#and who knows about who hangs out with who more in the offseason

[cementcornfield]

It’s crazy because Justin used to train with Joe’s trainer in California and they would practice together in the offseason.

Here’s his promo video

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CiYKDdVOGth/?igsh=ZGZsdnl0bDNoOTVq

It looks like in the offseason they hang out more together than Joe and Ja’Marr.

Ohhh that's really cool, I didn't know that! And they did go to the UFC thing last summer together, which I love for them!

[willowsnook]

can i request a tall glass of vodka with lime? 🥰🥰

lando norris x gymnast!reader

It's always been you

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

Watching out the window as your plane landed, excitement bubbled inside you. You had flown out of Oklahoma City to Austin for the F1 race, all thanks to your friend, Lando.

Last year, when Quadrant was expanding into the US market, they signed you as one of their college athletic partners. As the captain of the University of Oklahoma's gymnastics team, you were already a standout. You met Lando when they launched the new program, and the two of you hit it off right away. With your demanding gymnastics schedule that you'd been used to since childhood, you understood the grind of high-level competition, and as you gained more attention after competing in the world gymnastics championship, you found yourself leaning on Lando to help cope with the pressure.

As you made your way down the escalator, you spotted Lando waiting with a smile at the bottom.

"Lando!" you called, jogging into his arms for a hug. "It's so good to see you!"

He grinned down at you with that boyish grin of his. "You too! Ready to go?"

You nodded, and the two of you headed toward the exit. Lando grabbed your bag off your shoulder and slung it over his, and you filled him in on your offseason workouts and the high expectations for your upcoming season. He listened attentively, amused by how carried away you got.

"I'm sorry," you giggled. "I've been rambling non-stop. Are you ready for the race weekend?"

"Yeah, I think so," he replied. "We've had good momentum lately, so I'm feeling good about it. I’m excited you'll get to see me race."

"Me too," you said, smiling. "And then maybe you can come see me compete in January or February."

"I’d like that," he said, shooting you a charming grin.

After checking into your hotel room, you met Lando back in the lobby. He had some promotional events with UT to attend, and you tagged along, planning to meet up with a few gymnasts you knew from their team.

"I'll meet you by the gym when I’m done, okay?" Lando said. You nodded, and after a quick goodbye, headed to the UT gym.

As soon as you walked in, you were pulled into a tight hug.

"Can’t believe you’re stepping into the gym when it’s not for a meet!" Sarah, one of the gymnasts, teased.

"All this burnt orange makes me want to gag," you joked, making her laugh.

You stripped off your sweatshirt, now in your sports bra and Nike Pros, and joined her on the floor to stretch and catch up.

Lando had finished up with McLaren and was tired of waiting outside for you with Oscar so they decided to just go in. You were showing Sarah something you had been working on for your bar routine and Lando was in awe watching you. The way you twisted your body that high off the ground with ease, eyes never losing focus on the bar.

"She’s incredible," Oscar muttered, starstruck.

"I know," Lando replied dreamily, a soft smile on his face.

Oscar smirked at the lovestruck expression. "Lovesick," he teased, and Lando playfully shoved him.

When you finished your routine, they applauded, causing you to give them a mock bow.

"You are amazing," Lando told you as you slipped your sweatshirt back on.

"Thanks," you said, smiling as you turned to hug Oscar. "Good to see you, Oscar."

"You too, Y/N. I’m glad we get to see you in person now so I don’t have to hear Lando’s daily updates about what you’re doing from your Instagram stories."

Lando’s face turned beet red, and you laughed loudly, your heart skipping a beat.

"My biggest fan," you teased, looking at Lando, who glared at Oscar before grabbing your hand and pulling you outside. "Come on, let’s go."

The next few days passed in a blur, with free practices and the sprint race keeping everyone busy. You spent a lot of time hanging out with Oscar’s girlfriend, Lily, and getting to know the McLaren team better.

Now, as you watched qualifying, your hands twisted together in nervous excitement as Lando sped around the track. When he secured pole position, you jumped up, cheering along with the team. As soon as he finished his interviews and made his way over to you, his eyes lit up, and you ran to him, throwing yourself into his arms.

"Congrats! You did so good!" you exclaimed, hugging him tightly. He said nothing at first, just smiled down at you, his gaze soft.

"What?" you asked, feeling a little self-conscious under his stare.

"Nothing," he murmured, chuckling to himself before wrapping his arms around you again. "I have to go to bed early tonight, but do you want to get dinner and watch a movie or something?"

"Sure," you agreed.

A few hours later, you found yourself sprawled out on Lando’s bed, munching on pizza. You had insisted on watching Cars for "inspiration," much to his amusement. But tonight, Lando was quieter than usual, and it was starting to throw you off.

After finishing your slice, you stood up to move the pizza box and faced him with your hands on your hips.

"What’s going on?" you asked, noticing the tension in his expression. "You’ve been so quiet tonight."

"I don’t know, I’m just... thinking," he replied, shifting uncomfortably on the bed.

"About...?" you prompted, concern creeping into your voice.

He fidgeted for a moment before meeting your eyes. "I don’t want to mess this up," he finally said.

"What do you mean?" you asked softly.

"I like you, Y/N," he confessed. "More than a friend. It’s always been you that's been there for me to lean on. I get so excited every time you call, and I miss you like crazy when we’re apart. I know our lives are insane with our schedules, but seeing you today after qualifying it all just hit me and I really want to try and make something work."

Your heart swelled at his words, and you sat in front of him, taking his hand. "I like you too, Lando. But how would we even do this? We’re rarely in the same country."

"Honestly, I don’t think much would change for now," he said. "We already talk all the time, and I know once your season starts, you won’t be able to travel much. But I can come to see you. I just want to stop torturing myself wondering if you’re seeing other guys."

You laughed softly at his vulnerability, crawling into his lap. His hands circled your waist as he rested his head on your shoulder.

"We can take it slow," you murmured, running your fingers through his curls. "My post-grad plan is to keep training for worlds and the Olympics. There are plenty of international gyms."

"Like in Monaco," he said without hesitation, making you smile.

"Like in Monaco," you agreed. "Can I kiss you now?"

His head shot up, and the eagerness in his eyes made you smirk. You brought your lips to his, savoring the moment as you set a leisurely pace.

"Will you stay here with me tonight?" he whispered against your lips.

"Yeah, I already brought my stuff," you said sheepishly. His grin widened before he pulled you into another kiss.

Even though you wanted to keep things slow and private, all of that flew out the window after Lando crossed the finish line first the next day. Fans watched him after celebrating on the podium as he scanned the crowd, eyes eagerly searching for you.

When he spotted you, everything else seemed to blur away. The cameras followed him as he jumped off the stage, making a beeline for where you stood with the McLaren team. He pulled you into his arms, and before you could say a word, he kissed you.

It was supposed to be a private moment, one shared just between the two of you, but the world was watching. The roar of the crowd faded as your lips met his. The electricity of that moment, the heat from the race, the adrenaline—it all melted away as Lando’s arms tightened around you, pulling you closer. You smiled into the kiss, your heart pounding with exhilaration.

As you pulled away, slightly breathless, you noticed the sea of camera flashes. Fans in the grandstands were screaming, and the McLaren team was beaming behind you.

Lando’s face was flushed with joy, eyes sparkling as he looked down at you. "I couldn’t wait," he whispered with a sheepish grin.

You laughed softly, touching his cheek. "So much for keeping it private," you teased.

He shrugged, not caring in the slightest. "I don’t care who knows. I’m just happy you’re here with me."

The next few hours were a whirlwind. Pictures of the two of you kissing were plastered all over social media, fans gushing about the newest F1 couple. The headlines read, “Lando Norris Celebrates Victory with a Kiss from Gymnast Y/N Y/L/N!”

[espressiimartinii]

vii. god forbid a woman have hobbies

part 7

summary: new year? new me! it does take y/n l/n a little bit of time to get used to the rb15, and favouritism does really sprint in the red bull racing family.

pairing: none - it's all platonic 💅

warnings: apart from rewriting actual events so they fit better, there may be a sprinkle of typical motorsport ✨sexism✨

tag list is back open! turns out i still don't understand the tagging system, so i will be tagging in comments.... sorry? i will be capping tags at about 25

author's note: and if i said i got sick, what then... shout out to the regular flu, you're a real one for that.

previous | masterlist | next

offseason shenanigans

rbr_y/nl/n my focken PIZZA 😭😭 also, i could not post the picture were alexi looks STUNNING!! 😍 tagged: alexirexi; surves

f1brainrot ma'am.... the trolley?? you could be injured??? why??? ↳ rbr_y/nl/n it's fun, hope that helps👍

redbullracing ✔️ this does not look things that are on the approved list of activities... ↳ rbr_y/nl/n okay? close your eyes then? 🧐

alexirexi I LOOK HAWT 🥵 ↳ surves why are you gripping the back of my head like that tho... ↳ rbr_y/nl/n did you want to smash your face against a PUBLIC toilet rim? ↳ surves thank you for holding my head up alexi, i didnt doubt u for a second ↳ alexirexi anything for u bby gorl 😜

danielricciardo Are you taking applications for new members? ↳ rbr_y/nl/n I hate to break this to you.... but you're not eligible to become a member 😔 ↳ danielricciardo But you said I could join. ↳ rbr_y/nl/n Positions aren't open to ex-red bull drivers, that's like hanging out with an ex ↳ maxverstappen What about current drivers? ↳ danielricciardo There is no way that my best friends are deciding to hang out with me. ↳ rbr_y/nl/n membership approved for max, but i guess he can bring a plus one..... 🙄 ↳ maxverstappen I will bring you, Daniel, do not worry. ↳ danielricciardo YEE HAW 🤠

pierregasly vraiment, sans ton frère? ↳ rbr_y/nl/n oui 🥖 ↳ pierregasly 😡

womeninf1 she's besties with danny ric and max verstappen?? it's only been literally 1 month since she got to red bull... ↳ stany/n i just know that max was outdone.... maxplaining? nah, y/n is a certified yapper ↳ y/n4wdc was that even a question?? what i wouldn't give to interrogate christian horner and find out who his favourite adopted child is ↳ maxstans it's max for sure ↳ f1brainrot is it?? did you see danny ricc's christmas insta post where he revealed that only y/n l/n got a horner family christmas invite?? ↳ maxstans THE FAMILY CHRISTMAS!?!? ↳ stany/n max also revealing in a press interview before christmas that christian would NOT shut up about how proud he is of y/n ↳ womeninf1 you forgot to include the fact that max was just maxplaining how monumental it is that y/n is in f1 and how he admires her work ethic ↳ maxstans oh, so you're telling me.... max and y/n are siblings now ↳ pierregasly No. Not true. ↳ f1brainrot PIERRE GASLY? ↳ pierregasly Max is not the brother, I am.

