#and professional basketball player steve???

[trashpocket]

steddie sketches 💖 (mostly fluff) but here! i offer increments of what if steve and eddie were dancers from two different styles??? or what if steve was a professional basketball player and eddie, the rockstar, was his boyfriend??

[findafight]

part 1

It's a bright May morning, and the commentators are discussing who the Indiana Pacers are going to select. It's a bit of a buzz, there's a rumour of a dark horse candidate. The Commissioner steps up and shakes out the paper, saying clearly into the mic "the Indiana Pacers select Steve Harrington, from Roane County Community College." His face makes it clear he has no goddamn clue who or what college this is. It's fine.

Steve stands, smiling. Robin kisses his cheek and Dustin throws his arms around him before he's shuttled off to get a Pacers ballcap and take a picture with the NBA commissioner, and then to the press room to answer questions.

The reporters have dozens for him, a buzz with the shock of a community college getting a player drafted. It's the first time they'll really be able to talk to him, and he's a bit nervous. He handles it all with as much grace as he can, until someone from the Chicago Sun-Times asks

"you're from Hawkins, a town that's seen its fair share of tragedy over the last number of years. Did that have any sway over your decision?"

Steve's smile turns softer as he answers "Oh, yes. I went to R-tripC because it was close. I've got friends and family in Hawkins still, and I wasn't planning on moving any farther than Chicago. It's...a hard place to leave, after everything." he can tell which reporters have no idea what Happened in Hawkins, the confused brows, scribbles in the margins of notebooks. The Chicago Sun-Times report simply nods. "My being here is just...the result of a few lucky circumstances. The Ospreys, we're a div-four team. Not even supposed to be in any competition for March Madness. But the NCAA decided to try letting non-div one teams on the bracket...not sure if they ever will again considering our loss." there are a few chuckles around the room. The RCCC Ospreys had lost pretty spectacularly in the first round. "But, that's the only reason a scout saw me play. And the fact that the scout was for the Pacers..." Here, he doesn't mention being approached by a representative of the Sacramento Kings as well. "That was something that worked. I've always loved playing ball, but if it hadn't been with the Pacers, I'd be content playing with small local leagues in Indy."

"Has this not been a dream of yours? Playing in the NBA?"

Steve chuckles. "I've played sports my whole life. Obviously when I daydreamed about winning the Championships, or swimming at the Olympics, who didn't? But. Ah, it really came out of left field, if you pardon the baseball analogy." he swallows some of the water in front of him. "I wasn't expecting to be approached by anyone about the NBA. I played on a college team that most people don't know exists, that barley qualified for march madness and got eliminated by the end of the third quarter. I was getting my teaching degree, with guys who were getting horticulture certificates or degrees in Art history or business to help their family Ma 'n Pop store or bio degrees to use to go to masters programs in Indy. We weren't playing for dreams or glory. We played because we love the game, and like each other enough to be a cohesive team." he shrugs. "I was going to move to Indianapolis or Chicago with my wife anyways. This is just...sprinkles. Y'know? I have what I need, my loved ones are happy and healthy and safe, this is just sprinkles on the sundae."

Steve leans back and sighs. He's being signalled to wrap it up. "I'm not taking this opportunity for granted, and I am looking forward to working with and getting to know my teammates. I'll be working hard to make my hometown proud. Thank you."

[yourmcu]

Ace

Pairings: Natasha Romanoff x Gamer!Stark!Reader, Avengers x Reader

Summary:

Your girlfriend, your dad, along with the rest of the Avengers, support you during a VALORANT tournament.

Word count: 4.6k+

Warnings: too much VALORANT descriptions, you can google stuff about it if you want to get a good visual of this story, basically an avengers fic as a whole but i love supportive gf nat >:(

A/n: one of the drafts I left a long time ago! I miss writing for the avengers, so I decided to finish this one.

(completely italic dialogues - casters commentating)

All the hollering from the lounge died down when Natasha practically shoved both Sam and Bucky off the couch, stealing the TV remote in the process. Their basketball game can wait, her girlfriend’s tournament is more important.

“Oh, shoot. Y/N/N's tournament is today?” Sam suddenly remembered and Bucky made a quick detour out of the lounge to fetch Steve and possibly the others. They kind of promised you they'd support your game this time around, with the knowledge that they had free time on the dates of your tournament. Sam snapped his fingers, “Snacks. I'll be right back.”

No, you weren’t a professional athlete; if anything, you’re the opposite. Your wrists move more than your whole body most of the time, you only stay an hour or less in the gym, and you prioritize getting better in Aim Lab than a shooting range.

Ever since women playing in VALORANT E-Sports were normalized, you were one of the anticipated gamers to compete, of course you were on board and signed on to an esports organization and team roster. You’ve made a name for yourself in the gaming industry because of your high IQ and big brain plays. You used your head in every match, every round unlike the majority of the players mindlessly aiming and not landing shots. Because of your career, you’re known for something else and not just Iron Man’s daughter.

Natasha didn’t like the fact that you were glued to your computer most of the time at first. She thought Tony spoiled you too much even as an adult, but she later on realized that you graduated with a degree before settling into gaming. You worked for the Avengers, sometimes as an IT for a big company which paid more than you needed. You were basically set. All of this while you were still pretty young, a little younger than Natasha.

It’s safe to say all of Natasha’s doubts went away. She felt rather impressed and took a liking to you, which developed into something more over time.

From her phone, you chuckled when you heard Sam and Bucky’s shuffling. “We’re not up for another thirty minutes, babe.” On your end, you and your team were with the event's coordinators backstage of the actual place the tourney was held. Natasha always called you before and after your events, just because she was the best supportive girlfriend ever.

“I know, I wanted to set everything up before anything else,” Natasha put you on speaker while she dealt with the TV’s settings. You smiled to yourself, absolutely adoring your girlfriend even more when she was eager and supporting your games. “Are you guys still at the hotel?”

You had to travel out of the country for the tournament. As much as Natasha wanted to go with you (Clint wanted to go too because he ‘needed a break’, you just rolled your eyes at him and laughed), being a full time hero and an Avenger doesn’t mean you get to travel 24/7. She has to be with the team in case something terribly wrong happens, which doesn’t come with a warning. “Backstage, actually. Cloud9 and Misfits are wrapping up their last match right now,” You replied. “I've already warmed up at the hotel earlier. It's crazy how our room fits all of our PCs.”

“Ah, c'mon, you don't need no warm-ups!” Sam teased, hearing you on speaker as he walked back with refreshments and an assortment of chip bags.

You giggled, rolling your eyes at the Falcon’s words. “Stop it, Sam. You know me; I always get tilted when I play too much before the actual competition.”

Sometimes you get anxious and it affects your performance, same goes for when you warm-up too much; you lose focus the more games you play, leaving nothing for the tournament.

Despite Natasha's excitement to watch your team play, she’s not too vocal about it. She wouldn’t squeal when it starts or bombard you with loud encouragement through the call, because one, she doesn’t want to be the embarrassing girlfriend, and two, she’s the Black Widow. She’s naturally subtle about everything. You knew her more than anyone else though, so even if that was the case, you still felt her support.

Thirty minutes went by quicker than you’d hope, you were so caught up in watching the game of the other rivaling teams and commenting on everything that happened whilst still in the call with Natasha. You also answered Bucky’s queries when he came back; he’s only ever heard of e-sports since you started competing in it. He couldn’t imagine how hard switching point of views and the player’s face cameras must be. Bucky has only watched, what, actual live game tournaments, basketball or chess or whatever. It was confusing to him at times, but you told him he’d get used to it eventually just by taking note of the red and blue colors.

You were cut off by one of your teammates placing a hand on your shoulder, signaling you that it was time to go. “Alright. Nat, I have to go, I’ll call you when I get back?”

The two men were the first ones you heard react, Sam shifted in his seat excitedly while Bucky wondered out loud if he should call Tony, Peter, and Bruce, who were all unnecessarily working overtime at the lab.

You felt yourself smile again when she spoke. “Okay,” Natasha bit her lip, feeling anxious about the tournament, “I love you.”

“I love you.”

“Good luck!” Sam shouted before you hung up.

Natasha almost snorted when she heard loud footsteps coming towards the lounge entrance. Her sister had the worst timings ever.

“Someone decided to take a long shit while we were heading back. Has Y/N’s game started yet?” Yelena walked in as fast as she could with Fanny, looking at Natasha expectantly as she shrugged off her thick coat and got out of her boots. Fanny ran to where the couches were as soon as Yelena removed her leash, wagging her tail happily without a clue in the world.

“About to, but you did miss her on the phone.”

“Ah, fuck.”

Soon, Bruce, Tony, Peter, Wanda and Vision came down to watch as well. Your tournaments were one of the occasions the team had the chance to bond and get together in one room, it definitely helped with the morale as Steve would think, and they have you to thank for that.

Everyone was just in time to see you walk out to the stage with your team and the opposing one. You were in your team jersey and arm sleeves with your teammates behind you in a straight line.

Tony woot-ed, plopping down next to Natasha. “Heard Y/N/N's team is going up against a brand new team roster. This should be a piece of cake for her, eh?”

Peter sat down beside him, looking at the said rival team with yours, all lined up on stage. “I don't know about that, Mr. Stark. One of them recently went viral after getting five aces on a ranked game. She's radiant, too.”

Admittedly, he also played VALORANT with you and Ned, but often miscalculates his strength as he frequently breaks his keyboard or mouse because of freaking out whenever he sees an enemy. His reflexes and fighting skills were better off used in real time.

“And Y/N/N's been on the top ten leaderboard for, what, six months?” Tony challenged, evidently confident in your skills.

The chatter on who's better than who died down when both teams sat down on their respective computers. Though it wasn’t that noticeable to most people, Natasha noticed it right away: you were wearing the necklace she gave you. You considered it your lucky charm.

