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plutoccult · 6 months

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HAIKYUU X THE OFFICE AU — EPISODE TWO: LUNCHTIME VOLLEYBALL MATCH

pairing: sugawara koushi x female reader

description: ukai’s idea to hold a volleyball match with the warehouse staff during lunch proves to be a bad one, but it sure is entertaining for you to watch from the sidelines. well, as long as your fiancé doesn’t ruin the fun for you.

word count: 5.5k

also available to read on my ao3 here

author’s note: hello!!! i’ve been fueled to write the continuation of this au. this time around, it’ll be inspired by the basketball episode, but since haikyuu is all about volleyball… you know what i had to do. i would have waited to do that one company-wide volleyball match episode later on, but who says i can’t do that later anyway? it’s haikyuu, there is NEVER enough volleyball. besides, that’ll give me the opportunity to introduce other haikyuu characters when the time is right. i’m still trying to get my groove when it comes to writing this au, but i think i’m starting to get there. i hope this will be equally as entertaining, and i also hope everyone enjoys it! also, stream livelock by xdinary heroes fr 😮‍💨

ever since filming for the documentary began, ukai had been more… eccentric than usual. everyone knew it was to play up for the cameras, but god, it was annoying. the employees of japan pulp and paper thought they had seen it all when it came to their chaotic boss, but that was proven to be false when ukai burst into the office randomly dressed in sports gear with a wilson volleyball pressed to his hip.

“guys, we’re doing a thing.” ukai announced, much to the confusion of his employees.

“is this the office olympics again?” tanaka questioned. the office olympics was an idea ukai attempted many years ago, and let’s just say it didn’t end well whatsoever.

“no, tanaka, it is not.” he scoffed. “i don’t need corporate threatening to fire me… again.”

“then why are you dressed like an athlete past his prime, but he refuses to let go, so he ends up losing his wife and kids?” tsukishima asked nonchalantly despite completely flaming ukai to bits.

“that kinda sounds like tom brady.” hinata said.

“tom brady was a football player, idiot.” kageyama rolled his eyes, sparking a bickering matching between him and hinata, which was always a classic occurrence in the office since the day they were hired.

“everybody shut up! i’m holding a volleyball match with the warehouse guys during lunch!” ukai yelled over his employees, followed by complete silence. not a peep came out of them, not even a cricket. “come on, why aren’t any of you excited?”

“um… did hr approve of this?” you speak up and ask. it was clear ukai didn’t see how horrible of an idea this was.

“shockingly, specs approved.” he replied. a miracle, really, but ukai claimed it would be a “good way” to “bond” with everybody.

“and he approved of it… with the warehouse guys?” you gulp.

“yes, y/n, why are you so—” ukai cut off his sentence when he realized why you were questioning him with such worry. “oh…”

the reason why holding a match with the warehouse guys worried you was because your fiancé ryo was one of them. it was almost like an unspoken common fact that he was a total jerk who didn’t deserve you. while suga’s fondness towards you wasn’t very known to the office, everyone could at least see that you shouldn’t be with ryo. only tell will tell how this dreaded volleyball match will end up. it was everybody’s funeral, really.

•••

“so, i got the idea to hold a volleyball match because my grandfather—who is a volleyball legend, by the way—suggested it would be a great idea to bring everybody together, so i got him to help me set up some stuff outside the office building.” ukai said to the camera crew while he sat at his desk, his typical interviewing spot. “what i forgot to put into consideration was y/n’s hotheaded fiancé who works in the warehouse downstairs, but who doesn’t love a little chaos, am i right? well, no, not right. it’s just gonna be a friendly game of volleyball. totally friendly.”

•••

while suga sat at his desk with nothing to do, he did what he always did and caught a look at you to see what you were doing in hopes to share at least a moment with you. he always reached for those little moments, even if you seemed to see him as just a friend. when he looked over at your desk, he saw you were staring at your computer, seemingly bored out of your mind, which you most definitely were at this time when there were dry spots in the work day.

suga quietly stood up and went to the break room for a cup of coffee, hoping you’d notice the sound of his footsteps and follow him. there was nobody around, but that soon changed when you followed suit minutes later just as he hoped you would.

“hey, suga.” you say, reaching for the cabinet to grab a mug.

“oh, hey, y/n.” he said, trying to act cool while he waited for his coffee to brew.

“you gonna play in the match later?” you ask. part of you was worried about what would happen with ryo, but at the same time you wanted to root for suga because he was your best friend.

“well, after ukai begged me…” cue war-like flashbacks to ukai begging suga over and over to participate, which included over-dramatically sobbing while on his knees. “unfortunately, yeah.”

“i thought you used to play volleyball in high school? setter, right?” you questioned.

“how did—” suga was shocked but also adorably amazed that you remembered such a thing. “how did you remember that?”

“guess it just stuck with me, i don’t know.” you shrugged. quite a poor lie on your end, really. you would always try your best to remember everything correct out of fear of making a mistake. even if there wasn’t someone there to crucify you for it, you always made sure to get the job done anyway. although you knew suga wouldn’t do such a thing to you, you didn’t want to mess up the only good thing you had in your life.

“i was vice captain too, actually.” he chuckled before taking a sip of his fresh coffee.

“aw, i knew there was something i was forgetting!” you pouted, doing what you knew best and making yourself feel bad for forgetting despite how innocent it was. “i’m sorry!”

suga couldn’t see what you needed to be sorry for, so he always reassured you knowing you truly needed it. “what? it’s okay, really. i’m glad you at least remembered i played volleyball in the first place.”

“you’re serious?” you asked, almost like it was hard to believe him.

“of course.” he said with that smile that always made you feel better, bringing back your light. “why wouldn’t i be?”

“i don’t know.” you sigh for a moment before taking your turn with the coffee maker. you hated yourself for feeling this way all the time. you needed to be bejeweled, but you were always held back by a ball and chain in the form of your fiancé.

“well, if anything, i hope i remember how to play properly, so don’t worry.” suga said to put you at ease.

“why, you rusty?” you question him.

“perhaps.” he jokingly shrugged.

“guess i’ll have to be the judge of that. might whip up some popcorn, who knows?” you tease. “need some entertainment better than the youtube videos i watch during my usual lunch.”

“well, i guess i’ll have to put on a real show for you.” suga smirked.

“i’ll keep that in mind, sugawara.”

•••

while the employees were getting ready to head downstairs for the match, suga was called in for a quick interview with the documentary crew before the inevitable chaos went down. he didn’t find it to be suspicious as everyone was asked questions too, but there was an inkling in his gut that the crew had an ulterior motive questioning him.

“thoughts on playing in the match?”

“ah, i don’t know. i’m just here for some fun, not competition. i’m not trying to take it that seriously. it’s not high school anymore, it’s just a game.” suga said in response to the question, then immediately cringed at his own answer. “oof, i sound like tsukishima. yikes.”

“you’re not worried about ryo?” whoop, there it is. he knew they were onto him when it came to you. suga should’ve known to stop his pining stares while all those cameras were on all of you over eight hours a day.

“huh?” he furrowed his eyebrows before rolling his eyes when the documentary crew gave him a look in hopes he’d spill. “oh, don’t look at me like that. i’m outta here.”

•••

everyone followed ukai to the parking lot to see a volleyball net smack dab in the middle of the sea of cars. his grandfather came while everyone was working to put it all together, and he seemed to have put it in the worst spot possible.

“this… is what you’ve set up?” you question ukai.

with the way the net was set up, it was prime real estate for a ball to fly in the wrong direction and break someone’s window. it was an overpriced repair bill just begging to happen, and none of you got paid enough to throw around money so easily.

“um, hello, my grandfather gave me the hookup.” he rolled his eyes. “amateurs.”

“but it’s outside.” you say, hoping ukai would get the point, but of course, he doesn’t.

“so?”

“in the middle of the parking lot.” you add.

“there’s enough wiggle room, what’s the problem?” ukai shrugged. god, he was clueless.

“to add onto what y/n is saying, some—if not all—of us would like our windows to be intact by the end of the day.” tsukishima said before walking away from the group, leaving ukai unaware of his intentions.

“hey, tsukishima, where are you going?” he called out.

“moving my car?” tsukishima replied with a heap of sass. “god, i don’t get paid enough for this shit.”

“you better come back!” ukai yelled, his words falling on deaf ears. “i need a tall bitch like you for blocking!”

“i’m gonna move my car too…” yamaguchi said sheepishly then followed tsukishima to do the same as him.

in a shocking event, everyone agreed with tsukishima for once and didn’t think he was being hyper-negative for no reason. one by one, almost everyone went to move their cars. some stayed behind, like you, tanaka, and a few others, but ukai began to feel discouraged and worried that his dream match wouldn’t occur.

“suga! everyone! come on!” he whined, hoping they’d come back.

“boss, sir, i can assure you that i can handle balls better than tsukishima.” tanaka said with utmost confidence, thinking his words would make ukai feel better. it only ended up making you resist the urge to laugh, and you had to quickly collect yourself before you did the wrong thing.

“but…” ukai pouted.

“don’t worry, everyone’s coming back, ukai.” you assure him, seeing tsukishima and yamaguchi start to walk back to the group, then daichi and nishinoya, and so forth.

seeing what everyone was doing, your fiancé ryo wanted to hop on the bandwagon, but was a little too “preoccupied” to do so. “babe, can you move the car? i’m in the middle of stretching here and i need to be in top shape for the match.”

“uh, yeah, sure…”

•••

“it’s an unofficial volleyball match in the middle of an office parking lot, not the olympics. what do you need to be in top shape for?” you rant before doing the same thing suga did in his interview earlier. “wow, i sound like tsukki, don’t i?”

“suga said something similar earlier.” a crew member said, mainly to hopefully stir the pot.

“what, did he say something pessimistic like him too?” you question. the crew nodded in response.

“huh. interesting.”

•••

once the whole parking lot ordeal was over with, it was finally time to put this game together. ukai began yelling around like he was some sort of professional coach, which raised questions.

“alright! let’s get into positions everyone!” he hollered. “i need a setter, middle blocker, wing spikers—”

“woah, woah, woah. what position are you gonna play?” daichi interrupted him with the question that was on quite literally everyone’s minds.

“you guys thought i was playing?” ukai questioned as if it were some sort of massive shock.

“uh… yeah?” daichi furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “why else are you dressed like that?”

“is this not what volleyball coaches wear?” ukai asked. what’s ironic about ukai’s look was that he was dressed like a volleyball player, not a coach. whatever sporting goods store employee told him that was a good look on him would remain a mystery, unfortunately.

“they probably wear tracksuits or something, i don’t know.” nishinoya shrugged.

“hm, i oughta look into those.”

“so, who’s playing what?” yamaguchi spoke up, considering they were wasting precious company time. “we need a starting lineup and the warehouse guys are scaring me…”

“well, i can be setter and tsukishima can be middle blocker.” suga volunteered, his words met with an eye roll from tsukishima.

“oh, boy, i wonder why that is.” he scoffed.

“aren’t you a tall bitch who can block?” suga crossed his arms.

“you doubt me, sugawara?” tsukishima questioned him.

“maybe.” he replied, resisting the urge to smirk.

“i’m blocking the hell out of those warehouse guys.” tsukishima said with determination as he rolled up his sleeves. it was manipulation at its finest, and suga wasn’t ashamed of using it for today. unfortunately, not everyone was happy with the results.

“aw, i wanted to be middle blocker.” hinata pouted, having not given the chance to speak up before.

“eh, maybe later, hinata.” suga said, although the chances were quite slim.

“pft, as if you’d let shorty ever be middle blocker.” kageyama snickered.

“i’m not short, i’m fun sized!” hinata exclaimed.

“who even says that anymore?!”

“shut up, you—”

hinata and kageyama then did what they do best, aka start arguing like a married couple out of nowhere. suga and daichi had to break the two up, and while daichi struggled with kageyama, asahi came to his rescue and threw him over his shoulder effortlessly. everyone watched asahi with amazement, including you, but he was quite oblivious to the looks of awe.

“anyways. who’s got ideas?”

everybody was too busy standing there shell shocked until you spoke up with an idea of your own, one that made perfect sense in your eyes. “well, i think daichi should be captain of the office team. he’s really good at handling chaos.”

“you think so, y/n?” daichi asked, touched that you thought so highly of him.

“well, you just handled husband and wife over there. plus, if you can handle those knuckleheads too,” you say, pointing to tanaka and nishinoya. “then yeah, i definitely think so.”

“we are NOT knuckleheads—”

“quiet, you two.” kiyoko cut them off.

“yes, kiyoko.” tanaka and nishinoya say in unison. it was just too easy.

the idea of daichi being captain was in agreement with all of the office employees, but there was still more to figure out before everyone could start playing. “well, if i’m captain, then i think i should have a say in who’s doing what.”

“actually, that’s my job, daichi.” ukai tried to say before he was shut down by asahi, who spoke in a low tone.

“daichi should decide.”

“okayyesjustdon’tkillme.” ukai said quickly.

asahi turned his head and stared into the camera confused.

•••

“he’s always gonna be scared of me, isn’t he?” asahi said with a pout then let out a sigh. “even yachi doesn’t scream in terror when i walk into a room anymore…”

•••

after plenty of debating, the office workers had finally put together their team. daichi as captain and right-wing spiker, suga as setter, tsukishima as middle blocker, tanaka as left-wing spiker, nishinoya as libero, and then asahi as the team’s ace. it had all been so carefully crafted, so they hoped it would be worth it in the end. they all even considered going out for a drink after work if they won too, but everyone was getting too ahead of themselves. they had a match to win.

both teams lined up together on opposite ends, ukai instructing his employees to stand up straight and give their best intimidating look, but they weren’t all that up for it. thankfully for tsukishima and asahi, that was their usual resting face anyway.

kiyoko stood in the middle of the court, taking on the role of scorekeeper for this little event. she did the same during the controversial office olympics, so it was no question of whether she’d do it again today. besides, she loved the power she held right now.

“alright, captains in the middle of the court, please!” kiyoko called out. daichi took a step forward while ryo, the captain for the warehouse team, did the same. “the match will be best two out of three. each captain will pick a side of the coin and whichever side it lands on gets to serve first.”

“i call heads!” ryo claimed over-excitedly, as if the coin toss were the real competition.

“tails, please.” daichi said calmly.

kiyoko grinned happily as she flipped the coin, landing in daichi’a favor, much to her amusement. “it’s tails. daichi, your team will serve first.”

“asahi, it’s your time to shine.” daichi pointed to asahi.

“on it!” he replied, gripping the ball in his hands as he prepared for his first serve.

“alright, guys, let’s go! show me what you’re made of!” ukai yelled from the sidelines as he clapped his hands together, taking on this newfound role as coach seriously, even if no one cared for what he had to say.

ignoring ukai, asahi tossed the ball into the air and performed a flawless ace serve, proving his title as ace was well deserved. everyone in the parking lot was at a lot for words over how effortlessly he pulled that off, especially ukai whose jaw could practically reach the floor.

•••

“i would just like to put on the record that i have never once doubted asahi.” ukai said with utmost confidence, despite the documentary crew having many doubts. “never scared of the guy. never ever. i love that man. he’s my favorite employee, actually.”

•••

the match went back and forth, with your fiancé carrying the warehouse team on his back as they weren’t all that enthused to be on the same team as him. you stood on the sidelines with ukai, taking over as temporary scorekeeper while kiyoko and yachi went into the office building for snacks and waters from the vending machines.

“we’re back!” yachi beamed, skipping towards you while kiyoko held a stack of two boxes; one with drinks and the other with snacks.

“sorry it took so long.” kiyoko said as she set the boxes down. “hopefully you had no trouble?”

“there was a little argument over whether the ball was out or not, but otherwise, it was fine.” you shrugged. in the end, you decided no one got a point, which while controversial, was ultimately the right move.

“good. yachi and i got a bunch of bags of popcorn from the vending machine. want some?” kiyoko asked.

“ooh!” you gasp, hoping they had your favorite. “is it the sweet corn kind?”

“no, they ran out because yamaguchi is always eating them all.” yachi giggled while yamaguchi blushed out of embarrassment.

“really, dude?” you pouted. first your yogurt, now this? the guy was secretly a menace, no matter how innocent he looked.

“i’m sorry…” he looked down.

“ah, it’s fine.” you sigh. “i’ll just take whatever you got. thanks, you two.”

as you start chowing down on a bag a popcorn, your attention is back on the match just in time to watch suga set the ball to tsukishima, who in turn grants the office team another point effortlessly. tsukishima merely shrugged after spiking the ball, but everyone on the office side, including you, cheered the small victory. you particularly yelled out suga’s name and gave him a thumbs up for setting the ball so nicely, which caught the attention of your fiancé, and he sure wasn’t pleased.

kiyoko raised an eyebrow over your cheers, not trying to stir the pot, but couldn’t help but be curious over where your loyalties lie. “so, which team are you rooting for? i thought you’d be a little biased towards ryo, but…”

“huh?” you question. “oh, i’m not really rooting for anyone in particular…”

“oh, okay…”

oof. you’re such a bad liar.

now it was ryo’s turn to serve. still fuming from giving your attention to suga, he served the ball with excessive force. thankfully for your team, nishinoya saved the ball, impressing everyone. now that you thought about it, your coworkers seemed to be a little too good at volleyball to just be casual players.

when the ball came back to the office side, tanaka spiked it and scored. he then proceeded to act like a maniac by ripping his shirt off and obnoxiously waving it around, undoubtedly in hopes to woo kiyoko.

“are you falling head over heels yet, kiyoko?” you nudge and tease her, but she wasn’t going to falter.

“blegh. disgusting.” she fake gagged. despite her words, kiyoko couldn’t help but wonder since when tanaka was so ripped.

•••

“i was NOT blushing. tanaka is gross. and annoying. and stupid. and… oh no.” kiyoko ran out of the room without another word, ashamed of her newfound attraction.

•••

after the end of a difficult first set, the office team was in the lead. before continuing onto the second set, everyone took a little water break as they needed to hydrate and recuperate. while everyone conversed with one another in little groups, you walked over to ryo to hand him a water bottle, and he grabbed it quite aggressively, taking you by surprise.

“okay then.” you mutter and look down, trying to avoid his eyes, but it wouldn’t work.

“i thought you were gonna root for me, not quicksilver and the x-men over there.” his petty statement almost made you think there was no way he could be serious right now, but based off your fiancé’s track record, he was oh so serious. it was ridiculous, really. was it a crime to cheer for your friends? in his eyes, yes, it was.

“i’m just trying to cheer for everyone.” you try reasoning with him, even if there was no point. “sorry that wasn’t clear, i guess.”

