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#higher love
blackswaneuroparedux · 9 months
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The higher the love, the more demands will be made on us to conform to that ideal.
Fulton J. Sheen
Siena Cathedral, Itlay.
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imaginedreamwrite · 1 year
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Higher Love: Part 8
The door shut with a soft click, the room was covered in darkness that came from the empty space and closed curtains. Though there were slivers of light coming from the slips between the cracks that hadn’t been pulled tight, the room-darkening curtains had effectively blocked out as much sunlight as possible.
Without turning on the light, you’d dropped your bag to the floor by your desk and stumbled forward, first sitting on the edge of the bed in order to kick off your shoes, and then your back met the mattress with a heavy thud. You lay still until you had the gumption to shift onto your side and curl in on yourself with your hand tucked under your chin.
There was nothing you’d have liked more than to sleep and sleep for days, however the weight of a few papers you’d have to write about the history of symbolism in fashion and fiction, the two topics integral. It was a pivotal portion of your degree that would aid you in creating your line of figure skating costumes, an attempt to make it easier for other skaters to find something that wouldn’t have cost thousands of dollars.
With the expectation that you would be tasked with handing in a paper you hadn’t started yet, you should have pulled yourself from bed and centred yourself in front of your desk to work. And yet the longer you’d laid in bed with your hands tucked under your chin and your legs pulled close to your chest, the last few tendrils of your motivation had dissipated like a slow rolling fog that had come and gone.
You lay there, in the silence of your darkened room, unmotivated and unwilling to task yourself with creating your paper. Rather, you had laid on your bed and let your mind escape you, your eyes fixated on your roommates bed and the fading scent of Johnny Storm that had once been clinging to the blankets. Even if you had wanted to pull yourself from the bed, even if you had all the motivation in the world to start typing away at your computer, you felt bogged down. It was as if there was a blanket weighted by heady lead draped over you, or if your muscle fibres were being replaced with solid steel and copper until your entire body had become artificial.
The feeling of being weighed down hadn’t just affected your physical being, but your mental state as well. Your mind was running on its own, only to return to you when you focused your thoughts on the practice you’d finished with Coach Tucker. It wasn’t the practice that had become a jumbled mess of thought and memories that betrayed you, it was as if time itself had betrayed you with an endless and dense haze that obstructed the minutes, hours and days of your week.
When was the party? When had you gotten drunk and had been taken home by Ari? How long had it been since you and Ari spent the weekend together? How much time had passed since you slept together that weekend? Had Ari already filed the necessary paperwork to cement your relationship together as alpha and omega?
Johnny and Lucas told you that he had, that it was official but could you even trust yourself? Could you trust what you’d been told or was it another quick ploy by your mind fabricating memories?
The door opened and shut quietly, the soft padding footsteps of your roommate had been the only indicator that you were still conscious and not in a state between. You had tilted your head and followed her with your eyes as she had sat on the bed opposite yours and raised her hands to her face, fingers slowly massaging her temples. She, like you, looked as if she was completely stripped of energy although there was a lingering and detectable scent masking hers that alluded to her energy being pulled for an entirely different reason.
“I don’t want to bother you, but…” her voice was soft, her hands trembling while she set them in her lap and turned her head, exposing the brand-new mark ensconced on her neck.
“Johnny?” You spoke his name, unable to even raise your voice above a whisper.
“We were both…drunk and it just…” She sighed and shifted the placement of her hands, covering her face and muffling her weary sigh. “Johnny and I are going to talk after his next class. I just came to gather some clothes.”
“I’ll have a room to myself.” You surmised what she was trying to say without fully explaining herself, and the only response you’d gotten from her was a small nod. “It’s okay. I don’t know how long I’ll be here either.”
Silence had fallen for a moment between the two of you, not awkward in the slightest but there was a lot to be said that couldn’t have been aired. Your roommate was fooling around with Johnny, they had an innate and deep bond that alluded to them being a good and perfect match. Like Ari and yourself, the connection was impossible to skip over and you were happy for her. Even if they had marked each other while they were drinking, they had recognized each other as a good match otherwise the bond wouldn’t have taken.
“You don’t deserve that,” your roommate broke the silence as she stood, wrapping her arms around her middle, “from that asshole Tucker. You should make a complaint to the athletic department about him, there’s gotta be some misconduct or something.”
Your reply to her was just as soft-spoken as before, just as pliantly lifeless and effortless. It was a single word, a single syllable and she didn’t find much value in your plain answer although she didn’t question it. Instead, your roommate had walked toward her dresser, grabbing a pair of sweats and a hoodie, tucking both under her arm.
You followed her with your eyes, watching her as she moved back toward the door. You studied her as she hesitated to open the door, your eyes meeting when she looked over her shoulder and spoke again. “You shouldn’t let that fucker walk all over you, at the very least you should tell Ari. He’s your alpha and the hockey coach, he’s got pull. You should rely on him.”
She had left as quickly as she had come, the door closing again with a soft click.
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Ari knew exactly what he was doing, he knew exactly what his rights and limitations were as an alpha, and even beyond that, as your alpha. There were safeguarding laws and regulations that were in place for situations just like this, in cases where omegas were being physically, mentally or emotionally attacked by an alpha.
While it could have been negated to some extent or made to be unfair by designation if some alphas took advantage of the safeguarding laws, Ari was going to use it to his and your benefit. But then, there were other omegas who were being put under the same rigorous scrutiny from an alpha who used his position to gain access to them in any way he wanted. By promising to make or break their potential career, Lance Tucker had taken full advantage of some omegas who were either too frightened or unwilling to come out and make complaints about him, or their complaints were swept under the rug to save face for the alpha.
