#every new thing I learn about goalies makes me love them even more

[jankwritten]

I saw that post about hockey au and Nico carrying his own gear bag, and it's actually not that strange for some players to carry their own gear or parts of their gear, and also goalies in particular do tend to carry their gear, sometimes even their buncha sticks all over the rink

OH THAT'S ACTUALLY VERY REASSURING THANK YOU. I figured it kind of fit with the whole "goalies are super superstitious" thing, but I wasn't totally sure if that was true to life or not. I think Nico would especially like to lug all of his gear around because nobody ever thinks of him as a goalie first, so he likes to have his big ol' fuckin pads and sticks with him so people do a double take.

[jackhues]

cool - (pricey shots and brick wolls! au)

note: takes place in 2019

"give me five minutes, i'm coming," saroyah tinker, defenseman for the toronto six and one of rowan's closest friends, said as soon as she picked up.

"i've been here for ten minutes," rowan groaned, tapping her steering wheel. "the desk guy is giving me a dirty look."

"also, i'm hungry," elain chuli, goalie for the toronto six, added from the back seat.

"didn't you eat a grilled cheese for breakfast?" emma woods asked.

shiann darkangelo, captain of the team, rolled her eyes with a little smile on her face.

rowan, saroyah, elain, emma and shiann were the first few confirmed members the of the phf's newest team - the toronto six. the inaugral season was going to take place next year, but the team was coming together already.

the five girls had been invited to the toronto marlies camp, to learn and teach new drills and practice with the team. it wasn't the maple leafs or the nhl, but it was still a big deal to them. and if there was one thing rowan hated, it was being late.

"i'm here," saroyah announced, getting into the passenger seat. "okay, we can go now."

"if you were any later, i'm pretty sure rowan would've left you," shiann laughed, causing the other girls to giggle as well.

"i was thinking about it," rowan admitted, turning onto the familiar toronto roads and making her way to the marlies training facility.

the girls sang along to rowan's playlist, made jokes, and laughed as they made their way. finally, rowan reverse parked into the parking lot.

"you should learn to forward park," emma commented, opening the trunk to grab her bag and gear. "there's gonna be a day where you can't reverse park into an empty spot."

"unlikely," rowan grinned, grabbing her own bag. "and at least i can park, not like the rest of you."

"it's not that we hate parking, we hate driving in the city," elain corrected.

"traffic's a pain," saroyah agreed.

emma and shiann nodded in agreement.

rowan stayed silent. she loved toronto because she made it her home. there was kelowna, there was montreal, but those were places her family had taken her. she loved them, yeah. but toronto was where hockey had taken her, and she chose it. so she made herself love every part of the city - even the dreadful traffic.

eventually, the girls had changed into their hockey gear, switching topics to different drills they wanted to try out, to moves they wanted to perform on the ice. they were hockey players after all, their conversations didn't go far from the sport for long.

"welcome," an older man walked up to them. "you guys must be from the toronto six, correct?"

they exchanged introductions, before making their way on the ice. pucks were littered on the ice, along with materials for puck handling drills.

"you guys can start to get comfortable on the ice," he told them. "the guys should be getting on the ice soon."

as if summoned, one of the marlies goalies began skating onto the ice.

"joe, over here!" the older man waved him over. he turned to the girls, "this is joseph woll, our rookie goalie. joe, these are players from the toronto six."

they took turns introducing themselves.

"rowan price," she nodded in the goalie's direction, smiling softly.

she always had a bit of a soft spot for goalies, mainly because of her uncle. and this goalie was a rookie, which made him even more endearing.

"it's nice to meet you guys," he smiled at them, before making his way to the net.

the other marlies players slowly made their way onto the ice, dropping by the girls to talk different drills.

rowan stuck to some puck handling drills, impressing some of the marlies players.

"have you tried shooting on one of the guys yet?" trevor moore, one of the marlies players asked.

"nah, not yet," rowan shook her head. "don't want to embarrass anyone this early in practice."

"ah don't worry about that," he laughed. "light 'em up all you want."

rowan grinned a little, finishing up her stick handling drill before skating off to where emma was. the two girls talked about some of the new drills they'd tried out, and how they were thinking of implementing those in their game.

rowan kept her eyes on the rookie goalie, number 35: joseph woll. he was pretty good, stopping a number of shots. he made little movements, tracking the puck long after he cleared it. the way he played seemed so familiar to her, but she was pretty sure she'd never seen him before today. it was weird.

"you should try shooting on him," emma told her. "he's pretty good for a rookie."

rowan nodded at the second statement, before grabbing a puck and getting ready to go against him. she felt like she was ten years old and back in her driveway, going 1v1 against her uncle after school.

she held the puck until the last second, before letting it go, right past his glove and in the net.

emma cheered at the goal, skating over to hug rowan.

rowan laughed at her excitement, continuing with a few more drills. she talked with different players, practicing new drills she never even heard of. she scored a few more goals on the different goalies, before skating over to the rookie she couldn't stop thinking about.

"joseph, right?" she asked, making her way to him as he stretched out. "you were great in net, you sure you're just a rookie?"

he laughed, taking his helmet off and putting it on the bench. the practice was nearly over anyways.

he has really pretty eyes, rowan noticed. she blinked, surprised by her train of thoughts.

"i'm just a rookie," joseph promised. "and call me joe. you were insane out there, by the way. i had no idea which way you were going to shoot until the shot was in the back of the net."

rowan laughed a little, "thanks. i grew up playing hockey against my uncle, so i had to develop a pretty quick release. the way you track the puck is good, it goes against my release. but i'm a little more familiar playing with goalies who track the puck that way."

"i actually learnt that from watching carey price play," he told her. "he was my favourite player growing up."

rowan stared at him, laughing a little bit. "yeah, he was mine too."

"seriously?" joe asked, doing a double take. "a goalie?"

"a goalie," she agreed. "he was my favourite. after him, i'll take sidney crosby. but carey price was my favourite player. still is. it's why i wear the same number."

she turned around, showing him the 'price/31' jersey she was wearing. joe blinked, realizing a few things at once.

"carey price is your uncle?" he asked, an almost awestruck expression on his face. "oh- that's so cool!"

"yeah," she agreed, knowing that her uncle was one of the coolest goalies of all time. she had a feeling this rookie could turn into something himself. "it's really cool."

[charlieconwayy]

D3: The Mighty Ducks (1996) is the best Ducks movie and a flawless coming of age movie

It’s no secret that The Mighty Ducks are a beloved trilogy. The three films spawned a professional NHL team named in their honor, 2021 sequel series, as well as many knockoff films released in the 1990s. But with any movie series, fans tend to rank the films and have passionate opinions on which is the best. For most Ducks fans, the answer is simple: D2. It has the Bash Brothers, Team USA dominating, the iconic “Ducks Fly Together” scene and two Queen songs. What’s not to love? But upon a rewatch of the trilogy, I came to realize that it’s not D2, or even the original, that is the best in the series.

It’s the criminally underrated 1996 D3 that for me, is the most mature and has the most heart. Perhaps it’s that the Ducks are now old enough to carry their own weight on screen. Perhaps it’s that the film takes a look at trauma, specifically trauma in teenagers, and how that manifests itself. Perhaps it’s that the film is maybe ahead of its time, in the way it discusses classism, racism and sexism. There is so much about this overly hated film that makes it the best Ducks movie and a perfect coming of age film.

The movie starts presumably a few years following the Ducks’ win against Iceland. They all look noticeably older - definitely older than the middle schoolers we left behind in 1994 - and all of the male Ducks’ voices have dropped a few octaves. Gordon Bombay, played by Emilio Estevez, is presenting the team (except for unfortunately, Jesse Hall, a leader among the Ducks who would’ve made for a strong presence in this mature film, as well as Portman, but we’ll get to him later) with scholarships to his alma mater, Eden Hall, a preparatory high school in Minnesota. Charlie Conway, played by a young, pre-Dawson’s Creek Joshua Jackson, is the Ducks’ captain and unspoken leader. There’s been much debate over the years over whether or not Charlie is the true captain of the Ducks. Adam Banks, played by Vincent Larusso, is far and away better than practically every Duck combined. Fulton Reed, played by Elden Henson, has shown more maturity and leadership at this point. It’s probably true that the Ducks as a team think that Charlie is Captain because of Bombay’s favoritism towards him (and his mother), but I think that this film makes it abundantly clear why Charlie is the captain. 

D3 is Charlie’s story. We see that in the opening scene, when Bombay tells Charlie he will not be following the team to Eden Hall, accepting a job instead in California. We learned in the original Mighty Ducks film, that Charlie and his mother left a bad situation in Charlie’s father when Charlie was very young. We also hear about Charlie’s mother, Casey’s marriage to a new man in the D2, who we can assume from what Jan says, that Charlie doesn’t like. We see in that first film, Charlie’s reaction to Bombay announcing that he is leaving the Ducks after the two of them have formed a bond. It is very clear that Charlie deals with abandonment issues, stemming from trauma in his early childhood. Charlie freaks out when a D3 Bombay announces the same thing, and storms off. 

Change is the biggest theme in D3. We see how change affects each of the Ducks, even those who don’t get many lines. Some, like Russ Tyler, played by SNL’s Kenan Thompson, think it’s a good thing. All of the Ducks don’t come from good neighborhoods and we assume that most of them don’t have the best home lives, especially when Charlie tells their new coach, Orion, played by Jeffrey Nordling, that the Ducks are the only good thing that any of them have had. Going to a preparatory school should be a good thing for them. But for most of them, it’s not. The new Ducks (who by the way, three of which are people of color, and one of which, is a woman) are immediately told that “their kind” is not welcome at Eden Hall. The Varsity team claim that they feel this way because the captain’s younger brother was not admitted onto the JV team because of the Ducks’ scholarships, but it’s very clear what they really mean. Russ commented that he’s the only black person on the whole campus earlier, and he, Luis Mendoza (The Sandlot’s Mike Vitar) and Ken Wu (Justin Wong) are the only people of color we see in the film. Change takes a toll on each member of the team. We see it the most in Charlie, but we also hear from Fulton on how the separation from his best friend, Dean Portman (Aaron Lohr), who decided not to enroll at Eden Hall, is taking a toll on him. Connie (Margerite Moreau) and Guy (Garrette Henson) have presumably broken up, as the two small scenes we get of them, they are arguing. It’s a transition period, one that the first year of high school often is. But it’s also a look on how a rich, white privileged world is vastly different than the one that the Ducks are used to. 

Coach Orion seems like a hardass, especially when he tells Charlie at their first practice that he will no longer be “Captain Duck” (as coined by D2’s Gunnar Stahl, played by Scott Whyte, who now plays the level-headed Varsity goalie Scooter). This, to the Ducks, is a line in the sand. Ever since Bombay turned District 5 into the Ducks four years previous, Charlie has been their captain. They’re in a whole new environment, where the man who gave them so much happiness and so many friendships isn’t, and their “little Duck tricks” won’t work anymore. Orion thinks Charlie is a showoff, and perhaps he is. This Charlie is vastly different than the sweet, shy Charlie we see in D1 and D2. But this Charlie is older, has just been abandoned by a man he considered a father, and is being harassed on a daily basis for being, as Varsity Captain Reilly puts it, “white trash.” I find it hard to believe sometimes that fans can look at Charlie from the outside, and not see who he is on the inside. All of Charlie’s closest relationships that we see portrayed in this movie, are with women. His mother (who he, as a teenage boy, says “I love you” to in the final scene of the movie), his teammates, Connie and Julie, who he gets a lot more screentime with, and with new love interest, Linda (Margot Finley).

I think now is a great time to talk about the shockingly impressive way all of the female characters are portrayed in this series, particularly this movie, especially for a 90s sports film. Connie has always been a leader on and off the ice. She’s in a relationship with Guy, but it’s not her only character trait. Dubbed “the Velvet Hammer” by Averman (Matt Doherty), she stands up for herself, and for her shy teammates (she literally shoves Peter Mark - a character cut out of D2 and D3 for good reason - in D1 when he insults Charlie) and stands up to the entire Varsity team despite them telling her that they hope they can “fight” with her later. Julie “The Cat” Gaffney (Columbe Jacobsen) is the second best player on the Ducks, despite the little ice time (thanks, Bombay) we see her have. She is the first person to tell of the Varsity, telling Captain Reilly that his little brother “just wasn’t good enough.” She’s a huge facilitator in the fire ant prank and despite the very weird and out of character game she had against the Blake Bears, shows that she deserves the number one goalie slot that Reilly gives her - despite what Goldberg, and the obvious underlying sexism there, have to say. I’ve also always been very impressed with Charlie’s mother, Casey (Heidi Kling). Although she has a romance with Bombay in D1, she makes it clear from the get go that her first priority is Charlie. We know that she took the two of them away from an abusive situation, and she’s a goddamn hero for that. Her scenes in D3 are limited, but they always show her chastising Charlie’s antics and encouraging him to stay in school. It goes unsaid, but it’s clear that she knows that he’s not going to get an education this good in the problematic public school system. But according to Linda, Charlie’s love interest, the private school system is no better. The first time we see Linda, she is protesting the “outdated” Warriors team name. This was in a 1996 kids movie, no less. She holds her own against Charlie, calling him out when he’s wrong. No one aside from Charlie, and maybe Fulton, get much screentime or lines aside from Bombay and Orion, but her presence and the point of her character is clear - not every rich person agrees with the horrible things that wealthy people do. 

Back to the plot.

When the Ducks receive their positions, they learn that Banks, as a freshman, has made Varsity. From an outside perspective, they seems obvious. Banks is the best player we see in any of the films, definitely miles better than the losers on Varsity, so it seems obvious that he would be promoted. But Banks is unhappy with this. Adam Banks is a fan favorite character, definitely due to the sweet, understated performance by Larusso, but we don’t see much of him. From what we do see of him though, he underwent a huge character arc from D1 to now. In D1, Banks goes against his father’s protests and joins the Ducks, claiming that he “just wants to play hockey.” Here in D3, we see that Banks is utterly miserable despite playing with some of the best players in the state, purely because he’s not with his friends. At the end of the film, he makes the (questionable) decision to rejoin the Ducks and go against the Varsity. But Varsity seems to feel that Banks fits in with them, for obvious reasons. He’s the only Duck who comes from an affluent background, and he’s definitely the most clean cut. Captain Reilly is visibly angry in the final showdown with the Ducks that they no longer have Banks on their side, as if he’s betrayed “his kind.”

The turning point of the film comes when after Charlie has quit the freshman team (no longer the Ducks), Hans, a father figure to the Ducks and Bombay, suddenly passes away. It’s an insanely dark moment for a Disney film, especially when Bombay returns to the funeral and reminds the Ducks that it was “Hans who taught them to fly” and Charlie storms off, crying. I think Joshua Jackson, in the Ducks films, as well as in Dawson’s Creek, is phenomenally good at portraying teenagers who wouldn’t normally be seen as leading men. Who let their emotions overtake them, who have anger issues, who deal with familial problems. Characters like that in leading roles were almost unheard of in the 90s, and in the upcoming scenes, it reminds us why this side of Charlie that we’ve seen throughout the movie is not the only side of Charlie.

Bombay takes Charlie to the rink to see Orion skating with his disabled daughter, who was injured in a car accident. He reveals to Charlie that Orion quit the NHL to take care of her, and this immediately changes Charlie’s opinion of him, but he’s still unconvinced about rejoining the team. The next scene is without question, the greatest and most important scene of the trilogy. The last two films spent way too much time telling us how great of a person Bombay was, how he was the Minnesota Miracle Man,despite us seeing so little of that onscreen. We see him making mistake after mistake, hurting the team, being an unjustified dick to those around him. But this scene more than makes up for all of that. I’ve put the quote from this scene below.

Bombay: I was like you, Charlie. When I played hockey, I was a total hot shot. I tried to take control of every game. I wound up quitting. So I tried the law. I ruled the courtroom, but inside, I’m a mess. Start drinking. Man, I was going down. But then this great thing happened, maybe the best thing ever - I got arrested and sentenced to community service. And there you were - Charlie and the Ducks. And as hard as I fought it, there you were. You gave me a life, Charlie, and I want to say thank you. I told Orion about all of this when I talked to him about taking over. I told him that you were the heart of the team and that you would learn something from each other. I told him that you were the real Minnesota Miracle Man. 

Charlie: You did?

Bombay: I did. So be that man, Charlie. Be that man.

It’s a callback to D2, when Jan tells Bombay “Be that man, Gordon. Be that man.” This scene is flawless. Every good thing that has happened to the Ducks, came because of Charlie’s heart. It came because of that game when Charlie refused to cheat, and made Bombay see his wrongs. It came because of when Bombay first tried to quit the team, and seeing how hurt Charlie was, agreed to stay. It was Charlie who stepped out of the game against Iceland so that Banks could play. It was Charlie who found them Russ. Giving the credit to a young, emotionally unstable teenager, rather than their Emilio Estevez, hotshot Bombay, is the best thing this series ever did.

This movie, in my opinion, is nearly flawless. Every moment has been planned to make the same point - change sucks. Especially when you’re a teenager. Even more so when you’re a teenager with trauma.

[ladyblogger-margie]

Playoff Pressure

Pairing: Will “Ironhead” Miller (Triple Frontier) x F!Reader

Summary: Will and F!Reader watch an NHL playoff game together and take their relationship to the next level. Reader is a lifelong hockey fan who cares very much about the sport and their team. 

Warnings: 18+ Only (general smut, unprotected sex, oral sex M!recieving, creampie, cum play)

Word Count: 2580

a/n: This is SO self indulgent and written in the spirit of the NHL playoffs happening now. I’m a Toronto Maple Leaf fan, but I’ve tried to keep the fandom neutral for the story as well as keep the aspects of the reader character fairly neutral other than the specifics of being a hockey fan.

MY MASTERLIST

Will came back from the kitchen carrying two bottles of beer in one hand and a box of pizza balanced in the other. You and he were both wearing your team gear as you settled into the couch together to watch the next playoff game for your favorite hockey team. The NHL playoffs were in full swing and there was just something so exciting about playoff hockey. 

Will was more of a baseball fan before he met you, but you’ve done your part in bringing out his passion for the game you had loved all your life. Now it was tradition to watch games together, and when playoff time hit, everything else took a backseat to cheering on your favorite team. 

You two watched the pregame show with the sound off to fill in the chatter with your own thoughts and predictions. Drinking a couple of beers and enjoying each other’s company. Even though you didn’t live with each other, you basically spent every night together. During hockey season it was at your place, and during the baseball season it was over at his. 

As the puck drop approached, your pre-game jitters rose in anticipation. You cared very deeply about the game, and Will knew and respected that. It took you a while to show him that side of you in the first place. In the past your enthusiasm had been met with skepticism or humor, and things with Will were so great you had been scared to open that part of your heart to him. 

But when you did, Will surprised you with not only being supportive, but taking the time to learn about the game to be able to experience it along with you. One day you were settled in to watch the game and Will was asking you questions about what ‘offside’ means, and the next he was talking about the ways the team could use a cycle on their powerplay more effectively. 

Benny had let it slip that Will had been studying hockey and learning all he could so he could participate in your chatter where you had previously been talking either to yourself or the screen. Frankie had smacked Benny upside the head at his slip up, Will having sworn the guys to secrecy. 

“But why doesn’t he want me to know?” you asked, confused.

“He wants you to think he already knew everything,” Benny shrugged. 

You dropped it with the guys, but it didn’t slip your mind later that night when you were getting ready for bed. 

