#dallas stars fanfic

[midnightsnyx]

tyler seguin - happier

pairing: tyler seguin x reader requested: yes summary: your near perfect relationship shatters when an article is released word count: 1.1k warnings: cheating, swearing, angst

a/n: so this was a request someone sent in and if you guys know me, you know I'm a sucker for angst lol anyways ty for reading and I hope you like it!! big thanks to @bookluversposts for editing this! I am currently accepting requests which you can send here and my masterlist here & frequently asked questions here.

It started out like this:

Mornings spent together eating breakfast, stealing sips of his coffee when he was distracted on his phone even though he takes his drink black but you still liked the small smile on his face when he pretended not to notice. Getting take-out after a game, sitting in his truck in some random parking lot like two teenagers on a date because sometimes it was nice to forget about hockey and the media and pretend you both were just an ordinary couple. Late night calls when he was on the road, sharing details about each other's days and planning future days. Being there for each other on the bad days. After the tough losses or bad days at work. 

It wasn’t all perfect because there were still the arguments that ended in tears and silent treatments and sleeping in separate beds. The next mornings when you would sit in silence, not wanting to apologize and be the pushover in the relationship.

The nights you would lay in bed while he was on the road or out with friends wondering if the rumors about him were true. His friends joked that you were the girl who changed him but he always looked uneasy when they said that and it left doubts in the back of your mind. 

When you brought up marriage one night and he shrugged and said marriage is boring, isn’t this enough? So you had to convince yourself that it was enough for you, while you watched his teammates propose to their significant others and listen to the whispers from the girls wondering why he hadn’t asked you, saying maybe he didn’t want to settle down and wanted the single life.

So it ended like this:

A text message from Jamie one night while they were on the road and you were getting ready for bed, that had a link attached and two words.

I’m sorry.

It was obvious before you even let yourself open the link that you would find what you had been expecting. A clear picture of Tyler kissing a random girl, that you knew was recent and not some old picture because it showed one of his tattoos that he had only recently gotten. The article title, Seguin cheats on girlfriend as if they were announcing the morning weather.

You waited for a text from him, trying to say it wasn’t real or maybe even an apology but Jamie’s text was the only one you received. So you went to bed that night wondering if he was aware of the article and was afraid to text you or simply didn’t care. It was the latter, you realized when he didn’t text you for the rest of the road trip. 

When he got home in the early hours of the morning, you were curled up on the sofa with one of the dogs, coffee in hand. He didn’t see you at first, tossing his keys on the island and dropping his duffel bag by the door, but as he started walking to the kitchen, his footsteps faltered when he saw you sitting there.

“Exciting road trip?” You asked, watching as he opened and closed his mouth looking like a fish out of water gasping for air. You wanted to scream, cry and maybe throw something at him because you spent the last two days feeling like you were drowning.

He finally settled on, “you saw it?”

The laugh that escaped you was bitter and your next words felt like acid. “Saw it? I had it shoved down my throat since Jamie sent it to me. I’ve had to ignore calls from everybody who saw it and wanted to know if it was true.” You stood up, letting the blanket you had wrapped around you drop to the floor. “I wanted to get the full story before I said anything so tell me, was any of it real? Did you think about me sitting at home waiting for you while you went and slept with whoever you wanted?” He opened his mouth to say something but you cut him off. “Given your history, I should’ve known better.”

“It- it was once.” He whispered, as if that would make it any better. “It didn’t mean anything, I swear. I love you.”

You watched as he took slow steps towards you, as if you were a spooked deer. When he was a foot away, you told him to stop and he did. 

You always prided yourself on the fact that you were good at reading people. Telling if they were good or bad. Lying or telling the truth. 

If they were a decent person or not and boy, did you fuck that up when it came to Tyler.

“You love me?” You asked, carefully keeping your voice steady.

“Yes.” He said, reaching for your hand and you let him take it, just like you let him take your heart and smash it in a million pieces. Like you gave him everything you had and trusted him to not ruin it. 

What a mistake that was.

You stepped back, making him drop your hand. “Try telling someone who’ll believe you.”

His face crumpled and you wondered if it was a facade, a ploy to try and get you to forgive him. For you to give him what was left of your heart, trusting that he wouldn’t break the rest. 

Without another word, you turned your back to him and walked out the door.

Six months later.

It’s a coffee shop, of all places that you bump into him. He’s with Jamie, standing at the counter ordering his black coffee and flirting with the girl serving him. You should feel sick, angry even but you feel nothing. Even though you dated for five years, you somehow found it easy to get over him. Maybe it was because you were always expecting it in the back of your mind, but it didn’t wallow for longer than two or three weeks. You moved on and found out who you were without him and you have never been happier. 

So when he turns around and his eyes land on you, you don’t react like you know he’s expecting you to. You walk up to the counter and order your drink, watching the barista he was flirting with still flustered and you want to tell her don’t fall for it like I did. But you just smile politely and take your drink, turning around only to find Tyler still standing there.

“Hey,” Jamie says, giving you a brief hug before looking at Tyler who is staring at you. He looks like he wants to say something or maybe hug you. You just smile and brush past him, walking outside into the warm Dallas day.

[diorsluv]

die for you masterlist

( diorsluv 2024 )

[ON HOLD!]

— social media, irl faceclaim ; lola tung

nhl + ntdp!2018 x platonic!figureskater!reader,

robertson brothers x fem!cousin!reader,

trevor zegras x fem!fwb!reader

other tags will be revealed once the complete series is done!

prologue

part 1: ( swear i couldn’t sleep a wink last night )

act i

part 2: ( no point in turning off the lights )

part 3: ( not the same without your head on my shoulders )

part 4: ( growing pains but i don’t wanna get older )

part 5: ( almost like we left it all on read )

part 6: ( couple feelings never laid to rest )

part 7: ( didn’t know that the party was over )

part 8: ( and it’s true that i need you here closer )

acts ii, iii, iv, and epilogue coming soon!

[huggybearluvr]

This is such a random player, but he's a golden retriever and no one writes for him, so could you do something cute with Jake Oettinger? 💕

my golden retriever || jo29

summary: Jake had brought you to a Stars event, however, he didn't expect to get separated from you. While he as running around looking for you, you realize he is really a golden retriever boyfriend.

Masterlist

You stood near the bar at the event talking to one of the fellow wags, carmen.

You had strayed off from Jake earlier as he was talking to a few of his teammates.

"So how have you been, feel like we haven't talked since the last season game!" Carmen spoke enthusiastically.

"I've been great! Jake and I officially moved in together," You smiled, however you were quickly distracted by Jake walking around looking for you.

You watched as he confusedly searched the entire hall looking for you, you laughed at his antics. You watched as he pulled out his phone most likely sending you a text.

You pointed it out to Carmen who laughed along with you. At the sound of your laugh Jake's eyes bolted in your direction, as he smiled walking over to you, Carmen went back over to her boyfriend. Leaving you and Jake.

He smiled as his hand snaked it's way around you waist.

You laughed, "You really are a golden retriever boyfriend."

"Is that a bad thing?" He asked, goofily smiling down at you.

"not at all baby, not at all," You smiled, leaning up to place a kiss on his lips.

[the-slapshot-series]

Chapter 1

Summery: Tyler finds out that his now Ex soon to be wife had been cheating on him behind his back. Heartbroken and alone he hinds out in his Captain's basement until his best friend in the whole world offers him refuge in Pittsburgh to ride out the summer and let things cool down in Texas.

Word count: 3.5K

Warnings: swearing, drinking, a fight of you look hard enough. I believe that's it.

A03

I just want to put this out there this is a work of fiction. I in no way shape or form know how these players really act in really life. For those of you who may like Alex Kerfoot I am warning you for the sake of the series ONLY, I made Alex a jackass to fit the story line. I don't know how he really acts in person but I made him what I needed him to be for the story only. Please don't hate on me or the series if you don't agree with how he acts or talks within the series. Thank you

When you plan the perfect fairytale wedding, have the perfect ring, the perfect girl to walk down the aisle to you, you expect it to go perfectly smooth right? Well that's what Tyler Seguin thought the day he proposed to Tiffany. It had been the perfect beach proposal in Italy during the off season, they had been together for 2 years and she seemed to understand what it meant to be a hockey player's wife. Everything seemed like a fairytale… till last night when he found what he thought was the love of his life, fucking another man in their bed, in their house. Since then he had been hiding away in Jamie's basement, nursing a beer as he poured out his heart to his best friend over facetime.

"Ziggy, I know it hurts, and I'm truly sorry, but hiding in a basement till the season starts is not the answer." Arabella Kerfoot said with a dramatic sigh. Tyler took another sip of his beer and looked away from the camera. He knew she was right but his pride was too wounded to admit that.

"I don't know, Jamie's basement is pretty nice."

"It's May, Segs. Hockey starts in September. You gonna hide down there for over 4 months??" Ella gave him a hard look. Hanging his head the hockey forward sighed and shook his head. Running a hand through his black hair he looked back up and gave her the same look back.

"So what do you suggest, oh Great One?"

Bella laughed and flipped him off through the camera. "Wayne Gretzky is the Great One. But come spend the summer with me hiding away from the Media and just regroup. Take a breather." She said, taking a bite of her muffin as she leaned back into her chair. Tyler watched her closely, seeing if she was serious about it. He closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair again before looking back up at the camera. "Come on, even Jamie thinks it's a good idea."

"You talked to Benn about it?" .

Bella smiled at the camera and took another bite of her muffin. "What else was I supposed to do?" She asked. "Of course I talked to Jamie about it and he agreed with me. You need to leave his basement. Like yesterday and get your ass up here to my place. Take the summer to shut out the world and regroup with me." She sighed and sat her muffin down, running a hand through her hair before leaning closer to the camera. "Tyler, what happened is shitty. What she did to you was something horrible, but if you stay there, if you let this haunt you, it's going to ruin you. The media will eat you alive. Plus if you went home… dude I love your family, but let's be honest, they won't let you have any peace trying to make sure you're okay after something like this."

He knew she was right. He honestly did. They both had shitty reputations with the media. They messed up one time in their careers and all the sudden they were uncontrollable wild childs that needed to be torn down. Tyler has done so much since his move to Texas to rebrand himself, make a better name and leave all the Boston shit behind him. He finished his beer and looked off into the distance of the darkened room. Ella stayed silent as he thought, as his mind went through all his thoughts. He sighed and picked at the sandwich Jamie had made him hours ago, but left untouched. He knew Ella was waiting for him to answer, but his mind was tired and his heart was too broken to give her one. He heard his best friend sigh, knowing she was trying hard to give them the space he needed but a push at the same time. There was a 6 year age gap between the two Forwards, Tyler taking on the role of big brother to a young girl he met in 2017 who had just won the Stanley Cup in her rookie year with Pittsburgh, and made a mistake in front of the media, earning her a nasty reputation, similar to the one he had when he played for Boston. Fast forward 4 years later and the two were more like siblings then their own siblings. Tyler stood by Ella in so many fights with her brother Alex, who played for Toronto, when he would fight her on what a disappointment her reputation bright to the family name. Ella also stood beside Tyler during many family events where his family would hound him on not having settled down yet and setting his new found reputation into stone. Over the past 4 years the two of them formed a bond, one that to the outside world looked more than platonic, but they could never see each as anything more than best friends and siblings.

Knowing that Ella was in his corner and would understand if he needed a moment to breathe and ponder her request to spend the summer in Pittsburgh with her, he finally answered her question. "Let me have the night, to just…. Let my mind shut down and figure out how to go about this. I'll call you in the morning and let you know what I'm going to do. Okay Bell?"

"Okay Ziggy. If I don't hear from you by 10am I'm calling Benn and making him put you on a plane though. Love you Bubs."

"Love you Bubs." Tyler said back with their signature sign off before hanging up the phone. The room was darker than he remembered from before Ella had called, so flipping on a light he sat down on one of the sofas in Jamie's basement. His phone lit up with text messages from Tiffany, ones he swiped away so he didn't have to see them. With a sigh he flipped his phone over and ignored it as it continued to buzz. Getting up he walked slowly up the staircase to the first floor into the kitchen. Jamie was there cooking some food, listening to a game from the playoffs from the TV in the corner.

"About time you showed your face. Ella finally got you to leave my dungeon of despair?" Jamie asked as he stirred the stuff in the pot. Tyler raised an eyebrow upon hearing the weird name for the basement and Jamie saw the look of confusion. Nodding his head and waving a hand in the air he answered the silent question. "That's what she called it when she called me this morning. Don't ask, it's Ella, that's enough said."

Both men have a soft chuckle at that and Jamie went back to stirring his food. Tyler walked to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, chugging it down like his life depended on it. He hadn't drunk anything other than beer in the past 14 hours, and he didn't realize how thirsty he was till that moment. Throwing the empty water bottle in the small bin beside the sink, he leaned against the countertop and ran a hand through his thick hair.

"Ella wants me to come to Pittsburgh for the summer…. Instead of going home." He broke the silence after a bit of deep thinking. Jamie hummed in response, turning the stove off and removing his dish he had been stirring. Tyler watched him closely as he poured the stew into bowls. "You don't seem surprised." Jamie put the pot down and turned to face his best friend. He placed his arms over his chest and leaned against the table.

"Tyler, going home is only going to end in 1 of 2 ways. Your family going overboard on trying to keep you happy and giving you no time to grieve this, or being all up your ass about how shit went wrong and how this is going to look in you. They won't let you have any peace."

Tyler folded his arms and hung his head, giving a slight nod. "That's what Ella said too."

Jamie pushed off from the table and walked over to the forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ella is right. And she's right in the fact you should go spend the summer with her. Lord knows that girl can't go home to her family. Not fair you two spend your summer with people that don't understand you. She's your best friend, so go and recover from this."

Tyler nodded his head and looked down at his bare feet. He knew they were right, there was nothing holding him here for the next few months. So pulling out his phone he shot a text to his one friend, asking if they could fly them on their small private plane to Pittsburgh in the morning. Then he shot a text to Ella that he knew she was probably already expecting.

*Pick me up at the airport in the morning*

∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆

Stepping off the private plane around 8am in Pittsburgh instead of getting ready for a bachelor party that night wasn't how Tyler saw his weekend going. But here he was getting off his friend's plane at the airport to meet up with Ella. Flipping his sunglasses up onto his hair he looked around for the tall brunette he called his best friend. Looking off to his right he saw her walking his way. Ella was one for fashion. She knew what looked good on her tall, thin but muscular frame. Clad in a white deep V neck shirt that hugged her curves, a pair of dark blue skinny jeans with black ankle boots. Orange tinted Aviators kept her eyes from the morning sun, her hair fell to her shoulder blades thick and wavy down her back.

"You definitely know how to make an entrance Ell-Bell." Tyler said as he took the last few steps off the private plane. Ella's bright laugh filled the air around them as she stopped in front of her best friend.

"Please Ziggy, you dress to impress all the time, you lady killer." She said waving her hand at his current outfit. He had on a dark green shirt that was so tight it was a second skin. Every muscle on display. Tan pants clinged to his thighs, dark brown Hey Dudes on his feet. His hair was styled in the blown away look, curls perfectly messy. Dark sunglasses now perched on top of his head. His wide, full white smile lit up the runway, reaching out he pulled his best friend into a hug. For the first time since he found his now ex-fiance with another man, he really smiled. Pulling away from the hug, Tyler grabbed his bags he had dropped at his feet and followed Ella to her car. Tossing his bags Into the back seat of her Jeep, he climbed into the passenger seat and turned to look at his best friend.

"Thank you Ella…. For helping me during this. For being my best friend."

The brunette smiled back at him and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. "You are welcome Tyler. I know this is hard, and shitty. What she did was unforgettable. You are more of a brother than my own flesh and blood and I will always stand in your corner." She let go of his hand and started up her jeep, the warm spring air floating through the windows as she pulled out of the airport parking lot. "And you know that whenever you want to talk about it, or vent, or just sit in silence and drink a beer together, you just have to ask."

Tyler watched the scenery go by out his window. Pittsburgh was a beautiful town, the people here passionate about their sports teams with flags and banners blowing in the light breeze. What had once been a small coal town was now a booming city with people from all over flocking to its doors to watch hockey and football and baseball, for jobs and major opportunities that showed up each day.

The trees were just starting to green up, the grass turning a pretty shade of green, early spring flowers blooming in the yards of the homes they drove past. Tyler was lost in thought as he watched the town go by, the wind blowing through his curls as he leaned his head back against the headrest. The sound of a phone ringing broke him from his thoughts. Looking over at his friend, he watched as she looked down at her phone, a scowl across her face as she quickly hit decline to the call.

"Is everything okay Ella?" Concern in his voice. The forward sighed as she came to a stop at a red light. She looked over at Tyler through her sunglasses and he knew right away she wasn't happy.

"Alex keeps calling." She finally spoke as she turned back to look at the road.

"What does he want?"

"It's Alex. The only reason he ever calls his baby sister is because he wants to yell at me for being the family disappointment." The light turned green and Ella started moving the Jeep again, flipping her turn signal on and going right, towards her house. "Every year my family goes on a vacation together and last year I just…. Hide away and not gone. And I don't plan on going this year and I'm sure he is calling to bitch me out for it among other things….. shit."

Tyler looked from his friend to the front windshield as he felt the jeep come to a stop. He looked up the driveway to Ella's house on the outside of town and saw a car parked right by the front door. Looking back at his friend he gave her a pissed off look.

