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spicysighs · 11 months

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Matty Healy + Taylor Swift Timeline

11/7/13: Matty talking about Taylor liking the band and being asked to tour with her.

1/21/14: Matty talking about Taylor liking the band. xx

3/31/14: Matty talks about being asked to tour with Taylor and turning it down. "That was cool. It’s like, ‘We can’t, but that is really nice, thank you very much.”

11/4/14: Matty is pictured wearing a deluxe 1989 album cover tee at his concert in Milwaukee.

11/8/14: Taylor reblogs the picture on tumblr and says they are her favorite band.

11/9/14: Taylor likes these two pictures of Matty wearing the 1989 t-shirt.

11/9/14: Taylor liked this gif-set of Matty talking about whether he’s a dog or cat person.

11/19/14: Selena Gomez, Taylor and other friends went to The 1975 show in LA. Video of them singing along to ‘The City.’

11/19/14: Taylor & Matty making a video for a fan. (Jamie’s daughter Kitty)

11/22/14: Matty follows Taylor on Twitter.

11/23/14: Taylor was pictured wearing a The 1975 band shirt.

11/23/14: Taylor likes these two posts of them wearing each others merch.

11/24/14: Matty dedicates ‘Robbers’ to Taylor. Supposedly he’s done this multiple times. xx

11/25/14: Taylor likes these Tumblr posts. And this picture of Matty.

11/26/14: Taylor likes this Tumblr post.

11/26/14: Matty likes Taylor’s post on Instagram.

11/26/14: Matty wearing the 1989 t-shirt again.

11/26/14: Matty talking about meeting Taylor "I met Taylor Swift, that was really nice." and when asked about possibly dating "I mean bloody hell, what am I going to do? Go out with Taylor Swift? She's a sensation, I wouldn't say no."

11/28/14: Taylor is rumored to have attended The 1975 show in Chattanooga, TN.

11/29/14: Taylor likes this Tumblr post.

11/29/14: Matty signed this Polaroid for a fan, and the fan talking about the interaction.

11/29/14: Matty says he can’t kiss a fan because he’s taken.

12/2/14: Matty’s mom retweets this.

12/2/14: Matty likes Taylor’s Instagram post.

12/3/14: Matty about Taylor “Well, she’s amazing. She’s an amazing role model. And not only is she an incredible songwriter, she’s an incredible pop songwriter, which I think is even harder. I can’t speak highly enough about Taylor Swift.”

12/4/14: Taylor, Martha, Karlie and others went to The 1975 show in NYC. Where Matty dedicated ‘fallingforyou’ to her. Rumored that Matty missed the after-party and spent the night with Taylor. xx

12/5/14: Taylor likes this Tumblr post about Matty singing ‘fallingforyou’ to her.

12/5/14: Matty’s tweet in response to articles about him and Taylor getting his name wrong.

12/6/14: Matty has a breakdown on stage in Boston, MA. In 2015 talking about the incident he says “There was girl stuff. There was family stuff. There was financial stuff. There was drug stuff.”

12/6/14: Matty talking about a fan saying “I love you” to him. “What did I say to the poor fucking girl? ‘You don’t have the right to love me. You don’t know me. I love you but you don’t get to love me.’ Jesus. Can you imagine your favorite band shouting that at you? What a dickhead. What a horrible thing to say to a kid who fucking does love me.”

12/9/14: Matty at a show in NY “I was sad the other day as someone told me they loved me. And I said ‘No, you don’t. Not really.’ And today I told someone I loved them. And they said ‘No, you don’t.’ And it fucking sucks to hear that. Especially when you mean it. Don’t do that to someone. Don’t do what I did.”

12/14/14: Matty posts this on Instagram.

12/30/14: Matty deletes this Instagram post.

1/16/15: Matty denies dating rumors. Admits they exchanged numbers but “That didn’t really happen as much as it’d be amazing for me if it did, unfortunately it didn’t.”

2/25/15: They hangout at the BRIT Awards afterparty. (This weekend is when she met Calvin and they started dating)

2015: Matty & Halsey date and breakup.

11/15/15: Matty talks about Taylor in an interview “The things that surround her are like Barack Obama. I fell for her a little bit, but everyone falls for Taylor Swift” “The day after she’d been to a show of ours, someone sent me a screenshot of E! News with the headline ‘Who is Matt Healy?’ That freaked me out. I’m not ready to indulge in that world and I’m not ready to be judged by that world.”

12/8/15: Matty talks about reaching out to Taylor to have her in his music video.

Sometime in 2015: Matty & Gabriella Brooks start dating.

2/1/16: Matty talking about Taylor “She was a fan of the band and we just became friends, and we related to each other over how mental our lives were. But when you’re with people like Taylor, there are a million people flying around you the whole time, and this security guard is talking to that guy, and this guy is the new manager. I didn’t like the pace of it, because it makes me confused and I feel like I’m going to miss something. And being perceptive is one of the abilities that I like to think that I have.“

3/17/16: Matt Healy has suggested that dating Taylor Swift would have been "emasculating" for him because of her huge global fame.

3/18/16: Journalist who interviewed him writes an op-ed saying his words were misconstrued and "I saw an intelligent and liberal man wrestling with our culture’s gender roles."

3/19/16: He apologizes for said comments and calls Taylor "One of the most gracious, hard working, creatively gifted, and beautiful women that I have had the pleasure to meet."

6/1/16: Taylor & Calvin Harris breakup.

6/15/16: Taylor starts dating Tom Hiddleston.

8/17/16: Matty says he has Taylor’s number but “she’s probably changed her number by now.” And jokes “I keep texting her.”

8/30/16: Matty talks about Taylor on the BBCR1's Breakfast Show. They joke about Taylor doing jury duty.

9/6/16: Taylor & Tom Hiddleston breakup.

October 2016: Taylor & Joe Alwyn start dating.

10/27/16: Matty about Taylor in Rolling Stone “She came to our show, and you would have thought that Barack Obama had come out. I don’t know another person on the planet that would elicit that kind of reaction.”

11/11/16: Matty again denies he dated Taylor and says “She came to a show and we hung out. We fancied each other, but then we couldn’t have it go any further, because it would be like going out with Barack Obama.”

11/20/17: Podcast talking about Taylor & Matty.

12/3/18: Matty talking about his journal “It’s mainly stories that I write about my dreams of being in love with other popstars.”

12/4/18: Matty retweets a picture of Taylor.

8/28/19: Matty & Gabriella Brooks breakup.

9/23/19: Mentions wanting to produce an album for Taylor in an interview (at 13:48 & 32:00) “Taylor, if you ever want someone to help you set up the mics for your little acoustic record, just so you know, I’m there.”

9/23/19: Matty retweets and tags Taylor in a post quoting him saying he wants to produce an album for Taylor.

9/24/19: Matty tweets “Taylor Swift. With an acoustic guitar. Doing her ‘Nebraska’. Doing her ‘Blue’. Kill me.”

January 2020: Matty & FKA Twigs start dating.

2/12/20: Both attend the NME awards and hug. Beabadoobee (who Taylor is talking to in the video) about meeting Taylor that day “Taylor’s so ethereal, So badass, I was like ‘Holy shit!’ She was walking towards me and I’m like, ‘She’s going to Matty [The 1975] not me.’ And then she comes up to me and I’m like... I vomited in my mouth. I couldn’t believe it.”

2/20/20: Matty mentions seeing Taylor and wanting to work with her in an interview with Zane Lowe. “She was just stood behind me. I mean, I haven’t seen Taylor in years so it was actually a really nice room. But it, unfortunately, wasn’t the time for me to pitch my post-rock Joni Mitchell project.”

10/22/20: Deuxmoi posts these.

2021: Matty starts working with Jack Antonoff on The 1975′s upcoming album.

November 2021: Taylor and Jack Antonoff start working on “Midnights.”

6/7/22: Matty & FKA Twigs breakup.

8/9/22: Matty Healy shares Taylor Swift’s reaction to The 1975’s new album, with her saying “it’s so funny.”

9/3/22: Matty says there will be no collab on Midnights. “I would love that! But unfortunately FAKE NEWS :(”

10/7/22: Matty tweets “You guys actually thought Taylor Swift was gonna have me on her album”

10/11/22: Matty on working with Taylor “Oh we’re not. We’d love to. Love to work with Taylor Swift. Love Taylor Swift, think she’s one of the best songwriters, but yeah, no we haven’t done that. We’d love to though.”

10/11/22: The 1975 discuss covering ‘Lover’ for the BBC live lounge.

10/12/22: Matty briefly mentions Taylor in a Zane Lowe interview (45:53).

10/18/22: Matty briefly mentions Taylor in a podcast (1:22:40) when talking about who they would like to see on the podcast. Interestingly enough her name seems to be cut from the video version of the podcast.

10/23/22: Matty posted on his Instagram to stream Midnights.

10/26/22: Matty posted he was listening to ‘Hey Stephen TV’ on his Instagram story

11/27/22: Matty said he worked on Midnights with Taylor but their versions didn’t make the cut (4:52). “We actually worked a bit on that, but then the version of it never came out.” “It was for reasons not to be criticized.”

12/21/22: Matty said ‘Chocolate‘ reminds him of Taylor “Tumblr, Doc Martens, Taylor Swift, the 1975”

‘Question…?’ Played in The 1975 pre-show playlist. (Don’t have dates because it happened multiple times)

1/12/23: Matty & Taylor before The 1975 show.

1/12/23: Taylor does a surprise performance at The 1975 show in London. Deuxmoi later claims they stayed up until 4 am talking (later confirmed in his profile with The New Yorker.)

1/12/23: Matty “I’m not kissing anybody in front of Taylor Swift, have some respect. in front of the queen? not happening"

2/2/23: Matty briefly mentions Taylor and the Ticketmaster situation (38:06)

February: Allegedly spent several days at a Los Angeles recording studio together.

3/15/23: Matty seen with Ana Salazar.

3/17/23: First show of The Eras Tour

3/22/23: Puff-piece comes out stating Joe and Taylor are ‘great together’ and ‘super supportive of her career’ and will be travelling to her ‘when he can’.

‘About You’ plays at the same time as the Lover MV has been playing on The Eras Tour pre-show playlist. (Don’t have dates because it happened multiple times)

3/29/23: Matty’s ex says “Things were going well until around March 29th then, out of the blue, he stopped replying to my messages and calls.”

3/31/23: Taylor changes The Eras Tour setlist from ‘Invisible String’ to ‘The 1’

4/7/23: Matty follows Taylor on Instagram.

4/7/23: Matty likes Taylor’s Instagram post.

4/8/23: Matty’s birthday.

4/8/23: It's announced Taylor and Joe have broken up.

4/8/23: Matty talking about love and how happy he is.

4/10/23: Matty deactivates his social media accounts.

4/10/23: Matty on why he deactivated “Everything happens in eras. The 1975 is a very eras band. And I think that the era of me being a fucking asshole is gonna come to an end.” and “I perform all the time and it’s my job and I love doing this, but I can’t perform off the stage any more as I just want to be a bloke.”

4/10/23: Matty says “Hey, I love you.” during ‘About You’.

4/10/23: Matty mouths “You know who you are.” and points during ‘About You’.

4/11/23: Matty “A call for something sincere and direct. That’s what we’re all looking for. That’s what I’m looking for. Maybe I’ve found it.. I’m feeling quite happy.”

4/13/23: Deuxmoi says she got a tip that Matty & Taylor are dating. (19:16)

4/14/23: Matty cheering during ‘Me & You Together.’

4/14/23: Matty “Romance is nice when it works, this next song worked.” ‘fallingforyou’ starts playing “Oh it’s a different song, this song did not work.”

4/14/23: Before ‘About You’ “Ok, this is the one that worked.”

4/14/23: Matty mouthing “I love you” during ‘About You’ and saying “Fuck yeah, I win!” after it ends.

4/16/23: Matty’s “Yeah you will!” during ‘Happiness’ after the line, “I’m never gonna love again.”

4/19/23: Matty says “It takes bit to get here but its worth it” and “true story” before playing ‘Me & You Together.’

4/21/23: Matty plays a cover of ‘The Best of Me’ by The Starting Line. Take note of the lyrics.

4/24/23: Matty spoke about how he sees people listening to ‘She's American’ in three places: Manchester, Tokyo and Pennsylvania “that’s a whole other thing don’t worry about that.”

5/3/23: The Sun reports Matty and Taylor are dating and will go public with their romance at her shows in Nashville.

5/3/23: Matty introducing ‘Me and You Together song’, saying “I’ve got something real to tell you guys!”

5/3/23: Matty mouths “This is about you, you know who you are. I love you.” while playing ‘About You.’

5/3/23: Matty does a cover of ‘The Best of Me’ by The Starting Line again.

5/4/23: Matty introducing ‘Me and You Together song’, saying “So I’ve been trying to tell you guys” and “That’s right.”

5/4/23: Before playing ‘About You’ Matty mouths "This is why I'm happy. Who is it about? Who am I talking to?"

5/4/23: Matty is seen mouthing the words "I love you" before writing the letter T on the camera lens.

5/4/23: Matty saying “she sure is” before playing ‘She's American.’

5/4/23: Matty flies from Manila to Nashville. (Which is around a 20hr flight)

5/5/23: Matty at Taylor’s concert. Nashville night 1.

5/5/23: Taylor mouths “This is about you, you know who you are. I love you.” during ‘cardigan.’

5/6/23: Matty grabbing coffee accompanied by Taylors bodyguard after leaving Taylors condo.

5/6/23: Matty at Nashville night 2. xx

5/6/23: Matty & Taylor pictured arriving at Taylor’s condo together.

5/7/23: Matty at Nashville night 3.

5/11/23: Matty and Taylor spotted on a date with Jack Antonoff in NYC. More pictures here.

5/12/23: Matty at Philly night 1.

5/13/23: Matty at Philly night 2.

5/13/23: Taylor performs ‘This Love’ with no introduction.

5/14/23: Taylor plays a request of “Hey Stephen”, but doesn’t say who requested it.

5/14/23: Matty pictured at the VIP tent at The Eras Tour Philly night 3

5/15/23: Matty and Taylor pictured leaving a party at Electric Studios in NYC.

5/18/23: Article comes out saying Joe is 'distraught and slighted' over Taylor & Matty dating, saying he ‘trusted’ Taylor when she said they were just friends.

5/18/23 Matty entering Taylor’s NYC Apartment.

5/20/23: Matty’s ex talks about Matty and Taylor.

5/20/23: Taylor’s speech before playing ‘Question...?’ in Foxborough, MA. "I want you all to know that I've never been this happy before in my life. It’s not just with the tour, I just sort of feel like my life finally feels like it makes sense. And so I thought I’d play this song, which brings me a lot of happy memories."

5/20/23: Taylor plays ‘Question...?’ on night 2 in Foxborough, MA.

5/22/23: Matty dropping Taylor off at Electric Lady Studios.

5/24/23: Taylor and Matty leaving the Electric Lady Studios separately.

5/27/23: The Sun reports Matty and Taylor are moving in together.

5/29/23: Matty’s profile with The New Yorker comes out which includes multiple mentions of Taylor.

5/29/23: From The New Yorker “Healy found it annoying that, at a certain level of fame, celebrities can cultivate liberal auras while avoiding the risk of taking real political stands. (Swift, I thought, but didn’t say, seemed to be excepted from his critique.)”

5/29/23: From The New Yorker about Taylor & Matty dating “ Neither of their representatives would comment on the record, but I kept getting texts from people who knew them, and who insisted: this time, it’s real.”

6/5/23: Matty & Taylor reportedly break up.

6/6/23: People releases an article saying "There is no drama, and who knows what could happen again.” and "Taylor and Matty still care for one another but they are in the middle of world tours so both are incredibly busy. They've been friends for years and are still friends."

6/6/23: While discussing Taylor on his podcast (21:06) Zach Sang says "I'm like kind of friends with Selena Gomez. We've known each other for a very long time and we share a lot of close friends. And from what I heard like in the aura around Selena, Taylor was talking about Matty Healy like he was the one."

6/11/23: Matty reactivates his Instagram.

6/11/23: Matty “You know what’s nice, playing songs in context“ before ‘Me and You Together song’

7/1/23: Matty mentions Taylor "I don’t wanna use this thing [the catwalk], it feels very democratic, it feels very… I mean Beyonce of course, Taylor, Machine Gun Kelly, whoever it may be… I don’t like it, it makes me feel exposed."

7/5/23: The Sun claims Matty & Taylor are back together and “want to make it work at all costs.”

7/5/23: People declines claims that they are together.

7/18/23: Matty briefly mentions Taylor “I speak about this a lot, the Tumblr times, the simpler days, the golden days. When it was just us and Taylor and Lana and Arctic Monkeys.”

7/22/23: Taylor removes ‘About You’ from The Eras Tour pre-show playlist.

8/7/23: Matty is seen with Meredith Mickelson at an airport in Hawaii.

August 2023: Taylor starts dating Travis Kelce.

September 2023: Matty starts dating Gabbriette.

December 2023: Multiple people receive miss prints of “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” which appears to show the song “Slut” originally featured The 1975.

4/19/24: Taylor releases her new album “The Tortured Poets Department” where many songs are believed to be about Taylor and Matty’s previous relationship.

