#I was hoping for a pittsburgh team but I’m not surprised it’s not here yet | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

princessphilly · 4 years ago

Text

All Bets Are Off: Chapter 1

Word Count: 2068

CW: not yet, except for some bad language

Note: I don’t always write long chapters. Some may be closer to 2000, some closer to 5000, it depends on the chapter and what is going on.

taglist: @nazdaddy @texanstarslove @shortstacks-blog @missymore @hockeywocs @puckbitchesgetmoney @defiant-mouse @myhockeyworld87 @chicagostylehockey @barriesweet

Join the tag list here!

Chapter 1

“Look at my girl, moving up in the world!”

Nina could hear her mother’s voice in her head as she moved around in her office in the Lemieux Training Complex. Today was her first day working not just as a physical therapist for UPMC but as a physical therapist for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nina felt like she was going to burst from nervousness. ‘Not bad for a girl from Clairton,’ Nina thought as she went through her schedule.

Nina had pledged never to come back to Western PA when she graduated from Clairton High. Now, almost eight years later, she was back and working with the hometown hockey team. After doing undergrad at Penn State, aka grades 13-16 with everyone from the area usually going there, Nina went down south to the University of Florida for her Doctor’s in Physical Therapy after getting her B.S. in Kinesiology. The warm weather was so much better than the fucking snow of Western PA but UPMC was offering the most money out of all of Nina’s job offers. After thinking about her student loans, UPMC was a no fucking brainer.

Taking a centering breath, Nina pasted her best professional smile on her face and got ready to go meet her first client. Before she could do that, her door opened and three men stepped in.

“Here is our newest physical therapist. Unlike Mike and Trent, Nina is a DPT,” Rick Dvorak, the head physical therapist explained to the two men with him.

Nina smiled and reached out her hand. “Good morning, my name is Nina Jackson, nice to meet you.”

Of course, she knew who the two other men were. One was Super Mario, Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh legend and co-owner of the Pens. Next to him was Sidney Crosby, superstar who had just won his third Stanley Cup. Mario had a friendly professional smile but Sidney was looking at her like she… Nina didn’t quite know how to place that look. She kept her professional smile on her face while inwardly grimacing. Of course, the star of the team would feel some way about a black physical therapist.

“Sid looks a little starstruck,” Mario joked.

Sidney laughed self-consciously, his cheeks reddening adorably. Nina kept a straight face, thinking, ‘I hope I never have to treat him.’

Sidney smiled and his whiskey-brown eyes brightened. “Just a natural reaction to a pretty girl.”

Nina rolled her eyes inwardly, her professional smile getting strained. Sidney wanted to give himself a bag skate as he could tell that she was turned off. He felt awkward as hell and he wanted to curse but this wasn’t the time. He laughed, wishing that he wasn’t anywhere but here. Nina replied, “I’m used to turning heads but I didn’t quite expect to do that here,” with a laugh.

Sidney had met his fair share of gorgeous women, probably more than his fair share. Yet, his breath was taken away when he first saw her. Clear brown skin, dimples when she smiled, and dark brown hair pulled into a bun, nothing unique. But when Nina smiled, all Sidney wanted to do was drown in her smile and see what he could do to keep her smiling like that forever. Then, he got a look at the rest of her body and Sidney wanted to not only keep her smiling forever, he also wanted to find out what would get her to scream his name.

Then he faltered and realized that he really had goofed. Nina’s hand was still outstretched and he forgot to shake it. Sidney gave Nina an apologetic look and took her hand.

Nina didn’t know what happened when Sidney took her hand but she felt something electric, hot, and intense as hell. It was scary and she carefully pulled her hand back as soon as she could. Whatever it was, Nina was sure it was just another omen that today was going to be the worst day on earth.

Sidney gave Nina his best smile when she let go. He never felt such a connection when he had met a woman before but fuck, he had to change her mind about him.

Nina spent the next five minutes mentally willing the team owner, the captain, and her boss out of her office while making small talk. Luckily, the men left pretty quickly after wishing her luck on her first day working with the team. Sidney Crosby was the last to leave and Nina busied herself with arranging her papers. She could feel his eyes on her and Nina had no desire to interact with him. Then he finally left and she sighed deeply. Nina took several deep breaths before refocusing herself on her day ahead.

“Nina Latreice Jackson, now you know I ain’t raise no fool!”

Nina let out a low groan as she thought about another thing her mother loved to say. As much as it seemed like Crosby didn’t like her, Nina decided that she would be completely professional in every way. It wasn’t that hard; athletes were pretty much the same no matter where they were. Just like the Florida Gators players she worked on while in school, the Pens players fell under several categories. There were the jokers, the serious ones, the ones who lived to flirt, and players who fell under all of the categories.

For her first weeks, Nina worked at creating a professional boundary with the players she was working with. For the majority of the time, they were decently behaved. It was mid-season so there were all kinds of lingering issues, some more serious than others. Nina figured out pretty quickly that some of the players were going to follow directions while others were going to slack off until their issue made it impossible for them to ignore it.

However, today was her first day working with Sidney Crosby after her first day. Like she expected, it was a little awkward and his teammates didn’t help. The leader of the chirping was Geno Malkin. The guys kept walking by, sending suggestive looks and comments. Sidney’s cheeks were a dull red midway through the session. After a while, Nina got annoyed.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was when Geno and Jake came by for the third time, making kissing noises. Nina snapped, “Unless you need treatment, I don’t understand why you are in here.”

“Ouch,” Geno replied as Jake laughed. “She mean.”

Sidney rolled his eyes as he gave his teammates a warning look. As Nina wrapped his ankle, Sidney tried to take several deep breaths. He had rolled it a bit during practice. It wasn’t major but with the other trainers unavailable, Nina had decided to look at it.

“Why are you so stiff?”

Sidney looked up at Nina. She was checking out his ankle with pursed lips but when her eyes met his, Sidney sucked in a breath. Nina was really… words failed.

“I’m waiting,” Nina prodded with a sarcastic chuckle. This was making her feel really uncomfortable. All of the others players were relatively easygoing but the captain, he was so stoic around her. It made her feel like he didn’t really want her and Nina had observed enough over the last weeks that whatever Sidney wanted, he got. If he said one thing, she would lose the extra money from working with the team and Nina couldn’t afford that.

Sidney gulped before deciding just to admit the truth. “It’s a bit hard to be around such a beautiful woman like you.”

Nina laughed before giving Sidney a sardonic smile. Sidney felt his heart break into two. He didn’t even get a chance to ask her out before fucking it up. “It’s true,” he whispered.

Nina swallowed before focusing back on his ankle. “You should be good, Mr. Crosby. I don’t diagnose injuries; I just help treat them but you should be good to go for the next practice and everything.”

“Call me Sidney.”

Her eyes met his again and Sidney was looking at Nina with the most earnest expression she had ever seen.

“Ok, Sidney,” Nina forced out with a fake smile.

Sidney groaned before getting off the table and sliding his feet into his crocs. Nina took a deep breath and rolled her eyes after he left.

Gretchen, one of the athletic trainers, came in and snickered. “I’m surprised he made it without self-combusting.”

“What?”

“Yinz don’t know? He likes you, Nina,” Gretchen explained.

Nina shrugged. “Yeah, right.”

“He’s always staring-“

Nina interrupted Gretchen as she said, “I’d rather go and get lunch. Panera Bread sound good?”

Nina counted herself lucky that she was able to avoid Sidney after that day. Her luck ran out in the worst way. Nina was rushing out to make it to a dentist appointment when she ran into a hard chest. Tripping over her feet, Nina fell on her butt.

“Owww!”

“Are you okay?”

Nina looked up and it was Sidney Crosby, of course, holding out a hand. She cautiously grabbed it and let him pull her up off the floor. Like the first time they met, Nina felt the electricity when their hands touched. This time, Sidney held her hand even after she was off the floor.

“Seriously, are you okay,” Sidney pressed.

Nina felt her cheek feel hot as she replied, “Seriously, I’m fine. It was an accident.”

“I mean, I don’t want to give you more reasons to hate me.”

For the first time, Nina noticed that Sidney looked vulnerable. Pulling her hand out of his grasp, she murmured, “I don’t hate you. I think you’re the one who may hate me.”

Sidney blinked in surprise. “I don’t hate you! But I would love to take you out for dinner sometime.”

Something made Nina feel instantly happy at his words that he didn’t hate her and wanted to take her out but it couldn’t work. “Nice to know that you don’t hate me but dinner isn’t going to happen. I gotta go, I’m going to be late!”

Sidney watched Nina race out of the building to her car. He was losing and he wasn’t used to losing. Gritting his teeth, Sidney vowed to himself that he would get Nina to warm up to him, sooner or later.

“Hey girl, how was your appointment?”

Nina smiled as she FaceTime with her best friend Lauren. “Not bad, no new cavities or anything. I talked with Dr. Smith about maybe getting adult braces and she said I don’t really need them.”

“Sounds good for someone who was freaking out,” Lauren teased. “So, what’s going on at work? Meet any hot players? Anyone you’d hook me up with?”

“Girl, no. I keep it strictly professional with them. I don’t even want them thinking anything is going to happen,” Nina replied. She half considered sharing her interactions with Sidney Crosby with Lauren but her BFF had a bad case of loose lips when drinking. So, Nina kept that to herself.

“Is Sid hotter in person than he is on TV? You know I love my Steelers but I gotta know.”

Nina snorted before saying, “Meh. He’s alright.”

“He’s alright,’ Lauren said in disbelief. “Oh, there’s a story here.”

“There’s nothing because I deal with him at work now and then.” Nina rolled her eyes as Terrible Tess, her cat jumped in her lap. Steely, her dog, was at her feet. “Anyway, did you get the tickets for the game yet?”

Lauren was a lawyer and one of the perks was tickets to Steelers games, usually either in a box or on the 50-yard line. As diehard fans, Lauren and Nina tried to take advantage of that perk as much as possible. Lauren stated, “Oh yes, we got tickets. And there’s this guy…��

Nina listened to Lauren talk about her newest guy she was interested in as she petted Terrible Tess. As much as she didn’t want to, she couldn’t help but think of the look on Sidney’s face when she basically told him thanks but no thanks. He actually looked hurt; not an egotistical hurt that most men got when they were told that they aren't as great as they thought they were. But it was like an honest hurt. It didn’t matter though; past heartbreak taught Nina that getting involved with anyone even affiliated with work was the worst idea ever.

#drabbles #nhl imagines #nhl imagine #sidney crosby #Crosby imagines #penguin imagine #penguins imagines #penguins #all bets are off #blurbs #nhl fic #nhl fanfiction #hockey imagine #hockey imagines #hockey rpf

258 notes · View notes

unprofessional-bard · 4 years ago

Text

Chapter 12 - The Development, Pt. I

Losing My Religion Series Masterlist

Unprofessional Bard's Masterlist

Previous Chapter • Next Chapter

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female!Reader/OC

Warnings: TW for homophobia, homophobic guy gets kicked in the balls. mostly angst: tense situations, back story reveal (hints to disturbing cult activities/religious trauma??). smut: vulnerable/desperate sex, reader and joel being in love and soft w each other.

Summary: The reader and Joel unintentionally get more tangled up with Kiki and Ward –going on patrols, doing town duties with them etc.– which leaves the reader frustrated.

Word Count: 7.060

Author's Note: I feel like I proofread this 500 times but my apologies if it still sucks 😭

Enjoy!

"I think we earned a small break, don't you think so, Captain?" Kurt extended a beer bottle to you.

"I guess so, colonel," You offered a vague smile and reluctantly took the bottle from him.

"Oh, c'mon, cheer up (Y/N)!" Kurt put an arm around you and chuckled ironically. "It's the 4th of July..."

"Sure," You patted his back but appreciated his enthusiasm nevertheless. "It just doesn't sit right with me that all these other people in the QZ don't have the- the luxury we have."

"Oh, I know," Kurt let his arm go and nodded bitterly. "It ain't just, but there's not much we can do."

You nodded as well: "Well, be back in 5, gotta go piss."

Kurt laughed heartily and waved his hand at you as you walked away from the open area to wash your face, hoping to wash away the guilt as well. It was your first time in a different QZ– Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to be more specific and you weren't exactly having a good time. A big part of your company was wiped out, which had ultimately triggered your survivor's guilt. The situation was out of your control when hunters, bandits and a surprise horde of infected got involved; everyone acknowledged how there wasn't anything you could do, except for yourself. It had been 5 years into this apocalyptic mess, yet you still had trouble adjusting to it... but then again, no one ever really did.

When you reached the shared toilet areas, there were only three cabins. One was occupied, one was completely empty without the toilet itself and the other was simply too dirty.

You heard heavy breathing from the occupied cabin, and instinctively decided to knock on the door to make sure the person inside was alright: "Hey, is everything..."

The moment you knocked the second time on the door, it opened just a smidge to reveal two men kissing, which made you gasp loudly and step back while alerting them.

"Oh god! I'm so sorry–"

"Oh shit–!"

You went to close the door, but immediately decided to turn around in panic, thinking: Fuck, fuck, fuck!

"I'm really sorry! I just wanted to use the toilet since the others are, well– Uh–"

"Fuck, what are we going to–" You heard one of them speak, panicked.

"Relax, it'll be fine," The other one reassured.

"Look, it's uh–" You tried again, slowly turning to walk out of there. "I wasn't here, we never saw each other, okay?"

"No, wait!" You felt a ghostly hand on your arm, but he didn't grab it, just tapped once to get your attention. "Please, you can't tell anyone!"

You raised your hands up mid air to do a stop gesture, trying to get him and his partner to calm down: "No, of course I won't!"

"Wait," The other man with blue eyes stepped out of the cabin. "You won't? You don't mind... us?"

"Mind you? It's none of my business to begin with," You assured both of them. "What happened here stays between us– hell, I wasn't even here as we speak."

"Thank you," He smiled and saw the way he clung onto his partner's –whom you noticed had hazel fleeing to green eyes– hand with his fingers. "Most people around here don't... appreciate us."

You nodded bitterly, a small, sad smile on your face: "I'm so sorry, I wish I could do something for the both of you–"

"What's going on here then?" A deep voice called from behind you, when you noticed a little too late how the man with green eyes' expression shifted to one of fear.

You turned around to meet a face you weren't familiar with: "Why do you wish to know?"

"Why do I wish t–" The guy gave you an incredulous look, interrupted himself and asked. "Identify yourselves."

"Corporal Robin Lazewski," Said the man with the blue eyes.

"Sergeant Cole Doxon." Green eyes followed.

"And you, missy?" The man stood before you at arms length with a sneer.

"Captain," You corrected him. "(Y/N) (L/N). Who might you be?"

The man's sneer disappeared when he realised your ranks were the same, but he still looked displeased: "Captain Phillip Moore. Now, I'll ask you again. What are you doing here?"

The question was more directed at Robin and Cole rather than you, and you knew why, so you stepped in: "Nothing that should worry you, Captain."

"Oh, but I know what's been going on. Had my eye on you two for awhile now enough to know exactly what type of people you are."

"These men are from my company, Captain," You intervened again, lying through your teeth without thinking about the consequences. "If you have a complaint, we can gladly take this up to Colonel Kurt Greenwood, as he is our superior."

The name made Phillip take a step back, clearly making him nervous: "Tsk, no thanks. Don't need to get more involved with your kind."

"If you wanna say something, mister, go right ahead," You growled and took a step forward, risking the possibility of a few days of detention without hesitation. The tension thickened, and thickened, and thickened then finally...

————

"Woah, wait, you just lied out of your ass to him?" Ellie suddenly interrupted you.

"Yeah," You sighed. "If he knew that they were actually from Pittsburgh I would've been... fucked."

"Shit," Ellie sighed. "Guy didn't even know his own soldiers... and then?"

"He said a few unkind words about them, and, well, I kicked him in the balls."

"Are you serious?" Ellie's eyes grew wider, beginnings of a laugh bubbling up in her chest.

"Hell yeah," You offered her your first smile the whole time you'd been lying in your bed together. She came to visit you for the evening, which was no doubt Joel's idea but it was nice of him of course, and ultimately decided to stay the night like you both did from time to time. Your husband, on the other hand, went to stay over at Tommy's to give you both some space.

"Dolly, you were both awesome and out of your mind! What if he caught you? Did they find out?" She asked, squirming where she laid.

"I got away with kicking him at that moment, got the boys out of there and went straight to Kurt." You put an arm under your pillow: "Told him we had to make a transfer, explained the reason. He got mad at me, sure, but he had some connections in the QZ. Later on the guy made a complaint about all of us, but all Kurt said was: Maybe you should worry more about the people suffering in the QZ rather than two people kissing. Maybe then, you can control these uprisings."

"Man," She giggled. "I wish I met Kurt– all of your team. You all were so fucking cool."

You gave her a crooked smile, the pains of your old wounds hurting as if they were new: "He was right, too." She gave you a curious look. "There are more important things people should worry themselves with rather than town gossip, like survival and keeping Jackson running."

Ellie averted her eyes at your words: "Yeah..."

"Look, I may not have the same fierceness I did when I was 25, but that's never going to stop me from kicking someone's balls if they disrespect you." She huffed a brief laugh at your words: "Jokes aside... You know, you can tell Joel, right?"

"Ugh, I don't wanna think about it," She groaned and turned to the right, face directed at the ceiling.

"Take your time. I'm not saying you should tell him, just letting you know that you can, if you want to."

"Sure, thanks..." She stared at the wall for awhile, the moonlight shining directly onto her beautiful features. After a while, she said: "I don't feel like he's being too honest with me, actually."

Your heart skipped a beat at her words: "How do you mean?"

She took her time with her reply: "He ever talked to you about what happened? Before we got here?"

"Not much."

"What about my... immunity?" Her eyes shifted to yours.

You felt like a piece of shit lying to her, making the burden on your shoulder get heavier. The bed felt like it could swallow you when you spoke nonchalantly: "Again, not much. Told me there were a dozen or so more immune people, that they ran some tests and–"

"Yeah, he took me out of there. Unconscious." She sighed and you felt like your uneasiness was showing, but actually you kept your composure. "Do you really believe that?"

This time you took a bit long to answer, walking over the minefield with careful steps: "I'm... I don't know, I'm not really buying it." She gave you a worried look: "But it isn't my business to interfere, either. I really don't know what to tell you."

Ellie just nodded and continued staring at the ceiling afterwards: "I just wish..."

"Yeah?"

"Nevermind."

You nodded, glad the conversation didn't go where you thought it would, relaxing into the mattress: "I heard Tommy brought you one of the comics you were dying to read."

"Yeah," She quietly took a deep breath.

"And? D'you like it?"

"I did actually," She seemed more enthusiastic than a moment ago, which made you relax even more. "But there was another cliffhanger! It wasn't the final volume!"

The next morning Joel stopped by briefly to get his stuff for patrol, kissed you goodbye while you were having breakfast with Ellie, then left. That's when she spoke up: "So? What are we doing today?"

"We?" You raised a brow.

"I got a day off, and you look miserable," She commented. "Not about to let that go to waste, so..."

"I was just planning on lying down for a bit."

"You've been lying down for ever, it's time you did something else!"

"Ellie I really don't have the energy for– for anything, right now." You sighed and helped her with the dishes.

"So... you also don't have the energy for the new game Jesse brought?" She side eyed you, offering a mischievous smile.

You hated feeling like this, not being able to do things with people you cared about because you simply couldn't. Everyone was understanding, of course, but you hated how this feeling had become a part of you overtime; way before you had reached Jackson, and before the death of your family. You even found comfort in it to a certain level, but if you could, you'd gladly get rid of it with a single snap of your fingers.

"I'd like nothing more honestly," You wiped your hands on a small towel on the counter and looked at her: "But we'll see, you know how I get."

If there was someone who helped you get back on your feet as quickly as Ellie and Joel, it was Maria – and Tommy.

But sometimes you really doubted if Maria truly was a maker of right decisions.

It was your first patrol with Ellie where you two went outside, very much like the patrols you took on, but it was still a bit new for her. She wanted to get involved with the patrols sooner than Joel liked: She's too young, it's too early for her, he'd say, but even though it's no age for her to be even seeing the stuff she saw, going through everything she went through, you were on Ellie's side on the matter. She was capable of handling patrols with you, or Joel and others; she was also more skilled than all the kids her age, but a part of you also wanted to keep her safe behind the walls of Jackson.

After a lot of reasoning with Joel, you had managed to convince him and were on your way to start the ski lodge route with Ellie. Maria had told you you'd be meeting with a couple of other people to do a sweep afterwards, but she was hesitant to tell you who. You knew something was afoot, for Maria never was a person to mince her words; it initially gave you an idea about who might be waiting for you, but at least you had Ellie to help calm your nerves. You hitched your horses at the entrance, then walked through the doors. Your jaw clenched and your posture visibly tensed when your theories were proven right and you saw who was inside.

Kiki and Ward.

You internally cringed when you made eye contact with Ward, who was... talking with Joel?

What the fuck is going on?

"'bout time!" Tommy appeared out of nowhere, startling you. "You're half an hour late, we were startin' to get worried."

"What's going on?" Ellie spoke instead of you.

"Well, we'll be heading back," He patted Ellie on the shoulder. "While the others'll do a sweep."

"But we just got here?" Ellie protested. "I thought Dolly and I–"

"Yeah, Tommy, what the fuck?" You whispered and stepped closer to him.

He huffed, it was his signature I'm just gonna put it out here so listen carefully stance: "Maria asked that you solve the issue between you and Ward."

"She didn't ask me shit, Tommy, just told me to get my ass over here. Without a heads up." You sighed and he gave you an apologetic shrug: "She's right, but is patrol really the right time for this?"

"Just shake hands and try to get along, you're partnered up with him."

Your eyes widened: "Tommy–"

"It'll be fine, (Y/N), don't worry." He said reassuringly. "Walt and Bruce went over to the back, you can fetch them and start. C'mon Ellie."

She squeezed your hand in an encouraging manner and followed Tommy out. You rubbed your face and ran a hand through your hair, then finally turned and walked over to the three: "Alright, I'll go get Walt and Bruce, then we can go."

"Sure," Joel offered a small smile and got up from where he was sitting with Kiki, but Ward remained seated with his arms crossed. You took it as an indication to wait for the others to leave so you two could finally talk.

"Well..." You said awkwardly.

"I'm sorry for punching you," He said, straight out, without dwelling on anything. "I get ahead of myself sometimes. I can't really control it when I get angry, I– I never knew how to. It was my only way to survive... and protect Kiki."

You blinked several times at how genuine he was, even his hard expression was softened to some point: "It's, uh– it's okay. Thank you, and sorry, for your nose I mean. It was a reflex."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," He nodded and got up, towering over you, then extended a hand over to you. "We're good?"

"Sure, 'course," You nodded and shook his hand. He pursed his lips and walked out, leaving you a little stunned. You immediately sighed in relief and made your way to the back room, where your memories of fucking with Joel resurfaced and made you smile a little.

"Alright, c'mon you guys, let's go–" You walked into the room and right then, you heard panicked shuffling with a gasp. When you understood what was going on, you immediately stepped back outside: "Oh, woah–."

Were they making out?

If you were honest, you saw it coming, but it still came as a shock. You debated on whether you should leave or stay, but when you heard the panicked voices from inside, you stood there, waiting to apologise as soon as they walked out. It was Walt who opened the door first.

"Dolly– Listen," He was calmer than he sounded back inside. "You... I mean..."

"Look, let me just say this: It's none of my business, and I won't tell anyone, so... It's okay. We can pretend this never happened."

He blinked, a bit dumbfounded: "You don't mind?"

"Walt, of course not. As I said, it's none of my business."

It was then, when Bruce walked out shyly: "You seriously won't go tell anyone?"

At that, you chuckled and looked away, your eyes watering at the memory of Robin and Cole you had told Ellie: "You guys are safe with me– in Jackson. I know some people aren't very open minded here, but just know that you have my support."

Walt suddenly hugged you tightly. You took a second, but immediately returned it with a gentler one: "It's okay."

"Thank you (Y/N)," Bruce smiled sincerely.

"It's the least anyone can do – show basic human decency," You said and smiled back after Walt pulled back. "Come on now, we're already late."

The three of you acted as if nothing happened, but the couple couldn't help the smiles spread on their faces.

"Alright, Doll," Joel began explaining once you stepped to his side to get on your horse. Tommy and Ellie were long gone: "Maria asked us to show 'em how we do our patrols..."

"But?" You already didn't like how Maria picked you two for them, so you scrunched your face up lightly.