“yeah, well maybe consider your fiancé next time.” ryo scoffed as he walked away from you, tossing his now empty water bottle to the side.

without trying, suga overheard the conversation clear as day. you could almost sense his presence from far behind you. but when you look over to him, he quickly turned his head away and acted like he wasn’t listening.

the negative thoughts that swam in your head were interrupted by ukai announcing that the second set would start. you just wanted to have fun today, and you would still try to do exactly that. screw what ryo had to say, right?

as the second set began, yamaguchi came in to pinch serve for daichi after politely asking for just one chance to do so. daichi, being the total sweetheart he is, obviously said yes and told him to do his thing. yamaguchi could feel his hands shake violently as he walked over to the makeshift court, but let his anxieties fade away when yachi gave him a thumbs up.

while his serve wasn’t perfect, the ball thankfully managed to go over the net. the warehouse team tried spiking the ball, but thanks to a triple block from suga, tsukishima, and tanaka, the ball dropped onto the warehouse side, allowing the office team to score.

you without hesitation cheer for suga and the office team extra loud this time. even if you were acting a little extra, you decided not to care about it right now. you knew you’d hear plenty about it later, but that was a future you problem. at least, that’s what you thought.

ryo was boiling with anger now, so when it came for his chance to spike the ball, he slammed it right in suga’s face, knocking him to the ground instantly. it put the entire game on pause as everyone was frozen in shock over what just happened. ryo tried to chest bump his fellow warehouse guys since he scored (although unfairly), but they weren’t feeling it whatsoever because of suga clearly looking like he was in pain.

“suga!” you gasp as you and your coworkers rush to his side.

“man down! we got a man down!” ukai yelled, drumming out the theatrics as per usual.

everyone tried inspecting suga like a guinea pig, words overlapping as they all tried speaking at the same time. he grew frustrated over the sudden treatment, throwing his hands up in the air to make it all stop.

“guys, i’m fine, i’m fine!” suga insisted, trying his best to ignore the pain.

“suga, your nose is bleeding!” nishinoya pointed out. suga swiped his fingers under his nose and watched as droplets of blood fell onto his skin, shocked as he couldn’t feel himself bleeding at all.

“oh my god, he’s dying!” ukai cried out dramatically.

“shut up!”

god, all you could think of was how this was an utter disaster.

•••

“this is all my fault, isn’t it? i should’ve just kept my mouth shut…” you say to the camera with a frown.

•••

while the game was on pause, the office team tried to figure out how they were going to move forward. suga sat there with tissues plugged up his nose, although kiyoko insisted he put pressure on it to stop the bleeding. however, he was insistent on getting back onto the court, but his teammates had other plans.

“suga, you should sit out for awhile.” daichi said, as much as it pained him to say it. “at least until your nose stops bleeding.”

“but…” he pouted, looking over to you. you knew he was having so much fun up until this point. even if it wasn’t a serious match, it was nice seeing him so happy doing something he was good at. suga wanted to see you look so proud of him, but he couldn’t do that with an active nosebleed.

“it’s okay.” you reassure him, and only because you said it was okay, suga surrendered.

“okay.” he sighed, trying to quickly think of a new plan for the team, and he had a lightbulb almost instantly. “kageyama?”

“huh? me?” kageyama questioned.

“i need you to take over.” suga said. “i know you’re good at volleyball. way better than me.”

“well, i haven’t played since college, but—” he shrugged before acting cocky. “oh, alright. don’t threaten me with a good time.”

“if sugawara’s out, can i be out too?” tsukishima raised his hand. he wanted no parts on this nonsense anymore. with good reason, you thought.

“tsukki, you’re literally fine. get your tall ass back out there.” ukai said, seeing no reason why he should quit now.

“yamaguchi, punch me in the face.” tsukishima spoke without hesitation while yamaguchi immediately protested against the idea.

“eh?! no way!”

“okay, i’ll make your little girlfriend do it. come on, yachi.” he said.

“girlfriend?!” yachi exclaimed, her cheeks burning red.

“nobody’s punching you, tsukki!” yamaguchi yelled.

“fine, i’ll do it myself—”

“no, no, no!” yamaguchi and yachi immediately tried to stop him together, swatting tsukishima’s fists away from his face. thankfully, their efforts weren’t in vain as there was no reason for him to inflict harm on himself.

“i can take tsukishima’s place!” hinata leaped and waved his hand for everyone’s attention. it was almost like a record scratch as they all froze in placed and turned to an overenthusiastic hinata.

“huh?!” kageyama gawked. “as if!”

“you don’t know what i’m capable of, kageyama!” he huffed, crossing his arms and pouting like a child.

“daichi, it’s your call.” tanaka said.

daichi put some thought into it for a second, and that second consisted of the words “fuck it, we ball” entering his brain. “let’s see what you got.”

“yay!” hinata jumped for joy, as opposed to kageyama’s despair.

“i hate my life…” he groaned.

•••

“are you excited about playing in the match?”

“excited? excited is an understatement! i’m so…” hinata paused, trying to think of a better word, but failed to do so. “excited! oh man, i need a better word for excited…”

•••

finally, the second set continued. it was pretty rusty for the office team at first as they struggled with the new lineup, and it irritated everyone to no end, especially kageyama.

“god, hinata! you suck!” he groaned in frustration. kageyama was a star setter all throughout his youth, so being matched up with hinata was quite literally his worst nightmare. his fireball of a coworker was too giddy and overhyped to actually hit the ball. instead, hinata always jumped too high to spike the ball in time before it fell to the ground.

“no, you suck! your sets are terrible!” hinata argued. “i thought you were “king of the court”? give me something good, at least!”

“oh, i’ll give you something good, pipsqueak…” kageyama muttered under his breath, cracking his knuckles in preparation to bring on the power.

as the match kept rotating, suga returned to the parking lot after cleaning up in the building bathroom. his nose was cleared up now, but he wasn’t too antsy to return playing just yet. instead, he walked over to you and stood with you while as you continued watching the match from the sidelines.

suga tapped your shoulder, and without him saying a word, you instantly knew it was him standing beside you. of course, your first thought was his well-being as you were ridden with guilt. “suga! are you feeling okay?”

“yeah, i’m okay.” he assured you. “been through worse, no doubt.”

“are you gonna get back in the game then?” you ask him.

“no… i think i should sit the rest of this out. let you root for someone other than me.” suga replied. you knew he had to have heard your conversation with ryo earlier. now you were just embarrassed. you didn’t want him to hear that, and he must have known what ryo did to him was on purpose, you were sure of it.

“yeah, okay, sure…” you frown.

when you turn your attention back to the match, kageyama had given hinata the perfect set. his eyes were so clearly set on the ball, and despite being in the back row, he rushed out of everyone’s way and jumped so high it left the warehouse team frozen in shock. when he spiked the ball, it slammed so hard against the ground that it ricocheted out of sight, and the sound startled all of you.

with the ball gone, no one knew what to do. everyone’s attention turned to hinata, and he couldn’t help but feel like he just did something bad. the stares were killing him. “am i in trouble?”

“trouble? no, no, no.” ukai shook his head. “you just won the game.”

“what? no fair!” ryo instantly complained. the other warehouse guys weren’t all that pressed, just him. but what else are you supposed to play with when there’s no ball?

“we lost our only ball and you were losing anyway! office team wins!” ukai announced, and the office workers immediately roared with excitement. they all lifted hinata into the air and chanted his name, thanking him for not only ending this monstrosity, but also granting them victory.

despite the lively mood, you couldn’t find it in your heart to be happy for your fellow office employees. you wanted to show your happiness for them so badly, but what happened with ryo and suga remained ingrained in your mind. when your eyes meet ryo’s angry gaze, you decided it was best if you just stayed silent.

suga’s focus wasn’t on the celebrations anymore, it was on you. like always, he could read that sad look on your face so easily. he knew, and suga could only hope that one day you’d escape those shackles, even if it meant you didn’t end up in his arms. he just wanted you to be happy.

but regardless of everyone’s excitement, the mood had to be ruined one way or another. “alright, now everyone get back to work!”

“boo!”

•••

“the great thing about sports is that it’s all about character,” ukai began, speaking as if he were giving an inspirational speech. “and you can learn lessons about life even if you don't win… but we did win because we were ahead, so ha!”

“you didn’t do anything, ukai.”

“that’s what she said.” he winked to the camera, resulting in the first of many eye rolls and face palms from the camera crew to occur.

•••

(bonus scene)

later that day, everyone had went home for the night, but you had stayed for a little while longer as ukai needed some extra work done from you on such short notice. you went to the break room for one last cup of coffee before leaving, but there laid a note on the table, one with your name on it.

“thanks for being my biggest fan today. i hadn’t been so excited about volleyball in the longest time and i really appreciate it.

—suga.

ps. check the fridge. you forgot something.”

you furrow your eyebrows in confusion before opening the fridge. inside, there was a yogurt with a sticky note that read “y/n” on it. when you removed the sticky note, it was your favorite, and then you remembered what happened that night ryo called you on your way to the bus stop with suga. you forgot the yogurt he bought you at the convenience store.

ryo would never remember things like that, but suga always did. if only ryo could be like him. if you could only be with suga instead.

oh.

“fuck.” you curse to yourself before realizing you were still being filmed. “you guys can censor that, right?”

“just don’t tell ukai.”

“easy.” you say. what wouldn’t be easy, however, was navigating this newfound revelation.

#haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu au #sugawara x reader #sugawara koushi x female reader #sugawara x female reader #sugawara koushi x reader #sugawara #sugawara fanfiction #sugawara koushi fanfiction #haikyu x reader #haikyu #haikyu fanfiction #haikyuu x female reader #haikyu x female reader #pluto writes 📝#haikyuu x the office au 🏢

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liberty-barnes · 4 years

Text

Done Wondering

Jock!Tom Holland x Female!Reader

Highschool AU

@danicarosaline requested: Hi pretty!! i saw your requests are open so may i please request a jock Tom x reader! Tom is a big softy and the captain of his football team and reader is a tough ‘not taking shits from anybody’ type of person? Like Tom gets in an argument with a team mate and he’s being all nice and calm about it but reader thinks his team mate deserves a good punch in the face so she punches him and it shocks the entire team and Tom himself even though he expected it!!

Warnings: F L U F F, not sure that the football talk is 100% accurate, all I know about American football is that Tom Brady's a quarterback, their jerseys are cool and apparently I'm supposed to cheer for the Pats? (yeah, that's my dad's fault), B99 references (i fucking love that show), cursing, a bit of violence ig

Word Count: 2.3k words (why can i not write short things?)

Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

A/N: so sorry it took so long to get this out! also, i got waaaaaay to invested in this... oopsie

Masterlist

You ran across the field as people all around you celebrated with only one goal in mind: kiss your boyfriend.

You and Tom had been dating for almost seven months now, to many people's surprise. The entire school thought you'd be together for a week tops, but you surpassed all their expectations by becoming the longest standing couple in junior year (not that it was hard, high schoolers change partners like discardable gloves).

Tom was one of Sunset High's best and brightest, loved by the teachers, captain of the football team, and the object of many's affection.

You, however, were nothing like that. You hated sports (everyone knows art's better anyway), social interactions were your personal little slice of hell, and everyone was too scared to approach you since you threatened to gut Charles after he accidentally forgot to give you back your pencil.

All in all, there was no way you two could stay together.

There was no way you could even make a friendship work, let alone a romantic relationship.

But then there was that fateful summer night...

Your mind ran at a thousand miles an hour as you rocked in the park's nest swing. The stars looming over you were the only thing keeping you from spiraling, and after an hour of watching them, the peace in your mind was crumbling.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

You sat up on the swing and looked to your right where stood a sheepish-looking Tom.

"It's okay, I should probably leave anyway..."

"No! I mean, it's okay, you were here first I didn't mean to disturb you."

You cast your eyes down until he spoke again.

"You go to my school, right? (Y/n)? We were in the same English class in freshman year."

"Yeah, I think so... I'm surprised you remember me, we didn't have any classes together last year..."

He huffed out a laugh and leaned against the support beam, hands in his pockets.

"It's kinda hard to forget someone like you. You stood up to the teacher on the first day after he yelled at a kid and spent the next year having actual coherent debates about the books that most of the class never even read, let alone understood. You're kind of amazing."

You ducked your head once more to try to cover the blush on your cheeks, biting your lip.

"Thanks."

He nodded and took a deep breath, then sat in front of you and pushed so the swing was rocking softly, always catching it before it hit his face.

You giggled a bit and sat criss-cross applesauce, back straight, your mother's words permanently etched into your brain.

"So, what are you doing alone in the town's most secluded park at midnight?"

"Oh, you know, questioning my life choices, freaking out because in three weeks we're going back to school while simultaneously feeling stir crazy after having nothing cool to do all summer, regretting ever being born, the usual. What about you?"

"Getting crushed by everyone's expectations, feeling constricted cause I have to set a good example for my little brothers, freaking out cause I have no idea what I want to do with my life, the usual."

A comfortable silence settled between you.

"Do our lives really suck or is it just the teenagers in us that dramatize everything?"

He huffed out a laugh.

"I don't know, tell me your story and I'll let you know."

You scooched to the side and patted the now empty spot on the too-small swing so he could lay down next to you. Looking at the stars seemed like a better idea than looking at him.

"I never really liked school, people are jerks, cafeteria food is disgusting at best, I have no friends -not that I care about that, I'm better off alone. Still, it's better than being home. When my father isn't working in his study, he's berating me about getting better grades, even though I'm a straight-A student, not that he cares enough to actually know that. My mother's usually either gossiping with her other rich friends or telling me to correct my posture, dress better, act like a lady, it's infuriating...

"My older brother, the only person in that family that I genuinely like, left for MIT today, so I guess I'm just now realizing that I'm really... alone. I'll have to suffer through my father's lectures about getting high grades and act like someone I'm not so my mother doesn't take away everything I love until I "learn to act like a respectable woman". Jake used to get them to lay off me, but now he's not here. Sometimes I wonder why they even adopted me if I'm such a bad daughter. It just sucks."

You felt his hand twitch next to yours and his eyes on your face.

"Your turn."

He took a shuddering breath before speaking.

"My parents are amazing, they really are, they only want what's best for me, but sometimes it's a little much. They constantly remind me of going to training, doing my homework, studying for tests, and even though they always say it's okay, I see the disappointment in their eyes when my grades lower even by a single point.

"My little brothers look up to me a lot, and they're always telling me how much they want to be just like me when they grow up. I know they mean it in the best possible way, but it's just that much more pressure. I just... feel the need to always be the best at everything. The best football player, the best captain, the best student, the kindest person in that school, most helpful... it's all a bit much."

This time, it was you who were looking at his profile while he gazed at the stars.

"It's okay to feel overwhelmed, Tom. It doesn't matter that they have the best intentions, they're still putting too much pressure on you and you deserve the chance to relax."

He turned towards you and for the first time that night, you realized just how close you were.

"You're not a bad daughter just because you have different interests. I, for one, think you are a strong and independent woman who doesn't need to change because of some mere peasants. You're a queen... You deserve someone that'll treat you as one."

Your breath caught in your throat as you locked eyes with him.

"Wanna make a deal?"

You nodded tentatively, though at this point you'd probably agree to murder someone as long as he kept looking at you that way.

"I'll be your friend, give you something to do whenever you need it, save you from your asshole parents and remind you of just how awesome you are every day..."

"And in return?"

"And in return, you'll say stuff like what you said before when I get too stuck in my head, save me from my so-called friends when they're being jerks, and come to every practice with me so you have something to do and I have someone to make silly faces at."

"I'm pretty sure there are a thousand girls in that school that would kill to have you make silly faces at them."

"Maybe so, but they aren't you. A lock of your hair is worth more than all of them combined."

You bit your lip and smiled.

"Okay."

"Cool."

He pecked you softly on the lips before he lost his nerve, quick and fleeting, feather-light but strong enough to leave fires in its wake. You pulled him back and gave him a slightly longer kiss before setting your head on his shoulder and going back to stargazing, now with someone to keep you company.

Three weeks later, you walked into school hand in hand and haven't let go since.

"Tommy!"

You jumped into his arms, ignoring the smell of sweat and how it would probably cling to your clothes.

"You did so good baby!"

He kissed you straight on the lips, not minding his teammate's wolf-whistles, having grown used to them already.

"I had a pretty good motivation."

"Oh?"

"Mm-hm, my girl told me she'd bake me cookies if I won this match, and I really like her cookies."

"Sounds like you have a great girlfriend."

"The best."

You kissed him again and he smiled when he felt the fabric of his spare jersey adorning your figure.

"Yo, Holland!"

You forced apart by Teddy's call, one of the newer players. Since you went to every single practice, you knew that Teddy was being an ass lately, always wanting the glory, never passing the ball to his teammates. If it weren't for Tom's skill as captain of the team, he would've cost them most matches, including this one.

"Why didn't you pass me the ball?"

"Pardon?"

"That last play, I was free and you passed the ball to Harrison even though he almost lost it. You should have passed it to me, we almost lost because you want to make your useless bestie feel included!"

"Johnson was closing in on you, if I'd passed it to you, we would have lost for sure. Passing it to Harrison bought me the time I needed to get out of danger. It was purely strategical, you would know that if you paid attention to your teammates instead of playing all on your own. Haz is an amazing player and I don't treat him differently just because he's my best friend. I'd like you to apologize to him, please, it's not kind to insult your teammates."

You admired the fact that he managed to remain calm and collected throughout the whole conversation, looking like the embodiment of 'I'm not mad, I'm disappointed'. You, however, were not having such an easy time keeping your cool, hands firmly clenched at your side.

"The hell it was! You just feel threatened by me because you'll never be as good as me, so you never pass me the ball, it's ridiculous!"

"Okay, buddy, you need to back the hell off and close your mouth before I punch it shut."

His eyes flickered to you and he rose a brow mockingly.

"Oh, your little slut's standing up for you know? I always knew you were a chicken, guess my theory's been pro-"

You cut him off with a punch to the nose, smiling when you heard the satisfying crack of his bones and his howls of pain.

A collective 'ooh' came from the crowd, and they took a few steps back (excluding Tom of course, who was only looking at you with wide eyes).

"What the fuck?"

"I warned you, didn't I?"

You smirked evilly as Teddy was pulled away by the coach to check his injury.

"You're a bitch!"

"Baddest of them all, sweetheart. Have a fun time at the hospital!"

The whole crowd had gone silent by the time you turned back around, seemingly satisfied with your vengeance.

"What?"

You tilted your head in confusion at the awestruck looks on the team's faces.

"You broke his nose!"

"Uh-huh."

"With just your hand."

"Uh-huh."

"Since when are you so violent?"

You were actually kind of offended at that.

"I know that I bring you guys snacks after practice, but do none of you hear when I threaten other people? It's a daily occurrence."

The rubbed their necks sheepishly.

"Well, you see..."

Haz started, seemingly measuring his words.

"You're kind of like Rosa from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. No one actually knows what you're capable of, no one thinks you'd actually kill someone, but we're also kind of too scared to test you, so we just... wonder."

"Well, when you're done wondering, go take a shower so we can go celebrate, I'm hungry."

They all scrambled away in a chorus of 'yes ma'am' before you turned back to Tom with a smile on your face.

"You didn't have to punch him, you know?"

"Yeah, but I've been wanting to for weeks now."

He huffed out a laugh and kissed your forehead.

"How're your knuckles?"

"A bit sore, but I'm pretty sure that if we put some ice it'll be good, the rings took most of the impact."

