#he's just like YEAH mitch deserves it

[austronauts]

It's terrific because [the fans' love] is so well-deserved for Mitch. This guy has been really driving the bus for us, so for him to get that reaction and to know that the people are behind him - that's terrific

Sheldon Keefe about Scotiabank Arena’s reaction to Mitch

[writingwithciara]

Best Friend For Life ~Auston Matthews~

summary: y/n's best friend stephanie is getting married to the best guy in the world. aka mitch marner. she is the maid of honor but the best man tends to get on her nerves whenever they're together.

word count: 3.7k

pairing: auston matthews x reader, mitch marner x stephanie lachance

notes: so i was listening to a song the other day and for some reason, i immediately thought of mitch and his wife [friends to lovers sorta]

masterlist

"promise not to get mad at me?" was the first thing stephanie said as she walked through the door of the apartment she shared with her best friend. y/n looked up from her computer with a raised eyebrow.

"what did you do?"

"how do you feel about hockey games?"

"can't stand them. why? what did you do?" she repeated, getting up from her chair and walking over to her best friend.

"we're going to the toronto game tonight."

"and i repeat. what did you do?"

"i was at the coffee shop and i ran into this really cute guy. we talked for hours and he's so sweet. asked me to go on a date with him after his game tonight."

"oh that's great. congratulations."

"but there's a catch."

"oh god. what do i have to do?"

"his best friend is single and so are you so i figured you could tag along since his friend is going to be there too."

"give me one good reason i should, steph." y/n walked into the kitchen to make her lunch. stephanie followed her quickly and clasped her hands together.

"please come with me. i think this guy might be the one. like, for real this time."

"you're lucky i love you and believe you deserve the best."

"does that mean you'll come to the game and the date?"

"let's just see how the game goes first."

"yay. we need to dress really good." steph smirked and dragged y/n into her closet, the lunch completely forgotten.

that night, y/n met mitch and was amazed at how good he treated stephanie, even though they had only met each other a few hours earlier. his best friend, however, was not as great. he did try, but it was easy to tell that he didn't want to be there.

and it only got worse from there.

over time, they both developed a mutual disinterest in each other.

and here they were, a few years later, helping their two best friends plan a wedding.

it was very obvious from the beginning that mitch and stephanie were meant to be together so it was no surprise to anyone when mitch approached y/n to ask for her help with the proposal. he had already gotten her parents approval but he knew that her best friends approval meant a whole lot to her too. he respected their relationship and treated them both well.

the only thing that mitch did that y;/n didn't like was asking stephanie to move in with him. it left y/n alone in their apartment and it felt weird. mitch had suggested that auston move in, in place f stephanie, but y/n quickly shot that idea down. she would rather live alone than live with auston.

as the two girls sat in the kitchen of mitch's house, zeus was resting his head on y/n's lap. she stroked his ear and listened to the plans stephanie wanted for the wedding.

"i'm really honored you chose me to be your maid of honor. but do i have to dance with the best man?"

"i know you and auston despise each other but it's a tradition in my family that the best man and maid of honor share the dance after the married couples first dance."

"i know." y/n sighed. "i'll do it but i won't be happy about it."

"oh thank god. mitch and i were worried we'd have to break tradition."

"i would never allow that." y/n smiled and stood up. zeus tilted his head slightly and gave her a look. "maybe i should dance with zeus instead. he's so much cuter and he actually likes me."

"that would be cute, but it's-"

"tradition. yeah i know." y/n smiled. "how did auston react when mitch told him?"

"i think he's telling him after practice today," stephanie checked her phone. "which should be over right about now."

"i hope he has the same reaction."

over at the arena, mitch and auston were the last two out of the locker room. mitch sent stephanie a text and looked over at auston.

"hey, there's something i need to tell you about the wedding."

"what is it?"

"after steph and i have our first dance, there's a tradition in her family that follows that. the best man and the maid of honor have to dance together too."

"meaning i have to dance with y/n? seriously?""

"sorry man but it's tradition. you can put aside your hatred for one night, can't you?"

"i can promise to try but i can't promise a success."

"that's good enough for me." mitch chuckled and got to his car. "you coming over for dinner? the girls are making meatloaf."

"yeah sure. why not?" auston got in his car and followed mitch to his house. he completely ignored the fact that y/n was going to be there.

the next few days were spent learning how to dance properly. auston and y/n barely made it through without killing each other, but at least they were ready for the big day.

when it arrived, y/n and stephanie were in the room with the rest of the bridal party. the hairdresser finished the last touches on stephanie's hair and she turned around.

"so, how do i look?"

"you look like a princess. mitch is going to cry." y/n smiled and wiped a tear from her own eye. "gosh, you're so lucky. mitch is probably the last good guy on earth."

"he's the best." stephanie looked in the mirror and smiled. "i love him so much. i knew from the moment i met him that this day would happen."

"i knew too. he was the sweetest." y/n smiled. "if you guys ever have kids, that child is going to be blessed with the best genes ever."

"you and auston are good looking too. and if you guys ever get over yourselves and get together to have a child, it's going to be just as beautiful as you guys."

"we're never getting together."

"i want us to have babies around the same time so they can be best friends too."

"i can try to give you that wish. but it's not going to be with auston."

"okay. as long as i get a niece or nephew to love like crazy."

"i love you, steph." y/n pulled her best friend in for a hug before there was knock on the door. auston poked his head in and covered his eyes.

"you ladies ready?"

"auston, you can uncover your eyes." stephanie giggled and shook her head, shooting a look at y/n. "let's go."

one by one, the bridesmaids made their way to stand next to the groomsmen they were paired with. when y/n walked out with stephanie, auston couldn't keep his eyes from roaming y/n's body. the dress fit her so well and her hair was styled perfectly.

'is she not wearing any makeup? holy crap. i don't think i've ever seen her wear any. has she been this perfect the whole time?' he found himself thinking. he shook the thought from his head and took his spot next to her.

"damn, matthews. you really clean up well, don't you?" y/n nudged him with her elbow and he was suddenly at a loss for words. "what's the matter? cat got your tongue? no funny remark?"

"no. sorry." he let out a breath. "thank you for the compliment. you, um, look really good too."

"i know i do." y/n smirked. "but thank you. that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"it can't be." auston looked at her and ran through their history in his mind. "okay. maybe that's true. and i'm sorry for that."

"you are forgiven, matthews." y/n watched as the pairs in front of them made their way out to where they needed to be. she linked her arm up with auston's, wished stephanie good luck and followed the man outside. they stopped at the end of the aisle and went to their designated locations. "you look great, mitchy." she whispered to mitch before taking her spot.

the music started and everyone stood up. when stephanie and her dad walked out, y/n glanced over at mitch. she had only seen him cry twice before in the few years she had known him. this was the third time she had seen tears in his eyes. he tried to hide it but when he looked over at y/n, he smiled.

as the minister went through the normal ceremony, auston kept looking over at y/n. she was watching the interactions between stephanie and mitch so intently, wiping away a tear or two every few seconds. auston was in complete awe of her.

at the reception, stephanie and mitch had the traditional first dance and when that was over, auston was more than eager to make his way to the dance floor. he and y/n took their places and began to dance

as they moved to the music, y/n looked up at auston.

"have you been practicing on your free time?"

"no, i swear. maybe you just make me a better dancer." he shrugged and moved her around the dance floor effortlessly.

"what's gotten into you tonight, matthews?"

"i think it's all the love in the air." he smiled.

"never would've pegged you for a romantic guy. no offence."

"none taken. i didn't expect it from myself either honestly." he spun her around a few times and when the song ended, so did their moment.

everyone else came to the dance floor to do their thing and y/n walked to the table to sit for a minute. stephanie was sitting beside her with a smile.

"auston is so into you."

"no he's not."

"oh please. i heard what he said before the wedding started. he was genuinely complimenting you. there was no hint of lying in his voice."

"he claims it's the love being in the air. i don't know what else to tell you."

even as y/n spoke those words, she couldn't bring herself to believe them. maybe stephanie was right and auston really was into her. she scanned the room and found him with mitch in the middle of the dance floor. they were having the time of their lives and y/n couldn't help but smile.

auston could feel someone watching him so when he looked up and locked eyes with y/n, he winked at her. she turned away shyly and sipped her drink. he thought it was cute.

y/n could feel her cheeks heating up and she hated it. she didn't like the way auston was suddenly making her feel. looking down at her now empty glass, she decided to blame it on the alcohol in her system, and as auston put it, the love in the air.

halfway through the reception, y/n was beginning to really feel the alcohol. the thing about that was it made her act differently and her voice of reason flew out the window whenever she drank.

as she downed her drink yet again, she found herself making her way to where auston was leaning against the wall. he noticed her approach him and he finished his drink.

"hey. what are you doing all alone over here? you should be having some fun. trying to pick up a girl or two." y/n giggled. why did it feel like her stomach was in knots?

"honestly, nobody here is really catching my eye." his eyes roamed the room before landing back on y/n. "might just call it a night."

"no don't." y/n sounded too eager to get him to stay so she backtracked her outburst. "i mean, it's your best friends wedding and you're the best man. you can't leave." y/n shyly looked down at her shoes.

"okay, i'll stay. but first, you gotta tell me why you hate me so much."

"what are you talking about? i hate you because on the night we met, you decided right away that you didn't like me."

"what gave you that impression?" he chuckled dryly.

"you were grumpy and it was very obvious you didn't want to be there. you put no effort into getting to know me. but i don't understand why you were grumpy. you scored the game winning goal in overtime, not to mention you had the only hat trick the entire game. that should've made you a little happier. you were so good that night. i remember telling steph 'wow. that matthews kid is really good.' like i was very impressed. and then we met and i thought you were really cute. but you had to ruin it by opening your mouth."

"you thought i was cute?"

"why do you hate me?"

"i don't. never did. i jsut really didn't want to be put on a blind double date. i hate blind dates."

"i hate them too. and i was only there as a favor to steph."

"i was only there for mitch. he was telling me during practice that he thought he met the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and he wanted me to meet her & make sure she wasn't a serial killer or crazy in anyway."

"and look at them now. kinda crazy how they both knew right away, huh?"

"yeah. but i think it's sweet." auston looked down at her and smiled. forgetting for a second that he hated her. "i'm really happy for them though. they're good for each other."

"i agree." y/n grabbed a glass off a passing waiters tray and drank half of it in one gulp.

"do you think you'll find the person you want to spend your life with?"

"i'd like to think i will & i'm hoping it's soon. but with my luck in love, it'll probably never happen." y/n sighed. "how about you? think you'll meet her soon?"

"honestly, i think i may have already met her."

oh. well that's good." y/n looked down at her feet. "wanna dance? reception's almost over and i feel like we should get at least one more dance in, just to make the newlyweds happy." she gestured to their right where mitch and steph were dancing. they waved and danced away.

"sure. what harm can it do?"

the two of them walked out onto the dance floor and just as they were getting into the beat of the song, it ended and a new slow song started. y/n froze and looked at auston. he grabbed her hands and placed them where they needed to be before he guided her across the dance floor.

they locked eyes and it suddenly felt like they were the only people around. to everyone but them, it was obvious there was an attraction between them.

when the song ended, y/n stayed with her arms around auston's neck as they swayed back and forth.

"so there's really nobody here that catches your eye?" y/n asked, bringing up part of their earlier conversation. she played with her thumbs behind his neck and one of them wrapped itself in a curl that was loose.

"actually, now that i've thought more about it, there may be one."

"wanna point her out? maybe i can talk you up to her."

"red dress, dark hair that's half up half down with curls, no makeup because she's literally perfect and doesn't need it. she's so perfect but she's dancing with the hottest guy here. i can't compete with that."

"one of those things describe steph. she's not wearing a red dress though, nor does she have dark hair. however, i am dancing with the hottest guy here."

"i know." auston smirked and twirled her around. when he pulled her back, he was holding her tighter. "you look so beautiful right now. and not just tonight. every night since the night i met you."

"auston, are you drunk?"

"maybe a little. but i'm coherent enough to know what i'm saying and i'm sober enough to tell you that i mean it."

"auston, please don't lie to me."

"why would i need to lie to you?" he looked down at her and y/n searched his eyes for a sign of him lying. there wasn't one. "i've always thought you were beautiful. gorgeous even. out of my league for sure. and i'm genuinely sorry that i never really said anything about it."

"please don't apologize. i wasn't exactly the nicest person to be around so that must've made it difficult for you."

"difficult, yes. but worth it? totally. 100% worth it."

"do you think that if mitch and steph hadn't dragged us both on that date that night, then maybe we would have a different history than the one we do?"

"what do you mean?"

"i mean, if they had invited us to a group thing instead and that's how we met, do you think that we could've been friends these last few years?"

"for sure." auston smiled. "and maybe, if we had been friends and i asked you on a proper date, you could've said yes."

"i think i would've." it was y/n's turn to smile. "but hey. we're both still young and have plenty of life left to live. why don't we go out tomorrow night?"

"that sounds like it could be fun." auston chuckled. "and just to be clear, it'll be just us, right? no one else."

"yes. just us."

"great. i'll pick you up at 8 then."

"it's a date." y/n smiled as auston spun her around.

the following night, y/n was getting ready for the date when stephanie facetimed her.

"oh, who you getting ready for?"

"believe it or not, i'm going on a date with auston."

"oh my god. finally!" mitch cheered from the other end of the phone. his face appeared on the screen and he was sporting a large smile. "i'm so tired of hearing him pine over you."

"you're exaggerating, mitchy." y/n shook her head. "how's the honeymoon you guys?"

"it's perfect. thanks for the suggestion." steph was back on the screen. "and thanks for agreeing to take care of zeus while we're gone."

"of course. i love zeus." y/n smiled and looked at the dog, whose head was resting on y/n's lap. "who's the bestest boy? you are. yes you are."

"have fun on your date, sweetie. make sure to tell me everything afterwards."

"always. see you guys later." y/n hung up the phone and finished doing her hair. "which dress should i wear zeus?" she held up a yellow dress and zeus tilted his head. she then held up a blue dress and he barked. "thank you, zeus." y/n changed quickly and looked at herself in the mirror. "what do you think?"

zeus barked and tilted his head.

"you're so cute." y/n grabbed her purse and walked to the door when she heard a knock. "okay, zeus. i'll be back in a few hours. there's plenty of food in your bowl and your treat ball is filled so you should be fine."

y/n opened the door and auston handed her a small bouquet of orange chrysanthemums, her favorite.

"how did you know?"

"i remember you telling mitch one day that you loved chrysanthemums and how your heart would be complete if someone ever gave you the orange ones specifically. i didn't know what the different colors meant but i did some research shortly after that night and i've wanted to give you a bouquet of orange ones ever since. delicate love, right?"

"yeah. exactly." she ventured into the kitchen to grab a vase and filled it with water. "i can't believe you even remembered that. i told him like 4 years ago."

"i know. um, you may not believe me but i had a list of all your favorite things. i don't have it now because i memorized it but i figured i'd let you know."

"auston, this is so uncharacteristic of you. but i appreciate the attentiveness. no guy has ever done anything like this for me before."

"i know. it's unfortunate but you deserve it. you deserve someone who is willing to treat you like a queen. someone who can't get you out of his head, even if he tried. because you are so perfect, it's crazy."

"auston?"

"hmm?"

"stop talking." y/n smiled and pecked his lips. "you are so sweet, matthews."

