#senior pairs free skate

[pucked-bunnie]

shameless flirt ⎜ a.matthews

pairings: auston matthews x reader prompts: "you can rest your head on me, I don't mind" + "I dont want to be alone." genre: fluff ⎜angst ⎜friends to lovers⎜ warnings: injured players ⎜auston is a little espresso depresso ⎜just auston being in love the whole time ⎜had to make tyler the bad guy, sorry ⎜ synopsis: working as a team trainer came with many ups and downs, when you pull one of toronto's super stars the downs seem to outweigh the ups - but auston is always willing to bring you back up. word count: 4.8k authors note:  this was a WIP i had already started but when doing the prompt list request I got two request that I felt tied in nicely, so I put them all together. I also love our gentle giant auston matthews. (disclaimer : none of the hockey events in this are accurate - so dont come for me.)

(unedited)

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“You need to stop staring.” You can’t help the way you jump at the words, glaring at the man behind you before turning back towards the rink. 

“I’m not staring.” You huff, flicking some hair away from your face. “I’m assessing.” The large man steps forwards leaning against the barricade besides you, his eyes trailing over your face before following your gaze to the player on the ice. 

“Assessing for what?” Auston asks, his gaze watching his teammate curiously, before moving back towards you. Your frown was deepening as you watched the Swedish player move through the drills on the ice. “Is he okay?” 

Something was wrong.

What were you seeing that he couldn’t? 

“That is for me to know and for you to probably never find out.” You sigh as you push off the wall, turning towards the large man. “What’re you doing out here anyway, don’t you have an interview to do?” Auston shrugs as he turns away from the ice to look at you. 

“Is he injured?” He questions and this time you shrug in return. 

“It’s none of your business, Auston.” You begin holding up a hand before he begins to complain, “It’s a suspicion, nothing more and once it concerns you, you’ll be the first to know.” You finish, smiling as your player makes his way to the boards, unstrapping his helmet as he skates. 

“How was that, doc?” William asks, a large grin planted on his face as he nods a quick hello to his teammate. 

“Subpar.” You respond, William’s smile dropping slightly. “You seem to be favouring your left leg, I need to do a physical on you at some stage this afternoon if you manage to catch a free moment.” You continue, looking between the two players before letting out a relaxed grin. 

“I’m sure it’s nothing, Willy. But we can’t have you out there if you can’t play your best.” William nods slowly, trying to return your smile but you can see the worries running through his head quicker then he can keep up. 

He’s hiding something from you and you are determined to find out what it is. 

“Meet me in the treatment room after you shower, we'll go over my concerns then.” You say dismissing William back to the locker room before turning to Auston, glancing up at him with a sigh. 

“You need to go do your media, Auston” He opens his mouth to say something but you shake your head before you trudge down the tunnel after William. 

Working for the Toronto Maple Leafs had been nothing short of a dream for the three years you had been with the team - with one of the senior trainers leaving after last season you had been approached to step in as a full time trainer and senior member of staff - your role changing drastically and sometimes left you in the firing line when an unpopular decision had to be made. 

“He’s getting pulled isn’t he?” Auston’s voice sounds from the door of your office. William had left your office over an hour ago his eyes watering as you gave him the bad news. You had spent the hour in silence typing up the email recommendation to the coaching staff. 

“I can’t tell you anything, Auston.” You say quietly, “You know how this works.” Auston nods, taking a few steps into the room before closing the door behind him. 

“Is it bad?” 

“Auston, please.” You respond, rubbing your fingers against your forehead, a long sigh escaping you as you slowly nod your head. “It’s bad enough that he needs to focus on rehab right now.” You say, before adding “everyone’s gonna hate me for this.” This wasn’t your first time pulling one of the core four on the team - last time the boys had been more lenient as you were one of the junior staff members and the decision had your previous supervisor taking most of the heat - this time you were on your own. 

“I could never hate you.” He says softly, his chest squeezing as he watches the tiredness smooth over your expression. 

“Thanks.” You say with a bitter laugh, closing your laptop as you reach for your bag under the desk. 

“They’ll give the team an update tomorrow.” 

Auston stands with you, his hand reaching out to pull open the door waving for you to exit first. “I’m serious doc.” He says, “I’ve got your back.” 

Twenty four hours later you watch from the doorway as the coaches deliver the news to the team - the coaches waiting till after practice to announce that William would be pulled for the foreseeable future - Auston’s eyes flick to yours every now and then as the coaches refuse to divulge too deeply into the details. 

“What do you mean he’s getting pulled?” Mitch asks softly, yanking at the straps of his padding, pulling the equipment off slowly, “He seemed completely fine.” The volume is the locker room raises as the team all share their opinions of agreement.

The coach takes a moment to let the group voice their frustration before speaking.  “Our trainers are some of the best in the world.” Sheldon begins, “They have everyone's best interest at heart - she made the call to pull Willy as it was perceived that he was trying to conceal an injury and in the long run would be doing more damage. Willy agreed it was the best thing to do with hopes that with his full focus on recovery it will make him available for the playoffs.” Sheldon's words seem to quiet the group.

Auston hands pause on the laces of his skates as he glances over to you again, seeing your head fall, your hand pushing the loose hairs out of your face, as you whisper something under your breath before lifting your head again. “Anyway, let’s wish William all the best in his recovery and hope to see him back on the ice soon.” Sheldon finishes before dismissing the group, shouting out a quick morning practice time for tomorrow morning before exiting the locker room. 

The locker room is quiet after the coach leaves, Auston risking one more glance towards you, his heart jumping in his chest as he sees your eyes already locked on him with a sad smile on your face. Auston glances away quickly engaging in the ongoing conversation besides him to try and ignore you and your gaze on the side of his face.

He still notices when you turn slowly and decides to leave the room. 

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“Fuck.” Sheldon swears under his breath as the end of game horn rings - the crowd of red roaring in victory as the home team groups together on the ice, patting each other on the heads. The sea of blue fans beginning to exit the stands all sending glares of anger towards your team slowly skating their way to the bench - hoping to make a quick exit. 

The game had been an intense one - the team had been so close to pulling through but continued to miss their shots, the fire power significantly decreased since you pulled one of their top scorers. You keep your head down low as you follow the last player down the tunnel, everyone making their way into the locker room - “Doc, we need to talk for a moment.” Your steps freeze as you glance ahead to the maple leafs coach waiting to the side of the locker room - his arms folded against his chest. 

“Sure, thing.” You say, plastering a smile on your face as you step away from the group - one of the players pausing by the door of the locker room, his hand making quick work of his helmet as he glances between you and his coach. 

“You have something to say, Matthews?” Auston glances at his coach, his mouth opening slightly before closing again, his gaze trailing over to you, your head moving side to side in the smallest movement he barely catches it. 

“It’s okay.” He can see you mouth the words, your head motioning for him to enter the room behind him before turning back towards his coach. 

“Don’t be too hard on her.” He says quietly into the hallway not waiting for you or Sheldon to respond before trudging into the locker room. 

“We both know that your decision to pull Nylander is one that can’t be reversed until you sign off on his physical.” Sheldon begins - the leafs had implemented a new protocol on the return of players from the injury reserve, the doctor who made the decision to pull the player had to be the one to sign them off on returning to avoid players and coaches undermining the doctors decision. 

You nod your head slowly - your smile faltering as you catch on to what the coach is hinting at. “You want me to sign him off early?” Your question almost comes out of your mouth as a scoff - your eyebrows raised as your smile officially switches to a frown. “You want me to break protocol for this?” You reiterate, your own arms crossing against your chest as you stare down the coach. 

“No, of course not.” Sheldon’s words come out with a nervous laugh - his gaze flicking over the hallways as he takes a step forwards - his voice lowers as he speaks again. “We only have one more game before the playoffs - we need our team back at full potential.” 

You nod taking in his words, giving him a second to continue, “You understand, don’t you? You know what this would mean to the team - to be able to begin the playoffs as a force to be reckoned with… we can’t do that without our core four.” You shake your head as you take a step away from the desperate coach. 

“No can do, Sheldon.” Your words are firm as you glance to the players beginning to hover at the door of the locker room. “I’m not going to risk him injuring himself permanently for the sake of playing a game.” You know your words are making the coach angry - his rage simmering as a red tint rises up his neck. “I care about our players, and I’d hope you’d share the same sentiment, coach.” The words hiss out of you as you glare at the man, not wasting anymore time in making your way into the medical bay besides the locker room - closing the door tightly behind you. 

You miss the way the rest of the team let out whistles of shock as their coach lets out a huff of displeasure.

You miss the way Auston watches you walk away, a slight grin on his face before his coach dismisses him to finish pulling off his gear. 

+

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The team was two hours behind schedule - most of the staff already seated on the plane waiting for the players to join them so everyone could make the three hour flight back home. Slowly the players made their way onto the plane - each taking up their normal seats, most of the time the players would sit amongst each other while the staff would find their own seats towards the back of the plane - Sheldon considered it another of his many ways for the team to get closer together. 

“Auston, you gonna join us for some black jack?” Mitch’s voice carries through the airplane - his hands already shuffling a deck of cards, two of his team mates looking up at the newest arrival in anticipation. 

Auston hesitates looking between the empty seat next to you - and his best friend waiting for him to take the seat across from him. “I think I’m gonna miss out this time.” Auston says slowly walking further down the aisle - Mitch looking at his friend in disbelief. “I’m just super tired.” Auston adds as he shoves his bag in the overhead locker before dropping into the seat beside you - your eyes shooting over to him in confusion - your hand lifting to pull one of your AirPods out of your ear. 

“What are you doing?” You sneer under your breath - not missing the way some of his teammates glare over at you. “You need to move - staff and players don’t sit together, Auston.” Your hands shove at him lightly, but Auston makes himself comfortable in the seat beside you, a soft smile on his face as he ignores your pleading, clicking the seat belt at his hips and settling into the seat.

“This is ridiculous.” You huff, giving up on trying to move the large man, pressing play on the iPad screen in front of you, one AirPod still in your ear as the movie continues. “What’re you watching?” Auston asks as the flight attendants move down the plane checking everyone is buckled in and comfortable. 

You let out a long yawn as you shoot him a glare, “None of your business.” If your words were meant to stop Auston from interacting with you, they seemed to be doing quite the opposite. 

“You’re tired?” He questions as you let out another yawn, slapping a hand over your mouth to cover the movement, “You can rest your head on me.” He says softly, lowering his left shoulder, patting against the hard muscle with a grin, “I don’t mind.” He adds quickly, lowering his shoulder a little bit more. 