You wiggled your hand, showing off the array of rings covering your fingers in what you deemed to be an aesthetically pleasing way.

"I love you, babygirl."

You kissed him, smiling into his lips.

"I love you too. Now go, shower!"

You patted his butt and laughed at the look he threw you, standing next to the field while you waited for them to get out.

Their coach came to stand next to you and you smiled at him, having taken a liking for him. He was a good teacher and treated the team well.

"Coach Jeffords."

"(Y/n)."

"What's the verdict?"

"Nurse says it's broken but we'll only know the full extent of his injuries after he gets examined at the ER. He's on his way there as we speak."

You nodded.

"You'll be pleased to know that he's been taken off the team and suspended for a week for unruly behavior. His parents aren't going to press charges since they feel it's deserved."

You smirked evilly.

"I'd advise you to watch out for Pembroke. He's starting to become a nuisance. If he keeps it up, he might be next."

He nodded, fighting back his smile even though you knew damn well he agreed.

"I'll do my best."

"And I'll do mine."

"(Y/n)! Ready to go?"

You nodded in goodbye at the coach and walked over to a freshly showered Tom, interlacing your fingers.

"Always."

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Taglists: (if your name is striked through it means for some reason tumblr wouldn’t let me tag you)

PERMA TAG

@jeezkiddo @beananacake @yoinkyourheart @averyfosterthoughts @onebigolemess @samoney69 @agirlwithpointlessideas @ddaawwssoonn @inhumanwithpowers @imagineshere-forall @stiles-banshees @orowit @spideynut @deathofmissjackson @ephemeral-limerences @write-from-the-heart @cardboard-ben @my-alignment-is-bisexual @mendes-marvel @shawnsnovel @inthecornerchair @lovelynerdytraveler @niallssweetheart22

ACTORS/RPF TAG

@bubblegumbarnes @sofiaconlaz

TOM HOLLAND TAG

@tomsirishgirlx @dreaming-lia @markleehee @juliebean247 @gypsystuf @quechulitaaa @theoretical-theo @bubblegumbarnes @sofiaconlaz @underooling @hannahholland1811 @bellaaa321-blog @parkerpetertingle @emily-louise-hynes @clara-licht @ekelly2015 @inlovewithmobtom @quaksonhehe @danicarosaline @arts-ismything @peachyafshawn @tutuabby28 @sovereignparker @tokhalaxoxo @cathwritestragediesnotsins @incorrect-things

#tom holland x reader #tom holland imagine #tom holland fluff #tom holland #jock!tom #jock!tom x reader #high school #high school au #mcu #avengers #marvel #mcu spiderman #peter parker x reader #peter parker #peter parker imagine #peter parker fluff #harrison osterfield #haz osterfield #fluff

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grootiez · 4 years

Text

Rocket’s Special Space Ramen!

“Shut up, Quill! I DO NOT CARE what you have to say!” Rocket yells as he slams the front door in Peter’s face as the Guardians, except for Kraglin, who stayed back to babysit Groot, came home from shopping at the local grocery store.

Rocket stormed off towards his and Groot’s room, which was more of a nursery right now to cater towards the sapling’s needs, but Rocket still had a corner that had a small cramped workbench that was stuffed with parts for different weapons that the pyromaniac raccoon was building.

As Rocket walked by, Groot stirred in his crib and cooed, peaking out and smiling from beneath his blanket.

Rocket stopped in his tracks so that he could unhinge the pair of swinging doors on the side of the crib that made it easier for him to tuck Groot in at night and get him up in the morning or after a nap. Groot smiles and coos at his father.

“Yeah, I missed you too.” Rocket couldn’t help but return the smile his son gave him as he took the blanket off of the tiny tree who was wearing an adorable blue onesie that Mantis had sewn for him that had his idol, Bob Ross, on the front.

Rocket’s nose then smells something foul as he picked Groot up. “Did Kraglin change your diaper before your nap?”

“Ugh! Gross!” The raccoon immediately answered his own question as he repositioned Groot in his arms and placed one of his paws underneath him.

Rocket takes Groot over to the changing table and lays him down before grabbing a baby wipe and cleaning his hands. He then reaches for a rattle and gives it to Groot to distract him as Rocket changed him. Upon further inspection, Rocket discovers that the diaper Groot was wearing leaked through to his onesie and he needed to get a new one on. In the middle of all of this, there was a knock on the bedroom door.

“Hey, uh, Rat?” Kraglin cautiously opens it, having heard the raccoon struggle with changing Groot and remembering that Groot always has a fresh diaper on him before he takes his afternoon nap everyday, which he forgot to do. “Are ya busy?”

“No, Kraglin.” Rocket replies sarcastically as he finished up and getting Groot dressed in a new yellow onesie that had rockets all over it. Rocket then picks up Groot and cradles him in his arms.

“I! am! Groooot!” The seedling shouts as he squirms in Rocket’s arms, wanting to be put down. “Alright, Groot. I forgot that Bob Ross is starting soon.” Rocket concedes as he placed the tree on the ground. Groot crawls towards the staircase before climbing on top of the banister and using it as a slide to get downstairs faster. “Hehe, resourceful, ain’t he?”

“Yup.” Kraglin agrees as he scratches his head. “Whatever you say.” ————————— An hour passes, and Rocket was still angry with Peter. Whenever he tried to reconcile, Rocket just gave off a warning snarl and Peter just backed off, not wanting to get bit, but the desire to apologize was not worth the risk.

Rocket continues his way down the hallway until he sees Kraglin in the kitchen. The angry Procyon didn’t acknowledge the Xandarian, just huffing as he walked by and took a seat on the counter.

“Hey Rat.” Kraglin greeted, trying to change Rocket’s mood. “How is everything?”

Rocket didn’t respond. ———————— A short while later, the door swung open again and a very angry, (but still adorable) Groot came storming into the kitchen and using his arms, outstretches them so he could climb up next to Rocket before dramatically sitting down on his father’s lap.

“Hey Twig.” Kraglin waves to Groot, who ignores him. “Oh, sorry...”

Rocket knows that when the tree refuses to say hello to someone that he’s extremely angry at something. “What’s wrong, buddy?”

“I am Groot!” The child pouts.

“Whoa, language!” Rocket scolds his son. “But since it’s Star-Dump, I’ll let it slide. What’d he do now?”

Groot looks at Rocket and in all seriousness says, “I am Groot.” He explains while punching an imaginary figure that was Peter.

“He turned off Bob Ross to watch some stupid FOOTBALL GAME?!?!” Rocket couldn’t believe that Peter would snatch the remote and change the channel on the Bob Ross-obsessed toddler. “Just out of curiosity, who was playing?”

“I am Groot.” The tiny tree replied.

Rocket facepalms. “The Miami Dolphins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Ugh, those teams SUCK! And then he turned the station to watch the Dallas Cowgirls and the New England Cheatriots?!”

“I am Groot.” Groot corrected his father.

“I don’t care what the NFL calls them!” Rocket stated. “I call them by what the fanbase calls them and that’s Cowgirls and Cheatriots. NOT ‘Cowboys’ and ‘Patriots.’ Plus, Bill BeliCHEAT and Tom Brady should be banned from football! Especially after SpyGate and DeflateGate!”

Groot was upset at having his TV time cut short. “I am Groot.”

“Hey, we will make him pay.” Rocket vows to Groot.

“I am Groot?”

Rocket shook his head. “Nah. You gotta think bigger than just switching his coffee to decaf.” The raccoon then chuckled. “Although that would be hilarious...”

Kraglin was rifling through the cupboards. “Noooo! We have no soup!” He then turns back to face Rocket and Groot. “Hey, guys, I’ll be back in an hour and then we’ll continue thinking of ways to prank Cap’n.”

Groot then tugs at Rocket’s jumpsuit. “I am Groot?”

Rocket then knelt down. “I like the way you think! Of course pranking Quill with food would be hysterical! But what food would be perfect to do so?” He strokes his whiskers deep in thought.

“Well, there’s a dish on Terra that would be perfect.” Kraglin suggests. “It’s called Ramen and according to the internet you can put anything and everything in it.” Kraglin then hands over his tablet to Rocket, who looks at it and cackles. “I think this recipe would be perfect!”

Rocket smiles as he shows Groot the recipe, who joins in on the laughter. “Alright, Kraglin, you convinced us. Let’s go!”

“Wait, Rat, we have to go to Terra.” Kraglin states.

“I know.” Rocket acknowledges as he helps Groot put his coat on. He then turns back to Kraglin. “What’re we waiting for?”

“Um, Rat, we have to go to Walmart.” Kraglin began, but Rocket didn’t pay attention as he grabbed Groot’s diaper bag and threw it over his shoulder as he carried Groot. “Aren’t you and Twig banned from there after the time you guys went to get Thanksgiving dinner?” Rocket suddenly remembers himself and Groot getting arrested on Earth and brought back home. He then puts down Groot and all of his stuff. “Don’t worry, I know what to get and I’ll be back in a few hours.” He assured them as he grabbed the keys to the Milano and headed out. ——————— Two hours later, Kraglin returned from Walmart without getting arrested. He entered the kitchen where Rocket and Groot were waiting.

“I was able to get almost everything.” Kraglin announces as he placed the bags down.

Rocket searches all the bags. “Where’s the chicken?”

“Uh, about that.” Kraglin wasn’t sure how to describe his trip to Walmart. He looked like he was in a war zone with his clothes torn up and hair all raggedy. “It would turn out that the Terrans are freaking out about something that they can’t see and they went crazy in Walmart and by the time I fought my way back to where they keep the chicken, they were all out.” He then gets out a 50 pack of 2-ply toilet paper and a gallon jug of Purell. “But hey, I got the last of the toilet paper and this stuff called Purell. The checkout lady says that stuff is going for a lot of money on the internet. I figure that I can make even more money if I put the hand sanitizer into tiny little bottles and sell the toilet paper by the square.” “I like that plan!” Rocket was proud that his ways of conning people out of their hard-earned money was finally rubbing off on Kraglin. His attention then turned back to the task at hand. “But the ramen won’t look as weird without the chicken feet. You got any other ideas for what we could use?”

“Actually, I got the perfect thing!” Kraglin exclaims as he placed a rotting animal carcass on the counter. “A fresh, dead Orloni! Courtesy of me running over it five minutes ago.”

Rocket rubs his paws in excitement. “Perfect!”

As Kraglin and Rocket worked on the ramen, Groot was given the very important task of keeping everyone else, especially Peter, away from the kitchen. The toddler found that the easiest way was to brandish two steak knives that were as long as he was tall and swinging them haphazardly as the tiny tree ran after them while screaming at the top of his lungs.

Meanwhile, Rocket cut, sliced, and gutted the Orloni just like he did with the turkeys that he and Groot got from Walmart not too long ago. The raccoon cut off the legs, tail, and head as he expertly placed the meat in with the rest of the ingredients that Kraglin was preparing. (He was the Guardians’ resident expert in all things soup and soup-related.)

After the ramen was ready and poured into Peter’s favorite bowl, Groot came back after chasing Drax away.

“I am Groot?” The toddler asks as he pointed to something green that was on the counter.

“This stuff is called wasabi, Twig, and it’s very spicy.” Kraglin divulges as he opened up the pack. “I went into this specialty store after I left Walmart and the lady said that this is the authentic wasabi, as the stuff sold in the regular stores is just imitation.”

“Really?” Rocket demands as he grabbed the mysterious green paste and took a pea-sized piece and ate it. “It ain’t all that bad-. HOLY CRAP!” He screams as he spit it out and ran straight for the fridge as he got out a water bottle. He then saw Groot break off an even larger marble-sized piece and place it inside his mouth. “GROOT, NO!” But it was too late, Groot already swallowed the wasabi and instantly regretted it, screaming bloody murder. Rocket made Groot drink from his water bottle to ease the taste in his mouth.

“I was gonna warn you-.” Kraglin apologizes as Rocket put Groot down and began to rub the inside and outside of the Orloni’s carcass and legs with the wasabi. “What’re you doing?”

“Giving Star-Munch an unexpected surprise...” Rocket divulges as he finished up. “Hm... it’s still missing something...”

Groot pointed at the orloni’s head. “I am Groot!”

“Great idea, Groot!” Rocket commends the child as he opened the orloni’s mouth and placed a tiny ball bearing inside before placing it inside the bowl. The head sinks to the bottom, another surprise in store for their Fearless Leader.

“You two are weird...” Kraglin states before he left. ———————— It was dinner time, the Guardians were all gathered around the table. Rocket was able to get Groot into his high chair for the first time on his own. Kraglin went back into the kitchen to get everyone’s food, as each person wanted something different to eat tonight.

“Hey, Quill, me and Groot want to let ya know that we’re not mad at you for being an even bigger idiot than usual.” Rocket implies as Kraglin set the bowl in front of Peter. “So we made you something special. Hope you enjoy it.”

“Does the sarcasm come with the meal?” Peter asked.

“No, that’s complimentary.” Rocket answers as Peter ate the ramen.

“This is good, Rocket. A little spicy but-.” Peter then discovers the floating Orloni head in the ramen. “What the-?!”

Peter ran to the bathroom to throw up. He, Rocket and Groot were even now.

@trashpandaorigins @madness-on-the-milano @butterflyinthewell @blaketoziers @canuckscot @i-sudoku @janetgenea @lothirielswanmarvel @madcatz6277 @netbug009 @pineapple-crow @rocket-roquill-raccoon @rocket-ringtail-raccoon @rr4901 @skarabrae-stone @sesshouki @thatcrappypuppy @vic394 @woozletania @whoop-whoop-grocket

Read on Ao3.

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transienturl · 3 years

Text

Q: How much do I know about sports off the top of my head? I’m bored, so let’s find out.

NFL:

NFC West (one of the strongest divisions ever):

Seattle Seahawks. Key (and less-key) players: Russell Wilson (QB), DK Metcalf (WR), Tyler Lockett (WR), Freddie Swain (WR), Greg Olsen (TE), Colby Parkinson (TE), Damien Lewis (G), Duane Brown (T), Ethan Pocic (C, I think?), Chris Carson (RB), Rashaad Penny (RB), Travis Homer (RB), Michael Dickson (P), help what’s the kicker’s name, Jamal Adams (S), Quandre Diggs (S), Bobby Wagner (LB), KJ Wright (LB), Jordyn Brooks (LB), Poona Ford (DI), Jarran Reed (defensive... line somewhere), Shaquill Griffon (CB), Quinton Jefferson (CB), Tre Flowers (CB), Benson Mayowa (DE), Carlos Dunlap (DE), Alton Robinson (DE), Shaquem Griffon (DE), god I can’t remember the new slot corner but he’s pretty good I think. Coach: Pete Carroll. OC: Brian Schottenheimer. DC: Ken Norton, Jr. GM: John Schneider. Owner: Jody Allen. Notes: Every game is close. Used to always run, but this year always throws. Quarterback is basically magic. Defense is severely lacking. My home team, obviously.

San Francisco 49ers. Key players: Jimmy Garoppolo (QB), George Kittle (TE), many fast running backs, Raheem Mostert is one of them, Trent Williams (T), Richard Sherman (CB), Nick Bosa (DE). Coach: Kyle Shanahan. Notes: Running game scheme is a work of staggering genius. Best player is a tight end for some reason. Went to the Super Bowl last year.

Arizona Cardinals. Key players: Kyler Murray (QB), Larry Fitzgerald (WR), DeAndre Hopkins (WR), Christian Kirk (WR), Budda Baker (S), Patrick Peterson (CB). Coach: Kliff Kingsbury. Notes: Runs many wide receivers, in scheme Kingsbury got from coaching college. Used to be bad, but getting better each year. Kyler is very small.

Los Angeles Rams. Key players: Jared Goff (QB), Cooper Kupp (WR), Andrew Whitworth (T), Darrell Henderson (RB), Aaron Donald (DI), Johnny Hekker (P). Coach: Sean McVay. DC: Used to be Wade Phillips, but not anymore. Notes: Runs a lot of plays from the same formation. Coach is very smart. Made the Super Bowl two years ago. Best player is a defensive tackle, for some reason.

NFC East (the worst division in NFL history):

New York Giants. Key players: Daniel Jones (QB), Saquon Barkley (RB). Coach: Joe, uh... Douglas. GM: Dave Gettleman. Notes: Spent a huge amount of draft capital on players the numbers said weren’t worth it. Seems accurate.

Philadelphia Eagles. Key players: Carson Wentz (QB), Jalen Hurts (backup QB), literally everyone else is injured. Oh, Jason Peters (T). Coach: Doug Peterson. GM: Howie Roseman. Notes: Everyone is injured. Everyone. Went to the Super Bowl 3 years ago and won with their backup QB.

Dallas Cowboys. Key players: Dak Prescott (QB, injured), Andy Dalton (backup QB, injured), No one of note (third-string QB), Amari Cooper (WR), CeeDee Lamb (WR), Ezekiel Elliott (RB), Leighton Vander Esch (LB), Greg Zuerlein (K), I could probably name more if I tried hard enough. Coach: Mike McCarthy. GM: Jerry Jones. Owner: Also Jerry Jones. Notes: Every year they have good players and lose anyway. Paid their running back instead of their quarterback. Also, now they have no healthy quarterback.

Washington [used to have a racist name]. Key players: Dwayne Haskins (benched QB), Alex Smith (QB... whose leg does not work), Kyle Allen (QB), Terry McLaurin (WR), Chase Young (DE), Montez Sweat (DE). Coach: Ron Rivera. Owner: Dan Snyder, who is the worst human being in the NFL, and that is saying a lot. Notes: No one cares about the football, Dan Snyder should be in jail. Also, Ron Rivera has cancer and Alex Smith’s leg injury almost killed him, so those guys deserve better.

NFC North:

Detroit Lions. Key Players: Matthew Stafford (QB), um, I should remember some more. Jeff Okudah (CB). Coach: Matt Patricia. Notes: Stafford deserves better. Patricia keeps signing ex-Patriots players, and it doesn’t work, presumably because the good ones are current-Patriots-players.

Minnesota Vikings. Key players: Kirk Cousins (QB), Adam Thielen (WR), Justin Jefferson (WR), Dalvin Cook (RB), many good defensive players whose names I don’t know. Coach: Mike Zimmer. Notes: Historically a good defense and just missing a competent QB. Paid a lot for an average QB; defense sucks now for some reason. Also, runs a lot.

Chicago Bears. Key Players: Mitchell Trubisky (QB), Nick Foles (QB), Allen Robinson (WR), Khalil Mack (DE). Coach: Matt Nagy. Notes: Has been wasting great defensive performances with poor to average quarterback play since World War II.

Green Bay Packers. Key Players: Aaron Rodgers (QB), Davante Adams (WR), Allan Lazard (WR), Aaron Jones (RB), Jamaal Williams (RB), Robert Tonyan (TE), David Bakhtiari (T), Za’Darius Smith (DE), Preston Smith (DE). Coach: Matt LaFleur. GM: Brian Gutekunst. Owner: “The fans.” Notes: Has started a hall-of-famer at quarterback every season since before you were born. Winning big but the analytics say they’re getting a bit lucky lately.

