#baby kraken hours

[snowy-bones]

it’s baby kraken hours!!!

[bluriginals]

splash-o-matic gets to run around oppressing the game for like 8 months but .96 deco exists for literally 2 weeks and gets a points for special nerf immediately??? no righteous god would do that

[viennakarma]

Funny Little Girl

Lewis Hamilton x Reader (+ daughter)

Summary: When Lewis' little girl gets sick while he's away, he starts contemplating.

Word count: 2.4k

Tags: female!reader, husband!Lewis, Dad!Lewis, fluff, little bit hurt/comfort, daughter is sick, Lewis is worried, hospital, not beta read

Relationship: Lewis Hamilton x Reader

Note: I wrote this in a spur of the moment at 2 am last night, no beta we die like men. It was genuinely supposed to be a blurb but my brain took over and ran with it. (Once again in my girl dad!Lewis agenda)

Feedback and comments are appreciated xx

Find me on Twitter! | BUY ME A COFFEE ☕️

Lewis was restless.

He hadn’t spoken to you since the morning, and usually, by this time you would’ve already texted him a good morning message or even a silly lazy picture.

He knew, obviously with him being away on a race weekend, it was natural that the time difference stood between you, but this time he wasn’t too far from home, just a few hours ahead, so he found it strange that you hadn’t texted him yet. He left a couple messages for you again, but they were only delivered. He tried to call once but it rang and you never picked up.

Then an hour or so later, when he was in the middle of a meeting, he got a call from you, a FaceTime call. Worried, he immediately interrupted the meeting, asking for a ten minute break and scurried off to his room.

He picked up as soon as he closed the door behind himself. On the screen, he could see you, still in your sleeping clothes, and Ivy was on your lap. Lewis stared at his daughter and from one single look he could tell she was not looking well.

“Hi, love. Sorry I didn’t answer your texts earlier…” You said first thing.

“What happened?” Lewis frowned.

“Ivy woke up a little under the weather today. She’s a little feverish.”

He looked at his daughter on the screen again, she wasn’t paying attention to him, her eyes red rimmed like she had been crying, in her hands, tightly held was Brendon the Kraken, her favorite plush toy, and her blankie. She had a beanie on and a pacifier. She was looking at the TV, not minding him or her mom.

“How’s she doing? Are you thinking of taking her to the hospital?” He asked, his heart tightening in his chest.

“Not yet, I think the fever might go down soon. If it doesn’t then I’ll take her to see the doctor,” you explained, rubbing Ivy’s shoulder as she snuggled up to you and Lewis wished he was home with you and Ivy, taking care of his little girl who was just a little under three, “how is everything going? Ready for the race later?”

Lewis bit back a comment of how he just wanted to go home to his wife and to his baby girl. How he wanted to snuggle up with Ivy on the couch with lots of blankets to keep her warm while watching silly cartoons. But instead, he smiled a little and talked about the race for a minute. He knew that if you knew he was sad, you were gonna be sad too, so he just pretended everything was fine and his heart wasn’t broken for being away from his family.

Ivy was a toddler, and he was aware toddlers were a little under the weather all the time and it usually wasn’t that big of a deal. Hell, he had been home a couple of times when his daughter had a little cold before. But every time it happened when he was away, it ripped his heart apart just the same.

“Will you keep me updated on Ivy?” He asked, looking at your sweet face on the screen.

“Of course, and if I take too long to reply, don’t rip your hair off with worry, okay?” You said with a fond smile. You gently nudged Ivy, pulling her pacifier out, “look, baby, say hi to daddy…”

Ivy looked at the screen, and her little lips turned into a pout, her eyes watering.

“Daddy! Want daddy!” She said, starting to cry as she made grabby hands to the screen.

Lewis felt like his heart was being torn open with a jackhammer, the pleading look in Ivy’s eyes, wanting comfort from her daddy and him being a couple of countries away, unable to teleport to her side to hold her.

“Shhh, it’s okay, love, daddy is coming home soon, isn’t he?” You said, trying to comfort your daughter, but she kept crying, fat tears wetting her chubby cheeks.

“I’m going home soon, sweetheart, I promise. Daddy’s gonna be there soon,” he said through the screen, but Ivy only seemed to grow even more agitated, her cries louder. He knew the fact that she was sick was probably playing a part in making her big emotions come out. He tried more comforting words, but both Ivy was agitated and you were trying to comfort as best as you could.

Lewis watched the screen for a few more seconds, swallowing a painful lump in his throat, seeing his daughter’s urgency in having him closer, her big brown eyes wet with tears and the grabby hands towards him as if he could just go home through the screen and pick her up in his arms.

“Sorry, love,” you said, picking up Ivy and she cried against your shoulder, “I’ll hang up to calm her down, okay? I’ll keep you updated.”

“If anything, anything really happens you can call me anytime.” He said, hearing your little whimpering through the screen, “love you two.”

“We love you, Lewis,” you blew him a quick kiss and hung up.

Lewis stared at the black screen for a long time, not really looking, just remembering the look on his little girl’s face as she wanted him close. He swallowed a couple times more, and he decided to text his dad and stepmom to go check on you and Ivy if they had some free time back home.

He went back to his pre-race meeting with a pit in his stomach. He had to make an herculean effort to be present on the race weekend and not let his mind wander back to you and Ivy. He checked a few more texts, and you kept him updated every once in a while. First telling him you got Ivy to eat something, then you sent him a picture of Ivy taking a nap on your chest, and she looked a little better, but you told him she was still a little feverish, but luckily her temperature hadn’t gone up.

Before going to the race, he warned one of the team’s assistants to keep a close eye on his phone, knowing you’d still be sending him updates on your daughter.

He finished the race P4, which wasn’t a bad finishing position but as soon as he was out of the car, he was thinking of Ivy again. When he checked his phone, your last text had been before the race started, a quick selfie wishing him good luck, but after that, there was not a single text from you, and he started worrying all over again.

“If my wife calls or texts, I need you to interrupt anything I’m doing and get the phone to me, okay? No matter what,” he said to the assistant, handing his phone again before going out to the post race interviews.

He was only half-heartedly replying during the interviews, worried that the assistant had not gone to him not even one moment, which could only mean you had not called yet.

Once the interviews were done, he went back to the assistant to check on his phone and he saw three missed calls from you and two from his dad. His stomach instantly dropped.

“I said to get the phone to me if my wife called,” He looked at the assistant who looked like a deer in the headlights.

“I tried, Lewis! The PR lady didn’t even let me through the door. I told her it was your wife and an emergency, but…” The guy defended himself, pointing to the F1 PR coordinator, who looked at Lewis with wide eyes.

“You don’t ever do that again, understood? My family is my priority and you shouldn’t have interfered when he was under explicit orders to find me as soon as my wife called.” Lewis said, he was calm but his voice was firm and left no room for questioning. The woman only nodded, spurting some excuse and apology.

He barely waved her off before finding a secluded little room to check his phone. In the texts, you had warned him that Ivy got worse and you were taking her to the hospital. He immediately called your phone but it went straight to voicemail. He tried a couple more times before trying his dad, who luckily picked up.

“Dad? Where are they?” He said.

“I brought your girls to the hospital, they put Ivy in a room and the doctor is checking her up now. We’re in the waiting room now, so as soon as I have any news, I’ll let you know. Your wife’s phone died, so it’s probably best to talk to me.”

Lewis exhaled, still feeling nervous but a little more comforted that you weren’t alone with Ivy in a moment like this.

“Can you send me the address of the hospital? I’m going straight there. And please, keep me updated.”

After hanging up, Lewis immediately went to find the team to let them know his daughter was sick and he needed to get home as soon as possible, rescheduling the post-race debriefing. He didn’t even get back to the hotel, since he had his suitcase with him at the paddock, he just called his connections and got himself a helicopter back home.

He arrived at the hospital you and Ivy were in a couple of hours later, going straight inside and finding his dad in the waiting room, chatting with a nurse. He hugged his dad, who told him you were inside with Ivy, and the nurse took Lewis and Anthony there.

Lewis entered the room where you were, sitting before the hospital bed, and Ivy was lying on the bed, holding her plushie with one hand and holding her mom’s hand with the other. She looked the same as she had in the FaceTime call that morning. 

“Daddy!” Ivy squealed, and Lewis rushed inside, hugging her tightly, careful minding the IV drip in her arm. She smelled the same as always, baby shampoo and home. Lewis inhaled into her curly hair and kissed her cheek.

“Hi, baby… I’m sorry dad took too long to arrive. How is my baby girl doing?” He asked, gently putting her down on the bed, but she grasped his coat as if to stop him from leaving again. He leaned over the bed and pecked your cheek, “Hi, my love…”

You quickly explained to Lewis that that doctor had checked on Ivy and you were waiting for him to bring the results in. Lewis comforted Ivy for a moment, before walking around the bed to hug you. You looked tired, and he imagined you had spent the whole day dealing with a sick, fussy toddler.

“Have you eaten today?” He asked, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear.

“In the morning,” You mutter, closing your eyes for a moment, enjoying the gentle caress of his knuckles on your cheeks.

“Wanna go home to rest and eat while I stay here with Ivy?” He offered, despite already knowing your reply.

“Of course not, I’m not leaving her side,” You said, rolling your eyes and he smiled.

“Dad, will you take my lovely wife to the cafeteria and make sure she eats something?” Lewis said to his dad, who was still chatting with Ivy. He immediately accepted, and Lewis removed his own coat, putting it around you, “We’ll wait here, okay?”

You nodded and left with Anthony just as Lewis turned to Ivy.

“Are you feeling cold, baby?” He asked the little girl, who looked fussy and sleepy, rubbing her eyes as she nodded.

Ivy made grabby hands, whispering for Daddy, and Lewis got into the hospital bed with her, pulling her to lay on his chest as he adjusted the blankets around her. Her skin was still warm to the touch, and he held her close, wrapping both arms around his little girl while she spoke about her day, whining about her day and about being sick. She was always extra clingy when he came back from his trips.

Lewis gently played with her curls while she spoke, muttering his uh-hu, and yeah, and his of course, baby, until she started slurring out the words and slowly falling asleep.

He smiled, despite the worry, he was glad to be there finally, to be with his wife and daughter.

When you came back to the room, Ivy was sleeping against Lewis’ chest just like she used to do as a newborn, Lewis gently rubbing her back and getting drool in his shirt. You handed him a coffee, and he drank without moving a muscle so as to not wake up your little girl.

The doctor came a few minutes later, checking on Ivy and making sure she was fine and the fever was subsiding, he said it was just a little cold and prescribed a couple of meds.

Lewis carried your little girl to the car seat, while you hugged Anthony goodbye and thanked him profusely for keeping you company when you were going to the hospital earlier. After that, you went home driving, Lewis in the passenger seat.

Arriving home, Lewis carried Ivy to her little bed, tucking her in and touching her forehead to make sure the fever was really gone. When he returned to the bedroom, you had taken a quick shower and was dressed in soft, comfortable pajamas.

“How are you, love?” He asked as you walked lazily up to him and he wrapped his arms around your mirror, pulling you into his chest.

“Just a little tired…” You mumbled, and he pecked your lips, walking you back towards the bed.

“Thank you for taking care of her today, love. And I’m sorry I wasn’t there for most of it…” He whispered affectionately into your skin.

“It’s okay, you had work… I’m glad you came straight home to us.” You muttered as he placed you in bed, tucking you in.

“I love you,” He tugged your hand and kissed your knuckles.

He let you fall asleep while he took a quick shower too, changing into PJs before going to check on Ivy again. The doctor had assured that the medicine would take her out for the night, but she’d be totally better the following morning.

