#abby's christmas vacation

[space-cowgirllll]

Right Where You Left Me

a/n: I was going to wait to post this but I had written a lot more than I thought the last time I touched this. A little lengthy bc I’m a yapper but here's part two of Tolerate It. I'M SORRYYYYY 🥹

The flurries Abby had seen as she walked into work this morning quickly turned into actual snowfall. Twelve hours later, everything around her is covered in a thick blanket of white snow. Traffic had been worse than usual, making her already shitty commute twice as long. A breath she hadn't realized she was holding leaves her when she finally pulls up to the curb in front of her home. She's safe. Forcing her frozen fingers to uncurl from the death grip she had on the steering wheel, she parks the car, cursing when she feels it slide just a little. She was due for a tropical vacation soon. 

Despite her disdain for the snow, Abby can admit the quaint neighborhood looks beautiful. Thousands of multicolored lights adorn the houses and yards around her. Laughter from the kids having a snowball fight across the street fills the night air. Their giggles make Abby's heart feel a little lighter. A couple of her neighbors have their curtains drawn, displaying their immaculately decorated trees. It reminds her of those cheesy hallmark movies she secretly loves watching. 

Abby cringes when she realizes her house is the only dark one on the street. In her mind she can see the purple Post-It still stuck to the fridge reminding her to pull the outdoor decor down from the attic and actually decorate. The red plastic tubs have been sitting at the top of the steps for weeks. She trips over them constantly, telling herself she'll get to them tomorrow, but it seems there were just never enough hours in the day. Eighty hour work weeks left little room for anything else- not that she had much going on. If she wasn't at the gym, or catching up on some much needed sleep, she was at the hospital. 

Her head hits the steering wheel in defeat when she taps the screen on her phone and catches sight of the date. It's the twentieth of December.  

"Too late to do anything about it now." She mumbles to herself. Her palms dig into her tired eyes. Today was truly the day from hell.

But the universe doesn't seem to be quite done with her just yet. Over the hum of her ac blowing she hears a familiar tune. Her head snaps to the radio in recognition. Her usual radio station has switched over to playing nothing but Christmas music for the night. It's your favorite song. Shit. Her shaky index finger blindly reaches for the button to kill the engine before throwing the door open, jacket forgotten in the passenger seat. 

She shivers as she speed walks to her front door trying her hardest not to slip on the icy sidewalk. The straps of her work bags dig painfully into her right shoulder when she bends down to collect the multiple packages that had accumulated on her porch. After days of ignoring them, they were starting to block the doorway. But hey, at least this year she had gotten ahead on Christmas shopping. 

These days it was all about the small wins. —

Abby drops the mattress she dragged out of the guest room in front of the fireplace with soft grunt. She hasn't done this in years, but she needs it today. This had been one of your favorite ways to unwind after a long week. Always there waiting for her with a big smile and her favorite snacks, a movie waiting to be played on the tv. In the later months of the year, around the holidays, Abby could always count on finding a pair of pajamas for her that matched yours laid out on your shared bed. She had always thought it was kind of silly when you had a perfectly good bed and tv upstairs. Now, she could only dream of coming home after a long day to a warm house and you bundled up in blankets waiting up for her.

It's quiet as she stares out the window watching snow fall. Her head is fuzzy from the wine and she knows she's going to regret it tomorrow. The movie she randomly picked half an hour ago is now muted. She can hear the distant buzzing of her personal phone from somewhere in the kitchen, but she can't be bothered. Calls from her family trying to confirm next weeks plans go ignored. Abby loves them, but the thought of being asked if she was ready to start dating again before trying to set her up with the friend of a friend for the fifth year in a row made her want to cancel her flight home. She can't stand the pity in their eyes every time they look at her.

Bleary eyes roam around the room, the sight of  the unlit, half-decorated tree in the corner and the lone stocking missing its pair hanging off the mantle make her chest hurt in a way it hadn't in a while. It may not look like it, but she had tried. Most of the Christmas stuff actually made it out of the attic this year. Which is more than she can say for last year, and the years before that.  She'd finally gotten the tree out and decorating had been going well, until she pulled out that ornament. 

The little house you had custom made to look like a tiny replica of the first place the two of you were sharing as a married couple. Abby remembers how excited you'd been, staying up waiting for her to come home from a late night so you could open it together. The look in your eyes as you traced over the details, the names stamped on the back. You made her hold it as you hooked it onto the tree, wanting to do it together.

Her fingers trace over the pink floral pattern on the sheets. You'd picked these out, excited to host her parents over the thanksgiving holiday for the fist time. Abby didn't have the heart to change them out. Minus your personal things, she didn't have the heart to make any changes to your original decor. You'd made the house a home. Some nights she swears she can catch a whiff of your favorite candle, or the lavender spray you'd douse the pillows with before going to bed. 

Abby gives up, shutting the tv off and settling into her pillow, ready for today to be over. She can't help but feel silly laying here in the dark by herself. Nights like this had been more fun with you around. Everything in her life had been more fun with you around. 

You made Abby's life magical, she just hadn't realized it until it was too late.  ---------------------------

Abby watches you push your food around your plate out of the corner of her eye. The scraping of the fork makes it hard to focus on the conversation happening in front of her. Would it kill you to at least try to look interested? Her hand lands on your upper thigh, squeezing lightly to get your attention. The two of you exchange subtle glares. 

It isn't until her colleagues retreat back to their own table that she finally looks at you. You're swirling the ice in your drink around with a straw. Your gaze fixed on the window, staring out at the busy street. She had thought a nice dinner at your favorite restaurant would soften you up a little, but with how little you've spoken all night and your plate still full, she's starting to worry. 

After an explosive fight the morning after she'd forgotten your wedding anniversary, you'd been distant. In all the years Abby had known you, she could count on one hand the amount of times you'd fought, and even then the two of you could never stay away for long. Communication was one of the things you prided yourself on the most, never wanting to go to bed angry at each other. But it's been three weeks and Abby realizes she's really fucked up. 

"Alright, what's going on with you?" 

"Oh, now you notice." You retort. Her eyebrows knit together, surprised at the thinly veiled anger in your voice. 

"You're so dramatic." She huffs. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

Your eyes shift to the side, teeth gnawing on your bottom lip. She can practically see the gears turning in your head. You're holding your tongue. 

"Abigail, let's not do this right now." You beg. "Please."

"No. We're going to talk now." She speaks lowly, grateful for the little privacy the corner table provided. "Sitting in silence isn't going to make this go away. Stop being childish and tell me how to fix this." 

You looked her in the eye, no longer seeing the person you fell in love with. Knowing that if you stayed you'd end up losing yourself in someone who couldn't love you the way you deserved anymore. There was no way you could have the family you wanted with someone who constantly prioritized their work, making you feel like you were the distraction. 

Your lips part on a shaky exhale. You can't keep lying awake at night contemplating this. You have to do it now. From the corner of your eye you can see the couple at the table closest to you subtly lean towards you. 

Abby leans back in her seat waiting for you to speak up. Her arms folded across her chest. The way her leg bounces up and down gently shakes the table. Something about the dejected look in your eyes makes her panic inside. 

"I want a divorce."

---------

Department store wrapping stations were a small luxury Abby didn't mind spending the money on. She wasn't the best gift wrapper, often leaving rips or weird folds on anything that wasn't shaped like a box. 

She stands in line with all the other last minute shoppers, people watching when her eyes fall on the last person she thought she'd ever see again. Abby swears she must be dreaming. Her knees nearly buckle when she sees you standing there slowly making your way through a rack of baby clothes. A little boy no younger than two perched on your hip, his leg trying to sit comfortably against the small swell of your stomach. He's a carbon copy of his mother. Abby sees you wherever her eyes land on his face. 

Your hair is longer, framing your pretty face. There's a glow to you that she doesn't remember seeing in those last two years of your marriage. Your eyes are tired but bright, even from here Abby can see the way they sparkle when you stare at the little boy in your arms. Nothing like the cold way you'd looked at her that fateful night. 

Her heartbeat pounds in her ears as she steps out of line, making her way to a more secluded section of the store. Hiding behind a tie display she watches you interact with your son. For a moment she pretends that you're still hers and that the last five years didn't happen. Pretends that she didn't fuck up the best thing that had ever happened to her. God, she feels like a delusional creep. 

A tall woman walks up behind you, making a silly face at your toddler. You smile when he reaches out for her, trading the boy for the to-go cup she was holding out to you. Abby doesn't have to guess what you're drinking. She knew how much you hated coffee, preferring hot chocolate to keep you warm in the colder months. Her stomach bottoms out when you raise the cup to your lips.

A ring that isn't hers sits on your finger. 

Abby didn't realize how big of a gut punch that would feel like. While you still spoke to her parents from time to time, they made sure not to relay any information to her. She knew you wouldn't stay single forever, but actually seeing you like this ripped apart whatever was left of her heart.

You'd gone silent on social media since the split. A new and private Instagram account was all she could find one night after she'd been drinking a little too much. She'd cried herself to sleep, wanting nothing more than to be a part of your world again. 

She studies your wife, who's everything Abby isn't. Her long brown hair is pulled back in a loose bun, the pink knit beanie on her head matches the scarf currently wrapped around your neck. Dark eyes watch your face intently with a smile as you hold up a onesie to her. Abby looks down at her old college sweats and worn sneakers, nothing like the well put together outfit she's wearing. The woman even looks like she gets more than five hours of sleep each night for crying out loud. 

She looks happy. Something Abby hasn't been for a long time.

And judging by the way you're looking at her, like she hangs the stars in the sky, Abby can see how happy you are. She bites the inside of her cheek, refusing to remember what it felt like to have you look at her that way. Tears prickle in her eyes as you make your way down to the front of the store, dramatically blowing kisses at the giggling toddler being carried just a few steps ahead of you. One of your hands rubbing softly at your bump. 

Abby startles when you look back towards the men's section, eyes going straight to the tiny display she stood behind. Of course you spotted her. You lock eyes with her. There's a tiny smile on your face watching her come out of her shitty hiding spot. For a moment you two stand there just staring at each other. Abby's aware you probably look crazy to anyone watching but she can't bring herself to care. 

Those are my sweats. You mouth. Abby releases a watery chuckle she doubts you hear. She looks down, finally noticing the nail polish stain just under her knee. It's purple. Your favorite color. 

The sound of an alarm brings you both back to reality. You give her one last smile, waving as you walk out the doors and into the chilly December air. Her eyes follow you as you cross the street, until you get lost in a large crowd of people. 

Watching you walk away this time feels like a final goodbye. You’d always have a place in your heart for Abby, no longer feeling any resentment towards her. She had been too young and selfish to love you the way you deserved. She can see you've found that. And while she's happy for you, she can't help the tears that spill out once she's in the safety of her car. 

There's a bittersweet feeling in knowing that the world didn't stop spinning for you the way it did for her the day you walked out of her life. 

[princesssmars]

holly jolly!

an abby anderson x reader based on my abby winter drabble !

wc : 15.718

contains : fluff, angst and smut . fxf relationship. fem!reader. switch! abby and reader. oral and penetrative sex. strap-on yippee. past abby x owen ewwww. owen hate bc i hate him and its funny. reader is a skier and abby does hockey! shitty dad for reader sorry girls. slight alcoholism sorry girls again. the reader is described as slightly tall i know yall been wanting taller readers. reader is kind of bitchy and abby loves it my fave dynamic (dynamic and pretty much the rest inspired by the little ruse go read it).

a/n : sorry i never got over my drabble guys. i dont know who exactly made hockey!abby but ive read em all so big creds to @angelkissiies @millersaurora @whatwouldsylwrite (and @eightstarr for calling abby princess) everyone else smoochies ily <3 made reader a skier because ive been obsessing over the olympics and i watched mollys game and thought it would be cool if i made a skier reader instead of a figure skater. ballerina next time if yall will indulge my delusions.

christmas has always been a bittersweet holiday.

you can remember the good parts from your childhood. picking out your first stocking with your mom. when your younger brother hid in the cupboard to try and catch santa. when your baby brother got cookie dough all over the kitchen, even on the ceiling. or when you were five years old and your dad gifted you your very first pairs of skis.

but it was hard to remember when the bad could get really bad. constant days spent out in the cold and snow, redoing your runs over and over until your legs burned and your back ached. your days that were supposed to be full of vacationing and fun instead filled with aches and falls and countless arguments once you realized you could start talking back.

some of the few friends you've had over the years tried to get you to focus on the good times and not the bad. that dwelling in the past wouldn't help you move forward. when you were younger you'd just call them assholes and move on, but recently it didn't seem worth the effort. that's probably why you started college with no close friends.

it was fine. you had your smarts, which helped you to get a full-ride scholarship when a skiing one fell through after a bad leg injury a few months back. because of that, your mom managed to convince your dad to get off of your ass for a while as you recovered. you had money thanks to your parents and you had your looks which would land you a hookup once in a blue moon.

you'd even made two acquaintances on campus, your roommate, tonya, who was pretty mellow and made sure not to bring the weed she smoked inside your dorm, and a girl named nora in one of your general ed classes whom you would partner up with often.

so yeah. it was fine. at least until the end of your freshman year.

you were running late for your ten am class, sleeping in because tonya had somehow managed to convince you to go to a small party with her last night and take body shots, and then when you were close to being drunk you saw one of your past hookups in the corner who you had dropped for getting way too attached way too quickly, so then you had to quickly find tonya and run back to your dorm-

youre in the middle of remembering ton's bird-like laugh when you nearly faceplanted into your front door when you ran full force into a hulking mass of a body.

the sound of them lightly cursing and asking if you were okay falls on deaf ears as you pick up your bag and hike it to your class, ignoring the stairs of the other students when you rush and plop into your seat.

luckily you manage to get yourself together afterwards, fixing yourself up at your dorm before heading to your next course with nora. as soon as you sit down she's teasing you about a video she saw of you getting wasted last night and you don't even have the energy to entertain her.

"well, instead of getting drunk off your ass again how about you join me tonight? one of my friends is on the hockey team and i got some nice ass tickets."

"c'mon, nora. hockey? seriously?"

"oh, im sorry ms. olympian, is hockey too good for you suddenly? just a bunch of women tossing a puck around too barbaric for you?"

"wait, you didnt say it was women's hockey."

"well, it is."

"..."

"..."

"what time does it start?"

at around five you're putting on a cute sweater and a puffer jacket before joining nora on the campus bus where she tries to quickly explain the rules of hockey to you in the span of five minutes. she asks how on earth you haven't been to one of the games or at least heard of the team's star breakout player. you have to carefully explain that you've had enough of sports to last a lifetime.

the indoor arena is packed, and you have to roughly squeeze and push multiple people out of the way to get by. nora starts laughing and tells you to leave the violence to the players and you brush her off. (for some reason she constantly loves to tease you.) when you both finally sit in your seats, you notice that they're behind the glass where the team players get out onto the ice and sit for breaks. nora suddenly bangs on the glass behind a player wearing an ANDERSON 20 jersey. the girl stands up and turns around and good god.

you weren't the shortest girl yourself, standing a couple inches over most girls you knew, but jesus she was easily almost six feet tall, and big, even if her jersey and gear probably made her look larger which really didn't help you focus. you liked the contrast of it with her face, bright, cute, and red from the cold as she talked to nora through the plexiglass. you were just about to admire the shape of her nose when her slightly unnerving blue eyes turned to you.

"hey, i recognize you!"

your brows pull in a deep scrunch.

"from this morning, you bumped into me and nearly knocked me on my ass."

"oh my god, i had a feeling that was you!" you hear the familiar noise of nora laughing at your pain. "jeez, how drunk did you get last night?"

"would you just- look, im sorry about earlier. i was hungover and rushing to class."

she smiles and shakes her head. "its chill, dont worry about it. nora, are you going to that party at derek's frat after? i swear he was begging me to come but i wasnt too sure."

"abby, everyone asks you to go to their parties and you never do! live a little." nora pauses before wrapping her arm around your shoulders.

you knew she was about to say something to piss you off.

"even little y/n here is gonna come and properly apologize to someone for once. isn't that right, hun?"

great.

"well, that wasn't my plan for tonight. at all." you say before picking up your giant hockey-themed plastic cup and taking a sip, hoping the chill of your slushie numbs out the rest of this conversation.

abby adjusts some of her straps and her helmet before resting her hand on the glass, noticing how the rest of her teammates are getting ready to go out on the ice. "well, i'd really like to see you there. is there any way i could convince you to come?"

"i don't know, is there?"

"how about... when i win, you come to the party with me."

you couldn't help but roll your eyes so hard they hurt. leave it to nora to be friends with the walking cliche of an arrogant sports player. you could've been spending this moment in your dorm watching a dumb hallmark movie about a businesswoman falling in love with a farmer while eating chips and drinking a self-indulgent capri sun.

"and if you lose?"

the announcer over the loudspeaker called for the game to start and the players started making their way onto the ice. abby winks at you before turning around and joining the rest of her team.

"trust me, i won't."

you scoffed and flopped back into your hard seat, sucking almost angrily at the bright red straw in your slushie to ignore nora's look.

"are all of your friends that annoying?"

