#Air Canada date change

[tinytennisskirt]

A Slippery Slope

Summary: Every girl has their favourite ex. The one they will forever have a soft spot for. Reader is above all of that, doing all she can to avoid Art when he’s back in town for tennis. Unfortunately, he’s unavoidable and has a lot of things to say about the way he left things…

Warnings: mentions of drinking, mentions of sex, rehashing a breakup, kind of hurt/comfort? I’m not sureee

It’s not like you were stalking him or anything… and if you were, it was totally normal for girls to stalk their exes. Part of being a girl is stalking your ex, like a rite of passage. You were just lucky his progress and whereabouts were publicized.

Art Donaldson was going to be in your hometown again after leaving for college three years ago. His tennis brought him here, a tiny little tournament. It was a charity game, so people paid to watch. It was in the news that Art had refused to receive any portion of a winning and that it go directly to a children’s hospital in Canada. As sweet as that was, it was also presumptuous that he would win. You scoffed a little to ignore the fact he was there on the website, smile gleaming, curls all blonde and pretty. He was sweet, you had to ignore that.

The feeling that him coming back here gave you was a mix of anxiety and anticipation. For what? You didn’t know exactly. He would be back and you could go to his game for $20. Like it was nothing, you could see him in the flesh again. But you said no, because your best friend would probably yell at you and kick your ass. So you shut the screen and pretended like it wasn’t real.

When the tournament was in town, the Main Street turned into a giant sale. Every shop had a tent outside of itself enticing people to come by. You avoided it the past week, getting to work by an extra-long route. It was easy not to think about him (though you did from time to time) when he was off somewhere far playing tennis- but now that it was here and there were posters up and the library promoted it and the lamppost flags were changed to commemorate the event, they may as well have plastered Art’s face all over everything.

The tournament was tomorrow now. Soon you had no reason to worry about. It would be easy. It was around seven and the summer sun still warmed the air, but it was getting chillier with every ten minutes that passed by. You headed down from your little above-bakery apartment, bag in hand and flip phone in the other. The walk to the bar was delightful, a good thing after a busy day at work.

You walked in and sat at the bar, your usual spot for Friday nights. You usually never went to the bar alone- it was often you and your best friend but she was on a first date and you still needed your gin. You ordered a small drink, strong though. Tasted a bit gross but it was fine- you deserved it. After all this avoidance, all of this torture, being on complete edge- plus work.

You got another drink and sipped on it while checking your email on your phone. Flipping through unread, work emails, messages from friends about an upcoming birthday and what food to bring. A few more drinks, light, hard, you were tipsy but not drunk. Enough to be satisfied and fuzzy. You were conversing with the bartender who you knew well- she was a friend of a friend and you were a regular. You were struggling to hear her over the noise of a nearby group of guys.

“Another round of shots for the boy!”

“Woah, woah, I can’t get drunk guys, I told you,” another voice piped up. You recognized it. You hated how your head turned. Your heart stopped for a moment. Amongst the crowd, in the very centre, was the very blonde mop of curls that had been haunting your dreams for the past week. It was Art. He was here. Right now. In the bar with you. “Okay, maybe another shot.” He grinned at his friends.

Your heart beat hard in your chest. And you were about to look away to save yourself- but his eyes met yours and it was immediately too late. Blue eyes on yours. And his grin dampened to an open-mouthed look of awe. You looked away and grabbed your bag to pull your wallet out and pay as fast as you could. All of the avoidance, all of the torment, just how shitty it was to know he was back- it all was falling in on you.

All you had to do was avoid it all. And it was too late. You paid quickly and apologized for rushing off and you got up to go and he was right there in front of you.

“Y/N,” Art said. He still looked a little surprised. But this was your hometown. You blinked hard and pushed your hair away from your face. He was really here, he was here standing in front of you. “Hi.”

“Hey,” you replied. You didn’t want to look at him, you were nervous, afraid, intimidated. What if you weren’t improved enough- or prettier than you were before. Something about seeing an ex that made you re-evaluate yourself. “How are you?”

“I’m good, how are you?” He answered, upbeat. “I didn’t expect to see you here. If I had known you were still around I might have messaged.”

Would he really? It felt like a jab at the fact you still lived here. “I’m alright. I’ve been working.” You wished you weren’t tipsy, but he seemed so as well.

“I have a tournament tomorrow- are you going?” Maybe he drank more than you.

“I have work,” you told him. “It’s good to see you though, I have to be on my way, I’m so sorry-“ You lied. As good as it was to see him, you’d been afraid of seeing him again, feeling things again. The risk was very real, no matter what he had done wrong before.

He narrowed his eyes. “I wanted to see you. I’m glad I caught you. I’ve been… um… ever since I got here I’ve been thinking about you. I was going to call tomorrow after the tournament.”

You blinked a few times, “Oh,” you said. As you said, the risk was very real. “I- um. Sorry, I’ve been drinking.”

“That’s okay,” he said. “I get it.”

“I’m really sorry, I’m out of it,” you followed up. He was prettier than you remembered. His curls were more defined, longer. He matured, he looked more adult, but still young. He had been thinking about you… meaning to call… “It’s been good to see you, Art. And good luck at your tournament.”

“Do you really have to go, Y/N? I know I’m out of it too but you’re here and I… I know you.” He did. Somehow. He knew you were lying.

You sighed, “I really am sorry, I’m just tired.” You’d thought about how you’d act if you saw him again but your mouth was moving faster than your mind, trying to get you out of the situation because it felt like fight or flight. “Goodnight.” You tried to go again but he kept speaking.

“Can I walk you home?” He asked. You stopped walking and turned back to him. He was out of it, but you were a woman walking downtown at night. Usually you’d be with your girlfriends and you’d never travel alone and it didn’t occur to you that you would be. As much as you hated this current situation, it was safer. You nodded, slowly. And started mentally preparing. Would you seem impressive compared to his feats since you broke up? Did you look okay? Was everything okay?

Art ditched his friends. He didn’t say goodbye, he just stepped out with you. You were silent. “Did you dye your hair?” He asked as you began to walk.

You nodded, “Highlights, so kind of.”

“Ah,” he nodded back. “How have you been the past few years?” You remembered the healing process after him.

“I’ve been okay. Like I said, just working a lot. I have my own apartment now and some good friends. It’s not like college and travelling around to fun cities for tennis.” You said. He looked at his feet, smiling. You’d just given away that you’d kept tabs on him. “It’s not like I don’t have access to your Facebook. Or tennis news.”

He grinned at you. “Well I wish they had more hometown news because as many times as I’ve checked I couldn’t find anything about you anywhere. Look- I was going to call you tomorrow because I wanted to apologize to you properly. I know how I left sucked. I wished immediately and over the past few years that I’d gone about it differently and I want to apologize to you. Properly. And not now. Sober. Completely.” He said. His grin had lowered.

“I don’t need an apology, I dealt with everything when you left,” you told him a little too candidly.

He ran a hand through his hair, his blue eyes meeting yours. “I know. But it’s been eating me alive and I’ve spent every day since feeling guilty. I want to apologize right- I’m here now and as a man, I hate to beg but would you give me a chance to do that? We can get dinner after the tournament, my treat.” He had a hint of a smile.

“You don’t need to apologize,” you repeated. “I’m glad you’ve done some reflecting but you hurt me. I want to say no, Art.”

“I know.” He said, smile falling. “But I’m not who I was then. And I know better. If you hear me out and it’s not sufficient, I’ll be gone in two days and I’ll just be tennis news again.”

You both stopped walking and the silence was filled by the wind in the trees of the park that you passed with a small hint of the noise of cars on a nearby main road. He looked at you in a way that was so familiar, eyes soft- and new demeanour of being on the verge of giving up. But you saw his sincerity, unfortunately, locking eyes with his on this sidewalk. All he did was shrug and you shook your head slowly, eyes not leaving his.

“Okay,” you said, hushed. And a small smile creeped back onto his face. And you both, in unison, continued walking wordlessly. He walked you to the door of your building and stayed until you unlocked the door. “Goodnight, Art.” You said, stepping in.

He raised his hand, not waving, just raised, and smiled a small smile, his face illuminated from the golden light of the hallway, “Goodnight, Y/N.”

And you went to bed that night slightly freaked out, a little excited, and extremely nervous.

The next day rolled around and the same anxiety was NOT slept off. You worked a bit from home- You showered, did your hair the way you usually did, did your makeup and dressed in something that was comfortable, but nice enough for a warm summer day. A skirt, a cute top, comfortable shoes.

You replayed Art’s proposal. Dinner, he had said. You didn’t want dinner with him, that made it real, that felt like… too much of the past. Too close to something dating people would. You’d head over for his last game- you didn’t need to stay all day. It was nearing four o’clock when the next game was scheduled.

Above all, he was sorry. And he said he felt guilty and for a good while you convinced yourself he didn’t care and didn’t miss you or think about you at all- so hearing that he did unravelled a bit of your healing process. It’s not like it was an aching wound, but more like reopening a time capsule.

You stared at yourself in the mirror, putting your earrings in. This was a slippery slope, dinner would be the slipperiest, but you grabbed your bag and headed to the tournament.

You found a seat at the top, the last row.

You’d seen him play before a few years ago, but when he came onto the court today it was different. He had a new attitude and confidence and you could see it as the game started and he hit the ball with everything he had. And it was something you hated because it was hot and it shouldn’t have been. You had to look away a few times just to spare yourself but the sounds he made on the court reminded you of something and you hated it.

There was nothing you could do but tell him dinner was a no. And you were sorry. The game ended and he won, triumphantly, with a great cheer from the crowd that their hometown boy had won. You were somewhat proud of him- you never stopped, even after the breakup. He was doing well for himself. The crowd funnelled out after the game ended, but you stayed seated atop the metal bleachers that lined the court. And you contemplated how to be kind and apologetic in a way that told him you were better off not having dinner, whilst not giving away the fact that you were thinking about him in a way that scared you because it was an old, buried feeling. Without showing him that the apology meant hope. You were a strong, independent woman now and you could speak up and this just wasn’t a good idea. You were-

“Hey,” Art said. He stood down a few rows of the bleachers and waved. “I thought you wouldn’t show.”

“Me too,” you said. The sun was beginning to lower in the sky. “That was a good game. Congrats on the win.” You tried to be flat, but you were too genuine-sounding.

He chuckled, “Thanks. I’m glad you came.”

“Me too,” you replied. His smile grew but you saw him fight it. “Look, Art-“

“No I know,” he cut you off. “Dinner feels too intimate. Do you just want to go grab frozen yogurt? It’s honestly all I’ve thought about today- is there still that 24/h place that we used to think was insane hours for frozen yogurt?”

You blinked a few times before the relief set in. And you smiled a full smile, not meaning to, but you did. “That sounds- yes. Yeah, it’s still there.” You grabbed your bag and got up from your seat.

I’ll be ten minutes just to shower and we’ll go- if that’s okay?” He smiled back. The weight of a real dinner was lifted. No spiel involved, though frozen yogurt distracted you from the fact there was still a code of yours to uphold and it was to keep from slipping. You nodded and he went to do so and you waited outside the court. He was out soon enough with his things and he walked over to a car that you assumed was his the way he loaded his things in. His hair was still wet from the shower and as he passed you, he smelled clean and… familiar. You hated that.

The conversation in the car was about the game and that was easy. You pointed out some things you saw from his opponent and things you noticed him do. He answered every question of yours. And then you were there.

“How did they stay open all this time?” He said, entering. You shushed him and he put his hands up in surrender.

“High quality and good tourism,” you replied, getting the flavour you wanted. “Did you miss it here?”

“Here or here as in town?” He asked.

“Home,” you answered. He got his flavour and walked to the toppings.

“I missed some things about it, yeah. Not many things, but a good few.” He stayed vague.

“I think I would like to miss it someday,” you told him. “I’ve been here too long.”

“Travel?”

“Saving up for a house,” you told him. “I’ll travel when I’m old, I think. When retirement money comes in and I don’t have kids to pay for.”

“I thought you didn’t want kids?” You both paused. You paused at the fact he remembered that and he paused at the fact he said an inside thought aloud.

You blinked hard a few times and put on a few toppings. “I’m- um- I’m not sure. I think I was young and inclined to the idea of being a working woman with no distractions and now I feel that… I’m older, so. I feel like maybe it’s not the best thing ever to have no distractions.”

He cleared his throat, “That’s fair.” Silence. The place was empty anyways. You brought your frozen yogurt to the scale and the price came up. Art walked over with his and pulled his debit card out. “My treat, remember?”

You did forget. He paid right then and there and then paid for his own and you thanked him but the silence still hung over you both even in the sound. In the car, you ate your frozen yogurt and the topic turned back to tennis and it was easy. Talking to him about passions was just like no time had passed at all- and it was interesting to hear the ins and the outs and the tells of tennis. But he stopped the car eventually, outside his hotel. You wondered if he was about to banish you home out of nowhere.

“I have to interrupt- I was wondering if you wanted to come up to my room for a bit, I feel like with the impending conversation maybe you’d want to be somewhere quiet and I wasn’t about to invite myself over.” Art said. You nodded. “You will?”

“I will,” you agreed, though you didn’t want to. It felt wrong, like a mistake, like the edge of a cliff and a slippery slope all at once. He smiled and got out of the car with his frozen yogurt. Your mind lingered on how considerate it was, despite the intimacy of being alone with nothing to see but him. “I appreciate that a lot though.”

“I know you like privacy,” he replied. You went up to the 14th floor, two down from the top and followed him down the hall. The room was standard. Large, but one bed, presumably a pull out couch, a chaise lounge, a small kitchen, a big bathroom and a tv. His things were all in one corner. You immediately took a seat on the chaise which was near the bench at the end of the bed that Art immediately sat on. It was a bit real. It was more than a bit, it was real.

He looked at you, blue eyes with their bits of brown and his long eyelashes. “I shouldn’t have left the way I did.” He started. He was jumping in. Your heart sped a little and you suddenly felt a pit in your stomach. “I was stupid. And naive and convinced that I would thrive more when I left for college.”

“You did,” you nodded. A nod to his success.

“But my intention was wrong. You… loved me. And I took advantage of that for the idea of a perfect college experience with Patrick- full of smoking and drinking and girls.” Your stomach flipped hearing his words. “I felt the guilt from the moment I left, I just shut it up with vodka and constant tennis and it was hard but it was manageable but it doesn’t mean I didn’t think of you.”

You kept your eyes locked with him and set your frozen yogurt on a nearby table. He took the time and did the same, but he looked at you for something. “You could have come back. Or called- even if you called-“ you cut yourself off. You were jumping too quickly. But it was Art and Art was easy to talk to. “When you left, I knew that. I knew what you wanted and I didn’t believe that you would truly let it go.”

“I didn’t,” he said.

“But there was no proof. To me, you left me for the ability to drink and kiss and fuck and it broke me because I was young and all I had to give was myself.” Your eyebrows knit closely together. He looked guilty. “And with no proof, I just… I was upset for a long time, but I slowly got over it.”

“I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“I know now,” you sighed. “Unfortunately it was hard to get you off my mind.”

“I tend to have that effect,” he smiled a little and so did you.

“Apparently so do I,” you countered. He grinned his perfect crooked smile. “But you hurt me. Badly. And I missed you for years but you didn’t even reach out on my birthdays so what could I think other than you’re out there succeeding and had put me in the past.”

“It’s why I’m here, or- why you’re here. I needed you to know that I thought about you all the time. It ruined my relationship with another girl because she knew I was hung up even when I didn’t. And when I found out the tournament was here, I just… I knew I had to see you. I had to face what I did. I know it was shitty, I know not speaking sucked, I just… I want you to know how sorry I am. And how much I wish I hadn’t left.” He looked genuine, his regret radiating off his skin. Your heart skipped a beat or two and your breathing picked up a little. “I wish I hadn’t left you, I traded you for something so fucking meaningless, it kills me.”

You had to stand your ground, because you knew the moment he said that- that all of your healing was coming undone. It unravelled and floated down to the floor, useless. You recognized the look on his face too well, you missed the look on his face. He wanted you. “I really-“ you started but stopped. The slope was icy, slick and smooth and at your very feet. One wrong move and you’d fall down it. And all of the healing, all of the time, all of it would have been for nothing and what would that mean? You had to have some sort of stance against this, some little bit of resistance. His voice was too soft, his eyes too sweet. “You should have told me that ages ago if it’s truly how you felt.” You said. You hated being dismissive this way. “I accept your apology.” But he didn’t look happy to hear that.

“I wanted to call, but I’d left things so badly I wasn’t sure if it would just reopen wounds or…” he had a desperation in his eyes.

You picked up your bag, your stomach doing flips and your heart beating at a crazy pace. You had to go. The slope was too slippery. “Art, I accept your apology. Thank you for the frozen yogurt and for the privacy and inviting me up here. I really should go, it’s getting late.” It was too easy to want to fall down that same slope, to tumble into him, to crash, to even burn. It was too tempting and you just… couldn’t do it. Couldn’t handle it. You stood up and walked toward the door and you felt him get up behind you.

“Wait, please?” He said. “Y/N, I have more to say.”

“I heard everything I wanted to hear four years ago,” you replied, turning before the hotel room door. “Unfortunately too late and I just feel… the same. You did trade me for the opportunity to have sex with girls shamelessly. Everything we had was just gone at the drop of a hat because you felt like it and you left me here to pick up the pieces and knowing you wanted to tell me all of these things since you left? While I waited by my phone every single night in case you called to change your mind, convincing myself day after day that you were just busy until I convinced myself that I was never worth anything to you- do you know how much that hurt? Having everything I ever wanted in a person who knew me like the back of their hand and being dropped for a college party era… I…”you huffed and he kept his eyes on you, listening, but eyes sad. “I convinced myself that it was all fake because what other explanation did I have? And it’s not like I could call to clarify, you left me. And it took forever to stop having nightmares about you and even when they were dreams they hurt. I missed you more than I missed anything and you showed no signs of regret or remorse or even missing me in the slightest. You broke my heart when you left, Art. And I’ve been better.”

There was silence in the room. It lasted a minute and a half. He seemed to be taking in every word you’d said. He cleared his throat eventually and he looked more upset than he had this whole time, “It kills me that I did that to you but every day was a constant battle. No girl out there was worth it- nothing was. But we were so far apart and- fuck I have only excuses but I know I did you wrong. And I know I hurt you and I can’t undo it but I can be here now and tell you that you look just as and even more beautiful than you did then. And even after not speaking for years I feel like we never stopped. And I have never stopped having feelings for you so seeing you last night in that bar just about took me all I had to not immediately pour my heart out in hopes that maybe you would forgive me enough to let me try again.”

Try again? Your hand rested on the door handle and you looked at him in disbelief. “Art, I can’t.” You said. He was standing in front of you, looking down at you, over you. His eyes were wet, you noticed, and he was breathing just about as hard as you were as your heart pounded in your chest.

“I can live without, I know we’re older and you might have moved on,” he said under his breath. “But I’ve never stopped wanting you and seeing you has made it so apparent. I can’t escape you, so even if you walk out that door right now nothing I’ve said will change.”

“You were everything, Art,” you told him, hushed. “But you hurt me and it would be wrong to go…” He swayed closer, over you, close to you. “-Back.” Your eyes met.

“I don’t care if it kills me. It almost did leaving you the first time but if…” he swayed near again. Your lips parted and your eyes stayed trained on his. “If you let me… I wouldn’t go anywhere. If I can promise you anything it’s that I know now that I need you.”

“You’ve gone years without,” you said, standing your ground. “You’ll manage.”

“I don’t know if I will,” he sighed, his blue eyes a dark shade of grey in the dim lamplight of the hotel room. His voice stayed low. “Not this time.”

“Why?”

“I told you why. It’s been a mistake, I’ve wasted years of my life just thinking and never acting and I need you to know I still want you. You stand here and you’re questioning it but you’re at my door and you haven’t left.”