“Auston, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” 

“It’s probably not.” He agrees, his right hand reaching over to shuffle your iPad into the middle of your seats, before reaching over his body to gently pull your head down onto his shoulder, his left hand, grabbing for yours - your fingers lacing together as he sits your joined hands comfortably in your lap. 

“But that’s never really stopped me before.” 

Your breath gets caught in your chest as you think of all the ways people must be whispering about your position - not daring to lift your head off Auston’s shoulder to look around at the people around you - not daring to lift your head from the comfortable fabric of Auston’s fleece jumper. 

“Rest, doc.” He whispers softly, his hand squeezing yours, as he watches the movie on the screen, pulling the spare AirPod out of its case to shove in his ear. 

You’re not sure when you fall asleep but you wake to Auston’s hand squeezing yours, his head laying softly on top of yours, a jacket thrown over your torso, the movie credits playing on the screen of your iPad. 

“We’ve arrived.” The flight attendant says quietly, her gaze flicking over you and the man beside you with a knowing grin - leaving as you thank her, detaching your hand from Auston’s, the man letting out a soft groan, his hand reaching out to take yours again. 

“We’re here.” You whisper to him, slipping his jacket off of you to place back into his lap, gathering all your stuff before shoving it into your backpack - gently reaching to pull the remaining AirPod out of Auston’s ear, sliding it back into the case. “Auston?” You say softly as you shake his shoulder lightly. 

He sits up slowly, stretching his arms above his head as he glances over at you, your bag already slung over your shoulder as you wait for him to move so you can exit the plane. 

“Same time tomorrow?” He asks, undoing the belt in his lap, and stepping out into the aisle. You shake your head as you pass him, not able to stop the spreading grin on your face. 

+

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Your head falls forwards as the end of game horn sounds for the last time in the regular season - the leafs lost again - the final game of their season they lost and they lost by two. Even though they were still guaranteed a position in the playoffs it never felt good to start the first round on a loss. 

Not to mention the news hitting the team yesterday that they would be up against Boston in the first round - the two teams notorious for having very intense games. 

No one says anything as the team makes their way back to the locker room - everyone stripping off their gear with heavy heads, most wanting nothing more than to get on the plane and head back home, you included. You can’t ignore the way people glare at you as you enter the room, some players whispering to each other under their breath in frustration. 

Some of the team still makes friendly conversation or sends you tight smiles as you help them unwrap their tape - or roll out their tight muscles, but most say nothing. Your final patient never makes his way into your medical bay - the other doctors packing up as you wait for the tall brunette to pop his head into the room, but nothing, not even a glimpse of the large player. 

“We’re going to take this stuff out to the crew, are you alright to pack up the rest?” One of your colleagues asks as he passes by you -  a few cases in his hands. 

“Yeah, I’ll be good to go in just a moment.” You say softly, letting out a quiet sigh as you turn to pack up your equipment, turning as you head a soft knock on the door. 

“Do you still have time to help me get this tape off?” His voice is quieter than usual - the player you were waiting for standing by the open door - his skin red from where he had tried to rip the strapping tape off on his own. You nod quickly, taking in his sad eyes - the skin around them redder than usual. 

“I tried to get it off myself, but you’re clearly too good at your job.” Auston says a bitter chuckle coming out as he takes a seat on the table in front of you - your hands digging through your bags for the adhesive removal spray. 

“Why didn’t you come ask for help sooner?” You ask quietly, as you behind to spray the remover on the remaining tape wincing at the rash spreading across his skin where the tape was already removed. “You could’ve gotten someone else to remove it.” You add quickly the thought that maybe he was trying to avoid you running through your head quickly. 

“Why would I do that?” His question confuses you, your eyebrows furrowing but you continue pulling off the tape. “You think I’m avoiding you?” 

“Aren’t you?” You ask bitterly, remembering the looks of the others on the team, the ones that clearly blame you for the loss. “Everyone else hates me right now, so it’s not like I blame you.” Auston just watches as you pull your bottom lip between your teeth, your chin wobbling as you try to suck in the overwhelming disappointment that’s been growing in yourself. He watches as you focus all your attention on pulling off the tape, keeping your attention on his sore skin as you rub soothing cream over the rash that he gave to himself. 

“I could never hate you.” He says softly as you twist the lid back onto the cream, standing from his spot on your bench, his hands raising to your face, lifting your head to tilt up towards him. “I told you when you first made the decision - I could never hate you, no matter what anyone else thinks - not even what you think, do you understand?” Your chin trembles as his thumb strokes against your cheeks softly, your head nodding in confirmation, his hands staying just under your jaw as he lets out a soft sigh.

“Then why are you sad? Why didn’t you come to me to help?” Your question stalls Auston’s ministrations on your skin, his thumbs stopping in their motions as he stares down at you, his jaw clenching as he tries to find his words. 

“I’m just disappointed.” 

“Disappointed?” 

“In myself.” He confirms before adding, “In the team, we let one person's absence throw us off the ball - we do this every god damn year.” His forehead drops to yours, his hands slipping away from your face, sliding over your shoulder before grazing down your arms, his fingers reaching out to lace with yours. “I thought we were going to do better this year… I thought I would do better.” 

The sound of footsteps in the locker room makes the two of you jump, your hands slipping out of his as you quickly throw the rest of your equipment into their cases, turning back to Auston with a soft smile. “You should finish getting change for the flight.” Auston nods, frowning as he glances out into the locker room seeing the other doctors hovering by the door. 

“You’ll wait for me?” He asks quickly, your head nodding before you can even register what he asked, his body slipping through the door before you can take back your agreement. 

But you do as requested, handing off your cases to the other doctors promising them you’d meet them on the plane, making excuses about Auston wanting to talk about a treatment plan for his shoulder - they both nod understandingly moving quickly to get the last of the equipment to the trucks to take to the airport. 

Auston’s surprised to see you still standing outside the locker room when he exits - his bag thrown over his shoulder, a large white hoodie thrown over your uniform as you turn towards him. The two of you walk to the bus in silence, neither knowing why you had stayed. 

Neither of you know why you still stayed as you sit next to each other on the bus. 

As you fall into your seats besides each other on the plane. 

Auston’s surprised again as you take hold of his hand once the flight takes off - your gaze focused on the window as the plane levels out - your headphones over your ears as you pretend your thumb isn’t rubbing gentle circles on the back of his hand. 

“What is going on with you two?” Auston’s head shoots up from the video playing on his phone, Mitch leaning over the back of the chair in front of him, his eyes lingering on the joined hands sitting in your lap. If you head Mitch you pretend not to, your chin in your hand as you keep watching the black sky pass by. 

“None of your business.” Auston replies, praying to whoever will listen that you don’t pay attention to Mitch’s interrogations, praying that you don’t take your hand out of his. “Mitch drop it.” Auston sneers as his friend's gaze drops to your joined hands again, Auston squeezing yours as he feels your fingers loosen on his. “Please.” Auston adds, Mitch’s eyebrows raising in surprise as he throws his hands up in surrender. 

The rest of the flight passes in silence, most of his teammates busy with their own unwinding processes, a lot of the staff sleeping for as much of the flight as possible. 

Neither of you two sleep. 

Neither of you acknowledge the other until the plane stops on the runway - the players and staff quickly making their way off the plane, stretching their limbs as they go. 

“Do you have a ride home?” Auston asks, his chest tightening as you finally pull your hands out of his, the warmth of your skin lingering in his palm. You shake your head softly, pulling out your phone and flashing the Uber app on your screen. “Come home with me.” Auston says wincing as the words hit him as soon as he says them. 

“Not like that - I mean I wouldn’t be against it but… I just…” 

“What do you mean then, Auston?” You interrupt, your face soft as you wait for him to respond, giving him the time to collect himself. 

“I don’t want to be alone.” He admits quietly, “I’d really like to spend some more time with you.” You don’t say anything, glancing down at the open app on your phone before glancing back up at him - handing your unlocked phone over, the arrival address waiting. 

“No way in hell you’re paying for the ride.” He hisses, pushing your phone back towards you as he pulls his own phone out of his pocket, reaching overhead to pull his backpack out of the locker, his hand reaching out for yours as he drags your off the plane behind him - the two of you bypassing the rest of the staff, Auston sneaking to grab your two suitcases before rushing you off the runway and into the airport an Uber waiting out the front. 

Auston sits comfortably in the silence, his hand warm between the two of you - his heart beating so fast he’s glad you know how to do CPR cause he might need it if you do anything else. 

Auston thanks the driver as he pulls up outside his building - pulling the bags from the trunk - your small duffle stacked on top of his suitcase - the bags dragged behind him as he also drags you behind him and into the empty lobby. 

“This place is really fancy.” You say as he scans his house fob - the elevator automatically selecting the floor for his condo. Auston doesn’t say anything, pretty sure he’d throw up if he attempted to get words out. 

“Are you okay?” You question as the elevator dings - the doors opening to the front door of his condo - the only condo on this floor. 

“Mhm.” He answers, swallowing his nerves as he shoves his key into the lock, opening the door as quickly as possible pulling you quickly into his empty apartment. 

“No Felix?” You question as you glance around, an empty crate sitting in the living room with no sign of the dog. 

“He’s at Mitch’s - Felix loves visiting Zeus when we go on roadies.” Auston finally speaks, his hand dropping yours for just a moment to set up your bags by the front door, pulling his large puffer off his shoulders and throwing it over a coat rack by the front door.   

“Make yourself at home.” Auston says as he strides into the kitchen grabbing two bottles of water from the fridge, his gaze shooting over to your body relaxing into the cushions of his oversized couch. 

“Where the hell did you get this thing?” You question as he hands you your bottle of water, slumping into the seat beside you, a grin on his face as he watches you settle in further. 

“I don’t know, my sister bought it.” He says quickly, your eyes squeezed shut as he reaches for a blanket draped over the back of the couch, throwing it over your lap. 

“Well I need the link.” You comment on bliss twisting the lid off the water as you take a sip. 

“It was almost ten thousand.” Auston’s hand moves to pat your back as the water gets stuck in your throat - coughs racking your body as you pat your chest. 

“Never-mind then.” 

“You can use mine whenever you want.” Auston says and you scoff, falling back against the couch as you drop the evil water besides you on the couch. “I’m not kidding.” He adds. 

Auston doesn’t know what makes him change his position. 

He’s not sure why he lies down on the couch, his head gently landing in your lap. 

