#I Am A Native Hockey Fan. Get Out Of My Space.

[flaticeball]

anyways this is a reminder that if you are a fan of or if you post positively and uncritically about the chicago hockey team you are invited to unfollow me immediately and i hope the door hits you in the ass on the way out.

[anastasiyaigorevnadobrodevskaya]

Savior (Series 81) - Erik Černák

(This GIF is mine, but feel free to share his beautiful smile. *wink*)

I whish you a wonderful day. I decided to finally post this thing. It is the very first part of a little project of mine. I named it Series 81 (yes very creative of me, sue me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) and it is a serie of oneshots, which should make sense without reading the other parts. I am creating a new universe for this serie and all of the Series 81 oneshots will be from the same AU. Does that make sense? No? Too bad.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 1 of Series 81

Word count: 2577

Noise, lights, people and alcohol.

Loud music bouncing off of the isolated underground walls, to prevent the noise complaints from coming, is blending together with the voices of dancers. Dancers, who would stubbornly claim, that the sound was actually singing. If you asked anyone else, they would tell you the exact opposite.

Flashing lights could cause more than one seizure to an epileptic, but make no worries to the tipsy dancers. The dance floor is flooded by not the smallest amount of bodies per say. Only one spot remains almost empty. In the very corner, next to the DJ booth. Just a few seconds prior it was occupied by a group of young girls, dancing their night away. Gradually they slipped away to go god knows where. Safe for one.

Little blond girl is suddenly left all alone, her friends excusing themselves with a promise to be right back. They aren't. But the creepy looking guy, who's been eyeing her the entire night, is. Now he is trying to get closer to her, but she's not having any of that. She makes the bee-line for their table. However, the table is now claimed by some strangers with drinks in hands. She huffs and turns on her heel. He's still looking. More like staring.

She fidgets with her phone and clicks the contact icon. No signal. Is this some kind of a sick joke or bad karma? She thinks. She runs up the stairs and next to the very entrance, the signal is back.

The number is dialed and it rings.

She doesn't pick up.

"Why the hell can't she pick up the damn phone when I need her?" she mumbles desperately under her breath. Suddenly she remembers. Her jacket. It was left forgotten in the booth filled with strangers. She goes back. Speed-walking by the pair of eyes making her skin crawl. She asks for her jacket. When she is handed the jacket she makes a run for the bathroom. In the tiny space she splashes her face with water. It’s times like these she is really grateful for not wearing any make up at all.

She stays there for a little longer than necessary, hoping that by the time she leaves her friends will have returned already.

When she emerges and walks over to the dance floor she is met only with the disgusting stare again. She turns on her heel to leave, but is met with a hard surface she is pretty sure wasn't here couple of seconds ago. A yelp escapes her mouth and she takes a step back.

"I'm sorry, are you alright?"

The hard surface is in fact a broad chest of a tall man standing in front of her. She takes in his features. Light hair, or so she assumes since it is pretty dark in the club, besides the flashing lights. His shoulders are wide and that face...

Recognition flashes in her eyes. Her lips form an "o".

The voice speaks again. This time in English instead of her native language.

"I am fine." She finally responds, in Slovak. "I'm sorry I didn't see you I was... " she trails off. Trying to get away from that creepy dude over here. She thinks.

"Which one?" he looks around.

"What?"

"That creepy guy. Is that him?" he jabs his chin behind her. She looks over her shoulder briefly.

"Yeah," she nods.

"I'm Erik, by the way." says the not so mysterious man and extends his hand to her.

"Lucia," she accepts his hand.

"So, you want some help getting rid of him?"

"I- yeah, actually yes." She mentally face palms for tripping over her own words. He only smiles.

"Would you like to dance?" He offers. She gives him a small nod. She is led towards the dance floor with her hand in his, which makes her heart rate quicken. But not the same way like when she was followed by the creepy gaze. The blaring music pulses trough her veins while she does her best to forget the weird guy. Having Erik as a distraction right in front of her helps a lot, though. The way his eyes stay glued on her face makes her insides warm. His gaze flicks behind her and he reaches for her. He grabs her waist and leans in.

"He's looking." He talks over the music.

"So you're doing it only because he is watching us and you are definitely not using the situation to your advantage." She muses.

"I might be." A smirk stretches on his lips.

