#also i feel like u can put smth together about the second gear being the corrupted one

[mycardinalromance]

clearing up a misconception i’ve seen way too many times today !!

people keep saying ^these^ are the same gear. they are not. the shape is clearly different, look at the size of the holes in their centres

the gear viktor drops is actually the one which he picks up from the fountain when talking to jinx. that’s the same gear.

of course, this doesn’t change the symbolism of him picking up a gear when the hextech dream is established and dropping one when it’s eviscerated..

but they’re different gears!

[fruitcoops]

If you’re up for more of a series could you possibly write the part of Remus recovering at home after leaving the game (the one with the stick to the face) and Sirius having to take care of him and all that?

Yes, I can! I’m so glad you guys are enjoying the continuation of something I wrote so long ago <3 Side note: I would give my left foot to be part of the Lions groupchat. Sweater Weather credit goes to @lumosinlove!

TW for bruises and blood

Sirius was worried. Even though Remus claimed he felt fine, he was just fine, everything was fine, a small seed of doubt lingered in the back of his mind. He had dozed off in the car on the way home—Sirius’ heart had stuttered for a moment before the swelling-enhanced snores started. His phone lit up every few seconds, but he didn’t dare take his eyes off the road for even a millisecond, just in case.

Remus woke when the car stopped and immediately winced. “What’s wrong?” Sirius asked, taking the hand that rested on his thigh.

“Just hurts.” Remus kissed his knuckles as best he could. His skin felt strange, and the edge of the tape was an unfamiliar sensation next to the softness of his lips. Sirius collected their gear from the trunk, then helped him up the front steps; just as he went to unlock the door, he felt Remus’ hand tighten on his forearm. “I hate not being able to see well.”

Sirius kissed his temple. “That’s what you’ve got me for.”

Hattie stopped in her tracks as soon as the door opened, and Remus frowned. “Hatters? Where are you, sweet girl?”

“She’s here.” Sirius whistled for her and crouched, setting their bags aside while Remus sat crosslegged on the floor and held his arms out. Hattie’s tail wagged low, almost as if she was afraid; she glanced up at Sirius, who tilted his head back toward Remus. “Go on, mon chou, he’s not going to break.”

“C’mere,” Remus said softly, shifting in her direction. “C’mere, babycakes. I need some cuddles right now—there we go. Okay, Hat Trick, okay.”

Sirius carefully closed the door as Hattie climbed into Remus’ lap and let him hug her, resting her chin on his shoulder. “Good girl,” Sirius said softly. A quiet sniffle led to a flinch. “Re? What’s wrong?”

“I fucking love our dog.” His voice sounded even more clogged than before.

“Are you alright?”

“It really hurts.” A shuddering breath made Hattie nuzzled closer. “Hey, good girl. I love you.”

Sirius sat down next to them and wrapped his arm around Remus’ shoulder, tracing a pattern with his thumb. “Deep breaths. You can take more Tylenol in a few hours. Let’s go get some ice, yeah?”

“Can I stay here with her?”

“Of course.” Sirius kissed the top of his head and gave Hattie a gentle pet before walking into the kitchen and grabbing an ice pack out of the freezer, as well as a towel to wrap it. The last thing Remus needed was a freezer-burned bruise. They were in the same position when he came back, though Remus raised his head from her thick fur when he heard him coming. “I’m going to put it on your face, okay?”

“Okay.” Remus sighed when the ice pressed against his eye and one hand came up to cradle Sirius’, running carefully down to his wrist. “Love you.”

“I love you, too. I was thinking about making some soup if you want to hang here for a bit.”

Remus nodded silently, though his lower lip wobbled in the one spot it wasn’t puffy. Sirius carefully transferred the ice pack to his hand and ran his thumbs over Remus’ cheekbones—usually they were sharp enough to cut glass, but now they were purple and overheated under his touch. He kissed each one before going back to the kitchen.

After grabbing some soup from the freezer and turning the stove on, he finally took his phone out. You Have: 20 New Messages

Message From: J ;)

Did you get home safe?