"hold on just a second." he kissed her again but this time it lasted longer than a simple peck. she wrapped her arms around his neck and his found a place resting gently on her waist. auston was the first to let go of the kiss but they were both smiling from ear to ear.

"no guy has ever kissed me like that before. wow." y/n smirked.

"well all the other guys have been really stupid. and i'm not ashamed to admit that i'm part of that list."

"you're also a lot smarter than all the other guys i've been interested in." y/n's hand reached up to rest against his cheek.

"has anyone ever told you how perfect you are?"

"you did last night while we were dancing." y/n smiled and looked into his eyes. "and for the record, you're pretty perfect too."

"does that mean we're....perfect together?"

"corny joke aside, i think we might be."

"good." he smirked and kissed her again. their date was pretty much forgotten at this point as y/n pulled him through her apartment and into the living room.

auston sat on the couch and held y/n's hips as she straddled him. she looked into his eyes and felt herself getting lost in them.

"just so you know, i never bring a guy home on the first date."

"i know. and technically, if you count the blind date when we met, this is technically our second date." he smirked in response.

"it was a disaster and i feel now that our relationship has crossed the friendship line, we should just forget about the night we met."

"deal." auston smiled and they sealed their deal with a kiss. several kisses to be exact.

taglist: @worldlxvlys @fearfam69691 @carolinalikesthings

[daisyblog]

It’s a…

Our Story Masterlist Summary: Gender reveal.

Harry and YN had been for an early gender scan, due it being so close to Christmas and they are going to be travelling back up North for the holidays. 

Their family and friends had sent in their predictions the night before, all trying to guess what baby Styles was going to be. 

Anne: Girl💕

Gemma: Boy💙

Michal: Boy! 

Louis: Girl x 

Lottie: 💙💙💙

Phoebe: 💕

Daisy: 🩷

Jen & Len: Girl xx

Mark & Sally: 💙

Jeff: Glenne and I think Girl!!

Mitch: Boy!

Sarah: Girl xx

Pauli: BABY STYLES IS A GIRL! I think! 

Lloyd: Booooooy!!

Brad: Girl! p.s good luck H😂

James: I think boy! 

Louise: Lux and I think girl💞

Niall: Girl!❤️

Liam: Boy! 

Zayn: Khai says girl x 

In all honestly Harry and YN didn’t mind if their baby was a boy or girl, they just prayed for a happy and healthy little one. 

Once YN and Harry were called into the room, YN laid down on the bed with Harry sat next to her, holding her hand for comfort. 

“Are we ready to see your baby?.” The sonographer asked. 

“More than ready!” YN smiled at Harry, who brought their joined hands up his lips and pressed a quick peck to them. 

The room was silent whilst the sonographer moved the probe around YN’s tummy. The sound of a racing heartbeat broke the silence, and YN’s new favourite sound could be heard. Their baby’s heartbeat!

“You have one wriggly baby…they don’t want to keep still for me today!” The lady joked, causing YN and Harry to laugh as they watched the screen. 

“Is everything okay? With the baby I mean?”. Harry asked, something he liked doing at every appointment. 

“If I could use the word perfect, I would.” The older woman smiled. “But I can’t, but honestly your baby is growing absolutely beautifully in there…so keep doing what you’re doing Mama!”. 

Harry gave YN a proud smile, knowing that YN needed to hear that today after having a few days of insecurities. 

“Would you like to know the gender?”.

“Yeah please!” Harry didn’t hesitate, eagerly wanting to know if they were having a baby son or daughter. 

After a few more pokes and prodes on YN’s tummy, the woman smiled. “Congratulations Mum and Dad…you’re having a…”. 

---

Originally YN and Harry were going to share their baby’s gender with their families at Christmas. But not wanting to take away the attention away from Louis on his birthday or the younger children at Christmas, they decided they would share the news with everyone at the same time. 

Keeping it simple, YN sent all their family and friends the same photo sharing the news. Both waiting for the reactions!

Louis: 

OI OI!!

I am absolutely buzzing right now! I’m chuffed to pieces for you both. I can’t wait to meet your baby and you best believe I’m going to spoil her rotten! 

Give bump a kiss from her Uncle Lou!! Can’t wait to see you all Christmas. Love you xx

Anne:

Congratulations my darlings. Words can’t describe how proud I am of you both. You really do deserve all the happiness. Thank you for making me a Grandma, but a bigger thank you for blessing me with a precious granddaughter🩷I love you three so much xx

Gemma:

YOU’RE HAVING A GIRL!!

I’M GOING TO BE AN AUNTIE TO A GIRL

I’M HAVING A NIECE!!

🩷🩷🩷

Lottie: 

YEEEEEEEEESSSS! OMG I’M CRYING! I’m so happy for you both💖I can’t wait to meet your baby girl xxxxx

Phoebe:

I KNEW IT!! I’M SO EXCITED!! OUR BABY GIRLS ARE GOING TO BE BESTIES🩷🩷

Daisy: 

Another Niece!💓💓💓I’m the luckiest auntie in the world. Congratulations xx

Mark: 

Another granddaughter💕I am truly blessed. Congratulations!!xx

Jen: 

What beautiful news. Congratulations sweethearts. We are over the moon for you. Love you all xx

Jeff:

A mini YN…good luck H😂😂

Congratulations both! We are thrilled for you and can’t wait to meet your little girl❤️

Mitch: 

Uncle Mitchy can’t wait!! Congratulations both! 

Sarah:

Aww how cute! Congratulations guys!💖

Pauli:

YESSSSS!! WOOOOOO!! 🩷💖💓💕💞

Lloyd:

NO WAY!!❤️

Brad:

You’re going to have your hands full H😂I’m only joking! Congratulations both, amazing news and I can’t wait to meet her🥰

James:

I should have known you were a girl dad H! Best feeling in the world! Congratulations both! X

Louise T: 

TEAM PINK🩷Love ya both!xx

Niall: 

Uncle Niall favourite niece!! ❤️

Liam: 

Wow! Congratulations both, what a lucky little girl she will be to have you both ❤️

Zayn: 

Khai and I can’t wait to meet her! Congrats to you both, FaceTime soon? x 

---

yntomlinson story:

Tag List:

@pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @harrys-flower @platinumbarbie143 @frickin-bats @harrysbbyh0ney @chronicallybubbly @goldensunflowe-r  @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @kaverichauhan @peterholland04 @panicattheuc @or-was-it-just-a-dream @hittiesontour @bunnyharold @fanfictioncafe @lilfreakjez @iamahallucinationnn @theekyliepage @indierockgirrl @buckybarnessimpp @ashleighsss @jerseygirlinca @fake-coolbeans @itsmytimetoodream @treehouse-mouse

[svechnikovvv]

fighting major

pairing: auston matthews x fem!reader

warnings: SMUT, profanity

summary: seeing auston heated & get into a fight was something you never knew you needed

a/n: first smut 🫣 also, this takes place after aus got his fighting major against stamkos. this also isn’t proofread, so yeah

masterlist: here

i was sat in one of the suites, watching the game with steph. i glance down at my phone to check the message my mom sent me when steph starts hitting my arm.

“what is it?” i look up and see that auston is currently brawling it out with stamkos on the ice.

“holy shit. he’s never faught before” i place a hand over my mouth as i watch the two tussle for a minute before they’re separated. auston received a fighting major and is sent to the penalty box while stamkos skates off somewhere. i’m speechless because this is auston’s first nhl fight. sure, he got drafted years ago, but he’s never fought anyone.

“things must’ve been serious for him to drop the gloves.” steph jokes and i laugh with her, still focused on my boyfriend. seeing him angry out there kinda turned me on. i clench my legs together and continue to watch the game. once auston is back out on the ice, im back to cheering for him. i mentally chastise myself and focus my attention back onto my boyfriend.

before i know it, the game ends with a leafs win. steph and i embrace one another in a hug and head down to the tunnel to wait for tweedledee and tweedledumb. soon, mitch and majority of the guys come out.

"aus is in the locker room taking the game pretty rough," mitch says, walking over to steph and i and my brows furrow. they won so why is he beating himself up over it?

"is it just him?" mitch nods and i make my way to the locker room door that i had familiarized myself with. i open it and give the door three knocks.

"are you decent?" i hear a faint 'yeah' and then i walk further into the room. i see auston sitting in a cubby with his head hanging in his hands. he's shirtless, but has on a pair of shorts. i walk over and take a seat in the cubby beside his, gingerly placing a hand on his shoulder.

"aus, what's going on?" he finally looks up and his eyes meet mine and i can see the anger in them.

"i'm going to fucking kill him, y/n." i never thought auston would ever talk about someone this way, but apparently there's a first time for everything.

"who?"

"stamkos." whatever he said had to have started the brawl.

"what'd he say?" auston breaks eye contact and looks at the floor.

"he was calling you a cheap piece of ass and saying how you're no better than a slut." i'll admit, the words stung a bit. to be perceived in that way? it was awful. however, stamkos got his karma.

"i couldn't just stand there and let him say that shit. who the fuck does he think he is? you don't talk about other guys' girls. it's just not fucking right." i massage between his shoulder blades as he goes on his rant.

"aus, baby, it's over now. right? you guys whooped their asses and handed it to them. he got what he deserved." auston shakes his head

"y/n, it doesn't matter if we beat them. he shouldn't have talked about you like that. you may not care, but i sure as hell do.” i think if this were any other situation, i’d be making a big deal over it. but seeing how auston cared so much and how it made him mad was bringing that same warm feeling in my stomach back.

i place my free hand on his thigh and feel him stiffen slightly before relaxing.

“i appreciate the fact that you care, but i promise you it’s fine now.” he nods, but i can tell that it’s still bothering him. i get on my knees in front of him and his brows furrow as he looks down at me.

“what’re you doing?” i give him a straight face

“judging by the tent in your shorts, i think you know exactly what i’m doing.” he does a quick glance around

“what if someone walks in?” i shrug my shoulders, placing my other hand on his other thigh.

“don’t be so shy now, matthews. where’s that guy i saw out on the ice?” i see his pupils widen a little bit before he smirks.

“right here, baby” i smile back and move my hands upwards to the waistband of his shorts. he lifts up his hips enough for me to slide his shorts and underwear down and off his legs. when they’re discarded, i look back at auston to see his hardened dick. i lean forward and trail kisses down his torso, starting at his pecs and i make sure to tease him.

“don’t be a tease, y/n.” auston whines and soon, im at the base. i slowly lick a stripe up his cock and i stop once i reach the tip. i take my thumb and spread the precum around his tip. i then take the head of his cock into my mouth and i hallow my cheeks, breathing in through my nose. i hear auston let out a gasp when i take him in my mouth and it makes me let out a hum of satisfaction.

i lick at his slit, also making sure to get underneath his head. i swallow more of him, placing my hand on what i can’t fit in my mouth. i do this for a few minutes and when i pull away, a string of saliva hangs from my chin. i wipe it away with my hand, looking at auston.

“why’d you stop?” auston then laces his hands through my hair at the nape of my neck and pulls my mouth back to his cock. he then starts to fuck my mouth. i look up at him through my lashes and see that his head is thrown back and his eyes are screwed shut, mouth agape as panting leaves his mouth.

“almost there, y/n.” he continues to thrust his hips harder before he stills and i feel his warm cum shoot into my mouth, hitting the back of my throat. after he came down from his high, he pulls himself out of my mouth.

“swallow,” he says and i do as told, then opening my mouth and showing him. he places a hand on my cheek and pulls me in for a kiss. i feel him hum into it before he pulls back.

“good girl. now stand up” i get up and he pulls me to him by my hips. “take your pants off” when did this become him bossing me around?

i take my pants off and set them with his. auston stands up and makes me sit in the cubby. he gets down on his knees and angles his dick at my entrance. i feel him rub himself up and down my folds. without a warning, he slowly slides himself in, stretching me out with his girth. i can feel him touch my cervix and i’m already clenching around him.

“tight already baby? i just got inside” he pulls his dick back and pushes himself back in slowly like when he entered me. he continues this rhythm for a while. he then takes his thumb and applies pressure to my clit, rubbing it softly. i throw my head back and i feel like i’m on cloud 9.

“oh my god, aus. feels so good”

“yeah?” i nod my head

“use your words, baby”

“yes. god, yes.” i hear him let out a deep chuckle and his pace quickens just slightly. i could feel the coil in my stomach coming and i knew that i was close to cumming.

“don’t cum yet, pretty girl. wait for me” i hum and i don’t let go just yet.

“okay, let go.” auston says and i feel him release inside me as i also cum. my eyes are still closed as i’m still coming down from my high when i feel auston roughly slide himself back in. it takes me aback and i let out a loud gasp.

“auston, oh my god.” a couple moans slide out of my mouth. he pulls his dick out and rams it back in.

“lift your hips for me baby” i do as told and auston continues to pound me, the newfound angle feeling amazing.

“you take me so well, pretty girl. you’re doing amazing” he places his thumb back on my clit and if i were to die right now, i’d die a happy woman.

“just like that. so good.” i’m sure that if someone were to walk by, they’d definitely hear the skin to skin contact.

“i’m close aus”

“not yet princess, wait it out.” i start to whine and get impatient. i’m seconds from saying fuck it and cumming anyways.

“aus, please”

“i know baby, i know. ‘m almost there” he continues to roughly pound into me, no doubt bruising my hip with his hard grip on it.

“okay, cum for me” those four words were all i needed to hear as i let myself go for a second time. i feel my legs shaking and i can also hear auston panting. he pulls out of me and the familiar warmth from him is gone, but only temporarily. he then picks me up and sits back down in the cubby. he places me on his lap.

“ride me” i sit up long enough to grab his cock from underneath me and place him at my entrance. once i feel his head, i sink down onto him, eliciting a moan from him.

“now rock your hips.” he places both hands on either of my hips and i move forward and backwards. i start to grind on him and i pick up my pace a little and both of us are breathing heavy and no doubt sweating. he was hitting every sweet spot and it felt like pure euphoria.

this time, i don’t wait for his permission, i cum anyways. but he continues to move my hips forward and backwards as he rides out his high, making me cum again. that’s what, four times already?

once he’s finished and i am, we sit like that for a while, just panting and basking in each other’s embrace. he tilts my chin up and gives me a passionate kiss.

“i love you,” he then pulls me up and tells me to stay where i am. he grabs his underwear and shorts and slips them back on. he looks around and finds a clean rag that they must’ve had as an extra and cleans me up.

“i love you most, auston” once he was finished, i put my pants and panties back on, and stand up. however, my legs felt weak and i was a bit wobbly.

“that good?” i look over at auston and he’s smirking

“you made me cum enough times to have a hatty, so i’d say yes.” he laughs and throws an arm around my shoulders.

“fix your hair babe, or else they’ll know that we just christened this locker room.”

tags: @jhughesl0v3r @marsmcgroarty + that anon who asked for it 🙏

a/n: posting this to satisfy you guys

[watermelonsugacry]

Any more of building Harry’s house you have planned currently? Love those!

Building Harry's House: Boyfriends

A/N: day 1 of Since 2010 ficmas!! sorry it came out a lil late but she's here!

SUMMARY: With the world knowing of their once secret relationship, Harry and YN navigate life together as an official couple and everything that comes with it.

