#🎶Jason's Playlist🎶

[broodingmystery]

🏷 tag drop; Jason Stackhouse (PRIVATE MUSE)

[kirbyskisses]

hi kirby! 💗

do you have a playlist for Jason Todd 🤲🏼👁

oh. boy. do i.

it’s one of my favorites!!! i could explain every song choice in heavy detail.

send an ask w a character and see if i have a playlist for them.

[broodingmysterybackup]

🏷 tag drop: J.ason S.tackhouse [Private Muse]

[offside-the-lines]

tell me who i run to (if not you) | anthony beauvillier

"The first sip is joy, the second is gladness, the third is serenity, the fourth is madness, the fifth is ecstasy." - Jack Kerouac

Summary In July of 2023, Evie looked at a list of cities in North America and rolled a die. Just like that, she packed up her life and moved to Chicago, a fresh start. The 2023-24 NHL season started well for Tito; he did not expect the call on November 28th telling him that he was being traded. To the worst team in the league. And just like that. 10 months after being ripped from his home, he had to pack up and move again. To an unfamiliar city, and to unfamiliar faces. Which is why, when Tito and Evie ran into each other, quite literally, on Christmas morning, they both latched on to a familiar face. Over the next few months, they became close friends. They didn’t talk about the nights shared in Chicago clubs.  They didn’t need to. Because they're just friends.  Right?

This is a completed fic split into episodes for easier reading. It was written for @bqstqnbruin as part of the Winter Fic Exchange 2k24 hosted by @wyattjohnston.

Episode 1. Blue Christmas (4.9k) Episode 2. I. Winter (4.4k) Episode 3. Pal-entine's Day (4.8k) Episode 4. Four-leaf Clover (5.5k) Episode 5. Evie's Birthday 🌶️ (5.6k) Episode 6. II. Spring (4.8k) Episode 7. Not Goodbye 🌶️🌶️ (5.4k) Episode 8. III. Summer (4.8k) Episode 9. Tito's Birthday (4.2k)

Read it in full (44.5k)

🎵 Series Playlist 🎶

Requests (open) | Masterlist & Who I Write For | Join My Taglist

Under the cut: author's notes, tropes, warnings & disclaimer, fun tidbits, chapter summaries

Author's Notes: This fic was written for @bqstqnbruin as part of the Winter Fic Exchange 2k24 hosted by @wyattjohnston. It got so out of control long so quickly. I genuinely had so much fun writing this, it's basically my magnum opus; if you look closely, I think you can probably see my soul in there somewhere. I would like to thank @devilssacrament, @wyattjohnston, and @forgottenflowers for being my editors, holding my hand and keeping me sane in this. Also, thanks to @swissboyhisch, and @imperatorrrrr for being a sounding board for ideas . All of your help and support has meant so much to me. You are all just the fucking best, I am sorry this has been my entire personality for the past month, I will probably return to normal soon. Probably...

Tropes: a gut-wrenching mix of angst and fluff with a happy ending, slow burn friends to lover (tbh, idiots to lovers let's be real), alternating POVs

Warnings: alcohol (one instance of alcohol poisoning by side character), mature content bordering on smut (mostly occurring in clubs/public), references to a toxic past relationship. Disclaimer: This series is set in Chicago but does not mention the name of the team based there. Only other Chicago players mentioned by name are: Nick Foligno, Jason Dickinson and Connor Bedard. Other notes: NHL players featured Mat Barzal (a heavily featured supporting character/bestie) and brief mentions of Zach Hyman and Matt Martin. Assume that Tito and Evie are always speaking in French with each other.

Face claim for Evie (if you want one, but you can imagine whoever you like): Adeline Rudolph

Fun Tidbits: Original Character (she/her) called Genevieve Gignac or Evie (pronounced eh-vee) is the oldest sibling of Tito's juniors teammate and friend Brandon Gignac. Along with their other sibling Wiliam, they grew up in Montreal. Evie had been living in Toronto for six years, before moving to Chicago in the summer before the fic starts. I did way too much research so a lot of the little facts are true. Nicknames: (ma) chouette (shoo-wet): owl (mon) chou/chouchou (shoo): in practice, honey, sugar, baby, sweetheart // by definition, my cabbage or my profiterole/cream puff (depends who you ask) Solours (soul-oars): the Québécois name for the yellow Care Bear with the smiling sun on its belly Solou’ (soul-oo): a diminutive Evie decides to use

Cook, Cook, drink your tea, But save some in the pot for me. We'll watch the tea leaves in our cup When our drink is all sipped up. Happiness or fortune great, What will our future be? -- "Afternoon Tea at Pittock Mansion" by R.Z. Berry

Episode Synopses:

Blue Christmas Evie and Tito are both starting life anew in Chicago. It's an unfamiliar city with unfamiliar faces. They're both alone on Christmas. Maybe it's fate that brings them together. Jason and Alandra Dickinson are already smelling smoke from this fire.

I. Winter Tito injures his wrist in the first game of 2024, he’s out for 6-8 weeks and then his car breaks down. He thinks maybe he’s cursed. Evie becomes a shoulder to lean on. Barzy gets suspicious.

Pal-entine’s Day Tito returns her kindness by being a shoulder Evie can lean on when she is having a hard time after all-star break. She tells him it’s anxiety about work. He brings her a box of pastries and they cuddle on the couch all day; he doesn’t realize it’s Valentine’s Day. Later, a hook-up goes very wrong.

Four-leaf Clover Tito’s been playing again, and during his first stretch of away games begins to miss home. Well, Evie’s home anyway. When he sees her in the bar, he can’t help but show it. Barzy calls him out on his lies.

Evie’s Birthday Sometimes the music moves you. Sometimes the bass pounding in your chest makes you do things you wouldn’t do. Fuck it, it’s your birthday. That’s what Evie tells herself anyway. There are gifts given, but there are also secrets kept. 

