#i'm sorry both answers are about hockey!

[eusuntgratie]

13 & 25 for the weird writer’s asks! (These are fun!)

i like them too!

13. What is a subject matter that is incredibly difficult for you write about? What is easy?

writing actual hockey is hard for me. i'm NOT a sports person (wasn't) and am still learning the game and all of the lingo and intricacies and still send a lot of obnoxious questions to the group chat. so i generally avoid writing game play in my fics even though i frequently set my hockey rpf fics in a canonish universe or have at least some of the characters still being hockey players in an au.

i can't think of anything else, subject matter wise? but i only write what i want to, so i'm sure there would be plenty of things i'd be bad at or that would be hard that i just...don't want to write, so i don't.

this isn't really subject matter necessarily, but i still really struggle to write good kissing/making out scenes. i feel like my smut has come a long way but i still find it incredibly challenging to write a good kiss that strikes the right balance.

25. What is a weird, hyper-specific detail you know about one of your characters that is completely irrelevant to the story?

i don't always have a lot of backstory in my head for my fics, but i do sometimes.

in she, tk and patty play hockey together (they'd be on a 16U or 19U team i guess, i hc them as 16 or 17). patty's coach is being shitty bc she's dealt with a series of injuries despite being so young, not because she's trans. her and tk have played together since they were young and have always been close. they're best friends, and were both too scared to do anything about their changing feelings until this moment.

weird writer asks | ask me

[jareaul0ver]

Bruises

part 2

Summary: You get hurt during hockey practice and an unexpected blonde patches you up.

wc: 823 warnings: physical fighting, bruises, blood, denial of feelings, regina being a SOFTIE pairings: regina george x fem!reader

"C'mon Shane, put some power behind that!" The head coach yelled at one of your teammates. He groaned in frustration.

You were about to run a scrimmage. You'd been put on the opposite team of Shane, who was now pissed off. Everything was going good, you had the puck on your stick and the only thing standing between you and taking a shot was Shane.

In one quick motion, you were slammed into and knocked onto your back. He didn't even make a move for the puck. "Oman, watch it! You good, Y/L/N?" You heard your coach shout from the side.

You sat up on the ice and readjusted your helmet. "I'm fine, coach!" you called out and got back onto your skates. The scrimmage continued, and you had finally scored, bringing your team up a point. You scored again, and once more.

Shane seemed to have had enough of this. You had the puck again, and you passed it. A few seconds after you passed it, Shane sped at you, slamming you into the wall of the rink. You hit it forcefully and fell onto your knees.

"What the fuck, Shane?" You yelled out. You stood up and took your helmet off, tossing it to the side. You did the same with your stick, then rushed over to him, hitting him hard with your gloved fist. He almost fell back, but he caught himself.

You two were now fighting. Your teammates all froze and watched it go down. Shane had gotten a good hit on your cheek bone, splitting the skin open. You felt blood drip down your face. The only reason you didn't swing again was because of your head coach and assistant coach pulling the two of you apart.

Shane was ushered to the boy's locker room, and you to the girls. You took off the top half of your gear, throwing on a t-shirt, and waiting for the trainer to come in and check you out.

Instead, you watched as a blonde figure rounded the corner. You immediately sat up. "Regina? What're you doing in here?"

She made a beeline towards you, leaning down to get a good look at your face. You were surprised. Not because you weren't friends, you were very good friends. Regina had practically picked you up from the ground and placed you on the same level as heaven during your sophomore year.

You were just shocked to see her here, standing in front of you with a frown on her face. "Y/N? Are you listening to me? Can you listen to me, do you have a concussion?" She pulled you away from your thoughts.

"Yes-" you cleared your throat. "Sorry, yeah, I'm listening." No you weren't, you both knew that.

She sat next to you and sighed. "Shane did this to you?" She spoke gently and you nodded. She clenched her jaw. "Fucking idiot. Not you, him." She brought her hand up to your face and gently brushed over your cheek.

You winced and her face softened. "Sorry." Regina had never had a soft spot for anyone. Not until she met you. Something in her constantly pulled her towards you, and at first she tried her best to fight the feeling off, but eventually she gave in.

"You didn't answer my question. What're you doing here?" You keep your eyes on her icy blue ones. Usually they were cold, unless she was secretly staring at you without your notice, and except for now. They were soft and almost apologetic.

"Word travels fast and I needed to make sure you were okay." Her tone was genuine, and it made your heart melt.

You looked down at your hands in your lap, looking at the bruising on your knuckles forming. "I'm okay. My face kinda hurts though." I smiled a little, meeting her gaze again.

She rolled her eyes and her lips twitched into a small smile. "You're such an idiot." She reached out for your hands and took them gently into hers. She looked at the bruising and grimaced a little. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" You asked, a little confused.

"You got in a fight with my idiot ex."

The confused expression never left your face. "And why is that your fault?"

Regina knew exactly why it was her fault, but she could never tell you. She couldn't say that Shane was actually the one who ended things with her. The fight they had wasn't about him with another girl, no. It was about her with you. He had accused Regina for having feelings for you, and while she didn't admit to it, she never denied it, so he broke up with her.

"It- it isn't, I just feel bad." She swallowed nervously. She looked down at your hands and gently ran her thumbs over your knuckles. She brought one of your hands up to her mouth and gently kissed the bruises.

theres gonna be a part 2 to this, definitely, but its nearing 4am and i am TIRED

[midnightsnyx]

girl at home | mat barzal | part 2

pairing: mat barzal x fem!reader summary: you’re eighteen when you find yourself pregnant after Mat leaves for hockey. nearly eight years later, Mat finds out about your daughter and you have to deal with the consequences of not telling him about her.

warnings: mentions of pregnancy, lil bit of angst with a sprinkle of fluff and not edited im sorry lol word count: 2.1k authors note: *screams internally* thank you guys so much for the love on this story so far. I was super hesitant to post it at first but I am glad you guys like it! I'm posting this a little early but updates will be every sunday from now on. This chapter is kinda sad but happy times are on the way <3 thanks for the feedback, and if you like part 2, let me know!

main masterlist masterpost tag list ask box

Sitting across from Mat for the first time in almost eight years, doesn’t go exactly as planned. He’s waiting for you even though you arrive fifteen minutes before the agreed time, hoping to rid yourself of the anxiety you are feeling which means he’s been here even longer. So you wipe your sweaty palms on your jeans and stride over to where he’s waiting and sit on the chair across from him. He’s staring at his phone so his head jerks up when he hears you.

The first words that come out of his mouth are: “are you sure she’s mine?”

Which, okay, that’s a fair question because you did tell everybody and their grandmother who asked that Mat was not the one who knocked you up. Of course, nobody actually believed you but there were a few people from your high school that believed it. Most girls who had always had a crush on Mat, would say that you cheated on him and obviously Nora couldn’t be his child because for some reason, they never actually accepted that you and Mat were a couple. 

So yeah, his question is fair and you did know he would ask. 

“Yeah, we can do a paternity test if you don’t believe me,” you say quietly. It’s not something you necessarily want to do, because then you’d have to come up with some reason to tell Nora why she needs to go get her cheek swabbed or blood tested. She’s as stubborn as Mat, and you would probably have to hold her down to get whatever the doctors needed unless she agreed. 

“No, I believe you.” 

His words take a huge weight off your shoulders but also replace it with a new one. You know Mat, he’s the kindest soul and has the biggest heart and he’s going to want to at least properly meet Nora and might ask to be in her life. In the first few years of her life, there wouldn’t have been anything you wanted more in the world. However, you’ve grown now and so has she. Your number one priority has to be what is best for Nora, and turning her life upside by introducing her to Mat is scary. For both you and her. 

And Mat? Despite what he might think, he’s nowhere near prepared to jump into being her dad.

“Can I ask you something?” he says, pulling you from your spiraling thoughts. 

“Sure,” you say even though you know what he’s going to ask. It’s a question you’re nowhere near ready to answer but you have no choice now.

“Why? Why didn’t you tell me about her?”

He doesn’t sound as angry as you were expecting, maybe thanks to his dad talking to him but there’s underlying hurt. You try to put yourself in his shoes, trying to think if there was anything in the world that would have stopped you from wanting Nora. You know for a fact that if Mat knew, he would have been in her life somehow but you’re not sure if he would have given up the NHL to do it, and that’s exactly why you didn’t tell him.

“I didn’t want to hold you back,” you say softly, watching his facial expression change. He just looked confused before but now he looks sad almost. His eyes close for a moment and when he opens them, you feel like you’ve been punched in the stomach. 

“I thought you knew me better than that.”

“I did! I do,” you argue. “If you knew about her, it would have kept you away from everything you worked hard for. Your dream was the NHL, Mat. If I told you about her, it would’ve crushed that dream. We didn’t want to hold you back.”

“Yeah,” he scoffs. “Who’s we? You and my parents? You shouldn’t have made that choice for me, it wasn’t right.”

“This is a child we’re talking about Mat. Were you really ready at eighteen to drop everything and raise one?” 

“Were you?”

“No,” you say truthfully. “But I didn’t have a jersey with my name on the back waiting for me.”

He doesn’t say anything and for a moment, it’s silent between the two of you with background chatter from the cafe. You’re sure that he’s just going to get up and storm out but he takes a deep breath and slowly exhales, knotting his fingers together.

“I wish you’d told me,” he mumbles before looking up at you. “I would’ve stayed.”

“I know,” you whisper but you can’t meet his gaze.

. . .

You’re picking Nora up from her day camp a couple of days later when you get a message from Mat asking if he can meet up with you. There’s been no contact since the two of you last met, having left with a short goodbye to pick up Nora. He hadn’t asked to see her and you hadn’t offered so you thought maybe he would leave it but you should’ve known better.

You fire off a sure, see you in twenty, and debate on whether to bring Nora with you or drop her off with your mom. Mat might not even want to see her, but if he’s reaching out to you again it’s probably about her. 

“Wanna go meet my friend?” you ask, looking back at her to gauge her reaction. She might just want to go home after all day at camp, but she perks up immediately when you ask.

“The one from the grocery store?” she squeals but narrows her eyes and gives you a suspicious look. “Hey, I thought you said he was a stranger.”

Shoot.

“Well, he was to you,” you try to explain. “I knew him when I was younger.”

“As young as me?”

“As young as you,” you tell her and she grins, nodding her head and shouting an excited yes, so you pull out of the parking-lot and start towards Mat’s parents house. You’re a little nervous to be around his family after dancing around them for so long after Nora was born. Meeting up with Liana wasn’t as hard as you were expecting, but you’re not so sure about his parents. Aside from the occasional awkward greeting, you haven’t properly spoken to them since before Nora and you’re starting to think maybe bringing her will just make things worse but before you can change your mind, you’re parking your car in the driveway. 

He’s sitting outside on the porch swing when you step out, and his eyes widen in surprise when Nora climbs out of the car. He definitely wasn’t expecting you to bring her but this could be a good test. If he decides he wants to be part of her life, having all their interactions scheduled wouldn’t be a good start so you decide to just jump in the deep end.

“Hey,” you call out before grabbing Nora’s hand and making your way towards him. He’s already making his way down the pathway and meets you about half way, pulling you into a surprising hug before crouching down to Nora’s level.

“Hey Nora,” he says, smiling gently and offering her his hand to shake just like last time. “Do you remember me?”

She bobs her head once, accepting his hand but tries to hide her face in your leg. Of course now, she’s practicing Stranger Danger, instead of blurting out her full name. 

“Mom made dinner, if you guys are hungry?” 

Family dinner is just about the last thing you want to do but Nora perks up at the idea of food so you agree, following Mat into the all too familiar home you spent so much time in as a kid. Not much has changed, you realize as you look around the foyer. It feels a bit like coming home but you’re not sure if you were missed. 

“Smells good,” you say, trying to make conversation and Mat smiles awkwardly. 

“Yeah, mom is making your favorite.” 

How she can remember your favorite meal is beyond you, but you’re not about to miss a peace offering and this is certainly one.

“My favorite food is spaghetti,” Nora informs him and you watch Mat nod seriously, taking in anything she says. You try not to look too deep into it because even though he knows she’s biologically his, Nora is still just a cute kid talking a mile a minute about anything and Mat has probably been trained on how to handle excited children. 

When the three of you make your way to the living room, with Nora still chatting excitedly, you stop short when you see a picture frame on the wall. 

It’s you. Well, it’s you and Mat at graduation. Arms wrapped around each other and Mat kissing your forehead. If you look close enough, you can see past your smile and see the sadness in your eyes. This was before you were pregnant but you were already grieving the loss of Mat. He left for hockey shortly after and your only reminder was the brown haired little girl still talking to Mat. 

“Is that you, mama?” Nora asks suddenly, standing on the tips of her toes so she can get a better view. Her nose scrunches up and she looks at the photo, then Mat, and then the photo again.

“Oh,” she says and you sigh. 

“Let’s go see Mat’s parents.”

Nadia and Mike are waiting in the kitchen, trying to make it seem like they weren’t listening in on the conversation. Liana is sitting at the table, reading a book casually but you know she was probably listening too.

“This is Mike, Nadia, and Liana,” you tell Nora who lights up at Nadia’s name.

“My middle name is Nadia!” She squeals and you stare at the floor, not wanting to meet any of their eyes. Someone - probably Nadia - inhales sharply and then lets out what sounds like a sob. 

“That’s a beautiful name,” Liana says and you look up to see her looking at Nora with a soft smile on her face. Mike has an arm wrapped around Nadia who’s trying, and failing, to hide tears. You’re glad Liana is trying to distract Nora because you’re about two seconds away from crying and Mat must be able to tell because you feel his hand lightly touch your back. His hand lingers for a moment until you take a deep breath and blow it out steadily. 

Then his hand is gone and you feel the loss right away.

“Hey, we have a swing outside in the backyard,” Mat tells Nora. “Wanna go check it out while dinner finishes cooking?” 

He looks at you for permission so you nod, smiling at Nora when he takes her hand and leads her outside. Liana follows shortly after and then it’s just you, Nadia and Mike. Both their eyes are red rimmed and Nadia only hesitates for a moment before striding over and pulling you into a tight hug. 

“Thank you, my girl,” she whispers and all you can manage is a nod because you’ll probably cry now if you try to talk. The two of you just stand there for a couple minutes until Mike chuckles. You pull away, wiping your eyes to see him standing in front of the patio door so you make your way over to see what he’s looking at and almost start crying again. 

Mat and Nora are playing what looks like a game of tag, Liana laughing at them while trying to film. It’s exactly the kind of thing you had sometimes allowed yourself to imagine.

“Would you look at that,” Mike says softly. 

“He’s a natural,” Nadia agrees. “Always was.”

Then she turns to you with a small smile on her face. “I know the struggles of being a mom. You have to do what’s best for your kids…” she hesitates, gazing outside before looking back at you. “He wants to try, if you’ll give him the chance. We’d all love to get to know Nora.”

You would love nothing more than to have Mat’s family in Nora’s life. For her to get to know her other grandparents but you can’t help but be scared of what could happen if you let Mat into her life. She could get attached only to have him ripped away when he has to go back to New York but you can’t have Nora in Nadia, Mike, and Liana’s life and not Mat’s. 

