#nhl ficmas

[holy-puckslibrary]

← previous month’s round-up

here's a list of everything i published in the month of DECEMBER

˗ˏˋ main masterlist ˎˊ˗ 

━ see the special events below!

━ none this month! 

━ FICMAS (tumblr)

˗ˏˋ THE MRS. CLAUSE ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — NATE MACKINNON x claus!reader premise — when she took the reins as the world's chief claus, her father forgot to disclose one very pressing hidden clause in the job contract…  cw — me getting way too into the lore of the council of legendary figures, reader is blinded by stress and nate is in lurrrvvv, and some mild angst wc — 2k

˗ˏˋ HOLIDATE ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — JACK HUGHES x reader premise — in order to avoid the annual interrogation into his love life, jack hughes enlists his longtime friend to be his totally platonic plus-one for the holidays. cw — alcohol mention, jack being moody while luke and quinn are menaces, and reader and jack are idiots (in love, affectionate) wc — 2.3k

˗ˏˋ CANDY CANE GRAM ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — teacher!JEFF SKINNER x teacher!reader premise — their students decide to play matchmaker before a school dance; will their scheming pay off? cw — me using jeff as an outlet for the degree in education i don’t use bc i would like to be financially stable, jeff and reader being sneaky sneaky, kiddos trying to play cupid, and my history major jumping out! wc — 2.4k

˗ˏˋ THE NANNY ON THE SHELF ˎˊ˗ ➤ series masterlist   pairing(s) — dilf!ERIK JOHNSON x reader premise — in erik's absence, his nanny takes over staging the family's elf on the shelf in order to keep the magic alive for his children. results are… questionable. cw — pre-relationship/pre-therapy erik being a dick and josie being sassy (if you can’t handle the heat, get outta the kitchen — looking @ you ej…) wc — 1.1k

˗ˏˋ TRADITION ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing — dbf!SIDNEY CROSBY x reader premise — it may not be the right plant, but it's close enough to justify upholding the festive tradition. cw — unspecified age gap (everyone's legal, dw), smokin' grass (oiud, a joint, mary jane, whichever term you want to use), 18+ content — innocence/corruption kink, adult language/dirty talk, sexual activity under the influence between two consenting adults, fingering (r), oral (r), slight exhibitionism kink, unprotected p in v + creampie (a very merry chrysler to you) wc — 4.4k

find more more holiday content ˗ˏˋ HERE ˎˊ˗

your fellow readers (and my lovely patrons) gifted you some spine-chilling spice this holiday season! be sure to thank them for their generosity when you get a chance <33

˗ˏˋ FARMER’S DAUGHTER ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — foreman!JOSH ANDERSON x farmer’s daughter!reader premise — she’ll always remember the time she let her daddy's foreman soil her in the middle of his pasture… cw — backdoor play, costumes/roleplay (kinda sorta), + risky location/exhibitionism, implied age gap, outdated patriarchal beliefs, innocence kink, corruption kink, slight humilation kink, spit as lube, dacryphilia, slight overstim, unprotected p in v, possessive!josh x virgin!reader (outdated definition and beliefs here, too) and just general filth wc — 3.5k

˗ˏˋ BONER-KILLER ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — camp counselor!JACK HUGHES x camp counselor!reader premise — no machetes, no hockey masks… at least, that’s what he promised. cw — a few jokes about death/dying and murder, rather short n tame ("vanilla") barely-there spice from me???, jack being a little shithead (and a little switchy omg), a smidge of angst, and spoopy ending… (kevin heimbach hive rise!) wc — 1.4k

˗ˏˋ NEW PERSPECTIVE ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — (soft)dark!stalker!QUINN HUGHES x grey!reader premise — in his own shadowy domain, he could be whatever and whoever he wanted… cw — dom!reader + subby-as-hell!quinn (ngl he’s kind of a pathetic loser here, but that’s why we love him), m!receiving oral (perhaps too much idk you tell me) + cum play x2, quinn rendered dumb and speechless by his raging humiliation kink and his need for degradation (and an itty bitty bit of praise — quinn: new kink unlocked), i have been plagued w ball play as of late so im subjecting yall to it, mention of edging and orgasm denial, oh and just some pheromone kink bits and a cute lil oral fixation moment or two, nothing to see here! wc — 4k

˗ˏˋ LIVE DEMONSTRATION ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) ➤ series masterlist pairing(s) — camboy!MITCH MARNER x camgirl!reader (+ some special guests) premise — their first performance with a live studio audience! cw — cameos…bc cameo lol, public sex (a literal audience), unprotected boinking + creampie, some reach-around finger-bang action, unprotected coitus + cum play bc mitchy is nasty, praise kink influencer!mitch — "content, baby, content!" (name that vlogger lol), brief past phone sex (kinda? idk you'll see), discussion of sex work and the selling of items wc — 3k

˗ˏˋ A PEARL ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — captain!ERIK KARLSSON x reader premise — its the rum talking… or is it? cw — stranger sex and CMNF, 18th century purity culture and oral (f receiving)  wc — 600 (preview of my POTC au)

find more spooky content ˗ˏˋ HERE  ˎˊ˗

━ WHAT I POSTED ON PATREON 

˗ˏˋ 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — firefighter!QUINN HUGHES x reader premise — over a decade ago, jack hughes broke her little sister’s heart. out of loyalty, she hasn’t spoken to his elder brother, quinn hughes, since. the holiday season is brimming with miracles; will a mended bridge make the list this year? cw — angst with a fluffy ending, quinn and the reader being overprotective idiots, named sister!oc (for the reader), kinda non-linear timeline, and less dialogue from me than usual wc — 2.7k

˗ˏˋ 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒 ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — baker!NICO HISCHIER x wedding planner!reader premise — nico, the owner of the most sought-after bakery in town, has always had a crush on the reader, an equally popular wedding planner in the area. never more than acquaintances, they still bonded over a shared love of sweetening memories for their special clients. without words, he can tell something is different this time – something is wrong. something happened last christmas; can nico save her from tears this year? cw — angst, mention of infidelity (not on or by nico), a failed engagement and some scrooge-esque pessimism, and some tooth-rotting, cliché fluff! wc — 1.6k

˗ˏˋ 𝐍𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐘 ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — MICHAEL BERZATTO (fx’s the bear) x reader premise — he should be at the celebrating, but he isn’t. he was, but not anymore. not after she called. instead, he’s playing… knight in shining sleigh for his kid brother’s childhood playmate. there’s only one way for this night to end… and it won’t land either of them on the nice list this year… cw — unreliable narrator + self-deprecation, age gap, non-canon timeline for the bear (because i don't want to do math lol), mention of reader x ritchie and implied past carmie x reader, alcohol, a lot of degradation, thigh riding / dry humping, orgasm denial, spit play, unhealthy people in an unhealthy non-relationship relationship, a pinch of misogyny, slight impact play, and slight inappropriate use of a santa costume… wc — 2.9k

˗ˏˋ 𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐇𝐎 ˎˊ˗ (social media au) pairing(s) — JACK HUGHES x reader; jack hughes x olivia rodrigo (iykyk); COLE CAUFIELD x reader premise — inspired by the song of the same name off of sab’s fruitcake ep cw — mention of cheating, me villianizing jack a wee bit, well-deserved cole love, and me having too much fun with famous!reader

˗ˏˋ 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐄𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — dilf!ERIK JOHNSON x nanny!reader ➤ series masterlist  premise — (set before the main story) every member of the johnson household loves christmas. all but the patriarch, whose heart seems to be two sizes too small. there is one person, however, who might put things right… cw — too much time in grinch!erik’s head, erik being a douche canoe for no reason and mopey because he’s emotionally constipated, alarming lack of josie and reese, and mel stirring the pot wc — 2k

˗ˏˋ (𝐑𝐄𝐃, 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃) 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒 ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — JAKE ‘HANGMAN’ SERESIN (tg: maverick) x bradshaw!reader premise — a christmas miracle is orchestrated by the one person she least expects. cw — a cheesy nickname, mention of candy, an only child writing sibling banter, me not being over goose’s death (that i’ve only seen once because i physically can't experience that again), a smidge of angst followed by tooth-rotting fluff, a wee bit suggestive at the end, and my inability to keep a story contained to one upload wc — 1.8k

˗ˏˋ 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐌𝐑𝐒. ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — professor!SIDNEY CROSBY x TA / grad student!reader premise — red lips, green envy. cw — nameless biotches trying to steal our man!! power imbalance, secret situationship, references to sex but nothing descriptive, and angst angst angst but some fluff for good measure too, some oc deets added to the reader (nothing physical) for story purposes, and insecurity being a bitch but sid is so words of affirmation slay <3 wc — 2.3k new au verse coming soon!

˗ˏˋ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐍 ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — MATTHEW TKACHUK x reader premise — during an island getaway, festive fury brings unspoken truths to the surface. cw — white people vacationing in hawai’i, mention of alcohol and liquid courage, reference to (past) underage drinking and (past) sex between consenting minors, mention of elementary age-bully, matty being a jealous, elitist douche via inner monologue and a loser-boy via sudden on-set of foot-in-mouth disease (very dangerous — stay safe out there, y’all!), reference to virginity / a lil slut-shaming, angst with a fluffy, suggestive ending wc — 3k

˗ˏˋ 𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒, 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐀 𝐌𝐀𝐘 ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — grinch!JAMIE DRYSDALE x martha may!reader premise — jamie hates christmas, but it may just all be a misunderstanding. cw — jamie being a passive aggressive baby because he's emotionally constipated, references to childhood bullying, emotional cheating / physical cheating (not on jamie or the reader, brief and kinda wholesome), jamie smoking a cig bc ~stressed~ (and a lack of healthy coping skills), mention of blood/violence (super brief), and references to an angel tree topper but no religion or religious components wc — 2.3k

˗ˏˋ 𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐀𝐑 𝐏𝐋𝐔𝐌 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐘 ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — single dad!MATT MARTIN x ballerina!reader premise — its the first role many young ballerinas aspire toward, and matt’s daughter is no different. however, matt has different aspirations for this season’s sugar plum fairy… cw — an age gap (unspecified, but mentioned), naughty things in a risky and wholesome location, me caring too much about stage costumes, non-hockey playin’ matt (implied), unprotected p in v coitus, and matt being a dirty simpy dog for his kid’s favorite person wc — 1.3k

˗ˏˋ 𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐈𝐓 𝐒𝐍𝐎𝐖! ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — JOE BURROW x reader premise — an unexpected road trip with his best friend’s little sister becomes a bit more than joe bargained for—in the best way possible. cw — insensitive comment about concussions, awkward!joe 🤍's the reader, + reader has a fear of storms and an overprotective brother wc — 1.4k

˗ˏˋ 𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐌𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐌 𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐊 ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — JEREMY SWAYMAN x reader premise — his california girl has never seen snow. this isn’t exactly what she had in mind, but she's not complaining… cw — this is straight-up p*rn. cum sharing/cum play, unprotected anal sex + ass eating from the back🙊, manhandling (affectionate), bondage via ribbon, spitting <3, minor objectification + minor discussion of injury, hints of overstim, personification of body parts, and dom!sway being a downright filthy menace ass man with a condescending potty mouth (pun not intended, but funny nonetheless) wc — 1.9k

˗ˏˋ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐅𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — TREVOR ZEGRAS x reader (established); JAMIE DRYSDALE x reader; MASON MCTAVISH x reader; background trevor x the boys; slight jamie x mason premise — what better gift on your friends to bestow than the gift that keeps on giving? cw — everyone’s a lil bi because why not, trevor is boyfriend of the year, mason and jamie bickering over whose turn it is to munch, tz + reader are switchy and mason + jamie are bratty and subby, oral (f receiving), fingering (f receiving), accidental edging, trevor being a cocky menace and stirring the pot, and a wee bit of a cliff-hanger bc i'm incapable of controlling myself :-) oh, and the current pet name fixation of the week! wc — 2k

˗ˏˋ 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐊 & 𝐂𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐄𝐒 ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — movie!MIKE SCHMIDT (fnaf) x reader premise — mike has something very specific on his list this christmas. cw — slight festive roleplay, breeding kink to the max (with the explicit intention of getting her knocked tf up), mike being obsessed with tits (and having a raging lactation kink), nipple play, dry humping & domestic dirty talk, no p in v (happens off-page/screen), mention of a past pregnancy scare, me wanting abby to be happy with every fiber of my being, and potential FNAF spoilers (honestly, not really) wc — 2.5k

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©2023 holy-pucks, all rights reserved. I do not give consent for any of my work to be copied, re-posted, or translated here, on Tumblr, or on any other platform. Reproduction of any content from this blog is considered plagiarism.

→ next month’s round-up

[starry-hughes]

secret santa (jack hughes)

day 17 of star’s ficmas

jack hughes x reader

Jack Hughes tolerated you. He didn’t like you, he didn’t hate you, he tolerated you. You worked in the Devils organization, working as an analyst behind the scenes, meaning you were always around. You’d be in your office, analyzing the game from the night before or practice.

You weren’t exactly sure why Jack didn’t like you. Maybe you made too many suggestions to his game or got him in trouble which forced him to work on faceoffs more. You got along pretty well with everyone else, why not him?

The Secret Santa Tradition was always fun, you looked forward to it every year. You’d appreciate any gift really, no matter how big or small it was. You had pulled Jack. You were excited, hoping this was the chance for Jack to like you. You had given him the gift early, leaving it in his stall, half of the items on his list were bought. But, now it was the last day of the Secret Santa and you tried not to be sad that you hadn’t received your gift.

Jack had drawn your name. He was hoping for one of the other boys, but he got you. He knew who you were. Jack walked by your office every day, seeing you hunched over your laptop, sometimes he’d see you by the bench, or in team meetings. You were smart and he knew it. He actually thought you were really smart and pretty, but he had made a bad impression on you.

He didn’t know what to get you, staring your list of items you suggested, looking at what you like. He wished he didn’t participate. He saw your office decorated for Christmas and could just assume you liked the holiday. Jack picked the smallest item from the list.

The present was thrown into a gift bag and left on your desk. You saw your coworkers getting big gifts and nice things, and the keychain you asked for stared back at you. You blamed yourself for even putting the item on the list but you didn’t want to seem like you were expecting a big gift.

“Dude, my Secret Santa got me this nice blanket,” Erik said. “I got mine a keychain.”

Jack suddenly had the whole locker room staring at him. “You got them just a keychain?” Dawson asked. “It was on their list!”

“Who’d you even gift?” John asked. “(Y/N).”

“You’re a dick,” Nico scoffed. Jack’s eyebrows furrowed together. “What did I do?” Jack questioned. “What did your Secret Santa get you?” Luke asked him. “Like four things off my list…”

At the end of the day, you shoved your stuff into your bag. It was hard to not be upset over the small keychain you were given. But you had tried so hard to be in the holiday spirit, buying everyone hot chocolate, decorating your office, offering to do extra work so other people could spend time with their families. And you got a keychain.

You began the walk to your car, when you were stopped by Jack. “Hey, (Y/N), you got a second?” Jack was just going to apologize, make amends. “I was your Secret Santa, and it was a bad gift I guess,” Jack confessed. The guys had all convinced him to apologize. “It’s fine Jack. I put the keychain on the list, I didn’t want anyone to be forced to buy me something special, I appreciate it,” you blurted. Jack frowned, “I’m sorry.”

You shrugged. “I just,” you sucked in a breath, “I don’t know if I did something to upset you or anything, I put the keychain on my list, I got what I asked for I guess.” Jack felt bad.

“I gotta go Jack. By the way, I hope you liked all your gifts. Surprise, I was your Secret Santa,” you sighed before walking away.

Jack felt like a dick. He remembered how excited he was for getting his own gift, knowing how much his teammates spent on the gift game, he was an absolute jerk. You deserved more than that.

