#auston/mitch was another good one

[allylikethecat]

Omg okay I need to check out MattDrai, my fave ship so far has been Kane/ Toewes, sooo many good fics but I'm realising it's maybe just the height difference thing for me? Haha

I've for sure read my fair share of Kane/Toewes or 1988 as I believe we used to call it lol There isn't going to be any height difference with MattDrai - Matthew and Leon are literally the same height 💀 BUT the enemies to lovers and "I'd get off the ice" is just SO GOOD. Love to come across more Hockey RPF humans in The 1975 fandom! Maybe one day I'll actually... finish my MattDrai fic that I haven't updated since August 😂

Thank you so much for sending this ask! I hope you had a great day and that you are having a wonderful week!

❤️Ally

[pkochetkov]

idk if ur still taking requests but if u are matthew knies with either 12 or 22 please :)

[smut] in the club

pairing: matthew knies x fem!reader

summary: matthew doesn’t like the club, but he likes you

authors note: reader is on birth control for the sake of bc i said so. not proofread at all, or edited so yk.

warnings: smut, mentions of alcohol, p in v, unprotected sex, use of “good girl”, cussing, reader calls matthew handsome idk, lmk if i missed any

matthew never really liked going out. sure, he’d go to the club to celebrate wins with the team,

or to celebrate friends birthdays, but he didn’t like the constant noise or the slew of girls that came up to him looking for a quick fuck just because of his name and status.

but tonight was different. he was once again out celebrating another win with the team, rejecting girls and trying to make sure mitch didn’t make a fool of himself. he was convinced this night was another bust where he’d be stuck taking care of those who lost themselves in the endless drinks, but then he saw you.

you’d just walked in, hand in hand with a few friends, laughing at some lame joke. dressed in a red dress that hugged your figure perfectly. gold and silver jewelry has never looked better together, he was absolutely convinced. your black heels made your legs look absolutely delicious, the muscles in your thighs accentuated with every step you took.

his staring didn’t go unnoticed.

“you’re being eye-fucked” your friend leaned over and whispered to you. your eyes scanned the room before locking on a tall, broad man. striking green eyes catching yours, neither of you making any move to break eye contact.

he was dressed in a pair of jeans and a white shirt that gripped his biceps in a way that had your thighs squeezing together. he was yummy.

“dude, go get her,” matthew was snapped out of his daze by auston slapping a rough and on his shoulder. he looked at the drink in his hand, mitch clinging to the couch, and back at auston who shook his head, “i’ve got him. you go.”

matthew nodded, “i’ll see you guys later.” auston smirked, “no you won’t.”

matthew downed the rest of his beer and began making his way to the empty seat next to you. you made it a point not to notice, or point out that you had, him.

the bartender walked over and matthew held his bottle up signaling for another, before also nodding over to your close to empty drink. “another for the pretty girl also.” you smiled.

“pretty girl, huh?” you’d stopped swirling the remnants of your martini in the glass and turned to face the large man next to you. his green eyes were captivating, but also slightly scary. they felt like they were staring into your very being.

“just being honest.” matthew shrugged at the words and thanked the bartender for your refilled drinks. “you here with anyone?” he knew you were. your friends had left you the minute he made his way over.

“why? wanna take this conversation elsewhere?” the insinuation was unexpected to him. those lips looked like they’d never uttered a lewd word in your lifetime, but god he couldn’t resist knowing what they felt like wrapped around him.

he smirked and pulled your chair closer to him, “i was intending to talk to you more, but if you wanna skip all that,”

you smiled at his words, and downed the rest of your drink before standing up. “come on handsome, i don’t bite. unless you want me to.”

matthew swore under his breath and grabbed your hand leading you down the hallway toward the bathrooms. he shoved the door open and pushed you inside, pressing you against the door and connecting your lips in a hungry dance.

teeth clashed and matthew reached behind you to lock the door. his hands raked over your frame, pulling at the red dress that captivated him. your hands slid down to the waistband of his jeans, popping the button open and sliding one hand inside.

he was semi hard, just from the kissing. you squeezed the tip of his cock and he hissed into the kiss, pressing more into your hand. you pulled away from the kiss to drop down to your knees, taking his pants and boxers down with you.

his cock stood tall, tip tinged a bright pink accompanied by a thick vein that ran down the shaft of it, your hand barely wrapping around the girth. “fuck, you’re so big.”

matthew grabbed onto your hair as you began stroking him. you brought his cock to your lips and began tapping it against you. this whole situation was so erotic, matt was convinced he’d be thinking about it for weeks.

“come on pretty girl, suck it for me.” his voice was so much deeper, slightly raspier, and who were you to say no?

you took what you could into your mouth, hallowing your cheeks around it, and dragging your tongue against the tip on its way in. the man above you cussed and gripped your hair a little tighter. his hips bucked slightly making you gag slightly, the squeeze of your throat bring him closer to the edge.

you pulled off of him, using your saliva to coat the rest of him, allowing your hand too glide across him easier. matthew used the hand in your hair to pull you up and reconnect your lips. you moaned into the kiss and he gripped your thighs to lift you up. he walked you over the counter and turned you so you faced the mirror.

he lifted your dress up so it gathered around your hips and pulled your thong to the side. you were already soaking just from sucking him off and he loved it. matthew stuck his middle and ring finger into his mouth, coating them before bringing them down to your cunt. his eyes connected with yours in the mirror and he watched as your jaw fell open at the intrusion of his fingers.

matt curled them down seeking that spongy spot deep in your cunt, smiling when you let out a high pitched moan when he found it. his fingers fucked into you in such a way you weren’t sure you’d be able to replicate by yourself. you’d never felt so full, just from his fingers. your legs began to get weak at the thought. matthew noticed this and pulled his fingers out making you whine in protest.

“calm down,��� he said and lifted your hips to line himself up with your entrance. he moved his hands so one was holding you up and the other was guiding his cock into you. he relished in the deep moan you let you and the way you squeezed around him with every inch he pushed in.

“there you go, taking me like a good girl. look at that. such a pretty pussy you got.” his words made your head spin, the look in his eyes almost making you cum on the spot. this. this was heaven. he filled you so deep you didn’t even think this was possible. he pulled out slightly before he began hammering into you.

every thrust of his hips sent you into the counter, you were sure it would leave bruises along the tops of your thigh but you couldn’t find it in you to care at the moment. not when the big hockey player behind you was the cause of it. every thrust had your vision going blurry. his tip kissed your cervix every time he pushed in, balls slapping against your clit in such a way you never thought you’d feel pleasure from.

matthew let out deep groans every now and again, a breathy fuck left his lips everytime you’d squeeze around him, and a lewd squelching sound echoed in the dim bathroom everytime he pushed back in.

“close. i- oh fuck- i’m gonna cum.” your moans picked up, and so did matthew’s thrusts. he put both hands on your hips to pull you back into his, “cum for me pretty. come on, i know you can.”

your vision went dark, your legs shook and your hands gripped the sink in front of you. matthew had never heard such an ethereal moan than yours when you came. cum began gathering at the base of his cock and his thrusts began to fall out of rhythm.

“fuck fuck fuck fuck,” matthew let out before slamming his hips into you, shooting ropes of cum deep into your cunt. his breathing was heavy and he let go of your hips causing him to slide out of you slightly.

he slowly thrusted, riding out the rest of his climax and overstimulating the both of you before fully pulling out. a mix of your cum and his leaked out of you and onto the floor. he moved your underwear back into place and helped pull your dress down.

your legs were weak and sore, but tolerable. you watched the man pull his pants and boxers up and look back at you.

“i’ve got a nice shower at my place. you know, so we can clean up.” matthew said, a sly way of inviting you back to his to “clean up”. you smiled at him and stuck a hand out, “take me home, handsome.”

[cuteandhughesy]

Wedding Season | William Nylander

summary: ever since y/n and william started dating, the two of them have been attending friends and teammates weddings - and everytime y/n can't help but think of her own wedding.

[word count] 2.2K

warnings: SFW! pre-established relationship | fluff | alcohol | weddings

notes: a short lil willy imagine to tie everyone over as I finish up the last stages of a new rempe fic! stay tuned bc I can do it with a broken heart is on its way !!

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One: july 7, 2018 The Wests

y/n met William Nylander at her good friend, Stephanie LaChance's, boyfriends summer barbecue. yeah, kind of a mouth full. She went to school with Stephanie and the two had always stayed close, even when y/n moved out to B.C.

when Steph heard her friend was moving back to Ontario, she invited her to her boyfriends Mitch's barbecue that he was hosting for his teammates and their significant others. long story short.

Willy was already there when y/n arrived. She was wearing a pink sundress with white flowers and those brown strappy gladiator sandals that willy loved so much. her hair was long at the time, and cascaded down her back in a loose ponytail. y/n was the most stunning woman he'd ever laid eyes on. They were introduced by Steph, and exchanged numbers, and the rest was history.

A couple months after they made it official, y/n received a wedding invitation in the mail. Her collage roommate, Taylor, was getting married. With a plus one in the air, y/n asked Willy if he would want to go with her, granted, the wedding was almost a year away, but he still said he would.

Fast forward to July 7th 2018 at the wedding of Taylor and Logan West. The ceremony was beautiful. stunning floral arrangements covered every isle, and they smelt so damn good. y/n was covered in a soft blue silk dress, perfectly complimenting Williams off white dress shirt and khaki pants.

y/n cried when Taylor walked down the isle, a loving smile on her face. William looked down at her and laughed out a smile.

"shut up," y/n mumbled in regards to her tears, slapping her boyfriends chest softly.

y/n cried even more when they exchanged vows and this time William didn't snicker or laugh but instead pulled her small frame into his side, kissing her head before returning his attention to the couple.

She admired how perfect Taylor and Logan were for one another, and how amazing their vows were - how epic their love was. y/n felt a deep pang of wedding blues in her gut - she wanted a wedding, and flowers, and crying guests and beautiful music.

At the reception, Taylor and Logan took their position to begin their first dance and 'It Will Rain' started to play and this time y/n didn't cry, but imagined what song she would have playing for her first dance. and then....

"I always thought I would have a Taylor Swift song for my first dance, I'm not sure why but I think she would be perfect," Williams words were a soft whisper against the shell of her ear and that's when she knew who she wanted to have a first dance with.