"kind of. thought you'd enjoy it though. birds of a feather."

not bothering to entertain her, you focused on the game that was starting in front of you.

you could understand the basics of the game; one team had to get the puck into the other goal several times until they won. you had a brief understanding of some of the other rules, mostly because your father explained every winter olympic sport to you in great detail when you were twelve. it became so boring at one point that you fell asleep and banged your head on the coffee table, startling the both of you so much he decided to let you go to bed.

but as the game goes on you have to admit that anderson is frighteningly good at what she does. she moves gracefully and quickly on the ice, so well you think to yourself that if she ever tires of hockey she could seriously pursue ice skating, but when an opposing player gets too aggressive with her she returns it with force. she's like an avalanche on skates.

when the game ends you can't tell whether you're shocked or agitated. your team won in what nora called a 'total fucking landslide', the bright 6-1 lighting up the scoreboard like a smack in the face. it felt slightly awkward that everyone around you was yelling and celebrating while you were sitting statue still in your seat.

nora could probably sense your discomfort and gently pulled you up, telling you that the both of you could throw your things away before meeting up with some more friends of hers before heading to the party.

so awesome.

her friends were nice enough, a psychology student named leah and her boyfriend jordan who was some type of biology major. they seemed happy to meet you but happier to make googoo eyes at each other and go to the party, which meant you most likely wouldn't see them again once you got there unless you stumble upon the two in a hallway closet or bathroom. there was also mel, a nursing student who seemed slightly closed off but agreed with you when you mentioned this party would probably be loud and gross. a bunch of athletes celebrating a win is a recipe for disaster.

"finally, the campion herself arrives!" jordan cheers and raises his bag of chips up to abby who's walking up to your group, wearing a simple college sweatshirt and some black sweatpants. for something so basic she makes it look good, and if you didn't have any integrity and weren't pissed off about this party bet thing you'd tell her so. but you are pissed off and still have about half of your integrity, so you keep your mouth shut.

when she bumps into your shoulder with a 'told ya i'd win' you're about to reply with a snarky remark when a tall man with dark blonde hair and another with tanned skin and brown hair come up beside her and raise her up on their shoulders, chanting 'anderson, anderson!' on repeat. you look to nora who just rolls her eyes and tells you that she'll introduce you in the car.

you're all split into two cars, with you riding with the two strange men along with abby and nora. they tell you the guysin the front seats are owen and manny. also that they've all known each other since they were teens which definitely doesn't make you feel like an outsider. but manny keeps trying to joke around with you so you don't feel too awkward which you can appreciate. even if you don't really laugh.

when the car stops at a giant white frat house you arent surprised in the slightest. you were about to prepare yourself for another night of drinking and finding another hookup when abby throws her arm over your shoulder and decides that she likes you enough to spend most of the night by your side.

she walks with you to get drinks and then leaves to go celebrate with some other friends while you sit and nurse your drink for a while. it leaves you some time to think, asking yourself why you're acting like you're trapped here when you could just leave whenever you want, but you don't understand why you don't. maybe it's because you'll use any excuse to have a good reason to drown out your problems with alcohol. or because you're lonely but don't feel like admitting it.

after around half an hour she comes back and sits on one side of you while you talk to nora and joins in. she asks about your major, if you're from seattle, and how you met nora. after a while you stop rolling your shoulders when she asks a new question and settle into conversation with her. and after a few hours you learn more about her too, that her dad is a neurosurgeon and she's following in his footsteps with her pre-med major, but that as soon as she tried hockey she knew she wanted to do it forever. she tells you that she doesn't really like drinking, she knows most of the people on the other women's sports teams, that she used to date owen-

you choke on a sip of your vodka and nora pats your back with a chuckle. you were definitely off your game tonight. but besides that hiccup you have to admit talking to them is enjoyable. even their friend manny comes over and dares you to do shots with him and you were seriously about to do it before the girls talked you out of it.

over the next few weeks, you talk more and more to the anderson girl, to the point where you're staying up at night to talk to her over the phone and waking up to your roommate giggling in your face. once she was so tired after a game she started snoring and you would not let her forget it. just like she wouldn't let you forget the time you got wasted at a sorority party, got on top of the kitchen island, and danced to a city girls' song before she set you back on the floor.

you wouldn't ever admit it out loud, hell you had barely admitted it to yourself, but you had started to catch feelings for abby. there was nothing more mebarrasing and cliche to you than falling for your straight friend, and you really didnt want to be on eof those girls who did so. but in your defense, it was really hard not to. she was annoyingly pretty, lord knows how many times youe admired the freckles dusting her cheeks down to her shoulders. she was strong and smart and every other positive character trait your brain could conure up.

but the worst thing was just how nice she was to you.

in hindsight, the way everything fell into place was honestly the dumbest thing ever. you were at a county fair leah had heard about and asked you to come with her along with jordan and abby. obviously, the couple went in their own direction after a while, which left you and abby to wander around getting on the different rides and getting your reaction to abby eating her first-ever funnel cake. but then it was later, and the two of you had stopped at one of those rigged pop up games and you bet her twenty bucks that she wouldn't win, and if there was one thing you knew about abby it was that she took bets very seriously, so when she won and had to pick her prize you were a little confused when she picked your favorite animal and handed it to you.

when you asked her how she knew it was your favorite, all she could say was 'you said they were cool a few times and they're your profile picture on your private instagram, so i just put the pieces together.'

you went home and didnt talk to her for a week. or at least you tried to, because after a weekend of ignoring her calls and convincing tonya to bring you meals from the lunch hall the blonde girl banged her fist on your door and basically demanded you tell her what your problem was.

"i don't see what the big fucking deal is. i'm allowed a little bit of space from you, abigail."

she scoffed and you could see her tongue bunch in the corner of her mouth before her body pushed past yours until she was standing in the middle of your room.

"i'm not saying you can't have space and you know im not. i mean, one second we're having a good time together and then you just shut me out for no reason. if i did something wrong i need you to tell me. i can't read your damn mind, y/n."

sometimes it feels like you can, you think with a snort, feeling slightly embarrassed by the angry look on her face. you collect yourself and cross your arms over your chest. "i just don't feel like talking to you right now, so if you could please get out now-"

"nope. not gonna leave until you tell me what's wrong."

sometimes you could forget just how damn stubborn she was. it mostly popped up on the ice, and you had once overheard her coach say that if she wasn't such a great player she'd be benched most of the time.

"do you realize how annoying you're being right now?"

"don't care."

"i don't give a shit if you have muscles, i can still kick your ass."

"i'd really like to see you try, princess."

you groan and cover your face, but not before raising them in a choking gesture. you walk backward and sit on your bed, trying to take a breather before anderson follows you and resting on the ground in front of you, her large palms smoothing up and down your thighs.

"please, y/n, just...just tell me what i did and i'll fix it, i promise."

you've never been one to cry. or maybe you had been when you were a young child before your father taught you that 'crying doesn't achieve success, at least not the kind you want.' but you can see how much abby cares about you in her eyes and you know that despite you being unreasonable she'll put up with it anyway. your eyes start to sting and you rest your head in the crook of her neck.

she doesn't force you to say anything more than you want, rubbing the expanse of your back while another hand gently pats your head. after a long minute, you pull your head up and find that the space between your two faces is almost nonexistent, your eyes dart from her eyes to her lips, and before you can say anything else her hand is on the back of your neck and she's bringing your lips down to hers.

its soft and sweet and her lips are soft and feel like heaven against yours, and she doesn't give you a second to be confused about what's happening because she's making the kiss deeper and pulling your body closer to hers by putting her arms under yours and pressing you in by the back of your shoulders. you throw your arms over her shoulders and behind her neck and decide that you're going to enjoy this moment for as long as you can.

but eventually, you need to breathe, pulling your head back and letting out a shaky breath of air when abby just moves her ministrations to your neck, sucking and biting on the skin until it bruises.

"i..i thought you were straight." is all you can manage to voice, the feeling of her body pressed into yours and her teeth nipping at your neck making your mind hazy.

she laughs and kisses your neck a few times before looking you in the eyes. "well, i never actually said i was, you just assumed so."

"seriously? you dated owen? he's the dullest straight girl choice i've ever met. and we live in washington" you scoffed.

"yeah, well. that was a long time ago. i've moved on to bigger and better things."

she plants a big overdramatic kiss on your cheek, repeating so on the other side of your face until she can see your smile and hear you giggle. when you both calm down a little she backs up and wears a more serious look on her face.

"i care about you. more than i've cared about anyone before." she smiles, her thumb rubbing over the back of one of your hands. "except maybe my dad, obviously. and nora, she was kinda my best friend before you. but you get what im trying to say."

you laugh and nod at her. "i understand. i...like you too. a lot."

"geez, you're seriously emotionally stunted. but i'll take what i can't get, you'll warm up to me eventually." she slaps her hands on your thighs, ignoring the annoyed look on your face before scooching your body up until you're laying down on your bed, her body gently flopping down onto yours.

"abby! get the hell off, you're wearing your outside clothes!"

"cmon, just five more minutes."

and as much as you complained during those five minutes, you both knew you didnt mind that much.

after that things were really nice. at least for the most part. you were officially abby's girlfriend, which she had asked if you wanted to be the day after you two semi-confessed your feelings. she knew that this kind of commitment was new to you, and the last time it didn't go so well for her, so you both decided it'd be best to take it slow.

(slow meaning you did everything you two did before with the added bonus of making out whenever you wanted. you weren't complaining.)

but keeping things on the down low was a bit of a struggle. abby was a huge fan of pda, always found hugging one of her teammates after a successful game or cuddling with someone on movie nights. she would hug you when you were just friends, but now that you were comfortable with her touching you more in private it started to bleed into public life, her hand looking for yours when walking around or giving you a kiss on the cheek after you aced another test.

the next problem was your friends. you had told nora over a late night phone call while manny had found out when he had walked into the living room of his and abbys shared dorm and found the two of you with your shirts off and kissing on the couch, shouting in both spanish and english about how his eyes burned but he was happy for you both.

you both knew you could trust the two of them with your 'secret', but you didn't expect that end-of-the-year party owen and manny decided to invite you both to.

it was a mix of things really. you were going to just spend time with your friends and nothing more, but you were feeling really pent up. when you and abby decided to take things slow, that also meant sex. which at first was all right with you, hookups were a lot different than sharing yourself with someone you really cared about. but abby was just so effortlessly hot, and now since hockey season was over she had more time to spend with you and it was driving you up the damn wall. it got to the point that you found yourself nearly always on the brink of an orgasm when after a long day she'd press you into her bed and kiss you until you felt dizzy.

so when she decided to go to the party in a tight long-sleeved top and a normal pair of jeans, you definitely should not have been all over her as you were.

(to be fair. she was also on you like white on rice. you had decided to don a tube top with a mini skirt, figuring it couldn't hurt to dress up a little for a simple party. especially since it made your girlfriend look at you like she wanted to eat you alive.)

after mingling a bit and getting yourself a drink, you meet up with some of your friends and start to talk to leah about some drama in one of her classes when abby rejoins you, moving your body so your body is resting into hers. you aren't used to such a public display of affection, but this alcohol is blurring any desire you had to hide that she was yours and you were hers.

"god, you guys are so cute together it makes me sick." nora laughs into her red solo cup, shaking her head at your adorable but annoying affection.

leah's eyebrows scrunch up and she starts to pinch at your arm. "wait, am i missing something? you two are dating?"

at that point, some other people were listening in and looking in at the two of you, including none other than owen moore. now, you and moore were always cordial, but you wouldn't call him a good friend like you would the others. you always felt that whenever he saw or heard about you abby spending time together or heard about how close you two had gotten so quickly, he would smile silently while staring at you like he wanted to burn lasers through your brain.

and he was doing the exact same thing now, his grip on his bear so tight you feared the glass would break. somehow you were the only one who noticed.

"yes, we're together. finally managed to convince this one that jocks aren't just big dumb idiots a few weeks ago." abby's talking breaks you out of your thoughts, her arms snaking around your waist and pulling you to sit on her lap.

you cant help but roll your eyes. "i never once said that."

"well you were thinking it. i could tell."

some of the people who you didnt know and who were friends of friends said congrats, how cute they thought the two of you were, etc. it kind of weirds you out to have all these people paying attention to you just because of who you were with, but abby's quips to any weird remarks you didn't want to acknowledge made you feel better about anything.

but later on, when the two of you are unseriously dancing in the living room, owen comes over and asks abby to talk in private, leaving you to dance with some girls you recognized from the last party. but after three songs pass and abby still hasn't come back, you get a weird feeling in your chest and decide to go looking for the two. you head upstairs and down a few hallways before you hear two voices in a heated argument, and after numerous visits to her games, you can recognize abby's yelling anywhere.

before you can knock on the door to ask if something is wrong, it opens and you see a red-faced owen, not even saying anything before he knocks into your shoulder and goes back downstairs, clearly ignoring your call of 'fucking dick' to his back.

you scoff and shake your head, turning back around to say something to abby before you slightly step back at the look on her face. its dark, like if owen didn't leave she would have kicked his ass first, and now it's trained at you. you know she'd never hurt you, though. partially because she cares about you too much, and partially because you always keep a taser in your back pocket whenever you go to a party.

"abby? what's wrong? did he fucking say something to you?

she laughs before grabbing your arm and pulling you into the room, shutting the door behind you and locking it. her long legs take seconds to reach the bed, her arm releasing when your body sits and bounces slightly on the bed as she stands above you.

"its...its nothing, just owen being a dick like always."

her voice is strained and her hands are tensing into fists, telltale signs that she was really pissed off. you hold her hands in yours, pressing little kisses to her knuckles. normally you hated being so sappy, but you knew that being cute with her was a quick way to calm her down.

"don't worry. i can guarantee one of these days someone is gonna kick his ass. unless i do it first, and you know i want to." you joke and smile when she laughs, gripping her hands so she can sit on the bed next to you.

"yeah, youre right."

"im always right. you should learn that if you wanna stick with me."

she shakes her head before looking at you in silence, and you feel your face get hot under her gaze. you'd never admit it to her but seeing her so angry really did something for you. the bottom of your leg rubs against hers, and her eyes dart down before trailing up your legs to the point where your skirt is starting to ride up your bare thighs.

"here, babe? seriously?"

you sigh, figuring she was right and having your first time together in some stranger's house during a party was horribly tacky. you start to move your leg before she grabs it and puts it on the bed before grabbing you and resting you in her lap.

"i didn't tell you to stop."

so yes, you did get tacky in a strangers house. and back in abby's dorm. and again after you both showered.

so if there was one thing you could ever thank owen for, it was finally giving you both the push you needed to take the next step in your relationship. but after that night things were a little strained, as abby and owen were on a no-contact basis, their fight having something to deal with them and maybe you although she wouldn't go into details, which just led to this drama also spreading to mel since she was dating owen and was always pretty neutral when it came to you and tense when it came to abby, and mel was close friends to leah who was now close to you and...

it was complicated.

but you were used to not having people around. you had abby, nora, manny, and tonya, and that was all you really needed. speaking of tonya, you don't think you've ever seen anyone as happy for someone else's relationship as you did when you told tonya that you and abby got together. she said it was 'half happy that you found someone for you and half happy that someone will finally get the stick out of your ass.'

but your bliss was partially broken when your mother called a week after you had your last finals to let you know she and her father were going to be visiting seattle to talk to you about something important. at this point you hadn't talked to either of your parents since winter when your dad had not so discreetly told you he would be on your ass about skiing again as soon as your leg was alright again. and you were definitely going to dread every minute you had to spend trying to cordial to them, don't even mention finally introducing them to your girlfriend who you so far had never told them about.

for a few days after the call, you must have been acting weird because abby could tell something was wrong and took you to a relaxing little cafe she had found when she first got to the city. you're sipping on a milkshake while abby does the same across from you, digging into her stack of blueberry pancakes, waiting for you to tell her what's going on while she talks about her schedule now that school is out.

"manny's gonna be gone for a month because of his music internship, so i was wondering if you wanted to come and stay at mine while he's gone. we can watch movies, dance to music, or we can practice those recipes i saw on tiktok."

"mhm, that sounds nice, babe." you continue to at least show minimal attention to what she's saying, briefly slurping at your shake until she speaks again.

"yup. but after that, i might have to leave for a while, i haven't seen my dad in forever and he wanted me to stay for two weeks while my aunt is visiting salt lake."

her words slowly die out when she notices how you stop slurping your drink, your eyes staring into space as your thumb scratches at your palm.

throughout your relationship, you had told abby the rundown of your relationship with your parents maybe once. at first, it was because it was a touchy subject and you would be embarrassed if she knew the reason for the way you acted the way you did and thought your baggage was too much for her.

and then it was because deep down you were jealous. they had their ups and downs, but abby had such a pure relationship with her father that sometimes it made you sick. while he didnt flaunt his wealth because of his principles, but abby would tell you about all the times when she was younger that her dad would give her the best birthday parties, take her with him to conferences around the world, and made sure she had anything she desired.

so when you had to tell her that the most your dad did was give you a break to be a normal adult instead of shaping you into a champion, you don't think there was ever a time that you secretly envied her more.

"this is about your dad, isn't it?" she whispered, reaching across the table to take your hand in hers. you nodded, relieved that your girlfriend could read you like a book and you didnt have to say it out loud.

"could you tell me more about it?"

shit.

you sighed, a deep breath leaving your body and clearing your head.

"my parents are gonna be here soon. said they wanted to talk to me about something "important", which means my dad thinks i've had enough time to recover from my leg being nearly snapped in two because he thinks he knows better than the doctor. but hey, maybe when i was gone he got another fuckin degree to throw in my face."

while you ranted abby never said a word, just paying close attention and providing you comfort. out of everyone in the crew, she was always the person people went to talk to when they needed it. she said it was something she got from her mom.

"all my life he's been like this. just pushing me and pushing me until im at the point of breaking until i use my anger to win. there's no doubt he's still doing it. heard my brother is being scouted at his games and he's only fifteen."

abby nods and presses a kiss to your hand, treading carefully with what she says next. "your dad sounds...horrible, honestly. he never...hit you did he?"

you feel your body jerk back and both of your eyes go big at your reaction.

"no, no he would never. im serious. wouldn't make sense from a logical standpoint, id be in front of other people all the time and any injuries would fuck up my skiing."

"well that's a bleak way of looking at it, but im glad he didnt. but the other shit is still bad."