“Why didn’t you want me to know you’ve been studying hockey?” you asked him. 

Will froze as he pulled back the sheets, “What makes you say I have?”

You chuckled, “Benny told me.”

Will’s shoulders slumped, “I just wanted you to think I knew this stuff already, because the person you always thought you’d be with would know hockey.”

You winced, regretting the words you forgot you said on your first date, carelessly, without any real significance. You felt bad he remembered that, especially since you hadn’t. 

“You’re the person I want to be with, and it means a lot to me that you’re learning about things I care about,” you said, reaching for Will and pulling him in for a kiss, “I don’t care if you know everything, I’m just so touched you care enough about me to engage in my interests.” 

Will kissed you, and that was that. He stopped researching on his own and instead asked you his questions. The whole thing had brought you both closer together. 

Which brings you to today’s playoff game. 

The puck dropped and you took a large gulp of your fresh, ice cold beer to settle your nerves. Will handed you a slice of pizza and kissed your cheek. He knew better than to try and steal your attention from the play. 

When the first intermission arrived, you felt some of the tension release from your body, taking a deep breath to collect yourself as the teams took a break and you muted the intermission chatter. 

“This is so much more intense than the regular season,” Will commented. 

You chuckled, “Isn’t it great?”

You knocked back the last sip of your beer and set it gingerly on the crappy coffee table under your feet. 

“I hate this coffee table,” you muttered, frowning at it, “Yours is so much nicer.”

Will smiled, “We could get rid of this one,” he suggested. 

“Then I’d have to find another one, and I’m just not in the mood to spend that kind of money,” you sighed and heaved yourself up off the couch and headed for the kitchen. 

When you returned with two more ice cold beers, you saw Will watching the television, still on mute, very intently. 

“Did you want me to turn the volume back on?” you asked. 

“I didn’t mean that you should go out and buy a new coffee table,” Wil said, his tone hinting at frustration. 

You handed Will a beer and took a sip of your own, “Then what did you mean?”

“We could get rid of this coffee table, and I could bring mine here,” Will said, taking his eyes off the screen and locking them on you instead. 

“Are you planning on getting a new table then?” you asked, confused about the whole conversation. 

Before Will could answer, you noticed the second period about to start.

“Oh, pin in that, game’s back,” you explain and turn the volume back up, your attention completely on the television, oblivious to the tension in Will’s shoulders. 

Over the course of the intense and honestly fantastically exciting twenty minutes of play, Will spent most of the time watching you. You found it distracting. You were always so overwhelmed by him, consumed by him when he looked at you that way. He should have known better than to distract you like that. But you were frustrated with yourself to be annoyed by his attention when you knew just how lucky you were. 

“Babe,” you said, not looking at him as you kept your attention on the game, “Are you watching?”

You saw him smile and lean into your side to place a scratchy kiss on your cheek. 

“Sorry, sweetheart, I’m paying attention, I promise,” he whispered against your skin, sending a shiver through your body. 

He started to pull away, but you reached up to hold his face close to yours, your attention still on the game. He understood your intention and allowed your attention to stay with your team as he  trailed gentle kisses along your jaw and then to your neck. He sucked a hickey to the exposed flesh there. 

Your team scored, causing you to jump to your feet in enthusiasm, pulling yourself away from Will suddenly. He laughed to himself before he got up to cheer alongside you and listen to you break down the whole play and jump around. 

By the end of the second period you were full-on jittery. Your knees were bouncing and your heart was racing. When the horn blared you sprung to your feet, muting the intermission chatter and stood in front of the television to begin preaching your thoughts on the game so far and what your team needed to do to send this game home. 

Will was a patient and attentive listener. He chipped in thoughts of his own when you paused for a breath, but mostly nodded along in agreement with what you were saying. It was so liberating to be yourself so completely with someone and Will gave that to you. 

Just before the third period started Will stood up to kiss you deeply, making your knees weak and your mind go blank. You sank into him, returning the kiss and wrapping your arms around the back of his head, your shoulders propped up on his shoulders. There wasn’t any space between your bodies.

Then he turned the volume back up on the television just in time for the third period puck drop and said, “Let’s bring it home.”

You settled into the couch next to him, gripping his knee tightly with your anxiety over the game. Though you weren’t settled in for long. The game got very intense, and the score was still tight so you ended up on your feet, rocking back and forth on your heels.

When your goalie made a spectacular save, you jumped up and down and swung your arms wildly, nearly clocking Will in the face. Thankfully his reflexes saved you the guilt of incidental contact and your night continued injury free. 

In the final few minutes of the game, you were a wreck. Your team was winning, but with a game this quick there was no telling how quickly the tides could turn and you’ve witnessed enough upsets to know better than to count your wins before the buzzer. 

Will held your hand and stood next to you as you stood watching the clock intently. When the final buzzer blew you and Will cheered loudly and jumped up and down in celebration. You were so thrilled your team won you couldn’t stop smiling. You pulled Will in for a big kiss, smiling the whole time. 

Finally catching your breath, you collapsed to the couch. 

“I’ve got all this nervous energy with nowhere to put it,” you laughed. 

“I can think of one way to blow off some of this steam,” Will suggested. 

“Blow?” you said as you slipped off the couch to your knees and you crawled between Will’s legs. 

He smiled down at you and pinched your chin between his thumb and finger as he looked you over, licking his lips. 

“You sure this is how you want to celebrate?” he asked. 

“Yes, I want to share the good vibes,” you said, unbuckling his pants and slipping his half hard cock out and pumping it in your hand. 

He hissed a sound of relief as he grew harder in your hand. It wasn’t long until he was fully erect in all his impressive glory. You licked your lips and took him down your throat until you choked. You hollowed out your cheeks and sucked him down deep and hard, bobbing your head in his lap. 

He gripped the back of your neck, pushing himself deeper inside you with a low grunt. You felt the wetness gather in your panties as he took control of the pace and fucked your face with his pulse raising and breathing quickening. 

You could tell he was close, and in a tease, you pulled off his dick with a pop. He flopped his head backwards on the back of the couch. 

“Sweetheart,” he whimpered, “What are you doing to me?”

You pulled your pants and panties down so you were naked except for your team shirt and you tugged off his pants completely this time. 

You kissed him, “Don’t worry, baby, I’ll take care of you.”

You grind your hips against him, dragging his thick cock through your slick folds. His hands travel up under your shirt to caress your breasts. He doesn’t remove it, and he’s still wearing his too so you match in your semi-nakedness and full on team spirit. 

You line him up at your entrance, and slowly lower yourself into his lap, feeling him stretch you out as you push down on him. His hands don’t stop traveling over your whole body, pinching, brushing, caressing. When they settled on your hips and he’s got them in a tight grip, he bucks underneath you and drops his head into the crook of your neck. 

You feel how he fills you up inside as you grow the friction between your bodies. Your hands tangled up in his short hair. You rocked up and down on his thick cock, your body trembling under his touch. You could feel the heat rising in your core as he pressed against that spot inside you. 

He dropped a hand from your hips and snuck his thumb to your clit. He rubbed circles on your bundle of nerves as he bucked up underneath you. You gripped his shoulders tightly, desperate to stay on as he took control. 

Suddenly he flipped you off his lap and set you on your knees on the couch. He lined himself up behind you and thrust into you with a wet squelch. You braced yourself against the couch cushion and pushed back against him. He had a tight grip on your hips as he pounded into you. 

You felt the heat growing again in your core as he rubbed his finger against your clit in time with his pounding thrusts. When you came, drenching his cock in your slick, you moaned out his name. 

He pulled you up to press your back into his chest to thrust up into you. You reach behind you to hold his face in your hand. He bites into your neck, the pressure applied directly over the hickey from earlier. 

“Come inside me, baby,” you coo in his ear. 

It doesn’t take more than that before he cums inside you, painting your walls as your pussy pulses around him. He holds you close to him as he tries to settle his breathing which blows hot by your ear. 

He pulls out of you slowly, replacing his cock with his fingers to push around his cum and your slick inside you. He gathered it on his fingertips and pushed it inside of you over and over again. He finger-fucked you through a second, surprise, orgasm that ripped the strength from your body and the only thing keeping you up was his embrace. 

He gently spun you around to lay you on your back on the couch. He crawled into your arms and settled on top of you, smothering you delightful beneath him. His head was nuzzled between your breasts as you rubbed his back and felt his cum slide out of you. 

“I meant we should move in together,” Will whispered against your skin. 

“Hmm?” you asked, not following his thought. 

“I’m taking the pin out of the conversation,” he explained. 

“The conversation about my crappy coffee table?” you asked, still confused. 

“I think we should dump that crappy coffee table and replace it with mine, but I think we should keep my couch, it’s bigger than this one and matches the lazy-boy I’m bringing with me,” he said, still talking against the shirt covering your breasts. 

“Wait, you’re serious? You want to live together?” you ask, propping yourself up to your elbows and he lifted his head to look you in your eyes. 

“Yes, we might as well since we spend every night together anyway,” he said with a shrug. 

You pulled him up by his shoulders and yanked on his shirt to pull him in for a kiss. 

“Yes!” you practically shrieked in his ear, “Let’s do it!”

He pulled you into his lap not caring about the mess to kiss you deeper. 

“We should get a new place,” you suggest. 

“With a den we can convert into our own sports bar,” he said. 

“Baseball in the summers, hockey in the winter, beer year round,” you explain with full sincerity. 

“As you wish,” he said. 

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up,” Will said as he led you to the bathroom, “We can start looking for a place after.”

Then he led you to the shower and towards the next chapter of your lives together.

Tags: @autumnleaves1991-blog​

[starryeyes-darkestnights]

The City

The second part of the O’Knutzy au where Leo and Logan are still playing for the Lions, but Finn is a musician they met by chance on a roadie to Montreal.

I still don’t know what to call this story! But you can find part 1 here.

Also, this is kind of long, it got away from me :)

The song referenced in this part is The City, by Sam Fischer.

These beautiful characters and their world belong to the incredible @lumosinlove

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leo

When Leo and Logan stepped off the plane in Gryffindor painfully early the next morning, their phones buzzed in unison.  

Finn: Hey guys! It’s Finn. Just sending my number. I hope your morning wasn’t too bad after the late night. Mine was excellent, I slept all the way through your entire flight 😇. Anyway, let me know you get this, and I hope you were serious about getting together when we’re all back home. My dancing legs are ready.

Leo heard Logan snort under his breath and looked over to see him smirking as he typed out a response.

Logan: Our morning was awful, thanks for asking. Your dancing legs better be training before we get together again, because I can confirm that as of yesterday, they are not, in fact, ready.

Leo rolled his eyes affectionately, typing as he moved toward the baggage claim.

Leo: Tremz is just grumpy he didn’t get to limbo. Don’t listen to him.

He heard Logan let out an offended sound somewhere behind him and bit back a smile, restraining himself from turning to see Logan’s face.

Finn: Haha, sorry not sorry Logan. Also, if that’s how it’s going to be, then the competition just got real. Bring in the judge. We’ll see whose really got the moves. Spoiler alert, it’s me.

Logan: Challenge accepted. Though I would caution you to reconsider.

Finn: Back down from a dance contest?! Never! THIS. IS. SPARTAAA!!!!

Leo let out a surprised laugh at that. It would seem that Finn shared Logan’s love of a challenge.

Leo: … oh my god.

Finn: You know you love it Leo.

Leo: I do not.  

Logan: He does, I can literally see him laughing.

This time Leo did turn around, just in time to see a smirking Logan flipping him off. Leo shot him a glare.

Leo: Traitor!

Finn: Hahahahah

Logan: Ok our ride is here. I’m gonna go pass out.

Leo: Have a good holiday Finn. Let us know when you’re back in town.

Finn: You too guys. Talk to you soon.

Leo clicked off his phone with a smile and grabbed his bags.

One Week Later

Finn

Finn: Hey guys, just letting you know I’ll be back in Gryffindor tomorrow. I’ve got a late flight in.

Leo: Really? That’s cool. I thought for sure you’d be in Montreal until after the New Year.

Finn: Nah, I’ve got some stuff to do for school, and I have a gig the day after tomorrow I need to be back for.

This was at least 50% a lie.

Which meant, Finn had reasoned with himself earlier as he used the exact same line to explain to his family why he had moved his flight up almost a full week, that the other 50% was the truth.

Finn had been messaging with Leo and Logan since they left Montreal, and when he had found out two days ago that they had only had a three day break with their families over Christmas and that they were now back to work in Gryffindor, he hadn’t hesitated before looking for excuses to get back there himself.

As a result, he really did have a gig scheduled for the day after tomorrow that he had to be back for. He may have begged his way through his contacts list for the past two days to find that gig, but it was real. And even though he didn’t have a single thing due for school, if he now had to go back for the gig, he could totally get a head start on something. Which was kind of the exact same thing. So really, it was more like 75% truth. If you rounded, that made it 100%.

Logan: Sweet. Let us know the time and place, we’ll come and see if you’re any good without us 😉.

Finn scoffed at his phone. He dropped a pin with the location of the gig, took a selfie of himself shooting a rude gesture Logan’s way, and grabbed his guitar.

He prided himself on always putting his best into every show, and if Leo and Logan were going to come to this one, he needed to be a little extra prepared. He hadn’t been able to get either one of him out of his mind since the night they met, evergreen eyes and a sweet dimpled smile flashing behind his eyes every time he tried to play. It was going to be impossible to focus when they were right there in front of him, so if he didn’t want to make an idiot out of himself, he needed to get practicing.

---

Logan

Two days later, Logan was waiting for Leo outside of a coffee shop in downtown Gryffindor.

It was a chilly evening, starting to snow, and he shivered lightly as he looked up at the flakes floating gently in the light of the coffeeshop windows. He picked one and followed its path through the sky, trying to distract himself from the weird knot that had settled in his stomach earlier in the evening. The one he told himself had nothing to do with the visions of freckles and sinfully long lashes that he was trying desperately to keep from flashing through his mind unbidden.

“Whatcha looking at Tremz?”

Logan had been so focused that he nearly jumped out of his skin when a calm voice sounded just beside him.

His hand flew to his chest as he looked up to see Leo smiling down at him, his cheeks flushed from the cold, and a streetlight behind him lighting up his golden curls. Logan’s pulse stuttered. Fuck. He hated being caught off-guard.

“Mon dieu, Nutty.” He choked out, putting a hand to his heart, which was now pounding against his ribs. “Learn to make noise when you walk. You scared the shit out of me.”

Leo just laughed, “If you were paying attention you would have seen me coming. I’m not exactly easy to miss.” He gestured at his long limbs.

He had a point. Logan made a face at him and turned toward the door, looking up at the sign above the entrance as he tried to pull himself together. It read ‘The Burrow’.

“Come on,” he grumbled, his pulse beginning to calm, “let’s get a drink before Finn starts playing.”

When they walked in, Logan was surprised at what they found. The Burrow was much bigger than it looked from the outside. The brightly painted walls went back further than expected, and a second level ran around the perimeter of the room, giving patrons a view down onto the main floor, where a permanent stage was set up in the front corner. The back wall was taken up by a dark wooden bar, several baristas moving gracefully around one another in quick, practised, movements as they mixed and delivered drinks. The rest of the space was filled haphazardly with tables, and those tables were already filled with people, the low buzz of their conversation filling the room.

It was warm, and bright, and it smelled like chocolate and coffee.

“Wow,” said Leo, looking impressed, “This is… not what I expected.”

Logan hummed his agreement, eyebrows raised as he looked around, impressed at how cozy it managed to be despite its size. His eyes landed on an empty table halfway back from the stage and he nudged Leo.  “I’m gonna go grab us seats over there. Will you get drinks?”

Leo agreed, and as he headed toward the bar, Logan started to make his way across the room. He was halfway there when he caught a glimpse of red hair in his periphery. He stopped in his tracks as his stomach made an unexpected flip. Finn was standing near the stage, talking to an older woman who seemed to be helping him with some cables. He was laughing, and even from a distance Logan could see the way his face lit up with it, his wide brown eyes glowing in the warm lights of the coffee shop. Logan was suddenly gripped with the desire to be the one eliciting that laugh, the one who got to be right there to experience it.

He pulled in a sharp breath and stopped himself. This was why he had been trying to block those visions from his mind. It could never happen. Not so long as he was playing in the NHL. Logan had chosen this career knowing it would mean hiding this part of himself away, very deeply, for as long as he wanted to play. He had been doing so well with it, hadn’t even slipped up with Leo. He could shut this down too. Stop it before it had a chance to start.

He took another a deep breath and pulled his gaze away from Finn, moving more quickly now until he was able to slump into the chairs he had targeted. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, trying to get his thoughts back under control. When he opened them again, it was to find Leo right behind him, full lips turned up in an amused smile at catching him staring straight up at nothing for the second time that night. His stomach flipped again at the unexpected sight. Damnit. He needed to get his feelings under control, and he needed to do it now.

“I would ask what you’re looking at again, but it didn’t go so well the first time.” Leo joked as he pulled out the chair across from him.

Logan forced out some kind of noncommittal response and straightened to look at the cups in Leo’s hands, desperate for any kind of distraction from his thoughts.

“What’d you bring me, Nut?” he asked, trying to keep his voice upbeat. But Leo was a goalie, and a good one. His observational skills were well-honed, and he knew Logan. His gaze shot immediately to the older boy’s face, soft blue eyes flickering over his features intently.  His eyebrows furrowed and Logan tensed under his gaze, silently praying for him to leave it alone. Whatever Leo saw in his face, he must have decided to let Logan have it, as he gave him a final once-over and then slowly pushed something that looked iced and sugary in his direction.

“I will never understand why you like these things,” he said carefully, “but I picked the most sweet-sounding one they had.”

“I like them because they’re delicious.” Logan replied, grateful to him for letting it go. “You just have no taste.”

Leo narrowed his eyes, “Strong words coming from – “

A voice interrupted him, “Logan Tremblay?”

Logan looked up to find a very pretty girl standing beside their table.

“And Leo Knut.” added a girl standing beside her.

Logan felt relief wash over him at their timing. This was familiar. This was a distraction he could work with.

---

Finn

Finn had just finished setting up the stage when he finally let himself look for Leo and Logan. He leaned against a wall and cast his gaze around the room, smiling at the comfortable familiarity of the space- one he had performed in dozens of times before. He was stoked to be introducing the boys to this place. He loved the Burrow, and the people who filled it. He had been coming here religiously since his freshman year of college, after falling in love with the strange way it managed to be both big and bright, and cozy and warm. He had been delighted by the contradictory nature of the place on his first visit, and had immediately turned himself into a fixture. After a while he had gotten to know the baristas, and through them, the owner, Molly.

Molly had become somewhat of a second mother to Finn over the years, and, due to their similar fiery red hair, was often mistaken by customers for his actual mother- something Finn found hilarious and she found… not so hilarious, given that she was only ten years older than him. It had been Molly who had helped him overcome his stage fright, had set up his first ever show here at The Burrow way back when. She was also the one who had come through when he was pleading for gigs earlier that week, and even though he was suspicious of the fact that she had, uncharacteristically, not questioned his last-minute request, he had been very happy to see her that evening when she had popped by and helped him untangle a mess of cables.

