#bedroom sets in calgary

[youcouldmakealife]

SOTM: Bryce/Jared, Elaine; Man of the Hour (Day, Week, Month, Year)

For the prompt: One of the articles Bryce mentions. "…like, a profile thing? How it was growing up gay in hockey, that kind of thing… A chance to establish myself as like, I am now,” Bryce says. “Kind of like — not set the record straight, exactly, but like, show I’ve matured and stuff. "

It’s the definition of a typical Vancouver day, drizzly and overcast, when I meet Bryce Marcus. He likely needs no introduction, but I will introduce him anyway: the star centre for the Vancouver Canucks who went from being the enemy while playing for the arch-rival Calgary Flames to becoming possibly the most beloved man in the city: certainly if you you asked the fans streaming out of Rogers Arena after watching the Canucks win the Cup for the third time, or the hundreds of thousands of lining Burrard to cheer on their Canucks at the Stanley Cup Parade on a beautiful sunny day this June.

The weather is anything but glamourous today, however, and at the Marcus Matheson household, the surroundings aren’t either.

Jared Matheson, husband and teammate of Bryce, apologizes as I step over a box in their hallway. “We’re kind of in the middle of a move right now.”

They’re trading their two-bedroom condo for something ‘a little more permanent’. Both have decided that wherever their NHL careers may take them, Vancouver is going to remain home, and they’ve just closed on a house nearby.

“Bryce is weirdly excited about getting to mow the lawn,” Jared tells me as we wait for Bryce to finish getting ready. In light of the hyper-competitive Vancouver real estate market it’s entirely understandable to be excited about lawncare — it means you have a lawn to care for — but one wouldn’t have expected that to extend even to Vancouver’s sports stars.

When Bryce emerges, five minutes after my arrival, he announces himself by swearing as he trips over a box of his own, and then apologising, both for his language and his tardiness.

“He was doing his hair,” Jared says.

“I was not,” Bryce scowls, but doesn’t offer an alternative explanation.

After a quick tour of their condo, which is currently half in boxes, Bryce and I hop into his Audi S8 — naturally courtesy Capilano Audi, whose ads featuring him are inescapable during Canucks games. We drive to Richmond so he can show me his old haunts: elementary, middle, and high school — though he finished high school in Washington while playing for the Spokane Chiefs — his home rink, the Dairy Queen his mother took him after hockey games. He’s a capable, if slightly aggressive driver. I mention this because from the dire warning I received from Jared on the way out the door I genuinely believed I might not survive the drive.

Bryce finally pulls into the driveway of an unassuming but cheerful house on a quiet suburban street. The morning drizzle has faded, and the weather is now just as bright and warm as his childhood home, and the mother who raised him there. Already waiting for us on the porch, his mother Elaine Marcus offers me a glass of lemonade. “Store bought, I’m afraid,” she says with a smile. “I’m not much of homemaker.”

Over lemonade and cookies — “Also store bought,” Elaine admits, “but this bakery is very good!”, and she’s right about that — she shows me an array of childhood and teenage photos while Bryce complains to his mother that she’s ‘embarrassing’ him.

The photos are more inspiring than embarrassing: photo after photo of a beaming little boy in an equally small Canucks jersey, proudly brandishing a plastic mini-stick (Canucks branded, of course). A true example of someone who grew up to live his childhood dream.

Sadly, as he gets a older the smile disappears, as does the man beaming in the background of so many of those happy photos. His father, Ben Marcus, was killed by an impaired driver at the age of 32. It devastated Elaine and Bryce, who was only four at the time.

“It was hard,” Elaine says. “He didn’t understand. I didn’t understand, when it came down to it. It was a hard time. He wanted to play hockey all the time, it was the only thing he wanted. He was really only happy on the ice.”

“I just wanted him to be happy,” she says, smiling tearfully, and as Bryce wraps a protective arm around his mother's shoulders, I offer to give them a moment.

“It was a long time ago,” Elaine says in dismissal, wiping her eyes. “It’s just hard sometimes. Ben loved hockey, loved watching the Canucks with Bryce — he’d have been so proud to see Bryce lift the Cup for them. I am too, of course, but it was always Ben and Bryce’s thing. He would have been so proud.”

I do give them a moment then, and when I return, my lemonade has been refilled and both are all smiles once again, though Bryce's doesn't last. He cringes as we go through photos of his teen years. There’s a sullen look on his face in every picture.

And what was Bryce like as a teenager?

"I'll let him answer that," Elaine says diplomatically.

“I don’t really know,” Bryce says, looking thoughtful. “Angry, I guess. I was an angry kid. And confused.”

About his sexuality?

“Everything was confusing,” Bryce says. “But yeah, definitely that too.”

“Bryce cared so much,” Elaine says. “About everything. He still does. The world’s hardest on the people who care most about it.”

Like so many hockey players who’ve come out since Dan Riley and Marc Lapointe did in 2010, he credits their coming out as a major influence on his journey of coming to terms with his identity as both a gay man and a pro hockey player.

“You don’t really put it together,” Bryce says. He turned sixteen the summer the Leafs won the Stanley Cup, and Riley and Lapointe subsequently came out. “Like, okay, sure, you can be gay and play hockey. Except nobody thought that. I didn’t think that. If you said that, maybe I’d say okay, but I didn’t believe it.”

How, then, did he reconcile being gay and playing hockey?

“That's the thing,” Bryce says. “I didn’t, you know? I was playing hockey, so obviously I wasn’t, right? Because if I was gay, then I wouldn’t be playing, would I?”

“It sounds so ridiculous saying it now,” he reflects. “But that’s what I thought. And I wasn’t the only one.”

But even more than Riley and Lapointe blazing a trail before him, he credits meeting his husband Jared at a hockey skills camp in Calgary. In the year before he met Jared, then twenty year old Bryce was arrested twice, for assault and DWI: the latter in particular shook his mother, considering how his father died.

"I was worried about him," she says. "That's probably an understatement."

“I don’t know where I’d be if I hadn't met Jared,” Bryce says. “I genuinely don’t. I don’t think I’d be out. I know I wouldn’t be happy. You know, everyone says it isn’t like in the movies. Falling in love, I mean. That love at first sight and all that is b******t. But that’s pretty much what it was for me.”

Was it mutual?

Bryce laughs. “You’d have to ask Jared, he tells it better than me,” he says. “But no, not really. I wasn't good enough for him. I'm still not good enough for him, but I try to be."

Another warning I’d received from his husband before my tour around town? That Bryce was an incurable romantic. This warning certainly seems more warranted than the one about Bryce’s driving.

And what does Bryce think about Jared’s warning, and his additional suggestion to take anything Bryce said about him with a healthy grain of salt?

“[Jared]’s just modest,” Bryce says.

“He lights up when Jared’s around,” Elaine says. “It’s just like when he was a little boy — every time he stepped onto the ice, he beamed. It’s the same thing with Jared. He’s so happy. It’s so wonderful to see him like that.”

And how was it, not only getting to play with his husband, but to raise the Stanley Cup together?

“It’s a dream come true,” Bryce says. “Really. I know that’s such a cliche, but so is love at first sight, right? And the hometown boy winning it all for his childhood team. They’re all cliches. But they’re my life.”

“I know just how lucky I am,” Bryce says. “Winning with Jared, with this team — it’s been such a whirlwind of a year.”

I tell him to enjoy it.

“I do,” he says, smiling so widely I have no doubt he’s telling the truth. “I really, really do.”

[twopeoplecanchange]

CALGARY AT MIDNIGHT

quinn hughes x reader

summary: quinn needs a place to stay while going to a wedding in calgary. he gets a hook up from matthew tkachuk, who sets him up in the guest room of your apartment. finally, you won't be spending new years alone.

author's note: this is for @puckmaidens! happy holidays lydia!! i hope you enjoy :)

warnings: nothing just that my jet lagged brain wrote this, so there might be some errors!

wc: 2k

The text comes in on Thursday at 9am while you’re at work. Your phone buzzes on your desk repeatedly until you decide to pick it up.

MATTHEW T.

Hey, you still have extra space in that apartment of yours?

Your brow furrows, wondering why he would be asking this, seeing as he could easily book a nice hotel instead of staying in your dingy apartment.

YOU

Yea, why though?

His text comes in quickly, and it’s not what you expected.

MATTHEW T.

Quinn Hughes needs a place to stay for a weekend or so. Told him I could hook him up.

Of course he would do this. Matt knew of your not-so subtle crush on his childhood friend, and had asked you multiple times if he could set you guys up. You always said no. The first time, you were still with your university boyfriend, the second you just felt that it would be too awkward. Quinn, of course, would know of your crush and you would have no idea if he was even interested in you.

YOU

You’re joking. 

Matthew Tkachuk.

MATTHEW T.

I’m not joking. Get your guest bedroom ready and pick him up from the airport tomorrow.

YOUI hate you.

MATTHEW T.

Love you too 🥰

You sigh, putting your phone down before your supervisor can see. As you move through the workday, which of course just has to be as slow as ever, you can’t stop thinking about how awkward tomorrow might be; having to pick him up from the airport and housing him for three days. Would he avoid you like the plague or make an effort? You could only hope it was the latter.

On Friday morning you take the day off from work and spend the time dusting off every surface in your guest room. You change the sheets and add blankets, seeing that the heater is janky and decides to just not work on some days. You restock your fridge with food you can only hope he’ll want to eat. Then, once it’s the afternoon, you take off for the airport.

You arrive at his gate around 2, no sign, hoping your presence will be enough.

As you stand on your tippy-toes, looking for a sign of the eldest Hughes brother, two texts come in.

MATTHEW T.

Gave Quinn your phone number btw.

UNKNOWN NUMBERHey, this is Quinn. Where are you?

You elect to ignore Matt’s text and instead text Quinn.

YOU

By the coffee shop towards the exit.

You pocket your phone, eyes scanning the crowd when you see Quinn approaching you. He’s even more handsome in person, the tv screen and Matt’s shitty photos not doing him justice. It must be the captaincy. A slight beard grows on his face, his dark hair shaggy but somehow presentable. His eyes are visibly tired, and he looks nervous as he approaches you.

“Y/N?” He asks, his voice quiet and just a tad bit raspy.

“Hey, Quinn. It’s uh, nice to meet you. I mean- I’ve heard stories from Matt but I’m sure they don’t do you justice.” You smile, and Quinn nods, a faint smile on his face.

“Yeah, knowing him they’d probably put me in a worse light.” Quinn jokes as you start to head down to the car park.

“I don’t think that’s possible. You have a pretty good rep.” He nods, cheeks a little bit rosy and his small smile just a tad bit bigger.

The car ride is not as awkward as you expected, you and Quinn fall into easy banter, talking about your memories with Matt, exchanging anecdote after anecdote until you arrive at your apartment. You park and take the elevator up, both of you are silent as you watch the number tick up to the fourth floor.

You quickly both get into your apartment seeing as the hallway is freezing because of the lack of heat. Quinn takes off his shoes and puts them next to yours before settling his bags near the door.

“What would you want to do for dinner?” You ask as you look at your fridge. None of the food looks quite appetizing. Quinn looks into your fridge, his cologne overtaking your senses in the best way. It’s a nice scent, not quite as overpowering as you’d imagine. “Takeout?” You suggest.

“Yeah, sounds good.”

Takeout goes surprisingly smoothly. A Christmas movie plays on the screen despite the holiday having already passed, and the two of you eat in a comfortable silence. When you’re done eating, you ask Quinn questions.

When’s the wedding? Tomorrow

Who’s it for? Childhood friend from Toronto who moved to Calgary. ‘Nothing interesting’.

Are you excited? Quinn pauses for a bit, slowly chewing as he comes up with an answer. “I don’t know. I think they expect me to bring a date because they gave me a plus one, but I couldn’t think of someone to bring.” He gets out, the words feeling stuck in his throat.

You can’t tell if this is some kind of joke, if he knows about your crush and is trying to get you interested, just to leave you in the dust.

“Right.” You nod. You tried to think of something better to say, but what he said was not what you had expected. At all.

“I mean…if you wouldn’t mind being my plus one, that would be great. Better that than being alone.” Yeah, better that than being alone. Alone, thinking of all the girls fawning over you because they most likely know who you are. 

Instead of saying something revealing, you just agree. A simple sure does the trick, and he’s thanking you. When you’re settling into bed later, you can’t help but wonder why. Is he interested in you, taking his chance? Or does he simply just not want to deal with the wedding alone? You pass out before you can even realize you don’t have a dress to wear for tomorrow.

You wake up in a panic, hurriedly making breakfast after realizing you do in fact, not have a good dress to wear to the wedding. Nothing formal, everything is either white or too extravagant. Quinn watches confused as you rush around the kitchen, and lets a small teasing comment slip, “You know we don’t have to be at the wedding till like, five, right?” He jokes and you freeze, stopping your every move.

“I don’t have a dress, and I don’t know the color scheme or the theme, and I don’t want to stand out and wear white.” You ramble without taking a single breath.

Quinn hesitates, “It’s okay, we can just go get you a dress right?” His voice is calming, and you smile slightly, turning around. “After breakfast we have to get me a dress.” Quinn nods before heading farther into the kitchen to help you out.

You end up going to a little boutique a few minutes from your house. The dresses are mainly formal, with a few outlier party dresses. Quinn follows you as you scan the racks, picking out three dresses before heading to the changing rooms.

Quinn waits on one of the chairs outside of the dressing rooms, looking at his phone occasionally. Then you step out in the first dress. Quinn blinks, droopy eyes suddenly much more awake. It’s a pretty dress, you say, but it doesn’t feel right. Quinn just can’t get rid of the thought of how beautiful you are.

“You look great,” He blabs, and you let out a startled laugh, hand covering your mouth. “Right, thanks.” You smile weakly before heading back into the dressing room.

The next dress, a startling red, looks great on you, Quinn thinks. But you huff and sigh, saying you hope the next dress is better. Quinn says it looks great, and you laugh it off.

The last dress is a calm purple. Quinn’s eyes widen. You look great. You play with your hair a bit, looking at yourself in the mirror down the hallway.

“It’s…” You start, looking for the right word. 

“Beautiful.” Quinn finishes for you, making your skin burn.

“Yeah,” You nod feebly, hurrying into the dressing room to change back into your clothes.

When you get home, you start getting ready for the wedding in a rush. Putting on the dress, doing your makeup and hair. When you finally leave your room, Quinn is leaning against the back of the couch, idly scrolling through his phone. He looks up at the sound of your door closing and freezes.

Matt had shown him multiple pictures of you, stories, and begged him to let him introduce the two of you. The photos didn’t quite capture your beauty. The stories were bland, they didn’t recall your humor and your joy. He always disagreed, not quite sure. But knowing you now, if Matt suggested setting you guys up, he’d say yes in a heart beat. He’s just not quite sure what your answer would be.

"Ready to go?" You ask, breaking Quinn from his trance. He nods blankly, extending his arm to you. Your skin warms just the slightest, and you wrap your arm around his, pulling him close. His cologne infiltrating your senses, and you blink, steadying yourself.

You drive yourself and Quinn to the venue, and take seats toward the back. A few people come his way, greeting him and asking him about the season, or congratulating him on the teams success. If one of them were to notice you, they'd ask and Quinn would say you were a friend. The couple, the past friend, fan, or the acquaintance would nod, but have a knowing look in their eyes, like they knew all. They didn't, of course, seeing as you were both attending this as friends. If you were even friends. Friend of a friend?

You shook the thought as you watched the couple do their first dance to a cute song you'd never heard the name of. When the song came to an end, every clapped, including you. You didn't notice, too busy watching the newly married couple fondly, but Quinn was watching you, a slight smile on his face.

Once dinner was served, you learned the true meaning of the couple's, wedding. They wanted the party to go to midnight since it was New Year's Eve. They'd have the count down on the screen, and the couple would share a kiss in the center of the room. Any couple would be welcomed to share a kiss as well. It was cute, you thought. If you had someone to kiss you would. It would be a fond memory to share.

The people at the table you were seated at weren't quite close to Quinn, but you made conversation enough for the both of you. As people at the table drifted off to dance, you found yourself in conversation with Quinn. Talking about everything from his brothers, your family, to hockey.

Then, the DJ announced a couple's dance, and the last two people at the table, a couple, got up. They shared a glance before gesturing for you two to join them. You hadn't noticed, but it was nearing midnight, with just around two songs until midnight. Quinn shared a glance with you, and then you stood up, holding out your hand towards him.

Quinn looked worried, but he gently takes your hand and lets you pull him to the dance floor. You have a bright but nervous smile on your face as you settle your hands on Quinn's shoulders, his hesitantly on your waist. You sway side to side as some sappy love song plays. Your eyes get lost in his, but then the music changes to something more jumping, and your eyes get lost. Lights bounce across the room as a time is displayed on the wall. The countdown.

You start jumping along to the music, Quinn as well with a fond smile on his face. Your smile is bright as you shout the words to the club song that Quinn doesn't know the name of. But then the shouting becomes different The countdown. Quinn blinks, starting to yell the numbers as well. Then it gets to eight, and you're turning toward Quinn, eyes locking with his again. Your hands place on his shoulders again, and his hands go to your hips much more confidently. You're both mouthing the numbers until you get to five, and everything changes. The air is different. Tense, you think. Then it hits one, and everyone's cheering. Hey, maybe you're a little bit off on the time, but you kiss him and he kisses you back, and that's all that matters.

