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idontgiveaflyinggrayson69 · 4 years

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Author: Nat / @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69

Tagging: @mcmo-anon @jasondickinsons @matbaerzal @thirteenisles @leeqianxiao @zuucc @letmeplaytheblues @great-puck-work @nolypats @timootimee @thunderbirdbabeyy @broadstbroskis @roopehintz @hockeybabestars @reavenedges-lies-ficdump @jacquelinechajton @lena306 @xelagirlxo @canadianheaters @heyo--its--mo @laurenairay @ohpuckyeah @meeshmorrell @jamiedrysdales @starrygirl2014 @kaitieskidmore1 @thelionkingpw @extratragic @storiesbymads @thinking-a-lot-in-my-head

Word Count: 9.6k

Warnings: Alcohol

Comments: I really want to take the time to thank McMo for inspiring this, being patient with me, and always being there. You’re the real MVP. To Kylie and KO, thank you for supporting me and being there to listen and relate to my writing struggles. To Amalie, thank you for hyping it up while barely knowing anything about it. And of course, to Criss, thank you for always helping me and giving me ideas despite having no clue who this man is. I love all of you. xx

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Travis always dreamt of playing in the NHL. He never thought he’d get there, but he dreamt of it. You, on the other hand… You always knew that Travis would make it to the big league. He was too good no to. You grew up watching him play Timbits hockey on Saturday mornings which turned into primetime games as he crushed it in major junior for the Erie Otters, playing on a team with “The Next One” no less. By no means did you dedicated your life to Travis’s hockey career, but you spent too much of it watching him on and off the ice and you knew he was destined for the NHL.

And you were proven correct when the final draft rankings for the 2015 NHL entry draft were in and Travis was in the top 50. You were there the day he was drafted by the Leafs. You held him tightly in your arms as you told him how proud of him you were and how you always knew he’d make it.

You just didn’t know that Travis making it to the NHL would come at the cost of losing you.

But that’s not where the story starts.

The story starts in the second grade when the teacher rearranged the desks in October, seating you next to a boy named Travis. With the hockey season right around the corner, you learned quickly that Travis, much like yourself, was an avid hockey fan, an avid Leafs fan. It felt like overnight the two of you became inseparable.

The days Travis didn’t have practice, he was with you. You spent recesses together talking about the game the previous night. You spent countless hours in the summer playing road hockey and playing out the fantasy of winning the Stanley Cup. As you got older, the two of you didn’t grow apart. But instead of road hockey, you were watching movies. Instead of Leafs stats, it was OHL stats. Instead of colouring the formidable Nunavut together, you were helping him study since he didn’t have much time outside of his soon to be professional hockey career.

The times changed and the two of you grew up, but you didn’t grow apart.

And as the two of you got older, you both learned to appreciate the cabin your family owned on the side of Lake Jasper. You used to call it your little slice of happiness, but Travis nicknamed it “The Retreat” because you would go away for weeks at a time and there was no cell service and he couldn’t talk to you and he hated it.

Travis stopped hating it the moment he got to tag along for a week trip to The Retreat. It was calming there, trees as far as the eye could see and a beautiful lake. There was no cell service so there was no worry of the outside world. That was something you both learned to appreciate as you got older. You didn’t have to worry about your grades or the next bad thing happening in the world. And Travis didn’t have to worry about hockey or how his stats were or what was in his future. Both of you could just be you for a few interrupted days.

Both of you had so many good memories out there, and you always thought the two of you would make more memories...

Your first year of university was the year after Travis was drafted. He didn’t make the Leafs’ opening night roster and he was sent back to Erie while you went away for university. You worked your ass off at university. During the school year you hunched over your books, and you worked two jobs in the summer to make enough money to make your own dream a reality like your best friend’s. And just like you, Travis was working harder than he had ever worked. He needed to be better to make the next jump in his hockey career, to show the Leafs he was worth it.

Both you tried feverishly to keep in touch through all of this. There were countless texts, phone calls, and FaceTimes. But your schedules no longer lined up and you both had so much work to do…

You spoke to each other less that year than you ever had.

And then you didn’t come home for the summer like he was expecting you to. You got a job in your university town that paid better than anything in Newmarket, so you stayed. It was the first summer you didn’t spend with Travis.

The next year, Travis made the jump from the OHL to the AHL.

Neither of you meant to drift apart, but the AHL took up so much more of Travis’s time and you got busier with university. So, the phone calls stopped. The texts between the two of you slowed until you didn’t even notice that you hadn’t spoken to him in months.

The two of you just grew apart.

It hurt both of you deeply to watch your friendship fall apart despite being attached at the hip for the better part of your lives. But neither of you had the time or energy to fight for it the way it deserved, the way it needed, and the halfway point the two of you were sitting at was hurting the two of you more than it was helping.

But the thing about losing a friend like Travis is that no one tells you that it hurts more than any break up ever could. You were friends since second grade, you knew him longer than you didn’t, and you couldn’t even remember life before you met him. To you, he had always been there. And then he just wasn’t.

When you lost him, you lost a piece of yourself.

But even as you lost him, you didn’t stop watching him. You could blame it on nostalgia or force of habit, but you watched him in the AHL. You watched him make him NHL debut and score his first NHL goal. You watched as he won the Calder Cup with the Marlies, making you laugh despite the pain in your chest as you listened to his post-game interview.

Listening to the people around you and the buzz on the web, you knew a lot of people were surprised with how well the ‘young Leafs defenceman’ was doing, the progress he made in his development as he grew into a gritty top-four defenceman for the blue and white. But you weren’t surprised in the slightest. It was the Travis you knew and loved.

And now, after a strenuous academic career, you were finally graduating university. Graduating with honours and high in your class. And you scored an interview for a good job in your field in Toronto. You got the job, which started in October. It was a wonderful start to the next chapter of your life.

And since you had worked two jobs in the summers of your university career and you were getting a big girl job in October, you thought you would treat yourself to a one summer off where you would be able to be free for one final time before the ‘real world’ began. And, naturally, you thought the best place for that would be to spend some time at your family cabin that you hadn’t been to since high school. The Retreat would be the perfect place to relax.

Your parents were a little unsure about giving you the keys with no timeline on when you’d be back, but you were a big girl, so they caved eventually and handed the keys over to you. On the first Thursday of July you packed your car up and made the drive north to Lake Jasper. Every kilometer you got out of the city, you felt the weight lift from your shoulders. This was where you belonged.

You couldn’t stop smiling to yourself as you drove down the dirt road knowing that you were so close the place you had longed to be for so long. And it wasn’t long until you reached the gate at the end of the driveway. You got out of your car to unlock and open it before driving through and pulling up beside your cabin.

You turned your car off and looked out the window for a moment as you took it in. Slowly, you opened the door and got out, the tall grass was brushing your ankles so you made a mental note to cut the grass. You closed your door behind you and you couldn’t help but close your eyes and take a deep breath in. You couldn’t get crisp air like this in the city. The birds chirped in the background and you made your way down to the dock, wanting to look at the lake and feel the cool water between your fingers before you started to unpack.

The dock creaked under you as you walked on it, taking more deep breaths as you looked across it. It was trees and water as far as you could see. You would stay out here looking at it forever if you could. It was that beautiful.

You stood there for several minutes taking it in, breathing, listening to the loon calling across the water and the feeling the warmth of the sun on your face. It would have been perfect if not for the voices you heard coming from a property to your left. You had no idea who owned the property, your mother told you a couple years back that it had been sold but they weren’t sure who bought it, but based off the voices you guessed it was a frat or a college guy or a family of a college guy because it sounded like a group of rowdy boys.

You shook your head with a sigh before making your way back to the cabin. You fished the keys from your pocket and unlocked the door.

It was musty inside so the first thing you did was open the blinds and windows to let the place air out and to bring some light in. When you opened the last window of the main area, you turned around, taking the place in. Nothing had changed from the last time you were here five years ago. It was the same furniture in the same place. The pictures on the wall didn’t change either. The only difference was the inch of dust on everything.

You were walking towards the door to go grab your stuff out of the car when one of the pictures on the wall caught your attention. It was of you and Travis playing in the water with big smiles on your face. You were both eleven in that photo and if you closed your eyes you could still hear your laughter.

You ran your finger over the photo as your chest tightened at the memory. When you finally pulled your eyes away from the photo, you realized that all the pictures on that wall were of you and Travis. They varied in ages from ten to eighteen. Pictures of you in the water and around the fire and even catching grasshoppers. There was even a picture of you asleep in each other’s arms from a summer in high school.

All around you was reminders of Travis and you could remember every second of it.

The next picture your eyes fell on was of you and Travis on the dock. It was from the same summer as the previous picture. Travis held you bridal style in his arms with a wicked smirk on his lips as you clung desperately to him with fear in your eyes. You couldn’t help but laugh at the picture, remembering exactly what transpired just moments after it was taken.

“One for the money!” He said while swinging you, your screams doing nothing to prevent him from continuing. “Two for the show!”

“Please, Travis, don’t do this! Please!” But your begs fell on deaf ears.

“Three to get ready and four to go!” He said before he threw you into the lake.

When you closed your eyes, you could still hear him laughing.

He laughed so hard as you screamed that he had to bend over to try to catch his breath, even when you resurfaced and yelled and cursed at him. He just thought it was hilarious to see you soaking wet and screaming like a banshee. You, on the other hand, did not think it was funny. But, luckily for you, Travis was so preoccupied with pissing himself laughing that he didn’t process the malicious look in your eyes as you got out of the lake until you were standing on the dock with him.

“Oh shit!” Travis shouted, the laughter draining from his voice as he tried to move around you, but it didn’t work and your mom helped you block him on the dock so you could push him off of it and into the water. It was your turn to laugh, and did you ever.

It was a great memory and you couldn’t help but smile, even as your heart panged in your chest. You couldn’t lie and say it didn’t hurt you to think about what you used to have with Travis and how much you missed him. But even with the heartache that was eating at your chest, you couldn’t pull your attention away from the wall of photos.

Your gaze moved from the photo of the two of you on the dock to a picture of the two of you on a tube. You were still kids in the picture, both of you wore big smiles on your faces as you tried desperately to hold onto the tube as your dad drove his boat as fast as he could, pulling screams of terror and excitement from both of you. Those screams were embedded in your memory and you could still recall them now.

You had had a lot of fun in your life, but you couldn’t describe the pure joy that you felt when tubing, even if it did end with you thrown off the tube and landing harshly in the cold water of the lake. You had even lost your bikini bottoms a few times and had to urgently hunt them down in the surrounding water without revealing yourself to anyone. But still, there was nothing like tubing. Especially when you were with your best friend.

You laughed softly to yourself as you remembered the summer when you were older and you and Travis used to shove each other off the tube, competing to see who could hold on the longest. He won basically every time, his years of hockey and working out giving him an unfair advantage over you as he could hold on a lot stronger than you could and he could shove a lot harder than you could. But still, it was a great time.

You sighed and moved your eyes to another photo. You and Travis both wore rubber boots and flannels far too big for either of you. Adult shirts no doubt, probably your dad’s. Both of you had big smiles on your face as each of you held up your own fish. Yours was bigger than Travis’s and the grin on your face showed how proud of yourself you were.

You couldn’t help but run your fingers over the photo, over your smiles. The picture was taken the first summer Travis came out to the lake. Your dad had taken both of you fishing in the evening because you both begged him to. If you were behind honest, you enjoyed the boat ride more than the fishing, but Travis had lit up like a Christmas tree when your dad finally agreed. You and Travis only caught one fish each that night before your dad shut things down for the night, but it was enough to make both of you happy and you could still remember how excited you were to show your mom that you had caught the bigger fish.

Both of you were so young and happy and neither of you had any idea what was going to happen in the future. All that mattered in that moment to either of you was that your fish was bigger than Travis’s.

Oh, how times had changed.

You took a deep breath as you shook your head, trying your best to shake free of those memories, and you forced yourself to walk back out the door to your car to unload and unpack everything.

It took you about an hour to unload and get everything put where it was supposed to be, turn on the gas and check the solar batteries and all that. It took you another hour to give the place a good dusting and wipe down all the surfaces. By the time you were done, the place looked like people had actually been living there rather than some summer cabin your family only visited a couple times a year, and that made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

You spent the rest of Thursday and the entirety of Friday just relaxing. You had your morning coffee on the deck as you watched the water. You listened to the loons and the ducks and the other birds call to each other. You did absolutely nothing productive and you hadn’t felt so free in years.

In high school you worked hard to get into a good program in a good school. In university you worked hard to get a good job. At work, you worked hard to make money to live. But all the hard work finally paid off and now you were getting that time off. You were free to just be, and you couldn’t enjoy the nothing to do more. And you couldn’t put into words just how happy and liberated you felt.

Even with the rowdy group of boys who were there for the weekend.

The thing about the rowdy group of guys you didn’t know, was that you actually did know them. And you knew one of them intimately well.

Travis had so many fond memories at the lake. He cherished every single one of them, the happy, the nostalgia, the pain. He cherished every memory he had of the two of you together at the lake and the fun the two of you used to have there. He loved how he could escape the city and pressure of Toronto. He loved that he could keep you close despite the two of you no longer being close. He loved it there, even if it hurt him to think about what could have been with the two of you and the future you both lost.

So, when a cabin two doors down from yours went on the market, there was no hesitation. He snatched it up in an instant.

Travis spent weeks up there in the two summers that he had the cabin for. He felt more himself there than he felt anywhere else. He was able to breathe and leave Toronto and the media and all the nasty Twitter users in his rear view mirror when he came out here. It was just him, Niylah, the lake, and happiness. And sometimes his annoying teammates that he loved deeply, even if he questioned what exactly was going on inside their heads.

And when he was up there alone, he would go out onto the dock every day and let his eyes fall on your cabin rather than the water as he searched for you. He always searched for you, hoped for you, but he always came up empty. The blinds on your cabin remained closed and the place empty as you were hundreds of kilometers away.

He tried to break the habit when he had guests overs, but the it was so ingrained in him. So, of course Mitch caught him staring at your cabin lost in his thoughts rather than paying attention to whatever shit the guys were talking about as they kicked back on the dock with beers in their hands.

“Are you going to tell us why you’re more interested in a vacant property than your friends?” Mitch had asked. Travis tried to shake him off, tried to steer the conversation back towards whatever bullshit they were talking about, but none of them let that happen. Mitch, Kappy, Hollsy, they had all picked up on how different Travis was out here compared to in Toronto, how he quieted himself down rather than got louder, how he withdrew from the group on more than one occasion, how he looked longingly at one singular cabin on the water. And they were all curious to know why.

So, they forced Travis to spill.

And Travis, with the help of another two beers, told them everything. “I met her in the second grade,” he started and they knew where this story was going long before Travis did. Travis told them how close the two of you used to be, how much you meant to him, how you had always been there, and how he had let you slip through his fingers. Every word that fell from his lips felt like another nail in his coffin that was going into the grave he dug himself. But he still told them.

He told them every ounce of his regret of not fighting harder for you and how stupid he was for thinking that hockey was more important than you.

“And this has to do with the cabin how?” Mitch had asked after Travis was done telling his story. Unlike the rest of the group, Mitch didn’t catch on to where the story was going.

“Because it’s her cabin.” Travis said, his eyes once again going to the cabin. If the guys caught on to how the words stuck to Travis’s throat, they didn’t say anything. So, Travis explained how he bought his cabin because of you and how he hoped every day that he would see you there on the dock or in the window and how he hoped that one day you would be there and the two of you would be able to fix things between the two of you.

But that just never happened.