II. Spring Tito tries to tell her— he does— It’s just he needs to find the right time, and something keeps coming up. Evie’s honest with herself. But does that even matter? Mat decides maybe it is his time to intervene.

Not Goodbye Evie realizes that her time is running out. To do what? She doesn’t know. But she has one last night to find out. That is until— Well. It’s too late now. Tito flies home and wonders if that will be the worst mistake of his life.

III. Summer They try to get on with their summers as if nothing is wrong, convincing no one. How long will it take them to realize they can’t keep pretending like everything’s fine? And who will finally take the leap of faith?

Tito’s Birthday Tito receives the best birthday present he has ever gotten: the girl he loves standing at his parent’s front door. It was never destiny or fate; it can only be by choice. And they’ll choose each other every time. Eventually, anyway.

Requests (open) | Masterlist & Who I Write For | Join My Taglist

[jasonswh0rre]

IYO, what would AK's playlist look like?

Excellent question! I think Jason would be a metalhead definitely listens to some punk and rock. I do have some other songs he'd listen too as well.

AK! Jason Todd's Music Playlist 🎶🎵🎧

R&B:

"Hurt" by Johnny Cash

"Lost One" by JAY-Z

"Sorry" by Beyoncé

"Drown" by Lecrae ft. John Legend

"Rise Up" by Andra Day

Metal:

"Down with the Sickness" by Disturbed

"Chop Suey!" by System of a Down

"Indestructible" by Disturbed

"Paranoid" by Black Sabbath

"Ace of Spades" by Motorhead

Rock:

"The Pretender" by Foo Fighters

"Animal I Have Become" by Three Days Grace

"Bleed It Out" by Linkin Park

"One Step Closer" by Linkin Park

"Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen

Pop:

"Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars

"Shape pf You" by Ed Sheeran

"Can't Stop the Feeling!" by Justin Timberlake

"Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey

"Beat It" by Micheal Jackson

Rap:

"Lose Yourself" by Eminem

"Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine

"Money Trees" by Kendrick Lamar ft. Jay Rock

"Power" by Kanye West

"In the End" by Linkin Park

Additional Songs:

"Hall of Illusions" by Insane Clown Posse

"Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden

"Everything I Am" by Kanye West

"Duckworth" by Kendrick Lamar

"Paint It, Black" by The Rolling Stones

"Till I Collapse" by Eminem ft. Nate Dogg

"Hit Em Up" by Tupac

"Dear Mama" by Tupac

[itscherrylipsforme]

🎶 for Jason? I have like a 300 song long playlist for him and I’m always looking for new ones to add!!

Sure! These are some that reminds me of him. Btw could I take a look at that playlist of yours if you don't mind? I would love to have a few tracks to listen while writing about him, please 🥺 Hope you like it 🫶🏼

Paper cuts by Nirvana: It's one of my faves from this band, and it has remind me to Jason childdhood since I listened to it for the first time

This Night Has Opened My Eyes by The Smiths: I see him being a The Smiths stand for unknown reasons, I can easily imagine him listening to this one just after he comes back from patrol to try to calm down

My oh my by Camila Cabello and DaBaby: Okay, this probably just makes sense for me because I headcanon him as at least half-latino and idk why the boy Camila describes in the song somehow fits me with his vibes. I just plaintly like it

Monsters by All Time Low, Demi Lobato and blackbear: I am sure that punk rock bands kicked him hard when he was younger, perfect track to listen while training hard

[mysuperlexy43vr-aka-weirdo]

Made an awesome-ish Jason and Kimberly playlist for this one cute powerful Power Ranger Couple that I shipped since the Turbo Movie. Just because lol 🥰💝😍😅❤🎶

The songs are:

My Best Friend: Tim McGraw Crazy for this Girl: Evan & Jaron Protecting Me: Aly & AJ Ain't Nothin' About You: Brooks & Dunn Never Stop: Safetysuit Could it Be: Christy Carlson Romanio Songbird: Eva Cassidy If You Only Knew: Shinedown Everything You Do (I do it for You): Bryan Adams Mercy: Brett Young

[zepskies]

Happy Sunday! Fanfic question time again! This is more general but curious if you're a plotter or a seat of the pants (or some combo) kind of writer? If you do plot, do you wait until you have the beginning, middle and end mapped out or do you start before you know your end point and hope to find it along the way?

Also, do you listen to music while you write?

Hey, lovely, Happy Sunday to you too! 💕

Ooh I love these types questions, thank you!!

1. What kind of writer am I? ✍🏽

I like the terms "Plotter" vs. "Seat of the pants" kind of writer. In the past I've called them "Architects" vs. "Adventurers."

In most respects, I consider myself a Plotter/Architect. My brain craves structure to an almost ill degree when writing. 😂 The way I beat writer's block while working on a project is by having a roadmap of what's going to happen next, and that's thanks to my outline.

It'll include plot points, scene changes, and even dialogue and parts of scene that occur to me as I'm plotting. (I don't want to forget them!) This doesn't mean that plot points won't change, or get switched around, or get chucked entirely. But if I have the blueprints of the house, I can change a window here and there, so to speak.

So for longer stories like "Never Say Goodbye," "Smoke Eater," and "Break Me Down," I had a very extensive outline that I had to sketch out entirely before I started writing. I also have outlines for longer one-shots, especially ones with multiple parts, like in the Midnight Espresso-verse.

In fact, the only stories I freeform are the shorter requests/imagines that are sent in to me.

2. Do I listen to music when I'm writing? 🎵

Girl, HELL YES. 🎶 Music is a big part of my life in general, but I need to listen to music when I write. Depending on the story, character, setting, fandom, etc., I'll listen to different kinds of music to get into the vibe of that story.

On the story/chapter post, I often include what particular song inspired me because I felt the lyrics, genre, and/or vibe encapsulated the story I was trying to create. After all, most good songs are stories themselves.