Call me when u can

Lil is worried ☹

Tell Re we send big hugs

 Message From: Tremz <3

Lmk when you get home

Leo is making soup for u

Bringing it over demain matin and won’t let us have any :(((

 Message From: Bliz

Nat sends her love for Re

Remember ice packs and NO IBUPROFEN DUMBASS

Ily

 Message From: Dumo

Sa mère est inquiète

Send text when home safe, love you

 Message From: Walkie Talkie :P

U okay? Sending lots of love

Lmk if you need soup or smth <3

 Message From: Hope <3

Thank you for the call honey <3

Tell Remus not to look at his phone and keep us updated please

Love you so much <3

 Message From: Baby Rookie

I’m bringing y’all soup and that’s a threat

NO IBUPROFEN OR I’LL TP UR HOUSE

Big hugs for Re <333

 Sirius laughed under his breath.

Message To: STANLEY CUP CHAMPS FUCK YES

Home safe. Re is fine, getting lots of cuddles from Hattie. Thanks for the messages.

 He sent a few more texts to the individual people and, after a quick conversation with Hope, stirred the soup until it began to bubble. Remus entered the kitchen a few seconds after he took two bowls out of the cupboard. “Smells good.”

“It does. Are the lights bugging you?”

“Nah. At least I can see.”

Sirius poured out two portions and set one in front of Remus, handing him a spoon as well. “Careful, it’s hot.”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “Can’t cook it cold.”

Sirius’ phone began to ping several times in rapid succession and he turned the ringer off quickly, checking the screen to make sure there wasn’t an emergency. “Leo’s bringing us soup in the morning.”

“Neat. Is everyone else okay?” Remus blew the steam off his spoon.

“The guys are all worried about you.” Sirius glanced back up, only to see Remus staring down at his soup bowl, frozen in place. “Re? Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

“Is this my mom’s?” he asked in a small voice.

Sirius wracked his brain. “…I think so? It was in the freezer. Is that okay?”

He nodded silently and a tear dripped down his cheek. “ ‘s fine.”

“Are you sure?” He reached across the counter and pressed Remus’ hand between his own, wiping his cheek dry.

“God, I miss them. You called her, right? To let her know I’m fine?”

“I did. She told me to give you something.”

Remus’ eyebrows drew together and he looked up. “What?”

Sirius scooted around the table and wrapped his arms around Remus, pulling him in for a tight hug and pressing his face into his curls. “This.”

“Thank you.” Remus went a little boneless against him. “I needed that.”

“I bet. Do you want me to give them another call so you can talk to her?”

Remus squinted at the clock. “It’s pretty late.”

“They’re still awake.”

“Could we?” Remus dug around in his pocket and handed it to Sirius, who dialed Hope’s number and put it on speakerphone.

The call connected on the first ring. “Hello?”

“Hey, mom.”

“Are you okay, love?” Hope sounded like she was on the verge of tears already. “You sound a little funny.”

“A little banged up, but I’m alright.” Remus gripped Sirius’ hand tightly. “We heated up the soup you left us.”

“Oh, I’m so glad. Have you taken any Tylenol? Ibuprofen is bad for bruises, but I don’t know how much pain you’re in.” Her voice hitched at the end of the sentence.

“Mom, it’s okay,” Remus said gently. “It’s okay, I promise I’m fine. It looked worse than it was.”

Looks pretty bad to me. “Hestia took really good care of him,” Sirius said instead. “We got home safe and we’re icing up now.”

“What’s the healing look like? Sirius said you didn’t have a concussion.”

Thank you, Remus mouthed before turning back to the phone. “About two weeks, mostly for the little scrapes.”

The ‘little scrapes’ were held together by strips of medical tape, but once again, Sirius kept his thoughts to himself. “The blood was just a regular old nosebleed and a cut on the lip.”

Hope paused and they heard a new voice in the background. “Alright. Is it okay if Jules and your father say goodnight?”

“Yeah, totally.” Remus sniffled and Sirius silently handed him a tissue.

The line crackled for a moment. “Re?”

“Hey, buddy!” All trace of pain and exhaustion disappeared from his voice. “How’s it going?”

