i can't recall who on here linked to this Player's Tribune article by Mike Bossy (of the Isles four cups, playing career 1977-1987), but it is fascinating and heartbreaking:
Some sections that stood out to me:
Other teams are going to target you, big time. You’ll get jumped from behind. Sucker punched. Completely knocked out by blindside hits. (In the future, there’s a serious injury called a concussion. You don’t know what this is yet, but unfortunately you’re going to have quite a few.)
The abuse will leave a mark on you forever. Your nose will be broken. Your ribs will be cracked. But it will leave a mark on your soul, too. Psychologically, just riding on the bus to games knowing the violence that awaits you is something that you’re going to have a hard time with. There are going to be so many long bus rides when you’ll think, Why am I even doing this? What’s the point?
But you have to keep going.
In 1979, you’re going to announce to the press that you’re never going to fight again. That’s it. You’re done with it. No matter what anyone does to you, you’re not going to fight. You think it’s pointless and insane.
Oh, boy. That’s going to be an interesting time.
You need to be prepared for the names you’re going to get called. You need to be prepared for how people are going to look at you for making a statement like that in 1979. For a guy who is already unfairly labeled as “timid,” this is going to be a big deal. Some people in the hockey world will simply not accept that someone who doesn’t fight can ever be a winner.
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2049
miya atsumu x reader
words; 1262
synopsis; he chases her until he gets her.
She wishes she could crawl away from him, but he’s holding on too tight for comfort. This was only supposed to be a one night, maybe two night, occurrence. But as soon as he bites her, it’s game over and she falls back into bed with him again.
One game theory class and it was over for Miya Atsumu. She was there for her Statistics major, he was there because he majorly misunderstood what game theory was related to, and he found out the hard way that it wasn’t volleyball but rather mathematics. He had begged for homework answers from most of his classmates, and she was just the only one who actually responded to his texts.
From- Miya Atsumu: I need the notes from lecture today, preferably in dumb-dumb language
To- Miya Atsumu: I have my annotated notes, which for you would be three steps above dumb-dumb language, but close enough to function the way you need.
He liked the way she dressed. Her sweaters and skirts. Her t-shirts and jeans. He really liked the shoes she chose to wear. He wanted to play with her like the little dress-up dolls that his younger girl cousins loved to bring around to his house. Strip her down and then layer clothing items back on. Mostly strip her down though.
When she raised her hand in class he had to stop himself from drooling just from the way he reacted to her voice. Was it weird to think that a person was yummy? He just knew her mouth and skin tasted delicious. If the way she smelled was any kind of indicator, then he was in for a treat if he ever did get that far.
Whining for her to come to one of his games may not have been the ideal method of getting her to hook up with him, but it definitely had its merits. Apparently, seeing him sweaty and with a raging god-complex had done it for her enough to agree to a short make out session back at his empty dorm.
His dorm was clean enough, but there were posters of volleyball players everywhere, and medals. She liked the glimmering gold and dazzling silver, the bronze she didn’t care much for. Atsumu let her try on his most recent accolades.
She pouted her lips, then pressed the cold metal to her lips, biting the medallion to see how real it was. It stung her teeth and rattled a chill into her gums. Definitely real.
Kissing was without ceremony or red LED lights, Atsumu had given those to his buddy a few weeks ago. At first side by side on his bed, her hands in his hair, and his hands on her waist. When he pushes for more, she lets him press her into the mattress. When he presses his hips into hers, moaning into her mouth, she lets him.
When he asks if he can lick her, she lets him. When he urges her to let him in, she wraps a leg around his waist.
Atsumu didn’t ever consider himself much of a cuddler, but after her, he became one. Rubbing his head into her neck, cupping her chest with his hand, letting her use his bicep as a pillow. Unconsciously, his body captures her, his leg resting over her torso. He’s heavy enough and sleeps too much like a toddler for her to escape without waking him.
She lets him hold her until the morning. That’s the one thing she regrets from the entire experience. Because as soon as he gets used to it, wrapping her up into himself, he never wants to stop.
Maybe after that first time she should’ve told him about her relationship situation. Not quite open, not quite closed. She figures it won’t happen again so it wasn’t notable enough for her to mention it to Ushijima.
Her and Ushijima weren’t exclusive, but they did disclose. She didn’t disclose Atsumu so she hopes that it doesn’t get around to the man she actually would like to cuddle with until the early sunrise when she knew that Ushijima would go for a run. Atsumu sleeps in, no morning run to let her escape.
The second time it happens is when Ushijima breaks it off. She crashes and burns right into Atsumu’s ready and loving arms. The next morning her entire body is covered in marks, he just rests his arms behind his head and admires his own handiwork. She feels a little like a finger painting that a child does and then when they rush to show their mother, the dearest mommy can only say, “Oh!” in response to the creation done by the child.
She says it can never happen again. He says that they would have to see about that. Maybe he was some sort of poison, praying for her to come and take all of him at once instead of small intermittent doses.
When game theory class ends, they no longer see each other in classes. Except Atsumu makes regular appearances in her day-to-day life. Infiltrating her friend groups and making himself known to some degree as: the one who sleeps with her occasionally.
Eventually, she’s the one who he makes wear his jerseys on game days. She’s the one who Atsumu bites into during parties, telling her it's time to go and do other things. She’s the one he practices everything on, treating her like a science project. Exerting this much force causes how much of a fluttering in her stomach? Putting the left hand on the small of her back and pushing her up and down onto me accelerates the process by how much? How many rounds cause jello legs in the morning?
The third time around he makes her his. Tracing his name where his mouth should definitely not be for the seventh time in two weeks. He’s decently sweet when he wraps the necklace around her neck, his initials bold and shiny against her collarbones. He freezes the sweet moment by wrapping his hands around her neck and saying he thinks he likes that necklace a little more. At least her being light-headed gives him more data to add to his science fair project on how her body responds to his.
He lets his hair grow out entirely black, cutting off the bleach blonde. He quizzes her then, bringing his twin from his Food and Health Science department, having her kiss them both to see who is who in the dim light of one am chaos. Osamu likes the way she tastes too, but Atsumu says he already called dibs. Atsumu blames the shared liking of her taste on them sharing a womb at one time in eternity.
2,049. The numbers don’t mean much to her, but to him, it’s his favorite tally by the time he’s well into his career, and she’s living with him like a little toy.
That very well might be all that she is. But living the toy life wasn’t so bad. Complete adoration from Atsumu. An infinite money hack that rendered her degree useless. Huge beds and expensive vacations. The only thing that irked her was how much he liked to play with his toy. Some days she thought she would break, but she never ended up breaking, despite his boundless energy.
Dedication to the preservation of his toy was a top priority. His only real priority. He only shared with his brother, because that’s what siblings do. But at the end of the day, she was his toy. Only his.
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