NFC South:

Atlanta Falcons. Key players: Matt Ryan (QB), Julio Jones (WR), I forgot the new WR’s name but he looks legit, Todd Gurley (RB). Coach that was recently fired: Dan Quinn. Notes: Have become known for inexplicably blowing enormous leads late in games. It’s quite funny, at this point.

New Orleans Saints. Key players: Drew Brees (QB), Michael Thomas (WR), Alvin Kamara (RB), Taysom Hill (listed as backup QB but just kinda does weird shit on offense), Jameis Winston (backup QB), Cam Jordan (DE), I should remember the cornerback’s name. Coach: Sean Payton. Notes: Known for having tons of talent every year, salary cap be damned, and then losing in heartbreaking fashion in the playoffs. Brees is getting old.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Key players: Tom Brady (QB), Mike Evans (WR), Chris Godwin (WR), this one WR who can go eat shit, Rob Gronkowski (TE), Antoine Winfield Jr (S), Vita Vea (DI). Coach: Bruce Arians. Notes: Signed Tom Brady. It’s working pretty well. Defense is top-tier. The most balanced team.

god, who is the other NFC south team, uh... hold on, lemme get back to you.

AFC North:

Baltimore Ravens

Pittsburgh Steelers

Cleveland Browns

um... Cincinnati Bengals? Maybe?

AFC East:

New York Jets

New England Patriots

Miami Dolphins

Buffalo Bills

AFC South:

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Tennessee Titans

uhh... Indianapolis Colts.

AFC West:

Denver Broncos

Kansas City (I think this name should be changed too, honestly)

Las Vegas Raiders

I guess this must be the Los Angeles Chargers?

Oh, so the other NFC South team is the Carolina Panthers. Of course. Key players: Teddy Bridgewater (QB), Christian McCaffrey (RB and also arguably their best receiver), Yetur Gross-Matos (DE). Coach: Matt Rhule. Notes: Rebuilding their team this year, but quietly doing pretty well, considering.

Alright, I’m gonna stop there. Didn’t even get to the other half of the NFL, let alone started to try and list NBA/MLB/NHL teams, which would have gone extremely poorly. Story for another day.

Also, uh, yeah, this is a normal amount to know about football as someone who doesn’t watch football, oooobviously...

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theofficefantasyfootball · 3 years

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WEEK 11 - Wrap Up

Pickleball Anyone?

youtube

I have been researching for a new sport since my fantasy season is basically over and I am thinking Pickleball is the answer? Anyone play it already? It seems like something that Brett, Gabe and Gully already have a team put together for and they have already won the Nashville region championship a few times! Maybe you guys will let me play on your team? I know this is a Fantasy Football league and I should be talking football, but here we are in week 11 and if I am being honest, at the start of the season I thought that at this point, I would be deciding who I needed to stash for my week 16 match up, but that is not the case. Instead I am texting this weekend with Krippayne about who finishes lower this week. 2020 - Am I right!? For those still in it...stay focused...Just two more weeks left and then PLAYOFFS! Happy Thanksgiving everyone....here are the match ups.

I SUCK vs LONG LEFT BALLERS

I know that Bebo is a PA not a full on doctor, but I am pretty sure at Williamson Medical there has to be a autistic doctor and if there is, I bet Bebo helps him through each shift - teaching him about medicine and human interaction. Bebo is such a good guy. They should make a show called “The Good PA” starring Bebo Norman. Listen, here’s the deal...was Bebo going to have a great week this week...of course...he was playing against me. It’s my destiny at this point to lose and to lose big. You can’t fight with destiny. Bebo’s week started strong on Thursday with 24 from Murray and 15 from Hyde....add to that Cook and Hill and Ridley matching up against my piece of shit team and you get a win...everytime. Nice Win Bebo...you are on your way to greatness! Keep healing the sick!

TREE HUGGERS vs MOOSES ON THE LOOSES

The Moose starts a new week. He’s number one in the league. The Moose puts up another solid score. He wins again. He remains number one in the league. Meanwhile Scott Krippayne, spends his weekend prepping for a colonoscopy. Drinking god knows what in order to clear his bowels so some can “bebo wanna be” can lube up a tube to insert into his rectum. And on top of that Scott “enters” Monday night with a total of only 37 points. Two guys. Same league. Very different weekends. Personally, and I can’t believe I am saying this - I would much rather be Scott. Because at least Scott is going to heaven. Mitch White obviously sold his soul to the devil to be having a year like this. Satan himself has come to our league everyone. I believe that. Sorry Scott - for many things.

LANAKILA vs TRADE WITH ME

Cliff was on fire this weekend. Kicker with 15. Defense with 21. But, the real reason for his success was the Minnesota Vikings - and the fantastic play of Cousins and Thielen. They put up almost 60 points between the two of them. And when you are playing Brett Rutledge (even when he has a good week) and you have those Vikings on your team, you walk away with the win. I will admit I am writing this at 2:00 pm and Brett still has Henderson and Woods to play but Cliff still has running back Ronald Jones...so with a 30 point lead and this situation - I think I can be like Fox News with the State of Arizona and call this one early! Nice win Cliff....Brett seriously let’s play some Pickleball!

BOOMER SOONER vs HOWARD

The Howard’s are doing some construction next door. Lots of hammering and trucks coming and going, port-a-potty in the yard - stuff like that. When it’s finished it will be amazing but for the next 3-24 months we might be watching some of Rob’s top construction guys at work like the above GIF. But, all that racket hasn’t deterred Howard from putting up another 122 points and grabbing another win. He is on his way to another playoff and potentially to a 4th championship. Insane. Meanwhile, Stu is trying to get his new business off the ground and is in a playoff points battle with Kyle and Cliff. And when you are in a points battle and you only put up 84 it’s not a good thing. Good thing Medical House Calls is going well for you buddy! Sorry again for your loss...but when you go up against a Fantasy Football GOAT you have to bring all you got! Nice win Rob.

BACKDOOR BANDITS vs TuPADRE

Like a mighty kitty cat - Backdoor Bandits (Kyle Allmendinger) with his #10 ranking, sneaked up on the #2 ranked and very tough to beat Tu Padre (Andy Gullahorn) and took him down! Hard! Kyle who has his sights set on finding a way to get into the playoffs had a great week from Rodgers, Gibson, Jefferson, Drake, Hunter Henry and even the Chargers Defense. Gullahorn had his normal Russell Wilson numbers but everyone else - aside from Diontae Johnson was a disappointment. With Howard’s win and Gully’s loss that moves Tu Padre down into 3rd place for now. A lot of things have to shake out for Kyle in the next few weeks but mainly he has to score a hell of a lot of points and keep winning! What a great match up. Nice win Kyle.

FUNK GUY vs MR. AWESOME

I’m sure Dana was a bit nervous going into Monday Night. Down by 12.54 with Mike Evans yet to play. I mean it’s Mike Evans - he’s good for that right? Oh, yeah I forgot, Brady has Godwin and Gronk and Antonio now to throw to also....hmmmm what will happen? Gabe had a solid week with 125 points and King Henry / Tannehill leading the way for him once again. But all that doesn’t matter when you have no one left to play on Monday Night. As the night went on Dana brought the Gabe’s lead down to just 1.64 points with 2:36 left in the game. Tom Brady had one more drive to get a win and maybe give Dana a win as well. But Tom on his two minute drive threw an epic interception early in the drive to end the game for the Bucs and for Dana. He falls to the mighty Gabe Scott by less than 2 points. Tough loss Dana. Maybe next time!

SURVIVOR

Both Brett and Gabe picked Chargers. Chargers won. We move on to week 12.

HIGH POINT WINNER!

This week a few players were trying to grab this. Funk Guy, Lanakila and Long Left Ballers. But in the end it was my opponent this week Long Left Ballers - Bebo Norman who grabbed the win with 131.56. $20!

This weeks picture prize is Soo Yeon Lee. Who you ask? She is a South Korean Table Tennis player, actress and coach. For those of you not very educated Table Tennis is also known as Ping Pong.

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mustangshelby04 · 5 years

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Boston Boy Chapter 2

Kate stared at herself in the mirror trying to see what had made Chris Evans want to spend an entire week with her. He had stayed till almost one in the morning. They had spent the whole time talking and looking at pictures on their phones. Chris had taken a few of them on his phone and set one of the selfies as her contact picture when he saved her number in his phone. Now she was waiting for him to come pick her up and take her to the game. She’d thrown on some jeans, a pair of black leather motorcycle boots, and her Brady jersey. Her hair was in a high ponytail and she’d thrown on her usual makeup consisting of under-eye concealer, powder, mascara, and Chapstick.

There was a loud knocking on her door and she took a deep breath before opening it. Chris stood there with his brother Scott and another guy she didn’t recognize. Chris was beaming at her. “Good. Got the lucky jersey on. We should win today, right?”

“If the luck holds up.” She said, smiling back.

“Kat, this is my brother Scott and his friend Tyler.”

“Nice to meet you.” She reached out and shook their hands.

“You’re right, Chris.” Scott said. “She’s beautiful.” Chris blushed and avoided eye contact with her.

“Don’t embarrass him.” Tyler said.

“He’s my brother. I can if I want.” Scott turned back to her. “He gushed about you the whole ride over here. He used the word perfect about twelve times. And I think he wrote a sonnet about your eyes. Which are gorgeous, by the way.” It was her turn to blush.

“Scott!” Chris cried. “Man, you have no chill.” He turned to her. “I’m sorry about him. I said I was going to the game and he invited himself and Tyler.”

“Seriously, it’s really nice to meet you.” Scott said, giving her a bright smile. “My brother is weirdly shy and for him to actually have a multiple hour conversation with a woman he just met is really rare. Be glad he only told me about you. If our mom and sisters find out��. Well, I hope you like Boston cause they’ll move your stuff up here for you.”

She laughed. “Wow. My brother is contemplating coming out here with one of my cousins and my step-dad to scare ‘the Boston boy’ off.”

“We might have a war on our hands. Fun!”

Chris laughed and looked back at her. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah. Let me grab my coat and my phone.”

“Is that David Bowie you’re listening to?” Scott asked as they shuffled into her room.

“Yeah. You a fan?”

“Of course! I don’t trust a person that doesn’t listen to Bowie.”

“Me either.” She turned the bluetooth speaker off and unplugged her phone before grabbing her coat. Chris helped her into it and his fingers brushed the back of her neck as he helped release the bottom of her ponytail from the coat. She held onto the urge to shiver but bit down on her bottom lip. “Ok. To the game!”

“To the game!” Chris repeated, holding the door open for her. Scott and Tyler made it to the elevators first and held the doors so Chris and Kate could get on too. She caught Chris eying her a few times and smiled to herself. Scott and Tyler were engaged in a conversation about the game and didn’t seem to notice the other two in the elevator. Chris shot her a smile and she smiled back.

The elevator doors opened and just before she stepped out, she remembered something. “Shit! I’ve gotta run back to my room.”

“What’s wrong?” Chris asked.

“I forgot to take my blood pressure meds.”

“Oh.” Chris turned and tossed the keys to his brother. “We��ll meet you out front.” He stepped back onto the elevator and waved at Scott as the doors shut.

“I’m sorry. I keep forgetting that I’m supposed to be taking it. I haven’t been on it long, so it’s an adjustment.”

“High blood pressure?”

“Yes. Genetics is a bitch. Though I technically got lucky. Mom was on them from the time she was 16 and her blood pressure is really high. I just got on them last month and it’s the lowest dose of medication since my blood pressure isn’t bad. Just high enough to make my doctor and my mom worry.”

The elevator doors opened and they stepped out. “Have you tried setting an alarm on your phone to remind you?” He asked.

She laughed. “I’m not sure it would help. I did that for my birth control and I forgot to take it at least three days out of every month.”

“Yikes.”

“I don’t know why my brain doesn’t process taking medication daily on time, but it fails hard at it. It’s why I got an IUD. I never have to remember to take a pill every day. If they could invent that for blood pressure pills I’d be set.” She opened her door and rushed into the bathroom, embarrassed that she’d just told him that she had an IUD.

“Hey, listen, I’m sorry about my brother. Sometimes things come out of his mouth before he can stop them.”

She laughed. “I have that problem myself.”

He appeared in the bathroom doorway. “I hope he didn’t embarrass you too much.”

“No. It’s ok. I think he got you worse.” She popped the pill in her mouth and took a drink of water from the bottle next to the sink.

“It wasn’t as bad as he said. I don’t think I used the word perfect that many times.”

“I didn’t think you had. It would definitely be a major exaggeration if you said it that many times. Using it just once is exaggeration enough.”

“Not at all. You’re pretty awesome.”

“You’ve only known me a day. Trust me, I’m not that great.”

“I’ve got all week with you, so I’ll be the judge of that.” He shot her a smile and moved out of the way to let her pass by him.

They caught up to Scott and Tyler waiting in the backseat of the car. Chris held open the passenger’s side door for her to get in before walking over and getting in the driver’s seat. “So, Kate,” Scott said as they pulled out into the street. “What color are your eyes? Chris was confused.”

“Scott!”

“What?” Scott asked innocently. “You said they look blue, but sometimes they looked more green.”

“They’re both blue and green.” She said before Chris could get any more red. “And my left eye has a streak of hazel in it.” Scott leaned forward and she turned to look at him.

“That’s neat.”

“My eyes change color, too, depending on my mood.”

“What mood are you in now?”

“Scott!” Chris cried.

“What?”

She laughed. “I’m excited right now. I’ve made new friends and I’m going to see my favorite football team play live for the first time. Unless you count when they came down to Richmond for training camp last year.”

“You saw them at training camp?” Chris asked.

“Yeah. They were at the Redskins training camp in Richmond for two days. I was there both because I’m a dork. I got the worst sunburn, but I got to meet Gronkowski. The only thing I could think to say was ‘you are one big dude.’”

“Did you meet Brady?” Tyler asked.

“I shook his hand, but I didn’t get to talk to him. There were a lot of fans there and I kind of got pushed out of the way.”

“That sucks.”

Chris glanced over at her and smiled as she kept up a steady flow of conversation with his brother and Tyler. They made it to the stadium and had no trouble getting inside the private entrance and up to their suite. There were a few people milling about, but the stadium below was full of people. There weren’t any players on the field yet, but there were other people out there getting ready. Chris watched her as she stayed standing by the glass, staring out at everything with a look that reminded him of Christmas morning excitement. He ordered them some drinks before joining her at the window.

“Our seats are over here.” He pointed to ones in the second row.

“This is unbelievable, Chris!” She was beaming and the smile was infectious. “I can’t believe I’m at Gillette! I’ve only ever seen it on TV and now I’m here.”

“I’m happy I could put that smile on your face.” He was suddenly engulfed in a bear hug and all he could do was squeeze back as he held her up. “Wow.”

“Sorry.” She pulled away. “I’m just so excited and you’re the best for doing this for me.”

He laughed. “Don’t be sorry. This is exciting for me too.”

They were well into the fourth quarter of a close game. Chris and Kate had been yelling at the teams from their seats and barely able to sit down for most of the game. Luckily they were surrounded by like-minded people. Scott and Tyler were excited about the game, but Scott kept stealing glances at his brother and his new friend. He was pretty sure that Chris was really liking Kate. He’d never seen his brother act this way with a woman he’d just met before.

“GO!” Chris yelled suddenly as Amendola caught the pass from Brady. The stadium went mad as the refs called a touchdown. The people in front of them threw their hands up and one of the guys lost his grip on his cell phone and it flew back and hit Kate in the mouth. She instantly threw her hands up, but blood was already running down her chin.

Chris moved into action to grab some napkins and the man that lost his phone began apologizing profusely. Scott and Tyler left to get some ice and more napkins. Finally, Chris escorted Kate out into the hallway and leaned her up against the wall. It was quieter in the hallway.

“Are you ok?” Chris asked, holding multiple napkins to her lips.

“Ow.” She said, her voice muffled behind the napkins. Her eyes were watering profusely and she kept wiping at them. “I think a tooth is broken.”

“Let me see.” He pulled the napkins away and sure enough, the lateral incisor on her left side was missing a chunk. He hissed and put the napkin back.

“That bad, huh?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m not going to lie. You’re missing part of a tooth.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “Don’t worry. I’ve got a plan.”

Scott and Tyler came running back with ice in a towel and more napkins. “How is she?” Scott asked, handing the towel over.

“Broken tooth. I’m going to call dad and ask if he’ll fix it for her today.”

“Good idea.” Scott looked at Kate. “That’s some awesome mascara you have on. It hasn’t budged at all with all that leaking you’re doing from your eyes.” That made her laugh.

“Here, hold this.” Chris said, guiding her hand to the towel against her mouth. “I’m going to make a phone call.”

Scott moved over to take his brother’s place in front of her and he smiled. “Our dad’s a good dentist.”

“Good. Cause this hurts.” She said.

“I’m pretty sure if you asked him to, Chris would go beat that guy up.”

She chuckled. “It’s ok. It was an accident. I’m not mad. Just in pain.”

Chris came back over. “Dad’s going to meet us at his office.”

“You guys go.” Scott said. “We’ll grab a cab to take us home.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” Scott gave Kate a quick hug. “We’ll see you later, ok?”

“Bye.” She waved at Scott and Tyler as Chris escorted her to the elevators.

“Are you ok?” Chris asked again as the doors shut. He was clearly concerned about her.

“You should see the other guy.” She joked.

Chris chuckled. “I’m so sorry.”

“It was an accident.”

“I know, but you’re missing the last of your first game at Gillette.”

Her eyes widened and she looked down at her jersey. “Please tell me there’s no blood on it.”

He gently pushed her head back up, replacing the ice towel on her mouth. With a chuckle, he grabbed the bottom of the jersey and pulled it out slightly to inspect it. “Nope. No blood. I saved the good luck charm with my quick reflexes.”

“Thank you.” The elevator doors opened and he led her out.

Bob lead Chris and Kate back out into the empty waiting room of his dental office. “You might be a little sore for a couple of days and you shouldn’t eat any hard foods for the rest of today.”

“Thanks for doing this, dad.” Chris said. “I know it’s your day off.”

“Yeth. Thank you.” Kate said, trying not to sound funny through the numbness in her mouth. It must not have worked because Chris was desperately trying to hold back a laugh.

“It’s my pleasure.” Bob said. “If that tooth starts bothering you, or starts acting funny, don’t hesitate to call me.”

“I won’t.” She followed Chris back outside where the sun had begun to set.

“I know you’ve got to be hungry. You haven’t eaten much today.” Chris said to her as he helped her in the car. He walked around to the driver’s side and slid in. “Do you feel up to getting something to eat?”

“I’m tharving, but I think I thould wait until this numbneth goeth away. I might drool on mythelf.”

He didn’t hold back on the laugh this time. “I’m sorry. You sound so funny!” She stuck her tongue out at him, but it only made him laugh harder. “Ok,” His laughter finally died down. “Ok, we’ll go back to the hotel and hang out there for a while. Figure out what we want to get for dinner.”