“Maybe I want to hear you out,” you reasoned, it took all you had not to stutter and stumble over your words. Your hand gripped the door handle harder, knuckles whitening. “Thank you for your apology and for telling me how you felt.”

“Thank you for letting me,” he hushed to a whisper again. In his eyes, through the focus and lock on your own, you saw his hurt. You saw how genuine he was. But the silence was still and he was close to you, too close, but just close enough. Just about as close as you were to slipping. Down the slope… “Y/N…” he trailed off.

“You missed me? You missed me…”

“Every day.” He confirmed, the gap between growing smaller every second. “And I’ll never stop being sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. You don’t have to say anything for sure, but I want to try. If you’ll let me. I would do anything to not have to miss you like this. I promise you.” His nose grazed yours, that’s how close he was. You looked up at him through your eyelashes.

“Art…” you sighed.

“Yeah?” He looked into your soul the way his eyes kept hold on yours. He wanted to smile, you could tell.

“I’m not sure.”

“I know. That’s completely fair-“

You cut him off, “I don’t know.

“I know.” He replied. “I know what I can give can match what you gave me. I want to give you everything I couldn’t, I-“

“I know,” you echoed.

“Please,” He said, the way he looked at you was so soft. His eyebrows were knit in the centre, he was pleading with only one word.

“How do I know?”

“You don’t. But you can take my word.”

“What good is your word? You said you would stay and you didn’t, you said you loved me but you were gone a week later, you swore it was us.”

He looked exasperated, “I was young. And stupid. So stupid.”

“Very,”

“I know.” He echoed again. “And I’ve known. And everything has lead me back here.”

“How do I know you won’t leave for tennis again?”

“Nothing could take me away this time,” he said, voice still hushed. You were fighting a hard fight.

“You can’t promise that,” you retorted.

“Who can?” His voice echoed around your head. Who can promise to stay? Indefinitely? Eventually someone dies nobody can ever stay forever. There will always be an eventual absence. Your heart pounded in your chest, racing, pumping hard enough you could hear it. He looked at you with perfectly parted lips and eyes that just pleaded and an expression you missed for ages. Eyes locked on eyes, trained, centred. And closeness you craved for years. You were fucked, done for.

You grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him into you. Though it wasn’t a kiss. It was the tightest embrace you could muster as he wrapped his arms around your waist, hands grasping at your sides, his other hand flat on your back, holding you close and your hands around his neck, tight. You missed this more than kissing him, you missed this more than most things. Younger you missed everything, but most, she just wanted to be held again. You thought about it for years. And his grip on you didn’t waiver one bit for the time you kept your embrace. He kept you flush against him like it was the easiest thing in the world.

And he kept you that way for a long while. He didn’t want to let go, neither did you. But eventually, slowly, you both pulled away. The heat of the moment was gone and the apology was over and your heart still beat a little bit too quick. And he still wasn’t far. The silence was loud, but comfortable now.

“Can we try again?” He whispered. Plain and simple. He wasn’t asking for a promise- nobody could ever promise anything. Even you couldn’t promise. But it was him and even after years had gone by, it was always going to be him anyways. So why not?

You nodded.

[canadianfangirl-95]

Take Care.

Summary: Frankie and the Triple Frontier guys go to their local bar to get Frankie a date. He decides to pursue the new bartender.

Rating: 18+, minors DNI.

Warning: smut, p in v, oral f receiving

Hey, this is my first time writing in more than a decade and I have been loving everyone's work on here so much I wanted to give it a try. please let me know if you enjoyed or if you have any feedback! Also, I am Canadian so there are definitely some spelling that may be different from American and also some simple things like how in Canada the waitress brings the credit machine to the table instead of taking the card, stuff like that. Anyway, I'm rambling, enjoy!

Word count; 11k+

The dimly lit sign of the bar had a few letters burnt out of it. The green leather booths hadn’t been updated since the place opened 20 years ago. The wood bar had been meticulously cared for and still shone with the polish it received weekly. It was a humble bar, a place for regulars and the odd collection of students who would trickle in from the college 10 miles from there. But that sign laid up against the burnt orange Texan sky made a certain group of ex-military men, trying to find their place back in a world that has very much changed since their time in the service, feel like they could have a few beers and cheers to forget about the worries in their lives.

The four men poured into the bar at their usual time every other Friday night. They were all busy in life right now but made sure they still got together on a regular basis. They would laugh about old times, be each other’s wing men so that at least of them could get lucky from time to time and remind themselves how exceptionally bad Santiago is at pool for someone who is such a sharpshooter in the field.

Benny and Will slid in on opposite sides of their regular spot to meet in the middle on the c shaped booth, followed by Santiago on the right side and Frankie on the left edge, always sitting with his right leg slightly in the aisle to stretch out.

Santiago scanned the room intently, not unusual as this was a habit the four of them had developed during their time in the service, however his face gave Frankie an uneasy feeling when it suddenly met his with a half smirk.

“Okay boys, I know we all like to have our fun on these nights, but tonight we are focusing on Morales alright?” Santiago said firmly to Benny and Will with an outstretched hand pointed at Frankie.

Frankie instantly furrowed his brow at this sudden declaration, “What do you mean focus on me?” He scanned Benny and Wills’ faces to see if they were in on something he wasn’t aware of.

“I mean,” Santiago started, leaning forward on the wood table, his face becoming more illuminated under the low glow of the hanging light pendant above them, “you need to get laid because it has for one, been too damn long, two, you’re shit at talking to women lately and three as your roommate I’m sick of hearing you listen to Alanis Morisette on repeat.” Santiago counted the reasons in his right hand before laying it flat on the table and quirking his left eyebrow up at his friend.

Before Frankie could open his mouth fully, Will interjected pointing lazily in Frankies direction. “He doesn’t need a cheap hookup, Pope. What Frankie needs is a relationship to get back into it. A nice girl that will take care of him.” Will crossed his arms and rested his back gently on the booth as he gave Frankie a reassuring smile.

“Nah, I’m with Pope on this one.” Benny perked up, “One night between the sheets and then he’s back in the streets.” He had a shit eating grin on his face like he always did whenever someone talked about a hook up. Benny being the ladies’ man he is was always down to support his friends getting some.

“Thank you, Benny, someone’s got some sense here.” Santiago tilted his head toward Benny who nodded back.

“Do I get a say in this?” Frankie asked callously, his right hand waived slightly in the air with his question and his other perched underneath his chin as he listened to his friends dive into the dampness that is his love life.

“No.” all three men said in unison with a quick glance at him. He gave a huff and watched as they all returned to a conversation he was seemingly excluded from.

“Now I’m not saying he doesn’t need someone to take care of him, I’m just saying he needs someone to take, care, of him you know what I mean?” Santiago winked and dragged out a select few words to make his point.

“Ohh yeah.” Benny slyly chimed in.

Will pulled his shoulders off the back of the booth and shifted his body toward Santiago who instantly felt his lecture being prepared, “No, no he needs someone to take care of him in more ways than just physically. He needs be taken care of emotionally as well.”

The three men spurred into a loud retort of their opinions, hands waving back and forth towards Frankie as he looked at the fishing painting laden behind Bennys head that he’s seen a hundred times before.  Frankie knows he hasn’t been in a relationship or even had a hook up in almost a year. He had finalized his divorce 3 years ago and since then he hasn’t had much luck with women, so he lost interest in trying. The dating apps were getting routine as well. Some girl in her twenties he had nothing in common with and couldn’t even tolerate enough to get through a one night stand was pretty typical.

They were all so distracted in their own nonsense they didn’t notice when she suddenly appeared at the edge of the table with her notepad and pen in hand. After a quiet hello and no interest from the men she brazenly tapped her pen on the table between them and they all stopped mid-sentence to turn and look at her with the same taken aback expression on their faces.

“Hi, um, sorry to interrupt, I’m Sadie and I’ll be taking care of you this evening.” She said with a weary smile to the group of ridiculously good-looking men.

All four men looked at her face, tan and freckled with a wide smile that lit up her green eyes. Beautiful amber red hair that fell loosely down her back with a slight curl. And then down to her white tank crop top, short black waitress apron tied around her hips with a few highlighters and a bottle cap opener tucked in over light wash flare legged ripped jeans. Finishing off the look with red cowboy boots, close enough of a colour to match her hair.

Their heads immediately snapped back to one another’s and then back at hers as she sheepishly waited their response. Frankie pulled the hand that had been resting under his chin down to his lap with an interested look.

Santiago shifted in his seat, turning on his heart winning smile as an idea grew behind his eyes. “Sadie, you said?”

She smiled and nodded back to him, holding her pen to her paper now. Expecting to take his order next. But Santiago was never known to be predictable.

He slid his left elbow to rest on the top of the booth and angled himself toward her. The three other men shared a quick glance at each other, unsure where he was going with this interaction.

“I’ve never seen you here before, when did you start?”

“It will be two weeks tomorrow actually.” She responded with a pleasant smile.

“Huh, how long have you been bartending?” He asked.

She pursed her lips to think and squinted as she replied, “About 5 years. But I just do it to pay for my schooling.” Her hair flowed on her shoulder, and she brushed the piece on her left side onto her back, revealing more of her perfectly tanned and freckled skin under the bright white top.

Santiago raised his eyebrows at this information, egging him on to continue the conversation. “What are you in school for?”

“I’m getting my master’s in child psychology through an online university.” Sadie replied with a confident smile, clearly prideful of her career choice.

Santiago pressed on, “Wow that is amazing. Good for you, where were you working before you came here?”

With a huff she shrugged, “I was just at this one chain restaurant across town. But I didn’t get good tips there and as my education is ridiculously expensive, I decided to make a change.”

“What brought you to our little slice of paradise?” Santiago quipped with a charming smile.

Frankie watched as his friend went back and forth with the beautiful bartender. She wasn’t Santiagos typical type, so he was skeptical on what his motive to have this lengthy of a conversation with her was. Not that Frankie was minding as he was as intrigued with this woman as Santiago seemed to be.

She hummed; she was surprisingly pleased with the actual interest in her. But she knew the type, the charmer. Luckily, she knew exactly how to deal with a charmer in her years in the bartending industry. Get them to blink first.

“My friend actually used to work here for a few months. She said that there are so many regulars that you get the opportunity to get to know people and then they start taking care of you and tipping well.” Sadie spoke confidently, knowing she had the attention of these men and thought now would be a good time to turn the tables. “Plus, and her words not mine,” she waived her hands casually, still holding the pen and notepad in her right hand. “She said if you have a great ass you’ll get great tips. So, here I am.” She chuckled.

Frankie, Benny and Will all blushed briefly, but Santiago stayed with his eyes firm on the target.

“So, you’re saying you have a great ass?” he quickly retorted.

“I guess that will be decided on how good your tip is.” She leaned forward slightly, not breaking eye contact with the man until he finally broke and turned his head with a chuckle.

“Do you say that to all your customers to get a better tip?”

Sadie smiled, “Only if I’m sure they’ll fall for it.”

Damn, Frankie thought. Smart, quick, and funny. He’s concerned Santiagos interest is more peaked than he thought and now he’s the one who’s been sitting idly by while his best friend flirts with one of the most perfect women he’s ever met.

Santigo laughed this jab off and turned to look at the boys. All of whom had an approving look on their faces of the verbal joust they just witnessed between their cocky friend and the new bartender.

When he turned back to her, smile still brazen on his face, he said “We’ll get two pitchers of Corona. We’ll do four by the end of the night so each of us will take one on our bills.”

She wrote down the order, and then looked up and asked, “What can I put down for names on the bills?”

“Santi, that’s Will, Benny and Frankie.” Santiago smiled while gesturing to the guys around the table. “I’ll take one of these on mine.”

“I’ll take the other.” Will raised his hand and smiled when she nodded at him.

“Alright,” she penned in her notepad. “Santi, Will, Benny and Frankie. Will do you ever go by Willy or Billy?” she asked with a soft look.

Will sat up straighter, chuckling slightly. “Uh, no not really. Why?”

“Oh, I just thought if you did then all your names would rhyme, and you could be a fun boy band with rhyming names that’s all.” She said with a giggle. The guys all laughed and tried to convince Will it would be a good change. To which he shook his head.

Sadie stole a quick glance at Frankie whose eyes hadn’t left her for much of the conversation. Not that she minded, his deep brown eyes and curly hair pushing itself out from underneath his baseball hat were cute. She is accustomed daily to lingering glances of men, but this one made her breath catch slightly before speaking again.

“Well then, two pitchers of Corona and one opportunity to check out my ass without judgement coming right up.” She crossed a line on the note pad and turned swiftly towards the bar. Hips swinging a little more than she’d like to admit.

All the men graciously took their opportunity and turned their heads slightly to catch a sight of her walking away.

Santiago turned quickly to the group, “Guys, she’s the one.”

“The one?” Benny asked, arms folded over his chest and leaned back as far as he could. Trying to get comfortable as the biggest guy in the booth.

“Yes, the one we were just talking about. For Frankie.” Santiago gestured to his friend who perked his eyebrows up at the new thought that Santiago wasn’t interested in Sadie at all. “It can go both ways, he could either have a great hook up with a hot bartender and then just keep a professional relationship with her here if there’s nothing more to it, or he could get into a relationship with a great, smart, nice and competent girl.”

Frankie adjusted himself in his seat. “What if it went South and she was pissed at me. Then all we have is a bartender at our favourite spot spitting in our pitchers.” He didn’t think she’d be the type, but he was also incredibly nervous by Santiagos proposition.

They all took a beat, taking in this possible outcome. They looked over at Sadie at the bar. She was pouring a tall beer for a woman and chatting in a bubbly and infatuating way. She reached below the bar and tossed a coaster onto the top. She placed the beer on top of the coaster and slid it over to the customer with a bright smile. The men all watched as she flung her hair over her back and gathered it loosely in her right hand while she fanned her face with her left, seemingly making a comment about the heat behind the bar with the warm lights above her. Her skin shone and her eyes squinted slightly as she talked, moistening her lips as she listened to her coworker.

Santiago turned back to the group, “Yeah, I think that’s worth the risk buddy. At least it would be for me.”  A devilish grin wiping his face.

Frankie’s gaze didn’t waver from her. He observed her low neckline that curved on her plush chest. The way her tan stomach peaked out below her top showing off her belly button ring. The tattoos on various parts of her body that he would love to get a closer look of, or taste.

He adjusted himself slightly before making eye contact with Santiago. “Alright, I’m in.” They all cheered, and Benny patted him on the back. “But I don’t even know where to start man.”

“That’s why you have me, don’t sweat it okay.” Santiago dove into his seemly well thought out plan considering he only met Sadie a mere minutes ago. “When she brings the drinks back, we’ll get her talking again, make sure you actually contribute this time.” He gave a pointing glare to his friend, which made Frankie shrug his shoulders slightly, making him appear a bit smaller. “And then about 20 minutes later, you go over to the bar, order some food, and strike up a conversation. We’ll see where we’re at after that.”

The three men nodded at this suggestion. Frankie was suddenly never more nervous for his beer to arrive. Ironically, he needed the beer to make him able to go through with this. He hasn’t felt this nervous around a woman in longer than he can remember.

Benny and Will started into their typical conversation about Ben’s upcoming fight. They all loved Benny’s hobby. It provided them with great entertainment and an opportunity to get into the ring themselves during his training to get out a bit of frustrations. Will was just diving into the schedule and reminding the guys when they needed to check in as security detail when Sadie appeared from the bar with two pitchers in one hand four beer mugs in the other and 4 coasters tucked into the strap of her tank top.

“Whoa, incoming.” Santiago said as he cleared his phone and wallet off the table to make room.

Sadie carefully placed the two pitches down before grabbing the coasters from her strap and tossing them down one by one in front of the men. She then sat each glass atop the coasters and put her hands on her hips with a huff.

“Well then, and they say bartending isn’t a physical job.” A thanks coming round the table from each of the men. “Can I take care of anything else for you right now?”

Before the group was able to speak a rowdy bunch of college boys pushed themselves through the door and stumbled to a table nearby. Sadie rolled her eyes at the sight.

“Are you okay?” Frankie asked, earning him an approving look from Santiago.

“Yeah, it’s just the college kids that come in here can get really annoying and handsy. It’s fine though, better than dealing with men who probably have daughters the same age as me asking what time I get done my shift.” She looked somewhat deflated at the reality of her job, that it wasn’t all pouring drinks and chatting with nice handsome men.

The guys all looked at each other, they had spent plenty of time with guys like that in the service. The one’s who would try to take up skirt shots of the waitresses when they would go out as a group. It made them apologetic for their gender.

“Sucks, sorry about that.” Benny finally rang out on behalf of the group.

She just gave a half smile, her eyes a little dimmer than before as she mentally prepared to go over and get their orders.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about anything like that tonight. We’ll keep an eye on them. This guy right here,” Frankie threw a hand on Ben’s shoulder, “is a big MMA fighter and the rest of us do security for him at the fights. If they get out of hand, I’m sure we can take care of them.”

Sadie lifted her head a little higher, impressed by the apparent knight in shining armor sitting to her left, ready to take care of her. “Hm, thanks Frankie. I’ll keep you- that, that in mind.” She stammered, before retreating over to the table with the college boys. Head held a little higher knowing she wouldn’t have to call one of the cooks from the back to throw a guy out like she’s had to do twice already at her new place of work.

Frankie watched intently, keeping an eye on the three college guys while they gawked at Sadie and her uncomfortably smiling back at them. Finally breaking attention when Santiago snaps his fingers at him.

“That was perfect buddy. A little damsel in distress and hero thing going on. She thinks she needs you to take care of her, very well played.”

“I wasn’t playing her; it sucks she has to deal with that shit at work and I wanted her to know that she could relax a bit tonight.”

“Fair enough, either way. I think she’s starting to like you. Which brings us to our next stage of the plan.” He rubbed his palms together with a devilish grin. Benny and Will chuckled at the commitment their friend had to his masterful plan. If he had a whiteboard available right now, he would’ve done a whole chart of each move he wanted Frankie to make.

“Why use our poor excuse of security work as an example and not oh I don’t know, our years in the military?” Will asked with his head cocked.

Frankie finished pouring his drink and hummed, “I’ll tell her, just a uh- topic of conversation for later.” He finally grinned, not wanting to reveal too much to her so he would have something to talk to her about later.

Half an hour later, the men had been nursing their beers in an effort to prevent an unplanned visit from Sadie if she noticed they needed a refill. All the while she stole glances to the booth wherever she was and with whomever she was talking to. Frankie saw her hold her position behind the bar long enough without anyone else talking to her and decided it was his opportunity to have another talk with her.

He slinked up from his seat in the booth, with his friend’s encouragement and walked over to the bar. She was illuminated by low hanging lights and beer company signs. There were bottles of liquor along the wall behind her and stacks of glasses of all sorts of shapes and sizes.  

“Hey,” she beamed at him when he leaned against the counter. “Can I help you with anything?”

Frankie calmed his nerves the best he could, wiping a bit of peanut dust off the bar in front of him. “Yeah, uh we were actually just wondering if we could get an order of the nachos for the table.”

She blushed, slightly embarrassed, “Oh sorry I guess I haven’t checked in on you guys in a while.”

“No, no it’s fine. You’re obviously busy tonight.”

Sadie smiled at his consideration and moved over to the computer. “Well, still sorry about that. But I promise I’ll take care of you now.” She worked quickly on the computer and then looked up at him. “Whose tab should I put it on?”

“Uhm,” He looked over his shoulder at his friends, and snickered at Santiago briefly. “Put it on Pope’s tab.”

“Pope?” she looked back puzzled.

“Shit, sorry, Santi.”

She nodded, finishing the order. “Those will be out in about 15 minutes.”

“Great, thanks.” Frankie tapped his hands on the bar, unsure how to keep this conversation going.