Her hands wrap around his neck and her smirk mirrors his own. The roaring noise makes her almost deaf, yet she swears she can hear her heart beating in her ears. That's what his cocky little smirk and touch do to her. She might have just met him, but she's realised one thing the moment she met his gaze. She's fucked and under his spell. She might be a little shy, but she sure as hell ain't giving up that easily. Two can play this game.

Her palm slides down his chest and back up to his arm. She traces the muscles on his arm all the way down towards his wrist. She grabs it and brings it in the air. She makes him twirl like men do to women while they dance. Erik laughs, but plays along. A smile makes its way on her features. He takes her hands. He turns her in his arms, with her arms crossed over her chest. He leans down to her ear.

"Why are you here alone?" his breath fans her neck, making a shiver run down her back.

"I am not alone," she turns and pushes his chest. His hand reaches for her wrist before she can get too far.

He spins her and brings her back to him. Putting his hands on her waist she places her small ones on his broad shoulders.

"I take it there is no boyfriend to worry about."

"If I had a boyfriend, I wouldn't need you in the first place," she answers confidently.

He squeezes her hips dragging her closer. His lips grazing the delicate skin of her exposed neck while he speaks his next words."You sure do run your mouth."

The breath gets caught in her throat. "But you like it," he doesn't miss the teasing in her words. A deep groan rumbles in his chest. She might not hear it, but she does feel it under her fingers.

A familiar song comes through the speakers and she pulls away a bit. She grabs his hands and smiles big. She starts waving around their conjoined hands like a mad person. Apparently this is her dance style.

When his gaze falls upon her moving figure he smiles just as wide. He's just gotten back home from Tampa and decided to blow off some steam in a club with his friends. It's been a long season and corona delaying the playoffs sure as hell made this summer different. Thank goodness for having the bars and clubs open, with limited capacity of course. Tonight he won't be thinking about hockey, though.

Who would have thought that after everything that is happening around him he would quite literally stumble upon a woman like Lucia.

Behind Erik she spots her friends coming back in. They haven't noticed her yet, but are looking around. She slips away from his grip.

"I have to go." She looks away from his piercing gaze and makes a move to step around him.

"Wait," he catches her arm gently. "Don't run away from me. Even Cinderella left a shoe behind," he smiles.

"Smooth." The corner of her lips tugs up into a devilish smirk. "Give me your best pick-up line and I just might leave something behind."

He pauses, thinking. Then he opens his mouth as he speaks. "I've got one, but it's in English," he rubs the back of his neck. Suddenly seeming out of place.

"Try me."

"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"

This one is her favourite. If it's finished correctly, that is.

"No, I actually crawled from hell," she gives him an innocent smile. This is the part where she tests him.

"So that's why you're so damn hot." If it wasn't his words, then it was the smirk what did it for her. Lucia motions for Erik to hand her his phone. He happily obliges. She goes to his apps and adds herself on snapchat. He didn't think he would get her number that easily, did he?

"Here," she pushes the small box into his palm. She stands on her tiptoes and leans on his shoulder. She quickly presses a kiss to his cheek and disappears as if she's never been there. But she was. And the proof is now in his phone.

"There you are. Where were you?" one of her friends, a short brunette, asks her as soon as she approaches their group.

"Me? All of you disappeared and left me here alone. Which reminds me. Where the fuck were you?" She jumps into the defence mode immediately.

"I told you I went out to buy cigarettes. Calm down," the girl resists to roll her eyes.

"Wanna dance?" a tall equally brown-haired girl asks.

"Sure," all of them answer as one. The girls make their way to the dance floor. From the very center where they managed to squeeze in, Lucia catches a familiar par of eyes. And then another, one she would rather forget. She fixes him with a glare and resumes her dance moves. Her favourite song comes up and she squeals. She leans toward her friends. "This is my song." She yells over the loud music. They all laugh, but scream the lyrics on the top of their lungs with her.

Suddenly Lucia feels a presence behind her. She tenses, her eyes crying for help.  But her friends are too busy to actually notice that. Hands settling on her waist finally get a reaction out of her. She spins pushing his chest. She is in the middle of the process of raising her hand when she realises who it is.

"Do riti Erik! You scared me!"

"I'm sorry, but that guy was getting close again so I thought I'd give you a hand, " he smiles innocently.

"Or two hands on my waist, right?" she raises her brows, a smirk stretching on her lips.

"Didn't think you'd mind,"mirroring her expression he extends his arm towards her. "Shall we dance?"