He’s not sure what to do when he feels your fingers thread in his hair, running softly through his messy locks - the water from his shower still making the ends of his hair wet and tangled. 

Auston’s not sure when you both fall asleep - his phone making him squint as he checks the time - the four am flashing as he throws the device to the other side of the couch. 

He drags himself off the couch slowly, careful not to wake you as he slides his arms under your body, lifting you gently with a soft grunt as he scuttles down the hallway - his room only lit by the lights of the other high building through his window, his body freezing as you let out a soft whine as he drops you onto his mattress dragging his duvet down the bed to throw over your body. 

He doesn’t know what makes him round the bed, sliding onto the mattress behind you, pulling the blanket over his body as well, his mind running so fast as you turn on the mattress, your hands reaching out to tangle in the fabric of his shirt, your body shuffling in the cold sheets to move closer to him. 

“Don’t make things awkward, Auston.” You huff, as one of your hands releases his shirt, grabbing his frozen arm to drape over your waist, a happy hum leaving you as he pulls you tighter against him, his chin resting against the top of your head. “We’re going to have to talk about this in the morning.” You say. 

“I know.” He responds. 

Neither of you know when you fall back asleep.

But neither of you complain as you wake up bundled together in the large king bed. 

[honeyedmiller]

Hiraeth | Joel Miller

pairing: dbf!joel x f!reader

rating: 18+, minors do not interact

warnings: no outbreak, usage of marijuana, smoking, both reader and Joel get high, age gap (twenty-ish years), very much legal + consensual relations, smut (f oral receiving, fingering), pet names, no use of y/n.

word count: 1k

synopsis: the most invigorating and intoxicating drug you’ve had in your life is completely forbidden… and then there’s weed.

divider by @saradika-graphics

hiraeth (noun): the feeling of being homesick for a home one is not able to return to; homesickness pertaining to a home that never was.

You took another hit, the joint slotted between your fingers crackling in urgency. You hummed as your lungs burned so good, desperate for the warm summer night air that engulfed your body. You closed your eyes as you let the high roll through your body, sighing in content. 

Your legs were tossed over Joel’s lap—the same Joel you shouldn’t be anywhere near because he was supposed to be off limits. Your shorts were unbuttoned and your bright colored swimsuit bottoms peeked through, teasing Joel with a reminder of what you looked like in his pool just hours prior. 

Joel threw neighborhood barbecues all the time, and with your dad being his best friend, you were always invited. 

You knew it was wrong to be fucking your dad’s best friend, someone twenty—give or take—years your senior. 

But how could something so wrong feel so right? 

Joel tapped your leg and you peeked an eye open. He was looking down at you with bemusement written over his features, holding two fingers out for you to pass the nearly finished joint to him. You happily obliged, handing it off to him before settling back down into the depths of the comfy outdoor couch on Joel’s backyard patio. 

Joel’s thumb was rubbing over your shin slowly, gently tracing circles into the freshly shaved flesh. Your eyes opened again and Joel was staring at you this time, eyes hooded and dark with desire. 

“We’re lucky your father doesn’t hover.” Joel murmurs into the night, sighing as his free hand trails higher up your legs. 

“I know. Then we wouldn’t be able to do all the things we’d want if he did hover.” You huff a laugh, and Joel quirks a brow at you before offering the last of the joint. You shook your head slightly, and he took one last hit before he stubbed out the dud. 

“Things, hm?” He asks, hand dipping into the waistline of your shorts. His fingers skate over your covered cunt, and goosebumps easily rise onto your skin. 

Your brain is foggy and you feel like you’re floating, and Joel’s touch feels like heaven. 

“Will you let me eat your pretty pussy, baby?” Joel’s voice is husky, a lazy smirk pulled onto his velvet lips. 

“Please.” 

Your senses are elevated, so every single touch he gives you is one that has you reeling. 

“Such a good girl, usin’ her manners n’ all.” 

You bite your lip and look at him, eyes no doubt half-lidded. If you weren’t high, it probably would’ve been a sultry look. 

Joel’s quick to take off your shorts, prompting you to sit upright so he can kneel down in front of you. His kisses up your thighs are all lips and tongue, making you breathe harder as he gets closer to your aching core. He kisses you once over the fabric of your bikini bottoms, and you softly whine his name. 

“Patience, sweetheart. I’ll take good care of ya.” 

Joel slips the material off of your legs, only to be met with your glistening core. 

He’s looking at you like a man starved, irises black and laced with determination and desire. 

He brings a hand up and runs two fingers through your slick folds, groaning at how easy the glide is. He brings his fingers up to his mouth, sucking on them both to taste you. 

“So fuckin’ sweet. Like nectar from a peach, baby.” He moans, not wanting to waste any more time. He moves forward and, with a flat tongue, licks a long stripe from your aching hole to your puffy clit. 

You gasp and your fingers are tangling in his curls, eyebrows threading together at how intensified it feels. 

And he doesn’t relent. He’s working at you with his tongue, slow and lascivious. Every fiber of your being tingles with a euphoric pleasure as he laps up your seemingly never ending arousal. 

“Holy fuck,” You cry, gripping his hair tighter. He moans into you with a chuckle before he brings his tongue down to fuck into you at an increased pace. Your back arches off of the couch as you roll your hips, legs starting to shake. 

“Close already, baby?” Joel tsks, and you groan in response. 

Joel knew you and your body like the back of his hand, so he could easily make you come undone within minutes. 

Sometimes it wasn’t fair, because if it were up to you, you’d have him down there forever. You don’t think he’d really mind it either. 

Joel moves his tongue out of you and up up up toward your aching clit, licking tight circles around it before sucking the sensitive nerves into his mouth. He inserts the two fingers that were previously teasing you minutes prior into your needy cunt, expertly pumping at a synchronized pace with his mouth. 

“Jesus fuck Joel, ‘m gonna come.” Your voice is whiny and desperate and so fucking breathy that you barely even recognize it. It was only him that could make you feel like this. Nobody else, just Joel. 

Joel Joel Joel. 

You felt the crescendo of your orgasm building quickly, and Joel pulled his mouth away for a split second as his fingers curled themselves in your tight heat to hit that spot that make you see the whole galaxy behind your eyes. 

“Can feel it, sweet girl. C’mon baby. Give it t’me. Wanna drink you up.” 

And you were a fucking goner. Your eyes rolled back as that tight coil snapped, rushing through your body so intensely it nearly made you dizzy. You gushed onto his fingers and in his mouth, and he drank up every last thing you offered him. 

You were desperate to catch your breath, body unsubstantial as you melted into the couch. You winced as Joel slowly pulled out his fingers, groaning at the loss of fullness. 

You open your tired eyes to look at him, and he gives you a soft smile before kissing you. You taste yourself on him, but he also tastes like mint and whiskey and Joel. 

He made you feel so invigorated. You couldn’t get enough of him. He felt safe. He felt like home.

Maybe in another life—one where he wasn’t your dad’s best friend and where he wasn’t twenty something years older than you—

You could be selfish for once and have it all. 

tags: @party-hearses ; @ilovepedro ; @punkshort ; @tinygarbage ; @amanitacowboy ; @nostalxgic ; @pascalpvnk ; @cool-iguana

[sywtwfs]

2024 ISU Congress: Accepted Proposals

Our website has been updated with the decisions made at the ISU Congress. For reference, the full ISU Congress Agenda with all proposals is located here.

Notable accepted proposals include:

Starting in 2024-25:

Proposal 45 - Change maximum age limits for junior pair skaters to less than 21 for women, and less than 23 for men. Change maximum age limits for junior ice dancers to less than 21 for both partners. (Current age limits in both disciplines are less than 19 for women, and less than 21 for men.) A maximum age gap of 7 years would be allowed between partners in both disciplines.

Proposal 188 - Remove the qualifying round from future World Championships. (The qualifying round had been approved at the previous ISU Congress, and would have started at the 2025 World Championships.)

Proposal 230 - Remove the order draw for free skates at ISU competitions. The starting order of the free skates will be in reverse order of the rankings after the short program.

Proposal 236 - Somersault-type jumps such as backflips would no longer be illegal moves.

Starting in 2026-27, numerous technical rule changes, including:

Proposal 234 - The Euler will no longer be a listed jump, and will have no base value.

Proposal 235 - A jump sequence can have up to 3 jumps in singles skating, but only 2 jumps in pairs skating. An Euler is allowed in the jump sequence.

Proposal 239 - Reduce the number of jumping passes in the singles free skate from 7 to 6. Replace one leveled spin in the singles free skate with a choreographic spin.

Proposal 240 - Reduce the number of jump combinations/sequences in the singles free skate from 3 to 2.

Proposal 241 - The same type of jump cannot be included more than 3 times in the singles free skate, regardless of number of revolutions.

Proposal 245 - In the pairs free skate - Replace one leveled lift with a choreographic lift (seniors only). Replace the leveled pair spin with a choreographic pair spin. Remove the choreographic sequence.

[0cta9on]

Hey dude, here is your daily dose of cute thoughts

1. Always love when ahjumma asks "Is this your girlfriend?". Same concept like the "Are you two a couple?" Theme video.

2. Such a cute gesture seeing how you save your girlfriend in your contact list. Or maybe seeing your phone wallpaper. Maybe "Cutie pie💕" "My2ndhalf❤️). Or a picture of her, she never seen, that you took secretly.

3. Having Ice skating date at a nearby mall is always cute, learning while spending time together.

4. Going for school reunion, everyone there doesn't expect the most unexpected couple.

Have 'Marcus'😅

Hello mikeylo! I've actually been in a little bit of a mental rut, especially with how busy I've become, so these are always nice to get bits of inspiration for UD :] As such, I'll be using this ask to talk about Yuno and Minji :>

During the spring, when the weather is nice, Yuno and Minji like going on walks at specific park they both like. One day, the pair are resting on a bench underneath the shade, sharing an ice cream cone (Yuno didn't want any, but Minji insisted that they share one and he can never say no to her) when an old lady passes by, a polaroid camera hanging by a lanyard on her neck. She smiles at them, asking them if they're a couple, which they reply with a resounding 'yes'. She then offers to take a photo of them for free, telling them how nice the light looks on them. Minji enthusiastically agrees, and despite Yuno's awkwardness in front of a camera, the picture turned out alright. The old lady gave both of them a polaroid of the picture before walking off. Minji keeps her copy in her phone case while Yuno keeps his in his wallet.