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we release the christmas photos

rbr_y/nl/n y/n!! release the evidence!! release the pictures!! well here is evidence that i got to spend christmas AND new years with THE geri halliwell and her husband (whoever that is?) tagged: gerihalliwellhorner; alexirexi; surves

gerihalliwellhorner It was our pleasure to have you staying with us for Christmas and New Years. Let's do brunch when you race in Silverstone and maybe we'll be able to escape Christian's racing lectures for a little bit. ↳ rbr_y/nl/n Yes!! I will clear my calendar, anything for you!! ↳ redbullracing RED ALERT RED ALERT RED ALERT THE BOSS IS LOOKING A LITTLE BIT MIFFED INNIT

danielricciardo I've been with the team for 5 years and I haven't been invited? Ever? Am I witnessing favouritism? ↳ rbr_y/nl/n you don't even work here anymore!!! ↳ danielricciardo You never truly leave the Red Bull Family, once a red bull racer, always a red bull racer. ↳ rbr_y/nl/n Well, boss has a favourite and it's me. ↳ maxverstappen That sounds incorrect, I literally exist. ↳ redbullracing The boss would like to relay that he has no favourites and he would never choose one. ↳ maxverstappen I will literally put the car into the wall if he does not choose me. ↳ rbr_y/nl/n contracts agreed to under duress are not legally binding!

pierregasly So this is why you declined the invite to spend Christmas with us.... I see... ↳ rbr_y/nl/n pierre... I am so sorry.... I will spend Christmas with you this year... ↳ pierregasly Maman will be very disappointed in you if you do not turn up.

stany/nl/n I think she just got adopted... well, at least we can call her a nepo baby. ↳ f1brainrot This is the only nepo baby I will support. ↳ rbr_y/nl/n I'M ADOPTED?!?! ↳ mamal/n No, honey, we found you on the side of the road. ↳ f1brainrot NOT Y/N'S ACTUAL MOTHER SAYING THIS ↳ womeninf1 what's a better bit, y/n continuously being censored by the red bull PR team or the dubious beginnings of y/n's life - like who are her parents if she was found on the ground? ↳ redbullthegoat is that even a legitimate question? Her father is literally 2012 Sebastian Vettel. ↳ stany/nl/n i think that means she is a child of a teen mum. ↳ womeninf1 yeah, that kinda checks out tho...

alexirexi THANK U GERI FOR HAVING US OVER AS WELL!! ↳ surves Thank you so much for having us, it was a BLAST. Sorry for climbing on top of the fridge... ↳ gerihalliwellhorner It was a pleasure to have the both of you over as well!

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the australian grand prix weekend starts and we are off to an okay start

note: trying a new format for the instagram post comments, cause the indenting was not working el em ay oh

taglist (cause i'm kinda stupid and forgot to include it in the original comment tagging spree): @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy;

[chukys-mouthguard]

fight night

2.5k words

genre: angst, minor fluff, suggested smut

featuring: auston matthews x female reader

summary: after a fight results in auston uninviting you to the nhl awards, you both end up at UFC 303

“Look, you need to chill the fuck out okay? If you don’t like the people I’m hanging out with here, then don’t bother fucking coming tonight. I’ll just see you when I’m back in town.”

Before you could get another word in, Auston had hung up the phone. The two of you getting in a heated argument about the people he was hanging out with while in Las Vegas for a slew of appearances. The most important being the NHL Awards, which you were supposed to attend alongside him. But not anymore.

You didn’t hate Auston’s friend group per say, but he’d been adopting a new workout routine for the offseason, and they didn’t necessarily seem to be helping that. He’d been drinking a lot, something that wasn’t necessarily uncommon for him, but heavy drinking was not going to put him on good terms with his conditioning coach.

Having just expressed your concerns turning into a huge fight between the two of you. It probably didn’t help that you hadn’t seen in each other in weeks, the awards show meant to be the event that brought you two back together. But now here you were, already in Vegas since you’d flown in that day, with your agenda now cleared. Your flight home not for two days as you anticipated spending time with Auston before flying back out.

As you contemplated rebooking your flight, a call came in from your manager, not something you had been expecting.

“Hey y/n, you’re in Las Vegas for a few days right?”

“Um, yeah, I’m in Vegas right now. What’s up?”

“Well, you know how we just closed that sponsorship deal for you with New Amsterdam Vodka?”

Truly you had no clue how your manager landed you that sponsorship, it being one of the best brands you’d gotten a deal with to date. You’d like to think it was because of how much you publicized your love for Pink Whitney, but who really knows.

“Well, they had some things come up. And long story short, can you attend the UFC fight tomorrow night? We’ve got Olivia on a plane flying in as we speak.”

Olivia was your podcast co-host that was also signed to a deal with New Amsterdam. The two of you were the hottest up and coming podcasters who were quickly gaining notoriety for your ability to talk sports and pop culture, while making it entertaining and understandable for all audiences.

“Um, yeah, I can definitely attend the fight. My schedule is completely free.”

“Great! We’ve got an itinerary for the both of you that I’ll send over shortly, because there’s gonna be some brand activation type things needed. And we’ve got stylists coming to your hotel tomorrow afternoon to help you girls with outfits, hair, and makeup!”

After giving you the last few details, you hung up with your manager. A bit shocked at the opportunity you were getting, but thankful to have some sort of distraction to look forward to and hopefully get your mind off the fight you had with Auston.

-

Entering T-Mobile arena, you honestly weren’t sure what to expect out of the much anticipated UFC 303, but it was something to cross off your bingo card for the year. Despite your lack of interest in the fights themselves, you were excited to attend and at least say you were there.

Olivia had gotten in late last night and you had to fill her in on everything. Why you fought with Auston, how he uninvited you from being his guest at the awards show. And how you were thankful for this appearance to get your mind off of him. The stylists had thrown together a more casual look for you: light wash ripped boyfriend jeans, a white tank top, and an oversized black and yellow racing jacket. Elevating the look a bit with some heeled boots. Olivia’s outfit complimenting yours well, both your hair and makeup done just enough to look minimal but still flawless. And with a few New Amsterdam cocktails already in your systems, you were ready to roll.

The arena had all the celebrities attending enter away from the general public, meaning you’d be passing some familiar faces in the tunnels as you were led to your seats. Everyone from Gordon Ramsey to Aaron Rodgers, even-your boyfriend.

“Well fuck…”

Immediately noticing the reason for your reaction, Olivia tried to block Auston from seeing you. But it was too late. His eyes went wide as he saw you, looking you up and down, thank god you looked this good. He was with fellow NHLer Clayton Keller as they awaited an usher to guide them to their seats.

Though shocked to see you at the event, he knew it must have been something your manager had pulled off for you. A soft smile on Auston’s lips as he watched you interact with the New Amsterdam reps, he couldn’t help but be proud of you. He’s seen how much you’ve poured into your podcast, and how hard you’ve worked for moments like these. Despite the argument, he still cared about you and loved seeing you in your element.

He hadn’t gotten the chance to say anything as you were quickly pulled off in the opposite direction. Most likely to film some type of ad for the brand. Pulling out his phone he shot you a quick text, making sure you got to hear from him in case he didn’t see you the rest of the night.

You look so fucking beautiful my love.

The text brought a smile to your face as you quickly typed back a response before you were pulled aside for an interview alongside Olivia.

“Lastly, y/n, I wanted to extend a congratulations to your boyfriend, Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Winner of the Richard Trophy last night at the NHL Awards.”

“Oh thank you so much.”

The comment was a bit unexpected, though it wasn’t uncommon to get asked about Auston since your relationship was very much public.

“We didn’t see you in attendance last night with Auston, hopefully there isn’t any trouble in paradise there?”

Laughing off the comment you shook your head, “No, not at all! There unfortunately was some last minute conflicts that prevented me from attending. But I’m so proud of him, I wish I could have been there. Luckily we have a night like tonight where we can just have some fun, and celebrate. So, I’m glad we were able to both be here!”

The interview wrapped up and you took a deep breath, Olivia squeezing your arm in reassurance. “I don’t know how you pulled that answer out of your ass, but that was so good!” The two of you laughed as an usher finally led you to your seats.

“I truly don’t even know what answer I gave, my brain was on autopilot. I’m just glad I didn’t say something stupid.”

“Are you gonna talk to him tonight at all?”

Stopping in your tracks as your usher gestured to your seats, your eyes settling on your boyfriend who was standing with his friends just next to where you’d be sitting for the night.

“Well I might not have much of a choice if I’m stuck sitting next to him.”

The two of you set your bags down at your seats, mingling a bit with the people around you. Remembering how your manager always preached to you both network as much as possible at events like these.

As you were talking with a rep from some coffee brand, trying your best to convince them to send some product to you girls to try, you felt an arm snacking around your waist. Immediately knowing it was Auston as your hand entangled with his at your hip.

Thanking the rep for their time, giving them your agents number, you finally were able to turn your attention to Auston. Who patiently stood at your side, a smile on his face as he watched you doing your thing.

“Hey baby.”

“Hi.”

He gave you a kiss before pulling you into his chest, rubbing your back as he knew you were still frustrated with him. Doing his best to try and make up for being an asshole.

“I didn’t know you were coming tonight?”

He pulled you towards your seats, his hand immediately resting on your thigh as you sat down. Eyes fixated on you as he sipped his drink.

“Well, neither did I. Until I got the call ten minutes after someone uninvited me from their awards show last night.”

You shot him a glare as he gently squeezed your thigh. “Look, about that, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have reacted like that and-“

“Auston, it’s fine. Tonight, I just want to have fun, we don’t need to talk about it right now. Especially because I’ve had enough cocktails that you get me riled up, you and I will end up in that ring as the main event.”

He smirked at you as he leaned in close, stealing a kiss from you. “Is that a threat or a promise?”