Now, though, there were only two people Finn wanted to see, and he was hoping to catch them before he started playing. His eyes skimmed across the crowd of cheerful patrons and quickly caught sight of Leo’s tousled blonde curls moving across the room, a head higher than almost everyone else. His smile gave way to a grin as he watched the younger man sit down at a table and pass a drink to Logan. Excitement thrummed in his veins as he pushed off the wall toward them, only to be stopped dead in his tracks when he saw two girls approach the hockey players. He watched as they introduced themselves, and his stomach twisted as Logan sent one of them a cocky, flirtatious grin, pulling out the chair next to him. The girls joined the table and leaned in, and Finn’s smile turned rueful. Of course. He didn’t know what he had been expecting from this reunion exactly, but as he watched Logan flirting shamelessly from where stood, he realized that he had been hoping they felt what he felt when they first met. That they had experienced the same sparks. Now, as reality came crashing down around him in the form of two beautiful girls, he recognized how ridiculous those hopes had been. They were NHL players for fuck’s sake. He was an idiot for thinking either one of them could have been anything more than a friend. He gave them one last look and changed his trajectory to the washroom instead.

---

Leo

Leo was worried. He had noticed something was up with Logan as soon as he saw him outside the Burrow earlier that evening. He had been distracted; his eyes distant. By the time they had sat down inside, he was completely in his own head, and the tension in his body was visible.  Leo had wanted to ask him about it, but after seeing the panic that flashed across his features when he made a move to do so, he had decided it was best to leave it alone for the time being. Give Logan the chance to bring it up himself.

But now Logan was flirting, openly and brazenly, with this random girl who had recognized him from the Lions, and Leo couldn’t leave it alone anymore.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t used to seeing Logan flirt — Logan was gorgeous, girls were constantly coming up to him at bars. But he didn’t usually encourage them this boldly. At least not when he was sober, and never if they recognized who he was. They had had more than one lecture from Coach Weasley about power dynamics and taking advantage of people who looked up to them, and Logan took them seriously. This wasn’t like him.  

After politely cutting off the conversation he had been trying to hold with the girl now seated beside him, Leo cleared his throat and spoke loudly enough for Logan to hear.

“Hey Tremzy, I think it’s time to go grab that snack.” He sent a bright smile to the girls. “It was really nice to meet you both. I’m glad to hear you’re fans of the team. Maybe we’ll see you at a game sometime.”

He kept that fake smile plastered on his face as he pushed his chair back from the table, catching Logan looking up at him with annoyance clear in his expression. Leo raised an eyebrow and prayed he would go along with him. He didn’t know what was going on with Logan, but what he was doing here was not okay, and it needed to stop.

Logan held his gaze for a moment before he huffed out a breath through his nose, his expression softening as he nodded. The tension he had built up since walking into the coffee shop seemed to bleed out of him as his shoulders dropped. He turned to the now confused looking girl beside him and gave her the same line Leo had used, shaking her hand and standing to follow Leo to the bar.

Leo waited until they were out of earshot before stopping and turning to Logan.

“You want to tell me what that was about?”

Logan sighed in response, pulling his hat off his head and running a hand through his hair before replacing it. “I don’t know. I wasn’t going to take it farther than that, I swear, I just…” He looked down at his shoes. “Look, I’m sorry. Can we just forget about it?”

Leo just watched him, waiting patiently until Logan’s eyes met his again. He reached out and rested a steady hand on his shoulder.

“Are you ok, Tremz? You seem… out of it, tonight.”

“What? No. I’m fine. Really. Just tired.” Logan tried his best to look it, but Leo saw right through him. He had spent the better part of the past year trying to pretend to himself that he didn’t want to learn everything there was to know about the beautiful man in front of him. He had failed, miserably. He knew Logan, and he knew something was still bothering him.

He briefly debated whether or not to push it this time, but even though Logan was clearly not yet fine, getting called out seemed to have helped. He did seem more like himself than he had five minutes earlier. So Leo settled on trying to cheer him up instead, resolving to follow up later when they weren’t in public.

“Alright,” he nodded at Logan, letting him have his excuse, “but you know I’m always here if you need me.”

Then he switched to a teasing voice. “You want me to order you another disgusting excuse for a coffee? Maybe that’ll wake you up.”

Logan let out a small laugh at that, and his smile finally seemed genuine. Leo nudged his shoulder and started moving toward the bar again.

“Come on. Finn’s gonna start any time, and I was serious about the snack. I need cake.”

Leo didn’t need to look back to know that despite the eyeroll he was certain had occurred, Logan would follow him to wherever there were baked goods.

---

Finn

Finn had given himself an excellent pep talk in the washroom, telling himself it was good he had come to his senses about the boys now, while he was alone, instead of embarrassing himself in front of them later. The disappointment he felt was still settled deep in his chest, but he knew himself well enough to be aware that he worked through his feelings best on a stage. And luckily for him, that was where he was currently headed

From the moment he started the show, Finn let himself get lost in the music, feeling his spirits lift back up as he watched the energy of the room rise and fall with his, letting the tempo of the songs he played encourage their dancing or their calm swaying. He had managed to sneak one of his own songs into the set list, and he played it for people for the first time, watching for reactions and not holding back his smile when people seemed to like it. It was a hard one for him to sing, bringing back some not so great memories. He didn’t look for Leo or Logan again, but he knew they were there, and he put in his best effort to make sure they were entertained. By the time he started his final song, his mind was blissfully clear again. Thank god for music.

After wrapping up the show with a grateful thank you to the crowd for their support, Finn started once again looking forward to reconnecting with the two men he suspected would become important to him. He may not be able to get rid of whatever these decidedly non-platonic feelings were, but he was confident he could push them to the side to make room for their friendship.

He had just hopped off the stage – buzzing with post-show energy, sweaty, and looking for water – when a familiar French-Canadian accent sounded from behind him. “Ok, you win. I admit that you are still incredible, even without our help.”

Finn spun around to find a head of dark curls bowing dramatically in front of him, Leo a few steps back with his eyes closed and a hand over his face, as if hiding from Logan’s antics. He threw his arms in the air and grinned at the two of them, genuinely happy to see them. “Guys! You made it!”

That brought a smile out of Leo. “Of course we did,” he laughed as he and Logan both moved in to give him congratulatory high fives, “your show was incredible, by the way. These people really liked you.”

Finn smiled sincerely at that. “Thanks, Leo.”

Leo handed him a bottle of water. “Also, we thought you might want this. You were looking kind of sweaty.”

“Oh my god, you absolute gem of a human,” Finn moaned as he cracked open the bottle, “I was just about to go hunt one of these down.”

Logan watched with an amused smile as he downed the whole thing in one go. “Glad to be of service.”

Finn wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and shot them both a grateful look “So much better. Thank you, guys.”

He looked back toward the mess he still had to pack up from the stage. “I need like twenty minutes or so to get this all cleaned up, then did you guys still want to head down to the bar?”

The three of them had previously planned to head out to a place down the street after Finn’s set, and Finn was looking forward to releasing some of the evening’s adrenaline on a dance floor.

“Ya, for sure.” Leo responded, eyes flicking up to the stage. “Is there anything we can help you with?”

“Nope! Cleaning up is a lot easier than setting up. You guys go enjoy yourselves, I’ll be done here quick.”

Leo and Logan looked at one another, and Logan looked like he was about to object, so Finn started shooing them away. “Go!” He encouraged them, waving his hands to guide them back toward the tables. He wanted them to enjoy themselves, not be stuck helping him clean. “It’s fine, I do this all the time, I have a system, I promise. Get a nice drink and relax.”

Logan put his arms up in surrender, green eyes sparkling with laughter as he watched Finn flap. “D’accord, ok, we will go. Put your crazy hands away. Just let us know if we can help, ok?”

Finn agreed, and then watched them head back over to the bar with a smile on his face. He was surprised, he thought to himself as he started looping up cables, at how the interaction left him feeling. He had expected to be a little nervous and awkward, especially after the way the evening began for him, but instead he found himself immediately feeling the sort of comfortable ease that usually comes from being around people you’ve known your entire life. It was like they belonged together.

As friends, he reminded himself. Only as friends. He could totally do this.  

---

Logan

Logan leaned against the bar, playing with the strings of his hoodie as Leo once again ordered drinks for them. He was feeling much better now, the knot that had taken up residence in his stomach earlier that evening finally gone. There had been something calming about watching Finn move across the stage, singing familiar covers with an energy that was uniquely his own. He had poured himself into it, connecting to the songs in a way that drew the audience, including Logan, along with his every move. It had been fascinating, seeing that version of Finn. His grin was still mischievous, his movements still wild, but he was also… purposeful. Less dorky on stage than he had been on the dance floor. Logan had been mesmerized. Sitting there next to Leo’s steady, grounding presence, letting Finn’s charisma pull him out of his own head, Logan had slowly unwound. By the time Finn had finished his final song, something unfamiliar that Logan had made a note to download later, he felt much more like himself.

“Hey, Nut,” he nudged Leo’s arm, “ask them what Finn likes. We should get him something for when he’s done.”

Leo looked over as the barista dropped three drinks on the counter in front of him, a stray curl falling in his eyes. “Already on it, Tremz.”

Logan ignored the way he wanted to reach out and push that curl back, and looked down at the drinks, surprised. “Oh shit. You’re fast.”

“Yes, Logan. That’s what happens when you don’t run through the entire list of drinks and their ingredients before you order.” Leo responded drily, standing as he wrapped his long fingers around two of the beverages in front of him.

“Well, how else are you supposed to know which one is going to taste the best?” Logan picked up the third cup, his own iced coffee, and sucked at the straw happily.

Leo huffed out an affectionate laugh. “You get the same thing every time anyway! Why does it matter?”

Logan shrugged as they headed back to their table. “I switch up the flavours sometimes. It’s not my fault nobody’s come up with anything better yet.”

They were still bickering about the pros and cons of knowing every component of your iced coffee when Finn pulled out the chair next to Leo and flopped into it with a grin. “Hey guys! Thanks for waiting.”

Logan looked over at him, definitely not noticing the way the warm lighting brought out the freckles scattered across the bridge of his nose. “Finn!” He cried, pointing at the redhead. “We have a drink for you, but first you have to pick my side in battle.”

Leo’s jaw dropped, affronted. “Logan! You can’t bribe your way to a win!”

“Watch me.”

Finn looked between them, amusement spreading across his face. “Hmm. Well, I don’t know what this battle is, but before I decide whether to help Logan cheat his way to victory, I need to know if the drink is worth it. What’s in it?”

There was a startling flurry of movement as Leo groaned loudly, dropping his face into his hands, and Logan jumped up from his chair with his fists in the air, letting out a victorious cheer. “Aye!! Right answer Finn!” He high fived the redhead and sat back down, feeling triumphant.

Finn laughed, looking startled and confused but accepting his drink from Leo’s outstretched hand anyway. He took a sip as the taller boy fold his arms on the table, dropping his head to hide inside of them.

“Hey! This is my drink. How did you know?”

“We asked the barista,” Leo’s muffled, grumpy, voice came from where his face was still buried in his arms. “She knew.”

“Chin up buttercup!” Logan crowed, leaning over to ruffle Leo’s blonde curls. “It’s ok to lose sometimes. As long as you’re not me.”

Leo lifted his head, eyes narrowed at Logan. “I am not a buttercup.”

Finn couldn’t help laughing at his disgruntled face. “Do you prefer daffodil?” Leo turned the withering glare his way. Finn tried again. “Marigold?”  

Leo just dropped his head again.

“Meh, I’ll call that a win. Marigold it is.”

Logan chuckled, deciding it was time to offer up an explanation for the scene Finn had walked into. “Leo doesn’t think it’s important to ask what’s in a drink before you order it. We were discussing why he’s wrong.”

Leo’s head shot back up as he glared at Logan again. “That is NOT what—” He stopped himself, sighing and closing his eyes as Logan just looked at him, face gloating. “You know what. No.” He opened his eyes again and raised his hands in surrender. “It’s fine. I accept my defeat.”

“Good man.” Finn clapped him on the shoulder. “Way to be the bigger person.”

“Thank you, Finn.” Leo smiled at the other man before turning to Logan. His intimidatingly blank goalie face slid perfectly into place as he looked Logan dead in the eyes. “I will get you back for this.”

Logan, used to Leo using this tactic to try and throw him off on the ice, simply met his gaze and grinned back cockily, straw between his teeth. “I look forward to you trying.”

“So,” Finn jumped in, changing the subject, “did you actually like the show?”

Leo turned to him, a genuine smile returning to his face. “We did! You didn’t tell us you wrote original music.”

“Is that what that song was? The last one?” Logan asked, surprised.

“Oh, ya. I don’t always play my own stuff at shows like the one we had in Montreal, but I can usually get away with sneaking a couple in at places like this. It’s part of why I like playing here so much.”

“I really liked it,” Logan complimented Finn, watching a red flush creep across his cheekbones again, “I was actually going to ask you what it was so I could download it. It reminded me of when I first moved to Gryffindor.”

Finn looked at him with an unreadable look on his face. “Seriously?”

Logan nodded, worried that he had said the wrong thing.

“That’s… I wrote that song about Gryffindor. About what it was like when I first moved here and didn’t know anybody. Before I made friends, before I discovered this place.”

“You really captured it.” Leo said softly.

Finn looked flustered, his calloused fingers rubbing the back of his neck in a way that made Logan want to take their place.

Leo, ever intuitive, noticed Finn’s discomfort and changed the subject, “You mentioned you were in grad school, are you studying music?”

“Nope! English Lit.” Finn looked relieved for the new topic, his features brightening. “But I did double major with music in undergrad.”

Logan sat back, content as he listened to the boys across from him talk, first about music and Finn’s connection to the Burrow, then about hockey, chiming in from time to time with questions or stories of his own as they moved smoothly between subjects. The time flew by as they chatted animatedly, and by the time Logan thought to check his watch, it was close to 1 am.

Surprised, he looked up at the room around them and realized it was nearly empty. He hadn’t even noticed people leaving. One of the baristas was sweeping the floor. He waited for Finn to finish a story about the time he had accidentally adopted his neighbours pet (“I helped her look for her cat for almost two weeks before I realized it was the one I had been feeding every night. Embarrassing does not begin to explain.”) to point it out to them.

“Uh, guys, I think we’re about to be kicked out.”

Leo and Finn both looked startled, turning to look around the room the same way he had, and Logan realized he wasn’t the only one oblivious to what had been going on outside of their bubble. The thought made him feel strangely happy.

Finn looked back at Logan, surprised. “Huh. I had no idea. What time is it?”

“Almost one. I know, I didn’t realize either.”

Leo checked his watch. “So it is.” The corners of his mouth turned down a bit, “I guess we aren’t going to the bar then. Sorry guys, I should have been paying attention”

Logan shook his head and reached over to nudge Leo’s shoulder. “Not your fault, Nut, none of us were paying attention.”

“Plus,” Finn added cheerfully, “now we get to add ‘closing down a coffee shop’ to our list of accomplishments as a trio. We already had the bar checked off, so no loss.”

Leo met Logan’s gaze across the table, blue eyes twinkling. “We’ve started a list?”

“Yes.” Finn stated, his voice confident. “We have. Which means we now need to make a plan to cross off the next item on it.”

“Okay,” Logan conceded, leaning his elbows on the table, fingers steepled, “I’ll bite. What’s next on the list?”

Finn looked at him, aghast. “Logan. That is not how the list works. The list is clearly unlabeled. We must first have the adventure, and then name it.”

Logan regarded him for a long moment. He had to give him credit, Finn could hold a straight face when he wanted to. But eventually, a twitch from the corner of his mouth gave him away and Logan dropped his arms and leaned back in his chair, laughing. “You are full of shit.”

Finn grinned in return, all hints of seriousness disappearing as he stood to grab his coat. “Maybe. But either way, we should get together again soon.”

“For sure, drop your schedule in the group chat. I’d love to see you play again, and I’m sure Logan would too.” Leo said as he led them to the door.

Finn’s face lit up at that, and Logan smiled softly at how adorable it was. He felt light and happy as they said their goodbyes, and when he saw Finn’s schedule dropped into their group chat on his cab ride home, he found himself already looking forward to when the three of them could do this again.

[achliegh]

Grounded

Okay SO I really like Leo, I resonate with him as a character and his personality is like mine yet he is actually a good person. I don’t really know how to write happy, lovey-Dovey shit it makes me very uncomfortable and I just can’t. SO imma make this boy suffer but its just me projecting okay. Sorry Leo I Love you. Please read at your own risk, this is not an easy angst and can trigger people. Most of this is me venting through my own struggles in life and how I have handled them.

CW/TW: Food, Past Abusive relationship, Anxiety, Depression, Panic Attack, past age difference relationship (Illegal)

Characters belong to @lumosinlove

Besides Luka, I made him up, don’t care for him tho

Coming off the ice with everyone was unusual to say the least, every normal day Leo would stay and practice with Kasey and their goalie coach. The Goalie Coach was sick and so was all their family. So today Leo and Kasey got off early and were able to shower and mess around with the other guys. Leo was so excited to drive home with his boys, he couldn’t stop smiling.

After a cool down, a shower and a few towel snaps to his ass from a rambuncis Kuny and James, they were walking out of the locker room to the players lounge. A “ding” came from Leo's phone and he went to look but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw coach Arthur talking to someone who looked very familiar. They were laughing at something Coach said, his boys looked back to him and Logan raised an eyebrow as Finn followed Leo's gaze.

“Shit” Leo went to move his hands to grab his hair but forgot his phone was in his hand and dropped it. His phone landed loudly on the floor making everyone look at him, but the only person he saw was Luka. Luka was Leo’s Ex-Boyfriend, they started dating when Leo was only 15 and Luka was 19, he used Leo as a toy! He made him do things he didn’t want to and act in a way that was cruel and he hurt him, in more ways than one. And… Leo thought he loved him. Looking back on everything he realized that this wasn’t a healthy relationship but it was his first real relationship.

“Leo?” Luka was staring at him surprised for a moment then an evil smirk started to slowly spread across his face. He was stupidly gorgeous and that was how he tricked people into relationships. His sharp brown eyes, his light hair practically white from bleach with his dark eyebrows, his giant muscular arms covered in tattoos and one of those just happen to be a Leo constellation. Leo was gonna be sick.

He could feel himself holding his breath practically waiting for something to cause him to crash. He knew his eyes were panicked so he decided to go complete goalie, no emotion, just nothing. He picked up his phone dusting it off and looked at his boys. Logan was concerned and Finn was just outright confused.

“You two know each other?” Finn asked when Leo finally met his eye, he had never mentioned anything about this guy or shown them pictures like he did with all his other friends back home. Yeah there were very few friends back home but maybe he only had a few friends! Finn never thought that Leo would have hid a whole person from them. Finn looked back at this man and saw this smirk, it was almost seductive and he was looking Leo up and down as if he was this guy's next meal. Then it clicked, this had to be an ex or maybe a one night stand, they knew Leo had the most sexual experience so it was plausible. But why Hide him?

Logan stepped towards Leo not having noticed Luka at all and put a hand on his forearm. Leo full on flinched away and so did Logan. Logan had seen Leo have panic attacks and knew when he needed contact and when he needed to be alone based on his mental state. Looking into his boyfriend's eyes, he needed to be alone. He turned and looked at Finn who was analysing the new guy so he grabbed Leo's hand slowly and started leading him out the door and towards the car. This caught Finn's attention and he followed them as they all silently got into the car.

Leo had completely shut down; he couldn’t think, speak, breath, or really do anything without feeling like he was 15 again. He shut everything out and put in his airpods turning his music up as loud as he could so no one could ask him questions. He gripped his sweatpants through his pockets where he stuffed his hands to keep from fidgeting and closed his eyes.