GENRE: 1dbandmember!yn

SINCE 2010 masterlist // Building Harry's House masterlist // previous song here! 🚲

SIDE-NOTE: italicized is voice over commentary (I wrote this kind of like the Behind the Album documentary) bold are things Harry actually said irl

—2019—

Anger, confusion, and frustration radiate off his hunched-over figure from his position on the floor. Harry digs the heels of his hands into his eyes and the cold tile beneath his knees digs harshly at his bones but he stays there, feeling that he deserves the pain given what just happened.

“I shouldn’t have come here,” YN says so quietly that he might have missed it if he wasn’t listening carefully.

“Yeah. Maybe you shouldn’t have.”

It takes Harry about a minute to realize the gravity of his situation and only half a second to pick himself off the ground to whip open the door. He doesn't know why he gets disappointed by the fact that her car isn't in the driveway anymore. Surely she’s already halfway home by now. 

He, YN, and his small but close production team have almost hit the two month mark during their stay in Malibu. Recording Harry’s second album here has had its ups and downs and needless to say, he doesn’t think he can go much lower than he feels now.

“I shouldn’t have come here.” 

“Yeah. Maybe you shouldn’t have.”

How could he possibly say such a thing to her? She didn’t have to come all the way over here, ditch whatever important tasks and events she had going on for her own career to come help him make music. Her gift is wasted on him and for him to say such a nasty thing to her?  

His feelings only twist around each other in contradiction: grateful at the fact that the rest of his production crew is out for drinks but somber in having the Malibu recording house all to himself (it wasn’t like they hadn’t just made a song dedicated exactly to his desire to not be alone—yet another reminder of how much she’s continued to provide her help to him when it wasn’t deserved). 

With a final scowl out towards the driveway, he reluctantly shuts the door behind him as he makes headway into the kitchen. He feels like a hypocrite as he attempts to suppress his thoughts by reaching across the kitchen island to snatch the tall glass of alcohol. It seems that all the two have been arguing about is their lack of communication, for their constant push down of emotions to avoid what they really want to say. 

This realization only furthers his desire to shut down his thoughts and everything tied to them as he reaches for a glass. 

He somehow finds himself pushing the door to her room open with the tip of his foot. The image of her hurtful face after his words only pushes him to twist the cap off the tall bottle. 

It’s well into the early hours of the morning when the rest of the small production team comes waltzing through the front door drunkenly singing some song. He can hear his name being called from somewhere else inside the house, but it sounds muffled from his position on the carpeted ground.

“Harry!” Mitch calls. “Where are you, man? Why haven’t you picked up your phone...?” His words slowly come to a halt when he stops his friend lying on his back, mindlessly looking out sliding glass doors of the room YN slept in during her stay. “Harry?”

“I wrote a song,” Harry’s words are slurred as he continues to stare out to the floor to ceiling doors where the white foam of the gentle waves crash along the shore. 

“What kind of drugs you on, dude?” Jeff sighs out when he enters the room, putting his hands on his hips.

“M’a bad boyfriend,” Harry pouts, eyes pink from the alcohol swirling in his veins. “A real, proper shitty one.”

Mitch and the pop star’s manager share a look. Mitch is the first to speak up, “But you and YN aren’t even together.”

“See! If I were a good boyfriend, I would be her boyfriend right now. But m’not. I’m just fucking up our situation even more.”

Jeff rubs his bearded chin and lets out a knowing sigh, “You’re really no good alone, man. Come on, we need to get you off the floor.”

Harry makes no effort to move from his spot but instead takes in a deep breath. Flashes of YN’s hurt face reappear back in his mind and he pinches his eyes shut like it physically hurts him to see it again. 

“I shouldn’t have come here.” 

“Yeah. Maybe you shouldn’t have.”

Already being kicked while he’s down, he comes to realize that the purpose of his drinking is yet another aspect of this painful situation that he needs to hide from YN. Was he not the one to show her how drinking is not meant to drown one’s sorrow away, to suppress guilty feelings and/or make one forget. 

Might as well just add it to the list of many other shitty aspects of his contribution to being a bad boyfriend.

“'Boyfriends' was written right at the end of ‘Fine Line.’ We had just finished a session that was...a pretty difficult session to get through because I couldn’t seem to get anything right,” Harry’s brows pinch together at the memory of that day. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to make his music without his YN there. 

“At the end of that session everyone left, and I started writing ‘Boyfriends’ and it almost felt like ‘Ok, there’s a version where we get this ready to put on Fine Line,’ and I think there was something about that just felt like ‘It’s just gonna have its time, so like, let’s not rush to get it done.’”

—2020—

YN holds a plated sandwich and a water bottle as she walks up Harry’s pink carpeted stairs in his London home. After the back and forth traveling from La to Italy to England, the couple made the decision to stay in London for the time being before it was fit for them to travel again due to the pandemic. Not that it mattered much to them, as long as they are together then all was well. 

It should come as no surprise that while staying indoors was quite relaxing, the two had a hard time being still. As long as they were safely distanced from others, the couple went out for walks in secluded areas, visited the lake nearby, and picked fruits from the small garden their mums helped plant in the spacious backyard.

The only downside of their stay in Harry’s London home was the fact that YN didn’t have some of her basic recording equipment and she was itching to get some music ideas down. 

As the world still tries to carry on in the midst of a pandemic, the couple is still booked for the occasional zoom video or call interview. With a gentle and slow twist of the doorknob of one of the spare bedrooms, YN peaks her head inside to see her boyfriend sprawled along the green velvet couch. His back is to the armrest while he holds the speaker of his phone towards his mouth. His other hand gestures by his side as he explains the writing process for his second record.

He looks so comfy in his sweats and a loose shirt, a tiny clip holding the top of his hair back on top of his head. His words almost taper off when he looks up at his love. He continues to explain how Adore You was made, he gives her a dimpled smile and a nod. The two of them know and understand more than anyone the gravity of their careers in needing to set some time apart for things like this. A piece of knowledge that has Harry shifting his phone away as YN sets the food on the coffee table, reaching out to gently pull on her arm to meet his puckered lips.

“Thank you,” He whispers.

He receives one of her knee-buckling smiles before leaving a final kiss to the corner of his mouth.

“M’gonna be in the bedroom when yeh done.”

Harry circles his lips in a playfully suggestive way and he’s rewarded with one of her infamous eye rolls. He can’t help but give a pinch to her bum when she turns to leave before going back to answer the interviewer’s next question. She bites back a giggle to not out herself within the interview before tip-toeing her way out of the room.

If she could, she would have explained to him that she wasn’t going to wait up for him in the bedroom, not for any sexy time, but to use the big desktop computer where she’s able to use some of her recording/editing software. 

After uploading a couple of voice files from her phone to the desktop, she doesn’t pay much attention to how many files she highlights and drags into her editing program. It isn’t until she’s in a groove of picking bits and piece from her demos that she stumbles upon a file she didn’t record herself. The guitar melody is significantly different than the one she had originally uploaded and when she begins to curiously sift through the file date of when it was made, she hears Harry’s soft voice come through. 

Boyfriends

They think you're so easy

They take you for granted

They don't know they're just misunderstanding you

YN hasn’t heard this song before, not even when it was being drafted and it makes her eyebrows pinch together.

You love a fool who knows just how to get under your skin

You, you, you still open the door

Almost immediately after hearing these words, she’s transported back to the numerous amount of times where she’s taken him back into her life to hop back onto the “on” phase of their on-and-off relationship. 

This couldn’t have been recently written, surely not created during this year fresh into their official relationship.

Are they just pretending?

They don't tell you where it's heading

YN is knocked out of her thoughts when she hears her name being called from the doorway. He doesn’t say anything more but instead goes to lean his hip on the desk in front of her. 

“Why did yeh keep this from me?” YN isn’t mad or upset but rather curious—a reaction he wasn’t really expecting out of her if he was being honest. This was a song he had written when he was deeply hurt—the both of them were—and it wasn’t necessarily a happy path down memory lane whenever that section of their past is brought up. 

“I dunno really. I guess it’s just something that I wanted to put out at the time. It wasn’t the right time and I remember how much Cherry put you off so I put away this one. It never really came up again so...out of sight out of mind I suppose.”

YN hums, keeping her gaze on the screen, “S’a beautiful song.”

“Our songs always seem to end up that way, don't they?” Harry offers a soft smile when he reaches up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. 

“Our songs?”

Harry hums in response, “Hmh, of our—what did you call it once—our ‘fuck-up situation’ I think you said?” 

The two of them huff out a small laugh at the memory. It was only a year ago when their situationship finally came to an end after two years (and only seven days for it to get exposed to the public), when they were both so close yet so closed off from each other. A good chunk of the Fine Line songs have had an up-beat/pop song melody over the melancholy lyrics. 

It all seems like a lifetime ago at this point with their relationship being the strongest it's ever been. Both are undoubtedly grateful to not be in that part of their lives anymore but content that they get to look at each other now to see how far they’ve both come. What better way to capture the timeline of their emotions than through music?

"Doesn't seem that complicated anymore, does it?" She gives her love a satisfied smile.

"Thank heavens for that," He plants a kiss on her forehead. "Now, come gimme a cuddle before I die from lack of touch."

He's already pulling her up and out of her seat over the short distance to the large bed yet her mind gets stuck on the lyrics he sang merely a year ago.

“This was one of the few tracks that I didn’t help write which is a bit strange, at least on my end,” YN smirks, lifting up her index finger knowing. “But I was able to bring in a very special person to bring the song to its completion and to persuade H to finally put it on the album.”

YN and the production team are all huddled up together in her home studio in LA as they talk quietly amongst themselves. It’s been a couple of weeks since she first heard the song as they’ve been working on other tracks for the record but it was finally time to finish the song.

“I dunno, he said he still wanted to work on it,” Tyler, one of Harry’s core producers, says with a scratch of his beard.

“Well, we’re not gonna make this a Watermelon Sugar situation where he keeps putting the song off from not being able to figure out what it needed,” YN points out with her hands on her hips. “The song almost didn’t make it on the album, babe. And this song is too good to just toss aside.”

“The song is basically finished,” Kid shrugs. “And if he doesn’t like it—which I doubt—then we can always scrap the idea and have Mitch play it instead.”

“But I think he’s really gonna—”

“I’m really gonna what?” The team turns around to see the boss man come into the home studio. He looks up from the phone in his hand before rising an eyebrow. “What’s going on.”

The production team share a smile with one another before turning their attention to the man before them.

“We enlisted a very special person,” YN begins. Harry eyes the group suspiciously, especially at his love when she’s practically bouncing in her spot from excitement. 

As if it were planned, the door leading to YN’s recording room opens to reveal none other than Ben Harper.

“Hey YN, got everything set up inside whenever you’re ready—oh, hey,” Ben offers a warm smile to Harry who seems utterly star-struck. If YN had a dollar for every time Harry has brought up this man’s Spotify to show her one of his new songs and geek out about the musician’s style, her pockets would be overflowing. So it was a no-brainer that YN would pull a few strings to bring in the favored artist to be a feature musician for the track.

”I think the good part of [Boyfriends] is that it is everything. It’s both acknowledging my own behavior. It’s looking at behavior that I’ve witnessed. I grew up with a sister, so it’s watching her date people and watching friends date people, and people don’t treat each other very nicely sometimes. It was one of those really quick, just say what you think of boyfriends.”

Even now as he sits next to his love, her eyes bounce around the large computer screen in front of her, diligently working on the added guitar bits for the song, he still can’t wrap his head around the fact that she’s here. After all this time, times when any person would have turned around and walked in a different direction without a second thought, she was still by his side.

From keeping their feelings pushed aside and locked away for five years during their time in the band together, to a secret on-and-off relationship where it was a kiss and don’t tell situation, under the blinding lights of the media. To now being officially together without a doubt in either one’s mind that they’re it for one another, it all seems unreal yet painfully so at the same time. 

You feel a fool

You're back at it again

Despite the addition of Ben Harper’s playing on the official track, there was one aspect of the song Harry wanted to act. The two always find it fun and interesting when there can be hidden messages within songs: like when YN suggested Olivia Rodrigo whisper I love you quite literally in between the chorus and the verse of her song Deja Vu or how one can faintly Harry sing the words fine line in Sunflower Vol. 6. 

With this song in particular, it’s explaining how Harry isn’t the best boyfriend and in turn, YN keeps opening up her arms to let him back into her life.

Instead of the ending of the song flowing back to the beginning of the song to make it an endless loop, he’s reversing it to end the toxic cycle.

It’s here where it finally hits him. He knew this truth since forever it seems but it’s officially time. He doesn’t want to just be her boyfriend. He wants more. She’s the love of his love for crying out loud. 

Taglist:

He wants her to be his wife.

Next song here! 🌷

@wobblymug @be-with-me-so-happily @ashtongivesmebutterflies @kiwiskiwiskiwi @darlingdesire @obsesseddd @hopefulwastelandcreation @cacapeepee @breezie-b00 @harrysfolklore @theekyliepage @sunshinemoonsposts @nervousspiderling @tbslonelyhes @tenaciousperfectionunknown @harrystylesrecs @certified-nalayak @itsjustsel @iknowyouthinkimbulletproof @gviosca @behindmygreyeyes @twobluejeans @allisonxmcu @theemeraldbutterfly @jean-love @marvellover-sam @b-reads-things @reveriehs @rach2602 @thurhomish @perrypughstyles @luvonstyles @mxltifxnd0m @teamspideyman @c00chiemonster @juiceboxrry @s8tellite @folklorehrry @illicithallways @claramllera @eunoiaax @hoya122 @nichmedder @sleutherclaw @gloriousmoneyrascalbiscuit @harianaswhore @teawithcyb0rgs @vrittivsanghavi @vc55bughead @futuristiccroissantlampsludge @onecrazydirectioner @valluvsu @itsgabbysblog @awkwardbisexuall @rosehel @sucker4angstt @isalove @diorchives @mrshiddlestyles02 @fdl305

[heartlandians]

Filling Empty Spaces (Amy/Mitch), part 240

Mitch and Amy find an unexpected connection due to absent lovers. Set around season 11->.

A/N: I didn’t have a beta for this story, so hopefully there won’t be too many grammar errors.

****

Amy was sat on the porch and watched as Georgie and Wyatt entertained Lyndy on the lawn after breakfast.

The little girl ran around as fast she could, giggling so much that she could barely control the shaking of her body, because the teenagers "threatened" to tickle her if they were to catch her.

Since Amy barely had any energy to move herself around, she appreciated the help Georgie and her boyfriend provided right now. Amy knew she was lucky to have her family close in situations like this, and she never let herself forget that.

When the screen door screeched open on her right, Amy turned her head to look at the older couple stepping out.

Lisa was carrying a cooler and Jack had his fishing gear with him.

"Aw, would you look at that..." Lisa commented to both Jack and Amy, a wide grin on her face. "It seems like Lyndy's enjoying herself!"

"Yeah", Amy said, turning her eyes back toward the kids and smiled. "She's absolutely loving it."

Jack watched the chase happening at the lawn, a smile spread wide under his moustache, but then got a little more serious as he watched Amy wrapped in her light blanket.

"You sure you'll be okay with us going to the fishing cabin...?" Jack checked, worrying. "We'll be back before bedtime", he added, hoping it would ease the possible protest.

"Oh, I'll be fine", Amy tried assuring them. "I don't want to keep you hostage just because I'm low on energy. You deserve a break. Besides, I have Lou and Georgie around to help with Lyndy."

"You do", he agreed. "But remember, if they get tired, you can always call your dad. He ought to do something too..." Jack added, muttering.

"You make it sound like he hasn't done his share", Lisa scolded her husband. "He's helped", she reminded.