Pushing him away as you tried to hide your blush, you ignored his horny thoughts. “Auston Matthews, we might need to cut you off. Someone is already feeling themselves tonight.”

A slight whine left his lips as he moved his hand, now draping an arm over your shoulder. “I can’t help that you look so good babe. Plus, I haven’t seen you in weeks, you expect me to not have my hands all over you? Most importantly, I need to make up for being such a dick last night.”

“Well that is very true. I didn’t even get to celebrate your big trophy win with you.”

A pout on your lips as you glanced up at him, deciding that you’d have some fun making him regret not inviting you. “I even brought your favorite blue lace set to wear under my dress last night, but, it just stayed in my suitcase since you didn’t want me there.” Fingers lightly playing with his chains as you spoke, making sure to really get under his skin.

The look in his eyes immediately turning to one of lust as he thought about the set in question. Baby blue lace that hugged your curves perfectly, and while it looked amazing on you he loved it even better on the floor.

“And I said I was sorry baby. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

Tilting your chin up he brought your lips to his, clearly forgetting the two of you were in public as his tongue tried pushing past your lips. A slight chuckle leaving your lips as you pulled away from him.

“Babe, I love that you’re wanting to make it up to me. But maybe not front row for everyone to see, okay?”

He rolled his eyes as he obeyed, simply returning a hand to your thigh as the two of you watched as the main events were set to begin shortly.

You swore Auston’s hand crept closer and closer to your inner thigh with the ending of each fight. The alcohol mixed with the thoughts of you wearing his favorite lingerie clearly having him hot and bothered. And while you weren’t turning down the idea, it having been several weeks since you’d gotten your hand on him, you were still here for work and needed to act professional.

He luckily kept his cool for the remainder of the night, respecting when you had to remind him that you were there for work while he was there for fun. The two of you leaving hand in hand as he definitely was not letting you out of his sight. His mind focused on getting you back to his hotel and making up for not having you by his side at the awards show.

The second the door to his room closed you were pulled into his lap as he sat at the edge of the bed. One hand resting on your hip while the other pulled you in for a kiss.

“You do look fucking stunning tonight baby.”

A smile crept across your lips as your arms wrapped around his neck, thanking him as your eyes locked with his. “And, I’m sorry about last night. I should’ve never been that way, I needed you there with me. And, I let some dumb shit get me all worked up. I know you are just looking out for me, and I appreciate that so much. I love how much you care for me.”

Resting your forehead on his, you sighed, not even caring about the fight anymore. Knowing it was stupid, but appreciating his apology.

“I do care about you, a lot. And, maybe sometimes I overstep a bit. But it’s all out of love for you Auston. I wish I could’ve been there for you last night, but I’m here now. And there’s no place I’d rather be.”

“While I couldn’t agree more, I do wish I could’ve gotten to see that blue lace set on you last night. Would’ve been a nice way to celebrate that’s for sure.”

Slipping from his lap as he hands reached out to try and pull you back, you slowly discarded of your jacket. Standing in front of him with a smile on your face as he watched you in anticipation.

“Well, maybe we can still celebrate a day late.”

Pulling your tank top over your head, you revealed that you were in fact in the blue lace number. Auston biting his tongue at the sight of you in the bra, his hands wanting to make quick work of your jeans to see you in the matching thong.

“Fuck…but if you didn’t know you’d see me tonight, why wear the blue?”

“Shut up and just enjoy the coincidence Auston!”

Shaking your head you walked back over to him, pulling him in for a kiss as his hands made quick work of your jeans. Needing to see you fully on display in blue lace just for him. As you kicked off the jeans, he sat back on his forearms, lust filled eyes watching as you did a spin for him.

“God you’re so fucking perfect.”

Without warning he picked you up, lips crashing against yours while his hands rested under your ass gripping tightly as your skin and surely leaving a few marks.

You giggled as he tossed you on the bed, making quick work of his clothes, leaving him in just his briefs as he hovered over you. Tucking some hair behind your ear as his hips ground into your core, earning a moan from you as you felt him growing hard against you. The two of you taking your time, kissing for what felt like hours, no hurry as you wanted to savor every second of your time with one another.

“I love you so much Auston, and I’m so proud of you. But if you ever uninvite me from something like that ever again, so help me god.”

He rolled his eyes as a hand traveled down to the string of your thong, snapping it slightly as his fingers teased at your core.

“Relax baby, I’m gonna make up for it all.”

[youcouldmakealife]

Hello! How does James’ messy apartment fit in with his neurodivergence? Given that he has a standing to-go bag for road trips, as well as his approach to other things, it would seem that order would be imperative for him.

TL;DR: challenges with executive function, mostly! He's using it on other things and by the time he gets home, exhausted and overwhelmed, he doesn't have the energy to keep things tidy. Would if he could sort of thing.

Seven(!) more paragraphs about this under the cut.

James uses pretty much all of his executive function bandwidth (along with the rest of his energy) on hockey, and then there's all the non-hockey parts of the job, which includes a lot more social interaction than he'd ever willingly deal with otherwise, and that refers to the fans, media, and the twenty-odd other dudes he's in close quarters with every day, and most of the day when they travel. When he gets home he's generally got nothing left in the tank. He 100% crashes. At the end of road trips it's even worse.

He has the money to outsource most household admin tasks, thankfully -- meal delivery to replace shopping, meal-planning and cooking. A cleaner who comes when he's on the road. The place he gets his suits cleaned just started offering wash and fold service and it was the most significant improvement in his day to day life since he set everything to auto-renew on every. Sure, he miscalculated his soap use and has far too much now, but at least he doesn't constantly run out of Kleenex anymore. But the day-to-day things, like dishes, and tidying up, and putting things back? He gets behind and then he gets overwhelmed but all that does is paralyse him.

Every time he returns after a road trip his house will be very neat, which will make him happy, and he'll swear to himself he'll keep it like this. And then by the time he leaves town again it'll be a mess he's frantically pre-cleaned before the cleaner arrives (sometimes there are suspicious blanket piles then too).

The thing is, it isn't his inclination to be messy. He's quite tidy during the offseason and doesn't know why he always slips as soon as the season starts again. (Spoiler: it is because he has a regular schedule and far fewer demands on him during the offseason, so he actually still has energy at the end of the day.)

Add the fact he was ~feuding with Holden, which seemed to involve an exorbitant amount of thinking about him at length to the detriment of any other task, so there were a lot of aborted stabs at paying attention to other things that just became 'toss <book/game/remote/fruit snacks aside to intensely think about Holden Chase for awhile', and his place has gotten messy.

It's a source of a lot of shame for him. Him inviting Holden over not once, but twice is...uncharacteristic behaviour, to say the least (this is pretty much just Finn territory and even then James would really prefer they hang out somewhere else) and James would be a little appalled with himself if he wasn't, you know, busy waiting for Holden to fucking kiss him already.

Okay, a little MORE appalled with himself, the man is very much appalled with himself, he didn't get enough cleaning done in that half hour and then when Holden arrived instead of, oh, kissing him or something, invited Holden to watch a hockey game they played yesterday and have spent hours talking about already and for some reason Holden...agreed? And now they're just watching the game?? And nobody's kissed ANYBODY.

[nicohischierz]

it’s a small world: jamie drysdale 

“are you still watching that video?” jamie groaned as he cuddled up next to you. the two of you were currently at your apartment, trying to decide where to spend the offseason. 

the two of you had started dating towards the start of the new season and seeing as the relationship was sill new and given the amount of media attention you got, the two of you decided not to tell anyone. 

you just smiled at your boyfriend and leaned in to kiss him. “of course, i’m still watching it jimmy. i told you how good you looked before you left,” you watched as blush covered jamie’s cheeks 

he nuzzled his face into your stomach before his phone started ringing. “jamie, it’s your boyfriend,” you teased. although you’ve never met jamie’s roommate, you’d seen the contact many times to start the joke. 

jamie faked a laugh and answered his phone. “what do you want trevor?” he asked putting his friend on speaker.

“dude where are you? you’ve been gone for almost the whole day,” trevor complained on the other end. jamie rolled his eyes as he listened to his best friend complain.

you just smiled and kissed his neck, causing him to blush. “uh z i’m gonna have to call you back,” jamie murmured ending the call.

“baby, why did you do that?” he asked holding you at arms length. you gave him an innocent smile and kissed his lips.

you were leaving to michigan in the morning. your cousins were back at their lake house and this summer you were finally free to be with them.

jamie was joining you in a month once he was done with physio. your boyfriend nuzzled his face into you neck again before you pushed him away.

“you need to go home jimmy. i’ve got to finish packing and i’ll see you in a month,” you whispered. jamie nodded and gave you a kiss before heading out of your house.

in the month you spent away with jamie, he had attended his brother’s graduation and you had remembered why you avoided hanging out with your cousins and their friends.

at first, you thought it would just be you and your cousins but they invited their friends earlier than expected. you were introduced to some of luke’s new teammates as well as jack’s old ntdp friends. 

you’d met alex and cole before but trevor was a new face. and the second you heard his voice you froze slightly. “y/n/n, this is trevor he plays for the anaheim ducks,”

trevor stuck his hand out and shook your hand “i’ve seen you at some of our games!” he exclaimed. you smiled politely at him before grabbing onto quinn’s arm and dragging him to your room. 

“what is your problem?” he asked. 

immediately, you pulled up your phone and changed your lock screen to a picture of you and jamie. your older cousin burst out in laughter before looking at you. “you’re shitting me right?” 

you shook your head at his question which made him groan. quinn knew more about your boyfriend than jack and luke meaning he knew you were dating a hockey player but you would never spill any other detail. 

“no quinn i’m not shitting you. look i know it’s not like a big deal or anything but i don’t want jack to flip cause i’m dating a hockey player,” you explained. 

quinn placed his hands on your shoulders “if you love him then i don’t think jack cares who you’re dating. also, it’s not like he really gets a say in your love life,” you knew you could always trust quinn to help you, which is why you told him first. 

the day jamie arrived, you snuck out of the house and drove to the airport before any of the boys could ask to join you. the ride from the airport to the lake house would be the only alone time you’d get with your boyfriend for the rest of his stay. 

“jamie, you know how i mentioned my cousins like hockey,” you started. 

jamie nodded, “yeah i remember, do they know who i am?” 