"You'll be going with Ward, I'll be going with–"

"Kiki." The name left your mouth with clear discomfort. Joel huffed at your worrisome expression and rubbed your arm soothingly.

"I rightly don't know why we're even assigned with them," Joel kissed your temple gently. "But it'll be fine, sweetheart. C'mon, we have places to cover."

You gave his hand a light squeeze and tried not to look as troubled as you felt inside when you both rode up to the couples, then went separate ways. You were quite surprised Ward actually let Kiki go with someone else– with Joel, but you kept it to yourself.

"So, I presume Tommy or Maria, or someone must've filled you in on how patrol works?" You began once your horses had slowed down the long path.

"Sort of, yeah. Joel and Tommy explained how logbooks work."

"Well, I'll start of with three things you must stick to, then– always. One: Stealth is key to everything. Keep quiet and don't draw any attention to yourself. Two: Your partner is technically your life support. You don't leave them behind, but back them up when they get into trouble and plan routes or approach tactics together. Three: If you come across anything you can't handle– anything at all, you bring your ass back to town."

"Yes ma'am," It was the first time you saw him offer the smallest smile, which softened his hardened features.

For awhile, you rode quietly, until he asked: "Say... Where you from?"

You raised a brow at his question: "Well, would you believe me if I said I don't remember?"

"How is that possible?" He tsked.

"I– I don't know," You chuckled with a hint of bitterness. "I only remember moving to San Francisco with my parents when I was... Around two?"

"Oh so you're a Californian..."

"Well, I suppose. What–" You saw the weird expression on his face: "Where are you from?"

"Idaho."

"Oh, and you're a potato farmer!"

You both shared a chuckle when he continued: "I wish that was the case. Would've traded everything to have been a potato farmer my whole life than..."

"Than what?"

"The shit I went through ever since the world fell apart."

You shrugged: "Don't we all?"

"I don't know about you, but none of those people in there –except for Kiki– would've preferred living as farmers..."

"What are you talking about?"

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, broke eye contact and his whole stance changed. It took him a few silent moments, but he spoke eventually: "When the infection took over, a small church in our town offered food and protection to everyone there. They barricaded the whole town in a short time, a lot of people died in the process, but we actually made a safe environment– not as strong and well protected like here, though. The infected weren't occupying that part of the city too much, either, so we just made decent living... But in time, the priest of the church started controlling the community. In months everyone was on their knees praying– beggin' for forgiveness for their sins so that they survive this shit..."

"Oh..." You flinched, feeling sorry for him, your heartbeat picking up in worry. You were also unintentionally expecting him to get this story somewhere, pull out a gun and shoot you, or stab you with his knife– you were expecting an Axel case. They might have come all this way just to avenge a loved one who you might have killed, and even though your mind screamed that the scenario had no way of making sense, you still kept your hand on your pistol which was strapped to the side of your thigh that he couldn't see.

"It was fucked up, and I was young, I had no choice but to follow my parents... They died years later and that was when I met Kiki. She was so pretty, and– and kind to me. I really liked her, we were around... 18 and 20 at the time, I think. She helped me mourn my parents, we made really good company. Soon I realised I was falling in love with her."

Hearing these words from him freaked you out a little, if you were honest, because they didn't look very in love; but you were also curious about what the hell had happened to them.

"A year or so later we, uh– Understand this, we had to keep it a secret. If the priest didn't see a couple fit, they'd get punished, but if he did, he'd force them to... Have children, to– y'know."

You couldn't hide the disgust on your face, but he was too focused on somewhere else to notice it, the sorrow and trauma on his face making you feel bad for him.

"We didn't know if we were more scared of the punishment, or Kiki getting pregnant– neither of us wanted a child, we were so young..."

For a moment he looked guilty for saying that, but when you reassured him that you understood, he still looked guilty and regretful: "Naturally."

"Not too long later people started picking up on what type of relationship we had. One time one of the priest's..." A suden wave of rage washed over him– He spat out the next word: "Whores, caught us hugging each other, then we were brought before the priest. He didn't see us fit because we didn't take anyone's permission to get together."

Your brows also drew closer in anger as you listened: "I'm really sorry you two had to go through that."

"It doesn't matter, it was long ago; we escaped, and now we're here," Ward suddenly fixed his posture, looking thoughtful and upset at the same time. The conversation had come to an end.

"Listen, if you ever wanna talk to someone," You spoke hesitantly. "Our head doc Katherine holds weekly, uh, conversations," You couldn't bring yourself to say therapy, even though he'd find out sooner or later.

"I don't– I don't wanna talk about it," He huffed angrily and side eyed you where he sat.

"You seem like you need to, is all I'm saying," You ran a hand through your hair, wiping some sweat off your forehead in the meanwhile. "It's okay to do that, y'know."

"I don't need it!" He growled and turned his head towards you in a harsh motion. "I don't need your– stupid conversations–"

"Hey," You pulled on the reins in your hand, hard, and came to a stop. He mirrored your movements when you growled back: "Those stupid conversations actually help people. They saved god knows how many townsfolk, and participating in them doesn't make you less of a man."

"That's not what this is about."

Sure you wanted to counter, the look of offense in his face telling you everything you had to know, but kept your tongue: "I just suggested you could go, nobody's forcing you to! Keep it in the corner of your mind if you want, I don't care what you do."

With that you started riding again, missing the look of regret and worry on his face. When he reached your side a few moments later, he spoke quietly, softer: "You're right, I'm sorry."

You nodded: "Try not to take things personally, we're not your enemies. We're just trying to help."

The rest of the ride was quiet, but the good outcome of both you and Joel's pairing with the couple unfortunately had a bad outcome for you. Maria asked you and Joel to be patient and stick to them for a month or so– at least until they start to really fit in. You had to accept, thinking of how when you first came here Walt had switched his partner's because he was the first person one to get along with you.

The problem was, you weren't exactly getting along with them, or Kiki more precisely.

You didn't know if it was because of your pride or your reluctance to make a scene about it, but you kept quiet about your suspicions about how Kiki undeniably took a liking to Joel. When you subtly asked a question about how Kiki behaved on patrol, he nonchalantly explained how she picked up pretty quickly and appeared to be a much more normal person; but you left out the bit that whenever you or her husband appeared, she'd hiss like a cat.

Maybe you were simply jealous that a pretty woman like Kiki was hitting on Joel, even though you never doubted his intentions for a second. He seemed very oblivious to her and your hints at what you wanted to say, and that was pretty much your only way of finding comfort.

Ward, on the other hand, always looked at the brink of a breakdown when it got too quiet between you two. Joel also asked about how he was whenever you discussed the pair, and when you mentioned their background and how troubled he looked ever since, he raised a brow. He also mentioned how Kiki started wearing t-shirts throughout the week –sleeveless clothing– and he thought it had to do with some sort of survival condition related trauma, while you had other theories.

Theories that you, once more, kept to yourself.

Because there were always two ends on situations like this: Your theories were correct – she was right all along! or, you thought too much of it – you're so dramatic!

It was a little frustrating, not being able to tell these to any memebers of your family, except for Ellie, who came to understand– probably better than Joel or the others would.

"Yikes, I'm sorry, Dolly," She looked troubled at your worrisome expression when you finally broke and told her about your suspicions.

"Morton's fucking fork," You sighed and ran a hand through your hair nervously. "I honestly don't know what to do, it's too early to say anything but at the same time I feel like it'll be too late if I keep it to myself."

"Well, no matter what happens," She rubbed your shoulder reassuringly. "I'll be by your side. Always."

The words caught you off guard, the frustration of bottled up feelings and the subconscious weight of keeping the truth about what happened with the Fireflies from Ellie finally shattering and setting a few drops of tears free.

"Thank you– Oh, Ellie," She hugged you where she stood while you remained seated on your chair in the kitchen. "What would I do without you?"

"I know, I'm the light of your life," She joked, which made you chuckle briefly.

"Look, I also want you to know that–" You pulled back and took her hands in yours, then looked her straight in the eyes: "That I'd do anything for you. Whatever happens, I'll be on your side too, even if I can't intervene."

An emotional scene between a girl who found her mother figure, and a broken soldier longing for a deeper sense of tranquility eventually finding it in a girl– something she thought she'd never find.

"Christ, Joel," You immediately got up from where you were sitting in the living room and ran up to your husband as soon as you saw his dirty, tired state. It was god knows what in the morning but you couldn't sleep, thoughts of Kiki and Joel keeping you up for the second time ever since your mutual patrols started three and a half weeks ago.

"What're you still doin' up?" You carefully looked him up and down with worried eyes and ignored his exhausted sigh. You quickly but carefully hugged him, burying your face into the crook of his neck.

"Are you hurt?" You asked quietly after he immediately put his arm around your waist.

"Nope, just sore," He closed his eyes. "And a little dirty. Why aren't you asleep?"

You pulled back slowly and looked into his eyes, shrugging: "Couldn't sleep. And good thing I didn't."

"Dolly..."

"C'mon, let's get you cleaned up." You tugged on his large hand and led him up to your bathroom. After you arranged the tub to fill, you helped undress him, his pale face and tired eyes made you put extra effort to be as delicate as possible.

"You wanna talk about it?" You said after dropping his t-shirt into the laundry basket, while he took off his pants beside the door.

"There ain't much to talk about. We just..." You could feel your heart beat in your ears as you took his pants from him and repeated your motion, but froze in your place when he spoke again: "She saved me."

Your brows shot up quickly and the ache of keeping them crossed in a worried expression for so long immediately made its presence known: "My flashlight gave out, was tryin' to shake it back to life when a stalker grabbed me."

Joel scratched the back of his neck and lowered his head while you just stared and moved towards him slowly, his voice quiet: "I felt its– Its teeth on my neck right before Kiki jumped on it."

"Joel..." You sighed the moment you stopped walking, whispered, gulped and realised how bad your throat ached. He raised his head and gave you an utterly wrecking look, which immediately triggered you to walk over to him and hug him. His arms quickly shot up and wrapped themselves around your back. He buried his face into your neck this time and your hands ran through his hair, caressing the back of his neck soothingly. The way his arms embraced you was tight, but not enough to crush you– just enough to remind you where you belonged.

Home. That's what you felt like.

For the first time in many, many years, you finally found home again.

That exact feeling that made your eyes blurry with tears had struck first after fifteen years into the apocalypse, and it was the night after a particularly tough mission to handle some hunters around the area. The team had almost lost Kurt and Robin, the fear had been very overwhelming. The intensity of it all was nerve-wracking for everyone, so when Robin was back with Cole, they broke down crying in each other's arms. You couldn't bare to see them like that, so you joined with quiet whimpers and hugged them where they sat on the ground. Slowly, the rest of the group had joined, and when finally Kurt put his arms around you and them, everyone calmed down. That was home.

Family.

You inhaled his scent with tears in your eyes and a barbed wire around your throat, then hugged him tighter; the realisation of what might have happened had Kiki not been there washing over you like a tidal wave. All these months of doubting her– maybe you misunderstood her? Were you too cruel to Kiki in your mind? You sure as hell owed her now, you were more than grateful for what she did.

A sharp intake of breath from Joel and the warm wetness you felt on your neck confirmed that he was crying, so you turned your head a little to kiss his neck softly. It was rare that Joel cried, let alone open up like this, so you let him cry on your shoulder for as log as he needed. He didn't make a sound other than his occasional sniffs and sighs.

"I need you (Y/N)," He murmured after calming down a few minutes later, slowly shifting his arms downwards and kissing you deeply, pulling you flush against him. You kissed back, sighing into his mouth and slithering your hands down his back to the waistband of his underwear. You devoured each other at the doorway while the tub was still filling, the chilly yet still warm July night creating a thin layer of sweat between your bodies. He softly pushed you up against the doorframe, and his movements became more rushed the more your tongues danced against each other.

"Joel, baby wait," You pulled back and he stopped immediately. "The bath..."

You kissed a tear that was hanging on the edge of his cheek and reluctantly slipped away from his hold to turn the faucet off, and before you could turn back around, you felt his hands slowly sneak their way under your shirt and smiled softly at the feel. You turned completely, while he carefully walked you over to the counter and pushed you against the edge between the two sinks. He started peppering urgent kisses on your neck, making you sigh a quiet moan as your eyes closed, his hands roaming your body and eventually taking off the sleeveless undershirt off of you.

"What about the– the bath?" You barely managed to ask when he softly bit and kissed on the skin of your breasts, then moved down to tug your shorts down your legs.

"Later," He groaned when he saw the sight before him and immediately went to suck a few marks around your breasts, gently biting your nipples the way you liked it. You moaned and wrapped a leg around his waist so you could have his erection pressing directly against your pussy.

He lifted you up slightly and sat you on the cold counter, making you sigh as he settled between your legs, pulling his underwear off only for his erection to spring against your inner thigh. He was getting harder by the second, but before he lined himself up, he made sure you were taken care of to begin with. While massaging your inner thighs, he carefully bit and sucked on your neck, rubbing the tip of his cock between your slick folds in the meantime. You moaned quietly at his ministrations, his hands feeling wonderful around your legs.

After a while, you reached for his length and lined him up, allowing him to push in. You let out a soft moan by his ear and he did the same when he dived into your depths, then wrapped your arms around his shoulders and legs around his waist. He growled, grabbed at your hips and thighs and started off with a slow but somehow rushed pace.

What you liked about a slower pace, first and foremost, was how you could feel everything Joel had to offer and how much more relaxed and focused he was. You liked it when he took his time, making sure you felt every inch and vein of his length– You also liked the tension building up more this way. With the patrols and chores taking up most of your constantly changing schedules, sex had started to become a bit of luxury again, too.

Your eyes opened slowly when he called your name desperately– moaned it. You slowly pulled back from your hug and looked him in the eyes, then kissed him deeply, his rhythm stable but the snap of his hips started to become harsher. His grip on your hips were equally desperate and bruising, but you liked it; it was also your own way of assuring yourself that Joel was still here, with you.

His pace picked up the more your tongues swayed together, then his hand went to the hair on your scalp and massaged the skin there, making you throw your head back and clench down on him with a mewl. Groaning, he kissed and bit all over your neck again, the skin slapping against skin making both of you near the edge.

He suddenly pulled out and away, gently helped you off the counter and turned you around. In one motion, he buried himself deep inside you again and moaned. You arched your back and he pulled your hair into a ponytail, then placed solid, sloppy kisses on your shoulders as he fucked you from behind.

"Shit– Joel," You gasped when he grabbed at your breasts, arms crossed and slammed into you particularly hard. He was getting closer with each passing minute.

"(Y/N)..." He groaned and pressed you down against the counter, trapping you between the cold surface and his hairy, broad chest while sneaking a hand down to your clit. He slammed into you three more times, which made you moan brief but loud ahs and ohs each time; your hands clawing against his hips and arms, leaving your own marks, throwing him over the edge when he thought about the pleasure he felt when your nails digged into his skin.

You both came with loud moans and held onto each other tightly, Joel pulling out the last second even though he really, really wanted to come inside you at that moment: He would never do it without your permission and talking about it first, but the topic was never brought up by either of you.

Panting while coming down your high, you were as disappointed as Joel was when he didn't fill you up with his thick cock– you were also as cautious as your husband about this, and maybe it was finally time to discuss it.

After recollecting yourselves, you both moved into the lukewarm water in comfortable silence, Joel laying against you between your legs and holding onto your hands which you had wrapped around his chest in a hug, resting his head against your own.

Some time later, when you felt yourself dozing off, Joel hummed quietly: "If you're gonna sleep let's move to bed."

"How did you..."

"Your heartbeat got real slow, figured you were dozin' off," He slowly got up with a phantom smile on his lips and looked into your sleepy eyes. This small gesture made you smile back, and after he took your hand in his and placed a loving kiss on your knuckles, you got cleaned and out of the bath. There was much to be said, but sleep overcame you both as soon as you laid on the soft, inviting mattress.

The next morning, Joel had some business in town with Tommy while it was your day off, so you both had the opportunity to talk during breakfast. After some discussion and honesty about how you felt towards Kiki, Joel figured there'd be nothing a good dinner wouldn't fix. You had to agree because of your self-doubt, maybe this dinner would help you understand Kiki's intentions better, and it would also be your way of thanking her for saving Joel.

"I have to tell you somethin', but promise me–" Joel chewed on his scrambled eggs after your reluctant agreement to the dinner. "–You won't get mad?"

You rolled your eyes and offered a small smirk after finishing your bite: "When do I ever get mad at you?"

"Oh?" He raised a brow. "Well, I was startin' to think you were jealous of Kiki, is all."

Your mouth fell open in a silent gasp: "I am no such thing! Joel Miller–"

"Oh boy," He took a sip off his coffee, having made his point.

You took a deep breath, rolled your eyes while they were closed and grabbed your own cup: "Look, I'm not jealous, I just..."

"Just what?"

You chewed on your lower lip while staring two holes into the cup in your hands, took your time to think: "I'm just worried."

"What's got you worried, sweetpea?" His expression immediately softened as he leaned forward, the pet name easing the tension in your heart a little.

"They're– really odd, okay?" You spoke quietly, occasionally meeting his eyes. "Doesn't it bother you just how different they act when they're not around each other?"

"Where're you gettin' with this?"

"I just don't want another Axel case." The room fell to a deafening silence when you said his name, but you continued when he didn't say anything: "Look, I simply can't help but think they're trying to get close to us on purpose."

"Oh darlin'," His eyes widened slightly as he got off his chair and stood beside you in a quick motion, putting his warm hands on your bare shoulders. "I understand what's got you all worried, but I'm sure this is all because of Maria puttin' us together for patrol. Don't worry your pretty little head with all o' that." He pressed you against his body in a hug, gently massaging your shoulders as he did: "Now, I gotta get goin', but when I come back I'll do somethin' to ease all that stress built up in these strong muscles of yours, huh?" He softly digged his fingers into your shoulder blades, making you sigh as you realised they were indeed very stiff. He offered a soft smile: "Agreed?"

"Agreed." You forced a smile in return, trying not to worry like he said. It was Joel, after all; if he said you had nothing to worry about, then you probably didn't...

... But that didn't mean you were going to shut out your gut feelings altogether. It was your instincts that always saved your ass when you were unsure about situations like this, or when you got in trouble with people in general. You could always beat yourself up for overthinking too much and being so doubtful of them, but for now, you were going to keep your guard up at all times and keep them at arm's length.

————

tags: @spideysimpossiblegirl @joelsgeetar @sherry-212 @peachymelon69

126 notes · View notes

myhockeyworld87 · 4 years ago

Text

Bubble Wrapped - Part 4

Word Count: 5,762

POV: Reader

Warnings: Same as always, Language, Smut, NSFW, Please see the note in the Masterlist

Teams: Bruins, Caps, Flyers, Lightning and Pens

Notes: This part got a little crazy...haha! We have a lot of players involved this time, so I hope you guys like it. Feedback is always welcome. Happy Reading!!!

Day three and four in the bubble were sedate. There were a few minor glitches here and there, but not any brawls or fighting, and you weren't thrown in the pool again. You chalked it more up to the fact that the teams were practicing more and watching films so there was a bit less downtime. After breakfast on day five, you made your rounds, making sure that the conference rooms were cleaned to perfection for the lunch crowd and doing the same with each workout room. Though the latter was a bit more complex considering most of them were occupied.

Once you found everything under control, you headed over to the tennis courts and found Sidney Crosby playing on the one court with a couple of his teammates. It felt kind of wrong to just stand there and watch him, but you couldn't help yourself. He had on a pair of black sweats and a grey Pens t-shirt that clung to his body from where he was working up a sweat. His locks were shorn as if he had just gotten them cut before coming in the bubble. Every muscle was defined as he would swing the racket and connect with the ball. Automatically, your eyes went to his ass, which was just sheer perfection and you longed to feel his glutes under your fingertips. There was part of you that wished he was wearing shorts so you could appreciate his thighs as well. Your eyes followed every move that he made, every swing of the racket; step of that he took. It made you weak in the knees and your mouth go dry.

You tried concentrating on the other players, Letang, Hornqvist, and Petterson, but your eyes always came back to Sid. It's been five days in the bubble and you'd yet to get Sid alone, as he was always surrounded by teammates or coaches. You were going to have to do something soon, for there was always the chance they could end up losing in the qualifying rounds. You waited until they finished, then grabbed the fresh pile of towels that were sitting on the outside table, and decided to take them inside the court. They normally stayed outside, but it wouldn't hurt for them to be inside the court. They were just walking out, and you used your ass to open the door, making as if you didn't know they were coming out. As the door open, you stumbled forward, only to have Sid's strong arms grab you. "Oh sorry, I didn't realize anyone was there?" You told him.

"No, it's my fault, I should've been paying attention instead of chirping these two," Sid said, his arms still around you.

"Anyone need a towel?" You offered with a smile and only then did his hands come off your waist, so he could grab one. The other three did as well and soon you only had a couple left. "Everything fine with your stay here?"

"Oh yeah, we always love staying here," Sid commented and the other three agreed.

"Whoever put these tennis courts in was a genius," Letang added.

"Thanks, I'll be sure to mention that you appreciate my ingenuity to my bosses when I talk to them."

"No way, it was your idea?" Sid seemed impressed and you didn't mind taking the credit since the courts had been your idea when they decided to build this hotel.

"I've been affiliated with the company for a while, and had a lot of ideas for when we built this place."

"No wonder they put you in charge of the place for this whole thing. You've really done an awesome job." The compliment from Sid had you blushing.

"Thank you, if there's anything at all you need; don't hesitate to call me." You made sure that you looked Sid in the eye as you said that. Letang elbowed him at your insinuation.

"We'll meet you upstairs," Hornqvist stated then patted Sid on the shoulder and the three left the two of you alone.

It was a bit awkward at first, but then you broke the silence. "So are you missing Pittsburgh at all?"

"Nah, not really. It was kind of boring quarantining alone. This is a nice change of pace." Well, at least you had your answer about if he had anyone waiting at home for him. "Are you into architecture that you had this idea of the tennis courts?"

"I took a few classes in college. I find it intriguing. I'm by no means an architect but I have great ideas." Well, that sounded a bit conceded. "I mean, I'd like to think they are great at least."

"Architecture has always fascinated me as well. What else did you do here?"

"Well, the rooftop pool was, though that took a little bit of engineering. I just loved the idea of having it up there. We ended up sacrificing the indoor part to have it, but I think it was totally worth it." It was definitely a highlight of the hotel, well as long as you weren't being shoved into by a certain rat player.

"Oh, it's definitely beautiful. I'd love to see something like this in Pittsburgh, maybe we can steal you away from here and get you to think up something for us." A cute little smirk appeared on his face and you wanted to kiss him so bad. What was it about this man that just made you weak? You'd only ever felt this way around one other guy, but that wasn't what you wanted to think about now.

"Well, I'm sure you could persuade me if you wanted to."

"Really?" Sid didn't seem so unaffected by you as Tyler assumed. Apparently, hockey wasn't the only think on his mind.

"Yes, in fact…"

"(Y/N), I need you in the kitchen it's an emergency." Logan said breathless, as he came rushing into the tennis court.

"Sounds like you're needed," Sid stated grabbing the door and holding it open for you. "I'll let you go."

You were seriously going to murder Logan, especially if this was like the towel incident. "Yeah, I should probably go, but if you need anything call me." You rushed out to follow Logan, plotting the many ways to kill him on your way to the kitchen. It had better be on fire. When you walked into the kitchen things seemed under control. "What seems to be the problem, Logan? Things look fine."

"Oh, they're not though. Chef said that no one brought in the dirty dishes from conference room two and now we don't know if we'll have enough plates for lunch." If Logan made it out of the bubble alive, it would be a damn miracle.

"Sorry (Y/N), I thought when I told him that he would go get the dishes and not you."

"It's ok Marco." You told the chef, before turning to Logan. "Could you please go get the dishes, then bring them in here and wash them." You tried to spell it out as best you could for the kid.

"Yeah, sure I can do that. Don't know why I didn't think of that before." You didn't know why he didn't either, but he had just effectively ruined your opportunity with Sid. At least you were able to lay the foundation so that hopefully the next time you saw him, you'd be a bit more successful. Logan scurried out of the kitchen and Marco again apologized for not being more specific with the young pup.

Marco told you he'd keep a better eye on Logan the rest of the day so that you wouldn't have to worry about him, and you thanked the chef and went on your way. The rest of the day went pretty easy. You tried to look for Sidney but seemed to just miss him, so you called it a night and went to your suite to get ready for bed. You were just slipping out of your skirt when the phone rang. "Hey Car, I was just going to grab a glass of wine and head to bed. What's up?"