The next day, your office was empty and Jack had brought a bunch of gifts and left them on your desk. The day after that, you were out again. He was thinking it was because of him until you walked in on the third day. Jack finally didn’t have to throw away the extra coffee he bought. “(Y/N), here,” he greeted. “What’s this for?” you whispered. “I’m trying to make it up to you?”

“It’s fine, it was just Secret Santa. Your gift to me is useful, I haven't lost my keys in two days,” you joked. You went to open your office door. Your eyes landed on all the presents. “Jack, I didn’t need these. I’m okay.”

“A date then. To make it up.”

You looked at him, “Really? A date, just to make it up?”

“I don’t hate you, I just don’t know how to act around you. I want to impress you. I’m sorry. Just one date, a Christmas present?”

[lumosinlove]

Vaincre

June part i

~

Hope you all enjoy! Maybe all of Finn's superstitions in this chapter can go towards helping me beat this cold I've got...

Also, it's beginning to look a lot like ficmas...doo doo doo doo doo...:)

~

Ain’t it funny how I’ve wanted this all my life?

It started with a no look pass. That’s when Remus felt the buzz. Sirius had nearly put one in from James, who had kept his eyes straight ahead, drawing Saint’s attention. And it had almost worked. At least it had brought the promising feeling of a win. The click of the team. Remus shouldn’t be thinking like that. They were six minutes away from the first period's horn and this game changed at the drop of a hat. Logan had collided with Kota at one point, and there was something there now. Quiet hostility. A they were mine first type of deal. Remus could see it all over Logan’s face, no matter how much Kota loomed over him.

Now the Rangers had a high sticking penalty. Remus took his mouth guard out as the whistle blew and shoved it into his glove. Sirius was on the other side of the ice, on the tail of one of the referees and talking a mile a minute, gesturing to James and his bloody lip. There was a kid at the glass just behind him with a sign that said Nuts for Knutty! and he was still clutching the puck Leo had thrown him earlier. Remus almost wished the game would just pause for a moment so he could take it in properly. If this was to be the last game of his first season in the NHL, he wanted to remember it.

“Ouch,” Remus said to James as they circled close for the face-off.

“You bet,” James said, dabbing at his mouth.

Coach kept him on for the penalty kill. Sirius faced off against Zibanejad and Remus darted backwards when he won it. It had that game six feeling: All of them just wanting it to be over already, the slog of knowing that, if the Lions wanted it to go their way, they had one more full game stretch after this one to push through. Maybe more. Play-offs meant there was no over-time, and no shoot-out, just endless periods until someone gave in.

The puck was stuck in their zone and Thomas was beginning to look gassed. Kasey was up in the net, shifting with every ebb and flow of the Rangers’ passing. Remus poked the puck out from Kakko’s grasp and hoped it was clean—he’d nearly felt like he’d hooked it, but the whistle didn’t go. He managed to get it out of the zone and saw Thomas and Olli race off towards the bench gratefully.

He and Sirius didn’t say anything once they were seated next to each other, just caught their breath and watched. Pascal delivered a sound slap-shot, but it went just wide. Logan got the rebound, easy, and sent it to Fox. The horn went just before they put anything real together.

“D’accord,” Sirius said, tapping Remus’ thigh. “We’re not good, but we’re not bad.”

“What an endorsement.”

Remus handed off his gloves off to be dried as they walked down the tunnel. He could hear fans shouting their names as they passed by the glass that looked into the VIP lounge. There was a small girl standing there in a BLACK jersey. Remus watched as Sirius smiled down at her and touched his glove to the glass. The girl grinned and a woman who Remus thought must be her mother promptly burst into tears.

“Jesus.” Thomas laughed from behind him.

“Just me, actually,” Sirius said, and Thomas shoved him.

The locker room already had music playing so Remus guessed that Coach had decided to let them be, or perhaps Sirius had requested a players only break. Remus sat back in his stall and yanked his helmet off. He cut through the beat up tape of his stick with a short blade and sent a look towards Leo, who had a towel around his neck. He was leaned in close to Kasey, who was talking quietly to him.

“Kind of thought Coach was going to say something,” Thomas said. “Is Cap…”

“I didn’t hear him ask,” Remus said, but looked towards Sirius. He was glancing towards the door, too. It opened, and Remus expected Arthur or one of the assistants, but to his surprise, Alex O’Hara slipped through. He was in full gear, only a backwards hat replacing his helmet.

“Oh,” Remus breathed. He looked towards Kasey and Leo. Oh.

“What the hell,” Thomas said. He opened his mouth, obviously ready to shout something at Alex, but Remus put a hand on his thigh to stop him. Thomas looked over at him. “What?”

Kasey had already seen Alex and Remus watched his chest rise and fall in a quick, uneven breath. He put a hand on Leo’s knee, gave him a short smile, and then stood just as Alex reached him. Alex put a hand on his waist, but they said nothing. Kasey simply held his gaze for a long moment, and then turned to the room.

Oh.

“Hey, boys,” Kasey said, voice raised. “Boys, can I…” He’d taken some of his padding off, his hair pushed back from his face. “Can I talk for a second?”

It took everyone a moment to quiet down. They were a little surprised, maybe. Kasey wasn’t one to make speeches, even if it was a players only meeting, but he walked slowly to the center of the locker room.

“Sorry,” he smiled, but it was shaky. “I know we’re all focused on the W. I’ll be quick.”

“Don’t worry, Bliz. What’s up?” Sirius said, and Remus saw that his gray eyes were already somber. They darted to Remus’. If Remus had to guess, Kasey had asked Sirius to keep the room clear for him. Maybe even to have someone get Alex.

“Well. Thanks, Cap.” He looked around at them all. “Look, I know our season’s not over, boys, but I just wanted to say…God.” Kasey cleared his throat, looked down so his hair fell back into his face some. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay, Kase,” Alex said softly from just behind him.

Remus couldn’t describe how difficult it was, watching Kasey, Kasey of all people, get choked up. Watch him work to speak around tears. He watched some of the others realize what was probably about to happen. Thomas’ face fell. Leo stood, like he was going to go to Kasey.

“There, uh,” Kasey cleared his throat, tried for a smile. “There isn’t much I love more than you guys. Really. These years have just been the best of my life.”

“Bliz…” James breathed, took a step forward. The realization was slow around the room, but it was there. This had been in the air for so long that it felt strange to see it properly.

“Really, they have.” Kasey said. “I mean…God, lock me in this room, see if I put up a fight. I won’t. But. But it’s not good for me. I don’t want out of this game, I really don’t, I just—my body can’t do it anymore, boys. And I have to see that. I have to respect it.”

Remus put a hand to his chest. It was the strangest thing, he couldn’t remember ever having any sort of conversation like this one with his college teammates. Sometimes, he thought he had forced himself to forget moments from that time. Pushed them out of his mind. Now, he tried to remember. He tried to think of saying goodbye, or good game, or even being in the locker room with his sling. He couldn’t remember, but he wanted to help Kasey and so he tried. All that came was a blur of pain and dark rooms and a young, young Julian.

“I just…I have a feeling that…” Kasey wiped at his eyes. “Fuck. I know I shouldn’t have done this in the middle of a fucking—elimination game, oh my God.” It drew a small laugh out of most of the team. “You know, this isn’t gonna be our final game of the season, no fucking way, but it could be mine because it’s hard out there and—” His voice pitched up and he cleared his throat. “And I didn’t want it to happen, I didn’t want it to end, without everyone knowing, which is probably—maybe at one point in my life I would’ve called that selfish but I don’t think it is now.”

And then Leo was at his side, hand on his shoulder. He was crying, too, blue eyes vivid.

Kasey smiled and wrapped an arm around him. “And look whose fucking hands you’re in, all right? You’re good as golden.”

There was a heartbeat of silence. No one seemed to know what to say. Leo hugged Kasey, eyes closed and fisting the back of his jersey. Sirius walked forward next, and it seemed to break the spell.

“Don’t tempt me about locking you in here, Bliz,” Thomas said as he strode forward. “I just might do it.”

Kasey laughed as Thomas pulled him into a tight hug. He thumped Kasey on the back. “You going back out with us, right?”

“I want to,” Kasey said. “I think I can.”

“We’ll get this for you,” Sirius said. He put a hand on Kasey’s shoulder. “This is still yours, all of it. No matter what. You know that.”

Kasey looked at Sirius for a long moment. “Cap. Thank you. I don’t think my career would be the same without you.”

Sirius brow drew together and he shook his head. “Non. It’s all you, man.”

His eyes went behind Sirius. “And Dumo…” He pressed his lips together, unable to finish. “I…You’re…”

“Bliz,” Pascal smiled softly. “I’m probably not too far behind you in this case. I know that.”

Remus walked forward and put a hand on Sirius’ back.

“All I can say is that it’s an honor to play with you at our backs,” Pascal said.

Someone let out a whoop, and then they room was sort of clapping, sort of crying, and at least one strand of tension broke.

“I’m feeling a group hug,” Thomas said. “No, Cap, don’t pull that look on me. C’mon. Everyone, get your ass up.”

Remus couldn’t help but laugh, tearful as it was as he let Sirius wrap him up on one side, Thomas on the other. Timmy, Olli, Kota, Leo, Kris, Pascal.

There was a little jostle after a moment as a final person enthusiastically joined.

“Alex,” Pascal said without opening his eyes. “You should absolutely be here, but get your elimination game Ranger blue out of our hug.”

“My bad.”

~

Finn didn’t like being home alone. He didn’t like that he couldn’t watch the game. He didn’t like saying goodbye to Leo and Logan, knowing they weren’t going to the same place—or even if they were, to different teams. He wanted to be in the room. He wanted to play, he wanted the burn of his muscles. He wanted to press his shoulder up against Logan’s, or Alex’s, he wanted to defend Kasey and fight anything that even touched Leo.

Instead he was sitting on the couch with all the lights off and the shades down, listening to the crackle of the radio broadcast come from his computer with the screen turned away from him. He was waiting for period two to start, not in the tunnel to the ice, but when a a plate of what felt like the first truly solid food he’d eaten in weeks. Logan had given him a big kiss when he’d asked for Leo’s spicy chicken and rice burritos. Leo and hummed away happily in the kitchen making them and served him one with a gentle kiss to his forehead.

Okay, being taken care of wasn’t that hard.

His phone rang and he knew it was his mom without having to check.

“Hi,” he said around a mouthful, flipping the screen down towards the couch.

“Hi, baby. Just checking in. Fast game, huh? You doing okay? Eating dinner?”

“Mhm, I’m good. I mean—you know. As good as I can be. Listening.”

“Aw, sweetheart. I know.” He could hear the buzz of the stadium behind her, picked out Natalie’s laugh. “I know this isn’t how you pictured it at all.”

Finn sat back against the couch. “Yeah. Did you see Al?”

“For a second before the game. And Logan. He said that if we talk to you during the game to say he loves you.”

Finn smiled. “Mm. Good. How’s Leo looking on the bench?”

“Oh, they showed just the cutest shot of him like a little turtle—well, no a very tall turtle, with his mouth and nose in his jersey. But he seems good. Kasey seems good, too. He’s made some incredible saves.”

“They sound incredible,” Finn said. “Got your whiskey?”

She laughed. “Oh, you know it. Oh, baby, we’re starting. Gotta go, but I love you very much all right? Your dad, says so, too.”

“Love ya, bud!” came his dad’s voice from a little farther away.

Finn, honestly, felt a little choked up. He blinked the tears away and looked around the dim room. They would only make his head ache. “Love you guys, too.”

He heard the phone disconnect and rested his head back against the couch, suddenly not so hungry anymore. He wrapped his plate up for later and squinted an eye shut at the bright refrigerator light. He put the kettle on—could nothing be easy while using one hand?—and steeped some mint tea. When he came back to the couch, throwing a blanket over his legs, the commercials were over.

No, let’s be honest, if Kasey Winter hadn’t made those saves in the first—I don’t know where the Lions would be right now. Sitting in their dressing room and making fucking long summer plans, that’s for sure. Instead, this is a close game, a competitive game, and most importantly, both teams are still in the game.

I agree with you, Matt. Let’s go to the bench now, for an interview with Rangers’ Logan Tremblay.

“Oh, hi, baby,” Finn said softly.

Thanks, Matt. This is Cassie Baker here with Logan Tremblay—

Finn sat bolt upright. He knew—He knew that voice. Cassie. God. Cassie fucking Baker.

Logan, how do you think this period is going to shape up based on how aggressive that first period was so far?

“Holy fuck.” Finn couldn’t help but laugh. “Holy fuck?”

To Logan’s credit, he sounded just as shocked, as if he’d simply turned around and found Cassie there waiting for him. Cassie Baker. Finn remembered bouncing blonde curls and that god-damn Greek temple of the girl’s sorority house at school. Logan kissing her neck in the hallway. Harz, can we have the room for a bit? Coming back from a cancelled class and hearing—

Finn put a hand over his mouth and laughed again. “Okay. Oh man.”

I think we are two teams that want this badly, Logan was saying. Oh, he sounded so good. It’s going to be a fight, but hopefully entertaining for the fans.

How does it feel to possibly have the chance to eliminate your old team?

“Oh no,” Finn let himself fall sideways into the couch, right onto his shoulder. “Fuck.”

Logan’s laugh, disbelieving, still surprised, filled the room. Um. Intense.

Thanks for the time.

I—thanks.

Finn sat back up, holding his shoulder. Never had he ever wanted to talk to them more. He wanted to see Logan’s face. He wanted to see Leo with his chin tucked down against his chest. He didn’t want Leo sitting on the bench alone all game, watching the others work.

Zibanejad and Black on the face-off. The Rangers have a majority of these under their belts now, but Black wins in and it’s knocked back to Lupin. Remus Lupin, quite the surprise, the secret weapon, there are Olympic rumors, and Walker brings it right to the net—and scores! Oh, this game finally has some action!

“That makes one of us,” Finn said aloud to the room. He wasn’t sure he usually talked to himself this much. Maybe it was only that he couldn’t actually remember the last time he’d been alone. The hospital room, he guessed, but even that had been for mere minutes, not hours. He tugged the blanket farther up his chest and pressed his nose into his sweatshirt. Leo’s. He held his mug close to his face. The mint. Logan’s.

Dumais to Reyes, oh, in a near miss! It’s pitched out of the zone by Fox and picked up again by Goodrow—

Finn winced as the thought that he didn’t care who won the game filtered into his mind. He just wanted them to come home.

~

Luke caught onto Logan’s look the second he was sat back on the bench, breathing hard.

“What,” Luke said. “What the fuck’s that look?”

Logan wasn’t sure where to begin. He risked another glance towards the ice tunnel. Cassie was standing there with the cameraman. She looked the same. Her hair was a shiny dark blonde, blue eyes bright, forget-me-not. She carried herself the same. She was talking fast to the cameraman, directing him with her hand that wasn’t holding her microphone. Confident. Easy. She dressed differently. Smart, well-tailored navy suit that made her short frame look taller. Their eyes met, and she sent him another nervous smile.

“Fuck,” Logan said. He flashed a quick one back and turned away.

“What?” Luke asked.

Paul, Rangers PR, had said nothing more than, Tremblay, you’re ESPN’s interview and then Logan had looked up to find…

Hi, Logan. Yeah, probably should’ve warned you a little better… It’s been a while.

Luke punched him in the arm. “Logan.”

“Ex-girlfriend.” Logan swallowed.

“Girlfriend?” Alex asked, perking up. “You, girlfriend?”

“Ouais.”

“Oh my God, show me.”

“The ESPN reporter.” Luke and Alex both whipped their heads around and Logan closed his eyes. “Don’t look.”

Alex ignored him. “The blonde?”

“She’s cute,” Luke said.

“Stop looking.”

“Didn’t she just interview you?” Alex asked.

“Yes.”

“Did you know?”

“Obviously not,” Luke said. “Dude, you look fucking rattled, what did she do to you?”

Logan didn’t really want to think on it now. They had been good. Happy. For months, really. But she hadn’t had all of him, and she’d figured that much out quickly, if not who the rest of his heart was with.