“Are you still bleeding?”

“Nope, my nose is a-okay. I’ve got a pretty cool black eye, though. Kinda look like a pirate.”

“The announcers were saying you were really hurt.” Jules’ voice wavered and Sirius’ heart broke a bit.

“Well, they were wrong.” Remus leaned closer to the phone, as if he could reach right through it. “In two weeks I’ll be good as new. I was really lucky.”

“Okay,” Jules still sounded unsure. “Mom says I have to go to bed.”

“Yeah, it’s late, buddy. Sleep well. I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

There was a rustling noise. “Remus?”

“Hey, dad.” The exhaustion returned and Sirius rubbed his back gently, letting him lean on his shoulder.

After a moment of hesitation, Lyall sighed. “Alright, they’re in the other room. What actually happened?”

“High stick from the Ravens caught me in the face. No concussion, just bruises and swelling.”

“Do I want to ask Sirius to send me a picture?”

Remus winced. “Probably not.”

He sighed again. “I’m sorry we can’t come out and see you.”

“Don’t worry about it, dad,” Remus said softly. “Really, I’m okay. It sucks, it hurts, I’ll ice it and be fine.”

“Sirius, are you there?”

“I’m here.”

“If he starts pulling some ‘go back to practice early’ bullshit—”

“Dad—”

“—don’t let him. If you have to lock him in the bathroom, I promise to cover for you.”

“Yes, sir,” Sirius laughed.

Lyall chuckled on the other end as Remus groaned. “Love you.”

“Love you, too. If Sirius locks me in a bathroom, I’m citing you in the court case.”

“There won’t be enough witnesses if he does it right. Sleep well, kiddo. Thanks for calling.”

“Love you,” Remus said again as the call ended. He blew out a long breath and leaned his forehead on Sirius’ chest. “Thank you for that.”

“Ne rien, mon loup. You should eat and then take a shower.”

“Are you saying I smell?” Remus teased.

“Yes, I am. I also think you’ll feel better if you do.”

They ate in silence; both were hungry, so it wasn’t long before Remus walked carefully up the stairs. Sirius checked the groupchat as he poured himself a third bowl of soup. You Have: 7 New Messages.

Message From: STANLEY CUP CHAMPS FUCK YES

DETAILS CAP

That is the blandest fucking response I’ve ever read

I’m guessing y’all are alive then???

Y’all

Haha y’all

Ok gator boy

Give Hattie lots of kisses from us and also GIVE US DETAILS

 Message To: STANLEY CUP CHAMPS FUCK YES

What do you want to know??? We got home, ate soup, called parents, and now Re is showering

You’re so fucking nosy jfc

Also cut Rookie some slack it’s hard being so far from his swamp

 Message From: STANLEY CUP CHAMPS FUCK YES

From the bottom of my heart, go fuck yourself.

He doesn’t have to he has Remus

Pots I’m going to remove your kneecaps

 Sirius paused just before responding. Despite the quiet of the house, he couldn’t hear the shower running. “Re?”

“Up here.”

“Did you take a shower already?”

“Not yet.”

The bathroom door was ajar and the light was on when he entered their bedroom; Remus stood at the sink, staring into the mirror as he felt along the edges of the butterfly tape at his lip. “Did something happen?”

“It’s worse than I thought.” Sirius stepped inside and joined him, staring at their reflections. The stripes that marked the stick’s edges had turned almost indigo since they left the rink; no less than six pieces of tape decorated the places between mottled bruises. Remus reached up to touch his cheekbone and Sirius guided his hand back down.

“Poking it won’t help.”

“Two weeks, huh?”

“That’s what Hestia told me.”

“Will you help me get the tape off?”

Sirius patted the edge of the counter and Remus pushed himself up on it, leaning forward for easy access. The first one was easy—a small cut just below his brow. It slid away without an issue and Sirius pressed a gentle kiss to the spot, then moved on to the next one. They fell into a rhythm—one side, second side, slow pull, and a kiss, until only two were left.

Remus hissed in pain as he lifted the edge of the tape across the bridge of his nose and Sirius shushed him softly, moving to the other side. “Two more, sweetheart.”

