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butterflyintochains · 5 months ago

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Le Nouveau Regime

A kind of successor to 'Of All They Survey'. Basically, Sid and Geno retire together after their 2025 Cup run. Leaving Pittsburgh down a captain and their longest serving Alternate. Of course, they stay in the city for their first season as retired players, their family still needs them, right? But, little does the team and city itself know, Sid has chosen his successor, and the organisation could not agree more. There is still a member of their trio active on the team. His husband is also right there. As is the outgoing captain's eldest son.

Welcome, to Le Nouveau Regime, Pittsburgh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two AM, and he still can't fucking sleep. He really envies his husband right now, fast asleep with nothing on his mind. For Kris Letang, everything changes tomorrow evening. He knew about Sid and Geno retiring together, that was a long discussion they had over summer, he'll miss them more than he can say. But, they're still going to be in the building everyday, working with Kyle to guide the team into a better future after their sixth cup run. It's not that, it's the decision Sid made last week. Kris is deeply honoured to be doing this, and he wants to do as well as he can for as long as he has left. But, he'll be damned if it doesn't terrify him on a cosmic level. He turns over in bed again, rousing Erik from his sleep. ''Kris...'' Erik asks, blinking a few times.

Kris leans over to kiss his husband's forehead. ''Sorry, Erik, can't sleep, that's all. Go back to sleep, I'm okay.'' Erik raises an eyebrow, and flicks his lamp on. ''Well, what kind of husband would I be if I left you in your head like this? Talk to me, hjartat, what's going on in that beautiful head?''

Kris says, taking a deep breath as Erik clasps their hands together. ''The handover, amour, the captaincy. I've not been a captain since Val D'Or, and I'm just... worried that I'm not worthy of it.'' Kris confesses to his other half in the safety of their bedroom, he'd not dare voice this in front of the boys tomorrow. ''It's just... I'm not Sid, I'm not Mario. I'm all fire, and passion, and different.''

Erik tears up, he hates hearing his husband be all insecure like this, he knows the wonderful man he married. ''Someday, I hope you can see the you I see, you know? No, you're not Sid or Mario. You're you. Passionate, strong, determined, the conscience of this city.'' Erik says, reminding his beloved of 2015. ''Remember when I was made captain in Ottawa? After Jason left it to me? I called you up before that game, remember how scared I was? Scared of not being good enough because I'm not Canadian?''

Kris nods, massaging Erik's hand with his thumb. ''Yeah, I do.'' Erik asks him. ''Who do you think got me on that rink?'' Kris shrugs, Erik kisses his nose. ''You did, sweetheart.'' Erik continues. ''You will be our captain, Sid trusts you, Geno trusts you, so does Mario. You, Kris Letang, are my best friend, my husband, my soulmate... and my captain. I am so proud to be your Alternate tomorrow. Rusty and I will be with you every step of the way.'' Kris sniffles, what stars aligned to give him this man? ''I love you, Erik Karlsson.''

Erik kisses him. ''I love you too. Sleep now?'' Kris nods, Erik turns his light off, and they finally get some sleep together. Kris wrapped in the safe arms of his husband.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day of their first home game against the Sabres, Kris and Erik dress into their gameday suits after their pre-game nap. Erik laces up his shoes, and grabs his keys. Kris gives one last glance up to his four cup rings, and joins him at the front door. They jump in the car together, and get going to PPG Paints. They drive in silence, a comfortable quiet in the car as they drive down to the arena, they've never needed to talk much. Erik drives, and Kris tries not to have another anxiety attack about what he's taking on. He contents himself with the knowledge that he's got his husband and nephew with him. Sid and Geno will be with Kyle for the game after the ceremony. Flower has even moved back to town for Kris' first season as captain. He's not doing this alone, thank God. Finally, they arrive at the arena. Erik looks to Kris, and asks him. ''Ready, sweetheart?''

Kris nods, and says. ''Come what may, darling.'' They get out of the car, and head inside hand in hand. Meeting up with Lars and Marcus as they head to get out of their suits. They grab something to eat, somehow Kris convinced Erik to drop the raw onions from his pre-game meal. ''Excited for tonight, captain?'' Drew innocently asks. Erik rolls his eyes, and says. ''Drew, maybe don't say that? He's been anxious for a week about this.''

Kris finishes eating, and says. ''I'm just treating this as any other game, Drew.''

Jack asks his surrogate dad, Kris has parented all of the young defencemen on the team for years, and done an amazing job at it too. ''How? You're gonna be the captain soon!'' Kris clears his dishes away, and says. ''I've been in this league for my whole adult life, Ivy, this is just another night.'' He kisses Erik's cheek, and goes for some quiet time in an empty media room, trying desperately to keep himself calm. Then, the call to get suited up for the ceremony comes. Kris holds his jersey in his hands, the A will be going on for the last time, he's grown so attached to it. He pulls the jersey over his head, and waits for the team's signal to get out onto the ice. Geno will be giving the Alternate jerseys out, Sid will be giving the Captain's jersey. The team gather at the bench, the incoming core ready to receive their new letters. After a presentation of the past captains, Sid and Geno come out onto the rink to a roar of applause, the new jerseys in their hands. ''With three cups as a Penguin, and a King Clancy nomination, we present to you, Alternate Captain - Bryan Rust!'' The announcer says. Rusty skates up to receive his new jersey from Geno. Both Sid and Geno embrace their surrogate son. ''The winner of three Norris Trophies and a long-awaited Stanley Cup, Alternate Captain - Erik Karlsson!'' Erik squeezes Kris' hand, and skates up to exchange his plain jersey for his new one. ''Finally, our longest tenured player. Four time Stanley Cup winner and 2023 Masterton Trophy winner. Your new Captain - Kris Letang!'' Kris skates up to Sid to receive his new jersey, the name an number the same, just a C where the A once was. ''I'll not let you both down, I promise.'' He says.

Geno hugs him. ''We know you won't, Legend.'' Sid places his hands on Kris' shoulders, and says to him. ''That's why I chose you for this, Tanger.''

Kris looks to his team, who are all applauding him, He takes a breath, and faces the fans with his new letter. He's pleasantly surprised at the wave of cheers he gets, maybe Erik was right last night? Maybe this won't be so bad?

After warmups, Kris is taken for a ceremonial faceoff against Sabres Captain, Alex Tuch. Then, they get on with the game. Which they win 3-1 to get their season started. Kris, Erik, and Rusty are the last off the ice. Back in the dressing room, Sully says. ''Very pleased with tonight, boys, to our new leadership - amazing job tonight. Johnny, Zuck - welcome home.'' He picks up the new helmet, and says. ''I think this has to go to our new captain.'' He hands it to Kris. Kris stands, and says. ''Good to be back, proud to be the captain, let's keep this up. Bunts, Glasser, Drew - good job on the goals. I'll not let you guys down, I promise.''

After media, Kris and Erik get home, and collapse on the couch together with something to eat. Then, it's time for bed, they're both thankful they're beginning this new era of the team with a five game homestay. For a change, Kris is out like a light, the rush of today catching up to him. Erik rests his head on Kris' chest, and joins him in sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few slower days pass, the team are hard at work in training for their game against Calgary. The third game of their homestay, they won in a shootout against Columbus in the second game. After this comes a four game roadtrip to Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and Winnipeg before coming home for two. Kris finds that the anxiety of being captain is lessening over time, the fans seem to be taking to it at any rate. Having one of his boys back does kind of help, he's missed Olli, Johnny, and PO more than he thought he would. Having Johnny back helps ease that worry. Rusty is every bit the leader for the forwards he's been raised to be. And, having Erik with him is all he's ever dreamed of. Sully and Quinn gather the troops around for a discussion about the powerplay and penalty kill units for the season. ''Alright, for the powerplay unit we're running with: Rust, Eller, O'Connor, Karlsson, and Letang.'' Sully says. Three fifths of the veterans unit from last season's cup run, the unit worked like clockwork. ''For the PK, we're going: Acciari, Hayes, Pettersson, and Zucker.'' Quinn says.

The top powerplay unit gets to work refining some drills and formations. Already, Kris and Erik are being given a nickname together by the rest of the team. Sid and Geno are and were the Two Headed Monster that will never change. But, the team took to calling Kris and Erik the Twin Terrors during last season's playoffs, and the name has stuck into Kris' captaincy. Drew wires a shot to Rusty, who sends it past Tristan's ear. ''Good work, boys, PK up next!'' Quinn says.

The powerplay unit take a sit down, and the penalty kill unit go over some drills together. ''How have you been lately, Kris?'' Sully asks after training.

Kris towels his hair dry. ''Good, actually, feels weird being the captain and on the PA, but I wear both with pride.''

Kyle asks him about his work with the PA. ''Do you want us to give that job to someone else, Kris?''

Kris shakes his head, he's been the team's representative for almost a decade now, and he'd love to keep that up. ''No, I'm happy to keep on with both positions. Erik thinks I take on too much, but I'm fine. I would love a backup rep, though.''

Kyle nods, noting that down onto his phone. ''I'll bring that up at the next team meeting.'' Kris goes for lunch with the rest of the team, glad nobody has been treating him differently with this whole captaincy thing. In any other world, he'd have never wanted that C on his jersey, and part of him still finds it weird, but Sid wanted him to have this, so he wears it with pride.

The team gets in for the game against Calgary, they suit up together in their stalls. The ballot for Kris' backup PA representative is narrowed down to: Bunting, Beauvillier, Pettersson, or Jarry. The team are talking about their plans for the roadtrip across Eastern Canada when Sully comes in for the read. He addresses the troops, the slip of paper in his hand. ''Here we go for tonight, let's make this count, boys. Up front, we've got: O'Connor, Glass, and Rusty.'' The room cheers. ''Up back, we've got: Letang and Marino.'' Johnny looks to Kris, his middle boy come home at last. ''In net, Ned! Let's get going!''

The game starts strong, Beauvillier netting an early goal on his first shot of his first shift of the game for 1-0. Acciari stealing the puck from a corner scrum and making off with it puts them up 2-0 going into first intermission. ''We're doing good, mes amis, let's keep this up. We stay together, and stay calm. The Flames are an annoying team, they will try and get on our nerves, we don't let them.'' Kris addresses the room, taking a leaf from Sid's book of a captain's address between periods. ''Owen, how are you doing these past couple of games?'' Kris asks the rookie, Owen Pickering, who he personally drafted. ''Good, thank you for drafting me, captain.'' Kris says, a big smile on his face. ''You're very welcome, kid.''

The second is scoreless, Kris directing the team whenever he's on the ice. But, to their credit, Calgary are holding onto their line. Midway through the third period, Kris gets the puck on his stick during a powerplay for the team, he passes to Erik, who dekes out Kadri, passing to Drew. Drew fires the puck past Vladar's elbow. The first goal in almost forty minutes puts them up 3-0. That ends up being the last goal of the game, their third win in a row to open the new season. Kris is among those taken for media after the game. ''Three games, six points picked up, how pleased are you with this, as the new captain?''

Kris says, sliding his wedding ring back onto his finger with a smile. ''I'm very happy with the results so far, still early days yet, I'm glad we're picking up these early wins, gives us some breathing room for the opening stretch.''

Another journalist asks him. ''How are you feeling having Marino back this season?''

Kris says, sifting in his stall. ''Great, good to have one of my boys back. I always thought Olli, Johnny, and PO fled the nest too early. It's good having him and Ivy.''

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They beat the Hurricanes 2-1 in overtime to finish their homestay, with Owen getting his first goal of his career. Then, comes the roadtrip across eastern Canada. Kris was more than a little bit terrified of the game in Montreal, coming home as captain for the first time. But, he got to sleep in his own bed with his husband, so it balanced out. They even won that game! 5-4 in a shootout with Kris netting two goals, his first goals as captain. They've got three free days between the Montreal and Ottawa games when they land in Ottawa. The first real stretch of days off of the season so far, and Sully has them on rest orders for the first day off. This is going to be a long season, they're defending Stanley Cup winners, so they need their rest as much as they need to play well. Erik gets his husband up early for a walk along the Rideau Canal after breakfast. They so rarely get true alone time during the season, even now as teammates, there's always someone poking around, especially with their two surrogate sons around. Johnny and Jack are wonderful, but they need some alone time. They set off into the chilly morning, arm in arm. For today, they're not the Captain and his top Alternate, or Letang and Karlsson, they are Kris and Erik, and that's okay with them. ''Never realised how beautiful Ottawa was until we got in yesterday evening.'' Kris says. He's only ever come here for work, and to spend time with Erik. ''Sweetheart, I played here for a long time, most of it you were with me.''

Kris says, gently nudging his shoulder. ''Back then, the attraction of this place was you, not the city, darling.'' Kris adds. ''Same goes for San Jose, actually.''

Erik laughs, some things never change. ''I guess I felt the same for Pittsburgh. Back then, the city was fine, I guess? But, you were there, so it became the best city on earth. Now, it's home.'' They keep on walking in silence, listening to the city around them, they've never needed to be constantly talking to each other, even back when they first got together. This comfortable quiet is something they've found in each other. In the loudest sport in the world, two franchise defencemen have found calm in each other somehow. ''Sid told me he's planning a trip to Russia with Geno for the summer. Says it's a surprise.'' Kris says.

Erik chuckles, and asks. ''Has his Russian improved any?'' He can't imagine Sid won't have done his homework ahead of time, but it always pays to speak the local language. ''Yeah, he's at sentences unaided, or rather back at sentences unaided.'' Kris says.

Erik asks, furrowing his brows at that, there's still so much he doesn't know. ''Back at that? What d'you mean?'' Kris laughs, it's funny how these events coincide really. ''It's funny, actually. The same time I was learning Swedish for you, and you were studying French for me. Sid was learning Russian for Geno.'' He smiles fondly at the memory of the books spread out on dining tables, and Geno drilling Sid on Cyrillic. ''Yeah? Tell me more.'' Erik says, intrigued.

Kris says, dusting off his coat. ''He was studying Russian, doing a pretty good job at it too. Kinda tripped himself up by trying to read Dostoevsky right away, but he was getting really good. Then, he just... stopped, for some reason.'' Kris has never known why, perhaps the duties he was tasked with got in the way? Geno's English got too good? The kids came along and took up time? Either way, Kris is proud of himself for keeping up on his Swedish, even with the leadership stuff, hockey, PA, and his own boys coming along.