"yeah. definitely not looking forward to dealing with that again in two weeks."

"i know, but im here, and im gonna stick by you every step of the way, alright? even if your parents find out they hate me and curse my bloodline."

you couldn't help but snort at her. "nobody could hate you, anderson. you would annoy them too much and make dirty bets against them."

"what? that wasn't a dirty bet! you'd just never seen my skills before and i used it to my advantage."

"whatever you say abs."

abbys reassurance and patience helped greatly, and by the time you met your parents at their hotel for breakfast, you weren't nervous about whatever bullshit they had to say.

but for some odd reason, they were very cordial. your mom asked you about school, how your grades were, and how you liked your chosen major. when it got to the point if you were seeing anyone, you not so subtly gushed about abby and she seemed really happy for you. your dad even praised you for picking another sportsman, avoiding your look while he ate his eggs.

a week later you even had the courage to introduce them to abby, who told you she would cook something for all of you to eat.

that tiktok recipe she was talking about? it was ratatouille. and you had to admit it was delicious, and you wondered how abby was so good at so many things and she told you when she was a kid she wanted to learn how to do basically everything and her dad was more than happy to indulge her. sometimes you really wondered how she didn't appear to be so spoiled.

but your girl was nothing if not a charmer, and by the end of the night your mom was gushing over how much she liked abby and thought she was a great match for you.

your dad was...your dad. he acted polite, asking abby about her intentions, if she was dedicated to her studies and sports and you at the same time. blah blah blah. abby gave perfect human resources-like answers that she knew would make you giggle and loosen up.

once dinner was over your mother insisted on staying a little while longer to watch a movie, finding out she and your girlfriend both had soft spots for mamma mia and grease and planned to drink some wine and let loose for once. while the two were watching meryl streep panic on screen your dad tapped you on the shoulder and asked if he could speak to you in private, and you were mentally prepared to get into yet another argument.

"i know i'm the last person who gets to say this but..you've seemed to have really grown this past year. I'm proud of you."

"thanks. i guess."

he sighs, shifting on his feet. "i know i've always been hard on you and your brothers. i just-i knew that if you had guidance you could be phenomenal at whatever you do."

"yeah, dad, but that doesn't mean forcing me to train for ten hours a day when i was still in third grade." you could list more instances of him being overbearing and partially ruining your childhood, but you don't feel like being the person who makes the conversation go sour.

"i know. trust me, i know. look, your mother has us going to a shrink and...one of the steps is asking for forgiveness and whatever mumbo jumbo."

you almost snort but pass it off as a sneeze. your dad in therapy was about as believable as a talking donkey.

"well, it's nice to hear dad but it's not gonna be just as easy as being nice to me and my girlfriend for a night."

"i know. which is why i wanted to show you this."

he pulls out and his phone and after a few taps shows you an article. you read the word 'olympics' and nearly blow before he cuts you off.

"just listen, alright? one of the big coaches was caught and fired for doping a bunch of the players, so they're postponing the winter games for another few years for investigations to see if there's any more misconduct."

"are you serious?"

"deadly. and i know with your leg and your schooling you'll have your hands full but, i figured the best way i knew how to bond with you was to help you. it'd be enough time to get extensive physical therapy and train up. but only if you want to."

"dad, i. i really don't know what to say."

"you don't have to say anything, at least not now. just promise me you'll think about it, alright? and if by next spring you still don't want to, I'll never bring it back up again."

after that, your mother comes and says they should get going to get enough sleep for their flight tomorrow, and you bid your parents goodbye with stiff hugs and a genuine smile.

for the next few months into your sophomore year your on the fence. when you were a kid, despite the pain and the tears and the bruises, there was nothing you loved more than skiing. you swear that the adrenaline rushes you would get speeding down slopes were better than anything you've ever experienced, even sex.

(when abby heard you say that one night on the couch, she pouted and wouldn't touch you for a week, telling you to go back to those stupid slopes if that's how you felt.)

but the point was that you were basically going through a beginning life crisis. either stick with the new normal you've created and potentially miss out on fulfilling your childhood dreams, or take a risk and potentially come out more damaged than before.

you were planning on spending the next thanksgiving mulling it over, but to your shock baby invited you to come with her to her dad's house for thanksgiving with her family. when checking in with her to see if she and her dad would be ok with this big step, she told you it was actually her dad's idea and she'd be more than happy to have you meet her family.

you swear to god you have never been more nervous on a plane than you were on the flight to salt lake, only being soothed by the constant free drinks you get in first class, the six hundred page book in your hands, and abbys large hand constantly rubbing on your thigh and back. you suggested that you both join the mile-high club as a joke and she seemed a little too into it.

"babe please, i promise ill be quick. i can even put my fingers in your mouth."

"abby, i was just joking. im not gonna do that and get kicked off the plane. god, you're so fuckin weird."

"you make me weird. pretty please? ill pull out the puppy eyes."

"i really don't give a fuck."

and you come to find out that abby's stories were true because her dad is so weirdly nice. he greets you at the airport like he's known you all your life, and is eager to find conversation the whole drive to his house where you both are staying.

you were glad that like you abby had a smaller family, or at least one she spent thanksgiving with. after her father you only had to introduce yourself to her aunt and her small family, a husband who you have to look down at and likes to boast about his coin collection, and three children. the eldest, ashley, was closer in age to you and abby and was clearly abby's favorite cousin. the middle child was a wild child named kris, who didn't seem at all phased that you were a stranger and kept asking you if you'd ever heard of their favorite anime series.

now, you've never been the best with children, you repeatedly told your mother to throw your baby brother in the trash when you were six, but you couldn't help but fawn over abby's baby cousin lyle, the cutest infant you've ever seen who after a few hours of fussing because of the time change, he calms down into a smiling drooling little thing who, although he keeps tugging at your hair when his mom hands you to him, seemed to actually enjoy your presence and laughs like its the funniest thing ever.

you didnt catch the way abby looked at you fondly while you were playing around with her cousin or the way she swatted her father away when he called her out on it.

so thanksgiving was easy, a peaceful week full of meeting kind people and eating some surprisingly good food. but you didn't even get a week of peace after before abby brought it up.

christmas.

yes the holiday was full of joy and warmth when you were a child. but after a mini teenage rebellion and your energy you just...gave up on the holiday completely. last year you spent it alone inside your dorm which wasn't the worst thing on earth. you got to watch corny feel-good movies like national lampoons, drink hot chocolate with extra marshmallows, and had free reign to the library since the librarian apparently used to watch your games on tv. it wasn't like it used to be, but it was enough.

"so, you're coming with us to the cabin right?" nora reaches across the library table and takes one of your fries from the fast food you sneaked in. for some reason she refused to order her own fries, content to pluck the ones from your container.

"what? what cabin?"

"god, abby hasn't told you about this by now? i thought she would have taken you there already and made it her love shack or something." she quickly ducks her head when you toss a burnt fry at her, looking around to make sure no one saw. "it's her dad's cabin at one of the ski ranges in the mountains, she invites us every year for christmas break or new years if we can't make it."

"first, you're a perv. second, i don't know why she hasn't told me about it. id probably tease her for it anyway."

"well when you see her next ask her, because you definitely have to come with us this year."

"i don't know, nors. you know how i feel about skiing right now..."

"you don't have to ski! we literally never do, as sad as it is. we just hang out, go out for drinks, and hit the skiing town. im telling you cold resort parties are insane."

you take a minute to mull it over, staring into space as you tap your fingers on the hardwood table. nora fingers tap on the top of your hand.

"i understand you're going through things, with your dad and all. you don't have to come if you don't want to. but i know we'd really enjoy it if you came, especially abby."

you nod and eat another fry before gegging back to the novel you were reading, some 'all-time classic' abby had said you had to read.

you saw abby a few hours after that, yet again staying the night at her dorm to kick off the following weekend. when you entered using your spare key the smell of chinese food instantly hit you, and it took you by surprise since abby normally insisted on cooking for you and manny.

you set down your things and kicked off your shoes before heading into the little kitchenette, hearing the sound of rather loud whispers that stopped as soon the roommates saw you, noodles stuffed into both of their mouths.

"what the fuck are yall starin at?"

manny snorts before making some weird excuse for leaving, telling you he's meeting up with some meteorology student at a bar and he won't be home until tomorrow. you bid him. a quick goodbye before turning back to abby, the blonde picking through her food.

its only then that you notice the gauze wrapped around her palm, quickly cross the threshold to gently but firmly raise her hand up to your face to observe it.

your about to go on a triade when you see that sad pout on her face.

"tell me who did this to you." you grumble, putting on a fake deep voice.

she chuckles and shakes her head. "you're so weird."

"only because of you. tell me what happened."

"i was trying to cook before we ordered takeout and i just...got distracted and burned my hand. its not a big deal, don't worry about it."

you tell by the way her shoulders were tensing that she was getting into one of her moods, always hating when she failed at something and hating even more when people kept asking her about it.

"well im always gonna worry about, something that's also your fault by the way. what made you distracted."

"nothing."

"abs."

"please just drop it."

"abigail."

she groans before slumping her head into her arms on the counter.

so you decide to drop it. at least for a little while. you put away the rest of the food, deciding to eat the box she bought for you after her mood had been resolved before figuring you'd leave her alone while you took a shower.

but if there was one thing you knew about abby, it was that she took 'golden retriever energy' to a whole nother level. aka most of the time she couldn't leave you alone and followed you near everywhere. after only a few minutes, you heard the shower door open and felt her large arms circle around your waist and her head rest on your shoulders.

"i wanna ask you something. there's this cabin my dad owns that we all head to for winter break and stuff-"

you felt your heart skip a beat. to be honest part of the reason you were nervous about abby asking you this was because you were second-guessing yourself and your relationship. you hadn't even been together for a full year at this point, and even if you knew you loved her and that she adored you, you didnt want to be the one to bring up this thing she does with people she's known for years and get your heart damaged.

"and i wanted to invite you to go with us because i just know youd make it feel so much more special."

"i feel like a 'but' goes at the end of that sentence."

she rubs her head into your shoulder more, kissing at the soft and wet skin of your shoulder blade.

"i didn't tell you much. about my fight with owen. but everyone knows we haven't been talking much, but he's still been my friend since elementary, and i was hoping that maybe during the trip we could resolve things. but if he ever said something to you or about you i think id go fucking crazy."

your turn around and hold her head in your hands. her body is still slumped so her head is more at your level and her pretty blue eyes stare right into yours.

"i appreciate that. your slight anger issues make me feel honored." a smile quirks on her face and she nuzzles her head into your palms more. "and as much as he pisses me off, i don't know how i feel about causing a greater rift between you and your friends. ive only been with you less than a hear, he's known you for-"

"year or not doesn't matter. you mean...so much to me i can't put into words. the only reason i was nervous all day was that i didnt know how to make this sound like i wasn't putting him before you because i wouldn't. ever."

you look at her a bit longer, swiping away wet pieces of her hair back from her face so you can see all of her. because she's looking at you like she can do the same.

you both take an intimate shower without a word, helping the other bathe and lather her hair in apricot shampoo she's become addicted to. once you exit, dry off, and change into some matching fluffy pajamas she bought for you both, you finally head back to the kitchen to eat your food before turning on a movie.

it was only because you both decided to choose some random movie that the stupid thought crossed into your mind.

"could you imagine if we were that touchy all the time? we're already halfway there and it drives your friends nuts." you poked her cheek while you were resting on her, her arm wrapped around your shoulders while your legs intertwined on the couch.

"what do you mean?"

"just like, overdoing it. always with an arm around the other, making eyes across the room. if you wanna get extreme you could carry me on your back."

"or i could carry you on my front."

the shift of her hips and the tone of her voice makes you turn your head to look at her, nearly busting out laughing at the way her eyes are glued to the screen while she chews on her lower lip.

"stop doing that."

"doing what? im watching the movie. watch the movie with me."

"this is just like on the plane. y'know i was kidding about the exhibitionist thing at first-"

"baby, please."

"please what?"

she groaned while you just giggled at her, moving your bodies so she was sitting up on the couch and you were on top of her, adjusting your hips so you were straddling her waist.

"what're you thinking about, bunny?"

a subtle whine escaped from her throat and you smirked in triumph. there was nothing your girl loved more than being called the softest and cutest pet names, and you would frequently use it to your advantage, like the time when she refused to help you cheat on a test 'on principle' and you rested your face on her thigh from under the desk with a 'please, princess?' and she happily gave you the answers after roughly grinding herself on your tongue.

"i just...maybe if we played it up at the cabin owen would finally fuck off and realize im yours. i just thought it'd be funny."

you felt a warm feeling in your chest at the thought, showing your girl all the affection she craved from you on an idyllic vacation while also showing that dick owen who's boss. maybe then he'd finally let whatever his issue with you go. or not. at this point you didnt care.

"ok. we can do it."

"what? are you serious? i was half joking. i don't wanna make you do anything you don't want to-"

you cut off her sweet rambles with a press of your lips to hers. her arms brought you in closer until your breasts were squished into hers.

when abby texted the group chat the next morning next to you in bed to let the others know you'd be joining, you couldn't help but feel warm at the replies.

manny : thank god, i need a drinking partner since no one ever wants irish hot chocolate

leah : because the last time you made it you got drunk by five pm and kept singing baby its cold outside while doing both parts

jordan : and badly

manny : haters

nora : omg thank god

nora : this is all because of me btw

nora : tell y/n we're gonna have sooo much fun

manny : wait is she gonna ski

jordan : stop.

you giggled at your friends' antics. you were already imagining all the crazy things that would happen on the trip and happily listened to all the stories abby had to tell you.

mel : cant wait for the trip! hoping ben's is still open.

owen : 👍🏻

a snort escaped from you. "oh hes so pissed."

"definitely." abby agreed before turning the phone off and snuggling into your neck to relax for a little while longer. "prepare, he's probably just gonna get angrier from our masterful plan."

"technically my plan. and are you sure you still wanna do it? i don't wanna drive a wedge between you guys."

"he started that at that party. either he's gonna deal with me changing for the better or im gonna leave him in the dust. now shush, im going to sleep."

your hand smooths through abby's locks as she drifts back into sleep, and you soon follow her into it, dreaming of pale snow and the sight of the slopes.

the nex two weeks before break starts you're horrifically busy, finishing up some tests while also buying and packing everything you'll need for the trip. which is really just an excuse for you to get a bunch of those cute thick sweaters you saw on ebay but that's neither here nor there.

once your last class was finished abby immediately called an uber to take you to the airport, citing that as the host she always headed to the cabin earlier than everyone else to fix it up and stock up on little things, everyone would need or forget like extra blankets and lots and lots of water. during the trip to the airport, waiting in the airport since you were both 'get there hours before the flight' girls, and on the flight itself, abby was telling you stories of the cabin and what has happened on the past few trips that you should know about.

apparently, the cabin (in aspen, which you teased her was so basic) was bought by her grandparents (more teasing) for family trips when her dad was little. but as his siblings got older and started their own families the trips dwindled down, until his parents decided to just leave the place to him, telling him not to sell it for anything since it was worth a fat load of cash by now. hed take abby and her mom there before she passed, and then once she turned sixteen told her he trusted her enough to bring her friends up there if they could.

"honestly, i think it was part of him being nice and feeling sad we didn't spend much time together then. we were still mourning and he was always working." she sinks into her first-class seat, sipping on her complimentary ginger ale can. "but we're better now, and i get to have a laid-back vacation with my friends every year."

"sounds like a win-win to me. traumatic way you got there and all."

"you of all people saying that is hilarious, truly."

a few hours of talking and napping later and you've landed in colorado, a rental car waiting for you in the airport parking lot.

"abs, you are so secretly bougie. like, why didn't you rent a private car that time yours was in the shop and we were stuck in the rain downtown?"

"it's for emergencies and the necessary."

driving through the roads of aspen snowmass is something close to magical. at this point, the sun has set and the twinkling lights of the villages are everywhere, and you can see a plethora of christmas decorations inside shop windows.

when abby parks outside of the cabin your jaw is close to dropping, and you have to hold it up once you step inside. there was obviously a lot of wood, making up the floors, walls, and beams that connect both. but it was also decorated with relaxed brown and cream furniture.

"i want you to know if we get married, im not signing a prenup."

abby cackles before sneaking up behind you and tickling your waist, cackling at your shriek followed by a scowl.

"'if' babe, really? nice to know you're so committed."

"i'll be more committed if you give me a tour of this place."

the cabin was big, of course. enough bedrooms for your whole group and a few more. you honestly couldn't pick your favorite. there was a game room with a pool table you were just itching to beat jordan and leah at, a hot tub outside on the deck looking down onto the village that looked like the perfect place to drink champagne with nora talking shit about her recent ex.

"now, this is what i really wanted you to see," abby smiles before pushing open a wide set of doors on the upper floor and revealing to you the grand bedroom. there's a giant bed against the back wall, with a warm little nook tucked into a bay window.

"it's so nice here abs, really. i can't wait for everyone to get here so we can start doing stuff." you drop your bags by the front of the bed and flop your behind onto it, loving the way it bounces you up and down a bit. and you can tell that abby also loves it by the way she's staring at the way your boobs jiggle.

"im glad you like it, baby. but we don't have to wait for the others to get here to have some fun." a pervy little smile lights up her face and she starts inching towards you, making stupid little grabby hands as she does so.

"you're insatiable. aren't we supposed to be making sure this place is ready for everyone else?"

"wasn't it your idea for us to play everything up for fun? that includes sex. a lot of it. strap-ons are allowed on planes, by the way. and other things."

"...seriously?"

"seriously."

at this point, her arms are caging you into the plush of the comforter, and you don't know whether to look at the veins in her arms or her eyes or her mouth-

"you're staring, pretty."