She grabbed a washcloth and spray and started cleaning up a spill on the counter below her. “So, Frankie” Her thought was stopped abruptly by the sound of a group in the corner cheering and clinking their beer mugs. She chuckled to herself at the interruption. “Since you guys aren’t a boy band, how did y’all meet?”

There’s that topic of conversation he was waiting for. “We all served together, in the military.” He said causally.

Sadie lifted her eyebrows, clearly impressed by the new information about these lovely strangers she’d just met. “Wow, well thank you for your service I guess.” They shared a smile. “Is that where Santis nickname comes from?”

“Yeah, yeah. He’s Pope, Will is iron head, and I’m uh- Catfish. Fish for short.” He nodded away shyly.

“That’s so cool. It’s nice to see you’re all still so close. But wait, what’s Bennys nickname?”

Frankie rubbed his chin; thankful she didn’t immediately dive into the reason for his nickname. “He actually doesn’t have one. He came up the ranks a little later than the rest of us and the nicknames had already been dealt out so, a bit of an oversight by us.”

“Huh,” she simmered in his explanation briefly. “So, what do you do now?”

“I was a pilot when I was in active duty so now, I’m an instructor for the base in the next town over.” He loved telling women he was a pilot; it was something a step above what everyone else did during their time in the service, so it made him feel a little special.

She clearly thought he was special too, as she stopped cleaning to put one hand on her hip where her jeans were a little too low and her shirt was a little too high. How Frankie wanted to feel how soft she must be in that spot as he stared at her hand. “That’s really cool Frankie. It must be amazing being up there and in control of it all.”

“It is, I really enjoy flying. I could uh, take you up sometime in a helicopter if you’d like.”

“Oh Frankie, I don’t make good enough tips here that I could afford a private helicopter tour.” She laughed, grabbing some glasses to clean.

“No, it wouldn’t, I wouldn’t charge you anything. I bring friends up all the time.” He stated, hoping to not sound too forward.

She peered up at him through her eyelashes, interested in his forwardness. “So, I would qualify for the friend discount then? Didn’t you just meet me an hour ago?” Sadie blushed, she liked the thought of being Frankies friend, or more.

“Would you believe I’ve always made friends fast?” He asked, “On my first day of basic Santi picked me out of the crowd, sat right down next to me because I looked the quietest of the group and he didn’t want to deal with all the typical macho army guys. We’ve been best friends ever since.”

Sadie looked down at the counter she was cleaning and thought for a moment. “Well, I’m so busy right now my best friend is pretty much my mom so making a new friend wouldn’t be so bad now that I think of it.”

Frankie started to respond, but one of Sadie’s coworkers came behind the bar and asked her to talk to the manager as they needed to see her.

“Alright I’ll be right there. I’ll get those nachos out to you as soon as they’re ready Frankie.”

Before he could say anything, she retreated to the back area for employees with a smile in his direction.

Frankie returned to his friends and slid into the booth. “So, how’d it go?” Santiago pressed.

“Good, the nachos will be out in like, 10 minutes.” Frankie said casually, sipping on his beer.

Santiago looked around breathlessly before sputtering, “I don’t give a damn about the nachos.”

Benny raised his hand, “I uh, actually do give a damn about the nachos.” Always ready to eat a full meal no matter the time of day.

“Fish, how did it go with Sadieee.” He elongated her name to accentuate how visibly annoyed he is about his friend’s slack attitude.

Frankie and Benny chuckled to themselves, “It was good man alright. She’s nice. I told her about us serving together, the nicknames came up, offered her a ride in a helicopter. You know, casual stuff.” He looked to the Millers who nodded along. Frankie was trying his best not to seem too excited, because truthfully, he was already developing a big crush just from the few interactions with her.

Santiago tilted his head at his unsuspecting friend. “You invited her for a helicopter ride? The second time you talked to her.”

Frankie shrugged, “Yeah, it just came up. Girls like that stuff. She thought it was cool when I told her about it so, I don’t know.” His nervousness grew with the line of questioning.

“What happened to leaving it open for a one-night stand?”

“It still can be, or maybe it could be something real. I’d prefer the latter but, we’ll see I guess.”

Santiago leaned back in his seat, unsure where to go in his plan based on this new information. He stewed for a few minutes while the guys went back into conversation.

His train of thought was cut when Sadie appeared and placed the nachos on the table. “Here you go, I’ll be right back with some plates.”

She returned and placed the plates on the table, she then unexpectedly pulled a water bottle out of her apron and pulled a chair up to the front of the booth to sit down from a nearby table.

The group looked with surprise at the sudden guest at their table. Frankie thanked the stars that they asked for the nachos when they did.

“Sorry to interrupt but I am finally on a break, and I just found out that the other closer for the night was the girl that called in today.” She took a sip from her water before proceeding. “So that means I am closing by myself and something that typically takes 30 minutes is going to take an hour. Yay me, and I don’t really have any interest in sitting in that dreary break room right now to wallow in my self-pity for how late I am going to get home tonight.”

“Hey, it’s no problem, more the merrier.” Will leaned in to cheer her with his beer and her water bottle.

“So, the nick name thing. I have multiple questions.” She started.

The group of men laughed, “Okay what you got.” Santiago asked.

“Pope, where the hell did that come from, because from my slight interactions with you, I would personally point you towards a more Southern direction in that aspect.” She touched her hands to her chest and laughed along with Santiago.

“I gave a lot of speeches back in the day and really laid on my so-called wisdom a little thick which ended up earning me the title.” He shrugged with his laugh and pulled his beer up to his lips, without breaking eye contact.

“Huh, interesting. And Benny,” she suddenly turned her attention to the younger man over to her left who pointed at himself cautiously. “No nick name. That doesn’t seem fair.”

“Don’t even get me started,” he leaned forward. The rest of the men groaned, apparently hearing this over and over again. “I totally got shafted on that.”

Sadie propped her right hand under her chin leaning forward. Frankie at his angle could see a side view of her cleavage and realized he needed to drop his glance quickly before she noticed. “Well, what would your nick name be if you could choose one now?”

Without hesitation Benny beamed with excitement. “Oh, I have been thinking about this for a damn long time. If I could pick my name, it would be Steel Heart.”

She looked at him puzzled, “Steel Heart?” he nodded confidently. “Because your brother is Iron Head and you what, steal women’s hearts?”

“Bingo.” Benny grinned shooting her a finger gun and a wink, clearly enjoying his moment.

The rest of the group looked at each other and revealed in Bennys excitement.

“Seriously man?” Will questioned.

“Oh, because Iron Head is so damn cool?”

“Well, yeah I mean it is.” Will said, shrugging against his brother who was giving him an annoyed look.

“What about you hermosa what would your nick name be?” Frankie asked Sadie softly. Her eyes flicked to him, and he felt his heart skip a beat. She brushed her hair behind her left ear and put her mouth to her shoulder to meet his eyes. They stared at each other for a moment while she contemplated the question.

She finally turned back to the group from the little bubble she and Frankie had been enjoying themselves in. “Oh, I don’t think I can answer that right now, that’s too big of a decision. Check back in next time I see you and maybe I’ll have an idea.” She smirked at him, very much hoping there would be a next time she saw him.

Frankie nodded, accepting this answer, and soaking in the attention he got from her. He wanted to know what it was like to have his mouth on her shoulder like she had just done. He thought about pulling her strap down with his teeth and running his mouth along her soft shoulder up to her neck as she gasped for more -.

“Fish!”

Frankie looked frantically, realizing he had completely zoned out and missed whatever just happened. He’s praying he had at least let his eyes fall to table and not leave them on Sadie’s shoulder the whole time. Will leaned over, “Fish did you hear me?”

“No, sorry I must’ve zoned out for a second, what’s up?” He squinted his eyes trying to pay attention as the group smirked at his lack of attention.

Will continued, “Sadie asked where Catfish came from, I said you should be the one to answer that.” He winked.

Frankie slouched down, there goes that relief. “I had a hard time growing facial hair when I was what, twenty-three. Anyway, they said it looked like catfish whiskers.” He slumped further down and tried to avoid the gaze of Sadie. While the guys chuckled at their long-standing joke. She leaned over and put a hand on his arm with a squeeze. She could tell he was uncomfortable and didn’t like the story.

“Hey, it’s okay. Your facial hair is pretty cute now and that’s all that matters.” Sadie missed the glances of the other men as they enjoyed the moment their friend was having with the girl they were trying to set him up with all night. She winked and lingered her glance at the man now blushing.

Frankies eyes burned into her with want and desire, she felt herself flutter suddenly and a warmness grew in her gut as she thought about how long her hand has been on his arm. She pulled away and tucked her hand under her chin, trying to cover how flushed she felt her chest becoming.

Ruining the moment, the group of college boys had started making more noise and gesturing to her. She sat up straight in her seat and grabbed her water bottle. “Well, I’d say that’s my cue to get back to it.” She huffed.

Sadie stood back up and adjusted her apron on her hips. “Thanks for the distraction guys, want me to get you those next pitchers?”

They all nodded with half smiles as she went back to the bar to drop off her water bottle. She then slowly strutted over to the table the college guys were sitting at and stood with her back to the men in the booth.

“Hey guys can I help you with anything?” Sadie asked cautiously, scratching her scalp with the back of her pen and doing whatever she could not to make eye contact with the insufferable boys who were obviously checking her out.

The boys shuffled and stifled their laughs, the one sitting to the right of Sadie had a backwards hat on and blonde hair peeking out. He wore a crisp new white t shirt and his hands had clearly never seen a day of work in his life. “Yeah, we were just wondering which one of those guys over there is your boyfriend?” He nodded back to the booth Frankie and the guys were sitting in.

Sadie looked over her shoulder briefly and then back at the guy whose eyes were like daggers. “I’m sorry?”

“Well, you’ve been paying them an awful lot more amount of attention than you’ve been giving us, so I just assumed one of them was your boyfriend.” He shrugged with a mischievous smile.

She could tell his intentions were not sincere, so she played his little game in hopes she could move on quickly. “Uh, yeah sorry, my boyfriend is over there with his friends, so I was checking in during my break. So, do you need a refill or any food before the kitchen closes?” She tucked her head down toward her notepad to deflect his eyes.

“Which one?”

“Hm?” Her eyebrows almost touched the base of her nose with how low she pulled them at his question.

“Which one is your boyfriend?” He nodded towards the group again and rubbed his chin with a sly smile. The other two boys chuckled into their fists at the interaction.

Sadie pulled her head up, getting more annoyed by the second. She looked over her shoulder again and caught Frankies’ eyes who seemed to be fixed on the group. “The one with the hat.” She said, trying to be as casual as possible.

The guy looked back at Frankie whose eyes didn’t leave the table despite his friends engaging in conversation again. Frankie could see the smugness radiating off this guy and didn’t trust to take his eyes off him for a second.

He turned back to give his buddies a smug look and they smiled along with him. “He looks like the jealous type.”

She pulled her lips tight, “Yeah I guess so.” Her uncomfortableness grew by the second. Why do they always have so much shit to say she thought to herself. She thought back to Frankie and the guys and made a mental note to write down that order of pitchers she almost forgot about when she was lost in Frankies brown eyes.

“So uh, he wouldn’t really like this then.” With one swift motion he took Sadie’s right wrist and began to pull her down to sit on his lap. She huffed with shock but before she was able to push herself off him a loud voice thundered from behind.

“Hey! Get your damn hands off her!”

The kid jumped in his skin and pushed her up before looking back to see Frankie standing up beside the booth, the three other men’s attention turned as well but more in shock of Frankies abrupt reaction. The boy threw his hands up near his face, clearly shocked by the reaction of Frankie. He was obviously trying to get some sort of reaction, but he was now fearing he was about to be dragged outside by this furious pit-bull of a man who was baring his teeth.

Sadie turned her shocked look from Frankie back to the guy. She smoothed out her apron and drew her head high. “What he fucking said!” She pointed at Frankie as her voice grew towards the boy. “I’ll get your bills.” She huffed and stormed off towards the bar.

Frankie gave the kid one last look of disgust before Benny had him settled back into his seat.

“Okay down boy it’s fine.” Santiago tried to reassure his friend who was still fuming in his seat. “Well, I’d say you definitely have her attention now, I’ll take care of this. You two just make sure he doesn’t go all bull in a China shop in here alright?” Santiago nodded at the Millers who did their best to calm their friend.

Santiago slipped out of the booth and peeked at Sadie behind the bar. Her back was to them, working on the bills for the pricks at the table he is now approaching. The three boys watched him approach them, settling deep into their chairs. He leaned forward between two of them and rested his hands firmly on the edge of the table.

“Listen, I’m not gonna let me buddy there beat the shit out of you, which yes, he could easily do. But just take this moment as an opportunity to grow, you know, learn something and do better next time. Maybe don’t sexually harass bartenders anymore, or anyone for that matter. And definitely don’t intentionally piss off an ex special ops soldier, got it?” They looked at him with side eyes, fearing they may turn to stone if they made direct eye contact with him. He nodded and pulled his hands away, not before leaning in one last time and whispering, “Oh, and you better fucking tip good.” He winked, and the boys nodded.

Santiago sauntered back to the booth just as Sadie wrapped up her computer work and turned to go back to the table. She grabbed a debit machine and marched over with her head held high. She did her best to ignore the agonizing stir Frankies little outburst had given her, and how badly she wanted to show him how much she appreciated it.

The guys watched as she closed off their bills, giving them icy stares and barely acknowledging their existence. The whole time they creepily snuck a peak at the four men all staring with daggers in their eyes as they waited for the three to leave.

Once they were paid up, they said their meek thanks to Sadie, who responded with a cold, “Yeah whatever.” and made their way out of the bar.

Frankie relaxed a bit once he saw the guys leave, but he relaxed even more when Sadie appeared with a tray carrying two pitchers and a small glass.

“Alright, here’s those two pitchers, on Benny and Frankies tabs.” She said as she settled the pitchers in the middle of the table. “And one,” she grabbed the small glass that seemed to be a rum and coke. “thank you, on the house.” She leaned forward and placed the glass in front of Frankie before making eye contact with him and leaning in to rest a small kiss on his cheek. Frankies eyes fell to her mouth, and he wished she had closed the gap. He smiled and said thanks before she pulled away and went back to the bar.

The men all turned to Frankie, eyes wide at his interaction.

“Buddy, that is what I’m talking about.” Santiago cheered.

Benny and Will also showed their celebration as Frankie took a sip of his new drink.

“Now, I’ve been thinking about your closing move alright? She said she doesn’t have any help to close the bar down right?”

Frankie nodded at Santiago, agreeing with this statement.

“Well, there’s your in. Offer to stay and help her close. You and her alone in the empty bar for half an hour. Talk, make sure you show you’re interested. Graze your hand on her hip when you squeeze past her behind the bar. Stuff like that, and then boom once all the work is done. Close the deal.” He clapped his hands together and leaned forward with excitement. He hasn’t been more focused on a target in years.

Frankie nodded and agreed to this proposition. He sat in silence for a while as the other men talked and thought about how his cheek felt after Sadie kissed it. How it would feel to have that same softness grace his lips. Her hair smelt like lavender when she got that close to him, and he wanted nothing more than to grab the back of her head and lead her to his lips.

The night wore on without incident. Finally, Sadie came to the table with bills in hand and her machine. She started with Santiago, keying in his total and passing the machine to him while she chatted with the others about how sore her feet were from walking all night. Santiago passed the machine back to her and she watched as the receipt filed out. She pulled it from the machine without looking at the content and held it to her chest.

“Alright, moment of truth. Does Santi think I have a great ass?” She indicated to the boys with a nod that she needed a drum roll. The three men kindly obliged and started drumming their fingers on the table, Santiago rolled his eyes and leaned his head back against the top of the booth. With a beat she pulled the receipt up to her face and dropped it with an open mouth smile on her face. “He does!”

They all cheered enthusiastically, except for Santiago who waved his hands conceding.

Sadie moved on to Will, and upon pulling his receipt through commented, “Hm, Will is more of a boob guy, good to know.” She smirked at him, and Benny smacked his shoulder with a full body laugh.

“Whoa, whoa that is not fair.” He laughed.

Sadie grinned and started keying in Bennys order. “I’m just kidding you, Willy.” She looked up and winked. He leaned back in his seat with a gapped expression, finding the interaction humorous of course. “I gotta joke a little bit otherwise jobs like this eat you alive.”

They all hummed in response, recalling all the pranks and jokes they used to get into in the service. No matter the circumstances, they still found a way to keep their head straight through some humor.

 Sadie finished up all the bills, thanking Frankie with a gushing smile for his overzealous tip.

“Well, it was really nice to meet you all. I hope to take care of you all again soon.” She smiled and the guys said their thanks and started piling out of the booth.

Santiago patted his friend on back, “Aright buddy this is it. Good luck, I hope it works out however would make you the happiest.”

Frankie gave his friends an assuring nod before doing a quick jog to catch up with Sadie as she moved back to the bar.

“Hey Sadie?”

She turned, surprised and pleased that Frankie wasn’t following his friends out the door. “Hey Frankie, what’s up?”

Frankie rubbed his hands on his faded jeans, trying to calm himself once more. “Are you still closing by yourself tonight?”

“Yeah, unfortunately. The kitchen left an hour ago and the manager and other bartender will be leaving in a few minutes. Why?”

“Well, I uh, I don’t have any place to be, so I was wondering if you wanted some help?” he said cautiously.

She eyed him through squinted lids and looked at him up and down. Worn out baseball hat that probably hasn’t left his head in decades over curly brown hair. A tight grey T-shirt under a loose flannel shirt. Light jeans that probably didn’t start out that way but have been worn in the sun too long and washed too many times. He seemed harmless enough and he’s treated her well so far tonight, in fact so well she had started finding herself walking by him just to ensure he could catch a glimpse of her through the night.

“So, you want to stay late and help me clean, because you have nowhere else to be?” She asked with a pointed look.

He swallowed deep, “Yeah I just thought you would like the help and maybe the company.” He tried his best to sound light, meanwhile his ears with ringing with nervousness.

She took a beat to think once more, “So you’d help me clean and then we would both get to our own beds at a decent time tonight, right?” She emphasized “own”.

He nodded in agreement, “Sure, of course.”

Sadie started back behind the bar again and Frankie followed like a dog chasing a bone. “Alright Fish, you stay put here and once everyone else is gone we’ll get started.” With that she disappeared behind the employee entrance door.

Frankie sat at the bar by himself for 20 minutes, watching as the other customers exited slowly and as the rest of the staff said their goodnights to Sadie and then retreated to the employee entrance. It was 1:15am when she locked the door and closed the shades to the front windows.

She sauntered over to him, her cowboy boots clicking as she walked. She ran her finger from shoulder to shoulder on Frankies back. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up at the sensation. “Let’s get cleaning Mr. Helpful.”

Over the course of the next thirty minutes, they did just that. They cleaned and restocked the bar, all while recounting vacation stories, and childhood memories. Sadie talked about how she had gone into finance right out of high school and found it unfulfilling so she decided to go back to school in her late twenties to do something she could be proud of. Frankie talked of his friendship with the guys and although they had to go through terrible times to all be together, they were all still thankful they had the opportunity because now they have each other.

All the while Frankie kept Santiagos notes tucked away in head. He would graze his hand on hers when she would pass him something. He held her waist in place as he scooted behind her at the bar. He brushed her hair off her face when her hands were in rubber gloves doing dishes. Each time he had a physical interaction with her she felt that familiar burning sensation she had felt when Frankie had yelled at that prick that got handsy with her. She caught herself staring at his lips as he spoke and trying to position herself in a way that they would have to have some sort of physical contact. She couldn’t even understand why she was doing it all. She just wanted him to want her so badly.

