#Golf Flyer

[satgur]

Golf Tournament Flyer Template

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[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s2 episode 5 "duane barry" thoughts

boy. where this episode started out and where this episode ended were two VASTLY different spaces. come along while i undergo this journey.

the first thing we see is a dog! a doggy! it's a border collie, and it looks like it could be the same one we see in s1 episode 8- maybe dog actors are in short supply! but border collies are famously very smart and to me the cutest of all dogs, so i was pleased to see a friendly face <3

and then things escalated. aliens arrived to fetch the dog's owner.

thankfully they left the dog alone- perhaps they saw the threatening "ALIENS, STAY AWAY FROM THAT DOG" i had written in my notes- but whatever they are inflicting upon this gentleman seems. unpleasant.

(the aliens are obviously terrifying but they're always shown vaguely wiggling in some cold white light and it does make me laugh. ohhhh here they come. the wigglers)

so in the morning our gentleman- duane- was taken to a correctional facility and he hasn't been taking his meds... and then he hurts his doctor! they always find the kindest looking people to play doctors on this show and then make them suffer

THE NEXT THING WE SEE IS: a pool? the pool scene i wrote about seeing a while ago in my last post! the one where mulder emerges mostly naked from his exercise to face this new guy who looks like he covers his beer stench with a designer cologne!

i rewound to see whose pool it was mulder was swimming in but gained no clues. would be sick if the FBI had an in house pool.

breaking news: this SOAKING WET MAN is called to a HOSTAGE SITUATION!

(i do find it endearing that he swims recreationally <3)

next thing i wrote was "alex is pissing me off" and i don't even remember what he did but i stand by it

so mulder is at the scene, duane has four hostages, and claims to be abducted by aliens. now to mulder it makes perfect sense to ask about his abduction experience, and he's trying to do his homework and follow the rules for hostage negotiation, but duane knows all the tricks because he's former FBI which they DID NOT TELL MULDER!

he walks up to the head of the hostage situation and very angrily asks if she knows about how aliens will take your brains out and fuck with your ovaries and she tries not to laugh at him. mulder tell me what they do to ovaries i'll listen. i'll take notes.

and then alex is trying to be all sickly sweet puppy dog boy and asks if he can do anything to help. so the head of the hostage situation tells him to get her a coffee. HA! POINT AT HIM AND LAUGH.

cutscene to SCULLY CAM!!!! <3 she's gonna sleuth for his medical records

ohhh the power went out and duane started blasting. he shot someone so they're gonna send mulder and another guy in (an excuse for mulder to wear a paramedic uniform.......)

mulder's like nooo i won't tell him i believe in aliens (<- said by a man who is lying)

and off to the races, can you imagine it, he does JUST that, says he believes duane and trades himself for the guy who was shot... he says it happened to his sister OHHHHHHH sister mention

he's got the guy monologuing about his tortures from the aliens and honestly, these aliens are bitches. there is NO reason to do all of this. drilling holes in his teeth??? that's fucked

alex is on the phone with scully who is freaking tf out because duane is lying about who he says he is... when he tells her he traded himself for the injured hostage she says "WHAT!" so loudly and is filled with intense urgency

! MULDER LORE REVEAL ! his sister was 8 when they took her

(for some reason i thought she was 10 when it happened, but the larger age gap between them explains a lot in terms of his instinctive level of Protectiveness towards all creatures big and small)

this next part had me GAGGED: SCULLY FLEW IN FROM WASHINGTON!!!! she is AT THE SCENE and she is YELLING at someone who isn't listening to her

alex made a VERY FATAL mistake in telling her to "calm down" while mulder is a HOSTAGE and she RIGHTFULLY told him off (and frankly she could have kept going and i wouldn't have complained) but she's a woman who gets things done so she finds someone who will actually listen to her

she says he has a very unique case of being shot in a specific part of the brain which happened to another guy before and then that guy became a pathological liar so she is basically saying "duane is the nastiest skank bitch i have ever met do NOT trust him"

so back to the scene. duane is saying the government is there while the aliens do all this. which i have no idea how to interpret so i'm just storing it here for later use.

SCULLY CAN HEAR HIM! she's on his secret wire mic and talking to him. duane can hear her a little bit but is going on about "the mountains"... it was at this point, with scully talking in mulder's ear, that everything was so tense i had a brief moment where i remembered that this is actually a tv show i'm watching in my free time and not an actual life or death thing

mulder convinces duane to let the women go and the younger one says she believes him which had to be impactful i'd think

but the snipers are closing in!!! mulder sees the line of fire on him and calls him over to get him out of the way so he won't get shot....

he asks duane if she was lying to distract him and now he's VERY VERY VERY ANGRY and he tries to calm him back down and say hey... you forgot to lock the door.... please go lock the door...

and he goes over to the door and bam. duane's shot.

we see scully and mulder watch as he's loaded into the ambulance and mulder looks deeply conflicted and once again has his sad wet eyes on because he still believes duane was telling the truth. scully tells mulder he did the right thing in getting him to go to the door, because we all know by now that mulder has a complicated set of feelings towards any loss of life.

"whatever you're feeling, you did the right thing" <- augh. scully loves him so much. oh to love anyone how truly and deeply scully loves this man

(shhhh i'm not getting into what kind of love it is. i don't know and whatever your answer for its flavor is, you cannot deny that she loves him. that she tries to find the exact words he wants to hear to soothe that internal Guilt he wears like a heavy jacket.)

later he smiles when the lead hostage negotiator calls him to thank him because he broke all of her rules and thought he was going to get yelled at LMAOOO that lil smile was very sweet

and he goes to see duane but the REAL reason she called him in was to tell him about the metal they extracted from duane's body... the doctors claim that the stuff in his teeth could not have been made from any current technology... alien life confirmed??

((i thought the episode would end here on a little cliffhanger that never gets resolved but boy. i was off))

no, instead of an episode's conclusion, we see mulder bring the metal pieces to scully, who once again has the most beautiful freckles in the world, and she says she'll take it down to be analyzed.

mulder leaves the room without saying a word which i thought to be cold in the moment and now that i'm typing this knowing what happens next i might actually cry.

she goes to the store and she's buying some stuff... we see kodak film in the background... sigh instant cameras i love you and your work... but she buys $11 of groceries and then sneaks the metal chip across the barcode reader and it makes the whole thing break down!!!!

the poor cashier is freaking out because the machine is going wild and she looks at scully like "did you touch it?" and she says no and awkwardly leaves LMAOOOOOOO i was howling because girl idk wtf i would have done in that situtation either

duane wakes up to more aliens and rips all his medical stuff off and runs like he didn't get shot very recently and he's on the prowl for something

scully's back at her place, calling mulder, telling him about how the barcode scanned, and she's really worked up about the whole thing, when she hears a rustle, but it's just a thunderstorm...

but she goes to the window and DUANE IS THERE!!! a look of horror passes over her face, and we hear her through mulder's answering machine, screaming for help while he takes her

(everything happened SO quickly, it transpired in my notes like this: WHAT!!! he's outside her window WHAT THE FUCK TO BE CONTINUED??)

yes. we get a "TO BE CONTINUED" on the outtro scene.

i sat there, baffled for a few moments, trying to process what i just saw.

but then i thought i noticed something else: her place looked different than it did in s1. at least, i thought it did- we didn't see it much, but perhaps she got fed up with folks showing up like eugene tooms did in s1 and bought a nicer space. i thought the old space was cute though, and maybe it really is the same space but from a different angle, but then i thought about how it looked like mulder's space also changed from s1, so maybe they both moved, or maybe i'm just not good at noticing things, but oh yeah, scully's in virigina now since she's at the academy, so she probably DID move, although i thought the drive from DC to virigina was doable, but maybe not?

none of this changes the fact that scully has been TAKEN.

(i won't lie, i knew this was going to happen at some point, because i read the s2 episode descriptions and saw something about her being "returned", which implies being taken in the first place. but still. it was very abrupt. they had thoroughly lulled me into expecting a vague sort of non-answer of an ending and then switched out the formula at just the right time so i never grew suspicious)

to be continued!!! this is soooo evil, especially because i don't have time to watch the next episode tomorrow. so i'm gonna walk around all day tomorrow at important work events thinking about what horrors scully must be enduring and get NO conclusion as to what they might be. duane i have fists and you are not real and i am small but i am unafraid to bludgeon you. stay away from her if you even LOOK at her ohhhh you're gonna learn a lot more than what it feels like when aliens take out ur brain just keep that in mind!

(and man. i'm sitting here typing. thinking about how mulder never said a real goodbye to her the last time they spoke. and i wonder if that's gonna haunt him. and i wonder if when he gets her back, he always always always makes sure to take the time for a goodbye. just on the off chance it might really be the last one. fuck.)

[oldshowbiz]

[loislane-ana]

TECHNOLOGY, ukraine, zelenskyy, golf cart, thomas flyer, old cars, ipad mini, apple pencil pro, LG Flex, phantom bikes

[omedapixel]

MORE DEBUG OBJECTS

By poular demand, here are the rest of the prop and miscellaneous objects enabled for decorating! I don't have any pics right now, but the full list of objects is below the cut, and each package is merged by expansion pack.

As with my other debug objects, these can all be found under DEBUG > MISC. The catalog names are often something weird, because I haven't edited or added any strings.

These objects are technically not CC, it just allows you to access and decorate with objects that are already in game. Therefore you can uninstall these overrides, share worlds and lots using them, and they'll still remain wherever you've placed them.

Also, if you have a default replacement for any of these props, for example a plate default, then the object will also be updated to reflect that.

I highly reccomment using this in conjunction with my S3DT mod, since some of the objects are half sunk into the ground by default.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Object List Below

BASE GAME:

Guitar Case

Amplifier

Bottle Spigot (unused asset)

Child Ladle

Child Mixing Bowl

Cutting Board (slots do no work, unfortunately)

Fire Extinguisher

Fire Poker

Fire Lighter

Hammer

Bartending Bottle Prop

Ice Cream Cone

Microwave Meal

Paper Plate

Screwdiver

Sponge

Toilet Brush

Wedding Ring

Wrench

WORLD ADVENTURES:

Canteen

Chopsticks

Dig Site Brush

Flour Bag

Fortune Cookie

Map (looks like plain parchment)

Nectar Glass

Nectar Tray

Pamphlet

Pickaxe

Pungi (snake charming instrument)

AMBITIONS:

Chisel

Fire Axe

Blowtorch

Chainsaw

Detonator

Gnubb Bunny

Gnubb King

Junk Pipe Piece

Magnifying Glass

Notepad

Shovel

Tape Measure

Tattoo Gun

Triangle Ruler

Walkie Talkie

LATE NIGHT:

Drink Shaker

Drumstick

Party Glass

Round Party Glass

Bartending Bottle Prop

Juice Can

GENERATIONS:

Envelope

Love Letter Envelope

Cheap RAM Disk

Expensive RAM Disk

Beaker

Rolled Diploma

Flashlight

Game Controller

Greeting Card

Round Flask

Sparkling Juice (champagne)

PETS:

Hoofpick

Adult Pitchfork

Child Pitchfork

Plastic Pet Food Bowl

Cat Hunting Chip Bag

Cat Hunting Feather

Cat Hunting Leaf

Dog Treat

Foal Bottle

Horse Brush

Litter Scoop

Pet Brush

Stick (for playing fetch)

Freezer Bunny Ice Cream

Kitty Litter Pile

Rainbow Ice Cream

(forgot to do the chocolate ice cream, sorry!)

SHOWTIME:

CD Case

Record

Golf Ball

Juggling Pin

Microphone (grey)

Snack Bowl

Headphones

Golf Club Average

Golf Club Expert

Golf Club Old

Firefly Jar

FireflyJar Lid

Juggling Knife

Magician Sword

SUPERNATURAL:

Fly Swatter

White Glove

Bonehilda Key

Alchemy Bowl

Alchemy Package

Beehive Smoker

SEASONS:

Horseshoe

Child Rake

Adult Rake

Barista Bar Cup

Egg Hunt Basket

Trick or Treat Basket

Carving Knife

Fruit Punch

Hot Beverage Cup

Stack of Hot Dogs

Love Letter

Pie (from eating contest)

Snow Cone Syrup

Soccer Ball

Tissue

Spooky Day Candy

UNIVERSITY:

Clipboard

Red Juice Cup

Art Scanner

Bonfire Logs

Candy Bar

Cold One

College Letter

Energy Drink

Manilla Envelope

Macot Plushy

Ping Pong Ball

Ping Pong Paddle

Mistletoe (unused asset)

Protest Banners (3 versions)

Protest Flyer

Smartphone

Soda Can

Paint Sray Can

Suitcase

Whiteboard Eraser

Whiteboard Marker

ISLAND PARADISE:

Broom

Coconut Drink

Cold Beverage

Grim Reaper Trident

Pineapple Drink

Rescue Tube

Glass Bottle Pool Bar

Pool Bar Juice Can

INTO THE FUTURE:

Microphone (black)

OIl Puddle

Stardust

Paper Bag

[sirfrogsworth]

Early voting to beat the lines... the best-laid schemes of mice and men often go awry.