Two: june 29, 2019 The Martins

Of course Sydney had the most perfect, beautiful wedding ever. Fitting for the most amazing couple y/n has ever had the pleasure of knowing. The party had been going for a few hours now, the drinks were flowing, the food was delicious and the music was perfect.

y/n had lost her shoes about 30 minutes ago, she remembers leaving them at the table in an empty seat bedside Auston and said 'don't let anybody steal these' as if somebody would actually do steal her shoes - it made auston laugh. 

She was dancing with Steph, the two of them quite tipsy (as-well as barefoot) to some Drake song. Sydney had just left them to find Matt so Steph smiled. "Isn't this amazing?" the blond asked.

"So amazing...I want to get married." y/n pouted.

"Me too," Steph concluded. "I should go ask Mitch about getting married right now!"

y/n’s eyes lit up, "You should!"

The music slowed down and You're still the One by Shania started playing. y/n felt arms circle her waist, "I wondered were you went," she turned in Williams arms to face him, "all I could find were your shoes." he told her.

y/n smiled, throwing her arms around Willy's shoulders, letting him sway her to the music. "my feet were hurting."

"I'll rub them later," willy told her.

y/n smirked, "it's not my feet I want you to rub..." she tried to wink seductively but it ended up being a tired blink.

he shushed her but smirked anyways, giving the side of her a head a quick kiss. "you're drunk."

"pssshhh...no."

"yeah yeah," williams eyes sparkled and y/n felt herself swoon. the two continued to dance together on the dance floor, even when the slow song stopped and the party songs picked back up they still stayed together.

y/n couldn't wait until she was dancing with william - at their own wedding.

Three: june 30, 2019 The Hymans

william was pretty drunk. so was everybody else though, so he didn't feel bad. he was sitting on a bench near the edge of the dance floor, taking in the moment as he watched zach and alanna twirl each other around - surrounded by all friends and family alike.

he doesn't remember much from that night, like he knows: he was drunk. but he does remember that he wasn't alone at that bench - auston was sitting beside him, probably just as drunk.

"hey man," austons knee bounced of williams, alerting the blonde man's attention. "isn't this great."

"hell yeah," william nods.

auston laughs with him. he doesn't speak for a moment and it goes quiet between the two friends. then he takes a breath, gaining willy's attention. "makes you think. doesn't it?"

"what do you mean?"

"like," auston sighs, "having a wedding. getting married." William doesn't say anything at first so he continues. "don't you want this?" he gestures towards the newly wedded couple.

"I do, yeah." william smiles, mostly to himself.

"I think you've got a good one, willy." auston says to his friend and yeah, willy thinks, I have the best one of them all. then he sees y/n whisking her way through the dancing crowd, dress flowing free around her ankles, shoes abandoned like usual.

"where are your shoes?" willy teases when y/n gets close. she shrugs, grabbing a hold of williams hands and pulling him up and off the bench.

"let's get another drink," she laughs.

"alright," he smiles.

"I have to pee first though, come with me."

he groans, wrapping and arm around her waist and dropping his head into his shoulder. it made auston laugh.

"have fun you two," auston teases.

y/n laughs and william kisses her cheek 5 quick times. he loves her so much.

Four: august 7, 2021 The Browns

the sparkler that was held in y/n’s hand was bright and hot. william had his arm around her waist, his other hand holding an identical sparkler to her own. beside her, lucy gardiner was wiping her eyes, watching connor and madison leave the event - ready to head out on their honey moon.

friends and wedding guests alike cheers for the newlyweds, eyes filled with emotions.

madison and connor looked so...happy. she had never seen two people look more happy and in love.

y/n had that familiar sinking feeling in her gut. that feeling of longing and wanting. weddings always made her feel like that, ever since she had gone to her first wedding when she was twelve and was a flower girl for her aunts third marriage.

expect now, that all so familiar feeling was followed by a feeling of intense love and hope and the excitement of the future. all because of william and the connection he gave her. she loves him so much.

"hey," he whispered into her ear softly, "ready to head out?"

connor and madison were driving off now, ready to be whisked off into marriage life and honeymoons in hawaii.

y/n’s head fell back against his shoulder as william pulled her body infront of his, their sparklers dying down into a burnt stick. "yeah, are you?"

"I am," william kissed her temple.

on their way home, william was driving their vehicle back to the hotel room when he said, "where would you want to go on our honey moon?"

y/n blinked at the question. "oh god...probably greece or maybe even amsterdam."

william smiled, "I like those options."

"I can't wait."

Five: july 29, 2023 The Marners

steph asked y/n to be her maid of honour with a cute gift box, a champagne glass printed to prompt the question. y/n was almost as excited that day then when she found out her best friend was engaged.

fast forward to july 29th, where she stood at the head of the venue, speech ready on her phone, a shaking hand, and hundreds of eyes watching her - ready for her to begin.

"Hello everyone," y/n started, "for those who don't know me, I'm your/n, steph's childhood best friend. I am so glad that we are able to be here today to celebrate the beautiful bride and groom: Steph and Mitch. No matter what challenges they faced they always said they would get married on this date no matter what, because when you know you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. Or maybe it was because Steph preemptively bought decorations with today’s date on it - who knows."

the crowd laughed and y/n could feel her nerves dwindling slowly. she could feel her grip on the microphone was moist, her sweaty hands betraying her. looking out into the crowd, she sees the smiling faces of her friends, family and a special blonde. the love of her life. william gave her an encouraging nod, a smirk on his lips.

she hadn't gotten to see william properly that day. she had been apart of the bridal party, therefore, getting ready and making sure steph was happy was her main priority. hell, she had seen matt martin more than her own boyfriend.

y/n took a deep breath, "Growing up, steph, I always looked up to you, I wanted to wear everything you wore and do everything that you did. you could have told me anything and I would have believed you. one example of this is you saying since you were older you had to get married first. guess you were right. but i'm sure my turn will come," she took a dramatic pause, "will, i'm looking at you."

the crowd laughed, williams teammates surrounding him chirped him, shaking his shoulders in a teasing manner. y/n laughed. "i'm kidding, i'm kidding. now that steph and I are older, we have set our childish arguments aside and found common ground on how we can relate to the bachelor, each others intense fomo, and impatience of people who take forever to get ready. even though, steph and I are those people who take....forever to get ready."

william laughed to himself, knowing quite well how his girlfriend and her best friend would get when they were together. it was like watching two sloths walking.

"the first time I heard steph mention mitch was when I was 15 and steph was 16. she had called me and vented to me about how she told a guy she didn't want to hang out with them anvmore but she said she was thinking that she had made a huge mistake. me, knowing nothing about the guy she was talking about, said something along the lines of 'You worry too much and forget about him'. Thankfully, steph, you did not take my advice and a week later I came home, and she was skating at the local rink with the guy I told her to forget about.

Once I got to know mitch, I became less bitter that steph did not listen to my advice. I remember being fully won over when mitch bought me and steph the same pair of pyjamas for christmas in the same year because you knew that we wanted to match - and knowing what I know now about how mitch and gift giving, it means even more. I have never met a more perfect, kind or beautiful couple. so, I would like to make a toast -"

the group raised their drinks, smiles all around. william couldn't help but admire his girlfriend, how her bridesmaid dress looked on her body, and her stunning face and perfect hair. she looked so happy to be celebrating her friends marriage and in that moment his thoughts were solidified.

"to the beautiful bride and groom. on this perfect day. mitch, you are the best person. you are kind, funny, and the perfect match for steph. and steph...you are my best friend," steph wiped her eyes and y/n could feel her own eyes filling with tears, "you are beautiful, caring and you will be the best wife. cheers to the happy couple, I am so honoured to be apart of your special day."

the crowd applauded her, toasting their glasses in celebration. chatter about her speech started and y/n ran to give steph a hug, kissing the side of her head and accepting a hug and thank you from mitch before taking het seat beside the bride.

the next speech started and william watched y/n take a deep breath, eyes scanning the room until they landed on her man.

she smiled wide.

'you did so well,' he mouthed to her.

y/n smirked, 'thank you honey,"

he mouths more - 'you look so sexy,"

she playfully rolled her eyes, a blush covering her face. 'stop,' she mouthed back.

that's it. he was going to marry her.

[3416]

twitter's down so i can't even rage about this but i find it so funny that auston and willy get off scot-free when talking about ~wanting to be a leaf~ despite fucking the team over with the way they did deals. they just got the benefit of the doubt with a new gm who wanted their deals done quick. auston only signs short term deals to maximize the amount of money he's leaching from the org over time but that can somehow be spun as a good/smart thing by fans even in a year where he's on a sub 40 goal pace (LOL). willy got everything he wanted, they bent over backwards for him AND gave him above market value and what? we applaud that and say bc he said 'i love being a leaf' even though he's doing less than he was last year too... like we just pretend they didn't use negotiating to maximize their own gain, but also they got to sign these deals at an even less volatile time, lol.

mitch's agent is known for taking his clients to free agency to get the most. this year, they're positioned that way and treliving isn't in some rush to get it done or it'd be closer by now. if they were offering or willing to go above market value like they did with guys before or if mitch only wanted short term, it'd be closer to being done. but with the cap projections, things are more complicated. it was always going to be more complicated. your second to first best player having an mvp year wanting TERM and what he's worth makes it hard when no one else of his caliber did it before and set a tone.

i don't think this says anything about what the leafs or what mitch want. ultimately both sides want him to be a leaf, and both sides have said that at various points (no, mitch can't just say that now the closer they get to negotiations. it literally compromises their strategy lol). but the leafs set themselves up for this by allowing their superstar player to sign short term deals (lowering the aav internal ceiling for the team) and signing another elite guy to a slight overpayment of the time and bending to his every whim in terms of nmc too. like they have to reap what they sow here with this dragging out, but leaf fans are absolute idiots trying to say any of our stars have been team-friendly deals, lol.

the leafs themselves are here for money and comfort, not some nebulous love of the fanbase, and it's so funny to watch people be delusional about that. they might like it in toronto and call it home now and that might be fun for everyone's little mental narratives, but they're in it for the money and this place will also give them more money than almost anywhere else and they all know that with the way the org's run right now, so lol. acting like any of them are more virtuous than mitch is idiotic just bc you don't personally like that his negotiations involve the concept of other teams. newsflash, so did everyone elses, you just didn't have to hear about it bc the team was in a different place and no one gets the absolute batshit treatment from the media that mitch does. the only person who maybe holds the reverence abt that place and crest and history is the very one you want to push out so badly.

[equallyshaw]

come back to me. | matthew knies.