After both teams chose the maps they wanted to ban and maps they wanted to play, the game started.

You mostly play the character - or agent - Killjoy. The agent reminded you so much of yourself from her overall vibe and game mechanic: she had utility to aid the whole team, from turrets to alarm bots, and an ultimate that conducts lockdowns on any part of the map. You were so used to that character that you even played her on maps she’s not very helpful at because you mastered everything about her, which made you stand out from other players as no one would dare use characters on maps they weren't good in. Gears were practically turning in your head as the game loaded.

Then, the first game commenced.

The Avengers always made noise whenever you got a kill, or whenever the casters praised you for outsmarting the opposing team, which Steve and Bucky appreciated because it was hard for them to distinguish whether or not you did something good.

Your team easily won the first game. The Avengers were now watching your tournament on the flat screen TV like a bunch of teenagers watching a romcom, all giddy and filled with anticipation.

“Look at that, 13-1? She’s insane." Bruce shook his head. A team needed to win at least 13 rounds to win, if it's neck and neck, 14, or they may choose to go into overtime.

“I’ve never seen Y/N play with that kind of aggression before; they don’t stand a chance.” Wanda pointed out. She liked to spectate from the side whenever you played at the compound, whenever she could.

Natasha’s lips turned upright when they replayed your team’s best moments. One included your one versus three clutch, in which you threw a taunting, questioning look at the opposing roster across the stage after you effortlessly took out three enemies on your own. It was like their heads weren’t in the game at all.

The team laughed when they showed the exact clip of your face camera mocking the other team across the room. Natasha liked that about you; sure you were reserved and shy in general, but she loved it when all your confidence just comes out while you’re out there.

Another clip was when you had a problem with communication, so you weren’t aware that there were enemies around. Your character didn’t stop running because of that and you were exposed to two enemies. You reacted fast and jumped, pulled out your vandal to shoot both of them in the face.

Tony clapped his hands together at that moment. “Let’s go. Let’s fucking go, Y/N/N.”

Natasha, not all that phased on your brilliant play, could still not contain the smile on her face as she plopped back down on the couch.

“What? Wait, hold on, how did she even-” Sam looked back at everyone while they reacted to the highlight. He didn’t exactly process what happened because you moved too fast.

“God reflexes,” Yelena shrugs, not looking away from the screen. Wanda laughs in agreement.

After a bit of commentary and commercials, it was on to the next match on a new map.

Now, Natasha did not know the difference between the multiple maps at all, but she did remember you mentioning that your weakest one had to do with ice.

The next match was on a map called Icebox.

So, she watched intently as your team took a little while during the agent selection. But in the end, you decided to go for Killjoy again. Natasha could only guess what you had in mind to pull off another win.

“This is highly unusual for [Team Name] Y/N, isn’t it? Right now she’s watching the flanks when we usually expect her to be out there with a duelist to try and take picks!” The caster exclaimed, looking at their partner caster. “She’s one of the strong sentinels who you would trust to be by your side - and look at that, she takes out two already, they did not expect anyone to be holding the flank!”

“But she's using Killjoy again - couldn't she have gone for Cypher or Sage? Then again, they already have Skye on their team.”

Even though you were trying to play smart in this map, you still hated it, it was your weakest one. Still good, but not all that great. The opposing team seemed to know the typical Killjoy strategy on the Icebox map. You got sniped every round and your setups were way too predictable to the opposing team.

Soon, the score was 4-10. It was definitely not good to be on the end of only winning four rounds. Your team had to win the remaining rounds or hope for the best and go to overtime, or you lose this game and go onto the third one which would be way nerve racking and increase the odds of losing.

“Intense match so far we've got here. With [Team Name] Y/N at the bottom of the leaderboard this just has to be a miracle for [Team Name] to get a second win and move on to the next round.”

“There's also a bit of a setback with her shots in the last few rounds. I guess this is when we get to see if she's learned a thing or two from her girlfriend, right?”

Natasha rolled her eyes. “They honestly did not have to bring that up.”

The other commentator expressed confusion at their partner's comment.

“The Black Widow! [Team Name] Y/N's been dating her for the last couple years. Honestly, where have you been?”

Everyone groaned as they started bringing your dating life to the conversation when they should be sticking to the game. Tony chose to laugh it off to and ignore the annoyance, whereas Yelena mumbled, “Did they just turn into a morning show now?”

After everyone in your team died, you all decided to ask for a timeout to talk things out. While that was going on, the Avengers had their own timeout and were trying to talk about the game, or at least what they thought was happening.

“Okay, assuming we've all seen how this Killjoy character works, her character would make most sense if her utility was in Site A." Bruce said, in thought.

Vision, one of the smartest of the bunch, had not grasped the game mechanics that well over the hour and half of the tournament. "But why is that, Dr. Banner?"

“Site A is pretty cramped, while site B has a lot of space. Of course the opposing team would always go to B since Y/N’s character's utility can't place utilities in both sites, they only have limited range," Peter points to the map as soon as it's shown up close, the casters having their own separate conversation about it.

Bucky turned to a confused Steve and Sam, “I have no idea what they're talking about.”

“Where else would she put her chicken gun on site B, then?” Tony joined the conversation, talking about your character's utility placement.

“It’s,” Natasha sighed. “It’s not a chicken gun...”

“Well, that chicken gun slows down enemies, right? It would make sense if Y/N places those bomb thingies to instantly kill them.” Yelena said.

“Lena, I think Y/N is fairly capable of playing the game right,” Wanda chuckled.

“Then she should be winning.” Yelena said jokingly, chugging on her drink.

It was astonishing how a group of heroes are knowledgeable about a video game, just so they could follow what you enjoy doing. That's how much they adored you.

Clint entered the room and looked at the source of ruckus, absolutely sick of the discourse. He was aware of your tournament and has been probably spectating on different means. “They still get another match if they lose this one. It’s the best out of three.”

“I’m starting to think someone’s cheating, has anyone noticed that some of the opponent team instantly kill them with only one bullet?” Steve squinted.

Tony scoffed. “That’s ridiculous, it’s a tournament.”

“It’s because they hit them precisely on the head, Steve. Who wouldn’t die if they got shot in the head?” Sam crossed his arms.

“Me,” that came from Vision.

“You don’t count.”

They all turned back to the screen once the timeout timer ran out. Natasha could sense the tension in your team, just from the way you glanced across the stage… she could tell you were gonna have a different way of playing the remaining rounds. The screen turned to you stretching your neck from both sides, seriousness evident in your face as you clutched your mouse, ready for the game to resume.

“And we're back, and it seems that [Team Name] had enough time to come up with a different game plan. We've got one duelist camping B, one on mid, and look at [Team Name] Y/N's utility. She's got her alarm bot and nano-swarms over on A, but her turret is on B as she's over by tunnel to keep it active.”

“Again, I have no idea what he's talking about.” Bucky shrugged, crossed his arms and kept his eyes on the screen.

After fixing your team's strategy, all that was left was to deliver with accurate shots and stay alive as much as possible. By the end of a few rounds, with your team’s communication and teamwork flawless than ever, the score was 12-11. Your team only had to win one more time to officially win.

At this point, Yelena and Wanda were loudly reacting to the gameplay, Sam and Tony were howling, rooting for you. Clint ended up setting himself on one of the sofa's arms, invested in the match.

Natasha was on the edge of her seat, clutching the couch cushions. She couldn’t help but chuckle when they showed your reaction momentarily, clearly breathless and eyes wide, fist bumping your teammates seated beside you.

“Oh, what a comeback! The most intense so far, am I right?” The caster exclaimed.

“[Team Name] only has to win one more round before moving on to the next part of this tournament!”

The last round wasn’t exactly in your team’s favor in the half. Three of your team got killed already, only two of you remaining and the five of the enemy team. The rival team obviously did not want to hand over the win that easily.

After the call of another successful kill by the opposing team, you were the last one standing against a full set of players. You would either have to clutch up the round or go into overtime.

Clint perked up, pulling out his wallet. “Alright, who wants to get the bets started?” He asked, placing down a crisp fifty dollar bill on the coffee table. “Y/N wins the game.”

They all stopped to look at him as if he was a madman.

“C’mon, Barton, it’s one versus five.” Sam pointed out.

“So what? Am I the only one who believes in Y/N here? Oh, Nat, you better start placing fifties.”

Natasha merely rolled her eyes, not once wanting to bet on or against her girl. Her eyes glued to the screen in which your character is cautiously checking if the area is clear to plant the bomb.

But Tony pulled out the same type of bill from his wallet, placing it on top of the archer's money.

“Mr. Stark, you do realize you're betting against-” Peter started.

“Hush, spiderling. Watch the game.” Tony brushed him off and watched the screen intently.

Tony was proud of you, truly. But it would also be funny to tease you lovingly when you go home as a loser.

You set up your utility, kind of surprised the whole enemy team went to the other site in which they thought you were heading. They did not leave anyone behind to make sure, as per your cautious scan of the area before settling. After checking all angles again, with thirty seconds to spare, you planted the spike.

“This is a dangerous game to play. She has to hold a lot of angles by herself, they could come in from anywhere.”

The spike continued to beep, which added a lot more tension among the Avengers. Natasha alternated from looking at the actual game to your face camera, of which was the only one left colored. You kept pacing at one of the hiding places, waiting for the slightest noise or actions from the other team.

You decided to peek at one of the entrances to the site once, the Jett with an operator narrowly missed your head so you took the opportunity to blast her head off. Afterwards, your alarm bot from the other side of your hiding place went off, so you went and peeked quickly, managing to pick off another player from the opposite team. Two down, three to go.

The Avengers erupted in noise. Sam and Peter were losing their minds, Bucky and Steve had amazed grins on their faces, and Natasha was clinging on to Yelena and Fanny like a fangirl trying to contain herself.