It wasn’t just an attempt to save you that fuelled his motives to go after Lance Tucker in every possible way that he could. It was Ari being made aware of the treatment other girls had received from the alpha, and no punishment resulting from the accusations and the claims that had been acknowledged by the school. Whether the omegas had been paid off or they had gotten threatened with their scholarships or positions on teams, it hadn’t mattered or altered his decision. Ari was going to deal with it, and he had retained a lawyer to take on this matter for you, and for any other omegas who would want to press charges.
However before that had even taken place, Ari had to speak to the head of the athletics board and the association for the school. Ari would use his position as the hockey coach to try and handle this without physically threatening Lance Tucker under the protection of the safeguarding laws.
Ari couldn’t physically stomach the idea of being idle and not acting. He couldn’t take it. He wouldn’t take it. He had to do something, not just for you but for the other omegas who didn’t have someone willing to protect them.
There was no turning back, there was no other road he could have taken to avoid a confrontation like this. Since he was informed of the treatment you’d suffered through your coach in the name of succeeding at figure skating, it hadn’t taken Ari long to find other complaints.
Other skaters and dancers, gymnasts that Lance Tucker had targeted and screwed with. This had been unjustly swept under the rug to save face for Tucker, the accusations dropped in the name of keeping a successful but problematic coach.
Ari was beyond pissed. He was beyond pissed. Truly he was utterly enraged by the whole prospect of the university keeping everything hidden. Ari was formally recognized as your alpha through the university, and all the necessary paperwork had gone through and been processed. While had come certain rules about not being overly bold with your public displays of affection while on campus, there was nothing to bar the two of you as consenting and legal adults from pursuing a relationship.
Regardless of when the relationship was formally recognized in the school, or how much time had passed after it had been accepted, Ari was not going to back down from confronting parties responsible for putting you in danger.
He had documented the process with an email first sent to the head of the athletics association and the head of the board, as well as the dean. Ari had kept himself level-headed in the email, though he was not going to water down the accusations and the need to discuss how to deal with it. He had sent the email, he had started the process and then he went to talk face-to-face.
Though he was level-headed in the email, there was something about facing the man head-on that had negated his patience piece by little piece until he had been bordering on the edge of being completely in tune with his natural and predominantly primordial urge to protect you with everything he had.
It was a tactically sensitive conversation albeit one that would quickly become overshadowed by his anger and his disgust that this was going on, and for who knows how long, with nothing being done. Certainly, when Ari had first stepped into the office he had intended to try and maintain his composure despite how pissed off he was.
However, with the door still open behind him, all it took was one clear look at his old friend sitting behind his desk sipping on scotch for Ari to lose his composure. It came with the minimal force of a weak twig being snapped, and the even clink of his friends glass back against the desk for Ari to make the first move.
“Ari please-” The door slammed shut, the aggressive atmosphere had come entirely from Ari and his urgency to protect you and those other omegas. The force behind the door slamming shut had rattled the glass, the subtle shake a mere iota compared to the tension and the debilitating conversation that was going to happen one way or another.
“Don’t fuck with me, Ethan. I am not someone you want to fuck with, I’m allowing you to deal with it before I do.” He stalked toward the desk, every step producing a pounding beat in his ears until he stopped at the edge and glowered down at his friend.
“Ari you can’t do anything-” His hand slammed against the desk, his palm pressed flat against the expensive finish of the hard wood. He was not going to back down from this. He was not going to leave until it was necessary. Ari’s eyes were darkened and his teeth had been grinding egregiously, his aggression aimed entirely at the head of the sport’s association for the university. Ari had considered him a friend. Even now he considered him a friend. However, Ari was not willing to overlook these transgressions nor was he willing to turn a blind eye to what had been happening to these girls.
“Dammit, Ethan! I can do whatever it takes to handle this, to protect them!”
“Ari this takes time-“
“Time? This takes time? The university doesn’t give a shit about these girls, no one is giving a shit about these omegas and for what? To appease some half-assed one-time champion who fucked his way to the top? Dammit, Ethan! These girls need someone to stand up for them!” Ari hissed and leaned forward as a vow, not a promise, fell from his lips. He was willing to become a nightmare that wouldn’t go away, he was willing to throw it all away, everything he had accomplished, in order to protect you all. “Are you going to handle this or am I?”
Silence was what fell between them, and Ari had responded to the deafening line drawn in the sand by rising to his full height. He slipped one hand into his pocket and reached for his lawyer’s business card, the raised lettering promising hope and some kind of resolution. With a clear statement made by Ethan, Ari had pulled the card from his pocket and set it down upon the wood before sliding it forward.
“My lawyer will be contacting you.”
“Ari, please-” While Ethan protested, Ari had turned away from him and left the office with as much anger as he had when he entered.
It was up to Ari.
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krist-420 · 7 months
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Goth Kids listening to Depeche Mode
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k-evans-reads · 2 years
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Sick Days
A Higher Love One Shot
Summary: Chris is the last man standing when the flu hits the Evans house.
Pairing: Chris Evans x OFC Nickie Morrison
By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour
We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.
Word Count: 2,107
Warnings: Mentions of getting sick.
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Previous l  Writing Masterlist l  Higher Love Masterlist | Extensions Masterlist
October 2029
8.5 years married
Chris stifled a yawn, running a hand over Charlie’s overheated back as he readjusted her on his hip, pecking her forehead as they stared at the toaster, waiting for it to be done. 
At the tiny groan that arose from the little girl, he tilted his head to look down at her. Her eyes were bleary, gazing off at the toaster with a frown on her face. Chris’ fingers tapped against her thighs, asking, “How are you doing Charlie bean?” 
“I still feel icky,” she whined, leaning her head against his firm shoulder as a pout settled on her lips. 
“Do you want to go lay on the couch?” 
“No, I wanna stay with you,” the four-year-old replied, tightening her hold on his bare shoulder, tiny nails digging into the muscle there. 
