himself. He sat on Ryan’s lap, giving him a soft kiss. Ryan smiled ruffling his boyfriend's hair and pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. Dropping his head into the crook of Ryan’s neck, Cale hummed happily.
“I know,” Cale said, sighing. “And I appreciate that. I just grew up in a household where my privacy was constantly invaded. So, I value people being able to have time to themselves if they need or want it.”
Ryan grabbed Cale's chin and tilted his head to look at him. He brought his hand up to Cale's jaw and smoothed it across his jawline. The way his warm hand felt against the hair of the beard he was trying (keyword: trying) to grow caused him to shiver. Ryan smirked before he leaned forward and kissed his boyfriend. Cale melted into the kiss, bringing his hands up to grip the collar of Ryan’s sweater.
Cale kissed his boyfriend softly; he was in the mood for a sweet, syrupy make-out session. Ryan seemed to have other ideas because he ramped the intensity up to eleven after a few moments. He nibbled on Cale's bottom lip, causing him to open his mouth in a groan. Ryan took that opportunity to add his tongue into the equation. When Cale groaned again, Ryam brought his hands down to the hem of his boyfriend's shirt. He fiddled with it for a moment before he slid his hands underneath and laid them flat against Cale's stomach. Cale shivered, mouth falling open on a silent moan. He felt Ryan smirk before he slid one hand along either side of Cale's ribs. Ryan gently ran his fingers over Cale's skin, slowing down the speed at which he was kissing his boyfriend to match the speed of his touch.
When Ryan splayed his hands over Cale's chest, Cale groaned and pulled back. Cale'sface rivalled that of a tomato and he was panting as if he had just run a marathon. Ryan smirked, a smug look washing across his face as he slid his hands out from under Cale's shirt.
“Believe it or not,” Cale said as he wiped some sweat off of his face, “that’s not actually what I came in here for.”
“Oh? Really now?” Ryan chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest. “What is it that you wanted then, Mr. Tomato Face?”
Cale swatted Ryan's shoulder, rolling his eyes. Ryan grinned before he pressed a kiss to Cale's cheek.
"I wanted to know if you would like to go build a snowman."
Ryan raised an eyebrow and quirked the corner of his mouth with a small smile. He took one of his hands and ruffled Cale's hair before he pressed a kiss to his boyfriend's forehead.
"I'd love to," Ryan said. "Trying to retain anything from this game footage is driving me up the wall. I need a break before I use the monitor as a target for slapshot practice."
Cale chuckled as he stood from Ryan's lap. He pressed a kiss to Ryan's cheek and squeezed his shoulder before he walked to the door. He stopped and turned back to face Ryan.
"Meet me outside when you're ready." Cale saw Ryan nod before he walked out of his office and back down the stairs.
By the time Cale was bundled up and ready to go outside, Ryan had come down from his office. He met Cale in the back room of the house and quickly put on his snow gear before they trekked outside.
Once in the backyard, they found an ideal spot for the snowman under the tree in the back corner. Cale started rolling the snowball for the body while Ryan started rolling the snowball for the head. It took a few minutes but they managed to get the snowballs to the perfect size. Ryan stacked his on top of Cale's and gave his boyfriend a quick kiss. He handed Cale some sticks for the arms to which Cale smiled and stuck them into the body snowball. Ryan handed Cale a couple of stones for eyes. Cale smiled again and stuck the stones in the head snowball.
"Do you have anything for a nose?" Cale asked as he looked around at his feet.
"Here. Take this."
Cale looked over to see what Ryan had found, hoping it was a pinecone or something similar. What he saw instead made tears well in his eyes and a large smile wash across his face. Ryan was holding a ring and he was on one knee in the snow.
"Yes! Before you even ask."
Cale slid his glove off and held his hand out for Ryan. Ryan smiled and slid the ring onto his fiance's finger. After taking a moment to admire the ring, he pulled Ryan up by his coat collar and in for a passionate kiss. Ryan smiled into the kiss as he cupped Cale's cheeks with his gloved hands.
When Cale pulled back, he dropped his head against Ryan's chest and huffed a soft breath. Ryan cradled Cale's head and lower back. He rocked his fiance back and forth a couple of times before he pulled Cale back to stare into his eyes. Cale felt his heart swell as he saw the pure look of love staring back at him from his fiance's eyes.
"I love you," they blurted at the same time.
They chuckled as they leaned in and hugged each other. Cale dropped his head back against Ryan's chest and felt his heartbeat vibrate throughout his body. It felt amazing to be wrapped in Ryan's embrace. Cale felt loved and appreciated.
Ryan was the best thing to ever happen to him and nothing would ever change that.