For Break Me Down, for example, I think I've shared with you that I chose "All My Living Time" by Radio Company as the series song inspo. It influenced many of the story's chapter titles. But I also listened to "If I Didn't Care," and a lot of Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, and others in that genre to get the vibe of Ben in my head.

As another example, when I write for Jason Teague or Sam Winchester, I listen to a lot of 90s - early 2000s alt rock and grunge — like Lifehouse, Matchbox 20, Pearl Jam, Five for Fighting, Smashing Pumpkins, Avril Lavigne, etc.

Whereas for Dean Winchester...

Of course it's a lot of classic rock: Journey, Led Zeppelin, Queensryche, Whitesnake, Foreigner, Styx, Fleetwood Mac, etc. But depending on the story, I'll listen to other stuff too. In fact, I often create specific playlists for different stories and series.

BTW: If you ever want a playlist for a story I've written, let me know! I think that would be a really fun project to put together.

Thank you so much for asking! And sorry, I got a bit long-winded again. 😅 Can I toss these questions back at you @luci-in-trenchcoats...

Are you a plotter/architect or an adventurer/freeformer? And if you listen to music when you write, what does that look like for you? I love hearing about other writers' processes. 💓💓

[jamessunderlandgf]

—ON REPEAT!

tagged by @thedeadthree and @kyber-infinitygems to put your spotify on repeat playlist on shuffle and post the first 10 songs ✨🎶 thank u besteez MWAH

tagging: @florbelles 🥀 @pitchmoss 🥀 @cetra 🥀 @unholymilf 🥀 @simply-jason 🥀 @rosayoro 🥀 @mel-0n-earth 🥀 @ansburg 🥀 @roofgeese 🥀 @ghostfvcker 🥀 @scalpelsister 🥀 @lxmbert 🥀 @madhyanas 🥀 @mxgyver 🥀 @oc-musings 🥀 @bloodofvalyria 🥀 @nadineross 🥀 @bearsgrove 🥀 @statichvm 🥀 @jackiesarch 🥀 @jacobseed 🥀 @red-nightskies 🥀 and you!

PLASTIC BEACH— GORILLAZ (ft. MICK JONES and PAUL SIMONON)

HIGH POINT— AIR

SEÑOR (TALES OF YANKEE POWER) - LIVE— JERRY GARCIA BAND

INFINITY REPEATING (2013 DEMO ft. JULIAN CASABLANCAS)— DAFT PUNK

AMOR FATI— WASHED OUT

OH YOKO!— GEMS

I’LL HAUNT YOU— TENNIS

DROP THE GUILLOTINE— PEACH PIT

BEWARE THE FRIENDLY STRANGER— BOARDS OF CANADA

FAR FROM ANY ROAD— THE HANDSOME FAMILY

[majicmarker]

x. // eddie x chrissy // regular life au - (mostly) jason pov // multi-chapter

One of the doors to the back of his van is open, Chrissy perched on the tailgate. Eddie’s leaning sideways on the closed door next to her, cigarette stuck between his grin; he blows the smoke away from her face, every time, but the smell’s still going to cling to her clothes, her hair. She’s going to get in Jason’s car and she’s going to smell like Eddie Munson.

Is she going to taste like him, too?

(There’s… something between Eddie and Chrissy, that Jason can’t ignore.)

🎶 welcome to hellcheer playlist

shoutout to @kris-lulu for these stellar & inspiring gifsets here and here

one. | two. | three. | four. | five. | six. | seven. | eight. | nine. | ten. | eleven. | twelve. | thirteen. | fourteen.

[pope-posts]

So I got tagged by @paletrash for this little music game

Rules: shuffle your 'on repeat' playlist & post the first ten tracks, then tag ten people 🎶

(they're all linked to Spotify btw)

1. Spooky Ghosts - SNCKPCK

2. I Want To Know Your Plans - Say Anything

3. Baby Girl, I'm a Blur - Say Anything

4. Lucky - Jason Mraz, Colbie Caillat

5. I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab for Cutie

6. Haunt Me - Samsa

7. homesickness - easy life

8. Dirty Mind - 3OH!3

9. Electric Feel - MGMT

10. love song - YUNGBLUD

I honestly don't know anyone on here and don't talk to anyone so here's 10 mutuals lol. Sorry if this is now our first interaction. I guess hi and hope you enjoy the songs 😅

@crying-at-the-orgy @bongwtrbabyy420 @6lurid6anomaly6 @darlingbutdead @hwoodsdiary @carnalreincarnated @babytwashere @lutescent @thegirlwiththephotocamera @baeby-boo

[justarandompersonxd]

All things for the ask game!!!!!

🎶 The Ultimate Music Ask Game! 🎶

1. Are you an albums person or a singles person?

Singles!

2. Do you still buy CDs (or other physical media)?

Sometimes, not always

3. Do you listen to more oldies or more current stuff?

Mix of both, but more current stuff

4. Is there a song you love but don't like its music video?

Ready for combat by icon for hire

5. Is there a song you don't like but like its music video?

Not just yet, though i like familair taste of poison by halestorm beyter with its music video then without. Same for 11 minutes by Yungblud

6. Who's an artist you really like but it's embarrassed to admit it?

NF

7. Would you wear a t-shirt of a band you're not into?

Nope

8. Is there an artist or song that you like, despite being of a genre you don't usually like?

Cha cha cha and queen of kings

9. Do you have a favorite band?

Smash into pieces

10. Favorite solo artist?

NF and Cavetown

11. Favorite songwriter?

Ariel

12. Who’s the most obscure artist you listen to?

Im thinking Jason Waterfalls or OMD

13. Who’s the most popular/mainstream artist you listen to?

AJR

14. A song or album from the 50s or earlier:

No idea

15. A song or album from the 60s:

No id3a

16. A song or album from the 70s:

Organisation by OMD

17. A song or album from the 80s:

Electircitiy by OMD

18. A song or album from the 90s:

Enola Gay

19. A song or album from the 2000s:

The punishment of luxury

20. A song or album from the 2010s:

Locomotion

21. A song or album from this year or last year:

Bauhaus staircase

22. What’s your favorite song or album from the year you where born?

The OMD singles

23. Do you and your partner/best friend share a special song? One you’d call “our song”?

We have a whole playlist together :)