"Well, there's a little congregation in conference room one. It's not out of hand or anything, but they really shouldn't be in there since it's all ready for breakfast."

"So tell them to move to their floor."

"You know me Y/N, I'm chicken shit around these guys." It was true Carly was used to saying yes with being a concierge and most of her dealing were on the phone and she could get what she wanted that way but face to face, she found it hard to say no, or in this case move somewhere else. "Besides, I don't think they're all from the same team."

"Ok, I'll be down in a minute." You threw on an oversized shirt and leggings and headed down to the conference room. You were surprised to see that two members of the Flyers and two from the Penguins were playing cards. It was common knowledge that the two teams were rivals, but they seemed to be enjoying the game. Well, you could hear some chirps back and forth but it seemed to be in fun. "Hey guys, I hate to break up this party but you can't be in here."

"Aww, come on, we promise to keep the fighting to a minimum." Carter Hart said with a cute innocent little look on his face and it reminded you that Tyler said to keep away from him and not corrupt the boy.

"Seriously Y/N, it's all in good fun," Brandon Tanev echoed and you really started to wonder if everyone in this damn place knew your name. "Hayes and I have a long-standing game from when we both played for the Jets. Thought we'd get these two involved in it since we're all here."

"I don't care if you guys play. You just can't play here." You told them as you took in the money laid out on the table as well as the hand that Hart had. You wanted to tell him to fold for his hand was shit.

"Well, there's nowhere else this time of night." Zach Aston-Reese chimed in. He had a point, most of the common areas closed at this time of night.

"So like what are we talking, only a few more hands, or is this some all-night game, because I may have an alternative."

"Not all night, we've got a game in the morning." Kevin Hayes said reminding you that the two played each other in exhibition tomorrow.

"And no one's going to flip a table or throw a punch?" Your question was definitely valid, considering how'd you seen the two teams go at each other on the ice.

"Scouts honor," ZAR stated, though you didn't see his fingers crossed behind his back.

"Fine, come with me." They got up and followed you out of the room. You stopped and grabbed Carly. "Are you coming?"

"Where? And why?" She said as you grabbed her hand and pulled her along to the elevators.

"My room and for moral support." Once inside you pressed the twenty-ninth floor. The elevator stopped on the twelfth floor first. You crossed your fingers in hopes that whoever was getting on wouldn't question the odd mix of people in it.

Unfortunately, you had no such luck as Brayden Point, from Tampa Bay, got on, and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Umm, what's going on here?"

"Nothing," was what came out of your mouth. While at the same time Carter Hart said, "We're playing poker."

"Poker? You got room for another?" Point asked and it was easier to tell him yes then have him make a scene. Thankfully, you made it to your room without any more stops along the way. "Wow, nice setup you got here." Brayden let out with a low whistle.

"Thanks, there's no poker table but you're more than welcome to use the dining room table to play. As long as you're here do you guys want anything to drink?"

"Tell me you have alcohol?" Kevin asked as beer was kind of at a premium in the bubble. They didn't want the players partying too much so it wasn't as readily available as they would've liked.

"Sure that's smart with games tomorrow?"

"One isn't going to kill us," Tanev remarked and you supposed as long as they didn't get drunk it was fine.

"I have beer and wine. Who wants what?" Four of the guys chose beer with Carter choosing water. Which was probably a smart choice considering he was probably the starting goalie for the game. Carly went into the kitchen to help you get drinks, claiming a glass of wine for herself.

"You sure this is a good idea Y/N?"

"No, but what's the alternative, have them cause a riot in the lobby where everyone can see?" Carly shrugged her agreement. "At least here we can control them a little bit." Or so you hoped.

You headed back to the dining room, drinks in hand. "You two want in on the action?" ZAR asked, which was nice of him.

"I'm sure the sakes are a little too rich for our blood," They were Carly's words but you had to agree with her.

"We don't have to play for money," Kevin suggested and you raised an eyebrow at him. "You know strip poker and all." Part of you started to wonder if they had made this plan before they even started to play in the conference room. You wouldn't put it past them. All eyes turned to you and Carly, and you turned to her with a shrug as if to say your call. You knew she hadn't had any fun yet in the bubble, well at least not like you had.

"Alright gentlemen, deal us in." You took a seat between Tanev and Hayes; while Carly sat between ZAR and Point. Hayes declared himself the designated dealer for the first round, saying that you'd be playing a basic five-card draw game, and that winner could choose two players to lose an article of clothing, instead of all six individuals losing clothes. He then proceeded to deal out the first hand. Best you had was a pair of nines, so you tossed in the three cards that were pointless in hopes of gaining something that would help you out. You did pick up a pair of twos but you really didn't think two pair, nines high were going to win you anything. And you were right as Point ended up having three of a kind.

"Y/N and Carly have to lose a piece." He declared.

"Look I have no problem stripping but if you seriously pick the two of us every time, I'm calling an end to the game and you can all go back to your rooms." You said before stripping anything off your body.

"That's only fair," Tanev agreed. "From now on you can only ask one of the girls to take something off." It seemed a fair addendum to your original rules, which seemed to be nonexistent before this moment.

You stripped off your shirt and Carly did the same. Carter's eyes popped out of his head as he took in your lace bra and you realized that Tyler was right; he was way too innocent for the rest of the guys at this table or even you and Carly for that matter. Hopefully, Hayes would send him off to bed before things got too out of control. "If I didn't know better I'd swear you both wore those bras on purpose," Hayes commented and you let your hand glide up his thigh before answering him.

"Maybe we did." You gave his thigh a little squeeze and saw him jump a bit, which caused you to giggle. "Now I believe it's my turn to deal." He handed over the cards. The round went quick and thankfully Carly came out on top, so you knew that you were safe this time.

"Point it's payback time."

"Gladly," he announced before throwing off this t-shirt.

"You too Brandon. Might as well be both the B's" You caught a whiff of Tanev's cologne as he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor. His scent seemed to be a mix of sandalwood and something purely masculine, it was intoxicating and you found yourself getting damp just thinking about what the two of you could get up to. The six-pack he sported on his abdomen didn't help your wondering thoughts any.

"My turn," he said, palm upturned for you to place the cards into them. The smirk on his face told you, you'd been caught staring, and you handed the cards over in a hurry with a discreet cough. The third round had Carly winning again and you were hoping she was on some kind of hot streak.

"Hayes and ZAR, you're up." She stated matter of factly and the two men divested of the shirts, leaving Carter the only one fully clothed. "I mean you're welcome to join them, Hart, if you feel left out." He simply shook his head no. "I really think you need a beer to loosen up." Carly was right and you walked out to the kitchen to grab him one. He took a long swallow and it seemed to help him a bit.

The next round had Carter winning and the poor boy seriously looked confused about who he should choose. "It's easy Hart, pick one of the girls and one of us," Brayden told him.

"I know," Carter said indignantly as his eyes moved back and forth between you and Carly. He seemed completely torn and part of you just wanted to take off your leggings and put the boy out of his misery, but just then he finally made a decision. "Carly, since you've been winning it's only fair." She gave him a little wink before wiggling out of her bottoms and tossing them to the floor with her shirt. Carter's eyes bugged out as he took in her thong and you heard a low whistle from Point right before she sat down.

The deck was moved to the next person and cards were dealt. It was hard to hide your smile when you were dealt with three aces, and you were fairly confident you'd win this round; it just so happened you did. You had five guys to choose from and it was a difficult decision, but you really wanted to see what Brandon was hiding underneath his shorts, so it was a no brainer in choosing him. It was the other one that you were debating on. Tapping your finger on your chin, you mulled over your choices. "Brandon and ZAR, time for those pants to go." The problem was you didn't know which way to look. ZAR pulled the fly down on his just as Brandon yanked his down drawing your attention. There was no disguising the bulge in Tanev's boxers and you wet your lips without even thinking. He caught your attention and you swore you saw his cock twitch, but then ZAR's bottoms were falling and you took a moment to appreciate him. Both men were well-endowed and you couldn't wait to see what was underneath their boxer briefs.

Cards were dealt again and when you looked over at Carter, you noticed the beer you got him moments ago was gone. That wasn't a good sign. Both you and Carly lost this time, with Carter coming out ahead. He looked a bit woozy after downing that beer so quickly and didn't seem to realize he'd won until Hayes pointed it out. "Hayes and Point..." he stated and before he could say anything more; all four guys were breathing down his neck.

"What the hell?" you weren't sure who said it but it was echoed by all the guys, and you snickered before saying. "He's made his decision boys, now lose the pants."

"But I meant to ask which one I should pick." Hart protested.

"Too late," Carly chimed in a satisfied smile on her face. They both dropped their drawers then, each man sporting a hard-on that was outlined by the cover of their underwear. "I need more wine," Carly said and you could tell her mouth had gone dry from checking both men out.

"Grab us another as well, would ya?" You gave Hayes a look, making sure that this was a good decision as you made your way to the kitchen. "It's fine. I swear this is the last one."

This time Carly left you to fend for yourself as she didn't want to prance around in her thong. You were rummaging through the fridge and pulled out the five beers that you needed when Brandon came into the kitchen. "Need some help?" There was that cute little smile on his face and you returned it with one of your own.

"That would be nice." The kitchen wasn't large and he reached around you to grab a beer that you had on the counter, effectively trapping you against it. His body was pressed against yours and you could feel his cock hard against your stomach. Your breath hitched and before you could say anything his lips were on yours. You opened right away for him as his tongue sought entrance into your mouth. Brandon was a good kisser and you found yourself reaching around to the back of his neck and pulling him closer.

"Hey, what's taking so long," someone yelled and you pulled apart from Brandon. "Wanna continue this after the game?" He asked and you nodded your head yes, before grabbing two bottles of beer and the wine and slipping under his arm. You winked at him as you left the kitchen and could've sworn you heard him groan.

The game started back up and this time ZAR was declared the winner. His eyes raked up and down your body before he said, "(Y/N) it's got to be you." You pushed the chair back then made a show of wiggling out of your leggings, making sure Brandon got an eyeful of your ass before reclaiming your seat. All eyes but Carly's were on you; who coughed discreetly to remind ZAR he still needed to pick someone else. "Oh um, I guess Hart by default." Carter's cheeks got red, as both you and Carly turned your attention to him, though it just seemed sort of wrong since he seemed innocent. He was definitely sporting some wood and from what you could tell he had most of the guys there beat in the length department. He hurriedly sat down as soon as his shorts were off.

When the game resumed, it was Hayes who had a straight and won the round. "Point, since you joined the game late, I'm going with you." Brayden rolled his eyes but still stripped out of his briefs leaving him completely naked. His dick was average but still nice and you could see Carly squirming in her seat taking him in. You didn't really think Point was her type but then when you'd been in the bubble for a couple weeks like you both had those sorts of things went to the wayside. He seemed to return her interest, for as he reclaimed his seat his eyes never left hers. "(Y/N)," Kevin said bringing your attention back to the fact that you lost. "Lose the bra." You had kind of forgot that Kevin had to name another person, but you should've figured it would be you as you'd teased him earlier when you squeezed his thigh.

"Fine," you said and you let the strap slink down your right shoulder before drawing your arm through it. You repeated the process with your left, then moved to unclasp the eye hooks in the back. Keeping one hand holding the bra together you let your other slip to the front to hold the cups, before letting the bra go. The cups released into your hands and you slowly peeled it away, teasing the boys as you did, until finally your breasts were revealed. You knew you had nice boobs. It had been commented about by almost every guy you'd ever been with, not to mention the stares you got when wearing a low cut top. Tyler had said on more than one occasion that they were perfect and he could spend hours playing with them. So when the guys' eyes went wide, you weren't surprised. It was Carter's look of shock as he downed the rest of his beer that had you suppressing a giggle. You knew he was innocent but it almost seemed too much for a hockey player to be this inexperienced. You hoped it was just the setting of the game and all. "Ok, now that that's done; on to the next hand." They seemed a bit disappointed that the game was back on instead of just ogling your boobs.

Brandon dealt the card, the side of his hand accidentally brushing the side of your breast as he dealt you yours. It was hard not to think of the encounter in the kitchen earlier and you kind of wished this game was over and you could move on to bedroom games with Brandon. As the hand went on, you saw Carter sway a bit. "Hey Kev, you better take your goalie back to his room before he's unfit to play tomorrow." They were Points words, but he was absolutely correct as Hart was not looking good to finish the hand let alone the game.

"Hart, you good?" Kevin asked and Carter made to put his thumb up but couldn't. "Fuck man, you're really one of those, sniff the beer cap drunks, aren't you?" Carter just smiled over. "Alright bud, time to call it a night, before we both regret this; though you owe me. Big time!"

Hayes threw his clothes back on before tossing Carter's shirt at him, which smacked him in the face. They made their way to the door, Hayes none too happy to be leaving. "Guess this means the game is over." You said thinking to put an end to things around the dining room table and move it to the bedroom with Brandon.

"What do you mean? It was just getting interesting." Zach pointed out, looking directly at your chest.

"I gotta agree," Brayden added, looking over at Carly. "I have a good feeling about this next hand."

"Don't you guys have a game tomorrow?" you asked Tanev and ZAR.

"Yeah, that's what naps are for," Brandon told you with a little wink. "But I see your point, only a few more rounds than we'll call it a night." He picked up the cards and started to deal. They did not fall your way and this hand saw Point come out on top of everyone, which was lucky considering he was now in his birthday suit.

"Zach looks like you're up this time." ZAR dropped his drawers without even thinking about it, giving you a nice view of his cock. It was erect, almost pressing up to his stomach. You didn't know if it was the fact that he was hard or not, but his dick was kind of pretty if that was even a thing. He sat back down before you could check it out too long, which was disappointing. Point look at Carly and said, "Your turn." There was a cocky little smirk to his face but as Carly removed her bra, she directed all her attention at Brayden.

"You two need to get a room," Tanev said off-hand and you saw Carly cock her head as if to ask if he wanted to go to hers. Point nodded a yes, and Carly started grabbing her clothes off the floor.

"Thanks for the game (Y/N). I'll see you downstairs." She said throwing clothes on and heading for the door. Point right behind her.

"So, umm…" you hummed, not really knowing what to do now that you had both Brandon and Zach alone.

"One last hand?" Brandon asked, and you couldn't really see the point of it. "If I win, I get to kiss you."

"And if I win, I get the kiss." Zach chimed in.

"And what if I win?" It was a valid question.

"Then you can pick either one of us or neither of us." Brandon offered.

"Ok, who's dealing?" You asked with an all-in attitude. ZAR picked up the cards and started to shuffle. You picked up the five cards in front of you, two jacks being dealt. It wasn't a bad start and when you got the redraw there was another one. Brandon laid down his pair of tens first, knowing that he probably wasn't going to win. Zach went next, a smile on his face that told you he'd thought he'd won with his two pair queen high.

With a satisfied grin, you laid down your winning hand. "Read them and weep boys." They both frowned at you picking up their stuff and got ready to leave, thinking that you'd choose that option. "Oh, neither of you is not my choice." They both looked back at you, a little stunned at your statement.

"Who's it going to be then?" Zach asked, hand still holding onto his boxers and shorts.

"What if I say both?" They looked over at each other, a silent agreement passing between the two teammates. You grabbed Brandon's hand, then walked over to take Zach's as well, leading them over to the sofa. They both went willingly, one on each side of you as you stood there. You looked over at Zach first and went up on your toes to give him a heated kiss. He cupped your cheek, drawing you closer to him. Zach was a good kisser and you got lost as your tongue swirled with his, until you felt another pair of hands on your body, starting at your waist and working their way up to fondle your breasts. Brandon twisted your nipples and you moaned into Zach's mouth before breaking apart. Brandon turned your hips so that you were facing him, before threading his fingers through your hair. With hardly any pressure, he had you leaning into him so he could kiss you. Brandon was skilled with his tongue and you melted into him. But it was Zach's cock that pressed against your back that you felt even more. You reached behind you to palm him and he hissed out his pleasure as he dropped kisses to your shoulder blades.

There were four hands all over your body and you weren't sure who was doing what as you felt someone slide your panties down off your legs. Brandon's mouth left yours, only to move south to your breasts, where he took a nipple in and sucked, eliciting a moan from you. Zach's fingers, at least you thought they were his, were delving between your folds. It was too much and you lost your grip on his cock. Zach pushed a finger inside you while his thumb toyed with your clit. Pleasure ripped through your body, Brandon now switching breast to give your other nipple the same lavish attention. You threw your head back enjoying their ministrations. You missed the communication between the two, but the next thing you knew was that they were lowering you down to the sofa.

Brandon slid down to his knees in front of you, spreading your legs wide for him to go between, while Zach sat down beside you on the couch. Zach's hand immediately went to the back of your neck so that he could pull you in for yet another heated kiss. Your hands skated down his well-chiseled chest until you found his cock. Wrapping your fingers you began to stroke the length of him and he deepened the kiss.

It was at that moment that Brandon licked a stripe between your folds. The action causing you to stutter your rhythm on Zach's cock, as your body tingled from Brandon's tongue. Two of Brandon's fingers spread you pussy for his mouth to go to town on you and you found yourself breaking the kiss from Zach. "Fuck Brandon…that feels so good," you moaned out.

Brandon's mouth worked its magic on you, sucking and nibbling on your clit, before he looked up at Zach. "You have to taste her man, she's so fucking sweet." A quick shift in positions from the two and then it was Brandon's mouth on yours as you tasted your own juices off his lips. His hand found yours and he guided it to his member urging you to stroke him.

Zach's fingers delved into your cunt, sliding up and down between your folds collecting your moisture. "You're so wet…I just have to taste you." He breathed out before going in with his tongue and licking at your pussy. He hummed out his approval as he continued to eat your out.

Brandon moved his hands to your breasts, where he pinched your nipple between his thumb and forefinger causing you to gasp. His head moved down to your other nipple and he gently bit down on the turret peak. You moaned out as that familiar tingle of orgasm started to hit, from the combination of both Brandon and Zach. "Don't stop…" You panted out. "Please don't stop." Zach increased the speed of his fingers as they thrust in and out of you, while his mouth and tongue flicked and sucked your clit. "Oh god…" Brandon bit down on your nipple and it sent you shattering, your legs tightening around Zach as they shook with the force of your climax. "OOOHHH," you exclaimed and you swear your moan echoed off the walls of the suite it was so loud. Both men worked you through your orgasm, a satisfied smile on each when you finally made your way back to them. "That was…" you didn't have time to finish your thought as there was a loud knock at the door.

"Who the fuck is that?" Brandon asked in a hushed whisper and you honestly had no idea as most of the employees of the hotel would've called your phone and not come knocking at this hour.

"I know you're in there. I could hear you." The voice said from the other side of the door and suddenly it registered who it was on the other side.

182 notes · View notes

hockeylvr59 · 5 years ago

Text

Collide Part 1 || Sidney Crosby

Summary: Life as a single foster mom and a pediatrician didn’t leave much time for dating. But when Dr. Erin Lancaster becomes the pediatrician for Pittsburgh Penguins Defenseman Brian Dumoulin's baby boy, her association and quick friendship with his wife Kayla turns her crazy but quiet life upside down.

Requested: [ ] yes [x] no

Authors Note: Welp...I could have had a baby of my own in the time it took me to write this update...I know quite a few of you have been clamoring for it so I hope it was everything you could have imagined. I’m still not sure I have Sid’s personality down...you’d think I’d be able to write my captain better considering he was the first hockey player I ever wrote about but...at least he’s present in this part.

