#i was so happy when i say this in my inbox babe !!!! ty for coming here and stopping by

[luvv4j4ybe11]

Felt the need to come have a wee chat to you in your inbox 🩷 wondered if you had any advice for me as I'm trying to start writing for the avatar fandom here and there? Ive already done a couple of pieces but 🤷 any advice would be greatly appreciated 🙏 also constructive criticism if you happen to take a look at what I've done (tho you absolutely do not have to ofccc) Ty babes have the loveliest day/night

I would say the best thing to do is read other people’s pieces so you have more info for your fic, and then just start writing! Just let everything flow together. And if you get stuck with something I’m always happy to help. Because when I posted my first fic I was anxious asfff but I asked my some of my mutuals to give me advice and proofread it and that’s exactly what they did! So I’m glad you reached out to me of all people like🥹 you’re the sweetest frl🩷🩷

Here are some more of my tips bc I didn’t say a lot in this ⬆️:

- when you read other people’s fics, make sure it’s the same topic as yours (so like smut,fluff, angst)

- try to avoid usin the word “said” or “says”, I usually will look up other words on safari or Pinterest bc they always help me out. But also it’s not the end of the world if you do use them, just don’t make it a habit ofc.

- make sure you put warnings, a summary(if you want), and translation(if you want), but warnings are the most important! Just to make sure people know wtf they ab to read😭

- in your fics make sure to talk about their tails and ears, bc i always do that since i like the visual it gives (especially if you’re writing a smutty story 😩)

- add periods and comas in the right places. And I know that seems obvious but I always forget to do it, even after I’ve proofread 3 times😭

- and adding to this ⬆️ when the character your writing for calls reader a pet name or vise versa, always put a coma before or after the pet name, depending on what your writing. So like: “what’s up, baby?” Or “mama, come here.”

- when you write dialogue, putting an action before the talking is what I like to do best. Idk why but it just flows better for me and I just like it. So for example:

“You brushed the two braids that hung infront of his face behind his ear. Catching his attention quickly as he looked at you with pretty amber eyes filled with confusion, brows furrowed together. “Come on, yawntu, I wanna show you something.” You purr before grabbing his hand and tugging him up, both of you racing to the forest together.”

- don’t forget capitals and punctuation! I do that a lot in my fics, that’s why proofreading is so important.

- adding to this ⬆️ tho, PROOFREADDD!! It’ll save you from embarrassment I promise 😭 I’ll always catch a word I spelled wrong or I’ll add something in or take something out and just fix my fic to my liking. But even if you don’t that’s fine!! People on this side of tumblr are always here to help with little mistakes made in your fics or they’ll just ignore it and fill it in mentally, bc we all know what you’re tryna say.

- also when you’re trying to focus on a character’s emotions, try to describe it with their speech and expressions. Example:

With expressions: “You threw your things down and sat on the bed with a huff. Brows knit tightly together and lips curled up in anger.”

With speech:“Leave me alone, *name*! I don’t wanna talk right now!” You shout at your mate, guilt slowly pooling into your stomach when you see his ears pin to his head, tail swaying behind him sadly. Causing your expression to soften as you walk over to him.”

- use italics,colors, and bold to make the story more interesting and dramatic. (A personal favorite of mine)

Example:

“He picks you up swiftly, saying a quick goodbye to his friends before storming to your shared hut. “You just love making me mad, don’t you, babygirl?” He growls, the anger radiating off of him making you stay silent. “Answer me.” He says sternly as he slaps your thigh. Hard. “Y..yes..” tone barely above a whisper, but it was loud enough for him to pick up on. Making a pleased smirk appear on his face before he opens the flaps to your hut.”

- the most important of all is to have fun!! Don’t overthink anythin and js let everything flow naturally. You got this baby<33

Here are some of the people whose fics I’ve read and learned from! I hope they help you out as much as they did for me🩷: @pandorxxx @pandorxxx @plooto @sweethoneycn @tiredmamaissy @teyamsatan @tallulah477 @tiyawnyana @teymars @hotdsworld @blue-slxt @neteyamssyulang @neteyamswillow @neteyamkink @neteyamsyawntu @atxxokirina @sulieykte @wheneclipsefalls @eyweveng @zafrinaxyz @inlovewithpandora @iseeyou-neteyam

I hope this helped you out! And my dms are open if you need any more help from me<33

[leviathans-watching]

You summoned them to open a pickle jar….

What about summoning the brothers just cause you missed them…. Like they were busy and you summoned them just cause,,,, you had a hard day and needed a hug

summoning the older brothers for a hug

includes: lucifer, mammon, levi x/& gn!reader (no pronouns mentioned)

wc: .6k | rated g | m.list

a/n: hi i hope you enjoy! ty for requesting!! my inbox is open to char, req, or leave feedback so come chat w me!!

reblogs are greatly appreciated!!

➳ lucifer feels the tug in his soul, the only forewarning he gets before he’s suddenly in your room at your house in the human realm. he spins around, and finally sees you, sitting at your desk, not even looking up at him.

“hello, mc,” he says, moving closer, and you finally look over. he notes the bags under your eyes, the tenseness of your shoulders, and knows you’ve been having a rough go of it. wordlessly, he holds out his arms in invitation.

you stand, pushing your chair back, and practically launch yourself into him. he holds you close, letting you bury your face into his shoulder. you stay like that for seconds, minutes, and lucifer would be content to wait forever if that’s what you wanted.

when you finally do draw back from him, the difference is palpable. already, your face is brighter and you’ve untensed, at least marginally. “thank you,” you say, blinking as if to get ahold of yourself. “i just really needed a hug.”

“well, that’s what i’m here for, darling,” lucifer says softly. “and if at any point you want a second one, be sure to let me know and i will be happy to provide it.”

➳ mammon is excited to see you, but when he finally does and notices you’re not nearly so happy he quiets himself. “babe, what’s wrong?” he asks, and you give him a weary smile.

“i just had a really bad day,” you begin, “and i wanted to see you.”

“well, here i am,” mammon says genuinely. “what can i do to make you feel better?”

you bite your lip. “can i have a hug?”

“you never have to ask for that,” mammon says, pulling you into his arms. you settle into his arms and mammon sighs at the familiar feeling. he’d been missing you, and though it really sucks you’re not doing great, he’s at least grateful for the chance to see you.

“i’ve missed you,” you mutter into his chest, and he doesn’t bother to hide his smile.

“i’ve missed you too,” he replies honestly. “and i’m always ready to come see ya, so how about next time you don’t wait for so long, okay?”

you nod. “i’m sorry.”

“don’t be sorry,” he scolds lightly. “life happens. now, whaddya say to cuddling and watching crappy movies until you’re feeling better?”

➳ levi opens his mouth, ready to greet you happily, when he sees the stress on your face and the tiredness behind your eyes. “hey,” he says, more muted, “is everything okay?”

you shake your head, and without thinking he bundles you into his arms, trying to wrap you up tighter than an octopus. you melt into his touch, wrapping your arms around him in turn, and he’s glad that you’re leaning into him, since it really looked like you had needed a hug.

“what happened?” he prompts, worried.

you sigh. “just a bad day, is all. thank you for coming.”

“when would i not?” he asks. “i’ll always drop everything for you when you summon me! you’re my henry, after all!” he feels the little huff of laughter you let out and inwardly smiles, proud of himself.

“still,” you say, voice muffled since your face is pressed to his collarbone. “it means a lot.”

“i’m glad,” he says. “can i do anything to make it better?”

you shake your head. “no. just being like this is enough for me.”

his arms instinctively tighten and he presses a kiss to the top of your head. “well then we can hug for as long as you want! i’ll never get tired!”

leviathans-watching's work - please do not copy, repost, or claim as your own

[kyunsies]

hey mädch! how are you? sorry for taking so long to reply. i got a bit sick from overwork and my whole body kind of shut down? it got to the point where i couldn't eat or sleep and i ended up having panic attacks even just thinking about sleeping... like, no matter how well i was doing i just ended up feeling like i'd failed and idk i think i imploded. that big global launch i told you about reached thousands of people but it was like one of four jobs i'm also doing and with those stats idk i got myself so so pressured to keep it up (i'm really scared it'll end up failing tbh) and i think i went overboard with everything until my body decided stopping was the only way for me to stop - so i ended up having to take a week off to just kind to be healthy and alive?

thank you for being so kind as always, because i took time off i guess i ended up replying to my friends to just apologise for being so absent. i'm sure you understand how when you get overworked you can kind of end up just cutting things off and cutting everyone off and i think that happened with me a lot too? idk i think i just want to find a place that's healthier in general?

how is your job going? is it still going well? i hope you've been able to treat yourself with the money you're making as well what new albums did you buy? what shoes? i'm like you though! i get a bit obsessed with saving and i hate seeing my bank balance get too low as well.

i thought my favourite song was heaven but i'm really loving rotate more and more these days. but then i really like secrets... ah, there's no point picking haha! idk how i feel about eshy still working so much with them though. i'm so excited for their next english record cause aal was so good but... eshy? sigh.

i understand you very much - i was feeling like i deserved to be stressed all the time as well but i think that was me and that was kind of why i ended up a bit dead i think. you are so kind and aware and good and i am sure you will do amazing things. like, the fact you have doubts means that you're aware and considerate, and able to really push yourself as opposed to not thinking. one of my teachers used to say that the fact i was doubting meant that i was able to move up as opposed to just stand still so i believe it is the same for you and i am sure you will be able to do things that you want to do. i mean, you think far too well of me but you are so compassionate that i just think it's impossible for you to now succeed in your field! i had an ex who's dad was big in medicine and he used to say the best people in the field weren't like the most flashy or smart (though you are smart for sure) or academic etc but actually the best with people. so i believe in you!

omg ok that has been a whole ass essay!! ahhhhhhhh (sorry!) but <3 i hope you're super good. love you!!

- 💥

HELLO LOVE !!!!! <3 it's been a little while hasn't it ?? it's okay !!! i know u are heaps busy, i'm just happy when i'm able to finally hear from u again <3

oh god hun are u feeling better at least? u overwork urself so much ;____; you are doing so many amazing things, you will never be anything less than a fantastic person u know that right? i know i can't sit here and tell u otherwise bc i feel like we have similar tendencies, like no matter how hard we work or if we get good results we won't settle for it bc we are always looking at a flaw . but i really am proud of all that u do :( i could only dream to be as hard working at u are , i look up to ur work ethic . i hope the panic attacks have gotten a little better tho bc that's not healthy :( you are doing more than enough :( i am so happy u have decided to take a week off tho love really u deserve it after your hours and hours of hard work ;___; truly!! <3 i think everything will go well bc i know u gave it everything, with your dedication i'm sure the project will be just fine okay?

and pls i totally understand what u mean bub .... when things get a lot or even when things aren't so busy sometimes it's just hard you know? there are still ppl i need to message to make sure they know i think about them all the time but like i said last time i want to make sure that all the responses i give to ppl are genuine and not half-assed so i usually dedicate a message for them when i know i'm in a good headspace to answer ;____; but i don't think theres anything wrong with that :( as long as u eventually get back to ppl who care about u i don't think they care about how long it takes for u to get back to them as long as u do it at some point so they know u are still thinking of them :( ppl know ur busy love (hopefully) and they shouldn't look down on u or think of u badly if they understand ur situation <3

my job is going okay love they're re-organizing all of our files tho and i've just been trying to get everything all nice for them bc we're kinda getting rid of the old system and i want everything to be nice and in it's place before i leave to back to my final year of uni :') i've been making good money for me tho and yesterday i treally treated myself with some much needed nice clothes .... i might have dropped $200 hhh which isn't really much but when i buy clothes i tend to splurge on better quality stuff ,,, it's why i don't buy a lot of clothes in the first place LDKFJ bc i know it's going to be expensive whatever i buy :') i ended up only getting version 2 + 4 of the one of a kind albums !!!!!!!! i think i'll order the other ones later, i didn't think i should spend about $100 in one sitting sdlkfskd it just didn't feel right . and i did end up getting the shoes !! i got some nice white leather platform tennis shoes, i'm very happy about the purchase, i've been wearing them everyday :D we really are the same when it comes to spending money i see HHSDLFJLSKDFJ <3

also u are SO VALID about one of a kind lol in the beginning i was like omg rotate rotate rotate but like i said last time my fav is definitely heaven ;____; it is so dang comforting for me idk what it is but i have deemed it my top 3 emotional support mx songs so for me they are now amen, gravity, and heaven <3 AND OH MY GOD i agree with this so hard ...... i'm actually really excited about what mx has in store next ....... i dislike eshy with every fiber of my being but !!!!!! idk i'm always excited what mx has i really don't even care as long as they give them free range that's all i ask ;____; and i know ppl are concerned about them going overboard with working but ...... if they didn't want to do it they don't have to !!! i think they crave making music and i think the more opportunities they get the happier they are . they only get this life once u know !!! why not make the absolute most of it <3 just without eshy lol

and lastly ....... this last part got me right here ;_____; how are u so understanding ...... u know exactly what to say all the time :( i've really have been dreading this last year of uni, i don't feel like i'm ready for this . i'm scared to look for a job, i'm scared no one will want me, i'm scared that i won't be able to work int he NICU like how i want to ;____; i'm scared i'm going to screw everything up . i just want to be a good nurse, i want to finally have some confidence in what i do :( i always get so anxious about this stuff, i have so many classmates telling me just to calm down and that i worry too much so i often think something is wrong with me ..... but i worry bc i care about what i do and i want to do it correctly .. i don't know how to say this but u have given me so much comfort just reading this :( i put u in such high regard bc u work really hard and i can tell u are good at what u do for work !! it's crazy that YOU think I am something to be proud of when u are already out there in the working world, being a really damn good adult and being responsible when i'm just me being so insecure about everything i do and i'm not even graduated yet . i just blows my mind u think of me this way and that in it of itself is just ........................ u are so kind ;____; i hope u realize how good of a person u are and you are just one of those ppl i don't even hav to meet and i just naturally look up to u :( so thank u so much .... i really hope u are able to take care of yourself on this break . and remember i am here any time okay !!!!! no matter how many days pass i am always here happy to hear from u okay?? pls take care, i love u angel !!!!!!!! <3

[myhockeyworld87]

Nervous Regrets - Tyler Seguin - Part 40

Word Count: 2,795

POV: Reader

Warnings: Language

Notes: I’m not sure if you’ve read this story from the beginning or not, but this was literally supposed to be a one shot that I did to see if anyone would like my writing. Fast forward to today and here we are at Part 40! I’m flabbergasted to say the least. So needless to say this story was never outlined out. I never knew where it was going. Parts 41 and 42 are just going to bring everything together and make you go, no shit! Or at least I hope it does. For now, this is a filler to set it all up. But if you love drama wait until you see what’s coming!!! Happy Reading all and as always inbox is open for feedback. 

Nervous Regrets Masterlist

You and Jace made two more trips to St. Louis with Tyler and the team, before the Stars fell to the Blues in double overtime. It was a heartbreaking loss. The team wanted nothing more than to make it to the Stanley Cup finals, and if you were being honest you were hoping for that adorable photo of Jace in the cup, but it just wasn’t meant to be this year.

The loss was bittersweet for Tyler. On one hand, he wanted to go all the way with his team, yet on the other, he was still grappling with the idea that someone wanted to harm his family. He hired a reputable firm that had round the clock bodyguards for you and Jace, while also having a private investigator look into the incident that happened at the supermarket. Something was off, he knew that much for sure. Now that the team had been eliminated, he wanted nothing more than to whisk you away up north. All he had to do was tell you.

“Hey babe,” Tyler called as he came home from locker cleanout. “Where are you?” He couldn’t stop his heart from racing when you didn’t answer right away.

“We’re up here,” you finally answered, your voice drifting down from Jace’s nursery.

He took the stairs two at a time to reach you. You’d just finished feeding Jace, and were changing him to put him down for a nap. The first thing Tyler did when he entered the room, was kiss you, then he promptly kissed his son before blowing a raspberry on his bare little belly; causing Jace to giggle. “I missed you,” he told you, continuing to play with Jace.

“I missed you too, but if you rile your child up anymore, he will not nap and you know what that means.”

Tyler was well aware that Jace would not only be a cranky lil bugger if he didn’t nap, but he would also be interrupting any time Tyler wanted with you this evening when Jace would be overly tired and not able to sleep. “Fine,” he pouted then went back in for one more belly laugh from Jace. “Daddy will play with you when you wake up from your nap, bud.” He finished putting on his sleeper then handed Jace back to you. “Once you get him down can we talk?”

That sounded ominous. “Sure.” You sat in the rocking chair singing a sweet melody to Jace, while Tyler headed back downstairs, Gerry and Marshall following him, while Cash stayed with you and the baby. It wasn’t long before Jace was fast asleep.