24. Do you play any instruments?

No :(

25. Is there a song you used to like but can’t listen to anymore because you associate it with someone you don’t like?

Yeah, empty by BoyInABand

26. Have you ever pretended to like an artist/song just to fit in or please somebody?

Nit exavtly

27. Do you enjoy making playlists? If so, are there any you’re proud of and would like to share?

I do, i make them for specific moods or instances

28. Have you ever made/got a mixtape as gift to/from a friend?

No

29. Songs you love to dance to:

Locomotion, Paracetamol and two trucks

30. Songs you love to sing along to:

Fishy love, paracetamol, locomotion, the search

31. Who’s your favorite fictional band or artist?

??

32. When was the last time you cried when listening to a song, if ever?

All of icon for hire at some point or another

33. Your favorite artist from your city/state/country?

Blackbriar

34. Your favorite song in your native language (if it isn’t English) OR in your second language (if English is your first):

Paracetamol and Dat heb jij gedaan (You did that)

35. A song you like in a language you don’t speak:

Sorale li luna

36. A song you like with lyrics in two or more languages:

Fokul Fen Mah

37. If you could travel in time and go to a concert of an artist who’s no longer alive or a band that’s no longer together, who would you choose?

Abba

38. Which was the first concert you went to?

Jeroen van der boom, when i was really young. He called me on stage too :))

39. Which was the last concert you went to?

Smash into pieces ^^

40. Which was the best concert you’ve ever been to?

Omd and Lord of The lost

41. Have you ever been to a music festival? If not, would you like to go?

I have, Dutch Valley and im not sure

42. Your favorite(s) “no skips” album(s):

You still cant kill us by icon for hire

43. Do you enjoy musicals? If so, what’s your favorite?

Not so much

44. Have you watched any musician’s biopics? Do you have a favorite?

No clue

45. A non-musical movie or show with a soundtrack you love:

Supernatural, every season finale thsy llay carry in wayward son and i lovs it

46. Do you like comedy songs? If so, do you have a favorite?

The entirwty of Lemon Demon. I lobe his music

47. Is there an artist you used to dislike but learned to like because of a friend’s influence?

Not dislike ler se. But i gained a new found allriciation for Rap music

48. Who’s an artist you think it’s criminally underrated and deserves more recognition?

Jason Waterfalls and Toehider

49. Is there a cover you like more than the original version?

Bad Romance, Halestorm

50. Is there an artist you used to love as a child/teenager but now is embarrassed to have ever liked?

Jeroen van der boom? I still like his music. But a lot of it is very cheesy to me now

51. Is there an artist you used to love as a child/teenager and still likes, even if you don’t listen to them as much?

Jerone van der boom!

52. Do you make playlists to be listened to in a specific order or in shuffle? Or both?

Shuffleeee

53. Is there a song you hated the first time you listened to but then loved after listening to it more times?

Ive leanrwd to love curse or cure by icon for hire

54. An album you loved since the first time you listened to:

New horizons by smahs intk pieces

55. An album you learned to love after listening to it again and again:

Smash into pieces by smash into pieces

56. A song/album/artist you wish you could forget so you could have the experience of hearing it for the first time again:

Bauhaus staircase. First tine i listened to was live and i wish i could go back and do it again

59. Do you listen to music when it's raining or do you stop to hear the sound of the rain?

Both

62. Artists/bands you think have an impeccable discography, with no bad albums:

Smash intk pieces

63. Do you prefer live recordings or studio recordings?

Live

65. Are there any songs you know the entire lyrics by heart?

A lot kf the songs by yungblud, smahs into pieces and icon for hire

66. Share your favorite playlists that you or someone else has made!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1qR1PUJ4nmodioLvCkPWZU?si=0jwFloo7TWyOu5dHMTb8Ug&pi=7s6jZgzqTGKij

Thank you for thw ask! @stephlastname . And im sorry ir took so lkng fjdjdn

[offside-the-lines]

tell me who i run to (if not you) | anthony beauvillier | Ep 1. Blue Christmas

This is a completed series! Read Full Fic | 🧸 Series Cover Page/Masterlist 🧁 | 🎵 Playlist 🎶 Ep 1. || Next Episode >

Episode Synopsis: Evie and Tito are both starting life anew in Chicago. It's an unfamiliar city with unfamiliar faces. They're both alone on Christmas. Maybe it's fate that brings them together. Jason and Alandra Dickinson are already smelling the smoke from this fire.

A/N: You can refer to the cover page for the series summary, author's notes, tropes, general warnings and other fun tidbits. This series contains mature themes. Minors DNI. Disclaimer: This series is set in Chicago but does not mention the name of the team.

Word count: 4.9k // 44.5k

Requests (open) | Masterlist & Who I Write For | Join My Taglisst

Blue Christmas

Tito — December 20

Mat keeps telling him to unpack when they FaceTime every time he catches a glimpse of the boxes still neatly stacked in the corner. To be fair, Tito didn’t need any of the stuff in those boxes. He was fine for the first two months in Vancouver when he lived out of his suitcase; he’ll be fine now. He reckons he’ll probably need to get Liana something really nice for packing up the Vancouver apartment that he had just signed the lease for. He vaguely remembers a FaceTime call where Mat just ran with Tito’s monotone “okay”s; he hadn’t really been listening. 

Mat keeps asking Tito if he wants Liana to help look for a sublet, and Tito just can’t bring himself to care. He guesses it can just sit empty for the remaining 7 or 8 months on the contract. 

Contract. Tito snorts bitterly. The word’s beginning to lose all meaning to him. 

Tito lays on the grey couch and stares at the scuff marks on the white ceiling. He probably should sublet it— save some money— given he just got traded to the worst team in the league and will be, by all accounts, unemployed come June. No guarantees he’ll even get an extension here.