Warnings: discussion of opiate-addicted infants

Word Count: 2,416

~~~~~~~~~~~

Though my initial meeting with the Dumoulin’s had gone well in my mind, I was still somewhat surprised to step into the office a week later to find Alex practically bouncing off the walls. Taking a sip out of my coffee mug I merely raised an eyebrow at her, an inquisitive look spreading across my face.

“Don’t get me wrong...I know you’re an incredible doctor but this...this is huge and I don’t know how you did it!” She exclaimed, handing me a stack of papers. Glancing down at them revealed a completed new patient packet, sans baby’s first name, for the Dumoulin’s pending arrival and though mentally my jaw dropped, I outwardly brushed it off, pretending that it wasn’t nearly as big of a deal as it actually was.

“It’s just another patient Alex.” I reminded her. “He’ll receive the same care as every other patient.” Shaking her head, Alex rolled her eyes at me knowing exactly what I was doing. As I turned on my heel to retreat to my office for twenty minutes of paperwork before our first patient I couldn’t help but smile. “Let the rest of the nurses know they can wear penguins shirts for the home opener.” Her laugh followed me down the hallway and once inside my office I took a moment to bask in scoring my first VIP patient. This could do wonders for my practice moving forward.

___

That was the last time I’d really thought about having a Pittsburgh Penguin baby as a patient. At the office, I had too many other patients to worry about. At home, I had a five-year-old who had started school for the first time and a seven-year-old who was struggling with math. I was balancing work, helping them with school, and making sure that they had time to do kid things like attending karate and swim lessons, not to mention play dates with other kids. Time was moving faster than I could keep up with but at the same time, I prayed for it to slow down. Life as a foster mom meant that I needed to cherish every moment with these crazy boys because I knew that sooner or later they would likely be leaving my care. And that was a whole bundle of emotions that I would never fully be able to handle no matter how many times it happened.

Before I knew it, it was already November. Today was supposed to be my afternoon off, yet I found myself headed downtown to Magee Women’s Hospital.

After checking in at the front desk, I clipped my visitor’s pass onto my blouse and followed the familiar path up to the NICU. Once there I was greeted by one of the nurses I’d gotten to know from the various times I’d been here before. After gowning up, I stepped inside and she led me over to a bassinet containing a tiny baby boy. He was still hooked up to a variety of wires and tubes, his skin was mottled, and his body tremored. Looking down at him, the maternal side of me teared up. No child deserved to enter the world in this kind of pain. Reaching down, I brushed a finger over his head before trailing it down his arm to his hand. Immediately he wrapped his fist around my finger and held on tight.

“He’s a fighter.” The nurse murmured over my shoulder. “We honestly weren’t sure he was going to pull through but I’d say for the most part he’s out of the woods now.” Nodding I just watched him for a few more minutes before switching back to a more professional mode.

“Tell me about his history. Everything I need to know.” I expressed. As his nurse told me about the methadone injections he was receiving but would likely need even after he left the hospital and how his condition had been steadily improving, I listened carefully, figuring out the best plan for once he was released into my care. Brushing my fingers over the baby’s head once more, I eventually made my way out of the NICU, tossing the scrubs. It would likely be another week or so before he was ready to be released but once he was, he would be coming home with me for the foreseeable future so that he could continue to have expert care while residing in a home setting.

Checking my watch revealed that I had another hour and a half or so before I needed to pick my boys up from their various activities. As I debated what to do with that time, I fixed my hair into a fresh ponytail before moving to pull my phone from the pocket of my jeans.

“Dr. Lancaster?!” Glancing up, I saw that it was one of the nurses in the maternity ward that had called my name. Moving over to the nurses’ station I smiled at her, leaning against the counter.

“Yes?” I inquired.

“Oh good, that is you.” The young nurse murmured softly. “Melinda said you were down in the NICU…” She explained. “I was looking through the paperwork for one of our newborns and I noticed you were the pediatrician of record. Just thought I’d give you a heads up.” She expanded. “They’re down in room 314 if you wanted to pop in and say hello.” Before she had even finished speaking she was dashing off down the hall in the opposite direction as a scream sounded from one of the delivery rooms.

For a moment I stood frozen, honestly racking my brain trying to figure out what patient she was talking about. Then I started off in the direction of 314, deciding that I would just have to wait and see. It wasn’t until I noticed that this wing of the maternity ward was nearly empty that the most likely possibility clicked. Clearly keeping track of due dates was not my strongest skill...generally because I usually didn’t need to.

Approaching the room I heard soft voices speaking and I gently knocked before popping my head in. Immediately my eyes met the sight of Brian perched on the bed over his wife, newborn in her arms.

“Are you up for visitors?” I whispered. “I won’t stay long, I was just in the building and a little birdie told me you were here so I thought I’d stop by.”

Kayla’s voice was soft and tired but she quickly nodded. “Of course. Come in, come in.” She insisted. Stepping into the room I shut the door behind me and moved quietly across the room.

“How are you feeling?” I asked her. “Everything go fairly smoothly?”

“Sore. Tired.” She declared. “But he’s here and we’re both healthy so I’d say it went okay.”

“Good.” I murmured. Before I could say anything else, another knock sounded at the door and another head popped in. This time, Brian moved to stand up and as a body came through the door, I watched as the two of them hugged each other, arms moving around the flowers in the new visitor’s hand. It wasn’t until they pulled away that I realized who this visitor was and immediately my throat went dry.

“Hey, Sid.” Kayla breathed, shifting the baby a bit in her arms.

“These are for you. The team sends their love and congratulations.” He responded, moving over to give her a quick half-hug as well. It was only then that he noticed he wasn’t the only visitor in the room and paused.

“Sid, this is our pediatrician Dr. Lancaster. Dr. Lancaster, this is Sid.” Brian introduced. Suddenly a warm hand was reaching out to me in greeting and I took it, frantically trying to pull myself back together. Meeting Brian was one thing, meeting Sidney Crosby...that was another entirely.

“Nice to meet you,” Sid said, his voice familiar but yet different at the same time.

“The pleasure is all mine. But it’s just Erin.” I replied, taking a deep breath before turning back to Kayla and the baby. “Do you mind if I look at his chart?” I questioned, professional curiosity filling me. Of course, it was only a matter of time before these records were sent to me anyway, but with a nod from Kayla, I reached for his chart beside the bassinet, looking over his APGAR scores and the nurse’s notes. Nodding to myself for a moment, I set it back down and smiled.

“Sounds like you’ve got a strong, healthy little boy there.” I declared. Parental pride filled both Kayla and Brian’s faces at the compliment.

“Do you want to hold him?” Kayla asked, and never one to turn down having a baby in my arms I quickly agreed, gently shifting him to cradle against my chest. Looking between him and both Kayla and Brian I tried to determine who he looked the most like right now and when I expressed that he had Brian’s nose they both laughed.

“Have you guys picked a name?” Sid inquired from his spot leaning against the foot of the bed. Brian quickly nodded, glancing down at his wife before sharing.

“Brayden Joseph.” Glancing down at the baby in my arms I immediately decided that the name suited him and murmured softly to him in greeting, introducing myself as his doctor and expressing that I didn’t expect him to like me at first because of the required shots to keep him healthy. This time, when I looked up from talking softly to the baby Kayla and Brian were sharing a soft look as he whispered in her ear and I could feel Sid’s gaze on me. Meeting his eyes I saw warmth but also a lingering sadness and I quickly drew my bottom lip between my teeth as I broke the gaze suddenly feeling like I had a stomach full of molasses.

“So Dr. Lancaster…” Sid addressed. “Do you make hospital visits to all of your new patients?” I couldn’t tell by the tone of his voice what he was thinking or why he had asked. It wasn’t quite accusatory but at the same time, there was a tenseness to it. Deciding that I just didn’t know him and therefore shouldn’t read into it, I shrugged softly.

“Only when I happen to already be in the building.”

“Yeah, you mentioned that….everything okay?” Brian jumped in.

“Of course. I was here in a semi-professional manner.” I explained. “I needed to stop down at the NICU to meet a baby that I’ll be fostering when he’s released so that I could figure out what I need and discuss the best care plan.”

“Dr. Lancaster...Erin…” Kayla quickly corrected, nodding at me for my approval. “In addition to being an incredible doctor, is also a foster parent, Sid.” There was an underlying current of unspoken communication going on between the three of them, one that I wasn’t going to pry into.

“So you’ll have a newborn at home in addition to the other two?” Kayla asked as Brayden started fussing causing me to hand him back to his mom.

“Lord help me but yes.” I breathed, chuckling softly. “I’ll have three boys. Two rambunctious ones that keep me on my toes and then this new baby which might be the hardest to deal with of all three. I love when I get babies into my care but hate when it’s because they were born with opiate addiction and need specialized care just to stand a chance.” Both Kayla and Brian’s eyes went wide and I shoved my right hand into the front pocket of my jeans. “I’m not gonna lie, he's still in rough shape but the nurses think he’s out of the woods now. It always breaks my heart seeing them that way though. Knowing I’m going to have to give him daily injections for at least a few more weeks to help his body slowly withdraw from the drugs he’s been exposed to.”

“Wow.” This time the voice came from Sid and I nodded glancing over at him.

“It breaks my heart but I’ll do it again and again because I know that my experience and ability to provide elevated care and monitoring gives him the best chance moving forward.”

The mood in the room had taken a turn for the serious and I let out a deep breath before pasting a smile back on my face.

“It makes me even more grateful though for all of my patients that have fantastic momma’s and who are healthy and strong.” I tease, my words thankfully bringing a smile back to Kayla’s face and then Brian’s along with his wife’s.

Feeling my phone buzz in my pocket, I glance at my watch again and mumble a curse.

“And this was already longer than the short visit I promised, but I have to get going, I’ve got a seven-year-old to pick up from karate and then I have to make dinner for him and the five-year-old being dropped off from a play date.”

“Thank you for stopping by.” Brian declared, moving over to shake my hand.

“Of course. I’ll see you guys soon.” I promised. Still, there was something about the look on Kayla’s face that made me pause though I did need to leave. “Hey, Brian...grab your phone.” Once he had, I rattled off my cell phone number. “If you guys have any questions, concerns, etc. Things that you think it would be too silly to call the office over, text or call me. I know first-time parenthood isn’t easy but you’re gonna be great.”

As I headed for the door, I turned for just a moment.

“And it was nice to meet you, Sid.”

It wasn’t until both boys were tucked into bed and I was settled into my own trying to get my mind to shut down so I could sleep that the encounter with Sid entered my mind once more. It wasn’t something I could wrap my mind around, his behavior struck me for reasons I couldn’t explain but at the same time, I couldn’t get the feeling of his hand in my own or the swirling shades of his eyes out of my head. It was a level of confusion I just didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with so I brushed it aside, refocusing my brain on all of the things I needed to get done tomorrow.

Outfit Inspiration:

#sidney crosby #sidney crosby imagine #nhl imagine #nhl imagines #hockey imagines #hockey imagine #pittsburgh penguins #pittsburgh penguins imagine #019 #ppenguins

181 notes · View notes

pitchburgh · 3 years ago

Note

First of all, I want to say I like and respect you a lot, and I think the earlier message you got was pretty messed up.

Second of all, if you are going to compare the Mets to the Pirates, you should know that the Mets ownership and management have completely changed since last year. They have spent a lot of money on the team and made a ton of changes, which has made the bad injury luck this season all the more frustrating. It is literally never ending, and yet the Mets have somehow stayed in first place. (Not looking good for them to stay there, sadly.) But, and absolutely no offense meant, it's not a comparison Mets fans are going to welcome anymore. We'd like to at least give the new guys a season to prove themselves before we say nothing has changed.

Third, and by far the most important, saying that all the Pirates "look racist" or whatever is terrible, but denying the likely racial motivations behind the altercation between Nogowski and Stroman isn't great. Stroman has been getting shit like that all season, from both announcers and other players, and then he gets a ton of shitty racist comments on twitter, some even from Mets fans. It's been really tough to watch all this happen. Why do you think everyone has a problem with Stroman's behavior, but not the same thing from players like Max Scherzer? It's not something to just silently fear. If we're going to talk about what happened in the game on Friday, we have to acknowledge it.

Right on. I like and respect you a lot, too. Thanks for taking the time to write to me 💞 Great news about your organization. I've been a bit removed from the goings-on in the rest of the league this year, so you're right in surmising I didn't know about the advancements the Mets have made. That's great. I didn't mean to imply that things haven't changed for yinz or that your success comes from luck - rather, just to say that I've felt a kindred spirit in the past. Even if some of our bonding historically is over suck-y stuff, I do mean it as a compliment. Sticking around through the bad times takes grit, and deserves respect. I'm still gonna cling to comparison a bit in that it gives me hope for Pittsburgh getting our shit together, though, hehe. V happy for you, and I hope all your injuries and other troubles resolve swiftly and neatly. It sounds like you have a great future to look forward to. Finally, yeah, Nogowski totally overreacted. You're right about that, and I'm disappointed (but not surprised) to hear it's part of a larger pattern Stroman has faced. Wiser people than me have said it best: "if you don't want a pitcher to celebrate an out, don't get out" 🙄 Obviously, difficult to speak to whether Nogowski, (or any other hitter, or any broadcaster or fan) is an ass or an Ass, but that's neither here nor there when the end effect is the same. Especially when Stroman is getting shit even from random "fans." Thank you for pointing that out, and for the opportunity to clarify that I'm totally in agreement. Like, damn. If you (or anyone, please!!) have suggestions for how fans can push for improvements, I'm, like, desperate for more ideas. Bc ofc the answer to your question is crystal clear - the discrepancy in how players are treated comes about because baseball's ownership, its management, its umpires, the high schools and colleges that feed it, and yeah, even the media that covers it, allllll suffer from (to put it generously) a feedback loop of nondiversity. What I've heard (from sources qualified to speak to the problem) is that the foundations themselves need to be fixed in order for the sport to be meaningfully changed. We've seen marginal progress in the last year in terms of official support for BLM and voting rights, though the more cynical have suggested (unfortunately probably rightly so) that it's more marketing than conscience. Bluntly, it feels hopeless. I donate to the Players Alliance (though not as much as I wish I could; a bitch is broke). I've called Manfred's office. I've rattled the Pirates FO and their local broadcast partner's cage about diversity in hiring. But there are guys on the field, right now, at PNC and fourteen other parks, who think their race, gender, education level, ability, you name it, makes them superior to others. And like... It breaks my heart that I can't fix that and make baseball as welcoming as it should be. I can hope they'll have the self-awareness and the drive to improve, but how do you instill those values? Especially when (one hopes) their attitudes are often unconscious, a result of the aforementioned cultural problem. Hey! This got long. You're under no obligation to reply. I hope the rest of your day is super!! 🧡💙

6 notes · View notes

tarhalindur · 3 years ago

Text

2021 NFL Predictions

Man, as someone who occasionally spends too much time thinking about the NFL (football: the closest thing American sports have to a turn-based strategy game) and trying to predict how its season will go it occurs to me: why do all this work in my head and not write it up? So, here goes nothing:

(Terminology note: “true talent” = estimate of how many games I would expect the team to win given average luck and schedule. The categories are derived off the old 16-game schedule because that’s what I was drawing off of and I’ll need to see how the new schedule plays to calibrate the break points now: as it is, “Super Bowl contender”: true-talent 12-13 wins or better (in 16 games); “division contender”: 10-12 wins; “wild card contender": 7-10 wins, with 9-10 being “upper end” and 7-8 being “low end”; everyone below that is bad.)

- The AFC South got fucked by the scheduling gods (they drew the AFC East and NFC West, likely the two deepest divisions in the NFL), and I will be quite surprised if any team in it gets a wild card. (Let’s take an upper-case outcome and assume the second-place team in the division sweeps two terrible teams and splits with the division champ. That’s five wins. Assume the Jets are terrible too and that’s six. And then... what? Barring a Kliff implosion and/or the Rams rolling injuries to the stars on their stars-and-scrubs roster the worst team in the NFC West should be at least true-talent seven wins. New England could be trash if Mac is bad or gets injured now that Hoyer is their best backup, but otherwise every non-Jets team in the AFC East is true-talent nine wins or better. Cross-divisional? Not likely unless the Colts implode due to injuries and Jacksonville does massively better than expected - they get the Bengals and Broncos, and the Falcons might also count depending on whether that team hits its fail states. The AFC South would even have a hard time benefiting if both the Browns and Chargers implode, because the third place team last year is the one team basically guaranteed to be terrible in Houston. A wild card isn’t impossible, but it needs a whole lot of dice rolls to go in a team’s favor either on the field or between games - which is by definition not likely.)

- The NFC North also gets an uphill climb to a wild card. They rolled the NFC West, the AFC North, and the new cross-conference against the AFC West, an absolutely brutal set. Getting a wild card out of that probably needs at least 4-2 in the division (probably needs exactly one of CHI/MIN to implode, though sniping a game off Green Bay also works) and some good fortune either in games that should be close in true talent or in events elsewhere (the easy road involves at least two implosions in CLE/PIT/ARI).

- The AFC East probably gets a wild card. They rolled the AFC South (likely 2-3 games where you’re heavily favored if you’re even a wild card contender) and the NFC South (admittedly not free, but NO and CAR are both probably winnable and while I’m high on the Falcons they have significant downside risk - there’s also the possibility that Father Time finally gets to the far side of his near-Brady experience), plus the Jets and the new cross-conference game against the NFC East. Worlds where the AFC East doesn’t get a wild card probably involve both multiple implosions in the AFC North and West and at least one of Coach of the Year Robert Saleh and OROY Zach Wilson.

- The AFC West probably gets a wild card? They rolled the other likely weak division in the NFC East, which goes a long way, and frankly there’s enough teams with implosion risk in the AFC North and West (CLE, DEN, maybe LAR, maybe PIT) that it’s probably going to happen to someone.

- The NFC East... they’re probably exporting a whole bunch of wins as well? Not a guarantee, though, I could actually see them get a wild card if there’s enough implosions in either the NFC South or the AFC West.

- The AFC North might be the highest-variance division in football. If they hit the high end they’re absolutely stacked, but there’s a real risk the Browns are fool’s gold (I think they were a true-talent 8-8 team last year that lucked into one of the easiest schedules in years, the question is how much they improved) and that Father Time gets The Older Rapist enough to knock the Steelers down to a true-talent 8 win team (have a hard time seeing them go further down with Mike Tomlin’s team-building, though admittedly they might underperform that given Tomlin’s occasional issues with not covering certain receivers and looking past bad teams on the road). One thing’s for sure: I don’t think there’s enough wins for all of the AFC North, AFC West, and NFC North to get wild cars.

- The NFC South has one good team (barring Father Time finally getting Brady, one that should be decent (Payton isn’t a bad coach), and two that could be anywhere from wild-card contenders to outright collapses. Note that with the Easts and Souths playing each other this year, there’s too many wins for both the NFC East and NFC South to whiff wild cards unless both divisions seriously export wins to the AFC (in which case the AFC North has an uphill climb and there’s a pretty good chance that the AFC East gets two wild cards and the other goes to the AFC West).

(Bonus under the cut: individual team thoughts!)

- Bills: Should be in the playoffs and are the division favorites, but slightly more downside than they’re getting credit for. The problems are twofold: what should have been the second most favorable schedule in the division (because the likely best teams in both the AFC North and NFC East did not finish first last year) is salted by the schedule gods taking away: they draw Pittsburgh in the season opener so are the single most likely team to face a full-strength The Older Rapist, and they draw Washington in September as well maximizing the chance that they get Fitzpatrick before he inevitably turns back into a pumpkin. (Fitzpatrick playing out of his mind and beating the Bills mostly singlehandedly and getting Team fans’ hopes up before dashing them would be peak Fitzpatrick...) More to the point, their early schedule is PIT, @MIA, WAS, HOU, @KC, @TEN; it’s not out of the question they start 2-4 or even 1-5 going into the bye if the stars really align against them, and at that point locker room morale becomes a factor.

- Dolphins: Wild card contender (true talent roughly 10 wins), could be more if Tua really develops or the Bills stumble. Good news: they dodge KC and instead get the Raiders in a quite winnable game, on top of the common AFC East schedule, and now they get the Giants (who I suspect are the worst team in the NFC East) as well. More good news: like, the worst Miami is doing against the Pats is a split, right? Bad news: they face Baltimore.

- Patriots: With Cam gone and Hoyer (a second-tier backup at this point) the presumptive backup the Pats are suddenly one of the highest-variance teams in the league. If Mac Jones is good immediately they’re a division contender, and if he’s even a competent game manager they’re another true-talent 10-win wild card contender given that run game and possibly that front seven as well. If he’s bad or gets injured, however, they now might very well wind up with a top 10 pick. Which might actually be part of the point, on top of doing a vet a solid and avoiding any locker room issues? In a weird sense Belichick is unconstrained by job security in a way no other NFL coach is; he doesn’t have unlimited job security... but he’s also nearly 70, and if the rebuild fails then by the time his seat would really be getting hot he’s probably considering retiring anyways. So he’s playing with house money. It’s not likely, but don’t be shocked if the Pats pull what Arizona did a few years back and draft a first-round QB two years in a row - it’s definitely an option if Mac is terrible.

- Jets: Not out of the question as a dark horse if Zach Wilson is good, I’ve been getting good vibes off of Saleh. Problem is the combination of their division and injury issues; I’m not sure they have the roster to overcome that yet.

- Steelers: Basically covered above. If Big Ben aka The Older Rapist is still above average they’re a wild card contender or even an outright division contender again; if Father Time gets him and they’re stuck with Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins-level play at QB they probably still win a few games because Mike Tomlin is not a bad coach but they have an uphill climb.

- Baltimore: The one obvious division contender in the AFC North, given a very good quarterback and one of the five best coaches in the league. Admittedly their OC is potentially a question mark, but they should get back to the playoffs.

- Cleveland: Actually hard to tell. There’s two offsetting issues here. First, as mentioned above their schedule was soft as fuck last year and that’s unlikely to still be the case. On the other hand, I think there’s a decent chance they take a step forward this year. Ceiling is about where their record was last year barring a massive leap, floor is a 7-8 win team unless a bunch of other teams hit their upside at Cleveland’s expense.

- Bengals: Depends on how good and/or healthy Burrow is, but they probably finish last in the division regardless. Low-end wild card contender if everything goes right?

- Titans: The one team in the AFC South that should actually be good. Exactly how good depends on things like “did they overuse Derrick Henry last year?” and “is the defense any good at all?”, but the fail state here is a true-talent wild card contender in a likely soft division.

- Colts: Depends on two questions: can they get Wentz back to anything resembling 2018 form, and do they keep getting bit by the injury bug? AFAICT the core roster is of the classic “quarterback away” type with good D and a decent running game (see also this year: Denver, Washington, possibly Carolina, Pats if Mac Jones doesn’t pan out). The best case is that they can reclaim Wentz and the injury bug is done with them for the year, in which case they challenge TEN for the division. Worst case Wentz is bad and/or injured and half their roster is on IR, in which case they get a top-10 pick and the AFC East and NFC West are even more likely to get wild cards than they were already.

- Texans: Obvious tire fire, and not just on the field at this point. Problem is the tire fire includes both the new owner and his favorite exec, so they’re likely to remain a tire fire for a while...

- Jaguars: Probably depends on how good Trevor Lawrence is and how quickly, especially since I suspect Urban Meyer is at higher-than-usual risk of flaming out. Best case they’re a true-talent 8 win team that might manage to take advantage of a soft-ish schedule to challenge for the seventh seed. Otherwise look for them to export wins.

- Chiefs: Obvious Super Bowl contender is obvious, barring a Mahomes injury they’re the presumptive division favorite and near-locks for the playoffs.

- Raiders: I’m high on Carr (solid Tier 2 quarterback IMO, on par with someone like Tannehill and I’d take him over Kirk Cousins - and probably Baker Mayfield, too, though maybe not since Mayfield has less track record and thus higher upside). I’m considerably less sold on Gruden, and have doubts about what he’s done to the roster. Still should be a wild-card contender.

- Chargers: How much of last year’s late-season run was fool’s gold? Not sure. Could be all, could be none. IIRC they replaced their head coach, so that hole is at least possibly filled. Herbert is probably good, though I want another season of track record to be confident. The real problem here is that they still seem to be connected to some Indian burial ground somewhere. Upside is division contender, downside is 6 wins or so.

- Broncos: QB-away team in a bad division for it. At least they get the NFC East, but I suspect they finish out of the playoffs again this year.

(Interlude: A general thing to note about the NFC is that due to two QB injuries and one QB retirement there is exactly one team that finished first place in their division last year that I expect to be the best true-talent team in their division this year. Worse, due to the aforementioned injuries two teams I expect to be the best or at worst second-best in their divisions finished third and fourth in their divisions last year, respectively. This is throwing a giant monkey wrench in the usual SOS-based scheduling balance.)