"What is he doing here?" Tyler hissed as he looked back at the Subaru in the driveway. Ella remained quiet as she pulled up her driveway to park beside the car that was waiting for them. The Jeep hadn't even been turned off yet when Tyler was out of its doors and marching towards the man waiting. After the past weekend, the drama and pain he went through, he was now ready for a fight.

"What the hell do you want Alex?" His voice boomed as Tyler stopped in front of the tall dark haired player from Toronto. He watched as Alex Kerfoot scowled upon hearing his voice and turned to face him.

"I should have known my baby sister would have gone running the minute she found out you were no longer engaged." Alex sneered as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Ella stopped next to Tyler and matched her brother's posture. "The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Alex laughed, shaking his head as if the answer was obvious. "With the reputation you both have among players it should be very clear what I'm saying. But I'll spell it out nevertheless." He pushed off his car and stopped inches from his sister. "You couldn't wait to have him back in your bed after you were the one that probably wrecked his engagement, Arabella. People like you two don't know how to be any different no matter how much your families try to put you on the right path."

Tyler grabbed Alex by the arm and yanked him away from Ella who had a look of horror across her face. Tyler pushed Alex up against his car and pinned him there with an arm across his chest.

"Watch your mouth Kerfoot. My engagement being called off has nothing to do with Ella. Your sister is my best friend and she offered me a place to stay while all that shit back in Texas gets worked out. Next time don't speak without the facts." He said through gritted teeth. Tyler stood a few inches taller than Alex, and he put his full height to his advantage. The two glared at each other for a moment before Ella spoke up.

"Why are you here Alex?"

Pushed against Tyler's arm, Alex broke free and fixed his jacket, giving the taller man one more glare before facing his sister. "You never come home anymore during the off season. Your place is at home, with family, keeping your rep clean during the summer instead of hiding out in Pittsburgh, giving the media more drama to feed off of. So I came to get you."

"Yeah that's not happening." Tyler chuckled sarcastically as he stepped closer to Ella for support. Alex cocked his head and waved a hand between the 3 of them to make a point. "And what place do you have here to speak Seguin?"

"Stop Alex!" Ella snapped as she pushed between the two men. She could see Tyler was holding back his anger, an anger he was famous for once having. And Alex knew how to push buttons, it's what gave him an edge on the ice. Tyler shook his head and took a step back, giving space between the three of them. He hated how Alex and her whole family treated her after one mistake. It was like watching his early years play out all over again.

"I am home Alex. Pittsburgh IS my home now. And I have house guests to care for. So I suggest you leave and let me go about my life here, with my friends and my team who are supporting me far more than my family has in the past few years." Tyler watched as Ella spoke, before she turned her back on her brother and walked back to her car to grab her purse from the back seat where she had left it. Digging out her house key she turned back to face Tyler and nodded her head towards the front door. Tyler nodded and turned back to face Alex, crossing his arms over his chest and tapped his chin up towards the Subaru behind him. He watched as Alex shook his head and grabbed the handle of the car door and yanked it open.

"I'll tell Mom that you already had plans for the summer. At least call her some though." Alex called out dryly before climbing into the car shutting the door behind him. Tyler glanced over at his friend and watched all kinds of emotions cross her face as her brother drove down her driveway and then down the road. Tyler watched her from the corner of his eye as the car disappeared down the road. He was fortunate enough to have a family that still supported him even after everything in Boston. Even after up until a year and half ago when he got serious with Tiffany he bounced around from girl to bar each weekend not caring if he got too drunk and ruin all he worked so hard to build. Even now, with everything that has happened in the past 48 hours with Tiffany, he knew his family understood to a point why he didn't come home. Why he wanted see space. Sure they would check in on him and maybe suggest coming to visit but they wouldn't show up at his door and chastise him for his choice.

"Don't bother even bringing your bags in." Ella's voice broke him from his thoughts. He turned to fully face her but Ella was already heading for her door.

"Excuse me? Care to explain??" He asked, not fully understanding that statement at all. He had a split second fear that maybe she was going to send him back to Texas after what just happened. But seeming to sense his underlying fear, she stopped at the door after she unlocked it and gave him one of her famous looks.

"We're not staying here." She said with a flip of her hair over her shoulder. "If we really want to disappear, then we are going to the cabin." Tyler had only seen her cabin once since she bought it. It was in a small fishing town at the top corner of Erie county and the lake. It sat by the water with only 2 other cabins in sight across the lake. It was remote and quiet. "The three of us need a break from the world. So to the cabin we go!" Ella singsonged as she marches through her front door, leaving Tyler to stand with a smirk on his face. He shook his head as he followed through the now open door. Only Sidney Crosby and himself knew she bought the cabin up north, as a way to really disappear when life got too much in the city.

"Wait." He stopped, replaying what she had said in his head. Three of them. Three people. So someone else was spending the summer with Ella? "Three people?" He called out but Ella had already disappeared upstairs to her room. "Ella, who else is spending the summer with us?!" He yelled up the steps as he raced up them two at a time. "I've had enough surprises in the past 48 hours to last a lifetime." He grumbled as he reached the top step. He found Ella packed 2 large suitcases of clothes, bathroom needs, shoes, and other random things. She smiled up at him and just gave him a wink. With a groan He knew he wasn't getting his answers till they reached that cabin on the lake.

Tag list @cellythefloshie @teokka @holidaywishes @wyattjohnston @raysofcrosby @starshine-hockey-girl @leafs-lover @gothicgirl100 @hockeyisruiningmylife @hockeylvr59 @laurenairay

[writingonleaves]

like you were my closest friend - tyler seguin

pairing: tyler seguin x original female character

warnings: swearing, some angst, mostly fluff

word count: 4.1k

based on: "maroon" by taylor swift, title from that song as well

author's note: okay this isn't my favorite one because i think it's a bit rushed, but i thought i'd put it out anyways. would very much like to emphasize that this is fictional and i'm rooting for segs and his hot wife!! im a sucker for right person wrong time vibes and shit happening at weddings so here's a combo of that! also maroon is so seggy coded and you can't tell me otherwise

*****

Carmen Valez was 19 and stupid when she first met Tyler Seguin.

Working at a tattoo shop to make extra money while trying to put herself through college, she was cleaning up from her boss’s last scheduled appointment of the night when in came a group of rowdy guys. It wasn’t the first time a group of drunk guys came in looking for a tattoo. She had listened as her boss Ken came out and did his spiel and she heard laughter and some agreements so they couldn’t have been that drunk because her boss would’ve put up more of a fight.

When she first saw Tyler, she recognized him immediately. Growing up in Boston in a family of hockey lovers, how could she not recognize the rookie who had just won the Stanley Cup? As she turned the corner even more, she saw Brad Marchand and all she could think about was that she couldn't wait to tell her brothers and dad about this. 

Ken introduced her to the guys and asked her if she could set up some things. She waved in greeting and nodded, going in the back to gather the supplies needed. She tried to stifle a yawn as she re-sterilized the needles, but it didn’t work.

“Long night?”

She whipped around to see Tyler peeking in behind a curtain. “Are you looking for something?”

“The bathroom. But I think I found something much better.”

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes, “Go to the end of the hall and it’s on your right.”

“Thanks,” he tilted his head to the side. “Are you the one who drew those flower designs that are hanging up in the hall?”

“I am. Ken asked me to draw some things so the shop wasn’t only filled with his designs.”

“You tattoo as well?”

“Oh, no way. That’s all Ken.” She shrugged. “I’ve designed some, but never physically tattooed them on someone. My hands are too shaky.”

“They’re beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

He hummed and then went on his way to the bathroom as she finished gathering the supplies and went outside with them. 

Ken became the guy Tyler kept coming back to for his tattoos so she got to know him and despite his reputation as a partier and womanizer, she found him endearing, often making conversation with him during his longer sessions while Ken was working on him on the table and she was doing schoolwork or doodling in the front. 

It was a weird friendship because Tyler was rarely stationary in Boston and Carmen was attending Northeastern University and they really didn’t mix in any of the same circles but they kept coming back to each other. Their friendship developed to the point where he would come by on his nights off to her off-campus apartment with takeout and they would flick on a movie. He told her about his insecurities of having such a fantastic rookie year and then never amounting to anything else and she told him about her confusions of what she actually wanted to do with her communications degree. He talked about how hooking up with girls was easier than seeing if someone was only using him for his image and she talked about her view on relationships and how long distance never works. 

He would invite her to games and she’d come along sometimes, dragging her best friend along with her to TD Garden. She knew all about his lifestyle and how he’d hook up with girls left and right but when she was with him, she always only saw a 20 something year old boy who was thrust into stardom really quickly and who was fucking up like anybody else his age but being overly criticized for it because of his job. She didn’t really see him as anything more than a friend, truly. She could admit easily that he was objectively attractive and probably too charming for his own good, but she saw him as one of her dearest friends more than anything. 

(Even if she had the slightest feeling that she wanted to be more during those years, heart fluttering when he texted her to make sure she got home safe after late nights or winking at her and throwing her a puck at one of his games, causing her to grin like a middle school girl with a crush, she always pushed it away)

So when she was in the Cape celebrating the Fourth and news broke out that the Bruins had traded him to Dallas, she felt her heart drop. She ventured to a quieter area away from the celebrations and dialed his number. She wasn’t sure if he’d want to talk, but she couldn’t not call him to see if he was okay. 

From the sniffling on his end, despite what he said, she knew he wasn’t okay, and told him that when she was back in the city, she’d come around to his place with food, wine and hugs. 

The next week, when he opened the door, she dropped everything and just embraced him, holding him for several minutes as she tried to keep her tears in. She pulled away and just apologized for bringing some cheap rose that her roommate left at her apartment a couple of months ago instead of an actual nice bottle and he just laughed. She set up food from their favorite takeout place and they automatically went through all of these motions but with a sad feeling in the air. This night was going to be the last one of these, before he went back home the following weekend to Canada to spend the rest of his off season there and then head to Dallas. His apartment was already bare, having gotten started on moving out as soon as he had gotten the call.

She tried so, so hard not to cry as they put on Great British Bake Off and talked and somehow they started reflecting on numerous random moments and memories they had shared the last three years and they were both laughing as he complained about her almost spilling her wine like usual and she just threw her napkin at him. For the first time, he’s the one who splashed his wine on her t-shirt and he hiccuped and apologized and offered a shirt for her to change into and she waved him off, a blush on her cheeks either from the alcohol or from his proximity or both.

At one point, they ended up on the floor cuddling with his dogs and he asked how they even ended up there and she snorted, referencing the two bottles of rose they had downed and he had snorted and flashed her a stunning smile and her heart cracked a bit more. 

They were both dozing off on the couch — his arm thrown over her as she cuddled into his chest because they both had always been touchy when they were drunk — when he said something that would forever plague her memory. 

“I should’ve asked you to be mine.”

She blinked and shot up, looking down at him. “What?”

“I-I should’ve just asked you on a date. You could’ve been mine this whole time.”

“Tyler. You can’t say shit like that if you don’t mean it.”

“What makes you think I don’t mean it, Car?” He shot back, sitting up. “I know I’m drunk and I know I’m about to leave this city and maybe never see you again but of course I mean it.”

She squeezed her eyes shut as the tears fell. “Tyler.”

“I don’t regret a single moment of our friendship. I just regret that I never told you how I felt until it was too late.”

“You’re drunk. You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Stop trying to discount my words because I’m drunk,” he said sternly. “I love you as a friend, of course, but I-I love you as more too. For awhile now, I think. And it’s okay if you don’t feel the same and again, I’m the dumbest guy alive for bringing this up tonight of all nights but I just…I had to tell you before I left.”

She put her head in her heads and started crying softly. “I love you too,” she admitted through her tears. “I-I just never said anything because I didn’t think you were looking for more. Jesus, I literally know two of the girls you’ve hooked up with the past year. Do you know how annoying and gross it is to hear about your performance in bed while I’m trying to cram last minute for an exam?”

He chuckled and she looked at him again and saw that there were tears running down his cheeks as well. “We’re both stupid, aren’t we?”

“We are.”

He looked up at the ceiling with quivering lips. “I’m not going to ask you for more, no matter how much I want to.”

She nodded vehemently and cupped his face with both her hands, wanting so bad to kiss his lips and using every part of her strength not to. “You’re going to be amazing in Dallas.” She brushed a falling tear and tried to give him a reassuring smile as his top lip quivered. “You’re going to become a lover of the heat and look amazing in green and start liking country music and I’m going to make fun of you for all of it.”

“But you’re not gonna be there.”

She swallowed with a small shrug. “Who knows? Maybe a job in Dallas will open up after I graduate.”

“You wouldn’t take it. I wouldn’t let you. Your heart belongs to the Northeast.”

“You’re not the boss of me,” she weakly protested, slapping his arm and making him chuckle.

But he was right. And she hated that he was right.

She watched his eyes flit to her lips and she hoped that he was also fighting the urge as he placed a kiss on her forehead, which somehow was probably worse than if he had just kissed her. 

“I’m going to miss you so much.” He said, voice cracking at the edges. 

She squeezed her eyes shut, not being able to say it back because she didn’t want to completely break down. “Let’s get some sleep.”

That last night, they fell asleep on the couch like they had done numerous times before and he sent her off in the morning like he had done numerous times before, except this time she held onto him as tight as she could. Maybe if she kept hugging him, he wouldn’t have to go. 

But he had to. And he did. 

Carmen Valez was 22 when she saw Tyler Seguin again. 

After graduation, she had gotten a job in New York, and he was in town playing the Rangers. They had gone out to dinner and then to a bar for drinks and things fell back into place as they leaned in close to each other the whole night and she kissed him, bringing him back to her apartment. She woke up with marks on her collarbone and memories of his lips all over her body and cursed herself as she watched him peacefully sleep next to her because she was still in love with him. 

He had woken up with a soft but sad smile. “Has your view on long distance relationships changed?”

She bit her lip, shaking her head. “I’m sorry.”

He swallowed. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault you’re the easiest person to fall in love with. Can I ask one thing though?”

“Of course.”

“If your view does change, give me a call?”

“Tyler-”

“I’m serious. Whether it’s 10 days or 10 years from now, call me.”

A tear had slipped out from her eyes when he pulled her into his chest, placing a kiss on her forehead. 

Carmen Valez was 27 when she realized her view on long distance changed. And the first person she thought of was Tyler Seguin. 

They had kept in touch very sporadically throughout the years over text and had tried to meet up everytime he came to New York to play, but the contact became less and less as the years went on. She tried to pretend it didn’t hurt. She had no right to be hurt. He could live his life however he wanted.

She was going down to Dallas for one of her coworker’s weddings and was tempted to call Tyler to see if he was around — for the first time, she’d be where he was instead of the other way around — but she didn’t bother because it was the off season and she figured he was home in Canada. 

As she walked into the venue, she was shocked to see Tyler speaking to the bride’s grandma. She couldn’t help but smile at how gentle he was, soft smile on his face as he tucked the grandma’s hand into the crook of his elbow while leading her to her seat. He looked so handsome in his gray suit.

Gosh, he’s changed since they met in that tattoo parlor in Boston. They both have. But something about his smile makes her realize that almost nothing has changed at all.

When he sees her, she swears he lights up and her stomach flutters. She notices quickly that he’s a groomsman, if his matching suit with a couple of the other ushers indicates anything. He strolls up to her with his signature charming smile and she can’t help but roll her eyes. 

“Funny seeing you here.”

She scoffs, before stepping forward and hugging him tightly. “Hey Ty.”

“Hi Car.” He turns to her coworker with a stunning smile. “And hello Car’s friend. I’m Tyler. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too. I’m Samantha. How do you two know each other?”

She exchanges a look with him, because it’s a long story. But she settles with, “Ran into him when he played in Boston and I went to college there, and he didn’t leave me alone.” The three of them laugh. 

“I’m assuming you both are here for the bride?”

“We are.”

He offers an arm to the both of them. “Follow me, ladies.” Carmen can tell Samantha is charmed as she rolls her eyes but grabs the crook of his elbow anyways.

After he escorts them to their seats, he has to bolt and just bids them farewell with a kiss on Carmen’s cheek and a promise to save her a dance later before ducking out of the church, presumably to help out with some behind the scenes stuff. 

As soon as he’s out of earshot, Samantha gives her a skeptical look. “We’ve been working together for two years and you failed to tell me that you know Tyler Seguin? You know I grew up a Stars fan.”

“It’s never come up.”

“Fair.” She blinks, looking for something in her coworker’s face. “You love him, don’t you?”

“What? No, of course-”

“Nice try. If your heart eyes hadn’t given you away, it was your response just now. You’ve always been a bad liar. What’s the story between you two?”

She sighs, staring at the front of the church at nothing in particular. “We met when I worked at a tattoo parlor in college and he came in and we became really good friends. He got traded to Dallas and then told me loved me on his last night in the city. Knew I didn’t believe in long distance at the time so didn’t ask for more. We slept together around a year later. My stance on long distance hadn’t changed. We’ve seen each other sporadically when I’m free and he’s in New York for a game, but not much recently.”

Samantha whistles. “Sounds like a lot.”

Carmen just snorts. She has no idea. 

“So you still love him.” 

Carmen just sighs. 

“I think he still might love you too.”

Carmen snorts, smoothing down her dress. “How could you possibly know that? You met him for maybe two minutes.”

“Maybe it’s the fact that we’re at a wedding and this could be a scene from a Hallmark movie, but I’m also pretty sure he also had heart eyes when he saw you.”