When he got in bed with you again, pulling you closer, his arm around your middle, his leg between yours and your face pressed into his chest, he finally breathed. He had been tense the whole day from being away from you and Ivy, worry gnawing at him, and guilt for being away in moments like these. Not only tough moments like this, but also the happy ones. He wondered what else he’d miss of Ivy growing up, and he had missed so much already.

That was the first time he truly contemplated retirement. 

[fayes-fics]

Innuendo Bingo

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader, modern AU

Summary: Crack fic. Modern AU. Someone knows a LOT of stupid synonyms for orgasms...

Warnings: Teen and up. Sexual humour, a lot of stupidity. Non-explicit references to sex acts. Basically, I'm sorry.

Word Count: 0.8k

Authors note: Request fill for @sorryallonsy, who asked for Benedict crack fic with him coming up with stupid names for orgasms (ask HERE). I'm sorry this took SO LONG, especially as it is so short. However, I was in the mood to polish off (heheheh) something silly today, and this was just the ticket. Unbetaed cos it's ridiculous. Thanks, and err, enjoy, I guess? <3

Bridgerton family brunch happens once a month and is always memorable. The family usually takes over some swish eatery in central London for a few hours with their unique brand of noisy, chaotic camaraderie. Being Benedict's girlfriend, you are now a part of this melee. It’s one such Sunday when you are finishing your quite delicious but oversized meal that Benedict leans in.

“I can't wait to have you naked again,” he rumbles right in your ear.

You almost spit your last mouthful all over the table. After a few beats, you recover enough to reply.

“Your mother is right there!” you chastise sotto voce, nodding imperceptibly across the table, pulling a pointed expression, even as your mind is filled with images of him waking you up just this morning with his tongue between your thighs.

“Please,” he withers good-naturedly. “I have seven siblings. Do you really think this libido isn't genetic?” he jests, a hand on your knee now. 

“Stop it!” you giggle, not wanting to think of his mother that way.

 “Also, she is not paying us any mind,” he points out, crowding closer. 

Indeed, she is engrossed in a chat with Kate and has one of Daphne’s kids ensconced in her lap, diverting all her attention.

“Besides, are you telling me you don't want to have another orgasm today?” he goads, lips warm on your neck as those fingers spider higher up your thigh, knowing precisely what your weak spots are and exploiting them.

“Well, now… I didn’t say that…” you counter, eyes fluttering closed briefly at his onslaught. “But I might need a few hours after all this food,” you mime a bloated stomach.

It's his turn to chuckle, a warm sound that skitters over your skin. “That's fair,” he assesses. “Can't be releasing the Kraken if you have a food baby…”

You can't help but emit a bark of laughter at that. Everyone at the table looking briefly askance at you before resuming their discussions.

“The what?” you wheeze.

“You heard me,” he quips warmly. “Don't like that? I've got a million more,” he vows, eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Don't…” you warn softly, but that just seems to goad him on.

“Making waffles? Popping the weasel…?”

“Waffles?” you frown, “I thought it was whoopee?”

“That too,” he smiles, eyes crinkling in that adorable way as he continues. “Petting the cat? Nulling the void? You can cuff my carrot, and I’ll dial your rotary phone?” each phrase is delivered full of mirth, close to your ear, and you can't help the stupid grin on your face.

“Stop it,” you protest weakly, nudging him gently with your elbow but having to muffle your laughter into his shoulder.

“I’ll stop when you stop finding them funny…” he counters genially. “Marching the penguin? Downstair DJing? Turning on the sprinklers? Debugging the hard drive?”

Each one has you hopelessly sniggering to the point you can't breathe, and little tears form at the corner of your eyes.

“What in God's name are you doing to your girlfriend, Benedict?” Anthony’s voice suddenly rings out from the head of the table. “It looks like she is about to die… hands where I can see them, please!”

Everyone at the table twists to look at you and laughs as both of you instantly raise your hands as if being held hostage; you mortified by the idea everyone thinks you might be up to things in front of them all, even though you know Anthony is joshing. 

But then Benedict murmurs a quiet parting shot out the corner of his mouth. 

“Chastising the family… jewels...”

And yeah, your loud snort is definitely undignified.

—

You are back at his place relaxing on the sofa a few hours later - When Harry Met Sally is playing on the TV - when he wraps an arm around your shoulder.

“Fancy doing a Meg Ryan?” he whispers, his tone laced with levity.

“Bit late for that. We left the restaurant a few hours ago,” you sigh in mock disappointment, a playful smile tugging at the corner of your mouth.

“I don't mind a private performance,” he breezes, trailing a hand over your neckline and nuzzling your cheek. “I rather like the idea of watching you paddle your pink canoe….”

Yeah, no, you definitely lose it at that one. 

Collapsing into him, your laughter does not even subsidise when he unzips your dress with his practised skill.

“Please… one ticket to the solo show just for me?” he implores, kissing along your jaw. “Visit that safety deposit box? Orbit Venus? A little double-clicking?”

“You are going to need to stop…” you object faintly, an odd mix of lightness from giggling so much and arousal coursing through you as his fingers circle over your underwear.

“Never…..” he teases in that gravelly tone that always persuades you.

“Fine, but only if I can watch you polish your bannister…” you throw back, pushing off your underwear with a comic flourish.

His laugh is deep and all-consuming, racking his whole frame as he suddenly scoops you up and strides towards his bedroom.

“Deal!”

Benedict taglist: @foreverlonginguniverse @colettebronte @aintnuthinbutahounddog @severewobblerlightdragon @writergirl-2001 @heeyyyou @enichole445 @enchantedbytomandhenry @ambitionspassionscoffee @chaoticcalzoneranchsports @nikaprincessofkattegat @baebee35 @crowleysqueenofhell @fiction-is-life @lilacbeesworld @broooookiecrisp @queen-of-the-misfit-toys @eleanor-bradstreet @divaanya @musicismyoxygen84 @benedictspaintbrush @miindfucked @cayt0123 @hottytoddyhistory @truly-dionysus @fictionalmenloversblog @zinzysstuff @malpalgalz @panhoeofmanyfandoms @kinokomoonshine @causeimissu @delehosies @m-rae23 @last-sheep @kmc1989 @desert-fern @starkeylover @corpseoftrees-queen @magical-spit @bunnyweasley23 @how-many-stars-in-the-sky @amygdtjhddzvb @sya-skies @balladynaaa @urfavnoirette

[haddonfieldwhore]

welcome to new york - will borgen

will borgen x reader

summary: just when you thought your biggest concern was what to get your boyfriend for his birthday…

warnings: angst maybe? (idk this is how im coping) not edited in the slightest sorry

word count: 1k

“would you accompany me to the edge of the sea

let me know if you're really a dream

i love you so, so would you go with me?”

as someone who prided themself on always getting the perfect gift, you weren’t exactly sure how you’d managed to wait until the last day to get your boyfriend, will, a birthday present this year. his birthday was tomorrow, and while you hadn’t forgotten the upcoming date, you had left shopping to the last minute which you never did.

you and will had been together for almost 3 years now, and you were always trying to get a better gift than the year before.

you had gotten the cake and ingredients to cook his favourite dinner, but would have to sneak to the mall while he was at practice today.

“hey,” he smiled as he came downstairs from the room you shared. after a year of dating you had moved in with will and his teammate matty, who had very quickly become one of your best friends.

“hey baby,” you smiled as he kissed your cheek. “off to practice?”

“yeah,” he confirmed, purring his shoes on and yelling for matty to hurry up. the sound of the younger kraken clambering down the stairs made you and will laugh, and you waved goodbye as the boys headed out the door.

once they pulled out of the driveway, you ran upstairs to get ready to head to the mall.

let the shopping begin.

•

it was only about an hour later when you had found a few thing for will for his birthday; a couple nice new hoodies, some snacks he liked, and a few little things that just caught your eye or reminded you of him, when your phone rang.

you pulled it out of your pocket and saw a picture of you and will across the screen, meaning he was calling.

“hey honey, what’s up?” you asked; there was no way practice was over that fast, and you hoped nothing bad had happened.

“uh, it’s kinda of a-“ he sighed, stumbling over his words like he didn’t know how to tell you whatever it was that made him call you.

“are you okay?” you asked, worried he got injured in practice or something like that; your mind often drifting to the worst case scenario.

“yeah - it’s,” he sighed. “i’d rather tell you in person actually. can you come to the iceplex?”

this only tripled your worrying, but you agreed, deciding that the shopping would have to wait as this was definitely more important.

“of course, i’ll be there in 20, okay?”

“okay, love you.”

“i love you too,” you smiled. “see you soon.”

•

after carefully hiding the bags of gifts in the safety of the trunk, you walked from your car into the kraken practice arena, and you were suprised to find will not dressed to skate. instead, he was waiting in the lobby, standing as he saw you approaching.

his expression was hard to read, but he greeted you with a hug as he always did; though he held you a little tighter than normal.

“hey, is everything okay?” you asked as you pulled away, his hand remaining on your hips as you looked up at him, trying to read his face for any hint as to what was going on.

“uhm,” he scratched the back of his head, his brown hair that had begun to grow long again peeking out from under his beanie as he did so.

“i mean i guess so-“ he shrugged but his voice sounded unsure, and you smiled sadly. will was one of the most easy going people you had ever met. he hardly ever got over emotional (except sometimes on the ice).

“whatever it is, you can tell me.”

“ron wanted to see me when i got here -“ he sighed, his eyes leaving yours as his gaze flickered down to the floor. your heart skipped a beat; usually a meeting with the GM only meant one of a few things, and in this case it was the one you feared the most.

“he wanted to let me know that i’ve been traded,” will finally said, lifting his gaze to meet yours again, waiting for your reaction.

you processed for a minute, nodding as you took his hands in yours.

“okay,” you took a deep breath. as much as it was not the news you expected when you woke up this morning, you knew it was apart of the business. things were always moving in the nhl, and sometimes it felt like the players were seen as just pieces in the game rather than people.

but they knew what they were signing up for, and so did you when you got involved with will. there was always the possibility of being traded, and having to uproot your whole life overnight.

you and will had talked about it in passing once or twice, about whether or not you would go with him if he left seattle, and while you hadn’t expected the day to come - nevermind so soon - you had made up your mind a long time ago.

your life was wherever will was.

“so where are we going?” you smiled up at him.

“you want to come with me and you don’t even know where i’m going?” he asked with a half smile.

“well yeah,” you said like it was obvious. “i love seattle, but it’s not my home; you are.”

will smiled and kissed your lips softly.

“i love you,” he smiled, pulling you into another hug.

“i love you too,” you squeezed him tightly, your arms around his torso as he cradled the back of your head. “so …. where are we going?” you asked again, and you both giggled.

“new york - the rangers.”

“i guess we should go pack?”

“probably,” he nodded. “i’ll just give matty my keys and i can get a ride back home with you.”

“yeah, of course,” you smiled, and watched him walk back towards the locker room to leave his keys for your housemate.

soon to be former housemate your brain corrected, and you felt a sadness weighing heavy in your heart.

you had lived in seattle most of your life, and would definitely miss it, and the friends you had made on the kraken team.

but home wasn’t a place, you realized. it was a person, and he smiled at you as he reappeared in the lobby.

“ready to go?” he asked, reaching for your hand. you linked your fingers with his, looking around the building for maybe the last time.

“yeah, i’m ready.”

disclaimer: all screenshots, events, and/or interactions depicted in this are a work of fiction. i have no association with any parties mentioned

[svechnikovvv]

roadies

pairing: jack hughes x fem!reader

warnings: panic attack, don’t think there’s any profanity

summary: jack is on the other side of the u.s for his roadies and something happens with him.

a/n: my writing schedule has been messed up 🫠 back at school and apush is kicking my ass. so apologies for the lack of content.

masterlist: here

jack was currently on the other side of the united states playing the kraken.

i make my way to the bar downtown to watch the game since they always play every devil’s game.

