#pride goalie did not have that at all. :( | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

euphoricimagination · 7 months

Text

Part 3: The first selection keeps going on after your match with Barou, its time for the match between Team Z vs Team Y

Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 -> Masterlist

You go back to the dorms quite late, already cleaned and changed. Luckily since the sweatshirts were quite oversized you were able to get away with a normal sports bra instead of the binder, so you felt much more comfortable.

When you enter the dorm you saw them all of them sitting, the futons already open, while they talk about their weapons

"Okay, Isagi-kun is thinking, Chigiri?" Kuon says as he writes in his notebook, you sit down next to Chigiri when he answers

"Don't wanna say" says, hugging his knees in a sad manner

"What the hell? Let's just leave the selfish princess alone and move on" says Raichi before looking at you "You, what's your weapon?"

"Eh…I'll say speed and shooting" you say

"Ok, then I'll write you down Yn-kun; anyway, by thinking on our…"

"Oi" you hear Chigiri whisper "What took you so long? I rolled out your futon"

"I stayed a bit longer in the water, it felt good after today. And thanks"

"Did you have dinner?" Chigiri asks again

"Yeah, i did, i wanted to eat al-"

"Well go with ‘Operation: me next 9’" you hear Kuon say out loud, a plan that focuses on all of you changing formations every 10 minutes.

You look at Chigiri confused, nine? If Iemon was going to play goalie again then it would be dangerous to rotate so he gets his time, so it was understable he wasn't counted, but was Chigiri also not counted in it?

"You alright with that?" You ask the red hair boy

"Yeah, I don't want to be at the front anyways. I rather leave that spot to you"

"Why?"

"You're fast and have a lot of good techniques, besides, I get the feeling that you're not taking this seriously yet" he gives you a small smirk, he was partially right, you couldn't stand out much if you wanted to help the others, no matter how much you want to.

"Don't regret it later though" you say as you get ready to sleep, laying down in the futon

"I don't think i will"

The next few days were full of practice, in which everyone was learning how to work as a team. Even though clearly they didn't think of each other as a real team yet, everyone was learning to suck up their pride every once in a while, all because if you lose, everyone's soccer life is over.

As you finish your dinner you see Isagi sitting alone in one table, clearly thinking hard about something

"Oi" you call him, sitting next to him

"Yn-kun"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Eh? No-nothing"

"C'mon, I can practically see the cogs trying to move in your head" you say, making him frown

"What if…if I don't have what it takes to be a striker?" he asks you, the words of Ego quickly replaying in your head: you need to help them figure it out.

"You do, otherwise you wouldn't be here, don't you think?"

"But I don't have a weapon of my own like you do, or like Bachira, or anyone" he says looking down

"You remember the pass that you gave me in that match? Which by the way, thanks for that"

"I do, what about it though?" he asks confused

"You said that it was unconscious, you just felt that i could make that goal at that time. You sensed that it was a perfect timing and a perfect position, not everyone can do that, you know?"

"But how is that going to help me? I didn't even meant to happen"

"That's what you need to figure it out by yourself" you say standing up, going to use the point that you had to take a steak out of the machine

"Steak?!" Says Isagi, his mouth watering. From the corner of your eye you can see Kunigami coming to the table too

"Goal Bonus" you say as you cut a piece for yourself and try it "Isagi, humans can work their unconscious habits to make them conscious. Hey Kunigami"

"Hey Yn-kun, Isagi-kun" says the orange hair as he sits down in front of you, eyeing your steak. Isagi was looking at you still confused "Chigiri was looking for you Yn"

"Okay, I'll go to see him then" you cut the steak in half, moving it to the middle of the two before standing up "here, eat it"

"Eh?! But it's your reward!" Exclaims Isagi as Kunigami also looks at you incredulous

"I wanted to try it, but I'm not a big fan of meat. I rather you two eat it than throwing it away" you say as you start to walk away

"Yn-kun!" Isagi calls you, making you turn around "Why do you play soccer? You're so fast and your shots are really powerful, you have things I don't, so why do you play?"

"Easy, it's fun to challenge myself" you shrugged, waving at them before leaving. It was a true and simple answer, but it was hopefully enough to make him notice that challenging his abilities could be fun; after all, if you could play soccer against these boys while being a girl, he can become aware of his true weapon.

+++

Soon enough it's time for the next match, Team Y versus Team Z.

"Just like us, it's game over for then if they lose" you say adjusting your clothes

"The one to watch out for is the number nine, Hibiki Okawa" says Kuon as you all gather around forming a circle "All we can do is bring out what we practice. We will win even if it kills us, Team Z!!"

"Yeah!"

The first ten minutes belonged to Bachira, however he's unable to do anything, making it time for Kunigami to try to score. Somehow Team Y is able to stop Kunigami not once, but twice and are able to counterattack thanks to their number 7, gaining a goal as well.

You're in the halftime, as usual some of the team is fighting about something dumb like they usually do, something about Chigiri questioning if the plan will really work like that; however, nothing everyone decided to keep the plan as it is otherwise everything will fall apart

"I was just saying…" Chigiri mumbles

"I kind of agree with you" you mumble back to Chigiri "but it's too late to do something now"

"Yeah, I get that"

After that you all go back to the match, and while Team Y is trying to guard the ball by keep passing to each other. As they were passing to each other you decided to just try to gain some control so the rest could at least gain some confidence, so you lunged forward with a higher speed that you haven't shown in any other match. You were able to intercept the ball, but since the other player was near you, you had to flick the ball to the other side as you quickly changed direction, confusing Team Y.

Luckily, you had shown your team some of these plays while training, not at the exact same speed or precision, but enough for them to react in time. That's when you saw Gagamaru, running parallel to where you are, so you pass it to him slightly too far so his weapon could be useful and almost gaining a goal.

"That was amazing Yn!" Bachira comes to you and gives a high five, as he prepares to do the corner shot "wasn't that a bit long though? You never made that mistake before"

"I'm not perfect, Bachira, besides Gagamaru is like a spring, he could get that" you say as Bachira laughs, if he only knew that it was part of your job to make everyone else shine…

You go to gather around with both teams in front of the goal for the corner kick when you notice Isagi was thinking about something, probably their number 7, Niko, who seems to be the one making the big plays. Isagi wasn't going to be useful here if he hesitated, so you did what you thought was best

"Isagi, trust yourself!" you tell him at the same time Bachira kicks, making him nod as he runs away from the group and towards Niko.

Their goalie was able to hit the ball away just in time, sending it towards Niko, however Isagi is able to get in the way and trap the ball. He effectively runs towards the goal again, shooting for a goal when one member of Team Y intercepts him, almost making it go out if it wasn't for Gagamaru, who miraculously hits the ball right on the edge of the court and makes a goal, ending up with Gagamaru hitting the post.

"Damn, that was cool" you mutter to yourself, impressed at the athletic skill that was just displayed.

The minutes keep passing, neither team being able to score a goal, making a tie until the last minute, when all of team Y start a counterattack, everyone running towards our goal. And since our team put too many players on attack, the formation on defense is way too weak. No matter how fast you can run, you were on the other side of the court, so there was no way you could properly be able to reach your own goal on time to stop the ball. Team Y is able to pass everyone in your team, now Niko being face to face to Iemon, a true one to one between them; however, at the last second he changes to a pass to Okawa, a pass that nobody was able to read…except for Idaho.

Just when you thought everything was over for you and your team, Isagi is able to catch the ball right before Okawa can touch it. He has started to read the plays of other players and predict where the ball was going to end up. You instinctively start running to the other side, towards the goal of Team Y, you see the ball reaching you soon after by Isagi's pass, so you jump to trap it right before the other team could even reach you. You were able to pass them for a few meters, but since they were down to do everything to try to stop you, you had no other option than to pass it to Kunigami. Kunigami is also able to pass away some other players; however, he's also forced to pass it to Bachira, who dribbles past more players before passing the ball again. At first you thought it was a low pass for Gagamaru, who still tries to reach the ball by jumping towards it, but instead it goes directly to Isagi. You were still running towards the goal just in case something happens, so you were able to see Isagi's form and eyes, almost being able to see a big aura around him as he shoots, making the goal at the last second, Team Z winning 2 - 1.

You see some of the team hug and congratulate Isagi as the speakers officially announce your team victory. You were breathing hard as you high five Kunigami.

"Hey, Yn, good pass, that was an amazing run" Kunigami says to you

"Thanks, I wished I could have done more though"

"Same here, but we did the best we could"

You high five Bachira in the same manner, however this passes his arms around your shoulders

"That was a great trap, Yn-kun!" He says ruffling your hair, a habit he developed ever since you two became close, since you were shorter than him

"Thanks, your dribbling was awesome too, it definitely comes natural to you" you say as you go back to the lockers.

Everyone was hyped up after winning, the lockers becoming a small celebratory place. You were taking your vest off when you noticed a small piece of paper in your bag, a rushed "Ego-san is waiting for you" written on it with a key for the stairs, clearly by Anri considering how well hidden it was. As the excitement calmed down, the team decided to go to take a bath, everyone starting to leave at the same time; you had no option but to follow them for a while, slowly trying to stay behind them without being noticed.

"Yn?" Chigiri calls you as he turns around, so you pretend to look for something in your bag "you coming?"

"Shit, i forgot my towel in the lockers" you say trying to not freak out "go ahead, I'll join later"

"...okay, don't take too long" says Chigiri, looking at you with a confused frown, you could just hope that he wasn't suspecting much.

You pretend to walk towards the lockers as you make sure that Chigiri had enter to the bathroom, soon changing directions to the door that had a 'staff only' written on it, you used the key and find the same stairs Anri had guided you the first time, so you follow them until you arrived to Ego's apartment, knocking as you enter.

"Yn-chan, come in" the man greets you, you bow to Anri as you sit down in front of him "Well done today winning"

"Thanks sir, what did you need me for?"

"I wanted to know if you noticed the same thing I saw"

"The last point by Isagi-kun?" Ego nods, as his grin get wider and wider, looking kind of creepy "I did, he was clearly only thinking of scoring, he also seemed to understand more about his instincts now"

"I'm guessing you gave him the hint?"

"I just tried to give him another perspective, he used to think that that pass was nothing special, I told him that it was. Maybe playing with Niko helped him too"

"Still, well done for that. You also helped Gagamaru show his talent, was it on purpose?"

"I did send it a little long, yes" you answer

"Well, good job on that too" he says, uncharacteristically positive. He then interlocks his fingers, looking at you with a more serious expression than before "However, I hope you remember that you can't shine too brightly, if I didn't know better I would think that you were trying to score yourself"

"I…you don't have to worry, sir" you gulped

"Okay, you can leave now" you stand up, going to the door

"Sir" you call him right before leaving "I have to ask you to stop calling me here after a match, I'll run out of excuses soon"

You leave before hearing his answer, going down the stairs and locking up again. You went to the bathroom area and noticed that luckily it was empty, so you quickly took a shower and changed before going back to the dorms.

"CHEERS!" you hear as you step in, some tables arranged in the middle of the room with a mix of foods on them, including two steaks that you assume were exchange for goal points

"There you are Yn!" Says Bachira coming to hug you, you notice that Chigiri was looking at you, he probably noticed how long it took you to come back here “We’re celebrating! Come eat!”