“It’s more… It’s more what I did to her.” Logan shared a glance with Alex. “Or what I felt like I did to her.”

“Huh,” Luke said. “This is transcending bench talk.”

“Ooh,” Alex said. “Big word.”

“Fuck off.” Luke smiled a little, though. “Can you play with your ex-girlfriend watching, Tremzy?”

Logan hit Luke’s helmet with his stick. “Fuck off.”

Alex snorted as he pushed off the bench with Logan when Coach tapped their shoulders. “Are we gonna talk about the Leo Knut tendencies you seem to have always possessed?”

“Big word.” Logan shoved him so hard that he actually fell over, laughing all the way down. That was sure to be on Twitter somewhere later.

~

And Tremblay shoves O’Hara down. Laughing. Wonder what was so funny.

Finn sighed. “You and me both, bud.”

~

“Dev!”

Logan caught Luke’s back-pass and found himself trapped in the corner with Pascal, the puck between their two stick blades. Logan laughed a little, thought he heard Pascal do the same, but it was over too quickly to say anything. Logan knocked it out to Luke again who drew his stick right back and slammed it towards the goal. Kasey lunged for it, the odd, acute angle, but it went right under his glove.

“Yeah!” Logan put his hands up with a grin. He tried not to look at Pascal out of the corner of his eye.

He tapped his glove to Luke’s helmet when he skated into the celly, Percy slamming into their other side.

“Fucking finally, eh,” Percy shouted. He bumped his fist against Luke’s chest, then Logan’s. “Killer pass. Gorgeous.”

There was a buzzing in Logan’s ears. The crowd. Faces that were familiar but not from now. It was like someone had put a filter over his life and all the colors were different. His eyes found Leo on the bench. He was watching the replay on the big screen.

With ten minutes left in the second period, it did feel right that they had finally scored. Tied up, one-one. Logan skated to the bench and hauled himself over it, watching Panarin’s line go out.

He squirted water down the back of his neck and hit Luke’s thigh. “Good.”

“Yeah, well.” Luke wiped his visor clean with a towel. “Let’s just try and keep it up and end this round.”

Logan didn’t say anything. There was that feeling again. The one he couldn’t quite admit to himself. It was real once this round was over—or even realer than it was now. He wasn’t a Lion anymore. He was someone who ended the Lions’ season.

Panarin’s shot went wide twice and Trouba shot one over Kasey’s shoulder that got overturned for interference. Kasey stood with his back to the ice while the referees reviewed it. He had his helmet up and his water bottle in hand, but he didn’t drink. Logan knew Alex had gone into the Lions’ room. He knew what Kasey had announced. He wished he had been there. He wished he had known before Alex went so he could come. Kasey might not be on his team anymore, but he was still Kasey. He had wanted to stand next to Leo and hold his hand.

Six minutes left in the second. 1-1.

Logan jumped the boards right as the puck soared into the netting above the glass and the whistle went. Logan headed towards the Lions’ zone, but stopped when no one else did. He looked around.

“What’s up?” asked Will.

“I don’t know,” Logan said, frowning as Coach Arthur held up a T with his hands and Kasey started skating towards the bench. “They’re calling a time out.”

~

“Come on,” Finn said aloud to the dark room. “Come on.”

The more time went by, the more superstitious he seemed to get. He kept switching up his position on the couch. He’d even taken the computer into the kitchen while he finished his dinner, hoping they might have more luck if he was in a different room. He was putting his plate in the dishwasher when—

And looks like Leo Knut is taking Kasey Winter’s place in goal for the second game in a row.

Finn turned. “Le.”

Why the sudden switch, we’ll have to wait and see but one could only guess that it has something to do with Kasey Winter’s injury struggles this season. Well, recent seasons, I should say. I gotta feel for the guy, he’s one hell of a goalie.

Finn shut the dishwasher with a beep and cursed. As the final minutes of the second period wound down, he tried to picture Leo there. Wary of Logan. Trying to forget that it was Logan. Just number 71.

Tremblay with a high shot. Finn closed his eyes. —Goes wide of Knut. Kakko picks it up.

Finn listened to the third leaning against the kitchen island with his fingers against his lips. Waiting to hear Logan’s name, or Leo’s. LoganLeoLoganLeo, forced to go against each other.

Instead, it felt like all he heard was Remus’.

Lupin has had ten shots on goal alone in these last two periods. None of them have gone in mind you, but that fact is impressive and—oh that’s from Walker straight to Lupin’s tape and carrying, carrying, back to Walker, no look—and he scores! Remus Lupin with a five-hole on a beauty of a no looker from Thomas Walker! He brings it up to 2-1 Lions.

“Yeah!” Finn shouted, rising to his feet. “Fuck yes!”

He wanted to turn on the TV. He wanted to see. He wanted to watch them celebrate, he wanted to skate across the ice and hug Remus because he would have been on the line. He would have. He could have helped.

“Fucking sling,” Finn whispered, tugging at the elastic strap. Most of tea had long gone cold, and he wanted a popsicle to suck on and dull out the ache in his head a little. Or, really, he wanted to close his eyes and go to sleep but he couldn’t do that. Not before the game was through. It was only 9:30 for fuck sake. Though he did find himself wishing that it wouldn’t go to any OT periods. If he stayed standing he’d stay awake.

He paced to the window as the puck battled between zones. Logan was feisty tonight. He’d come close to blows with Kota twice it sounded like. The Rangers went up on a power play when Kota tripped Logan and Finn nearly cheered before remembering that it was the Rangers. Finn walked around the couch as the whistle blew for another Rangers icing. Whoever kept dumping was only doing the Lions a favor.

“C’mon,” Finn mumbled. “I’m tired and I miss you, c’mon.”

Logan on power play one. Logan, Alex. Back to Logan. Finn was too tense, he really wasn’t supposed to be this tense, he was supposed to be firmly relaxing. But Leo. God, Logan and Alex in front of Leo’s net, glove save against Alex, Logan’s shot going wide. Logan was pulling back, Finn could feel it. He was trying, trying, and then seeing Leo. And he was going to get so much shit for it. Finn sat down, rubbed at the back of his neck.

“Fuck,” he whispered. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

He should have been praying for a win, but he was praying for this game to be over.

O’Hara to Tremblay, back to O’Hara—and he scores!

“Yeah!” Finn said then cursed. “I mean, no.” He groaned. He had to stop doing that. “Fuck.”

Alex O’Hara with a very clean tip-in off of an assist from Tremblay, Knut didn’t have a chance. 2-2 now this is a tight game and the scoring has picked up tremendously. The puck drops Jesus Christ, Lupin again! Christ almighty! Lupin again! Right off the face-off! 3-2 Lions!

“Loops!” Finn stood and laughed through the word. They were ahead now. God, the announcer was rambling, the pile up on the ice must be insane, celebrating. There was a short enough amount of time that this could be it, it could be, especially with the crowd the way it was, God, Finn could hear it, he could see it, even if he couldn’t. The pounding of hands on the glass and his teammates shouting right beside him. The way Thomas and Evgeni jumped up and down, making the bench rattle.

There was three minutes to go. They were ahead, and Logan was trying. God, Finn could feel him. The way he moved, the way he breathed. He’d spent his entire career watching him, waiting for him, tracking him even when he couldn’t see him. Catch a pass, catch a mistake. Finish a goal, pretty or dirty. Alex was trying his best but twice they’d gotten their pocket picked by Sirius and it made Finn hide a smile. No one could play with Logan as well as him.

It didn’t stop him from scoring though. Of course it didn’t.

That is one slick wrap-around by Tremblay.

Finn closed his eyes. He wanted that highlight. He wanted it bad.

Knut didn’t look like he even knew where the puck was.

Finn put his head in his hands. He could hear the celebration. “Le. Aw, baby, it’s okay, it’s okay…”

The Rangers even it up again with forty-six seconds on the clock. Oh, the Lions don’t like that. Arthur Weasley doesn’t like that, but he’s used his timeout. Gryffindor will have to figure something out.

“Come on,” Finn whispered. “Come on, boys…”

It was a blur of phrases and images playing behind his closed eyes.

God, impossible save by Knut! He’s gonna get famous for that poke-check of his, we saw it last play-offs, and look’s like we’ll be seeing more of it—

Finn wanted to be there to scoop the puck up from Leo’s waiting stick, clear of the blue paint. He wanted to feel Leo at his back, defending him, letting him risk a more risky pass.

The clock had to be dangerously low now and Finn’s head ached with how he was squeezing his eyes shut, but he couldn’t help it. He was so tired.

Knocked away by Knut, hard shot by Trouba—

“Good.” Finn whispered, thumb nail between his teeth. “Good, Le…”

What a take away by Black and he’s going—Lupin catches up with him and it’s two on one, Black and Lupin against Luke Deveaux—Black sends it over to Lupin, Lupin back to Black, and a third time—GOAL! Goal! Goal!

Finn shouted. There weren’t any words in it, but a sheer sound of relief and joy.

Lupin with the hat trick! Hat trick! With twelve seconds on the clock! Twelve seconds! Three goals all scored within—Jesus, how long?—that’s insane, that is just magnificent, insane—

~

Remus heard the crowd. Deep, collective—for a split second, he thought they were booing. But then he pieced it together, right as Sirius slammed into his chest and shouted right in his ear. Not boos.

Loops. 

~

My God, Remus Lupin is on fire tonight. God, what a shot! What a shot, this place is going wild. This place is on its feet because the Lions are going to a game seven. I repeat, the Gryffindor Lions are taking the New York Rangers to a game seven—

~

Long, drawn out, Loops and then reorganizing into a chant, and then dissolving into cheers. Hats showered them. Completely, it felt like. Raining, pouring, drenching the ice in hats. So many Remus wondered how all of them made it to the ice. He couldn’t stop laughing. He thought maybe he was crying a little.

“Game winner!” Thomas was shouting. “Game fucking winner, fucking winner, fucking natty hatty, oh fuck, Remus!”

“Jesus, what’s in your water, Lupin!” Percy Marshall shouted from near Saint’s goal.

He just looked up at Sirius. Sirius laughed and then ducked down and kissed Remus’ cheek—or tried, but it was really just their visors knocking together. “I love you. I love you, love you, I love you so much—”

“Julian,” Remus said. “You think Jules saw?”

Sirius just pressed their visors together, while Thomas all but crowed to the sky. “Yeah, baby, Jules saw.”

Remus looked up towards the Lions box as he skated towards the bench, as he skated down the line tapping gloves. He couldn’t see much, but he would have been able to pick out that wildly jumping figure any place, any time.

~

Logan went looking for Cassie. He wouldn’t deny it. He smoothed his wet hair back from his face and tugged at his tie. He smiled shakily at a few members of the press who passed him on their way to the pressroom to write their stories. Post-game interviews had been rough. You guys could have had it, what will you do differently to pull through next game?

It was a fairly normal question. Definitely expected. The hard part, Logan guessed, was answering it truthfully—even to himself. Pulling through meant taking the Lions out, and Logan couldn’t think about that too hard.

But even worse: You seemed to have…bad puck luck when Knut came into goal. What do you think happened?

Logan could have punched the guy who asked that. He’d stared at him hard enough to make him take a step back anyway.

“Tremzy!”

Logan turned fast. Katie, flying towards him full-force, in Rangers blue with TREMBLAY on her back. Pascal had sent him the video—Katie bawling her eyes out and refusing to move until the removed her father’s jersey and gave her a Tremblay one.

Pascal wasn’t too far behind her and grinned as Logan caught Katie up in his arms.

“Salut, Petit. Oh, what are you wearing?” Logan propped her on his hip and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Is that all for me?”

She patted his tie. “You didn’t win. Papa won.”

“C’est une tragédie, apparently,” Pascal said. “We cannot go home until she finds you, you know.”

“Non, me neither.” Logan smiled at him and tilted his and Katie’s heads together. He switched to French. “I need my little cabbage fix before dinner…”

Katie shrieked out a laugh, knowing what was coming, and Logan dipped her upside down to kiss her cheek with nom noises before bringing her upright again.

“Didn’t you like the Lions hat trick? All the hats on the ice.”

Katie shook her head, brandishing the wrist with her charm bracelet at him like a sword. “Non. I like when you get goals.”

“Ouch,” Pascal said wryly.

Katie put a hand on top of Logan’s head. “Is Harzy okay?”

“Ouais,” Logan said. “He’s doing much better. He misses you.”

“Where’s Leo?”

“I’m going to find him right now.”

She squished Logan’s cheeks between her small palms. “Does he have banana bread?”

“Not with him, I don’t think.”

Katie frowned. “Oh.” Then, she promptly squeezed her arms around his neck and put her head on his shoulder. “I love you.”

“Aw,” Logan said. “I love you, too.”

Pascal mouthed, she’s going to fall asleep, and Logan nodded, half-sure that she already was. He put a hand on her back. She was so warm, so delicate in his arms. He used to be afraid of that, holding onto her too hard. “Past your bedtime, hm?”

They stood silently in the hallway together for a moment. Logan thought of the warm living room at the Dumais house. The boys muting their video game on the TV. Katie sleeping against his chest. Noelle passing him embroidery floss colors to pick out so she could make him a bracelet.

“I don’t think I’ll get used to seeing you in blue,” Pascal said softly, stroking back Katie’s hair, then, after a moment of hesitation, mussing Logan’s gently.

“Me neither,” Logan replied roughly. God, how many homes could one person be homesick for at once?

“No matter what happens next game,” Pascal said. “We love you. You know that, right?”

“Ouais.”

“You won’t beat yourself up.”

“Non.” He sighed. “Well, not too bad. I’m worried about Leo.” He sighed. He had to tell someone. “It’s been hard. This, Finn, Kasey…”

“Archer,” Pascal finished hesitantly.

“Logan?” said a voice.

Logan looked to see Cassie at the other end of the hallway. She gave him a small wave, looking uncertain as to whether she should approach or not.

“Ah,” Pascal said. “I thought you knew her.”

“Quoi.” He smiled back at her, held up a finger. One second.

“You looked, ah, how did Sirius put it…Freaked.”

“I’m not.”

“Here,��� Pascal said, reaching out for Katie.

“Wait, wait, wait—” Logan began to say, but Pascal just arched a brow.

“You do not need to hold my daughter for every tough conversation you have.”

Logan rolled his eyes, but eased the sleepy Katie into her father’s arms.

“Go talk to a girl. That can’t be too difficult for you.”

“Dumo.”

Pascal just smiled. “Oh, and guess what?”

Logan sighed. His arms felt cold and too light without Katie in them. “What?”

“Leo is going to be okay. You three are going to be fine.”

Pascal touched Logan’s cheek briefly, then turned away, murmuring softly to Katie.

~

“Remus!”

Remus dropped everything he was holding—his glove, a roll of tape, a tennis ball, and his mouth guard—to turn around and get a stumble-inducing hug by his little brother.

“Did you get any of the hats!” Julian asked. “Oh my God!”

“I think they’re in a bunch of buckets somewhere,” Remus said, and held on tighter even when Jules made to pull back. “No, one more second.”

“I have to see Sirius, too!”

“He didn’t get a hat trick.” Remus squeezed Julian until he gasped for air.

“Death by hug,” Julian coughed out, but he squeezed Remus just as tightly back. “It was so cool, Re.”

“Thanks. It felt pretty cool.” He put his hands on Julian’s shoulders and pulled back. “I can get you a hat if you want a hat. Can’t promise to know whose head it was on, though.”

Julian laughed. “I don’t need a hat.” Remus still sort of wanted to get him a hat. He wanted to get Julian anything he could ever possibly want.

Julian shook Remus lightly by his shoulder pads. “Game seven! Did you always think you were going to go to a game seven!”

Remus shrugged, patting his stall for Julian to sit in. “I don’t know if Captain Superstitious over here would have allowed such a thought to cross my mind.”