“y/n! there she is!” i smile and take a seat at the bar.

“tito! how’ve you been?”

“i’ve been hangin’ in there.” he nods up at the tv. “you here for the game?”

“you know me so well.” he chuckles and shakes his head.

“you watch every game of his, huh?” i nod proudly

“what’ll it be tonight? shirley temple?”

“i drove here. just pour me a water?” he nods and pours me a glass of water, sliding it down to me. i take it and take a big sip of it. i look up at the tv and see there’s only five more minutes until puck drop.

“you think benny will make me one of his famous burgers?”

“he’s been asking when you’d come back again. told ‘em there’s a game soon so you’ll be back quick. but let me go ask.” he then walks off into the back and i sit there, sipping on my water. i look around and see some familiar faces, some new ones.

soon, the puck drops and i see jack front and center. i get excited at seeing him and they win face-off. tito walks by and looks at the tv. he points up at it.

“there’s jackson. tell him he needs a haircut.” he then walks back off and i laugh to myself at his comment. i loved jack’s long hair, but it did need a bit of a trim.

a plate is then placed in front of me and i see it’s my burger.

“wondering when you’d come back, kid.”

“now benny, you make the best burgers in jersey. i would never forget about you.” he rolls his eyes and slings his towel over his shoulder.

“they score yet?” i shake my head

“he’s gonna score the first goal. kid’s got magic”

“whatever you say, benny.” he shrugs and walks back into the back. i take a big bite of my burger and the taste is amazing. he always manages to make them taste better every time. i didn’t understand it. i look up at the tv as i eat my burger and sip on my water, and jack then scores a goal. benny was right.

everyone in the bar, including me, starts cheering. everyone continues to watch the game and then nico scores the next goal.

it was down to the last few seconds, and they were tied.

“cmon j, score” i whisper and as soon as the devil’s get the puck down to seattle’s side, the buzzer goes off. end of regulation.

“oh come on! hughes was about to fuckin’ score!” i hear someone yell at the tv and it makes me laugh. i anxiously watch the tv as OT is now underway. everyone else in the bar is tense as well and watching the game.

nico wins face-off and everyone cheers. the kraken and devil’s continue to go back and forth and soon, OT ends and it’s time for shoot-out. the whole bar goes quiet as we watch.

first up is nico and some other guy and they both make their shots. next is jack and a younger guy and the other guy makes his.

“you got this jack,” i whisper to myself and watch the tv closely. he misses his shot, resulting in the kraken winning.

“damnit!” someone yells and i deflate slightly. they played a good game nonetheless, but i know jack’s going to take this to heart. i say goodbye to tito and benny and make my way back home.

an hour or so later, i get a call from jack. i answer it and i can hear sporadic breathing on the other side.

“i need you.”

“what’s wrong?”

“so much.”

“hey, take a deep breath in.” i hear him inhale on the other end.

“now breathe out.” he exhaled and does that two more times before he tells me what’s all happening.

“i feel so awful. i lost us the game. i disappointed everyone. and i found out i sprained my wrist in the third.”

“jack, baby, you didn’t disappoint anyone. you were playing on a sprained wrist. yeah, it isn’t the brightest idea, but it also affects your performance. it’s not your fault, my love. you went out there and played your best and you did a damn amazing job. tito, benny and i were cheering for you the whole game.”

“really?” he quietly asks

“absolutely. couldn’t be more proud. did you get something for your wrist?”

“yeah. nico took me to the hospital and i got it checked out. can’t play for a while”

“i’m sorry babe. i know how much hockey means to you.”

“that means i get more time with you.”

“it sure does. i’ll take care of you until it heals again if i have to.” i hear him slightly sniffle and i assume he’s stopped crying.

“if it makes you feel any better, tito said you need a haircut.” i hear him quietly laugh and i smile. anything is better than him crying. i hate when he cried, it absolutely broke my heart.

“i do need a trim. anyways, i’m going to go to sleep. im exhausted. i love you though. so much. thank you for always being my listening ear.”

“you don’t have to thank me for anything, j. but go get you some rest, you deserve it. i love you” he then hangs up and i go to sleep with him on my mind. thankfully, he only had two more games over there and he was back to new jersey. obviously he wouldn’t be able to play, but showing up was better than nothing.

that’s the one downside about roadies. something happens and you’re not there to help. hopefully these next few days go by quick.

the days pass by and i get a text from nico saying they’re back in town. i grab my keys and rush over to the arena to pick up jack. i end up getting there before the bus does. only ten minutes, but still earlier than it.

when i see the bus pull up, i head inside and walk to where i need to go. i then see all the guys coming out and some of them give me a wave. jack then rounds the corner with nico and nico nudges him on the shoulder and nods in my direction. jack looks and when he sees me, he drops all of his stuff and runs over to me. i pull him into a hug, being cautious of his wrist. his arms wrapped around me as best as they could and mine go around his neck.

“hi j. i missed you”

“god, you have no idea how much i’ve missed you. i’ve been so miserable.” i pull apart from him and cup his face with my hands.

“i’m here now, yeah?” he nods and i place a kiss on his nose, causing him to scrunch it up.

“come on, let’s get home. we’re long overdue for some cuddles.” he nods and grabs his stuff, taking my hand with his non-injured one and we walk to my car.

tags: @goldenbrokenheart @alhanna05 @woodruff-edwards @i-padfootblack-things @fanboysfangirl @hughesx3 @austinbutlerscaresme @theywantedplayer

a/n: guess who lost her airpods at the park 🫠

[the-inkwell-variable]

seven sentence sunday

thank you, @the-golden-comet, for the tag!

this is from a bitter twist of fate, my life is strange dark au!

The moment he disappeared into the bathroom, Joyce arrived to take his plate.  “I didn’t think much of your teacher when you first came in,” she announced, “but I overheard that conversation-” “You eavesdropped.” “Overheard your very loud conversation.  And I have to say… I’ve changed my mind.  That is a good teacher.  He cares about what happened to those poor girls.  He cares about your future.  He cares about you, in an appropriate way.  We need more teachers like him, I think.”  She nodded emphatically.  “If you need anything, baby, you call me, all right?  I may be working more hours nowadays, but I will drop everything and get to you if you need it.  Be safe.”

TAGGING @drchenquill - @captain-kraken - @illarian-rambling - OPEN TAG!

[writernopal]

Proud of Tag

I was tagged by @tabswrites here, thanks so much! 💙💙

Tagging (gently): @kaylinalexanderbooks @acertainmoshke @noblebs @theprissythumbelina @bluberimufim and anyone else who'd like to play!

Rules: Post a snippet you’ve written that you’re proud of and tag 5 people.

I decided to share a sneep from Man O' War for this bc I personally think that series has some of my best writing. (AASOAF is still my baby but M.O.W is just *chef's kiss*) This one comes from Ch. 4: Rend:

cw: mild gore, death

He remembered how the men gathered that night in the great room of his house. Well, his Pa’s house. It was a strange hour. Dark and beyond the time he usually entertained guests. His Ma shuffled them away into their quarters, closing the door as one might a drawer turned hideaway, softly and looking in all directions. She’d said something. Or had she? It didn’t matter. They slept, rather, the others did. Eiph’ck lay there, the whispering and hissing from the great room buzzing about him, irritating, like the flies that gathered around rotted fruit. Flies that stole sleep and stirred curiosity. Such a clandestine affair, and for what? He remembered stumbling around in the darkness. His tongue flitting about to taste the air. The wooden floor vibrating beneath his scales. His open palms groping their way through the darkened corridor. Eyeless guides, but reliable enough that eventually the buzzing turned into words. The soft glow of light that peered between the thin branches of the wood woven door beckoned him forward. He knew they were there. He trembled as he leaned in, struggling to hold his breath so the words might become clearer. And they did… Son Lampa told the tale about seventy-two. About how he begged. About how he screamed. About how he had blood the color of the sky and how fresh the meat was. Seventy-two nourished his older brother for nearly three weeks. ‘Fat and round.’ He said. Hearty. Heavy. He had a name surely, but the last word he called out before Son Lampa clamped a hand around his throat and pulled was a foreign one whose pronunciation Eiph’ck could no longer remember. Perhaps it had been that he never committed it to memory, only its meaning and the laughter that followed… How could they laugh? ‘Pathetic.’ Another man said. ‘To call out to a mother with one’s dying word.’ He tried to forget about the numbers after that.

M.O.W Taglist: @full-on-sam @illjustpretend @sparatus @outpost51 @captain-kraken

@the-mindless @zestymimblo @mysticstarlightduck @tabswrites @void-botanist

Join/leave the taglist using this Google Form.

[she-karev]

Greys anatomy request- so 20x04 got me hooked on there little family banter of Lucas and Amelia and also showed perfect chance for whump of sick because Lucas look so tired sickly( Anyway sorry rambling) can you do one please where Lucas gets sick with flu or something and he tries push himself to go be interesting work but Amelia stops him and takes care of him please (maybe with little push from Scout cuteness and Link who I think would make great like big brother to Lucas that he needs)

The One Where Lucas Adams is Sick

Age Rating: 12+

Chapters: One of One

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy

AN: Here’s another one shot request I hope this satisfies you Shepherd and whump fans out there.

Canon Episode: Grey’s Anatomy in between Season 20 episode 3 and 4

Summary: Lucas Adams is sick with the flu but tries to work until Amelia, Link and Amber tell him to rest.

Words: 2422

Lucas Adams takes a deep breath outside the elevator doors trying to regain his energy. He woke up this morning feeling like he crawled out of a carnival port a potty. His head feels stuffed with cotton, his nose is clogged and even moving his arm feels like he’s lifting a ton. He knew this was the beginning stages of the flu symptoms and he knows this because his chief resident Amber DeLuca gave a big speech about working during flu season including how doctors have an unspoken rule that when the surgeon stays home a patient suffers as well as the doctors who have to cover for them so with all your might you push through.

He decided to do exactly that and push through the illness that came at the worst possible time. His personal and professional life is a mess right now and he has to crash with his aunt Amelia and cousin Scout. It was difficult at first but eventually they found their rhythm. Now he just has to survive intern year after botching it up so bad. He sniffles when the elevator doors open revealing Amber DeLuca and Amelia Shepherd inside talking as they hold their babies. He quickly goes inside standing a respectable distance from Amber who is holding her 1-year-old daughter Lucy who is in a Winnie the Pooh shortall set with her short dark brown hair in pigtails. Amelia is holding his 3-year-old cousin Scout who is sporting a yellow hoodie and jeans.

“Adams.” He grunts back at his chief resident who looks him over, “You look like hell.”

He chuckles lightly at that blunt comment, “Yeah well, I just got back. It’s the flu but don’t worry I’m pushing through it Dr. DeLuca.” He stops and sneezes into his elbow causing Amber to groan in disgust covering her baby away from his direction, “Sorry.”

Amelia looks at him concerned, “Maybe you should go home and rest. I’m sure we can survive without you here there are plenty of interns.”

Amber shakes her head at that, “Over a third of them called in sick this week.” Amelia glares at Amber for encouraging Lucas to stay here, “What? It’s not my fault.”

Lucas clears his throat, “I’ll be fine I’m pushing through it.”

“Well, I put you on the pit today so you should be in your element in the flu warzone.”

Adams groans at that and tries to change it, “Dr. DeLuca if you wouldn’t mind putting me on your service in peds I could really use the hours up there.”

Amber chuckles at that, “If you think I’m gonna let you anywhere around my young and vulnerable patients maybe you should go home because the flu is making you foggy in the head. The pit is where you’re going and if you have a problem with how it interferes with your little checklist you got because you screwed the pooch take it to someone who cares.”