Lisa knew that Jack and Tim had their rivalry going on, but she had to give credit to Tim for taking care of things while Amy had been in the hospital; not only with some of the ranch chores, but also with some of the paperwork and phone calls.

Even though he could be selfish at times, Lisa admitted, Tim loved no one else as much as he loved his kids. She also didn't want Amy to think that Tim couldn't have cared less when his daughter was in a coma, because it was the exact opposite.

"Yeah, well he could always do more..." Jack talked under his breath and walked closer to Amy to give the top of her head a kiss. "Take it easy, will you?"

"I promise", Amy said, smiling. She then glanced at Jack's fishing equipment. "I thought you were going to go check on the property..." she added, her tone slightly teasing.

"Well, we are, of course", Jack said, adjusting the gear against his shoulder, "but I've never passed an opportunity to go fishing when I've gone there - and I'm not about to change that now."

It sounded like Grandpa, Amy admitted. "Okay. You two enjoy yourselves."

"We will", Lisa replied, looking giddy as she got down the stairs and walked toward Jack's truck. Jack soon followed her.

They loaded the bed of the truck with the things they were carrying, then hollered their goodbyes to everyone before getting on their way.

The sound of gravel under the tires faded out the further they got.

"I'm so out of shape..." Wyatt whined and slowed down his running while holding his palm on top of the left side of his upper body. He could almost feel his heart jumping out of his chest. "I didn't realize a kid could be that fast... Brick's fast, but nothing like that..."

"Yeah, it's hard work", Georgie agreed, equally out of breath. Her cheeks were hot pink from the exhaustion. "We should get something to drink. Or how does that sound, Lyndy?" she asked from her niece.

"No!" said the little girl, giggling. It seemed like she was eager to show them she wasn't falling for their ruse, even though it wasn't actually a trick.

""No"?" Georgie repeated, laughing. "Come on - game's over!" she chimed and walked toward the girl, sending Lyndy into another set of hysterics without meaning to.

"You get her, Georgie, I'm wiped..." Wyatt breathed, rolling on the grass.

Georgie laughed and tried to pull him back up, but the young man was too heavy for her. "I can't do it alone! She's too fast!"

"Someone has to stop her... But it isn't going to be me..." Wyatt played it out like a pivotal moment in a play where the hero - in this case, Georgie - would find the necessary courage to face the task that seemed impossible.

Amy enjoyed the entertainment happening in front of her like a theatre performance, but her eyes quickly noticed Lou in the distance, walking out of the barn with Remi tailing her.

When Amy's big sister eventually reached the porch too and the dog laid next to her feet, Lou sat down on the bench.

"How's the loft looking?" Amy asked since Lou had been working on it since yesterday. "Is it ready for Georgie to live in?"

"Yeah, it's all cleaned up and the furniture has been arranged like Georgie asked", Lou said, rubbing her knees nervously. Her tone was bittersweet.

Amy could feel more than superficial stuff coming. She didn't have to wait long.

"I know it's the best option to have your kid live so close to rest of your family, but it's still hard to believe she's this grown up..." Lou commented, while simultaneously watching how Lyndy and Georgie were using the vegetable garden as a maze.

"Yeah, well, it's a good, careful first step for her", Amy knew. "I mean, I should know; when I went to Europe, I realized just how little I knew about being on my own - and it showed. This is some responsibility but not too much. And like you said, if ever she needs anything, I'll be close-by."

Lou nodded.

"I know", she said softly, but it didn't make it any easier to have her oldest daughter flying out of the nest this fast. "It just still surprises me to find myself in this position already at my age. But then again Georgie was few years older than Katie when she came into our lives, so... of course it was bound to happen sooner than I originally expected when I first became a mother."

"Speaking of... have you heard from Katie and Peter?" Amy asked, knowing Lou's younger daughter was visiting Peter in Vancouver now that they were closer to B.C. and not in New York.

"Yeah, we talk every day. They're loving spending time together", Lou said, missing Katie but at the same time knowing how much Peter appreciated having his turn in parenting. "I don't know... Time just goes by so fast. I miss Georgie and Katie being younger, I miss feeling like I'm needed..."

Amy looked at her sister. "You are needed. And you've been taking such good care of me too now. I owe you so much."

"Nonsense. You don't owe me anything", Lou said, shaking her head.

"Well, I appreciate you", Amy wanted to say at least.

"Thanks..." Lou said, smiling.

Over the years, much to her surprise, Lou had come to realize that there was a big nurturing side to her, so looking after others came naturally.

But she also knew that when it came to helping Amy now, she had her selfish reasons too. Guilt was one of them. But she just didn't know how to talk about it with her sister.

"So... you talked to Mitch yet?" Lou asked, instinctively lowering her voice even though she didn't need to; if Wyatt or Georgie were to hear something, it wasn't going to be a big reveal for them anymore as they already knew about Amy and Mitch.

Amy sighed. She was disappointed to state her answer, but at the same time she felt like things were just mostly out of her control right now.

"You know how this house is... Paper thin walls. And I can't really wander off from the ranch to give him a call either yet. So... no."

Lou nodded, drifting into her thoughts.

Meanwhile Amy felt like changing the topic.

"Not that I'm in any hurry to get you out of here, but... I assume you coming back to Hudson was always going to be temporary", Amy began, bringing Lou out of her head. "Have you thought about when you'll be going back to New York?"

"Oh, I don't know yet. I have not set any date", Lou admitted, fiddling her bracelet. "Nicole and Henry's been asking too, but... I've come to realize that family comes first. So I'll be here till I'm needed."

"Then you'll never leave", Amy pointed out.

Lou hummed and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on. You've come to your own already when it comes to taking care of the business and... well, soon running this ranch", the older sister tried to encourage Amy. "And as for Georgie... she will be fine here."

Amy taking over was going to be something that would take some time to get used to - for all of them - but it had been the plan for a while now.

Amy sighed, looking unsure.

"I don't know... I was insecure about that even before the accident, let alone now that I'm still recovering", she admitted. "How will I know if I'm ever going to be able to do it?"

"No one's ever fully prepared for anything. And besides, you have people to help you, don't you?" Lou reminded. "You don't have to do it alone. There's Cassandra, Trace, Georgie, Jade... I'm sure you can hire more help, if needed."

"I know. But the problem with my line of work is that I am the service I'm selling. I'm not saying I don't need the others to help me - because I do - but... none of those others are Amy Fleming. They're not the Miracle Girl everyone wants", she spoke, her tone now lower. "And who even knows if I'll even be either..."

She could feel her hands shaking again and she cradled them together, tugging them into her lap, hoping to stop them from trembling.

"You'll figure it out", Lou tried to cheer her up. "It's only early days."

"Yeah... I hope so", Amy said, almost tearfully. "I don't want to let anyone down."

She had already been through so many changes, she didn't need this to be one of them too. Her work created so much of the base for her life that she didn't know how to live without it.

Lou squeezed her shoulder lightly. "You won't."

Amy appreciated the gesture.

They sat in silence for a while till Amy wanted to voice something.

"I've been meaning to ask... with Grandpa handing me the reins of this place... you don't feel bitter about it, do you...?" she asked, hoping that changing the subject slightly would help her keep herself together.

Lou glanced at her.

"Me? Running a ranch?" she said out loud, as if Amy was telling a joke and she had to make sure she had got the punchline right.

Amy shrugged.

She didn't want to limit Lou's options, even in theory. Despite Lou not having much interest in the ranching or horse business, Heartland had always been her home too, so her sister had a right to this place every bit as much as she did.

"The whole aspect of this-not-being-my-dream-or-passion aside, I have life elsewhere. Going back to New York has made me realize how much I've missed it. I mean, I've visited the place every now and then, but that's different", Lou shared.

For Amy it was always hard to imagine Lou in New York, simply because she had never really seen her life there. But the way she spoke about it let Amy know how much she meant every word she said. Amy herself would probably talk similarly about Heartland if she was living elsewhere.

Lou then went back in years by recounting past experiences.

"When mom died and things had to be taken care of here, I felt myself being drawn back to New York constantly, but eventually figured it would have been too selfish of me to just leave you guys handle everything on your own... So, I stayed and tried to build my life here. And I'm glad I did, because I've had all these amazing experiences and I've become close with everyone again, but... things have evolved since then."

Amy nodded, understanding that.

"If New York's your place, it's not selfish to want to live there", she wanted to say. "You pushed aside your dream for a long time, for us. It's time for you to live it out now. I know what you mean when you say that you were needed here, but I hope you know now that - and I say this lovingly - you don't have to be here for things to move forward."

"See?" Lou pointed out with a smirk. "You do have some trust in yourself", she said, feeling smug about how she had basically proved to her sister that she was capable of things if she so wanted.

Amy sighed, humming.

"Well, I'm certainly going to try", she promised. "But... not now. I'm tired - again. I think I'm going to take a nap."

"Okay", Lou said, nodding. "Lunch time's at one, so set your alarm."

Amy got up.

"Thanks. -- Will you be able to handle Lyndy?" she checked when the girl was still full of energy no matter how long Georgie kept chasing her.

"Yeah, we'll be fine. Don't worry about us", Lou assured, waving her hand dismissively. "Have a good sleep."

"Okay. Thanks, Lou", Amy said as she started to make her way inside.

****

Falling asleep was not a problem with Amy these days as her brain got overworked so easily and her body was still trying to regain back the energy that was needed for light physical activity.

It was the waking up that Amy found hard.

It wasn't "the calm coming to" that had once been the case, but more like some sort of panic that dialed her body into overdrive in the matter of seconds.

She jolted awake as if she had sensed something alarming happening around her, except there was nothing like that going on; she was safe in her own bedroom and it was quiet in the house.

Well, outside the alarm that she had set before getting on her bed blaring, trying to wake her up.

Amy turned it off and rolled back on the bed, sighing.

It took a while for her to calm herself down. She hated feeling like this, because reasonably thinking she should have been well rested after napping. But instead, her body was afraid of not being able to wake up ever again and it left her feeling uneasy.

Thankfully, the smell of something good cooking in the kitchen gave her an opportunity to distract her and get up to see what Lou had prepared for the them for lunch.

Amy removed the light blanket on top of her and got up, rubbing her eyes and running her fingers through her hair as she passed the open door and entered the hallway.

"Something smells good", Amy commented when she made her way toward the kitchen.

What caught her attention next was the table that was set only for two people.

Why only two, she wondered. Had Wyatt, Georgie and Lyndy gone out? Maybe for ice cream?

But as she eventually arrived to the kitchen, she saw Mitch standing in front of the stove and it seemed like he was the one preparing the lunch.

Amy froze and stared at him as he turned around when he heard the steps coming closer.

He smiled cautiously.

"Hey", Mitch said after killing the heat on the stove.

"Hey..." Amy replied. "Am I-- Is this a dream?" she wanted to know.

Mitch let out a light chuckle. "Not that I know."

Amy blinked her eyes few times to make sure. But Mitch didn't disappear.

"What... what are you doing here?" she asked, looking around, almost like she was being pranked.

"Well, Lou said I'm welcome to come over", Mitch explained. "Something about Jack and Lisa being gone for the day."

Amy thought about it.

Lou. Of course.

She had asked about Mitch earlier and had now made this happen.

"And where are the others...?" Amy tried to assess the situation as the house was quiet and she couldn't see anyone outside either.

"They went to Maggie's for lunch", Mitch informed her. "Lou told me that you haven't really had an appetite. I was hoping maybe I could change that. I made you-- uhm, us lunch."

"Well, yeah, nothing really tastes--" Amy began talking as if no time had passed, because it always felt so easy with Mitch, before she realized.

She shook her head a little.

"No, wait, what are we doing? -- How are you?" she wanted to know about more pressing matters.

Mitch looked at her, and Amy could see his eyes getting glossy. He smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in his gaze too.

"Better now", he said shortly and there was a slight crack in his voice. "And you?"

"I'm okay", Amy said, feeling mix of emotions. "I've been meaning to call, but I just..."

Mitch raised his hand gently. "Don't even worry about it. It's fine. You've been... through a lot. I'm the last person you should have thought about."

Amy hummed. "Funny you should say that. You were actually the second person I thought about after waking up. Lyndy, of course, being the first", she admitted.

"Of course", Mitch said, smiling. It was strange - but nice - to hear that Amy had thought about him at all.

They stood steps away from each other even though both of them felt the pull toward one another. But the situation was so delicate that neither of them didn't know what they were supposed to do.

For a while all they could hear was the fading sizzling of the food and the clock's rhythmic ticking on the wall. Maybe if they listened hard enough, the beating of their own hearts.

"Can I..." Mitch then braved the awkwardness. "Can I hug you...?"

Amy nodded. "I'd like that."

Mitch walked closer and Amy met him halfway before they almost crashed into each other's arms. Mitch buried his face immediately against Amy's hair, letting out a shaky breath, while Amy felt her sudden sobs wetting parts of Mitch's t-shirt.

She had not expected this type of release, but then again the expectations over their reunion had been building up and now she had no reason to hold anything back anymore.

"I'm so glad you're safe", Mitch whispered so close to Amy's ear that it almost felt like he was in her head. "I was so afraid we'd lose you..."

"I've missed you so much..." was all Amy was able to let out before getting into another fit of sobs.

Mitch began stroking her back with big, slow movements.

"It's okay... You're okay..."

[misshoneyimhome]

➼｡ﾟ Love Me Harder I William Nylander

[Pilot] [Chapter One]

Tropes & Warnings: William Nylander x ofc, fake relationship, no warnings (Language maybe?)

Author's note: So, I'm def excited to share the build-up to the main plot of this story with you – I hope the banter makes as much sense as it did in my head 😉 As always, I hope you enjoy it! 🌺

Word count: 5.1K

➼｡ﾟ

"And I know she'll be the death of me, at least we'll both be numb. And she'll always get the best of me, the worst is yet to come"

___

The Blue Bovine Steak and Sushi House exuded a tranquil ambiance on this quiet Thursday evening. The warm, soft lighting cast a serene glow over the polished wooden tables and sleek bar, creating an inviting atmosphere that enveloped the few remaining guests. Samantha, tending the bar, found herself with a rare lull in the evening's activities — the only discernible sounds emanated from a semi-private dining area where a group lingered over their late dinner. Their voices provided a backdrop of contentment, blending with the gentle clinking of cutlery and occasional bursts of laughter that filled the cosy space.

At the bar, Sofie sat perched on a stool, keeping Samantha company as the restaurant slowly approached its closing hours. It was nearing 10:30 pm, and most of the guests had already departed, leaving only a few occupied tables scattered across the dining area. And this pleasant lull allowed Samantha and Sofie a moment to converse uninterrupted.

"Holy fuck! I can’t believe Anthony’s pulling that shit on you," Samantha leaned back against the counter, her arms crossed and her voice edged with irritation.

Sofie sighed, swirling the remnants of her white wine in its glass. "I know… I mean, there’s really no reason for it. We’ve been broken up for what? Over a year now…"

"That piece of shit," Samantha muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. "I mean, after everything he's already put you through?"

Sofie nodded slowly, her expression a blend of resignation and frustration. "Yeah, well, when you’re a cunt, might as well be a cunt through and through, right?"

Reaching out she squeezed Sofie’s hand. "You deserve so much better, you know that, right? Don't let him mess with your head like this."