[starsandhughes]

Penalty Box— Imagines Edition: Knight in Shining Armor

SERIES MASTERLIST

well… what was going to be a short imagine inspired by a scene in tsitp s2 e6 turned into this… enjoy <3

warnings: underage drinking, swearing, makeout sesh, one singular mention of weed

word count: 3.3k

December 2017 (Junior Year- Pre Dating)

Going to parties after a win, for both the U17 and U18 team, wasn’t unusual. In fact, it was pretty much expected at this point. This time Spencer’s parents were leaving for the weekend, so naturally his house became the party house. The parties started out small, but over the last couple of months they’ve grown since more people have found out about them. Virtually any student that attended the game knew that they’d receive a text soon for the location. A lot of people brought alcohol and other various substances to share with everyone so that it wasn’t all on the thrower’s shoulders. It was always quite the experience for everyone that showed up.

You tended to drag the boys into helping set up for the party if someone on the U17 team was throwing it since that was their team. It had been this way since the first time someone on the team threw a party.

“Ohhhh Knight!” you hollered as you entered the house. “I come bearing beer and boys!”

“Dos Equis?” Spencer questioned when he saw the four six packs in Jack’s and Cole’s hands. You held up a bottle of lemon juice in response. “Yeah alright.”

“It makes them taste even better!” you defended yourself. “It’s better than those nasty ass Natty Lites!”

“Leave our taste in beer alone!” Trevor shouted.

“Until you turn into big boys and find some taste, I will continue to belittle you! Modello, Michelob Ultra, anything but Natty Lites!” you shouted back.

“WHY HAVE YOU HAD SO MANY DIFFERENT BEERS?!”

“MATTHEW!”

Trevor threw his hands to his face and groaned dramatically, throwing his head back, “Of course that’s the reason.”

“Sissy hung out with Matthew, Quinn, and Brady after a game in Calgary and came back thinking she was better than us because she had different beers,” Jack laughed. “You’re not, by the way!”

“Matty thinks otherwise,” you smirked.

You looked at Trevor as soon as you said his name to see his reaction. Once you found out how much it bugged him, you found it somewhat entertaining to bring him up. You weren’t sure why. Maybe it’s just because of how much you constantly talked, especially towards the beginning of the year, but no one else minded like him. This time, Trevor slammed his head down on his folded arms on top of the kitchen island. You unsuccessfully stifled a laugh, causing him to lift his head up and glare at you.

“What do you have against Matthew?” Spencer asked.

“Nothing,” Trevor grumbled. He sat up and grabbed a giant bowl and a chip bag to make himself useful.

It only took half an hour to set things up. Alex helped Spencer take breakables to his upstairs bedroom, you put the beers in the fridge and set up a liquor station complete with cups, shot sized red solo cups, Titos, 1800 Tequila (it was all Cole had because it was cheap) and various sodas and mixers. A few people had already said they had some bottles they could spare, more beer, and some “girly” spritzers which really just meant Trulys and White Claws.

Within the hour, Spencer’s house was full of people. Most people you at least knew their names from being in classes with them, but a lot of people were seniors that you didn’t know because they were friends with the U18 guys. There were some senior girls that you’ve become party friends with, but that’s about it. You tended to stick with your friends. Tonight, however, you were feeling social. You had a good day and the guys had a big 5-1 win, and all your friends were spread out throughout the house anyways. You grabbed a random bottle of tequila, one of the bags with the shot cups, and decided to wander around handing out shots to various groups of people.

You found the group of girls you normally hang out with at parties first in a corner of the living room first.

“Y/N!” Grace exclaimed. She was in your grade and you shared a couple of classes with her. She was one of those friends that you spent time with in classes and parties only and not really anywhere else. That was the case for pretty much everyone you knew that weren’t the guys.

“Grace!” you echoed with just as much enthusiasm.

“Does our girl have a bottle of tequila?” your other friend, Meagan, asked with a smile.

“That she does! Care for a group shot, ladies?”

“I’m offended that you asked that,” Paris, the lone senior, said.

You poured each of them a shot and set the bottle down after you poured yours and raised your cup, “Here’s to our fine asses and the trashy rap music Spencer won’t let me change!”

“Cheers!” the three girls laughed.

You held your breath after you tapped your cups together before tossing the shot back to not taste the harshness as much, but you couldn’t hold back your scrunched up face at the after taste. You spotted Cole laughing at you across the room and you flipped him off in response.

“Excuse me, I have to go whack my best friend for laughing at me,” you told the girls before you walked away.

You had to maneuver yourself through some people to get to Cole. While you could spot each other across the room easily, getting to him was not that easy. Being short was definitely not a plus in this situation either. Cole knew exactly what was coming and tried to get to the other side of the kitchen island, but he was experiencing the same problem as you. You caught up to him before he could get too far and whacked him outside the head.

“Ow!”

“That’s what you get for laughing at me!”

“What was I supposed to do?! Tell you that you’ll do better next time?!”

“I didn’t even react that bad!”

“Wanna bet?” Cole asked with a raise of his eyebrows. You narrowed your eyes at him, “You’re on, Caufield.”

You called Alex over to be the judge as to who made less of a face after a tequila shot. No chasers were allowed, but now that you were determined instead of just casually doing a shot, you fully intended to hold everything in. Just doing one apparently was not big enough of a competition, so you were doing two in a row as fast as you could with the goal of not making a face.

At the end of Alex’s countdown, you immediately threw the first shot back. You held your breath, a trick you’ll die by, and didn’t let yourself breath until after the second shot was down. The boys always refused to do that for some reason. Your eyes widened and the burn was terrible, but you were holding it together for the most part. Cole clearly tried to be a tough guy, but his face mirrored what you’re sure yours looked like after the shot with the girls.

“Did you even try, Coley?” Alex laughed. “Y/N beat your ass by a long shot!”

You threw your arms up and cheered, “AHA! Suck it, Caufield!”

“That stuff’s cheap!” Cole tried to defend himself. “It was disgusting! And you had a shot before and could prepare yourself!”

“Sucks to suck,” you tutted. “Guess your talents end at the rink.”

“I can still smoke you out,” Cole rolled his eyes and shoved you playfully.

You three stayed in the kitchen for a while just hanging out. You grabbed yourself a beer to sip on since you just did three shots in a row and needed to slow down. You stayed with the guys even as more people came over to talk to them and just laughed along with them despite not caring at all about the conversation. You suddenly did care when a certain someone was brought up.

“I’m just glad Trace is actually talking to Z instead of just constantly talking about him to me,” one of the guys said. “I swear, my sister is borderline obsessed with him!”

You felt something heat up inside you. Trevor is a flirt, sure, but he hadn’t actually shown any real interest in anyone as far as you could tell. You and him always tease each other and playfully flirt, but that’s all you two were doing. You were friends. That’s it. So why did you care if he was chatting it up with some girl that was “borderline obsessed with him?” You looked around and spotted the pair by the back door. Tracy was leaning against the back door, twirling her hair with her fingers. Cole and Alex sent each other a knowing look.

“Hey, Y/N–” Alex started speaking.

“Excuse me,” you cut him off.

You made your way through the sea of people a little more forcefully this time to get to Trevor. You didn’t know Tracy; you didn’t have any classes together. But you did know that a lot of guys were attracted to her. She could have any of those guys, she didn’t need to have Trevor. You hated the idea of him with her and you didn’t know why. All you knew was that the alcohol swarming in your veins was probably impairing your better judgment. Trevor isn’t yours, but you sure as hell didn’t want him to be hers.

You were a foot from them when you tripped over somebody’s foot. Trevor’s reflexes acted quickly. He caught you before you could fall on your face in his arms. He was holding you as if he was dipping you during a dance. He had one arm behind your shoulders, and his other around your waist with his hand settling on your hip. Your eyes met his, the dark atmosphere brought out the green in his eyes in a mesmerizing way.

“You don’t need to hurt yourself to get my attention,” he whispered in your ear.

He kept holding you like this, and despite your balance being back, you let him. You bit back a smile at the look of his face. He looked at you like you were the only person in the room and that his arms were where you belonged. You felt as if you could stay in them forever. It was weird. It was new. You smirked, knowing that you now had his attention and no one else did.

“I think she’s okay now,” Tracy said, annoyed.

You tried to not express your disdain at the sound of her voice as you stood back up.

“I guess alcohol doesn’t fix my clumsiness,” you fake laughed. “Thank god for my knight in shining armor, yeah?”

“I’ll always save you, Princess,” Trevor replied with a smile.

“Anyways, as I was saying, Trevor–”

“I just came to tell you I beat Cole in our little competition to not make a face after some shots!” you cut her off. She huffed and crossed her arms. You smirked at her before continuing, “Wanna take me on, Z-Baby?”

“We were actually–”

“Lead the way,” Trevor interrupted her. “Nice talking to you…”

“Tracy,” she finished for him, seething.

“Right,” he nodded. “Have a good rest of your night!”

You waved bye to her smugly knowing that you’d won. You felt satisfied at the scowl that took over her face. You’d never been a petty girl, and you certainly had never felt like this. But the thought of Trevor with a girl was a feeling you didn’t want to feel again. Was this how Trevor felt when you talked about Matty?

You brushed it off as you took Trevor’s hand and led him to the kitchen where Cole and Alex still stood. Jack had joined them and it looked like the three of them had been talking. The three of them looked at you two with looks that you couldn’t name. They almost looked amused.

“I’ve been summoned for a no-face-post-shot competition,” Trevor said. “Want to make it a group one?”

“Line ‘em up,” Jack said.

You cheerfully grabbed a handle of Titos, not being able to find tequila, and poured everyone a shot. Same rules applied, no chasers, and to have as little of a reaction as possible. Spencer was the judge this time since there were more of you this time. You all lifted your shots and tapped them on the table after Spencer’s countdown and threw them back. You barely felt it since you were already a little drunk, okay maybe decently drunk, so you were proud at your lack of reaction. Cole’s face was better, but not as good as yours. Jack hates vodka, so his face was full of disgust. Alex you were pretty sure faked his reaction so that you could win, but Trevor showed no mercy.

“Y/N and Trevor were pretty head to head, if I’m gonna be honest,” Spencer said amused.

“What?! No way! I took that like a champ!” Trevor protested.

“You gotta declare a winner! We can’t tie, Spencer!” you practically screamed. You were way too competitive to tie.

“I saw them both,” Cole said. “I think we both know who won.”

Spencer gave you a look telling you that he hated what he was about to do to you.

“Trevor…”

“TRAITOR!” you shouted.

“Sucks to suck,” Cole said, copying what you told him earlier. You stuck your tongue out at him in retaliation.

Trevor leaned his back on the island to face just you, “What’s my prize, Princess? I feel like I deserve a prize. Plus, you called me your knight in shining armor after I saved your life from imminent death, so I deserve a really good prize.”

“Doesn’t the Princess normally kiss the knight that saves her?” Alex said with a smirk.

“I think she does,” Cole agreed.

“I do believe that is how the story goes,” Spencer added on.

Trevor’s face was red, but he held onto his smooth guy demeanor. You looked at your friends. All of them had the same expression of amusement on their faces, even Jack. You gave Cole one look and he read your mind. He put his hands over Jack’s eyes, and as soon as he did, you stood on your tiptoes and slammed your lips onto Trevor’s. He was taken aback at first, but quickly started to kiss you back. His hands found their way to your waist and he turned you so that you were pressed up against the island. You brought your hands up into his hair to deepen the kiss and parted your lips to allow his tongue to slip in.

If you were sober, you’d be embarrassed by the cheers from your friends, but it only made you kiss him harder. The only reason you parted was because your air supply was running out. You leaned back against the counter panting, absolutely entranced by the lust in Trevor’s eyes accompanied by his now messy hair.

“That was one hell of a prize,” Trevor said dazed.

“I can lose gracefully sometimes,” you said back.

“That was anything but graceful,” Cole laughed.

“And way too long,” Jack said, making the other three boys laugh even harder.

“We should have competitions more often,” Trevor flirted.

“You wish, Zegras,” you brushed him off teasingly.

That feeling you felt when you saw him talking to another girl was obliterated, and a desire for more took its place. You said “you wish, Zegras,” but you were really the one wishing. Wishing for more. Wishing for his attention to always be on just you. But you were drunk. That’s all this was, right? This wasn’t a kiss brought on by the raw need for each other. This wasn’t a kiss after a first date. This was a party. Your friends were around, egging the kiss on in the first place.

It didn’t mean anything.

And yet, it meant everything.

But you knew it wouldn’t happen again. Trevor is Jack’s best friend. This was a party, and you’re drunk. It might as well have happened during spin the bottle, because that’s what the kiss had to be. You’ll wake up tomorrow and the heat of the moment will have worn off and you’ll go back to how things were. You’re just friends. These weren’t real feelings because they couldn’t be.

It wasn’t too long before the party started to wind down and you, Jack, Alex, Cole, and Trevor all got into an uber back to your and Jack’s house to stay the night. Luke was away at a friend’s house for the night, so Alex took his room. Cole took Quinn’s, and Trevor practically had permanent residence in the spare room from staying over so much. Jack took you to your room to make sure you didn’t fall and stayed in there while you showered and got ready for bed. Once you were clean and changed, you came and laid down next to Jack in your bed on top of the covers.

“So… that was a pretty heavy kiss you had tonight,” Jack said.

“And? It was a party, we were drunk, and I couldn’t not kiss him after you four were making so many comments about it,” you said nonchalantly.

“True, but it could’ve been a simple kiss.”

“It was the heat of the moment,” you said, reaffirming it to yourself as you had been since it happened. “We’re friends, Jacky. That’s all.”

“You wouldn’t have kissed Cole or Alex like that,” Jack continued.

You dramatically fell forward into his lap with a groan, “Drop it, Jack! I don’t have feelings for your best friend, stop worrying!”

“I wasn’t worrying!” Jack laughed. “Admit it, Sissy. From the day you two met there were some flirtations blooming.”

“Who the fuck talks like that?” you mocked him. You rotated your body so that you were comfortably laying in his lap. “We just happen to both have flirty personalities. You’re looking too much into nothing.”

“Are you saying that because it’s true, or are you saying that because you think I’ll hate the idea of you two liking each other?”

That stunned you into silence. Sure, you tended to target your flirting and teasing to Trevor, but that was just how you two are. And yeah, maybe Tracy talking to him brought on a feeling that you guess could only be described as jealousy, but that doesn’t mean you like him! You had already dated a guy this year, and yeah, it ended up in flames, but that obviously meant you haven't had feelings for Trevor since you met.

“He doesn’t like me and I don’t like him and that’s that, Jack!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll drop it,” Jack caved.

You got silent and curled up closer to Jack. The high of the night was wearing off and you were finally tired. Jack’s words were swarming around your brain. A part of you felt that Jack was saying that Trevor actually likes you without saying it. But that was an insane thought.

“If you’re going to fall asleep, at least let me put you under the covers,” Jack said softly.

You sat up and allowed Jack to reach over to unmake your bed. You got off of him and slid under the comforter set and laid down.

“Want me to stay?”

“I’m okay. Goodnight,” you said.

“Goodnight,” he responded.

You turned over and laid flat on your back when you heard your bedroom door shut. You couldn’t stop thinking about this kiss. You couldn’t stop thinking about what Trevor said when he caught you. You couldn’t stop thinking about how Trevor left Tracy without a second thought. You couldn’t stop thinking about how much Trevor deepened the kiss on his end. You couldn’t stop thinking about Trevor.

You had feelings for your brother’s best friend.

You had feelings for Trevor. The drunkenness was gone. You were level headed. You had feelings for Trevor and you were sure of it this time.

Fuck.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Canadian style castle home in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Construction on the property first began in 1946 when the home was built as a bungalow. Then in 1982, new construction began to turn it into the castle it is today, complete with its own lookout tower. 4bds, 3ba, $1.4M.

In the entrance hall is one of four spiral staircases. I'm noticing a colorful contrast of deep pinkish red and orange.

This house does not fool around- no stuffy sitting room leads off the entrance hall, here you go directly into a huge club-like setting with a big bar.

There's even a dance floor back there.

Here's your formal sitting room with a fireplace. Check it out- the wall and mantel above the fireplace are half & half. That's a little weird.

Plus a home office/den.

There's a family room with a fireplace outside the dining room.

Spacious dining room matches the family room.

The kitchen is huge with a ceiling of light.

The kitchen has banquette seating in the tower.

In the corner of the rec room is the 2nd set of spiral stairs.

They lead to a tower sitting area with built-in seating. Kinda cute. It's right outside the primary room and there's a set of stairs that lead to the 3rd level.

Large primary bedroom.

One of the baths has a colorful tile pattern.

The secondary bedrooms are decent sizes.

And, the baths are large as well.

The 3rd set of spiral stairs is the best. Look at this.

It's a 2 story library.

Sitting room next to the library.

There's a cool roof top deck on the tower.

Private fenced-in patio.