Since this is his first relationship, Yuno doesn't really know what to think about pet names. He feels pretty neutral about them, but he likes Minji's name the most, so he'll have her contact as "Minji<33333". Simple and to the point :> His phone lockscreen (after he figures out how to change it) will be a picture of Minji sleeping on his shoulder. If she's busy with something, he'll stare at his lock screen for hours, waiting for her notification to pop up :>

Yuno was hesitant about the ice skating at first, but he can't say no to Minji's face :> The rest of their friends tag along, all having some experience ice skating, leaving Yuno to be the obvious outlier. Minji tries her best to help him by holding his hand and supporting him every time he falls, but in the end, he uses one of those balance aids that children often use :> He feels a little embarrassed, but Minji assures him that he looks cute and that's enough for him :>

I have a future scene in mind, so technically this isn't canon, but it's fun to write anyways :> As Yuno and Minji walk hand-in-hand through the venue, they receive the same stares that Yuno had been accustomed to during high school. Aside from Hanni, everyone found it hard to believe that the notorious delinquent and the class president were not only dating, but had been dating ever since they first met during senior year. When Minji was asked to do a speech, she made it abundantly clear to everyone how much they misunderstood about Yuno, much to his embarrassment. A couple people came up to him to apologize, which lead to the two of them leaving early after Yuno's social battery runs out :>

[lil-shiro]

A (hopefully) half decent guide to get into watching figure skating

With the Junior Grand Prix circuit starting this week, I wrote up a little guide for my online pals and anyone else interested in getting into the sport. I'm going to be focusing on Elite Level Skating.

Disclaimer in case I put this into the main tags: I may make a metaphors or two to F1 for comparison since I primary post F1 related things but I do have a #figure skating tag

Honestly if you want a really good write up/guide I highly recommend the website So You Want to Watch Figure Skating and they even have a Tumblr where they post updates.

If you want to read my more condensed, lower quality version, then stick around.

General Info

The International Skating Union (ISU) is the governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines (not just figure skating but speed skating as well). They're like the FIA in this case and decide/vote on regulations and changes.

Each country has their own individual national associations that administers the sport at the national level.

For example, USFS (U.S. Figure Skating), Skate Canada, etc. These associations do things like assign their skaters to competitions, decide funding, hold national level competitions etc.

Figure skating has 4* disciplines - Men's single - Women's single - Pairs - Ice Dance

*(There's also synchronized skating but I don't really keep up with it)

The two categories I'll be focusing on are: Junior and Senior. You can read about the specific age requirements here

Scoring

A final competition score is comprised of the total score of two programs (segments) added together.

A Short program (SP) score + a Free program (FP) score*

The main difference is that the SP is shorter and the FP is longer. But you can read into the different technical element requirements that I linked since they vary from disciple.

*In ice dance the SP and FP are called Rhythm dance (RD) and Free dance (FD)

To break it down even further, each total segment score is calculated based on the following:

Technical Element Score (TES) + Program Component Score (PCS) = Total segment score (TSS)

TES:

Each technical element preformed has a base value of points (following the code of points) depending on difficulty (it's comparable to gymnastics code of points scoring)

The judges then assign GOE (grade of execution) that increases or decreases the base value depending on how well it was executed

For more detailed info and to read about what makes up the PCS, the USFS has an overview here and guide here.

Competitions

I'm only going to focus on major and easily accessible competitions for this guide. The goal of competitions is to place high and get world standing points.

National Championships Typically held mid-season ish (Dec-Jan). Pretty straight forward, each country hosts their own national champion competition (most people just call them Nationals) for each discipline and age category. Depending on the country, these results may have a little or big impact on which skaters they pick to go to international championships for the rest of the season.

Grand Prix Grand Prix are a series of qualifying events (each held in a different country) that lead to the Grand Prix final. Skaters earn qualifying points at each Grand Prix event and the six highest-ranking qualifiers meet at the ISU Grand Prix Final.

A skater/pair can only participate in a maximum of 2 events. And each individual Grand Prix event can only have up to 3 skaters from the same country in each discipline.

Senior Grand Prix: 6 qualifying events

- for break down of how to qualify for the final refer to this page - skaters are eligible to be assigned to events based on results at the previous World Championships, season’s best scores from the previous and current season, and overall world standing

Junior Grand Prix: 7 qualifying events

- the same requirements apply for qualifying for the finals - eligibility wise, juniors have no minimum score required, as long as they're old enough their country can enter them - there is also no cap on the total # of participants unlike in seniors - # of spots for each nation are designated by previous world junior championship results

Europeans (European Figure Skating Championships) As the name states, Europeans is an ISU Championship in which only European skaters ("members of a European ISU Member") compete for the title. It is regarded as quite prestigious since it's the sport's oldest competition (first held in 1891).

# of competitors per country at Euros is determined based on results from the previous year

Four Continents Championships (4CC) 4CC is like Europeans but with all the other continents [Americas (North America and South America), Africa, Asia and Oceania]. Skaters must belong to a non-European member nation of the ISU.

Each nation can have up to 3 skaters from the same country in each discipline

Each skater must have obtained the minimum TES score requirement in the current or previous season

*Europeans/4CC are senior level only events

Junior/Senior World Championships Aka: the most important competition of the season! (Other than when the olympics happen)

Just like Europeans, # of spots each nation is allocated depends on results from the previous year. This is how they're determined (wording from this reddit post):

A country can have between one and three skaters/teams per discipline.

Each country automatically gets one spot in each discipline.

To get a second spot next year, that skater/team has to place in the top ten. 

To get a third spot, that skater/team has to place in the top two. 

For countries who already have multiple placements, both skaters or the top 2/3 entries: 

must add up to ≤13 with their placements to secure/maintain a third spot (ie. 8th and 5th, 3rd and 9th, etc.)

or ≤28 to secure/maintain a second spot. (ie. 10th and 8th, 5th and 20th, etc.)

How to Watch

All the competitions I mentioned are live-streamed on the ISU YouTube channel. They also stay up so you can watch replays if a competition is held at an inconvenient time!

The Junior Grand Prix events were streamed on the ISU Junior YouTube channel but this year they will also be streamed on the main channel. You can still watching replays all the way from 2011 on it tho!

Occasionally you may find yourself Geo-blocked from a stream. I find this only happens when a competition is being hosted in your country because they want you to use the local streaming/TV service. For example, I'm based in Canada so I'm blocked from the Skate Canada GP event on YouTube because they're streaming it on CBC. I was also blocked from the World's 2024 Youtube stream because it was hosted in Canada. This includes full replays as well. But this is really easy to bypass with a VPN.

Refer to this page for more info

Resources

Here are a few resources to keep up with schedules, timing, standings etc.

Skating Scores: Overview of events, scores, and world standings

@/fskatecomptimes: Time-zone adjusted schedules for ISU-recognized figure skating events

So You Want to Watch Figure Skating: Recommending them again because they're awesome

Jackie Wong: Figure skating analyst, provides updates/live tweets from events

Notes :)

I hope this helps and is somewhat understandable. If you have any questions feel free to send me an ask or DM!

My advice is to just start watching and things will come naturally. I never thought I would be able to identify any jumps aside from an axel...but here I am watching competitions, finding myself calling under rotations on a 3T...

This season is the pre-olympic season and there's lots of skaters returning from injury/break so it should be exciting!

My figure skating tag

My favourite discipline is women's but I try to watch everything

I'm desperate for a Canadian skating revival (2018 you were everything)

Favourite ice dance team: Evgenia Lopareva / Geoffrey Brissaud

Current fave skaters (senior): Chaeyeon Kim, literally all of team Japan, Adam Siao Him Fa, Andreas Nordebäck, Alysa Liu + many more

*I would like to mention that just like any other sport there are a lot of issues within figure skating. It's an environment with a lot of young people whom are susceptible to mistreatment/harassment/abuse, so I just wanted to bring that to light since new viewers will probably discover shocking things that have happened/are happening. And overall raise awareness about being mindful viewers like not commenting on a skater's body for example and just advocating for the increased safety of the sport

There is also most definitely politicking involved when it comes judging, but we as viewers will never know how rampant and the details surrounding it. Some posts explaining it more here and here.

[sixaus-meaa]

SIX THE MUSICAL - SPORTS!AU: illustration

character sheet (queens)

Lina

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.

Libero #24

Libero is a player who serves as a defensive specialist and is not allowed to serve or rotate to the front line. The Libero wears a different color jersey from the rest of the team and is thus easily recognizable. The Libero is barred from completing an “attack hit”—which refers to hitting the ball strategically into the opponent’s court—if the ball is above the net at the time of contact. Given that the Libero's specialty is defense, that player is typically the team’s best passer and is especially skilled at receiving serves.

Anne

Tennis

Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent's court. The object of the game is to maneuver the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. The player who is unable to return the ball validly will not gain a point, while the opposite player will.

Jane

Soccer

Soccer is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players each, who primarily use their feet to propel a ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is to score more goals than the opposing team by moving the ball beyond the goal line into a rectangular-framed goal defended by the opposing team. It is the world's most popular sport.

Goalkeeper #01

Goalkeeper is the most specialised position in soccer. The Goalkeeper's main role is to stop the opposing team from scoring (putting the ball over the goal-line of the goal). This is accomplished by having the Goalkeeper move into the trajectory of the ball to either catch it or direct it further from the vicinity of the goal line. The Goalkeeper is indicated by wearing a different coloured kit from their teammates and opposition.

Anna

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketbal through the defender's hoop, while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own hoop.

Center #04

Center player typically plays near the baseline or close to the basket. They are usually the tallest players on the floor. Centers usually score "down low", or "in the paint" (near the basket, in the key), but there have been many Centers who are good perimeter shooters as well. They are typically skilled at pulling down rebounds, contesting shots, and setting screens on players. The goal of Centers is to create possessions, and, therefore, opportunities to score, by rebounding and trying to stop the other team from scoring in the paint. Because of a center's central role in defense, "shots blocked" is an exciting stat that they, and sometimes other positions, bring to the game.

Kat

Track and Field

Track and Field  is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events.

Cathy

Figure Skating

Figure Skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. From intermediate through senior-level competition, skaters generally perform two programs (the short program and the free skate), which, depending on the discipline, may include spins, jumps, moves in the field, lifts, throw jumps, death spirals, and other elements or moves.

[ohforficsake]

Twenty Questions and Then Some - A YBMPF Miniseries

How Old Were You?

Series Summary: Joel asks a lot of questions. Shorter drabbles that don't quite fit into the main YBMPF storyline.