Before she has the chance to grab his outstretched hand her friends are dragging her away. She grimaces kind of apologetically.

"I'll see you,"she mouths. Yeah, in the friking TV. She thinks bitterly.

//

After a rather long walk through the town they finally get to the bus stop. Maybe and maybe not four police cars go by and maybe and maybe not one of them actually stops to ask if everything is okay. Because maybe and maybe not some of the girls were dancing on the bus stop.

When Lucia finally gets on the bus she fishes her phone out of her purse. She takes a pic of the darkness behind the bus window and posts it on snapchat.

Erik.Cernak

Are you going by bus?

Lucyy

Yes?

Erik.Cernak

Are you alone in a bus at night??

Lucyy

I mean, there are some people in the bus...

Erik.Cernak

What bus are you on?

Lucyy

N1 why?

Erik.Cernak

Do you get off on the terminus?

Lucyy

Yes?

Erik.Cernak

If anything happens during the bus ride text me okay?

Lucyy

Okay.

He is worried about me?

Why, yes. Erik is indeed worried about Lucia. Finding out a pretty girl from the club is going home alone in the dark, sure does make one feel unsettling to say the least.

The bus ride goes rather smoothly. It's just the fact that the guy sitting a few rows in front of Lucia on a seat facing her keeps looking at her. To say it makes her stomach bubble with uneasiness would be an understatement. The closer to the terminus the bus gets the emptier the bus is.

When it's time to get off it's only her and another older lady sitting in the very back. She steps outside into the dark of the night and looks around to make sure no danger is waiting around.

A tall male figure is standing near the lamp post. His hair is indeed blond, just like she assumed before. She approaches him with a rather quiet "ahoj".

"Hi. Where to?" he asks.

She rises her eyebrows with an amused smile playing on her lips. "At least ask me out first."

"I might. If you are nice." He smirks.

"Too bad. I am a very mean person." She shrugs.

"Are you now?" He lifts his brow.

"Yeah." She moves her shoulders again. "Come on it's kinda cold." She gestures with her hand and starts walking.

"Is that an invitation?" He follows.

"Don't push your luck Erik."

After a minute or so Erik's deep voice cuts through the quiet air of Košice. "Watcha doin' next week?"

She smirks."I am going out with this hot guy I met recently." She answers nonchalantly.

"Really? And who that might be?"He catches on her intentions quickly.

"You see he lives in Florida, you probably don't know him." She shakes her head. Just as the chilly breeze wraps its arms around her a shiver runs through her body. Soon a denim-like hoodie is placed on her shoulders.

"I though he was some local or something." He states as if he didn't just give her the only layer of his clothing other than the tight T-shirt.

"He's a Košice born guy actually." She shrugs. "Won't you be cold?" She looks up at him, but pulls the hoodie tighter.

"Nah, I can hear your teeth clattering. Keep it." He shakes his head. "So when are the two of you going out?"

"Monday at two I guess." She shrugs again. She sure does shrug a lot.

"Good." He nods.

They stop in front of an old flat and she turns around to face him."Thanks for walking me home and making sure and I didn't die along the way."She laughs. He likes her laugh. He really does.

"Mom would be ashamed of me if I let a pretty lady go home alone at night. "She chuckles again. A shiver runs down his spine when the wind blows again. She makes a move to return him the hoodie, but he extends his hand and shakes his head lightly.

"I'll get it back later."

She laughs shaking her head."You guys always let us have your clothes just to see us again."

He smirks. "You caught me."

"Just try not to freeze to death."

"I'll try to stay alive till Monday. Your smile will keep me warm." He winks.

"Gosh you're cheesy." She couldn't help, but roll her eyes.

He takes a step closer."I am glad I met you."

Lucia's confident facade wavers for a second."Same here."

They just stand there looking at each other not letting out a single tone slip past their lips. Erik leans closer, his hot breath fanning over her cold cheeks. Lucia inches towards him, but not connecting their lips yet. She wants him to take the last step. And so he does, slightly leaning in meeting the pink lips of the girl he quite literally ran into.