He pressed a kiss to her forehead, frowning to himself as he noted the still-present fever. “Okay sweetheart. It’s almost done, then we’ll go back and lay down, okay?” He asked, smiling to himself at her tired nod, Charlie letting out a big yawn. They waited for a few more moments until the toast popped up, Chris sitting Charlie down on the counter for a moment so he could spread a small amount of butter on each slice, before he loaded them onto plastic plates and balanced them on a tray in one hand while he used his other to wrap around his sick little Charlie and put her back on his hip. 
He padded down the hallway, his sweatpants brushing against the wooden floor as he moved towards their bedroom, where Nickie, Ty, and Joey were laying in the large bed, the boys asleep as Nickie quietly watched Netflix. The dogs were laying on the floor at the foot of the bed, keeping guard but also catching up on sleep from the sleepless night. Chris and Nickie had been woken up by a crying and sick Ty at nearly midnight, and just when they’d gotten him settled into their bed and his sheets and pajamas in the wash, Joey had woken up with the same bug. Nickie was the next to go down at three in the morning, and Chris had been hopeful that Charlie would be okay - but that proved otherwise when he was greeted with a tearful and feverish little girl early this morning.    
Chris gave a small smile to Nickie when her dark eyes flickered over to look at him, face pale and hair a mess as she laid in the middle of the bed with her boys on each side of her fast asleep. He walked deeper into the room, trying to quietly set down the tray of toast on the bedside table and sat Charlie down on the bed before gently scooting her up and tucking her in next to Ty. 
He pulled the green plate off of the tray, sitting down on the bed next to Charlie as he broke a piece of the toast off. “Here sweetheart, try to eat a little toast and then close your eyes and try to sleep,” he coaxed, holding it in front of her. 
She scowled, pushing his hand away with a whine. “My tummy doesn’t feel good,” Charlie protested, her chocolate brown eyes filling with pitiful tears as she looked at him. 
“I know but it’ll feel better when you eat a little bit, okay?” 
Charlie frowned but relented, munching on a small piece of toast quietly. Chris glanced towards Nickie, finding her watching the pair quietly with a hint of a smirk on her pale face. “Relaxing your rule of eating in bed?” 
“After being married to you for so long you should know I’ve given up on that,” he chuckled quietly, putting the plate down on the nightstand as Charlie finished the small bite of food. He helped their youngest get settled before she drifted off to sleep, Chris watching her carefully for a moment before he turned his attention back to Nickie.  “How are you doing, honey?” 
“Okay, but Joey threw up on that blanket while you were getting breakfast,” she frowned apologetically, nodding over towards the balled-up blanket on the ground. “I’m sorry babe, I just can’t get up right now to take care of it.” 
He shook his head, knowing how awful she felt and how much she hated being sick, but hated seeing their kids sick even more. “You just stay right there, I’ll take care of everything,” he promised.
He leaned over to press a kiss to Nickie’s hot forehead before climbing off the bed and going over to grab the wadded up blanket and took it down the hall to the laundry room, Obi waking up and jumping off the bed to follow him in hopes of food. Chris got to work in the laundry room, tripping over Obi in the process before he finally got the load in the washer going just as Dodger came trotting in to join the party. 
“Sorry guys, I don’t think you’re going to be getting a walk today,” he sighed, moving to dump Joey’s dry Iron Man sheets into a laundry basket, then began grabbing hangers to hang up the kids’ clothes. 
As if understanding him, the two dogs started barking, making Chris go into a panic to try to keep them quiet and let the sick kids stay asleep. He hurried them out to the back door once he hung the last shirt, letting them out into the yard and giving him a moment's peace to make himself a cup of coffee. While the machine started brewing, he went over to grab his phone off of the table to text his mother that they for sure would not be making it to dinner at her house this evening, prompting his phone to start ringing only a moment later with her name on the screen. 
Before he could say anything, his mother’s worried voice bled through the phone’s speaker, asking him, “What’s going on, Chris? Is everything okay?” 
“The flu hit the Evans house last night,” he sighed, stifling a yawn at the tail end of his statement. He paused as he heard the TV in the bedroom turn off, listening as Nickie laid back down before he continued, “So far I’m the only one who has skated by.” 
His mother tutted sympathetically, making a small noise. “Is it bad?” She asked knowingly, Chris realizing she likely was thinking about the same memories as he was - four small sick kids all at home in the 1980s. He’d never realized just how much work went into caring for a sick person until he was an adult, but as a parent it became a whole different situation, especially when multiplied by three. 
He dragged a hand over his face, pulling the cup of coffee out from the machine and taking a sip of the much-needed caffeinated drink. “Ty was throwing up last night and Joey just threw up a little while ago but so far that’s been the worst of it. All the kids are sleeping in bed with Nic right now,” he told her. 
“What can I do? Do you want me to come over and help with some laundry or go get some medicine or anything?” 
“Thanks Ma, I’ve got all that covered,” he replied, feeling a rush of gratitude wash over him at the ease with which she offered up her help. “But actually if you wouldn’t mind taking the dogs, that would be great. They’re starting to get hyper and I don’t want them to wake anyone up plus I already have my hands full.” 
“I’ll be there in just a few minutes,” she promised, exchanging goodbyes and brushing off his thankfulness just before she clicked off the call. Chris stoof in the kitchen for a few minutes longer, taking long sips of the coffee before he put the mug in the dishwasher, heading back into the bedroom with a few Gatorades in hand. 
When he went back in, Nickie was still the only one awake and she silently took a bottle from him to drink before laying her head back down. With her having kids on each side of her, Chris sat down toward the end of the bed and rubbed a hand along her leg that was tucked underneath the blankets while he told her, “Ma is coming to pick up the dogs.” 
“Please tell her that I adore her,” Nickie told him dryly, a chuckle escaping Chris. But the chuckle died off as he watched her shift uncomfortably, moving Joey’s pointy elbow from her side before she gently shifted Ty’s head off of her chest. 