"well you're all i can see, gorgeous."

she presses a soft kiss to the underside of your chin, her tounge poking out to lick down your neck.

"god, abs, please."

"please what?"

you groan and she just laughs at you.

the hardest part of being a switch was that abby could just throw shit back in your face when she became more dominant. it was both infuriating and arousing.

“im not gonna say it."

"you sure?" her large hand slips beneath the band of your pants until its resting over your underwear, teasing you.

"yes i a-am!" your refusal is cut off when two of her thick fingers slide inside of you, filling you up in the most delicious way. it doesn't help your case that there's no restriction, the wetness between your thighs letting her know just how much you were enjoying this.

"y'know, your master plan isn't exactly gonna work if you have an attitude with me, baby." her words are gravelly as she speakes into the crease of your neck, occasionally looking up at you to ingrain your reactions into her memory.

"god, abs."

"this is one the things i love most about you acting like a brat, just means i get to fuck and love on you until it goes away. and i've got all the time in the fuckin world."

just when you start getting close to your orgasm, you could've sworn in the distance you heard the sound of a door opening before closing a few minutes later. the feeling of abby kissing you and adding a third finger inside of you. you decided to just drop it

later on, after a nice long shower and putting on this cute warm sweater you bought, you and abby decided it was time to head out and get enough groceries to last for around two weeks until everyone else would arrive and decide what meals they would want after. it was very entertaining to watch abby standing in a fluorescently lit market aisle decide if she wanted to make a giant chicken pot pie or some creamy chicken soup one of her teammates told her about. she just stuck her tongue out when you looked at her.

once you returned to the cabin you could hear some music coming from inside the house, and despite your initial worry abby just smiled and rushed inside, your brain seriously wondering if you had chosen correctly romantically.

you headed inside with a few of the bags, setting them on the kitchen counters before heading to the source of the music that appeared to be coming from the living room. once you cross the threshold you are happily surprised to see your girlfriend and manny talking and laughing in the middle of the room.

"ah! nice to know abs hasn't broken you already." manny comes over to give you a big hug before setting you down and shaking your shoulders, just laughing when you start smacking his hands.

"jeez, what is with you guys? be normal."

"you forget im abby's roommate. this is because of you. you gave me this trauma."

you roll your eyes before patting him on the shoulder.

"ok, ok. why did you come early? when do the others get here?" abby asks from her place still on the couch.

"what, i cant just come because i love and miss two of my best friends."

the room is silent as you both stare at him.

"well just so you know, that was half true. but also," he looks down a dark hallway before tugging you closer to the couch so he can speak quietly. "mel and owen are here."

you blink. "thats...odd."

"very odd, but maybe it's a good thing? who knows, maybe owen's gotten over the whole fight and wants to put it to bed." abby turns to you, those big blue eyes filled with hope that you don't have the heart to squash with a joke.

"yeah, maybe."

"well if he did do that, i don't think he's in the mood for it now." manny chuckles.

"why not?"

"he was confused to see a car in the driveway, so he came by two hours ago and left like two minutes later. his face was as red as a tomato, you know how he looks when he's flushed."

oh my god.

you turned to abby and her cheeks were puffed, a clear sign she was trying not to laugh.

well, it looks like your plan was already working.

the next three days were more laid back, just spent taking a chance to relax and sleep in after your grueling semester. you decided to spend these days exploring more of the cabin, admiring all of the rooms and the random really pretty art pieces on some of the walls.

you swore that nothing could beat the bliss you felt on that second day, waking up to the faint sun in your eyes and abby gently snoring next to you, deciding to cook up a bunch of waffles, one of the meals you excelled at, and read a four hundred page book on the sofa.

(the plan was still in motion at this point, just more tame.

once jordan, leah, and nora came things really took a turn for the exciting. after hearing that you'd been cooped in the house these past few days, leah insisted you come with them to some bars and other hot spots around town. you hadn't been drinking much lately but figured that since you were surrounded by people you trusted and a bunch of strangers you'd be able to handle yourself.

and you did.

for the most part.

you just weren't expecting the bartender to be the chillest girl you've ever met and make a killer strawberry daiquiri, because before you knew it they were playing some old-school song over the speakers and were hanging off of leah's arm like a koala.

"oh my god, im so glad you invited me out. this place rules. have you tried the daiquiris? serenity said she'd make me one more but you can have it."

"her name is trinity, and you're getting touchy. where's abs?"

you shrug and she shakes her head, looking over your shoulders to see if she can spot the hulking blonde. she waves someone over and then abby is in your vision, a soft expression on her face as she tugs your body into hers.

"how much have you had to drink, baby?"

"mmmm, not too much. i could walk in a gay line. look, i even made a corny joke!"

"yes, you did." she squats down a little bit and you wrap your arms around her neck and your legs around her waist, trying to restrain yourself from making any noises when she lifts you with ease to the amusement of some of the people in the bar.

"how about we head back and take a long bath, pretty. ill even try those rose face masks you bought."

you were about to agree when out of the corner of your eye you catch owen, sitting inside a booth with jordan and manny, sparing looks in your direction.

you smirk down at her and she can already guess what you're thinking, tightening her grip on your hips.

"or we can do that later. and dance now."

you nod and loosen your legs for her to drop you but she just holds you tighter for a moment, leaning her head up to place a heated kiss on your lips before pulling away, fighting to ignore the tiny string of spit that connects your lips to hers.

"ok. now we can dance."

abby told you the next day that owen had asked to talk to her one on one in the morning and she didn't really understand what it meant. he apologized for lashing out at her, apparently, but still didnt agree with some of the 'drastic changes to her personality' that were happening lately.

you really tried to promise her that you wouldn't cuss him out, telling you she'd handle it later after having a conversation with manny to figure out when the hell he started acting like this.

focus on tried.

you and nora were in the kitchen that night making cups of hot chocolate, taking the chance to top them with all the stuff you weren't allowed to as a child. also probably increasing your risks of cavities, but whatever, it was nostalgic. you were laughing at the absurd abundance of whipped cream in her mug and the three candy canes in yours when you heard footsteps coming into the kitchen, looking over to see owen looking over some things in the fridge.

you looked at nora. she looked at you.

"so owen, how are things going with mel?"

his hand pauses over some leftover noodles, gripping it with a fist.

"we're great actually, thanks for asking norsie."

noras eye twitches, bumping into your shoulder before leaving the room to rest in the kitchen and wait for you before starting a movie.

owen turns and suddenly its just the two of you. staring at each other. you with a three-caned hot cocoa and he with a tupperware of linguine.

"what's your fucking problem."

his eyebrows shoot up, almost like he wasn't expecting you to actually bring up the tension at hand.

"y/n, is this really the time-"

"yes, it is the goddamn time to ask you why you've been acting like a dick to me and my girlfriend."

his mouth quirks downwards and you nearly laugh at the realization of the words, the glances, how he would look at abby sometimes like a kicked puppy even when his damn girlfriend sat on his lap, it was all because he couldn't move the fuck on.

"seriously? that's the reason? you've been putting me, putting abby through hell because you're still hung up over her? this is my worst gay nightmare."

"it's because ever since she's been with you shes been different, always acting like she's some better person now that she's over me. like i was the thing holding her back. how do you think that makes me feel, huh?"

you stare at him after his quiet outburst, his face that signature shade of pink and his eyes enraged. but he doesn't scare you.

you walk closer to him, entertained by the way she avoids you like the plague, and presses his back into the refrigerator. you want to lash out more, to scream at him until your throat is sore, to whisper all the little flaws about him you've noticed over the past year that are driving everyone away, but you won't.

"i hope it makes you feel like the heap of shit you are. goodnight, moore."

when abby feels you snuggle into her later that night, feeling your hands squeeze into her stomach from behind you, she asks if everything is ok, and you press a kiss to her cheek and tell her to go back to sleep.

the next morning it's christmas eve, and everyone is in the dining room eating breakfast and talking about how everyone somehow has no plans when you make a suggestion for the day.

"i wanna go hit the slopes today."

you swear most of them look at you like you've grown another head that just started trying to sing the tequila song.

manny continues chewing his eggs before giving you a thumbs up, but you can tell he's secretly been waiting for this. after you first met he asked you if you've ever skied again after your accident and then dropped it when you gave him a death glare. but since you've gotten closer he knows more about how it's not that you can't ski, but almost as if there was a mental block that stopped you from doing so.

"uhm...sure. i can see if we can do that. are you sure you want to?" abby rests her arms on the table and leans her head into yours, trying to give a sense of privacy for your answer.

"i'm not made of glass, abby. it's about time i get back out there. its the only way i'll known for sure about what my dad said."

"what'd your dad say?" mel speaks up from the opposite side of the table, her hand rested over owen's on top of the wood.

you straighten your shoulders. "some stupid doping scandal got the olympics postponed, and my dad said if i wanter he thinks he could get me back in shape by then to apply."

"holy shit! i mean, it's your choice obviously, but that's cool as hell. i think you should do it." jordan exclaims, sipping on his orange juice through a straw.

"wait, what about your leg? you've only had problems with it a couple of times, but is it alright enough to go ski?" nora asks. she was the one who besides abby you've told the most about your skiing problems, and once took you to the pharmacy to pick up your pain meds like it was no hassle.

"it's better if i don't push myself too much, but the blue and reds should be a piece of cake."

you look at abby, and even though she has no idea why you've had this sudden change of heart, she can hear the subtle excitement in your voice and nods her head at you with a smile.

thanks to everyone always waking up at the break of dawn for some reason, you're checked in to the slopes and ready to go only three hours later. jordan and manny even decided to join you and try their hands at the bunny slopes, the rest of the group deciding to find somewhere to sit and relax while they watched you all.

"mama please, you're embarrassing me." manny groans while you tilt his head from side to side to make sure all of the straps for his helmet and goggles are secure. you weren't about to have him getting a concussion and blaming you for bringing him here or the workers for their sloppy job.

"no one knows better ski safety than me. now shush, I'm almost done."

once you were finished you gently smacked his head and headed to the side of where the slope ends, abby beaming at you from over the rail. she was wearing this cute little beanie she bought for the trip and this all-black bomber jacket that made her look so much bigger than she already is.

"hello? babe, did you hear what i said?" abby's hand waves in front of your face bringing you back to focus. you slowly blink and she shakes her head. "you're so weird."

"again, i get that from you."

"whatever." her gloved hand rests on your face and she brings you closer so she can press a soft kiss onto your lips. when she tries to pull away but your arms are wrapping around her neck and pulling her body into yours, starting an impromptu makeout session before jordans wolf call yanks you out of it.

her fingers reach up to push a strand of hair back into your helmet. "are you sure you'll be ok up there? if your leg hurts just pull over to the side and i'll try to come up and help you-"

you cut her off with another kiss. "i'll be fine, princess. don't worry about me. just worry about all those losers I'm gonna show up."

she laughs that cute and loud little laugh of hers and sends you off, waving to you multiple times when she sees you go up the lift.

once you are at the top you go over everything again, making sure all of your equipment is snug, the track in front of you is good, and your skis are tight and before you know it you're standing at the top of the slope breathing heavy and feeling like you're about to have a panic attack.

your head feels like it's on fire and you swear that you are close to passing out when someone taps on your shoulder. you turn around and it's some teen by his face unobstructed by the goggles, a go-pro attached to his helmet.

"hey, sorry if i'm being annoying but, you're y/n l/n right?"

you nod, hoping he can't see the strained expression on your face.

"i just wanted to say that i think you're like, so cool. i saw that video of you training for the super g at thirteen and it changed my life, seriously."

your head felt a bit better at the memory. the adrenaline you got skiing down slopes at top speeds and then dodging the flags your father asked the owners if he could put on the track to help you train. they were nice people, and even let you pick what flags you wanted. a mix of pink and black.

"thank you. i swore that training took everything out of me. but at least i didn't have to worry about how i was doing in algebra."

he laughs and bobs his head. he clears his throat before slightly hopping on his two feet.

"you ok, kid?"

"yes, yeah, i just... ya see i have this youtube channel where i post videos of me riding down the slopes, helping beginners, trying the harder slopes, and stuff like that." he taps the go bro on his helmet. "and i was wondering if you wanted to do like, a friendly little race? i don't know, you don't have to i know you're leg is probably still healing, i can just go if you wa-"

"i'll do it."

his eyes bulge, surprised at your answer. you have to admit you're slightly surprised too. you weren't planning on doing anything more than inching your way down the intermediate slope a few times, but the memory of the super g has energy suddenly rushing through you. besides, it'd be a nice distraction from everything else. your dad. owen. you.

when you both get to the edge of the slope, you let him know you'll give him a twenty-second head start before you follow. he nods, and a few seconds later you're skiing for the first time in years.

and it feels fucking great.

at the speeds you are going the wind is whipping across the unprotected parts of your face, the stinging cold keeping you focused as you turn around trick hills and get your legs used to the feeling of slight strain. but your legs feel fine, and that makes you feel even better.

before long you can see the kid ahead of you and your friends in the close distance, nora's red coat bobbing up and down as she cheers for you. only five seconds after you pass your fan and can hear his slight spluttering before you're bringing your skis to a stop and the ice is flying from underneath them.

your heart is pounding as the kid, who tells you his name is aidan, thanks you for 'kicking his ass, i swear it'll get so many views". he tells you he'll tag you, and you do him one better by saying you'll follow him back and you're a little scared he's about to have a heart attack before he leaves to check in with his parents.

"oh my god oh my god oh my god! that was so fucking cool! i really thought you were gonna wipe out there for a second but I'm glad you didn't." leah squeezes your body in a hug rocking you from side to side. "are you gonna go again? if you do i swear I'll put on some skis and go down the bunny slope."

you throw your head back with a laugh, imagining leah slowly going down the snow while pizza and french frying her skis. you bask in the compliments given to you by nora who was watching the whole time and manny who tells you he successfully completed the green slope with no falls or bumps. you feel the urge to talk to abby, to have her tell you she's proud of you when you see her near one of the equipment cabins, talking to owen.

"are you gonna go again or do you wanna stop for the day?"

you look at nora with a grin. "yeah, i'll go again."

later that night, after a few more hours of racing your friends and even seeing a few more fans who recognized you, even one lady who said she remembered you based on your form, everyone is headed back to the house to end the day after getting some drink from the community lodge

for some reason, abby hasn't talked to you since, and based on what you saw you're preparing for the damn worst. a small part of you knows you might be overreacting, that there's no way she would fall for the bullshit more had to say to her, but her avoidance of you isn't helping that little part take charge.

like she could read your mind, she's on your tail and following you into your bedroom, taking off her clothes as you do the same but still no word before you head into the shower. under the heat of the water, you rest your head on the wall and close your eyes to try to center yourself. you know abby, you know how much she's done for you. owen wasn't going to get in the way of that and you refused to let him.

you dry yourself off, brush your teeth, moisturize your body, and decide not to put on your pajamas and just this cute robe abby bought for you before leaving the bathroom. after turning off the lights you stop in your tracks, abby sitting on the side of the bed and staring at you.

your feet slowly carry you closer to her before she rolls her eyes and tugs you onto her lap. your face is neutral, even when you can feel the bulge inside of her sweatpants. you tilt your head and she replicates it.

"let me guess, you got an attitude again?"

"you're a fucking hypocrite."

"wh?" her face jerks back in confusion. "what are you talking about?"

"don't play fucking dumb with me abigail. biggest personal growth moment for me in forever and you spend it talking to your damn ex, who if you didn't catch it is still hung up on you, by the way."

"i know, just let me explain-"

"no, i don't want to know. if you're just doing all this as some fucked up way to let me down gently i swear to god-"

you get cut off when one of her hands moves from your waist to cover your mouth, her eyes drooping when you nip at her palm.

"stop it. you know i wouldn't do something that shitty to you, please stop being so paranoid." she waits to gauge your reaction before she decides that you aren't likely to cut her off, softly rubbing at the skin under your eye. "please don't cry."

"im not gonna cry."

"just wanted to make sure. because i care about you, and that's what i was letting owen know that when he was being a jealous dick about you skiing earlier. told him I'm this close to kicking him to the curb for good."

"wait really? what'd he say? i bet he was pissed when i skied over that stuck stump, probably wishes i rode over it and fucking broke my back."

"jeez, you really do despise him." she shakes her head, smiling and rubbing her hands on your thighs. "but yes, he was wondering if maybe now that you were fine to ski you were trying to upstage me or something."

"and do you? and why were you ignoring me?"

she sighed. "literally the opposite. you're just...so amazing, and funny, and talented, and i just know soon you'll be this olympian and wont wanna deal with me and my dumb ex anymore."

"i mean, i am amazing you're right about that," you brag, giggling when she pinches you. "but i'd deal with anything to be with you. i don't even have the words. i wouldn't have gotten on that slope without you always pushing me, despite how annoying i may find it."

abby's' face is beaming and suddenly she's kissing you like you're air, leaning back into the bed so you can hover over her. she stops kissing you just to move her ministrations to all over your face, repeating little 'i love you's' as she does so, reveling in the little hums that leave your throat.

"ok, are we done being sappy so we can fuck now?" your question ends in a squeak when her palm slaps your ass. you look at her with a glare and she just dopily smiles at you, gripping your hips to flip you underneath her.

"y'know, owen and mel picked the room right next to ours." she grinds her hips into yours, the friction of the strap rubbing against you heightened since your robe was riding up to show her bare cunt.

"god, you want me to be loud, don't you?"

"mmhm." she grins as her hand moves down to push the band of her pants down, the feeling of the toy grinding out forcing you to bite your lip to hide your moan, embarrassed by how quickly she could make you want it. her thumbs moves to pull your lip from between your teeth.

she continues humping you until she can see you're wet enough to slide in, looking for your nod to push the strap into you, groaning as it just slides in.