•

Warnings: light swearing, sad stuff, slightly acknowledges toxic and abusive parent. harassment and bullying.

Word count: 2.2k

italicized is russian.

——

amelia watched from across the across the dinner table, that was a mixture of players and their partners. it was american thanksgiving and the two had been invited to auston's place to celebrate the holiday with the other american's on he team, and a few canadians joined as well. matthew was laughing at whatever mitch had said, as amelia was in her own world; as she had been the entire evening. the two had fought on their way over about something stupid that pissed matthew off. with matthew going a little too hard at the girl who had just uprooted herself over the thanksgiving break to be with him. throughout the evening, she minded her business talking in bit's to some of the other wags, while matthew was having a great time relieving some stress.

it was around 11 now and she was quite tired, the flight getting to her and all she wanted to do was go to bed. she began her dissent towards matthew, and auston smiled widely as she walked up to the two of them. "hey...hope the food was decent. not much of a cook but tried my very best." auston said and she smiled, "it was really good! don't sell yourself to short." she said easing his anxiety. he nodded, and then excused himself to get himself another drink. "hey..do you know when you want to leave?" she questioned and matthew shrugged. "well id like to get going soon, I've had a long 24 hours." she said hoping he'd take them home. "you can take my keys, and go back. I'm gonna hang with the boys." he said pulling out his keys and pushing it into his hands without meeting her eye. she nodded, swallowing back tears. "alright." she said raspy, fighting back tears. she set her cup down in front of him, turned around and headed towards the door to retrieve her coat.

she exited into the night, without daring to say goodbye to anybody. she was embarrassed and pissed off. she quickly sped off back to his apartment on the other side of the city, debating if she should stay and try to fight it out with him or leave. she was sick of the constant cycle the two had had since senior year back in arizona. they were up when they were up, and then low when they got low. she was sick of him being immature and not taking responsibility for his actions or comments. after replaying the fight from that evening, she knew that she had to go home.

matthew got dropped off two hours later, to an empty house. "amelia?!" he asked jogging down the hallway. he saw that her suitcase was gone and the keys left on his dresser. he cursed himself, pulling out his phone. it went straight to voicemail, and so he began texting her. apologizing for that night and apologizing that he did not go home with her. apologizing for not talking through everything, and she read them all. but she never responded.

•

it just so happened that the leafs were in town at cristmas time, and amelia was hoping that she would not run into him since the two lived down the block from one another. and had since they were in preschool. it was around 9 am on the 24th when she heard laughing and voices talking loudly downstairs, and she sighed knowing it was probably the knies here for the annual christmas eve breakfast the families had had for years. she pulled her comforter over her head, trying to block it all out. she did not hear the knocks from the hallway, her mom letting her know the knies were there. and that one in particular wanted to speak to her privately. "amelia ann!" her mom said pulling back her comforter a bit, and amelia fought. she fought until she saw matthew step in. she sighed and sat up defeatedly. "ill leave you two." her mom said slipping out and amelia sighed throwing her hair up in a messy bun. "yes, matthew?" she quipped looking at him, really looking at him more than she had had in months. he sighed sitting down on her bed in front of her, "i was an idiot-" she cut him off, "damn right you were. you made me look like an ass leaving without you matthew! you fucking embarrassed me in front of people i barely know, do you know how that made me feel, huh? huh!?" she said getting heated, and he took it all in. his eyes filling with tears, as he looked at her. "this- this keeps happening matt, we're good and then we fight and its like the whole world is ending. its exhausting and i don't want to to keep doing this shit. we don't even talk anymore...and when we do it becomes a problem! its like were scared and apprehensive to, and im sick of it. we never learn, and were never going to are we?" she rambled feeling a few tears fall down her olive skin, cheeks. matthew sniffled, wiping his tears away.

he sighed, "but i dont want to let you go mia. i don't want too. youve been my best friend practically our whole lives, my constant person through everything and most important my first love who i want to be my final love." he said pausing to wipe his eyes. watching him do so, broke her heart, and grabbed ahold of his hand, both their lips quivering. "i - i can't be with somebody that i don't love..i don't love this version of you matty, i don't like this version that hurts me with words and sly comments thinking ill just take it. others might, but not me. i wont take what my mom took for so long. I'm not being a doormat or a punching bag and i know it isn't intentional matt, i know but it still hurts nonetheless." she said placing her other hand on his cheek, tears fully streaming from both. he remembers. he remembers her rocky childhood, her dad always going after her mom physically and psychologically, it was hard for the girl understandably. so many sleepovers took place at the knies, at the drop of a hat. and he knew that she promised herself years ago she'd never be in a relationship like that. before they got together, she vowed to herself and when they got together, matthew promised and vowed to never turn into her father. and he wasn't but she had grown nervous recently.

"i love you my love." she whispered placing one last peck on matthew's lips, before he stood up and walked out. she fell back onto her bed and sobbed. she lost her first love and best friend in one moment. it was going to be a long christmas break.

•

it was now the beginning of june and amelia was spending time on her mom and step dad's lake house, finally through her junior year of college and she was quite happy with the way it had finished. once her and matthew had broken up, she refocused on her studies and focused on her friends around her at school, something she had been lacking at the beginning of the school year. she was laying out on the boat they had. around march she began seeing a guy, she thought merely was a fling. though it had turned in to so much more, and it had meant a lot to the both of them that they took the weekend to spend out on the lake. amelia sat up, looking over at anthony and smiled who caught her staring. she leaned over and pecked him, moved a few inches up to look at him. she pushed back his long front locks, and kissed him again. he was completely different than matthew, in the best ways. though every once in a while, she thought about where here and matthew's relationship could have been but quickly dismissed those thoughts. she moved back onto her back, before deciding it was time to jump in. anthony skipped a song on the shuffle, and it was 'i wanna dance with somebody.' and she felt her body go numb. that was her and Matthews song, the uptempo version by whitney houston and a slower cover that was found. she skipped the song and wannabe by the spice girls came up, and she stood up giggling. she took off her sun hat and looked back at anthony who had sat up, and as she turned around she caught sight of a familiar boat that she knew all to well. she knew it was his parents, and she knew it was him on the boat. she quickly jumped off the boat, anthony followed suit behind her. he came up behind her and pulled her into his chest, and she rested her head on his shoulder briefly before heading back to the boat as her phone dinged. she hoisted herself up, and took a glance down at her phone. she sighed seeing it was from matthew. she deleted it and helped anthony up into the boat. "hey, im not feeling very well." she said wrapping herself in a towel, and Anthony nodded. "lets get back to the house." he said kissing her temple and taking the two back to the house.

it was about 30 minutes later when anthony left and she made her way back to the boat, to talk to matthew. he was in the same area as before, and she got over as quickly as she could. matthew could see the girl speed over, as soon as saw her figure making her way out. "can i help you matthew, or do i need to go find somebody to help you?" she screamed at him as soon as she came up next to him. he only chuckled, "why do you feel inclined to comment on my relationship, huh?" she screamed at him. "so what if I'm out here on my parents boat with him, its not illegal y'know!" she screamed at him again and he just took it all in. "you find this amusing, don't ya?" she said crossing her arms in front of her, "but its understandable. i broke up with you, i broke your heart and you're still upset about." she said without thinking. she saw the change in his mood, and stepped back. nervously. "obviously mia, obviously I'm still upset! how can you throw away three years in mere weeks?" he questioned standing up now. "you didn't even give me a chance to grieve mia! you didn't give me a chance to process everything before you went on and started posting it!" he screamed at her, and she looked down and sighed. he shook her head, "i had to move on matty, i had too! if i showed people that i had moved on, maybe then they wouldn't find the need every second to harass and bully me through dms matt! i had to show the world i moved on, even if i wasn't completely. all the while knowing it would hurt you, i had to. i just had to." she said biting the inside of her cheek. matt was taken back by her comments, were people still dming her hate?

"im sorry that i broke your heart, i really am...but you gave me the opportunity to do so matty- so many." she said with her chin hitting her chest as she began to cry. matthew's heart broke, before he climbed over the boats to her. once she felt his arms wrap around her, she began to sob. "you hurt me matt, i had to leave. i had to protect myself." she whispered and he nodded, chin hitting her head. "i know baby, i know." he whispered back, feeling his own tears begin to form. "i still love you so much mia, i never stopped and truthfully never will." he now sobbed and that warmed her heart, because she felt the same. she looked up at him, and the two stared at one another - taking in each others presence. "come back to me mia, come back." he said softly, and she nodded. it was if the question, "really" was written over his face and she nodded again. he smiled widely before pulling her in for a kiss. tasting one another's lips as if they'd never kissed before. ones that held history and so much pain and yet, so much love. they moved in synch, their arms wrapping around one another. the pulled apart after a minute and breathed heavily.

"i love you." he hummed as he wrapped his arms around her waist, looking at the mountains that lined the lake, now as the sun was setting. "i love you too, my love." she whispered back before leaning back to kiss him. the two boated back to their respective docks before matthew walked over towards her parent's house. "took you long enough." the two heard as soon as they walked in. both sets of their parents sat at the dining room table eating dinner. "oh." mia said shocked, while matthew blushed. "nice little show yall put on." his dad said, "the neighbors were invested." her dad added and the mia turned to put her face in his chest. "sit down and eat, foods getting cold." his mom said and the two made their way over.

——

ahh hope you all enjoyed! pls like and reblog if you did--- id appreaice it 🫶🏻

Random tags: @cuttergauthier @slafgoalskybaby @hockeylvr59 @hockeyboysarehot

[tojisun]

im not very knowledgeable when it comes to hockey, particularly not canadian hockey, but i've noticed a lot of people seem to not like austen matthews, why is that??

my love i will try to be impartial as i am a big fan of auston matthews but even then, take everything i say with a grain of salt. not only that, but im still not as intimate with the Leafs franchise to understand the whole reason but here's what i do know:

not including leon draisaitl's recently signed contract, auston matthews is currently the highest paid player in the NHL. a lot of people think he does not deserve it because he is (apparently) not a good enough of a player to earn what he is paid.

they said that he is inconsistent. he is an aggressive player in one game, then he is 'quiet' in another. this inconsistency has of course long-term ramifications both in the regular season and the playoffs. it is this reason why people didn't like it that he became the next, and current, captain of the leafs.

i have seen many fans, like as in leafs fans, wish it had been william nylander who had been made the next captain because they believe that willy can push the team farther than matty can.

apparently, he never gets his hands dirty which means that according to them, matty doesn't do a good job at defending his team if need be (causing a scuffle, basically.)

these are kind of the centric reasons i've been exposed to as i navigate myself around the franchise. but here's a flipside to it:

(again, this is based on hearsay) toronto is difficult to impress. the leafs are one of the titans of hockey, housing incredible players and even the cup multiple times in its franchise history. their expectations are difficult to meet - they can and do turn on their own players because they demand better than good.

that is not to say that auston matthews is the only one who faces the vitriol - hometown hero mitch marner gets it too.

despite all that, auston matthews is an exceptional player. last season, he scored 69 goals in the 81 games he's played. in his debut game, he sunk in 4 goals. he shoots from the left but also forces a goal from the other side, which forces a goalie to make a difficult adjustment. he is quick to change a shot from scoring to making a rebound, and he is able to rally the puck from their zone to their offensive zone.

also? he's hot. as hell.

i hope this answered your question!! im pretty sure i said a load of nothing because i wrote this in one seating but yea!