Carmen just hums, and Samantha drops it, as they shift to other safer topics. 

The ceremony is stunning and the bride is gorgeous and the groom is beaming, yet besides when the bride walked down the aisle, she can’t tear her eyes away from Tyler, standing at the front with a constant happy look on his face. As he walked down with an accompanying bridesmaid on his arm, he caught her eye and shot her a sly wink and she knows she blushed and she didn’t even try to hide it. 

The next time she caught him was well into the reception, after dinner had been eaten and the dance floor was starting to open up. She had just finished her drink before she felt a tap on her shoulder, looking up to see Tyler with an outstretched hand. 

“Dance with me?”

Without giving a verbal answer, she takes his hand and lets him lead her to the dance floor. She wraps her arms around his neck as his hands settle on her waist.

“You didn’t reach out to tell me you were gonna be in town.”

“I figured you’d be in Canada for the off-season.”

He hums, but he doesn’t buy the excuse. To be fair, she doesn’t either. “It’s really good to see you, Car.” He says, and she might be imagining him pulling her closer. “You look beautiful.”

“So do you.” 

He smirks and she feels like she’s 19 again. “I look beautiful?”

She rolls her eyes. “You do.” She says softly. “How have you been?”

And then they start catching up, and it’s so damn easy, as the conversation flows from hockey to her advertising job to their memories in Boston to their mutual friends who just got married to their families and it feels like he’s still on the Bruins and she’s still at Northeastern. At some point, they migrate from the dance floor to the empty-ish open bar and they’re still talking and she realizes how much she’s missed having him in his life. 

When she voices that out loud, his beaming smile dims the slightest. “God, I’ve missed you so much. Is this what I’ve been missing out on?”

“Don’t even start, Seguin.”

“What?”

“Blaming yourself or whatever you’re about to do. If we’re gonna blame someone, it’s all on me.”

Their first seconds of silence fall between them. “How has that been, by the way? You got a lucky guy back in New York waiting for you?”

She snorts. “Absolutely not. You? I hope I didn’t steal you away from a date or something.”

“Nah. No one for me.”

“Not at all?”

“None who have meant as much to me as you.”

She feels like her heart’s been sucker punched. Typical Tyler Seguin. Always going in for the kill. 

She switches topics. “I-I watched your Stanley Cup playoff run. You played really well. I’m sorry it wasn’t the result you guys wanted.”

“You watch my games?”

She swallows. Busted. “I try to whenever I can, even though I still feel like I’m betraying my Bruins when I do.”

He laughs, still a bit shocked. “I’m sure they’d forgive you. I was a Bruin, after all.”

She downs her drink and asks the bartender for a water. “I missed you,” she says quietly once the bartender is out of earshot. “And I always loved watching you play. Figured it was the next best thing.”

“You could’ve called. Or texted. I would’ve answered.”

She shakes her head. “That would’ve been unfair to you, especially with how I left things off.”

He chuckles, albeit sadly. “Carmen. I’m kinda weak when it comes to you. Always have been.”

She squeezes her eyes shut, a tear falling as she feels Tyler place a warm hand on her thigh over her maroon dress. “You give me way too much power.”

“I don’t think I could ever give you what you deserve, no matter how hard I try.”

Carmen wipes the tear away with a small smile. She pokes his chest. “How do you come up with this shit?”

He laughs, taking a sip of his beer, before his face settles into a more serious expression. “Can I ask you two questions, though? No bullshit. Just the truth.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Do you still love me?”

She nods at an embarrassingly fast pace.

He swallows. “Oh.”

She picks at her nails, suddenly unsure. “D-Do you still love me? It’s-it’s totally okay if you don’t. I mean, I wouldn’t expect you to. It’s been years and we don’t really see each other much anymore and-”

“Of course I still love you.” She whips her head up to stare at him in shock. He runs a hand through his hair with a huff. 

She puts her hand over his that’s still resting on his thigh and interlaces their fingers together. “What’s your second question?”

“Do you still not believe in long distance?”

“I’ve been thinking…I think I’m open to trying it.”

His eyes flash in surprise as his lips turn up into a hopeful smile. “Really? You’re not fucking with me?”

“Since when have I ever lied to you, Ty?”

“Can I have a third question? And maybe a fourth?”

She rolls her eyes fondly, squealing a bit as he brings her stool even closer to him. “Was that it?”

“Smartass.” She nods at him to ask. “Would you want to try? With me?”

She swallows. “Yes.” She thinks he physically lights up, like a lightbulb with a new battery, but she holds a hand up. “But Tyler, things have changed. We’ve changed. Is this…is this really what you want? Am I really who you want?”

“I left Boston eight years ago in love with you. Here I am, eight years later in Dallas, still in love with you. Probably more in love with you, actually, which I didn’t think was possible.” He grabs her hands and lifts them to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “When do you head back to New York?”

She blinks at the abrupt change of subject. “Um, I’m actually in Dallas for another week for a work conference. So not until next Sunday.”

He grins. “Stay at mine then. Please.”

“Tyler-”

“I’ll have to head back to Canada for a couple weeks for things I can’t reschedule, but then, if you let me, I’d love to come to New York and spend some time with you until I have to come back to Dallas for pre-season.”

“Tyler, that’s…how are you so confident and sure about all of this?”

“Because it’s you,” he says. “And I love you. I’m not wasting this chance that you’ve given me.”

She bites her lip, trying to take it all in. “I’m going to need to grab my stuff from the hotel tonight.”

“Deal. I’ve only had like, two beers in the last three hours anyways. I can drive you.”

“You know that I’m not just going to…drop everything to come to Dallas, right? My job and my life is all in New York.”

“I’d be a dumbass to expect that. Your heart belongs to the Northeast.”

She smiles, momentarily flashing back to the last time he said those exact same words and how similar and different they are now. She leans forward and kisses him sweetly, like he’s coming home from a game, like she’s in the middle of cooking dinner, like they’ve been doing this all their lives. She then pulls him up and drags him back to the dance floor. 

“Would you have called me?”

“I don’t know,” she whispers into his chest, immediately knowing what he’s referencing. Eight years later and she still remembers that night like it was yesterday. “What if you were in a relationship or something? That would’ve been unfair to everyone.”

“I wouldn’t have been.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do. Because I’ve always loved you. At this point, I’m pretty sure that I always will.”

“Thank you,” she whispers. And as he presses a loving kiss on her forehead, she hopes he understands what she’s trying to thank him for — for coming into that tattoo shop all those years ago, for all the nights and memories in Boston that involved takeout and Netflix and endless fits of laughter, for always believing in her, for waiting for her and being understanding even when she broke his heart. 

For loving her.

“By the way,” Tyler says as he twirls her around, hands immediately attaching to her waist once she’s facing him again. “I always loved you in maroon.”

[anakinniesluv]

The Seven Husbands of E

*.- Current Boy of the Month; Anakin Skywalker -.*

⁂

*.- The outsiders -.*

Johnny Cade

Dallas Winston

Ponyboy Curtis

Sodapop Curtis

Darry Curtis

Steve Randle

Two-Bit Mathews

*.- Harry Potter/Marauders -.*

Literally everyone except for Lucius, Any of the oldies, and Snivellus.

*.- The Hunger Games -.*

Coriolanus Snow (if you can’t tell I like morally grey blondes)

Peeta Mellark

Finnick Odair

Others but only if requested

*.- Avatar -.*

Jake Sully

Neteyam Sully

Lo’ak Sully

Any others but likely not unless requested (if anyone requests Lyle I will commit (jk I promise))

*.- Miscellaneous -.*

Anakin Skywalker (he’s laying in bed with me whilst I type this)

Leon Kennedy

Hobie Brown

Miles Morales

I’ll do some others if requested, don’t be shy to ask if I’ll do them!!

⁂

[izzylovesyou2022]

Comment, Reblog this, or Message me with your thoughts on me writing a NHL fanfic based around "first girl in the NHL"

[drabblemesilly]

Jason Robertson #1

Requested by Anon: can you please write one about jason robertson seeing his ex and maybe inviting her to a game? something like that? thank you!!!! i am glad you are back!

*Hiiii!! Something quick and all smiles. Hope you enjoy and thank you for welcoming me back! :) For some reason, I think I saw somewhere that he doesn't drink coffee so if he really doesn't, I took some liberties here. Hooray for my favorite half Filo baby.*

Word count: 942

The coffee’s getting cold. Okay fine, it doesn’t really matter because coffee is coffee but you’ve been staring at it for almost ten minutes now. Not that you’re counting or whatever. Because you’re not. Really, you’re not.

And you ordering your ex’s favorite coffee the moment you stepped inside his favorite mom and pop shop was just muscle memory. You don’t miss him. Sometimes yes, you fantasize about him but that’s just because he has a nice butt. And abs, oh the abs, and okay maybe he also has a pretty face. But there’s a reason Jason Robertson is lodged well into the past.

Chapter closed.

Right.

You don’t miss him. He’s just in your mind a lot lately. The season has started back up and he’s on the news, is all. You hate the Dallas Stars. Forget that you’ve been a fan since Jason Spezza got traded to the team, you hate the Stars. Maybe if you repeat it a million times, you’ll finally believe it.

Distantly, you hear the bell above the door ring, signaling the entrance of another person. Another person who would need a table. A table you’re occupying while you’re staring at the coffee you neither like nor hate but already spent almost four dollars for.

Maybe if you paid less attention to the coffee and more to your surroundings, you’d notice the silence that fell over the shop when the person entered. Or how the kid to your left almost leaped from his chair to loudly whisper to his mom. But you were still busy staring at the coffee.

Not until an identical mug was put on your table.

“Oh,” you started, “I’m still occupying this –” you looked up and almost keeled over.

Ladies and gentlemen, SoCal baby and American superstar, Jason Roberston.

“How do you look like a fifteen year old playing dress up?” you groaned, gesturing to his suit-clad body as he sat across from you.

A corner of his lip lifted, “I miss you too.”

“I don’t,” you lied. Or not lie. You don’t miss him, whatever, “you know what?” you pushed your coffee towards him, “I’m actually glad you’re here, I ordered your coffee mistakenly.”

“Milk with a dash of coffee,” he corrected, tapping a finger on the mug, “that’s what you always said. Basically a hot milkshake.”

You scoffed, “don’t you have a game to get to?” you eyed his tie, a navy one with rainbow-colored ducks. Jesus F. this guy will be the death of you. 

“I have time,” he shrugged, “I also have one extra pass if you want to go?” He looked hopeful.

If you faked annoyance enough, maybe he’ll leave. If you’re being honest, you and Jason ended in good terms. Heck, you’d even go as far as call yourselves friends. It’s been four months since you broke up and you haven’t seen him since. People speculated, he’s famous enough now that puck bunnies talk about him, but it really just came down to your busy schedules. It didn’t mean you loved him any less.

“I’m good,” you finally gave him a small smile, the familiarity of game day last minute coffees making you a little uncomfortable, “haven’t seen you in months.”

He nodded, “yeah, what with summer camp and all.”

“Hmm,” you nodded, eyeing his too-long hair, “your stats are looking good.”

He leaned back on his chair, a stupid grin plastered on his face, “thank you very much, stalker.”

You scoffed, “you’re all over hockey news,” you said semi-defensively. Maybe you’ve been stalking him but you’re not gonna tell him that, “get over yourself.”

Hands crossed now and with a playful glint in his eye, he added, “hey, I’m not the one ordering my ex’s coffee,” his eyebrows raised, “but seriously, it’s early in the season so who’s to say.”

“I heard you’re breaking team records left and right.”

“Records schmecords,” he laughed, taking a sip from his mug before setting it back down, “you look good.”

That’s surprising. Judging that you had sweats and, to be frank, old underwear and an unwashed bra underneath the ratty shirt, you’d say you didn’t look anywhere near good.

“Lies,” you laughed, you pointed at his tie, “at least one of us looks like they showered today.”

An eyebrow raised, “can I tell you a secret?”

“What?”

“I didn’t,” Jason whispered, leaning over the table.

“Didn’t?”

“Didn’t shower,” he chuckled, “even after morning skate.”

“Gross,” you laughed, flicking a balled up napkin his way, “you’re gross.”

He laughed at that, settling back on his chair, looking at you. You probably looked like a pair of teenagers on their first date, smiling at each other, and looking like fools: just staring and smiling. It depends on the day, you know. Sometimes you wake up and all is well in the world – clothes are dry, the weather’s warm, everything perfect and then there are some days, days like today, where you just want to order his coffee and remind yourself that he’s real. That he happened to you.

Of all the women in the world, and there definitely are better women out there, once upon a time, Jason Roberston chose you. That’s nice.

He still had the ghost of a smile on his face when he asked again, “game?”

Breaking your thoughts, you can only answer him with a dumb, “huh?”

He repeated, “come watch the game?”

“Looking like this?” 

“You have time,” he smirked, “so what do you say?” he gave your mug another tap, “for old times’ sake?”

How could you say no to that?”

“Okay,” you nodded, feeling another smile coming through, “for old times’ sake.”

[one-night-story]

and it’s coming through like static on the phone (Jake Oettinger)

a/n: oh hi, i am not becoming a permanent hockey fic blog, it’s just a coincidence. This is for @jxmieoleksiaks by way of @antoineroussel ‘s summer fic exchange! I’m so sorry this took so fucking long and also not what i originally implied. But this came to me and i couldn’t put it away. I hope you enjoy!!

I didn’t like bars at the best of times.

Even on their quiet days, their tables were pushed too close together making it hard to move around if you weren’t a beanpole and while they made for great places to people watch, the feeling of the reverse was happening was something I couldn’t always shake, especially when I was sitting at the bar proper and my back was to the door.

But when my friend Ashley insisted I had to come out tonight to help her get over her most recent breakup, I was all but contractually obligated to go out. That best friend code can really be a bitch sometimes.

The three of us: Ashley, Katie, and I had been through so much even in the eighteen months we’d known each other. Well, at least for Ashley and I. Katie and I had known each other since college, moving to Dallas together when she got a lucrative job in public relations, she met Ashley on the job and since then they’d been my closest friends as I kept working at edits on my manuscript that had quickly devoured my life. Mostly because one of them was responsible for making sure I ate at regular hours and the other was in charge of making sure I left the house once and a while to get some sunlight and “didn’t become a moss that was previously unknown to science growing at my desk” on weekends. I was thankful for Katie for not minding the fact that I was working minimum wage jobs while I tried to get this into a state to start shopping around to agents.

Which meant I was nine times out of ten the Designated Driver due to a lack of disposable income for bar hopping nights. Which unfortunately included tonight, when all I wanted to do was do another pass on the romantic subplot I was trying and mildly failing to integrate. Not that I didn’t know how, it was just… not starting any way that made sense to my characters. Not unusual in my process, but it meant sitting on it for a bit.

Being the DD meant staying sober and that meant listening to Ashley’s drunken rambling about the latest fling that she was hoping would turn into something real, even though the one time she’d introduced her to the group, he was kinda… mediocre to put it politely.

“And I don’t know… I just thought he’d at least be a little different, right?” She said.

“Ash, c’mon, he’s a guy,” Katie said through a slight slur. Katie was… a bit of a lightweight, and I was just thankful they didn’t have work in the morning so I didn’t have to deal with the complaints about a hangover. “They’re never different,”

“Except when they are!!” Ashley exclaimed, pouting in the process. I took a sip of my drink as I watched them launch into another debate, which could take a while, scanning the bar in the process. In the far corner was a bundle of guys having about as lively a conversation about something just as dramatic if the limb flailing was any sign. Though, sitting on the edge was a guy who seemed to be having the same problem I was, zoning out and scanning the bar.

He was cute, in that sort of way you might call a puppy cute? Scruffy hair, at least a couple inches taller than at least a handful of his friends, but seemingly sweet. He caught my eye and raised his beer to me, which got a wave from me.

“Wait, who are you waving at?” Ashley cut into my brain space, dragging me away from looking at the guy across the bar.

“Shit is she? Lemme see,” Katie said, practically trying to crawl over me.

“Would you calm down, it’s nothing,” I said, struggling to push her back into her seat.

“You were waving at someone! Who is it? Are they cute? Do they have friends?” Ashley said as she did a more aggressive scan of the bar.

“Do you really need a rebound that soon?” I asked.

“No… but anyone catching your eye is bound to have cute friends.”

“I think I’m gonna take that as a compliment,”

“There, there!” Katie said, pointing to the gaggle of boys on the far side. In spite of all the noise my table was making, the boys seemed to be making more and by a miracle, hadn’t noticed my friends’ open gawking. Ashley whipped her head from interrogating me to seeing where Katie was pointing.

“Oh they are cute,” Ashley said.

“Would you two shut up?” I hissed trying to distract them. “You’re making us look desperate. For all we know they’re younger than us and we’re cradle robbing.”

“No way, all of them have a beer in front of them,” Ashley said.

“Okay, but you’re still making us look desperate,”

“Oh so men can openly stare at us like it’s nothing, but when we do it it’s desperate.” Katie argued, seeming to sober up in case we had to make an impression.

“She’s got a point,” Ashley said as she turned back to me, “C’mon, when’s the last time you went on a date.”

“Um…” Embarrassing questions lead to embarrassing answers. That answer being never. Not that I haven’t tried? Okay no, college was a nightmare of just trying to remember how to make friends, jeopardizing any of those relationships with actual, proper dating was the reason I only speak to two of the friends I met in my first year. Not to mention I was stuck in a high school where everyone had known each other for years so by senior year we had violent grudges against half of our class. So yeah, maybe I’m lacking a little in the romance department.