Finn reached for Logan's hand and squeezed it looking back at their boyfriend and then back at him. “I think that guy and Leo have a past.”

“From Leo's reaction I can guess that it wasn’t a good past.”

“Should we try to talk to him about this or should we wait until he talks to us?” Finn started the car and started driving back to the apartment but the only thing on his mind were the millions of questions slamming around. “What did you think about that guy?” he pulled into the parking garage and was looking for a spot.

“I wasn’t really paying attention to him. I was trying to figure out how I should approach Leo in a way that wouldn’t send him spiraling.” he sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose as Finn pulls into a parking spot. Leo was out the door so fast and he took the stairs up to the apartment instead of the elevator. The two left in the vehicle looked at each other for a second then both got out and ran after their boy. When they finally got to the apartment the door was still open and they could hear reaching sounds from the hallway bathroom.

Panicked Finn closed the door after them and grabbed a water bottle from the kitchen as Logan ran into the bathroom. Logan knelt next to Leo who had his arms crossed over the seat of the toilet with his forehead resting on his forearms. He was shaking in small tremors as everything, all the memories all the hurt came flooding back to him at once. Logan tried to set a comforting hand on his back.

Leo scrambled away wiping his mouth fitting his giant body into the small space between the toilet and the bathtub, curling in on himself raising his hands to block his face. “Don’t touch me! Don’t hurt me!” he started sobbing covering his face with his hands as Logan and Finn watched with their hearts hurting.

Both of them were wondering what happened to Leo to cause this. This level of fear wasn’t caused by a bad break up or a terrible one night stand. This was intense and made both of them sick with sadness. After about an hour Leo finally started calming down and the boys never left his side but also gave him space.

“Leo, baby it's Finn.” He came further into the bathroom from where he was standing in the doorway. He took the cap off the water bottle and was holding it out to Leo not wanting to trigger Leo again. Leo looked out from behind his hands at him and his heart broke with Leo's wide scared eyes being the brightest blue he’d ever seen, even with a puffy face and red rimmed eyes Leo still tugged at Finn's heart in a good way. It almost made him feel guilty because Leo was struggling right now. “ Can you drink some of this for me please?” He held the water a little closer to him and Leo took it, shakily, he took a chug big enough to empty half the bottle.

Just from that one drink Leo started to feel queasy all over again, still breathing hard but slowly coming back to himself, he needed to hear and feel his boys to ground him. He reached for Finn, dropping the water bottle and having it spill on the ground as he pulled himself out of his small space and into Finn's arms, gripping him like a lifesaver in the middle of the ocean. “Please say something, anything, I don’t care” He looked up to logan from over finns shoulder and reached for him as well.

“Why don’t we go get changed and get into bed mon coeur?” Logan grabbed his hand and was looking right into Leo’s soul, he felt himself nod because he was going to start crying again because of how much love he was slowly remembering he had. They stood him up slowly, he didn’t realize it but they must have flushed the toilet during his panic because he only saw clean now. They took him out of his clothes and laid him in bed in just his underwear, as requested, Skin on skin was needed right now. They crawled into bed, Leo rested his head on Finn's shoulder intertwining their hands as Logan laid his head on his chest. “We love you mon soleil” Logan would whisper to him over and over.

“We love you forever” Finn would run his thumb over Leo's hand and whisper into his hair.

Leo decided that these two lovely boys needed to know what happened and Leo needed to let them know for their own safety. He had been talking to Heather about this stuff for the year he was with the lions but it never felt like enough. He knew the boys had noticed his odd behavior, jumping when the phone rang or a door slammed too hard, anyone raising their voice around him (especially those two), and always apologizing as soon as one of them looked slightly annoyed.

“His name was Luka, the guy Arthur was talking to. He’s my Ex and…” he trailed off his hand that was tracing patterns on Logans back stilling as he swallowed the lump in his throat. “He has done a lot of bad things to me, I mean we started dating when he was 19, he is four years older than me. So, I felt like I needed to do everything he said I mean I was just a kid! I lost my virginity to him! I would do anything he told me to, whether it was something I was comfortable with or not. He.. he would threaten or hit me if I didn’t do what he said. I learned to do everything he said and momma was so scared for me but I was an idiot and believed I could handle myself. She never saw the bruises but she knew something was happening. I-I couldn’t take it anymore and I ran away from him one night and he said he would always know where I am and whose in my life and I never wanted anyone to feel trapped with me so that was the other reason why I never watched to get attached to anyone at all when I got drafted even though it was a year after I left him. Seeing him today-” everything came spilling out like he couldn’t stop and he was crying again with sobs wracking his body as his boys clung to him in a desperate plea to prove he was safe.

“Leo, we will always be there for you no matter what. We will protect you.” Logan was talking in a slow soothing voice as he wiped away his tears and kissed his forehead. “Nothing changes the way we love you” Finn was squeezing his hand and had tears pricking his own eyes as everything Leo spilled to them was just setting into his mind. HIS Leo was treated that way by a man the same age as he is. Finn couldn’t imagine treating anyone like that.

“We don’t make you feel trapped, do we? I mean we are the same age as him, but I want you to know that I could never hurt you like that Leo, I can’t even think about something like that happening to you.” A few tears fall as he wraps his free arm around both his boys holding tightly.

"I'm so happy you told us Peanut" Logan saw the tiniest smile at the pet name. "I won't ever let him touch you again! If we ever make you feel like that in any way please tell us"

“You could never make me feel that, I feel the safest I have in a long time with you two. You keep me grounded.”

[zackcollins]

every time our eyes meet || jack campbell

masterlist

Author’s Note: Hi, everyone! I’m back with another fic! I’ve been really inspired to write recently because it’s been helping me cope with the stress I’ve been feeling from everything surrounding quarantine and all that. I may yet post a few more fics but we’ll see how I feel over the next little while. GIF credit to mitchmarner!

Warnings: Nothing, I don’t think. Let me know if you see something though and I’ll add a warning for it!

Word Count: 4.2k+

Title: Amazed by Lonestar

Additional: Masculine reader this time! The reader is also mentioned to be the starting goaltender for the Leafs, so do with that what you will. I know masculine reader fics aren’t generally as popular in the hockey fandom but I wanted to write this for the few of you masculine peeps that are out there (myself sorta included) as a way to show that there are fics for you to enjoy as well. Your love and support would mean the world to me because I like knowing that I’m doing a good job. That being said, I hope you guys enjoy this!

When you walked into the arena for practice that morning, there was a vase with roses and a stuffed Carlton at your locker. You felt your entire face turn scarlet to match the roses. There was a card attached to the vase. It simply read: “Red roses to match the red hair -J.” You blushed harder and felt the tips of your ears heat up. You always got complimented on your red hair but this was another level.

 “Roses? You got a hot date you want to impress?” You flinched in surprise because you hadn’t heard anyone else enter.

 “Someone sent them to me,” you said in the same breath it took to turn to face whoever was behind you. You blinked when you noticed that it was Michael Hutchinson, the “new” goalie the team had acquired. “They sent a stuffed Carlton too.” You reached down and picked up the aforementioned bear to show Michael.

 Michael smiled as he walked across the room. “Do a lot of girls send you roses and teddy bears? You don’t seem that phased.”

 “That happens when you play for the Maple Leafs,” you chuckled. “Personally, I li--”

 “(Y/N) got roses and I didn’t?!” You and Michael turned to see Mitch, Auston, Willy, and Zach walk in. Mitch had an indignant look on his face.

 “Star goaltenders get the best things, Mitchy,” you responded. Michael chuckled at the feigned look of hurt Mitch shot back at you. “Maybe if you become a goalie and the backbone of this franchise, people will send you roses.”

 Willy laughed hard enough that he nearly dropped his Starbucks. Zach grabbed it from him to prevent that. Auston sighed, shook his head, and waved a dismissive hand at what had unfolded in front of him before he went to his locker to get changed for practice. Mitch pouted as he walked past you. He stared you down with fake sad eyes the entire time. You sighed and grabbed a rose from the vase. You walked over to Mitch and gracefully handed it to him. Mitch lit up significantly.

 “Thank you, King (Y/L/N), of The Toronto Maple Leafs,” Mitch giggled.

 You ruffled Mitch’s hair before you walked back over to your locker. Michael looked at you thoughtfully before he went to his locker to change into his goalie equipment. Soon after, the rest of the guys filtered in and started to dress for practice. Keefe came in shortly thereafter and gave a brief speech about readiness and accountability before everyone was ushered onto the ice to begin the practice drills.

 You had sustained an injury the previous week and were still to be dressed in a light contact jersey. The medical staff had been cleared to wear it when you first arrived at the arena that morning. The next thing you did was find the roses and the stuffed Carlton. Today had been a good day for (Y/N) (Y/L/N).

 You and Jack were in the goalie corner while Michael took shots from the skaters. Jack leaned over and nudged you. You turned your attention away from the drills and looked at Jack.

 “Am I still the only one that knows?” Jack asked, voice quiet.

 “You’re gonna need to elaborate on that, Soupy,” you replied, voice full of confusion.

 “That it’s easier than people think to score on your five-hole.”

 You choked on his saliva. “Jack. Holy fuck.”

 “Curse me all you want. Nobody heard me.” Jack vaguely gestured with his blocker in front of the two of you to prove that nobody had turned to look in your direction.

He waited for a beat. “Well?”

 You sighed and put your head in your glove. “Yes,” you mumbled; you only wanted Jack to hear you.

 When you looked back, Jack had gone to the net to face his shots. Michael stood there instead, looking rather confused.

“Fucking hell,” you mumbled, dropping your head into your glove again.

Micheal looked at you lopsidedly, bringing his glove up and placing it on your shoulder.

“What did Soupy say to you that had you so damn flustered?” Micheal asked, keeping his voice hushed.

 You bit your lip, squeezing your eyes shut in the process. “‘It’s easier than people think to score on your five-hole.’”

 Michael blinked and looked at you owlishly as he dropped his glove from your shoulder. “You’re a goalie. You should talk to the goalie coach when you get the chance. He can help you fix that.”

 Dumbfounded, you didn’t push the subject further. You didn’t understand how Michael didn’t realize what you actually meant. He was a grown man. He had certainly heard that joke before. On the same token, you were grateful that Michael didn’t understand. You didn’t want Michael to potentially have a negative reaction in front of the entire team if he didn’t like what the joke meant. 

 The conversation quickly shifted. You talked with Michael about what he wanted to do while the team was on this three-game homestand against Vancouver. Though, you both knew there wasn’t exactly much you could do. Given the whole provincial lockdown and the NHL’s own set of rules and restrictions on the matter.

 “Why don’t you come to my house tonight for dinner,” you smiled. “It’ll be an official welcome to the city and team kind of thing.”

 Micheal blinked before a faint smile pulled across his lips. “Yeah. I’d like that. As long as it won’t get us in trouble.”

 You smiled before you went to take your turn at the goaltender drills. The shots you faced were less intense and further between one and the next. The guys wanted to be cautious; your injury had been a neck injury and neck injuries weren’t to be messed with. You made some saves and didn’t make others. You didn’t want to overwork yourself and put any unneeded stress on your neck muscles. You needed to be ready to play this week against Vancouver.

 By the time practice was over, you felt great. You went straight to the medical staff for examination as you had done after all of the practices since your injury. The examination was brief and to the point. The team doctor said your neck had progressed well and that you were ready to go for the next game. However, the doctor wanted to play it safe and wait until at least the game after that before he would allow you to start. You wanted to be angry, but you knew the doctor had made the right decision. You had hurt your neck and it had to be healed completely before you attempted to play again; it was better to be safe than sorry.

 You walked out of the trainer’s room and back to the locker room. Most of the guys were in the showers and the room felt empty. You trudged to your locker with your head down. You felt dejected after the news the team doctor had given you. You stopped three feet from your locker when you saw a box of chocolate and a bag of cinnamon hearts where your glove, your blocker, and your helmets should go. You lightened up a little at that.

 You turned around and noticed that Spezza, Muzzin, and Simmonds were all still at their lockers.

“Did any of you see who put the chocolate and candy in my locker?”

 Simmonds looked up from his left skate. He shook his head.

“No, sorry, man.” He looked back down at his skate and continued to fiddle with the lace.

 “I was the last one in here before you,” Spezza said, “and it was already in there when I walked past.”

You looked at Muzzin pointedly. The look you received told you that the defenceman knew something. Muzzin shook his head and turned his thumb and forefinger at the corner of his mouth.

 With a sigh, you turned around and stepped the remaining three feet towards your locker. You carefully examined the chocolate and candy. You blinked when you realized it was your favourite European chocolate. Even cinnamon hearts were your guilty pleasure this time of year. Whoever had sent this had paid attention when you talked about yourself. The team nutritionist and the conditioning coach would both hate you when you ate these but what were you if you weren't human?

 You quickly showered and changed. You wanted to get home to eat the sweets while you planned what to make for dinner when Michael came over that night. You walked to your car while you tossed around ideas for meals in your head.

Chicken, pasta, and peas? Fish, rice, and broccoli? Steak, potatoes, and carrots? You knew you would have bread rolls regardless because you had baked some while you had been injured to keep yourself busy. (You had taken up baking as a hobby to keep sane during quarantine and you had enjoyed it so you had decided to stick with it).

 When you unlocked your car, you decided on the chicken for dinner. You had a nice sauce recipe that you had learned from your mother that you could use. When you opened the door of your car, you froze. On the other side of the car, there was a bottle of wine. You sat on the driver’s seat, closed the door, and reached for the bottle. When it was in your hands, you nearly dropped it when you saw what kind of wine it was.

 “I can’t even pronounce that, but I know it’s expensive,” you mumbled.

 You took out your phone and snapped a picture of the bottle. You contemplated whether to send the picture to Michael. Should you give him a heads up that there would be wine at dinner? After a moment, you decided it would be a wise decision.

 (Y/L/N) 13:09

To: Hutchinson

(image attached)

Someone left me another present. This time in my car. Guess we're having wine with dinner tonight.

 It took a few minutes, but your phone pinged with a reply from Michael.

 (Y/L/N) 13:13

From: Hutchinson

Holy fucking shit. That’s a really expensive wine. Someone likes you, dude.

 (Y/L/N) 13:14

To: Hutchinson

When I got to my locker, someone had left me a box of my favourite chocolate and a bag of cinnamon hearts.

 (Y/L/N) 13:16

From: Hutchinson

This girl must work for the team if she has such easy access to everything.

 You bit your lip. You didn’t think it was a girl. There weren’t many girls that worked for the team and none of the staff would’ve grabbed your keys from your bag so they could slip the wine into your car. You thought--knew--it was one of the other players. You took a deep breath before you changed your mind and started to type exactly that to Michael.

 (Y/L/N) 13:19

To: Hutchinson

There aren’t that many girls that work for the team. I also know the staff wouldn’t go through my bag for my keys to open my car. I think it’s one of the players that’s leaving me all of this stuff.

 The three dots appeared and disappeared several times. It made you nervous. You hadn’t come out but you had told Michael that you suspected one of your very male teammates had left you all of the presents. You hoped that hadn’t overstepped some boundary that Michael had.

Finally, your phone pinged with a message from Michael after what felt like an eternity.

 (Y/L/N) 13:27

From: Hutchinson

Are you bothered by that?

 (Y/L/N) 13:28

To: Hutchinson

“It’s easier than people think to score on my five-hole.”

 You decided to reiterate that to see if Michael got it this time with a different context.

 (Y/L/N) 13:30

From: Hutchinson

Oh. You’re gay? I’m sorry for completely fucking that up before... :(

Does anyone else know?

 (Y/L/N) 13:32

To: Hutchinson

Just Soupy. He found me making out with a guy in a bar bathroom in Ottawa on Valentine's Day last year.

 If that guy was Soupy… well. That’s for you and Soupy to know and everyone else to know when you two decided that the time was right.

 The dots appeared and disappeared a few times before another message from Michael came through. You almost dropped your phone when you read it.

 (Y/L/N) 13:36

From: Hutchinson

Soupy told me he was pansexual already. Said I should know because of goalie solidarity or some shit like that. In which case: I feel I should tell you I’m bisexual. ⚥ ♡

(Y/L/N) 13:38

To: Hutchinson

Thank you for telling me. It’s good to know that the starting goaltender has both of his backups in his crease.

(Y/L/N) 13:39

From: Hutchinson

Maybe Soupy was onto something when he said we should have goalie solidarity.

If you ask me, the three of us being attracted to men sounds pretty solidarity worthy.

(Y/L/N) 13:40

To: Hutchinson

 You make a valid point there, Hutch. An extremely valid point.

Though, I feel like I should tell you Soupy didn’t find out I was gay because he walked in on me making out with some guy in an Ottawa bar bathroom.

(Y/L/N) 13:42

From: Hutchinson

How did he find out then?

 (Y/L/N) 13:43

To: Hutchinson

He was actually who I was making out with. We got a little drunk (him more so than me) and he backed me against the bathroom door. We talked about it the next morning and officially came out to each other.

 Oh. Oh. That’s when it dawned on you. The card with the roses. Muzzin’s silence. How the wine got in your car. You knew exactly who had left you all of these presents. You had to go talk to him right now.

 (Y/L/N) 13:45

To: Hutchinson

I figured out who left all the presents for me. I have to go talk to him. Be over for dinner by 19:00.

 (Y/L/N) 13:45

From: Hutchinson

That’s awesome! Go get your man! ;D

 You put the wine safely in the centre console of your car and buckled your seatbelt. You pulled out of the player’s garage and into downtown Toronto traffic. You cursed under your breath as you dealt with the gridlock to your destination.

 You decided that you would stop at a confectionery to purchase some white chocolate fudge and black licorice before heading to visit the man that had left you all of the presents. Those two sweets were his favourite sweets. If he could give you presents, you felt it was only fair to give him presents.

When you were finished picking out the sweets, you made your way to the checkout counter. There were some Valentine’s cards sitting on a display beside the register; you picked the cheesiest one you saw. You quickly filled it out with a personal message before wiping the pen down with the provided sanitary wipes.

 “She must be special if you got her fudge and licorice,” the clerk chuckled.

 “She is,” you smiled, though you weren’t sure if the clerk could decipher that behind your mask, “trust me. I’m headed to the flower shop next door to get a bouquet of tulips and lilies for her too. Those are her favourite.”

 The clerk gave you a fond look with his eyes when he handed you the paper bag with the purchases. You smiled again, again not sure if the clerk could decipher if you were or not (though you weren’t all that pressed to know if he could or couldn’t tell), as you walked out of the confectionery and to the flower shop next door. The store was, unsurprisingly, rather empty even though Valentine’s Day was right around the corner. You supposed that’s what a provincial lockdown did for business, even in what was supposed to be a busy season for flower shops.

 A florist noticed you by the tulips and walked over to you. “Can I help you with something, sir?”

 You pointed at the tulips and then gestured towards the lilies behind you.

“Would it be possible to make a bouquet of tulips and lilies? I have someone I have to impress and they like those two the most.”

 The florist smiled, her mask crinkling at the corners. She walked over to the table at the back of the store and grabbed the pruners and some bouquet paper.

“How many of each did you want?”

 “Three tulips and six lilies," you smiled, pleased with yourself for the subtle symbolism you made there. "Oh! One red rose too. They gave me roses today and I want to show that I appreciated them.” You felt the tips of your ears burn. It had been a long time since you had bought someone flowers and you hoped that this would go over well.