But maybe you owe it to Mat, to give him a chance at having a place in her life after not telling him about her all this time. You were doing what you thought was right - what was right - but if Mat really wants to be part of her life, maybe it’s time. 

You look outside and see Nora on Mat’s shoulders with Liana chasing them, before looking back at the woman in front of you and smiling softly.

“I think Nora would love that.”

tag list: @dasiysthings

[tyrelbauer]

can you do a matt rempe x reader where she just gets super worried about him fighting a getting hurt. or maybe one where she tells him she’s pregnant?? or maybe even a mux of both lol?! i love your writing!!!!💗

"Did You Say Something About A Baby?" Pairing: Matt Rempe x Fem!reader Summary: Matt keeps getting in fight after fight and you finally have enough. Warnings: Mentions of pregnancy, swearing, angst.

Matt walks into your shared apartment, his black eye looking worse than it did this morning.

"I'm home." He tells you, walking into the living room.

"I see."

"You okay?"

"Mhm."

"No you're not. You're giving me attitude."

You shrug and go back to watching your show, deciding that giving him the silent treatment was probably best so you wouldn't go and snap at him.

"Can you at least tell me why your mad at me?"

"You already know the answer to that Matthew." You say, keeping your focus on the tv in front of you.

"Because I got in another fight?" He asks, picking up the tv remote and pausing it so you had no choice but to pay attention to him.

"We talked about you not fighting multiple times, Matt.

"I can't help it."

"Yes, you can!"

You stand up and go to walk past him, but he stops you.

"Why are you so worried about me fighting! I can handle myself!"

"It's not that I think you can't handle yourself, Matthew! I just don't want anything to fucking happen to you!"

"Nothing is going to happen to me."

"You don't know that! It's bad enough I'm stressing about the baby! I shouldn't have to be stressing about you too!"

You push past him before he can reply and walk down the hallway to your guys' room.

He gives you a couple minutes to cool down before coming back to talk to you.

"I'm sorry. You asked me to stop and I should have."

"I-I'm just worried about you."

"I know."

He sits down on the bed beside you and wraps you in a hug as you cry into his chest.

"Did you say something about a baby?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away. I didn't even mean to tell you like that. I wanted to tell you in a cute way." You say, moving to look at him.

He wipes your tears and leans in and kisses you.

"I love you."

"I l-love you too."

"When did you find out?"

"Like two weeks ago."

"You've known for two weeks and didn't tell me? What happened to the girl who couldn't keep secrets from me?"

"To be fair, you have been away for hockey, and I obviously wasn't going to tell you over the phone."

"Yeah, that's fair. Do you want to go shopping for baby stuff tomorrow?"

"We don't even know what we're having yet."

"So? We can still get a couple outfits."

"I mean I might have already started…"

He laughs, kissing your forehead. "I should've known. You're always one step ahead of me."

"I try," you tease, resting your head on his chest. "But yes, I'd love to go shopping for baby stuff tomorrow."

[swissboyhisch]

My Princess

Pairing: Andrei Svechnikov x Princess!Reader

Summary: Being the Princess of Australia has its perks. Like being able to bring your best friend's sport to your country letting you reunite with your favourite person in the world.

Word Count: 2233

Warnings: Royalty AU, slight mention of alcohol (I think, tbh I can't remember)

A/N: This is for one of my favs @mp0625's Birthday Bingo. Sorry it's a little late but I kind of got away with this fic. I really hope you enjoy this because I enjoyed writing it! I hope you had an amazing birthday <3

My choice of five bingo boxes were (middle column):

Fan of another sport

Royalty AU

Free Square (Choice - Reuniting)

Childhood Friends

It’s raining (men)

I really hope you enjoy this! I'm really happy how this turned out :)

*after posting this and getting some anons, I just want to state I KNOW Australia have an ice hockey league. I am from Australia. I follow the two leagues, I go to games, I have jerseys. Just because it isn’t mentioned doesn’t mean I don’t know. This is an AU based around the Global series. Which did happen and was the coyotes vs kings which I WENT to IN PERSON. You don’t have to send me anons. I get it*

THE MASTERLIST JOIN THE TAGLIST HOCKEY DISCORD

Being the Princess of Australia was pretty amazing. You got to travel the world with your mother and older brother, meet amazing people (and not-so-amazing ones). You got nice clothes and did things many others your age couldn’t. You and your family were loved by the people of Australia.

When you were a kid, you had a trip to Russia. Your parents were on a political visit, and you had to go along with them. This is one of your favourite memories from childhood. Your family was shown around Moscow, and you accidentally bumped into a boy not much older than you on the street. While your parents were busy talking to other adults, you and the boy, who introduced himself as Andrei, talked and ran around together. When it was time to go, you begged your parents to ask if the pair of you could write to each other.

As you both grew up, the letters turned into emails, then messages, calls, and FaceTimes whenever the time zones allowed it. Even once he moved to Michigan for hockey, you talked whenever you could.

One of the perks of being part of the Royal family was having a say in which events came to Perth. When whispers of the NHL bringing the Global Series to Australia started, you advocated for Perth to be the city of choice. When you turned up to the meeting in Melbourne with the NHL officials, you mentioned how much you liked hockey and that Perth would show the NHL a good time. The first green light was for Perth to host the weekend event.

Your mother thought this would be a good event for you to take charge of since you were so passionate about hockey—your second passion after AFL, of course (not that you’d tell Andrei that). You took charge of organising everything for the event with the help of the city’s major event organisers.

Through the journey of organising the weekend, you advocated for the Carolina Hurricanes to be one of the teams. If the Canes were the main choice, then the most exciting game would be against the New York Rangers. The more intense a rivalry, the more likely people would be enticed to watch a sport they’d never seen.

You still remember the call with Andrei when you got the confirmation about the teams being the Canes and the Rangers. It was after dinner when you FaceTimed Andrei, who was in New York for a game.

“How’s it going, Princess?” Andrei grinned when he answered the call.

You were bouncing off the walls of your apartment in the palace. He could see you beaming. “It’s confirmed!”

“What’s confirmed?”

“You’re coming to Perth!” you squealed.

Andrei was confused. “I’m what?”

“The Global Series is coming to Perth,” you elaborated, “and the Canes are one of the teams.”

“I’m going to see you?!” Andrei asked, tears welling up as it had been a year since you had seen each other. The last time was the All-Star game when you flew out to support him. “Oh my god, I can’t wait! When?”

“September,” you answered.

“That’s like six months away!”

When the week finally arrived, you were ecstatic. Only all the years of Royalty training could mask the happiness you felt. You and your personnel were tucked away out of sight unless you were walking in from a specific plane—the one carrying all the hockey players and staff. One by one, the familiar faces of the Canes passed by where you were standing.

“Hello, Your Highness,” Aho grinned when he recognized you standing by the exit of the tunnel.

You laughed at the boy, “Hi Fishy, how are you?”

“Better now that Svech will stop bouncing,” he replied, standing near you facing his teammates coming out, waiting for his teammate. “Look who’s coming.”

Lifting yourself on your tiptoes to see over the other six-foot-plus player, you spied the familiar Russian, bouncing foot to foot in excitement.

“Gee, Princess,” Mickey, one of your guards, laughed.

As soon as Andrei got within reaching distance, you ran for him, launching yourself at him. The two of you were wrapped up in each other, both with tears running down your faces.

“I’ve missed you, Princess,” Andrei whispered.

“I missed you too.”

You tagged along with the teams to their hotel, one of the best in the city. Your mother had decided to host the teams at one of your family’s favourite restaurants, a rooftop bar overlooking the gorgeous Scarborough Beach. You had a change of clothes in the car, knowing you’d be going from one place to another without returning to the palace.

“I still can’t believe you’re here,” Andrei grinned as he watched you come out of the bathroom.

“You mean you’re here,” you smirked as you slipped in your earrings once more.

Andrei travelled with you and your security from the hotel to the restaurant. The rest of the team and staff took a bus. Your mother, older brother, and his long-term girlfriend would meet you at the restaurant, which was hired out for the night.

“How’s your family?” Andrei asked as you both stepped out of the car after one of the guards.

“You’ll see them in a sec,” you laughed, intertwining your fingers with his.

The pair beat the buses to the restaurant, so they went up to meet your mom and brother. Your security stayed by the entrance as there was already security posted around the restaurant.

“Andrei Svechnikov,” your mom smiled when she saw you two nearing. “It’s lovely to see you thriving in the league.”

“Your Majesty,” Andrei grinned, bowing and knowing the protocols.

“We’ve missed you around here,” your mom admitted.

Your brother stepped up, cutting in, “Some more than others.”

You made sure to lean over and hit him. Not the first time and definitely won’t be the last with his history of smart comments. “Shut it.”

The elevator dinged, and in walked the coaching staff and players of the two NHL teams. Each of them greeted your family before everyone mingled.

“How have you been?” you asked Seb as he and Jarvis stood with you and Andrei in the garden smoking area. No one was smoking, but it was a nice little seating area.

“Good,” both boys replied.

Water started to rain down on you guys where you sat. Seb and Jarvis raced to go inside out of the shower. You just laughed, looking at Andrei who was already looking at you. Just like the moment in every romance movie, Andrei leaned in, pressing his lips to yours in the rain. As his arms slipped around your waist, yours slipped around his neck, pulling him closer.

“Get out from the sprinklers,” your mother shouted with a large smile on her face.

You pulled away and looked up at the clear skies. The bloody sprinklers in the garden had decided to turn on while you were sitting there. You and Andrei laughed as you moved to step out of the garden area.

“I’m so sorry, Your Highness,” a worker apologized as she handed both of you a towel to dry off with.

“It’s no issue,” you laughed, your eyes not leaving the grinning Russian beside you.

The pair of you didn’t part throughout dinner. The table you were at was filled with Andrei, his favourite boys, and their partners. You were glowing with happiness, and so was Andrei. His friends were happy to see the friendship blossom into something more.

“I don’t know if you have been told,” your mother started, standing from her seat with the coaching staff, “but on Friday evening, I got three boxes, including the royal box, at the AFL game tomorrow. It’s Eagles vs. Dockers, which is a big game. It’s called the Derby.”

“It’s the equivalent to a Rangers versus Islanders game or the Oilers versus Flames,” you elaborated for the players who had no clue about the sport.

The week was spent with Andrei, attending practices and hanging out with your best friend. If he had enough time, he’d come to your apartment in the palace. It wasn’t just Andrei either; sometimes you and Andrei would take the others and partners out around the city. You got to play host and tour guide around your home city.

Friday night came around, and you dressed up like you usually do for football: jeans, a cute top with a coat, and an Eagles scarf to finish the outfit. You had brought your clothes to the hotel to get ready with Andrei. The two teams had taken sides. Canes were supporting West Coast like you. Rangers were supporting Fremantle like your brother and his girlfriend.

“You look excited,” Andrei grinned as you and the group arrived at the royal box at Optus Stadium.

“I love watching the footy!” you grinned, waving at fans standing below the box.

In the royal box were you, Andrei and his close friends and partners, your mother, and security. Your brother and his girlfriend were with the Rangers as they were cheering on Fremantle. You and the group were excited for the centre bounce. Of course, the group was going through the media as it was a big deal with the NHL teams in the city.

“Your Highness, are you ready to go down to do the coin flip?”

“Of course,” you smiled at the worker.

You, Andrei, your brother, and Trouba followed the worker down to the oval. Your brother would do this week’s coin toss as you did the previous derby. The four of you, two supporters of each team. Oscar Allen and Alex Pearce both bowed to the royals, then shook hands with the four of you.

“Lovely to see you again, Oscar,” you grinned as you hugged the captain.

“You as well, Your Highness,” the blonde chuckled.

After the coin toss, which the Eagles won, they chose the way they were kicking first before the royal party was escorted back to the boxes to watch the game. As the group walked past the Eagles huddle, Harley Reid peeled away from the group for a second to fist bump the Princess as she walked by.

“Good luck, Harley,” you called as he ran back.

Harley waved back, a wide grin on the rookie's face, “We’ve got this.”

Andrei was confused at the interaction but knew you were friendly with all the players on the team. “Who’s that?”

“That is Harley Reid,” you answered. “He was the number one draft pick last year. He’s changed the mood on the team greatly. Great dude.”

As you and Andrei settled back in the suite, you cuddled into Andrei’s side. It was kind of chilly but nothing too crazy. The boys threw questions at you about the game. Who’s this player? What’s that move? What is the ref calling?

“What does it mean when they kick it between the posts?” Aho asked as the Eagles scored the first goal of the game.

You laughed at the question after you finished cheering. “It’s a goal, worth six points. Between the inner and outer posts on each side is a behind, worth only a point.”

The game went by with lots of cheering from the Canes and yourself. The game took off with an exciting start. The Eagles kept the lead through all four quarters. Sure, the Dockers came close, but the Eagles took off in the last quarter. The satisfaction of singing the winning song was incredible, and all the boys enjoyed it.

The next big event was the first game of the Global Series in Perth. You traveled with the Canes to the stadium while your family would meet you there just before the game. It was agreed that you and your brother would both do the puck drop. He said he’d wear the Rangers jersey to allow you to wear the Canes jersey of your upgraded best friend.

“This will be you and the Canes families’ suite, Your Highness,” a worker stated as you were shown where you’d sit for the game.

As much as you wished to sit in the front row to watch your boyfriend, you couldn’t. It was too high risk for security. So instead, you were in the suite with the girlfriends of the Canes, which you guess you were now a part of.

“Hey sweetheart,” Brent Burns’ wife greeted you with their two kids.

After spending so long with the team and families, you had told them to just call you by your name. And like normal, nicknames were created. Andrei always called you Princess. The team called you Your Highness. The older women in the families called you sweetheart.

The game was intense, and the girls were energetic. You were on your feet every time the boys scored. The girls were right there beside you as well. The first thing you all did after the game was head down to where the makeshift change rooms were.

“There she is,” Andrei grinned when he came off the ice after the photos were taken.

You smiled and wrapped your arms around the giant hockey player. “Wow, it’s like you’re taller on skates.”

“I wonder,” he laughed, pulling you closer.

“Congrats on the hatty, Mr. Sweaty.”

Andrei chuckled, leaning down and pressing a kiss to your lips, “With my good luck charm watching me and cheering me on, always, My Princess.”

TAG LIST:

@findapenny @mp0625 @hischierhaze @11zegras @lvrzegras 

@francesfarhadi @cixrosie @dasiysthings @dancerbailey3 @puckmaidens 

@cole-mcward48 @sammiejane22 @rleigh-47 @Devilsandpensfan @luca-fantilli 

@books-hlmc @kajasagmo @poufsouffle21 

[writerofsorts]

A Funeral and A Secret

(image creds: to the owner)

pairing: jason dilaurentis x female reader.

summary: 2x05 "the devil you know" episode imagine/rewrite.

warnings: death, funeral.

*read previous part here!

—————

The day after discovering that Ian Thomas was dead, the girls sat in the courtyard of the school, quietly chatting among themselves.

"Is this a suicide note or a confession?" Aria asked. The five girls were looking at a picture of Ian's suicide note that was found next to his body.

"It's both," answered Spencer.

"How do you have this, Em?" [Y/N] asked, confused as to how Emily had a photo of the note on her iPad.

"I sent it to her," Hanna replied. "I took a picture with my phone before we called the cops."