“umm, you could say that. look if i’m being completely honest they know a lot of people in the league.” 

you looked to jamie briefly, your boyfriend looking at you with a puzzled look.

“have you heard of this family, they have three brothers all drafted in the first round. two of them drafted to the same team and the other brother out in canada?” you asked, describing your cousins. 

it took a minute for your boyfriend to register what you were saying before his eyes widened. 

“you’re related to the hughes brother!” he exclaimed. 

you nodded and sucked in a breath as you made the final turn to the lake house. jamie got down and took in the house whilst mentally preparing himself to meet the most important people in your life. 

the two of you heard yelling from inside the house before trevor and jack opened the front door.

“jamie, what are you doing here?” trevor asked. 

your boyfriend didn’t know what to say as he spun around looking for you before pointing to where you were. luke, being the tallest, made his way over to jamie and looked him suspiciously. 

your younger cousin then glanced at you and put the pieces together. “you’re kidding right?” he asked. 

jack and trevor made noises of confusion as you handed jamie the last of his luggage. as an instinct jamie leaned down and kissed your lips, which made the two former teammates shut up. 

“no way,” 

“when did this happen?”

“jimmy can pull?” 

“hi y/n!” 

jack, trevor, alex and cole exclaimed as they stood in the driveway. 

you and jamie shrugged. “i think it was last year when we were at stage coach,” jamie answered trevor. 

jack and trevor were still asking questions whilst you and jamie ignored them shutting your room door in their face. 

[coimbrabertone]

Indycar at Thermal

So, Thermal happened. For those who don't know, the NTT Indycar Series had a non-points exhibition, vaguely all-stary race at the Thermal Club, a private racing club in southern California. This was billed as the "$1 Million Challenge" for ironic reasons that I'll get to in a moment. Anyway, for the event, the field was split in half with two ten-minute heat races, the top six cars transferring from each heat into a final. In the twenty lap, twelve car final, the drivers would race for $500,000, because they couldn't even get that part right.

The first heat race was pretty good, with drama off the start leading to Romain Grosjean getting spun out and collecting Rinus Veekay, while Indycar legend Scott Dixon was penalized out of contention for starting it. Felix Rosenqvist led, but Scott McLaughlin was hunting him down at the end.

The second heat was a bit more mixed. The Chip Ganassi Racing cars of Alex Palou and Marcus Armstrong controlled the pace, but the McLarens put on a show fighting for the final transfer spot. Callum Ilott filling in in the #6 started just outside the transfer spot, but then got swallowed up by his teammates, Alexander Rossi and Pato O'Ward. Rossi and O'Ward proceeded to put on a show fighting for the sixth and final transfer slot, with Alex winning out in the end. CGR's pace was ominous, but McLaren kept it entertaining.

Then the race hit rock bottom with the first half of the feature race. The $1 Million race was twenty laps, but it was divided into two ten lap halves, with a ten-minute break in the middle, and drivers weren't allowed to change tyres in the middle. Knowing that, the teams figured that they would just save their tyres in the first half knowing the field would bunch up for the second half, meaning they'd have more tyre to attack with in the second half. So, on a long, twisty road course without many passing opportunities, we had to watch the drivers one by one decide that they couldn't push any further so they should just save for the second half. Colton Herta was the first to do it, then Agustin Canapino, then Alexander Rossi...soon enough, everyone all the way up to Graham Rahal in seventh was driving seconds off the pace saving their tyres.

Then we get to the ten-minute break with the NBC commentators practically pleading with the viewers that the race was going to get better in the second half. Alex Palou finished lap ten, and then the race just kept going because Pietro Fittipaldi was evidently underfueled and it took him about three minutes to cross the finish line. Then, in a strange, quiet mid-race break where nothing else seemed to be happening, Graham Rahal retired with a technical issue and Pietro Fittipaldi was disqualified for not having enough fuel. The fun, all-for-money, twelve car all-star race was down to just ten cars.

Nevertheless...the second half was better. Alexander Rossi pushed his way up the field, clashed with Josef Newgarden, and both went wide while Colton Herta went underneath them both for the position. Cars were actually racing now! Herta charging up the field and Rossi hanging on a few cars behind made it look like this saving strategy might actually amount to something after all...only for Alex Palou to dominate the race anyway. This was better, but for most of the fans, the damage was already done.

Indycar twitter was dominated by people talking about this race being a terrible mistake, rock bottom of Roger Penske's series ownership, and a horrid waste of time. Me? My reaction was mostly to just disassociate and laugh at the trainwreck. I love Indycar, I want Indycar to do well, I love Indycar so much I'm writing a novel-length fic about it on AO3, so it sucks to see a dud of an event like this. The worst part in my opinion is that we're stuck with this being the most recent race for a month, because the Long Beach Grand Prix isn't until April 21st.

It's been a rough offseason as an Indycar fan, and seeing an uncharacteristically dull St. Pete race where Josef Newgarden dominated following by this confused little Thermal Club event where reigning champ Palou came out on top...it's not great. I just hope Long Beach brings a return to normalcy, with good, hard, unpredictable American open wheel racing...in a month.

[naanima]

Oh, dear Ratboy. I really like it when he does long podcasts. It helps that he can communicate. Interview starts around the 1h.11sec mark. Dot points things of interest:

He has finished moving from Calgary completely, doesn't even have winter clothes anymore. LOLs.

When he first arrived in Florida he was happy to take a backseat, but the team wanted him to get involved in the leadership group.

He really loves living in Florida.

VGK was the best team they played. Boston & Vegas were very similar. Talks about how Boston slapped them during two of the regular season games, but they played really well against them for the other two games. And that's why he had the belief they could win. OMFG. He fucked up by jumping on the ice and got the penalty LOLs. It was all his fault.

He thinks players who come through in OT etc are the ones who want the puck on their stick. Good or bad they will need to be able to live it.

His dad always preached live in front of the net. Take some physical abuse in the games, earn it to score. Can't get your stick tied up. He learns a lot from Brady when it comes to spinning it off and getting it into the net. Watches every one of Brady's games.

When he switched to the Right Wing he watched a lot of vids of good right wing players.

Evolved as a player year to year. Same mindset as when he was a kid, "screw you I'm getting that puck." Paul gets on him when he gets into a bit of a shoving match on ice with guys he shouldn't. LOLS.

Offseason - earlier was PT, playing catch-up in strength, conditioning wise more cardio in the hopes to play more mins and faster. He feels he is better prepared this season. He is back to 100%.

Microphones on ice - good for the game. NHL gotta do a better job. It is evolving more via the players and teams. Players don't like it too much bcos they would feel like walking on eggshells. If it is used properly it can grow the game.

Wedding vids - makes athletes look crazier than they are.

Media/SocMed blowing things up. Keith talking about his team being "soft' - he was pissed bcos of how it got blown up. They had a chance to be in the playoffs and then they lost four games in a row. Ouch.

His current health - "Everything feels great." He didn't realise he broke his sternum, he thought maybe a collarbone, it wasn't how hard the hit was, it was the spot. He had to leave the game bcos he had to do concussion protocol. Game 3 didn't really hit him how bad he was. After the game he was not feeling great. Drove home that night with a sling, probably shouldn't have done that. The next morning he couldn't get out of bed. The day after he had to call Brady to help him get up, he couldn't even remember if he had a shower. LOLs. During one of the scrums he couldn't even really grab people's jerseys.

Getting into fights etc. Not that they want to get into a fight, it is more that they just hate losing. LOLs.

Sticking Jonathan Quick - doesn't know what happened, he has no excuses. He is not a fan of goalies that play out of their creases.

Buddies with Auston Matthews & other hockey players. It is the game. He would run almost everybody... except Brady for a lot of reasons, one of them being Brady would take him down. Lols.

Olympics & World's etc - a shame that they can't play together. It is sad. His first dream is to win a Stanley Cup, and then to win for the US with his brother.

Right now - being down in Florida outside; jetskis etc. Not going to buy a boat. Love hanging out with his family and friends. He used to not like the beach at all, but now he is there all the time. He is not into nice cars. Only into golf and stuff on the waters. No gators close to his house, they are close to the rink (wtf).

Him changing team - talked to Calgary that he wasn't gonna sign a long-term contract, worked together with the team, and with permission he had one week to talk to a handful of teams. Came down to Carolina, St Louis' and Florida. He just wanted to learn everything he could before he made the decision.

Going back to Florida in a few days.

Taryn is doing great, was injured last year/season and when she came back she was great.

Invited to 6 weddings, attended 4.

Jack Eichel - his hit. Haven't seen the video.

Fav goal in the playoffs - when Cousins scores. The Carolina one.

Barky is so chill, he thinks Barky is the best player he ever played with/seen. Loves watching Barky playing, during training he learns from him.

Scoring between his legs, his dad was pissed. LOLs. He used to do a lot of trick stuff, flipping his picks etc. He remembers watching Kane and Crosby doing it when he was growing up.

He will chat with his dad after games, and nowadays his dad trusts him.

He thinks Brady is great, a great scorer. Brady's goal is to get the team into the playoffs. Ottawa loves Brady, he is a god there. They treat him and his family well bcos of Brady.

His parents come to Taryn, Brady and his games etc.

It is fascinating to me that Matthew is so very much, "I did this", 'it is my fault", "we didn't play well enough", "the other team is better" etc.

I typed this as I was listening to this so there will be mistakes. LOLs.

[lafrexniere]

William Eklund - Secret

You went outside and turned on the hot tub. The season had just ended for the San Jose Barracuda and figured what would be a better way to relax than have a few of the boys over and soak in your hot tub. You lived with your brother Thomas and had become very close with the players your age throughout the season. 

“Y/N, you sure you’re okay with hosting the guys,”

“We do this all the time, it’s just Ozzy and Will,” you blushed as you said this. You had secretly been dating Will for five months, but you didn’t want Thomas knowing considering they were best friends. He wasn’t very strict when it came to teammate policy, but you had never dated any of them yet. Will was the first, and you didn’t know how your brother would react.

“I’m just double checking sis, I don’t know,” he shrugged carrying a bowl out from the kitchen. 

“Yeah it’s fine don’t worry, I’m gonna go change,” you smiled and headed inside towards your room. You slipped on your teal bikini and threw an oversized shirt on over it. You headed back out to help your brother make some more snacks for the boys who would be arriving soon. Thomas was heading towards his room to get changed when there was a knock on the door.

