#pat/turcs

[luke-hughes43]

so @toasttt11 and i came up with this idea a while ago.

one night in college, her and Bella go out and get tattoos on a whim (while kinda tipsy). Stella gets something really small, she lands on a 43 that she gets at the top of her hip so that she can still cover it.

Luke doesn't see it for a good like 3 weeks and finds one night when going down on her after they both had really good games and were celebrating. that interaction goes a little like this:

Luke is trailing kissing down stella's body and comes across a small 43 on her hip. he says, "stel? what's this?"

"what's what?"

"is that a 43?" he asks taking a good look at it before looking up at her. she smiles and nods, "yea. Bella and I got a little drunk and decided to get tattoos. do you like it?"

"like it? I love it. it's so hot." he says and places a kiss on it. 

now just wait until trevor and the guys find out. they lose their shit. @toasttt11 had the idea that they don't find out until like a year later and it's during a drinking game and I fully agree.

it's late a night and they're playing never have I ever. Quinn asks, "never have I ever gotten a tattoo?"

naturally trevor drinks and turcs does too. the shock comes when Stella and Bella take a drink. now they knew about Bella having a tattoo bc she got hers on her wrist but only Ethan and Luke knew about stella's (Bella told Ethan about stella's when he saw hers).

jack, Quinn, and trevor all ask, "where?"

Luke smirks and tightens his grip on her and Stella says, "your never gonna see it boys so it doesn't matter where." Luke chuckles and smirks even more to which jack notices and says, "what are you striking about lukey boy? have you seen it?"

he nods and trevor freaks out and says, "oh my god! I don't wanna know! stop talking! new question!"

everyone laughs at trevor's reaction to it. 

a few days later, they are all out on the boat and Quinn makes a comment, "hey Stella, I think you have a little dirt on your side."

Stella looks down and see her tattoo peeking out which makes Luke smile. Stella says nonchalantly, "oh that's not dirt. but thanks q."

his eyes widen and then he says, "well, I guess we know what and where the tattoo is." Trevor hears it and actually gags. jack pats Luke on the back and stel puts shorts on suddenly being put on blast and feeling uncomfortable. Luke pulls her close and her tattoo is never mentioned again.

Luke regularly leaves hickies over the little '43' whenever he goes down on her or either of them have a particular good game.

[workingforitallthetime]

If one were interested in learning more about the USNTDP boys, where would that person turn? Are there any primers, seminal texts, etc you recommend? Thank you!!

oh boy oh boy oh boy! a chance to compile so many links that i have been helplessly texting my pals for the last eight months as i fell all the way down this rabbit hole!

first, let's define our terms. by "the USNTDP boys," i assume we are referring to the core members of the USNTDP class of 2019, most of whom were drafted in the first round in 2019 and also formed the core of the 2021 team usa world juniors gold medal squad. theirs is considered to be the best class the NTDP has ever produced, and also a uniquely close and fun group.

to my knowledge there is no single picture of all eight key dudes in this pack. this one comes close, or this one. or this video, which captures the group dynamic as well as anything. also, the night of their draft they had a karaoke party and wore each other's jerseys. (god, look at trevor and cole and jack's expressions in that first pic, just daring you to question them.)

if you want to get more of a feel for the group dynamic, just read their commentary on pretty much any one of their instagram posts. this podcast, in which the interviewers ask cole, turcs, and trevor to describe each of their teammates in one word, is also seminal. for example:

interviewer: matt boldy? trevor: quirky. interviewer: he said you were dumb. trevor: ok, i'm gonna say he's a little chubby then.

here's a quick summary and some links for everybody. i'm gonna focus on material that is relevant to the group dynamic, so this should not be considered a comprehensive primer on any of these individuals. but please know i am happy to expound further on anything mentioned below.

trevor zegras: westchester county prep school rich kid, drafted ninth overall by the ducks, one-and-done at boston university. trevor is cocky, charismatic, and creative. his prep school coach called him dennis the menace. he is incapable of sitting still. he looks like an absolute idiot at all times, and he is fully aware of that and does not mind it a bit. he is my favorite.

cole caufield: wisconsin native, drafted 15th by the habs, spent two years at wisconsin. absolutely shattered the NTDP record for career goals. you are probably aware of his pretty impressive rookie showing in the playoffs. he is always smiling and he has the kind of confidence you can only get away with if you're short. asked to describe cole, the only word matt boldy could think of is cute.

alex turcotte: suburban chicago kid, drafted fifth overall by the kings, one-and-done at wisconsin. nothing ever seems to go right for turcs. he was drafted higher than everyone else except jack but stalled in the AHL while they all made their NHL debuts. he was the 1C of the future, and then the kings drafted quinton byfield a year later. he was supposedly the next best center after jack, and then trevor outshone him at world juniors. fiercely competitive and maybe even more driven than most to play through injury. was in charge of the aux cord in the ntdp locker room.

spencer knight: connecticut native, drafted 13th by the florida panthers, spent two years at boston college. he's your typical goalie, weird and hyper-focused, like carter hart if carter hart was an east coast prep school bro. trevor and spencer went to avon old farms together before the ntdp.

matt boldy: another boston-area boy, drafted 12th by the wild, spent two years at boston college. boldy is the serious, quirky one. he and cole got very into bowling. the running joke is that he has a dad bod. trevor adores him.

cam york: socal roller boy, drafted 14th by the flyers, played two years at michigan. these dudes all voted cam to be their captain. turcs is awed by his hockey smarts. extremely into fishing, seems even more bro-y than the rest of them. has ginger hair that stands straight up every time he tries to grow it out, and thighs that i spend a completely normal amount of time thinking about.

patrick moynihan: boston-area native, drafted in the sixth round by the devils, currently of providence college. pat is important because he is everybody's favorite. here is a video of jack convincing the devils to draft pat. the naked fondness on his face should be illegal.

jack hughes: thanks to jack going 1OA, you can google plenty of material about him, so i'm not gonna bother to summarize. jack was the only one of these guys to skip college entirely, and maybe he shouldn't have. of relevance to the group dynamic, turcs lived with him during the program. hosted a gathering at the hughes summer compound in august 2020 that should feature in every team usa fic ever.

go forth down that rabbit hole, anon, and come back here and suffer with me anytime.

[savoies]

the most unexpected part of that dance was Luke’s smile the whole mf time, like yes king🤩 give us something

he finally gave us something that wasn't 🧍🏼‍♂️

[bordysbae]

please please do alex turcotte “ let me teach you how to skate ” i think it would be such a cute story !!

“don’t be afraid”

alex turcotte x hughes reader

omg i’ve been waiting for someone to request not only something with my baby alex but also this prompt, i love this prompt sm!! btw this takes place during his usntdp era :))

this is just fiction and i know that no one in the hughes family goes with out knowing how to skate i just needed a plot line lolz

word count: 1.3k

—

you and alex have always been flirty with one another, but of course your twin brother jack never really liked that. alex is a good guy, so jack never comments on the fact you and alex are so clearly into each other. honestly, the only thing holding you and alex back from dating, is the fact that neither of you can see you’re interested in each other.

“guys i’m bored can we go ice skating” trevor speaks up, pausing the tv. “coach would kill us if we snuck in, plus how would we even get in?” cole says. “not that rink dummy! the public one. it’s only open for a couple more weeks and i really want to go” trevor states.

“trevor you do realize you can’t just go freely skating around, there’s little kids skating too you’ll like crash into them and crush them!” jack exclaims making everyone laugh, including trevor. “yes i know that dingbat” trevor rolls his eyes chucking a throw pillow from the recliner at jack.

“i think we should go!” alex says, removing his head from your shoulder. “yeah you guys can go, i’m staying here.” you state, snuggling closer into the blanket you and alex are sharing. “what why? you’re coming with us, i don’t make the rules” alex shrugs. “shes like, really bad at skating” jack chuckles, earning an elbow in the rib from you. “YOU WHAT? YOU CANT SKATE?” trevor laughs, pointing a finger at you. “shut up zegras!” you blush hiding your face in the blanket from embarrassment.