So... yesterday was quite the day.

After being stuck in bed for the past 6 weeks with some mystery slump, I was finally feeling better. So I decided I would try to cram as many errands into my day as possible. That works better for me when I drive out into the world because I end up only having to do one big recovery instead of a bunch of little recoveries.

My to-do list...

Go to the doctor

Vote early

Return oxygen machine to FedEx store for scammy eBay guy

Return Amazon package to the UPS store

Get gasoline for my whip

Go to Discount Tire to get my tires filled for free

Drop a check off for my lawn guy

Mail a secret package to Katrina at the US Post Office

It would have been nice if I could have gone to just one shipping place instead of all three, but the universe has a sense of humor and likes to do shit like that to me on a regular basis.

So, I get my checkup, it goes quick, no long wait, I'm feeling good.

As I get in my car, it starts to rain. It was an ugly day and it actually has not stopped raining to this very moment a day later. Just gray, windy, chilly, and wet. I look up the voting place and start the GPS.

Wipers and music on full blast, it's time to get my vote on.

When I reach my destination, I realize early voting is at some kind of private golf club. And at the center is a recreation center—which is a public building.

So it's like this private/public turducken situation.

I was expecting this errand to take 20 minutes. Because early voting always seemed like a way to get in before the crowds of election day for a more convenient voting experience.

But the parking lot was packed and I feared my expectations were about to be subverted.

As I walk through the parking lot I see a bunch of signs in the ground.

And a particular one caught my eye.

This is bullshit.

Like, just a straight up lie. No truth to it whatsoever.

Amendment 3 in Missouri basically restores abortion rights in the state. And Republicans have taken issue with the following language...

"The Government shall not deny or infringe upon a person's fundamental right to reproductive freedom, which is the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions."

They claim the phrasing "but not limited to" means you can give an 8-year-old kid "sex change surgery."

This is how their online flyer puts it...

It could also include a free puppy.

Or a zillion bucks.

Or a clown will come to your house after the abortion and honk your nose.

It's ridiculous and desperate. I honestly don't know how it is legal for them to put a lie like that outside of a polling location, but here we are.

The organization "Missouri Stands with Women" is run by... a man.

It was set up by a lawyer named "Edward Greim" on behalf of the Federalist Society.

His law firm has a lovely biography about him. And a bunch of publicly available contact information. I say that for no reason whatsoever.

The Federalist Society funds all kinds of shit like this. Their main thing is installing conservative judges all over the country who will reinterpret or negate legislation. And they do it all to "stand with women" by taking away their reproductive rights.

Here is the board of directors of the Federalist Society.

Ya know, before I looked this up, I said to myself, "I bet it's going to be a sausage fest." I am psychic.

I think it would be more accurate to say they stand with A woman.

Just one.

And she sucks.

Nicole is a law professor at Notre Dame. She chose her Catholicism over her right to choose. The Catholic Church will fuck your rights and your children and Nicole will help them do it.

Anyway... back to my quick and easy voting experience...

So as I'm walking in to vote I keep passing a ton of these awful signs. I notice an older woman standing next to the aforementioned "child sex change" sign and she says, "Can I talk to you about Amendment 3?"

At this point, I'm pretty angry. I look her dead in the eyes and say with my most assholish tone, "NO." as I walk past her.

And then she finishes her sentence...

"...to protect the reproductive rights of women."

Ah, dammit.

I thought she was an old Karen but she was cool as heck. Standing out in the rain telling people the sign is bullshit. I wanted to turn around and apologize but I was stuck in full social anxiety mode so I just kept walking.

If that old lady happens to have a Tumblr and follows me and is willing to read this giant story... I just want to say I am sorry. I thought you were awful and I should have let you finish your sentence. You're super cool and I'm happy there are folks like you fighting for what is right.

I get inside and a young woman greets me. She tells me the line is in the next room and points. I still wasn't quite sure what the situation was. The parking lot being full gave me pause, but I was still hopeful I could have a swift early voting experience.

But I walk through the doors and into a huge gymnasium and my heart sinks.

It's hard to represent in pictures how long this line is.

It goes all the way to the end of the gym, loops around, and comes back. At first I was not too discouraged, because there was a nice gentle ramp at the start of the line.

But then I notice several sets of stairs at different stages of the line. And I'm just thinking how hard it would be to stand in this line and then also having to go up and down several sets of stairs.

So I go back to the young woman working there and ask what their accessible voting options are. And she told me I could do curbside voting and points outside. I then notice a line of cars wrapped around the parking lot. I don't know how I didn't see them walking in, but I guess I was too busy being a jerk to elderly progressive women.

My biggest concern was time.

The longer this takes, the more energy I use up, the longer my eventual recovery will be.

They tell me the car option is the slowest. And I could be in line for 2 to 3 hours. And then an old man who seemed to be in charge walks over and tells me the fastest option is to stand in line.

So I walk back out to my car and grab my cane and decide to try the long serpentine gynasium line.

I start walking up the ramp and some of the other folks see how slow and labored I'm walking and they start encouraging me. "You can do it! You got this!" Which I suppose was meant to be a positive helpful thing. But I found it to be embarrassing.

I get to the end of the line and notice most of the line has bleachers directly next to it. So I decide to sit down and rest and figure out how I am going to survive this experience.

It took me a while to recover from the long walk to this spot. I watched a bunch of people pass me by and the line was actually getting much longer as I rested. I was not really sure what to do. I was trying to problem-solve this situation but the answer that kept popping up in my mind was just... "go home."

But I felt this was too important and that wasn't really an option.

My best idea was to ask someone if they would hold my spot in line. Perhaps I could just sit in the bleachers and follow them around in the line, staying as close to them as I could. But my social anxiety was set to maximum and I was not finding the courage to ask someone.

After about 10 minutes of sitting, resting, and thinking, I basically say, "Fuck it, I'll try to stand in line."

I get up and start walking to the end of the line.

Then I hear a voice yell out to me.

"Hey, man! Come over here! This is your spot!"

A young man was waving at me. He was accompanied by his wife. Both of them were dressed in black and they had a sort of goth skater aesthetic going on. He had a competitively bushy beard, but with less gray. And she had very vivid purple hair.

I was a little confused and still processing what was happening. Then they both started waving at me to join them in line. They remembered I got there just before and told me I should be in front of them. I walk over and thank them. Then he suggests...

"Hey, why don't you just sit in the bleachers and follow us around the line."

He suggested my idea!

Without me asking!

I felt like he read my mind or something.

Can bearded people read each others' minds? Was this some beard skill I was unaware of?

"I got you, man. You just sit and we'll keep your place."

And his violet hair'd significant other agreed. "Yeah, we got you."

The kindness of strangers was more accessible than my polling place and I was just so thankful in that moment.

So I sat in the bleachers and watched them traverse the line. In the middle of the gym there were some teenagers playing basketball. And so I just rested and watched them play.

That young man in the red pants was like a goddamn Harlem Globetrotter. He was just embarrassing the others. He was bouncing the ball behind his back and through his legs and then he just danced around his opponents like a figure skater. It was such an unbalanced matchup. He might as well have been playing 4th graders. Not only was he significantly faster and more maneuverable, but he was consistently hitting 3-pointers.

And then during a break, he ran towards the hoop, jumped from the free throw line, flew all the way to the net, grabbed onto the rim, and proceeded to do several pull ups as if they were the easiest thing in the world. I don't think I've seen anyone jump that far and that high in real life and it was just a bonkers display of athleticism.

I spent the entire wait watching him humiliate the others—hoping he would get a full ride scholarship to some prestigious university.

And I hoped the other boys paid attention in school and got straight As, because basketball was not going to work out for them.

As my new goth skater friends progressed through the line, I would make sure to keep sight of them. Every once in a while I'd give them a head nod to acknowledge we were in this together. After an hour and a half they were at the final segment of the line, so I sat next to the wheelchair folks.

I probably could have argued to sit with them in the first place. But I really did not feel like making the case that I was just as disabled as them and needed that level of consideration. The old man running things seemed quite stressed and was putting out 8 fires at once. And my anxiety wasn't really cooperating enough to be assertive in my needs.

But it worked out in the end, so I'm not going to dwell on the lack of accommodation for people who weren't *visually* disabled.

My new bearded friend neared the end and waved me over. I thanked him and his wife profusely.

I joked, "Thank you for adopting a voter."

They seemed confused by my joke.

"No problem, man. Happy to help."

I told him and his wife they truly saved me. "I honestly don't think I would have made it through the line." And then I looked back...

I said, "As crazy as this is, I do find this kind of turnout encouraging." His wife agreed and said, "We were saying the same thing!" And then I thought, "Can the wives of bearded people absorb the mind reading ability? I hope she can't read my mind right now. Although, I'm mostly thinking that her hair is a really cool shade of purple, so she'd probably find that complimentary."

As I waited to get my ballot I could hear the happy couple behind me. They were very cute. They were making fun of each other in a very lovey-dovey fashion. I had high hopes they were going to grow old and gray and purple together based on their chemistry. And I was just so thankful they were able to recognize that I needed help without me asking. Because I probably would have just caved to my anxiety and not asked for help otherwise.

I got my ballot and sat down to fill in all of the appropriate squares. Thankfully I had prepared a cheat sheet on my phone.

It was an exact replica so I was able to copy it and finish quite rapidly.

Then I fed my votes into the vote-eating monster and they gave me a sticker.

My quick 20 minute adventure to vote early only took 2.5 hours!

And because I didn't want to buck tradition, I stood outside in the wind and the rain and took a voting selfie.

Yep, that seems about right.

Ah, crap... that was only the second thing on my to-do list.

Let's speedrun the rest of this story, shall we?

I drove to FedEx. I hauled a 40 pound box inside. I plopped it on the counter and said, "Man, this thing is heavy!" as I tried to catch my breath. The 20 year old working there then lifted it like it was a feather and I felt great about that.

I drove to the gas station because I was nearly on empty—that is both a metaphor and not a metaphor. I filled my ride with go juice.

I noticed I was a mile from the tire store and they fill up tires for free. So I did that and the guy was super nice and complimented my tires. I felt both weird and proud about having my tires complimented. Like, I had nothing to do with my tires being nice. But I accepted the praise on their behalf.

I drove to the UPS store. The last time I was there I made a scene. They refused to box up a return and I got upset and wasn't feeling well and they had to find a chair for me to sit in because I was going to faint. So I was hoping the same woman wasn't there, but she was. She didn't recognize me, so it was fine.

I drove to my lawn guy's house. He wasn't home. I dropped a check in his mailbox. My checks have corgis on them. My checks are cute.

I drove to the post office. I sent a secret package to my bestie, Katrina. I'd tell you what is in it, but it is an inside joke and you wouldn't get it. The woman noticed my voting sticker and I couldn't help thinking about what I just accomplished to get that sticker.

On my way out I noticed a miracle.

2 of the 4 doors were fixed!

I mean, I don't know why they couldn't fix all 4, but now the employees won't freeze in the winter. So I take that as a win. It only took a year and a half to accomplish and I'm sure all of my phone calls and emails did not help at all. But I'm going to pretend I saved the day regardless.

And then... I drove home.

5 hours of errands.

I was so fucking tired. My back was on fire with pain. I immediately collapsed into my bed. I passed out. And I slept for 14 hours.

The End

[wynnyfryd]

Trailer park Steve AU part 34

part 1 | part 33 | ao3

Steve ducks his head against the flurries falling outside The Hideout as he makes his way for the entrance and tries really, really hard to not to feel totally out of place.

He agreed to meet Robin and her friends here separately because he was coming straight from a shift, but he’s kind of regretting that now. The only black thing he had in his wardrobe that was at all weather appropriate was a tight-fitting black knit pullover with a high collar and a silver zipper down the front, and he feels like some dorky, supportive golf dad coming to cheer on his rebellious son after a long day out on the green. The light wash jeans and silver wristwatch aren’t really helping matters.

Jesus. He should have let Robin dress him.

The guy at the ticket counter seems to agree because he gives Steve a weird look when he approaches and asks, “Are you lost?”

“Uh, no.” And if it comes out slightly more bitchy than he intended, well—

“Five dollars,” the guy scowls.

Strike that. Maybe it didn’t come out nearly bitchy enough. “The flyer says it’s two.”

The guy eyes him up with a tight, sarcastic smile and pops his chewing gum. “For you it’s five.”

Oh, my god. Operation Woo Your Man might be dead before it starts, because Steve’s about to smash the ticket booth window and pummel this fucking guy.

“I already got yours!” Robin calls brightly, jogging up behind him on the sidewalk and waving a lime green wristband. “He’s good,” she tells the guy, then tells Steve, “Eddie said to give you this.”

Ticket guy frowns, and Steve gloats as Robin fixes the bracelet to his wrist. Yeah, buddy, you heard that right; I'm with the band.