“Wow,” Sirius said, stripping off his chest pads and grabbing his towel for a shower. “You make me sound insane.”

Julian and Remus shared a look.

“You might be a little.” Julian pinched his fingers. “Tiny bit insane.”

Sirius rolled his eyes, but tussled Julian’s hair before walking away.

“Hey.” Remus nudged his his foot against Julian’s shin. “You okay here for a second if I shower so we can all get some ice cream before it’s after midnight?”

Julian’s eyes lit up—either at the mention of ice cream or at the prospect of being left to his own devices in the locker room.

“Oh, I’ve got him,” Thomas said. He was wearing his suit pants and shrugging on a white button down. “Noelle chose to go see the Rangers so I, too, am abandoned.”

“Oh my God,” Jackson said from beside him. “She said she’d be back in two minutes after seeing her loser brother.”

“Watch it,” Leo called, passing by.

“Two whole minutes.” Thomas tisked. “Nado, I don’t know what to do with myself without that girl around anymore. Copy?”

“Good luck,” Remus said to Julian, and stripped off his own padding to head to the showers.

James was singing—horribly—but Sirius had secured them the two corner showers. Remus’ favorite. The hot water felt good, but Sirius’ gaze on him felt better. Remus smiled as he closed his eyes and tilted his head back to wash his hair.

“I can feel you thinking,” Remus said.

“If we were alone, you could feel—”

“Oh I’m sure.”

“Well, I was thinking about taking you into another private corner but your little brother was looking at me.”

Remus reached for the shampoo. “This is true.” He looked over his shoulder. “I don’t see him anywhere now.”

Sirius sent a pointed look at James and the few other of their teammates showering around them.

“What?” Remus said with a grin. “I just want a kiss.”

Sirius watched him for a moment, and Remus let himself admire the way the water made his dark hair and eyelashes ever darker. The way the droplets made his tan skin shine. Finally, Sirius went so far as to settle a hand on Remus’ bare, wet hip, and kissed his cheek.

“I love you,” Sirius whispered against Remus’ skin.

“I love you, too.”

“The noodles!” Evgeni shouted, ducking beneath a shower head across the room.

“He means canoodle,” Jackson said.

Sirius ignored them. “I want to re-watch that game.”

“Is that all?”

“No. It’ll never be all with you. I’ll always want you more.” Another soft kiss to his temple. “And more, and more.”

~

“You fucker,” Alex said into his phone, wedged between his shoulder and ear as he tied his dress shoes.

“Ha-ha,” Finn replied. “It was all me.”

“Oh, we’ll get your boys next game.” Alex said.

“Will you now?” Finn said. “You sure about that?”

“Pretty damn sure, I’d say. Lupin can’t be that hot every night.”

“Ha, but Sirius Black can.”

“Bleh.” Alex straighten with a sigh. “I hate how true that is.”

“Hey, Al?”

Alex took his phone, switching ears. “Yup?”

There was a bit of a pause, long enough that Alex looked at the screen to make sure that Finn was still there. It made him nearly miss his first couple words.

“If you can,” Finn’s voice said. “Try not to let Lo take any winning shots against Leo.”

Alex’s smile dimmed. His eyes moved over to Kasey, who was leaning against the wall through the locker room doorway with Natalie, waiting for him. She said something with a smile and he nodded in his soft way, playing with the diamond ring on her finger.

“It’ll hurt them both, I think,” Finn finished softly. “Maybe ask Deveaux, too. If you can.”

“I don’t know if I can help that, Finn,” Alex said.

“I know.” Finn’s sigh crackled like wind. “I know. Yeah, I know.”

“Hey,” Alex said. “But I love you, little Fish.”

There was a beat of silence. “All right, I’ll let that slide just this once.”

Alex smiled.

“Love you, too.”

~

“Hi,” Cassie said.

Logan’s words got stuck for a second.

She had taken her suit jacket off and her white shirt underneath was crisp and clean. Logan remembered her in low tank-tops and knee-high boots. His Harvard sweatshirts and tiny cotton shorts, stretching in his bed and going to his window to check if it was raining. Yes, he had loved Finn for most of their time together, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t appreciated Cassie. She was kind and fun and, God, had she ever taught him what he liked. She had been a little wild like that. He had a flash of a steamed up car window, her uneven breathing against his cheek, her hand fisting the hair at the back of his neck.

“I…hi.”

She smiled, then shrugged and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Hi.”

He laughed. “Hi.” She felt the same and he automatically squeezed her waist like he used to. “I—sorry about—I mean on the bench.” They pulled apart. “I was—I wasn’t expecting—”

“No, that’s so on me, I didn’t give you, like, any warning. This is kind of a new promotion for me. I mean, not kind of.” She rolled her eyes, laughing. “It is.”

“Congrats.”

“Thanks.”

“Well—wow, I have to tell Finn.”

“Oh, Finn. I always adored him.”

“He’s good. Uh and, oh, Will and Percy are here, did you…”

“Saw them on the bench, but haven’t gotten to say hi yet.” She tilted her head, teasing. “Didn’t think I was just waiting for you, did you?”

Logan laughed. “Uh, non, definitely not.”

“But it is really good to see you. Really, really good. Seriously, though, is Finn doing okay? That was really hard footage to watch.”

Try being there. “Yeah. He’s—he’s better. He’s getting better. He might be at the next game in New York, if he gets cleared. Not dressed, but, still. Not having to sit in the dark.”

“Right.” Cassie nodded sympathetically. “God, that happened to him in college, didn’t it?”

Twice. Logan nodded. He didn’t expect her to remember. They’d been broken up by the second.

“Well, then I hope I get to say hi.”

Logan wasn’t sure how to talk about Finn with Cassie. She’d broken up with him over Finn, even though she hadn’t known it was Finn at the time. She’d thought it was another girl, just someone else taking up Logan’s attention. By the conflicted look on her face, it looked like she knew now.

“Um.” Cassie tucked her hair behind her ears then crossed her arms. “Listen. This is probably not the time and definitely not the place but I’m not sure—I kind of just have to say this if you don’t mind.” She glanced down the hallway, but they were alone. “I think I was kind of…I know I was hard on you when we broke up…”

Logan shook his head. He swallowed, trying to force the words out quickly. “Non. Non, I don’t think you were hard on me. If anyone was hard on someone, it was me on you. I mean…now you know that…that Finn and I?”

“Were you together then?” she asked, then her eyes widened. “God. No. Jesus, you don’t have to tell me that. That was so rude, wow. I’m sorry.” She laughed a little. “We don’t see each other for years and—”

“We weren’t,” Logan said, but then it was his turn to laugh a bit. “Well—Merde. I mean. We were… We loved each other then. But we…” How to even say it? “We thought we couldn’t.” No, that wasn’t it. “I thought we couldn’t.”

“You seriously don’t owe me an explanation,” Cassie said. “Logan, I was trying to apologize. The second I heard about you and Finn—I mean, I think I just saw a photo of you two on Twitter or something, or Instagram?—but I remembered our fight like it was yesterday and…”

“You thought I was cheating on you. And in a lot of ways you were right. You had ever right to be mad at me.”

“I…I know that now. But I loved you, and I shouldn’t have said all those horrible things.” She let out a breath. “I didn’t mean them. It’s just that I really, really loved you.”

Logan wouldn’t have said any of his heart still belonged to Cassie, but right then it felt like part of it might, in some way. It broke all over again for the two of them. For the quiet mornings and for looking up into the bleachers at games and seeing her there, wearing his sweater. For all the times she’d gone quiet and let him think about what he wanted to say, when she was always so bright and sudden for everyone else.

“Anyway,” she sighed. “I just didn’t know when I would see you again and, you know, knock on wood you’ll be too busy celebrating next game, and I wanted to say that I’m sorry. And that I’m happy for you. You and Finn.”

“I’m sorry, too,” Logan said. “I didn’t deserve you. I was trying to figure me out and…and I feel like I used you but, for the record, I did love you, too. Maybe not like you loved me, but.”

Cassie smiled. “Yeah?”

Logan smiled back. “Ouais.”

“Oh.” Cassie shook her head fondly. “God, I missed your French.”

Logan was laughing when he heard Leo’s voice from behind him.

“Lo?”

Logan turned and found him standing there, handsome in his navy suit. He looked between them hesitantly.

“Le,” Logan held out a hand to him. “Soleil, this is Cassie. Cas, this is my boyfriend, Leo.”

Cassie smiled, then looked alarmed, then smiled again. “Uh. Wait. Um. I mean, hi.”

“There’s two of them,” Logan said and took Leo’s hand. “Finn. Leo.”

“Two?”

“Two.”

Cassie looked between them for a moment, then shrugged. “Jesus, I can’t even find one. You were so great in the third, Leo, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Oh,” Leo said, a little dazed. Logan tried not to watch too closely as Leo looked Cassie up and down. “Well, thanks, pleasure to meet you. How do you two…”

Logan squeezed Leo’s fingers. “Cas and I were at school together—we…well, we…”

“Dated,” Cassie finished for him with a grin. “For a little while. But then again, I never got called the sun by this one so who’s counting it really.”

Leo looked down at Logan and Logan was so proud of the happy look in those blue eyes he could have kissed him. “No?”

“Nope,” Cassie said. “But I can see why you do.”

“Casss-ieee,” came Percy’s voice from behind them, and then the thump of him running down the hall. He didn’t even hesitate, not even when it had been years, before scooping her up in a hug. She shrieked, but let him spin her once and press a kiss to her cheek.

“Oh my God, will you not ever grow up Percy Marshall?”

Percy just grinned at her. His suit was wrinkled, as usual, and he towered over her, but he looked down at her smile like he was looking up to the blue sky. “Not a chance, Cassie Baker. Not with you to impress.”

“It’s been too long since I’ve been subjected to your flirting.”

“Well.” Percy released her and stuck his hands in his pockets. “Who knows. Maybe I really mean it this time.”

Logan felt Leo nudged him, hip against hip, and Logan leaned his head against his shoulder.

“Home?” Leo whispered.

“Ouais.”

Logan thwacked Percy upside the head as they passed by. “See you next game, Cas?”

“Count on it,” Cassie called, and when she wasn’t looking, Percy mouthed Cassie fucking Baker to him over her shoulder with a lovesick expression on his face.

“So, you dated her,” Leo said. He was trying very hard not to smile.

“Oasis,” Logan said. “But…” He reached up as they walked and traced a blond wave of Leo’s hair, then the gray streak. “I was obviously looking for you.”

“You know Hannah looks just like you, right?”

“What? Non.”

Leo laughed. “Logan Tremblay. Look alive, hot stuff—oh.” Leo’s phone pinged. “Gee, wonder who that could be.”

Please come home I talking to myself (sent with Siri)

Also the doctor is emailed I clear for traveled with to you so New York! Sirius send happy emoji no smile emoji no send smile (sent with Siri)

Leo snorted, Logan let out a loud laugh, then they had to take a minute, leaning against each other with silent laughter.

“What’s wrong with you two?” Remus asked as he passed by with Sirius and Julian.

“Sirius,” Logan gasped. “Send smile emoji.”

Leo crouched, hiding his face against Logan’s hip as his shoulders shook.

Sirius just shook his head and tugged on Remus’ hand. “You need to go home.”

“Send smile emoji!” Logan shouted after him.

Sirius just looked back at him. “What the fuck, Tremz.”

“I’ve got him,” Leo laughed, wrapping an arm around Logan’s shoulder. “C’mon, Harz is talking to himself, we better go save him.”

“He always talks to himself.”

“I don’t think he knows that.”

Leo just hummed in agreement. “She seemed nice.”

“She is,” Logan said.

“This is the girl you mean when you say college girlfriend, right?”

“Mhm,” Logan nodded, and took Leo’s hand again as they walked into the stairwell that led to the parking lot. It smelled like summer. Heat and humidity. Leo stripped off his suit jacket to drive and threw it in the back seat with their bags.

When they were turning the engine on, Logan put a hand over Leo’s. “Le.”

Leo looked up from adjusting his mirrors.

Logan took a breath. He wasn’t sure he actually wanted to talk it all through, but maybe it would get easier. Maybe. And he at least had the short drive home to start. “Want me to tell you about it?” Logan asked softly. “Cassie.”

Leo’s lips parted, surprised. His hair was darker, the ends starting to dry from his own shower. He had taken his tie off, too, and his shirt was open at the neck. Logan reached out and touched the indent of the fleur-de-lis necklace beneath his shirt. It had been passed back and forth between them— Finn had been wearing it for a few days there when he was mostly just sleeping and in pain, but Logan supposed at some point, Finn had slipped it over Leo’s neck again.

“Yeah,” Leo said softly. “I’d like that.”

Logan leaned back in his seat as Leo pulled out of their spot. “I met her my very first night as a Freshman. I didn’t know what I was doing, I didn’t even have bed sheets. I had met Fish, là, twenty minutes maybe before. I scared the hell out of him in our room. But you know that, anyway, Cassie saved me from sitting by myself all night…”

[uluvjay]

Jack Hughes Masterlist

* indicates smut, • indicates angst, -> indicates a part two

Social media edits

Toothless is 22!

Imagines

Illicit affairs -Being friends with benefits with the nhls pretty boy isn’t always the best

-> what you need - it’s been a few months since you ended things with Jack and he’s a bit surprised about something new in your life but doesn’t let it stop him

Santa red*- jack gifts you an early Christmas gift and asks you to model it for him

Cuddles- after a long day on the lake, Jack just needs some cuddles ~ requested~

Hammock* - in which Jack can’t keep his hands to himself, even in the hammock ~ requested~

Don’t be such a baby- in which your cleaning jack up after a tussle on the ice ~requested~

Au’s

Coming soon…

Extras…

Request week masterlist!

12 days of ficmas masterlist!

[harlowhockeystick]

At The Rink - Owen Power

Y/N goes to the rink with Owen, and realizes that skating is not a skill that sticks around with you.

contains: fluff, some cuss words, gn reader (please let me know if i made a mistake), a lil bit of kissing

word count: 1,500

12 fics of christmas

tagging: @snidneycrabby @multistann @theweightofstardust @thecoldwind @puckbunnyforsway @drei-mrssvechii

this is technically a part two to this fic, which was highly requested

also tagging people that interacted with this post: @starryrevelations @starlightfooty @catpa1011 @localcalumhoe @lwstuff @eeeloraaa @alexis-34 @fangirlsbecrazy13 @hoeforf1

“So when are you going out with my brother?” Lindsey asked abruptly, making you nearly choke on your coffee across from her. It had been a few days since the christmas party at her house, and a few days since you figured out that Owen had been in love with you since way before you left for college.

“I wouldn’t call it, going out, but we have a meeting set for Tuesday.” you responded. She snickered and leaned back in her chair, taking healthy swigs of her coffee. “This is weird, isn’t it? I mean, I hate to call it that, but it kind of is a date. Two people, having dinner at night, at a pretty nice restaurant.”

As much as you thought she would hate it, Lindsey was all over it. She even went as far as to offer to help with your outfit the night before. She wouldn’t tell you, but she made sure to give Owen tips on where to take you. She gave him a list of your favorite restaurants and places around town to go. In her mind, the two of you were a match made in heaven.

“I mean, it is a little weird. But I couldn't be more excited, I seriously think you two will have a great time.” Lindsey commented, her smile almost as bright as the sun shining outside. “But if he hurts you in any way possible I will rip him to shreds, that’s a promise.” she said, her tone completely changing.

“Don’t worry linds, i don’t think there’s anything he could do that would hurt anyone.” you emphasized, finishing off your latte and setting the empty cup in front of you.

The subject is changed quickly, both of you not wanting to talk about Owen the entire time. He was sweet, one of the kindest people you’ve met. A shy boy with a smile that can light up a room. You truly were looking forward to Tuesday night. But you just had that little voice in the back of your head, that kept repeating over and over, you’re going on a date with your best friend's brother.