B/c it was a summer home that was made considerably larger, there's not much land and it's sandwiched in between the 2 neighbors' homes.

[wandafiction]

Calgary - Just Us Chapter 79

Warnings: Description of Injuries and Surgery, Slightly Suggestive Themes

Word Count: 7296

Series List | Chapter 78 | Chapter 80

================================

I wake up to the sun peaking through the curtains shining down on the bed that has many blankets laying over the top of it, and Wanda's red hair glows in the light. Her whole body is practically on top of mine once again, after she told me I'm her human hot water bottle. So of course she snuggled as close as she could last night, stealing all my heat away from my body. 

I slowly pick her left arm up that's wrapped around my torso with one hand. The other hand lifts her head gently so I can shuffle my upper body out from underneath her. She grumbles in her sleep as she loses the warmth from my body, and a smile when she stuffs her face into the pillow more. I gently pull my legs from hers, swinging them out of the bed, my feet making contact with the cold wooden floor. 

I hastily make my way to the chest of drawers pulling out some fuzzy socks, sweatpants and a warm hoodie. Both me and Wanda were craving some skin on skin contact so we both wore shorts and t-shirts to bed. God it felt good to have her back in my arms like that, even when it's not anything sexual it feels so intimate.

Anyway…

I shuffle back over to the bed making sure to pull the covers up just how Wanda likes it before heading out of the bedroom and downstairs where I can hear the TV playing softly. I shuffle into the living room expecting to see the boys watching TV but instead it's set to a music channel and they are playing some card game.

"Morning boys." They both turn from their game giving me tired smiles.

"Morning Y/n."

"How long have you two been up?" 

"Maybe about an hour." Tommy shrugs as he looks back to the deck of cards in his hands.

"Have you had any breakfast yet?" 

"No, we were waiting for you and mom." 

"Mhmm, well why don't you help me make pancakes and we can take them up to your mom for breakfast in bed." 

"Sure, can we finish this game first? I have like one more card then I win." Tommy looks from his card to the one facing up in the pile between them, ah they must be playing rummy.

"Sure I will get it all ready and you guys just join me once you've finished."

"Thank you y/n." Billy says as he looks back to his cards.

"No need to thank me. One of you needs to win the bragging rights of the game."

"Yup and that person will be me." Tommy says with confidence as I make my way to the kitchen.

As I was putting the last of the ingredients on the counter I heard one of the twins groaning and the other celebrating. I look through into the living room to see Tommy dancing as he holds a deck of cards in one hand and using the other hand pushes them in the air as they go in every different direction. He looks up to see me and comes skipping into the kitchen with a smug grin plastered on his face.

"Guess this means you won?" 

"Of course I did. I always win." I raise a brow at Tommy's cockiness letting out a small laugh when I see Billy shuffle into the kitchen with a pout.

"Is that so Tommy?" 

"Yup, he always thinks he can beat me but he never has." I hold in a giggle when I see Billy mocking Tommy behind his back.

"Well I guess I am just going to show you what losing feels like." Tommy narrows his eyes at me.

"Is that a threat?" I bend down slightly so I match his height, hands on my knees as I squint my eyes at him.

"It's not a threat, just the truth. If you want a real challenge you have to face me. You can't be a true winner if you don't beat the champ." Billy shakes his brother's shoulder as Tommy playfully scowls at me.

"Fine but if I win you have to do my science homework for a week and if you win I have to cook you breakfast in bed the rest of vacation."

"How about the homework thing if you win? And if I win I will supervise you while you cook breakfast for me and your mom. I can't have you burning down the kitchen."

"Deal." He holds out his hand and I easily take it in mine.

"Deal." We shake hands. "Billy was the witness to this deal. No backing of it." 

"Oh this is going to be so much fun." Billy laughs out as he makes his way around the counter to look at the ingredients. "Ready to make pancakes?" 

"Yes. So what do we do first?" Tommy asks once he is standing next to Billy looking at the ingredients.

"Okay so first if one of you could sift the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into the mixing bowl. The other will need to whisk the eggs, milk and the melted butter in a jug together for me."

"I will do the sifting since I won, I get to choose what to do." Tommy says with a smug smile as he starts grabbing the flour.

"I don't think that's how it works. Is it Y/n?." Billy gives me his best puppy dog eyes but I hold my hands up as I lightly shake my head.

"I don't want to get in the middle of this sibling rivalry…" I see Billy smile at me. "But he has bragging rights and if he wants to use those rights to choose what he does in the breakfast prep, who am I to stop him?" 

"I thought we were friends Y/n." Billy fake pouts.

"So did I buddy, so did I." Billy's jaw drops as he scoffs at me causing me to laugh. 

"Okay, next step Y/n. Otherwise, mom will be out of bed before we can even get started." Tommy interrupts as he starts sifting the flour.

"Well pretty simply once you are both done, Billy will pour his mixture into yours and then you beat it with a fork."

"We beat it up with a fork?" Billy asks as his eyebrows scrunch.

"No you don't beat it up with a fork, you simply beat it." 

"Aha like I did with beating Billy in the card game!" Billy grumbles to himself as I high five Tommy. 

"Not quite Tommy but you were quick on that, good job. So you literally move the fork in small circles like you might a whisk and it slowly mixes the mixture. It's better to use a fork because it gets clumpy and will get broken down instead of getting stuck like it would in a whisk."

"Okay well I want to beat something so I would like to do that." 

"Sorry loser if you can't beat me at cards you can't beat at anything." I raise an eyebrow at Tommy's snarkiness as Billy mumbles something under his breath.

"Boys, no arguing now. Tommy, why don't you let Billy beat the mixture and you can help pour it into the pan. Then you get the first pancake too."

"Sounds fair, right Billy?"

"Yeah." I nudge Billy's shoulder when he lets out a defeated sigh and I whisper in his ear.

"The first pancake is never the best one." He smirks at me nodding his head as he starts to pour his mixture into Tommy's. 

Tommy takes a step to the side as Billy grabs a fork to start beating the mixture, a huge smile on his face as he watches everything slowly turning to make the batter. As I watch over Billy, Tommy moves around me to grab a pan placing it on the cooker ready for me. 

"That looks good Billy. Now you guys can take it in turns to pour the batter into the pan. I also need some blueberries too because they're your mom's favourite." 

I turn the heat underneath the pan on, placing a small knob of butter into it watching as it slowly melts. I give a nod to Tommy, who was waiting patiently with the mixture in his hand, and he pours some batter into the pan. He walks to my other side watching the pancake intently as it cooks, while Billy is on my other side munching on a few blueberries. I face towards him and open my mouth, so he grabs a blueberry before aiming and throwing it directly in.

"Bullseye!" In celebration he throws another one in the air and catches it in his own mouth. 

I turn back to the pan, deciding it's time to flip the pancake, using a spatula to turn it over instead of doing my trick shot because the kitchen is slightly smaller and crowded with 3 bodies in it. Tommy grabs 4 plates, the whipped cream and some strawberries while we wait for the other side to cook.  

I check to make sure the pancake is cooked properly before transferring it from the pan to Tommy's plate. He immediately puts whipped cream with strawberries on his, while Billy pours more of the batter into the pan.

~~~~

"Knock, knock." Tommy says as he knocks gently on the bedroom door.

"Come in." I smile when I hear the sleepiness in Wanda's voice through the door as Tommy pushes it open.

"Morning mom. We've brought you breakfast in bed." Billy shows off the tray I'm holding with two plates with a couple pancakes each on them.

"They smell good." Wanda pushes herself up to sit against the headboard making grabby hands for the tray. 

"Y/n says they're your favourite." Wanda raises her brow at Tommy's words then looks at me with an amused smile. 

"Uh huh, my favourite. What is my favourite then?" 

"Blueberries and whipped cream." Billy places the two drinks he was holding down on the bedside table. 

"You're right they are my favourite." I place the tray in Wanda's lap as I settle in bed next to her.

"Okay we will leave you two in peace." Tommy pecks his mom's and then my forehead before walking towards the door.

"Thank you for helping with breakfast boys." They both smile at me with small nods. 

"It was fun. Don't forget our bet." Tommy points his finger at me as he speaks and I gently wave him off.

"I won't. A deals a deal." With that the boys leave the room closing the door behind them.

"What deal?"

"What no morning? I love you. How did you sleep?" Wanda rolls her eyes leaning to her right to kiss my lips.

"Hi, good morning, I do love you and my sleep was great thanks for asking." She mumbles against my lips. "Now what deal?"

"Oh just that we are going to play a game of rummy later." 

"Mhmm." Wanda gives me a suspicious look as she takes a bite of her pancake moaning at the taste as her cheeks go red.

"Enjoying those?" I tease making her red blush grow deeper. 

"They are my favourite. And they are so good." I smirk as I lean over placing my lips against Wanda's ears.

"I know something else that tastes good." Wanda's breath hitches in her throat and I hear her fork drop against the metal tray, and I gently nibble at her ear. "Much better than pancakes." 

"What's that?" She swallows harshly trying to calm herself down.

"Oh I think you know." Her head leans back against the headboard as she lets out a small sigh.

"I won't know unless you tell me." I lick from her ear down to a soft spot on her neck, lightly digging my teeth in causing her to gasp before I drag my tongue back up to her ear pulling it between my teeth.

"You." She turns her head to kiss me but I lean away slightly, my lips ghosting hers. "Eat up princess, we have a busy day today." 

"Tease." She mumbles against my lips, her breath heavy as her dark eyes stare into mine.

"I love you. Happy one month princess." Wanda smiles against my lips, her eyes glowing with happiness.

"One month. Wow. It feels like we've known each other so much longer." I peck her lips a few times, her eyes fluttering closed at the feeling. 

"It certainly does. Now eat up, we are off to Calgary today. Maybe if you're a good girl for me you will get a nice little surprise." Wanda takes her bottom lip between her teeth as her eyes see the mischief in mine.

"You didn't?" Her voice shaky as I nod my head against hers, dragging my tongue across her ear.

"Oh but I did, baby girl." I moan the name into her ear causing her head to roll back, her eyes close and I smirk against her ear when I see her press her thighs together. 

"Y/n." My name rolls off her tongue with a sigh. 

"Eat up princess. Can't stay in bed all day." Her eyes flutter open but roll back again when I drag my teeth down her neck to her pulse point nibbling on it before soothing it with my tongue. 

"I...I.. could beg to differ. We could...stay...stay here all day." I remove my lips from her neck using my finger and thumb to turn her head to look at me as a plant a few kisses on her lips.

"We have the rest of the week from tomorrow to stay in bed, we said we would explore today." Wanda's hand moves to the back of my neck to play with the baby hairs, her eyes finally open and I'm not surprised when I hardly see any green. 

"Promise to make me cum tonight, I'm going to go the whole day imagining my surprise and it going to get me so worked up." My eyes widen at her plea, but a smirk plays on my lips.

"I promise princess. You just have to be a good girl." She nods quickly.

"I'm going to be such a fucking good girl." 

"Is that so?" 

"Mhmm."

"My best girl."

"The very best."

~~~~~

So Wanda managed to finish her pancakes, in a record time might I add, and we are all now back in the jeep on our way to Calgary. It has been a long drive since it is a 2 and a half hour drive. We are only about 10 minutes away now, but that's why we all agreed to do it today instead of the end of the week where we would probably all be too tired. 

The boys are on their phones, well Tommy is Billy has brought his camera and is taking pictures from the car window as we drive past. I have offered to stop a couple of times so he can take some pictures that aren't rushing by, but he declined the offer not wanting to make our journey any longer than necessary.

Wanda and I have been talking about the most random things on the journey, I think she is just trying to distract herself from this morning. You may wonder, why do you think this Y/n? Well I will tell you. I have had my hand resting on her left thigh the whole journey, her hand resting on top of it fiddling with my rings as we talk. 

As soon as I placed my hand on her thigh, about 5 minutes into the journey, she crossed her right leg over her left causing a small smirk to pull at the corner of my lips. Of course it earned a glare from Wanda, so I simply squeezed her thigh between my hand and she pressed her legs together trapping my hand as her head pressed against the headrest. 

So that's what I've been doing my whole journey every now and again just giving her leg a gentle squeeze earning a small reaction from her. At one point she had to cover up a moan with a cough and that's the point I decided to stop with the teasing, so now my hand rests on the top of her right thigh out of the way of causing any reactions. Wanda is still fiddling with my rings but she seems to be a lot calmer than she was earlier. 

"Okay so we are about 5 minutes outside of Calgary, then it's going to take about 20 minutes to get to our first stop. It's going to be a little bit of driving today, but we have 2 or 3 stops and since it's only 10am we have plenty of time in between things." I hear a series of acknowledging hums.

I turn my hand over so Wanda's palm is in mine and she intertwines our fingers together as hers bend so they are resting on the back of my hand. I look into the rearview mirror and smile when I see the boys looking out the window to the city in front of us. I squeeze Wanda's hand as I take a quick glance at her and she gently bites her lips as her green eyes search mine, nothing but love evident on her face.

I look back to the road as I bring her hand to my lips leaving a kiss on each of her knuckles and resting our hands on the arm rest. A smile grows on my face when I hear her small voice singing along to the radio as she taps her fingers against the back of my hand in time to the music. 

20 minutes later I am pulling into the parking lot of our first stop, both the boys looking out the window in wonder as Wanda looks into the back smiling at them. I take my hand from Wanda’s, earning a small glare from the woman, but ignore it as I put my arm on the back of her seat and reverse into a parking spot: smiling when I feel Wanda’s hand hold onto my forearm. Once the car is parked the hand on the back of Wanda's seat moves to cup her face as I lean across to peck her lips once then I move swiftly to get out of the car before she can protest.

I laugh as she sends me a glare over the car, standing on the side to be able to do so, sending me the middle finger. I open the door for Tommy and he gives me a small thank you as he opens the trunk to grab out my backpack for me. As I close the door Tommy places the bag in my right hand pushing it up to my shoulder. He then wraps his left arm around my body and starts pulling in the direction of the entrance with Wanda and Billy following closely behind.

"So what do you think?" I look down at him as he looks at the building ahead.

"I'm excited. I've never been to a hanger museum before so this should be cool. " 

"What about you guys?" I turn around to face the others and feel Tommy's other arm wrap around me to help guide me as I walk backwards. 

"What about what now?" Wanda says as she speeds up to be at my side with Billy on her left side.

"Opinions on The Hangar Flight Museum."

"Seems interesting, is it just planes or is it other things too?" Wanda wraps her arms around mine pulling our bodies closer.

"Mostly planes, some helicopters. Most of them are from around the second World War or just after."

"Well I'm excited." Billy says as he leans forward slightly to look past Wanda.

"Let's go then." 

~~~~~

We made it inside rather quickly, buying a guide of course and me and Wanda are standing just behind the boys as they walk around the planes. They keep pointing out small details, reading the guide to see what they are and getting excited over how big some of them are.

Tommy runs over to us grabbing mine and Wanda's free hands and pulling us towards one of the planes. Wanda raises her brow at his excitement but I simply shrug my shoulders when she looks up at me with confusion.

"Look, you can see inside the cockpit." Tommy points to Billy who is on some blue aircraft steps looking inside the plane. 

"So what's this plane then boys?" I ask as Billy flicks through the guide. 

"It says that it's a North American F-86 Sabre." He says when he looks from the plane to the guide.

"Do you know any facts Y/n, you always seem to know facts." Wanda bumps her hip against me and I roll my eyes.

"In fact I do." Wanda raises an eyebrow at me.

"Fine, go ahead. Tell us some facts." She looks at me expectantly.

"Okay. So first introduced into the USAF in 1947 there were nearly 10'000 of these built before they were retired in 1965. The F-86A broke the set a speed record of 671 miles per hour or 1080 kilometres an hour back in 1948. A Canadian built F-86 Sabre Mk3 was used by a female pilot Jacqueline Cochran who was the first lady to break the sound barrier back in 1953. They were used in the Korean war, Cold War and Indo-Pakistani war. There were many different Variants of the plane and many different countries used these different Variants. Its rate of climb was 9000ft a minute so it could reach 30'000ft in just over 5 minutes." 

"So you do know your stuff?" Wanda nudges me.

"I know a lot of things."

"How do you know so much about, like, nearly everything?" 

"I used to read a lot as a kid and the facts sort of just stuck with me. But I only really studied science and history." I shrug as the boys look around the hanger and the guide.

"Oh what about this one?" Billy shows Tommy an image in the guide and they both agree on whatever it is and once again me and Wanda are being dragged around. 

A huge smile is planted on Wanda's face as the boys get excited about the tiniest things telling us we will come back to certain things once I've told them more facts. Once we come to a stop outside I wrap my arm around Wanda's shoulders as the boys stand in front of us looking at the plane. They quickly turn around with smug grins on their faces.

"So what about this one Y/n?" Tommy acts smug trying to see whether I know or not, it's cute honesty because I'm about to prove him wrong. I do indeed know about this plane.

"So this one is an Avro CF-100 Canuck. The only Canadian-designed fighter to enter mass production, and it was classed as an interceptor or a fighter. It was first introduced back in 1952 and only 692 were built before it was retired in 1981. Squadron leader Janusz Żurakowski was a test pilot for the company and when he used the plane to dive from 45'000ft he was able to get the prototypes Mk4 to reach Mach 1.10. It was the first straight-winged jet to achieve a supersonic flight, one that was of course controlled. There are 6 different main Variants to this plane from Mk1 to Mk6, obviously. But most of these had their own variations so in total there were roughly 16 different variants of this thing. Only Belgium and Canada ever used this type of jet."

"Okay last one we promise." Billy says as the boys start dragging me and Wanda around again, both of us giggling to ourselves at the boy's excitement.

"I'm enjoying telling you facts of what I know, it's also pretty cool that you guys are actually interested and listening. I don't feel like I'm talking to myself." The boys smile back at me as Wanda squeezes my side.

"Well your fun facts are fun so don't go hiding them away from us." Tommy gives me a playfully pointed look. 

"Okay so this plane now?" I point to the big jet in front of us.

"Yup, but we ask questions and you have to try and answer them. Is that okay?" Billy asks.

"How will you know if I am right or not?" Tommy holds up his phone.

"The Internet is such a wonderful place...sometimes."

"Okay. First question then."

"What's the name of this plane?" Looks like Billy is asking while Tommy researches. 

"Mcdonnell CF-101B Voodoo." Tommy types on his phone, sending a thumbs up to Billy who looks back to me.

"Okay when did it first get introduced?"

"1957." Thumbs up from Tommy.

"When did they retire it?"

"Which air force?" I smile smugly as Billy looks at Tommy for answers.

"All three." Tommy shows Billy his phone who looks back at me with a raised eyebrow.

"So from the USAF it was 1972, from the UN ANG 1982 and from the Canadian Air force 1984." Thumbs up from Tommy which causes a small grumble from Billy, he really wants me to get one wrong.

"Okay. How many were made?"

"807." Thumbs up.

"What speed did it go to break the speed record?" Tommy asks as he shows Billy the answer.

"It went roughly 1207 miles an hour which is roughly 1943 kilometres an hour." Thumbs up.

"How fast does it climb?"

"Around 36'500ft a minute." I smile smugly as both Tommy and Billy sigh in defeat.

"Damn you are good."

"Told you. Now since I won, what's my prize?" 

"Well since we've looked around the whole place you get to drive us to our next destination." Billy walks past me with a smug smile as he heads towards the exit, my jaw drops as I look at Wanda and she gives me a cheeky smile and a shrug of the shoulders.

"Fine."