(now if im asked about mitch marner. well. id need a page break atp)

- this is a monologue from a part-time hockey fan, and a full-time yapper <3

[crow-talks-hockey]

alright. haven't done one of these in a while. here's my top players in each area. (not just this season, but CONSISTENTLY the best in said area)

goal scoring: auston matthews. this one really shouldn't be hard to answer i mean, come on.

points: connor mcdavid, but some others i think are close depending on the season. good point getting is going to come from his play no matter what though.

well-roundedness: nathan mackinnon; he's an excellent passer, scorer, play maker. just all around such a top tier player. both physical and speedy. he is THE blend

defense: cale makar. another obvious one lol. he's just generational. you can't stop him.

goaltending: i'm going to go with andrei vasilevskiy still. just consistent and reliable from what i've seen. he gets the praise for a reason. many goalies are very close though. it's hard to really weigh this one because of how much tending fluctuates year to year

speed: connor mcdavid/nathan mackinnon. both are incredibly quick and actually have a lot closer numbers on average and for their top speed than a lot of people know. their play style is very different but both deserve to be known as the fastest guys out there.

pest behavior: now i'm not talking rat behavior. i'm talking about the ability to propel your team to glory by absolutely irking the opponent. so i'm going to go with matthew tkachuk mostly because he's a better player and pest combo than marchand is. marchand is more rat, matthew has higher playing level.

playoff performance: i'd love to put crosby here, but right now it's wire thin between nathan mackinnon and leon draisaitl. as far as pure scoring and points in the playoffs, it goes to leon. when it comes to the ability to drag a team to a win? i give that part to nate. i always talk about both of them together when mentioning this topic though, so i suppose it's a tie

passing: now THIS one goes purely to leon draisaitl. don't get me wrong there's guys that are close, but holy fuck ain't no one out there passing the way he is. he's excellent at it.

shot (speed/hardness): elias pettersson no comment it's insane argument over

shot (deadliness): david pastrnak, probably :]

defensive forward: patrice bergeron... probably aleksander barkov now, from what i've seen. i'm not very educated on this topic but he seems to trend into this category when talked about often.

defensive defenseman: i'd say devon toews, my favorite underrated king. sorry if this pisses some fans of defenseman off but he doesn't get the credit he deserves. he's very good defensively.

offensive defenseman: either erik karlsson or cale makar. they're always putting up good numbers. it's hard with the regression in ek's season but in his prime? idk. i'd probably still give this one to cale though.

offensive forward: connor mcdavid. shocker lol

skating: there's so many but this also trends in cale's direction for me. i don't think i've genuinely ever seen better edges. maybe datsyuk? either way lmk if there's better skaters out there but.. i'm picking cale again apologies apologies

best player: controversial but this one is a very tight race between mcdavid and mackinnon. again lol. it just depends what you're looking for. they're so much closer than people think but it's hard when their styles are so different. i say mcdavid still for this one, but nate deserves his spot at that "number two" because it's sooooo close. they're both incredible

bonus silly ones now :)

bitchiness: leon draisaitl

hair (not flow, just general amount of hair) : mika zibanejad

shit at media: everyone. congratulations you all get blue ribbons of participation!! you.. you tried!!

goober levels: mitch marner

inseparability: sidney crosby and evgeni malkin and kris letang

weirdness in goalie terms: marc-andre fleury but also all of them

honorable mention picks...

best veteran: we all know. it's sidney fucking crosby and don't even get me STARTED on him anyway

best captain: gabriel landeskog. truthfully but also i'm biased hence why it's here not mixed in with alllllll the others lol

hope you enjoyed my mania

*honorable mention players include mikko rantanen, quinn and jack hughes, adam fox, roman josi, more goalies than i can mention, ovechkin for goal scoring, andrei svechnikov, and so many more because guess what! this league is insane! i could talk about the talent of them all for hours! seasonally or consistently. i love raving about them all. it's very hard to just choose A guy for each category. not enough people see how close many players are to each other in skill levels in my opinion, but then again this is just for fun lol. feel free to debate me i don't mind

[tradetobest]

do u still think abt the golf au bc i would pay billions for you to infodump about it…

YEs i love thinking about this au so much thank you so much for asking me about it anon ilysm....

(under the cut bcs it feels a bit long to me)

this was my first act as a hockey fan it has such a special place in my heart.... i thought about it while i was in class and sorted everyone into categories Definitively. thank you for making me do this. of course some of the things i have these guys do you Shouldnt Do on a golf course, and like this is Super unrealistic but i love having my fun ok…. just Good Vibes… (also, im generalizing “clubhouse” as both people who work as servers at the course’s restaurant and the people who help golfers with carts/clubs/etc and all that. i did Not work there At All so it just makes it easier for me to loop them…. imagine they just like rotate around or something….)

OK… so…. starting with the two who started it all, mitch and auston.

i dont ever think i ever totally explained what mitch and auston's roles were besides surface level stuff so!! mitch is a member of the turf team at the golf course, which are basically the group of people who go around and cut the grass and do the landscaping and all of that. like ice crew, but just for the golf course.

auston is like. i don't know. some sort of moderately rich guy. maybe he's Auston Matthews or maybe he's just rich, i have no clue. all that matters is he golfs. maybe he's a professional golfer. of course, i imagine everything in this au as happening at my course, but tbh it works at any course...

(now, of course, one of mitch's friends works at the clubhouse, and tells mitch every time auston is sitting there looking for him... willy nylander youre a real one)

just imagine mitch driving around a work truck with a rake, a bucket of sand, and a leaf blower in the back and auston (dressed prim, and proper, white pants white shoes white hat purple shirt all nice) literally falling all over himself to talk to him. loitering all over just Hoping that Maybe mitch will drive by and he can rope him into conversation. meanwhile when mitch sees willy he’s like “yeah auston’s so cute but like idk if he’d ever go for me” and willy is like “yeah you have no fucking idea”

i used to have to do this task which was just. watering all of the flowers near the clubhouse and i can imagine mitch doing that and like surroptitiously glancing over his shoulder to check if auston is around or watching or something… just some good old fluffy pining yk…

i have a like Whole Ass procreate file w everyone sorted into lil groups so here’s some little tidbits …

i think i mightve talked abt this in another post but sid (crosby) and claude (giroux) both work for turf and are both Incredibly Competitive about it in the most insane way ever… im talking “you take half the course i take half the course and we see who finishes faster” (starting at 6am ish) mowing competitions and theyre both done at 8 on the dot…. insane people shit…. they did it with bunkers ONCE and claude tripped and fell into a bunker and broke his wrists so they do not do that anymore o7….

in honour of my boss feeling like my dad i put patty marleau and matt martin in turf…. they do rough mowing in honour of the two guys at my course who Only did rough mowing…. big ass machine

the thing to know about guys who are higher up on the turf echelon is that not only do they all know each other but they also went to school for it… turf school…. all this to say top grad of turf school Sidney Crosby got some little ducklings and thats how Connor McDavid (top turf school grad) got to this course…. we love that for him

shoutout to other guys who also have fun little romance stories but who arent mitch and auston, including but not limited to:

connor mcdavid, who keeps getting his work paused by these three golfers, which always makes him grit his teeth and smile softly at them, because Holy Shit Let Me Get Back To My Job Please. matthew tkachuk (son of Great Golfer Keith Tkachuk) seems to take joy in interrupting connor while he’s in the middle of something, jack eichel always catches him bent over and sweaty trying to shove the wheels back onto a greens mower for one of the kids, and leon draisaitl stands on the side to wait until connor’s at least done a pass to ask him something. matthew jack and leon can be seen at the clubhouse after they finish a round, head in hands, because connor is oblivious to their flirting. maybe they should try learning the names of different types of grass.

jamie drysdale (uni student staying with his grandparents over the summer) always comes to the clubhouse for breakfast with them, which absolutely delights bored server trevor zegras… too bad the summer has to end some time! lol! anyway

tyler bertuzzi (turf) seems to always have dirt under his fingernails, some mulch and woodchips stuck to his shorts, scuffs on his knees, and a dirty ass sweater on. dylan larkin (clubhouse) finds him INCREDIBLY endearing.

brady tkachuk (son of Great Golfer Keith Tkachuk) when he’s not driving his brother around so he can try and find connor (“seriously, matthew, he looks busy” “no, it’ll be fine, look—”) is smiling sweetly at the fumbling german waiter who always engages leon in rapidfire german conversation. tim, his nametag says, and brady would love to have more than a few word conversation with him. maybe he should interrupt leon’s brooding time with matthew and jack and ask him to teach him some german.

if you want to communicate with the turf team’s mechanic and don’t want to be asked “where sid? tell him—” you should bring sid with you to see him. however, if you do bring sid, you will have to watch him and said mechanic do Weird Flirting for a good 30 mins before your question is answered. this is outside of the Weird Flirting they do anyway, all the time. if a day goes by without sid twirling his hair kicking his feet over some shit geno said to him earlier in the day has the day really gone by?

followup turf/clubhouse Flirting (I CANT BELIEVE I ALMOST FORGOT TO MENTION THEM IYKYK) tyler seguin, Pretty Boy Galore, and his loud, bubbly, and all consuming obsession with quiet doe-eyed turf worker jamie benn. now thats what i call oblivious. “yeah i flirt with jamie all the time but he just thinks its a joke haha he couldnt want me i know that like have you seen him?” “yeah tyler flirts with me but he’s just joking he doesn’t mean that he could never like me like that have you seen him?” and all that good good shit… tyler sees jamie take off his shirt once because it got soaked and loses his mind.