“you’re telling me, y/n hughes, the sister to three hockey player brothers, doesn’t know how to ice skate?!” cole chuckles. “shut up cole! you’re 5’7 don’t even speak!” “i’m still taller than you” he shrugs. “yeah see this is why i think you guys should go and i’ll stay here” you smile, reaching for the remote. unfortunately jack gets to it before you, and snatches it off of the table. “you’re coming with us, go get changed out of your sweats” jack says as he pushes you off the couch gently. “ugh you guys are annoying” you roll your eyes as you get up to walk to your room.

you change into flare leggings and a thick crewneck you stole from quinn. you walk back into the living room and see the guys putting on their shoes, and you do the same. “alright ready?” jack asks everyone, as he grabs his car keys. “i call shot gun!” trevor yells making everyone groan. “i deserve shot gun! it’s my car too!” you roll your eyes. “oh you’ll be fine in the back with coley and turcs” “you’re sitting in the middle by the way.” cole smiles at you as he pats your shoulder before running into the garage.

the drive to the rink consists of you on aux playing your favorite songs, as you all scream the lyrics. you and alex’s song comes on, and you both start singing in each others faces, pretending your hands are microphones. out of the corner of your eye, you see cole, trevor, and jack all share glances at each other with smirks on their lips, but you just shrug it off. once you guys arrive at the rink trevor is quick to scurry over to get his skates, leaving you four still walking over to the booth. “hurry up you slow pokes!” trevor groans, making you all laugh.

obviously the boys get their skates on way faster than you, since you’re not one hundred percent sure if you’re tying them correctly. “y/n hurry up you’re so slow, i wanna go ice skating!” trevor whines like a child, making everyone laugh. “you guys go, i’ll tie her skates for her” alex says, as the other three boys share another sly glance, before nodding and getting onto the ice.

alex gets down onto one knee and begins tying your skates for you. “alex it looks like you’re proposing to me” you chuckle. “what if i am?” he laughs, making you laugh even harder. “m’lady, will you make me the happiest man alive and take my hand in marriage?” alex says in a horrible british accent. “oh alex, of course!” you say also in a horrible accent. you and alex catch your breath from the laughs, and alex finishes tying your skates for you.

“alright you ready?” he says as he holds out his hand for you to take as a guide for getting off of the bench. “alex i’m scared” you admit, a little embarrassed. “don’t be afraid, i got you. you can hold onto me, i’ll guide you” he smiles and you nod, as you interlock arms. he leads you both onto the ice and you immediately grab onto the wall. “let’s do one lap with you on the wall to get you used to the feeling, but i promise it’s so much easier without the wall” “alex i’m gonna bust my ass if i don’t use the wall!” you cry out. “no you won’t, i won’t let you fall i promise” he chuckles. you guys begin your lap as you’re still clinging onto the wall for dear life. trevor, jack, and cole are all chasing each other around the ice, lapping you and alex horrendously.

“aww look guys it’s little grandma y/n!” cole exclaims as he, trevor, and jack all slow down next to you guys skating at your guys’ same pace. “here alex i’ll take y/n for another lap, you go have fun for a second” trevor says. “hey he’s having fun with me!” you argue. “oh yeah definitely” jack says sarcastically. “i’m having plenty of fun don’t worry” alex reassures you, with a little chuckle. “cmon, let’s switch places man, go have some freedom” trevor says as he removes alex’s arm from yours and links his with yours.

the three boys skate away and trevor looks at you. “when are you gonna tell him, y/n” “tell him what?” you ask, genuinely confused. “we all know you like him, and it’s so obvious he likes you. why don’t you just tell him?” “it’s not that simple trevor. he’s one of my best friends, i don’t want to ruin that” “cmon, don’t be stupid, it won’t ruin anything.” trevor says nudging you, making you wobble. “trevor! you’re gonna make me fall!” you laugh.

“so alex, when are you gonna ask her out?” cole says. “what?” alex says, almost choking on air. “you heard the man, when are you gonna ask my sister out?” jack nudges alex’s shoulder. “uh, i don’t know? she doesn’t like me like that” alex says, making jack and cole burst out laughing. “you’re funny turcs” cole says. “i’m not joking?” “she’s whipped for you bud, she’s my twin i can tell. honestly everyone can tell, you guys act like a couple already anyways” jack says. “oh look, trevor’s about to make her bust her ass so i gotta go save her before the man kills her” alex excuses himself from the conversation.

alex comes back to help you skate, as trevor goes back over to the other two boys on the other end of the rink. “okay get off of the wall now, it’s been too long.” “alex i’m gonna fall!” “no you won’t i promise, take my hands” he says as you do what he says. alex suddenly starts spinning you around slowly and you start freaking out. “alex stop!” you laugh out of nervousness. suddenly he pulls you in closer to him, your head resting on his chest for safety. he rests his chin on top of yours, and suddenly says something that makes you feel like the only girl in the world.

“can i tell you something?” he says quietly. “yeah you can tell me anything al.” “i like you, a lot.” suddenly your heart begins to race. “you what?” “you heard me, y/n” “i like you too alex, i always have.” he lifts his head from yours, your guys’ hands still interlocked. “be my girlfriend?” he asks you, both of your cheeks tinted pink. “i’d love to” you smile. you guys don’t kiss due to all of the families and children around you, but he pulls you into a tight hug, kissing the top of your head.

[jackhughesismyhusband]

Michigan Move pt. 3

Send in requests with anything you’d want to see out of this series. Thank you for the love!

~

“Luke move!”

“Bro what?”

“Get your nasty elbows outta here, it’s messing up my shot!”

You smile to yourself at the continuous noise from the basement as Jack and Luke play Fortnite after the long day.

You had spent the past two hours writing in your journal about the events of the day. You read back your notes at the top of the entry with a little fun fact section:

Alex goes by Turcs

Trevor is a little goofball, but sensitive deep down

Yorkie and Spencer have a goalie handshake

Danny Weight’s laugh makes everyone smile

Writing the entry had been easier than you thought it would be at the memory of the chaotic, yet perfect first day.

//

The boys had been adorably tired after their day of activities, but pushed through with excitement for their first official class with you.

You heard running and laughing approaching as you finished tying on your ballet slippers. Some of the boys came toppling in with a motive. You yelped as they sprinted towards you. You scrunched your eyes closed and shoulders up with the sudden rush to you. With a sudden tap on your shoulder, you opened your eyes to see Henry Thrun cheering with arms up in the air.

“I won! Ha!” He pointed to Marshall, Vlasic, McCarthy, and Owen Lindmark who were surrounding you.

“I should hide next time to make this bet harder for you.”

They dropped their jaws in disbelief at your tease.

“Noo, I have to beat Thrun and I can’t do that if I can’t find you,” Lindmark slightly whined.

You waved them off and instructed them to take their shoes off and stretch while the rest of the group straggled in.

“Man, I don’t know how you guys have the energy for that right now,” you heard Caufield mumble as he slid off his shoes and looked at the five boys jumping, clearly on a high.

“How was your lunch, guys?”

A few “good”s and “fine”s were handed out. A “fantastic” was thrown in there by Henry as he stuck his head out to his neighbor, Marshall. Thrun was an outlier of excitement.

“Wow. Loving the enthusiasm here.”

“Sorry, y/n. We’re just really tired,” Pat Moynihan responded for the group which earned heads to nod.

“We were so excited for this, but coach really went hard on us after a tough game two days ago. It was basically two hours of conditioning,” Matt Boldy added.

“Aw, I’m sorry, guys. Well, we’ll be doing a little less hands on today and a little more observing with our first lesson. Let’s move around a bit, and then I’ll let you lay down.”

Content flooded through the room at your offer.

They stood up dramatically slow, with inclusion of grandpa grunts and lots of “help me up”s.

“Let’s all spread out a little and take up the perimeter of the room.”

Each person was about four feet apart in a square shape. Most were leaning against the mirrors with their heads tilted back.

They looked wiped out.

You kept that in mind, and decided to do more speaking and demonstration than you had originally planned for the day.

“Any soccer players here? Former soccer players?” A few head nods. “How many of you have done grapevines before?” A few less head nods.

“Alright. I’d ask you to come help me with the demonstration, but the people have spoken, and y’all are tired. So, just watch and feel free to stop me with any questions.”

You showed them the footwork pattern and some started to do it out as you went. Once they seemed to have it down, you all did in the makeshift circle - more like square - very slowly. You had them face the mirrors, so they could see themselves and their moves.

“Ok. Now, that we have that down, someone give me a song.”

“Sweet Home Alabama!” Trevor yelled out. The guys laughed.

You told them to face out, so they weren’t looking directly at the mirror anymore. You knew this would be fun for them because they could watch each other. And by the participation earlier in the day, you knew they wouldn’t be embarrassed or shame each other if they messed up.

You headed over to your phone already connected to the speakers and started playing the song.

“Alright,” you yelled over the speakers. “We’re going to step on the beat. I’m going to count you in with 8 beats. After 8, you step to your right. Listen for me to call out left. When I do, we’ll switch directions and go left.”

You headed over to your spot. You choose a slower tempo that matched the rhythm of the song and counted, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 - go!” You cut yourself off halfway through 8 to ensure they’d start moving on beat 1.

Cackles and confusion filled the room. Johnny Beecher had started going to the left instead of right, crashing into a giggling Trevor. Ryan Siedem started on the wrong foot and tripped over himself. Matt Boldy was being sassy and and leaned into his hip with every step, which then caused Alex Vlasic to go into a fit of laughter.

It was chaos, but it was sweet chaos. They were good boys and they cared, even if they weren’t always the best at what they were doing.

They eventually got the hang of it. Once the bridge started, you called out, “left!” to the group that had forgotten they were going to switch directions.

The chaos that had calmed down, came raging back.

The first thing you noticed was Jack practically eating the mirror next to him as Dom Fensore ran into him and caused a one-footed, mid-step Jack to plunge into the mirror. You toppled over in laughter, but kept up with the beat.

As the song died down, the guys seemed to have their energy back, yelling over each other and pointing with one hand on their head at disbelief with what their fellow converser said.