 The florist smiled again, her mask falling down her face a little as she collected the flowers. She readjusted her mask before she directed you to the counter to pay.

“Sir?” You had been halfway to the door but you turned back to look a the florist. She had a soft expression in her eyes and her fingers were drumming against the countertop in front of her. “He’ll love them.”

 “How did you--” You cut yourself off, not even sure you wanted to know the answer.

 “I’ve done this for a long time,” the florist chuckled. “You can tell who people want to buy for if you pay attention. Even if they don’t directly tell you.” She smiled faintly. “Go make it official with your man.”

 You felt your face heat up as you hurried out of the store to your car. You carefully placed the bouquet and the bag with the sweets on the passenger’s seat before you buckled your seatbelt, tossing your mask in the glove box. You collected yourself as you drove the short distance to the building you needed.

You exhaled heavily as you collected the bag and bouquet before you got out of the car. The doorman didn’t bat an eyelash when he saw you walk past with flowers. The doorman never interfered with you when you came here.

 In the elevator, you felt a knot form in your stomach. You had rarely been nervous in your life; you weren't sure why this made you nervous. (Y/N) (Y/L/N) was as confident in love as you were in the net. You never feared love and commitment. A committed boyfriend that understood the demands of hockey was the one thing you wanted besides hockey itself. The guy that sent you all the presents was a hockey player. He would understand the demands of a hockey career completely.

 The elevator opened on the floor you needed. You swallowed thickly and began the walk to the right door. It was towards the end of the hall which gave you plenty of time to back out of this. Before you even thought to change your mind, you were at the right door. You gathered yourself before you knocked sharply. You heard feet shuffle across the hardwood floor in the foyer before the door opened.

 “Jesus. I almost thought you’d never figure it out,” Jack chuckled as he stepped aside to let you in.

 You toed off your shoes and put them on the mat by the door. You handed the bag and the bouquet to Jack who smiled fondly.

“These for me?” Jack asked, sniffing the flowers.

You nodded as you stripped off your coat and hung it on the coat rack.

Jack smiled and directed you to follow him to the living room. You followed him, wringing your hands together nervously as you went.

“Lilies and tulips… (Y/N)... I got you red roses because your hair is red. You got me my favourite flowers."  Jack's voice sounded strained. “And a single red rose? You're a true romantic under all of that gruff goaltending exterior, I see.”

 You felt your entire body increase in temperature at that compliment. You even blushed like a schoolgirl with a crush. (Which wasn’t far from the truth, but that was neither here nor there.) Jack seemed to notice the uneven tone of your skin because he chuckled and playfully punched your shoulder.

“You should blush more. It looks good on you.”

You gasped and covered it up with a cough. If Jack noticed, he didn’t say anything.

 Jack handed the bouquet back to you when you arrived in the living room. He quickly disappeared into the kitchen and just as quickly returned with a vase full of water. He placed the vase on the coffee table, took the flowers from you, discarded the bouquet paper in the bin beside the couch, and placed the flowers in the vase.

 Jack sat on the couch beside you and reached for the bag next. He grabbed the card out first. He looked at the outside of the card and chuckled dismissively.

“’I love you, Barrie much!’ Really?”

 “Tyson was a really good friend of yours. I wanted to keep him with us somehow since I know you miss him." You ducked your head and mumbled the last part.

 When you looked back at Jack he was frozen. After a moment, Jack blinked and opened the card. He scanned the message and then looked at you. He placed the card on the coffee table beside the vase.

“That’s thoughtful, thank you.”

 There was a moment of awkward silence before Jack reached into the bag and pulled out the licorice and the fudge at the same time. You could see the tears before Jack even looked at you.

“(Y/N)... you...” Jack finally looked at you. That confirmed that he had tear streaks down his cheeks. “You went to my favourite confectionery.”

 You blinked once. Twice. Three times. “I did? I went there because it was the one closest to your apartment.”

 Jack nodded furiously. He placed the fudge and licorice on the coffee table. “I used to go there all the time as a kid when my parents would bring me to see the Tigers play away games at Rogers Centre. That’s why I’m glad I’m back here. I can go there whenever I want to.” Jack still had a few stray tears but they had stopped for the most part. “This specific brand of white chocolate fudge is my favourite too. Thank you so much, (Y/N).”

 A smile crept across your face.

“You should thank Michael. He’s the whole reason I’m here.”

 “Hutchison?” Jack tilted his head. “What did he do that brought you here?”

 “I came out to him, for starters.”

 Jack grinned and reached his hand out to squeeze your shoulder. The way that touch made your body feel was electric. You shivered. Jack smiled and squeezed you again before he took his hand away. You shivered again.

 “He asked if anyone else knew,” you continued. “You know the answer to that.”

 Jack nodded. “Just me,” he paused. “Kinda hard not to know when we played tonsil hockey with each other.”

 “I told him that too.” You ducked his head.

 A hand came out and tilted your head up. Jack didn’t look mad at all.

“It’s okay, (Y/N). When I came out to him, I explained that I wanted to leave these presents for you. He’s the only one I could trust not to say anything since he was so new to the team. It worked even better that he’s a goalie and part of the community himself.”

 “Why did Muzzin know then?”

 “The cinnamon hearts fell out of my bag when I walked into the arena this morning. He was the only other one there and picked them up for me. He agreed to help me if I told him which of you guys it was.”

 You smiled. “When I told Michael that it was you I made out with, it made me realize: J meant Jack, Muzzin didn’t say anything because you’re my best friend and he's your best friend, and the wine got in my car so easily because you have the spare key.”

 A smile crept across Jack's face and he chuckled. Jack still had your chin in his hand. You thought you had the perfect solution for that. You leaned forward until you were a couple of inches away from Jack. Jack's breath was warm on your face and it sent chills through your body.

 “Would you like to do this properly now?” You swallowed nervously.

 The only response you got from Jack was his lips on your own. Your lips moved fluidly together and your hands started to roam across each other’s bodies.

 When you broke apart for air, you both panted heavily. You marvelled at how swollen, shiny, and red Jack's lips looked.

That’s from me. You thought. All from me.

 “I have to go have dinner with Michael tonight,” you paused,” but would you like to order dinner on Wednesday? As a date?”

 “Of course,” Jack smiled. “Anything for my star goaltender boyfriend.”

 Boyfriend.

 You could get used to hearing that.

[am-imagines]

Legendary 4.5 Morgan!Reader.

Being up at night is kinda your thing. It was like that even before everything.

Still, things became worse after the accident. Sometimes you lay awake in bed, feeling lost and unable to breathe. You don’t really cry, but the pain consumes you like a fire until your lungs burn. It’s then you wish with everything you are to wake up, to be in a world where she’s still there. It hasn’t happened yet.

Sometimes you wake up gasping, the remnants of a nightmare mixing with the real world in a blurry mess. The pain turns into rage, endless anger against the world. Those nights you need to walk or work out  in order to avoid the downward spiral. Many times you’ve stared into the abyss, fully conscious that a bad decision can take away whatever is left from you.

Finally, there are nights like tonight. You wake up and the world is too quiet while your mind is too loud. Your phone says it’s barely past two am. You only managed a couple hours of sleep and exhaustion is still very much present. Nor a surprise really, but you won’t be able to sleep again. There’s practice in the morning so unless you find a way to rest, things don’t look particularly exciting.

“Scoot over.”

“What?”

Your head snaps up towards the voice of your best friend. You can only see her silhouette in the darkness of the room. There’s no need to see her face to know she’s rolling her eyes at you with your lack of understanding.

“Move, Morgan. I’m not gonna stand here all night.”

Apparently, your body complies before your mind can process exactly what Janice wants. You move and she slips under the covers, pulling you close to her before you can try to complain. This is something you haven’t done in a long time; a hand on your waist is enough for your shoulders to relax a bit and you sigh in contentment.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper after a second, “didn’t mean to wake you up.”

A scoff is the thing you get as an answer. Janice knows you don’t do it to bother her. There are some things you can’t control, and she has always been there to make it better one way or another. Her slight annoyance is at your need to apologize, to take the blame for things you can’t be blamed for.

Still, she holds you tighter.

Your bad sleeping habits aren’t something new, but they haven’t been this bad in a long time. So, she worries. She does so because Janice is your best friend; you’ve been attached by the hip since you were born and it’s no wonder she knows you better than anyone else.

“What’s going on, Y/n?” She asks quietly.

Right then and there it’s the two of you with no one else to judge you. You’re safe and comfortable enough to open up to her, to share what’s in your mind and the things that make your heart heavy.

“I’m trying to let go.”

At some point everything you’ve been bottling up was bound to come crashing down on you. Crying on Sonnett’s shoulder can’t fix everything, you’re aware of that. But it’s a breaking point, the realization that you can’t keep going as you were without it taking a toll on you.

You built walls to protect yourself, to not feel the pain even when you were choking on it. And instead of keeping the sorrow out, you were drowning on it.

Your team came knocking on the door then. They threw you a lifesaver and opened a window to let all of that pour out. Taking care of the aftermath is on you, to put the broken things back in place and get rid of those that simply can’t be fixed.

It’s not easy, but it’s necessary.

Trying to process your emotions during the World Cup is perhaps the worst timing. It messes up your already screwed sleeping schedule, but well, it’s not always too bad. You’re learning things about yourself you didn’t know before, and rediscover those you forgot.

You’re becoming a better you instead of the shell you were so adamant on being.

You weren’t alone after Alex died, but the place you had considered your home was nothing more than a house. Suddenly, soccer was the sport Alex loved and little more. Sure, it was an escape, but also a prison; leaving you stuck between a rock and a hard place.

You want the world to see you as more than just her daughter. At the same time, you don’t want them to forget her. Not when she did so much to inspire a revolution for equal pay, respect and overall appreciation for the sport. Not when her name is associated with the highest honors; world cups and Olympic medals, golden balls and boots and MVP’s.

Not when she means everything to you.

“You don’t have to let it all go.”

Some things might not be perfect now or ever, but they’re still worth holding onto.

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

“I know it’ll take some time still, but...you’re alright, Y/n. I promise.”

You mean to keep the conversation going, instead you yawn and rest your head on Janice’s shoulder. If her arm gets numb, she’s gonna have to shut it, or unceremoniously shove you off at seven am as you realize when you wake up abruptly.

You only open your eyes long enough to glare at her.

“Jerk,” you mutter lovingly.

“Go back to sleep, Morgan,” she retorts with a good natured laugh.

It’s a very, very, tempting offer, but you fight it off for another second.

“Thank you.”

Your words are almost silent, but you know she heard you when she pats your head. You’re already half asleep when you hear her answer.

“Got you.”

*****

“Oh my God! Is this how a fully rested Y/n is like?” Janice pants while trying to keep up.

“Yup.”

After practice ended, you stayed behind with one of the coaches for some extra work. Then Janice decided to join along with Press, Long and Krash. Before you knew it, the whole team had additional training. However, all but Janice yielded at the forty-five minute mark; too tired to keep going.

“I’m so not sleeping with you again then.”

“You could’ve left with the others,” you taunt.

“As if. Someone has to keep you in check here. Otherwise you’ll work out till tomorrow.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

You doubt anyone can last that long, but you’re one of those that would probably try. It’s not the hill you wanna die on so you smile sheepishly at Janice when she makes another remark.

“Last five minutes?” You ask.

“Yes! Thank God!”

You can’t help but laugh at Janice’s antics. She’s still her usual self, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

You slow down in those last minutes, to get your breathing and heartbeat slowed down gradually before stopping.

“We should visit the zoo.”

“Pretty sure I’ll only be visiting my bed after this.”

“Not today, you moron.” You say rolling your eyes. “But you know, next day off?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

Finally getting off the stationary bike, you stretch before downing the rest of your water battle.

“Come on. It’s time for the ice bath.”

“Hasn’t this been torture enough?” Janice asks dramatically.

“Hurry up, O’Hara. You’ll thank me in the morning.”

“If I don’t kill you first.”

“Oh, shut up. You love me.”

“Sadly.”

*****

“This is the most challenging match this team will face in the group stage. Germany was a tough challenge, but going against the host of this World Cup will tell us the chances to advance through the next round. Australia has grown while the USA went to less, and they’re the contenders for the title. If the USWNT wants to win it all, they have to go through this team first.”

“We must also consider the player rotation the USWNT will have on this game. That will certainly add to an already complicated game.”

Your heart beats along with the music in your earphones. It’s a way to keep your nerves at bay before you can finally make it out of the locker room. You’re on the bench for the day, but that doesn’t dwell your excitement of the game.

“Listen, guys!” Sonnet calls as you group around her and Pinoe. “We know the Aussies are good but so was Germany. So was Brazil, but we got the results we wanted. This won’t be different. We’re part of the group of death, and we’re conquering.”

All of you nod and cheer in agreement while Pinoe takes the lead.

It’s wild to say but you’re the underdog of this competition. However, this position allows you to be the dark horse.

No one expected you to win the first two games.

No one expects you to win against Australia.

No one really believes that you can win the World Cup. Not yet.

But you’re here, ready to fight to the last minute and the last breath.

“You already know what you gotta do on the field, now it’s time to do it.”

Five minutes later the team has elected Krash as the captain once again. With one last cheer, the starting lineup make their way to the tunnel while the rest of you head to the bench.

   “The final fixture of the group phase is here! And what a match it is. I think we can all agree that not having Morgan in the line-up is a surprise. Even with the much needed rotation on a tournament this important, you’d expect to see their best scorer on the field.”

“If there’s nothing stopping Y/n from playing, she should be in the game. Australia is far from an easy match, and maybe this is a sign of overconfidence from the USWNT. Their group is the group of death and even when they’re practically through with a tie here, they can’t get complacent now.”

“There’s only one way to find out. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for some soccer!”

The pace of the game is fast, so fast that some players can barely keep up.

Australia is the home team, they have all the advantages here, but even when they press high and seem to have the USWNT team cornered, they can’t get anything past Harris.

The goalie proves time and time again why she’s the captain. She brings security to the back of the field, and it’s there where everything begins. The defense get their heads on the game, stand tall to every onslaught and soon enough just a few balls make it through; none of them dangerous.

Then, the midfield does the same, pressing and recovering before launching forward. The game generation starts in a moment’s notice, guided by Sonnett giving instructions from the sideline. Everyone follows the plan, and soon enough they’re playing at top level.

Australia can’t get close enough, but neither can the USA.

At some point, Megan calls you to sit next to her. You do so without a word and for a long moment neither of you say anything. You watch the game in content silence.

“You remind me a lot of her,” she suddenly says.

The unexpectedness of her words forms a knot on your throat and you have to swallow harshly. Pinoe pretends not to notice, giving you a moment to compose yourself. She rarely talks about Alex; this is hard on her too. You can see it in the way her jaw clenches.

“It’s not just how you look or how you play. I know Harris is the captain, but you’re the heart. You help your team when they need it most, and they listen to you. More than that, they believe what you say.”

You listen silently, suddenly overwhelmed by emotion, but it’s the good kind of emotion.

“Alex had this fierceness in her, not a bad bitch like Kelley,” she adds, making you chuckle. “But she had a fire about her. Sure, we all wanted to win every game. But not like her. I was there in her first World Cup and I knew, I just knew, she would be something special. And I’m sure she would have been so, so proud of you. You have that same fire, Y/n. And just like I was in her first, I am in yours. You’re also meant to do great things, something special.”

“Coach, I...”

But you have no words. You struggle not to break down in the middle of the match, but you manage. Barely.

“Don’t care about what the fucking world tells you, kid. You are every bit her daughter. But you’re also every bit yourself.”

Those two concepts are not exclusive, you can be both. You are her legacy, but that doesn’t stop you from creating your own. It starts here, with this World Cup. You have to prove, not to others, but yourself, that this is where you want to be.

No, this is where you belong.

“Whatever happens, you’ll enter at the sixtieth. After half time, you’re up to warm up right away, understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Now, let’s keep pushing.”

*****

“That’s the end of the first half! It’s been a rocky game so far. Australia is a very competitive team. They have speed, agility, and a lot of talent on their ranks. But I think we’re seeing a USWNT that knows how to play each match. Even without Y/n on the field, they were able to keep the game even.  I see potential on this team, but will it be enough to win it all?”

“Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. They’re not losing, but they’re not winning either. There’s still forty-five minutes to go, and several matches on this World Cup if they want to do something really meaningful. There’s a long road ahead if they wanna be anything like the Golden Team.”

You take a deep breath once it’s your time to warm up.

The rest of the world fades away as you crack your neck and Janice soon joins you to start. You’ll be the first two substitutions. You wanna strengthen the midfield and push forward with absolutely everything you have.

Maybe Alex isn’t physically there, but she’s in everything that ultimately makes you, you.

You warm up and remember when you joined your first little league team, with Alex holding your hand as you jumped around in excitement. You remember your first cleats with the same colors you wear now; a Christmas gift that made your eyes shine with awe.

You remember training with her when you had an important match in highschool and going out for dinner no matter the result.

Alex always had your back and now it’s not different; her number is now yours. As yours is the responsibility to continue what she started more than two decades ago.

She gives you strength and when you finally wait by the sideline to enter the game, you let go of the fear. You let go of the anger and even most of the pain.

It becomes a dull ache that you doubt will ever go away completely. But it’s better than the overwhelming grief you’ve carried on your shoulders all this time. You let go of the doubts and accept that they’re looking at you hoping to see a bit of the magic she had.

You’re not completely sure if it’s the same even after Rapinoe words. But you have magic, not just as individual players but as a team, and you’re here to prove it.

You look at Australia and don’t see them as the host anymore.

This is the World Cup. This turf is your home. You came here to stay until the end. And it wouldn’t matter if the World Cup was in Russia, South Africa, Japan or Argentina. The World Cup is your place. Soccer is your language, and lucky for you, is universal.

“Morgan has entered the game. What can she do with limited time?”

Australia’s defense is solid like a wall.

You…you are a wrecking ball.

A fistbump is exchanged with Janice and you take your place waiting for action to resume with a corner kick in their favor.

The whistle blows and the ball soars straight into Krash hands. You exchange a look and a nod with her before rushing up.

You enjoy the rush of adrenaline, pat one of your teammate’s shoulders on your way to the midfield and they understand to follow as you run past them. It’s something simple, quick and effective that draws the entire team into action.

The best way to wreck their defense is to use their offense against them. A high speed counter attack and they have no time to react. You see Long with the ball on the far right, she sees you on the left and you know exactly what’s going to happen.

Her pass is flawless as you enter the box from the left into your mother’s favorite definition zone. You see the last defender get lost in the play while the goalkeeper tries to close the angle. And she closes it, if you were to shoot with the right foot.

However, your mother had a saying.

Practice the left.

The goalkeeper has zero chance to stop the ball as it finds its way into the net.

  “That’s a goal! And what a goal it was. A magnificent shot from Morgan that could simply not be stopped.”

“She had created the space, and she didn’t waste it. It was a fantastic play from end to end that gave Australia no time to react. And I think we all saw a goal in true Morgan fashion with the first ball Y/n touches after being subbed in. With only fifteen minutes to play, I feel that this team is close to being group leaders.”

“What will this mean for them?”

“In the big picture? Little. But it’s a better chance facing the next round. They have some big names, and they got some big results. However, for a team with so much story as the USWNT, nothing but the title of Champions can be considered a Victory.”

“Do you think they have what it’s needed?”

“...Maybe.”

The team is all around you in a matter of seconds and you jump into Harry’s arms. Her assist was just sublime and you wouldn’t have had a chance otherwise. So you hug her tightly while everyone else cheers.