"It's weird," Emily said, a disturbed glint in her eyes. "Why would Ian kill himself just as he was about to skip town with Melissa?"

"Maybe he realized that he was gonna get caught," [Y/N] suggested and Spencer nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he knew he couldn't hide forever. Even with Melissa and Wren's help."

"He was probably desperate," Aria commented.

"Look, who cares why Ian did it?" Hanna spoke, a little annoyed. "The important thing is Ali's killer is dead and we are no longer people of interest."

"Why am I not feeling relieved right now?" Emily asked, still not convinced.

"Oh, Em, come on," Aria sighed. "For months, we've been about as welcome in this town as a cold sore. Now, people know that we've been telling the truth."

"And, Ian is out of our lives for good," [Y/N] added, Aria and Hanna nodding in agreement with her.

"Yes, but A isn't," Emily pressed and Spencer sighed out loud. "Can we please slay one dragon at a time?"

Spencer suddenly sat up and turned off the iPad. Her friends frowned at her behavior but soon understood when Garrett Reynolds stopped next to their table.

"Hey," he greeted simply.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Spencer asked curiously.

"I just came to return some evidence that we took from the field hockey office," he answered and looked around once before lowering his voice further. "Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry you all had to be the ones who found him."

"Melissa is the one who found him," Spencer replied.

"I'm sorry," Garrett said. "Then again, it could've been worse."

"What do you mean?" Aria asked him.

"Bodies decay. He had been dead for at least a week," he replied, making the girls freeze in their seats.

"Give my best to your family," he told Spencer and gave a nod to the other girls before walking away.

"A week?" Hanna whispered.

"That's impossible," [Y/N] said. "Wasn't he texting Melissa?"

"No, he wasn't," Emily said, realizing that her suspicions might be true after all. "I'm betting it was A."

"Why would A pretend to be Ian and then lead us to his body?" asked Aria.

"Does it matter?" Spencer asked. Although she looked stunned by Garrett's revelation about Ian's death, it was clear she wanted to move on from this topic. "The guy was scum and now, he's dead scum. Who cares if A found him first?"

"Aren't you the least bit curious as to why A would be involved?" Emily asked. "I mean, what does A want?"

"You know what I want?" Hanna asked. "I want to enjoy my life again before A finds a way to ruin it."

Hanna got up and walked inside the school with Aria and Spencer following behind. [Y/N] got up to do the same when she noticed Emily making no move from her seat.

"What is it, Em?" she asked softly.

"We now know A is involved," Emily answered. "Doesn't that make you nervous?

"Of course, it does," [Y/N] replied honestly. "Just for today, I wanna forget about A. I'm still recovering from seeing Ian's dead body last night."

Emily's previous apprehension shifted to understanding as she held [Y/N]'s hand. [Y/N] smiled and squeezed Emily's hand in hers.

"But, we'll figure this out," she said, hoping to reassure Emily. "We always do."

…

Later that night, after taking a shower, [Y/N] was dressed in her comfiest pajamas. She was settled comfortably in her bed, reading, when there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in," she called out, placing the bookmark on the current page she was reading, and closed the book.

The door opened and her parents appeared in the doorway as she placed the book on her nightstand. It gave her a sense of déjà vu except for her brother's absence, who went back to his apartment.

"Hi honey," they spoke at the same time and [Y/N] smiled.

"Hello," she said back. "You guys haven't slept yet?"

"No," Leslie replied. [Y/N] moved over and Leslie sat in the space next to her while James sat next to his wife. "Your father and I just got off the phone with Veronica."

"Uh oh," [Y/N]'s response was rather automatic.

"Nothing bad, we promise," James replied instantly, holding his daughter's hand on top of the comforter. "Veronica asked if we could be there at Ian's funeral for them. For Spencer."

"Of course," [Y/N] nodded and her parents shared a look.

"Sweetheart, you don't have to go if you don't want to," Leslie told her. "No one will say anything if you don't go. Even if someone says something, it doesn't matter."

"I want to be there for Spencer," [Y/N] answered. "Besides, this feels like a closure. The closure my friends and I have been looking for since- since they found Ali."

Her parents nodded, understanding where she was coming from.

"We also wanted to apologize for not believing you and your friends about Ian," Leslie said with guilt in her eyes and [Y/N] shook her head. "It's alright. It didn't help that Ian disappeared from the church that night. We had no proof other than our words and experience."

"That should've been more than enough," James argued, angry at himself. "If that wasn't enough, we agreed with Dr. Sullivan and Veronica when they suggested you girls should spend time apart."

[Y/N] could tell her parents were extremely guilt with everything. She was grateful for their understanding; at the same time, she felt a little guilty as well for meeting with her friends behind her parents' backs.

"I have to tell you both something," she spoke, looking between them sheepishly. "My friends and I didn't stop hanging out… completely. We still met up sometimes to talk about everything that's been going on. So, I'm sorry too."

"I had a feeling you girls might your find your way," Leslie said with a playful glare, ruffling [Y/N]'s hair and the latter laughed. "Dad? Are you upset?"

"Of course not," replied James. "This just means I don't have to drown in guilt anymore."

The three of them laughed and the parents engulfed their daughter in a bear hug. According to them, the town's biggest nightmare was over and they couldn't be more relieved.

…

Next day at school, [Y/N] along with Aria, Hanna and Spencer were sitting in their class and quietly chatting before the teacher arrived.

A few minutes later, Emily entered the classroom and rushed over to her friends.

"Ian didn’t commit suicide," she stated with a finality in her tone. "The entire suicide letter is made up of A texts."

"What?" [Y/N] and Spencer exclaimed at the same time.

"How do you know that?" Aria asked.

"I read the note again and a couple of words stuck out to me," Emily explained. "I checked my old text messages. Come on."

Emily gestured the girls to follow her to the back of the classroom for privacy. She pulled out a paper from her notebook and Aria grabbed it first, reading the content.

"I killed Alison. I lost my temper, because she knew too much."

[Y/N]'s eyes widened at the last sentence. 'She knew too much' was text she and her friends had received after A tried to kill Hanna.

"But, there is only so much you can bury and it won't be that easy," Aria continued reading. "But, I know how to get rid of the pain. I can't run anymore. Come and find me. Ian."

"So, these are the parts from the texts?" Hanna asked, pointing at the parts that were printed and pasted on the paper.

"There are only five people that know about the texts," said Emily. "Us and A."

"How did you figure this out?" Aria asked.

"Please. I've been watching Wheel of Fortune with my mom since I was three," said Emily with a hint of humor.

"If A wrote this, that means Ian never actually confessed to killing Ali," Spencer said, her eyes filling with dread.

"It gets worse," Emily added, making the girls look at her in growing worry. "Logan Reed? The guy who dropped off money for Ian the night of the sting? I know where he works. We need more answers."

…

The day of Ian's funeral arrived.

[Y/N] was dressed in a simple black dress with her hair in a simple half up-half down with some strands framing her face.

She arrived at the church with her family and it didn't take long before she spotted her friends. Except for Spencer as she was already inside the church with her family.

James, Leslie, and Sid went ahead to greet the Hastings while [Y/N] joined Aria, Emily and Hanna.

The four girls walked inside the church and the bells went off.

"Who's ringing it this time?" Hanna asked quietly, sarcasm lacing her voice.

"Hey, thanks for being here," Spencer said, walking over to her friends.

"Of course," [Y/N] smiled. "How's your family holding up?"

Spencer didn't answer and turned to look at Melissa. The girls followed the direction Spencer was looking and saw Melissa standing at the back. She was staring down at the floor with no expression on her face and had one arm wrapped around her protruded stomach.

A wave of sadness washed over [Y/N] as she took in Melissa's state. The older woman's gut-wrenching scream from the night they discovered Ian's dead body still rang in her ear sometimes. Melissa didn't deserve to deal with such tragedy, especially while being pregnant.

"What are the police doing here?" Emily questioned when she noticed several police officers stationed at the entrance and scattered throughout the church.

"Uh, my parents wanted them here in case any uninvited guests showed up," Spencer replied quietly.

"I thought my no-party-crashers policy was strict," Hanna joked lightly.

"I think Spencer means angry mob with torches," said Aria.

"I should get back to my family," Spencer smiled tightly. "Thanks again."

A while later, everyone gathered at the cemetery and watched as Ian's casket was lowered to the ground. The five best friends picked up dirt and threw it on the casket, one by one.

[Y/N] was the last to throw the dirt and dusted her hands. She glanced up and she was taken aback to see Jason sitting on a bench in the distance. He resembled a lost little boy as he sat by himself, staring down at his hands, and her heart went out to him.

Soon, the service was completed and most people had left. The girls' parents stayed behind, catching up, while [Y/N] stood to the side, debating on whether she should go check up on Jason or not.

"You should go talk to him," Hanna spoke, coming to stand next to her.

"What?" [Y/N] asked.

"You should go talk to him," Hanna repeated. "I mean, you were thinking the same, right?"

"Well, I was debating on whether I should or not," [Y/N] admitted. "And, I didn't think he would be here."

"Me neither," replied Hanna.

"Waiting for your parents?" Emily asked, walking up to [Y/N] and Hanna. The girls nodded in response and it didn't take long before Emily noticed Jason's presence in the cemetery. "Who's he waiting for?"

Hanna shrugged while [Y/N] said, "Maybe, he came for the same reason we did."

"To spit on Ian's grave?" Emily scoffed, making her friends laugh a little.

"No, for closure probably," said [Y/N].

"Well, I still think he's creepy," Emily said, crossing her arms across her chest. "Even if he wasn't hiding Ian, the guy's a freak and always has been."

Hanna looked at [Y/N], who pursed her lips.

"Anyway, I should go," Emily said, facing the girls again. "Tell your families I said goodbye."

"See you later, Em," [Y/N] replied just Hanna said, "will do."

Hanna turned to [Y/N] once Emily was out of earshot, "don't take her words to heart."

"I won't," [Y/N] smiled, shaking her head. "But, yes, I'll go talk to him."

"Good," Hanna smiled back. "Talk to you later?"

"Definitely," [Y/N] nodded and Hanna gave her a hug before walking away.

After making sure her parents and brother were still chatting with the Montgomery's, [Y/N] made her way towards Jason.

"Hi Jason," she said quietly, not wanting to startle him.

He looked up at her, surprise crossing his features, "Hey [Y/N]."

"Is it okay if I--" [Y/N] pointed to the seat next to him and he moved over instantly, giving her space. "Go ahead."

"Thanks," she smiled as she sat down and clasped her palms in her lap. "I didn't think you would be here."

"I didn't think you'd be here either," he replied, looking at her.

"For Spencer and her family," she answered and he nodded in understanding. "How are you holding up?"

"He was one of my best friends," he stated solemnly. "And, he killed my sister. I- it's hard to believe it. But, I got to admit that Ian and I stopped being friends after-"

[Y/N] looked at him curiously when he paused, "after he what?"

"Doesn't matter now," he shook his head. "How are you? I heard you and your friends were with Melissa when she found him."

"It was… unexpected," she answered. "We were following Melissa and Wren, because we were afraid Ian might hurt her. But, we didn't think we would find his… corpse, instead. I could still hear Melissa's scream in my head."

"I'm sorry," he said, sympathy lacing his voice, and she smiled a little.

"I just hope Ali can finally rest now," she said and he nodded, hoping for the same.

"She was so fearless," he remarked with a small, fond smile. "She used to threaten me all the time with one thing or another."

"Sounds like Ali," [Y/N] chuckled, Jason joining in.

"She was extremely smart, even as a kid," he continued. "She was fearless when she needed to be. I was always a little jealous of that… of her.

"I guess, that's why my parents can't even look at me anymore. They know they lost the wrong kid," he was holding back tears as he finished speaking and [Y/N]'s eyes widened at his words.

"Don't say that," she said back, grabbing his left hand with her right one on instinct. "Look, maybe you coming here today was a mistake."

"The opposite, to be honest," he replied, holding her hand, accepting the comfort she was giving him with the small gesture. "You don't know how good it feels to know it wasn't me."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, confused.

"I don't remember much from the night Ali died," he explained. "I blacked out and woke up the next morning with a wicked hangover and-"

He paused, reaching into his coat pocket with his free hand. He pulled a piece of paper and held it out to her, "and, this."

She removed her hand from his and took the folded piece of paper. She opened it and her eyes widened as she read the words on it, 'I know what you did.'

"Jason, who gave you this?" she asked, facing him again. "What does this mean?"

"I don't know, but it almost destroyed me," he replied, facing forward.

"You thought you killed Alison?" she whispered, afraid of saying the sentence out loud.

"Like I said, I was jealous of her," he replied quietly. "And, when I got loaded, I got angry."

[Y/N] looked down at the ground, processing the last few minutes.

"But, Ian's confession changed everything," he said, relief visible in his tone. "He did it, not me."

[Y/N] remained silent as her mind was fluttering with thoughts. Not for one moment did she think that Jason killed his sister. However, she also knew that Ian's confession was fake.

So, who really killed Ali? And, who wrote that note for Jason?

She looked down at the paper one more time, her eyes scanning the words. She didn't know if she was being paranoid, but the handwriting looked similar to Ian's 'suicide note' which was actually written by A. So, she couldn't help but wonder if A had been around on the day Ali disappeared and messed with Jason for some reason.

"[Y/N]?" Jason's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "You okay? You've been silent for a while."

"Yeah, I'm okay," she cleared her throat, before passing the note back to him. "I think you should get rid of this. You- you never know with the people in this town."

He stared at her for a couple of seconds before nodding. He took the note from her and tucked it inside his coat pocket again to take care of it later.

Before either could of them could speak more, several footsteps coming in their direction made them look up.

[Y/N] felt her heart drop to her stomach when she saw that it was her parents and brother. The three of them looked confused seeing her sitting with Jason. She stood up once they were closer and so did Jason. Leslie was the first to break the silence as she smiled at Jason kindly.

"Hi Jason, how are you?" she asked.

"I'm good, Mrs. [y/l/n] and you?" Jason replied back politely.

"Good, thank you," said Leslie.

"Are your parents here?" James asked.

"No, they're not," said Jason. "Coming back to Rosewood is not easy for them."

"Give them our best," Leslie said with sympathy and Jason nodded, "I will, thank you."

"Are you planning on staying?" Sid asked next.

[Y/N] was a silent spectator and she felt a little embarrassed with all the questions her family kept asking Jason. But, he was patiently answering them.

"I do," he replied, clearing his throat. "I've been doing some renovations around the house. They're almost complete."

"Good, good," Sid nodded. "Well, reach out if you need anything."

"Absolutely, don't be a stranger," Leslie added.

"I appreciate it, thank you," Jason said with a small smile.

"Well, we should get going now," James said. "Good to see you, Jason."

"Likewise, Mr. [y/l/n]," Jason replied.

"Bye, Jason," [Y/N] said with a small wave and he smiled at her politely, "Bye, [Y/N]."

Leslie and Sid exchanged their goodbyes with Jason as well before the family of four walked to the parking lot.

"Honey, I didn't know you spoke to Jason DiLaurentis," James broke the silence first.

"Oh, I do… occasionally," [Y/N] replied, a little anxious. She didn't think she would have to talk with her family about Jason this soon. "I mean, I just say hello when I see him around."

