#then sunday i need a serious homework grind

[stamkose]

•

[hamilton-one-shots]

Hamilton High School AU 85

The night ended with movies and cuddles and John making them dinner, just another quiet night in. Thankfully, their Sunday was just as quiet, spent by cuddling and watching whatever movies they wanted, just like Saturday, and eating takeout food and sweets.

Their Monday, however... wasn't nearly as great.

For starters, Alexander was reminded that Thomas existed as he came up and wrapped his arm around John's waist, kissing his cheek.

"Hey, cutie. Have a nice weekend with Alex?"

John seemed to be feeling quite the opposite to Alexander's annoyance. "Yeah, we just went to the gym, then spent the rest of the weekend in, watching movies."

"Sounds fun. How was your gym trip?"

"Not bad. I just went in on a punching bag for a few minutes. I really have to get back to going to the gym. I'm getting soft.."

Thomas grinned and leaned down. "If that's a problem, I'm sure Alexander could've helped you."

John smiled and rolled his eyes, playfully punching Thomas in the arm, making him laugh.

"Seriously, you look fine. And you always look fine."

John chuckled. "You're crazy.."

"I'm serious. Come on, you're gorgeous as you are. You don't need to get any more muscular."

"I wasn't really planning on it." He shrugged before grinning back up at Thomas. "Besides, I know your type."

"My type? I don't have one of those."

"Oh really? Will Connolly, Tom Holland, George Salazar-"

"Hey, what can I say? I know gorgeous when I see it. And you, sweetheart, are gorgeous." He leaned down and kissed John's cheek, making him giggle a bit.

But his smile soon disappeared as he felt Alexander pulling away from his hand. Oh, god, he was doing it again. He was giving Thomas too much attention. He turned to apologize and saw that that wasn't the issue. At least, it wasn't what made him let his hand go.

Alexander was kneeling down, picking up his books, with a familiar figure walking away.

John gritted his teeth and glared at the figure as he walked away before going and kneeling down beside Alexander, helping him pick up his books.

Alexander was visibly shaking, his face pale as he looked up and muttered a thank you.

"Did he hurt you?.."

"He just knocked my books from my hands.. But he's here.. You know?.."

"I know.. I'm sorry.." He stood up and gave him his books, kissing his forehead. "And I'm sorry I wasn't paying better attention...

Alexander shook his head. "Don't be, I understand. Like I said, it's okay.." He smiled softly and pecked John's lips. "I'm learning to accept this better than I have been, I promise."

"Good.." He smiled. "If you ever want more attention, though, don't hesitate to ask. You know he's far from shy about it." He nodded back at Thomas, who was just one his phone, letting the two be.

He didn't seem to be jumping around for John's attention, but Alexander knew what he meant. Thomas would almost never turn down an opportunity to hang out with John and, more often than not, he was the one engaging John to hang out with him. "Okay."

Maybe that was his problem. He didn't really engage and ask for John's attention nearly as much or as freely as Thomas did. He just kind of expected John to hang out with him and when he told Thomas that he just wanted to hang out on his own and paint, he took note without even asking himself. He knew it probably wasn't the worst problem he could have in a relationship, but it was one he'd work on fixing.

"You should hang out with Thomas," .... was the last thing Alexander expected himself to say... But.. Well, Thomas did only have time making out with John in the bathroom for the past week, just an hour or so while Alexander got entire nights and weekends. He knew they weren't sharing John in the traditional sense, but maybe, either way, it was Thomas's turn to hang out with John.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I have homework that I need to catch up on and he should get some time with you."

He smiled at the idea that Alexander was warming up to the idea of Thomas joining them even more and pecked his lips. "Okay, but don't be afraid to ask if you want to hang out with us, okay?"

"Okay." He nodded and walked with him and Thomas, who hadn't been particularly listening to the conversation since he wasn't a part of it, to class, sitting with them in the back.

Thankfully, Alexander was free of Charles Lee's presence there, not that he would've had to be afraid with John around.

Next period... He wasn't so lucky. And thank god Lafayette was there with him. Oh. yeah, and Thomas.

"Is that.. Charles Lee?.." Lafayette whispered to Alexander as he came in and sat down, just a few seats in front of them.

Alexander bit his tongue and nodded, taking a deep breath to calm himself down a bit.

"He won't mess with you so long as I'm here, don't worry."

It was odd that Alexander's non violent, skirt wearing, makeup genius brother was a better protector than his boyfriend's over six foot, pure muscle boyfriend with violent tendencies. But such was life.

The class itself was pretty quiet, Charles Lee was stupid, but he wasn't bullying in the middle of class stupid, but Lafayette and Alexander were still careful walking out. Lafayette stayed close to his brother and Alexander allowed it.

Hercules was waiting a few steps away, smiling as he saw his boyfriend, though it wavered a bit as he saw their expressions. "Hey guys... What's wrong?.."

"One of Alexander's old bullies is here.. He had that class with us and he's not the type to forgive and forget how Alexander got him expelled.."

Hercules nodded a bit and looked at Alexander. "Don't worry. You're safe with us."

"Thanks.." He smiled a bit at him, appreciating the support, and began walking with them to lunch, somewhat in front of them. From where he was, Alexander was safe... But that still left-

Lafayette jumped and gasped as someone flipped up his skirt, quick to flip it back down and turn around to face the culprit. Who else would it be besides Charles Lee?

He snickered. "What's the matter? You want to dress like a girl, but you can't handle the consequences of looking like one?"

Lafayette was red faced with anger and embarrassment, but he didn't want to hurt Charles Lee. Not yet. He even stopped Hercules before he could step forward and start something. "Forget it. That's such a childish move." He glared for a second before turning back and continuing to walk down the hall. The entire school had seen him grinding on Thomas Jefferson. He could handle this.

"Nice black panties! Who's screwing you tonight? Your little boyfriend there or the entire football team?"

Lafayette stopped in his tracks and the other two stopped and looked back at him, equally worried expressions on their faces.

"What? Did I hit a sore spot? Did you not want to let your boyfriend know that you're a little-" He was cut off by Lafayette punching him in the jaw, making him topple like a rag doll.

Lafayette crossed his arms. "Are you finished?"

Charles Lee just groaned and held his face.

"Good." He held his head high and walked off with Hercules and Alexander, going to lunch.

John and Thomas met them there at their table, John frowning when he saw Lafayette's serious expression and Alexander's guilt ridden one. "What happened?.."

"Lee... He was picking on Laf.."

"I'll be fine. I know better than to let him get to me."

John nodded a bit, frowning slightly. "Sorry, Laf.."

"Don't be. I'll be perfectly okay." He smiled. And he was telling the truth.

Jefferson as a bully was more ruthless, hitting where it hurts and it was just so much more convincing. But with Lee, Lafayette could tell he was just trying to get under his skin, that he was just looking for a reaction. It was so much easier to ignore, but nobody called him a slut and got away with it.

Thomas frowned. He was that guy just a month ago and now, he was seeing how it affected a friend. It made him feel awful.. "I'm sorry I used to be that guy.."

"I've already forgiven you. We all do stupid things for love."

"Yeah, but mine were a bit too stupid.." He sighed and put down his fork, packing his lunch up. "I'm sorry. I need to walk around the halls for a bit.. Alone." He put his things in his backpack, then left.

Lafayette sighed. "You know.. I doubted it at first, but I really think he's regretting everything he did.. I'm going to go talk to him."

Hercules furrowed his eyebrows as Lafayette got up. "Why?" Jefferson did what he did and he'd already told himself he wasn't going to forget it, even if he reluctantly forgave him.

"Because what he did was twisted and monstrous and he's seeing that. What if you found out that something you did hurt me like that and you see how wrong it was?.. Something that you thought was beneficial, but was just hurtful?.."

Hercules didn't have an answer. He frowned and looked down at his food. He could see where Lafayette was coming from. If he'd ever done something to hurt him or even his friends, for that matter, he'd never forgive himself. If that's the position that Thomas was in... "Okay.. I understand."

"Thank you. I'll be right back." He kissed Hercules's cheek, then left, leaving his things behind. He went through the hallways and looked around for Thomas, finding him talking to... Charles Lee?..

"Come on, man. You've got a thing for his boy and you can't really tell me that you're okay with them being together. Just slide him my way and he'll be out of your hair."

Lafayette's eyes went wide. Thomas couldn't seriously be considering it, could he?..

He paused, his response unclear.

That was all Lafayette needed. He gritted his teeth and stormed back to the cafeteria, stopping outside. How exactly would he go about this?.. Hey, John, Thomas, right after leaving because he felt bad for what he did, is giving Alexander over to his childhood bully? Hey, Alex, Thomas, who you're just starting to trust is handing you off to the guy who traumatized you?..

No. He couldn't do that. Thomas was going to say it himself or he was going to get caught and John was going to make him pay. He felt like maybe he should've told, but there was no right way. And it would've killed John to hear it from him instead of Thomas himself. If he had any sense of honor, he's tell them. But Lafayette was done trusting him.

Thomas left and began wandering the hallways, his bag slung over his shoulder and his posture uncharacteristically slumped as he wandered. God... He really was a monster... He really did that to the people he now called his friends, to the people that the man he loved called his friends. He hurt John and those he cared about just to get him back when he was clearly already happy...