It��s just one goal, but in a game that has been so close and with little opportunities, it can very much mean securing the last three points.

But you keep pushing. You keep trying. There’s no way you’ll leave victory to chance when you’re close enough to grab it with both hands.

In the end, one goal is enough. The game ends and you get the win to go into the next round as group leaders. More than that, you feel like titans in a world of heroes. You’re ready for the glory, and there’s absolutely nothing and no one that can get in your way.

[saint-patrice]

i don’t even have a precursor for this, i think we should just get right to the good stuff ↴

see here for other posts like this one! i am also taking requests for ‘em :)

(via @suicidepokecheck) i mean this is genuinely just peak flower. like if i had to pick one visual to describe marc-andré fleury to somebody, it would be this. trickster god who loves nothing more than to play harmless and stupid pranks on teammates. would recommend this video for even more fun

y’all i’m-

BARK-ANDRE

(via @suicidepokecheck) baby face says “i’m innocent,” shovel says “i’ve got a body to dispose of”. i suspect both are true, somehow

i mean... i guess i can’t disagree?

safety first!

if you didn’t cry when he lefts the pens - how does it feel to have literally no emotions? i am not exactly a pittsburgh fan, but damn if i didn’t cry like a baby when this was all happening!! he does seem to be having a good time in vegas, and they love him there, so that’s nice at least. expansion drafts: ruining lives since 1967

(via @dickgraysoni) i saved this as “do you ever just cry” and....... yeah, i do ;-;

i love how all-in everyone has gone on “flower” as a nickname. i mean, obviously most players have nicknames and you’re familiar with your team’s nicknames, but i think most of us would be flummoxed for a second if somebody referred to flower as marc-andré. also this light show is so pretty. what a vibe.

a baby draft flower! just a seedling!!! fleury was only the third goalie in history to be drafted first overall (michel plasse and dipietro are the others, for those wondering). quite the achievement, maybe it will even convince the HHOF selection committee to abandon their apparent ‘no goalies’ rule when he retires... 😶

(via @musuniverse) penguin²

when you commit so many crimes that you forget what crimes you have committed! goalie penalties are so funny because it’s like dude... you’re literally just making more work for yourself here. but sometimes you just need to go apeshit, apparently

every year he and his wife win hallowe’en, no contest. it’s spectacular

(via @nylanders) he is just happy to be here!!!!

what i think is funny is that if he were less Completely and Utterly Charming he’d have gotten the shit kicked out of him years ago, yknow? like if some random skinny french goalie did this to me i’d be so annoyed..... but it’s FLOWER, you CAN’T hate him!!!

(via @gfhockey; @samgirard) i think he’s got what it takes to be in the circus, guys. retirement plans sorted

(via @vgk-sinbin) from when he got caught trying to block his net with some snow before being pulled for the sixth skater - hiding behind his glove bc he’s embarrassed! mcnabb beside him on the bench laughing at him! gallant pissing himself about the whole thing! this was honestly one of my favourite occurrences from last season

(via @samgirard) on a scale of floof to flow, this is slap bang in the middle

flower showing this that, hey, hockey players spent their quarantine learning new life skills that maybe they should have gotten round to ages ago too!

he has socks with his own face on them. i have an infinite amount of respect for that power move

(via @vgk-sinbin) sometimes. sometimes you just have to do a little goddamn dance. and sometimes that sometimes is in the middle of a hockey game and there’s a puck right in front of you that you need to prevent from getting in the net. so you combine you gambolling urges and your goaltending ability and this happens.

and there you have it! he’s french; he looks adorable with puppies and with his very cute kiddos; he loves his wife; he swears an awful lot; he’s a spectacular goaltender and even better prankster; and i don’t think it’s possible to dislike him!

[sincerelyreidburke]

OC taddy masterpost!!!!!

Are you, as I am, struggling to cope with the end? Do you feel like shedding a tear? Are you going to miss omgcp so much?…………..

Yeah, me too.

BUT.

*Danny Devito voice* Can I offer you some tadpoles in this trying time?

From the studio that brought you love finds you and its expanded universe (aka myself and @hockeysometimes shouting at each other via text)………………. it’s time for the OC Class of 2021 tadpoles I promised I’d tell you about the other day!!!!

(By popular demand.)

FIRST UP!

Sebastián “Nando” Hernandez

Position: Defense

Jersey number: 43

Hometown: Tempe, Arizona

So the other day, I wrote this drabble from Nando’s point of view, because I just wanted an excuse to write some soft nurseydex shit involving one of the taddies. Nando is my sweet child and I would die for him. All of this started because hockeysometimes and I were talking about the frogs’ senior year and I was like, you know, there should be a baby gay freshman when Nursey and Dex are seniors, and then they love and cherish him like their child.

Thus: Nando. A good boy, and a soft one, even though he’s like 6′3 and a tank. He lives with his mama and his two little sisters, and they’re his whole entire world. He and Whiskey also definitely know each other, because I feel like it’s hard not to when you’re close in age and both play hockey in such a non-hockey-fixated area. (I know we don’t technically have confirmation that Whiskey lives in the Phoenix metro area, but stay with me.)

Nando is soft in that he wears his emotions on his sleeve, because he grew up in a family environment that fostered healthy emotional processing. (What a concept!) But he’s also very much a frat bro. He will get turned the fuck up at kegsters because he feels like having a good time. I would say Nando Patrol, but Nando doesn’t even really disappear; he’ll throw down his awful dance moves and questionable singing right in plain sight. Where Nursey will climb on the roof, Nando will just shout into a megaphone.

Nando is also gay, and at first he has a little trouble reconciling that with the fact that he’s about to play college hockey. Even though he’s been following Samwell in the news, and has been so inspired by Bitty and the legacy of LGBT athleticism at the school (that’s definitely one of the main reasons he chose Samwell in the first place), he has that fear because it’s been with him in hockey all his life. It quickly dissolves once he arrives to campus and realizes what a welcoming environment he’s gotten himself into. He and Tango get on like wildfire.

He studies sociology, gets quickly addicted to Annie’s, and calls his mama every day. Nursey wants to adopt him.

NEXT!

Remy “Touille” Tremblay

Position: Center

Jersey number: 20

Hometown: Quebec City, Quebec

First, of all, YES. That nickname comes from exactly the place you think it does. Pronounced “too-ie”. It happens like this:

(First night of preseason, in the bungalow. Mid-Frog pile.)

Nursey: I can’t believe we have a freshman named Remy.

Chowder: Like from Ratatouille!

Nursey: ............ We should call him Ratatouille.

Dex: No.

Chowder: YEAH!

Dex: Absolutely not.

Chowder: But Deeeeeexxxx, Ratatouille is a swawesome nickname!

Dex: No, it’s not. If I showed up at college and my teammates immediately started calling me Ratatouille, I would transfer immediately.

Nursey: Chyeah, because you’re lame.

Dex: We are not calling him Ratatouille.

Nursey: Boooo. You suck.

Chowder: C’mon, Dex! It’ll be fun!

Dex: No.

Nursey: We should put it up to a vote.

Dex: You can’t do that.

Nursey: Who says?

Dex: The bylaws.

Nursey: There’s no bylaw that says that.

Dex: Well, I’m making one. I’m invoking my captain’s privileges.

Nursey: Well, I’m rescinding my vote for your captaincy.

Chowder: Impeach Dex 2k17.

Dex: I hate both of you.

Chowder: :O

Chowder: :(((

Dex: Sorry, Chowder. I meant mostly Derek.

Chowder: :D

Nursey: 😘

Dex: >:(

Nursey:

Chowder:

Dex:

Chowder: What about Touille for short?

Nursey: (Huge celly.) YES! C, you’re a genius.

Chowder: I’m texting the group chat.

Dex: Jesus Christ, this poor freshman.

So there we have it. This poor child. I don’t accept constructive criticism and neither do Nursey and Chowder.

Touille is French-Canadian as fuck. That is the first thing you need to know. He definitely lives in a super old, nice townhouse in Old Quebec. His dad owns a tourist-trap crêperie where Touille works in the summers, and his mom is a nurse at the local hospital. He’s an only child, but his mémé, his maternal grandmother, lives with them, and Touille spends a good deal of time with her. She’s definitely like ninety years old, and speaks no English.

He scores a lot, and he’s smallish— not Bitty small, but his playing is definitely more about skill than physicality. He doesn’t brood, but he judges you in French. He’s never exactly a grouch, but he isn’t a morning person, so if you try to talk to him at morning practice it’s unlikely that you’re getting through to him.

And while he’s not exactly shy, but he’s more on the introverted side as far as frat bros go. He definitely did a year or so of juniors before college. He came to America school to play ice sport and also to have a good time. He definitely wheels a lot of girls, because they fall for his accent and also want to steal his varsity jacket.

(He never lets them.)

He majors in history, and could definitely go on to play professionally, like all good prodigal French-Canadian children. I’m realizing as I’m writing this that I’m sort of making him sound like a discount Jack, but please understand that a.) he doesn’t come from a hockey empire, b.) he doesn’t come from money at all, and c.) he doesn’t stuggle with any kind of mental illness. He just wants to hang out with his mémé, score goals, and learn about the French Revolution.

And last up!

Ben “Rhodey” Shaley

Position: Goal

Jersey number: 6

Hometown: Providence, Rhode Island

Ben’s nickname is Rhodey because he literally makes being from Rhode Island into a personality trait. You laugh, but this is a real thing. Hockeysometimes said he’s like Chowder with the Sharks, but with the Falcs, so I feel like that’s all you really need to know about Rhodey. (I jest. I’ll say more.) At some point during his SMH career, he definitely gets to meet a handful of the Falcs, and possibly passes out.

As a goalie, Rhodey is precious by default, but he’s also... a frat bro, and that’s dangerous. He and Nando are roommates their freshman year, and probably also in the years following, and the two of them at kegsters can get unhinged. Rhodey can and will dance with enough drinks in his system, and it’s bad. The playing of the Cha Cha Slide is permanently banned at Haus kegsters because of a particularly heinous incident in November of Rhodey and Nando’s freshman year.

Rhodey has always wanted to go to Samwell, because he grew up playing youth hockey in the area and therefore going to clinics there, and also because he has an uncle who’s a hockey alumnus. He comes from a big family— not Poindexter big, mind you, but he probably has about four siblings, including a younger brother who also plays hockey and a sister who comes to Samwell to play on the women’s team.

He and Nando are roommates and also best friends. He’s significantly more unhinged than Chowder but just as goalie-ish. He will fight, especially if someone is like, hey, man, Rhode Island is small and also sucks!!!!! Chowder feels the need to protect him. Also, he definitely gets Chowder’s dibs.

(Wait, that would be so soft, please picture Ford getting the dibs to the bungalow because Dex knows she covets that space, and then Rhodey gets Chowder’s and Nando gets Nursey’s and they’re hallmates and why am I crying in the club right now?)

As a freshman, Rhodey enters undeclared, but he ends up declaring a major in architecture. He’s probably going to live in Providence all his life, and he’s damn proud of it, thank you very much.

[fridlyckans0]

Training Your Dog Humanely: Part One

Welcome the Dog to the Human World

Have you ever watched The Dog Whisperer and thought, 'Wow, that guy is amazing! What a great way to train a dog!" I know I have many times. Cesar Milan teaches one basic principle about dogs - a dog is a pack animal by instinct. According to Cesar, your job is to become the pack leader, a dominant Alpha male/female with 'balance'. I guess by 'balance' he means you should treat the animal fairly, as they would expect to be treated in a wild pack. He gets very good and fast results with this method. I won't say it's a bad method, but it's not the way I choose to train my dogs and here's why.

There's one thing very wrong with the 'you're the pack leader' concept - it assumes the dog inhabits a dog's world, and for you to control it, you must behave as a dog would, the Alpha male or female of the pack. For the majority of dogs who are family pets this means the owner will treat the animal as though it had only instinctual processes going on in its head, no rational thought processes. To refute that thinking go and watch these two short videos of Lucy's behavior: Lucy Remembers Her Ball and Lucy and The Vacuum Cleaner (links appear at bottom). A dog does not inhabit a dog's world unless it's in a pack of dogs, roaming the wilderness like a wolf, bringing down prey and sharing its kill. This is not your dog. Your dog wouldn't chase its supper if it went hungry for a week! It would no more kill a raccoon and rip its flesh apart than would your six year old child! If you do have such an animal it's a sure bet that it's a dangerous dog, one that causes people in your neighborhood to cross the street to avoid.

If you become the pack leader, you've descended into the dog's world. Having done so, the dog will integrate well with other dogs, live in a pack happily, know its place in the human pack, and generally behave well, but it won't reach its full potential. When you adopted the dog into your family, you didn't decide to become a primeval growler, (which can work if you have the cahones to back up the threats), you decided to introduce an animal into the human world. As the two videos show, Lucy is an animal with human-like tendencies developed to the full potential of her smaller dog brain. She, like 99 percent of dogs today, belongs to a family, has been introduced to human concepts, and lives in a human world. It's better that you train your dog to live well in your world, rather than you in its, for the sake of the dog and yourself. You will have a much better companion, and so will the dog. The dog will learn to love humans above dogs.

Lucy is a thinking dog. Lucy will position herself at the ready depending on where a person places their foot behind a ball. She correctly anticipates which way the ball will be propelled by the positioning of the foot. She also cheats quite badly, arriving at the destination of a tossed toy before it gets there. Her brain has computed where you're likely to throw or kick an object. Lucy knows which way you will kick a ball simply by shifting your weight from one hip to the other, without even moving your feet! Better than a goalie in football (soccer).

Lucy knows several hundred concepts and commands, from Jump In The Boat, to Don't Go In The Street. She rarely plays now but when she was younger I would throw her ball into the street (a rural highway) and when she realized the ball had gone out of reach, rolling into forbidden territory, she would put on the brakes and stop before crossing an imaginary line. That line used to be a piece of yellow rope lying across the driveway about 20 feet from the street. After she learned the concept the rope was taken away, she was allowed to go out to pee on her own; I could trust her not to go past the imaginary line. That concept, Don't Go In The Street, is central to a dog being able to live happily in the human world. It's the difference between a deer or a raccoon crossing the road and your pet's thinking. It has learned that highways (a human construct not appearing in the dog pack vocabulary) are very bad.

Dogs have rational thought processes. Dogs have emotions. Dogs also have a conscience. Dogs learn to love. Dogs have language skills and can understand about five hundred human concepts with words. None of these things are in a puppy when you get them, they are learned behaviors.

A dog cannot do differential calculus, that's obvious, but it can reason out how to manipulate an owner into giving it food. Lucy was given a treat every time she asked me to go pee outside. If she gets slightly hungry, she has learned to ask to go outside, wait for thirty seconds and then come back in the house to get her reward. She will do this every hour or so until I've clued in and watch her. If she doesn't pee, the rewards stop, and so does the manipulative behavior since it's now a waste of time. But that shows you a dog can manipulate people. It isn't surprising really; a dog manipulates its owner many times during the day. If you rattle its leash, it will waken from a dead sleep and circle, pant and bark at the thought of going for a walk. That is doggy manipulation. The dog is saying how happy they would be if they went for a walk, and you're feeling guilty already if that wasn't your plan.

So higher reasoning aside, what can a dog do? It can learn. A dog can learn so many things you'd be surprised. If you simply teach it what it needs to know to function well in a human world, it would knock your socks off. Every day that Lucy and I wake up, we tell each other with hugs and kisses how happy we are that we have each other. Lucy loves humans, so much so that she almost ignores dogs. Can they make her food for her? Can they throw her ball? Her stick? Her little teddy bears?

There's a Border Collie in Germany that can remember any one of two hundred and fifty toys. Alan Alda of Mash fame visited this dog for Nova on PBS. The dog has all her toys in a big pile in one room. In another room she is shown a miniature sample of the desired toy (about one fifth scale). The dog leaves, enters the room with the massive pile of assorted frogs, teddy bears, squirrels, puppets, dolls, devils, Muppets, rummaging around and returning quickly, and surprisingly, with the correct toy. She does this flawlessly, even when it's a new toy that she's never seen before.

But once you've taught that dog human concepts, it's no longer a canine - it's a Canine Sapiens, a hybrid between dog and Homo Sapiens (which is Latin for Thinking Man). It cannot happily go back to the pack. Without wishing to conduct such an experiment, I went to England for two weeks and Lucy went to the kennel. The kennel belongs to a reputable breeder and Lucy had her own 'penalty box' (cage) placed inside a three by six foot kennel. There were other dogs there so you'd think she'd be fine, but these were 'Pack Dogs', dogs that the breeder keeps solely for breeding. One barks, they all bark. One runs around the yard, they all run around the yard. Lucy was having none of it, and their primitive antics had her stressed out. When I returned to pick her up she went wild with joy! She ran around the truck about ten times barking, crying, tail wagging, face licking, and all manner of expressions of love. I began to speak with the breeder about England but Lucy jumped into the truck through an open door and barked her head off so loud that she could not be ignored. "I guess I'm being summoned," I told the breeder. Man, was she happy to get out of there!

This is why several universities in the U.S. have stopped teaching gorillas and other primates American Sign Language in doctoral theses. Once the studies are over the animals are returned to cages in the zoo. No more riding around in cars for you! No more ice cream cones for you! The animals, now capable of reasoning to a degree, are back in cages languishing for the good old days with their human friends, unable to relate to the other primates around them. The universities have decided that it's unethical behavior to abandon them once they've formed attachments to their trainers. You need a PHD in behavioral psychology to figure that out?

It can be frustrating to try teaching a dog an advanced concept. If you find yourself yelling or getting frustrated with the dog simply back off. Stop. The problem is too complex for her present state of understanding and she doesn't know what you want. The solution is to break the problem into smaller steps. You didn't learn algebra before you learned to count, add, subtract, divide and multiply. You didn't learn to multiply until you learned to add the same number three times to itself. Dogs have similar minds to humans, except that they're somewhat limited in potential. But if you give the dog credit for being able to think with the ability of a three year old child, you'll be surprised at what they will learn.

Your dog has a conscience. How do I know this? Your dog dreams, which is a sure indication of a bifurcated mind with a conscious and a subconscious. The dog dreams after having a good day, or a bad day. When they've had a good day, they fall asleep and within five minutes enter the REM phase of their sleep pattern. REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement, and it happens almost right away in dogs. In humans it takes about an hour and thirty minutes. During REM sleep the dog can be whining, barking, chasing, wagging its tail, eating, chewing, swimming. You'll recognize a dog who is dreaming when you see it, trust me, but what that dream indicates is that it has a subconscious mind that's free to relive the experiences of the day. If it has a subconscious mind then it must have a conscious mind, because you can't have one without the other, unless it's in a coma.

if you need more information fridlyckans kindly cheakout our site.

[polzkadotz]

I read you saying that your first draft of the kandreil fic was very different, if you feel like could you elaborate on that? I’m super fascinated by the idea and what’s written so far

OHOHOHOHO YES, I can totally elaborate on that!

First of all, my fanfics spreadsheet tells me that I had the idea for this AU on August 27th, 2019 and I wrote an outline for it on September 7th. This AU was supposed to be part of my "october madness" series (a terrible idea, trying to publish at least a chapter of something every day in October). Originally, it followed the plot of The Host AU almost to a T—I just allowed myself one single divergence from it.