"y/n, we barely did any foreplay-"

"shut up, please shut up."

for some reason she takes that as a sign to start thrusting, reveling in your moans as they finally start to pick up volume. you try to bite the back of your hand when she pulls it away, holding it in hers and holding it above your head. the action is so sweet it almost makes you cry, instead thrusting your head up to press a sweet kiss to her lips.

"mm, love when you're all sweet like this honey. wanna stay like this forever, love you so fuckin much i swear to god." she accentuates her last couple of words with short but harsh thrusts that knock the breath out of your lungs. your orgasm is fast approaching at this rate, and she can tell by the way your eyes are fluttering and your hand is squeezing hers.

"you gonna cum? huh? gonna cum all over me baby?" you nod your head, not trusting the words and sounds that are coming out of your throat. she moves her hand down to rub at your clit and suddenly your stomach is pulsing and your orgasm is hitting you like a truck, abby's following after yours as she's groaning into your neck and thrusting harder to grind the base of the strap into her clit.

it takes a minute for both of you to calm down, the bliss overtaking the both of you.

"was...was that loud enough?" you whisper and feel her silent laugh on top of you, rubbing your leg over the back of hers.

she pushes her head up enough to look you in the eyes, and you really regret asking the question because she's got that dumb-ass smile back on her face and shaking her head.

only a few minutes later she's got you on all fours, leg propped up as she forces your hips back and forth on her dick. and then after that she makes you ride her, and then the position she knows you're obsessed with: her fucking you while standing up.

"a-abs! abby! oh my god!" your throat is sore as her fingers grip the meat of your thighs, the force of her bouncing you and thrusting her hips up getting you closer and closer to euphoria. your eyes are closed and your head is tilted back, doing anything to avoid the way she's looking at you like you're some goddess she's been blessed to witness.

"just a little bit more baby. cmon, tell me how much you love it."

"i do! fuck abby, love it so much."

"love what, honey? you can do it, know you can. god you're so perfect."

your mind is hazy with the feeling of the strap hitting that sensitive spot inside of you with every bounce of your hips and her words that you barely even register her demand, groaning when she bites at one of your tits that have been bouncing in her face.

"tell me what you love. please, please tell me."

"nghh, love you abby! fuckin love your dick so much!"

"that's it, thaaat's it pretty girl. let everyone you're mine, that i'm yours-"

you're pretty sure she kept talking after that, but the rush of your orgasm deafens every sound and lights your body on fire, only able to feel the high and the cum leaking down your thighs. you go in and out of consciousness but come back to when you're both back in bed, abby pulling you onto her chest and she rubs a soft hand down your back.

"love you." you mumble, snuggling into the warmness of her.

"i love you too, y/n."

"'m sorry about earlier."

"me too. promise that i'll tell you whenever i'm feeling down. or when i'm dealing with a douche."

"me too."

you get the best night's sleep you've had in years.

in the morning everyone seems ecstatic for the holiday, ready to share their gifts with each other after breakfast. you decide to join in helping to cook, which gets you a crazy accusation from jordan saying your helping is just 'sitting on the counter so abby has something to look at while you drink a mimosa". whatever. abby is standing between your thighs and talking to you about her new workout schedule when owen and manny walk into the room, manny bidding you a sly 'good morning' with a smirk as owen grabs water from the fridge.

"hey owes, can you hand me one?" abby asks, her fingers drumming on your thigh as she uses the other to catch the bottle he tosses to her with a polite smile. your eyes are following the action suspiciously before abby is for some reason keeping a grip on the middle of the bottle as she opens it so the liquid spurts onto a bit of her shirt.

"ugh, abs! wait a second." you start to move off the counter when she holds your hips down.

"its fine, babe. i'm used to things squirting on me, anyway."

your face scrunches up as you smack her in the shoulder, your face hot as you hear jordan and manny cackling like hyenas and owen chugs down his water. abby just presses a loud kiss on your cheek.

other than your friends constantly teasing you, nora whispering a 'love shack' in your ear when she walks behind you in the living room, the day really is perfect. when the sun sets everyone is exchanging the gifts they got for each other. leah got jordan some necklace he's had his eyes on, manny bought mel some earmuffs after hers broke a month ago. some of them teased you for having surprisingly thoughtful gifts despite having a heart of only half-thawed ice, making you only reply that you weren't past taking the gifts back.

and then you open the gift abby got you and nearly cry; a custom snow globe, inside two mini figures dancing on a mountain of snow, one wearing skis and the other wearing skates. the she almost does the same with the corny 'cooking for two' book you bought her and the limited edition version of her favorite novel.

its a night full of warmth and laughter, and once it ends you find yourself standing out on the balcony, looking out at the lit lights of the village and the lifts on the slopes. your phone is in your hand and you open the text messages to your dad.

tell everyone i said merry christmas. its going to take me time to mentally heal enough to train. but if you're willing to do it with me then i'm in.

"hey, it's fucking freezing out here." abby opens the slide-apart door and comes up beside you, wrapping her arms around you to look out at the view with you. "are you ok?"

you sigh, turning to admire her. the redness of her cheeks, the tiny snowflakes in her hair. the way she's looking at you.

you nod your head.

"i'm on top of the world."

fics keep getting longer to overcompensate allah take me now. spent so much of yesterday aka my birthday writing this omg but it was so fun to write a more developed reader. uhhh idk stream cobra by megan.

[shakespeareanwannabe]

As You Wish Question- where are Jake and Buttercup in the future? Say when the girls graduate….did they have more babies? Did Jake re- enlist in the navy? What’s their life like now

Eeep! Thanks for the question!

First thing I’m going to say is that we definitely haven’t seen the last of this gang yet. I’ve got a couple of related one shots that I’m planning to write!

Second, man! Where do Buttercup and Jake end up? This part kind of got edited out (maybe I should publish it anyway?) But Jake and Natasha start their own flight school as the ranch grows more successful and they need him less for day to day work. Jake and Nat start Maverick’s Flight School to teach young aviators so that they can get a head start on their education. I definitely don’t see him reenlisting since…

They definitely do have more kids! Of course, Jake is ecstatic to find out that Buttercup is pregnant again at their wedding, so they have that baby. And I can see them also having a bit of an oopsie baby a little bit further down the road. I can’t see them having more than 4 kids in total though. And of course, Abby and Charlie are the best big sisters ever!

Buttercup is still writing her heart out and cherishes her quarterly week-long visits back to London. Most of the time, Jake or Natasha go with her, but they bring all the kids with them over the summer and turn it into a bit of a summer vacation.

If I were to write those one shots, what scenes would people like to read? I’ve got a Christmas one planned but I’d love more suggestions!

[deblklesb]

[Phantoms of Past — Abby x Reader]

[AFAB!reader, friends to lovers, Christmas themed, br!reader, angsty, MDNI]

a/n: well, is this late for Christmas? yes. but do i care? also yes bc i'm paranoid and have some need to make stuff on time, so imagine my despair when i couldn't finish this. but i ALSO know that I'm doing my best, and for that i have to pat my own back. anyway, this is for my brazilian besties out there!!!

cw: reader is brazilian, usage of phrases in pt-br with the translation after and between parenthesis, owen mentioned (this man is a cw by himself idc this is not a owen appreciated blog), mutual pinning, Abby understands portuguese and even talks some. let me know if i forgot something.

not proof read | word count: 3,274

reblogs are highly appreciated!!

While you drive through the recently cleaned streets of the neighborhood you grew up, thanking the heavens that it stopped snowing for now, the radio plays a seasonal song and your murmur along. The traffic on the main roads were chaotic, almost as congested as your uncle's arteries, but now the decorated rooftops and doorsteps replaced the headlights on your peripheral vision. In front of a house stood a snowman, or at least his body stripped of arms and face.

You park in front of a house with simple adornments and flashers around the main door, a LED deer standing next to it and a small table with fake cookies and milk on top. All the energy was so reminiscent of the years you'd spend a whole day decorating the house with your mom, mainly inside, just so your father and sister could take care of the outside. Now that you both were grown and away, the couple occupied itself with the house interior and resumed the exterior with a simple approach. It never failed to take a smile from you, though, especially seeing the way they would adhere to simple things just because it looked cute, even if it had nothing to do with their native traditions.

Coming from Brasil, for the first part of your life you had hot weather and sunny days on Christmas. Maybe a night of rain, but never snow. Fireworks and catholic mass were on the list, but your parents went just to go along with the rest of the family and friends. They weren't religious, so in the end Christmas was simply another holiday, but with presents and - as all the other holidays - a family gathering. The main difference now was that you were studying in another city, becoming one of the absent relatives; you know, the ones that mainly go home for the holidays and vacations. It wasn't bad, but they definitely missed you a lot and the feeling was mutual.

Using your key to get in, the sounds of Simone’s “Então É Natal” (“And So It Is Christmas”), a brazilian holiday song, hit you immediately. You chuckle, taking off your boots and coats. From the front corridor the ornamented tree is visible, carrying innumerous lights and details. There's probably not a single empty wall, the seasonal decoration filling every inch of your field of vision.

“There she is!” Your father shouts as you appear in the living room smiling. The man goes into your direction with open arms, holding you tight. You smell that same cologne he wears since you can remember anything, and along with the warmth of the house, it truly feels like home. Some of the tension from university and work just falls on the carpet, leaving your body to receive all the good things inside that place.

“Carlos, you'll smash our child and I cannot have another one”, your mom yells somewhere from the kitchen direction, making you laugh.

“I can get another one anywhere, Marília”, he finally lets go, an arm around your shoulders. “Won't be as nice as this one, though”

“Of course not, she's irreplaceable”, your cousin Felipe says, approaching. “Prima, você tem feito falta!” (“Cousin, you have been missed!”) He holds you sideways with an insane amount of exaggeration, taking an embarrassed chuckle from you. Felipe was a lawyer with a lot of charisma, but inside he was just your cousin that your mom liked a lot. You both used to play together growing up. “From some people, a little too much”, he whispers playfully before running away, not letting you scold him for bringing up something you were not prepared to deal with this earlier, especially when the person implied wasn't even around. Yet.

Your father doesn't seem to notice, now talking with your mom again.

“Hey, Alice”, you wave to Felipe’s wife sitting on the couch, drinking something on a Christmas themed mug.

“Hey, sweetie! How's uni?”

“Tiring”, you shrug. “How about the kids?”

Your name is once again shouted through the house, and as you turn around three kids are running into you. Camila, Jorge e Rayana hold your waist, almost making you fall with a laugh. Camila is the oldest, at five years old, but the others are at the age of three. They're simply the most precious people in that family.

“Meus pestinhas!” (“My little brats!”) You start messing their hairs and pinching their ears playfully.

“Eu perdi um dente, olha!” (“I lost a tooth, look!”) Camila smiles widely, showing the first little window on her mouth.

“Ela tá ficando banguela e feia” (“She's getting toothless and ugly”) Jorge points out, and by Camila's reaction this isn't a new saying.

“Well, that's too bad. Because you'll get toothless and ugly too, just wait a few years”, Rayana and Camila laugh as the boy pouts at your response, looking at their mom.

“Vamo, vamo, abram espaço. Preciso abraçar minha filha” (Come on, come on, clear the way. I need to hug my daughter) Your mom’s voice finally reached the living room before her arms were wrapped around your torso. It's warm and familiar, you've missed her so much.

“Oi, mãe” (“Hey, mom”)

“Você tá tão magrinha, filha. Aposto que não anda comendo direito na correria, né?” (“You're so skinny, child. I bet you haven't been eating well in all the rush, right?”) The caressing she does on your back is reassuring, and by that you can tell you're going back with bowls filled with food. “Sua irmã vai chegar só mais tarde, seu pai vai buscar ela na estação” (“Your sister will arrive just later, your father will pick her up on the station”)

“When will uncle Jerry get here? He said he would get me new crayons”, Rayana mumbles while playing with one of the numerous ornaments on the lit up tree.

You try not to react to what that phrase implies, going with your mom to the kitchen to busy your hands and your mind with something else. She would probably kick you out of there soon anyway, she never liked having other people in the kitchen with her unless very necessary. But the need to act normal, smile and not think about family friends coming over it's bigger than the prospect of being scolded out of a room.

While the conversation continues in the living room and the song plays to never leave an empty place in your audition, you hover around the place talking with your mom about the neighborhood news and her routines in the morning walks group. It's comforting to know about what's going on, even if it doesn't really affect your life.

You help her cut the bread to make rabanadas (french toasts), looking forward to finally eating them. It's one of your favorite things of this season, even though you could actually find it anywhere at any time of the year. But the memories of having a plate of those on the supper table, covered in sugar and cinnamon, it's one of your favorites. So you're dividing your attention between the chore of slicing the bread and listening to your mom speaking, when a name being yelled in the living room catches your ear and you almost cut the tip of your thumb.

It's Jorge’s voice. “Abby!”

It's a blessing your mom didn't notice it, but now you have a bigger motive to stay inside the kitchen and never leave it.

No matter how much your mother talked, or the music filled the air, or the people in the other room got into different conversations within the group; her voice seemed louder than any other thing to you. You would swear she was next to the table you had the cutting board on, chatting with the children and playing with them.

You could swear you could listen to her whispering to you about lonely nights and missing pieces of a puzzle.

“Tia!” (“Auntie!”)

Your mom stops speaking just to turn around and look into the tall woman's direction. “Abigail!” Her comforting, mothering arms hold the strong torso, and the blonde needs to be in a not very straight posture to fully embrace your mom. What could you say, hightness wasn't in your family's genes.

“One of these days you'll be able to carry me around, with how big and strong you're getting!” And they both laugh as if Abby didn't live at the end of the block and they saw each other constantly.

All the while, you're trying to avoid the upcoming, inevitable moment. Your eyes glue on the bread, but you're not really looking at it. They're talking but you can't decipher the words, just assimilate the sweet voice making your cells tremble in vibrations. Cutting another piece, and another, then another, then-

“Puta que pariu-” (“Motherfucker-”), a drop of blood falls onto the cutting board when you pull your hand away, thumb red and hurting.

“What happened?” Your mom asks, concern in her voice.

“I cut my finger”, the running water of the sink makes the wound sting when you put the finger under it, the blood keeps coming out.

“I can take care of that if you need to”, Abby says, making you look directly at her for the first time of the night.

And you have to give the lack of air to the pain. You have to, because otherwise you would be admitting that looking at her takes your breath away.

“Yeah, Abby is working as a nurse in a school now. I bet she's used to this type of thing”, Marília goes to the cutting board, taking the pieces you've cut already.

There's nowhere to run over this. What will you say, that you don't want her to take care of your wound? That you can't be next to her, orelse all the coherent thoughts in your mind will fade away, leaving room for her voice? That your fingers ache to touch her?

You look to your still bleeding finger under the open faucet, then to the tall, blonde woman again. And while your mother wasn't looking, you both had a silent conversation about something, everything. She could see the doubt in your eyes, but you could see the pleads in hers.

“Sure, I think it wouldn't be much…” You try to smile, finally turning the faucet off and grabbing a towel to wrapp around your finger.

You both go upstairs, she tells you how there was a first aid kit in the bathroom and your stomach jumps at the realization that she knew your house more than yourself probably. Looking forward at all times and trying not to pay too much attention to her careful hand touching your arm like she was guiding you around the place.

“Go to your room, I’ll take the kit”, and you don’t even look at her to see how she was looking at you. You don’t know how that hurt her, mainly because you’re trying to get out of this situation as fast as possible.

The room is just like you always leave it after the breaks, bed neatly covered and books on the shelves. Some stuffed animals that you couldn’t bear to donate were aligned on a shelf next to a poster of a band you liked, the black and red contrasting with the creamy colors of a small giraffe. You saw the table where once you were pressed against, the lamp giving a soft light on the room as you felt a pair of lips so close to yours after all those years of yearning and silent pining.

“Okay, let’s give this a look” she was back using that voice, the one for the workplace. Tender, but firm; like she was trying to be secure, but reassuring.

Abby pulled the chair next to the table so she could sit in front of you, her knees together between your separated legs as she carefully took your hand and unwrapped the towel. Crimson drops started to flow down your finger, and the blonde woman never took the blue eyes away from the cut.

The distance wasn’t enough. Her scent would haunt the bedroom all night, making you dream about her just like it happened before, during your late school years, when she came to spend the day and left you numb and daydreaming. Her touches were so gentle, featherlight.

“It wasn't that bad, we can handle it”, she muttered like she was talking to one of the students from the school she worked at. “So, how's college?”

“It's okay, I guess”, with eyes glued on your own hand, you tried not to notice her thighs too much. “I've been working my ass off to write a paper while keeping up with classes and the monitoring thing”

“You'll get this, I'm sure”, you looked up just in time to see a smirk on her lips, but then returned to look down again before being trapped on that hypnotizing expression. “After all, you've always been very good with your words”

“It was easier in school, though”

“It always is”, she cuts the bandage before wrapping your finger with it. “But that's the thing, right? We start to realize how school was maybe easier, but then again, would you rather be back?”

“Oh, fuck no”, you chuckle as she finishes the curative. “I wouldn't change this for that”

“Yeah”, you finally look up more confident, meeting her indescribable expression. “I would change some things, actually”

“Like what?” You're just keeping the conversation, just trying to let it flow well enough for it to be bearable. You surely weren't expecting the next phrase.

“I wouldn't have dated Owen”, she sighs.

Owen was Abby's boyfriend. They started dating in the last year of school, and looked very much in love, for your displeasing. He wasn't a bad guy per se, but the fact that you already had a crush on Abby made you think that your feelings towards him were totally based on jealousy. So every single thing you had to say about him would be shoved down your throat immediately, and you'd just smile and nod to your friend anytime she mentioned him. You told her he was nice - couldn't bring yourself to say more than that - and supported their relationship with the most painful role in that whole story: the best friend with an unrequited crush.