“Shit,” Fuck I hadn’t said anything fast enough and now Ashley was getting close. “You’ve never been on a date?”

“I thought you were dating that theatre major, the blonde one.” Katie cut in.

“We were in a Dungeons and Dragons party together, he didn’t like me walking across campus at night alone.” I said throwing my hands up in defense.

“And you’re sure that wasn’t just a ploy?” Ashley asked.

“What part of “We were playing Dungeons and Dragons” together did you not catch?” I asked with a deadpan expression.

“Well now you have to go over,” Ashley said.

“What, no I don’t, that’s—“

“Nope, you gotta, it’s required,” Katie cut in, pushing me out of my seat.

“What the fuck—“

“Just be yourself!” Ashley said.

“Be myself? I’m garbage!”

“HEY! Nobody talks about my best friend that way!” Katie cut in, giving me one final shove out of my chair forcing me to stand. “Go get ‘em tiger,” she added with a wink. I rolled my eyes and stood up a little bit so it looked like I had actually intended to get up. I shot a glare at the table before sighing and settling on going towards the bar like that was my ultimate goal. Maybe I’d get lucky and gain some nerve between the table and there, maybe my friends would realize they were fucking stupid and would come over and apologize for getting me into this mess, or maybe just maybe a portal into another dimension would open up and swallow me whole and take me to a dimension where I’m in the middle of a romance harem arc already.

… Actually that wasn’t half bad, I might need to write that one.

I made it to the bar with only a mild struggle of trying to not knock into people. I quietly waited for one of the bartenders to come over and pretend to acknowledge my presence when I decided to scan the bar again. The bundle of guys was still there, though it was missing the one I saw earlier, and I tried to not let some amount of disappointment crawl into my bones.

Despite of my lack of experience, or maybe because of it, I was still trying to hold out a little hope that some rom com worthy moment would happen and I would get swept up off my feet, in spite of the fact that I A) know that the real world doesn’t work like that and more importantly B) Romcoms don’t happen for people like me. It just means that suffering in crowded bars being a DD was just a way to people watch and maybe figure out how to get better at writing bars.

“So, are your friends always that rowdy?” Someone asked next to me and I turned around. There was the guy from before with a sheepish smile and radiating the sort of nervousness that I felt at the best of times, and I was right about him being taller, even sitting on a bar stool, he towered over me in a way that I surprisingly didn’t find intimidating. I laughed a little at his comment before shrugging.

“If I said no that would technically be lying,” I said. He laughed a little at that, which I counted as a definite win. “Cut them some slack, we’re performing post breakup therapy,” I added, as if I had to defend myself.

“I don’t know whether or not to be hopeful if it was yours.” He said.

“It wasn’t but I was already single.” And there I go saying something stupid. He smiled a little wider at that.

“Then I’m sorry for your friend, but I’m glad to hear it wasn’t for you, and that you're single.” He said. “I’m Jake, and my rowdy friends would not shut up until I came over and told you that I think you’re really pretty.” He said, offering his hand. I smiled and let a small chuckle escape me.

I offered up my name and shook his hand. “And my rowdy friends literally pushed me out of my chair in the hopes that I would talk to you. Gotta say, I’m really happy you approached me first, I so did not want to face down your table.” Least of which was because of the flashbacks to high school that I never wanted to live through ever again so long as I was above ground.

“Ah, they’re not so bad, just… loud.” Jake said and I briefly peaked over his shoulder where some of them pretended to not be looking at me while the others chatted amongst themselves.

“Right, and my friends are only sort of spying on this whole conversation.” I said, knowing full well that Katie and Ashley were staring daggers into my back. Jake risked peeking over my shoulder and chuckled when he looked back at me.

“Okay, fair enough,” he said. I went silent for a second as I struggled to figure out what to ask or say, we’d gotten this far and honestly, that was impressive for me at the very least. Do I ask for his number? Ask him for a drink? Coffee? Marriage? Okay, even I know that last one was pushing it but still! I sighed slightly and figured I’d go for… vague honesty? Vague honesty worked.

“Okay, I honestly have… a subpar education in the “chatting to cute strangers at bars” thing that most people seemed to have sort of learned by this point, so…”

“Oh thank god it’s not just me,” he said and I laughed as we both seemingly exhaled from that. “Honestly that was 70% of the reason I was nervous to come talk to you, that and your one friend looks like she could tear my head off.”

“Yeah, Ashley is really dedicated to arm day,” I joked knowing that both of my friends were ferocious the same way that a chihuahua was ferocious.

“I can tell,” he said but he quickly shook his head, “but I uh… I was wondering if I could get your number and we could do… coffee? That’s what people usually do right?”

“Yeah Jake, that’s usually what people do,” I said still grinning ear to ear, “pass me your phone,” he did and I quickly added my number to his contacts. “And I’d love to do coffee.”

“Awesome,” he said, smiling so wide I’m pretty positive my face hurt just looking at it. “That went way better than I expected.”

“Oh same, honestly,” I said.

“So… I’ll text ya?”

“Yeah, nice meeting you Jake,”

“You too,” he said and I watched as he went back to his table and was greeted with absolutely delighted cheers. I couldn’t help but giggle a little at the exchange as I went back to my own table.

“Did you get anything?” Ashley asked.

“I gave him my number,” I said.

“HELL YEAH!!!” Katie yelled, throwing her hands in the air. I felt my phone vibrate.

I guess that it went over well

Oh shit, it’s jake

I laughed a little.

Yeah i know.

So… coffee?

[starshine-hockey-girl]

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly- Magical Mystery Ride chapter twenty five

Previous Chapter- Chapter Twenty Four- Aftershocks- https://starshine-hockey-girl.tumblr.com/post/680844369144741888/aftershocks-magical-mystery-ride-chapter-twenty

Wednesday- December 19th- Tyler’s house

Teddy stood in Tyler’s kitchen and added flour into the wet ingredients into a large bowl. She used a wooden spoon to stir the ingredients together. "Pretty One?" he called as he walked into the house, "I have food." Tyler walked into the kitchen with a pizza in one hand and a bouquet of roses in the other. 

She looked up at him and smiled. "Sweet One, are those for me?" she asked as he set the items down. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned back into him. "What is the occasion?" she asked as she tilted her head as his mouth found the nape of her neck.

"I have the best girlfriend ever," he chuckled. He examined the island. “What are you doing, Pretty One?” he asked. 

“Awww, Sweet One- I am not sure that’s true, but I appreciate the flowers. Love you to the moon and back” she replied, “To answer the question, I am making snickerdoodles to take to Lex tomorrow.” She turned her head to kiss his bearded cheek. “Mmmm, I will have to reward you properly later. Can you put them in the vase for me? I want to get the cookies into the oven before Lex’s game starts.”

Tyler rolled his eyes and reached into the cabinet for a vase. He teased, “A lesser boyfriend might get jealous that you insist on watching another team for the sole purpose of watching another man. And making him cookies too? That's the next level.”

“It’s a good thing that my boyfriend is a superior man then,” she teased back as she began to roll the cookies into balls. “Also, I am making enough for you too, Sweet One. I would never leave you out.” Tyler sat at the kitchen island and watched Teddy in "her element'. The first batch went into the oven a few minutes before the puck dropped. 

Teddy sat next to Tyler and looked at him taking a swig of beer. "Shit," she said, "I left my drink." She walked back into the kitchen. She stared for a moment before finally settling on a mixed drink, "Hey Sweet One, I am going to stay over tonight. Is that okay?"

"Is Tipsy Teddy staying too?" he laughed, “You never have to ask if it’s okay for you to stay the night. You are always welcome in my bed.”

"Absolutely," she said as she heard the game and returned with her glass. Her head popped as she heard the commentary from the announcers.

Now we have gloves coming off and it is Oleksiak and Wilson. And Oleksiak down and Wilson will skate around and eventually go to the box. Somebody better grab onto Oleksiak there. He was popped by Tom Wilson and is going to need some help getting to the dressing room. The first time Tom Wilson sees the Pittsburgh Penguins since that hit back in the playoffs last year. Isn’t on the ice for more than ten seconds. And he took offense to a big hit earlier in the sequence. Good on Wilson for not continuing after he KOs Oleksiak right there. That was all a by-product of a big hit earlier in the sequence. 

The glass fell out of Teddy's hand and shattered on the floor. "Lex?" Teddy's voice sounded small and unsure. Tyler tore his eyes from the TV and saw the look of horror on her face. She took a step and her bare foot landed on a jagged piece of glass. She winced and Tyler leapt over the couch to pick her up. He swiftly carried her to the kitchen island. Teddy's eyes focused on the TV at the replay of the fight. The camera focused on Sidney Crosby in a shouting match with Alex Ovechkin. She smiled without thinking, "Thanks, Sid." 

Tyler pulled the glass out her foot and applied pressure to her foot. "Hold it there," he said. She placed her hand on the cloth, craned her head and watched Lex walk down to the tunnel. Tyler turned his head, picked up the remote and turned off the TV. "You don't need to see anymore." he said softly. Teddy protested and Tyler silenced her with a kiss. "Pretty One, you will only work yourself into a lather," he said calmly, "We need to get your cut bandaged first." 

Teddy watched him work efficiently. He cleaned the wound and then bandaged it neatly as she zoned out. The image of Lex's blank stare on the bench played on a loop in her mind. Tears started to fall, "How bad do you think he's hurt? Will he have to go to the hospital?" she asked quietly.

Tyler looked up and wiped her tears. "Hey, Big Rig will be okay. They are checking him for a concussion right now. Then they will check to make sure nothing is broken on his face."

"How long will it take to find out?" she questioned. 

"Definitively? A couple of hours? It will be after the game," he answered, "Let's put on a movie. You text Big Rig and I will text Crosby. One of them will let us know."

Teddy reluctantly agreed and sent the text to Lex asking him to contact her. Then Tyler carried her back to the couch. "Princess Bride?," he asked but already knew the answer. The buzzer from the oven went off. Tyler took the cookies out of the oven and put them on the counter to cool. “We can deal with the cookies later,” he said as he climbed over the couch with a warm snickerdoodle in his hand. She smiled and leaned her body into his. After a few minutes she drifted off to sleep. Tyler reached for his phone and sent two quick texts. One to Lex asking him to call Teddy as soon as possible. One was to Crosby asking for an update. 

Tyler gently shook Teddy and her eyes slowly opened. "Your phone is ringing," he explained. 

She bolted upright and lunged for it. She answered without looking at the screen

Teddy: Are you okay? Lex, are you okay?

Sidney Crosby: Teddy- it’s not Lex. 

Teddy looked at the phone and saw “Anonymous” 

Teddy: Who is this?

Sidney: It’s Sidney Crosby. Seggy asked me to call you to update you on Big Rig. You know it seems like deja vu. Didn’t we have a conversation last December about Big Rig?

Sidney laughed and Teddy was silent. 

Sidney: I am sorry, Teddy. That was a bad attempt at a joke. 

Teddy: Oh no, I am sorry. I am just a little emotional. 

Sidney: I understand. I don’t have a lot of information, but they are fairly certain that he has a concussion. The severity of the concussion is undetermined right now, but they should have some more information tomorrow. He will fly back with the team tonight and they will do more tests in the morning. 

Teddy: Have you spoken to him? Is he okay? 

Sidney: You know him better than I do. He seemed to be managing. 

Teddy: I was going to fly in Friday morning to see him for his birthday. I was hoping that I could surprise him at practice that day. Can I still do that?

Sidney: That’s Friday. He should be here then, but not practicing. Shouldn’t be a problem for you to see him. I will make the arrangements to get you in. 

Teddy: Ummm, Sid? How will he get home tonight? Should he drive?

Sidney: I will make sure to get him home tonight safely. Don’t worry Teddy. It looked worse than it is. 

Teddy: You don’t know me, Sid. Worry is my middle name. Thank you for calling me though. I am sorry for the things I said to you in March. 

Sidney: I deserved the words, Teddy.  No thanks necessary. 

Teddy looked over to see Tyler staring at her, "Go ahead and make the call."

"What call?" Teddy questioned. 

"The call to your Dad to move up the jet," he replied calmly. Teddy crawled across the couch to Tyler and sat facing him. He looked at her and then looked down. “Pretty One, why wait until Friday morning . You are not going to be able to focus on anything else until you lay eyes on him. Go ahead and fly out early so you can see him. That’s all I am saying,” he answered quietly. 

“Is it really all that you want to say?” she asked quietly, “It seems like you want to say something else.” 

“There may be a twinge of jealousy in there. I don’t want it there to be, but it’s there,” he admitted. 

“Jealousy of what?” she asked as she grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers. 

“I am afraid that you are more concerned about him than me.  It’s silly,” he confessed.

“Feelings are not silly, Sweet One,” she stared at him until he lifted his head and met her eyes. “This is my first experience with someone that I care about getting injured so maybe I am not handling it well. I don’t know. It was a tough thing to watch, but that doesn’t mean that I care more about Lex getting injured than if you were injured. If that had been you, I don’t think you could peel me off the floor. I wouldn’t be able to wait until the next day to get to you.” 

Teddy felt the tears form in her eyes. “I don’t want to imagine if that was you. The thought alone makes my heart race, but I would have immediately picked up the phone and gotten to you by the end of the game. Nothing could keep me from you” The tears slowly released and rolled down her face. 

“Shhhh,” Tyler whispered, “Don’t think about it. I am sorry that I got jealous.”

“No, I understand what you are feeling,” she kissed his cheek, “You are my number one priority. Got it?”

“Got it. Now make the call so we can go to bed,” he squeezed her tight. 

Teddy’s phone rang and she looked down to see Lex’s face. 

Teddy: Hey Lex

Lex: I can’t talk long. The plane is about to take off. Sid said that he spoke to you.

Teddy: He did. 

Lex: So you saw the fight?

Teddy: Yes, I did. 

Lex: I am okay, Bliss. Don’t worry about me. 

Teddy: Have you met me? Did that punch knock all memory of me out of your brain? I worry about you on a normal day. Watching you unable to skate to the bench? That was a sucker punch to the gut. Not worrying about my best friend isn’t an option. 

Lex: Try not to worry?

Teddy: I will try. Do you have food at your apartment? 

Lex: Bliss…..

Teddy: Answer the question

Lex: No, I don’t have food. I was going to go grocery shopping tomorrow.  I’ll figure it out somehow.

Teddy looked over at Tyler with a pained look on her face. He whispered “I know. You need to go now. I will call your dad.” 

Teddy: Okay well, I will talk to you tomorrow and we’ll figure out the grocery thing, okay?

Lex: Bliss, please don’t worry too much about me

Teddy: I will try. Love you Lex. 

Lex: Love you too.

Teddy put her phone down and went to find Tyler who was finishing his phone call with Robert. He turned to her, “You leave at 4:30 to arrive at 7 AM. There will be a car waiting to take you to Big Rig’s apartment. They will have breakfast for you to take to him.” She ran to him and jumped into his arms. “Woah, Pretty One,” he laughed. 

She showered him with kisses, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Thank you for what?” he asked.

“Taking one look at my face and knowing what I needed to do. Then you made it happen,” she began to laugh but then got serious. He shook her gently to lighten the mood. She rested her head on his shoulder. “Sweet One….” she began before her voice cracked. He squeezed her tight, “How did I get so lucky? How did I get so lucky that you fell in love with me?” 

“Nope, I am the lucky one,” he insisted “You do what you need to do and then come back to me, okay?” He started to carry her up the stairs. “I can think of one way you can reassure me before you leave,” he laughed. 

“Oh really? What is that?” she inquired. 

“Help me get lucky with that hot Teddy. I love her so much,” he kissed her softly.

“Not as much as she loves you,” she replied.

THE NEXT MORNING- LEX’S APARTMENT

Lex lifted his head off of the pillow and set it back down. He could see the sun beginning to rise through his curtains. He did a quick assessment of his body. Nothing hurt below the shoulders other than his right hand, which was bruised. He brought it up to gingerly touch the cut below his left eye. All things considered he had come relatively unscathed from the fight the night before. Well, except for that pesky concussion. Lex silently cursed to himself. It was his first concussion in the NHL, but he knew enough that the diagnosis would require him to jump through multiple hoops to get back on the ice. Now was not the time that he wanted to be away from the team and potentially drop down on the roster.  

Lex was lost in these thoughts when he heard the knock on the door. He looked at his phone for the time. It was seven thirty AM. Crosby had instructed that he would be by at 8:15 to drive him to the rink. The knocking persisted and he got up. “Coming,” he called as he padded barefoot through the living room to the door. He opened the door to find not a NHL captain standing there, but a fiery redhead. “Bliss?” he choked out in surprise, “What are you doing here?” She didn’t speak immediately and he rubbed his eyes quickly to make sure that he was , in fact, awake. The sharp pain when he rubbed over his cut was proof that he was awake after all. 

Her face pinched up ever so slightly at the sight of his facial injuries, but she quickly masked it with a smile. “Lex!” she called as she lifted the paper bag containing breakfast, “Are you hungry? I didn’t realize that when Tyler arranged the breakfast to be in the car when I landed that it would be quite this much food. I mean Tyler really didn’t pick out the food. It was probably Mary. Do you remember her? She is Daddio’s assistant. Tyler probably did tell her to do breakfast, but didn’t do the details. All though he is remarkably good at details.” She rambled as Lex studied her. He tried to identify what he was feeling in the moment but he couldn’t put a label on it. 