jack hughes (brother of turf guys luke and quinn) absolutely has the biggest crush on his coworker, fellow clubhouse worker nico hischier. once nico got wet in the rain and soaked through his white work shirt and jack almost lost his fucking mind. absolutely twirling his hair kicking his feet.

both pairs of bruins that i like (bergeron/marchand and swayman/ullmark) are fun little golf tandems. me when i get a hole in one and hug and twirl around a kiss my golf partner. what if we kissed in the front seat of a golf cart. and all that.

finally… honourable mention to john tavares (golfer, has his own labelled golf cart at a course in toronto… love that for you king….) kris letang (turf) and marc-andré fleury (clubhouse) who get to listen to sid moan and groan about geno, and self jarvis (turf) who is completely out of place among the other teams included in this au but i love him so hes here lmfaoo

anyway. yeah. i have LOTS of ideas about this au if you couldnt tell and anon i am SO happy you asked abt it… sorry it took me a few days i have to write like most days for school this semester and its leaving me Very Little time to do anything but reblog posts and draw matty and woller. MATTY AND WOLLER. oh my god i cant believe i almost forgot them uhhh…..

matthew knies and joseph woll are….. both turf workers maybe… yeah. call that lets talk while filling divots on the course or raking bunkers. what if we kissed in the rain while shovelling dirt and seed mix into small holes over and over again. Them

OK IM DONE FR NOW. thank you so much sorry there are no visuals i have written this mostly in class now but if you want to know more or if you want me to elaborate on a specific dynamic (or add some people, because god knows these are just the guys i know/like) or want visuals for anything i can 100% provide, might just take a bit again haha… ilysm anon you made my week

[sergeifyodorov]

WE DO HAVE TO MENTION GENO AND LEON..... WE DO WE DO WE DO. oh the narrative. it's got me

(also where does mitch fit into this. who is the mitch of that gen)

wait i cant read. saw a geno mention and blacked out mitch and nicke which. oh god the narrative manifests even now /2

no actually lets break two curses one stone. connor bedard can be free from the one two punch career long rivals and partners narrative and we over here at the canucks can be free from our general ailments and curses too. and the sun can shine on vancouver for a change /3

im answering the FIRST three of these in one go u will get the other thesis in a diff post. it is sidgeno and mcdrai because those are two centres who are on the same line and the same unit and one of them is the weird other guy and one of them is the goodboy captain and it is nickeovi and 1634 because one of them is the loyal quiet centre and the other is the loud effervescent winger and you have a generational goalscorer AND a legendary playmaker in there. and also the aforementioned sid-davo and ovi-auston parallels. of course.

now the FIRST thing about that dollface bedsy is that not only. not Only is he fundamentally different from sid and davo in play style (a volume shooter instead of any kind of playmaker, to start) is that he is ALSO different in terms of personality. in vibe. no nose-to-the-grindstone sidney-esque blue-collar honesty, no softspoken davo shyness. he's all fire. fundamentally a merger of oviauston glam with siddavo hometown heroism.

the SECOND thing is that we're at like. Year One of his myth here. all things in good time. maybe chicago will stumble into another high pick and make off with bedsy's betrothed. fingers crossed that doesn't happen and he makes a break for it

[girljeremystrong]

okay. most of the fics I've read have been about Sidney Crosby and Geno. Also a lot about Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. I've gathered from all the fics (even the ones that don't have him in them) that McDavid is like the greatest player ever and like a hockey god. And I've read about your boy Auston as well, predominantly paired with Mitch Marner. My favourite guys are all the guys mentioned above plus Dylan Strome and Willy.

okay there is a lot here to address. first of all yes all of these guys have fucked each other

most importantly though you should know that the greatest player ever and like a hockey god is sid crosby although he's getting older but like.. all these kids wish they were him. and he has 3 stanley cups. and then auston is the greatest goal scorer right now and just all around perfect. mcdavid is okay like he is definitely very good but he's no auston and speaking of auston they are kinda friends but mcdavid is so jealous of auston cause he wishes he was playing in toronto so bad. also mcdavid and eichel they're like compelling but mcdavid is all about his best buddy draisaitl and i will admit they are a pretty stunning hockey duo like i'll say it. they play well together.

auston and mitch are like... there is so much i could say. they are also a great hockey duo and the face of the toronto maple leafs and they were rookies together and they didn't let them play together and they wanted to play together so badly. and then they let them and just everybody was like "look at these two finding each other any time everywhere" and that's that on being soulmates.

sid and geno are also hockey soulmates and they ARE the pittsburgh penguins and they are two of the greatest players and they love each other so much and always have the sweetest things to say about each other and they are wonderful and i love them so much i want them to win another cup together so so bad. hope that in ten years mitch and auston will be the sid and geno of the maple leafs...

dylan strome is a good guy i don't know what else to say about him other than he also has a compelling thing going with mcdavid. also was good friends with mitch who is friends with everybody though for instance apparently mitch and sid are now good buddies? very intresting stuff going on there.

and willy is a prince. just beautiful boy who loves everyone and who everyone loves. he's also very good at hockey and has like points in every game this season bar like three? he's amazing and the team got to go to sweden to play two games and everyone was just falling all over themselves for willy and he played so well in sweden and it was great. i do believe everybody wants to fuck him and i feel he would be very chill about it too he's just that kind of guy.

i like mcdavid and his whole tragic aura he has about him. they put so much pressure on him and he's on such a shitty team but, he has leon. and they play beautifully. i'm saying this because i don't want it to seem that just because i'm salty about people saying he's better than auston (he isn't) that i hate him.

but yeah long story short they have all fucked in all combinations and they are all pretty good at hockey but sid is the best and auston is the best also.

[woah-were-halfway-there]

auston calling mitch!!!

ok ok it's an abrupt ending because more happens after this but here's Auston calling Mitch. Pls let me know what you think!

Auston’s chest felt tight. He knew it was because of the anxiousness he felt, but, man, did he hate it.

Maybe he should’ve listened to Nate and Mya. They knew notifying Mitch of what was going on with Carson wouldn’t be a simple task. They even offered to be the ones to call their cousin, thinking maybe if he heard it from one of them, it’d soften the blow a bit, but Auston declined. He had to be the one to do it, yet he couldn’t bring himself to hit the call button.

“Just do it,” Auston told himself, feeling incredibly frustrated. Mitch deserved to know. There was no point in putting it off longer, and Auston didn’t want him to find out any other way. So, after taking another deep breath, he finally pressed the call button.

Mitch picked up after two rings.

“There better be a good reason for why you’re calling me and your wife isn’t,” he greeted, his tone lighthearted and joking. “I’ve been waiting to hear if my new best friend has been born. Yeah, sure, Carson’s the one giving birth and all, but she could at least send a text.”

How Mitch was blissfully unaware of the situation sent Auston back into a spiral of his harsh reality. He couldn’t even try to keep it together at that point anymore.

“I-,” Auston was cut off by another sob. “Fuck.”

Instantly, Mitch’s tone changed.

“What happened? Is Carson ok? The baby?”

“Not exactly,” Auston replied, then reached up to wipe away his tears. “The baby, Carter, is ok. I’m in the NICU, and Carson’s doula is checking him over. I’m just watching through the glass right now, but I’ll get to be with him soon.”

“And Carson?” Mitch asked hesitantly.

“She’s not good, Mitch.”

“What’s wrong? I- she’s ok, right?”

“I don’t know,” Auston’s voice was cracking as he spoke, but he knew he had to keep going and tell Mitch. It was obvious Mitch was already stressed and he didn’t even know the brunt of it yet. “She had a postpartum hemorrhage shortly after Carter was born. She was losing a lot of blood and went into shock because of it, which caused her to lose consciousness before she was rushed into an emergency blood transfusion to get her stable again. This all happened not even an hour ago and I haven’t heard anything since. I know they’re working and trying their best to make sure she is ok, but I’m losing my mind over here. I can’t lose her, Mitch. You know probably better than anyone how much I mean it when I say that I just-. Fuck, I never imagined something like this could happen.”

Auston was ranting and he knew it.

“And I’m sorry to just dump all of this on you.”

But he was met with complete silence.

“Mitchy?”

“I’m booking a flight,” Mitch stated. “Going to see if it’s possible to get there tonight.”

“But-,” Auston started and was immediately cut off.

“There is no but, Auston. You can’t ask me to just sit here and wait, doing nothing when I don’t know if Carson’s going to be ok. She’s my best friend. You know just as well that I also can’t lose her. Not a chance. You’re not talking me out of this. I don’t care if it’s a waiting game, I’d rather be there regardless of the outcome. And Mia, I didn’t even think about Meems. Fuck, what do we do? Is Meems ok?”

Auston sighed, knowing Mitch was entirely right and that not only wouldn’t it be fair of him to try to talk Mitch out of it, but there was no chance he’d ever be able to. Not when it came to Carson.

“I’m sure if Mia saw her Mitchy, it would help a lot,” he admitted. “She’s okay right now, but these next few days are going to be a mess. Having you here would give her a sense of normalcy, I think.”

“Then it’s settled,” Mitch stated, then sighed. “How are you holding up?”

Austin took a breath.

“I’m trying to keep it together, but, it’s hard. One of my parents is on their way to the hospital so I’m not alone. Joel, Nate and Mya are also figuring out flights here. I called them just before I called you. But, I’m just going to focus on Carter. It’s all I can do right now and I need him.”

“He needs you too,” Mitch said. “You two need each other in a time like this. Go be with Carter and let me know how he is. I’ll update you when Steph and I have flights figured out. And please, Auston, if you hear anything about Carson or you need anything at all, call me. I’ll have wifi on the plane.”

“Ok, I will,” Auston promised. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

After saying goodbye, Auston slid his phone into his pocket and just observed Carson’s doula through the glass as she checked Carter over. He was just so small and defenceless. Too pure for the harsh reality their family was currently experiencing, but god, was Auston ready to do everything in his power to ensure that little boy was safe and happy. It was a surreal feeling.

Before Auston could get too lost in his thoughts again, he made eye contact with Carson’s doula and to his surprise, she waved her hand, gesturing for him to come into the room.

[couldawouldashoulda50]

Do you guys remember when in February Amelia D. (the chicken shop date girl) was at a leaf game and a month or so before she tweeted at the leafs asking where she can contact their team?