“Thoundth good.” He laughed again as he backed out of the parking space. “Can I play thome muthic?”

“Yeah.” He laughed and handed her his unlocked phone.

She scrolled through his music before selecting a track by Garbage. He shot her an approving smile and she settled back into the seat and closed her eyes. It wasn’t long before they were back at the hotel and headed back up to her room. Chris opened the door for her and she skipped the living room and went straight to the bedroom, plopping down on the king sized bed with her legs dangling from the side. He laughed and took his jacket off, laying it across the chair in the corner before sitting down on the bed next to her.

“Did we win?” She asked.

“Yeah. Scott texted me. We won.” He laid back. “Good.” She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him. He was lying so close to her that their arms were touching and she could feel his breath tickling her nose. “Is this real?”

“What?”

“Are you really here?”

He smiled and linked some of his fingers with hers. “Yeah. I’m here.”

“Chris….”

“Your talking is back to normal. How are you feeling?”

“Light headed.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Starved.”

“Me too. Let’s go for a walk and just pick a place we come across.” He stood up and held his hands out to help her up.

“Sounds good to me.” She took his hands and he pulled her up. For a moment they were almost pressing against each other, but she stepped sideways and went into the bathroom. “I’ll be out in just a minute.”

“Ok.”

She shut the door and sat down on the edge of the bathtub. What was happening? Chris Evans was flirting with her. Her of all people. She wasn’t a movie star. She wasn’t a model. She wasn’t even close to his league. Why was he flirting with her? Fairytales weren’t real and they definitely didn’t come true for people like her. She looked in the mirror and stared at herself. There was nothing remotely special about her.

There was a knock at the door and Chris called, “Are you ok?”

“Yeah.” She stood up and brushed her hair. “Sorry,” She opened the door. “I was inspecting my tooth.”

“It looks good. You ready?”

“Yeah.”

They didn’t talk much as they walked down the streets. It was full dark out, but the street lights and the lights from businesses lit up the sidewalk. They found a Tapas restaurant on Newbury Street a couple of miles away from the hotel and decided to eat there. After they were seated, Chris watched her for a long moment.

“What?” She asked.

“Nothing.” He took a sip of water and looked down at his menu. “So, you haven’t mentioned a boyfriend back home yet. Nobody special?”

She didn’t look up from her menu. “Nope. You?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

He shrugged. “I haven’t had a lot of time recently. You?”

“I haven’t found what I’m looking for.”

“What are you looking for?”

“I have no idea. I guess I’ll know when I find it.”

“That’s a very romantic way of thinking.”

“Yeah? I’ve never really considered myself very romantic, honestly. I’m not a flowers and chocolates kind of girl.”

“No?”

She shook her head. “I prefer things that don’t die in a week and my taste buds get more excited over fruity candy than chocolate.” He nodded like he was taking mental notes. “I like stargazer lilies, though. I would accept those flowers happily.” The waiter came and took their order and they no longer had menus to hide behind. “I also have a hard time trusting people.”

“Because of your father. I remember.”

“That’s not the only reason.” She took a deep breath. “I was engaged to this guy. I met him at work. He was younger than me by five years, but he seemed so much older. When I met his family, it made sense. They’re mostly barely functioning alcoholics and he kind of had to raise himself. We got pretty serious pretty quick. We moved in together barely three months after we started dating. We were living in a house with an acquaintance of mine. Things were good for a while, but my best friend came over one night to take me out for a girls’ night out and he didn’t want to let me leave. He whined and moaned and said he wanted to come with me, but I laughed and said no and didn’t think much of it. But the next few months, he got really…. Possessive I guess is the word. I was kind of kept at a distance, but he didn’t like me going out with any of my friends. I look back now and realize he was using mental abuse to keep me at home. About a year into the relationship, he gave me a ring and we were suddenly engaged, but it wasn’t what I’d expected it to be.”

“What did you expect?”

“I don’t know. A nice gesture? Him to at least get down on one knee, you know? But we were sitting at dinner and he slid it across the table and said ‘we should get married’. I was so excited, I didn’t even really think about it then. My friends that I was still in contact with weren’t happy. They all said that I looked different and sounded different…. Like they were talking to a stranger with my face. A few months later it was Christmastime and we were busy at work. He left his phone in my desk while he was out in the warehouse and it kept going off, so I pulled it out to turn it off. The first thing I see when I unlock it is this message from a girl talking about how wet she was and how badly she needed him to come take care of her again. I opened the text up and there were more. There were pictures passed between them that should’ve only been reserved for us, you know?”

“They were sexting.”

“Not just. He was meeting her behind my back. And when I dug a little deeper, it wasn’t just her. It was two other girls as well. And I mean girls. They were all about eighteen years old, if that. I kind of lost my shit and my boss had to restrain me from killing my fiancé when he walked in my office. I screamed at him and my boss told me it might be best if I went home. When I got there, I just couldn’t stay there so I went to my parents’ house. The next day was a weekend for us, so I went home and confronted him about everything. He blamed it all on me. Said I wasn’t what he wanted and the only reason he kept me around was because my paycheck helped him pay the bills. I really felt less than human at that point. I told him to get out, but he said that he was just going to move into the upstairs bedroom. That he was going to bring his girls home and fuck them so loud every night I would never get any sleep. So my roommate, who heard all of this, told me he would let me out of the lease if I wanted to leave. I’ve never packed up a house so fast. My friends Ryan and Mike, they had heard through my parents what had happened and they came and helped me move. We were out of there in 4 hours.”

“Damn. I’m so sorry.” He reached over and took her hand.

“It doesn’t stop there. After about a month of seeing him at work and still having these annoying feelings for him, I let him come back. We started seeing each other again. I found out that I had a strain of HPV that could be treated and gone in two years, but it was still an STD. It’s a dangerous one, too, that can lead to cancer later on in life. Anyway, he accused me of cheating on him because there was no way he had given it to me. You’d think I would’ve wizened up at this point, but I let him stick around. I was living at my parents and they went out of town, so he came to stay with me for a weekend. That Monday he left work before me and kept asking me for the key to my parents’ house. I told him no, I didn’t feel comfortable giving him the key and he said that someone had to feed the dogs because I didn’t know when I’d be home. He promised he would be waiting for me. I was busy with work and he just kept pestering me, so I gave in against my better judgment. When I got home a couple hours later, he was just shutting his car door and getting ready to leave. I got out to ask him what was going on and I spotted the Wii that he’d bought me sitting in his car. He’d gone into my parents’ house and stolen it. I tried to get past him, but he was bigger than me and he shoved me backwards. I ended up landing on the gravel and scraping up my hands and that snapped me back to myself. I got up and decked him so hard when he fell, he cracked his window on the driver’s side of his car. I grabbed my phone to call the cops and he hightailed it out of there.”

“Fuck!” He shook his head. “No wonder you have trust issues.”

“I’m working on the trust thing, but it takes time.”

Their food came finally and they ate in silence for a little while. Chris kept stealing glances at her which she pretended not to notice. The only conversation they made was on how good or bad the food was. They had ordered about six different types of tapas and were making their way through each one.

A little over half way through, Chris said, “Did he even feed the dogs?”

She looked up at him incredulously, but began to laugh. “You know what? I don’t think he did.”

“Fucking asshole.” They laughed until their sides hurt and the waiter had to come over and make sure they were ok. They finished their dinner and Chris paid for the meal before they started walking again. They made their way towards Boston Common and were standing on the bridge looking out over the lake with the swan boats.

They leaned their arms against the railing and listened to the sounds of the evening around them. Chris moved closer to her and purposely rubbed his knuckles against the back of her hand. She looked over at him like he’d lost his mind and he gave her an embarrassed look.

“Was that too forward?” He asked.

“Uh….” She stood up straight.

“You seem a little freaked out whenever I touch you. I don’t want that. I just…. I like you.”

She gave him another ‘are you crazy’ look and shook her head. “It’s barely been two days. You don’t even know me.” She started to walk away and he moved to catch up.

“But I want to get to know you. I feel a connection to you, Kat. You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met.”

“How is that even possible?”

“I don’t know. But it’s true. I feel completely at ease with you. I don’t feel that with anyone else outside of my family. Especially not this quickly.” Chris boldly took her hand and pulled her to the stairs on the side of the bridge. There was no one there, so he sat her down at the bottom of the steps and stepped back a couple of paces. “Look, I’m not saying let’s run off to Vegas and get married. I’m just saying…. Let’s seize the moment. Live in the now. See where this goes.”

“I’m leaving in a week.”

“I’ve got two weeks before I need to be anywhere and I’ve never been to Richmond. I want to get to know you and see what happens. If you don’t feel like there’s anything here, I won’t push it. But will you at least give it the two weeks? Please?”

“What happens after two weeks?”

“I don’t know. But if there’s something real here between us, I don’t want to regret not trying.”

“How could there be anything between us? You’re completely out of my league.”

“What do you mean?”

She surged up and walked past him towards the water, stopping just before the edge. “Have you looked in a mirror? Have you seen your ex-girlfriends?” She turned back to him. “I’m a fan of yours, Chris, remember? I’ve looked up your name on Tumblr and seen you in magazines while I buy groceries. I know that I don’t even come close to stacking up with your life. I’m ordinary. You’re extraordinary.”

He laughed. “I’m not extraordinary. I’m nothing close to it. I’m a dude from Boston who listens to 90s music and drinks beer and laughs at fart jokes. I’m the most ordinary guy out there. You’re the extraordinary one.” She huffed. “Really?” She huffed again. “Ok, from the little that I know about you so far, you’re remarkable. You’ve survived an abusive parent, you were at the brink of suicide and fought back, you went through a terrible relationship that nearly killed your spirit, and you’ve survived a family full of boys. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a fucking superhero. I’m in awe of you.”

She shook her head. “The internet never said you were crazy.”

“Well, the internet doesn’t know everything about me.” He grinned. “Look, it’s two weeks and if at the end of it, you don’t want anything to do with me, then I’ll go back to work and we’ll both just have great stories about the times we went to new places together.”

“Fine. Ok. I will spend the next two weeks with you. But if you’re going to get to know me, then I want get to know Chris Evans, the beer drinking fart guy from Boston.”

He laughed. “Ok. Fair enough.”

“I still feel like I’m Jim Carrey in the Truman Show, though.”

“There are no cameras. I promise.” He held his hand out to her and after a moment’s hesitation, she took it.

Tag List:

@joannaliceevans-fanficblog @jamielea81 @southerngracela @kelbabyblue @introvertedmouse

#Chris Evans #Kate Allen O/C #Chris Evans/Kate Allen #chris evans fanfic #chris evans fanfiction #Boston Boy

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hawkvalley · 4 years

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Hawk Valley

Quick Review

Allen was a breath of fresh air for a team on a never ending quarterback search. Allen used a hard count to great effect. I think Elway was the last Denver quarterback to do that. Peyton Manning waved his hands around and shouted Omaha. Allen is mobile which made a HUGE difference in the game.

The world had never seen Allen before and the Cleveland defense didn’t have an answer. At the end of the first quarter the score was Denver 7, Cleveland 0. Would the Broncos win the game 28-0? No, this is the 2019 Denver Broncos.

In the second quarter the Broncos scored 10 points instead of 14. Cleveland’s defense had adjusted to Allen. Cleveland's offense was now awake and they marched down the field four times for scores. They scored four field goals instead of four touchdowns thanks to the Denver defense.

In the second half both teams scored touchdowns, the Broncos in the third and the Browns in the fourth.

Why am I mentioning this? The Broncos have established a clear pattern of play this season. They start the game sort of strong and then slowly fade away during the game. In this game the Broncos won the first quarter, but the Browns won the rest of the game 19-17. This is a cause for concern because football is a game of adjustments and the Broncos are not making the right adjustments.

At the end of the day, Denver Broncos beat the Browns 24-19.

Before the season started, Vegas predicted the Broncos would average 17 points per game and they were spot on. At this point in time the Broncos are averaging 17 points per game. They average 9 points per game in the first half and 8 points per game in the second.

The Game Stats

Time of Possession

DEN: 24:30 CLE: 35:30

Play Selection

DEN 20 Passing Attempts, 193 yards: 20 Runs for 127 yards CLE 42 Passing Attempts, 273 yards: 29 Runs for 90 yards

The Running Game

Carries AYPC Long TD(s) Fumble(s) Lindsay 9 10 40 1 0 Freeman 5 3 6 0 0 Allen 5 3 11 0 0 Sutton 1 7 7 0 0 *AYPC is average yards per carry

The Passing Attack

Receptions % Long TD(s) Fumble(s) Sutton 5 63% 21 1 0 Fant 3 75% 75 1 0 Booker 1 100% 14 0 0 Fumagalli 1 100% 9 0 0 Spencer 1 33% 0 0 1 Freeman 1 100% -1 0 0

The Quarterbacks

Allen

Passing comp ypa TD INT Long Rating 60% 10 2 0 75 126 Rushing Att Yards Long TD 5 13 11 0 Sacked Times Yards Lost Fumble(s) 3 18 0

Mayfield

Passing comp ypa TD INT Long Rating 64% 7 1 0 41 91 Rushing Att Yards Long TD 3 22 16 0 Sacked Times Yards Lost Fumble(s) 2 12 0

During the Week

It’s like the Broncos are a bad team. After beating the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, some media organizations celebrated like the Broncos had won the super bowl. The Denver Post declared Denver to be Allentown. It was embarrassing. Allen’s future seems to be tied to how long the 2019 Broncos want to ride his hot hand.

As the week progressed, everyone forgot about the game and went back to guessing who the starting quarterback will be in 2020. Almost everyone thinks Flacco will be cut, except for the business people, who point out he still has two years left on his contract in 2020. The business people are pushing Lock out front, just like they did with Paxton, just because he was a first round draft pick. Their argument is that if Lock stumbles in 2019, they want the team to draft a better quarterback in 2020.

Nobody seems be giving the current backup, Rypien, a chance to make the team next year.

The quarterback discussion eventually expanded beyond the current team and speculation ran wild with what underappreciated NFL quarterback Elway will try and sign in 2020.

Some crazy people thought Tom Brady could come to Denver. They point out that his house is for sale.

Before the Chargers week 10 game, Rivers was on the list. However, after that game, the general thought about Rivers is that he will retire at the end of the season. After all, he didn’t move with the team to Los Angeles when the team tried to move there. I say tried to move there because there was some talk of the Chargers relocating to London. If he comes back next year and is still on the team and they move to London, he’ll just retire. There’s no way Rivers will want to deal with that.

Teddy Bridgewater’s name was also mentioned, but why would he leave the Saints to play for the Broncos?

Allegedly, Shannon Sharpe is making the case for Cam Newton to become the Broncos new quarterback in 2020.

So basically, in the aftermath of Allen’s first win in Denver, sports talk was all about somebody else becoming the quarterback in 2020. That’s what happened in the bye week.

In the week leading up to this game, the Broncos let Drew Lock practice. He’s getting more repetitions than Rypien in practice.

Today’s teams ranked by stats

Broncos (3-6)

Points: 28th

Yards: 27th

Passing yards: 28th

Rushing yards: 16th

Passing Touchdowns: 8

Rushing Touchdowns: 7

Field Goals: 15

Interception returns for TD: 0

Safeties: 0

Punt Returns for Touchdowns: 0

Fumble Returns for Touchdowns: 0

Net Turnovers: -3

Streak: Won 1

Vikings (7-3)

Points: 9th

Yards: 8th

Passing Yards: 17th

Rushing Yards: 3rd

Passing Touchdowns: 18

Rushing Touchdowns: 13

Field Goals: 15

Interception returns for TD: 0

Safeties: 1

Punt Returns for Touchdowns: 0

Fumble Returns for Touchdowns: 0

Net Turnovers: +5

Streak: Won 1

Outlook

Hopefully Brandon Allen can impress the fans, the company wants to see Lock. The quarterback controversy highlights the never ending battle between Elway and his head coach over who should see playing time. If Elway wants to coach the team, he should do it. What he can’t do, is coach the team from the management box like Al Davis.

Kubiak is back in town and I suspect, he’d enjoy beating the Broncos.

Don’t look now, but the team that everyone thinks was tanking in 2019 is just one game behind the Broncos. The Miami Dolphins are 2-7 now. How embarrassing would it be if the Broncos ended up with a worse record than the Dolphins.

Game Time

11:00 AM MT

#nflfootball #denver broncos #minnesota vikings #denvsmin #brandon allen

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junker-town · 4 years

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Tom Brady’s 4th down confusion was one of the weirdest moments on Thursday night

A decision that sealed the win for the Bears will come under major scrutiny.

We’re starting to see cracks in the Buccaneers’ brain trust after a game-ending Thursday night snafu that saw Tom Brady seemingly forget what down it was as he tried to lead Tampa Bay on a comeback victory. It was a move that sealed the game for the Bears, and left Tampa Bay reeling.

Now there’s dispute over what happened, a back-and-forth between Brady and coach Bruce Arians, and this whole thing is a mess.

What happened on the fourth down play?

Down 20-19 with 38 seconds left on the clock, Brady lined up on 4th and 5 at the Tampa Bay 41. It was an obvious passing situation, but manageable. The Buccaneers were without a time out, but there was enough time on the clock that moving the chains and spiking the ball could have easily set up a game-winning field goal.

Instead of taking a safe underneath pass, Brady forced the ball into tight coverage to Cameron Brate, which was incomplete. It was a bad decision regardless of the situation, but game-ending considering the circumstances. There was no need to force the pass, especially when running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn was wide open to check down to, which would have easily picked up 1st.

Then things got weird ...

Referees signaled the ball was turned over on downs, while Brady appeared confused at the situation. He held up his fingers signifying he still had the 4th down, which he definitely did not. Referees informed Brady that he was mistaken about which down it was.

Very uncharacteristic from Tom Brady losing track of downs and it came at the worst possible time. pic.twitter.com/aHDD8lJaQC

— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 9, 2020

Brady appealed best he could for another down, but obviously this was denied. No matter which way you slice it this was on the quarterback. He either forgot which down it was, or knew and was trying to cover for the bad decision that ended the game, when he could have elected to move the chains and keep the game alive.

The Bears took over, kneeled out the clock, and moved to 4-1. Meanwhile the Buccaneers are now trapped in football purgatory at 3-2, which is still good enough to lead the NFC South, but decidedly worse than the lofty expectations for a team believed to be in the hunt for a Super Bowl berth this season.

After the game the Buccaneers were in spin mode.

Brady deflected and gave a non-answer when asked about the moment on the NFL Network. Choosing not to answer whether he knew about what down it was, instead Brady almost accepted blame, saying “I knew we had to gain a chunk so I should have been thinking more first down instead of chunk.”

Meanwhile Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians was dejected following the game, looking down at the floor after saying that Brady knew what down it was.

Tom Brady did not admit to not knowing what down it was. Bruce Arians said he knew, as he stared down at the ground. pic.twitter.com/tyyeyNs98x

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) October 9, 2020

Both parties appear to be saying that Brady knew it was 4th down, despite the quarterback’s on field actions — which is curious. If Brady indeed knew then it’s an admission that the normally unflappable quarterback made an extremely boneheaded play. This in turn means that his appeals to the referees for another down were bizarre. What was he hoping to gain? Was Brady trying to confuse the officials too into giving him another chance?