“I got it, bro,” you called to him as he closed the door behind him to his room. You opened the door to see your secret boyfriend standing in front of you. He stood there grinning at you, feeling yourself blush.

“May I come in,” he cleared his throat. You let him in and shut the door behind you.

“Cute shorts, wonder where you got them?” you joked. Those were the shorts you had got him for your three-month anniversary so he would have something to wear as off-season approached.

“Shh Y/N,” he whispered.

“Relax he’s in his room,” you whispered back, “come on let’s go outside the hot tub is waiting,” you grinned. The two of you headed outside to the deck where the water was steaming and bubbling. You took off your shirt and stepped into the hot water. Will joined you after removing his shirt. He began to scoot closer to you when your brother and Ozzy came out.

“Oh hey guys,” you smiled. Will moved away, you shot him a look.

“Mind if we join?” Thomas asked. You nodded and they both sat down in the tub with you and Will. You all sat in separate corners of the tub until the jet started hurting your back. You moved over away from the corner, closer to where your boyfriend was. The boys started talking about the season putting you in an awkward position of silence. Will also moved closer to you as they were still talking. They noticed Will move closer.

“So Y/N, what are you going to do now this offseason,” Ozzy asked you.

“Oh, I don’t know just hang out with you guys I guess,” you shrugged.

“What about you Ek you’ve been kinda quiet?” your brother asked. 

“Stuff I don’t know,” he glanced at you then back at Thomas. Your brother looked at the both of you sitting next to each other.

“You guys are acting weird,” he said to you and Will.

“No, we aren’t,” you said in unison, “we aren’t,” you said again. 

“Okay right…” Ozzy said.

“Stay out of this okay,” Will scolded the two boys. Thomas got out of the tub and headed inside, Ozzy followed him, getting another cup to drink, leaving you and Will alone.

“Baby Tom was going to find out, he’s your brother after all,” he said.

“I know,” you rolled your eyes, and he put his arm around you.

“Why couldn’t we just tell him,” he asked you.

“Your his teammate I’m his brother, you know how guys get about sisters dating teammates,”

“Bords is different, you’re his twin he knows you better than anyone else, and I’m his best friend, the number of times he hints to me about thinking you like me, I can’t take it, but we laugh and joke about it like it’s nothing.” You picked your head up off his wet shoulder and looked at him.

“He really-” you were interrupted by your brother.

“I knew there was something going on with you two,” he shouted. You sat there staring at Thomas.

“Okay and?” you asked.

“Will why didn’t you tell me, I wouldn’t have been mad, I wanted you two to be together,” you watched your brother scold Will, feeling horrible for making him keep the secret.

“Bords, I wanted to tell you, but this one didn’t want you to know,” Will frowned, lifting his arm from around your shoulders. 

“I’ll leave you three to talk,” Ozzy said grabbing his towel and heading back inside. The three of you waved bye as the awkward silence became louder. You sighed and decided to break the silence as your brother was glaring at you.

“Tom, I- I’m sorry, I didn’t know how you would feel about me dating your teammate,” you stepped out of the tub and grabbed your towel, and Will followed you out.

“I forgive you, but why would you do that to Will, it must have driven him crazy how much I talked highly of you to him so he’d like you, also you’re my twin, you know we tell each other everything.” Your brother explained as Will shot you an annoyed look. 

“I know, and I didn’t know you talked about me to him until tonight,” you said.

“It did drive me crazy,” Will shrugged.

“Well you guys have my support so you don’t need to worry,” Thomas rolled his eyes, “I’ll leave you two be, no third-wheeling here.” He walked inside leaving you two alone on the deck. You sat in the two chairs next to the tub, sitting in silence.

“I guess I owe you an apology,” you sighed, “look Will, I’m really sorry, he’s just so protective of me I didn’t want things to change with you two either if he didn’t support us. I hope you can forgive me.” Will reached out and took your hand.

“I forgive you Y/N, and you have an amazing brother, I understand, I wouldn’t want to get in the way of that,” he smiled. The two of you finished drying off and went inside to change. You walked by your brother’s room and knocked,

“You’re the best brother,” you said through the door.

“I know,” he answered. You changed quickly in your room and went back to find Will ruffling his wet hair sitting on the couch waiting for you in a t-shirt and shorts. You sat down next to him as he pulled you close to him. You flicked on the TV putting on a movie as you sat together tucked into Will’s chest. You looked up at him,

“What?”

“Nothing,” you smiled. He kissed your forehead, causing you to sit up and look at him. You tucked a strand of his hair back, as your eyes met. He pulled you onto his lap, pressing his lips to yours, you wrapped your arms around his neck locking your lips with his. His hand rubbed your back slowly, you heard footsteps, but you didn’t care, you had no need to worry anymore about the fear of being caught by your brother. You pulled Will closer to you if that was even possible when you heard your brother’s steps coming closer.

“You guys are gross,” he gagged. Your lips broke apart as you both looked at your brother.

“You wanted me to date her,” Will said.

“I didn’t think this through,” Thomas grabbed a snack out of the fridge and went back to his room. “Not too much of that!” he called out.

“Shut up!” you yelled back, as you rested your head on Will’s chest once again.

[workingforitallthetime]

drawn arrows unseen

part 14 / previous installments/tags

After the trophy ceremony, after the locker room celebration, Mason takes a punishing shower, turning the water back and forth from scorching hot to bracing cold. Neither option’s going to do any good.

The MVP award he accepted an hour ago sits in his stall like a lead weight. He looks away from it as he puts on his suit, and he leaves it behind when he slips out of the locker room alone.

He makes his way down the tunnel back to the bench. The Zambonis have already been through and the ice gleams unmarked. Mason sits in the empty arena, staring up at the darkened scoreboard with his medal hanging heavy around his neck, and faces the unpleasant truth that he shouldn’t be here in the first place.

It was selfish to come to this tournament. Selfish to play with Connor, to sleep in his room, to drape his arm around Connor and notice how well he fits there. To do all of that without thinking whether it would have any impact on Connor. It’s Mason’s fault that Connor’s scenting him. It might even be his fault that Connor can scent him. What if he’s nudging Connor toward presenting, just by being there in Connor’s space smelling the way he smells and feeling the way he feels? Mason’s a huge problem, right when Connor can least afford it. He could massively fuck up Connor’s draft year. If Connor’s an omega, Mason doesn’t want to be the reason anyone finds out.

The floorboards creak under the rubber matting as Kent joins him on the bench. He sits next to him and follows Mason’s gaze up to the silent Jumbotron. The thud and clatter of the arena crew emptying trash bins echoes distantly from the concourse.

Finally, Kent speaks. “What are you going to do?”

“Fix it.” Maybe it’s not too late. The best Mason can do is train hard so he sticks in Anaheim. So there’s no question about missing world juniors in December. “Just… stay away.”

“Okay,” Kent says, sarcastically.

“What, you think I can’t?”

“I couldn’t.”

“Sure you could.” Anyone can do hard things. Close your eyes and grit your teeth and hold that plank until the trainer says drop. There’s always one more rep in you, if you want it bad enough.

“I know this whole deal is pretty weird.” Kent scrapes a thumbnail over the ridges of his water bottle cap. “But I don’t think I could just stay away from Owen. If it’s… anything like that.” Kent doesn’t say the word bond, and Mason’s grateful for it. “You can’t just drop it.”

“Owen’s not here,” Mason points out. “You don’t even live in the same place.” Not even in the offseason. Kent’s been training with Connor in BC, and Owen’s been doing whatever boring things Owen does in Ontario.

Kent rolls his eyes. “It’s not about being together all the time. It’s about knowing you’re good. You can’t just… leave him hanging.”

Mason opens his mouth. He’s not leaving Connor hanging. He’s not leaving him any kind of way. He’s just leaving, because it’s the only option.

“I wouldn’t do that to Owen,” Kent adds, like that’s some kind of standard. 

“We’re not you and Owen.” He and Connor aren’t even a we. “He’s seventeen. We don’t know…” Mason pauses and gets his voice back down to a normal volume. “We don’t know anything for sure.”

Kent flips his water bottle end over end and catches it. “Only one way to find out.”

Easy for Kent to say. Kent’s not the alpha who could seriously fuck things up for Canada’s next star. Connor’s basically a child, and he’s got enough to handle with his draft year. He doesn’t need to know that he might be an omega. He shouldn’t have to bear the terrible force of Mason’s want.

(next)

[note: mason and kent did go out to the bench together that night]

[blueshirtjamie]

So.. I saw your Trevor Zegras short about dating the reader who’s a doctor. And if I’m gonna be honest, I feel like that dynamic reminds me of the lesbian couple from Falsettos, but specifically the soft sweet parts of the song “Something Bad Is Happening”. This is very niche, I know. But honestly, I think it would be so cute to see Trev just flirting and flattering the reader after she returns home from taking her last final, and he just knows she needs to unwind? Nothing sexual, just sweet TLC. I absolutely love your writing <3

Hi anon! Sorry it took me so long, it's been a busy week! Here you go, I hope you enjoy :)

You breathed a sigh of relief as the exam proctor gave a “time’s up!” call. The final exam session of the semester was over, and all you wanted to do was get home and relax. You knew Trevor would be at home waiting to finally hang out with you– it felt like you had basically been avoiding him because you had been buried so deeply in your studies for the past week. You felt bad, but he was so sweet and understanding about all of it, and he just wanted you to succeed. Medical school was no joke, and it was always so helpful to have someone so supportive by your side. You sent Trevor a quick “all done, heading home!” text and made the short drive back to your shared apartment. 

You turned your key in the lock and opened the door to find Trevor standing on the other side, holding a bouquet of sunflowers (your favorite) and smiling brightly, bouncing on his toes. You gasped as Trevor presented the flowers to you.

“There’s my favorite doctor!” he said as you took the flowers from him. 

You grinned up at him and went in for a hug, which he returned by squeezing you tightly and kissing the top of your head. 

“Thank you, baby,” you said as you pulled back from him. “I should put these in a vase.”

You moved to the kitchen to grab your vase and were hit with a heavenly smell. You smiled and turned toward your boyfriend.

“Are you baking me cookies?” you asked, a wide grin taking over your face.

As if on cue, the oven timer went off, and Trevor brushed past you to pull them out.

“Only the best for my girl,” he said.