“I think she already knows that,” he said quietly, but frowned as he watched her unsuccessfully try to move the kids. “But honey, I think you should go sleep on the couch or in the guest room. You’re not going to get any rest with all the kids.” 
She shook her head, opening her eyes and staring at him. “I’m not leaving my sick babies,” she informed him, her quiet voice strong. 
“I’m taking care of them, don’t worry. But I want you to get some rest,” Chris pleaded, running a hand over the blankets covering her legs, wrapping a hand around them. 
He watched Nickie again, watching as tears filled her eyes, just like they did with Charlie’s own eyes. He was struck - not for the first time - as he realized just how much Charlie looked like Nickie, with those brown eyes and the warm brown hair, something Nickie claimed came from him. She pulled him out of his thoughts as she quietly admitted, “I just want to be with them.” 
“How about a compromise? You move to the edge of the bed so you can at least have a little more space,” he offered, nodding his head to the empty space on Joey’s side of the bed, the six-year-old sprawled across Chris’ side of the bed. 
“Only if you’ll come lay with me,” she whispered with a smile. 
He grinned, shaking his head as he heard the door to the garage open. Tapping his fingers on Nickie’s legs, he stood up from the bed. “Let me go help Ma with the dogs and I’ll be right back,” he promised, Nickie nodding with a small smile. 
True to his word, Chris went out to help wrangle the dogs and get them in his mother’s car, giving her a big hug before going straight back to the bedroom where Nickie had maneuvered to the edge of the bed and slid Joey into her previous spot, leaving all the kids soundlessly asleep on one side of the bed. That left the perfect amount of room for him to slide into the warm bed and wrap his arms around Nickie, pulling her tired body against his and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 
His hands dipped underneath the baggy shirt she was wearing - one that, at one time, was his - as he felt her relax as sleep washed over her. A frown slid across his face as he felt the heat radiating off of her, whispering, “You have a fever, Nic.” 
“Shut up, no I don’t,” she muttered back, burying her face farther into his chest, Chris knowing there was a scowl on her face. 
“You do.” 
“I’m not that sick. It’s just a little cold,” she insisted, breaking off into a yawn at the end before her shoulders relaxed, as sleep finally pulled her under. 
“You’re a terrible liar,” he laughed, watching as a slight smile fought its way onto her face. “Now go to sleep.” 
Chris ended up laying in that bed, not even paying attention to what was on the television while the members of his sick family slept soundly. His blue eyes drifted over often to look at their three children, pajamas wrinkled and hair messy, all curled up in their bed and although he hated that they were sick, he loved moments like this where he just got to take it all in. Chris’ thoughts drifted back to his younger self, finding it amusing that if he knew back then that cleaning up vomit and trying to get sick kids to eat would actually make him happy, he’d think that his future self was crazy. But the truth of the matter was that it did make him happy. It made him happy to take care of his family because he loved his family. He loved having a family. He loved having this family and he wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. 
A/N: Surprise! We decided it was time to finally pull from a previously written work, especially in honor of Nickie’s birthday!
We miss the Morrison-Evans fam so much and know you have too. If you don’t mind taking a moment to answer our poll, it’d be much appreciated!!
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kisslovegoodbye · 5 months
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Hilma af Klint, "Dove, No. 02, Group IX-UW, No. 26," 1915,
Photograph: Albin Dahlström/Stiftelsen Hilma af Klints Verk
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yeehawsouthpaw · 29 days
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My favorite 80s pop song...just had to give it some love 💖🌊💃
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myimaginaryradio · 29 days
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Higher Love - Steve Winwood
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rolloroberson · 11 months
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Bring me a higher love….
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famousornotbuthot · 5 months
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imaginedreamwrite · 1 year
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Higher Love: Part 7
Dividers by @firefly-graphics
The chill of the ice settled in your lungs, the sharp breath of air as you inhaled was as welcoming as it was exhilarating. The moment your skates touched the ice you felt as if you were at home, even if it had just been days since you’d seen the ice, you were where you belonged.
The weekend had come and gone, and the promise Ari made and the heat that was pulsating between you during the pivotal moment where you were joined in the basest and most intense way, had left your entire body feeling as if it was buzzing.
The formal paperwork had been signed, Ari said he was going to file it with the school and the two of you would and could, have your relationship recognized with the school board and the dean. There would be protections put in place for yourself and Ari, the two of you would be held to certain standards, and of course, you had to drop his class.
The two of you would have to avoid as many public displays of affection as you could while you were on school grounds and if the relationship had come to an end, there would be extended support for you as an omega.
It was the perfect end to the stay you had at his place, the acknowledgement of your relationship and the start of courting.
It was the perfect mood booster to skate to, and you’d all but embraced the intensity of the feelings as you warmed up on the ice. You’d secured your headphones beneath your black toque and loaded your favourite playlist onto your phone to fuel your practice time. You were supposed to finalize the steps of your routine for the upcoming competition with the skating club, and your coach had put emphasized pressure on you to soften your landings.
You had thought they were fine, your landings, but your coach had given you a different opinion. Just as he had brought up the topic of your newest weigh-in. He hadn’t been subtle with his disappointment, he hadn’t softened any potential blow when he told you that you needed to drop a few pounds or more in his words and had recommended daily workouts on top of any practices you’d been doing.
He had aimed most of his ire at you and another skater on the team, the two of you certainly skilled technically and theatrically on the ice however coach Tucker hadn’t let your skills as skaters overshadow his idea that you needed to work harder to fit his perceived image of a skater. He had been pushing the two of you for weeks to watch how often and how much you had eaten. It was a secret you hadn’t told anyone.
The comments stung deep, and it took all you had not to cry in front of the alpha who seemed to get a kick out of making omegas, like you, degrade themselves mentally. You wondered if he got some kind of sick pleasure from making omegas feel like shit, or having them bend over backwards to please the cocky, and young, coach.