The other possibility, and probably the correct one, is that Brady really did lose track of downs. It’s a gaff, but it happens. It’s embarrassing, sure, but nothing that warrants a defense campaign. Just something lost in the heat of the moment during a tense game. The reason this is probably the most likely scenario is because Brady doesn’t miss the kind of obvious passes available to him like the checkdown to Vaughn that would have kept the chains moving.

Where do the Bucs go from here?

If New Orleans win on Monday night the Saints move to 1st in the NFC South. Carolina could also tie Tampa’s 3-2 record with a win over the Falcons. It’s far from the end of the world, but definitely disappointing for a team many expected to dominate the NFC and have real Super Bowl potential following their blockbuster offseason acquisition of Brady.

Perhaps more concerning is that this team has lost the benefit of the doubt. After five weeks questions are creeping in about the coaching, whether Brady and Arians can gel together, as well as larger discussions as to whether the future Hall of Fame quarterback still “has it.” This hasn’t been a terrible year, but Brady definitely padded his season stats against the Chargers and Broncos. Against better teams, specifically the Saints and Bears, Brady has thrown 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and posted a middling quarterback rating.

These are worrying signs for Buccaneers fans, and we’re going to have to watch to see if the mistake on Thursday night is the sign of more drama to come out of Tamp Bay.

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first-and-ten · 7 years

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2016 Results: Week 17

Sorry these are late, my computer almost died. It’s back now, but I got hella writing to do so this is gonna be real brief.

NO 32 - 38 ATL [L] The Saints’ season ends not with a bang, but with a bunch of garbage time points and rumors about Sean Payton skipping town.

BAL 10 - 27 CIN [L] Far from the send off Steve Smith Sr. deserved. I’ll miss that bloke.

NYG 19 - 10 WSH [W] The boys in blue finally pull through! What a time for a Kirk Cousins interception, he basically threw away millions of dollars in contract leverage.

HOU 17 - 24 TEN [L] I just can’t believe Brock Osweiller is gonna start a playoff game.

CAR 16 - 17 TB [L] Really, Panthers? By one point? Why you do me like that?

GB 31 - 24 DET [W] It’s gotta really just suck to be a Lions fan. At least it wasn’t en elimination game.

JAX 20 - 24 IND [W] The Colts will carry the NFL Title Belt through the offseason. The Colts are on the Broncos schedule next year. They’ve played in week 1 before... Get on it, NFL.

NE 35 - 14 MIA [W] A playoff tune-up for both teams, but it’s painfully clear why one is the 1 seed and one is the 6.

CHI 10 - 38 MIN [W] What a terrible time for the Vikings defense to do that! (In my fantasy finals. On my opponent’s roster.)

BUF 10 - 30 NYJ [L] I guess there was no winning one for Anthony Lynn, eh? Check out the Jets scoring a TD because the Bills don’t bother downing a kickoff. Classic shit.

DAL 13 - 27 PHI [L] I said Dallas would probably win no matter who they started. I was wrong. Great to know Tony Romo will still generate interest from deluded Broncos fans all summer, though.

CLE 24 - 27 PIT OT [W] The Browns were a few simple mistakes away from handing the Niners the top pick in the draft.

ARI 44 - 6 LA [W] Was this even actually a football game?

OAK 6 - 24 DEN [W] I hate that we’re out of the running, but at least we took the Raiders out with us. If every game was a Kubiak retirement game we would go 19-0. I’ll talk more about that in the season wrap for the Broncos.

KC 37 - 27 SD [W] Good on the Chargers for making this a game for awhile. Sad to see them go through yet another potential last game in San Diego. I have fond memories of Qualcomm, or at least, one specific fond memory.

SEA 25 - 23 SF [W] This is the opposite of momentum, people.

This Week: 10-6 This Season: 155-97-2 2014 Pace: 188-67-1 Pickwatch Leader: 170-84-2: Andrew Lynch (FOX), Elliott Harrison (NFL)

NFL Title Belt: JAX lost to IND

THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS: DAL, SEA, OAK, PIT, HOU, KC, MIA, ATL, NYG, GB, DET, NE

GRAVEYARD: CLE, JAX, NYJ, SF, CHI, LA, ARI, CIN, PHI, BAL, TEN, DEN, IND, BUF, SD, NO, MIN, CAR, TB, WSH

Obits and Congrats:

Patriots: Wow, we’re all so shocked that the New England Patriots are in the Patriots. Goddamn floored, is what we are. So utterly flabbergasted was I that I fucking forgot to give them a stupid congratulation thing when it happened so I have to do it now. Fuck you Tom Brady.

Buccaneers: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers died this week despite winning their game, due to the fact that they would have needed a goddamn tie to fight another day. So in a sense, the Giants slew two wild hard hopefulls on Sunday. Way to go, Giants.

Washington: The Washington football team saw its life cut tragically short this week when the Giants decided to play their starters in what was for New York a meaningless game. Washington could have survived by scoring a mere 20 points, but mustered just half that total, leading some to believe that is was just the survival of the fittest.

#Patriots #Broncos #Kubiak #Packers #Browns #predictions #results #2016 predictions #2016 results #week 17 #nfl

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julesrulessports · 4 years

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Post Draft NFL Power Rankings

1: Ravens

The Ravens finished 14-2 last season, but surprisingly lost in their first playoff game. What did they due to improve themselves this offseason? Well they kept Matt Judon who fans believed would be traded and they also acquired Calais Campbell in a trade with the Jaguars. People will forgot about that trade because he’s 33, but in the last two seasons he’s had 10.5 and 6.5 sacks. Heading into the draft, they needed some help in the middle of their defense. To fix that, they stole Patrick Queen with the 28th pick and they drafted Malik Harrison in round 3. Not only is their linebacker core looking much better, but they upgraded their defensive line by drafting Justin Madubuike. Their offense is looking scary, they should have one of the best running games in football with J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram. They also added Devin Duvernay and James Proche, two solid receivers from a deep receiver class. The Ravens improved themselves a lot in the offseason.

2: Chiefs

The Chiefs didn’t lose any big pieces in free agency, which is very good for them considering they just won the Super Bowl. In the draft, the Chiefs took Clyde Edwards-Helaire, one of my favorite running backs from this draft class. I compare him to Mark Ingram and Frank Gore, and Andy Reid thinks he’s a better version of Brian Westbrook. The Chiefs took offensive tackle Lucas Niang in the 3rd round which was a steal; Niang didn’t allow one sack throughout his college career. They needed some help on defense and they got that. They selected Willie Gay Jr who’s pretty much a worse Isaiah Simmons. Gay Jr would’ve been picked much earlier if it weren’t for off the field issues. The Chiefs also took blazing fast cornerback L’Jarius Sneed in the 4th round. Sneed is versatile, playing both safety and cornerback. I’m a big fan of the Chiefs offseason.

3: Saints

The Saints nailed the offseason. At quarterback, they kept Drew Brees and Taysom Hill. Yes, they lost Teddy Bridgewater, but they signed Jameis Winston, who’s every bit as good as Bridgewater, for a deal that’ll only cost a maximum of 3.4 million dollars. Obviously with Brees, quarterback wasn’t the biggest of needs. They got some help for their star quarterback by signing Emmanuel Sanders. On defense, they made an impressive signing by acquiring veteran safety Malcolm Jenkins. In the past two seasons, Jenkins played at a high level, reaching 97 and 81 tackles. In the draft, they got the best center, Cesar Ruiz, at 26. Linebacker Zack Baun, who is a Kyle Van Noy clone, astonishingly slipped to them in the 3rd round. The Saints also got the second best tight end in Adam Trautman. This was very good offseason for the Saints.

4: 49ers

The important players the 49ers lost from last years team were DeForest Buckner and Emmanuel Sanders. However, they got rid of Buckner through trade and simply couldn’t afford to keep him either of them. The 49ers got the 13th pick in return for Buckner, and traded back one spot to 14. At 14 they took Javon Kinlaw who will replace Bucker in the interior of the defensive line. Kinlaw is talented, affecting both the run and pass game. In Kinlaw’s last two seasons he finished with 65 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, and 10 sacks. The 49ers then traded up from 31 to 25 and picked Brandon Aiyuk who will replace Emmanuel Sanders. Aiyuk is almost identical to Deebo Samuel. With Joe Staley retiring, the 49ers traded a 5th and a 2021 3rd for Trent Williams who will be a huge upgrade at left tackle. Some other key picks the 49ers made in the draft were selecting Colton McKivitz who will provide them with some more offensive line help, something that never hurts. They also got a good blocking tight end in Charlie Woerner and a depth receiver in Jauan Jennings. It’s been a pretty good offseason for the NFC Champs.

5: Buccaneers

The Buccaneers signed Tom Brady! That’s enough said. Well, maybe not, because the Patriots lost in the wild card game last year. So what else did tbe Buccaneers do? The Buccaneers added some offensive line help for Brady by signing Joe Haeg. That wasn’t their only offensive line help for their newly signed quarterback; when they traded up from 14 to 13, they selected Tristan Wirfs, an offensive tackle who many people thought was the second best offensive tackle in a loaded offensive tackle class. However, the Buccaneers made Wirfs the fourth offensive tackle taken. Just last week, the Buccaneers pulled off a stunning trade for Rob Grownkowski. With Gronk, Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, O.J. Howard, and Cameron Brate, you’d think they were already good enough on offense. But no, they drafted receiver Tyler Johnson and running backs Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Calais Campbell. It wasn’t all offense for the Buccaneers; they also drafted talented safety Antoine Winfield Jr, defensive tackle Khalil Davis, and linebacker Chapelle Russell. What a crazy and great offseason for the Buccaneers.

6: Vikings

A couple good signings the Vikings made were adding run stuffer Michael Pierce from the Ravens and getting wide receiver Tajee Sharp from the Titans. The Vikings traded star receiver Stefon Diggs, but with the pick they got back from him they were able to replace him with talented receiver Justin Jefferson, who shouldn’t have even been available at 22. The Vikings had an amazing draft. Besides taking Jefferson, they also got cornerbacks Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler, who fill a huge need for them, at 31 and 81. Offensive tackle was another necessity for them and they filled that with the falling Ezra Cleveland at 56. Cleveland was projected to go in late round 1 or early round 2. The Vikings had 15 picks so I’m definitely not going through all of them, but some other notable additions in the draft were defensive lineman D.J. Wonnum and James Lynch, and fast linebacker Troy Dye. The Vikings had a solid free agency and a top 5 draft.

7: Cowboys

The Cowboys lost pro bowl cornerback Byron Jones to the Dolphins in free agency. They also lost another contributor in pass rusher Robert Quinn. But they really upgraded their defensive line in free agency. The Cowboys added Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe, so running against them will be frightening. But if that wasn’t scary enough, they also drafted defensive tackle Neville Gallimore. To replace Byron Jones, they drafted lengthy cornerback Trevon Diggs in the 2nd round. Many scouts and teams had a 1st round grade on Diggs, so landing him in round 2 was a steal. But that wasn’t even their best pick. The Cowboys took the best wide receiver in the class, CeeDee Lamb, at 17. How will you be able to stop the Cowboys offense? If you double CeeDee Lamb they also have pro bowl receiver Amari Cooper and young and improving receiver Michael Gallup. If you focus on the passing game they can beat you with Ezekel Elliot and vise versa. Dallas also got cornerback Reggie Robinson from Tulsa, someone who landed on Bleacher Report’s list of late round draft picks that could be future pro bowlers. The Cowboys really look a lot better.

8: Colts

In free agency, the Colts added run stuffer Sheldon Day and struggling cornerback (although he used to be a pro bowler) Xavier Rhodes. The biggest addition was obviously Phillip Rivers. However, their best addition might be DeForest Buckner, who they traded their 13th pick for. Despite not having a 1st round pick, the Colts got two first round talents in receiver Michael Pittman Jr and Jonathan Taylor at picks 31 and 44. The Colts also upgraded their defense by adding versatile safety Julian Blackmon, defensive tackle Rob Windsor, and cornerback Isaiah Rodgers. They also added offensive guard Danny Pinter who Phillip Rivers and Jonathan Taylor will both love. Another key move, although it won’t help them this year, was drafting Jacob Eason. Eason should be good in a couple years once Phillip Rivers retires. The Colts look much improved on both sides of the ball.

9: Steelers

In free agency, the Steelers got two solid additions in tight end Eric Ebron and offensive guard Stefen Wisniewski. Wisniewski played for the Super Bowl champion Chiefs last season and took over the starting job in week 16 following an injury. He was excellent in pass protection during that time. Ebron had a breakout season in 2018, reaching 750 yards and 13 touchdowns. He only had 375 yards and 3 touchdowns last year, though. The Steelers will hope they can rejuvenate his career. In the draft, the Steelers got a combine stud and athletic freak wide receiver Chase Claypool. They also added shifty running back Anthony McFarland Jr and a good offensive guard in Kevin Dotson. On defense, the Steelers added pass rusher Alex Highsmith who was a good value pick and they got hard-hitting safety Antoine Brooks Jr and defensive tackle Carlos Davis (brother of Khalil Davis who I mentioned earlier). Not only did the Steelers make all those moves, but Ben Roethlisberger should be healthy next season. The Steelers could be a surprisingly good team.

10: Seahawks

The Seahawks signed Greg Olsen and stacked up in offensive lineman in free agency by adding Cedric Ogbuehi, Brandon Shell, and B.J. Finney. Seattle also got veteran Bruce Irvin who had 8.5 sacks last season. The Seahawks draft was anything but good, though. They reached for middle linebacker Jordyn Brooks, who doesn’t even play a position of need. They reached again for developmental edge rusher Darrell Taylor and for running back DeeJay Dallas. The rest of their picks were decent, but not anything good enough to make up for the bad picks. Seattle drafted two tight ends in Colby Parkinson and Stephen Sullivan. It’s looking like their offense will consist of two tight ends playing at all times and they can rotate between a few of them. If Clowney returns, the Seahawks should also have a very good defense and I’d put them higher on the list, but who knows where he’ll go. Seattle will have a good offense next year, but their offensive line and defense are still question marks.

11: Bills

The Bills made a splash by trading for Stefon Diggs who should instantly become Josh Allen’s favorite target. They got some needed defensive line help in signing Mario Addison and Vernon Butler and they got corner help in E.J. Gaines and Josh Norman. In the draft, they got more defensive help. A.J. Epenesa was surprisingly available at 54 which made for one of the better picks in the draft. They also got another corner in Dane Jackson from Pittsburgh. Their draft was offensive heavy though as they got a power runner who’s been compared to Marshawn Lynch in Zack Moss from Utah, a wide receiver who’s been compared to Courtland Sutton in Gabriel Davis from UCF, another wide receiver in Isaiah Hodgins, and a solid backup quarterback in Jake Fromm. They also added a Tyler Bass, a kicker. Next year, the Bills should have a good run-first offense that still has a decent passing game. Their defense should also be very good.

12: Titans

The Titans had a surprising run to the AFC Champ game last year but they definitely regressed this offseason. They traded Jurell Casey for next to nothing, lost Jack Conklin, and might lose Logan Ryan on top of that. Some other losses they suffered that weren’t as important were Dion Lewis, Austin Johnson, and Marcus Mariota. Their only free agency additions were Vic Beasley, Ty Sambrailo, and Jack Crawford. Their draft was okay as they added offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson to replace Jack Conklin, drafted Kristian Fulton, and got a good running back who I think can be a hidden gem in Darrynton Evans. The rest of their picks won’t be big contributors. Tennessee undoubtedly got worse in the offseason, but they can still be a decent team.

13: Packers

The Packers lost a few key players in Jimmy Graham, Blake Martinez, Bryan Buluga, Kyler Fackrell, and Geronimo Allison. But, they managed to replace Geronimo Allison with Devin Funchess, replace Blake Martinez with a tackling machine in linebacker Christian Kirksey, and sign a right tackle in Ricky Wagner. After the free agency period, it wad clear they had gotten worse and needed some targets for Aaron Rodgers. Many people expected them to get receiver help with their first pick, but they instead chose to draft Aaron Rodgers’ successor in Jordan Love. I actually like that pick although it won’t benefit them for a couple years. Green Bay didn’t do too well the rest of the draft as they reached for a power back in the huge A.J. Dillon in round 2. They had a solid round 3 pick in tight end Josiah Deguara. In round 4 they got a need with linebacker Kamal Martin, but I would’ve definitely gone with a receiver. The remainder of their picks were three offensive lineman, a safety, and a pass rusher. In such a deep receiver class, it’s hard to imagine the Packers actually passed on one. Like Tennessee, the Packers are a team that got to their conference’s championship game, yet regressed big time in the offseason.

14: Broncos

The Broncos lost Chris Harris Jr, Derek Wolfe, Andy Janovich, Casey Kreiter, Connor McGovern, and Will Parks earlier in the offseason. That’s not to say they had a bad free agency period, as they still added Melvin Gordon, Nick Vannett, Jurrell Casey, Christian Covington, Sam Martin, Graham Glasgow, and Jeff Driskel. Heading into the draft, they hadn’t really improved or gotten worse. Their draft was one of the best in the league, though. They stacked up on offense with two receivers, Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler, and got a good tight end in Albert Okwuegbunam. Add that what they already had in Courtland Sutton and Noah Fant and their passing offense should be one of the best in the league. They also have a top 10 running back in Phillip Lindsay and a top 15 running back in Melvin Gordon. Their offensive line is a lot better with Lloyd Cushenberry and Netane Muti. Muti only fell to pick 181 because of injuries. On defense, the Broncos got a solid, lengthy corner in Michael Ojemudia and a very good defensive tackle in McTelvin Agim. Getting help in the middle of their defense was important for them, and they were able to land Justin Strnad in the 5th round. Strnad led Wake Forest in both interceptions and special teams tackles. Special teams isn’t the only place where he got tackles, he had 69 through eight games, along with 2 sacks. Due to their amazing draft, the Broncos are certainly one of the most improved teams in the league.

15: Chargers

The Chargers lost a few key players in free agency and through trade; Phillip Rivers, Adrian Phillips, Melvin Gordon, Travis Benjamin, and Thomas Davis. That’s not to say they got worse. They really improved their offensive line by getting Trai Turner and Brian Buluga, and they improved their defense by signing Linval Joseph and Chris Harris Jr. In the draft, the Chargers got their quarterback of the future in Justin Herbert at pick 6, then they traded back into round 1 and got the best middle linebacker, Kenneth Murray. The Chargers then got running back Joshua Kelly who won’t have to move far as he’s from UCLA. With Kelly and Austin Ekeler the Chargers should still have a very good run game. They doubled up on wide receiver, getting Joe Reed in round 5 and K.J. Hill in round 7. Those were both very good picks for where they got them, and in between they got a safety, Alohi Gilman. The Chargers offensive line is a lot better which will benefit Herbert and the whole offense. Their defense is also much improved.

