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bqstqnbruin · 3 years

Text

Minefield

Hi I wrote a Tito fic so here it is.

This is inspired by this clip from Good Trouble and the song Minefield, originally by Faouzia and John Legend, but the version by Emma Hunton and Josh Pence

Shoutout to @starshine-hockey-girl for being an angel and sending in some suggestions for whatever questions I asked, @fuckyeahmattytkachuk for everything because I ranted to her about this for too long trying to figure out who to write this for, @stfukie so you'd feel included (jk you gave a suggestion to something), @josthours because you said you wanted Tito angst, my chapped lipped menace anon for being you, and then I'm forgetting people I'm sorry

There are probably typos in this but I feel like y'all should expect that by now I'm not sorry

Flashbacks are in italics

Warnings: Swearing

Word Count: 7250

___________________________

Cleaning out your closet turned out to be more time and effort than you initially anticipated, trying to consolidate everything into a few boxes and donating as much as you could that you no longer had a use for. You were moving in with your boyfriend, excited to get a new place with the guy you were in love with. The things in your room, your clothing and other trinkets and shit, were the only things you really had to move, thankful that he already owned everything else you would have needed.

For the most part, sorting through everything was easy; keep the clothing you knew you wore, donate the things that haven’t come out of your closet in the last year or two, and then keep anything in a box that was too sentimental to give away.

You weren’t expected to find the blue box at the back of your closet, though. The one you thought you threw away when you first started dating your boyfriend, the one with everything from your ex that you didn’t want to see laying around your room and the rest of your apartment. The top had a sticky note taped to it, the classic pale yellow Post-It tapes down, Anthony written on it in your handwriting, a stark contrast to the navy blue box it was on. You remembered when you bought the box like it was yesterday, something you were planning on giving him if you ever got married.

It was full of little trinkets and stuff from your relationship, memories, and symbols as the two of you fell in love with each other that you were supposed to be able to look back at fondly later in life.

You pull out a receipt, dated five years ago. It was from what had become your go to restaurant with Anthony, the place you went to celebrate everything; a big win, a birthday, your anniversary. This was from your very first date.

You were nervous, honestly. It was one of your first dates with a guy that was an actual date, not something that was understood and confirmed to turn into a hookup, something you had done a few times before. Your friend had set you up with her friend, Anthony, neither of you really knowing what to expect out of tonight. Aili knew both of you really well and was convinced you two were made for each other.

You were ‘twin flames’ as she put it, meant to be together and that he was the person you were meant to be with.

Aili was a little out there, though, the friend who you went to when you needed convincing to do something stupid despite knowing it was a bad idea, so you weren’t really sure that you should be trusting her as much as you did.

Anthony had asked you if you wanted him to pick you up to take you to the restaurant Aili had suggested, but you told him you would be leaving right from work so you would meet him there. It wasn’t totally true, but you figured that way, if Aili was wrong, you wouldn’t also have to sit through an awkward car ride back to your place or having to pay for an Uber.

You hadn’t been this nervous for a date in a while, Aili’s pressure about you two being made for each other finally starting to get to you when you pulled up to the restaurant. You felt like your knees were about to buckle under you out of nerves when the host showed you to your table where Anthony was already waiting.

His face lit up when he saw you, his own nerves due to Aili’s hype about you melting away when he brought you in for a hug to greet you. You didn’t remember ever meeting this man before, but his hug was weirdly comforting. You felt like you belonged in the arms of this stranger in front of you.

You two fell into easy conversation, the rest of the noise and bustle of the restaurant melting away around you, like you two were the only people there. He was so easy to talk to. From the outside, you looked like people who had known each other for their entire lives, two friends catching up after a long time apart.

The waiter eventually comes over to tell you that they were closing soon, neither of you realizing you had spent so long sitting at that table when both of you were initially worried about potential disaster. You hurriedly pay your bill and start walking in the opposite direction of your car, Anthony’s hand finding yours as you strolled through the night.

“I want to see you again,” he told you, stopping and pulling you close to the building. His back was pressed against the brick, the cool material nothing compared to what he felt when you put your hand on his chest, his arms snaking around your waist.

“You think you’re gonna have time for me?” you teased him.

“I’d make time,” Anthony said, pulling you in for a kiss.

He always did, too. Anthony was good for keeping the promises he made to you, no matter how unrealistic they seemed to be when he made them. You thought that with hockey, he would never be able to have you and his career in his life, but no matter what, he was there for you every single time.

You turn the receipt over in your hands, the paper turning yellow with time, Anthony’s handwriting on the back, “this is going to last.”

You take in a deep breath, shifting through the box to see what else there was. The heaviest item, somehow still near the top, was your favorite book.

Before Anthony left for the summer after the season ended, you two decided that you were going to see other people. You didn’t want to tie each other down when it was going to be nearly four months before you could be with each other again, not long enough into your relationship to justify the distance.

You still promised to talk to each other as often as you could.

One of your parting gifts, as weird as it might have been, was a new copy of your favorite book.

“So you’re in the same place I am?” Anthony asked you over Facetime one night, the first call you had with each other since he went back home for the summer. He was holding the book up near his face as he lied in his bed, a cheesy grin on his face, posing with it like a child on their first day of school waiting for the bus.

“Yeah, you have my new copy.”

“And, tell me again why you have two copies of it?” he asked, propping his phone so he could flip through the book with both hands. His sheets slid down, revealing more of his bare chest, you for a moment wanting nothing more than to be right there with him.

“Uh,” you started, trying to collect yourself, a stupid smirk covering his face since he knew you were unable to stop staring. “I wore the other copy down after reading it so many times, so I got a new one.”

Anthony looked up at the camera, the smirk now a full smile. “That’s cute,” he said, picking up the phone again. “I miss you.”

“I miss you, too. When do you come back down?”

“End of August, not sure the date yet.” You nod, trying to figure out how long that would be from his ballpark. “What are you doing in the meantime?”

You shrugged, “same shit, different days.” You had no plans. You agreed that if you wanted to take the time to see other people it would be ok. He made it seem like he almost expected you to have guys knocking down your door to take you out. “What about you?”

“Uh, I have a date, actually,” he told you, looking back down at the book. Another condition of the separation, or whatever it was: tell the other if you went out with someone else. He couldn’t bear to look at you when he told you, though. “She’s someone I know from high school. She hit me up when she saw I was home.”

“Oh,” you said, swallowing hard. You didn’t expect to hear that, and you definitely did not expect it to have the effect that it did on you, either. “That sounds great. I hope you have a good time.”

Anthony knew you were faking the niceness you were giving him. He could tell the way your voice was wavering. “Um, what if you asked Aili to set you up with someone? Like she did us,” he suggested, immediately regretting bringing it up.