He frowned and gripped his bag tighter. If it hadn't been for Alexander- No. No, that wasn't right and he knew it. John still loved him and he could've gotten him back easily, if he had just been a decent guy... He sighed and shook that thought from his head. Alexander was not to blame. Sure, Thomas himself didn't like him, but John loved him and he was in no position to get rid of him.

"Hey! Tall guy! Wait!"

Thomas instinctively paused, turning and tutting as he saw that loser who knocked down Alexander's books. He turned back around and kept walking.

"Hey! I said wait!" He ran over and made his way in front of Thomas, blocking his path. "Just a few seconds."

Thomas rolled his eyes and looked at his watch. "Ten seconds. Go."

"Okay. You like Hamilton's guy. It looks like you're a thing. I like Hamilton. Let me take him off your hands."

He tutted and shook his head. "Not a chance. John likes him and he doesn't like you."

"But I like him. Come on, a guy like you, you know how it is. Pick on someone 'cause you like them?" He noticed the split second of understanding in this guy's eyes and grinned, knowing he had him right where he wanted him. "Come on. You may not like him, but Hamilton's cute. And when I found out he was bi, that was it. My old man didn't want me being some queer, so I just started picking on him, but I'm 18 now. He doesn't tell me what to do or who I can be with and I want Alexander."

Thomas hesitated for a split second before shaking his head. "I guess I know your kind, I was a dick to try and get John too, but I had to work hard to really show him I was worth his time. Now, you've gotta do the same before he can think about letting you near Alex."

Lee rolled his eyes. "Come on, man. You've got a thing for his boy and you can't really tell me that you're okay with them being together. Just slide him my way and he'll be out of your hair."

Thomas hesitated. The offer was tempting...

[your-highnessmarvel]

Gate Keeper part three

Summary: Some say it’s not the journey that matters, but the destination. The destination justifies the journey. However, for him, the hunt was much more pleasurable than the meal.

Word count: 3188

Warnings: kissing, sexual tension, touching, smut (not saying exactly what).

Pairings: Tom Hiddleston x reader

Defiance. You decided that you would not give Tom – Mr. Hiddleston – what he wanted no matter what. You would not wear a skirt. Even on Thursday and Friday, when you were at school, you wore jeans or sweatpants. On Saturday, you closed yourself off at home, calling in “sick” at work and takin advantage of your occasional days. Sunday, you never worked, so you rolled on your favorite leggings and tapped into some homework.

Monday morning, sitting in your 8 am class, you couldn’t stop fidgeting. Your thumb nail was caught between your teeth, your knee bouncing up and down, down and up. Even if your eyes were glued to the black board and even if your pen was scribbling down notes, your mind was in Tom’s office, splayed before him as he tried to take your pants off. Even if your head nodded whenever the teacher asked a question, your memory was replaying the way his lips felt on yours and how his hands lit up a benzine fire on your flesh. He was plaguing you. Tom was everywhere; in your mind, on your body, even his God damned smell was still imprinted in your memory.

Your last class was too quick. Before you knew it, you were in the bus, on your way to Hiddleston et al. The name meant something so different now. Now you knew the man, heck, you’d been lying flat on his desk, panting and wet, ready for him to take the fuck out of you.

You knew your nerves were getting to you. The skin around your nails was raw. Your lips had been bitten for so long that they were imprinted with the shape of your teeth. You were wearing black leggings and a long, round-collar tee that hid your butt. Tom would surely make a whole fuss and walking parade over the fact that you weren’t wearing a skirt. But you would not, and could not, wear a skirt. If you had pants (or leggings), it would take that much longer for him to wiggle his way to his ultimate goal, and maybe you’d have time to make a rational decision.

When you were sitting at your desk, you made sure to quickly take out your homework and immerse yourself right in. You desperately, desperately, tried to forget that Tom was lurking somewhere on the top floor, maybe making his way down to meet you right now.

This time, he came at the end of your shift. You were packing up, making sure the doors were locked and the lights inside were off. You were packing up your school bag, pushing your hair behind your back, when the door opened and closed with a loud clamor. Surprised, you looked up to find Tom striding his way up to your desk, holding a small piece of paper between his fingers. Your stomach flooded with heat as his eyes made heated contact with yours. He dangled the paper before your face, giving you a tight-lipped smile.

“I need this.” His voice was rough, bordering exhaustion. When you looked at him more closely, you could see the fatigue in his eyes; prominent in the dark circles. Yet his pupils were blown, and his cheeks were slightly tinged with pink.

“I’m sorry, but my shift is over,” you answered. You could feel the heat in your face and your mouth was becoming heavy with stress, unable to articulate your words perfectly.

He huffed, licking his lips slowly and lusciously, making your eyes drop down ever the slightest to watch his mouth. “Darling, I am asking you to find this for me,” he insisted, his words hard and almost menacing, yet his eyes were sweet, and his mouth was stretched in a smile.

You inhaled sharply, dropping your bag onto the floor quite rudely. You tried to prove a point, that he was infringing policies and you were ticked off. You made as much noise as you shuffled through the drawer to get the keys, sighing as loudly as you could. Just because he ran this company didn’t give him the right to keep you from going home and getting some sleep before class tomorrow.

“Y/N, enough,” he growled, and the menacing tone with which he talked made you turn to him, wide-eyed and lips parted.

“As I said,” you gritted through clenched teeth, “this is the end of my shift.”

He smiled again, sultry and fancy, adjusting the black tie. He flattened it against the white crisp blouse he wore and took two dangerous steps towards you. “And as I said,” he replied, still with a humorous tone, “I am asking you to find these for me.” Then his face turned serious and he slipped the paper into your hand. He pinched your hand between his fingers, making sure to watch your face turn beet red.

Roughly, you wrenched your hand from his and quickly opened the door. He, obviously, followed you in and closed the second door quite loudly, making his point. He wanted you to know you weren’t getting out of there without his permission.

“These are some serious files,” you mumbled, expertly making your way in the old file room despite the dark. “Money laundering from the secretary of state back in 1987?”

“Just get me to the files, Miss Y/L/N,” Tom sighed. He was following close behind, his footsteps echoing in the silence that then took presence in the room.

You were still afraid that he’d notice you were not wearing a skirt. But he had not commented on the fact yet, and he was in a rather bad mood, which meant that if he did notice your lack of a skirt, he might act on it.

You led him to the 80s aisle and began to search through the boxes. It was pretty dark, only the emergency lights that were sprung here and there were enabling you to see. The room was a ghostly glow, blue and grey, which made all the shadows long and prominent. When you looked back at Tom, half his face was covered in shadows, the other half illuminated by the blue glow of the emergency lights.

“May I ask why you want these files?” you asked tentatively, turning back to look through the boxes.

“That’s none of your business, Y/N,” he answered. His voice was raspy, almost a whisper, as you felt him move an inch closer to you. Your heart lurched when you felt the familiarity of his hand caressing your shoulder, the warmth of his body illuminating your back.

Despite the feeling in your gut telling you to lean into him, to press yourself flush against his wanting body, you wanted to fight back.

“These are serious files,” you repeated, feeling your skin erupt with goosebumps. Your voice was breathless, mouth almost watering with the anticipation of what was to come.

“Enough with the questions,” he said, his hand skimming along your shoulder until his fingertips were grazing the sensitive skin of your neck. You had stopped searching for the box, and when you felt his lips make sweet contact with your skin, your eyes closed, and a soft sigh escaped your lips. His breath warmed your skin as he dragged his wet lips along your neck, inhaling your scent, pressing his hips against your behind. “I see you’ll never wear a skirt,” he mumbled against your skin, his hands gripping your shoulders as his lips continued to kiss the very sweet spot between your neck and shoulder.

You tried to speak, but his warm hands quickly made their way under your shirt. A small gasp caught in your throat, his hands skimming along your flesh, pulling goosebumps in their wake.

“You just want to make this difficult, don’t you?” he asked, his breathy voice right at your ear. He bent his head again, burying his face in your shoulder, his lips assaulting your skin. His hands inched their way upwards until they dove under the lace bralette you wore. The warmth of his hands engulfed both of your breasts, squeezing quite painfully until he released them with a groan. His breath was becoming jerky, his hips slowly rolling up against your ass.

When his thumb and index of each hand lightly squeezed both nipples, you couldn’t help the small whimper escaping your mouth. Your eyes shot open, delighted by the twitching jolts of pleasure and pain coursing through your body. Involuntarily, you arched your butt into his hips, searching for friction.

Suddenly, his hands wrenched from your body, and he twist you around to face him. You barely had time to register the lustful look in his eyes before his lips were on yours, demanding and rough. His tongue was attacking yours, his hands holding onto your jaw as if you were going to dissipate between his fingers at any moment. It was desperate and longingly devoted. Until his hands gripped the hem of your shirt, and he broke the kiss just to rip the shirt over your head.

Heaving, you were left in your thin bralette, your pebbled nipples visible through the translucent fabric. His hands lingered longingly on your waist as you watched him, his eyes wide, exploring your curves in the dark. Then he ripped both ends of the bralette off your body and the poor accessory was thrown onto the ground. His lips were back onto yours soon, the warmth of his wanting body heating your exposed skin. Your breasts were crushed against his chest, his hands again holding your jaw.