[nyisles]

Magic in the Hamptons

~my first fic be kind~ 

Player: Mathew Barzal 

Words: almost 3.5K 

Warnings: language

Notes: heavily inspired by the dooley-lee wedding, thank you anders and grace. s/o to the song magic in the hamptons being v fitting as well. there could be a playlist for this, but that’s excessive for part one of a fic that might FLOP :-)

         When you had agreed to be your best friend Reese’s plus one to some wedding, you had certain expectations. A night of average (at best) food, middle aged couples bopping along to some outdated party songs (including and not limited to ‘I gotta feeling’ by the once popular black eyed peas) and finally an evening ending around maybe midnight where you’d be knocked out from pure boredom. You’d always found it interesting how being bored could really make a person so tired. With extreme hesitation, you accepted your friends request as a plus one strictly as repayment for the time you had taken him to a miserable holiday party in college. Although when his car pulled up to the most elegant vineyard on all of Long Island, you felt a completely different aura. “And uh… how do you know the couple again?” You questioned suddenly looking down at your dress playing with the hem hoping that you were appropriately dressed. Glancing out of the car window seeing all these tall blondes dressed perfectly walk into the event space that the party would take place in, you gulped feeling a bit intimidated. Reese couldn’t even tell you what black tie optional was, or whether or not this wedding had a dress code and you should’ve never just assumed. “My Dad’s friend’s daughter… Sydney. She’s marrying some hockey guy…Martin… I think.” He said so casually with a chuckle, “I’m bad with names. I’m just looking to slip in, eat a nice meal, drink some free booze and slip out. Mainly doing it for my parents, since they’re away on business someone had to show face for Boomer.” Your eyes scrunched up in confusion, there was just too much to unpack in those simple statements... Martin, Sydney, Boomer... but then as you thought about it maybe for a millisecond more, you slowly found yourself hating how stupid you could’ve been. As a Long Island native, you had just come to terms with the fact you were now facing the IT wedding of the year. The upper crust of your small island would all join in one place, and so would an entire hockey team that your family had found itself rooting for season after season. Leaning back into the leather seats of Reese’s car, you refused to take off your seatbelt, clutching onto the middle console and the handle above the door. “Reese, I can’t go in. I’m…sick. I’m underdressed. I am a no one in comparison to these people. I have…zits, within an hour of being outdoors in a fucking vineyard in July my hair will frizz, and I will smell.” You said going over the top with the dramatics. Something you weren’t typically known for, but this was an emergency. You couldn’t really face these people without feeling well, not confident in yourself. With a roll of your best friends’ eyes, you heard him unclip your seatbelt, after unclipping his own. “(Y/N), slip in… slip out. Do it for me, for the Booms.” Reese said as he popped open the car door for himself. How the fuck had he managed to forget he was family friends with all of these socially important people?

         You absolutely clung next to Reese as you looked around at the beautifully decorated reception area trying to keep a poker face. The venue was just like a pinterest wedding in a barn, but much, much classier. There were gorgeous flowers in almost every shade of pink imaginable, and tables as far as the eye could see. Just beyond that was a large dance floor and a band set up. Of course, there was a band. This was a classy event that no DJ would be able to touch. “Oh look, here we are.” Reese said leading you over to a table filled with little place cards. You tried to quickly eyeball over the names to see what guests would be in attendance, but Reese was quick to find your card along with his. “Table 28.” You muttered quietly picking up your card. “Hush, I promise this will be fun. I won’t leave your side. We’ll be inseparable… now let’s get a drink and try to find this table.” 

         Now that was over an hour ago when Reese had promised to be what you considered a good friend. Now you were maybe two Stella Artois deep. You felt classy when asking the bartender for this beer. This event probably didn’t have your go-to bud light and almost if on cue you heard, “Hey, can I get another two buds?” It only took a second to feel the body whose voice it came from stumble into you a bit as they managed to get to the crowded bar that you’d been at for at least twenty minutes waiting for Reese to return from the bathroom. “Sorry.” The voice said, not managing to look over at you, but oh boy had you looked over at him. You gulped a little after recognizing that face. God, you could recognize that side profile anywhere. You weren’t a crazed hockey fan, but you’d been to enough games to know who he was. Maybe he felt your eyes piercing the side of his face, but he looked over at you with an awkward smile and a nod as he patiently waited for the bartender to find him his drinks. “I didn’t even know they had bud light here, this place just screams classy to which... your drink of choice does not.” You muttered taking another swig of your drink, totally unsure of who you had become after these few beers. A boom of laughter escaped from his mouth, “You clearly don’t know Matt or Syd.” He quipped, reaching over the bar grabbing the two beers from the bartender. “Can you muster up another for my friend over here?” Your new hockey playing bar friend nodded towards you. “I’m Anders… and I don’t think I’ve seen you before, so you’re either family of the bride or…a wedding crasher?” You suddenly felt a little stupid, maybe taking the party too seriously, and unfortunately for you Anders Lee had just pointed that out to you. Settling down your Stella Artois you stuck your hand out keeping your gaze low towards the table top of the bar while your cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “(Y/N), and neither… just a plus one who got ditched by her best friend.” Anders gave your hand a gentle shake. “Ah, well stop by table 29, we’ll show you some fun and we all drink bud light.” 