“What was that?!”

“She's a god!”

“My god, this is way too intense for me.”

Both commentators erupted in surprised glee as well. “A double kill from [Team Name] Y/N! The others are slowly making their way into the site, what will she do?!”

A Sova fired a dart to hopefully reveal your location on the map, but you were too quick to shoot it down to cancel it. But, the Sova spotted you anyway, and was able to shoot you until you were at only 50 HP.

You hid again and recalled your turret, placing it on top of the wall in front of you before sneaking your way to the opposite side. It could watch your back while you attempt to peek on the other side to surprise your enemies.

That move managed to catch one of the other players trying to sneak in as well, and you killed them off with ease. Three down, two to go.

“Down goes [Player Name]! Sova and Yoru are still on the lookout, it's like an intense version of hide & seek up in here!”

Barely anyone was talking now, all eyes on the enormous screen.

“Y/N has her ult!” Peter pointed out.

That you did, as your third kill managed to unlock enough points for it. Aware of its availability, you hurried off to the perfect spot to plant it to cover almost the entire site, still hidden from your enemies. Killjoy's voice rang through the game, saying 'Initiated!', when you planted her ultimate.

“What's that? What's happening?” Steve asked.

“Well, it's called 'lockdown', so I'm assuming it's locking off the area within its perimeter... trapping everyone inside...” Bruce said, lost in thought because of the game.

The Yoru activated their ultimate in time with yours, and you were now twice as cautious, looking around for blue swirls of the duelist to avoid getting sniped easily. He tried to blind you, but you were quick to move your view away from the flash to avoid it. Stupidly, the Yoru's ultimate ran out while trying to destroy your lockdown, so you killed them without hesitation. Four down, one to go.

Clint cackled at the turn of events while the others continued to freak out, teasing Tony, a billionaire, on losing a fifty-dollar bet. “What did I tell you, Stark?! What did I tell you?!”

The spike's beeps started getting faster and you could finally see the finish line. But, you were still cautious as they still had more than enough time to defuse if they managed to kill you.

“You know, [Team Name] Y/N could just leave the site at this point. It's game over for [Rival Team Name].”

“Ah, don't speak too soon there! [Team Name] Y/N's now inspecting the outer corners of the site, unaware of [Rival Team Name] [Player]'s sneaky entrance - and she's placed a smoke down, ready to defuse!”

Of course you were unaware of the opponent's whereabouts. But, you did hear the defuse sound go off for a second. With that, you head back, holding a grenade to throw near the area of the spike.

“She's got this in the bag.” Sam said in content.

After a few seconds, the defusing sound started up again, but you were certain that the grenade you set off did some damage to your opponent on top of the information you got from your teammates before they died.

You started to jiggle-peek from your spot, clearly visible from your opponent's perspective, so they had no choice but to stop defusing the spike to try and shoot you.

Unfortunately, they did a number on you, so you decided to go around. Once the cooldown reset on your turret, you placed it down on one side for intel. With only 20 HP left, you snuck up to the other side of the obstacle to hopefully pull off a knife kill for the finale.

“This game is way more intense than I thought.” Bucky spoke thoughtfully amidst the suspense-filled silence.

“Shhhh!”

“Oh my god, she's got her knife out.” Natasha said in disbelief, watching your character sneak up behind your opponent whose back is facing you.

“So?”

“Just wait for it.” Natasha bit her lip, knowing fully well how you always prefer a devastating way to end a match.

The commentators were freaking out, a combination of “no's”, “don't do this”, and “not like this” rang through the Avengers' speakers. It was considered devastating in the VALORANT community to be killed in game with a knife instead of a gun or anything else. The opponent is oblivious, having already defused half of the spike, but they didn't know what would soon come.

You strike your knife at their head, killing them instantly, the spike left undefused. The game graphics became slow motion while the screen flashed green with 'VICTORY' in the middle of it all. You stood up almost immediately, proud of your savage last kill, fist-bumping all your teammates.

“AN ACE FROM [Team Name] Y/N! [Team Name] IS GOING TO THE MASTERS!”

You hugged your team as well before turning to the camera nearest to you, blowing hot air onto the lens, and tracing a heart followed by a cheeky grin and a wink.

“Yup, she's a Stark alright!”

Roars and cheers emitted from the commentators, the present audience, and the Avengers. Sam yelled and everyone followed, but the loudest one was Clint, who then swooped down to collect his cash prize for winning the bet. Tony didn't care at all, laughing along with the others; he had something new to brag about his kid. Natasha's cheeks flushed, as they always did when it came to you.

“SHE WON!”

“I'll get the booze!”

“In your face, Stark!”

“Cap, you stepped on my foot!”

Natasha unlocked her phone to take a quick picture of the livestream of the heart you drew on the camera, as well as of the stage displaying all of your team's headshots with an abundance of confetti almost covering it. All she wanted now was to call you, but she knew you probably had interviews and post-game rituals with your team, and she had champagne to drink with her own team in celebration of you.

The next morning, on a quick flight back home, the first thing that caught your attention was Natasha's Instagram story of the tournament. Your family supported and watched the tourney for you, as the following slides of her story consisted of the team chugging on champagne, Clint showing off an apparent bet that he won, and Peter and Sam posing in front of the TV when your face camera was shown up close.

Smiling, you liked her stories and replied with 'Thank you for supporting me, my love. I'll see you all soon'.

[jaskiers-sweetkiss]

Oh my god thank you for tagging me I’m losing my mind

Does anyone have any athlete steddie fics or anything in the general vein? I’m not picky I just have a burning need for a steddie victory kiss that breaks the internet bc no one knew these two were an item, let alone madly in love enough to credit any and all success they’ve ever had to the other.

[cooliestghouliest]

PUTTY, chapter three

(chapter one), (chapter two), (chapter three)

PAIRING: virgin!Eddie/former cheerleader!Reader

SUMMARY: You and Eddie go to a party.

SERIES TAGS and C/W’s: mutual pining, experienced!Reader, inexperienced!Eddie but he’s eager to learn, mostly sub!Eddie, insecurities and self doubt, narcissistic and/or absent parents, jealousy, mean basketball players, hurt/comfort, they smoke weed, eventual smut (18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI), uniform kink, dirty talk, foot jobs, hand jobs, oral (f!receiving and m!receiving), public sex, sex toys, unprotected PiV. more to be added as this progresses!!!

WORD COUNT: 5.4k+

TAG LIST: @emma77645, @aliciabb17, @gracieluvthemoon, @kellsck, @figmentofquinn, @mediocredreams

—

Parked on the crowded street a block away from Chrissy Cunningham’s massive Loch Nora home, Eddie sat fidgeting with his hands in his lap. The van was idled. He made no attempts to unbuckle himself, so you turned in your seat to assess him.

Down the road, the yard was full of teenagers, the party seemingly having spilled over from the house to the entire property. Eddie was observing the attendants with a narrowed gaze, almost suspiciously.

You were starting to feel bad for dragging him along.

“Eddie, you don’t have to come in. I’ll just go say hi to Chrissy, and then we can go do something else, if you want,” you suggested, voice soft.

He very much wanted that.

But he knew you were hoping to spend some time around your best friend, and with how often you babysat for Olly nowadays, Eddie assumed you hadn’t had much availability for a social life lately.

He didn’t want to be the reason you missed an opportunity to have fun.

He briefly thought of telling you he was just going to head back to the trailer and for you to enjoy your time at the party, but you’d invited him, and you’d seemed so ecstatic when he’d agreed.

And truthfully, the idea of ditching you there gave him the same uneasy feelings that going inside the party gave him.

It seemed to be a lose/lose situation.

Tired of battling with himself, Eddie decided he was going to go with the option that allowed him to spend more time with you. Otherwise, he’d have to sulk back to Forest Hills and spend the night overthinking about what you were up to. And who you were talking to.

Eddie wasn’t used to the feeling of possession that curled in his stomach at the thought of other guys trying to get with you.

For a brief moment, he let his doubts swirl freely in his mind, his badgering inner voice reminding him that he was no rich jock with a full ride to an Ivy League and was instead just a drug dealing super, super senior who did nothing for his professional future except dream of one day making it big with his music.

But from the fervid patience you were awaiting his answer with, Eddie had to shake his head clear of self-deprecation, recalling your earlier conversation where you had said you actually liked spending time with him, and had told him you wanted to attend the party with him – not Andy or Patrick or any of Jason Carver’s other rich boy cronies.

Who was he to deny you your wildest, most incomprehensible wishes?

“No, no, let’s go,” Eddie finally said, turning off the van. He shot you a grin, full of false bravado. “Really, I wanna go.” He didn’t, but he was going to fake it ‘till he make’d it.

You returned the grin without hesitation, eyes filling with relief. For a moment there, you’d half expected Eddie to bail on you. And really, you wouldn't have blamed him, considering being put in this social situation was clearly wreaking havoc in his brain.

Eddie clicked the van locked and pocketed the keys as you tried to sweeten the deal for him, wanting to ease as much worry as you could. You didn’t bring him here to stress him out, you brought him here so you could both have a good time, drinking and laughing without the obligation of watching a six-year-old.

“I think Steve might be here,” you offered, knowing the pair had become quite close.

If Eddie were to be honest, hearing Harrington might also be there did make him feel better.

Dustin had introduced them to one another the year prior. While they didn’t mesh at first, essentially polar opposites, the two bonded when they’d both impromptu taken edibles together.

It happened one movie night at Nancy Wheeler’s.

Eddie brought his own brownie stash and had accidentally left them out on the kitchen counter. Steve, thinking Mrs. Wheeler had baked the goods for the get-together, had eaten two before Eddie caught him. He spent the first part of the night talking Steve down out of a panic attack, and then they spent the second part of the night laughing their asses off, laying in Nancy’s pool fully clothed, floating on almost airless rafts.