Like in his office the week before, he grabbed you around the waist and lifted you, enticing you to wrap your legs around his waist. A rough groan escaped his throat as you involuntarily grinded against the prominent bulge in his dress pants. The sound made a scorching pool of fire grow in your stomach, feeding the growing dampness between your legs.

He didn’t waste any time, turning your body away from the shelves and getting onto his knees, setting you bare onto the cold floor. A hiss broke through your lips, the cold making your nipples hard and prominent, your back arching off to avoid the iciness. You were helplessly offering yourself to him, breasts lingering before him, back arched, letting him settle comfortably between your legs. His erection was pressing quite hard against the heat between your legs.

His lips left yours to trail down your neck, your hands finding his hair, pulling at the roots. When your nipple was taken into the warm, wet heaven that was his mouth, you couldn’t help the loud moan that escaped you. You quickly covered your lips, biting onto your hand to keep the sounds from alerting anyone nearby.

He let your right nipple slide out of his mouth and his gaze found yours, his pupils blown and lust-filled. He pried your hands from your mouth, looking at you intently. “No one is here to hear you, darling,” he purred, dipping his head and taking you nipple right back into his mouth.

Despite the fact that everyone was probably home, you tried to keep your moans from hitting the high octaves. His tongue was expertly flicking, his left hand working on your unattended nipple. The sensation was making you rock your hips against his, brushing against his erection. A deep growl sounded from Tom as he slightly bit down on your nipple, a small yelp escaping your lips.

“If you continue to do that,” he said against your skin, “I won’t stop myself from fucking you.”

A shiver sliced down your spine and you moaned even louder when he turned his attention to your left breast, his mouth working wonderfully against your cool skin. He was lightly sucking, using his teeth to contrast the pleasure with pain.

His right hand snaked slowly down your body, rising goosebumps on your tummy. He reached the hem of your leggings, his fingers dipping quickly into your pants. You were anxiously waiting, bucking your hips nervously, arching your breasts against his mouth. Sensing your anticipation, he pinned your hips onto the floor quite painfully, groaning against your nipple to prove his point. Stay put.

His hand inched into your leggings, skimming your heated skin over your lacey panties. You were breathing so hard, the sound of your breaths echoing in the dark room. His mouth was working wonders, craftily suckling your nipple, the warmth and wetness of his mouth being heaven. When his long fingers gently rubbed you over your panties, a strangled yelp left your mouth and your hands squeezed the roots of his hair. You felt him smirk against your skin. His finger diligently rubbed your clit, slowly creating circles and waves, the pressure making your back arch.

When Tom pulled your panties aside and teased your entrance with his finger, your eyes rolled at the back of your head, a sigh leaving your lips. He dragged his middle finger from your core, collecting your arousal, until he reached your sweet little bundle of nerves. He gently rubbed it, not like other boys had done to you before. He was careful to listen to all your reactions. Your moans were softer and elongated, the pressure of his finger on your clit being wonderous.

When he pulled his hand away, you couldn’t help the whine that left your mouth.

He let your nipple slide out of his warm mouth with a wet pop. You immediately thought he was asking you to return the favor, so your hands reached forward until they were clasping his tie, pulling down to loosen it. His eyes snapped to yours, his hands wrapping around your wrists. He softly removed your hands from his tie, giving you a stern look. Again, your hands reached for his pants this time, not wanting to leave him unattended.

“Enough, Y/N,” he growled, pinning both your wrists on each side of your head. Then he reached for your leggings and in one go, had ripped the clothing from your body, tossing your sneakers aside. “I think I like the leggings now.”

He picked up your right leg, moving your bare foot onto his chest, and lay wet kisses from your ankle all the way to your knee, watching you intently with his burning blue gaze. You were still wanting more of those fingers on you, your need evident in the way you were wiggling your hips. Yet he was making this all drag out. He took your left leg and did the same, kissing your soft flesh until he reached your knees, then taking both ankles in each hand and spreading your legs wide.

Your eyes opened wide when he dipped forward, spraying feather-light kisses on the inside of your right thigh. His eyes kept finding yours, which made the heat in your stomach build up. He kissed the spot between your sex and the start of your thigh, and the moan that left your mouth made him groan in pleasure.

“I will make you cum on my tongue,” he whispered. “Is that alright, Y/N?” He looked up at you from between your legs, his brows pulled in concentration, not consideration. Yet the fact that he had asked you proved he was going out of his way not to push you.

Unable to form words, you nodded pitifully, returning your gaze to the ceiling.

He blew a warm breath against your core, the heat making your hips buck and a low moan escape you. Then he slow dragged the soaking fabric of your panties aside until you were fully exposed to him. He parted your glistening folds with his fingers, and slowly lay his tongue flat against your clit.

By instinct, your hand flew to your mouth to cover your moan. The other snaked into his hand and pulled, hard. You bit into your hand as he dragged his tongue along your folds, your entrance begging for him. With two licks, you were already a crumbling mess. Yet when he took your clit into his mouth and sucked, you lost it. You were seeing stars, the pleasure exploding in your body uncontrollable. You moaned against your hand, his tongue flicking and suckling. Then he entered his skilled tongue into you.

No one had ever done that to you before.

He continued this charade; sucking on your clit and fucking you with his tongue, until you could feel the pressure building in your stomach. Your legs wanted to close tightly around his head, yet he was keeping your right leg wide open with his hand. Your walls were beginning to clench around his tongue, his thumb working little, tight circles on the sensitive nub of nerves.

He replaced his thumb with his mouth, again suckling, and inserted one long finger into your heat. The moan that left your mouth was a moan you’d never heard yourself release. It was filled with pleasure, to the brink, sensual and almost pornographic. Yet his finger was perfectly curled, rubbing that sweet spot inside of you that no boy had ever been able to figure out. He dragged his finger in and out, suckling on your clit, your legs shaking and squeezing around his head.

You didn’t have to tell him you were on the edge of toppling over. He could feel the tightness of your walls, the intensity of your body, shaking and trembling because of him. He added a second finger, creating the most wonderful sensation of being full, and the stars exploded behind your closed lids.

You arched your back, your walls clenching around his fingers as he continued to drag them in and out at a perfectly fast pace. Your mouth was opened in a delicious moan, your hands gripping his hair for support. He was riding your orgasm out, his mouth still sucking and his fingers still working.

Then you were but a panting mess, your eyes closed, your forehead sweaty. He removed his fingers from you and kissed your sex once, removing the slickness from his lips. You weakly tried to reach for him, but when your eyes opened, he was sucking on his fingers and shaking his head.

“You need to get some sleep, darling,” he said, flashing you a million-dollar smile.

He replaced your panties over your dripping sex, careful to avoid the over-sensitive nub. Then he helped you back into your leggings and your shoes. You sat up then, feeling yourself woozy and dizzy, your head still feeling the effects of your orgasm. He helped you into your shirt and when you were fully dressed, helped you to your feet.

You wobbled slightly, feeling as if you could drop right there and sleep. He snaked an arm around your waist to keep you steady and chuckled.

“Looks like I’ll be driving you home,” he said.

“No, Tom, my bus is coming soon,” you replied.

“Darling, you missed your bus.” He chuckled, looking down at you with a burning gaze. “It’s the least I can do after I’ve basically rendered you into a mess.”

You couldn’t help the small smile that spread on your lips. “Fine.”

for my lovely @papi-chulo-bucky @fluasch @coley0823 @aekr @lavalavalaura @cecilia-truealfa 

[smutandfluffohmy]

101 random prompts

“Let’s build a fort!”    “Let’s fuck in the fort!”    “Yea totally- wait what”

 “Give me a hickey”  “What the hell why?”   “I told someone I had sex last night and I don’t want to look like a liar”   “Well when you put it like that”

“ I love when you moan my name”

“I like your hands they’d look really nice down my pants”

You took me to a bookstore and started talking about your favorite books and I’ve never been so turned on and hey do you want to do it in the science fiction section in the back?

“Sit on Santa’s lap and tell me what you want for Christmas” “It’s May and you’re wearing and old Santa hat stained with Eggnog”

“I’ll ride you if you help me do this scrapbook”

“No I won’t put the day we first had sex on the calendar”

“Let me grind on you”

“I’m feeling down you should feel me up”

“I want to kiss all your moles you have on your body”  “Well I think you should know I have a mole in my inner thigh”

“I bet you I can chug this entire bottle of Vodka”

“Wait I think your hands are the same size as my boobs let me check”

“Your hair is so nice when you barely wake up”

“Let me straddle you” 

“Kiss my neck”

“I’m a virgin but damn abstinence only works 99.9% of the time”

“No why would you make a playlist for when we have sex?” “I don’t know to lighten th-” “Why is the only songs on here from the musical ‘Hamilton’?”

 We came to the library for a quickie but hold up this book looks interesting

I’m always down for Netflix and chill but wait babe this movie is really scary protect me

You put your hand between my thighs and oh god I almost chocked on my drink

You’re taking a shower in my house and my mom doesn’t know and oh god shes walking in let me get in here with you and shut up (Yes this is the Pretty Little Liar scene with Hannah)

Let me sit on your lap as I do my homework

“Shut up you’re like 12″ “I’M OLDER THAN YOU”

I got drunk last night and I don’t know if we actually slept together or if it was just a dream and I can’t look you in the eye till I figure it out

I’m an English major and you’re a History major and we’ve been arguing about Alexander Hamilton’s writing skills for an hour

You were looking for a room mate and I showed up and oh my god you’re hot I suddenly forgot how to speak

AU where you can only see color when you touch your soulmate and oh my god I just meet you and saw color the first being the color of your eyes. You look at me in confusion and I don’t know if you see it too and it’s killing me not to ask.