The boys never again questioned Travis about the way he looked longingly at your cabin. Occasionally they told him to text you to see how you were doing, but Travis shook them off. In his mind, it wasn’t fair to ask for more of your time like that when he was the one who walked out of your life. He knew deep in his heart that you were out doing amazing things and that, he told himself, was enough. But that was a lie. It was never enough.

But that was then.

Now, two years later, a similar group of Leafs enjoyed their time at Travis’s cabin. This time around, they overlooked Travis’s constant longing. They had become so used to it that they barely even noticed it. And Travis had become so used to you not being there that he only glanced at your cabin once that week, his focus almost entirely on his friends as they partied all night and regretted it all morning before doing it all over again that night.

But, had Travis spared more than a glance towards your cabin, he would have noticed that the usually drawn blinds were wide open and that a car was pulled up next to the cabin. He would have noticed that you were there.

But instead he threw beer back like candy and laughed with his friends, playing music way too loud as they all enjoyed the summer heat. A couple of them (like Mitch) had cabins of their own, but they were mostly in Muskoka and weren’t half as secluded as Travis’s, so they all liked to flock over to Travis’s for at least a week every summer. It let all of them get a break from the vultures that were the Toronto media, something the superstars and the media’s favourite punching bags desperately needed.

Sunday was the last day they were all spending out there, so, naturally, they wanted to spend it down by the water. There were a couple of chairs with a table on the dock along with a case of beer and their towels, and they floated on various floaties in the water, beers in their hands. Unlike his friends, however, Travis stayed on the dock. He was in his swim trunks (which the guys had forced him to change into when he came out of his room in his speedo), his shirt was thrown over a chair and a pair of sunglasses rested on his face as he lounged back in the chair to “get some colour in,” which made the guys laugh.

Sunday was also the hottest day since you had been up at the cabin. Even with the windows open, you couldn’t cool off. But, luckily, you had a beautiful lake in front of you. The water was calm and with the sun out, you knew that the water wouldn’t be too cold, just cool enough to refresh you and cool you off. So, you pulled a deflated innertube out of storage and blew it up before changing into your swimsuit, grabbing your towel and making your way down to the water.

You thought nothing of the group of guys relaxing in and around the water a couple doors down from you as you set your towel and shoes on the dock before making your way into the water. The water was cool and it felt heavenly against your skin. You stood there for a moment, your eyes closing as you enjoyed it before you got onto your innertube.

Mitch caught sight of you first.

He was the only one completely facing that part of the lake and he watched you set your towel and shoes on the dock before making your way down to the beach with your innertube in hand. Mitch sat up straighter in his blown up dragon with rainbow scales as he realized what was going on.

Lounging on the dock, Travis had his back to you so he didn’t know that you got onto your floatie and let yourself drift with the wind, enjoying the cool water on your arms and legs while the sun warmed the rest of you. Travis had no idea just how close he was to you for the first time in years as he busied himself with arguing with Justin over what the best dipping sauce is.

“Hey,” Mitch said, his voice weak as he kept his eyes on you, so he tried again. “Hey!” This time he grabbed everyone’s attention. “Isn’t that,” he swallowed, pulling his eyes off you to look at Travis before pointing over Travis’s shoulder. “Is that who I think it is?”

Travis furrowed his brows but looked over his shoulder, following Mitch’s finger until his eyes landed on you.

The world stood still for Travis.

He knew the guys were talking to him, but he couldn’t register what they were saying. His beer slipped from his fingers as he stood, turning to look at you. His mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. For the first time in years, you were really there.

You had only been in the water a few moments when the rowdy boys fell quiet. You opened your eyes to look over at them, wanting to know what had quieted the group that seemed to party all day long since you had gotten out there. You were ready to tell them off if they had a problem with you using the lake at the same time as them.

But instead you made eye contact with someone you hadn’t seen in years: Travis.

You often wondered if you’d ever seen him again. You figured if you did, it would be in Newmarket or if you were ever brave enough to go to a Leafs open practice after you moved to Toronto. Never in a million years did you think that you’d run into him here.

It never crossed your mind that Travis could have been the one to purchase the cabin, that he would want to purchase a cabin of his own on the lake that you had shown him, that he would share The Retreat you and he shared with friends of his own.

It knocked the wind out of you and you slipped from your innertube into the cool water. It was a welcomed awakening as it pulled you from your thoughts. Your fight or flight instincts kicked in as soon as you resurfaced and you grabbed your floatie and made your way to shore as quickly as you could, abandoning your towel and shoes on the dock in favour of getting to your cabin as quickly as possible.

You locked the door as soon as it closed behind you and you forced yourself to breathe, trying to calm yourself down despite the panic that was coursing through your veins. You didn’t even know why you were panicking, but your heart was going a mile a minute and all the pain, heartbreak and regret hit you like a ton of bricks and it left you gasping for breath. Everything you left unsaid and every thought, hope and dream you had pushed down over the years came rushing back and you didn’t know what to do.

You didn’t know whether you should go over there and say hello, or if you should stay in your cabin behind locked doors where he couldn’t hurt you again. You knew it wasn’t fair to say he hurt you when it was your combined lack of effort that led to the loss of your friendship. But, regardless, Travis did hurt you when he walked out of your life, even if you were partially to blame for it.

In the end, despite the voice in the back of your head screaming at you to go over there and see him, see if you could mend what happened between the two of you, you stayed in your cabin, the door locked as your final barrier between you and him. You got yourself a towel and dried off before changing and busing yourself with making dinner to quiet your thoughts. You even opened a bottle of wine to see if that would help silence your heart.

Sure, you wanted to see him, let him know that you were proud of him and how well he was doing in the NHL, see how much he had grown and changed over the years like you had. But, you also wanted to protect your heart. When you lost Travis, you lost a part of yourself, a big part of yourself. Just seeing him felt like a thousand papercuts on your heart. You couldn’t imagine what it would feel like if he rejected you, not wanting to even talk to you after all the years the two of you spent together. And what if he had become someone you didn’t recognize? What if Toronto had hardened all his soft edges and turned him into someone else? You didn’t—couldn’t—ruin all the good memories you had with him and replace them with what could happen ifthat were true.

So, you stayed home where you and your memories were safe.

And you realized you made a good choice when you heard a car drive off from somewhere to your left just before dinner. You assumed it was Travis and his friends heading back into town, him being unable to even be in the same area as you even if he didn’t speak to you. Part of you felt relieved that you didn’t have to worry about him or see him or talk to him. You could now do your best to pretend that you didn’t see him and no one had to know.

But, the other, bigger, part of you felt sick. You let your best friend walk out of your life without a fight not once but twice.

But there was nothing you could do about it now and you were beginning to think you might need something stronger than wine to soothe your aching heart.

What you didn’t know, however, was that Travis didn’t go into town with his friends. He and Niylah stayed out with his Jeep because he couldn’t leave you, not again. When he saw you run towards your cabin, Travis tried to run after you, but Justin anticipated that and was able to get out of the water before Travis made a run for you, so he was able to stop him, Justin’s hand wrapping tightly around Travis’s bicep, stopping Travis in his tracks.

“I—I have to!” Travis told Justin, but his eyes were scattered and his heart was beating out of control. “I can’t let her slip through my fingers again,” Travis told him, but Justin kept his grip on Travis.

“You need to calm down,” Justin told him before his voice softened. “Figure out how you’re going to play this, what you’re going to say to her because she literally ran away from you, dude.”

Justin kept his gaze on Travis until some of the fight died out of him, and when he was sure Travis wasn’t going to go racing after you, he let go of him. The two of them walked back to the dock and everyone in the water knew that their fun was over. They knew Travis and they knew what happened between the two of you and how much you meant to him. And they could see it in Travis’s eyes and shoulders that the only thing he cared about and would care about was you. Going to see you and talking to you.

So, the boys finished their beers in silence before they made their way back inside to pack. They gathered their things while Travis took a seat at the dining table, trying to sort his thoughts. Justin saw just how lost Travis was, barely acknowledging Niylah nosing for attention, so he took a seat across from Travis. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Talk about what?” Travis replied, pulling his gaze from the window to look at Justin. Justin sighed and gave Travis a leveled look making Travis sigh. “I just don’t know what to say. To you or to her. I bought this place because of her and every time I come out here I hope to see her but I never do. But now she’s here and I want—need—to see her, but what am I supposed to even say to her? ‘Sorry I’m an asswipe who couldn’t be bothered to text?’” Travis quieted and looked down at the table. “She probably doesn’t even want to see me,” his next part was almost unintelligible, “I certainly wouldn’t.”

You had run away when you saw him. He had spent the last several years regretting what happened between you, playing everything back in his head and thinking about what he could have done differently. He wondered if you had done the same, but your reaction made him think differently and that hurt him in indescribable ways.

“I think she was just surprised, you know? Taken off guard.” Justin tried to reason with him. They were both quiet for a moment before Justin spoke again. “You are going to talk to her, right?” When Travis nodded, he kept talking. “Do you want to talk about what you could say?”

Travis was quiet for a moment. “I have to tell her I’m sorry.” He paused. “After that, I don’t know.”

“Do you want to talk it through?” Justin repeated, but Travis shook his head.

“No, I have to figure this out on my own.” Justin nodded. He waited a couple moments and when Travis didn’t say anything else, he got up to go pack himself.

Eventually everything was gathered and the car was loaded. Justin clarified that Travis was okay and sure he wanted to stay out alone, and Travis assured that he was. Whether he was mentally and emotionally ready to see you or talk to you or not, he had to at least try to make things right with you.

Justin nodded and pulled Travis into a hug. When he pulled back, he got into the driver’s seat and started the car. It was always planned that Justin was going to be one of the group’s DD, so, unlike Mitch, Kappy and Willy, he hadn’t had anything to drink that day. Travis watched Justin drive slowly to the gate, Mitch running out to open it and close it behind them, and then, just like that, they were gone, leaving Travis alone with his thoughts. With you.

Travis made his way back inside and poured himself a glass of scotch to help his thoughts. Since he was supposed to be going into town that evening as well, the only thing he had had to drink was that one beer, that one beer that he dropped when he saw you, so only like half a beer. And Travis definitely needed more than half a beer to process everything. He took his scotch to the couch where he called Niylah onto his lap, petting her as he tried to figure out what to say to you. After what felt like forever but was really only an hour, Travis didn’t really come up with anything, and he had finished his scotch, so he decided it was now or never to go talk to you.

He changed into more appropriate attire, throwing on a pair of jeans and one of his many Leafs hoodies, running a hand through his hair before deeming himself good to go. He made his way down to his dock to look over at your cabin to make sure you were still there. He hadn’t heard any cars leaves besides Justin’s, but he had to check. Sure enough, your car was still there and the blinds were still open. He hadn’t lost you again, at least not yet anyways.

After taking a deep breath, Travis made his way over to your property, crossing along the water. When he got to your property, he noticed that your shoes and towel from when you ‘went swimming’ aka, wanted to go swimming but he scared you away, were still on the dock. So, he grabbed them and made his way up to the cabin that he knew so well.

So many fond memories from his childhood were made here. When he thought of this place, he felt nothing but happiness. Now, staring at the cabin from the outside having not been there in years, he felt unsure. In the years since he owned his own cabin just two doors down from you, he never came over to check it out. It hurt him too much and he was afraid. So, it was intimidating to be face to face with your cabin from the first time in years, especially since he knew you were inside.

Travis looped around the cabin to the backdoor, both because that was how you used to enter when he stayed in the summer, and because it wasted more time, giving him precious extra moments before he had to face you. In doing so, Travis noticed that there was only one car pulled around the side, one that he didn’t recognize and could only assume was yours. By walking around the cabin he also got the best look into the various windows and he only saw one person: you.

There were two doors to your back door, the main exterior door with the deadbolt that kept the cabin locked at night and when you weren’t around, and the screen door. The main exterior door was open, leaving just the screen door as a barrier between you and him. His hand shook as he brought it up to the door frame and knocked three times.

You were cleaning up dinner, your half finished bottle of wine still sitting on the table when there was a knock at your door. “Fuck!” You shouted with a jump, your heart beating frantically in your chest. You were alone. In a cabin in the woods. With no cell service. And you didn’t know anyone out there. And it wasn’t like you could pretend that no one was home with your windows open, your car right there and your main exterior door wide open. Not to mention they probably heard you shout. You took a shaky breath and looked out the kitchen window to see who was knocking at your door.

You took a deep breath, putting your palms on the kitchen counter to brace yourself as you calmed down. There was no axe murderer or serial rapist at your backdoor. Perhaps even more shockingly, it was Travis. And in his arms he held both your towel and your shoes that you had left down on the dock earlier. While you were more than glad that the person knocking on your door wasn’t an axe murderer or rapist, your anxiety certainly did not go away when you realized it was Travis.

But it wasn’t like you could pretend to not be there, so despite all your desires to go hide in your bedroom, you walked towards the door, your heart going a mile a minute against your chest as you did.

Travis’s own heart picked up when he saw you walk down the entry towards the door. His jaw fell slack as you approached the door, but you didn’t make a move to open it. Instead, you crossed your arms over your chest. “Can I help you?” You asked and you hated how much your voice shook.

Travis swallowed as he took you in. He knew he had changed a lot since high school so realistically you would have too, but he wasn’t prepared for just how different you looked. You were still you obviously, but your features had hardened. Matured. You looked like an adult ready to find her place in the world. That is, he realized, if you hadn’t already. It’s not like he knew what you were up to or what you had accomplished.

“I, uh,” Travis lifted your things. “I thought you might not want to leave these outside overnight.”

“Oh,” you whispered. “Right, thanks.” Travis nodded, but you made no motion to open the door, so Travis took a deep breath.

“And I was hoping we could maybe talk?”

You sucked in a sharp breath not really knowing if it was a good idea or not. And Travis was looking at you with his soft, loving blue eyes you knew so well and you had to look away. Your eyes landed on the wall of photos of the two of you over the years. From ten to eighteen, pictures of the two of you smiling and laughed looked back at you. You wanted to protect your heart from further pain, but looking at how happy the two of you used to be, you couldn’t turn him away. So, you nodded and opened the door to let him in.

Travis took a shaky breath and stepped into the cabin, closing the door behind him and handing you your things. You took them with a murmured “thank you” and walked further into the cabin. Travis followed you and you put your shoes on the shoe rack and placed your towel on the back of a chair before making your way through the dining room to the sunroom where there was a table and chairs overlooking the water. You and Travis had played countless games, made countless puzzles, on that table. But there were no games this time around as both of you settled at the table.

“You, uh, you look good. Really good.” He said after sitting down, breaking the heavy silence.

“Thanks? So do you. But then again that’s kinda expected for a professional athlete…” You replied, forcing a laugh as you trailed off. “You also look good on the ice by the way.” You didn’t know why you said it, but you did. You wanted to blame it on the pliable tension between you or your nerves, but the words slipped from your mouth. And it was true. Travis did look good on the ice. You knew because you watched him. You never stopped watching him.

Travis’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Yeah?” He asked. You nodded and looked down, not sure what to say. “I didn’t know you watched,” he whispered.

You laughed again and looked up at him with a shrug. “Old habits die hard,” you told him before your voice softened. “And it’s nice hearing your name again, see you accomplish your dreams.” Travis took a shaky breath, not knowing what to say to that. You shook your head and stoop up. Travis instantly reached out for you, but you pulled your hand away before he could touch you. “I need a drink. Can I get you anything? Beer? Wine? Whiskey?”

Travis let his hand fall on the table. He swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you’re having would be great, thanks.” You nodded and walked back into the main space of the cabin. Despite the half finished bottle of wine on the table, you reached for the liquor cabinet, grabbing the bottle of whiskey. You walked into the kitchen to grab two glasses before returning to the sunroom. Travis was looking out the window but he looked back at you when he heard you walk in. You put everything down on the table before sitting down and pouring two drinks, taking a big sip of yours before Travis could even grab his glass.

