#∘ ˙ . ✧ ʿ development ∕ joel.

[erstwhles]

hey now, you're an all-star / two of joel's favorite people + @marimelwrites

"And Team Kavas, captained by Adem and co-captained by his younger brother, Taner gets the next pick of the night!" The announcer falls silent as the camera shifts to catch the brothers in conversation. "There is still a plethora of talent left, but I don't think anyone is surprised by their pick. They've gone with Joel Hetrick up next. What do you think about that?"

"Well," Again, the announcer pauses as Joel stands and skates over to the podium with a grin on his lips and his arms already outstretched for a hug. "I don't think it's surprising. Hetrick knows those guys well. He landed in Boston with Adem, but even before that, we know that he and Taner had a good relationship all through the junior level. We've already seen that loyalty seems to be playing a part tonight. I think this is an easy pick, and it's hard to find this guy not smiling, but look at him—all hugs for a couple of his good pals."

"We're familiar with that, too!" The commentators share a laugh. "He and Taner seem to have developed a bit of a tradition when they play against each other. That hug has become... you could say beloved by the fans. They might look forward to it more than Joel does."

"I'm not sure about that! He looks pretty content right now."

—

There is no hesitation when Joel hears his name called--not that he was expecting to be the team's first pick solely because of their personal connection. Just being here and having time to spend together for the first time since before any of them were drafted into the show is enough, but there is no one else he would rather spend the weekend with.

"Hey, Cap!" He says, shaking Adem's hand and patting him on the back before sliding over to Taner. "Couple beauties over here, eh?" Joel grins, not wasting any time before pulling his friend in for a hug. "Thanks, guys. We're gonna have some fun, yeah?"

[erstwhles]

forbidden love, etc. / joel + taner ft. @marimelwrites

Joel can't help laughing at the question as he pushes his hair back. His cheeks are still flushed from the exertion of the second period, and the headset around his ears does little to control his mop of hair, which is a mess from the first 40 minutes of the game.

"Um, yeah. You know, TK's a good buddy of mine." He adjusts the microphone of the headset while looking back at the interviewer. "It's something we started in juniors, and I guess you could say it kinda stayed with us since we ended up landing close enough to each other." It goes without saying that Joel loves the game, but almost more than that, he loves that he can share it with the people he is closest with. It's where traditions, like the one the reporter asked about, first came from.

Back when he and Taner played on the same team, it was easy—skating out to center ice together during warmups, jumping up, and bumping their opposite shoulders in the air. It wasn't something that was planned at first, but after they did it and the team won—well who was Joel to mess with luck?

"He, um, got some good air today, though." Laughing, Joel glances across to the other bench, where the opposing team has already disappeared down the tunnel. "Yeah, I think he jumped just a minute before I did and he got me a little higher than I was expecting," he says, grinning. "I don't know if you caught it, but I kinda stumbled a little. Felt my shoulder go a bit." Without thinking, he rolls his arm back and forth to test it out. "Feels alright now, but yeah. That's why I was late coming out after warmups. They wanted to make sure I wasn't tweaked back there. They, uh, weren't too happy with me. It's alright though. We've still got 20 minutes to get them all back for it. So, it should be a fun period."

After the professional draft and ending up in different cities, everything changed. Joel knew their first meeting on the ice was going to be as rivals instead of teammates. Still, before it all, during warmups, he found himself making his way to center ice, where he was met by a familiar face. On a night filled with nervous energy, it was nice to have one constant.

[erstwhles]

"Well, to be fair, not every day, but every year. It's not that big of a deal. I'm... trying not to think about it. There's so much else to focus on." But seeing as how his boyfriend isn't feeding his answers to the media, Joel decides to cut himself off there. "It's an... unreal feeling for sure, though." A lot of the other names that were in the conversation are guys who are established or have at least been in the Norris conversation in the past. "Like you have to ask. Of course I'll have you." He has only spent the last month trying to figure out how to ask Tanner when he would be back, but ultimately, he hadn't wanted to sway his boyfriend's summer plans with his own selfish desires. "Oh, yeah? How's everything back home? Is your mom doing okay? She coming to visit anytime soon?" He asks, looking up as they exit through the automatic doors.

"Just Joel it is." Tanner hitches the bag higher up on his shoulder as they make their way toward the exit, feeling more at ease than he has in months. Crowds aren't typically his thing--unless they're behind a layer of plexiglass, anyway--but with Joel by his side he barely notices the lines of people they're passing in the airport. "Yeah, obviously. Norris nominations don't happen every day, Hetch, and especially not to my boyfriend." He squeezes Joel's fingers and grins over at him, his pride practically tangible in the air between them. "That was the hope.. If you'll have me, of course." Since his team has been eliminated he wants to be front and center to watch his defenseman boyfriend kick ass. "I already went home to visit Mom and everybody, so I'm yours for as long as you want me."

[erstwhles]

He chuckles at Ezra's joke, but the urge to defend him rises at once. "I can't imagine anyone not missing you." And whatever he wants to read into that, Joel brushes past it without much pause. "But I do know your parents, and from the way you describe your house, there's a good chance they just realized you haven't been around. It might not take as much explaining as you're thinking." Though, his earlier statement stands: Joel can't imagine not missing Ezra. Isn't that what makes this so hard? It doesn't matter how much they miss each other. Ezra's parents will always come first to both of them. "I would offer to help, but I guess throwing my name out there probably wouldn't help anything..." His smile falters, a better reflection of the conflict warring within. "So, I'll see you, then? Are you going to the game tomorrow? I was thinking I might stay and watch since I have to meet with the trainers tomorrow afternoon... Will I see you then?" Maybe it's a mistake, but he feels the same hesitation within him. "I know it's not always easy for you to get away."

truthfully he didn't want to catch up with his folks; it wasn't like much could've changed in the handful of days he'd been gone. he couldn't help but silently wonder if any of joel's teammates would be stopping by to keep him company while he focused on getting well before his next doctor's appointment. jealousy was a sick little green monster that visited ezra from time to time, but it wasn't joel's fault or some new occurrence for him in relationships. the nature of their relationship didn't really help him to feel super secure about them either though. the male with sandy colored hair nodded his head in agreement with joel's words; it wasn't a lie. it felt so odd though. they were just friends, but ezra didn't think about his other friends in the way he thought incessantly about joel. he could go long periods of time without seeing a friend and not be too affected by it, but not with joel. the hold joel had on him was something he didn't quite understand and that was scary. "they wouldn't," he stated whilst looking at the other male whose gaze was down-turned. he licked his lips briefly before continuing by saying "i'm surprised they even noticed i was gone." he attempted to apply humor to the words as they weren't meant to sound like some cry for help. he just kept to himself at home, and the place was so big it kind of felt like living in apartments or some dorm setup, so not seeing each-other for a bit was plausible. "i'll just tell them my friend got injured in some kind of sports class thing; they've all been taking those a lot lately for some reason." he wasn't too worried about whether or not his parents would buy this excuse. he was more so worried about how long it'd be until they saw one another again. they could say it'd be soon but life tended to get in the way of them being together. was it time to stand up and go? it felt abrupt, and he didn't know if he was quite ready to go yet. he decided he'd wait for joel's next words to gauge if the time to go was right now.