Frankie finished his half of the cleaning list and approached Sadie who was at the pool table. She was leaned over wiping down the last part of the wood finished edges. He held his gaze on her ass and admired how plump it looked in her tight jeans. He shook his head to throw the devilish thoughts out of it and met her eyes when she turned to look at him.

“Well, that’s that. Thank you for all the help.” She threw the cloth into a bucket on the floor and leaned against the pool table with her arms crossed.

He took a few steps in and placed his left hand on the pool table beside her, resting some of his weight on it. “It was no problem hermosa. I had fun.” He smiled at her.

She squinted her eyes slightly, “That’s the second time you’ve called me that. What does it mean?”

He looked her up and down shyly, “Beautiful.” He said softly, meeting her eyes with an intense gaze.

She inhaled deeply, her chest rising and falling in an extremely noticeable way. Frankie grinned at this as he checked out her cleavage quickly. She looked down at her feet for a moment, trying to determine the best way to respond to such a compliment. She lifted her head back up at him and asked, “Do you call all your friends beautiful?”

Frankie shrugged, shifting his weight slightly. “No,” he paused “Just you, and Benny of course.” He chuckled.

She rolled her head back with her laugh, “Well I don’t blame you; he is VERY pretty.” She grinned back at him.

“Truthfully though,” he leaned in slightly, trying to gage her physical response. “I’m not sure I still want to be your friend. I think I may want a little more than that.”

Sadie felt herself flush, “Well would I still get the discount on the helicopter rides?” she asked softly, intensifying her gaze.

He leaned in further, staring at her lips as he spoke. “Of course, it also comes with lots of other perks too.”

“Hm, like what?” She tilted her head up, catching a glimpse of him moistening his lips as she spoke.

“Like this.” He leaned in fully and latched his mouth onto hers.

It was a soft kiss, not wanting to read too much into things. She didn’t pull away, but he was still unsure if she was just being friendly. He broke the kiss and pulled his face away a few inches to look at her. She unfolded her arms and grazed one finger along his jaw line.

“That seems like a pretty good perk, but you said there’d be lots right?” She lowered her eyebrows and parted her lips, meeting his gaze.

He smirked and stepped into her, placing his hands on her hips as hers moved around his neck. They both opened their mouths for one another and deepened the kiss. It was hungry and passionate. He ran his hands over the exposed skin on her lower back and moaned at the warmth. Sadie glided her right hand around the curls at the top of Frankies neck and slid her left up and down his chest.

Frankie moved his hands lower to grab her plush thighs and in a swift motion hoisted her up to be seated on the edge of the pool table. She parted her legs for him, and he stood flush with her chest heaving against his.

She pulled away to start planting desperate kisses on his neck and he rubbed his hands on her ass through her tight jeans as she made her way up to swirl her tongue around in his left ear. He moaned at the feeling and her deep breathing in his ear. He ducked his head, and she pulled back so he could slot his mouth on hers again. He pulled her closer, so her aching core was pressed up against his stiff boner in his jeans. She gasped at the sensation of feeling how hard he was, and he revealed in the warmth radiating off her.

Frankie pulled off to start kissing down her neck. He moved the hair off her left shoulder with his hand as he nipped at her supple skin. He made his way down to her shoulder and groaned at how soft she was against his lips, better than he had imagined earlier. He nipped at her and grabbed the thin white strap with his teeth to pull it over and off to hang on her arm. He licked a stripe from the top of her shoulder up her neck and brought his hand up to palm her breast.

Sadie moaned and smiled with her eyes closed. “Okay, okay Frankie.” He pulled his head up to meet her eyes. “I just started here two weeks ago, and while I haven’t had the opportunity to read the employee handbook yet, I am fairly positive there will be something in there along the lines of don’t fuck the customers on the pool table.” He grinned at her and placed a kiss on her forehead. “So, why don’t we just go back to my place?”

He hummed, “I don’t know, didn’t you say something about ending up in our own beds tonight?” He emphasized own as she had done earlier.

She rolled her eyes, “Well I guess I’ve been persuaded otherwise.”

He reached his hand up and pulled the strap of her top back onto her shoulder, grazing his finger down her arm to rest his hand on the edge of the pool table. “Alright, well let’s get going then, because I’ve still got lots of perks to show you.” He popped his eyebrows up and gave her a knowing smile.

The energy between the two was electric as he helped her slide down the pool table back onto the floor. She took his hand and led him to the back to slip out of the employee entrance, locking the door as she left. They walked hand in hand to her red car. Based on the boots and the car, he was beginning to figure out her favourite colour. This theory was confirmed when he slid into her passenger seat and noticed the red fuzzy dice hanging from the rear-view mirror. He smiled to himself; he had fuzzy dice in his truck too.  

The drive to her apartment was quiet but comfortable. They stole glances here and there and nodded along to the radio, each of them growing with excitement for what was to come. Frankie rested his hand on her thigh and rubbed tiny circles on the exposed part of her leg through a hole in her jeans. She silently thanked herself for her choice of pants today as the feeling of his calloused thumb stroking her thigh made her core ache for more. She peeked down at his hands and noticed just how large his fingers were. She snapped her head back up with eyes wide and tried to focus on the lights along the streets.

When they arrived at her apartment, it was after 2am. He followed her up the stairs, not wanting to keep too far of a distance from her as his hands ached to feel her again.

“This is me.” She nodded to the apartment door coming up on their right. She fumbled with her keys as she tried to unlock the door, her nerves getting higher by the second. Finally, the lock clicked, and she pushed the door open. She stepped into her apartment and stood in front of the door holding it open for Frankie.

He nodded and walked into the apartment, looking around as he did. There was a white kitchen with an eat in island. The island was covered in notebooks, textbooks, and pens. He imagined her hunched over working on her assignments and grinned to himself. The rest of the room had a small living area with a bright red couch facing a tv. The walls were decorated with framed floral photos and there were a variety of house plants along the windowsill. He stood near the island as she closed the door and put her keys and purse on the counter by the wall.

Sadie rounded the corner of the island, and he turned his head towards her, wrapping his left arm around her waist and pulling her in. She wrapped her hands around his sides, and he pulled her face into his with his right hand. Planting a desperate kiss to her plush lips. She released her lips from his and slowly brought her hand to his, leading him further into the apartment, into her bedroom.

The room was bright white with a white comforter. There were pops of colour with more floral accents adorned the walls. The makeup vanity had large circular bulbs around a round mirror with makeup scattered along the vanity top. Sadie walked over to the bedside table where a blush pink lamp sat and flicked on the light. Frankie admired how she looked in the dim lighting and rested his hands in his pockets as he watched her sit on the bed and take her boots off. Grunting as she popped the snug boots off her feet. She wiggled her toes at the relief from being on her feet all evening.

She stood up and rounded the bed towards him, he gave her a sheepish grin and brushed her hair off her shoulder before cupping her jaw with his hand.

She beamed up at him, “Hi.” She giggled.

Frankie smirked, “Hey you.” And leaned in planting an open mouth kiss on her.

He started backing her up towards the bed until the back of her knees hit the edge. He peeled his plaid shirt off his shoulders and threw it on the floor behind him. She reached for the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it up over his head, only breaking the kiss to move his shirt past and over his shoulders. He quickly grabbed his hat off his head and shifted it from one hand to the other as he pulled his arms out of his shirt. Placing it back on his head backwards. She ran her hands down his bare chest, stopping to rub her fingers on his treasure trail above his jeans.

The moonlight shone in her window above her bed through the light white curtains. He rubbed his hands along her back until he reached the bottom of her tank top and pulled it over her head. He did quick work to remove her strapless tan bra as well and tossed it aside. Frankie broke away slightly, enough so he could gawk at her supple breasts.

“Fuck, you are so sexy hermosa.” He pressed their bare chests against each other and slowly laid her down on the bed as she scooted backwards so her head was near the pillows.

He hovered above her and broke off the kiss to unbutton her jeans. He slid them down her legs, grabbing her socks as pulled them off. He slowly crawled back up the bed admiring her tan body underneath him. He slid a finger up and down her thigh before grazing it over her entrance atop her lace white panties. He hummed to himself, “Already this wet for me baby?”

“Oh Frankie, I started getting wet for you the minute you took care of those idiots at the bar for me.” She answered, moving her hips slightly to get more pressure from Frankies finger.

“Mmm, yeah? You like it when I take care of you?” She nodded, “You want me to take care of you right now?”

She looked desperate now, the teasing was getting the better of her. “Fuck, yes, Frankie please.”

He took her panties in his hands and yanked them down her legs, the teasing had seemingly stopped and he was going full tilt now.

He dropped down onto the bed and spread her legs with his rough hands, lining his face up with her dripping core, aching for relief. He took one last look at her body illuminated by the lamplight and licked a long stripe between her folds. She moaned in response. He started off so light, just tickling her with his tongue. It made her shiver, feeling his tongue dance around lightly between her thighs. She moved her hands to his head, slightly tugging at the soft curls peeking out under his hat. He continued this slow pace until she felt herself arching her back and reaching behind herself to the headboard.

Sadie suddenly felt a wave of pleasure as her orgasm overtook her and she moaned. Only as she started did he finally start applying pressure, causing her orgasm to linger for far longer than she’s used to. When she came down from her high, he picked up his pace and sucked on her clit until it popped out of his mouth.

“Fuck, Frankie. That was amazing.” She ran her hand over her face and tried to snap back into the moment.

He continued licking her core, “Mm not done with you yet baby.”

Frankie traced his fingers up her thigh before burying two deep in her pussy. She whined at the sudden sensation. He curled his fingers tightly inside her and licked her clit. She couldn’t help but buck her hips up into him as she writhed beneath his face. In and out he pulled his fingers, curling them more and more until she felt the snap in her gut again and flowed into her second orgasm. He pumped her still, letting her ride it out on his face.

When she finally came to a still and stopped moaning his name, he plucked his fingers out and wiped his face with his other hand. He crawled up the bed and met her gaze.

Sadie grabbed his face with her hands and pulled him in for a needy kiss. “How the fuck do you still have pants on?” She asked with a smile as she looked down between them.

Frankie rolled off her and swiftly tugged his pants down with his socks. Leaving him in his tight black Clavin Klein boxer briefs. He began to roll back onto her, “Uh uh, those too Fish.” She pointed at his boxers, and he smiled, rolling back over to pull them away and fling them off the bed. She took a wide look at his size and could feel the dampness pooling between her legs. “Fucking hell Frankie, how did you get the nickname Fish and not- fucking horse with that thing?” She gawked.

He smiled and rolled himself back onto her, “Well I don’t go showing it off or anything. Hey do you have?”

“Oh yeah in that drawer.” She pointed to the nightstand with the lamp on it and he leaned over to pull it open and pluck a condom package out of it. He quickly rolled it on and lined himself up at her entrance.

“You ready baby?” he asked playfully.

She nodded and bit her lip, he leaned down and met her lips with his as he reached his hand down, guiding himself into her.

Her breath hitched and broke the kiss as she felt the stretch of him. She met his eye contact with a wide look as she was overwhelmed by the feeling. He bit his lip and groaned, “You feel so good hermosa.”

He started rocking his hips back and forth slowly, going deeper each time until she was completely filled up. She grabbed his neck to steady herself underneath him as she tried to focus and not be completely tipped over the edge immediately. But she was already so overstimulated by the two orgasms. He picked up his pace and crashed his lips to hers. They made out desperately as he rocked into her, hitting his thighs against her hips. It was all tongue and teeth and moans between them.

“Oh baby, I’m so close.” His words falling from his mouth with barely any air left in his lungs.

She was dancing on the edge of immense pleasure as he gave two final deep thrust and grunted as he filled the condom. The way his cock swelled during his orgasm pushed her over the edge and she came crashing down into another for herself while he slowly rocked his hips, bringing them both down. He collapsed onto her chest and exhaled, trying to catch his breath.

Finally, he rolled off her and laid his forearm on his head as she panted beside him.

“That was,” he started.

“Fucking incredible.” She finished for him.

He smiled and rolled over, giving a loving kiss to her forehead before propping himself up and exiting the room to find the bathroom.

Sadie collected herself enough to ease her tired body under the comforter and turn off the lamp. Frankie came back in and smiled at her snuggled up, still lit up by the moonlight above her. He walked back over to the bed and slid in beside her. She rolled over and rested her head on his chest while his arm found its place behind her.

She drew little circles on his chest as she enjoyed how content the moment was.

“So, do you have any plans tomorrow. Or today I guess.” He chuckled as he looked at the time on his watch.

She grinned, “No I don’t think so.”

“Hm, would you want to hang out?”

“Sure, that’d be nice Frankie.” She smiled to herself as she warmed her face on his chest.

He rubbed her shoulder with his hand, “Anything you got in mind?”

She propped herself up to look at him and he met her eyes. “Well, I have had this evening long dream of going up in a helicopter with a handsome pilot.” She winked.

Frankie gave out a huffed chuckle, “I think I can take care of that for you.”

[mythos-writes]

Olympian

Daniel Ricciardo x Gretzky! Reader

Plot: Daniel's girlfriend is an Olympian, but not in the sport that you may think... (This takes place at the end of the 2017 racing season + 2018 Winter Olympics)

Formula 1 Masterlist

Word Count: 2.1K

Warning: Swearing, Canadian slang, hockey terms, clueless Daniel and clueless drivers (except Lance)

It was the last race in Abu Dhabi. The long-awaited race was coming into place. Before the weekend started, they all decided to go out for a grid dinner at a restaurant. As the night went on, they started to talk about their winter break plans. Many go skiing in Europe, while others make stops at home to see family. 

“Danny, what are you going to get up to?” Max asked him. 

“I’m going to go home and visit the folks, and in February I’m going to PyeongChang,” he states, everyone’s eyes falling onto him. 

“Korea? What on Earth are you going there for?” Nicko asks, finishing off his Heineken.

Daniel and (Y/N) had decided very early on to keep a private and low-key relationship. With (Y/N) showing up to the Montreal and Austalia races and him going to her most important games. But he never really discussed his relationship with the young hockey star with the other drivers. They knew he was dating someone but they didn’t know who he was dating. Daniel wanted to gush about how his girlfriend is going to the Olympics and this would be the only time he would do it until they go full public with their relationship. 

“Isn’t that where the Olympics are this year?” Valtteri asks. This started to make many of the driver's mind race.

“Daniel, why are you going to the Olympics? Are you a super athlete and you never told us?” Seb asks in a joking way.

“Oh, I wish, but I’m more of a Summer athlete than a winter one. My girlfriend is taking part in the games and I’m going to support her,” he finally reveals. Many eyebrows were lifted at the revelation. 

“Oh? We didn’t even know she was an athlete. What sport does she play?” Lewis asks, him thinking he might make a change of plans to go also. 

“She’s playing for Team Canada’s women’s hockey team,” he states, catching the two Canadian driver’s attention. 

“What’s her name, I wonder if Stroll knows her,” Alsonso jokes, causing a couple of drivers to chuckle. 

“I don’t know if you would know her, but I would think you would know her father,” he says. 

“Oh yeah, and who would that be?” Lance asks, being a little cocky. 

“Wayne Gretzky,” he replies while taking a spit of his drink. Lance’s face fell like he was just told that his girlfriend was pregnant. 

“I think you broke him, mate,” Carlos says, waving a hand in front of the Canadian’s face. 

“You’re dating (Y/N) Gretzky?! As in Wayne Gretzky’s daughter,” Lance stresses, making sure he heard the Austrailian correctly. 

“Why are you so surprised that he is dating this person's daughter?” Pierre asks, not knowing much of anything about hockey. 

“Wayne Gretzky is one of the most famous hockey players of all time. He won 4 Stanley Cups, which is the trophy that the NHL plays for. He also broke every record set for points, goals, and assists. It's like him saying he is dating Pele's daughter!" he explains, blowing away many of the drivers. 

“If that is the case, how the hell did you two meet?” Seb asks the Austrailian. 

“They came to the Montreal Race a couple of years ago, and we ended up bumping into each other. We started talking and ended up exchanging numbers; the rest is history,” he explains.

“Wow, I didn’t know you had that much game,” Max says into his drink, earning a smack from the Australian. 

Race weekend came and went, and the travels of the drivers began. (Y/N) accompanied him to Australia to visit his family Australia, as a small vacation before all of her focus goes into the Olympics. It was one of the last days before she was going to fly back to Canada to get prepared for going to training camp. (Y/N) decided to take a step outside and enjoy the warm air.

As she sat on the deck, she was starting to feel the pressure that was being placed on her. She was ‘The Great Ones’ daughter, and Canada is a shoo-in to win gold this year. (Y/N) was so in her head that she didn’t hear the back door open, or notice someone sitting beside her. They pulled her into their body. Daniel’s cologne filled her nose, and she relaxed into his body.

“What’s going on in your head of yours?” he asked. She looked up at him a replied,” Everything.” Daniel lets out a breathy laugh, before placing a kiss on the crown of her head.

“Oh love, everything will work out in the end,” he replies.

“Yeah, I know, but what if people decide that I’m not as good enough? What if I can’t live up to the expectations of being Wayne Gretkzy’s daughter?” she spews out just some of the anxiety-filled questions. Daniel sat there for a moment, trying to formulate an answer. 

“Those are very common feelings to have. I know that these feelings are common for kids of sports stars,” he states while playing with her hair. “But do what I always say, Fuck ‘Em All.”

She looks up at him and smiles. “Thanks, Danny.” He leans down and kisses her lips. 

“Come on, let's get you back inside, it's starting to get cold out here,” he states, helping her up. 

“I love you, Danny,” “I love you too (Y/N/N)” he replies before placing a kiss against her lips. Before they could continue their moment, it was broken by a distinctive “EWWW” from a little boy. They turned to see Daniel's nephew standing at the slightly opened glass door. 

“Come here ya bugger,” Daniel says while he starts to chase the boy back inside, leaving (Y/N) behind, laughing at his antics.  

Time flew by, and before either of them knew it, they were in Korea for the fateful Olympics. Canada breezed through the round-robin rounds. They then fought their way through the quarters and semi-finals, leading them to the long-awaited finals. The United States of America vs. Canada. The well-known rivalry goes back decades. 

(Y/N) was listening to music while she was getting warmed up. A playlist that Daniel made for her. As she was stretching, her phone pings. She sees Daniel's picture pop up. It was a text. (Y/N) opens and smiles. 

DannyRic❤️

   You got this babe! Remember, Fuck Em All

“Awe, that’s so sweet!” a familiar French accent grounds her. She turns to see her friend Marie-Philip Poulin standing behind her.

“I see lover boy is taking the boyfriend role seriously today,” she states while sitting beside (Y/N).

“Yeah, he knows that I get in my head a lot when it comes to things like this,” (Y/N) states, fidgeting with her necklace that holds her hockey number and a little F1 charm. 

“You’ll do fine chérie. And if people start to question your skills, we’ll have your back to prove them wrong,” Marie-Philip says while wrapping an arm around (Y/N)’s shoulders.   

“Thanks, M.P. and I know that Danny would be beside you in that defence,” she says while returning the side hug. 

“Now, come on, the game is in 30min, let's start getting out gear on.” 

It was go time. (Y/N) had walked out onto this pad many times in the last two weeks, but tonight was different. It was for an Olympic gold medal. Marie-Philip Poulin was hyping the girls up, getting them ready to face the fierce rivals. As they skated out onto the International pad of ice, the cheers of Canadians and Americans shake the nerves a little. She looked up at the jumbotron and saw that the camera was on her dad. Daniel was sitting beside him, and they were talking. What shocked her was seeing some of the other drivers sitting beside them. 

Lewis Hamilton, Valtara Bottas, Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, and Lance Stroll were sitting in the stands. They looked out of place, which made her laugh a little. She knew that if she had the TSN stream, the focus would be on her and her ‘cheer squad’. Sarah Nurse tapped her shins, getting her attention to set up for the start of the game. (Y/N) moved to the center ice for the face-off. 