You went over the shut off the music and told them they could sit down again.

The group took a minute to settle down as they were still laughing at what they had done and seen.

You didn’t mind. It was nice to see them so carefree and young in a sport that forced them to be tough.

“We’ll be doing more of that almost every day. We’ll speed it up and eventually add more tricks and coordination to it.”

“Does that mean we can do it to ‘It’s Everyday Bro’?” Danny Weight called out.

You nodded and laughed with the rest of them.

“Ok. I promised you could lay down after we moved around, but just bear with me for a minute, and then we’ll relax.”

“I wanted to talk about footwork.” You look to see all eyes on you, intently looking up at you like you’re Gary Bettman offering them a spot. You continue with a soft smile, “The exercise we just did is super important because it’s directly linked to footwork. Some of the most important exercises we’ll do in here relate back to footwork because the more grace on your feet, the better you’ll be against your opponent.”

“I’m going to play a video I threw together about the introduction of this program. You can lay down now and it’ll play on the ceiling.”

Some seemed confused, but awe took over their faces like children at the projections on the ceiling. The NTDP had added that feature because you’d realized there was no where to project anything with all the walls being mirrors and the other wall having a window and cubbies. It came in handy today with the worn out boys.

You watched them watch the video you had put together when you were jet lagged at the airport, on one of your trips back and forth to NYC and LA. You had gone back and forth 5 times in the span of 2 weeks then.

Clips from “The Game Plan” show with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson winning the Super Bowl due to his ballet technique. Your voice could be heard as you explain the importance of controlling your own body.

You take this opportunity while they were enamored with the presentation to slip out and grab a clipboard with paper, the roster, and a pen from your office. You take off your ballet slippers with the decision of skipping ballet today and focusing on logistics. You return to see the video almost ending and some of the guys resting their heads on another’s arm or chest for comfort. You slyly picked up your phone from your shelf and snapped a picture of the group casually cuddled together.

The video ended and claps echoed through the room from the center as they twisted their heads around to find you in admiration.

You smiled wide.

“I had planned to do more active work today, but I guess it works out that we chill a little more because we did have some technical things to get through.”

You continued.

“I have to get some information regarding sizing and what not, so I’ll ask you individually to meet in my office while you do a breathing exercise I made. It’ll help any time you’re sick, anxious, or just need to catch your breath. I find myself using this video before every audition and it helps a lot. If you enjoy it, maybe you could watch it before a game to get in the right mindset. Whether you use it or not, I think it’s important to give you the tools to take care of not only your physical health, but your mental and emotional health.”

Some eyes lit up at the mention of taking care of mental health. You knew you’d have a deeper conversation about that in the future when they became more comfortable.

You played the technique video you had made years ago. After researching the mind and the body at age 11, you decided to write research on your discoveries and create videos to aid your findings. The mind and body were connected in endless ways, so taking care of one takes care of the other.

Cam Rowe follows you as you call his name. You go in order of the roster.

He sits in one of the chairs across your desk and gets comfortable.

“Ok, Cam. How are you doing?” You make eye contact and smile to let him know you meant the question with sincerity.

“I’m okay. Pretty tired and I’ve been missing home a little bit lately, but the guys make it better.”

You give him a sympathetic look, “I know how you feel. I’m really proud of you for coming out here and making these sacrifices for your dream. Everyone back home and here is so proud of you. If you ever need anything or want to talk, I’m always here.”

His shoulders relaxed and a new person was in front of you, “Wow. Thank you so much. I-I didn’t realize how much I needed that. Thank you.”

More smiles were sent his way, “Of course.” You reached out to touch his hands on the table as a comforting gesture.

“So, we are going to be dancing, obviously, which means you’ll need the proper attire. Don’t worry, the program is taking care of all of it, I just need to know your sizes and shoe size.”

“Oh sick. Okay.” Rowe told you his sizes and left after you asking him to grab the next person on the roster, Cam York.

After about 45 minutes and plenty of genuine discussions, your roster ended with Cole. The two of you walked back in to the room to find the boys connected to the speakers and dancing with each having a partner and swinging each other around with linked arms. The video was only about 10 minutes long, so after the third person of Henry Thrun, you had him tell the guys they had this time to relax in whatever way they wanted - as long as they stayed in the studio and didn’t wander too much. Despite their low energy, they decided to spend that time goofing around. It made you happy to see them like this. You stopped at the observation window and took a quick video of them as Cole walked in and became a group of three with Jack and Spencer.

You walked in to quickly be pulled into that group. The four of your held hands and jumped around in a circle. The circle expanded to the whole group holding hands and jumping around the perimeter of the studio. Jack on your right and Cole on your left. The song ended and boyish cheers and giggles were highlighted with no more music to cover them.

You strode over to the phone connected and turned down the next song, so they could hear you.

“Well, I was going to end with an upbeat song to move around to, but I think that did it.” A few looked disappointed at the realization of the end of the class. “Thank you all so so much for making me feel so welcome and participating. I feel like I’ve known you for a month and it’s only been a day. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!”

They headed over to their shoes while a chorus of “thank you”s rung out. You thought you were going crazy when you heard a few “love you”s slip through the gratitude. You weren’t complaining - you haven’t known them for long, but you already love the guys.

“Please please please don’t hesitate to reach out for any reason at all! It doesn’t have to be class related, I’m here for you!”

More gratitude was sent your way and promises of taking you up on that offer were sent your way. You were slightly surprised at first when Trevor came up to hug you, but it felt natural the second he embraced you.

“Thank you so much, y/n. You really helped me today,” he whispered in your ear. You thought back to the conversation in your office about his anxiety coming to the program so far away from home and always having to be the ‘funny guy’.

“Of course, T. No matter where we are in life, never be a stranger. I’m always here.”

He smiled and squeezed your arm as he walked off with Jack.

Jack waited for Trevor as the latter put on his shoes.

“You good? I’ll meet you at home?”

“Yeah. I drove here, thank you.”

He nodded and smiled with a wave as they walked out.

You let out a sigh and a little giddy noise at the success of the day.

You quickly tidied up your office and got ready to leave. The job didn’t require you to stay outside of the boys’ hours and you got all the work you wanted to get ahead on done.

You locked up the office and studio. Bidding a good day to Martha at the front desk, you headed out into the sunlight. The clock read 4:08 when you got in your car.

//

You decided to lay down for a minute after watching Jack and Luke fight over their video games. Dinner would be ready in about 45 minutes and you wanted to be feel fresh to answer the questions you’re sure you would receive about the day. You placed your journal in the drawer of your bedside table and turned your body to the side to look out at the lights of the suburban Michigan night. You closed your eyes and tried not to think about your successful day because you weren’t able to rest with all the smiling it produced.

~

Bro. I’m a hoe for asks. Please. I’m so lonely.

I know it was shorter, but the last was unnecessarily long because there was a lot of intro info. This has more content of the guys.

Thank you for the support! <3

[princesstillyenna]

Ahhhh the shit post of TK’s revenge tour, like obviously this would be ridiculous but like like the CHOAS,

TK fucks nico, because big sad,

and so jack sleeps with howdy because like gotta cheer up his bro, but he can’t figure out why his roomie isn’t talking to him but maybe he’s mad he slept with a guy?

And then ty and Jamie fuck because team Canada gay corner obviously, and poor Trevor is HEARTBROKEN

and suddenly it’s turned into a mid summers night dream except make it hockey and one of the homiesexuals has to step in as puck but beezer only read the spark notes version (which like same) so that makes everything worse

And suddenly chucky and segs have to be like “ god damnit we’re the only ones allowed to be this messy” and stage an intervention to save the gcu

OMG Midsummer Nights Dream the GC edition

I'm gonna cast it for you right now:

Puck obviously Beez, you got that 100% right Oberon is Sid. Which SHOULD make Titania Nate, right? Except it's more important that Titania and Oberon hate each other than that they love each other So Titania is Claude

NO I WILL TAKE NO CRITICISMS ON THIS IT IS FLAWLESS

So, I have TWO DIFFERENT CASTINGS FOR THE MAIN CHARACTERS We will (for reasons that will become apparent) refer to these castings as 2015 and 2019

2015 Cast: Hermia - TK (for those of you who don't know the play, hermia has a REAL bee in her bonnet about being short. This is my main reason for casting it this way) Helena - Howdy (Helena is super SUPER lacking in realising how damn pretty she is. Howdy also) Demetrius - Nol Pats (which weirdly makes Egeus end up being Danny Briere... don't ask me why though) Lysander is going to have to be NICO...

Fuck, ok 3 casts

2015 B Cast Hermia - Dylan Strome (side note, I want Dylan lamenting how sad he is about being short and everyone doing a side eye at the audience) Helena - Matthew Tkachuk Demetrius - Connor McDavid Lysander - Mitch Marner

OK BUT SERIOUSLY THOUGH THAT IS LESS A GC CASTING AND MORE THAT CASTING REALLY WORKS.