~~~~~

"Okay so just a couple of minutes walk and we will be there. This is more of a photo place than something like a museum, but I think it's still quite nice. Then there is one more place after this." I say as we all start walking away from the car, Wanda interlocking our hands as she sways them between us. 

"Have you got your camera Billy?" Wanda asks the boy next to her.

"Yup. Always have it just in case." He wiggles his camera in the air.

"Well you are definitely going to want to take pictures of this." Tommy walks next to me wrapping his arm around my elbow as I speak.

"Where are we going anyway?" Wanda leans her head against my arm.

"Peace Bridge." I point to the red bridge in the distance. 

"Woah. Mom, can I run ahead and take some photos?" Wanda nods since we are not too far away and can keep an eye on Billy easily.

The three of us watch and walk as Billy tries different camera angles turning the camera vertical and horizontal. He kneels down at one point then leans the camera on the edge of the sign for the bridge. We stop behind him a few metres back so he can continue taking his pictures. At one point he turns around smiling at us calling us over to take a picture in front of it. The three of us stand in front of the bridge and Billy starts to crouch as he aims the camera upwards.

"Y/n why are you so tall?" He grumbles as he moves the camera down more.

"Blame the metal." I say like I've told them a thousand times.

"What?" Wanda's head whips around with a look of surprise and I scrunch my brows in confusion.

"What?" I ask her, still confused at her reaction.

"What, what?! What do you mean metal?" I scrunch my brows even more as Wanda turns to face me fully.

"The metal in my legs and back." 

"What metal?" She asks again.

"I just said the metal in my legs and back. I've told you this." 

"No you haven't." She lets out a small giggle as my confusion turns into realisation.

"Wait, I haven't?"

"No." 

"Oh."

"Oh?" She curls an eyebrow.

"Sorry I just swear I told you, but it's obvious I didn't."

"Okay, so what metal in your legs and back?" I wrap my arms around Wanda's neck, her hands land on my hips, as Tommy goes over to join his brother.

"So I've told you about the crash right? That wasn't a manifestation of my imagination, right?" Wanda laughs as she rests her chin against my chest looking up at me.

"You told me about the crash."

"Okay good. So I shattered both my legs and broke my back in a few places. The steering column collapsed trapping my legs as the mangled metal from the door, floor and glass from the window impaled my leg. Luckily, the pressure and weight of the car that was on the metal, glass and leg mess was enough to stem the bleeding so I wasn't bleeding out at least. My spine broke from the impact but it wasn't like I could move any way because of the rebar through my abdomen." 

"Okay, so I didn't know that. I think I knew about the rebar though." I laugh a little as I bring my lips down to press them against Wanda's gently.

"Can't believe I'm only telling you this now. This is the part of the crash my brain can handle without going into a meltdown." Wanda laughs against my chest and I beam down at her. "Okay so how does a crash make you taller?"

"Right, sorry I got distracted. So Papa T, or Tony as you know him, wanted the best chance for me so he hired Dr Cho and they worked together on some new breakthrough stuff. So my right leg had metal pins in it at one point but they weren't working so they created a sort of metal cast that wraps around the bone inside the leg instead of outside. When they put it on, they had to shave away quite a bit of bone to smooth it out and allow it to grow. There was a small issue and they didn't realise it had slipped out of place, because I was in a coma so couldn't tell them if anything was causing pain or discomfort. Anyway, the slip meant the cast pushed under the bone instead of around and the bone grew downwards on it pushing against it causing my leg to grow as the bone pushed the cast down against the other part of the bone." 

"Okay, so how much did the little slip cause the leg to grow by?"

"Maybe 6 inches."

"Wow okay so you're meant to be like 5ft 11?" 

"Yup." 

"Okay what about the other leg?"

"The other leg?" 

"You said both legs had metal."

"Oh right my left thigh is completely metal, no bone in sight. Papa T used Vibranium for both legs, but yeah my left thigh is a completely metal bone." Wanda let's out an impressed hmph. "My back required surgery in a few different parts, so that's that's I have a full back scar. They used a vibranium brace and Wakandan tech to help the nerves recover and keep my back straight."

"Well it did a good job because your back is the straightest thing about you." Wanda laughs a full on chesty laugh as I bring my hand to my heart pretending to have been shot.

"Oh, ouch. She got me." I kneel to the floor bowing my head as I poke my tongue out playing dead.

"Get up you goof." Wanda grabs my hand pulling me back to my feet with the best of her abilities, leaving pecks on my lips as our heads pass one another.

"Love you princess."

"Love you too baby."

"Awwww." We both turn to the boys who are looking at the camera.

"What?" Wanda walks over to the boys who hide the camera.

"Nothing, just some good pictures."

"Uh huh." Wanda raises an eyebrow but the boys don't react and I pull Wanda's body against mine as my hands wrap around her waist. 

"Okay so it's about 4pm, are we up for an early dinner?"

"Yes please, I'm hungry after all this walking around." I laugh as Tommy lets out an exaggerated huff of air.