16: Patriots

The Patriots lost Tom Brady, Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Elandon Roberts Danny Shelton, and more players. Those names I just mentioned were all crucial players from last years team. The only valuable signings were Adrian Phillips and Marquise Lee. Despite many people not being huge fans of their draft, I liked it. They got a very versatile safety in Kyle Dugger and another versatile player in linebacker Josh Uche. Those are both players that Belicheck should be thrilled to have because he’ll use them in many ways and find a way to get them to play their best. They got another player that’ll fit Belicheck’s system in pass rusher Anfernee Jennings. They also got two good tight ends in Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene. After that, they drafted a punter, linebacker, and three offensive lineman. The Patriots got worse in the offseason, yet I still feel good about them because they have an amazing coach and got players that fit his system.

17: Eagles

The only good players the Patriots couldn’t keep in free agency were Malcolm Jenkins, who they surprisingly cut, Jordan Howard, Nelson Aghelor, and Timmy Jernigan. But they were able to replace Timmy Jernigan with Javon Hargrave, trade for Darius Slay, and trade for Marquise Goodwin on the final day of the draft. In the draft, they were able to upgrade at wide receiver which was a big position of need. Not only did they trade for Goodwin by only trading down from 190 to 220, but they also drafted Jalen Reagor, Josh Hightower, and Quez Watkins at picks 21, 168, and 200. Getting Jalen Hurts in round 2 was questionable considering they have Wentz, but they should find a way to get the versatile player on the field. There’s also a good chance Wentz gets hurt. They also got two offensive tackles from Auburn, one being Jack Driscoll and the other being Prince Tega-Wanogho. Prince Tega-Wanogho was a massive steal at 210. On the defensive side of the ball, they selected two linebackers in Davion Taylor and Casey Toohill, along with a safety in K’Von Wallace. Taylor is more of a pass rusher while Toohill is a middle linebacker and Wallace is a big safety that can play in the box. The Eagles improved a lot on offensel, especially at the wide receiver position.

18: Raiders

The Raiders luckily didn’t lose key players in free agency, yet they added some in linebackers Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski and talented backip quarterback Marcus Mariota. The Raiders actually signed 11 players in free agency and only 5 left, so they did more than just fill up the holes of the losses. In the draft, Gruden and the Raiders added more than enough speed; they drafted Henry Ruggs III at pick 12, Lynn Bowden Jr at pick 80, and Bryan Edwards at pick 81. All three of those receivers are blazing fast. At 19, the Raiders reached for Damon Arnette. Arnette was the 8th best corner on Daniel Jeremiah’s big board and they made him the 3rd one taken. Arnette wasn’t the only defensive back they picked, they also got safety Tanner Muse and cornerback Amik Robertson. All these new receivers and defensive backs will allow to keep up with the rest of this pass-happy league. The Raiders also picked John Simpson, a guard from Clemson.

19: Rams

The Rams lost corner back Nickell Robey-Coleman, Dante Fowler Jr, Cory Littleton, Greg Zuerlein, Jojo Natson, Todd Gurley, and Mike Thomas. They also traded Brandin Cooks. The only players they added in the free agency period were Leonard Floyd and A’Shawn Robinson. By drafting Cam Akers with their first pick, they’re getting someone that’ll be better than Gurley’s been lately. The Rams also selected Van Jefferson, a receiver often compared to Cooper Kupp. They got another offensive target in tight end Brycen Hopkins who plays like a big receiver. On defense, they got Alabama pass rusher Terrell Lewis and Terrell Burgess. Terrell Lewis has had his fair share of injuries, but when he’s on the field he’s dominant. Burgess plays both cornerback and safety. The Rams also added safety Jordan Fuller and linebacker Clay Johnston. Not only did the Rams add some impressive weapons on offense and talented players on defense, but they drafted a kicker and offensive guard named Sam Sloman and Tremayne Anchrum. I see the Rams being better next season then they were this season. Despite losing some impressive players, they drafted some that can fill their roles.

20: Cardinals

The Cardinals were another team that didn’t lose any essential players, yet they traded for star receiver DeAndre Hopkins and signed edge rushers Devon Kennard and De’Vondre Campbell. Those are three big upgrades for them. The Cardinals also nailed the draft. They got a generational defensive talent in extremely versatile linebacker Isaiah Simmons, added two great run stuffers in defensive tackles Leki Fotu and Rashard Lawrence, and added linebacker Evan Weaver. On offense they managed to get offensive tackle Josh Jones and running back Eno Benjamin. Jones was expected to between picks 20 and 40, yet the Cardinals managed to get him at 72. Eno Benjamin should serve as a very good compliment to Kenyan Drake in the backfield, and that was a need considering they gave away David Johnson in the Hopkins trade. The Cardinals are a lot better on both sides of the ball.

21: Falcons

The Falcons lost important players in De’Vondre Camplell, Adrian Clayborn, Austin Hooper, Ty Sambrailo, and Vic Beasley. Replacing Hooper by signing Hayden Hurst and signing a talented pass rusher in Dante Fowler Jr to replace Campbell were just two of the signings they made. But in the draft, they went defensive heavy; they got corner A.J. Terrell at 16, defensive tackle Marlon Davidson at 47, linebacker Mykal Walker at 119, and safety Jaylinn Hawkins at 134. Drafting center Matt Hennessy at 78 was their only offensive move. They also selected Syracuse punter Sterling Hofrichter. Though they lost key players in free agency, they found solid replacements for a couple of them and they really boosted their defensive talent.

22: Texans

The Texans offseason started out awful as they traded DeAndre Hopkins and a 4th rounder and only got David Johnson, a 2nd rounder, and a 2021 4th rounder in return. To replace Hopkins the Texans made a questionable trade, giving away a 2nd rounder for Brandin Cooks. In a draft so deep at receiver, they could’ve gotten a better and cheaper option than Cooks with the pick they gave away. The Texans signing Timmy Jernigan was the one positive thing they did. Houston took defensive tackle Ross Blacklock and pass rusher Jon Greenard. Those were a couple nice picks. They also got a 4th round corner, John Reid. On offense, they added offensive tackle Charlie Heck in the 4th round and got receiver depth in Isaiah Coulter with their 5th rounder. The Texans had an average draft, but after their awful offseason before that, it seems as if they’ve really gotten worse.

23: Giants

The only key player the Giants lost in free agency was special teams standout Michael Thomas. In the free agency period, the Giants added a good cornerback in James Bradberry, a solid linebacker in Blake Martinez, a pro bowl long snapper in Casey Kreiter, a decent edge rusher in Kyler Fackrell, and some depth players. The Giants were another draft winner. They solidified their offensive line, something that has been a need for years, by drafting Andrew Thomas at 4, developmental by high potential tackle Matt Peart at 99, and guard Shane Lemeiux at 150. On defense, they got a steal at safety at 36 by selecting Xavier McKinney. McKinney was supposed to go in the 1st round and has a game similar to Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Giants also made another impressive pick in corner in Darnay Holmes. The other selections were four linebackers and one more cornerback. The Giants improved in both free agency and the draft and they could be a surprise team if Daniel Jones plays better.

24: Browns

Cleveland lost linebackers Christian Kirksey and Joe Schobert among many other players, yet they still improved in free agency by bringing in offensive tackle Jack Conklin, safety Karl Joseph, safety Andrew Sendejo, tight end Austin Hooper, and defensive tackle Adrian Clayborn. The Browns also had a fantastic draft. They solidified their offensive line by getting tackle Jedrick Wills Jr at 10 and center Nick Harris at 160. They got two great offensive targets in tight end Harrison Bryant and receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. On defense, they got two athletic LSU players in safety Grant Delpit and linebacker Jacob Phillips, along with a good defensive tackle in Jordan Elliot. The Browns were a free agency and draft winner just like the Giants and could be a decent team next season.

25: Lions

The Lions had to trade Darius Slay and couldn’t retain Devon Kennard, Graham Glasgow, and A’Shawn Robinson. Linebacker Jamie Collins was their best signing and his play might decline as he leaves the Patriots. Getting defensive help was a must for the Lions, and they did so by picking cornerback Jeffrey Okudah at 3, pass rusher Julian Okwara at 67, defensive tackle John Penisni at 197, and another defensive tackle at 235 in Jashon Cornell. Okudah is the best corner prospect since Jalen Ramsey came out of Florida State, and due to his play style and talent he’s been compared to Ramsey, Stephon Gilmore, and Patrick Peterson. Julian Okwara is a good edge rusher that will be playing alongside his brother, Romeo. On offense they selected wide receiver Quintez Cephus at 166 and reached for running back Jason Huntley at 172. They also improved their offensive line with guards Jonah Jackson and Logan Stenberg. The Lions managed to upgrade their offensive line and their defense is better. If Matthew Stafford stays healthy they can be a much better team than this list shows.

26: Dolphins

The Dolphins really got better in both free agency and the draft. They signed Kyle Van Noy, Byron Jones, Shaq Lawson, Jordan Howard, Elandon Roberts, and Ereck Flowers (who actually played decent at guard last season), while not losing anyone good. With the 5th pick, the Dolphins got the insanely talented yet injury prone Tua Tagovailoa. After getting the injury prone quarterback, improving the offensive line was a necessity. They drafted offensive tackle Austin Jackson at 19, offensive guard Robert Hunt at 39, and offensive guard Solomon Kindley at 111. They also got one target for Tua that won’t play much, wide receiver Malcolm Perry with the 246th pick. The Dolphins had to get defensive help and they got some too. They picked a very athletic cornerback, Noah Igbinoghene, at 30. They got three defensive lineman, Raekwon Davis, Jason Stowbridge, and Curtis Weaver. Davis and Stowbridge are defensive tackles, Weaver is a defensive end. All three of those players should be very good players. They also got a safety, Brandon Jones, and a long snapper named Blake Ferguson. The Dolphins defense should be average and if Tua can stay healthy they can have a decent offense this year and a super good one in a couple years.

27: Panthers

The Panthers lost Madio Addison, James Bradberry, Bruce Irvin, and Gerald McCoy. Cam Newton isn’t coming back. They also traded away Trai Turner bot back left tackle Russell Okung in that trade. They signed receivers Seth Robertson and Robby Anderson and got talented quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. In the draft, the Panthers went all defense and they were winner. To improve the defensive line they drafted Derrick Brown at 7 and Bravvion Roy at 184. Brown is a very talented player that’s been compared to Ndamukong Suh and he should be a big time contributor and a pro bowl contender from year one. The Panthers also got Yetur Gross-Matos at 37, an edge rusher that most thought would go at the end of round 1. The Panthers picked two safeties, Jeremy Chinn and Kenny Robinson Jr. Chinn, like Dugger who went to the Patriots, comes from an unknown school but is extremely athletic and versatile. Kenny Robinson Jr is a ballhawk that chose to play in the XFL so he could support his family instead of playing college football. The Panthers also got two corners, Troy Pride Jr and Stantley Thomas-Oliver III. Both of those were good value picks. All the Panthers picks fit needs and we’re very good players for where they got them. Combine that with some of the offensive moves they made in free agency such as signing Teddy Bridgewater, and they can be a team that surprisingly plays well.

28: Jets

The Jets lost Robby Anderson in free agency but replaced him with Breshad Perriman. Another notable signing they made was center Connor McGovern from the Broncos. Everything else for them wasn’t too important so they didn’t get much better or worse in the free agency period. But the Jets did have a superb draft. The Jets got a boom or bust tackle at 11 with Mekhi Becton who hopefully pans out. At pick 56, wide receiver Denzel Mims was, to everyone’s surprise, available, so they took him. The Jets also drafted a good free safety in Ashtyn Davis and a good pass rusher in Jabari Zuniga. Those were impressive picks at 69 and 78. At 120 they took a running back, Lamical Perine, and five picks later they picked James Morgan, a quarterback. The Jets also took an offensive tackle in Cameron Clark at 129, got another steal in cornerback Bryce Hall at pick 158, and got an outstanding punter, Braden Mann, at pick 191. If Darnold can play up to expectations the Jets could have move up a few spots, but nobody knows if he will.

29: Bengals

The Bengals improved in free agency; they hauled in D.J. Reader, Trae Waynes, and Vonn Bell among other players while not losing any valuable members of their team. The Bengals had ameliorated their team in the draft. They got an amazing quarterback in Joe Burrow with the first overall pick and with their 2nd rounder they got him a very good, big target in Tee Higgins. Their next two picks were my favorite because they got off-ball, modern-day linebackers that are good in coverage by picking Logan Wilson and Akeem-Davis Gaither at 65 and 107. Their last pick was another linebacker in Markus Bailey, but before that they got defensive end Khalid Kareem and offensive guard Hakeem Adenji. The Bengals had a very good draft and really improved the middle of their defense while also getting their franchise quarterback and a great target for him.

30: Jaguars

Jacksonville traded Nick Foles, A.J. Bouye, and Calais Campbell, with their best offseason signing being Joe Schobert. They also oddly kept Leonard Fournette and Yannick Ngakoue, and they should get rid of both soon. Fournette isn’t a contributor anymore and is being paid way too much money. Ngakoue is a pro bowl pass rusher but he wants out and I doubt he plays if he’s still on the team at the start of the season. At 9 they got the second best corner in C.J. Henderson, someone that the Falcons and Cowboys were looking to trade up for. At 20 they got K’Lavon Chaisson who is the 2nd best edge rusher in the draft, although he’s far behind Chase Young, and he’ll be Ngakoue’s replacement. The Jaguars got a versatile receiver in Laviska Shenault Jr at pick 42 and doubled up on receiver later on by taking Collin Johnson with pick 165. Shenault Jr can be a top player in the league if he stays healthy. The Jags took a defensive tackle and offensive tackle at 73 and 116 by taking DaVon Hamilton and Ben Bartch. Both of those players are adequate picks. They selected three defensive backs in corner Josiah Scott, safety Daniel Thomas, and corner Chris Claybrooks. Those players were picked at 137, 157, and 223. Their other picks were linebacker Shaquille Quarterman at 140, quarterback Jake Luton at 189, and tight end Tyler Davis at 206. With all those new faces on the team, the Jags might be a good team in a few years. They just need to ship out Fournette and Ngakoue and hope Minshew improves. If Minshew doesn’t get better, the Jaguars will be “Tanking for Trevor (Lawrence).”

31: Bears

The best player the Bears lost in free agency was Haha Clinton-Dix, and he was really the only contributor that’s gone from last year’s team besides Leonard Floyd. On the other hand, they traded for Nick Foles, signed Jimmy Graham, and signed Robert Quinn. At pick 43, the Bears took the best tight end in the draft, Cole Kmet. Kmet is a good blocker and receiver. With the way tight ends are valued these days I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear Kmet’s name a lot over the years. The Bears made two more impressive picks in corners Jaylon Johnson and Kindle Vildor at picks 50 and 163. Johnson is lengthy and good in press-man coverage while Vildor is shorter and feisty and will be a slot corner. Sandwiched in-between the two corners was Trevis Gipson, a DE/OLB who had 15 tackles for a loss and 8 sacks last year for Tulsa. After that they took a speedy receiver Darnell Mooney at pick 173. Mooney ran a 4.39 second 40 yard dash. Their two 7th rounders were offensive guard Arlington Hambright and offensive tackle Lachavious Simmons. I like the Bears draft, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re stuck with Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles at quarterback and will really struggle to put up points.

32: Redskins

Despite getting the best player in the draft, defensive end Chase Young, with the second pick, the Redskins are still the worst team in the league. The Redskins lost Josh Norman, Trent Williams, and Quinton Dunbar. The only starting level player they signed was running back Peyton Barber. So their offseason started out pretty bad. Chase Young was the obvious pick at 2 and after that they went with four straight offensive players. They got a versatile, fast, and quick RB/WR in Antonio Gibson, a quality offensive tackle in Saahdiq Charles, a bigger wide receiver that was surprisingly available at 142 in Antonio Gandy-Golden, and the third best center in the draft in Keith Ismael. Those are all good picks and Gibson is my favorite, he’s just so electric with the ball in his hands and can make a play at any time. After that they ended the draft with three straight players on the defensive side of the ball. They took linebacker Khaleke Hudson, safety Kamren Curl, and defensive end James Smith-Williams. The Redskins have some skilled offensive players but a bad offensive line and Dwayne Haskins looks like a big time bust. Their defense is also awful. The Redskins will have trouble getting four wins next season.

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ecotone99 · 4 years

Text

[RF] Thats Life

Hey guys, this is a culmination of real life experiences. The story itself is fiction, though I hope the real aspects appeal to you, and you find them entertaining and maybe humorous. Open to any feedback and appreciate your time. Planning on releasing more content each week!

Thats Life

“Fuck this, I’m going vegan.” Michael thought to himself.

Sitting down on the big brown couch, they’d purchased off craigslist, Michael waited for dinner to arrive. A rack of ribs, side of gourmet sliders, and macaroni in cheese.

“Tonights the last night.” he told himself that he’d maybe let his roommates know tomorrow.

Michael Fontaine planned to make a change.

Twenty minutes later, his best friends returned back with the takeout they’d ordered from Babes Barbecue. The 1,200+ calorie meal had costed them $70 in total with tip. Only thirty dollars cheaper than the crappy couch that had sunk their asses into every Monday Night for football over the last 5 years.

Tonight their hometown team, the Pats or New England Patriots, faced off against the Buffalo Bills. Unloading the food onto the table in front of them, they dove into their greased paper bags, hunched over, their bellies hanging over their waistbands.

Double rack of Ribs, three sliders, and a pound of Mac n Cheese with a side cup of St. Pauli's girl lager, filled to the brim. The U shaped seating arrangement allowed each of them to take their place around the knee high table while they stuff'd their faces.

Within the first three minutes of the game,Tom Brady marched the Pats down the field for the first score.

“Yo, TB! The fackin goat!” Reggie yelled with a mouth full of macaroni.

“My guy! Lets go baby! ” Franky cheered with a half eaten rib in his hands.

Michael sat between them and agreed, clapping his hands. He also knew something else about Brady. The guy didn’t eat Babes Barbecue. He didn’t barely ate meat at all, the guy is a 90% fackin vegan for christ sakes. Taking another gulp of his beer, Michael toasted to the guys, knowing it would be the last for a while.

(Two weeks later)

The alarm began to ring. 5:45am, or two hours before work. Michael hadn’t had a piece of meat yet. Every other morning, he'd started going on jogs around the neighborhood. In total he’d run 6 miles over the last two weeks, which was great compared to the zero exercise he'd been doing before. Pressing the snooze button, Michael went back to sleep for another 30 minutes which he concluded, he'd deserved by how sore his body felt.

When he woke up next at 6:15am, he figured he could still go on his run, but would have to make it quick. Putting on his new Nike sneakers, he walked into the kitchen where he found Franky up early, dressed for work.

“What’re you doing up so early?” Michael asked.

“Today’s a walkthrough with Phill, shouldn't be much working." Franky answered with a yawn. Standing behind the bar in their living room, Franky began pouring himself a cold cup of beer.