"So, this was not the first time?" James asked. He was trying to seem nonchalant, but he didn't like seeing his daughter around a… boy.

"No, not really," [Y/N] replied in a small voice. She didn't want to lie, because her family must've noticed the comfort with which she was speaking to Jason.

"How about we stop at the Grille for some lunch?" Leslie asked once they reached the car, trying to change the topic. Just like her husband, she was curious as to when her daughter started talking to Jason like a friend. At the same time, she knew [Y/N] would talk to them when she was ready.

James, who knew what his wife was doing, stared at her. [Y/N] and Sid watched as their parents had a silent conversation before James sighed in defeat.

"To the Grille, it is," he spoke, getting into the driver's side of the car. Leslie smiled in victory and winked playfully at [Y/N] before getting on the passenger's side.

"I'm here if you need anything," Sid told her simply and opened the backdoor of the car for her to go in first.

"Thank you," she smiled at him before getting inside the car.

Sid got in the seat next to her and closed the door. The ride to the Grille was silent but not uncomfortable.

[Y/N] was grateful that her family did not push her to share more about what's been going on with Jason and her. Not much happened for her to talk about anyway… not yet, at least.

—————

*read next part here!

ps: i gave the reader/ofc’s family names because it was getting a little difficult to keep up with the abbreviations. sorry for any inconvenience!

[imperatorrrrr]

please elaborate on nico characterizations in that clip if you would be so kind? i always find your nico scholarship so enlightening 😊

CLASS IS IN SESSION

NICO HISCHIER SCHOLARS REPORT

okay, so here's the video for all to watch at their leisure.

and here's my main takeaways from this video which make it so important for Nico characterizations:

when he doesn't get the preposition right for "lead by example" and he realizes it immediately that it doesn't sound how its supposed to, he is so quick to ask for right word

and, to me, I think thats huge. like I dunno think about the stereotypes about like men being unable to ask for help like the jokes with when they're lost and won't ask for directions and how like seeking assistance is almost seen as a weakness right?

and remember, right before this, he talks about how he's already getting help from some of the new guys in how best to lead the team, and then we see him, again, asking for help in the moment for the correct word

and I believe Amanda Stein is the one that gives him the right preposition? I think when I first watched this I thought it was Amanda, but it might actually be a different reporter? I can't hear who gives him the right preposition with the device I'm currently using.

either way, he asks for the word, gets it, and then laughs.

and I know the bar is in hell, I know, you don't gotta tell me

I think its such a good like broader Nico characterization like he doesn't have the hang ups of other guys about there being like things that he isn't proficient in. he's good natured about it. he's so easy going too. and there's no hesitation. there's not self consciousness. he just asks, gets the answer, says sorry, laughs and moves on.

he's so self-effacing. so willing to admit when he doesn't have something and so willing to seek out those that do have the something he's missing.

later on in the media availability, he emphasizes that its about having good people on the team. he wants good people. all good people. obviously good players but also good people. which I think is one the keys to success for this team. this part always reminds me of how his main thing as a captain as reiterated by both him and people that talk about how he captains is that he wants to create a safe space for his fellow players to be able to come to him about anything and not only hockey.

this is also the media availability where Nico says "just got a good feeling" and this is right before the 22-23 season kicks off and you don't understand how incredibly important that is to me. he knew. he knew. there's that quiet confidence. that like confidence from within. that confidence that doesn't need to be flaunted. "I wanna do something special with them this year" and GUESS WHAT he mother fucking did. they all did.

okay, I'm done babbling ahahahah. apologies.

[bella-rose29]

the jockwood universe (college au)

basically jockwood is a thing now, and these are the generic world building hc's of this au :)

essentially what's going to happen is a bunch of x reader fics set within this universe, all probably slightly different but every one of them set with this same background to them, so... yeah!

(also a special thank you to the multiverse of George for helping answer my pestering questions)

Lockwood is on the football team/part of the university football society

Also the fencing society

George and Lockwood are friends from high school but are in separate circles in college

George is also on the ice hockey team 

Kipps is on the football team too

When they were like… preteens or something Kipps and Lockwood had a friendly football match where they were on opposing teams

Lockwood’s team beat Kipps’ by… a lot (and Kipps totally isn’t bitter about it)

Holly is a student rep

Lucy is in debate club and fencing

Skull is a campus cat who hisses and scratches everyone but Lucy

He’s called Skull bc he’s got a weird patch on his head that looks a bit like a skull

And also Lucy seems to always know what Skull wants?? It’s like she can actually talk to him or something 👀

Barnes is a very tired senior lecturer who is the academic advisor to the trio + Holly and Kipps, and he wishes they would stop hogging his office hours

The Winkmans are a family who live in town and sit on their porch every morning shouting abuse at people who walk past

Bobby!!! On the football team and also in band (plays the clarinet probably)

Kate and Ned as well - both on the football team and hang out with Kipps obviously, along with Bobby

Rotwells College is in the same town/city and often competes against the Fittes university (that Penelope is head of)

Flo goes to Rotwells’ and is in their fencing society, but she sneaks onto the Fittes campus all the time to feed the ducks and throw frozen peas at passing students

Visitors - there’s a lot of local folklore and haunted buildings, and Lockwood and Co go and investigate because they’re Like That

Technology is modern, and as such they have phones

And group chats

Obviously Lockwood and Co is the name of Lockwood, Lucy, George, and Holly’s group chat

Lockwood is surprisingly old-fashioned when it comes to technology though? Like he has a record player and cassette tapes in his room that he just whips out every now and then

People’s courses/degrees!

Lockwood’s course is chemical engineering with fine art/art history

George - chemistry

Lucy - English (language and literature)

Holly - English literature + publishing

Kipps - Architecture (but he’s a dick about it)

Ned - Spanish/Spanish + international development

Kat - chemical engineering

Bobby - history

Flo - classical and archaeological studies

tag list:

@no-morning-glories, @t2sh0, @informedimagining, @strawberryloveyyy, @chameleon021, @demigoddess-of-ghosts, @genderfluid-anime-goth, @cottagecore-babe, @ahead-fullofdreams, @light-23, @locknco, @briar-rose23, @mischivana, @ell0ra-br3kk3r, @superpositvecloudshipper, @mrsyixingunicorn10, @mitskiswift99, @anathemaloren, @ran23sblog, @taygrls, @dangelnleif, @el-de-phi, @augustisintheair, @wordsarelife, @tournesol77, @novelizt, @anthonylockwoodandco111, @curseofhecate, @karensirkobabes, @mrsklockwood, @whenselenefallsinlove, @zoom1374, @a-taken-url

and the multiverse of George (of course): @avdiobliss, @neewtmas, @oblivious-idiot, @bobbys-not-that-small, @lewkwoodnco, @uku-lelevillain, and @maraschinomerry 💕

I'm aware that there are a lot of people and if I've forgotten you then I am so so sorry (my tag lists are all over the place whoops), so if there is anybody who wants to be added to my lockwood tag list, then please go here!

I am aware that it has been a while, but from now on I will be checking this post every time I write a new fic to see who is there, so head on over to give a comment or a like and I'll pop you on for next time! <3

[muwapsturniolo]

✯Malevolent PT.1✯

Black!reader

Summary: Turns out I'm living in a horror film Where I'm both the killer and the final girl. So who, who are you?

In the small town of Somerville Massachusetts, a bloodbath is brewing, and Y/N Lyoncourt is in the middle of it.

games played with cell phones, gruesome murders, and scary movies

how will she survive?

Warning: alchol, swearing, stalking, gore, stabbing, knives, mentions of blood as well as organs. cheating, death, killing. read at your own risk.

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It was a crisp fall night in the town of Somerville Massachusettes. Branches on the trees remain naked as their leaves wisp across the ground due to the cold wind. Street lamps casting a warm glow down the vacant streets.

A particular street was dimly lit, the only source of light being the moon. Right under the moonlight sits a house with only one member inside.

Kehlani Summers.

The head cheerleader of Somerville High, the popular girl, the bitch that most people couldn’t stand.

Her parents were gone, leaving her to her own devices. She chose to invite her boyfriend, Dylan Holmes, over and watch scary movies before they got in the real “action”.

He was the captain of the hockey team and the most popular boy in school. girls foamed at the mouth for him, even some teachers.

They were a classic match made in heaven.

The perfect high school couple.

A typical cliche.

The perfect victims

Kehlani had just put popcorn on the stove when her phone rang. With her AirPods in, she answers the call without thinking of checking the caller ID.

“Hello?”

Kehlani frowns in confusion hearing the deep raspy voice, but carries on with her task of pouring a shot of her mother's alcohol. “Hello? Who's calling?” She says. “Oh sorry, I must have the wrong number! My apologies.”

Kehlani rolls her eyes in annoyance, "Clearly. Bye"

She double-taps the small bud attached to her ear and takes her shot. As soon as she slams the shot glass down, her phone rings again. Thinking it's her boyfriend, she answers it.

"Hello? Dylan?"

"No, it's me again."

Her face scrunches up, "You clearly have the wrong number, so why the hell did you call back?" Her voice clearly holds vexation.

"I wanted to apologize." She huffs and walks around her kitchen, ditching the shot glass and just carrying the bottle. "Well, apology accepted. Now stop calling" She goes to hang up once again, but is stopped by the voice begging her to wait.

"Hold on! Don't hang up!" She peeks outside into the dark abyss before walking towards the stove. "Why shouldn't I? You're being annoying."

The voice chuckles, "I want to talk to you."

"Why so you can jerk off to my voice like a perv? Go get your fap material somewhere else bozo." She hangs up and snatches her AirPods out her ear, putting them back in the case.

She feels her body slowly start to get warm from the Titos, her movements beginning to slow. Just as she checks the popcorn, her phone rings again. She looks at the caller ID and sees it says unknown.

"This guy is annoying as shit," she grumbles before picking it up once again.

Maybe she should talk to him until Dylan gets here? She is bored and Dylan is late.

"Hello?" She speaks into the phone, jumping on the kitchen island.

"Why don't you want to talk to me?" The man asks. His voice is laced with faux confusion. "Because you're being weird. Now who is this?" she says as she watches the popcorn. "Tell me your name and I'll tell you mine." She scoffs and hops off the island, standing by the stove.

"Don't think so buddy"

"What's that noise?"

she takes another swig of Titos before answering. "Popcorn"

"I love popcorn. It's best at the movies. Why are you making popcorn?" Kehlani finds herself smiling softly at the question. Maybe it's because she's intoxicated, or because the stranger on the phone seemed genuinely curious about her night. "I'm watching a movie."

"Movie? I love movies. Do you like scary movies?"

Kehlani nods only to remember the stranger can't see her. "uh-huh"

''what's your favorite?"

The girl ponders for a moment. She honestly wasn't big on scary movies, she only dabbled. "Probably Pearl."

The stranger scoffs, "Pearl? that's not even scary and it was boring!" The girl shrugs. "Well you asked my favorite and I told you...what's yours."

"House of A Thousand Corpses."

She frowns at the name, "Never heard and it sounds gory"

"Oh, it is. Lots of blood and violence." His voice almost sounds distant, like he was fantasizing about the movie. A small shiver runs up her body.

"So, you got a boyfriend?"

Kehlani smirks at the question "Why you wanna ask me out?"

It's no secret that the teenage girl wasn't loyal to her boyfriend. hell, he wasn't loyal to her either. They both found fun in cheating on each other and making the other mad.

"Maybe. Do you have one?''

"No." She lies through her teeth.

The voice chuckles, "You know, you never told me your name."

"Why do you want to know my name so bad?'' She takes another swig of the vodka.

"Because I want to know who I'm looking at"

She chokes on the burning liquor, spitting it out over the counter. She coughs for a few seconds before speaking back into the phone, her voice scratchy. "W-what did you say?"

"I said I want to know who I'm talking to." She stands in the middle of the kitchen confused.

Was it the alcohol making her hear things? Was she truly correct in what she heard?

"T-that's not what you said..." She catches what she thinks is movement in her backyard. She clicks on the light only to see nothing. She flips off the light and locks the patio door.

"What do you think I said?'' his voice begins to make her uneasy, his tone almost predatory. "I-I have to go now!" she exclaims as she becomes apprehensive about this whole thing.

"I thought we were going to go out?"

"Tough shit"

"Don't hang up on me!"

"Fuck off!"

"Don-click" She throws her phone down on the counter and chugs a bottle of water in an attempt to sober up. Her phone rings once again and she debates on answering it.

The constant ringing annoys her and she snatches the phone up,

"I told you not to hang up on me."

"And I told you to fuck off!" She hangs up once again, only for the stranger to immediately call back. A noise of frustration leaves her throat as she answers.

"Listen ass- NO YOU LISTEN YOU LITTLE BITCH! IF YOU HANG UP ON ME AGAIN I'LL GUT YOU LIKE A PIG AND USE YOUR ORGANS AS THE DUMB LITTLE POMPOMS YOU LOVE!"

Her blood runs cold at the lurid words. Her whole body is tense as the hairs on her arms stand up. "I-is this some kind of joke?" She whimpers.

"More like a game."

She swears she heard the front door jingle, so she rushes towards it and locks it. She maneuvers through the whole house, locking every entrance door including the windows.

"I'm two seconds away from calling the police!" She threatens. The voice laughs, "Do it, they won't make it in time. After all, your parents moved you to a house that's about 3 miles from the nearest neighbors and about 10 from town."

Tears form in her eyes when she realizes they do in fact know where she lives. "W-what do you want? Money? I'll give you money!"

"I don't want money."

"Then what do you want?"

"To see what your insides look like."

She quickly hangs up the phone and throws it across the room, trepidation flowing through her system. The doorbell ringing pulls a scream from her throat. She rushes towards the door but stops in her tracks.

Swinging open the door could be a bad idea.

"Hello?"

Silence.

"Dylan is that you?"

Silence.

"Fuck this! I'm calling the cops!" She rushes towards her phone that's on the floor. As she picks it up, it begins to vibrate in her hand.

unknown caller

Her hand trembles as she raises it to her ear. She says nothing, waiting for the stranger to speak. All she hears is loud and ragged breathing.

"Don't you know you should never say who's there? It's a death wish." The voice states. She clutches the wall and slides down as she begins to cry. "Leave me alone or- Or what?" The stranger taunts.

"M-my boyfriend will be here any minute! He will beat your ass when he finds out!" Usually threatening other people with her boyfriend works,

But not this time.

"I thought you didn't have a boyfriend."

"I-I do! He's big, and strong, and plays hockey! And he will beat your ass when he finds out who the hell you are!"

"Ohhh I'm so scared!" The stranger coos.

"Hey Kehlani, I have a question for you." She clenches her eyes shut hearing the stranger state her name. "Your boyfriend's name wouldn't happen to be Dylan, would it?''

"How do you know our names?!"

The stranger doesn't answer her question, simply telling her to look at her back patio.

Terrified of what she would find, but still intoxicated enough to listen, She hesitantly makes her way to her kitchen to look at the patio.

"I-I don't see- Turn on the light and stop acting like a dumb bitch!" She flinches and turns on the light.

The sight she's met with is frightening.

Her hockey player boyfriend is bound to a chair with rope, his mouth gagged and taped shut.

His face is bloody, but he's alive.

She lets out a loud sob at the sight and tries to run out to help him, but stops when the voice stranger speaks to her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He clicks his tongue three times and the girl can only imagine him shaking his head.