You found Tyler in the kitchen, sipping on a water bottle when you finally made it downstairs. “Get everything put away from the rink?”

“Yeah.” You knew this day would be hard on him. Jamie was having a barbeque tomorrow to close out the season with everyone, but still, the packing things up and not knowing who would be here next season always made today tough. Still, Tyler seemed a little bit more melancholy than usual.

“Is something on your mind Ty?”

“Actually, yeah.” He grabbed your hand and led you to the sofa, before plopping down and pulling you on his lap. “I was thinking.”

“That’s never a good sign,” you teased trying to lighten the mood.

“Haha, but seriously (Y/N). I know we were only supposed to head up to Toronto the second week in June, but how would you feel if we left, say….tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” you blurted out in shocked surprise. The plan had always been to head up there after the season which you anticipated going further, but you were nowhere near ready to pick up and leave. “We can’t leave tomorrow. Nothing’s packed, we don’t even have a crib up there for Jace yet. I have at least four loads of laundry that need to be done. Not to mention that Jace has a doctor’s appointment at the end of the week. There’s no way we could be ready by then.”

“Ok, so end of the week.” His hand was running up and down your outer thigh, a movement he always seemed to do when he was trying to get you to see things his way.

“Ty, what’s really going on?”

You looked him straight in the eye waiting for an answer. Finally, he blew out a breath and started to tell you. “I just think that it would be safer for us up there.” You knew the attempted abduction was wearing on him, though he tried not to show it. Hell, it was eating away at you. You jumped at any little noise and besides the few times you’d gone out to dinner with Tyler and his family; you’d yet to leave the house alone.

“I’m not against going to the Lake early. We have a ton of stuff to do before our formal wedding, but we just can’t pick up and go tomorrow.” He frowned. A year ago, that’s what the two of you would’ve done, just picked up and took off, not only going to the lake house but to the Bahamas or wherever you wanted. You kissed his pouty lips, before adding. “We have a lot more responsibilities now.”

“I know we do, babe. I think I would just feel better up there.”

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath as memories of that night flashed before you. When you shuddered in his arms, Tyler held you tighter. “I can’t argue with you there, but we still don’t know if it was random or someone targeting us.”

“Babe, the guy mentioned Jace.”

“Well, not specifically. He only mentioned my son. Maybe he’d seen us go there. I took Jace with me earlier in the week.” You tried to tell yourself this anytime that night replayed in your mind. That it was just a random coincidence that he’d tried to take you. It was no secret that you and Tyler lived in the wealthier area of Dallas. If someone was going to abduct someone for money this would be the part of town to do it in. “It could’ve all been bad timing.”

Tyler frowned and you could see the wheels in his brain working. “While I’d love to believe that baby; I’m just not one hundred percent convinced. Which is why I just want to head up to the lake house sooner rather than later.”

You sat there thinking over everything that you had planned on doing before heading up north. There was a dress fitting or two, but then you could just have someone up there do the alterations for you. You’d hoped to get in a visit with your family as well. They hadn’t seen Jace in a while. “What if we leave next week? Say Wednesday?” He arched a brow simply asking why Wednesday. “We have to stay at least until Jace’s doctor’s appointment, then I was thinking we could head to my parents for the weekend. Just so they could see Jace for a bit. It will be over a month before they come up for the wedding, and we need to squeeze in time with Jenna and Jamie as well.”

“Ok, Wednesday it is. I’ll call and book the plane.”

You attempted to get off his lap but he maintained a firm hold on you. “Ty, I’ve got a ton of things to do if we’re going to pull this off.”

“Yeah, I know.” Though he made no attempt at letting you go. “I just need to hold you a little longer.” Who were you to argue with the man you loved when he was looking for a little cuddle session. You wrapped your arms around his neck, making yourself more comfortable. “Thank you, (Y/N).”

“Ty, you don’t need to thank me. I know you only want what’s best for our family, and I love you for that.”

“I love you more.” He teased while brushing his nose back and forth against yours.

“Couldn’t…because I love you the most.” You pecked him on the lips, Tyler’s chasing yours as you pulled away.

“Well, I love you the mostest.”

“Mostest isn’t a word.”

“It is now.” Any further argument was stopped as he kissed you deeply, dipping you back against the cushions and covering your body with his.

The rest of the week you spent getting ready to head up to Canada. It had never occurred to you how much stuff you were going to need to take there. All of Jace's things were in Dallas, and it wasn't like this was going to be some week-long vacation; you'd be there for over three months. He'd be outgrowing clothes and needing his activity center, not to mention his mamaroo baby swing. You couldn't live without that thing. Then there was his stroller and he'd need a highchair because at some point while you were at the lake house he'd start on baby food. You really needed more time to pack everything up, but had promised Tyler you could leave on Wednesday.

He came home from a workout at the gym to find you in a frenzy as you were trying to pack Jace's boppy in a box with his infant seat, which at the moment wasn't fitting. "Babe, what are you doing?"

"Trying to pack this so I can ship it up to the house before we head to my parents tomorrow. Can you just shove this down in there while I hold this in place? Hopefully, the box won't rip." He took the pillow out of your hands, but instead of putting it in the box he just set it over by Jace's other toys you were going to pack. "Tyler!" He was not helping.

"You don't need to pack that."

"Yes, I do. Jace loves that thing. He sits and watched hockey in it while he drinks his bottle."

"I know, (Y/N). I've watched him do it a hundred times." Great, then why wasn't he helping pack it, you wanted to scream. "There's one already up at the lake house."

"There is?"

"Yeah." He said it so casually as if you should've known all along when in reality you didn't have any idea how it got there. "You said the other day that we needed to get Jace a crib for up there, which got me thinking that we didn't have any of Jace's stuff up in Canada. So, I made a list, bought everything that we need and had it shipped there. My dad's putting the crib together right now."

The gesture was incredibly sweet, though spending that kind of money seemed wasteful. "What was on the list?"

"Everything. Highchair, stroller, changing table, bottles, rattles, that damn thing we throw the diapers in. I just looked around the house and threw things in the amazon cart. Not his clothes or stuffies though, we have to take those."

"But the cost?"

"Babe, our son is totally worth it." Ok, you couldn't argue with that. "Besides we'll just leave it there for the future. You know, for our other kids to use."

Oh, you hadn't really thought about that. "Other kids huh?"

He slid his arms around your waist. "Yup, probably a dozen or so." Your eyes widen at the number he threw out and he just laughed. "Ok, maybe not a dozen, but at least six...or eight." All you could do was shake your head at him. "Honestly, we should probably get started right now on the next one."

"Slow down there big shot." You said putting a hand on his chest when he leaned in to kiss you. "I'm not going to be pregnant again for our wedding."

"Why? You looked drop-dead gorgeous at our first wedding.” That wouldn’t be the word you’d use to describe what you looked like that day, but you knew better than to argue with Tyler on this point. After all, what mattered most was how you felt and that day you’d never been happier in your life, well that was until you had Jace. “You wouldn’t even be showing if you were pregnant by our wedding.”

“Are you serious right now?”

He looked serious but you couldn’t be sure, which is why you posed the question. “Yes, yes I am.”

“You want another baby already?” Part of you couldn’t believe what you were hearing.

“Yeah (Y/N), I do. I love Jace more than anything. He’s the best thing that ever happened to us.” You went to speak but he continued. “Before you told me about him, I was broken without you. Now here we are, stronger than ever, married, with the best baby in the whole world. Why wouldn’t we want to have another one? They’d be close in age.” Yeah, by a measly year, you thought. “So, they’d be the best of friends. It would be perfect.”

Tyler seemed so excited by the prospect of having another baby right away, that you literally didn’t know what to say. You’d always thought about having a big family, more like four kids, not the six or eight that Tyler wanted. You just weren’t sure you were ready to take care of two kids under the age of two. “I don’t know Ty, that would be two kids in diapers at the same time. I just…” well you couldn’t imagine it, or maybe you could and that was the problem. “It would be a lot of work, and you’re gone half of it with hockey. Not that I’m complaining about that, but…”

“So, we’ll get help, hire a nanny or something.” The earnest look on his face told you that he’d thought this through, obviously more than you had. “It’s not like we can’t afford it.”

“It’s not that.” It really wasn’t. Tyler was making good money, plus his investments for the future were sound. You knew that he could walk away from hockey today and the two of you could continue to live the same lifestyle you were for the rest of your lives. “I’m just enjoying Jace and all his first. He hasn’t said his first words or taken his first steps yet.”

“I know and I can’t wait for all of those.” You could see his wheels turning as he tried to figure out exactly what he wanted to say. “I just…well…I love you so much and Jace is that culmination of that love. I’ve never been happier than I am right now and I just think another baby with you would be amazing.”

“You just think the baby making would be fun,” you teased, but Tyler just frowned. “I’m teasing you, babe. I know what you’re trying to say and I love you even more. How about this? We let, whatever happens, happen. Like no protection, but not calendar counting or anything like that either.” He perked up at that suggestion. “But after the wedding.”

“Fine, but I’m forewarning you that I plan on knocking you up on our honeymoon.” There was a mischievous glint in his eye and you had no doubt that he would make a valiant attempt at keeping his word. “We can still practice until then though, right?”

You laughed at your husband. “Hmm, maybe we should do the whole no sex before the wedding thing.”

“That’s not even funny, (Y/N). In case you forgot we’re already married.”

“As if I could keep my hands off you, husband.” You punctuated your words by letting your hands glide down to his ass where you gave him a squeeze. “Jace will probably sleep another hour or more if you wanna…”

“Why are we still talking. Race you to the bedroom.”

Once the stress of packing all of Jace’s things was gone the week went much better. The doctor said Jace was doing amazing and was happy with his height and weight even with you having to switch to formula. After the appointment, the three of you traveled down to your parent's home to enjoy the weekend with your family. The time there flew by and before you knew it you were back in Dallas getting ready to board a plane to head to Canada. Tyler had hired a private plane, for your privacy but it also allowed you to take the dogs with you on the flight. In no time, you were at the lake house enjoying the peace and quiet. Well, that was until all the wedding plans started to get underway, but until then you’d just enjoy your little sanctuary.

Tyler had been right. This was exactly where your family needed to be. You felt shielded from all your troubles out here. Little did you know that you weren’t as safe and secure as you thought.

[makeusfreefromthisfandom]

just sending some appreciation and good vibes to my people for the new year <3

kisses from me bc you all hold a very special place in my heart 💝

Also veryyy long post ahead I’m sorry I had to include everyone Aakklaksks 😭😭

@ominous-meme 🖤 sabah! You were my very first mutual on here I hope you know that! I can’t even begin on how excited I got when I found out you were a fellow desi girl and I will always appreciate you being there and advising me! <3 I love our street racing au! talks ! I’m glad I have someone to share ideas with <33

@weebsausage 🖤 dude omg!!! 😭😭😭 pls I literally forgot how we became moots I’m so sorry I have a tiny brain 😪 but I think we literally just messaged each other and started talking about free! ANYWAYS TYSM FOR PUTTING ME ON HXH I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU FOR THAT WTF ITS LIKE MY FAV ANIME EVER I HAVE BECOME HXH TRASH AJSJSJBS ❤️❤️ but other than that thank you for being a really great friend to me and I hope this year is nothing but good things for you <33

@dokifluffs 🖤 you were also one of my first moots on here! I honestly could not believe when you followed me back bc ur like my biggest inspo! 😭 you’re so precious omg I always look forward talking to you and get excited when I see a notif from you still! I hope the new year treats you well and brings good things in your life! Lots of love from me bae 🥰❤️

@syrenblubs 🖤 ah my most relatable person LOL. Omg syren ur my little bestie on here and I’m so glad we’re mutuals! I love our natsuya talks and OML THE C****** RAID! ALSJJSJSJSJJS AND DESI PARENTS AKSJJSNS. Just thank you for always interacting with me even tho I SUCK at responding 😭❤️❤️❤️ ilyyysmmmmmm

@linak 🖤 baby omg where do I even begin. Back when I had literally no one to talk to on here, you would be the one NEVER failing to send me a gm/gn message! You always bring a stupid smile to my face 😭 I’m so freaking glad that we are friends I literally cannot put into words!! Ty for always listening to me and letting me open up to you ❤️ love you always.

@croctears 🖤 vixxx ahhh!!! I’m so glad we became mutuals on this shitty app! You’re one of the highlights of my day and I love talking to you sm 😫 especially if it’s about Sou 😏😏 keep being amazing bae! Kisses mwuah mwuah 😽😽

@xakusa 🖤 Marty bby! 🥰 literally the only person I’m going to share my man natsu with 🙄 our conversations are always so RANDOM and out of nowhereeeee lollll but we also just go along with it and I love that! You are an angel and this year better be giving you what you deserve! Lots of love from my end 😽😽😽 kissies from me and natsuya <3

@cafelixie 🖤 I will keep saying this and I will never stop. YOU!!! ARE!!! THE!!! ACTUAL!!! DEFINITION!!! OF!!! PRECIOUS!!!! Need I say more? You’ve made my day countless times and I always look forward to seeing you in my messages/inbox!! Baby I freaking love you I really don’t know what else to say 😭❤️

@skippyskeppy 🖤 I will never forget the first time we interacted my Kisumi enthusiast 😙🤝 I love it sm whenever I see you pop into my inbox with a random hc about semi semi or Kisumi, Albert now too! You are an amazing person. A really amazing person. I hope you know that ❤️

@keeijiakaashi 🖤 I remember seeing your little comments under my posts before we became moots and OMGGGG YOU ARE SO CUTE AISJJSJSJS ALSO RIN ENTHUSIAST??? YES PLEASE!!! Tysm for always interacting with me and making yourself known as the ultimate sweetest person on my blog! Ilyyyyy ❤️❤️❤️

@animatedarchives 🖤 we have your fellow love of the kirishimas to thank for us becoming moots! You’re so cute soph omg 😫 I love how we literally have brainrots of the same characters LIKE MR GOJO LEECH SATORU!!! GET OUT OF MY HEAD OR PAY RENT!!! Ahh you’re irreplaceable soph! Never fail to make me smile like an idiot <33

@natsuya-enthusiast 🖤 how did we not become moots sooner wtf??? Do yk how alone I felt when I had no one to discuss my obsession of natsu with when I first made this blog 😪 AND THEN I REALIZED U WERE ONE OF MY FIRST FOLLOWERS???? ANYWAYS U ARE THE BIG SIS I NEVER HAD ALWAYS PULLING THROUGH W THAT LIFE ADVICE BAHAHAHA ilysm gaby wtf 😭😡😡😡❤️❤️❤️

@moonlitspring 🖤 do you even realize how happy I got when I realized there was another ACTIVE free! blog 😡😡 ajsjjsjs you are such an amazing writer and PERSON sky!!! You’ve been nothing but the sweetest and I hope we get to interact more this year and share our love of free! together <3

@ayumiko 🖤 laís you are such an angel! I absolutely adore both you and your edits/gifs smmm 🥰 you are so kind and I hope 2021 is also <333

@dalggina 🖤 omg??? YGO bae??? 😤😤 I thought literally everyone had forgotten ab it LOL THEN YOU CAME ALONG ❤️❤️ I’m really glad we interacted precious person! And I hope that you have a great year! ALSO YOU BETTER NOT STRESS YOURSELF OUT TOO MUCH FROM WORK OR IM MANIFESTING MR ATEM TO COME GET YOU 😡

@stormikujo 🖤 omg bby! We haven’t talked in awhile! I hope you are doing well! ❤️❤️❤️ ahhh I’m glad I got you into free otherwise we wouldn’t even have interacted 😫 I love talking to you stormi!! And I hope this year brings great things fro you! Lots of love ❤️❤️❤️

@aj-writes-here 🖤 omg hey girl 😼😼 you’re definitely one of the coolest people I’ve talked to on here for sure! Hope you’ve been enjoying hq and free! Your welcome for putting you on that simp train 😼 anyways, ilysm aj!! I really wish the best for you this year! Stay amazing as you always are, ily!! ❤️❤️

@attackonfics 🖤 wtf 😭😭 I don’t deserve you???? You’ve been nothing but the sweetest to me and also responsible for my unhealthy obsession with mr 5’2 angry gremlin >:(( jkjk but seriously, ty for the food 😌. ANYWAYS QUEEN I HOPE YOUVE BEEN TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF AND TREATING YOURSELF AS!!! YOU!!! SHOULD!!! VIRTUAL HUGS 😽😽 💝