Travis had taken the first step earlier, so after you put your glass back down on the table, you took a step. “What happened to your group of friends you were with earlier?”

“They went back into town,” he said before explaining. “Today was their last day out here. They were here all week.” You nodded your head, taking another sip of your drink, not knowing what to say, so he continued. “They’re uh, they’re my teammates. From Toronto,” he tacked on as if you didn’t know where he was playing.

You perked up at that. “Like the London Knights’ Mitch Marner?” You couldn’t help but tease. Travis had been an Otter at the same time Mitch was a Knight and that was a rivalry for the ages. A rivalry you so vividly remember, particularly between Davo and Stromer and Mitch.

Travis laughed and nodded. “Yeah, yeah Mitchy was here. You have to meet him some time, I think you’d get along great.”

You shook your head, “I don’t know. He seems like quite the energizer bunny.” You paused. “You had a much better temperament,” you told him, referencing how chill he was, or used to be anyways. You didn’t know if he was still like that.

Travis agreed with you. “You’re not wrong. But you get used to him. Eventually.”

You laughed again. “So, you’re happy? In Toronto with the Leafs I mean?” You asked, your question falling on the serious side.

Travis took a drink of his whiskey and nodded. “I am. It’s a good group of guys. Young, talented. It’s always fun to hang out with them. I mean,” he snickered. “Last season we debated what would be a better weapon, a knife or a hockey stick, for like three months.”

“A knife, obviously,” you said. “Who in their right mind picks a hockey stick?”

“Hey!” Travis said, faking offence. “A hockey stick would be an excellent weapon! It’s like a staff, a baton and a spear all at once. AND it can keep your enemies at a distance.” You burst out laughing at his answer. You wished you could be surprised that Travis would pick a hockey stick over a knife, but you weren’t.

It hurt realizing just how much the man in front of you was very much still your childhood best friend.

“Uh huh,” you said and forced a smile. “So how come you didn’t go back in with them?” You asked, steering the conversation back to where it was supposed to be.

Travis froze for a second before answering with a lie, not that you noticed. “I was always planning to stay out longer than them. Get some peace and quiet after dealing with the rowdy bunch, you know?”

You nodded, “makes sense.” You paused. “What doesn’t make sense is why you’re out here at all.”

It had been a long time since you saw Travis Dermott blush, but he turned bright red at your words and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. In all his thinking about what to say to you, explaining why he had a cabin here didn’t even cross his mind, which, he now realized, was very stupid. Of course you would ask him that question.

“I, uh…” He gave you a lopsided smile. “You know, I’m not even going to try to give you some random answer. The truth is, is that I love it up here, thanks to you I mean, and I always hoped that maybe we would reconnect out here, so when that place went on the market, I snatched it up. It needed a few repairs, an update here or there, but it’s really come together.”

You didn’t know what to say, so you settled on, “it is gorgeous here.”

Travis’s smile faulted and he moved his gaze to the window. “Yeah,” he said, but it almost seemed like the hope had died out of his voice. “It is.”

Despite your heart beating rapidly against your chest, you took a leap, just like he did. “I, uh, I’m planning to be out here all summer.”

If he bought a whole cabin to maybe talk to you, reconnect with you, you could extend an olive branch to him. And it wasn’t like you didn’t want to fix things with him. Of course you wanted Travis back in your life, and he was still Travis, your Travis, so you had to give him another chance and not spend the rest of your life wondering ‘what if’ like you had been the last couple of years.

Travis raised an eyebrow at you, giving you a smile, “yeah?”

You smiled and nodded, telling him that you finally graduated university (he congratulated you) and that you were taking the whole summer off before the ‘real world’ began. He asked you if you found a job and you told him that you did, explaining the whole deal, but you left out the job location. You didn’t know what you compelled to hide the fact that you were moving to Toronto, but you did. And it wasn’t like he asked where the job was, so it wasn’t like you were lying.

“What about you?” You asked him. “What are you summer plans? Spend all of it working out?”

Travis shook his head, lying to you once again, “I was actually planning to spend most of it out here.” He looked back out the window. “It’s nice to escape from the vultures, you know?” You nodded in understanding, not that you really knew what it was like to be in the spotlight and picked apart the way the Leafs were. “And Niylah loves it out here.”

The truth was, he was supposed to be spending the summer in Toronto and spend some time with his parents, but all of that went out the window the moment he saw you. He’d do anything to spend time with you. But you didn’t need to know that.

“Niylah is your dog, right?” You asked. You were pretty sure due to some content posted by the Leafs, but you wanted to be sure. He lit up instantly and nodded, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone. He tapped the screen quickly before sliding it across the table to you. “Awww!” You said, picking his phone up to get a better look. It was a picture of Niylah wearing a doggy Leafs jersey. “Absolutely precious,” you told him and he nodded.

“Isn’t she?”

“And she’s out here?” You asked.

Travis nodded and took his phone back when you slid it back across the table to him. “Yeah, she is. You should come over and meet her. And I can give you a tour of my cabin at the same time.”

You took a shaky breath and glanced out the window. It was getting dark. “Another time,” you told him. “It’s getting late, you know?”

You pretended to not notice how his shoulders fell at your words. “Is there going to be another time?” He asked after a moment, sounding more vulnerable than he would have liked, but it was a valid question. You had both given up on this friendship before and he felt like he only had one foot in the door with you and he was terrified that you were going to push him out and leave him.

He didn’t think he could survive losing you again.

You gave him a reassuring smile, “I told you, I’m here all summer. I’m not going anywhere.” Your words soothed him a little, but you could see that he was still a little unsure, so you reached across no man’s land that was the table top and gave his hand a squeeze, which seemed to calm him down more and he squeeze your hand back, giving you a small smile. “How about I give you my new number?” You asked him and his smile widened.

He unlocked his phone and pulled up contacts, your contact, and slid it across the table to you. Your breath caught in your throat at how he kept you in his phone all the years later. It was a new phone which meant he added you to his new contacts, and it knocked you back a bit, guilt and pain crawling through your chest. You deleted your old number and put in your new one before giving it back to him. “There. You have me.”

Travis looked at the number on the screen and nodded. “Yeah,” he said softly. “I have you.” He looked back up at you. “So, how about you come over tomorrow?”

You honestly hated how there was no hesitation in you agreeing. “Tomorrow sounds perfect. Any particular time?”

He shook his head, “whenever. I have no particular plans.”

“Okay,” you smiled. “Then I’ll come over tomorrow and meet that beautiful girl.”

Travis laughed with a big smile, “she’s going to love you.”

“I hope she does,” you told him.

“She will.”

And just like that, the two of you fell quiet, but the silence wasn’t tense or awkward like it was before. It felt familiar. You both finished your drinks and then your second drinks and before you knew it, it was very dark out. Travis sighed and stood. “I should get back. I don’t want to leave Niylah alone too long while it’s dark.”

You nodded, “yeah, right, of course.” You stood and gestured towards the door in the sunroom that led to the front deck. He crossed the space and put his hand on the doorknob before turning back to look at you.

“What does this mean for us?” His question hung in the air and you struggled to find the right answer. Were you acquaintances? Friends? The voice in the back of your head wondered if there was a possibility for something more, but you pushed that thought out of your head as quickly as it came.

“Friends?” You offered.

Travis nodded with a small smile. “Friends.”

It was far from what the two of you used to be, but it was a step closer, something neither of you had yesterday or any day of the last three years. So, he welcomed it. You both did.

Travis hesitated another moment, wondering if he should or could give you a hug. He wanted to. He hadn’t felt you in his arms in so long and he could still remember how perfect you felt against him, like you were supposed to be there. He wanted to feel that against. But he also realized that now wasn’t the time, so he bid you farewell till tomorrow and slipped out the door.

You watched him walk down to the waterfront before disappearing next door. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding once he was out of your sight. You didn’t know if it was in relief or disappointment. Slowly, you pulled yourself from the window, grabbing the used glasses and putting them in the sink to wash before putting the whiskey away. Your eyes scanned the room and fell on the half finished bottle of wine, so you sat down at the dining table and poured yourself another glass as you processed what just happened and the plans you had made. Whether you were prepared or not, Travis Dermott was back in your life. And you were going to see him again tomorrow.

#travis dermott #tfby #travis dermott imagine #travis dermott x reader #toronto maple leafs imagine #leafs imagine #Toronto Maple Leafs #leafs #hockey #hockey rpf #hockey imagine #nhl #nhl imagine

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hecksee · 4 years

Text

Stained Flowers

Hi this is angsty af but im struggling right now so imma project onto fictional characters

Sorry @lumosinlove I like making Leo suffer

this is my entry for the @hpbrokenhearts contest, i started out writing this when i was struggling, and tbh i still am, but it’s gotten a lot better.

Much thanks to the wonderful @iswearimnotanaestheticgirl for editing this monstrosity. You wrecked carnage on it, but it helped so much and I love this end result so much.

Thank you so much to @peggyrose19 and @marauderss-hp for looking this over and giving me suggestions!

This is probably inaccurate but I don’t know anything about hockey, and this is fanfic so who cares about the accuracy.

THIS COULD DEFINITELY BE TRIGGERING, PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

TW suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, its got a TINY bit of spice sprinkled in (i would rate this teen probably, mature if i was being extra safe), major character death, stress, homophobia, one sided pining, hanakhai, vomiting, something thats sort of like a suicide note, and a shit load of angst

Read on A03 here

Leo knew he was screwed the moment he saw Finn O'Hara on the screen for the first time. He knew he was gonna fall hard. It didn't matter that they had never met or that Leo’s attraction was purely physical. He knew that he would want everything with Finn.

But then Leo started to fall deeper and deeper over time, time that was spent mostly spent obsessing over Finn. Only a few weeks after Leo saw Finn for the first time, it started.

Everybody knew about hanahaki. When someone felt unrequited love, a seed sprouted in their lungs. Nobody knew how or why the seed appeared but it was inevitable.

The victim would start coughing up flower petals, and if their feelings grew, the flowers would grow larger until the victim couldn’t breath because their lungs were filled with nothing but blossoms.

There were only three things someone with hanahaki could do. The main solution was to surgically remove the flowers but have all feelings of love vanish. And some said it was impossible to ever love another person.

So Leo knew exactly what was going on when he started coughing up small yellow petals a few weeks after he first saw Finn on screen.

But, over the next few months he learned to recognize the signs. The tingling in the back of his throat before he started coughing up the silky yellow petals. The itch in his left lung when people mentioned Finn O'Hara. The stabbing pain toward the left of his chest when his teammates threw around homophobic slurs and comments like beads at Marti Gras is nothing new, but now it's accompanied with a burning sensation in his lungs and bloody daffodils.

The daffodils. The fucking daffodils. He decided to look the meaning of the cheery flowers up one day. Unrequited love. After that Leo laughed humorlessly, and decided that hanahaki had a fucked up sense of humor.

Somehow, Leo made it through a full year while coughing up a mixture of blood and petals. He learned how to hide it, how to excuse himself from a situation, and how to choke the petals back down while playing. He made sure that nothing would impact his career, no matter how much longer he had left.

Leo feared that his time was almost up some days. On those days, he wondered Why was he alive? Why did only the left lung sting? Wouldn't it just be better to end it than to live through the constant pain?

He almost made it through a year keeping his hanahaki a secret.

Well, almost. His mom walked in on him cleaning the daffodils smeared with red off the floor, and he had promptly broken down in tears.

He had ended up telling her everything, how he was gay, how he hated himself for it, how he sometimes thought it would be better to just end it all instead, who he loved and why.

His mom had made him tell his coach, insisting it was for the best. There had been a major fight between the coach and him. Leo was yelling and crying but standing his ground about how he needed to play. How playing was the only thing he was living for, damn it. Leo had ended up winning, so he kept playing. And just like before, he kept the hanahaki a secret from everyone, especially his team.

But then, he found out why only his left lung stung. Logan Tremblay. The latest player that was drafted to the Lions. He was newly minted, fresh from Harvard university. Short, broad, brunet, green eyed rookie Tremz.

As soon as Logan stepped out onto the ice for the first time Leo felt that telltale sting. But it was on the right side of his chest for the first time. Fuck, I'm not having unrequited love from one person, but from two?!

His right lung had irises. Royalty, the Fleur-De-Lis, France. Leo didn’t know how those things related to Logan but he could take a guess. Logan was French Canadian born and raised, that had to mean something.

Leo’s life went on. Now he had double the work of fighting the flowers down. Two names instead of one. Leo could tell there was something between Fish and Logan. The intense stares they gave each other across the rink meant something. The tension between them one day had just disappeared. Leo saw something as Logan's hot temper reared up whenever Harzy got into a fight or got hurt.

The signs grew. Rainbow tape on their sticks, posting LGBTQ+ supporting messages on the team Instagram; small things you’d need to look out for, or know exactly what they meant to know the significance.

The real confirmation was when the official Lions Instagram posted the picture of Logan and Finn kissing at a pride parade, smudged bi flags painted on both of their cheeks.

The caption read “We are aware of the homophobia in the league, however, two of our players aren’t willing to hide their relationship from the public anymore. Both Tremz and Harzy have our full support.”

The moment he saw it, the feeling of petals started to itch in the back of Leo’s throat, but he gagged them back as he scrolled through the comments. They were filled with the expected bigotry and homophobia with the occasional biphobic comment. Yet scattered in were the kind comments, full of support, rays of sunshine on a raining day.

Leo started typing out a comment of his own, telling the happy couple how happy he was for them. But the lie was rancid in his head. The flowers Leo had been choking back came up in a wave of blood.

Before Leo got hanahaki, the few dreams he had were filled with a faceless man. One that would kiss him and fuck him, but now, now there were two men. And they had faces.

Finn O'Hara and Logan Tremblay haunted Leo's dreams in the best way possible, more nights than not. Sweet soft kisses, hands tangled in auburn or brown hair, gently worshiping the hard planes and angles that came from a lifelong dedication to hockey were commonplace in Leo's dreams.

In stark contrast, some nights were filled with sloppy, urgent kisses, nails scratching on backs, and a pure need for release. But the dreams would always end, and Leo was left with the burning pain of self loathing building up in his throat before the flowers would make themselves known.

During this dream, Leo had been on fire all night, and it was thanks to him that the team had been led to victory. So here he was with his boyfriends, celebrating.

Leo leaned up to give Finn a soft kiss before turning onto his side and beginning to kiss Logan's neck. Finn had started to ruin Leo and didn't stop until Leo had hit the peak of his pleasure.

However, the aftermath of Leo's pleasure was slowly but surely turning into pain. Suddenly the metallic tang of blood was clogging his throat and the familiar smooth petals were filling his mouth.

The flowers and blood were dripping out of his mouth, and seeping into the white bed sheets. Even worse was that Finn and Logan seemed unsurprised. no, they were almost happy. Their gentle murmurings of praise turned into cold raucous laughter. In between the harsh laughter they told him how stupid he was, how he was a nobody, how they would never love him.

As the flowers only got worse, coming up in waves and mingled with the tears that were rolling down his face, Finn and Logan vanished. Then he was falling, falling, falling.

He woke with a start, his heart pounding in his chest, lungs gasping for air in between choking sobs; lying in a combination of petals and blood. His face was sticky with tears and warm, wet blood, and a few stray yellow and white-ish purple petals stuck to his skin. The only indicator that Leo's dream wasn't all bad was the stickiness in his underwear. But the worst part was that he was alone, stuck with only fantasies, once again.