You let out an awkward laugh, pretending like what he just said didn’t hurt you in the slightest. “Oh, come on,” you tried to joke, “You think I can’t get a guy on my own?”

He smiled at you, lying back down on his pillow, one arm over his head. “I know you could get any guy you wanted.”

“Yeah, well,” you let your sentence trail off, not wanting to tell him what you were thinking out loud. ‘The guy I want is in Quebec right now.’

A few days passed before you heard from him again, letting you know that he thought the date was fine but he didn’t think he would see her again. He was typing as you were walking up to your door, a package sitting outside with your name on it.

Inside was the book you sent him, an envelope sticking out of it. Inside, an undated plane ticket to Quebec, and a note in Anthony’s handwriting, ‘I didn’t want you to go four months without your book, and I don’t want to go four months without you. Come see me when you can.’

Before you could call him, he finally sent his text, ‘my next date is with this girl I’m crazy about, whenever she can get up here from New York.’

You hadn’t even looked at that book since you came back from that summer with him, all but forgetting you even had that second copy. You used that plane ticket a week later, somehow managing to get two weeks off work to spend with Anthony back in his hometown, him leading you around all of his favorite places, telling you that he didn’t want to spend that long without you, that he didn’t want to see other people. You only wanted to see each other.

It’s amazing how times could change things, though.

You shake off those thoughts, digging deeper into what seemed like a never-ending box of tangible emotions when you came across a wristband from a carnival ride at the Hebron Fairgrounds.

“We’ve been driving for almost four hours for this?” you asked him, your legs stiff as you tried to get out of his car. He brought to the Hebron Fairgrounds in Hebron, Connecticut, a ride from the island that should have taken three hours, but your Magellan boyfriend took a wrong turn and ended up heading towards New York State instead of central Connecticut. “What’s so special about this?”

He came around to you, his arm resting on your shoulder as he guided you towards the entrance. “This is one of the only times before the season starts that we can travel together where I don’t have to worry about a game. And this is close enough that it should have been a day trip.”

“So we’re going home after this?”

“Ahh,” he hummed, kissing the top of your head and pulling out his wallet with his other hand, “I have a reservation at a bed and breakfast not far from here, and may or may not have a bag packed for you already in the trunk of my car.”

You looked at him, unable to contain your smile despite the fact that you were confused as to how he managed to plan this without you. He had only been back in New York for about a week, and you had spent every moment he wasn’t on the rink together. “You sneaky boy,” you teased as he paid for the two of you. “There’s no way you got everything if you did it on your own.”

The person behind the ticket counter gave you two wristbands, Anthony taking your hand and putting it on you, his fingers lingering as he wants to take your hand in his. His cheeks turned pink, looking down at your hand as you two moved out of the way. “Ok, Aili might have helped.”

“There it is,” you laughed, the two of you walking through the Fairgrounds together. You had to admit, the four hour drive was worth it. You couldn’t remember going to a fair like this one ever, none of the ones when you were growing upcoming close to this one, and definitely not in New York.

Anthony guided you around the grounds, taking you from booth to booth, buying you anything that you told him you thought was nice from the different vendors, finding a booth that had the most amazing bison burgers and apple cider shakes.

“Jesus, these taste good,” you said with your mouth full, Anthony laughing and reaching over to you to wipe the aioli off the corner of your lips.

He pulled you in for a kiss, laughing as he had to wipe off more food from your face, crumbs from the bun of the burger this time. “I can’t take you anywhere, can I?” he asked.

The day turned into night, the two of you playing the various carnival games, you not afraid to make fun of him as he sucked at every single one of them, winning you nothing. You did win a small teddy bear, however, making sure to gloat to him and even going as far as naming it Anthony after him.

“Oh, come on,” you whined as you stood in line for the Ferris wheel, shoving the bear in his face, “He’s so cute, just like you.”

Anthony smiled at you as he swatted your hand out of his face, wrapping his arms around your waist. “Am I only cute? Nothing more?”

“No, the bear is better.” He pouted at you, his bottom lip jutting out. “Oh come on, what do you have that Bear Anthony doesn’t?”

“So many things!” he argued as the two of you got into the pod. “I have so many things that the bear does not. And I know for a fact that you enjoy all of them.”

You laughed, the bear sitting in your lap as you rested your head on his shoulder. The ride started, bringing you two up to see the entire Fairgrounds. It stopped at the top, giving you a moment to see everything below you; the rides lighting up everything down below, adults and children, the booths, everything.

“It’s,” you started, trying to find the words when you looked up at the sky, the stars somehow still visible and bright despite the lights, “I love this.”

“I love you,” you heard Anthony say.

“What?” you looked at him, both of you slightly shocked. Aili had banked on you being the first person to say those words, not him.

“I love you,” he told you more confidently. “I know we haven’t been seeing each other for that long, but I do. I think I have been for a while now.”

You could tell he was nervous to say this to you by the way his cheeks were turning bright pink. You rested your head on his shoulder, Anthony putting his arm around you and kissing the top of your head. “I love you, too.”

You weren’t sure where that bear was now though, the little Anthony you won that ended up being a piece of him by your side whenever the real one was gone. But the first time he told you he loved you was, of course, always going to be something special, something worth remembering.

You put the wristband back in the box, now playing a claw game with the contents of the box and pulling out a strip from a photo booth, the two of you looking so happy, you lucky enough to have it captured on film.

One of your friends from college was getting married, and naturally, Anthony was your plus one. Aili was there somewhere, probably already drunk and looking to hook up with a member of the bridal party despite your protests over it.

“There she is,” you pointed to your lilac-haired friend, her back towards you and Anthony dancing together. “How close do you think she is to closing?”

The two of you had been playing sort of a Where’s Waldo type game with your mutual friend, seeing as she had been bouncing from groomsman to bridesmaid in hopes that one of them was both single and interested. It seemed like she hadn’t had luck until she found the man standing in front of her.

“His hand is already on her ass, so I think they’re going home together,” Anthony pointed out, pulling you closer to him. “I could do that to you, you know,” he flirted, his grip tightening around you.

“Not in public,” you whispered to him, “But we have a room upstairs for after.”

He dipped down to kiss you, hearing him hum against your lips as the DJ announced that the bride and one of her parents were going to share a dance together. The two of you moved off the floor, Anthony’s hands never leaving your body.

The two of you watched the bride and one of her parents dance together, Anthony’s arm around you as you rested your head on his shoulder. The song ended as the groom approached his new bride, the two of them sharing another dance together while the guests watched.