Pairing: Joel Miller/Herbalist!OFC Lennie. Age-appropriate age gap.

Rating: Explicit 18+ / Minors DNI

Warnings: Discussion of deceased family members.

Word Count: 780-ish

A/N: These are little drabbles that come up in the course of writing YBMPF that don't quite fit into a main chapter but do offer some insight and background on Joel and Lennie's relationship. In this one you finally find out how old Len is and learn a little bit more about Andy. This one takes place very early on. I do hope you enjoy.

Divider by @cafekitsune!

“How old were you?” Joel whispers into her hair one night, warm palm skating down her bare spine to pull against the small of her back. “When it all happened?”

Lennie snuggles down into his sheets. “You asking how old I was, or how old I am?”

“Such a fuckin lawyer,” Joel taunts.

“You should never ask a woman her age, Joel,” she teases as he props his head up in one hand.

“I didn’t, I asked about past age," he taps his index finger against her hip to punctuate each point, "at a point in time—that’s fixed.”

“Ahhh who’s the fuckin lawyer now,” she leans back to get a better look at the smile playing on his lips.

“You don’t have to—” he says in earnest.

“Twenty-seven. I was twenty-seven when the world went down. Turned twenty-eight later that year.” She presses into him, nuzzling against his neck. “And you?”

“My thirty-sixth. To the day.”

She hums, half in acknowledgment, half in gratitude. 

So little of what he shares is ever done with words.

And to her surprise, they flow.

“Ellie’s not my daughter.”

He feels her tense against him before he continues.

“She’s not—I didn’t—it’s not bad.” He realizes how it sounds the moment the words are free. “We didn't just, trek across the country. She needed to get here and I was goin' here.”

"Why?" Lennie whispers.

"We—thought she had family out here. Turns out she had no one."

And it's a tinsel strand of truth bundled up in a thick coil of lies.

"She needed protecting." Joel strokes his knuckles over Lennie's thigh. "And it turns out we—ended up meaning something to each other."

Lennie’s still tense.

“She’s not blood. But she became as much my daughter as Sarah was.”

Joel feels her lean back to look at him, and his profile catches the lamplight when he angles his eyes down at her.

“Sarah was blood. My blood. I was twenty-two, stupid as all get, just starting senior year of college and my girl tells me she’s late.” He’s staring over her shoulder now, straight into that moment. “One week turns to two, four, and she wants to keep it, so I did the right thing. What I thought was the right thing," he tosses dismissively.

"Quit school, got a job, got a ring, down on one knee, church, priest, the whole thing. I did it all right.”

“And three days after Sarah was born, she left us. Never gave her a chance. Never wanted what I offered.”

Lennie’s palm flattens against his bare heart.

“Fourteen years I raised her. Loved her. We didn’t have much but she always had everything she ever wanted. She was everything. My everything.”

She can already see the end of it and she’s breaking right along with him.

“It was the same night.”

“The night the world went down.” And he uses her words but he means his.

“Some days all I can see when I close my eyes is her lying there in my arms and I can’t wash the sight of it away.”

“And some days I worry that I’m forgetting her face.”

"Joel," Lennie reaches to cradle his cheek, "a father never forgets his daughter’s face.”

“I sure hope that’s true,” he whispers against her hairline, pulling her tight to his chest again.

After a moment, “I worry that I’m forgetting Andy's laugh." falls from her lips. A whispered confession against a new lover's skin.

Joel looks down at her, brown eyes swimming.

“Tell me,” he breathes. “Tell me so it’s never forgotten.”

“His laugh was beautiful. And it was—huge,” and her face lights up with it. “This bold, clear thing that never sounded like it came from him. Not by the way he looked.”

“He was tall, so damn tall, Joel. Had this long mop of curly brown hair. Broad but sharp. Bony fucking shoulders.” He feels her smile against his neck like it was something she would tease her husband about. “Andy didn't need to be anything else. It wasn’t his place."

She sniffles softly against Joel's pulse.

"He was a poet at the heart of him. Saw magic in everything. Could’ve written you a sonnet about a single blade of grass that would forever change the color green for you." 

“Andy's place was to remind you to find beauty. Even in all of this.”

“And he loved me.”

“He did well in finding a beautiful thing,” Joel kisses the crown of her head.

“I worry I’ve stopped seeing it without him. Forgotten what it means.”

And Joel slants his lips over hers, cheeks damp with tears as Lennie winds fingers in his hair.

Gripping life and breath and remembrance in her hands.

masterlist

taglist: @iamskyereads @harriedandharassed @jessthebaker @anoverwhelmingdin

Please note that old chapters are hosted on the OFFS Library page. New chapters will be posted to @ohforficsake - follow me here for future updates.

Shoot me a message @ohforficsake or comment under this post if you would like to be added to the taglist for updates! Thanks so much for reading.

[kazu-naito]

here are my list of complaints about oti, figure skating wise:

1) triple axel

a) pairs don't do triple axels

b) if they did they surely wouldn't be stuck in sectionals much less terminating their partnership

2) tate changing partners like underwear

a) most skaters don't have that many partners even in their decades long careers

b) you spend at least a season with someone before dumping them and even then you should wait more

c) anyone who can't keep a partner like that is a problem

3) jumps and lifts

a) both are mandatory in both short and free program

b) girlie tell me how you wanna be a pair skater and have trauma from both, switch to ice dance then

4) training for the olympics

a) i can guarantee you someone training for the olympics is also not stuck in sectionals

b) they would also be part of the national team

5) lack of real competition

a) well if you are training for the olympics then where are the actual competitions. the grand prix circuit? four continents? even the challengers series? they just don't exist

6) ages don't match

a) she's a PAIR skater her ass was not at worlds at 16

b) JUNIOR worlds maybe but that's not what was said

psa: senior age eligibility at the time the book was released was 15, but this was only common in single disciplines (more the women's discipline) and it still depends on the skater and the federation. pairs and ice dancers usually wait longer

7) changing partners a week before a competition

a) you can't do that. simple.

8) running home after a low score

a) first of all fuck off? are you an athlete or a child?

b) figure skating competitions are made of 2 programs in 2 different days and the final score is both of them combined. therefore even if you fuck one up you can still make up for mistakes later. by running away after the FIRST program she caused them to withdraw from the competition as a whole for NOTHING

i'll update as i go with this replay 🎀

[virtchandmoir]

Considered one of the greatest skating pairs of all time, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir spent nearly a decade at the top of their sport to become the most decorated ice dancers in the world. Over more than two decades of extraordinary athletic partnership, Tessa and Scott became the first and only ice dance team to win every major international junior and senior skating competition. At the height of their success between 2008 and 2019 they took home a record-setting five Olympic medals, three World Championships, eight Canadian National Championships and won the Four Continents Championship three times. The pair first skated into the hearts of Canadians at the Olympic Winter Games in 2010, thrilling crowds in Vancouver as they became the youngest athletes and first North Americans to win Olympic Gold in ice dancing. Nearly a decade later Tessa and Scott secured their iconic status with a beguiling Gold medal performance that smashed the world record for overall score in free dance at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang.

Growing up in London, Ontario, Tessa took to the ice at the age of six after deciding she didn’t want to be the only student in her class who couldn’t skate during a school field trip. Raised in a figure skating family in nearby Ilderton, Ontario, Scott had been skating since he was three years old, coached by his mother Alma and his aunt Carol. First collaborating in 1997 when Tessa was seven years old and Scott was nine, the pair were initially so shy they could barely talk to each other. Building confidence while developing undeniable on-ice chemistry, Tessa and Scott shared a commitment to excellence that continually helped them overcome adversity. The two made enormous sacrifices to hone their craft, embracing success and failure as equal opportunities for growth and turning vulnerability into compelling artistry. Training rigorously to perfect innovative choreography, they pushed boundaries by approaching ice dancing as both creative expression and high performance sport, skating with an emotional sincerity that captivated audiences around the world.

After raising the profile of ice dancing to breathtaking new heights, Tessa and Scott retired from competitive skating in 2019. Since then, Scott has served as head coach and managing director of the Ice Academy of Montreal’s satellite program in London, Ontario. He has also been a vocal advocate for diversity and inclusivity in skating. Tessa completed both an MBA from the Smith School of Business, and a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Tessa is an executive advisor at Deloitte, where she helps to unlock the potential of the Canadian workforce in the realm of high performance and wellbeing. She also serves on the board for Her Mark, a charity that empowers young girls through the power of sport, and Motionball, an organization that fundraises for Special Olympics athletes.  

Considérés comme l’un des plus grands couples de patinage artistique de tous les temps, Tessa Virtue et Scott Moir ont passé près d’une décennie au sommet de leur sport pour devenir les danseurs sur glace les plus primés du monde. Au cours de leur partenariat sportif extraordinaire qui a duré plus de deux décennies, Tessa et Scott sont devenus la première et la seule équipe de danse sur glace à remporter toutes les compétitions majeures internationales de patinage artistique junior et senior. À l’apogée de leur succès, soit entre 2008 et 2019, ils remportent un nombre record de cinq médailles olympiques, trois Championnats du monde, huit Championnats nationaux canadiens et ils remportent également le Four Continents Championship à trois reprises. Le couple a conquis les cœurs des Canadiens lors des Jeux olympiques d’hiver de 2010, enthousiasmant les foules à Vancouver en devenant les plus jeunes athlètes et les premiers Nord-Américains à remporter l’or olympique en danse sur glace. Près d’une décennie plus tard, aux Jeux olympiques de 2018 à Pyeongchang, Tessa et Scott consolident leur statut emblématique en donnant une performance enlevante qui leur vaudra la médaille d’or et qui pulvérise alors le record du monde pour la note globale obtenue en danse libre.

Tessa a grandi à London, en Ontario et a commencé à patiner à l’âge de six ans après avoir décidé lors d’une sortie scolaire qu’elle ne serait pas la seule élève de sa classe incapable de patiner. Élevé dans une famille de patineurs artistiques, non loin de là, à Ilderton, en Ontario, Scott a commencé à patiner dès l’âge de trois ans. Sa mère Alma et sa tante Carol ont été ses premières entraîneures. La première collaboration du couple survient en 1997 alors que Tessa a sept ans et Scott neuf ans. Ils sont alors si timides qu’ils arrivent à peine à se parler. Gagnant en confiance au fur et à mesure qu’ils développent leur complicité indéniable sur la glace, Tessa et Scott partagent un engagement envers l’excellence qui les a constamment aidés à surmonter l’adversité. Ils ont tous deux fait d’énormes sacrifices pour perfectionner leur art, en embrassant les succès et les échecs comme des opportunités égales de croissance et en transformant la vulnérabilité en un style artistique saisissant. S’entraînant rigoureusement pour perfectionner des chorégraphies innovantes, ils ont repoussé les limites en abordant la danse sur glace à la fois comme une expression créative et un sport de haute performance, patinant avec une sincérité émotionnelle qui a captivé les publics du monde entier.