2019 Cast:

Hermia - Cole (again the short thing) Helena - Zegras Demetrius - Jamie Drysdale Lysander - Alex Turcotte (does this mean I should endgame ship Cole/Turcs???)

I want Jeff Carter/Mike Richards as Theseus and Hippolyta for everyone. EVERYONE.

I will accept your casting submissions for Bottom because actually I'm now wondering ok Beezer as BOTTOM FOR THE PURE COMEDIC EFFECT OF CLAUDE FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM Igor Larianov II as Puck. In that kind of "I'm outside, but also I'm fucking important in the fairy world"

[darkangel0410]

Briss/Owen, Owen signs in Vegas instead

Oh, good choice!!! Enjoy:

Owen stays in the guest room for almost two hours.

Every once in a while, Brendan hears Owen talking, but he can’t make out much more than that, so he tries to distract himself with video games, then Netflix when that doesn’t work. He gets a text from his dad, just a simple Did you know about this? and he’s relieved that he can send back no and not lie about it.

The food gets there and Owen’s still barricaded in the room, so Brendan puts it in the fridge and debates going on a beer run or something before he ends up collapsing back on the couch with Stranger Things on as background noise as he scrolls through instagram. 

He gets a text from Huggy, asking him when he’s coming to hang out at the lakehouse; Brendan starts to type out a message telling him he can’t go and pauses for a long minute as it occurs to him that some time getting drunk and acting like an idiot on the water could be just what Owen needs this summer.

He deletes the first message and sends, depends, can i bring owen with me. It only takes a minute or so before he gets back, who the fuck is owen and a bunch of confused emojis. Brendan snickers and texts, power, you idiot.

The guest room door opens just as you want to bring a fucking canadian here?! lands in his inbox; Brendan takes time to send back guess drysdale isn’t going to end up there with turcs and zee huh before he puts his phone on the table and focuses on Owen.

“How’d it go?”

Owen sighs and makes a face before he drops down next to Brendan on the couch. “Alright, I guess. Pat’s going to tell Adams that I’m exercising my free agency option instead of signing with them. My parents,” he pauses for a few seconds, an unreadable expression on his face. “They think it’s a mistake,” he finishes with a shrug that doesn’t fool Brendan in the slightest.

He refrains from telling Owen his parents should fuck off and intead elbows him, then says, “New season of Stranger Things dropped and I ordered some Chinese.”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Owen says gratefully as he settles back against the couch cushions. “Thanks, Bren,” he adds with a smile. “For everything.”

Brendan squeezes his knee. “Of course.”

They stay like that for a few minutes before Brendan pushes himself up from the couch and clears his throat. “I’m gonna go heat ‌the food up if you want to start the first episode.”

He doesn’t look at his phone again until he’s going to bed that night and sees the text Huggy sent him that just consists of a bunch of middle finger emojis and knows they’re good to go.

*

Thanks for the ask, anon!!! (WIP meme)

[three-headed-monster]

as an american i gotta ask, list now please

who has been forgiven?

- matty beniers

- pat moynihan

- spencer knight

- matt boldy

- arthur kaliyev

- brendan brisson

- cole caufield

i'm on my way to forgiving turcs too, but turcs scored in the gold medal game so idk about that yet...there are others i'm sure but also i'm on the fence about some

[prettyboyjackhughes]

-Draft Day- |J. Hughes|

“Char, you know as soon as they announce his name, you’re the first person he’ll try to find.” Trev says, messing with his tie. Tonight was the 1st night of the NHL draft. Jack is expected to go number one, Trev and Alex not far after. I was super excited for all of them but I wasn’t able to be in 3 places to sit with all of them. Trev and I had shared every little thing since we were born, might as well share this too.

“Well good thing he’s not that far away.” Jack says, turning around and smiling at me. Alex and Madi are in the row behind us. Madi and I had gone shopping for draft dresses a few weeks ago. I had bought a gray, short, off the shoulder sweater body con dress. Madi’s dress was a black, short body con dress with puff sleeves. She had paired her’s with nude heels and I had worn mine with black knee high heeled boots that made me almost as tall as Jack. Jack was wearing a blue suit with red stripes and a red and blue checkered tie. Trev had on a black suit with a light blue tie. Alex’s suit is my favorite. It’s light gray with a navy blue tie. Jack turns around and looks at me again.

“Trev’s right though. You’re the first one I’m looking for. So you’d better be ready to kiss me.” I laugh and lean in to kiss him.

“Baby baby! Not yet! I don’t want lipstick on my face when I get called up!” I roll my eyes and lean back in my seat, crossing my legs, my dress sliding up apparently too far for Jack and my brother’s comfort.

“Seriously Char? Pull it down!” Jack says loudly. Luke laughs and looks back at me.

“For real Charlie! No one wants to see that!” Trev says, pulling my skirt down for me. I roll my eyes and Madi laughs. The announcer comes on and asks everyone to take their seats and I reach over, taking Trev’s hand.

“Welcome to the 2019 National Hockey League Draft. Our first draft will be from the New Jersey Devils.” Jack shifts anxiously in his seat and Trev reaches down with his free hand to pat his shoulder.

“With the first pick overall, The New Jersey Devils are proud to select, from the U.S. program, Jack Hughes.” Jack stands up, the biggest grin I’ve ever seen on his face. He immediately turns around and almost falls over the chairs, reaching for me. I stand up and step towards him. Our lips connect and I can feel the smile on his face. After a few seconds, he pulls away. He hugs the whole Hughes family, Turcs, Trev, and Madi, and then makes his way to the stage. He had left his suit jacket on the back of his chair; leaving him in just his button up shirt. It hugs his upper body and arms in all the right places and shows off the muscles he’s worked extremely hard to get.

“Damn, he looks good in red.” I say, leaning back and patting Madi’s knee as Jack pulls the number 19 Devils jersey over his head, his hair sticking up adorably. She laughs and we all sit, waiting for Alex’s and Trev’s names to be called. We politely clap for every guy drafted but all I can focus my mind on is the fact that my boyfriend got drafted number one overall and was gonna be playing in the NHL alongside my brother and his best friend. Along with what will happen after all this is over, what Jack and I will do when we get home. Jack’s parents and Dukes were all staying at Quinn’s apartment in downtown Vancouver. My parents and Alex’s parents were all at a hotel about 20 minutes away from Quinn’s apartment. But since this is a big couple weeks for the boys and they would be coming and going so frequently, the parents all pitched in and booked the 5 of us an Airbnb for the next 2 weeks. While Trev was the third wheel to both couples, I’ve been woken up by him sneaking a few girls out at 4 in the morning before he thinks we’re all awake.

“You’re gonna get hell from all the girls in love with him.” Trev says as they announce the 3rd pick. I shrug, not worried about it.

“They’re not the ones sleeping with him at night. I am.” I say, smirking and laughing. Madi high fives me and I flip my hair.

“Wow, real humble aren’t we, Char?” Alex says, shifting in his seat and putting his arm around Madi’s waist. I smile and Alex gently tugs a chunk of my hair. .

“And with the fifth overall pick, the Los Angeles Kings select, from the U.S. National Development Program, Alex Turcotte.” Alex stands up and pulls Madi up with him. He pecks her on the cheek, not locking lips like Jack and I did. He hugs Trev, his parents and then reaches for me. I stand up, hug him and whisper in his ear.

“I’m so proud of you Turcs, love you.” He smiles and heads down to the stage.

“Madi that’s your boy!” I laugh as she snaps pictures of him.

“I feel like a proud mom!” She says, smiling. Trev’s gotten quiet during the last few minutes. I nudge him, waiting for a response as he stares at his phone.

“Huh? Oh I’m okay. Just, taking it all in.” I can see in his eyes he’s off but I’m not sure why. The management at the Anaheim Ducks had talked to him a while back and had mentioned if he was still there when it came their turn to pick, they’d take him. He was happy about that, since that meant he and Alex would both be out in California, but it also meant he didn’t really have anything to worry about. He’d be getting picked in the first round no matter what.

“And with the ninth overall pick, the Anaheim Ducks are proud to select, from the U.S. National Program, Trevor Zegras.” Trev looks up, almost shocked to hear his own name. He stands up, a goofy grin on his face. I stand with him, pulling him into a hug.

“Trev, I’m so proud of you! This is our dream! Now go!” He pulls away and goes to Mom and Dad, pulling them both into a hug. He finally escapes the row and heads down the stairs to the stage, the big grin never leaving his face. I take a Snapchat of him pulling the Anaheim jersey over his head and shaking hands with the general manager. I caption it ‘Proud of my Bubs❤️’ and post it. Soon, after what seems like hours of watching boy after boy get called up, teammate after teammate of the boys getting drafted, we are finally dismissed and get to go meet up with the boys. We head to the family waiting area and see the boys, all huddled in a group, waiting for us. Madi and I take turns hugging each of them. Jack suddenly pulls me away and kisses me. He kisses me, tongue automatically slipping into my mouth. After what seemed like no time, he pulled away.

“Sorry, I had to finish that from earlier. But anyways, the boys wanna go out. But we don’t have to. I know we had...plans.” He says, very obviously squeezing my ass as his arm sneaks around my waist. I smirk as I see Trev’s face, who obviously saw what Jack did. Surprisingly, he doesn’t come to say anything.