- - -   

         Dinner service was incredible, you sat at your assigned table, one table over from your new friend Anders, but he didn’t seem to notice too much. He was caught up in conversation with who you presumed was his wife. They were sitting close and comfy, so instead of watching them you let your eyes gaze across their table. It appeared that every boy around the table had been more attractive than the one next to him and of course with an even prettier date. The one with the beard – Nick, then the one with the cute gap tooth – Jordan, the blonde – Casey , the one with the sleeve of tattoos - Cal, and then your eyes landed on a much younger one – Mathew. His hair slicked back, a crisp white linen button down covered with a blue blazer and not the boring navy-blue kind. It was a bright enough blue to grab the attention of others, which was exactly the vibe you were getting from him. Someone who liked being noticed. His own eyes were scanning the room and had stopped when they landed on you. A soft smile appeared on his face, lifting up his drink as if to toast yours. Cocky. Anders had looked over at his teammate and caught at his gaze found your eyes “(Y/N)!” He shouted giving you a wave over. They had an empty seat at their table and Reese had been schmoozing Boomer. Apparently his father and Sydney’s dad were very good friends. “Come here kid, you look like you need some fun.” 

        It took you a moment to pull up from your chair, and try to navigate your way around the other wedding goers to an empty chair at the table. “Guys, this is (Y/N). Be nice. No biting.” Anders said jokingly, while narrowing his eyes at Mat. You tried not to blush or think of it too deeply. Plopping yourself down in the most graceful way you could after 4 beers. “Hi everyone, thanks for letting me crash your table.” You said softly trying to give them all a small wave. Everyone then went on to introduce themselves, as if you hadn’t really known them. “We weren’t planning on sitting very long. The dance floor is calling, (Y/N).” Mat said, with your name rolling off his tongue in a way that sent shivers down your spine. God, you’d been single for too long to have this attractive boy speak words to you. It seemed like everyone was already halfway to the dance floor before Mat was standing in front of you putting out his hand to help you stand up. “Well… what are you waiting for. The night is young.” 

        Mats hands pulling your arms around swirling you around, grazing your hips, and all of the above while the band played song after song. For the first time all evening, you felt like you belonged with the crowd and you were having fun. You didn’t have to look at your phone pretending to text anyone for the next hour like you once imagined you’d be doing. At first you thought it’d be weird, dancing with some boy you barely knew, but the way he was casually working in conversation and getting to know you while moving his hips in all sorts of silly ways was soothing for you. Everyone else was in a happy state of drunk to notice Mat’s poor dancing, or yours for that matter. “So, you’re here with some guy, but you’re dancing with me?” Mat leaned over and spoke in your ear making sure you could hear him over the music. Feeling your face flush from both the comment and the fact he was so close to you. “You’re going to kill my ego if you tell me that’s your boyfriend.” Mat said once more in your ear, pointing over at Reese who was at the bar drinking and talking to some older men. “He’s not my boyfriend. Just a friend from college that needed a plus one. I’m pathetically single!” You said leaning back in to him, your lips practically on his ear. As soon as you spoke your last sentence you cringed, at least internally. You had to keep a poker face. You managed to make yourself feel like you were back in high school with that silly comment. Mat was so cool and you couldn’t even formulate more than one coherent, non-embarrassing sentence at a time. “I’m glad to hear that.” was all he said placing his hands on your hips helping you sway along to the classics. ‘Come on Eileen’ was playing and right as the breakdown hit, Mat moved his hands from your waist to grab your wrists, holding your arms up as he sang right in your face. “At this moment, you mean everything! You in that dress...” You couldn’t help but laugh and sing along with him and the rest of the wedding guests. “Mat, let’s get a drink.” you shouted over the music as the song came to a close.