“This is exactly why we call you The Kraken.” Amber glares at Adams comment with her baby in arms that doesn’t diminish her wrath. Amelia purses her lips at this awkward moment and Lucas looks terrified, “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

“Yep.” Amelia tells him.

“Adams, I know you and your class call me The Kraken because I remind you of the mythical creature that destroys ships and drowns sailors. I take no insults in that because kind words for bosses show weakness in their work structure do I come off as weak to you Adams?”

He clears his throat, “No ma’am your as strong as a diamond.” Amelia narrows her eyes at him confused, “I-It’s the hardest rock in the world and even though it gives off a shiny and pretty appearance it can crush your skull with a hard enough whack to the head. Y-You give off that vibe Dr. DeLuca.”

“…Your safe.” Adams exhales relieved, “But your still in the pit and if you feel any worse do your patients a favor and go home.”

“I agree with her, Scout what about you? Do you agree with the mean chief resident about your cousin?” Scout nods at that in an adorable way causing Amelia and Amber to aww at that while Lucas rolls his eyes before sneezing again. The elevator doors open to their relief and they exit with Adams a little worse for wear as he walks to the lockers with Amelia looking on in worry.

4 Hours Later

After countless sutures and prescriptions for antibiotics Adams leans forward against the station on his elbows to close his eyes for a quick moment. He feels like crawling into one of the empty beds in the pit and sleeping for a week but he knows he can’t do that. He was a teenager when his uncle Derek died but the one piece of advice from him he committed to memory was the unspoken rule that surgeons push through. It’s ironic a rule that is supposed to be unspoken has been spoken all over this hospital.

He stands up straight and walks over to his next patient but fumbles on the way causing Link to catch him before he falls to the ground.

“Whoa Adams are you okay?” Link asks as he helps him up, “Did you catch the flu bug too?”

Lucas groans and answers in a nasally voice, “Unfortunately. I’ll be fine though don’t worry you’re not gonna lose another intern.”

“I’m actually more concerned about you dropping dead when you should be resting.” Adams rolls his eyes at Link who chuckles, “Hey I get it man intern year is a beast and with everything that’s going on in your class I get the need to keep going. At least make it until you feel like vomiting because God knows our patients don’t want to be in the crossfire.”

Yasuda walks up to Link wearing a mask, “Dr. Lincoln I already discharged four of the patients with antibiotics and I popped your sprained ankle in bed 7 is there anything else I can do?”

“Just keep doing what your doing Yasuda coordinate with Adams so we can discharge patients faster and leave the pit open for emergencies.” Yasuda rolls her eyes at that command clearly still peeved at Adams for what happened with Bailey’s patient. She turns around scoffing with Link catching whiff and turns to Adams, “What was that about?”

“I kind of snaked a procedure from her after I left her with a patient so I could fill in my hours.” Link raises an eyebrow at that accusingly causing Adams to be defensive, “The patient was coding I was in the room there wasn’t enough time to explain to Dr. Bailey about Yasuda diagnosing the patient I had to act first or the patient would be dead.”

“And after you saved the patient did you explain to Dr. Bailey about how Yasuda did the grunt work while you were off on your procedure hunt?” Adams is silent for a moment confirming his answer, “That’s what I thought. Lucas, I know I’m not technically your uncle since your aunt and I aren’t together anymore but I feel the need to give you tough love like one. If you want to get back in the O.R. then do it the honest way otherwise you’re never gonna be the surgeon you want to be. Besides the way you’re going you really don’t want to piss off your friends right now.”

Lucas sighs, “Do you think this is why Amber DeLuca hates me?”

“She hates anybody she perceives as a spoiled brat who didn’t work as hard as she did. And you screwing up a lot in the beginning doesn’t help your case.”

Lucas shakes head at his misfortune, “So basically I’m screwed.”

“Your only screwed if you let yourself get screwed. And the way to do that is to keep pushing through and doing your job until you feel like passing out.”

“Okay.” Lucas walks a few feet away from Link until he stumbles a little as his stomach takes an even worse turn. He catches himself on the bed that feels so good against his hands. He crawls up to the bed and lies on his side in a fetal position holding his stomach and groaning in agony. He closes his eyes for a minute until the sweet sensation of slumber takes him. While he is sleeping Link watches from a distance in amusement as well as Amber who sighs.

“He lasted longer than I thought he would.”

Link nods, “Yasuda set up a patient room for him with an iv of LR and 4 milligrams of Zofran.”

Mika snaps her gloves off frustrated, “Do you want me to give him the deluxe treatment package as well?”

Amber glares at Yasuda, “Yasuda.” Mika walks away after that stern tone of voice.

ONE HOUR LATER

Lucas slowly opens his eyes that feel like their glued shut. His sight slowly returns to normal making him see that instead of the pit he’s in a patient room but the view tells him he’s in the bed. He sits up groaning at the muscle aches and feels a small hand touch his shoulder.

“Try not to overexert yourself.” He turns his head to find Amelia by his side. He sighs at his continued misfortune but slumps back into bed, “How are you feeling?”

“Like I got run over by an 18-wheeler.”

“Yeah, the flu will do that to you.” He looks to his right and is surprised to see Amber DeLuca here as well checking on his monitor and IV, “You were dehydrated so Link and I had Yasuda set up an IV for you.”

Lucas tries to sit up, “Great I can get back to the pit while carrying this IV around.”

“Stay!” Amelia’s stern voice startles him but he does what she says, “Now Lucas, you toughed it out for four hours but at some point, you reach your limit. I did when I got sick intern year and I’m sure your chief resident has too.”

Lucas scoffs at that thinking she is just trying to soften the blow, “Yeah? Did you crawl into a bed at the pit and get in a fetal position?”

“I threw up on my mentor’s new shoes that he bragged about and spent that night facedown in the toilet in shame and pain.” Lucas looks surprised by his aunt’s story causing her to grin, “It felt like when I was in withdrawal only more humiliating.”

“That is bad.” He turns to Amber, “What about you? Did you get sick intern year?”

“Karev’s don’t get sick.” Amelia chuckles at Amber’s tough attitude, “It’s a prideful trait of ours, what we lack in sunny dispositions we make up for in strong immune systems. But that doesn’t mean you should work today after you passed out, you hung tough Adams take pride in that while you rehydrate and eat awful chicken soup from a can. Yasuda will be back to check on you later.” The mention of Yasuda brings him back to the subject he and Link talked about. Amber is by the door when his conscience catches up to him.

“Dr. DeLuca?” Amber turns back to Lucas who clears his throat before starting, “Last week before me and Dr. Bailey operated on Dorian Cardenas…it was Yasuda who made the abdominal compartment syndrome diagnosis not me.” Amber looks at him in surprise as well as Amelia, “I was busy trying to get more hours for my procedure logs and Yasuda was by his bedside all day. She was getting a cutdown tray while I was in the room when Dr. Bailey came in and told me to assist her in the ex-lap. I didn’t have time to explain while our patient was coding but I have time now to tell you and make sure she gets credit where credit is due. I’m sorry.”

Amber looks disappointed at first but it diminishes a second later, “When your attending gives you an assignment to monitor a patient you monitor him. Your lucky as hell that Yasuda was there or you would have left him alone for a treasure hunt and you’d be under a mountain of litigations. Again.” Lucas nods taking the scorn with Amelia standing by also disappointed in him, “Now if you weren’t sick, I would give you such a painful ass kicking that your grandkids would feel it. What I can do is tell you to do better. Your already at rock bottom Adams you have nowhere to go but up.” He sighs at that, “Now thank you for telling me and I will be sure to tell Bailey about this. As well as taking back the credit you got from that ex lap and giving it to Yasuda instead.” He groans at that step back, “It was your choice to tell me.”

“I didn’t want to rick Yasuda poisoning my IV.” Amber nods at that, “Plus I can’t afford to have all of my peers hate me.”

“They already hate you.” Lucas chuckles lightly at that, “Nowhere to go but up Adams and I respect a guy who admitted his dumbass mistake and ask for forgiveness than a soulless jackass who sharked a friend.”

Lucas raises an eyebrow at that statement and turns to Amelia, “Did she give me a compliment? It’s really hard to tell with her.”

Amelia shrugs, “I honestly can’t tell with her either.”

“I’m not the warm and fuzzy type, blame it on my brothers.” Amber exits the room leaving Adams stumped on his enigmatic chief resident.

“Was your chief resident that…complex?” Amelia chuckles at that question.

“No but then again I didn’t have a hot woman in charge who could rip my head off with her bare hands.” Amelia looks at the clock and realizes she’s off work, “Do you want me to pick you up some soup from that Chinese restaurant you like so much? It’s better than that canned crap.”

Lucas sighs and wants to tell his aunt he’s not a child but his hunger calls to him and the soup is the best in all of Seattle, “Can you add some fried dumplings too?”

“I was gonna get that for myself but I guess I can share. I’ll be right back.” Amelia covers his upper torso with a blanket and squeezes his shoulder in comfort before leaving him to get him that chicken soup he so clearly wants and needs.

[astranite]

Ghosts

Boo!!! Family fluffy fic in time for spooky season!! Set after S2E2 Ghost Ship. A little hurt/comfort in there but not scary, plus lots of siblingly banter, shenanigans and cuddles!!

Authors note: I haven't actually seen more than 5 minutes of any of the redacted for spoilers movies, but I googled it which totally counts.

Oh and you might recognise some of this from wip wednesday but there's alot more now. This was originally supposed to be short, like under 1000 words short but nope!! I had much fun writing!!

@idontknowreallywhy *steals your popcorn*

---------

John really hoped that Scott and Kayo had forgotten about his and Alan’s whole ‘maybe, possibly, just a tiny bit absolutely terrified of ghosts,’ slip up on the comms. 

He really thought they had. Until the next family movie night. 

To set the scene: it was a cool, pleasant evening on Tracy Island. John was down from Five and the fresh breeze was a welcome change from recycled air. All the family was piled onto couches, well except for Grandma and Brains who were in his lab making enthusiastic upgrades to the already far too overpowered oven. 

Gordon and Virgil were squabbling over whether sweet or salty popcorn was the better flavour, while eating from a bowl mixed of both, like they did every time. Gordon preferred salty, likening it to the unfortunate comparison of celery crunch bars despite the two bearing little resemblance. Virgil vehemently argued for sweet ever since he had discovered coffee caramel popcorn.

Scott attempted to mediate without getting kicked by Virgil’s feet on his lap as the family tank lunged to get the fish in a headlock. Alan egged all parties on. Kayo delicately plucked the popcorn bowl from amid the fray and joined John where he watched from the relative safety of the other sofa.

He took a handful of kernels from Kayo, shaking his head at the antics of the others. Every time. The same argument played out, when the two of them actually preferred both flavours mixed in the same bowl. Why, John didn't know. He tolerated it for the free pre-movie entertainment though.

 Finally, everyone got settled. Scott sat between two pouting brothers who before the end of the movie would be snuggled up together, half falling asleep. Alan fetched frozen peas for what John suspected was more likely for Virgil’s bruised pride than injury from Gordon’s lumpy elbows, while Gordon was consoled over the indignity of being sat on at one point by the heavy lifter. Then more popcorn for reparations, when they noticed the missing bowl and Kayo’s smug expression. 

John stretched out on the couch, while the others were crowded on the next one. Kayo was perched above him, in reach of their bowl of popcorn. They all would move about through the movie, because no one round here could sit still for a whole hour-and-a-half minimum, and the hugs had to be shared around.

“So, what are we watching?” John asked, completely in ignorance of the forthcoming answers.

“Nemo! Or Moana! Blue Planet!” Gordon screeched, because he always quick to suggest marine themed ones at every turn in hopes someone would fall for it.

“It’s not even his turn,” Alan grumbled. “What about something with zombies? Not more boring fish.”

Gordon gasped, “An affront upon my friends! The kraken will have you for that!”