“Tollhouse?” you asked with a knowing look.

The two of you laughed– Trevor was definitely NOT a baker, but he always knew just when to pop some Tollhouse cookie dough into the oven for you. 

“I just thought you could use a little treat after your big day,” he said, handing you a cookie hot off the baking sheet. 

You bit into it and it was just what you needed– gooey, sweet, and bad for you. Junk food was definitely your coping mechanism. Taking one more cookie, you settled yourself onto the couch with a sigh, and Trevor sat down next to you, pulling you into his chest and wrapping his arms around you. He stroked and played with your hair as he talked.

“Look at you, my smart girl, you’re all done! Now we can get ready for our trip and give you the break you deserve,” he said. 

You two were going up to New York for a week to see Trevor’s family– it was the offseason for him, so the timing was perfect. You had been looking forward to finally being done with finals so you could focus on packing and making plans– Julie, Trevor’s mom, had been texting you all week about different things you could do on your visit, but you just hadn’t had the time or energy to respond. 

“Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it. I miss your family!”

“They miss you, too. My mom has been texting me all week about it!” he laughed. 

“Me too!” you replied. “I feel bad, I’ve totally been ghosting her.”

“That’s okay, baby, she knows you’ve been busy. I love that you put 100% into everything you do. You’re so dedicated, and I just know you’re going to be the best doctor when all of this is over.”

You leaned your head up to look at him and gently kissed him.

“You’re so sweet to me, Trev,” you said with a smile, reaching up to run your fingers through his sandy waves. 

“You deserve all the sweetness in the world, Y/N,” he kissed you again, lingering this time. 

“How did I get so lucky?” you asked when he pulled back. 

“Sometimes I wonder that too,” he said. “I mean, come on, I’m dating an almost-doctor who is also hot as hell!”

You laughed, kissing him once more. 

“I love you so much, Trevor,” you said.

“I love you too, baby girl.”

[cementcornfield]

I’m new here and love jamarr and joes friendship don’t get me wrong! but isn’t he closer friends with sam hubbard? they’ve known eachother longer and go on vacations together. I’ve never seen jamarr and joe on one.

Hi and welcome!! Sam and Joe are definitely very close also and have for sure known each other longer. I don’t know if it’s fair to say that they're closer but I do think their lifestyles just tend to match up more for them to hang out in the offseason than Joe and Ja’Marr’s do.

Sam and Joe are both in serious relationships (I think Sam is? unlike many others on here, I do not care about the WAGs at all lmao), they’re both introverts, and they’re both Ohio boys. It’s a lot easier to go on vacation with someone with a significant other if you have one too. Plus they have a lot of mutual friends via OSU that they tend to vacation with as well.  And I think they’d both prefer more lowkey vacations, whereas Ja’Marr definitely likes to do a bit more partying. (I remember a story last season where all the guys went to a club together after a game, and Joe and Sam stayed like half an hour then shared an Uber home lmao). And again, they’re Ohio boys, so a lot of their friends and families are in Ohio, therefore they do spend a lot of their offseason there, as opposed to Ja’Marr who goes back to New Orleans and also just seems to enjoy traveling more. 

I think one of the main things I love about Joe and Ja’Marr’s friendship is that fact they are very different people in a lot of ways. BUT like their fathers say, at their cores and where it’s important, they’re the same. They’re both tough, smart, hard working, stubborn etc etc, and they care about each other a lot. I think they respect each others’ differences and are a good balance for each other. So yeah, they might have other friends they spend more time with (Tee and Ja’Marr spend a lot of time with each other too!) but their friendship is still one that is clearly very special to them. 

*Also Ja’Marr says that he’s the one that convinced Joe to go to Vegas at the end of last season. Because according to him he “never gets to enjoy his life” due to his fame, and Ja’Marr thinks he deserves to live his life to the fullest as much as he can 🥺 So you can count that a joint vacation if you like 🙂 

[hypelens]

Buccaneers vs. Cowboys: A Thrilling Clash with Playoff Implications

In a dramatic showdown on Sunday Night Football, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced the Dallas Cowboys in a game that carried significant playoff implications for both teams. With the postseason looming on the horizon, every play counted in this high-stakes matchup.

Game Overview and Key Moments

As reported by ESPN, the Cowboys entered the game with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread, knowing they needed a win to keep their postseason dreams alive. They managed to secure a crucial victory, eliminating the Buccaneers from playoff contention with a nail-biting 26–24 win. The game was filled with tension, showcasing the resilience of both teams as they fought for dominance on the field.

The matchup was a rollercoaster of emotions, with fans on the edge of their seats as the score fluctuated. The Cowboys, led by their dynamic offense, were determined to capitalize on every opportunity. Key plays from quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Tony Pollard proved instrumental in securing the victory, as they executed critical drives that kept the Buccaneers’ defense on its heels.

read more in google news

The Buccaneers’ Struggles

Despite their valiant efforts, the Buccaneers fell short, finding themselves in a tie for first place in their division before the loss. According to NBC Sports, the defeat was particularly heartbreaking for Tampa Bay, who had hoped to solidify their standing in the NFC South. The Buccaneers struggled to maintain consistency throughout the game, and crucial mistakes ultimately cost them a chance at the playoffs.

Fans were left wondering about the team’s future as they reflected on the season’s ups and downs. The Buccaneers have shown flashes of brilliance but have also faced challenges that have hindered their performance. As they look to regroup in the offseason, questions about the direction of the team will undoubtedly arise.

Post-Game Reactions

Following the game, reactions poured in from both sides. The Cowboys celebrated their hard-fought victory, emphasizing the importance of the win for their morale heading into the final stretch of the season. The players expressed relief and excitement as they kept their playoff dreams alive, showcasing a renewed sense of determination.

Conversely, the atmosphere in the Buccaneers’ locker room was somber. Players and coaches acknowledged the disappointment of the loss and the impact it had on their playoff aspirations. The team’s inability to close out key moments during the game will be a focal point in their post-game evaluations.

read more in google news

Conclusion

The matchup between the Buccaneers and Cowboys served as a significant turning point for both teams. With the Cowboys advancing in their pursuit of the postseason and the Buccaneers facing elimination, the game highlighted the intense competition in the NFL as the season reaches its climax. As the Cowboys look forward to their playoff journey, the Buccaneers will need to regroup and reassess their strategies for the future.

[news4usonline]

Lamar Jackson: 'We just got to finish'

Lamar Jackson had a great season. Even though he and his Baltimore Ravens teammates came up a game short of playing in the Super Bowl, Jackson and the Ravens have nothing to hang their heads about.  Yes, Jackson and the Ravens missed some opportunities that might have changed the outcome of an eventual 17-10 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, but they competed and fought to the end. In sports, there is always someone who wins and someone who ends up on the other side of that equation.  "We're going to build, this offseason, get better, grind and try to be in this position again, but on the other side." pic.twitter.com/o6Y5JQoK1y— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 28, 2024 "We had some opportunities out there," Jackson said in a postgame interview following the Ravens and Chiefs matchup. "You know, just got to take advantage of them. can't turn the ball over...fumble, interception, stuff like that. I gave them opportunities to put points on the board and win the game." "We get in that red zone, it's been ours (touchdown) all season, you know. We just got to finish. We didn't do a good job of finishing. The defense did a wonderful job and held a great offense to 17 points. We got to execute. We scored one touchdown, and that's not like us, Jackson added." It was a tough and bitter defeat for Jackson and the Ravens. After all, the Ravens were the most dominant team all season. Jackson is most likely set to win his second NFL Most Valuable Player Award.  Some people, though, will debate and argue that the season was a complete bust for Jackson and the Ravens outside of winning the championship. There are some people- because Jackson has become the face of what a dual-threat quarterback looks like, that Jackson will never reach and conquer the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl because of his style of play.  That’s being nice about the matter. I would disagree. Jackson is coming off completing his sixth year in the league. In those six years, he would have earned two MVP awards, rushed for 1,000 yards or more twice, played in six playoff games, and led his team to the conference title game.  There are quite a few quarterbacks who don’t have the kind of resume that Jackson has. And yet, Jackson is an easy target for the haters. That’s because his style of play is not conventional. To get to the point, Jackson is a running quarterback. He can hurt a team with his arm or his feet.  Critics of Jackson who don’t think he is the quarterback type to lead his team to the Super Bowl are not basing their analogy on fact and the true difficulty of winning a playoff game at the NFL level.  Let’s take a look at the journey of two-time Super Bowl winner Peyton Manning as an example.  Manning is one of the more prolific passers to make his way to the NFL. Manning came into the league in 1998. His stat line reads like this: 71,940 yards, 539 touchdowns, 14 Pro Bowls, and 18 seasons.  Manning, who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, lost his first three playoff games, including putting a blank on the scoreboard in a 41-0 defeat to the New York Jets.    "I'm proud of the season they had." Head Coach John Harbaugh on this team's season: pic.twitter.com/BCll6uXZBA— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 28, 2024 Eventually, Manning got to the Super Bowl and came up victorious twice. But it was not until he was in his eighth season in the NFL that Manning could claim that he was a champion after leading the Indianapolis Colts to a 29-17 win against the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.  This season, Jackson passed for 3,678 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also added another 821 yards and five scores running the football. The end result is not what Jackson, the Ravens, and their fans may have hoped for, but advancing to the conference championship game is something not too many teams can brag about.  For Jackson and the Ravens, this is progress and a wonderful achievement. Before playing the Chiefs, Jackson had not taken the Ravens to the AFC title game. At least it’s a step in the direction that Jackson and the Ravens hope will lead to an eventual Super Bowl berth. Perhaps the loss to Kansas City will fuel Jackson and the Ravens on another deep postseason but with better results.   "We mad, you know," Jackson said. "We got to this position, one game from the Super Bowl that we all...what I had been talking about all season, my team had been talking about all season, and we fell short. And like I said, offense, we didn't put nothing on the board. We scored once. That's not like us." Top Photo Caption: BALTIMORE, MD - JANUARY 28: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) avoids the pressure of Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (38) during the Kansas City Chiefs game versus the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game on January 28, 2024 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire) Read the full article

[juarezesdeporte]

2023 UTEP Football Camp Report: Quarterbacks

El Paso, Texas.-If UTEP starting QB Gavin Hardison never took another snap for the Miners, he would go down as one of the best signal callers in program history. Thankfully for the Orange and Blue faithful, he’s got one more go around as he enters the 2023 season the unquestioned leader and tone setter for the squad

The native of Hobbs, N.M., has completed 497 passes (third at UTEP) on 932 attempts (fourth at UTEP) for 7,016 yards (third at UTEP) and 35 touchdowns (tied fourth at UTEP) during his career. With another 3,000+ yard passing campaign (he compiled 3,218 in 2021), he’d join former Miners Trevor Vittatoe (12,493 yards, 2007-10) and Jordan Palmer (11,084, 2003-06) as the only quarterbacks in school history with at least 10,000 career passing yards. He’d also stand alongside Vittatoe as the lone quarterbacks at the school to pace the team in passing yards in four consecutive campaigns.