They looked at each other like there was no one else in the world, nothing that could break them apart. “I can’t wait for that to be us,” Anthony whispers in your ear, planting a kiss on your jaw.

“You think we’re going to get married?”

“If everything goes the way I would like it to, then hopefully.”

You looked over to him, something about the soft smile on his face made you believe him and want the same. You could see yourself marrying Anthony. Not right now, you didn’t even live together, but eventually. “I like that.”

The night went on, the two of you continuously tracking down Aili as she made her way through the bridal party to find one person to go home with, the guy from before apparently not working out since he had also moved on to another girl.

“Hey, guys,” Aili finally came over, one of the bridesmaids not far behind her, “Scarlett wants to go up to the room she has, so can you watch my stuff until I’m back?” Before you could answer, she handed you her bag and her jacket, not giving you the chance to object while she ran hand in hand with the girl.

“When will you be back?”

“Hopefully tomorrow morning,” she called before disappearing. You couldn’t help but laugh, setting her stuff down with yours. You were sure she would show up at your door, sometime tomorrow afternoon, probably with her hair and makeup in utter disarray but extremely happy with herself.

“Hey, there’s a photo booth, want to take some pictures?” Anthony asked you.

“You think Aili’s stuff will be alright unattended?” you joked, following Anthony’s lead to the booth.

The booth was small, Anthony having to hold you in his lap just to fit both of you in it. He closes the curtain, his arms around your waist. He nuzzles his head on your shoulder, both of you staring at the camera in front of you. “How about a regular smile to start?”

You go through the four photos, a regular smile, two with silly faces, and the last one where you two kiss, a generic, cliche, couple in a photobooth strip.

You knew you had taken a lot of photos like the ones you were holding in your hands, this strip was apparently one of the only ones that you still had. You didn’t even think you had any left on your phone.

You continue the claw game, your phone buzzing with a message from your boyfriend telling you he would be there soon to start loading some stuff into the truck to move to your new place. You should have been packing, but something about the Anthony box made you forget about that. You found the keyring next, his team’s logo now faded, but you knew exactly what it was from.

You couldn’t believe it had two years of dating Anthony. It didn’t feel like two years, simultaneously feeling like you had been together forever but had only known each other for such an insignificant amount of time in the grand scheme of things.

You didn’t realize, however, that you were together for that long when you had called him in a panic, your floor soaking wet from a pipe that burst under the sink in your kitchen.

“My landlord is a dick and said he won’t be able to get anyone out here for three days, please, please, please?” you begged him, hoping that he could figure out what you had to do, or at the very least could bring some tool that you didn’t have that would help you fix it while watching a Youtube video.

“I’ll be over in ten minutes,” he sighed, hanging up on you before you could say anything else. He got there sooner than he should have, a wrench in hand and you hoping it was enough to fix whatever was wrong. “You owe me.”

“You’re my favorite person in the world and I will do anything for you,” you said, dragging him into the kitchen. “Fix,” you say, pointing to the sink, the water still leaking out from behind the cabinets.

The two of you sat down on the towels you had laid out before he got there, Anthony cringing at the feeling against his shorts. He opened the cabinet, getting under there and trying to fidget with the washers that were there to see if he could make anything of it.

“What do you think you need to do?” you asked him, holding a flashlight for him. Before he could answer, more water was spraying at you, soaking your already damp shirt, definitely getting Anthony everywhere, as well. “A towel?”

“Very funny,” he said, weaseling his way out from the sink once he managed to get the water shut off, taking the towel from your hands to dry his face off. “You know, if you wanted me with a wet T-shirt, you could have just asked,” he told you, causing the heat to rush to your cheeks.

“Yeah, that’s why I called you over,” you told him, getting off the ground. “God, I hate living here.”

“You could always move in with me.” You turned around in shock, Anthony rubbing the towel on his head to dry his hair as if what he just asked you wasn’t a major step in your relationship. “What?”

“Move in with you?”

“Well, yeah. Most of your stuff is already at my place anyway, your lease is ending soon thankfully, you have a jackass for a landlord, and I love you,” he told you, pulling you close to him. “Why wouldn’t I want you to live with me?”

You smiled at him, curling your fingers in the belt loops of his jeans, getting on your toes to kiss him. “You really want me to live with you?”

He let go of you to reach into his back pocket and fidgeted with his key ring. He pulled off a key, already attached to a charm with his team’s logo. “I had this made for you about three months ago. I’ve just been waiting for the right moment to give it to you.”

You loved living with him, forgetting that you still had this stupid blue and orange charm still in your possession. The next thing you pulled out was what finally started to break you, physically feeling like holding this in your hand was ripping you apart piece by piece. The first full season you and Anthony lived together, he got you a postcard for every city he went to on an away game, lists on the back of each one, every city, every away game.

“Anthony, what is this?” you yelled to him when you came back to your place with the mail. It was his writing, a picture of the Liberty Bell on one side of the postcard, his messy script covering the back. “Did you really mail something from Philly to me?”

“Yeah, why?”

“It’s dated five days ago, you came back from Philly four days ago. You could have just given me this and saved the cost of the stamp.”

“That would have been too easy,” he blushed. You knew him well enough to know that that thought hadn’t crossed his mind, not thinking about how it would have been easier to probably slip it in with the mail instead of waiting for it to make the trip from Philly to the island.

You flip it over, trying to figure out why he would send it to you in the first place. Anthony had written on the back

The Liberty Bell

The Rocky Steps

The inside of the Philadelphia Art Museum

A Game at the Palestra

Rolled ice cream at the Franklin Fountain

Walk Boathouse Row and the Schuylkill

Explore around the Main Line

Have brunch at Sabrina’s

“What is all this?”

Anthony came up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his head on your shoulder. “That’s some of the stuff the guys and I did when we had some downtime. And some stuff we didn’t do that I want to.”

“So, what, you’re just gloating that you get to do fun things when you aren’t working your literal dream job?” you teased him.

“No, no,” he laughed. “This is all the stuff I want to do with you. You know, if we ever get the chance to explore that city.”

Every trip he went on, he came home with a new postcard

Boston

Go into Cambridge and see Harvard

Walk the Freedom Trail

Eat in the North End at an Italian restaurant

Get pastry from Mike’s

Spend the day in the Commons

See a game at Fenway

Calgary

Go to the Stampede

Go to Banff and Lake Louise

Go to the top of Calgary Tower

Walk to Prince’s Island Park

Take the Rocky Mountaineer Rail Journey

Get doughnuts from the Dapper Doughnuts Calgary

Eat at Native Tongues Taqueria

Every city with a list of things you never got to do with him

You weren’t ready for the postcards, tying them back up with the bow that had held them together for however many years the box had been sitting in your closet. It was like the bow that held your relationship together until everything started to unravel

“You know you have to tell him,” Aili said, earning a groan from you.

