No Expectation of Returns

by Youcouldmakealife

Gabe’s on the ice, playing a mediocre game, when Stephen’s career ends.

Genres: Sports, Hockey, Romance, M M Romance, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary, Queer

56 pages, ebook

First published March 29, 2014

Reviews

[Teal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already felt well-acquainted with Gabe and Stephen from their appearances elsewhere in the author's extended hockey universe. Mostly I'd seen them 10 years further along in their lives (except for a charming short-short about their first day of kindergarten). I was eager to know them better, and this was giving me exactly what I was hoping for — right up until it just stopped. Gahhh, you can't stop a story right in the middle of playoffs! Especially since, from what I think I pieced together from the stories set in their future, Gabe's team won the Cup that year! I would have happily given it 5 stars until that untimely interruptus.

It's currently available as a free read on AO3. As far as reading order goes, I think it fits perfectly right after Coming in First .Place.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars**

[Kati *☆･ﾟ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*** stars

Gabe’s on the ice, playing a mediocre game, when Stephen’s career ends.

Damn this was short. Way too short if you ask me. I honestly even feel a little betrayed by this short story and would say, Gabe and Stephen deserved better. Anyhow I’m glad that I met them properly first in Impaired Judgement. Even if they were only supporting characters there. They were the best kind, tho.

***********
From Taylor’s universe

Thrown Off the Ice - 4.5 stars
Impaired Judgement - 4.75 stars
No Expectation of Returns - 3.5 stars

⇢ Fandom:
You Could Make a Life Wiki

[annob [on hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this story as a puzzle piece in this well crafted hockey universe, but I'm glad I read 'No Expectation of Returns' after 'Impaired Judgement' so that I had already encountered Gabe and Stephen as side characters, during happier days. Because sadness and grief were front and centre in this story, the romance more in the backseat. Still, a lovely addition of Gabe and Stephen's back story.

[Laxmama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen & Gabe - anyone else here love seeing them around lately. I can’t t enough of Stephen

[wasteland baby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really sweet (childhood friends to lovers EEEEK!!!) but also really short?!? Like where is my 400k saga Taylor??
Jkjk thank GOD this isn't as long as Impaired Judgement, though I would have liked to learned more about how Gabe's playoffs go and of course about Stephen's recovery and future career. It was cute seeing the baby versions of them but it also made me miss IJ's Gabe and Stephen?? I have issues.
Also I am putting an embargo on Ms Taylor's writing bcs I have SO MANY UNREAD BOOKS ON MY SHELF I CANNOT KEEP READING ABOUT HOCKEY BOYS.

[Maygirl7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

One star off for ending too abruptly. Otherwise lovely story exploring pain and loss and coming together on the leeward side of a tragic end to a hockey career.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh noes, I have read more of the sports book.

TL;DW: Very good, but the ending was just way too abrupt. Like wtf.

If other people wrote present tense half as good as Taylor Fitzpatrick I might not have an irrational bias against said tense. Of course it's at least 3rd person present, and not the absolutely loathsome 1st person present.

I have nothing else to say atm.

[Miriah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gabe and Stephen get much more page time in Impaired Judgement and without having read that first, I think I would’ve rated this lower..

[Long Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book I read from youcouldmakealife/ Taylor Fitzpatrick that deal primarily with sports injuries, although it’s a regular theme in her other books as well. I’m not a fan of the abrupt ending, but this is still a great read. I love how she can make me feel the MCs’ pain and joy, doubts and vulnerability in so little words, through something they did or something they said, showing but never telling. By now I can start any book from her without hesitation, knowing it will be great no matter what she writes.

[Anomaly · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was really good, but where's the rest? I don't want it to end, especially not so abruptly!

Not much to say about this one. Love the characters, love the writing style, love that this was a bit less daunting than the massive works in the overarching continuity. Frankly, I just overall love it. The flow to the writing was perfect and I adored the connection between Gabe and Stephen; it felt very solid and believable.

Not so wild about the amount of drinking involved with one of the important relationship developments, but then I'm also one of those people who internally winces even if there's only one beer involved for stuff like that. It's a me problem and the scene was handled well enough I didn't leave it with the nasty feeling I normally have when these things occur.

Also wish it didn't end so abruptly, for both the hockey aspect and the relationship's development. This feels like there are a couple ending chapters missing or something! And that's sad, because I'd happily chow down on a dozen more if only they existed.

Still loved what's there, though.

[Evelyn Bella (there WILL be spoilers) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did not know these two were childhood besties.