“Just rip it off.”

Sirius gave him a look. “Absolutely not.”

“I’ll do it.”

“No, you won’t, because that would be a stupid idea.”

Remus huffed, but didn’t protest. His jaw ticked as Sirius pulled the last bit off. “Can we leave the lip one?”

“Not unless you want an infection.”

“You’d be a good PT.”

“I would be the worst PT.” Sirius worked the inner edge free. “I know, like, ten stretches and basic first aid. My bedside manner sucks, too, and I’d pass the fuck out if someone asked me to set a bone for them.”

“Good points all around,” Remus laughed.

The motion pulled the last of the tape off and Sirius held it up with a grin. “All done. Hey, your swelling is down. I can see your eyes now.”

The slight gleam of amber brightened as Remus smiled. “I thought I could see a little better.”

“Do you want company?”

Remus thought for a moment, prodding the cut on his lip with his tongue. “As much as I’d love to invite you in, I think I need a second to myself.”

“Cool.” Sirius kissed his cheek and stepped out of the bathroom. “Yell if you need anything. I’ll be in bed.”

He made a pit stop downstairs to gather Hattie and bring Remus’ ice pack up, and by the time he finally slid between the sheets it was nearly midnight. Remus came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, looking happier but still incredibly worn out. He took another Tylenol and snuggled up against Sirius’ side with a quiet hum, laying the ice pack over his face once again.

“Sleep tight, Re.”

“Love you.”

[birlcholtz]

your rare pairs are just fantastic. If I could trouble you for some Ransom/Tater, please?

of course!!!

RANSKOV

tater swings by the haus for pong, lardo is like rans you have to partner with me in pong and rans is like okay and she's like you CANNOT back out and he's like okay???

and then he sees their opponent is tater (and holster but ransom sees holster every day) and he's like oh god and lardo's like no backing out i told you.

SO they play pong which breaks the ice and they fall in LOVE.

rans and tater follow each other on instagram (ransom is having heart palpitations) and jack accidentally plays cupid and bitty, lardo, and holster intentionally play cupid (bitty has a lot to do with jack's role in the whole thing)

tater thinks hockey shit is the greatest thing on earth and is INSTRUMENTAL in getting ransom and holster the capital to get a youtube channel up and running. (he's also the one who convinces them to do it in the first place. ransom is immediately in. 

holster is like ...............yeah okay running a youtube channel with the intent of getting money from it is close enough to soulless econ major recent grad work that i'll take it. (that's not what he says but it's close enough. holster talks a big game when it comes to ransom making the world a better place with his brain, but he himself is much more of a 'just let me earn some money and retire' kind of guy.) 

also, he agrees for the cause of ransom and tater's love

they wind up filming a backlog of their previous hockey shit episodes while they're coming up with material for their next episodes and they do, in fact, have a clip of tater talking to reporters in there. (they also convince jack to reenact his conversation with ford, complete with jack literally changing into his uniform and then ransom adding a thoughtfully placed jump cut. ways of convincing jack to do it included: 'it'll take like 5 minutes', 'tater will be sad if you don't', and 'you get to talk about bitty')

there's also several clips of noted american hockey players saying 'eh' in interviews for the 'spontaneous canadian accent' part

when they post the hockey speak one tater tweets about it and it's an instant classic

ransom and holster also do a very serious episode about how pie and jam are a newly developing part of hockey culture. it's a collab with bitty in bitty and jack's apartment, featuring many falconers discussing their love for baked goods, the whole rumor mill about black market pie trading (poots looks mildly to severely uncomfortable for this entire part), and many segments where ransom and holster are just trying to talk to bitty and tater keeps yelling about blueberries from wherever he happens to be in jack and bitty's apartment.