"Who are you?!" she screams in frustration.

"let's play a game."

"No!"

"Then your boyfriend dies!" She quickly pleads for the stranger to leave him alone.

"Then play the game or he dies." She quickly agrees.

"Turn off the light and go into the living room." She looks at Dylan as he pleads for her to save him. She turns off the light and makes her way to the living room.

"Here's the game, I'm going to test your knowledge on scary movies. if you answer correctly, Dylan lives. If you answer wrong... well I suggest you start writing your will."

She clenches her eyes at the thought of her death.

She tries to think of a way around this. She sees a lamp in the corner and quickly yanks it out of the socket. They can't kill her if they can't see...Right?

"Let's start.... name the killer in Halloween."

She rakes her brain trying to find the answer but she's drawing a blank. There's too much going on for her to think clearly.

The stranger knows that.

"Oh come on! it's easy! I'll even give you a hint! He had a white mask and stalked babysitters!"

"I-I can't think!" she's panicking.

"Yes you can! Use that pretty little head of yours!"

Finally...a godsent

"M-Michael Myers!"

"Yes! See? You should do fine! Dylan should live. now, name the killer from Friday The 13th!" She shakes her head, she's only on the second question and is tired of this game.

"P-please stop.." She begs.

"Answer the question"

"Jason?... it's Jason!" She remembers the movie because Dylan made her watch it.

The stranger imitates a buzzing noise, "Wrong! It wasn't Jason." She frowns in confusion. "Y-yes it was! I remember!' she urges.

"No"

"I saw the movie like twenty times! It's Jason!"

"If you say the movie like twenty damn times you would know that Ms. Vorhees, Jason's mother, was the goddamn killer! Jason didn't show up until the sequel."

She stands in the living room, stupified. Maybe she should have paid attention to the movie instead of trying to fuck her boyfriend.

"Y-you tricked me... You cheated!" she yells in anger. The stranger laughs. "Oh like you? You remember all the times you cheated on your boyfriend?" she freezes at his words.

"That doesn't matter anymore, he's out of this round and the rest to come. Lucky for you, there's a bonus round."

She's in hysterics at this point, her whole body shaking and her vision blurry.

She rushes to the kitchen and flips on the patio light.

A gut-wrenching scream leaves her mouth when she sees her boyfriend.

Blood is pouring out of his throat, coating his whole body. The mouth gag he has on is also coated, a clear indication that he is choking on his own blood.

And the most gory part,

His stomach was sliced open, his organs lay in a heaping pile on the ground, steam rising from them as if they were being cooked.

She covers her mouth and quickly rushes towards the trashcan, throwing up the alcohol in her stomach. She collapses to the ground. sobbing in fright. The image of her lover engraved in her mind.

"I have one more question for you princess."

"N-no! Leave me alone!" She pleads helplessly. She's tired of this whole night. What was supposed to be a chill evening, turned into her being hunted like prey.

She sits on the floor, knees to her chest as she rocks back and forth like a child.

"Come on pretty girl, answer the question, and i'll let you live."

She doesn't say anything.

"What door am I at?"

She sobs even harder.

"Come on. There's two main doors to your home. The front and the side door. pick "

"I- can't!" The voice sighs out in what seems like boredom. "You will. now answer."

Kehlnai shakily stands up and grabs a sharp knife from her mother's chopping block. She holds it close as she stands in the kitchen.

"The side door?" She questions softly.

The man laughs making her freeze.

"Wrong! I'm not there but he is!"

She screams as the glass behind her shatters, a lawn chair landing close to her. She takes off running from the kitchen as a shadowy figure creeps through the broken glass, the knife in her hand long forgotten. She rushes through the foyer, fleeing to the side door in an attempt to escape the big home.

She creeps around the house, trying to see where the killer is, and get away from him to safety. She comes up on the side of the house where three curtainless windows sit. She crouches down and begins to crawl along the concrete, her knees burning at the rough pavement. She peeks her head through the first window and sees the killer walking into the foyer.

She ducks back down before getting to the second window. This time, the killer is looking in the foyer closet searching for the girl.

She gets to the third window, hoping he's nowhere to be found.

Unfortunately, when she peeks into the window, she comes face to face with her reflection and a white mask.

A blood-curdling scream is pulled from her throat as a hand shoots through the glass and wraps around her neck, attempting to yank her inside through the window.

She fights, swinging her arms and pushing them away, her bare feet stepping into the glass. she manages to break free and takes off towards the front of the house, tripping over her own feet as she maneuvers through the wet grass.

In the distance, she sees a set of headlights turning up her driveway.

Her parents!

She begins screaming, waving her arms vigorously in an attempt to flag them down, hoping they can save her from the masked killer.

Unfortunately, they can't.

She's tackled to the ground, her phone flying out of her hand and landing a few feet away from her. Her body is violently flipped over, her back being pushed into the mud as the killer straddles her. She attempts to fight back, not giving up just yet.

The masked killer gets irritated with her fighting and raises their arm, the blade of the knife glimmering in the moonlight.

it happens so fast, the killer's arm swinging down expeditiously, the blade plunging deep into the girl's chest.

Her jaw drops open in pain, nothing but a croak leaving her throat.

He removes the knife, both of them looking towards the crimson color blossoming through the threads of her sweater.

She spots a rock by her legs and takes her chance.

Just as the killer raises his blade once again, she snatches the rock and slams it against his head. He falls off of her, grabbing the side of his head in pain. The girl manages to rise to her feet, snatching her phone from the ground, and staggering toward her parent who are now exiting the parked Cadillac.

She opens her mouth to call for help, but it seems as if her own vocal cords fail her, no sound coming from her mouth.

Her parents remain oblivious to their bloody daughter. Even though she is only 10 feet away from them, they fail to see her reaching out, longing for them to save her.

A sharp pain emerges in her shoulder blade, sending her to the ground. She begins to heave in pain, her whole body aching from all the fighting she has been doing. She's turned back over, her ankles being grabbed as she dragged through the yard.

Her once-cream sweater was now covered in blood and mud.

Her hearing is going in and out, a loud ringing in her left ear while her right ear is filled with the pounding of her heart. The cellular device still in her grip begins to vibrate.

Oddly enough, there isn't any more fright in her body.

She knows this is the end for her.

She's come to terms that she will die tonight.

She declines the call, welcoming death with open arms.

The masked figure drops her legs, making her look up at him.

It feels as if her eyes are playing tricks on her as two killers stand in her field of vision. They look at each other, nodding, before dropping to their knees and proceeding to stab the girl repeatedly.

She begins to choke and sputter on her own blood, her body lurching at each mutilation being made to her body. Her blood coats the masks, splotches of blood dripping down onto their already bloody gowns.

They each land one final blow into her chest before they watch the light leave her eyes.

The two killers move silently and quickly, one wrapping rope around her neck as the other throws the end around a tree branch. the one killer stands up and helps yank the rope over the branch.

The dead girl's body begins to drag through the grass, eventually lifting into the air, swinging back and forth.

They work fast in securing the rope around the tree, before admiring their work.

"something's missing."

He moves forward with his knife raised.

He plunges it deep into her abdomen, dragging the knife across her torso. Her blood splashes into the dirt, creating a mud-like consistency. He reaches his gloved hand into the wound, pulling out her intestines, and scattering them beneath her.

He steps back toward his accomplice.

"It's perfect."

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FIRST CHAPTER OF MY NEW SERIES!!! LET ME KNOW WHAT YALL THINK!!! PLEASE BE HONEST!!!

DUE TO THE FACT THIS IS AN INTENSE BOOK THAT HAS A BUNCH OF GORE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE OFF THE TAG LIST FOR THIS BOOK!!!

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[thewritingofspencerrose]

general masterlist | Partners in Crime

an introduction into just how jack met crim

before all the love and chaos that was to come

Tap tap.

Someone must have just bumped into me.

Tap tap.

"Dahlia..." Bella's shaky voice begins, her eyes wide as she stares just past me.

"What is so surprising beh-" I can't even finish my line of questioning when I turn to see exactly what - more so who - is behind me.

Jack Hughes, number 86 for the Devils, smiling shyly and looking almost adorable in his little beanie.

"Sorry for interrupting, you seemed invested in the game so I figured now would be the best time to come down," He offers, shrugging.

"Um, hi," Is my awkward response.

"Hi," He chuckles, sticking out his hand for me to shake. "I'm Jack."

"I- I know," I stumble, and God I want to crawl inside a hole, "I think everyone in here knows who you are."

"Well, I'm really only hoping to know who you are?" Oh. Is he flirting with me?

"Oh, I'm Dahlia. Dahlia Quigley-Spencer."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Dahlia Quigley-Spencer," He assures, making me smile. "I saw you dancing from our box, and yelling at the refs," Jack begins with a chuckle, gesturing up to the box above us where other injured Devils in beanies are less than discretely looking over the railing at us.

"Do they usually have such a... staring problem?"

The question comes out before I can fully process, Bella snorting behind me as the ever supportive best friend that she is. Jack's laughing nearly as much as she is.

"They tend to be... involved in my life. We're lucky, my brother is on the ice or he'd probably down here too," Jack explains.

"And why is that?" I can't help but ask, hoping it comes off in the flirty way I'm meaning it to.

He smirks, and I can tell my words were taken in at least a small bit how I wanted them to be. "Because I came down to talk to a pretty lady, and he'd want to chirp me about how bad I am at flirting."

"Well I think you're not all that bad, may need a little sprucing up but your smile makes up for it." Oh that earns a blush.

"Really?" He asks cutely, like he's not used to being complemented, which I know isn't true. I can't help but nod, his smile growing. "Thanks, you have a pretty smile too," He returns, bringing a smile to my cheeks.

"Ew, barf, lover boy, are you going to join us or are you going to leave so we can pay attention to the second?" Bella asks, bringing to both Jack's and my attention that the boys are retaking the ice.

It brings an awkward moment to us, unsure of what to happen next.

"Would you like to join us? No one is really around here that might bother you?" I offer, "Also, then you could practice that flirting of yours."

He's smiling, it's a good sign. Body is relaxed, even breathing, he's visually happy.

All very good signs.

"Yeah, I think I'd like that," He agrees, waving up to his friends before taking the seat beside me. "So, are you always so cool when you come to hockey games?"

Bella laughs once more, and I really am regretting bringing her along.

"Am I usually yelling and dancing? Yes," I answer, turning my eyes away from where they had landed on the ice, and on to him. "Am I usually so smoothly flirty? No. I'm currently riddled with anxiety and purely coasting off of that to get me through this conversation."

He laughs, really loud and brightly, which does well to smooth some of my worries at my honesty.

"Well, you're doing great. Think you can handle another two periods of this?"

He's sweet. And I can't help but smile.

This boys is so much more than a hockey player.

"I think I'll be more than okay."

[luvangelbreak]

Deprived | Eight

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 matthew sturniolo x layla venita (female!oc) summary: everyone knows the story of the bad boy and the good girl but what happens when the school's most popular boy, Matthew Sturniolo, and the girl who notoriously is never there, Layla Venita, cross paths. warnings: swearing, smut? (whoops), male!masturbation, abuse? (nothing heavy) word count: 2.5k a/n: y'all this is my first time attempting some sort of smut so if its bad GIVE ME A BREAK. i tried my gosh darndest i swear.

pov: layla

After staying at Downs with Matt and his friends for a few more hours, he and Chris dropped me at my house around 10 pm. I unbuckled my seatbelt as I leaned forward to put my elbows on the console between them as Chris hummed along to the song that he was playing on aux.

"Thanks for coming tonight," Matt smiled at me and I returned it quickly along with a nod.

"Thanks for letting me," I smiled up at him, my high slowly fading now that it had been a few hours since I smoked, "I'll see you guys at school."

They both returned their own versions of goodbyes as I slid out of the backseat, closing the door behind me. I sighed when I noticed my dad's car in the driveway, hoping that he was asleep already.

Much to my dismay, the moment I opened the front door and Matt drove away, I heard his footsteps travel down the hallway. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment as I closed the door behind me before I opened them again to see him standing there, swaying back and forth as he looked at me with dead eyes.

"Where were you?" he slurred, trying to sound angry but he just looked tired and out of it. I adjusted my phone in my pocket and looked over to him.

"I messaged you. I was at a friend's hockey game," I answered truthfully and he furrowed his eyebrows further as he took a step towards me making me tense. I didn't move from my place in front of the door, my body being frozen.

"Did you take the brick to Wes?" he asked me and I shook my head, hearing him huff as I looked at my feet.

"He said he wanted it tomorrow. I'll do it then," I answered quietly and I felt my breath catch in my throat as he stepped even closer to me.

"What did I say about mumbling?" he said through gritted teeth and I swallowed my nerves, lifting my head to see he was only a foot from me.

"I'll do it tomorrow," I answered him clearly and he just stared at me, a rage behind his eyes that was always misplaced. I knew he was never mad at me, I did everything he wanted me to, but he had to take his anger out on someone and I was always the only person around.

"You better start pulling your act together," he pointed a lazy finger at me, eyes drooping as he did so, "Or you will turn out like your bitch of a mother."

"Dad don't say that," I whispered shakily and he shook his head.

"What did I say about talking back?" his voice raised, making me flinch slightly but I continued to stare into his eyes, not backing down as he swayed in his spot.

"I'm sorry. I'll do better," I answered clearly, fitting the urge to throw him out of the house and lock him out.

"I'm going to bed. Don't fucking wake me up tomorrow," he grumbled, trudging back to his room and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I leaned against the front door, hearing his door slam as I closed my eyes. I reached around, locking both locks on the door before I waddled down to my room.

I closed the door behind me, flicking the lights on before I quickly got changed into clothes to sleep in. I looked in the mirror to take my makeup off and I forgot the 81 Matt had painted on my cheek was still there. It was slightly smudged but I smiled to myself, biting my lip before I grabbed a makeup wipe, scrubbing it off of my face before taking the rest of my eye makeup off.

I slid under my covers, checking my phone quickly to see a message from Wes.

Westy 10:21pm yo, when u dropping tmrw?

You 10:23pm probs around 6 that good w u?

Westy 10:24pm ye c u then

I sighed, locking my phone before plugging it in. I turned to stare at the ceiling, adjusting my pillow behind me as my mind travelled to the events of today. I didn't really want to go to Downs but I felt the need to go with Matt, feeling bad if I left immediately once the game ended.

I thought about when I took his phone and the fake anger on his face, making me smile to myself. I became bold when I was high and it wasn't until he was standing in front of me, I decided it would be fun to put his phone in my bra. The feeling of his fingers brushing against the skin of my stomach was enough to raise goosebumps on my skin and I felt like the air had left my lungs when his hand brushed against my boobs. I didn't think it through, now overthinking it and wondering if I went too far.

Was he uncomfortable and I didn't notice? Did he really not want to do it and I misread the situation? Did he hesitate because he was scared to touch me or because he found it unpleasant?

My mind circled with thoughts of anxiety and worry but soon enough, my mind fell to only the feeling of his hands on me as I drifted to sleep, hugging the pillow beside me.

+++

pov: matt

It took me forever to fall asleep, my mind falling to Layla every time I closed my eyes. I don't remember what time I fell asleep but when I woke up at 2 pm, I realised it would be exponentially harder to get my sleep schedule on track when I went back to school on Monday.