By fall you found out she and Owen had broken up. Right after…

“Why is that?” Her eyes wander from the quilt to your hands, then back to your face. They were so beautiful, you could spend the rest of the night admiring them. Or the way her hair would fall around her face with soft lines, how her freckles were so attractive to the touch, especially on her arms.

“Don't think I was really into him… At least not in the right way”, Abby was the one not looking at you now, almost more interested in putting the stuff back on the kit box. “I could've been honest with him… And with you”

“Abby-”

“That's fine…” She shrugged. “He was a little bit of a dumbass anyway”

Silence falls around you both, filling the room with an emptiness.

The image of them both in your living room, last Christmas, haunts your mind as soon as you remember how you knew nothing and was too caught up in your own thoughts at the time. The way she laughed at his jokes, making your stomach turn as you smiled politely. Or how you saw them kissing next to the coat holder by the front door, and all the food you ate wanted to come back in awful bitterness.

You never told anyone. Never said a word, as always, rather keeping the green feeling on the back of your mind in order to not do something stupid - like being rude or start crying.

But then, you came home for the summer break. You dad was making barbecues in the backyard, you mom decorated the house with all the stuff your cousin brought from Brasil on his last trip, and you'd listen to pagode in the living room while the kids were playing and running, waiting for the meat to be properly roasted so they could finally eat.

Internally, you were ready to deal with that same gut-rotting feeling all over again. The plan was to sustain the fake expression until the time allowed you to pull the tiredness card on everyone and go to your room to watch some old telenovela.

Abby showed up alone, greeting everyone as usual. And when she looked at you, you could swear that was something in her eyes that could make you shiver. How she took your figure in before hugging you, how she held you so tight and for a little bit longer. How she was always trying to be next to you. You couldn't decipher, though, and the whole day went by mixing the confusion of her being without Owen and not even mentioning his name, and the rush of being that close to her again.

That night, in your room, she kissed you. Right there, where you were sitting now, she held your face between your hands and your skin shivered, while her lips touched yours.

You waited for years. Kissing her was probably one of the only things you wanted to do every time she was around, flesh craving hers. And it finally happened… But she had a boyfriend.

So you never talked about it again. You went back to college and texted her less and less.

“Abby, Abby, Abby!” A childish voice came from the corridor, the door opened to show Rayana. “Come here, I need your help to defeat Jorge and papai” (dad)

“Okay, I'll be there in a second!” The blonde smiled before the girl ran back downstairs. “Well, it seems like a have a duty”

“Can't let her down, she'll never forgive you”, you both chuckled while she got out of the room, first to leave the kit back in the bathroom and then to go to the living room again.

Sighing, you laid back on the mattress. Just like that summer night, you were alone in your room trying to collect your feelings about an interaction with Abby. Heart beating fast and a familiar warmth on your chest, wanting to curse every single entity for putting you in this position.

You came down maybe 15 minutes later, mask back on to decorate your face with a smile. You saw the tall woman on the mat with the younger children on top of her, attacking her while laughs filled the place.

“Okay, okay, saiam de cima da Abigail” (“Get off of Abigail”) Your mom didn't have to say it twice before they were sitting next to her. “Abigail, I need a favor. Remember that bowl I lent to you last week?”

“Sure”, her arms seemed stronger now that she was supporting herself on the elbows. Why was she so gorgeous?

“I need you to get it for me, darling”

“Okay, I got it”, Abby got up and immediately went grabbing her coat again.

And you were about to go back to the kitchen to make yourself useful, but it couldn't be that easy.

“Filha, vai com ela. Está nevando bastante, não é bom dirigir sozinha nesse tempo” (“Daughter, go with her. It's snowing a lot, it isn't good to drive alone in the weather”)

“Oh, it's not necessary-” She really tried, but your mom wouldn't take a negative answer.

“I'm not asking, you won't go alone!”

You nod and start putting on heavy clothes. It was okay, all good. You both would get in the house, grab the bowl, and get back in no time. It would be fine.

[dividers by @cafekitsune]

[lolasimms]

First Christmas with College! Abby

Warnings: mentions of death, swearing, mentions of grief…Summary: A little background on how you got into a relationship with lacrosse player Abby Anderson and how the two of you spent your first Christmas together.

You’d started dating Abby Anderson towards the end of your freshman year, of college. She was a year older than you, but that had never made anything about your relationship unorthodox.

The two of you had actually met at an on campus support group, for students who were grieving the loss of their loved ones. You’d lost an aunt who you’d been very close with, leading you to join the group. Per your guidance councillor’s suggestion. That’s when you met Abby.

You’d heard briefly about the horrifying civilian attack on the Seattle Women and Children’s hospital, just not the full extent of it. All you knew was that an angry man had stormed the building, killing multiple doctors, surgeons and patients. Two months into attending the group and you’d found out that one of the victims was named Jerry Anderson. Abby’s father.

Reluctance was the perfect word to describe your feelings towards befriending Abby. At first glance she wasn’t the kind of person one would think to approach, but once you’d started to share more and her the same, you knew you wanted to get to know her better. Not to mention you’d always had a crush on her ever since you’d seen her photo in the college newsletter.

‘Top right, Star Lacrosse Player; Abby Anderson’ With a photo of her holding up a bronze trophy, her teammates huddled around her in joy. Since then she’d been merely a hallway crush, someone you’d see at games and swoon over or pass by in different campus buildings and drool about.

Tired of waiting, you made the move to talk to the bulky and fierce girl one day after group. You were mixing yourself a cup of coffee to go at the craft table when you spotted her doing the same. After you’d made a quirky comment on her lack of sugar she let out the cutest little chuckle ever. One thing led to another and the day ended with you being walked back to your dorm by the girl you’d been silently crushing on for months.

The relationship started off slow, with your and her education and her athletic career you both had your hands tied. But by the end of the summer your relationship has blossomed into something you’d only thought happened in movies. The two of you spent the first three weeks of summer vacation at her late fathers lake house. Your relationship only growing stronger. But by the second month of summer she’d flown off to Europe with her lacrosse team for professional training. Her absence though saddening was relieving to you, as you always worried about her spending the holidays alone in her home without anyone their to care for her.

Fast forward to four months later and you and Abby were spending your first Christmas together. You’d spent months wracking your brain on what kind of gift you’d be getting your girlfriend. Seeing as she could afford anything she wanted with the large inheritance she’d gotten after her fathers death. You knew she appreciated things from the heart rather than grand gestures so that’s what you did.

You recalled a few months into your relationship with Abby when you had told her your favourite holiday was Christmas. She’d simply frowned and then told you all about how lonely Christmas usually was for her. When her dad was still around he was usually stuck at work, leaving her to spend the holidays on her own. She’d never gotten experienced a big Christmas dinner, the taste of homemade eggnog and had never even had a Christmas stocking.

That’s when you knew exactly what you’d be getting her this year. You’d made a commission on Etsy, sending a design you’d made on your own. Including her lacrosse number, her initials, little symbols that meant a lot to her and the embroidered Star signs of both her and her father. You’d spent the entire week hiding the stocking in different areas of the house, seeing as Abby always seemed to be looking for something.

When Christmas morning had finally come you’d coaxed your handsy and needy girlfriend from bed, before things could escalate further and ushered her towards the little but full of life Christmas tree. She’d insisted you open your first to which you reluctantly agreed.

“Abby, you didn’t!” You yelled, a little louder than necessary.

“It has our initials, do you like it?” She was scared from your reaction that maybe she’d gone a little over the top.

“Like It? I fucking love it. You bought me a Tiffany Abby!” You inspect the necklace further, only to find your initials and hers had been engraved onto the back. Immediately the waterworks were let free and she was rushing over to hug you in fear that she’d somehow upset you.

“Baby, please don’t cry.” She holds you tightly towards her broad chest and you’re trying to stop the tears but you’re just so happy.

“I’m sorry, it’s just so beautiful. Thank you Abby.”

“Ofcourse, anything for you.”

“Alright, mine isn’t as fancy and expensive. I hope you still like it.” You hand her the box that was wrapped in red wrapping paper and littered with little snowman’s.

“Anything from you I’ll like, trust me.” She grins, her hands making quick work of tearing apart the wrapping paper. She finally gets to the gift box and slowly opens the lid. She lifts the stocking and immediately her heart stops.

For a few minutes the house is dead silent, you were sure you could hear a pin drop. Abby hasn’t said a word and you’re fearing that maybe your gift wasn’t good enough in comparison to hers. Before you could ask she’s sobbing and throwing her arms around you.

“Thank you, I love you so much, I love it.” She’s mumbling into your chest, the tears making your sleep shirt damp but you didn’t mind.

“You really love it?”

“My dad and I’s horoscope, our initials, the stocking in general. You know that’s all I’ve ever wanted thank you for being so thoughtful.”

“I’m glad you liked it.” You smile, as she finally removes herself from your chest, wiping away the tears.

“Not liked, I fucking loved it, best Christmas ever.”

“Abby it’s only 9am.”

“Doesn’t matter, still the best Christmas ever.”

The rest of the day was spent in the kitchen, with you instructing Abby on what to do as you attempted to put together the best Christmas dinner you possibly could. The table consisted of a whole leg ham, eggnog (a recipe you’d found online), lots of potatoes and a Yule log that you had to stop Abby from devouring before the ham had baked through. After a filling dinner, shared kisses and screening of home alone in the living area. Abby had taken you into the bedroom to give you your last Christmas present of the night

[p-redux]

Hi P!

I think that Sam might have went alone.

It's possible. BUT the ONLY time Sam went on a BEACH vacation by himself was right after he and Abbie Salt broke up at the end of 2015. He went to Thailand and did a Muay Thai martial arts training there during Christmas and New Year's 2015/2016. All the other times, he was not alone. And there's concrete proof of it, so we know for sure that's the case. 🤷‍♀️

[euko-going-insane]

Thinking Many Thoughts about your Family Tree but mostly the brocedes stuff lmk if ur vibing with this little Non Racing AU i just came up with

George was their first when they were way way young didn’t really know what they were doing and george was already like 8 or 9

Kimi was the “marriage saver” they had through surrogate, the mother died in childbirth so to honor her Kimi has her last name

George was a teenager with his own life/plans when Kimi was born, he didn’t really care and knew his parents marriage was essentially over already despite them insisting it wasn’t

Messy battle in court but Nico wins custody of Kimi and while Lewis gets George

, George chooses emancipation and spends senior year with Alex’s family, citing that his trust in his dads was ruined after so many empty promises of fixing the relationship and not following through

Later down the line, Lewis is dating again and working on fixing his relationship with george and sends a box of presents to Kimi every christmas

He meets Valterri on a dating site George set him up on

About 4 months into their relationship, valterri admits that he’s fostering a girl named Doriane and that she was a very important element of his life and that if it was a dealbreaker, they should stop now

They don’t.

Valterri, George, and Doriane convince Lewis to reach out to Nico again. Just to talk about Kimi.

After several tenuous meetings, they agree to a new custody arraignment, incorporating holidays and summer vacation into the previous no contact.

Nico moves back to Lewis’s area when Kimi is entering High School. His relationship with Valterri is kinda more of a coparenting situation now, though much more amicable than his and Nico’s

Dory is very protective of Kimi once the two finally start getting to know each other. They’re closer in age than they are to George so it feels like actual siblings

Kimi is shy and awkward and cause he was new he was labeled “weird” at his new high school

Dory asks one of her old teachers (who has Kimi now) to help him get out of his shell

This teacher (whom i am imagining as Max Verstappen) decides the best way to do that is by sitting him next to the Loud Kid

Who is also kinda an outcast, strange and socially awkward, and is Ollie Bearman

He also just so happens to be under the guardianship of his godfather Charles Leclerc

Who is the son of one of Lewis’s exes sebastian from his uni days

(ik in ur tree that’s different but i couldn’t fit it in with The Vision pls forgive)

Anyway the Actual Golden Retriever Ollie Bearman gets Kimi out of his shell

While George—still in the progress of fixing his relationship with Nico—and Alex get engaged and adopt a elementary age Abby Pulling

Who emulates her father in the worst ways possible

Total teachers pet, total know-it-all and totally everything George has ever wanted in a child

However she is a huge nature fan, she jumped out a second story window chasing a cat and once stuck a “kick me” sign on George’s back so she’s every bit Alex as well

Anyway yeah, totally just Came To Me feel free to hate/critique. U know i’m an Ollie girlie so Kimi’s whole vibe is new (hence why all my bearnelli fic are Ollie POV) feel free to give me any commentary

😦

[proustianlesbian]

*i forgot to do my reviews for ep 3 and 4 of ft during both weeks smh.

episode 3 : very sweet vacation at the see also i was not aware of the joseph mccarthy and roy cohn gay allegations (not together). chokbar de bz like we say in french.

[insert here abby lee miller looking around her gif].*

diversity wins i guess, the anticommunist prosecutor who ruined so many lives is jewish AND gay. like tbh i didn't know at all because it wasn't written on his wikipedia french bio (but him bringing his mom to parties was though). like i thought the jokes about him and schine were just because theses environnement are full of men. i love the lightning on this show but it really stroke me during the scene where marcus walks in the alley at night. the costumes are so beautiful, i love the cuts of their suits.

*episode 4 : loved the christmas episode too. i knew mary's colleague was plotting something since episode one's ending. but also i'm scared for 80s timeline tim :(*

i love the actor of roy cohn also. like he's serving. serving conservative homophobic self-hating jewish but serving nonetheless (i'm not a irl roy cohn stan btw, will brill just absolutely serves as him). it was so sweet seeing tim and hawk being happy though (especially as i write those lines specifically right before the diffusion of the last episode). also small detail but it was interesting to see how even when the jewish person (here cohn) is on their side and does everything "right" to be accepted, people will still be antisemitic towards him (mccarthy and his wife).

episode 5 :

the scene of marcus and frankie on the bench ☹️☹️☹️ "i should have let him paint them red." killed me. i was so shocked by the death of senator smith though ??!! the scene where he looks at pictures with lucy was so sad in retrospect. also it's very funny seeing tim lurking around the mccarthy/cohn/schine trio. he's just a little guy. also lucy smith leave your husband and runaway with me !! i can make you happy queen ! she's so gorgeous and dresses so well i love her so much, and even more since this episode. i felt so sorry for her brother and how he gets no real help from anyone. and the last scene ☹️.

episode 6 :

lucy's outfits and hair are so gorgeous !! i really love what we saw her wearing in this episode's 1950s timeline, especially her baby blue and yellow dresses.

hawk being a daughter's father oh he's so real, kendall roy feminist icon coded to me.

the shot of tim in the police car with the back window showing hawk on the road is SICK. like i felt a pain in the heart. and i loved the last shot of hawk hugging jackson.

i kinda wish there was an episode in between 5 and 6 but at the same time it makes sense. we just didn't get used to hawk's children and had jackson for only one episode.

episode 7

an episode for the tim laughlin lesbian fans for real !! it broke my heart for the romance part but i could learn some things about harvey milk ! i'm not american so i didn't know he was murdered (or didn't remember it) but i read on wikipedia that he was jewish too ! i really love the costumes of the 70s, they're all so beautiful and fitting for the characters :'). i love all the small details in the sets and decorations, each of the era have a unique vibe ! i'm absolutely terrified for tomorrow's episode, i'm not ready to see them go at all !!

[afabstract]

Happiest Season Review - Navigating Killjoy Families, Coming Out

Christmas holidays is all about good food, love and laughter. Not for Abby, who spends an awkward vacation with her girlfriend's family. Read this review of "Happiest Season" starring Kristen Stewart & Mackenzie Davis.

⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3 out of 5. A few weeks ago, I saw a hilarious tweet that went, “When I’m feeling old, I like to visit my parents so they can push all my buttons until I lose my shit, and just like that, I’m 16 again,” and shared it with a bunch of close friends. One of them promptly responded, saying, “Oh, once bitten, twice shy.” See, the thing is, while having a family is amazing, sometimes…

[eviesessays]

3. What is one of your favorite trips that you've taken? What made it great?

Being born at the end of the Depression in a small village in Canada just south of the tundra would not seem to give one travel aspirations. We did not even have television to inspire us. But aspire I did.  I longed to see the exotic places pictured in National Geographic. I wanted to see a real castle and visit places where people looked, dressed and spoke differently than we did.

  This penchant to see things that were new to me came early. My mother took my two brothers and I to Winnipeg to visit her oldest sister, my aunt, Caroline Sitter.  I saw a sight I will always remember.  The novelty was a neon sign which we had never seen, and this one moved.  It had three little pigs jumping into a can of Klik, Canada’s equivalent to Spam.  We loved that sign and marveled at such ingenuity. I was ready to see the rest of the world.

We had many vacations to Canada to visit family.  On one trip to Sioux Lookout for Christmas our car froze and we spent most of the next day dealing with the car.  My first trip abroad was to Germany..My second husband was an Air Force officer and we were able to fly free when space was available..Just before Easter of 1974 we flew to Germany.  We rented a car.  We visited castles on the Rhine and experienced the autobon..at speeds that terrified us.  We flew on to Madrid, Spain and while attempting to visit the presidential palace we found ourselves adrift in the middle of a Good Friday procession in a very Catholic country.  It was an experience.  We went North to Segovia to see a great aquaduct still in use.  We visited Queen Isabella’s castle from where she bid Columbus “Goodbye”. Peter who was 10 at the time remembered the old lady dressed all in black.  She had a long nose with a wart on the end.  She sold trinkets outside the palace wall.  When we returned home  and Peter’s friend David asked what he saw in Europe Peter told him about this woman. We went on to Malaga where we picked fresh oranges off the tree.  We went on to Fuengirola where we swam on the Costa del Sol.  It was April and we welcomed the warmth.