The next day, Leo knew that practice would be bad. Even though yesterday his team was idolizing the Lions, they sure as hell wouldn’t be idolizing them right now. Practice was full of his teammates throwing around a myriad of slurs. The locker-room was even worse, where the coach wasn’t there to monitor their comments.

Leo fidgeted with his bracelet, uncomfortable with the comments that were flying around, with the flowers edging up his throat. He didn’t remember what happened next.

One minute Leo’s fidgeting with his bracelet, the next he’s yelling. Yelling about how people aren’t judged by their sexuality, how hell, maybe there even was a gay person in the room! To that he was obviously asked if he was the gay one, to which, he responded yes. Leo stormed out of the room to a soundtrack, suppressing the flowers fighting their way up his throat as soundtrack of cruel laughter and biting words rang around the room, just like the ones in his dream.

The next day he dreaded going to practice. He knows he won’t be welcome on the team anymore, so what’s the point of going?

Leo ended up just texting his old coach that he was resigning. His team broadcasted the fact that he’s gay on their Instagram. Now Leo’s the target of the myriad of hate that Finn and Leo faced. It made him sick to his stomach. Seconds later, he was puking into the toilet. No flowers this time, but still unpleasant.

He still walked with dragging steps to the rink and practiced, of course. He didn’t want to lose his skills when he attempts to go pro. Trying to ignore the fact that he knows no one will take him now.

Out of the blue, three days after Leo outed himself, his phone rings shrilly. Marlene McKinnon. The Lions announcer. Why was she calling him?

Marlene asked him to play for the Lions because he had great potential. Leo hesitated. Did she not know that he was gay? He pensively inquired about his sexuality, how would that impact his place on the team?

To his surprise, Marlene told him it wouldn’t influence anything. Leo was shocked, but in the happy way. Then she asked if he had any health conditions. Just like the thing about his sexuality, Leo hesitated. Eventually he nodded and said yes.

It’s hanahaki, he told her in a slow voice, but it doesn’t impact my playing.

Fucking lie.

Marlene was silent for a moment but then put him on hold with some shaky words. 5 minutes later, she agrees to let him play, on the condition that his hanahaki doesn’t get worse, and if it does, he needs to have them removed. Leo agreed, and suddenly, Leo was going professional.

Sure, Leo was worried about becoming a Lion; his subjects of affection were there and they were in a happy relationship. But over time, and many, many practices filled with words thrown at O’Hara and Tremblay, he had learned to choke back the petals.

After a few months, the day came where Leo was leaving. With many tears, and a lot of goodbyes, Leo left for Gryffindor. After a couple long flights, and a short taxi ride, Leo stepped out of the car to Hogwarts.

Inside the rink, he was greeted with the signature smell of a hockey arena, he couldn’t quite describe it, but it was pleasant, and reminded Leo of home.

In a blink, he was bombarded with maroon and gold, hugs and welcoming words. When he turned his head from the excitement, he saw them. Finn and Logan, standing back with Pascal Dumais, who he was going to move in with.

After meeting everyone and flipping out while Finn and Logan give him a hug while swallowing down the familiar liquid and petals that up, Leo was informed that he won’t be living with the Dumais’ after all.

“You’ll be living with Finn and Logan, I hope that’s alright?”

Leo quickly excuses himself to the bathroom to let the mixture of flowers, blood, and bile out.

But Leo ended up moving in with Fish and Tremz. However over the weeks, he formed a close bond with both Finn and Logan. Of course, he became closer with the rest of the team, Loops especially. Hell, Leo has a feeling that Loops knows what it feels like to love someone who will never love him back.

But after Sirius and Loops get together, Leo knew that he’s the only one who will never get the privilege of having requited love.

Leo was glad that he had managed to keep it a secret from the team. Well, there were some people he had to tell. After all, Remus was the team medic. Remus was keeping it a secret from the team and the public. But Remus didn’t know who was triggering Leo’s love. The only people who knew were Leo and his mother.

Each practice where the two of them do anything lovey dovey, Leo needs to be excused while he chokes back the flowers that are bringing themselves up his throat. But his goalie face hadn't been developed over happy things, so he shoved his feelings back and forced himself to remain calm, pretending to support their relationship; which he did, of course he did, but Leo wished more than anything that he was there with them. Leo wishes he was there in between them, wishes he was the one holding hands with them, and sharing sweet soft kisses with them.

Hell, more than once in the time when Leo was with the Lions he considered ending it all. The thoughts weren’t new, no, he’d been struggling with them since he had realized he was gay. But now, with the objects of Leo’s affection so close yet so far, he didn’t know if it would be worth living.

But then one day, about three years after the hanahaki had started, Leo woke up with agonizing pain in his chest, like someone was squeezing a palm around his heart. He thought back. The aching had worsened every time he interacted Finn and Logan. Now the flowers were coming up almost every hour of every day. The tingling feeling is now always at the back of his mind. As soon as Leo thought about Finn and Logan he felt flowers coming up.

The flowers are accompanied with a burning pain instead of a small stab. All of the flowers are full blossoms, a few with stems and leaves. They’d be perfect and prim, beautiful, if they weren’t coated in enough blood to look like a murder scene.

This was it; this was one of his last days, if not his last.

With slow robotic steps, Leo stands up, taking some deep breaths. He fished a pen and a notebook from his cabinet, and started to write four letters.

The words to his family tell them how sorry he was at how bad he was at hiding his worsening hanahaki, how much he loves them, and how he wishes he could have said goodbye in person.

“I’m sorry for causing you pain.”

In the letter towards the team he apologized for hiding his disease and explained how thankful he was to be a part of his dream team. He told them how different the Lions were to his old teams, how they were a family and how they loved each other no matter what, regardless of their differences.

“Thank you for being like a family to me.”

In the one addressed to Logan and Finn, Leo explained how they were the subjects of his attraction, how much they influenced his life coming out by choice, consequences be damned. Through blood, sweat, tears and flowers, he found himself rattling on and on about how much he loved them, how he fell in love with them, and how much he valued the friendship they had; even if it was just friendship. Leo’s hand lingered as he thought about it. Would this letter cause the two of them to blame themselves? Should he really write it?

No. He had to. Leo added a note telling them not to. It wasn’t their fault, it was his choice.

He brushed away the crimson mess. With droplets of blood staining his fingers, Leo starts on the final and most formal letter.

Leo wrote vaguely in this letter. He told that he did have hanahaki, and how he had dealt with it for years before he joined the Lions. He publicly commends the Lions for being so accepting of him, even though he had hanahaki and he was gay. Finally, he thanked his fans for staying with him through it all.

Then, with all the letters finished, Leo sealed them in envelopes and wrote to whom they are addressed to. Gingerly, Leo placed them on his nightstand and prepared for his final practice.

During practice Leo told everyone how much he appreciates them, which wasn’t too unusual, so nobody took much notice. Otherwise, practice was uneventful. Leo blocked some passes as they prepped for their game with Hufflepuff next week.

Leo was coughing almost nonstop during practice but he chokes back the blood, bile, and flowers. He allowed himself to think that this is the last time he’d have to push it down. The aching pain in his chest doesn’t subside, if anything it only grew worse the longer practice goes on.

Leo walked into the locker-room, preparing to take a shower and stretch before heading home when the aching in his chest grew. He could hear the blood pumping in his ears and the world around him blurred. He swayed, unsteady on his feet, trying not to cry or scream. His breaths were labored, he was becoming lightheaded and his heart was pounding in his chest. The pain became too much to bear and Leo’s legs failed on him.

The team rushes over with concerned expressions on their faces. On his knees, the flowers, stems, and leaves start to come up, splattering all over the cold ground, no matter what Leo does to try and keep them back. The team became frenzied, calling for Remus.

It was too late. Leo knew that this was his end.

Once, when Leo was little, he asked his grandmother why people didn't just get the flowers removed. She smiled at him sadly and told him that, there might be a person you loved so much you couldn't bear the idea of not loving them. Even if you died for it.

At the time, he brushed it off as stupid but now, now as tears sqeezed through his blurry vision and the feeling of the cold tile floor disappears, he understands exactly what she meant.

The last thought that went through his mind, before the petals, flowers, and blood came up for the last time, was of his two loves. In an instant, all of his fantasies of Finn and Logan melted into the reality of their friendship and flew past his eyes. With one last satisfied smile, Leo closed his eyes. His grandma was right.

Some love really was worth dying for.

Just a quick reminder, this is my entry for @hpbrokenhearts so if you liked this fic or it made you cry/broke your heart, please put a broken heart in the comments, either in emoji form or not! Thank you so much for reading!!!

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backwardscapsmh · 3 years

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day 4 of @omgcpanniversaryweek: free space

this hops/bully fic has been in my drafts for a while so i kind of finished it?? idk how i feel about the ending at the moment. anyways, enjoy! comments and constructive criticism are appreciated! 🥰

oh, cause to tell you is too scary // so i’ll just say something else // like how was fall semester // and what was that song about? // i’ll try to hide the way i feel // but i’ll just wanna shout

- pancakes for dinner by lizzy mcalpine

Hops is not nervous, okay? He’s not nervous in the slightest. He’s the epitome of calm. He is as cool as a cucumber. He is, as Nursey likes to say, chill. Really, he is. It’s just that he’s going to Bully’s dorm. And his roommate is not going to be there.

And it’s not like he’s against hanging out with Bully, with no one else around. He actually likes hanging with Bully alone a lot. Bully’s awesome! He’s funny and calming and talented and...Hops just likes him a lot. He’s a good friend, so of course Hops likes hanging out with him.

But sometimes he looks at Bully, with his gorgeous long hair and just all around attractive facial structure, and he thinks some things are much more on the romantic side of things, rather than platonic.

His head fills with daydreams of Bully wrapping his arms around Hop’s waist as they cuddle on the couch. Bully wrapping his large hand around Hop’s own. Bully letting Hops run his fingers through his hair. Bully pressing soft kisses down his neck. It’s not something he should be thinking about a friend. A strictly platonic one.

But it happens sometimes. He can’t help it, especially when they’re alone. Bully will settle closer to him, and Hops will then be hyper-aware of their proximity. He’ll only be able to focus on how he could reach out and just grab Bully’s hand, or drop his head on his shoulder. It’d be easy, but then he remembers how his feelings would ruin everything. So he puts more space between them, but then all he thinks about is Bully.

It’s just better for everyone involved if there are other people around when they hang out. Other people to distract Hops from his feelings for one River Bullard.

But he doesn’t want to be the weird friend who can only hang out with someone if they’re in a group, so he forces his feelings down when Bully suggests he and Hops watch one of Hop’s favorite animes together. He said he wanted to watch it because Hops talked about them so much and they sound interesting. And how can Hops say no to his crush telling him that he wants to watch something with Hops because Hops told him it was good?

He can’t. So that’s how he ends up here, in front of Bully’s dorm door, ready to go in there and watch anime on Bully’s college mandated twin size bed, when his roommate isn’t there.

So yeah, maybe he’s a little nervous, but he’ll be fine. He swears. It’s not like Bully is going to be any different than he is normally. Hops can pretend that he only has platonic feelings for him. He can totally do that.

So he knocks on the door, completely confident, and then Bully opens the door. He takes a look at Bully as the door squeaks slightly on its hinges.

Oh fuck. He can’t do this.

No one told him that River Bullard wore glasses?! Why didn’t he know that Bully wore glasses?! Why did no one tell him that he looked fucking hot in glasses too?!

No one could have warned him?! No one could have said “Hey Hops, just a warning, Bully wears horn-rimmed glasses and he looks like every single fantasy of a hot man you’ve ever had. Prepare yourself,” and given him time to prepare?!

Because he definitely needed that warning. Bully looks so hot it’s honestly insufferable. His long hair is pinned up with what he can only assume is a normal Ticonderoga pencil, which is already causing poor Jonathan Hopper’s heart to do jumping jacks. He’s wearing an old t-shirt with some faded lettering that Hops can’t be bothered to read because he’s distracted by how the fabric stretches across Bully’s wide shoulders. And of course, perched on his nose is the offending pair of glasses.

Hops thinks he might pass out.

“Hopper? Are you okay?” Bully asks, tilting his head sideways, eyebrows furrowing.

“Huh?!” he startles, nearly dropping the microwave popcorn and blanket he’s holding.

“You looked kind of scared for a minute there. I didn’t mean to startle you dude.”

Hops nervously chuckles. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Alright. Let’s get started! I’m really excited to watch this. It sounds cool from what you told me,” Bully’s smile is blinding as he leads Hops into his room.

His room doesn’t have any shocking changes Hops wasn’t aware of. He’s been in Bully’s room before so he knows what to expect. This is familiar territory.

“Thanks for having me over man,” he says as he and Bully both settle on Bully’s way-too-small-for-2-hockey-players bed, arms barely brushing.

He’s trying to focus on other things. Like the pictures of Bully’s roommate’s wall. Like the Spider-Man print on the blanket his mom bought for him when he got into Samwell. Like Bully’s hands typing on the keyboard, queuing up Sk8 the Infinity. Like the wisps of hair that have fallen from the updo Bully did with a pencil. Like the few sporadic freckles that dot Bully’s face. Like Bully’s deep brown eyes.

“You good?” Bully’s voice snaps him out of his daze.

“Yeah,” he manages to choke out, smiling as best he can. “Just a little distracted.”

“Okay. If you don’t want to watch this we can do something else. I don’t mind.”

Oh my god, could this man get more perfect?

“Nah, I love this show. Let’s do it,”

“Alright, if you need to leave, just let me know,” Bully smiles at him before pushing play and settling back, his shoulder lighting pressing into Hops’s.

If only he was brave enough to reach out and tangle their fingers together. Or brave enough to tell Bully how he really feels.

Maybe one day, but not right now. There’s too much at stake.

#i put the sk8 reference in there for u sam #i want u to know that #tbh this whole thing was because sam said bully wore glasses in one of their fics #and i thought ‘perfect’#so i wrote this #and honestly i only wrote it with that one freak out scene in mind and then just bs-ed my way thru the rest #also it took forever to find a song that remotely fit bc for once i wrote the fic before i found a song to put at the top #my writing #bully/hops #bully #hops #bullyhops #river bullard #jonathan hopper #omgcp #omgcpanniversaryweek #anniversary week

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everybodyscupoftea · 4 years

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if you don’t want to get hit, stay off the tracks

frat jj x reader

i have several requests and i promise i’m working on them. so, for all you anons who left them, i’m not ignoring them! but i’ve been watching the playoffs and i couldn’t stop thinking about this.

this is dedicated to every girl out there who’s been on the receiving end of misogyny and gatekeeping as a sports fan :)

(warnings: swearing, misogyny, not proofread even a little)

You were a huge sports fan in general. Football, college baseball, basketball, and especially hockey. Growing up in North Carolina meant you were a Carolina Hurricanes fan. You remembered watching them win the cup in ‘06 and then all of the struggles since.

When they finally found success again, you were ecstatic. Hockey was way more fun to watch when you could scream in happiness as opposed to frustration. JJ was a Stars fan, and you didn’t understand it, but you didn’t hate the Stars and they rarely played your team so you didn’t really care.

Regular season was pretty chill, and you didn’t quite catch every game, but you watched as many as possible. Some of JJ’s frat brothers had a fantasy league, and after about two weeks of bothering the GM, they let you join. It was mostly as a joke for them, but you knew your shit and wiped the floor with some of them. It was fun scamming them, and JJ found great joy in taking the piss out of the sore losers.

Playoffs, though, were a whole different beast. Most of the season you didn’t really chirp their favorite teams. Except for the one guy who liked the Red Wings, but he took it well. Otherwise, you settled for destroying them in fantasy.