“Really?” you snapped. “You mean I shouldn’t just disappear on my boyfriend and avoid him so that he doesn’t find out?”

Aili scowled at you. “Ok, you’re stressed, so I’ll let that slide. But he just won the last game at the Coliseum. Do you think now is a good time to do it?”

“Is any time a good time to do it?” Your friend shrugged, falling back into the cushions of the couch. There was nothing left to say until Anthony got home. You sat in silence, the only noise coming from the TV despite you having no idea what you were watching. “I can’t sit here, talk to me about something. How are things going with Scarlett?”

Aili lit up at the chance to talk about her girlfriend, the bridesmaid from the wedding a few years back. Aili did in fact return the next morning to your place for her stuff, but with Scarlett in tow, insisting that the three of you go out for brunch to start what turned into what was probably Aili’s most successful relationship so far. Listening to her talk about Scarlett, for a second, made you forget what you had to tell Anthony.

Until she mentioned that morning after at the brunch place, relaying that she remembered Scarlett telling her how excited she was to go on a double date with you and Anthony when you broke down crying.

“Hey, babe, no, come here,” Aili cooed, pulling you into her arms.

“This is going to break us,” you let out through your sobs. You knew it was going to end your relationship; there was no way you could do this and stay with him.

“It might not last forever,” she told you. “You could always come back.”

Before you can respond, Anthony came bursting through the door, bursting with joy over winning the game, pushing the series to the seventh game. He knew he potentially scored the last goal for his team at Nassau, but, shit, you were about to break him. “We’re celebrating, babe!” he yelled before he saw you and Aili sitting there on the couch, your mood clearly the opposite of his. He was sure you had been watching the game, so he thought you would be as happy as he was when he got home. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Aili looked between the two of you before getting up. “I’m going to leave you two alone.”

Anthony took Aili’s seat, the concern in his eyes bringing you that much closer to tears again. “Hey, talk to me.”

“I got a promotion at work,” you told him.

His face lit up, bouncing on the couch a little bit as he yelled again, “That’s amazing!”

“But,” you started, watching his face drop as he repeated your word while he waited for you to continue. “I have to transfer.”

“To where?” he asked, his voice small.

“Seattle.”

“Don’t go,” he said to you.

“What?” you asked him, shocked by the seriousness on his face. “I can’t-”

“Don’t go. I don’t want you to go.”

“This is my job, Anthony, I can’t not go.”

“No,” he said, fighting back the tears. He knew just as well as you did what it meant for your relationship if you moved to the other side of the country. “I don’t want you to go.”

“Anthony, you don’t get to decide that for me.”

He huffed as he got up from the couch, clearly upset with you for telling him you had to leave. “But what about us? Are you really telling me that this job is more important than us?”

“I never said that.”

“If you take this job then that’s what you’re saying to me.”

You stood there in front of him, both of you now angry at the other. “If that’s what you think of me then I’m glad I’m leaving,” you spit at him, pushing past him to go to your room.

Anthony stood there in shock, watching you go down the hall, jumping again at the sound of the bedroom door slamming. His phone buzzed in his pocket, one of his teammates asking him where the two of you were. He shook his head, going towards your bedroom door. Standing outside, his fist ready to knock to try to talk to you.

His phone buzzed again, another teammate. He couldn’t hear any noise coming from the other side; he didn’t know you were sitting there waiting for him to come and talk to him. You weren’t sure if you had wanted the promotion in the first place. Moving across the country was a lot, and leaving Anthony wasn’t something you were ready for. But his outburst, for whatever reason, made you think that you were supposed to go. If he had come back, you might have listened to him about staying.

Instead, he turned around, leaving the puck he had scored the game-winning goal with. The tape around it said, “For Y/F/I Y/L/I”. You heard the front door close, Anthony leaving to go out with his teammates. You came out, finding the puck sitting on the couch where the two of you were earlier.

The box seemed never-ending, every item in there bringing back emotions and memories that you hadn’t thought of in a while, for good reason, too. You didn’t know how much more you could take, how much longer before you had to load the truck. You were pulling out items and feeling as if you were tiptoeing around a minefield, one stupid artifact from your past away from breaking you altogether.

“Are you really leaving?” Anthony asked you the day you booked your ticket and made arrangements for your stuff to be shipped.

“Yep,” you answered, short. Since the night you told him, things were off between the two of you. You were barely speaking, barely even looking at each other or acknowledging the presence of the other. He was mad you chose your career over him, you were mad he wasn’t being supportive.

He sighed as he sat down next to you on the couch. Even that was different; he would have put his arm around you, cuddled with you, and watched whatever you had on, at that point, he was like you two were strangers who were meeting for the first time. “I’m gonna miss you,” you heard him say, his voice shaking slightly.

Anthony wasn’t one to cry in front of you, but you were almost sure he was about to in that moment. “I’m going to miss you, too.”

Neither of you said anything, sitting on the couch, your arms crossed over your chests.

A knock at your door startled you out of the silence, you and Anthony exchanging confused looks before he got up to find a package sitting there. “It’s for both of us?”

You were definitely curious, the return address indicating that it was from someone’s Etsy shop. Inside were two mugs, outlines of New York and Washington with one of those cheesy ‘we’ll always be together’ lines written in cursive.

“It’s from Aili,” Anthony said, holding a slip of paper. “You’ll always be together, even when you’re apart. You’re two souls of the same, two pieces of the same heart.”

You held the mug in your hand, looking up at Anthony, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

Seattle quickly felt like home, you falling into a comfortable rhythm, finding friends, liking your new job, everything was going right. You checked your phone, your boyfriend telling you that he was only a few minutes away. There was only one last thing that you knew was in this box, the last thing you were sure you would be able to look at.

Your phone buzzed to remind you that you were supposed to leave the office five minutes ago and head down to the arena. You were seeing the Kraken play, the hockey jersey you wore every game was folded neatly in the backseat of your car. All you had to do was leave.

“Hey, Vera,” you called to your coworker. “I’ve gotta head out.”

“Are you seeing-” she started, only to be cut off by you.

“Yes, of course I am,” you sang, leaving before she could ask you any more questions. You had rushed to your car, getting to the arena and throwing on your jersey as fast as you could.

“I thought you weren’t going to make it!” Lauren said when you sat down next to her. “I thought you didn’t want to come.”

You knew why she was saying that: the Kraken were playing the Islanders for the first time at home that season.

It was also the first time you were going to see Anthony in person since you broke up.