When Jaylyn was in College she did a semester in the South of England. I paid her a visit during that time and we spent a couple days in London experiencing the pigeons in Trafalger Square, and Harrods where we could afford only the smallest treasures. We watched the guard change at Buckingham palace.  We took the train to Stonehenge and absorbed the mystery of that place. We returned to Salisbury for the end of evensong. The young choir boys  all in their robes with Elizabethan collars looked angelic. We visited Bath and went to a puppet show there.  

In 1988 I took a solo trip to Scotland and England. I had not planned to go alone but shortly before our planned trip my husband revealed to me that he had been having a long standing affair with a “friend” from our church in Bedford with whom he frequently played tennis..I decided to go alone to Scotland and decide what to do about my marital situation when I returned.  I was visiting a cousin of my first husband.  The family  had always stayed in touch with me and the children after our divorce. The cousin I was visiting, Maurice Paterson and his wife Avril had visited us in Warner. Maurice showed me the houses in Glasgow once occupied by relatives now long deceased. We took a trip North with his Mother,  aunt Nancy Paterson to visit places the early Joss family lived and worked.  An uncle, Peter Joss, and his wife Leslie, took me to Edinburgh and a visit to the castle. I had bought a Brit rail pass and proceeded to head across England. I went to York and visited the cathedral there .  Restorations had just been completed. I visited Oxford and went down to Penzance.  I made my way back to London for a bit more sightseeing.  I went to St Pauls  and Westminster Abby.  There I stood where kings  and queens and heads of state had also stood. I flew home. Along my travels I considered the state of my marriage and the knowledge that i could not overlook such a betrayal.  I would, and did divorce Philip Miller Pahl

    .

My neighbors in Warner, Janet and Spence Danby had a villa in the Praia de Salema in Portugal.  They spent winters there. We were good friends and Janet invited me to visit.  I made the trip in Spring when all the olive trees were at the end of their bloom and the earth was covered in their fallen blossoms referred to as Algarve snow.  We visited Sintra.  We watched fishermen sit on small rock ledges and reel in large fish without falling. They were lowered to their ledges by rope and a very trusted friend I presume.  We watched the fishermen in Lagos bringing their catch to the market on the shore.We hiked daily and sipped very good but inexpensive wine in the evening. It was a beautiful time.

My first trip to Tuscany was with friends from Warner.  Our hotel was within easy walking distance to the National Gallery, the Uffizzi, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the market, the Ponte Vecchio and the train station.  I saw Michaelangelo’s ,”David” at the National Gallery,  Titian’s, “Birth of Dawn” was at the Uffizzi.  There seemed to be an endless number of great paintings there. We took a bus tour to Sienna, a  town of many steeples competing to be the highest. The narrow cobblestone streets were used for an annual horse race which seemed like madness incarnate to me. My friend, Fran and I took the train to Arezzo, the birthplace of Guido, who in 990 invented the musical scale.  We went to Pisa with its incredibly leaning tower..  Years later when Hillary graduated from High School, I did this same trip with her.  This time she persuaded me to climb every step to the top of the dome of the Cathedral de Santa Maria del Fiore.  It was her first trip to Europe and she too loved Florence. In Feosole we witnessed a vigorous conversation between a policeman and an Italian woman double parked outside a bakery.  We could not understand what was said but no neon lights were necessary to understand the meaning of the event.

My next adventures was again with Fran Brown, a realtor from Warner and a neighbor couple .. We were on our way the the French Riviera. I was the only one of the four of us who had our drivers license with us.  I was designated. The hotels in Nice on the beach were impressive but the beach was not the sand to which we are accustomed. It was pebbles,  loose pebbles difficult to navigate. It was March and we came with no plans to be swimming.  We decided to visit Monaco.  It was a series of switchbacks to get there and the same in reverse to get out. I was more than ready to be in the countryside.  We drove to Aix en Provence..I walked to the atelier of Paul Cezanne and his famous still life with the blue tablecloth and bowl of onions was set just as it is in his famous painting. I trust someone changes the onions at regular intervals. My most favorite part of that trip was our trek through Avignon and Arles.  In Avignon we sang the song we learned in eighth grade French class, “Sur la ponte, D’Avignon”. Van Gogh painted 187 paintings in Arles.  His art lives on there in many ways.  Our hotel room was decorated like his four room yellow house in Arles.  The house was bombed in WWII but the replica is accurate. Coffee shops have his influence in their cups and napkins.The yellow of his fields, haystacks and house were evident everywhere. Arles was worth the whole trip.

As I had done for Hillary I planned to take Anne to Europe for her High School graduation gift but her Mom took her to Paris and Switzerland so my trip came much after the fact.  In 2012 AAA offered a 10 day vacation in Ireland for a set price.  We received a booklet listing all the participating Bed and Breakfast establishments and we made our plans with all our reservations confirmed before we left.  We flew to Dublin and were transported to our hotel downtown which was lovely.  We toured Guinness Beer and for our participation were treated to a pint.  Anne had hers and mine.  I have not one taste bud that can tolerate beer no matter how good or famous it is claimed to be.  We were to pick up our car the next morning.  This was our first, but only glitch in the entire trip.  Since neither Anne nor I had driven a standard shift for years I did order an automatic shift.  We were given (with profuse apologies) a standard shift Opal.with no instructions.  We hopped to a start and I drove about 6 blocks to find a place to make a u turn with this vehicle.  I could not drive on the “wrong” side of the road on streets that seemed  too narrow for two bicycles to safely pass.  We went back to the car rental and the Irish man oozing Irish charm from every pore.  He would now set us up with a,” lovely car”, and with a grand flourish of papers and charm he set down the paperwork and keys to a new Jaguar.  Anne was thrilled.  I was consumed with the dread of debtors prison if we harmed this car.  We were on our way.  I drove to Cork.  Anne drove the rest of the trip.. She loved it and did a fine job.  We visited Waterford and watched the glassblowers and etchers.  We went on to the Dingle Peninsula.  People everywhere were kind, helpful and very friendly.  Meals were hardy and huge.  We frequently laughed at the enormous servings.Our B&B’s were always clean and some were very elegant.  We drove along the Hills of Moher.  The rich, lush greenness is everywhere.  We joined the cue but only watched as others contorted their bodies in order to kiss the Blarney Stone.   We drove on roads we shared with sheep and cows.  We ferried across Galway  Bay and drove on to Kylemore Castle.  It continued at that time to be occupied by Benedictines.  They are unbelievable gardeners.Every blade of grass and every petal and bough was in its proper place.  We visited ruins of very old churches .  We saw more Ankh crosses  than we thought existed.  We were making our way to our B&B near the airport..  We both admitted to feeling sad that it was coming to its end. It is a most beautiful country. and we both hoped very much that we would be back one day. Ireland has been a most favorite trip but I have to admit that there are many exotic and wonderful places I’ve never seen and like Ireland, I cannot fathom the beauty until I experience it.

It is not possible to compare one vacation trip to another.  They all have their individual history, charm and mystique. Dbrovnik, Croatia was one of those places. We swam in the Adriatic Sea. Our hotel was just outside the ancient wall The old city within the wall had cobblestone streets.  The antiquity of the place was slightly disturbed by the presence of modern movie equipment filming the TV show, “Game of Thrones”.  It was all interesting.  The shop keepers were very helpful and friendly.  We walked the entire length of the wall,  It was high above the sea and obviously very advantageous to interfere with any threat from the sea.  We visited Montenegro and saw salt being retrieved from the sea.  Montenegro also has a great wall  that predates that of China.. We went  to Mostar in Bosnia Herzegovina and there I saw more minarets than I will likely see for the rest of my life. We saw men walking into the mosques while the women knelt on the concrete outside with their faces to the ground.  Mostar is known for its iconic arched bridge, Stari Most, a reconstructed arched bridge.  We were accosted by beggars as we crossed the bridge who felt free to slap us if we did not give them money.  Our group was turned out of one restaurant because one woman in our group was wearing a sundress and her shoulders were bare.  I was glad to have experienced that place but  also very happy to be away from there and safely back in Croatia..  Dubrovnk was a great trip and given my age and infirmities, it will have been my last trip overseas.

Aside from my travels in Europe, I loved the Virgin Islands and Bermuda .  The Canadian Rockies remain one of my favorite destinations.I made one trip with Anne, Diggs and Jaylyn..  I returned to the Rockies with Pete, Jenn and Kalote before Kalote was even walking.. Pete, Kalote and I returned when Kalote was older.  I made the trip once with Kip and Bobbie. The mountains are magnificent.  The greenness of Lake Louise is unforgettable.. On one trip as we left the parking lot we heard eery unfinished strains of, “:Amazing Grace” .  As we approached the lake we could clearly see an older gentleman in lederhosen giving tips to a visitor on playing an alpine horn surrounded by mountains.  I have photographed Kalote as a baby and in later years with Takakah Falls in the background.  We have stopped on the highway for rock slides to be cleared and to allow the ring horned sheep pass in droves.  We have had elk grazing at our motel window in Banff.  Anne,Diggs, Jaylyn and I rode the gondola to the top of Sulphur Moubtain.    I have driven through the Frazier Canyon. in British Columbia and  have visited the Maritime  provinces on the other end of Canada.  i have returned to Sioux Lookout and Thunder Bay for class reunions. I have traveled in the United States . I have never needed any provocation to travel and have found something to enjoy and admire everywhere I visited .

To choose one travel  experience over another as a favorite is an impossible exercise.  They cannot be compared. Each enlarges ones experience of life.  Each arouses a curiosity about something  or some place previously unexplored. Every adventure has the potential to allow us to see a broader picture, to think a new way, to align our views in new order.. Then again, it may just be that three little pigs jumping into a can of Klik provoke those curiosities that make you want to see and experience what you have not known before .

[daffni-gingerich]

Vacation

Abby stares at the ceiling. The brush strokes soothe her. She likes to appreciate each one while she thinks. Hail does his daily duties fully present. Ocean and Skyler live their best lives together as if they knew kids don’t stay kids forever. In other words, they are on Christmas Break from school. They want to do things.

[atomicami]

ahhh cami I read your new post for contractor abby and I'm melting into a puddle I cantttt I'm going insane, gnawing at the bars of my damn enclosure 😭😭

abby making it fit is tipping me over the edge and I'm gonna think about it for the rest of the day

-🪐

hi saturn anon! sorry for the late reply i’m currently on vacation rn, but i’m so glad you enjoyed it! it literally took me less than 3 days to write that fic bc i wanted it out by christmas and got scared that it wouldn’t be good 😭

also i’m a firm believer that abby (and ellie too tbh) will do anything to make it fit, idc what y’all say

[marjaystuff]

Interview with Cari Lynn Webb and the Three Springs Texas Series

The first four books in the “Three Springs Texas series” by Cari Lynn Webb will draw on reader’s emotions.  They will smile, cry, and take a journey with the characters.

The Texas Seal’s Surprise has Abby James coming to visit her cousin, Tess, in the small town of Three Springs Texas. She is a single pregnant woman whose fiancé cheated on her. She initially meets Wes, the hero, after her car has a flat tire.  Wes is a grieving son, the angry brother, the loyal friend. He’s a man who has tried his best to avoid roots as he puts his life on hold to chase what he thinks will make him happy. That is until he meets Abby who is the direct opposite, someone who wants roots and a family. Yet, although both try to avoid their feelings, they realize how much they are attracted to each other.

Trusting The Rancher with Christmas is probably the best book of the series although all are great. Paige Palmer is on "vacation" for the holidays and visiting her sister, Tess, and her cousin, Abby. Her vacation wasn't her idea, but after a huge blow-up at the veterinary clinic in Chicago where she works, she's put on a two-week cooling-off period. She is struggling internally to try to find what she really wants. Because the current vet is laid up, Paige is asked by a little girl, Riley, to save her favorite pet cow who is very sick. After consulting with the vet, Paige goes to the ranch owned by Evan Bishop to help cure the sick animals.  But what ends up happening is that Evan and Paige end up healing their hearts with the help of Riley. 

Her Cowboy Wedding Date Is Tess’s story. She has two weeks to plan her cousin Abby’s wedding to Wes. She wants to make the ceremony perfect and enlists the help of best man Carter Sloan. Even though he has other concerns like starting a business and helping his brothers reunite their grandfather, Sam, with their uncle Roy, he agrees to help Tess. The two clash and have differing opinions, but both realize there is a spark between them. The question is can Carter overcome his cynicism and can she open her heart again.

Falling for the Cowboy Doc is the book that transitions the series from city gals who find their cowboys to working cowgirls. Maggie Orr along with her sister, Kelsey, are professional ropers. They are looking forward to a possibility of obtaining a national sponsorship. This is what they have dreamed of doing, but Kelsey is injured. The doctor, Grant Sloan, gives the bad news that she cannot compete and will need shoulder surgery. Fate and an instant attraction put Maggie and Grant together. Both keep telling themselves that they must focus on their careers and are not the dating type. After her sister Kelsey finds someone, Maggie wants to spend more time with Evan. She loosens her heart a bit, and Grant realizes that between Maggie and his brothers he might want to stay in Three Springs.

Readers will enjoy the plot lines and the chemistry between the characters.  There is a heartwarming overall theme that has the hero and heroine needing to make decisions regarding the future each of them wants and wondering if they are willing to make sacrifices to have a future together.

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the stories?

Cari Lynn Webb: I like to write my characters as people I would hang out with and the setting of Three Springs with a strong community. Each book in the series has instant attraction, but not instant love.  The series is split into two parts.  The first part has the female lead, a city gal who comes to a small town and meets her cowboy.  The stories have the women as “fish out of water,” a little out of their comfort zone, but they end up thriving. Each of the first three books highlights a sister and a cousin.  The second part of the series has real cowgirls, which is their profession. I approached the stories from that angle. The cowgirls have stories to tell.

EC:  Each of the first three books in the series gives a role to the horses?

CLW:  My dog is more like a person in my life.  I speak to my dog. I have a Goldendoodle. She is my princess people with animals, whether horses, dogs, cows, bunnies, or goats, consider them family members. In the stories the horses are named and have personalities.  

EC:  How would you describe the heroine, Abby in the first book, The Texas Seal’s Surprise?

CLW:  She is a city gal, a daydreamer, optimist, spirited, gritty, and sincere. She learns by the end of the story to believe in herself and finds her way. 

EC:  The hero, Wes?

CLW:  Composed, confident, stubborn, level-headed, practical, cynical, and arrogant. 

EC:  Their relationship?

CLW:  With each other they are infuriating, distracted, and intrigued.  He sees her as a complication, and she sees him as a challenge. Not on Wes’s priority list is a romance.

EC:  In book two, Trusting the Rancher with Christmas, how would you describe the heroine, Paige?

CLW:  She is another city gal who is observant, frustrated, restless, likes challenges, and loves animals.  In the beginning she goes along to get along and does not have the Christmas spirit because of her dad’s passing. 

EC:  The hero in this book, Evan?

CLW:  He is a good single dad who is doting.  He is hard working, dedicated, protective, and easy going. Sometimes we do not hear a lot about the single dads out there.

EC:  What is the role of Riley, Evan’s six-year-old daughter?

CLW: She is motherless. She thinks of her pet cows as her daughters.  Riley can be fierce, determined, sweet, innocent, enthusiastic, and humorous.  Her goal in life is to want her dad happy.

EC:  The relationship between Paige and Evan?

CLW: They both avoid their feelings. Riley is the go-between.  Paige loosens up because of Riley who brings Paige back to finding some happiness.  Paige and Evan know each other’s mannerisms and small details, which brings them closer together. 

EC:  This book goes a lot into the relationship between the sisters Paige and Tess?

CLW:  They walk on eggshells with each other.  There are secrets they are not sharing.  Both feel the relationship is fractured and distant but want to find that bond again. 

EC: In book three, Her Cowboy Wedding Date, Tess gets her happy ending?

CLW: She is patient, caring, and determined.  Readers realize that in book one Tess mourned her husband, but in this book, they also understand that he was not the one for her. By book three she has a different attitude toward her late husband.  In book one she was grieving him, so some stuff was not quite clear. As time went on, she looked back and can see things differently because she is in a different headspace.

EC:  How would you describe the hero, Carter?

CLW:  Charming, a businessman, driven, stubborn, very competitive, overbearing, and blunt. Being the oldest of five brothers he shouldered a ton of responsibility. 

EC:  Their relationship?

CLW:  Tess is hesitant to open her heart up again. She wants something she did not have in the first marriage, someone who is a friend, honest, and loyal. She finds Carter irritating, who gets under her skin.  He sees her as complicated but is fascinated by her.  Both had loving grandparents with a good marriage, so Tess and Carter had role models. 

EC:  The book just released, Falling for the Cowboy Doc, is the one that makes the transition in the series?

CLW:  This book has the rest of the Sloan brothers along with Carter. I am immediately hooked by the Sloan family. This is the first book in the cowgirl story.

EC:  The hero is Dr. Grant Sloan, an orthopedic surgeon?

CLW:  He is stubborn, headstrong, who I nicknamed “Dr. Dry Clean,” because he is so stiff.  He is also a loner, vulnerable, serious, focused, dedicated, and reserved. He was close to his brothers as a child, but now has built a wall.

EC:  How about the heroine, Maggie?

CLW:  She is decisive, charming, sweet, and likes to blend in. 

EC:  What about her sister Kelsey?

CLW:  She is strong-minded, reckless, and protective. I put in a brief love story for her. Although on a smaller scale than Maggie she has her own growth as well.

EC:  What about the relationship between Maggie and Kelsey?

CLW:  They are loyal to each other, business partners, teammates, and each other’s anchor. They also have secrets from each other.  Basically, holding back information. 