As the game unfolds, the rivals play each other hard. There were hard hits and solid goals. (Y/N) scored one of the two goals for the Canadian team, and she could hear Daniel from the ice level. With the 110% effort that was brought by both teams, it lead them to a shootout. 

(Y/N) was the first shooter for Team Canada. She was getting ready to go, her nerves returning as a result. She looked up to where her squad was sitting and all she thought were Daniel's words to her. Fuck ‘Em All. She looked to the refs and gave them the nod, signalling to the refs that she was ready. The whistle blew, signalling for her to go. To (Y/N), it went deadly quiet. She blocked out all the fans, all the players yelling, everything. She skated down, went left to right, and then popped it over the blocker side of the US goalie. 

When the puck hit the back of the net, she tuned back in to hear the roar of the Canadian fans. She felt that all the weight is off her shoulders. Her work in getting Canada the win is done. But it wasn’t enough. The United States ended up getting the upper hand in the shootout and earning them the gold medal. (Y/N) felt defeated. She felt numb. 

They did the award ceremony, they consoled each other on the ice and in the changeroom. She would comfort them, just trying to be there for them. Her teammates would ask her how she was feeling and she would detour the questions. She got changed into some comfy, but still presentable, to walk out of the arena and back onto the bus to the Olympic Village. When they crawled off the bus, just wanting to get into their beds for the night, she saw Daniel and Wayne standing by the unloading spot. She gave them a small smile before walking into the open arms of her father. 

“I am so proud of you,” he says. Those words made her break. Tears started to fall and her body shakes in her father's arms. Daniel wanted to take her into his arms, but he knew that she needed it. 

“But we lost,” she murmured into her father's chest. Wayne moves her off him, so he can look at her properly. 

“It doesn’t matter that you won or lost. You went out there and showed the world how great you were. Unfortunately, shootouts are awful ways to end games, and they got the puck in more times. But you guys kept them in the game and made it such a great game. That’s what makes me proud of you,” Wayne praises. More tears fall on (Y/N)’s face, but now they were happy tears. 

“I love you, Dad,” she says, bringing him back into a big hug. “I love you to kiddo,” he replies while placing a kiss on her forehead. Reminders of when she would come off the ice upset from the game and Wayne comforting her exactly like this. 

“Now, I think someone is wanting to talk to you,” Wayne says while turning her to see a fidgety Daniel standing behind them. She giggles at his antics before thanking her dad again. Wayne walked off into the village, leaving the two love birds alone. Daniel opens his arms up, and (Y/N) falls into his arms quickly. 

“Sorry for not giving you guys the best performance,” she whispers against his Team Canada jacket. 

“Are you kidding, the boys first couldn’t believe that we were dating. Then they couldn’t believe that you had moves like this. Minus Stroll of course as you both are maple leaves,” Daniel states. Giggles erupt 

“If you’re up for it, the boys invited us to a restaurant just outside of the village and they would love to meet you. But if you’re not up for it, it is totally understandable and we can arrange something during the racing season,” he word dumps. 

“You know what, I’ve avoided meeting your fellow racers for this long, why not meet some of them properly,” she says with a smile. “And I could go for some good Korean food.” This causes Daniel to laugh. 

“Well, I’ll make sure Lewis pays then, come on,” he states while walking her towards the rental he got. 

(Y/N) felt disappointed that she didn’t get Canada the gold, but Daniel and her father made her feel that she wasn’t a failure, and she felt the most confident she had ever been.

[handweavers]

note that they changed the headline between an hour ago (2pm) and now (3pm) because the original headline as shown when i sent a friend the article on whatsapp was "air canada accused of holding up british mp 'because his name is mohammad'" and now the article title is "rules were followed in alleged islamophobic incident" extremely pathetic state-run racial profiling that is just rehashed 9/11 era islamophobia

[article dated oct 25 2023]

[mybrainproblems]

hello, i'm finales georg...

i don't want to further clutter up the notes on this post while responding to the tags below but the persistence of the "finale is short/scenes are missing/extra ad break” conspiracies drives me absolutely bananas when i've watched the finale ten times and have posted about this A LOT trying to clear things up. (disclaimer that yes, i'm a goddamn destiel shipper but i care about Facts above all.)

ok but this is weird because i'd swear the episode was shorter (11 missing scenes!) but okay. maybe we all mandela effected ourselves into #beleving that. because it felt shorter. but i will die on the hill that it had another ad break. i understand this person has the thing #recorded with ads so i am thinking maybe different ad breaks in different idk time zones??? #because the finale did air an hour earlier in canada so maybe idk i am reaching here but maybe different states or whatever had different #ad breaks??? as for the last minute changes - wasn't the cover band asked for permission to use their version of carry on like a week before #the thing aired??? so even if the episode was 42 minutes and had no additional ad break - which i am side eying but lets say all was normal #i will always say they were changing thing until the absolute last minute (carry on my wayward son X 2 #the crew on the bridge which is not only giant 4th wall breaking but also wow they really got all those people in one place in times of #covid???) #anyway. tinfoil hat stays on sorry guys :/ (via @officialmisha)

short and snarky: there are plenty of real and sourced examples of network homophobia and scripted/directed destiel scenes being cut to point to. we don’t need to make this stuff up just bc the finale wasn’t what we wanted. so it’s not the mandela effect — it’s ppl repeating a conspiracy/rumor bc it supports their narrative and it’s easier and more fun to repeat something that supports a narrative they already believe (misha or something destiel was cut) vs the boring act of fact checking.

longer circumspect answer with links bc like many ppl i am in my debunking era and i rewatched "roblox_oof" last night.

like i said. i've watched the finale ten times. i’ve gone over the episode with a fine toothed comb and posted a detailed breakdown of timing marks on my blog. it’s actually extremely obvious where the ad breaks are once you know roughly where to look for them (they have a longer fade to black instead of a quick cut scene change). there’s no room for extra ad breaks and i think this conspiracy/rumor persists in part bc the episode feels so sparse in terms of cast and the fact that the episode’s momentum hits a barn post (and rebar) less than 20min into an hour-long programming block.

also i’m begging ppl to actually look at that timing mark post. it’s very straightforward and i spent a lot of time on it. i don’t care if ppl plagiarize it at this point if it means this conspiracy stops. i've got almost every second accounted for.

the "eleven missing scenes" that you're thinking of are probably from the finale script of questionable authenticity that @spnscripthunt acquired back in 2021 which can be found here. it's dated as the “final draft” from 11 sep 2020 and filming on 15x20 wrapped on 10 sep 2020. as noted at the bottom of this superwiki page "[the] script came from someone claiming to have been the person who did the closed captions for the show in Russia. There are some indications that it possibly may not be authentic, but this has not been confirmed."

if we go with the possibility that this was a transcript meant for subtitles, the "omitted" scenes were probably written but never filmed since it's the "final draft" and not a color revision (blue, green, yellow, etc). unfortunately, i’ve lost track of where i read it and a preliminary duckduckgo search isn’t bringing it up bc there's a program for script writing called final draft, but iirc the “final draft” version of a script is a transcript of what was filmed (e.g. there are parts of that 15x20 script that ended up being deleted scenes on the DVD). spnscripthunt also has an example of a confirmed final draft for 09x02 (funnily enough, also a dabb-penned ep). if anyone can confirm with a source that i have the purpose of the “final draft” version designation wrong, please let me know! i love being proven wrong with Facts.

i do want to acknowledge that the two “final drafts” do look different from each other and the 15x20 one doesn't look like a “real” final draft script since it lacks the revision/versioning dates that a script would normally have on the cover page. it could be that it was intended for subtitles; there's the chance it's been re-typed to anonymize it if there was anything indicating who the "owner" was, tho that seems a wee bit cloak and dagger to me. and again: it's considered of questionable authenticity. there are some things that don't quite line up but oh dear god i don't want to get even further out into the weeds than i already am.

i won't disagree that it's weird as hell that neoni only got asked about using their cover seven days prior to the episode airing (tiktok here). my personal theory is that they were hoping to get a more expensive song (maybe a zepp song, idk) and didn't manage to secure the rights in the end. again: this is pure conjecture on my part! but i could absolutely see someone working on the show hearing neoni’s cover and liking it and then maybe they were using it as a placeholder until it got down to the wire and they had to make a call/send the ep to networks. because yes, it is baffling they played a song and then a cover of it with only a 40 second break between. (i do actually really like the neoni cover! the placement is just weird and i think it could have worked if they had the kansas version at the beginning and closed with neoni's full cover.)

as to the 4th wall break COVID stuff: robert singer talked with variety magazine about filming the last two episodes and the logistics of filming during a pandemic. whether they should have been filming during a pandemic is a separate discussion but their use of office vs set pods, strict quarantining and daily testing meant that they had zero positive tests in the month they were filming (18 aug to 10 sep). so given all that, i personally don’t think it’s totally out of pocket to have everyone standing outdoors on a bridge for maybe an hour to get a drone shot of them together. (i won’t get into incubation periods and viral load, but if everyone tested negative that day and every day for a month prior, it was a fairly low risk scene to film outdoors and for all we know everyone was masked until the last possible second. there were plenty of outdoor masked protests in 2020 that weren't superspreader events.)

and before anyone brings up “but misha was in vancouver!” i know someone who looked into it and they said no dice, nothing matched up between the backgrounds in those pics and places in vancouver. his statements about “us” going back to set over the summer were pretty generic in hindsight and “we”/"us" could be him or the spn crew generally. unfortunately i’m not able to find those tweets but the use of “we” was likely so as not to give away he wouldn’t be returning to set. (bc we were absolutely casbaited!) and bc it comes up a lot: the "onion field pic" was from when they were filming 15x17 and was not taken while filming 15x19 and 15x20.

besides, it would be ridiculous to go through the financial and logistical headaches of bringing someone into the country to film during a pandemic, only to cut their scenes in the end! honestly, the script is pretty tight when the scenes are given so much breathing room! the only thing i could see being further cut down is The Monologue and even then, i don’t think there was any intent to cut it down given it was filmed in fairly long takes.

i’ve said it many times before, but i believe the finale was fucked long before they returned to set. walker got the green light in sep 2019 and it was being marketed heavily as a “follow on” show to spn given jared’s involvement. the demo they were courting for walker has little to no overlap with the demo for destiel fans — why would they want a finale that catered to a demo they weren't interested in courting? we just went through a historic double strike that exposed so much of the rot of business interests overriding creative vision. this isn't completely unfounded conjecture.

i will not apologize for the length of this bc i wanted to be thorough, but i do want to give context that i think the reason these conspiracies and rumors grind my gears so much is because anyone can fact check all of this. the truth is out there and absolutely none of it is that hard to find. the most time consuming/difficult part of this was finding someone who had a DVR’d copy of the finale from when it aired live and they actually found me themselves after i’d been low key asking around for a year!

and like. i get it. conspiracies are fun. but there are so many sourced instances of network homophobia and destiel being cut that it's like. why is this something folks are hanging onto? the cw is notorious for having upper level meddling with finales bc there's a follow-on show they want to shuffle fans along to and spn is no exception.

[greazyfloz]

Bend Til We Break

Chapter 1

It is hard to move on from someone you thought would always love you. It’s harder to let someone go that you just got back. Maybe people do change, but I always hoped it was for the better.

I met Quinn on my very first day of University. Not only was I new to the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor but the country. I was here from Canada so I didn’t know anyone really except for my roommate, Hanna. Until we heard of a frat party that was pretty close to the dorms. 

Hanna and I decided to go. 

The frat party was themed school colors so I got dressed in a blue tennis skirt, a Calvin Klein bra matching the skirts color, and a yellow tee with Michigan in varsity lettering across the chest that I cut into a small crop top. I wore white air forces with one yellow sock and one blue sock that both showed slightly. Hanna wore a navy mini skirt and a yellow michigan tee she tied into a tube top. 

We arrive at the party and Hanna finds a guy she met earlier in the day at one of the frosh activities. She pulls me over to a tall-ish guy with light brown hair. He was around only one other guy, shorter than the one Hanna knew, maybe 2 or 3 inches taller than me. Before even meeting him, I knew there was something about him. 

“Hey!” Hanna says to the taller one, “This is my roommate, Y/n. You guys look as lonely as us” she says laughing. 

“Hey, I’m Josh” Hanna’s friend said with a charming smile

“Quinn” Josh’s friend said

“Hi” I say, blushing a little bit

As the night went on and the drinks were poured Quinn and I got to know each other a little better. He ended up walking me back to my dorm, and getting my number that same night. About a month later, we became inseparable and we officially started dating in November. 

We dated for a year and a half before he left for Vancouver. I wish I could say we broke up, officially, but he just left. I texted and called him for weeks until I eventually gave up. It was hard to think back to what we had built. To think about not only saying goodbye to him but his family that welcomed me with open arms, or all the memories. Quinn had sincerely told me he loved me for the first time only two weeks before he left. 

We were laying on his bed talking about the future. Where he wanted to be, Where he wanted to go. Our conversation was pretty deep compared to most 

“Do you think we will be together in 3 years?”

“Yeah I do” he answered taking my hand playing with my fingers as I lay on his stomach

“What about marriage, do you see yourself getting married to someone?”

“Honestly, I can’t see myself ever marrying or growing old with anyone other than you” he says making me smile

“What happens when you go to Vancouver?”

“We’ll make it work”

“How do you know that though?” I ask and Quinn laughs a little

“Why are you interrogating me?” Quinn looks down smiling at me

“Because I feel like we are pushing away the fact you are leaving me here”

“Brutally honest?” He asks me sitting up and I as well sit up to look at him

“Please” I say and he grabs my hand again.

“Y/n, I’m not worried about us. I know this will work, I know we will get married, I know we will have kids, I know that we will travel and see the world. There isn’t anything to worry about, I know all this is true because I love you”

Now it’s almost 4 years later and I have been living in Vancouver for a year. I only took the job because it was too good to pass up. Luckily in the year I have been here I have not run into Quinn. Vancouver is a big city so obviously it would be hard to bump into someone but not impossible. 

I am on my way to work one morning, and decide to stop at a Starbucks. Since I worked inside the city I had to park and go inside. I ordered my coffee and waited for it over to the side. The line began getting bigger and bigger after I had ordered and I counted my blessings that I beat the rush. 

“Y/N” the barista called out and I walked up and grabbed it from her.

“Thank you” I say and she smiles back at me.

 As I turn around I am faced with someone I thought I would never hear from again.

“Y/n?”

[peachywritesstuff]

Imma say my thoughts/opinions on the situation and then imma bounce off of tumblr for a hot minute.

First thing I would like to say is that I am staying NEUTRAL. GRAY.SWITZERLAND. IN.THE.MIDDLE. and my thoughts will explain WHY I am remaing neutral. I am not someone who is faking just so I can secretly defend Percy.THAT IS NOT THE CASE!!!

#1. The slur

It's pretty obvious that he said it's clear as a blue sky. I frankly don't know the c-word or know what it means but I have learned that is somthing revolving around Canada and how it's very normalized to say which is sad.

#2. The r- /sa allegations

I am going to try my best to be sensitive as possible with my words with this part.This is where I am very lost. 1. I saw someone say (dont remember who) that dates don't matter when they come to victims coming out with sa or r- but they do. Especially if its a celebrity. This isn't just regular twitter drama this is something very serious that has a lot of 'evidence' (I will explain why I put that in air quotes) And at this rate authorites have(or will) already gotten involved and if this goes into to court they will ask for dates this occurred and if they can't be properly backed up that lead to something else like defamation. No amount of times I re-read all the tweets with all the pictures and text messages will make me feel any less lost. Yes everything is there and it makes Percy look like a very bad person but at the same time....it's all so blended together?? Idk how to explain it. Some of the text messages that i have seen is to fumbled and mushed together like I'm lost with all the ages this happened and apparently Canada has the 5 year law relating to minors???

#3. The nudes

Some of them honestly look like he took them when he himself was a minor which kinda sucks for everybody else who had been spreading his nudes (actual nudes) everywhere on Twitter. Still doesn't make it ok for him to send them to minors ( allegedly)it ALSO doesnt make it ok to release his all over the internet. Because that looks bad for the people spreading them becuase 1. Someone from Percy's team is watching. Do yall not think they are ignoring this? With so much out already I highly doubt they are. They will find people spreading his nudes around just because no words have been spoken to us doesn't mean nothing is happening. And if I wanna butt in this part the ones with him on the toilet and bed honestly look like some teenage boy doing something stupid. However we don't know the context behind those nudes just one where he took a shit at his new apartment (which that one really looks like he was being really stupid but who uses the bathroom naked?????)

#4. Him staying silent is guilt.

This is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. He isn't saying anything until he has a lawyer and his team can make up a proper statement. That situation is out of his hands now he no longer has control over his social media.

#5. The 'Evidence'

I will explain why i put evidence in quotations. Half of the evidence is coming from anonymous,and faceless accounts which will be useless in court becuase they cannot verify if they already have them printed out they cannot know who wrote those allegations. If they find the person who wrote those allegations this is a chance they dont want to testify and if those people are real or not. Being a faceless account in a situation like this is kind of iffy but I can get why you don't want people to know you said that stuff. The evidence keeps changing every hour and one minute is this but then actually it's this or wait it's that.

I am trying to think from the pov of the victims and I would honestly be terrified of thousands of people coming at me asking all types of questions but everything is all over the place. The right thing for the victims to do is to step away from social media, sit down and organize everything and make sure everything they have can fall back on something. What is on Twitter is just..... evidence thrown up together.

#6.the vicims

I have been looking on Twitter and learned the victims are acting....odd? Not all of them. One of them made a tiktok about how they canceled a Netflix star in 9 days into 2023 and another one commented "yeah we did that". Idk about yall but that's weird. Sounds like their flexing??? You don't flex about a rapist. Especially with what they did to you.

Next, one of them threaten another person saying she will find where she live and for her saftey she better leave her alone. But then she tweets how she was going to (legally) do it but they messages she sent to the girl was coming off very threatening. She wasn't threatening to kill idk why people are thinking that but she was threatening the girl and she was obviously going to do something. She claims the person was spaming her but the person supposedly spaming her said she was just saying Percy was innocent. Idk if she said that in one text or multiple. I get how she was angry I really do but the way she pharsed it only made herself look more bad.

Third, the same girl(victim) from the pervious paragraph has tweeted in the past about Wednesday and has talked about it not about Percy,but about Wednesday and her mothers relationship. What confuses me is that he has (allegedly) r-/sa this girl but she proceeds to watch the show he has a decent amount of scenes in? Then, according to one of the tweets,20h before the allegations rose she was tweeting about how she gets told she looks like a lot like Wednesday. Idk could be a coincidence, could not be. WE DO NOT KNOW.

#7. Time

It has not been a fully 47 hours since this stuff came out. People are automatically expecting a response from Percy is beyond delusional. I think we all woke up to this so and had a chaotic morning (ik I did) he can not defend himself yet because of his legal team possibly taking over his socials. It will be awhile until we hear something which is why the good half of people are waiting for his side to come out before deciding futher of their place on the situation. I know everybody is waiting impatiently but it's gonna be a while.

#8. Throwing the r word around.

I don't like how everyone is throwing that word around. Calling people who try to remain neutral apologist r- and saying that to basically anyone who wants to think logically. First off nothing has been proved he done anything. Don't be fooled I am equally as disgusted as you are but this is all coming from Twitter. Yes the victims had no where else to go because they went to the police and they did nothing but this is all coming from twitter. No spare videos of anything but him saying the slur,just screenshots and words. We don't even know if the evidence can be used in court guys.

I'm trying to be logical about the whole thing,and I am pointing out stuff that has stook out to me. After this I am keeping my mouth shut and watching from the sidelines.