You shook your head, trying to play it off as if seeing him in warm-ups at that moment was no big deal. “I come to every home game, why would I miss this one?”

Lauren shrugged, the game starting as the two of you sat there and watched in silence. “Does he know about Jamie?” she asked you.

When Anthony told his teammates you were moving to Seattle, Jordan sort of took you under his wing since he and Lauren were moving, too. Anthony thought it was a good idea that you have someone there who you knew while you were getting settled, and it wasn’t like you were going to object to having a familiar face around in an unfamiliar city. What he hadn’t seen coming was Jordan introducing you to one of his teammates. He hadn’t thought about the possibility of you and Jamie getting close when you and Anthony officially broke up.

He didn’t see you falling in love with Jamie.

You told Lauren you had no idea. You weren’t sure if Anthony still followed you on social media, and you definitely didn’t think he followed Jamie, either. Until you saw Anthony coming up behind Jamie, skating faster than you had ever seen him skate and check Jamie from behind. Despite the size difference between the two, Jamie not expecting Anthony and Anthony coming from behind threw Jamie to the ice. He sprung back up, the two of them getting ready to fight despite the uneven matchup, the refs getting between the two of them and throwing Anthony from the game.

“I think he knows,” Lauren said, you sinking back into your seat.

You didn’t pay attention the rest of the game, thinking about Anthony instead. Lauren nudged you at the end, the Kraken beating the Islanders 4-1. The two of you went down to wait outside the locker rooms for your partners, you praying that you wouldn’t bump into Anthony.

“Hey,” you heard a familiar voice say, a pain in your chest hitting you immediately. “I thought I would see you here.”

Anthony was standing in front of you, looking just as nervous as you were. “Yeah. I’m at every home game.” The two of you stood there awkwardly, that comfort you once felt with him gone. “So, uh, how have you been?”

“Good, good,” he nodded, looking down at his feet.

You figured out why when you felt Jamie’s hand snake around your waist, your current boyfriend placing a gentle kiss on your cheek. “Hey, babe.”

“You were amazing,” you beamed at him, forgetting for a moment that Anthony was standing there.

“It helped knowing you were cheering me on,” he said, dipping down to kiss you. Anthony cleared his throat, whether voluntary or not, causing the two of you to pull apart. “I’m gonna wait for you outside, sound good?” He kissed you again before running off, not wanting to see anything happen between you and your ex.

“Does he make you happy?” Anthony asked you, catching you off guard.

You show him a soft smile, thinking of everything Jamie did for you on a daily basis. Like your relationship with Anthony, you fell in love with him quickly, despite taking it much slower than you did with the boy in front of you. “Yeah. He does.”

Anthony swallowed, the words bringing him joy but crushing him at the same time. “That’s all I want for you.” You heard one of his teammates calling his name to get on the bus to head to the hotel, Anthony reaching into his coat to give you something. “You left it when you moved. I didn’t know if it was on purpose or not, so I figured I would bring it and give it to you. If you wanted it.”

He held a gold heart necklace in front of you, the one he got you for the first birthday you celebrated with him. You did leave it there on purpose. You knew it was expensive, and you didn’t feel right taking it from him.

“Uh, yeah, I did. Thanks for this,” you lied to him, taking it from him. The two of you stood there for a moment, neither of you sure what to say. “I should go meet Jamie.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, running his hand through his hair as you turned on your heels to leave. “Actually, wait. You,” he started, taking in a deep breath. “You loved me, right?”

“Anthony, of course I did.”

“Then why did you leave?”

“Sometimes, love just isn’t enough.”

That memory, out of all of them, finally broke you. You missed him. You missed the way he looked at you, the way he held you, how he knew everything about you and how to make you happy.

You pull out your phone, his contact still there as one of your favorites. You never changed it, the same stupid emojis by his name that were there since he had asked you out. Your finger hovered over his contact name, knowing that you shouldn’t call him. You hadn’t heard his voice since that night you broke up, even though you told each other you would try to work things out. You could call Anthony, hear his voice. At the very least, get his voice mail.

But you couldn’t bring yourself to hit that call button, instead deleting his contact altogether. You were done with him, moving on to something different. Moving on, and in, with Jamie. That simple action shouldn’t have broken you further than you already were just looking at this floodgate of what should have been good times for you, for whatever reason tears falling down your face no matter how hard you tried not to cry, already having used those tears when you first stopped seeing Anthony. You put your phone down, shuffling through other things in the box, more small pieces of paper, tickets, receipts, photos from while you were together with the dates and events written on the back, reliving every instance as you stared at everything that was supposed to still have significance and that you were supposed to still be adding to.

“Hey, babe, the truck’s downstairs,” Jamie knocks on your door, tearing you away from the contents of that box. He studies your face, probably able to pick up on the tear stains down your cheeks as he gets to your level, sitting beside you on the floor. He gently brushes a lock of your hair behind your ear, cupping your face. “What’s wrong?”

You sniffle, closing the box in your lap. “Nothing.”

“What is that?”

“Might as well be part of a minefield,” you tell him, a confused look on his face. You shake your head, clarifying, “A box of old memories.”

He nods at you, his thumb tracing a pattern on your cheek, you reaching up to kiss the palm of his hand as he asks, “Are they worth keeping?”

You look down at the box in your lap, the one whose contents brought back four years of happiness to you. “No,” you tell him, putting it in the pile of things to throw away. “We’re moving in together. We’re going to make memories of our own.”

#anthony beauvillier imagines #anthony beauvillier #tito beauvillier imagines #tito beauvillier #new york islanders #new york islanders imagines #islanders #islanders imagines #isles #isles imagines #nhl #nhl imagines #hockey #hockey imagines

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princessphilly · 2 years

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A Merry Holiday

Just a set of vignettes from the couples in the ABAO universe.

In order: Kevin and Marisa (Jelly Donuts and Shorties)

Sidney and Nina (All Bets Are Off)

Jamila (Plain Jane)

CW: grief, covid, angst, fluff

@chara-hugs @newlibrary @huggybearmylove43 @starshine-hockey-girl @himbos-on-ice @pagirl6866 @thighlerseguin @thebookofmags @whatishockey @squidlywiddly87 @t0xickisses2 @joelsfarabee @nugnthopkns @extratragic @shelbsatans @miracleonice87 @myhockeyworld87

There was the biggest hole that couldn’t be filled. Yet, as his heart ached, Kevin smiled and toasted his father-in-law as he wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders.

Rich Neroni yelled out, “To Kevin, my favorite son-in-law and my little girl, may this coming year be fruitful. I’m ready for a little bambino or bambina.”

“He’s your only son-in-law,” Marisa interjected, “And it’ll happen when we’re ready.”