- Football Team: The Football Team has the kind of defense that’s a characteristic of the QB-away team. There’s two differences between the Team and the usual suspect, however. First, I’m not entirely sure how good their line and thus running game will be. Second, and more importantly, the usual QB-away team has a consistently mediocre medium-to-high floor, low-ceiling quarterback. The Football Team, by way of contrast, has Ryan Fitzpatrick, arguably the single highest-variance QB of the last two decades, a man who will absolutely win you games you should have lost… and lose you games you should have won. Also, he’s in his upper 30s and thus at risk of Father Time coming for his NFL career. So, the questions: how many games do you get Fitzmagic and how many do you get Fitztragic? If the usual cycle applies, when exactly does he turn back into a pumpkin? And is the division + the lower end of the NFC South soft enough that it doesn’t matter?

- Giants: Probably the worst team in their division, and my pick for the most likely second-worst team in the NFC. I don’t like Daniel Jones, I don’t like most of the rest of the roster, and their coach is unimpressive.

- Cowboys: Remember those quarterback injuries I was talking about? Right. The ‘Boys are not without flaws – the defense is notoriously questionable (though by preseason reports they may actually have drafted a difference-maker of a linebacker this year) and Mike McCarthy may well be a downgrade compared to Jason Garrett. But barring another injury (eyes Dak’s shoulder nervously) they have a QB (I’m a bit low on Dak relative to most people, but in this case “low” still means a Tier 2 quarterback roughly on par with Derek Carr), and they should have an offense. Barring a Jalen Hurts breakout or Fitzpatrick rolling Fitzmagic for most of the year, with a healthy Dak this is at worst a wild-card contender in a weak division and thus the presumptive favorites for the division title.

- Eagles: Oof. This team is hard to judge, mostly because AFAICT they’re a weird superposition of potentially very good and potentially complete trash (that’s also spelled “very high variance”). The issues are twofold: they have a largely untested starting quarterback who was roughly average last year but might develop (the aforementioned Hurts), and they have quite a few very good but aging players on the roster. Best case, Hurts plays like a Tier 2 or even Tier 1 quarterback, the rest of the roster holds, and they’re in contention for the division title and/or a wild card slot. Worst case, Hurts is meh, the vets fall off or get injured… and then next year might be even worse because at that point you probably need a rebuilding year even if they hit this year’s draft picks.

- Packers: There’s risk here, mostly of the forms “simmering issues blow up the locker room” and “age and/or injury sap Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love is meh or worse”. But Aaron Rodgers is one of the five best quarterbacks in the NFL until proven otherwise, and both the coach and the rest of the roster are at least decent, so barring those the Packers should be at worst a division contender with Super Bowl aspirations ala the Ravens.

- Chicago: Uh. Hmm. I like the Fields pick, gut says he’s a pretty solid bet at a Tier 2 quarterback of some description barring catastrophic injury. IIRC the D is still good. But I do not like that O-line, and I do not like that schedule, and I’m not a big fan of Coach Nagy either. In the NFC East or AFC South the Bears would have at least a decent chance at the playoffs. Here? Not so much. It’s not impossible the Bears do well, but I think a top-10 draft pick is more likely.

- Vikings: Hmm. By true talent the Vikings are probably a wild-card contender in the same vein as the mid-2010s Bengals. That’s not quite a good comparison, because I’ve got Zimmer as probably a top-10 coach and those Bengals lacked that. But the rest fits: solid if aging roster (ala the later Dalton Bengals years), overpaid mediocre QB. Yeah, I’m low on Cousins; IMO he’s a high-floor, low-ceiling type that gets overrated by analytics, the second coming of Matt Schaub. He’s a solid choice if you want to win 10-12 games (maybe 13 now) and have a shot at the conference championships, but I’ll be very surprised if he ever wins a Super Bowl as a starter. The problem for the Vikes is that they’re in the NFC North and therefore their schedule sucks balls.

- Lions: They’re rebuilding and their schedule is one of the roughest in the NFL. They might surprise someone early before the lack of talent really shows, IIRC I’ve heard about that happening once before with a Dan Campbell team, but this team is playing for a top-5 draft pick and they’re probably going to get it.

- Saints: Actually really hard for me to tell, mostly because I can’t tell how good the non-QB parts of the roster are this year relative to last. They’ve lost a HoF quarterback, and while Jameis has seasoning and a possible QB whisperer now I suspect his ceiling is still a high variance high ceiling, low floor type in the Fitzpatrick mold (absolute peak might be Eli mk. II). Payton is one of the better coaches in the NFL but finished 8-8 with Brees for multiple years. That said, the Saints’ roster last year was better than it was in those years, especially on defense. Question: is that still the same this year? Don’t know; the Saints took non-Brees losses, but I’m not sure how much. Peak is a true-talent wild card team if Jameis is above average and the rest of the roster is good; fail state is probably 6-7 wins by true talent.

- Buccaneers: Let’s be real, this boils down to a single question, the same one we’ve all been asking for over half a decade now: “is this the year Father Time finally comes for Tom Brady?”. At this point I’ll believe it when I see it. And even if yes they’re probably still a playoff team, because the rest of the Buccs roster is still the best in the division and the schedule gods once again blessed Tom Brady’s team with a weak slate of foes – the entire rest of the NFC South has issues, they get the NFC East, and by finishing second-place in the division last year the Buccs get Chicago, the Rams, and now the Colts as their SOS-dependent opponents. The AFC East with the probable exception of the Jets will be tough (but even there the Buccs luck out – they rolled New England early, and even without a possible Mac Jones adjustment period even if he’s good the first month for the Belichick-era Patriots has often been an adjustment period as the team figures out what’s working and what isn’t) and the Rams should be as well (here the schedule gods frown, the Buccs rolled the Rams early – a lot of the Rams’ downside is injury-related volatility, drawing them early minimizes the chance of this happening prior to this game), but even then the Buccs don’t look severely disfavored in any game and everything else looks very winnable and would even if Brady declines to 2015!Peyton.

- Panthers: I’m not going to lie, I actually rather like the Darnold gamble in a vacuum. If you’re betting on anyone in the NFL to pull another Tannehill he’s the one, because I’ve gotten the same vibe off him that I got off Tannehill on the Dolphins: possible tier-2 QB held back by coaching (and the same coach, no less). The problem is, I think he might be better off as a backup behind a mediocre starter for a little while to regain confidence the same way Tannehill was, and instead he’s getting thrown straight into the fire again. (Also, Fields was available, and Mac Jones too though I’m not sure the Panthers would have been a good place for him to develop.) The rest of the roster is another QB-away team with a likely very solid defense, Christian McCaffrey, and IIRC an O-line that is at least decent.

- Falcons: Possible sleeper team. The Falcons have one major advantage that people keep forgetting about: barring a major breakout from one of Jameis and The Darnold, they have at worst the second-best QB in the division, potentially even the best if Father Time gets Brady but not Ryan. And that’s not damning with faint praise; at his peak I had him as the best Tier 2 quarterback and roughly sixth-best in the NFL overall, that MVP year was not a fluke. He’s just been saddled with bad coaching and bad rosters and been unable to overcome that, which I can’t blame him for given all those 8-8 years for the Brees/Payton Saints in the mid-2010s. Good news: Dan Quinn is gone, and the schedule this year is soft (49ers game aside). As I noted above there’s probably a wild card sloshing around for the NFC South and NFC East, and I would not be surprised in the slightest if the Falcons got it.

- Seahawks: … We know the book on the Seahawks by now, right? Top-5 quarterback in the NFL (and of the three I would take over Russ on the field itself, two are old enough for Father Time to be a real concern and the last is testing exactly how bad off-field issues have to be to make a Tier 1 quarterback unemployable in the NFL), average roster otherwise, coach who is average at worst. That’s been a true-talent division contender for the last half-decade, and barring injury or locker room issues blowing up I see no reason why that would change this year.

- Rams: High variance, for a very specific reason. The roster, as constructed, is a wild-card contender, or possibly more if Stafford really goes off. The problem is that due to spending first-round draft picks like candy and not getting enough out of the later rounds to make up for it, this is (as noted above) very much a stars-and-scrubs roster. And the thing about a stars-and-scrubs roster is that it’s vulnerable in a way that a roster with more depth isn’t; if a star gets injured, your team is facing a massive drop-off in performance.

- Cardinals: Honestly, unless Kliff hits one of his downsides (can’t adjust now that defenses figured out last year’s offense and/or loses the locker room) then by true talent this is probably a low-end wild-card contender at worst (~8 wins). The problem is, in the NFC West that makes you the worst true-talent team in the division…

- 49ers: So, let’s just point out the obvious: last year was a case study in just how badly a possible true-talent Super Bowl contender has to get injured in order to get a top-10 pick. Admittedly part of that is that Jimmy G. sure seems to merit the injury-prone label at this point, which is why the 49ers traded up for another QB, but the rest of it is just extremely bad luck and that’s unlikely to persist year-to-year. This is probably the best team in the NFC West, which is saying something. (Unfortunately for them, Shanahan is in the Reid/Tomlin bucket and his weaknesses as a game coach make an actual Superb Owl an uphill climb.)

Bonus: Thoughts on the new QB class!

Trevor Lawrence: There’s obvious sample size issues, but quarterback prospects that highly rated haven’t busted in at least 30-40 years (Luck, Peyton, and Elway were all stars). He’s probably gonna be good.

Zach Wilson: Man, I was all ready to write The Other Wilson off as another LOLJets bust after the draft and then he played well in preseason and Saleh actually looks like the first competent coach the Jets have hired in a while (which may still not help him keep his job because the AFC East is now nuts). We’ll see if that holds during the regular season; among other things he has the misfortune of playing Belichick in week 2.

Trey Lance: So far looks to be talented as fuck and also raw as fuck. Shanahan seems to be pretty good at developing quarterbacks?

Justin Fields: I’ve gotten future Tier 2 quarterback vibes off him ever since he was drafted; the problem is he’s on the Bears, with questionable coaching and at least this year what looks like a terrible O-line as well. Possible next Stafford here?

Mac Jones: People don’t understand the probability curve here – the risk with Mac isn’t the ceiling, it’s the very good but not great outcomes. He got a first-round draft grade despite physical limitations, and he’s almost certainly not just being carried by his school – possibly even the opposite given the talent argument and Bama QBs’ track records. To me, that says he’s a one-tool player whose tool is the mental tool. And of all the QB tools that is by far the most important. So, the question: does that tool play in the NFL? If no, he’s probably a third-tier quarterback at best. If yes? Well, in that case there’s a very real chance he’s a Hall of Famer.

2 notes · View notes

sports-balling-blog · 3 years ago

Text

NFL 2021 Power Rankings

Two weeks down it’s time to over react!

32. Jacksonville Jaguars- meet the new boss same as the old boss. Urban Mayer and Trevor a Lawrence are starting off their NFL careers about as expected. Lawrence will have a second season at least but if things don’t turn around the same might not be able to be said about Urban. Maybe fake a heart attack?

31. New York Jets- back to back blowout losses is not how mean green thought they’d start 2021 but it’s certainly not a surprise. Any time your star QB ends the half with as many interceptions as completions it’s time to panic.

30. New York Giants- and the Jets stadium partner is also their partner in sadness. Big blue isn’t much better off with the derp know as Daniel Jones under center and a terrible running game to start 0-2 and making the case for the #1 overall pick. Will either Jones or Judge be around next year? For the sake of Giants fans I hope the next coach can help eliminate penalties.

29. Atlanta Falcons- the best thing to come out of Atlanta the last two weeks is Secret Base’s video series about them. The ATL was surprisingly close to upsetting Tampa this week but reality comes back. Matt Ryan hasn’t been playing great this year but neither has anyone else playing in the black and red. The way things are going it’s only a question of when not if the Falcons decide to move on from Matty Ice.

28. Detroit Lions- 0-2 has never looked quite as good as Goff and the lions putting up a big fight to both the 49ers and Packers. After two weeks it’s clear this is not the NFC’s worst team by a mile but that is not going to turn into vary many wins considering the schedule ahead of them. Trading for Jerod Goff wasn’t as much a tank job as previously thought, I don’t think Mathew Stafford could have turned either of those losses into wins.

27. Cincinnati Bengals- “reworked” offensive line huh? How’d that work for you bengals fans? Only two games into the year and Joe Burrow has already been sacked 9 times and hit another 16 times. Forget a winning record if Bengals fans want to see Joe have a career longer than 5 years you need to make some changes need to be made!

26. Philadelphia Eagles- Week 1 Jalen Hurts played out of his mind and lead the team to the win but Week 2 Hurts lived up to his name in a close but pedestrian performance. Seriously how do you get a 91 yard completion and not get ANY points?!

25. Chicago bears- how ironic that the Andy Dalton revenge game is what leads to his end as the starting QB. That being said how well Justin Fields plays now as the starter will decide how far this team goes and if they can snag another playoff spot in a tough NFC.

24. Houston Texans- I’m just as surprised to see them up here as you are. Tyrod is showing he can still play a starting roll by running all over the jags and almost upsetting Cleveland at home. Honestly if he didn’t get injured the Texans might have been 2-0 right now. Houston has made it clear that they are not the push over we thought they are this year.

23. Minnesota Vikings- the Vikings were one missed Morten Anderson extra point…I mean Greg Joseph field goal from beating the cardinals in a game they absolutely should have won. That and a Dalvin Cook fumble is all that stands in the way from a 2-0 start for Minnesota. Now that you’ve been punched in the mouth it’s time to see how you react.

22. Indianapolis Colts- a painful 0-2 start for a team that like the Vikings could have been 2-0. The Colts played two good teams in the Seahawks and Rams to start the year and have both a run for their money and fought hard. In a perfect world I would pick them to be the 0-2 team most likely to make the playoffs but this isn’t a perfect world and with Wentz injuring both ankles it’s up to Jacob Eason to try and avoid an 0-3 death nail.

21. New England Patriots-Belichick gonna Belichick I guess. Not that focusing on defense and running first is a bad strategy especially with a rookie QB. It certainly is working better than whatever the Jets are trying.

20. Miami Dolphins- I’m not sure what hurts more for Dolphins fans seeing Tua get injured or getting shutout at home to a rival. 35-0 is a hard pill to swallow. Now I don’t think having Tua would have made much of a difference last week against the bills but going forward at least one week with Jacoby Bresett under center is only going to make things harder for a Dolphins team with playoff aspersions.

19. Washington Football Team- 0-1 with Ryan Fitzpatrick and 1-0 with Taylor Heinicke and a share of the NFC East for the moment is about all the nameless ones can ask for at this point in the season. Unfortunately for the Team you’re facing the Bills next week and your defense has not been playing up to expectations.

18. New Orleans Saints- the Saints domination of the Packers in week one inspired hope for the Brees-less era but the teams follow up against Carolina brought them crashing down as Winston regressed to his typical Tampa form. Week four’s test against Mew England with show how well this team bounces back and how competitive they will be.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers- this team will be pulled along by its defense kicking and screaming. Lucky for the black and yellow they get to beat up on the bengals next week but you better be ready to show up to your week four game against Green Bay.

16. Denver Broncos- 2-0 is 2-0 no matter who you play right. That being said it’s hard to tell how strong this Denver team is after watching them play against the two children in a trench coat known as the jags and giants. Lucky for the Sutton-less Broncos they get to play the Jets in week 4 before a real test (and probably loss) in the form of the ravens.

15. San Francisco 49ers- the 49ers as lead by Jimmy G might be the weakest 2-0 team in the NFL right now. Scoring a measly 17 points against Philadelphia and almost letting in the Detroit Lions the week before has done nothing to inspire confidence with diet Alex Smith. This team as it currently stands is in peak form to meander around and do nothing and given the rest of the division that is a death sentence.

14. Los Angeles Chargers- the bolts find themselves sitting at 1-1 after absolutely refusing to get out of their own way in the form of 99 penalty yards against the Cowboys. Justin Herbert has been playing week but far from light(n)ing the world on fire as exemplified by the pair of picks he throw last week. Monday night’s game against the now Las Vegas Raiders will be a big test to see how far the team can go…also FYS, if you know you know

13. Seattle Seahawks- the Seahawks live on the razors edge. The defense has been as good (read bad) as expected but the offense has not been playing up to expectations and because of that they almost let the lions comeback on them and then proceed to let the Titans score 17 unanswered to win. If this trend continues chief Wilson will not only bring sitting at home come the playoffs but will do so in last place.

12. Tennessee Titans- speaking of that Seattle-Tennessee game… next up is the Titans who have to not be feeling good about how their season has gone so far. The super bowl hopefuls started out getting flattened by Arizona before almost falling to 0-2 before just pulling out an overtime win. Much like Seattle the defense side of the ball is what will hold the team back.

11. Carolina Panthers- probably the biggest surmise so far is the 2-0 (well now 3-0 because I’m doing these late) Panthers. Granted two of those wins are against the Texans and Jets but the blue and blacks do get credit for shutting down New Orleans and Jamis Winston and that why the end up here knocking at the door of the top ten.

10. Dallas Cowboys- by the edge of their teeth the Cowboys find themselves at number 10. After giving the Tom Bradys all they can handle in week one they get their first win (barely) against a very good Los Diego Chargers team thanks to them shooting themselves in the foot a little less then their opponents. Lucky for the jerryworld inhabitants they get a freebie on Monday against the Eagles.

9. Green Bay Packers- it took a six quarters but the Packers finally showed up for a football game! Now we’ll see if that’s a giant in the making like the last few years or a flash in the pan has yet to be seen but of course there’s still plenty of football including a good yardstick against San Francisco in a chance to right an NFC Title game loss.

8. Los Vegas Raiders- the Raiders have beaten the Steelers and ravens and I think that makes them the AFC North’s best team? All jokes aside the Raiders have started out 2-0 and in a good position to start off the year. If they continue to play up to this new standard they very well could be the AFC West’s champion

7. Cleveland Browns- Maybe almost beating KC in week one gave the browns a hangover and that’s why the Texans were as big a threat as they were? On the bright side even with the injury concerns Cleveland is still playing great football and even get to get their team in order going up against a pair of NFC north teams.

6. Arizona Cardinals- the Redbirds benefitting from a missed field goal? After seeing last season I’m shocked. These Cardinals are fun to watch and K1 is playing up to his billing as the number 1 overall pick. I don’t know what to do I’m not used to being excited about something that isn’t the draft…ugh sorry A’s fans for taking him away?

5. Buffalo Bills- ok now things are getting serious. After loosing to Pittsburgh to start the season the Bills took out their frustrations on a helpless Dolphins team to the tune of a 35 point shutout. The Williams are still one of the best teams in the NFL and you need to come prepared.

4. Los Angeles Rams- despite the Colts best efforts Stafford is still perfect as a non-lion quarterback. It wasn’t perfect but the Sheep pulled out a win and showed why they are a super bowl contender.

3. Baltimore Ravens- what a difference a week makes. From licking their wounds loosing to the Raiders to giving the chiefs and Patrick Mahomes his first loss in September. The Ravens put down any doubts from anyone that they are not a championship contender as a reward get to beat up on Detroit.

2. Kansas City Chiefs- The aforementioned loss to Baltimore not withstanding Kansas City is still a powerful team. It’s hard to fault the 2 time AFC champions for a 1 point loss on a fumble to a playoff team. They’re good who knew?

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- you’ve got to beat the best to be the best and so far TB is 2-0 so they’re number one in the rankings. Don’t have much else to add.

#2021 nfl season #nfl #power rankings

1 note · View note

lifeinahole27 · 5 years ago

Text

CS ff: “I Come Close” (Part 3/3) (au)

Summary: They’re not really rivals, but not really friends. What they are, instead, is the best sex they’ve ever had. It’s easy and simple, even with the rules they have in place. So what happens when those rules start falling apart?

Rating: Explicit - This chapter contains dirty talk/phone sex

A/N: It took me until just now to discover I’d never added a summary to the last chapter. Y’all do know you can let me know when I fuck that shit up, yeah? Anyway, here’s part 2! Part 3 is finally finished and in edits so I figured I could get this whole thing posted before I go on vacation next week.

Part 1 | Part 2

Find it on Ao3!

-x-

Part 3

It’s not that Emma hates business trips. In fact, she actually quite likes them. She also perversely likes traveling, even though everyone else in the office complains and whines and drags their feet. Not Emma - she has her packing done three days before she has to leave.

The day before her flight, she double checks everything. Her business travel card is turned on with no balance due. Her carry-on bag is just waiting for the last few essentials which she’ll put in when she wakes up tomorrow. She takes a moment during her lunch break to check in to her flight and double check her seat. She scowls at the one beside her that’s still currently showing as unoccupied and closes out of the app, moving instead to the one that has her hotel reservation.

There’s only one thing that has not gone how she planned, and that’s the empty seat next to her. Not that she should care. She travels alone all the time. She’s more used to traveling alone than she is with others. So why does it piss her off so much that Killian won’t be sitting next to her when they take off tomorrow?

Their arrangement has been the best thing to happen to her in a long time. And that’s purely from a sexual standpoint. He walked in her office that day asking what he could do, and her brain screamed back “Do me!” so loud that she could only follow what her body wanted.

She took him back to her place, wrung every drop of pleasure out of him that she could, and told him she’d see him in the office bright and early the next day. He’d smirked, cocking his head to one side and considering her for a moment before he walked out the door.

A week later, they did it again. No talk of work, no backstories, no kissing. He bent her over her kitchen table and fucked her so good she almost asked him to carry her to bed before he left.

And so it began. It was a weekly thing. Once a week only. Always on a weeknight to avoid things like sleeping over and cuddling.

One day when she got home from work, though, she couldn’t get him out of her head. She figured it was just a rougher than normal day and she just needed a quick fuck to get it out of her system. Instead of changing into something more comfortable or even just keeping her work clothes on, she hatched a better idea to immediately get him onto the same page as her.

Off went all the other items she wore that day, keeping only her stockings and her shoes. Sliding on her coat again, she buttoned it all the way to her neck and tied it tight and hoped an Uber wouldn’t be too far away.

It took a lot of careful maneuvering to make sure she didn’t flash the driver or the doormen at either of their residences, but there was a strong sense of accomplishment when she made it into the building without incident.

The look on Killian’s face when she dropped the coat to the floor was worth it.

Even after they got done having sex, however, there was still a pit of something in Emma’s stomach. Something missing. And that’s when her dumbass brain decided that she should kiss him.

The frequency that they’ve been seeing each other for the last month is quite possibly a problem. It’s every other day, now. Still no kissing. But he kind of, almost, just a little bit slept over the night she asked him to tie her up.

Not that she fully blames him for that one. That was a marathon of a night, and by the time he came, he’d made sure she’d had six orgasms. Six. She’s never had a partner try harder for her pleasure than their own, and that’s including Ruby, who gives out orgasms like she’s handing out candy on Halloween.

Emma knows she wasn’t sleeping long when she felt the shifting on the other side of the bed. Maybe he realized where he was and what was going on, so when the bed dipped, she expected it was him getting ready to take off. Instead, she felt his lips press against her forehead so sweetly, so tenderly, that she’s surprised she held it together until after he left.

Things went back to normal after that night.

Sometimes they play with the restraints. Sometimes it’s something slow and sensual and just fucking incredible, but they still always part ways when they’re done. She’s been to his place a couple times now, too, and it feels a lot more like something than nothing.

Two nights ago, when she’d been getting ready to leave his place, he’d informed her his travel plans had changed and he wouldn’t be flying out until Monday morning. That left her on the Thursday night plane with no seatmate. She’ll still be with her team, but there was something intriguing about making this one “together” when they’ve always avoided each other on previous work trips. Plus, it’s four whole days she’ll have to go without seeing him, which just feels wrong at this point.

With a heavy sigh, and knowing that all her travel accommodations are secured, Emma throws herself back into her work.

When she shuts everything down for the night, she’s surprised to see Killian’s office still lit up across the way. She’s even more surprised to see him pacing and arguing with someone on the phone, his brows furrowed down. He’s usually so put-together at work: hair in place, suit pristine until the moment he leaves, shoes shined every single day.

Right now, his sleeves are rolled up, exposing the brace that holds his prosthetic. His hair is messed up, a product of the argument he still seems to be having.

“Well call me back when you get it right,” he growls out, and Emma feels her knees go weak just a bit at the tone of his voice. Fuck, she finds him way too attractive. She would give almost anything to be spread across his ostentatious desk right about now.

He turns as if hearing her thoughts from the doorway.

“Swan? Anything I can help you with?”

She wanders into his office, her fingertips grazing the dark oak she was just picturing herself draped across. By looks alone, he’s had a shittier day than she could’ve imagined, and yet he’s still the one asking if he can do anything for her.

“Uh, no. All good. Your place or mine?”

He checks his watch, another slew of curse words falling from his lips as he sees the time. “Bloody hell, I hadn’t even seen the time. Give me an hour and I’ll be at yours? I know you have an early flight so I’ll try to get there sooner if I can. I promise.”

“Take your time. I just plan on sleeping on the flight anyway,” she comments, coming close enough. Why is she so close to him? His tie is loosened and askew. Why is she reaching for it?

Killian stops moving all together, instead focusing intensely on the way Emma is nimbly pulling the tail of the tie from the knot that looked better this morning. She works the knot out entirely, sliding it free from under his collar and staring carefully at the fabric between her fingers before looking up to meet his gaze.

“Don’t work too hard,” she tells him, placing the tie on the corner of his desk.

His hand grips her wrist loosely when she turns to retreat, and Emma does her best to stay steady. He’s looking at her with an unreadable expression, his eyes darting between hers as if he’s studying her files. He glances a few times at her lips and she wants him to kiss her. Wants it so bad that she almost goes for it again. But his phone is ringing and she can see the moment he waves a white flag.