Your girlfriend is an asshole and talks shit about you behind your back and she took it to far and I accidentally punched her in the face.

We’re both MMA fighters and in sparing we got teamed up together. At first you refused to hit a girl but then I knocked you on your ass.

Time travel AU. We accidentally time traveled to Massachusetts in 1692 and accused of being witches/wizards and luckly for you my mother dragged me to church every sunday.

I’ve been learning SAT words so I can use them when I talk to you in order to piss you off

We’ve been arguing if J.R.R Tolkien is better or George RR Martin

We’re the hottest but nerdiest couple on campus

We’re lab partners and the knife slipped and I cut my finger and passed out at the sight of blood

You’re my dream guy and oh my god my face got red when you looked at me and you think I may be dehydrated so you’re walking over here

“Why are you studying to become a doctor if you faint at the sight of blood?!” “I’m working on it okay!”

“I can’t believe you got me sick” “I told you not to kiss me but you didn’t listen”

“What do you mean you want 11 kids” “I WANT TO MAKE MY OWN FOOTBALL TEAM OKAY”

“Why do you want 12 kids anyway?” “One for each doctor okay” “YOU WANT 12 KIDS BECAUSE OF DOCTOR WHO”

We really hit it off yesterday but the next morning I sneak out of your house because oh my god class starts in half an hour. I get to my first class and OH MY GOD YOURE MY PROFESSOR

“I promise you I’m not trying to poison you this time just take the cookie”

We’re neighbors but our walls are very thin and oh my god I can hear you singing “Shut up this isn’t Phantom of the opera it’s 3 am” I said as I pounded on the wall but I accidentally hit it too hard and oh my god hi

i know you’re a prostitute and I found out that I’m your first client and oh my god I love you let me make this a pretty women kinda thing

“Tell me was it worth cheating on me? Is the hell I’m about to make your life worth it?”

“Just try and touch me so I can kick your ass”

“I’ll break your neck if you ever even look at them”

"I love you don't you dare say I don't"

"I'd watch all the harry potter movies with you"

"Your house is one book short from becoming a library" "That's the nicest things you've ever said to me"

Harry Potter AU "Red hair... and a hand me down robe. You must be a Weasley!" "Ok first of all this is vintage and second of all what the fuck is a Weasley" 

Harry Potter Quiditch AU "I don't know if I hit my head really hard or all my dreams are coming true. Does any one else see the two hot gingers or is it just me?"

Harry Potter AU "Is it just me or are all the Weasleys hot?"

Harry Potter AU "This isn't real you people are just in books"

Harry Potter AU "I know what happens in the books I'm sure as hell not leaving not now" "But you don't have any magic" "You have tricks and jokes I could use" "You want to fight a war using jokes? God I think I love you"

Harry Potter AU "My father will hear about this" "Okay Malfoy get your PTA dad to speak to the school board"

Harry Potter AU "I know i'm in Slytherin but to hell if you think I would ever betray Harry Potter screw Pansy Parkinson screw the rest of you that would betray Dumbledore.Harry,Dumbledore trusted you so I will trust you"

Harry Potter AU "Stop saying I'm bad just because I'm in Slytherin. I stood with you even your house mates didn't"

Harry Potter AU "What happened to you? You used to be so sweet and kind. What is this of using unforgivable curses left and right" "Oh don't you see *enter character name here* I'm doing all of this for you"

Harry Potter AU "Whos Voldemort and why are you all scared of him?" "What do you mean why?" "He sounds like a bloody loser he's what 70 years old obsessed with a teenage boy that's what they call predators”

Harry Potter x OUAT Cross over AU "Molly I can save him but you're going to have to trust me.It can only work if he truly loves me if not splitting my heart will kill me too"

"Marry me" "Wait what me?"

"Marry me" "Marry me" "Oh jinks so I guess we know each others answers"

"What are you doing?" "I'm touching your collar bones?" "My collar bones are up here your hands are too low"

No I'm not trying to seduce you it's just really hot and here and I'm wearing a lot of layers

"Look at him one more time and I will punch your fucking face in"

"Hey I'm not trying to hit on you but are you an angel" "Why would you say that?" "I can see your wings"

Soulmate AU All your life it physically hurts when you try to say 'I love you'. You can only say it to your soulmate

"Lets make out in your car"

Puritan time AU "I think the devil has taken over my soul" "Why do you say such things?" "Because I want you in a sinful way" (I’ve been reading ‘The crucible’ don’t judge me)

You're my guardian angel and oh my god are all angels this attractive

It's Halloween and you're modeling different outfits you want to wear and they're all very revealing and it's suddenly getting very hard to  breathe 

I will punch your teeth in so far down your throat your ass will have cavities if you ever try to flirt with my boy/girlfriend ever again

You're a demon and I'm an angel. Well I guess opposites really do attract

We slept with each other after we met in a Halloween and the next morning we wake up at my place "Your wings are coming out of your back!" "You could see my wings all this time and never said anything" "I thought it was a costume!"

"What was that all about" "They were hitting on you" "So you decided to break their nose?" "Someone had to do it"

"I don't like your last name how about you take mine"

FBAWTFT AU "Newt I'm your sister I know when you like someone"

"You think I like being immortal? I've seen everyone I ever cared about die"

Harry Potter AU "All of the wizarding world thinks I'm a freak because I'm immortal and can't explain it"

Harry Potter AU "You really shouldn't like me Mr.Weasley I went to school with your mum and dad" "So you're as old as my mum and dad" "Oh god no don't be silly" "Ok good because it would be reall-" "I'm much much older than them"

Harry Potter AU "I've lived to serve in the first order. I lived through the Salem witch trials and lived so I will not be lectured by some stupid school boy"

"Quick kiss me"

"Stop being a brat"

"Don't swallow!" "That's not what you said last night" "I'm being serious you just drank a very poisonous spell"

"get on your knees"

"You make my knees weak"

"I've had your tongue down my throat and you're complaining about my spit now"

"He's a bit older than me yea" "He's 5000 years older than you!" "Yea but he looks 18 it's fine"

"Shut up and kiss me"

"You're hot" "I know"

"Do you want to "study" at my place" "Ok you're hot and i'd bang you in an instant but I really need your help in these math problems"

"I'd love to buy a house with you"

"I want to get married to you and only you for the rest of my life"

"If this isn't love then I don't know what love is"

"I like pretty things and you aren't pretty sorry"

"I don't like you I like your dad"

"I really do love you"

"I love you with everything I have"

"You're the hot one in this relationship"

"I've never loved anyone as much as I love you"

[redjayson]

Okay so in Batman Beyond there's an episode where Bruce and Terry go see a 'Batman Musical', just imagine that goes on in Gotham and Jason finds out and asks(forces/tricks) the batfam to go.

i’m finally answering this! i had a really rough week, which is why this took a while, but i kept thinking about this prompt and laughing, so thank you for that.

and on that note: are you serious, that’s amazing. i vaguely remember watching batman beyond but i don’t actually remember all that much about it. i’ll need to look this up.

but yes. yes. i want this to be a Thing.

i want to imagine it as something between holy musical b@man! and the ember island players. like. just picture the kind of crazy misinformed shit that these people are tossing into the mix because what’s the truth and what’s the lie, no one knows, they’re going to make a musical about batman and his however many kids/sidekicks anyway

(they people putting on this play are probably college students)

(stephanie has probably dropped by to help with set designs and laughed herself sick in the process)

getting back on track, how does jason find out about it?

there are two ways i think it could happen. one: jason loves lit. we know this. he collected first editions with alfred and bruce when he was a kid. in my personal experience, if you like lit, you almost definitely like theater in some sense as well. at the very least you’ve read plays. 

jason holds his goddamn red hood helmet like he’s hamlet and it’s yorick.

trust me, he likes plays.

so maybe he pays attention to the kinds of plays that are being shown around gotham. he likes going to some of the matinee performances on saturday and sunday afternoons – he can’t go in the evening because he has to patrol. sometimes alfred goes with him. it’s…nice. and yeah, going to performances means that sometimes he goes to the gotham university performances as well. they actually have pretty good ones. a couple years ago they put on the importance of being earnest and then twelfth night the next semester. he was too busy when they were putting on godspell and west side story to be able to go see them, which he’s still disappointed about.

anyway. it’s not like whoever’s putting on this ridiculous play is keeping secret about the fact that they’re making it about batman and co. 