They’d been friends ever since.

Something else also made Eddie feel better about heading into the party.

You had grabbed his hand in yours at some point as you made your way up the driveway, your warm fingers interlocking with his own.

For the second time that night, you made him feel invincible.

Like nothing could go wrong.

𖤐 ֪ 𖤐 ֪ 𖤐

You hadn’t been inside the house two minutes before Chrissy’s voice rang out in the midst of the crowd.

“You made it!” the girl practically yelled, weaving her small frame through the sea of bodies that packed the usually spacious foyer. When she finally made her way to you and Eddie, she wrapped her arms around you in a tight hug, drunkenly swaying side to side and giggling. When Chrissy pulled away, she looked to your side, spotting your companion. “And Eddie! Hi, Eddie!”

Eddie couldn’t help but crack a smile at the bubbly blonde’s welcome. She, like you, had been a rarity at Hawkins High School.

Whereas most of the popular students had either avidly avoided the likes of Eddie or chose to interact with him solely to make his life a living hell, you and Chrissy never negatively singled anyone out. Instead, the two of you would do things like volunteer to be partners with the quietest kids in class for a project, or you’d both sit with new students during lunch until they found their own cliques.

Eddie never understood why either of you willingly chose to spend your free time with the likes of Jason and the rest of the Hawkins sports roster. He chalked it up to you both just playing your predestined roles. Once you fit a certain mold or stereotype in Hawkins, it was pretty hard to branch out from it. Eddie of all people could understand that.

“Hey, Chris,” he greeted, happy she didn’t go to hug him as well. The last thing Eddie needed was Carver thinking he was making moves on his girlfriend.

Actually, the quicker he got away from her, the better. He liked Chrissy, he truly did, but wherever she was, her loverboy was soon to follow, and Eddie didn’t feel like being instigated into a fight right now.

His eyes flitted around the expanse of the house, eventually spotting Steve by the sliding glass back door, standing with Nancy and Jonathan.

Your gaze followed Eddie’s. You hadn’t been totally sure Steve would be there, so you inwardly thanked the universe for small miracles. Now that Eddie could relax in like-minded company, you didn’t feel so bad parting ways with him for a little while. Of course, you wouldn’t have minded if Eddie tagged along by your side the whole night, but you knew he’d dread every minute of having to be around Jason and his buddies, who unfortunately came with the Chrissy package.

“Why don’t you go say hi?” you lightly nudged Eddie’s shoulder with yours, smiling up at him. “I’ll come find you in a little bit.”

Eddie’s chocolate hues dropped to you, a grateful expression on his face at your suggestion. “Don’t leave me hangin’ for too long, sweetheart,” he teased, although he really wasn’t joking at all. “I dunno how long I’ll last around all these big, scary basketball players without my Princess to protect me.” After a dramatic bow, Eddie vanished into the crowd.

Chrissy, beyond inebriated, hadn’t paid much attention to the exchange. With Eddie gone, she pulled on your arm, tugging you away, slurring, “C’mon! Y’have so many shots to drink t’catch up with me!”

𖤐 ֪ 𖤐 ֪ 𖤐

You really had not planned on getting drunk.

Tipsy, yeah, sure. A few beers, maybe a shot or two of some expensive spirit Mrs. Cunningham had imported from Europe.

But glassy-eyed and giggly, your skin flushed warm, an alcohol-induced pink blush sprouted over the apples of your cheeks?

No, that was not in tonight’s itinerary.

But Chrissy knew you’d been slaving away with work the past few months, hardly finding time in your busy schedule to come see your best friend cheer or link up and spend too much money at Starcourt Mall like you both used to.

You, although the same age as Chrissy, had gotten your diploma a year early, and hadn’t stopped working toward your goal of getting the hell out of Hawkins from the moment you walked across the stage at graduation. At job after job, you would often work overtime and weekends, trying to save up as much as you could.

It was admirable, but there had to be balance, something you were never good at finding on your own.

Damn Chrissy Cunningham for being so persuasive and persistent, wanting her best friend to let loose again and join her on a drunken tirade, similar to those you’d indulged in throughout your time together in high school.

Chrissy had begrudgingly disappeared several minutes earlier after Jason had swept her away. She didn’t want to leave you yet, wanted to spend as much time with you as she could, but she didn’t want to disappoint Jason either. You could see the struggle in her eyes, so you made the decision for her, promising you’d catch up more later in the week.

Plus, while you loved your best friend dearly, right now you felt a drumming deep within you – a desperate sensation. The tequila you’d downed urged you to find Eddie. You wanted to curl up into his side and breathe him in, wanted the aroma of his strawberry blunt wraps and tea-tree mint shampoo to fill your senses.

The party had dwindled down some, but there was still an impressive amount of people stationed all over the house, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly where your long-haired target was hiding out. There was no double vision yet, but you blinked a few times and took a breath to stabilize yourself anyway, not wanting to stumble drunkenly as you walked.

You’d made it as far as the kitchen when two arms branched out around either side of you, a letterman jacket coming into view as your lower back was pressed against the marble of the island counter. A tall male with dark hair and dark eyes smirked down at you, a predator satisfied he’d cornered his prey.

“Hey, you.”

“Hi, Chance,” you answered, not appreciating the personal space he was impeding on. You attempted to move out of his barrier, but he just repositioned his weight, keeping you caged in between his arms.

His breath was hot on your cheek, the smell of beer wafting from him strongly. Everything about him was making your stomach turn. “What’re you doin’ all by yourself?” he asked. “Heard you came with Munson,” pause for a scoff, “but I knew that must’ve been a fucking joke.”

“Why would that be a joke?” you countered, brows furrowed. “I did come here with him.” You moved your gaze from the annoying presence in front of you to scan the room, trying again to find Eddie. “Actually, d’you know where he is?”

“Oh yeah, saw him drawing a pentagram on the sidewalk out front. Think it was in virgin’s blood. He was speaking some other language, too.”

You rolled your eyes, your patience running very thin. You were so sick of people making assumptions and passing judgments just because someone else was different than they were.

You had half a mind to make a snide remark about how the whole town knew Chance Deely’s mom had an affair on his dad with the pastor from the Presbyterian church, and did that mean she must have been worshiping demons too since she did something so immoral and uncouth?

“Ha ha,” you deadpanned, trying again to duck away from his arms.

You took in a sharp breath when you felt Chance’s hand move to grip your waist, pulling your body to his.

“Come on, babe,” he said, the pads of his fingers digging uncomfortably into your clothed skin. “Lemme take you home. I know your daddy likes me. I’m sure I can convince him to let me stay the night…”

What a clueless moron. He didn’t even know you hadn’t lived with your parents for the past year now. But you’d let him keep thinking that, finding solace in the fact that he didn’t know where to find you if the creep ever decided to try and stalk you out one night.

“And do what?” you asked, now emboldened both by your intoxication and the nerve this idiot had cornering you like this. “Have a sleepover with him? I don’t want you, Chance.”

His jaw ticked, his features hardening, undoubtedly in an attempt to make you feel small and scared. You felt neither.

“Get off of me, Deely. I mean it.”

“Or what, huh? You gonna sic your vampire boyfriend on me?”

“No, I’ll fucking bite you myself.”

His eyes flashed and his tongue darted out to wet his lower lip as he considered you, humming in approval.

“Yeah, I’d like to get that mouth on me…”

You rolled her eyes again, so hard this time you wondered if they’d stick. “In your wet dreams, douchebag. Now get. Off.” You tried prying yourself away from him once more, swatting at the hand he had on your waist.

It just made Chance double down, pressing his center against you crudely. “I’m trying to get off, baby,” he said, giving a disgusting pout. “You won’t let me.”

“Do you not know what ‘no’ means, Deely?” a familiar voice interjected from behind Chance.

Your heart swelled as you raised your gaze to find Eddie’s dark eyes glaring daggers at the boy who’d had you cornered. You smiled wide at him, an odd juxtaposition when mixed with Eddie’s beyond irritated expression and Chance’s feeble attempts at seduction (which were more harassments than anything else).

You were so relieved to have this Bambi-eyed boy come to your rescue.

“What I do know is that nobody asked you, Munson,” Chance countered. He still kept his body turned towards yours, much to your dismay. “Why don’t you go and fuck a corpse or something, freak? Leave me –”

But his words were cut off when you brought your knee up to budge as hard as you could in between his legs.

Chance whined loudly, falling to the ground, clutching his hopefully bruised balls in his hands.

The partygoers had been distracted with their own conversations up until that point, but with Chance Deely crying out on the floor, writhing around pathetically, everyone’s attention was on you and Eddie.

“The fuck’s going on in here?” came Jason Carver’s voice over the other loud mumblings in the crowd.

“That's our cue to leave, Princess,” Eddie alerted, grasping your wrist in his hand as he pulled you from the Cunningham residence with haste.

You tossed your head back and laughed, hurriedly following Eddie out.

𖤐 ֪ 𖤐 ֪ 𖤐

The ride from Chrissy’s place to yours wasn’t long at all. Five minutes, tops.

While Eddie was focused on the road ahead of him, fingers white-knuckling the steering wheel at the thought of Chance Deely’s roaming hands, you were staring intently at your getaway driver.

You watched as his jaw clenched and relaxed, then clenched and relaxed again. He wasn’t doing anything special, just sitting there stewing in inner turmoil, but he was still so, so handsome. Handsome and heroic.

Although you were the one to administer the knee to Chance’s most prized possessions, you knew Eddie wouldn’t have hesitated to do the same and maybe even more to defend you. You thought back to the hateful look in his eyes as he stared the back of Chance’s head down, fists ready to make contact with the stupid fuck’s face if need be.