“I’d rather go home. I’m kinda tired plus, I really want it.” I say, “accidentally” brushing my hand against the inside of Jack’s thigh as I turn around to face him. Trev sees that too and finally does come over.

“Seriously you two! What is your deal? Our parents are literally right there! Why not just walk over and tell them you’re leaving to go have sex?” He says, attempting to keep his voice quiet but Madi and Alex still hear and excuse themselves from Alex’s parents, making their way over to us.

“Good lord Trev, keep your voice down! Besides, we all know you’ve been texting some girl all night trying to get her to come hook up with you when y’all go out.” Alex says, elbowing Trev. His face flames red and I almost want to put an end to the embarrassment he’s suffering on his big night but after what he said, I decide not to.

“Okay no need to expose me like that and it was one, okay two girls. So leave me alone.” He says, crossing his arms. We all laugh and Trev’s signature grin returns to his face.

“Okay kids, I need pictures.” Alex’s mom says, coming over and bursting our little bubble. Jack’s hand, which was safely in mine somehow escapes and travels back down to its original place. I roll my eyes and elbow him in the side. His hand goes away and instead, he wraps his arms around my shoulders. He’s going through a phase where he always has to be touching me, no matter how. From his hand in mine to playing with my hair, he’s always touching me. And I’m 100% okay with it.

“I want the boys first then we can do the couples and Charlie and Trev.” Turcs’ mom is a family photographer and really successful in Island Lake, where they’re from. Jack is in the middle, Alex on his left, Trev on his right. They all have the most genuine smiles on their faces. I pull Madi over to the giant NHL draft logo on the wall and we take a few selfies in front of it.

“Charlie, you know that boy is in love with you, right?” She says, glancing up at Jack and nudging me. I look up and catch him staring. I smile and he winks. My stomach drops and I get butterflies.

“Yeah I know, Mads. And I’m in love with him.” I say, smiling and hugging my best friend.

[workingforitallthetime]

anyway back to turcs being turcs

[savoies]

mark estapa and telling him he doesn’t have to spend every game in the penalty box 💀

bestieee.

it would be after a game and you're like "mark baby you do know that not even game has to be spent in the penalty box right?" and he's like "uhm I think it's my personality trait now."

[penaltbox]

mistakes we make (2) - alex turcotte

Part 1

Word Count: 3.7k

here’s part two!! i hope you guys like it (if you do let me know!) and thank you so so much for all the love on the first part!

__

Owen knows he could make it happen. He knows all he would have to do is call you and tell you Alex was in town and that he was a mess about the choices he’d made. Owen kept in contact with you after Alex left a lot more than he would admit to his teammates. You didn’t make it known either, but you were always thankful to have him around. 

He knew Ben well and when he’d visit there was no “stranger danger” fear like your son got around some people. Owen had even babysat a couple times when you were in a pinch and had to run to class with no back up sitter. He eventually decides he’ll stop over the night after Alex gets back into town to gauge what your reaction might be to it all. 

He sends you a warning text before he stops over, not wanting to interrupt a nap time or anything. When he walks in the door you visibly sigh, handing the baby over right away. 

“Hi buddy!” Owen smiles, tucking the little boy against his chest. 

It earns him the signature dimpled smile from your little boy who reaches up to tug on Owen’s ear without warning. Owen winces and gently grabs the little boy’s hand, adjusting him over to his hip a little. 

“Bennett, be nice to O. He likes to come see you and I’m sure he’d rather not get beat up,” you say, kissing the side of your son’s head. 

Owen laughs and Ben busies himself with the strings on Owen’s sweatshirt, “he’s okay. I can take it. Has he been sleeping better?”

You sigh, wishing you hadn’t been dealing with the sudden bout of sleep regression that your little boy had, “he was good last night, but he didn’t nap well today so we’ll see what happens. But, since you’re here would you mind holding him while I get his bath ready?”

Owen nods and follows you farther into the apartment. It was nice sometimes just to have a bit of a helping hand and luckily Owen always offered. You turn the water on and Owen decides it’s now or never to test your reaction. 

“So, uh, you know Alex is in town right?”

You freeze, your heart sinking at the name. It was bad enough you had to see him every time you looked at your baby boy, but now he was back? Why would he even bother coming back to Madison?

You look over your shoulder, gauging what he was getting at, “oh, that’s nice.”

Owen frowns, having expected a little more from you. He’s about to say something else when you turn and take Ben from him, waving him off. 

“You can head out. I’ve got it from here and I’ll probably try and put him down for the night after this” you mumble as Bennett reaches back for Owen out of confusion. 

Owen’s hand on your arm stops you in your tracks and you can’t look at him. You gently rub Ben’s back and hold him close, his big brown eyes giving you a worried look. He glances over at Owen and back at you, already knowing the tension that had built. 

He always knew when your mood shifted and that was one of the hardest parts about being a single mom. You couldn’t hand him off when you were upset to try and keep things calm. Except you can while Owen is there and so you let him take the baby back. 

You sit down on the toilet and look up at the two, “I can’t see him, Owen. I can’t handle that. You know how quick he left us.” 

Ben lays his head down on Owen’s shoulder and you sigh as you watch how comfortable the two are with each other. Why couldn’t you have gotten involved with him? He never would have left the way Alex did. 

“He’s kind of stressed. He saw that video of you and Benny over at Bascom from last week,” Owen admits, watching your eyes widen. 

“Owen! Why would you show him that? I keep him blocked for a reason! He has no right to know what goes on in my life anymore,” you raise your voice a little. 

Ben picks his head head up and looks over at you as Owen bounces him gently, whispering, “hey, it’s okay. Mommy’s okay.”

“Why does he care all of a sudden? He’s missed everything.”

“I think that’s the point,” Owen starts, “he was gone so he didn’t think about it, but the second he saw Ben in a picture he looked like he saw a ghost. I’m not kidding you; he went full white. Cole thought he was about to pass out.”

“Wish he would have,” you whisper, shutting off the water that was still running in the bath. There was so much to consider with all of it. 

This wasn’t fair. Alex couldn’t just decide to show up and play dad now that the stressful part was over. You dealt with getting ready for a baby and shifting your whole life around. You were there when he was a newborn and wouldn’t sleep more than two or three hours in a row. You were the mom Bennett needed and deserved. But what if he could have both parents now...

You manage to get Ben in the bath and dressed in his pj’s before Alex gets brought up again. Ben had gotten fed and fallen asleep in your arms, one hand tightly holding your shirt. With the sleeping problems you’d been having you don’t bother moving him yet. 

“What does he want Owen?” You ask, looking over at him. You feel exhausted just from the thoughts that we’re firing through your brain over the situation. 

Owen shrugs, “I don’t know for sure. He said he wants to meet him but I didn’t tell him that you and I still hang out.”

“I just don’t want him showing up only to disappear in a couple days. Ben deserves full time parenting. I don’t get to just change my mind and leave him if I get tired or stressed, you know?”

“Hey, I get it. I know you put up with a lot since it’s just you and him. I can check and see what Turcs is thinking and if he seems serious I can reach out to you and try to set something up,” Owen offers, always playing the mitigator role. Sometimes you weren’t sure how you got so lucky to keep him in your life. 

You sigh, hating the position you were in. Was it right to tell Alex he couldn’t meet his son? Did he have any right to try and see him after the way he walked off though? 

“See if he seems serious. I don’t want this to be some game where he shows up once a year to play the hero and then is gone again,” you finally say. 

Owen smiles, leaning over to kiss your cheek as he stands up to leave, “I’ll send you an update tomorrow or something. Give Benny some cuddles for me.”

He leaves quietly, not wanting to wake up the sleeping baby in your arms. You look down, running a finger over Ben’s cheek. He twitches just a bit, his dimple showing on his cheek. You stand up and get him tucked into his crib, leaving your hand on his chest for an extra moment to make sure he didn’t wake up. 

“I hope he’s being serious, Ben. You deserve to have a good dad,” you whisper to the sleeping boy, still trying to convince yourself this was the right choice. 

—

Owen hurries into his own dorm, finding Alex stretched out on the futon where he was sleeping while he visited. Alex sits up at the sudden commotion, confused as to why Owen was out of breath. 

“Dude, are you good?” Alex asks, taking in the sight before him. 

“Do you want to meet your kid?” Owen deadpans, leaning his hands on his knees. 

Alex stands up then, picking Owen up with two fists full of his shirt, “what the fuck, Lindy? What do you mean?”

Owen pushes Alex off quickly, pointing at him, “if you’re being dead ass serious and you won’t bail after meeting him, I can get you to meet the kid. You can’t pop in and disappear though. She won’t let you.”

Owen knew how much it meant to you for Ben to have consistency in his life. The last thing a little kid needed was being confused about who their dad was. Alex gets this excited look on his face then and he’s nodding quickly. 