Samantha Denise Adams was the epitome of a best friend to anyone navigating turbulent waters. Her outgoing nature made forming connections effortless, and her honesty and vibrant personality often elicited strong reactions from others - either adoration or envy. And when Sofie moved out from Anthony’s place a year ago, Samantha's welcoming embrace and spare bedroom became her sanctuary.

A soft smile graced Sofie’s lips as she set her glass down with a gentle clink, meeting Samantha’s gaze with gratitude. "I know… It just… took me by surprise, you know?"

Samantha nodded empathetically, her expression softening. "Well, fuck him."

The two friends shared a laugh, Sofie nodding in agreement. However, their moment was interrupted by sudden loud cheers and boisterous shouting from the back, grabbing their attention. The noise cut through the otherwise serene atmosphere, injecting a burst of energy into the restaurant.

“Wow, sounds like they’re having a good time,” Sofie remarked, a smile spreading across her face as she turned slightly on her stool to glimpse the source of the commotion.

“Yeah, it’s Mitch Marner and some of his hockey teammates,” Samantha explained with a grin. She leaned back against the bar again, her posture relaxed yet attentive. “One of the perks of running a classy place like this, I guess.”

“Hmm, I suppose so. Who knew that much testosterone and cockiness could fit in one room?” Sofie chuckled knowingly, prompting Samantha to burst into laughter and playfully roll her eyes.

“You still have a thing against hockey players, eh?” Samantha teased.

Sofie chuckled and raised her hands slightly in mock defence, her eyes wide with feigned innocence. “What, no. I mean, it’s not like I dislike them…”

“But?” Samantha prodded, crossing her arms.

Sofie sighed lightly. “But… Nick has always been pretty clear about how his hockey buddies behave. And unfortunately, despite being eye candy, most of them have proven him right.”

Samantha grinned mischievously, the dim lighting casting a playful gleam in her eyes as she leaned closer to Sofie across the bar counter.

“Nick’s your brother, Sof. Of course he’d say anything to keep you away from his hotshot teammates and friends,” she teased, earning a chuckle from Sofie.

“Hmm, you’ve got a point there. But it’s not like you’re the greatest fan either, I mean let’s not forget about your ex… he was a piece of shit as well.”

Samantha’s playful demeanour softened slightly at the mention of her ex. She sighed and shook her head ruefully, her expression tinged with both annoyance and resignation. “Yeah, guess you’re right about that.”

The noise from the hockey players swelled briefly, punctuated by laughter and the clinking of glasses, before settling back into a comfortable background murmur. Samantha glanced over her shoulder towards the group, a fond smile crossing her lips.

“But you know,” she then began, turning back to Sofie with a thoughtful look, “sometimes they surprise you. Underneath all that boyish charm and competitiveness, some of them are actually pretty decent guys.”

Sofie arched an eyebrow dubiously, a smirk playing on her lips. "Decent, perhaps. But trustworthy?" She paused, her gaze narrowing slightly. "I've seen enough to know better."

"Fair point,” Samantha nodded. “But hey, Mitch Marner isn’t too bad. He’s actually a kinda cool off the ice."

Sofie’s smirk softened into an amused smile. "I’ll take your word for it." She glanced at her watch, noticing the late hour. "Speaking of nothing, looks like it’s closing time soon. Think they’ll finish up anytime soon?"

Samantha shrugged casually. "Probably not. You know how these guys are when they gather."

"Well, at least they keep things lively around here," Sofie remarked, taking another sip of her wine.

Samantha chuckled softly. “That’s for sure. And speaking of lively, I think I’ve got just the thing to perk you up after dealing with Anthony’s shittyness today.” She disappeared briefly behind the bar, returning with a small, beautifully crafted shot glass.

“What’s this?” Sofie asked, curiosity piqued as Samantha placed the drink in front of her.

“Trust me, you’re going to love it,” she replied with a wink, a mischievous sparkle in her eye. “Consider it a special treat from your favourite bartender.”

Sofie simply smiled, raising the glass in a toast. “Alright, Sam. Here’s to surviving exes.”

“To surviving them,” Samantha echoed with a grin, clinking her own glass against Sofie’s before both women downed their shot.

And as the two continued chatting and laughing, one of the hockey players from the group suddenly strolled up to the bar, his confidence evident in the smooth rhythm of his steps. Approaching the bar, he positioned himself next to Sofie, casually leaning on the counter - a subtle display of his muscular physique beneath the high-end yet casual attire that effortlessly complemented the upscale atmosphere of the Blue Bovine.

Samantha, always the consummate professional, greeted him with a warm smile. "Hi there, what can I get for you?"

"Could we get four more beers and some water?" His voice carried a hint of familiarity, his eyes briefly flickering to Sofie before returning to Samantha.

"Absolutely," Samantha replied warmly, already reaching for the tap.

Meanwhile, Sofie finished the last drops of her wine and caught a glimpse of the man's familiar face in the mirrored bar backdrop. She turned her head, meeting his confident grin head-on, her eyes narrowing slightly in recognition.

He was unmistakable - the slight wave in his semi-slicked back blonde hair, his tall and broad figure exuding an air of quiet authority, and, of course, that familiar smirk that hinted at both mischief and confidence. It was none other than William Nylander.

And immediately, he recognised her too. How could he not? Her long, styled blonde hair cascaded down her back in gentle waves, framing her piercing blue eyes and soft pink lips. Her makeup was subtle, and her outfit blended casual with a touch of professionalism.

"Oh, it’s you," he remarked with a grin, turning his head.

Turning hers to meet his gaze, Sofie replied coolly, "Good eyes you’ve got there, huh.”

"I knew you were stalking us," William teased playfully, leaning in slightly closer.

"What? No way… I’m just here, chatting with my friend," Sofie retorted smoothly, unruffled by his playful banter.

William raised an eyebrow with a mischievous smirk. "Is that so?"

"Yes, that is so," Sofie affirmed, her voice steady as she maintained eye contact with him.

Curiosity then piqued and Samantha couldn’t help but interject, “Do you two know each other?”

“No,” both Sofie and William replied simultaneously.

“We just bumped into each other one evening by the hotel - I believe I’ve mentioned it,” Sofie explained to Samantha, subtly emphasising the word ‘bump’ which earned a knowing smirk from the hockey player.

“Yeah, it was quite the bump,” he added with a grin, mischief dancing in his eyes, as they each had their own versions of the encounter.

"Ah, got it," Samantha nodded, recalling Sofie's mention of an encounter yet without specifics. But then as she poured the first pint of beer, she noticed it was starting to run low. "I’m sorry, but I need to quickly head to the back and change the keg."

Sofie glanced at Samantha curiously. “Didn’t Jerry just do that an hour ago?”

"Uhm, nope, don’t think so," Samantha quipped swiftly before darting off, leaving the two strangers momentarily alone.

Sofie and William exchanged a brief glance, silently acknowledging their unexpected second encounter. But then Sofie let out a light sigh, absentmindedly toying with the stem of her wine glass as she spoke softly yet firmly. “You know, I’m sure Sam will bring you the drinks, so you don’t have to stand here and wait.”

William chuckled softly, “I don’t mind waiting. Need a break from the guys anyway.”

“Right…”

Yet, as William continued laughing softly, curiosity flickered in Sofie's eyes. “What’s so funny?” she asked.

“Nothing. Just didn’t realise you were this afraid to be alone with me,” he teased.

“Well, maybe I’m just afraid you’ll bump into me again,” she retorted sharply, her tone holding a hint of lingering annoyance.

William's expression tightened slightly. “Don’t worry. You're not blocking a door. Besides, I didn't push that hard,” he said firmly.

Sofie let out a huff. “Sure you didn’t.” 

There was another brief pause, but then she decided to speak again, her voice softer yet tinged with hesitance. “I am… sorry though…,” she added, looking down at the glass in her hand. “I’m usually not like that. I just… I needed to step away from the engagement party, get some air - and I guess I just wasn’t paying attention.”

William couldn’t help but flash a satisfied smirk at her apology. “Wasn’t so hard, was it?” he said. “To say you're sorry.”

“I suppose not,” Sofie chuckled, unimpressed. “But at least I meant it. Not like your half-hearted apology; but I guess that's all one can expect from a Starboy like William Nylander.”

William frowned slightly. “You know who I am?”

“Of course I do,” Sofie chuckled lightly, again rather unimpressed. “I haven’t been living under a rock.”

“Well, I thought maybe you didn’t, considering how rude you were to me,” William pointed out, before adding, “Or maybe you were just pretending not to recognise me just to impress me.”

Sofie raised an eyebrow, meeting his gaze with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. “And why the fuck would I pretend not to recognise you just to impress you? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Oh, you'd be surprised what girls would do just to get my attention,” William grinned confidently, prompting Sofie to roll her eyes.

“You certainly do have confidence, Starboy.”

“Maybe. But at least I have a reason to,” he responded simply, his grin widening slightly, which earned another chuckle and eye roll from Sofie.

However, interrupting their casual banter, Samantha then returned with a satisfied smile, having successfully changed the keg. "There we go, all done. Now, four beers?" she confirmed.

And as she poured the last pint, Mitch Marner suddenly approached the bar as well. "Hey man, what’s taking so long?" he asked his teammate.

William shrugged with a grin. "Oh, just something about changing the keg," he replied, earning a nod from Samantha as he picked up two of the beers and the water.

"Alright, well let’s head back then," Mitch said with a wide smile, grabbing the last two beers before leading the way back to their group.

And as the hockey players walked away, Samantha glanced at Sofie with a raised eyebrow. "Well, that was interesting," she remarked with a hint of mischief.

Sofie looked genuinely puzzled. "What was interesting?" she inquired, tilting her head curiously.

"Uh, just you and William Nylander?"

Sofie rolled her eyes unbothered. "What about me and William Nylander? Come on, he’s just as overly confident and obnoxious as the rest of them."

But Samantha just chuckled knowingly. "Doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be one hell of a fuck."

"Yeah, I’m sure he is," Sofie replied dryly, her tone tinged with amusement, "but I’ll let the rest of the girls of Toronto be the judge of that. Or boys… or whatever.”

Samantha laughed, shaking her head as she returned to her duties behind the bar. The two girls then continued to chat for a little longer, agreeing that Sofie could just wait back home since Samantha didn’t know when she’d get out of there. So, before heading out Sofie then excused herself to use the restroom. And to her great amusement, as she stepped into the small hallway, there stood William, busy fixing his blonde locks in front of the mirror.

"Careful there, Starboy. Cracking the mirror gives you seven years of bad luck," she teased as she walked by him.

William smirked at his reflection. "Maybe I’m willing to take that risk," he replied, his tone laced with playful defiance. Yet, a subtle smile played on his lips. As much as he hated to admit it, there was something intriguing about this girl. Perhaps it was the way she challenged him, a refreshing change from the attention-seeking behaviour he was accustomed to. Or maybe he just found her genuinely amusing.

"Oh really? Seven years of bad luck just for a perfect hair day?" Sofie countered, raising an eyebrow.

"Life's too short for superstitions," William shrugged casually. “Besides, I’ve always got good hair.”

"And here I thought all hockey lads were superstitious. But I suppose you're not like the rest of them, are you, William Nylander," Sofie remarked sarcastically, playfully accentuating his name with a hint of Swedish intonation.

William chuckled again. "And you're not like most girls I meet."

"Is that meant to be a compliment?" Sofie tilted her head, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes, earning a wink from William.

"Take it however you like," he replied simply, his smile widening as he started to walk away.

Sofie let out a small laugh. "Well, thanks... I think."

As she entered the women's restroom and closed the door behind her, Sofie couldn't help but ponder the encounter. There was something about William that was undeniably intriguing, despite his self-assuredness. Sure, he was good looking and she knew he was a good planter too. However, shaking her head, she quickly brushed it off, reminding herself that he was just another obnoxious hockey player.

And as the swede rejoined his teammates who were gradually preparing to depart, a thought suddenly crossed his mind; Could Sofie be a potential candidate for his plan? Firstly, she didn't seem particularly interested in him, which was crucial. Secondly, he wasn't particularly interested in her either. And thirdly, she didn't appear to crave attention from hockey players, unlike many others in his life.

While William pondered this idea, Sofie returned from the restroom and exchanged final words with Samantha, who was just finishing her shift. And with a smile and “you’re welcome” for being her company, Sofie headed out, leaving Samantha to close up the bar.

However, just as Samantha completed the last tasks - cleaning the soda machine, drink mixers, and washing the final load of glasses - she turned around to find William standing there, suddenly grinning at her.

"Oh, hey there, William. What can I do for you?" She asked politely, aware that hospitality extended to close friends and teammates of Mitch's even after closing time.

William paused, considering how to approach the topic before speaking. "So, that friend of yours," he began, leaning casually on the bar counter. "She single?"

Samantha was slightly surprised but couldn't suppress a smile. "Sofie? Yeah, maybe. Depends on your intentions," she replied, curious about where the Swedish forward was going with this.

There was a brief silence as Samantha finished closing up the bar and William just stood there, deep in thought. And sensing the awkwardness, Samantha decided to break the silence. "So... did you need anything?"

William shook his head slightly. "Huh? Um, no... not really," he cleared his throat. "I just thought your friend was... interesting."

Raising an eyebrow, Samantha looked at the hockey player with curiosity, meeting his gaze. "Oh, she's definitely interesting. Just... maybe not for you." 

Her protective instincts surfaced. While part of her was intrigued by the idea of playing wingwoman, she also restrained herself to avoid overstepping any boundaries she knew her roommate might have.

"Hmm," William replied with a chuckle. "Maybe I could... persuade her," he added playfully, prompting Samantha to chuckle lightly.

"Yeah? Good luck with that," she said, her tone sceptical.

But William only took it as a challenge. "Maybe it’s worth a shot."

There was another pause, and Samantha pressed her lips together, considering her next move, before she finally decided to take a small risk. "You know, she'd probably kill me if I ever gave her number to a stranger, but... if I were to show you a photo from her Instagram and you happened to notice her name, you could do whatever you'd like with that information."

William chuckled again, nodding as he found the idea smooth and harmless. "Guess so."

Samantha then took out her phone, finding a photo she thought William might appreciate. 

"Maybe you see something you like," she said softly. "I mean, she's not like Amy over there," she chuckled, nodding towards a tall, slim brunette with heavy makeup and long, thick false lashes. She was a waitress there, someone she knew some of the hockey players had spent private time with.

But William just nodded, biting his lower lip. "Oh, definitely. I've seen what I need to see." 

And with a final chuckle, the hockey player left the restaurant with the others.

As Samantha headed home from work, she felt a small pang of guilt. She knew Sofie wasn't particularly interested in dating at the moment, especially not a hockey player. However, she did like Mitch Marner whenever he was around. So, she reasoned that whoever he decided to spend time with must at least be as friendly as him. So, as she walked towards the metro station, she convinced herself that her actions as a wingwoman were justified.

___

Friday, October 11th

"Oh, she's perfect, bro!" Alex chuckled from his perch on a high stool by the kitchen counter, watching as William rummaged through the fridge, searching for something to eat before heading out for training. The morning sun streamed through the window, casting a warm glow over the sleek countertops.

"Hmm, I'm not so sure," William replied thoughtfully, grabbing a carton of almond milk and a tub of protein powder from the pantry as he started making his protein shake.

"Why not? She's fit, not some crazy fangirl, and definitely not one of those waitresses at Mitchy's restaurant you’ve hooked up with too many times," Alex pointed out, grinning as he placed William’s phone on the counter.