Eddie’s eagerness to be of service to you, for you, turned you on more than you thought it would. The fuzzy feelings from the alcohol helped loosen your inhibitions, and you found yourself squeezing your thighs together for some sort of friction as Eddie pulled up in front of your apartment.

You watched as he took a deep breath in, eyes shutting momentarily before exhaling and turning his attention to you.

He softened his face, forcing his mouth to curve into a smile. Underneath it all, you could tell he was still buzzing with anger and adrenaline.

“Would you please walk me inside?” you asked, your fingers toying with the hem of your dress. You were trying to appear inconspicuous. “They might know where I live. I’d feel safer if you came up with me.”

‘They’ meant Jason and his friends.

It maybe was a bit of overkill on your part to pull the damsel in distress card. You weren’t afraid of Carver or Deely. For the most part, they were all talk.

It also helped your sense of security that your neighbor across the hall was a police officer, something which Jason was aware of. He’d almost gotten arrested for banging on your door at one in the morning to try to get to Chrissy after the couple had one of their explosive arguments.

Chrissy had found refuge at your apartment a handful of times over the past year, leading Jason to look your address up so he always knew where to find his girlfriend when she ran off.

Each time he came pounding, Officer Hammond would swing open his door and dangle a pair of cuffs in Jason’s direction. It had the blonde boy scurrying away, the fear of an arrest that would hurt his chances at a basketball scholarship dominating his caveman impulse to steal Chrissy away.

Technically, you weren’t lying to Eddie. Although you weren’t scared of Carver and his friends, you would feel safer with Eddie around. Just because.

And fortunately for you, Eddie would never pass up the chance to play protector, especially when it was you who was asking him so nicely.

𖤐 ֪ 𖤐 ֪ 𖤐

“I can’t believe you kneed him in the nuts, that was fucking hilarious,” Eddie laughed, following you up the stairs to your third-floor apartment.

“I should have twisted them off, but then I would’ve had to touch him.” As an afterthought, you added, “Which, gross.”

“So gross,” Eddie agreed.

Stepping inside your apartment, you immediately kicked off your shoes. Eddie’s eyes dropped to the ground, following your movements, and he noted that you were wearing those cute white ankle socks with the pretty lace ruffle at the top. Those were the kind he remembered you wearing all the time at school, complete with your green, white, and yellow cheer outfit.

The memory of you in that uniform, bouncing up at down at one of the school rallies, had Eddie trying to secretly adjust himself in his jeans.

He he hung back in the doorway, ready to leave.

Eddie’d noticed the rousing stare you’d been giving him in the van. It was a look he’d often shot your way, when he was sure you weren’t paying attention. Full of want and yearning. He hadn’t missed the sight of your thighs pressing together either.

But you’d been drinking. That probably explained away the actions. You just weren’t thinking straight.

Eddie didn’t want to overstep or take advantage, so his plan was to be a gentleman and escort you up, then head back to his van and jerk off to the thought of you begging him to touch you.

You had other ideas.

You reached your hand out and bunched your fingers into his black Iron Maiden band tee, trying to tug him toward you. It wasn’t enough to physically move him, but enough so that he’d get the gist of what you wanted.

“What’re you still doing out there?” you asked, tilting your head down to look up at him through your lashes. Your expression was coy. “You can come inside, Eddie.”

A double entendre if he’d ever heard one. He had to force back a groan as his imagination went wild.

“I shouldn’t,” he tried, hand moving down to grasp yours in an attempt to loosen your grip. Eddie didn’t really want you to let go, though. He wished you’d grab him harder, not give him a choice, pull him inside and have your way with him. Gentleman, gentleman, gentleman, he had to remind himself in his head. “I was just making sure you got up here safe. I should, uh, probably get going… it’s kinda late…”

The pretty pout you shot at him further loosened his resolve to leave, and he felt glued to the spot in your entranceway. “I’m a big girl, Eddie, I don’t have a bedtime. You don’t wanna hang out more?” you asked, fingers tightening in the fabric of his shirt. “Y’know, I wasn’t serious about being afraid of Jason and his boyfriends… it was just a big ploy to get you to come up here with me.” You bit at your lip in an effort to hide a grin, trying to keep the innocent facade playing on your face. “Thought maybe I could show you where I live, since I’m always at yours… and I just rented the new Texas Chainsaw movie. Haven’t watched it yet.”

Eddie found it was getting increasingly harder to say no to you, with your hands on him, pulling him gently toward you. Each word you spoke sounded like it was being sung by a siren.

A movie seemed… safe.

His eyes drifted past you to your living room, where he assumed you’d want to watch it. He was satisfied with the size of the couch. He’d be able to put enough space between the two of you to keep it friendly, because that’s probably what you really wanted, just to be friendly, but the buzz you were still feeling maybe had you thinking you wanted to be a little more than just friendly.

In the morning, Eddie figured you’d probably regret anything you may have ended up trying to do. He promised himself he wouldn’t let you get that far. He figured he’d be able to limit any physical contact by positioning himself at whatever far end of the couch you weren’t on.

He really, really did want to be around you. He just couldn’t for the life of him believe or understand why you were saying you wanted the same thing. Must’ve been the booze.

But he could take advantage of this moment, couldn’t he? Without taking advantage of you? He would just make sure things stayed PG.

“You drive a hard bargain, Princess,” he conceded, giving in and walking inside. He clicked the door shut behind him, happy to have your hand still clinging needy to his shirt. “I can’t say no to a pretty girl who wants to watch Tobe Hooper with me. There’s just one thing that’d make this night even better…”

You rose an inquisitive brow at him. You could think of many, many things that would make this night better, and they all ended with you so fucked out that you couldn’t remember your name and could only remember Eddie’s.

Maybe he was about to finally give you both what you wanted – or, well, what you wanted, and what you had only hoped Eddie wanted, too.

You leaned closer to him, waiting for his suggestion.

“Got any popcorn?”

𖤐 ֪ 𖤐 ֪ 𖤐

You’d been on the couch with Texas Chainsaw Massacre playing in the background for the past half hour.

While you had ulterior motives and didn’t plan on strictly watching the entire time, Eddie was acting as if this was the greatest movie to have ever been written, his wide eyes almost unblinking as he focused on nothing but the television.

And even though he was also seated on the couch, he still seemed far away, having chosen to sit at the end furthest from you.

You didn’t want to encroach on his personal space, fearful maybe you’d been reading every sign you’d ever thought he’d given you wrong and he in fact wasn’t interested. Had you known for certain he wanted you like you wanted him, you would have been in his lap the second he sat down.

You had to play it a little safer first. Test the waters.

This is how your socked foot ended up in Eddie’s lap.

Totally safe.

The empty bowl of popcorn, which had been resting on one of Eddie’s knees, clattered to the floor when he felt your heel weighed down on his thigh.

Eddie had been forcing his attention to stay focused on the movie, not daring to drift his eyesight to you sprawled out beside him, your tight sundress so far up your legs he knew he’d be able to see your panties if he looked.

His gaze finally shot over to you when you’d made the contact, but you were now the one pretending to be engrossed in the gory horror movie. Eddie could have sworn he saw an uptick in the corner of your mouth when the bowl clattered to the ground, but it was dark and he couldn’t be sure.

Swallowing hard, his eyes dropped down to his lap, watching as your foot flexed and relaxed repeatedly.

The crotch of his jeans felt tight, his heartbeat picking up pace at the thought of you possibly feeling how hard he was growing right now. If you’d just move your foot over one or two more inches, he’d feel the solid warmth of you where he wanted to feel you the most.

How would you react? Would you freak out? You wouldn’t, right? You were playing footsies with his fucking lap, for Christ’s sake. This wasn’t innocent, was it? It couldn’t have been.

“You don’t mind, right?” you asked him, attention still on the TV, forcing nonchalance into your tone. “Feels good to stretch like this. And you’re so warm.”

He was about to respond, was about to say he didn’t mind, not at all; fuck, he’d be anything for you — a footrest, a heater, a guard dog, a servant, a total fucking fool. But when your foot finally met with the bulge forming under his denim, Eddie inhaled harshly, a hand coming up to wrap around your ankle, stopping you.

When he turned to look at you this time, you were staring right back at him.

You were propped up on your elbows now and he could feel you trying to wiggle your foot free.

“Let me, Eddie,” you urged. “Please.”

His grip faltered on your ankle at your pleading, and you took the chance to weasel it out of his hand. You wasted no time tracing the thick outline of him over his jeans with the ball of your foot, the bite of the zipper pressing into his sensitive length causing him to hiss.

You brought your other foot up to join in, using your toes to curl around the girth of him, kneading back and forth.

Those fucking socks, fuck. Eddie already had his fair share of dirty fantasies of you in your cheer uniform – the whole ensemble, head to toe – and he knew he’d now never be able to look at a pair of lacy frilled socks normally ever again.

Eddie groaned, his head falling back against the couch. His eyes fluttered shut but only momentarily before they found you again. You didn’t bother containing your wide grin, your teeth sunk into the softness at the center of your bottom lip.

“Put your hands on them, pet,” he gave another groan at the nickname, “so you can make yourself feel good.”

Eddie’s brain was clouded with desire, and he could feel his face warming at your request.

“I don’t – I mean, um… you’re drunk…” he was stumbling over his words because your feet wouldn’t stop, rubbing and pressing in all the right places.

Your head dipped back with a little laugh. “Not really,” you lied. You were definitely still feeling the effects of a forgotten number of mixed drinks, but that didn’t change the fact that you’d been hoping this was where the night would lead five hours ago. Or even five months ago. Very pre-drunkenness. “And even if I was…” you trailed off momentarily, giving your heel another ground down against his lap. “Was I drunk when I held your hand at the party? Or when I told you earlier how much I liked being around you?”

Eddie thought for a moment before shaking his head. No, you weren’t. Holy shit, so he had read all your signs right. You were interested in him. He wasn’t just imagining all of it.