#i know someone else made a timeline but #it was missing some stuff so i made my own #with more details #taylor swift #matty healy #tatty #mine #long post

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tieronecrush · 11 months

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hot & heavy

chapter one: southern nights

neighbor!joel x f!reader

series masterlist

series rating: E (18+ only, MDNI), nothing explicit in this part but future parts will be

series summary:

over the course of three summers, joel miller becomes woven into your life. the first summer is spent falling for him; nannying his daughter and sneaking around with him in a burning love affair. you know how you feel about joel, he isn’t so sure about how it all is gonna work. the second summer is brief. a month spent at home after graduation and before you move to boston for your dream job. one look at you, one time hearing your voice, and joel is hooked again. he pines over you for that month, but you think — how is long distance of over a thousand miles going to work for a single dad? the third summer, you return home burnt out and pride bruised from your post-grad life. you need time to feel at home again, like your complete self, so you’ve come back home with no return ticket booked. it’s only a matter of time before joel seeks you out, slowly spending more time with you. without an inevitable end to the summer looming over you both, what chances are you willing to take?

word count: 4.4k

warnings: NO USE OF Y/N, NO OUTBREAK (don’t need to worry about the mushies), age gap (joel is 30/31, reader is 22), canon-divergent (sarah is 7 y/o), mild alcohol use, mentions of food/eating, pet name (sweetheart), polite southern manners (*cough* sir *cough*), feeling familial and self pressure

“I can see a truck pulling up now! C’mere, see if you can get a glimpse of them. You’ve got better eyes.”

Your mother is standing at the side of the picture window in your living room, attempting to stealthily get a good look at the new neighbors moving in next door. Her hand waves you over from where you’re standing at the bottom of the stairs, disheveled from the sleep that is still fogging most of your brain.

You definitely have to be half asleep because you comply with your mother’s urgent pleas, the bottoms of your bare feet sticking to the humid wood floors. You are fresh-air people, as your mother says, leaving all the windows and doors open for as long as humanly possible in the summer. It only lasts for the first few weeks of warmer weather, and eventually, everything gets sealed up and the house becomes a frigid ice box with the way your parents crank the air conditioning. Peeling your feet off the floor one last time, you stop in front of the glass.

Standing next to your mother, fully visible in the open window, you study the moving truck that’s pulled into the driveway adjacent to yours.

A local company. Must already be from Austin.

Behind the massive truck, a navy blue Ford pickup that you don’t recognize coasts down the asphalt, getting thrown into park in front of the lawn of the vacant house. Two men, maybe early thirties if you had to guess, climb out of the driver’s side and passenger seat, already talking over each other.

The one at the passenger side has dark brown, nearly black hair that looks just long enough to need a trim and frames his face with curls. Fairly tall, firm build. The white ribbed tank top that he’s wearing hugs his torso underneath the green shirt thrown on over it, buttons undone. He has a shit-eating grin on his face about something that must have been said, hand banging on the side of the car before he walks back towards the bed to grab a cardboard box out of it.

The other, the one that’s come out of the driver’s side, looks a bit older than the passenger. Much more cropped, but still messy, lighter brown hair sweeps down onto his forehead, the back of it curling up slightly at the nape of his neck. Definitely could use a haircut, too, but the bedhead is endearing. A hand reaches up to scratch at the trim beard and mustache that he’s sporting, the facial hair framing his strong jaw nicely. His eyebrows are furrowing in frustration or annoyance, or maybe a bit of both while his head shakes back and forth at whatever his companion joked about. He makes the grumpy stare charming, and you suddenly have the thought that you’d like to know if he’s always got that crease in his brow or if that’s only reserved for the man who was unpacking the truck now. The muscles in his biceps flex as he shuts his door, t-shirt pulling taut over his chest as he steps to open the rear door, a grin growing on his face.

Out from the backseat pops the most adorable little girl you’ve seen. Looks to be about seven or eight years old, maybe, with tiny, sweet features and dressed in a lilac shirt and denim Bermuda shorts. She’s got voluminous, kinky curls that show off natural highlights in the Texas sunshine. She’s giggling and giddy, reaching for the man who opened the door to help her down from the raised truck. He scoops her up, a shriek of laughter coming from the little girl as he slings her over his shoulder. More muscles flex in his back as he carries the weight easily, walking back to the bed of the pickup to grab some bags out of it to bring inside.

So tunnel-visioned on the vignette of family life playing out in front of you, you didn’t even think that you could be seen. A voyeur of your street, you forget that your curtains are drawn, the window is open, and a large pane of clear glass is the only thing in front of you. As if he could feel the burn of your stare, the eyes observing his movements, the man carrying the little girl turns towards your house. His stare catches your own that was already trained on him, a friendly smile plastered to his face as he raises the hand holding the girl in a short wave.

Mortifying. The first impression that your new neighbor, your attractive new neighbor, had of you was you, standing in ratty cotton sleep shorts and an oversized t-shirt, hair falling out of the hair tie at the back of your head. Heat warmed your cheeks and the back of your neck at the embarrassment of being caught, and of being caught in this outfit.

Your mother next to you erupts in laughter, turning away from the window as you grumble under your breath about that interaction being her fault. Trudging back up the stairs to get ready for the day, annoyance is still twisted in your expression. You skip back down the stairs to the kitchen, dressed and hair fixed up, skidding into the open room to see your dad at the table alone, the newspaper in his hand with the job listing page already pulled out and set at your usual spot.

“Morning, kiddo.”

“G’morning, Dad.”

Sliding into the wooden chair at the kitchen table, you start to look over the listings in search of a summer position to occupy your time at home before you start your last year of university in the fall. There are a few postings for dogwalkers, hostesses, and waitresses that you’ve already seen or applied to in the last week. A couple of bartending jobs catch your eye, thinking about the tips to be made, but your thoughts quickly deflate when they require state licensing.

A huff of disappointment rolls from your lips when your mom comes back inside through the door to the garage, an artful smile pulling at her lips. She’s looking directly at you, the expression making you uneasy in anticipation of whatever news or plan she’s concocted. Your mother meddles, in the most loving way possible, but she can’t help but stick her nose in everyone’s business. So the next words out of her mouth really shouldn’t surprise you, but they do make your stomach turn with newfound anxiety.

“So, I just met the new neighbors. Well, one neighbor and his daughter, I guess. The Millers. His name is Joel, and his daughter’s name is Sarah, she proudly told me she was seven years old and starting the second grade in the fall. The other guy we saw was his brother that he introduced me to, Tommy.”

You’re currently rereading the same job listing over and over again to avoid looking at your mom, feigning disinterest as you nod slowly at what she’s saying. At the same time, your nerves zip in excitement at knowing his name now, and you bite your tongue to ask your mom to continue, knowing she’d tease your eagerness.

Instead, you let her tell you about the rest of the brief interaction, recalling whichever neighborhood Joel had said they moved from and how he and his brother have lived in Austin their entire lives.

“Oh! I almost forgot to tell you both,” your mom addresses your father for the first time in the conversation, the call to his attention making him lower the newspaper to look at her, a silent nod getting her to continue, “I invited them over for a barbecue tonight to take a break from moving in and have a nice meal after their long day. I’m gonna need you to run to the store for me, and I’ll have to get to cleaning the house…”

Your mom’s plan for the day and list of chores trail off in your ears as a buzz muffles it. Your hot neighbor was coming over to your house, tonight, and you were going to have to face him after being caught blatantly staring.

How great for you.

The sliding screen door pulls shut behind you with a woosh and a click, returning to its pathetic job of keeping insects out of the house while letting the slightly cooler evening air in. Foamy flip-flops smack against the weather-worn oak wood deck as you shuffle over to the large silver grill that your dad commands. Steel wool scrapes against the metal grates of the inside; your dad’s bent over to get better leverage to clean all the burnt bits off.

The beach-themed melamine platter weighs heavy in your hands, covered with burgers, hot dogs, and brats - plus a couple of veggie burgers - to the point where the design of crustaceans and shells in the waves and beach towels laid out on the sand is completely disguised.

“I didn’t ask what they like to eat, so I got everything I could think of! You can’t assume these days with all these new folks moving to Austin, I’m trying to be considerate,” is what your mother said to you when you asked if she was planning to feed the whole block or a small army with the amount of food that was going on the grill.

Don’t even get started on the sides.

You set the platter piled with meat on the webbed black iron patio table to the side of the grill, shuffling over to stand at the edge of the deck, overlooking the chlorine-blue pool water that shines in the slowly fading sunlight. Your parents had installed the in-ground pool the first summer you’d been home from college, jokingly claiming it was their way to make sure you came home every summer, and your brother, Chris, too when he went away to school a short two years after you.

To be honest, it may have been a joke, but it was definitely part of the reason you came back each summer. That, and you just felt more yourself, more at ease at home. It was your comfort zone, but after spending every school year pushing yourself out of your comfort zone academically and socially, you always wanted to return to the warm, sun-soaked home that you grew up in. Maybe that made you more dependent on your parents still, maybe your friends saw it as immature, but you knew what you wanted to do, and you weren’t going to suffer over break just to seem like “an adult” like your friends thought they did.

“You gonna go for a swim, kiddo?”

Your dad’s voice pulls you out of your thoughts, focusing your eyes back from the wide aperture they had fallen into as you stood mesmerized by the water moving down below you. Clearing your throat, you cross your arms over your chest as you turn back to your dad at the grill, the clicks of the gas burners lighting aflame while he twists the dials at the front.

“Maybe later. Once this attempt of Mom’s to get the first gossip on the new neighbor is over.”

Your dad laughs softly at your lightly satirical joke at your mother’s expense, shaking his head and giving you one of those looks that says ‘just do as your mother says like you always do.’

“Well, you can relax plenty later. Just be on your best behavior for the neighbors, will ya?” He laughs at his own comment, the sarcasm coating the request he’d made. You’ve never made waves in your family, in your friend group, in your neighborhood. Always known as the “sweet girl” to your older neighbors, the “golden child” to your peers and your family. Your initially reserved nature gives everyone the impression that you are a polite, kind Southern belle. If only they could read minds.

Flip flops thwacking with each step as you cross the deck again, slipping inside through the sliding door. Skating past the kitchen quickly before your mom can rope you into helping with more preparation, you take the stairs two at a time to get up to your room to get ready.

You’d be lying to yourself if you said that there was a small part of you that was excited to meet Joel. The majority of you burns with embarrassment and is dreading having to face him after getting caught in your voyeurism this morning, but with how attractive he was, it could be a bit fun to have him as a neighbor next door.

Which is why you’re standing in front of your full-length mirror, hair fixed up from the state it was in when he first saw you and a short, light blue sundress on. Eyelets and embroidery covered the dress, the square neckline was framed by cap sleeves. It was modest enough to keep your intentions for dressing up hidden from your parents, but it was revealing enough to make you feel confident to face your hot neighbor for an official introduction.

The next half an hour is spent following your mom’s instructions, most of them being silent points of her finger while she’s absorbed in another task. Every so often you make eye contact with Chris through the patio door, him in the middle of the same treatment from your dad out by the grill.

At one point, your mom is so tunnel-visioned that when you finish the last assignment she’d given you, you slip out to where your dad and brother are now lounging in the chairs around the table on one side of the deck. The metal scrapes against the wood as you pull out one and take a seat, sighing gratefully when Chris passes you a beer from the cooler next to him. The cap twists off with a hiss and a pop, the water from the melted ice dripping onto your chest. As you tip the bottle to your lips and dab off the water before it runs down your skin to the neckline of your dress, the Millers walk up the steps at the side of the deck, tumbling greetings over each other.

Your dad stands, your brother behind him as they take a few steps to meet Joel and Tommy halfway. Polite handshakes are exchanged while you get up out of your seat, beer left on the table to go get the embarrassment over with.

Sarah stands shyly next to her dad, her little shoulder completely encompassed by her dad’s hand as she looks up at all the men around her starting to talk about the latest Astros game. You smile softly at her and give her a wave as you move to stand with everyone, a slight smile growing on her face at someone acknowledging her. She steps away from her subtle hiding place next to Joel, the movement causing Joel to glance down at her before his eyes turn up to you.

A friendly smile ticks up one side of his mouth, brown eyes speckling with caramel highlights as he squints in the sunlight to take a step forward and reach out his hand to you.

“I’m Joel, the new neighbor.”

You give him a firm, polite handshake with a warm grin attached to it, nodding your head.

Please dear God, or whatever is out there, don’t let him mention this morning.

“It’s nice to meet you, sir. Hope today hasn’t been too much of a nightmare moving in.” Nerves bubble in your stomach, but you can’t help but feel them turn to butterflies when his eyes darken ever so slightly at the word ‘sir’, hand quickly falling out of yours and resting back on Sarah’s shoulder as he clears his throat quietly.

“Hasn’t been too bad, right bug? You wanna introduce yourself?” His eyebrows raise encouragingly to his daughter and the nickname warms your heart, watching as Sarah grows more confident to stand up straight, a smile on her face.

“My name’s Sarah,” she directs towards you and then turns to her dad, waving him to crouch down to her level so she can whisper at the not-so-subtle kid's volume, “What do I say after that?”

Joel chuckles lightly and whispers back to her quietly enough for you not to hear. He stands up straight again, watching Sarah.

“It’s nice to meet you, miss!” she turns to Joel again, beaming proudly, “Is that right?”

He nods and looks back at you as you laugh softly, a wide smile on your face from the adorable and incredibly polite greeting Sarah’s given you. His own smile pulls larger as you bend down to be at eye level with her, warmth emanating from you introduce yourself just as Sarah did and fall into conversation with her.

She tells you all about her last school year in the first grade, her favorite toys, and how excited she is for her summer camp. The two of you have moved to sit next to each other on the outdoor couch, your drink forgotten next to you as you listen to the bubbly seven-year-old.

Joel and Tommy stay in conversation with your dad and Chris near the grill, standing around in a semi-circle and making small talk about sports, weather, and the sturdiness of your deck. Joel and Tommy mentioned having a contracting business together, and your dad ran with it, asking them every question under the sun about the longevity of the build that was done a few years ago.

Your mom comes out to join them for a bit, sitting with you and Sarah as you talk with each other before she gathers all the meat fresh off the grill to bring inside and finish setting up everything.

A few more minutes pass before your mom pops her head out and calls everyone in to make a plate. You stand up and wait for Sarah to climb off the couch, following behind her bouncy curls. Everyone’s made it through the door ahead of you, except for Joel as he lingers to wait for his daughter. One of his hands finds her head as he carefully ushers her inside, turning to you with a sincere look in his eyes.

“Thanks for keeping her entertained. She loves to talk, doesn’t really get that from me,” he drawls out, his accent a bit thicker than yours. You shake your head, waving a hand at him to dismiss him.

“She’s the one keeping me entertained, I’m surprised I’m not boring her with my lack of summer plans to discuss. She’s very excited for day camp,” you chuckle quietly, still standing less than a foot from Joel at the sliding door. You can smell the body wash he must’ve used in the shower before coming over, fresh eucalyptus and birch mixing with the richer cedarwood and bergamot of what you assume is his cologne.

“Oh, yeah. Big time. She was begging me to sign her up finally this year and it made sense with my work schedule getting busier. But, still, thanks for hanging out with her.” He nods toward the door, gesturing for you to walk in ahead of him. His hand hovers behind your back as you step in ahead of him, fingers brushing your dress lightly before he quickly pulls them away.

You stand to the side to let the guests go through to get their food first, Joel helping Sarah put everything she wants onto a plate while balancing his own. Tommy happily starts eating what’s already on his plate halfway through the line, earning a jab in the side from his older brother. Once everyone’s gotten what they wanted, you all pile back outside to the deck to sit around and eat.

The table isn’t large enough for everyone, so it ends up being your parents, Chris, and Tommy sitting around it while you, Joel, and Sarah sit around the patio lounge set. Sarah happily sits on the ground at the coffee table, you slipping a cushion down for her to rest on before sitting in one of the chairs across from the couch.

Joel’s settled next to his daughter, facing you as he wipes his mouth with his napkin.

“So, uh, your dad said you’re going into your last year at TCU? What’re you studying?”

“Public Relations and Advertising. I’m hoping—”

“She wants to move to Boston!” Sarah interjects with a mouthful of hotdog bun.

Joel looks at her with a gently reprimanding look, “Bug, please don’t talk with your mouth full. ‘S not polite.”

He turns back to you after patting his daughter’s curls, lips curled up to one side.

“Boston, huh? What’s all the way up there?”

“Not here,” you laugh softly, shrugging your shoulders as you stab a piece of potato salad with your fork, “I love Austin, don’t get me wrong, but living here my whole life and going to school only three hours away in Fort Worth feels like I haven’t seen much outside of Texas. Plus, there’re some good agencies up there and it’s not as scary of a move like New York or Los Angeles would be.”

Joel nods in understanding, speaking up after he finishes a bite, “I get that. Haven’t lived anywhere but Austin my whole life, but I can understand wanting to experience new things.”

You might be imagining things, but you swear you can hear his voice drop deeper in the last half of his sentence. It sends a flutter between your legs, and the back of your neck burns with chagrin.

Conversation continues to flow easily between you and Joel, and Sarah, too. Your parents don’t ask you to help clean up because you’re so invested, laughing quietly at his subtle humor and smiling widely when Sarah adds in her commentary or tells a story.

Tommy and Chris join you all on the lounge furniture, falling into a wider group discussion of neighborhood politics and what fun things you and Chris got up to when you were around Sarah’s age.

Joel’s eyes stay trained on you whenever you're speaking, even glancing at you when you’re both listening to someone else. The eye contact from him stirs your stomach and hitches your breath, your own stare avoiding his when it gets a bit too intense.

Hours are consumed quickly, the twilight blue skies dimming your backyard so that only the porch and string lights illuminate the deck. Low light and the late hour have soothed Sarah to sleep, her small frame tucked into Joel’s side. He keeps a hand on her back while she rests, everyone looking at her tenderly.

Joel asks you and your mom if you know of any other neighbors with young kids that are going to the park district day camp for the summer, wondering if there’s a possibility to carpool or arrange some care for Sarah when he’s got a busy schedule.

Not knowing anything yourself since you don’t live here full time anymore, you turn to your mom and watch as the gears turn in her head, eyes lighting up with an idea.