Robin drags him into the bar, and he stops her just inside the door, hugging her tight enough to lift her up on tiptoe, smacking a kiss to the side of her head. He jostles her around until something in her neck pops, and when he lets her go she groans, “Oh, my god, do that again.”

She spins around, crossing her arms over her chest. Steve grabs her by the elbows; shakes her like a piggy bank until her spine goes crack-crack-crack.

“Wow,” she sighs dreamily when he sets her down. “Marry me.”

“You can’t just marry me for my massage services.”

“I know; it’s tragic. Anyway, come on.” She takes his hand. “Everyone’s already at the table.”

“Who’s everyone?”

Robin doesn’t answer — probably can’t hear him over the loud rock music pouring through the speakers — but she weaves them through the venue, skirting the edge of the main floor.

Steve’s never actually been in here, but it’s pretty much what he expected: black walls, black floor, black leather jackets on the handful of regulars. The stage is off to their left, already set up with Eddie’s band’s gear by the looks of it, though he doesn’t see them anywhere. Must be backstage getting ready.

In front of the stage is a small, empty dance floor, flanked by rickety tables with mismatched chairs, and overhead there’s a balcony with a sound booth and more seats. To their right, the main bar: a long, ancient dark wood counter that’s been graffitied to absolute shit, covered in band stickers and beer labels and ‘so and so wuz here’s, and just up ahead, lining the far wall, Steve spots a row of wraparound booths.

Dark red leather, the stuffing spilling out through time-worn splits. Only one of them is occupied. Steve can’t make out much from this distance beyond the vague shape of the people sitting there, but considering it’s the only table with any chicks at it, he figures that’s their group.

Suddenly, Robin stops. Turns around to look at him; drops his hand and bites her lip. “Okay, so. Don’t get mad…”

Steve narrows his eyes. He knows that guilty grimace. Whatever it is, he’s definitely about to get mad about it, or at very least annoyed. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Robin.”

“Okay!” She steps to the side, and he marches toward the table to try and get a better view, Robin trailing after him, rambling, “For the record, I really didn’t do it, I swear! But, like— well, Beth is friends with Fred, and Fred is on the school paper, so I guess he just—”

The details shift into focus: tiny frame, rigid posture. Big, curly dark brown hair.

Oh, son of a bitch. No. No.

Nancy Wheeler’s here.

—

part 35

tag list in separate reblogs under '#trailer park steve au taglist' if you'd like to filter that content. if you want to be added tomorrow please comment and let me know (must be over 21; please either verify in the comment or have your age visible on your blog)

[sergeifyodorov]

Your post of all the first overalls to girl interrupted actively makes me feel crazy. Do you have a ranking of the most compelling first overalls?

cody's list of most compelling (active) (to me) first overalls

21. aaron ekblad (2014.) i don't care for the florida panthers

20. alexis lafreniere (2020). his strongest narrative juices are a) the bust thing (he was a covid baby, it takes time) and b) maybe him also going to rimouski like sid, if you really wanted to pull it out like that. but the two of them have little otherwise connection, so not really

19. owen power (2021) this is a list ranked by compellingness and not cutieness or who i would want to provide most with feminizing hrt against their will

18. nico hischier (2017) even some of the least compelling 1oas are still quite interesting IMHO -- nico is the highest ever drafted swiss player + a very young captain on a basement team + a CHL import. all of which *are* juicy. he just lacks... i don't know, a little extra je ne sais quoi

17. macklin celebrini (2024) invoking the power of "He Literally Just Got Here" for this one. the daddy issues are a powerful offset though

16. ryan nugent-hopkins (2011). the power of the longest-tenured member of a team is quite something. earns points for not being an upper middle class rich boy either

15. nathan mackinnon (2013). controversial to put him so low i know but in my genuine and honest opinion he's way more interesting as a Character than a Part Of The Narrative. crucial divide here. i'm about to talk about slaf's personality making him interesting narratively but they do want their good canadian boys to shut up and take it and nate doesn't rebel against that. all he wants to do is win (accomplished) and fuck sidcros (negligible)

14. juraj slafkofsky (2022) just barely edges out the nuge by virtue of a) the whole First Slovak thing (see nico) and b) his new and upcoming beef with the slovak federation??? what's all that about because THAT'S juice. THAT'S spark. slaf's great because not only are his little circumstances compelling but he's also got such a Personality to him. his little rockstar attitude. his little braces. I will show him where is Slovakia. yessss girl

13. rasmus dahlin (2018). im a dahlin attention payer so he's probably higher than he "should" be but CAPTAIN OF THE BUFFALO SABRES I AM SO SORRY.

12. erik johnson (2006) hugely fascinated by his fall from grace via golf cart, which is not a route most people take. and then of course he was a crucial emotional crux of the avs up until their 2022 run and in my belief a much more important part of their fall from grace post-run than whatever landeskog is doing. and of course any flyer is relevant by nature

11. jack hughes (2019) you cannot deny the hughes are interesting narratively because they are important. he's not as interesting or as important as quinn though so obviously not as high on the list as he might have otherwise been

10. taylor hall (2010) actually super interesting because he has, throughout his entire career, been on one (1) good team (the 2022-23 boston bruins). he has a hart trophy!!! you guys know he has a fucking hart trophy right???? while they were drafting davo et al, he was an oiler. while they were drafting nico, he was a devil, while they were drafting owen, he was a sabre, and when they drafted connor bedard he was a blackhawk. always the bridesmaid, never the bride

9. steven stamkos (2008). there's always something to be said for waiting a long time to get what you want. and then once that goal's been accomplished, they throw you out.

8. connor bedard (2023) Let's Get Generational With It

7. john tavares (2009) brief let's un-get generational with it to talk about mr magic amulet breaking TWO entire playoff round curses as captain, twice. about him choosing toronto. about Him

6. auston matthews (2016) what if you were a vain shy arizona boy who wanted nothing more than to be a star and then they gave it to you and then you immediately had to learn that it's not nearly as good as you thought it was going to be. and you were actually kind of gay the whole time (im biased. this is cody sergeifyodorov's immense toronto bias. be normal)

5. patrick kane (2007)

4. marc-andre fleury (2003) the whole saga of him in pittsburgh AND the whole saga of him in vegas AND the whole saga of him in minnesota (and the brief intermission when he was in chicago) are all massive narrative moments of their own, but to have all of them? to be a goaltender that lucky and that loved for that long? it's not done. it will never be done again.

3. connor mcdavid (2015) I Love It When The Ginger Man Suffers

2. alexander ovechkin (2004) you know i could write essays on ovi. i could write dissertations. people have already done so -- i would not be the first and will not be the last if i join their ranks. i could take about the goals and the record chase. i could talk about the way he's been juxtaposed against the guy who you really should have known going in was going to be number one for his whole career. i could talk about the hunt for 2018, and the long, long time they said he was useless, no matter the record. but i will say after me. after me, i give it to you, baby.

sidney crosby (2005). obviously

[puhpandas]

GGY Week Day 2: Comfort

Gregory has to deal with his injury from trapping the mimic and everything else that comes with the experience after dealing with GGY and the Pizzaplex. His injury also took away one of his only escapes. Hurray.

Gregory didnt even get to finish his long, drawn out miserable groan before Vanessa opens the door to his room and comes inside.

He's still doing it when she shuts the door behind her and makes her way to his bed. He doesn't look away from his phone, which he's holding in his lap, even when she approaches.

She wordlessly ducks her head to look at what's on his screen, and when she gets a look at it, that's finally when he finishes.

He frowns, miserably looking at his phone screen. "The Soccer team seems to be having a great time without me."

It had been an impulsive decision one day at school (after he managed to get enrolled again) to join the team after he'd seen a flyer. It had made so much sense at the time. Gregory loved running, (and was very fast for his age), was good at kicking, although for the wrong reasons, and was very tired of being stuck inside with plenty of opportunities to remember everything terrible that's ever happened to him with no breaks.

Ness had been proud of him, that he'd taken a leap like that. Gregory knows how much Vanessa struggles with social interaction after Vanny. Gregory... he was afraid to join the team at first, not because of social anxiety, but for a completely different reason. Rab kept entering his mind, because the last time he made friends...

He... he had been tired of sitting around being nothing but afraid, though. So he did it anyway, and ignored all anxiety digging a hole in his stomach about Rab to try and prove himself wrong.

And it worked. He loved soccer, was great for his team, at least his teammates thought so, and was great with the other kids.

Besides school itself, it's one of the only things he has that gets him out. Out of everything. The house, his head, his funk... Its something important to him. It's a hobby that doesn't have an ulterior motive, like robotics does. He does that because hes good at it, likes it just fine, but also because Freddy needs a guy good with robots to give him the scheduled maintenance he needs to stay functional, and Gregory would sooner jump off the catwalks in Monty Golf than leave Freddy without that.

But soccer... he doesnt have an adult reason to be there. Its fun. He has friends there after so long of having none out of fear and a way to put all of his skills he learned for the wrong reasons to good use. He feels normal there. Like everything with Rab and Tony and Ellis and his parents can be pushed to the back of his mind to just. Have fun. Be a kid.

And now, he's stuck in bed.

It's a little harder to see with how the sunlight from his open blinds glares on his screen, but he gets it clear as day. The team sent him a Snap just to update him on how they're doing while Gregory is away. It's a picture of them on the field, uniforms dirty and cheeks scraped and smiles on their faces. He can feel the adrenaline and good kind of exhaustion through the screen, having experienced it.

Vanessa doesnt respond for a second, just nodding grimly and patting him on the leg. "Sorry to hear that." She says, all formal like she does. Then, "Would some ice cream make you feel better?"

Normally, he'd light up, but he hasnt felt it like that in a while. He nods anyway, a small smile on his face. "Of course."

She goes to the kitchen to make them some. While shes gone, he keeps staring at the picture, feeling the will to get back on the field so strongly but unable to.

When she comes back, it's with two big bowls of ice cream, one scoop for her, and three for Gregory. She knows him well. He takes it from her, once again not looking away from his phone.

She sits next to him on his double bed (one that Vanessa for some reason already had on hand in his room that looked like it hadn't been touched in years) and makes herself comfortable. He leans his head against the wall, his hair brushing up against stray peeling corners of drawings he has hung up.

He sighs through his nose, taking a bite of ice cream and looking through his friends Snap stories. It's all different pictures and point of views of happy faces and the soccer game.

Vanessa hums, looking over his shoulder and working away at her own ice cream. She swallows, then, "Hows your leg?"

Gregory frowns, looking at it. "Fine." He says, but he knows he should give Vanessa a better answer. "Okay, its... its healing good. I try to keep still, but it's hard. Especially because its itching all the time."

"...It doesn't hurt?" Vanessa asks after a second. Gregory can hear the worry in her tone, even though shes trying to hide it. He doesnt blame her. They'd both had worries about its severity when it had still been fresh.

An image of the bloody mess the wound had first been when he got it flashes in his mind, and he shoves it down just as quick. "No." He tells her honestly. "I mean. Besides the sore part... it seems fine."

Vanessa deflates ever so slightly next to him. He knows its relief; Its been this way for the past multiple weeks. Probably months by now. She smiles, although her eyes still look tired, and reaches over to lightly ruffle his hair. "That's good." She says. "Means you'll be able to get back to the field pretty soon."

He nods, but his heart must've not been in it, because then Vanessa is scrutinizing him. He keeps looking at his phone, sighing again. His brows furrow, and every time he sees that picture of the whole team, any will he has to get back on the field with his friends is snuffed out as quick as it comes. It's like he has a flame he's desperately kindling to keep alive, and then someone comes over and dumps a bucket of water on it. Its upsetting.

"How are you doing?" She then asks, nudging him.

Gregory jolts slightly, finally putting his phone down. He stares into his bowl of melting ice cream. "Um..."

He trails off, and Vanessa picks it back up. "Would you want to get back on the field if you could right now?"

Gregory gets taken off guard, gaping at Vanessa for a moment. She hit the nail right on the head. He shouldn't be suprised, at this point. She knows him better than himself, and same with him to her.

He sighs. "...No."

Gregory isnt looking at Vanessa, but can hear her spoon scraping against her bowl. "Why not?"

Gregory doesn't respond right away, just thinking about everything. "It--" He cuts himself off. "I... I'm not feeling it."

Vanessa doesn't respond, so Gregory keeps going. "What happened... it was really bad." He says. "Even if I didn't have this stupid injury, I dont think I'd just be able to..."

"To keep going with life like nothing happened?" Vanessa finishes for him. "I get it, Gregory. Okay? It was just like that for me when I was first freed."

A small bit of pride swells inside Gregory at hearing Vanessa able to talk about it so easily. She doesnt even stutter anymore. It's still not as easy for him. He looks over at her. "It was?"

She nods. "You and Freddy had time to adjust and process. But I..." She trails off, looking like shes remembering every bit. "I just had to keep going so I could make us money. I had to go back to work pretty quickly, and I just... wasnt ready for a routine yet."