There is so much more I want to say but it's almost 1am where I am at and I'm tired. If the allegations are true my heart goes out to the victims. If it's not,then even more hell is gonna break loose. Until we can see Percy's side there is nothing else we can do but wait. I am just so sad about this whole thing and wish that everything isn't true but it's really not looking good for him. Only time will tell with this. I hope my way of saying things did not offend any of you and if they did I am truly sorry. I'm taking a risk and leaving my messages opened but please tell me your opinions kindly. I have told mine with minimal to no violence I would like to have the same option when expressing yalls with me.

The last thing I will say is that Twitter is a mess. Idk what to believe anymore. Stuff keeps changing and it gets more confusing. This all just needs to be settled outside of Twitter. I'm sad the victims had to resort to this route but everything is a mess and it's too confusing and I won't believe or side with anyone until an official statement is out. Not something from Twitter.

Hope yall have a good day or night guys :) make sure yall eat well and drank some water. To my followers, idk if I will be back to posting maybe I will maybe I won't ,Xavier Thorpe was quite the reason I started back writing and with him gone all of that motivation is just gone now. I'm sorry to yall becuas I feel like I disappointed yall cuz all fo you were looking forward to my stuff but until futher notice, I will be off of Twitter,and semi off of Tumblr.

Peaches Out ✌🏽❤️

[hauntedppgpaints]

Warden's big fic rec list!

Hey y'all. I was inspired by @simmyfrobby to type up a fic rec, so here we are! These are the fics I have bookmarked on AO3, organized and summarized for everyone. Enjoy! :)

Fics with the rarest pairings (only ones in the relationship tag!):

drivin' nowhere fast. (7810 words) by draisaitleons Rating: Explicit Relationships: Linus Ullmark/Matthew Tkachuk Summary: “Hey, I just wanted to say thank you. For earlier.” Linus looks quizzically at Matthew, clearly unsure of what he means and unaware that he was there until he had spoken. That was going to make this a little more painful than Matthew had been hoping for. “For, you know, protecting my head. On the way down.” Matthew clears his throat, “At the net.”

go ahead and try a little crazy on me (4062 words) by lagerlout Rating: Explicit Relationships: Leon Draisaitl/Artūrs Šilovs Additional Tags: Winner's Room Summary: Leon huffs out a laugh before he can help himself. Goddamn, this fucking goalie is cute. He doesn’t know if he’s trying to be cute but he is.

leave an imprint (on my skin) (2733 words) by cokehead_zeroed Rating: Explicit Relationships: Brad Marchand/Mitch Marner Additional Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Knotting, Daddy Kink, Feminization Summary: Mitch does not think that this is what Cooper and Cassidy meant when they said that Team Canada should focus on finding compatibility. Instead of being able to focus on passes and shots, Mitch has found himself perpetually sniffing the air, trying to isolate this one alpha’s scent out of the two dozen ones that are present. Mitch catches sea air, pine, something like brown sugar; the smell of it is electric and intoxicating, and it’s throwing him completely off his game. It’s made even worse by the fact that their lines aren’t gelling, and he’s not sure how much of it is dealing with players and systems and line changes and how much of it is the fact that he just wants to spend the whole Olympics following this scent around.

écoutez-moi (14483 words) by hyacinthed Rating: Explicit Relationships: Mason Marchment/Morgan Rielly Summary: He stares blankly at Madison, 27, who enjoys white wine and pilates and the Blue Jays, staring until his screen shuts off and he’s left with his face reflected in the smudged glass. Things shouldn’t be this hard. Like, logically, people have been figuring out how to get laid for centuries, unaware that the Earth is round but still knowing how to get some, and now it’s 2022 and they’ve moved beyond sundials and Mason’s still scratching his head like a caveman. (Or, the one where Tinder's serving up inter-conference rivals and Mason just can't stay away.)

Fics with rare pairs (less than 20 fics in their tag):

young and new-made green (8750 words) by chevalric Rating: Explicit Relationships: Joel Farabee/Scott Laughton/Michael Raffl Additional Tags: Weird Biology, Non-Human Genitalia, Philadelphia Flyers, Dubious Frog Biology Summary: Joel is fucked, basically. As fucked as it’s possible for a frog to be, and that’s pretty frogging fucked.

Pregame Routine (4406 words) by inlovewithnight Rating: Explicit Relationships: Braden Holtby/Tom Wilson Summary: Tom's going to take care of Holts, going into game five.

Plus Minus (4784 words) by barefootstarz Rating: Teen Relationships: Sean Couturier/Evgeni Malkin Summary: This is most definitely not Romeo and Juliet, despite Sid and Claude's every effort. What it is, is two guys. That's all. Just two guys, a couple of dates, and a new relationship.

Gen fics

Problem Child (8184 words) by aleksrothis Rating: General Audiences Characters: Tyler Seguin, Tuukka Rask, Additional Tags: Age Regression/De-Aging Summary: Tyler knows weird shit happens in hockey, okay, so he shouldn't have been surprised when he opened his hotel room door to find Looch standing there with a screaming child in his arms. “He can be your problem now,” Looch tells him, holding the child out to him. “I need a drink.”

Catch and Release (22722 words) by McSpot Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Characters: Mario Ferraro, Braden Holtby, Brenden Dillon, Brent Burns Summary: If a player gets forced onto the opposing team's bench during play, that player officially becomes a member of their team. There's a whole system to catching players, with strategies determining who the prime targets are and the best way to catch them. Nobody expected Mario to be caught.

You Got a Friend in Me (1050 words) by seascribble Rating: General Audiences Characters: Colorado Avalanche Ensemble, Erik Johnson, Nazem Kadri Summary: EJ puts a lot of work into making the new guys feel welcome, especially Naz.

and a little corner for the horror fans:

Past the Threshold (3265 words) by sevenfists Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin Summary: At the other tables, their teammates talked and ate, laughed, rubbed their eyes, yawned, sipped coffee, were alive. Everything was normal. It was a normal morning before practice. Sid was going to dinner with Geno that evening, and after that he’d probably get laid. Tomorrow they’d play the Jets. Everything was fine. “I hate fucking Winnipeg,” Sid said. Geno grinned. “Yes, same.”

A Voice Behind Me Beckons (3342 words) by CaseyJuTardis Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Characters: Marc-Andre Fleury, Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang Additional Tags: Horror, Body Horror, Supernatural Elements, Cannibalism, Psychological Horror Summary: There’s no real way to know when it all started. It was first noticed with Flower, but how far back does it go? How long has this curse been passed from person to person, draining life until all that’s left is the all-consuming hunger? No one knows. This thing- this insidious, cloying curse- is ancient. Ever-present but unseen. Like a disease. Or a predator, lying in wait.

[jackhues]

the best feeling - jamie drysdale

prompt: “your lips look cold, want me to warm them up for you?”

notes: short little blurb, i got a request for jamie, and this idea kinda flowed to me : ) i like this tho, lmk your thoughts <3

gif not mine !

you closed your eyes for a second, the frost nipping at your cheeks and nose. the sound of people skating past, the chatter of those on the sidelines, the cold air making its way into your legs even though you wore extra pants — it was the best thing in the world.

you opened your eyes as someone skated past you, turning on their heels and sending a spray of ice over the bottom of your pants.

okay, so maybe it was the second best thing in the world.

“hi jamie,” you laughed, just the sight of your boyfriend bringing a smile to your face. nothing could compare to how jamie made you felt.

“hi,” he grinned back, skating backwards so he could look at you properly.

dressed in only a sweatshirt, some ratty old jeans, and a toque, you had no idea how this man wasn’t cold. you were wearing at least two t-shirts, a sweatshirt, and then a jacket on top of that — but you were still freezing.

jamie noticed you shiver, slowing down so he could skate besides you. throwing an arm over your side, he pulled you closer, pressing his frozen nose against the side of your head.

“jamie!” you squealed, trying to get away from his cold skin. “i’m already freezing!!”

the two of you had decided on an impromptu date at the outdoor rink near your houses. it was completely unplanned, so you hadn’t had time to mentally prepare yourself for the cold. sure, you grew up in canada, but without enough snow, you didn’t like the cold.

“yeah, i can tell,” he leaned in, examining your face. “your lips look especially cold. want me to warm them up for you?”

“smooth, drysdale,” you cracked a smile. “real smooth.”

“it’s my specialty,” he shrugged to himself. “so, what’d you say, fair lady? shall i undertake the mighty task of warming up your delicate lips,” he ran a finger over your lips.

“hmm,” you pretended to think. leaning forward, you bit back a smile at jamie’s own grin, “i think the fair lady would like to see how well you do. perhaps she’ll change her mind after a run-through, or perhaps—”

you blinked as jamie pulled you close, the two of your lips molding into each others perfectly. you closed your eyes, trying not to sigh at how wonderful it felt. 

you and jamie, that was the best thing in the world.

-

join my taglist!

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

New Rule: Whoa, Canada | Real Time with Bill Maher

And finally, New Rule. If we want to save our country, we should follow the advice good liberals have given for decades and learn from other countries.

Especially those beacons of progressivism like Canada, England, and Scandinavia, and I agree we should, as long as we're honest about the lessons we're learning. And as long as we're up to date on the current data. Such as, the unemployment rate in the US is 3.8 percent. And in Canada, it's 6.1. And of the 15 North American cities with the worst air pollution, 14 are in Canada.

I'm not citing these stats because I have it out for Canada. I love Canada, and its people, and always have, but I hate zombie lies. Zombie lies. That's when things change but what people say about them doesn't. Yes, for decades, places like Vancouver, and Amsterdam, and Stockholm seemed idyllic, because everything was free and all the energy we needed was produced by riding a bike to your job at the windmill. Canada was where all the treasured goals of liberalism worked perfectly. It was like NPR come to life but with poutine.

Canada was the Statue of Liberty with a low-maintenance haircut and cross-country skis. A giant idealized blue state with single-payer health care, gun control, and abortion on polite demand. Canada was where every woke White college kid, wearing pajama pants outdoors who'd had it up to here with America's racist patriarchy, dreamt of living someday. I mean, besides Gaza.

There's only one problem with thinking everything's better in Canada. It's not. Not anymore anyway. Last year, Canada added 1.3 million people, which is a lot in one year. The equivalent of the US adding 11 million migrants in one year. And now, they are experiencing a housing crisis even worse than ours. And we're sleeping in tents. The median price of a home here is 346 grand, in Canada, converted to US dollars, it's 487. If Barbie moved to Winnipeg, she wouldn't be able to afford her dream house and Ken would be working at Tim Hortons. And because of mortgage debt, Canada has the highest debt to GDP ratio of any G7 nation. I don't know what that means, but it sounds bad.

So does their vaunted health care system, which ranks dead last among high income countries in access to primary health care and ability to see a doctor in a day or two. And it's not for lack of spending. Of the 30 countries with universal coverage, Canada spends over 13 percent of its economy on it, which is a lot of money for free health care.

Look, I'm not saying Canada still isn't a great country. It is, but those aren't paradise numbers. If Canada was an apartment, the lead feature might be "America adjacent." And if America was a rental car, Canada would be "America or similar."

And again, honestly, Canada, I'm not saying any of this 'cause I enjoy it. I don't, 'cause I've always enjoyed you. But I need to cite you as a cautionary tale to help my country. And the moral of that tale is, "Yes, you can move too far left." And when you do, you wind up pushing the people in the middle to the right. At its worst, Canada is what American voters think happens when there's no one putting a check on extreme wokeness.

Like the saga of Canadian shop teacher, Kayla Lemieux, whose pronouns are she/her and those. Kayla is now back to being a guy named Kerry, but two years ago when "they" showed up to teach children, the progressive high school "they" taught at said that they-- They, the school, not the person. Really? You couldn't have found another word? We were using that one. Anyway, okay. They were committed to a safe environment for gender expression. Safe for who? What about the children? What about the equipment in that shop class?

You know, there was once a weirdo D-list movie producer in the '60s named Russ Meyer who made low-budget B movies like Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! And Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Always featuring women who look like this. His movies played in porn houses and were featured in Hustler and Playboy. Okay, fine, but who says, "No, when it comes to huge, ridiculous tits, let's save that for the kids."

And this is why people vote for Trump. They say in politics, liberals are the gas pedal and conservatives are the brakes, and I'm generally with the gas pedal, but not if we're driving off a cliff.

On the trans issue, America is no ands, ifs, or buts about it, absolutely alone in the world now. An outlier country. Last month, England's National Health Service announced that there's "not enough evidence to support the safety or clinical effectiveness" of puberty blockers for third graders, and that they were going to stop fumbling around with children's privates, because that's Prince Andrew's job.

So too with all the other good place countries in direct opposition to America's choice to affirm children's wishes on switching gender, no matter the age or psychiatric history. The Far Left, which always like to use, "Well, Europe does it." Yeah, no, that doesn't work on this one anymore.

Or on immigration. Sweden opened its borders to over a million and a half immigrants since 2010. And now 20 percent of its citizens are foreign-born and its education system is tanking, and it has Europe's highest rate of gangland killings. And one result is that the far-right parties are in the government now there for the first time.

To which liberals say, "Blaming immigrants for the rising crime rate is racist." Yeah, but is it true? Of course, it's true. It's not a coincidence. The quality of life went down after the Somali gangs started a drug turf war using hand grenades.

Calling it "racist" doesn't solve the problem. It hands future elections to someone who will solve the problem, and who, I promise, you're not going to like.

==

For the record, I've said literally all of this, including making the comparison of flying off a cliff if you rely entirely on the gas pedal. Just saying.

When Trump takes office again, and he will, people will act stunned and ask, "how could this have ever happened?"

[covid-safer-hotties]

Letter: School in the time of COVID-19 - Published Sept 5, 2024

The Editor:

We can disagree on many things, but all of us should be able to agree on this simple fact:

"Sick children can’t learn, sick teachers can’t teach." - Amanda Hu, community advocate

Once again children and youth in B.C. are returning to school during a COVID surge.

Needless to say what will follow is predictable. Sadly, it was preventable, had we prioritized the rights of children to life, health, safety and education and child development during an ongoing pandemic.

Make no mistake, the emergency phase may be over, but COVID-19 is not.

B.C. preschool and school children, their families and teachers will yet again be infected with COVID-19 this fall. That is, unless they were recently infected, or they are part of the minority of families who continue to use all available layers of protection to avoid a (re)infection.

Last year in B.C., updated COVID-19 vaccines became available only after Thanksgiving.

By then, infections had already peaked. This year again, unless things change, the newest COVID-19 vaccines will likely only be available too late for many B.C. school children, their families and their teachers.

B.C. is not alone. The other provinces and territories are also failing children with schools restarting when the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is high and yet another more contagious sub variant, KP.3.1.1, is spreading freely.

However, If you are in B.C., you’d be hard pressed to find up to date COVID-19 information.

As of May 2, the BCCDC declared the respiratory virus season over and switched its COVID-19 Situation Report from weekly to monthly. It’s as if someone thought limiting data in the summer would make COVID-19 disappear, or perhaps help it become seasonal.

Thankfully, the Government of Canada has continued to report Respiratory virus trends. As shown in the graph below, unlike RSV and Influenza, SARS-CoV-2 does not stop spreading with the arrival of summer (surveillance week 25). Maybe your family has already learned this.

pic

Image of Percentage of tests positive for Canada side by side with BC (Fig.4)

The reported laboratory test positivity rate as of Aug. 24 was 17.9 per cent in B.C., same as last year when school reopened. This number is an under estimation of the true level of infections in B.C. communities given testing is restricted to healthcare settings (EDs, hospitals and congregate settings outbreaks) while community rapid tests results are not being recorded.

By comparison, BCCDC’s last reported COVID-19 Situation Report is from July 27, 2024, too long ago to be of much use to parents and teachers. The next one is out today, Sept. 5, after B.C. schools’ resume. It’s really difficult to manage one’s risk of COVID-19 without any timely and easily accessible data.

Thanks to Dr. Tara Moriarty, an infectious disease researcher and associate professor at the University of Toronto, faculty of Dentistry, the Canadian COVID-19 Forecast for Aug. 31 to Sept. 13, 2024, now confirms that B.C. is in the severe category, with estimates of about one in every 27 people infected or roughly 196,900 - 224,800 infections this week.

This is higher than the national COVID-19 forecast and represents the highest hazard level of any Canadian province and territory during this time period. As B.C. schools restart, this translates to likely one person infected in a class of 26 students plus a teacher.

This is a rinse and repeat of last fall and the ones prior during this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. How long can we keep on re-infecting school children and teachers?

Again, we can disagree on many things but all of us should be able to agree on this simple fact:

"Sick children can’t learn and sick teachers can’t teach." - Amanda Hu

There is another way. It involves cleaning the air that our children and their educators share and breathe. The accumulated evidence is there, “respiratory viruses” are breathed in.

Worth reminding that even though SARS-CoV-2’s enters via the respiratory tract, it is a vascular virus that can impact every organ system of the body, and its effects can last well after the acute phase of the illness is over. This is true for adults, adolescents and children, though the presenting symptoms may differ.

This school restart should have been different.

In April, the BC Green Caucus introduced the Clean Air Act. A private member bill, it “proposes that both indoor and outdoor environments be monitored and regulated for air quality, especially in places frequented by vulnerable groups such as children, students, and the elderly.”

This bill addresses pollution, wildfire smoke and infectious aerosols. It passed first reading, but when the second reading will occur is anyone’s guess.

In late May, the Healthy Environment and Climate Change (HECC) team of VCH Public Health co-produced with Fraser Health a guidance document on Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality for Schools and Childcare Facilities.

It marks a significant departure from prior BC public health COVID-19 recommendations and states, “Many respiratory infections are transmitted through the air from a person infected with a virus or bacteria. Ventilation and air filtration may help to reduce transmission of respiratory infections, particularly in crowded, poorly ventilated spaces.”

Many of B.C.’s schools are” crowded and poorly ventilated spaces”, especially the portables and schools without any mechanical HVAC.

In June, at the Educational Facility Managers Association BC’s Annual Conference, Stephen McNichols, the engineer on the Ventilation Technical Advisory Panel for the Ministry of Education and Child Care, presented the latest ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers) Standard 241, Control of Infectious Aerosols.

This standard was issued by ASHRAE in June 2023 to establish equivalent clean airflow requirements to reduce the risk of disease transmission through exposure to infectious aerosols in buildings and spaces (e.g. schools, hospitals, residential homes) during an epidemic or in a pandemic like COVID-19.

Then in early August, the BC Ministry of Education and Child Care updated its HVAC guidance to school districts and included ASHRAE’s Standard 241.

These slow steps towards addressing clean air in schools and in childcare facilities gave me hope that this year, B.C. schools restart would actually look different.

Unfortunately, so far none of these new guidances have translated into any meaningful improvements to the indoor air quality in B.C. schools.

Until today, Suzy Mah, a Vancouver School Board Trustee, was herself unaware of the new VCH/FH guidance on Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality in Schools and Childcare Facilities. Meanwhile the pandemic continues, and parents still have no idea what is the quality of the air in their school children’s classroom.

History will not be “kind” to the adults charged with keeping kids healthy and learning in school in the time of COVID-19.

- Lyne Filiatrault, retired B.C. emergency physician

[ryantryinx]

Wednesday Tag Game

AYO! The time I get tagged in a Tag Game and I'm actually on my PC to reply! Lol Thanks @mickeysgaymom Sorry I've been away a lot; I've recently changed career paths and am becoming an RBT ( Registered Behavioral Technician ) I am still here and usually mean to respond to these.....and then I forget! lol

Name: Ryan

Your time zone: USA EST

Favorite food: Cheese cake or Korean food

Your eye color: Dark Brown

Do you have curly, wavy, or straight hair?: Straight and flat as a pin

Coffee or tea?: Tea and lets make it Chai

You can only listen to one album for the rest of your life. Which album is it?: The Killers Hot Fuzz

How many countries have you visited?: 2 USA and Canada

Favorite social media platform (other than tumblr): Discord my love.

If you had to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would you want to be? : A turtle or Frog

Relationship status: Single but dating?