I spent the first hour awake just scrolling aimlessly on my phone before I decided to get up, seeing Chris and Nick sitting on the couch. I walked past the living room and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water. I waltzed back into the living room, placing myself on the couch beside Nick.

"Nice of you to join us," Nick said sarcastically as he watched a random movie on the TV and I turned my head to look at him.

"It's the weekend, bro. Give me a break," I rolled my eyes, taking a sip of the water before screwing the cap back on.

"I'll give you a break when you stop putting your hand up Layla's shirt in the middle of a parking lot," Nick raised his eyebrows at me and I let my jaw hang open.

"Chris!" I yelled at him and he held his hands up in defence, "It wasn't like that."

"How is touching a girl's tits 'not like that'," Chris smiled and I rolled my eyes, flopping back into the couch.

"She took my phone and put it in her bra. She said the only way I was getting it back was if I grabbed it. So I did," I explained and Nick and Chris shared a look before they both looked at me.

"She would've given it back eventually. She can't hold your phone hostage," Nick deadpanned and I pursed my lips, crossing my arms over my chest as I sank further down into the couch.

"Well, I wanted my phone and I got it. End of story," I mumbled before I heard Chris's chuckle. They didn't say anything further, turning their attention away from me as I stared blankly at the wall.

My mind drifted to her again, the feeling of her skin against my fingertips. I squeezed my eyes shut, letting my head fall back onto the couch as I tried to get her out of my mind. I felt like I was in middle school and just discovered a girl's body for the first time, the tent in my sweatpants making it obvious that I was losing my mind over this girl.

I grabbed a blanket, pulling it over my body to hide my now very obvious boner from Chris and Nick. I tried to picture anything else, the classic of my grandma or my brothers doing some stupid shit but to no avail, my mind always travelled back to her.

I wondered what she would look like laying in my bed in nothing but my shirt or what sounds she would make as I slid my hands down her body. I wondered whether she would be loud and dominating or quiet and submissive, my mind leaning towards the former considering she called me a good boy last night.

Good boy.

My mind wouldn't stop reeling her words in my head and I quickly shot up from the couch, throwing the blanket off of myself as I walked out of the room.

"Where you going?" Chris asked me.

"Shower," I quickly responded, not looking back at him as I made a B-line for the bathroom.

I turned on the shower, quickly sliding my clothes off before I stepped in, the warm water covering my skin. I looked down at the tattoos covering my waist, imagining her hands running along them delicately. I groaned, hitting my forehead against the wall of the shower to rid my thoughts.

I never intended to think about her like this, I wanted to be friends, but it was hard to feel that way when everything she did drew me towards her. It started with her eyes, peering up at me with judgement and confusion before it turned to happiness and seductiveness, whether that was her intent or not didn't matter in my brain.

When she bit her lip, the soft pink skin that I wanted nothing more than to bite into right now. I wrapped my hand around the base of my dick, hissing when I felt how hard I was as I pulsed in my own hand. Keeping my head against the wall, I started stroking myself slowly as I panted lightly.

I imagined my hand as hers, her delicate fingers working their way around me easily as the water made it easier to glide over the skin. I let my eyes fall closed, thinking of her brown eyes looking up at me in pleasure before I bucked my hips into my own hand.

I mentally slapped myself for thinking about her like this but I couldn't stop myself. She was bad for me, I knew that, but it made me want her all that much more. Something I shouldn't have being mine was what drew me to her more every day. The way she was so different from me, her life so different from mine, tempted me towards her in ways I hadn't realised until now. The thrill of doing something you shouldn't was intoxicating.

I groaned as I thrusted into my hand, the pleasure building in my stomach as I imagined her in front of me, nails running down my back as her body would press against mine. The way her face would be contorted in pleasure and back arching in bliss. The beautiful noises that would fall from her lips, calling my name back to me to let me know I was the one who could make her feel such a way.

I let out a small whine, almost feeling her arms around me as I came undone and slowed my pace, pumping myself steadily as my tip became red and sensitive. I hissed pulling my hand away from myself as I sighed.

I quickly finished my shower, deciding I didn't have the energy to shave again and just washed my face regularly. I turned off the shower, stepping out and drying myself off. After wrapping my towel around my waist, I picked my clothes up from the floor and exited the bathroom.

I entered my bedroom moments later, shutting the door behind me while shaking my head and throwing my dirty clothes in the laundry. I picked out some sweatpants and a pink shirt, realising I wasn't going anywhere important today.

I sat down at my desk, opened my laptop and played a random playlist on Spotify as I started studying to the best of my ability. Before I knew it an hour had passed and I had barely written anything on the page when I heard a knock at my door.

"Yeah?" I called out, not bothering to turn around. I heard the door open, catching my attention and Chris waltzed into my room, throwing himself on my bed.

"What are you doing?" he asked, typing something on his phone as I spun around again.

"Trying to study," I mumbled, tapping my pen against the table as I looked down at the empty page, my thoughts blank when looking at the numbers.

"Since when do you struggle to study," Chris mumbled as I heard him shift on my bed. I looked over to see him now laying on his stomach, his head at the end of the bed that was close to me.

"Since now I guess," I sighed, slumping back in my seat as I placed my hands on my head.

"Someone's pussy whipped," Chris mumbled and I frowned at him, noticing a small smirk on his lips making me roll my eyes.

"Yeah, I'm pussy whipped over a girl I haven't even hugged. Nice thinking genius," I answered sarcastically and he once again, shifted on my bed to sit up, crossing his legs over each other.

He shrugged, looking at me with tired eyes as he said, "So ask her out?"

"What happened to thinking she was a psychopath?" I asked, squinting my eyes at him and he shrugged once again.

"Maybe I judged too early. She seems chill around you," he answered and I turned my head towards my desk, biting my lip to hide my triumphant smile. I got rid of the smile on my lips before I looked at him again and he said jokingly, "As long as you don't start breaking our sober streak."

"Does one puff of a cigarette count as breaking the sober streak?" I asked hesitantly and I saw his eyebrows furrow.

"What?" he asked, leaning forward so his elbows were on his knees as he looked at me sceptically.

I sighed, running my hand down my face as I mumbled, "That day I went to McDonald's with her. She was smoking and I don't know why but I took it and tried it."

"Matt," Chris groaned and I threw my hands out in front of me.

"I don't know why I did it! It was fucking awful anyway," I explained and he shook his head, clear disappointment, "She just made it look so easy."

"She's already fucking you up," he shook his head, his distaste for her once again peeking through as I sighed.

"It's not her fault. I'm the fucking idiot that didn't think before I did it," I groaned and adjusted my shirt as it rode up my back from sliding down the chair.

"Yeah, you are a fucking idiot," he shook his head, a smile falling onto his lips before mumbling, "Pussy whipped."

"Fuck off!" I threw my pen at him as he jumped off of my bed and ran out of my room giggling like a little kid.

"Nick he's pussy whipped!" I heard him call out to our brother as he jogged down the hall and I rolled my eyes, placing my forehead on my desk in despair.

tags:

@ilovechrissturniolo1 @leprechaunbirthdaygirl @sturnfix

[cowboybarzy]

see it with the lights out — mat barzal

SORRY!!! a bit late but it’s out!! I’m also not very proud of this but I wanted to publish it for you and didn’t really see myself write it any better lol I hope you still like it. but this part was just to get ready for the big finale!!!!!!!!!!

word count: 2.3k

masterlist read part 1 & 2 first

debate: are landos eyes blue or green? I definitely think they're green but sometimes appear blue so for the sake of this story they are green lol

THREE — you can see it with the lights out

October 19th

"Because he doesn't fucking love you like I do."

The harder you tried to push those words out of your brain, the more they repeated, reminding you that your best and longest friendship just imploded.

It had been five days since that night and all you had done was sit in your apartment going over and over every single moment you shared with Mat. You hadn't spoken to him since that night and don't know how to face him. After he said those words, you stared at each other in stunned silence until one of Mat's friends came over to talk to him, breaking up your discussion. Not soon after you left the bar, retreating to your apartment to wallow in peace.

Lando was supposed to come to New York a couple days ago to see you, before you both traveled to Texas for his race this weekend, but after what happened with Mat and now your feelings being all messed up, you felt guilty and told him you were sick. You felt guilty for rejecting him, but you needed a few days alone to collect yourself.

Having Mat's sister stay with you didn't make this situation any better, but she had friends in the city and you just pretended you had work to do so you could avoid the topic of her brother. She finally left yesterday and now you were on the elevator up to go see your boyfriend.

"Hi! Finally," Lando greeted you when he opened his hotel room door, pulling you into him immediately. "How are you?"

"Good," you answered, kissing him.

"Yeah? Not sick anymore?" He pulled you into the room, dragging your suitcase in and closing the door.

"No. Had some turbulences on the flight that made me feel nauseous, but all good now." His smile widened and his hands grabbed you by your hips. You immediately figured out what his face was saying and let him push you onto the bed.

"Good," he whispered and slowly leaned over you showing you just how much he missed you these past two weeks. Unfortunately, another brown haired boy was on your mind.

***

"You okay?," Lando asked, pulling you out of your deep thoughts. He ever so slightly brushed his finger against your cheek, gaining your full attention.

"Mhm." A certain pair of green eyes were haunting you and unfortunately they weren't your boyfriends. You pulled the bed sheet up, nodding, pushing the guilt away.

"Maybe not fully recovered then, huh?" He pressed his lips against your forehead. "So, how was New York? We've barely talked since the weekend."

"I know, I'm sorry. Just had a lot of things to do and people to see and obviously didn't feel great." You told him about your time at home, what you did and saw. About the hockey game – but purposefully left out the party after.

Talking to him got easier as time went on and he caught you up on his last few days as well. "Wait, I got something for you." Lando stood up, not caring about walking around the hotel suit naked. He came back with a little jewelry box. "This was a lot harder to find than I thought it would be."

You opened the box to find a dainty charm bracelet, a singular charm hanging from it – a little formula one car. "Aw. I love it. Thank you." You kissed him gently, before he placed the bracelet on your wrist. "And I love you." While those words rolled easily off your tongue, your heart didn't mean them and your stomach turned at the realization.

"Room service?"

November 13th

For Lando's birthday, he had spent a few days in England with his family which you couldn't make due to having to work. But you joined him and his friends for the real celebrations in Mexico.

Except for those few mandatory office days, you hadn't been back in New York since that weekend. You were too scared to bring up any of the emotions you were trying so hard to push away. And it was working great so far. At least until you opened Instagram and saw all of the New York Islanders posts that often included pictures of Mat. You avoided those posts, but every once in a while, you broke down and fell down the stalking rabbit hole. But you told yourself you just missed your friendship.

He still hadn't reached out and neither had you. You were too scared to hear what he had to say that would ruin your friendship and felt like you were cheating on Lando if you let yourself think and feel about the situation too long.

In front of Lando, you pretended everything was fine – that you didn't just lose your best friend. Not that he asked much about him, but you pretended to watch his games and still be in contact with him – but you weren't.

And while you thought you were doing a good job about hiding your feelings, there had been a few tense and awkward moments between the two of you. You had never really fought before, but in the last month your quarrels increased not only in frequency but intensity.

But today of all day, it had to be all about Lando. You started with a morning swim, just the two of you, and then a huge breakfast that you got catered to the villa you were renting. You spent the rest of the day on a boat, celebrating and trying to revive the connection you had with Lando just a couple months ago.

During dinner, your phone reminded you that the Islanders had game that night. The notification however shocked you a bit when you read the full title: 'Barzal doesn't return to ice after brutal hit from Nurse'

Your heart sunk and your first instinct was to excuse yourself and move to a private room to figure out what happened to him. No matter how many times you watched the replay and saw his face in terrible pain – and blood – it didn't make you feel any better seeing him leaning on Lee as he was skating off the ice.

"What happened?" You jumped at Lando's voice as he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. It's Mat. He had a game tonight and got injured." He nodded, but you could see the twitch of jealousy flash across his face.

"Is he okay?"

"Not sure, there hasn't been an update yet." Lando sat beside you, wrapping his arm around you to comfort you.

"I'm sure he'll let you know soon."

"Mhm." You nodded as your eyes flooded with tears. He wouldn't, though. Not after you ignored him after that bombshell of a confession.

"What's wrong?," Lando asked immediately when he noticed your demeanor change. He grabbed your face with concern, but you just shook your head not daring to speak. His face changed from concern to a much more serious. "Did something happen between the two of you?"

His hands dropped from your face. "What? No. Why?"

"You've been acting weird since Texas. You didn't let me come take care of you when you were sick and you've been distant ever since."

"No, Lando. We're fine, it was a stupid little fight but it's all good." You weren't very convincing.

"Are you sure? You usually talk about him more, or his hockey, which I haven't seen you watch in a long time. And every time I touch you, I feel like you flinch and I can't shake the feeling it's got to do with him."

"No." That's all you could say. No. Nothing happened between you. You stood up, forcing a smile. This day was about Lando. Whom you loved. Right? "I promise."

You distracted him with a kiss and another assurance that everything was fine. He believed you, but you could tell you were nearing your breaking point. Just not yet.

November 25th

And that that came sooner than you'd hoped. You'd been having a great time in Abu Dhabi, celebrating and partying g with the other girls until you slept in Saturday and you were reminded of one of your favorite days.

In your first year of university, you had caught your then boyfriend making out with another girl at a party. After that, you might have gone a little hard on the alcohol and ended up calling Mat to come pick you up. However, he was in Seattle and you in Vancouver. That didn't stop him from showing up outside the club at 2am. He picked you up from the side of the road – a low point in your life that you thankfully never repeated – and drove you to your apartment. He gently helped you change into pjs and held your hair when you threw up in the toilet. Then he let you cry into his chest until you fell asleep.

You almost called him remembering that moment, but couldn't figure out what to say so you put your phone back down.

'I got you. I always will.'

Mat's voice hit you like a bullet. It was clear as if he was just next to you and you felt his fingertips stroking the side of your face like it was yesterday. But you were still back in your freshman year apartment, cuddled up in bed with Mat. He thought you were asleep when he whispered those things to you and until this day you thought you'd dreamt him saying it.

Something in you broke and all your feelings finally came crashing in. All those years he made you laugh and stood by your side you had mistaken it for friendship. You thought you were in love before, that's why you didn't recognize what you were feeling for Mat, but turns out no one ever made you as happy as Mat did. He'd always been your person and one day just turned into something even more.

You had no idea how long you laid in bed, thinking everything over and finally admitting to yourself that Mat may be more than a friend.

Eventually, you had to get ready. Lando was due to return from the qualifying race anytime soon, which you were actually supposed to attend, and you needed enough time to pull yourself together. You couldn't dump your newfound revelation on him the night before his last race.

"Lando." You looked up at him, tears streaming down your face. "I'm sorry."

"I know," he said, nodding, trying to mask his pain. He turned away from you and started packing his bag.

"No, I'll go. I'm so sorry." He shook his head, denying you and you could just stand there and watch him throw his suitcase together.

"Lando," you called, before he reached the hotel door. "You really were so good to me. And I'm so grateful to you. For everything you did to me. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

He nodded, avoiding your gaze though. "I'm just sorry he got you first."