Gregory frowns, fidgeting with the strap of his watch. "That sucks."

Vanessa nods. "Yeah." She agrees. "What you went through, Gregory... it's not just something you can brush past."

Gregory sighs through his nose, resignation souring his insides. Against his will, he feels his eyes burn. He thought he was done with this whole getting traumatized and healing stuff. He just wants it to be over. "...I know."

"What I mean is that it's okay to take some time." Vanessa tells him, setting a hand on his arm. "You may not want to, but forcing yourself is even worse than taking time away." She says. "Processing something enough to move past it takes time."

Gregory nods wordlessly, remembering going through regaining his memories on top of dealing with the Pizzaplex. It was awful. He'd just managed to get himself to reconsider hobbies he'd barely remembered having before everything Rab came rushing back, and then he hadn't wanted to anymore, having a whole new can of worms to deal with. A worse one.

He furrows his brows, his shoulders drooping. He doesn't want to do that again. Everything was going so good. He thought they'd finally moved past it.

And then that thing had to rear its ugly head, and Gregory had to use himself as bait just to trap it in a dark hole in the basement.

His leg twitches involuntarily, and he winces at how bad it really is. He forgets it, sometimes. How even though its healing, there'd been worries of lasting damage. How Gregory had just made friends and used his talents of running and fighting to his advantage to join a sport (which eased his worried of falling out of practice as well) and that could have been fully ripped away if his leg decided to heal wrong. (He wouldnt be able to run away anymore.)

How it wasnt an easy wound to explain to the hospital. How it had been made by an eight foot tall monster with big claws and a grudge against him who'd managed to reach a bit too far into a vent a bit too long, too long for Gregory to make it out. How it'd been all his worst nightmares and the cause of everything horrible that's ever happened to him and his family in one big package with a pretty bow and it had bored into him with its red eyes and its limbs had been too long and it'd gotten ahold of his leg and dug its claws into his flesh and ripped and he was sure he was going to die--

He snaps out of it, just barely managing to realize he was spiraling before it happened. He breaths slowly, realizing it had started to get erratic. He fidgets with his watch strap, keeping his gaze away from Vanessa.

Vanessa saw. She clearly did, or she wouldn't be looking at him all worried like she is right now. She doesnt need to say anything. He knows that what just happened alone is proof that he needs to take time off to process. No matter how miserable it makes him that this is happening again when he'd just wanted to finally move on--

His body jerks, and to his horror, he can feel his throat close up and his eyes burn. He frowns deeply, trying to wipe at his face before any tears can fall. It's stupid. It's all stupid.

But before he can shove it completely down, Vanessa puts hers and his bowl onto his nightstand, and shifts her body. "None of that." She tells him, soft as silk. Before he can react, shes carefully gathering him in her arms in a hug.

Gregory tries really hard to not let that be the water that breaks the dam. He stubbornly, even though he doesnt move away from the hug, tries to keep the tears from spilling.

But eventually, it comes out.

He cries silently; that's always how it's been, but not motionlessly. His shoulders shake and jerk as tears slip past his eyelashes, and he hugs Vanessa back.

"I know it sucks." Vanessa tells him, not trying to baby him or shush him, because she knows he hates that. "That you have to keep going through this stuff over and over--" Her own voice gets choked up, and he can hear her swallow. "And I'm-- I'm sorry. But you cant let it get to you."

Gregory sniffs, nodding against her chest. He gets what she means. He cant let it get to him, as in he cant let that thing win. He cant let it ruin all that hes built for himself-- they've built for themselves because it's hard. It was hard before. It was really, really hard. Knowing that he killed all those people. That his parents are dead and his whole life was destroyed and his friend that he'd had to watch bond with not-him got killed thinking he was betrayed.

But he got past it. He got better and healed and was able to code without curling up into a ball and hyperventilating, and draw the nightmares he had to process them. It had taken time, but he was better.

He snakes an arm back to wipe at his eyes. This? Compared to Rab? This is nothing. That thing with its glowing eyes and its claws and its tunnel deep gashes in his leg that almost ruined something great in his life is nothing--

Okay, so maybe it isnt nothing. But its nothing he cant handle. Hes nothing if not stubborn, and he isnt going to let that thing take away something else. Scars or not.

"Thanks." Gregory mumbles into Vanessa's shirt. "I needed that."

"You'll get back onto the field someday." Vanessa tells him, a hand in his hair. "And your friends are gonna dogpile you when you return and you'll be able to run and score as many goals as you want."

Gregory nods, squeezing her tighter. "I'll just have to make tons of robots in robotics for now."

Vanessa chuckles, ruffling his hair. "Yeah, kid." She says. "Go on and pick up a fourth talent while you're at it, dont you."

The tears stop falling, and the tracks dry on his cheeks as he pushes against the hug, shoving at Vanessa playfully. "Its not my fault you're talentless. Don't be jealous."

She pushes back at him, careful of his healing lower half, a grin on her face. "Says the boy currently under the blanket I hand sewed for him."

Gregory laughs, shoving and pulling and pushing at Vanessa, and her back. He may not feel one hundred percent right now, but who knows how fast itll take him to heal. Theres nothing saying he wont be ready by the time his leg heals. Maybe he'll reach a new record.

Almost taking no effort, he shoves down the reminder of high scores and records being associated with Rab immediately. Even quicker, he moves past it.

ao3 link

[rocknrollsalad]

rating: mature cw: sex toys, growing up tags: steddie being difficult at Christmas, established relationship, sex toys, Eddie is obnoxious, misunderstandings?, multiple definitions of the word toys, Eddie plays santa word count: 1635

written for @steddiemas prompt "toys" it's so far past my bedtime but I wanted to get this in. I'll give it another read through tomorrow. so if you see a weird sentence, no you didn't lol

-

Today was the day. The day all Eddie’s hard work paid off and would crown him the winner of dating. Not that there could be such a prize but Eddie was going to win it today. More importantly, Steve was going to eat his words. All of them. And nothing else.

It was also Christmas but who cared about that? Not Eddie. Though the holiday was not just responsible for all of this but made it possible. It was nothing more than the date on the calendar when Eddie finally got Steve good.

A little more than a month ago, Eddie left out the Toys R Us flyer with a handful of things circled, right on the coffee table. There for Steve to see. When he didn’t, Eddie did the grown-up thing and handed Steve the flyer. “Here are some things you could get me for Christmas that would make me incredibly happy. Obviously, go off book some but if you need ideas, Star Wars toys.”

Steve came back with the horrible nonsense about how they weren’t children and they didn’t need toys for Christmas. As if they hadn’t both gone into KB Toys together, bought something for Dustin’s birthday, and walked out with twice as much for themselves.

So naturally Eddie returned the snobbery. The upturned nose and posh accent were so frequently used to mock Steve but rarely to his face. Eddie wielded it expertly to talk about how they were adults now and he would only accept boring, grown up gifts. Not a trace of fun would be had this holiday! Fun is for children.

Of course, Steve backpedaled and tried to say he didn’t say that but to Eddie, there was no difference between “You can’t have Darth Vader’s lightsaber” and “We should buy each other kitchen towels”.

It was a fate Eddie could have accepted. They were adults but that wasn’t who he was. In fact, he hoped he was in his forties still circling things in the Toys R Us mega catalog. He also hoped Steve would get on board with that. It wasn’t going to be any fun only buying him sensible gifts. A lightsaber was only as fun as who you fought with it.

So, Eddie hatched a plan. A boring, adult plan with absolutely no toys. To save Steve from himself but also save Eddie a little too.

Now it was Christmas morning and everything Eddie had planned and carefully orchestrated (and kept quiet) was about to pay off. Steve likely wasn’t going to even remember the conversation but he’d remember this lesson for the rest of his life. Eddie was sure of it.

Under their tree were mountains of gifts. Some were for later when friends came over and celebrated, a few would have to wait a few more days because not everyone could get away from obligations on the day. And, of course, there were little piles for Steve and Eddie, from each other.

Tucked in the back was the punchline to all of this, about seven gifts all marked for Eddie. From Santa. Whether or not Steve had noticed them, Eddie wasn’t sure. He hadn’t said anything but that didn’t mean much. Either way, Eddie had to hold it together for another ten minutes.

Steve sat on the floor and Eddie pushed box after box at him. He unwrapped socks, two ugly ass ties, expensive coffee, golf tees, a frying pan, new canisters for dried goods (he actually wanted those), and a bottle of cologne in a very normal bottle even though Eddie had to pass up one shaped like a tiger to buy that.

There was barely a comment, hardly a reaction, and Eddie thought maybe Steve was hip to the plan. All of those things were bought to be incredibly boring and adult. None of them were needed, really, except the canisters and maybe the socks. But Steve didn’t look disappointed.

He unwrapped the last few and got some books about planes, a screwdriver set, and a scarf with matching earmuffs. Again, the last one could be used but it shouldn’t be what they were buying each other. Each purchase had hurt Eddie’s soul more than the one before but Steve took it all on the chin and started pushing packages at Eddie.

They were a decent mix of things Eddie needed and things he wanted. Yeah, he got socks too but he didn’t have a single pair without holes, they were so necessary. Not to mention socks were a pretty essential Christmas present. Eddie bought Wayne socks this year and assumed the favor would be returned.

Some of the circled toys made it under the tree and Steve even went off book and bought a couple of buckets of Legos as a “for us” gift. Which was more exciting than Eddie wanted to admit. He was almost willing to ignore everything he’d so carefully set up to dump the tubs out and build with Steve.

Tee shirts and an electric toothbrush, bits to improve their home stereo, and a comfy new blanket, Steve had balanced the adult Christmas Eddie didn’t want to have perfectly with the childlike one he was clinging to.

Eddie sat wrapped in his new coat, blanket over his legs, and looked over a box as he debated opening it, nearly forgetting all the presents that still bore his name. Steve got up and got them coffee before he took the bait that Eddie wasn’t even dangling anymore.

“So what’s the deal with all those?”

“Hmm?”

“There’s a whole bunch of gifts there and they all have your name on them, in your writing,” Steve pushed his glasses up. His favorite way to act disinterested and a little better than the situation. A simple gesture Eddie hated how much he loved.

“That’s not my handwriting,” Eddie scoffed, putting his toy aside to “investigate” the packages. “Oooo, it says they’re from Santa. You probably thought we were too old to get presents from him. Probably why none have your name on them.”

“Oh my god. Is that–is this all–” Steve couldn’t finish, he just waved his hand in front of him to tell Eddie to get on with this show.

A little disappointing but Eddie was a performer at heart, even if the crowd was throwing tomatoes, they were still there and watching. So he picked up a small box, the exact last place he’d start if he didn’t know what was in every one.

Opening it with feral enthusiasm he hadn’t shown any other gift, Eddie sat there looking into a box and preventing Steve from seeing the contents. He used the surprised face he’d practiced and finally showed it off. “How did Santa know I needed a new cock ring?” Eddie said with phony shock.

“I’d guess because of all that sees you when you’re sleeping stuff,” Steve deadpanned.

Okay, okay. It was not the reaction Eddie was hoping for, but he was overselling it a bit, and he knew it. It was Christmas magic or something. He was really too happy with what he had to make this point anymore, especially because Steve did buy toys.

Eddie could have backtracked, apologized, and explained himself but he also knew what fun was left under the tree. They weren’t going to care why it was bought for the house come tomorrow. Still, Eddie toned it down a bit and opened the other packages.

There was rope, videos, lingerie, lube, and a couple of dildos, he’d dropped a lot of money at the adult store to prove toys weren’t just for kids. It was too much of a good thing standing in there with disposable, gift-giving money, and looking at it now, Eddie almost felt like he’d overdone it.

“I see why Santa didn’t bring you anything,” Eddie said as he finished marveling over the restraints he’d wanted for a while now. Never mind that he knew they were in the box, they were finally his in a way he could talk about.

“Is all of this because I said I wouldn’t buy you any toys?

“I don’t know, Steven, I’m not Santa Claus. I could never eat that many cookies and reindeer notoriously hate me.”

“Okay, sure. Not even going to ask about that. I did get you the toys though.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t know that.”

“And…more importantly. No place with a giraffe mascot sells these sorts of toys.”

“Now we don’t know that and it would be kind of hilarious if someone did in that clearly-not-getting-a-copyright-lawsuit sort of way.”

Steve chuckled but didn’t give any more of a reaction.

Sitting in his own failed joke, Eddie wasn’t sure what to do so he waited the silence out. Watched Steve to see what he was thinking. He wasn’t giving away much though and that felt like a bad sign. Eddie might have ruined Christmas. Shit.

“So I got boring gifts because adults get boring things?” Steve finally asked.

Eddie nodded.

“And Santa brought you all these toys as a sort of punishment for me because those are both toys and not boring?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Right,” Steve licked his lips and crossed his arms over his chest. After a second he leaned closer to Eddie. “So I don’t think we’re going to be using any of those until, at least, Valentine's Day. We’ll put them in a nice box and put them in the closet.”