Andrew still receives a soul, but its because he sacrifices himself so the rest of the Monsters can escape. However, "Scatters Embers", the soul they put into him, can't take control of the body, no matter how much he screams at the back of Andrew's head. Andrew is in the driving seat, thinking about the advantage of blending in with the souls better and being able to help his family.

Scatters Embers tries pleading with Andrew, but he keeps saying too many triggering words, which causes all kinds of regrets when he notices what he's making Andrew remember. Begrudgingly, they set some boundaries since Neil can't take over the body (and doesn't want to make Andrew's brain turn to mush, which is something souls can do to kill the host) and Andrew sees more advantages than not with having an alien in his head, even if he has to pretend to be a soul for a while until they stop paying such close attention to him and he can go out in the world to find his family.

Scatters Embers falls in love with Andrew's memories of Exy, although he finds being a goalie kind of boring. He prefers to watch Kevin play when Andrew indulges him on showing more memories.

Just like in The Host, they eventually go to the desert to find the others, walk around until they can't anymore and drop on the ground like a sack of potatoes because dehydration clearly isn't fun.

"The dumbest thing I've ever seen," a voice says. "Walking around in the sun. Wearing all black. Aren't aliens meant to be superior to us?"

Andrew is awake enough to say, "Not an alien."

The others test him to see if he's really human and Embers is like, Give me control of your body. Andrew reluctantly tries and finds it's harder than he imagined and also feels incredibly wrong. But all Embers do is shudder and say out loud, "Your body is much tinier than i thought it would be", which gets Andrew mad enough to get control back of his body to say, "Shut up". In turn, Embers gets even madder than him, and rants about how he doesnt have a body to shut up, thank you very much! and then he notices that he's actually in control.

The display is enough to convince Nicky that Andrew has control of the body because "Andrew never expressed that much emotion in his life. Ever."

One of the points in the outline 👀

Andrew is just glad to learn that they all lived (because of Erik, who knew some survival stuff), although Aaron makes a point to say he's disgusted by Andrew by principle or smth. They get better at changing who's in control of the body, and they are the ones responsible for getting supplies now. Embers also starts to play around with names until he lands on Neil, just because, no reason! lol

Everything goes fine for a while, with Neil having fun playing Exy with all the Foxes, until Andrew starts to notice that it has become harder and harder to get the control of his body back. Andrew doesn't say anything to Neil or anyone else, because it doesn't really matter if he can't come out anymore. His family is safe after all, and that's what matters.

One day, Neil wakes up and he's alone in the body.

Then the last points I wrote in the outline after that were just like, "Andrew wakes up in his body after a long, long sleep and sees a new face looking back at him. When the guy notices that he's awake, he says, 'Did you think you could just leave your body to me, as if you weren't important? As if i wouldn't care bout killing you?' and Andrew is just like, "I thought I would be stuck on the back of your head, not erased."

Then it ends with Andrew observing how Neil's body matches his personality and how he fits well with the Foxes, but always come to sit near Andrew, even if they don't say anything. Andrew thinks he's hot in that new body and it rattles him for a little bit, because of how right it feels to have Neil close to him. So Andrew just tell him that and Neil accepts his feelings, the fic ends there wowie not even one kissy-kissy.

I tried to write with this outline until the middle of 2020, but I simply couldn't connect with it anymore. It had too many holes in its plannings and it didn't really feel attractive to me at all. I was just going to give up on it altogether.

Until I realized Kay's birthday was fast approaching. I asked them what kind of fic they wanted for their birthday, and they had no ideas, so I was like, "alright-o, here's my list of fic ideas, pick something from it if you want to???"

And they chose this one. So I re-read this outline and went, "it's not emotional enough for Kay, but also... what if I made Neil fall in love with Kevin instead of just admire his position on a fucking sport?"

So I wrote two rough outlines for Kay, and they liked the current one. The rest will be history, One Day lmao

[feistypaants-archived]

Between The Pipes [Chapter 4]

Rating: M Words: 2099 Pairing: Kristanna Summary: When a new owner takes over the Arendelle Ice Breakers, Kristoff isn’t sure about his future with the team. That is, until a PR nightmare throws the newest member of the media team, who also just so happens to be the daughter of the new owner, right into his arms. Kristoff and Anna can’t even stand the interviews they have to do together… how on earth are they going to fix this mess? Hockey!AU.

[Chapter Index]

Where To Read: [AO3]

Notes: so... I should have mentioned that I’m not the biggest fan of the parents, and think they were super neglectful towards Anna. That’s very much going to be reflected in this fic :^) Agnarr isn’t a very good father lololol. ANYWAY....  

Enjoy!

Anna sighed as she walked into her apartment, kicking off her heels and almost immediately undoing her bra. Oh, sweet relief. Her first day went better than expected, all things considered. She had taken notes of player names, numbers, and positions, hoping to get her best chance at remembering them all. It wouldn’t look so good if she couldn’t even remember their names. 

She padded to her small kitchen, barely enough room for a stove and fridge, and poured herself a hefty glass of wine. It may have only been three in the afternoon, but she deserved it, damn it.

Moving to the living room, she fell backwards ungracefully onto her small loveseat and took in a deep breath before sipping at her glass. 

And then promptly pissed herself off by thinking about that stupid goalie.

When he had come over to meet her, Anna had noticed the way his eyes had roamed. Noticed the way his cheeks flushed. It was easy enough to play with. So she had, and then, god damn it, she found that she wanted more than just his eyes on her.

She made the next sip a long one.

He had apologized, even if it seemed forced, and she appreciated that he owned up to it, at the very least. And then he shook her hand and she felt an actual shock course up her spine.

And then she spent the next hour watching him out of the corner of her eye, imagining that stupid large hand in her hair, around her thigh, under her skirt — 

Oh my god shut up.

One of the players had scored on him, and he skated forward, ducked low, and grabbed his teammate around the waist before hoisting him over his shoulder, the whole team laughing along. If he could lift a six-foot tall hockey player over his shoulder with ease, what the hell would he be able to do to her?

She… needed to have sex, god damn it.

But not with him.

Or maybe with him.

She really didn’t know what to think. He was an ass but god damn was he attractive.

Anna was gnawing on her lip, finger twisting in her still loose curls, mind wandering farther and farther into that forbidden place when her phone started ringing. Startled and flushed, Anna scrambled across the sofa to dig in her bag and find the offensive sound. She looked down to see her fathers’ name flashing across the screen, and she practically yelped before taking a deep breath and pressing accept.

“Hi, papa.”

“Hello, Anna. How did your first day go?”

Anna sighed and slumped further down into the couch. “It went really well, but I think they all wished the actual owner was there instead of his know-nothing daughter.”

“Oh, they’ll warm up to you, everyone does.”

Her heart pounded heavier in her chest, anxiety growing with every thump. That stung, more than she thought it would.

“... Thanks, papa.”

“Are the new players I brought in meshing well with the other men”

“I… think so.” If she was being honest, Anna didn’t really know. She wasn’t one hundred percent sure who was here in the first place and who he traded for. She heard him sigh and she clenched her phone a little tighter. “I’m sorry, I think I’ll know more after a few days.”

“Sure. Well, I’m glad it went well.”

“Me —“

“Bye, Anna. See you on Sunday.”

Her eyes fluttered, trying their best to blink away the wetness that was threatening to build up behind the lids. “Yeah, papa, bye…” 

Love you, too.

Maybe she should fuck the goalie. Just to piss him off.

Anna threw back the rest of her glass, and immediately moved to get another one.

—

The next few days were a whirlwind of paperwork, learning the ropes, and practicing the kind of things she would be covering in her interviews. During games, she’d be wandering around the Arena, doing fun events with fans - games, trivia, and other similar things to help them feel included and entertained during intermissions and downtime in play.

It sounded really fun, after all! Anna really couldn’t wait to get out there and talk with the fans. She was a little nervous that they’d see right through her, but Gerda promised her that there would be little to no hockey knowledge she would actually have to know - they’d go over anything that would come up beforehand.  

With players, however, she’d be discussing outcomes, how they were feeling, how they planned to move forward from potential bad plays and penalties.

That made Anna super nervous. She was assured that the players probably wouldn’t want to talk to her too much anyway, would just want to get back on the ice or back to the locker room, and they all knew that media didn’t always know as much about the game as they did. They’d prep her before any interviews, let the players know what she knew, and it would run smoothly, no problem.

No problem.

None… nope.

She still wanted to learn more about the game, and Sven had offered.

Anna made her way to the locker room, saddened to not see him around. It wasn’t until she ran into another player, Bryant, she thought his name was, that she was directed to the weight room, assured that Sven was in there, getting in his daily sets.

As she approached, she heard his voice and the tell-tale dropping of weights, and suddenly grew slightly embarrassed. Would he want her interrupting him? Would it annoy him? She figured he seemed nice enough, but he was a professional, and probably wouldn’t appreciate some newbie from the media team bugging him to learn the basics of the game, which she could just as easily google…

But he offered.

Taking a deep breath, Anna hiked her bag further up her arm, stepped into the doorway, head down, fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist. “Hey, Sven, sorry to bother y—“

And then she made the mistake of looking up.

Standing in front of her, glistening with sweat, shirt half up his chest as he wiped at his forehead with the hem of it, was number 72, goalie extraordinaire, Kristoff Bjorgman. 

“Sorry uh,” she felt her entire face flush as her eyes took in the sight before her, hard chest, strong stomach, thin waist with a defined hipbone and Jesus Christ this was not fair. “Sven uh, you…” she hummed, reaching down to the bag on her shoulder desperate to turn her focus anywhere, anywhere but the delicious drip of sweat that had started between his pecs and was slowly making its way down down down.

“Hey, Anna!” Sven laughed, looking between the two of them. “What’s up?”

She tried to focus on him, the one who was not tormenting her with his body. Totally ignoring the smirks that had stretched on both of the mens’ faces. “Oh, god, nothing really.” She pulled out a useless piece of paper and shook her head in annoyance. “Just, um, went over what my responsibilities would be here on the media team and…”

Her eyes glanced up for just long enough to see Kristoff’s hands move to his hips, dropping his shirt, but not enough because there was still a damn piece of skin peeking out over his loose basketball shorts and Anna started backing up with a laugh.

“Well, god, you know I don’t know anything,” she bumped into a piece of equipment before startling and jumping to the side. “You said you’d be willing to teach me? I was…” and then she tripped over her own feet and rammed her back into the doorframe. Mumbling a curse under her breath, she did her best to stand tall and bite down her blush, which had spread down her chest and warmed her entire body. 

“Are you still able to help?”

Sven was snickering behind his hand, glancing up at Kristoff before turning his gaze back to Anna. “Yeah  Anna, absolutely.”

“Great!” She was definitely too perky. “That’s… that’s great, thanks so much. So we can set a time —“ Turning her head to check her surroundings first, Anna stepped backwards through the doorway. “Maybe early next week, um, okay, thanks!”

As soon as she was out of sight, Anna leaned back against the wall and sighed, blushing deeper when she heard Sven burst out laughing, a loud “I told you so!” following.

Oh Jesus fucking Christ.

—

Her father, true to his word, showed up early Sunday morning, meeting her and Coach Mattias at the rink. They gave him a tour, a quick overrun of all their plans for the season, and soon enough, he seemed elated. 

“It all sounds great. Thank you, Mattias. Anna, shall we?”

Anna glanced briefly at the coach, apologies in her eyes at the short meeting and abrupt departure of her father, before following him down the hall. “Papa, you should really meet all the guys —“

“There’s time for that, later.” He turned back to her for just a moment, frowning. “Is there anywhere decent around here for lunch?”

And soon they were driving towards the local pub, one that Anna had been frequenting in lieu of actually getting groceries for her apartment. It was delicious, but rough around the edges. Maybe that’s why she liked it so much. The complete opposite of everything in LA. 

Her father didn’t agree.

There was clear disgust on his face as they sat at a booth, and he immediately started laying out napkins as if to protect his skin from the wood of the table.

“Papa…” she groaned, rolling her eyes. “It’s clean.”

“I’m sure.”

They ordered, and sat in silence for a while as he turned to his phone, checking emails and anything else that could distract him from their first moment together in almost two weeks. 

Anna bit at her lip and picked at her nail. “So… how are things?”

He blinked up at her, frowning. “I suppose, just fine. Elsa is working closely with me, keeping an eye on new and upcoming players. We’re hoping to make it to the finals this year.”

She tried her best to give him a genuine smile. “Oh, yeah, that sounds good.” Her eyes dropped to the table, continuing to scratch nervously at her nail. “Things are good here, too,” she tried, hoping for some actual engagement. 

When he put his phone down with another sigh, Anna counted it as a win. “That’s great, Anna. Do you think you’ll like your job?”

An actual smile graced her lips before she let out a little laugh. “Oh, yeah, I think it’ll be great. Sven —“

“Sven?”

“Oh, the… the captain. Pederson?”

“Right, yes.”

“He,” she mumbled, confidence dwindling. “He’s going to teach me a bit about the game, help me actually understand what’s happening, so I don’t… you know, make a fool of myself.” Anna finished with a laugh, thankful that she could see their food coming from the corner of her eye.

“Well, yes.” He paused to thank the waitress, smiling. “That’s… good.”

Anna swallowed, hearing the hesitation in his voice.

“Yeah, and, uh…” She started pulling her silverware out of the napkin roll. “Well, I had a little problem with the goalie, at first. But I think —“

“Please don’t cause any trouble.”

She could already feel tears prickling at her eyelids. “What? He —“

“I didn’t mind you messing around with them in LA, Anna. We had no… investment to worry about.”

His face was so stoic, she couldn’t bear to look at him. 

“I do not want to —“

“Please, Anna. We can’t afford your… reckless behavior, this time.”

“I never did anything…”

Agnarr snapped at the waitress, and Anna felt her entire body tense. God, she hated when he did that. But calling her over was her father’s way of stopping the conversation. He clearly had no interest in hearing what she had to say, and suddenly Anna couldn’t wait for him to leave.

She never did anything in LA. Just a couple dates with lame guys, only one of whom was decent enough for her to even want to hook up with. And by the end of it, Anna realized that he was the most self-centered man she had ever met who only cared about getting himself off, and then she blocked his number and moved on with her life.

And quite frankly, she did not appreciate her father insinuating something different.

What a nice visit this was turning out to be.

[godlymvmi]

rate each chelsea players seasons so far?

oh dear lord okay

- werner: 7.5/10. werner gets so much shit for no reason, he’s actually not had as bad of a start as rival fans love to preach on twitter/on here. even when he’s not scoring, 9 times out of 10 he’s THERE, he’s trying, hes pressing, he’s passing, he’s active. he’s so fucking fit as well, played the second most minutes for us so far and he’s bossing it. and i fully rate that, love him, we’re gonna see great things from him.

- havertz: 8/8.5/10. i cant give him a nine just yet i reckon. but bloody hell, he’s been so good. even when he makes errors, he’s tracking back to fix them, he’s intercepting, his fluidity on the ball is incredible to watch. at the same time, thats also the biggest probkem so far, he’s almost too graceful with it sometimes and he’s not the most bulky lad so he sometimes does struggle with the physical side of the prem, but that’ll come

- abraham: 8/10. he’s solidly impressed me. he’s come off the bench, now he’s starting, he’s seen his chance to show what he’s worth and he’s done it for me, he’s improved in every aspect we wanted him to. he looks so much more confident, hes still a bit clumsy with it sometimes but my god, he’s playing deeper, getting assists and goals, chefs kiss from me.

- ziyech: 9/10. and i refuse to say i’m jumping the gun. the mans passing is orgasmic to watch, his left foot makes me horny, like the man is such a fucking baller, i fully can’t believe we’ve bagged him. his corners as well, i could cry. the willian upgrade we needed, nothing more to be said, hes here and he’s perfect

- pulisic: 7/10. this is purely cos he’s now on injury again and he didn’t exactly hit the ground running right after he came back (which is to be expected) but he’s so so good. truly such a danger on that left side, i canr way for him to be back

- hudson odoi: 6.5/10. this is purely cos he’s barely played, but when he has he’s been a solid 7, he’s improved so much, he looks far more confident. he’s not perfect, he’s got a good way to go but he deserves so much better than to constantly be benched, he really should get more minutes for us and i hope it happens soon.

- giroud: 6/10. again, he’s barely played. i love him mate, i have so much love for oli and i think it’s unfair he’s being benched and coming on for a measly 10 minutes cos it’s not fair on him, whack him on with 30- 20 minutes to go. eden hazard said he’s the best target man in the world, he was one of the only reasons we made it to top four last season. deserves more

- kante: 6.5-7/10. irs hard to say, he’s not lived up to what we know he can do, he’s not been amazing and he’s had some matches where i’ve been begging for him to be subbed off, but lately it seems like we’ve found a way to go, i thought he looked so much better yesterday alongside kovacic, it’s too early to say but i don’t think he’s dusted just yet. i love him

- mount: 7.5/10. it’s hard with mason cos he’s had some absolute fucking nightmares but that’s down to poor management, no rest and being played on the wing. but look how much better he looks as a number 8, he’s a different player. i only want to see him as a number 8, i love to see it.

- jorginho: 6.5/10. i love jojo but he’s so wishy washy at times, but i truly love what he brings to the team. playing wise, sometimes i wonder what he’s thinking but generally i love him, every day i think about his “chin up” gesture to the younger lads and want to cry, he brings so much in so many ways. teaching silva english he needs to use on the pitch, telling lampard “i just want to win” when he was told werner was going to be out penalty taker. i could cry.

- barkely/rlc: didn’t play enough to rate but i hope rlc thrives on loan this season and i hope we recall barkely in january.

- chilwell: 9/10. insane. looks like he’s played for us for years mate, he doesn’t look like a signing we made this summer. absolutely insane. i hope he never leaves, he already seems to love this club and team so much, truly hope he’s our next ashley cole without rhe arsehole stuff <3

- james: 9/10. again, our fullbacks mate. reece has had at least one game i can think of where he wasn’t amazing but generally this man is everywhere, he’s attacking, he’s defending, he’s intercepting, he’s a stunner mate. his linkup with ziyech mate OOF. right back sorted forever

- silva: 9/10 and no i don’t care about that one mistake in his forst match, i don’t care. mans has changed our entire defensive look on the pitch. he’s made zouma a better player, he’s shouting directions at everyone, he’s just scored a goal for us, he already seems to love this club dearly. mate i hope he gets a contract extension, i fucjing love the man. so calm in the ball, for once i’m not pissing myself every time someone attacks. love him. love him.

- zouma: 8/10. underrated. but this man fucking works for us, every match. yeah, he’s had some nightmares and sometimes he very clearly panics whike in the ball, but he’s getting better every match imo and he’s learning from the best rught next to him. i love him, he’s always so happy as well, makes me smile. hope him and silva keep up this partnership

- christensen: 4/10 he’s just not good enough. i will die on the hill that there’s a good player inside of him, that there’s truly a good player there and sometimes we see it. but he’s not for the prem, watch him go somewhere else in europe and he’ll thrive. however, he’s my fourth choice cb, i trust him over rudiger any day.

- azpilicueta. 8/10 and ni i don’t care about your opinion. i miss him on the pitch, i cant even lie. i absolutely adore azpi. i truly love him so much and the work he does for this club, the heart and dedication he has for us. time and time again he’s saved us, i nearly sobbed at his celebration against ajax before they disallowed his goal. he’s so gracious and humble, made way for reece, and the man is still a good player. hope he stays forever and retires with us. and yes. he is a club legend.