Mat keeps telling him he should still go out with the boys: get some drinks, laugh a little, and learn the names of some wives and kids. Mat’s probably right. Mat would probably say that he’s always right and that Tito should listen to him more. He snorts at that out loud. God, things were so much easier on Long Island. That feels like a lifetime ago.

He glances at the boxes in the corner and decides that tomorrow— yeah, tomorrow— he’s going to go buy a box cutter from wherever it is that sells box cutters. 

Evie — December 24

Evie feels the tension finally drain from her body as she slips into the warm bath; she closes her eyes and rests her head against the cool ceramic. It was a good evening. It was.

She’s grateful that, although her job's entirely remote, she has some colleagues who live in Chicago. She’s doubly grateful that Leanne would invite her to join them for their Christmas Eve dinner. It was awkward, sitting among people who all knew each other well and trying to keep up with whatever drama Leanne and Kelsey gossiped about, but she likes them. She is grateful that she likes them.

She lets her body melt deeper into the lavender-scented water and looks out the window. Chicago does look beautiful: a light dusting of snow, miles of twinkling lights, the quiet hum of city living. 

When she had packed up her entire life in July, she had just rolled the dice and picked Chicago out of a list of cities. It had been a while since she had lived on her own, and it took some getting used to. Bit by bit, her apartment had started to feel more like home. As much as a rental apartment with mostly rental furniture could feel like a home anyway.

Her parents had been understanding, albeit worried, when she said she didn’t want to come home for Christmas this year. It would be her first Christmas alone. Looking out at Chicago, she isn’t sure if it was the right decision. She wonders where the line is between loneliness and enjoying her own company.

Careful to not flood her bathroom floor, she sits up to grab her phone. She remembers seeing a massive Christmas tree downtown by the park. Luckily, after some googling, the rink under it has a lot of openings tomorrow morning. It would be nice to get out on the ice, even if it’s just to absorb some joy from the families that'll be there. She always loved skating with her brothers on Christmas morning as a kid.

Tito — December 25

Tito wakes up on Christmas morning to a dead silence he feels in his bones. Groaning, he rubs his hands over his face and tugs on his hair. It’s still early, at least it looks that way from the low light streaming in through the windows, but, he supposes, it’s as good a time as any to get up.

He runs through his morning routine like any other day: coffee, shower, breakfast, phone. Now that his teammates are spread all over the continent, there are a lot of messages to respond to. He ignores them in favor of calling his family, making the most of the virtual time with his parents, brother, and nephews. Once they hang up, he starts to pick through the messages before his phone inevitably buzzes with a Facetime call from Mat.

“Hey, Barz,” he says, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile against his will.

“Beauuuu.” Mat’s as energetic as ever. “Merry Christmas!”

And just like that, they fall into an easy rhythm. In these moments, against Tito’s better judgment, he likes to imagine he’s still in New York. It’s hard not to keep thinking of it as home despite his not being back for more than a night or two since January. 

Almost a full year. 

If he were still in New York, they’d probably be over at the Martins’ place. Sydney always loved to host, and she’d never complain about some free babysitting.

His thoughts are disrupted by the message banner popping up:

Nick Foligno: merry xmas kid!! we still on for dinner? we would love for you to join us.

Tito doesn’t entirely cover up his sigh. 

“Beau?” Mat interrupts his long tirade about avocados or sloths or something. “What was that dude?”

He considers lying for a second and just shrugs. “Oh, Foligno was just texting me to remind me about the sort of team Christmas dinner at his place tonight.”

“That’s great, dude! I told you you’d feel better once you got to know the boys.”

“Yeah, they’re nice.”

“Doesn’t Foligno have kids? You love that shit, I know that!” Mat's as enthusiastic as always, a broad grin on his face.

“Yeah, he does. They’re cute. Hudson’s about the same age as Winnie, actually.” He feels his heart clench. He doesn’t really know if he has it in him to say goodbye to another set of kids; looking at Winnie’s heartbroken face as she asked, "When’s Uncle Beau coming back?" just about broke him.

“Aww, that’s sweet,” Mat smiles. He doesn’t press, though. He just tells a funny story about Marty and Pageau doing some weird wrestling during morning skate last week. Tito feels the smile come back to him naturally.

Eventually, after some reassurances on Tito’s end, he’s allowed to sign off, but only if he promises Mat that he’ll go to the dinner tonight. 

“Yes, Mathew. I promise. God, you’re so annoying sometimes,” Tito grumbles, but the smile on his face betrays him.

“I know, that’s like, one of my top 5 features.”

“More like the only feature.” 

“Alright, asshole. Merry Christmas. Call me, yeah? I want to hear all about dinner.”

“Seriously, you’re worse than my mom. But yeah, I’ll let you know, I promise.”

“I’m choosing to ignore that dig at both me and my girl, Dominique,” Mat interrupts.

“Ew, don’t call my mom ‘your girl.’”

“So dramatic; you insult both of us. Anyway, I gotta run. Have a good Christmas, okay? Love you, dude.”

Tito sighs, “Yeah, yeah, love you too.”

“Bye.”

“Merry Christmas. Bye.”

And then, he’s once again left in the quiet of his apartment, feeling slightly lighter. Looking out at Lake Michigan, he can’t help but be reminded of home— of the river at the heart of his childhood. He thinks back to all those Christmas mornings and wishes for the hot chocolate his mom used to make. He looks ruefully at his empty kitchen before deciding that he should go for a walk anyway.

It’s a surprisingly mild day out. There's still the bite of winter cold, but the light dusting of snow from yesterday has melted in the sun, making everything glisten. The cold air in his lungs feels so good that he’s content to just wander where his feet take him. Eventually, he finds himself in Millenium Park. He hasn’t come here yet, but the giant Christmas tree brings a smile to his face. Next to it lies a rink; it isn’t super busy on Christmas morning, just a few families.