        He ordered two more beers, and you thought tonight you might potentially die of alcohol poisoning, or worse, make a fool of yourself in front of the most beautiful boy you have ever met. “I’m having a lot of fun with you, so thank you.” Maybe when you get drunk you get sappy, but you genuinely meant it. Staring at Mat’s features you tried not to get lost in the way his eyes followed your lips with every word, or the way his jawline seemed to be so defined, or even the way his hair was tucked behind his ears because it was becoming far too long and unmanageable. “It’s nice to hang out with a pretty girl.. And come on, you’re fun. Don’t act like you haven’t been destroying it on the dance floor. ” He spoke finishing his sentence with this laugh. This seemingly annoying laugh that was maybe a little too loud and obnoxious though none of the wedding goers seemed to notice as they all were enjoying themselves. Right now they were doing the electric slide on the dance floor, and couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to whoever you were and Mathew Barzal. “It’s very attractive, to see someone being themselves in a crowd of people they don’t know.” He leaned his big body against the bar, still facing you waiting to see what you had to say. It took a few seconds for you to muster up your thoughts, trying to come up with something not totally pathetic. 

        “You’re such a flirt.” was all you managed to come up with, “Don’t use those lines on anyone else, Barzal. I need to feel like I’m the only girl you’ve picked up at a friend’s wedding.” He licked his lips after taking another swig of his drink. God you really just wanted to kiss his stupid face when he did that. “You are! I pinky promise.” He responded sticking out his pinky finger, attaching it to your own momentarily. “Give me your phone, I want you to have my number.” He grinned pulling out his iphone from his back pocket handing it over to you. “(Y/N), unofficial wedding date… Love the contact name” Mat said reading from his phone as he got it back with a dorky grin. Right as you were about to open up your mouth and try to lay it thick, the rest of the Islander crew made their way to the bar. Nick slapping Mat’s back, and the rest of the boys immediately grabbing more drinks. “We’re about to head to the after party. I heard Marty got McDonalds to cater, and Trotzy doesn’t even have to know about it.” Nick called out. “Anders said he’d keep it quiet too.” Jordan said to Mat, as he looked over to you giving you cheeky grin. “You can probably bring your new plus one.. If she wants.”

 - - -

        Shuffling onto the party bus with the rest of the Islanders and their wives or girlfriends or friends was just… different. You didn’t necessarily belong, but Mat was doing everything in his power to make you feel like you did, much like he had at the wedding. He’d continued to introduce you to teammate after teammate, especially as you all piled on the bus. Matt and Sydney probably didn’t account for an extra person, as there was only one seat left by the time Mat was done introducing you to everyone. “Are you sure it’s alright I’m here? I don’t think Reese left yet and he can drive me home.” You gently whispered, not wanting to be a bother. Instead of responding, Mat slumped himself down in the seat, grabbing your waist and having you sit on his lap. For someone whom you’d met hours ago, it all felt very comfortable. “Safety first, gotta keep the prettiest girl on the bus safe.” He kept his arms tightly around the waist as if to mimic a seat belt. Leaning his head on the top of your shoulder, resting his eyes shut. The compliment made your face flush, but he wouldn’t see that. “Can’t take you home if we don’t make it there first.” Mat said speaking against the back of your neck. 

        “Barzal, eyes open! The night has just started.” You heard one of his teammates scream at him, leaving you no time to respond to his much steamier comment of the night. Turning back and looking at his face, you saw him slowly open up his eyes, looking at you rolling his eyes. “Their right you know, can’t take me home if you fall asleep.” you quipped back. One of his arms moved from your waist to the back of your neck dipping your face in close to his for a kiss. In that moment you forgot you were on a party bus surrounded by other people. You sunk into his lips perfectly only letting it last a moment before deciding you didn’t want to make a show. “(Y/N), shut up.” Looking around the bus quickly it seemed that no one noticed, and if they did, no one seemed to care. 

        Music blared across the small bar, solely filled with those of you who had come right from the wedding. Sydney had changed from her beautiful ball gown of a wedding dress to a much shorter, tighter party dress. The hockey men had all managed to unbutton their shirts, whipping them off dancing around. The party was quickly becoming everything you’d seen on instagram. Your eyes widened at what was going on, and you felt a hand on your shoulder. “Welcome.” the voice said as you turned, fully expecting it to be Mat trying to pull you off to some corner for more dancing or drinks, but it wasn’t. “I’m Grace, that one…” she said pointing at Anders, “he’s my responsibility for the night.” to which you both chuckled knowing it was her own special way of introducing herself as the wife to The Captain. “It’s nice to see a fresh face around here. Mat’s always so mopey when we go out and are all coupled up.” 