@browsing-my-favourite-fandoms 🖤 Shizen! You are too good for this world! 😭 you are such a genuine person, you deserve nothing but happiness ❤️ I really hope that this year does that for you. I’ll keep checking in from time to time! Ilysm! ❤️

@inum4ki 🖤 sera...please...just invest in a personal guide or smth. Asksksknsjs n e wayzzz seeing you in my inbox is always so much fun! Sousuke really deserves more love and you are bringing it to the table hun 😤😤 also you’re a fellow inumaki enthusiast too??? Yes please. You deserve all the happy things in 2021 <3

@sneezefiction 🖤 Gracie!! I love how easy it is to get along with you! You are truly one of the best people I’ve met on this app and I’ll forever be grateful for our friendship <3 you give off such great vibes all the time omg giving you a huge virtual hug and here’s to more interactions this year! 🥰😽😽😽

@velvetfireworks 🖤 bbyyy!! 🥰 everytime we interact even if it’s not a whole lot, you’re always the sweetest what 😭 I love you and you’re writing so much omggg you are so talented!! I get super excited when I see myself get tagged in one of your stuff 😆 I hope we get to interact more in the future! Have a great New Years ❤️❤️❤️

@a8mine 🖤 stop being so mean to me 😡😡 !!!!!! ig ily anyways tho 🙄 you’re energy is honestly unmatched (in a good way!!) and it’s rare to meet people like that! You’re so funny omg and your random hcs and cursed discourses always have me dying 😭😭 you’re so cool hanna ily 😪✌️ <333

@giorvanna 🖤 ahh rena! Your blog and edits are *chefs kiss* I love our random semi brainrot sessions 🥰🥰 I hope we interact more in the future but in the meantime I’m sending you good vibes and lots of virtual hugs bc you deserve them queen ❤️❤️❤️

@seijohlogy 🖤 hey hey jaestar 🤩🤩 you are such a cool person??? Omg I’m so glad that we’re friends and randomly invade each other’s inboxes 😆 you are so kind! This year better be kind to you too or else 😡😡 I hope that after Ms rona decides to move her ass over, you get to go to Disneyland and take!! Me!!! With!! You!! Love you jae bae ❤️❤️

@prettysetterbaby 🖤 hey sexc 🤩🤩 no idea why you followed me but glad you did bc you are such a sweet and chaotic person!! I loveeeeee <333 I hope we get to interact more bc you are just genuinely such a fun person to interact with! Ilyyy

@datecho 🖤 yet another just genuinely sweet person! The world doesn’t deserve you! You’re so fun to interact with and a hottie??? omg shoto and kags better get off their asses rn and come get you or I will 🤩🤩 ly bae! have a great New Years! ❤️❤️

@miyasangel 🖤 we haven’t interacted much yet but ahaha talking about suna and sending my fanart to you is sm fun! Did I tell you that I also have a wip of Atsumu as a street racer? 😏 have a great year Arden bae! Kisses 😽

@aikk00 🖤 hi hi! We don’t interact on a daily or anything but when we do, omg!!! You are the most easy person to get along with 😭 you have such a good heart along with the talent???omg??? You are UNMATCHED babe! I hope this year brings you many more opportunities! Stay amazing love ❤️ ily and your art very much ❤️ I’m also still very embarrassed from fucking up the credits from last time. I’m so sorry bae 😭❤️❤️

@kurooskult 🖤 ma’am you might as well be the definition of bad bitch 😪🤝 ok but besides that, interacting with you is sm fun??? Like we don’t even have to be moots on your blog to feel just as included and loved! You are such a queen for that! Here’s to more mila x kuroo content in 2021 and he better be doing special for you as he should !!

It’s still the 31st here but THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING MY COUPLE OF MONTHS ON HERE BEARABLE!!! This sounds like a goodbye post Oml-

I love you all very much. I suck at words, but I hope you know that. ❤️

[oikawaplssteponme]

The Apartment: part 8

▪️for parts 1-7, click here

pairing: Kuroo Tetsurou x fem! reader

rating/warnings: swearing, drinking

synopsis: You knew that living with your three best friends, Kuroo, Oikawa, and Bokuto, would be a wild ride. It’s never a dull moment with those three. Let’s just hope you can keep your huge crush on Kuroo a secret when he is only a room away.

a/n: hi friends!! so this is going to be the second to last part :(( thank you again for all the love on this 💛 [this part is a little less fluffy so sorry about that, I’ll make up for it tho :) ] the taglist is still open for the last part of you’d like to be added, and my inbox is still open for requests :) okay, enjoy xx 🌸

•

eight: forever

The rest of the week felt like a dream. Each morning, Kuroo would wake you with a shower of kisses and have you wrapped up in his arms. You couldn’t believe that this was your life now, that after years of chasing after this boy, he was yours. You did still tease Kuroo a lot that if he had just told you he felt the same, you two could have saved some precious time. Still, you were happy enough to call him yours.

“Do you know around what time they’ll be getting here?” you asked. Oikawa and Bokuto were finally coming back from their little trips today. You and Kuroo were just organizing the apartment before they arrived.

“Bokuto texted me and he said they should be here in about 5 minutes,” explained Kuroo. You nodded. You missed your friends dearly. Though things around the apartment might be a little different now that you and Kuroo were together, you would all figure it out.

You went to sit on the couch as you waited for Oikawa and Bokuto. Kuroo joined you, putting his arm around you. You rested your head on his chest.

“I love you, you know that right?” he said. You looked at him and smiled.

“I love you too, you know that right?” you kissed his cheek. Kuroo moved your legs to rest on his, his hand on your thigh.

“I can’t wait to see Bokuto and Oikawa’s reaction to us,” said Kuroo. You chuckled.

“I have a feeling they aren’t going to mind.”

~

*Knock Knock*

You jumped up from Kuroo’s lap so fast and rushed over to the door.

“HEY HEY HEY!” You jumped into Bokuto’s arms instantly.

“Um hey I’m here too,” pouted Oikawa. Kuroo gave Oikawa a hug.

“We missed you too,” smiled Kuroo. Bokuto set you down and you went over to Oikawa.

“I missed you so much Toru!” Oikawa’s eyes widened.

“Toru? No shittykawa, no flattykawa?” You laughed.

“You just got back so I won’t insult you just yet,” you joked. Kuroo wrapped his arms around your waist. Oikawa and Bokuto looked at each other, then back at you and Kuroo.

“Wait...did you guys…?” Began Bokuto before he trailed off. You looked at Kuroo and smiled. Kuroo nodded. Bokuto and Oikawa pulled the two of you into a hug.

“FINALLY YES YES!” cheered Bokuto . The four of you bounced up and down in your silly group hug.

“I swear if I had to watch Y/N drool over Kuroo for one more day I would have moved out,” said oikawa, breaking from the hug. You hit his arm.

“Oh shut up,” you groaned. Kuroo kissed your head.

“Yeah not like she could be any more obvious,” he joked. You rolled your eyes.

“Okay okay we get it.”

~

“No,” protested Bokuto. You sighed

“Please Bo! It will just make things easier.”

“I am not sharing a room with Oikawa,” he pouted.

“Hey you should be honored to share a room with me!” huffed Oikawa.

“Bokuto think about it, do you really want me sneaking into Kuroo’s room every night? It will just be easier if we switch rooms.”

“Why don't you just keep it in your pants instead?” muttered Oikawa. Kuroo gave him a glare.

“If you switch rooms with me, I’ll make barbecue for dinner tonight,” you proposed. Bokuto’s eyes lit up.

“Deal.”

~

Life in the apartment was never better. You finally got yourself moved into Kuroo’s room and as much as Bokuto and Oikawa would never admit it, they were having so much fun sharing a room. It was like a slumber party everyday with those two.

Your full year in the apartment was almost finished. School kept you busy but so did your roommates and boyfriend. Those three never failed to put a smile on your face. Every day was filled with its own mini adventure. Whether it was working out with Bokuto, having a spa day with Oikawa, or a date with Kuroo, you loved every bit of it. (You and Kuroo even went on a few double dates with Calie and AJ).

The four of you were snuggled up on the couch. It was ‘self care’ night as Oikawa liked to call it. So you sat on Kuroo’s lap, tying his hair up with a little hair tie, and applying a bright blue face mask on him.

“Why does this smell like an orange?” he asked.

“Maybe because it’s a citrus face mask idiot” replied Oikawa. You chucked. You, Oikawa, and Bokuto already had your masks on.

“I have the bubbly!” cheered Oikawa, holding his favorite rosé. You sighed.

“I still wonder why we let you buy that,” you joked. Oikawa began to pour four glasses.

“Hey, this rosé brought you and the nerd together after all so I think we should be grateful,” he handed you a glass.

“I wouldn’t go that far…” mumble Kuroo. You laughed and gave him a quick peck.

“Doesn’t matter to me how we got together, just that we did,” you smiled.

“Gross,” muttered Bokuto. Kuroo playfully hit his arm.

“Okay okay, cheers?” said Oikawa. The four of you held your glasses up and clinked them together.

“Okay so what are we watching?” You asked, turning on the TV.

“‘Gilmore Girls’!”

“‘Unsolved Mysteries’!”

“‘Sports Center!’”

You looked at your friends and laughed.

“I’m picking then.” You decided on ‘Grease’ to keep with the theme of ‘self care’ night.

After about 20 minutes, you all washed your face masks off. Bokuto was very pleased with how ‘bright’ his complexion looked.

“Bokuto you've never looked better!” said Oikawa.

“Thank you! Wait…”

The four of you went back to the living room, this time you and Kuroo cuddled together on the loveseat while Bokuto and Oikawa shared the couch.

“Have you checked the mail recently?” You asked. Kuroo pointed to the kitchen table.

“Everything should be there,” he explained. You went over and grabbed the small bundle of letters, scanning through them. One of the letters caught your attention.

“Hey guys, this ones from the landlord,” you said. You opened up the letter and began to read it.

“What’s it say babe?” asked Kuroo.

“We need to send in our request to renew our lease by the end of the week,” you explained. When you all decided to rent out your apartment, you only signed a one year lease, unsure how things would go.

“Well uh...we haven’t really talked about that stuff yet,” said Oikawa. You moved to sit with Kuroo again, showing him the letter.

“Do we really want to talk about this now? Seems like a kinda serious topic,” whispered Bokuto. Oikawa sighed.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you guys but...Iwa asked me if I wanted to move in with him for our last year. His roommate transferred so he has the room,” explained Oikawa. Your heart dropped.

“Yeah Akaashi suggested that I move in with him for next year too, since I’ll be staying with him after graduation anyway,” said Bokuto. You shook your head, trying to process their words.

“Wait so you all want to move out for our last year?”

“We don’t know if we actually will yet...it’s just an option,” whispered Oikawa.

“But if just one of us moves out, this place is too expensive and we won’t be able to pay,” you sighed.

“Y/N calm down a bit…”

“I am calm! I’m just trying to understand why you guys would want to move out for our last year?” You felt your eyes starting to water. Kuroo gently started to rub your back.

“Y/N, it’s gonna be okay. Oikawa and I aren’t even sure if we will be moving out. It was just an idea-“

“Well I don’t like this idea!” You cried. The boys were quiet.

“How-How can you guys just leave? What happens during our senior year then? What if we don’t have classes together? What about after graduation? We are just supposed to part our ways? If you guys move out then I’ll never see you again!”

Tears were streaming down your face before you even realized it. Bokuto and Oikawa squeezed next to you on the loveseat.

“Hey Y/N, of course you’ll see us again. But you know we weren’t all gonna live together forever, right?” said Oikawa. You sighed.

“I know but...you guys are the only family I have. I-I’m not ready to just let you leave me just yet,” you sobbed. Kuroo brought you to his chest.

“No one is leaving anyone Y/N. We are still your family, that’s never gonna change. Just because we might not all live together doesn’t mean we won’t all be together,” said Kuroo. Oikawa and Bokuto joined Kuroo in giving you a right hug.

“I just...I just want you guys to be happy,” you murmured, “so I guess if moving out makes you happy, then you should.”

“We are happy. This is just about our future, after college, you know?” said Bokuto. Kuroo wiped the tears from your eyes.

“Will you live with me?” You asked Kuroo. He chuckled.

“I was planning on it silly.” Kuroo kissed the top of your head.

“Yeah we can’t third and fourth wheel forever,” laughed Bokuto. You gave him a small smile.

“Hey now, Y/N, don’t tell me you’ll actually miss me?” joked Oikawa.

“I’ll miss you least of all shittykawa,” you laughed. Oikawa smiled.

“We can talk about this later okay guys? Let’s just enjoy the movie,” suggested Bokuto. You nodded.

The four of you stayed crammed into the loveseat, enjoying each other’s closeness.

“I love you guys,” you said. The boys looked at you.

“We love you too.”

Kuroo kissed your cheek.

“But I love you most of all, okay?”

You smiled. “Okay.”

•

[taglist OPEN: @vangoghpoets @vangoghmusings @lilnuances @tetsoleil @cloudswritings @foxyyychan @tamaguchi @jessie9008 @bitandbytes @yeehawnana @166cm @bigchaosenergy @tumbledor3 @captain-janeway @answer-the-sirens @simpletype @ysatrap @stinkybitch1919 @starry-magicshop @graykageyama @keomoon @freyafolkvangr @myherotrashbin @anejuuuuoy @amgoldena @aisawa-reo @moonlightaangel @cremeandstrawberries ]

[slapshot-to-the-heart]

Breakable Heaven (pt. IV) - p.l. dubois

part I part II part III

Oh my gosh, I seriously can’t believe this little series has come to an end. I’m so so happy with how it’s turned out, and want to thank anyone who’s stuck with Laurel and Pierre-Luc throughout this month. It’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever done, and it’s yours to enjoy now. Please please let me know what you think of this part, what you think about the series - getting anon comments is amazing, my inbox is always open, and I LOVE reading tags. Reblog if you like what I’m putting out, it helps me know that!

Warning: Smut (It’s light, but it’s there, so no one under 18 please!)

Part IV (7.8k)

September 23 (thurs)

Laurel was running through the Toronto airport, her carry-on bag bouncing on the tile behind her as she frantically searched for her gate. Thank God Air Canada domestic flew from the international terminal; her layover was only an hour and ten minutes and even more time had been shaved off by a departure delay in Montréal. She had forgotten that flights from Toronto cleared U.S. Customs in Canada, and if she hadn’t been able to skip the line and slap her American passport on a kiosk reader she would have almost certainly missed her connection. 

No matter how many times Laurel had tried to insist on an economy ticket when she and Pierre were booking flights for her visits, he refused to cave. “They don’t include a checked bag in economy, but they do if you fly business,” he had said, shrugging, with a small smile on his face. “Baggage fees alone would make it pretty much a wash.” Laurel doubted that, and she doubted that she’d need a checked bag for a four-day trip, but her husband had made it clear that he wasn’t budging. 

So needless to say, she was more than a little bit out of breath as she finally arrived at Gate F66, which was conveniently almost as far away from her arrival gate as humanly possible while still being in the same terminal. She handed her boarding pass and passport to the gate agent, smiling apologetically as she hurried down the jetbridge. It was barely past noon, but there was nothing in the world Laurel wanted more than to sleep. Maintaining a full-time schedule at the hospital while also trying to organize a trip to Columbus that lasted more than two days meant she had to switch shifts. Normally, that wouldn’t be an issue; that week, however, the only open slot was the 12-hour overnight shift on Wednesday. Which meant that she’d been awake for some twenty hours straight, but almost all of that had been on her feet at work, or walking from the parking lot to the check-in counter in Montréal, or running through the halls of Pearson Airport in Toronto. She took her seat, half-listened to the safety briefing, and passed out as soon as her head hit the headrest. 

Much to her chagrin, the flight itself was only just over an hour, and she was really only able to get in a generous nap before their descent into Ohio. Sitting in the second row, she exited the plane in record time, flicking her phone off of airplane mode and waiting for a text from Pierre-Luc. At least she didn’t have to go through TSA again. He wrote back in record time, letting her know he’d be in his car at the curb right outside the terminal. She waited at baggage claim, grabbing her forest green suitcase; the same one she had when she’d moved to Toronto for university, fresh-faced and 18 and so, so unaware of what the world had in store for her. If only she could see herself now. Laurel ran her thumb along the side handle for a moment, pulling at a loose thread, before hefting it onto the floor and turning towards the sliding exit doors. 

As promised, Pierre was waiting right outside the door, flashing her a bright smile and throwing the driver’s side door open as soon as he saw her. “Welcome to Columbus, babe!” he exclaimed, wrapping Laurel into a deep hug and kissing her on the cheek. 

She laughed as the trunk popped open, each of them grabbing a suitcase. “It’s a little bit funny, don’t you think? That I’ve lived in the Midwest for almost my whole life and the first time I go to Ohio it’s because I’m living in Canada?”