Okay, fuck. He could work with that. He probably shouldn’t, probably should have stuck to his guns and told you to wait until tomorrow when you were for sure sobered up.

But Eddie was typically an act now, deal with it later type of guy. And right now, he was finding it very hard to be any different.

He’d never done anything like this before, had never even gotten much further than just making out, but Eddie didn’t let his self-doubt rule at the forefront of his mind for once.

Not tonight.

Not with your feet in his lap and your voice telling him the dirty things you wanted him to do. Not when his upstairs brain was closing up shop, tossing the keys to his confined cock.

“Wanna make you feel good, too,” he said, hands finding your ankles again. He didn’t halt their movements this time. Now he encouraged them to move, slowly beginning to rock his hips up into the soles of your feet.

With that admission, you realized you weren’t just projecting your own desires when you’d catch him staring at you through the kitchen window while you played with Olly out front; when he’d put his hands on your waist as he passed by you in the trailer’s cramped hallway; when he’d lick his lips and watch your own as you talked to him about some minor detail from your day.

Eddie wanted you, too.

And with how fucking hard he was, you realized he wanted you bad.

Your head lolled to one side as you observed him. “I wanna watch you use me ‘till you’re about to come.” The TV wasn’t too far away, and with the relatively bright scene on the screen at the moment, you could tell he was hanging off of your every word. You could feel him tightening his grip around the width of your feet, pulling them down harder against him. “If you’re a good boy and stop before you get all messy, then maybe I’ll let you make me feel good, too.”

Eddie’s brows furrowed in equal parts desire and disbelief at your words, his parted lips forming the shape of an ‘O’. It was all he could do to nod wordlessly, feeling dumb in the best kind of way, his eyes not wavering from yours once as he got to work.

[corrodedcoughin]

So I know celebrity rockstar Eddie with Just-Some-Guy Steve is popular, but what about the opposite?

Steve, who is a professional Basketball player, got scouted from where he played for his college team. The fan fave, the darling of the locals, and one of the best players on the team. Models for sportswear brands, has had interviews and talks at schools and the media loves him. He's handsome, and nice, and has publicly come out.

And then there's Eddie. His boyfriend since college. Just some guy who runs a music store. Started just as a minimum wage worker and then slowly worked his way up to running a small business himself. Sells guitars and drums and other instruments. Vinyl and cds and music merch. Hosts guitar lessons. Is happy playing music because he loves it, not for the fame and money.

Eddie goes to all his games (or as many as he can) and while he's not a sports guy and never will be he loves watching Steve play. Is only about 80% sure of the rules at best and that's good enough for Steve. And Steve who's not a metal fan, and will never be into DnD but will spend his free evenings helping Eddie plan a campaign or listening to this song Eddie's been trying to learn on the guitar.

Idk I just think it's fun to explore the opposite! Eddie getting excited any time he sees people wearing Steve's merch in public and people keep mistaking him for a hardcore fan because no one knows who he is and honestly he's fine with that. He is a big fan of Steve

he's a big fan of steve' MOMO THAT LAST LINE TOOK ME OUT!!!! OHH!!!!

Okay so as always i am IN LOVE with your ideas and where you take them and explore with the space.

Please can I have Eddie who doesn't completely GET sports but he DOES get collecting so he has one of those card books and collects basket ball trading cards. He has a full page of 'Steves' that he every proud of because he's drawn on some of them, giving him different outfits/hair/facial hair/speech bubbles, some include dragon hatcher steve, android steve, malibu barbie steve and pronstache steve (that one wasn't even drawn on, Steve was just trying something new and it got immortailised in a trading card much to Eddie's delight. His personal favourite is a Steve mid spin of the ball on his fingertip, the image of concentration and Eddie has yet to see a photo that highlights the muscle and bite-ability of Steve's arms quite as well as that one.

When Eddie and Steve are out for dinner and Eddie sees a little kid wearing a shirt with Steve's name on it he's quick to point it out to the delight of his boyfriend, both of them trying to figure out a way to subtly let the kid know that 'Harrington' is here.

Eddie who turns up to games with the kids and a foam finger because 'Steve come on its hilarious' but in reality he just loves obnoxiously supporting him. Steve kisses his finger tips and waves to Eddie before running to join the team in the changing rooms. Eddie who catches it and stuffs it in his pocket in the most dramatic way possible. Steve who laughs every time because he wouldn't have it any other way.

[xoxobuckybarnes]

Apologies if you've already done this, Mags!

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. (If you wanna!) Spread the self-love! <3

I haven't done this yet, thanks for sending it to me! 💜

Love Is All Around Us (Stucky / MCU)

Summary: Steve and Bucky are best friends. Always have been. Always will be. Around them, all their friends are falling in love, getting married, having children, living their best lives. Steve and Bucky are dancing around their feelings for each other. With wedding after wedding to attend, it might finally be time for Steve and Bucky to finally address their feelings for each other... A Four Weddings and a Funeral AU (as in there are four weddings and one funeral)

Going For Gold (Stucky / MCU )

Summary: A long time ago, Bucky and Steve used to be friends. From the moment they met on the youth soccer field, they were inseparable, bonding over their love for the game and planning for a future together where they both got to do what they love. But Bucky hasn't seen Steve in four years. Not since their friendship ending fight. Bucky achieved his dream, became a professional soccer player, good enough to play for the U.S. Men's National Team. When Steve Rogers shows up to write a book about the Men's journey to the Olympics, Bucky's shocked. And a little angry. Can Bucky and Steve get over their fight? Can they ever have that friendship they once had?

Cannonballs and Basketball (Jake Peralta / Brooklyn Nine Nine)

Summary: Spending the day with a classmate leads to a new revelation for Jake.

A Year in the Life (Stucky / MCU)

Summary: Monthly snapshots of Steve and Bucky's time together in Wakanda.

Another One Bites the Dust (Stucky / MCU)

Summary: For over a year, Steve's been looking for Bucky and now he's finally located him. Unfortunately, he's not the only one after Bucky. Steve just has to get to him first. And hope that Bucky wants Steve to find him.

[hottestthingalive]

steve harrington is the character of all time. he’s a jock. he cannot land a date with a girl to save his life. he’s an ex-bully. he’s the unwilling babysitter of half a dozen asshole children. he wore a sailor suit for an entire season and then spent the next one largely shirtless. he has fought off multiple monsters from another dimension and once bit the head off a bat. he has lost every fight he has ever been in that were against other human beings. he has a dedicated hair routine he keeps secret from everyone except some kid he’d met an hour beforehand. his best friend is a lesbian and he reacted to this news by making fun of her crush. his parents have never been seen onscreen. he has been concussed more times than the average professional football player. he dresses on a spectrum from child’s halloween costume to the everyday clothes of a sixty year old man. his dream is to drive around the country with a basketball team’s worth of children. he hasn’t seen more than three movies. he still lives in the house where his ex-girlfriend’s best friend was murdered in the pool. he keeps ending up in weird homoerotic situations with dudes he’s supposed to be enemies with. he’s a single mom who works two jobs. he’s the bitchiest man alive. he’s a himbo. he’s everything

[evansbby]

*this ask contains challengers spoilers lol*

i could be wrong but i’m guessing the challengers anon wants wg to end with reader picking steve because ari just hurt her too much atp

meaning steve survives and he starts to change for the better—reader helps him overcome his drinking habits and anger issues and eventually gets him back to playing basketball

fast forward like 10 years later and ari and steve play against each other like PROFESSIONALLY like in the nba

the thing is, even though steve’s gotten so far in his career, he’s been thinking about retiring (atp he and reader have a kid) and ari has a rep for being like a sucky player (ig this happens after reader decides to officially leave him? i haven’t seen challengers in like forever 💀)

but the real tea is that while ari and steve play against each other, ari and reader have sex the night before the game 😶 steve finds out like halfway thru the game, and suddenly his anger issues return for like a hot minute…

then by the end of the game, he gets over it and he and ari makes up somehow? steve ends up winning and then i guess they become a throuple at the end???

again i haven’t seen challengers since the time it was out on theatres so this could be completely inaccurate but i tried 😭

GURL I THINK ANON GENUINELY MEANT JUST A THREESOME 😭😭😭 OR SMTH LIKE THAT JSJSJSJS

butttt okay firstly, if Ari was a sucky basketball player that would give me the ick so that is DEFINITELY not happening! 🥲😭 Ari was and always will be a great basketball player!! The very best!

also how did Steve get into the nba pls??? last I checked wasn’t he DEAD 💀 😂😂😂😂 jk (or am I????)

Now don’t get me wrong, this plotline would be juicy but I just can’t see this happening no no nooooo like reader would never do the whole cheating thing again!!! Not after the whole ari and sharon debacle!

Also if reader cheated on Steve, how does he just get over it by the time the game is over?? 😭😭😭😭😭😭 if this did happen, Steve would probably spiral and be mad at everyone for life and NEVER get over it!!!

[bylerconfessions]

I feel like everyone’s jobs when they get older are going to be something like this-

Max is probably going to be a lawyer or go into business.

I’m sure Lucas could go on to be a professional basketball player, but I see it more as him possibly just doing something more minor, assuming he and Max stay together then he may not have a huge profession.

Mike could definitely pursue the writing dream.

Art. Will is going to do something with his art.

Dustin is going to be some insanely smart scientist or historian. He’s going to solve a bunch of historical mysteries and shit.

El could be a therapist or a phycologist. I see her that way.

Nancy will probably continue her dream of investigation.

Steve probably won’t do anything super memorable- but I’m sure he’ll find something he at least somewhat enjoys.

Jonathan is going to continue his photography.

Holly is going to be a professional soccer player or something, prove me wrong.

Erica is going to be President. A good one. She’s going to be absolutely insane.