        “Well we just met today…” You said looking at Grace, and then past her to see Mat dancing wildly with his teammates with a schoolboy grin on his face. There was something about him that was just so intriguing, something that made you want to be around him because he had this infectious personality. “He’s a great guy, (Y/N). But can I give you a piece of advice? Don’t go home with him. Mat’s attention span is so small. I can see he likes you, and maybe you can be someone special...but if you leave with him, he won’t call tomorrow. He won’t text.” Soon another couple of girls appeared, more of the wags you assumed. They wouldn’t have made it into the bar if they weren’t friends of Sydney or Matt’s. “Same thing happened to me, with Casey. It took a lot of work to become something serious… not to be nosy.” A different blonde said with a shrug. You assumed she had to be Kristy, married to Casey Cizikas. “Hockey boys are the same. You give in easy, and you’re just another sucker.” 

        “Amen, sister! I’ll make Josh order you an uber home. And then, we’ll add you to our group chat, if Mat misses out on you, at least we have a cute new friend.” Megan Bailey added in giving your shoulder a squeeze. All these pretty put together blonde women wanted to be your friend, and it didn’t make sense but you went with it. Grace quickly nudged the side of Megan seeing Mat coming up from behind, not wanting to spoil your quick gossip session “You ladies done stealing my date?” 

        “Let’s dance.” You said immediately grabbing his forearm dragging him onto the dance floor trying not to let what the girls said get to you. They did seem to have an idea of how Mat would be. Even if it wasn’t in your intentions to go out and have a serious relationship with this boy, you at least wanted to see where things could progress. It hasn’t taken much for you to find your crush growing infinitely. Dancing was exactly what you both did for the rest of the night, intermixed with casual make out sessions in a side hall of the bar leading to a bathroom, and downing a few more drinks. This boy had you hooked, and now you really couldn’t leave with him if the girls knew what they were talking about. You needed him to want to text you tomorrow, to take some sort of an initiative. 

      So it was 6:30 am before you got home, in fact, Josh Bailey ordered you an uber from the after party (as promised by Megan, your new favorite human, no one else pounded back margaritas, made you feel at home, and offered to take you shopping quite like she did). Mat managed to sneak a kiss goodbye before you wobbled into your uber. At exactly 7:03 am he sent you a text, ‘had a great time’. That was it. It felt like it was missing more substance, Mat was acting like you were his date and that you’d known each other forever. Though you promptly answered, and waited. And waited. And waited some more. And you’d wait three more weeks until you were to receive another text from Mathew Barzal. That’s exactly when your life was totally and royally fucked. The girls were right, he was a challenge and  right as you had almost forgotten this special evening, he made his presence known. 

Mat Barzal: hey. 

[glovesave]

          ( WOLFGANG NOVOGRATZ, 24, HE / HIM ) i heard the trees whispering about NICO ASHWOOD the other day. they said the bison falls NATIVE has lived here THEIR ENTIRE LIFE, and that while they might only be a NHL GOALIE, they also COMMUNICATE & HAVE MEMORY TOUCH WITH BUILDINGS. if you saw them, they would remind you of FROST ON LEAVES JUST CHANGING COLOR, 6 AM RUNS, THE SMELL OF HOMEBREWED COFFEE, & ICE SHAVINGS ON FRESHLY ZAMBONIED ICE. ( ollie, 21, est, they/them ) 

CHILDHOOD : nico was born and raised in bison falls to a comfortable life --- two working middle class parents who never struggled to make ends meet but also never lived in the great opulence of some of the mansioned bison falls streets. his childhood was honestly quite uneventful ; his relationship with his parents positive with the usual bumps that come with growing up. his mom is a high school teacher and his father is a mechanical engineer who works locally for like some car tech company. he went to a well-known private catholic all boys school.

COLLEGE : nico went to quinnipiac on an athletic scholarship to play hockey. he, to the surprise of his peers, studied civil engineering with a structural concentration while he was there. he was uncertain as to his future in pro-hockey --- goalies take a notably long time to develop and he’d wanted the insurance just in case. he finished out his degree. part of him still harbors a dream to have a hand in designing for an nhl arena. he was also in a fraternity for his final three years.