“I swear Owen. This isn’t some joke or anything. I can’t even explain to you what it felt like to see those pictures of him. I can’t stop thinking about what he might be like and what I already missed out on,” Alex says, his heart starting to hammer in his chest. 

“Think it over tonight and tomorrow. Then let me know how you feel and I’ll see what I can do,” Owen explains, patting Alex’s shoulder. 

The smile on Alex’s face is one that Owen isn’t sure he’s ever seen. He knew Alex was a good guy, which is why he was shocked Alex ever walked out on you in the first place, so he really hopes that this is a serious situation. He thought the world of Ben and it wasn’t even his kid. He knew Alex would be in love when he did get to finally meet him.  

What Owen doesn’t expect is all the questions Alex has over the next day. He figured out Owen knows more than he’s letting on with knowing your son and it seems to be eating him alive. He wants to know the baby’s birthday, his full name, and any bit of information in between that he can pry out of Owen. 

Owen finally sneaks off to call you, not sure how much you want him knowing ahead of time. He steps outside for a couple minutes, lifting the phone up to his ear. 

You answer quickly, a hushed ‘hello’, as you carefully sneak away from your sleeping baby. 

“We’ve got a small problem,” Owen says, fueling a moment of panic that runs through you. 

“A problem? What kind of problem? What happened?” You ask quickly, a thousand thoughts running through your head, but one sticks out the most, “he’s bailing already, isn’t he?”

“Uh, no actually. The opposite of that really,” Owen says, a nervous laugh slipping from him, “he won’t stop asking questions about Ben and I don’t know how much you want him to know.”

His answer surprises you and you have to think for a second. Was there really anything that would hurt to have him know? Maybe if he knew more ahead of time he’d be more prepared for when, if, he met him. 

You sigh, saying, “I guess there really isn’t anything he shouldn’t know. Does he still think he wants to meet him?”

“Oh yeah, he’s dying to meet him. It’s so weird to see him like this. Everything out of his mouth since yesterday has been about Ben.”

The thought of Alex actually being involved stirs up butterflies in the pit of your stomach. You figured you’d lost him forever, but you would do anything to give Ben a good life. If that meant having to swallow your pride and let Alex be around however he could, then that was what you’d do.  

“Hmm, took him long enough to want to be around. I talked to my parents so they know what’s going on. My dad said if Alex pulls anything stupid to have you beat him up,” you laugh, not having been surprised by your dad’s advice. 

Owen laughs as well, before quietly responding, “I’ll do it if I have to. Promise. You want to figure out a time for them to meet?”

“Tomorrow afternoon? I can meet you guys somewhere if you need me to.”

“We can come to you. That way you and Ben are comfortable,” Owen offers, making you smile. 

“Text me before you come over,” you say, taking a deep breath. 

You get off the phone and look around. You knew you should start cleaning, even though it wasn’t that messy. It would make things look good and maybe it would get your mind off the fact Alex was about to finally meet the little boy he’d left a year ago. 

—

The knock on your door the next day makes your heart race. You’d come to terms with Alex meeting Ben and that it was probably for the best. You hadn’t come to terms however with the feelings you might have still had for Alex. Those weren’t important right now though. 

Ben is slowly waking up in his crib, his afternoon nap finishing up, and you’re sure the knocking will help that along. You open the front door and see Owen, a big smile on his face. 

He says hello before giving you a hug and making his way into your apartment. He was more than comfortable, so he steals a spot on the couch and stretches out. You turn back to look outside and you’re immediately met with the sight of Alex. 

Your breath hitches for a second and you realize you’d never dealt with any of the feelings you had for him. Your stomach sinks and you give him the best smile you can manage. 

“Hi,” you say quietly, not sure what else you were even supposed to say to him. 

“Hi,” he smiles softly at you, “you look good.”

You fight the urge to scoff, knowing he threw out compliments when he knew someone was mad at him. You step to the side so that he can walk in and you hear Ben cry a little. Owen looks up at you and Alex immediately and Alex looks towards the hallway. 

“I’ll go get him,” you tell them, slipping past Alex. 

Bennett is awake when you get in his room and he gives you a big smile when he finally sees you. He had to be the happiest baby and you loved when he gave you that sweet look after a good nap. You get him out of his swaddle and pick him up, trying to smooth his hair out a bit.

He leans his head down on your shoulder, snuggling into your chest as he continues to wake up more. You head back into the living room, holding your breath. Alex had sat next to Owen, taking up the middle seat of your couch. He looks over at you and stands up immediately, his eyes locked on the little boy in your arms. 

“Alex,” you start, taking a couple steps closer, “this is Bennett, but Ben for short. Owen calls him Benny sometimes and he doesn’t seem to mind that.”

Alex seems to get tears in his eyes for a moment and he sniffs quickly, holding his hand out and gently rubbing Ben’s back. Ben sits up a little and gives Alex a confused look. He, of course, had no clue who this guy was that was in his house. 

“He might be a little hesitant. We’re dealing with a stranger danger phase lately and he gets scared when he doesn’t know people,” you explain, watching as Ben continues to size up Alex. 

“That’s okay. Hi,” he says softly, smiling at Ben. 

Ben seems to notice Owen then and he lets out a little squeal, smiling right away. You see Alex’s smile drop as he glances back at his old teammate. Owen smiles and waves at Ben, earning a giggle from the little boy. 

Alex looks back at Ben and nods a little, “you like him, huh? You’ve seen him lots I bet.”

“Owen’s been a huge help,” you defend, switching Ben to the other hip, “despite how cute he is, having a baby is kind of a lot of work.”

“I’m sorry,” Alex blurts out suddenly, but he isn’t looking at you. Not at first anyways, and then he does turn his attention to you, “I’m really sorry. It wasn’t fair that I left the way I did. I shouldn’t have done that.”

You nod, not really having an answer for him. What were you supposed to say? It wasn’t okay. You weren’t over it. You didn’t trust the situation that was happening, but here it was so you were doing your best to keep your cool. 

“Do you want to hold him?” You ask instead, watching Alex’s face light up. He nods and you take a second to get Ben to look at Alex, “can you say hi? You want to go see Alex? It’s okay, we like him.”

You wait until Ben gives Alex a little smile, knowing he wasn’t as cautious about him anymore. You carefully hand him over, making sure Alex holds him right. He situates him on his hip and Ben turns his attention up to Alex. He starts to babble at him, gently hitting his hands on Alex’s chest, and you sigh. 

“He’s beating you up because he likes you. Don’t worry,” you laugh a little, watching the two of them interact. 

Alex smiles, letting Ben do whatever he wants, “I probably deserve it, little guy. Go ahead.”

You roll your eyes at that and take a seat on the couch. Owen gives you a little nod and you watch Alex interact with Ben for the first time. It was easy to tell he actually cared and the sight makes the mom side of you so happy. 

Alex and Owen hang around the rest of the day and Alex can’t get enough of Ben. He hardly wants to let him go, but does when he needs to be fed or changed. He seems to hover, not wanting to be in the way, but still wanting to get as much time as possible with him. 

As it gets closer to bedtime for Ben, Owen announces he has somewhere he needs to be. You’d bet he’s lying but you don’t question it either. He steals Ben for a moment from Alex, saying goodbye and getting a big laugh out of the baby. Once he hands him back he leaves you with Alex, a silence filling the room right away. 

“I know I probably can’t ask for this,” Alex says eventually, “but am I allowed to be in his life? I know I messed up and I swear to you I regret it, but can we change things moving forward?”

You let out a big sigh, watching as Ben rubs his eyes and leans into Alex’s chest. Between Ben looking tired and the sad look Alex is giving you, you swear they’ve never looked more alike. 

“I mean, you aren’t taking him overnight or anything,” you say, starting to get worried that he might take Ben. 

“No, no, I don’t want to take him or anything. God knows I couldn’t handle a baby full time. I just don’t want to be a deadbeat. I want him to know who I am,” he explains, making a face at Ben when he looks at him and getting a giggle out of his slap-happy baby. 

It’s like he knows all the things you’re worried about and he keeps going, explaining that he’ll help however you need it and he’ll come back and spend as much time as you’ll let him in the summers. He’s saying the right things and you hope the actions will follow. 

Ben starts to fuss a little and he doesn’t want Alex anymore. He reaches for you and pouts his bottom lip out until you take him. Alex seems reluctant to let him go, but he knows he has to. 

You lay him down and slip his pacifier in his mouth, patting his back gently. He fights you for a second before Alex reaches over and puts his hand on the side of his head, gently sweeping his thumb over Ben’s little eyebrow. Ben’s eyes slip closed and he lets out a little whine, but falls quiet when Alex continues to do it. You give Alex a confused look, earning a bashful smile from him. 

“My mom swears it was the only way to get me to fall asleep as a baby,” he says, turning his attention back to Ben. 

“He deserves a good dad,” you say, still watching Alex. You didn’t want to have Ben get attached just for Alex to decide things are too hard and disappear again.  

“I know,” Alex nods, “he’s already got the best mom I could hope for. I owe her a lot of apologies, too. She can tell me how to make things up to her any time now.”

You give him a confused look, but glance down at Ben, “he’s everything now. If you’re good to him then you’re good with me.”