yes he sticks around for the entire filming of this episode. let him live he just wants to wait for bitty to inevitably bake something and also gaze at ransom's beautiful face in peace

anyway the youtube channel is a career but also totally an excuse for ransom and tater to talk to each other all the time (tater is the 'nhl correspondent' which really means he and rans talk all the time and occasionally tater mentions something that ransom thinks he and holster could do a video on)

holster, by the way, is exhausted at this point and thinks the squad (him, lardo, bitty, and, without his knowledge, jack) need to do something more drastic to get them to actually talk to each other about their feelings which is how haus 2.0 (minus that one roommate) winds up being invited to providence for a weekend. yes shitty's in on it now he's delighted

what follows is a full weekend of shenanigans fully designed to keep forcing ransom and tater together until one of them says something. notable events include a hike in the park in which everyone subtly pulls ahead until ransom and tater are trailing the group by like. 30 feet. putting on a rom com for a movie night and then everyone gradually disappearing until just ransom and tater are the only ones actually watching the movie. more beer pong just because. bitty makes blueberry crumble secretly while jack is (unwittingly) distracting tater via hanging out in the living room, then is like HEY RANSOM HELP ME WITH SOMETHING, immediately followed by JACK HONEY COULD YOU GIVE ME A HAND WITH SMTH. ransom arrives in the kitchen. jack arrives in the kitchen, leaving tater alone in the living room. bitty sends ransom to the living room with blueberry crumble for tater and is like  oh jack i just wanted to see your face :)

at which point jack is like bits what the fuck is going on so bitty relates the entire thing to him in a whisper and jack's like omg. do you know what you need to do and bitty's like no????

and jack is like you need to do. what bad bob did. (he doesn't actually refer to his father as bad bob but u see where i'm going with this)

and bitty's like okay but how and jack's like i got it dw about it and bitty's like okay??? and so the next morning jack recruits tater to go grocery shopping with him and while they're grocery shopping he's like Hey Tater. You Know What Would Be Cool. and tater's like what and jack's like you not letting all of them go back to boston without saying something and tater's like >.> what do you know

meanwhile. lardo, bitty, shitty, and holster are ganging up on ransom to convince him that actually, tater isn't out of his league, and that tater goes to such lengths to interact with ransom that isn't it within the realm of possibility that tater is interested in him too? wouldn't that make sense justin??? (holster has utilized his econ powers to make a spreadsheet. he pulls it out and ransom is like fuck i can't argue with excel)

by the time jack and tater get back with groceries both tater and ransom are 100% determined to not let the weekend end without saying something so of COURSE bitty's like hmmmmmm. i think i'll make something complicated with a lot of ingredients we don't have for dinner. i'm gonna need three pairs of hands so lardo and holster can come with me

and then as soon as they're out the door jack is like hey shitty i just finished this cool book you might like it let's go talk about it and shitty's like YES i would love to see this book. oh it's not in the living room you say??? well that is fine with me let's go see this book and they vanish

and then both ransom and tater are like MY TIME HAS COME and they lowkey just blurt it out at the same time because their ability to be smooth has been pretty incapacitated

ransom gets tater to wear salmon shorts (and holster is almost incoherent with rage)

ransom used to like blueberries but now they make him happy because they remind him of tater (sometimes it's kind of a bittersweet happiness if they haven't seen each other in a while honestly, but once shitty graduates from law school it's easy enough for haus 2.0 to pick up and relocate to providence, aided by the money from ransom and holster's channel)

tater ALMOST gets re-nicknamed dopey when ransom visits the falcs once, just because of the dopey grin on his face, but it doesn't stick (thirdy is sad about this. he really tried)

ransom and bitty with the other SOAPs at games going absolutely FERAL

ransom is big enough that if he wears enough of tater's falcs issued workout gear in public he starts to get looks as people mentally run through the falcs' roster to figure out which one he is because he looks SO familiar and he's wearing all that gear he must be a falconer right???

turns out he looks familiar because hockey shit is becoming a cultural cornerstone (right along with pies) of hockey and he's wearing all of that gear because of his nhl boyfriend but you know. i'm terrible with faces so this would be me

tater seeks holster out to ask what the best way is to support ransom when he's going through it (there are better terms but my brain will Not let me think of them)

'affectionate wrestling' is kind of the name of the game here

they get a big dog (and then they get a second big dog as well) and that's canon