(i’ve made up my mind: it’s definitely the university kids that are putting it on. they’re the team starkid of gotham city. i bet a bunch of them said, “hey, we should do this, and also i bet it could count as our senior thesis” and they all went along with it and now they can’t turn back. they don’t want to turn back. this is going to amazing or they’re going to be arrested by batman, but god, what a way to go.)

so jason finds out, and, like steph, he busts a gut laughing about it before deciding that this is awesome and he’s definitely going to bully the rest of the family into seeing it with him. every time he thinks about bruce’s face he just starts laughing all over again. oh man. it’s going to be amazing. 

the other way that jason finds out, though: 

campus isn’t his usual haunt, but he’s been following some jackass with a connection to one of his open cases. spoiler has too much homework to help him, but she’s already given him the go-ahead to work on campus, which is nominally her space to patrol/operate in. 

and this dude – it doesn’t really matter what he did. he’s connected to drugs or he’s friends with the wrong person or he’s done something else. jason’s going to get everything he needs from the guy and then drop him off at the precinct. with a bullet to the leg if he really annoys jason. 

the thing is, the dude’s a member of the make-up crew for the batman musical. they’re doing dress rehearsals tonight. jason’s in full armor because he just wants to get this done and get back to his regular patrol routes as soon as possible. (like the rest of gotham, the campus is easy to grapple around. jason doesn’t have to touch the ground and shadows his target from the rooftops.)

the guy goes into the theater building. jason needs to make sure that he’s not meeting with anyone before jason grabs him. that’s why he didn’t take him out during any of the time that it took for the guy to cross campus to the theater building. meeting at the theater would be a good cover; there’s so much happening when rehearsing, so many people coming in and out, in all sorts of costumes and make up – if you needed to meet someone clandestinely, there are worse places that civilians have thought were secret. 

jason slides through a window, makes his way up into the balcony seats so he can spy (gotham university has a very nice theater. in the past, the waynes have donated generously to it), and –

“oh my god,” jason says, staring at the stage. 

he ducks down so that none of the actors can see him if they look up from their acting and past the lights to the balcony. jason tries to keep his laughter quiet, but it’s so fucking funny.

when he’s finally regained control of himself, he decides to just go for it. he feels a little bad about interrupting their rehearsal, but hey. gotham is all about unexpected surprises, and really, what else were they expecting when they decided to make a play about batman?

“can anyone point me to where brad merritt is?” jason calls as he strolls into the auditorium. his shit-eating grin is hidden beneath the helmet.

the actors all grind to a sudden stop. 

“um,” says an actor who’s probably meant to be the replacement. he looks at actor-nightwing. actor-nightwing turns to actor-batman. 

“he’s in the back with the rest of the make-up crew,” actor-batman says. 

“cool,” jason says, hopping up onto the stage and walking past them. he shoots them friendly finger guns. “you’ll need to replace him. he’s going to be in jail opening week.”

behind the stage, jason catches a glimpse of brad before he takes in red hood stalking towards him and bolts. 

“you get the assholes on campus next time, spoiler,” jason grumbles, and then he’s taking off after his target. 

so jason knows and he is all about that. he is going to see that shit opening night. he’s so damn ready. 

“stephanie,” he complains, sprawled out on her couch and finishing off the leftover lo mein that was in her fridge. “why didn’t you tell me what the university kids were doing?”

“what university kids?” steph asks, head still bent over her chemistry textbook. 

“the theater kids,” jason says. “the batman play.”

stephanie looks up, already laughing. “i know, right?” she says. “i’ve been helping out with some of the sets in my spare time and i’ve heard bits of it and it’s going to be a thing of wonder.” she grins. “they’ve even got spoiler in it!”

“hell yeah,” jason says, getting up to throw away the lo mein carton and high-fiving steph as he passes. he sits next to her at the table. “you think we can convince the rest of the family to go?”

“i can get cass and tim,” steph says. 

“i can definitely get alfred,” jason says. “probably also dick.”

they look at each other. 

“he’s your dad,” steph says. 

“he’s not my–” jason starts, then shakes his head. “goddammit. fine. if i get bruce to go, he’ll make damian go, as a…family bonding thing or something. two for one.”

“awesome,” steph says. “i didn’t want to try to convince the little hellion to go, anyway.”

“you’re in charge of babs,” jason says. 

“sure,” steph says. 

they fall into an easy silence. steph turns back to her chemistry work. 

“you did that last problem wrong,” jason says, craning his head to look at her work.

steph throws her pencil at his head. 

it takes two bribes, a guilt trip, and five minutes for dick to stop laughing (which jason will tolerate, because he did the exact same thing), but the entire wayne family, stephanie brown, and barbara gordon show up to the gotham university theater the opening night of The Batman Musical. 

the actual name of the musical is something else, but to their family, it’s just The Batman Musical.

jason’s still horrendously disappointed he didn’t get to surprise bruce with the news of there being a play about their family. he was treasuring the idea of what bruce’s face was going to do.

“i pay attention to the theater scene, jason,” bruce said when jason brought it up. “as does alfred.”

yes, jason knew. 

“and i pay attention to anything to do with batman,” bruce added. in case they get anywhere too close to the truth, he didn’t say out loud, but jason could hear the subtext just fine. paranoia, thy name is bat. 

“but you’ll go see it with us, right?” jason asked. 

bruce turned back to his computer.

cue the guilt trip and bruce’s eventual acquiescence. if jason didn’t get to see bruce’s face at the whole idea of it, then at the very least he was going to make absolutely sure that bruce would be at the performance. 

damian’s look of disgust at the whole idea of it nearly made up for the disappointment with bruce, anyway. 

they show their tickets at the door and are shown to their seats. they take up a good portion of an entire row. jason makes sure to place himself between steph and alfred. there’s a brief scuffle when tim almost ends up sitting next to damian, before bruce sighs, pushes them apart, and sits between the two of them. cass leans her head against steph’s shoulder, half-asleep; she’d had a long night, apparently. barbara catches jason’s eye and looks reluctantly amused at this whole thing. dick is flipping through the playbill on damian’s other side and laughing very, very quietly. 

the musical starts and it is, indeed, a thing of wonder. 

highlights of the play, since i’m not going to actually figure out what the plot of it would be:

batman dealing with villains and every so often just picking up a child and handing them a domino mask. congratulations you are now my vigilante sidekick. 

in the audience, in reaction to one scene in the play jason and stephanie say, perfectly in sync: “did robin just die?”

cass, her head still leaning against steph’s shoulder: “you know...it was really unclear.”

jason and stephanie burst into raucous laughter

people don’t know much about about oracle, but she’s been active for a while, and some information must have spread. still. the general public has no idea what oracle looks like or what gender they are, so i present to you that the role of oracle in The Batman Musical is played by someone who wanders around in a bright green morphsuit and occasionally disseminates information when the batfam needs it

so many wonderful songs. jason and stephanie are already making plans to ask if the university is going to put out an album afterwards. if not, they’re pretty sure that they can convince dick and/or bruce to let them help fund one

damian is So Offended at first, but he gradually gets into it, because there’s some poking fun at batman and the idea of vigilantes in general, etc., but at the core of it the love that gotham feels for batman and his family really seeps through.

[gabriellakirtonblog]

I Wanted to Train Elite Athletes. This Is Exactly How I Made It Happen

Becoming a strength and conditioning coach had been a dream of mine ever since I got into the fitness industry a decade ago. A big part of my dream included helping elite athletes become—and remain—elite.

Like most new trainers, I got my feet wet by training the general population in my hometown of Helsinki, Finland. Meanwhile, I would spend whatever free time I had reading books written by Poliquin, Boyle, DeFranco, Zatsiorsky, and other big names in the field.

As much as those resources helped me learn theory, I knew I’d never train any athletes unless I made the conscious commitment to pursuing just that. It sounds odd looking back now, but at the time I had serious doubts if I could make the jump from personal trainer to strength coach.

The latter requires being well-versed in the science and practice of powerlifting, Olympic lifting, sprinting and jumping, conditioning, rehab, and anything else that goes into building stronger, faster, more resilient athletes. Most importantly, you need to have the organizational and leadership skills to run a weight room. It’s a completely different world than working 1-on-1 with a client or running a 6 a.m. bootcamp for soccer moms.

I needed a way in. I decided to find a mentor who was doing what I wanted to do and could show me the ropes. I also hoped that I could land an internship with an ice hockey strength coach who had experience working with college and professional players because that’s the clientele I hoped to train.

Did I make it? Yes. Was it easy? No. But I learned a lot along the way.

Step 1: Do your homework

Breaking into any new industry without prior experience and/or the right connections is difficult. I know for a fact that many hockey clubs hire ex-players as strength coaches these days. You can’t overlook the benefit of being an insider and knowing the people who make hiring decisions.

And if you want to become a strength coach in a sport you didn’t play at a high level (like me), you have to work even harder to get a chance to prove yourself. In the beginning, it’s not what you know, or how skilled you are as a coach; it’s about who you know.

READ ALSO: “Do Trainers Need a College Degree to be Successful?”

For me, it would take much more than a phone call to an old teammate who (conveniently) happens to run the show at one of the biggest clubs in the country, and letting him know I’d be interested in a job, thank you very much.

I would have to chase my opportunities.

In the meantime, I read all the classic training books by accomplished strength coaches, watched DVDs, and attended seminars. When the day came, I wanted to know enough about training hockey players that my lack of athletic glory wouldn’t be viewed as a negative.

Step 2: Seek the right help

Now I had to land an internship with an experienced strength coach who specialized in training hockey players. I also wanted to speak to coaches who were developing athletes, not merely training established ones.

I had no luck in Finland. I cast my net wider and Googled hockey strength coaches in Europe. Again, nothing. Either there were no accomplished coaches in Europe I could learn from, or they weren’t active online

READ ALSO: “How to Build an Online Following from Scratch”

All the accomplished coaches seemed to be on the other side of the pond in North America. I focused on three who had a lot of experience training hockey players: Mike Boyle, Kevin Neeld, and Ben Prentiss.

