#because he'll use the espresso machine every day

[todaysromano]

08.21.2024

Today, Romano watched a beautiful sunset.

Arab.com link

[hopetorun]

"nights like these" for the meme!

before i dive into this, some notes: (1) this actually isn't something i would write because i do not feel like i have a read on one of the main characters or the vibes of the 2013-2022 florida panthers. (2) i'm so sorry if you personally aren't into this. (3) it got away from me so much of it is under a cut

anyway here is the story: it's september of 2022 in fort lauderdale, florida. florida panthers summer blockbuster acquisition matthew tkachuk is happy, and thriving, and ready to succeed in his new home, where he'll wear shorts and loafer mules 365 days a year. he has a great house that cost him basically his whole signing bonus and enough loved ones eager to visit that he'll never have to be banging around the giant house alone. he already has a sunburn.

there's only one small, small issue: he's 100% heartbroken.

(now for our purposes i don't think leon is the one who broke his heart. i think either johnny -- tragic unrequited love that johnny finally shut down? complicated relationship johnny broke off to flee to ohio? -- or just some guy he was dating who dumps him for some devastating reason that matthew handles with no grace at all internally and with perfect poise externally)

anyway, he's here now. new team. fresh start. he's going to make new friends and fill his life with rich new relationships and not miss what he used to have at all. one of those rich new relationships is going to be with his teammate and captain and definitely soon to be friend sasha barkov. he always wants to make friends but he's especially determined about this one.

what he doesn't know is that sasha is also heartbroken. his boyfriend? fwb? undefined something? jonny huby was up and traded with no warning and also dumped him. (see this is where i don't know enough about the vibes of the 2013-2022 florida panthers)

but sasha is friendly, and he clearly likes matthew, even if he's quiet and, matthew thinks, careful with his heart. but matthew's easy to like, you know? he's upbeat and thoughtful and generous and wants the people he's with to know he cares about them.

they get to know each other slowly, carefully, but still ... with maybe too much intensity. they do both have these major holes in their lives that they're looking for something to fill. late nights sharing a drink or a meal after the game that turn into really late nights, that sometimes turn into very early mornings. the season isn't going great, and they talk about that, but they also talk about their lives and their families and matthew's old team and what they think their current team could be, if they could get everyone healthy at the same time.

slowly, they start to spill about their past relationships, too. the nights don't get shorter. sometimes they crash at each other's places, just because it's easier. matthew likes not clattering around a big house by himself in the morning, likes the noise of sasha cursing under his breath at the fancy espresso machine taryn basically ordered him to buy and the soft murmur of the tv from the other room. it's what he wanted when he bought this big stupid house, to have someone (or many someones, a whole family) to fill it up with.

matthew is the main character of all star weekend, and he feels sasha watching him, and it feels like that has its own weight. every time he makes sasha laugh it feels heavier and more important and harder to think about too much. wanting things is how he got his heart broken in the first place. it's easier if he doesn't.

and then, of course, things start to go well and that makes it even more impossible to look directly at. he can't fuck this up now. can't rock the boat. but the thing between them, big and scary and intense and yet still easy, it's always easy, it felt like slotting into a place he was always meant to be from the beginning -- that thing, that doesn't go away.

matthew doesn't breathe a word of it until they finally lose. (conference final? cup final? is this concept i'm spinning on tumblr gonna get jossed in a month?) sasha comes over, maybe a day or two later, and they drink beers outside and nearly get caught by a thunderstorm and matthew kisses him while the rain beats against the windows and sasha doesn't sleep in the guest room that night