Did you go to college? if so, what did you study?: Yes Originally went for Culinary Arts, Then got my Childhood Development Associates.

You’ve just made a letterboxd account. what are your top 4 films?: I have no idea what the fuck that is......but my top 4 films are 1. Lord of the rings: The Two Towers 2. Air Force One 1997 3. Battle Los Angeles 2011 4. Lone Survivor

What’s one of your pet peeves?: Disrespect, Being on your phone while talking at dinner.

What’s one of your guilty pleasures?: Roleplay

And finally, if you could learn any skill, what skill would you want to learn?: Violin If your interested; Please do! If not have a good day!~ Tagging: @forgettwble, @callivich, @whoevrwhatevr, @bawlbrayker, @such-a-barbarian, @transfagwhore, @tv-obssessions , @m4ndysk4nkovich ,

[aritamargarita]

ATTITUDE || 014

well i’ve done it. i changed the cover again and the layout. do any of you remember the old chapter covers??? bruh. HORRIBLE I SAYYY they’re still on my computer!! now do i feel like changing the other ones?...perhaps i’ll come back later and do it..

but cheers! this chapter is really chaotic! i kinda based the whole “anger management” thing off of daniel bryan & kane attending their anger management LMAO. i have also swapped the dates, so the vengeance ppv will be coming after this taping of raw. 

CANADA, CANADA, CANADA!!!!! Raw’s being held there tonight, baby! To be specific, Calgary, Alberta. It’s been quite a while since you’ve been over here. The last time you’ve even crossed the border was to visit Niagara Falls!

Raw’s looking pretty good tonight. Especially the match card.

KANE VS. BUBBA RAY DUDLEY

ALBERT VS. TEST

HARDY BOYZ VS. TAJIRI AND SPIKE DUDLEY

CHRIS JERICHO VS. STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN

RVD VS. CHRISTIAN (HARDCORE TITLE)

WILLIAM REGAL VS. BRADSHAW

MR. MCMAHON & KURT ANGLE VS. THE ROCK & TRISH STRATUS.

There were two matches you were interested tonight. The Hardy Boyz’ match and Trish’s match. One because of their opponents (totally not because of Jeff, no way). Tajiri just so happened to be Torrie’s little friend. And wherever he goes, she would be his valet to the ring. 

Meanwhile, you have Trish’s match with The Rock, Mr. McMahon, and Kurt Angle. The creative team filled you in on the whole spiel. Vince wanted Trish to join his whole “Kiss My Ass Club”, The Rock came out and saved her, made a match with a stipulation, boom, that’s that.

Luckily for you, she’d be your guest on your talkshow tonight. You could ask her as many questions as you please and that’s just what you’ll do.

Oh! You almost forgot. Jericho and Austin had another match. You’re interested in that too. You weren’t involved in any of the action, but you’d damn sure support your partner as much as you can. Debra had began asking you to accompany him to the ring, thinking it would be a nice way for you two to bond more.

Of course, bonding with violence. 

And speaking of bonding time….Debra did not change her mind about anger management. If anything, Austin flipping off Kane and you yelling at Jericho a few nights ago made things worse.

Man, this was not fun.

…..So, here you were. You’re just in this session now. You still couldn’t believe Debra had roped you into this. 

But you weren’t alone, oh no. 

The camera pans upward on you and Austin. The crowd quickly cheers, happy to see you two. You idly drum your fingers on your knees.

Austin turns to look at you, then swats at your arm. “Quit doin’ that.”

“I’m sorry, I’m nervous.”

The instructor finally finishes flipping through his notes, looking up at the small group in front of him. “Hello, everyone. I’m glad you’re here today. My name is Doctor Smiley. I’m here to bring a smile to your faces.”

To get your attention, Austin makes a ‘psst’ sound. “Tch, Doctor Smiley. Ya’ really think that’s his name?”

You fight the urge to laugh, doing your best to keep a serious face. ”Not at all..”

Doctor Smiley continues. “Why don’t we introduce ourselves? We’ll go around in a circle..how about we start with...?”

...You?

He points at you, making all the heads in the room turn.

“Me? Well, I’m [Name].” You shift in your seat. “I am here because I was recommended to come. Err, I was also hoping I could drop out, actually. I don’t think I need to be here.”

Doctor Smiley shakes his head. “I apologize, [Name]. But there’s a very good reason for you to be here. According to your file, you have a tendency to have prolonged outbursts and significant behavioral problems.” All you can do is stare at him for airing you out like that in front of the group. What the fuck.

You didn’t THINK you had behavior problems, nor did you think that your outburst was that bad. Doctor Smiley continues on. “I want you to get better, to do better, so it is in your best interest you stay with us.”

Ugh, you really couldn’t find a way out of this.

Austin was next up to introduce himself. “Who gives a shit? I just came ‘cause I was forced. All of ya’ know me.”

And it’s true, everyone did know him. But not in a positive light. Most of the individuals here knew how he was. Even though Debra may have said you knew these people, you still felt mildly uncomfortable.

In a circle, each and every person introduces themselves. There’s Bubba Ray, there’s D’von, there’s Raven, there’s RVD (which you didn’t understand), there’s Molly (which you also didn’t understand, the woman was a saint), there’s Rhyno, and to top it all off, even William Regal! Smaller group than you thought, but still made you uneasy nonetheless.

Guess Vince McMahon really took the Alliance thing to heart, he must’ve still been on a power trip. Some people didn’t even need to be here! One day, you’d give that old man a piece of your mind. 

“Now,” Doctor Smiley has a smile of his own on his face. “Does anyone have an idea of a healthy way to cope with anger? To give an example, what if you are in an argument with someone and they’ve really grind your gears?”

Austin raises his hand, eager to answer. “Fill their car with cement.”

You raise your hand as well. “Commit arson?”

Raven raises his hand too. “Find out what they care about and proceed to crush it.” 

That was so real. You slowly nod your head, agreeing with Raven. “I really like his answer.”

He gives you a small smile, one that’s wrung with mysteriousness. Raven’s always been strange to you, but you’ve heard he’s very intelligent..

Meanwhile, Doctor Smiley can only shake his head in a negative manner. “Not at all.” It was going to be a very long session. “Let me give an answer myself. Take deep breaths. Perhaps explain to the person that you should approach this rationally. This is where we bring in our problem-solving techniques.”

No one says anything. At this point, you figure that the people in here want to be here as much as you do. You cross your legs. 

This was boring, but you’ll try your best to stick through it.

“Shall we try a quick exercise?“ Doctor Smiley suggests, standing up from his seat. Perhaps this wouldn’t be as boring as you thought. “I’ve assigned you partners at random. Because this is a group at an odd number, one of you will be with me.”

OH!! NEVERMIND! How exciting! 

Not.

“Please do your best to try and get along with them well. RVD will be with Bubba Ray, Regal will be with Stone Cold, D’von will be with Rhyno, [Name] will be with Raven, and finally, Molly will be with me. Everyone partner up and I’ll give further instruction.”

You weren’t mad at all about your partner choice. You did want to speak to Raven more. Everyone goes to their respective partners, some more begrudgingly than others (cough, Austin), and Raven comes over to you.

“Hi.” You greet, waving.

“Good evening.” He’s cordial, which makes you fell less on edge about this whole thing. “[Name], wasn’t it?”

You grin and point two thumbs to yourself. “Yeah! In the flesh.” 

“I’ve heard a great amount about you.” But he doesn’t stand in front of you, instead circling you like a predator would do to their pray. 

You would turn your head to follow him. “I’d hope it’s good.”

“Of course. Many good things.” He affirms. “You know, they say eyes are the window to your soul. When I look into your eyes,” Raven pauses, finally stopping right in front of you. “I see someone who’s troubled. You’re just like me, [Name]. No one’s ever really liked me. No one’s never understood who I really am.”

You didn’t know what to say at first. Actually, you didn’t know what to say at all. He was right about feeling troubled. And he was right about almost everything else.

He continues on. “My family would try to put me in therapy many times. It never worked. I found my identity in violence. It’s the only ‘therapy’ I’ve ever needed.”

Doctor Smiley looks around and nods. “It seems like we’re all paired up. Today, this is a simple icebreaker. In the next session, we’ll begin a seminar and use critical thinking skills. Think of this as an introduction to your peers. You’ll be seeing them for quite a while. Feel free to begin.”

In the time that your head was turned, you notice Raven’s gone from in front of you. You didn’t even hear his footsteps, nor did you expect his hands to gently sit on your shoulders.

You jump, but he holds you in place. “Relax. You’re feeling tense. I’d like you to just think. Think about yourself. What is your place in the World Wrestling Federation?”

That’s a good question. What is your place exactly? Who are you?

He leans in closer to your ear, whispering low enough just for you to hear. 

“There’s no one looking at us. Imagine it’s only me and you in the room. Alone with nothing but our own thoughts and extremity of this world. I extend my hand to you, [Name]. You can find yourself, let me show you. I can show you the beauty of violence. There’s more to this unforgiving life, so I believe you should indulge in your deepest...darkest....”

“You sunnuva’ bitch. The hell are ya’ doing?”

It was almost comical with how you froze, Austin’s voice ringing in your ears, you couldn’t even turn to look back at him until Raven took his hands off your shoulders and moved away.

“Participating in the exercise.” Raven plainly answers.

Austin is definitely not pleased. “I don’t think Doctor Single told ya’ to be handsy with your partner.”

“It’s actually Doctor Smiley.” The instructor corrects. He moves away from Molly to try and diffuse the situation. “Gentleman. We should go about this the right way..”

“You’re right, Doctor Stinkin’. I got an idea.” And then, it all goes to hell. Austin threw a punch at Raven and they began trading blows. You quickly move out of the way as they fall into some of the chairs. Even through all this, the cameras were still rolling.

Molly comes over to you, a smile on her face. “Wow, off to a great start, don’t you think?”

You shoot her an apologetic look. Simply for even being here and having to witness this.

What a way to start the night.

RAW IS WAR // 7:45 PM

You wanted to stop for McDonald’s on the way back to the show, but Austin wasn’t having it. God damn it, you wanted a happy meal. You knew it was a bit childish, but they had these cute little tamagotchi’s that came with it. You just HAD to take care of it! It was also something small to eat, but good enough to give you more energy for tonight’s show.

Debra asked you two how it went and you two could only stare at each other before turning back to her. Like hell you’d be telling her the truth!

You were backstage preparing for your talkshow. The mirror you placed in the hallway showed your beautiful reflection staring right at you. You couldn’t get Raven’s words out of your head, no matter how hard you tried to blank them out. It got to the point where you struggled to put on any makeup.

Suddenly, a light tap on your shoulder made you spin around on your heel, dropping the lip gloss onto the ground. 

“Hey, Nitro Girl.” Hunter had a smirk on his face, more than likely because of how startled you were. He was holding something in his hands. Just what was he up to?

“What’re you doing here?! This is the first time I’m seeing you backstage.” You say. Your voice lowered by the end of your sentence, wary of any eavesdroppers nearby.

“I’ll make this quick.” He assured, handing over the neatly wrapped box. It even had a bow on it.

“What’s this?”

“Can’t tell you. Open it as soon as you’re alone, then call me.” 

You were baffled. What the hell was in this box? “Why do I have to open it when I’m alone?”

“Trust me,” Hunter roughly pats your shoulder, making you wince. “You’ll definitely want to be alone when opening it. It’s apart of my next plan. By the way, I’ve heard you’ve got a show, good luck.” With that, he leaves you to your confusion, disappearing after walking down the corridor.

Made you think again. Now, your thoughts were all focused on the box. There wasn’t anyone in the hallway. Could you take a peak at it right now? Curiosity killed the cat.

Checking one more time to see if there’s anyone nearby, you nod to yourself. You’re 100% in the clear. You slowly lift open the box and...

Holy shit. NO WAY. 

No way he gave you this. You slam the box back shut and retreat into the locker room behind you. You’ve gotta hide this. You can’t let ANYONE see this. No. You’d die before anyone would be able to. You weren’t even sure if you could tell Lita.

Why?

Because who in their right mind would gift their business associate lingerie?

RAW IS WAR TIME OUT WITH [NAME] // 7:58 PM

You were still shaken up about the events from earlier. From Hunter to Raven, to not getting your happy meal. It was too much. You can only hope this night can get a bit better. It’s the Raw before Vengeance though, so you figure anything can happen. 

As soon as you went through those curtains, you felt all of your worries fading away, the crowd’s cheering only filling you with glee. Entering the ring with a smile, you wave in all four directions, then walk to the ropes to grab a mic.

Before you speak, you clear your throat. “CALGARY!” You yell at the top of your lungs. “TONIGHT....RAW, IS, [NAMEEE]!!!” Of course, you had to steal Jericho’s shtick, just to rub it in his face. The crowd roars in response. “Scotiabank Saddledome, I’d like to give you a welcome to Time Out with [Name]! Tonight, we have such a special guest. She may not be from this area, but she’s one of your own! She’s...!”

You turn over toward the ramp and outstretch your arm. That familar rift of music echoes around the arena.

“The Women’s Champion, TRISH STRATUS!” You exclaim, turning and opening your arms towards the ramp.

And here she comes, the title draped across her shoulder. She had a big smile on her face as she heads towards the ring. You couldn’t help but give her a round of applause.

As she enters into the ring, you figure it would be a wonderful time to get the show on the road. You quickly walk over to the ropes to grab her a mic. “Trish Stratussss,” You repeat her name, walking over to her and passing it over to her. “Wow! You look beautiful today!”

“Thank you!” She was almost like a lightbulb with how bright her smile was. With her title draped across her shoulder, she takes a seat in one of the chairs.

You follow suit, taking a seat next to her. “Let’s get straight to it. How does it feel to be the Women’s Champion?” 

She clears her throat. “Well, it’s a good feeling. I’ve worked hard for this. And as everyone knows, I’ve been through a lot. I think I’ve earned it and I just want to say no one can take this away from me.”

“And good on you!” You chime, lightly hitting her shoulder. “You know, ever since you broke my nose, I knew you had potential.”

Trish laughs nervously. She hadn’t forgotten about that and she still felt pretty bad about it. 

“To fall back on being through a lot, I know your match with The Rock,” You pause, hearing the crowd cheer loud for him. “Is anticipated by everyone in this very arena. How do you feel?”

“I’m nervous.” She admits. “This match is a really big deal. If The Rock loses, he’ll have to join Mr. McMahons Kiss My Ass Club! Not to mention what I think he’ll do to me..”

“We’re all on your side, Trish!” You reassure her, getting out of your seat. “Mr. McMahon has been on a power trip for too long. It must run in the family. If you two take him down tonight, it’ll be an embarrassment for that dysfunctional family and a win for all of us. Tonight, not only is The Rock in your corner, but I am as well.”

She stands up out of her seat. “Wait, what’re you saying?”

“I’m saying, let me accompany you two down to the ring tonight. I’ll help you as much as I can.” You reach out your hand for her to shake. “One night only, if Stephanie, or even anyone else for that matter tries to intervene, I’ll be more than happy to deal with them!”

Trish nods. “So be it.” You two shake hands and the deal is sealed. As you two are shaking hands, it’s almost like there’s some unresolved tension. You could be a contender for that title. You could easily take that title away from her if you wanted to.

Alas, this moment is short lived. Torrie’s music starts playing and you rip your hand away from Trish. She complains about you hurting her nails, but you couldn’t care less when Torrie was coming to the ring. She prances down the ramp.

You can’t let her get under your skin. You’ll try and let her talk, despite the fact you want to drag her across this ring. She came prepared with a mic, so you decide to greet her as kind as possible.

“Wow! Torrie Wilson,” You introduce. “The slut of the WWF!” The crowd and the commentary table grimace at your choice of words. Even Trish had to whistle. “Are you coming to ruin my show?”

Torrie can only scoff, which kind of pisses you off. You just wanted to slap that smug smile right off of her face. “Oh, no. I just wanted to drop by and say hello. I know you’ve been looking for me. I’ve been so, so, busy. In fact, me and Edge were together aaaaalll night.”

Wait, what did she say?

“What?” You narrow your eyes. “What’d you say?”

“You didn’t know? Edge was so heartbroken of what you did to him, so I decided to be the one to comfort him. Poor guy, I mean, he cared about you a lot, you know. And the fact you moved on so quickly! I mean, Jeff Hardy? He was all over me at one point. You remember that too, right, Trish?”

The woman was too stunned to speak! Trish blinks. “Excuse me?”

And you were stuck too. You don’t even know what to say. You couldn’t believe Torrie OR EDGE for that matter. “I wasn’t going to engage in any violence that occurred on my show, I really wasn’t. Whether it involved myself or my guest. I literally just took anger management classes..” You trail off, slowly pushing your chair away. “Looks like this is the part of the show where I move these....”

Trish had an idea of what was to come, so she does you the honors of moving her own chair out of the way.

Torrie looks at you in confusion, mic in hand.

“This is also the part of the show where I should probably remind you, please don’t start something you can’t finish...” You mention, turning back to her slowly. “Because I will tear you apart in this very ring.”

Oh, really?” Torrie smugly asks. “Then do it. I dare you.” 

Outside of a kayfabe standpoint, this was bringing you joy. You fought the urge to smile at Torrie. The best part about actually being friends outside of the ring was that you could go as crazy as you want and have a spa day later.

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Throwing your mic to the side, you tackle Torrie, striking her as quick as you can. The crowd gasps, but then cheers at your attack. It’s incredibly satisfying to put your hands on her.

You quickly get off and kick her while she’s down. Trish was looking on in shock before throwing her title to the side and joining in to help you. She’s had problems with Torrie in the past, and originally she was going to leave, but when she brought up their rivalry, it struck chord in her. She kicks her as well, doing her best to keep up with you.

You two were literally jumping her. Referee’s rushed out of gorilla to stop the situation, entering the ring and separating you three from each other. You reach out your hand with a grin and Trish reaches out her own, you two giving a strained high five.

While your music plays in the background, you slowly start to think that this strange night is looking up.

trish a ride or die fr

also raven trying to corrupt reader? its more likely than you think. hope y’all enjoyed this chapter, more coming next! the night isn’t over yet! IM NOT ELABORATING ON THE LINGERIE UNTIL NEXT CHAPTER

oh and we’re in canada too. i think y’all know what that means. see you next time *disappears into the void*

[brafta]

avatrice fake dating au spoiler

Ava Silva and Beatrice Wang - A Romantic Encounter in the Hills

In an unexpected twist, Hollywood's two rising stars, Ava Silva and Beatrice Wang, recently made headlines not for their work in the world of cinema, but for a romantic outing that left fans buzzing. The setting for this movie-worthy rendezvous? The picturesque hill in the city of Alberta, Canada, renowned as a haven for passionate couples and admirers of breathtaking vistas.

Our sources suggest that Ava and Beatrice, who were initially en route to somewhere else in their car, may have decided to divert their course to this unexpected location.

What makes this encounter even more intriguing is the fact that Beatrice Wang is in charge of the soundtrack for Ava Silva's latest film. The chemistry between them on the film set seems to be spilling over off-screen as their relationship evolves in front of the public eye.

Although neither has officially confirmed a romantic relationship, speculation is running high. Fans are eager to know if this friendship is blossoming into something more serious. Ava Silva and Beatrice Wang certainly have the public captivated and eagerly awaiting more details about this mysterious hillside encounter in Alberta, which appears to have changed the game in their personal and professional lives. It remains to be seen whether love is truly in the air for these two shining stars.

read on ao3

[dreamonseems]

The man I am

Part 4

Joel Miller x Female Reader

Summary: Pre outbreak Joel and Tommy, move to a small town in Canada. After Joel's daughter Sarah dies from a tragic accident. Joel meets the reader and falls in love. She helps him move on from his grief. And he starts a new life with the reader.

Notes

◇ There is an age gap between the reader and Joel, the reader is 19, and Joel is 35.