“Maybe just a little bit,” Pierre said, holding his thumb and pointer finger about an inch apart. “I’m really happy you were able to come, though, Laurel. I got used to having you around.” His face was softer now, looking over at Laurel with an expression that wasn’t quite placable but seemed like it was somehow communicating so much in a single glance. 

“Me too,” Laurel replied. The ride to Pierre’s Columbus apartment took just over ten minutes, and Laurel was in the door, petting the dogs, before the clock struck 3:00. 

Pierre approached her from behind, his hands on her shoulders as he leaned around to kiss her on the cheek. “You want to take a nap?” he asked. “We’ve got that thing with the team at 7, and I know you’re probably running on fumes right now.” 

Laurel nodded, giving him a weary smile, dropping her bag on the floor of the master bedroom with an all-too-satisfying thump. “Nap sounds good.” 

---

The nap was good, so good, and Laurel woke up at half past 6 feeling like she’d just had the best sleep of her life. She yawned, rubbing her eyes, and looked around the room to see Pierre with his back towards her, buttoning up his shirt. He turned around, catching her eye, and grinned. “You like the view?” he asked, gesturing to his half-naked torso. 

Laurel rolled her eyes, pulling the sheets up to poorly conceal her embarrassment at being caught. “And if I do?”

She heard a loud laugh, peeking her head out from under. “I’d say my wife has every right to appreciate it.” He walked around the bed while fastening the last few buttons, holding his hand out for Laurel to take. “I let you sleep as long as I could, but we’re going to have to get going in fifteen minutes or so. I was told that ‘we’ve waited this long to meet her, the least you could do is get your damn wife to the party in time,’” he said, adding air quotes for emphasis. 

Laurel nodded, tossing back the covers and walking over to her suitcase, intending to rifle through the stacks of clothes to find something for the night’s festivities. Instead, she was greeted by an empty bag. She wheeled around to look at Pierre, who was sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck as he stared at her suitcase. “I unpacked your stuff,” he said, nodding over towards the spare dresser. “It’s in there. I’m sorry if that seems weird and I won’t do it again if you feel like that was pushing your boundaries, but I know for me when I’m on roadies I like to unpack, even if it’s just one night. Makes it feel more like home.”

Laurel was too overcome with how sweet the gesture was, small as it may have been, to realize that that meant he had touched four days worth of bras and underwear. It shouldn’t have bothered him anyways, and if he hadn’t said anything about it, it clearly hadn’t. So instead, she pulled him into a warm hug, standing on her tiptoes to bury her face in the crook of his neck. “Thank you, P. One less thing I have to do.” 

“You do still have to actually get dressed, though,” he added, giving her sleepwear an appreciative once-over. “Unless you’re planning on wearing that.” 

She let out a giggle. “As much as I love wearing a massive Cloquet High Lumberjacks t-shirt and no pants, somehow I don’t think that’s the move,” she said, ambling over towards the dresser. She found the tops on the first try, pulling out a wine-colored wrap shirt and grabbing the same pair of light-wash jeans she had worn on the plane. Pierre moved to duck out of the room, presumably to give her privacy to change. Laurel made a split-second decision to call after him. “You don’t have to leave.” Pierre stopped in his tracks.

Laurel slipped the shirt on, tying it in the front, and fastened her jeans. Mascara on and booties zippered, and she was good to go. “So what is this thing, anyways?” she asked Pierre as they drove to Foligno’s house. 

Pierre tilted his head. “Little bit of this, little bit of that. Half the typical beginning-of-the-year preseason party, half the wedding reception we never had. They were very insistent on bringing gifts, so be prepared.”

“Will do,” she said, laughing. “And by they, you mean…”

“Some of the guys, but mostly the wives and girlfriends. Their parties are the stuff of legends, so you can imagine how excited everyone was when I told them we never had a proper reception.”

“But they don’t know why we didn’t have a proper party,” Laurel reminded him. 

“About that…” Pierre started, his bottom lip caught between his teeth. 

Laurel froze, her thumb hovering over her phone screen, halfway through composing a text to Kristen. “Pierre,” she swallowed, her voice deadly soft, “did you tell someone?”

---

It was the Saturday before, and the team had gone out to celebrate the end of the first week of training camp. Sunday was an off day, so Saturday night found all the over-21s — and anyone who could get a good enough fake — at a bar in the city. Pierre had just crossed the line into tipsy, and as his captain was about to find out, tipsy Pierre was an oversharer. It was common enough for families to be a topic of discussion on nights out or in the locker room; that wasn’t the issue. The issue was that, as the old adage goes, drunk words are sober thoughts. And, if he was being honest, Pierre was still harboring some guilt from having to hide the truth of his and Laurel’s marriage from everyone, Nick included. Pierre hated that he couldn’t tell Nick the truth. He was his captain and his friend, and he felt the least he owed to him was not to lie. 

“It’s just so weird being away from Laurel, away from Montréal, for this long,” Pierre sighed. 

“Sure,” Nick said sympathetically, “but you said you’d been friends for a few years, so you’ve had feelings for her for a while, no? It’s obviously not ideal, but you’ve been away from her for longer.” 

Pierre turned towards Nick, some of his beer — his fourth of the night — spilling out of the cup. “Can I tell you a secret?” 

Nick rolled his eyes, thinking he was going to be hearing some dumb high school confession, that he had asked out a senior girl when he was a freshman, or filled his QMJHL captain’s gloves with shaving cream or something. He didn’t expect what he heard next. 

“We got married so she could stay in the country, for her permanent residency. I never met her before June.” 

Nick sucked in a breath. “You’re not fucking with me, are you?” 

“Nope.” 

“You realize how much trouble you guys could get into if they figure out, right?” he asked. 

Pierre nodded, looking down at his clasped hands nervously. “We both do. But you’re not going to tell anyone, right?” 

“No, of course not,” Nick said. “I trust you, and I know you and Laurel were just doing what you thought was the best and most logical thing given the circumstances.” Pierre let out a somber nod. “But,” he continued, “I feel like this whole...situation just leaves open the opportunity for things to get really messy really quickly.” 

“Messy how?” Pierre asked. 

Nick shifted uncomfortably in his chair, looking at a spot just beyond Pierre’s head. He didn’t want to, not really, but it was his job as Pierre’s captain — more importantly as his friend  — to make him consider every angle. “Someone catching feelings, one of you falling for the other, or God forbid, someone else. There’s already so much at stake in a ‘normal’ marriage, but yours just has added complications.” Pierre felt a twinge in his heart. He didn’t want to admit it, he really didn’t want to admit it, but Nick was right. “Do you love her?” Nick asked softly. 

Pierre sunk back into his chair. “I don’t know. She means a lot to me, more than I ever thought she would, but I don’t know. Plus, I have no clue how she feels about me, and I wouldn’t want to say something like that only to have her pull away.” 

“Did you guys talk about that?” he asked. 

“About what?” Pierre responded. 

“About what would happen if one of you caught feelings. Because I’m assuming it was supposed to, is supposed to, be a strictly platonic thing.” 

Pierre shrugged. “Not really. We didn’t like make a pact or anything, if that’s what you’re asking. We really didn’t talk much about it at all,” he said, finishing his beer. “I mean, obviously we agreed that we wouldn’t be seeing anyone else, dating or hooking up or anything like that. It was just too risky. But no, we never really addressed how we’d deal with it if one of us ended up...falling for each other. I guess it was just supposed to be a ‘we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it’ type of thing.” 

“And have you come to it?” Nick asked. 

“I don’t know.”

---

Pierre finished the story, hazarding a glance over to Laurel, who was wringing her hands as she looked out the windshield. “I’m not mad at you,” she said finally. “If Nick said he wouldn’t tell, I trust you when you say he won’t. One of us was bound to let it slip eventually.” 

He turned his eyes back towards the road, still feeling a pang of regret. She was almost being too good to him. “We’ll be okay,” he said, saying it just as much to himself as he did to her. 

Laurel gave him a small smile as they pulled into the Foligno’s house, parking on the stone-paved driveway. “We will be.”

Janelle opened the door practically the second after they knocked, greeting Pierre and Laurel with warm hugs. “Laurel, it’s so wonderful to finally meet you,” she said, squeezing her hand. “We know how hard it is to find the time off and make the trip down, and everyone’s excited to see you.” She led them through the entryway to the living room, where Laurel was passed around to some twenty-odd players and their partners, where she introduced herself over and over again as “Pierre’s wife, yes the nurse from Minnesota who none of you knew existed.” 

Dinner was a barbeque outside, Nick, Pierre, and some of the others manning the three grills as Laurel helped set up the drinks table. He held her hand under the table as they ate, his thumb gently rubbing across her thigh every so often in reassurance. “You good?” he murmured in his ear as Laurel sipped a beer, half-listening to some story Korpi was telling about a near-miss incident with a water ski back in Finland during the summer. 

Laurel nodded, squeezing his fingers. “I’m good.”

Plates were cleared, dishes were washed, and everyone was herded into Nick and Janelle’s enormous family room, where a small mountain of wrapped boxes and bags sat in the far corner. “I don’t know if you know this,” Janelle said conspiratorially as Laurel sat down, “but NHLers make more than a little money.” 

She laughed. “So I’ve been told.”

“Which means that, clueless though they may be, you’re going to be getting some very nice presents.” 

And very nice presents they were. A wine club membership, a set of dutch ovens from Seth — “It was my mom’s suggestion”  — Jones, an espresso machine from Boone, a set of matching, personalized dog bowls for Phil, Georgia, and Piper. Laurel honestly wasn’t sure how it was all going to fit in the car, let alone how she was going to manage to stay under the baggage limit on her way back to Canada, but the thought and kindness that went into each gift was what really made it special. 

“From me and the other girls,” Janelle said, passing Laurel a bag. 

“Oh, this is too much,” Laurel said. “You already got the knives and the mixer, I don’t need anything else.”

Cam’s wife, Natalie, shrugged. “Would it help if we made it, didn’t buy it?”

Laurel’s brow furrowed in confusion, her fingers moving to undo the ribbon that tied the handles together, taking out the tissue paper. “Oh!” she gasped quietly as she pulled out a denim jacket, a Blue Jackets logo ironed onto the back, Dubois embroidered where a name bar would be. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“You’re still a part of the family,” Natalie said, smiling. “Even if you’re not here all the time. We want you to feel as included as anyone else.”  

Laurel folded up the jacket carefully, tucking it back in the bag as Josh walked up to Pierre, holding out a small box, clearly wrapped by himself. “Well now I just feel silly.”

Pierre shook his head, smiling at his friend. “Don’t, Josh. I’m sure we’ll love it.” He thumbed open the folds on the wrapping paper, setting it aside before pulling off the top of the box. He fell silent. 

Laurel peeked over, trying to catch a glimpse of the box’s contents. “What is it, P?”

Instead of answering, Pierre just held the box upside-down. Condoms of all colors and sizes rained down onto the hardwood floor as Pierre stared at Josh, clearly trying very hard not to laugh. The side of his mouth twitched. “Interesting choice of gift, you don’t think?” he asked.

Josh shrugged helplessly, his cheeks red. “It’s practical?”

 November 28 (sun)

 Laurel caught every Blue Jackets game she could on the TV, even the ones in early November when Pierre was out for a few games with a mild concussion. She was his wife, but she was also a nurse, and made sure to get daily updates on his condition, restraining herself from FaceTiming him to help limit his amount of daily screen time. But he had been back for a few weeks, making second star of the night with a goal and an assist, so naturally he was pulled away for a few postgame interviews. 

Laurel watched the screen, trying not to get distracted by the sweat drenching his Underarmour. Reporters, the good ones at least, were usually considerate with steering clear of asking personal questions, but sometimes an injury, or the birth of a child, or, as luck would have it, a wedding, begged an answer. “So, Pierre, I think a lot of us were surprised to see you announce on Instagram that you had gotten married this summer. Congratulations, by the way,” the journalist from the Dispatch said. 

“Thanks,” Pierre replied, smiling. 

“And I hope I speak for everyone here when saying that we entirely respect you and your wife’s decision to keep things quiet and announce it in a much more subdued fashion than usual. Players often speak a lot about how integral support from family and friends is, and just how important it is to have that kind of a support system in place.” Pierre could see where the question was going. “Obviously you’ve got the boys down here, but it doesn’t look like your wife Laurel is based in Columbus like you are. Is there a reason for that, and do you think that’s affected your game?” 

Pierre sucked in a breath; it was a fair question, and a reasonable assumption to make, but that didn’t mean he liked answering it any more. But it was almost suspicious how quickly he had an answer. “Uh, yeah, it’s been interesting for us to have to navigate. You’re right, Laurel’s back in Montréal, she spends most of her time at our place in the city. She’s a nurse in the intensive care unit of CHU Saint-Justine, so she does pediatrics there. She loves what she does, and she’s so good at it, and it just wouldn’t be right of me to ever ask or expect her to leave on my account. I know we’ve got a great hospital at Nationwide Children’s, but she loves where she is. We both do. So yeah, it’s rough being away sometimes, but luckily she’s able to move shifts around and make it down twice a month or so when we’re not on the road. But we keep in contact daily, obviously, and I’m able to lean on the guys, especially the other married ones, on how to deal with the stress of being away for so long. But it’s rough. I miss my wife,” Pierre finished. 

Laurel clicked the remote, turning the TV off, her hand scratching behind Piper’s ears, and tried not to replay his words in her mind as she crawled into bed and fell asleep. 

 December 18 (sat)

 Laurel stumbled through the door of Pierre’s Columbus apartment, laughing breathlessly as she tried to lock the deadbolt. “You need some help there, L?” Pierre asked, raising one eyebrow. 

“I’m good,” Laurel said, taking two more tries before it would actually lock. The eggnog from the Christmas party was starting to take its toll; Pierre had agreed to be the pair’s designated driver for the night, so she had had maybe a glass too many. The night had genuinely been so much fun, Laurel had initially been worried at how well she might fit in with the group in a more casual situation. As much as she loved being able to hang out with the team and the other WAGs when she was in Ohio — and she did — she couldn’t help but be nervous that she didn’t have the same level of camaraderie that could help turn a night from good to great. Laurel couldn’t have been happier to be wrong. She was embraced from the moment she walked in the door, a glass of wine pushed into her hand and her Secret Santa gift deposited on the entryway table. 

Laurel used to always roll her eyes at the idea that “time flies when you’re having fun,” but that couldn’t have been more true for the party. It seemed like only minutes had passed, but suddenly it was almost midnight, and the couples with kids had to head home to relieve the babysitters, and Laurel and Pierre were headed home. 

“Let’s get some water in you, no?” Pierre murmured, walking to the kitchen and opening the cupboard. 

“Thanks,” Laurel said softly as she took the glass from him, kicking off her shoes and tucking her feet under her on the couch. 

Pierre perched on the arm, absentmindedly playing with his watch. But while a tipsy Pierre was an oversharer, a tipsy Laurel was always emotional in one fashion or another. “How’d you like the party?”

“It was great,” Laurel said. “I’m not sure why Alexandre thought I’d be into a Blue Jackets scarf, but I guess it’s the thought that counts?” She pulled the offending object out of her bag, running her fingers through the fringe on the edge. “Seeing how amazing so many of those couples are, Janelle and Nick especially, it was awesome…” She trailed off. “But it was hard.”

His brow furrowed. Why would it be hard? “How so?”

“I always thought that, when I got married, it would be once and that was it.” She screwed her eyes shut. “And that’s not to mean I’m not grateful for what you’ve done, it’s so incredible and goes so far beyond just plain kindness. I just thought it would be a forever thing.”

Pierre’s heart dropped. Of course she’d feel like that. If marriage was something she wanted to take that seriously, how could she not feel like she was cheapening its meaning by treating it as nothing more than an arrangement of convenience? It wasn’t even like he felt any differently; hockey was obviously still his first priority most of the time, but he’d always seen himself as someone who wanted to settle down and have a family one day. He guessed that he just hadn’t let himself think about it. “Laurel,” he said quietly, reaching out to her. But she wasn’t done. 

“It’s just,” Laurel sighed, one hand tugging on her hair, tears threatening to escape her eyes, “knowing this is all temporary. Knowing that in a couple of y-years, when I g-get my citizenship and we get d-divorced, this is all going to end,” she said, hiccuping through her words. “I won’t be able to come to your Christmas parties and fly down for games and sit up in the WAG box with my friends and that jacket and a jersey with your name on it. I won’t be able to do any of that any more because it wasn’t real, it wasn’t ever real, and that fucking kills me inside, P.” Laurel sat on the corner of the couch, a spot as precarious as the words tumbling out of her mouth. 