Some of the guys made brackets and taped them to one of the walls, and they let you join, this time definitely not underestimating you. The TV they had in the house was so much bigger than yours, and you spent a lot of time there to use it for games.

One of the boys complained once and you looked him right in the eye and said, “Don’t think I didn’t notice you take a picture of my bracket and copy it exactly for yours.” He kept his mouth shut after that.

Essentially, you were one of the boys. You chipped in on the beer and snacks fund, screamed at the TV with them, and argued strategy with some of them who mistakenly thought they knew more than you. It was therapeutic, especially finally having some Canes fans to celebrate with. One of the boys in the house, Drew, was also a diehard Canes fan, and you frequently messaged him on Instagram to talk shit about whoever they were playing.

The second round started around the same time of finals, but you let the excitement from a first round sweep carry you through all-nighters and long study group sessions. The weekend after your last final, you finally made the trip to the house to watch game three with the rest of the guys.

You were a little grumpy from lack of sleep, but pumped because of the two-game series lead the Canes had. Drew gave you a fist bump when you got to the house, already wearing his Martinook jersey and you held up your Williams one with a huge grin.

JJ took you upstairs to his room to “catch up” for the first time in over a week, but you made sure to keep it on time, you didn’t want to miss puck drop. He complained a little bit, but went to grab the two of you some beers while you cleaned up.

One of the guys there for the game was a fan of the opposing team, and he gave you a look when you and JJ walked down from his room, you wearing your jersey, already a beer and a half in. You took one look at his jersey and said, “Oh, hope you’re ready for an ass-whooping.”

“Fuck yeah,” Drew crowed from the couch, and the other boy rolled his eyes and made a comment under his breath that you couldn’t hear, but you didn’t care. You pulled JJ to sit near Drew and he laughed, when you sat on the floor between his legs, leaning back against the couch.

“You don’t want to sit on the couch?” he asked.

“Nah, I sat on the floor most of the first round, so I don’t want to change things up and jinx it.”

JJ shrugged as you got hold of the remote and turned the volume up for the announcement of the starting lineup. The game started and you were immediately chirping the other boy. Drew kept popping open beers for you and the more you drank, the more targeted they became.

“Damn, y’all got a goalie out there or did you just sign swiss cheese.”

Or, “God, I could do a better job than these forwards, can’t score to save their lives.”

For the most part everyone was laughing along. You were reveling in the laughs, not really paying much attention to the guy you were talking to, until he snapped. After your comment about the GM being the worst in the league, he turned to say, “Pipe down, bitch, you barely know what you’re talking about anyway.”

The room went silent, and you blinked a few times in shock. JJ’s legs tensed, and you put your hand on one of them to keep him from saying anything. You looked at him for a few seconds before snapping, “Didn’t I kick your ass both weeks in fantasy. The only thing worse than your fantasy team is the one whose jersey you’re wearing.”

His cheeks went red at the oooh’s coming from the other boys in the room. JJ relaxed under your hand and put one of his hands in your hair, scratching your scalp lightly to calm you down a little. You thought that was it, but the boy just had to have the last word, “Bet you got someone to draft for you, no way a girl knows that much about hockey.”

You stood, albeit, a little shakily, and glared at him. JJ’s hand fisted the back of your jersey, whether to make sure you didn’t fall or to make sure you didn’t attack him, you weren’t sure. You glared at the guy and reached behind you without looking, “Babe, give me a few of your rings so when I beat the fuck outta this guy, he’ll have a reminder to show me some damn respect.”

Someone in the room coughed, probably trying to hold in a laugh, and Drew snorted, “I say she does it.”

“Take a lap,” JJ warned the guy in a low voice and you crossed your arms.

“Pussy whipped,” the guy mumbled under his breath and that time JJ stood.

“Take a fucking lap, I won’t say it again.”

The boy stood and left the room, slamming the front door behind him, as the buzzer signaling the end of the second period went off. You watched the Canes skate off the ice, heart pounding pretty hard.

“Fuck,” you muttered, seeing the score, “I missed a goal. Can someone rewind?”

All the tension drained out of the room as everyone laughed. Drew handed you a beer and you clinked it with his before sitting back down. JJ placed a hand on your shoulder and you looked up at him. He smiled softly, “You good?”

“Yeah, I think so. Not the first time I’ve heard that shit.”

“I know, but this should be a safe space for you.”

You smiled, “You are pussy whipped.”

JJ laughed, “Yeah, yeah, I just love you, okay?”

“I love you too,” you told him, pressing a kiss to the inside of his knee.

Drew cleared his throat, “Thought I should let you know, you missed the goal.”

“Oh, fuck, can you rewind it again?”

***

tagging: @girlsru1eboysdroo1 @socialwriter @diverdcwn @peypip @stfukie

#jj maybank #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank x you #jj maybank fic #frat!jj #outer banks fic #outer banks #obx #sigma chi!jj

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himbeaux-on-ice · 4 years

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Can I just say that Habs “fans” who act like Carey Price’s contract is somehow patient zero of all this team’s problems drive me absolutely fucking insane? Seriously. Buckle up. This is about to be a rant.

Now. First things first. Is it ideal that the $10 million goalie is currently uh, not doing very good? Fucking NO! I am disappointed as shit with that and I don’t like seeing him struggle. I know he can be better. He has to be better. Obviously.

However. That being said.

Do I think it’s an incredibly stupid look to spend several tweets complaining about all the issues Habs defence have been having, and then also griping that they haven’t started Jake Allen enough for how he’s performing, only to then for some inexplicable reason state that the FIRST THING, the first thing that needs to be dealt with after the new coaching staff have had ONE GAME (and zero practices) to work on things, is somehow “well, the ten million dollar man in net is weighing them down, that contract has gotta go!”?

Yes! That’s stupid!!

I think that’s a very ice cold small-brain take, and not just because Price is my favourite of favourites for as long as I’ve been a hockey fan! I have reasons, dammit!! I put THOUGHT into this!!

Here, dear ppl of Habs twitter who will never read this, are some reasons why this narrative you’re concocting is dumb, and why management/coaching are unlikely to think of trying to ditch Price mid-season to fix the current problems:

1: Time. It has been one (1) game under Ducharme. He has been able to run zero (0) full practices on off days with the team. We just changed up a major piece on the Habs chess board — why don’t you give it a minute to see what fresh eyes and minds can do with this roster before you decide we are fucked? This season is fast-moving, sure, but there is time for us to ride out some little bumps here and still make a playoff spot in this Canadian division. Have patience. Do you remember what patience is? Dom is a new head coach, not a wish-granting fairy godmother. Chill. Do you remember chill?

(rest of this under a cut because I actually LIKE Habs Tumblr, and I want to be nice to you all by not making you scroll past all of it if you don’t want to)

2: Jake Allen exists. There are a couple of things I like for what this means for the Habs. Firstly, for basically the first time in his NHL career, we are not in a situation where if Carey Price is in a slump, we have to go “Ah, shit, so now our options are let his stats tank while he tries to get the groove back in net, OR throw whoever the poor backup is out there to get murdered while we plummet through the standings.... 😬” We don’t have that problem right now, because the backup is... actually good? Oh my god, the backup is actually good! Thank fuck! We’re not doomed. If I’m Ducharme, I put Allen in net for a few consecutive starts to put a solid backstop behind all my fun experiments I’m probably planning with the skating roster (to catch their slip-ups, while also giving Carey lots of time and rest with which to work hard on sorting out whatever his issue is along with the goalie coaches).

2b: Jake Allen exists and is competition. Hell, if I’m Ducharme, maybe I even play a little hardball and say “Look, Carey, I don’t want you to be an expensive benchwarmer, but if things don’t pick up soon I am going to start whoever is doing best and you will have to compete for that net.” Related to my last point, when was the last time Carey Price had to push himself to compete for net time against anything other than his own injuries, and wasn’t simply always the default starter? Has that EVER been a thing? Honestly as much as I love the idea of him being The Goalie for the Habs, I also kinda like this idea a lot because I think it could really push him to a higher standard of performance. Maybe that kind of high-pressure situation (given how much he thrives in the pressure-cooker of the playoffs) could be what he NEEDS in order to Be Carey Price again. Worst comes to worst, he doesn’t respond to that challenge, and I am very sad but the Habs have a good goalie in net anyway, because Hallelujah, Jake Allen exists! God, isn’t it nice to have Jake Allen? Bless him.

3: Money. Guys, this league is so broke right now. Seriously. Seriously. Nobody has any fucking money. The Habs probably have more money than most teams, and that does not help when it comes to offloading large contracts. Trades are a NIGHTMARE both because of the flat cap but also because travel is complicated (especially cross-border) but also nobody wants to trade within their division if possible because all your games are against them. Who in the name of fuck do you think is jumping at the idea of taking the $10 million per through 20-lots-and-lots-of-years-from-now contract of a goalie who is currently struggling, impressive past record aside? What kind of astral plane of fantasy hockey are you on to think there’s a trade out there for that within this season. Shut up. And no, don’t bring up the expansion draft, this post is a rebuttal SPECIFICALLY to the people who think that Price and his contract are the biggest problem that needs to be dealt with RIGHT NOW and first on the list of ways to immediately remedy the team’s struggles.

4: Spite. Specifically to piss you off, bud. You personally.

5: Knowing how to troubleshoot properly. Fellas, if my computer is running slowly and freezing up a lot, do I immediately decide the first step to fixing it is to crack open the chassis, remove the hard drive, and try to sell that hard drive to someone to see if I can enough money back to somehow get a better hard drive for less? No, dipshit. That’s not how troubleshooting a complex system works works. It’s the same with hockey teams. Ah, my star goalie is not performing great. This situation is deeply less than ideal. If you’re actually good at troubleshooting, the first thing you do is not “WELL. I GUESS WE’LL HAVE TO THROW THE WHOLE GOALIE OUT. HE’S TOAST.” The first thing you do, if you’re a smart coach, is you say “Okay, what are my defence doing in front of him? What are they doing to reduce the amount and quality of our opponents’ scoring chances? Oh. Oh, they’re taking a lot of penalties, and... oh, uh, some of this is very not great. Yikes.” And then you start your work by trying to make the defence actually work instead of running the same Pairs That Everyone Is Very Much Over And Tired Of, because your goalie is actually supposed to be your Last Line of Defence. And maybe during that time you give more starts to Goalie Who Is Absolutely Slaying It, so that when you start trying new D-pairs and they inevitably have some mistakes, it doesn’t immediately turn into an Oh God Holy Fuck moment every time, because that last line of defence backstopping them is solid. The reason you need to deal with defense first is because a) You know you have a reliable goalie (Allen) in your pocket right now if you need him. What you don’t have is a whole-ass proven and tested and practiced Backup D-Core you can swap into the roster in front of your goalies to make their lives easier. Fix your defense and it WILL improve your goalies, even marginally. Defrag the hard drive before you ask why it’s not working. and b) If you need to go looking for any new D-men to solve the issues, those are WAY easier and cheaper to find than top-tier goalies, and you always want to start any troubleshooting process with trying the simplest solutions first to hopefully save time and money. The better that D-core is, the less it fucks your team over if the goalie isn’t feeling themselves, because the D is going to stop more of those pucks before they ever even become the goalie’s problem. FIX. DEFENCE. FIRST. Then try to train your goalie back into top form. THEN explore your other options.

6: The vicious cycle. Guys. We literally do this once every year or second year. EVERY time Carey Price has a slump, this fanbase gets into a tizzy like the Bell Centre is burning down and he was the one with the matches. And what ALWAYS happens literally within the year, every single time? He gets his mojo back like he did last summer in the bubble and goes on a heater and everybody goes “JESUS PRICE!!!! 🙌” and is ready to name their firstborn kid after him. Until eventually that performance becomes unsustainable, and he becomes mortal again, and suddenly he’s The Real Problem With This Franchise once again. I know he’s the guy they chose to build the team around instead of a superstar forward, but oh my god folks. You’d think he was the only player on the team. Guys, I feel like fucking Sisyphus pushing a blue blanc et rouge boulder up Mont Royal once a year with this shit. This man’s entire career has been a constant seesaw narrative between “Carey Price is our saviour!” and “Carey Price should be exiled to Nome!!!!” from parts of this fanbase, I swear. Look, slumps suck, but for once we are actually lucky enough to be in a position where this team, for the first time in YEARS, does not solelylive or die by the inscrutable magical cycles of Carey Price’s goalie powers — because when he has to step back and work to get back into his groove, there is FINALLY a SECOND GUY who is GREAT. Honestly, given that the state of this team for so long has been “they will go as far as Carey Price can take them” and he has put in a pretty fucking decent job of it despite all of the team’s other struggles, I feel like it is owed it to the guy to be like “Okay, well, we have somebody else solid to fill the net right now, and a chance to really figure out our defence and special teams with this new coach. Why don’t you take a step back and work your ass off at trying to get back into the form I know you can still perform at, and we’ll go from there?”

Anyway. Some parts of this fanbase have been waiting for a fresh excuse to claim Price is overrated, washed-up, and to blame for all of this team’s flaws and ills ever since he signed that contract, if not since the start of his NHL career. Just unreal how nasty some of this fanbase is willing to be about a player who is ON. YOUR. TEAM.

Am I saying he is beyond critique of his play and can do no wrong and his contract is perfect? No! I want this team to have the best goaltending it can get, and I want them to kick ass and take names. The difference is, I still believe Carey Price is a part of that winning formula, and I also think Twitter is overflowing with idiots who just repeat what everybody else says. He’s still a better goalie than your ass would be if I stuck you out there to stop shots from Mark Schieffle, for crap’s sake.

“The first thing that has to go is Carey Price’s contract 🤪”. Shut the fuck up. You are actively making other people stupider by talking. Go eat sand. Good day.

#It’s Time For My Opinion #I put so much time into this I hope it’s coherent lol #habs #Carey price #montreal canadiens #long post

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thatbender · 4 years

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Alrighty I’ve kept you guys waiting long enough haha basically this mini story just confirms my suspicions about Pat’s personality:

Soooo basically my internet friend who I met through tik tok is in my fantasy hockey league we have going w 16 others (also from the sports business side of tik tok). We were on zoom one night doing the draft & he casually brought up that he used to hang w Moynihan & lives down the street from him.

He said before Moyni left for the ntdp they used to hang around the neighborhood together at a park. They went to the park one day to play a simple game of basketball. He said this woman just walked up to them on the court & started chewing them out like a complete Karen that she was bc she wanted to have the entire court to her & her daughter. (Just to be clear here they were minding their own business shooting hoops & did nothing to stirr this up). So my friend says that Moynihan doesn’t take no shit from no one so he starts roasting the hell outta her telling her off (😂). He said it was very amusing to watch & didn’t really elaborate beyond that.

But yea that’s it, little small thing. But just confirms to me that Pat is funny af & takes no shit. I also can see how my internet friend was friends w Moynihan bc he has a very similar personality lmaooo

But yes, I didn’t wanna hype it up a lot bc its just a tiny story. If y’all wanna talk about Moyni or literally anything else hmu anons are on i’ll be lurking all day while I suffer through homework 😊

#patrick moynihan #mini story #thatbender text post #usa ntdp #usa hockey

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be-ready-when-i-say-go · 4 years

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Becoming

Halloween is Bee’s favorite holiday and while for most people it’s focused on becoming something new, transforming into fantasies, it is for others about becoming who they really are.

Related to Silver Fox. Can be read alone. SingleDad!Cal+ Halloween + Cuteness.

Read Silver Fox Here.

Enjoy my masterlist.

Support me on Ko-Fi.