- alonso: 3/10. man is abysmal. man is terrible. get him out of my club now. his attitude is horrid, he can’t do anything on the ball that chilwell can’t do better and truthfully, his time has come to leave. feel so uncertain anytime he plays, thank god he hasn’t in bare time

- tomori. 100/10. shut up. i love fikayo man. turning down a loan to west ham last minute to fight for his place, head down and attitude right. even now, franks said he’s part of the plans and i hope so cos i see a fucking class cb in him as long as he gets time, minutes and good coaching. i really see him as our third choice centre back, when we rest silva fikayo should be on the pitch. we’ve seen him and zouma link up before, we can see him again.

- emerson: 5/10. i don’t hate emerson, he’s just eh. he doesn’t do much for me, he doesn’t really stick out, he kind of blends in and is almost a bit invisible during most matches he’s played. he’s just eh. i don’t hate him but i certainly don’t want him starting every match ever and wouldn’t mind a new backup lb.

- rudiger: 3/10. i can respect this mans agent work to get havertz and werner to us but now it’s time to go rudi pal. i just don’t trust him on the ball ever, man terrifies me every time. he’s so shaky. i’m so glad we’ve not seen him pkay much recently, cos it baffles me that he’s being subbed on in the first place.

- kepa: 1/10. no. there’s nothing to say

- caba: 5/10. does the job, he’s not great and he’s deffo not my first choice but if mendy can’t start, he’s mt third choice.

- cech. pls play him frank. 1000000/10 <3

- mendy: 9/10. dont care about last night, he’s amazing. i wasn’t expecting him to come and perform the way he has but he’s been so so good. cant remember what it feels like to trust a goalie i just love himmmmmmm. such a good attitude and work rate as well

[marsqrd-blog]

          hey guys, i’m oliver. this is mario aka mar. i’m from buffalo, ny so when i learned there was a buffalo, mn, i knew absolutely had to do it ‘em.

❛  ｡ ‹  xavier serrano. he/him. male.  ›  “  MARIO MARINO at dean levinson’s office please.  “  it’s that TWENTY-ONE year old JUNIOR from BUFFALO, MN, right ? can’t imagine what they’re in for this time, after all they are LAIDBACK & LOYAL. then again, their PRIVATE & UNFORTHCOMING tendencies could land them in the dean’s office any time of the day. from what i’ve heard they’ve joined THE MEN'S ICE HOCKEY TEAM and majoring in ARCHITECTURE, but their trademark style consists of SNOWFLAKES CLINGING TO HIS HOODIE AND HAIR, A SMILE LIKE A WARNING BEFORE EVERY HIT, GRUESOME SCARS YOU'VE LEARNED TO LOVE.  ˚ ◝ oliver. 21. they/them. est.

THE STORY ( honestly ngl this part reads like a wikipedia page so skip down to MISC for somewhat more relevant things )

-- minnesota : land of 1000 lakes, the state of hockey, of cold, long winters you learn to love or leave to forget ---- that was where he was born, on the coldest day of the year. maybe there’s something to that because he doesn’t get cold very often. ( yes, the cold never bothered him anyway...).

-- he had a pretty simple childhood, the only son of a single mother ( #doubleshifting ), growing up just a short walk from the lake --- wakeboarding in the summer and playing pond hockey in the winter. 

-- they weren’t a wealthy family, though not struggling mightily either. hockey was an expensive sport, though, and he played through his early days and partially through high school with second and third hand gear when possible.

-- early on, he learned being flexible, adaptable, and always having a good attitude was highly important ; his upbringing definitely had a large effect on that. once he turned 16, he picked up a gig as a waiter to earn some cash for himself. besides being able to scrape enough together to buy a nice new stick, it was certainly a character building experience.

-- architecture was something that felt natural to pursue. hockey wasn’t the end all, be all, though he hoped he would remain connected to the sport ( beyond beer league ) after his prime playing days ended. he had a certain knack for sketching and accurately capturing perspectives -- uncharacteristic maybe, but there all the same. he turned to architecture in the hopes of someday being able to design an nhl arena in the future.

-- cornell felt like a huge longshot : prestigious, ivy league, and terrifyingly expensive. it was his reach school ( st. cloud state was his fallback ), but seemed worth the risk. as luck would have it, cornell had it’s eye on someone on a rival team his high school team played in the state tournament at the end of his junior year, but in the particular game they visited, he caught their eye as well. that conversation afterward was a shock to him, the first time he considered possibly being good enough to make hockey more than just a fun pastime. from there, it seemed too good to be true : acceptance into cornell, a nice athletic scholarship, hockey on a d1 team. 

-- that summer, it was one of his days off from the restaurant and he was at a friend’s lakehouse watching the nhl draft with some friends. he was aware it was a very slim possibility ( and well, everyone who plays always hopes just a little right? ). so they had day two of the draft on in the background, while they were eating some freshly grilled burgers and drinking some not completely legally obtained beer and making plans to go out on the lake later. mar was on the couch cracking some joke when he saw his name on the tv : the fourth round, 95th overall to the vancouver canucks. he kinda stared at it not comprehending, and once he did, he stood up and told his friends they were going to the lake.

-- he’s tried not to let himself think to hard about the fact. the fourth round is a very long shot at best --- but it’s not impossible. he’s dutifully gone to development camp every summer since, but his focus has remained to his school and on his work.

-- he knows he has a choice to make at the end of this season : stay another year to finish college or take that next step forward. architecture is what he likes but hockey is what he loves, and maybe he didn’t really realize he might actually get a chance to live out his true nhl dream. he’s been trying not to focus on it. what he does know, is that this year or after he graduates he plans on signing with vancouver if they’ll still have him -- no matter what anyone tells him. they’re the ones that believed enough in him to draft him three years ago, and he feels a sense of loyalty to them for that.

MISC

-- he almost exclusively goes by ‘mar’. no one knows if it’s taken from his first or last name : it’s a left twix/right twix kinda debate. his teammates probably call him marsy or some shit like that.

-- 6′3″, 193 lbs

-- his wardrobe is pretty much all adidas pants, cornell hockey hoodies, t-shirts from various hockey tournaments, running races, and other misc things you get free t-shirts from. he also has a pretty big chunk of canucks related things from the three development camps he’s been to, but he doesn’t wear it too much because it feels a little like a brag to him sometimes.

-- he’s not that superstitious. he does have a routine before every game, but if things get messed up or done in the wrong order, it doesn’t phase him at all.

-- when he was accepted into cornell, he took some of his long-stashed savings to buy brand new bauer skates. it was the first time he’d ever had brand-new skates. they fittingly ended up having red accents. all his pads are still secondhand, though.

-- he has a small sketchbook. he’s constantly sketching buildings, usually in pen. when it’s nice out, you can find him on the quad drawing some campus building or another. he’s likely redesigned lynah rink like a hundred times already.

-- he prefers to be in the shadows rather than the limelight, and his style of play dictates that. he’s not a goal-scorer, not an offensive defenseman, and isn’t all the flashy. very much has a  “if no one notices me, then i’m doing my job”-type mentality, because he assumes if someone does it’s probably because he didn’t do enough to prevent a goal.

-- his reaction to being drafted is very On Brand : constantly brushing off things that are pretty momentous. it comes from a bit of a place of feeling like he’s not really worthy of praise. not that he doesn’t like praise, it’s just... it’s complicated ?.

-- very much a steadying force. knows when to laugh, when to be serious, how to just be a rock on the blue line and in the locker room. he tries not to let too much phase him or get to him either. sometimes people joke he would’ve made a good goalie because of it. ( he laughs because while he loves his goalies, they’re really a complete different breed ).

PERSONALITY

+ laidback, loyal - private, unforthcoming

mar is the kind of guy you want to be friends with. he laughs easily and has a certain friendliness about him. that being said, he has a way to make you feel like you know him but you really don’t. he’s a deeply private person and doesn’t freely disclose much of his close personal life : everything from his emotions, to the fact his wrist is bothering him, to any doubts he has. the frivolous things are given freely : weekend plans, parties, opinions. there’s no true reason for his private state, just that he feels it’s important to keep some things very close to your chest.

on the ice he’s far more imposing, unafraid to throw big hits or get in a scrum if he needs to. he’ll protect his goalie as well as his fellow teammates if the occasion arises.

THE AESTHETICS

SNOWFLAKES CLINGING TO HIS HOODIE AND HAIR...      not the type to wear a winter jacket even if the weather maybe calls for it. he loves when it snows and enjoys walking to class when it does so.

A SMILE LIKE A WARNING BEFORE EVERY HIT...      “ MARINO smiles before every hit in this thing so the other guy knows what’s coming. ” it’s no secret that mar is a physical presence on the ice ; not dirty, just physical. and he enjoys it.

( tw. kinda graphic injury?? ) GRUESOME SCARS YOU'VE LEARNED TO LOVE...           well... mar almost died when he was sixteen, in the middle of playing a tournament. someone crashed the net, he went down trying to defend it, and a skate slashed his neck. it’s a miracle it was a shallow cut --- a few millimeters more and his main artery would’ve been slashed. his souvenir from the incident is a three inch scar on his neck that starts near his adam’s apple and extends at a diagonal toward his right ear. it’s healed to look a bit like a rash or hickey.

ACCOLADES

RUNNER UP, ECAC DEFENSIVE DEFENSEMAN OF THE YEAR ( 2018-19 ) : given to the best defensive defenseman in the conference as voted by the coaches of each ECAC team.

NCAA (ECAC) ALL-ROOKIE TEAM ( 2017-18 )

95th OVERALL, 2017 NHL DRAFT ( vancouver canucks )

SCOUTING REPORT

MARINO provides a strong, physical and highly reliable defensive presence on the blue line. he is unafraid to block shots and sacrifice his body to do so. his skating ability, while not elite, is more than proficient and he can get significant speed when necessary. his is more likely to stand up to hits rather than evade them. MARINO exhibits exceptional passing ability; however, he could do well to improve his overall offensive capabilities and on-ice agility. regardless, his value on the penalty kill and ability to diffuse high danger situations from the opposing team must not be overlooked.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

-- i can see him being friends with whoever the student photographer is that captures the team. creative processes fascinate him.

-- close friend on the team: preferably another dman or goalie. why is this here. i should just send it into the main for the wc list huh.

i suck at coming up with these honestly, so i’m just going to go read intros and hopefully be inspired along the way.

[manuelmueller]

pls... do ALL OF IT FOR NUELE

oof fam ooof (jk i LOVE THEM) (i crossed out a few that i had no idea how to answer or wasn’t bothered but OTHER THAN THAT) (yes all those 300 word questions kinda became a short fic you can read on ao3 here)

–––––– I tried to put this under a cut but it kept fucking up so HERE I GUESS

1. What are things they both find funny?

Little things. Weird tweets from their teammates. Leon stumbling over his shoelaces. The way Sven gets exasperated with them so quickly. A leaf blowing straight into someone’s face. Everything can make them giggle, pretty much, cause they make each other gleeful, giggly, bubbling AHHHHHH

2. If they could each describe each other in one sentence, what would it be? “Nikki is … he’s my person.” – “Alex made me realize that love can be wonderful, and kind, and fulfilling, and everything, and I love him.”

3. If they complimented each other, what would they say? Alex would talk about Nikki’s wide smile, his enthusiasm and his unbroken optimism despite going through some shit, his kinda heart and his sunshine personality. Nikki would mention Alex’ resilience, the way how he rises above the shit people talk about him and how he came out being a great person still. Also, the way his chuckles sound in the morning and the way his hair looks like spun copper in sunlight and the freckles on his cheeks and shoulders.

4. What would be their ship name? NÜLE we did a great job pairing up two of the very few dudes who have an ü in their last name huh

5. What activities do they enjoy together? Football (duh), watching dumb TV shows they can laugh at together. Cuddling on the couch. Cooking. Accompanying the other on his respective hobby and whining about how silly it is (Alex goes fishing, Nikki plays golf) but yet loving every second they get to spend with their s/o doing what they love. Also actually another couple they’re friends with kinda drags them hiking sometimes and they actually kinda like it, too.

6. What is/are their love language(s)? Actually probably it’s Quality Time for them both tbh (you could change my mind, tho)

7. Write a ~300 word love scene for them.

READ HERE

8. What were their first impressions of each other? ‘Yeah he’s a talented goalie, I wouldn’t mind to play in his defense .... oh shit is he smiling? He’s smiling. Oh fuck he’s so cute, I’m so gay, help. heLP’ – ‘Süle? Oh yeah, I’ve heard a lot about him. I mean, how could I have not? It’s in my job description to know about the best defenders. Can’t believe it took us so long to meet in person, tho. Nikki it is, okay. Wow, I’m .... is that a spark that I’m feeling? Sure, great idea, develop a crush on your first day on a new team, well done. Is it a crush? (a month later) yep, definitely a crush’

9. Have they made each other cry? with HAPPINESS, yeah

10. Write a ~300 word argument scene for them.

READ HERE

11. What causes them to fight? Genuinely can’t picture them fighting, but probably more like jokingly arguing about chores like who should take out the trash. Also football can cause a strain too, I mean, sometimes they lose games and either of them or both are partially to blame and while they’d never blame each other even if it’s true, the unspoken dissatisfaction hovering in the air between them can cause things to be quite awkward for a few hours and one night.

12. Do they have differing political opinions?

13. Name something they would never do for the other person. Lose any kind of game – as athletes they’re quite competitive, even when it comes to board games and the like. Tho they’re not above conceding when it’s obvious they loose.

14. What would be a dealbreaker? Sharing the other’s secrets to someone the other doesn’t trust enough, and also not liking pets (luckily they do)

15. What are traits they dislike in one another? Nikki gets a bit reckless sometimes. Drinking too much, doing vaguely dangerous things cause he’s excited and hyped with his friends (why the heck would you climb on that shed when it’s too high to jump down and you don’t have a ladder?? you already have bad knees, Nikki!) and Alex Worries, ok? Alex on the other hand can get quite broody and taciturn when he’s not okay, not sharing what bothers him even when Nikki asks. Nikki just wants to help, but being stubborn is a goalkeeper thing

16. If they broke up, what would be their opinions of each other?

17. What senses (sights, smells, feelings, etc). remind them of each other? Nikki thinks of Alex on windy but bright spring days, and whenever he smells his shower gel. Alex’ rumbling laugh causes the butterflies on his stomach to flutter their wings, and his bare hands when he just pulls his glove on seem to be made to be settled on Nikki’s arms, his shoulder, his waist. Nikki to Alex is a freshly cut pitch, petrichor raising from the streets in summer, warm coca cola from a bottle left outside and forgotten. He’s a sunrise, a smile flashed over the shoulder, a laugh shared with Leon, Jo, Serge, Thomas …

18. What would be their love motto?

19. If they could each write a single line in their marriage vows, what would they be? “Alex, you taught me everything I know about love. You taught to forgive, to move on and I found a forever home in you.” – “I feel the sun rise every time I hear your laugh, bean, I feel born anew every time I reach for your hand and you take it. I would still be adrift without it.”

20. What is a promise they have made to each other? That they will never let get football between them. No jealousy if one is called up for the NT and one isn’t. If they ever played for rival clubs, they wouldn’t let it get between them. If something happens during a game, it in the end won’t be a factor in their private life. It’s hard sometimes, cause they’re only human, but a vow to try and to resolve things is the best they can do, and they always do

21. How have they changed each other for the better/for the worse? They’re each other’s first boyfriend – Nikki especially has been disappointed/rejected when confessing his feelings before, so he’s really a bit reluctant when opening up to Alex, and Alex does everything he can to make him open up more again on that level and succeeds at it too. Nikki is just a constant sunshine in Alex’ life, who after announcing his transfer didn’t have the easiest time, so it’s really great to have someone who makes him remember the light-heartedness life can have when you spend it with the right people. And well, they both grow quite chatty around each other, and have been shushed by quite a few people who just want to sleep on the bus ride … (from here)

22. If their lives were what was originally intended at birth, would they have still fallen in love? Who can even tell? Who knows if they were both supposed to end up at Bayern. Who knows if they wouldn’t have had someone else from the beginning. When they were born, neither of their families probably expected to have a son-in-law instead of a daughter in law. But they’re happy with the life they got. Happy they got each other. Cause they won’t have it any other way anymore

23. Write a ~300 scene between them with no dialogue, only body language.

READ HERE

24. What is something they have each had to forgive the other for? Again, football, when either of them fucks up during a get. pride is a difficult thing to best, sometimes, but they’re learning

25. What moves do they know work on the other? Alex knows exactly how to let his voice dip, knows how to touch Nikki’s waist to make him know, knows what to say and when only uses his voice with deliberation. Nikki is a bit more thoughtless in his approach, often just communicating his appeal unbeknownst to him, because Alex loves him most in those moments when he’s just free, simply himself, laughing and smiling and so beautiful. He doesn’t need to do anything, really, tho if he does, a look is enough.

26. What are their favorite parts about physical affection/sex? Literally just being close and warm and at home and ofc the thrill of sharing that all not with a stranger you barely know but with someone who knows you inside and out :3 (pun fully intended, in this case)

27. Do they have any kinks/fetishes that they share? Nikki is really into Alex’ voice. Like really into it. That deep yet soft voice always makes his spine tingle and his stomach hop and other …. areas interested, as well :3c He also likes Alex’ back especially when it arches so delicately Alex really like Nikki’s tattoos, he’s absolutely fascinated by them and sometimes maybe even wishes Nikki had a few more – tho that’s not a kink really, is it. But they just complete the perfect package that is his boyfriend :’3 But no, in general they keep it pretty vanilla for now, just getting comfortable with each other, learning each other, studying with eyes, hands, lips

28. Write a ~300 fantasy one of them has about the other.

READ HERE

29. What are each of their signature foreplay moves? Alex whispers hushed words into Nikki’s neck, kisses his jawline, lets his hands ran up and down Nikki’s side, skilled, gentle yet insistent and talking of what’s yet to come, teasing and nipping before finally reaching down, creating the contact that Nikki wanted for so long. Nikki lets his hands simply rest on Alex’ hips, his shoulders, his heck, warm and familiar and hot and hotter with every second as he steals kiss after kiss before sliding down, sitting before him, leaning in …

30. Write a short exchange of dirty talk between them. “Alex?” “Bean?” “You look so good. Do you have any idea how good you look?” laughs “Bean, you’re drunk” frowns “Ok, maybe a little. But I love you, you know? I wanna lick you all over.” blushes a bit “Nikki, everyone’s looking.” “Nah, they’re all busy drinking. Dancing. Probably fucking in the storage closet, in some cases” he giggles. they both know who he’s talking about. he puts his chin on Alex’ shoulder “Wanna get out of here?” “Now?” “Hmm.” he kisses his neck, licks gently behind his ear “no one will care. please. let me.” “Yeah? Well, bean, then who am I to deny you” THIS SUCKS!!!

31. What do they love to do after sex? They often just lay there face to face, noses almost touching, eyes almost falling close as they exchange light, playful pecks, hands entwined, legs a tangled mess. It’s all really cute and mushy but they wouldn’t have it any other way – also! laughing!! There’s a lot of cheerful, content giggling especially in the afterglow as they are still entangled in the sleepiness and the amazing feeling of just being together. (from here)

32. Do they enjoy morning or night sex? They both quickly wake up in the morning, ready to face the day, but yet … there’s nothing better than half-sleepy morning sex, smiling and tasting the fresh air and each other’s morning breath because of the familiarity, the comfort of gazing upon each other drenched in the first sunlight, not hidden away by shadows. This is real. This is them.