“I can take you to the big fucking leagues, I’m the best damn coach on the east coast. You’d be smart to listen to me.” His voice had cut through your music choice, his egregious comment making you falter and slip onto the ice.
You caught yourself during one of your upright spins, just as you were starting to shift into another position. You had managed to stop yourself from smashing your head or face on the ice, though your ass would be sore from the fall.
“You’re not going to be good enough if you don’t break yourself.” His voice hit again, and you had pushed yourself to stand, skating a few feet in order to set up the jump that was pivotal to your routine.
As you skated toward the centre of the ice, you came to a stop when the squeak of the door cut through the music playing in your headphones. You had turned your head, an involuntary groan falling from your mouth when two of the more robust alphas and hockey players had come to hang out by the boards of the ice.
You lifted your hands and yanked your headphones out of your ears tucking them into the left breast pocket of your light jacket. You closed the zipper and skated toward them, coming to a sharp stop to send flakes of ice and snow toward Lee and Storm.
“Congratulations, Ice Princess.” Johnny had greet you with a sing-songy tone to his voice that matched the lightness in his eyes, and the smirk that tugged at his lips.
He had come to the edge of the boards wearing one of the teams hoodies and a matching hat that was worn backwards and tipped down. His sleek blonde hair was growing longer and had begun to curl around his ears which had drawn your attention to the sight of a hickey peeking out from the collar of his hoodie.
He was unabashedly standing there with Lee, the two players were still that much taller than you despite you wearing skates, and if it wasn’t the blonde who was snickering like he had a secret, then it was the raven-haired brute.
“What the hell are you talking about?” You rest your hands on the smooth edge of the boards, your narrowed eyes flickering between Lucas Lee and Johnny Storm, suspicions arising when Johnny’s smirk morphed into a full-bore grin.
He was looking at you proudly, amused by whatever secret of yours that they had both known. It was written on their faces, both of them not just Johnny, and you were still just as clueless now as you had been when they had first arrived at the rink. It had only been a few moments before, but every passing second was confusing.
“We were worried about the Ice Princess after her first time playing beer pong, thought you might have needed some help curing your hangover but your cute roommate said you never came home this weekend. Did you enjoy your sleepover with coach Levvy?” Johnny grinned and guffawed with Lee, the two of them and their amusement at your situation was teasing at its core, and you were undecided if you wanted to smack them for it or let it pass.
“Nothing happened.” You settled on the defence, neither willing nor wanting to give Storm more to tease you with. “I was hungover-“
“So you didn’t sleep together?” Lee started, elbowing Johnny.
“And you didn’t fill out whatever bullshit you needed to form an official relationship? You’re already dropped from Lev’s class-“
“How the hell do you know?” The tactic to be defensive had failed, and a sharp hiss had replaced every intent to keep a solid front. “Did Ari tell you?”
“Hardly,” Johnny rolled his eyes and cursed under his breath, “he gave Lee and me an extra two hours of training-“
“You deserve it,” you cocked your hip and leaned against the boards, exhaling in minute relief that was almost immediately squandered by the squeak of the door opening for a second time and your coaches’ raised voice.
“Don’t you have assholes have some other puck bunnies to fuck?” He was unabashed, uninhibited when he snarked at Johnny and Lee, approaching them and then looking at them as if they were dirt beneath his feet.
“This is a closed practice and if you’re looking to get some ass-”
“What the fuck is your problem?” Lucas had growled with a crass intensity that would’ve made anyone feel threatened and intimidated, and yet your coach had barely looked amused.
“You two should probably go…” You muttered quietly, neither wanting a fight nor willing to face the aftermath of your coach’s ire.
“Shouldn’t talk to your skaters that way, asshole.” Johnny had been spurned, and while Lee had started to walk away, he had continued to stand by the boards, almost as if he willed your coach to do something.
“I’ve heard words coming from your mouth, Storm. You hockey players are all the same, screw everything with a heartbeat on and off the ice.” Tension had bubbled, it had built to an entirely new level of toxicity making you fearful of repercussions until Johnny had conceded and began walking away.
The door slammed open and shut.
The heavy thrash of the metal tongue settling into the groove hadn’t eased the tension like you’d hoped, rather it had felt like a fire being fed oxygen and wood to the point where it damn near consumed you.
“My time is precious.” Your coach snarked, cocking a dark eyebrow. “Start skating.”
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Ari had been in the middle of grading papers that had come across his desk early, the margins on the paper were marked with notes, corrections and comments for each paper that he had graded. He was halfway through the assigned papers when a chime from his computer had drawn his attention to his campus email.
Ari had minimized one tab for the other, accessing the emails to read the result of the mandatory forms he had filed to give recognition to your courtship.
The approval that came through the email and the recognition that you and Ari could begin a courtship had created a surge of serotonin in the alpha. Despite having a past with other omegas and relationships that could have alluded to a good match, Ari had never really wanted or was willing to commit to mating.
There was always something that had come between him and the great plunge, something internal that prevented him from sinking his teeth into an omega and creating a lifelong bond. He had never felt the draw, the sweeping need to have that inescapable hold, and someone has it over him, on another person.
When he was younger her had focused on his hockey career, when he was done with hockey he focused on being a coach and professor. He was too focused on whipping his players into shape, on taking them to the semi-finals and then playoffs.
It might have been excuses, it might have been nothing more than self-fed lies that he was using as a means to avoid committing to someone he wasn’t drawn to on every level of his being as an alpha.
But now he was sure, now he was ready and he had found the perfect omega.
Ari was so irrevocably drawn to you and everything you were, there wasn’t a single part of him or his hindbrain that hadn’t been focused on you.
He wanted you; he wanted everything about you.
And now it was official.
Relief had swept over him, it settled deep into his bones and delivered the assuredness that he craved. He had never felt so drawn to someone before, he had never felt so sure of anything before.