“Deal.”

You wait until Ben seems to be fully asleep to transfer him to his crib. Alex follows right behind you, watching all the things you do to get him tucked in. Swaddle, pacifier, noise machine, and leaving your hand on his chest for an extra moment. 

When you head back to the living room Alex mentions he should get going, not wanting to impose too much. You nod, knowing you had a million things to think over with all of this. 

“Let me know when I can see him again. I’ll come here or whatever you want,” Alex says, pocketing his phone and standing near the door. 

You nod, unlocking it and reaching for the handle. Alex gently swats your hand away and leans down to kiss your cheek. You know you blush hard, staring up at him in shock. 

“Thank you for letting me meet him. I can’t wait to get to know him and I can’t wait to see you guys again,” he smiles, opening the door and heading out. 

Maybe you had a million and one things you needed to think about and all of them were Alex Turcotte’s fault. 

[pucking-insane]

Speak Now - Ryder Donovan

Player: Ryder Donovan Word Count: 1866 Warnings: Swearing

Inspired by: “Speak Now” by Taylor Swift

I  am not the kind of girl Who should rudely barging in on a white veil occasion But you Are not the kind the kind of boy Who should be marrying the wrong girl

The invitation was a surprise to say the least. Of course, you knew Ryder was dating, but you weren’t expecting the “save the date” to come. Immediately, you texted Shay, who, even though you and Ryder had broken up years ago, you remained close with. 

It killed you to know that Ryder had moved on. You were happy that he was happy, but you were still in love with him.

Even though you didn’t really want to go to your ex-boyfriend’s wedding, Shay had convinced you to come as his plus one. 

When you got to the wedding venue, you took a deep breath before even opening your car door.

Y/N Shay I can’t do this

Shay Donovan I know it hurts bub But you need closure I’ll see if I can sneak out to your car

Y/N Thank you

Eventually, there was a knock on your car window. You unlocked your car for Shay, who slid into your passenger seat.

“I can’t do this.” You said quietly.

“I know it’s hard and I know it hurts, but he’s happy.” Shay explained. 

“It should be me.” You cried. “I should be getting ready to marry the love of my life. I should have my hair and makeup done and my dress and jewelry should be on. We should be taking pictures right now.”

“Believe me, Y/N,” Shay sighed. “It should be you.”

“You’re not making this any easier, Donovan.”

“Sorry, bubs.” Shay rubbed your back. “I’ll save a dance for you. That is if Cole or Turcs don’t get to you first.”

“They’re here?”

“Of course they are.” Shay smiled and glanced at his watch. “I should probably get going. But find one of them and you’ll be fine.”

I sneak in and see your friends And her snotty little family all dressed in pastel And she is yelling at a bridesmaid Somewhere back inside a room  Wearing a gown shaped like a pastry

Eventually, you willed yourself to leave your car and walk inside. You quickly spotted the familiar head of curly dark hair you had known since college.

“How’s LA treating you Turcs?” You asked as you fell into the natural conversation.

“Great. Thinking of buying a ring for Tori.” He smiled.

“Oh my gosh! That’s amazing!” You gave your friend a congratulatory hug.

“What are you doing here?” Alex asked. “Not that I don’t want to see you, I just thought you wouldn’t want to go to your ex-boyfriend’s wedding.”

“Shay asked me to be his plus one, claimed I needed closure.” 

“And how’s that working out for you?”

“Well. I had a mental breakdown in the car, so I’d say things are going swell.” You replied sassily.

You made small talk with Alex, Cole and some of their college teammates joining you. You laughed about the good old college days, when you and Ryder were dating, after all, you did follow him to Madison. You joked about the TikToks that were created in your dorms and the adventures around campus. The four years you spent at the University of Wisconsin were easily the best four years of your life and you were glad to spend it with your good friends, even though some of them left for their NHL teams before the four years were up.

But talking about your college years with the UW-Madison men’s hockey team brought some sadness. You remembered all of the wonderful memories with Ryder. How many times you fell asleep in his room that he shared with Shay, the number of games you attended at the Kohl Center with “R. Donovan” proudly displayed across your shoulders, the picnic lunches you would have on the quad.

Now, the love of your life was probably fixing up his hair, which you knew he was always particular about, one last time before entering the wedding venue. Those would be his last moments as a free man.

This is Surely not what you thought it would be I Lose myself in a daydream Where i stand and say

“Don’t say yes  run away now I’ll meet you when you're out Of the church at the back door Don’t wait Or say a single vow You need to hear me out And they said ‘speak now’”

When you are all seated, you start to lose yourself in your thoughts. 

What would it have been like at your wedding?

You would’ve gotten married in a church, for starters, and there would be far fewer flowers. Your bridesmaids would have been Ryder’s sisters, your college roommate, and a high school friend or two. The color scheme would have been coral and navy, two colors that complimented Ryder’s olive skin. Your first dance song would’ve been something by Dan + Shay. You would’ve had red velvet cake at your reception.

You would’ve been marrying Ryder.

Alex notices that you’re in your head and puts his hand on your leg, giving a quick squeeze to your thigh for reassurance. 

In a perfect world, you would object when the preacher called for objections. You and Ryder would run away together, go to Vegas, and live happily ever after. 

But it wasn’t a perfect world.

Fond Gestures are exchanged And the organ starts to play a song That sounds like a death march And I Am hiding in the curtains It seems that I was uninvited  By a lovely bride-to-be

She Floats down the aisle  Like a pageant queen But I Know You wish it was me You wish it was me, don't you?

The piano starts to play a nice andante movement as the ushers escort Bill and the bride’s mother down the aisle, and the preacher follows. Next, Ryder walks with his mom, giving her a kiss on the cheek before going to stand next to the preacher. 

Cole, who is seated on your right side, gives you a sad smile, knowing how hard this was going to be for you. 

Ryder stands in a black suit, one you had seen countless times on game day, only this time, he wasn’t wearing his usual beanie and a boutonniere was pinned to his chest. 

You lock eyes with your former love as the wedding march starts to play. The doors open and Ryder’s bride and her father stand ready to walk down the aisle. She looked gorgeous. You looked back at Ryder, who had an empty stare. 

He wished it was you walking towards him, and you knew it.

I hear the preacher say “Speak now or forever hold your peace” There’s a silence There’s my last chance I stand up with shaky hands All eyes on me

Horrified looks from everyone in the room But I'm only looking at you

“Dearly beloved,” The preacher starts. “We are gathered here to join Ryder Donovan and Alyssa Johnson in Holy Matrimony. If anyone has just cause as to why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

Your heart races in your chest. Alex and Cole both look at you, making sure you don’t speak, Shay doing the same from next to Ryder. 

You stay quiet. If Ryder was truly happy, then you were happy for him. Eventually, you would find someone to be your happily ever after.

You zone out for the rest of the ceremony. Until the vows.

Alyssa had already said her vows, saying “I do” through her tears.

“Do you, Ryder Donovan, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse,” Ryder glanced in your direction and then back to the preacher and then to Alyssa. “For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?”

Ryder took a deep breath before speaking. 

I am not the kind of girl Who should be rudely barging in On a white veil occasion But you Are not the kind of boy Who should be marrying the wrong girl

“I don’t.”

Gasps come from everyone in the room. Ryder looks in your direction before turning to Alyssa.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered. “I thought I loved you more than I really did. You deserve the world.”

Ryder pressed a kiss to Alyssa’s cheek before walking back down the aisle. 

Shay runs after him, pulling you with him as he runs past you.

“I told you everything would be fine.” Shay smirked.

You and Shay found Ryder back in the groom’s dressing room. He sat with his head in his hands, sobs rocking his body.

“Hey.” Shay says as he approaches his younger brother.

“I just couldn’t do it, Shay,” Ryder cried. “I just couldn’t.”

“It’s okay.” Shay said as he rubbed Ryder’s back.

“I wish I hadn’t been so goddamn stupid when I left for Vegas. I should never have dumped Y/N. Never.”

“She’s here,” Shay said. “You know.”

Ryder looked up, his cheeks soaked with tears and eyes puffy. 

“Can you give us a minute?” Ryder asked.

“Sure.” Shay said, patting you on the back as he left the room.

“Hey.” You said softly.

“I said ‘I don’t’ because of you.” Ryder said, staring into your eyes. “I saw you with Alex and Cole and then as Alyssa walked down the aisle, I wished it was you.”

“I kept imagining what our wedding would have looked like.” You explained. “How you would cry when you saw me and how we would have red velvet cake with lots of cream cheese frosting because it’s our favorite.”

“I’m so stupid for letting you go.” Ryder sighed, taking your hands in his.

“If you love something, set it free.” You smiled. “And if it’s meant to be, it’ll come back.”

Ryder looked into your eyes before leaning in and kissing you on the lips. The kiss was tender yet passionate. 

And you’ll say “Let’s run away now I’ll meet you when I’m out Of my tux  At the back door Baby I didn’t say my vows So glad you were around  when they said ‘speak now.’”