Après avoir élevé le profil de la danse sur glace à de nouveaux sommets époustouflants, Tessa et Scott ont pris leur retraite de la compétition en 2019. Depuis lors, Scott occupe le poste d’entraîneur en chef et de directeur général du programme satellite de l’Académie de glace de Montréal à London, en Ontario. Il a également été un ardent défenseur de la diversité et de l’inclusivité dans le patinage. Tessa a obtenu un MBA de la Smith School of Business ainsi qu’une maîtrise en psychologie positive appliquée de l’Université de Pennsylvanie. Tessa est conseillère exécutive chez Deloitte, où elle contribue à libérer le potentiel de la main-d’œuvre canadienne dans le domaine de la haute performance et du bien-être. Elle siège également au conseil d’administration de Her Mark, une association caritative qui autonomise les jeunes filles par le biais du sport, et de Motionball, un organisme qui recueille des fonds pour les athlètes d’Olympiques spéciaux.

Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame is honoured to be presenting Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir with the prestigious Order of Sport award on Thursday, October 19, 2023 as a member of the incredible Class of 2023.

—Order of Sport

[yuzu-all-the-way]

Yuzuru Hanyu's Senior FS Costumes

I. Origin 1.0 (Prince of Darkness)

Note: All the references (interviews, translations, etc.) used for this post are listed below the cut

In the 2018-2019 season, Yuzuru Hanyu came to compete as the newly crowned double Olympic champion. He dedicated his short program (Otonal) to Johnny Weir and his free program (Origin) to Evgeni Plushenko, two skaters Yuzuru admired since childhood.

Origin 1.0 - the costume which has the aura of the Prince of Darkness, as described by Satomi Ito herself, the costume designer¹. I consider this one of the top iconic Yuzuru Hanyu costumes because it deviates from the usual brightly colored ones (think about the blue-based costumes, for example) and he embraces the dark. I do not mean dark as in only color, but also judging by the vibes. The only other costume I can think of as channeling dark(ness) is Masquerade.

There is a striking contrast between the relaxed, skating around Yuzuru Hanyu and the competition mode ON Yuzuru Hanyu. The difference is made specifically by his expression. However, in both instances, the costume seems to create a barrier between him and the rest of the world. Origin 1.0, a black and gold lace-top paired with black velour pants, is the first competition costume worn by Yuzu after winning his second Olympic gold medal and I like to think this costume is made to emphasize that Yuzuru Hanyu is untouchable.

The base of the top is a skin-coloured fabric with overlaid black lace. On the front, the chest's jagged opening creates the illusion of feathers spreading protectively, a subtle dynamism enhanced by the diagonal, slightly winding fabric and golden details orientation. In contrast, on the upper back, the gold fabric follows the curve of the shoulder blades and ribcage, like an exoskeleton, while the lower back's lines are naturally flowing downwards, highlighting the waist. Here and there few dark-red beads can be noticed which confer depth and nuance to the costume.

Origin 1.0 is based on Yuzuru's surname: 『The non-human born of feathers』². As such, the most important detail is represented by the feathers - around 100 handmade black and white feathers by Satomi Ito, applied manually, and the white ones airbrushed black in the middle to maintain the costume's cohesion. Another subtle detail lies in the purple rhinestones. They are seamlessly integrated within the costume so much so that these become noticeable only in close-up photos (see below).

Contributing to the depth of the costume are the purposefully ripped holes within the lace. Satomi Ito took to making those herself in the process of bringing Origin to life². The holes convey a subtle ragged look, of someone who has seen darkness and embraced it. They complement the entire look beautifully, adding to the Prince of Darkness theme.

Origin 1.0 is one of those costumes made of multiple layers with various details applied without looking heavy or overly ornated. It maintains an apparently basic pattern while being full of hidden gems.

At the end of another 'incomplete' season (Yuzu injured his ankle during 2018 NHK's FS practice, winning the event despite it, but having to withdraw from GPF and Japan Nationals), Yuzuru commented in a post-Worlds 2019 interview that the black and gold costume was meant to be "accessorized" only with gold medals (paraphrased)³.

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

Personally, I have been quite vocal on this blog about my undying love for the Origin sisters. They are in a constant battle to be my favourite.

Today, Origin 1.0 won for four reasons:

1) the theme is right up my alley

2) there is an easily found translation of an interview with Satomi Ito about the making of the costume (and I'm proud to say I understood the costume and the vision before reading the interview)

3) Yuzu won for the first time both of his GP assignments - he really was determined to have only gold associated with Origin 1.0.

4) 2019 Worlds Origin deserved the gold

1. Translation by @/marika_yuzu

2. "Figure Skating Fan" Magazine 2018-2019 『Born from feathers』 Translation

3. 53:57 YT video

[figureskatingfanblog]

Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Canada won the gold at Skate Canada.

Ekaterina Geynish and Dmitrii Chigrev became the first pairs team from Uzbekistan to win a medal on the GP, and the best results for the country since 2001. They won the free to come up from fourth to win the silver.

Anastasia Golubeva and Hektor Giotopoulos Moore of Australia won the bronze, and the first ever senior GP medal for their country.

[stuckinstrangerthings]

Senior Year - Where we lose count

(part 7)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!reader/ y/n Henderson

Context: y/n is Dustin's big sister. The events of S1 to S3 have happened with y/n being a part of it to some extent. S3 ends differently with Hopper escaping the Russians with Joyce and Murray. Joyce and Hopper made it to Enzo at some point and they are now happily dating. Joyce didn't move to California so the gang is all together in Hawkins.

Dustin's and y/n dad died a few years ago. He was Hopper and Joyce's high school friend so they are very close to the family. Hopper is y/n godfather.

I don't know yet if some of the events of S4 will happen in this serie, but I can promise that Eddie will be safe if they do.

Summary: Y/n is starting her senior year as Eddie's starts his third one. They know each other from being in the same high school, but are not really friends. She likes him. Good thing her little brother is now a part of the Hellfire Club.

Warnings: (for the whole serie) mention of dead parents, mention of drugs and alcohol, swearing, slow burn, flirting, mutual pining, fluff, friends to lovers, smut 18+.

Author's note: I want this will be a serie. English is not my first language. Also, this is my very first time writing fanfic. Please feel free to comment and give constructive criticism. Thanks!

----

It's Saturday afternoon and Eddie gets to your house as planned to work on your chemistry assignement due on Monday. As soon as he parks his van, he hears total chaos coming from inside. He chuckles, guessing the source of said chaos. He opens the front door and what he sees confirm his theory. All the youngster are there, spread all over the living room and the kitchen. Eating sandwiches and chips. It's loud but you look so happy. You are chatting and laughing with El, Max and Will sitting in the living room. Dustin, Mike and Lucas are eating and arguing in the kitchen.

Everybody warmly greets Eddie.

"Guys, you need to clean up and leave soon if you don't want to miss the movie!" you say.

They all get up, hurrying to finish their lunch and put the dishes in the dishwasher. Getting ready to leave. Today's plan for them is afternoon at the movies and sleep-over at the Byers.

"Dustin, don't forget the banana bread!" you shout, grabbing the container and putting it in his backpack "You guys leave some for Joyce, Hop and Jonathan".

"I'll try my best" he says laughing.

You and Eddie watch as they all jump on their bikes (or skate) and leave for the movie theater.

You get back inside.

"Eddie, I have leftovers, i'm making us sandwiches!" you say.

He smiles. By now, he knows there is no refusing food from you. Besides, why would he refuse, he loves all the food you make.

"I'm sad the banana bread left with Dustin" he jokes.

"Don't worry, I hid our portions. I also have extra for Wayne". you answer.

"Of course you have Princess. I don't know why I was worried" he winks at you.

Yes, the nickname stayed, and yes you love it. Add the winks... goosebumps. You like Eddie a lot as a friend, but at this point you know for sure you love him and oh my do you want him. Is the flirting a game? You don't know, but boy do you enjoy it.

You both go to your bedroom with your food. Eddie takes a first bite of his sandwich. He moans and closes his eyes.

"Princess, even your sandwiches are heavenly. What's in there?" he says.

"Can't say, secret ingredient. Family secret" you reply.

"Wow, now I have to marry you to know everything" he answers.

You laugh "You want to marry me for my cooking skills?".

He gets that naughty look on his face and answers "Oh I'm sure you have plenty of other skills worth discovering"

You laugh...and you blush "Ok Munson, that was sexy. You win this round".

You both smile at each other.

"Ok, let's do this damn chemistry assignement so we can have a little peace for the rest of the week-end" you say.

After a few hours, you are both tired but you are finally done with the assignement. It's now dark outside. The only lightening in your bedroom is from the lamp on your desk. You and Eddie sit in a confortable silence at your desk. You start touching his forearm, tracing the bats from his tattoo.

"I like this one" you say.

"Yeah? I didn't know you liked tattoos" he looks surprised.

"I love tattoos!" you reply.

"Do you have any?" he aks.

"It depends, can you keep a secret?"

Eddie face is a mix of shook and amusement "You do, you totally have at least one! No way! I want to know!".

"Oh my God, Eddie" you laugh but you are also worried "I'll tell you everything but you have to promise to keep it a secret. My mom would kill me".

"I promise" he says, mimicking locking his lips and throwing away the key. He looks super excited.

"Ok, nobody knows. For real, nobody but you. I have two small tattoos. Got them at a small tattoo shop while I was in Indianapolis last summer".

"That is so cool. I did not see that coming Princess. Pleasantly surprised" he says with a big grin "Where are they?".

"Well, let's say they are well hidden so my mom can't see them even when i'm in a bathing suit".

"I think i'm gonna faint" Eddie says as he rubs his hands on his face.

You laugh "Are you blushing? Am I winning a new round?"

He stays silent for a moment. Face still in his hands.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours" you say.

He takes his hands off his face to look at you. He is definitively blushing and you win this round. A victorious look on your face.

"Princess, you will be the death of me" he sighs.