Though Gabe getting a handjob from a girl in their class then Stephen getting one from the exact same girl a few weeks later is somehow very on brand for Stephen.

The audacity of Stephen acting like a love doctor to everyone else in their stories yet he was the runner in his. 💀

Also very on brand for him.

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I loved it … but why did it have to end so soon?!

[Sandy Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cautiously, I enjoyed Gabe and Stephen's story. I met them long after this story in their timeline, as part of my beloved Jared and Marcus's love story, and it was mainly enjoyable to see how they got together in the past. The story features two hockey players who are each other's best friend/Person, though not yet romantically. When the story opens, one faces a career-ending injury. The story is told in the other's point of view.

It's a lifelong-friends-to-lovers story, and I am finding I don't enjoy that trope, mainly due to the unspoken pining and unnamed feelings that lead to both characters sleeping with other people when they supposedly "love" their person for all those years. Icky. For me. It's a Me issue.

Here, the author doesn't throw that in the reader's face. Much. Just a little, for reality, and, I realize just how very, very delicately this author holds a reader's heart in their hands, able to either support it and let it flourish, or crush it. Lucky for me, this story falls on the support side, and my frantically beating heart made it through the read alive and well. But I still don't like that they supposedly were soooo in love but hooking up with other people (at least, Gabe was for sure--actually, Stephen remains largely a mystery in this book; we learn only what Gabe knows of him, and Gabe doesn't want to know who else Stephen might have touched/been with. So, thank you Gabe, for never asking!). Overall, it was safe for me, but, I found them both to be really annoying for not communicating about feelings a lot earlier. Take what you really want guys, stop settling. You haven't been teens in years.

What I LOVED about this was their unyeildingly strong yet fragile friendship. These two know just how much they mean to each other friendship-wise, know just how far they can push the other without ever breaking that bond, because they know they are each other's one true Person in that way. Stephen goes through a horrible ending of his career, and at one point after a huge change in their relationship, he confounds Gabe by treating Gabe not like he always treats Gabe, but by cutting him out for the first time ever in their lives. The behavior also fit with what I'd learned of an older Stephen in Impaired Judgement. Kudos to the author for consistent characterization. I wanted Stephen to grovel to Gabe for the maltreatment, but, the beauty of it is that even when Stephen knows just how furious Gabe must be, he also knows he doesn't have to say sorry, because they're beyond that. They know each other. He knows Gabe is furious and hurt. Gabe knows Stephen is truly sorry. It's more than words somehow.

Beautiful exploration of true friends and future partners. Still not a trope I love, but, for those of you who do like friends to lovers, this is a great one.

HFN that definitely leads to an HEA, because we see it in at least one (500K word) later story, and they've been committed to each other for 7 years by then. Lifelong friends to lovers. Career-ending injury. No-contact separation for a bit. No cheating or OM drama within the story timeline (just some annoying IN THE FREAKIN' MOMENT thoughts of nameless previous people on Gabe's part ewwwww). Highly recommended, but even more recommended is Impaired Judgement.

[Kathleen in Oslo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baby Gabe! Baby Stephen! I wanna squoosh their smushy cheeks!

Inseparable friendship and career-shattering injury and repressed feelings and immature escapes and brave leaps and love, love, love. Endings and beginnings.

I only know (and adore) Gabe and Stephen through Impaired Judgement, and it was fun to get their origin story -- even though it's not necessarily an easy one. A lovely little vignette that, read against IJ, makes me appreciate how far sweet, shy Gabe and his OT-emotional support hobgoblin have come.

Kurmazov fiance Russian, Oksana is such a legend.

Sweet, sweet boys. Squoosh!

[Antonella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think that it is a problem that I've read this after Impaired Judgement,or after a significant chunk of it (over 160 installments). So I know for sure that Gabe and Stephen are going to be alright. Great writing as usual.

[Rhode PVD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little hockey player novella with an HFN. However I thought it was odd to focus the story mainly from the POV of the player who was not injured and kept his career. And there was less snappy dialog than in the author’s later works.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute novella or short story length book. While I don’t need the rambling length of impaired judgment, I do wish it was longer. And after seeing Gabe and Stephen in Impaired Judgment, I enjoyed learning their backstory.

[Meep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, lots of feeling and strength managing to avoid a trite hurt/comfort trope - Stephen would never allow it!
But then it ends. Bam.

[sab · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m putting 4 because I am patiently waiting for the full version of this novella. GABE AND STEPHEN DESERVES THE SPOTLIGHT. I. CANNOT. WAIT.

[Devdarrr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish this was 200 pages longer.