Boyle was the first strength and conditioning coach at Boston University, where he worked with the men’s hockey team for close to three decades. He also worked with the Boston Bruins and the Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team.

Neeld also spent several years as the strength coach for the U.S. women’s national team and ran a successful training facility catering to junior, college, and pro hockey players, as well as athletes from other sports in New Jersey. He later became assistant strength coach with the San Jose Sharks.

Prentiss’ facility in Connecticut draws some of the world’s best players for offseason conditioning, including players from every NHL team. He’s also consulted with the New York Rangers.

Step 3: Reach out 

I couldn’t see myself forging a relationship with a mentor just by blasting out my résumé to coaches on the other side of the world. If I wanted a real shot, I’d have to pack my bags, head over to the U.S., and make connections in person.

Of course, I couldn’t just show up unannounced at someone’s facility and ask for an internship. I reached out to a handful of coaches, requesting an opportunity to observe how they train athletes. This is the email template I used to approach Neeld, Prentiss, and Eric Cressey:

Hi [name],

I am writing to you because in June I will be traveling from Finland to the U.S., visiting some of the best strength and conditioning coaches and facilities in the industry to learn more about athletic development.

Would it be okay if I stopped by to see how you do things? I know you’re extremely busy and I value your time. I’d be willing to pay you whatever the investment is for an afternoon or two of observing how you train your athletes, or whatever time you have available.

Thank you!

I was surprised when both Neeld and Prentiss welcomed me for a visit. Neeld was offering a one-week mentorship program at the time. I thought it would be an excellent opportunity for me to pick his brain over several days, so I signed up for it right away. Pete Dupuis, who runs the operation at Cressey Sports Performance, also gave me the thumbs up for an afternoon visit.

Three “yeses” was thrilling. I also contacted Mike Boyle through his forum at strengthcoach.com, where he okayed my request to come observe his training for an afternoon at MBSC. I now had four observational opportunities lined up at some of the best training facilities in the world.

Step 4: Show up ready to learn

With nothing guaranteed beyond the chance to observe, I bought my ticket and flew over to the U.S.

The week with Neeld was the most memorable. I spent the first day watching people train and asking Kevin a ton of questions. Out of nowhere on the second day, he told me to jump in and help coach their athletes.

The next day, I asked if he had an open internship later that summer. He said yes, we worked out the details, and I ended up interning at Endeavor Sports Performance for 11 weeks.

READ ALSO: “How to Make Sure You Aren’t One of the Bad Trainers Ruining Our Profession”

Prentiss Hockey Performance also impressed me. The client list includes NHL stars like Martin St. Louis, Jonathan Quick, and Max Pacioretty. I was able to turn that afternoon visit into a one-week internship, and an amazing learning experience.

I was surprised how easily both internship opportunities came my way. All I had to do was ask. I’m sure it helped that I traveled so far to show my desire to learn from accomplished coaches. 

Another key lesson: You’re much more likely to get a positive response when you offer to pay a coach for his time. Some will charge you, some won’t. But all of them, in my experience, are more likely to help when you say upfront that you’re willing to compensate them.

Step 5: Make it pay off

I’m not going to lie. My financials took a big hit during my time in the U.S. Between airfare, lodging, and what I paid to study under Neeld and Prentiss, I spent well over $10,000 that summer. It was a ton of money at the time. But the practical experience and confidence I obtained far exceeded whatever amount I spent.

So, what happened when I got back home?

In sales, there’s a concept called “dialing for dollars,” where you pick up the phone and cold-call people to sell them your product or service. That’s what I did. After creating a list of 10 or so junior hockey clubs in my area, I started dialing.

In hindsight, I lucked out. The director of coaching at the first club I called asked for a meeting. We agreed that I would take charge of strength and conditioning for the club’s U17 team the next season.

READ ALSO: “What to Keep in Mind Before You Offer Free Coaching”

I then volunteered with the club’s U20 team, which didn’t have a strength coach at the time. I didn’t earn a cent from training the older players that first year, but it didn’t matter. I was coaching some of the best young hockey players in Finland—which currently provides close to 6 percent of the NHL’s active players. Several of my athletes went on to play professionally, including a few who were drafted into the NHL. Years later, I still train a number of them in the offseason.

From the beginning I made myself available. If an injured player wanted to lift at 9 a.m. on a Sunday, I’d be there. If a player or their parent asked me to help rehab a knee or shoulder injury, that’s what I did.

It worked. Within a year I was training two U18 teams along with the U20 team, and the next year I added the club’s pro team to my responsibilities. So just two years after traveling to the U.S. on my own dime, I was overseeing four different teams.

Now it’s your turn

For me, training athletes is the best job in the world. But it’s not a way to get rich quickly. Be prepared to work a side job or two to support yourself financially until you get a full-time position. Pay your dues. Build your reputation. Deliver a quality training experience, and most important of all, get results for your athletes.

The payoff comes later—sometimes much later—but it’s there for those who earn it.

  Ready for Your Career to Take Off?

You’ve read this success story. What about yours? Since 2013, nobody has helped liberate more fitness professionals from the morning-to-night daily grind than Jonathan Goodman. Now it’s your turn.

Pick up your copy of the limited-edition, two-book box set The Highly Wealthy Online Trainer. You’ll learn the two habits needed to break free and the marketing strategies essential to creating buzz around your services.

Compiled here for the first time, these action plans will empower you to think and act differently, and reap the rewards. Why a box set? Because marketing strategy is worthless unless it is acted upon, and that requires good habits. The two go together.

What you get:

Book #1: Habits of Highly Wealthy Online Trainers

Book #2: Marketing Breakthroughs of Highly Wealthy Online Trainers

Don’t wait. Order your copies today.

    The post I Wanted to Train Elite Athletes. This Is Exactly How I Made It Happen appeared first on The PTDC.

I Wanted to Train Elite Athletes. This Is Exactly How I Made It Happen published first on https://onezeroonesarms.tumblr.com/

[fitono]

I Wanted to Train Elite Athletes. This Is Exactly How I Made It Happen

Becoming a strength and conditioning coach had been a dream of mine ever since I got into the fitness industry a decade ago. A big part of my dream included helping elite athletes become—and remain—elite.

Like most new trainers, I got my feet wet by training the general population in my hometown of Helsinki, Finland. Meanwhile, I would spend whatever free time I had reading books written by Poliquin, Boyle, DeFranco, Zatsiorsky, and other big names in the field.

As much as those resources helped me learn theory, I knew I’d never train any athletes unless I made the conscious commitment to pursuing just that. It sounds odd looking back now, but at the time I had serious doubts if I could make the jump from personal trainer to strength coach.

The latter requires being well-versed in the science and practice of powerlifting, Olympic lifting, sprinting and jumping, conditioning, rehab, and anything else that goes into building stronger, faster, more resilient athletes. Most importantly, you need to have the organizational and leadership skills to run a weight room. It’s a completely different world than working 1-on-1 with a client or running a 6 a.m. bootcamp for soccer moms.

I needed a way in. I decided to find a mentor who was doing what I wanted to do and could show me the ropes. I also hoped that I could land an internship with an ice hockey strength coach who had experience working with college and professional players because that’s the clientele I hoped to train.

Did I make it? Yes. Was it easy? No. But I learned a lot along the way.

Step 1: Do your homework

Breaking into any new industry without prior experience and/or the right connections is difficult. I know for a fact that many hockey clubs hire ex-players as strength coaches these days. You can’t overlook the benefit of being an insider and knowing the people who make hiring decisions.

And if you want to become a strength coach in a sport you didn’t play at a high level (like me), you have to work even harder to get a chance to prove yourself. In the beginning, it’s not what you know, or how skilled you are as a coach; it’s about who you know.

READ ALSO: “Do Trainers Need a College Degree to be Successful?”

For me, it would take much more than a phone call to an old teammate who (conveniently) happens to run the show at one of the biggest clubs in the country, and letting him know I’d be interested in a job, thank you very much.

I would have to chase my opportunities.

In the meantime, I read all the classic training books by accomplished strength coaches, watched DVDs, and attended seminars. When the day came, I wanted to know enough about training hockey players that my lack of athletic glory wouldn’t be viewed as a negative.

Step 2: Seek the right help

Now I had to land an internship with an experienced strength coach who specialized in training hockey players. I also wanted to speak to coaches who were developing athletes, not merely training established ones.

I had no luck in Finland. I cast my net wider and Googled hockey strength coaches in Europe. Again, nothing. Either there were no accomplished coaches in Europe I could learn from, or they weren’t active online

READ ALSO: “How to Build an Online Following from Scratch”

All the accomplished coaches seemed to be on the other side of the pond in North America. I focused on three who had a lot of experience training hockey players: Mike Boyle, Kevin Neeld, and Ben Prentiss.

Boyle was the first strength and conditioning coach at Boston University, where he worked with the men’s hockey team for close to three decades. He also worked with the Boston Bruins and the Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team.

Neeld also spent several years as the strength coach for the U.S. women’s national team and ran a successful training facility catering to junior, college, and pro hockey players, as well as athletes from other sports in New Jersey. He later became assistant strength coach with the San Jose Sharks.