He almost laughs to himself. Of course, that’s where his wandering feet would take him. He stands and watches as kids toddle around before finally deciding to bite the bullet. He obviously didn’t have his skates with him and can’t be bothered to walk back to his apartment to get them. It’s been a really long time since he wore rental skates; how bad can it really be?

As it turns out, bad. The skates are uncomfortable and unsharpened. But that doesn’t stop Tito from sinking into the feeling of having ice under his feet, a smile blooming across his face. He’s only gotten around a few laps when someone bumps into him from behind, causing him to lose an edge and fall ungracefully onto his ass.

“Osti de calisse,” a voice behind him swears, his ears pricking at the familiar sound, “Shit, I’m sorry. I knew I shouldn’t’ve been going backward at a public skate.”

He barely hears the last part as his ears are still stuck on hearing his mother tongue. Before he can stop himself, he turns around, and the words spill from his mouth: “You speak French?” 

And that’s when he’s captivated by the woman herself. There’s something familiar about her chocolate eyes and warm smile.

“Ouias,” she smiles as a flicker of recognition tugs at the corner of her mouth. “Aren’t you supposed to be good at this? Not getting enough ice time?” she laughs, gesturing around them.

He feels his cheeks warm as he finally stands up. “Uh, I am good at this,” he says, affronted, “These rentals are just trash.”

“Mhm,” she shrugs, trying to cover up her amusement, before pointing to her own skates. They might be a little old and beaten up at this point, but they’re still entirely her own.

He dusts off the snow from his pants before he starts skating next to her, not entirely sure what’s stopping him from parting with this stranger. They do a few laps in silence before he can’t hold the question in any longer. “I’m sorry, I’ve got to ask. Have we met before?”

This gets her attention; there's a moment of silence, and he feels his cheeks heat again, embarrassed, before her warm laughter fills his chest. “Wow, Beauvillier, I'm actually quite offended. You played with my brother Brandon in Shawinigan, remember?” She clutches a hand to her chest in mock outrage.

His face is blank for a second, and he racks his brain before his eyes go wide. “Oh! You’re Brandy G’s sister! I obviously know about you, but I don’t really have much memory of meeting you… I’m sorry?”

Her laughter rings, settling warm in his bones as she lightly bumps his shoulder. “I’m just kidding. We only met, like, two times.” She skates out in front of him, holding her hand out, “Genevieve Gignac. Enchanté.”

“Enchanté. Anthony Beauvillier,” he shakes her outstretched hand. “I do think I remember you. You go by Viv, right?”

“Not really— Actually, I mean, you do remember correctly, Anthony, but only my family calls me that. Or sometimes it’s Evie. Usually, my friends call me Gigi. Not Genny, though.” A shudder moves through her at the old nickname she now hates.

He hums, “I'll have to test drive them and see how it feels. You can call me Tito or Beau. There’s no need to full-government-name me. It makes me feel like I might be in trouble.”

She flashes him a smile, “Maybe you are—” She’s cut off when she almost runs into a child behind her.

“You should turn around before you knock someone else on their ass.” He's rewarded with another laugh before she rejoins him at his side. 

“So,” her voice, curious, “You don’t get enough skating in at your fancy NHL gig or what? What're you doing here on Christmas morning? In rental skates, no less.”

He sighs, “I was actually taking a walk to look for hot chocolate. Which turned into more of a walk to clear my head. And then I saw this. For some reason, I just really wanted to get on this crappy ice in crappy skates. Something about the feeling of ice under my feet always settles me.”

Evie looks at him out of the corner of her eye and lets the silence hang for a little while. Eventually, she asks him, “Did you ever end up finding that hot chocolate?”

“No, actually.” 

“Do you want to grab some? I’m feeling kinda ready to be done here.” 

“Sure, let’s do it.” He smiles warmly at her without any hesitation.

She returns his smile as they get off the ice, her eyes bright.

Evie —

She’s putting her skates away when she catches the sight of Tito signing something for the guy at the rental counter. She watches him joke, his face so open and kind. It strikes her that that’s how she remembers him from their youth, and she guesses it’s that familiarity— that touch of home on an otherwise lonely Christmas Day— that makes her chest feel too tight.

They end up finding an open Starbucks, catching up on the last 8 years of their lives; their hot chocolate cups sit empty on the small table that they're leaning over. Tito shares stories of living the NHL dream on Long Island and how hard it was to leave behind his best friend and his teammates, who felt like family. Evie talks about the late nights in the library and the sticky floors of frat house parties from her time in college, and she talks about miraculously landing her dream job where she gets paid to read books all day— and edit them, of course. They both also discover that 2023 has been their most challenging year yet, glossing over how they both ended up in Chicago alone on Christmas Day.  

Tito leans back in his chair, picking at a loose thread on his hoodie. “Actually, some guys on the team invited me over to a half-team-half-family Christmas dinner tonight.”

“That’s amazing,” she beams before glancing down at her watch. “Oh shit, it’s like almost 3 pm. What time's your dinner?”

“Wow, really?” his eyes widen as he pulls out his phone, swiping away the long list of notifications with the intention of checking them later. “Damn, I’m so sorry to take up so much of your day. I’ve got to be there at like 5 or 6.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Beau. I had literally no other plans today. I was thinking about being a Grinch and just doing some writing today. Kinda sad when you think about it; younger me would barf if she saw that.”

“Writing? Like a book?” Tito asks, eyes wide and sparkling with interest.

“Yeah, I am.” She clears her throat before waving her hands. “Anyway, it’s not that exciting. It's barely a book yet. Are you excited for dinner? I’m sure you haven’t had much time to get to know your teammates yet.”

There’s a beat of silence where she sees him fight back a frown, pasting a smile on his face that she can already tell is fake, even after having spent only a few hours with him.