Erik asks, sitting down on a bench next to the canal. ''Is that why he got all weird at us speaking each other's languages?'' Kris nods, and sits down next to his husband. ''Yeah, I guess he just wasn't ready for us being trilingual.'' Kris remarks, linking their arms again. ''That said, you're sexy when you speak French.''

Erik leans over to kiss Kris on the cheek. ''Likewise for you in Swedish.''

There's a comfortable lull in conversation again, Erik can feel that Kris wants to ask him something, but he leaves it be, Kris never responds well to being cornered. Neither does Erik himself for that matter. ''Erik, can I ask you something, captain to captain?'' Kris asks. Erik says, meeting his gaze. ''Yeah, always, Kris.''

Kris clears his throat. ''How am I doing? Am I doing a good job so far?''

Erik smiles softly, and nods. ''Yeah, you're doing so well. We're doing well as a team, you've got the room, the city, and the media. The kids are in the palm of your hand.'' Erik adds, he's biased, this is his husband after all. ''I'm a very proud Alternate, and husband right now.''

Kris nods, pressing a kiss to Erik's lips, if Erik is happy with him, that's worth a thousand Stanley Cups. ''Good, I'm glad.''

They come out of the Ottawa game with only their second loss of the season, a close run 4-3 shootout loss. Then, they get on the road to Toronto. Their first game back against the Leafs since game six of the eastern Conference Final. Kris has had an idea, he thinks Rusty could do with some help on the front end, so he calls a leadership meeting before they play the Leafs. ''What's going on, Kris?'' Rusty asks.

Kris says, pulling up a chair at the table they're using. ''I'm going to ask Kyle to give Lars an A, you need some help up front, I just want to know how you feel about that.''

Rusty looks delighted, he has been kinda lonely up front, especially with how Kris has Erik up back. ''I'd love that, Kris. Karl, how d'you feel about that?''

Erik nods, taking his hair down from its ponytail for the game. ''I'm good to add to the core. Anything you feel is best for us, Kris, do it.'' Kris nods, and says. ''Thank you so much, both of you. I'll talk to him after the game with Lars.''

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the third period, they're tied 5-5 with a hattrick duel from Marner and Rusty in the second. Reminding Kris of the hattrick duel between Sid and Ovi back in the day. Sully deploys the Veterans Trio for overtime, the trio share a look and a nod. Wes drops the puck, Lars wins the faceoff, passes back to Kris. ''Darling!'' Kris passes to Erik, who fires the puck past Woll's ear to end the game. ''That's how we do it, darling!'' Kris says, wrapping his arms around Erik. Erik kisses Kris, and hugs Lars. ''Thank you both for the assists.''

After media, Kris goes to Kyle and Lars with his idea, explaining. ''Rusty is kind of by himself for leading the forwards, I think having Lars promoted would help him. Rusty and Erik approve of this, by the way.''

Kyle nods, and fires a text off to Tags. ''I like how you three think, consider it done. Lars, are you good with this?''

Lars nods, he helped Ovi in Washington, so he's used to leading teams. ''I'm honoured, can't wait to get started.''

The A goes on his away jersey for their final roadtrip game against Winnipeg. Which is a dominant win, 5-0 with a shutout for Ned. Then, they fly home to Pittsburgh for their four days off before a shorter homestay. On the plane, during a card game with Erik, Lars, and Marcus, Kris gets a call from Sid. ''Salut, mon frere, what's up?'' He asks.

Sid says. ''Not much, Geno and I are just out of the office, and heading home. Friedman wants to interview you and Erik.'' Oh, does he now? Kris puts the call to speaker, this concerns them both now. ''What's the interview about?''

Sid sighs, and explains. ''The same shit Geno and I used to get interviewed about, being a married couple leading an NHL team.'' Both of them roll their eyes, this was why they didn't wanna tell anyone about them until 2023, they wanted to escape the media frenzy. ''Can we turn the interview down?'' Erik asks.

Sid says. ''Yes, you can, or I can on your behalf as Advisor to The GM.'' Erik looks to Kris, gets the nod, and says. ''Can you tell him no interview, please, Sid?''

Sid hums, and says. ''Thought you'd say that. Will do. See you at Cranberry.''

Kris says. ''See you soon, Sid.'' He hangs up, and puts his phone away, Kris rolls his eyes, the last thing he needs right now is more dumb media. The team's press pack is more than enough. He also refuses to subject Erik to it, they've come this far without the media, and they'll be just fine keeping their home life private. Erik deserves better than that. ''You good, Kris?'' Jack asks him from the table across the aisle. Kris sighs, and says. ''Erik and I have been together for almost fifteen years, now all of a sudden the media gives a shit?'' Erik says, shuffling the deck again. ''They don't, sweetheart, they just want a story, and we're not giving it to them.''

Bunting says. ''God, fifteen years? Most of us haven't even been in the league for that long!''

Drew asks them. ''How the hell have you two kept this up? Like, Sid and Geno we get, same team and stuff. But, the long distance stuff?'' Kris says, turning his wedding ring on his finger. ''When you love someone that much, OC, you make it work, even if it gets difficult, because it's worth it.''

Erik nods, and adds. ''For us, we were born for each other, we are each other's first real everything. First love, first kisses, all of it.'' Raks seems curious at Erik's use of kisses in the plural form. ''First kisses? Plural, Karl?''

Erik counts on his fingers. ''Our proper first kiss was when we got together in 2011, our second first kiss was when we got back together in 2019, and our third first kiss was at our wedding in 2021.'' Kris nods, smiling with nostalgia, the plane falls back into that comfortable quiet. They're almost home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The early stretch moves along well for the team, they're second in the Metro division by late November. Just three points off the Rangers, same teams topping the division, just a different season. They've got their first stage of the infamous Battle of Pennsylvania in a couple of days. For Kris, this is the biggest moment of his captaincy so far. He's mostly taken everything in stride, but games against the Flyers are always more important than any other game he plays. But, for right now, it's a rest day, and Kris and Erik have Johnny and Jack over watching some Premier League highlights. Rusty and Drew are spending the day with Sid and Geno. The team elected Marcus to be Kris' backup for the PA, and Kris is currently going over some stuff discussed in their last meeting. ''Erik, are you going to Italy for the Olympics?'' Kris asks.

Erik shrugs. ''No idea, that'll be our anniversary fortnight.'' Johnny says to his surrogate step-dad. ''If Team Sweden don't pick you, they're idiots.''

Erik laughs, he's not known Marino long, but he already likes the kid. ''Glad you think so, Johnny.''

Jack adds, looking to Kris. ''If Team Canada don't pick you, they're crazy.''

Kris gives his younger boy a small smile. ''Thank you for saying so, Ivy.''

The Battle of Pennsylvania game comes all too quickly for Kris' liking. He's oddly nervous for tonight, they're hosting, six points up on the Flyers, and Rusty is lighting up the score sheets lately. But, these games always mean more to him than any other. With both Sid and Claude gone from the rivalry, it's not going to be what it once was, but, that hatred between the two teams will probably never die. He and Erik turn up to the arena in their Pittsburgh suits, the same ones they wore to game seven against the Avalanche this past spring. Sid comes in to do the read after the team suit up. ''Okay, gents, up front: OC, Eller, and Rusty.'' Lars has been bumped up for what they're expecting to be a physical battle. ''On the blueline: The Twin Terrors.'' Erik and Kris share an excited look, they don't get to share the ice often, so this is going to be fun. ''In net: Jarry!''

The Penguins take to the ice, and get off to an amazing start, scoring four goals in the first period alone. Lars, Drew, Tito, and Ivy all getting them 4-0 up, and Jarry performing daylight robbery on Konecny and Hathaway more than once. ''Okay, boys, we're doing really well so far, but we've got 40 minutes of hockey left, so we stay alert.'' Kris addresses the room. Geno and Sid share an aside glance, they definitely made the right choice.

Philadelphia take over in the second period, Couturier netting a lucky goal early on for 4-1. Hathaway gets two a minute apart, seriously annoying the shit out of the very partisan Pittsburgh crowd. Late on in the period, Konecny gets a lucky breakaway for 4-4. There's a brief scrum when the third pair and fourth line are up for the final shift. ''Hey! Ivy! Seb! Fall back! Now!'' Kris orders the two younger defencemen. They both retreat, Kris and Erik go to calm things down. Strangely, Kris hasn't been in the box all that much this season. ''Kev, Blake, Cookie - enough.'' Erik says.

The third is even more of a battle of attrition. No goals until very late. Kris gets a goal to put the team up 5-4. Not to be outdone, Couturier nets his second of the game to tie it up again 5-5. On a rush in the dying minute of the game, Marino dekes out three Flyers, and scores the winner, ending the game at 7-5. ''Amazing effort tonight, boys, depth game, love to see it.'' Rusty says, and passes the helmet to Jarry. ''Let's not do that again, hard-earned two points, but let's not earn them like that again, please.'' This gets a big laugh from the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The midpoint of the season arrives in no time, Erik learns that he won't be going to Italy for the Olympics in February. Neither will Kris. If Erik's honest with himself, he's more disappointed that Kris isn't going to the games than anything. Sid will be going for one last shot at gold, but he'll be the only one of the quartet going to Italy for hockey purposes. Geno will be going with him for support. However, it does give him and Kris their anniversary without work getting in the way, the only real annoying thing about having a January anniversary. Sully and Quinn hold an optional skate ahead of the last couple of weeks before Christmas. They've got a Central division roadtrip to St Louis, Minnesota, and Chicago to prepare for. They're still second in the division, and third in the conference, on top of being fifth in the whole league. ''Right, boys, nothing stressful today, we're just tightening things up for the midseason grind, we've got Vegas and Dallas coming into town this week, so we've gotta be ready.'' Quinn says.

They run some relays, do a mini skills competition, and Owen proposes a capture the flag game. Then, it's back to the dressing room. Kris asks everyone to stick around after showers and changing into casual clothes. ''What's up, captain?'' Tito asks.

Kris asks his team, it's still not entirely sunk in yet that he's the captain, and he's always vigilant about doing a good job with whatever time is left to him. ''I just wanna get the temperature in the room. How am I doing? Is there anything you all need from me?'' Noel says. ''Tanger, you're doing an amazing job, Sid chose you for a reason, right?''

Sebastian says, pushing his hoodie sleeves up. ''You've got us ticking like a clock, Tanger, we've had two fantastic captains in the last two seasons.''

Ned chimes in, putting a baseball cap on. ''One of the best captains I've played under, that's for sure.''

Sully speaks up, he's nursed all three of the trio through their various insecurities. Be it Sid's fears of not being tough enough on ice, Geno's grasp of English, Kris' worries about not being good enough at all, Flower's playoff yips, or Erik's late arrival. ''Kris, son, listen. We basically had three captains for the longest time, all three of you, Flower, and then Erik have all been captains in your own ways. We're incredibly lucky to still have you.''

Rusty asks his surrogate uncle. ''Is there anything you need from us, Kris?''

Kris nods, and says. ''Keep playing the way you are, help me keep this ship sailing, and help me keep my head quiet.'' He smiles, and adds a little request to Erik. ''And, darling, keep being the best husband on Earth.'' He can't do this without Erik, that's the simple truth of this new era of his life as a Penguin.

Erik beams at him, and kisses his cheek. ''I will, sweetheart, and you'll do the same.''

Kris nods, and kisses Erik on the lips gently. ''Always.''

They head for some lunch, Kris and Erik go over some tentative plans for their fifteenth anniversary. They're both free that fortnight, so they can theoretically do whatever they want with it. They spent their first, fifth, and eighth anniversaries at All Star Games. Their eleventh in San Jose. Their tenth apart, but planning their wedding. And, their last two at home. ''Where did we spend our third anniversary?'' Erik asks.

Kris thinks, he vaguely remembers spending that one in the fucking hospital after his first stroke. ''We had that late, over the summer break in Montreal. I was in hospital for our actual anniversary.'' Geno swans in, suited up from a meeting with Jason. ''What's going on?'' Erik says to Geno. ''Well, we had training, a team meeting, and now we're trying to plan our anniversary.''

Geno proposes. ''Fifteen, yeah? How about a big team party?'' Kris' eyes blow wide. ''No, no thanks, G. Besides, you and Sid are gonna be in Italy, you'd miss it.''

Erik finally has a revelation, the most obvious ideas seem to always come last for some dumb reason. ''How about we go to Sweden, just us, and stay at our place there for the two weeks?'' Kris takes Erik's hand over the table. ''I'd love that, amour, just to get out of here for a bit.''

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The team come out of the Christmas break strong, with four wins in a row against: Carolina, Columbus, San Jose, and Utah. The run only hampered a bit by two losses back to back against Vancouver and Edmonton. In all, January goes really well for the Penguins under what's now being called 'Le Nouveau Regime' in the media. Olympic break comes altogether too quickly, and five of the team will be going to Italy. Jarry and Sid for Canada and the US, Rusty for the US, Ricky for Sweden, and Lars will be captaining Denmark. Kris and Erik are packed up for their trip to Vetlanda for their anniversary. Kris is excited for this trip, even if it's just for two weeks, he's been longing to get back to their happy place, and get out of the constant fishbowl of North America for a bit. They leave the morning after their overtime win against Buffalo. Flying privately to Sweden together.

It takes them a couple of days to rest off the jet lag, but, they decide to take it easy for the short time they're here. It's funny how so many of their memories trace back to this small town in Sweden, Erik muses while they're getting dinner ready one night. Their first major holiday together in 2012, they spent the lockout here as well, that summer after they got back together, and their wedding. ''You good, amour?'' Kris asks.

Erik nods, and says. ''Yeah, hjartat, I was just thinking of how many of our big milestones have happened here, that's all.''

They sit down with dinner, Kris says. ''Yeah, it's kind of crazy, isn't it?'' Kris admits to his husband. ''I'm surprised at how much I've come to love this country.''