You decide to push it further. You are alone with him. Nobody is coming home until tomorrow. And this proximity with him in your poorly lit bedroom is making your head spin with desire. Also, you did what to see all his tattoos.

"It's a serious offer" you tell him.

He stops smilig, still blushing but now also very curious "Really?"

"Yup, but you go first. Show me all your tattoos. And no lifting part of your t-shirt or pants. You have to take the piece of clothing off. That's the deal". And that was a pretty good deal considering you were wearing only a dress.

"Deal". He gets up and quickly takes off his t-shirt.

You stand up and get closer to him "Can I touch you?".

"... yes" he replies a little shaky.

You smile but don't look at him. Your fingers slowly and gently touching his tattoos. Some of them you knew he had, some are new to you. You get to his back to discover big bat wings tattoos. You continue touching, taking your time, contouring the tattoos. You can hear his breathing changing. You feel the goosebumps on his skin. And you enjoy it... a lot. You come back to face him, tracing the tattoos on his chest, slowly coming down to the one besides his happy trail and disappearing a little under his pants.

"The bats on your forearm is still my favorite one" You put your hand on his lower abdomen tattoo "But this one has the best placement for sure". He puts his hands on yours. Your eyes meet his and there is no doubt on both your minds. This isn't just a game. You bite your lower lip and you shiver a little.

"Your turn Princess. I want to see yours now" he whispers.

"You'll have to find them" you softly say has you turn around and hold your hair out of the way so he can unzip your dress. He gently does and your dress falls to the floor. Leaving you only in your underwear. Nice black ones of course. You were always ready in case the flirting would lead to more.

His hands and his eyes are exploring your body. Searching for your tattoos, but it's also way more than that. It's very sensual while being very respectful. No inappropriate touching, He takes his time, slowly touching you everywhere your skin is exposed and paying attention to your reactions. At this point, you can't help making little sounds. Moans and sighs. But you don't feel self-conscious at all. You feel confortable, high on Eddie. You feel on fire. You are really enjoying this. This is foreplay and you are in heaven.

After exploring your legs, he stands up, dangerously close to you. Close enough for you to clearly feel on your stomach that this was working for him too.

"I can't find them" he says.

You lustly look at him "Guess you are going to have to take my underwear off to see them".

He licks his bottom lip and takes your face in this hands "I really want to kiss you right now" he confesses.

You look at him and reply "I always really want you to kiss me".

He blushes, smiles and leans over to kiss you. His hands finding your waist while yours find his neck. And it's soft and perfect and everything you wanted and then hungry and full of more desire from both of you. He grabs your ass and lifts you up. You wrap your legs around his waist. You can feel him kiss you everywhere he can while taking you to your bed.

Finally, this is happening.

[wanderlustinwonderland18]

Turkkila & Versluis: “It's Good That The Age Limits Are Being Raised”

Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis have been training intensively for the European Championships taking place soon. The duo's cooperation started on April Fool's Day 2016, but it wasn't a joke. In fact, their partnership has progressed steadily to this day.

Long before they switched to ice dance, Juulia and Matthias already skated on the same ice at Myllypuro rink years ago. When they were ten years old, they even had the same coach but were placed in different groups.

“Matthias was in a better group,” Juulia says with a laugh.

Matthias’ Dutch father and Finnish mother studied and worked in Switzerland during the early 1990s. The family moved to Finland when Matthias was a few months old. Matthias says that he tried different sports when he was younger, but ended up with figure skating. Aside from sports, he also learned how to play the guitar, a hobby that has remained to this day.

“The musicality is helpful because Matthias mixes and builds our music,” Juulia shares.

Behind the couple is a wider group of people who participate in the planning of new programs. When it comes to music, the athletes have the final say.

“Our coach (Maurizio Margaglio) wants the initiative to come from us because then he knows we really like the music,” Matthias explains.

This season, they skate their free program to the music of Schubert, which was Juulia’s idea.

“After last season, we only had a week to prepare for new programs so we had to come up with music quickly,” Juulia shares.

“Creating the right sound from long pieces of classical music is not easy,” Matthias says about his “side job.”

Some skaters cut a raw version of the pieces, from which a professional works on creating the final music, but Matthias handles the process from start to finish.

The music has to fit the choreography, so it is refined throughout the season. When the coach's eye detects a section where more seconds are needed, the music is altered.

After competitions, the coach asks the judges how his skating pair can improve their program even more. Scores and comments are then scrutinized.

This past summer, Juulia and Matthias were not able to train together as much as usual, because Matthias was doing his military service at the Santahamina sports school. In practice, he had to smile broadly at every turn but in the barracks, he had to control the smile.

In the fall, the couple used breaks between competitions to "finish" the programs and based on the results, they have succeeded in their goal. The Finns won bronze in Grand Prix Espoo with a personal best score.

When we followed the pair's ice training in Pirkkola hall, coach Margaglio paid attention to the skaters' gaze and hand movements.

“Our coaches sharpen the overall presentation of the program. We have to enjoy our performance and it has to show all the way to the stands,” Juulia says.

Margaglio wants the Finnish couple to forget their modesty.

“You don't slide onto the ice apologizing, but flaunting self-confidence like opera stars! Juulia, be like a diva,” Maurizio instructs.

Juulia and Matthias have been skating since they were kids so they know the sport's coaching culture. Choosing to continue skating for 20 years, they did not encounter horror experiences with coaches.

“There are no traumas from single skating,” Juulia shares.

Having a wealth of experience, they both have great insight into the age limits of elite skating. There have been 15-year-old participants and medalists in prestigious competitions. For the Finnish couple, this is not a healthy phenomenon.

“It's good that the age limits are being raised. 17 to 18 years would be a good age to enter value competitions,” Juulia and Matthias agree.

A person develops at a rapid pace during adolescence.

“A 15-year-old's body is different from an adult's,” Matthias describes.

Juulia emphasizes the mental aspect and maturity.

“When I was competing in the senior level at 16 years old, I was not thinking like an adult,” she shares.

[superblysubpar]

The spots have all been taken! Thank you so much for requesting if you did, and I can't wait to share the rest of these stories! If yours didn't get in for the event, feel free to send it to me anyways - my requests are always open! The playlist is linked at the end of the story. Let me know what you think, any interaction is so appreciated and loved! 

Summary: Robin, Eddie, and Dustin alone in a car without their Steve? Eddie realizes his big feelings for Steve while watching him be adorably Steve while ice skating with the kids. Steve and Eddie share a big moment and the kids interrupt it like they do. 

A/N: So sorry this is late, I ended up having a busy weekend and was unable to edit/post from my phone. I hope it was worth the wait! This is my very first time ever attempting to write anything Steddie related, and I hope I did them justice. 

2.2k words

Day 07 | Track 07: "Last Christmas" by Wham!

The horn honked loudly, two quick beeps and Eddie rolled his eyes as he searched for a pair of gloves and then finally just said screw it. Of course, it would end up being his fault they were late, and she would waste no time in telling Steve that. 

He patted down his pockets, checking for the wallet, keys, cigarettes, and lighter and as he was stepping out the front door, the horn honked again. 

He glared at the windshield to see that, surprisingly, it was not Robin honking the horn. As he jogged down the steps and over to the car, he watched as she smacked Dustin's hands away from the wheel before promptly placing hers back in the ten and two positions.

He opened the passenger door and Dustin stared up at him, "Yes?"

"Get in the back, Henderson."

Dustin rolled his eyes, "I'm not sure if you're aware of how the rules of shotgun work, but I was picked up first, therefore I saw the front seat first, ergo - I get the seat."

Eddie crouched down in his face, "And I'm not sure if you're aware that I'm six years your senior, I'm taller, cooler, and-" he ticked off on his fingers, "Have the authority and power to remove pick up and drop off privileges anytime I want,” he pulled at the front of Dustin’s jacket, picking him up a little, “Ergo, get your ass in the back seat."

Dustin grumbled, making it known how unfair it was and more about the rules of shotgun, but did start to crawl over the seat and into the back. Robin held out her hands in disbelief, "Seriously, get out of the car and go around-god no wonder Steve complains about being the babysitter all the time.”

Eddie slid into the seat, narrowly avoiding Dustin's foot, and placed a cigarette in his mouth, dangling between his lips as he mumbled, "Speaking of, why didn't he drive you two?"

Robin plucked the cigarette from his lips and threw it out the window as she backed out of Eddie's make shift drive and shrugged, "He took the others, and we knew your van was still busted and he knew I wanted to practice driving in the snow more."

Dustin pushed his head between the seats, "And I came for moral support."

Eddie placed another cigarette in between his lips and Robin reached over to grab it and Eddie glared and she took her eyes off of the road to glare back. Dustin reached forward and took the pack, "I'm also here to make sure you don't kill each other. Eddie, no smoking in Robin's car. Robin, Eddie can smoke if he wants to when we get there."

Eddie grumbled some sort of agreement and Robin mumbled, "Fine. Fill your lungs with poison."

Robin and Eddie had an interesting relationship. They didn’t hate each other, in fact, they were probably too similar for their own good. But in the past year, they’d butted heads on almost everything. Music, movies, the best and quickest way to get to a location, the perfect snacks for movies, what was reasonable and what was absolutely not when it came to toppings for pizza. Every outing ended in the two looking at Steve, waiting for him to choose a side and Steve walking away from them, disappointed. 

And Eddie knew that Robin wasn’t going anywhere. He knew how important she was to Steve. And she wasn’t a bad person. He could think of far worse people to share Steve Harrington with. And then it hit him. The three in this car were all people that very much had to share Steve against their will sometimes.  

As they pulled into the rink and saw Steve standing at the doorway watching the car, Eddie knew he had planned it this way on purpose. He could also tell that Robin was coming to the exact same realization as him at the same time and they both sighed.

Dustin looked between the two of them and then at Steve, "What? Why are you two sighing? And why aren't we getting out of the car?"

Eddie smirked, letting himself relish in the fact that he knew something before Dustin Henderson did and from the smile growing on Robin's face, she was too.

Eddie held out his hand, "Truce? He's yours first?"

Robin glanced at his hand then at Dustin, nodding her head, "He’s first. I'm second. You're third. But not in terms of his affection or whatever. In terms of front seat riding, movie night picking, ordering the two things you both want and splitting them equally kind of terms?"

Eddie grinned and nodded and she shook his hand. Dustin was still confused as they got out of the car and Eddie grabbed his head, shaking it a little as he tossed the pack of cigarettes into the car, "Don't worry about it. It wouldn't kill you to not know everything all the time, ya know."