Eddie looked down at the boxes, all the things he wanted, the things they needed to replace, everything he’d waited weeks to play with and it was being taken from him.

“I think that’s a suitable punishment,” Steve said in a voice that worked on Eddie better than anything in the boxes around him. All he could do was nod. Accept his punishment.

[dogwittaablog]

Old pic of Nolpats in the middle of Tillie’s looking debatably hot…

[zepuckinghockey]

It's NHL wedding season! I'm aware of 10 NHLers who got married over the July 7-8, 2023 weekend as well as two related weddings. As best as I can, I've listed them out including as many verified player guests as I could find. Shoutout to the server for helping me ID a lot of generic looking faces. I've got some teams listed for context.

Feel free to let me know of people I've missed! This list has been edited on September 9th. I'm pretty sure wedding season is over, but feel free to message me with someone I missed.

June 16th, 2023 Weddings:

Kyle Clague - Sabres Notable Guests: Nolan Patrick

July 4th, 2023 Weddings:

Colin Blackwell - Hawks Notable Guests: Alex Kerfoot

July 6th, 2023 Weddings:

Tyler Bertuzzi - Red Wings Notable Guests: Michael Rasumussen, Zach Nastasiuk

July 7th, 2023 Weddings:

Alex Nedeljkovic - currently Penguins (previously Canes, Red Wings) Notable Attendees: Scott Wedgewood

Jordan Binnington - Blues Notable Attendees: Jordan Kyrou, Marco Scandella, Sammy Blais, Faulk, Perron, Logan Brown, Joshua Leivo, Vince Dunn, Robby Fabbri, Joel Edmundson, Robert Thomas, Oskar Sundqvist, Colton Parayko, Jake Walman

July 8th, 2023 Weddings:

Tyson Barrie - currently on the Preds (previously: Oilers, Leafs, Avs) Notable Attendees: everyone. Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Mitch Marner, Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid, Alex Kerfoot, John Tavares, Jack Campbell, Justin Holl, Evander Kane, Darnell Nurse, Mike Smith, Bayne Pettinger, Tyler Ennis, Colin Wilson, Michael Hutchinson, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Cody Ceci, Evan Bouchard, Luke Schenn, Devin Shore, Gabe Landeskog

Vinni Lettieri - currently on the Wild (previously Ducks) Notable Attendees: Trevor Zegras, Jake Bischoff, Tony DeAngelo, Jimmy Vesey, Kevin Hayes, Brady Skjei, Kevin Shattenkirk, John Gibson, Zach Bogosian, Sam Carrick, Jake Gardiner, James van Riemsdyk

Sam Reinhart - currently on the Panthers (previously Sabres) Notable Attendees: Mason Marchment, Brandon Montour, Owen Tippett

Chandler Stephenson - currently on the Knights (previously Caps) Notable Attendees: Will Carrier, Reilley Smith, Mark Stone, Cody Eakin, Jack Eichel, Alex Tuch

Sam Girard - currently on the Avs (previously Preds) Notable Attendees: Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Ryan Graves

Dylan Gambrell - currently on the Leafs (previously Sharks, Sens) Notable Attendees: Mathieu Joseph, Austin Watson (thanks anon!)

Gustav Forsling - currently on the Panthers Notable Attendees: Alex Wennberg, Marcus Hogberg, Patric Hornquist, Lucas Carlsson, Erik Gustafsson

Tyler Motte - (Rangers, Blue Jackets, Blackhawks, Senators, Canucks) Notable Attendees: Brock Boesser

Brett Richie - (Yotes, Flames)

Emerance Maschmeyer & Genevieve Lacasse - WoHo Olympic gold medalists Notable Attendees: Sarah Nurse, Erin Ambrose, Laura Stacey, Marie-Philip Poulin, Haley Irwin, just like all the big woho names

Dominik Tiffels - German hockey player Notable Attendees: Leon Draisaitl

Frankie Borrelli - Barstool Sports and Fore Play Golf Notable Attendees: Brock Nelson, Matt Martin, Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield, Josh Bailey - info thanks to @barzyblogbabe

Morgan Reilly - Leafs Notable Attendees: his wife Tessa Virtue

July 13th, 2023 Weddings:

Dryden Hunt - Rangers Notable Guests: Kyle Burroughs

July 15th, 2023 Weddings:

Tyler Seguin - Stars (Bruins) Notable Guests: Jamie Benn, John Klingberg, Scott Wedgewood, Jesse Blacker, Mason Marchment, Ty Dellandrea, Justin Dowling

Luke Kunin - (Sharks, Wild) Notable Attendees: Colton Sissons, Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, (Taryn Tkachuk)

AJ Greer - Bruins (Avs, Devils) Notable Attendees: Scott Kosmachuk

Andy Andreoff - (Kings, Flyers, Islanders) Notable Attendees: Sean Couturier, Scott Laughton, Shayne Gostibehere, Erik Gudbranson, Milan Lucic

Juuso Valimaki - Coyotes

July 16, 2023 Weddings:

Kevin Hayes - Blues (Flyers, Rangers, Jets) Notable Attendees: Johnny Gaudreau, Tony DeAngelo, Brady Skjei, Jimmy Vesey

July 20th, 2023 Weddings:

Lawson Crouse - Coyotes Notable Attendees: Phil Kessel, Shayne Gostibehere, Liam O'Brien, Nick Schmaltz, Darcy Kuemper, Taylor Hall, Jacob Bryson, Travis Konecny

July 21st, 2023 Weddings:

Nicolas Aube-Kubel - Caps (Avs) Notable Attendees: Anthony Mantha, Julien Gauthier

Brady Tkachuk - Sens Notable Attendees: Matthew Tkachuk, Josh Norris, Thomas Chabot, Mark Stone, Mathieu Joseph, Luke Kunin, Christian Fischer, Ryan Donato, Robert Thomas, Alex Debrincat, Cam Talbot, Nick Holden, Quinn Hughes, Jack Hughes, Luke Hughes, Jake Sanderson, Shane Pinto, Dylan Gambrell, Colin White, Jacob Chychrun, Kevin Hayes

Juuse Saros - Predators Notable Attendees: Eeli Tolvanen, Kevin Lankinen

Tanner Jeannot - Lightning Notable Attendees: Brett Howden, Noah Gregor, Jayden Halbgewachs, Jeremy Lauzon, Alex Carrier

July 22nd, 2023 Weddings:

Alex Kerfoot - Coyotes (Maple Leafs) Notable Attendees: Justin Holl, Colin Blackwell, John Tavares, Morgan Reilly, Michael Bunting, Mitch Marner, Jake Muzzin

Nick Paul - Lightning (Senators) Notable Attendees: Chris Driedger, Drake Batherson, Thomas Chabot, Anthony Cirelli, Alex Killorn

Keith Kinkaid - (Devils, Canadiens, Rangers, Bruins, Avs)

July 24th, 2023 Weddings:

Anthony Mantha - Capitals Notable Guests: Nicholas Aube-Kubel, Julien Gauthier, Nick Jensen, Jonathan Benier

July 27th, 2023 Weddings:

Pavel Zacha - Bruins (Devils) Notable Attendees: Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt

July 28th, 2023 Weddings:

Karson Kuhlman - Islanders (Kraken, Jets) Notable Guests: Kasimir Kaskiskuo

July 29th, 2023 Weddings:

Connor Murphy - Blackhawks (Coyotes) Notable Attendees: Sean Kuraly, Anthony Duclair, Dylan Strome, Jonathan Toews, Alex Debrincat, Taylor Raddysh, Mackenzie Entwistle, Brandon Hagel

Mitch Marner - Leafs Notable Attendees: Best Boy Zeus 🐶, Matt Martin, James Van Riemsdyk, Jake Gardiner, Tyler Bozak, Connor Brown, Justin Holl, Nazem Kadri, Willy Nylander, Zach Bogosian, Kyle Clifford, Jake Muzzin, Auston Matthews, Alex Kerfoot, Michael Bunting, Freddie Anderson, Rasmus Sandin, Morgan Reilly, Tyson Barrie, Connor Carrick, Joe Thorton, Patrick Marleau, Zach Hyman, Jack Campbell, TJ Brodie, Tyler Ennis, John Tavares, Timothy Liljegren

Ethan Bear - Canucks (Oilers, Hurricanes) Notable Attendees: Mat Barzal, Caleb Jones, Jujhar Khaira, Riley Stillman, Thatcher Demko, Austin Strand

Boone Jenner - Blue Jackets Notable Attendees: Zach Werenski, Seth Jones, Nick Blankenburg, Cole Sillinger, David Savard, Andrew Peeke, Scott Laughton, Elvis Merzlikins, Erik Gubranson

July 30th, 2023 Weddings:

Ryan Donato - Blackhawks (Kraken, Bruins) Notable Attendees: Jared McCann, Yanni Gourde, Matty Beniers, Adam Fox

August 3rd, 2023 Weddings:

Kevin Lankinen - Predators Notable Guests: Eeli Tolvanen

August 4th, 2023 Weddings:

Taylor Raddysh - Blackhawks (Lightning) Notable Guests: Dylan Strome, Connor Murphy, Anthony Cirelli

Kevin Hayes (2.0) - still Blues (Flyers, Rangers, Jets) Notable Guests: Keith Yandle, Scott Laughton, Shayne Gostibhere, Travis Sanheim, James van Riemsdyk, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau, JT Miller, Zach Sanford, Tony DeAngelo, Brian Dumoulin, Brady Skjei, Paul Carey

August 5th, 2023 Weddings:

Conor Garland - Canucks (Coyotes) Notable Guests: Ryan Donato, Jakob Chychrun, Clayton Keller

Brendan Dillon - Jets (Capitals) Notable Guests: Tom Wilson, TJ Oshie, Jordie Benn, Jamie Benn, Trevor van Riemsdyke, Nic Dowd, Nick Jensen

Charlie McAvoy - Bruins Notable Guests: Hampus Lindholm, AJ Greer, Connor Clifton, Noel Acciari, Taylor Hall, Conor Sheary, Brad Marchand, Jake Debrusk, Matt Gryzeleyk, Derek Forbort, Brandon Carlo, David Krejci, Tuukka Rask, Jeremy Swayman, Charlie Coyle, Krug Torey, Matthew Tkachuk, Casey Fitzgerald, Colin White, Patrice Bergeron

Austin Watson - Senators Notable Guests: Cam Talbot, Anton Forsberg, Jarred Tinordi, Nick Paul, DJ Smith, Dylan Gambrell, Nick Holden, Thomas Chabot

Gage Quinney - Knights Notable Guests: Zach Whitecloud, Nicolas Roy, Jake Bischoff

Micke Rosell - player agent Notable Guests: William Nylander, Alex Nylander, Sam Ersson, Marcus Bjork

Joonas Johansson - Avs

August 6th, 2023 Weddings:

Dylan Larkin - Red Wings Notable Guests: Sam Gagner, Tyler Bertuzzi, Trevor Zegras, Kyle Connor, Troy Stecher, Marc Staal, Jeff Petry, Darren Helm, Zach Werenski, Mitchell Stephens, Riley Sheahan, Cole Caufield, Jack Hughes

August 11th, 2023 Weddings:

Shea Theodore - Knights Notable Guests: Ryan Reaves, Marc-Andre Fleury, Nick Holden, Mark Stone, Chandler Stephenson, Alex Tuch, Dylan Strome, Erik Haula, Jaycob Megna, Will Carrier, Jack Eichel, Alex Pietrangelo

Ryan Hartman - Wild Notable Guests: Matt Dumba, Marcus Foligno, Jared Spurgeon, Cam Talbot, Kirill Kaprizov, Jordan Greenway, Jon Merrill, Alex Goligoski, Jake Middleton, Mason Shaw, Calen Addison, Nick Schmalt, Matthew Boldy, Brandon Duhaime, Connor Dewar, Luke Kunin

August 12th, 2023 Weddings:

Chris Kreider - Rangers Notable Guests: Mika Zibanejad

[thesunbums]

❀ you’re not from around here , are you? i figured because you totally just missed ELARA "ELLE" LOCKHART walking by. don’t tell me you don’t know who SHE is? they kind of look like JESSICA ALEXANDER and i could be wrong but i think that they might be 24 years old right now. they’ve been living in palmview for the last TWENTY-TWO YEARS...

STATS

NAME: Elara "Elle" Quinn Lockhart

BIRTHDATE: December 22, 2000

BIRTHPLACE: Savannah, Georgia

HOMETOWN: Palmview Grove, FL

TIME IN TOWN: 22 years except (Except for 4-years of university)

NEIGHBORHOOD: 550 Pacific Drive, Emerald Point (Childhood Home)

ORIENTATION & STATUS: Heterosexual & Single

OCCUPATION: Vet Tech at Dune Animal Rescue

PERSONALITY TRAITS: + Conscientious, Kind-Hearted, Patient, & Trusting | – Critical, Non-Competitive, Reserved, & Stubborn

AESTHETICS: diving head first into work, writing long to do lists, staying up too late watching true crime documentaries, polaroid photos, needing perfection, too much coffee and too little sleep, smelling of vanilla and strawberries, delicate jewelry, those everlasting summer sunsets & has a great passion for houseplants

BIOGRAPHY

Elara Quinn was born in Savannah and raised in Palmview Grove with her head of the PTA, former pageant queen of a mother, and a reserved and pragmatic businessman of a father. Picket-white fences with the two golden labradors and the beach within walking distance were the backdrop of her life. Elara was raised to be the All-American girl who came from the dutiful and beloved All-American family in their town that was Palmview Grove.