Erik chuckles, sometimes it does slip them by that they've also married two whole countries to each other, just as Sid and Geno did with Canada and Russia. ''Same for Montreal, whenever we go there, it's like coming home.''

On the day of their anniversary, it's far too cold for the picnic dinner they had been planning, it snowed through the night. So, thinking on their feet, they dress warm for a walk in the snow. The town is dead quiet today, nobody is out and about, it's almost like the whole place has been abandoned overnight. ''What the hell?'' Kris asks as they walk down the street arm in arm. ''I think Sweden play Slovakia today, hjartat.'' Kris nods, he almost forgot that the Olympics started today, to wrapped up in this little getaway with Erik to care. ''Oh, that makes sense, amour, yeah.'' Some might say the way they get lost in each other might be more than a tad unhealthy, but they've never given a damn about it. If anyone has an issue with that, they can take it up with Bettman for sending them to that 2011 All Star Game. ''Hope they win, I'd like to see Sweden get a medal.'' Erik says, dusting off his red coat.

Kris says, adjusting his scarf, the gold one. ''A Canada-Sweden gold medal match would be great. Even if we're not going to be in it.'' The snow comes back in, and they get going home to get warm. That night, they have dinner by the fire, and exchange gifts. They seem of the same mind, since they both commissioned artists to paint them from the 2011 All Star Game to their Cup win together. ''Happy anniversary, mon amour.'' Kris leans over to kiss his husband. Erik kisses back with equal passion. ''Happy anniversary, hjartat mitt.'' Fifteen years, there were times they never dared to imagine they'd be here, but here they are. Partners, best friends, soulmates, Captain and Alternate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A big game comes in the third week of March, the biggest game of Kris' captaincy so far. A game against Vancouver in Rogers Arena that could potentially see them clinch a playoff spot if they win either way, or lose in overtime or a shootout. The team get in, get ready, and suit up together. Sully gives the read for the top unit, and they get out for warmups. Then, opening faceoff. Glass stares down the gun of Calder winner Elias Pettersson. Drew is matched up with Jake DeBrusk, and Rusty against Daniel Sprong. Staring Kris down is his fellow captain, Quinn Hughes. The DPS line has been tearing the west up for two seasons now. Cody wins the drop, and it's off to the races for the Penguins. Pettersson gets the Canucks up early 1-0, and that's the only goal for the next fifteen minutes. ''Hughes and Hronek are fucking deadly together.'' Erik observes, coming back from a shift out of breath.

Kris nods, downing some water. ''I know, it's like looking in a mirror too.'' He's never seen someone who reminds him more of himself. The third unit are up, and Tito scores a tying goal in the dying minute of the period against his old team. ''Good work, Tito.'' Kris says once they're back in the room for first intermission. Anthony is panting, leaning his head back in his stall. ''Thanks, captain.''

The second period is all Vancouver, the west's best team have one hand on the President's Trophy. Boeser turns on the jets to outskate both Kris and Erik to put his team up 2-1, and Nils Hoglander follows up with another goal from the circle for 3-1. Kris judges a puck battle between Myers and Marcus to steal the puck, and run off with it, he goes five hole on Demko, and salvages the scoreline to 3-2. They're gonna need at least two more goals to clinch their playoff spot. ''Alright, boys, we're holding on well, no panic mode yet, okay? We need at least two more goals to get this done. Tanger, any words?'' Sully addresses the room during second intermission.

Kris nods, fixing his newly short hair, he and Erik both got haircuts in Sweden. ''We stay calm, and we stay together.''

They come out for third period, and there's no scoring until halfway in, Owen reads a play quickly, and passes to Ricky, who fires a wrist shot past Demko's head to tie the game 3-3. ''Good job, boys, keep it up!'' Kris says as the second line come off their shift. The back half of the period goes scoreless, so into overtime they go. Sully gives the read for overtime. ''Up front: Glass and Bunting. Back end: St.Ivany. Deploying the kids.''

They get out for the five minute overtime period, Glass wins the drop against probable Hart Winner JT Miller, and passes back to Jack. Ivy winds up, and takes the shot. It goes in. They're back in the playoffs. They'll not be celebrating this, that's never went well in the past. ''Well done boys. Huge win, very happy with that. We're in the playoffs again, still loads of work left to do.'' Jack gets the helmet, and says. ''Never once dreamed of scoring a goal like that, thanks for the pass, Cody. Uhm, let's keep this going!'' Kris applauds his youngest, Jack has been the shy one of the d-corps all season, and he's happy that he's coming out of his shell a bit. ''Boys, captain's word of advice, we've got an 8AM flight home tomorrow, I want us all rested, no funny stuff tonight.'' Kris says, stepping right into captain-mode. He wants his troops rested for the final stretch, just because they've made it now, doesn't mean these last games don't matter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Their first round opponent in the playoffs ends up being the Devils. The division's wildcard. They get rid of them pretty quickly, in just five games. Kris' first ever playoff wins as captain. They've got a couple of days off between the rounds, Sid and Geno come over for lunch. It's either going to be the Rangers or the Flyers next. That series is definitely going seven, and has been every bit as physical as it was billed as. The quartet have lunch in the living room, watching back some highlights of the Rangers-Flyers series. Seems as though there was a massive line brawl in game two during period one. ''Well... I'd say I didn't expect that, but... I'd be lying to my family.'' Sid says, looking shellshocked. Geno nurses some coffee in his hand. ''Hope they tire each other out, actually.''

Kris laughs, fiddling with his wedding ring. ''Same, makes my job easier to lead our team against a tired team.'' They watch as another fight breaks out in the third period of game two. This time between Konecny and Trouba. ''What did Captain Elbows do this time?'' Erik asks, returning from the kitchen.

Geno says. ''Trouba elbowed Hathaway, and TK got angry at him.'' Sid says to Geno, cringing from the armchair. ''What's it the kids say, honey? 'Fork found in kitchen?' Is that it?''

Geno shrugs. ''I dunno, solnishko.''

Kris nods, he's had to figure out more than his fair share of modern idioms these days. ''Yeah, that's the phrase, heard Ivy say it earlier this year, and had to ask what it meant.''

They switch to game three, which seems to be more civilized. The Flyers clawing back the 2-0 series deficit with a 3-1 win. Game four seemed to be a huge battle of attrition, the Flyers winning 1-0 in overtime. ''I don't think I've ever seen a more toxic playoff series in my life, mon coeur.'' Erik says.

Kris nods, whatever doubts he had about being captain here, he's a whole lot better than either Trouba or Couturier right now. ''I know, alskad, I'd never let this shit slide with us, or in Val D'Or back in the day.''

Sid gives his brother a shit eating grin, as though Kris has finally come to the conclusion Sid wanted him to six months ago. ''Good to see you've finally caught on to why I chose you, mon frere.'' Sid says, Kris smirks and rolls his eyes. ''Alright, no need to rub it in, mon frere.'' Geno nods in agreement with Kris. ''I know, Legend. Trouba is acting like a child, and Couturier is invisible.''

Erik leans up to kiss his husband's bearded cheek. ''Glad to be your Alt, and not theirs, sweetheart.''

Kris kisses Erik's temple. ''Glad to have you, darling.'' They watch up to game six which was last night as the Penguins eliminated the Devils. Game seven will be tomorrow night, and Kris can sense that it's going to be every bit as physical as the preceding six games have been.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They somehow use the fatigue the Rangers are playing on, and Trouba's suspension for elbowing Hathaway, to sweep the Rangers in the second round. Kris thinks that it kind of serves them right, the playoffs are no time or excuse for being assholes to other players. Like his coach in Val D'Or said: 'Play like idiots, lose like idiots.' He and Luc took that advice and ran with it, and it got Kris his first captaincy, and them both drafted into the NHL, even if Luc died well before his time. So now, the Penguins are waiting on the winner of the Boston-Toronto series, which will probably go six at minimum. Sully and Quinn have the boys in for a training scrimmage. Kris and Erik walk into the dressing room hand in hand, and see that they've been split up for scrimmage today. ''Uh, Sully... what's this for?'' Kris asks, pointing to his name under Team Black, and Erik's under Team White. Sully just chuckles, and says. ''Just a little experiment, captain, that's all.''

Rusty jokes. ''They're tryin' to stop you making out every time you score together.''

Erik says, lacing up his skates. ''Well, what if that's how we get the Wales? Have they considered that?''

Kris finishes suiting up for training, and kisses Erik before saying. ''We'll be fine, we've been together long enough, right?'' Erik nods, and follows Kris out to the ice. Team Black go up 6-5 after the first period and a half, before Lars ties it up for Team White in the last minute of the game. ''Alright, boys, good job. Let's run a shootout drill. Then, break up for lunch.'' Quinn says.

The teams are tied 7-7 in the shootout, next goal wins. Rusty goes up for Team Black. ''Go for it, Rusty!'' Drew shouts from the bench. Rusty gets the puck on his stick, facing down against Ned, he dangles, and sneaks it through to win the shootout 8-7. ''Good job, Rusty. Shower up and grab some lunch, boys!'' Sully orders the troops.

The team shower up, change, and grab lunch together. Eminently aware of what's to come ahead of them soon. But, they're the defending champions for a reason, right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Toronto get the better of them in seven closely fought games, and will face the Canucks for the Stanley Cup. The Canucks mowed through Dallas in four to reach the final. Kris is proud of himself for leading these guys this far in his first season as captain. Le Nouveau Regime held up incredibly well this season, despite the media's doubts about having him as captain with three alternates. Toronto were simply too good to be beaten in that game seven, Kris and Erik are happy to have the extra resting time at any rate. The team decide to stick around to watch the cup final. Vancouver are already 2-0 up in the series on both of their home games. The DPS, Lotto, and Life Lines are working like a clock against Toronto's weakened defence. ''God, Demko is a force of nature.'' Jarry says as they watch the Canucks dominate game three in Toronto.

Ned nods in agreement, he says. ''If he doesn't win the Vezina, I'll be pissed off. He and Silovs deserve the Jennings too.''

Erik adds. ''Miller should definitely get the Hart and the Conn Smythe.''

The team are somewhat divided on who they're rooting for. Jarry is backing Vancouver because he's from there, Ned is right there with him for goalie solidarity. Erik is also backing the Canucks, reasoning to Kris last night. ''There's still a part of me that's a Senators Captain.'' Kris can't argue with that, he does find it funny how morally opposed to backing the Leafs his husband is though. ''Who are you backing, captain?'' Tito asks, wearing one of his old Canucks hoodies, supporting his friends.

Kris says, that's easy. ''Vancouver, always Vancouver.'' Erik puts a loving hand on his thigh as Rusty - backing the Leafs - asks. ''Why's that?''

Kris just sniffles, and says. ''For Luc, he was a Canuck.'' He points to one of his earliest tattoos, Luc's name and the guitar. The Canucks do go onto win game three, 4-1. He wonders how Sid and Geno's trip to Magnitogorsk is going, they'll have landed yesterday. It's been weird, not having them on the ice anymore. But, the three of them are bound for life regardless, and Kris is so proud that they trusted him enough to make him captain. He has no idea how much longer he's got left, he does want to retire with Erik, he does know that much.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Canucks do go on to win the whole thing in five games, their first ever Stanley Cup. Kris and Erik use their first day in Montreal to go deliver the news to Luc about the team that drafted him. As well as the news of Le Nouveau Regime. They'd have loved to come back here with the cup as they did last summer, but they're both incredibly proud of the Canucks. ''Luc, you'll never believe it, but your guys did it!'' Erik says, and adds. ''And, your best friend is our new captain in Pittsburgh too!'' Kris laughs, these visits never get any easier, he's been without Luc longer than he knew him. That stupid fucking motorbike. But, doing this every year with the man he loves makes it feel lighter if not better. ''Sid trusted me with it, and I think I'm doing okay at it.''

Erik says. ''He's doing an amazing job, take it from his husband.'' Kris also says. ''Sid won his third Olympic gold medal too. While we were in Sweden for our anniversary.''

After their visit, they head home. Ready for a few weeks to be Kris and Erik, the married men. Ready to shed Letang and Karlsson, the captain and his alternate, until training camp. Sid and Geno said that's the most important part of being a leadership couple. Kris and Erik have been doing it for fifteen years, and that part does get easier. Somehow, they've found sanctuary in each other.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, really pleased with this one! Been going through a bit of a burnout on top of a bout of insomnia, so this took ages to get done. Kinda wanted to explore a hypothetical season where Sid and Geno retire together. In real life, all three of the core will retire together. But, here, Kris stays in the league. Mostly because he wants to play alongside his husband for as long as he's able to. So, I felt as though Kris would be the captain in the case of Sid and Geno both retiring at the same time. All of the guys say he's basically the brain and conscience of the whole team, and holds the whole thing together. So, he'd be a natural pick for the job in this scenario.

Been really nervous about this fic, but I got it done! Please, nobody take this fic as an insult to Sid and Geno, I love them to bits! Just wanted to explore something.

Enjoy!

Also: 800th post!