John rolled his eyes at the typical tinies dramatics. 

“Alan, you picked last time,” Virgil said, totally reasonably except for his stage whisper to Gordon of, “Get him, Squid!”

Aaand they were back in kahoots. Not even a record for the timing. 

Alan appealed to Scott to protect him with big, blue puppy eyes, and got away with it because he was still the baby of the family. Despite how he complained about ‘smothering older brothers,’ he was very happy to use the privilege when it suited him.

Long suffereringly, Scott said, “Gords, you can’t drag Alan down to the watery depths, you’d be bored without your partner in crime.”

John watched on. Very well behavedly, without starting any fights or causing any trouble, he’d like to add. Because he was the sensible, responsible one of this bunch.

“Eos,” John asked his comm, “Who’s turn is it to choose what we watch?” 

Then he added, “You did say you wanted to watch the next Star Trek, like we talked about.” He didn't quite wink at her, but only because that wouldn't have been very subtle.

“It’s your turn to choose, of course, John,” Eos replied, loud enough everyone would hear, “Star Trek would be, as you put it, awesome.” 

John struggled to keep a straight face. “Then Star Trek it is,” he said with all the authoritative gravitas of Thunderbird Five.

Scott face palmed. 

John shrugged. “Worth a try.” 

Everyone’s voices rose to argue with him. 

“Really, Eos?” Virgil questioned the AI, staring foolishly at the ceiling.

Gordon protested,“We just had Star thingy, the week before Alan’s Zombie Apocalyspe Twenty or whatever.”

“Hey!” Alan came to defend the merits of Zombie Apocalyspe Twenty or whatever.

Scott looked betrayed by his supposedly second eldest brother. “Are you an adult or are you eight?”

John huffed, “I totally could have pulled this off when I was eight.”��

“Awww, clever ickle Johnny,” Gordon heckled. 

“Don’t call me Johnny, plankton.” The fish would soon be fish food if he kept trying it.

“Did I upset itty bitty baby Johnny?” 

“Joooohnyyyy,” Alan joined in, because he wanted to be causing trouble. 

John was one more mangled rendition of his name from tackling them both, gravity be damned.

“How many times do we have to say that using Eos to back up your claims does not make them any more valid when she can’t be objective about it?” Scott interjected, in an attempt from stopped things from getting out of hand.

“Few hundred more at least.” John grinned. He hadn't forgotten certain remarks though. 

General groans followed all round. And another face palm. A few more grey hairs and a red forehead for Scott was in order.

“This time happens to be my choice,” Kayo stated. Out of the blue and right on target.

In the shadow of those innocuous words, John missed the mischievous look his sister and eldest brother shared. How the very atmosphere changed.

In synch, they burst out together, “Ghost Busters!” 

They sung it. Loudly. Complete with catchy jingle.

Alan and John looked at each other in horror.

Ghosts.

“I’m not scared,” Alan burst out. 

John settled back and crossed his arms. They’d have to try harder to get him. 

Harder than the big cartoon ghost logo that had appeared, hovering unnaturally in the middle of the room. Projected from the holo tv, of course. Like you normally watched movies with. Nothing spooky going on there.

Far too often people underestimated Scott’s ability to be a pain in the ass of a brother, and Kayo’s capacity for mischief. 

John was never going to make that mistake.

He made it through the introduction. This was going to be fine. The movie was positively ancient, the first of the franchise coming out way back in the 1900s. He looked it up on his tablet before Scott made him put it away because it was family movie time, and the movie was supposedly far more of the comedy genre than horror. 

John still wrapped himself up in one of the many blankets they kept by the couches, as if crocheted orange stitches could protect him from ghostly chills. Actually, scratch that, it was because he was cold, nothing supernatural about it.

The first ghost came up on screen. John absolutely didn't shrink back from it. He heard Alan’s gasp as he scrabbled for his own blanket.

The special effects were archaic. Definitely not realistic enough to be scary, John told himself. Nope, not scary at all. 

Ghosts weren’t real, after all.

No reason to be scared.

Something went bang and John yelped in alarm. He cast around for threats. Then landed on Virgil, picking up the empty popcorn bowl from the floor. 

He and Gordon had already migrated to sit on the rug together and yet somehow still managed to make a clatter.

Innocent brown eyes met John’s. They widened, like those of some sweet animal that could do no wrong. 

“Whoops,” Virgil said, “Sorry about that.” 

Appearances could be deceiving.

The family peacekeeper was as much a trouble maker as any of them.

John glared at him. 

Virgil raised a brow then cheerfully turned back to the movie.

To the ghosts. The glowing, comedically ridiculous pieces of animated filmic trickery that his brain still insisted were worthy of terror. 

John missed a few vital parts of the sequence of events whilst trying not to look at the projection. Then it exploded. Exploding ghosts. 

Ugh, all that ooze. John shuddered at the phantom sensation of it landing on him as it splattered everywhere.

The movie continued. More ghosts. More exploded ghosts.

Sudden noises from outside, normal noises of their island wildlife, made John jump. What had been a pleasant breeze now raised goosebumps where it trailed its icy fingers across his skin. 

He glanced towards Alan to see how he was handling it. John had looked out for his little brother on the mission with the threats of an actual ghost ship floating in the dead of space, and he’d make sure he was okay in the safety of their loungeroom too.

Alan had his shoulders hunched up to his ears, only his eyes and a few strands of bright blonde hair visible beneath the blanket. 

This situation called for being the bigger brother. John crossed the few steps to the other couch and sat down next to Alan. If he happened to also be closer to Scott, things just turned out like that.

Then the smotherhen paused the movie.

“If you,” Scott glanced at Alan and then him for that, “Really don’t want to watch the movie, I’m sure Kayo would be alright with picking something else.”

Alan shrugged, “I mean it’s not zombies but it is kinda funny. Let’s go for it.” 

Alan did also like watching horror movies, where scaring yourself silly appeared to be the entire point.

 John, not so much. It was the jumpscares. And the high percentage of plot important ghost-infested scenes. Though at least the contents of a book couldn't suddenly pop up and scream in your face. Not unless a bored Gordon got his hands on it, but John was not going to give him any ideas on that front.

John had had enough. So he did what he still always did when the world was too scary, whether or not he admitted to it. Go to Scott.

He threw away his pride and tucked himself into Scott’s side. Not matter how small the fear, big brother hugs made it better. 

He waved his okay for the movie to be unpaused, it wasn't scaring him badly enough he wanted to stop it all together plus he was enjoying family movie night. But that was no reason not to spend the rest of it right here. 

Scott’s arm went around John, pulling up the blanket and cuddling him closer. John curled up small, his legs beneath him, arms under the blanket and hugging Scott, resting his head on Scott’s chest. 

He might’ve hidden his face behind Scott’s shoulder any time anything ghostly came up. So what, everyone was allowed one illogical fear. 

In the middle of the climax of the movie, where either the ghosts would be busted or the ghost busters, Alan leapt up and ran to the other sofa. 

He hugged a very surprised Kayo around the middle and declared, “You’ve got to protect me. You’re my only hope, Kayo!”

John felt the vibrations of laughter as Scott retorted, “What’s that say about me?” 

Alan looked their big brother up and down. “Kayo would be better at kicking ghost ass.”

Which he was probably correct about.

Kayo sported a proud grin, over her surprise and settling into her role of big sister, which she’d learnt from the rest of them as she let them in as her family. “You’re damn right I would be.” 

She pulled Alan into her arms and rested her chin on his head. Alan happily snuggled closer.

“Language, the both of you,” Scott half-heartedly reprimanded, 

Alan’s eyes lit up, “But last week I heard you call that guy who deliberately ignored the safety protocols a ‘fu—”

“Alan!” Scott cut their youngest off sharply.

The cheshire cat smile on Alan’s face only grew. “Bet grandma would have something to say about that, wouldn't she? And the baking dish from yesterday’s lasagne still needs scrubbing, doesn't it?”

Scott glared at him, a hint of a pout at being called out for hypocrisy. 

Alan held out a hand, wriggling his fingers. 

Scott grumbled grumpily and leant across to hand over the last of his own popcorn.

Alan smiled sweetly, employing those not so innocent baby blues. “Thanks Scotty.”

John bit down on his lips to hide his own grin. He’d taught Alan much in negotiations and now he was his own certified menace. John was also close enough to hear the less than Grandma friendly words Scott was muttering under his breath.

What made it all the more funny was grandma’s own potty mouth and creativity with expletitives, where ‘Do as I say but not as I do,’ couldn't even come to her defence. 

Soon enough, or in John’s opinion, couldn't be soon enough, the ghosts were all busted and the end credits rolling. 

John yawned, warm and nearly sleepy by Scott’s side, in spite of featured phantoms, spirits, ghouls and all manner of monsters. He was safe with his brothers.

Everyone began to get up to head off to bed. Scott poked a very settled pile of Virgil and Gordon with his foot when they looked like they weren’t moving. 

Good nights were said with their usual accompanying hugs, then they all went up the stairs to their own of the row of bedrooms.

John snuck in an extra hug with Scott, before he dared enter his own. 

The lights flicked on straight away, courtesy of Eos. 

He checked all the corners and beneath his bed, because he wasn't Thunderbird Five for lack of definitely necessary precautions, and pulled on his pyjamas. Space ones, galaxy purple with shooting stars, of course. 

Maybe he also asked Eos to keep an eye out for anything outside the usual parameters, but that was just between them.

Then he snuggled beneath his blankets, making sure none of his limbs were sticking out in the cold, not at all because of the irrational thoughts about ghosts grabbing him by the ankles and dragging him out. 

John’s eyes slipped closed. He was nearly approaching soft, soothing sleep, when he jolted back awake.

There was a sound. 

Not a loud one, but then ghosts weren’t always loud. Sometimes they snuck up on you. That was the worst.

John pulled the blanket over his head when his bed room door whooshed open. 

A figure crept in. 

John froze, sleep deprived mind not thinking clearly, imagination too full of things that go bump in the night. Maybe if he stayed very, very still it wouldn't see him.

The shadow moved across the room, coming ever closer. 

John held his breath and hid.

Then the figure tripped on a book John had left on the floor and resolved into Alan swearing up a storm. 

He hopped, rubbing at his toes, not at all scary. The furthest from that in fact, his littlest brother who still hadn't had his growth spurt and was just a kid who played too many video games and flew a rocket ship and loved the stars as much as he did.

John exhaled with a heaving swoosh, unburying himself from his blankets. Somewhat. Better safe than sorry, and it was still kinda cold on the island compared to temperature controlled Five. 

“Hey John,” Alan said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, “Can I stay here tonight, there’s weird noises in my room?” 

John nodded hurriedly. “Best get Virgil to check it out in the morning.” 

He pulled the blankets back for just long enough for Alan to hop in, then huddled back beneath them.

“You’re scared too?” Alan was far too astute.

In the dark, hiding from imaginary things, John could admit more than he would in the daytime. 

“Yeah I am. But we’ll be okay because we’re together.”

Alan cuddled up to him, pressed as close as possible against John’s chest. John wrapped his arms around Alan, burying his face in his soft hair. 

He could feel Alan’s voice as quiet vibrations by his shoulder. “Yeah, we will be.”

Somehow, that made the corners far less likely to be containing any sorts of ghosts.