"Okay it's the last place anyway, so let's go!"

~~~~~~

"Welcome to Calgary Tower you three." I say as we walk up to the entrance and they all woah as they look up to the tall tower above us.

"It's so tall." Billy says as he tilts his head all the way back to look up.

"It is so we are going to eat at the restaurant at the top where you can see a whole 360 view."

"Cool, let's go!" Tommy and Billy walk ahead as Wanda kisses the underside of my jaw before we follow after the boys in a comfortable silence.

We make it to the top of the tower where we are met by a smiling waitress or maybe she's a hostess or both. I don't know, all I know is that smile looks forced. 

"Hi, welcome to the sky 360 restaurant. Have you got a booking?"

"Yeah it's under Y/n Barton." She scrolls through the name list.

"Perfect, follow me. Are you boys going to want to eat from the children's menu or the adults."

"Uhm, can we have both just in case." Tommy asks politely as always.

"Of course you can, young man. So here's your table, I will come back in a second for your drinks orders. I am just going to bring over some water for the table."

"Thank you." She smiles at me before walking away."Okay so have a look at the menu, I know it's a little posh but this is a treat okay?"

"Okay." The boys agree easily so I turn my attention to Wanda.

"Can we go dutch or at least let me put some money towards my meal? It's expensive and I don't want you to pay for it all."

"Will it make you more comfortable if you do?" 

"Yes."

"Okay."

"Wait, you're not going to protest?" 

"No, princess, if you want to put some money towards the food then okay, it's our treat for the boys."

"Okay. Our treat."

"Our treat." I give Wanda a small kiss before smiling up at the waitress as she comes back. 

"So what drinks can I get you?"

"Please can I have some lemonade?" 

"Me too please."

"Okay so two lemonades for the boys and for you ladies?"

"Bottle of wine Wanda?" 

"Bottle of white for us." 

"Any particular type?" Wanda looks at me and I shrug, not really minding what we drink.

"Something mid-range that makes sense." 

"It does ma'am. I will get those sorted for you and come back to take your food orders." 

"Perfect thank you." Wanda gives the waitress a kind smile before she turns to me once she walks away. 

"So any idea on what food you are having?" I ask the boys who both nod and hum out a yes.

"Perfect. What about you princess?" 

"Yup. You?" 

"Yeah." I look out the big window to the building next to us. "Look, you can see the mountains really well from up here."

The three of them turn around to look at the view around us, eyes wide with awe as they take it all in. Wanda places her hand on top of mine on the table, gently rubbing her thumb over my knuckles as the four of us look out into the beautiful skyline.

"Sorry to interrupt the moment but I've got your drinks here." We all move out of the waitresses way so she can put the drinks in front of each of us. "Are you guys ready to order?"

"We are. Boys you go first." I pick up my wine glass taking a sip, enjoying the flavour as it rolls down my throat.

"Please could I have the grilled lamb." Tommy goes first handing his menu back to the waitress once she has written it down.

"Could I have the pan roasted chicken please." Billy hands his menu over and we turn to look at Wanda.

"I will take the scallops please." 

"Of course and for you Miss?" She points her pen in my direction. 

"I will have the 8oz tenderloin."

"Of course. Anything else you guys need before I pass this off to the kitchen?" She looks around the table as we all say no thank you. "Okay, I will be out with the food soon." 

"Okay so after this we will head back to the cabin because it will be about 5pm when we get our food, so we probably won't leave until around 6. So we will be back at the cabin just before 9."

"Sounds good baby." Wanda plants a kiss on my cheek before we fall into conversation with the boys about school and other random topics.

It's not long before our food arrives and the eyes of the three other people sitting at the table widen at the sight of the food. All of them tucking in almost immediately and letting out satisfied hums, Wanda's head tilts back as she takes a second bite.

"Good?" I giggle as Wanda hums and nods as she takes a third bite before she looks at mine. 

"Yours looks good too." I can practically see Wanda's mouth watering at the sight of my steak.

"Want some?"

"Just a little." She gives me big doe eyes so I cut a bite size piece off stabbing my fork into it as I bring it to her mouth. 

She almost moans as she bites into it, her eyes bulging more as her eyes flick back to the steak as she swallows her bite before starting to eat her own food again. I look over to the boys who are eating away nicely at their food as they talk between mouthfuls. Turning back to my own food I catch Wanda poking her own fork in a cut bit of steak and quickly popping it into her mouth, earning a raised eyebrow from me.

"You have your own food."

"But yours is too good not to eat." I watch her as she moves in slow motion stabbing another piece of steak before placing it into her mouth. I lean forward pretending to plant a kiss on her cheek as I whisper against her skin.

"You taste better." I pull away with some of her food on my fork so I can look as inconspicuous as possible while Wanda chokes and coughs her face burning bright red.

"You okay mom?" Tommy's concern is almost cute, but not needed.

"Fine, just went down the wrong pipe." She takes a few sips of wine, sending a small glare over the edge of her glass and I simply giggle causing her to roll her eyes.

I look away from Wanda to continue eating my steak, cutting it up into bite size portions for myself. Once I've finished cutting I place my right hand on Wanda's thigh and she looks at me with suspicion in her eyes, I simply shrug like I'm not doing anything. 

The boys look up as soon as they hear Wanda's fork drop against her plate, her face once again flushed red as I gently press my fingers into the inside of her thigh while my thumb runs up the outside of it. Her hand shoots to halt my movements when I give it a hard squeeze, as her body jerks forward slightly. 

"Sorry I just need the toilet." She excuses herself and me and the boys watch her leave before turning to one another.

"What was that about?" I ask first to try and get any suspicion the boys have off of me.

"No idea." The boys shrug as we all return to eating our food. 

I smirk when Wanda sits back down, her face slightly wet as she dabs it dry with the napkin. It's quite obvious she has had to splash her face with water to calm herself down. I move my hand again, Wanda watching my every move, but when I grab her hand and place it on the table, she softens up and goes back to eating. 

It doesn't take us too long after Wanda's return for us to finish our food as the waitress returns to clear our plates. All of us decline when she asks if we want dessert. When she brings the bill over, me and Wanda work out how we want to pay, and the waitress is completely understanding when we tell her we want to pay for our own food and one of the boys each. Wanda says it's only fair we pay for our own and it's a treat for the boys so we pay for one each. I'm not going to argue if that's what makes her most comfortable when the total came out at more than $200 for four of us.

"Perfect so there is your copy of the receipts, I hope you guys enjoyed your time with us this evening."

"It was perfect thank you." Wanda makes a move to stand as we all follow her lead.

"No problem at all. Have a good rest of the night."

"You too." We all say as we start to head out as we watch her move to a new group of people at the door.

Me and Wanda fall behind the boys a little bit as we walk out of the tower and back towards the car and I smirk when I see Wanda turning to look up at me.

"That wasn't funny." I bite my lip as I look down at Wanda who is blushing once again her eyes on my lips.

"No, it was hilarious." She grumbles as she lightly hits my arm.

"It was mean." She pouts at me so I bring my lips down to her ear as we continue to walk, my hot breath causing goosebumps to rise on her skin.

"But you played along so well today baby girl." Her eyes flutter almost closed for a second before she is clearing her throat once again, looking at me with lust filled eyes as she brings her lips to hover against mine.

"Was I a good girl?" I smile against her lips as we stop for a moment while we kiss, before I break it apart and keep us walking towards the car. I look to see the boys ahead of us so bring my lips back down to her ear taking it between my teeth as my hand on her back keeps us walking. 

"You were the best. Such a good girl for me." I low moan echoes through her throat as she presses her lips together to stop it being too loud.

"Oh fuck we still have a nearly 3 hour drive till we get to the cabin." She grumbles as she leans her forehead against my arm trying to compose herself before we get to the car where the boys are waiting. 

"We do. Can you hold out till then?" 

"I'm going to have to." I let out a small laugh earning a small glare from the smaller woman. 

"Don't worry princess, you're getting treated like a queen tonight."

================================

[shadecrux]

On The Wing - Chapter 1

https://open.spotify.com/track/0RLwgks1gHQzXeIkaJIpHr

Next Chapter ┃

˚ * •̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙* ˚＊------💜 💚 💜------＊* •̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙ *

°•★Pairing: Bucky Barnes x femaleartist!reader

°•★Rating: NSFW (this chapter is SFW future ones won’t be)

°•★Tags: strangers to lovers, fluff, angst, first meetings, romantic tension, flirting, pet names (doll, sweetheart), brief homophobia mentions, bisexual reader

°•★ Words: 1755

°•★ Notes: It’s me, ya girl back with some more x y/n fanfic!! This is gonna be 6 chapters altogether, already written, all based on a song I haven’t been able to get out of my head for weeks now.  I hope you enjoy!! I had a lot of fun with this AU.   No beta, literally just finished writing it, all mistakes are mine. 

//CW FOR THIS CHAPTER// There is a brief mention of y/n being disowned by her family for being bisexual. 

~All writing unless otherwise noted is my own. Please do not post or reupload my work to other websites without my express consent. I do not consent for my fics to be used in AI creations. I do not own any of the characters featured in my works unless they are stated to be OCs.~

All of my fanworks are intended for adults aged 18 and up only! Minors please DNI. ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48744160

˚ * •̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙* ˚＊------💜 💚 💜------＊* •̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙ *

 Breathe and ill carry you away

Into the velvet sky 

And we’ll stir the stars around

And watch them fall away 

Into the Hudson Bay 

And plummet out of sight and sound 

The open summer breeze 

Will sweep you through the hills 

Where I live in the alpine heights 

Below the northern lights 

I spend my coldest nights 

Alone awake and thinking of 

The weekend we were in love

—------------------------------------------------

Unpacking. You always hated unpacking, hated everything to do with moving into a place, for that matter. You never intended on staying for long, and it felt like such a chore. Often, you would choose to simply live out of suitcases, but you had always had somewhere else to go, some next destination in mind. But not this time.  Things had been going well when you arrived in Calgary. Your paintings were selling, your busking was lucrative enough to afford you a nice little studio apartment in the city. You didn’t need much after all. A place to stay, food in your belly, and your art supplies - you would rather save your money for experiences, and for getting you to that next destination.  For years, you were living your dream, traveling the world, making art. You got by mostly via selling your wares at fairs and on streetcorners - paintings, jewelry, pottery when you could access a studio to use.  Sometimes you did custom work on commission. It was amazing how many people wanted portraits of their cats and dogs, you always thought. Then the recession hit. Unemployment spiked, wages stagnated, and layoffs were sweeping their way through the Americas, leaving many struggling just to make ends meet. People weren’t buying luxury goods the way they used to, and before you knew it, you were struggling too.  There was nothing else for it, so you found whatever jobs you could - which, as a person who had spent the last seven years of their life as a transient artist, traveling the world with no real work history or credentials, relegated you mostly to minimum wage work, or labor jobs that weren’t as picky about the people they hired. 

You had to move out of the city and found a small town up in the mountains and an even smaller one-bedroom house that was being rented out at a ridiculously low price due to it being relatively isolated - a 20-minute drive from the town proper, surrounded by deep forests.  Dirt road, no cell service, satellite TV, and internet - for most it would be undesirable at best. For you, it was a respite from a world that no longer seemed to have a place for you.  

It never really felt like it did - you grew up as a military brat, constantly moving from place to place, never setting down roots, never making lasting friendships. You were the black sheep - of your family as well as every school you had ever gone to. The weird girl, the one nobody really understood.  But you had your art, and you had your dreams - you wanted to see the world, to drink in life and put it on a canvas. You were counting the days until you turned 18 and could leave, but you didn’t get that far. 

Your family had kicked you out, disowned you at the age of 17, after catching you and your at-the-time girlfriend, holding hands and smooching on the back porch when you thought no one was home. Her family would have done the same to her if they had found out - so with nowhere else to go, you struck out on your own. And it had gone well - until the financial crash sent the world into a tailspin, that is.

There wasn’t much to unpack, all told. Three suitcases and an oversized canvas bag into which you stuffed your entire life - clothes, art supplies, rolled-up canvases pulled from their frames to make it easy to travel. Some sparse camping supplies for those nights you couldn’t find a better place to sleep. You had been doing this long enough that you had it down to a science, and you were very efficient.  

Clothes were stuffed into drawers, toiletries into the bathroom, and the metal cups and plates and cutlery you traveled with barely taking up any space in the kitchen. You had little in the ways of personal effects, save for the photographs you took and the small handful of trinkets you had collected in your journeys. Stones, little sculptures, silly magnets and keychains, and shot glasses documenting all the cities and countries you had been to. 

You laid them out on top of the dresser in the bedroom and, with a wistful sigh, flopped down onto the bed with your back against the headboard, stacks of little plastic envelopes, and started flipping through the pictures you had taken, reminiscing on those better, brighter days.  It was a pleasant enough way to pass the time, and it brought a small smile to your face, gave you a way to forget your current circumstances - for a while at least. Until you landed on the album that you usually avoided looking at - New York City. The place where you had met, and lost, the only man you had ever loved. 

—------------------------------------------------

You were at Coney Island one bright and beautiful day - it had been a lucrative few days so you decided to reward yourself.  It was early, and Luna Park was just beginning to fill up with guests, shouts and laughter, and excitement buzzing in the air around you. As you walked along the midway, only some of the game stands were up and running, while others had workers bustling around them, still setting up.  As you passed nearby one of those, a group of children rushed past, knocking into you, the nearest employee, and one of the legs of the awning that the employee had been about to secure.  It buckled at one of the joints as he fell, and the entire metal sheet came crashing down. You screamed and tried to scramble away when a strong set of arms wrapped around your waist and yanked you, forcefully out of the path of the falling awning just in time.  Whoever it was had grabbed you from behind, setting you down gently on your feet and taking hold of your forearms as he did so to make sure you were steady before letting you go.  “That was a close one… you alright there, doll?” Something about the gentleness of that voice and the soft, gravelly undertone struck you, and your stomach did a little jump as you turned around to face your rescuer only to be left momentarily speechless at the sight of him. He was tall, handsome, with bright blue eyes that seemed to pierce right through yours. “... I- I think so.” You stammered, your mouth suddenly feeling very dry. You saw over his shoulder the employees now battling with the awning, which had bent badly in its impact against the side of the building, and the building itself now bearing deep dents in the surface where the edges had collided with it.  “God, if you hadn’t been here…” You looked up at him in shock, a shudder running through your body. Adrenaline still flooded your system as you realized just how much danger you had been in moments before. “That thing might have killed me…” “Right place, right time I guess.” He grinned, the smile slipping from his face as he noticed the way you were shivering as shock set in. “Oh hey…sweetheart, you’re shaking. Here… let’s find a place to sit down.” You mutely nodded and took his offered arm, letting the man lead you over to a nearby outdoor dining area and guide you to one of the unoccupied tables.  “Here - can I get you anything? Maybe some water?” he asked gently. Chewing on your lip for a moment of indecision, you eventually nodded sheepishly. “Yes, please…” “Say no more.” 

Before you could formulate any words of protest he was off, leaving you with a few moments to catch your breath and reorient yourself while he waited in line. By the time he returned your heart rate had calmed at least slightly, and he slid the little plastic cup across the table to you to drink. Your hands were still shaking as you raised the cup to your lips - the water certainly helped with your dry throat, though you still weren’t sure if that was the fault of the scare or the absolutely gorgeous man sitting across from you at the small metal table. “I don’t think I got a chance to properly introduce myself back there.” The man said with a crooked grin, extending a hand across the table to shake yours. Calloused fingertips slid over your knuckles as you clasped his hand, sending a spark of electricity up your arm. “James Buchanan Barnes, at your service. You can call me Bucky, though. All my friends do.”  Giving him your name in turn you raised a brow at him, managing to not sound like a babbling idiot. “Are we friends now, then? We have only just met…”  “Well, I saved your life back there.” He flashed you a charming smile in return. “I think that makes us something. Dunno what quite yet.” 

That smile. You thought your knees might actually buckle, the way he smiled at you, the way his hand lingered a bit too long on yours before he dropped it back onto the table. Here you were, in the most glamorous city in the United States, surrounded by beautiful, successful people… and the most gorgeous man you had ever met was making eyes at you. Was this real life? 

“So, are you here with anyone?” you hedged. “I don’t want to be holding you hostage here. I think I’ll be alright.” “Nah, my buddy was supposed to join me but he couldn’t make it. So it’s just me. I’m all yours, for as long as you want to tolerate me.” He grinned. A shy smile split your lips then, and you replied, “I think I’d like to tolerate you for a while longer… if you want to stick around, that is.” The way his eyes lit up made you feel slightly faint, a fluttering in your chest that heated your cheeks and warmed you from the inside.  

Soon the two of you were walking together, side by side through the park. And if you kept straying a little too close to him, brushing your arm against his, it was only to make sure you stayed close to your personal guardian angel.

And if he took your hand a bit too often, helping you up and down some stairs, maneuvering you out of the way of crowds, well… he was looking out for you, after all. The carnival structures had already proven themselves to be dangerous, and he took his duty guarding you very seriously. 

[abbatoirablaze]

Behind Closed Doors, Chapter 5

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: angst, mentions of aggression/throwing things.

“Hey, are you okay?”

You nodded reassuringly as he cupped your face in his hands.  Your lips trembled as he gave you a sad look.  You could see behind the worried expression in his face, to the exhaustion.  You reached up and stroked the back of his hand, “have you been sleeping?”

“Look at you, little bird,” he smirked, shaking his head, “I came here to rescue you from your gilded cage and all you can do is worry about how I’ve been sleeping.  (Y/N), I’m fine.”

“You look exhausted.”

“I’ve been worried about you,” he admitted after a second, his own sad smile taking over on his beautiful face, “ever since you reached out and told me about what was really going on between you and Chris, I-”

“You reached out first,” you reminded him, “after you saw those pictures in that magazine.”

“Like I said, I’ve been worried about you,” he replied simply, “I know how dead set you were in me not keeping contact when you and Chris found out you were pregnant...I was just trying to respect your wishes...but then when I saw that picture of him drunk, having a night on the town, and it said that he was filming in Calgary...you just gave birth...he should have been there for you.”

“The babies are month old, Sebastian.  He-”

“Should have stayed longer,” he said quickly, cutting you off, “if those babies were mine...if I’d just gotten to you first and we-”

“Sebastian, please...”

He frowned, but nodded, “I’m sorry.  I know this isn’t what you want to hear.  I just-”

“Can we get out of here?” you asked softly. 

He nodded once more, “yeah...of course.  I got an SUV so we could take whatever you wanted.  Made sure there is enough room so that we could fold down a row of seats if you need more space, but-”

“I just want to take their stroller...some clothes and all the care stuff like diapers, wipes, and HBA stuff...and their car seats.”

“You don’t want to take their cribs or toys?” he asked, “there’s plenty of room for it-”

“They sleep better when they sleep with me in the bed,” you admitted with a frown, “I just put a few pool noodles around the edges, not that they’ve wobbled anywhere near close to the edge, but they hate their cribs...even when I put them together, they don’t like being away from me…and as far as the toys...they could care less for the room full of crap that Chris bought.  Money doesn’t replace their father being absent.”

He nodded, “yeah...okay...show me where to go, and I’ll start putting stuff in the car while you get the twins ready.”

“Yeah!” you nodded.  He let go of you and you turned on your heel, making your way through the house.  Sebastian stopped when the two of you reached the bedroom. 

His breath stole away in his throat as he saw the two sleeping infants nestled right beside each other. 