This was the start of so much for him. Ari was determined to be the best alpha he could have been for you. He wanted to be your shoulder to cry on, he wanted to be the kind of alpha you wanted to turn to without any obligations. He wanted to be your greatest supporter and your strongest ally, doing everything he could to keep you safe and make you happy. That was his goal, that was all he wanted.
Ari re-read the email, his eyes hovered over every single word that had come across his screen and then he sat back against his office chair and raised a hand, shielding his bright grin in his palm. He felt like a young pup again, overeager and excited in an almost uncontrollable manner.
He wished he could have held onto that feeling of pure elation, he wished he could’ve heralded that overwhelming state of glee however it had been overshadowed by the sound of knocking on his door and the slow release of an alphas scent on the other side.
Ari had responded with a soft ‘come in’, and had furrowed his brows when Lucas Lee had crossed the threshold, his ocean blue eyes were darker and tainted with growing aggression.
“Lee-“ Ari spoke his name, his lips pursing as the young alpha had come to stand before his desk and slammed his hands upon the edge.
“That fucker, the coach for the figure skating team, he’s a fucking creep.” Lucas didn’t beat around the bush, he didn’t spare any consideration for Ari’s role as his coach and a professor when he cursed under his breath and nearly kicked the edge of the desk in.
“If I were you, I’d lose my fucking mind if he said that kind of shit to my omega-“
“Tucker?” Ari had already begun standing, he had already been afflicted by the first few draws of protective instincts without having to hear any more from Lee.
“The douche said the whole team fucked anything with a heartbeat, he accused Storm and I of wanting a piece of Princess’ ass-“
Ari had pushed his office chair back with the force of his anger, the quiet bang of the back hitting the wood had echoed in the office though neither Lucas nor Ari had paid it any mind. Lucas was still gritting his teeth, he was still cursing out the coach who hadn’t just fucked with you, his friend, but also the omega he was quickly becoming obsessed with.
Ari had left without notice. He had left Lucas Lee alone to deal with his anger on his own, barely catching the aggressive curses as his office door was slammed.
Ari had left Lucas to deal with your coach and had been once again grateful for the official confirmation of your relationship.
It gave him the right to defend you like he wanted.
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whoiseniola · 2 years
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There’s a sense of lack in my Sunday mornings. As I watch the church-goers from my window, wearing their Sunday best with a sense of certainty, their world-views intact with a fort surrounding it.
Yet, I look at the remains of my world, the rubbles and the floating dust. And I feel a sense of peace. I can rest, with permission from the same force that imploded my world. I can fuck up - and that, today, is being kind to my humanity.
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k-evans-reads · 2 years
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Aulani Worries
A Higher Love One Shot
Summary: Chris and Nickie come to terms with a big realization during a family vacation.
Pairing: Chris Evans x OFC Nickie Morrison
By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour
We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.
Word Count: 2,936
Warnings: None.
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Previous l  Writing Masterlist l  Higher Love Masterlist | Extensions Masterlist
November 2028
7.5 years married
Chris ran a hand through his damp hair, carefully making his way back over to the cabana where Nickie was laying on a lounge chair, sunglasses shielding her dark eyes from the Hawaiian sun.
“How was Joey doing?” Nickie asked, raising a single eyebrow and watching Chris as he sat down in the chair next to her with a sigh.
He huffed out a laugh, shaking his head. “That kid barely had time to say hi to me before he ran back to playing,” he murmured, eyes quickly finding three-year-old Charlie in the pool - where she was swimming with Jessie and Jules - before he found Ty, playing in the shallow end quietly, a short distance from himself and Nic. “He’s living his best life in that kids club.” 
“Of course he is,” Nickie laughed, turning her head to the side to look at her husband. She reached a hand out to grasp his own, squeezing it as she told him,  “This was such a good idea you had to bring everyone here.” 
Chris shrugged sheepishly, sliding his round sunglasses back over his eyes as he met her gaze. “I figured everyone would like us giving this to them for Thanksgiving rather than a bowl of mashed potatoes,” he laughed. 
He watched as Nickie turned her head back to look at the pool, following her gaze and seeing the rest of their family scattered around. Josh and Jordan were a few feet from Jessie, Jules, and Charlie in the pool, Carly’s kids were taking turns going down the waterslide, cheering loudly and making their parents laugh, and Shanna and her husband, Graham, were sitting at the pool bar with Scott, his husband, and Kevin.“I think so because everyone is having a blast,” Nickie told him with a soft smile, letting out a soft sigh of contentment.
Chris nodded, but he frowned as his eyes moved back to Ty, watching as the seven-year-old was sitting still in the zero-entry, the water just brushing his surfboard swim trunks. “Do you think Ty is? He isn’t really swimming much,” he asked Nickie quietly, raising an eyebrow at her curiously. It was quite the jarring shift as he thought about how he left Joey in the kids club - practically everybody’s best friend, holding court - and then looked at Charlie, who was laughing as she listened to a joke from her cousins, to finally look at solemn Ty, able to see the way his eyes were darting nervously around the pool. 
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Nickie follow his gaze. “I think he’s just tired. You know he always starts to wind down in the afternoons,” she said in an attempt to reassure him. 
He sighed, shrugging to himself unconvincingly. “I guess…” 
But Chris’ eyes didn’t leave his eldest son who seemed to nervously look around the pool full of people, only smiling when his little sister and cousins swam by him. Chris had thought this trip would be such a good idea, taking both his entire side of the family as well as Nickie’s to Aulani to enjoy the Hawaiian sun and Disney magic all at the same time. And it was true that it was a good idea, everyone loving all the time they spent together, but Chris had noticed that throughout the week, Ty hadn’t ever been more than a few feet away from them. 