William had shown him Sofie’s Instagram profile; a woman who seemed genuinely indifferent to the fact that he was an NHL player. Which, according to Alex, made her perfect for their plan.

But William sighed, shaking his head slightly as he poured the protein powder into the blender, adding a handful of fresh berries. "Yeah, but I’m not sure if she’s really what I’m looking for. She’s kind of… annoying."

Alex's laughter filled the kitchen. "Come on, man, you’re overthinking it. She’s cool, grounded, and not desperate for attention like the others. If you don’t make a move, I will!"

William paused, considering Alex’s words as he pressed the button on the blender. "Hmm, I guess she did seem kinda cool," he admitted, thinking back to Sofie's sharp wit and how she didn’t act starstruck around him.

"Exactly," Alex encouraged, taking a sip from his pre-workout drink. "Just give it a shot. What’s the worst that could happen?"

William took a sip of his protein shake. "Alright, I’ll think about it," he said finally. "But I’m not making any promises."

"Fair enough," Alex replied with a grin. "But trust me, you won’t regret it."

Glancing at the clock, William realised it was time to head out for training. So, he quickly finished his shake, grabbed his gym bag, and made his way to the door. As he rode the lift down to the car park, thoughts of Sofie lingered in his mind. Maybe Alex was right. Perhaps she was worth taking a chance on.

___

Sunday, October 13th - WSH 2 @ TOR 3

It was a vibrant autumn evening at Scotiabank Arena, where the Toronto Maple Leafs faced off against the Washington Capitals in their much-anticipated home opener of the season. Samantha and Sofie, nestled among a sea of fans donning the iconic blue and white jerseys, soaked in the electric atmosphere from their prime seats—a birthday gift from Samantha to Sofie for her 29th birthday in early September.

As the puck dropped, the arena buzzed with excitement, sparking a rapid exchange of plays between the two powerhouse teams. From the very first period, the game was nothing short of gripping, with both sides showcasing their offensive prowess through relentless attacks and sharp defensive manoeuvres. The crowd erupted with every shot on goal, each save by the goalkeepers, and every breakaway attempt, fuelling the players on the ice with unwavering support.

And as the game unfolded, goals were traded between the Leafs and the Capitals, each score met with either raucous cheers or disappointed groans, depending on which team benefited. The Capitals, known for their aggressive style, tested the Leafs' defence to its limits, while Toronto's talented forwards seized scoring chances with finesse.

Yet, in the third period, with the score tied, the Leafs cranked up their offensive pressure. The crowd reached a fever pitch as Toronto broke the deadlock with a decisive goal, sending the arena into a frenzy of cheers and applause. Despite the Capitals' best efforts to equalise in the closing minutes, Toronto's defence held firm, securing a hard-fought 3-2 victory.

As the final buzzer reverberated through the arena, signalling the end of an exhilarating match, Samantha and Sofie joined the crowds streaming towards the metro station, still buzzing with excitement from an incredible first home game of the season.

Meanwhile, near the Leafs' locker room, William was still riding the high of adrenaline, replaying the key moments of the game in his mind. Despite the intensity of the match, he managed to find a few moments to catch up with his best friend, Rasmus Sandin, who now played for the Capitals.

And after such a performance, William had a post-game routine that included cooling off and some rehabilitation, often with an ice bath. So now, sitting alone in the empty locker room with only a towel around his waist, he reached for his phone. And with a quick swipe, he opened Instagram, ready to unwind and catch up on social media after the intense match.

Yet, as he scrolled through his feed, a thought struck him. Though not usually one to snoop, he couldn’t resist checking Sofie's profile, and to his surprise, she had posted a story. Giving in to his curiosity, William tapped on the colourful circular icon and watched the video unfold. Where he then saw Sofie, seated in the stands next to Samantha, surrounded by cheering fans, clearly enjoying the game.

A grin spread across William’s face. The idea that Sofie had been at the game amused him more than he expected. And as he continued to watch her story, taking in the snippets of the match she had captured and the infectious energy of the crowd, he noticed something peculiar—her jersey number was 31. 

William’s grin widened. “So she’s a Freddie fan,” he thought, recognising the number as that of former Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen. It was a small detail, but somehow it added to the intrigue he felt towards her. Shaking his head in amusement, he put his phone away, the image of Sofie at the game lingering in his mind as he headed off to the ice bath.

_

Later that evening, after a peaceful walk with his beloved dogs, William returned to his condo, where the soft, ambient light of the lamps cast a warm glow over the living room. He sank into the comfort of his couch, the events of the day still buzzing in his mind, yet his quiet moment was interrupted by a message notification from his brother.

Alex: Great game tonight, bro! How’s the love game coming along? 😉

William sighed and typed back.

William: Nothing’s happened yet 🤷🏼‍♂️ Alex: What? Why not? William: Just didn’t know what to say, I guess. Alex: Oh come on, bro! Just slide into her DMs 😉 William: Alright, chill bro 🧘🏼

With his brother's words echoing in his mind, William opened Instagram once more and navigated to Sofie's profile. And as he scrolled through her posts, a smile played on his lips, as he then tapped the message icon and typed out a quick message.

williamnylander: Did you enjoy the game? 😉

With that, he sent the message, leaning back into the couch, a mix of anticipation and curiosity swirling within him.

-

Across the city, Samantha and Sofie were chatting on either side of the kitchen counter in their small shared apartment, where Sofie was whipping up some late-night pancakes when her phone suddenly buzzed with a notification.

"What the fuck," she exclaimed in surprise.

"What's up?" Samantha asked, leaning over the counter, intrigued.

Sofie stared at her phone, stunned. "William Nylander just messaged me on Insta…"

"No way! What does it say?"

"He’s asking if I enjoyed the game tonight," Sofie explained, her voice tinged with disbelief. "How did he even know I was there? Did he see my story or something... wait, how the fuck did he find my account?"

Samantha tried to conceal any signs of prior knowledge, but Sofie quickly picked up on her roommate's subtle cues.

"Did he... say something the other night at the restaurant?" Sofie asked, her curiosity piqued, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Samantha. "After I left."

"Oh... um..." Samantha hesitated, trying to find the right words.

"Oh my god, he did!" Sofie exclaimed. "What did he say?"

"Nothing, really!" Samantha protested. "I mean... okay, he asked if you were single... and then," she paused, gathering her thoughts.

"And then what?"

"Well, I told him you were single, but I also mentioned that you probably weren't his type... so he shouldn't bother trying anything," Samantha confessed, exhaling deeply.

Sofie was momentarily speechless. "Oh, okay. But how did he find my Instagram then?"

Samantha let out a defeated sigh, realising she couldn’t avoid the truth. "I might have... possibly, maybe, shown him a picture where he could have seen your name..."

"Sam!"

"What? I didn't think he'd actually message you! I was just... I don't know, trying to help?"

Sofie sighed again. "Hmm... Well, he did message me. So now what do I do?"

"Well, you reply, of course," Samantha suggested with a chuckle.

"No, I mean... what should I reply?"

"I don’t know, maybe say you had the most amazing time ever?" she teased.

Sofie considered the suggestion for a moment but decided on a different approach. carefully composing her response, her fingers hovered over the screen.

bochy.lacour: Oh wow, so who's stalking who now! 😂

Letting out a sigh, Sofie flipped the last pancake as she waited for a response. Yet, William's reply came quicker than expected.

williamnylander: You, of course! You came to see me tonight 😉

With Samantha’s curious eyes on her, snacking on a pancake, Sofie replied simply.

bochy.lacour: Oh, right I went to the match just to see you 🙄 williamnylander: Hah, knew it! bochy.lacour: 🙄🙄🙄

Once again, Sofie let out a sigh.

"What's up? What's on your mind?" Samantha asked, grinning widely.

"It's just weird, isn't it?"

"Well, if you're unsure, just ask him what he wants. Be bold, Sof," Samantha said confidently, taking another bite.

bochy.lacour: Did you seriously message me just to say you're stalking me now? williamnylander: maybe 😉 and to ask you out for coffee

Sofie nearly choked on her pancake when she read his message.

"What? What's happening now?" Samantha asked quickly, stepping around the kitchen counter to peer over Sofie's shoulder. "Oh my goodness!"

Sofie gasped nervously. "What the fuck is wrong with this guy?"

bochy.lacour: What? Why? williamnylander: 😂  williamnylander: as an apology for bumping into you with the door 😉

Sofie sighed again as she glanced at Samantha, who was clearly enjoying this more than she was.

"What? Don't you trust him?" Samantha teased.

"Well, I don't know... should I?"

But Samantha, in a playful mood, simply snatched the phone from Sofie’s hand. "Of course! Let’s do it, it’ll be fun for you," she giggled, returning to her seat across from Sofie and responding on her behalf.

bochy.lacour: Alright then 🙂 when and where?

William, surprised that Sofie had agreed so quickly, smirked as he thought about his schedule for the next few days.

williamnylander: Tomorrow at 9? bochy.lacour: I’m at work at 9 - how about 7? Or 6:30? williamnylander: That's early! 😅 bochy.lacour: Well, sorry Starboy, but some of us have regular work schedules 🙄

William chuckled at the nickname, deciding he liked it even if she was being sarcastic. Glancing over at his beloved doodles lounging beside him and after a moment’s thought, he realised he’d need to take his dogs out early anyway.

williamnylander: Alright then 7. I’ll send you the location of a spot I know 😉 bochy.lacour: Sure 🙂

Sofie turned to Samantha with a resigned expression as she retrieved her phone. "I can’t believe you just did that."

"What? You mean helping you score a date with hockey starboy William Nylander? Come on, give me some credit for being a wingwoman!"

Sofie couldn’t help but smile slightly, though she rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine, you get the credit—but just so you know, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind."

"Of course it was, babe—seriously, if this was primary school, you two would be running around and he’d be pulling on your pigtails," Samantha said playfully before adding, "besides, maybe this is good for you—getting out there and not thinking about Shitface and his stupid wedding."

And Sofie could only agree to that sentiment. So, nodding slightly, she took another bite of her late-night snack. "Maybe you're right... but still, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, it’s just coffee, and it’s still super weird."

[jae-in-a-trenchcoat]

Spinosaurous cuz I haven't seen many people asking this one!

Yeah neither, ty for asking this one!

Spinosaurus- Favorite season finale and why?

Probably season 2!

The kids really come together to work as a team, even when Darius is trying so hard to sacrifice himself like an idiot. He honestly had a death wish and I’m like, nooo you’re not alone child please don’t be stupid.

Ben and Darius reunion 🥹 I mean, the whole Camp Fam group hug is adorable, but Ben and Darius specifically is a highlight.

Dino stampede!

Mitch and Tiff getting what they absolutely DESERVE like thank god. The utter satisfaction of Tiff on the boat with Chaos and Limbo was just incredible.

Finally being like “screw other people we have to get off the island ourselves.” AGHHH, it’s such a turning point for the series and I love it.

And that ending shot implying the release of the scorpios rex, chills

I will say though, I do love season 5’s ending, both as a season and series finale. And also the ending of Chaos Theory s1, I NEED S2 NOW

Thanks again! I’m still doing this if you guys wanna send more questions! I’ll be faster at answering aha

[fallingforel]

6 & 101 please! Fluff with Harry - imagine these used in a bit of banter between them x

a/n: If you would like to put in a request the people I write for and the prompt list is here.

words: 855 words (sorry it's one of my shorter ones I was running dry for ideas.)

PROMPT 6 & 101: “This isn’t fair!” “I hope you’re happy.”

⋆｡°✩

2023

I had joined Harry on love on tour this year, with our 7 year old daughter in tow, we had decided that she would do virtual school as it was too much of a risk of her being recognised at school, when Harry or I would pick her up, having our relationship being in the public eye for 10 years now, plus it allowed us to be on tour with Harry, hating being away from him just like I went through when he was in One direction.

Now we were sitting on the hotel room bed, after coming back from our anniversary dinner, Mitch and Sarah taking Juliet for the night. currently reminiscing on our relationship of 10 years. We hadn't gotten married.

"Do you remember The night we made Juliet?" I asked

"vaguely, remind me again what happened"

⋆｡°✩

31st October 2015 (a/n sorry 1d fans I know it's a soft spot 😔)

Harry and I had just gotten back from going out on a night out to celebrate the last ever show with Harry's bandmates, we celebrated out in sheffield and now we had gone to our flat, sheffield was my home town so it was a bittersweet moment for me, because sheffield was where Harry and I had met 2 years ago while he was doing his take me home tour and now everything was changing but not our relationship. No our relationship was as strong as ever and it had been some amazing past 2 years with him.

Now though, I was lounging about in out flat just watching out the big panel window of our flat, While Harry was somewhere around doing something. Harry and I had bought this flat before he left for the on the road again tour, and now we finally had time to spend in it together.

"What are you doing?" Harry asks while wrapping his arms around me while his front is pressed against my back, making me jump about 6 feet in the air. "geez H! way to scare a girl, why don't you go scare Petal while you're at it Harry" Petal was my cat from my old flat, from before I met Harry. She was a stray when I took her in finding her in a bunch of petals while walking home. I took her to the nearest to the vets but there was no record of previous owners and I couldn't just leave her there when she was just a baby so I gave her a good life and promised to give her all the love any animal deserves.

Looking down at the cat, who had now disappeared from where she was previously and not being anywhere where she was in plain sight taking it as a sign that she was scared. Harry and now moved to be facing me looking me right in the eye, "oh come on darling,this isnt fair you sneak up on me all the time, like this morning when we were at the venue you came up and hugged me making me jump 12 foot in the air." "that's different!" "Oh is it now?" he asks sarcastically "yes it is" I say before pulling him in for a kiss.

We stay kissing for a few moments before Harry pulls away. "Wow way to make a girl know that you don't like her Harry" I tease playfully. "Oh yeah, Y/n I have some news. After, being with you for 2 years and buying a flat with you. I don't like you." He teases back with the same amount I just gave him "I hope you're happy. Just for that, you can sleep on the sofa tonight." I say, acting serious before walking into the bedroom, knowing I'm only joking.

He follows me while talking "oh come on Y/n/n, you know I love you." he pauses then says "I" was only joking". I giggle before I say "so was I you fool, haha got you" he joins me on the bed tickling me. "you little menace, had my heart going for a second thought I'd really upset you. You are so crafty honestly." He says before kissing me again, going a bit deeper this time.

And that was that, this was where we would start our family.

⋆｡°✩

2023

"ahh, Now I remember I loved that night, you looked gorgeous. Not that you don't now though"

"Harry, you have always been so scared of upsetting me I love you for it though"

"you know maybe for good measures we should try again, I don't feel as though we're complete yet."

"Is it really the best time though? What about me being too pregnant to fly? What about Juliet? "

"You won't be. I have a break coming up in july, I can easily not go on tour for another couple of years. As for Juliet, she's been telling me how she wants a brother or sister."

"Okay, Harry. You'll have to give me a few days so I can book in to get my IUD out, then we'll start."

And that was that before 3 became 4.

⋆｡°✩

the end.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

Hey CJ, you mentioned that you disagree with a lot of your old TWDG opinions, any that stand out you wanna share? Also i agree with what you said about wanting to play the series for the first time again with no prior knowledge - i would love to meet louis character for the first time again.

Yeah, some opinions have changed with time and moving on from being a hardcore, active fan in the fandom. I'm pretty sure I've talked about some of them more recently, like how I used to not like Jane but now I've become something of a "Jane apologist," if you will.