“Actually, haven’t you been looking for a summer job, honey? Maybe you could nanny Sarah! Drop her off when Joel can’t, pick her up every day, and watch her until Joel gets home from work. That is, if you’d be interested in that, Joel.”

Your mouth opens and closes as you try to stutter out a response, feeling a bit flustered at your mom’s out-of-the-blue suggestion. Plus, you aren’t sure you could manage to work for your hot neighbor and to see him often; it was one thing to have a crush and pine freely from afar, but spending time in his house? Seeing him every day?

Your thighs press together as your mind races with thoughts about more of Joel in all aspects.

Being the ever-so-polite Southern daughter you were raised to be, you turn to Joel with a glittering smile and nod despite the stomach acid creeping up your throat with your nerves.

“I’d love to help out if you need it. Spending my summer with Sarah would be fun.”

At your confirmation of the offer, Joel pauses for a moment to look down at his sleeping daughter, heading swinging back to you with a boyish grin on his face.

“Guess that solves my problem then. Think you can start next week? Her first day is Wednesday.”

Arrangements are made with Joel as the Miller crew gets ready to leave, your own family have said their goodbyes and retiring inside to clean up after the night. Joel and you stand on the deck next to the stairs that lead to your side yard and over to their house. He shifts on his feet, passing Sarah from his arms to Tommy’s for his younger brother to get her home.

Joel’s arms stretch up briefly, giving you the slightest peek at the bottom of his stomach when his t-shirt lifts. Saliva floods your mouth as the thought of kissing there when you’re on your knees for him passes through your mind quickly.

Stop thinking about him like that. Yeah, he’s hot but he’s also now going to be employing you.

“Thanks again for offering to nanny, Sarah. She’s gonna be real excited when I tell her in the mornin’. You sure you don’t wanna take the out now?” His hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans, a coy smile on his face.

“It’s really no problem at all. Like I said, I think it will be a fun summer.”

There’s no hidden meaning to your words, but for some reason Joel drops your stare after you speak, glancing down at his boots before he raises his head again, his smile a hint wider.

His drawl coats the words as he replies, “Well, it’s definitely gonna be somethin’, sweetheart.”

Joel turns on the heel of his boot, bounding down the short staircase and over toward his yard. He looks back once, a short wave raised towards you as he calls out a ‘goodnight’ to your frozen frame on your deck.

The front door of the Miller house clicks closed and you finally exhale the breath you didn’t realize you were holding in. Slow movements carry you inside and up to your room, flopping down to your bed on your back. One had rested on your stomach filled with butterflies, the other over your heart to feel the quickened rhythm.

Joel was right, this summer was definitely going to be something. And you were eager to find out what exactly it could be.

series taglist: @beskarandblasters @undrthelights @swiftispunk @joelsversion @clingontolife @elizabeth01585 @wandaandellie @asirenbyanyothername @ellenmunn @ja-ehyun @livinxdeadxgrl @sw33tp1xie @starsandsaints07 @marisemonteiroo @brunetteeras @whydontyoysaynodoja @beee-haw @shmaptainshmerica07 @jenna-mcgraw19 @whore-4-pedro @spursgirl14-blog @katifefe @joelmillerswifu @itsgiorgiaz @soph55 @grapejuicesny @wild-hearts-runfree @youcancallmeelle @lisa-ru @jupitren @ziggy-star @miaispunk @oneofutoo @starkovli @thatgeminigirlx @marchai @bunnyskisses @houseofballoonsth @casual-obsessions @pedro-pascal-lvr @bimbodolls-world @burningnerdchild @tuquoquebrute @mrsvedder12 @estelivi28 @helllsent @bongsrconfusing @addictedtotlou @brittmb115 @angie2274 @owod3 @pedrostories @pedroholicx @theelishad @johnwatsn

#joel #writing #joel miller #joel miller x you #joel miller x reader #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller smut #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x afab!reader #joel miller fic #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fanfic #tlou fic #tlou fanfiction #tlou fanfic #joel miller x yn #joel miller x y/n

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cinnamongorll · 4 months

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'a fragile line' - masterlist

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female OC

Fic synopsis: three years ago, Juliet escaped her father's religious survivor camp, ending up in the Boston QZ. Juliet created a life for herself in Boston, desperate to forget the trauma of her upbringing. One day, Juliet arrives home to find a mysterious letter which forces her to return to her home town. Juliet can't travel the harsh post-apocalyptic landscape alone, so she enlists the help of the grumpy and, at times, frightening man she works alongside: Joel Miller.

Tags: extreme slow burn, age gap, older man/younger woman, protective joel, jealous joel, hurt/comfort, pov third person, mutual pining, angst, sexual tension, friends to lovers, canon-typical violence, feral joel, parental abuse, eventual smut.

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Inspired by ‘Strangers’ by Ethel Cain, ‘Haunted’ by Taylor Swift, and ‘Francesca’ by Hozier 🫀

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read on ao3 - currently 30 chapters (139k words) & usually updated every 1-2 weeks!

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read on tumblr:

chapter 1 'Marked for death'

chapter 2 'Put it on me'

chapter 3 'Twice'

chapter 4 'Something in the way'

chapter 5 'Way down we Go'

chapter 6 'Hearing Damage'

chapter 7 'Slipped'

chapter 8 'Killer + The Sound'

chapter 9 'Carolina'

chapter 10 'Salt and the Sea'

chapter 11 'Tulsa Jesus Freak'

chapter 12 'The Night We Met'

chapter 13 'First Defeat'

chapter 14 'Who We Are'

chapter 15 'Bloodstream'

chapter 16 'Villain'

chapter 17 'NFWMB'

chapter 18 ‘Funny’

chapter 19 'Strangers'

chapter 20 'No Sound But The Wind'

chapter 21 'I'm Your Man'

chapter 22 ‘Running Up That Hill’

chapter 23 'My Tears Ricochet'

chapter 24 ‘Safe and Sound’

chapter 25 'House Song'

chapter 26 'My Body is a Cage'

chapter 27 'Happiness is a Butterfly'

chapter 28 'Illicit Affairs'

chapter 29 'The Last Time'

chapter 30 'If You Lie Down With Me'

#joel miller x original character #joel miller x reader #joel miller x oc #joel miller x female oc #joel miller hbo #joel miller fanfic #joel miller angst #ao3 fanfic #joel miller #joel miller fic #joel tlou #the last of us hbo #the last of us #Spotify #pedro pascal #joel miller smut #tlou #tlou hbo #joel the last of us

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fannyyann · 26 days

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Tkachuk tells NHL.com how change in approach lifted game for Panthers

Forward no longer playing it safe, becomes ultimate clutch player in Florida

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – There was a time in Matthew Tkachuk’s life when he played it safe. It’s hard to remember now, hard to get that image out of your head, the one where he is crushing opponents and taking over Stanley Cup Playoff games and literally walking off the ice after scoring a game-winning goal in the fourth overtime of Game 1 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Final.

It’s hard to remember there was a before.

But there was.

Once upon a time, like most mortals, Tkachuk didn’t want to make a mistake. He didn’t want to be blamed. He didn’t want to err, to let down his teammates, the fans, himself. It was a time when he wasn’t quite as confident, wasn’t quite as assured -- if that can be believed -- when he didn’t know that, for him, safe was the riskiest play of all.

“I think maybe earlier in my career, being a young player, not wanting to be the guy that made the mistake, [I] maybe played a little bit safe in the high-pressure situations,” Tkachuk said. “Just trying to play it smart and, honestly, safe’s a perfect word for it.

“And then a couple years ago, I was like, why not make the play when nobody else wants to try to attempt it because they’re too nervous [about] what bad’s gonna happen? And I’ve seemed to go the other way, in the extreme other way, and that’s seemed to work the last few years.”

Tkachuk pinpoints it exactly, to 2021-22, his final season with the Calgary Flames, before the trade, before he landed in South Florida and became a genre-crossing star, before he helped propel the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final last season.

“I was like, ‘Why not?’” Tkachuk said. “Why wouldn’t you want to be the guy that can make that right play at the last minute of the game or whatever? … I’m like, I’m capable, I feel like I’m a good enough player where I can be confident in myself no matter what the situation is. And that’s just kind of kept going.”

The Panthers and Tkachuk will need it to keep going, as they head to the playoffs having hit a tough skid of late. The Panthers, who are set to face the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), are 3-6-1 in their past 10 games, including a 6-0 win against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

They are second in the Atlantic Division, four points behind the Bruins, having clinched a playoff spot on March 28, a far cry from last season when the Panthers clinched with a single game remaining on their schedule. They then fell behind 3-1 in the best-of-7 first-round series against the Bruins. That was when they -- and Tkachuk -- came roaring back to force a Game 7. To win that Game 7.

“I knew what he could bring on a stage like that, but I don’t think the whole rest of the world knew what he could do,” brother and Senators captain Brady Tkachuk said. “So for him to show what he was all about is pretty cool. And I think he’s got another level to his game.”

Paul Maurice thinks he knows why.

The Panthers coach has seen a handful of players in his career who are elite, who might even rise to the level of potential Hockey Hall of Fame players. And when he’s viewing them, he notes something, something that seems to be common to all of them.

“I watch them and they have a higher expectation of the result,” Maurice said. “And the analogy I used [was] when that guy goes in and buys a suit, he expects it to fit right and it’s going to look good. He has an expectation of the result.

“With Matthew, it seems to me, it’s tied, there’s four minutes [left], he’s excited about that situation because he has a really high expectation that something good’s going to happen because over the course of his life, that’s exactly what’s happened. It wasn’t a lottery. It’s just he’s gone out and made it happen, so he wants to and believes it can.

“I never sensed any arrogance on him. I truly have not. It’s not like, hey, give me the puck, I’m the shooter. He just thinks when he hits the ice, it could happen, and his life has told him that it could happen. So why wouldn’t you enjoy the hell out of that?”

Oh, and he is.

Not only has South Florida been a revelation for Tkachuk, so too has the team, which has entered into the top echelon of the NHL. He has figured out himself and his game, not only that he can -- and will -- come up big in the biggest of moments, but that he can also adjust to fit what the team requires, mold his game to the situation.

Asked if he is a chameleon, he readily agrees.

Especially in the playoffs.

“I look at those types of playoff games differently,” Tkachuk said. “Like some people if they’re not producing, they’re not doing too much to help their team, whereas one of the good things that I’m able to do is recognize what my team needs out of me on that particular night or that particular shift.

“There are some nights when offense comes second and all I’m trying to do is run around, be physical, try to forecheck and try to gain my team momentum like that. Even if teams are keying in on me or really focusing on me, there’s ways to make an impact.”

No one can argue with that. The Bruins still bear the scars -- some literal, some figurative -- of what Tkachuk did to them in the playoffs last spring.

In the final four games of the first-round series, Tkachuk had eight points (four goals, four assists) to help them win the best-of-7 series.

Boston forward Trent Frederic, who traces his understanding of Tkachuk back to basement games as kids in St. Louis, said that he thinks that, likely, had Tkachuk not been on the Panthers, the Bruins would have advanced.

But he was. They didn’t. And now it’s not hard to believe that many teams are uninterested in seeing the Panthers on the opposing bench in the playoffs, in seeing Tkachuk on the opposing bench.

Before a cracked sternum forced him to miss the fifth and final game of the last season’s Cup Final, Tkachuk had 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists), including four game-winning goals, in 20 playoff games.

“So the playoffs, I think the one quote, he’s a [expletive] gamer, that’s how I feel about him in the playoffs last year. And I know it’s profane, but it’s also very specific words, it’s exactly the way I feel about him,” Maurice said. “Sometimes the words just fit. Sometimes they’re casual and you swear too much. Sometimes I do. But that is how I -- a [expletive] gamer. He comes up with the biggest plays time and time again. And his energy level to be able to play at that level, that was specific to the hockey.

“This year, I’ve gotten to watch what an incredible leader he is.”

He sees it on the bench, in the exhortation of his teammates, in his calming of them, in his barking at them. He sees it when he brought a friend and his two kids into the dressing room after a game in Detroit, when Tkachuk paused in his postgame showering routine to sign a jersey, to take a picture, to get Carter Verhaeghe out of the shower to sign the other jersey.

“I don’t even blame players who don’t sign,” Maurice said. “But he doesn’t have to do that, and he does that consistently. … It’s not fake. It’s not showy. I think he understands the responsibility that he has and he takes care of it.”

There are so many responsibilities heaped on Tkachuk now.

He is a leader on the ice and off it. He is the second-leading scorer, with 83 points (24 goals, 59 assists), the top chirper and certainly the most talked about player on the Panthers. And he is ready, once again, to receive that pressure. He is ready for the playoffs. He is ready for the eyes and the lights and all that comes with it.

“I enjoy it,” Tkachuk said. “I think that the high intense games and the rivalry games and the, just like the intense part of the games that some guys might not feel too confident or comfortable, I seem to thrive in them and I love those moments.”

There will be no shortage of those moments in the waning days of the season, in the start of the playoffs, as the Panthers attempt to replicate their Cinderella run to the Final last season -- without the Cinderella part.

Because much like the Panthers, who have been at or near the top of the NHL all season, there will be no surprises when it comes to Tkachuk. He is known, now. Known for stealing games, for coming up big in the biggest moments, for never, ever playing it safe.

And when the pressure comes, as it will, he will be right there.

“Knowing him, that’s going to make him go to another level,” Brady Tkachuk said. “And I think for him, he’s going to love, not the spotlight, but the opportunity that comes from that and what he’s going to be able to do with that. He gets better when the pressure is higher.”

#the quote from paul!!!!!!! the story about pulling carter out of the showers to sign a kid's jersey!!!! it's all too much #bye!#matthew tkachuk #2324

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somuchforstardust · 9 months

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SO MUCH FOR (TOUR) DUST LINK MASTERLIST

hi everyone due to my problems and issues i have a limited ability to care about what’s going on during this tour as it’s happening unfortunately this does not stop me from being crazy insane. so below is my link hoarding. everything besides the surprise songs is mostly whatever i personally wanted to be able to access again but since i’m sharing this with the public, if there’s anything you would like added i’ll add it if you send me the link. fall out boy forever ❤️

MAGIC 8 BALL SURPRISE SONG

6/21/23 - GINASFS (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

7/2/23 - First of two 8 Ball songs on LA Night 1 (x) (x) (x)

7/30/23 - Second of two 8 Ball songs in Toronto (x) (x)

8/2/23 - Second of two 8 Ball songs in Boston (x) (x) (x)

8/6/23 - Third of three 8 Ball songs in Camden (x)

6/23/23 - Gin Joints (x) (x) (joe requesting it ❤️)

6/24/23 - Sophomore Slump (x) (joe looking confused ❤️)

7/3/23 - Performed with William Beckett on LA Night 2 in the place of "Takeover" (x) (x) (x)

6/28/23 - (After) life of the Party (clip) (clip)

7/3/23 - First of two 8 ball songs on LA Night 2 (x) (x)

6/30/23 - Homesick at Space Camp (x) (x)

7/3/23 - Played in the place of “Chicago Is So” at LA Night 2 (couldn't find a link 😞)

7/16/23 - Played in the place of “Chicago Is So” in IN

7/1/23 - (Coffee's for Closers) (x) (x) (clip) (clip)

7/2/23 - America's Suitehearts (x) (x)

7/3/23 - Bang the Doldrums (x) (x) (x) (x) (clip)

7/9/23 - Played in the place of "Takeover" in Denver (x)

7/16/23 - Played in the place of "Takeover" in Noblesville (x)

7/19/23 - Played in the place of "Takeover" in Bristow (clip) (pete bridge)

7/24/23 - Played in the place of "Takeover" in West Palm Beach (x)

7/26/23 - Played in the place of "Takeover" in Atlanta (x)

8/2/23 - Played in the place of "Takeover" with “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” intro in Boston (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

8/5/23 - Played in the place of "Takeover" in Holmdel (x) (x)

7/5/23 - Patron Saint (x) (x) (x, pete talks to a member of the crowd) (clip)

7/7/23 - The Kids Aren't Alright (clip) (clip) (clip)

7/9/23 - Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner (x) (x)

7/11/23 - Slept With Someone (clip) (clip) (pete scream ❤️)

7/13/23 - Fame Infamy (x) (x) (clip)

7/15/23 - Favorite Record (x) (x)

7/16/23 - Where Did the Party Go (x) (x) (x)

7/18/23 - 27 (x) (x) (x) (clip) (clip) (clip) (clip)

7/19/23 - Played in the place of “Headfirst Slide” in Bristow (clip) (joelo)

8/1/23 - Second of two 8 Ball songs at Forest Hills (x) (x) (x)

8/4/23 - Second of two 8 Ball songs in Darien Lake (x) (x) (x)

8/6/23 - Second of three 8 Ball songs in Camden (x)

7/19/23 - She's My Winona (x) (clip) (clip) (clip)

7/21/23 - Dead On Arrival (x) (x) (x)

7/25/23 - Played in the place of “Chicago Is So” in Tampa (x) (x) (x)

8/2/23 - Played in the place of “Chicago Is So” in Boston (x) (x) (x)

8/5/23 - Played in the place of “Chicago Is So” in Holmdel (x) (x)

8/6/23 - Played in the place of “Chicago Is So” in Camden (with Royal & the Serpent!) (x)

7/22/23 - 7 Minutes (x) (x) (x) (x) (clip) (Patrick on drums!)