“One hour,” he tells her, letting his touch fall away from her wrist in order to answer his phone.

He’s there in forty-eight minutes, his mouth hungrily moving across her neck, biting at her earlobe as her hands make their way down to grab at his ass.

All in all, worth the wait. Again, she almost kisses him, and somehow they both resist.

But it’s still lonely boarding the plane by herself. It’s not until she’s in her hotel room later at night that the pit in her stomach opens - a chasm of unknown depths. The curtains are all wide open. She got an upgrade - corner room, river view, a little extra space with a couch…

She turns on the TV for extra noise as she unpacks her suitcase, meticulously hanging her outfits for her meetings next week and the conference this weekend. She’s just finishing up when her dinner is delivered, and she forces herself to relax on the small couch while she eats, the TV long forgotten in favor of texting Killian pictures of the bridges visible. It’s certainly not the skyline she’s used to from their apartments, but from this far up, Pittsburgh doesn’t seem so bad.

Her phone rings just after 8pm, and Killian’s voice greets her low and sultry.

“It’s been a long day without you in this building,” he says plainly after she answers. “Your perfume wasn’t lingering around any corners today.”

“Why are you still at work?” she asks, more curious than anything else.

“In my defense, I’m currently leaving the building.”

“You haven’t answered my question.”

“I was working on the Apollo account,” he says, and while she’s pretty sure that’s not a lie, it doesn’t sound like the full truth. “I’m hopping in a car. Do you want to stick with me or should I call you when I get home?”

She wants to tell him he doesn’t have an obligation to either option but she stops herself. She’s sitting by herself in her hotel room. The company would be nice.

“I’ll stick with you,” she responds after a moment.

“Excellent. So why aren’t you out with your team, who I know for a fact are downstairs in the hotel bar getting absolutely pissed on the company’s dime?”

“I got room service,” she says, as if that will cover the whole answer.

“A better choice, in my opinion,” he admits. “Is your room nice? Where are we staying again?”

“The Renaissance. They upgraded me to a corner room. I have this great view from up here.”

“As good as the view from my apartment?”

“It’s lacking something… extra.”

“Darling, you tease.”

“I could do a lot more than tease, Killian.”

He’s silent for a moment, maybe weighing the pros and cons of having an erection in the backseat of an Uber. She can picture him cradling his phone in his lap, likely scrolling through work emails as they talk, his airpods snugly in his ears, judging how much the driver is even paying attention to him and his conversation.

“You could,” he says after a drawn out silence. “But will you?”

She chuckles, pushing aside the reports she was pretending to look over when he called in favor of sitting back. “I think I will,” she responds airily, taking a second of her own to decide how she wants to approach this. “The only thing missing in this room is you, preferably naked, stretched out on this king size bed.”

“Go on,” he requests, his words a little clipped.

“I packed before you told me you weren’t going to be here until Monday,” she tells him, stretching languidly as she stands from the couch. “Brought this cute new set of underwear. I think I might wear it tomorrow to the cocktail hour.”

“Or you could wait to wear it until Monday.”

“I could,” she sighs out. “But you know how much I love wearing new things as soon as I get them. They’re all black. Quarter cups. Lace.”

“Bloody hell, Swan. Hold that thought. Just -- hang on one moment.” She’s able to track his movements from the car to the entrance of his building.

“Tell Smee I said hello,” she says coyly, turning off the lamps until just the glow of the lights beyond her windows illuminates the room.

“Evening, Smee,” he says a moment later.

“Are you in the elevator now?”

“I am,” he responds. “Thinking about how much more I’d enjoy this tent in my trousers if you were here with me.”

“Did you just have to walk past Smee with a noticeable hard-on?”

“Aye. And believe me, I’ll get you back for that.”

She hums, listening to the sound of the elevator dinging when it gets to his apartment. She tracks his movement, listening to him set down his computer and keys. Then hears him suck in a breath between his teeth as he obviously reaches for himself.

“Feel better?” she asks, enjoying being able to do this to him so easily.

“Tell me what you’re wearing right now,” he says.

“I showered while waiting for my dinner, so I’m in nothing but a robe.”

He groans. “The things you do to me,” he utters, and the sound of his voice ignites the fire in her belly.

“Yeah, I can think of several things I’d like to do to you right now.”

“Tell me,” he says, his voice wavering. “Imagine I’m there with you. What am I doing?”

“You’re getting undressed like you’re putting on a show, as you always do.” She closes her eyes to picture it: the way he slides off his tie, the way he slips open each button on his vest. “You’re taking off each layer like you’re exposing a gift to me. Until you’re down to just those gray slacks.”

“How do you know I’m wearing the gray ones?” he asks, his voice quiet and tinged with disbelief.

“You always wear them on Thursday,” she answers simply, missing the sound he makes as she barrels on with her imagination. “You leave those on while you move to the side of the bed, looking at me like you don’t know which part of me to taste first.”

“You know what part I want to taste first,” he says quickly.

“I do, but you always look like it’s some life-changing decision.”

“I’d argue that tasting you was a life-changing decision, love.” His voice when he says it is low and rumbly, pressed right against her ear, and she gasps.”What am I doing now?”

“You’re taking off those fucking pants,” she says, not even bothering to untie her robe but slipping her fingers between her legs. “And you’re climbing onto the bed with me.”

“Damn this case, I should be sinking into you right now,” he groans.

“Yeah,” she says. “You should be.”

Her fingers are still moving, dipping inside herself before coming out and swirling around her clit. It’s a pattern she knows for a fact that Killian makes with his tongue all the time, and maybe that’s what she can blame for the next words out of her mouth.

“I miss you,” she breathes out before she can stop herself. The moment she finishes speaking however, she realizes her mistake.

“Swan?”

Struggling for a second, she has no idea what to say. Her fingers pause their actions as her eyes fly open and she works her jaw a few times but can’t come up with anything.

“I gotta go. See you Monday,” she rushes out, ending the call. “You fucking idiot,” she says to herself, ignoring the phone as it buzzes in her hand. She lets the call go to voicemail. Next come the text messages, and in a fit of panic, Emma does the only thing she can think of.

She turns off her phone.

In the morning, she forces herself to believe that it’s all going to be okay. She’ll just distance herself from Killian. She has a couple days before she has to see him and while she knows it’s going to suck - they really had a great thing going - she’ll get over it in time.

Taking a deep breath, she goes through her morning routine, taking a moment before she starts to order breakfast. After that she focuses on getting ready, brushing her teeth and hair, applying moisturizer and a set of under-eye patches to try to fix the bags that formed from her fitful night of sleep.

Moving to the closet, she finds her outfit for the first part of the day - some panel that she would rather sleep through if given the choice. She holds up the undergarments she told Killian about last night and sighs, pushing them to the back of the drawer and grabbing something more sensible.

She’s only managed to slide on the underwear when there’s a knock on the door. That couldn’t possibly be breakfast, right? Last night, she accepted that she would be waiting for at least forty minutes before her food was delivered. She throws on her robe again, unlatching and swinging open the door without even bothering to check the peephole.

It’s not a room attendant with a tray waiting on the other side.

“Killian,” she whispers, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that he’s here, standing at her door. “How did you…?”

“I may have bribed a member of your team to give me your room number,” he says. He’s forcing his voice to be casual but there’s a tension rolling off of him that she can tell he’s trying to hide. “May I come in?”

She almost declines, but instead she moves aside. As she carefully shuts the door again, he moves to stand behind her, waiting until she’s finished her task to turn her towards him and press her against the door.

With delicate movements, he glides the patches from beneath her eyes, smiling softly as he does. Only after they’ve dropped to the floor does he brush his fingers across her cheek.

And then he’s kissing her. Not the quick press of lips that she gave that first time she showed up at his place. These are deep, open-mouthed kisses that she reciprocates immediately, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

“Did you mean it?” he asks before kissing her again.

She could pretend to not know what he’s talking about, but her heart lurches. She can’t lie - not about this.

“Yeah,” she replies, shuddering as his hand moves to the tie on her robe.

“Say it, Emma.”

Working up the nerve to say it in person is different than blurting it out on accident during phone sex, but as he pulls back far enough to wait, she realizes he’s not going to do anything else until she follows through. Opening her eyes is the first challenge, but he’s right there with her - his gaze patient as it meets hers.

He leans forward, ready to kiss her again, but there’s a knock at the door again. He steps back, pressing his lips together as she pulls her robe closed.

“Breakfast,” she says, giving him time to move further away before she opens the door.

He’s standing by the windows when she turns back to the room, directing the attendant to place the tray on the desk while she signs the receipt that she’s handed. When they’re alone again, he hesitates before he pivots to look at her.

“Emma,” he starts, but she cuts him off.

“No, let me,” she says, moving slowly across the room to stand in front of him. “I missed you last night.” Her voice is quiet, and she swallows hard when she’s done speaking, trying to maintain eye contact and not fidget.

He reaches out, grabbing her hand and urging her forward a few more steps so he can wrap his arms around her waist, his palm splayed across her back.

“I missed you, too. I was finishing the Apollo case so I could submit the proposal and fly out here early. That’s why I was at the office so late last night,” he tells her, and she can see why he kept that card close to his chest now.

“To surprise me?”

“Aye, though originally it was just so I could fuck you against those windows, but now, I have the stones to tell you that I want something different. Emma, I want more.”

“We work together. Don’t you see how complicated this is?” she asks, pushing against his chest lightly so she can move away and pace around the room. He lets her go but waits until she makes another pass by him to hook his prosthetic around her wrist and guide her back.

“I do. Believe me, I have thought of this so many times and so many ways, and every time I try to talk myself out of it, I just want it more. I have spent months just wanting to kiss you every time I see you. I’ve spent hours trying to figure out what I wanted out of this beyond a physical release, and I kept coming back to the same answer every time.”

“What was your answer?” She has a feeling she knows what he’s about to say but she wants to hear him say it.

“Don’t you know, Emma? It’s you.” His voice trembles just the tiniest bit as the words come out, and it surprises her when a tear rolls down her cheek.

All this time, they’ve both been exercising the most restraint they could manage, and now it’s all out in the open. His hand trails up her arm, moving until he’s cupping her cheek and bending slightly to kiss her softly.

She’s the one that shifts the tone this time, melding against him as one of her hands ends up in his hair and she’s lost to the way he tastes. Does he always taste this way in the morning? What is that hint she’s getting?

“You taste like tomato juice. Bloody Mary?”

“A spike of confidence. Light on the vodka. When does the revenue management panel begin?”

“Who cares? No one will miss us. Spend the day with me, instead?”

“As soon as I retrieve my luggage from the front desk, I’d be happy to.”

“That’s easy enough to take care of,” she responds, reaching for the phone beside her bed. After arranging to have his luggage delivered to her room, she has a thought. Covering the receiver of the phone, she turns to where Killian is helping himself to her coffee and flipping through the notes for the conference. “Hey, do you want to stay with me for the week?”

After a moment of shock, he wanders over, kissing her forehead quickly before taking the phone from her. “Yes, hello? This is Killian Jones. I had a reservation starting on Monday but I won’t be needing it any longer. Can you change the name on that to Will Scarlett? Yes. Thank you.”

At her questioning look, Killian shrugs. “He had to add on late and is stuck sharing a room with Victor. At least now he can move to his own room on Monday.”

“So gentlemanly of you.”

“I’m always a gentleman, Swan. Now, why don’t we split this breakfast and see what’s on Netflix, hmm?”

For the rest of the day, they lounge in the bed, dining on nothing but room service, and it’s not until well past lunch that Killian works apart the knot tying her robe, taking his time to savor every inch of skin he comes across.

When Emma wakes up in the morning, Killian is still in the bed beside her, and there’s no movement from either of them to escape away. Instead, where they’d rolled apart during the night, she shifts across the distance and tucks herself into his side to snooze for just five more minutes.

By the time they fly home on Thursday, they’ve set up a time for an actual date to take place during the weekend, and the rules they’d established before go right out the window. And during this flight, she doesn’t glare once at the seat next to her because it’s occupied by the right person this time.

#cs ff au #cs smut #captain swan #captain swan ff #sarah writes ff

40 notes · View notes

racingtoaredlight · 4 years ago

Text

RTARL’s 2020 NFL Season Week 6 Extravapalooza

This week’s slate of early games....is not good. If ever there were a day to forgo NFL football and attend to some neglected tasks around the house, catch up on some paperwork for the office, or even spend some time with family, today is that day. OR maybe just drink more than usual to make the football appear more attractive than it is. Both paths are healthy and good.

My picks are in BOLD, and the lines come to us courtesy of our friends at Vegas Insider. I use the “VI Consensus” line, which is the line that occurs most frequently across Vegas Insider’s list of sportsbooks. Your sportsbook of choice may offer a different number, and if you’d like my opinion on said number A) you are insane, and B) leave a comment below and I’ll try to answer at some point before things kickoff today.

EARLY GAMES

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans (-3.5)

Like everyone else, I was GREATLY amused by Derrick Henry leaving a chalk outline of Josh Norman on the field via stiffarm in the Titans’ win over Buffalo on Tuesday. That said, Derrick Henry isn’t having a great season thus far. He’s averaging a career-low 3.7 yards per carry (down from 5.1 last year and 4.9 the year prior). His drop in efficiency has been masked by an increase in attempts (25 per game this year, 20 per game last year). His longest run so far this season is a measly 16 yards. Is he already wearing down? Is this just small sample noise? I dunno, but I don’t feel super great about his prospects today despite the great matchup, considering that he just had 20 touches against the Bills on Tuesday night.

Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts (-7.5)

I really don’t have much to say about this game. I’m rooting for Joe Burrow like always, but this Indy defense is nasty and he’s still a rookie. Could be a rough one for him, but don’t worry I still think he’s the coolest and wish more than anything that he’d start smoking cigarettes on the sideline.

Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings (-4)

We’re long past the point where I need to accept that my faith in the Falcons was misguided, and yet here I am, picking them to cover once more. Gotta capitalize on that dead Dan Quinn bounce, baby! At least this time they’re squaring off against another squad of top-shelf bed-shitters in the Minnesota Vikings. Each of these teams have already sustained multiple heartbreaking losses already this season, with the Vikings somehow picking up two one-point Ls in their last three games. I’m genuinely impressed by the ability of these franchises to rip the hearts out of their own fanbases. Even when they blow games in ways they’ve blown them many times before, they still somehow manage to make it feel fresh. That’s not easy.

Denver Broncos at New England Patriots (-8)

As of now it looks like Denver QB Drew Lock will be back for this game, which is nice. He’s going to be without RB Melvin Gordon and TE Noah Fant, which isn’t so nice. After what felt like an eternity, but was really only one game, New England is getting QB Cam Newton back after his asymptomatic bout with COVID-19. Hallelujah!

Honestly, I don’t have a clue what to expect in this game. The Broncos haven’t played since October 1st, and the Patriots have had their facilities closed multiple times over the last couple of weeks, so practice has been sparse. I’m gonna go ahead and assume this one will be kind of ugly for both teams and I’m tempted to take the eight points. That said, I think Denver is really going to struggle to score, so fuck it I’ll make the homer pick.

Washington Football Team at New York Giants (-2.5)

Baltimore Ravens (-9.5) at Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles QB Carson Wentz is a broken man, his offensive line is in shambles, his favorite target (TE Zach Ertz) is either completely washed or isn’t trying due to contractual unhappiness, his #1 WR today is a 2019 6th round pick named Travis Fulghum, and he gets to face a Ravens D that ranks in the top 5 in EPA (Expected Points Added) against both the pass and the run and that blitzes at the second highest rate in the league. He’s gonna have a bad time. Luckily, fans will be allowed inside Philadelphia’s stadium for the first time this season, so he’ll at least have kind words of support from the stands to keep him going.

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5)

This is a tough matchup for Browns QB Baker Mayfield. He’s struggled with accuracy all season, and I can’t imagine having injured ribs is going to help him zip the ball where he wants to, especially after he gets hit a few times by the very good Pittsburgh pass-rushers. My #1 hope for this game is a bench-clearing brawl, preferably after Myles Garrett levels Ben Roethlisberger and then taunts the hell out of him.

Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers (-1)

It’s time for me to admit that I was wrong in my belittling of Panthers QB Teddy Bridgewater and the rest of the Carolina offense. They’ve been sharp as hell, and there’s been hardly any drop-off at all going from injured All-Pro RB Christian McCaffery to journeyman backup Mike Davis. Add WR Robby Anderson to the growing list of players who have IMMEDIATELY flourished after escaping the vortex of incompetence constantly swirling around incredible dipshit Adam Gase.

Detroit Lions (-3) at Jacksonville Jaguars

BIG CAT BATTLE! In a fight between Lions and Jaguars, it really comes down to terrain. Lions are bigger and stronger, and if this confrontation were out in the grasslands they’d have a decided edge. However, this contest takes place on the turf of the Jaguars, where they’ll be able to use their agility and climbing skills to their advantage.

LATE GAMES

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins (-9.5)

I’d like to think a thorough ass-kicking by Miami here would rid the Jets players of Adam Gase once and for all, but expecting a logical move from an unqualified failson is probably unwise. I’m enjoying what the Dolphins are putting together under Brian Flores, the first good Bill Belichick disciple.

Green Bay Packers (-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Most of the focus on this game has been on the QB matchup, which is understandable. The fact that each of these guys is welcoming back an All-Pro WR (Davante Adams for GB, Chris Godwin for TB) does make it extra spicy. But, I think the deciding factor here is gonna be defense. This is bad for the Packers, because outside of DB Jaire Alexander, theirs has sucked so far. Meanwhile, the Bucs come in at #2 overall on Football Outsiders Defensive Efficiency Rankings, where they’re equally effective against the run or the pass.

SNF: Los Angeles Rams (-3) at San Francisco 49ers

Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo looked horrific last week in his return from an ankle injury. He was clearly not close to 100%, and despite positive practice reports this week on his injury status I can’t buy in until I actually see him able to step into his throws. I was actually surprised to see the O/U on this one at 51.5, as it feels like a low-scoring game to me, a man who definitely knows what he’s talking about.

MNF (Early): Kansas City Chiefs (-4.5) at Buffalo Bills

I’m furious with Kansas City for bringing in RB Le’Veon Bell to siphon touches away from my beloved Clyde Edwards-Helaire. IT’S NOT HIS FAULT THE O-LINE CAN’T RUN BLOCK WORTH A DAMN! Anyway, due to COVID-19 protocols, Bell won’t be suiting up for this one, so here’s to CEH ending his time as the primary back in a blaze of statistical glory. These teams are each coming off of bad losses, so I expect them to come out guns-a-blazin’. The Bills are fun as hell, but I can’t take them in a shootout against K.C. just yet.

MNF (Late): Arizona Cardinals (-1) at Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott’s gruesome injury was a huge bummer, even if you’re like most right-thinking people and viscerally dislike the Cowboys. I hope he recovers and eventually ends up with the huge pile of cash he was headed for prior to his lower leg turning into a Rice Krispies Treat. As far as backup QBs go, Andy Dalton isn’t terrible, but you know what is? The Dallas defense. I don’t think they can make enough stops to keep the Cowboys in this one, even if the offense still looks decent.

Last Week’s Record: 7-6

Season Record: 37-31-4

#Sports!#Football #NFL #Gambling

1 note · View note

alitheamateur · 5 years ago

Text

The Grind: A Wedding

A/N: I’m unsure of how many parts it will take to cover everything I want include in this most anticipated story of nuptials for our cherished Liv, and Colton. But, I do hope you relish in part one. I love you, all! This process will be written, obviously. But, lots of pictures will be included, creating some sort of a photo album for you, as well. *I do not own any images you see*

Warnings: Language.

June bride. It always sounded so… so, Cosmo. So, cliché, and posh. So typical. And so no me. And oh yet, here we are. The sunny Saturday of June 22nd. Finalizing the last pins to my loose, naturally blonde hair. Colton’s only requests for that day including the blonde. And the down-styling. And the chocolate cake which I think he somehow requested because he knew it was my favorite.

Things were elegant, and still understated. There was not to be a single sequin, or rhinestone. The only beads permissible were pearls, and that was only if extremely necessary. My boycott against bedazzle made the dress shopping a nightmare, as it seems this generation prefers all the sparkle. But in the hands of Tia, who can weasel and tantrum her way into situation, I found the most perfect cut of silk in Pittsburgh. My mother ground her teeth a little. The back hung low, flowing down the airbrushed bronze of my spine. The lush shine of the material cuddled, and stretched around the swell of my bottom, and a slit climbed my left thigh. I was reluctant about it. My scar from the frightful skiing incident of 2010 was on full display, marked horizontally along the meaty flesh of my upper thigh.

“If that asshole won’t marry you, damn it, I will, LC.” Tia sniffed as I met her eyes in the full-length reflection of the mirror.

Even on my wedding day, still posing up a good threat to snag me away from my groom.

“You look… you look phenomenal, Liv, dear. I can’t wait for him to see you.” Sweet Beth gracefully dotted away the salty residue from the full tears marking down her cheeks, as she daydreamed about her sons soon nuptials.

I squirmed at the foreshadow of Colton’s inappropriate groans and beady glances once he saw me in my dress. The dress. The one I never would’ve imagined I would try on in a private dressing room, much less parade in front of a crowd full of snapping cameras. But, love gives a girl some bold bravery, it seems. The sensual dip of the snug gown would be worth the raise of conservative brows in attendance once I saw Colt’s intrusive eyes turn black with the burying of his desires.

My mother strapped me into the buckle of my heel while Andrew snapped a few intimate snapshots of the moment on my phone. He was a member of Colton’s groomsman squad, but he’d spent a chunk of the day prepping at my side, and relishing in the bliss to come.

“Have you heard his vows, Drew? I mean, did he have you like, proof them or something?” I searched my clutch the folded note of worn paper where my own vows were scribbled down, and handed them to Sara for safe keeping until time.

“By proof them, do you mean have I checked to make sure they aren’t loaded with expletives?” He brought over my bouquet as I stood to finalize the approval of my reflection before my solo photos around the archway outside. “Yes, Liv. I read them. And that’s all you’re getting.” He sealed his mouth, and threw away the insinuated key.

I barely recognized the penetrative gazes of the woman staring back at me. My jaw was held at a confident angle, eyes lined thick with tasteful faux lashes, and hips slightly swelled with the weight of womanhood and true love. Colton had changed me in every way that made me better, before I even knew exactly who I thought I wanted to become. His many a kiss, countless moonlight confessions wrapped in the sheet of the bed we shared, and simply the way he watched me take my first morning sip of coffee constituted everything my naïve soul needed to recognize love in its most intimate state. I couldn’t wait to touch him in his suit at the altar. To let him still the trembling of my hands as we exchanged rings, and seal what I already felt with our first kiss as man, and wife.

Sara gently interrupted your thoughts, stuffing a dainty pink handkerchief into your clutches around your bouquet.

“Because I know you’re going to need this. And, because I know for a fact you’ve forgotten your something borrowed. I used it on my wedding day.” She kissed my cheek.

I wouldn’t have married Colton on this day, the day of his choosing, if Sara couldn’t have been here. I adored my Tia, and Drew, and each other person who was here with me in this adopted home of Pittsbugh. But my wedding day, the only one I know I’ll ever have, I needed my Sara to hold me in a moment just as this one.

A rattling tap echoed from the other side of the heavy oak door, capturing the attention of every eye in the room.

“Liv?”

Colton.

“Liv, baby? You in there?”

My face fell with haunting nerves, and Tia ran for the knob to answer his faint callings from the hallway.

“He can’t see me, Tia. No way! Don’t think of letting him in here.” I ordered.

“Relax, will you? I’m going to step outside with him, okay?”

Tia barely opened the door into a crack large enough for a toddler to squeeze through, and disappeared. I worked my busy hands at the ribbon flowing from the stems of my peony bouquet, scolding myself for even considering the worst reason for his unexpected visit.

I held my breath when she re-entered the overly crowded dressing area, purposely holding back her smile longer than necessary.

“He said he just wanted to hear your voice. That’s it. And only from behind the door, of course.”

Tia, and my mother ushered my prep team toward the reception area to check out the final touches, giving Colt and I a moment of solace, and a deep breath after the bustle of wedding day jitters. When the last person escaped, I wiped the sweat from my palm, and turned the door handle, carefully standing far away from the minimal crack.

Just as my fingers peeled around the door, I felt the familiar heat of his rough-skinned fingers grasping perilously for mine.

“Fuck, I needed this.” He moaned satisfactorily, and my side of the door bounced back towards me as he fell onto it from the opposite side. My touch alone fed his nervous withdraws from being apart for only two days. “I needed you. Just for a minute, at least.”

I played with his fingertips.

“Someone isn’t getting cold feet, are they?”

I could hear the tap of his black dress shoes we had bought last week for the occasion.

“Well, Drew had to talk me off the ledge a couple hours ago.”

I froze, and my bones nearly calcified into fossisl with the stillness his sentence bought over me.

“Woah. Hey, I’m only kiddin’, Livvy. Breath, baby. It was just a joke. Clearly, a poor timed one.”

Colton kissed the solo ring on my finger, staking his claim. “You ain’t gettin’ rid of my ass that easily.”

I wanted to kiss him. Those minty lips, now probably stained with a celebratory shot of whiskey were the only things my consciousness would focus on.

Maybe if we both closed our eyes first, then touched lips for just 2 seconds?

“How dedicated are you to this whole ‘no seeing each other thing’?” I thought out loud, Colton took the question as one directed at him.