#tangerkarlsson

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datzyuk · 1 year ago

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2023 wrap up post under the cut ⬇️ bc this blog is basically my diary

this year flew by!!! here are some highlights

completed four semesters of grad school. 4.0'd it all!!!! only one more semester to go!!

visited four more national parks (death valley, isle royale, crater lake, and the redwoods)

saw a moose! and banana slugs! and elk! all in the wild

went to games @ two more NHL arenas (ottawa + montreal)

visited a new state (wisconsin)

started a new role @ my company during the craziest period my team has ever experienced and i survived!!!

visited two more star wars filming locations + one that will be used in an upcoming show (i will be very obnoxious abt it when it drops)

rented a car on vacation for the first time! and ofc i chose a very hilly location w insanely narrow roads. only got one flat tire during the trip tho!!!

tried thimbleberries :-) also had a thimbleberry donut!

visited another canadian province (quebec) and ate sooo much poutine

watched 76 movies!! not a record but i enjoyed quite a few of them

visited another country (portugal)

some of the goals that i set for myself at the beginning of the year included

finish the yr with fewer unread books than i started it with. unfortch i started w 74 unread books and i currently have 75 books. but i am proud of myself for showing restraint @ used bookstores

save $$$ while i'm still living at home w my parents. i did save a shit ton despite all of the traveling.

get out of the house more. definitely failed this one BUT i think it's understandable. work + school kicked my ass.

for 2024 i'm just gonna roll over my goals. hopefully once i'm done w my degree in april, i'll have more time to do the things i want to do. but i DO want to add a fourth goal. EAT MORE SOUP.

anyways here are nine pics from my 2023

#2023 has been alright !!!!!#too much time spent working or studying #but there will be less of that in 2024

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daggerzine · 9 months ago

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fanclubwallet- Our Bodies Paint Traffic Lines EP (Cool Online)

Ottawa’s DIY star Hannah Judge has released an EP, this time will a full band for touring. It’s written/composed by Hannah Judge, along with Michael Watson, Eric Graham, and Nathan Reid. Michael Watson also produced and mixed the release. The opening number and title track, “Our Bodies Paint Traffic Lines, ” is a short echoing, wall of squealing, feedback guitar over Hannah’s muffled vocals. “It’s happening all too fast. Open up the car door. Roll out onto the pavement. Our bodies paint traffic lines.” Next is “Complex Weather.” An acoustic, beautiful bedroom pop number to sing along to. Throw in some eerie keyboards and some crazy, ghostly vocals to boot. “Now I’m rolling sideways. Down the stairs by my place. My future wrapped up inside a rug. Bugs crawl out of my ears. But you're still all that I hear. Headphones on, but there's no cord attached.” Track 3, “Picture Of Her,” gives me an Ivy (Boy, I sure miss them) vibe with its bouncy guitar over Hannah’s vocals. “Bright lights; Shine on my face; Flash eyes; This is the place; I give; It all away; This time; You won't see straight. Picture of her (I see it, I feel it, it takes me back in time).” Here’s the video:

youtube

Next up is “Easy,” a speeded-up dream pop number. Would love to hear this live as well. Jangle guitars, rockin’ rhythm section, twangy solos, and fantastic vocals to match. “Is it easy? For you? I can’t explain how you do. You do.” The EP closes with “Band Like That,” a crazy song about obsessing with her favorite band. “I bought the same guitar. To sound like just how you are. Didn't know took so much more. To create from the core. And in your band. I could sing like that. You could see it right. Me in a band like that.” Watch the video featuring Sorry Snowman:

youtube

fanclubwallet is new to me, but here’s hoping more songs are in the works. It’s a great introduction to her full band sound. Hannah is also a cartoonist, so the EP will have an exclusive set of comics, trading cards, and chord charts for you fans out there. ERIC EGGLESON

(photo by Cole Yearwood )

https://www.fanclubwallet.com/

#Youtube #Bandcamp

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speedproottawa · 9 months ago

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SpeedPro Ottawa

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profitparrotmarketing · 11 months ago

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How Local SEO for Doctors Can Transform Your Practice

In today’s highly competitive healthcare landscape, it’s more crucial than ever for medical practitioners to have a strong online presence. Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) plays a pivotal role in helping doctors connect with patients in their immediate vicinity. While some doctors may attempt to manage their online presence independently, partnering with a service provider for local SEO can offer numerous advantages. In this blog, we will explore the key benefits of collaborating with an expert in the field of local SEO for doctors to boost your practice's online visibility and reach.

Expertise in Healthcare SEO

SEO for doctors requires a unique approach. An experienced SEO service provider like Profit Parrot in Ottawa understands the specific needs and challenges of medical practices. We can create tailored strategies that resonate with the healthcare industry, ensuring that your website attracts the right patients. Be it SEO for electricians, SEO for contractors and SEO for car dealerships or more, we will provide top-notch services in every possible way. We are very competent and have an extremely professional working style.

Targeting Local Patients

For healthcare professionals, it's essential to connect with patients in their local area. An SEO service provider specializes in optimizing your online presence for local searches, helping your practice appear in local map listings, making it easier for prospective patients to find you.

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Running a medical practice is time-consuming, and attempting to manage your SEO efforts can be overwhelming. Outsourcing your SEO tasks to a service provider like Profit Parrot allows you to focus on patient care while experts handle your online visibility. We are considered as the best Ottawa SEO service provider.

Comprehensive Keyword Research

A professional service provider for local SEO for doctors will conduct in-depth keyword research to identify the terms and phrases potential patients are using when searching for healthcare services in your area. This research informs the content strategy, ensuring that your website ranks for the most relevant keywords.

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Quality content is at the core of successful SEO. Service providers have the expertise to create informative and engaging content, optimize it for search engines, and maintain a consistent schedule of content publication.

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Building authoritative backlinks to your website is a complex and time-consuming task. SEO experts can secure high-quality, relevant backlinks that enhance your website's authority and credibility in the eyes of search engines.

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Effective SEO requires continuous monitoring and adaptation. Service providers track your website's performance, providing regular reports that detail the progress of your SEO efforts. These insights allow for ongoing optimization.

Wrapping UP

Partnering with a service provider for local SEO for doctors offers numerous benefits, including industry-specific expertise, time savings, and the assurance of effective, data-driven results. For medical practitioners looking to enhance their online visibility and connect with local patients, this collaboration with a right service provider like Profit Parrot can be a game-changer in establishing a strong and competitive presence in the healthcare sector.

#local SEO for doctors #seo for electricians #ottawa seo #seo for car dealerships

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if-you-fan-a-fire · 2 years ago

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"Penitentiary and Reformatory Terms Given Admitted Thieves," Kingston Whig-Standard. June 23, 1943. Page 3. ---- Ivanhoe Lambert, 26, Ottawa, [PICTURED] was sentenced by Magistrate J. B. Garvin to two years in the Kingston Penitentiary, and Adelard Goodreaux, Hull, was given one year in the Ontario Reformatory when they pleaded guilty in city police court yesterday afternoon to a charge of entering and stealing money from Peters' Feed Store, Ontario Street, on Sunday morning, June 13.

Alais Levois, Ottawa, who pleaded not guilty to a similar charge, was found guilty of being in possession of stolen goods, and was remanded for sentence for one week.

The three men were charged with breaking into the office at the feed store during the early hours of Sunday morning, breaking the safe and stealing $40. A hole was forced in the back of the safe and the money taken. Some bearer bonds which were in the vault were thrown on the floor.

The two men who drew prison sentences, swore that Levois had no part in the robbery, although he had driven them to Kingston Lambert told Magistrate Garvin that he had arranged with Levois who was employed in a war plant to drive into Kingston in Levois brother's car for the purpose of visiting Lambert's brother who is in the army here. The agreement was, according to Lambert, that he would provide the gasoline and meals, which he did.

Levois Ignorant Lambert said he was certain that Levois did not know that burglars' tools were in the car. Magistrate Garvin said he was satisfied that Lambert was the which he was driving, nor did he know there was stolen money in a bag under the seat.

The same witness said that after arriving in Kingston the three drove around for a time after they had paid a visit to their soldier friend, and then they went to a restaurant on Princess Street. Lambert said he and Goodreaux had told Levois to stay in the restaurant until they came back and he agreed to do so; no mention had been made that they were going to do a "job." Lambert said Levois had stayed in the restaurant and then gone out into the car and was sound asleep when they returned from the Peters' building.

He said he had made no mention to Levois of what he and his companion were about, nor did he tell him they had secured some money. "I did not tell him anything, and got in the car about three o'clock and we drove in the direction of Gananoque. I had the money myself," said Lambert. "Levois was sound asleep in the car and I wrapped the burglars' tools in my windbreaker and he did not see them."

Sought Money Answering a question put by T J. Rigney, Crown attorney, Lambert said he was after money and he had bought eight gallons of gas during the trip. "Why did you carry those instruments?" asked Mr. Rigney. "I thought they would be useful on the job," was the reply.

"What about that pair of gloves?" Mr. Rigney enquired, pointing to a pair of gloves on the table. "I wore them not to be warm, but to be safe," Lambert said.

Levois, under examination by H. A. McNeill, defence counsel, said he had borrowed the car from his brother and intended to go back to Ottawa that night. There was no discussion of a break-in. "The other men told me they would meet me in the car across the street after I came out of the restaurant. They said, 'go to sleep and we will wake you up when we come up.' I did not know there was any money in the car," said Levois, "and I did not see the instruments until they were taken out of the car by the police at Gananoque."

Goodreaux corroborated the evidence of Lambert by stating that Levois did not know anything about the job, and that they had not discussed the matter with him.

Mr. McNeill said there was positive evidence that Levois did not know anything about the case, nor did he take any part in it, although he did drive the car.

Credibility Questioned Mr. Rigney said the court had to consider the credibility of the witness and it was very difficult , to accept the evidence. He said that the magistrate had to decide whether he would accept the evidence of two men who had admitted their guilt. "The whole story is incredible," said Mr. Rigney.

Magistrate Garvin said he was satisfied that Levois knew the money was in the car but he was reducing the charge to that of one being in possession of stolen goods and remanded the accused for sentence for one week.

"In your case, Lambert, I am satisfied you are primarily responsible for this action, and there is no doubt you intended to commit the offense, but there are two things that stand out in your favor; you pleaded guilty and took a speedy trial, and you have not been in trouble since 1936, and I want to try to encourage you to lead a good life, so I am sentencing you to only two years in Kingston Penitentiary."

Goodreaux, who had no previous record, was given one year in the Ontario Reformatory.

Assault Case William H. Smith, 7 Cataraqui Street, was found guilty by Magistrate Garvin of assaulting Staff Sergeant Herbert William Phillips on the night of June 21 at the Kingston Armory, and was fined $5 and costs.

Evidence showed Smith, who was a former member of the bugle band before he joined the Active Army from which he was discharged, was asked to leave the Armory on Monday evening, and when he refused to do so Staff Sergeant Phillips, of the regimental police, attempted to move him out quietly, and during the scuffle he bit the staff sergeant on both thumbs and kicked him in the face.

The accused said he had been drinking and said he bit Phillips because the sergeant was choking him, and he tried to make him let go. Maurice Storey, 27 Clergy Street, who was charged with obtaining by false pretences a military staff car and a driver on June 13 last, was remanded for trial. Storey told the court that he did not want to make a plea.

[AL: Lambert had indeed previously been in Kingston Penitentiary, and had been released on 'good time' in September 1937. He had been employed at farming in the prison and went back to Ottawa after release. He appears to have been unemployed before he and his friend drove down for this 'job' in Kingston.]

#kingston ontario #police court #breaking and entering #break and enter #safecrackers #safecracking #ottawa #gatineau #ex-convict #sentenced to the penitentiary #kingston penitentiary #sentenced to prison #ontario reformatory #assault charge #former soldier #canada during world war 2 #crime and punishment in canada #history of crime and punishment in canada #false pretences

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onlyhedges · 1 year ago

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Top Places to Enjoy Dinner at Bells Corners, Ottawa

Bells Corners is a suburban neighborhood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located along Robertson Road west of downtown, within Ottawa's western Greenbelt, in College Ward. As of the Canada 2016 Census, the community had a population of 9,272. Bells Corners is probably best known for the commercial strip along Richmond and Robertson Roads, which is dominated by car-oriented retail uses, gas stations, restaurants, strip malls, shopping plazas, and automobile dealers. In 2009, the City of Ottawa designated the strip a Business Improvement Area under the Ontario Municipal Act. hedge trimming ottawa

Cyranos Restaurant

Cyranos has been satisfying customers in the same location for nearly 25 years and takes pride in the food and service they provide. Located in Ottawa’s West End, Cyranos is a unique, chef-owned restaurant offering modern Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. The menu offers something for everyone from light salads and pizzas to fresh pastas, seafood, and steak. At Cyranos, every meal is made in order to meet your specific needs.

Everything is made on premises; our fresh pasta, warm crusty bread, signature Caesar dressing, all sauces, and scrumptious desserts. The unique, open kitchen design allows you to watch the chefs as they create your meal in front of your eyes. With a diverse wine list and a board of ever-changing feature wines, you are sure to find something to accompany any meal and to satisfy any palate.

Balista Restaurant

Balista is the country's first QSR chain known for healthy yet tasty food. We are known for great customer service. We serve fresh food that contains aromatic spices, fresh veggies, homemade patty, and wheat flour wrap. We did research in recipes for 4 long months in a single room and did trial & error in all the recipes. We started with a wheat burger and wheat wrap. Now we are serving more than 50 dishes. Our vision is to spread happiness by providing healthy fast food yet tasty food to the world. Our aim is to make a strong supply chain for smooth raw material supply. Our all recipes are finely crafted for better taste and health. We follow SOP for universal taste.

Balista is India India-based chain and has been constantly growing, Our outlets are in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar and we aim to grow all across the country. We have successfully introduced a variety of dishes with our own special recipes.

OnlyHedges is the only company that offers the highest quality cedar hedge trimming service, creating living works of art across the Ottawa region.

Our team of dedicated professionals has been trained to provide you with a high-quality hedge-trimming experience. We know how important it is to maintain your hedges and keep them looking their best. That's why we make sure to use only the best products to ensure that your hedges look beautiful for years to come. If you're looking for a professional cedar hedge trimming service in Ottawa, contact us today!

OnlyHedges Ottawa, ON +1 613-324-7228 https://www.onlyhedges.ca/ https://www.google.com/maps?cid=12329325371338453299

#Bells Corners

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speedprocanada · 2 years ago

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Establishing A Strong Brand Identity: The Importance of High-Quality Printed Materials

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typical-simplelove · 4 years ago

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I Tried (M. Tkachuk)

A/n: Just a funny little blurb I thought of!

In the ten years that you’ve known the Tkachuks, you’ve always been closest to Brady. When you were in middle school, your mother got a new job which resulted in your family moving to St. Louis. As a result, you ended up across the street from the Tkachuks. You remember the first time you met them, you only met Chantal, Brady, and Taryn. Keith and Matthew were at a hockey tournament. Brady took you under his wing, and the two of you became close friends. That didn’t mean, however, that you didn’t have a connection with Taryn or Matthew. You and Taryn had sleepovers almost every other weekend and did things that girls did. Your connection with Matthew was complicated. The only words that you could use to describe it was that Matthew was a pesky older brother who could be the worst to you but also the best. It was safe to say that you went to different Tkachuks for different reasons. When you wanted someone to laugh with and enjoy the day with, you went to Brady. If you wanted someone to gossip with, you went to Taryn. You and Matthew weren’t that close; however, whenever you were around him, he always made your heart flutter, and he made you giggle like a maniac.