“Yeah, yeah, I haven’t really. This will be the first time, actually.” He runs his hands down his face, nervously scratching at his messy stubble. He presses his hands against his eyes as he mumbles. “God, I didn’t even go to the store this week to get a bottle of wine or something. And everywhere's definitely closed now, right? I can’t show up empty-handed.” He groans a frustrated huff as he pitches forward.

Without even thinking about it, Evie reaches out and pulls his hands from his face. “Well, I have an idea. The stores are closed, but I’ve got plenty of baking supplies at mine. We can bake something for you to bring for dessert! If you have time?”

She can see a twinkle of hope appear in his eye despite the furrow of his brow. “Yeah, I can probably make it work. But are you sure, Gigi? I don’t want to impose. I’ve already taken so much of your time, and I definitely can’t bake. I only just learned how to cook edible food.”

“Oh, come on, I don’t mind.” She stands up, gesturing towards the door. “We’re like childhood friends; it’s whatever.”

“Childhood friends,” he scoffs with a laugh, sauntering backward to the trash can with their empty cups, “I think we had maybe said two sentences to each other before today.”

“You remember that now, do you?” They walk to the door shoulder to shoulder, calling out a goodbye to the barista on the way out.

“Well, I’m pretty sure I was terrified of you. You were G’s older sister, and you were in college, which meant you were, like, cool and hot.”

She laughs, throwing her head back, and bumps his shoulder hard as they step out into the cold Chicago afternoon. “Oh, shut up. I’m only like two years older. And I definitely wasn’t cool or hot.”

He hums, smirk firmly on his face. “Mmmm, okay. Agree to disagree.”

They walk in silence for a few moments before she realizes she doesn’t actually know where they’re going. “I actually drove here this morning. Do you want to drive to my place together or take separate cars? I can text you my address.”

He thinks about it for a second: “I should probably drive myself, right? It's going to be hard to get a Lyft today. I might change, too, so I can head straight there after.”

“Oh yeah, good idea.” She takes her phone out and hands it to him. “Here, enter your number, and I’ll text you my address.”

He types in his number and sends himself a text, so he has hers as well. Once he hands hers back to Evie, he pulls out his own phone. She texts him her address and adds him to her contacts.

After fiddling with his phone for a moment, he scrunches his nose. “I don’t think I like calling you Gigi. It’s a little close to G, and that’s weird.” He studies her, head cocked to the side, making a soft curl fall in front of his calm blue eyes, the attention making her shift on her feet. “I’m not huge on Viv or Vivi either. I think I like Evie, though. You look like an Evie.”

She feels a smile overtake her face. “And what does an Evie look like?”

“I don’t know. You? I guess?” His eyes are soft as he looks at her. 

“Okay then, you can call me Evie if I can call you Tito,” she blurts out before her mouth can say something stupid instead.

“Deal.” The way his face lights up when he smiles makes her smile back, unbidden.

“Well, alright, Tito. I’ll see you at mine? There’s guest parking in the garage. I’ll buzz you through.”

“Sweet. See you soon, Evie.”

He squeezes her arm lightly as he turns to leave, sending her a final smile over his shoulder. It’s a short walk to her car and, from there, a short drive home; she’s walking through her apartment door before she even knows it, the smile never leaving her face.

A short while later, she gets the call on her intercom. When she buzzes Tito up, she remains near the door, rearranging the ingredients on her kitchen counter; she opens the door as soon as she hears the knock.

“Hey, you found the parking okay?” She waves him in. His hair’s still slightly damp, and his stubble's neater; her eyes catch on the perfectly fitted wool coat that hides his tailored dark plum shirt and fitted jeans. She busies herself by taking his coat to the coat closet.

“Yeah. Plenty of spaces,” he says as he toes off his sneakers.

“Great!” her voice an octave higher than it should be. She shuffles on her feet a little before waving Tito further into her apartment. “Well, welcome to my apartment. It’s not very big, but it’s starting to feel like home. The kitchen is here. The living room is also right here. And the bathroom is right here as well, just behind that door on the right.” She pauses and adds with a wink, "Oh, it also connects to the bedroom, so don’t get lost.”

He walks over to the large windows by the couch and looks out at the view.

“Great view." He points, “Hey, look. You can basically see the United Center from here. I was going to say you’re only a mile away from where we play and train. You’ve got to come to a game!”

“Oh, yeah! I would love to.” They stand by the window, both looking at the tree-lined streets below. After a moment, she shakes herself out of her thoughts and walks back over to the kitchen. “Okay, so I scoured my pantry. I have ingredients for cookies or brownies. For cookies, we could do, like, cinnamon sugar or chocolate chip. Or brownies, but they take a little more time. What do you want to do?”

“I'm a huge chocolate guy, so I’m going to say brownies every time. I can be a little late. I think they’ll understand,” he shrugs.

She had expected him to just sit at the kitchen island, but to her surprise, he tried to help at every step, their conversation flowing easily as they worked in tandem. 

When she turns around from putting the batter into the oven, he’s already rinsing and loading up the dishwasher; her eyes become transfixed on the gentle flex of his forearms that peek out from his rolled-up sleeves.

Shaking her head, she says, “Hey, you don’t have to do that. You’re going to get your shirt dirty.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s a dark shirt,” Tito smiles at her. “I’m almost done anyway. Do you want to watch something while we wait for it to bake? You said it was like 45 minutes, right?”

“Yeah, sure. Do you have a suggestion?”

“Nope. Just put on whatever.”

She flickers back and forth between a few apps before something catches her eye. “Hey, have you seen Brooklyn Nine-Nine before?”

“No, actually! I always thought it sounded good. It’s a comedy, right? Like Parks & Rec?”

“Yeah, it’s been on my list for a while.”

“Hell yeah, I love those types of shows. Let’s do it.”

As she queues up the episode, she pauses, “It’s set in New York. That isn't gonna be weird for you, right?”

He chuckles quietly as he settles on the far end of her couch. “No, I think it’ll be fine. It’ll be nice to see the city anyway.”

“Alright.”