Every second of every day of her life was perfectly curated. From the things she ate to the friends she had, to the things she studied and did. From sunrise to sunset, Elara's schedule was packed out. Beyond maintaining a perfect GPA throughout her schooling, she mastered fluency in French and Spanish, eloquently played the violin and flute, won every equestrian competition, and stood high on the top of the cheerleading pyramid as a premier flyer. While she did her part, her parents perfectly rounded the Lockhart image in town with her mother's notable holiday parties and luncheons, and her dad's annual golfing fundraiser at the country club.

Little did she know that her parents had perfected this image to mask the life and past of her father. A few days before she was supposed to start her senior year in high school, with a clandestine resume packed and ready to be submitted to the colleges of her dreams, Elara learned who she was. She was no longer just the only child of her father's, but the youngest of four. A man who had a life long before her and her mother. One with a previous woman and a family of his own. That truth derailed Elara's perception of her world and the people she loved and trusted.

Breaking away from the expectations of her parents who had wanted Elle to simply go off to a prestigious university, to follow in her mother's footsteps of being a trophy wife connected to a well-to-do family, she chose herself for the first time. Incredibly terrifying, she trimmed the things that were forced upon her to the things that truly brought her joy and it was caring for her horses throughout her childhood. So, she decided to pursue to become a veterinarian as she rewrites her narrative for once.

As Elara immersed herself in her studies across the country, she discovered her unique quirks, interests, and dislikes about the world. She also attempted to connect with her half-siblings but encountered more resistance than acceptance. Nonetheless, she remains optimistic that everything will fall into place in time. Over the past few years, Elara has found security in her authentic self and has never been happier. Now, in her second year of veterinary school in her hometown, Elle can confidently express her true identity within the community she has always known and loved.

CONNECTIONS

Step-siblings (1/4): Alyssa Lockhart (@sunshinesfm)

Childhood friends (0/3):

Current neighbors (0/4):

Friends of shared interest/hobbies (0/5):

Crush and potential love interest (0/2):

[sunskate]

VM's old ISU bios (2009-2018):

hobbies: T: photography 👀 travel, ballet, modern dance (ballet and modern dance were hobbies?). later on - golf

S: golf, hockey. "playing for the Popla Hill Flyers" appears in 2018

they were on the ice 38/30 hours a week in 2009 - that's 6 to nearly 8 hours on the ice a day *after* her first surgery 💀

the date of him starting at ISC changes from 1991 to 1990 to 1992. his height fluctuates from 177 cm in 2009 to 172 cm in 2012 to 180 cm in 2014 🙃

[nerves-nebula]

rambling about rich (football) college's under the cut

i only ever went along to one of my little brothers football recruitment things but it was truly insane. And it wasn't even one of the richest ones that had, like, a pet TIGER or something.

the thing is that i go to a pretty famous and rich college too, right? but mine is for ART and the amount of money being thrown at sports is just on a completely different level. my school has chef's that make food for you at order, and top of the line equipment from laser cutters to all kinds of weird printers and shit.

the schools courting him had fucking TIGERS and GOLF CARTS and rich recruiters who drive you around in their fancy cars and take you to the bar & grill restaurants they own afterwards.

i think what really shocked me was just how unabashedly they WANT you. how much they are willing to say to your face they really, REALLY want you. for art school they definitely do the tours and stuff but those tours are mostly for the richer people who can afford to pay full tuition. For me, who needed all the financial aid they could offer on top of loans, college's would AT MOST sent a little care package in the mail being "congrats you got in :D here's some stickers" and the school I'm going to right now didn't even really do that. they just sent a letter lol.

oh and while i was at this giant scary football college where all the doors were really tall- THEY LOWKEY TRIED TO RECRUIT ME TOO???? like my brother went to get his photos taken in their gear and this lady was like "oh you're an artist? oh you're interested in graphic design WELL there's a whole WORLD of graphic design jobs in football. yes we edit the photos and design all these flyers and pamphlets and things" and i was like kind of impressed but also- HELLO ??? I HAVEN'T BRUSHED MY HAIR IN A MONTH AND I SMELL BAD AND AM WEARING A HOODIE AND LISTENING TO LIL NAS X AND I'VE BEEN IN A CAR FOR 8 HOURS AND .

but i guess the grind never stops !!! that environment was FEVERISH i tell you it was STRANGE

[impala-dreamer]

Chace You Down

A Short Story 

~Y/N travels with her new boss, Jensen Ackles, to Hawaii for the Sony Open golf tournament and gets more than a little distracted by a new acquaintance.~ 

Chace Crawford x Reader, Jensen Ackles

6,600 Words

Warnings: Absolute uncompromising Fluff. You will feel the sun and smell the ocean air, bask in the glow of a stranger's stare. It is deliciously romantic and annoying and wonderful.

The airport was crowded even at five in the morning and Y/N struggled to keep up with her new boss, finding that his stride was just about twice as long as hers and ten times as quick. 

Jensen was already at the gate when she caught up, close to panting as she balanced a tray of Starbucks in one hand and a wallet with their tickets in the other. Her bag was slipping off her left shoulder and when she stopped short, the entire thing came crumbling down. The bag slid down to her elbow and the coffee left her hand, somehow jumping two inches into the air when she reached for the wayward strap. 

Boss Man was quick, reacting like a true superhero. In a flash, he dropped his carryon and lunged for the tray, relieving Y/N of the embarrassment of spilling two Americanos all over the ugly airport carpeting and herself. 

She gasped and stared in wonder at the green-eyed devil, thankful and more nervous than ever. 

He’s gonna fire me before we even get airborne, she thought. 

Jensen smiled kindly. 

“Steady there, kid,” he teased, a gentle laugh on his breath. “You OK?” 

“Yeah. I think so.” Y/N took a calming breath and righted the bag on her shoulder, quickly scanned the wallet to make sure the paperwork was still in order, and reached for the coffee tray. 

Jensen pulled it back. “Uh, no. I’ll… handle the caffeine. You just… take a second to catch your breath.” 

He hates me. 

Y/N shook herself quickly and exhaled a quick huff. “Sorry. I’m a little frazzled first thing in the morning.” Her huff turned into a yawn and she struggled to hide it by clenching her jaw. 

Jensen squinted at her and bit his lip. “Get any sleep last night? I know I had you up pretty early.” 

Yeah, I was up approximately all night long, terrified, but thanks. 

“Not really.” Y/N answered, laughing softly. “Little bit of a nervous flyer. Still kinda nervous around you. Nervous in general, really. Kinda all over a mess. I’m sure you’re finding that out. I’m sorry about that. Probably shoulda been on my resume. ‘She’s a disaster! Do not hire!’ But here we are.” 

Jensen blinked slowly, wide-eyed and amused by her rambling. 

“Sorry. I talk a bit too much when I’m nervous. Have I said the word ‘nervous’ too many times? I feel like I’ve said it too much. You know when you start to say something over and over and over and it starts to sound wrong? Nervous… Nerve… Us… Nerve-”

Kindly, Jensen held up a finger to his pursed lips, shushing her. “Calm down, Y/N.” 

She sucked in a heavy breath and held it, nodding up at him. “Sorry.” 

“You’re doing fine.” He smiled and plucked his ticket from the wallet in her hand. “Let’s just get on board and settled and you can get some rest.” 

“Yeah,” she agreed, still nodding like a bobblehead. “Rest. Yes.” 

“It’s a long flight.” 

“Yeah…” 

Jensen grinned. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” 

With a wink, he turned on his heel and gave his attention to the blonde attendant behind the gate desk. 

Great. You’re supposed to be taking care of him and he’s flipped the script.

“Coming?” he asked, looking back over his shoulder. 

Y/N chewed her lip and smiled, steeling herself. “On my way, boss!” 

First class was way nicer than Y/N had imagined and she quickly settled in, sure that she could spend the six hour flight to Honolulu with a minimum amount of discomfort and only one or two minor freak outs. 

Jensen got comfy right away, tucking himself into the seat by the window and lowering the bill of his black ball cap. It was strange to Y/N just how much the hat worked. They hadn’t been stopped by a single fan the entire walk through the airport, although, she noted, it was so early she doubted anyone else was even awake. Jensen buckled and then busied himself on his phone, shooting off a few last minute messages while the cabin doors were still open. 

On the aisle, Y/N perched on the edge of her seat, watching with flitting eyes as other passengers shuffled in. The usual parade of folks made their way past them and down into the depths of the plane. A few cute elderly couples in matching Hawaiian shirts, ladies with giant sun hats, and men in wrinkled polos. There was the standard young couple wrangling three kids under five, and a posh looking woman with a service dog stuffed into her purse. Business men, a teenager with his headphones blaring, and on and on until they were stuffed in the aisle and Y/N could barely breathe. 

A few people waved at Jensen, a young girl nearly screeched into her hand, all smiling and polite, all ignoring Y/N in favor of their favorite T.V. star. He took it like a champ, waving back, saying good morning, always smiling, always kind. Y/N wondered how he didn’t lose his mind with everyone fawning over him, and yet, she wished just one person would say hello to her. 

“Well, hello.” 

A tall figure cast a shadow over Y/N, but she didn’t bother looking up right away. She knew the greeting wasn’t for her. 

The stranger cleared his throat and Y/N looked up, finding a handsome smile and bright blue eyes gazing down at her. His stare was deep and intrigued and Y/N felt her cheeks burn. She swallowed hard and blinked herself back into reality.

“Hi,” he said again. 

Y/N opened her mouth but nothing came out. The cabin lights shone down on him, highlighting the faint strands of blond in his coffee-colored hair, the gentle slope of his nose, the cut of his brow. She was stunned for a long moment before Jensen’s voice broke the trance. 

“Hey, brother!” 

Jensen leaned over Y/N to shake the man’s hand and she took a deep breath, flooding her sense’s with conflicting colognes. She coughed and the men split apart, giving her room to breathe. 

“Sorry,” Jensen laughed gently. “Chace, this is my new assistant, Y/N Y/L/N. Y/N/N, my buddy Chace Crawford.”

The name and face clicked together in her mind and Y/N knew immediately who he was, but kept herself in check, calmly nodding a smile up at him. 

“Nice to meet you,” she said softly. 

Chace backed up a step and looked her over quickly. “Same here.” He grinned and lingered on her lips a moment too long and Y/N felt her stomach flip nervously. “You excited for Hawaii?” 

A large group of passengers had backed up behind him, but Chace paid them no mind. He waited, eyes fixed on Y/N, smile brilliantly sly and intriguing. 

She shivered. “Uh, yeah. I mean… yeah. It’s exciting.” 

Jensen leaned over to relieve her. “She’s a nervous flyer,” he explained while teasing her just enough to calm her down. 

Y/N laughed and nodded. “That I am.” 

Chace stretched out his arms across the aisle, resting one hand on the back of the seat in front of her, the other across the way. He bit down into the corner of his mouth and narrowed his eyes on Y/N. 

“Well, that’s no good. We’ll have to keep you distracted.” 

Her pulse quickened at his suggestive tone and she shifted in her seat, seemingly uncomfortable. 

From the door, a short crimson-haired flight attendant cleared her throat rather loudly and picked up the intercom, casting her annoyance over the loudspeaker. 

“Please keep the aisle free so that fellow passengers can find their seats… Thank you.” 

Chace either didn’t hear the announcement or didn’t care. He stayed right where he was, silently flirting with his new acquaintance. 

Not unappreciative of the attention, Y/N stared right back, trying not to get lost in the ocean of his eyes or the way the scruff on his lip accentuated his mouth just so. 

Struggling to break free, she sat up straight and nodded at the line of people behind him. “I think she was talking to you.”

Chace leaned in a little closer, smirking. “Who?” 

“The… flight attendant…” She laughed at his obliviousness. “You’re holding up the line.” 

A glance over his shoulder had him startled and Chace flipped around, plopping down into the seat across from Y/N. “Oops.” He shrugged at her and settled into the chair, angling himself so that he could still look at Y/N.

The parade began again, and Y/N tried to calm down, pushing her head back into the seat. “Your friend’s kinda funny,” she said quietly, aiming her voice at Jensen. 

He looked up from his phone and peered over at Chace. “Yeah. I think he likes you.” 

Y/N jolted. “What? No. Nah.” 

Through a break in the line, Chace called to Y/N. 

“Psst…” 

She turned just in time to get a face full of khaki covered ass. “Ugh. What?” 

Around the backside, Chace tried to find her. “Come sit with me.” 