Robin could do something with fashion or go on to do band, I see people have takes on both of those.

Any thoughts? :)

after seeing robin’s outfit for season 5, she is fashion

also holly as a soccer player is so random lol

[steveharrington]

Sorry to bring this to your inbox but I need to know if it’s just me overanalyzing but I hate the amount of ST fics I read where Lucas is pro basketball player. Like it’s already sus that the writers made their sole black main character suddenly into basketball but I hate that fans latched onto that as his sole future instead of the previous three seasons that clearly developed that he’s equally smart and nerdy and capable of academic success as the rest of the Party. Idk it just bothers me so much that they’ll give everyone else jobs like engineer and writer but then based on one canon season of playing sports, they decide that Lucas can only play ball(especially those saying he needed basketball to get into college when mike canonically is not doing well academically). Idk I love jock Lucas but I do not love that the fandom has really chosen to celebrate his physicality above all else, especially considering how much racism there is in the fandom. Also I hate the people act like El and Will are closer to Steve than Erica!! Like did not refer to a van with the Sinclair siblings max and Dustin as his kids for everyone to decide to ignore them!! Also will and El have their own brother and tbh I believe that in their petty fourteen year old hearts they are #TeamJonathan.

oh jeez i’ve never read a fic where lucas grows up to be a professional athelete but yeah that’s. very much taking one trait and running with it to like an extreme degree! tbqh when i watched the season i kinda interpreted basketball as like a means for lucas to gain the social acceptance he’s always craved, not necessarily a genuine passion of his so it’s interesting to me that people took that as him genuinely like loving the sport when really that’s never. mentioned. and i get what you mean, i think the fandom tends to ignore a lot of lucas’ canon traits and just kinda barely glance in his direction which is. so sad. if i were to give lucas a future career i think he’d be something very outdoorsy and active like a park ranger or something idk i think he’d look cute in the little hat <3 as for will and el, it is stupid when people act like they would somehow take precedent over lucas and erica in steve’s life. however i must admit….. i’m a el & steve friendship supporter. i think they’d get along very well and based on how little she actually interacted with jonathan in s4 i don’t necessarily think she’d defer to him over steve. but that’s just me!

[lboogie1906]

Stephon Xavier Marbury (born February 20, 1977) is a former professional basketball player and current head coach in the Chinese Basketball Association. After his freshman year with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, he was selected as the 4th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft by the Bucks but was traded to the Timberwolves. A two-time All-Star and a two-time member of the All-NBA Team, he played in the NBA (1996-2009). He played in the Chinese Basketball Association until his retirement in 2018.

He, the sixth of seven children, was born and raised in Brooklyn. After his senior year, he was named New York State Mr. Basketball, after averaging 27.4 points, 8.3 assists, and 3 steals per game. He was often heralded as the next great NYC point guard. He was one of the subjects of The Last Shot, which followed three seniors and him, a freshman, through the early months of his first season with the school’s team. He played for the renowned AAU team the New York Gauchos.

On June 24, 2019, he was named head coach of the Beijing Royal Fighters of the Chinese Basketball Association.

His brother Zach has played professional basketball in Venezuela. He is a cousin of former professional basketball player Sebastian Telfair. He is a cousin of former Providence College star and former NBA journeyman Jamel Thomas.

He married Latasha married (2002). He has three children.

In 2006, he partnered with Steve & Barry’s to promote a line of shoes and clothing bearing his nickname, “Starbury”. The line of shoes he endorsed sold for $14.98, far less than many other shoe lines. The reason for doing so, he stated at the time, was to provide kids a way to get fashionable basketball shoes for a reasonable price, and avoid the problem of having expensive shoes that are the target of theft. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[punkslovepoints]

Steve is visiting Eddie in LA where he works as a record producer. They play basketball. They're not dating.

-

Steve didn't think he'd ever seen Eddie look so at home. When he'd imagined Eddie in LA, it felt like a total antithesis to everything he remembered about him. But to see him so relaxed, so well suited to his surroundings, he wondered if he remembered him right at all.

Eddie showed him to his room, a second bedroom that was obviously usually used as a recording or rehearsal studio. There were a series of instruments propped up on the walls from guitars to a violin. A set of drums sat in the corner gathering dust. The bed was a camp bed, but a high quality one. He noticed the mattress was still covered in plastic, a sales tag still hanging off the metal frame.

No sooner had Steve put down his bag and sat on the bed was Eddie bounding back into his room, a carryall in his hand, wearing a Metallica tank top and a pair of long basketball shorts, hanging just below the knee. His hair was tied up out of his face.

Steve stared in shock.

"C'mon, Harrington, gonna take you to meet the guys."

He stood up and followed Eddie out of the apartment, muttering "The guys?" to himself as he followed Eddie down the stairs.

The guys turned out to be a group of men and women who Eddie met up with once a week on a basketball court round the corner from his apartment to shoot hoops. Steve felt pretty glad of the fact that he’d felt out of his depth since he’d stepped off the plane because this latest information may have blown his mind if not.

The courts were owned by the community center, where one of the women, a girl called Mina, worked. She explained that she ran a group for gay youth and they let her use the courts for personal use when the center wasn't using them.

Eddie introduced him to everyone as the high school star basketball player. They responded in jest, nudging Eddie with various in-jokes that Steve didn’t understand. He shook everyone’s hands, they obviously weren't professional sports people, looked like the kind of kids Eddie hung around with in school but adults now, girls with short hair and guys with earrings.

Eddie reached into his carryall, took out a basketball and threw it to Steve, who despite his shock, still caught it with ease. The rest of the group made mock impressed noises in Eddie’s direction again. He shut them up with a glare and suggested they play a game of H-O-R-S-E, splitting into two teams. A guy who’d introduced himself as Marshall stepped up and called dibs on Steve being on his team. Eddie grinned at Steve, smacking the arch of his back to push him in the direction of the other side of the court.

Eddie wasn’t good at basketball, Steve found with some relief that he hadn’t been that wrong about him. He dropped the ball a lot, missed most of his shots and cheated so flagrantly that it was nothing but funny. In fact, most of them did. After the game of H-O-R-S-E, it developed into a pickup game. None of them seemed that familiar with the rules, or they just didn’t care. Steve found himself frustrated at first when several of his completely legal plays were stolen from him by somebody blatantly breaking every rule. At one point, he could have sworn that one of the girls just ran past him holding the ball.

After a couple of hours of play, he was sweating like a pig, having had to lose his shirt part way into the game due to being dressed for cross-country travel and not intensive sports. Neither side had really been keeping score, but it was clear that Steve’s team had won by a mile. Eddie reached into his bag, taking out two bottles of water and holding one out to Steve. Steve settled down next to him on the community center steps and took a swig. Eddie’s tank was much darker in the front from exertion. Steve tried not to stare at his arms, which were glistening with sweat. He thought back to that night in New York, how much he wanted to touch him back then. How much he wanted to touch him now.

Eddie turned to him as if he could read his mind, a devious smile spreading across his face.

Keeping eye contact, he took a huge gulp of his water before holding the bottle over his head and pouring the rest over himself. Steve got caught in range as he shook his hair out like a dog, water and sweat going everywhere.

Steve jumped to his feet and threw Eddie a look. He knew why Eddie had done it, knew from his smirk that he had given him the reaction he'd wanted too, one that Steve was trying hard to hide with a cover of disdain.

Laura, one of the girls, started laughing, “This is why you stay away from Eddie post-game,” she warned him from a safe distance away. Steve responded to her with a shrug before looking down at Eddie and making a decision.

He took his own water bottle and poured the remainder over his head, feeling the water make its way down his back, pooling in his collarbones and soaking his hair through. He saw Eddie's throat bob as he leaned forward, water dripping from every strand and with a smile, shook it out directly in Eddie's face.

Eddie didn’t move as he’d expected, just locked eyes with him. Then, his eyes sparkling with intent, he very deliberately gathered the water from his cheek, drawing his thumb over his lips and darting out his tongue to catch the remainder of the droplets.

The water still felt cool on Steve’s bare chest and back but he felt his skin heat up, still inches from Eddie's face. Eddie stared back, a wicked grin on his face, a challenge in his eyes.

"If you girls are done flirting, we're gonna grab some food. You in?" Mina's voice broke through their game of chicken.

Eddie raised an eyebrow in question and Steve shrugged, "I'm yours this week, Munson. You ask, I do."

"Don't tempt me," Eddie muttered as he grabbed the ball from his side and put it away in his carryall, joining the rest of the group as they left the court.

>> Read the rest of the fic on AO3 <<

[discocandles]

Ok but I need them to be in the same place when they find out. Like they're at one or the other's apartment and they're quietly sitting in the living room when Jeff texts Eddie

J:istg eds if the Stevie guy you've been hesitant to introduce us to is Steve Harrington from the fucking Phoenix suns...

E:the fuck're you talking about?

Eddie can almost hear Jeff's sigh when the text is marked as read. Jeff sends a link to a Vanity Fair article.

J:I wanted to ask before chrissy strangles you.

"Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson spotted on a date?" Corroded Coffin's lead guitarist and the Suns' star player being seen flirting wasn't on this year's bingo card.

Eddie blinked at the headline, and stared at the paparazzi photo. That was definitely him and Steve from that morning. Steve was laughing at one of his wack-ass stories, and Eddie knew he was probably making the same face now that he was in the photo, because he felt like his heart was going to melt all over again.

But he couldn't let the fact that Stevie was the most gorgeous person he'd ever encountered distract him. Again. Responding to Jeff right now could be the only thing that lets him see tomorrow.

E: i think she has the right to do that ngl

Or not.

E: in my defense, I had no clue either

J: fair. The idea of you actually watching a sport is pretty fucking ridiculous.

E: oh fuck off

And at about the same time, one of steve's teammates texts him a People article

T: so when you were talking about your boyfriend, you meant Eddie from Corroded Coffin?