Prentiss’ facility in Connecticut draws some of the world’s best players for offseason conditioning, including players from every NHL team. He’s also consulted with the New York Rangers.

Step 3: Reach out 

I couldn’t see myself forging a relationship with a mentor just by blasting out my résumé to coaches on the other side of the world. If I wanted a real shot, I’d have to pack my bags, head over to the U.S., and make connections in person.

Of course, I couldn’t just show up unannounced at someone’s facility and ask for an internship. I reached out to a handful of coaches, requesting an opportunity to observe how they train athletes. This is the email template I used to approach Neeld, Prentiss, and Eric Cressey:

Hi [name],

I am writing to you because in June I will be traveling from Finland to the U.S., visiting some of the best strength and conditioning coaches and facilities in the industry to learn more about athletic development.

Would it be okay if I stopped by to see how you do things? I know you’re extremely busy and I value your time. I’d be willing to pay you whatever the investment is for an afternoon or two of observing how you train your athletes, or whatever time you have available.

Thank you!

I was surprised when both Neeld and Prentiss welcomed me for a visit. Neeld was offering a one-week mentorship program at the time. I thought it would be an excellent opportunity for me to pick his brain over several days, so I signed up for it right away. Pete Dupuis, who runs the operation at Cressey Sports Performance, also gave me the thumbs up for an afternoon visit.

Three “yeses” was thrilling. I also contacted Mike Boyle through his forum at strengthcoach.com, where he okayed my request to come observe his training for an afternoon at MBSC. I now had four observational opportunities lined up at some of the best training facilities in the world.

Step 4: Show up ready to learn

With nothing guaranteed nothing beyond the chance to observe, I bought my ticket and flew over to the U.S.

The week with Neeld was the most memorable. I spent the first day watching people train and asking Kevin a ton of questions. Out of nowhere on the second day, he told me to jump in and help coach their athletes.

The next day, I asked if he had an open internship later that summer. He said yes, we worked out the details, and I ended up interning at Endeavor Sports Performance for 11 weeks.

READ ALSO: “How to Make Sure You Aren’t One of the Bad Trainers Ruining Our Profession”

Prentiss Hockey Performance also impressed me. The client list includes NHL stars like Martin St. Louis, Jonathan Quick, and Max Pacioretty. I was able to turn that afternoon visit into a one-week internship, and an amazing learning experience.

I was surprised how easily both internship opportunities came my way. All I had to do was ask. I’m sure it helped that I traveled so far to show my desire to learn from accomplished coaches. 

Another key lesson: You’re much more likely to get a positive response when you offer to pay a coach for his time. Some will charge you, some won’t. But all of them, in my experience, are more likely to help when you say upfront that you’re willing to compensate them.

Step 5: Make it pay off

I’m not going to lie. My financials took a big hit during my time in the U.S. Between airfare, lodging, and what I paid to study under Neeld and Prentiss, I spent well over $10,000 that summer. It was a ton of money at the time. But the practical experience and confidence I obtained far exceeded whatever amount I spent.

So, what happened when I got back home?

In sales, there’s a concept called “dialing for dollars,” where you pick up the phone and cold-call people to sell them your product or service. That’s what I did. After creating a list of 10 or so junior hockey clubs in my area, I started dialing.

In hindsight, I lucked out. The director of coaching at the first club I called asked for a meeting. We agreed that I would take charge of strength and conditioning for the club’s U17 team the next season.

READ ALSO: “What to Keep in Mind Before You Offer Free Coaching”

I then volunteered with the club’s U20 team, which didn’t have a strength coach at the time. I didn’t earn a cent from training the older players that first year, but it didn’t matter. I was coaching some of the best young hockey players in Finland—which currently provides close to 6 percent of the NHL’s active players. Several of my athletes went on to play professionally, including a few who were drafted into the NHL. Years later, I still train a number of them in the offseason.

From the beginning I made myself available. If an injured player wanted to lift at 9 a.m. on a Sunday, I’d be there. If a player or their parent asked me to help rehab a knee or shoulder injury, that’s what I did.

It worked. Within a year I was training two U18 teams along with the U20 team, and the next year I added the club’s pro team to my responsibilities. So just two years after traveling to the U.S. on my own dime, I was overseeing four different teams.

Now it’s your turn

For me, training athletes is the best job in the world. But it’s not a way to get rich quickly. Be prepared to work a side job or two to support yourself financially until you get a full-time position. Pay your dues. Build your reputation. Deliver a quality training experience, and most important of all, get results for your athletes.

The payoff comes later—sometimes much later—but it’s there for those who earn it.

  Ready for Your Career to Take Off?

You’ve read this success story. What about yours? Since 2013, nobody has helped liberate more fitness professionals from the morning-to-night daily grind than Jonathan Goodman. Now it’s your turn.

Pick up your copy of the limited-edition, two-book box set The Highly Wealthy Online Trainer. You’ll learn the two habits needed to break free and the marketing strategies essential to creating buzz around your services.

Compiled here for the first time, these action plans will empower you to think and act differently, and reap the rewards. Why a box set? Because marketing strategy is worthless unless it is acted upon, and that requires good habits. The two go together.

What you get:

Book #1: Habits of Highly Wealthy Online Trainers

Book #2: Marketing Breakthroughs of Highly Wealthy Online Trainers

Don’t wait. Order your copies today.

    The post I Wanted to Train Elite Athletes. This Is Exactly How I Made It Happen appeared first on The PTDC.

I Wanted to Train Elite Athletes. This Is Exactly How I Made It Happen published first on https://medium.com/@MyDietArea

[cosmosogler]

hi.

last night my jaw and teeth and the sides of my head were hurting so bad that i actually couldn’t sleep. i was so exhausted that i did doze off for quite a while, but i woke up many times and had to try to adjust my position to put as little pressure as possible on the front or sides of my head.

i flop around when i sleep so this happened a lot.

i went to bed before 12 and then got up at like 9. so i did get enough sleep total. but it was not broken up into nicely-sized chunks. it was like waking up every fifteen minutes.

my teeth and head have been in... severe? pain all day. it’s made it very hard to focus. i’ve been trying really hard not to grind my teeth because that makes it five million times worse almost immediately.

i think it’s because i was violently shaken many times yesterday on the roller coasters. getting yanked around corkscrews knocked my jaws together.

ok. i spent the morning doing laundry mostly. mother picked me up for lunch and then we went shopping. then i spent the afternoon finishing the laundry and putting everything away. we got enough cat litter to last me through next semester i think, ha. 

i ended up just not telling mom or my brother that i’d been hit by a motorcycle a few weeks ago. it just didn’t seem like... something i should say, i guess.

when mom was taking me and my brother to dinner she made a left turn in front of some oncoming traffic and then just stopped at the curb, leaving us sitting across two lanes. the car coming along the road did not slow down. it got close enough that my brother and i were urgently yelling at mom. whatever had stopped her, she got over it and rolled into the parking lot right before the car clipped the corner of our trunk.

if it had hit us (since the driver continued to decide not to stop or slow down in any way) my brother on the passenger side would probably have been seriously injured. mom scolded us for raising our voices.

the food was good but i spent dinner being spooked and irritable and dealing with the consequences of jamming my teeth together yet again. my brother got annoyed with mom quickly so they ended up shouting at each other across the table twice. mom kept talking over him while he was trying to order food.

i texted my brother and asked how he was holding up since i was still on edge. he said “i don’t feel emotions any more.” i told him to talk to a counselor if that started bothering him at any point. 

something i didn’t miss about living at home was mother putting us constantly and needlessly in serious danger. maybe that’s where some of my, uh, attitude toward danger (and extreme aversion to it) comes from.

she also just. constantly talks about dad. she won’t shut up about him. stories, anecdotes, “your dad would love this!”, “your dad says happy thanksgiving.” 

it’s exhausting me. 

snoopy was so scared of mother that she hid on top of her litter box in the bathroom for an hour. she also went under the coffee table, which i have never seen her do even once, and she won’t get cookies that i put under there. mom asked to get on my computer to look through amazon and i said no. she asked if i wanted to hang out and i said snoopy seemed really stressed so she went back to her hotel room.

my jaws still hurt a lot. not as bad as last night but it all feels bruised along the sides of my mouth and up past my ears. my nose and throat were worse today than even yesterday. something in my leg pulls hard every time i shift my weight. not in good shape.

tomorrow i need to try to get a ton of homework done. i talked mom out of pulling me out of the department for dinner. she wants to get lunch on sunday and i think i can deal with that as long as i keep my meal light, so i don’t get lethargic in the afternoon.

i have... a lot of work to do. a lot. i’m worried. i can’t remember a bunch of physics terms that i need to know. i feel like i can’t remember anything important. it seems like the last time i did homework was years ago and i’m never going to get it. i don’t want to give up but it feels like i already did, without my own permission. it makes me want to die. i feel so stupid.

i mean, dangerous situations like the one i was just in before dinner do a lot to push literally everything but “survive right now” out of my mind. then it gets hard to pick up everything i just dropped.

ugh. i’m so frustrated. i tried to talk to harrison about it but after responding to my first message he didn’t say anything else.

it’s really easy to hate myself for having to ask to use my classmates’ homework as a crutch. it’s like, i know i can’t do it and i’m never going to catch up. having to use other people’s work to finish SEVEN HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS DOES A LOT TOWARD MAKING ME FEEL DUMB AND LIKE I CANNOT SUCCEED IN MY FIELD.

i need a pep talk. i’m not going to get one though.

something positive is that i did a good job of not consciously grinding my teeth even when i really wanted to. i think that did a lot toward helping my headache ease up over the course of the day. it’s still really bad but it’s not unbearable like last night.

talking about a positive thing didn’t make me any less upset though. i don’t know where to go for support. everyone else is on holiday.