“Trust me, angel. I’d give absolutely anything to see you right now. See how amazin’ I know you look, as usual. But, I think we both know you’d instantly regret breakin’ that little tradition you were so persistent about.”

He was right. I had just enough Indiana in me to keep hold of those age-old small-town traditions like not seeing your groom before the ceremony. And first dances, and flower girls.

“But, since I’m here, how about we go ahead and trade letters? I know Drew was going to do the swap for us, but I’ve got mine me if that’s cool with you?”

What a difference time can grace upon us.

I mentioned one evening, months ago, scrolling through websites while doing some planning, how I thought the idea of writing letters to each other was such a touching sentiment. Never expecting another word, much less even an initial response from my stoic, silent man. But, to my much pleasing surprise, Colton simply agreed with an “okay,” never the slightest inkling of protest in his voice. Love had done a number on this bitter, complicated man, too. A hard one. And it suited him mind, body, and soul.

“Yes, but under one condition?” I parted towards to counter to find my own letter addressed to him.

“Name it.”

“I don’t want you to read it until you’re back in your room.”

I slid the sealed envelope into his hand, holding my palm upward for his.

“I love you, Liv. I am so fucking crazy in love with you.” Colton whispered, almost breathlessly.

“I love you, you handsome brute. Now, go. Before I ruin what little makeup I still have left.”

I didn’t latch the door until his footsteps were no longer detectable, not wanting to miss the sounds of his closeness to me. Seated on the antique velvet of the elegant armchair at the foot of the bed, I delicately tore open the letter.

Liv,

You marvelous creature. You are a necessary electricity that shocks my heart to life every single day that I’m near you. My spirit is broken, and it’s only fucking hope is in your hands. Thank you for taking my hand, and warming me with your irreplaceable light. Naturally, we both know I’m not a verbal man, but it seems in writing you this letter, I may have found my newest, most favorite way to try and express how I feel about you. Nothing about you loving me makes sense, but it’s one mystery wave that I will ride until there is no life left in me with no questions asked. Yours is the only hand I want to hold, and get lost in the swell of life with, laughing, crying, and standing still along the way when need be. This day, the day you foolishly take my name as your own, and vow to be my wife will surely be the most precious day I have lived. Only second to the moment I met you. I swear, when I’m with you, it’s like the air tastes better, even. You have stroked my ego like a vicious woman in love, and you’ve stomped it out when I needed the harshest of reality checks, just as I deserved. I hope as long as you’ll have me, I can be the solace you need in the most troubling of days. And the strong tower you need when you feel scared or threatened. I’ll be the laugh when you’ve seemed to have misplaced your own, and the tears when yours don’t seem to satisfy whatever grief falls on you. Always, Livvy. It’s you. You and me, against the strongest of odds, we will come out on top. Can’t wait to see you. Soon. You know where to meet me.

I love you.

Colton

Waterproof mascara was a myth, whipped into a lie at the hands of Colton Ritter and his hidden talents with a pen and paper. I read his confessions three times, memorizing it like it was a secret that I was afraid would be torn away within minutes. All along, I’ve been the one in our household staking a claim to literary topics, and standing on my platform as an English major. But this, the handwritten romance of his raw admissions, blew me away, along with every mediocre talent I thought I wielded. Someone I had foolishly often discredited as “simple” or “distant”, had force-fed me to eat the sour swallow of “crow”, penning words that probably belonged alongside the most magical of love letters through fictional history. In my opinion, anyhow. Not the that object of the affections in said letter would be biased in the least.

. . .

Colton

I obeyed her commands, as I usually do. Happily. And waited until I was seated at the bar in my suite across the grounds from her before opening the letter. I wanted to drag her up the courthouse steps long over 6 months ago, but this place wasn’t so bad. Like it would be, with her taste. I even liked it, actually. I’d never tell Liv though, and have her thinking for a minute that any of this exhausting, unnecessary, wedding shit mattered to me. I would’ve married her in our living room with Mac ordained if I thought she wouldn’t have minded. But, I adore her. More than any should adore another human, truthfully. And I knew this day, with all the people she loves in attanedance, is what her heart needed. So, I shut my fucking mouth, and smile when I’m told like a good husband would. But, I’m not wearing those damn cufflinks. She’ll have to harass me for that one later, and I’ll ask forgiveness. Or, distract her with my mouth the way she likes so much.

I drank down another shot of the aged brown liquor, sucking in its warm after bite between my teeth as I opened the neatly sealed envelope she marked with my name.

Colt,

The mightiest of men could never steal my love for you. To most, your eyes may be the darkest, most dangerous pools of heartache and pain. But I only see the glow of a man who the world just doesn’t deserve to know. Whatever I have needed you to be, you have truly surpassed any responsibility as the man I love, and my heart shouts a thousand words of gratitude. You kickstarted the first pangs of real love within me, and sometimes I foolishly believe that there aren’t two people in the entire world who share as much love as you and I. The weight of your hand within mine is the only courage I have ever felt, and it somehow seems my most insatiable moments of weakness are both caused, and cured only by you. You’ve respected me as your equal, never pointing out my many flaws as a failed strong woman, and secured my every longing for my destined lover, and companion. I never truly believed in any definition of eternity, until I woke up one morning without you by my side and realized I never wanted to live another day without you in it. You have believed in me, encouraged me, and monumentally coached me. In the ring, and in life, I find that we are a team fit for whatever battle seems to threaten us, destined to come out victoriously hand-in-hand. I know you will only do justice to your newly deemed titles of husband….. and daddy

Surprise, my love.

-L

Did she know what she was saying? Was this some sort of reference to the future that I wasn’t understanding? Was she applying that term as some sort of kinky slang that people use these days? It was like my mind told me I should freeze, and clam up with horrified dread at Liv’s very, very unplanned spilling surprise. But yet, as I read the word again silently to myself, then again, aloud, this time, my pulse never quickened with fear. I didn’t feel like shattering this fucking glass of bourbon against the brink of the bar where I sat alone. I couldn’t even squander up the slightest glimmer of resentment at the birth-control of hers that had apparently faltered.

Daddy. Dad. Pop.

My feelings only went directly into running over all the things I’d want he… or she to call me. And all the ways I’d hear it fall from Liv’s sinfully pink lips when she spoke to the little runt about me. Would she let me use my name if it was a boy? Could I take her to the gym with me unsupervised while Liv was working, even though it was probably no place for a little girl?

The itch my skin felt already from feigning for the feel of her touch, and needing her to fill the void between my embracing arms enlarged to a dull ache now. I woke this morning already drunk, knowing for a fact I hadn’t had a single drop of liquor, simply from the joy of knowing I would finally make an honest woman out of her today. And now, I could feel my heart crawling and leaping and vibrating with gladness like I never imagined humanly possible. For a once worthless fucker like me, especially.

A tear dolloped onto the ink of her swirly handwriting, and my toes curled inside these leather vices around my feet. I hadn’t cried like this since I broke my first knuckle when I was 16. But ever since Liv had waltzed her way into my life, it seemed tears were becoming a familiar foe of mine.

“You read the letter?”

“Shit!” I shook and sniffled, whipping round to see Andrew arming into his suit jacket.

“Yeah. Yeah… I uh, I read it.” Andrew was one of the only friends I really ever allow myself to smile with.

“You are one lucky man, Colton Ritter. You better know that. As if Liv wasn’t enough of a gift, now….”

“You knew? This whole time, you knew?”

He grinned. “Guilty. But you’re not allowed to hit me and stain the tux.”

I stood, dismissing myself from the stool, and carefully folding the fateful paper into my pocket. “How far along is she, Drew? When did she find out?”

Drew shook his head like I knew he would. “You know you need to hear all that from her, man. I can’t ruin that for you guys.”

He was indeed right. I wanted to watch her snub back tears as she told me about the tests I’m sure she had taken behind my obviously inattentive back. I envisioned in my mind the way her eyes would get all glassy and wide when I hugged her belly and told her I loved her more than life, and I would kill for her if it ever came to that.

“Half hour till showtime, Colt. Look alive.”

TAGS: @eap1935 @mollybegger-blog @miidailyinspiration @littleluna98

#Tom Hardy #tomhardy #tomhardyfanfic #tom hardy fanfiction #tomhardyfanfiction #Elizabeth Olsen #thegrind

64 notes · View notes

thecollegefootballguy · 5 years ago

Text

2019 Top Games of the Week: Week 13

It’s SoCon Saturday, so the SEC has pretty much vacated this week alongside several other high profile names. We’ve still got some good matchups, especially in the G5 if you care about that sort of thing.

Oh yeah we’re back to using the AP poll now since it’s not Tuesday yet.

The Top Ten Games of the Week

10. Boston College 5-5 (3-4) at #15 Notre Dame 8-2

The hallmark of a lackluster week is Boston College showing up in the Top Ten. Hey, at least this is a rivalry game. The Holy War (not that one) between the two Catholic schools in the FBS is one of Notre Dame’s less traditional long-time matchups. Judging by what the Irish did to Navy last week, I don’t hold high hopes for the Eagles. This is the 25th all-time meeting between the rivals.

9. TCU 5-5 (3-4) at #8 Oklahoma 9-1 (6-1)

I don’t see Oklahoma losing here. TCU doesn’t have the offense to keep up and the defense isn’t their usual lockdown self.

8. #6 Oregon 9-1 (7-0) at Arizona State 5-5 (2-5)

Only one team has ever gone 9-0 in PAC-12 league play, so conventional wisdom dictates that Oregon should lose somewhere. I don’t see it. The Ducks will probably romp through the remnants of their weak league schedule.

7. #12 Michigan 8-2 (5-2) at Indiana 7-3 (4-3)

Indiana’s wonder season was dinged a bit by Penn State last week, but the Hoosiers played well. Michigan’s offense is finally in gear so the Wolverines should win here, but don’t sleep on IU. The Nittany Lions took all 4 quarters to put them away.

6. Pittsburgh 7-3 (4-2) at #25 Virginia Tech 7-3 (4-2)

The compete circus of the ACC Coastal keeps rolling. Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech are both still in the race to lose to Clemson in the conference championship game. The winner of this game will need VA Tech to lose to Virginia the following week.

5. #24 Texas A&M 7-3 (4-2) at #4 Georgia 9-1 (6-1)

The SEC gives us one interesting game this week. Georgia has already punched their ticket to Atlanta but to keep their Playoff hopes alive regardless of the SEC Championship they’ll need to take care of business against Texas A&M. The Aggies have proven to be a good but not great squad this season and should challenge but not beat UGA.

4. Temple 7-3 (4-2) at #17 Cincinnati 9-1 (6-0)

We’ve been sleeping on Temple for losing early but the Owls can sneak away with the AAC East Division if the right set of events crop up, meaning at the very least they need to upset Cincinnati. The Bearcats haven’t looked all that impressive lately and were nearly toppled last week by lowly South Florida. They’ll need to step up their game against Temple if they hope to secure the division.

3. #21 SMU 9-1 (5-1) at Navy 7-2 (5-1)

The AAC provides us with some of the best games all week and two of the top four. SMU and Navy face off in an elimination game for the West Division. Both teams have been playing good football, though as Navy showed us last week these aren’t exactly Playoff caliber teams.

2. Texas 6-4 (4-3) at #13 Baylor 9-1 (6-1)

Well this matchup certainly looked more promising before last week. Texas’s loss to Iowa State and Baylor embarrassing meltdown against Oklahoma dampened this one a bit. Oh well, these teams still don’t like each other and have a lot to play for, albeit different reasons. Texas is trying not to completely collapse down the stretch while the Bears have to keep up with the Sooners and hope they can win in the rematch in the Big 12 CG and force the Playoff issue at 12-1. It’s the 109th game in this long running series.

1. #9 Penn State 9-1 (6-1) at #2 Ohio State 10-0 (7-0)

Definitely the best game of the week goes to Penn State-Ohio State. It’s not quite the battle of unbeaten teams, but the Nittany Lions are still an aggressive team and likely the best the Buckeyes will play until the postseason. It’s time to see just how good OSU is, they’ve beaten the tar out of everybody they’ve played so far, but Penn State should be able to slow down the war machine. It’s the 35th installment of this ever so important rivalry game.

5. Western Kentucky 6-4 (4-2) at Southern Miss 7-3 (5-1)

For some reason Conference-USA decided to have like half of its good games this week. Unfortunately I couldn’t have all of them on here. Western Kentucky has had a fantastic rebound season and will try to crash Southern Miss’s party as the Eagles gun for the West Division.

4. UCF 7-3 (4-2) at Tulane 6-4 (3-3)

Just a quality AAC matchup. UCF might be mathematically eligible to make the ACC CG still depending on the tiebreaker rules but Tulane is out. These are just two good G5 programs with different styles we can enjoy.

3. Louisiana Tech 8-2 (5-1) at UAB 7-3 (4-2)

Two of the C-USA success stories battle it out to fully decide the West Division. LA Tech suffered a setback last week against Marshall but the Bulldogs are still undefeated in division play. UAB continues to surprise year after year since the Blazers rose from the ashes and they can knock Louisiana Tech out of the race with a win here.

2. San Diego State 8-2 (5-2) at Hawaii 7-4 (4-3)

1. #20 Boise State 8-1 (5-0) at Utah State 5-4 (4-1)

Well this is it. Both of the Mountain West’s divisions are going to be decided this weekend as SDSU and Hawaii square off for the West and Boise State and Utah State battle for the Mountain. The champion here likely will be passed over for the Cotton Bowl bid, but hey, conference pride matters, especially in the clear #2 G5 conference.

FCS Games of the Week

4. #14 Wofford 7-3 (6-1) at The Citadel 6-5 (4-3)

Wofford and The Citadel square off in one of the SoCon’s oldest rivalries. Wofford has secured the conference’s automatic bid to the Playoff, and The Citadel likely can’t make it even with a win, but the Bulldogs have plenty to fight for against the Terriers. It’s the 73rd playing of the game.

3. #12 Florida A&M 9-1 (7-0) vs Bethune-Cookman 6-4 (4-3)

The HBCU’s do a great job with their Thanksgiving games and the Florida Classic is one of the unsung spectacles of the season. Florida A&M unfortunately are barred from playing in the postseason, so the Rattlers are looking to go out on top against rival Bethune-Cookman and reverse eight years of losses against the Wildcats. It’s the 75th all-time playing of the Classic.

2. #23 Nicholls State at #21 Southeastern Louisiana

This in-state rivalry will decide the Southland’s automatic bid for the FCS Playoff. It’s not a longstanding contest like the other FCS games I’m highlighting, but hey, the River Bell Classic is being played for the 29th time. Here’s to another 29!

1. #3 Montana 9-2 (6-1) at #8 Montana State 8-3 (5-2)

Well duh. The Brawl of the Wild is the most important FCS rivalry in the 11 Western State. Montana is gunning to regain their place as the preeminent power in the Big Sky. To do this they’ll have to beat their archrival for the first time in 4 years. It’s the 118th playing of this series.

2 notes · View notes

musicprincess655 · 5 years ago

Link

Mei leaned forward in his chair, elbows resting on his knees as he focused harder across the bullpen. Maybe he was making the new first years nervous. One of them let out a frustrated noise as he threw the ball in a nasty curve that had his catcher scrambling.

“Keishi,” Mei said, getting to his feet. Amari Keishi was almost ten centimeters taller than Mei, but he still quailed when Mei approached.

“I’m sorry, Narumiya-san!” Keishi squeaked. “It just slipped, I won’t let it happen again!”

“Relax your fingers,” Mei said.

“Huh?”

“You’re squeezing too hard with your fingers, that’s why it’s not following the course you want it to,” Mei continued. “Try again, and this time, just hold it enough so it doesn’t slip. The motion of your body should be enough to direct it.”

“I…oh. Oh, that makes sense,” Keishi said. “Thanks, Narumiya-san!”

“Try again,” Mei instructed. Keishi did, and while it was far from Mei’s usual standards, it was an improvement. With enough practice, he should grow into a competent pitcher. Probably.

“Any words of wisdom for me, Narumiya-san?” Akamatsu had an eyebrow raised from where he was practicing with Itsuki.

Despite how respectful he was, Mei had never really been sure if Akamatsu liked him or not. He certainly preferred Itsuki, even if he’d gone on about how excited he was to play with a pitcher he respected.

“Listen to Itsuki,” Mei said. “He’s the one you’ll be working with, so he’ll tell you what he wants.”

Mei almost felt like he’d passed a test with Akamatsu, although he wasn’t sure what it was about or how he’d done it.

It was…strange, to say the least, to sit in the bullpen, unable to pitch, and to bite down on his tongue time and time again. Despite his admittedly childish personality, Mei set high standards for himself, and it frustrated him in the extreme when others didn’t do the same. He’d only recently accepted that high standards might look different on other people than they did on him.

But even with how much it hurt to be here but not on the team anymore, Mei still came. And to the best of his ability, he was helping. He wasn’t a good enough person to not realize part of it was for the look Itsuki always gave him after practice was over.

“You keep surprising me,” Itsuki said. “I never thought you’d be good at coaching.”

“Please, I just offer them a few tips, that’s not coaching,” Mei said, but he preened.

He and Itsuki were tucked in a far corner close to the field, away from the regular foot traffic of their teammates. They could’ve just gone back to Mei’s room for more privacy, but Mei wasn’t quite ready to go back inside yet. The night was cool, and the soft breeze across his face was too much to pass up. Summer was slowly dying, but there was still a warmth in the air of the cooling nights, and Mei wanted to hold onto it for as long as possible.

“You’re helping,” Itsuki argued. “I never thought I’d see you do that.”

“Well,” Mei shrugged. “Hirano and I both graduate this year. Akamatsu is good, but he’d not ready to be the only good pitcher on the field. You need the rest of the first years to step up.”

“That’s very mature of you,” Itsuki said, only a slight lilt of teasing to his voice. He sounded so sincere.

“I want the team to succeed next time,” Mei said. It was a position that surprised even him. He was so sure he wouldn’t care about what happened after he left. Inashiro was always supposed to be one of many stepping stones on his journey to becoming a pro, but somehow, this one had wormed its way into his soul. “You guys should be able to take Koshien again. You need more than one good pitcher for that.”

“What happened to the Mei-san who wanted to pitch entire games because he was the best?” Itsuki asked, a little laugh in his voice.

“Well, that’s me,” Mei said. “I’m just superior to everyone. It’s a gift and a curse. And,” he sighed, “I think we’ve seen it proven that I shouldn’t really pitch entire games, anyway.”

“Eleven innings is more than one full game,” Itsuki pointed out. He laced his fingers with Mei’s, slowly, hesitantly, like he was waiting for Mei to rip his hand away. When Mei didn’t, Itsuki rested his head on Mei’s shoulder. “Still, thank you. The new pitchers are doing much better with you helping them. Even the catchers are performing better. And…it means a lot to me that you want to help the team even though you’re leaving.”

Mei squeezed Itsuki’s hand and let them fall into companionable silence. Just as Mei was working out whether he could kiss Itsuki here and get away with it, or if Itsuki would push him away from embarrassment, and whether Mei could keep going anyway because a flustered Itsuki was cute, Itsuki spoke again.

“You’ve been in Coach’s office a lot lately.”

Mei had. He’d been talking to university scouts.

“Waseda is very interested,” he said, trying to sound offhand. “Apparently, they had two of their pitchers leave unexpectedly. One got drafted earlier than they thought he would. They’re trying to get their bullpen back up to speed.”

“That’s a good school,” Itsuki hummed. “You could easily be the top of Tokyo again. And they have good academics, too.”

“You know I don’t care about that.”

“You should.” Itsuki headbutted Mei’s shoulder. “Even if you just want to go pro, it shouldn’t mean you don’t care about school.”

“Have you ever known me to care about school?”

“Mei-san!”

“Well, I wouldn’t fail out, anyway,” Mei said, and Itsuki relaxed, appeased. “University…might not be the worst, I guess.”

“You mean that?” Itsuki asked, picking his head up to look at Mei, faces so close their breaths mingled. “You’d go to Waseda, or some other school?”

“It might be the best option,” Mei hedged. Itsuki’s face lit up. “Why does that make you so happy? Nerd.”

“No, it’s just…” Itsuki trailed off, looking down. “You’d be closer, if you went to university.”

“Like physically closer?” Mei asked. There were both major and minor league teams around Tokyo.

“That, and…I feel like you’d be easier to reach, if you were in university,” Itsuki said, cheeks obviously pink even under his bangs. “You wouldn’t feel so far ahead.”

“Sounds like you’ve given this a lot of thought,” Mei said, nudging at Itsuki’s forehead until they were pressed together. “What, did you think I was just going to graduate and never speak to you again?”

Itsuki’s silence spoke volumes.

“Come on, really?” Mei complained. “We talk all the time, we text all the time. Did you think I would just go radio silence one day?”

“They say most high school relationships don’t work out,” Itsuki said. “And if we want such different things, maybe it makes sense that you would leave me behind. But if you’re still close, if you’re not so far ahead I can’t reach you, then…”

“You should learn to go with the flow more,” Mei said, but he leaned in. Itsuki still didn’t know how to kiss, not really. Mei had to remind him to open his mouth, to relax, to use his tongue. He was learning, though, and it wouldn’t be all that hard to mold him to Mei’s preferences.

Itsuki’s eyes were lidded and hazy when Mei pulled back. He was almost surprised Itsuki had let them kiss in public, hidden away as they were.

“I still have a few months before I graduate,” Mei said. “Why not just enjoy the time we have left?”

“You’re too carefree,” Itsuki said, but he seemed pleased anyway.

“Hey, Narumiya-san!” Itsuki squeaked and jumped away, pulling his hand out of Mei’s. Mei didn’t much care what other people saw of them or what they thought, but Itsuki obviously did. So Mei just tried to not level a glare at the first year coming around the corner, oblivious to the whole situation. “Coach wants to see you.”

“Now? Isn’t it kind of late?” Mei asked. The first year shrugged.

“I’m just the messenger,” he said. Then, job fulfilled, he left.

“Do you think it’s another meeting with a scout?” Itsuki asked.

“Maybe,” Mei said. “It feels like I’ve already talked to everyone worth talking to.”

“You should still hear people out,” Itsuki said.

“Yes, Mother,” Mei groaned. Their conversation up until now had been particularly heartfelt, especially for what Mei was usually capable of, so he graced Itsuki with a kiss on the forehead on his way out just to watch him blush one more time.

“Coach?” Mei called as he opened the office door. Kunitomo was talking softly with a man who was very clearly not Japanese. “Oh, um…”

“You must be Narumiya Mei,” the stranger said, Japanese accented but otherwise fluent. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Mei said with a glance over to Kunitomo. His coach just nodded and gestured for him to sit down.

“I’ll get right to the point,” the stranger said. “My name is Adam Richards. I’m a recruiter for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and I’m here because the Pirates are interested in recruiting you.”

Mei glanced at Kunitomo again.

“They’re a major league team in America,” Kunitomo explained. “Their record recently has been, well…”

“We’ve sucked!” Adam Richards interrupted brightly. “No need for the classic Japanese politeness about it. But there’s new management now, and we’re trying to build a team to last. I’m in charge of looking for foreign players, and you stood out immediately.”

“You want me to play for your team?” Mei asked. The American’s enthusiasm was infectious. Mei could feel his heart rabbiting faster, hope and fear threatening to overwhelm him.

“I’m sure you’re getting a lot of offers, but I do hope you’ll consider ours,” Richards continued. “Obviously, we can’t put an untested eighteen year old on a major league team immediately, but I don’t think you’ll have to worry about staying there for more than a few years. Maybe even a year, if you perform like you have here.”

Mei was speechless, but Kunitomo cut in for him.

“Could you explain what you mean by that?” Kunitomo asked.

“Well, if you’ll pardon me saying so, you’ve been in a bit of a rebuilding period since last year, haven’t you?” Richards pointed out. “After your third years from the year you almost took Koshien graduated, it was a bit of a rocky road? But before that, Narumiya was performing well with that team. It might take several years to get a team established enough to show results, but that’s why we’ve been looking for younger recruits. We want to build a better team for the long term, and we’re willing to work and wait for those kinds of results.”

“Your offer is certainly generous, and something to consider,” Kunitomo said. “We’ll discuss and-”

“Yes,” Mei interrupted. Richards look overjoyed and Kunitomo looked like he’d swallowed a lemon.

“This is something we should discuss before you go agreeing to it,” Kunitomo said tightly. “This isn’t the only offer you’ve received.”

“But it is the best one so far,” Mei said. Richards was right. They’d been rebuilding since they lost the generation ahead of Mei. He was so sure that if they’d had just one more year, they could’ve come back. They could’ve been champions again. He’d be in for years of hard work if he went to America, but it would have an end in sight, and that would be with him on the mound of a major league team.

“I won’t come between you and your coach for now,” Richards said. “I’ll put both of you in touch with Ueda, he’s an agent that’ll take great care of you. We can hammer out the details later.”

Richards almost forgot to bow to both of them on his way out. Mei turned to Kunitomo, so excited he was almost vibrating.

“You need to think this through,” Kunitomo told him. “It sounds like an attractive offer, especially compared to what you’ve gotten here, but have you really considered what it means? You’ll be working hard for no guarantee of a team that deserves you.”

“He’s the only one so far who’s offered me a path to the major leagues,” Mei countered. “I know it’ll be a lot of hard work. Do you think I’m afraid of that?”

“I think you should be more afraid of moving across the world when there might be something left for you here,” Kunitomo said.

“There’s a summit there,” Mei said. “I have to chase it.”

Kunitomo considered him for so long Mei started to squirm.

“Promise you’ll think about it,” Kunitomo said at last. “Really consider it, what you’ll be giving up to get this as well as whatever you think the payoff will be. Understand all of it before you agree.”

“I will,” Mei said. He wasn’t stupid, after all. But he didn’t think the answer would change.

Mei was about to explode with nervous energy, and he had to tell someone. Itsuki would still be awake, probably, and Mei had his phone out of his pocket before he stopped, message half composed.

They say most high school relationships don’t work out. And if we want such different things, maybe it makes sense that you would leave me behind.

If Itsuki thought Mei getting too far away in the Japanese pro leagues would end their relationship, what would he think about America? And would he wait until Mei left to end things, or would he wait?

Was there any point in ending things now, when Mei had almost half a year left before he’d go?

He didn’t have to tell Itsuki right now and lose a good thing. Kissing was good, Itsuki’s company was good, and Mei could already feel another growing hunger for something he’d started largely as a distraction.

Of course he’d have to tell Itsuki eventually. But it didn’t have to be now.

#itsumei #daiya no a #dna #my writing #bos

2 notes · View notes

myhockeyworld87 · 4 years ago

Text

Not So Dangerous Liaison - Sidney Crosby - Part 16

Word Count: 3,431

POV: Sidney’s

Warning: Language, NSFW, Smut

Notes: Sorry this is late guys, but here’s who was listening at the door hearing what the new drafties were discussing. As always feedback is greatly appreciated. Hope everyone is doing well and loving that hockey is finally back. Happy Reading!

Not So Dangerous Liaison Masterlist