8/1/23 - Played in the place of “Takeover” in Forrest Hills (x)

7/24/23 - Tell That Mick (x) (patrick forgets the words)

7/25/23 - Miss Missing You (x) (x) (x) (x)

7/26/23 - From Now On We Are Enemies (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

7/29/23 - Don’t You Know Who I Think I Am? (x)

7/30/23 - West Coast Smoker (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

8/1/23 - I Am My Own Muse (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

8/5/23 - Second of two 8 Ball songs in Holmdel (x) (x) (x)

8/2/23 - XO (x) (x) (x) (x)

8/4/23 - You’re Crashing (x) (x) (x) (x)

8/5/23 - Bob Dylan (x) (x)

8/6/23 - Pavlove (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

PATRICK PIANO MEDLEY

6/21/23 - Lake Shore Drive (x) (x) (x)

6/23/23 - What A Time To Be Alive (x)

6/24/23 - Like A Lawyer (x)

6/27/23 - Somebody to Love/ Take On Me

6/28/23 - What a Catch (x)

6/30/23 - Spotlight (x) (x)

7/1/23 - Nothing Compares 2 U (x, mentions pete requested it :) )

7/2/23 - Mr. Blue Sky/ Golden (x) (x)

7/3/23 - Every Breath You Take/ All This Ringing (x)

7/5/23 - Alison/ What a Catch (x) (x)

7/7/23 - What A Time To Be Alive / Hold the Line

7/9/23 - Goin’ North / Golden

7/11/23 - Peace, Love, and Understanding/ What a Catch

7/15/23 - What a Catch/ Golden (x)

7/16/23 - What A Time To Be Alive / Golden (bug)

7/18/23 - Hallelujah/ Like a Lawyer

7/19/23 - Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner (acoustic guitar) (x, + intro)

7/21/23 - Lean On Me/ What a Catch (x) (clip)

7/22/23 - What A Time To Be Alive/ Golden (x)

7/24/23 - Dancing Queen/ Golden (x) (patrick doesn’t know the words)

7/25/23 - What a Catch/ Golden (no link 😞)

7/26/23 - Nothing Compares 2 U/ All This Ringing (x) (x) (x)

7/29/23 - What A Time To Be Alive/ Golden (no link 😞)

7/30/23 - What a Time to Be Alive/ Golden (x)

8/1/23 - What a Catch/ Just One Yesterday/ Stereo Hearts/ Cupid’s Chokehold (with Travie McCoy!) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

8/2/23 - w.a.m.s./ Sweet Caroline (x) (x) (x) (x)

8/4/23 - Get Busy/ Golden (x) (x)

8/5/23 - I’ve Got A Dark Alley/ What A Catch (x) (x) (x) (x)

8/6/23 - Jet Pack Blues/ I’ve Got A Dark Alley/ Golden (x) (x) (x) (x)

FULL SET

6/21/23 - Chicago @ Wrigley Field

6/27/23 - The Woodlands @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

6/28/23 - Dallas @ Dos Equis Pavillion (x)

7/1/23 - Chula Vista @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre

7/2/23 - Los Angeles @ BMO Stadium Night 1

7/3/23 - Los Angeles @ BMO Stadium Night 2 (x)

7/13/23 - Somerset @ Somerset Amphitheater

7/21/23 - Charlotte @ PNC Music Pavilion

7/30/23 - Toronto @ Budweiser Stage (x)

8/2/23 - Boston @ Fenway Park (x) (x)

8/6/23 - Camden @ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion

RIFF WITH PATRICK

obviously very incomplete i gave up whatever

6/27/23 - 20% Gatorade

6/28/23 - “you weren’t in my ears, i don’t know what you just said”

7/2/23 - “the stadium has a bit of a new car smell”

7/5/23 - “we met a bunch of flight attendants today”

7/7/23 - “riff with patrick”

7/11/23 - “i’m gonna go play super mario brothers”

7/15/23? - “collect my bracelet please”

7/16/23 - “everyone on the lawn is a cardboard cutout” (x)

7/19/23 - “let’s have a chat”

7/22/23 - “thought we’d have a conversation” also pete says the word headcanon

7/25/23 - “what do your clothes look like when they’re dry?”

7/26/23 - Patrick wants Pete to set him up for his wet clothes joke

8/1/23 - “not just another song”

8/4/23 - Patrick looks like a teddy bear and gets the job done

MISC PETE 💞

6/21/23 - “this is my favorite band”

6/21/23 - lava boots speech

6/21/23 - a little dance during Saturday

6/23/23 - i am just the planets spinning around you

6/28/23 - no comment 💖

7/2/23 - this video emma took <3

7/3/23 - this story about smoking weed and going to horror nights

7/3/23 - “i don’t lie under a blanket and think about dying anymore”

7/9/23 - breaking up a fight

7/13/23 - Crazy Train from the tree

7/19/23 - Something about kissing?

7/26/23 - Headfirst Slide

7/29/23 - Pete in the box

8/1/23 - Pete spots Rob Hitt from Midtown in the crowd

MISC PETERICK 💖

6/28/23 - assorted momence

7/2/23 - watching New Found Glory together

7/5/23 - Pete starts talking about Succession and Patrick distracts him (just the “lost in the sauce” bit)

7/19/23 - elbow on shoulder shimmy :)

7/19/23 - patrick complains about complaining about the billy joel cover

7/7/23, 7/19/23, 8/2/23 Baby Annihilation magic trick

7/21/23? - “more than an hour” mishap (x)

EXTRA STUFF

6/21/23 - Patrick hugs Joe on his tippy toes ❤️ (closer pics)

7/1/23 - Saturday with Mikey Way (x) (x) (x)

7/3/23 - Stopped the show to help a fan and discuss how to restart

7/22/23 - Joe dancey during gta

7/24/23 - Last of the Real Ones shoulder squeeze (gif)

7/29/23 - Coffee Mug cover

8/1/23 - Tiktok from Travie (featuring feet off the ground Pete hug ❤️)

8/1/23 - Feet off the ground Travtrick hug ❤️ (x)

8/6/23 - Joe chant

INTERVIEWS

Pete & Patrick Zane Lowe Interview

Tim's Listening Party (track by track smfs commentary)

this random interview where pete has space buns

3/17/23 - Pryzm in Kingston Q&A

3/23/23 - SiriusXM Interview

7/3/23 - KROQ Q&A + Performance (bunny puppet interview)

#fall out boy #tourdust #so much for (tour) dust #last update: 8/11/23

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leavememorieshere · 6 months

Text

Day 13th is making me bit my nails ngl

#cody martin #zack martin #november 16 2023 #that one scene #the suite life on deck #happy november #the suite life of zack & cody #7:30 boston time??#I don’t remember #dylan sprouse #cole sprouse #Disney #2023 #16th #taylor swift #Taylor #Taylor swift lucky number

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workingclasshistory · 11 months

Photo

On this day, 7 June 2020, the brother of a Seattle police officer drove his car at high speed into a Black Lives Matter protest in the city, then shot a Black protester. The driver ploughed into the protest at high speed, in an act reminiscent of the white supremacist terrorist attack in Charlottesville which killed Heather Heyer in 2017. One of the protesters, Dan Gregory, confronted the driver and grabbed his steering wheel, trying to protect the crowd. The driver then sped up, forcing Gregory to let go and give chase on foot. He soon caught up to the car and punched the driver, who then shot Gregory and fled, then handed himself into police. Gregory, himself the son of a former Baltimore police officer, survived and later told Sara Jean Green of the Seattle Times: "I would do it again. I would die for people I don’t know. That’s me." In 2023, the shooter was sentenced to just 24 months of probation and had his driving licence suspended for 30 days, having played guilty to reckless driving. Charges of first-degree assault were then dropped by prosecutors. Amidst a wave of protest in defence of Black people's lives, scores of people began ramming their vehicles into demonstrators. The Boston Globe found 139 rammings between May 2020 and September 2021, which killed at least three and wounded 100 people, including multiple attacks by white supremacists. Fewer than half of these incidents resulted in criminal charges. Meanwhile, Republicans in 15 states around the country attempted to introduce laws to legalise or prevent lawsuits against attackers who killed protesters with their vehicles, successfully introducing them in states such as Florida, Iowa and Oklahoma. Pictured: Gregory after being shot https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=640107084829177&set=a.602588028581083&type=3

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marnerparty · 1 year

Text

why’d it have to change?

Jamie Drysdale x reader

warnings: swearing, mentions of underage drinking, mentions of minors having sex/losing virginities

————————————————————————

2017 - 15 years old

Y/N's hands shook and she raised her fist to knock on the door of the Drysdale family.

Since she was 2, Y/N and her family had lived next to the Drysdales, and her and Jamie became best friends right away. They shared a love for hockey, which Y/N was very good at. She could often compete with the boys, and when she learned that there was no girl's hockey team at school, she tried out for the boys team and made it.

Jamie was absolutely infatuated by Y/N. Her personality matched his, her hard work was something he admired, but most of all, he just loved her.

And the Drysdale's knew it, but they didn't say a word. And the Y/L/N's knew Y/N felt the same way.

It was a running joke in their family that everyone knew they were in love with each other but them, and anytime the families knew Jamie and Y/N would be together, they took bets on which night would be the night they grow up and realize it.

As Y/N stood at the Drysdale's door, thousands of memories come flooding back to her. From hockey to vacations, they really did it all.

And little did Jamie know that just next door, there was a house packed full of boxes that were waiting to be loaded into a truck and sent to Boston, Massachusetts.

As Y/N heard footsteps coming to the door, her eyes couldn't help but water thinking this would be the last time she's here in a while.

She didn't have time to wipe her eyes before Jamie's mom, Tina, who became a second mom to Y/N, opened the door.

"Hey gorgeous what are-" Tina's words cut off as she looked up to see the girl tearing up. Her expression immediately softened and she pulled the girl into a hug.

"Are you hear to tell Jamie?" Y/N looked up with a confused expression.

"So you guys already know?" Tina nodded sadly.

"We've known for awhile, probably before you. But you know it wasn't our place to tell you. And we weren't gonna tell Jamie without you." Y/N nodded.

"Is he in his room?" Tina nodded and Y/N made her way through the house. She stopped outside of Jamie's door when she saw the new pictures on the outside of his door.

30 pictures at least of just the two of them. Tears ran faster down Y/N's cheeks as she tried to collect herself before she went in. She knocked 7 times, their special knock, before Jamie threw open the door and attacked Y/N with a hug.

She couldn't help but smile as she hugged him back just a little tighter.

"You're just in time, I was just getting ready to nap and now we can cuddleee." Jamie said as he carried out the word.

To the outside world this seemed like something only couple would do, and although Jamie and Y/N should just be a couple, this was normal. They would even spend nap time together when neither of them would even be awake just to be in the presence of one another.

Jamie walked to his bed, but Y/N didn't move. Once he sat down and realized she wasn't next to him, he turned and made a confused face.

"Hey, have you been crying?" And that was all it took for Y/N to breakdown. She fell to the floor as Jamie quickly engulfed her in a hug.

"Y/N/N, hey, shhh, it's okay. I got you, I got you. I'm here." Y/N cried for a couple of minutes before she was able to look up. She took Jamie's face in her hands.

"Jamie," she started, rubbing her thumbs over the freckles she loved so much. "You're my best friend in the whole entire world. There's no one that I love more, you know that, right?" Jamie nodded. He had no idea where this was going. "This wasn't my decision. I didn't even know until this week, and this is why I've been being short with you, and why maybe I haven't been the best friend right now." She looked up meet Jamie's eyes. "We're moving." And with those 2 words, Jamie felt like his world was falling apart.

"What do you mean? Like, like out of the neighborhood? Like you're still gonna be at school, right?" Y/N looked down and let more tears fall.

"Jamie, we're going to Boston. Tomorrow" The pair stared at each other, neither of them knowing what to say next. After a few more minutes Jamie angrily stood up.

"You're going tomorrow? TOMORROW? And THIS is when you're gonna tell me!" Jamie was raising his voice like Y/N had never heard.

"Jamie, I'm sorry! It wasn't supposed to be like this-"

"You're right! It wasn't! We have plans, Y/N! To travel and see the world, to be there always for each other through school, dances, vacations! You're supposed to be there when I get drafted-"

"None of this has to change, Jimmy-"

"Oh don't you DARE Jimmy me right now! I hate the fucking nickname and you know it, but I let you say it anyone because you love it."

"Because I love you, Jamie!"

"I know! But not the way that I love you!" Y/N froze when she realized what Jamie meant. Jamie's eyes widened to when he realized.

"I'm sorry, this is a really bad time for me to be saying that-" Y/N cut Jamie off by placing a kiss on his lips. They pulled away after a moment.

"Jamie, it's always been you." The teens kissed again as it soon turned in to a little more than a kiss.

"Jamie," Y/N said breaking away once more. "Your mom is downstairs." She said with a giggle. He rolled his eyes.

"Way to ruin the moment." Y/N rolled her eyes as she sat up on Jamie's bed facing him.

"You know nothing has to change when I move, right?" Jamie shook his head.

"It's all gonna change, Y/N/N. I won't be able to shout out my window at you, or have have the chance to just walk over when I need to. You're going to a different country. Touching this one, yeah, but it won't be the same." Y/N nodded.

"We'll call and text everyday, right?" Jamie nodded.

"And still go on vacations?" He asked. Y/N laughed and also nodded. "Why didn't you tell me before you loved me like that?" Jamie sighed and stared at the girl.

"We're only 15, but we act like we're so much older. We even made a marriage pact- what normal pair of friends does that unless somewhere they both feel like that towards each other?" Y/N nodded.

The room was filled with silence as the teens just sat there enjoying each other's company, knowing this would be one of the last times they could do it.

"Do you remember that list of things we said we'd do if the world was ending and we only had 24 hours?" Y/N laughed and nodded.

"Of course I do, but I don't remember anything on it." Y/N said. Jamie got up and walked over to his desk. He pulled out a folder, and then a paper from the folder, and low and behold, the Doomsday List. Y/N grabbed the paper with a shocked look.

"Jamie holy shit! Why, how, I thought this was gone!"

"Yeah, well, I keep a lot more things than you think." Y/N laughed again and motioned for Jamie to sit down.

"Come on, let's read it."

6 Thing to do Before the World Ends (2012)

* Eat ice cream for dinner

* Skate one last time

* Watch our favorite movie

* Cuddle

* Watch the sunset on the rink

* Do something only adults can do

"This is kinda a lame list." Y/N joked. Jamie nodded.

"Yeah but look at that, even at 10 I was thinking about sex." Y/N's head whipped around at him.

"You meant sex, Jamie?" He nodded and laughed when he saw her expression.

"Sorry, Jim, I won't have sex with you." She said with a laugh. He rolled his eyes.

"If I beg?" Y/N hit his shoulder.

"Jamie! We're 15-"

"That's a perfectly normal age-"

"I'm leaving Jamie!"

"So better time than ever!" Y/N glared at the boy.

"I'll think about it. But until then, let's get a head start on this list"

———

As the night ended, Y/N and Jamie were playing hockey in the makeshift rink outside while they watched the sunset. Their list was completed, with a slightly modified version of what Jamie's "adult" task was.

The teens decided they would take their parents alcohol and drink as much as they could. Now this wasn't the first time either of them had drank, perks of being on the hockey team, but playing hockey buzzed was a whole different story.

"Alright Drysdale, 4-4, next score wins." Y/N said as she slurred her words and tried to skate past Jamie. Unfortunately Jamie was still faster than her drunk, and was able to take the puck right from her.

It was clear Jamie was going to score, so Y/N took advantage of this and tripped him. It was street rules: no penalties. Plus the drinking made it seem like it was an accident. Jamie crashed to the ground and Y/N took the puck and scored.

"Victory!" The girl shouted as she through her arms up in the air. She skated over to Jamie and accidentally tumbled on top of him. She took off her helmet, then Jamie's and kissed his lips.

"I win Jimmy." She said with a smile. Jamie rolled his eyes and gave her another kiss.

"Alright, whatever. It was a bogus ending but you did win." Y/N smiled and got up off of him. She skated to the side of the rink where she tried unlacing her skates, which was very difficult drunk, when she caught Jamie staring.

"What're you thinking about Drysdale?" She asked as he made his way over. He sat down to unlace his skates as well, but ended up falling over. Y/N giggled at the boy as he sat up.

"I'm thinking about how you're perfect. And I love you. And I'm gonna miss you."

———

The following morning Y/N woke up in Jamie's arms after spending the night with him. The teens made the most of their last night together, and Y/N couldn't have wished for anything better. She looked outside of the window and noticed 2 moving vans in her driveway.

Her heart shattered as she realized this was it. This was the last time she and Jamie would be together like this. She watched the sun shine on Jamie's face and put a sad smile on her face. She gently shook him awake and watched for his eyes to open.

"Hey Y/N/N." Jamie said as he leaned up for a kiss.

"Hey Jim." Y/N sighed. "The trucks are already here." Jamie stared at the girl, unable to comprehend that she would soon be gone and in a different country. He nodded and soon sat up getting dressed. Y/N followed in suit, grabbing the clothes that she had been wearing the night before.

Y/N went into the bathroom and changed, and when she came out, she noticed Jamie was holding a duffel bag and a card. She shot him a confused look.

"What's all this?" She asked getting closer to the boy.

"It's for you. I woke up earlier and put it together. Open it later, though. I don't wanna cry anymore than I will be." Y/N laughed at his confession and gave him a big hug.

"Y/N!" The teens could hear Tina yell form downstairs. "Your parents are here." Y/N and Jamie made eye contact, knowing exactly what this meant.

They made their way downstairs to see their parents saying their goodbyes. She turned to Jamie and noticed the tears already forming.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this." Jamie whispered. Y/N nodded and took Jamie's face in her hands.

"Jamie, my beautiful, sweet boy. I love you more than anything. Just because I'll be miles and miles away, doesn't mean that this is going to change, okay?" Jamie nodded and gave Y/N the biggest hug he could.

"I'm gonna miss you babe." Jamie said and Y/N cried hard into his chest. When she pulled away, she made her way over to Gary and Tina, who had become her second set of parents, and hugged them tightly goodbye.

"Ready love?" Y/N's mother asked. She nodded and gave Jamie one last hug.