“Eh? I didn’t brought my food though, sorry”

“It’s okay, we have plenty” Kuon says as he pass you some chopsticks, some of the others were fighting about the steak “If we need more food we’ll send you for yours”

“Oka-”

“Yn-kun, say ahhhhh” Bachira says as his hand reaches out to you, offering you a dumpling. You laugh at him with a raised eyebrow, but still follow his instructions and open your mouth

“I can’t believe how fast your reflexes are Yn” Kunigami starts saying, looking at you both weird “you not only intercept them multiple times today, but you also reacted just on time when Isagi catch the ball and send it to you”

“You also send me a good pass, thanks” adds Gagamaru

“Yn-kun, that trap of the ball at the last minute was amazing too, how you were able to pass between so many players” says Isagi

“Well, that one was mainly because you catch it before the other team, I just ran and hoped you passed it to me” you add quite embarrassed at the amount of compliments they were giving you, you definitely weren't used to that

“Still, without that i don't know if we could have counterattack”

“Thanks, Isagi, you were definitely able to read that play though, well done” you say trying to change the subject, which worked well considering how now everyone was praising Isagi and his ability to ‘smell the goal’. You ate as you watch them talk about the match, Bachira trying to give food to Isagi as well, as you keep thinking; it felt nice playing such a high stake match; it felt nice being the receiver of so many compliments about how good you were, specially considering you were always told that you were too hard to play against and that it wasn’t fun anymore when you tried to play with the girls soccer team at your school; it felt good being recognized by people who were also passionate about the sport, but you couldn’t take it too personal. This wasn’t the reason you were here, you had to help them shine, not shine yourself, but it feels like your own ego was starting to appear.

You stand up and go to sit next to Chigiri, who was alone against a wall, to get away from the loud ones for a while

"You sure took your sweet time coming here" he says looking at the chaos in front

"The water felt nice" you answer back

"I can't blame you, the match was intense" he looks at you and pats your head "you did amazing today"

"Thanks" you say not looking at him, worried that you would blush more than you already were. You're supposed to be a dude, get your act together "I wanted to score once though"

"I bet, everyone here wants to. I will say you were a major part on the two goals though"

"What about you, Chigiri, don't you want to score too?" You ask him, bringing out his potential was part of your job, but you actually cared about him too

"I…don't want to talk about that" he says, looking away

"C'mon, aren't we friends? I won't judge you" you say, making him look at you indecisive

"...fine, but let's go somewhere else" he says standing up, everyone else seems to be getting ready to sleep, arranging their futons accordingly. You two went to the media room, in where you could watch the replays of the matches, and sat in front of the TV, you following him behind. You turn the TV on, the match bringing some light into the room.

"Do you really want to know?" He asks you, focusing on his face on the screen

"Yeah, I can't help you otherwise"

"Why would you want to help me?" He raises his eyebrow, looking at you

"You're my friend, I want you to enjoy this too" he sighs, almost grinning at you

"A year ago I tore my ACL in my right knee, and if i damage it again, i won't be able to play ever again" he looks at the floor "I was fast, faster than you even, but now…now I'm scared to get injured again"

"Then why did you even come here? You knew what you were getting into, right?" You ask, you can see some hurt in his eyes, however, he just chuckles

"You're straightforward, huh? Yes, I knew, I came here to give up my dream. You might be a huge help to do that, same as Isagi after that goal of his"

"Don't say that, don't make ME the reason you want to give up. Tell me, do you really want to give up? Do you like soccer?"

"I do, but there's no point in m-"

"Then keep trying, don't do something you might regret later" you grab him by his shoulders, by the corner of your eyes you can see the door opening slowly, but you decided to ignore it "if you are going to stop playing because of an injury, then at least stop when you get injured again, not just because you're afraid"

"You don't understand Yn, don't get cocky with me" he says angry

"No, i don't understand why you want to give up without even trying again! What? You think you're the only player that has to go through things? The only one that gets injured? No, you aren't, but the others aren't cowards that stop doing something they love just because they're scared" you say angry as well, standing up and leaving the room

Sure, you may have exaggerated a little, but in the heat of the moment all just came out, after all he clearly likes the sport to come to this place in the first place. You close the door behind you, noticing Isagi standing there, hesitating whether entering or not

"Go in" you say simply

"But you and Chigiri…"

"You can talk to him if you're worried" you say passing him "well played today Isagi, your spatial awareness is developing nicely"

"My what..?" You hear him ask, however you were already leaving; maybe you shouldn't have told Isagi so directly, but the sudden weight of the fight was starting to appear in your shoulders, tired of so many boys without proper thinking cells in their bodies. You would think about that tomorrow.

139 notes · View notes

mico-evelyn2 · 2 months

Text

WHY YOU SHOULD BE A YOTES FAN! (or at least like them) (Pt 1)

Social Media admin: the yotes social media admin has lost their mind and honestly i think they're on crack

2. Our jerseys look fly as fuck a.k.a when we lose we lose in style 😎

[⚫Home, ⚪Away, 🟣Alt]

3. Clayton Keller (sean avery's opp): No. 9 is the yotes superstar. He's the unofficial-official captain and his hockey is so fun to watch (also he's a pretty white boy with dimples, you🫵will love him, you have no 🙅‍♀️ say in this) (btw i'm never getting over that second picture)

4. Travis Dermott is an amazing person🤩. The NHL banned the use of pride tape and Travis Dermott gave the league a massive middle finger (he is literally my hero) (his interview where he spoke out against the NHL) (Via The Athletic)↴

5. the future: Listen i understand we might not be in Arizona in the next 2 years but idc. I'm here to talk about our draft picks. they currently have 34 picks in the next 3 drafts with 20 of them being in the 1st 3 rounds (this is fucking insane and I cannot wait for the future)

5.5) 2022 round 1 draft: This photo isn't relevant but it is to me because I love how short Maveric Lamourex (6'7ft, 2.01m) and Conor Geekie (6'3ft, 1.93m) make Logan Cooley (5'10ft, 1.78m) look

6. like every team you need someone who looks like their mascot and arizona is no exception. Allow me to introduce No. 29 Barrett Hayton and Howeler the Coyotes

7. No. 39, Connor Ingram my precious goalie🫶. He is important to me because he's open about his struggles with OCD & past addiction. And also he's a good goalie (that saves the yotes ass a lot of times) read more here

8. @/did_the_coyotes_lose on Insta or @/didtheyoteslose (twitter) is small community of yotes fans :) and also sometime the main title card is posted by the arizona account

(usually they lose two games after and go on a horrendous losing streak. When will the yotes admin learnt that posting did_the_coyotes_lose is a curse)

9. MIKE SMITH GOALIE GOAL!! HE SCORES WITH JUST 11 SECONDS TO GO! It got in the net with 0.1 seconds remaining on the clock. Needless to say, best goal in yotes history.

10. Father a.k.a Nick Bjugstad (No. 17) and his wife Jackie have a foundation called Goals For Kids, "Provides youth from all backgrounds with the skills to be successful" <- paraphrasing what their website says

11. Travis Boyd (No. 72) he is literally just a family man. That is kinda his whole thing, it's sweet.

12. Michael Carcone (No.53) knows how to serve on and off the ice because his grandfather owned a bar and a pizza joined (but genuinely i need to know if MC53 can serve drinks, it would be great if he can)

13. Logan Cooley my goat 🐐 all you really need to know about him is that he's just a little guy and is good at hockey

14. speaking of little guys clayton keller & logan cooley are both the second shortest (michael carcone is the shortest) but i would like to bring your attention to this photo, it's beautiful 🥹

15. barrett hayton & clayton keller are in love (bromance) (to add more BH29 profile picture on insta is a picture of them)

16. Lawson Crouse (No. 67, Alt captain) his nickname is "the sheriff" because of his style of play (not important but he's ginger and i felt the need to mention this because they're a very rare breed)

17. Dylan Guenther - another little guy (he's 6'2💀) - scored THE game winning goal for Canada at world juniors in the gold medal game against czechia (it was a beautiful moment)

18. Barrrett Hayton serves cunt on and off ice (i mean look at this goofy ass hat, only someone with confidence can pull this off)

19. Harvard graduate Alexander Kerfoot (No. 15, alt captain). He did a Q&A with The Athletic in 2019 and I think it say all you need to know

20. No. 63 Matias Maccelli, oh i love this man. He looks like a teddy bear and if you squeeze him for long enough he will squeak. And also he's good at hockey and is going to beat his season high points scored (49)

21. Jack McBain (No. 22) if i'm being honest idk much about him and i couldn't find out much. But something i know is that his insta is private and i respect that🫡

22. No. 38 Liam O'Brien or Big Tuna. He's an enforcer with the most penalty minutes in the league (133) (he's a ginger, a very rare breed) also he's going to be a girl dad 🔜

23. One Step Coyotes is a program that allows adults with special needs to play hockey (@/onestepcoyotes on insta)

24. The short leash line was a line with Keller - Schmaltz - Garland in the 2020-21 season. It was nicknamed this by rick tocchet and it has got to be my favourite line name

25. this video is actually everything to me 🥹

Lawson Crouse saying, "You go baby go ahead." changed my brain chemistry.

And the Cooley repeating to himself, "don't fall, don't fall, don't fall..." 😭😭😭😭

#not making a part 2 #i'll make a part 2 when i have time 🫶#arizona coyotes #nhl #logan cooley #clayton keller #lawson crouse #dylan guenther #yotes lb #nhl imagine #nhl hockey

53 notes · View notes

tomtenadia · 1 month

Text

Detours to You - 25

Hello all again, here we are with another chapter. This is a nice one and after this there are still 6 chapters left. The angst is basically over. We are a few months after the last chapter. Rowan is healed and also back to work.

He gets some amazing news in this chapter and then we have Lysaedion's wedding. Also we have smut. Oh yes our two birds have finally reconnected that way too and now they can't keep their hands off each other.

Hope you will love this.

MASTERLIST

A few more months elapsed and spring finally decided to appear in Orynth and the snow eventually began to thaw. The white of winter lead the way to the colours of the new seasons and cherry blossoms painted some of the parks pink.

Rowan was a winter person but happily admitted that spring had its own way of making everything look happier with all of its colours.

He had left HQ after a meeting with the commissioners on some of the improvements they have been working on. That had been his last meeting of the day and now he was driving towards the ice rink to pick up Maya after hockey practice. She had finished her introductory weeks and now she had started the actual training and was finally learning to play hockey. That was a first he had got to experience and his phone was bursting with pictures of his daughter in hockey gear. He and Aelin had taken her to a shop to buy all the equipment. She was proudly using the stick she had received for her birthday and for her jersey she had chosen the same number he used. She had chosen him and not Dorian and he could not contain his pride. On his way to the rink he had stopped at the dry cleaner where he had to collect his dress mess uniform. Lysandra and Aedion were finally getting married that weekend and Aelin had begged him to wear his uniform so he had agreed.

He and Aelin had improved a lot more and as soon as he was cleared to go back to work, he had taken her for a weekend in Ilium just before he was due to go back to work. They had left Maya with her grandparents and it had taken some convincing that it was a holiday they needed alone. They had to reconnect fully and finally took the last step in their relationship. They had almost spent the entire weekend in bed with just a few interludes for a swim in the sea and dinners out. It had been a perfect weekend.

The ice rink appeared in front of him and parked his TFD pickup in the car park and walked in, following the sound of the girls playing. He reached the rink and saw a few parents leaning against the barriers watching their daughters play.