Franky and Reggie worked for William Caldwell, a construction company. The days were hard physical work though it definitely beat going to school to study. Both Franky and Reggie had started community college, but left soon after they got their first paycheck, realizing they could enjoy life much more putting their money towards experiences, like Sunday Ticket or NBA League Pass.

“Where you going with those new shiny shoes?” Franky asked pointing to the clean white and blue sneakers.

“Oh, just down to Dunkin to grab a coffee. Got these shoes, my damn feet have been killing me.” Michael lied.

“Could of bought you a nice steak dinner with that money. Guess getting old means taking care of yourself eh?” Franky laughed, and Michael raised his eyebrows in unattested agreement.

Michael walked out of the apartment into the cold morning. The fall weather felt perfect, cold enough to wake you up, and just right if you wanted to break a sweat. Seeing other people out and about, he felt more motivated, and got moving into a comfortable pace when about a mile away, he got an incoming call.

It was Franky.

“Yo, whats up Frank.” Michael answered, slowing down to a walk.

“Think you could pick up two vanilla caw fee’s for me and Reggie?”

“Sorry, Franky I forgot my wallet. I’m actually coming back now.”

“You sound out of breath, everything okay?”

“Yeah yeah, everything is fine, just running a little late thats all.” Michael lied.

“All right well don’t go getting yourself a heart attack.” Franky joked.

(3 months go by)

The alarm went off at 5:30am. The Rolling Stones "Start me up" came through Michael's phone, a song he’d added to pump him up. Jumping out of bed, he grabbed his running shoes, and was out the door, on the streets by 5:45. Snow had built up in Boston, so he had to buy traction grip so that he wouldn't slip on the ice or snow.

Michael finally was in rhythm with his life. Over the last three months he had failed, and given into old habits. After his first two strong weeks of no meat, he decided to get drunk for a buddies birthday. It all started with just a bite of a street dog, and ended with a late night delivery of Gino’s sausage pepperoni pizza. After that, Michael’s discipline fell apart. He began to cheat a little bit each and every day, until he found himself back in the groove of meat a few times a week.

About two and a half months ago, Michael set the intention to get out of this funk. He had wanted that next step in his life. His dream had always been to become a teacher, and then principal of a Middle School. Trapped by the circumstances around him, he made excuses why it was so hard for him to get his act together. Soon after his buddies birthday, Michael got back to his routine of health and running.

This time though, he'd eliminate drinking. A decision, that like eliminating meat, he decided to keep away from his best friends.

Walking back into the apartment, the time read 6:23. Michael could smell eggs, coffee, and cigarette smoke. Alice Cooper’s “Poison” was playing on the kitchen speaker. Turning around to greet him, Reggie looked and smiled with a Marlboro in his mouth.

“Good morning putz! Where you been?” Reggie looked like he’d just woken up. He wore a big Green Celtics robe, undoubtedly hungover.

“Just took a walk to get some fresh air” Michael lied, giving him a high five as he walked by.

“Yeah, yeah don't lie to me. You were jerking off in the park again, weren't you? Whats up with all the sweat?” Reggie joked, using the wooden spoon as a prop as if it were a penis.

“Yeah jerking off to your mother.” Michael responded flipping Reggie the bird.

Jumping into the shower Michael felt amazing. His endorphins were through the roof and he looked forward to the day ahead. His buddies hadn’t noticed, but he lost almost 20lbs, dropping from 200 to 180. Michael could now run a mile in under 8 minutes.

While Michael showered and got cleaned up, Franky and Reggie put on their pants and jackets, getting ready for work. The 1,500 square foot project they were set to work on today, was for a new pharmacy down the street.

The guys walked out of their apartment but not before leaving an extra plate of scrambled eggs on the counter for their buddy. A nice gesture, that would be met in the trash can as Michael left for work.

The guys got in their truck and drove to the location of the site. Supposedly, the previous establishment would be easy to spot, it still had the sign up front that read "We are Kids!". A toy store that had been there for over 30 years, had been bought out, as parents now purchased video games and skateboards straight from the internet.

Arriving at the sight, Reggie and Franky walked into the store dazed. The walls were amusing to them both, painted in yellow, green, and orange. The project manager Phil, stood behind a counter, next to an older man in a suit. Signaling them over, Phil looked stressed.

“Hey guys, I’ve got to go for the day. They’re having me do a deposition for that gym off of 42nd street. You two clean up this place, and I’ll be back this afternoon."

For the next hour, the guys demolished the stores interior, pulling out and breaking down cabinets where stuffed animals and bikes once stood. The lawsuit Phill had been spoken of was to their knowledge was out of their hands. Many of the details had been kept secret, though rumors spread that the explosion of the circuit breaker had nearly killed an electrician.

(Another Month Goes By)

“Hey Mikey, we’re ordering pizza. You want in?” Mikey!?”

“He’s not here.” Responded Reggie who was already on the couch with a beer.

“But it's the Pats and the Giants. Where the hell is he?” demanded Franky.

Reggie shrugged. “Who cares, just order the pizza. I’m sure he’ll have some”

Around halftime Michael walked into the house. He’d spent the day visiting colleges in Boston where he’d potentially return to get his teachers certification. Maybe even a masters one day.

“Hey, heard the game on the radio. Pats are down?” Michael asked his two roommates who were sprawled out on the coach. Between them, was an empty spot, where Michael used to sit.

“Yeah, fucking Brady threw a pick 6, could you believe that?” Reggie responded, taking another large gulp of his beer.

“We got you some pizza Mikey, Sausage and Pepperoni your favorite.”

Taking off his coat, Mikey wasn’t sure how to respond. He hadn’t had a conversation about his diet in the two months since he made the transition to vegetarianism.

“Thanks Franky, I’m not in the mood for pizza. You two can have it.”

The guys looked at each other rather annoyed. They had spent an extra $15 with tip to get the largest pizza. Eating the rest of their pizza, they waited for Mikey to return, however he just stayed in his room to finish review of his top colleges.

“Hey has Mikey lost a lot of weight, his neck looks thinner.” Reggie spoke out loud.

“Yeah, I think he’s sick or something. Not eating like he’s used to.” Franky responded, taking another bite of pizza.

Reggie contemplated saying something else, when suddenly the Patriots defense scored a touchdown. His train of thought interrupted by his love of the Pats, he ignored the idea, of his best buddies new change. He and Franky both went to sleep feeling great, as they watched their Patriots beat the Philadelphia Eagles.

(Later that week)

“Alright Reggie, you and Franky never saw or used electrical wires or anything.” Phil began. Dressed in a suit and tie, he looked more nervous than before. He had been to two depositions already.

The attorneys expected it to be a multimillion dollar case. The victim, Rafael Munoz, hadn’t had an issue with his work in 35 years as an electrical engineer. Now, badly disfigured from the explosion, Rafael may never work again.

The attorney for William Caldwell spoke to Reggie and Franky once. He knew that the two of them would not do well in court or in front of a judge. Both of them were 29 years old but could have passed for much older, and in the attorney's eyes high probability of "slipping up."

Reggie and Franky shook hands with Phil, and got back to work. They were extending the size of an old laundromat on Main Street. Finishing their daily work surprisingly quick, they headed out to the local Sports bar "Champs" to grab a beer.

Across the street, Bailes Munoz watched the men get into their truck and drive away. She had been sitting and paying for the parking meter for over 2 hours, contemplating whether to go through with this. Her husband had put them both in debt after the accident. The attorneys told her that Rafael would win, and his medical expenses paid for and more. This didn't help the fact that she no longer loved her husband. Only the day before the accident, she had caught him cheating.

Remembering what their attorney told her, she took a deep breath and turned on the ignition. Following the men, she felt like one of those detective's from Chicago PD, “Anything they say can and will be used against them in a court of law.”

(At Champs)

The Celtics were playing the Lakers in the rather empty bar.

“Two St. Pauli's please” Franky paid the bartender in cash.

Returning their change, Franky tipped the man kindly.

“I’ll have a tequila soda, two limes”

Bailes sat down a seat away from the men, she looked beautiful. In her late 40’s she stayed in great shape. Wearing a hot pink dress, with black & white striped heels, the guys took notice, nudging each other at the elbow.

Pulling out her American Express, she handed her card to the bartender.

“Keep it open.”

By the middle of the first quarter, the guys had finished their first beer and were on to their second. The Lakers were winning by 10 points, and Bailes cheered as they continued to pull away.

“Laker fan huh?” Reggie asked rather indirectly.

“Damn right, born and raised in Inglewood California” Bailes responded with some spice.

“Oh shit, the hood?” added Franky animatedly.

Bailes laughed at this, and confessed that she sure as hell was raised in a tough neighborhood.

“What about you boys, you from Boston?”

“Born and raised. The city of Champions” Reggie began, as he pointed to the banners that hung across the bar. “More than any other city in the United States,” he continued.

After some back and taunting, Bailes began to open up the conversation more personally. A real estate agent, she hustled selling mid level properties all over the city. The confident and spunky persona that brought her success, she now used to coerce the construction workers who she caught multiple times looking down her shirt.

“So whats a beautiful real estate agents like yourself, doing at a bar all alone?” Inquired Reggie.

“Well, I’ve got this lawsuit, but you guys wouldn’t understand.” Bailes responded, her gaze focusing on the tv in front of them

“I’m sorry to hear that, what happened.” Franky asked.

Bailes began to tell her a made up story, about how she had been wrongfully accused in a deal with a home buyer.

“Someone is saying that I lied in my appraisal, that I didn’t follow through with my work. I don’t think I’m going to lose the lawsuit, its just that I feel guilty. I’m not sure if it was actually my fault.”

Bailes reached into her purse, and clicked the red record button on the tape player her attorney had given her.

After a few more questions, and lies, Bailes eyes were red. She had finally finished her story, and used all of the pity she felt for her cheating husband. Finishing her tequila today, she waited earnestly to hear if one of these two jokers would bite.

“Would you guys like anything else to drink?” interrupted the bartender.

“I don’t know, we’ve had quite a few.” Reggie answered. They related with Bailes story, it had definitely rattled them a bit.

Getting up from her seat, Bailes went over and kissed both men on the cheek, leaving a smudge of pink lipstick on their cheeks. Her arms resting on both of their shoulders, she continued.

“I don’t expect you guys to understand, maybe I'm just crazy for worrying like this” she began to pull away again, as if she'd leave their lives forever.

“We understand more than you know.” Franky blurted out.

“Damnit Franky, we’re not supposed to talk about it.”

“Shut up Reggie, she deserves to know. We understand completely, let me tell you…”

The lakers were up now by 20 points.

(The next day)

“Hello Mr. Jurist, this is Balies Munoz. You haven’t returned my calls, please get back to me, I have new information to discuss with you.” Bailes, had called her attorney three times that day, and still nothing.

It was the end of the day now, she’d just shown an open house, and now had to pick up prescriptions for her cheating husband. A small private pharmacy had opened up down the street where that one toy store used to be. Charging the amount on her American Express, Bailes felt stressed.

Even though she’d gotten the guys to talk, she felt wrong for helping Rafael. He’d been having an affair with his coworker's wife. For how long, it was anyones guess. She thought back to how they hadn't interacted at the 4th of July at a party she’d thrown last summer. Carol is her name, she thought.

Carol was younger by at least 10 years. Her husband didn't seem to have his life much together, though genuinely seemed to try to do well for his family from what Rafael had told her. Maybe that was a lie.

Bailes often times had flashbacks to the day where she found them together in their guest room. She'd called out of work, feeling sick, and come home early. Their two story apartment was big, but echoed as all rooms led to the great room. Hearing them make love in the guest room where her Mom often stayed during the holidays, she felt even sicker.

Taking blame for everything wrong in the marriage to this point, she began to think back to her mother who'd always distrusted him. Particularly when they found out about his infertility, and subsequent unwillingness to adopt. Her mother had told her to leave him, he cared more about himself than anyone else.

She had planned to tell her mother as soon as she found out about the affair. To hell with "Till death do us part" she thought to herself. This was the last straw.

Then she received the voicemail from the hospital in the early morning about the accident. Life had once again put her in position to play the good wife.

Stopping by Trader Joes on her way back home, she needed food for the week. Food for herself, and her handicapped husband.

As if on autopilot she went through the aisles, picking out the food she always did. In the same quantities she had always done. Enough for two, with more to spare. Leftovers were welcomed kindly in the Munoz household. Her favorite things to munch on the next day, were the extra veggies and salads she would munch on in her tuber ware containers.

Arriving at lane number 1, Bailes began unloading her grocery cart.

“Hi how is your day going?” asked the friendly cashier.

“Good, good.”

Reaching into her purse, Bailes pulled out her wallet to find her American Express missing. Roaming around, she felt many things. Like lipstick, receipts from the hospital, proscription medication, and of course the black tape recorder. Opening up her billfold she only had $30 dollars in cash, the rest of her cards were with Rafael.

“Is everything all right Ma’m?” inquired the cashier.

“No, no, I’m sorry I think I left my American Express at the Pharmacy down the street”

“Here, I can help. How much is it?” A young man, maybe in his late twenties walked up behind her. He wore a sweatshirt and running pants, with white and blue sneakers.

“With that $30 off, it will come out to $70.85 total.”

“Here, I’ll take care of it.” handing over his Visa Rewards card, the cashier accepted and charged it.

“You don’t have to. Oh my gosh, thank you so much. I promise, I’ll pay you back.”

Walking out of the grocery store, Michael carried his two full bags full of vegetables, while Bailes pushed her cart.

“This is so embarrassing, I’m so embarrassed.” Bailes kept apologizing to the attractive young man, unsure how else to respond.

“Thats okay, I understand these things happen.” Michael smiled back, noticing the diamond on her hand which they both noticed together, though Bailes wished she hadn't.

“Well how about I get you a drink, or something. You know to thank my extraordinary grocery store super hero?” Bailes made a stupid joke, something she only does when nervous.

“My name is Michael, and actually I don’t drink. Maybe we could grab a bite, if thats okay with you or your husband?” Michael responded in a friendly manner.

Touching the ring on her finger, she she smiled and looked down. It wasn’t a date, she thought. He took paid for our food, and now I can pay for his. We’re not drinking so everything should be fine.

“Okay, yeah lets go. What do you like?”

“I’m on this plant based diet, so how about Shang Ru Lah?”

(Three hours later)

Bailes hadn’t planned on having more than one drink. One mojito she thought, thats all I'll have. As she spoke more to Michael, she admired him for his courage. A well fit, motivated young man, who really cared about himself. She found herself marveling at the way he carried conversations confidently and respected her.

Ordering a full vegan meal, she felt good about herself too. The last time she had felt this way was when she'd told her mother off, how she wasn't leaving Rafael regardless of the adoption argument. Reflecting on that battle since the accident, she had felt trapped in a cycle of guilt and shame which Michael seemed to change.

He had a new energy. How he openly talked about his struggles in life and his dream of one day being the principal of a middle school. He mentioned living with tough roommates and how he would be moving out of his apartment very soon to get his own place.

Only loosely he talked about his roommates and how they had held him back in some ways. He loved them both, and Bailes admired how he could compartmentalize between the two. Admittedly he confessed that life could be so much better when he had the right people in it, eliminating the things that didn't serve him.

Bailes heard these words, relating to the fateful truth of her own story. Two drinks later, Michael decided to drive her home, though she lied that she lost her keys. When he offered to pay for a hotel room, she kissed him, and so went back to his place.

Opening her eyes the following morning, she saw pictures of Tom Brady, and other Boston greats hung up on the walls of Michael's rather small room. There were stacks of books and letters from colleges he’d applied to on his desk. Feeling somewhat relieved, she looked at her hand and saw her ring was missing.

Grabbing her purse, she found the ring, and a note.

“Went for a run, will be back by 7:00am” - Michael

The clock read 6:38am. Bailes put her clothes on, and left as soon as she could. Opening up the door into the living room she smelled beer, and saw a box of pizza on the floor. Sports center was playing on the TV, and she swore she saw the body of a guys asleep on the couch.

Luckily Michael lived only a few blocks away from the restaurant. Getting to her car, she expected to see a parking ticket, as the meeter started at 6:00am, but nothing was there. Arriving home 30 minutes later, she opened up her trunk to find that all of the meat had spoiled, only the veggies remained.

Tossing the eggs, steak, chicken, and turkey into the dumpster on the way in she was surprised to feel relief, and not guilt. Maybe it was the healthy meal last night, or possibly the sex she hadn’t had in over 6 months. Greeting the lobby manager, she smiled, holding only three bags of groceies, waiting for this weightless feeling to subside, and the truth of her actions to set in.

Arriving on the 12th floor, Bailes walked down to her room 1204, and opened up the door, to their apartment. Placing the groceries down, and putting them away, she decided she'd make a healthy breakfast. Oatmeal would do just fine for her and Rafael. Thankfully she wouldn't have to go through the chore of making pouched eggs benedict as he had often requested.

“Raffy, I’m home!” Bailes called out, her voice echoing through the house.

Bailes phone buzzed, and saw the text message. It was from Michael.

“Have a great day :)”

Boiling the water, she accidentally made only a cup, or enough for one. Cutting up strawberries and cleaning blueberries she turned on some music. It was a playlist called “love in the morning” which her mother had sent her.

Thats life began playing by Frank Sinatra.

“Your’e riding high in April, shot down in May, but I know I’m gonna change that tune, when I’m back on top, back on top in June”

Pouring the boiling water into a fresh bowl of oats, she covered it with foil to cook it faster.

Rafael couldn't answer he, he likely was asleep Bailes supposed. Eating her own bowl of oatmeal, she took 30 minutes to herself before she wet downstairs to find him.

Their bedroom empty, she couldn't imagine where he had gone. The only other place would be the guest room. Walking in, she found the bodies of Carol and Rafael and Steve. and two others in the guest bedroom. Steve his coworker, and Carol his wife.

The Police officers would report that Steve his coworker and understudy had been responsible for rigging the fuse box which exploded at the gym, almost killing Rafael. Investigators proved an act of passion, when they found the video recording the night before.

Carol had come to the Munoz apartment, and Steve shortly after. Drunk from the way he stumbled through the lobby. They discovered that Steve had found on Carol's text messages in the weeks leading up to the accident, which would prove motive.

Bailes screamed when she found their bodies across the floor, a pool of blood suround each corpse. The corrinors office reported an act of extreme violence, due to the viscious stab wounds, displaying that Steve hadn't made them suffer much, and acted rather impulsively. Steve's body was found in the closet a bottle of perscription medicine laid with him, where he'd poisoned himself.

And so it goes, Reggie and Franky never had to go to court, and never heard anything come back from the lawsuit. They didn’t read the papers or pay attention to the news outside of sports. Every once and a while they’d talk about the hot latina woman they’d met in the bar and how she was into both of them, but that she was married and thats why they lucked out.

Michael moved out of the apartment in June, and started school that same August at Boston University. He never saw Bailes again, though they messaged each other so often as if to catch up. Bailes needed a real man, and Michael had only just begun his journey of becoming one.

(6 months later)

“Hey Bailes, how are you doing. Its been a while?”

“Great. Never better. :)”

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