Two years later, you were at another wedding involving Ryder Donovan. But this time, you were the bride and he was the groom. 

Ryder cried as you walked down the aisle and you had tears in your eyes yourself.

“Do you, Ryder Donovan, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse,” Ryder smiled wide as the preacher spoke. “For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?”

“I do.” He smiled at you, squeezing your hands.

“By the power vested in me by the state of Minnesota, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” The preacher smiled. “You may kiss the bride.”

Ryder pulled you in for a kiss and whispered in your ear. 

“I’m so glad you were around when they said ‘speak now.’”

[lignes2frappe]

QUELLES LEÇONS TIRER DE LA TRILOGIE DU PARRAIN ?

À l'occasion de la ressortie en salles de la nouvelle version du « Parrain III », la question mérite d'être posée...

Le Parrain est l’un des plus grands films de l’histoire du septième art. Le Parrain II appartient au club très privé des suites réputées meilleures que l’original. Le Parrain III est l’un film les plus sous-estimés de son temps.

Encensée par le public et la critique depuis bientôt cinquante ans, la trilogie de Francis Ford Coppola (le réalisateur) et Mario Puzzo (l’auteur du livre et le scénariste) doit notamment sa prestigieuse renommée au fait qu’elle propose plusieurs niveaux de lecture.

Films de gangsters, allégorie du capitalisme, éloge du patriarcat saga familiale, tragédie grecque, fresque sur l’immigration... elle peut à chaque fois se regarder d’un œil nouveau.

De quoi pas mal cogiter donc, et de quoi en retenir quelques leçons valables dans à peu près tous les domaines de la vie.

Leçons n°1 : toujours garder ses intentions pour soi

Lorsque Don Corleone (Marlon Brando) rencontre pour la première fois Virgil Solozzo, alias 'le Turc', pour discuter narcotiques, son fils aîné Sonny (James Caan) évoque ouvertement son intérêt pour ce marché, quand bien même l’instant d’avant son père a fermement écarté l’hypothèse d’investir dans ce « dirty business ».

Sitôt la réunion terminée, Don Corleone remonte sèchement les bretelles de son rejeton en lui rappelant que « jamais il ne doit laisser savoir ce qu’il pense en dehors de la famille ».

Très mal lui en a pris en effet puisque, quelques scènes plus tard, Sollozo, sentant qu’il a un coup à jouer si Sonny venait à succéder au patriarche Corleone, tente de faire assassiner ce dernier.

Sur le même schéma, dans la troisième partie, Vincent (Andy Garcia), le fils illégitime de Sonny, est rappelé à l’ordre par Michael (Al Pacino) après avoir clamé haut et fort vouloir se débarrasser d’un rival ��� « Never let anyone know what you're thinking ».

Leçons n°2 : ne pas se laisser envahir par ses émotions

Plus encore que son père, Michael Corleone impressionne par sa capacité à garder son calme.

Animal à sang-froid, là où son frère Sonny a fini le corps criblé de balles après avoir une énième fois pété les plombs, il reste de marbre en toutes circonstances (pas une menace, pas une parole plus haute que l’autre), y compris lorsque le sénateur Pat Geary insulte copieusement sa « fucking family ».

Non seulement cette impassibilité lui évite les décisions trop hâtives (de celles prises sous le coup de la colère et qui neuf fois sur dix sont amèrement regrettées), mais elle lui permet aussi et surtout de se montrer absolument imprévisible car personne ne peut deviner ce qu’il a en tête.

Leçons n°3 : tisser des relations solides

Dans la mafia sicilienne comme ailleurs, personne ne réussit jamais seul. Ou pour citer Don Altobello : « L’homme le plus riche est celui qui a les amis les plus puissants ».

À la tête d’un réseau tentaculaire composé aussi bien de membres de sa proche famille que de professionnels du crime ou de haut placés dans les arcanes de la politique, le Don tire en premier lieu son pouvoir de sa capacité à faire avancer tout ce petit monde dans la même direction.

Un peu de relationnel, un peu d’étiquette, un peu d’autorité... l’idée est d’établir un équilibre subtil entre ceux qui peuvent lui être utiles et ceux auprès de qui il peut se rendre utile.

Bon évidemment, chacun est ici jugé à l'aune de ce qu’il peut apporter, « l’amitié » évoquée à tour de bras n’étant jamais désintéressée.

Leçons n° 4 : ne pas mépriser ses ennemis

« Garde tes amis près de toi, et tes ennemis encore plus près. »

Dans la droite lignée du point numéro 2, ce conseil donné par Vito à Michael implique de ne pas se laisser déborder par ses sentiments, la haine étant très mauvaise conseillère.

Non pas qu’un ennemi méritent une quelconque forme de respect (un ennemi n’est pas un adversaire), mais aussi détestable soit-il, il est important de le garder à l’œil afin de jauger au mieux de ses forces et de ses faiblesses.

Cette prise d’information permettra d’anticiper ses plans, puis le moment venu de le frapper au plus juste.

Bill Gates, qui dans son domaine d’activité n’est pas un tendre, estime lui qu’il est « parfois nécessaire pour les agneaux d’aller s’allonger avec les loups ».

Leçons n°5 : le pouvoir corrompt

Si les Parrain devaient se résumer à un thème, ce serait celui-là.

Tout comme son père qui pour s’extirper sa condition sociale s’est autorisé tous les écarts (intimidation, racket, meurtre...) jusqu’à devenir l’incarnation du mal absolu, Michael dérive de la même manière à compter du jour où il prend les rênes de la Famille.

Jeune homme idéaliste à ses débuts, il se mue en être arrogant et calculateur qui, sous couvert d’une rationalisation de façade (le crime est une activité comme une autre, les autorités sont tout aussi corrompues...), ne vit que pour assouvir ses ambitions – quitte à sacrifier en chemin celles et ceux qu’il souhaitait initialement protéger (sa femme, ses enfants, son frère).

Pas de chance pour lui, plus il grimpe les échelons de la société, plus les gens lui ressemblent – « The higher I go, the crookeder it becomes ».

Leçons n°6 : tout est toujours personnel

Répété à tour de bras tout au long de la saga, le mantra « Ce n'est pas personnel, c'est uniquement les affaires » sert en réalité de posture pour masquer les intentions des uns et des autres.

De Michael qui exécute ceux qui s’en sont pris à son père, à Hyman Roth qui cherche à venger la mort de son ami Moe Greene par ce même Michael, comment pourrait-il en être autrement ?

Les gens sont ce qu’ils font. Quiconque se dédiant corps et âmes à sa tâche corrèle qu’il le veuille ou non tous les aspects de sa vie (son estime de soi, son mode de vie, son énergie...) à cette dernière.

Tout le reste c’est du baratin... ce dont convient largement Michael dans le livre lorsqu’il s’adresse à son frère Tom : « Ne laisse personne t’avoir. Tout est personnel jusqu’au moindre recoin (...) Ils appellent ça un business. Okay, mais c’est avant tout personnel ».

Leçons n°7 : certains choix sont irrémédiables

Des plus réticents à rejoindre la petite entreprise familiale, Michael va jusqu’à s’engager chez les Marines en pleine Seconde Guerre mondiale et se fiancer avec une Wasp.

Son destin bascule cependant le jour où il décide d’endosser le costume d’héritier pour protéger les siens. De là le premier domino tombe, entraînant tous les autres dans sa chute.

Très rapidement coupable de pires pêchés (adultère, parjure, meurtre...), il passe alors le reste de sa vie à essayer de colmater les brèches, sans succès.

Se sachant « au-delà de toute rédemption », il termine seul et malade, loin de tous ceux qu’il a un jour aimé.

Bonus : comment réussir sa sauce tomate

Passages obligés de tout film de gangsters italiens qui se respecte (voir Les Affranchis, Les Soprano...), les scènes de bouffe sont légion dans Le Parrain : le mariage de Connie, les repas de famille, les cannellonis laissés sur le siège arrière de la voiture....

Dans l’une d’elle, pas forcément la plus connue, Clemenza explique à Michael comment « cuisiner pour vingt personnes ».

Sa recette que personne ne peut refuser ? Des saucisses et des boulettes de viande à la sauce tomate.

« Tu vois, tu commences avec un peu d’huile, puis tu fais frire de l’ail. Là, tu rajoutes des tomates et du concentré de tomates. Tu continues de faire frire en faisant gaffe que ça ne colle pas. Ensuite tu envoies les saucisses et les boulettes. Un peu de vin, et là mon petit secret, tu ajoutes un peu de sucre. »

48 ans après, un plat qui donne toujours autant faim.

Publié sur Booska-p.com le 7 décembre 2020.

[savoies]

the hughes brothers give me massive, my mom said that we can have a sleep over but you gotta come to church with us in the morning, energy.

no i will not elaborate for those who don’t get it.

this is so funny to me just like imagining them just being like ok come over. and you guys having a good time and then eating pancakes in the morning then going to church and not really knowing what's going on.

[savoies]

i just wanna paint edwards nails, smoke weed, and watch ufo conspiracy videos.

bro if this isn't the vibe I don't know what is.