He easily spotted Maya and smiled. She had perfected her skating technique quickly and they had gone out a few times together.

He noticed that they were practicing shooting techniques and he smiled when Maya kicked her puck right in the corner of the net with what meant to be a basic snapshot, fooling the goalie. He had taught her that.

He pumped his fist in the air in joy and in that instant one of the mothers walked towards him “is she yours?”

“Yes,” he answered quietly.

Aelin had explained him that at school he had won the title of DILF. He was about to celebrate until she explained him the meaning of the acronym. He had been horrified. The same story repeated itself at hockey practice.

The woman tried to keep talking to him, but Rowan managed to ignore her by adding that he was there to enjoy his daughter playing hockey.

Maya finished half an hour later and ran to him, while carrying her duffel bag and stick “Dad!”

He lifted her in his arms and kissed her “You have been so good today.”

“Did you see me?”

He nodded and put her down “ready to go home?”

Hand in hand they walked out of the rink and drove home.

The weekend finally arrived and so did Lysandra and Aedion’s wedding. The couple had decided to get married in a steading just outside the city that offered functions. It had a big pond and the wedding was going to take place near its banks and then the owners had prepared all the tables for the meal which was all produce from their farm.

Aelin was in hers and Rowan’s room getting ready. She and Elide were maid of honours and were wearing a long sleeveless green dress “Ro, can you zip it please?”

He came out the bathroom in his still open shirt and damp hair.

“You are not allowed to look this hot,” she stepped closer, her fingers brushing his chest. Stroking the markings in the old language where she knew Fireheart and Maya stood.

Rowan hummed “no distractions, we have a wedding to attend.”

Aelin kissed his pecs and his hands landed on her hips. Since they had taken the last step in Ilium, they had struggled to keep their hands off each other, but with a toddler next door they had been careful and did not manage to have as much fun as they wanted.

Rowan kissed her neck “You look stunning.”

“I don’t have anything underneath,” she whispered in his ear and felt Rowan pushing her against the dresser.

“Temptress.”

Aelin looked up at his eyes clouded with lust and a darker shade of green. She loved being the cause of that reaction. She had feared that after their separation their intimate life would suffer but Aelin had been wrong. The sexual tension had been building up for a while and in Ilium they had discovered that their chemistry was still explosive.

Rowan nibbled at the spot behind her ear that had the power to melt her and a whimper left her mouth. She had to talk to him, she had something important to say but her body had decided to stop responding to her.

“Ro…”

The kiss he gave her almost reduced her to a putty “Ro…” she repeated with urgency.

He gently pulled back and caressed her face “what?”

Aelin stepped back and looked at him “I have something to tell you.”

His stare turned worried and Aelin noticed it so moved quickly back to him, grabbing his hand and placing it on her belly “I found out a few days ago.”

She stared at his expression morph from worry to pure joy as he got the meaning of her words “for real?”

Aelin nodded “I did the math and I am positive it was our sex fest in Ilium,”

Rowan laughed and pulled Aelin to him “We are having another baby?”

She looked up at him and was glad that she had not started with make up yet because at his expression, tears started to well in her eyes “Maya will be a big sister?”

Another nod “I have not told anyone because I have not been to the doctor yet and I wanted to tell you first.”

“I am coming with you, I am not missing anything this time.” He lifted Aelin in his arms and twirled on his feet until she asked him to stop because she was getting queasy.

“I love you,” he added kissing her deeply and in that instant the door flew open and Maya burst in “Mama, dad no kissy.”

Rowan went to his daughter, lifted her in his arms and stamped a loud kiss on her cheek “did nana help you dress?”

Maya climbed off him and showed her dad her green dress and the cute green trainers Aelin had bought her. Eiddwen had combed her hair in two lovely braids tied with a green ribbon.

“You are lovely, but now sit on the bed so mum and dad can finish dress up.”

“Mama, dad are you getting married too?”

Both adults stopped what they were doing and looked at each other. They had put the priority on rebuilding the foundations of their relationship but Rowan definitely wanted to marry Aelin.

“Not yet, Maya.” Added Aelin, looking at Rowan who nodded back at her. He walked to his daughter and sat at her side “Your mum and I are working on it,” he extended his hand to Aelin and she took it “For now you need to know that I love you and your mum very much.”

“But she is your princess.”

Rowan smiled and shook his head “no baby, you are my princess,” he kissed her head and then stood, enveloping Aelin in his arms “Your mum is my queen.”

Aelin melted in his arms and Maya joined them, and Rowan held in his arms his growing family.

The wedding had been perfect. Aelin and Rowan had sat together with Elide and Lorcan and Maya had been the ring bearer and she had been proud at being given such an important task.

The ceremony had been perfect and during the vows Aelin had found herself crying, although she mostly blamed the hormones.

Now it was the after dinner and the party was in full swing. Lysandra had invited both Aelin and Rowan’s parents and Maya was busy dancing with her grandfather while Rowan had stolen Lysandra for a moment and Aelin had gone dancing with her cousin.

“So, how does it feel to be married?”

Lysandra chuckled “Marry Aelin and you will know…”

Rowan chuckled and Lysandra gasped “Are you going to propose?”

“Maybe…”

“Rowan Whitethorn,” she whispered “It’s about time.”

He smiled “we just took a detour through life but we are back on track now.”

“Good, because I want to dance at your wedding next.”

The dance came to an end and Aelin joined him again “Want to dance, chief?”

Rowan kissed her “I have a better idea,” he took her hand and started walking away from the main party area.

Aelin laughed when she noticed when he was going towards the barn.

“Seriously?”

Rowan paused “don’t tell me that in none of your romance books the couple doesn’t sneak away for some fun in the barn?”

Aelin pulled him closer “Oh no, chief, I have plenty of examples.”

Quickly they walked in the building and Rowan closed the door behind them and then a moment later Aelin was flush against the wall, his body caging hers “this dress has been driving me crazy,”

Aelin’s hands found purchase in his hair while his started roving her body climbing higher up to the edge of the corset. Her breast were full and tempting him. Slowly he pulled the fabric down exposing her soft mounds. His mouth covered one of her hard peaks while the other was being tended by his hand. Aelin moaned loudly and pushed him harder against her.

“Fuck, Rowan…”

He looked up with a happy smirk “any problems, m’lady?”

“I need you,” she breathed while her hand palmed his length in a teasing motion.

Rowan put the corset back in place and with a strong pull of his arms he lifted her on the desk, moving between her legs and getting closer to her.

“How much do you want me?” He breathed against her ear and Aelin moaned, her hand fisting in his long hair “stop teasing, chief.”

A chuckle left Rowan’s lips while his hand trailed her legs, slowly lifting the long dress. His mouth was avidly on her neck.

Aelin’s legs wrapped around his back and she slightly leaned backward on her hands “I am going commando, remember.”

The growl that left Rowan’s lips was savage and his mouth devoured her in desperation.

And when Aelin let out another obscene moan, Rowan’s finger slowly traced her core, noting how wet she was “all this for me? Gods, Aelin, you are dripping.”

She was about to let out a sassy remark when the feeling of his fingers filling her made her shatter and shorted her ability to speak.

Gods, sex with Rowan always had the power to destroy her. She had tried with another person but it had been so mundane that she had gone home and finished herself off. It had not been Sam’s fault. He could have been decent with anyone else but she had Rowan has main reference. It had been hopeless.

When Rowan added a third finger, Aelin saw stars and while he worked her to drag an earth shattering orgasm out of her, she grabbed one of her breasts and began teasing one of her hard peaks.

“I love when you touch yourself,” he added in a dark voice.

“Does that turn you on, chief?”

As a response Rowan stooped and fully lifted her dress, exposing her to him. A moment later his mouth was on her core and Aelin almost screamed.

“I have been hard for you since you put this dress on,” his tone had turned gruff while he kept feasting on her like a starved man.

“Fuck me, Rowan. I need you inside of me.”

“Do you?”

“Please.”

Aelin knew he loved when she begged him and it turned her on to no end when their lovemaking was a bit rougher. Mala burn her, being taken in a barn was one of her fantasies.

Rowan pulled her up and then a bit forward so that her ass was lined up with the edge of the table.

And while Rowan was unbuckling his trousers, Aelin’s finger found its way inside her causing a reaction in him “Look at me, Ae.”

That she did but at the same time she lifted her finger to her mouth and sucked it clean.

“Fuck.”

He stood in front of her, his cock in his hand, watching Aelin pleasing herself.

“Now chief, are we doing something about this?”

Rowan’s reaction was almost feral. He walked closer to her, lining himself to her entrance and in a swift motion he was inside her. Aelin groaned and collapsed on her back. He leaned forward and kissed her exposed breasts “gods Aelin.”

“More, I need more.”

He pulled her as close as possible never slowing down.

He felt her walls starting to clench and smiled and increased his speed until Aelin shattered under him, his name on her lips.

“I am not done yet with you.”

His finger went back to her clit trying to prolong her pleasure.

Aelin shattered a second time in his arms and he eventually felt the first signs that his peak was close too.

And when he did, he collapsed on her, wrapping her in his arms and leaning his forehead on hers “did it meet your fantasy?”

She kissed him “so much better.”

He gave her another kiss and then pulled back, trying to tidy himself up “I wonder if in the books they stash some cloth for the afterwards.”

Aelin laughed “no, in books they get clean magically.”

He grabbed her waist and pulled her off the table, pushing down her gown “Your hair is a bit messy.”

She snuggled closer to him “I don’t care. I’ll sneak in the bathroom on my way back.”

Giggling like two teenagers who had caused some troubles, they ran back to the main building and went to get sorted before joining again the wedding party.

taglist

@rowaelinismyotp @swankii-art-teacher @whimsicallyreading @elentiyawhitethorn @aelin-bitch-queen @bruiseonthefaceofhumanity @mis-lil-red @thegreyj @sailorsassley @leiawritesstories @clairec79 @morganofthewildfire @sv0430 @heartless--aromantic @autumnbabylon @rowanaelinn @susumaus98 @gracie-rosee @mybloodrunsblue @tanvee1231 @avenrebekah @whoever-you-choose-to-love @theywillnotsingforme @universallytreepost @black-daisy-water @goddess-aelin @whispers-in-the-darkest-heart @lovely-dove-zee @athena127 @mariaofdoranelle

#rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #rowan x aelin #rowaelin fanfiction #rowaelin fanfic #aelin x rowan #rowanwhitethorn #throne of glass fanfiction #aelin galathynius

38 notes · View notes

agentmarcuspike · 1 year

Text

"i crawl home to her"

“And I was burning up a fever, I didn’t care much how long I lived. But I swear I thought I dreamed her, she never asked me once about the wrong I did."

synopsis: after being stabbed, joel floats in and out of consciousness, between then and now, before and after, and his two daughters, both saving him in their own ways.

cw: time jumps, descriptions of pain and injury, grief w/c: 1.3k

playlist 🎶 moodboard 🖼️

When Sarah was little and cried because she’d scraped her knee, Joel always wanted to cry too. He couldn’t of course, and he didn’t; he shushed her gently, telling her she’d be okay, however big or small the hurt was, while trying to absorb her pain through his fingertips, carefully brushing her brown curls away from her face.

But while her face contorted in the most pain her little body had experienced in the short duration of her life, he couldn’t help but shamefully feel like he had failed her. He could have been quicker, caught her, told her to be careful yet again. Every time he’d put a bandaid on, kiss it better, and she would quickly move on, and every time he’d file the accident into his mental folder of reasons why he was a bad parent.