********************

Anahera reads over the text several times, exits the text messaging app, reopens it and still shocks finds her when the text does not disappear. Halloween party on Saturday, 8pm You’re invited. Costume contest too! This isn’t a text message that she should’ve gotten--Anahera played on the school’s field hockey team but she wasn’t that popular to get a text message from Chelsea. Chelsea was on the school’s cheerleading team, up next for captain once the current senior graduated. They worked together once on a physics project and exchanged numbers only to talk about who would do what and to meet after school to run the lab. But that was pretty much the existent of their interactions, besides saying hi in passing in the hallways.

But here Chelsea was texting Anahera about a Halloween party. Looking up from her phone, Anahera risks a quick glance to her father. He stands outside the car, phone pressed to his ear. A call came in right as Anahera walked up to the car. He paused long enough to greet her and ask how she was doing but he had to return to the call pretty quickly after that. Her practice ran long--mostly because their coach was getting on their case about two girls that got into a physical fight in school and thus were benched for two games. Her dad’s not the type to be overly strict about her going out. But he was a small bit of a worrier and liked to know the parents or at least have their numbers.

Anahera turns back to her phone and pulled up Levi’s thread. Did you get an invite to a Halloween party on Saturday?

It’s only a couple of moments before Levi replies. Yeah. ‘rents already said yes. What about you?

Levi was the last child in a line of four, so it was never really a shock that their parents let them do pretty much anything as long as they could say who they were going with and what time they were going to be back home by. Anahera glances back out to the window and notices Calum nodding along to whatever is being said. When they catch eyes, Calum puffs up his cheeks and crosses his eyes just to get a laugh out of her. Anahera shakes her head with a small chuckle and sticks her tongue out in return before returning to her phone.

Haven’t asked yet. Afraid he’s going to say no.

Your dad’s not like that. Let him know you’re going with me. My curfew is midnight. Dan’s on dial too--just in case.

Dan was nice, and even though he was the oldest of their siblings, he wasn’t big on partying. He was quiet, played video games mostly and occasionally went out. But as the only one with a car, he became the go to one for rides to and from places or as a quick line of defense. Anahera normally had a curfew around eleven. However, if she led the question with Levi’s plans and Dan being their ride, then her dad might be more flexible about extending the curfew. Anahera would also have to promise that her homework would be done Friday night because if she didn’t, Calum would certainly use that as a way to be hesitant.

The only way to find out her answer is going to be just asking flat out. Leaning across the console, Anahera rolls down the window. The buzzing and whir catches Calum’s attention and he takes the phone from his ear. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’ll be off in five and get you some dinner. I know you’re probably starving after practice.”

“Thanks. Um, actually I wanted to ask you if I could go to this party on Saturday. It’s at Chelsea’s. Levi’s going and they have to be back home by 12.”

“Halloween party?” Calum asks.

Anahear nods. “I’ll have all my homework done on Friday. I’m already done with one essay and I think there’s a math set packet Mr. M is handing out on Thursday to help as extra study material for the test on Monday. And Bee’s already reading over my college essay so when I get the edits it’ll be like super quick.”

Calum sighs, hearing the voice on the line droning on. “Levi’s going? And their parents know Chelsea’s parents or have their number?”

“I-I don’t know. I just know Levi got the approval to go. Please, Dad. I can ask Chelsea tomorrow about the number thing. But please can I go? Dan’s on speed dial in case we need a ride.”

Calum holds her gaze, mouth twisting up. Bee had asked what Calum and Anahera had planned to do for Halloween. Normally, the two of them dressed up and handed out candy to the kids in the neighborhood that came by trick or treating on the day of Halloween and during the weekends, sometimes they went to haunted houses or Anahera hung out with Levi in her room, watching scary movies until ungodly hours in the morning. Anahera’s eagerness to go the party didn’t strick Calum was strange. She’s settled into her junior year, her birthday passing in September. However, Calum did start to miss things from before. Like the way Anahera always wanted to hang out with him and how they always had plans for Halloween. But things were changing. She was growing up and Calum was going to have to grow with that too.

He nods. “Yeah, you can go. But,” he starts interrupting the squeal from Anahera, “the edits your college admission essay need to be done before you leave on Saturday. You’re not struggling in math too much, and I trust you with whatever you need to make sure you get a good grade on that test on Monday.” Anahera wants to apply early decision to a couple schools and the rest are regular decisions. Bee advised that it would be easier for her to finish the essays early and that way the only thing to stress about come the summer and start of senior year were getting the letters of recommendations. Though the essays that Anahera were drafting for college apps right now were samples/examples. Anahera wanted to have a bank of a couple different kinds that wouldn’t need too much extra work to fit to the questions before being submitted.

Though Calum suggested that she not worry that not much closer until time, Anahera insisted that she wanted some practice and considering that the beginning of the semester wasn’t that congested with work, it worked out well.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Anahera exclaims crawling over the console and hugging Calum through the open window of the car.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Love you.” He knows he’s clinging a little too long but he doesn’t want to forget the way Anahera squeezed in her hugs. It was a trait she had since she was little and Calum’s not sure where she got it from. However, there was nothing like a hug from her--even when she was small and she sensed something was wrong, she would run up to him with her favorite toy at the time in her hand and squeeze him tight in a hug. She would always tell him not to be sad because she would always have hugs for him.

“Love you too!” Anahera replies easily.

Calum gets off the work call soon after that and climbs into the driver seat, or at least he attempts to. Anahera hasn’t left the driver side seat since getting the okay for her venture to the party. “Ma’am. I know you’re getting closer to that license but I think I’m still in charge of driving for just a little bit longer.”

Anahera laughs. “Oh c’mon, Pops. You know I can handle this no problem.” She over dramatizes taking a sharp turn, hands passing over each other and lightly brushing the cover of the steering wheel. She hasn’t tested yet but they get out early on the weekends for practice and Calum keeps encouraging her to test. It’s yet to happen, but he’s hopeful.

“Maybe on Sunday you go for a spin. But it ain’t Sunday yet.”

Anahera looks to Calum with her brows raised. “Promise?”

“Promise.” They hook pinkies and she climbs back into the passenger seat. “Subs?”

“Oh, you know exactly what I was thinking. But that might just be that you’re my dad.”

“Maybe,” Calum laughs, “maybe.”

Anahera relays the news to Levi about her approval to go to the party. Any costume ideas? I’m a giant nothing. Levi asks. Anahera thinks about usual superheroes, the sexy costumes. But those wouldn’t work out too well.

Couples costumes? Or too lame?

I love you, Ana. But I am not going in some dumb het. normative costume.

Anahera snickers at the text. I didn’t mean like couple couple costume. But like matching/same universe or something.

Oh, oh, hmm, that could work.

Stranger Things--Scoops Ahoy Steve and Robin? That message comes through at the same time that Levi suggest pirates. Oh, pirates could be cool? We’d have to get to the mall to shop possibly. but I promised to have homework done before Friday.

“Wanna eat inside or get it to go?”

Ana looks up and sees that the car is parked outside their favorite Italian place. Anahera shrugs and unbuckles. “It’s everyone else’s problem if I stink, not mine.”

Calum laughs. “That’s why there was the option to not kill everyone with your funk.” He locks the doors, taking a quick glance at the parking lot. He doesn’t spot Bee’s car. He know she doesn’t take too many hours at the restaurant during the week, but occasionally she takes a few or she comes in when they need more help. He wasn’t sure if she was working both jobs or not. But given the number of cars in the parking lot, he can’t really get a good look around.

Inside is crowded. Though most people seem to be getting orders to go, lined up at the counter as compared to the pretty empty dining area. Calum and Anahera stand the podium to be seated for a couple moments. Anahera is buried in her phone while Calum glances around. He spies Bee at the counter, handing over a stack of three pizza boxes to a man. The woman he’s with comes up and takes the bag Bee hands over. “Just two?” a voice close by cuts in. A younger guy who Calum hasn’t seen before stands in front of them.

Calum turns with a nod. “Yes, just two.”

“Booth or table?” the young man asks.

“Booth,” Anahera returns with a smile and follows behind as they’re escorted to the booth. Calum throws one last glance back to the counter. Bee happens to glance up and throws a small wave which Calum returns.

“Can I start you all out with something to drink?” the young man asks, pen in hand.

“Water,” Calum answers, slipping the sunglasses up into his hair and Anahera replies with the same.

The young man nods. “Lemon on the side okay?” With nods all the way around, he starts over to the drink mission.

Anahera turns directly to the sub and sandwiches section of the menu. “See your boo,” Ana teases glancing up for a moment.

Calum shakes his head, cheeks heating for a split second at the tease. He and Bee have been dating for a little seven months. Anahera wasn’t shocked after discovering the hickies that fated day but she never fails to say that she’s the thing that brought them together. “Yeah, I saw her,” Calum returns. “So about this party? You and Levi know what your costumes are going to be? Like going in something matching or separate?”

“We’re thinking about something matching. They suggested pirates or something but I don’t think I have anything in my closet that could work and I would ask to go shopping on Saturday before the party but I wasn’t sure how that was going to go over.”

“Hmm, if you needed to borrow anything from me, you could. Or if Levi wanted too, they could as well. And it comes down too, I could take y’all Friday after school.That would give you Saturday morning to work too and then get ready. Or whatever works better.”

“Thanks, Dad. I’ll let them know.” Anahera works her fingers over the screen, the keys highlighting for a second before dropping back down to their normal size. “And thanks. For offering to take Levi and offering your closet.”

Calum knows Levi’s parents haven’t super well to their coming out and using they/them pronouns. However, Levi’s siblings have defended them and Anahera too. He wishes he could do a lot more. He’s tried to help as much as he can, being there for Levi when they need someone but he knows it’s not always the same--it’s not like having their actual parents being supportive. “Of course. You two have been friends since elementary school. Almost feels like a second child at this point--Levi’s family at this point.”

“You’re pretty awesome, Dad.”

“I can only ever do my best, sweetheart. That’s it.”

“Yeah, but your best is still pretty great.” She’s quick to return to her phone no doubt relaying everything to Levi. The waiter returns with their waters and runs down the specials for the day. Anahera orders her turkey panini with salad and fries. Calum overs the Philly cheese steak with just fries.

“Hey guys,” Bee says as she stops by their table. The dinner rush has slowed for the time being.

Calum tugs on her wrist and she falls into the side of the booth, his bumping against his side. His arm slides around her waist in a quick hug. “Shocked to see you here. Not even a Thursday, so you can’t tell me close to the weekend.”

“Terence’s books were more expensive this semester--so I’m trying to play catch up right now.”

“More expensive?” Calum questions, twisting in the booth to look up at her. Bee gives Anahera a quick hug before turning to stand at the edge of the table. “Why don’t you sit?”

“Boss is here today. Don’t want him complaining. And Terence signed up for an extra class, said he was going to be a class short if he didn’t fully load up his schedule. And it’s cheaper to do it now than it is to take the one class during the summer. I budgeted for right around 250 for books but the extra class was in English and it ran just under an additional 200 dollars just for that class.”

“Another 200 hundred?” Calum gaps. “You’re telling me you spent over 400 dollars in textbooks?”

“Just about 400 dollars. He’s looking for scholarships to help with textbooks. But with basketball it’s not like he can pick up a job. I need him focusing on his grade to keep the scholarship that he does have. The refund should help recover costs some but most of that I’m giving right back to Terence in installments.”

Calum nods, knowing about how Bee likes to put money into Terrence’s account. She does it so that Terrence can take care of anything that comes up in case of emergency, but she know sometimes the team goes out for dinners and other things. He’s got to be a kid in college while still in college. What Calum didn’t realize is just how much Terrence didn’t know about what Bee did behind the scenes for him. Terrence came home for the summer, well before summer conditioning and they hung out, and Terrence knew Bee worked her ass off to help him but she hadn’t pulled the veil back to reveal just how much she busted ass to make his games, keep him afloat and never stressing about money.

Calum respected that and never discussed money in front of Terrence. But part of him did want Terrence to know just how much Bee was working so that textbooks were the least of his worries. “You know I’m here, for anything,” Calum offers, wrapping his fingers around hers.

Bee nods. “Thanks. I appreciate it. But get ready, you’re next,” she teases, laughing before glancing over to Anahera. “Once I get home I can send you my suggestions. They’re on my laptop and I didn’t bring it with me to this job.”

“Don’t worry, Bee. I appreciate you just taking the time to read over it.”

“Of course.” The bell above the door chimes and Bee turns, greeting the family that just entered letting them know she’ll be right over in a moment. “Alright, duty calls. Enjoy your dinner.”

Bee squeezes Calum’s hand and then turns on her heels to go to the podium. “How are we tonight? Besides just a smidge hungry?” Bee jokes, grabbing menus. The group laughs just a little bit before following Bee to a booth about three down from Calum and Anahera.

“You think Bee would take me and Levi shopping?”

Calum perks up at the question. Anahera and Bee get along well but Bee’s careful about suggesting that she and Anahera spend time together. As Calum knows and understands, Bee doesn’t want to come across as being pushing or trying too hard but she doesn’t want to seem like she doesn’t care. They’ve gotten manicures together or gone out just for ice cream--it’s always been small things. However, Anahera seems to enjoy that time together.

“Ask, can’t hurt. If her schedule allows, I think she’d be happy to take you and Levi,” Calum answers. He bites down on the corner of his lip to contain a small portion of his smile. Bee’s been the one to schedule most of their activities together or at least initiate them. But seeing Anahera take the lead on this one is a good sign.

“Oh, you’re right. She might be working. I don’t want to make her feel bad if she’s working?” Anahera enjoys the time she’s spent with Bee. When they got the gel manicures, it was fun. Bee picked out Anahera’s color and they were able to sit next to each other as they talked about watching True Crime documentaries and Ana told her all about the new music she had been listening too. Bee was cool about all the jokes Anahera made, and once their colors cured under the UV lights, Anahera spent nearly thirty minutes sitting outside the shop just showing Bee all the videos and memes that she had saved recently.

Bee felt like her dad’s girlfriend, but she also felt like someone that cared about Anahera too. It was a nice feeling to have another girl to talk about things that just got it. And whatever Anahera didn’t want to go back to Calum, didn’t get back to him. Anahera mentioned to Bee before Calum about Levi and what was happening at home for them. Anahera begged Bee not to say anything to her dad. Not that she thought Calum wouldn’t be understanding but because Anahera just didn’t want to out her best friend to someone they weren’t ready to be out too. However, when Anahera needed someone to talk to about Levi, Bee was gracious and patient and promised not to breathe a word to Calum. So when Levi came over for the first time to come out, while Bee and Calum were fixing dinner, Bee’s reaction was like she had heard the news for the first time. Calum was shocked but grateful to know and the change was immediate, though a little bumpy at first. Anahera called Bee later that night to thank her for being supportive of her best friend.

Also in terms of pirate costuming, as much as Anahera adores her dad, she knew only Bee would get her vision for her costume and be able to help her. Also Bee could also help Levi put together their costume so that the two of them matched but still kept a distinct air to the both of them.

Bee passes their table right after they get their orders with a tray full of drinks for the table that she has. However on the second pass by, Anahera manages to snag her attention. “Do you work Saturday morning?”

Bee ponders for a moment. “I work here starting at 2. What’s up?”

“I got invited to this Halloween party and Levi and I want to go as pirates. But we both need a few things to help with our outfits. Would you mind taking us and helping us out?”

The grin that breaks across Bee’s face is so big Calum’s sure her cheeks are going to split right there on the spot. “Yeah, I’d love to. Mall opens at 9. How does 10 sound? Would that time work for them as well?”

“I can ask.”

“Text me whatever works best, okay. I’ll pick you up first and then we’ll swing and get Levi.”