[stepfordgoth]

Ewwwww not to be weird but every once in a while after I've had a Good Drunken Night I do some reflecting about the night, and then I inevitably (for some reason) start to think about when my ex and I were "on the way out" in 2015, and I was starting to move out of his house and I spent the weekend (July 4 weekend) at my friend's house and it was literally THE DAY AFTER I LEFT that that dumbass boy got a major DUI charge and almost died because he apparently drank a WHOLE BOTTLE OF KRAKEN IN A COUPLE OF HOURS (which first of all is INSANE, even if you are "tall with lots of alcoholic genetics" lol) and then decided that he absolutely needed to drive to his buddy's house, presumably to play GTA and smoke weed, and he wrapped his car around a fucking telephone pole in the process. Despite the sternum injury he gave himself (cancerian male!) he survived the event, and when he woke up in the hospital the next morning he told his mom and sisters (who never liked me to begin with) that the whole thing was MY FAULT because I had always been there to hide his keys before then, and I wasn't there that time, so that's why it happened. And they believed him of course because he was the precious baby boy of the family (the only son AND the youngest child!) and proceeded to harass me on Facebook for MONTHS after we broke up. And in January 2016 I found out he had apparently been cheating on me for a few months before we broke up anyway! So it was actually ridiculous.

And anyway my point here is that I always end up coming to the conclusion that even with all of the plentiful drunken experiences I've had in the last 15 years, I have never ever been sooooooo drunk that Ive considered driving somewhere for any reason, and I would literally never. I don't understand how he did it. The thought of driving anywhere other than home after I've had more than 2 cocktails/beers/glasses of wine is actually so scary to me and makes me anxious to even think about tbh!

And how the fuck did I ever put any energy into someone who acts like that in general, you know? I sold myself so short constantly before I met my husband tbh

[ladylooch]

Letters in Your Last Name - Chapter 36

A/N: Ende. Konec. Avsluta. Fin. The End. In all of Kev's languages. My babies! Their whole story here for us to re-read forever 🥰

Word Count: 4.7k

Warnings: absolutely none :)

It’s a hockey filled day in the Fiala household. Luca has his first game of this season and the excitement is palpable in our little boy. The most exciting part is Kevin is in town after a week-long road trip. All of his babies missed him, but knowing Kevin gets to share in Luca’s game, is almost worth the hours of missing him. After, we will head to the Xcel Energy Center to watch Kevin and the Wild battle against the Seattle Kraken

To prepare, Luca insisted the family play some knee hockey. He is trying hard to hone his hand eye coordination. He wants to score flashy goals like his dad and he already knows what needs to be perfected for that. I am playing goalie from my butt while Luca and Kevin duke it out in the middle of the makeshift rink in our living room. The teams were decided on parents versus kids. Needless to say, the confidence in our oldest child is high. He insisted he could carry the team on his shoulders even with his younger sister’s lack of caring. She lazily swings her stick once and a while between twirls all while wearing her Rapunzle dress.

“Interference!!!” I yell as Kevin pins my arms beneath his strong hands.

“Let the kids win, baby.” Kevin laughs while he holds me down.

“No!” I whine at him, trying to wiggle out from my husband’s tight grasp. The kids giggle next to us as Luca shoots the ball into the wide open net. I go limp in defeat and narrow my eyes at my husband. “You’re the worst.” Luca dances around the living room, stick in the air and cheering loudly like his father has been known to do on the ice.

“Champion! Just like daddy!” He yells. Lacey joins him and screams too. It’s not long before the monitor is signaling an awakened baby upstairs.

“You did this. You go get her.” I insist to Kevin. He looks down at me with a wicked smile before inching forward to press our lips together. The kiss is intimate and loving. My stomach flutters in response and when he pulls away, I’m a little dazed. After all this time, he still gets to me.

“You’re right. I did all of this.” He gestures to our three kids and the house we turned into a home. “Made all your dreams come true.”

“Weird, I thought I birthed our children.” I squint at him.

“Yes, but I was there.” I let out a loud, snicker of a laugh, shaking my head at him as I stand.

“Sure. Totally the same thing.”

“We beat you mama!” Lacey sings, jumping up and down while hanging on my leg. Her fierce competitiveness, inherited from her dad, has her proud despite her lack of effort during the game.

“Look at what you’re teaching them.” I wave my arms at Kevin. “That if they cheat, they win in life.”

“Wow. I think you might hate losing more than me.” Kevin chuckles before he disappears upstairs to grab Lena.

Okay, maybe some of their competitiveness comes from me.

I run a hand over Lacey’s brown hair as she nuzzles into my thigh.

“Luca, please pick this stuff up and go get changed for your game.” I encourage him. He yelps excitedly and rushes through clean up before running up the stairs to his room. Kevin comes down a moment later with our sleepy, 9 month old. She’s all red cheeks and warm, soft skin as she clings to her father. Her tiny fist is curled into his shirt as she sucks her nook repetitively.

“Are we sure we are done with adding more of these babies? Look at how cute they turn out!” He proclaims, grabbing a banana from the bowl on the counter.

“I’m done. If you want to birth the next one, you’re more than welcome.” I reach out and rub Lena’s back a few times. She has matching brown eyes like her dad, but more of me comes out in her every day. When she sees me, her plump lips pull apart into a smile that shines beyond her nook. “Ugh, she is so cute tho.”

Thump

Kevin and I both share a concerned glance when we hear the noises that follow from upstairs.

“I better go check on that.” He hands Lena to me and goes to find our oldest.

While Kevin is gone, I set Lena in her high chair with a large bib. I’m cutting the banana into pieces while keeping a watchful eye over Lacey who has moved on to play with her dolls. She’s become so independent since Lena was born. We put her into a small, preschool afterwards as well to help with her socialization. It’s refreshing to see her reach for toys to entertain herself. Gone are the days where she used to cling desperately to Kevin and I.

Kevin and Luca descend into the kitchen a few minutes later. Luca is already dressed in his hockey stuff, which explains the thud we heard. I open my mouth to question the equipment, but Kevin holds his hands up.

“I already tried. He insisted.”

“We are raising Kevin Fiala 2.0.” I joke as Kevin comes around the island, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. “Luca, what do you want for your snack before the game?” I ask our son. Kevin’s hands come to my hips and he rests his chin on my shoulder. He sways us gently. I drop the knife I’m using to cut the bananas up. I sigh and settle back into his chest.

“This is nice.” I murmur, reaching up to hold his head against mine.

“I want applesauce.” Luca says to me from where he has joined his sister in the living room. He’s opted to play with his dump truck rather than join in with the dolls.

“I got it.” Kevin places a kiss against my cheek before heading over to the fridge. He pulls out a few pouches and brings them to both of the kids. While he does that, I gather the banana and give it to our youngest. She wiggles excitedly and immediately mashes a piece between her pudgy fingers. Lena is definitely the pudgy baby her father was at this age. I brush her hair off of her forehead. Lena tilts her head up to me and gives me a grin. Her two front teeth have just popped out and I swoon at the joy glinting in her eyes.

“Just one more.” Kevin quietly begs to me when he returns to the kitchen. His brown eyes are wide and sweet.

“Three is enough.” I insist to him, placing a soft kiss on his lips. It's a moot statement considering Kevin snipped away the possibility of another pregnancy a month after Lena was born. “We did make perfect babies though.” I wrinkle my nose cutely at him.

“I love you.” He whispers against my lips. I gently wrap my arms around him and pull us closer together.

These days, it doesn’t get better than a day filled with happy babies and Kevin being home.

An hour later, we are sitting in our local sports center, clapping enthusiastically at the chaos of youth hockey below. Luca is patrolling around the ice eagerly, hustling towards the puck. I can’t help but picture him as Charlie Brown on skates. If he was a cartoon, the dirt would be kicking up all around his feet.

“Woo!” I cheer with a clap as Luca gets the puck. I cringe slightly when he’s taken down by another kid who lost his footing. They both are going so slow that they just slide around on the ice. Luca gets up and then stops, reaching down for his teammate to help him up. Luca is considerably better than the rest of the kids. We insisted this to the association, but they refused to let him move up without starting here first. Needless to say, next year will be a big jump for our boy.

The coach blows his whistle to signal the end of the period and I glance to the right. Kevin took the girls to get popcorn because Lacey insisted she was dying of hunger and couldn’t wait one more second without food. She just likes the excitement of getting a treat from the concession stand. Kevin opens the door to the arena for Lacey. She comes bouncing in with a pep in her step, pigtails flopping as she goes, pink jacket swaying in the wind around her. Lena is in Kevin’s arms and points excitedly to the ice. Kevin speaks to her and she giggles as his lips smooch her cheek. My heart swoons in my chest. Watching Kevin be a dad to our babies is so sexy.

My gaze bops around in the stands and I notice the other mom’s, even ones with their husbands, looking at mine as he walks back towards me. Kevin doesn’t even notice the stares. I bite my lip against a grin as one of them waves enthusiastically at him. He gives her a polite nod and continues on to me. I’m pretty sure he has no idea who that woman is. My laugh breaks out of my mouth as another one of the mom’s does the same thing.

“Yum.” Lacey grins at me as she hops next to me on the bench.

“You gonna make it?” I ask her. The hoodie of her sweatshirt is stuck in the collar of her jacket, so I pull it out.

“Yeah.” She sighs out happily. This girl is something else; our vivacious child for sure.

“Making friends?” I joke with Kevin as he hands me Lena when they reach me. I set her in my lap and bounce her on my knees as she watches the action below.

“I have no idea who either of those people are.” He shakes his head in confusion.

“The first one was Stacey. Her son is number 8. The second one is Janelle. Her son is number 5.” I point to the two boys out there. Kevin shrugs his shoulders with indifference. “They think you’re hot.” I point out to him with amused, pursed lips.

“Cool. I’m happily married.” He leans forward and puts his elbows on his knees. He folds his hands together and his brown eyes stare intently at our son on the ice. I keep my gaze on him, eyes dancing along his handsome features. I can’t say I blame the hockey moms. He’s the best looking thing around these parts.

“Yes, Sam?” He murmurs without taking his eyes from the ice.

“Give me a kiss.” I pucker my lips at him. He swipes his tongue across his lips and then places them against mine. I sigh into his mouth and bring my hand to rest on the side of his neck. When we separate, his brown eyes look down at my swollen lips. He leans forward again and gives me a quick peck. “Thank you.” I say as he pulls away again. He grabs my hand from his neck and laces our fingers together before resting our hands on my lap next to Lena. She reaches down and pats his with her mittened glove absentmindedly, eyes still laser focused on the players below. Lena may play hockey, but I highly doubt Lacey will. She’s interested in just about everything else except for the game below.

The game continues on into the next period. It’s more of the same- a large cluster of kids fighting for the black disc. No one ever really gets possession of the puck until Luca does. It’s on his stick and he hustles his little feet towards the net. The group is still in a cluster behind him, falling all over each other. Luca is alone and he winds up for a blistering wrister into the lower corner. The tiny goalie lays down in defeat and Luca does his dad’s one knee pump celebration.

“Oh my god.” I laugh and clap my hands together around Lena.

“Oof.” Kevin shakes his head in acknowledgement.

“This is exactly why I told you to stop running your mouth last week. He watches and mimics everything you do on the ice.” Kevin’s mouth dissolves into a cringe and he shakes his head.

“Noted.”

Luca turns to the stands and looks at us. We can see his huge grin from behind his cage and we all wave excitedly at him.

“Dad! Did you see!?” He exclaims over the glass.

“Yep! Good job, bud!” Kevin yells down to him. Luca’s smile brightens even more and then he’s off to the face off with even more determination. I give Kevin's thigh a squeeze and lean forward to press a kiss to his bicep.

The rest of the game goes by quickly and soon we are waiting for Luca outside the locker rooms. Kevin went in to help him take his stuff off, but Luca insisted he could do it all by himself. When our son comes out, he’s struggling under the weight of his hockey bag. Kevin reaches for it, but Luca pulls away defiantly.

“No. Uncle Matty told me hockey players carry their own bags.” His brown eyes set into a determined look.

“It’s a long walk to the car.” Kevin tries to take the bag again but our son is insistent. “Okay. If you need my help let me know.” Luca nods and then walks ahead of us towards the car. The entire walk, he doesn’t notice Kevin’s fingers holding the back half of his bag up.