-

Tuesday came and Owen was nervous. So nervous that at some points in the day his teeth would start to chatter and he would have to hold his face in his hands to get it to stop. Owen was counting down the hours until he was to start getting ready to pick you up. The original plan was to just meet at a restaurant, but Lindsey demanded he pick you up.

“Is this alright? I don’t look horrible, do i?” Owen asked, walking into his older sister's room and asked her opinion on her outfit. He wasn’t wearing anything fancy, just a simple pair of jeans and a nice pullover, along with a pair of casual dress shoes.

“Not at all. Even your shoes match,” Lindsey pointed out, “now go before you’re late. And I'm serious, you hurt her and you’re done with.”

He put his hands up in surrender and walked out of the house, and started his route to pick you up at your home. His hands were nervously tapping against the steering wheel, he could barely focus on the music he was playing; he was so on edge.

Pulling into your neighborhood, that’s when he started to feel butterflies. He bit his lip, but not too hard. The corners of his lips started to turn up into a smile, he can’t believe what he is about to do. He is about to go on a date with a person he’s been dreaming about since he found out what love was. When he arrived in your driveway he texted you before walking up to your front door.

“Hey Owen, dang, you clean up nice.” you greeted, stepping out of your house before he got a chance to ring the doorbell. You could smell his cologne and it was a nice scent, not one that was going to make you have a headache all evening long. As you studied over him more you realized that his hair looked incredibly soft, has it always looked like that?

“So, where are you taking me?” you asked, getting in the passenger seat of his car. You could sense that he was nervous, his body was tense and he was doing everything possible to not accidentally graze your arm with his.

“Well, I figured we could go to the ice rink. They’re doing that firework show all week, and I know there is also a good line of food trucks near the rink. Is that alright with you?” His voice was deep, but you noticed it was also a little shaky. He practically was radiating nervousness. In a way you felt bad because most likely you were the reason he was gripping the steering wheel so tight that he was getting white knuckles.

The small talk you made on the way to the rink was awkward. He didn’t know why he was so nervous, to be honest. He had been picturing this moment since he was fifteen, he had been practicing what he was going to say, wear, and how he was going to swoon you at the end of the night. The many speeches he made to his pillow late at night all led up to this moment, but now he could barely get a sentence out without thinking it sounded dumb.

“Do you wanna skate first, or food first?” he asked, walking next to you amongst the crowd of people. The strip was lit up with Christmas themed lights, the faint holiday themed music playing in the background along with the hum of different peoples conversations and laughter.

“Skate first, i don’t think it’ll be a wise idea to eat a corndog and then go try and do figure eights around you.” you teased which drew a laugh out of him, making him feel easier.

“Around me, eh? We’ll see about that.”

You walked with Owen to the booth where you rent skates. As you’re leaning against the booth you feel his hand brush against yours for a second, but then he quickly rips it away. He looks at you, hoping that you didn’t notice. You thank the worker for the skates and you go find a bench to put them on. Owen helps you tie the laces, showing you a special trick so they won’t come untied without cutting off your circulation.

As the two of you start to skate, it becomes clear to you that you haven't skated in a long time. You feel yourself start to fall, but Owen puts his arm around your torso to stop that from happening. You laugh as he does so, Owen pulling you closer to him as you start to find your groove again. “So what was that you said about, doing figure eights around me?” he teased.

“Well, I guess I talk more than I walk.” you replied, continuing to skate next to Owen along with everyone else in the rink. You can still sense his nerves, though. He’s hesitant to touch your body too much, not wanting to make you uncomfortable. He’s anxious to go too fast on the skates, not wanting to push you or leave you behind. So, that’s when you decide to speak up.

“You know, Owen, you don’t have to be so nervous around me. You’ve looked like a deer in headlights all night, I can tell you’re anxious.” he looks down at you, his cheeks flushed red and his eyes wider than they were a few minutes ago. He keeps his hand on you and stays close to you, but slowly he starts to loosen his grip. You notice this and you rest your hand on his, keeping it there to your preference.

“Well, it’s not every day that a man goes out with his lifelong crush, that crush being someone as pretty as you.” His words make you feel butterflies in your stomach. His grip tightens now, not wanting you to get too far from him.

“You mean that?”

Owen scoffed and turned around to stand in front of you, taking your hands in his so that you could still keep balanced. “Of course i mean it, even if this is the only date we go on, which i hope it’s not, i will sleep good tonight knowing that i got to live out a dream of mine.”

His words make you melt inside. Your best friend's brother- shy, sweet, polite brother, had a way with words. Who knew?

“So you’re saying you want to go on more dates?” you teased, skating a little closer to him, just a few inches space in between your bodies. “‘Cause I would like that, too.” Owen smiles and brings your hand up to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to your knuckles, his cheeks still blushing red.

“Good to know we’re on the same page, Y/N.”

.・。♡.・゜✭・.・✫・゜✭・。. ♡・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜♡・。.✫

- thank you for reading! i hope you enjoyed it. feedback and comments are always welcome.

xo, j

[lovemeleo]

hi i just wanna say i love your writing so much!! i was wondering if you could write something fluffy, maybe cuddling or celebrating a win or something for kuny and nado? i know it’s kind of a side pairing but i loved their story in lumosinlove’s ficmas!

Thanks so much, anon! I’m so glad you love it. I love Nuny so much, Hazel’s ficmas for them was one of my favorites. I’ve never written them before so I hope you enjoy! These OCs as well as the SW world belong to @lumosinlove!

__________________________________

Jackson had been staring at the TV since he finished his after-game shower. His body felt like it might become a permanent fixture of the couch at this point. There were a lot of times where he wanted to go out after a game, adrenaline pumping throughout his body and just wanting to dance the night away.

Tonight was obviously not one of those nights. He just wanted to chill at their apartment, watch Friends and not move until he absolutely had to.

Just as Rachel and Ross started fighting about something, the bathroom door opened and Zhenya came out. And well… Jackson would always move for him. Zhenya was only wearing a pair of sweats, not bothering with a shirt.

“You watch same episode yesterday. They fight about list.” Zhenya said, climbing onto the couch and sprawling on top of Nado. 

Jackson shook his head as he wrapped his arms around Zhenya, “No, this is a different one. They’re fighting about whether or not they were on a break now.” He murmured, fingers running through the other man’s hair.

He loved times like this, where they had nowhere to be. They could just be together. Cuddling had become one of his favorite pastimes, especially cuddling like this. 

Zhenya, as giant as he was, loved to curl up on his chest. He seemed smaller then, still a comforting presence though.

“I think he cheat.” Zhenya murmured, resting his head so he could hear Jackson’s heartbeat, steady and strong.

Laughing softly, Jackson nodded, “Yeah, you and everyone else. Except for Ross. Who never thinks he could be in the wrong.”

Zhenya hummed but didn’t reply, enjoying the gentle fingers playing with his hair. Jackson had never met someone so similar to a golden retriever. So cuddly and happy. His other hand moved to rub over Zhenya’s back in slow circles.

Honestly, Jackson was unsure how he got so lucky. It had been 7 months since he made the abrupt trip to Russia. Seven months and he didn’t think he had ever been happier. When he first joined the NHL, he never even knew this would be an option. At that point, he didn’t even know if he’d want it to be an option. But laying here with Zhenya on his chest, there’s nowhere he’d rather be.

“Hey, where you?” Zhenya asked when the fingers slowed in his hair, peeking up.

Jackson shook his head, meeting gentle brown eyes, “I’m right here, just thinking.”

Zhenya chuckled, “Thinking? Not good idea. Smoke come out of ears.” He teased, leaning up to press a gentle kiss to the scar that ran down Jackson’s cheek. 

Smiling softly, Jackson reached up to cup Zhenya’s face, “Hey.” He said softly.

“Hmm?” 

“I love you.” Jackson whispered. He couldn’t say it louder, this was for them alone. It had been on the tip of his tongue for weeks, if not months and now he said it.

Zhenya’s eyes widened before he leaned in, pulling Jackson in for a passionate kiss, “Love you too. Always.” He looked slightly as though he was in a daze. 

Jackson smiled into the kiss before leaning into Zhenya’s touch, “You had to know. You’re it for me, Zhenya.” He murmured quietly, leaning their foreheads together.

“For me too. Of course.” Zhenya said softly, closing his eyes as he basked in the moment.

The road wouldn’t be easy for them, but they had each other. 

That’s all that mattered.

[onlydreamofmysoul]

Evermore (Ficmas #7)

So this is based on evermore (obviously), but it’s mostly based on the part where the tempo changes. Also ye can probably expect more evermore the album related fics cause I’m obsessed.

Characters and their world by @lumosinlove

And I was catching my breath, staring out an open window, catching my death,

Sirius woke up in a cold sweat, memories flashing through his eyes so quickly he couldn’t separate them for a moment. 

And when I was shipwrecked, I thought of you.

Remus laughed as he stretched Sirius’ ankle, long fingers wrapping around his foot as he applied some pressure. Sirius bit back his discomfort, if he said anything, Remus might stop. And Sirius wanted to pretend he could have this just for a little while longer.

And in the cracks of light, I dreamed of you.

Sirius saw Remus chatting with Leo, then he glanced up and saw Sirius looking at him and smiled. To anyone else, it was a PT greeting the captain. But Sirius knew what it meant. He knew what that smile looked like carefree and laughing, ducking under covers and winking across a car’s control box. Sirius liked to imagine what it would be like for everyone to see that smile. To see the smile he put there.

It was real enough to get me through.

Remus’ eyes shone as he skated, making NHL players look like Bambi on ice. Sirius had never been so fucking in love in his entire life. He wanted to play with Remus forever. He wanted to pull him close, he wanted to feel the press of his love against him on the ice.

He was also scared.

This could be enough for now. Remus knew the truth, that was all that mattered.

Right?

(Out on waves being tossed, I’m on waves, out being tossed.)

Sirius’ vision tunnelled, staring at his phone, the vast airport suddenly tight and claustrophobic.

He swallowed, his throat tight.

His one good thing. They had taken his one good thing.

I swear, you were there.

“Sirius, I’m mad, yeah, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want you. Of course I want you, you’re mine. You’re my wish, okay? This happened because we’re each other’s. We can be—we can be something good that comes out of this, can’t we?”

And I was catching my breath, floors of a cabin creaking under my step.

Remus smiled up at him, chatting to Talkie. Thomas followed his gaze and smirked. He knew.

“Hey baby.” Remus greeted. “You ready to get your ass whipped?”

“Ohhhh rookie versus Cap!” Thomas chirped. “This I’ve got to see.”

And I couldn’t be sure, but I had a feeling so peculiar, this pain wouldn’t be for evermore.

Sirius looked over at Remus sleeping next to him. His entire being softened just looking at him. Perhaps this wasn’t the way he would have chosen, but he really loved this result.

“I took the road less travelled, and it has made all the difference.”

He shuffled over a little so he could take Remus in his arms, Remus nestling under his chin. Sirius’ eyes grew heavy once more and he drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Evermore.

[12daysofficmas]

12 Days of Ficmas Prompts

Welcome to the Check, Please 12 Days of Ficmas! If you’re interested in creating a fanwork for this event and are feeling a little low on inspiration, we have prompts for you! 

There is no formal claims process for this event. If you’re feeling inspired by one of these prompts, you’re welcome to use it. You don’t have to let us know which one you’ve claimed, what type of fan work you plan to create, or when you’re going to post. Just plan to post your creation between December 24 and January 6 with the tag #omgcp12days so we can reblog here. Don’t worry, we’ll remind you here as the date approaches, so be sure to follow us.  And remember, this is a low stress low key event.  There is no word minimum for fics.  We just want you to have fun and celebrate the Check, Please fandom!

These prompts were submitted to our in-box during our call for prompts. We’ll share a more general winter-themed prompt list in another post if you need more inspiration.

Playlist Prompts:

Holiday with a Baby! (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.) Rating: General (All Ages) First

Jack’s Holiday Playlist Rating: General (All Ages) 

Fic Prompts:

Bitty’s sophomore year. SMH decorates the Haus for the holidays. Bitty bakes. Maybe throw some caroling in there. Rating: General (All Ages)

Jack, Bitty, holidays through the years. Rating: Any  (MUST BE OVER 18 TO FULFILL THE PROMPT AS EXPLICIT.)

Kent attends a holiday party for NHL All Stars, only his ex, Jack Zimmermann, will be in attendance with his new fiancé. Kent has the bright idea of asking someone to be his fake date for the evening. Rating: General (All Ages)

Holster learns to cook Ransom's favorite dish(es), with or without Bitty helping.  Holsom welcome but not required.  Heartfelt use of their first names and "bro" very much appreciated.  I'm looking for Year 1 Best Friend Sundaes levels of fluff. Rating: General (All Ages)

Whiskey spends the holiday break with the Tangredi family. Rating: General (All Ages), Teen

Shinny on the pond. Rating: General (All Ages)

Bitty and Jack take a walk in Madison during Year 4 Christmas to look at the lights. Rating: Explicit  (MUST BE OVER 18 TO FULFILL THIS PROMPT.)

NurseyDex’s first delightfully awkward Christmas as a couple. Must include fluff! Rating: Mature

Bitty wants to add some spice to the 12 days of Christmas by gifting Jack some very sexy presents. Rating: Explicit (MUST BE OVER 18 TO FULFILL THIS PROMPT.)

Married Bitty and Jack doing their favorite holiday tradition together. Rating: Mature

Some fun holiday toys ;) Rating: Explicit (MUST BE OVER 18 TO FULFILL THIS PROMPT.)

“It’s too cold to get out of bed.” Rating: General (All Ages), Teen, Mature, Explicit (MUST BE OVER 18 TO FULFILL THE PROMPT AS EXPLICIT.)

What happened during Jack’s holiday break Y2? Did he talk to his parents about what happened with Parse? Rating: General (All Ages), Teen, Mature

SMH designs a winter holiday by having everyone put a suggestion into a hat. It goes about as well as you’d expect. Rating: General (All Ages), Teen, Mature

Story of a relationship told in vignettes that feature a gift that one character bought the other. Like, A buys B a guitar as a gift and we scenes of B learning the basics, learning to play a song A likes, figuring out where to put the guitar in their new apartment, B playing a song at their wedding. Doesn’t have to be a guitar though! Rating: General (All Ages), Teen, Mature

5 times Shitty “ruined” Knight family Christmas and one time he didn’t go. Rating: General (All Ages), Teen, Mature

Characters of your choice get a little drunk and share stories about their families greatest holiday disasters. Rating: General (All Ages), Teen, Mature

First Holiday with a Baby! (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc) Rating: General (All Ages)

When Ford realizes she can’t make a holiday sweater for everyone, Bitty suggests she hold a competition. The team gets way, way too into it. Rating: General (All Ages), Teen

Jack is an arctic explorer who gets separated from his group. On the verge of death, he is discovered by Bitty the Christmas elf. Rating: General (All Ages), Teen

Shinny on the pond Rating: General (All Ages)

Vignettes from Haus 2.0s first holiday season. Do they decorate? How? What traditions from their family do they decide to keep? What new ones do they make? Rating: General (All Ages), Teen, Mature

Comedy of errors at Ransom and Holsters first corporate holiday party. I’ve heard that these can be huge affairs, with like celebrity entertainment and stuff. Holsom if you like! Rating: General (All Ages), Teen, Mature

Decorating the Haus. Rating: General (All Ages)

Sledding. Rating: General (All Ages)

Decorating cookies Rating: General (All Ages)

Haus 2.0 goes skating on the Boston commons frog pond. It’s v nostalgic. Rating: General (All Ages), Teen

Pick a character and tell us about the first time they went skating! Rating: General (All Ages), Teen, Mature

Science fiction AU - The characters try to explain their holiday traditions to an alien species. Rating: General (All Ages), Teen, Mature

Pairing of your choice meets at a ski resort. Rating: General (All Ages), Teen, Mature

Artwork Prompts:

A picture of Jack in a fishermen's sweater (a la Chris Evans.) Rating: General (All Ages)

Hanukkah party, latkes, menorahs, gelt, etc. Rating: General (All Ages)

Jack, Bitty, holidays through the years Rating: Mature

First Holiday with a Baby! (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.) Rating: General (All Ages)

When Ford realizes she can’t make a holiday sweater for everyone, Bitty suggests she hold a competition. The team gets way, way too into it. Rating: General (All Ages), Teen

Jack is an arctic explorer who gets separated from his group. On the verge of death, he is discovered by Bitty the Christmas elf. Rating: General (All Ages), Teen

Vignettes from Haus 2.0s first holiday season. Do they decorate? How? What traditions from their family do they decide to keep? What new ones do they make? Rating: General (All Ages), Teen, Mature

Hanukkah party, latkes, menorahs, gelt, etc. Rating: General (All Ages)

Comedy of errors at Ransom and Holsters first corporate holiday party. I’ve heard that these can be huge affairs, with like celebrity entertainment and stuff. Holsom if you like! Rating: General (All Ages), Teen, Mature

Decorating the Haus. Rating: General (All Ages)

Sledding! Rating: General (All Ages)

Decorating cookies Rating: General (All Ages)

Haus 2.0 goes skating on the Boston commons frog pond. It’s very nostalgic. Rating: General (All Ages), Teen

Pick a character and tell us about the first time they went skating! Rating: General (All Ages), Teen, Mature

Science fiction AU - The characters try to explain their holiday traditions to an alien species. Rating: General (All Ages), Teen, Mature

Pairing of your choice meets at a ski resort. Rating: General (All Ages), Teen, Mature

If your prompt is missing, please let us know. :)  If you have any questions, just reach out. Have fun!