Wait what?

Steve scanned the article, pausing at the photo. His boyfriend was mid-gesture, making it look like his coffee was about to end up all over the sidewalk. It hadn't. As Steve couldn't help the fondness that washed over him, but did Eddie know about him fully? He had to ask before his mind spiraled too much. Steve could reply to Travis later.

"Hey Eds?" Eddie felt his pulse freeze. Was he ready to face Steve knowing he's a professional basketball player? The kind of guy he'd have dissed in high school lunches and mentioned laundry baskets ad nauseam? Obviously he wouldn't now, he's dating the guy but still.

"Y-eah?"

Steve inhaled quickly, it was now or never. "So Your band has won two Grammys?" Smooth, Harrington. This is why Robin calls you a dingus all the goddamn time.

Eddie nodded before he could stop himself. "And you're in the nba?" Eddie could barely hear himself with all the blood in his ears.

"That I am. I do want to be honest and apologize. I've never actively listened to that much metal music, so I had no clue you were in corroded coffin until about 5 minutes ago."

Steve hoped to god he hadn't insulted Eddie by that, but if he wasn't going to be honest after this, when was he going to be?

But he wasn't expecting Eddie to say. "Oh thank god, I thought is was gonna just be me. I haven't actually watched a sports game since maybe 5th grade so I had no idea the phoenix suns were a real team."

Steve chuckled quietly. There was a moment of silence. "Wow. I can't believe we've dated for a little ways over 2 months and never questioned each other's schedules."

"Or how we both wanted dates that were out of the public eye." Eddie laughed.

"Yeah..." Eddie saw Steve's eyebrows shoot up, like he realized something. Then his expression switched to what looked like annoyed betrayal(he'd seen Gareth making similar faces at him).

"Did I do something?"

Steve looked up at him "no?" Oh shit I said that out loud. "Sorry, you didn't do anything wrong. I just need to make a call as my best friend in the whole world has some explaining to do." He said before pulling his phone to his ear.

"Wait Robin knows?"

"She's probably known that you're in corroded coffin since the start and didn't tell me. Oh god if Dustin knows I'm gonna maim that-" Steve stopped talking mid-sentence, presumably because Robin picked up. "Robin." He said, and that was the bitchiest tone eddie had heard from him. Ever. He knew Stevie could be bitchy, but this was a whole new level. If Eddie's brain wasn't still recovering from shock and then relief, he'd have time to find it hot.

"Robin." Steve said again, then yanked his phone away from his ear. Eddie could hear the woman's cackling from the couch.

"Oh my god! Finally! Took you long enough, dingus!" Robin yelled from the other end of the line.

"Yeah yeah. Keep it up and I'm telling Nance." That got Robin to quiet down, as Steve brought his phone back to his ear.

"Oh, now you wanna play the platonic soulmates card. after this shit? ... Uh-huh." He said, entirely unimpressed. Eddie's phone buzzed again. It was Jeff again.

J: Did chrissy kill you already?

E: alive for now. apparently stevie didnt know either. he's telling his best friend off as she seemed to know the whole time

J: Huh, so he didn't react too badly?

E: nah. Said he's never really listened to much metal

J: does that make the both of you morons?

E: Stfu

Eddie put his phone down, glancing at his (also famous) boyfriend, still on the phone with Robin. "You make a good point. Henderson is about as subtle as a baseball bat to the face. I'm surprised he hasn't texted yet. I had to learn from fucking travis." Eddie snorted, before getting up.

Steve felt eddie drape his arm over his shoulders. "So how is the other half of my beloved boyfriend's soul?"

"Wait is eddie there with you?" Robin asked, on the verge of laughing at them all over again.

"Yeah, I'll put ya on speaker." Steve pulled his phone away from his ear. "Can you say that again, sweetheart?"

"How is the platonic soulmate extraordinaire?" Steve exhaled, mildly relieved Eddie edited his phrasing. As much as he loved to tempt Robin to hang up at his and Eddie's general sappy-ness, now wasn't exactly the best time.

"Well dingbat, I'm living for how oblivious you both have been."

"I can imagine." Steve felt Eddie grin against his shoulder.

"I can't believe it took the paparazzi to find out before you did."

"I'd argue the paparazzi has no idea we didn't know each other's actual job." Steve pointed out.

"And you've seen me Birdie. Do I look like the kind of guy who would watch sports? Ever?" Eddie scoffed.

"I suppose I can give you doofuses that. But I think that you two meeting outside of being famous is a damn good story." Steve could almost see robin leaning forward as she tried to not give away her entire idea.

"My god, you sound like nance."

"I'm taking that as a compliment, you asshat." Robin said quickly. "Also, have either of you checked social media since the article dropped?"

Steve looked over at his boyfriend, who looked back with the same sentence on his face. Oh shit I haven't.

Robin snorted at the silence. "I think I'll leave you two to handle the internet imploding by yourselves."

Eddie gasped in horror. "Oh my god! I can't believe my boyfriend's soulmate could be so cruel!"

"Believe it." Steve and Robin said in unison. "Bye Bobin." Steve said

"Hope you both are in one piece by the end of this!" Robin said before hanging up.

And after the internet blew up, several introductions and interviews, and spotting one at the others events as well as together, the two became the internet's favorite jock and goth couple. Even though Eddie adamantly refuses the title as he is a metal head thank you very much. Photos of Eddie Munson wearing Harrington's Suns jersey over a mesh shirt at the next CC concert and photos of Steve Harrington wearing a Corroded Coffin t-shirt on his way to the next game were circling the internet for days. Saying sales skyrocketed was an understatement.

Famous!Oblivious!Steddie Modern AU

Where Steve and Eddie are both famous, but neither have heard of each other: Eddie is famous with his metal band and that’s just not Steve’s scene; Steve is a famous basketball player and Eddie has never voluntarily watched a sport in his life

And they meet when they both going incognito somewhere and think the other is not famous and they’re immediately attracted to each other and hit it off great and keep seeing each other. And they both want to have private dates so neither question each others excuses much.

They only figure it out several months in, after they’re photographed together and the internet blows up about *Steve Harrington* and *Eddie Munson* dating

[ozzyscollectiblehub]

AAU Basketball in Canada: Building the Future of Canadian Hoops

AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball has long been a cornerstone of youth basketball development in the United States, producing countless NBA stars and college standouts. While AAU’s influence is well-established south of the border, its presence in Canada has been steadily growing, playing a crucial role in the development of young Canadian basketball talent. Today, AAU basketball in Canada is not just a feeder system for U.S. colleges but a burgeoning platform that is shaping the future of Canadian hoops.

The Rise of Canadian Basketball

Over the past two decades, Canada has seen a basketball renaissance. With players like Steve Nash, Vince Carter, and more recently, Andrew Wiggins, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and RJ Barrett making waves in the NBA, basketball has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. This surge in interest has led to a greater emphasis on youth development programs, with AAU basketball becoming an integral part of the landscape.

What is AAU Basketball?

AAU basketball provides young athletes with the opportunity to play competitive basketball at a high level, often traveling to tournaments across North America. Unlike school teams, AAU teams are typically independent and coached by non-school-affiliated coaches, allowing for more flexibility in terms of competition and player development. These teams often participate in high-profile tournaments where players can showcase their skills in front of college scouts and, increasingly, professional scouts.

AAU’s Impact in Canada

The expansion of AAU basketball in Canada has had a profound impact on the development of young players. Here’s how:

Exposure to High-Level Competition: AAU teams in Canada frequently compete against top talent from the U.S., providing Canadian players with invaluable experience. This exposure helps players adjust to the pace, physicality, and skill level required at higher levels of play.

Pathway to U.S. Scholarships: For many young Canadian players, AAU basketball serves as a gateway to U.S. college scholarships. The chance to compete in front of college coaches during AAU tournaments has opened doors for numerous Canadian athletes, helping them secure spots in prestigious NCAA programs.

Development of Canadian Talent: AAU basketball emphasizes individual skill development and team play, which has been instrumental in producing top-tier Canadian talent. Players like Jamal Murray, Dillon Brooks, and Chris Boucher honed their skills through AAU programs before making their mark in the NCAA and eventually the NBA.

Building a Basketball Culture: The growth of AAU basketball in Canada has also contributed to a stronger basketball culture. It has brought together communities, created opportunities for mentorship, and provided a platform for young athletes to pursue their basketball dreams.

Challenges and Opportunities

While AAU basketball has thrived in Canada, it faces several challenges:

Cost of Participation: AAU basketball can be expensive, with costs related to travel, tournaments, and training often being prohibitive for some families. This has raised concerns about accessibility and the potential for talented players to be overlooked due to financial constraints.

Geographic Limitations: Canada’s vast geography poses challenges for AAU teams, especially in less densely populated areas. Teams often have to travel long distances to find competitive games, which can limit opportunities for consistent high-level competition.

Balancing Development and Exposure: There is a delicate balance between focusing on player development and seeking exposure through tournaments. While the lure of being scouted can be strong, it is crucial for AAU programs to prioritize the long-term development of their players.

Despite these challenges, the opportunities presented by AAU basketball in Canada are significant. As the sport continues to grow, so too does the infrastructure supporting it. More resources are being dedicated to youth basketball, and the Canadian AAU scene is becoming increasingly organized and competitive.

The Future of AAU Basketball in Canada

The future of AAU basketball in Canada looks bright. With the continued rise of Canadian talent in the NBA and international basketball, the demand for quality youth basketball programs is only going to increase. AAU basketball will play a vital role in meeting this demand, providing young players with the tools, experience, and exposure they need to succeed at the highest levels.

As more Canadian players make their mark on the global stage, the influence of AAU basketball in Canada will continue to grow, solidifying its place as a key component in the development of the next generation of Canadian basketball stars.