“Why?” Pierre asked, even though if he was honest, he’d stake his career on the belief that he already knew the answer. “Why would it hurt so bad?” His voice was so quiet that if Laurel hadn’t been sitting two feet away, she wouldn’t have heard. 

“Because I’m fucking in love with you,” she whispered. “And that’s the single most terrifying sentence I’ve ever said in my life.” Even though Pierre somehow knew that’s what she was going to say all along, it didn’t stop her words from stealing the breath out of his lungs. Laurel looked up at him through her tears, her eyes beginning to redden. “Say something, please, P.”

Pierre knelt in front of her, his thumb resting gently on her cheek, wiping away her tears. “God, Laur, how could I not be in love with you?” She blinked rapidly at him, trying to process the words that were coming out of his mouth. “I wasn’t lying when I said you were one of the most incredible people I’ve ever met. You’re so caring, not just for me, but for everyone in your life. You’d give a stranger the shirt off of your back. You’re probably the smartest person I know, way smarter than me.” A giggle escaped Laurel’s mouth. “The dedication you show to everything in your life is amazing. At your job, you treat every patient like they were your own sibling or your own child. You make the trip down to Columbus once a month, twice a month. That’s not easy, all the flight time and having to leave Piper and switching shifts around so we can see each other. You’re gorgeous, not just on the outside — though you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen — but the light in your eyes when you talk about a new book you read, or how happy you look when you let me taste a new recipe you’re trying, or how passionate you get when you see something wrong and know there’s something you need to do to change it. So what if we’re doing things a little backwards? First comes marriage, then comes love.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “I fell in love with you awhile ago. I think it just took me a second to realize it.”

 January 26 (wed)

 Laurel thought the distance and space between them would be easier now that she knew how he felt, now that they both knew how they felt. She couldn’t have been more wrong. So the All-Star break, and the Blue Jackets’ bye week, couldn’t have come at a better time. Pierre had made plans for the break a few months earlier, but after everything that happened over Christmas, it didn’t seem right to ditch Laurel for a boy’s trip with Alexandre and Seth. So Hilton Head was traded in for Saint Lucia, and his teammates were traded in for his wife. And he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Laurel was using three of her paid vacation days and Pierre was able to make the schedule work just right to get five nights in the Carribean. “A belated honeymoon, if you will,” he had said, cracking a grin over FaceTime as they booked the flights. The flight from Columbus was much less straightforward than hers from Montréal, but by a chance airline scheduling his first layover was in Toronto. Laurel met him at the gate, hauling her own green suitcase behind her as he flung his arms around her, kissing her with everything he had in him. They may have missed the not-so-subtle fans taking pictures that later circulated around Twitter that may or may not have led to some grade A chirping in the team’s group chat. But Pierre didn’t care. He cared that for a few days, he could forget about the stress of hockey and trying to make a playoff run and all the rumors floating around and just be with his wife. And, Pierre thought as they walked through the airport door into the Carribean sun, there really wasn’t anything else he wanted. 

They hailed a taxi, the twenty minute drive to their resort rushing by in a blur of palm trees and seas so blue Laurel thought she could fall into them just by looking. Pierre jogged into the main office to check them in, coming back with their key cards before the taxi continued on its way, dropping them off in front of their villa. Laurel spun slowly as they got out of the car, smiling up at the sky as Pierre pressed a few bills into the taxi driver’s hand with a nod of thanks. “You okay there?” he asked with a grin. 

“It’s so warm,” Laurel said in wonderment. Even in January, the weather in Saint Lucia hovered in the mid-70s, a far cry from the twenties and teens of a Montréal winter. Laurel was no stranger to the cold — Cloquet had seen temperatures pushing thirty below when Laurel was in high school — but the idea that she could be somewhere and wear shorts while it was snowing in her hometown was a concept so novel she hadn’t quite grasped it yet. 

He nodded, looking at Laurel with a gaze so soft she thought her heart would maybe burst. “We’re in the Caribbean, L. It’s warm all the time.” 

She rolled her eyes, bending over to get her suitcase, but not before Pierre snatched it up himself, holding the key card between two fingers. “Are you going to just stand there, or do you want to check out our honeymoon suite?” Laurel’s words dripped with suggestiveness, her sandal-clad feet dragging their way up the path to the villa with tantalizing languor. 

“Coming.” 

Even after the six months of their marriage, and even after everything that happened over the holidays, they hadn’t had sex. They’d gotten close a few times, both on her trip in December and in ones since, but never managed to go all the way. First Laurel needed a new birth control prescription — the last thing she would do would be have sex without being extra safe about it — and then she was too tired after a night out, and another time Pierre had scored a hat trick and they had partied way too hard to even think about sex. So needless to say, it had been a while for Laurel since she’d gotten release by any hands other than her own, and even longer for Pierre. And it certainly wasn’t because she didn’t want to. Laurel was well aware that her husband was hot as fuck, and she’d be lying if some of her lonelier nights weren’t filled with thoughts of exactly what she wanted him to do to her. But it felt different than any of her other relationships. Obviously, it felt different, she hadn’t been married to Oliver or Ryan or Carter. And that didn’t mean she wasn’t invested in those, but just that the stakes were so much higher and she had fallen so much harder for Pierre than she ever thought imaginable. She didn’t want to have sex with him until she was sure. Sure that it was going somewhere, sure that it would last, sure that he loved her in the same way that made her heart ache every time he dropped her off at Columbus International Airport. 

---

By the time they had unpacked, eaten, and gotten a few rum punches in their system, it was well past 7 and the sun had long since set. Laurel peeked out the door onto their balcony, nodding at the private plunge pool. “We’ve got quite the setup here.”

She walked over to the dresser, grabbing a swimsuit out and crossing over to the bathroom, her hand hovering over the knob. “Just something to think about.” Pierre put his swim trunks on in record time. Laurel padded out of the bathroom, the top straps of her bikini dangling, the swell of her breasts peeking above the cups. “Do me up?” she asked. 

Pierre’s fingers brushed the baby hairs at the base of her neck as he tied the straps of her white-hot bikini. “Sure you don’t want to go out to the beach?” 

Their villa came with a stretch of beachfront, and it seemed like such a shame to let it go to waste. Laurel shook her head, a smile playing on the edge of her lips. “We’ve got a couple of days to enjoy the beach. I’d like to stay somewhere a little more...secluded.” She bit her lip as she opened the door to the balcony, dipping her toes in the pool and sighing at the warmth of the water. Laurel looked back at Pierre, one eyebrow raised. “You coming?” Pierre couldn’t follow fast enough. 

They stayed in the water for a while, lazily kissing and staring at the stars and sipping drinks that had lost their potency hours ago, but neither of them really cared much. Sometime during the night, Laurel had made her way onto Pierre’s lap, where she reached over to the balcony, lofting herself out of the pool and wrapping a scarf around her body. “Getting a little cold,” she said, bending down and giving him a soft kisss. She walked into the room, drying herself off; he followed. Laurel threw the towel over a chair in the corner of the room, walking over towards Pierre, stopping when their noses were almost touching.

Laurel’s wrap fell from her shoulders, pooling on the wood floor. Pierre’s hand skated up her arm to rest on her cheek. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. She stood on her tiptoes as her left hand tangled in his hair, her right pressed against the back of his neck. She whimpered into his mouth; it took everything in Pierre’s power to keep the blood from rushing south. The kiss got more frantic, tongue and teeth clashing against each other as he walked her back to the bed. The back of her knees bumped up against the edge. 

Pierre pulled away slightly, letting out a moan as he saw Laurel’s face. Her lips were puffy from kissing, her chest heaving with the force of her breath, and her wild hair had long since been taken out of its ponytail. In other words, Pierre was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Laurel, in that moment, was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. “You sure you want to do this?” Pierre murmured. He wanted to. God, he wanted to. But he’d never do anything without making sure that she was absolutely comfortable. Laurel nodded, biting her lip. “I need to hear you say it, babe,” Pierre said, taking a step forward, their noses almost touching. 

“I want you to ruin me.”

Pierre audibly groaned, capturing her lips in his before throwing her back on the bed, his hand moving to her back to undo the tie of her bikini top as his lips trailed down her neck. He threw the top off to one side, paying exactly zero attention to where it landed, as his hands slid up her waist to cup her breasts, his thumbs ghosting over her sensitive nipples. Laurel’s breath hitched in her throat. “You like that, baby?”

“Mhm,” Laurel whimpered, unable to form a complete sentence. 

He smirked, lowering his mouth to her chest, flicking his tongue over her right nipple as his hand pinched her left. The air was filled with breathless sighs from them both until Pierre’s hands left her breasts. Laurel whined in protest until she felt his fingers toying with her bikini bottoms, his head lifting just enough so that his eyes could meet hers. “This okay?”

It was all Laurel could do to choke out a single word. “Please.”

Pierre pulled them down her legs, kissing down, down to her hips, down to her inner thighs, down to everywhere except for where she needed him. “You need something, Laurel?” Pierre asked, his voice dripping with sex. 

Laurel groaned, not wanting to give in but also knowing that Pierre could stay where he was for hours if it meant teasing her. “Your mouth.” 

“As you wish.” And then his tongue was on her, and in her, and she couldn’t help but let out a moan. And Pierre was loving every second of it. He stayed down there for a while, long enough to finish her twice. 

Laurel pushed on his shoulder, trying to get him to turn on his back so she could return the favor. Pierre shook his head as he shucked his shorts off, pulling her head down to kiss her roughly. “I’m going to cum right here if I don’t get inside you in the next two minutes, babe.” He reached over to the nightstand, grabbing a condom. “Guess I’ll have to thank Josh for these when we get back home.”

She raised one eyebrow, clearly unamused. “If you do that, I can promise you I’ll never put your dick in my mouth. Not now, not ever.”

Pierre held his hands up in surrender, the foil packet shining between two fingers. “Alright, alright. I won’t.” He paused just before bringing the wrapper up to his teeth. “You want this?”

Laurel nodded frantically as he rolled the condom down his length. He looked so hard it was painful. “So bad.” He leaned down to kiss her, propped up on one arm as he pushed into her, hair falling into his face as he closed his eyes. He was too blissed out to be able to focus on anything other than how good she felt around him, how tight and warm and how well she fit, like Laurel Elizabeth Klerken was made for him and him alone. 

“More,” Laurel cried softly, and that was all it took for Pierre to grab one of her legs, throwing it around his hips as he increased his pace, head dropping to her neck as he nipped at her pulse points. It didn’t take long for Pierre to reach his high, Laurel right behind him. He pressed a sweet kiss to her forehead before getting up from the bed, going into the bathroom to tie off the condom and grab a washcloth. He cleaned up between her legs as Laurel lay there, trying to steady her breathing, absolutely spent from the night’s three orgasms. “Why didn’t we do that earlier?” Laurel murmured. 

Pierre laughed, throwing the cloth in the laundry basket and tilting down to press a kiss to the crown of her head. “I don’t know. But it was worth it.”

 February 20 (mon)

 Laurel had learned early on in her relationship with Pierre that she couldn’t put much stock into what was said on Twitter. Or Instagram, or any social media for that matter. So much was speculation: about draft picks, about trade rumors, about Pierre-Luc Dubois’ secret wife, that it just wasn’t useful or healthy for her so spend much time looking around. She still had her accounts, but Instagram was the only one she went on with any regularity nowadays. And she rarely checked her phone during the work day anyways; unless it was an unusually slow day  — which was never a good sign in the medical world — the only time she was even able to spare a glance was during her lunch break or when she’d run to the bathroom. So when her phone buzzed with a text from Pierre as she sat at the nurses’ station, her brow furrowed as she unlocked the screen. 

Are you free right now? I need to call you. 

Laurel bit her lip, nerves threatening to boil over. He knew her schedule, he knew she was at work. What could be so important that it couldn’t wait? Are you okay? Did something happen?

He typed a response as soon as her text showed as delivered.  I’m not hurt, it’s not bad, really, I just need to tell you something and I don’t want to have to do it over text. 

Laurel checked her watch. 11:18. It was early for a lunch break, but as long as she wasn’t needed, she could take her half hour any time between 11 and 1. She caught the eye of her charge nurse. “Claudette? I’m taking my lunch if that’s alright with you.” Claudette nodded, and Laurel quickly made her way to the locker room to grab her leftover pasta, texting Pierre on the way. Headed to the changing room now. Are you going to tell me what this is about?

Her phone rang a minute later, when she had just closed the door. She tapped the green button. “You’re going to have to tell me what’s going on here, P, because I’m kind of freaking out,” Laurel said, laughing nervously. “You don’t tell a girl what to expect, she starts assuming the worst.”

Pierre let out a heavy breath. She could imagine him running a hand through his hair on the other end. “I know, and I’m sorry if I worried you. I just needed to tell you before it breaks.”

“Before what breaks, Pierre?” Laurel’s anxiety was coming to a head. 

“I’m coming home.”

Laurel screwed her eyes shut, even more confused than she was before. “Yeah, Pierre, I know you’re playing here next week. Why would that be news?” 

“When’s the trade deadline, Laurel?”

“Last Monday in February, but I don’t see what that has…” She pulled the phone away from her ear, looking down at the screen, eyes locking on the date. “You got traded?” 

She could imagine him sitting down on the edge of his couch, one hand dangling off the side, Georgia trying to jump up and goad him into giving her a pet or two. “They’re breaking it right before the noon deadline, but you deserved to know before everyone else did. You needed to know.”

Laurel leaned up against her locker, hand over her mouth. “You’re coming to Montréal?” She had seen it mentioned offhand on a few Twitter accounts she followed the handful of times she had logged on in the past week, but nobody thought it would actually happen. Even the concept of trading him seemed so far-fetched with the type of season he was having in Columbus. He was sitting near 30 goals and 40 assists, with one of the best plus-minus scores on the team. It just didn’t make sense. 

“As of twenty minutes ago, I’m officially a Montréal Canadien,” Pierre answered. 

“Oh God,” Laurel said, sympathy lacing her voice. She couldn’t let herself be excited, wouldn’t let herself be excited, until she knew exactly how Pierre felt about it. He had just been uprooted from the team that drafted him, where he’d played for four seasons and made friends and where everyone saw him as the future of the franchise. 

Pierre let out a single laugh. “They let me know what the deal was, apparently Montréal really wanted me. First round pick next year, a second-year defenseman, some prospect from Laval.”

Laurel settled on the bench, tucking the phone under her chin. “Of course they really wanted you, P. You’re an incredible player, you’d be an asset to any team and you’re going to do great things in Montréal.” She paused. “But how are you feeling about the move? I know it’s not what you were expecting. Or what anyone was expecting, really.”

“It’s weird,” Pierre said after a moment. “Obviously yeah, I won’t lie, it’s a shock. But almost every player, even the really good ones, get traded at one point or another. Gretzky was traded to L.A.”

“Are you comparing yourself to Gretzky?” Laurel asked playfully. 

“No,” Pierre chuckled. “But just trying to remind myself that it was almost inevitable. I’m allowed to be sad about it — and I am, it’s going to fucking suck leaving the boys — but I’m not as torn up as I thought I’d be if this ever happened.” He felt more than a little bad about it, but his first thought when his agent called and broke the news wasn’t sadness, it wasn’t despair at having to leave the team he had been brought up in and the men he considered his brothers. It was relief. Relief that he could be closer to his family, relief that he’d be back with Laurel, relief that he was going home. “And hey,” he said, catching Laurel’s attention. “You know what?”

Laurel rolled her eyes. “What?”

“I don’t even have to marry someone to move.”

---

Pierre’s flight got in late Tuesday night, just after Laurel’s shift at the hospital had ended. He had said he wouldn’t mind taking an Uber home so she didn’t have to rush over and stress about traffic, but Laurel didn’t care. She wanted to be at the airport to pick up her husband, even if it meant she’d still be in her scrubs doing it. 

She saw him exiting the sliding doors of the international terminal before she even turned the corner, practically slamming her car into park as soon as she hit the curb. Pierre dropped his bags when her car door opened, paying no attention to the thump of the suitcases as they hit the ground or the wandering eyes of passersby. Airports hadn’t always been his favorite place. They meant leaving the people he loved, going away from what was warm and familiar and safe. They usually meant uncertainty. But that had changed, Pierre thought, as his wife jumped into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist as their lips met. Airports might just have become one of his favorite places. He pulled back from the kiss, their foreheads just barely touching. “Hi,” he said. 

Laurel smiled, the kind of smile that lit up rooms and made crying babies giggle and that Pierre was pretty sure was his favorite thing he’d ever seen in the world. “Welcome home.”