Yet will all those statistical accomplishments, Hardison is laser focused on something else for his final year donning the UTEP uniform.

“I’m focused on team goals,” Hardison said. “The goal that is super important to me is just being a good teammate. I think that the individual stats and stuff are what they are. What’s important to me is leaving here with people knowing that I was a good teammate.”

Being a good teammate starts off the field, which is something Hardison emphasized in the offseason.

“We went and ate and hung out off the field,” Hardison said. “We spent that time away from football together, not necessarily always thinking about football but talking about each other’s lives and just building a stronger bond and that connection. When we get here on the field, if you have a better connection with your guys and your teammates, that togetherness is what’s important.”

UTEP offensive coordinator/quarterbacks/wide receivers coach Scotty Ohara noticed the intentional effort from Hardison and others to really build relationships.

“More than any other offseason we’ve had here, they’ve spent a lot of time together,” Ohara said. “That’s been the big thing for building the chemistry with multiple positions and multiple players. Time together throwing with each other, time together going out to get something to eat and just hanging out, that’s been a big difference for how he looks at guys that maybe he didn’t know as well before and how the guys look at and trust him.”

There’s a lot of qualities that have allowed Hardison to thrive in his time with UTEP. One that can be overlooked is his football IQ.

“He’s a super smart guy,” Ohara said. “Coach Dimel has said it before too, but when you get in there and really are spending a lot of time with him like I’ve gotten to do this spring and through this camp and going into the season, you really realize how you tell him something once and he never forgets. He’s just really smart and has got really good football understanding.”

Hardison also has other terrific attributes, with his arm strength among the best in the league. It is noticeable the second you see the ball leave his hand.

“Then of course we all see him arm strength,” Ohara said. “That’s another strong, physical attribute to him. There’s a lot of other things that he has going too that make him a good player.”

With someone as experienced as Hardison under center, Ohara is excited about having the entire playbook at his disposal.

“That’s the big thing him being here as long as he has and him being in this offense for a while,” Ohara said. “For a quarterback it’s really all about understanding the intricacies of all the stuff we’ve got, when it’s good, when it’s not. Having a guy who has been here doing it and can take the next step to the next level makes a huge difference.”

There’s a lot that Hardison enjoys about the offense, but one thing stands out as his favorite component. That, along with the talent around him, gives him assurance heading into the 2023 season.

“I think it’s the versatility of the offense,” Hardison said. “We can do a whole lot of things, and we can do it at a high level. I have a lot of confidence in our guys. They have a lot of talent and a lot of athleticism. With our offensive line that we have, it makes it nice, and it makes my job easier.”

Hardison has a special bond that just comes from multiple years of playing together with Tyrin Smith, but he’s not the only wide receiver he will zip the ball to with ease.

“I feel really comfortable with Tyrin, but with everyone else in the room too like Kelly (Akharaiyi), JB (Jeremiah Ballard), Marcus (Bellon), Jostein (Clarke), Emari (White) and Kyle (McNamara). We’ve got guys, and we have a lot of weapons, so I’m excited for the start of the year.”

There are high goals for the team internally, with the proven cliché of one week at a time being UTEP’s best bet.

“We start off with a conference game, so we have to start off strong and go 1-0 in that one,” Hardison said. “Another goal of ours is to win in nonconference. Obviously, we want to get to a conference championship and then win a bowl game.”

For any of those goals to be accomplished, Hardison will play a big role. Ohara thinks he’s in a good spot.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in him,” Ohara said. “I really like where he’s at mentally and how he’s leading himself. I’m looking for him to really take control, lead this offense and make good decisions that put us in position to win games. I think that’s where his preparation leading up to the season has really set him up for.”

Hardison is cemented as the starter, and he’s providing a lot of leadership to the untested quarterbacks behind him.

“There’s that leadership factor where they’re looking up to him,” Ohara said. “A big part of any quarterback room and any younger guys trying to find their way in it is seeing things done the right way, how you do that off the field and how you do it on the field. So that’s a big deal to have Gavin around to provide that.”

It’s a role that he is embracing.

“I just try to give them as much knowledge as I can since I’ve been here,” Hardison said. “I’m just trying to help those guys as much as I can through whatever it is on and off the field. I’m trying to be a leader and a role model.”

Ohara knows his other QBs will be ready if they are called upon for any reason.

“We have Kevin (Hurley), Jake (McNamara) and Cade (McConnell) who have all been preparing and taking pretty even reps through camp with everything,” Ohara said. “All of those guys, we expect to be ready in case anything was to happen.” (PHOTO CREDIT: UTEP Athletics // REPORT BY: Mark Brunner)

[youcouldmakealife]

LBTE: Jared (173-174)

In which we prepare for the end by going back to the beginning.

If you'd like to follow along, the series page is here.

Final LBTE the day after tomorrow -- the epilogue itself is tomorrow.

173. Lodestar

He’s already talking about taking next year’s rookies under his wing — taking them out for lunch, inviting them over to play video games, making sure they feel welcome.

Jared terrifying the rookies might put a crimp in Bryce’s rookie mentoring plans.

And — fuck, is Jared going to have to host shit? Jared doesn’t want to host shit. Letting people into his space sounds horrible. Hopefully they’ll get a pass, since there’s no way the team could all fit in their apartment, let alone significant others and kids. They had a few preliminary discussions about getting a house after they re-sign this summer, but no way is that happening if it increases the likelihood of Jared having to endure guests.

Refusing to buy a house solely so no one makes him host anything is the most Jared thing possible.

You’re co-hosting a wine night with me he receives from Stephen, who continues to have the uncanny ability to say the thing that Jared would like to hear least. Jared guesses Gabe told him the news.

Wine nights happen when the Canucks are on the road. Jared replies, rather than ‘I would rather die’, just in case Stephen takes him literally.

Very smart not to tell Stephen your worst fears: he’ll make them happen. Also: you’re co-hosting a wine night with him. It’s inevitable. The rookies may fear Jared, but the WAGs will love him.

The Scouts are flaming out against the Kings, earlier than their typical Stanley Cup Final choking.

This is the Red Wings’ year. So Kings vs Red Wings in the WCF (yes, this 'verse shunted Detroit right back to the west when they finally thought they were safe), then Red Wings vs Lightning in the Finals. Sorry Seb.

Bryce is, but he’s been busy with other things — getting a crash course on what’s involved in wearing the A from Gabe, babysitting the Kurmazov spawn while Dmitry and Oksana pack up their own place for the offseason, bringing some of their extra food over to Elaine’s, and somehow coming home with more shit than he left with, though thankfully all the childhood shit Elaine’s unloading on him is nonperishable.

Seriously, Bryce is 100% living the dream. Mentoring, babysitting, hanging out with his mom.

In one of the boxes is a battered stuffed bear with a bow tie that Bryce greets like an old friend, and now sits with the minor Winnie the Pooh collection in the sulking room. He doesn’t fit thematically, but Jared figures he gets extra points for making Bryce’s eyes light up. His name’s Mr. Bear. Bryce was apparently not a creative child.

Because Bryce was Bear, the Mr. was included to avoid confusion.

“What’s wrong?” Jared asks.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Bryce says.

“Is it your shoulder again?” Jared asks.

“It’s not my shoulder,” Bryce says.

“Is it somewhere else?” Jared asks.

Jared is not a very good listener when he’s panicking.

He’s suddenly terrified Bryce is going to propose or something. Demand they get married again, but in public this time. Fuck, Jared doesn’t want to marry Bryce again. He embarrassed himself in front of enough people last time, and is frankly extremely grateful no video evidence exists. He can’t deny that he cried if there’s a video of him doing exactly that. Not that he’d cry, but—

You’d fucking cry, don’t start.

Also if Bryce knew he could make everybody hold a party for his relationship with Jared? On one knee in a second flat. So Jared will just…never mention the existence of vow renewals in his presence. And quit bugging Gabe and Stephen about when they’re getting married so Stephen doesn’t snap and mention it himself.

Bryce hasn’t shown any signs of stopping to breathe, but Jared doesn’t interrupt him, knows Bryce won’t be able to gather the threads back together if he does, and, more than that, that he’s nervous about this for some reason. Nervous about telling Jared this.

Bryce rambles when he’s nervous and when something’s really important to him. This is both.

Mostly he’s trying to figure out how Bryce did all this without Jared knowing. Like, Jared knew Bryce was keeping busy, but how did he miss a whole ass project? Bryce did financials? He talked to Marc Lapointe?

He had a lot of spare time. Especially during road trips. It wasn’t particularly difficult to keep it on the DL, considering.

“We started in like, January,” Bryce says. “I wanted to have like, a real idea before I told you, make sure I was still like, serious about it. And everyone says to do the research so, like, mom and I did the research. Gabe and Stephen helped too. Stephen was only like, kind of mean about it. Though he kept saying shit about my hair.”

“Babe, saying you have Disney prince hair isn’t an insult, I told you that,” Jared says.

“He says it like an insult,” Bryce says.

Because he’s offended that your hair just DOES that. Stephen is very vain about his own hair, he hates having a competitor.

(It does not just DO that, there is great time and financial investment involved in Bryce’s terrific hair)

“He says everything like an insult,” Jared says. “That’s just the way Stephen communicates.”

“He’s nice to Gabe,” Bryce says.

“Have you ever met anyone who isn’t nice to Gabe?” Jared says. “Even I’m nice to Gabe.”

Er. Nice(r).

But seriously, who’s mean to Gabe? Stephen will kill them.