“Shit...” he muttered softly, the realization of it all hitting him like a freight train, “th-they’re-,  well, they’re there…”   

You turned on your heel, a diaper bag already on your shoulder while you wheeled the suitcase beside him, “What?”

“They’re so small,” he whispered softly.  He took a step forward towards the bed, and Johnny shifted.  Shayla whimpered in her sleep, “I-I don’t know what I thought but...they’re so tiny.”

“They were born a few weeks early,” you admitted with a giggle as you passed off the suitcase and diaper bag, “What did you expect?  Full grown toddlers?”

He smiled and looked at you, “they’re beautiful...”

You stopped moving and looked at the twins.  They were so peaceful.  So serene.  As much as it pained you to admit it, ever since Chris left it was like a weight had been lifted from the three of you.  All the tension from the house was gone, and the twins seemed to settle in perfectly fine without him; falling into a comfortable sleep schedule, and easy routine. 

“They are, aren’t they?” you asked softly, “I-I knew what I signed up for when I agreed to do this whole thing...but I-I never really stopped to think about it.  I mean, I always wanted to be a mom...have a big family, but I never thought it was in my cards when I became an escort.”

“And then you and Chris happened...”

“Yeah...”

“Do-do you ever wonder what it would have been like if you didn’t agree to the thing with Chris?” he asked, hoping that it would lead to the conversation of him having a shot at you. 

You shrugged, “I would have met you...but-I think-I think that this was meant to happen first...if that makes sense...Sebastian...you know there’s obviously something between us.  I mean, I feel the chemistry too, but I don’t know what it would be like if me and Chris never happened.  D-do you think about it?”

“Yeah....I do...a lot...”

“And?”

“I think you’re right,” he admitted softly, “I mean, I definitely feel the chemistry too, but I think that me and you were meant to be friends first...but I’ll tell you one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re definitely going to be the woman that I spend the rest of my life with.”

“Sebastian...”

“I know,” he chuckled, shaking his head once more, “that’s not what you want to hear.”

“I-I didn’t say that…I just-this thing with Chris…it’s…it’s a lot…and right now, I just want to get the hell out of here.”

He smiled and held his hand out, “well then...let’s get started with the rest of our lives...shall we?”

“God he’s such a good guy!”  

You felt the blush rising on your cheeks as Sebastian cooed at your daughter.  Shayla giggled excitedly, her little hands grabbing at his face.

“What are you doing, baby girl?” he teased, playfully as she giggled even more, “I’m gonna get your hands.  I’m gonna get those little fingers!”

She squealed as he kissed her hands every time they got close enough to his face. 

“(Y/N!)”

You looked back to Blake, “I’m sorry, what?”

“You okay?” she teased playfully, a smirk growing on her face as she nudged you with her hip.

“Oh, yeah...sorry.  I just-”

“It’s fine,” she smiled as she handed you yours and Sebastian’s coffees, “So...we know the kids aren’t his...but how close are you two, really?”

“What?”

“Come on,” she laughed as she sipped on her drink as you watched him calm down as his friend, and fellow co-star Chace, handed Johnny back to him when one of the guys walked over to join the boys and babies, “he’s tight-lipped about your relationship with him.  He says that you’re his assistant, but he’s the sweetest with your kids.  He hasn’t even looked in the direction of another woman since he brought you and the twins back.  And you’ve been with us for two months...”

Your blush grew deeper on your cheeks as you looked at him.  He was still heavily involved in giving all of his attention to the two playful three-month-olds.

“We-we’re just-taking it slow...”

“I knew it!” she grinned. 

“Blake...”

“Hey, don’t be ashamed!” she laughed, “we all knew there was something going on.”

“Right now...there isn’t,” you said with a shake of your head, “I left a very...complicated situation.  He’s been an amazing man, and friend by coming and helping me out of it.  He gave me a job and lets me stay with him...without him I-I probably would have stayed in that situation.”

“So...do you have feelings for him?”

Your heart lurched in your chest. 

You’d gone to shower after a long day of driving with Sebastian.  He’d insisted that the two of you get a hotel room for the evening after both of you had driven through the afternoon and well into the early evening.  And while you had initially rejected the idea, you were so grateful when you felt the hot water rolling down your back.

But when you’d come out of the bathroom, and you saw that the twins were tucked into both of his arms, and the three of them were asleep.

Game over.

Every hormone in your body was working double-time. 

You wanted to cry. 

You wanted to jump his bones. 

You felt happiness...sadness...every emotion under the sun.

Why wasn’t Chris ever like that with the twins?

Why hadn’t they accepted him as much, or as easily as they seemed to accept Sebastian?

“Sebastian....” you whispered softly, hoping that you could wake him, and he could slip out from the twins and grab a shower for himself, “Sebastian...I’m done.  You can grab a shower if you want.”

“C’mere!” he yawned, his eyes still closed as he gestured for you to join him on the bed, “come and join us...”

“You should grab a shower!” you said softly, “we spent a long time in the car...”

He sighed, his eyes opening ever so slightly.  You felt like it was hard to breathe as his eyes met yours, “you look beautiful like that...”

“Wh-what?” you asked, the word getting choked up in your throat, “li-like a wet rat?”

“You look like you washed away the stress from the past year in that shower...”

“Yeah,” you admitted, “I think I might have...”

He sucked in his cheeks as he stared at you.  His voice held a twinge of jealousy to it, “well...would you look at the happy little family...”

Your heart felt like it stopped in your chest as you saw your ex standing, waiting for you to arrive at the apartment, “Ch-Chris...what are you doing here?”

His jaw twitched and he crossed his arms over his chest as his stance widened.  It felt like he was taking up most of the room in the hall, his body blocking the entrance to Sebastian’s apartment, “I got done filming (Y/n)...”

“Oh...”

“Found your little note that you left on the dresser,” he scoffed angrily, “how could you just leave when I was at work?  How did you think it was okay to just pick up and leave...with my children.”

You could hear the anger in his tone.  You took a step back, the stroller moving back a beat as Sebastian stepped between the two of you, “Look...I’m okay with the two of you talking, but you’re going to do it inside, not create a scene, and be respectful to her, Chris.  She’s the mother of your children.”

His jaw twitched once more, and he glared at you. 

“Chris!”

You felt your throat go dry as the two of you stared at one another in some sort of Mexican standoff.  But after a pregnant pause, Chris stepped aside, holding his hands up in defense, “open the door...”

Sebastian looked back to you, “you okay with this?”

“Yeah,” you said after another second, “You’re right...he-he is the twin’s father...we should talk.”

He nodded once more and turned towards the apartment.  Pulling the keys from his pocket he unlocked the door and gestured for Chris to walk in. 

He did so, but not before giving you another look.  You took short, quick steps, reaching the door a moment after he went through it.  Sebastian put a hand on your arm, “hey...I see what’s going on in your eyes...he’s not going to do anything to take the children away from you.  He signed that contract too!  Remember that.”

You nodded, biting back your worry as you pushed through the door.  The stroller stopped in the living room, and you kissed both of the twins before you felt Sebastian’s hand on your lower back.  You turned and he handed you the two bags of groceries, “want to put these away and start a pot of coffee?  I’ll get the twins out of the stroller and set them up for tummy time.”

You gave a nervous nod and traded off the bags for the babies, making your way behind the island as he started unbuckling the twins, “(Y/N) is going to make some coffee.”

“I don’t want coffee,” Chris growled as he shot you another look.  You turned on the coffee maker before turning your attention to the groceries, “I came here to talk about my kids.”

“And we can do that,” Sebastian said softly as he pulled Johnny from the stroller and set him down on the play mat and pillow that propped him up for tummy time, “but we’re going to calm down...both of you.”

“How the fuck do you expect me to be any calmer, Stan?” Chris asked, “she ran away with my kids while I was off filming?  How the hell would you feel if it was your kids?  FUCK!  You fucking helped her do it!  We’re supposed to be friends!”

“Well, I can tell where your priorities are already,” he said quickly, shooting him a look as he retrieved Shayla and set her down beside Johnny before turning on an educational show he’d recorded on his DVR for them, “you’ve already been in their presence for five or ten minutes and still haven’t acknowledged them and instead chose to curse about my decisions in helping your ex.”

“Don’t tell me where my priorities are Sebastian!” he hissed. 

“Well, they’re happy and healthy...in case you were wondering,” he said with a shrug, “They just had a checkup and some shots for vaccinations last week...again, in case you were wondering.”

Chris looked down at the twins for a second and you frowned. 

You could see the regret in his eyes as he looked at them. 

You knew that deep down he did love the twins.  He just wasn’t the best at showing it.

“They’re smart...and sweet...they love all of Sebastian’s co-stars on Gossip Girl...”

“I shouldn’t have to have found out that you were leaving through a note,” he grumbled, shooting you another look, “you shouldn’t have left.”

“Sebastian offered me a job,” you admitted as you poured three cups of coffee, “He saw that I was alone with the twins...he saw that I needed away from the house...and you told me to leave anyways...”

“I told you to think about it.”

“After you realized that I have primary custody of the children.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” he asked, taking a few steps towards you, his voice raising ever so slightly, “why are you doing this to us?”

“Chris-”

“No, (Y/N) we-” He stopped speaking when Shayla immediately started crying.  Turning around, he sighed, stalking towards her, “Shit...”

“I got her!” Sebastian said slowly, also making his way towards the babies.

“Back off, Sebastian...she’s my daughter!” he growled, “I think I can calm down my own child!”

Sebastian took a step back, holding his hands up, “Okay.”

Chris stopped just short of the mat and bent over, picking up the crying infant in a quick swoop.  Immediately she started screaming, her head wobbling around as she searched for something familiar.  Your heart raced as you knew who she was searching for, as she made grabby hands in his direction when she spotted him just a few feet away. 

Between sobs and screams, she was babbling, and you knew she was trying to call for Sebastian.

“Chris-”

“I GOT HER!” he growled firmly, his voice raising even more.  His timber scared Shayla, and she began screaming bloody murder as she continuously reached for Sebastian.  He looked at you, and you raced around the island, snatching her from Chris’ hands before he knew what you were doing. 

Shayla stopped screaming when she noticed you were holding her, but she was inconsolable as she continued to reach for Sebastian.  You could see the fear in your son’s eyes as he saw his sister crying, and you bent over to scoop him up as well.

“Want me to take her?” Sebastian offered.

“Please...” you begged, walking back over to him. 

“Come here princess!” he cooed, reaching out for her.  The infant leaned out, and he caught her in his arms, immediately holding her against himself, shushing and cooing her.  She nuzzled herself into his neck, and her sobs turned into quiet whimpers as he rocked her.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he growled, “she won’t shut the hell up for me, her actual father, but she’ll calm down the second she’s in his arms?  Were you fucking him, (Y/N?)  Is he the twins real father?

“Chris-”

“She wants him...fucking him!” he growled.

“Because he’s been there for them!  Not you!  She doesn’t fucking know you, Chris!” you growled back in response, finally snapping at him, “the first month of her life she barely knew what was going on, but after your parents and siblings left after that first week, you became disengaged.  You never picked them up.  You never held them or chased away their fears.   You just bought gifts and told me to hire a nanny before disappearing.  Sebastian helps.  He changes their diapers.  He bathes them.  He engages them.  Rocks them to sleep.  Feeds and loves them.  Of course Shayla and Johnny are attached to him!”

“Are you fucking him?”

Your throat went dry once more as you looked at him, “excuse me?”

“You heard what I said,” he said in a low tone, “are you fucking him?”

“No, you asshole.  I’m not fucking Sebastian...”

“This is a one bedroom,” he said firmly, eyes darting down the hall, “where do you sleep?  Where do the kids sleep?”

“I sleep on the couch!” Sebastian said honestly, “it’s not what you’re thinking, C-”

“I didn’t fucking ask you, Stan!”

“I sleep in his bed...the kids sleep in his bed.  With ME!” you hissed, “Sebastian sleeps on the couch!  For Christ’s sakes, the pillows and blankets are folded up behind you!  Anything else you want to know?”

His jaw twitched and he walked over to the island in silence.  His hands cupped the mug of coffee that you’d poured for him, but he didn’t lift it to his lips.

“So, this is it,” he asked, “just going to move in with some guy?  Run off with my kids?”

“Sebastian isn’t some guy, Chris...”

“Do you love him?”

“Chris...”

He whipped around, his hand launching the coffee cup against the wall.  The ceramic shattered and the coffee went everywhere.  Both of the twins started screaming and crying over the loud noise, “BE FUCKING HONEST WITH ME, (Y/N)!”

“Chris...I’m going to say this once,” Sebastian said in a low, warning tone, “leave my apartment...right now.  Or I’m calling the cops...You and I both know that the last thing you need right now is the cops being called on you.  Think about it.  The press…do you really want to start this kind of PR over a temper tantrum you’re having?”

“You’re un-fucking-believable,” he scoffed, running his hand over his mouth while the two of you tried to soothe the twins, “fucking Sebastian Stan...take my girlfriend...my kids-”

“He didn’t do anything but help me get out of a bad situation,” you hissed, “we aren’t together.  He’s just there for me.  He’s there for the kids!  You aren’t!”

“I was trying to provide for you.  For them.  FOR US!”

“Chris...you’re scaring your kids...do the right thing.  Just go!”

“I’m going!” he said firmly, cutting Sebastian off.  He started walking towards the door, shaking his head.  He sniffled and turned towards you as his hand reached for the door.  Part of your heart ached as you saw the tears in his eyes, “I hope you’re happy, (Y/N).”

“Chris-”

“You’re a fucking leech!  You’re taking my family out from under me because I got her first…and that’s fucking low,” he growled, cutting Sebastian off as he gave him a final look, “you’re a no-name, no talent leech and you’ll always stay that way…some fucking soap opera wannabe…go to hell, Sebastian.”  

Chapter 6

[bropunzeling]

perspective flip for marriage bets: what is Leon thinking when he finds Matthews ring or when he goes and buys the new one

By all rights, Leon should be tired. If the hockey wasn't enough to wipe him out, sex should be; if not sex, lying here with Matthew’s arm pressed along his side, Matthew’s skin cooling under his palm, should be lulling him to sleep.

For all that, though, Leon isn’t tired. Instead, he's wide awake. Like he has to be, almost. They get so little time together. He needs to look Matthew over, register every change from a few months ago. Matthew has more muscle. His tan is deeper. Still has that haircut, the one Leon is half tempted to say he doesn't like, just to see what Matthew will say back.

He finds himself thinking about that all the time. What Matthew would say. When one of the guys pulls a dumb prank at practice; when a reporter asks a stupid question; when Bowie does something especially cute. Even as it happens, there's a part of his mind on another track, thinking through how to phrase the text he'll send, how he can tell the story that will make Matthew laugh later that night. He didn't know it was possible to think so much about someone who wasn't physically there.

That's called being in a relationship, Tyson had said back in August, both of them drunk at a back table as Darnell and Mikayla slow-danced to Ed Sheeran. Tyson had laughed, and grabbed Leon another drink. You’re kinda gone on your boyfriend, huh?

Leon hadn’t said yes, that night. But he thinks he'd known what the answer was, even then. Thinks he knows now, pressed along Matthew’s side, listening as Matthew’s breathing evens out.

Then Matthew shifts, making the sheets rustle as he sits up. "Okay," he says around a yawn. "I can go first."

"Alright."

While Matthew is in the bathroom, Leon sits up, surveys the bedroom he’s only seen as a background during FaceTimes. It's nice enough. Big, with big windows; an enormous bed. There's a few photos on one of the walls.

It seems like a lot of effort to stand up, though. Easier to see what's on Matthew’s nightstand. Books. Lamp. AirPods. Other junk for his phone. Watch.

Behind the watch, though--

Leon doesn't remember what happened to his wedding ring. He knows he had it on that night, after the bet, the ceremony, the few hours he spent in Matthew’s hotel room. Knows he didn't have it when he got back to Edmonton, not in his suitcase or his toiletry bag. At some point in those 24 hours, it disappeared. At the time, he hadn't felt too bad about it. It had been cheap. Shitty. Less important than the number Gaudreau had given him, when he asked.

Now, though, he wishes he had kept track of it, that he knew where it was, because Matthew had kept his. Took it from Las Vegas to Calgary, from Calgary to Las Olas. Thought about it enough to keep it on his nightstand, a realization that makes Leon’s chest go tight.

The floorboards creak. Leon looks up. Matthew is watching him, back-lit by the bathroom light, eyes focused on what Leon’s holding in his hand.

"You still have this?" Leon asks.

Matthew shrugs. "Yeah," he says.

That spot in Leon’s chest squeezes even tighter. He was warm already, growing warmer. Matthew doesn’t have to say anything else for Leon to know what that means. This matters.

Leon sets down the ring, gets up to go to the bathroom himself. On the way, he brushes Matthew with an arm, watches Matthew’s shoulders relax back down.

When he gets back from the bathroom, he gets in on the right side of the bed. As soon as he moves his arm to reach over Matthew’s hip, Matthew curls into him, settling into place. It's so easy. Right.

Leon wants--to say something. He's not sure what. That Leon has been thinking about this since he saw Matthew leave in the Malaga airport. That this matters to him in a way that's so large it should be frightening, even as it isn't. That he can do better by Matthew now than he had nine months ago.

"Matthew," he says.

Matthew shakes his head, makes a sleepy noise that makes Leon’s chest hurt.

That's fine. Leon has two days. He can say something then.

[docholligay]

Prompt! Fareeha/Angela: Spring

Pharah lost her mind at the close of March and into April, and this would be true so long as she lived. The transition from dead to alive was a messy one, sticky mud clinging to shoes and tracking in every possible place, dripping water fouling up recently-cleaned windows, random spurts of bright-yellow pollen wafting into bedrooms. Winter was cold, and this might not be to Pharah's liking, but there was an orderly cleanliness to the frozen earth of which she approved.

Mercy loved the messy, slow crawl of winter into spring. She sipped her coffee at the back of the house just outside the reaches of Calgary's tentacles, looking over toward the mountains. There would be a twinge of longing for home, looking at Canada's Alps, if she weren't so aware that her home had not been a place, but a time.

There was no need for memory to love the tentative chirps of the birds who believed, as they clustered in the branches of the bare trees. It was a cathedral to the promise of renewal, those trees, their thick branches black against the sky, the framing of stained glass windows that had been blown out. But the choir sang, because they knew the windows would return, and the flowers would bring forth their sweet incense, and everything that had died would live again.

That was the beauty of spring, and she basked in it even as the cool breeze wove through her hair. There was birdsong, but little else, out here, and she could nearly hear the grass yearning and stretching through the--

"Tracer!" her wife sounded as if she were disciplining a naughty dog. "Your pant leg is dragging the wet all across the floor. I mopped, only yesterday."

"Right, well, if you'd like to advise the men's trouser companies of the world to make more 28 shorts, problem solved."

The dog was unimpressed.

"Have you never heard of tailoring? Or simply rolling the hem of your--"

"Falls down, right?"

The birds stopped, in rapt attention to the drama.

Mercy took a deep breath, and gazed up at the clear of the sky. Pharah and Tracer were both certain personalities, and she loved them both, and was convinced, in time, they would come to love each other.

"Just one bloody spot! Planning on eating off the floor, are we?"

Eventually.

Mercy turned around, ignoring the din of whatever they were saying to each other now, and walked over to the siding glass door, where she tapped softly and smiled at Pharah. Of all the things she could trust, it was that Pharah loved Mercy more than Tracer annoyed her, despite Tracer's best efforts. Pharah shot a look to Tracer, who shook her head and turned away, pant leg leaving a second spot on the bright cream floor.

Pharah frowned at it a moment, but instead took the coffee pot off the warmer and opened the sliding glass door, pouring Mercy a fresh cup.

"It is becoming a beautiful day." Mercy rested her hand on Pharah's arm.

Pharah looked outside. "Deck needs to be scrubbed."

"Fareeha."

She shook her head and smiled at Mercy, taking a thick, puffy jacket off the hook by the door and slipping it on. Pharah would, in her later years, tease herself about being a true desert dog who came to rest in London against her will and better judgement, but for now, in the place she had decided they would begin again, it was better to ignore her need to don a down jacket for a mild spring chill.

It was enough to Mercy that she was willing to come outside with her, whatever the coverage required.

Even more so that she was willing to ignore the deck that needed scrubbing, the bistro set with small mounds of snow still on, the flowerbeds that would need raking and planting soon. These were her thousand small fixations, how a thing could be made more perfect, more orderly, and more beautiful for that. But she said nothing. Of her Pharah's many oaths, she took her oath to love Mercy as best she was able the most seriously.