When you came to the age to be looking for schools, Matthew and Brady gave their best pitches for their hockey cities. Brady told you that in Ottawa, your best friend, him, would always be there. Matthew told you that because he was older, he was more mature. (he knew that wasn’t true) Therefore, he could take care of you better. You ended up applying to schools in both cities and touring schools in both cities. You wouldn’t admit this to anyone, but you like the Calgary school better. So, when you got your acceptance letter from the University of Calgary, there was no hesitation as to where you would go. Matthew insisted that you moved in with him; however, you wanted the whole university experience and opted to stay in a dorm. However, that didn’t mean you didn’t spend lots of time with Matthew.

Now, ten years later after meeting Brady and Taryn, it was safe to say that you were closest to Matthew out of all the Tkachuks. You were sitting on the couch in Matthew’s apartment getting ready for a movie night with him and some of his teammates. Matthew came and sat next to you and offered you the bowl of popcorn in his hand. You reached to grab some, but Matthew moved the bowl out of your grasp.

“If I give you some popcorn, will you go on a date with me?” Matthew asks. For the past six months, Matthew has been trying to get you to go on a date with him, and you said no every time. It wasn’t because you didn’t like Matthew; it was because you didn’t want to ruin your friendship with Matthew and his siblings. You’ll admit, Matthew was a very attractive being, and you might have had the smallest crush on him in high school. However, nothing big enough for you to want to act upon it. Matthew, it seems, was in the same boat and felt that now was a perfect time to act upon those feelings.

You look at Matthew with a small smile gracing your face. “I think you know my answer. It’s been the same for the past six months.”

Matthew puts a pout on his face. “Come on, please? I really like you. I’ll do anything.”

“Anything?” you ask with a raised eyebrow.

“Anything for just one date,” Matthew says. “Please? I’m not going to stop until you give me some kind of chance.”

“Give me a bit to think about what this ‘something’ you can do for me is, and then maybe you’ll have yourself a date.”

Matthew nods like a child. “I can go with that.”

“Is that the farthest you’ve ever gotten with asking Yn out?” Johnny asks from where he’s sitting. In your interaction with Matthew, you almost forgot that there were other people in the room. Actually, that happened anytime you were in the general vicinity with Matthew.

“It is, and I’ll take it,” Matthew says and starts the movie.

What could you do to get Matthew to do that you knew he couldn’t do? You wanted to go on a date with Matthew, but you didn’t want to ruin the good you already had. The WAGs have been telling you that it could only get better. You guess they could be right, but you also thought of the millions of possibilities that everything went wrong. You weren’t sure you were ready for the possibility of it going awry.

You knew that you had to pick something that annoyed you. What did Matthew do that annoyed you? The weird racing stripes in his hair. The inability to take care of his curls. The fact that he always chews his mouth guard instead of wearing it. That’s it!

You look at Matthew and grin widely. “I know what I want you to do,” you whisper into Matthew’s ear.

Matthew looks at you with a smirk and hopes you can’t tell that your whisper sent shivers down his spine. “Yeah?” he whispers back. “What is it?”

“You have to go an entire game wearing your mouthguard instead of chewing on it.”

“What?” Matthew says audibly that gets everyone looking at the two of you. “I can’t do that.”

You shrug. “Then I guess no date.”

Matthew sighs. “How about whenever I’m on the ice then?”

“You’re compromising?” you tease.

“Yes or no?”

“Sure, whenever you’re on the ice, you must have your mouthguard in your mouth and no chewing on it. If you can do that, then I’ll go on a date with you.”

Matthew could do this, right? Simple, no chewing on his mouthguard while on the ice.

. . .

“Do you think you’ll be able to do it?” Sam asks. “She gave you the hardest possible challenge, and you went along with it. Dude, you’re so whipped for her.”

Matthew looks at his teammate and shakes his head. “Don’t I know it.”

. . .

Matthew lasted all the way through the first ten minutes of the first. It felt unnatural, but he knew what was at stake. Ten minutes into the first, the Flames were up by two, and Matthew completely forgot. As he was skating to chase the puck on a breakaway, his mouthguard, out of habit, escaped his mouth, and he began to chew on it. After his shift was finished and he was back on the bench, Sam gave Matthew a sly grin.

“What?” Matthew asks annoyed.

“I guess you’re not getting that date now,” Sam replies.

Matthew was about to ask what but realizes what Sam’s referencing. Fuck, Matthew couldn’t keep the mouthguard in his mouth. He looks up to the Friends and Family box to see if you were looking at him or noticed it. You were currently talking to Lauren. So, maybe you didn’t notice? However, sensing Matthew’s eyes on you, you look down at the bench and catch Matthew’s eyes. His face instantly goes red, and the heat can probably be felt all across the Saddledome. You gave Matthew an innocent shrug and smile. Yeah, you noticed.

. . .

Thankfully, Matthew didn’t let the status of his dating life affect his play, and the Flames won. He exited the locker room and saw you standing there in your Tkachuk jersey.

“Hey, look, I’m sorry, I really tried, but I coul--” Matthew begins but is interrupted by you cupping his face and kissing him. It takes a few moments for Matthew to realize what was happening. When he finally came to, Matthew wrapped his arms around your waist and began to kiss you back. When you both pulled away, Matthew had a giant smile on his face. “I’m really confused because I failed, but I’m totally okay with you kissing me.” And he leans in for another kiss.

You laugh pulling away slightly. “I was talking to Brady earlier, and he was telling me how you were really nervous about whether or not you could keep the mouthguard in your mouth. That’s when I realized, you really did care about me.”

“Did you not know that before?” Matthew asks puzzled.

“No, I did, but, don’t be mad, you have a certain reputation. I didn’t want to be one of those girls, and I didn’t want to ruin my friendship with you, Brady, and Taryn. You all mean too much to me except you mean much to me in a different way.”

“So, this means that I can take you on a date?”

“Yes, Matthew, you can take me on a date,” you say, and Matthew kisses you again.

Matthew pulls back and looks at you. “Do you want to come over for dinner?”

“I mean, you did drive me here, so sure,” you tell Matthew, and you both walk hand in hand to Matthew’s car.

“I can’t believe you’re finally letting me take you on a date, and you’re letting me kiss you,” Matthew says excitedly. “I never thought you’d let me do anything with you other than be your friend.”

“I mean, you can do anything you want to me now,” you say.

Matthew looks at you with his jaw dropped. “I think you’re going to regret that,” Matthew says and picks you up bridal style. The only sounds in the parking garage are of your giggles as Matthew places kisses around your face and neck as you both walk to his car. All those worst-case scenarios? Yeah, you 100% could ignore them.

Taglist: @goalision @coffee-ontherocks @glassdanse @barzal-burakovsky @petey-patty @beauvibaby @boqvistsbabe @rmaye @heatherawoowoo @heaveniish @stars-canucks @tkapuckit @mellany1997 @nhlboyshavemyhart88 @heybarzy @2manytabsopen @besthockeyfics @plds2000 @kaitieskidmore1 @iwantahockeyhimbo @sidscrosbyy @barzysandmarnersbitch @ollywahlygator @laurenairay @sixmapleleafs (Join my taglist here!)

#matthew tkachuk #matthew tkachuk imagine #matthew tkachuk x reader #matthew tkachuk fic #nhl blurb #nhl writing #Claudia writes

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comphersjost · 4 years ago

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All For You (4 times you tried to tell Brady you loved him, and the one time Matty did it for you) ➸ Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Tkachuk

reahi, i had an idea and opened a document and i couldnt stop writing, this is what came out. it was edited but i made a lot of changes after, so please forgive any mistakes, typos, plot holes, etc. enjoy :)

Finally fed up with pining over your best friend from afar, you enlist the help of Matthew to help you get the guy - you’re just not really sure who the guy is anymore. Or: 4 times you tried to tell Brady you loved him, and the one time Matty told him for you.

word cout: 5.1k (sorry lmao)

warnings: a LOT of angst, like a lot. smut, nothing as wild as ive written before, car sex, cockwarming, etc. etc. usual cussing, love triangles ig? alcohol, super brief mention of weed, mentions of sex while drunk/high

part two

part three

part four

part five

masterlist

You tried to take Matty’s smile and what was supposed to be an encouraging nod to heart, and let it boost your with confidence. But it didn't. It really, really didn't. You could see Brady on the other side of the room, smiling down at your mom the way he always did. It was that smile he reserved for your parents, the charming, boyish, smile. It was the same smile that got your parents to let you out of the house late in high school even though you were grounded. It was the smile you got to see sitting on your rooftop just a little too tipsy at 2 in the morning. The same smile you wished you could kiss right off his face.

Brady glances up from your mom’s face for a moment, and catches your eyes. His smile widens impossibly, and you watch him excuse himself from your mother. She smiles knowingly at you, a gentle sparkle in her eye as Brady finds his way towards you.

You latch onto him as soon as you're in his arms, pressing yourself to him, closer closer closer. “Hi,” you hear him mumble against the top of your head.

“Hi, B,” you breathe back, barely audible over the chatter in the room. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, buttercup,” Brady beams down at you, squeezing your shoulders again.

Your throat dries up as you stare up at him. You always loved the way his eyes crinkled shut when he smiled big like he was now. A tiny part of you wants to say fuck it and stand up on the tips of your toes to kiss him full on the mouth. You feel yourself swallow, your mouth opens and you want to get the words out, just like Matthew said you could.

“Listen, Brady I-”

“Y/N I want you to meet someone.”

You and Brady spoke at the same time, and rather than let you finish your sentence, Brady lets you out of his arms, resting his hand against your lower back and leading you somewhere deeper into the house.

“I want you to meet my friend,” he continues, “I know you haven't seen anyone since… but anyways, yeah I think you might like him.” Your lips remain parted, the words stuck in your throat. Of all the things you expected coming to the Tkachuk house tonight, of everything you could have thought might happen during your plan to confess your feelings to your best friend, an off-handed mention of your piece of shit ex-boyfriend and Brady attempting to set you up with someone was far from it.

Your eyes are hazy, your focus far from the situation at hand, even as you let Brady introduce you to his friend. You barely remember the poor kid’s name, too caught up in trying to keep your shit together. Your eyes find Matthew’s, hating the sympathetic smile on his lips.

You don't want his pity. It just makes you feel worse. You turn abruptly to Brady’s friend and stop him mid-sentence. “I’m really sorry,” you say, “I just don't think this is going to work out, I have my eyes on someone else.” He doesn't say anything as you walk away, bee-lining straight for Matthew.

You grab his forearm, ignoring his protests when you drag him out to the backyard.

“Why did he do that?” you say once you're outside. “Why did he introduce me to someone that I could date? What if you're wrong, Matty? What if he doesn't like me like you think he does?”

Matthew didn't have an answer for that. He did know one thing though.

“Then he’s an idiot, Y/N, and he can't see a good thing, a great thing, even when she's right in front of him.” You let out a wet laugh, trying your best not to read too deep into what Brady had tried to do tonight. Instead you let him tuck a strand behind your ear and pull you into a comforting hug, the both of you unaware of Brady’s eyes on you, a smile tugging at his lips at the thought of you two together.

II.

Ottawa playing a game against Calgary meant you had to cancel any and all plans you had for that weekend. The whole Tkachuk family couldn't make it from St. Louis, but you living in Calgary made up for it. You were shaking with excitement - you hadn't seen Brady in a month and a half, since that horrible attempt at telling him how you felt. You hoped that this time would be different.

The arms that wrap around your waist in the middle of the hotel lobby are all too familiar to alarm you.

“Hi, buttercup,” comes the soft whisper, and you can't even attempt to fight the smile that pulls at your lips.

“Hi, Brady,” you whisper back, feeling Brady loosen his hold on your so you could twist around in his grip. “You've been gone too long.”

“Hmm, I know,” Brady hums, kissing your hairline gently. “I'm sorry I'm not visiting as much, you know it has nothing to do with you right?”

“I know, Brady,” you reassure him. “I just miss you.” I love you. The thought is screaming in your head, begging for you to let out.

I love you I love you I love you

“Just say the three little words, Y/N, tell him how you feel.” Those were Matty’s words, just this morning when you had a crisis about seeing Brady again. You paced across the floor of his living room, the walls and tables all over his apartment covered in jerseys and odd paraphernalia he’d acquired over his time playing in the NHL.

“I can't, Matty, what if he,” you gasped for air at the idea, “what if he doesn't love me back, I don't think I could handle that.”

Matt had laughed at you this morning, assuring that to the best of his knowledge (and he knew his brother pretty damn well), Brady was in love with you too. Besides, he'd said, even if he wasn't in love with you back there was nothing you could do to make him want to stop being friends with you.

Brady pulls away from you, preparing to head to whatever restaurant you were supposed to meet Matthew at.

“So, Brady, there was something that I-”

“Hey, what's this?” Brady’s curious expression made you pause. He tugs the fabric of your sweater down a little by your chest, exposing your collarbone, and a dark purple mark you hadn't meant for anyone to see. Your blood runs cold, knowing exactly where that's from.

Matthew had given it to you, when the both of you had gotten just a little too wine drunk and you'd ended up in his lap. It was ironic really, you'd been discussing how to drop more hints to Brady about how you feel about him. He'd been helping you with that dilemma since the summer. And then last Sunday, you'd been over at his place for dinner, and the night had ended with him grabbing handfuls of your ass while you whined desperately against his mouth.

There was no way you could tell Brady how you felt now, not with him having just asked about the bruise his brother had left on your skin.

“You and my brother finally getting it on?” Brady says suggestively, a shit eating grin on his face as he wiggles his eyebrows at you. You feel like a deer stuck in the headlights.

“Why would you even say that?” you snap, ignoring the way he recoils, lips parted and eyes wide in surprise. “Come on we have to go meet your brother for dinner.”

III.