“I wanted it to be like, fully planned out before I told you,” Bryce says. “You’re always so like — you always think shit through, you know? So I wanted to make sure I thought everything through first. And that took like, way more time than I expected it to. And help. This stuff isn’t like, my thing, you know? But it matters to me, so.”

Bryce trying to make sure he got ahead of every road block and set back so it would be perfect by the time Jared found out about it kills me a little.

“It isn’t?” Bryce says. “I mean, I know it isn’t, I just — you don’t think it’s dumb?”

“Of course I don’t think it’s dumb,” Jared says, and it kind of breaks his heart, how relieved Bryce looks.

Mine too.

“I just don’t want anyone thinking they can have hockey or love but not like, both,” Bryce says. “Like, I’d be a fucking mess without you, and I was kind of a mess without hockey too, and I just—“

Bryce going from someone who can’t even say the word gay out loud to willingly becoming the face of an organization meant for LGBTQ youth athletes — this boy.

“I can’t believe you made a secret club just so you could hang out with your mom,” Jared says.

That’s just a BONUS, Jared.

“I’m not—“ Bryce says. “It’s not a secret club!”

Note there is no denial about the hanging out with his mom part.

“You can join the club,” Bryce says, then, quickly, “But you don’t have to or anything. I know you’re not a joiner.”

“Obviously I want to join your secret club,” Jared says.

“Really?” Bryce asks.

“Duh,” Jared says, kicking Bryce’s foot, and Bryce kicks him back, grinning.

Jared’s evolution has been subtler, but of course he makes an exception for Bryce.

Bryce goes to grab his laptop with this jaunty little trot Jared doesn’t think he’s ever seen him do before, and he smiles down at his hands so he isn’t grinning at Bryce when he returns, just in case Bryce thinks he’s laughing at him.

Another evolution: Jared’s awareness of how easily Bryce’s feelings are hurt, and his efforts to make sure he isn’t the one doing it.

“We can take a break,” Bryce says quickly. Jared decides it wouldn’t be constructive to point out they haven’t actually done anything, form-wise. Certainly wouldn’t get either of them what they want, unless what they want is to be frustrated by bureaucracy.

Excellent work NOT cockblocking yourself with forms, Jared.

For the second time Jared gets to see the jaunty run. It’s a little dorky, but Jared won’t tell Bryce that. If he does, he’ll never see it again, and he’s already fond of it.

Jared getting to see parts of Bryce nobody else does, and being SO SO fond of them.

Jared decides to speed up just a little. If Bryce is going to put on a show, he doesn’t really want to miss it.

Like, yes, this is about sex, but also very much a dynamic that plays out across their relationship, which is great, because Jared doesn’t mind that Bryce is the better player/higher profile/bigger name. In fact, all the extra stuff Bryce deals with because of that is shit Jared is very glad not to deal with. But he loves getting to sit back and watch Bryce do his thing.

174. Starstruck (Redux)

There are so many callbacks in this part it might be easier to point out what isn’t one. One of the great things about doing this liveblogging (I reread the first 102 before I restarted this endeavour) — everything is very fresh when it’s time to wrap things up.

It’s also a really nice way for me to come to terms with finishing things — I get to go back and honour every part of the process, which helps, because this part always hurts. This series has been in my life so long it’d be a first grader by now, so it's been particularly hard to say goodbye to it.

It always feels a little strange now, travelling commercial. Well, strange is putting it nicely. Terrible. It feels terrible. Jared has had five hours of sleep and his Starbucks is burnt and his husband is wearing a toque indoors ‘so people won’t recognise me, J’. He looks ridiculous, and if his coffee’s burnt he can’t taste it, probably because there isn’t much coffee involved in that concoction.

Who says Jared isn’t a morning person (everyone who’s met him, and many would say he’s not an afternoon, evening, or night person either)

“You’re that guy from the Canucks, right?” she asks, inexplicably looking at Jared rather than Bryce.

Guess you should have worn a hat like your genius husband, Jared.

“My friends all think you’re really cute,” she says, then runs back to her group without asking for an autograph or anything, greeted with yells and cheers like she just scored them the OT winner.

She is a god among them.

“Don’t look so douchey in my hat now, do I?” Bryce asks.

“You still do,” Jared says. But he looks like a douche with a good idea.

Shoutout to the time Jared wrote a heartfelt card on his first anniversary that used the word ‘douche’ twice.

“I packed an extra,” Bryce says. “Just in case you changed your mind.”

Jared continues to underestimate how often they’ll be recognized, particularly in Vancouver. Bryce prefers to be prepared so he doesn’t have to take pictures and sign shit when he’s just trying to get a coffee.

Once the plane door shuts, Jared rips the hat off his head. “Is it fixable?”

“I don’t know how you can say I’m vain about my hair,” Bryce murmurs. Jared would tell him it’s because he is, but Bryce is fixing his hair for him at the moment, so it doesn’t seem like the most opportune time to argue.

Jared’s less vain about his hair and more vain about his so called dignity, and messy hair is not dignified. But then, neither is Jared, a lot of the time.

Training with you. I come back to Canada in June.

Absolutely not. Jared texts back.

Chaz and Raf already said OK. So did Arvan. So I’m coming.

Too bad Jared texts back. You’re not invited.

“What’re you so happy about?” Bryce mutters.

Julius officially in the crew and Jared is visibly delighted about it.

“Jared!” Bryce says, grabbing his arm.

There’s a few instances of physical communication between the two of them in this part. Big because it’s always in public/in front of others, and that’s something they’re only recently grown comfortable with.

“Did you know Julius was coming?”

“What, Julius is coming to train?” his dad asks. “That’s news to me.”

“I didn’t mention training,” Jared says.

“Shit,” his dad says, and Jared snorts.

Jared got his terrific lying skills from the best.

“Great,” Jared says. “Wonderful. I’m so happy to be home.”

“We’re as happy to have you as you are to be here,” his dad says.

His chirping skills are mostly from his mom, but sometimes Don comes through.

“Is that where Erin’s taking Bryce?” Jared asks.

“As far as I’m aware,” his dad says.

“Well,” Jared says. “Then I guess that’s where I’m going.”

These two. Two planets orbiting one another.

“I tell you I’m proud of you yet?” his dad asks.

“Not in as many words,” Jared says.

“Well, I am,” his dad says. “Proud of Bryce too.”

Look at Don growing too!!

“Me too,” Jared says. “Next season he’s going to — actually, I’ll let him tell you about it over brunch.”

“The charity thing?” his dad says, then, “Shit.”

“Oh for—“ Jared says. “Come on.”

Elaine got ahead of herself, she’s sorry!

Ashley has a ring on her finger. Grace doesn’t, but judging by Raf going red and hissing ‘shut up’ when Jared asks him about it, that’s changing very shortly.

Raf’s trying to find the perfect moment. Chaz did it in their living room and almost wiped out on one of Maia’s toys when he went to kneel.

“You're pregnant," Bryce says.

"No," Ashley says. "Okay, yes, but—"

Everyone had a couple beers (or spritzers) but her over the afternoon. Bryce noticed, Jared, of course, did not.

“To keep the numbers even we thought that maybe Bryce could be on my side?” Ashley asks. “And you two could partner up. But we don’t want to do that if you’re not—“

“Can I wear a suit that matches the bridesmaid dresses?” Bryce asks.

Ash and Chaz worried he’d feel emasculated, being on the bride’s side. And once upon a time he would have, but now he’s just hyped about a pastel suit.

“So it was Chaz you were hiding it from,” Jared says.

Ashley’s mouth flattens. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“It is an excellent instrument,” Chaz says. “You’re just haters.”

If he plays twinkle twinkle little star on that thing one more time…

(And it is always twinkle twinkle little star. Because that is all he knows.)

Jared leans over to Chaz as Bryce and Ashley put their heads together. “Did you steal a toy from your own child?”

“We’re teaching her to share,” Chaz mutters.

Can MAIA play twinkle twinkle little star? No! It’s wasted on her.

Raf proposes, but only after weeks of making everyone around him miserable. To the surprise of absolutely no one but Raf, she says yes. Jared would be more smug about calling it if he hadn’t been the only one blindsided by Raf asking him to be his best man.

Just wait until Jared remembers there’s a speech involved.

Jared’s volunteered to help, mostly to make sure that Julius doesn’t mistake Jared telling him he’s not welcome, and explicitly uninviting him, for actually not wanting him here.

Taking Jared at his word would obviously be a mistake.

“Oh my fucking god,” Jared mutters. Bryce had finally gotten rid of the convertible when he left Calgary, and Jared had figured that was that, because Vancouver’s the opposite of a good place for one. Maybe that was naive. “You’re too old for that car! Also too young!”

Bryce gets out of the front seat, sliding his sunglasses off and tucking them into his polo. He looks like bad porn. Right in front of Jared’s parents, too. Jared glowers at him as he walks up the driveway.

Jared’s anti-convertible gripe turning into ‘how dare you look hot enough that I now want to ride in your dumb car’. In front of his parents, to boot!

“Nice looking car, Bryce,” his dad says.

Bryce grins. “Want to come for a spin?”

“Watch my pots!” his dad says, then literally jogs down the driveway to get in the passenger seat.

Don has dibs though!

Jared exchanges a look with his mom.

“Well,” she says. “It’s nice to see he’s finally gotten over his Bryce related car trauma.”

Growth!

It’s another half hour before Bryce and his mom come back. It doesn’t involve anyone shouting ‘what a rush’ as they come inside, so it’s more subtle than his dad’s return

I love Don.

Jared scoots over, and Bryce lies down beside him. They don’t fit. They never have, really, but now Jared has to put his back against the wall, tangle their legs together so Bryce doesn’t topple right off the bed.

Back in Jared’s high school bed. Every time they do it gets more and more cramped.

“I thought we could get some pizza,” Bryce says. “Sit around at a park or something. It’s a nice day for it.”

“You got a blanket in the trunk too?” Jared says.

“Maybe,” Bryce says. “Not a Flames one, but.”

This boy. This ridiculously romantic boy.

“Absolutely,” Bryce says. As soon as they get outside he jogs ahead. Jared’s about to ask him what he’s in such a hurry for before Bryce opens the passenger door for him, and then he just has to stop everything, take a moment and watch him, golden in the late spring light.

Jared’s still so gone for him.

“You coming?” Bryce asks.

“Yeah,” Jared says. “Yeah, of course I am.”

So gone.