But then she’d smile up at him, amber eyes full of awe, and he’d forget all about it.

One time on Sarah’s birthday, she must have been three or four, she had insisted on blowing out her birthday candles by herself. She got two on her first blow, but on her second puff of air, she leaned too far over the flame, and Joel’s hand instinctively reached out to shield between his daughter and the fire. He burned his hand, but didn’t pull back until his other hand had moved her out of the way.

Joel softly whines as the memory is replaced by a similar burning, this time in the form of a sting in his midriff. He can feel someone scuffle next to him, he thinks it might be his daughter, but his eyelids refuse to open. All he wants is to look at her. The feeling of not knowing what’s going on, the urge to be in control, of knowing his kid is safe, builds in him, and he fights with his body to open his eyes.

Through a squint, he can see she’s kneeling next to him, pulling at a thread going down into his stomach. He tries sitting up to look at what she's doing, even though the unmistakable agony of a needle piercing through his skin over and over speaks for itself, but engaging the muscles in his abdomen sends a wave of nausea through his body, and he groans, lying back down, as the pain whisks reality away from him again.

Sarah was 10 when she decided to take up soccer. Both Joel and Tommy had tried talking her out of it, seeing as it was no less than the fourth hobby she’d wanted to try out that semester, but like always, she didn’t take no for an answer.

So soccer it was.

Joel would take her out in the back garden to practice. They would mostly shoot penalty kicks at each other, and Sarah quickly decided she didn’t like being goalie, so Joel would stand in front of the make-shift goal he’d built for them using left-over plank from a job, while Sarah shot the ball at him.

In the beginning, he would let her score every now and then, just to boost her confidence. But after a couple of weeks he found his body tender and sore from devotedly throwing himself to the ground over and over again to keep her focused kicks from landing the ball right in the net every time. She was getting really good.

Sometimes Tommy would join their little matches. Unlike his older brother, Tommy had actually played in his youth. Joel remembered going to his games growing up, feeling both pride and jealousy at the crowd of parents and other on-lookers cheering his name as he celebrated goal after goal out on the green.

On a particularly sunny Saturday, the three of them were outside kicking the ball around as usual. Tommy and Sarah were both aggressive on the pitch, the uncle in general less careful than the dad, dribbling around his niece, playing dirty, shoving her to the ground. Sarah would laugh and get right back up, while Joel would sigh at the thought of getting the grass stains out of her brand new light wash jeans.

In a moment of Joel’s distraction, while he looked towards the house trying to remember whether they were out of laundry detergent, Sarah decided to boot it, landing the ball directly into the side of Joel’s face. Between the ringing in his ears subsiding and the pain in his head increasing, he found himself pretty impressed with, and slightly proud of, the power in his daughter’s kick.

23 years later and his ears are still ringing; a sound he briefly revisited immediately after deciding his life without her was a worthless one. It might as well be three seconds later the way his head is aching, pounding, throbbing with pain. Just moving his eyes hurts, but he can take it, and looks around.

He’s on the floor in the middle of a room, a staircase in one end. No windows. Basement. There’s not much else to see from his position, and trying to sit up isn’t even worth a try. He feels paralyzed, and wiggles his fingers and toes to check.

There’s no Ellie. Which is good, a voice in his head chimes in. Ellie shouldn’t be here. She should be in Jackson, with Tommy. He finds consolation in the fact that he can’t see the rifle anywhere. Consolation, but also disappointment. If she hadn’t needed it for protection, it might have been of better use to him, he thinks, gravelly revisiting the day after his 36th birthday.

A wave of strange relief washes over him as he realizes her life is not in his hands anymore. Relief and disappointment. But Ellie’s a smart kid, he calls to mind, as the comfortable numbness of unconsciousness overpowers him again, and he falls back into reverie.

She’s a smart kid.

Sarah was always a smart kid.

From the second she was born he knew. She was a late talker, but an early walker, and she didn’t have any issue communicating to the people around her what she wanted without the use of her words. She was a smart kid, but that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t sometimes let her heart be louder than her head.

Before soccer there was horse riding. And before horse riding there was drawing. But before she could even hold a pencil, there was swimming. Sarah swam until her lips turned blue, refusing to come up even though she was freezing. After hours in the pool, in the ocean, in the pond, Joel would have to wade out to get her, her little body clinging to his, smiling through clattering teeth. He’d wrap her up in a towel, and rub her back to get her warm, while she’d rest her head on his shoulder, exhausted but happy.

When Joel comes to, he's wet and clammy all over, a tinge of salt from sweat or blood on his lips, but he’s no longer alone. His daughter is there, still resting on his shoulder, just like before. It’s still twenty years ago, and everything is fine. His inner soliloquy tells him this is it, this is the moment, this instant is all he has, all he ever has had and ever will have. His daughter, safe, in his arms. At the end of the day, his suitcase with memories of her may not show up at baggage claim, but the allegory isn’t even relevant anymore. Planes haven’t flown for decades.

A jet plane couldn’t have woken Joel up thirty years ago, and when his daughter was born he had to force himself away from being a deep sleeper. Sarah would still have to wake him even though his alarm had been blaring for ten minutes. “Dad, wake up!” she would shout at his bedroom door. And at the sound of her voice, he would jolt awake. He can hear it now. “Dad, wake up! Wake up! Joel! Wake up!”

It’s not Sarah. But it is his daughter. And her voice pulls him in.

“Joel, wake up!”

She pushes a blade into his hands, alarm in her voice. And while he can only catch every other word of her warning, he gets the gist of it.

Danger.

He grips the knife. It’s time to come back. His kid needs him.

a/n: i love pain. hope you like flowery language, cause i do. don't know what the market for father daughter angst is like atm, but i will always be a whore for woe, so you better eat up. thanks for reading xx

#tlou #tlou fanfiction #joel miller fanfiction #sarah miller #ellie williams #joellie #joel and ellie #tlou angst #the last of us fanfiction #my writing

135 notes · View notes

knickknacksandallthat · 11 months

Note

what did Jeremy say to the foxes and Wymack when he was guilt tripping them about not knowing how bad Kevin was doing? Neil said something about it in the second to last chapter

So my first thought was just to say it was something shamelessly guilt-inducing and brutally honest in the kindest way possible - you know, the Jeremy Knox way. But then I thought, nah. We can do better than that.

So here you go, anon. A little drabble I whipped up to give us that brief glimpse into the wonderful Jeremy Knox's mind.

Spoilers for the Dead of the Night fic under the cut. Read at your own risk!

Jeremy Knox is having a moment.

It’s a convoluted moment, punctuated by jet lag, confusion, antagonism, and noise, but it’s a moment, nonetheless.

Because at the core of all this chaos is Kevin.

Kevin, who’s bruised everywhere Jeremy looks. Kevin, who is now apparently living alone on an entirely different floor from the Foxes and didn’t tell them. Kevin, who no one has seen since last Tuesday.

Kevin, whose gaze is far away, his spine curved, and his eyes shadowed.

Kevin, whose proud spirit seems nearly broken.

Guilt, shock, and shame wrap tightly around Jeremy’s throat as he stands in the PSU dorm doorway and sees just how much his friend is hurting. He’s gutted by the realization that despite all their conversations, despite every single cry for help Kevin gave, none of them saw it. None of them saw how much he needed it – and that includes Jean and Jeremy.

The urge to rush forward and soothe, to make this better, to make this right, is nearly overwhelming. It’s only due to the escalating conversation in the hallway (with the very real threat of violence) that he isn’t in there already.

Because, unlike Jeremy, Jean holds nothing back. No, Jeremy watches with unabashed pride and immense satisfaction as Jean reams out the group of Foxes before him. His own anger is there, of course, simmering beneath the surface, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Jean’s passionate onslaught.

It had taken Jeremy months to get any kind of emotion to appear on the backliner’s face when he arrived at USC. To see him now in all his righteous glory, spewing vitriol in defense of his friend, is nearly music to his ears.

But although his boyfriend is 100% vindicated in his criticisms, Jeremy can tell this approach isn’t working. No, the Foxes rise to the challenge with snarling repartee, too used to having to defend themselves. Too used to always being the ones given the blame, whether they deserved it or not. It shifts the focus of the conversation away from Kevin and back to themselves, which isn’t the point.

The point is that Kevin is the one who was hurt. The point is that no one was able to recognize it. And while Jeremy will give Jean and himself a small pass for being over 3,000 miles away, his teammates have been here all along. They’ve seen Kevin every day.

The point is this never should have happened.

So, he’s almost relieved when Jean goes to Kevin, cutting the conversation off at its knees. Because it gives Jeremy an opening – and that slight pause is all he needs.

In the silence that follows the crisp sound of the door slamming shut, Jeremy takes a deep breath and releases it on a sigh.

Wymack takes the bait. “Knox? Got something to say?”

“Yeah, I guess I’m just…” He deliberately pauses, then continues, “…I guess I’m just disappointed.”

“Disappointed?” Aaron echoes. Then he bristles and says, “Like we give a fuck how you feel!”

Jeremy nods. “Yeah, no, I get it, but…if I’m disappointed, well…” He gives a disheartened shrug. “…I can only imagine how Kevin must feel right now.”

He’s pleased to see three sets of shoulders immediately rise.

“Um,” Cross, the new freshman goalie, wrings her hands in front of her.

Matt winces.

“What do you mean?” Nicky asks, face dropping.

“I don’t know,” Jeremy shrugs again, very coolly playing into the act. “It’s just with everything Kevin has said about you guys I guess I thought you were closer, is all.”

“Closer,” Aaron repeats again, clearly skeptical. “Meaning what?”

“Well, if you were closer, I would’ve thought you’d at least check in on him.”

This time he knows he hits a nerve. The glare Neil gives Jeremy could probably melt ice.

“We did check,” the redhead snaps. “Andrew and I did.”

“Oh really?” Jeremy asks. “When?”

The silence he gets in reply speaks volumes.

“Did he – was he like that when you two saw him?” Wymack asks now, doing some of Jeremy’s work for him.

Neil’s jaw clenches. “He didn’t let us inside.”

“And you just accepted that?” Nicky accuses. “Seriously? Both of you know how to pick locks!”

Andrew surprisingly speaks up. “He did not want us to come in, so we didn’t.”

“And since when do you do what people want?” Aaron snarls.

The heavy vibe that follows tells Jeremy that there’s some serious baggage between the twins. He brushes the weird power dynamics aside, though, getting the focus of the conversation back on Kevin before it can derail.

“But he said he was sick, so…surely, as Captain, you came back, right Neil? To check on him again? Kevin always says you take such great care of the team.”

Neil’s hand clenches into a fist at his side. “I told him to text us.”

“Ah,” Jeremy nods. “So, you probably thought that if not you, then perhaps he reached out to one of your teammates instead then, right? That makes sense. One of the Trojans always volunteers to check on any teammates who say they aren’t feeling well, just in case they need something.” He spins back toward Aaron. “Oh! Maybe you brought him something instead? Kevin said you’re studying to be a doctor.”

Aaron’s face pales before flushing red in anger. He casts his gaze to the side.

“No? What about any of you? Did anyone else think to see how he was doing?”

The other Foxes remain quiet.