[gabriellakirtonblog]

I Wanted to Train Elite Athletes. This Is Exactly How I Made It Happen

Becoming a strength and conditioning coach had been a dream of mine ever since I got into the fitness industry a decade ago. A big part of my dream included helping elite athletes become—and remain—elite.

Like most new trainers, I got my feet wet by training the general population in my hometown of Helsinki, Finland. Meanwhile, I would spend whatever free time I had reading books written by Poliquin, Boyle, DeFranco, Zatsiorsky, and other big names in the field.

As much as those resources helped me learn theory, I knew I’d never train any athletes unless I made the conscious commitment to pursuing just that. It sounds odd looking back now, but at the time I had serious doubts if I could make the jump from personal trainer to strength coach.

The latter requires being well-versed in the science and practice of powerlifting, Olympic lifting, sprinting and jumping, conditioning, rehab, and anything else that goes into building stronger, faster, more resilient athletes. Most importantly, you need to have the organizational and leadership skills to run a weight room. It’s a completely different world than working 1-on-1 with a client or running a 6 a.m. bootcamp for soccer moms.

I needed a way in. I decided to find a mentor who was doing what I wanted to do and could show me the ropes. I also hoped that I could land an internship with an ice hockey strength coach who had experience working with college and professional players because that’s the clientele I hoped to train.

Did I make it? Yes. Was it easy? No. But I learned a lot along the way.

Step 1: Do your homework

Breaking into any new industry without prior experience and/or the right connections is difficult. I know for a fact that many hockey clubs hire ex-players as strength coaches these days. You can’t overlook the benefit of being an insider and knowing the people who make hiring decisions.

And if you want to become a strength coach in a sport you didn’t play at a high level (like me), you have to work even harder to get a chance to prove yourself. In the beginning, it’s not what you know, or how skilled you are as a coach; it’s about who you know.

READ ALSO: “Do Trainers Need a College Degree to be Successful?”

For me, it would take much more than a phone call to an old teammate who (conveniently) happens to run the show at one of the biggest clubs in the country, and letting him know I’d be interested in a job, thank you very much.

I would have to chase my opportunities.

In the meantime, I read all the classic training books by accomplished strength coaches, watched DVDs, and attended seminars. When the day came, I wanted to know enough about training hockey players that my lack of athletic glory wouldn’t be viewed as a negative.

Step 2: Seek the right help

Now I had to land an internship with an experienced strength coach who specialized in training hockey players. I also wanted to speak to coaches who were developing athletes, not merely training established ones.

I had no luck in Finland. I cast my net wider and Googled hockey strength coaches in Europe. Again, nothing. Either there were no accomplished coaches in Europe I could learn from, or they weren’t active online

READ ALSO: “How to Build an Online Following from Scratch”

All the accomplished coaches seemed to be on the other side of the pond in North America. I focused on three who had a lot of experience training hockey players: Mike Boyle, Kevin Neeld, and Ben Prentiss.

Boyle was the first strength and conditioning coach at Boston University, where he worked with the men’s hockey team for close to three decades. He also worked with the Boston Bruins and the Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team.

Neeld also spent several years as the strength coach for the U.S. women’s national team and ran a successful training facility catering to junior, college, and pro hockey players, as well as athletes from other sports in New Jersey. He later became assistant strength coach with the San Jose Sharks.

Prentiss’ facility in Connecticut draws some of the world’s best players for offseason conditioning, including players from every NHL team. He’s also consulted with the New York Rangers.

Step 3: Reach out 

I couldn’t see myself forging a relationship with a mentor just by blasting out my résumé to coaches on the other side of the world. If I wanted a real shot, I’d have to pack my bags, head over to the U.S., and make connections in person.

Of course, I couldn’t just show up unannounced at someone’s facility and ask for an internship. I reached out to a handful of coaches, requesting an opportunity to observe how they train athletes. This is the email template I used to approach Neeld, Prentiss, and Eric Cressey:

Hi [name],

I am writing to you because in June I will be traveling from Finland to the U.S., visiting some of the best strength and conditioning coaches and facilities in the industry to learn more about athletic development.

Would it be okay if I stopped by to see how you do things? I know you’re extremely busy and I value your time. I’d be willing to pay you whatever the investment is for an afternoon or two of observing how you train your athletes, or whatever time you have available.

Thank you!

I was surprised when both Neeld and Prentiss welcomed me for a visit. Neeld was offering a one-week mentorship program at the time. I thought it would be an excellent opportunity for me to pick his brain over several days, so I signed up for it right away. Pete Dupuis, who runs the operation at Cressey Sports Performance, also gave me the thumbs up for an afternoon visit.

Three “yeses” was thrilling. I also contacted Mike Boyle through his forum at strengthcoach.com, where he okayed my request to come observe his training for an afternoon at MBSC. I now had four observational opportunities lined up at some of the best training facilities in the world.

Step 4: Show up ready to learn

With nothing guaranteed nothing beyond the chance to observe, I bought my ticket and flew over to the U.S.

The week with Neeld was the most memorable. I spent the first day watching people train and asking Kevin a ton of questions. Out of nowhere on the second day, he told me to jump in and help coach their athletes.

The next day, I asked if he had an open internship later that summer. He said yes, we worked out the details, and I ended up interning at Endeavor Sports Performance for 11 weeks.

READ ALSO: “How to Make Sure You Aren’t One of the Bad Trainers Ruining Our Profession”

Prentiss Hockey Performance also impressed me. The client list includes NHL stars like Martin St. Louis, Jonathan Quick, and Max Pacioretty. I was able to turn that afternoon visit into a one-week internship, and an amazing learning experience.

I was surprised how easily both internship opportunities came my way. All I had to do was ask. I’m sure it helped that I traveled so far to show my desire to learn from accomplished coaches. 

Another key lesson: You’re much more likely to get a positive response when you offer to pay a coach for his time. Some will charge you, some won’t. But all of them, in my experience, are more likely to help when you say upfront that you’re willing to compensate them.

Step 5: Make it pay off

I’m not going to lie. My financials took a big hit during my time in the U.S. Between airfare, lodging, and what I paid to study under Neeld and Prentiss, I spent well over $10,000 that summer. It was a ton of money at the time. But the practical experience and confidence I obtained far exceeded whatever amount I spent.

So, what happened when I got back home?

In sales, there’s a concept called “dialing for dollars,” where you pick up the phone and cold-call people to sell them your product or service. That’s what I did. After creating a list of 10 or so junior hockey clubs in my area, I started dialing.

In hindsight, I lucked out. The director of coaching at the first club I called asked for a meeting. We agreed that I would take charge of strength and conditioning for the club’s U17 team the next season.

READ ALSO: “What to Keep in Mind Before You Offer Free Coaching”

I then volunteered with the club’s U20 team, which didn’t have a strength coach at the time. I didn’t earn a cent from training the older players that first year, but it didn’t matter. I was coaching some of the best young hockey players in Finland—which currently provides close to 6 percent of the NHL’s active players. Several of my athletes went on to play professionally, including a few who were drafted into the NHL. Years later, I still train a number of them in the offseason.

From the beginning I made myself available. If an injured player wanted to lift at 9 a.m. on a Sunday, I’d be there. If a player or their parent asked me to help rehab a knee or shoulder injury, that’s what I did.

It worked. Within a year I was training two U18 teams along with the U20 team, and the next year I added the club’s pro team to my responsibilities. So just two years after traveling to the U.S. on my own dime, I was overseeing four different teams.

Now it’s your turn

For me, training athletes is the best job in the world. But it’s not a way to get rich quickly. Be prepared to work a side job or two to support yourself financially until you get a full-time position. Pay your dues. Build your reputation. Deliver a quality training experience, and most important of all, get results for your athletes.

The payoff comes later—sometimes much later—but it’s there for those who earn it.

  Ready for Your Career to Take Off?

You’ve read this success story. What about yours? Since 2013, nobody has helped liberate more fitness professionals from the morning-to-night daily grind than Jonathan Goodman. Now it’s your turn.

Pick up your copy of the limited-edition, two-book box set The Highly Wealthy Online Trainer. You’ll learn the two habits needed to break free and the marketing strategies essential to creating buzz around your services.

Compiled here for the first time, these action plans will empower you to think and act differently, and reap the rewards. Why a box set? Because marketing strategy is worthless unless it is acted upon, and that requires good habits. The two go together.

What you get:

Book #1: Habits of Highly Wealthy Online Trainers

Book #2: Marketing Breakthroughs of Highly Wealthy Online Trainers

Don’t wait. Order your copies today.

    The post I Wanted to Train Elite Athletes. This Is Exactly How I Made It Happen appeared first on The PTDC.

I Wanted to Train Elite Athletes. This Is Exactly How I Made It Happen published first on https://onezeroonesarms.tumblr.com/