@doggernaut​ and @wrathofthestag​

12 Days of Ficmas FAQ

[deviantofthemind]

Sanders Sides Ficmas 2020

↪ 𝔉𝔦𝔠𝔪𝔞𝔰 𝔐𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔭𝔬𝔰𝔱 🎁 Dec 8: Ice-Skating - Dukeceit Rating: T

Janus isn’t ready for going ice-skating with his NHL playing boyfriend for the first time. Not really.

“Fuck-! Fucking hell! REMUS?!”

They have been together for almost a year. And Remus has had a key to his apartment for about a month now. So it’s not that he is there that has Janus fuming upon entering his door but the almost falling over a small mountain of hockey gear left directly behind the entrance.

Possibly he is tired and hungry and therefore a bit cranky too. But that doesn’t change that his normally meticulous space is invaded.

Remus comes blustering down the stairs of the maisonette upon hearing him. Has the audacity to look cute and still half asleep.

“Hey Jan!” he smiles and steps close for a welcome-back kiss. Janus is having none of it right now, he is angry at this weird shift of balance and intertwining lives. And the mess, of course.

“What the fuck is this?” Janus cuts him off, gesturing unpacked gear, pinching the bridge of his nose to stave off the headache, that is lurking.

His 6'5 boyfriend visibly deflates, looking like a kicked puppy for all that it’s worth. “Uhm..just my hockey stuff, from training?” he says, as if he’s asking Janus. He would never ever (not yet, at least) admit it but the flood of guilt he feels quells the irrational anger he’s brought home real quick. He nods curtly, and steps over the mess to get himself sorted.

One of the reasons they worked out so well in the beginning was that Janus couldn't give two shits about hockey and how Remus was famous. That had been a relief for the other man and Janus had only been delighted by the youthful goofball.

Maybe it was time to change that? To be more...invested into each other's interests and life?

Jans neck cracked audibly when he rolled his shoulders back to shake out some of the tension and lingering tiredness of his flight. He could hear Remus come into the bedroom, hesitating a little.

“Sorry about that?” he said, shrugging a lot more insecure than Janus liked him, “I know you like your apartment tidy…” - “It’s alright. I mean, I do. But it wasn’t a major issue. I’m sorry for yelling in lieu of hello.”

Janus pulls him in, until they are chest to chest, Remus a good head taller and looking down at him with a bit of a puzzled expression and he sighs before dabbing a kiss to his jaw. “Good to be home… Hey maybe, wanna go out for food? And then you could take me to the rink at central plaza?” He says before he can think better of it.

“You wanna go skating? With me?” Remus asks, a little incredulous and obviously delighted at the prospect.

“No. With aunt Patty.” he deadpans, making Remus laugh before getting kissed and squeezed breathless. “Yeah, okay. we can do that.”

Janus clearly did not think this through in his squishy, soft moment thinking of more commitment. Because he has never in his fucking life stood in skates, least of all been skating.

So a few hours later has him wobbling onto a busy rink, death grip on his boyfriends forearms, who is clearly trying not to laugh as he moves them both gently away from the gate.

“All good?” Remus grinned, unfortunately looking positively delectable, “You can relax a bit there, okay? I won’t let you fall.”

“I’m good.” Janus gritted out, between clenched teeth, carefully, slowly losing his grip a little.

It was a horrible experience through and through. It involved touching his skilled, confident, sexy boyfriend the entire time. Learning one or two new things about him, skating and hockey, because apparently gliding over an overfilled rink slowly made him a lot more talkative than he usually was. Also skating was fucking exhausting. And distracting. 

Which was because the whole thing was eliciting some obnoxiously dirty talk from Remus, making Janus even hotter under his already sweat soaked hoodie.

“Remus!” he hissed, turning around to check if any had heard him and making his boyfriend laugh even more, “What is it with you?! We are in public.”

“Ah, I don’t know Jan. It’s the mushy, romantic mood. And being here and skating. With you.”

Janus knew Remus had tried for mocking but not succeeded in the slightest. Right decision after all. And maybe, <i>maybe</i>, he could learn to enjoy this too.

[allsassnoclass]

falling (on the ice) for you

Ficmas Day 11

Pairing: Alex Gaskarth/Jack Barakat

Rating: Teen and Up

Key Tag(s): Ice skating, established relationship

Word Count: 1,383

Read on AO3

—

Alex and Jack go ice skating at the pond by the farm.

—

"Alex!" Jack yells, voice followed by the slam of their back door.  "Where are you?"

"Living room!" Alex calls back.  He hears Jack tramping towards him in his clunky boots, which means that he's tracking snow all through the house.  Alex will not be the one cleaning that up.

"It's time," Jack says as soon as he appears in the doorway.  He has a scarf around his neck and one of his warmer beanies stuffed on his head, but his cheeks are still flushed from the cold, eyes shining with excitement.  It simultaneously makes Alex want to cuddle him and join in whatever adventure he’s pursuing.

"For what?"

"Ice skating!"

Alex perks up.

"The ice is thick enough?"

"I just checked," Jack says.  "It's been cold enough for the past few days, and even if it cracks neither of us will go under.  The puddle only comes up to our waists."

"It's a pond, Jack."  Jack makes a face.

"It's a puddle."

Alex is fighting a losing argument, even if the body of water on the edge of the farm's property line is technically a pond by the city's standards.  Jack thinks that ponds should be a little bit bigger.  Alex thinks that puddles shouldn't be deeper than his knees and full of wildlife.

"Are we really doing this?" he asks.

"We bought the skates," Jack says.  "You keep telling me not to buy useless stuff.  If we can't swim in the puddle, we might as well try to skate on it.  Better to fall on our assses here where no little kids can laugh at us.  Come on!"

Jack gets his snowy boots on the carpet and grabs Alex's hands, hauling him off the couch and tugging him towards where they keep the coats.

"God, can you wait five minutes?" Alex laughs.  "I have to get our skates first."

"I can--"

"You're not tracking snow upstairs."

Jack looks down at his boots, then the watery trail he left in his wake.

"Oops."

The path to the pond is not a path at all, but rather a small trench in the snow formed by Jack's footprints from his frequent checks.  He says he doesn't like being out in the cold, but he loves making laps of the property every day, checking on the animals and stretching his legs, often bringing Alex along for scenic walks, holding hands the entire time with the excuse that if Jack slips and falls he wants Alex to catch him.

The pond has been cleared of snow, revealing a sheet of ice smaller than a hockey rink.  A few small trees line the far bank, dead plants peeking up through the ice around the edges.

"Are we going to have to sit in the snow to put on our skates?" Alex asks.

Jack stops in his tracks.

"I didn't think that far ahead."

In the end they try really hard not to, holding on to each other's shoulders one of the trees across the pond to keep themselves upright while they switch from boots to skates, taking off gloves to lace them up tightly.  The first steps onto the ice are wobbly and unsure, but they keep their arms around each other and manage to stay steady.

Skating on a pond is different than on a rink, although Alex hasn't gone skating in general in years.  Ponds are bumpy with no zamboni to prepare the ice, and there's no wall for them to hug, making them fully reliant on each other to stay up.

They're doing alright so far.  Alex isn't sure how long that's going to last.

"Fuck yeah," Jack says once they set up a rhythm, beginning to glide around the pond.  "We're pros at this.  Everyone in the NHL should watch out."

"Jack Barakat, pro hockey player," Alex muses.  "It has a nice ring to it."

"I'm quitting the band to pursue my true dream," Jack says, detangling himself from Alex and skating around on his own.

"Hey, don't do that," Alex says.  "Who will be my muse?  My greatest inspiration?"

"I can still do that as a hockey player," Jack says, turning.  He wobbles a bit, but windmills his arms and manages to regain his balance instead of go down.

"What about your stage presence?  Someone else needs to make comments on occasion.  No one wants to listen to me sing and talk for an entire show."

Jack hums.  Alex skates over to him.

"You have a point," he says.  "The fans would miss me."

"It's all about the fans," Alex says, tugging gently on the scarf wrapped haphazardly around him, pulling Jack closer.  He smiles and leans forward for a kiss, Alex's eyes flickering shut to meet him in the middle.  Suddenly Alex's feet are sliding out from under him, pushing him forward and knocking Jack off-balance, flinging them both to the ground with a yell.

"Ow," Jack groans under him.  "What did you do that for?"

"It wasn't on purpose," Alex says, rolling off of him.  "I think your skate knocked mine."

The ice is freezing, his jeans doing nothing to keep out the chill and his gloves barely protecting him when he tries to push himself up and get his feet under him again.

"Fuck, why is this so hard?" Jack asks, attempting to stand and making it almost halfway to upright before slipping again.

"The little kids would definitely be laughing at us if they could see," Alex says, giving up and sitting on the ice instead, content to watch Jack struggle then make him give him a hand to get up once he makes it.  Jack's feet fly out from under him again and he has to stifle a snort.  Jack flips him off, scooting closer and bracing a hand on Alex's shoulder.

"Hold still," he says, then uses Alex's shoulder and his head to steady him on the way up.  His success deserves a cheer, so Alex gives him one, which Jack accepts by throwing his arms up in victory.

"Hey, help me now," Alex says, reaching out.

"Don't make me fucking fall again," Jack says.  They almost overbalance, but eventually both of them are standing on their own feet.  Alex links their arms.

They make a few more laps, then Jack tries to figure out how to skate backwards.  That ends with him on the ice instead of his skates again, and when Alex tries to help him he falls, too.

The fifth time they both end up on their butts, they call it quits.  Alex isn't sure if he can feel his legs anymore from the cold, and the rest of his body isn't doing too great, either.  He crawls over to where they left their boots and relishes in the feeling of being steady on his feet again.

"Hot shower when we get inside?" Jack asks once they begin their walk back.  "We can share.  It'll warm you right up."

"I was thinking hot chocolate and a blanket, but your idea is better," Alex says.  Jack whoops.

"We're going skating again tomorrow," he says.  Alex looks at him incredulously.

"Dude, my ass is going to be so sore.  Don't give me that look, I'm being serious.  I need time to recover."

"But then I'll never be a pro hockey player!"

"Good," Alex says.  "I thought we already decided that you're staying in the band."

"Ah, yes, for the fans."

"It has nothing to do with your love of music nor your love of me."

"Absolutely nothing," Jack agrees.  The house comes into view, promising warmth and a reprieve from the ice.  Alex quickens his pace, pulling Jack along with him.

"Someone's eager," Jack says.

"Shut up, asshole.  I'm really fucking cold."

"I'll keep you warm, baby."

Alex rolls his eyes, because Jack is not as effective as a change of clothes and sitting in front of the fire will be, but he smiles, too, because Jack makes him feel warm inside all the time.  That warmth flares up inside him when Jack suggests they race to the house, growing stronger when they start running without letting go of each other's hands.

Freezing his butt off ice skating is worth it if he gets to keep feeling that warmth inside for the rest of his life.

[milfgritty]

pucker up | n. patrick & t. konecny

❀ ⇢ 12 days of ficmas: day 12 ❀ ⇢ genre: fluff ❀ ⇢ word count: 1.3k ❀ ⇢ warnings: polyamorous relationship ❀ ⇢ a/n: merry christmas and happy holidays!

⇢ posted: 12.25.18 . | . masterlist

“Who put this mistletoe up?”

Tearing your eyes away from the object in question where it dangled seemingly innocent in the doorway of the bedroom, you stuck your head out of the door to peer down the hall. Your yelled question was met with a bout of laughter sounding from the other room, a groan accompanying it.

Waiting for an answer that didn’t come, you struggled to wake up. Sleep had yet to fully release you from its grip, your eyes unable to focus properly and grogginess fogging up your mind. When it became clear that neither of your boys were going to respond, you stumbled towards where you had heard them. You silently cursed your lead like feet and you knew your hair still looked like a whole mess.

As you walked, your lingering confusion returned full force when you blurrily spied an absurd number of mistletoe bunches hung almost everywhere you could put it. “What the hell?” You croaked out, rubbing the heel of your hand into your eyes in an attempt to clear the sleep from them.

Padding into the kitchen, the situation quickly became clear to you on at least a basic level. Nolan sat hunched on a stool, his hands protectively wrapped around a mug of what you presumed to be coffee as glared at your remaining boyfriend. Travis stared back at him, his expression changing back and forth between a pout and a smug smirk.

“What did you do, Trav?” Sighing as your arm crossed, you titled your head as you pinned him with a stare.

“Why are you assuming I did it?” He cried, the palms of his hands facing you when he threw his arms out.

Forming a ‘seriously?’ expression, your eyes narrowed, though you were aware that it didn’t quite have the same effect as it did when you were fully awake.

“I’m assuming you did it because Nolan looks like he just got out of bed and you’re giving off major ‘I did it’ vibes.”

And it was true. Taking a closer look at your taller boyfriend, you saw his eyes squinted into slits as though they still hadn’t gotten used to the morning/early afternoon lights and a thinly veiled look of annoyance and exasperation covered his face.

Travis, on the other hand, was wide awake and looked like he already had three cups of coffee, not even bothering to mention how his proclaimed innocence didn’t exactly line up with the way his gaze bounced between all of the mistletoe decorating the kitchen.

“I had absolutely nothing to do with this,” Travis told you, shaking his head with an exaggerated expression while he waved his hands this way and that.

“Oh, for sure,” Nolan rolled his eyes as he finally spoke, or well, mumbled in this case. Restraining a laugh at Travis’s indignant cry, you found yourself unsurprised by Nolan’s dripping sarcasm.

“Alright, fine. I did it,” Travis reluctantly relented. “Shocking,” You heard Nolan mutter before he sipped at his coffee, a snort leaving you. You watched Trav stick his tongue out at him, sighing exasperatedly at the two of them.

Your eyes remained on them interacting, brushing past Travis to make yourself a cup of coffee while they bickered. Going about your usual business, you just barely noticed when your boys quieted down. Turning around with a raised brow, you had to repress another sigh when you saw where their gazes pointed.

In your haste to finally get some caffeine in you, you hadn’t noticed the mistletoe hanging right by your destination. By this point, it was already too late, having already stopped right under the damned thing. And going by Travis’s ecstatic smile and Nolan’s sympathetic look, they knew it just as well as you did.