“Bliss, come inside,” he interrupted her free form rant. 

She stopped midthought and blinked at him, “Yes, yes, yes- I should come in now.” She stepped in quickly. She surveyed his apartment quickly. It seemed to be in relative order considering Lex was a bachelor who traveled frequently.  Lex quickly took the large bag of food from her. “Hey,” she protested and playfully swatted his arm. 

“I am not an invalid, Bliss,” he said quickly. 

She watched him set the bag down and turned to look at Lex, “I know that you are not an invalid, but neither am I." She pushed him off to the side. "Did you eat anything when you came back from Washington?" 

"No," he replied as she started setting out food. His stomach growled and he reached for the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich. She smiled as he unwrapped and started eating. 

“So you have an appetite. That’s good news I suppose,” she teased. 

“What? I am a growing boy,” he laughed, “So why are you here, Bliss. Not that I am complaining, but why are you here?”

She stepped closer and examined his face slowly, “I had to see for myself. I had to make sure that you were okay.” 

“You didn’t have to fly to Pittsburgh to do that, Bliss,” he looked down as he ate, “You didn’t have to come all this way because I got in a stupid fight.”

“I actually was planning on coming anyway,” she said as she put her egg souffle on the plate along with the fruit. Lex’s head snapped up in question. “My best friend’s birthday is tomorrow. I didn’t get to celebrate with him last year. I wasn’t going to miss it this year,” she explained.” 

Lex looked at her as she sat at the bar and began eating. He nudged her and smiled, “You were going to surprise me? What if I had a girl here when you showed up?” 

Teddy looked at him and blinked, “Do you have a girl here Lex?” 

“Not now,” he laughed, “I was a little tired last night.” They both laughed. The laughter was a little forced on both sides. Suddenly tears filled Teddy’s eyes and she looked away. “Bliss, it was a joke. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Furiously, she wiped the tears and refused to turn back to face him. “Bliss, talk to me.” 

She took a few ragged breaths and then inhaled deeply. “Get it together. Don’t be a baby,” her anxiety mocked, “Gah, you don’t think Lex has better things to do than walk on eggshells around you?” A wave of sadness washed over her and she began to wonder if coming to see him was a good idea after all. “I’m sorry, Lex,” she finally whispered, “I just remembered last night and the image flashed in my head. I am sorry.” He placed a hand on her back and she felt the warmth. 

“Bliss, what’s going on in your head?” he asked gently. 

She forced a smile and turned back to face him, “Nothing. I am fine. Everything’s fine.” 

“Bullshit,” he smiled back. 

“Touche,” she replied, “Okay it’s not fine, but it will be okay…. eventually.”

“Okay,” he said softly, “You know that you can talk to me, right?”

“Of course,” she smiled tightly, “What time do you have to be at the rink? I promised Crosby that I would drive you.”

“What?” he laughed, “I can drive, Bliss.”

“Take it up with your captain, Lex,” she laughed. 

UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex

Geno skated up to Sidney toward the end of practice, “Who is redhead by ice? I’ve seen her before.” 

Sidney looked over toward Geno and replied, “Oh, that’s Teddy. She’s Big Rig’s uhhhhh, friend.”

Geno looked again, “Girlfriend? I saw him with a different girl last week at Christmas party.” 

Sidney shook his head as the buzzer went off and started for the locker room. “Not girlfriend- friend friend. I don’t know. I think it’s complicated.” 

Teddy walked from the rink back into the locker room area after practice. She didn’t quite know what to do while she waited for Lex to be done with his examination and meetings with front office staff. She also couldn't shake the feeling that it had been a mistake to come to Pittsburgh. She dug out her phone and sent a text to Tyler. 

“Hey Teddy,” Sidney called as he came out of the locker room. She looked up from her phone. “I see that you made it here safely,” he joked, “You didn’t even need me to sneak you in.” Teddy swallowed hard and didn’t say anything. “My jokes must be getting lost in translation,” he said softly.

“I’m sorry. I am just stressed about Lex and the concussion,” she answered. 

Sidney stood by her and leaned against the wall, “I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I don’t think it’s that severe. He should be back on the ice in a week or so.” 

“Is that a good or bad thing?” she asked quietly. 

“Depends on your perspective I suppose. It will be a good thing for Big Rig and the team. Probably not so good for you,” Sidney explained, “When I had my concussions, it was really hard for the people around me.”

“You had more than one concussion?” Teddy replied.

“Too many concussions. I missed a season because of one,” he answered casually. 

“I am sorry to hear that, Sid,” she sighed. They sat silently for a few minutes. Teddy was vaguely aware that this was probably out of his normal routine, but didn’t question it. “Since you have had concussions, what can I do to help Lex?” she questioned. 

“Nothing,” he answered quickly, “That’s the thing about concussions. It takes time for the body to heal. It may take days,weeks or months. He is going to get frustrated. Just be there to listen. That’s all you can do.” 

“So I don’t guess I needed to fly here to do that,” she laughed.

“Maybe not, but I know that it means a lot that you did,” Sidney said seriously. “Good, supportive friends are hard to find and I know that he appreciates you.”

Lex stepped out of the examining room and walked towards Teddy and Sidney. They looked up and said “Good News?” Then they laughed at each other. 

“Yeah, it’s mild. It should take me about a week to get through the protocol and get back.” Lex said softly. 

Sidney smiled broadly, “Best news all morning- right, Teddy?”

Teddy nodded enthusiastically, “The best news!” 

Sidney stood up, “I am going to leave. Teddy, will you be at the game?"

Teddy looked to Lex who shrugged, “I’ll let you know.” 

THAT NIGHT - PPG area

Teddy and Lex sat quietly in the press box. He was even more quiet than normal. Teddy tried to chalk it up to his concussion, but her gut told that it wasn't the case. At the end of the second period, Teddy went to the press lounge to grab snacks. She came back with an arm load of food and placed it down in front of Lex. He gave her a side eye and turned back to the game. “Ummmm, thanks Teddy for bringing me food,” she said to herself. 

“I didn’t ask you to bring me food, Bliss,” he said without turning around. 

“Have you eaten dinner?” she asked, “You need to eat something.”

“You know that I haven’t eaten dinner,” he sighed, “You have been with me all day.”

Teddy studied his profile and decided to let the comment go unresponded. She checked her phone and smiled. Tyler had scored in the second period. Lex looked at her and shook his head, “What did Tyler do? Score?” Her eyebrows creased together and she inhaled deeply. It was the second snide comment of the evening. 

She looked up at him as coolly as possible. “As a matter of fact, he did.” She sent a quick congratulations text and returned her attention to the game. They sat in silence until the end of the third period. 

Internally, Lex was beating himself up for the snide remarks. He knew that they had been hurtful and Teddy was doing her best to mask the pain. He tried to pinpoint this emotion that was raging through his body. It was not any ONE thing- anger, sadness, annoyance, and regret rolled into a big mess. He examined her from the corner of his eye. She sat stoically, pretending to care about a game that he knew she had no interest in the outcome. He knew that her interest rested solely on him and he was doing everything he could to make her feel unwelcomed. 

The truth is that he didn’t know what to do with her. When she came to visit in September, things were different- at least they were in his mind. First Penny was there and her presence acted as a buffer. He would be lying if he denied that  some very unfriendly thoughts had floated across his mind while she was there. The memories of their time together kept popping up and quite frankly, it took considerable effort to keep something else from popping up as well. Secondly, although he was supportive of her being with Tyler, it was still BRAND NEW and he wasn’t entirely sure it would last. He chalked it up to Tyler’s past rather than an indication that his feelings about Teddy were decidedly complicated. 

After she returned to Dallas, the friendship became easy. The support for her relationship was natural because she wasn’t right in front of him. She still looked as good as the first time he saw her. In fact, she looked better. She behaved the same way as before and it was warm and comforting. He hadn’t realized how much he had missed her presence in a non-sexual way. The reality was although her words and actions were primarily the same, she was not available to him. At least she wasn’t available to him in the way that he needed her to be. She was like a piece of forbidden fruit served up on a goddamn silver platter and he was pissed off about it. Now rationally, he could see that none of it was her fault. She was being her natural self with no intent to cross boundaries. “Let’s be honest here,” he told himself, “I am not even sure she is aware that there is a boundary or should be a boundary when we have NEVER had boundaries in the past.” 

He groaned to himself. What was he going to do about tomorrow night? He had a date for the team birthday dinner. He had a very hot date that he had spent quite a lot of time texting/chatting with over the past couple of weeks. He wasn’t sure if it was a love connection but it had potential. Then Bliss had come and surprised him and now the plan was in jeopardy. He was wrapped up in his own thoughts when she felt her hand on his arm. He looked up at her and she had an unreadable expression on her face. 

“The game is over. Pens won,” she said softly. 

“Oh,” he said in disbelief. 

“Do you need to go downstairs to see people before we leave?” she asked.

“Yeah, I should make an appearance,” he answered. 

Together they made their way to the bottom of the arena. Lex was greeted by words of support from fans, reporters and arena personnel as they walked. “You’ll get him next time,” was a popular theme. Teddy waited outside the locker room as Lex went inside for the post-game talk. When he walked back out afterwards, he was followed by his teammates. Reluctantly he introduced Teddy to his team. She could feel his reticence and it wounded her. “Is he embarrassed by me?” she considered. She was in utter confusion by his demeanor and actions. 

“Teddy!!” Crosby called jovially as he exited with Malkin and Letang. Lex made the brief introductions. 

“You are friend from Dallas?” Malkin asked, “In town for visit?”

Teddy smiled at Geno’s friendly demeanor. She was happy that someone didn’t seem annoyed by her presence. “Yes, Lex, ummm, Jamie is one of my best friends. We became buddies last year, right Lex'' she turned to him and asked. 

“Who is Lex?” Letang questioned. 

“Sorry, Lex is my nickname for him. I forget that you all know him by Jamie and have to correct myself,” she explained. 

“You came in for his birthday? Are you coming to the dinner tomorrow night?” Letang asked. 

Teddy looked up at Lex who looked pained. “I am not sure if I am invited but I would love to come,” she answered. “That is- if you trust me to not spill Penguin secrets to the Stars when I get back home.” Letang and Malkin’s eyebrows went up in surprise. She continued, “Ummmm, my boyfriend is Tyler Seguin so ummmm…..” She realized that it was a- a bad joke and b-they had no idea of the complicated past that she and Lex had shared. It hit her that her presence was confusing from anyone looking in from the outside. She looked to Lex for reassurance and found none. “Lex?” she asked softly, “Do you want me to come tomorrow night?”

Lex stared at her for a moment and decided that this was the moment of truth. It was time to rip the band-aid off. “No, I don’t,” he said, “I don’t want you to come tomorrow night.” Teddy felt her knees starting to buckle as she processed his words. “I have a date and I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come,” he said plainly.

“A date?” she thought to herself, “A date? He hasn’t mentioned anyone. She had specifically asked him last week if he had been seeing anyone and he had told her no. Now he has a date for a team birthday dinner? That didn’t seem to be a casual thing.” She looked up at him and forced a smile. “Oh, you didn’t tell me that you had plans. You didn’t tell me that you had a date,” she said with more snark than she intended in her tone, “You should have told me.”

Lex looked stunned but her snarky tone angered him more.  “I know, Bliss- I should have told you, but I didn’t have a chance. You swooped into today like some perverted version of a mother/girlfriend. You are NEITHER to me by the way. I didn’t ask you to come. I don’t need you to baby me and smother me. Did you just assume that I wouldn’t have plans on my goddamn birthday? That I would be sitting at home reminiscing about you? My world doesn't revolve around you, Bliss. It never will.”

“I know that your world doesn’t revolve around me,” Teddy stammered, “You could have told me. All you had to do was tell me.”

“Tell you when,” he asked, “You have been smothering me all DAMN DAY.”

Sidney and Geno exchanged a look then looked at Teddy who stared blankly at Lex.  

“Hey Big Rig, let’s take a moment to cool down,” Sidney said softly. 

“No- it’s okay, Sid,” Teddy said softly, “I behaved selfishly. I should have asked and not assumed that he would want to spend his birthday with his best friend. I know that if I had the option of spending my birthday with my best friend, I would take it in a heartbeat. I should have asked if he needed someone to assist him after the concussion. I know that I needed help after mine- just like you did.” She paced back and forth. “If I something happened to me, I stupidly thought you would be there if I needed help. I guess that was my mistake.” She stopped and looked him in the eye, “Maybe that’s the lesson I need to learn, right Lex? You were never as emotionally invested in me as I was with you. I thought you were my best friend. I guess it turns out that I was just the friend that you liked to fuck. Now that has gone away, I serve no purpose in your life.”

Sidney stepped towards Teddy, “Teddy….”

Teddy inhaled deeply, “Sid, can you take Lex back to his apartment or arrange for an Uber? I am going to my hotel now.” 

Lex looked up in surprise as she continued, “Yeah, I bet you thought I planned on sleeping at your place, huh? Like some love sick fool?” She crossed her arms and leveled her gaze at Lex. “For the record, I am not upset that you have birthday plans. I am happy for you. I am happy that you have friends that will celebrate with you. I am happy that you have a date and I hope that she is worthy of you,” she stopped as her voice cracked, “That is all i have ever wanted for you Lex- your happiness. Clearly being friends with me no longer brings that to you.  So goodbye and happy birthday.” She turned to walk away and turned around again, “but I call bullshit on you not being able to tell me. You had plenty of time to make snide little remarks all day damn so you had plenty of time to tell me the truth. Now why you chose not to- well, that’s on you to figure out. I am done being your emotional punching bag. Have a good birthday. You don’t have to worry about me smothering you ever again.”

Lex watched her walk away in silence as she wiped tears from her face. He felt the weight of Geno's stare. "G, it's complicated," he sighed. 

Geno shook his head, "No, it’s not complicated. You were asshole to your friend. Shame on you, Big Rig, shame on you.”

2 AM-Friday, December 21st- Pittsburgh Fairmont Hotel 

Teddy stared at the clock in her hotel room as if staring would make time pass by quicker or somehow magically put her to sleep. She replayed the conversation with Lex over and over in her mind. Her heart hurt and she could think of no logical reason for it. The sense of disappointment washed over her and she resented herself for feeling it. Lex had humiliated her in front of his teammates with his words and actions. She contemplated what she wanted and what to do next. This much was clear- she didn’t want to be in Pittsburgh and she wanted Tyler.

She sat up, got her phone and began texting. Her first text was to the pilots to ask for the quickest departure they could make. Then she arranged a courier to pick up Lex’s birthday gift from the hotel to his apartment. It was too late to cancel her other surprises. 

Eight hours later- Dallas

 Teddy climbed down the stairs of the jet onto the tarmac at Dallas Love Field airport. She got into her waiting SUV and stared out into the distance as her luggage was placed into the back. She checked the time. Tyler would be on the ice for practice. 

Without thinking, she drove on auto-pilot to the rink. She kept her composure, nodded and waved to the Stars social media team and stood beside the boards. Her eyes searched the sea of black practice jerseys for him as they skated up and down the ice in a drill. She finally found him in a line standing next to Benn. Since their fight in November, an uncomfortable truce had been formed between the two former friends. They were civil and professional on the ice but did not speak beyond what was necessary off the ice. It was Benn who noticed her first. He tapped Tyler on the shoulder and pointed to Teddy. Tyler looked up and they made eye contact and Teddy froze. Tyler’s mind raced, "What day was it?" Teddy wasn’t supposed to be home until tomorrow. Something was wrong and he could see it in her eyes. Tyler mouthed the words, “Are you okay?” She shook her head no. Benn leaned over “Go, I’ll cover for you.” 

Tyler skated over to the door nearest to her as quickly as he could. He opened it and stepped out, “Teddy? What’s wrong?” She ran into his arms and he lifted her up. “What’s wrong, Teddy?” he asked again, “Did Big Rig do something?” 

She tucked her face into his neck and began to sob. “It was a mistake. I should have never gone, Sweet One. I should have never gone to see him. It was horrible.”  He set her down, took off his gloves and wiped her tears. She waved off his hands and pressed her face into his chest. The tears flowed fast and hard. “I am an idiot, Tyler. I thought we were friends. I thought we were friends but we are not. You were right all that time. You were right that he was just using me to get laid. He never cared about me. He was never my friend,” she choked out in between sobs. 

Tyler listened to her words and struggled to make sense of it all. He guided her to the bench and they sat down. “Tell me,” he instructed, “Tell me what exactly happened. You are not making sense.” Teddy looked around suddenly and realized that practice was still going. She turned to Tyler who stopped her, “Chubbs said that he would cover for me. They can do without me. You are more important.” She nodded and began to describe the events of the past twenty four hours. Tyler’s hands reached out for her hands and he rubbed the backs of her hands with his thumbs to comfort her. 

When she finished, she looked up into his eyes, “See, I am an idiot. You were right. You were right all along.’ 

Tyler blinked slowly. He thought to himself, “If there was ever a time I wanted to put an end to this friendship between the two of them, this is the moment. I could squash it right now.” However, he looked at her and knew that he couldn’t do it. Not only would it break her heart, it would be the wrong thing to do. Big Rig may have fucked up, but he was a good friend to Teddy. He was a friend that Teddy needed in her life. He took a big gulp and said, “No, I was wrong then and I would be wrong if I made that claim now. Big Rig is your friend. Ask anybody and they will tell you the truth. Is it complicated? Yes, it is. Did you have a really messy and hurtful moment? Yes, you did. That happens with good friends.”