He knew all three of their kids were wildly different in personality, Ty being more of a homebody, loving the people closest to him and spending quality time. Joey was all of the extroverted tendencies of both himself and Nickie, but having that extreme warmth and authenticity like Nickie which made him a magnet for people, becoming friends with everyone. Then there was little Charlie who usually was giggling up a storm and just having fun with her cousins. Chris loved how all of them were so vastly different, but still so close, although the fact that Ty was so similar to Chris when he was a child allowed him a special insight into their oldest son. But with that came the awareness of seeing the nervousness in Ty being away from his home and comfortable surroundings, seeing how glued he was to them and making some of the gears in Chris’ head start to turn. 
He was snapped out of his thoughts when Ty pushed himself up and came walking out of the pool, water dripping from his swimsuit as he came to stand in front of their chairs. “Hey buddy,” Chris smiled, eyes dropping to look at Ty’s fidgeting hands. He returned “You hungry? Do you want a snack or anything?” 
Ty’s shoulders shrugged, his lower lip sticking out as he stared at the concrete beneath his feet. “No…” he whispered to them. 
Nickie sat up, her legs bending in front of her. “Are you tired, honey?” She asked, leaning forward to hold his hand.  
“No,” Ty repeated, glancing up to let his eyes dart between his parents. “Can I sit with you?” He finally asked, staring at Nickie. 
Nickie was quiet before she nodded, scooting backwards on the chair. “Of course, baby. C’mere,” she told him. 
Chris watched while Ty climbed onto the lounger, curling up to Nickie’s side, laying his head on her chest while he held onto her tightly. He could practically see the stress leaving Ty’s body as Nickie kissed his forehead, running a hand through his light hair before wrapping her arms around him to hold him securely. Chris could recognize that anxiety, remembering feeling the same way as a child and recalling how much having his family around him brought so much comfort to him. They stayed there for a long time, just enjoying the sun quietly while Nickie held Ty until Jordan came over, informing them they were taking the kids, including Charlie, to go get some shave ice and asked Ty if he wanted to go, who just shook his head and stayed hugging onto Nickie. 
Chris tilted his head, looking at his eldest. “Bud, don’t you want to go get some shave ice? It’d probably taste good with how hot it is,” he asked, the ball of worry inside of him growing as he noted every anxious tic in his son. 
Ty shook his head, burying it deeper against Nickie’s chest as he nearly whined, “I wanna stay with you.” 
Nickie pushed her sunglasses onto the top of her head, shooting a look to Chris before she gently tilted Ty’s head enough that she could look into the boy’s blue eyes. “Ty Ty, I think you’d like to go down and get a treat,” she said with a smile on her face, nodding her head towards the pool bar. “What if Uncle Scott went with you?” 
Ty thought for a moment, Chris watching him carefully until he conceded, “...Okay.” 
Chris grabbed his phone, shooting Scott a quick text to let him know what was up before Nickie grabbed the white button up shirt, pulling it over her frame before she stood up and put an arm around Ty’s skinny shoulders and walked him over to the uncle he was so close to. Chris could see them in the distance, watching Scott read the text and give Chris a nod before Nickie made it over with their son. Scott enthusiastically picked Ty up, putting him on his back while they headed off toward the beach, Ty smiling genuinely for the first time that afternoon. 
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His blue eyes watched Nickie coming back over to him, but before she could sit, Chris stood up to meet her, suggesting, “Want to go on a walk?” 
“Sure, honey,” Nickie agreed with that wide smile he had always loved so deeply. 
Taking her hand, the two of them walked away from the pool, heading along a more secluded path along the lagoons near the edge of the property. Taking advantage of the privacy, Chris leaned down to kiss Nickie softly, wanting that little bit of affection before finally giving voice to his fears. 
“Nic, I’m concerned about Ty,” Chris said quietly, jaw clenched as he watched her face carefully.  
Her brows pinched, the only hint of a reaction from Nickie before she schooled her expression. “Why’s that?” She asked him, tone unusually even. 
He shrugged, his empty hand raising until it froze in mid-air. “Because of how he was this afternoon,” He said, shaking his head. “Didn’t you think it was weird?” 
Nickie frowned, brows furrowing more as she excused it, “Not really. I mean, Ty always needs a break in the afternoons.” 
Chris sighed, shaking his head and looking at the ground. “He hasn’t been more than five feet from us this entire trip,” he reminded her. While it wasn’t uncommon for Ty to hover, to seek out Chris or Nickie on a daily basis, this…. Attachment was new and concerning to Chris. 
“Ty just isn’t as independent as Joey and Charlie are but that’s okay. He doesn’t have to want to be doing all the same things that his siblings do,” Nickie repeated, her voice hard. 
“It’s not just today, Nic,” Chris insisted, frowning when Nickie dropped his hand to wrap her arms over her chest. “I’ve been noticing more and more of his anxiety coming out.” 
“I just don’t think it’s bad that he likes to be at home and with us,” she told him quietly, her voice softer. 
“I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing, I’m saying that I think a lot of his choices are being ruled by anxiety,” he began, but before Chris got to get his point across more firmly, his phone rang, Jordan calling to say they were bringing the kids back up so they all could get changed before their dinner reservation. With a sigh, Chris decided to table the conversation but was not willing to let it go yet. 
He set his focus on getting their kids upstairs into their villa, before he and Nickie traded off on getting themselves and the kids showered and ready for dinner with everyone soon. Chris’ mind was preoccupied the entire dinner, unable to fully enjoy just being with his whole family and instead only able to focus on the thoughts that were going through his brain. Chris and Nickie kept their distance from one another throughout the lead up to dinner and throughout, sitting on opposite ends of the table from one another. He watched as Ty relaxed a little and had fun with his siblings and cousins at times, but also saw the flashes of anxiety. He saw the way Ty would quiet down, coloring quietly and not engaging as he stayed close to Chris or Nickie at all times. 