You and Matthew had bought your plane tickets home for Christmas together, deciding that it made more sense since you both lived in Calgary and were going home to the same neighborhood. Brady’s flight was coming in the day after. You’d been spending most of your time at the Tkachuk house, lounging around with Matthew. You’d hung around their house to stay out of your mom’s way, knowing having people around would only just stress her out as she prepared for your whole family to come home.

Today was the day Brady’s flight was coming in. Chantal and Keith chose to spend the day out shopping before heading to the airport to pick up Brady late in the afternoon. Taryn was spending the day at her friend’s house, leaving you and Matthew alone in the house.

Which, you should have known it was a bad idea. You swore it was nothing between you and Matt, you swore it was just about Matt helping you get the guy, get Brady. But it seemed like the more you, Matt, and alcohol were all involved, you ended up in precarious positions.

Today you chose not to drink, hooded eyes watching Matt take another drink of whatever liquor he’d chosen this time, before your gaze slid back to the pipe in your hand, lighter dangling between two fingers. You knew how this would end, you and Matt would get wasted, you’d fuck, rough, hard, fast, desperate, and then you would go back to pretending it never happened, went back to him helping you with getting Brady to notice your interest. You didn't talk about it, and you were almost always some kind of inhibited.

You refused to fuck Matthew in his childhood bedroom, arguing that it was bad karma. He laughed at you then, a soft laugh, clear of any indication that Matt is drunk out of his mind. The laugh is too innocent of a laugh for the way his voice lowers after it ends. He talks you into it, seduces you more like. He’s got you sliding into the backseat of a beat up old Toyota Corolla, his first car (“And how exactly is that any better than your childhood bedroom, Matty?). He tells you that you have hours alone in the house before anyone comes home and you might as well pass the time.

The talking and seducing turns into heated, sloppy kisses. You giggle against his mouth, tugging at the curls at the back of his head while avoiding the thought that you swore to yourself you would tell Brady how you felt when he got home tonight. But then Matthew’s lips trailed away from your mouth, over your jaw, your cheek, the curve of your throat, and any thought of Brady was gone.

The messy kisses turned into you riding Matt, his old car rocking back and forth as you bounced on his dick. He kisses you to quiet his moans. No one was supposed to be home for hours but, just in case. He's got you whining desperately while you clench around him, his giant hands squeezing your hips. He guides you up and down on his cock, relishing in the way your body moves the way he wants without a fight.

I bet Brady couldn't fuck you like I can.

The thought flashes through his brain before he can stop it, and then it's like someone put a red tint on his world view. You belonged to him. Matthew’s possessive rage has him fucking harder into you, his hands falling from your hips to your ass to slam you forcefully down on him. Growls fall from his lips, the thought of his younger brother fucking you making him intent on bringing you to as many orgasms as possible. That thought is also what made his teeth come down on your skin. He sucks and bites into your skin all over your chest, leaving marks that would expose that you were having sex with someone to anyone who saw - that would expose you to Brady.

You let out almost a squeal when you cum, clenching around Matthew’s cock and sobbing desperately. You don't see the smug grin on his face when he watches you cum, only letting him keep doing what he's doing because it just feels so damn good.

Matt follows through on his mental promise, fucking you through as many orgasms as he could (5, the last time he checked, he lost count). His hands flex over your ass, sighing contentedly as he pulls you so that you sink all the way back down on his cock. He pulls you to his chest, nuzzling into you as the two of you doze off.

Brady finds you that way, seeing the way you’re nuzzled into his brother’s chest through the windshield. The fact that he only saw you through the windshield protected him from seeing the most incriminating part, Matthew’s cock, still stuffed all the way inside of you. He can still see the bare skin of yours and Matt’s shoulders, so he opts out of waking you up, instead heading towards his room to shower off that airport smell and nap, a devastatingly pretty blonde attached to his hip.

When you wake up, you feel groggy, but more sober than before. After you moaned pathetically when Matthew lifted you off of his cock, the two of you snuck back inside the house, managing to get you out the door and back to your house, and Matthew to his room. When you and your family made their way over for dinner later that night (the hickies and bruises on your skin successfully covered up), you feel your heart twist in your chest at what - or rather, who - greets you there.

“Y/N! Hey!” Brady sounds so excited, so you humor him, hiding the way it feels like you're about to explode into a million little shreds. “This is my girlfriend, Autumn.”

And - you really can't hate her. She's so nice, so incredibly kind and radiant and you really don't blame Brady for not taking his eyes off her the whole night. You didn't even know he was bringing her. Matthew catches your eyes, shaking his head sadly and mouthing I didn’t know.

You shrug, your gaze falling back to the design on the carpet, how the spirals of each shape in the carpet almost mirror your heart, spiraling out and falling apart before your eyes.

Matt’s gaze remains on you. Something about seeing your skin clear and bare after he had taken such good care to leave as many marks as possible didn't sit right with him. It made his gut twist; he wanted everyone to know. He wanted Brady to know.

You hate the unpleasant feeling in your gut every time Autumn says something. And you really hate the way Brady smiles apologetically at you when you pulled him aside to say “You never told me you were seeing someone.”

You just had to get through this night and then it was back to Calgary.

IV.

Of all traditions your family has with Tkachuks, the vacations are your favorite.

You're in California this offseason, renting a house in some random, tourist-attracting beach town. Both your families had always done something similar to this (letting the boys take care of a large chunk of it now that they're on NHL salaries), renting 2 houses and splitting you up between the parents and you and the Tkachuk kids once you were old enough.

Brady had broken up with Autumn in May, which you couldn't be more thankful for, knowing that had that not happened she would've been on this vacation. “Nothing terrible happened,” he assured you over the phone that day. “She's an amazing girl, she really is, she's just...she's not the one for me.”

You were glad he couldn't see the smile that pulled at your lips at those words.

As for Matthew...well, you'd barely done as much as look at him since Christmas, not wanting to fall back into the habit of sleeping with him whenever you managed to get drunk enough to forget Brady’s existence for half a second.

But now Brady and Taryn are at the beach, meeting up with some friends they somehow convinced to drive up from Orange County, and you were laying outside in the rented house’s backyard on one of the pool chairs. You’d opted to stay home this time, having spent almost every minute of this vacation attached to Brady at the hip.

It was pathetic, almost, the way you followed him around. Matt thought so, at least. What he thought was even more pathetic though, was the way Brady had the perfect fucking woman in front of him - pining after him even - and he still couldn't see it, no matter how hard you and Matt tried to make him.

Matt hates that he finds himself wishing that the whiny voice you used to get Brady to do things you wanted was following him around instead, like the incessant bug he'd teased you about being when you whined for the millionth time to Brady that it was hot.

Brady had looked at you all soft in the moment, leaning down to kiss your forehead before placing his arm around your shoulders and pulling you into him. “Not hot enough for you not to cuddle with me,” he’d said, your giggles prompting him to tickle your sides until you'd both forgotten about your complaining.

“Y/N, you left your water bottle outside,” Matthew says abruptly, adding on a “by the way” so you two would stop staring at him like he interrupted something. Like he wasn't even supposed to be there.

“Oh,” the realization makes you frown, and the pout that accompanies your furrowed brows almost make him combust from how cute you look. “Didn't know you noticed I left it out there.”

Brady keeps his arm around you as he lets you take him back outside for the water bottle, making you miss the way Matt whispers “I always notice.”

You briefly wondered what Matthew was doing, before the question was answered for you by a soft sensation against your knee. His lips trailed up your thigh, nosing at your skin before pressing another open-mouthed kiss into your thigh, making your eyes flutter open briefly. It's hot, your skin feels like it's on fire, buzzing, like you're vibrating from the inside out.

Even with the sun washing over you the way that it is, the fire you feel on your tanned skin, Matthew’s lips make you burn. He makes you ache, the way he hasn't touched you like this in months.

“Everyone is gone for the day,” he murmurs against you, kisses becoming more frequent across your hips. “All of them. I could fuck you and make you scream and no one would know.” His words make you shudder, your back arching as his lips traveled upwards, teeth coming out to mark you up all over your tits. “So pretty like this baby, when I mark you up like that.”

You know that if you don't stop him now, Matt will get you in his bed - he would get you in his bed and then from there he'd take you apart with his fingers, his cock, his mouth. Then he’d use that same damn mouth that got you into bed with him to talk you into staying there. And as much as you love Brady… you can't resist him. You place your hand on his shoulder, his skin is warm, and it takes everything out of you to push him away.

“Matty, stop, Matthew, stop it.” Suddenly you can feel the sun back on your skin, Matthew having retreated from you completely.

“What's wrong?” he says softly, “Please, what did I do?”

“Nothing,” you lie, closing your eyes again so you wouldn't have to look at him as you say your next words. “I'm telling Brady how I feel. Tonight. No matter what happens I’m telling him tonight.”

“Oh. Good luck, then, I guess.” That's all Matthew says, then there's a shuffling noise and silence. Then the slam of the sliding door to the kitchen.

You shift uncomfortably and turn your thoughts back to Brady.

It’s later, when you’re curled up against Brady’s chest with a random movie playing on tv that you get cold feet. It’s just you and him, on the couch of the first floor of the house. Matthew is God knows where, and Taryn still hadn't gotten back from her friend’s house. This moment on the couch with him is perfect, it feels so domestic. You don't want to ruin this moment by telling him how you feel, and potentially - probably - being rejected.

You promised yourself.

You take a deep breath, ready to blurt out those three little words, and then -

“So, you and my brother huh?” Brady murmurs, eyes remaining trained on the action scene on the screen in front of him. “I know you got defensive last time I mentioned it but you guys are good together, and I'm glad you finally see it.”

You feel like you can't breathe, your throat choking up. You want to cry, yell, scream, something to just let him know that you love him.

“Actually, Brady -”

“Hey, don't worry it’s okay,” Brady laughs, reassuring you and pulling you closer to squeeze you. “I promise, I've seen you with him, and I think you guys are good together, don't worry about it.” You fall silent, not really knowing how to work your way out of this one.

“We’re not together,” you say quietly, and you had the way Brady’s hum of acknowledgment sounds like he doesn't believe you. You give up on telling him tonight.

The expression on Brady’s face drops when he meets your eyes across the table. You were just so tired. And you knew that he could see it in your face. What with work absolutely kicking your ass, to the point where you were barely able to get this week off to come home to St. Louis. It’s the end of summer, which means you and Brady were about to go through months of hectic schedules and voicemails that say “Hey, sorry I just missed your call, life has been crazy lately.” Your gaze falls from the lines of Brady's face to the seat at his right side.

Autumn smiles at you, and you hate the way the warmth that radiates from her feels like a knife twisting deeper into your gut. You hate yourself for how much you hate Autumn, you know she doesn't deserve it. Brady catches your eye again, a brief flash of recognition sliding across his face before it's gone. You'd been avoiding him for the past three days since you got here, and you almost felt guilty for it.

Matt’s hand gripping your thigh draws your attention away from Brady. He squeezes your thigh, smiling reassuringly at you and bumping your shoulder gently. It’s when Autumn finally stands from the table, smiling sweetly at Keith and Chantal, that you release the breath you'd been holding in all night. Brady says he's going to walk her out, a car waiting for her outside to take her to the airport back to Ottawa.

You don't fight it when Matthew tells you to head downstairs and he and Taryn could take care of the cleaning up. You curl up on the couch in the basement, stealing Matt’s Flames hoodie off the back of a chair and a blanket from the closet. Your eyes flutter shut to the muted noises of the dishes clinking together.

You let your eyes flutter closed, only opening them again when you feel a warm heat slide in beside you. You hum when Matt kisses your temple softly.

“You okay?” he nudges you gently, stealing the end of your blanket to cover his legs.

“Yeah, just tired,” you mumble back, voice muffled by the pillow your face is half-buried in. You know Matthew knows better than to believe your blatant lie, but you're okay with the way he chooses to move past it and not make you talk about it.

The two of you lounge on the couch silently, Matt switching on some Netflix show he’d been watching after you heard Taryn say she was going to bed. You tried not to think about how long Brady was taking upstairs with Autumn.

They'd gotten back together over the summer, she’d reached out to him before he left for the off season, which he failed to mention until it was nearly over. Against both yours, Matthew’s, and Taryn’s advice, Brady had bought a plane ticket back to Ottawa, saying that he might as well give it a shot.

Matthew had held you when you cried that night, Taryn bringing the two of you water and food when it was clear you weren't leaving his room, much less his arms.

He wanted to hold you right now too, god how he wanted to hold you. But he couldn't, not with Brady due back any second from waiting out front for Autumn's ride. He couldn't risk Brady seeing the two of you, not again.

Brady had made comments here and there about Matt’s relationship with you. No matter how much Matt insisted that the two of you weren't involved, Brady wasn't convinced, insisting that he was okay with it.

But right now, in this moment, he wanted to believe him. Matt’s hands ached to touch you, hold you, draw patterns on your skin, he yearned for it. He wanted - he needed to make sure that you knew that everything was going to be okay. Just as his resolve starts to crumble, his hands twitching in his lap as he begins to reach for you, a voice comes from the stairs.

“We should talk - right?” Brady is talking to you, making you open your eyes to look at him. “Like - things are weird, have been weird, and we have to talk about it right?”

You nodded silently, shifting in your spot so that you're sitting up, any physical contact you had with Matt now lost. “Yeah,” your voice comes out small, a whisper, and then stronger, firmer. “Yeah, we need to talk.”

This is it.

The silence in the room is almost unbearable, and you're unable to choke the words out. Brady stares at you, while you stare down at your hands. Matt refuses to look at either of you, gaze trained on the wall behind the TV, jaw clenched so tightly that if your eyes were on him you'd tell him he was about to break his teeth.

“Is this about you and Matt?” The words come out of nowhere, and it feels like you've been slapped.

“What?” Matt’s head snaps towards Brady, as does yours.

“No, really,” Brady says, “Did you guys break up oh something?

“What are you talking about Brady?” You can't stop the frustration from seeping into your voice. “That's not what this is -”

“‘Cause you know I’m okay with you guys together,” Brady continues obliviously, “I keep telling both of you that it's fine but I don't get why you insist on-”

“Oh my god you idiot!” Matt’s outburst shuts Brady up pretty quickly, leaving the younger brother staring at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. Matt looks at you and his eyes are sad, regret and apologies already written all over his face for what he's about to say next. “She's in love with you.”