[notnctu]

rare - z.cl | dnly club ♡

♡ pairing: college!chenle x fem!reader ♡ word count: 953  ♡ genre: drabble, series! angsty ;-; ♡ quote: “ring ring missed call again” ♡ summary: dnyl club, where people who have lost their hearts end up. No one ever knows if someone or something sent them here or if just somehow wander here on their own. Some would say that their hearts were broken, some would say they lost it, some just wouldn’t know how or what to feel in the moment. Past this door, maybe they would be able to mend their hearts, find it, or just make a new one. One by one, each boy stood at the front door of the room, six in total, wondering what was past that door.

♡ a.n: hi hi !! i am author xuxi ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ nd i hope u enjoy reading this and pls do not reupload my moodboard as yours ty <3

She was in the library, like always. Chenle remembered when he first found how much she studied so endearing and sweet and would always respect her space when she needed it. He knew her studies were very important to her, it was one of her quirks that he had fallen for. Because Chenle didn’t focus on his study as much as she did, he had to admit that her habits have definitely influenced him for the better. 

Eventually though, it seemed as though the library was her new home. Text replies from her took longer and longer to receive, she snapped at him more often than not, even if he was just humming a tune. There were even times when Chenle just wanted her to take a break only for her to lash out and blame him for not caring for her grades. 

Slowly, he had stopped going to the library to study with her. Soon enough, her texts become a rare occurrence, she is rarely at her apartment and sometimes Chenle just lies on his bed, his phone hopelessly ringing to see if she would at least answer. 

Ring ring ring ring, missed call again. 

Chenle had gotten used to endless ringing. He resorted to just sending her mini-paragraphs that just reminded her to get some sleep, not over work herself, and remember that he is always just a text or call away. He wonders if he should send them anymore as he scrolls through messages between you two, sighing at how the texts only consist of his bright blue bubbles.

He never questioned their relationship. They were happy, she was just busy. But as the weeks go by, as his own midterms past and as his blue bubble texts continue to pile up in her inbox, he starts wondering if she would ever text him if he never texted her too. 

One day, before his final midterm, he decides to text her something he knows she will at least respond to at one point. 

Chenle: hey, im bringing you snacks, you’re at the library right? same room? 

He has even gotten so used to her extremely late messages, he knows to text her before his own classes or midterms so that he would be able to get a response while he was distracted doing other things. After spending a two whole hours on his math midterm, he isn’t surprised to see that she had only responded twenty minutes ago. 

Her: yea, ty babe <3 

At least she still had the effort to add the heart, he sighed to himself, using his fingers to count how many days it’s been seen they have seen each other. Realizing it has been a whole two weeks, he starts pondering if now is finally the time to address the problem. 

But he still could barely tell if this even was a problem. His friends would always tell him that he’s barely in a relationship, that she didn’t even try to spend time with her, that he was just being dragged along. They always told him he deserved better, but Chenle could never consider that thought, believing there was no such thing as ‘deserving better’. 

He thought about her smile, how cute her dimples were. He remembers how amazingly warm she was when they cuddled, how her laugh would light up an entire room. He remembered how much he admired her dedication and motivation. Whether it be something as small as cooking dinner for the two of them one day or planning an entire weekend trip together. Now he wonders if she even eats dinner anymore.

As he is walking through the library and up the stairs to her favorite study room, he can’t even recall the last time they had dinner together. But he still remembers where that dreaded room was, where they would fight, where she would sit alone, making him worry if she was eating her meals or if she was freezing from the ac. 

“Hey,” he tried to smile at her as he opened the door to the study room. “You ready for a small break?” 

He’s only met with a simple nod. He sighs to himself again, reminiscing on how he used to find this scene so adorable. He loved how she was organized. He remembered how she had to have her computer and books lined up perfectly and her pencil bag be parallel on the left side of her laptop. It was so particular and neat, and her cute pastel stationary and stickers on her laptop added to the adorableness. But today, it was just the same agonizing scene that he hated seeing over and over again.

She raised her eyebrow at him, taking out one of her airpods. He hadn’t seen her eyes stare into his for so long that he almost felt overwhelmed. 

“Is there something you need?” She asks, and he realizes that she didn’t even hear his greetings. 

“Oh, nothing, I just thought maybe you could use a break, I just finished my midterm today too.” The conversation sounded so unfamiliar, almost as if you guys had only met today. 

“Babe, you know I can’t. I have my midterm in three days.” She sighs, feeling stressed and he couldn’t tell if it was because of him or the material. 

“I mean, how about for just a few minutes, we haven’t seen each other in two weeks.” He tries again, but his sweaty palms can already feel her anger coming. 

“Chenle, please, I promise we can do whatever you want after finals okay?” She’s frustrated, he can hear in the huff of her voice. 

“You said that last finals week.”

And the silence stays for a while. 

[holidaywishes]

It Had To Be You XL

Chapter Forty: All Dressed in White

  Summary: "I don’t know, guys. A custom dress is a lot,” you said but Jackie pressed. “He’s my son. My oldest child and I want the best for you two. A custom dress makes sure that happens.”

  Warning: Short chapter but other than that nothing really, maybe a little bit of angst at the end...

  Author’s Note: How’s everyone doing in their quarantine? Feel free to fill up my inbox with anything you’re feeling. I’m here for it, for you. Anyway, I’ve decided that this series is going to end at 50 so there will be 10 more, likely put out in the next week or so. After that, I’ll focus on finishing up my Gally series and then my Freddie series. That’s it. That’s the note! Enjoy the chapter!

  P.S. I guess I have one other note. I described a dress in here and, if any of you have seen Love is Blind, I think I was picturing Giannina’s Dress because I loved the way it flowed but there was also this one but of course, you can imagine whatever dress you want and switch up the description to fit that!

  Song Credit: All Dressed in White -- Benjamin Francis Leftwich

  masterlist

  the other masterlist

xx

  It’s not like you were discouraged when you couldn’t find a dress in Calgary but you did hope that your family could be there when you had that ‘I found my dress’ moment.

  “We can fly them here,” Tyler said after you told him that you felt like they were missing out on things, “they’d probably love that!”

  “Where would we put them all?”

  “Here”

  “It’s not that big of a space,” you admitted, “it’s not your Mom’s space.”

  “Well, there’s always the Lake House...”

  “Aww the Lake House!” you cooed, “we had our first ‘moment’ there.”

  “I know. Isn’t it perfect?” he laughed, bringing you close to him, “It’s so perfect that we could even have the wedding there. What do you think?”

  “Really?” you thought about it for a second, “I mean it would be great but would there be enough space? Your family? My family? Our friends?”

  “I think so. I mean it’s not like we’re going to have 500 people there or something. It’ll be relatively small won’t it?”

  “Not if Chris has any say in it,” you laughed, “besides, you have connections with the entire league so I’m sure we’ll have at least 100 people there on your side.”

  “Whoa,” he said, putting his hands up to halt you, “that seems like a lot.”

  “Does it? You’ve got a big family, that loves you, and a lot of friends who are shocked you’re engaged. How many people were you thinking?”

  “Like maybe 100 in total...” he said and your mouth gaped. It was strange to you that he didn’t want to have a huge party but you didn’t want to push him

  “I guess we’ll really have to sit down and discuss the list then...” You said, an unsure smile on your face and he pulled you into his side.

  “By the way,” he interjected, “my Mom and Candace are coming in to help you pick out a dress”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, I really didn’t have a say in it. That’s why I said we could fly Chris and Karen and Lucy here”

  “And Diana and Ethan and--”

  “Yes, fly anyone you want here. My mom is insisting though, she thinks she can find you the perfect dress. When she heard that you didn’t find one back home, she knew this was her chance.”

  “What about Cassidy?” you asked

  “She’s got some internship that she can’t get away from but mom said she’ll Facetime her”

  “When is this all supposed to be happening?”

  “Well...” he started but was interrupted by the doorbell ringing

  “WHERE IS SHE?” Jackie squealed, “ahh! the beautiful bride to be!”

  “Ha-h-hi,” you scoffed, playfully, “I didn’t know you guys were coming!” Candace waved to her after hugging her brother and shrugging at Jackie’s enthusiasm

  “SURPRISE!” she yelled, “Ty says you’re heading out to the Lake?” You glared at Tyler for a second, noticing him rub his neck.

  “We are!” you replied, gritting your teeth, “yeah and Chris and Karen are on their way here with Lucy!”

  “That’s awesome!” she hugged you, “Oh yay! That means they can come Dress shopping with us!”

  “Dress shopping?” you asked, trying to hide your concern

  “Yeah!”

  “Don’t we need like an appointment for that?”

  “Of course. Ty made one for us last week. Didn't he tell you?”

  “No..” you said, turning your attention to Tyler, “it must have slipped his mind.”

  “Oh, well..” she added, “we’re here now and the appointment is next week. So... we can discuss what you see yourself in. What you didn’t find last month when you went home..”

  “Uhmm” you stammered, watching Tyler dial a number on his phone as he walked away

  “Mom,” Candace laughed, “give her a second to welcome us in. Maybe we can go for lunch or something to talk about all of that but for right now, we have to settle in.” She rubbed your arm and directed her Mom into the guest room that the two would be sharing. 

xx

  Getting everyone into the Lake house was a struggle, making everyone comfortable was nearly impossible, but eventually everyone was happy with where they were.

  “Alright,” Jackie sighed, smiling as she looked at you and Tyler, “let’s talk wedding! Now that everyone’s here, we can make a game plan”

  “Mom..” Tyler scoffed

  “No, she’s right!” Karen interjected and Lucy looked over at you from beside Candace, “having us all together might help make the planning easier.“

  “it is what you said you wanted when you came home last month” Lucy added and you tilted your head at her

  “Okay,” you agreed, reluctantly, “but the final decisions are up to Ty and I. Got it?” You looked around to make sure the group was nodding in agreement. You talked about colours, themes, decor ideas, venues, and guest lists

  “Alright... so an intimate wedding here?” Chris said, a little judgement in his tone

  “Yeah,” Tyler answered, shifting forward in his seat, “we want to be surrounded by the people we love most.“ You noticed Chris exaggeratedly raise his eyebrows

  “So what was it about the dresses that you looked at that wasn’t it,” Candace interrupted, diffusing any tension, “that made none of them the one.”

  “Is it a cop out if I just say I didn’t have that feeling?”

  “Yes,” Karen laughed, “but I understand. How about this? Imagine your perfect wedding dress, from the ones you’ve seen to the ones you wished existed. Put them all together. What does that perfect dress look like?”

  “Oof,” you exhaled before smiling at the group, “Something flowy on the bottom but fitted and lacy up top. Classic lace, maybe a little bit of a vintage feel but not like Grandma’s doily. I want more lace than beading but a little bit of sparkle, just enough to make the dress seem like it’s glowing out in the sun, would be amazing. I think sleeves would annoy me, but I’m open to the idea...” You stopped, opening your eyes that you hadn’t realized you’d closed, and saw everyone staring at you.

  “That sounds gorgeous!“ Jackie exclaimed

  “Yeah but finding this gorgeous dress is another story...” you sighed

  “Hey,” Tyler whispered, rubbing your back, “you’ll find it. I’ll pay. No budget! How does that sound?”

  “I don’t know, Ty, I can get pretty carried away” You admitted, snickering at your own words

  “(Y/N)” he started, “there’s no better time to get carried away than shopping for your wedding dress.”

  “He’s right!” Lucy and Candace chimed in before you could argue

  “Don’t let him change his mind” Candace urged and you laughed, reluctantly nodding and smiling at the group in front of you.

  “What if...” Diana interrupted, “you got a custom dress?” The group gasped in agreement

  “That’s perfect!” Candace exclaimed

  “Totally! That way you’ll get exactly what you want!” Lucy added

  “I think that’s a great idea,” Tyler added, “you’ll be sure to find this gorgeous dress of yours that way.” You smiled at him, giving him a peck on the cheek in thanks

  “It’s settled then!” Jackie interjected before you could argue, “a custom dress is what you’ll have!” You would’ve liked to discuss it more but both Karen and Jackie were insistent that a custom dress was the right choice and the girls agreed that you deserved it. So, two days later, Jackie and Karen were waking you up at 6 AM to head to the bridal store to try on dresses

  “We already know you’re getting a custom dress but we just want to see the shapes,” Jackie exclaimed, “to get a better idea.” Her smile was so big that you almost had a headache from looking at it

  “Okay, just let me shower first” you yawned just as Candace, Diana and Lucy walked out of their rooms.

  “The boys aren’t up yet?” Diana scolded and you rolled your eyes before closing the bathroom door. While you let the hot water pour over you, you tried to think about your wedding day and what it would look like. A small ceremony was what you had pictured when you were younger, because you didn’t have a big family, but Tyler’s life was so big that you thought he would’ve fought more to include everyone. It hurt you a little but you knew it would be a beautiful wedding no matter what. When Tyler and Chris woke up, they wandered into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, mumbling to themselves as the group of girls puttered around the house.

  “What if we come with you?” Tyler offered, making everyone face him in shock

  “You want to go wedding dress shopping?” Chris added

  “YOU CAN’T!” Jackie yelled, “IT’S BAD LUCK!”

  “Oh come on, Mom,” he replied, “that’s such a dumb rule. I’m sure we’ll be fine... I want to help her pick out a dress.”

  “It’s her dress, Ty,” Lucy chimed in, “it’s the one thing that she shouldn’t have to get your approval on.”

  “I’m not saying she has to have my approval on anything. I just wanna... see.” You went straight from the shower to the bedroom to change, putting on a little bit of makeup and blow drying your hair before heading into the living room where everyone was.

  “(Y/N)!” Tyler shouted as you came out

  “Whoa!” you gasped, “what’s going on?”

  “Do you think I should stay back?” He asked

  “It’s bad luck for the groom to see the dress before the wedding?” Jackie interrupted

  “I--” you tried but got interrupted

  “Again. That’s a dumb rule, don’t you think babe?” Tyler continued

  “Well I--” you started again

  “I can always leave if you find one that you really like. Besides you said you were getting a custom dress right? So it’s not like either of us will know until y--”

  “OKAY ENOUGH!” You finally yelled, taking a breath before continuing, “I think that some sort of traditionalism is nice. You can come for a bit, though I don’t really think you’ll enjoy yourself, but I do want Chris to be there...” Chris was silent for a moment before smiling

  “Of course, (Y/N),” he said, “I wouldn’t miss it.” You let out a sigh of relief and the group apologized for stressing you out before following you out of the house.

xx

  “Hello there!” a woman greeted you and your group as you entered the bridal boutique

  “Hi,” Tyler said, budging his way to the desk, “we have an appointment. Under (Y/L/N) or maybe I put it under mine, Seguin?”

  “Ahh yes,” she replied, “(Y/N)?”

  “That’s me,” you smiled, meeting Tyler at the front, “hi”

  “Hi,” she smiled back, “follow me this way.” The woman directed to your group to an area with a beige couch and told you that your consultant would be there in a moment. About a minute later, a tall, slender woman introduces herself to the group with a bright smile on her face

  “Who’s the bride to be?” she asked

  “That would be me!” you smiled, grabbing Tyler’s hand for support

  “Hi there!” she said before her eyes caught Tyler, “is this the groom?” You looked over at Tyler and smiled, noticing a small blush flood his cheeks

  “Yes,” he replied, “I am the groom”

 “Awesome!” her voice rose, “so who all do you have with you today?” You introduced everyone in the group to the consultant and they took turns shaking hands.

  “It’s a bigger group than we expected” you laughed and the consultant smiled and waved it off

  “The more the merrier!” she replied, “do you have an idea of what you’re looking for?” You described the details of the dress, followed by the details of the wedding including the theme that you’d picked and the consultant nodded along before taking you to the dressing room and pulling dresses for you. She pulled a lot of options

  “Wow” was all you could say. The consultant began putting you in the dresses and you nixed a few of them before deciding on one to show everyone. The first dress you showed your group was a big, poofy, Cinderella ballgown that you imagined every girl wanted when they were growing up but you weren’t impressed with it on you and neither was the group; quickly throwing up signs with versions of ‘no’ on them and you quickly moved onto the next dress.

  “I think we should try this one next” you pointed to one of the dresses and the consultant helped you into the dress

  “So...” she started, “tell me about you hubby-to-be!” You smiled to yourself and tried to think of where to start

  “His name is Tyler. We met about 9 years ago and we’ve been together about 5 years. He’s one of the dorkiest people I know and he makes me laugh all the time and he’s just one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met.”

  “Aww that’s so sweet. What does he do for a living? He looks familiar...” she said, which you thought was a weird thing to ask but you answered anyway, “Oh my goodness! I thought that was him!”