Did the plan fail? Like was there a serious consideration to do a date with one of the leafs? I always wondered and waited for a chicken shop date with Mitch or Willy or Auston

I sure do remember the posts about Amelia and the Leafs linking up. I'm not sure if it was kiboshed or if something is still being ironed out. I kind of like the idea of Amelia going on a date with any number of players either on the Leafs or another team. Amelia's quirky and quick witted in my opinion so someone that could keep up with her would be interesting to watch (I'm thinking Matthew Tkachuk, Seth Jarvis - even Mo doing it...would love to see it). Willy would just laugh all the way through it - ugh, that would be so good too.

[significant-narratives]

Ok but consider: the splash bros as a narrative foil to austonmitchy ... nearly 10 years of losing in the most heartbreakingly almost fashion and yet you still choose to stay and go back home to each other vs. being undisputably the best and coming back from the dead time after time after years of waiting and longing and reminding the world that you're unstoppable together even if the clock seems to have other plans.

That and klay is the most recent victim of mitchsogyny which is when uber-entitled fans of a team with a Best Guy Ever want to kick said Guy's work wife off of the only one he's ever known because of (1) bad playoff performance that somehow overshadows several good ones !! Men are watching sports for the wrong reasons just enjoy the gay love story and be grateful ugh !!! Ok sorry for ranting ive just been thinking abt both of them a lot and luv ur blog and need them all to stay married forever or i will do something Drastic etc ok that's all bye have a lovely day <333

oh my god anon... your mind... i had never connected those two dots but yes absolutely!! as always i am prone to rambling so i'm sticking the rest of my reply under the cut.

i think you nailed it re: how despite the different trajectory each pairing has taken (years of coming close but not close enough vs literal dynastic success) the enduring love is still there!

i also think the way these two pairings came to be is interesting to compare. auston and mitch written in the stars (auston shattering the glass of the rink off a mitch assist in their first practice together, fast friends since they were rookies etc) vs steph and klay having a slower burn and only really bonding a couple years in (the barcelona trip).

and then, like. auston and mitch sitting in the locker room together, united in their grief and heartbreak in the amazon doc... the effervescent joy that klay and steph take in succeeding together but also watching each other succeed, even all these years later!! both pairs always speaking highly of one another, understanding that they make each other better, and most importantly wanting to climb the metaphorical mountain together. and needing each other in order to do so.

less important but amusing to me: one half getting married and settling down (steph, mitch) and the other still (presumably) happily living that bachelor life (klay, auston)

have to take a quick second to highlight this part of your ask because it made me feel so weepy in wake of Recent Events (which i will circle back to):

being undisputably the best and coming back from the dead time after time after years of waiting and longing and reminding the world that you're unstoppable together even if the clock seems to have other plans

LIKE.... LET'S TALK ABOUT IT FOR REAL... steph is a generational talent, an all time great, changed the way the game is played etc etc BUT. everything he has won at an nba level has been with klay by his side. the warriors were a lottery team for two seasons, everyone said they'd never win again in the 1130 era... and then klay came back and they won again! when steph was out last season, klay played a huge part in keeping the time afloat! i repeat that through the power of true love all things are possible and i think that's beautiful.

and of course, klay as the most recent victim of mitchsogyny is just incredible scholarship, truly. i've been avoiding all warriors-related news/spaces this offseason because people are being so fucking miserable, it's painful to see.

like, with the faction of leafs fans who want mitch gone, i can almost understand why they feel that way (note: that doesn't mean i approve or agree lol). and that's because in the same way that winning cures all, losing poisons everything.

but with warriors fans and klay, it's like? was four championships and coming back from two potentially career-ending injuries not enough for you people? did you guys forget a decade plus of incredible performances that quickly? where is your sense of loyalty! <- this circles back to your point abt how the average sportsfan engages with team sports. they care about the logo, the team as a concept, and maybeee one or two superstar players. but for me personally, and i think for many people on sports tumblr, what good is rooting for a team if the team is completely unrecognizable? i don't want to see nameless players win a title, i want to watch my guys win! i want to get invested in their journeys and their accomplishments and watch them grow together! sports are just stories about people at the end of the day!

please don't apologize anon, i too have been in the trenches with the news that klay is likely to leave as a FA and just... everything... about the mitch situation. i think the most important thing to remember is that no matter what happens, the love will always be there. and when we look back, their names will always be said together.

[3416]

Why the Leafs should give Matthews and Marner a chance to play together

by Jonas Siegel | November 19, 2017 | The Athletic

MONTREAL — Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner werewaiting a while for this opportunity.

You could feel it in the excitement of the two youngest Leafs after they not only got to play together for the first time all season on Saturday in Montreal but connect on a couple goals in their team’s sixth straight win.

“Obviously me and Mitchy have a pretty good relationship off the ice – Marty as well,” Matthews said of himself, Marner, and Matt Martin, the third member of a trio Mike Babcock concocted in the second period of a 6-0 win. “Kind of gives you a nice spark when you play with a couple of your buddies that you don’t really get to play with a lot.”

Babcock threw cold water on their excitement pretty quickly. He said he planned to revert back to the line combinations he started with against the Canadiens when the Leafs hosted Matthews’ hometown Coyotes on Monday night.

But maybe the Leafs coach should give it a chance.

Matthews and Marner, for one, seem eager to pursue the connection. Both said they were curious about what it would be like to play with the other having barely done it so far in their young NHL careers. The two were on the ice together for just under 71  5-on-5 minutes last year and just over 11 minutes this year before Saturday night.

Both have also played consistently on separate power-play units.

“Yeah, of course,” Matthews said, when asked if he was intrigued to play with Marner. “We got a little bit of time together last year and never really – we made some plays and had a lot of fun, but I don’t think we ever really scored a goal so it’s nice to get out there with him and obviously create some offence and put some in the net.”

The pair are close. The kind of pals who drove to the rink together all of last season (though not this season with Matthews moving places). The kind who play video games and wear matching throwback suits — complete with fedoras. The kind who famously sang along to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer” on the bench at about this time last year. The kind who finish pre-game warmups by passing pucks back and forth to one another before exiting the ice in near-unison.

“We’re very close with each other,” Marner said. “It’s exciting when you get out there and get to play with those guys.”

The connection might just work, too.

Marner hadn’t registered a single assist on Matthews’ first 50 goals in the NHL before setting up two (No. 51 and 52) against the Habs. He delivered a bullet backhand pass to set up the first one and added another when the American ripped his 12th of the season past backup Antti Niemi.

“I think when we first got together the chemistry wasn’t really all there,” said Marner, born four months before Matthews in 1997. “But I think in the third period we kind of turned it around and got back to what we wanted to do and got the puck towards the net.”

Though they’ve ripped off their longest win streak since Dec. 2014, it’s not as if the Leafs have been beating down the doors of the opposition, especially when it comes to the offence. They weren’t quite struggling with 15 goals in the previous five games (three on the power play), but they weren’t really electrifying either — especially without Matthews, who was playing his first game since Nov. 6 on Saturday.

“I think what our guys are finding is last year a lot of our games were way looser than this year. The opposition plays way tighter against us; there’s less room and so it’s harder for you,” Babcock said of the offensive grind prior to the game against the Habs.

What also had become evident before Matthews sat out four straight with a mysterious upper-body issue was a diminished connection between himself and William Nylander. Babcock actually broke up the duo in a Nov. 4 loss to St. Louis only to reunite them again two nights later.

Nylander had zero goals and only three assists in his previous eight games with Matthews (Oct. 23 – Nov. 6) and while the 20-year-old, who’s up to 21 points in 17 games, was still producing, he did so almost in spite of Nylander, who finally broke an 11-game goal drought on Thursday.

It’s also worthwhile for the Leafs to see what kind of chemistry exists between Matthews and Marner if only to answer lineup questions — both now and later.

(Photo by Mark Blinch via Getty)

Marner has only ever played with one centre consistently in Toronto and that’s Tyler Bozak, who might well be gone after this season. Since it’s unlikely that the Leafs other 20-year-old teams up with Nazem Kadri in a matchup role, Babcock might as well see what’s there with him and Matthews. The Leafs coach leaves himself only one centre otherwise (Bozak) for Marner to play with.

Then there’s the potential future in which Nylander slides over to centre and plays without Matthews — something that gets easier in theory if another winger finds chemistry with the team’s No. 1 centre.

Constructing a lineup with Matthews and Marner together is a little dicey, but if Babcock is willing to separate Leo Komarov from Kadri (a pairing he’s used almost without exception in recent years for defensive purposes) then something like this might work:

Zach Hyman – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner

Patrick Marleau – Nazem Kadri – William Nylander

James van Riemsdyk – Tyler Bozak – Connor Brown

Matt Martin – Dominic Moore – Leo Komarov

Both Matthews and Marner are hoping their coach gives it a shot.

“Obviously it’d be nice to stay with him,” Marner said. “We’ll see what happens though.”

*Advanced stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick

(Feature photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

[misshoneyimhomeagain]

Chapter 4 - 

Summary; a terrible misunderstanding can always be solved over a solid portion of Italian food; Julia and William sort their troubles out, and find themselves getting more personal and closer;

Tags; William NylanderxOfc, soft!William; Halloween; “We never go out of style”

Warnings; none I think; maybe indication of steamy relationship; 

A/N; trying to dig a little deeper, so their friendship will grow even more; I just feel like William is the perfect chill guy to talk to about everything, and I’d love nothing more to just spend time with him on the sofa 😉

Words; 3.5K

-

“And when we go crashing down, we come back every time”

As William and Julia arrived at William's apartment building, they rode the lift to the 33rd floor, and he guided them into his condo.

"Hello there," Julia greeted with enthusiasm as they were welcomed by Pablo and Banksy at the entrance.

"Looks like someone's really excited to see you, huh,” William remarked with a chuckle as he made his way to the kitchen through the living room.

"I'm pretty excited to see you too," she playfully responded, engaging with the energetic Goldendoodle as they moved into the living area.

Julia was left speechless when she caught sight of the breath-taking view from the living room.

“Shiiit,” she whispered softly as she entered the room, and William couldn't help but chuckle as he fetched plates from the kitchen. "You know, I’d kill for a view like this," Julia joked.

William grinned, enjoying her reaction. "Well, I suppose I could always check out if there’s another condo available," he teased, placing the plates on the coffee table.

Julia laughed, "If only I could afford to live in a place like this."

"You never know" William playfully replied, "maybe one day you'll be the famous architect behind a skyscraper with an even better view."