“Come on, baby,” Travis cooed, being the closest to you, “Pucker up.”

Laughing at his excitement, you gave in with little resistance. He leaned down to bring his lips to yours and your mouths met each other in a gentle brush. Humming into the kiss, you threaded your arms around his neck as his pulled at your waist to tug you closer. You broke the kiss after another few seconds needing air and refusing to let your coffee go cold. Smiling as he whined and tried to give chase, you disentangled yourself from his arms.

Spinning on your heel, you went back to making your drink. Travis retreated after a beat to sit next to Nolan. Listening with half an ear, you shook your head at their unrelenting bickering. I was akin to a verbal match, neither letting the other have the upper hand. They were both ridiculous, but hey, if that’s how they want to show their love for each other then who were you to judge.

Another went by and Travis finally managed to get a laugh out of Nolan as you turned around with your now full mug. You could tell by the small smile and soft look in his eyes that he was proud, just like he always was when he succeeded in getting Nolan to “show a little emotion” as he teasingly put it. Nolan scoffed back at him and they resumed their word fight, though a tiny smile danced on Nolan’s lips this time. It reminded you of back to a month or two into your relationship when Travis had proclaimed that ever since the three of you started dating that Nolan was easier to make laugh. Not by much, but the difference was there.

The rest of the day wore on much like that morning, except with two of you finally more awake it had begun a game of who could successfully dodge the most mistletoe while simultaneously sabotaging the others. Many kisses were exchanged, though you both suspected that Travis got himself under the mistletoe more often on purpose.

That suspicion was only proved at around dinner while you were figuring out what to eat when Travis meandered up to you and Nolan, whistling an innocent tune. There was barely enough time for you to exchange suspicious looks before Travis was pulling out a piece of mistletoe and waving it over all of your heads.

“Seriously, Teeks,” Nolan rolled his eyes, pretending to be annoyed even as he grinned. Travis only smiled at him, puckering his lips and tapping them. Nol’s head dropped down as he shook it, hiding a smile, but it took less than a second for him to lean into Travis and press his lips firmly to his, a hand coming up to rest on his hip.

Their kiss ended, and Nolan swiftly turned and pulled you to his body to meld his mouth to yours. The two of you moved together until you retreated and pressed yourself into Travis. He grinned as he kissed you, his hand resting on the side of your neck while you grasped at his hoodie.

The entire exchange lasted barely two minutes, leaving all of you breathless. Maybe a few extra kisses were given out even after the mistletoe was dropped, but none of you could bring yourselves to complain even if you wanted to.

It wasn’t until you were getting ready for bed that Nolan had brought up the question that had been bugging you all day.

“Where did you even get all of the mistletoe?” He asked, his arm thrown around you and grazing Travis’s hair. The question got a wince out of him, a sheepish smile spreading across his lips.

“Don’t even ask.”

His response left a fair bit up to imagination and the words managed to draw laughs out of all of you. You snuggled closer into your boyfriends and as you closed your eyes with a smile and light heart, you considered that maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing that Travis had gotten all of that mistletoe after all. 

[holy-puckslibrary]

━ 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦

˗ˏˋ 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ˎˊ˗

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 — teacher!jeff skinner x teacher!reader 𝐰𝐜 — 2.4k 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 — their students decide to play matchmaker before a school dance; will their scheming pay off?

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 — written to fill a short n sweet request last year for my patreon fic-mas <3 and if you catch the lil nod to two of our favs, you're a real one

“I know we’ve been having a hard time concentrating this week, which is understandable with all the excitement surrounding the Snowball Dance, but you do have one more day of work before you can totally kick back and check out,” Jeff Skinner, a high school social studies teacher, says after the tardy bell chimes.

The students are settling into their seats but listen intently.

He continues, “That being said, I will still be collecting your annotations for chapters eighteen through twenty that we started during Monday’s class. While I’m doing that, a sign-up sheet for the Unit 5 case study presentations will be floating around the room. If I were you, I’d grab the earliest slot available to get it over with and be done for the semester. But, hey, that’s just me!”

His twelfth-grade AP Government class meets this with a chorus of groans. A subset of students lightheartedly boo him from the back row. Oddly, though, the ruckus pleases him.

Mr. Skinner strives to create a classroom environment where the teens feel comfortable sharing their honest feelings and have the space to do so if they choose. Their vocal push-back signifies their trust in him. He also appreciates their mutinous spirit because it arose after their deep dive into the Declaration of Independence and its twenty-seven grievances; they were combative but in the name of freedom for the cohort and the individual. Jeff saw that as a Teacher Win.

“I know, I know. I’m a tyrant, and you hate me. But unlike this country, this classroom is a monarchy, not a democracy,” he returns the teasing. “And if you looked at our agenda when you walked in this morning, you would’ve seen that—because I am obviously the nicest person ever—I have allocated today’s class period to independent work time. So, you can complete whatever you may need. That means putting any final touches on this week’s chapters, polishing up your Supreme Court case PowerPoints with your partner or group, or finishing any outstanding assignments.

And if you recall, I give full credit for late work, so long as it's on my desk before the cut-off tomorrow at noon. You’re welcome." Sarcasm is his favorite—and most effective—bonding strategy. "If you're squared away, you know where the board games and art supplies are. Just no more explicit drawings. I don’t care, but Mrs. Benson next door does.”

The class laughs, fondly recalling the fiasco the day before Homecoming.

A couple of students decided to use their free time to create a few political illustrations. While they were historically accurate and objectively hilarious, they were not “school appropriate,” according to the 9th-grade Geography teacher who glimpsed the comic strips as she passed the open door.

She demanded Jeff punish the perpetrators for their vulgarity, but instead, he had the drawings laminated and bound into a resource book. Said book has since found a home on a bookshelf, wedged comfortably between Howard Zinn’s A Power Governments Cannot Suppress and The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution by Linda Monk.

In his peripheral vision, Jeff sees a student waiting by the door and invites them in. He segues, “Before I leave you to your own devices, it looks like we have a visitor from ASB. So, please be nice, give them your full attention, and don’t embarrass me. Capiche?”

The class agrees to comply, and the boy, an underclassman if he had to guess, hesitantly walks to the front of the room.

Jeff remembers how intimidating seniors felt when he was that age, so he gives his students a pointed warning over the kid’s shoulder. A few of them perk up, noticeably straightening in their seats.

“Good morning, everyone. I’m Leo, and I will be filling in for Gabby today.” He looks down at the printout of the day’s announcements and clears his throat. Then, Leo begins reading them aloud:

“Feeling stressed this finals season? Stop by the quad next week during both A and B lunch blocks to decompress with some therapy dogs. If you need further or individualized support, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson will be opening up their schedules for one-on-one sessions. Appointments can be made using the yellow slips in the main office.

Work permits are available in the career counseling hub. If you plan on getting a job or need to renew, please submit an application as soon as possible. No permits will be issued during Winter Break.

Remember that your final exam period is not the same as your regular meeting time or day, so be sure to check your portals this weekend for the updated schedule.

Still need a ticket for the Snowball Dance tomorrow night? Please stop by the ASB room or contact Owen Power, the senior class president, before sixth period today. They’re $15 with an ASB card and $20 without one. Trust me; you don’t want to miss out!"

The audience of seniors cheers, hooting and hollering out their delight. The underclassman beams, confidence swelling, and tucks the script away. His smile grows. “And now…drum roll, please!”

As the students bang their desks with open palms, textbooks, and stray pencils, the ASB student angles a pair of jazz hands towards the open door.

“Santa Claus!”

Peyton, the current school mascot—in an ill-fitting costume that's certainly older than he is—materializes in the empty space. He hauls a lumpy velvet bag over his shoulder as he saunters across the room. The tiny gold bells affixed to the sack twinkle with every step.

“Ho, ho, ho! Candy Cane Gram delivery!” Peyton bellows.

His impression is unexpectedly convincing, in Jeff's humble opinion.

“Santa” roots around in the bag and pulls the first set out. They’re paper-clipped together, indicating both were for the same person. “Taylor Zimmerman? Two for you!”

He passes the slips of paper back to the student who raised her hand.

The distribution of festive notes, an annual fundraiser put on by the junior and senior class councils to bankroll the dance itself, fades into background noise as Mr. Skinner begins looking over the pile of essays he collected last period from his squirrelly 10th-grade World History class.

The prompt had been to explore the impact of globalization in the post-Cold War era, and they’re off to a great start. The first essay's author touches on “transnational actors” and their impact on overall global wealth—in the introductory paragraph. Pride blooms in his chest. Maybe someone had been paying attention after all.

Jeff gets through three and a half papers—all 95% and above, but who’s counting?—before he feels someone standing over him.

“Uh, Mr. Skinner?” Peyton whispers in his civilian voice.

“Yes?” Jeff replies.

To mark his spot, Mr. Skinner sets his pen below a particularly eloquent paragraph highlighting how American consumer culture polluted local ecosystems abroad.

The sophomore nervously looks around the room. After deciding his peers were too engrossed in the social politics of sending and receiving Candy Cane Grams and Ice Court nomination speculation to hear, Peyton pulls a slip of paper out from inside the thick, red coat and sets it on Jeff’s desk. It’s crumpled, and the miniature candy cane is barely hanging on.

“This last one’s for you.”

“Oh, thank you very much,” Jeff smiles. The polite expression is meant to relieve the student from his classroom, but Peyton remains glued to his spot. Gently, he asks, “Is there something else I can do for you, Mr. Krebs?”

“Aren’t you going to see who sent it?” the boy asks, all toothy grin and twinkling eyes.

Well, that’s not at all suspicious, Mr. Skinner thinks as he slides the slip closer.

He scans the generic template, reading his name and room number scrawled beside washed-out festive clipart, but doesn’t understand the fuss... until his eyes drift down to the section for an optional message.

Mr. Skinner,

Just like a snowflake, you’re one of a kind. Be my date to the dance tomorrow night? It would make me SNOW happy!

Jeff almost believes it’s from you. Had he not been familiar with your handwriting, it would have been an excellent forgery. But, he knew your penmanship. Maybe a little too well.

His anchor charts were all in your hand; he could see at least three from where he was sitting. Jeff can’t recall the last time he attempted one on his own.

In exchange for mercifully sparing him from teenage ridicule due to his poor penmanship, he handled the construction and refurbishment of the props and sets necessary for the Winter Showcase and spring musical every year. Whatever you, the brilliant and beloved drama teacher, dreamed up, Jeff dutifully built.

Including, but not limited to, an impressive Audrey II, the iconic Venus flytrap from “Little Shop of Horrors,” a life-size bubble for their Glinda to float around in during performances of “Wicked,”  and the massive tire that anchors the dilapidated junkyard set for “Cats.”

He was ambivalent about musical theater when he bartered the informal contractor role, but Jeff grew to love it after a few years. Due in large part to your infectious passion.

He gives the mastermind—or masterminds, props for trying, though.

“Oh, wow!” Jeff exclaims, deciding to play along. Peyton's face brightens; there’s no way he’s not involved. “Out of respect, let’s keep this between you and me for now, okay?”

“O-of course, Mr. Skinner,” Peyton sputters, as though he’s shocked Jeff didn’t notice anything amiss or ask any follow-up questions. “That’s why I waited to give it to you. It felt too personal to announce in front of your entire class. Especially after the whole Homecoming thing.”

“Thing” wasn’t what he’d call it, but this kind of dramatic exaggeration was one of the many reasons he loved working with teenagers.

During a pep rally in October, the student body president crowned the two of you the faculty Homecoming King and Queen. Jeff wasn't even aware that was a thing he could win, and neither had you, but you bashfully accepted the titles and accompanying crowns in front of a thousand rowdy high schoolers anyway.

Later that night, you slow-danced to Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” under a sky of twinkling stars—clear fairy lights repurposed from the previous year’s "Camelot" canopy—black glitter tulle, and a plywood crescent moon.

The students lost their minds then and were yet to get over it. Obviously.

“I appreciate that,” Jeff says, biting back his amusement.

Peyton salutes him and hoists the sack over his shoulder again. He and Leo say their goodbyes and move on to the next classroom on their route.

The remainder of the school day was agonizingly hectic. So much so that it meddled with his plan to swing by the auditorium where you held classes.

His projector kicked the bucket in the middle of his lecture on the two-way exchanges collectively known as the Columbian Exchange; Jeff couldn’t get it back into commission until his prep period, so he would have to explain how the triangular trade route emerged from colonial mercantilism policies in the new year. His 9th-grade World Geography class refused to participate in the activity he organized to mimic the Arctic landscape and harsh climate, so, somewhat reluctantly, he cut his losses and threw on an episode of Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? And right before his sixth period, some bored senior pulled the fire alarm, forcing the entire school to spend the glacial afternoon lined up in the parking lot.

All that said, it was safe to say Mr. Skinner had never been happier to see his driveway and his dog than he was this evening. The border collie shepherd mix, Chips—affectionately named as a tribute to the trained sentry dog who became the most decorated canine in the Second World War—is waiting on the porch. Joyously, he howls when Jeff gets out of his car.

“Hey, buddy,” he says as he reaches down to scratch between the pup’s ears. Chips jumps up, his muddy paws landing on Jeff’s coat. He begins licking his owner’s cheeks with reckless abandon. “Okay, come on, crazy dog. Let’s get you back inside.”

Immediately after Jeff opens the front door, Chips darts down the hallway. He chuckles, shaking his head as he sheds his coat and tosses his keys into the bowl by the door.

Jeff rescued his dog as he was wrapping up his undergraduate degree at NC State, and the two were as thick as thieves up until a few years ago.

That’s not to say anything happened or there’s bad blood; Chips simply found a new favorite person.

Jeff trails after Chips, following the furry tail and the delicious scent wafting from the kitchen. He makes a pit stop at the fridge to grab a beer before turning to address his successor to the rescue's heart, standing at the stove stirring a giant pot of soup.  

“You won’t believe what happened in my second period today, babe. Every day, I’m surprised by how bold teenagers are. Hell, when I was their age, I was petrified to sharpen a pencil without asking. Their latest scheme wouldn’t have even crossed my mind. Seriously, I don’t think you could guess what shenanigans they got up to if you tried.”

He's met with melodic laughter, a sparkly sound that still makes his heart skip a beat.

“Maybe not, but I don’t need to.”

Jeff’s brows knit together, confused. Then his eyes zero in on the slip of paper identical to the one in his back pocket.

If it were possible, his jaw could sweep the tile floor.

“Guess we aren’t as sly as we think,” you smirk, waving a counterfeit Candy Cane Gram of your own in the air like a white flag.

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[starry-hughes]

holiday disaster (luke hughes)

day 22 of star’s ficmas

luke hughes x reader

Jack walked onto the plane first, getting his ticket scanned and walking through. Before Luke could even have his ticket scanned he was stopped. The two brothers had arrived late to the airport and were last to board the flight. “I’m so sorry sir but this flight was overbooked and there are no more seats.”

“Jacky?” Luke called. The two were supposed to be traveling home for Christmas. “Is there another flight he can take? We are going home for Christmas.”

The attendant searched for a second and Luke was panicking. “There’s a midnight flight, last flight out.” It was noon. “Lukey, you can take my seat and I can wait.”

“No it’s okay, I’ll call mom and tell her.”

Luke made himself comfortable in a corner of the airport as Jack left on the flight. He had to break the news to his mom and call her. “I won’t be making dinner mom, I’m sorry, I’ll be home for Christmas Eve morning.”

You had been staring at the screen when the flight came up as canceled. You almost burst into tears when the flight attendant told you the only flight out was a midnight flight. You were convinced you might miss Christmas. All you wanted was to go spend the holiday with your family and now you were being delayed. Neither Luke and you wanted to leave the airport, the long security lines made you just want to stay, and Luke thought the same.