Marisa looked at her husband, his eyes pained. She knew what he was thinking. They all missed Jimmy even more at the holidays. Sharing a look with Shelagh, Marisa whispered, “Let’s take a break, babe.”

Easing their way out of dinner, Marisa guided Kevin to one of the quieter rooms. Tonight was the Feast of Seven Fishes and the first time the Hayes and Neroni families had truly been together since their wedding. It had been a couple of years but Marisa knew that Jimmy was missed the most at times like this.

Sitting on her old childhood bed, Kevin pulled Marisa into his lap. Holding her there, they sat for several quiet moments. Then Kevin said, “Jimmy would be excited at our news. He loved his boys so much and he was looking forward to being an uncle to ours.”

Placing a hand on her stomach, still flat, Marisa smiled. “He’s still excited, he’s just excited at being guardian angel uncle up in heaven.”

“I’m not ready to share the news yet.”

“Neither am I. I’ve just taken a few sips of my red. Luckily Jamila is here visiting so no one is going to suspect anything.”

After some more moments of companionable silence, Marisa kissed her husband slow on the lips. “Let me know when you’re ready to go back down. But I need to go pee.”

“Go pee, Risa.”

After his wife got off his lap, Kevin slapped her ass, laughing when Marisa gave him the finger.

****

Sidney resisted the urge to yell as he saw the clip on ESPN Sportscenter. Yesterday morning, he was just playing with Matt, on the ice at PPG Paints Arena, when Matt scored a goal from mid-ice. Someone had filmed it and sent the tape to ESPN. It was a fluke but there was already people trying to start buzz about his boy being the next one.

Sidney didn’t want to yell. He was ready to kill.

“Relax, Sid, it’ll be fine.”

Sidney looked at his father-in-law. Vernon was looking at the TV as he ate some cashews. As if he could read his mind, Vernon added, “The media isn’t going to burden Matt the way you think. Plus, this fam won’t let it get to him.”

“I had the pressure of being the next one on me from when I was five years old. It was horrible, Mr. Vernon, I don’t want my boy to go through that.”

“Sidney, there’s going to be some pressure on Matty just because he’s your son, no matter what. But what I’m saying is that our family won’t let it get to him the way you’re fearing. Jason has been a huge talent since he was in sixth grade. I’ve seen the vultures and the pressure. We will keep our boys from feeling that pressure, Matty and Jaden.”

As if Vernon spoke him up, Sidney’s nephew came running into the room. “Pappy! Unca Sidy!”

Getting up, Sidney picked up Jaden. “Hey little fella! How are you?”

Jaden pointed to his sweater, a Christmas sweater with a teddy bear and a candy cane. “I got car and blocks unda da tree! And a kitchen and a Lego set-”

“Bragging already, Jae?”

Jason shook his dad’s hand before clapping Sidney on the back. “I’m so glad we played on Thursday night, glad to be home with the family this year.”

“I know that feels good. It feels weird this year not to be flying in. Retirement is weird,” Sidney replied.

“Ahem!”

Everyone’s eyes flew to the doorway of Sidney’s basement mancave. There was Nina, holding a squirming Matthew. “Um, you forgot to say hi to the hostess, Brother.”

Putting her son on the floor, Nina opened her arms wide as Jason hugged her before picking her up. Then he asked, “Where’s Yanni?”

“She’s with Mom, Trina, Troy, Taylor, and Amber. Some of the guys from the team will be coming by later. Get ready to sign autographs and hear about fantasy football.”

Jason laughed as he shared a rueful glance with Sidney. Sidney piped up, “I don’t miss that part.”

Nina sat in the chair next to her father as her son played with her cousin. It was good that they were all together again, for the first time in months. “Also, Jason, can you remind Sid that no one is going to harass our son.”

“I saw that clip, get the person who sent it fired. And don’t worry, the Jacksons are very good at keeping people humble. I mean, let me have any kind of game and I get texts telling me how to improve. No really, relax Sidney and enjoy your retirement without worrying about every little thing.”

That very moment, Matthew and Jaden were playing hockey with the net in the corner. Jaden scored on Matthew and yelled, “I score, I got 1.”

“See, Matthew let a goal in, he’s not the next one,” Nina joked

“I still can’t believe you brought this little baby all the way up here.”

Jamila grinned as Myrtle fussed. Maya was curled in her arms, sleeping soundly as her great-grandmother good-naturedly fussed. “She’s so tiny and on an airplane, girl. I don’t know.”

“I rented a private jet, Grandma Myrtle. I wanted to make sure you’d get to see Maya.”

There was a sobering silence. Myrtle was in a wheelchair, the result of a fall that fractured her hip. The surgery was successful and Jamila poured money into making sure Myrtle had the best rehab possible. But it was obvious now that her grandmother was getting older and didn’t have as much time left on this world.

“Don’t worry girl, I’m not going to see my lord until I see you happily married to someone, even this girl’s daddy.”

Jamila snorted and Maya startled. Rocking her slowly, Maya went back to sleep. Myrtle softly smiled before taking a wizened hand and running it over her soft forehead. The baby already had some hair and very dark brown eyes, darker than hers and Jamila. “Maya looks a little bit like your grandfather. She has his nose.”

“Really?”

Jamila sniffled a bit as she looked at her bundle of joy. Stephen Brown had passed away before Jamila had been born but her grandfather had been well-loved in her family.

“Yes, really. You know I have to fuss but I’m glad to see you this Christmas.”

“Same, Grandma.”

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moved-rubyreindeer · 1 year

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oh wow new ocs sure would be a shame if someone made an analog horror series where they go through hell (it's me i'm someone)

anyways Star and Shiner are twins hoping to secure a spot on the sleigh team. both siblings make great candidates, and on top of that they're the only reindeer in the Vixen family that meet the age requirements to join. the only problem?

only ONE member of each family is allowed to be on the team.

...do with that what you will. it's gonna be a wild ride >:)

i have the whole thing written but honestly it's probably gonna take me forever to animate each tape so a long wait is certain. but I hope you'll enjoy

The Starshine Tapes when they come out :)

#rudolph the red nosed reindeer #rankin bass #rtrnr #reindeer #christmas #xmas #im so. eXCITED I AM GOING TO MELT IF I DONT STORYBOARD SOME OF IT TONIght #you know its Hollywood quality when the whole script was written frantically at 5am in a creative spree /s #art #analogue horror #original series #the starshine tapes #analog horror

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songsformonkeys · 3 years

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12 days of Christmas Pedros. Short little ficlets based on prompts that can be found here. One ficlet every other day. This one is a little late so you’ll have another one again tomorrow. Thank you @yespolkadotkitty for the beautiful banner!