He speaks so quietly you almost don't hear the second part of his statement.

“And I’m in love with her.”

Time screeches to a halt. You're convinced it's a dream, nearly pinching yourself to prove that it is. Brady is staring at Matt now, and you're staring at the ground.

“You're lying.” You don't believe the words you're saying either, and neither do Matt and Brady.

“I love you.” He's telling the truth, you can hear it in his voice.

“Stop.”

“I love you and you love him.”

“Stop it!”

“I love you, and, fuck - Y/N, it’s simultaneously the best and worst thing that’s ever fucking happened to me.”

“Please! Matty, please! Just stop!”

“Is he telling the truth?” This time it’s Brady. His voice quivers with every word. Like he doesn’t want it to be true. “You're in love with me?”

You wrap your arms around your torso, squeezing your eyes shut and hoping - praying - that when you opened your eyes, this would all be over and you'd wake up in your bed. But when you opened your eyes again, you were still on the couch in the Tkachuk’s basement, blanket tangled between you and Matt.

“You should have let me tell him,” you say to Matt, ignoring Brady’s question, still lingering in the air. “I wanted to be the one to tell him, you knew that.”

“Well, he hasn't been letting you, now has he?” Matt snaps back at you, the regret showing up on his face almost instantaneously. “Baby…”

The name slips out on accident, he doesn't mean to say, and he sure as hell doesn't mean for Brady to hear it.

“Okay, what the hell is going on here?” Brady finally yells, fed up with being kept in the dark. “What the fuck are you guys talking about?”

“I don't-” you start to say, trying to say it before Matt does.

“She loves you, okay?” Matt grabs your hand for a moment when he starts to speak, giving it a squeeze before taking his own hand back again. “She loves you in more than a friend way, and we’ve spent nearly the last year trying to get her to tell you but every time - every time Brady! - some stupid shit happens, like you trying to hook her up with someone, or - oh, I don't know - randomly springing your girlfriend on us!”

“That was one time!” Brady argues, “Besides you were the only one who knew Autumn was coming, why are you even mad?” You flinch at the mention of her name, but freeze at what comes after.

“What?”

Matt looks like he's been caught red handed - and he has, really. He just didn't mean for you to find out this way. He didn't mean for you to find out any of this the way that you just did.

“I can explain -”

“Please don't,” you stand up just as Matt is reaching for you. “I don't want an explanation. I don't - I just want to - I’m going home.”

While Brady doesn’t even look at you, Matt nearly lunges for you when you walk away from the couch. Walk away from him. He hates the way the thought stings. He barely manages to brush his fingertips against the red fabric of his hoodie before you're halfway up the stairs and the door to the basement slams shut.

#n e wayz #matthew tkachuk #matty tkachuk #ratthew!!!!!#brady tkachuk #ottawa senators #calgary flames #hockey #imagine #smut #nhl #4+1

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davidpastrsnack · 4 years ago

Text

three times brady stayed quiet, one time he didn’t - brady tkachuk

a/n: i have such a soft spot for brady and this is the result. some really soft friends to lovers, but i also left the possibility for a smuttier part 2 if you guys are interested. i hope you enjoy (especially my fellow brady girls) and please let me know what you think!

word count: 5618

one

After just barely getting through your final assignments of the last grueling week of school, it was finally time for the best part of the year: summer with the Tkachuks. Your dad grew up with Keith outside of Boston, the two maintaining a close relationship despite the distance that kept them apart for so long. For as long as you could remember, you and your siblings had spent the majority of the summer months with them, either on the lakes of Missouri or the oceans of Cape Cod.

The busy hum of voices and speakers was all you heard, your tired body dragging through the airport, iced coffee in hand hoping it would give you even just another ounce of energy. You finally reached your gate, sitting down on the cool leather seat to wait for your boarding call.

Your siblings were already in St. Louis, having finished school before you, and you were the last one to arrive before the commencing weekend of the summer. You knew you were in for a wild ride if the Snapchat stories of your older brother and Matthew getting up to no good were any indication.

Just as you adjusted your headphones and felt your eyelids flutter shut, your phone buzzed, pulling you from your daze.

Brady: I got held up here for another day, but should be there tomorrow

Brady: Don’t miss me too much

You rolled your eyes at the screen, laughing as you saw his words and your brain automatically translated them into his voice. You considered all of the Tkachuks to be like family, but Brady was different, he always had been. Since day one he was constantly looking out for you, even more so than Matthew and your brother. He always had an eye on you, that eye becoming more and more threatening to everyone else as he grew into his now 6’4”, 200lbs frame.

Don’t worry, I’ll have Matthew to keep me company :)

You smiled as you typed out your response, throwing back exactly what he had dished out. You couldn’t deny that your relationship had become more flirtatious over the recent years, but you always assumed it was just the teasing nature of the Tkachuk household. If he was going to chirp you, you were going to chirp right back. But the banter had always flowed seamlessly, both of you knowing the other so well. You weren’t always clear on the motivation behind some of his comments, but it didn’t hurt to have a little fun with him.

You finally boarded the plane, your flight not taking long before you were stepping out in the thick Missouri air. To say you were exhausted was an understatement, your eyes barely staying open as you searched for the black Audi you knew would be arriving any minutes. Just a few moments later you saw the luxury sedan turn the corner, a brown mop of curls sitting behind the wheel.

“There she is,” Matthew yelled, pulling you in for a hug after stepping out of the front seat.

“Hi Matthew,” you hummed, “Thanks for getting me.”

“Of course, Y/N, anything for my future sister-in-law,” he teased, that cocky smirk on full display while he grabbed your suitcase.

You didn’t even acknowledge his comment, moving right along to get in the car and ask him how his season was. You were far from a stranger to his jokes, but you were not in the mood today and he seemed to pick up on it. So he gave it up for the ride, instead catching up on how you were doing otherwise since he had last seen you. All jokes aside, Matthew truly cared for you like family, especially considering he was dead serious about you eventually being his sister-in-law.

After stopping for food on the way, you finally arrived at the house, Matthew pulling into the lit driveway as you took off your seatbelt. Chantal was waiting by the front door, immediately giving you a tight hug when you walked in. She was basically your second mother, always taking care of you as if you were one of her own.

“Y/N! How are you, sweetie?” she exclaimed, urging you to follow her into the kitchen.

“I’m good,” you responded while sitting down at the counter next to Matthew.

“She’s exhausted mom,” Matthew deadpanned before you could continue.

You rolled your eyes at his words, a smile growing on your lips as you quickly fell back into the comfort of this home.

“I’m okay, really,” you assured Chantal.

“Oh honey, come on,” she grabbed your backpack and gestured for you to follow her upstairs. “All of the guestrooms are full right now with Matthew’s friends but they’re leaving tonight. Just go ahead into Brady’s room, I’m sure he told you he’s still in Ottawa until tomorrow.”

You nodded, “Yeah, he did.”

She led you down the hall, as if you didn’t know exactly where you were going, and opened the door to his room. The same hockey memorabilia was scattered across the walls and the closet was slightly open, the clothes he left here during the season poking out.

“Just relax in here, sweetie. The sheets are clean and there are towels in the bathroom. I’ll check in with you in a little bit, okay?”

“Thank you so much,” you smiled, pulling her in for another hug before she headed back downstairs.

No matter how much time you had spent in this room, something about being in there without Brady felt wrong. But the exhaustion of the travel day and the past week didn’t let you think about it too much, instead telling you to go take a shower and change into fresh clothes. You didn’t mean for it to happen, but the second you laid across the bed you were down for the count.

-----

When Brady opened his door after arriving home the next morning, his jaw nearly hit the floor. Chantal told him that you were in there, but there was no preparing himself for the sight in front of him. You were still fast asleep, but the covers were mostly thrown off your body. He smiled to himself as he remembered that you always get too hot while you sleep. The oversized t-shirt you were wearing was bunched at your waist, your tiny sleep shorts riding up your hips giving him the perfect view of your ass. Your head was nuzzled into his pillow, your hands resting in front of you as if you should be holding someone and your lips pouted as you slept. He had seen you asleep countless times before, but something about you being in his bed waiting for him like this was taking his breath away today. He thought about what it would be like if things were different. He could slide under the covers behind you, slip his rough hands around the soft skin of your waist, kiss your collarbone and neck as you giggled in his grasp, moving one of his hands lower and lower until-

“Fuck,” he mumbled, losing grip of his phone as he was distracted by his awe of you, the metal slipping out of his hand and falling against the hardwood floor. He scrambled to grab it without dropping his bags or waking you up. But it was too late, your sleeping frame stirred at the sudden noise, lifting your head to see what it was.

“Brady?” you questioned, your voice laced with sleep and your eyes squinting as they adjusted to the morning light pouring through the windows.

“Yeah, it’s me. Sorry I just- mom told me you were in here,” he spoke, afraid it looked like he had just been staring at you, which of course he had been.

“Don’t be sorry Brades, it’s your room,” you laughed as you sat up, adjusting your shirt when you realized how exposed you were.

He laughed too, trying to shake off whatever awkwardness had infected him this morning and not let his eyes trail down your frame.

“Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to come give me a hug?” you grinned.

Brady shook his head smiling as he made his way towards you, sitting on the edge of the mattress and pulling you in. His body relaxed as you wrapped yourself around him, your touch and scent overwhelming his senses.

You could feel the tension leaving his shoulders as your hands traced the curls at the base of his neck, “You okay?” you whispered.

He pulled back at your words, piercing blue eyes meeting yours. “I’m fine,” he paused, wondering if he should come clean about everything right now. But he decided it wasn’t worth freaking you out on day one of the summer, “I just missed you, that’s all.”

A soft smile crept on your lips, hearing him say that he missed you as much as you missed him warming your heart.

“Come on, I’m hungry,” you said as you grabbed his hand, a playful scoff leaving his mouth as he trailed behind you towards the stairs, the energy between the two of you starting to return to normal.

two

After everyone had finally arrived and settled in, it was time for the first house party of the season. The mere thought of this moment had given you the motivation to finish your exams, so it went without saying that you could not be more excited. Keith and Chantal were out of town for the weekend, putting Matthew in charge of making sure everyone stayed safe. You were finishing getting ready in one of the guest rooms, which you had almost moved into for the summer after the one night in Brady’s. You went for a simple outfit, a white top with jeans and sneakers before heading downstairs to join the growing crowd.

You were surrounded by faces as soon as you made your way down, some familiar and some not. Your eyes scanned the room for your friends, knowing your close friend Emily had already arrived. You finally found her standing in one of the corners and you turned to go meet them.

“Long time no see,” you beamed when you arrived at their circle, the girls jumping to hug you as they saw you for the first time since last August. It was great to catch up with everyone, but you quickly realized that you forgot to get a drink.

“Em, I’m gonna go grab a drink,” you spoke to which she nodded.

“I’ll come with,” she urged, reaching for your hand as you both walked towards the kitchen.

“So you look hot tonight,” she grinned, speaking in your ear so you could hear over the music. “I bet he finally makes his move later.”

“Who?” you challenged, but she didn’t need to say another word for you to know who she was talking about.

“Y/N, please just save it,” Emily rolled her eyes, “Look, he’s already drooling over you,” she gestured towards where Brady was sitting around a table with Matthew and some of their old friends from hockey. She was right, he was looking right at you, waving when you made eye contact. You gave a small wave back before quickly turning your body away from him to face Emily.

“He always watches me at parties,” you reasoned.

“Yeah, because he’s in love with you,” she scoffed, pouring two drinks into red solo cups.

“Because he’s a good guy, Emily,” you rebutted before taking a far too large sip of whatever she made.

Meanwhile, across the room, Brady was facing the same kind of comments from his friends. As soon as he saw you cross the room with Emily he couldn’t peel his eyes away. You were practically glowing, your smile wide as the stress from the school year finally seemed to disappear from your mind.

“Really Tkachuk?” he heard from next to him, his head snapping away from you to look at the voice.

“What?” he questioned, his challenge laced with attitude.

“Y/N? Still?” his friend Jack responded.

Brady just shook his head in annoyance. He didn’t have the energy for this conversation tonight.

“As long as the sky is blue, Brady will be falling at the feet of Y/N,” Matthew chimed in, a smirk gracing his lips as he hid behind his solo cup.

Brady maintained his silence, hoping they would get bored and move on, but not so fast.

“So you aren’t hitting it?”

He thought he was mad before, but nothing compared to the pure anger Brady felt at this comment. It was Nick, a kid he had never liked through all the years they played together in St. Louis. He was fuming, Matthew swore he could see smoke coming out of his ears as he waited for his brother's response, getting ready to step in if necessary.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Nick?” Brady started, turning his body towards him and sitting up straight. “Am I hitting it? You’re talking about my childhood best friend, show some fucking respect.”

Nick looked stunned, his eyes wide as Brady glared at him. “Dude, I-,”

“Don’t,” he interrupted, moving to stand up so he towered over him. “You wanna know why no girl will ever come within ten feet of you? It’s because of shit like this, Nick. You’re a complete asshole and you don’t deserve a thing from any woman,” he scolded.

By this point, Brady had drawn the attention of many, nearly all of the guests staring at the commotion, including you.

Your face dropped as you saw him yelling, concern written all over your face as your brows furrowed in his direction. He finally seemed to calm down, his eyes looking defeated as they locked with yours. With one more look at Nick, he shook his head in disgust before walking towards the back of the house, the door slamming shut behind him.

The room was nearly silent, everyone looking at each other to see if they knew what just happened.

“Everything’s fine guys,” Matthew urged, the party resuming at his words. Your eyes met his and before you could even make it over to ask what that was he was gesturing towards the door for you to follow Brady.

You nodded, discarding your drink on the counter and rushing to him. You slowly opened the backdoor, searching for his blond curls. You quickly found him alone on the patio, sitting on the outdoor couch with his head thrown back against the cushion, and his eyes closed.

“Brady?” you whispered.