You took the few steps you needed to reach him. "I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me one day. And I hope we can still stay friends."

"Kinda hard to forget you." He let you pull him into a hug and it felt like goodbye. It was hard for you to let him go. He did play a huge role in your life and had shown you so much. He was a genuine friend and you did love him, but enough to stay with him. Lando smiled, pain still in his eyes, and pressed his soft lips on your forehead. "One day."

December 29th

It was almost midnight when your phone rang, the screen lighting up the darkness of your bedroom. You reached for it, sitting up when you saw the name and picture flash across the screen. It was Mat. The first sign of him since that night in October you regretted so much. Carefully, you pressed the green button and held the phone up to your ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi." His voice was rough and from that small word you could tell he was in pain. And after the game he had you couldn't blame him. He was more aggressive than he usually was – even counting the last few weeks – and got punished by it, not only with penalty box minutes but also with brutal fights on the ice. On top of that, they lost the game with a pretty rough score.

The line was silent for a while, neither of you daring to speak. You could feel your eyes tearing up. You missed him so much. And that's when he finally broke the silence with the exact same thought. "I miss you." Still so much pain in his voice. "I miss you. And I'm sorry for what I said that night. You were right. I hope that you are happy. And I do support you, no matter what. Just putting it out there that I miss you while you're out there exploring the world."

And in the darkness of your room, you suddenly could not see any clearer. You heart ached for him. For him to hold you and kiss you for the rest of your life. You wanted him. To explore the world with, yes, but also to do the mundane things with. You still had a lot to figure out about yourself, but one thing you were sure about was him. That you needed him by your side just as much as he needed you. It had always been like this. He was your person. And you wanted him to be that for the rest of your life.

"Mat," you took a deep breath, mustering up all your courage. "Lando and I broke up."

The line went dead.

[overtake]

Not to be weird but I feel like I got zapped when I read your hockey snippet, how didn't I know that this existed? It's literally been living my brain for hours and I've not been able to stop re-reading it since 🙃 clearly you can take the girl out of toronto but you can't take toronto out the girl because im a changed person now. No pressure ofc I mean this in non-prodding way but praying and willing you to put your snippets together. If you never come around to it then I'm glad (and changed) for what you've shared with world regardless 🙏🏻🙏🏻

This is SO sweet 🥹 I love you so much. Just for this, please have a bit more hockey au. There's a tiny snippet after a media bit (Surprise, this fic is multi-media! Writing the social media parts has been my fave part of the entire process)

@.MapleLeafs on TikTok: | December 12, 2023

[Players walk by a whiteboard on their way into the practice rink. They're stopped to answer the question written on it as they enter. The caption written over their heads reads: "Who don’t your Leafs want to sit next to on a flight?"]

ALEX ALBON: Easy one. Esteban Ocon. He’ll bite your head off if you make a single noise. I think he’d get mad if the plane was going down and you tried to warn him. LOGAN SARGEANT: Gasly or Ocon. I don’t know if it’s a French thing, but they both get really annoyed if you talk to them on a plane. PIERRE GASLY: Danny Ric. He is the loudest person I’ve ever met in my life. ESTEBAN OCON: Daniel Ricciardo. Sorry, Daniel. DANIEL RICCIARDO: Gasly. Max and I were just having a conversation and he rose up behind us and nearly bit our heads off for laughing. I don’t know why he keeps sitting near us. MAX VERSTAPPEN: I don’t really mind sitting next to anyone. I usually sit next to Daniel, and we have a good time. He keeps movies downloaded for us. They're often not very good, but that's sometimes more fun, you know? YUKI TSUNODA: Daniel. VALTERRI BOTTAS: Daniel Ricciardo. ZHOU GUANYU: Daniel. He is very nice and fun, but sometimes you just want to relax on a flight. MARCUS ERICCSON: Surely everyone except Max picked Daniel, right? FERNANDO ALONSO: I don’t want to sit next to anyone.

Mara (DR’s Reputation Era) @.mv33fan: Fernando Alonso: I hate this entire team The entire team: We hate Daniel and the French Max and Daniel: Ask again later. Our mouths are occupied with each other’s dicks.

________

Theoretically, Daniel knew that his and Max's pre-game ritual could end up on the broadcast. Butt taps and silly handshakes in the tunnel inevitably end up on team Instagram stories even if they don't air on TV. It was to be expected, particularly on a Saturday night game against Ottawa.

Still, he didn’t exactly expect a whole montage. It's a nice little package, to be fair. It shows him and Max laughing next to each other in the tunnels and locker rooms before games, followed by their fingers interlocking in their usual drawn-out high five. Daniel prefers to fist bump the whole team and exit only before the goalies, but his routine with Max is always a bit of a production that holds up the line. It's only a surprise it hasn't been uploaded sooner.

After a game where Max scored two goals and Daniel threw his body in front of a rogue deflection and stopped the Sens from a late-third tie, the media naturally focuses on the montage. God forbid they talk about actual fucking hockey in the hockey interview.

“We call it tangled love,” he tells reporters in the press scrum after the game. “In honour of our artistic collision last game.”

It wasn’t a real collision. They’d just got tangled up together when things got chippy by the net. Their skates had collided and they'd taken each other out while trying to defend Esteban from some Habs players. It was all over social media, though, and Daniel knew they’d end up in some embarrassing NHL moments compilation.

They’d both laid on the ice, a little stunned and a lot stupid, before Daniel let out a giant laugh and broke the tension. Max had risen to his feet and tried to pull up Daniel, only for them both to fall right back down as if this was the first time they'd ever skated.

They’d actually been doing this little handshake all season, but reporters were always happy for a soundbite to latch onto and a joke they’d never let go. There's not much to work with in this league in the way of on-camera personality, so it’d probably be a story for the next week. The go-karting clips of the two of them were so popular than even Max mentioned he’d seen them on Reels, and he’d carefully curated his feed to show him anything but Leafs content.

Daniel can’t explain it, this warmth that makes him feel like he’s glowing from inside out all the time since the season started, but he knows he feels it most when he sees people write his name alongside Max’s like their togetherness is a given.

[fleurywiththesave]

Showing up injured at their enemy’s house for MattDrai 🥹

oh this is a GOOD one. i did play a little fast and loose with the word "enemy" here, but they're not NOT enemies!

25. Showing up injured at their enemy’s house

Leon is climbing into bed when the doorbell rings and scares him half to death. Bowie looks deeply unimpressed by the squeak-shout he lets out, but it's not like he's tough enough to save them if whoever's at the door tries to rob Leon blind, so he doesn't get to have an opinion.

Anyone who has any business showing up at Leon's house at this hour would've called first, so he's not really sure what he's expecting when he opens the door, but it's certainly not Matthew Tkachuk with a split lip, a soon-to-be black eye, and a torn jacket. Leon's too shocked to say anything.

"Can I come in," he says quietly.

"What the hell happened to you?" Leon asks.

"I got mugged," Matthew answers. "They took my wallet and my phone. I didn't know the way back to the hotel." Leon still can't seem to think of anything to say, and after a long stretch of silence, Matthew takes a step back. "Never mind. I shouldn't have come here, sorry. I'll figure it out."

"Wait," Leon says, reaching out and grabbing his arm. "Sorry, I was just surprised. Of course you can come in." Matthew looks unsure, but he follows Leon into the house and sits down at the kitchen table while Leon digs out his first aid aid kit, thankful that Connor is fussy enough to insist that everyone have one on hand.

"So what happened?" Leon asks while he starts dabbing off the cuts on Matthew's face with a wet cloth.

"The boys wanted to go out after the game," Matthew explains, wincing when the cloth tugs on his skin. "I left on the early side and these guys jumped me. They must have been watching us inside. They made me get in their car so they could go to an ATM, then they drove for a bit, I guess to confuse me, and pushed me out. It was just dumb luck that I recognized the streets enough to get to your house from where they left me."

"I'm surprised you remembered," Leon says. It's been several years, after all.

It was just a few times, during the Covid season. They were both bored and angry and horny, and their teams played each other so often that it just kind of...happened. And yeah, Leon would be lying if he said he'd never thought about it again after they stopped, but they had an unspoken agreement not to talk about it. Hockey went back to normal the next season and everything else did too. Oilers versus Flames, good versus evil. Even after the trade. This is the first conversation he's had with Matthew since then.

Matthew shrugs. "You're pretty memorable." They both fall back into silence while Leon cleans the wounds with antiseptic, bandages them as best he can, and digs out some ice packs for Matthew's various bruises.

"I should've fought back," Matthew says suddenly. His voice is quiet, but the bitterness cuts through the room. It's a combination of hockey player bravado and Matthew Tkachuk's Martyr Complex.

"Are you an idiot?" Leon answers, surprising himself with how sharp he sounds. "They might have killed you."

"I—"

"No one gives a shit how tough you think you are. Stuff can be replaced, Matthew. People can't." Matthew looks a little taken aback at his vehemence, but also kind of touched.

"Can I use your phone to call an Uber?" he asks. "I'll pay you back." Leon starts to reach for his pocket, but pauses. Matthew raises his eyebrows, then looks like he regrets it when the movement pulls at the cut.

"Or," Leon says, "You could stay." There's another stretch of silence.

"Do you—do you want me to stay?" Matthew finally asks. He sounds...hopeful?

"Yes," Leon hears himself answer. "I want you to stay."

[ianthedebonair]

I was thinking about Damien being very oblivion npc-pilled when he first got out of Farm, because of the soup comic... do you have any baby Damien headcanons? 🥹✨

Im sorry, this lowkey turned out to be early chargestep headcanon because i'm very normal about their pre-hb dynamic 😫 Incoherent rambling under the cut

Damien initially wore an all black attire with protective sports gear and covered his face with a balaclava and a hockey mask with a bat for his weapon. In his "debut", he wanted to stop a man from mugging a civilian walking through a back alley. He didn't want to draw too much attention so he silently creeped behind while the robber accosts the victim. Unfortunately, the victim saw him and screamed in terror, prompting the man to look behind and got scared-shitless, too. They both ended up running away for their lives. Meanwhile, Damien was like, "🧍‍♂️I'm not sure that's how it's supposed to end, but problem solved, I guess...? 🧍‍♂️."

After that, he read more about current heroes and decided to wear Rangers merch with his gear and noticed that people now reacted more positively towards him.

Now, when the Marshal caught wind of a too-competent, mysterious back-alley vigilante, he wanted to reach out and establish connections... only to find out that the vigilante is -- he assumed, based on the outfit Damien wore that day -- a Charge stan.

In the first few attempts of reaching out, Damien was initially skittish as heck (especially with Ricardo's static), but he eventually relented for a talk.

Ricardo thought Damien was too starstruck to hold a conversation so he laid out his Charm™️ to get him to talk and hoped to glean some useful info, but it just completely bounced off him. It was then when Ricardo surmised that maaaybe Damien wasn't a fan, but that got him more curious about his character. Still, he found it refreshing to find someone unaffected by his presence, so he continued the laid back, vaguely flirty banter because it's fun and he wanted to see if he could elicit a reaction from the mystery vigilante. Damien didn't mind as he enjoyed having someone to talk to and practice actual conversations with. He even ended up matching Ricardo's snark (minus the flirting part, because he didn't understand that... yet).

After teaming up a few times, Ricardo asks about Damien's alias

Ricardo: So, what do you even call yourself? Unless you want "Vigilante Wearing Rangers Merch" to stick, which isn't really good for PR. Damien: Shit. I never thought about needing a name. Gotta think fast *looks around*

Damien: Uhh... Streetwatch? Ricardo: Nice try, but you just got that from signages behind me, didn't you? *laughs and pats Damien's shoulder* Don't worry we'll workshop it.

They eventually settled with Sidestep because it matched his fighting style and also served as an inside joke from that conversation.

This video is very early Damien-coded to me, too. (Also happening in Ric's kitchen).

He "matured" a lot within the year that he got introduced to Themmy and rest of the Rangers because there were actual minds to read and imitate learn from, but the wit he observed from Ricardo made a big impression on his own personality. The feelings and yearning came at him (like a truck) in the time between fighting Psychopathor and allying with the Rangers but that requires a separate rambling, so I digress. After mastering the art of sarcasm, he was able to mask a lot his genuine oblivious moments as jokes and easily deflect questions he doesn't want to answer.

OH, he also does the head tilt thing whenever he encounters something new/he doesn't fully understand! That's his major tell. I'm a big fan of that mannerism 💯😭

[misshoneyimhome]

“…he simply assumed you were his girlfriend and forgot to ask, but that's another story.”

BABE IMMA NEED THE STORY lol why do I feel like that is a true to reality thing that our lil Will would do😑😭

BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A WILLY THING TO DO 😂

Okay, so I know you didn’t exactly ask for the WHOLE story, and only just the part where he didn’t ask her to be his girlfriend… but, what can I say - this is just one of my dearest Willy fantasies, so I felt like jotting it all down 🙈

A part of: I’m only one call away | William Nylander (& John Tavares)

Warnings; sexual activity (not explicit);

Word count; 3.8K

・✶ ｡ﾟ

I’m only one call away (the other story) | William Nylander 🖋️ (⚡️)

The bar was boiling as you headed to the counter for another round of drinks. But getting there was tougher than it sounded. With your lack of height and broad shoulders, you attempted to squeeze through the crowd but didn't have much luck.

And just as you spotted an opening to slip through, a bigger guy accidentally knocked into you, making you lose your balance and stumble backwards.

But to your surprise, another large figure was right behind you and instinctively caught you in his arms.

"Oh shit, sorry about that," you shouted over the music, looking up at the tall guy who'd inadvertently become your cushion.

"No worries, lucky I was around, huh?" the man chuckled as you steadied yourself.

And you couldn't help but pause and stare.

Even though it was pretty dim inside the bar, you could still make out that he was a looker. His sleek, light-coloured hair and rugged beard complemented his blue eyes and wide, cocky grin. Clad in a snug, white tank top with a thick chain around his neck and what seemed like quite loose trousers.

Yep, his vibe definitely screamed trouble.

"Well, I'm still sorry," you flashed him a sweet smile, attempting to avert your gaze. Yet, his eyes remained fixed on you, making it quite challenging for you to look away.

"How about you buy me a drink as an apology?" he suggested with a confident grin.

"I suppose that'd only be fair," you replied, returning his expression before both of you made your way towards the bar counter. His large figure definitely helping you out. 

And before you knew it, you were deeply engrossed in a conversation with this stranger.

Well, as it turned out, the stranger happened to be none other than Toronto's star hockey player, William Nylander. He was out with his brother Alex, who had come over from Pittsburgh to spend time with him. But as Alex had found another group to chat with, William took the chance to strike up a conversation with you.

Your smile and laughter seemed to captivate him effortlessly. And moreover, you were intriguing, funny, and undeniably sexy.

And William felt compelled to make a move on you because, from his experience, girls like you weren't exactly easy to come by. If such a thing as 'girls like you' even existed. Typically, he was surrounded by eager girls seeking his attention all the time, but you didn't fit that mould.

You simply exuded calmness and confidence while also posing interesting questions about him, ones that people typically didn’t bother to ask, assuming they already knew the answers. But unlike many, you weren't swayed by third-party journalism, online theories, or eye-catching headlines.