"Goodbye, Drysdales."

🏒

2018 - 16 years old

"Smile for the camera!" Y/N's mother said as she took a picture of Y/N in her dress for her winter formal. She didn't even want to go to the dance at her new school, but her parents said it would be fun. She threw on a fake smile to please her parents, but little did they know, she had plans to leave after 30 minutes. After 10 minutes of photos, Y/N's patience was running thin.

"Alright mom, I think you have enough." Y/N whined.

"No, no, just a few more because-" Before her mom could finish, the Y/L/N's doorbell rang.

"Oh, sorry, better get that!" Y/N rushed from the living room to the front door, hearing her parents' footsteps behind her. As Y/N grabbed for the handle and swung the door opened, she gasped and covered her mouth.

Standing before her, dressed in a suit with a purple tie to match her dress, and a corsage, was Jamie. Y/N's eyes started to water as she threw herself towards the boy.

"Jamie! How are you here?" She asked, putting his face in her hands. He laughed and grabbed one of her hands.

"I came to surprise you. Your parents told me you've been dreading going, so I thought you'd want to go if I was here." Both teens were beaming as they were seeing each other for the first time in a year.

"Alright, alright, let me take a few of you guys together before you leave." Y/N didn't argue this time knowing she would cherish these pictures forever.

15 minutes later Y/N and Jamie were getting the car ready to leave. Y/N's high school was about 30 minutes away, so the teens spent the majority of the ride catching up on the basics.

As Jamie drove to the school he kept a hand on Y/N's thigh as they sat comfortably in silence. She grabbed Jamie's hand and laced his fingers with hers.

"I missed you a lot. Thank you so much for coming." Y/N said reaching over to kiss Jamie's cheek. He blushed under her touch and put a smile on his face.

"Y/N I would do literally anything for you. This was the least I could do. Also, I kinda have a confession to make." Y/N looked over at Jamie with a confused look.

"What is it?"

"We're not going to the dance. I have a surprise for you." Y/N made another confused face.

"Jamie what're you talking about? My parents think I'm going to the formal."

"Yeah, but I set something up that'll be much more fun."

20 minutes later Jamie was pulling up to a secluded area of a park, where there was an ice rink with fairy lights all around and a projector with a screen set up. Y/N gasped when she got out of the car and walked towards the rink.

Meanwhile Jamie was getting a picnic basket out of the back of the car, along with blankets and pillows for a movie. He walked over and placed everything down on the ice.

"Jimmy, how did you have time for this? You did this all for me?" He nodded as Y/N kissed him for the first time tonight. "I love it. I love you, Jamie." He smiled at the girl's words.

"I love you, so much Y/N." The teens shared another kiss with each other, that soon turned heated quickly. Jamie's hands wandered up to Y/N's back as he started to unzip the back of her dress.

"Is this okay?" Jamie whispered before he did anything else. Y/N took a second to catch her breath before smiling and nodding.

"Who knows when we'll see each other again, Jim. I want all of you this time."

———

Hours later the teens were packing the car back up as they made their way back home.

"Shit, I left my corsage on the ice." Y/N cursed as Jamie laughed.

"Some kid is gonna find that and never know what happened." Jamie said with a loud laugh. Y/N blushed and out her head in her hands.

"Ugh, I cannot believe that we did that. On an ice rink? That is so Canada of us." Her comment had the pair both laughing as they neared Y/N's house. Jamie reached over and grabbed Y/N's hand, lacing their fingers together.

"I missed you lot. I've been waiting for this day for months." Y/N smiled as she leaned over to kiss Jamie.

"I love you so much, Jamie. Thank you for making this night so special." The teens pulled up to Y/N's driveway. The glow of the TV shined through the living room window, signifying Y/N's parents were still awake.

"You're not leaving tonight, are you?" Jamie shook his head.

"My flight's on Monday. This is the last time I'm going to be able to go out in awhile, even back home, so my parents said it was okay I stay a couple days." Y/N shot Jamie a confused look.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Jamie sighed before speaking.

"Uh, hockey." Y/N whipped her head around to fully look at Jamie. "I've been meeting with scouts and coaches, and I've made the decision to start training for Team Canada." Y/N jumped out of the car and ran around to the driver's side where she opened the door and attacked Jamie with a hug.

"JAMIE!" Y/N screamed, probably waking up a bunch of her neighbors. "This is so amazing, I am so proud of you." Y/N pulled away from the hug and gave Jamie a kiss. "I always knew you were a star Jamie Drysdale. Always." The two hugged again as Jamie couldn't help but blush.

"I love you, Y/N. You've always been my biggest supporter, even more then my parents. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you." Y/N smiled at her boy. Even after all this time, they both knew they were each other's number 1, and nothing would change that.

"Come on, let's go inside. I'm tired and cold." Y/N giggled, dragging Jamie out of the car and towards the house.

"Y/N? Jamie? That you?" Y/N's mother called when the teens walked in. She made her way to the front door where they were taking of their shoes. "Well you two look like you had a good time. How was the dance?" Y/N took the lead lying to her mom.

"Oh, mom, it was so fun. I'm so glad you guys made me go." She faked with a smile. She then hugged her mother before heading up the stairs. "We're really tired, so we're gonna head up to bed if that's alright." Y/N's mother nodded, telling the teens goodnight as she made her way back to the living room.

When Y/N and Jamie got to Y/N's bedroom, Jamie couldn't help but take note of how different her room was from her one back in Canada.

It was now a light grey instead of the purple walls with polka dots. Her bed had solid colored sheets instead of the floral ones she used to have. One thing they was the same, though, was her photo wall. All of the old pictures of the pair in Canada were still there, along with a few new ones from her newest friends.

Jamie couldn't help but notice a picture of Y/N in a team photo of what seemed to be a team of all girls. He made his way over to get a better look, and sure enough, Y/N was still playing hockey. He also took note of the big letter 'C' on her jersey.

"Y/N/N, you're still playing hockey?" Jamie asked as he turned towards the girl. Y/N nodded sheepishly.

"I planned on telling you, but you were excited to talk about you, and I just wanted to listen." Jamie smiled; that's who Y/N always was. Wanting to hear about others then talk about herself. Jamie pulled the girl into another hug as he told her how proud he was.

The couple then changed into some pajamas, Jamie having brought a few outfits for his short stay, and they got into bed to watch a movie.

As they got under the sheets Jamie noticed yet another thing in Y/N's room; a framed acceptance letter on her desk.

"Y/N, what's that?" Jamie asked as he pointed towards the letter. Y/N sighed again before answering.

"I'm actually graduating this year, Jim. A year early." She said looking up. "I'm going to University next fall."

"That's great, Y/N/N. God, you were always so much smarter then me, eh? I'm so proud." The teens then settled into the night as they watched Finding Nemo, their go-to movie. Y/N fell asleep way quicker than Jamie, who couldn't help but watch Y/N as she slept to try and soak it all in.

———

Monday morning Y/N drove Jamie to the airport for his flight home. They made the most of Jamie's visit with Y/N showing him all of her favorite spots.

Y/N knew that she had gotten better at hockey and was prepared to show Jamie her skills, but he also got better, and it was hard for Y/N to keep up. She smiled as she thought of them playing hockey together, wondering when they'd be able to do it again.

"What're you thinking about?" Jamie asked as they neared the airport. Y/N's eyes got watery as she recalled all of the memories they shared.

"Just wondering when this is gonna happen again. I mean, I'm going off to college in a year, you're going to be a hockey superstar-" Jamie cut Y/N off with a kiss before pulling her in for a hug.

"Y/N, do you know that we're best friends? We're never going to lose touch, babe, okay? And you're gonna be right next to me when I'm drafted, and that's a promise." Jamie held out his pinky, knowing that Y/N really held pinky swears true to her heart. They tied their fingers together and kissed their hands, really solidifying the promise.

🏒

2019 - 17 years old

The cold feeling of Winter in Boston spread goosebumps across Y/N's skin as she walked to Boston University’s hockey facilities.

Although she was no longer playing competitively, Y/N liked to keep up on her skills and went to practice from time to time. And at 6 p.m. on a Friday, she knew there wouldn't be anyone there.

In the past year since Y/N and Jamie had last seen each other, a lot has changed. Too much has changed.

Jamie broke his pinky promise of saying the pair would never lose touch. 2 months after the dance, Jamie fell basically fell off the face of the Earth. Y/N saw through various social media posts that he was now playing hockey for a really good travel team, but apparently he was now too good for Y/N.

Y/N thought it would change in the Spring because Jamie had promised to be at her graduation months earlier. The Drysdales ended up not being able to make it, but they did send a card. Y/N was excited to see what message Jamie would've wrote since he didn't make it, but when she opened the card, he hadn't even signed his own name.

Boston University was a chance for Y/N to completely change what she was doing. Christmas break had just ended, and she was feeling better than ever. Everything that had any ounce of Jamie in it was put in a plastic tote and shoved to the back of her closet; it was just the first step of moving on.

Y/N stepped into the facility and instantly felt how cold it was compared to outside. She set down all of her belongings before lacing up her skates, taping her stick, and heading out onto the ice.

After 15 minutes of warming up, Y/N started to practice some unrealistic trick shots. Her favorite that she made up included her skating backwards down the ice, and before reaching the net she would toss the puck in the air, do a spin, then hit it in.

She made the goal on her first try, and when she went to retrieve the puck she started to hear clapping from behind her. She whipped her head around to see a boy that was probably around her age, standing at the side of the rink. Y/N blushed and looked down, awkwardly laughing.

"That was a cool move!" The boy called out as he made his way into the ice in his own skates. He skated over to Y/N while holding out his hand.

"Trevor Zegras." The boy said. As she looked closer Y/N couldn't help but think he was really cute.

"Y/N Y/L/N. It's nice to meet you." She said as she took Trevor's hand and shook it.

The two teens got to know each other a little more as they skated together. Y/N learned that Trevor was a member of Boston University’s hockey team, and Trevor learned how Y/N played on hockey teams of all boys growing up. Before they knew it, it was 8 p.m. and the teens were growing hungry.

"I'm gonna grab some food, do you wanna come with?" Trevor asked Y/N as they walked out of the facility. Y/N agreed and they walked to Trevor's car. When they got in he handed over his phone for Y/N to choose music. The first song she put on was Back to December by Taylor Swift, which she thought Trevor wouldn't like, but he had quite the opposite reaction.

"Oh man, you like Taylor!? This is my jam!" Trevor turned the radio way up and they new pair of friends screamed the lyrics to the song.

Trevor was already starting to take a liking to Y/N, and vice versa.

"You know, in this short amount of time, I feel like we grew up together." Trevor said to Y/N as he parked in the Chipotle parking lot. Y/N giggled and agreed.

"Now over dinner is when we ask the serious questions." She joked. The pair ordered at the window with Trevor paying, although Y/N insisted they pay separate. Trevor was clearly a gentleman, and Y/N was thankful to have had made a brand new friend.

"Alright, let's spill the personal shit now." Trevor said, digging in. Y/N rolled her eyes.

"What would you like to know, Zegras? I'm an open book." Trevor asked the personal questions of the parents names and backgrounds, any siblings, but when he asked about friends where she was from and friends she had back home, she suddenly wished she'd put a cap on the amount of questions that could be asked. Trevor seemed to notice her silence.

"I'm sorry if I said-"

"No," Y/N cut off. "Really, it's okay. So, I'm actually from Canada. Toronto. That's where I grew up playing hockey on all boys teams because there weren't any all girls teams around." Y/N took a deep breath before continuing, suddenly feeling like her story was becoming this big cliche. "So I met my best friend when we moved into a new house when I was 2. We were neighbors and glued to the hip. He played hockey too, so we were always on the same team. We did literally everything together. Name anything and it was always us, never on our own. Our families got close too, so we soon started to vacation together. We moved to Boston unexpectedly when I was 15. Since leaving, I've seen him once. We stayed in contact until 2 months after he surprised me for my winter formal, and then it was like he fell off the face of the Earth." Y/N realized she was rambling and probably boring Trevor, but she looked up and saw him leaning in, soaking in every detail.

"Wow, I'm really sorry about that. This guy sounds like an absolute dick anyway." Y/N giggled but shook her head.

"I wish he was. It'd be so much easier if he was. But honestly, he's perfect. Kind, respectful, pretty. Gosh, so pretty." Trevor laughed at your description of Jamie.

"Does this pretty man have a name?"

"Jamie Drysdale. Look out for his name in a couple of years, because honestly, he'll probably be in the NHL."

———

Months later, Y/N was in the car with Trevor, his friend, Jack, and Jack's brother, Quinn.

Quinn was already drafted by the Canucks, but tonight, Jack and Trevor were going to get drafted. Jack was projected to be the number 1 overall pick to the Devils. Trevor's future was still undecided, but was projected to go in the first round.

"So Y/N," Jack started, turning to the girl in the front seat. "Truth or Dare."

"Oh, Hughesy." She said, using the Universal Hughes nickname. "I'm not adventurous. I'm going truth." The rest of the boys groaned, but Jack smirked, already having a question in mind.

"Okay, Y/N. Who'd you lose your virginity to." Y/N almost spit the drink out that she was taking a sip of.

"Jack!" Quinn exclaimed. "We already know the answer. Trevor!" Y/N's eyes widened.

"It was Trevor!?" Jack exclaimed. Y/N rapidly shook her head. "I thought they only hooked up a couple times!"

"It was way more than a couple." Trevor said. She punched his arm.

"WHAT!?" Quinn screamed. Y/N put her head in her hands.

"We were also dating, boneheads." Jack and Quinn screamed, yet again, seemingly not knowing about their relationship.

"Guys, it was months ago, only lasted a few months. Nothing that serious, we just realized we're better off as friends." Trevor said to calm the boys down. Y/N nodded, agreeing with what he said.

"Okay, but this still doesn't answer my question. Who'd you lose your virginity to." Jack said yet again. Y/N sighed before her answer.

"It was Sophomore year at my winter formal. On an ice rink. With someone who used to be my best friend, that I don't even talk to anymore." She said with a sarcastic smile. Trevor whipped his head around to look at Y/N.

"It was that fuck face? Are you serious?" Y/N rolled her eyes. Jack and Quinn shared a glance with each other.

"Should I even ask?" Jack chirped from the back. This prompted the long conversation of Y/N giving a rundown of her previous relationship with Jamie and how they were no longer friends.

The Hughes' were now on the same page as Trevor with how they felt about Jamie.

"Trust me guys, if you ever meet him, you'll probably love him."

"No," Jack cut in and the 4 of them were running into the draft because they were late. "I'm gonna kick his ass."

"Me too." Trevor and Quinn said. Y/N smiled to herself, loving that she now had a support group of the closest people in her life.

When they entered the doors they saw Trevor's mom, Julie, pacing back and forth. Her eyes widened when she saw them, an angry look in your face.

"You boys better have a really good excuse as to why you're so late!" She shouted as she started leading the four to their seats.

"Hey, Y/N isn't a boy, that's rude." Quinn said. The women rolled their eyes.

"We all know it's not Y/N's fault that you guys are late, okay?" Julie answered. Jack tapped her shoulder.

"Actually, Julie." He started. "It is her fault because the reason we were late is because we were learning a lot of new information about her."

"Yeah," Quinn started, speaking up. "Like the fact that she dated YOUR son! Did you even know that." Julie shot the boys a weird look.

"Uh, yeah. Was it not obvious?" The Hughes boys reddened before Quinn started talking again.

"Well did you know that, more than a couple times, they had se-"

"OKAY!" Trevor exclaimed, shutting Quinn up. "Thank you Quinn so so much, but it's your turn to be quiet." Y/N started to giggle at the outburst. Julie rolled her eyes, clearly knowing what he was about to say.

"Quinn, sweetie." Julie said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "They're both in college and old enough to make their own decisions. Just because you somehow didn't know about their relationship doesn't mean his own mother didn't, okay? Okay. Now let's settle down and start to listen up." Everyone laughed at the way Julie was treating Quinn like a child, which only made Quinn more embarrassed.

The Zegras' went and took their seats, while Y/N sat with the Hughes' first, then would go sit with Trevor after Jack was, hopefully, taken with the first pick.

The NHL commissioner took the stage and announced the Devils were on the clock for their pick, and although he didn't say anything, Y/N just knew Jack got the call and that he was going to be drafted with the first overall pick.

A few minutes later, the pick was in, and Martin Brodeur, a former NHL player for the Devils, took the stage.

"With the first pick overall, the New Jersey Devils are proud to select, from the U.S. program, Jack Hughes." Jack threw a huge smile on his face as he got up to first hug his younger brother, Luke. Quinn was next, then his Grandma, parents, then Y/N.

"Jacky! I am so proud of you, bubs." Y/N said with a giggle. He rolled his eyes at the nickname and squeezed Y/N tight.

"I love you, Y/N. Thank you for being you, and being an amazing friend." The pair pulled away and Y/N gave Jack a kiss on the cheek as response.

"I'm gonna go find Trev, we're celebrating later though." Y/N said with a wink as she left the Hughes'.

She searched the aisles until she saw Trevor, looking as nervous as ever. When he saw Y/N he immediately left his seat to hug her.

"I'm so nervous, oh my god. I need you to sit with me." Y/N laughed seen as this was the first time she'd ever seen him acting like this.

"Trev that's why I'm here, don't worry. I'm here." They two took their seats as the draft went on. After a few more picks, Trevor's parents get up to go use the bathroom, leaving the teens in their seats.

Moments later Trevor's phone lights up with a call, and him and Y/N lock eyes as he answers.

"Hello?"

———

"With the 9th selection, Anaheim is proud to select, from the U.S.A. developmental program, Trevor Zegras." Trevor immediately stands, giving his parents, sister, and other friends a hug, before landing on Y/N. She was way closer with Trevor than she was with Jack, so when she heard his name get drafted she couldn't help but start to cry.