Teddy looked up in surprise and he continued. “Look, Big Rig and you have never been traditional friends. It has always been messy and complicated. I think that you, him- hell even me- underestimated how difficult it was going to be when you fell in love with other people. Things have changed, Teddy. Now your relationship has to change.” 

“But it did change. It changed, Tyler,” she interjected. 

“How? Just because you stopped having sex?” he countered, “It doesn’t matter if you having sex if you drop everything to go see him when he gets hurt. That’s a girlfriend move- not a friend move.”

“But I didn’t mean for it to be a girlfriend move,” she insisted, “I am your girlfriend. I have never been his girlfriend. I don’t want to be his girlfriend.” 

“I know that, Teddy,” he said softly, “I am secure in our relationship. I am secure in what your intentions are, but your actions send a message that you are not intending to send.” 

“So what do I do?” she asked. 

“Take a step back, spend some time apart and break that messy emotional connection,” he replied. 

“But I don’t want to lose my friend,” she sighed. 

“You won’t lose him. It will just be different,” he pulled her into a hug, “I promise you that you won’t lose your friend. I won’t let it happen on my watch.” 

“Are you sure that he is my friend?” she asked timidly, “Are you sure it wasn’t just about the sex?

“What? Do I think that he hung out with you, built a friendship with you just because of the sex? No, I do not,” he said with authority. “First you are underestimating how amazing you are. Also, don’t take this the wrong way,” he smiled, “but he could have gotten laid with far less complications with someone other than you.” She frowned. Tyler kissed her softly, “Believe me, Pretty One. Being friends with you, being in any sort of relationship with you is worth dealing with your complications. You are worth everything.It wasn’t just the sex, Pretty One. He was and is friends with you." He kissed her again with more passion. "I need to go back to work," he whispered, "Wait for me, okay?"

She shook her head no, "Can I just meet you at your house? I need a good snuggle from the boys." Teddy stopped and turned around. "Sweet One," she called, "Did you say that Benn covered for you? Why?"

"Not Sure," Tyler admitted, "I guess he saw your face and knew that you were upset."

Teddy glanced over at the captain who was completing a drill, "And he knew where I had been? He knew I was in Pittsburgh?"

"He probably overheard me talking about it," he answered.

Teddy smiled, "Can you tell him thanks from me? I appreciate it."

Tyler smiled, "Sure."

Lex's apartment- Pittsburgh 

Lex arrived from his first official day in the concussion protocol at the rink. It consisted of further testing and a light aerobic workout. He was replying to numerous birthday messages and contemplated what to eat for lunch. He looked over and saw the remaining pastries from the breakfast Teddy had brought yesterday. He sighed deeply and checked his phone again. There was no text or call from Teddy. He did receive a text from Johns questioning why Teddy had arrived at the rink in tears. "Fuck," he thought to himself, "Now Seggy knows. He will be lighting up my phone soon." 

He was lost in his thoughts when the doorbell rang. His head popped up in surprise. A courier stood with a large gift bag in his hand. "Are you Jamie Oleksiak?" The courier asked.

"That's me," he said as the courier handed him the bag. He signed the receipt and took the bag inside. Instinctively he knew it was from her, but it still surprised him. He pulled out the large containers of snickerdoodles and English toffee with a grin. Homemade goodies made with love were the Baxter women love language Gently he opened the card and read it- "Lex, Happy Birthday! I am so excited that I get to spend the day with you today. Here are some sweets for the sweetest man I know (with the exception of Tyler). Thank you for being the best friend a girl could ask for. You make me feel so strong and brave. I love you to pieces. Friends Forever, Bliss" 

He stared at the card and felt the ache in his heart. Obviously the card had been written prior to their fight last night. He was sure that the message would be decidedly different today. Nothing about his behavior yesterday had been sweet and anything that resembled what a best friend would do. His thoughts were disrupted again by a knock on the door. He groaned as he opened it and took the bag- a delivery of BBQ ribs and fixings with a card "I know that you are having steak later so I guess it is a Meaty Madness moment. Happy Birthday to the growing boy!" He read it again. "How did she know we are going to a steakhouse?" He asked himself. He pulled out his phone while he unpacked his ribs. 

At the restaurant Lex stood with his date, Emma, waiting in the lobby when the group came into the restaurant. Sid approached the host and spoke softly, "Reservation under the name Baxter". The table was located in an intimate private room decorated with balloons and a birthday banner. Emma, the tall blonde, sat next to Lex at the center of the table. Sid sat across from him. Geno and Anna were to his left. Kris and Catherine were to his right. The evening went by quickly and was filled with laughter. Emma fit in with Catherine and Anna well.

When the evening wound down, the server approached Sidney. He asked, "Mr. Crosby, is all of the bill going on Ms. Baxter's card?" Sidney nodded yes as Lex's head popped up.

"Ms. Baxter?" Lex asked, "as in Teddy? Why would it go on her card?"

Geno scoffed, "Who you think planned dinner?" Lex looked shocked and then embarrassed. She planned an elaborate dinner and he told her not to come. 

Emma asked, "Teddy is the friend you were telling me about?"

Lex answered, "Yes, that's her."

Emma.said, "She planned your dinner but left this morning. Why?"

Lex said quietly, "I am not sure. She didn't say anything before she left." Emma's eyebrows raised while Geno and Sidney exchanged a look. They both knew exactly why Teddy left. They witnessed Lex specifically not inviting her and her heartbreak. However, neither were inclined to spread the information to Lex's date. 

Later that night after he left Emma's apartment, he texted Teddy one more time.

December 31st- Bishop’s house

Teddy stood in the kitchen door and stared at Katie's back. The blonde wore a backless mini dress covered in gold sequins. She was making a drink for herself. Tyler walked up behind Teddy and rested his chin on her bare shoulder. "Go talk to her," he encouraged, "It is not her fault he was an asshole." He kissed her neck, "Seriously, talk to your friend. Don't let him take that from you," he advised, “You should hang to your friends if you can.”

“Does that apply to you too?” she countered. 

He shook his head up and down, “Touche”

Teddy stepped into the kitchen. She walked up behind the blonder and nudged her with her elbow. Katie turned her head and her eyes widened in surprise. Teddy laughed, "Ummmm, ma'am- did you have to wear that dress? Us mere mortals can't compete."

"Mere mortals? Teddy, you are a sex goddess and you know it," she teased back.

"You think so?" Teddy laughed again as she looked at the short dress she wore on a whim.

"Ask Tyler," she answered in a sing-song voice, "Isn't that right, Seggy?"

Tyler looked studiously at the floor and tried to blend into the background. Finally he answered, "Yep, she is a fucking goddess." Then he walked away to let them speak in private. 

Teddy looked at KT and shook her head before she threw herself into her arms, "I missed you girlie,"

"I missed you too," Katie sighed.

Teddy stepped back, "New rule- we don't let stupid boys come between us again."

"No more stupid boys will tear us apart again," Katie agreed. They into an instant rhythm of talking and spent the next hour catching up on the past month. Katie's mouth dropped open, "No that fucker DID NOT!" Teddy shrugged her shoulders. "Have you talked to him since then?" Katie asked. 

Teddy shook her head no. She looked up when she felt the tears fill her eyes. "I miss him," she sighed.

"Who sent the last text?" Katie asked.

"He sent a birthday text today," Teddy replied.

Katie pulled her into a hug, "It's a good sign. Let's face it. Men are idiots. You know that- I mean, look at Jam. They are idiots and they don't know how to make it better."

Teddy raised an eyebrow, "Any idiot in particular wants to make things better?" 

"You know who," Katie replied with a smile. 

Teddy looked back at Tyler who tried to blend into the wall. He had been unable to resist the temptation to listen in on the conversation. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. Teddy turned, walked to him, grabbed his shirt and pulled him into a kiss, "I am onto your peacemaking ways. You are not fooling me."

"It is the start of the new year. Do you want to go into it with all of the bullshit from this year?" He asked.

"Not all of it was bad," she said sincerely as she looked into his soft eyes, “In fact, the last three months have been wonderful.”

"Yes, the best part of my life happened this year despite me being an idiot," he replied as he kissed her, "Walk into the year with a clean slate."

"Will I get rewarded if I do?" she teased. He nodded and smiled.

 She walked away. Teddy saw him standing on the patio, leaning against the railing staring at the stars. She walked up and stood next to him. The captain glanced at her and then stared straight ahead. An amenable silence stood between them for a couple of minutes before Teddy spoke. "Did Tyler tell you thank you from me for covering for him at practice last week?” she asked. He nodded in affirmation. "Good, I did appreciate it. You could have said something snarky but you didn't, " she said quietly, "I was thankful ."

He turned and raised an eyebrow, "Nothing snarky to say. Of course you would go check on your friend." He smiled and leaned forward, "I saw the hit. It was nasty and unnecessary. He's coming into town this week. I could punish him for it." 

Teddy's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Oh really?" She studied his face to see if he was joking and/or teasing her. She found instead a look of compassion and concern. Teddy thought for a moment. Part of her wanted to say yes but she hesitated. "Question- is that a friend request or a girlfriend request?" she asked with sincerity. He tilted his head in confusion. "If Tyler had been knocked out, then as his girlfriend, I could make the request for punishment, right? But Katie, as his friend, could not. So it's girlfriend request and not a friend request." Benn nodded his head in understanding. "Lex can and will fight his own battles. He would be upset if I made a girlfriend request so thank you, but no thank you."

"Just wanted to make a peace offering," he sighed.

 “Oh, I know that the offer was made with good intentions,” she soothed. Again Teddy studied his face. She was again struck by the resemblance between Benn and Chaz, but she looked into eyes and saw gentleness. It was a gentleness that she never saw in Chaz. She smiled, "Did I ever tell you that you look just like my ex, Chaz?" He shook his head no. "He wasn't a nice guy by any stretch of the imagination.  He abused me in all the different ways," she explained, "It occurs to me that I may not have given you a fair shot when I met you." He furrowed his brow. She continued, "It is also possible that you might have picked up that vibe and formed some opinions about me that weren't true." He didn't respond. "That doesn't excuse what you did and said," she commented, "but I am willing to try again."

"What like a truce?" he asked.

"No, like a new beginning without the bullshit," she said.

He reached out his hand, "Hey, I'm Jamie. I hear my buddy, Tyler, is crazy in love with you."

"Hey, I am Teddy. I hear that my friend, Katie, is crazy in love with you." She smiled.

"Nice to meet you," he smiled, "Think you might put in a good word for me tonight. I am hoping to get lucky tonight."

"With who- Tyler or Katie?" She laughed as they walked back into the house.

"Oh- you're funny!" He laughed, "The one with the pretty face.”

"That doesn't really narrow it down, dude," she smiled. Katie and Tyler stood and watched in amazement as former enemies walked in together with big smiles on their faces. Teddy walked over and kissed Tyler’s cheek. "Hey, I met your captain, Jamie. He is a new friend for a new year." He raised his eyebrows as she continued, "Now I have to go get my old friend back. Be back in a few minutes." She walked back into the backyard, pulled out her phone as Tyler watched from the window.

Lex: Bliss? 

Teddy: Is now an okay time? Are you busy?

Lex: I have time to talk to you. Let me get somewhere quiet. 

He walked outside of the party

Lex: Happy Birthday Bliss

Teddy: Thanks. 

Lex: I am glad you called. I missed you so much.

Teddy: What did you miss?

Lex: I missed my friend- the one that organized a birthday surprise for me. The surprise I didn't deserve. I was an asshole, Bliss, and I am so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?

Teddy: Why? Why were you so mean?

Lex: I was confused, Bliss. I had a lot of feelings and I didn't not handle them well. I took it out on you when it wasn't your fault.

Teddy: We're messy, Lex. We have always been messy and complicated. There is a reason that we have rules. What are they?

Lex: No jealousy, honest communication, respect each other boundaries- physical and emotional 

Teddy: Right- I didn't respect your boundaries and came in acting like before we became just friends. I will respect the boundaries of our friendship from now on.

Lex: I wasn't honest. I will be honest from now on

Teddy: New year, New start as JUST FRIENDS

Lex: BEST FRIENDS 

Teddy: I need to go Lex. Tyler is waiting for me.

Lex: Yeah, my date is waiting for me too.

Teddy: One day you’ll tell me about her?

Lex: Yes, tomorrow I will tell you about her. I really like her. 

Teddy: Really? That makes me happy, Lex. Talk to you tomorrow.

Lex: Happy New Year Bestie

Teddy: Happy New Year Bestie

Teddy walked back into the house and found Tyler talking with Radalov. She stood behind him and wrapped her arms and his waist. Her cheek rested against his shoulder blade. "Sweet One, can you come with me?" 

"Pretty One, it is almost midnight. Where are we going?" he asked.

"I need to talk to you," she teased as she guided him to the bathroom at the end of the hall. "Do you remember this hallway? We ran into each other on that first day?" she asked. Tyler smirked and shook his head up and down. She pulled into the bathroom, shut the down behind him and locked the door behind. With a grin, she hopped onto the counter. "Want to know a secret?" she whispered, "You turned me on that day."

He stepped to her and spread her legs with his body. "You turned me on that day," he smiled as he pushed her dress up her thighs, "I should have made a move then."

Teddy shook her head, "I am glad that you didn't. I am glad we were just friends first. I am glad that it wasn't messy and confusing." She kissed his cheek.

"Me too. I would have fucked it up, Pretty One. I would have fucked it up so badly," he ran his fingers through her hair, "Are we going to do what I think we are going to do in here?"

"What do you want to do in here?" she teased. 

"I think you know," he teased as he kissed her neck. 

"The answer is yes, but I have to say something to you first" she moaned as he nibbled on her neck. "You have to stop so I can say what I need to say," she pleaded.

He groaned and stopped, "What do you need to say, Pretty One?"

Teddy took a deep breath, "In the spirit of leaving the bullshit in the past and starting the new year with a clean slate, I want to apologize to you." 

He tilted his head, "Apologize for what?"

"I want to apologize that I behaved inappropriately when Lex got hurt. I want to apologize that my actions may have caused any confusion about where my heart belongs," she said softly. "My heart belongs to you- to you and you alone. You are the one I want when I am happy and you are the one I want when I am sad.  You are the one I want, period- end of story."

Tyler placed his hand on her cheek and smiled,  "Thank you for telling me. I don't think an apology was necessary."

Teddy bit her lip, "I can't wait to start this new year with you. It's going to be the best year of my life."

"Really? How so?" He asked. 

"I get to spend it with you,” she kissed him softly, “I get to love you and be loved by you. Nothing could be better than that.” 

“Oh yeah,” he whispered, “Nothing can be better than that.” He reached up to pull her panties down and discovered none. “Pretty One, have you gone commando all night?” he questioned. She nodded yes as his fingers began to explore. “You were planning to seduce me all along?” he joked as unbuttoned his pants and slid them down. 

“Maybe, maybe not,” she gasped as he thrust into her. 

They heard the party crowd begin the countdown to the new year. “Shit, we are going to miss it,” he panted.

“I am not missing anything, Sweet One,” she moaned as she rocked her hips, “I am exactly where I want to be, starting the new year in the best way possible. Can you think of a better way to start the new year?” 

“Better than this? Nothing is better than this,” he smiled as he kissed her again, “Fucking you into the new year.” The chants of “Happy New Year” erupted below. 

“Happy New Year, Pretty One. I love you,” he panted as he fucked her.

“Happy New Year, Sweet One. I love you,” she panted in return. 

[xxchthonicreaturexx]

Howdy

Welcome to the trashcan. Uhhh yeah. I guess I'll write some shit or whatever in my free time.

Rules:

I don't write smut scenes.

I don't have to write anything I don't want to nor do I have to give a reason why.

I also don't do matchups unless it's a special event.

I'm fine with most triggering topics so if you don't like dark themes this might not be the place for you.

When the inbox is closed, it's closed. No exceptions.

Below is what I will take requests for-

Fandoms:

The Outsiders (Main 7 Greasers, Scout, Cherry, Shepards)

The Lost Boys (Vamps, Star, Emersons, Frogs)

Reminder: just because I make a post about a different fandom does not mean I will write for it.

Other than that feel free to send in some asks and stuff :)

[beautouslysandy]

a pretty little valentines for you and me

by: sandy

dallas winston x gn!reader

word count: 380 words

warnings: mushy, lowercase intended, lovey-dovey things, super short, basically just love in one big bucket :)

a/n 💌: i am back!!!! this is super late but a fellow fanfic author invited me to write a fanfic for valentines but um..your girl kinda forgot. so here it is! enjoy! sorry its so short, i am trying to get back into writing! i hope y'all like this, its been a hot minute since i have written fanfic!

----------------------------------------------------------

"so, do you like it doll?" dallas asks nervously, he is rarely nervous

you and dallas were currently at y'all's favorite diner. in y'all's booth. dallas had just given you a promise ring. you were shocked. you didn't think that the dallas winston would be into this kind of thing.

you look up at him and nod, smiling. your eyes are a bit watery, you think its just from the overflow of emotions you have felt all day.

this had been the best valentines day ever.

"i really like it, babe," you say smiling then you glance back at the promise ring on your left middle finger. its an infinity sign ring and it fits you perfectly.