Again, Jeremy heaves out a sigh. “Look, I was always so impressed with how this team seemed to rally around one another, despite all the hardships and tough backgrounds you came from. Kevin made it sound like you guys had almost become a family.” He pauses then continues, “But family doesn’t leave each other on their own when the going gets tough. Family sticks by each other, no matter how uncomfortable the situation gets.”

He looks over at Neil. “Kevin kept your secret and trained you every night, regardless of the fact that you both thought your time on the court was limited. He wants you to be Court someday and knows you’ll get there.”

He turns to Andrew. “He still believes in you, no matter how much you ignore him and purposefully set him off. He tells us all the time how he knows you’ll be one of the greatest goalies in the history of Exy.”

He turns back to Aaron. “Kevin stuck by you throughout the trial and never treated you differently, never shunned you or singled you out. He even made public declarations of your innocence to the media and how he was just waiting for them to give you an innocent verdict.”

He turns back to the rest of them. “My point is Kevin gives everything to this team. Whether you like it or not, you know it’s true. It’s what he’s been taught – to dedicate himself fully. It’s the only way he knows how to be. And however you guys react to that now has solidified the way he thinks he should be treated. Because now is so much better than how he was treated at the Nest that of course whatever you guys say must be true. Because he has nothing else to compare it with.”

He looks at the dorm door. “Kevin gives 1000% to his team because he cares.” He pauses, then turns back to face them. “I guess I hope that next time, he finds a team who cares about him just as much.”

You could hear a pin drop in the silence that follows. The Foxes stare back at him with faces that are sober, angry, and haunted. He can actually see Nicky's eyes watering, though he has yet to shed a tear.

After a few more seconds of this, Aaron huffs and marches away. Nicky follows him.

Slowly, with hunched shoulders and averted eyes, Matt and Robin follow.

Only Abby, Wymack, Neil, and Andrew remain, the latter two staring at Jeremy with an intensity that would be terrifying if he wasn’t still riding on the high of his anger.

Finally, Abby clears her throat. “Do you and Jean have somewhere to stay? You’re welcome to the guest room at my house if you need it.”

Jeremy shakes his head. “Thank you for the offer, but we booked a hotel room off-campus before we got here.”

“You’ll be staying then?” Wymack asks gruffly.

“We have a bye week.”

Wymack grunts in acknowledgment. “I’ll talk to Kevin’s professors. Explain the situation.”

“Thank you,” Jeremy nods. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate that.”

Wymack makes some kind of noise in the back of his throat that Jeremy assumes to be agreement.

He hesitates, wondering how far he should stick his nose into other people’s business before he thinks fuck it, and says, “And sir, you may be his Coach, but just remember you’re his father too. I don’t think you realize how much your words affect him.”

Wymack straightens his spine and looks Jeremy in the eye.

Jeremy stares calmly back.

Then Wymack nods. “Point taken, son.”

Jeremy dips his head in reply.

“But just you know, captain,” the coach continues, “The Foxes do care about Kevin. Our way of showing it might not be what you’re used to, but we do care.” He jerks his head toward the door. “This one’s on us. We won’t let it happen again.”

“You don’t have to tell me, sir,” Jeremy says solemnly. “But Kevin deserves to know.”

Wymack nods.

Jeremy pulls out his phone, but there’s no word from Jean. It seems like it may be a while still before he gets Kevin calmed down.

Jeremy bites his lip, then makes a decision. “I’m going shopping,” he announces. “To grab some things for Kevin.”

To his surprise, Neil immediately replies, “I’ll come with you.”

Jeremy looks at him.

“You don’t know what brands he’ll eat,” Neil says pointedly, eyes digging into Jeremy before he turns and starts walking down the hall.

Andrew immediately straightens and says, “I’m driving.” The look he gives Jeremy dares him to argue.

Jeremy bites his lip hard against a smile. “Sounds good.”

Then he follows the two deadliest Foxes down the hall and tries not to get too excited about going for his first spin in the infamous Maserati.

35 notes · View notes

annieqattheperipheral · 6 months

Text

tw: death, funeral

Beautiful article on Adam Johnson's Celebration of Life, includes those from the hockey world who attended and their shared words:

- - -

HIBBING, Minn. — In a small, hard-working town of 16,000 in Minnesota’s Iron Range, where there are streets named after Bob Dylan and there’s a sense of pride at having also produced MLB legend Roger Maris and Basketball Hall of Famer Kevin McHale, there is — and was — only one “Adam.”

“If you said the name ‘Adam’ in Hibbing, everybody knew that meant Adam Johnson,” said Scott Pionk, the father of Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk and Wild draft pick and University of Minnesota-Duluth freshman Aaron Pionk. “Like LeBron, he needed only one name: Adam.”

Jim Perunovich, the father of St. Louis Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich, agreed: “Cher. Bono. Everyone knows who Adam is.”

That’s why on a chilly, wet Monday afternoon, some 3,000 people filled the Hibbing Memorial Arena, which was originally built during the Great Depression and stands three blocks from Adam’s old high school, to pay their respects and offer an outpouring of love and support to the friends and family who are reeling right now. Nine days earlier, Hibbing’s “Adam” died at 29 years old playing the sport he loved, cut by a skate blade across the neck while playing professionally in England.

The Nottingham Panthers on Saturday conducted their own memorial, at Motorpoint Arena, where assistant coach Kevin Moore said Panthers fans had immediately taken to Adam — “our best player” – and will “wear his No. 47 in their hearts forever.”

Then on Sunday, Nottingham Forest football player and Panthers fanatic Orel Johnson Mangala scored in the 47th minute of a Premier League victory over Aston Villa — while fans were paying tribute to Adam with a one-minute ovation. Hours later, Matthew Thiessen, the goalie for Adam’s alma mater, University of Minnesota-Duluth, made a career-best 47 saves in a 3-3 tie with cross-state rival University of Minnesota.

On Monday in Hibbing, scores of people walked into the lobby of the arena and were greeted by a picture of Adam flashing his joyful and infectious smile.

There was a condolence book and there were pictures of him as a baby and young boy running around or skating with his older brother, Ryan. There were pictures of Adam excelling with a hockey stick and tennis racket in his hand. There were pictures of him playing with his young nephew and niece and kissing his fiancée, Ryan Wolfe, a St. Francis native who he fell in love with instantly and planned to buy a farm or coffee shop with.

Seeing so many pictures of a happy Adam and hearing the memories of him was a great reminder that Adam is not just a name, not just a stranger causing so many other strangers to argue on social media about how and why he died. And the term “neck guard” wasn’t uttered once Monday, even though Adam’s death may end up causing a lot of good in the game as college and professional hockey players are starting, one by one, to seek out neck protection.

We were reminded that Adam was a son, a brother, a grandson, a nephew, a cousin and everybody’s best friend.

“Adam truly is and always will be our hometown hero,” said former Hibbing/Chisholm Bluejackets teammate Jake Doherty, one of nearly two dozen speakers to pay homage.

The nearly two-hour service was often funny and more often profoundly sad. And fittingly, it took place on the sheet of ice where Adam used to electrify, in the building he used to fill.

Hockey runs deep in Hibbing, and Adam’s death brought this community together.

Longtime P.A. announcer Dan Marich boisterously welcomed folks into the arena intentionally because that’s the way Adam would have heard it on the ice when he was in the starting lineup. And he ended the ceremony by announcing Adam’s name like he had just scored a goal to draw a thunderous ovation from the crowd as a band did a rendition of AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” – a song Adam learned to play on a guitar he saved up to buy when he was a teenager.

This was not long after the same band caused waterworks by playing one of Adam’s favorite campfire songs, the song he used to love to sing with his best friend, Neal Pionk: the Eagles’ “Peaceful Easy Feeling.”

There were so many poignant moments during the ceremony. Like when Adam’s fiancée, Ryan, read a letter she wrote for him, telling him how much she’d miss her favorite napping partner and sous chef. And when Ryan’s sister, Kylie, read a poem then talked about how her sister sneaked out of a cabin to meet Adam that first night, the same night they apparently burned down a sauna. There were Adam’s nephew, Grant, and niece, Britta, constantly running over to Adam’s fiancée and sitting on her lap because, in their eyes, she is their “auntie.”

Maybe the most gripping moment came when Adam’s old high school coach, Mark DeCenzo, choked up and struggled to even start his speech. Adam’s mourning father, former UMD captain Davey Johnson, stood up, walked down the black carpet and joined DeCenzo, putting his arm around him and helping him get through his touching words.

- - -

Friends came from far and wide.

Winnipeg Jets ownership, led by Mark Chipman, arranged for a charter to fly Neal Pionk, Alex Iafallo, Dominic Toninato and Dylan Samberg to Hibbing for Sunday’s funeral mass and Monday’s celebration. St. Louis Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich also attended both and then hitched a ride with the Jets players back to St. Louis for Tuesday’s Jets-Blues game.

Also there Sunday were Wild president and general manager Bill Guerin, who signed Adam to the Penguins in 2017; Adam’s agent, Pete Rutili; former NHLer and current player agent Neil Sheehy; and Minnesota State coach Luke Strand and Detroit Red Wings assistant coach Jay Varady, who both coached Adam for USHL Sioux City.

University of Minnesota-Duluth coach Scott Sandelin spoke at Monday’s event and brought his entire team and staff. St. Cloud State coach Brett Larson was also there, as was Hibbing High’s hockey team.

Other players seen Monday included Henderson Silver Knights captain Jake Bischoff; the Colorado Eagles’ Riley Tufte; the Bridgeport Islanders’ Karson Kuhlman; the San Diego Gulls’ Nick Wolff and his girlfriend, Sydney Brodt, who in September was drafted by the new PWHL team in Minnesota; Bruins scout Parker MacKay; and former Minnesota Mr. Hockey Avery Peterson.

“Definitely had to be here. All of us,” said Tufte, who rushed back to Colorado on Monday night for a game Tuesday. “Can’t miss this. Not for this guy. We all loved him.”

On Friday night against Ontario, one of Adam’s former teams, Tufte recorded his first professional hat trick.

“The first thing I thought about was Johns,” Tufte said. “Even the way the third one went in: off the goalie, off a defenseman’s shin and in. I know Adam pushed it in. It was insane. Something pretty special.”

Neal Pionk first became friends with Adam playing in the Minnesota high school Elite League, then at Sioux City, where they lit it up on the power play. They lived together while at UMD. Pionk said during the celebration that you knew Adam really loved you if he was unrelenting with his insults.

Pionk demonstrated their bond by repeating one of their last text messages after the Jets lost three of their first four games this season: “You’re off to an abysmal start. Pick it up.”

Said Pionk, “I’ll miss those texts every day.”

Neal’s dad, Scott, whose wife helped plan the Celebration of Life with other family friends, said his son is crushed.

“This is the first time as a young guy that he’s lost somebody that he’s really close to,” Scott said. “He’s shocked. He’s devastated.”

Scott, a close friend of Adam’s dad, first got to know Adam in ninth grade. Davey would every now and then ask Pionk to call his son to encourage him when things weren’t going well hockey-wise. Adam worked at Pionk’s hockey camps and helped him one summer at his landscaping company, so they had a bond.

“He was quiet. He liked to be alone a fair amount. And he liked to do things his own way,” Pionk said of Johnson. “He was a free spirit. I’ll put it this way: He was playfully grumpy. Because whatever you decided, he’d be like, ‘I don’t want to go there tonight.’ And then five minutes later, you’d get him in the car and he was laughing and the life of the party. So he played that role. Guys loved it.”