“Are you using the outlet?” you asked him. Luke looked up. “No, you can use it.” Luke watched as you hurriedly took out your phone charger. “Hi mom,” you called, “I’m sorry I’ll be late, yeah… eleven pm. I hope that flight isn’t canceled.”

Luke’s ears perked up as you said that. He listened to you end the phone call. The two of you sat in silence, doing your own things before Luke cleared his throat. “Can you watch my bag? I don’t really want to take it in the bathroom with me.”

You nodded and smiled as he got up. No one bothered you while he was gone. There were so many people in the airport but it was like the two of you had your own corner of life. When Luke returned, he had two bags of food in his hands. “Thought you deserved some food.”

Luke handed you a bag from one of the fast food places along with a water bottle. “I heard your flight was canceled,” Luke said. “Yeah, flying out to my parents and the one time I want to visit, it’s canceled,” you sighed, “thank you for the food by the way. Let me pay you back.”

He shook his head, “Don’t worry about it. My flight got overbooked. And my brother is currently on the way to our parents without me.” You frowned, “I’m sorry.”

The two of you ate quietly, hoping the hours would go by faster. “I have a laptop, do you want to watch a movie?” you questioned Luke. Shoulder to shoulder, the two of you watched a movie. Luke dozed off on your shoulder. As the day went on, there were less and less people in the airport. As the afternoon passed, both of you would get calls from family members asking how it was going. Luke told you about hockey and his job and his brothers. You told him about your own work and family.

“Hey,” you shook him gently awake, it was six pm. “There’s a restaurant down the terminal, do you want to go get dinner?”

In the airport restaurant, the least likely place to fall in love, you started enjoying time with Luke. You both tried random foods and shared plates. Laughing over dumb stories and joking about being stuck together. At the end of the night, Luke paid the bill and you tipped the waiter well.

You two still had time before your flights. Spending time sitting together and watching another movie or snacking on chips Luke bought. You checked your phone and realized you had to start getting to your gate. “I should get to my gate,” you frowned. “Oh,” Luke said, “I’ll walk you down.”

Luke dragged his suitcase behind him as he followed you. “You should get to your gate too Luke.”

He sighed and nodded. “Can I get your phone number?” You nodded and took his phone which he unlocked for you. You added yourself as a contact and took a picture of yourself for his contact phone. “Have a safe flight (Y/N), Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas Luke.” He turned and walked back to the opposite end of the terminal to his own gate smiling.

[lumosinlove]

12/15/20: Day Two

On the second day of Ficmas, Hazel gave to y’all, Remus joining the Lions’ thrall!

Remus looked at the jersey in his hands, and then at the flashing cameras.

“Put it on for us, Remus!”

The press were surrounding him at his new stall, and Remus felt claustrophobic and like he was soaring above the room all at once. He pushed his hair away from his face and laughed a little, standing to take his suit jacket off before slipping the jersey over his head. The cameras flashed, and he turned to show off the number six across his back.

The morning had been full of press conferences, and this felt like the reward for the exhausting excitement of it all. Remus wanted to go back to Sirius, where he was at morning work out with the rest of the team. He wanted to get on the ice. Two weeks. Two weeks until their first game of the season. Until his first game.

“Why the number six, Remus?” one of the cameras asked.

“Six has always been my number,” Remus said, and then he realized—as he had been, over and over again—that he was allowed to say more. He shrugged with a smile. “Plus, it’s half of twelve.”

That drew some laughs.

“Coach says you’ll be alternating between Black’s line and Dumais’ line during your transition into the roster, and also getting to play with Cole Reyes, drafted fifth overall by the Lions. Are you looking forward to it?”

“Of course,” Remus said. “I spent a lot of time with younger players on the Lions’ staff, and I’m excited to do it as a player myself.”

There was a sigh, and heads turned to Marlene. “I see you’ve already mastered the NHL bland toast answer.”

“Isn’t it required?” Remus laughed, and others did the same.

“All right,” Alice waved herself into the view of the cameras. “That’s it, thanks guys.”

Remus turned around, away from the departing press, and looked up at his stall. He’d seen it before, his name in the plaque, right beside Sirius, but this was different. This time, he had taken his jersey from its hooks. Later, his skates would be there, which he had gotten fitted with Moody earlier that week. And his gloves, and his helmet…

“Don’t you want to see your zero-flex stick with the rest of them?” said a voice from behind him.

Remus smiled, hands still holding the hem of his jersey tightly, to see Sirius standing there. He was dressed in his training clothes, backwards hat keeping his hair out of his face, sweaty from the weight room. But Remus wrapped his arms around him anyway, feeling Sirius fingers trace the name on his back.

“Lupin,” Sirius said softly, ducking down to brush a kiss against his mouth.

“I can’t believe it,” Remus said. “I just…it feels like a dream, and I’m going to wake up, like, still in the hospital with my arm in a sling, and all of this—”

Sirius cut him off with a kiss and Remus sank against his chest.

“I used to think that,” Sirius kissed the corner of his mouth, and then his cheek. “But, no. All of this is yours. It’s ours.”

Remus pressed his forehead against Sirius’ shoulder, laughing. “I know, I…fuck. When Coach told me at the wedding, and then I looked at you and you were just smiling, and—but no one else seemed to know. I thought for sure this doesn’t…but it does. It does make sense and it is real.”

There was a sharp knock on the locker room door, and they looked up to see Coach standing there.

“Black, you said five not a honeymoon. And Lupin—”

Coach paused. He smiled. “You look good. But you’d look better ready to work. Get out of that suit and come join your teammates. We’re doing land drills.”

“Well, that feels real,” Remus said as Coach disappeared, and Sirius laughed.

“How am I suppose to focus now?”

Remus traced the chain of his necklace on his neck. “We worked out together all summer.”

“Yeah, but that was just us,” Sirius pressed a kiss to Remus’ cheek. “I could do that whenever I wanted to.”

“You will get chirped so hard if you kiss my cheek between every sprint.”

“Worth it.”

Remus grinned, then pushed him gently towards the door. “Go, I have to change.”

Sirius stuck his bottom lip out a little as he walked backwards. “Go?”

“Yes, Captain,” Remus said, pulling his tie loose. “I’ll see you in there.”

Sirius paused by the door, hand going up to hold his necklace pendant. “I can’t wait.”

Remus looked down at himself when Sirius left. The Lions’ logo was clean and bright, with the sheen of a new jersey. He put his hands over the number sixes on each of his sleeves and took a breath, grinning.

The weight room was crowded and familiar with the heat of an entire team of hockey players sweating. Remus had never minded the smell, and now he nearly embraced it. He was here for the same reasons they were. To work. To win.

“Loops!” Thomas dropped down from the pull-up bar, bare chest shiny with sweat. “You look ready.”

Remus glanced down at his sleeveless Lions tank and shorts, shrugging. “Well, yeah.”

“No, I mean you look ready, hot damn,” Thomas circled him. “Who knew you looked like that underneath everything, you got game.”

Remus felt the back of his neck heat. “I worked a lot over the summer, honestly. Just want to keep up with you guys.”

“Oh, you’re keeping up alright,” Pascal said. He was wearing the same shirt Remus was, curling monstrous looking weights. “Come, Remus, start beside me.”

“Non, mais ici,” Sirius sat up from where he was bench pressing. “Loops, I’ll spot you.”

“Yeah,” Thomas said, clapping Remus on the shoulder. “Your boyfriend’s gonna spot you.”

“I wouldn’t mind that,” Remus laughed with a tilt of his head. He walked over to the bench press and looked down at Sirius, before up at Olli, who was spotting him. “Mind if I take over, Ols?”

Olli’s smile was sweet, but knowing. “For sure.” He gave the weight bar two taps before handing it over to Remus.

“Hi, baby,” Remus laughed, looking down at Sirius’ upside-down face. “Ready?”

Sirius grinned. “Absolutely.”

[starry-hughes]

fake holiday date (luke hughes)

day 16 of star’s ficmas

luke hughes x reader

Luke hadn’t heard from you since he left for Tampa. When he left for Tampa for the Frozen Four, he decided to break up with you. It was a hard decision but he didn’t want it hard on you. But he was coming home to Michigan for the holidays and he got a text from you.

“I need help.”

Luke Hughes was still in love with you. He immediately called upon seeing your text. “Hello?” you answered. Your stomach was a pit of nerves. Even though you texted him, you still felt sick when he called. “Are you okay?” he panicked. “I need a date.”

He should have hung up but you were scrambling words together. “Luke, wait, please hear me out. I kinda never told my family we ended things, and they are expecting you at Christmas. Please, just like two hours.”

Luke was silent. He didn’t know what to say. You were still telling your family he was still your boyfriend? “Two hours. Just two hours,” Luke mumbled.

Luke and you were a good couple. Envied by friends, called mom and dad by his roommates, always together. You loved Luke and he loved you, it was the right person at the wrong time. Luke was your first love, the first boy you brought home.

He sat outside your house, in his car, wearing a red sweater. He told his parents and brothers he was seeing his friends. He texted you a simple “here.”

You exited the house and Luke sucked in a breath. You were still beautiful. Luke walked up, a secret gift folded in his pocket. “Thank you,” you whispered and leaned up and kissed his cheek. You pulled him into the house and he was met with the familiar warmth of your house. Memories of him and you on the couch watching movies or eating dinners with your family.

“Luke!” your mother greeted, wiping her hands on her apron. “Honey it’s been so long, I’m so sad (Y/N) didn’t bring you by the whole summer, she said you were training but was always seeing you.” Luke nodded and smiled. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around, missed you guys,” Luke lied.

You had coached Luke, saying he was so busy with training and that you still saw him over the summer, saying that you even went with the boys to see the game in Detroit. “How’s the season going?” your dad questioned. Your parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and grandparents, and you and Luke eventually sat at the table for dinner.

Luke didn’t need to do it, but he placed his hand on your thigh, the two of you were a perfect couple. Your family all bought the act. After dinner, Luke even helped clean up before you dragged him up to your bedroom.

It was the same as the last time he saw it. Even your pictures of you and him still were hanging, probably to further your lie. Your stuffed animal sat on your bed and he smiled. “Thank you for coming, I didn’t think you’d actually answer my text.”

“I wanted to get away from Jack and Quinn anyway, they were annoying me,” Luke joked. “Why didn’t you ever tell your family?” Luke asked. You sighed, sitting on the edge of your bed. “I didn’t want to tell them, they were disappointed when I changed my major. I didn’t want to tell them I lost my boyfriend too.”

He frowned. “I haven't dated anyone since you. My parents just think I was with you during the summer but I was really just driving around town or window shopping at stores,” you admitted. Luke opened his mouth to say something but shut it when his phone buzzed. He had been gone for three hours, his brothers and parents were wondering where he had gone. “I have to go,” Luke swallowed.

You walked him out, watching with a smile as he bid everyone a goodbye and walked him out to his car. “I hope your family is well and Jersey treats you well,” you whispered. “Have a good Christmas (Y/N).”

If Luke and you were still dating, he would have kissed you. You would have seen his parents for Christmas, messed with Quinn and Jack, it would have been all fine. “Bye Luke.”

You snuck past your family, wanting to go cry in your room. You missed Luke. You entered your childhood bedroom, but there was something on your bed. It was a folded piece of paper, from Luke. You slowly unfolded it. A plane ticket to New Jersey.

[starry-hughes]

wrapping presents (jack hughes)

day 12 of star’s ficmas

jack hughes x reader

Jack was pretty insistent on the fact that he didn’t need an assistant. But everyone else thought he did. He was immature, constantly forgetting about meetings, if someone else wasn’t grocery shopping for him, he would be eating leftover meals from the nutrition team every day. He didn’t know what temperature to preheat the oven to for chicken.

Luke didn’t mind your presence. He knew you helped Jack more than anything, plus you kept the pantry stocked with his favorite fruit snacks. Jack appreciated you more than anything. You picked up his drycleaning, made sure he was where he needed to be, and sometimes, you would wait up for him after hard games to help him put icy hot on his shoulder.

You were his life saver.

Jack had wanted to thank you for all your hardwork. You had been his assistant since his rookie year. You stuck by him through injuries and his small hissy fits he would throw when the team was in a bad area of the season. He had thanked you previously, big extravaganza gifts, bonuses for the holiday and offering to buy you plane tickets to go wherever you desired. At the beginning, he didn’t want to admit that he needed someone like you, but now he didn’t know what to do without you. This year, though, he couldn’t think of something to get you, until he saw the present in a bookstore. He wasn’t typically found in bookstores but the gift caught his eye in the window.

You entered his apartment with bags of Christmas gifts and wrapping paper. Jack was sitting on the couch with Luke. “Got all the gifts you needed,” you smiled at the man who was technically your boss. Jack sighed happily, “Oh what would I do without you.”

You grinned, carrying the gifts to his room to wrap. “You’d probably perish.”

Luke waited until the door of Jack’s bedroom closed, signaling that you were in his bedroom, wrapping gifts. You knew Jack’s bedroom well, hell you’d slept in his bed before. It wasn’t on purpose of course, but when the team had all gotten sick and you two were quarantined together, you had really gotten to know him by talking for hours in his bedroom, which resulted in you falling asleep on his bed. “Did you get (Y/N) a gift?”

“Yeah dude of course. I always get her one.”

Jack jumped up from the couch, carrying over a box. It wasn’t wrapped, just a plain white box he was planning to stick a bow on and call it a day. It was a custom, leather bound journal with flowers pressed on the cover. “It made me think of her.”

“So when are you going to tell her you’re in love with her?” Jack hit his brother, a signal for Luke to shut up.

You neatly wrapped all the gifts before packing them in a suitcase for Jack to take to Michigan for the holiday break. You loved your job and did it with a smile on your face. Sure, Jack sometimes drove you crazy but you really liked him. Maybe even loved. You chalked up your feelings to the fact that you spent a majority of your time with him. A proximity crush. You’d never fall for him if you didn’t spend so much time with him.

“Picking up dinner boys, be back soon,” you said as you got your coat on. “Oh actually, just dinner for you and Jacky, I’m going over to Dawson’s,” Luke said. Jack’s eyebrows furrowed together, “I didn’t think you were going there.” The brothers shared a look. Luke was telling him with his eyes that it was time to make a move. “Well I am, you and (Y/N) enjoy dinner together,” Luke gritted.

“Jack, I’ll be back with dinner I guess,” you said confused before leaving. “What the hell dude?” Jack whipped his head toward Luke. “Just tell her you love her! Tonight! Stop beating around the bush!”

You got home with food and Jack wasn’t in the living room. “Jack?” you called out. You heard a muttered “damn it” from his bedroom and you walked to his room. He had tape stuck to his fingers and horrible cut wrapping paper and a plain white box on the floor of his bedroom. “What are you doing? I thought I wrapped all the gifts?”

“This one is special,” Jack huffed out. He was raising the white flag, surrendering to the wrapping paper. You left the paper bag of food on his dresser and joined him on the floor of his bedroom. “You should measure the wrapping paper and make sure it covers the whole box, like this, before cutting,” you explained softly. He pulled himself closer to you, he could hear your heartbeat picking up.

“Then, you should tape one side down to the box, then the other side, and finally the edges you tuck in to make triangles and then fold,” you narrated as he handed you pieces of tape. “Must be a special present if you wanted to wrap it yourself,” you looked at him. His lips were inches away.

“Yeah, something like that,” he mumbled. You could have sworn he was moving in to kiss you before you snapped out of your trance. “Do you want to add a bow to the box?” you cleared your throat and looked back at the neatly wrapped present. “Oh,” Jack was snapped back to reality, “I guess?”

You added the bow before handing it to Jack. “I’m sure she’ll love it.”

Jack’s eyes almost pop out of his head. “How do you know it’s for a girl?”

“Because Jack, I’ve only ever seen you put this much effort into presents or items if it’s for a girl you really like.”

Jack could have laughed, it was so ironic. You were right and you had no idea how right you were.