“Luca, do you think daddy is going to score tonight too?” I ask him once we have all settled in the car and are on our way home. Lena has already fallen asleep; her little head rubs against the side of her carseat with each bump. Lacey stares out the window at the passing city, daydreaming in her own world.

“Yeah!” He shouts.

“No pressure, daddy.” I grin at my husband who’s eyes don’t leave the road. His lips pull into a dazzling grin though.

When the goal horn blasts through the Xcel Energy Center signaling Kevin’s goal against the Seattle Kraken later that night, Luca is beside himself with delight. Its Kevin’s first goal of the season on the same day his son scored his first hockey goal. The story practically writes it’s self.

“He did it!!!!!” Our son screams at me with such force I’m worried he might pop a few blood vessels in his body.

“So exciting!” I run a loving hand over his hair. He turns back to the ice and watches with absolute wonderment as Kevin heads to the bench for his glove taps. When Kevin is done going through the line, he heads to the ref and asks for the puck from the net. The ref smiles at what Kevin is telling him and hands over the puck from his goal. I know exactly what my husband is planning and I fall even more in love with him at the thought.

The clapping dies down and we all return to our seats. As I lean back into mine, I feel the nostalgia brewing within me. Our seasons are starting to become limited. What once was a guarantee has become a question at the end of each season. Does he have one more in him? What about two? His answer last year was one, but not sure about two. Actually, very few people know, but Kevin has been contemplating retirement after this season. We’ve been discussing it in depth since the end of last season and he feels the time is approaching. He’s still producing at a reasonable amount, but his body has taken a beating after almost 15 season in the NHL. He isn’t recovering like he used to. Mostly, he wants to go out on his terms, not because of an expired contract or worse, an injury.

Then there is our family to consider. Our babies are growing fast and he’s missing so much of their lives. He feels an overwhelming need to be home with us. Every goodbye for a road trip is full of tears, heartache and disappointment. Whenever the decision is made, I know our life without hockey will be strange. Maybe empty at first, but having Kevin home with us full time is something I’ll never say no to.

The Wild decisively cut down the Kraken in a 4-1 victory. By the time the game is over, the girls are tired and I have to practically drag Lacey down to the family lounge to wait for Kevin. Luca is wired from the game, but I know after he sees Kevin, he’s going to collapse into utter exhaustion from his exciting day.

“Dad!” Luca shouts when he sees him. Kevin grins and grabs him into a tight hug. The girls lift their heads to see their dad then settle back into their places- Lacey on the couch and Lena on my chest. I brush my fingers lightly over Lena’s head and watch my boys.

“I got you something.” Kevin murmurs to Luca, kneeling down to his level, He pulls the puck from his suit coat and Luca’s eyes beam in excitement. “So we can remember the night both Fialas scored.” I bite my lip as Luca wraps his little hands around the puck. He’s in awe at the special moment. He won’t forget this night. “I love you, Luca. I’m proud of you.” Kevin finishes and gives him a kiss on his head.

“Mama, look what dad got me.” He bounces back over to me, extending the puck so I can see it. Around the rim is a piece of white tape with the date and scratchy writing that spells out “Kevin and Luca Fiala: 1st goals of the season.”

“Oh, that is so sweet, Kev.” I murmur to him as he leans down to give me a smooch. “He literally almost passed out from excitement when you scored.” I whisper so only he can hear. Kevin laughs at the visual.

“Are all my babies ready to go home?” He wonders. Luca leans against Kevin’s leg and lets out a yawn. He nods his head and then looks at his puck again. “I’ll take Lace.” Kevin gather’s our oldest daughter and holds her to his chest.

We head home with our babies to the house in the suburbs that we built to fill with said babies. Bed time is easy and pain free considering all three kids are down for the count after our fun-filled day. Luca puts himself to sleep while Kevin and I tend to the younger kids. When they are settled in their places, we both enter our son’s room to find him still awake with drooping eyes.

“Goodnight, baby. We love you.” I tell him, kissing his puckered lips. “We are so proud of you. Not only did you score, but you were a good teammate today too.” I emphasize to him. We want him to know that there are more important things than goals and points.

“Love you, mama.”

“Wir lieben dich.” Kevin echos our love to our son in German. We leave the room together and keep his door slightly ajar so the light from the hall creeps into his room, just how he likes it.

“Another day of successfully keeping our kids alive.” I joke and softly high-five my husband.

“Mmm, nailed it. We should reward ourselves.” He reaches around me and gropes my boob.

“It seems like the right thing to do.” I confirm as we enter our bedroom. We both ditch our clothes from the game and re-dress ourselves with pajamas. Kevin keeps his chest bare and I appreciate the view as he walks from our closet. In our pre-kid days, we would have slept naked. We know better than to do that now.

“Ugh, I hurt more and more after every game these days. I think I’m officially old.” Kevin mutters, stretching his shoulder and doing a few circles with his left arm. “This year might need to be it.”

“I worry about you with this decision.” I tell Kevin honestly as he climbs into bed next to me. I’ve voiced this concern to him before, but it feels worth repeating again, especially after he had such an electric night on the ice. “Hockey has been your life since you were 3 years old, skating around with your dad.”

“I’m not worried about it.” Kevin shakes his head at me, pulling the comforter up his chest. I furrow my eyebrows at him.

“Seriously?” I ask him.

He pauses, contemplating his words before he opens his arms to me. I wiggle over to him and lay my head on his chest. The steady beating of his heart feels like home to me.

“I love hockey and I’ll miss it, for sure. But I know the time is approaching. I’ve been able to live a good life because of a sport I grew up playing. Competing in the NHL has been a dream come true. Winning a Stanley Cup. Representing my country. That’s all been incredible. But the only thing hockey gave to me that matters is you. The best days of my life have involve you and our babies. You four are my world. Going on the road this year has been really hard on all of us. When Lacey was sobbing on FaceTime last week because she missed me, it just about killed me.”

“I’m not complaining about having you home more. I would love that. I just want you to know without a doubt that you’re doing what’s best for you.”

“When we got married and started having babies, it was no longer about me. Still isn’t. This is what is best for our family.”

“Wow. If 18 year old Kevin could hear you now.” I murmur, dropping a kiss to his chest.

“Even he would have known better than to fuck this up.” He laughs against my hair, his lips pressing into the top of my head. I turn my face up to look into his eyes. When our gazes connect, I immediately get emotional.

“It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to this part of our life.”

“It will be. But we don’t have to yet.” He reminds me, rubbing a strong hand over the top of my back.

Movement at the door draws our eyes away from each other. The door creeks open before Lacey’s face peeks in. Her eyes immediately go to her dad. She visibly relaxes when she sees him.

“Daddy, ich habe Angst.” She’s scared. Her teeth chatter as she runs quickly across the floor and leaps into him.

“What’s wrong, baby?” He asks against her hair, holding her to his bare chest comfortingly.

“I heard a noise in my room.”

“What did it sounds like?” She makes a squeaking and creaking sound with widened green eyes. Kevin’s eyebrows go up in surprise and he gives me a faux concerned look. “I better go check that out. Will you come with me?” He asks her hopefully. Our girl bravely nods her head and they walk out of the room hand in hand.

When Kevin returns to our room ten minutes later, he is alone.

“Did you save the day?” I smile, reaching out for him to hold me again.

“Yeah. This one was easy.” He says after kissing my lips. “It was her bed moving against the wall when she was turning over. I showed her the noise and she’s content again with her stuffies.” There has to be about 20 stuffed animals on Lacey’s bed at all times, otherwise she can’t sleep. The adult in me cringes at the thought of their beady eyes starting at me in the night. But it’s brought comfort to her and I know better than to mess with Lacey’s routine.

“I’m sure something else will come up tomorrow night.” We both share a knowing look. Lacey will look for any excuse to join us in bed just so she can snuggle up tightly to Kevin. She’s a daddy’s girl through and through.

“I’ll save the day then too.” Kevin murmurs to me. His hands move down my side to my back and then grip my ass. When our lips connect, the baby monitor signals Lena is awake. “No.” Kevin whines. “She’s fine.” He insists and keeps his lips on mine. We make out for several more seconds while Lena cries before I pull away. “Babe. Leave her.”

“Kev, she’s just going to get louder. Then our bed will be full of children and not adults having sex.” I mutter, throwing the covers off and padding around the bed to grab our youngest.

When I enter Lena’s room, she’s sitting up with crocodile tears rolling down her face. I pull her up into my arms and walk over to the plush rocking chair in her room. I grab a fresh nook from the basket on her dresser as her other one has seemingly disappeared form her crib. She sucks on it gently and reaches for my necklace that has all three of our children’s birthstones on it. She fingers the jewels as her beautiful, big eyes begin to flutter shut again. I rock her steadily while patting her butt to encourage her back to sleep. In a few more moments, soft puffs come out of her lips. I hold her for another five minutes, eating up every second of her sleepy snuggles. I won’t have this for very much longer.

Then, my mind wanders to my husband in our bed. His warm body, his defined muscles, his skilled fingers. His mouth. I bite my lip and begin to pull my necklace from Lena’s tight grip. When her hand drops to her chest I stand and place her back into her crib. I rub her back through the transition. When her nook falls slightly away from her lips, I slowly tip toe out of the room. I hustle down the hall to our bedroom. My face contorts in a scowl when I see Kevin. His arm is resting on his head, his eyes are closed and his chest is steadily rising and falling. He fell asleep.

I sigh and lean against the doorframe of our room watching him. His face has certainly aged since we were 22, but in all the best ways. I think back on the first day I saw him. His features were so striking and I couldn’t look away. Then, I couldn’t stay away even when Alex asked me to. Thank God I didn’t listen to my brother.

From the very beginning with Kevin, I knew this was different. I’m thankful that I fought for this in those early days. Even when it was new and unsure- through COVID, and contract negotiations. Those days gave us a Swiss wedding, Stanley Cup celebrations, and the births of our three babies. Through it all, we were always meant to be. Always meant for this beautiful life.

“You going to keep standing in the door way or are you going to come back to bed so we can fuck?” His voice, full of desire, pulls me from my thoughts. He speaks to me without opening his eyes. Slowly, I make my way over to the bed, straddling his lap. His erection builds beneath me as my core pulses for him. I trail my fingers along his bare chest and tease him with soft touches until his gorgeous eyes open to look at me. What I see there is the same all consuming look he gave to me the first time he kissed me on Alex’s front porch.

I lean down and place my lips on Kevin’s. His hand comes to my neck and his fingers grip my face zealously to his.

“I’m so glad we fell in love.” I whisper against his lips.

“Me too. I’m going to love you forever, Samantha Fiala.”

It’s almost unbelievable to me now. How everything about our life has changed since we first met and yet, nothing really has.

Because it’s still Kevin and me choosing each other through it all.

And if that’s what we keep doing, forever will be a breeze.

[hook-line-and-sinker]

Why Orcas are gonna take over the Planet

A list:

Number 1: They can and will kill literally everything including but not limited to

Swarms of fish by herding them together and slapping them with their tales

Yeeting dolphins, fish, whale calves into the air (in one case 80 feet)

Washing seals of ice floes with artificial waves

Temporarily beaching themself to snap at bird and other animals in the land

Dragging sea mammals into the deep until they drown

Great white sharks

Fully grown great blue whales

Fukin blue whales i cannot stress this enough like sometimes not even for food they just wanna pick a fight

Number 2: Their family structures are more reliable and stable than ur broken homelife

They stay with their mum for life

The whole family cares for the young males and females

The group lead by the oldest female usually consists of up to 4 generations

Females get up to 80 years old in the wild teaching the younger generation hunting techniques

A family of orcas (a pod) never separates for more than a couple hours

A clan (multiple pods sharing the same ancestor) usually lives seperated but meets occasionally

Pods and clans also have similar calls referred to as dialects

Number 3: They could get a PhD they just choose not to

They have the second heaviest brain of all marine mammals

They have a good memory and pass on knowledge over generations

They learn really fast

There was a case of an orca in captivity throwing bits of fish onto land and eating the birds trying to get to it, it them taught the technique to 3 more orcas

A researcher in the 1910s almost fell of a floe because an orca repeatedly tried to flip it over

They learned to steal fish and bait from longlines belonging to fishing boats

When the fishermen set up decoys they figured it out

When the fisherman tried throwing out their nets far apart and with only small time intervalls inbetween to prevent the orcas to get to them on time they got behind it after like 3 times

Conclusion:

When we inevitably delete our species from the planet these guys are gonna reach world domination in like a week. And if we stick around longer than expected they will challenge us to 1on1 mortal combat.