Day 9 - “How many Christmas lights does one person need?” - Ezra

With the pandemic sweeping across the planet and covering it like a giant wet blanket, you and Ezra have been forced to stay cooped up in your hometown for Christmas, despite previous plans to go off-world somewhere. Ezra assures you that he doesn't mind, and you believe him. Give that man a hot meal and a warm and willing body and he'd be happy to hunker down anywhere. You, however, are feeling antsy. You had truly been looking forward to seeing some of all the wonderful places Ezra has told you about, to visit the places where he has once stood. Instead, you are stuck in the same small town where you had spent most of your adult life. Disappointing doesn't even begin to cover it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One day, as Christmas is drawing nearer and you're feeling sorry for yourself, a huge box is delivered to your doorstep. You look up from scrolling through Ezra's datapad, reading all the entries to the planets you should have been visiting by now, and peek out of the kitchen curiously as Ezra signs for the package.

”What's that?” you ask him as he pulls a small knife from his pocket to open the box. You're too curious about the content of the box to pay much attention to why Ezra is carrying around a knife in his own home like this.

”This, my Starshine, is a box filled to the brim with happiness,” he tells you.

You watch as he expertly slices through the tape holding the box shut and when he opens the lid you spot a huge assortment of Christmas lights and let out a surprised laugh.

”Just how many Christmas lights does one person need, Ezra?” you ask and he looks up from the box with a smile.

”Why limit ourselves with the things that make us happy, Starshine?” he asks and throws you one of his signature winks that never fails to make you a little weak in the knees. ”I'm thinking some lights will aid in brightening up the situation we're currently in. A situation which I know is not one of your own choosing.”

You crouch next to him and press a kiss to his scruffy cheek.

”Well, I think you have enough lights here to brighten up the whole neighborhood,” you tell him.

”An additional bonus, for sure, although the twinkle in your eyes is my main goal with this endeavor.”

Affection for this rough-around-the-edges space cowboy with the gentle heart blooms in your chest and you pull him in for another kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It takes Ezra the better part of a day to set the lights up and you can hear him hammer and drag the ladder around the house from your spot in the kitchen. He'd started when it was still pitch black outside and it's only when afternoon rolls around that he declares his work done. He retreats to the bedroom – for a nap, you suspect - and kindly asks that you do not disturb him. You're at the last chapters of a very captivating book and see no issues with this arrangement.

Ezra appears again for dinner, smiling happily and quizzing you about the book. He was the one who had recommended it to you, after all. He listens intently, just like he always does, but there's a restless air about him which you don't understand the source of. You manage to wait until both your plates are empty before you call him out on his behavior.

Ezra hesitates for a moment, then he holds his hands out for you, without any further explanations.

”Come with me, Starshine,” he tells you and you wonder if he too remembers that those were the very first words he ever said to you. You definitely remember and, just like then, you take his hand without knowing what it'll lead to but helplessly intrigued by this man and curious to find out.

He leads you towards the bedroom and you smile, thinking you have a pretty good idea where this is heading, after all. Then Ezra pushes the bedroom door open and the smile slips from your face in favor of shock, closely followed by awe.

The ceiling light is off but the room still bathes in a dim but soft, warm glow. Sprinkled across the ceiling are hundreds of little lights, arranged in an intricate pattern. It's breathtakingly beautiful! Your mouth falls open just as Ezra wraps his arms around you from behind.

”I can't take you to the stars right now, my love, so I decided to bring the stars here, to you. Come.”

Taking you by the hand, he guides you towards the big bed. Your eyes are still glued to the ceiling in amazement as gentle hands ease you down onto the mattress. Ezra lies down next to you and when he raises a hand to point at one of the lights, naming it, you realize that all the lights have been carefully arranged into different constellations.

”Ezra...” you whisper, completely at a loss for words. Ezra seems to get the sentiment anyway because he smiles fondly at you before pointing out a different light and the star it's named after.

Ezra tells you about all the ones he knows the names of, about the planets surrounding them, and which ones he's had a chance to visit. You listen, greedily soaking up each detail he shares and hoping that one day you'll be able to join him on his travels.

Then, once his stories trail off into silence, you take his hand and kiss each of his fingertips, thanking him and them for putting all this together for you. Ezra smiles and cups your face.

”Oh, Starshine, surely you don't expect the night to be over just yet.”

He kisses you deeply before pulling back to undress you with reverent hands, all while mumbling words of love and worship into your skin. When you're both naked, he rolls you over onto your back and you cling to his shoulders as he slowly sinks into you. He whispers your name and you kiss it from his lips as he proceeds to make love to you under the light from imaginary stars.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist: @yespolkadotkitty @agirllovespancakes @pedropascalito @pedropascallion @ohpedromypedro @knittingqueen13 @synystersilenceinblacknwhite @mourningbirds1 @alwaysbethewest (Only a few days left! Hang in there, gorgeous! I’m sorry!) @heatherbel @larakasser @fromthedeskoftheraven @seawhisperer @ahopelessromanticwritersworld @mrschiltoncat @pajamasecrets @phoenixhalliwell @ilikechocolatemilkh @dornish-queen @holographic-carmen @thirstworldproblemss

#12 days of Christmas Pedros #ezra/reader #ezra prospect #prospect #my writing

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thatwasntlikeridingabikeuasshole · 2 years

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i have been at play rehearsal for six hours so i am now snapping and posting poetry on tumblr. fuck it at this point. im just gonna post the good ones. poems under the cut. preface it by saying this was an impulse decision dont take it seriously dear god it is mostly bad dont read it

1. the theater kid's ballad

places in five steps in four waltzes in three duets in two a love story built for only one. (you're the one)

stage-black night sky spike-taped black floor right wing for me left wing for you and steady spots burning like the sun.

pacing the wing hands in your hair running your lines marking a dance breathing deeply in the dark before your cue. (when's my cue?)

twisting my ring perched on some chair curtain-confined trapped in a trance thinking this could be a song to kiss you to.

if the wings that we stand in could rise to the clouds and glide through as sure as the fly would you take me with you? up to the stars and leave the house seats for the sky? because i could admire you from afar while you give your soul to be a star and through whirling numbers and shifting lights staged, sung fights step rewrites i'll keep my eyes on you (shit, i missed my cue)

huddling backstage back to your chest whispered praise shared shuffling props "i crashed and burned-" "no, no, for real, you did great" (you were great)

turning the page counting the rest heart thumping, scared this song will flop paying attention to the tension you create

dancing in dark no one will see moves free and wild tripping on feet giggling in silence, mimicking lines in slight delay. (what's the delay?)

catching a spark to light up the sea i'm just a child love's bittersweet my cue comes to steal me away.