  “That’s him! That’s my dude...” you smiled

  “That’s so cool! Congratulations!” she said, almost through gritted teeth, and aggressively did up the laces on the corset of the dress and directed you back out to your group. You stood in front of everyone, including the consultant, and got their feedback but you weren’t saying anything and Diana was the first to ask if something was wrong

  “I agree I don’t like the dress,” Tyler said and the consultant giggled and you looked over at her quickly, “I really don’t think it’s you.” You laughed and nodded

  “I don’t either,” you admitted but directed your attention to Diana, “can I talk to you in the room for a second?” She nodded and followed you and the consultant to the room, who you gave a look to that made her leave the room.

  “What’s going on babe?” she sat down on one of the chairs in the room while you looked at yourself in the mirror, examining the dress

  “Aside from the fact that I can’t breathe?” you laughed, “the consultant is really interested in Ty.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When I told her about him, without mentioning his job, she said he looked familiar so when I finally said he played for the Stars she got very... I don’t know. She was like ‘congratulations!’ and like trapped me in this dress by pulling the corset so tight.. I don’t know I just feel weird about it.”

  “Do you want to continue with her?”

  “I wish she hadn’t said anything but yeah, I’ll continue with her,” you sighed, “can you just watch her for me?” Diana agreed immediately and she called the consultant back in, checking if you were okay for her to leave and you nodded.

  “Alrighty!” the consultant exclaimed, “which one is next?” You pointed to one dress and showed it to the group who immediately dismissed it, so you tried on another which the group didn’t like either; you slumped back to the group, rubbing your forehead in frustration and the consultant left the room for a minute, only to come back with Tyler

  “Ty..” you said in surprise, sitting in the silk robe the boutique provided, “what are you doing back here?”

  “Thought you might need some help” he smiled

  “Did you find the perfect dress?” you giggled and he shrugged his shoulder

  “Try on this one“ he said, holding up a fairly plain dress and kissing your cheek. You tried on the dress and walked out to the group.

  “I don’t know, guys,” you sighed, “these dresses just aren’t it...”

  “What shape do you love?” Jackie asked

  “I like the flowy-ness of this skirt,” you started, “but I liked the lace and the sparkle on the first one?”

  “So why don’t we combine them?” she added

  “Like a custom dress?” the consultant perked up at the thought, “that’s a great idea!” You imagined that she would get a great commission on a custom dress because the price would increase and you winced at the idea

  "I don’t know, guys. A custom dress is a lot” you said but Jackie pressed.

  “He’s my son. My oldest child and I want the best for you two. A custom dress makes sure that happens.” She stood up, smiling as she walked over to you, “you’re going to be part of our family now and I think this perfect dress will be amazing.” You looked in the mirror at the rest of the group, watching their reactions, noticing Chris wasn’t really showing anything

  “Chris?” you asked, grabbing his attention

  “Yes, love?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think you’ll look beautiful in anything,” he cooed, and you cocked your head to the side, “but it doesn’t seem like you’re finding the dress you want. So, maybe, a custom dress is the best choice.” You bit the inside of your cheek, contemplating the option, before the consultant came back with the owner who offered to draw up an idea of a custom dress for you that you immediately fell in love with.

  “That’s it,” you whispered and it was like an epiphany, “that’s the dress that I haven’t been able to find.” Everything about it was perfect, even though you couldn’t see it in person, you knew it was right for you. When tears started forming in your eyes, Karen came over and asked if that was the dress, “Yes,” you said, nodding emphatically as happy tears escaped your eyes, “that’s my dress.” The group let out in cheers and you laughed at their exclamations before hugging Candace and Lucy, looking to find Tyler to share in his embrace when you saw Diana’s eyes looking somewhere else. Following her stare, you found the very thing you feared would happen. That damn consultant was giving Tyler her number.

[softpepperony]

Mission: Kitten

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 2,508

Warnings: VERY brief mention of animal abuse

Summary: You fall in love with a kitten from the shelter you volunteer at. After meeting him, Bucky does too, he just takes his sweet time to admit it. FLUFF

*This is my first fic I’ve ever written so if it’s bad, I’m sorry. Don’t be afraid to leave constructive criticism or even prompts in my inbox! TY<3*

You got in your car with your new cat, Finnigan. After years of volunteering at the local animal shelter, you’re surprised you’ve made it this long without taking at least one of the animals you take care of home. Part of the reason was that your boyfriend, Bucky had made the “no pets” rule. It wasn’t that he didn’t like animals or was allergic, he was just worried that your lifestyles wouldn’t make allowances for such adorable little balls of fur. After all, he was an Avenger and you worked for S.H,I.E.L.D, so your lives were a little unpredictable. But this little guy stole your heart the minute you saw him. He’s just over six months old with long black and white fur. His missing eye and smushed face are just to die for. You set Finnigan’s, or Finny’s for short, carrier in your passenger seat and began to make the drive home. 

“Oh Finny”, you say to the carrier to your right, “I’m sure he’ll love you... don’t be nervous... are you nervous?”

Of course he isn’t nervous you think to yourself He’s a cat! You’re the one who’s nervous [Y/N]

The rest of the ride home was you rehearsing how tonight would go 

“Hey Buck... You know I love you very much.. right” no

“Hey babe... don’t be mad at me BUT” oh no, he’s definitely gonna be mad

“Hey buck... iknowyousaidnopetsbutthisoneisspecialandicouldn’tsaynosopleasecanwekeephim” Well, at least it’s straight to the point. 

You pull into the driveway before you were done planning the scenario in your head.  

“looks like I’m winging it” you mutter under your breath. 

You get out of the car and take Finny’s carrier in one hand and fling your bag over your shoulder with the other. You were just about to open the door, but Bucky beat you to it. 

“Hey doll, how was the shelter today?” a soft voice asks as he pulls you into a hug.

“Oh ya know, it was.... great just.....great” you reply, trying to conceal Finnigan’s carrier behind your legs. 

“Oh? Is Everything ok? Here.. let me take your bags for you” He takes your purse from your shoulder and then reaches for the carrier. “Um Doll, what’s that?”

Shoot. Uhhhh cover it up

“Bucky.. that’s my purse... I take that with me everywhere... It has my phone, wallet, keys..” 

“I mean... what’s... why is that plastic case meowing?” 

Buckyyyyy this wasn’t part of the plan

“Look, Buck.. I know you had told me no pets, but this little guy... I just.. couldn’t say no to him. He hasn’t left me alone since we brought him in” You say as you lift Finnigan out of his carrier. “I mean, c’mon look at his little face! And his fluffy fur!!” 

“[Y/N], I told you, we can’t have a pet. We can’t take care of a pet! Maybe if you brought home something smaller like a fish, it would’ve been fine! But a cat? Where is he gonna sleep? What does he eat? What if he makes a mess of our place?” He looks at your falling expression, “what if we have to go on a mission all of a sudden?”

“Bucky, It’d be YOU going on a mission, remember? I’m the brains, you’re the muscle.”

“Doll....”

“Please Buck, please?”

As hard as he’s tried, Bucky Barnes could never say no to you. 

You notice Bucky deep in thought, after a few seconds and your puppy dog eyes looking directly at him, he finally declares, “Fine, I suppose he could stay. For a little bit at least” 

“YAY! Bucky, thank you so much!!!” You throw your arms around him, leaving almost no room for poor Finny. You don’t realize this until you hear a faint squeak come from between your bodies. “Sorry Finny, I’m just so happy you’re finally home” 

You bring your purse and Finny inside, leaving Bucky to take the carrier. 

“I just want you to know this is TEMPORARY” You hear Bucky’s voice call from behind. “what are we going to do with him?”

“Well, he’ll need a bed, food, a water dish... a litter box” you reply.

“And where exactly will we get these things from?”

“Well, if you don’t mind staying here, I can run to the store and-”

The door opens and Sam Wilson enters. 

“Hey guys I was just wondering if- well who is this??” Sam asks when Finnigan starts rubbing his ankles, a cats way of asking for attention.

“That’s Finnigan” you answer as Sam picks him up, “I was actually just on my way out to pick up some supplies for him”

“You were?” Bucky asks

“Well, yes unless you would like to go and I’ll stay with the cat?”

“So you’re telling me you just brought this cat home on a whim five minutes ago and now you want to leave me alone with it?”

“Do you need someone to watch him?” Sam interjects, holding and petting Finn while Finny purrs away in his arms. “Because... if you do.. I really don’t mind”

“You’re a bird, Sam, aren’t you supposed to be AFRAID of cats?” Bucky retorts.

“Nah, not this one dude. What’s he gonna do? Snuggle me to death?” Sam answers and Finnigan mews in agreement. 

“Tell ya what, [Y/N], Sam and I will stay with the cat while you go out and get him some things. Ok?” Bucky offers. He’s volunteering to watch him, that’s a good sign, right?

“Sounds good” you say, grabbing the keys to you car off the shelf, “See you guys later. Please don’t wreck anything OR HIM while I’m gone”

The door closes. Sam and Bucky make their way to the furniture that’s set up in the loft.

“So when did you decide to adopt a cat? I always thought you hated animals!” Sam questions while lounging in the large armchair and placing his feet on the coffee table.

“Sam- it-it’s not that I hate animals, it’s just... having such an unpredictable lifestyle...” 

“Buck, I’m sure it’ll be fine. It’s not like [Y/N] goes on these missions too. Sure being a Shield agent can be unpredictable at times, but if worse comes to worst, you could always hire a sitter” Sam attempts to calm his nerves.

“A sitter.. for a cat? Sam c’mon don’t you think that’s a little much?” 

“Nah man, people do that all the time!”

“Ok fine, but what if he breaks stuff, or worse, gets hurt? I swear I’ll never hear the end of it!” 

“Bucky, he’s a kitten, look man, he’s already asleep” they both glance down at Sam’s lap where a sleepy Finnigan lays contentedly. 

“Maybe for now”

“Having a pet may not exactly be easy but be thankful it’s a cat. She could’ve come home with a tarantula... or another exotic animal, one of those 14 foot long snakes” Sam laughs. 

“At least those guys stay in their enclosure” 

It seemed like nothing was ever going to make Bucky ok with the idea of having a cat. No matter how hard Sam tried to talk to him, it would always come back to “but what if we get called on a mission?” “what if he ruins our house?” “his fur is gonna get everywhere it’s gonna be so messy!”

The door opens and you enter with an armful of Petsmart bags. Finnigan’s little ears perk up in his sleepy state. Once he realizes what’s going on, he jumps off of Sam’s lap and runs over to greet his new mother. 

“Hi Finny baby!!!” You baby talk to the kitten, “I’m back and I have some food, a bed and some toys for you sweetie!! Are you excited?” Finny meows back and Bucky shakes his head.

“It’s gonna be ok, man” Sam reassures him. 

You don’t waste any time in setting up the kittens living area. You set his food and water dishes down on a mat on the tile floor of the kitchen, his bed right near the furniture in the loft and unpack a wand with some ribbons attached for him to play with. You drag the ribbon across the floor and watch as Finnigan scrambles to catch it. Sam laughs, Bucky does too but as soon as he knows you’ve noticed, he goes back to being unamused. 

“Oh! And one more thing!” you say, pulling a teal blue collar with reflective stars on it out of it’s packaging, “I got you a collar and will be ordering tags just in case you get lost!” you put the collar around Finny’s neck. 

“You got him a collar? [Y/N], you know we can’t keep him right? We are only taking care of him until we find him a family that wants him”

“Bucky... please” you beg. 

“[Y/N] no, I told you this is only temporary. He’s cute and all but we really can’t have him running around making a mess of things and getting his fur everywhere!”

You decide that having Finny home with you for now is good enough, at least Bucky let the cat inside... which is more than you thought he’d do. 

“Hey guys, it was fun hanging but it is getting pretty late. I’m gonna head back home. If you guys, or Finny, need anything, you know where I’m at” Sam gives Finny one last pat on the head before closing your door. 

In all the excitement, you really didn’t realize just how quickly time moves. You glance at the clock, 12:01 am. It’s definitely time to call it a night. Bucky makes his way to your shared room while you pick Finny up and give him a kiss goodnight.

“It’s ok Finny, we’ll convince him sooner or later” you promise to the kitten while setting him in his bed. He purrs and drifts off to sleep. You head off to bed as well. 

You wake up the next morning and find Finnigan(by some miracle) right where you had left him. You start brewing the coffee, throw some bagels in the toaster and then go to sit with your new baby. 

“Good morning Finny” you greet him. He nuzzles his little face against your hand and you start petting him. “How’d you sleep little guy? You must have really slept huh? Cause I found you right where I left you last night. I thought kittens like to cause mischief while their parents were asleep but not you sweetheart, you’re an angel” you continue to have this one sided conversation with the kitten until you hear the toaster go off. You stand up to take the bagels out but Bucky beats you to it.

“It’s ok doll, I’ll get them, you can keep talking” A small smile forms on Bucky’s face which he immediately wipes away when he sees you’ve noticed. You stand up anyway to go greet him with a kiss. 

“Morning baby, how’d you sleep?” you ask

“I slept all right darlin, howabout you?”

“All right as well”

“Do you want cream cheese or butter on your bagel?”

“Cream cheese please!”

“What time are you going to the shelter today, doll?”

“I was going to head out as soon as we finished breakfast. We just got in this litter of kittens, 4 of them found in a plastic bag on the side of the highway, mother nowhere to be seen”

“Okay doll, does that mean I’m watching Finnigan?” Bucky asks while pouring two mugs of coffee. 

“If you don’t mind”

“So am I just going to be left with the cat every day?”

“Not everyday Buck, besides. He’s so cute! How can you be mad about spending time with a face like that?”

“Not mad, doll.” he pauses, “and I suppose I could watch him today”

“Thank you” 

You finish up breakfast and quickly get ready. You give Bucky and Finny a kiss goodbye and then head to your car. The day went by so slow. All you wanted to do was be home to spend time with your furbaby, but you also realized there were other animals that needed caring for. You went through your daily routine of cleaning the cats crates, playing with them, making sure they all had food and water, and brushing them as well. Especially the long haired cats. They always required a little extra care because of their easily tangled coats. You and another girl you worked with took the dogs for a walk and cleaned their crates. Caring for 40+ animals daily was a lot of work but well worth the gross and tired feeling at the end of the day.  By the time the end of the day arrived, you were ready to be home. 

You pulled in the driveway and opened the door to a seemingly empty house.

“Bucky? Finny? Anyone here?” you called, hoping there would be an answer. 

“In here doll” you heard a call from the bedroom. 

“Please tell me you have the cat as well” 

“I do” Bucky replied, and you relaxed. 

“I’m gonna take a shower, Buck would you mind getting dinner started?” you ask. 

“That would be a question for Finnigan” 

“Bucky what are you talking about?” 

You open the bedroom door to find Bucky laying on the bed with Finnigan sprawled out across his legs, both of them were clearly comfortable, ESPECIALLY Finnigan. You could hear his purrs all the way to the door. You smile and shake your head. 

“I thought you didn’t like him” you tease.

“It wasn’t that I didn’t like him, it’s just that I was scared to be responsible for another life when mine is so unpredictable. But [Y/N], he hasn’t left my side all day and just has the cutest little voice. And look at him! He’s so fluffy and his little face with his missing eye! How can you not absolutely be in love?”

“Bucky, this is what I’ve been trying to show you! So...”

“What, doll?” 

“Can he stay”

“Of course” 

Nothing made you happier than hearing that. You loved Bucky with your whole heart and seeing him fall in love with that kitten made you love him even more. You place a quick kiss on his lips before saying “Thank you”. He wraps his strong arm around you and pulls you into his chest. He kisses your forehead as you nuzzle into him further. Finnigan walks up to rub his face against yours and licks your nose delicately before laying beside you. Everything is perfect. You’re with the love of your life, and Finny is yours and Bucky’s forever. This little family is all you could’ve asked for and you wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“I love you” you tell Bucky 

“I love you” he replies, “And Finnigan too” patting the almost asleep kitten on the head. 

“I’m so lucky” you mumble, so tired you can barely speak.

Bucky grins and holds you closer. 

“Go to sleep doll, you’ve had a long day”

And so you do, you drift off to sleep in his arms with your kitten right beside you.

[thebulletinhamilton-quotes]

101 and 59 for JeffMads please?