Adam was a terrific hockey player. He was a beautiful skater, taking after his uncle and fellow UMD alum Gary DeGrio, and ultra-skilled, especially in high school. Guerin recruited him for two years, hoping to sign him in Pittsburgh.

During development camp with the Penguins after his sophomore year of college, Adam met with Guerin and Penguins development coach Mark Recchi. They told him they loved him but to go back to school, have a great junior year and they’d be waiting to sign him after that season.

Guerin then returned to the stands. Hall of Famer and Penguins owner Mario Lemieux walked up to Guerin and asked, “Who’s that kid?”

He was pointing at Adam.

Guerin said, “That’s Adam Johnson. Beautiful skater, isn’t he? We’re going to send him back to UMD and sign him after the year.”

Lemieux said, “Well, you probably shouldn’t let him leave the building.”

Guerin responded, “Are you serious?”

Lemieux said, “Yeah, we need to sign guys like that.”

Guerin and Recchi went back downstairs, grabbed Adam when he left the ice and told him, “We understand we just told you we’re sending you back, but things have changed. Mind coming upstairs and meeting with a small group of us?”

Adam showered, changed and walked into a room. That “small group” was Guerin, Recchi, coach Mike Sullivan, CEO David Morehouse, general manager Jim Rutherford and none other than Mario Lemieux.

When Super Mario tells you he wants to sign you, you sign.

“Hey look, this kid was as hot a free agent as you could get,” Guerin said. “We just loved the way he could move, the way he skated, the way he frankly smiled. Like his teammates loved him. He fit everything we wanted. There was no B.S. to him. He was just a well-rounded, well-grounded, really good kid.”

Guerin’s voice began to crack.

“This is just such a sad story,” Guerin said. “Just so sad. Gone way too soon. He had his whole life ahead of him.”

- - -

The testimonials Monday were beautiful.

Johnson’s old Hibbing assistant coach and good friend Grant Clafton called him a “joyful grump” and said he had to be loving seeing Clafton look and feel so uncomfortable and nervous talking in front of a packed arena.

As funny as that was, he made everybody sob when talking about his broken heart that Adam and the love of his life, Ryan, wouldn’t get to create the life together they so deserved.

Sandelin always told Adam he wanted him to have the puck on his stick 90 percent of the time. He remembered his sly grin, his humility, his care for his teammates.

Moore talked about watching all of Adam’s assists this season for Nottingham and being so warmed by the selfless look and joy he had when his teammates scored.

Ebony Johnson, Adam’s sister-in-law — “not by choice,” Adam would joke — talked beautifully but also got everybody laughing when she admitted that their friendship actually began as rivals when they were each up for a third-grade fitness award.

As she remembered it, she could do more pushups than Adam.

Every speaker’s address touched on a similar theme: This was a tremendous person who also happened to be a tremendous hockey player.

As his cousin and former Hibbing teammate Michael Pechnovnik said, “Heaven’s hockey team gained a heckuva player.”

- - -

Four thousand miles away in Nottingham, Adam’s devastated and shaken Panthers teammates watched the live stream Monday.

It was proof of community, one that Nottingham’s Westin Michaud knows well.

He hails from Cloquet, Minn. — 70 miles away from Hibbing — and played with and against Adam in youth, high school, college and pro hockey.

Michaud was an eyewitness to the incident that injured and ultimately killed his friend and was at Adam’s side until the very end.

Michaud said this has been a tremendously challenging time for him and his teammates but the outpouring of love of support has been heartwarming and there’s no doubt watching Monday’s sense of community helped.

“It’s truly amazing how much hockey has impacted not only my life but also the lives of others who play the game, regardless of their skill level,” Michaud said via text. “It’s a community filled with people who genuinely care for and support each other.

“Hockey is more than just a game; it brings people together, ignites passions and provides a profound sense of purpose. Additionally, it unites communities and validates individuals as part of something greater, nurturing both a sense of belonging and purpose in life.”

Still, Monday was hard. “We’re all cried out. We’re hurting. We’re hurting really bad up here right now,” said Jim Perunovich, who was so broken up after Sunday’s mass, Adam’s mom, Sue, had to console him. “Nobody can understand it, but I guess God needed Adam more than we did.”

But what made Monday beautiful was the laughter, the celebration of Adam’s life with humor and memories, as well as music and P.A. announcements.

“That’s the way we roll up here,” Perunovich said.

There’s something special about the Iron Range, where hockey runs deep. Adam cared so much about the people here. He was proud to be from here and took a piece of Hibbing and brought it with him to the UK.

Tufte, for one, was not surprised at Hibbing’s perfectly executed celebration.

“Good ol’ Hibbing hockey community,” said Tufte, who went to high school three hours south at Blaine but attended UMD. “Can’t beat it.”

The celebration of life was live-streamed.

13 notes · View notes

fruitcoops · 2 years

Note

piggy back rides for o’darwin? (my mind says Nat on Alex but my heart says Alex on Kasey)

O'Darwin!! Woo! There is so much potential with them, I just love it. TW for passing mention of alcohol, no drunkenness.

"Hello, boys," Natalie said with a wry smile as Alex stumbled through the door, panting slightly. "Good night?"

Alex paused to catch his breath before toeing his shoes off. "You are so--so--lucky you have me, Winter."

"Mhmm." Kasey's limp hand came up to pat him on the collarbone, though the rest of him remained a deadweight on Alex's back. "So lucky."

"Should I get the aspirin?" Natalie laughed, setting her book aside. 3:35 a.m; it must have been a good night.

"For me? Yes." Alex hoisted Kasey up higher before dumping him unceremoniously on the couch, ignoring the groan it earned him. "For Mr. I-Have-The-Bedtime-Of-A-Toddler? No."

Natalie stood with a stretch and a yawn, crossing the room to fall against Alex's broad chest and kiss the hinge of his jaw. He smelled like sweat, but not alcohol. Come to think of it, she couldn't smell any beer at all, and the two of them had such high metabolisms they usually reeked of it after a night with the guys. "How much did you drink?"

Alex shook his head as he folded her into his arms. "Like, two cocktails, six hours ago. This one is stone-cold fucking sober, if you can believe it."

"I'm tired," Kasey said into the couch armrest. "Fuck you."

"He does get cranky past his bedtime," Natalie agreed around her grin as she leaned up for a proper kiss. Alex rolled his eyes with an affectionate glance toward the lump of goalie on their couch. "Thanks for carrying him, Hercules."

That perked Alex up--his cheeks flushed a little, chest puffing out with pride. "Gonna help me wrestle that monstrous beast into bed where he belongs, Aphrodite?"

#natalie darcy #alex ohara #kasey winter #odarwin #sweater weather #vaincre #lumosinlove #my fic #fanfic #short fic #piggyback

114 notes · View notes

icedbatik · 1 year

Note

Non-Pens stuff! Have you heard about this Habs guy who was so salty because the Leafs let an EBUG signed off an amateur tryout play out the final 70 seconds of the game? To quote him, "They'll get what they deserve in a few weeks." Um there's literally nothing wrong in letting someone live out their dream of playing in the NHL even it's for just a little over a minute? 😭

Hi, anon! I hadn't heard that story, so I duckduckgo'd it. Here's the gist of it:

The Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs played out what was a relatively meaningless game for both teams on Saturday night, with the playoff fates of both teams already decided long before the game took place.

In spite of the fact that it was not an important game, it turned into something of an embarrassing one for the Canadiens, who were blown out by the Maple Leafs by a final score of 7-1. In fact the Maple Leafs were so far ahead during the game that, in the final minute of play they decided to give emergency backup goalie Jett Alexander a chance to get a taste of the National Hockey League.

It was most definitely a feel good moment for the 23-year-old amateur goalie from the University of Toronto, but it would seem the decision to use Alexander did not sit well with everyone.

Following the game, NHL veteran Chris Wideman would publicly call out the Maple Leafs for using Alexander during the game, even going so far as to suggest that Karma would be coming Toronto's way in short order. “They’ll get what they deserve in a few weeks,” said a frustrated Wideman.

***

I can see both sides of this.

Not to say Wideman was right in whining about it. But I can understand his frustration. He was trying to play a hockey game and, even if it didn't mean anything to either team, it doesn't mean the players don't still have some pride. And a 7-1 loss already is hard enough to take before the other team reacts with the equivalent of "I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back." (No offense to EBUG Jett Alexander, but EBUG's aren't likely to win the Vezina anytime soon.) (Though I'm rooting for you, Mike Chiasson.)

At the same time, good for the Leafs for giving Alexander his shot. It was a goodwill gesture on their part and they deserve credit for it. Why not let the guy have his moment? A moment he likely dreamed about growing up, just like Wideman did. The EBUGs, by my understanding, go out of their way to be available whenever the team needs them, but rarely get more than a free ticket to the game out of it. I'm all for Alexander having his moment! (Wideman complaining about it only embarrassed him further.)

(I bet, had it been the Pens in that kind of situation, Sid would have hated the 7-1 loss but also would have made a point after the game of chasing down the game puck and delivering it to Alexander personally, shaking his hand and congratulating him on stopping however many shots on goal the Pens managed during that final 60 seconds.)

#icedbatik answers asks #about hockey

11 notes · View notes

jedusaur · 1 year

Text

good things this week:

my BOY my GUY my MAN Joey Daccord had to step up and play two games for the Kraken this week and he did SO GOOD Y'ALL! it was unexpected on two levels, first that it would be him getting the callup instead of Driedger and second that he would actually get the start over Jones, and he made the absolute most of the opportunity—one of the postgame talking heads was a bit of an ass about the first one because he let in four, but Hakstol understood the circumstances (one extremely weird double bounce no goalie could have done anything about, two 6-on-5 situations our guys were not defending well) and sang his praises, and we won anyway. then the second one we lost in a shootout, but the only one he let in during regulation was a rebound off a killer initial save and then he went absolute beast mode in OT, just unbelievable. there's always gonna be a Mike Smith-shaped hole in my soul, but Daccord obviously idolized the guy when he was at Arizona State and plays so much like him that watching him really feels a little like coming home <3

really enjoyed this week's Ted Lasso ep, especially (spoiler warning) the part where Jamie sees Roy and Keeley leaving in two different directions and it's set up to make you think he's gonna go after Keeley to hit on her now that she's single again but instead HE GOES AFTER ROY to ineptly attempt empathy and hugs <333

listened to Debby Friday's debut album four times yesterday and three times so far today, I am so so so so into it

after some disappointing incidents with NHL pride nights, something cool happened with my local junior league team, the Thunderbirds—they didn't have an official pride night planned this season, so the fans just... made one happen themselves! the T-Birds have the only out gay player in the WHL, Luke Prokop, and EVERY SINGLE PLAYER used rainbow stick tape during warmups for this UNOFFICIAL pride night in support of their teammate, AND some of them kept the tape during the game. which, listen, I use Pride tape myself, but only on parts of the stick I don't have to handle the puck with, because real talk it is some crappy-ass tape, and any serious hockey player would know that just from touching it, so these guys were basically saying that supporting their teammate was more important to them than being good at hockey, and I just have a whole lot of feelings okay

Dallas has a goalie named Jake Oettinger whose nickname is Otter and he has lil cartoon otters painted on his goalie mask, which delighted both rocket bae and my mom (both big otter fans)