"I'm so proud of you, Zegras." Y/N said as she cried into his chest. He couldn't help but shed a few tears himself. She pulled away and took his face in her hands. "You are doing to do amazing things, Trev. I know it."

———

Meanwhile, back in Canada, Jamie was sat in his bedroom hanging out with a few of his friends and his new girlfriend, Alexis, while his parents were in the living room watching the draft.

Jamie knew he messed up with Y/N. He was alone and upset and tired from hockey. He knew hockey would always be his first love, but Y/N was the only love he truly cared about.

He tried to text and call many times, but he could never bring himself to hit "call" or "send." He figured she had blocked his number anyway, and he eventually gave up, just like he had done originally.

Alexis was the only girl Jamie had even thought about being with, and he swears it was partly because she looked like Y/N. She had similar Y/E/C eyes, the Y/H/C hair that sat perfectly on her shoulders. But Alexis wasn't Y/N, and she never would be. They hadn't even kissed yet after being together for 3 months because Jamie simply didn't want to.

About 20 minutes after the draft had started, Jamie called out to his parents.

"Did they call the first pick yet?" His parents waited a moment before answering.

"They're just about to if you wanna see!" Jamie and his friends went out to the living room just in time to see Jack get drafted. Jamie rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, figures. He's the best in the country right now." They went back to his room as quickly as they came out, when Jamie heard his parents start to talk amongst themselves a bit quieter.

"That wasn't her, was it?"

"Could it be?" Jamie shook their words away as he and his friends got back to what they were doing. His friend, Adam, however, was still in the living room when his parents were talking.

"Yo, Jamie." He started. "I think they just showed Y/N at the draft with that Hughes kid." Jamie's heart clenched at the mention of her name.

"What the fuck are you talking about, Adam?" Adam put his hands up defensively.

"Dude, ask your parents, they saw too." Jamie debated going back out there, but there was just no way it was her.

"Who's Y/N?" Alexis spoke up with a bitterness to her tone.

"She's no one, babe, don't worry about it." Jamie said putting an arm around her shoulders. The rest of his friends scoffed as Adam, who was really close with Y/N and Jamie, spoke up.

"C'mon, Jamie, you know she's not no one," Adam said before turning to Alexis. "Let's just say she's the reason Jamie doesn't kiss you." Jamie's hand came across so fast to hit Adam on top of the head.

"Dude what the fuck?"

"It's true, Jamie! Anyone can see that, okay? You're not the same kid you were when she-"

"ADAM!" Jamie yelled, finally breaking. "That's enough." Jamie stormed out of his room and went outside to the backyard where he could be alone.

He looked over at the house Y/N used to live in, and it brought tears to his eyes. Memories rushed his head of everything that he and Y/N went through, and how was able to surprise her after a year of not seeing each other, and then he ghosted her.

The back door opened and Jamie quickly wiped his eyes as he saw his mom at the door.

"You okay, Jam?" She asked from the door. He shook his head no.

"I messed up bad, Mom." He answered as he broke down yet again. Jamie rushed to his mom's arms and she held him as he cried. He told his mom everything that had happened since he last saw Y/N, and how he'd been a massive douche. She talked to him to calm him down, and when he was okay again they both went back into the living room to watch the draft.

"Did everyone leave?" Jamie asked and his parents nodded. He rolled his eyes.

"I was a dick to Adam. I need to text him." As Jamie was about to get up, he saw that Trevor Zegras was just drafted, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw on the TV what everyone else was talking about.

Y/N.

There she was, in the flesh. He watched her as she cried for Trevor, and he cried back, and she held his face in her hands. It was really her. And she looked great.

Jamie's parents looked up at him as he fought back tears. He rushed away to his room and pulled out the box from his closet that held every memory of Y/N in it. Her clothes, her hand written notes to him, pictures, everything. He couldn't help himself but to pull out his phone and open Y/N's contact. After many typed out messages, he finally settled on one he was happy about.

Y/N ❤️

Hey Y/N, it's Jamie.

I saw you on TV at the draft,

and I realized just how much

I miss you, and how badly I

know I messed up. And if

there is any way that you

would give me a call or a

text back, that'd really be great.

8:04 p.m.

Not even 2 minutes later, Jamie heard his phone ding. His heart started to race and he could feel his cheeks heat up, but as he picked up his phone and looked at the message, his heart shattered again.

Y/N ❤️

I'm really sorry, but this isn't Y/N!

8:05

🏒

2020 - 18 years old

Trevor, Jack, Quinn and Y/N loaded their luggage in the Uber as they made their way towards Y/N's house in Toronto.

Covid had rocked the world, and now it was summertime where the boys had a little time off, and Y/N wanted to show them around her hometown. Her parents had moved back to her childhood home once she started college, which is where they'd be staying.

The ride was silent for the most part, partly because everyone was really tired from the plane ride. The draft was tomorrow, too, which was perfect and gave everyone a chance to be able to watch their teams' new picks

Jack had made his debut the same year he got drafted, and Trevor was yet to see his time on NHL ice. Y/N was excited to bring them down to the synthetic ice rink her parents had just built for her.

After the 45 minute ride, Y/N and the boys were pulling up on her childhood home. Jack was the first one to gawk at it.

"Y/N what the fuck? This place is huge." He shouted as he pulled his bags out of the car. Y/N laughed and rolled her eyes.

"And we're gonna pretend yours didn't look exactly like this?" She joked. The rest of the boys got their stuff as Y/N saw her mom open the front door.

"Mommy!" She yelled as she ran up the walkway. She gave her mom the biggest hug that she could. "I missed you so much, Mom." Y/N revealed.

"I missed you, sweetheart." She responded. "Now introduce me to these cute boys." Y/N blushed and rolled her eyes as the boys made their way to the door.

"Mother," she started. "This is Trevor, my best friend-"

"And also ex!" Jack threw in. Y/N glared at him.

"Uh-huh, that too. And he plays in the Ducks organization." She said annoyed. "And this is Quinn, who plays for the Canucks." And then she stopped when she got to Jack. "And this is Quinn's younger brother who's a bitch-"

"Language!" Y/N's mom scolded.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "And he plays for the Devils."

"Yeah, Jack right? First overall pick?" Her mom asked. Jack smiled smugly, which only bothered Y/N more.

"That's right Mrs. Y/L/N. And I must say, you have a gorgeous home." Trevor and Quinn gave Jack a smack on the back of the head.

"Ass kiss." Y/N mumbled making her way in the house. She quickly found her Dad and made sure to give him a hug too, but what she wasn't expecting was to see the Gary and Tina Drysdale sitting at the bar. Y/N didn't even know if they lived next door anymore, let alone if they would even want to see her, or know anything that went on between her and Jamie.

"Y/N? Oh my goodness, sweetheart, look how old you look!" Tina gushed as she sprang up and gave Y/N a big hug. It almost brought tears to Y/N's eyes as she remembered all of the things she went through in her childhood with them.

"Tina," she finally breathed out. "Hey." The boys stood back, unsure of what to do. When Y/N remembered they were there, she stepped back and introduced them.

"Trevor, Jack, Quinn, this is Tina, our neighbor since I was little." They each have Tina a hug as she told them how she knew who they were already.

"Jack, my son is such a fan of yours! Oh, he'd kill me if I said that." Jack, of course being Jack, loves to talk about himself, and carried in the conversation.

"Oh that's awesome! I'd love to meet the little guy." Y/N cringed as he clearly didn't put together who her son could be. Tina laughed at what he said.

"Well, he is only 5'10"," she joked. "But he's actually 18. He plays hockey too. Maybe you've heard of him? Jamie Drysdale?" When Tina spoke the name the guys immediately remembered who Jamie was, and they tried as hard as they could to play it off like they didn't know what he had done to Y/N.

"Oh, oh wow, that's, uh, wow." Jack stuttered out.

"What he means," Trevor cut in. "Is that we've heard about Jamie through Y/N, actually." They all agreed as Tina put a sad smile on her face.

"And let me guess, you guys hate him for what he did to her, right?" Everyone stood frozen as they didn't know how to respond. "Trust me guys, I know, and I've chirped his ass for it since he told me about it at last year's draft." Y/N made a confused face.

"The draft? What do you mean?" Tina made a similar face.

"You were shown on TV with the boys. Jamie had a few friends here, his then girlfriend, then he saw you, broke down, and the rest is history." She explained vaguely. Y/N had many more questions, but she couldn't ask them around the boys because she knew she'd break down soon.

"Boys," Y/N's father said speaking up. "Let me help you with your bags, then we can have Y/N show you the rink, eh?" The boys agreed and made their way upstairs while Y/N stayed downstairs with her mom and the Drysdales.

"Jamie's projected to go round 1 tomorrow, Y/N. I know you guys aren't okay, but I know you guys are both still proud of each other's accomplishments." Y/N gasped when she had said that, her eyes started to water.

She was exactly right: she was so proud of Jamie. No matter what they had been through, she would always be proud of him for chasing his dream.

"Thanks for letting me know, Tina." She said with a sad smile. "You're right, I am proud." She sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"Would you wanna see him?" Y/N pondered the question. She wanted to shout yes, that she couldn't wait to see him. But that wasn't an option anymore.

Y/N suddenly remembered a pinky promise they had made: Jamie promised they would never lose touch, and Y/N promised to be with him at the draft. Jamie may break his promises, but Y/N sure as hell didn't.

"Not right now to be completely honest." Y/N said. "There's a lot of shit that needs to be sorted."

———

Because of covid, the NHL wasn't able to invited players to be at the draft in person. The Drysdales were having a small get together with Jamie's close family, and of course the boys and her family was invited. The boys agreed that they would go and try not to cause any trouble, but Y/N couldn't bring herself to go over. She instead stayed at her house and watched the draft in her living room by herself.

She wasn't paying too much attention to the start of the draft, but when she heard the Ducks were on the clock, she immediately started to pay attention. After a few minutes, the pick was in as she saw a man take the stage and start to speak. She was curious who Trevor's new teammate would be, but she had the shock of her life when she heard Jamie's name get called as the 6th overall pick.

Y/N's hand flew to her mouth for many reasons. One that he went top 10 in the draft, and the other because he would now be teammates with Trevor. She sat in her couch as she saw video feed of Jamie's house and everyone celebrating with him. It did break her heart a little bit that she wasn't there, and that they weren't best friends anymore. They then showed Jamie talking directly to a reporter about how he felt.

Y/N couldn't help but smile seeing his smile and freckles, and how there was nothing that had really changed about the boy.

Y/N waited to watch what Jamie said before got up and went to the bathroom to wipe her eyes, when she heard her phone ding. She picked it up to see a text from her mom.

Mom❤️

Jamie went to his room

crying. It's now or never

7:45 p.m

Y/N looked at the message and sighed. She knew they needed to talk to each other, and Jamie might break his pinky promises, but Y/N never did.

She locked up the house before walking next door to the Drysdales and welcoming herself in. Everyone turned their heads to look at her, some with a small smile knowing why she was over.

"He's upstairs." Jamie's mom said, and with that, Y/N made her way up the stairs to the all familiar bedroom. She was shocked to see that the outside of Jamie's door had a singular picture on it: a selfie the two of them had taken when he was surprised Y/N for her formal.

That was one of her favorite memories of her and Jamie. He made the night magical for her, and she wished they could just go right back.

Y/N took a deep breath before knocking on the door twice. She heard sniffles from beyond the door, and she knew Jamie was crying.

"Please go away." She heard him say from the other side.

"Jim." Y/N spoke. "It's me." Y/N swore both of the teens stopped breathing when she spoke up. Jamie hadn't heard her voice in a couple of years now, and when he did, he couldn't help but shed some extra tears. He knew he messed up bad. But all he wanted in this moment was his best friend.

Moments later the handle started to move as Y/N saw Jamie open the door. His eyes were puffy and red, and his hair was a bit disheveled, but Jamie still looked perfect to her.

"Can I come in?" She asked quietly. He moved to the side and allowed her to walk in. Y/N took in his bedroom and how it had barely changed. She smiled softly as she saw that he had kept most of the things that she had given him.

"Y/N, I don't even know where to begin-" Jamie was cut off as Y/N threw herself into his arms and hugged the boy. He didn't hesitate in hugging her back, and the two teens just sobbed in each other's arms.

"I'm so proud of you, Jamie. I don't even care what's happened, I just need you to know that I love you, and miss you, and I'm so, so proud." Y/N said between sobs. It caused Jamie to cry harder.

"Y/N, I'm so fucking sorry. I love you so much and I'm sorry I ruined everything between us." Jamie choked out. They held on to each other, afraid to make a sound or a move. When both of their crying died down, Y/N pulled away to hold Jamie's face in her hands.

"Jamie, it's okay. I forgive you." Jamie shook his head with tears still running down his face. He out his hands over Y/N's before speaking.

"Don't say that." He whispered. "How can you? I messed up everything we had."

"But we're best friends." She butt in. "Did you make a mistake? Yeah. But I didn't do anything about it either." Jamie sighed at her words.

"Yeah you did. You moved on." Y/N shook her head once again.

"I found new friends, yeah. But I didn't replace you. Because you, Jamie Drysdale, have such a fucking hold on me that I can't stand it. I love you so much, and I want to be your best friend again." It went silent for a moment as either teen didn't know what else to say.

"Are you sure things can be the same way they were." Y/N shook her head.

"No." She responded truthfully. "Things are going to be so much better. I already planned on moving to Anaheim, so now I'll get to be with the boy I love most and watch him play hockey." Jamie smiled. "And now you'll be there too." She finished as Jamie realized she was joking about Trevor. They both let out a loud laugh and embraced again.

"I love you, Jim." Y/N said as she leaned up to kiss his cheek.

"I love you, Y/N." He said as he closed the gap and gave Y/N a real kiss.

"Remind me I should thank the boys for being there when I wasn't." Jamie said after a moment.

"You're welcome!" They heard from outside the door. Then there was arguing from beyond the door, and when Y/N opened it, she saw Trevor, Jack and Quinn all leaning on the door listening to their conversation.

"Look what you did, Jack!" Quinn exclaimed. "You gave us away!"

"It was an accident!" Jack said back. "And you didn't have to hit me!" Trevor started to laugh at them, and Jamie soon joined in. All the teens eventually joined in, laughing at the childish antics.

"We all good?" Y/N asked as she looked from boy to boy. They all looked back and forth from each other before Trevor stuck his hand out towards Jamie.

"Congrats on getting drafted, man. I'm excited to have you be a part of the team." Jamie gave Trevor a genuine smile as he grabbed his hand, but when he did, Trevor pulled him in close. "If you ever, and I mean ever, pull any kind of shit on Y/N, there will be consequences, got it?" Y/N rolled her eyes.

"That's an empty threat. He's a tough guy on the ice, but nowhere else." Trevor acted really offended at the girl's words as he turned around and stomped down the stairs. Everyone laughed at his antics before they made their way downstairs to join the rest of the party.

Y/N and Jamie could tell everyone was relieved that they had made up, and the way that they were able to go back to each other after all this time proved that they were made for each other.

#nhl hockey #jamie drysdale #jamie drysdale imagine #jamie drysdale x reader #hockey #hockey imagine #trevor zegras

497 notes · View notes

tieronecrush · 11 months

Text

hot & heavy

chapter three: show me how

neighbor!joel x f!reader

series masterlist

series rating: E (18+ only, MDNI)

series summary:

word count: 8.3k (a long-y but a goody)

warnings: NO OUTBREAK (don’t need to worry about the mushies), no use of y/n, inexperienced/virgin reader, age gap (joel is 30/31, reader is 22), canon-divergent (sarah is 7 y/o), nanny au, alcohol use, pet name (sweetheart, darling, sweet girl), polite southern manners, feeling familial and self-pressure, masturbation (f & m), light voyeurism, THIGH RIDING, dirty talk, LATINO JOEL cause it's canon which means there's likely subpar spanish bye!!!

Joel is trying very hard to be a good neighbor.

He can be friendly enough when he needs to be, but he absolutely did not know the kind of place he was moving into. It’s like Pleasantville had a baby with The Truman Show. Everyone here is so nice.

Not that his previous neighborhood wasn’t filled with people who were nice, but everyone pretty much kept to their own business and gave a wave here and had a quick catch-up across the lawn there. Well, except for the Adlers.

And here, they also do neighborhood events.

Which is why he finds himself nursing a can of Budweiser that’s dripping cool condensation in the mid-afternoon Texas heat of late June, surrounded by husbands having conversations about the upcoming football season, the latest Astros game, and their wives. He can’t really add anything to the conversation because he hasn’t kept up on any sports news, was working during the last game, and he’s single.

So fucking single that he spends most nights fantasizing about you, his daughter’s nanny. Or just straight up watching you like some depraved, desperate man.

Which isn’t too far off base, cause it’s what he’s feeling right now as he steals glances of you laid out on a patio lounger next to the aquamarine, chlorinated water. You’re sitting in a white linen cover-up dress, but the thin crepe fabric leaves nothing to the imagination when it comes to your swimsuit underneath. It’s modest enough for a family affair, covering up everything appropriately but it still does something to see your skin exposed in the sunlight, a sheen of sweat coating your body.

He’s noticed some of the neighbors around your age checking you out, even some of the men older than him ogling at you. It was hypocritical to feel the burn of anger — he was eyeing you all the same but to him, it felt a little different. Like you were closer to his than anyone else’s. He saw you every day; knew little things about you like how you always twisted the ring on your right hand around with your thumb or how you always left one last sip or two in every drink you had, never fully finishing them before abandoning them on the counter or in the sink.

Knowing more about you, from tiny details to what you wanted to do with your life, made him feel like he was dipping his feet into the pool of temptation. Every bit he learned made him want more.