“What?” 

A toddler pranced passed, stopping to wave at Y/N who smiled and waved back. 

“Come sit with me,” he said again over the child’s head. “The window seat’s empty.” 

Y/N shook her head. “No way. I’m fine here, thanks.” 

Only slightly defeated, he slumped back in his seat. “I’ll just have to shout across the aisle the whole time then.” 

“Sucks for you, then,” Y/N called back, twisting her neck to see around a pair of gray sweat pants. 

“Don’t leave me here all alone, Y/N…” 

Her name rolling off of his tongue was like honey dripping down her body and Y/N took a slow, deep breath, ignoring the tingling it invoked. 

“Sorry, Charlie. I’m quite comfy in my own seat.” 

A portly man in baggy jeans squished by. 

“It’s Chace.” 

Y/N hummed in question. “What’s that?” 

The procession ceased and Y/N found him staring again, bright eyes locked to her face, smile soft and inviting. 

“My name.” 

He rested his head against the seat, pressed his elbow on the armrest, watching her intently. 

“Oh? Sorry,” she lied, trying to knock him off his path. “I forgot.” 

He grinned and looked away, settling in for the long ride. “Yeah,” he whispered. “I bet you did.” 

The flight was mostly uneventful. 

Jensen napped for a good portion of the journey, the brim of his cap turned down over his eyes like some modern Indiana Jones. Y/N tried to read but Chace was persistent, and they chatted on and off for most of the ride. 

Y/N found that she really did enjoy his obvious interest, but she played it cool, not wanting to come off like some crazed fan. After a few months following Jensen around, she knew how to keep the excitement inside when meeting famous folk. She didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. After a few hours, he seemed just like a normal guy anyway, so it was easy to keep herself together. 

Somewhere in the middle of the Pacific, a bout of turbulence rocked the airplane so harshly that Y/N thought she would soon meet God. Her knuckles blanched on the armrest and her jaw clenched so tightly that her teeth began to hurt. She held her breath, eyes screwed shut, and prayed that the end would come quickly. If she was going to die, she’d rather get it over with before they crashed into the sea. 

When the rumbling calmed, she unclenched herself enough to realize that sometime during her panic, Chace had reached for her, and their hands were clasped tightly across the aisle. She exhaled slowly and fell deep into the knowledge that he’d helped her through the worst of it. His palm was big and warm, his long fingers were soft and wrapped around hers a little too perfectly. 

Embarrassed, she pulled away and adjusted herself, smoothing down her shirt and fiddling with her hair. 

“You really are a nervous flyer,” he joked, sitting back. 

Y/N wanted to scream but she swallowed it down. “Yeah. Sorry.” 

Chace shook her apology away. “Don’t mention it. Glad I could help.” 

Me too…

He seemed so sweet, so adorably genuine and kind, but Y/N wasn’t interested in anything but doing her job. She smiled back and sighed. 

He is really hot though…

Jensen woke himself with a loud snuffled snore and sat up, looking around with blurry eyes. “What’d I miss?”  

Y/N had everything arranged for their arrival. She’d ordered a car - a nice, nondescript yet very fancy black Navigator, pre-checked in at the hotel, and even had a welcome basket with local treats set up in Jensen’s suite. Everything was going to be perfect. She was nailing their first trip. 

Well, maybe not nailing it. Still doing a pretty good job. An OK job at the very least. She would have been doing better had Chace not insisted on hitching a ride from the airport with them, squishing himself into the seat next to her, and basically following her every move. ‘Hey, we’re all going to the same place, right?’ he’d said, eyes forever undoing the buttons on her blouse. 

Jensen didn’t seem to mind, enjoying catching up with his former costar, but Y/N was a tad annoyed. She had to make things perfect for Jensen; that was the entire reason she was there. He didn’t really need an assistant anyway, not the way some actors did. She was basically a glorified gofer, forever fetching him coffee and organizing his scripts, sorting his mail, answering his mail, and making sure he got where he was going on schedule. Between her nerves and basic clumsiness, she was sure she was close to losing his patience and her job. Things needed to go well. 

The hotel was simply breathtaking. Somewhere between the gorgeous surroundings and beautiful guests, Y/N felt a little lost. She felt underdressed and out of place, but did her best to focus on her job. She stood in the humid heat of mid-day and flagged down a bellhop, oversaw the distribution of luggage from the car, and handled the tip. Inside, she quickly got their room keys, made sure everything was in order, and waved Jensen down in the lobby. 

He and Chace had been found out by a gaggle of fans, and she stood back for a moment while they graciously smiled for a few selfies. 

“I can’t imagine ever getting used to that,” she commented when the young girls had moved on. 

Jensen shrugged. “Part of the job. I don’t mind.” 

Chace’s gaze was back on Y/N, seemingly enthralled by her every word and fluttering, nervous movements. 

You’re gonna burn a hole in me, dude…

“Anyway,” Y/N shuffled the keys in her hand and gave Jensen his. “You’re in Suite 408. I made sure you have a balcony with an ocean view. I’m in 207, but my phone is always on, as you know. I made you dinner reservations at nine in the lounge, I hope that’s OK. If not, I can always change it. Um… pool is open till midnight, there’s a private gym on your floor… what else? It’s noon here so… a little after four in Austin if you want to call home, but I think JJ is at a birthday party this evening, so they may have already left. I can text Marie and find out if-” 

Per usual, Jensen held up a gentle hand and gestured for Y/N to take a breath. 

“You’re awesome,” he said simply. “Everything’s great. Thank you.” 

Y/N held her breath for a quick moment and exhaled slowly. “Thank you.” 

Dipping his chin, he looked her in the eyes and smiled. “Go take a break. I don’t need you for the rest of the day. Sunday is yours.”

She hesitated, but then nodded. “Thanks, Jensen.”

He was gone with a wave, making his way to the elevators as a posh looking bellhop followed behind. 

Y/N had just about caught her breath when she remembered her shadow was still lurking. Chace leaned on his rolling suitcase handle and grinned. 

“So here we are,” he said, “two strangers in paradise…” 

Oh dammit, why me?

“Here we are,” she agreed, nervously chewing at her lip. 

He took a step and her stomach tightened. 

Gosh, he’s pretty…

“Wanna come see my room?” 

She nearly choked on her shock. “What?” A laugh overtook her and Chace backed away slowly. “Are you serious? We just met and I do not know you. I’m not gonna go check out your room, dude. Gross.” 

Realizing his misstep, Chace held up his palms in surrender and looked contrite. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant-” 

Y/N shook her head and stepped around him, escaping quickly. “I know what you meant. And… honestly… no.” 

She left him there in the middle of the lobby looking like a lost little boy, blue eyes wide with obvious sadness, flip flops frozen on the polished tile floor. 

Trying to save face, he waved a farewell and called out to her. “OK! Maybe later then! I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other!” 

Y/N refused to turn back, hiding her smile and sticking to her guns. But still, when the elevator doors began to close, she caught his eye and felt the sparks of something passing between them. 

It was only a few seconds, but it was undeniable and Y/N sighed heavily.

Well… shit. 

It was a humid heat, so much so that stepping out of the safety of the enclosed hotel provoked a line of sweat to instantly trickle down her spine. 

Y/N shuddered at the feeling and adjusted her sunglasses, hiding her precious eyes from the blazing sun. There was a slight breeze and it blew through the palm trees with majestic grace, but brought more hot air, so Y/N made her way to the pool, determined to try and relax just a little bit. 

She sat in a lounger and stretched out in the sun, feeling good. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, enjoying the scent of sunscreen and tropical air, a hint of chlorine from the water and Chace’s heavy cologne.

Chace’s cologne?

Quickly, she sat up and popped her eyes open, finding the man standing to her left, casting a cooling shadow over her. He had changed into bright swim trunks and a tight fitting white tee, and held two frozen drinks in his big hands. Giant sunglasses hid his eyes but Y/N could feel his stare all the same. 

“What are you doing here?” she asked, looking up into the halo around him. 

“Thought I’d find you out here,” he said, taking a seat on the lounger next to her. “Brought you a pina colada.” He held out the drink in his right hand and Y/N cringed at it, cocking a brow. 

“I don’t do coconut, sorry,” she lied, turning her nose up at the offering. 

Chace tongued his cheek and laughed. “Guess it’s a good thing this is a Mai Tai then.” 

Annoyed but stuck, Y/N sighed and took the drink. “You have an answer for most things, don’t you?” 

He grinned and laid back, kicking his feet up onto the chair. “Usually.” 

So cute… I mean, smug. Smug! So smug… and cute. Damnit. 

“Enjoying yourself so far?” 

Y/N settled back and took a sip. “Yeah. I mean, I guess. Little tired.” 

“How’s your room?”

She huffed in annoyance. 

He laughed. 

“I don’t mean like that,” he told her, shaking his head. “I’m just being polite.” 

Y/N softened and smiled. “Room’s good. Yours?” 

A smirk lit his lips. “I could show you, if you’re interested…” 

She would have smacked him if she could reach, but that would have just pushed him onward. She rolled her eyes instead. 

“You’re just so cool, aren’t you?” 

Chace shrugged. “When I need to be.” 

The drink was cold and Y/N ran the rim across her lips, enjoying the cool bite. Chace lowered his glasses to the edge of his nose so he could watch, blatantly in awe of her. 

When she caught him, he jolted back into place and cleared his throat. 

“So… been working for Ackles long?” he asked, hoping she would ignore his staring and the way it made him shift and adjust his shorts. 

“Not really. Few weeks now. It’s really… he’s great. He’s just the nicest, most genuine, awesome guy. I’m really lucky.” 

Chace raised a brow. “You’re not giving an interview, ya know. Tell me how you really feel. I won’t rat on you.” 

Y/N scoffed. “It’s true! He’s really just… overall, I mean… I have no complaints. He probably has many, but he’s so sweet. It’s a great job.” 

“Getting up at the crack of dawn to mix the guy’s protein shakes and make his coffee is a great job?” 

“Well, I mean… could be worse.” 

“Does he make ya fold his socks too?” 

Y/N pursed her lips. “He packs himself, thank you.” 

“Mhm…” 

“Honestly, I don’t even really know why I’m here. He barely needs me at home, this is just… I don’t know.” 

“Maybe he thought you could use a break.” Chace took a sip and then let the straw dangle on his bottom lip. “He is a nice guy, after all…”

His words made it into her head, but Y/N was distracted by the straw and the way it stuck to his lip. As she stared, he reached for it with his tongue and she squeezed her thighs together, overly intrigued. 

Damn… Don’t look at his tongue, what are you doing! Stop that!

“Maybe, yeah…” she answered finally, prying her eyes away from his mouth. “Anyway, it’s a lovely hotel and I’m sure it’ll be a great week. If you’ll excuse me…” 

She stood up too quickly and nearly tipped over. Chace was quick to catch her, standing as she did and holding her steady with a gentle hand on her arm. 

His touch burned her skin in the best way but she panicked and tore away from him, turning back to the hotel. 

“You don’t have to run off…” 

I really do. Oh boy, do I…

Flustered, she waved him off. “Yeah. It’s… I’m sorry. I need to go make some calls before it gets too late back home.”

Chace pouted and her heart skipped a beat. 

Don’t you dare use that lip at me like that… holy…

“Screw the phone calls. Stay. Take a swim with me.” 

The idea of seeing him in the pool, of watching the water bead off of his naked chest and run down those big arms had Y/N squirming again. She clenched hard and exhaled quickly, shaking her head. 

“You gotta stop trying to get me alone, dude. Not gonna happen.” 

“Alone?” He laughed. “The pool’s full of people. We’re surrounded.” 

She squared her shoulders. “You know what I mean. Goodbye.” Spinning on her heel, she walked off, desperate to stop the throbbing between her thighs. 

Chace once again stood alone and rejected, waving her off with a smile. “Can’t blame a guy for tryin’.” 

Golf, it turned out, was boring as shit. Standing in the hot tropical sun silently watching a bunch of celebrities, even beautiful ones, golf was even more so. Y/N spent most of each day hiding in what little shade there was and mindlessly nibbling on the refreshments as they cycled past.

Still, she kept her eyes on Jensen, cheering when appropriate, bringing him iced water when he waved her over. He was having a blast, and unfortunately, so was his buddy. 

Chase was radiant in the bright sunshine, smiling, joking around with fans, carrying on like a fool. It was hard to keep her gaze off of him, hard to stop imagining what the flexing muscles of his arms would feel like wrapped around her back as they rolled beneath cool sheets in her room.

More than a few times, Jensen caught her staring off in Chace’s general direction and had to snap her back into reality. 

“You ready?” 

Y/N sighed happily at the image in her head, completely lost to the idea of naked body surfing beneath a full moon with a certain someone. 

Jensen snapped his fingers in front of her eyes and Y/N jumped, nearly spilling the tall glass of water in her hand. 

“Holy!” 

“Hey… sorry.” Jensen took a step back and laughed. “You were zoned way out. You OK?” 