I started explaining what was going on during a Kraken game to Steph and she was like "I understood the goalie interference part" I'm so proud <3

I cut my hair and it feels very nice to not have all that shagginess on my neck

got two of the other Lammy-nominated anthologies from the library and they're both so impressive! (also both extremely different from each other and from Xenocultivars, doesn't really seem fair to compare us all tbh, but I guess that's just how it goes with awards)

rearranged my room to bring in a comfy chair and in the process found the fucking laptop I was 100% convinced must have gotten stuck in with rocket bae's stuff in storage because I had looked absolutely everywhere, including the place it actually was at least 3 times *eyeroll* but it has been found, hallelujah

made salted millionaire's shortbread and I'm gonna go bring some to a few local friends sometime this weekend, love sharing food with my people :)

#good things #life #hockey #joey daccord #mike smith #kraken #ted lasso #fandom #debby friday #t-birds #luke prokop #queer #jake oettinger #rocket bae #steph #speculatively queer #lambda literary awards #books #food

17 notes · View notes

pagesofkenna · 1 year

Text

@uchuuryokou said: "whats your hockey team"

(answering publicly so I can make everyone else see lmao)

we're the Coachella Valley Firebirds!!

we were put together in this last year as an American Hockey League (AHL, 2nd tier professional league) affiliate team of the Seattle Krakens (NHL) because someone thought it would be fun to build a world-class state-of-the-art ice hockey arena in the middle of the desert!

things I want to say bc I can't even organize my thoughts around this:

this is out first pro sports team in our area for ANY sport. previously if you wanted to support a local team/go to professional games, you had to drive two hours up to Los Angelos. something about having a team IN my hometown* (and the arena a five minute drive away from me!) has made me FULLY understand the sports home team pride. I bought over 100 bucks worth of merch just on a whim lol

*my hometown technically! they're not the Palm Springs Firebirds or the Coachella Firebirds or the Indio Firebirds, they're repping the WHOLE Coachella Valley!! one of their taglines is 'One Valley. One Team. Rising Together' and it's so cheesy but I'm so into it this is our team lets gooooo

BIRD MASCOT

whenever two teams are competing but I don't officially support either side, my order of operations for picking a team to root for are 1) loved one's team, 2) bird mascot, 3) cat mascot, 4) green logo, 5) how do I feel about the state/city playing. the Firebirds hit BOTH of my first two categories in one!

FIREBIRD MASCOT it's such a good marrying of the hot desert climate with the ice hockey sport (given the Firebird comes from Slavic folklore)! they do a lot of 'fire and ice' imagery in promo material, and the team we're competing with this week ALSO have fire in their imagery/official colors, so when we play them we wear 'ice blue' and there's blue flames on the scoreboard. our branding team is so good

(I recently started working for a company that's based in Rochester, New York, and their AHL team is the Rochester Americans. you can see how bad team names/mascots can be in this league lmao)

our team is actually good! we got a lot of investment money so we managed to get lots of players with NHL experience, some really good coaches I think, and we're second overall in our division! I don't know enough about how hockey works to know WHY we're doing so well but I'm proud of our boys!! 😭

the only two games I've been to have been against the first overall in our division, the Calgary Wranglers, who are ALSO a new team this year and they're ALSO very good (clearly). the thing that really stands out to me from both those games is how clean and precise the Wranglers play. they're so coordinated! i hate them! compared to them, we're so sloppy, all over the place, fumbling passes and leaving our goalie to do all the work protecting the goal

(our goalie is very good obv we love him, but he shouldn't have to be doing so much work! our boys need to pull it together!)

generally I feel like our boys don't coordinate well (and they're also not as fast) so I joke that they all think they're the main character in the inspirational sports movie that is our first season. but also. could they please stop fumbling passes i swear

on Monday night we played our third game in this series against the Wranglers and it went into triple overtime, they played until midnight, before we finally landed another goal and won the game 3:2!

Wednesday, the game I went to, the Wranglers landed a goal halfway through second period, and we lost 0:1. it was so close!! we defended well but also so did our opponents!

that ties this series of games at 2 wins for the Firebirds, 2 wins for the Wranglers, with the final tiebreaker game TONIGHT. if we win, we go on to represent our entire division up against another division to play for the Calder Cup. if we lose, our season is over and the Wranglers move up. obviously we've got to win; it's a home game and everything! i'm SO stressed about this!

#cv firebirds #coachella valley firebirds #hockey

7 notes · View notes

aesterblaster · 8 months

Note

For the ship game! Bachisagi, hubris

A/N : Honestly for these had to remember it's not asking for full on fics just what comes to your head first TT so sorry

tw for homophobia

Hubris: Excessive Pride, Defiance of the Gods

When it came out that famous soccer player Isagi Yoichi, main playmaker of the experimental Blue Lock project, was dating Bachira Meguru a fellow player...a man...all hell broke loose. Not even Anri could pr her way out of a just slightly off screen kiss that managed to get onto Blue Lock TV. There was an outpouring of outraged fans, some fangirls of either of the boys who were simply upset that they'd never have a chance, some claiming that the repressive enviornment had changed their behavior and this was more proof BLLK was unnatural, and still others simply sending in death threats.

Isagi was completely unaware of this. He thought that maybe, just maybe he was far away enough from the prying eyes of the camera...but he didn't know they were in the common areas too. He thought they were just on the field until he used his reward points to get his phone back. If there was one thing Isagi Yoichi was, it was prideful. He couldn't deny that watching people react to his skills was as validating as it was unreal, seeing the love pour in from around the world only made him more motivated to keep going and to defeat Kaiser. But this time when he looked up his name on Twitter all he got were clips of him kissing Bachira.

His cheeks went red. Fuck. He hastily scrolled through the tag past the frankly violating fanart that had been posted at light speed, past the wild speculations and accusations, all the way to a comment from one of his old teammates. "Always knew that guy was off..he was always looking at me weird during practices. Fucking disgusting. I hope he gets kicked out of there soon and seen as the fluke he is, he's just there to try and make the other guys date him." Isagi stared at that one for a long time, he frankly couldn't even remember who this guy was and now he was claiming Isagi was eyeing him? "Why does every good player have to be a homo these days this is actually sickening..just imagine what they do off camera..." Isagi turned off his phone, he'd seen enough, he had a match tomorrow he should be training for that.

Yoichi kicked like he meant to break the goal in half, he kicked like he was trying to behead someone, he almost broke the image generating collar of the fake goalie. He just wanted to get rid of everything he was feeling welling up inside of him like a bucket trying to hold its own under torential rainfall. He felt disgusted at himself, like his pride had been marred and he'd been caught commiting a crime. What would his parents think? What would Ego say? How the hell did that even get online in the first place. Isagi let out a scream of pure anger as he angled his kick towards a camera in the corner of the room. He knew those bastards were watching him even now and making jokes about his tantrum. He had to score next match..he had to crush the opposition..he had to prove himself..he was better than them.

"Is this...a bad time?" Shit. Isagi didn't turn around, even though he really really wanted to. He just kept his back to Bachira, his breathing slowing as he tried to weigh his options in his head. "Y'know, I was wondering if you were coming to lunch, all the good stuff is going to be gone soon.." AKA, come with me, I want to spend time with you. Bachira felt so smart when he came up with those little code words and phrases to talk to Isagi without letting the producers and sponsors of Blue Lock know everything...Isagi marveled at how useless that was now.

"I already ate. You can beat it, I want to practice alone."

Bachira stiffened. Isagi was never this blunt with him, sure he was shy sometimes but there was a new edge to his partner's voice that made his eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Isagi..."

"Meguru-" Isagi never called him Meguru. "just get the hell out. I need to actually focus." If only he could see the way Bachira's heart sunk when he said that, if only he turned around and saw his amber eyes glossy with held back tears, maybe he would've been a little kinder. "I said fucking beat it damn it! Didn't you hear I already ate? We need to start being serious. This is a competition and only one of our egos will win. If you practice with me all the time you'll know everything right?! My prefrences, my likes and dislikes, why I do what I do......"

It had taken so, so long to get to this point. So many hours of talking in front of the screens and watching replays of matches, so many small touches and compliments, so many moments spent awkwardly questioning if they both felt the same way. Only to be ripped apart as one instant on some viral tv show they barely even asked to be on. "So fucking leave."

In that instant, Isagi didn't know Bachira had already left.

:After The Match:

Bachira knew exactly what Isagi was upset about. He saw the clip after Hiori mentioned it to him in passing ("Oh and I didn't know you two were a couple. That explains a lot.") and he was similarly horrified by people's responses. But there was one key difference between Isagi and Bachira.

Bachira had been through this type of thing before. He had been kicked and bullied and called names for doing things no one else understood. He'd been called weird and gross and abnormal before. And his only response was to keep going. He couldn't stop these people from calling him horrible things and he sure as hell couldn't please them. If some team wanted to drop their offer because he loved someone and they loved him back then so be it. He'd be damned if he stopped showing up for his boyfriend.

So he went to watch his match on the benches. The way he got so riled up during the match, staring at the field like a man on a mission, the amazing goals he scored when no one saw him coming..it all reminded Bachira why he loved Isagi so much in the first place. Just seeing him explode with speed and purpose across the turf got his heart racing and his looks when he blocked someone before stealing the ball were only comparable to a supermodel. The angles he managed to hit the ball at, the spin he put into it, all of it made Bachira proud to be Isagi's boyfriend. He just had to wait until he was back to prove it.

"Isagi! That was amazing!" Shit. Isagi couldn't turn his back this time so he just tried to wave him off. There were showers in the common areas too after all.

"Bachira.." There was nothing more he wanted than to collapse into his arms, his whole body felt like it was burning from the inside out, like he had been running from something his whole life. God, why was he so perfect with his two toned hair and sculpted muscles? Why was he so gentle, wrapping around Isagi like a warm blanket after a hard day? "You're making this so hard."

"What avoiding me after that kiss was caught on TV?"

"Y-you know about that!? Bachira we have to stay apart until this all cools down I- I can't waste my carrer."

Bachira only hugged him tighter. "You think they're gonna stop. But they won't. You're scared, I get it. I kind of am too. But there's no way I'm letting some people online who've never even touched a soccer ball tell me to stop kissing you." Isagi gently pushed away to create just enough distance to stare into his eyes, it was his turn to get teary.

"Fuck, I-I..are you sure?"

"Yeah. I am." And right there, in front of a well placed camera, Bachira kissed Isagi Yoichi, top soccer player and emerging super star. And he was planning to do it again and again, as long as he let him.

#blue lock #bllk #asks #isagi yoichi #bachira #bachira x isagi #bachira x isagi blue lock #bllk fanfic #bluelock

5 notes · View notes

carpehistoryandthepens · 1 year

Note

How was the bruins game last night?

-Anne (@coffee-at-annies)

YOU'VE ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD!!

or unlocked my tale at the bruins game:

Bruins game notes: I went to an NHL game.

OK, so this was very last minute of my job. I had to be in a dress uniform. DESPITE THAT! I had SO MUCH FUN.

It was military appreciation night. I got thanked a lot. to those who wonder: it is fucking weird, and that never changes.

We got there before the warm-ups. We were in the balcony opposite the benches. It was amazing. Surprisingly the view was pretty decent. I've spent a lot of time at MLB baseball games, which is like NO GOOD VIEW. This was better.