I was also super vocal about hating the Clementine comics when the 12-page comic dropped, and I'm pretty sure I was shitty about Tillie Walden... which I look back on now and feel embarrassed. In fact, I specifically remember calling attention to the fact that Skybound turned off comments on the first book trailer and on their instagram, twitter, etc. and being like, "look at these COWARDS! they know we hate the comic and that Tillie's a bad artist, they're trying to shut us up!" ........but then I heard they turned them off because Tillie was getting threats, and it caused me to dig around and see the vile shit fans were saying.... It gave me pause to think things through and I feel very differently about it all now.

I've also changed my mind on Minerva. Like Jane, there was a loooong period of time where I didn't like her, but now? I think she's great. A real tragedy.

In fact, real talk, I think my perspective on most of the female characters in TWDG has shifted dramatically. I've done a lot of thinking on this just in general; I'm much harder on female characters than male characters. I can pretend like noooooo I was always soooo fair... but no, not always. I'm sure it's from some deep-rooted, internalized misogyny I have that I'm working on, but I also think the games sometimes neglect those characters, too. Which makes it easier to brush them off as just "poorly-written" and "bad characters" if I don't like them when that's not always the case.

Or let's be real, we all know how this goes; the games give us a flawed male character and fans are like "he's my blorbo, here's a 50k essay about why he deserved better and a list of my headcanons and the twenty AUs I've written for them-" but then a female character's just as flawed and fans are like "lol she's poorly written, here's an essay on why-"

Don't look at me like that. I know I'm guilty of this. I know y'all remember Mitch. Back in the day, Mitch was my boy and I used to write about him all the time but like... god forbid I put that much effort into writing about Violet or Minerva, right?

Or even look at Kate, for example. Past CJ would've talked about how much she doesn't like Kate and she hates the forced romance with Javi, she's just there as a way to make David and Javi fight, etc. But you ask me about Kate now and I'm like, "Girl, ANF did you so dirty, you didn't deserve this."

Or how about Bonnie in S2? We all love to hate on Bonnie, but like... she's such an interesting character?? She's a recovering drug addict so desperate for a place, and you can see Carver's manipulation at play in the way she talks about him to Clementine. It takes seeing him physically beat Kenny within an inch of his life before she's like "Yeah no, fuck this, we're leaving tonight." And we give her shit about Luke's death and being mean to Clementine but frankly? Yeah, she's mean to Clementine and that's fine.

What, it's okay for Kenny to lash out and call her a stupid kid when Sarita dies because he's your poor meow meow and it makes his character soooo morally gray and complex? But Bonnie lashes out about Luke's death and suddenly she's just a massive piece of shit? No complexities or anything? There's no grey morality? No underlying motive or emotions behind the choice to abandon the group with Mike and Arvo?? She's just a bitch??

And do I even need to talk about Sarah? Hmm? We all know how Sarah was received and how fans still talk about her. Again, Sarah has a complete meltdown over losing her father and people get hurt, and fans wish death upon her... but Kenny has a meltdown and brutally beats up Arvo or threatens to smack Clementine or a number of things.... "that's fine, he's just really upset, he lost his family, y'know? everyone keeps trying to GASLIGHT me that he's bad but if you really think about it, Arvo totally deserved to be abused and it's actually Clementine's fault Kenny hit her because she tried to stop him-"

I just... the lengths we go to justify and defend this violent, toxic character but then act like Jane is the worst, I can't-

It's so funny to me whenever I see someone in the fandom complain about wanting more morally grey, flawed female characters because like... y'all couldn't even handle Jane. Or Lilly. Or Sarah. Or Bonnie. Rebecca. Eleanor. Christa. Minerva and Violet, in a lot of cases. So like... what do you actually want?

Note that I'm guilty of this, too, and I've asked myself that question... haven't fully worked out the answer yet.

That's the major thing that comes to mind about opinions I had that I've changed my mind about. I think a big factor in that is letting twdg go and getting invested in other fandoms, doing a lot more reading, getting back into writing, etc. Obviously I've really gotten into the Dragon Age fandom and that's what triggered this "journey of self-reflection~" when it comes to how I perceive female characters. Like, you want flawed, morally-grey ladies? That's your series... assuming you can actually handle it.

But I also recently finished a playthrough of Fallout New Vegas and remembered my love for Veronica Santangelo, like... I don't care that the game doesn't technically have romance, that's my girlfriend, I love her. Then the other night I finished my first playthrough of Life is Strange True Colors [I know, where the fuck have I been, right?] and I spent 40% of the time looking at flowers, 10% being sad about Gabe, and the other 50% trying to figure out who I liked more, Steph or Ryan.

I've also been reading a lot of wlw novels which is just..... THAT'S a whole mess I won't get into because this is already long enough and you didn't ask. Just know that's also another factor in this reflection.

And to answer the other part of your ask: I miss Louis. I would love to play TFS again for the first time again, that was a fun time.

[willyismybicycle]

Title: stay with my tonight, I'll be your alibi (Part 7 of the earth, the sky, the sea) >> AO3 Link Rating: Explicit Pairing: Auston Matthews/William Nylander, William Nylander/Kyle Dubas Tags: POV Alternating,complicated relationships, Willy dealing some angst

Summary:

They play Pittsburgh - they play Kyle Dubas. Willy deals with the aftermath of feeling like he's being forgotten.

They haven’t talked. 

There’s a lot of things that they should probably talk about, like does Auston want all the sweaters he keeps leaving here? But then he thinks about Auston meticulously packing up his stuff around the apartment and he drops that thought immediately. 

It’s stupid. He’s the one that walked away, but he slips on one of those sweaters now, tucks his nose into the collar. 

He cleans his apartment. He can’t bring himself to pack anything of Auston’s away, but he can at least turn the photographs so it doesn’t feel like Auston’s watching him have his pathetic post-breakup meltdown. Or whatever. 

He hasn’t had to do this before. Before Auston, there was Kyle and despite their back and forth, that relationship just came to a natural end. And then Kyle left. 

Will wasn’t — isn’t — the type of person who can do long distance for the majority of the year. He needs to be touched and held and told he’s loved face to face. 

He misses Auston so much already it aches but he knows it was for the best. 

═══

Auston doesn’t know what he’s supposed to think, or say, or do. He’s just been staring at the last messages between him and Will.

It was all so normal. 

═══

Will tries not to react when Mitch turns away before he’s even done speaking. Fine. Fuck you, too. 

He settles himself — that’s now what he thinks about Mitch. He just doesn’t like what this is doing to him. Doesn’t like that it makes him bitter and unfocused, doesn’t like that it makes him love the game less. 

Doesn’t like that it makes him want to fucking himself headfirst into the incoming traffic of his emotions.

Don’t do it. Don’t do it.

He does it anyway. 

“Willy?” 

“Hey. Do you wanna meet me in an hour?”

═══

The air in his lungs just vanishes. Not exhaled, not stolen in some romantic manner. Just gone. 

He tries not to feel anything. At all. 

He fails. 

“Hi Willy,” Kyle says, his voice soft and soothing. 

“Hey,” he responds, stepping back so Kyle can enter. 

“I was surprised to see you call.”

“Uh, yeah, I’m —” What was he? Sad? It seems more complicated than that. “I just — wanted to see if you were okay.”

“Of course. Always am.” Kyle gives him a small smile — but it’s tired. So fucking tired. 

Willy feels for him, really, because he knows it’s not okay. It never is. “You don’t have to lie to me,” he says. It comes out softer than intended. It sounds too much like he cares. 

And he does. He wants Kyle to be happy, he wants Kyle to have everything that Kyle deserves and has worked for. 

He wants Kyle to win. Just not tonight, and somehow, that makes him feel guilty. It shouldn't, but it does. 

Kyle shrugs. “It’s the game. You know how it is.”

That’s as close to I’m not okay as Kyle will ever get, he supposes. Pablo shoves his face between Will’s legs to look up at Kyle.

“Yeah, but —” he pauses as he watches Kyle take his jacket off. Kyle looks good. “But it still… sucks.”

Yeah, he’s super articulate tonight. 

Banksy pushes past both of them to try and jump on Kyle. He should probably stop that, but Kyle’s smiling down and cooing Banky’s name and Will’s going to lose his whole ass mind. 

“Drink?” He offers instead, trying not to tune his hearing into every step and every breath Kyle takes. 

“Just water‘s fine.”

It feels a lot like their last conversation. 

“How is everything?” Kyle asks, and well, isn’t that a loaded fucking question. 

“Fine,” he says, even though it’s so far from the truth. 

And of course Kyle knows. Neither of them let go of the bottle as Will goes to hand it over. His fingertips are cold from the water, but Kyle’s hand feels like a bonfire, warm and enticing.

“Willy.” 

He lets go. Kyle lets go. 

The water bottle drops with a dull thud. And then Kyle’s holding him. 

His first inhale feels like he’s underwater, and he chokes it back out, all the anger and sadness inside of him just pouring out of him. 

“I’ve got you, baby, I’ve got you.” 

And he does. Kyle does have him, arms strong and unmoving around Will’s heaving shoulders. 

“It’s okay, it’ll be okay,” Kyle continues. “Just let it out.” 

So he does. 

═══

“Do you want…”

“Yes,” Will responds, cutting off the rest of the sentence. 

“Are you sure, baby? I mean — Auston?”

He huffs at the name. “Fuck Auston,” he says bitterly, trying to pretend like he isn’t wearing one of Auston’s shirts right now.  

Kyle’s eyebrow arches, but he doesn’t push. He doesn’t make Will feel stupid about it, he just pushes closer and closer until the two of them are tumbling onto the couch. 

“Please, Kyle, I —”

“Gotta get outta your head. I know, baby.” 

“Just — please.” His eyes burn with the embarrassment of it all �� of breaking down in front of his ex, who he’s supposed to show that everything’s fine. But instead he’s almost hyperventilating as he asks for some form of salvation. 

═══

He forgets about Auston, for a second. He forgets everything, really. 

His own name. Where he is. What he’s doing. 

Kyle blows him so good he nearly blacks out. Then he fucks Will’s face like he’s not about to be one of the highest paid players in the league. 

Kyle fucks him like he’s nothing, because he asks for it and wants it — because he feels like it. 

Kyle fucks him until he cries. He doesn’t safe word. Kyle stops anyway.  

He tells Kyle it’s best he doesn’t stay the night. Kyle stays anyway. 

There’s a text from Auston when they go to sleep — miss you — but Kyle’s arms are warm and Kyle’s heart beats steady against Will’s back. 

Kyle’s here. 

So fuck Auston and his stupid text. 

Look at me, I’m fine without you.

[jackhues]

After her Nico slander I’m afraid to ask about these two but I’m curious

i got my other friends to join bcz the first one is a woman with pretty much no taste

on dawson:

og friend ( the one with no taste ): the hair gives him another point. he's like a 7

friend who absolutely loves hockey and would die for mitch marner: yeah i like his hair but not much else, i'd say a 7

friend who only knows about hockey bcz of me and mitch-marner-friend: he's cute, i can see it, but he's not my type. i give him a 7 too

me: okay ik why you all gave him low scores, like ik he's none of your types, but still, he's adorable (HIS SMILE AGHH)

on jamie:

og friend ( the one with no taste ): he seems like the guy a lot of girls have crushes on, but it overrated. like that chamallalmale dude (cha-ma-llama-lay is what she calls timothee chalamet)

me: i'm actually offended considering jamie's the sweetest most introverted dude ever. (proceeds to go on a rant and explain why jamie drysdale deserves everything in the world)

friend who absolutely loves hockey and would die for mitch marner: JIMBOO! i love this dude. so sad he's injured tho-

og friend ( the one with no taste ): wait, he's injured? now i feel bad. i'll give him a 5

me: WHAT WERE YOU GONNA GIVE HIM BEFORE??!

friend who absolutely loves hockey and would die for mitch marner: anyways, he's adorable. 9/10, easy

friend who only knows about hockey bcz of me and mitch-marner-friend: i like his smile, and his face, and his hair. i'll give him an 8 just because he looks so adorable.

[scenetocause]

Hello! I hope you're doing well.

I was just wondering if you're ever going to upload a new chapter of your Daniel goes to Fe fic? No pressure either way but I love it so much and regularly re-read it, and I was just wondering if you were still working on it (it's fine if you aren't!)

aha. well. i am still working on that. i actually made some progress over the weekend which for various reasons had the potential to be the funniest thing i have ever done but yeah, i will be uploading i hope soon? maybe today. i always have that ambition. the next chapter is very long and the usual mix of painfully entangled.

but i do want to finish it. so actually. i could go and do some of that now instead of staring into space.

here's a snippet as proof of life:

Jev momentarily feels like he may have missed a step. Not about Stoffel and Mitch snogging, which he should probably find gross or at least mildly annoying but instead somehow seems genuinely quite cute - maybe he’s getting old.  He’s definitely not sure what’s going on in the conversation he’s having with Daniel, so perhaps he’s already going deaf. “And they - I dunno, maybe I should tell him because, like, I wonder if they’re just worrying about it because of F1 and whatever but then again, we were alright. Kinda.” Daniel pauses to chew his lip for a minute. “I dunno, I just think the bloke deserves to be happy and like, Lando’s a weird choice for that but if it works for him then they seem to like each other.” “For… who?” Jev’s wondering if his English has got a lot worse or something. “Max - my Max. Well, no, not my Max, that’s kinda the other one I mean McLaren Max, y’know, from the other night.” This hasn’t explained anything any better and Jev sort of wants to stop the conversation because it’s making his head spin. “He seemed nice.” “Yeah, he’s a really good kid.” Daniel sighs. “I gotta give him my car in Berlin, was supposed to be Monaco.” “Oh, yes.” The rookie test is a relatively safe topic that Jev doesn’t feel like he’s drowning in. “I am hoping we get Tatiana - you know, Caldéron - back, she was very good at Techeetah, if she is free.” “That’s cool,” Daniel knocks back his drink. “We’ve got a girl, too. Someone Seb knows or something.” When his mouth stops moving, it’s wet. With a chip of ice on his bottom lip that Jev can’t stop staring at. Daniel seems… unfocussed, in the way he has every time Jev’s seen him this year, wrongfooted and off-balance like someone carrying a tray of drinks you don’t want spilt on you.  “Do you ever think about - I mean, I guess, probably not, with being married now.”  For the first time in the conversation Jev is painfully aware what Daniel’s referring to.

[the-offside-rule]

Mitch Evans (Jaguar) - Unprofessional

Requested: by my friend who also writes on wattpad

Prompt: Mitch has been having some rough patches, but no matter how good he is, there is always one journalist that will have something to say about him.

Warnings: smut, cvnty mitch, 18+, rough

Mitch smiled as he walked into his garage. P2 after such a difficult race. He deserved it, every drop of champagne and every word of praise and glory. "I'd like to see people question my driving now." Mitch chuckled as he set his trophy to the side. The few engineers around him exchanged glances, making the kiwi that bit confused. "What is it? Did they give me a penalty?" He asked worried. "No, it's just-" The engineer paused. "Well, Y/n Y/l/n was live a few minutes ago and she said this is another example of how drivers that don't deserve a win, somehow always win." Mitch arched a brow and scoffed. "Oh please. If undeserving drivers always won, they would deserve it. No one is that lucky." He chuckled, acting as though the constant remarks didn't bother him. "Well yeah. As long as you don't look at twitter." Mitch looked between both of the engineers and took his phone out. "See, why would you say that? Now I'm obviously going to go-" He didn't even need to go into her profile to see it. It was everywhere

thejournalisty/n

Boring race, but such an incredible win from Vandoorne! Genuinely excited proud of him for keeping up his incredible run this whole weekend and Im looking forward to many more races like this!

fefan2023 What about Mitch Evans? He did pretty well too I thought??

thejournalisty/n He's an okay driver, I just didn't see anything worth noting as he was racing. Other than his incompetent driving style showing up from time to time.