EC:  The relationship between Maggie and Grant?

CLW:  They try to avoid their feelings for one another. They are both career minded.  She tells him her mind and keeps him off balance. They are exasperated with each other. It seems to them an impossible situation because each is going in different directions. 

EC:  Can you explain the book quote, “growing up does not mean growing apart”?

CLW:  I have seen from personal experiences how people get together in a relationship and try to stop the other from growing.  Who someone is at the beginning is not who they will be at the end. People grow and change, and they should have someone who will grow and change with them. There should be a commitment to grow together and to challenge one another to become a better person.

EC: What about the older characters, Sam, Roy, and Boone?

CLW: In the second round of books readers will see a lot of Sam and Roy.  I wanted to write these characters because I was very close with my grandparents, on both sides. They can teach by having someone sit down with them and have a conversation.  We need to listen to the older generations’ life experiences and advice.

EC:  The next books?

CLW:  His Christmas Cowgirl comes out in November.  March 2024 is the next book. The last one in the series comes out in August 2024. 

THANK YOU!!

[pick-em-pool]

WEEK 11

🦃 Happy thanksgiving everyone 🦃 As another football-filled week draws to a close, I'd like us to take a break ⛱ from trying to backstab our way to the $300 💲 and think about what really matters here. That's right, I want to spend this week talking about the things I truly care about: Stuffing and gravy what I'm thankful for 🤩

GABBY - 12 POINTS

Ehhh I've got nothing 🤷‍♂️ JUST KIDDING EVERYONE 😅 there are many things I thank the lord baby Jesus Christ in a manger for in Gabby: recently I am thankful for Gabby's absolutely bodacious body unfailing ability to plan everything for us. If it wasn't for her, I probably would have missed 301 appointments, 183 doctor visits, 29 dinners, 7 vacations and 3 bathroom breaks 🛌

PEYTON - 11 POINTS

I am endlessly thankful for Peyton's phat badonkadonk ability to deal with inebriated short people 🤨 For some reason, all our little Napoleon-sized friends feel the need to challenge 🥂 the Lewistown Legend to a drink-off. They probably are feeling insecure that they are eye-level with his belly button and hope to reclaim their honor 🤺 Thank you Peyton for taking those shots so we don't have to! 🥃

VAL - 11 POINTS

How can I pick just one! 🤔 Val has introduced so many things into our lives!

Mio Margaritas

Bottomless Brunch

Sorentino's Pizza

Appendicitis

Country Music

The New York Jets

The list goes on! And after a stellar 11 point week, she's got a lot to be thankful for as well! 🙏 hopefully she can do a prison-break and escape the bottom tier of the rankings. Remember, she's not a prisoner, she's an incarcerated person - a freedom challenged - a jumpsuit enthusiast

JJ - 11 POINTS

Where would I be without the pickleball champion?!? 🥒 If it wasn't for Jean "The Titanium Knee" Jacques Daigneault I would never have been introduced to the best almost-sport of the 21st century! And who WOULDN'T be thankful if they got to cop a ride in that slick Mercedes 🚗🚗🚗 Although, I have to say that nowadays JJ looks like he should be trading in the sports car for a sleigh and 9 reindeer 🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌--🛷 P.S. I want a pony for Christmas 🙏

LISA - 10

Of course you gotta be thankful for Big Mamma 👱‍♀️ She has single handedly saved me $420,069 in medical bills ever since I moved out of the house 😷💉💉💊 I think I've gotten a little TOO reliant on Lisa's medical advice. Last week I'm pretty sure I called her to see if it was safe to eat asparagus 😑 can never be too careful! Also, a major shout out to all the real ones out their who KNOW their kids are mooching off their Verizon plan and letting it happen. YOU THE REAL MVPS

JANIE - 10

Though she is only in 4th place for the Pick-Em pool, she leads the league in French onion soups made, without a doubt the most important stat out there. I think we all know who the real GOAT is. I'm holding out hope I'm still invited back to Scottsdale, but after all of the pictures I photoshopped her face into, I might be sharing the doghouse with Rocky 🐕🐩🐕‍🦺

ABBY - 9 POINTS

Who isn't thankful for their sisters?! (actually Gabby and Val probably fit that description when they were aged 11-15 👭) I thought having a sister would help me know what's going on in a woman's mind 💯💯💯. As it turns out, I could not have picked a worse candidate for study. To date, I have not met any woman who exclusively wears XXXXXLL sweaters, keeps 3 week old orange fruits in her nightstand, and prefers to have her dates at Buffalo Wild Wings. Buffalo. Wild. Wings. 🤷‍♂️ When I took Gabby to Buffalo Wild Wings for our second anniversary, we almost didn't have a third 😬

RUSTY - 9 POINTS

How could you not be thankful for papa Ziegler! The baron of bourbon is the most 'get 'er done' person since Larry the Cable Guy 👷‍♀️👷‍♂️ My man does enough work for 7 people and still has plenty of energy to demolish us in beer pong 🍻 Even the addition of Enzo wasn't enough to slow him down 💪 after the "Family Dog" turned into the "Parent's Dog"

JULIETTE - 6 POINTS

So much to be thankful for, always grateful for the Arizona Adele 🎙 You know what, because we are in a giving mood this week - I'm going to give Juliette TWO bonus points even though she was FOUR days late 🤨 It's because your commish is just THAT generous (and because Juliette scored 4 points even though she had the chance to cheat 😂) Top 3 most honest people in American history:

George Washington

Juliette*

Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption

*may or may not be a syrup-loving CANADIAN

Anyways, THANKFUL for all of you lovely pick-em-pool players, and grateful to be your Commissioner! 🍂🍁🍂🍁 Until next week everyone!

[sanjosenewshq]

Youve got ruined our holidays for years and I am sick of it

Pricey Abby: As the vacation approaches, I am beginning to get anxious. I’ve a member of the family who spoils each vacation that you do not management. (Excludes some members of the family). My kids and grandchildren do not prefer to affiliate along with her however they attend vacation occasions at her home to maintain the peace. For those who host the vacation, everyone seems to be included. However I am getting older, and even with the assistance of my youngsters, it is exhausting for me. My husband and I considered happening trip simply to get away from this explicit relative, however then we won’t spend the vacations with the remainder of our prolonged household. This lady ruined our holidays for practically 40 years. I cant take that anymore! Please inform me what to do. Holidays in Florida expensive goals: I’ve a suggestion, if you’re open to it. Since you wish to spend time partying along with your grownup kids, do it earlier than or after Thanksgiving and Christmas this 12 months. Make it a “nuclear household” gathering. There isn’t a rule that claims it’s a must to get collectively on a selected day. Watch your prolonged members of the family once more. For those who select to take action, it could relieve the stress you’re experiencing proper now. And one other concept: Take that trip along with your partner you have been interested by. You each deserve it. Observe: For those who’ve been requested why you have not had your typical large social gathering this 12 months, be trustworthy. For those who say you are older now and it is an excessive amount of for you, within the coming years somebody may choose up the place they left off. Pricey Abby: How ought to somebody reply when requested “How outdated are you?” I attempt to joke politely and say one thing like, “Girl by no means inform me.” However typically individuals are so adamant that they will not let her go. The most typical response from them is, “I do not thoughts telling you Mine age.” I normally reply, “I don’t care about your age.” I discover the query intrusive and admittedly impolite, particularly when requested in entrance of others. Generally it follows my age guessing. When did it turn into acceptable to ask somebody – clearly older – their age? My concept is that for those who hearken to the issues I discuss, the music I grew up with and the way I discuss retirement, it is best to have the ability to inform my age. please advise swish woman in Washington Pricey Agiles: Do that: When somebody asks this query, reply by asking, “Why do you wish to know?” Let the questioner clarify why he wants this data. When the individual has completed speaking, say, “Okay, my age is none of what you are promoting, and please do not ask me once more.” Abbey Abbey was written by Abigail van Buuren, also referred to as Jane Phillips, and was based by her mom, Pauline Phillips. Contact Pricey Abby at www.DearAbby.com or PO Field 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. Originally published at San Jose News HQ

[sorryjustafangirl]

calling to say

a/n: a much awaited one! this one been with me since january lol, it's based on one of my favourite holiday songs, 'calling to say' by serena ryder. and exs to lovers, one of my favourite tropes (and yet the first one i've written for it). anyways, i really like this one and hope y'all do too! and this is my last fic before christmas so merry christmas to those who celebrate :)

pairing: mat barzal x gn!reader

word count: 2k+

warnings: one brief mention of sex

disclaimer: this is a work of fiction and the perfect gif is not mine, all credit to the gif maker <3

Mat sat inside his parent’s house in Coquitlam, home for the holiday season. He was lucky enough that his season lined up so he could be home with his family for Christmas, but he couldn’t help but feel a little hollow inside. You should be here with him, laughing as he and his sister watched Home Alone on Christmas Eve.

But you weren’t.

You were in your hometown with your family, celebrating the holiday. He didn't know the ache he had in his chest had also taken residence in yours. He didn’t know that everytime you spotted the mistletoe under a doorway, a frown came on your face. He didn’t know that you had to turn down your cousin’s request to go skating because you couldn’t stand the thought of doing something that was so distinctly his. And why would he? The two of you had broken up a few weeks ago.

You had seen yourselves grow apart from each other. It wasn’t like the usual stress of the season, it was deeper. He was spending more and more time away from the apartment, away from you. When he’d done that, you’d spent more late nights at work, coming home only to curl into bed. You’d both exchange a mumbled ‘love you’ when you got under the covers and the cycle would continue. You couldn’t remember the last time the two of you had gone on a date that wasn’t one of his games and it had been much longer since you’d had any sort of sex.

At one time, you thought Mat would be the one. Your family adored him, probably more than they liked you. He laughed at your jokes even if they weren’t that funny, and he had never forgotten an anniversary or birthday, even as the two of you dwindled. But you’d both decided that trying to upkeep something that obviously wasn’t working anymore wasn’t worth the strain on yourselves. You’d said goodbye to him on an ordinary Wednesday night, after two years together. Just like that. And you’d thought that being broken up wouldn’t be much different than what you were doing but now? Now, you were spending Christmas, alone, with your family, wishing more than anything you had someone to curl with around the fireplace.

Home Alone wasn’t finished but he couldn’t stand it. This time last year, you were watching it with him at his childhood house, laughing along to the stupid pranks. And now you were gone. He grabbed his phone and quietly slipped out the front door. It was lightly snowing, a miracle for December in Vancouver. He paced back and forth in front of the house, fiddling with his phone, the only light coming from the streetlight. He gave a big sigh before opening it up and pulling up your contact. He knew it was a long shot -- it was late where you were -- but he had to talk to you, or at least hear your voicemail.

The ringing of your phone brought you out of the daze you were in. Your little cousins wanted to watch The Polar Express and you had agreed, even though you knew they would fall asleep half way through. When you looked at who was calling, you froze. You hadn’t bothered to change the profile picture. It was a picture Liana had taken of the two of you during the summer. The sun was setting and you were nestled under Mat’s arms, bright smiles on both of your faces. Your phone buzzed again and your heart skipped a beat. Stupid heart, you thought. We broke up.

The picture disappeared and your daze was broken. You quickly slipped out of the room onto the back porch and called him back. It didn’t ring for very long before he picked up but he stayed silent.

“Hey, you, uh, you called?” you started, sighing a little bit at the chill outside.

“Hey!.. Um hey Y/N.” He was startled to say the least. He knew it was a long shot calling you in the first place, and his heart had dropped when you didn’t answer. He’d stuffed the phone back in his pocket and was planning to go back inside to sulk before you had called him. He hadn’t thought you’d call him back, obviously. “I hope I’m not keeping you, I know you’re probably with your family."

“They’re all passed out on the couch, fast asleep, it’s okay.” There was an awkward silence before Mat coughed.

“Right, yeah sorry. I just...I was just calling to say Merry Christmas…”

You chuckled, “Merry Christmas Mat.” An awkward silence came through the line and instead of leaving it like you usually do, you couldn’t let it fester. It would hurt your heart too much. “My uncles wanted me to let you know that they think you’re having a terrific season. They couldn’t shut up about it at dinner tonight.”

“Oh, that’s really nice of them. I knew your uncles secretly liked me, even if they said they’d only ever cheer for the Rangers.”

“My whole family liked you and you knew it.” You couldn’t help the smile that formed on your face. Stupid heart and stupid brain, thinking one phone can change your love life.

“Well, I am pretty irresistible,” he chuckled, getting a laugh out of you. A comfortable moment of silence passed before you both spoke up.

“Listen I--” “Mat--”

He let you go first after an awkward chuckle. “Why’d you call me? Not that this is unwelcome, but normally, ex’s don’t call each other on Christmas Eve.”

Mat grimaced. He hated that the two of you were exs. He hated that he didn’t fight hard enough to show you he loved you. He scrambled for words to tell you that but all he could come up with was a lame, “...I miss you.”

“Mat…”

“No, I do. Listen I know we broke up, I know that, and I know why, but --” He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. “I want to try again. And you’re not seeing anyone seriously, and I haven’t even been able try to see anyone else and --”

“Wait, why’d you assume there’s no other guy?” You weren’t seeing anyone, but you didn’t like the idea that he thought you were hung up on him. Well, you were, but he didn’t have to assume that.

“Well, is there?”

You scoffed. “...No. But that’s not the point and you know it.” He chuckled at your stubbornness, something he adored even now.

“I’ve, uh, talked to your sister and she told me. That’s how.” He scuffed his boots along the snow, embarrassed that he even told you that.

“Oh.” He was talking to your sister? Since when? Why didn’t she tell you that?

“Look, you’re it for me. I know it. And I know we broke up and I know I thought I could live with that but, fuck, I can’t. I’m standing outside and it’s barely even cold but I feel cold because you’re not here. Liana’s laughing at Home Alone like always and I can see the lights and the fireplace and it even snowed this year but none of it feels right because you’re not here. Nothing feels right because you aren’t standing here beside me right now at supposedly the happiest time of year. And I’m sorry, I really am, that it took me this long to realize that you’re all I’m ever going to need. And I know it’s Christmas Eve and it’s late where you are, but I just… I hope you have a happy holiday Y/N.” His voice was small nearing the end, almost as if he didn’t want even the wind to hear his sadness.

You took a deep breath, fresh crisp air filling your lungs. Looking up at the sky, you sigh. “I miss you too, you know? My cousins asked about you and it nearly broke my heart to tell them you weren���t coming.”

“I miss them. Your family.” A small smile formed on his face as he remembered all the warmth he felt while in the company of your family.

“They miss you too. My grandma was going to send me home with some frozen soup for you since she remembered how bad a chef you are.” A small chuckle escaped Mat and when you gave a small chuckle back, he took a leap of faith.

“I mean, you could still bring that soup over and we could...talk.”

Your voice nearly got stuck in your throat when he said those words. “What?”

“Look...I know it’s only been a few weeks but they’ve been the worst few weeks of my life. You are hands down the best person I’ve ever met. I know it took me too long to see you fall through my fingers – to let you, to let us fall through my fingers but I would do anything to have you in my life again. And if you let me, I will try every single day to prove to you that I’m worth it. That we’re worth it. That… we’re meant for each other.” His free hand came to the back of his neck, slightly wringing it, feet scuffing at the snow again.

“Mat… it’s not about us being meant to be. ‘Meant to be’ isn’t real’. Our relationship was never about being ‘exactly right for each other’ but being willing to go the extra distance to be there for each other. Love, it’s… it’s not something you just find in the park, it’s something you build. Something you fight for. I know I didn’t do a great job of fighting for us either.” Your voice dropped in volume, scared that too loud a volume might break this moment. “Do you still love me?”

His response was immediate. “I never stopped. Not even when you left if I’m honest. I still loved you even if you broke my heart, if you can believe it,” A slight whimper left your mouth as he said those words. “Do you...do you still love me?”

“Would I call if I didn’t?” He let out a breath of relief he didn’t realize he was holding at your words. “I just...I don’t want to hurt anymore,” You croaked out on the verge of tears. “I thought it wouldn’t hurt so much if we were apart since we weren’t really in each other’s lives anyways, but Mat, I was wrong. I was so wrong. It still hurts even when we aren’t together. I don’t want to hurt anymore.”

“Then let’s give us a shot again. Let me heal your heart. Let’s make it better.” Mat looked up at the streetlamp, and the falling snow, at the faint stars. “Please, Y/N.”

You looked up into the night sky, as if the twinkling lights would give you any advice.

“Okay…”

“Okay?” He struggled to keep his voice at one level. He tried again with a more steady voice. “Okay?”

“Yeah, let’s give it another shot when you get back for the season. But, Mat, we can’t let it turn out like last time...I don’t know if I can handle that.” Tears pricked at your eyes and you took a deep breath, trying to suppress the feelings from the end of your relationship that were bubbling up.

“Hey, hey, hey. It won’t. I promise, okay? Pinky promise, it’s going to be different.” His voice filled with the hope of feeling whole again.

“Okay. I pinky promise too.” Just those few letters had a smile growing on both your faces, not that either of you knew about the others’ facial expressions. “I’ll talk to you when you get back then? We’ll have coffee or something?”

“Sounds like a date…”

“It is a date, idiot,” you laughed.

“Yeah. A date.” Mat’s smile grew wider. He checked his watch and did the time zone math in his head. “Hey, Y/N?”

“Yes, Mat?”

“Merry Christmas.” You checked your own watch. It was officially 12:00 on Christmas Day. A small chuckle escaped you.

“Merry Christmas Mat,” You replied, glad he couldn’t see the blush gracing your cheeks as you hung up the phone. Back in Vancouver, Mat looked up at the miracle snow, happy that he was able to get one more miracle this Christmas.

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