Julia slightly blushed at the compliment, and they both settled down to enjoy their meal while watching TV and taking in the mesmerising cityscape before them. 

As Julia admired the breathtaking view, she couldn't help but take in the exquisite details of William's condo. The spacious living room featured plush, cream-colored sofas that contrasted beautifully with the rich, dark wood flooring. Soft, ambient lighting cast a warm and inviting glow across the room, and a tastefully arranged collection of art adorned the walls, hinting at William's appreciation for creativity.

Large, floor-to-ceiling windows dominated one wall of the living room, offering a panoramic vista of the city below. The twinkling lights of skyscrapers stretched as far as the eye could see, making it feel like they were dining among the stars.

"I didn't know you liked Sugo's," William remarked as they unpacked their takeaway.

"I've only tried it once, just last week," Julia responded. "Auston and Mitch had recommended it, so Charlie and I decided to give it a shot, and now I'm in love."

William chuckled at her words. "Well, it's pretty amazing."

They both sat on the sofa, with Pablo and Banksy happily joining them, as they savoured their Italian cuisine and watched a rerun of one of William's favourite TV shows.

During their meal, they exchanged stories about their day, discussing Julia's busy workday and how William’s training had been tough but good. While their conversation remained platonic, they both felt a slightly urge to delve into more personal topics, as they had during their previous time, they were alone.

"You feel ready for the upcoming games?" Julia asked, offering a warm smile as she set her cutlery down to indicate she had finished eating. She then sat back relaxing on the sofa with her feet up, and William mirrored her relaxed composure as he’d also finished his food. 

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm feeling good about the games. We've been working hard on techniques, and I'm in great shape, so.”

"I'm sure you'll do great," Julia said with a soft, friendly smile. "You work hard, Willy. It's quite impressive how dedicated you all are."

"Well, it's our job, and we get paid quite well, but it's also our passion," William said with a light chuckle. "We work hard because we love it."

Julia smiled as she admired his calm demeanour and his genuine passion for hockey, which shone through.

"I envy you," she admitted softly. William looked at her with a slightly puzzled expression, encouraging her to continue. "I mean, you have talent, and luckily, you're passionate about your sport. You've always known what you wanted to do with your life."

"I suppose,” William smiled. “What about you?”

"Oh, I've never been so sure," Julia said, stroking Pablo. "I spent two years working and travelling because I didn't know what else to do. Then I ended up in Business School, which I never thought I would, but it seemed right at the time."

Julia paused, uncertain if she was revealing too much. However, William's attentive gaze put her at ease, and she sensed that he wanted her to continue.

"You didn’t like it?" 

Julia shrugged. "People kept telling me I was smart and had a thing for numbers, but it’s not like I loved it. I just did it to get a degree in something. But then when I moved back to London and found the job at Milton's, I was genuinely excited. I knew nothing about the construction business, but as it turned out, I was pretty good at project management. Plus, my financial skills came in handy, so I guess it wasn't a complete waste of time."

William smiled. He found her story intriguing. Julia was indeed intelligent, and he could tell that she enjoyed making an effort regarding her work - which he could very much relate to.

"Why exactly did you move back to London?" he inquired, and Julia's smile faded a bit. She sighed and took a deep breath before speaking.

"Because of my ex-boyfriend," she said quietly, looking down at her glass of water in her hand. "After he’d finished his master’s degree, he wanted to move back to England, so I moved in with him," Julia added, managing a faint smile.

Julia had met Ezra during Business School in Copenhagen. He was a couple of years older than her, and another fellow Brit, who’d taken the opportunity to study abroad, and when he met Julia, he was immediately intrasquad. And so was she. Ezra was the overall son-in-law dream guy with confidence, and his finances and life all together. He had a habit of getting what he wanted with his overly charming character and schmuck smile – which Julia now, when rethinking it, thought to be more narcissistic and arrogant style of behaviour. 

"Sorry, if you don't want to talk about it," William said softly, sensing Julia's diminishing enthusiasm when discussing her ex. She looked up at him and offered a smile.

"It's okay; it was tough at the time, but I'm all good now."

"What happened?"

Julia hesitated for a moment. She was somewhat surprised by William's curiosity about her past.

But William wanted to know more about her past. A part of him was curious to know, how such an intelligent, strong, and independent woman, had chosen to move across the world, when she seemed to have it all already. 

"Not much, really... the nice version is that we simply grew apart," she replied.

"And the not-so-nice version?" William chuckled.

"Well, he had a change of heart, out of nowhere," Julia simply stated.

"Like how? Did he kick you out, or..."

"Yes… Well, we were engaged," Julia sighed, and William's eyes widened a bit. "The bastard proposed on New Year's Eve, and I said yes. But then, five months later, he changed his mind."

"Wait, what?" William was taken aback a little. "Just like that?"

"Our relationship wasn't perfect... after several arguments and discussions, I expressed that I wanted more, like travelling together and experiencing new things. For him, it meant taking our relationship to the next level, so he proposed," Julia explained, chuckling softly. 

"But why did you say yes if you didn't want to?"

Julia had never really liked the question - a question she had been asked too many times, but she knew the answer.

"People do crazy things… when they're in love," she simply replied.

William didn’t know how to reply. Hearing Julia speak about her previous relationship made him understand why she was cautious about her feelings towards him. She had been hurt by her ex, and now she likely wanted to be more guarded with her heart. It all made sense.

"He sounds like a jerk," William finally managed to say, which made Julia laugh a little.

"Yeah, I suppose," she smiled. "But honestly, looking back, it was probably for the best. I never would have fit into his lifestyle; his family was all about flaunting their wealth and impressive educations."

William nodded in understanding and smiled. "That doesn't really sound like you."

Julia chuckled. He was right, but the fact that they had grown so close in such a short matter of time for him to say something like that, she found quite enjoyable. "Not at all - his mother wanted me to be a stay-at-home mum, which there's nothing wrong with, but it's not really for me."

William joined in on Julia's light laughter. "No, I couldn't imagine you doing that. You're definitely a workaholic."

“Oi!” Julia exclaimed, "I mean, true… but low blow.”

They both chuckled for a little while, Julia still petting Pablo, who lay beside her.

“I’m sorry, JJ - you deserve better,” William offered a soft smile. 

“Thanks, but it’s all good now, besides I’m a work in prog-mess,” she said, offering a soft smile. "Sorry, let’s talk about something else - something not so dull and depressing.”

William chuckled lightly as they redirected their conversation back to hockey and how he had been preparing for the games.

Julia had been growing increasingly fond of hockey since she was welcomed into the NHL world. She felt like a part of the team's circle of friends and family, thanks to Charlie and Mitch, and to some extent, William.

"He really seems to like you, huh," William smiled as he glanced at Pablo, who was still lying by Julia's legs.

"Well, it's a good thing I like him too," she smiled. "Although it might be time for me to head home, sorry Pablo."

William smiled as Julia slowly got up from the sofa, so she didn't disturb Pablo too much.

"Do you need a ride home?"

Julia shook her head. "I'm good, Wonderboy, but thanks."

“A big, tough girl, right,” William chuckled. 

He smiled as he closed the front door behind Julia after she had left his condo. He wasn't used to spending such intimate time with a girl where it wasn't sexual or flirtatious. He wasn't used to having conversations that delved into feelings and deep thoughts. But with Julia, he found it effortless to spend hours just talking. It was comfortable, and it felt right.

Approximately 30 minutes later, William received a message from Julia:

jjonesss: Home now 😉 Thanks for tonight - please say goodnight to Pablo and Banksy for me 🐶

williamnylander: They say goodnight too 🐶

_

The team was on the road for 10 days.

Julia and William's communication had increased quite a bit since they'd last spoken. It started innocently enough, with Julia sharing an Instagram post with a joke about the differences between the Scandinavian countries. Then, William shared a video about the distinctions between UK English and American English, and things just snowballed from there. It didn’t take long before they were chatting almost every day - well, mostly through Reels. 

Their interactions became something of a habit. which was almost more frequent than the constant communication between Auston and Charlie. While William and Julia kept their conversations friendly, with some light teasing and banter, Auston and Charlie's discussions took a steamier and more intense turn. Since Auston was a young, charming bachelor on the road, Charlie, in her typical cheeky style, had offered to "lend him a hand" to keep his spirits up.

Fortunately, the girls talking to the lads was a good thing, as it turned out they needed some cheering up. The boys won the first of five matches but ended up losing the other four.

Auston had called Charlie from his hotel room after the third game, wanting to talk and have her distract him from the loss. He wasn’t exactly good at showing his emotions, but Charlie had a way of drawing out his feelings, which, truth be told, he secretly enjoyed.

William, on the other hand, remained cool and collected after matches. He was the easy-going lad who always looked on the bright side. His sayings like "we'll get them next time" and "hey, at least we did score a pretty good goal" endeared him to his teammates. Mitch also helped keeping the spirit light with his terrible dad-like jokes and cheesy comments. 

While the team was on the road, Julia and Charlie would either go to their favourite bar or just hang out at home to watch the games. Julia was the cook in charge, and Charlie enjoyed her growing friendship with her not-so-new British co-worker. They’d talk about work and the games, but mostly about Charlie’s new relationship with Auston - which was still on situationship level - as well as Julia’s quirky friendship with William. And then they’d of course also talk generally about men, dating, sex, and much more. 

-

On Sunday, they all decided to go out for brunch, including Stephanie and Tessa. The girls felt the need for some time off as well, having been the ones lending a listening ear to their men as they discussed their recent losses. While they were more than happy to be there for their partners, they also recognised the importance of taking a break over brunch.

And for some much-needed girl talk. 

"I mean," Stephanie began, as they shared their thoughts and experiences of being in relationships with NHL hockey players, "I adore Mitch, and I genuinely want to support him. But sometimes, I just need some me-time, you know?"

Tessa nodded in agreement, fully understanding the sentiment.

"Not to scare you, Charlie, or anything," Stephanie continued with a light chuckle, "but being with these guys... it's not always a walk in the park."

Charlie nodded, letting out a light laugh in response. "Don't worry, Steph, Auston and I are nowhere near that close to a relationship. For now, it's all about having fun," she explained, and the girls smiled, intrigued by the ongoing dynamic between the happy almost-couple.

"Well, I think there's definitely something more to it," Tessa chimed in. "Mo mentioned that Auston has talked quite a bit about you in the locker room."

Julia and Stephanie playfully teased Charlie with playful "oooohhh's" and flirty looks.