A/N: @lunayn934 I got you ;) I do apologize that it took so long (my phone keeps blacking out and overheating so I figured I should actually type this up.) I hope you enjoy your jeffmads ;) 

“Don’t be an Asshole. Asshole.” Had been the parting words from his significant other that morning. Jefferson wasn’t one to get bristled but he couldn’t help but grumble under his breath. His partner laugh at him, telling him he needs to go before he strolls in too late, the last thing you need is something for Alexander to use against you~~

“Jefferson.” A crisp but familiar voice interrupted his train of thought. Looking over his shoulder, there stood a familiar face. Alexander Hamilton, for once, looked pretty decent. Instead of the rumbled blue slacks and wrinkled white shirt, he had on a dark green suit that shimmered a little. His long dark red wavy hair had been cut significantly. His brown blue eyes didn’t seem to have any bags under them for once, Thomas noted. 

“Hamilton.” he said as he titled his head down to meet the little man’s gaze. An idea came to Thomas’s head and he slowly began to grin. 

“You look nice.” He commented, as if they were discussing the weather. He was currently wearing his dark violet suit with a black tie. His hair was free, oiled and looking amazing. He didn’t even have to put on too many creams this morning, just sunscreen. He knew he looked amazing as usual. 

Hamilton seemed to stiffen even more than before, as he adjusted his tie. “Thank you. You do too.” he said, with a forced politeness. 

Thomas couldn’t help but raise a brow. Usually this brat will lay on all the punches he can before Washington can get in here. He’s never this polite... Thomas couldn’t help but wonder. That is unless...!

“Hamilton.” Thomas forced himself to keep a straight face as they walked into the elevator. Pressing on the 76th floor, he waited until it was the sooth hum of the elevator rising. 

“Yes?” Impatient is something Hamilton will always have as a weakness. Thomas thought smugly to himself. He’s so easy to read. 

“I wonder who the lucky girl is.” Thomas drawled out on purpose, watching with a hidden smirk as Hamilton took a drink from his thermos. The idiot spit out the coffee in surprise. He coughed. 

In faux concern, Thomas asked, “Are you alright? Maybe you should go home. The weather is constantly changing.” He says as thoughtfully as he can, seeing if Hamilton will bait him. 

To his surprise, Hamilton takes out a handkerchief to dab on his mouth. “I’m fine.” he says, as he’s recovering from a cough. “I’ll be alright. Thank you for your concern, Secretary Tommy.” Alexander says sweetly, in a tone Thomas remembers as ‘Fuck off asshole’. 

Thomas raises a perfectly manicured eyebrows at that comment. Before he could say anything, Thomas’s text tone goes off. Peeking at his phone he sees that it’s from his partner.

Love <3333

L: Babe good luck! ;D

TJ: Ty <3

L: I’m sure you won’t need it. But I forgot to wish it to you. 

TJ: Love, I am a good luck charm

L: Seriously?

TJ: ;D You know it 

L: How do I even put up with you? 

TJ: Love?

L: More like your library expansion ;D

Thomas can feel himself smile. He sounds like such a fool but he’s in love. He’s fallen so hard that he can’t believe it. It feels like dream, being with him---- he finds himself drifting to this morning--

Ping!

Alexander walks out, throwing a glare over his shoulder. Thomas forces himself to put his phone back in his pocket. He saunters out of the elevator, stopping as Hamilton is continue to glare at him. What’s his problem--? He can’t help but think to himself.

“Tell James to be careful. I don’t want to see him hurt, you asshole.” Alexander’s words come out of his mouth. Thomas has to force himself to school a neutral expression. Thomas glares back at him. “How is that even any of your business, Hamilton?” He asks rhetorically, trying to keep his voice calm. 

Hamilton shakes his head at him. “You two think you guys are sneaky. You should try to seat by Burr more often. It might throw people off your game.” Alexander says sweetly, the words telling him: people aren’t stupid, you moron.

Thomas has to bite his cheek from snapping at Hamilton, but he just nods. “Any other suggestions?” He asks, sarcastically. Thomas can’t help but freak out a little. They had been keeping it a secret for a reason. James parents did not want their eldest son to be happy. Or rather, they would rather prefer to keep his love life out of whispers. 

Alexander smiles sadly at him. “Yeah. Don’t take it personally, when it happens.” He says solemnly, like he’s trying to warn him for unpredictable event. 

“You don’t want to know the kind of power a person has to destroy someone. And to know, you can’t do anything about it.” Alexander tells him before going to the lobby. 

Washington turns around on the other side to smile at Hamilton as he walks in. Thomas opens the door, meeting Washington’s gaze. He smiles back at the company president. 

A ding is heard behind him and he has to force himself not to turn around. 

“Mr. President, I’m----” the sound of a familiar sneeze. Thomas turns back to see James Madison in a light green suit blowing his nose. “Sorry, sir.” He says to Washington who smiles and shakes his hand after he applies hand sanitation on it. “James Madison, sir. It’s honor to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you from Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Jefferson.”

James grin becomes feral. 

“What’d I miss?��

...

A/N: I feel like all I do is write angst. I guess this my new life. I hope you guys like it! I hope you like it @lunayn934 ! Thank you for the ask and again, I do apologize for taking so long.

ALSO IF YOU GUYS SPOT CORRECTIONS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!! I will greatly appreciate it. <33333

Guys please send me a number, a pairing and even a genre (i.e. angst, fluff, i.e.) please. MY INBOX IS ALWAYS OPEN. 

[hockeyandstuff91]

Where We're Supposed to Be (Blurb)

Word Count: 1,476

Player: Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, (mentions of the Dallas Stars team)

Warning: cussing, (almost) fight, Creepy bar guy

Requested: Yes from anon: Idea for a prompt: you used to date Jamie but now you date Tyler and he finds out but still protects you at a bar when someone is hitting on you.            

Authors note: Thank you anon for this great blurb idea!!! This was a lot different than my series to write, so it was a lot of fun! I have a number of other blurb requests in my inbox that I’m going to try and get to very soon!

Thank you to my lovely bff @psychospeak-blog for beta reading it for me, because I’m always unsure of my writing LOL and to the lovely and talented @onesmileyflower for helping me with the title! I seriously can never name things to save my life so you are the best haha <3

Hope you all enjoy it! I always love and appreciate feedback so let me know what you think!

Almost everyone on the team decided to go out tonight to celebrate their 6th win in a row during this long home stand. I was excited because I hadn't really seen anyone in a while.. Not since Jamie and I had broken up. It had been about 3 months but it still felt like yesterday.

We had worked everything out and decided that at this time us being together just, sadly, didn't work. He wanted to focus on hockey, and I was trying to open my business. Between him traveling, and me working with the contractors on my new building, we would barely see each other. The only times we had ever been together was when we both needed to sleep, we just didn't have time for us right now. It wasn't an easy choice, we both still loved each other, but it was what had to happen. At least that's what I continued to tell myself.

"Hey," Tyler smiled as he met me by his car.

"Hey," I smiled back.

Tyler put his bag in the back seat of his car before coming around to wrap his arms around me, pressing his lips to my forehead.

Oh yeah.. that was also new. Apparently Tyler had kind of always had a crush on me, but respected what Jamie and I had of course. When he found out that we were no longer dating he would check in on me and make sure that I was doing okay.

I didn't want to go from one hockey player to another, knowing that it would just be the same thing again. Besides that Tyler was Jamie's best friend and they were on the same team! Jamie had told me to go find someone who would make me happy, and all he cared about was my happiness, but I don't think that Tyler was exactly who came to mind when he thought about that.

"You guys did so well," I smiled up at Tyler, pulling back from the embrace.

I always wanted to be careful being too clingy with Ty in the case that Jamie was around. Tyler and I had only been dating for a week now, but we had spent almost all of our free time, more so all of Tyler's free time spent either at my apartment or my new building while I worked, for the last three months.

"Thanks babe," He said softly. "Ready to go?"

I nodded, glancing over to the door as I saw Jamie make his way out into the parking lot. I climbed into the front seat, hoping he hadn't seen me just yet. Jamie was aware that Tyler and I had been hanging out, but we didn't tell him we were dating yet, it was so new to even us two we hadn't really told anyone yet.

After a few moments, Tyler got into the driver's seat and started the car. We drove for a few minutes, making our way to the restaurant/bar that the boys had picked out to go to. Finally Tyler was the first to speak.

"So.." He paused for a few moments. I could see on his face he was trying to figure out how to say whatever it was that was going on in his mind.

"What is it Ty?"

"I told Jamie.."

My eyebrows furrowed for a second but then I realized what he meant by that. My eyes went wide and I turned my head to look out the front window, not really sure what to say. It had been a few minutes, my mind racing with questions, before I finally asked one.

"Did he say.. anything?"

"Uh.. he just said that he wants you to be happy."

I nodded and looked back over to Tyler. "Is this going to make things awkward between you two? I don't want to be the reason that the team has issues because if it’s going to be-"

"Babe," Tyler laughed, grabbing my hand. He looked over to me once we hit a red light and smiled. "I promise you it'll be okay."

"I hope so," I sigh. I really was worried about that the whole time, not wanting to be the reason that Tyler and Jamie grew apart, and I for sure didn't want to cost them anything on the ice. They had another at least 8 years playing together, I couldn't be the reason that was messed up.

Tyler parked the car and turned to me fully, gently turning my head so I would look at him. "Hey," he started softly "I don't want you to stress about this okay? We are all adults here, it might be weird for a bit but it'll be okay."

I nodded and leaned forward, pressing my lips to Tyler’s. He smiled and leaned back, opening his door and making his way around to open my door for me. I climbed out, taking his hand as we made our way into the restaurant.

There were a few other guys sitting at one of the tables in the corner, a few more at the bar ordering some drinks. I looked around but didn't see Jamie yet, he probably would be here soon. I told Ty that I was going to run to the restroom really quick and then I would be over to the table soon.

I walked into the bathroom, glancing at myself in the mirror and sighed. Tyler was right, everyone here was an adult and we all should be able to handle this. It wasn't like Tyler had stolen me from Jamie or anything, it just hadn't worked out and Tyler and I got close after Jamie and I were split up.

I shook my head, focusing my thoughts. I didn't want to stress out about this anymore, I was just going to go with the flow, and enjoy the night. The boys had been doing really well lately and that's what I wanted to focus on tonight, was celebrating them.

I made my way out of the bathroom, walking over to the bar to order myself a drink before I made my way to the table. I wasn't standing there too long before someone came up beside me, a little closer than I was comfortable with. Their breath smelled like alcohol so clearly it was someone who had been here all night already.

"Hey baby," he tried to sound smooth, but he just sounded pathetic to me.

I ignored him as I went to grab my drink from the bartender, smiling to her as I turned to walk away from the bar.

"Hey where are you going?" He asked, grabbing my arm.

"Don't. touch me."

"Come on babe, look at you. You're hot, I mean I haven't seen a rack like that around here before-"

I didn't even have time to respond before a big figure stepped in between the creepy guy and I. I stepped back, my arm finally free from being held, as I did I realized who was standing between us and I sighed with relief.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Jamie growled as he grabbed the other guy by the collar.

"Okay Jamie this isn't a hockey game, you can't just fight everyone," I said grabbing him by the arm and trying to pull him away.

"Did you hear what he just said to you?" Jamie asked, still staring at the guy as we made our way over to the table.

"Yes Jamie, I did," I sighed.

"Look, I know you and Tyler are together now.. and I know I kinda fucked up things between us, but I still care about you."

"I know you do, and I appreciate that. It was a mutual choice though Jamie, you didn't mess up."

"I know I know.. But I still feel the need to protect you, so I'm sorry, but I'm going to do that."

I laughed softly and nodded. "I wouldn't expect anything less," I said as I sat down in the chair that Tyler had pulled out for me.

"Everything okay babe?" Tyler asked softly as he sat next to me.

"Yeah just.. some guy at the bar was being a little rude."

"What? Where? Who?" Tyler asked quickly as he started to get back up.

I rested my hand on his thigh and shook my head. "It's okay, Jamie dealt with it," I whispered, not sure how Tyler would react to that.

Tyler nodded and smiled. "Good," he said before looking over to Jamie. "Thanks dude, for making sure she's okay."

Jamie nodded "I always will."

Tyler smiled and looked down at his drink menu.

I looked between the two of them, Jamie looking back at me for a moment, smiling a bit,  before he also turned his attention to the drink menu.

Maybe everything was going to be okay...

[lovemesomesurveys]

Where would someone have to be in order to find you this weekend? At my house. This time last year, can you remember who you liked? Ty and I had already been going through our fallout phase, but I was still upset and having a hard time with it. This time last year, what was your relationship status? Single. Surprise, surprise. Which room of your house are you currently in right now? My room.

Regular Cheetos or hot? Always the hot ones.

What are you excited for? I don’t have anything coming up. Are you happy with how things are for you currently in your life? I’m working on it. Be honest: are you trippin’ about anything right now? Lol no. Have you had a conversation today that you ended with saying “i love you”? Yes. Have you run into someone you know today? No. I also only went to the doctor today and then back home, so. The person you fell hardest for says sorry, what do you do? That would be shocking, honestly. He never understood why I was hurt, and he never felt like he did anything wrong. He would just get defensive and put everything on me. Soo, that would show some major growth on his part. If he really meant it and knew what he was apologizing for. Do you have a tattoo? No. Are promises important to you? Are they not important to anyone? Honestly.. <<<< Right? Are you mad at anyone right now? Nope. Next time you will kiss someone on the lips? *shrug* How late did you stay up last night and why? I’m always up until 4 or 430. First thing you did when you woke up? Checked the time, of course. What was the last movie you watched? Get Out. Did you have sex in the past week? No. Was your day bad? No. I had been stressing over my doctor appointment, but it went better than I thought it would. I got my fave foods for lunch and dinner, so hey. That’s pretty good. lol. What’s the most expensive pair of jeans you own? Like $20 something. Do you think someone is thinking about you right now? No. What’s one of the biggest turn-offs on a guy/girls? Cockiness. Does the last song you heard remind you of anyone? I forget what the last song I heard was. All I hear right now is the American Dad theme song, ha. Have you recently ended any fights with someone? No, cause I’m not in a fight with anyone to begin with. What did you do yesterday? Went to another one of my doctor appointments mid noon and then to the puppy training class that evening. Do you currently have a hickey? No. Did you go out with anyone this past Valentine’s day? No. After breaking up, what’s the worst part? Depends how things ended, but generally the heartbreak that follows and just the loss of that person. Who do you want to see the most right now? No one. Would it be weird if the last person you kissed called you? Yes. Do you change your phone background a lot? I have had the same home screen background of my dog, Brandie, since this past January. I used to change it now and then to match the holiday or to whatever else I liked, but I would feel bad if I were to change it now. :(  My lock screen doesn’t get changed that often, unless Alex has a new photo shoot or something. ha. When is your birthday? July 28th. Last five people you hugged: My mom, my aunt, my older brother, and two of my cousins. Have you ever wanted to have someone, but you messed it up? Ohhhhh yeah. I am quite good at that. See: Ty. What makes you lose your appetite? My appetite kinda fluctuates. Do you own any Hollister clothing? Not anymore. I used to. Does anyone call you baby or babe? No. Do you happen to have a crush on anyone? Alexander Skarsgård. Do you ever get paranoid when someone is reading your text messages? No. My texts are from my parents mostly. lol. Have you ever been told you were amazing? No. When was the last time you said you were fine and really weren’t? All the time. Do you have any weird nicknames for the contacts in your phone? If so, what are they? No, just my mom who I have as “Mama Bear”, but that’s not really “weird.” When was the last time you fought with your parents? We don’t fight really, we just have bickering sometimes. Mostly because I’m moody and irritable. Do you believe that any of your ex’s ever think about you? No. Have you ever caught a friend cheating on their bf/gf? I didn’t catch her because she had told me about it, but yes I knew about it. Have you ever kissed anyone whose name started with a J? Joseph. Have you ever kissed anyone whose name started with a K? "Every kiss begins with Kay.” ha. Do you want to get married? I can’t see it happening. Has anyone ever cheated on you? No. Have you ever worn the opposite sex’s clothing? Yeah. Are any of your friends heartbroken right now? I wouldn’t know. :/ Would you ever live with any of your best friends? I like living at home with my family. It’s best for me. Do you like the last person you hugged? Yes, I love my mom. Have you ever walked away from someone who was yelling at you? Probably. Do you have trust issues? Like I always say, it’s not really a trust issue. I just have a hard time opening myself up and expressing myself to others. I don’t like the focus and attention on me and my problems. I spend little time talking about myself, and revert the conversations to something else or back on the person I’m talking to. When I do decide to share something, I always feel like it’s annoying, stupid, and that they don’t really care or are listening. I feel like I get tuned out and that I’m just rambling. Like now.... Do you have any friends from Russia? No. Do you text with one hand or with both? One. Who are you texting right now? No one. Do you have any texts locked in you’re inbox? Why? I don’t think iPhones do that, and if they do I’ve never done it. It keeps the texts anyway. Who are all the locked texts from in you’re inbox? --