"its my promise to...." dallas began, he cleared his throat and his face grew red ever so slightly, then he proceeded to look down. he mumbled. "you know love you forever or whatever, doll."

you were grinning from ear to ear now, partly because of how sweet the gesture was but also because you knew that meant a lot coming from him.

"i love you more." you joke

dallas looks at you with his goofy grin you have grown so fond of.

"no way in hell is that possible doll." dallas says chuckling

the waiter finally brought your food to y'all, you had been waiting thirty-five minutes. far too long for a local town diner.

"what took so damn long?" dallas said to the waiter, returning to his old self and not the lovey dovey mess he was only a minute ago.

"sorry, the kitchen is really backed up." the waiter says handing us our food.

"sure it is, this place is packed." dallas says sarcastically as he bites into his burger. you hold down a laugh, as you didn't want to embarrass the waiter further.

the diner was empty besides the normal 8 o'clock crowd, which was just a few young adults and old people.

the waiter walks away, and you start laughing, you catch dallas looking at you with seemingly stars in his eyes.

"what?" you ask, your laugh dying down

"nothing, doll" he says smirking then goes back to eating

"happy valentines" you say grinning

"happy valentines, doll" dallas says and he bends over the table and kiss you softly

p.s. sorry i am so late to this @rumble-aint-a-rumble-without-me

[the-slapshot-series]

Welcome to the Slapshot Series!

Enter below ⬇️

To get you started here is how this series works. Each story is interconnected through the casts, knowing each other in some way, shape or form. Each book can be read as a stand alone, but after book 1, there will be spoilers through each book that will point to a chapter or event that had happened in a previous book. This won't affect the outcome of you reading the story you picked, but reading in order will help you understand some things within the story. (but the path you choose is totally up to you! Don't feel obligated to read about a player you don't like.) Below is the books in order of how I would read them based on the events that happen within each story. Main blog Masterlist

*** Loosely based around the song "God Made Airplanes" by Jason Aldean. Set in 2021***

Tyler Seguin thought he found the woman of his dreams. A perfect girl, a perfect engagement and the soon to be perfect wedding, he had everything down to a T. Or so he thought. Just a few short weeks before what was supposed to be the most perfect day of his life, turned into him booking a one way flight to Pittsburgh to spend the summer with his Best Friend and forget about his cheating ex fiancee. Wanting to shut out the world, his parents and most of his friends for the time being, Tyler find refuge with the only person who really seems to know the real him, Arabella Kerfoot, who plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins. While spending his summer hiding away, his best friend not so sneakily plays match maker with her childhood best friend, Quinn Canton. Sparks soon begin to fly, and a whirlwind summer romance takes hold of these two burnt out hearts. But when hockey starts back up, and old partners come back to burn them to ashes, can they withstand the distance between them, or will it be to much for them to handle?

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Arabella Kerfoot is the younger sister of Alex Kerfoot and she one of the only female hockey player in the league. Ella as she likes to go by is the wild child of the family and also of the Pittsburgh Penguins. With a reputation of the "Wild Cinderella" Ella is the media's #1 target. Her best friend is Tyler Seguin, who had a bad reputation in Boston before going to Texas, so he understands her better then her own family and is trying to help work through her rebellious reputation. After a wild and not so pretty night out on the town Ella is quickly not the favorite anymore in Pitt and is soon traded to Toronto who is looking for a power forward with the speed and risky skill set she brings to the table. The catch: they need to fix her tarnished reputation before the Toronto media tears her apart. The solution: have her fake a relationship with Morgan Rielly to show she is determined to settle down and leave her wild Cinderella life behind, and make a fairytale lifestyle in Toronto instead. Only Ella wasn't planning on falling for the red haired man who offered the solution to her problems. With the media and her brother breathing down her neck to fix her past, her best friend telling her that a fake relationship will only hurt her and the man she never new she needed in front of her, she is about to ether live out a Hockey-Ella fairytale or an ultimate disaster.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

[daysofyellowroses]

yellow rose

david von erich x afab!reader | 6.2k | 18+ minors dni | tw: language, smoking, mild smut | a reflection on your journey to the altar

so this is a complete and utter work of fiction, based on the very brilliant movie the iron claw. i knew as soon as i watched it i would have stories but i was a little surprised david came to me first. obviously harris dickinson is beautiful but i am down so bad for jaw. i got some kerry ideas too, and i always have a hundred different bear ideas on the go too so more to come | also just to note that because this is totally fictitious, i am choosing to ignore real life events for the most part and live in fanfic delusion. enjoy 🌼

-

It all seemed to happen in a flash.

In theory, you should have been used to it. Ready for it.

One minute you were heading to a local sports center on a work assignment, then in what felt like the blink of an eye, you were walking up the aisle to marry the subject of one of those photos.

But, to get to how exactly you ended up walking down that aisle, you need to go back to how it all started.

Which, like with most things when it came to you,started with a picture.

📷

From an early age, you loved photography. Capturing a moment in time, being able to look at it any time and relive the moment was always a thrill. Your childhood home was full of framed photos and photo albums, a collection of memories surrounding you.

When you turned 13, your parents gave you your own camera. It wasn't anything too technical or fancy, but it was immediately your most treasured possession. You took photos of everything, family occasions, your friends hanging out, nature, snapshots of Dallas.

As you grew older you threw yourself into studying everything about photography, worked an extremely tedious part time job to save up for a real camera, dedicated yourself to honing your skills. It wasn't difficult, your friends and family kept you busy with birthday parties, weddings, christenings, anything worth celebrating and you were there to capture the moments.

When you were in your senior year of high school, you discovered a fondness for a particular subject of your photos. You had been sitting in the bleachers after school one day with your friends, all you of chatting and laughing about something when you'd looked onto the football field and spotted two of the players talking about something animatedly, one of them slapping the other on the back as they laughed. 

You had grabbed your camera, snapping a photo and rolled your eyes playfully as your friends teased you. Sure, the players were cute, but that wasn't why you took their photo. When the shots had developed, you were thrilled that your instinct had been correct. The red of the players jerseys popped, the gold star on their helmets gleaming in the sun. They looked graceful, despite their large frames, natural and charming. 

From that photo, you began to base more of your photos on sport. It wasn't an area you had expected to become interested in, but it inspired your photography. Cheerleaders in perfectly formed pyramids, track stars crossing the line, football players clutching the ball to their chest as they threw themselves across the post.

After graduation, you applied for a journalism course, figuring it didn't hurt to have a backup plan and maybe it would get you a gig as a photographer for a newspaper or magazine. 

Leaving home was tough, especially when a big going away party was thrown for you, your friends and family coming together to celebrate your accomplishments. When the time came to leave you were sure you'd never cried so much, trying to hype yourself up for the adventure ahead.

It was a lot of fun, being at college, as it turned out. Making new friends, learning new things, having new experiences. By the time it was over it felt like you could back and do it all again in a heartbeat.

You decided to move back to Dallas after you graduated. A job opportunity at a big paper came up, and your friend Pam had found an apartment that came with a spare room so it seemed like the right move.

It was about two weeks later you were tasked with going down to the Sportatorium on a Saturday night to document the latest wrestling match. Every time you went to a sporting event for work, you were accompanied by the senior sports writer, Duke. He was older than your father, far too old for his cheap toupee to be even the slightest bit believable. He wore cheap polyester suits, too much cologne and had a fondness for calling you ‘missy’ and placing his hand a little too low on your back.

You had psyched yourself up to ask Pam to come along, preparing a whole speech in your head. If she was with you then you could avoid Duke like the plague, couldn't possibly leave your guest alone. 

Turned out Pam didn't take much convincing at all, in fact she practically jumped at the chance to come along. You tucked her excitement away in your mind, curious to see if the source would reveal itself at the match.

When the day came, you were excited to get some shots of a new sport. From what you'd seen on TV, the Sportatorium was bright and colorful, the wrestlers just as much so. You packed up your camera before getting changed into some jeans and a t-shirt. 

Pam had taken one look at you and marched you back into your room, your protests of “But I'm working!” falling on deaf ears.

A compromise was reached. Your t-shirt stayed but a denim mini skirt replaced your jeans and brown cowboy boots replaced your beat up sneakers. You felt a little ridiculous, your job had you in all kinds of angles and positions to get the best shots, the last thing you wanted was to be unable to get a good picture because you'd end up flashing tomorrow's laundry to thousands of strangers.

When you arrived at the Sportatorium, the sun was dipping below the horizon and what seemed like hundreds of cars and trucks were pulling up. People were grabbing beers out of coolers, blasting music from boomboxes, grilling up hotdogs on portable barbecues. You got a couple of shots before Pam was hustling you inside to get your seats. Well, her seat. You told her you'd meet her outside after the match, not that she seemed to be paying attention, her eyes focused on the empty ring. 

You made your way down to the ring, keeping an eye out for Duke and ready to sprint back to Pam if needed. To your relief, Duke wasn't in attendance. The junior sports reporter, Brian, had been sent in his place. The two of you weren't exactly close friends but he was much more professional. You got some shots of the crowd, feeling excited to see a match live. The atmosphere in the stadium was electric, like something incredible was about to happen. 

When the announcement came for the first tag team, you got some shots of them walking through the tunnel and into the ring, holding their arms in the air and greeting the crowd. Brian walked around the ring slowly, scribbling into a notepad, cigarette perched behind his ear.

Then they announced the next tag team, and you moved to the opposite tunnel to get shots of them. You took a breath as you snapped a shot of the taller one, his wavy blonde hair peeking out from under his back cowboy hat. He was wearing a leather jacket that he promptly tore off before he got into the ring, his back muscles rippling. 

You cleared your throat, taking more photos and trying to concentrate on what you were there for. 

The bell rang, and once the match started you had no shortage of great photo opportunities. The men in the ring moved with perfect proficiency and style, playing up to the crowd and putting on a spectacular show. You found yourself more and more drawn to the tall blonde, David Von Erich, you discovered. 

He was so graceful yet could have these huge men slammed onto their backs, his arms bulging and a cocky grin on his face. Once or twice you could have sworn he caught your eye and winked at you but you were sure it was your imagination. 

The Von Erichs won the match, you snapped a photo of the referee holding up the brother's hands as the crowd roared. Brian checked back in with you, telling you he was going to grab some quotes before heading off. You bid him farewell before going to find Pam, heading outside with the rest of the crowd.

“Hey, over here!”

You quickly spotted Pam, smiling as you waved back at her, weaving your way through the crowd to join her.

“Hey,” You smiled, laughing softly as Pam grabbed your arm, a wide grin on her face. “Are you al-”

“Come on,” Pam immediately started tugging you in the opposite direction. “let me show you something,”

You just about managed to maintain your balance and hold onto your camera as you dodged through the dispersing crowd, wondering what exactly Pam was doing.

Before long you had an answer, as you and Pam joined a large group of women hanging around the back door of the Sportatorium. Her keenness to come to the match made much more sense when Kevin Von Erich walked out the door, towel around his shoulders and bag slung over his shoulder. You had never known Pam to look at any man the way she was looking at Kevin.

“What are you waiting for?” You asked, giving Pam a gentle nudge. “Get on over there, girl.”

“I can't, there's too many girls round him,” Pam sighed. “I am not desperate. I'll wait for my time.”

“Saving the best for last huh?” You grinned, watching Pam roll her eyes playfully. “I don't think he's gonna be able to take his eyes off you.”

“You think?” Pam asked, glancing over to you. She looked genuinely concerned and you gave her a reassuring smile. 

“I know.”

A little while later, when the crowd had dispersed and Kevin was signing the last couple of autographs, you gave Pam a gentle nudge, smiling as she quickly fixed her hair.

“Good luck,” You grinned, gently squeezing her arm. “Not that you need it.”

You gave her some space, walking over to a trash can before fishing a pack of cigarettes from your purse. You lit one up, glancing over to Pam and smiling as you spotted Kevin heading in her direction. Closing your eyes as you looked away, you took a long drag on your cigarette and felt yourself relax.

“You know it's a bad habit to smoke those things.”

You opened your eyes, finding a familiar face standing close to you. He looked better in person than he did in the ring, if that was possible. 

“Well I'm sure you know that it is very rude to keep your hat on in the presence of a lady,” You raised a brow, flicking your ash into the trash can. “I could be deeply insulted.”

“I apologize,” David grinned, taking off his hat and giving you a slight bow as he did. He introduced himself properly, as did you, his hand moving over his heart as he tilted his head. “You know I was just joking, there's worse habits to have than smoking.”

You nodded, smiling a little. “Like creeping up on strangers?”

He laughed and you felt a flutter in your stomach. You willed it away, not wanting to be another simpering fan.

“You want one?” You asked, holding out the box of cigarettes. David looked like he was considering saying yes before he shook his head. 

“No, thank you. I shouldn't.”

“Fair enough,” You nodded, putting the box back in your purse. “It really is a bad habit. I'm trying to quit but I got some time to kill so..”

“Oh yeah?” David raised a brow, glancing around the quiet car park before looking back at you. “What you waiting for?”

“My friend,” You gestured in the direction of Pam, who was deep in conversation with Kevin. “she's a big fan.”

“So I see,” David grinned, looking over to his brother and Pam before focusing his attention back on you. “and uh..what about you? Are you a big fan?”

You thought about it/made him wait for a moment as you took a drag on your cigarette and raised a brow.

“I'm just here for work.”

“Really?” David looked a little surprised, lightly rubbing his jaw. “What kinda work do you do?”

You held up your camera with a smile before flicking your cigarette in the trash can. “I’m a photographer,” You explained. “for a newspaper.”

“Oh right,” David smiled, folding his arms. “I'll have to buy that, see if you got any good ones of me. Which paper is it?”

“It's the uh..huh,” You grinned as you glanced over to Pam, watching her laugh as Kevin said something to her. “Excuse me for one second.” 

You turned slightly, holding your camera up and focusing it on Pam and Kevin. You felt very aware of David's presence behind you, trying to hold your hands steady as you snapped a picture. 

“I have a feeling I may need that one day,” You smiled, settling your camera strap back over your shoulder and turning to David. “They're cute together, don't you think?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” David nodded, his gaze staying on you. “She ain't the cutest one here though.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn't fight the smile on your face and multiple flutters in your stomach. 

“Oh shut up, that's such a line.”

“I'm deadly serious,” David grinned, holding his hat over his heart. “I promise.”

You were about to say something when Pam appeared, linking her arm with yours and giggling as she went to drag you away. 

“Hang on one second,” David called, making you look over your shoulder with a smile.

“You never told me the name of your paper!”

“It's in Dallas,” You called back, walking forward with Pam, the two of you giggling. “If you find it, call me!”

📷

A couple of days later you were in the newspaper office, going over some photos for an upcoming article when one of the secretaries knocked on the door and asked for you.

“Call for you,” She explained, gesturing to the phone as you went to her desk. “They didn't give a name, just asked for you.”

“Okay, thanks Margaret,” You smiled, feeling a slight knot in your stomach. It was extremely rare someone called you at work, and you tried not to think the worst. 

Going to the phone, you picked it up and took a deep breath before holding it to your ear. 

“Hello?”

“Hello yourself.”

You let out a soft sigh of relief as you realized who was on the other end of the line, a small smile on your face.

“How many papers did you have to call before you found me?”

“That's not important.”

You rolled your eyes with a grin.

“More than two?”

“..five.”

“Oh wow,” You grinned, turning more towards the wall. “That's perseverance right there. I'm flattered.”

“Well so am I,” David replied. “I saw those pictures you took. They were great, I wanted to thank you for catching me at such a flattering angle.”

“You're welcome,” You smiled, glancing over your shoulder before looking back and lowering your voice slightly. “That the only reason you called six newspapers? Angles?”

“Not quite,” You could hear a cheeky tone in his voice, your fingers holding the phone cord. “I was hoping you'd come see me again. You don't have to take pictures this time, if you don't want.”

“As it happens I am coming,” You raised a brow with a smile. “Your brother beat you to the invite. He invited Pam, who invited me. So I'll be there.”

“Well damn,” David laughed softly. “I guess I'll just have to come right out with it then..ask you on a real date.”

“Oh?” You grinned, feeling like a teenager as your cheeks grew warm. “How about we make it interesting?”

“I'm all ears.”

You took a breath, trying to calm your heartbeat. You were aware of Margaret behind you, knowing she'd be listening to every word. 

“Alright, if you win..I accept. If you don't, no deal.”

“Hm, sounds fair,” David replied. “I guess I'll have to try a little harder this week. I'll let you get back to work, alright?”

“Alright,” You nodded, trying not too smile too widely. “I'll see you Saturday. Bye.”

You hung up the phone, turning around to Margaret with a polite smile.

“Thank you, I'll be in the office.”

Once you closed the door and found yourself alone, you let out a laugh, shaking your head and wondering what you'd let yourself in for.

📷

Saturday came around quickly, and most of the day was given over to preparing. At first you were just helping Pam, heading into store after store to find the perfect outfit. Then you started looking for yourself, realizing that you wanted to put in just a little more effort since you were going to watch, not work. 

As the evening drew closer, the radio was on full blast in the apartment as you and Pam cracked open a bottle of wine and started the beauty process. You couldn't shake the slight nerves that were settled in your stomach, but they were joined by an excitement. 

“Oh,” Pam turned from the bathroom mirror to look at you. You were sitting on the edge of the bathtub, carefully painting your toenails. “Did he ever get in touch? David? I completely forgot to ask.”

“Yeah, he found me,” You grinned, laughing as Pam gasped. “Asked me to come along tonight. I told him I was already coming.”