And every time he saw you through the window of your bedroom, he jumped in head first into that alluring pool. It felt so right, so justified in the moment to him, but as soon as the lights clicked off on your side and he looked down at his come coating his knuckles, shame slithered up his throat and coated his mouth with bitterness.

Yet, he couldn’t stop. And some nights, he swears to himself that he sees you looking, watching his actions. Like you know exactly what he’s doing and you let him. One time, mind hazed over with pleasure as he got himself off to the sight of you alone and half naked, he even convinced himself that maybe you wanted him to keep doing it.

Joel knew you were flirting at times, but at other times he couldn’t tell if there was any difference between your polite, sweet demeanor and a subtle hint that you found him attractive.

Even if you were into him, there’s no way he could do anything about it.

Joel’s pulled out of his thoughts when he feels a tug on the hem of his swim trunks. His eyes flit down to his daughter, standing next to him with a pout on her face.

“Daddy, can I please go swimming now?”

Joel smooths a hand through her hair, bending down to her level to look her in the eyes.

“Can you give me just a few more minutes, Bug? I gotta talk to Mr. Clark about a job he might need help with at his house. I promise we can go down to the pool right after that.”

Joel’s cool thumb from the beer can swipes across her cheek as Sarah huffs in frustration, crossing her arms over her chest and staying put as a sign of her reluctant agreement. He smiles softly at her, kissing her hairline as he stands again, turning to the neighbor near him to answer his questions about a potential job refurbishing his deck over the weekends.

Wrapped up in conversation, Joel doesn’t notice the tiny footsteps padding away slowly at first, speeding up down the stairs. He doesn’t notice until his hand reaches for her curls, the swoosh of air under his palm tearing his eyes away from Mr. Clark. Panic sets in immediately, Joel excusing himself quickly to go to the edge of the deck to search the large party for his seven-year-old. Flip flops slap loudly against the concrete, the familiar voluminous hair bouncing as she runs towards the open water without anyone there to catch her and no safety floats on her arms.

He deposits his beer on the railing, starting to rush down the stairs to try to catch her but is stopped as he watches what plays out below him.

You saw Sarah, without her dad following behind her, and knew something wasn’t right. Joel had told you that she was still in swimming lessons — Sarah loved the water but she’d only had a few lessons last summer so she wasn’t entirely ready to be able to jump in and swim completely without aid. That pings something off in your mind, instincts kicking in as you swing your legs over the side of the lounge chair and jump up immediately to chase after her. Your arms outstretched wrap around her tiny frame right before the edge of the pool, lifting her away from the water on the other side.

Sarah is in a fit of giggles, the idea of you snatching her a playful game in her childish mind. Relief washes over you and you go along with her giggles, spinning her around and bringing her back over to your chair.

“Gotcha, little miss! You’re eager to swim, huh?”

Sarah’s giggles die down while she’s still in your arms, and as you set her back down next to your seat, Joel jogs over from the stairs to the two of you.

“Mija, you can’t just run off like that. You scared me. And you know there’s no running around the pool, and no swimming without an adult. It’s not safe, is it?”

Joel’s squatting down to look his daughter in the eyes, seriousness evident in his tone but not to the point of anger. He’s calm and collected as he reprimands with reminders and honesty, his voice not ever nearing a louder volume than his normal cadence.

God, he’s such a good dad.

It’s so attractive.

Internally, your palm is hitting your forehead at the flutter of your ovaries. Externally, your eyes roll into the back of your head in a curse to your mind.

“You were taking so long, Daddy! I want to swim now.”

Sarah’s indignant, her actions were completely justified to herself when she didn’t know how it could have ended up.

“I’m sorry that it frustrates you to wait, but you can’t go running off. Next time, give me a reminder, Bug. Sometimes I don’t realize how long I’m taking, it’s a curse your dad has for lack of time management.”

You snort a laugh out, covering your mouth as the comment goes right over Sarah’s head. Joel’s eyes find yours, soft crinkles showing next to them as he grins at your laughter.

He sends Sarah over to her bag sitting a few chairs over to grab her floaties for him to put on, standing up and facing you. Hands slip into the pockets of his shorts, shoulders raising an inch.

“Thank you for grabbing her. I just, I dunno, I just panicked at the top of the stairs. Like seeing everything in slow motion and I was stuck there. But, uh, yeah, thank you for getting to her.”

Voice thick with ignominy, guilt sheening in his eyes as he looks at you with a vulnerability you’d yet to see from the daily interactions with Joel.

A crack formed in your heart at the thought that he was scared, that he feels like he failed in the moment for his feelings overwhelming him. Your head shakes side to side, your feet subconsciously step closer to him and your hand reaches out to sprawl across his bicep with a gentle, comforting squeeze.

“It’s alright, Joel. Nothing happened. Sarah’s totally fine, and still chomping at the bit to swim,” you console, a kind smile on your face, “Besides, I probably wouldn’t be a very good nanny if I didn’t do anything when I was way closer to her. You couldn’t have reached her in time, and I stepped in for you. You didn’t do anything wrong, Joel.”

His shoulders relax, hands slipping from his pockets as he nods.

“Thank you. For all of it.”

“You don’t have to thank me.”

“I know. But I want to.”

The words strike you in your chest, nothing profound said but the emphasis behind them warming you from the inside out like the Texas sun. You swallow, suddenly feeling parched from the heat and breaking the eye contact that Joel was holding with you to look down at Sarah as she approaches you again.

“Can you help put my floaties on?” She hands you the deflated safety devices with a toothy grin, the gap of lost tooth on the left side of her smile making you want to squeeze her from how adorable she looks.

“Course I can, girly,” you take the floats from her, finding the mouthpiece on one and looking back to Joel, continuing before you start to blow them up, “I can swim with Sarah, if you wanna keep chatting with Mr. Clark. I know he wanted to get your thoughts on his deck. You should go back and talk to him, could be an easy job with decent pay. He’s a generous guy. Go be social, charm the pants off of everyone.”

Joel nods and glances over his shoulder to the deck filled with neighbors. He turns toward you again, raising an eyebrow in question.

“You sure, sweetheart? You’re off the clock today, you should enjoy your free time.”

“Spending time with Sarah is fun. Wouldn’t want to spend my afternoon any other way. Plus, what else am I doing? Baking out in the sun like a lizard?”

Joel laughs, a genuine one that you’ve only heard a few times when a joke of yours really gets him, and he nods, bringing a hand up to gently pat your arm.

“Thanks, darlin’. I owe you one.”

The wink he sends you nearly has your knees failing you, a heat sent to your core at the subtle flirtation.

These charged moments between the two of you have been happening much more often, and with your new (almost) nightly routine waiting up for Joel in your bedroom, you’re waiting with bated breath for whatever is built between the two of you to snap and open the flood gates.

More and more, you’re imagining how it would feel to kiss him, how his hand would feel in yours, what he could take from you and what he could give you. There was so much you were admittedly naive about, but everything that you had once been intimated by seemed exciting when you thought of doing it all with Joel.

He’s kind, and respectful, and gentle. He cares. Even when he acts like a grump or teases you, you know there’s something there. There has to be, otherwise you’re going crazy for sure.

Pulling yourself away from your daydreams, you inflate the floaties for Sarah and help her get them on. You pull your cover up over your head, depositing it on the chair you were laid out on. Sarah’s small hand fits in yours, taking slow steps to allow her to keep up with you as you cross the concrete patio to the pool stairs.

The two of you climb down the stairs and into the water, Sarah shrieks and giggles from the chill surrounding her hitting Joel’s ears all the way up on the deck. He’s back with Mr. Clark, having finished hearing him out about what he wants done and offering his services, reaching an easy agreement with him about when he’ll come by to start and what Mr. Clark will pay him.

Joel wanders away from the group, grabbing another beer, this time a Miller Lite.

Not his favorite, but he’ll take what he can get to keep a small buzz around all these people. Nosy, overly polite, and fake people make him uneasy. He's virtually the opposite, and it occurs to him that you are, too.

Maybe that’s why he feels so drawn to you.

Well, that, and you’re one of the most beautiful people he’s ever seen.

Cracking open the can, he leans on the railing with his elbows supporting him and watches you with his daughter. He takes a long sip, combing his gaze over the top half of your torso that’s out of the water as you stand in the shallow end. The bikini top he’d gotten a peek of under your coverup is on full display now, the sweet lilac color with ditsy florals tight across your chest.

He’s seen more of your bare skin from his window, but the bikini top sends a heat to the back of his neck and behind his ears, imagining you over him on his lap and his hand slipped under the swimsuit.

Shaking his head to pull him away from the image, he takes a deep breath and a few gulps of his beer, taking one more look at the two of you splashing around in the water with some of the other neighborhood kids swimming circles around you. He holds back a smile as he listens to your laughter mixed with Sarah’s, chewing on the inside of his cheek before he returns to be social like you told him to.

Eventually, once they’re pruny and antsy again, Sarah and the other kids get out and towel off to play tag altogether in the grassy part of your backyard. You dry off and slip your coverup over your head again, the fabric clinging to you in places that weren’t fully dry. Bare feet pad against the wooden stairs as you climb them, taking a breath to brace yourself before returning into the mass of judgy neighbors.

The contents of the cooler have dwindled, so you opt for a Corona and pop the cap off, weaving in and out of the crowd to find a lime wedge. At the makeshift bar, you grab a slice and shove it down the bottleneck, taking a sip and turning towards a group of neighbors you actually like.

Walking up to the circle, you see your brother, Chris, a kid his age from down street, Ryan, and Joel standing opposite you. Everyone’s talking about setting up a bags tournament, and you volunteer to play as well. One of the young wives offers to pair everyone off into teams, and you get set up with Chris while Joel gets partnered with Ryan.

Everyone playing meanders down to the lawn where the handful of boards are set up for play, and the four of you end up versus each other. Chris and Ryan walk to the far side, leaving Joel and yourself at the opposite end to start the game.

He bends down to collect the beanbags, handing you the blue ones with a grin while he holds the red for himself.

“You ready to lose at cornhole, sweetheart?”

You scoff and roll your eyes.

“No, cause I’m ready to win at bags.”

Joel scoffs this time, letting out a short laugh and giving you a look of disbelief.

“Don’t tell me you’re one of those people, darlin’. It’s called cornhole. Why do you even call it bags? You’re from Austin. We say cornhole.”

“Um, I am ‘one of those people’ cause ‘those people’ are the correct ones. And there are plenty of people living in Austin that call it bags. For example, my dad who taught me the game.”

You turn away from Joel and lob one of your bags onto the board, watching as it skids across the surface and sinks into the hole.

“Your dad is from the Midwest. Doesn’t count, sweetheart.”

Joel tosses his first one, the red bag smacking against the surface and sticking to its place. You look at him with a satisfied, smug smirk.

“It does count. And even more so, everyone in Fort Worth at school calls it bags. People from Texas.”

Your next shot only lands on the board, an annoyed sigh falling from your lips.

“That’s Fort Worth. I’m talking about Austin. Your hometown. You can’t betray us by calling it bags, darlin’. You’re breaking my heart hearing that.”

“Well, then I guess I’ll always be a heartbreaker to you. Cause if I ever call this game cornhole, it’ll be the death of me.”

Joel sinks his next shot, giving you the same pompous look you’d given him.

“Now I can’t be losing you so soon, so we can agree to disagree. But I’m right.”

“Oh my god, no! I am right. And I will be teaching Sarah the correct name for the game.”

The blue bag in your hand lands on the edge of the hole, taking a second to let gravity pull it in. You cheer to yourself and hear Joel’s laugh next to you, your smile softening.

“Now that’s just too far, sweetheart. I draw the line at influencing the youth. My youth, especially.”

Your laugh pulls a smile from Joel, the shot leaving his hand to land right in the hole of the board. He looks back to you, eyes glistening with a tinge of admiration and teasing all in one.

“Fine. I will allow you to parent as you see fit, even if it’s wrong on all moral levels.”

“I can see who’s influencing her heightened dramatics lately.”

You pause, a beat of silence as you try to find a defense for yourself but coming up short. The last beanbag in your possession sails through the air, missing the board completely. A pout tugs your bottom lip out, huffing a sigh out of your nostrils and crossing your arms to watch Joel take his last turn for the round.

His hand twitches at the last second, changing the trajectory of his throw and sending the bag off to the side into the grass.

“I’ll admit, I do come up with…climactic story lines for her Barbies. But it’s to encourage her imagination!”

“I’m just teasin’ you, darlin’. You’re great with Sarah, and we both love having you around this summer. Don’t need to change a thing about you.”

He must mean the words in a friendly manner, but your heart can help but flutter at the thought of Joel enjoying you being around him often.

The game goes for a few more rounds, Joel and you keeping up with each other and tying at the end of each of your turns.

“Guess we’re a pretty good match.” You smile sweetly at him as you reach out your hand as a gesture of good sportsmanship when you and Chris take the win. Joel’s hand envelopes yours, shaking it firmly as a grin tugs one side of his mouth up.

“I think you’re right about that, sweetheart.”

“We’re quitting, this is boring! Sorry, sis! Sorry, Joel!” your brother shouts at you both, sauntering off with his buddy Ryan. Joel looks back at you, shrugging with his hands in his pockets.

“Think we’d be good partners? We could keep up the tournament together.”

A wide smile crosses your face as you nod in agreement.

“Let’s kick everyone’s asses. At bags.” You wink before walking ahead of him back to the group, getting assigned your new opponents.

You spend the next few games across from Joel, sharing knowing glances and grins, communicating with only a look for the rest of your games. You easily climb through the small, single elimination tourney and get to the winner’s game. The pressure, or as much pressure as a friendly, neighborhood game could be when you’re a competitive person, is on with the eyes of everyone eliminated on you. After a tension filled game, both in scoring, and the look in Joel’s eyes that’s sending a tingle throughout your thighs and between your legs, the two of you earn the victory 21-19.

You both cheer goofily, overly celebratory for the simple sport as you rush to the center of the pitch. Joel meets you halfway, laughing as you raise your hand for a high five. He complies, grabbing your hand when it meets his in the air, squeezing it as he drops them together between your bodies. His eyes are darker, filled with a glint of something that intensifies the feeling at your core.

At a barely audible level, his drawl curls around his words as he tells you, “Good job, sweetheart,” with a wink and a sideways smirk.

Your long dried bikini bottoms are soaked at this point, a chill tickling its way down your spine. His hand pulls away from yours, moving to your waist to guide you to the stairs. He follows you up to the deck, and you can feel the burn of his eyes on your eyes through the layers of thin fabric, imagining the subtle jerks of his arm and shoulder that you catch glimpses of from across the lawn on those late nights you unknowingly share with him. Before you can start a conversation to stay near him, or even suss out the electric chemistry that’s reaching towards a peak between you two, you both get pulled away from each other. For the rest of the night, you can’t ever seem to catch up with him, and you resign wistfully to being stuck in a boring conversation with your mom’s friends while your thoughts circulate around Joel.

The sun set an hour ago, the temperature dropping only a few degrees with the night fall. Most of the neighborhood is still mingling around your family’s backyard, those with younger kids all making their way home.

Sarah’s head rests against Joel’s shoulder as he holds her at his hip, adjusting her to hold her higher as he chats with your dad and brother about his last season on LSU’s baseball team. He feels Sarah rub her face against his shirt and glances at her, checking the time on his watch. It’s about half an hour past Sarah’s usual bedtime, and if he doesn’t get her back home, she’s going to be as grumpy as he is without a full eight hours.

Wishing your dad and brother goodnight and thanking them for hosting, he turns to make his way across the deck and glances around in an attempt to find you to say goodnight. It’s Saturday, which means he won’t see you tomorrow, and the thought of that contracts his chest. He can’t think of an excuse to go on a search to seek you out, and without a reason, he meanders back over to his house.

Joel gets Sarah into her pajamas and lays her down for the night, kissing her forehead and smoothing her hair back. He smiles to himself at the peaceful look on her face, rubbing her back gently before shutting off her bedside lamp and closing the door behind him.

Retiring on the sofa, he turns on some reruns of the latest cable show, zoning out on the screen as his thoughts drift to you.

The smell of chlorine on your hair starts to give you a headache, so you make your way inside and up to your room to shower off. Changing into your oversized sleep shirt and shorts, you fall back into bed and grab your book from the nightstand to read some pages to distract your brain before going to sleep.

You glance out your window to see if Joel’s come up to his room, like that first night you had waited for him and every time since then. When you can’t see his silhouette or any lights on in his window, you take a guess that he must be parked in front of the TV since he brought Sarah home.

After a chapter or two of your book, a vibration muffles against your comforter. The book gets discarded, probably losing your page while your hands scramble to find your device before the ringing stops. Right before it rings through, you grab the small phone and hit accept without a chance to check the contact.

“Hello?”

“Hey, sweetheart.”

The raspy drawl crackling through the line raises your heart rate, your eyes glancing to your alarm clock to see the time - 11:48 pm.

Why was Joel calling this late?

“Joel? What’s up? Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong. Well, nothing serious. I, uh, just got a call from Tommy and he’s way too drunk at some bar downtown to drive home. I gotta go get him, but I don’t wanna wake Sarah to put her in the car or leave her by herself here obviously. So I was wondering if you’d—”

“I’ll be right over.”

Joel sighs, full of relief and breathes out his next words filled with gratefulness.

“Thank you so much, darlin’.”

You make a quick goodbye, gathering your phone and slipping out of your bedroom. Downstairs near the door to your garage, you slip on your flip flops and head over across your front yard and Joel’s. The humidity in the air has lessened, but your damp hair still sticks to the back of your neck. Your nails scrape up the hair and hold it off your neck, legs carrying you up the short set of stairs and up to the Miller front door. Your right hand knuckles tap quietly against the painted wood, letting your hair down and rubbing your sweaty palms on your t-shirt.