Anahera nods and turns back to her salad just as Bee turns back and continues down to the kitchen. “So I’m getting the boot I guess.”

“I guess you can come too. Do you and Bee have plans?”

“Bee asked if we had plans. I told her our normal plans are using dressing up and doing a little decorating to hand out candy or you watching movies with Levi but now that’s different. So I’m not even sure.”

“Just remember, I’m coming back home at midnight sharp.” Once or twice, Anahera’s caught the embarrassing glimpse of a kiss getting pretty heavy. That’s enough, she doesn’t want to see anything more than that.

Calum gapes for a moment around the sip of his water. “Missy, who’s the parent here?” Anahera goes quiet, shoveling the last bite of her salad into her mouth. “That’s what I thought.” With their dinner finish and check paid, Calum and Anahera slip out from the booth. They both say goodbye to Bee before leaving. Anahera promises to text Bee the second she gets a time that works well before 2.

It’s only later in the night, after Calum gets a text from Bee that she got home safely that he calls her. She doesn’t answer immediately. However about 20 minutes later, his phone rings from her. “Hey,” he says settling into the pillows. Tammy’s curled up on his lap. The click of paws outside the door alerts Calum that Anahera’s moving around the house and Jake’s following right behind her. “How was your day?”

“Pretty good. The restaurant was crazy when I walked in but the rest of the night calmed down. How was your day?”

“Nothing too grand until I surprisingly ran into you,” he chuckles softly into the receiver. “I just want to say thank you for agreeing to take Anahera and Levi shopping. That-that means a lot to me.”

“No need to thank you, Cal baby. But you’re so welcome. I love Ana and Levi. I’d do whatever I could for them.”

“No, I do need to thank you. I know you’re working hard to cover what you had to spend on Terrence’s books but you taking the time to spend with my daughter and her best friend--it says a lot more about your character than anything.”

“Thank you, Calum. That means a lot.”

“Of course.”

“With Anahera and Levi going to the party, are you just going to hang out on Halloween?”

“I guess. I don’t know. Unless of course you’d like to spend some time together after work if you’re not too tired of course.”

“I’m only working a 5 hours shift. I picked up part of someone else’s shift. So if you wanted to do something after 7, we can. Your neighborhood’s plenty active right? Like you hand out candy and what not?”

“Yeah, there’s enough kids that come out. Would you want to dress up? I totally get if you don’t want to, with work and everything.”

“I would love to dress up! Halloween’s my favorite. But once Terrence got too old to trick-or-treat, I kinda didn’t have much reason to do a lot. The apartment complex does like a small thing for the kids, but nothing like the neighborhood I was in before Terrence and I moved.”

“Might I crash the shopping party on Saturday? I know depending on how long it takes you might have to duck out before things finish but while they shop for their costumes you and I can plan something too.”

“Sure, you can crash the shopping party. Do you decorate?”

“Used to when Anahera was younger. Not a lot much inside. It’s more outside decoration for the kiddos as they come up to the door.”

“Well I look forward to a fairly spooped out house. Trick or treating starts around 6 so I’ll miss the first hour but after my shift ends, would it be okay if I just came directly to your place and changed? What time is the party for Anahera and Levi?”

“Yeah, sure you can come straight to my place. Their party starts at 8 and Levi’s brother Dan is dropping them off at the party and dropping them Ana back off afterwards. Or at least I need to make sure that’s the plan. Even if I have to drop her off, if you come to my place, trick or treaters can still get their candy fill while I drop her off.”

“Okay, cool. Thank you.” A yawn cuts off the last little bit of the sentence. “God, sorry.”

“It’s been a long day. I get it. Get some rest, babe.”

“Wait, I gotta email Anahera. Stay on the line with me until I finish that. Then I can go night-night.”

Calum chuckles at the repetitive phrase. It reminds of when Anahera was younger. He’t tuck her in at night with a kiss to her forehead and a sweet bid of “Night-night. Sweet dreams,” without fail. And it appears that even though children might grow out of the phrase, parents never do. “Okay, I’ll stay on until you do that. Do you have any costume ideas?”

“Something witchy. Or vampires. Or we can go with something with a bit more gore. I think I have some special effects makeup left in that kit.”

“I know you said Halloween is for favorite but for someone that doesn’t celebrate like before, I’m a little lost on why you have a kit.”

“Library holds some special readings every quarter. Theme was fairytales so we dressed up and used some special effects for some wrinkles for the old fairy godmother. And I just got the big kit because I figured it would last for more than reading. There’s some fake blood in it too. I like to have all my options.”

Calum hums, the pillows surrounding him starting to pull him into sleep as well. Just closing his eyes won’t hurt. It’s quiet for a moment, faintly he can hear the taps and clicks of Bee on her computer. “Oh, what about something with Bonnie and Clyde?”

“Like them dead? Because I think I could be down.” The sentence is a little slow to fall from Bee’s lips.

“Hmm yeah maybe.”

“Thanks for staying up with me even though we both about to pass out.”

“Anything for you.”

“Goodnight, Calum.”

“Hey, that’s a good night-night and sweet dreams to you, Bee.” She laughs softly into the receiver and it’s the only sound Calum distinctly remembers hearing too.

Friday night Anahera is sure to show Calum her changes to the essay and when he nods, kissing the top of her head, Ana tries to hold back her excitement. She and Levi have talked about their costumes. Though Levi’s unsure of if they should go with a vest or not. They don’t have one and buying one would be pointless just for the one costume. Anahera suggests if they find one cheap they could add it to the costume without fear of not necessarily wearing it out again.

Calum agrees to drive separately from Bee, Anahera, and Levi when Saturday rolls around. The second Bee showed up Anahera dove into the vision she and Levi had for the costumes and what they both already have in their closest. Calum catches wind of a skirt and he waits for a moment unsure if that’s a smart idea. However, Bee is quick to suggest fishnets in addition to the skirt. Fishnets isn’t the answer he would’ve given, but Calum knows this is not his time into the court and let’s Bee take the lead on how to best handle wearing a skirt to a party that Calum’s almost certain alcohol may sneak its way into the mix. He knows he can’t shield Anahera forever from the world but he definitely doesn’t want her introduction to be harsh. Amongst the glimpses of conversations that he catches about the skirt, he catches onto the addition of shorts underneath too and lets out a tiny sigh of relief.

Levi hangs back as Bee and Anahera enter the first store. Calum lingers back with them.“Skipping this one?” Calum asks. It’s an H&M and there’s no doubt in Calum’s mind that they can find something here. They mentioned wanting either a jacket or the vest and then needing a thick belt or fabric to help with their look. They already have the white button up, jeans and boots for the costume.

“I-It’s a lot easier to like look online at clothes.” The confession leaves Levi’s lips softly. Calum nods, understanding that online no one says anything if they switch between men or women’s. However, the physical stores has to be a whole different ballgame, the anxiety about looks that people might give tot hem.

“If you want, I’ll stick with you. Whichever section, I can be right there.”

“You-you don’t have too, Mr. Hood.”

“It’s Uncle Cal and you know that, Levi. Besides, you’re not Anahera’s best friend. You’re part of my family. So whatever you need me to do is out of love, not obligation.”

The tears collect on their lower lids. “You consider me family?”

“Always have, kid, and always will.” With an arm slung over their shoulder, Calum proposes a deal. “What if you help me with my costume and if we just happen to find something for you, then we just happen to find something for you? How does that sound?”

Levi gives Calum a quick hug before nodding. “Sounds-sounds good to me.”

“C’mon. I think I see a suit jacket that might be perfect for Clyde. But I need younger eyes because I forgot my glasses.”

As the pair walks towards the suit jackets, Bee slides over and slips a few tissues into the palm of Calum’s hand. He hands them over to Levi and there’s a silent nod of recognition between all of them. Bee zips back over to Anahera, knowing that she had to talk the young girl out of the platform boots that Anahera doesn’t need considering the pair that she just got for her birthday.

As Calum and Levi thumb through the blazers, Calum can see one particular red ornate blazer has caught their attention. So he plucks if off the rack, pulling the medium size one off the rack to start. He can’t quite gauge their size and he doesn’t want to ask someone to measure Levi. Holding the jacket open for Levi, Calum silently asks them to try it on. “I think it might look better on you than me. I think my days have passed. Besides the red blazer I have at home reads more captain than pirate. But it’s always a look you could go for.”

Levi slips their arms into the blazer. The sleeves swallow their arms and hits them too low on their legs. But the light is evident in their eyes as they look into the mirror on the wall. “Wow,” they breathe, turning to see what it looks like from the back.

“I say we try the small. This is a medium.” Levi nods, slipping out of the jacket and taking the small from Calum. “This isn’t a tailored cut. Meaning it doesn’t cut in or cinch at the waist. This is a standard fit.” He straightens the collar out for them and grins at their smile. “Arms out straight in front of you,” he directs looking to see if the sleeves come up just a little or not all. They rise just a smidge. “Okay, reach up for the ceiling.” Levi does so without seeming restricted. “Is it tight anywhere?”

“No,” they return, shrugging their shoulders. “Not tight. It’s a little loose but like a good loose.”

“Fitted jackets and blazers can be harder to get in smaller sizes sometimes. If you want this, we can get it today and then after the party to get fitted a bit better, go to a tailor.”

“My parents would not be happy though,” Levi counters.

Calum nods. “I know that’s rough. But what if for right now, we get this and if they ask, you tell your parents it’s mine and I let you borrow it for the costume. The next time you come for to visit Anahera, I can take you to get it properly fitted.”

“How would I get it back home? My parents don’t like spot check my room but they’d notice me with this kind of jacket.”

“You leave that to me. While it’s easy to say smuggle it in your backpack, they’ll wrinkle it. But trust, between Anahera and I, we’ll make sure you get it to your room undetected.”

“I don’t know Mr. Hood. Seems like a lot of trouble.”

The nerves are understandable and Calum does not want to push them to do anything they wouldn’t want to do. “Alternatively, you find a vest for the costume and Bee and I find some fabric that’s fancy and you use that to tie around your waist as as the glamour you and Ana want. The blazer’s a dream for when you feel safer.”

“Yeah, yeah I like that.” Levi slowly removes the blazer and puts it back onto the hanger. “There’s, uh, there’s this,” they state, lifting up a standard black denim like vest.

“Okay, so something along that vibe. Gotcha.” Calum thumbs through the rack and pulls out a similar vest but this one has silver buttons and embellishments that make it feel a bit more elevated, more pirate-y.

As Levi tries that one on, Calum texts Bee to grab the red blazer from off the end of the rack and add it to the pile that Anahera’s collecting. He promises to pay her back. Within a minute of the text sending, he watches Bee approach in the mirror and grab the blazer, quickly stashing it under the racks in her hand. There’s a yellow sweater on top and a few black items beneath it as well.

“Lookin’ good, Levi!” Bee calls out, leaning behind the racks to make sure the blazer is concealed.

Anahera isn’t far behind, dragging Levi over to the shoes. “You should get this vest,” she says before returning to her point about not knowing which sneakers to get.

“They didn’t go for the blazer? It looked good,” Bee ponders quietly.

“Worried about their parents blowing a fuse. But Christmas is coming up, so hopefully things are different then. If not, I think they’d still appreciate it. And I know if I wait, it’s going to be gone.”

“You’re right about that. Ana and I are done for Halloween. You might have to convince her she doesn’t need 80 pairs of the same shoe. But while you distract, I’ll check out.”

Calum nods, heading towards the clearance shoes where Anahera and Levi are huddled. “I’ll give you the money tonight.”

Bee nods and makes a straight shot for the registers. After a trip to the fabric store for Levi’s belt, and a dive into Bee’s favorite hair care store to get headwraps for the both of them, Anahera and Levi are set for their costumes. Calum knows buried in his closet is a white dress shirt that he can throw on along with a black suit jacket, so he’s not too worried that he’s walking out the store empty handed.

Bee looks down at her phone again, teeth capturing the skin of her lips--her boss at the restaurant texted if she can come in an hour earlier. She almost doesn’t take the extra hour but Calum assures that now the costumes are set, that if she needs to take the extra hour then she absolutely take it. None of them will be mad, or feeling like she’s dipping out just to get away. “You sure?” Bee asks Calum after relaying the predicament, watching as Levi and Anahera duck in line for pretzels. “Ana’s not going to feel like I’m being mean or dodgy?”

“Babe. No. I don’t think so.” He kisses her forehead. “I know things are tight after the textbook fiasco. If you need to take the extra hour, do it.”

“I’ll keep the blazer in my bag and then bring it back to your place after they leave for the party.”

“Okay.”

She gives her quick goodbyes with hugs to Anahera and Levi, before kissing Calum softly goodbye and backtracking to the opposite end of the mall, where they parked. The shopping continues for a little bit longer, but Calum doesn’t linger too much allowing them their space. They agree to reconvene outside the sporting goods store in an about hour.

It’s a dangerous game to duck into one of the jewelry stores. Calum’s not even looking for himself and it sounds crazy and too soon for thoughts of a ring cross his mind. But he tells himself he can just browse, just fantasy about what that might be like.

“Who you looking for?”

He turns to the voice and see Anahera saddled up beside him. “You two have another like half an hour to be free.”

“Not much else here,” she returns. “Looking for Bee? Is her birthday soon or something?”

“Just looking,” Calum returns with a shrug, trying not to draw too much suspicion.

“Ana, look!” Levi calls out, waving their hand to beckon her closer. “It’s an anklet like you were looking at in the other store.”

Anahera ducks over, just to look. Soon they leave the mall. Levi asks if they can just get changed at Calum’s place which is an easy yes. Calum takes Anahera and Levi for a quick lunch before Levi grabs their costume, an overnight bag and their backpack from their house. Tammy and Jake run up from the depths of the house to greet all of them. The pets and scratches are happily received. “So scary movies to pregame for the party tonight? What’s on the agenda?” Calum asks.

“I should do the World History homework before the party,” Levi starts, laughing a little.

“But we probably will watch scary movies,” Anahera finishes.

“Go figure,” Calum agrees. “So what time should I pick you both up tonight? Or is Dan still your main man?”

“Dan said he’d pick us up from the party and just drop us off here. He said he was going to be out at that time anyway,” Levi relays.

“He won’t be drinking?”

“Nah, Dan doesn’t drink. I think some friends of his are also throwing a party and he’s used to being the DD. He said it was something about a mixer? I don’t really know. But we’ll text him when we’re ready. Is midnight still okay?”

“Mixers are just different clubs, or whatever, getting together,” Anahera cuts in. “Girls field hockey has them with the guys division and other sports after school sometimes. I assume college mixers are way different than ones in the high school gym though.”

“Yeah, midnight is still fine,” Calum answers.

Once they return to the house, it’s fairly silent. Anahera and Levi go into her room and Calum takes the moment to decorate the outside of the house. He started yesterday, mostly with the hanging decorations and the lights. Today’s mostly putting on the certain yard decorations. There are some tombstones that he stakes into the ground and a few giant fake spiders that he sets out. The decor was more extravagant in years prior. But knowing Bee will be stopping by means that the lazy decorating won’t cut it.

With the outside done, Calum pulls down the bags of candy from the pantry and pour them into bowls. He’s sure to separate the chocolate from the non-chocolate stuff. He even has a separate bowl for any candies that are chocolate and have peanuts or other nuts in it knowing that some kids in the neighborhood may have allergies. A few parents put out an alert on the neighborhood watch app. There was a year, now as Calum recalls it must’ve been three years ago, where the majority of the houses had only chocolate candy making it impossible for one kid to get any candy that they could enjoy. Calum took the leftover non chocolate candy to the house after reading the heartbreaking plea from the parents.