His jaw clenched as he read the disheartening tweets. "She doesn't know what she's on about mate, she just-" Mitch slammed the trophy onto the table, creating a silence after. "It's every weekend though! I can't go into a race week without her blabbering on about some bullshit." Mitch said in an annoyed tone. "I'm going to sort it." Mitch put his phone back into his pocket and left the garage, some if his team following him to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.

On the other side of the paddock, up and coming motorsport journalist, Y/n Y/l/n stood with her microphone prepared to do her segment on the race. "Okay, recording in 5....4....3...2....1." Y/n smiled into the camera. "Hello guys, and welcome back to-"

"Y/n!" The journalist jumped upon hearing the loud shout of her name. She turned quickly, looking to see who it was, only to see Mitch Evans pacing towards her, his fists clenched. "Can we speak later? I'm filming a segment-"

"I don't give a continental fuck! I'm sick of this shit!" The corner of Y/n's lips curled into a grin. "Oh what? What exactly are you going to do in front of all these people?" She challenged. What the young reporter didn't expect was for the kiwi driver to grab her wrist and haul her away from the crowd around her and towards his driver room. "Let go of me! I'll call security!" She warned, earning a scoff from Mitch. "You think they're gonna kick a driver out of the paddock? I'd like to see that happen, darling." He grimaced before opening his door and leading her in. "Sit down." He said. "You think I'm going to-"

"I said sit!" Mitch repeated, much louder and more demanding. Y/n swallowed the lump in her throat and abides by his orders. Mitch walked around, shutting his blinds and locking his door so no one could tell him to calm down or stop shouting. "Okay, I'm sat. What's wrong with you now?" She asked, her arms crossed as she leaned back onto the white plastic walls behind the tiny stool. "Don't play fucking stupid, what the fuck are you doing?" Mitch shouted. "I was doing my job! I have to critique every driver!" Y/n replied. "It seems like you only ever do it to me though! Stoffel came P3 in the race today, and you insisted the car was the issue. Fucking Dan nearly crashed into me and it was my fault! Do you see how unfair this is?!" He asked. Y/n shook her head. "Oh my god! You're infuriating!" He shouts. "Can I just explained?" She asked, standing up finally. "No! You won't explain shit to me!" It became a roaring match, with everyone practically listening outside.

"You'll have to make me shut up!" Y/n shouted back. "You want me to make you shut up?" He repeated. Y/n chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. What the fuck are you gonna do?" He stood in front of her, jaw clenched, not knowing what he would possibly do. "That's what I thought." She scoffed and turned to open the door, only to be pulled back by Mitch, his lips instantly latching onto hers. She pulled away, matching his shocked face. "What was that?" She asked, breathless. "I- I'm not entirely sure." Mitch muttered. Y/n looked between hsi eyes and lips. "Do it again." She breathed. Without another thought, he gave in and leaned in yet again. This time however, there was a mutual desire for need and lust.

His hands roamed her body, gripping each part of her like this was the last chance he had. "Wanted to do this long?" Y/n mumbled into the kiss. "Not that I know." He replied, hating that he had to break contact to reply. He looked at her shirt in disgust. "What? You don't like my shirt?" She asked. "No, it'd just look better on the floor right now." He murmured. Y/n unbuttoned the shirt and threw it off in world record time. "Come on, yoh don't want to felt left out, do you?" Mitch chuckled and unzipped his overalls, tying them around his hips, then moving his attention to his fireproof shirt. He lifted it to reveal his toned upper body and tossed it to the side with no regard. Y/n gasped as Mitch pushed her back against the wall, the cold plastic giving her a shock. "Y/n?" He asked. "Yes?"

"Jump." He murmured into her ear. She gripped onto his shoulders and hopped up, her legs being caught by Mitch's arms, wrapping them around his waist. "In the driver room? Bit unprofessional, no?" She joked, moving her hair out of her face. "I think this whole thing is, but we can discuss that later." He whispered. A light laugh left her lips as Mitch buried his head into the crook of her neck, kissing and nipping as he did, leaving nothing but lilac bruises imprinted onto her. "Stop teasing and actually do something." She groaned, feeling the pool form in her panties. "Bit ironic, isn't it?" He chuckled. Y/n pushed him away from her for a moment. "How do you mean?" She asked, becoming annoyed. "I mean-" Mitch paused and pecked her lips. "It's ironic that the man you label as incompetent is about to fuck you in his driver room." Y/n's breath hitched as he moved from kissing her lips to now kissing her cleavage. "Just please, do something or-"

"Or what? Are you gonna write an article about this?" He mused, Y/n slowly growing impatient. Without much further notice, Mitch pushed her panties over to one side and thrusted into her, a string of curses leaving her lips. "Shut up, they might hear you." Mitch whisper-shouted, his hand clasping over her mouth. She pulled herself closer to Mitch's body, her hands now reaching down his back as Mitch began a pace. It began slow to see if anyone would notice or knock the door, but it slowly became quicker and more passionate. "Fuck, Mitch." She breathed, pressing soft kisses onto his neck. A groan left his lips at the euphoria of this. "Harder, please." She whispered. A grin appeared on Mitch's face. "Dirty bitch." He whispered right back. He picked up the pace and delved deeper into her with each thrust. Her nails were now digging into his tanned skin, decorating it with white lines. "Mitch- oh fuck!" She stopped herself from shrieking his name, loud enough for the whole paddock to hear.

He felt as her walls closed around him. He felt himself comingundone with her. His groans turned to moans and his thrusts became sloppy. His arms curled around her waist and torso, holding her close to his sweaty body. Her head fell back in ecstasy. "Look at me." Mitch demanded. It took every fibre of strength for Y/m to bring her head forward and look at him. His lips once again latched onto hers as the two of the finished, in eachothers arms. The pair sat, riding through their highs together before Mitch finally broke the silence. "That shut you up enough?" Mitch panted as Y/n gripped onto his broad shoulders. "I mean...I wasn't exactly quiet, was I?" Mitch shook his head and pecked her lips again. She could feel his smile against her lips. "Was this good enough for me to finally get into your good books?" He joked. Y/n laughed with him and nodded. "For this week. Next time, you'll need to up your game to stay in my good books." The kiwi chuckled and threw the journalist her shirt. "Hurry up before people think something actually happened. Y/n scoffed and threw her shirt on over her shoulders. "They won't think anything happened. Didn't even last six minutes." She replied. "Well next time, 8ll be sure to make it longer." He said. "We'll have to see next time then."

*time skip*

Mitch walked into the paddock of the day after smiling his usual smile. He waved at fans and people from the teams. "Mitch." Y/n said as he passed. "Y/n." He replied, smirking. "I was wondering if I could interview you later?" She asked. "How up, close and personal are we getting?" He chuckled. She slapped her cards off his arm. "Behave, Evans or I'll gladly interview someone else." He looked away shaking his head. "You're sick in the head for that." He replied, walking away. "You know I'm your favourite to interview." She rolled her eyes and turned back around to film as Mitch walked off behind her to his garage. "Hey guys. Ready for today?" Mitch asked. His two engineers looked at him, both impressed and confused. "What?" He asked. "How did you get Y/n to not be an asshole?" One of them asked. "Hey, hey, that's not very polite, is it?" He replied. "But what are you even on about?" His engineer handed him his phone, opened on her website. "Just read the last bit."

Now, although Vandoorne maintained his lead from the beginning if the race, I must give credits where credits are due; Mitch Evans once again proves his talent as we review his incredible drive from P11 at the start, and going on to come second in the race. I can only hope we see more from the kiwi in the upcoming races.

Mitch smiled. Finally, a nice comment about him. And all it took, was a little bit of unprofessionalism.

[nikkiruncks]

https://www.tumblr.com/hydesjackiespuddinpop/735071324305833984/could-we-get-some-more-angst-in-here-please

Hiya, Poorni ❤! Could I please request prompt 28 with Eric telling off the '70s basement gang when they bash him for hanging out with the 'moron' friends?

(This takes place in s5. Eric and Donna are just friends here though and Hyde isn't an asshole.)

Eric begins to pack up his stuff to hang with the gang. Things had been pretty good with them all lately: Caroline was getting treatment for her bipolar disorder, Buddy was planning on getting his GED, Mitch has a new boyfriend, etc. Things were all going well.

He missed hanging out with Hyde and his heart ached not being with Donna. But he definitely did not miss Jackie's snide remarks about his physique, his relationship with Donna among other things. And he certaintly did not miss Kelso's gross and dumb comments. Not to mention the amount of times he offers to 'pleasure' Donna.

"You know Big D, I can do things to you that Eric never could've. Well I mean, it's not like he ever did anything worth mentioning." Kelso winked, attempting to grab Donna's breast only to be met with a slap on the face by the redhead.

And the way Fez would judge him and his relationship with Donna. Like he was one to talk. This was the same guy who groped Rhonda and spied on Donna and Jackie changing. Yet Fez wonders why he's the only virgin in the gang.

"Hey Forman, headin' out?" Eric turned around to see Hyde and Donna right behind him. At least some people aren't assholes.

Eric nodded, "Yeah. And Donna, I'll be at counselling, don't worry." Donna smiled, "Never had a doubt in my mind." The exes shared a tender look, smiling at one another.

Jackie walked in, rolling her eyes. "God my eyes are burning. Donna, can you and your sister stop making googly eyes?" Eric crumbled his fist. Jackie was really getting on his last fucking nerve. He let her into the basement and the circle, yet she can't even show his some respect? He knew he wasn't perfect but at least he made an effort, for Donna and now Hyde. But she never did the same.

"Jackie, do you ever just shut the fuck up for once in your life?" Eric scoffed, lightly punching the table. It felt so good to let that out. He looked at Donna and Hyde, who seemed to be completely shocked.

Kelso and Fez, who were walking into the room, looked completely dumbfounded. "Woah, easy Eric. Go easy on this beautiful lady." Kelso wrapped an arm around Jackie, who just pushed it off. Fez chimed in, "Yeah, it's probably Crazy Caroline and those goons making him say that. He knows that Donna is lucky to be with-"

Before Fez could finish, Eric punched him in stomach. The chestnut haired man exhaled. I deserved better. I still deserve better.

Fez fell flat onto the ground, wincing while holding his stomach. Eric stood tall and high in front of them. "You guys are lucky I never kicked you out my basement. Especially you Fez. Yeah, I know what you did to Rhonda. And that you spy on Jackie and Donna changing. So I suggest maybe shutting the fuck up about my relationship."

[woah-were-halfway-there]

auston calling mitch!!!

ok ok it's an abrupt ending because more happens after this but here's Auston calling Mitch. Pls let me know what you think!

Auston’s chest felt tight. He knew it was because of the anxiousness he felt, but, man, did he hate it.

Maybe he should’ve listened to Nate and Mya. They knew notifying Mitch of what was going on with Carson wouldn’t be a simple task. They even offered to be the ones to call their cousin, thinking maybe if he heard it from one of them, it’d soften the blow a bit, but Auston declined. He had to be the one to do it, yet he couldn’t bring himself to hit the call button.

“Just do it,” Auston told himself, feeling incredibly frustrated. Mitch deserved to know. There was no point in putting it off longer, and Auston didn’t want him to find out any other way. So, after taking another deep breath, he finally pressed the call button.

Mitch picked up after two rings.

“There better be a good reason for why you’re calling me and your wife isn’t,” he greeted, his tone lighthearted and joking. “I’ve been waiting to hear if my new best friend has been born. Yeah, sure, Carson’s the one giving birth and all, but she could at least send a text.”

How Mitch was blissfully unaware of the situation sent Auston back into a spiral of his harsh reality. He couldn’t even try to keep it together at that point anymore.

“I-,” Auston was cut off by another sob. “Fuck.”

Instantly, Mitch’s tone changed.

“What happened? Is Carson ok? The baby?”

“Not exactly,” Auston replied, then reached up to wipe away his tears. “The baby, Carter, is ok. I’m in the NICU, and Carson’s doula is checking him over. I’m just watching through the glass right now, but I’ll get to be with him soon.”

“And Carson?” Mitch asked hesitantly.

“She’s not good, Mitch.”

“What’s wrong? I- she’s ok, right?”

“I don’t know,” Auston’s voice was cracking as he spoke, but he knew he had to keep going and tell Mitch. It was obvious Mitch was already stressed and he didn’t even know the brunt of it yet. “She had a postpartum hemorrhage shortly after Carter was born. She was losing a lot of blood and went into shock because of it, which caused her to lose consciousness before she was rushed into an emergency blood transfusion to get her stable again. This all happened not even an hour ago and I haven’t heard anything since. I know they’re working and trying their best to make sure she is ok, but I’m losing my mind over here. I can’t lose her, Mitch. You know probably better than anyone how much I mean it when I say that I just-. Fuck, I never imagined something like this could happen.”

Auston was ranting and he knew it.

“And I’m sorry to just dump all of this on you.”

But he was met with complete silence.

“Mitchy?”

“I’m booking a flight,” Mitch stated. “Going to see if it’s possible to get there tonight.”

“But-,” Auston started and was immediately cut off.

“There is no but, Auston. You can’t ask me to just sit here and wait, doing nothing when I don’t know if Carson’s going to be ok. She’s my best friend. You know just as well that I also can’t lose her. Not a chance. You’re not talking me out of this. I don’t care if it’s a waiting game, I’d rather be there regardless of the outcome. And Mia, I didn’t even think about Meems. Fuck, what do we do? Is Meems ok?”

Auston sighed, knowing Mitch was entirely right and that not only wouldn’t it be fair of him to try to talk Mitch out of it, but there was no chance he’d ever be able to. Not when it came to Carson.

“I’m sure if Mia saw her Mitchy, it would help a lot,” he admitted. “She’s okay right now, but these next few days are going to be a mess. Having you here would give her a sense of normalcy, I think.”

“Then it’s settled,” Mitch stated, then sighed. “How are you holding up?”

Austin took a breath.

“I’m trying to keep it together, but, it’s hard. One of my parents is on their way to the hospital so I’m not alone. Joel, Nate and Mya are also figuring out flights here. I called them just before I called you. But, I’m just going to focus on Carter. It’s all I can do right now and I need him.”

“He needs you too,” Mitch said. “You two need each other in a time like this. Go be with Carter and let me know how he is. I’ll update you when Steph and I have flights figured out. And please, Auston, if you hear anything about Carson or you need anything at all, call me. I’ll have wifi on the plane.”

“Ok, I will,” Auston promised. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

After saying goodbye, Auston slid his phone into his pocket and just observed Carson’s doula through the glass as she checked Carter over. He was just so small and defenceless. Too pure for the harsh reality their family was currently experiencing, but god, was Auston ready to do everything in his power to ensure that little boy was safe and happy. It was a surreal feeling.

Before Auston could get too lost in his thoughts again, he made eye contact with Carson’s doula and to his surprise, she waved her hand, gesturing for him to come into the room.