The door swings open with Joel on the other side, a sleepy grin on his face as he waves you in. He looks soft in his washed out Cypress Hill t-shirt and gym shorts, the vision of him in his version of PJs tugging at the corners of your lips.

“Thank you again for coming over here, darlin’. Sarah’s sleeping, should stay asleep while I’m gone. She was exhausted after tonight.”

Following Joel into the living room, he gestures to the couch and the TV that is still turned on to whatever he was watching before.

“Should be back soon, feel free to hang out here. Help yourself to anything to drink or if you want a snack, you know where everything is.” He smiles at the mention of you knowing your way around, grabbing the keys to his truck and slipping on some sneakers as you plop down onto the couch.

“Sounds good, I’ve got my cell so if you need any more help, text or call. But I’ll be camped out here until you get back.”

“Hopefully won’t need anything else, been dealing with Tommy my whole life. Always gonna be the annoying little brother,” he chuckles softly and lingers near the door, glancing around before his eyes find you again, “Guess I should head out, I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

“Drive safe! And tell Tommy I say hi,” you add with a quiet giggle, watching as Joel shakes his head and laughs to himself, heading out the front door. The truck rumbles to life in the driveway, and you watch from the window as he heads down your street and towards the city.

The engine shuts off in the driveway, and Joel can still hear some echoes of the party carrying on from another neighbor's backyard. Getting Tommy from the bar took way longer than he thought it would, and it’s now 1:26am. Traffic was horrible attempting to cross the city ‘cause of some country show getting out right as he hit downtown, and Tommy wouldn’t answer his damn phone when Joel did get there. He sped back to Tommy’s and basically made him roll out of the car, idling to make sure his brother got inside alright. He was insufferable with his drunk babbling, and now by the time Joel finally got home, he felt a swirl of guilt in his stomach for making you come over. He thought it would be quick, and now he’s slinking inside to apologize profusely for taking an hour and a half.

The front door squeaks on its hinges, the hollow sound of the TV cracking through its speakers at a low volume. You don’t greet him as he slowly clicks the door back in place, locking the deadbolt and kicking off his sneakers into the pile of shoes in the entryway.

Sock covered feet echo muffled thuds across the wood floors of his living room, a grin tugging on his lips when you finally come into view.

Fast asleep, you're laid out on the leather couch with your legs curled into your stomach. One arm’s under the throw pillow your head rests on and the other is bent limply in front of you, fingers wrapped into a loose fist. The movement of your chest is languid and deep with your breaths, lips parted in relaxation and eyelashes resting against your skin.

Painfully angelic.

He’s frozen for a moment across the room, watching you sleep until the time reaches past 1:30am and he knows that he needs to wake you to get you back home and into your own bed. He selfishly wants to let you sleep there, doesn’t want to interrupt any sweet dreams you might be having or the rest you need after taking care of his daughter all week, after helping him too.

Sighing faintly to himself, he moves towards the couch and bends down to gently rub your shoulder to wake you.

“I’m back, sweetheart, you can head home.”

You gasp from the shock of being woken from a deep sleep, scrambling to sit up in a panic with heavy lidded eyes. Your soft touch presses warmly against his thigh through the fabric of his gym shorts, and he looks down at you as you start to fully wake.

“Joel? Oh god, I’m so sorry I fell asleep, I shouldn’t have—”

“Hey, hey, it’s alright, sweetheart. I took a lot longer than I thought I would,” the cozy look in your eyes plucks at his heart strings, and the touch lingering on his leg turns into an electric burn, “‘M sorry you had to sleep on the couch for a bit.”

Your head shakes with a dopey grin, fingers brushing his skin as it slips back towards your lap. The spot once covered with your touch sends a chill throughout his body. His eyes track your motion and his own hand reaches out for you. Large fingers slip between yours, Joel’s gaze returns up from your locked hands. Before you can say anything to him, and before he can overthink, he leans in and catches your lips in a fragile kiss.

Everything stops around him in the moment. The TV is muted in his ears, the chill of the AC isn’t felt with the fire alighting in his gut, his eyes close and bring him into an abyss where all he can feel is the plush of your lips against his and all he can smell is the candied scent of your green apple and lime body wash mixing in his nose with the bluebell and jasmine notes of your shampoo. It’s overwhelming, the way you have completely surrounded him with one kiss.

Your mouth is still against his for a few more beats, Joel imagining the shock you must be in and he immediately feels his stomach drop in a rush.

Fucking idiot. Why would you think it would be okay to kiss her? She’s obviously uncomfortable and now you are going to have to grovel out an apology for being creepy and completely unprofessional.

Joel’s head moves back to break the kiss, his eyes opening with dread flooding them. Scanning your own expression, he can’t quite read you.

“Darlin’, I’m so sor—”

“Do it again.”

Now Joel is still with shock, confusion contorting his face as his head tilts minutely.

“What d’you mean, sweetheart?”

“Do it again,” the smooth skin of your hand trails up his arm, across his shoulder, and wraps around the side of his neck, “Kiss me.”

His brain takes a few seconds to process your words and fire actions to his nerves and muscles, but when everything finally connects in him, he’s leaning in and molding his mouth to yours in a deeper exchange.

With hands intertwined, he reaches his other up to caress your cheek. His fingers splayed across your face, grazing the line of your jaw as you sigh into his mouth. The slight part of your lips with the exhale gives him a chance to lick into your mouth, his tongue tasting yours. Your hand on his neck tugs to pull him over you further, his back aching at the angle.

He pulls apart from you, breaths shallow as his eyes search yours for any signs of wanting to stop. When he can’t find any, he moves to sit on the couch, arms wrapping around your waist and pulling you to straddle his lap.

Joel chases your honey kisses, taking peck after peck as his hands run over your back. He feels your hands scratch into his five o’clock shadow, groaning against your lips when you sit back on his thigh and the front of your shorts brushes against his semi-hard cock in his pants.

Kisses intensify, heating up again. Joel’s hands skim down your back and each grab a handful of your ass, coaxing a small whimper from your lips. The sweet sound flips another switch in Joel, his hips canting up against you as he feels himself swell more in his pants.

Against your lips, he rasps out, “Y’have no idea how much I’ve wanted to kiss you since I met you, darlin’.”

“You could’ve. I’ve wanted it just as much…” you breathe out, a soft whine slipping after, “Don’t know how you didn’t—didn’t notice how much I wanted you.”

Joel’s mouth presses kisses at the corner of your mouth, along your jaw, and down your neck. He nips at your lush skin, moaning quietly and fanning out humid air at your collar. His hips grind up against you again, your inhale catching in your throat in a gasp.

“I noticed, sweetheart. Trust me, I noticed. Just couldn’t bring myself to touch you. Didn’t wanna make you uncomfortable,” his words tumble out in a lustful haze, the taste of you and the feeling of you lowering his inhibitions, “But I wanted you so bad. Ached for you, darlin’, and when I saw you in your window from my bedroom one night, dressed in nothing but those sweet little white lace panties you got, I watched you putting lotion on and fucked my hand. Felt so good watching your hands all over yourself, wanted ‘em to be mine.”

He moves one of his hands from your ass, slipping it between your bodies and groping one of your breasts through the thin material of your sleep shirt. You moan his name louder than before, your smaller hand gripping right onto his shoulder. He catches your lips in a kiss again to stifle your noises to be sure you two wouldn’t wake Sarah.

Your lips detach from his with a smacking sound, eyes looking into his blown wide with wonder.

“I knew you were there. I did it for you.”

Joel stares at you in disbelief, lips parted as he waits for you to continue.

“I wanted you so badly, that I thought—I thought if you saw me, it would maybe make you see me. Think I’m pretty or something. So I waited for you that first time, glancing over until I finally saw you in the window. And when I noticed you staring, I started to change my clothes but that wasn’t going to be enough cause it would be over so soon. So I put on my lotion. I could see you sitting there when I looked out my window, and I just—I guessed what you were doing cause I saw your arm moving and your head tilted back a lot. And it seemed like you liked it, so I kept doing it for you, and waiting for something to finally happen.”

His cock is rock hard and throbbing for some kind of attention. He can feel a wet spot forming on the fabric of his boxers from his pre-cum leaking out of him.

You knew. You saw him getting off to watching you parade around your room mostly naked. You liked it, and you kept doing it for him.

It’s the hottest thing anyone’s ever told him.

“Aren’t you a sweet little thing, huh darlin’? You did that for me every time?”

Joel uses the hand that was on your breast to brush your hair behind your ear, eyes piercing yours. He can see the shyness in you still, the hesitancy coating your expression and shaky breaths.

“Uh huh.”

“You wanted me to feel good? All those times, I got to take care of myself, but nobody took care of you?”

An audible swallow cuts the silence you’ve created, a shrug of your shoulders before your meek voice vibrates Joel’s ears.

“Um, sometimes—sometimes I would touch myself or rub against one of my pillows after I turned out my light. Not every night, but when I really needed to I did.”

A pout juts Joel’s bottom lip out, his head shaking back and forth.

“Mmm, poor thing having to touch yourself, bet it didn’t ever feel like enough, huh? Probably were thinking about my hands, my mouth, my cock. Am I right, sweet girl? Were you wishing I would find you in your room and make you come?”

His words are shooting right to your cunt, fluttering inside of you and soaking your panties. This moment is more than enough for you to have your imagination run free, even if Joel never so much as kissed your cheek again. But his voice is addictive, his touch setting of ripples of goosebumps and making your body feel as if it’s filled with helium. You thought you would float to his ceiling if he wasn’t holding onto you so tight.

“Yes, yes I wanted that,” you close your eyes, the contact with Joel’s too much as you work up the courage to spill out the embarrassing reality that you’ve been dreading to tell him if you were ever caught in a moment like this, “I’m, um, I’ve never had anyone…”

Joel’s one hand plays with your hair and the other squeezes your bum gently. Your eyes open to see him staring at you full of doting affection.

“You’ve never had anyone touch you? You’re a virgin?” Your eyes cast down to the graphic on his t-shirt, nodding and feeling that meager inadequacy you’ve felt when the confession has come up to other guys and boyfriends in the past.

It wasn’t like you were saving yourself for any reason, it just never felt like the right moment. You never really wanted it with anyone in the past, and you took it as a sign when most guys, especially during college, would bolt after you told them. Your friends comforted you, after the first time telling you how shitty guys were and how they all had this complex that girls become obsessed and clingy with the guys they lose it to.

You braved yourself for that moment to happen now, waiting for Joel to tell you that ‘this wasn’t going to work’ or ‘that it’s getting kind of late’.

“Nothing wrong with that, sweetheart. We can do whatever you're comfortable with. Including doing nothing if that’s what you want.”

“What?”

Your head snaps up in surprise, facing writhe with skepticism. In Joel’s expression, you can’t find any signs of him being humorous or lying to you.

“I said, we can take this at your pace. I’d be happy just having you near me, pretty girl. I don’t wanna pressure you into anything.”

“No, no. You’re not,” your hands run across his broad shoulders, leaning in to press a featherlight kiss to his lips, “I want it with you, all of it. What I’m missing out on.”

His chuckle fills your ears, not laughing at you maliciously but as if you’re endearing to him.

“That can all happen eventually, darlin’. Not tonight,” Joel gives you a heady, yet tender kiss, pulling you by your waist over to his right more. Your knees lay on either side of his thigh, and you stare at him when he pulls back from you.

“How about tonight, you just show me how you make yourself come? I want you to show me what you like. Wanna see your beautiful face when you come. That alright with you, sweet girl?”

“What d’you mean?”

He’s patient with you, a warm palm running along your side as his head tilts.

“You rub your pretty little clit against my thigh. Just like one of your pillows. That okay? Think you’ll feel good doin’, sweetheart.”

“Okay, yeah. I wanna try it.”

Joel’s smile is sweetened as he looks at you, pressing a quick kiss to your lips. He pushes you to stand from his lap for a moment, holding you up on shaky legs while one hand tugs down the waistband of your shorts a few inches. He looks up at you through his long lashes (why do men always have the best lashes?) and presses a kiss to your hip bone.

“Can I take these off for you, darlin’?”

You nod slowly, feeling the words get caught in your throat as tension builds between the two of you.

“Need you to tell me. Always need to hear your words.”

Swallowing hard, your throat clears with a barely there hem and your voice comes out thick with want.

“You can take them off. Please take them off.”

Joel moves with your consent, smoothly pulling your cotton shorts down your legs and dropping them to the ground. He leans forward and grazes his lips along your thighs with a warm exhale, ending his exploration with a suckling kiss.

“Such a sweet, polite girl. How’d anyone resist you?”

His hands grip the backs of your thighs, bringing you into his lap and settling you over his right leg again. You whimper at the feeling of your weight pressing your clit against his thigh, the moment of friction as he adjusts your positions sending a jolt of energy throughout your bloodstream.

“Alright, pretty girl, you just move your hips how you do in your bedroom alone. Right here against my thigh.”

Hands on his shoulders brace yourself as you give your hips one roll against Joel, the wetness of your cunt leaking from your panties and onto his skin. When you pull back, you can see the slightest hint of sheen on him, mouth falling open at the sight of part of you marking him, even temporarily. A slow rhythm builds, Joel’s large hand encasing one of your ass cheeks and the other on your waist to help you find your pace.

“I imagined you over me like this all the time. Y’know what I would say to myself when I was looking at you, sweetheart?” The timbre of his deep drawl vibrates against your eardrum as he leans his head in to press a kiss right under your lobe.

“W-What would you say?” your voice is high-pitched and throaty, eyes screwing shut as you focus on his voice and the feeling of your clit dragging against him.

“I would say things like ‘Quiero saborearte’ and ‘Apuesto a que te sientes tan apretada y mojada’ and ‘Quiero dártelo’. Do you know what any of that means?”

Is he really giving you a Spanish lesson right now?

When you don’t answer, his hands grip you tighter and skid your hips to a halt, a whine pulled from your lips involuntarily as you look at him.

“I asked you if you understood what I said, sweetheart. I wanna know. Then you can keep going.”

He’s being serious, and you huff out a breath in frustration before you respond.

“All I understood is ‘quiero’ which is ‘I want’ and ‘saborear’ is to savor? I think?”

Joel rumbles out a satisfied hum, removing his hands from you completely. At the freedom, you move your hips faster, your arousal forming a wet spot on his shorts and skin. Quiet moans of his name are the only thing that you can speak as you listen to him again.

“‘Quiero saborearte’ is ‘I want to taste you.’”

Oh fuck.

His hands grip you again, moving you in figure eights to grind you harder on his leg.

“‘Apuesto a que te sientes tan apretada y mojada’ means ‘I bet you feel so tight and wet.’”

“Fuck, Joel…”

His dark chuckle cuts through after your breathy adlib, the burning hot coil in your gut twists tighter.

“God, you look so pretty like this. Can’t wait to see what you look like when I have my fingers or tongue on you. I know I’ll get you screaming my name.”

Smug fucker.

“And ‘Quiero dártelo’ translates to ‘I want to put it in.’ Is that what you thought about when you were making a mess on your pillows, sweet girl? Thought about me giving you my cock?”

“Joel, I-I’m gonna—“

“I know, sweetheart, I know. Let go, come on my thigh.”

That’s when the dam breaks and you're swept up into the flood of pleasure that washes over you like a tidal wave. All you can respond to Joel is “yesyesyes” as your eyes roll back into your head with your jaw dropped, his hands continuing to slide your hips back and forth to ride out your orgasm.

“So beautiful, darlin’…”

The feeling dissipates eventually, your chest heaving breaths to slow your heart rate down. Your eyes meet Joel’s again, a Cheshire smile wide across his face as he leans in and kisses you passionately. He pulls away, pressing quick pecks on your lips and around your cheeks, coaxing a laugh from you. You press his back against the couch, grin filled with a shy affection as you stare at him. You move to stand on your knees to climb off of him, your leg brushing his bulge and feeling his cock twitch in his shorts. Eyes snap back to his, a curious expression covering your features.

“Can I do something for you?”

“Another time, sweetheart. S’real late now, probably should get back home to get some sleep.” Joel thumbs your lip as you pout, wrapping around him in a tight hug.

“I don’t wanna leave.”

“I know, darlin’, I wish you could stay with me all night. But wouldn’t be the best look for you to walk home tomorrow morning from my house in your little PJs.”

You sigh deeply, pressing a light kiss to his neck before sitting up again and nodding in understanding.

“You’re right. I should get home,” you stand from the couch and pull on your shorts, slinking over to the front door with him in tow to slip into your flip flops, “See you Monday?”

You look up at him with wide, doleful eyes filled with hope, relief washing over you as he pulls you into him and gives you a breathtaking kiss.

“Can’t wait for it, sweet girl. Have a good Sunday.”

He sends you out the door after one, or a few, last kisses, standing in the doorway to make sure you get in alright.

Feeling your mind in the clouds and floating on adrenaline, you glide up to your room and flop onto your bed. Laying with your thoughts recounting the last hour of your life, you’re only pulled out when your phone buzzes with a message.

Joel:

Think you can sit up on your bed, sweetheart?

The message confuses you for a second until it clicks and you sit up quickly, turning on your mattress to face your window.

Joel’s lights are on for once in his room, his silhouette standing in the window. One hand supports him against the glass, shirt off and shorts pulled a few inches down his thighs. His arm flexes as he jerks his cock, breath fogging up the spot he’s closest to.

A wave of arousal rushes to your core, watching him on full display unlike every other time you’ve been the one to put the show on for him. It only takes a moment looking at you sitting on your bed, even in your pajamas, before his head is rolling back, jaw dropped and hand against the window clenching into a fist as he paints his hand with his come.

You fall back onto your bed when he walks out of sight, assuming he’s cleaning up. One more buzz sounds before you turn your light out, a second message from Joel:

Need you to stay late on Monday.

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