They stood together, side by side, looking at the mountains, the gently wavering branches, and the birds began to sing again as Pharah relaxed, allowing the ease of being with her wife to allay the need to seek improvement. For one moment, anyhow.

"d.Va will be saying yes. To you." Mercy did not realize she was going to say it until she did.

She would be their first true recruit. Pharah had been up nights, putting together a comprehensive presentation to the young soldier and talented mech pilot. How Overwatch had changed, how they had plans for the future, how they had been working to create a unified network designed to help all of humanity. The dental plan. Tracer had merely said she intended to be charming and a legend, both of which came to her easily.

They left for South Korea in a week.

Pharah looked down at the horribly disordered flowerbeds, her eyebrows giving a quick shrug she could not allow her body.

"That is the hope."

Mercy touched her hand. "That dirt, it had thornbushes in, do you remember? Lena, you and her were tearing it out this summer."

"I certainly remember Tracer drinking beer, leaning on a shovel, and chattering, yes."

Mercy chuckled. "She was helping. More than you know. The same dirt, but there are lilies now. Ready."

Pharah clasped her hand around Mercy's "If they grow. The winter could have killed them."

Mercy shook her head. "They are living. I know. They will be blooming, with time."

Pharah looked at her, at her messy bun and her unadorned face, her lightly stained sweater and her beautiful, powerful belief that love mattered, and justice was real, and life continued. Mercy had a faith more precious than gold, something Pharah could look at in wonder and reverence but never possess. In the light of that faith, Pharah could not believe in the despair of winter, nor enjoy the cleanliness of failure.

She said the only thing she could say.

"Yes."

With that, she leaned forward and kissed Mercy, as a pilgrim might kiss the statue of a saint, each only made real by the other, no reason for either of them to exist otherwise.

Mercy whispered into her ear.

"Spring. Time for a new start."

[craigdixonphotography]

Why do women love boudoir photography?

Boudoir sessions are luxurious photo experiences held in bedroom settings to emphasize the sense of passion and wealth. It serves as a reminder that you are brave and strong, and it goes beyond just being an elegant picture. A major concern is conquered for most people when their photos are taken in a highly glamorous way. But, most of the people considering this Boudoir Photography in Calgary beyond such fear; read on to learn why:

Experience the self-love:

A boudoir session is a tribute to your body and self. It is well known that sometimes people are unhappy with what they see in the mirror. They have an idea of what they ought to look like and are driven to "perfect" themselves until they are okay with how they look. But you should learn that there is nothing wrong with your wrinkles or dark spots. A boudoir photographer in Calgary will offer you the best pictures of yourself to celebrate your beauty forever.

You can gain confidence: Choosing a boudoir photo shoot is a potent gesture of confidence and self-love. You'll discover a new depth of self-love when you face your phobia of being photographed in underwear. You will feel like a princess for the day due to the crew's expertise, who are trained in posing, cosmetics, hair, and photography. Putting money into yourself makes you feel better about yourself and positively affects people around you.

Embrace the feminism:

A boudoir session is about discovering your femininity afresh via a creative and fun reconnection with your inner sensuality. You'll embrace your feminine spirit and celebrate your beauty with skillful posing and customized styling. It is a refreshing moment that helps you realize your most genuine, powerful self and reignites your confidence and self-love.

Bottom Line:

Boudoir photography is a wonderful option for breaking stereotypes and insecurities. If you are a person who likes Instagram reels, you can opt for Boudoir Videography in Calgary, shoot some aesthetic videos of yours, post them online, get a lot of engagement, and have extreme fun.

[udoandcompany]

Houses for Sale: How can Buyers Find the Ideal One?

Are you looking to buy your dream home but are getting lost among the plethora of choices? If you answer yes, then you're on the right website. In the vast and often overwhelming world of real estate, finding the ideal abode among houses for sale in Calgary can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. However, with the right approach and knowledge, buyers can simplify their search and increase their chances of discovering the perfect property. Here are some critical strategies for buyers to consider when embarking on their house-hunting journey:

1. Define Your Needs and Wants: Define Your Needs and Wants: Before diving into the market, take some time to outline your priorities clearly. What are your non-negotiables? How many bedrooms and bathrooms do you need? 

Are you looking for a specific neighborhood or school district? By identifying your must-haves and nice-to-haves, you can focus your search and avoid wasting time on houses for sale that doesn't meet your benchmarks.

2. Set a Realistic Budget: Determine how much you can afford to spend on a home and stick to it. Consider factors such as your income, existing debt, and ongoing expenses. 

Remember to account for additional costs such as property taxes, homeowner's insurance, and maintenance. Getting pre-approved for a mortgage can also give you a clearer picture of your purchasing power and make you a more competitive buyer.

3. Research Neighbourhoods: Explore different neighborhoods to find one of the houses for sale that best fits your lifestyle and priorities. Consider safety, proximity to amenities, property values, and community vibe. 

Online tools and resources, such as real estate websites and neighborhood guides, can provide valuable insights into local market trends and amenities.

4. Work with a Knowledgeable Real Estate Agent: A reputed real estate agent can be invaluable in your home search. Look for an agent who specializes in the neighborhoods you're interested in and has a track record of success. They can provide expert guidance, help you navigate the complexities of the buying process, and negotiate on your behalf.

5. Attend Open Houses and Virtual Tours: Take advantage of open houses and virtual tours to explore houses for sale firsthand. It will give you a sense of the home's structure, condition, and overall feel. Be bold ask questions, and take notes during your visits.

6. Be Flexible: Keep an open mind and be willing to compromise on certain features if necessary. It's rare to find a property that checks every box on your wishlist, so focus on the most important elements. Remember that cosmetic changes can often be made after purchase, so focus on the property's bones and potential.

7. Conduct Due Diligence: Once you've found a potential home, conduct thorough due diligence before making an offer. This may include hiring a home inspector to evaluate the property's condition, researching zoning laws and property taxes, and reviewing relevant homeowners association documents. The more information you have, the better equipped you'll be to make an informed decision when choosing from houses for sale.

8. Consider Long-Term Value: Look beyond the present and consider the property's long-term value and potential resale prospects. 

Assess factors such as appreciation rates, economic trends, and planned developments in the area. A home that fulfills your needs now and holds promise for the future can be a wise investment.

9. Trust Your Instincts: Trust your instincts when choosing the right home. If a property feels the perfect fit and meets your criteria, don't hesitate to make an offer. 

On the other hand, if something doesn't feel quite right, listen to your gut and keep searching for houses for sale. Patience and persistence are essential in the real estate game.

In conclusion, finding the ideal home requires careful planning, research, and patience. By defining your priorities, setting a budget, working with a knowledgeable agent, and conducting thorough due diligence, you can navigate the real estate market with confidence and increase your chances of finding the perfect property. Happy house hunting! Contact UDO & COMPANY to simplify your task of purchasing your dream home from houses for sale in Calgary.

[calgarymover]

TOP 10 DONATION CENTERS THAT PICK UP USED FURNITURE IN CALGARY

Calgary, a bustling city known for its community spirit and generosity, offers numerous opportunities for residents to donate their used furniture to worthy causes. Whether you’re moving, decluttering, or simply looking to give your furniture a second life, choosing the right donation center can make all the difference. In this guide, we’ll explore the top 10 donation centers in Calgary that not only accept used furniture but also offer the convenience of pick-up services, ensuring your items help those in need without causing you undue stress.

1. Calgary Inter-Faith Furniture Society

Offering Hope and Support Through Furniture

The Calgary Inter-Faith Furniture Society is renowned for its commitment to helping low-income families furnish their homes at no cost. This organization particularly welcomes donations of essential living room and bedroom furniture. Their respectful and efficient pick-up service is just a call away, making it easy for donors to contribute positively to their community.

Address: 635 35 Ave NE, Calgary, AB T2E 2L2

Phone: (403) 276-3173

Request a pickup here: https://www.furniturebank.org/request-a-pick-up/

2. Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Building Homes with Every Donation

Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore is a popular choice for donating used furniture in Calgary. These stores sell donated items to fund the construction of homes for families in need. Offering pick-up services for larger items, ReStore is an excellent option if you want your old furniture to help build new beginnings.

Calgary NE Address:

-              3465 Sunridge Way NE, Calgary, AB T1Y 7H5

-              (403) 291-6764

-              Open 9 AM to 5 PM daily

Calgary SE Address:

-              7291 11 St SE, Calgary, AB T2H 2S1

-              (403) 910-2561

-              Open 9 AM to 5 PM daily

Calgary SE Address:

-              7291 11 St SE, Calgary, AB T2H 2S1

-              (403) 910-2561

Habitat eStore:

-              Shop online HERE

-              Pick up hours: Monday to Sunday: 9 AM to 5 PM

Request a pickup here: https://www.tfaforms.com/5091972

3. Women In Need Society (WINS)

Empowering Women Through Your Donations

WINS operates several thrift stores across Calgary and provides essential services to women and their families. They accept a wide range of furniture and offer a convenient pick-up service. By donating here, you are directly supporting programs that empower women to achieve sustainable livelihoods.

There are 6 locations in Calgary:

-              https://www.winsyyc.ca/thrift-stores

-              (403) 255-5102

-              1005 11 Ave SW, Calgary AB  T2R 0G1

Request a pickup here: https://www.winsyyc.ca/collector-services

4. The Salvation Army

Transforming Lives with Every Item

The Salvation Army is one of the most well-known charitable organizations worldwide. Their thrift stores in Calgary accept donations of furniture, which help fund their various community programs. They offer a pick-up service, making it easy to donate larger items like sofas, beds, and dining sets.

Items you can donate to the Salvation Army:

-              Kitchenware

-              Clothing

-              Home décor

-              Bedding & Linens

-              Leisure & Other

-              etc

There are few locations in Calgary:

-              420 9 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0R9

o             (403) 410-1111

-              1731 29th Street SW, Calgary, AB T3C 1M6

o             (403) 930-2711

-              #100, 5115 17 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2A 0V8

o             (403) 410-1160

5. Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre Society

Furnishing Futures for the Less Fortunate

This center provides critical services to those experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. They welcome furniture donations, which are either used directly in their facilities or sold to support their programs. Their pick-up service is a boon for those looking to donate bulky items.

Address: 1 Dermot Baldwin Way SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0P8

Phone: 403-263-5707

Request a pickup here: https://calgarydropin.ca/donate-once/

6. The Mustard Seed

Seeding Hope with Furniture Donations

The Mustard Seed is a Christian humanitarian organization that helps meet the basic needs of shelter, food, clothing, and furniture for Calgary’s less fortunate. They accept a variety of furniture donations and offer pick-up services, ensuring your old pieces can have a meaningful impact.

Items you can donate:

-              Listed here https://theseed.ca/urgently-needed

-              1·833·GIV·HOPE (448·4673)

Address: 102 11 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0X5 (Community Impact Centre Downtown)

7. Helping Families Handle Cancer

Caring Through Comfort

This unique organization focuses on supporting families dealing with cancer. They accept furniture donations to furnish their care homes and offer pick-up services to ease the donation process for generous Calgarians.

Address: 125 - 8888 Country Hills Blvd NW, Calgary, AB T3G 5T0

Phone: 403-850-5477

8. Made by Momma

Nurturing Families One Piece at a Time

Made by Momma helps mothers and children in crisis by providing them with essential household items. They rely on furniture donations to equip the homes of needy families and offer pick-up services to make donating convenient.

Donation Needed: https://madebymomma.org/donations-needed/

Address: 66 21 Street NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4T9

9. Free Goods Program

Turning Houses into Homes

Not everyone can afford to furnish their home. The Free Goods Program collects new and used donations and then distributes them to Calgarians who need them – at no cost. If you have items to donate, kindly drop them off at our Donation Centre location and not at our emergency shelter location downtown.

Address: 3640 11A Street NE, Calgary AB

Free Goods Program: 403-264-0856

Media Line: 403-852-0470

10. Goodwill Industries of Alberta

Finding Homes for Your Beloved Furniture

Find is another key player in the furniture donation scene, focusing on providing furnishings to individuals transitioning out of homelessness. They ensure that your donated furniture is given a second life in a new home.

There are 4 locations in Calgary:

-              https://www.goodwill.ab.ca/faq/furniture-donations-which-locations-accept/

-              780-944-1414

Unfortunately, Goodwill does not have a pick-up service due to infrastructure

Why Donate Furniture in Calgary?

Donating used furniture in Calgary is not only an act of charity but also an environmentally friendly choice. It prevents usable items from ending up in landfills and helps reduce waste. Moreover, your donations support local charities in their mission to aid those in need, fostering a stronger, more resilient community.

When you choose to donate to any of these centers, you are not just clearing out space in your home; you are also making a significant difference in someone else’s life. These organizations ensure that your furniture gets a second chance at usefulness, providing comfort and stability to those who need it most.

Conclusion

Calgary’s community-oriented spirit shines through its robust network of donation centers. Offering convenient pick-up services, these organizations make it easy for you to contribute to meaningful causes. Whether your furniture is going to a family starting anew or helping furnish a charity’s facility, your contributions are valuable. Remember, your old couch could be someone else’s new beginning. Choose to donate and help turn houses into homes across Calgary.

About Sparta Movers

If you are reading this article, the chances are you are in the process of either renovating, upgrading your furnishings or moving to a new place.

Let Sparta Movers help you with planning as well as an execution of your project.

Sparta Movers is a trusted name in the moving industry, dedicated to providing top-notch services to individuals and businesses alike. Our experienced team prides itself on ensuring that each move is seamless, efficient, on time, on budget and stress-free. Whether you’re relocating within Calgary, moving across Canada, or anywhere around the world, Sparta Movers is here to assist you with every step of the way.

Sparta Movers is a full-service moving & storage company, which is certified by the Canadian Association of Movers, recommended by Bryan Baeumler, A+ rated by Better Business Bureau (BBB), and an active member of Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

Sparta Movers is a Calgary agent of Atlas Van Lines, a major player in the moving industry in Canada. Atlas Van Lines has a long-standing reputation for providing high-quality local, long-distance and International moving services since 1963.

Sparta Movers is a preferred moving & storage partner for CIR Realty as well as Royal LePage.

We understand the challenge of finding a reasonably priced moving company that operates with integrity, courtesy and honesty. We are proud to be that professional moving company! We are here to deliver uncompromising quality and excellent service at affordable rates!

To learn more about our services and how we can make your next move a success, visit our website https://spartamovers.com/ and get in touch with our dedicated team today!

Read More : TOP 10 DONATION CENTERS THAT PICK UP USED FURNITURE IN CALGARY

[calgarymoverssparta]

TOP 10 DONATION CENTERS THAT PICK UP USED FURNITURE IN CALGARY

Calgary, a bustling city known for its community spirit and generosity, offers numerous opportunities for residents to donate their used furniture to worthy causes. Whether you’re moving, decluttering, or simply looking to give your furniture a second life, choosing the right donation center can make all the difference. In this guide, we’ll explore the top 10 donation centers in Calgary that not only accept used furniture but also offer the convenience of pick-up services, ensuring your items help those in need without causing you undue stress.

1. Calgary Inter-Faith Furniture Society

Offering Hope and Support Through Furniture

The Calgary Inter-Faith Furniture Society is renowned for its commitment to helping low-income families furnish their homes at no cost. This organization particularly welcomes donations of essential living room and bedroom furniture. Their respectful and efficient pick-up service is just a call away, making it easy for donors to contribute positively to their community.

Address: 635 35 Ave NE, Calgary, AB T2E 2L2

Phone: (403) 276-3173

Request a pickup here: https://www.furniturebank.org/request-a-pick-up/

2. Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Building Homes with Every Donation

Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore is a popular choice for donating used furniture in Calgary. These stores sell donated items to fund the construction of homes for families in need. Offering pick-up services for larger items, ReStore is an excellent option if you want your old furniture to help build new beginnings.

Calgary NE Address:

-              3465 Sunridge Way NE, Calgary, AB T1Y 7H5

-              (403) 291-6764

-              Open 9 AM to 5 PM daily

Calgary SE Address:

-              7291 11 St SE, Calgary, AB T2H 2S1

-              (403) 910-2561

-              Open 9 AM to 5 PM daily

Calgary SE Address:

-              7291 11 St SE, Calgary, AB T2H 2S1

-              (403) 910-2561

Habitat eStore:

-              Shop online HERE

-              Pick up hours: Monday to Sunday: 9 AM to 5 PM

Request a pickup here: https://www.tfaforms.com/5091972

3. Women In Need Society (WINS)

Empowering Women Through Your Donations

WINS operates several thrift stores across Calgary and provides essential services to women and their families. They accept a wide range of furniture and offer a convenient pick-up service. By donating here, you are directly supporting programs that empower women to achieve sustainable livelihoods.

There are 6 locations in Calgary:

-              https://www.winsyyc.ca/thrift-stores

-              (403) 255-5102

-              1005 11 Ave SW, Calgary AB  T2R 0G1

Request a pickup here: https://www.winsyyc.ca/collector-services

4. The Salvation Army

Transforming Lives with Every Item

The Salvation Army is one of the most well-known charitable organizations worldwide. Their thrift stores in Calgary accept donations of furniture, which help fund their various community programs. They offer a pick-up service, making it easy to donate larger items like sofas, beds, and dining sets.

Items you can donate to the Salvation Army:

-              Kitchenware

-              Clothing

-              Home décor

-              Bedding & Linens

-              Leisure & Other

-              etc

There are few locations in Calgary:

-              420 9 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0R9

o             (403) 410-1111

-              1731 29th Street SW, Calgary, AB T3C 1M6

o             (403) 930-2711

-              #100, 5115 17 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2A 0V8

o             (403) 410-1160

5. Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre Society

Furnishing Futures for the Less Fortunate

This center provides critical services to those experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. They welcome furniture donations, which are either used directly in their facilities or sold to support their programs. Their pick-up service is a boon for those looking to donate bulky items.

Address: 1 Dermot Baldwin Way SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0P8

Phone: 403-263-5707

Request a pickup here: https://calgarydropin.ca/donate-once/

6. The Mustard Seed

Seeding Hope with Furniture Donations

The Mustard Seed is a Christian humanitarian organization that helps meet the basic needs of shelter, food, clothing, and furniture for Calgary’s less fortunate. They accept a variety of furniture donations and offer pick-up services, ensuring your old pieces can have a meaningful impact.

Items you can donate:

-              Listed here https://theseed.ca/urgently-needed

-              1·833·GIV·HOPE (448·4673)

Address: 102 11 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0X5 (Community Impact Centre Downtown)

7. Helping Families Handle Cancer

Caring Through Comfort

This unique organization focuses on supporting families dealing with cancer. They accept furniture donations to furnish their care homes and offer pick-up services to ease the donation process for generous Calgarians.

Address: 125 - 8888 Country Hills Blvd NW, Calgary, AB T3G 5T0

Phone: 403-850-5477

8. Made by Momma

Nurturing Families One Piece at a Time

Made by Momma helps mothers and children in crisis by providing them with essential household items. They rely on furniture donations to equip the homes of needy families and offer pick-up services to make donating convenient.

Donation Needed: https://madebymomma.org/donations-needed/

Address: 66 21 Street NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4T9

9. Free Goods Program

Turning Houses into Homes