"Ladies, please! We're just having a great time," Charlie reassured them, but the girls continued to giggle and wink, causing Charlie to blush even more.

"And just how great is this time, exactly?" Julia mischievously inquired, clearly looking for some juicy details.

Charlie leaned in and whispered, "Let's just say that Auston may play inside the lines on the ice, but in bed, he's all about playing way outside those lines."

The girls couldn't contain their excitement, responding with synchronised "oohhhh's."

"And... just how large is his... stick?" Tessa playfully asked.

“Oh, I’m not sure I want to know,” Stephanie said.

“Oh, I do,” Julia chuckled.

As if on cue, a waiter approached with a massive pepper grinder, offering to season their food.

Charlie glanced at the grinder, then back at the girls, raising her eyebrows a couple of times, leaving no doubt in their minds.

"oooohhhh," the other girls responded in unison, thoroughly entertained by the playful banter.

_

October 31st – Halloween 

On the next Monday, Julia found herself strolling the streets of Toronto on a chilly night, all dressed up in her costume.

As she, Phoebe, Tyler, and Keith, a friend of Tyler, meandered through the neighbourhood, their outfits drew compliments and giggles from fellow trick-or-treaters. Phoebe's zombie princess attire, in particular, was striking, with makeup that truly made her appear undead. A wish of her own. Tyler confidently strutted in his Iron Man costume, while Keith embraced the role of Captain America with patriotic enthusiasm.

However, when Phoebe suddenly announced her urgent need for the loo, Julia contemplated making a small detour to William's flat, as it was conveniently nearby. It was Halloween, after all, and a quick visit to a friend's flat seemed like a fun idea.

jjonesss: hey Willy, are you at home? 😊

williawmnylander: yeah, why? 😊

jjonesss: would you mind if we pop round real quick? I’ve got a six-year-old princess who really needs to pee, and we're just around the corner from your place 😅

williamnylander: sure, no problem 😊

“Don’t worry, Phoebe, we can swing by my friend Willy's place,” Julia reassured the nearly bursting girl.

"Willy?" Phoebe inquired; her curiosity piqued. "Is he like Willy Wonka?"

Julia couldn't help but laugh at the comparison. "Well, not exactly, love. He's not a chocolatier with a magical factory, but he's a really nice guy and a great friend."

Phoebe, with her vivid imagination, appeared intrigued by the concept of a friend named 'Willy,' even if he wasn't a candy-maker with a whimsical world of chocolate and wonder.

Approaching William's apartment building, Julia rang the doorbell, her Cruella de Vil costume certainly catching the eye. After the buzz, they rode the lift, as Phoebe’s eyes were almost watering. Moments later, the door swung open, revealing an amused William, dressed casually, having opted to skip a Halloween costume this year.

"Well, look who's here," William greeted with a grin, taking in their costumes. "You all look great!"

Julia laughed. "Thanks, William. Happy Halloween!" She then gestured towards Phoebe, who was hopping from foot to foot. "Phoebe desperately needs to use the loo. Mind if we come in for a minute?"

"Of course, come on in!" William stepped aside to allow them entry. “It’s that door over there,” he pointed. 

“Thanks, Wonka!” Phoebe exclaimed as she hurried inside.

“Did she just call me Wonka?” William asked Julia, raising an eyebrow.

Julia couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yeah, that’s sort of your new nickname,” she said, giving him a playful wink.

William let out a small laugh, then noticed Keith and Tyler's costumes. "Iron Man and Captain America, huh? Great choices, boys!" he complimented.

Tyler and Keith stood almost completely frozen with their mouths open. But then Julia nudged Tyler’s side lightly and he shook out of it. He beamed with pride. "Thanks, William!"

Julia knew that the young boy was completely starstruck, but he managed to sort of play it cool.

Inside, Phoebe found her way to the loo, while Julia, Tyler, and Keith settled in the living room. William offered them some Halloween candy, and they chatted for a bit about their trick-or-treating adventures.

Pablo immediately hopped onto Julia’s lap, which elicited a chuckle from William.

“Look who’s happy to see you, huh.”

Banksy was quick to join them as well but decided to seek cuddles from the young boys instead. 

Julia simply smiled as she petted the spiriteddoodle.

“If it isn’t my favourite little guy,” she exclaimed.

“Be careful, Pablo - she’s a dog killer,” William joked, referring to her costume.

“Don’t worry, honey - it’s only Dalmatians,” she pretended to whisper. “And naughty boys.”

Phoebe eventually came round to join them in the living room. "Thank you, Wonka," she said with a grateful smile.

Julia turned to William. "Thanks for letting us drop by, Will. We should get going so the kids can continue their candy hunt."

"Absolutely, anytime! Happy Halloween, guys!" William said as they all walked back to the hallway.

As Julia, Phoebe, Tyler, and Keith prepared to leave William's flat and continue their Halloween adventure, William couldn't resist offering a compliment on Julia's Cruella de Vil costume.

"By the way, JJ, you look really sexy," he said with a charming smirk.

Julia felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment, but she tried to maintain a nonchalant demeanour. "Thanks, Willy. It's just a Halloween costume, you know."

Despite her efforts to downplay the compliment, she couldn't help but secretly relish the flattery. William had a talent for making her feel special, and even though they were just friends, there was an undeniable chemistry between them.

With a final wave, they left William's building, continuing their Halloween journey with smiles on their faces.

_

After Julia had finished removing her makeup and settled into her bed, she scrolled through her phone and decided to message William.

jjonesss: hey, just wanted to thank you again for today 😊 you truly saved a damsel in distress 😉

williawmnylander: haha no problem at all 😂 the least I could do, and it was nice to see you

jjonesss: we were very grateful 😊 likewise, the boys only talked about you all the way home 😂 

williawmnylander: well, I am pretty amazing, so of course they did 😂

jjonesss: wow… think you need to work on that confidence just a tad 😂

williawmnylander: what can I say, not all superheroes wear capes 😎💪🏻 besides, at least I got to see you in that outfit 😛

jjonesss: William! Inappropriate much 😅 you’re such an idiot 

williawmnylander: yeah, but a charming idiot 😜

Julia couldn't help but chuckle at his cheekiness, but she also had to admit to herself that she rather enjoyed it. 

[metaljock]

This is gonna be my jumping off point for a post mortem on the Leafs.

A lot of the criticism of Mitch is valid...but the conclusions are always insane. Yes he's not a good leader, yes he can be lazy on the puck sometimes, yes he's soft and shies away from the tough areas, he's not physical, can have a bit of an immature attitude at times and yes he didn't come up big and break the game open. That must mean he sucks and is the reason we lost and we should trade him, if you're a moron. All of those things are also true of another former leaf who went on to win a cup...Phil fucking Kessel who was all of those things and more but also not as good of a player...and yet he was an important piece of a cup winning team because the team he was on was built right utilized him properly and was well coached. Acting like Marner is the reason we lost because he wasn't a perfect player and the complete package is unhinged.

Ignoring that he played well, he was solid defensively and helped shutdown Bostons big guns for most of the series, he wasn't held pointless or anything and I thought his compete level was high. He's still in like the top 3 for elite playmaking and has been the leading point man on a team that includes Auston Matthews for pretty much his entire time as a leaf. Add to that he's a local guy who grew up cheering for the Leafs and I just don't get the hate.

The other thing that drives me nuts is watching people criticize him for how much money he makes. Is he overpaid...yes but that's a criticism for the idiot GM who overpaid him...not the player himself.

if you wanna pick a longtime leaf to pick on I'm more looking at Morgan Rielly who's looked slow, totally ineffective on the powerplay, takes terrible shots from bad spots at bad times. Their powerplay was better without him and yet he's supposed to be our big offensive defenseman. How many #1 top pair two way defenders are only mediocre at defending and don't have a good point shot. How much of his point totals does he owe to the fact that he's just passing it to Matthews and Marner and letting them score. And he's only getting older and slower and his contract is only going to get worse. He's also been the longest serving Leaf and has been the most common factor in all their losses.

People will say the core group can't get it done, they've had 2 coaches and are on their 3rd GM. However it can't be discounted that one of those GMs was so awful at every aspect of the job that I can comfortably call him the worst GM the team has ever had..and maybe the worst GM in league history, dude tried to rewrite the basics of the job and did nothing but counterintuitive nonsense and none of it worked and now he's pittsburghs problem. And one of those two coaches...a hire of the worst GM in history...is the worst coach I've ever seen.

People like to evaluate coaches based just on their time with the team and the results...so when you say it was the coaches fault it just looks like you're looking for a scapegoat....however with Keefe there are several consistent things you can point to to show how incompetent and clueless he was.

When the team lost to Columbus the dude threw up his hands and admitted to not knowing why his team lost....the COACH admitted to not having any clue why his team was beat. 3 hundred thousand fans can tell you why you lost to Columbus why can't the man being paid to run the team? When he lost to Montreal he said the same thing and looked totally lost, no emotion no reaction no adjustments, he didn't bench anyone, didn't change the lines didn't scratch any of the players who sucked didn't alter their strategy, didn't demand physicality just praised them and said dunno what happened.

Keefe doesn't even know how to talk to his players. In the documentary of the year where they lost to montreal Keefe has some stupid issue with some throwaway answer Matthews gives in an interview....and goes crying to Dubas asking how he should handle it....the coach....had to ask the GM how to have a conversation with one of his players.

And I'm not even touching on the little things he does in game that make no sense. Like starting Samsonov over Woll to start the series, having Reaves and the 4th line on the ice when they need 2 goals with 3 minutes to go...why he insisted on playing T.J Brodie on the first pair and on the first penalty kill when he was awful and on for almost every single goal against all season long. Never deviating from Justin Holl who now can't even crack the regular season lineup of a team that doesn't make the playoffs.

Oh and in his post season interview he refers to his team as "the leafs" like as though he's not even a part of it or a reason they lost. Already distancing himself from the disaster he helped cause because he knows he's more than likely fired. And he also actually said Boston set the game up so that the Leafs would "beat themselves" the dudes a scumbag he's admitting the reason they lost was self inflicted but still wants to dodge any responsibility.

Anyway have fun in Pittsburgh Keefe we know Dubas only hires based on people he knows from the soo so at least you have job security until the penguins org finds out Dubas sucks.

it’s honestly very interesting to me how the leafs will get out-coached and out-goaltended almost every single year and somehow. someway. everyone ends up saying it’s mitch marner’s fault.