Y/N shook herself and tore her eyes away from Chace so was sauntering into the viewer’s tent, close enough now that she would see the sweat on his thick neck. 

Jensen. Jensen. Focus on your boss. 

She cleared her throat. “Yep. Sorry. Just a little… It’s hot out here, isn’t it? I’m not used to the heat.” 

Cautiously, Jensen held out his hand, palm turned inwards, and reached for her forehead. Y/N laughed gently as he tested her temperature, looking like a true dad. 

“Yeah, you’re really warm,” he commented, eyes narrowed on her, investigating. “Let’s get you back to the hotel.” 

“I’m sure I’m fine,” she said with a smile. “It’s just a thousand degrees out here.” 

And your friend is making me dizzy…

“Still. We’ll go relax tonight, yeah?” Jensen set his hand on her shoulder and pushed gently towards the exit. She turned and let him lead the way. 

“Leaving so soon?” 

Blue eyes caught every ounce of her attention and Y/N nearly tripped over her sandals. She stumbled and Chace steadied her once again; his cat-like reflexes on display, adding fuel to her daydreams. 

“Whoa…” 

He laughed and Y/N gasped, pulling away to stand up on her own. 

“Sorry.” Her cheeks burned and not from the sun. 

Chace grinned. “You keep falling into me. Can’t say I hate it.” 

Y/N tried to roll her eyes in annoyance but it was hard to pretend. The top of his nose was a little sunburnt and she couldn’t stop staring. 

“Yeah, well, maybe you’re just in my way a lot,” she said finally, huffing a bit at the end. 

In my way… in my dream last night… damnit go away. 

A flick of pink tongue against chapped lips made her knees weak. 

“Maybe I am…” 

Jensen cleared his throat behind them and Y/N nearly had a heart attack. He was smiling when she looked back, but the nerves over her job were once more getting the best of her. 

“Sorry. Right. Um-” She looked to Chace and offered an awkward wave. “Bye.” 

Chace was taken aback, shifting to full height. “Bye?” He looked at Jensen and then back at Y/N. “Thought we were all grabbing dinner tonight.” 

“Dinner?” Y/N echoed. 

Jensen affirmed. “Yeah, why not?” 

There is no way you can maintain any semblance of professionalism while watching that man eat… Damn. 

Y/N stammered, looking for a viable excuse. “Well… I mean. I’m not- I’m not feeling too great. I think I’ll just grab something and eat in my room if that’s OK. You guys go have fun. I’m not… yeah, I- I can’t really… um…” 

Jensen cocked a brow and glared down at her. “No. You’re coming. End of discussion.” 

“But-” 

“No buts,” Chace chimed in, offering Y/N his arm. “Boss man insists.” 

For a moment, Y/N considered breaking out into a run, but it really was very hot and the tiny finger sandwiches she’d been picking on all day hadn’t quite filled her up. Also, Chace was looking at her with the sweetest, possibly most endearing puppy dog eyes she’d ever seen. 

He’s the devil. Stay away. 

With a sigh, she relented and slipped her hand into the crook of his arm, instantly regretting the intimate touch. 

God, he’s… firm…

“That’s better.” Jensen clapped a hand on each of their backs and gave a little shove. “Hurry up, I’m starving.” 

Table for three underneath a canopy of giant leaves and fairy lights, with the ocean one side and the gorgeous hotel on the other. The breeze was warm and the candlelight mesmerizing as it danced along Chace’s face, forever highlighting a new spot for Y/N to lock into and become slightly obsessed over. 

Jensen kept the conversation light and flowing, but Y/N could barely pay attention. She was stuck in a deep ocean of beautiful blue eyes and a smirk that made her thighs clench each time she saw it. She was falling hard, and rather annoyed by it. 

Whenever Chace took a chance, she shot it down. Each time he tried to make her laugh, she rolled her eyes. Every time she caught him staring her heart would nearly explode, beating much too fast. 

They’d spent sunset with a bottle of very expensive red wine that Jensen insisted upon, and tongues were slowly loosening. As the sky darkened, they switched to rum and Y/N felt as if she were floating above the table, staring down at a dream. 

She finally gave in and laughed a little, smiled more freely, gave in to the flirting and gentle prodding. It wasn’t half bad, even if playing hard to get was way more fun. 

Chace stuck the end of a crab leg between his teeth and sucked hard, slurping out whatever meat was left. 

Y/N laughed around a bite of salmon. “Sure you wouldn’t prefer the octopus?” 

Shocked, his eyes widened and he dropped the shell. “You do watch the show! I knew it.” 

Biting her lip, Y/N shrugged. “Maybe…” 

Jensen laughed and blew up her spot. “Don’t let her fool you, she’s seen it all. And read ahead in scripts, and commented on everything. She’s great.” 

Embarrassed, she hid her eyes. “Whatever…” 

Chace leaned in and grabbed his drink. “Here I was thinking you had no idea who I was…”

Y/N mirrored him, leaning over just enough to give him a view down her top. “Didn’t want you to get the wrong idea about me. I’d hate to make anyone uncomfortable… thinking I was a fan or something.”

He rolled the rim of his glass over his bottom lip, narrowing his eyes at her. “So you’re not?” 

Y/N licked her lip slowly and lifted her glass. “Not yet…” 

Waves crashed upon the shore and a warm silence cascaded over the table as Y/N and Chace fell deeper into each other’s gaze. She took a sip of rum and felt the heat travel through her system, flooding her with a hazy arousal that was both exciting and relaxing. She licked her lip, chasing an errant drop of liquor and laughed gently as Chace’s jaw dropped in awe. 

Feeling rather left out, Jensen clicked his tongue. 

“Should I leave you two alone?” he asked, knocking back the rest of his drink. 

Quickly, Y/N shook herself and let the spell break. She sat up straight and grabbed her napkin, dabbing her mouth and tossing herself back into reality. 

“Um… what?” She laughed, hoping to distract from her behavior. “No! Don’t be silly.” 

Jensen rolled his eyes but smiled kindly, and Chace sucked his teeth, leaning back. 

“All the same,” Jensen said, pushing his chair away from the table, “I think I’m gonna hit the hay. My arms are killin’ me.” 

Y/N stood with him. “Oh. Well, I can run and get you some Advil if you need or-” 

Jensen waved her off. “Please. Stay and have dessert. I’m fine. Just tired.” 

Oh sweet Lord, Jensen don’t leave me alone with him…

“Are you sure?” 

“I am.” Dropping his napkin on the table, he nodded at Chace and then smiled at Y/N. “You two have fun.” 

Chace grinned. “I’m sure we will.” 

Oh crap.

Y/N swallowed hard. “Well… good night, then.” 

Jensen was gone too quickly and Y/N watched him leave like a child being left alone in a department store. Or, more like a candy shop. There was too much temptation at the table. 

The temptation scooted his chair in and motioned to their waiter. “Want another round?” 

Y/N sighed and sat, giving herself over to the situation. “Yeah. Sure.” 

Two more drinks appeared and a stillness settled around them. The sun had gone entirely and the hotel lit up with torches and artificial lights tucked away into the flora. 

“Nice night.” 

Y/N nodded. “Very. I like smelling the ocean like this. It’s… fresh.” 

“Don’t get out to the beach much back home?” 

She sighed. “Nah. Too busy. Also, the waters I’m around aren’t like this. This is clean and blue, not some gray-green sludge with no movement. This is perfect.” 

His eyes fell across her face and she could feel her cheeks burn. 

“It is pretty perfect,” he whispered, lips tipping the rim of his glass. 

Oh, I am in big trouble. 

She cleared her throat and looked away at an older couple across the restaurant. They were holding hands over the table and whispering to each other, truly in love. 

“What about you? You get to the beach a lot?” 

Chace shrugged. “I try. Filming in Canada takes me away from the sand, but I get back to it when I can.” 

“Is it nice up there at least?” 

“You’ve never been to Toronto?” 

Y/N shook her head. 

“Well, you should come up with Jensen next time he’s filming with us.” 

I really should… I bet your costume is super tight in person…

The rum tickled her tongue. 

“Yeah. Maybe.” 

“So indecisive…” He chewed the corner of his mouth and eyed her closely over the candles. 

“No,” she answered, desperate not to think about his teeth grazing her skin. “Just…” 

“Coy?” 

“Perhaps.” She took another sip and looked up from beneath her lashes. “Is it working?” 

Chace blushed and shifted in his seat. “Uh, yeah. A lot, actually.” 

The alcohol was making her too confident, too easily flirtatious and she set her glass down. The moon was bright and she looked out at the ocean, marveling at the glossy sheen it cast over the waves. 

“So beautiful,” Chace whispered. 

She nodded and then looked back to find him staring not at the waves, not at the moon, but at her. Her stomach tightened and her pulse quickened. 

“You’re looking the wrong way,” she teased. 

He shook his head slowly. “I’m really not.” 

Do not fall in love with him. Absolutely out of the question. 

Without realizing it, Y/N was leaning in, caught for the thousandth time in his gaze, wanting to be closer. 

The flames flickered in his eyes as Chace pushed in close. 

Time slowed down, the Earth spun a little bit slower beneath them. 

Y/N smiled and batted her lashes. 

Chace licked his lips slowly. 

She sighed. 

“Do you hear music suddenly?” 

He laughed softly and nodded towards the stage. A large man in a pink floral shirt was plucking away at a ukulele.

Y/N rolled her eyes at herself and laughed. “Oh, I thought maybe it was you.”  

Chace pushed up out of his chair and leaned all the way over, stopping just before their lips met. His eyes fluttered closed, his breath passed over her lips like the warm evening breeze. 

Y/N held her breath. 

Do it. Kiss me. Please.

She closed her eyes. 

Wait. No! No, no. 

Panic flooded her system and she jerked away. “Oh! Um…” Still fleeing, she stood up, nearly knocking her chair over. “I’m uh-” 

Frozen mid-attack, Chace looked up, brows knitted and confused. “You OK?” 

No, I’m an idiot. Damnit. 

“Um…” She looked around quickly, desperate for an escape or reason. There was nothing on the wind but coconut and petals, nothing in the sky but stars and streaks of light gray clouds. Nothing that would help her. 

Chace sighed and stood up, backing off. “It’s OK.” He cleared his throat and smoothed his shirt down over his stomach, readjusting himself. 

Y/N’s stomach ached in the worst way. Everything was colliding inside and she hated herself for pulling away. 

Fix this. Now. 

She sucked in a breath of courage and downed the rest of her drink in one swallow. “Come walk with me,” she said, grabbing his hand. 

He went without hesitation, laughing as she nearly dragged him from the restaurant onto the sand. 

The beach was empty and they walked hand in hand for a long while, comfortably silent. His hand was warm and big and she felt calmer the farther they walked. 

With the hotel in the distance and low tide nipping at their toes, Y/N stopped suddenly and turned. She went up on her toes and reached for him, pulling him down into a soft kiss that made his breath push out in a gentle moan. 

His eyes fluttered open when she let go. 

“What was that?” His voice cracked and he shook himself as if waking from a dream. 

Oh, no…

Doubt filled her head. “A kiss?” 

He chuckled. “Yeah, I know that, but-” 

Shit. Shit. Shit. 

“I’m sorry.” Y/N stepped away, shoes sinking deep into the dryer sand. “I thought- I mean- I shouldn’t have assumed. It’s just that- Damn it, I’m sorry.” She spun towards the hotel, skirt whipping in the wind. “I’m sorry.”

Chace caught her arm, halting her escape and drawing her back to him. “Hey, I didn’t say it was a bad thing.” 

Her smile returned. “It’s not?” 

“Are you kidding?” 

He turned to meet her face to face and wrapped his right arm around her waist, pulling her close. Their bodies touched and her heart skipped. He was warm and hard and felt like magic against her.

“I’ve been trying to get you alone since the moment we met,” he confessed. “I can’t stop thinking about you. All day, every day. I can’t even focus on the game. All I think about is laying you down and… showing you just how beautiful you are.” 

Swoon…

“You can’t be serious,” she laughed, every inch of her heating up. 

His hand splayed across the small of her back as he dipped his chin. “I am. You keep reeling me in and then pushing me away. I’m goin’ a bit crazy here, Y/N…” 

Her heart was racing, breath scarce as she looked up into his handsome face. “I’m reeling? You’ve been hitting on me all week.” 

He shrugged. “Still. You keep saying no.” 

Y/N sighed. “I just really need to focus on my job and I feel like I’m getting everything wrong and pissing Jensen off and I just-” 

Chace shook his head and grinned. “Not likely.” 

“What?” 

“You really think his arms are hurting? Or maybe he was just giving us some time to get to know one another…” 

That sneaky jerk…

His fingers tensed on her back and she melted into him, leaning forward a little more. 

“So, you wanna try this again?” he asked, left hand lifting to caress her cheek. 

More than anything, you charming son of a…

Y/N bit her lip and leaned into his touch. “Yes.” 

Please…

Chace smirked and tipped his head to the side, aiming for her sweet lips. “I knew I’d wear you down…” 

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