“And?” Pam asked, waving her hand at you. “What else? Did he ask you out?”

“I told him he can take me out if he wins,” You smiled, holding the bottle of nail polish up in the air with a laugh as Pam rushed over to hug you.

“This is so exciting! We're gonna be like sisters!”

📷

When you arrived at the Sportatorium, it seemed to be even busier than it had been the previous week. You stepped out of your truck, smoothing out your outfit. It was only a black off the shoulder top and some denim jeans but you hoped it still looked good. 

You linked your arm with Pam's as the two of you headed inside the bustling arena, your heart beating faster as you took your seats. As it turned out, watching the match was totally different to photographing it. You couldn't move about, couldn't pick one thing to focus on. It was all happening, bright and loud and thrilling. You found yourself cheering and whistling with the crowd, you and Pam both jumping up and screaming when the Von Erichs emerged victorious.

When it was all over and you were enjoying the fresh air, you couldn't help but find it adorable when Kevin couldn't keep his eyes off Pam while he signed autographs. Once he was free you gave him and Pam some space, almost immediately bumping into David.

“Hey winner,” You smiled, resting your hands in your back pockets. “Nice angles in there.”

“I hope someone was there to capture them,” David grinned, taking his hat off. “Did you have a good time?”

“Yeah,” You nodded, watching David for a moment, smiling as you realized he almost seemed a little nervous. “I really enjoyed it..though I'm a little curious about something.”

“What might that be?” David asked, moving his hat from one hand to the other. 

“Well,” You smiled, stepping closer and looking up at him. “Are you going to honor our agreement?”

📷

It was only when you were putting on your coat to leave the apartment when it dawned on that you hadn't actually been on a first date for..a while. There were some relationships in high school, a couple in college along with some dates and flings but the last had been before you graduated. 

You tried not to think about it too much, you were just going for dinner and seeing a movie. Worst case scenario, you and David didn't end up hitting it off and the world would go on as it always did. But part of you was hopeful that something would come from the date, that it would develop into something really great.

Grabbing your purse, you left the apartment and went downstairs to hail a cab, excitement starting to outweigh the nerves.

📷

“No way,” You laughed, your eyes going wide as you placed your hand over your chest. “You did not do that.”

“Yes I did,” David nodded, a serious look on his face before he laughed. “I was so sick afterwards. Never got found out though. Mom just went and got Kerry and Mike a new egg each. I couldn't eat chocolate for like three months.”

“I'm not surprised,” You laughed, picking up your drink. “You can't say you didn't deserve it.”

David laughed, nodding as he picked up his own drink. 

“I certainly did deserve it. Moment of weakness I guess.” 

You took a sip of your drink before setting the glass down and glancing around the restaurant. It was a steakhouse, but it felt like a nice one. Elegant lighting, candles on the tables, classy music playing. No sawdust or butcher paper to be found. 

“So do you think your brothers ever found out?” You asked, sitting up a little and resting your hands in your lap. “Or did you tell them?”

“No to both I'm afraid,” David sighed softly, lightly tapping his glass as he set it down. “Though I think Kev knew it was me..” He smiled to himself as he looked down. “Never said anything if he did know, though.”

“Seems like you two are close,” You smiled, your heart picking up a beat as David looked back at you with a warm smile. 

“We are,” He nodded. “We all are. I can't imagine life without them, they're amazing.” 

You felt your heart swell, trying not to get too swept up in your emotions. 

“That's so wonderful,” You smiled. “It's amazing that you're all so close.”

“Yeah,” David grinned, sitting up a little. “I just feel so lucky every day, like..” He stopped himself, lightly rubbing his neck.

“You know what, I feel like all I've done is talk about myself, my brothers, I don't want you to think I'm self absorbed or nothing, I promise I ain't like that.”

You shook your head, reaching your hand across the table and grinning when David held it with his own.

“I know you're not,” You insisted. “You're wonderful. Now tell me more about your family, I want the good stories.”

You ended up missing the movie, but neither of you cared. You talked until the restaurant was closing, David's jacket around your shoulders as you walked out into the night air. He gave you a ride home and kissed your cheek by your door  like a gentleman. 

“I had a great time,” You smiled, carefully taking off David's jacket and giving it back to him. You could tell he wanted to tell you to keep it, and you knew why he couldn't. 

“Maybe you should win another match, take me out again.”

“It's a deal.”

📷

Going to matches became a weekly event. You and Pam would cheer and cling to each other, laughing at how silly you were being. You took pictures for yourself, wanting to remember every moment. Afterwards you would meet David and Kevin, go for burgers and debrief on the match. 

It wasn't always easy for David to visit you, so you called each other when you could, spending an hour or two talking about anything and everything. You drove down to Denton a couple of times, meeting him for something to eat or just for a drive. 

He was always a perfect gentleman, opening doors for you and holding your hand, never pressing for anything more even though you suspected he was just as keen as you were to take things further.

You decided to nudge things in the right direction one night when you had gone down to visit him. Pam had come with you, and David and Kevin had taken you to the lake with their brother Mike, who you instantly adored. 

The afternoon was perfect, gorgeous hot weather and ice cold beers, floating along in the water and feeling like nothing else could possibly matter but being in that moment. 

You were sitting on the edge of the dock while the others drifted along on the huge rubber float, snapping a couple of shots of them before setting the camera aside. David appeared next to you, sitting down and resting his hand on your back. You leaned into the touch, his arm moving around your shoulders. 

“I love this,” You smiled softly, closing your eyes and letting out a breath. “If every day was like this..what a world.”

“It's perfect,” David murmured softly. “I can't think of anything better.”

“Hm, I reckon I can,” You smiled, opening your eyes and looking up at him. His eyes were already on you and you grinned as he took a breath and leaned in, his lips feeling like heaven against yours. 

You could hear the cheers and whistles, smiling into the kiss and feeling satisfied beyond belief. 

📷

“You ready for this?”

“Absolutely not. You?”

“Absolutely not.”

You flicked on the indicator and headed up the long drive to the Von Erich home, glancing over to Pam in the passenger seat.

“At least we're in this together.”

It was incredibly daunting, the thought of meeting David's parents and his brother Kerry, who had recently come home. He had told you countless times that they would love you, but it didn't ease your nerves. 

You were relieved to have Pam with you, that she was in the same boat. Mike met you both at the door, giving you both a hug and chatting away as he led you outside. 

It was a flurry of introductions, handshakes and hugs and the most perfect kiss from David that had you instantly relaxing.

By the time everyone sat down for dinner, it felt as though you had known the Von Erichs forever. The food was delicious, the weather was beautiful, the company was amazing. You felt David reach for your hand under the table when his parents talked about how they met, your heart swelling. 

When Doris forbade Mike from going to a gig that night, you glanced across the table to Pam smiling as she gave you a slight nod.

📷

“Alright, drive, drive!”.

You put your foot down, laughing as you glanced in the mirror and watched your boyfriend and his brothers gradually haul themselves into your truck. You turned the radio up when you left the driveway, rolling down the windows and cheering as you hit the road.

It didn't matter whose house the party was in, it was big and roomy and most importantly, fun. You had a beer in your hand before you knew it, hitting the makeshift dance floor. The brothers spun you and Pam around, laughter filling the air as you moved to the music, not a care in the world.

When Mike took to the stage with his band, you stood with David behind you, his arms wrapped around you. You all cheered as the song started up, swaying along as you held your hands over David's. 

Later in the evening you gently took David's hand and pulled him into a quiet corner, whispering in his ear and enjoying the slightly tipsy smile that crossed his face, a flash of worry passing his eyes.

You led him upstairs, finding an empty bedroom and closing the door.

“We..we don't have to,” David insisted as you slipped off your shoes. “I don't want you to feel pressured.”

“I don't,” You smiled, walking to the end of the bed and unzipping your dress before turning back to David. “But I will think you don't want to if you don't get over here in the next thirty seconds.”

He didn't need to be asked twice.

You laughed as you were picked up bridal style and carried to the top of the bed, letting out a soft moan as David laid you down and gave you a tender kiss.

Despite your suspicions that David was possibly a virgin, you didn't ask when he didn't bring it up. He was a little apprehensive, but once you took the lead he seemed to tap into his ring persona and the confidence in his movements had you struggling not to scream as your nails dug into his back, the sheets, your body crying out for more. 

“Oh god,” You moaned, touching David's cheek and looking up to meet his eyes as your legs hooked around his waist. “Baby..’m so close, please..”

You closed your eyes as he pushed deeper into you, his forehead resting against yours.

“Me too,” He murmured, his hand reaching for yours. “Fuck..fuck..I love you.”

Your eyes went wide at the confession, a deep moan spilling from your lips as you felt a wave crash over you, feeling David fill you moments later. You moved your hands to his neck, meeting his eyes and taking a deep breath. 

“I'm sorry,” He sighed, looking down. “I shouldn't have-this isn't the time..”

“No,” You insisted, a smile spreading on your face. “It's the perfect time. I love you, too.”

📷

“Mind if I get one of those?”

You turned around, letting out a sigh of relief as you spotted Kerry walking towards you. 

“Of course,” You smiled, taking the box of cigarettes from your purse and handing it over. “Thought you were David for a second.”

Kerry laughed as he accepted the box, shaking his head.

“Nah, your secret is safe with me. Just needed one huh?”

“Yeah,” You nodded, flicking away the ash. “I'm so nervous. I don't know why, it's not like I have to walk down the aisle in front of hundreds of people wearing this,” You raised a brow, gesturing to your dress.

As much as you adored Pam, and as thrilled as you were that she was getting married and had asked you to be her maid of honor, you did not exactly love the dress she had chosen. For a start, it was a mix of dusky pink and peach, the skirt was so big you wondered if you fit down the aisle, and the sleeves were almost the size of your head.

“I feel you,” Kerry nodded, looking down at himself as he lit his cigarette. “I think we all feel a little ridiculous. But you know the worst part?”

“Go on,” You smiled, lifting up the puffball that had slipped down your shoulder. “shock me.”

“I gotta do this three more times,” Kerry sighed, lightly prodding the flower attached to his suit. “At least you get to choose your wedding dress. I'm stuck in velvet hell.”

You laughed, shaking your head and taking a drag on your cigarette. 

“Oh come on, it ain't so bad. I think I heard Mike say he would never have velvet.”

“Really?” Kerry raised a brow, looking over to you. 

“Promise,” You grinned, holding your hand over your heart. “He said he'd have velour.”

“Oh fuck off,” Kerry laughed, shaking his head and holding his hand out. “Gimme a mint and get out of here, I'll velour you.”

“I'd like to see you try,” You laughed, getting a mint from your purse and flicking your cigarette away before walking over to Kerry. “See you inside. Don't destroy that flower.”

📷

“Isn't she beautiful?” You smiled, watching Pam and Kevin sway on the dancefloor, smiles etched on their faces as they moved to the music. 

You felt the urge to take a photo, but a professional had been hired for the day. Pam had insisted she wanted you to be in the pictures, not the one behind the camera. You had been a little disappointed, but you gave her the photo you'd taken from when she and Kevin had first met, and her reaction made it all worth it.

“She really is,” Doris nodded, looking over to you and taking your hand with a smile. “And you will be too.”

“Thank you,” You smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Let me go get us another drink.”

You stood up, making your way over to the bar with a smile. While you and David weren't officially engaged, it was kind of an unspoken truth that when Pam and Kevin had gotten married, David would propose to you next. Kerry wasn’t seeing anyone, and while Mike was dating a girl, they had only been together a few weeks.

So, you knew you were next up.

As you waited for your drinks, you smiled as you felt a familiar presence by your side.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look today?”

“Yes,” You grin, turning to face David and giving him a kiss. “But I don't mind hearing it again.”

As the song ended and a new one started up, more guests took to the floor.

“Should we go for a twirl?” David asked, gently stroking your cheek. “or maybe not quite a twirl, that dress will take out anyone who comes close,” He teased.

“Oh shut up,” You laughed, lightly swatting him. “I'm getting your mom a drink, if I don't take you out first.”

“I'll take it to her,” David smiled, leaning down to give you a soft kiss. “Then you owe me a dance.”

📷

So, here it is. 

The big day. 

You thought at times it would never come, but it's here. 

A lot has happened, of course. Weddings need buildup, after all. The guests can only talk about how beautiful you look and wonder who did the food for so long. You gotta give them something. 

So what's new? It's been a minute, a luxuriously long engagement. 

The Von Erichs have gone from strength to strength, reaching the top of the wrestling game. You still go see matches, when you can. They're global now, you always feel a rush of pride when you watch them on TV at some crazy hour.

Pam is a world class veterinarian, an incredible mother to the most gorgeous baby, and still the best friend in the world. 

Kevin won the WHC belt, is the most devoted husband, father, brother, brother-in-law and son. He and Pam keep saying they're going to buy a ranch in Hawaii for everyone to live in, and you like to think maybe it could be true.

Kerry insists he's your favorite brother-in-law, and you insist that you couldn't possibly choose a favorite but deep down you think he's most likely right. He makes you laugh the most, teases you and makes stupid jokes to cheer you up when you need it. The two of you have sneaky cigarettes and know what the other is thinking when you look at each other. 

Mike has just signed a recording contract with his band, and you tell him all the time he better come to you first with concert tickets. He's going to be the next one engaged, he's so loved up and it's adorable. 

Then there's David. 

The yellow rose who called up six different newspapers just to ask you out, who let you into his life, who loves you unconditionally and makes you so unbelievably happy that you wonder what you ever did without him. You would never have pursued your dreams without him and his family, that's something you know. And let's not forget his proposal, which was the most beautiful moment of your life.

David had taken you on a surprise trip one night, insisting that you were just going for a drive after you'd been out for dinner, but you knew it wasn't true. You found yourself at the lake, David's hand in yours as you walked down to the dock, which..was decorated with candles in jars, rose petals, a bottle of champagne sitting in ice. 

Knowing that you were marrying your soulmate, joining a family you loved deeply, it made you feel so safe, so secure. You quit your job, deciding to pursue your real passion. You bought a gallery in Dallas, and displayed your own work along with other local artists, including your soon to be mother in law. It took time, but it's become a success, and you don't care what any of them say, you couldn't have done it without your family.

Plenty for the guests to talk about, right?

You take a deep breath as you step out of the car, Pam fixes your dress and you take a deep breath. Her dress is beautiful, and most importantly, simple. 

Before you know it you're walking down the aisle, your heart beating faster as hundreds of faces smile at you, but there's only one you need to see, and when you do it makes everything okay. 

You reach the top of the aisle, feeling overwhelmed with love, beaming as you turn to look at your soon to be husband.

“You know it's a bad habit to leave the bride with a veil over her face,” You grinned, watching David gently touch the hem of the silky veil and carefully move it back, a wide smile on his face.

“I do apologize,” He grinned. “Still gonna marry me?”

“Of course,” You smiled. “You look perfect from this angle.”

[lemonlyman-dotcom]

9-1-1 Lone Star Platonic Pairings Event

Hello! @bonheur-cafe & I are excited to kick off the 9-1-1 Lone Star Platonic Pairings Event! What better time than the month of love to celebrate the friendships of the 126 and beyond.

We invite everyone who would like to participate to create something lovely in celebration of the beautiful friendships on this show! Any medium is welcomed; fanfic, fan art, gifsets, metas etc. Any and all pairings are welcome, you can feature a canon-established friendship or you can explore a pairing that hasn’t had much screen time but you’d like to see teamed up. Your work can include a couple + friend, two couples, no couples… whatever you wanna do as long as the focus is on the friendships.

This event will go from February 1st - March 31st, however folks can keep creating for as long as they would like. We’d love to see some platonic love around Valentine’s Day 🥰

Please use the tag #911 Lone Star Platonic Pairings when posting your work to ao3 and/or tumblr and we will reblog. We will share a master list of all the art created for the event in April.

We’ve provided a list of prompts below the cut for inspiration. Please feel free to use any of the prompts, solo or a combination, or none of the prompts. We can’t wait to see what you create!

Dialogue

“I missed you”

“I feel like I’ve known you forever”

"You’re more than just a friend. We're family."

“Can you please pick me up?” “I'll be there in 10.” (could be fluff or angst)

"So... I met someone." "I'm sorry, WHAT."

Scenarios

Something just between friends (i.e. secret handshake, inside jokes, secrets etc.)

Roommates AU

Meeting each other’s parents

Camping trip

Double date!

Romantic date? No! Best friend date

Wearing each other’s clothes

The gang goes on a vacation or some kind of trip and somebody gets lost

Doing each other’s hair / Getting their hair done

Saving the other during a call / Working together on a call

An incident at a call causes a fight and the rest of the gang has to intervene

Competitive streak, maybe a bet on who can make the most saves in a shift

Red vs blue

TK & Mateo go to get tattoos together

Trying a new game or bringing someone new to Catan game night

Trying a new board game @ Catan night / Inviting new people to Catan night

Road trip to watch Marjan’s roller derby team in Houston or Dallas

Group text thread gone awry

Besties in a fight

Friend A has to bail Friend B outta jail

Friend A is suspicious of a new coworker and Friend B is the only one who believes them

Recovering together after an incident

Working through/processing a big canon event together

Dadptain Owen

Momtain Tommy

Big brother Judd

Learning to love Lou Two

Friend A has to call Friend B to come help them out of an awkward position / Catching each other in a compromising position

We're having our monthly friend meet up and you can tell I have something big to tell you, but you're waiting for me to bring it up.

No one gives a shovel talk like a friend