Not everyone can afford to furnish their home. The Free Goods Program collects new and used donations and then distributes them to Calgarians who need them – at no cost. If you have items to donate, kindly drop them off at our Donation Centre location and not at our emergency shelter location downtown.

Address: 3640 11A Street NE, Calgary AB

Free Goods Program: 403-264-0856

Media Line: 403-852-0470

10. Goodwill Industries of Alberta

Finding Homes for Your Beloved Furniture

Find is another key player in the furniture donation scene, focusing on providing furnishings to individuals transitioning out of homelessness. They ensure that your donated furniture is given a second life in a new home.

There are 4 locations in Calgary:

-              https://www.goodwill.ab.ca/faq/furniture-donations-which-locations-accept/

-              780-944-1414

Unfortunately, Goodwill does not have a pick-up service due to infrastructure

Why Donate Furniture in Calgary?

Donating used furniture in Calgary is not only an act of charity but also an environmentally friendly choice. It prevents usable items from ending up in landfills and helps reduce waste. Moreover, your donations support local charities in their mission to aid those in need, fostering a stronger, more resilient community.

When you choose to donate to any of these centers, you are not just clearing out space in your home; you are also making a significant difference in someone else’s life. These organizations ensure that your furniture gets a second chance at usefulness, providing comfort and stability to those who need it most.

Conclusion

Calgary’s community-oriented spirit shines through its robust network of donation centers. Offering convenient pick-up services, these organizations make it easy for you to contribute to meaningful causes. Whether your furniture is going to a family starting anew or helping furnish a charity’s facility, your contributions are valuable. Remember, your old couch could be someone else’s new beginning. Choose to donate and help turn houses into homes across Calgary.

About Sparta Movers

If you are reading this article, the chances are you are in the process of either renovating, upgrading your furnishings or moving to a new place.

Let Sparta Movers help you with planning as well as an execution of your project.

Sparta Movers is a trusted name in the moving industry, dedicated to providing top-notch services to individuals and businesses alike. Our experienced team prides itself on ensuring that each move is seamless, efficient, on time, on budget and stress-free. Whether you’re relocating within Calgary, moving across Canada, or anywhere around the world, Sparta Movers is here to assist you with every step of the way.

Sparta Movers is a full-service moving & storage company, which is certified by the Canadian Association of Movers, recommended by Bryan Baeumler, A+ rated by Better Business Bureau (BBB), and an active member of Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

Sparta Movers is a Calgary agent of Atlas Van Lines, a major player in the moving industry in Canada. Atlas Van Lines has a long-standing reputation for providing high-quality local, long-distance and International moving services since 1963.

Sparta Movers is a preferred moving & storage partner for CIR Realty as well as Royal LePage.

We understand the challenge of finding a reasonably priced moving company that operates with integrity, courtesy and honesty. We are proud to be that professional moving company! We are here to deliver uncompromising quality and excellent service at affordable rates!

To learn more about our services and how we can make your next move a success, visit our website https://spartamovers.com/ and get in touch with our dedicated team today!

Read More : TOP 10 DONATION CENTERS THAT PICK UP USED FURNITURE IN CALGARY

[spartamover]

TOP 10 DONATION CENTERS THAT PICK UP USED FURNITURE IN CALGARY

Calgary, a bustling city known for its community spirit and generosity, offers numerous opportunities for residents to donate their used furniture to worthy causes. Whether you’re moving, decluttering, or simply looking to give your furniture a second life, choosing the right donation center can make all the difference. In this guide, we’ll explore the top 10 donation centers in Calgary that not only accept used furniture but also offer the convenience of pick-up services, ensuring your items help those in need without causing you undue stress.

1. Calgary Inter-Faith Furniture Society

Offering Hope and Support Through Furniture

The Calgary Inter-Faith Furniture Society is renowned for its commitment to helping low-income families furnish their homes at no cost. This organization particularly welcomes donations of essential living room and bedroom furniture. Their respectful and efficient pick-up service is just a call away, making it easy for donors to contribute positively to their community.

Address: 635 35 Ave NE, Calgary, AB T2E 2L2

Phone: (403) 276-3173

Request a pickup here: https://www.furniturebank.org/request-a-pick-up/

2. Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Building Homes with Every Donation

Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore is a popular choice for donating used furniture in Calgary. These stores sell donated items to fund the construction of homes for families in need. Offering pick-up services for larger items, ReStore is an excellent option if you want your old furniture to help build new beginnings.

Calgary NE Address:

-              3465 Sunridge Way NE, Calgary, AB T1Y 7H5

-              (403) 291-6764

-              Open 9 AM to 5 PM daily

Calgary SE Address:

-              7291 11 St SE, Calgary, AB T2H 2S1

-              (403) 910-2561

-              Open 9 AM to 5 PM daily

Calgary SE Address:

-              7291 11 St SE, Calgary, AB T2H 2S1

-              (403) 910-2561

Habitat eStore:

-              Shop online HERE

-              Pick up hours: Monday to Sunday: 9 AM to 5 PM

Request a pickup here: https://www.tfaforms.com/5091972

3. Women In Need Society (WINS)

Empowering Women Through Your Donations

WINS operates several thrift stores across Calgary and provides essential services to women and their families. They accept a wide range of furniture and offer a convenient pick-up service. By donating here, you are directly supporting programs that empower women to achieve sustainable livelihoods.

There are 6 locations in Calgary:

-              https://www.winsyyc.ca/thrift-stores

-              (403) 255-5102

-              1005 11 Ave SW, Calgary AB  T2R 0G1

Request a pickup here: https://www.winsyyc.ca/collector-services

4. The Salvation Army

Transforming Lives with Every Item

The Salvation Army is one of the most well-known charitable organizations worldwide. Their thrift stores in Calgary accept donations of furniture, which help fund their various community programs. They offer a pick-up service, making it easy to donate larger items like sofas, beds, and dining sets.

Items you can donate to the Salvation Army:

-              Kitchenware

-              Clothing

-              Home décor

-              Bedding & Linens

-              Leisure & Other

-              etc

There are few locations in Calgary:

-              420 9 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0R9

o             (403) 410-1111

-              1731 29th Street SW, Calgary, AB T3C 1M6

o             (403) 930-2711

-              #100, 5115 17 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2A 0V8

o             (403) 410-1160

5. Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre Society

Furnishing Futures for the Less Fortunate

This center provides critical services to those experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. They welcome furniture donations, which are either used directly in their facilities or sold to support their programs. Their pick-up service is a boon for those looking to donate bulky items.

Address: 1 Dermot Baldwin Way SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0P8

Phone: 403-263-5707

Request a pickup here: https://calgarydropin.ca/donate-once/

6. The Mustard Seed

Seeding Hope with Furniture Donations

The Mustard Seed is a Christian humanitarian organization that helps meet the basic needs of shelter, food, clothing, and furniture for Calgary’s less fortunate. They accept a variety of furniture donations and offer pick-up services, ensuring your old pieces can have a meaningful impact.

Items you can donate:

-              Listed here https://theseed.ca/urgently-needed

-              1·833·GIV·HOPE (448·4673)

Address: 102 11 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0X5 (Community Impact Centre Downtown)

7. Helping Families Handle Cancer

Caring Through Comfort

This unique organization focuses on supporting families dealing with cancer. They accept furniture donations to furnish their care homes and offer pick-up services to ease the donation process for generous Calgarians.

Address: 125 - 8888 Country Hills Blvd NW, Calgary, AB T3G 5T0

Phone: 403-850-5477

8. Made by Momma

Nurturing Families One Piece at a Time

Made by Momma helps mothers and children in crisis by providing them with essential household items. They rely on furniture donations to equip the homes of needy families and offer pick-up services to make donating convenient.

Donation Needed: https://madebymomma.org/donations-needed/

Address: 66 21 Street NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4T9

9. Free Goods Program

Turning Houses into Homes

Not everyone can afford to furnish their home. The Free Goods Program collects new and used donations and then distributes them to Calgarians who need them – at no cost. If you have items to donate, kindly drop them off at our Donation Centre location and not at our emergency shelter location downtown.

Address: 3640 11A Street NE, Calgary AB

Free Goods Program: 403-264-0856

Media Line: 403-852-0470

10. Goodwill Industries of Alberta

Finding Homes for Your Beloved Furniture

Find is another key player in the furniture donation scene, focusing on providing furnishings to individuals transitioning out of homelessness. They ensure that your donated furniture is given a second life in a new home.

There are 4 locations in Calgary:

-              https://www.goodwill.ab.ca/faq/furniture-donations-which-locations-accept/

-              780-944-1414

Unfortunately, Goodwill does not have a pick-up service due to infrastructure

Why Donate Furniture in Calgary?

Donating used furniture in Calgary is not only an act of charity but also an environmentally friendly choice. It prevents usable items from ending up in landfills and helps reduce waste. Moreover, your donations support local charities in their mission to aid those in need, fostering a stronger, more resilient community.

When you choose to donate to any of these centers, you are not just clearing out space in your home; you are also making a significant difference in someone else’s life. These organizations ensure that your furniture gets a second chance at usefulness, providing comfort and stability to those who need it most.

Conclusion

Calgary’s community-oriented spirit shines through its robust network of donation centers. Offering convenient pick-up services, these organizations make it easy for you to contribute to meaningful causes. Whether your furniture is going to a family starting anew or helping furnish a charity’s facility, your contributions are valuable. Remember, your old couch could be someone else’s new beginning. Choose to donate and help turn houses into homes across Calgary.

About Sparta Movers

If you are reading this article, the chances are you are in the process of either renovating, upgrading your furnishings or moving to a new place.

Let Sparta Movers help you with planning as well as an execution of your project.

Sparta Movers is a trusted name in the moving industry, dedicated to providing top-notch services to individuals and businesses alike. Our experienced team prides itself on ensuring that each move is seamless, efficient, on time, on budget and stress-free. Whether you’re relocating within Calgary, moving across Canada, or anywhere around the world, Sparta Movers is here to assist you with every step of the way.

Sparta Movers is a full-service moving & storage company, which is certified by the Canadian Association of Movers, recommended by Bryan Baeumler, A+ rated by Better Business Bureau (BBB), and an active member of Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

Sparta Movers is a Calgary agent of Atlas Van Lines, a major player in the moving industry in Canada. Atlas Van Lines has a long-standing reputation for providing high-quality local, long-distance and International moving services since 1963.

Sparta Movers is a preferred moving & storage partner for CIR Realty as well as Royal LePage.

We understand the challenge of finding a reasonably priced moving company that operates with integrity, courtesy and honesty. We are proud to be that professional moving company! We are here to deliver uncompromising quality and excellent service at affordable rates!

To learn more about our services and how we can make your next move a success, visit our website https://spartamovers.com/ and get in touch with our dedicated team today!

Read More : TOP 10 DONATION CENTERS THAT PICK UP USED FURNITURE IN CALGARY

[1prabhatsingh]

A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieve Your Dream Home In Canada 

Realtor Advertising

For many individuals, it is a dream come true to have their own house. Whether you are a first-time buyer or thinking of an upgrade, Canada's real estate market is quite varied enough with lots of offerings.  

With so much realtor advertising going on, it often becomes hard to know what’s the right way to get your dream home. Worry not in this guide, we are going through the steps of fulfilling your dream of owning your own home.

1. Financial Preparation

Budget: Decide on how much you are able to pay. Consider your income, current debts and monthly expenses. Utilize online calculators to compute your mortgage amortisation.

Credit Score: Credit score is a pivotal factor for getting a mortgage. Make sure you check your credit rating and rectify any issues.

Down Payment: Putting money aside for a down payment. In Canada, the minimum set for a home cost up to $500,000 is 5%. However, for the homes with the cost higher than that, the down payment will be increased.

2. Research and Location

Explore Cities: Canada has lively cities including cities like Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary. Research their real estate market, employment possibilities, and scenarios of life there.

Neighbourhoods: Choose the neighbourhoods which match your specific predilections, like nearby workplaces, schools, parks, and amenities.

Market Trends: Analyze local real estate trends. Is it a seller's or a buyer's market? Visit the agents and market reports.

3. Mortgage Pre-Approval

Lenders: To start the process, approach banks, credit unions, or brokers for pre-approval. They’ll scrutinize your financials and issue a pre-approval letter.

Interest Rates: Evaluate the interest rates and mortgage terms.Fixed or variable?Short-term or long-term?

4. Search for a Real Estate Agent

Expertise: A real estate agent knows the market, acts as your rep, and leads you to the destination.

Interview: Meet the potential agents. Ask them about their accomplishments, the stories they have to tell, and how they deal with people

5. House Hunting

Wishlist: Develop a list of must-haves and would-be nice-to-have items. Always look at the size, the plan, and the finish of the bedroom.

Viewings: Attend open houses and spend some time on site. Take notes on features, do a comparison, and contrast different brands.

6. Make an Offer

Negotiation: Together with your agent, prepare to make an offer. Since price, conditions (e.g. home inspection) and closing date are involved, reflect on them carefully.

Deposit: Suggest a deposit (normally it would be from 1 to 5% of the sale price when having the agreement) with the offer in.

7. House Condition and Valuation

Inspection: Get in touch with a thorough professional inspector. They will look at the state and condition of the property. They will check the structural elements, plumbing and electrical components.

Appraisal: But the lender needs to find out the exact worth of the property by hiring the appraisers.

8. Finalize Financing

Mortgage Approval: Once the offer of your purchase is accepted, the loan you have chosen should be finalised with the lender.

Legal Representation: Find a real estate attorney whom you can trust to take care of the legal matters in the sale/purchase of your home.

9. Closing Day

Paperwork: Make sure the dealing is registered, money is transferred, and you pay the closing costs required (e.g., land transfer fee, legal fees).

Possession: Get behind the wheel and start your amazing homeownership journey!

10. Post-Purchase Considerations

Utilities and Services: Use electricity, water, and gas facilities at your service and change your address.

Home Insurance: The best protection against the risks associated with home ownership is home insurance.

Enjoy!: Celebrating your accomplishment is the culmination of a long and hard journey, the easiest part is finally settling home.

Conclusion

Buying your dream house in Canada is a matter of considering and analyzing the options and engaging professional help when needed. Finally, follow through these steps. Within days you will be sipping coffee on your patio with a view of the Canadian countryside.

[sunblindsyyc]

Horizontal Blinds In Calgary: Timeless Elegance For Your Windows

Horizontal blinds in Calgary are a popular choice due to their versatility and functionality. With Calgary's varying climate, these blinds offer precise light control and insulation, keeping homes comfortable in changing seasons. Additionally, their sleek design complements the city's modern and contemporary interior aesthetics. 

The ability to tilt slats allows residents to manage natural light effectively, especially during Calgary's long daylight hours. Moreover, the durability of horizontal blinds makes them well-suited for Calgary's active lifestyles. Their timeless appeal, customizable options, and suitability for diverse spaces make horizontal blinds a favored window treatment among Calgary residents.

The Evolution of Horizontal Blinds

Step into the world of window treatments where sophistication meets functionality - Horizontal blinds steal the spotlight! From classic design to modern allure, these timeless window dressings have been gracing homes and offices for decades, offering an exquisite blend of style and practicality.

1. Aesthetic Appeal

Horizontal blinds, with their sleek lines and versatile designs, effortlessly complement any interior décor. Whether it's the warmth of wooden blinds or the chicness of aluminum, these blinds exude elegance in every slat.

2. Light Control and Privacy

One of the major advantages lies in their adjustable slats, allowing precise control over light and privacy. Tilt them to invite a soft glow or close them for complete seclusion - the choice is yours!

3. Durability and Maintenance

Crafted from robust materials, horizontal blinds boast longevity. Easy to clean and maintain, they retain their charm with minimal effort, making them a hassle-free choice for busy individuals.

Choosing the Perfect Horizontal Blinds

- Material Matters

Consider the environment and ambiance you aim to create. Wooden blinds infuse warmth, the fabric offers softness, and aluminum exudes a modern vibe. Each material adds its unique touch to your space.

- Slat Size and Color

Play with slat sizes to match your style - narrower for a contemporary feel or wider for a bold statement. Colors range from neutrals to vibrant hues, allowing you to set the desired mood.

Installation and Care Tips

1. Professional Installation

While DIY installation is an option, professional installation ensures precise fitting and operation, optimizing the blinds' functionality.

2. Regular Maintenance

Periodic dusting or gentle wiping with a damp cloth keeps your horizontal blinds pristine. Avoid harsh chemicals that might damage the material.

Customisation and Design Options

Horizontal blinds offer a plethora of customisation possibilities tailored to individual preferences:

a). Texture and Finish

Explore various textures and finishes – smooth, textured, glossy, or matte – to add character and depth to your windows.

b). Decorative Tapes and Accents

Personalize your blinds with decorative tapes and accents. These small details can make a big impact, adding a touch of sophistication to your window coverings.

Energy Efficiency and Insulation

Besides their aesthetic appeal, horizontal blinds offer practical benefits related to energy efficiency:

1. Insulation Properties

Certain materials possess excellent insulating properties, helping regulate indoor temperatures by trapping heat in winters and blocking excessive sunlight in summers, thereby reducing energy bills.

2. UV Protection

Some blinds come with UV-blocking features, safeguarding your furniture and interiors from harmful UV rays, and preventing fading or damage.

Versatility in Room Applications

Horizontal blinds are versatile and suitable for various spaces:

1. Living Areas

Transform living rooms into inviting spaces by choosing blinds that complement your furniture and décor.

2. Bedrooms

Opt for blackout or light-filtering blinds for a cozy ambiance and a good night's sleep.

3. Kitchens and Bathrooms

Consider moisture-resistant materials like aluminum or PVC for these areas where humidity levels are higher.

Child Safety and Cordless Options

For households with young children or pets, consider cordless options or blinds with child-safe features to prevent accidents and ensure a safer environment. Child-safe and cordless options in horizontal blinds prioritize safety in homes. These innovative features eliminate the risks associated with traditional corded blinds, reducing hazards for children and pets. 

Cordless mechanisms, like wand controls or motorization, ensure easy operation without dangling cords, preventing accidents and creating a safer environment. This thoughtful design not only enhances convenience but also offers peace of mind to families. Opting for child-safe and cordless options in horizontal blinds is a proactive choice, aligning with modern safety standards and providing a secure setting for households with young ones or pets.

Maintenance and Longevity

Proper care and maintenance contribute to the longevity of horizontal blinds:

- Regular Cleaning Routine

Dusting or vacuuming blinds regularly prevents the accumulation of dirt and prolongs their lifespan.

- Avoiding Excessive Force

Handle blinds with care to prevent damage to the slats or mechanisms.

Conclusion

Horizontal blinds remain a timeless choice for window treatments, blending style, functionality, and practicality seamlessly. With a wide array of customization options, energy-efficient features, and suitability for various spaces, these blinds continue to captivate homeowners seeking elegance and utility in their interiors.

In the realm of window treatments, horizontal blinds reign supreme as a timeless choice. Their unmatched versatility, durability, and aesthetic charm continue to make them a beloved addition to any space. Explore the myriad of options available, and let these stylish window coverings elevate your interiors!

The article was originally posted on: https://sunblinds.ca/calgary/horizontal-blinds-in-calgary-timeless-elegance-for-your-windows/

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