Also, weirdly: the whole thing was quieter than the Pride/Riveritors game. I didn't have to put on my hearing protection until the second Period for this game, but I had to from the start for the Pride game.

Weird. ANYWAY.

Goalies. That's it. That's the tweet. (can we still make that joke?)

No, but really, I LOVE watching goalies come down the tunnels first. Waddle, waddle, waddle. I was really hoping for a bruin win for the goalie hugs at the end of the game.

Onto the warm-ups!

I saw a warm-up handshake that involved push-ups???? 88/48??? Matt Grzelcyk/David Pastrňák??? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

Also the fuck the flyers. I forgot they had tda on their roster until I got the line-up paper on my way to my seat.

also. fuck John Tortorella.

These military jerseys are Better than the pens jerseys, and I'm mad about it.

One "oh shit" from an army guy on the big screen during warm-ups. Lol

actually, the whole unexpected delight of the people who aren't expecting to be on the big screen. I had the best time watching people be put on the big screen. It was so much fun!! (fun is my word of the month. deal with it.) (I'm not a writer. no siree)

A net change?! After the warm-ups?? Like the ice crew straight changed the nets on both sides. MUCH CONFUSION. I have never got an answer about that.

Then the first Period happened. I didn't take notes during that period, so here's a summary:

How?? Was?? That?? a? Period??? Either The Flyers chose today to be good, or the Bruins are having an off day.

Like the bruins were waaaaaaayyyyy asleep in the first period.

Also, anytime tda got the puck, he got boos from the crowd. It's amazing.

Apparently, I have Opinions on Reffing, and I was agitated that the refs didn't call several blatant trips. So mad.

Either way. The first period could have been better, and I had a lot of time watching carter hart not do anything on his side because the flyers were all up in the bruins' zone.

The intermission:

The mini-players in intermission were adorable.

Also, one soldier had his infant with him (the baby had headphones) (he raised them in the air like lion king), and that crowd LOVED THAT CHILD.

This heaped TWICE. Different children !!

Also, both teams in the second were mad. The score was 0-0

And y'all. (please forget I'm from socal. I've lived in the south for years and its impacted my vocab)

The sound, the yell, the cheer, whatever happened when the bruins scored was terrific. It's effortless to get swept up in the excitement, and I did. I was yelling along with them. Oh, it was wild. It was electric. It happened three more times. It didn't get old. I WANNA SEE A HOME PENS GAME SO BAD.

I see why players were so weirded out during covid, by the way. Having that and then losing it? It had to be weird.

Also, it's adorable when Goalies bug up to the posts. Love.

To start, the third and the bruins goalie commits ice crimes (interference), and Hall serves it. And that is always amusing.

Goalie taps at the end of the penalty are also still excellent.

I was somewhat glad there was no empty net. It's a crime against nature that, for some reason, is very common.

In the end, there was a WWII vet at the game! Which was fantastic too.

The crowd also loves goalie hugs, and it was so cool to see so many people yell happily during it.

Realizations while at the game:

I will provide commentary to myself as I watch. "oooooh, whiffed on that. Yes! that was a good snipe. Dances around there. Nice tape to tape! They are now stalling for time on a line change." I think I did this at the last game too, but I didn't realize it.

I preferred the hockey in the pride game, but the crowd at the bruins game made it so electric. The hockey was OK. But the pride game was better for me. (probs because I could really get into the hockey being so close.)

I HAVE TO GO TO A HOME PENS GAME SOMETIME. I WANNA HEAR PARTY HARD.

#Anonymous

8 notes · View notes

jimothystu · 11 months

Text

this has been in my draft for uhhh too long lmao here are my thoughts on the sens season end medias. I was going to finish it by adding my thoughts on the goalies and then coaching media sessions but that did not happen so. incomplete and it's mostly me yelling about the vibes of this team

dmen

chabby, timmy, and brady all saying this year was the most fun they've ever had??

sandy getting to be besties with hammer and holden???

i am yet again shocked at how chych sounds. he just. does not look like he sounds like that. but more importantly. the first roadie with the sens, they had dinner and then all ended up back in his room?????? three guys on the bed, two on the couch, g and brass on the floor all of them just hanging out watching a show????? this team is just. so close. "I just love the group so much." OKAY YEAH CRYING NOW.

extend branny for fucking ever he's a gem.

hammer is so well-spoken. every time he has an interview i'm just. in awe at how in-depth and how like, genuine his answers are and not just generic ones. "My thoughts on Jake, how much time we got?" SO PROUD LIKE A BIG BROTHER. "All-star level player" "Should win the Calder" "Norris-level". holden also helping out a lot of the young dmen in the room and having a huge impact on jake's game :') SO eager and willing to come back and play more years with the sens. having the funnest time to the point where his mom and wife commented how happy he looked this year on the ice!!!

holden also so proud of jake!! but not coming back :/

forwards

captain brady!!!!!! being brutally honest about everything. the way he talks about g 🥹 the hopeful one two punch of timmy and josh!! proud of piner!!!! the PRIDE brady has in his entire team!!!!!!! mentioning the wedding 😭😭😭 praising dj and how amazing he’s been for the young players and (i think) wants him to keep being their coach! MORE PRIDEFUL COMMENTS ABOUT THE TEAM!!! HIS LOVE FOR AND BELIEF IN THE TEAM!!!!!! saying how much they felt the support of the fans this year 🥹

g and timmy playing pickle-ball 😭 g mentioning again how fun it is playing with the sens!! saying timmy’s great with gavin “they love playing with each other” “makes you feel like a family” SOBBING.

“special group in there” timmy also reiterating how amazing the vibes of the team are! his maturity about how it isn’t always about points, it isn’t always about how many shots you had - it’s about the team win. timmy and g being so competitive with games! timmy hating losing!!! SORE LOSER TIMMY! but also saying how important g is! how much of an influence he is and how much he helps brady leadership wise!! also talking about the importance of taking things game by game - again, his maturity and understanding of it all! praising piner! also commenting on how good dj is for the players. GIGGLING ABOUT BRADY CALLING HIM OUTRAGEOUS!!!! “he always took care of me” WE KNOW HE SPOILS YOU ROTTEN. “he wasn’t that funny before” TIMMY.

“they’re my good buds” shane 🥺 HE USED TO DRAFT G ON HIS FANTASY TEAM WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER XIWNDUANDIANK

the amount of “uuuumm”s brinksy uses— open to a long term contract! mentions how everyone spitballs ideas and how the coaches are open to what the players feel and think - good vibes!!

bathy gave pretty generic answers, but still seems as driven and eager as the other guys to do better and play well next year. G was his favourite player growing up!!!!! so many of the younger guys just adore him

“good, everything’s good. weather’s good” josh djwnduandjansk. being able to get back on the ice in a monthish!!!!!!!! god i hope he stays healthy next season. says how supportive everyone was and how it’s a “good group here”! THE VIBES OF THIS TEAM. “he’s (timmy) a special kid” 🥹 he bought a fucking keyboard “it’s not going too good” jdnshxnsjxn. he’s just. jdnwjdnajsn “other than that (almost losing forsy’s dog) not much” “i wouldn’t recommend you giving me your dog” “it was like a movie” JOSH. I LOVE YOU.

watty makes me happy. he gives fun uncle vibes. but had a broken foot for a MONTH but kept playing????? maybe not coming back, but would be open to it! i hope he stays. i appreciate how open and transparent about that and how jarring it was to move to ottawa in 2020. thinks g is one of the best players he’s ever played with 😭

#yelling into the void don’t mind me #again this has been in my drafts for fucking ever lol since whenever the post season videos were posted #sens lb #<- ish #ottawa senators #hockey talk #senators talk

3 notes · View notes

moregraceful · 1 year

Note

9, 11, & 15 for quinn and brady in other-vancouver!

the world can hold quite still aka quinn hughes's big adventure in other vancouver!! under a cut bc i can't shut up ty becs ily

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

oh good question. no! there are many versions in my head about other vancouver (the sedins are elder gods, elias is an elder god but he doesn't know it like a fucked up percy jackson also brock is a plant witch in love with him, alexander edler is the only person who calms troy's ghosts who are slowly killing him, thatcher demko california goalie who hopes vancouver doesn't hate him is the coyote king of vancouver, what was going on with rogers arena.....) that are just straight up urban fantasy but not really any other versions of the quinn/brady story. they were always just a very tender love story that came together very easily in my heart and once i figured it out i didn't really want to explore it from any other angle. (also bc maggie requested a) that verse and b) the nucklings. and the 2019-2020 sens are fully beyond my comprehension lol. there is FOR SURE a brady story but it would require way more research on the ottawa senators than i am currently willing to do hahaha.)

also, unrelated entirely to quinn and brady, someone commented on jack laughing in his sleep, saying "there's a whole other world" in it which i didn't consider while i was writing, but now i'm like, give $5 to boston pride hockey and i will write a spin off of a spin off of jack hughes's interiority and the way his dreams are always happy (and the one time they're not?) and what happens in other new jersey and also how he and quinn are each other's touchstone

(at some point i assume you all will get sick of ambiguous endings and then i'll really be in trouble lol)

11: What do you like best about this fic?

oh man i kinda said this is in my comment response to you but i really liked how easily this one came together once i started. the mattdrai one was very difficult because there was a lot of worldbuilding and a lot of leaps of faith bc it was built on a premise that just is never going to happen, but the qhughes in other vancouver is like...that's a real love story. not in a tinhat way, just in a way where there is very clearly years of love and affection between brady and quinn (in whatever form that takes, not my business what their business is). it's easy to take something that exists and just play with it in an other world. it came together very easily for me bc there's a very real element of care. also bc i am often in the rarepair trenches, it was kinda nice to just poke around at something that is way more tangible and has more documented history than like. well you know the shit i usually write lol

but also this is my favorite part:

Brady jams a stick against his shin, trying to get the puck out from under him. “Stay safe,” he whispers to Quinn. “Please stay safe for me. Please, Quinn. God, I hope this isn’t what it’s like for you. I hope your dreams are never as bad as this one is. You don’t deserve this. No one deserves this.”

“What?” says Quinn, turning all the way around, knocking Brady off balance through pure adrenalized shock.

Brady kicks the puck out from next to Quinn’s skate. He knocks his visor against Quinn’s. “I love you so much, Quinn,” he says fiercely. “I hope I wake up soon.” He bats the puck away from Quinn and races off down the rink.

brady wants him to stay safe :( brady loves him so much :(

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

THAT I SHOULD NEVER TRY TO WRITE A FIC IN 100 WORD SCENES JFC it was like writing the world's worst twtfic for no reason. on that note, keeping a strict word count for scenes can be very helpful for writing when you're stuck! 100 words was...insane, considering the worldbuilding i wanted to do in this fic, but telling myself, ok, you have 500 words per scene, go, that was actually a really good writing exercise AND helped me get better at nailing down what exactly i wanted to convey in a scene, over just saying whatever. my first draft sucked bc i couldn't wrap any scenes up, like they were just going on and one forever without any real purpose, so i really enjoyed giving myself a strict word count per scene and working under that. i think it made me a better writer and it's also something i've been playing more with in subsequent fics, giving myself strict word count rules.

thank you for asking ily!!!!

#msmargaretmurry #cage replies #unfortunate birdcage fanfictions #i just checked my email and saw my rat exchange assignment so you made it just in time hahaha

5 notes · View notes