His eyes shot open at your voice, “Fuck,” he mumbled under his breath. Even though he knew it was impossible, part of him was hoping you didn’t see that.

You didn’t say anything but rather moved towards him, stepping over his legs so you could sit next to him. He stayed silent, just swinging his arm around your shoulders and tugging you into his frame. You sighed as your head rested against his chest, waiting for him to talk when he was ready.

After almost ten minutes, Brady finally spoke, “Nick is an asshole,” he muttered.

You couldn’t help but let out a small giggle at his words, lifting your head to look at him, but he was still staring straight ahead. He didn’t know if he could keep it together if his eyes met yours.

“Brady,” you muttered, “What happened?”

“He just said something I didn’t like.”

“Come on, Brades,” you pleaded, hoping he would finally give in and tell you what happened.

But instead, he shook his head, “I don’t want to talk about it, okay?” he snapped, instantly regretting his reaction when he felt your body flinch at his tone. He sighed, letting out a breath it felt like he had been holding for hours, “I’m sorry, Y/N. I just-”

“It’s okay,” you whispered. You had no idea what was going on with him, but regardless, it was clear that he needed you. You laid your head back down on his shoulder, smiling to yourself as you felt him press a kiss to the top of your hair.

three

It had felt like forever since you had been on a proper date, the college lifestyle not always being conducive to it. But now here you were, getting ready to go out to dinner with the guy next door, Tommy. The two of you had been friendly for years, getting to know him more and more with each summer you spent with the Tkachuks. You definitely were surprised when he asked you out, but you didn’t see the harm in taking him up on his offer.

And to be completely honest, part of you was getting frustrated at your situation with Brady. It was a cycle that started over each summer. You entered June denying that there was even a hint of anything more than friendship, but by July you were sucked right back under his spell, until August came and you were ripped apart from each other yet again. Clearly nothing was different about this year, so it was time you tried to move on and enjoy your summer in, well, other ways.

You slipped into a dress, casual but still cute, and tied your white sneakers. You walked over to your window to see both Matthew and Brady’s cars sitting in the driveway. Great, you thought. This would be much more painless if they weren’t home, but of course, the world was not on your side. You did one last hair and makeup check before grabbing your bag and heading down the stairs, feigning total confidence as you grew closer to the boys.

They were laying across the couch playing video games, both of their eyes darting straight to you as you tried to sneak out the front door.

“It’s rude not to say goodbye,” you heard Matthew yell from behind you.

“Fuck,” you silently mouthed, turning to move into the living room where they sat.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you guys there!” you lied through your teeth.

Matthew’s face scrunched up at your excuse, knowing there was no possible way you didn’t see them.

“Where are you going?” Brady asked, his voice much softer than his brothers, almost like he knew what he was about to hear.

“Um, I’m going to dinner with Tommy,” you said, trailing off at the end as the awkwardness set in the room.

No matter how much you tried to deny it, you saw the way Brady’s face fell at your words. The guilt suddenly hit you like a truck, but then again it wasn’t like he was doing anything to change the status of your relationship.

“Tommy?” Matthew questioned, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Yeah,” you stalled, “I don’t know, he asked me and I said yes.”

“Interesting,” he muttered, looking at his younger brother who was pretending to be enthralled in the game.

“Alright well, I’ll see you guys later,” you said, standing as you waited for Brady’s response, but it never came.

Matthew sensed the obvious tension, doing whatever he could to break it, “Have fun Y/N, but not too much,” he teased.

You rolled your eyes, finally moving to open the door, not at all minding that it slammed behind you.

As soon as you were out the door, Matthew pulled the controller out of Brady’s hand. He couldn’t watch this anymore.

“What the fuck, Matt?” he shouted, his emotions high after watching you leave.

“No, I should be asking you that,” he threw back. “What the fuck are you two doing?”

Brady sighed, running his hands over his face before holding his heavy head in his palms. He didn’t know what he was doing. For so many years he was terrified of telling you how he felt. If you didn’t reciprocate his feelings, he didn’t know if your friendship could ever recover and he was not taking that risk. But this year it was all too much, you were perfect for each other and everyone around you knew it too. How could he blame you for trying to find someone else when he couldn’t even muster up the courage to tell you the truth?

“I don’t know, Matt,” he started, his words muffled by his hands, tears prickling the back of his eyes.

Despite teasing him about you for so long, Matthew’s heart broke as he saw his brother in so much distress over this.

“Just tell her. I promise you it will work out,” he encouraged, placing a comforting hand on Brady’s shoulder. “Anyone with eyes can tell that you two are made for each other. It’s gross, actually.”

Brady let out a laugh at Matthew’s chirp, finally picking his head up, “But now I have Tommy to worry about.”

Matthew scoffed, laughing as he spoke, “Yeah, because Y/N really seems like the type to throw away her entire relationship with you over one date with Tommy, of all people.”

-----

Your night was going well, but you just couldn’t shake the look on Brady’s face from your mind; he was hurt.

Tommy was sweet, making you laugh throughout dinner, but you knew you had no intention of seeing him, like this, again. After leaving the restaurant, he suggested you got ice cream and walked around the city, to which you agreed. You felt bad for leading him on, but part of you was dreading arriving back to the house. You were sitting on a bench taking in the view of the city and talking about plans for the year when you felt him shift his body closer to yours. His intentions were clear, and your heart dropped at the realization that you were going to have to let him down much earlier than anticipated.

Just as you were trying to find the right words to tell him, he placed his hand high on your thigh and he leaned in to kiss you. You immediately flinched, pulling your face far away from his.

“Tommy, I- I’m sorry,” you whispered.

A dark chuckle came out of his mouth and you could feel the energy change, the air growing thick with tension.

“Seriously?”

His much larger frame than yours suddenly became quite intimidating as he leaned over you, clearly not taking the rejection well.

“I’m sorry,” you continued, “I just don’t think this is going to happen.”

“Unbelievable,” he shook his head at you, your body pushing back into the bench in an attempt to get as far away from him as possible. “This is about Tkachuk, isn’t it? I should have known you would only be interested in the fame and money,” he mumbled with another laugh.

His words slapped you across the face, your eyes burning as you felt the tears try to push their way out. In all the years you had known him, you never had the slightest idea that Tommy had such a cruel side to him.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” you rebutted, “Get away from me, Tommy.”

“No problem, darling,” he smiled, standing up and walking away, leaving you stranded on the street downtown.

Your head fell into your hands, the cold evening breeze riding under your dress. Your mind instantly started listing all the reasons why this was your fault, but deep down you knew it wasn’t. After sitting there in defeat for a few moments, you finally pulled out your phone, dialing the only number that ever mattered.

It seemed like hours later when you finally saw the black SUV pull up on the street in front of you. Before you could even stand up, Brady was running out of the car towards you. Your emotions got the best of you once he was by your side, your body collapsing into his as the tears fell.

“What the hell did he do?” he questioned while rocking you back and forth in his arms.

You couldn’t find the words to answer.

“Y/N, you’re freezing,” he spoke as he felt your cool skin against his, “Come on,” he urged, grasping your hand to guide you to the car.

Once you were inside the warm car, he reached into the back seat to find a sweatshirt, handing you the soft material.

“Thank you,” you whisper, scared your voice would betray you as you slipped the fabric over your head, the scent of his cologne comforting you right away.

“I’m gonna kill him,” Brady hissed, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel.

“No, you’re not Brady,” you warned, “I had a good night until I didn’t. We just had different ideas of how it was going to end,” you scoffed, a sarcastic laugh slipping through your lips.

Brady shook his head, pausing to glance over at you while he was stopped at a light. You were resting against the cool glass, his sweatshirt pooling around your hips, the fabric of your dress peeking from beneath it. The light finally turned, your face now illuminated in green and he only had one thought.

He would never treat you like that.

plus one

Despite his conversation with Matthew, Brady still had yet to say anything to you. You assured him time after time that you were okay after Tommy, but he didn’t want his confession to seem reactionary. You deserved more than that.

The plan tonight was for everyone to go out to one of the hotspots in town, but you weren’t feeling it. Everything that happened the night before had you even more consumed with your thoughts about Brady, and you needed a night of just nothing. The voices from downstairs carried while the boys were getting ready to leave, their laughter making you smile as you walked into the kitchen. They were so wound up all year long and it was refreshing to see them truly relaxing.

You drew their attention right away as you entered the room, their brows furrowed in confusion as they took in the sweats you were wearing.

“Y/N!” one of them howled, “We’re going soon, hurry up!”

You laughed as you turned to face him, the voice belonging to Jack.

“I’m not going Jack,” you explained, opening the fridge to look for something to satisfy your late-night craving.

“But you have to come, you’re so fun,” he whined.

“I promise I won’t be that fun tonight. Just go enjoy yourselves, I’ll be here waiting to make sure you all get back in the house alive,” you jested.

“I’ll stay,” you heard from behind you. You didn’t even have to look to know who it was.

You finally rotated your body, meeting his gaze right away. He looked good. His black jeans hugged his thighs perfect, the matching black t-shirt fitting around his biceps like a glove. He towered over your, those bright blue eyes piercing into yours. He was close enough for you to take in his cologne, the scent immediately clouding your senses.

“I’m fine, Brady,” you reasoned, shaking yourself out of your daze, “Seriously, go.”

He didn’t speak right away, instead he gave you a knowing look. You gave him the same look right back, challenging him to go against you.

“Matt,” he called, not breaking eye contact, “I’m gonna stay.”

You rolled your eyes at his stubbornness but you were just thankful that you had a reason to look away, praying that the heat you were feeling hadn’t made its way onto your cheeks.

“Alright,” Matthew responded, not even bothering to question the two of you at this point.

The boys flooded the front door, all yelling goodbye before they piled into the Ubers waiting outside. A heavy silence fell over the house, your body leaning against the kitchen counter as you waited for Brady to say something.

“I’m just gonna change,” he spoke, gesturing to the staircase. “Put a movie on, yeah?”

“Yeah,” you nodded, your voice barely above a whisper.

Just a few minutes later he returned, dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt. You were laying across the couch, the movie already playing as he sat down next to you.

“Cold?” he asked, already knowing that you were by the way you wrapped your arms around your middle.

“A little,” you mumbled, smiling as he covered the two of you in a blanket, squeezing your frame as he pulled it closer to his own.

You stayed like that for a while, your body resting nearly completely on top of his, your leg swung over his lap and your head nuzzled into his chest. Any tension that was there before seemed to have disappeared, both of you returning to your normal states.

But just seconds later, the screen flashed to a bedroom, the two main characters in the middle of what could be referred to only as a passionate, graphic sex scene. You immediately felt Brady tense beneath you, your cheeks flushing bright red at his response. It took everything within you not to react in any other way, but it felt like your entire body was on fire, begging to be touched. The sounds of the woman’s moans echoed off the walls, her face contorting in pleasure as the man continued. There was no denying that the image triggered a throbbing pressure between your legs, your brain fighting your body’s instinct to grind against his thigh.

Brady’s stomach dropped when he processed what was happening, the woman undressing on the screen making his mind wander to doing the same thing with you. He wanted to touch you like that, he wanted to make you scream his name like that, make you fall apart like that because no one knew you as well as he did. But his imagination was far too vivid, and he internally cursed himself as he felt his pants become tighter and tighter.

This has to be the longest sex scene in the history of all film, you thought to yourself as it continued, seemingly never-ending. Your hand was growing sore from its position under your head, so you gently shifted your body in hopes of getting more comfortable, but what you got was something else entirely.

Your breath hitched when you felt it, unable to disguise your reaction. You were situated over his lap, your lower thigh brushing against his crotch and you could feel just how hard he had become beneath you. You froze, not knowing what to do or say, if anything at all.

“Y/N,” he whispered, preparing to apologize, afraid he had made you so uncomfortable that he couldn’t recover.

You knew he was beyond embarrassed, but something inside you had been ignited and you couldn’t ignore it any longer. Before you could talk yourself out of it, you swung your hips over his, moving to straddle him while you grabbed his face, pulling it to yours. He tensed again in pure shock, but it didn’t take long for him to relax against you, his hands circling your waist as he pushed you back down into his lap. Your lips moved together in perfect synchrony, a small whimper slipping out from your mouth as he bit your bottom lip between his teeth. He groaned into you at the sound, his hands sliding lower so he could grind you into his length, in desperate need of hearing you more. You had one hand tugging at the nape of his neck, the blond curls feeling like silk between your fingers, while the other slipped underneath his shirt, running your cool fingertips across his flexing abs.

You were both so lost in the moment, ready to rip each other's clothes off at any second when Brady finally pulled back.

“Wait,” he gasped, running his large hands across your thighs as he gathered his thoughts.

Your breathing was labored, trying to catch your breath as you took in the sight below you. His lips were pink and swollen, his cheeks had a bright red tinge, and his blues eyes were staring at you in awe.

“What?” you questioned, insecurity suddenly flooding your mind, your body separating from his as you leaned away.

“No no no,” he cooed, urging you to come back close to him. You obliged, your eyes scanning his face in hopes of deciphering what he was thinking.

“I just- if we’re going to do this,” he gestured between your bodies, “We have to do... this,” he whispered as he looked up at you, what he meant perfectly clear to you. “I want you, but I want all of you.”

You smiled at his words, the anxiety washing off his face as he saw your reaction.

“Brady, I have wanted this for longer than I can even remember,” you beamed, your hands cupping his cheeks, thumbing running over the soft skin. “I want all of you, too.”

“Yeah?” he grinned.

“Yeah,” you laughed.

He pulled you back down to meet his lips, your teeth clashing as you both smiled into the kiss.

“Well then,” he smirked, “If you don’t mind, I’m taking you upstairs.”

He wrapped his palms around your thighs, holding you as he stood up. You shrieked at the sudden movement, laughing as your legs circled his waist. He held you impossibly close to his body, terrified to let you go now that he had you.

“Please, Brady,” you whined against his skin, “Take me upstairs.”

“Fuck,” he breathed out.

That was all he needed to hear to rush up to his room, more than ready to show you exactly how much he had loved you since day one.

part two here

#brady tkachuk #brady tkachuk imagine #nhl imagine #hockey imagine #my writing

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