They can literally kill god.

In fact they did the reason theres no god of the sea is because the orcas fukin ate him. Where are the mermaids? Fukin dinner mate! The kraken? Dessert! They fished god out of the sky and fed him to their babies. And then taught them how to kill Satan in a fun family game night.

Additional:

There's albino orcas and they look like white chocolate. Look.

:DDDDD

Theyre out for blood but °˖✧awww pwetti✧˖°

[sanguinarysanguinity]

"Fic Writer" Meme

(I'm not just a fic writer, and have adjusted the questions accordingly.)

Tagged by @oldshrewsburyian, thank you!

AO3 Name: sanguinity

Fandoms: Currently, the Hornblower novels and The Flight of the Heron. Previously, Strange Empire, Elementary, and a wide array of niche Holmes fandoms. And in the even more distant past, I mostly did lots of rare-fandom exchanges (Yuletide, Festivids, Kaleidoscope -- oh, how I miss Kaleidoscope!), so that between one thing and another, the long tail of my fandoms list is very long. (There was a long time that I wondered how it was even possible that people managed to have enough works in a single fandom to qualify for a remix exchange, since I had almost exclusively one-offs! But that all has changed now…)

Number of Works: 172. Most of those are fic; a couple dozen are vids; a handful are podfic. I need to go through and sort out my video and podfic hosting again; providers have decayed, morphed, and gone offline since I posted these, and I need to find new hosts for some of them.

Work I spent the most time on: Hornblower's Lost Honour, at approximately three years. (That will be GREATLY eclipsed by Langstroth on Bees if I ever finish it! Which I still intend to do someday!) Longest I spent on a vid was a year, for Something Good (Will Come From That), my multi-Holmes magnum opus.

Works I spent the least time on: Oh, good God, there are so many I whipped out in a day. A Peaceful and Beautiful Spot (FotH), Brandy and Soda (The Seven Per-Cent Solution), and Score: Q to 12 (Elementary) were all single-day works that came out very well. The Sherlock 60s, by dint of being 60 word stories, also all took something like an hour apiece. Also, the whole ceci ne pas une vid collection was made at the pace of a vidlet a day, which usually involved downloading and watching the movie, too.

Longest fic: Hornblower's Lost Honour

Shortest fic: the individual entries in Sixty for Sixty, each being a sixty word story based on one of the sixty canon Sherlock Holmes stories.

Most hits: The Sincerity of Dust (BBC Sherlock)

Most kudos: See previous. It's one of my oldest works, written at the height of a mega-fandom, and it's been wildly popular from the beginning.

Total Word Count: 726,055

Favorite Work of my Own: I feel like you're King Solomon asking me to cut my babies in half! Usually my favorite is whichever one I've reread or rewatched recently. They nearly all mean something special to me, or I wouldn't have put in the work to finish them.

Fic You Want To Rewrite/Expand On: Ugh, all the early stuff needs to be rewritten. I use too many italics, the sentence structures are awkward. I've improved SO MUCH as a writer that I almost flinch to look at them now. But I REFUSE to go back and rewrite them, I am NOT going to get entrapped in that time suck of despair and self-reproach.

As for expansion, there are a number of stories I want to write further installments to: Until Death or England Do Us Part, the Kraken series, the Any Service series, the Psychic Wolves series…

Share a Bit of a WIP or story idea you are planning on:

While visiting Ewen Cameron in the dungeons under Fort Augustus, Keith Windham forgots his pen-knife. Ewen's guards discover it the next morning when he is searched before his departure for Fort William, and via its inscription, it is traced back to Keith. Keith is court-martialed for aiding a prisoner, found guilty, and cashiered. His sword is broken, and his spirit with it.

Several years go by before he learns that the court martial had been rigged against him from the start, and that Major Guthrie had been instrumental in arranging that. With a burning desire to recover his honour, Keith boards a ship for the Highlands, the site of Guthrie's current posting, to demand satisfaction. Upon landing in Inverness, however, he makes a near-fatal miscalculation: he is robbed, stabbed, and left for dead.

When he wakes, he is in an unfamiliar room, with a very worried Ewen Cameron of Ardroy sitting vigil at his bedside…

Tagging @gniew777, @cedarboots, @verecunda, @tgarnsl, @chiropteracupola, @sailorpants, and anyone else who wishes to play!

[lusifernocturne]

The Grim Kraken

Located near the dock, it has three stories plus a basement used for storage. The top floor is off limits to guest as the innkeepers and their family live there. The bottom floor has a large tavern, a communal room with 12 beds(renting a bed and chest in the room is 5cp), and 6 small single rooms(8cp). The middle floor has 8 rooms with two single beds(2sp), 5 rooms with a double bed(5sp), and 3 rooms with two double beds(8sp).

Innkeeper: Sirus and Passion(Tiefling couple), with their kids Art(17 year old boy), Wit(14 year old girl), Naza(11 year old girl), Mavzer(5 year old boy), and Dexez(8 year old Leonin who was left on their door step as a baby).

Menu (or average price of a room/meal): Roasted Oxen and Dried Watercress with a tankard of ale (7 cp),  Goat and Quail Egg Omelets, served with lingonberrys(4sp), Roasted hazelnuts and fresh apples with a strip of bear jerky and a wedge of ripe cheese(10sp), Celebratory Goat Stew with assorted fruits, nuts, and cheeses(10cp), Spicy Jambalaya with crispy eel skin strips on top(8sp), Bread pudding with extra sharp dire goat cheese, comes with a side of grilled onions and carrots(10sp), meatloaf with garlic bread and potato edges(9cp), Shrimp Salad(8cp), Salmon Burgers with lettuce/spinach, tomato, and red onion with a side of fries(6sp), Seafood Gumbo, rice, corn bread, and fried okra(9sp), Clam Chowder, bread, and side salad(4sp), Fish and chips(8cp), baked or grilled fish with apple walnut slaw(2sp), pancakes with bacon/sausage, 2 eggs cooked to your taste, and mixed fruit(3sp), Stewed Mutton and grilled cabbage(4cp), Vegetable Stew(3cp), Wheat Porridge(3cp), Stewed Mutton and Soft Cheese(4cp), tankard of Mead(2cp), tankard of Ale(2cp), tankard of Rum(5cp-10sp depending on quality), tankard of local fruit wine(10cp-12sp), tankard of beer(2cp), and the special brew menu made by Passion.

Rumors: Ruins in the woods, imports, items of interest, and local jobs.

Passion's special brew menu:

Tarnation - A strong spiced cider served warm and traditionally drank as quickly as possible after a boisterous cheer or a lewd drinking song. Enchantmented with the effect of the consumer belching a small flame right after ingesting.(20gp)

The Sweet Roll - flavors of cinnamon and sugar blend with the strong scent of rum. The drinker gains an additional 1d4 to any pickpocket attempts for the next hour.(15gp)

The Chromatic - 5 different shots, one for each color of the different dragons. One is black and syrupy, one blue and gives a tingly feeling, one is on fire, one is green and tastes a bit minty, the last is white and frosts the closest things. They are mixed together and separate in the cup making a very nice presentation.(30gp)

Ginger Ale - Wait, this doesn’t taste like ginger at all... An ale that turns your hair ginger, effect lasts for 1d6 days.(10gp)

For Phoenix’s Sake - a local sake or rice wine, popular with priests.(20sp)

[haddonfieldwhore]

mine - tye kartye

tye kartye x reader

summary: just cuddles with your boyfriend while he’s home from a road trip <3

warnings: just fluff 🧸

word count: 0.7k

you hummed slightly as tye shifted his body beneath you, but stilled, exhaling deeply as you got comfortable once again. your fingers gripped the soft material of his hoodie tightly, holding onto him as he adjusted his position as if you were afraid he was going to get up; but he didn’t. the two of you had spent the last two hours just laying on the couch together, and neither of you had any interest in going anywhere anytime soon. your boyfriend had gotten home from a four day road trip that afternoon, and while the rest of the team was going out for lunch, the jet lag had gotten to the kraken rookie, and he decided he wanted nothing more than to go home and fall asleep next to you.

so you found yourself with your face buried in the crook of his neck, his long arms encircling your waist as your legs tangled together beneath a worn blanket.

“tye?” you mumbled softly, only earning a soft grumble in response. “baby?”

“hmm?” he acknowledged you, and you peppered soft kisses along his jaw, and he stirred awake, his hazel eyes opening slowly to look down at you where you laid on his chest.

“nothing, i just i missed you.” a grin spread across his face as he laughed softly, kissing your forehead, down the bridge of your nose, and finally his lips pressed against yours in a tender kiss.

“i missed you too,” he smiled, sitting up against the arm of the couch and pulling you into his lap. you wrapped your legs around his waist, your arms around his neck as your fingers laced through his fluffy brown hair. your hands held either side of his jaw as you studied every little detail of his face.

“i love you,” you said, kissing him softly. you pulled the hood of his sweater over his head, his sleepy eyes watching your face in admiration, a light flush across his cheeks from the warmth of your bodies so close together.

“i love you more,” he challenged, his voice deeper than usual from sleep, and you tilted your head sideways with a raised eyebrow.

“don’t start a battle you know you can’t win,” you threatened. “and i love you most, by the way.”

“you think so?”

“mhmm. now come here,” you leaned back, holding your arms open for him to crawl into this time. he tackled you softly against the couch cushion, and you giggled as his hands snaked under your hoodie and around your waist, his head resting on your chest. his brown hair peeked out slightly from beneath his hood, and you ran your fingers through it, brushing it off his forehead as his eyes closed again.

“you’re really warm,” he sighed contently.

“thanks,” you laughed. “i don’t remember saying you could put your hands in my shirt,” you teased, although you were not at all mad about the gesture, which he already knew.

“technically, it’s my shirt anyway,” he argued, and you rolled your eyes; looking down at the faded kraken logo on the front of what was in fact his hoodie covering your torso.

“okay, you win.”

“that’s what i thought,” he lifted his head with a goofy grin, and pressed another kiss to your lips before laying back down on you.

“how long until you have to leave again?” you asked hesitantly; while it was never for that long, you hated everytime the two of you had to say goodbye.

“we’re home for a week and a half,” he replied, his voice sleepy again as he began to drift off.

“okay,” you sighed. “can we stay like this the whole time?” you joked, although you wished you could.

“sure, sweetheart. anything you want,” he smiled, his eyes closed as his arms tightened around you.

“don’t you have a game tomorrow?” you laughed, yawning slightly as the warmth and weight of his body on top of you began to make you tired again.

“i’m sure they’ll be fine without me, don’t you?”

“i don’t know, maybe i can let them have you for a few hours. but right now you’re mine”

“i am,” he agreed. you kissed the top of his head, and you could tell he was almost asleep again.

“goodnight, teddy bear.”

“goodnight baby.”

disclaimer: all screenshots, events, and/or interactions depicted in this are a work of fiction. i have no association with any parties mentioned