HOCKEY : hockey is a huge part of nico’s life ( obviously ) and always had been. he gravitated towards being a goalie at a pretty young age because of the responsibility that comes with the position and the control it affords him. he did a brief one-season stint when he was eleven at forward, and maintains that the different perspective made him a better goalie despite the fact he remembers little from it now. he was the starting goalie for quinnipiac his junior and senior years ( practically dragging them through playoffs his final year ), and allegedly considered for co-captaincy his senior year though it was ultimately given to someone else due to his position.

DEVELOPMENT : after quinnipiac, nico realized a dream and signed a contract with his childhood team, the bison falls griffins. he’d attended development camp there the summer before, but had assumed it was little more than a cup of coffee for a longtime fan. but the organization obviously saw more in him in his senior year. he spent two years with the griffins’ ahl affiliate the rennington ravens. his third season with the ravens, he was called up unexpectedly when injuries plagued the griffins’ goalies. he then played so well that he remained with the big club the rest of the season ( this past one ). there was an unexpected jump in his development, and he hopes with work he can make the team out of training camp in september.

QUIRKS : he definitely lives up to the whole “goalies are weird” thing. his nickname is still up for debate, but he’s “ashwall” on pretty much all social media. he thinks he’s being clever and funny. he’s the type to kiss the net posts after pucks go off them in game, and likes to spray water from his waterbottle and watch the droplets fall -- it calms him down. he uses bauer and only bauer. his number is #35 for no particular reason.

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS : though nico spent a few weeks in the team hotel on his call up, he is no longer there. he also didn’t want to sign a lease in case that jinxed his chances in september with the team ( #Superstition ). though technically he could move back into his parents’ home, he has no desire to. luckily, an old friend in robin holt offered him her spare room. he has gladly taken it for at least the rest of the summer -- after that, who knows.

PERSONALITY :  nico is extremely laidback and it takes a lot to phase him. it helps him keep cool in games and bounce back quickly when he does let in goals. he likes to have fun a lot, on and off the ice. it’s like he has a switch in his brain that has him going from goofy to serious in a snap. however, he is also EXTREMELY superstitious and one thing he does not fuck around with is his pre-game routine – it remains the same every single game. do not mess it up ; you’ll regret it.

MISC PERSONALITY REFERENCES : nico goaltending as a kid ; definitely nico at some point probably not that long ago...

APPEARANCE: 6′3″ with a solid athletic build. surprisingly flexible and is capable of doing a full split ( comes in handy in the crease… ). he typically wears t-shirts ( from various hockey tournaments, running races, any event with a free t-shirt tbh ), athletic shorts or sweatpants, and sliders. he doesn’t wear a hoodie or jacket until it’s at least below 40 and maybe not even then.

HABITS: he is very much a morning person and enjoys going for early morning runs to start his day -- after sun salutations. he’s almost always the first person up wherever he’s staying ( though robin is rivaling that rn ), and will make coffee for anyone who may be headed out. he does love a good party though and can & will stay up all night. that was moreso in college than now, but hey... he naps A LOT. he can and will sleep pretty much anywhere. at quinnipiac one of this brothers probably started an instagram of him knocked out in random ass places. for all his height and lanky limbs, nico takes up as little space as possible when he sleeps ; typically curled up in a ball on his side. it’s RARE that he sprawls out completely. there’s no real reason for this, but maybe it makes him feel safer. he has a hard time paying attention if he’s just sitting somewhere, so he’s very prone to doodling. he keeps a notebook on him at all times for this purpose, and often can be found sketching something in it before games as part of his pregame ritual.

HIS ABILITY : nico has the ability to communicate with buildings and in some cases, glean snatches of memory from them with touch. it was something his grandmother in his mother’s side had, but not his mother. it’s hard for him to explain, because buildings are not quite SENTIENT in the way humans are, but they have thoughts and observations. it’s like a VIBE he gets. ( if this is confusing... which fair... pls just read this that i wrote which was lowkey the inspo for bison falls lmaooo )

CONNECTIONS :

since he’s from bison falls... like anything ?? i like working off chem and vibes so i’ll be reaching out to you guys personally after i read ur intros. i’ll be starting a connections page soon to keep track of everything.

OOC :

          heyo, my dudes. i’ll ollie && i am also your admin !!! sorry this wasn’t ready to go right from the drop, but i’m super excited to get things going. bison falls has been in the works for over a year now and i can’t wait to see where it goes !!