◇ There will be an outbreak in this story, but first, I'll start pre-outbreak. Tess will also come in later in the story.

◇ HI, this is my first Joel fanfic. I feel like this will be bad, but I'm going to try to write this anyway. I had a dream about it, so I kinda want to make it true, lol. I'm also Canadian, so that's why they are in Canada, lol. But they will make their way back to the USA.

Weeks have passed since Joel's phone call to Y/N, and the tension between them continues to grow. Every time they cross paths, they make a point to avoid each other, and the air between them is thick with unsaid words.

Tommy has noticed a change in his brother's behavior, especially when Y/N's name is brought up. One evening, he finds Joel sitting in an armchair with a beer in his hand, lost in thought. Tommy joins him on the couch and tries to initiate a conversation.

"So you and Y/N had a fight or something?" Tommy asks, trying to break the ice.

Joel responds with annoyance in his voice, "There's no me and Y/N. She's a kid, Tommy."

Tommy looks at him incredulously, "We both know she's not a kid. She may be young, but she's a woman who knows what she wants."

Joel sighs heavily, "She thinks she wants me, but she doesn't know what that means. So, no, she doesn't know what she wants."

Tommy takes a deep breath and says, "Look, Joel, I love you, brother, but why can't you let yourself be happy? Every time you were around Y/N, you were so happy. I'm not telling you to forget the past, but you have to move on, Joel. And I think Y/N would be great for you. Just let yourself have this, stop torturing yourself so much."

Tommy leaves the room, leaving Joel alone with his thoughts. He knows his brother is right, but he's scared of what might happen if he lets himself be happy with Y/N. He remembers the kiss they shared, how it felt like everything he ever wanted. As Joel sits there, lost in thought, he realizes that he can't keep running away from his feelings for Y/N. He has to face them head-on and figure out what he truly wants.

--------

Y/N was still deeply upset about everything that had transpired. She confided in her closest friends May and Joanna, sharing with them the details of everything that had occurred. The two friends, wanting to help Y/N move on from her heartbreak, suggested setting her up on a date. Y/N agreed, acknowledging that she had not been on many dates in the past due to various factors. Y/N's father had a reputation for being strict and overprotective, which often scared away potential suitors. Additionally, her heart had never been strongly drawn to anyone in the way that it had been to Joel. He was the first person she could see herself settling down with.

Her date Dane was a guy from their church known for his good character and coming from a respectable family. He was also good-looking, with blue eyes and longish brown hair. However, his appearance paled in comparison to Joel's ruggedly handsome features. They decided to go to Bill's hub, a popular bar and grill restaurant located downtown. The establishment was run by Bill and Frank, a beloved older couple who were well-known and respected in the community.

Y/N had a special connection with the couple, especially with Frank, who happened to be her high school teacher. Her and Bill had developed a close bond over the years, too. She used to work at his restaurant when she was a teen, and they often engaged in deep conversations about conspiracy theories.

As she and Dane walked into the restaurant, she noticed Joel sitting by the bar. She hoped he wouldn't see them, but unfortunately, they were seated at a table right in his line of sight. When he saw her with another guy, he felt a wave of anger and jealousy that he couldn't control.

Throughout the night, Joel and Y/N tried to avoid looking at each other. However, every time Y/N glanced over at him, she noticed that he had a dark expression on his face, as if he wanted to punch something. She wondered if he was jealous of her being on a date with someone else. To test her theory, she became a little more touchy with Dane, laughing and leaning in close to him. When she glanced back at Joel, she saw him tensing up and clenching his fists as if trying to contain his frustration.. Y/N was satisfied that her theory was correct: Joel was indeed jealous. She couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction, knowing that she had caught on to his true feelings. Joel noticed her smirk, realizing that she had figured out his jealousy and was enjoying watching him squirm.

At one point, Y/N excused herself to go to the bathroom. As she made her way to the ladies' room, Joel got up from his seat and followed her. He waited for her outside the bathroom door. Y/N finished up in the bathroom and swung the door open, only to find Joel waiting for her. At first, she was taken aback by his sudden appearance, but she tried to remain calm and composed. "Joel, hi," she said, trying to keep her tone friendly.

However, Joel's expression was stern and angry. "What the fuck are you doing?" he demanded, his voice laced with frustration.

Y/N let out a bitter laugh. "What do you mean, what am I doing?" she shot back, her voice rising in annoyance.

"You know exactly what you're doing, Y/N," Joel said, getting closer to her face.

Frustrated and agitated, Y/N decided to confront Joel. "If you must know, I'm on a date, Joel. I'm doing what you told me to do, finding a guy my own age." As she spoke those words, Joel felt a pang in his heart. He realized that he had been an idiot to push her away, and now he was paying the price.

Joel takes a step back and runs his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I didn't mean for you to go on a date with someone else so soon," he admits, his voice low. "I just wanted you to move on and find happiness, but seeing you with someone else... it's just hard, okay?"

Y/N's heart softens at Joel's words. She can see the pain etched on his face and knows that he's hurting just as much as she is. "Joel, I miss you," she says softly, reaching out to touch his arm.

Joel takes a deep breath and pulls her in for a tight hug. He caresses her face gently and says, "We need to talk. Tell your date you have to go home, and we will discuss this in the car."

"I... Okay," Y/N says, feeling a mix of emotions at the way Joel is touching her. "I'll wait for you outside."

As Joel leaves, Y/N collects herself and makes her way back to the table to let her date know that something has come up and she needs to go home. She can feel the weight of Joel's presence as he waits for her outside, she gets into his car, and the ride to Y/N's house is quiet.

She's beginning to think that they're not going to talk about their situation when they arrive. Joel shuts off the car and leans on the steering wheel.

"What do you want?" Joel asks, his voice low.

Y/N is confused at first, but she lets her heart answer. "You, Joel. I want you."

"I'm not a good man," Joel says, his voice heavy with regret. "I've made many mistakes. I don't think you know what you're asking for."

"Then tell me, Joel," Y/N pleads.

Joel takes a deep breath before revealing his painful past. "I used to have a daughter. Her mother left us when she was a baby. She died when she was eight. She was walking home from school with her babysitter, and I was supposed to get her that day, but I was too busy at work and couldn't leave. They came across two guys who were fighting, and one thing led to another. One of the guys pulled out a gun and started shooting, and Sarah got hit."

His eyes darken as he continues. "So you know what I did? I found the guy that shot her, and I made him pay."

Y/N gasps at what she hears. "Do you understand what I'm saying? Can you accept the man that I am? I'm asking you, can you look into my eyes and still tell me you want to be with me and that you love me?" Joel asks.

Y/N is left in silence for a moment before she speaks up. "I understand and I still choose to be with you if you choose to be with me," she says.

Joel is quiet for a moment before he speaks. "I'll give you one more chance. If you leave now, I'll let you go. But if you stay, then that's it. You'll be mine, and I keep a firm hand on what's mine."

Y/N leans over and pulls Joel into her arms. "I'm yours, Joel," she says.

Joel kisses her forehead and lets go of her, saying, "Go home. I'll come here tomorrow to talk to your father. You're mine now. Don't forget that."

Y/N gets out of the car and heads into her house, feeling hopeful about their future together.

-------

The next day arrived, and Y/N's nerves were on edge as she awaited Joel's arrival. She had no idea when he would be coming, nor did she know what he would say to her father. As the oldest child, her father had always placed a great deal of responsibility and trust in her, and he held old-fashioned values such as courtship and marriage. Y/N knew that if Joel were to ask her father just to date her, he would most likely turn him away.

Y/N's family was everything to her, and she had a particularly close relationship with her father. He was her hero, and she looked up to him in every way. The thought of her father rejecting Joel's request pained her heart, and she worried about how it would affect her relationship with both her father and Joel.

Y/N tried to calm her nerves by distracting herself with a book, but she couldn't concentrate. Every time she heard a car drive by, she jumped up, thinking that it might be Joel. She kept checking the clock, but time seemed to move so slowly.

As she sat lost in her thoughts, she heard the doorbell ring, causing her anxiety to flare up. She debated whether to run down the stairs to answer or to stay put in her room and let the man talk. She decided to wait for her father to come talk to her when they were done talking.

Isaiah, a middle-aged man with a sturdy build and a serious demeanor, opened the door to find Joel standing in front of him. As Y/N's father, he knew his children well and paid close attention to their interests and actions. He was not surprised to see Joel, as his daughter had been talking about him a lot lately, often mentioning how handsome he was and how good of a man he seemed to be. Isaiah had seen Joel around town, talking to his daughter or watching her from afar with a look in his eyes that reminded him of the love he had for his own wife. He could see the same love reflected in Y/N's eyes whenever she looked at Joel.

"Joel Miller, right?" Isaiah asked, recognizing the young man.

"Yes," Joel replied, clearly nervous

"I've been expecting this would happen. Come in," Isaiah said, leading Joel to a cozy study with bookshelves lining the walls. Isaiah sat down behind a large wooden desk and gestured for Joel to take a seat across from him.

"So, go on and ask what you came here to ask for," Isaiah said, fixing his hard gaze on Joel.

Joel swallowed hard and took a deep breath before speaking. "Well, I think you know I'm here for your daughter. I want to court her."

Isaiah remained silent, staring intently at Joel for a few minutes before finally speaking up. "I can see the kind of man you are. I can see the little bit of darkness that is in your eyes. Why should I trust you with one of the most important people in my life?"

Joel took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering. "I can promise you that I would die for your daughter. I would kill for her. I would let the darkness take over me to keep her safe and happy. And I think you know the lengths I would go to because I know you're the same type of man I am, sir."

The room fell silent once again, the tension between the two men palpable. Isaiah's hard stare did not waver as he considered Joel's words.

"Okay. I'm entrusting you with my heart. If you break it or let it get hurt, I won't hesitate to come for you," Isaiah finally said, his tone stern and unwavering.

"Thank you," Joel replied, getting up to leave. He knew Isaiah would want to talk to Y/N before giving his blessing, and he would wait patiently outside until the time came.

Y/N's heart was pounding as she heard footsteps coming up the stairs towards her bedroom. She knew it was her father, and she couldn't help but feel nervous about what he had to say. As he knocked on her door, she got up to open it, her anxiety increasing with each passing second. When she saw her father's face, she sat down on her bed and waited for him to speak.

"Joel Miller asked me for your hand in courtship," he said, his tone serious.

Y/N's heart skipped a beat. She had been afraid that her father would turn Joel away. She stared at her feet, afraid to look into her father's eyes.

"Do you want that?" her father asked, his voice softening.

Y/N's heart swelled with hope. "Yes!" she exclaimed, unable to hide her excitement. "I very much would like that."

Her father let out a huff and sat down beside her, pulling her into a tight embrace. He held onto her as tightly as he could, not wanting to let her go. He knew that this was a big step for her, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of protectiveness towards his oldest daughter.

"I said yes," he said, his voice full of emotion. "I want you to be happy, and I trust that you know what you're doing. I trust that you've found the right person."

Y/N felt tears welling up in her eyes as she hugged her father tightly. "He definitely is the one, papa," she whispered. "He feels safe, just like how you make me feel safe. I love you. Thank you for trusting my judgment."

Her father hugged her back, his heart full of love and pride for his daughter. "I'll always be here for you, sunshine," he said. "Always. Papa will always be here for you."

Y/N feels her father's comforting hand on her head as he caresses her hair. She looks up at him with tear-streaked cheeks and a grateful smile. Her heart races as she hears her father's words, knowing that Joel is just outside waiting for her.

"Thank you, Papa," she whispers before watching him leave the room. She takes a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, wiping her tears away as she makes her way down the stairs, still reeling from her emotional conversation with her father. As she opened the front door, she saw him leaning casually against his truck, looking just as handsome as she remembered.

Joel straightened up as soon as he saw Y/N, a smile spreading across his face. He opened his arms wide, and she ran towards him, jumping up into his strong embrace. He effortlessly caught her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling safe and protected in his arms.

As they gazed into each other's eyes, Y/N felt a powerful surge of desire and love. Without hesitation, they leaned in for a passionate kiss, their lips meeting in a fiery embrace that left them both breathless.

After a few moments, they finally pulled back, both of them panting and flushed with desire. Y/N looked at Joel with a sense of longing, her heart full of love for this man who had captured her heart.

"I'm all yours now," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

A low growl escaped from Joel's lips as he held her close, his eyes dark with desire. "Mine," he replied, his voice full of possessiveness and love.

Y/N felt her heart swell with joy, knowing that she had found the one who truly loved her for who she was. She snuggled closer to Joel, feeling his warmth and strength surround her, and knew that she was finally home.

Part 5

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT ECOMMERCE NEWS (INCLUDING ETSY), Early April 2024

Welcome to my coverage of all the important Etsy and other ecommerce news that microbusinesses need to know! It's been a few weeks since my last update, so there is a fair amount to report.

Want to get the news more often and in a more timely fashion? Please sign up to support my Patreon site, where among other features, I will soon be starting periodical live chats on important topics. (I promise there will be one the day Etsy announces a fee increase)

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES 

Etsy has made changes to how processing times and estimated delivery dates work; I covered everything you need to know in this post. 

Etsy seems to be sending more Messages to the spam folder, so you may miss a real message. After reading that thread, I checked, and there was one from another seller needing help from just 5 hours ago. Etsy did say engineers are looking into it. 

UPS has won the USPS air cargo contract, currently held by FedEx. It kicks in at the end of September. “As of May 31, 2023, FedEx counted the USPS as the largest customer of its Express unit.” 

ETSY NEWS 

Etsy is rolling out a new seller pricing tool, and it is just as useless as the old version. I posted some early thoughts (with screenshots). 

Some shop owners are struggling to cancel Etsy coupons, while others are not having the same problem. Support says the company is aware of the issue. 

If you still can't access most of the Etsy forum after the changes on Tuesday March 26, post in this Technical Issues thread so that your account can be fixed.

Periodically, some shops suddenly stop getting deposits. If your shop has recently had a security warning, you may want to check to see if your bank account is still verified with Etsy. 

Looks like Etsy has an issue with misrepresenting how many items are left for each listing on the app; I wrote about it here.

Canadians getting harassed by Etsy to sign up for TurboTax should know that the company has told a seller that it doesn’t import Etsy data into your tax return for you; that is only available for Americans. [If you can’t import your info from your various platforms, my suggestion is use a free online program to file instead; I’ve used Wealthsimple for several years with no issues filing small business taxes; the T-2125 is part of the program.]

Etsy’s activist investor seems to think that the marketplace can “…add more buyers and increase the amount of money they spend on the platform”. But “monetization opportunities” were also mentioned. 

Etsy is yet again called out for allowing AI-generated porn on the site. “Several of the available listings also appear to violate existing trademarks — TheStreet identified listings that sell NSFW (not safe for work) AI-generated, suggestive images that appear to mimic Rapunzel from Disney's "Tangled," Princess Jasmine from Disney's "Aladdin" and She-Hulk from Marvel's "She-Hulk."

Etsy has been talking a lot about "image quality" lately, but doesn't really define the term anywhere. While I agree with those that say it is more than image size - Etsy would not have humans curating images to train its AI if "quality" could simply be measured by pixels - note that Google Shopping Ads describe image quality as size. “The resolution of your product images determines its quality. Google considers images with more than 1024 pixels as high-resolution images.” 

Apparently Etsy CEO Josh Silverman likes to make “unorthodox, downright risky career decisions” that often involve a ton of responsibility. [Link to podcast in article; I haven’t listened to it]

ECOMMERCE NEWS (minus social media)

General

Patreon’s live chats are now accessible on the web (instead of just the app). A creator can assign moderators, and have chats for different categories of members. 

Canadians: beware that new tax rules requiring digital platform operators to report their users’ income to the Canada Revenue Agency are expected for 2025. These laws would make Canada similar to the United States and the United Kingdom, among others. 

Amazon

Amazon is struggling to verify the VAT status of many UK sellers, and the fact the company holds all funds until the process is complete means many sellers are without income. 

eBay

eBay is offering 3 free “express payouts” to select US sellers by email only, available until June 30th. Money is paid to seller debit cards and can take a half hour or more to receive. (The usual cost is 1.5%.)

If you use eBay For Charity, you may want to check to see if the charity is getting paid, as some apparently are not. 

If you advertise on eBay, or just list inconsistently, you may be interested in the marketing trends calendar for 2024. It shows you when certain types of searches peak. 

Michaels Makerplace

The landing page for Makerplace sellers doesn’t provide a lot of hard details; some of the actual policies appear once you begin to sign up. Here’s how they define handmade: 

Thanks to Bluesky user Brushfeather for the info.

Shopify

Shopify is putting more effort into large businesses these days, despite its core offerings targeting small and medium-sized businesses for years. [soft paywall; Business Insider] The company “...has made a concerted effort over the last 18 months to introduce more software solutions to win over larger merchants. It has enhanced Shopify Plus, a higher-tier subscription with more features, and launched Hydrogen, a more custom framework geared toward retailers with more complex needs...Shopify introduced Commerce Components, an offering that allows merchants to integrate parts of Shopify's software into their existing tech stack. Mattel was its first retail partner for that product, and Everlane has since adopted Shop Pay as a stand-alone component.”

CEO Tobi Lutke recently received almost $200 million CAD in Shopify stock options, “one of the largest compensation packages in Canadian history.” As company founder, he now has around $8 billion worth of Shopify stock.

CIRRO Fulfillment now integrates with Shopify. 

Squarespace

Squarespace is rolling out Squarespace Payments to sellers in the United States, and they expect to add more countries later this year. Fees are in line with other payment processors. 

All Other Marketplaces

Mercari is following Depop and is ending seller transaction fees while adding a buyer fee. There is now a seller earnings withdrawal fee of $2, however, plus the pricing only applies to items listed after the announcement on March 27th, and sellers now have to accept returns for any reason, within 72 hours of receipt.  I suppose this fee might work for buyers if many are also sellers on Mercari or elsewhere, and are buying stock. If you see a good deal you know you can flip with a good margin, you might not mind paying a buyers fee on top of the listing price. The only other way I can see being willing to pay a buyers fee is if you are so enamoured with the platform and its culture that it is worth paying more for. Or maybe I am just out of touch… The Mercari CEO basically calls out Etsy for raising seller fees too much [soft paywall; Modern Retail]: “I’m not going to mention them by name, but you have marketplaces that have a lot of makers, a lot of people that create things, and the fees around selling on those platforms have just been going up a lot very aggressively”. [my emphasis] Mercari wants fees to remain competitive while attracting better inventory. Another article on Mercari’s announcement mentions Etsy by name when discussing seller fees. 

Mercari might want to consult lawyers the next time the site makes changes, though, as many sellers were furious that their existing balances were now subject to withdrawal fees without any warning, leading some to file complaints with the FTC. That led the company to announce that “On March 27, 2024, Mercari announced that it would begin charging a $2 fee(s) (“ACH Charge”) for all ACH direct deposit requests. Effective immediately through April 3, 2024 at 11:59 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time (“Waiver Period”), Mercari will waive the ACH Charge for ACH direct deposit requests made prior to the end of the Waiver Period for all eligible account holders.” Those who already incurred withdrawal charges will get refunds.

And because apparently you can never have enough Mercari news, they’ve introduced a listing importer for eBay and Depop. It uses AI. 

AliExpress will now do livestream shopping events in the UK. 

Payment Processing

PayPal users in the US will soon have only 30 days after delivery to file a significantly not described claim in most cases. Items not delivered by 180 days will still have the full 180 days. 

Shipping 

UPS is planning on closing about 200 facilities in the United States, and hopes to save money by instead using more automated hubs. Having fewer employees and consolidating locations is expected to save the company around $3 billion by the end of 2028. 

FedEx is continuing to combine its Express and Ground pickups and deliveries, both to save money and to make pickups easier on customers.