So, after a couple of hours spent chatting, enjoying a few drinks, and sharing laughter over the most cheesy jokes, William escorted you out of the bar and a short distance down the street, planning to see you off as you’d take the underground home.

However, a part of him wasn't ready to bid you farewell just yet. So, before you were about to walk down the stairs, he gently pulled you back by your wrists, drawing you into his arms for a passionate kiss.

And as you both slowly parted, you looked up at the tall Swede.

"Why not just tell me what you really want, hockey star?" you smirked, well aware of the thoughts occupying his mind - thoughts that too had been on your mind all night.

"Let's head to my place," he flashed a mischievous grin and a wink.

"What about your brother?" you chuckled lightly.

"What about him? He can crash at one of the other guys' places or a hotel. He's probably found a girl too," he replied nonchalantly, the smirk still playing across his lips. And after a gentle nod from you, he then took your hand and led the way to his condo.

And the night turned out to be quite something.

William knew his way around not just on the hockey rink but also in the bedroom, showing a undeniable skills of how to please a woman. He made your needs a priority, aiming to ensure you experienced pleasure before he did, with his impressive oral skills, striving to bring you to at least one orgasm before engaging in passionate and long-lasting sex. He even managed to provide you with pleasure in different positions, creating a heated atmosphere filled with sweat and loud moans.

And following three intense orgasms (and William remembering to use protection – points for that), you found yourselves lying together, engaging in conversation once more.

Surprisingly, he let you to spend the night, which contrasted with his usual approach to casual hook-ups.

However, in the morning, he woke up to find you were no longer there. And it stung a little. Even though he knew it might have been a one-time thing, a small part of him wished it could have been more. But after a sigh and accepting the reality, he noticed a post-it note on his nightstand.

"Sorry hockey star, had to leave. Last night was fun, so if you ever feel for some company again, just drop me a text ;) [your phone number] – y/n"

A grin spread across his handsome face as he read your note, and it didn't take long before he couldn't hold back and decided to text you.

Willy: Hey, want to maybe do it again sometime? 😉

Y/n: Who's this? 😅

Willy: William?

Y/n: Ah, the hockey star! Sorry, didn't have your number, so wasn't sure who was texting 😉

William facepalmed himself. Of course, you didn't recognise who was texting. He was the only one with your number, not the other way around.

Willy: Of course not, sorry 🙈

Y/n: No worries 😉 But sure, I'd love to do it again sometime – just let me know when you're free

William pondered for a moment. He had just over a week left in Toronto before heading to Sweden with Alex for the summer, so he knew he had to act fast.

Willy: How about tomorrow night? 😉

Y/n: Wow, you do not waste any time, do you 😂

Willy: I'm off to Sweden soon, gotta be quick 😉

Y/n: Well, in that case, I guess we'll have to make the most of it before you leave 😉 See you tomorrow night.

And indeed, you did.

In fact, you got to see all of William in his true naked form for most of the night. It started on the sofa, with fervent kissing leading to swift undressing, before heading back to his bedroom, you shed the rest of your clothes, keeping each other warm during passionate sex. Followed by a steamy shower and your second climax of the night.

And then a third one the following morning.

This time, waking up next to the handsome man, a smile graced your lips as you admired his features. William was a heavy sleeper, his muscular, slightly hairy chest rising and falling rhythmically, accompanied by deep snoring. He looked rather beautiful in his slumber, well, as beautiful as anyone can look while asleep. And then your attention was drawn to his morning wood, standing proudly under the sheets, almost inviting you to touch. However, you resisted the temptation, opting to let William continue sleeping while you slipped into his t-shirt from the previous night and made your way to his kitchen.

But as William then gradually woke up, his initial thought was that you had once again left without a word. And not finding a note this time, he assumed it might be the end of your encounter.

Yet, he heard faint sounds coming from the kitchen, and upon investigating, he discovered you standing by the counter, engrossed in your phone while enjoying a cup of coffee.

His husky morning voice greeted you with a smile and a tender kiss, followed by an embrace with his naked body.

And this time, you couldn't ignore his persistent erection.

Swiftly, William lifted you onto the counter, your lips connecting again as morning breath mingled, and his cock found your eager entrance.

And less than 48 hours passed before you were once again entwined with the Swedish lad.

You couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of it all - that what was initially meant to be a casual one-night stand had now led to spending your evening together with William for the third time within a week.

And this time, you were at your place cooking dinner. William had texted you while you were on your way home from the grocery store, and instead of just heading back to cook for yourself, he insisted on picking you up. Consequently, you found yourself preparing a meal for both of you.

Surprisingly, dinner turned out to be quite delightful, as you both realised that your connection wasn't solely based on incredible sex; you could engage in conversations about a variety of topics. Joke about almost anything. It was simple and yet wonderful. And of course, the evening then culminated in some of the most passionate sexual experiences you'd ever had - on your dinner table, in your bedroom, and then in the shower the following morning.

Sex with William felt like pure heaven. He wasn't just good-looking and a good fuck; he also took the time to explore every avenue of pleasure. Moreover, you felt completely at ease in his presence.

You could walk around in the naked without worrying about whether he liked your body or not. At least his unwavering hard-on’s around you seemed like a positive sign in your book.

And now a little over a week had passed since your very first encounter, and you found yourself back at William's place. You even got the chance to meet his brother Alex before the Pittsburgh player bid the two of you adieu for some alone time.

But this night wasn't about casual dinners or deep conversations. Nope, William was determined to spend every single minute indulging in your breathtaking body, ensuring he left you with an unforgettable sexual experience.

And let's just say, he absolutely succeeded.

The morning after, you practically felt numb in your lower regions and legs, as William had ensured you wouldn't forget him while he was in Europe for the off-season. He'd even left some love bites on your inner thighs and collarbone as a colourful reminder of your incredible time together.

Not that you minded one bit.

It was hard to imagine being with anyone else anytime soon. How could you? William had made you feel absolutely amazing for the past ten days. No one else could match up to his level.

And for the next few months, the two of you texted and called each other almost every single day, despite the time difference. Sometimes it was sexual, other times just a good chat about random things.

But most notably, his family seemed to catch on. And Alex naturally couldn't keep it to himself, which only encouraged their sisters and Rasmus Sandin to join in on the teasing. 

"Ooh, who is she?" Danielle quipped as William seemed glued to his phone whenever he knew you'd be awake.

"Is she your lover?" Stephanie added playfully.

"Or maybe a girlfriend even?"

"Or boyfriend?"

But William simply chuckled at their teasing, brushing it off as sibling love. He knew deep down they only wished for his happiness.

It was the first time William felt a genuine longing to return to Toronto that wasn't solely because of hockey. Usually, his time in Europe with family was so enjoyable that only hockey and his teammates made him miss life back in the Canadian city. But this time, he found himself looking forward to seeing you again.

And within just two days after he returned, he invited you back to his condo. He had missed you more than he had anticipated, and since you were now in the same time zone, he wanted to spend some non-virtual time with you. 

Especially because he knew the hockey season would kick off soon with camp, training, media commitments, workouts, and then the pre-season games. His hectic schedule would soon engulf him again, so he aimed to spend the little free time he had left by being with you.

And as the season began, William knew it was time to refocus his attention, as this season was pivotal, considering his contract extended to its end, and negotiations with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ manager loomed.

So, he brought his A-game, giving his all to ensure this would be his best season yet. But amidst the hard work, there was someone else on his mind: you.

He simply didn't want to let you slip away. Even with his demanding schedule making it tougher for you both to spend time together, he couldn't shake the desire to have you around.

And to his relief, you stuck by him.

Even if it meant coming over late at night, having quick sex, and bidding him goodbye in the morning as he had to rush for early training sessions.

However, a small part of you did feel a bit uncertain about it all. You wondered if you were investing too much of your time and emotions into a man, you weren't officially dating; someone with whom you only shared incredible sex with and spent countless hours talking. The few girlfriends you confided in warned you that you might be wasting your time on someone not serious about being with you. They cautioned that you might just be a pastime for him, similar to what frat boys would typically do.

"Don't fall for him! He'll just use you and then discard you like men always do with good-hearted girls," they warned out of care.

But despite the warnings from your friends, their words had no sway over your feelings towards William. Every moment spent with him felt incredibly worthwhile, regardless of the undefined status of your relationship.

However, then, a shift occurred in your situationship.

William extended an invitation for you to attend the home games at the Scotiabank Arena, offering you tickets you simply couldn't resist. So, naturally, you went on a Saturday night, followed by another visit on Monday, and then again on Friday.

And it was on that Friday that William decided to introduce you to his teammates, merely as a "friend" he was seeing. However, his teammates weren't easily fooled, and they quickly noticed how he looked at you, how his gaze never strayed from you, or his hands from your waist as you stood among the team and their partners.

Which naturally they all teased him with following that evening.

' Lover boy,' 'Romeo,' and various other playful jibes filled the locker room as William couldn't contain his smiles whenever your name came up or thoughts of you crossed his mind.

From that night, it was like something shifted within William. Strange emotions that had been lingering since that very first encounter in the bar. A blend of pleasure when thinking about everything concerning you and a hint of jealousy at the prospect of you spending time with someone other than him.

And casual sex was no longer going to suffice to cover these new, deeper feelings.

But like many other twenty-seven-year-old men, William found it challenging to articulate his deep feelings. It wasn't until the team's Captain took notice and decided to have a conversation with him about it, where he encouraged William to open up and simply tell you how he truly felt.

"So, have you told her how you feel?" John Tavares asked out of the blue during a training session while lacing up his skates next to William.

"No... I'm not sure what to say. I mean, I know I really like her... but I don't even know what we are…"

Despite feeling like you, both could discuss anything, the exact definition of your situationship was never explicitly mentioned.

"Just tell her that - that you like her a lot," John chuckled with a friendly shrug. "What else is there to it?"

**

So, on the following night, William invited you over to his condo, just like many times before. However, this time, you sensed a shift in his demeanour.

He arranged for take-out from his beloved sushi place, selected a movie, and set up the couch to create a cosy atmosphere for the two of you to snuggle up.

"Are you alright, Willy?" you chuckled lightly, surprised by his sudden change in behaviour. 

Well, truth be told, he still maintained his signature confident and smug expression, and initiating sexual gestures under the blanket. But it was after your passionate round of sex that his words altered everything between you.

Lying on your sides, facing each other with content smiles, sharing laughter and conversation as you often did, his gaze locked onto yours. 

"Y/n..." he began, taking a deep breath, gathering his thoughts and emotions. "I... think I like you. Like, a lot."

His voice was gentle and hesitant, his eyes searching for any signs of your reaction to his confession.

"Wait, the great hockey star of the Toronto Maple Leafs likes me?" you chuckled lightly, rising gently with a stretched arm to peer down at the man beside you.

"Yeah, I guess I do," he smiled up at you in his typically nonchalant manner.

"So, what does that mean - Are we dating? Like, tonight was a date?" your eyes sparkled with excitement as you awaited William's response, which prompted a nod from him.

"I'm not really good with words, you know... so I thought this was a way to let you know that I don't just want us to be friends with benefits."

And to put it mildly, the thrill of actually dating William Nylander led to another round of intimate bedsheet activity between you. 

However, dating with William wasn't exactly easy. It required flexibility, patience, honesty, and open communication - qualities that weren't always his forte. Yet, because you were both rather mad for each other, navigating his demanding schedule and his communication style seemed to work out reasonably well.

But despite the positive strides in your situationship, a part of you couldn't help but wonder what was going on in the mind of the Swede. Everything felt so right between you two. He introduced you to his team, took you out for dinner, and even entrusted you with a spare key to his condo. But neither of you had broached the serious question: what exactly were you to each other?

You found yourself grappling with the question: were you still just dating, or was it possibly something more? 

The uncertainty lingered, but you hesitated to ask William directly. You were afraid of potentially ruining the wonderful connection you shared, worried it might scare him off. Perhaps he wasn't ready for a serious relationship just yet, unwilling to commit fully or publicly declare himself as taken and no longer free to flirt with other girls.

So, you decided to let the issue rest and focused on enjoying the time you spent together.

That was until about two weeks later, after a Leafs game against the Penguins, where you were with William, meeting up with Alex and some of his teammates.

"Hey y/n, good to see you again," William's younger brother greeted you warmly with a gentle hug as you met him post-game.

"Good to see you too, Alex," you smiled back at him, and soon, some of his closest friends joined you in the arena's hall.

Naturally, William exchanged boyish handshakes with his friends. And then, to your surprise, they all turned to you with curious smiles.

"So, this is my girlfriend, y/n," William casually introduced you to the lads, and you had to control yourself, nearly choking on your own saliva at his words. Girlfriend?

The Pittsburgh players greeted you warmly, and you tried your best to casually return their friendly smiles, but inside, you were on the brink of losing it.

And after spending a little over an hour with the opposing team, as they eventually had to call it a night, you found yourself seated in William's car on the way back to his place. Throughout the ride, your mind raced with thoughts on how to bring up the topic but remained silent as you struggled to find the right words.

However, upon arriving at his condo, your face betrayed your curiosity more clearly than you intended.

"What?" William asked, puzzled by your intense expression.

"Girlfriend?" you pointed out, seeking clarification.

"What do you mean?" William responded, his brows furrowing in confusion, not quite grasping why you were so taken aback.

"Willy, you introduced me as your girlfriend to Alex and his friends…" you softly pointed out.

"Yeah, because you are my girlfriend..." William smiled, casually grabbing a few snacks from the cupboard.

"Wait, I'm your girlfriend?" you replied in surprise.

"Of course," he simply chuckled, leaning against the kitchen counter as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What do you mean 'of course', Willy?" you were genuinely puzzled. "I didn't know we were... I mean, serious."

"Wait, so I'm not your boyfriend?" William asked with a soft laugh, while enjoying his Gifflar.

"Well, I don't know... I mean, we haven't really talked about it, since no one’s asked," you tried to explain your perspective.

But William just chuckled again. "Nobody asks anymore... do they?"

"Well, it might be a good idea to ask, considering I didn't know you thought that we were... together like that," you stood before him, expressing a hint of uncertainty with a soft smile.

"I mean… I just thought we were serious, you know, since we both like each other and we spend so much time together – like, you’re always here, and neither of us is seeing anyone else... right?" he explained, trying to clarify.

And William's smirk faded slightly as he started to realise that perhaps you weren't ready for exclusivity yet and might have considered seeing other people.

"Of course, Willy," you chuckled lightly, moving a step closer to him. "I'm just a little surprised that you thought we were, I don't know, in an actual relationship?"

His smile returned as he set aside his snacks, gently placing his hands on your hips.

"I'm sorry, y/n/n… I guess I was just so excited about it that I forgot to ask you... but yeah, I definitely think we’re in a relationship," he said warmly, locking eyes with you in a tender moment.

"Alright then… I guess I'm just a little clueless about these things and maybe a bit old-fashioned," you smiled up at him, running your hands up his chest and around his neck, drawing yourself nearer to him.

"Well, in that case… y/n y/l/n, will you be my girlfriend?" William gazed into your eyes intensely as he asked the question.

Pretending to consider it for a moment, you let out a light chuckle. 

"Yes, William Andrew Michael Junior Nylander Altelius, I'd like to be your girlfriend."

With wide smiles, you then sealed your commitment to each other with a deep, heartfelt kiss, solidifying your love and newfound official relationship status.