Dustin held up his finger to protest and Steve eyes flicked between the three of them, hands in his pockets, rocking back onto his heels, "Everything okay?"

Eddie patted his shoulder as he walked past, "Of course."

Robin flicked Steve between his eyebrows, "Why wouldn't it be?"

Steve rubbed his forehead and Eddie glanced back to see Dustin frowning and gesturing to the two walking away, "What are you talking about? You were just about to deck each other in the car!"

Eddie frowned, "I don't know what you're talking about Henderson? Any ideas Buck?"

Robin faked her confusion well, "No idea Munson."

It really wasn't lost on him when he saw Steve's shoulders relax, eyes bouncing between him and Robin. He smiled a little and did the exact same thing to Dustin's head as he pushed him forward, saying a quiet, “I know,” to Dustin’s rant about the other two arguing all the time and that he wasn’t crazy, they had just been fighting. 

Eddie watched the gang on the opposite side of the rink come into view as he leaned against the side wall. Jonathan and Nancy were holding hands, skating amongst the group of patrons, Mike and Max were easily gliding circles around El, Lucas and Will who were all clinging to the side railing, all of them laughing and trying not to fall. He watched Dustin rush around the rink and bang on the glass at them and they all started yelling at each other through the glass.

Eddie shook his head, what a bunch of dorks they all were.

Steve walked up behind Dustin holding up skates and the way Dustin looked up at him, grinning, Steve rolling his eyes and gesturing to the rink made Eddie’s heart beat a little harder. Why was it so endearing? Why was watching Steve Harrington interacting with children doing this to his chest?

Robin sighed as she fell against the railing next to him, arms folded over it, matching Eddie's stance. She followed his gaze and cleared her throat and whispered, "I think he really likes you Eddie."

He rolled his eyes, "That why I'm third?"

She nudged his elbow with hers and didn't speak until he looked at her and she rolled her eyes at him, "I said not in terms of affection, didn't I?" she turned her gaze to the ice as her chin rested on her hands and she closed her eyes, “Just don’t break his heart…okay?”

He huffed out his breath, fat chance of him being the one to do that. He turned back to the ice and mumbled, “Wouldn’t plan on me being the one to do the heartbreaking Buckley,” just in time to see Steve gliding onto the ice, spinning and skating up and past the kids. Of course he's fucking perfect at it.

He glides past all of the kids and spins to skate backwards, just as he rips off Lucas’ hat. They all start to try to skate faster and catch up with him as he ducked in and out of the other skaters.

Robin rolled her eyes and muttered, "He's such a goddamn show off sometimes."

Eddie grinned, turning to her, “I think that’s the first thing we’ve ever agreed on.”

They smiled at each other as the kids broke off from one another, coming at Steve from two different directions and they watched as Steve froze, all the kids lunged towards him, all falling in a pile together on top of Steve laughing.

Steve started shoving all of them off and yelling something about 'your ass is grass'. But he stops as he sees that El can barely stand on her skates and that Max stayed back with her. Steve watched the boys skate away and leave them in the dust and put his hands on his hips before offering both of them to the girls. 

They both grinned and blushed a little as Steve pulled them on the rink, slowly scooting backwards on his skates and talking to them quietly. Robin and Eddie watched him lean in and whisper, before both girls nodded and he started to go faster, then released them from his hands, sending them gliding out in front of him. Nancy and Jonathan skate to a stop next to him and hand him a hockey stick and Steve has the girls grab it. He rolls his eyes as the boys all skate back over, trying to take turns on it instead of the girls and he pushes them away at first. Each time he gets faster, sending all of them into fits of laughter when they go flying.

The song changes overhead to Last Christmas by Wham! and Steve clutches his chest before pointing to the ceiling and closing his eyes, starting to belt out the lyrics. The kids all start booing and try to cover their ears but Steve just sings louder, spinning Max and El around on their skates. When the younger boys see the two girls grinning and giggling, Mike and Lucas start pushing him away, singing themselves and grabbing the girls hands. 

Steve grinned and started to skate away and Eddie looked away from him to see Robin staring at him knowingly. She whistled low and mumbled, "Oof. Bit by the Harrington love bug. What a way to go. You were right, it’s not you I have to worry about."

Eddie rolled his eyes as she walked away, the pair shoving each other's shoulders as Steve came to a stop in front of him. His nose and cheeks are flushed and pink from the cold, eyes sparkling and he nodded to wear Robin disappeared to, "Everything okay?"

Eddie glanced down at Steve's hands over his own. How his hazel eyes were looking at him and not anyone else currently. He thinks back to what Robin just said and he takes a deep breath because she’s right. 

He's completely and totally in love with Steve Harrington.

Eddie nodded, biting the inside of his lip and Steve frowned and lifted his hand, pulling at Eddie’s chin, "No it's not. You're biting your lip."

Eddie shrugged, praying his ears weren't turning pink, "I just need a cigarette is all."

Steve groaned and started to pull away, "Did Robin throw your cigarettes away? I talked to her, but I'll talk to her again and-"

"I think I love you."

Eddie closed his eyes, "Fuck. I mean. I didn't mean I think. Okay, listen, fuck-"

He rubbed his hands over his cheeks and opened his eyes to see Steve isn't there anymore. Great. Good going Munson, ruined the only good thing you've got going in your life, just like always.

He turned around again to see Steve no longer on the ice, but in front of him, kicking his skates off quickly and stepping over to him.

Steve's hands land on his chest, palms laid flat right over his erratically beating heart and without shoes on, he's just a tiny bit shorter and looking up at Eddie.

He's breathless as he asked, "You think you love me?"

Eddie shook his head no and he saw Steve's face fall and he blew out his breath before he cleared his throat and whispered, "I do love you."

Steve's face splits into a real grin. His dorky grin. Not his cool, ‘ha ha I think I'm funny’ grin. His genuine, head over heels, full of joy smile that Eddie can't get enough of as he asked, "Really?"

Eddie nodded, and Steve leaned in, breath fanning across his lips, "I love you too."

Eddie clutched at Steve's hips, voice a little more frail than he'd ever expected to come out of himself as he asked the exact same thing back, "Really?"

Steve continues to grin as he nodded, about to kiss him when they're both interrupted by the kids all smacking the glass to their right. All of them pretend to make out and make kissing noises coming from the other side, shouting out ‘Oh Eddie you’re so dreamy!’ and ‘I’m gonna be super disgusting and kiss you in front of everyone’ in high pitched voices.

Eddie laughed and covered his mouth quickly pretending it was a cough as Steve gave them all a look he’s only seen a handful of times. He turned to watch the kids skate and run away faster than they ever had, tripping and falling over each other screaming about how Steve was going to actually kill them this time. 

Twelve Days of Christmas Playlist:

Since I was lovingly told to tag people in *everything*, here you go you lovely ladies: @boomhauer @loveshotzz @myobmaya @sweetsweetjellybean

[shadowetienne]

Watching Junior Pairs was interesting this event! Juniors is such a weird time for pairs, and we’re about to see even more weirdness in the field (in a good direction in my opinion because it will narrow those age gaps in junior pairs) as there’s a whole slew of partnerships that are going to become age ineligible to compete at any level (man too old for juniors, woman too young for seniors) because of how the age limits got changed. A lot of pairs were formed with the old age limits in mind and have pretty big age gaps, often because as they are growing and getting stronger, it’s just easier if the size gap between the pair is as big as possible. I think that narrowing the age gap in junior pairs is actually going to push for better pairs elements in the long run, but we’ll see if I’m right about that.

My moment of meta level interest is also for the Japanese pair that came in as alternates for this event. Murakami/Moriguchi have a lot of potential in pairs, and they actively challenged for the podium, almost squeaking into bronze after a really good free skate. I hope that how they were matched up and performed is indicative of how Japanese figure skating is approaching developing their pairs program. Japan has an incredibly deep singles field, so drawing good skaters with overall solid skills who have their triples but aren’t challenging the very top of the Japanese field and developing them in pairs, getting them coaching to focus on those pairs elements, really has the potential to pay off. Those side by side jumps were *incredible*, the most challenging side by side combo/sequence ever attempted and succeeded in pairs! They’re still clearly learning the pairs elements and how to skate as a pair, but what they’ve got so far is good! Now, this is one of the teams that is going to get caught in that age gap problem because they were formed as a team before the rule changed. I hope that they don’t get split up and just compete domestically and keep working on those skills if they can keep skating like this though because I see a lot of potential there, and their jumps and skating lines match really well. Between the senior pairs results and this though, I think that Japanese skating may finally have figured out what they need to do to start cracking into having a solid pairs program. I’m going to be keeping my eyes on the development there for sure.

[macaroni-rascal]

Hello! Are you going to be watching Canadian Nationals? Any thoughts on what to watch for or interesting teams/dynamics?

Hello! I am definitely going to be watching Canadian Nationals, I am very excited!

I don't know much about junior skaters, I never really do, so I'm not well versed in what to watch in that respect, but for seniors, there are definitely some fun things to look out for:

Men: It is Keegan Messing's final Nationals, perhaps his final competition depending on how he skates, his wife's due date for their baby is also the day of the men's free skate, so that's sure to be a wild time. Roman Sadovsky has been his usual trash fire self all season, but he usually peaks at Nationals, so hoping he has a good skate, but I am refusing to root for him, because I just end up annoyed and tired of all the stupid mistakes he makes.

Women: It is Maddie Schizas' competition to lose, I do not see any other Canadian women getting even close to her, unless she truly falls apart. Gabby Daleman withdrew, so there isn't even a little bit of competition. As an aside, Gabby needs to retire, and retire now.

Pairs: For the first time in a while there are four teams in Canadian pairs that could medal, McIntosh/Mimar, Laurin/Ethier, Pereira/Michaud, and Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps. However, Deanna has been very sick, her voice has even changed, they haven't been able to train as much, so the title, which seemed like a guarantee for them, is now very much now up for grabs. Lia and Trennt have been scoring wildly well despite having no triple throws, and they could medal and over take the teams that have medaled on the grand prix quite easily. I really look forward to this competition.

Ice dance: With Piper and Paul out because of Piper having appendicitis, the Canadanes will most certainly become National Champions, which is very exciting for them, it also means a silver for Lajoie and Lagha, which I also love. The bronze will be a battle between Soucisse and Firus and Lauriault and Legac, which Marie-Jade and Romain will definitely win. I hope Hensen and Lickers have a good competition and place in the top 6, I really like them.