Those tells remained as they made their way back to the resort, Chris holding a dozing Joey, the five-year-old a dead weight in his arms, in the elevator, his eyes moving over Nickie. She had Charlie in her arms, the little girl’s brown eyes blinking owlishly as she yawned, and the family followed Ty out of the elevator and down the hall into their villa. When they got inside, they went to work getting the kids to bed, tucking them all in separately rather than they normally did together, Nickie quickly going out of the room as soon as she was done while Chris lingered to get the window cracked open. 
“Daddy?” Joey’s small voice surprised him, Chris glancing behind himself at the brown-eyed boy in his bed, next to his sleeping older brother. 
“What, bud?” Chris whispered, crouching next to Joey’s side of the bed and smoothing a hand over his thick dark hair. 
Joey’s eyes moved over Chris’ face, so much so that Chris was almost convinced the boy was just trying to think of any excuse he could to prolong going to bed even if for only another minute. But what Joey said next, what he asked of Chris, surprised him, his son asking, “...Are you and Mommy mad at each other?” 
Chris let out a low breath, glancing away before he quietly asked Joey, “What makes you say that?” 
He raised his small shoulders, his Hulk pajamas moving with the action as he whispered,  “I dunno,” through a yawn. 
Chris plastered a smile on his face, pressing a kiss to Joey’s forehead. “Don’t worry, Joey. Everything is just fine,” he reassured him, pulling the comforter over Joey’s shoulders. “It’s bedtime, bud.”
Joey nodded, a yawn escaping him again as he rolled over, eyes shut. Chris crept out of the room with one final look at Ty and Charlie, cracking the door behind him and making his way through the quiet villa. He closed the bedroom door behind him and followed the light into the bathroom, where Nickie was washing her face. She was still dressed in another white shirt, tucked into a pair of red shorts. Her face was tight as she momentarily met his eyes in the reflection of the mirror before they dropped down to look at her hands, avoiding his gaze as she removed her makeup. 
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He leaned against the doorway of the bathroom, his light green shirt stretched across his skin - and covering some of his sunburn - at the action. “Nickie, we need to talk,” he sighed, unable to get Joey’s words out of his mind. 
Her chin wobbled a bit as she ran the makeup wipe over her face, then moved to wash her face properly. “There’s nothing else to talk about,” she told him with a stony tone. 
He let out a huff of laughter that bordered on incredulous. “Yes there is.” He shook his head, taking in a sharp breath to bolster himself. “Ty is really struggling with his anxiety, I can tell.” 
Nickie spun around, leaning her back against the large vanity. “He’s fine, Chris,” she insisted sharply.
 “I feel like you’re just dismissing this whole issue!” 
“There’s nothing wrong with my Ty!” 
“Baby,” Chris trailed off, watching as tears filled Nickie’s eyes and her words cut through any fight left in him. “There’s nothing wrong with him, but he needs us to help him more than we are right now.” 
His heart broke as the tears escaped her eyes, Nickie’s shoulders sagging at Chris’ words. He pushed himself off of the doorframe, crossing the tiled floor and wrapping his arms around her frame. Her tears soaked his shirt as her face buried against the green material, Nickie asking, “How could I have been such a bad mother?” 
“Nicole Evans, look at me right now,” Chris instantly ordered, pulling back from her enough that she could look him in the eyes. “You’re not a bad mother.” 
But she shook her head, insisting with furious tears running down her bare cheeks, “Yes I am. My son is struggling and I couldn’t even see it.” 
“Honey, I didn’t even pick up on all of it until I could see him here in a different setting,” Chris confessed to her, his thumbs coming up to brush away her tears. “But I can recognize it because that’s what I was like as a kid.” 
Nickie was quiet and Chris could tell her brain was working through the entire situation, the entire day’s events. “I didn’t know that you struggled with anxiety as a kid too,” she whispered to him.
“I don’t think I knew it was anxiety then but it was. You only met me once I had long been aware of it and had been to a lot of therapy and learned how to manage it better, but you know how much I still struggle,” he told her, his arms pulling her back against him .“God I hate that I gave that to Ty.” 
“It’s not your fault Chris.” 
“I feel like it is.” 
“Well you didn’t have control over having anxiety in the first place,” Nickie leveled, biting her lower lip before her arms grasped him finally. “And because you do, you recognize how to help him obviously a lot better than I can.” 
He shrugged, a playful look finally crossing his face. “Hey, that’s why we’re a team,” he told her, raising his brows. 
Nickie nodded, and at Chris’ prodding they moved about their typical nightly routine, a sense of…. Peace between them finally for the first time in hours. They brushed their teeth and got changed for bed together, laying down under the fluffy comforter with duplicate sighs. 
Nickie rolled onto her side, laying her head on Chris’ chest as she quietly asked him, “So what do we do?” 
He sighed again, quiet for a moment until he murmured, “I think we need to take Ty to a doctor when we get home and then start helping him learn some coping skills and talk to him more about it.” While they were open when it came to talking to the kids about how even mommy and daddy got scared and nervous sometimes, it was clever they’d need to begin sharing with Ty about moments they felt anxious, felt uncomfortable in situations, and discuss what helped them in hopes that he could find something that helped him. 
Nickie’s hand laid on his chest, playing with the chain of his silver necklace silently. “Chris… I’m just so worried about him,” she whispered, vulnerability in her voice. 
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, tightening the arm that was wrapped around her hips as he admitted, “I know, I am too. But we’re going to help him and it’s going to be okay.” 
A/N: This one shot has been two years in the making! We've been planning this since summer 2020 so to finally write it was so fulfilling. We hope you guys enjoyed it! Also for an upcoming Chrickie article, check this out...
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veggie-snake · 8 months
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Higher Love-Steve Winwood
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juniormissperfect · 1 year
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"Higher Love" - Emalene Heitz, Orange County Performing Arts Academy teen lyrical solo, 10th overall, Showstopper Anaheim I, February 2022 ★ Choreography by ? ♪ Higher Love ~ James Vincent McMurrow
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