The show rolls on as they sit in a comfortable silence punctuated by a few comments and a lot of laughter. They end up getting through three episodes while they wait for the brownies to bake and cool before Tito has to leave. 

Eventually, when 5:50 pm rolls around, Tito stands with a sigh. “Alright. I should probably go; the boys'll chirp me to hell if I’m any later.”

“Oh yeah, of course. Have fun!” Evie says, handing over the container as he puts his shoes and coat back on.

He pauses, looking down at the box, and gently places a hand on her arm. “Evie, thank you so much for letting me come over and for baking these brownies for me.”

“Don’t be stupid, there’s no need to thank me,” she smiles and squeezes the hand on her arm, “Christmas spirit or whatever, right?”

He returns her smile, his eyes crinkling. “Yeah,” he breathes. He takes a step back.

“Well…” she reaches around him and opens the door for him. “Enjoy your dinner!”

He hesitates before wrapping her in a tight hug, “Thanks again. And Merry Christmas, Evie.”

“Yeah, Merry Christmas to you, too, Tito,” her voice barely above a whisper next to his ear. She smiles at her door and doesn’t go back inside until after she sees him step into the elevator. When she returns to her couch, she can’t bring herself to keep watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine. So she puts on an old favorite, Schitt’s Creek, instead and settles in with a hot cup of tea.

Late that evening, she receives a text from Tito.

Tito 🌞🏒: ur brownies were a huge hit. thanks again!!!  Tito 🌞🏒: we actually have our last home game of the year tomorrow. i would love for you to be there if you can make it?

Evie — December 27

There's a flush on Evie’s cheeks as she leans against the bar, trying to get the bartender’s attention. The bar isn't busy on a Wednesday night around Christmas time, so it isn't as loud or cramped as it could be. But she's feeling a little overwhelmed at the thought of being here with Tito’s teammates— all basically strangers— after a win.

As she waits for her drink, her mind wanders. It had been a while since Evie had been at a hockey game, and it felt good just to absorb the energy of the crowd around her. It was nice to be able to repay Leanne for dinner with a ticket to the game. She was surprised at how easily their conversation flowed and how much fun they had at the game together. She had found it hard to make friends in a new city with a remote job, but now she thinks she might join the group more when they hang out.

She looks over at where the players are sitting and is warmed by the sight of Tito laughing and joking with his teammates, looking lighter than when she last saw him. She’s glad that the boys are taking it easy since they’re leaving for a road trip tomorrow. She already feels like she’s running on fumes.

So she’s surprised to find herself still sitting at the booth two hours later. Most of the team has left by now, leaving just her, Tito, Jason Dickinson, and his wife, Alandra. She’s trying her hardest not to think about the weight of Tito’s leg pressing against hers under the table.

“Aww, your baby is so cute,” Evie says, handing the phone back to Alandra.

“Thanks, you know, this is the first time I've been out since she was born. Thank god our families are here for the holidays,” she says, taking a sip of her fourth cocktail. She leans in dramatically, “Okay, you’ve got to forgive me, but I’m a new mother, and I’m bored out of my mind. You want kids one day, Gigi?”

She chokes on a sip of her cocktail, prompting Tito to gently pat her back. “Um. I mean, yeah? I haven’t really thought about it in a while, I guess. My ex was really—” She clears her throat. “I like kids a lot. It depends on a lot of things, I guess. But I’m not really anywhere to be thinking about that right now.”

“Bad breakup?” Alandra asks sympathetically.

“Yeah, something like that. I mean, it was a long time coming. So yeah, I’m not really dating right now anyway so— No reason to think about kids.”

Alandra hums, leaning forward. “What do you mean you’re not dating? You’re beautiful; you must get a lot of attention.”

Evie laughs, shrugging as she takes a long sip of her drink, “I mean, sure? I just want to figure out how to be me for a bit, you know? Besides, I’ve just never really been a dating person. Just seems exhausting, to be honest. I did it a little bit before— I just hated it. And I think I still do. The idea of going on dates makes me—”

“Oh yeah, I get it,” Tito jumps in, “I dated a bit in Vancouver, mainly on Raya, but also some mutual friends, or whatever. It’s rough when you’re in and out of town for hockey and the rest of it. I’m definitely not thinking about it right now, either.”

Evie nods at him and gestures wildly with her straw. “Oh god, dating apps. Yeah, I downloaded Bumble for a bit in the summer and just deleted it after a few weeks. It’s like I missed a whole chunk of the dating timeline. It just wasn’t really a thing, and now it feels like that’s all people use, and I’m just so lost.”

Neither of them notices the looks Alandra and Jason share.

Jason finally speaks up, “What, so you don’t hook up?”

They both laugh and say, simultaneously, “That's not what I said,” and “Of course I do. "

With that, the conversation moves on to the upcoming new year. They stay at the bar for almost four hours, and by the time she walks through her apartment door, she doesn’t feel as bone tired as she thought she would.

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Requests / Come chat about this with me!!! | Masterlist & Who I Write For & Taglist

[novemberhush]

Rules: shuffle your ‘on repeat’ playlist and post the first ten tracks, then tag ten people. 🎶

Stealing a tag from @zerokrox-blog (😘) because I love doing these music ones!

1) Lying in Her Arms by Anderson East

2) One and the Same by Gareth Dunlop and Kim Richey

3) Want for Anything by Ernest Ellis

4) Speed Trap Town by Jason Isbell

5) Rain by Ben Platt

6) Heart of Somebody by Caroline Spence

7) Four Years of Chances by Margo Price

8) Nowhere, Baby by The Secret Sisters

9) The Wire by Patrick Droney

10) Secret (Acoustic) by Angel Snow

I tag @smowkie @all-or-nothing-baby @swiftiebuckleys @vita-s-west @reyescarlos @detective-giggles @firemedicdiaz @fireladybuckley @foreverthemomfriend @racoonsa and anyone else who wants to play. No pressure on anyone who doesn’t!❤️