“What’s for dinner y’all?” Calum asks after both Ana and Levi resurface in the kitchen rummaging through the snack pantry. “We got about an hour before trick-or-treaters start showing up. Pizza? There’s leftovers too, but I think I’ll be nice and order something.”

Both of them readily agree to pizza and Calum places the order without needing much more convincing. He’ll finish off the last of the spaghetti leftovers he fixed yesterday. The pizza will not last long between the two of them--never a shock anymore to Calum anymore. He changes first into his costume knowing it won’t be fully complete until Bee shows up from work however, he would rather be one half when kids start showing up.

Though Calum slips into an older black suit. It’s somewhat of a shock that it still fits. But it’s a testament to the personal trainer for sure. Calum does make sure to include the hat. The curls don’t cooperate off the bat, requiring a little bit of assistance from some hair gel Anahera suggested to him to help. Finally, he gets the curls tamed enough to slip the hat on. His dress shoes click over the hard floor and it is echoed by Tammy and Jake finding him and walking behind him.

“Uncle Cal did not come to play,” Levi jokes around a bite of pizza.

“Dad, who even are you? I don’t know this man,” Anahera laughs. Calum does a spin and laughs as the two of them whistle. Soon Thriller comes over the speakers. No doubt Anahera pairing her phone to the speakers downstairs. “Show ‘em, Dad. Show ‘em how you groove.”

“Miss Bee’s gonna faint when she sees you like this. I want a video,” Levi laughs.

“The old man’s still got it,” Calum returns and slides his fingers over the brim of the hat. The giggles are quick to subside after the song fades out. They toss out the pizza box and wash their plates before going back to Anahera’s room.

“I’m stealing your dad’s wardrobe,” Levi says as they pass through the living room. “Taking notes.”

“Oh, don’t make his ego even better.” The two of them laugh and the door closes before anything else can be said.

The first half hour of trick-or-treaters is a little slow and mostly toddlers or infants being carted around by their parents. However, Calum enjoys seeing the various pumpkin costumes on the babies as they walk up the driveway and porch. They don’t seem bothered by the night which he knows the parents are grateful for. Exactly at seven, his phone chimes and interrupts the Halloween Party playlist Calum turned on, playing on the speaker he normally uses for outdoor parties.

I’m headed out now. It’s from Bee and he replies in acknowledgement before setting the phone back down and grabbing a couple handful of candies for the group of sheet ghosts that waddle up the driveway. “Trick or treat,” they chorus.

Calum laughs. “Well, this is a predicament.” He looks over their hands. “I can hear some trick-or-treaters but I don’t see them.” He looks over his yards, hand above his brow to emphasize the point.

“Boo!” One child giggles.

Calum jumps, finally looking down at them. “Oh there they are.” The candle rustles in their bags as he drops off some for them and they reply with their thanks before going back to the parents waiting at the end of the driveway.

“I scared him, Momma!” The kid cheers and the parents laugh, with a nod. “I’m so scary!”

“Oh I know. The scariest,” the mother returns. They move down to the next house. Another fifteen minutes later, Calum notices headlights slowing down and turning into the driveway. Bee continues up and pulls right up to the garage door.

“Oh my god,” she gapes walking up on the porch. “Look at you.” Calum greets her with a hug and a kiss to her cheek. “By God, you look sharper than Sunday morning.”

The heat in his cheeks only increases. “Thanks. But I’m missing my other half.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Bee teases, kissing him softly.

“I think it’ll get me plenty-where.”

“Be back in two shakes and a twist.” Calum nods, watching as Bee walks into the house. More children come up to the house. He drops off candy to some Cookie Monsters, witches, Captain America’s, and Spiderman’s. Ten minutes later, the front door opens and there are only a couple clicks of the heels. When Calum looks up, he nearly loses his breath. The sweater and skirt are fitted to her figure, hinting to what he’s always known is there, has witnessed more than once, but she keeps it hidden under jeans or skirts at work. Not that he’s upset about that, it all makes sense. He just wishes she showed it off a little bit more. The little beret and scarf really complete the look.

It’s Calum’s turn to be gobsmacked. “Holy shit, you look great.”

“Thanks. I’ve been told to remind you that the party starts in about ten minutes. And they’ll come to the front porch once they’re ready. I got stopped in the hallway,” Bee laughs, sitting in the seat next to Calum.

“Noted.”

Another group of children approaches, this time a group dressed in various costumes from Winnie the Pooh. One girl is Eeyore, there’s a Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet. The parents are dressed as Owl and Rabbit. “Twick oh tweet,” the one dressed as Tigger says quietly a shy smile on their face.

Bee gasps, chest clenching at the matching costumes. Terrence and his friends would do something similar, group costumes. His group costumes weren’t as cute as Winnie the Pooh but still memories come flooding back of superhero costume debates. God, sometimes she wishes she could make Terrence small again, cherish the moments where all he wanted to do was be up under her as she cooked or cleaned. It all just happens too fast.

Bee drops some candy into their buckets. “It’s the whole 100 Acre Woods. I won’t tell Christopher Robin that guys you dropped by.”

The kids laugh and say their thanks. “I miss dressing babies up,” Calum confesses. “Anahera and I used to always do matching outfits and she was so happy to bounce up to houses.”

“Terrence would go as athletics or power rangers. I wish my complex did more. I miss the decorating and having to hide the candy from Terrence.”

“High up in cabinets,” Calum laugh.

“He got too tall for that and too crafty. Hide it in my drawers. He didn’t mess too much in my room.”

Calum chuckles. “Smart. Did you hide Christmas presents in there too? Because I still struggle with that.”

Bee nods, watching more kids walk up and shouts “Trick-or-Treat!” The two of them drop off candy into their buckets and bags. “I leave it in the boxes, if I order online. With Terrence in college now, it’s easier now. Get crafty and hide it in the bathrooms.”

“Now that’s a thought.”

A family comes up, dressed up in leather and bling. “Oh, we got some rockstars,” Bee teases, nudging Calum.

The little girl is dressed in her leather jacket and her brother is in a jacket that matches and it melts his heart. Calum tries not to show it, tries not to gush too much at the costumes but they are adorable. He sneaks them a few extra pieces of candy. “Keep on rockin’ out,” he grins at them.

They smile in return, “Thank you!” in their excited squeals leaving both of them.

Calum clutches his chest as they leave and Bee laughs, “Don’t die on me. You gotta survive.”

“We did that one year,” he sighs, finally sitting up in the chair. “Anahera wanted to go as me and I bought her this silver blazer. I’ll show you the pictures.”

“Oh, that’s precious. I can’t wait to see them.”

The trick-or-treaters slow down and Calum knows the end is nearing for them. Things usually end right about 8 in the neighborhood, though the general unspoken rule it so linger until about 8:30 just to catch all those that might’ve gotten a later start. But he and Bee stay out on the porch. She stacks the empty buckets and sneaks an Almond Joy for herself. “The decorations look good. And I just realized we completely forgot the fake blood.”

Calum shrugs, grabbing a small Snickers. “It’s alright. Most of the parents got it regardless.” They received a few compliments throughout the night but not too many. Most of the time the older kids walked up by themselves but when parents did shadow behind, they were quick to gush at the couple’s costumes.

Anahera and Levi pop out onto the porch a little while later and Calum excuses himself to drop them off. Though, Bee snaps some photos for them and Anahera returns the favor by taking some photos of Bee and Calum together. The teases from the two are more than enough even when they don’t attempt to pose Bee and Calum in the standard high school prom pose. Calum and Bee go along with it mostly for the laughs.

Bee starts to clean up in Calum’s absence and puts things inside the house. By the time she starts to wrestle with the speaker, Calum’s returned and helps her get it back inside. She ducks back to her car to grab the blazer for Levi and takes it from the bag so it can straighten as much as it can. Calum’s quick to hang it up to help as well. “Do you work in the morning?” Calum asks, pulling the hat from his head as he reenters the living room from the back of the house where his bedroom is located.

“At the library, yeah. But I can hang for another hour or two. Unless of course I pass the fuck out.”

“I know that feeling. You hungry?”

Bee follows behind into the kitchen, her own beret and scarf removed as well. “I ate at work, but thanks.” She leans into the counter, eying the box of popcorn that seems to have been left out. Popcorn does sound good. She knows she shouldn’t. But just a little wouldn't hurt as they watch a movie. Sneakily, she pushes the box closer to Calum.

He giggles, noticing the green box moving closer to him. “So I’m going to assume you want popcorn.”

“Please?”

Calum nods, waving for her to come closer. She steps in close, resting against his chest. The microwaves beeps before whirring. Calum kisses the top of her head, wrapping his arms around her waist. “The hottest Bonnie to walk this Earth.”

Bee laughs, kissing along his jawline. “Thank you. I think you cleaned up well as Clyde. Almost cut me looking so sharp in this suit.”

They share a kiss and the beeps of the microwave interrupts them. “What’s on the movie menu tonight?” Calum asks, bumping the bag into a bowl. Bee’s not in love with horror films but can generally stomach more gore than straight up horror. Rather than dominating the conversation with suggestions, Calum lets her take charge. However, they settle on whatever is playing on the TV, after a good twenty minutes of failed decision making. Bee snuggles into his side, a blanket wrapped about the both of them.

“Where’s the picture of Anahera dressed up as you?” Bee asks during a commercial break. “I need to see this.”

Calum stretches forward to grab his phone and scrolls for the photo. “So this is the look she wanted to recreate,” he says showing her a picture of himself from so long along Calum’s shocked that he remembers it was actually him. But the picture of him in the silver jacket on stage instills a lot of memories.

“Oh look at you! How old were you in this photo?”

“Twenty-two, twenty-three. It feels like a lifetime ago. But,” he starts swiping through the pictures again and pulls up the one of them side by side, rocking the glittery blazer and slicked back hair. “Here’s my little girl matching her old man.”

“God, she looks so much like you. It’s insane. But this is so cute.”

“Thanks. I will say if you think Anahera and I look alike, it’s a family trait.”

“So you look like your parents, huh? Like you got spit out.”

Calum nods. “Yeah. My mum’s the culprit. My sister and I look like she sculpted us personally. Also speaking of blazers, I still have to pay you back. How much was it again?”

The movie continues on around them as they settle the payment. Stories filter on about their children’s past successful or failed costumes. There are some stories about their exploits in their younger years. Kisses are shared, soft and languid. Some are sweeter due the candy they snuck during the night too. Hands slips under dress shirts or sweaters but Calum and Be don’t go too far. Just kisses and exhales and intoxicating themselves with the other. During a commercial break, Bee excuses herself to the bathroom and it’s only then that Calum realizes that it’s closing in around 11 pm.

Calum cleans up their mess of kernels and wrappers. When Bee returns she finds Calum in the kitchen, hugging him from behind. “I’m gonna head home to get some sleep.”

“No, don’t leave me,” he whines.

“I know. I don’t wanna either. But out of respect, ya know. Can’t just be randomly spending the night.”

Calum kisses across her knuckles. “I appreciate it. Let me know when you get home safely okay.”

“Will do.” Calum walks Bee to her car and kisses her goodnight before watching her pull down the driveway. Not even before he can get to the porch, another pair of headlights cuts through the night. He watches it pull up into this driveway and notices the tag--it’s Dan.

Levi and Anahera step out of the car both of them giggling incessantly. “Oh fuck,” Ana says loudly upon seeing her dad. “Shit.”

Calum can already tell alcohol’s been involved. But there’s only amusement as both of them attempt to pass off like they’re sober. He takes Anahera while Dan helps Levi up the steps. “Seems like there was definitely been some fun tonight,” he teases, fixing both of them classes of water.

“We won the costume contest!” Levi declares. “And maybe had a shot or two.”

“We got third,” Ana corrects.

“Sstill placing.”

Calum tries his best not to laugh at their not sober antics. “Drink some water. Honestly, how many drinks?”

“Only like two, two and a half,” Ana confesses hiding behind the class.

“It’s clear sweetheart, so I can still see you.”

“Damn.”

Levi laughs, slipping down into the cushions. The headscarf slips off their head with the action but they don’t seem to notice. “Are we screwed, Uncle Cal? I really really can’t afford to get into trouble.”

“We’ll wait to see if you’re screwed when you wake up tomorrow. If you feel like ass in the morning, you’ll have to deal with that and there’s no reason for me to dish out any punishments.”

“If we don’t feel like ass?”

“The fear of getting caught coming home shamby from a paper is punishment enough,” Calum chuckles.

With a glass of water down each, he helps them to the room, mostly herding them from the walls to keep anyone from knocking their head on a picture frame. “Thanks, Dad,” Anahera sighs, leaning into the wall for a little bit of support.

“There was a reason why most of your homework had to be done before the party,” he grins. “Holler if you need me, okay?”

Calum texts Bee about their return, safe but not sober. Damn, should’ve stuck around to witness that. Need an extra pair of hands? Bee replies.

Seems like we’re all good. Thanks.

Also please send me the photos of us from tonight? Whenever you can of course. I think if we had gone to a costume contest we would’ve won too.

Of course. Definitely would’ve won with a woman like you on my arm.

Calum rises first the next morning, and doesn’t disturb them immediately. However, closer to late morning, he knocks softly on Anahera’s door. “Yeah?” Ana calls out and as he peeks inside he notices they’re still up. Levi is sitting on her bed and Ana at her desk.

“Oh, thought you two might’ve died at some point in the night. Glad to see I was wrong.”

“We didn’t drink that much.”

Levi snorts. “I had to get you Advil.”

“Shut up,” Anahera huffs, dropping her head in her hands. “I’m okay, Dad. Really. I’m fine. Just like a minor headache that’s all.”

He shakes his head. “You’ll learn eventually. Pancakes on me this morning, how does that sound?”

“I’m down,” Levi answers. Their attention is locked on the screen.

“I’ll let you know when food’s ready.” Calum states to the room and begins to shut the door but still can faintly catch Anahera asking Levi about the blazer. He leaves the door slightly ajar but walks back to his room the jacket hangs right where he left it. He wanted it to be a present, wanted to get it tailored. But he knows he can’t wait. Calum pulls it off the bar and shuffles back to Anahera’s room. Slipping his arm through, he hooks onto the knob on the inside and then closes the door. He waits for a moment.

“No way! No fucking way!”

The door swings open, Levi gripping the hanger and shaking the garment. “You totally didn’t?” Their voice cracks just a little as the emotion rocks them visibly.

“Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t. But I mean you’re holding the jacket, so I’m pretty sure I did.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” they gush, tackling Calum into a hug.

“Anytime, kid, anytime.” While Halloween’s typically celebrated and seen as a way to become and dress up like someone else, it doesn’t mean Levi doesn’t deserve the chance to dress like themself. “If you have to keep it over here, I get it. And I had anticipated waiting on giving it to you, but felt like now was a good time.”

They dance up and down the hallway with the suit jacket and Anahera laughs, recording their excitement. She’s careful not to post it on anything public. Her socks cause her to nearly slip and fall as she rounds the corner to the kitchen. Calum’s at the stove, flipping over pancakes when she hugs his side. “Thanks for being awesome. About the drinking and getting Levi that blazer. They love it.”

“The drinking’s one thing because you embarrassed yourself. The blazer--well I couldn’t not get it.”

“I know it’s because you’re amazing and awesome and like the best person to walk the planet, but it really does mean a lot.”

“Anytime, sweetheart. I’d do just about anything for you and Levi.”

“Only just about anything?”

“Hey, that’s still a long list and included on it is making the two of you pancakes so you two can study because there’s still school on Monday.”

“Oh don’t remind me,” she laughs, popping to kiss his cheek and then scurrying back around the corner of the kitchen.

“That’s my job!” Calum shouts.

“You do it well!”

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