As much as you understood that (Y/N) had to go play tour guide to the new recruits; you absolutely hated it. You'd grown so accustomed to your days together. The two of you fell into a nice routine, waking up in the morning and usually having some form of sex before doing an actual workout. Though some mornings that was foregone for another round in bed, which you totally preferred. Then it was making breakfast together, followed by each of you doing some work. (Y/N) took the living room as her makeshift office, as she said working in the same room together would lead to neither one of you getting work done. Which she was more than likely right, as you found yourself sneaking out sometimes and just nibbling on her neck from the back of the couch.

You conned her into letting you go with her when she checked on the progress of the team house she was in charge of, telling her that you wanted to see where they were at with it; when in reality you really didn't need all those construction workers ogling over her. Their eyes would linger the moment she walked in, and you'd place a very possessive hand on her back or waist and suddenly those eyes were back on the drywall in front of them. She was doing an amazing job with the place, which Mario told her one night when the two of you joined him and Nathalie for dinner.

All in all, the two of you were inseparable that week and a half. So her even leaving for a few hours was not something that sat well with you, but you got it and kissed her goodbye telling her you'd see her soon. It was about an hour later that you decided it wouldn't hurt to meet the new guys. It was just an introduction from the captain, didn't all teams do that. Well, you'd actually already called and congratulated them when they were drafted, but real-life welcomes were always best. At least that's what you told yourself when you pulled into the arena.

She was out taking them on a tour of the town, so you wander down the halls only to find Mario in his office. You knocked on the open door, before walking in. "Hey boss, didn't expect to see you there?"

"Though somehow I did expect you," he chirped back with a cheeky smile.

You couldn't help the blush that rose up to your cheeks. "Well, you know…"

"Yeah, Sid I do. I remember it all too well." He stared off and you could tell her was thinking of his wife. "You have that same look as I did way back then you know?"

He didn't have to say what it was. You were fairly certain, you were falling in love with (Y/N), though you've yet to admit it to her or yourself. Call it fear of rejection or something else, you just knew that if you threw the L word out there and she didn't say it back, you'd be crushed. You just needed to give it a little more time. She'd already gotten scared about the fact she was dating you; you didn't need her to go running if you told her you loved her. "Yeah I know," you admitted to Mario. "Just trying to give it time."

"And you're doing this by showing up, while she's working?"

"Well when you put it like that," you grabbed the back of your neck, rethinking your decision to come down here.

"Relax Sid, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you. Plus the new kids will flip out." Which was your excuse for coming down. "While I have you down here, come check out this new skate blade sharpener Dana got in."

"You know how I am about my blades. I kind of love the old machine." It was well known in the league that if you had a problem with your blades, one of the equipment guys would run down and sharpen it instead of just putting on new blades on like everyone else did. You were kind of particular about those things.

"Just give it a look. (Y/N) just text and said she's out on the ice with the boys and will be in the locker room shortly, so after you check this out we can drop in and say hi. Then take your girl home, like I know you want to." You liked that he called her 'your girl.' It was the first time in your life that you wanted the whole world to know how you felt about someone.

"Fine." The two of you headed to the equipment room which was adjacent to the locker room. Dana was in there and the three of you talked about the new sharpener until you heard voices next door. You listened intently as you heard her explain the unique design of the room, a hint of awe in her voice and you remembered walking in there for the first time and all the feelings you had. You could just see these eager young players being introduced to their first NHL locker room. Their eyes were probably wide taking every little detail in. You and Mario continued to listen to the conversation, holding back a bit before you walked in to say hello. (Y/N) left, explaining she had a phone call to take and you were just about to go in, thinking that she'd be surprised when she came back when Mario held you back. What you heard next had your fists clenching at your sides.

The things these boys were saying. Well, correction it seemed to be one kid, and you wanted to punch his face into the wall. Mario stopped you though, whispering low. "Follow my lead." The two of you moved into the room. "Gentlemen, it's good to have you here in Pittsburgh." All five heads turned at the sound of Mario's voice and in unison, they all looked over, an awestruck look on their faces. "I hope you're finding your stay here pleasant?"

"Umm…ye…yeah," stuttered out one of the kids, Ryan Jones you thought. You hadn't been paying too much attention when (Y/N) was going over all their bios the night before as you'd been too busy working on getting her out of her clothes. But you were sure you wouldn't forget their faces today.

"Good, good." Mario continued not really introducing or shaking hands with any of the men. "So I trust (Y/N)'s been good to you?" You found yourself questioning the choice of words your mentor was using, but still trusted him in where he was going. The boys for their part blushed, though one sort of smirked and you figured you'd just found your culprit. You were ready to drag his skinny little body out of the locker room and beat him to a pulp.

Finally, the kid with the shit ass eating grin answered. "Oh yeah, she's real good." His emphasis on the last part wasn't lost on either you or Mario.

"Connor isn't it?" Mario asked the young pup and he nodded his head furiously. "Ms. (Y/L/N) is very beautiful, isn't she?" The kid actually had the gull to snicker, and you could feel your nails biting into your skin as you fisted them at your sides. "Anyone would be lucky to be with her, don't you think?" Ok, this may be going a little too far. If Mario started saying stuff about sleeping with her, you were going to lose you god blessed mind.

"Well, yeah," the boy, Connor agreed, while the others kept silent, still ashamed to be caught gossiping about (Y/N). A muscle in your jaw ticked, itching to take young Connor out and beat some sense into him about how women should be treated.

"I know her boyfriend feels the same way," Mario stated matter of factly. Eyes went wide as Mario insinuated that (Y/N) dated someone, yet still Connor seemed unmoved. "In fact," Mario continued. "He gets super jealous. Has been known to even drop the gloves from time to time. You can imagine how he'd feel if he knew what you insinuated about her." The boys exchanged glances with each other trying to figure out what player (Y/N) was dating. Realization finally dawned on the one, Bjorkqvist, and you made a mental note to remember that at least of them had some smarts. It would help him out on the ice in the future. The kid took a step back as he glanced first at your face and then at your fists; another smart move. "So you see boys, we're family here and family doesn't take kindly when someone messes with us and those we love." Mario gave them a few minutes to let the gravity of his words sink in. You looked back at Connor, even though every time you did, you wanted to punch him in the face. He finally started to become uncomfortable; good. "I'm only going to ask this question, one time, though I'm pretty sure I know the answer. Which one of you called Ms. (Y/L/N) the team whore?" You flinched when Mario said the word 'whore,' as thoughts of that bastard Christian came floating back to you. That night at least you had the satisfaction of slamming the man up against the wall. Today you could tell Mario wanted you to take the high road; you weren't sure if you could honor his request or not.

Seconds ticked by as you waited for the guys to give up Connor, for you knew the boy wasn't going to admit to it himself. Bjorkqvist, the same one that figured out you were (Y/N)'s significant other finally broke the odd silence. "I told him he shouldn't speak about her like that."

"Finally, I see one of you has some sense." Mario addressed the young winger. "Now if you could be a little more specific on who it was exactly, and let me reassure you that by you telling me who it was will not affect your status with the organization, but not saying anything might."

There was a chorus of 'it was him' or 'he did,' along with fingers all directed at Connor. You took a step forward only to be stopped short, as (Y/N) walked into the room.

"Sorry about that. Sid…what are you…is everything ok?" You tried to relax but it was obvious that something had transpired while she was gone. Her head flipped back between you and the group of young prospects.

"Everything's fine," Mario finally spoke up. "I was just going to show these guys how we have the state-of-the-art equipment here. Right gentlemen?" They all nodded, even Connor. "So why don't you follow me and we'll leave these two lovebirds alone for a minute." A couple of the guys did a double-take as they finally realized that you were in fact (Y/N)'s boyfriend while Connor suddenly turned pale. "We'll be back in a bit."

As soon as they headed off to the equipment room, (Y/N) was standing in front of you, and you reached out to pull her close, needing to feel her close to you. She pulled back though remained in your embrace. "What just happened here?" You didn't answer, just dipped your head down to capture her lips. Your lips were hard on hers, demanding that she give herself over as you tried to release some of the tension, you'd been holding back for the last several minutes. She yielded but not for long, pushing back from you when you chased her lips. "Sid, talk to me."

You contemplated telling her everything but didn't want to go there. She didn't need to be subjected to the asshole's words and you shook your head deciding not to talk about it. Her hands that were resting on your shoulders started to knead the muscles there. "I can feel the tension in your body. Will you please talk to me?"

"It's nothing babe. Just caught one of your young recruits disrespecting the organization." It wasn't a total lie, but it wasn't the truth either.

"Let me guess, it was Connor?" Again, you nodded not wanting to speak the words and so you closed your eyes. "There was something I found off about him. Hey, look at me?" She cupped your cheeks, turning your face so that you were nose to nose. "Don't let him get to you. I'm sure Mario's handling it." You definitely needed to make sure that Mario was or else you were going to have to yourself.

"Yeah, I know you're right."

"Well, I have to finish up here with these guys once Mario's done. How about I meet you at that restaurant we love, in about an hour and we can have dinner?"

There was no way in hell you were leaving her alone with these guys. "I was thinking I'll just stay here while you finish up and then we can go together."

"But I have my car here. I can just meet you at your place and we can go to the restaurant from there. No use staying here if you don't have to."

"I don't mind staying," and before she could protest again, you added. "I want to, and we'll figure out the car thing later."

She gave you a funny look but said. "Ok," before pecking you on the lips and pulling away. "I'm gonna go see how things are going with Mario."

"I'm sure he's got them." You didn't need her walking in on Mario giving them a verbal thrashing that's for sure. "They'll probably be back any moment. So, what did you want to do besides go to dinner tonight?"

"I figured we'd kind of do what we always do? Stay at your place, watch a little tv and well…you know."

"Mmm, I like the last part." You grabbed at her waist and though she tried to avoid you; you were quicker, pulling her back close to you. "Though I still owe you a proper date."

"We go out for dinner all the time."

"Not that often, but I'd like to show you off a little more." You leaned down and nibbled a bit on her neck, but you heard someone clear their throats and the two of you broke apart. It was Dana and he was bringing the guys back, all but Connor.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Mario thought you could finish the tour."

(Y/N) adjusted herself before speaking. "Of course, um…where's Connor?"

"He had to leave," Dana said and you didn't miss the subtle nod he gave you.

"Oh well, that's too bad. We still have a little bit of time left before your families arrive. Let's check the rest of the building out. Sid, are you joining us?"

"Absolutely." You trailed along, after her and the recruits making some comments here and there but also wondering where the little bastard was that had called her such horrible things. It wasn't until the end of the tour that you snuck off to Mario's office while (Y/N) handed the prospects back to their guardians. You closed the door behind you as soon as you went inside. "Where is he?"

"He's gone and before you say anything; he was told we won't be giving him an offer. So, he won't be back." It was a start but you still wanted to hit him, get some satisfaction from feeling your fist connect with his face.

Still, you found yourself saying, "Good."

"I'm assuming you didn't say anything to her?"

"No, I didn't. I felt it best if she didn't know." He thought about it for a second and then nodded.

"Good, good. Family takes care of each other, now let's put the whole thing behind us."

"I'm not sure that's possible."

"It is. Go home Sid, enjoy your girlfriend. Take her to the lake and don't give this incident a second thought." It would be hard, but you thought you could do it.

"Thanks, Mario."

"Don't mention it. Have a great summer. I'm sure we'll keep in touch."

"Yeah, we will and you too." You headed out of his office and went to find (Y/N). Who happened to be in hers at the moment. "Hey babe, you all done."

"Almost, just finishing some of this paperwork on the house." You walked up behind her, gathering her hair and pulling it to her left side so that you could trail kisses down the right. "That's very distracting but very welcomed."

"I missed having you around all day."

She tilted her head to the side and dropped her pen as you hit that sweet spot she so loved. "I was barely gone a couple hours before you dropped in." Her jacket was draped on the back of the chair and you slid the straps of her bra and silk tank down her shoulder exposing more of her skin. "We should take this home."

"I locked the door, no one will know." You whispered moving her hair over to the other side, so you slide the cami off there as well. Her breath hitched and you knew that you had her intrigued then. "Especially if you're quiet." You spun her chair around and then kissed her lips. She melted into you and you could feel the tension of the day leave your body.

"We've tried quiet before." She exhaled out once you broke apart for air. "It didn't work so good for either of us."

You lifted her to her feet, shoving the chair out of the way. "Then maybe we'll settle for fast as well." Straps now completely off, her breasts were exposed to you and you kneaded them in your hands, rolling her nipples and causing her to moan. "Shh," You shushed her before gathering her pencil skirt and hiking it up to her hips. Sliding your hand between her thighs, you could feel her damp panties. "Guess you're not as opposed to this idea as you said." Your fingers danced between her folds, while the other hand pushed her panties down to her knees.

(Y/N) tore at the placket of your shorts, making quick work of the button and zipper before grasping your cock in her hand. She pumped you a few times before you hit her g-spot with your index finger and her rhythm faltered. "Fuck Sid, stop teasing me." She breathed out, and you slid your fingers out of her, grabbing at your shorts to rifle through the pockets to find that little foil packet you stashed away. You turned her, bending her forward to lean on the desk before rolling the latex over your member. Her legs spread a little further apart, as you lined your cock up with her entrance. Gathering her hair, you bent low to drop kissed on her neck and back as you slid inside her. She clamped a hand over her mouth to suppress a moan, while you had to bite your lip at being sheathed inside her. Your hand skimmed down her side, lightly caressing her breast before you took hold of her hips and start to pump in and out of her.

A moan left her mouth and she fell to her elbows on the desk, pushing papers and pens out of the way. "You feel so fucking good," you harshly whispered as you picked up the pace. You knew your grip on hers had to be biting her flesh, yet she only breathed out that she wanted more. One hand released her, making it's way to her clit so that you could toy with it. She whimpered in an effort to not moan out loud and the sound almost threw you over the edge. Your finger worked furiously on her little nub and you could feel her pussy start to twitch. "Yes, baby…Let go…Cum for me." She did, stifling a cry that would've filled the room. As her pussy spasmed around you, you joined her, with a few short thrusts. She collapsed on top of the desk, as you fell forward on top of her, peppering her with kisses. "Damn (Y/N), that was amazing." It wasn't lost on you as you tried to catch your breath, that you literally just had sex in (Y/N)'s office after defending her honor, but this was different; it was special because you loved her. You loved (Y/N), with every fiber of your being you loved her. Now you just had to find the courage to tell her.

#Not So Dangerous Liaison Series #sidney crosby #sidney crosby imagine #Sidney Crosby Imagines #Sidney Crosby Smut #Pittsburgh Penguins fanfiction #Pittsburgh Penguins imagine #Pittsburgh Penguins imagines #nhl imagines #nhl imagine #nhl fanfic #nhl smut #hockey imagines #hockey imagine #hockey fanfiction #hockey smut

201 notes · View notes

iloveyoupittsburghpirates-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Goodbye, Pittsburgh Pirates

My Dearest Pittsburgh Pirates,

Happy Opening Day! Look, we have to talk. It’s not that I don’t love you. I still do. Very much. But it’s just become difficult for me to invest so much in this relationship when you don’t’ seem to invest the same. It’s not me, it’s you. I didn’t send you a final letter at the end of last season because it coincided with the front office again claiming that the more fans buy tickets, the more they can spend. That’s holding your fan base hostage and I have no tolerance for that nonsense. This isn’t a break up though. I will still watch you religiously and will still root for you unabashedly. I might send you a letter from time to time but that will be it. This offseason was tough to take. Not that I don’t think you could be successful this year. There’s a realistic scenario where you could be. It’s just hard to stomach the payroll dipping to about 75 million and then, on top of that, to see newly signed Lonnie Chisenhall and Jordan Lyles start the season on the IL (injured list). Bang up job with Chisenhall by the way. The guy will miss exactly the amount of time we needed him for. You traded away Ivan Nova away for no reason, other than a salary dump, and for nothing only to have no reliable fifth starter especially now with Lyles injured. It’s hard to stomach seeing free agents like Jose Iglesias and Asdrubal Cabrera get one year, nothing contracts while you make no effort to fill your vacant spot at shortstop. You traded for Erik Gonzalez who could be good defensively, but could also have an OPS of .500. Your division is arguably the toughest in baseball with the Brewers, the Cubs, and the Cardinals adding an MVP candidate like Paul Goldschmidt. Even the Reds will be improved after trading for Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp. It will be an uphill battle but hopefully you will surprise everyone.

Let’s meet the new players. JHay and Jordy Mercer signed with the Tigers this offseason so second base and shortstop were vacant. You made a low risk trade with the Indians to bring in the aforementioned Erik Gonzalez, or EGon. EGon is supposedly strong defensively. In 136 at bats in the majors last year, he had splits of .265/.301/.375 for a measly .676 OPS. He did sport a WAR of 0.6 which was more than JHay and Mercer’s WAR combined. If he’s terrific defensively, I’ll take a shortstop who hits .265 with no power. But that’s yet to be seen. Second base will be handled by Adam Frazier and I’ll discuss that more later. Lonnie Chisenhall and Melky Cabrera were added as outfield depth. Chisenhall had about an .860 OPS over the last two years but he only had 320 at bats in that time due to injury. In the least surprising news of all time, Chisenhall broke his hand and will miss four to six weeks. That means Melky Cabrera will start until Gregory Polanco returns from injury. Cabrera’s a switch hitter whose career splits are fairly even. With Polanco and Dickerson batting lefty, adding another righty bat to the bench will be helpful once Polanco returns. Jordan Lyles was brought in initially to help out of the bullpen. He was excellent in Milwaukee out of the pen last year but it seems like all signs point to him being the fifth starter. He cost seven million less than Nova so maybe that played a part. He’s had a shaky spring and now he’s injured so if he doesn’t perform then that Nova trade will look at the more stupid. With off days, you don’t need a fifth starter for the first week or two, so hopefully he’ll be ready by then Francisco Liriano is back in the Burgh. He will pitch out of the bullpen to give you another lefty arm down there other than Felipe Vasquez. All of these moves are cost efficient. They could work out, but in each scenario it seems like there were viable and better options out there that were ignored.

Let’s take a look at the offense. The opening day lineup seems pretty set to me which is: Frazier 2B, Marte CF, Dickerson LF, Bell 1B, Cervelli C, Kang 3B, Melky RF, EGon SS, Taillon SP. Not exactly a power house. Polanco is progressing well from his surgery so it’s realistic he could be back by the end of April which is a relief. Until then, this lineup could potentially suffer from a power outage. The one wildcard is the return of Jung-ho Kang. He hit 7 homers this spring and sports a 1.113 OPS. Actually, if you want to get excited about spring stats, which no one should, Kang, Marte, and Dickerson all have OPS’ over 1.000 and Adam Frazier’s is currently .998. Don’t sleep on Frazier. My gut tells me he will have a really good year at the plate. The new hitting coach, Rick Eckstein, made a commitment to focus more on launch angles when he was hired so maybe there’s some universe where you hit more homers this year. You need them. The bench should be relatively decent particularly once Polanco is back. With Melky now starting, the other four bench spots will be Stallings for now, but Diaz when he comes back. Then it will be Colin Moran, Pablo Reyes, Kevin Newman, and J.B. Shuck, a free agent signed to a minor league deal, until Polanco or Chisenhall return. You ranked near the bottom of the league in homers last year. You don’t have a legitimate MVP candidate when everyone else in your division does (Cards - Goldschmidt, Cubs - Rizzo/Bryant, Brewers - Yelich, Reds - Votto) so that certainly puts you at a disadvantage. Kang should provide more power. Bell needs to bounce back and hit more homers. Marte, Dickerson, and Polanco need to be one of the best offensive outfields in baseball. If Frazier hits and the catching tandem can match what they did last year, this offense will surprise people. That’s the optimistic perspective. There’s also a potential version where this is one of the weaker offenses in baseball, but I’m trying to remain positive.

Pitching is the name of the game. Always has been and always will be. This part of the team could make serious waves this year. It’s arguably the best staff in the division. Pairing Jameson Taillon, who pitched like an ace from June on last year, with Chris Archer, an ace who tinkered with his pitches and looked terrific in September, could be a beastly one-two punch. Archer’s OPS against went from .926 in August to .678 in September. His ERA went from 6.45 to 2.70 and his WHIP decreased from 1.74 to 1.07. If his September lasted for a whole season, he would be a Cy Young candidate. The three and four spots will be taken by Trevor Williams and Joe Musgrove. Williams broke out last year with a 3.11 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. His lack of strikeouts leads people to believe he will regress, but his weak contact numbers give hope that this is sustainable. Even if his ERA rises into the mid to high three’s, he will still be a solid starter. Musgrove recovered from offseason core surgery so here’s hoping there’s no hangover or issues. Musgrove pitched solid last year with a 4.06 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Given he was once a blue-chip prospect who hadn’t got a real chance to start in the majors, there’s reasonable that he could improve. Even if he can duplicate last year’s numbers, you would have a pretty solid starter on your hands. The fifth spot will most likely be filled by Jordan Lyles, once he’s back, and that’s by default. This situation might be the biggest ball drop by the organization. You thought you could get by on the cheap with Lyles, Nick Kingham, or Steven Brault. Brault was horrible this spring and Kingham was inconsistent to say the least. That leaves you with Lyles. If he’s terrible, you could go with an opener/bullpen day as the fifth starter but that’s not ideal. You downgraded your rotation because you wanted to save seven million. Those are the kinds of decisions that I can’t take anymore.

The bullpen should be a strength of the team. Should be. Felipe Vasquez had an absolutely dominant spring and should continue to be one of the best closers in baseball. Your two setup men were not as impressive. Kyle Crick and Keone Kela both struggled this spring, Kela in particular. I’m not about to panic over spring training stats. If they pitch like last year, you will have one of the best back ends of a bullpen in baseball. Add Richard Rodriguez to that mix, one of the surprises of last year, and that’s four solid arms in the pen. The wildcard of this group is Nick Burdi. A rule 5 guy, Burdi has pitched only pitched 9 1/3 innings this spring but he has 13 K’s, a 1.93 ERA, and a 0.75 WHIP. This could be the front office’s next diamond in the rough. Nick Kingham will make the team as a long reliver for the games when Lyles gets crushed. Add in Liriano, who matches up well against lefties, and the lowly Steven Brault until Lyles returns and there’s your seven relievers. The bullpen should be the strength of the team. They could be an elite unit. Time will tell, especially given the volatility of relievers, but if this season turns out to be a success, pitching will most likely be the catalyst.

You finished 82-80 last year and, depending on when Polanco returns, I think this is a better team. I think a full year of Archer and Taillon in ace form makes a big difference. I think getting Kang back to add power to the lineup makes a big difference. Is it possible you end up at .500 or below? Yes. Very. But I think this could be an 85 to 90 win team which might mean a trip to the playoffs. For that to happen, a lot of things will have to go right. I know this letter comes off much more positive than I would have first made you believe. The problem is you did not do everything in your power to put the team in the best position to win. Maybe you think Mitch Keller will be up soon? But you had a solid fifth starter that you traded away as a salary dump. Jose Iglesias signed a minor league deal with the Reds. You could have at least brought him in to challenge EGon and Newman. It’s hard to take you seriously when you say your goal is to win a World Series but then you make decisions like this. I’m not saying you need to fork over 330 million to Bryce Harper. I’m just saying pay Nova nine million for one year to be your fifth starter. Any time I hear Nutting, Coonelly, or even Huntington talk, I don’t believe a word they say. It’s hard to be in a relationship when there is no trust. This offseason was as half assed as they come. You are 27th in payroll, only in front of the Marlins and Orioles (who are both in a total rebuild) and the Rays (who perpetually don’t spend a dime) so that’s nothing to hang your hat on. If you don’t perform well out of the gate, you better do something drastic like extend Taillon because you could quickly lose your fan base. There are reasons to be positive but there are equally as many reasons to be furious. This is why I just can’t do it anymore. I love you. I will always love you. But I need some space. I’ll still write you (mostly whenever you do something infuriating) and I’ll never stop watching. I can’t believe I’ve been writing you these letters for six years. Six! Wow! It all started in 2013. Your greatest season since 1992. It’s amazing where we were then to where we are now. I hope this doesn’t ruin opening day which, regardless of situation, is always a great day. Just remember, even if you aren’t getting letters from me, I’ll be watching. I’ll always be watching. I love you and that will never change. So long, for now. Love Always,

Brad

P.S. stands for Please Spend. Please lock up Jameson Taillon to a long-term deal. With the way free agency went this offseason, everyone and their mother are signing extensions to avoid free agency. It’s the hot thing to do right now so hop on the bandwagon. It’s a no-brainer especially given how long it will take him to hit free agency. He should be here through the Mitch Keller and KeBryan Hayes promotions. Those two, plus maybe Cole Tucker, could prove to be stars. Having Taillon anchor that rotation for the next seven years is the right call. You didn’t spend any legitimate money this offseason. This is the least you could do for the fan base…

2 notes · View notes