2. the color of his eyes (a sonnet)

for all the days since I first fell, I yearned to wax poetic on his gorgeous eyes so every time his head so slightly turned I'd stare and squint and try to glimpse my prize

for while I knew the stars that hid behind and all the kindness that they let me see each time we spoke, his charm destroyed my mind and their color remained a mystery

until a fire lit inside his heart and he came to pass his passion on to me before he left, I realized with a start this moment was my chance to finally see

so now my favorite color has been set and in it's depths, I'd gladly sink and drown the answer I was fortunate to get: his eyes are richly, deeply, sweetly brown

more sugary than maple drizzled thick more gleaming shine than rustic polished wood more fiery than a candle's burning wick more life than soil where forests always stood

like amber freezing life's beauties in time the color of the streetlit, rusty skies the color brown could only be sublime when found inside the warm glow of his eyes now every time I have the fleeting chance I meet his gaze, and brown and blue will dance.

3. him

Leaving himself behind in the wings where I wait Unveiling a persona entirely anew Can't I brush aside the curtain to watch him dance? As he pushes out starshine through the cracks in his skin Soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and he is the sun.

Leaning on a setpiece, finger trailing through pages Unsatisfied always, determined for more Can't I capture his gaze for a second and show him how his magic has worked? Always flitting from embrace to embrace Stop him, slow him down, so that my love might touch him gently rather than crashing through the crowds.

Letting his head fall on anyone's shoulder Unashamed to be soft, to let his eyes shut Can't I be the shoulder he chooses to make his home? Any moment, he may sweep me up into his circle of love So long as I find the matches to light his heart.

4. love letter

I wrote a love letter once and sent it to a boy I thought I loved. it was beautiful. it was a garden full of flowers words blossoming, carefully tended my friends helped to sow the seeds, and in sun I watched them bloom. and when I wrote the love letter when I sent it to the boy I thought I loved he told me my flowers were beautiful, but he didn't care to stay.

I showed him out with a smile and then I set fire to my garden and watched flaming petals rain from the sky.

then I met you and you gave me a rose; you give everyone roses you grow roses from the pockets of your jeans. I took the smile and the compliment the rose and let myself get drunk on the scent. you love everyone, your kindness rains on everyone, and yet, I held it up to the moon and fancied your eyes were glowing just for me.

turns out even the ashes of flowers can grow them afresh. my friends liked to laugh that I'd never love again but they knew me and now I knew you and we all knew it wasn't true. I started smelling roses wherever I went.

sometimes when my eyes land on you across the room (how couldn't they? with all the scarlet, deep ruby of your roses) I watch you radiate affection watch you give laughter, hugs, a dance that leaves you in giggles watch everyone you know return it watch them clasp your hands, compliment you, retie your tie the flowers you give are brilliant to see even when they aren't for me.

I'm writing love letters now and saving them for someone I'm sure I love. they are beautiful. they are a lifetime of flowers blossoming from under my skin, painful but pretty I can't breathe without becoming dizzy from the scent and I crafted this garden, wound through my hair and between my lips and knotted around my soul all on my own, using only a handful of ashes and a single red rose. and as I write these love letters and save them for you, whom I love I wonder if you'd find my flowers beautiful, even dare to hope you would. although, even if you're allergic to flowers, living in a garden alone isn't a bad way for me to be.

#just ignore her #this is gonna a tag now for things im posting on impulse that dont seem like a good idea #or things im aware suck or something #idk

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starshineskyandthepowerofrock · 3 years

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The First Step

Part 2 of Starshine, Sky, and the Power of Rock.

Wow. Just... wow. I'm gorgeous. I run my hairbrush through my lavender hair one more time, mostly just to savor the smooth, silky texture under my manicured fingers. Just looking at my hands, you'd never guess they were callused from playing guitar. I close my eyes one at a time, and as I gaze into the wall-sized mirror in my walk-in closet, my glossed lips tug themselves into a little smile, because my cosmetologist really didn't have to go that hard on my lids, but he did. Speaking of my favorite servants, I think my tailors have hit a new high because this dress has a beautifully layered skirt with the perfect amount of poof, and they knew how well midnight blue goes with my tan complexion. I roll my right wrist, something I'm prone to do since the tiny silver bracelet my parents gave me when I first got adopted is a lot tighter on fourteen-year-old me than it was on six-year-old me, but I'm not gonna not wear it! My fuzzy cat ears twitch as I place the finishing touch between them: a gem-encrusted tiara, the center gem of course taking the form of my favorite shape, a star. No points for guessing why that is.

I'm not always this well-dressed... Well, okay, I'm always well-dressed but today especially so because it marks one of the most important days of my life. I'm not supposed to go out there before I'm called, but now that I'm ready, the urge to make a premature entrance is incredibly strong. But I can't do that, it would throw everything off-schedule! So, I'll just have to make do until then. Eight years of being my only consistent friend in this behemoth of a palace has left me really, really good at entertaining myself.

I exit my closet, cross my bedroom, and seat myself at my desk. I open my journal to a fresh page, and close my eyes to sit in my thoughts for a minute, only for a minute to turn into a half-hour, because the palace is moving abnormally fast in order to pick up kids from all over the kingdom in just one day, and the sound of the air rushing by my window is far too interesting. Deciding to write whatever comes to mind, because there's a lot of thoughts right now, I pick up my pencil and get to work. Every few minutes, my stomach drops gently until the distinct thud of the palace's base touching the ground comes. The stream of graphite thoughts pouring onto the paper is stoppered each time, and I stare past the wall in front of me to imagine what the kids from this province will be like. My head turns to the glass double-doors leading to my personal balcony, and I take in the clues as to where I am. Elegant mansions framed by lush plant life signal we've reached Hillside, snowflakes in late summer indicate the Frostlands, streets paved with rock candy mean we've reached Dulcet Falls, and so on. At one point, all I can see is a featureless field, and the rumble of a spaceship landing means the kids from the Lunar Alliance must be here. With each landing, a new burst of voices bubbles up from floors beneath me. My longing to see new faces, finally the same age as me, finally in the same class as me, grows greater and greater each time. I truly can't believe this day will be the day I-

A knock at my door sends my heart into a frenzy. I stand up and snap my journal shut in one move. I take one last look out my window, and see the stormy Isle of Isolation separated from me by miles of shimmering blue ocean, which means we've landed on the East Shore. The kids from Saline Deep are here, and they're last on the list, which means it's time! I stop in front of the mirror for what is supposed to be a quick wrinkle-check on my dress, but I guess I'm a second too long because the servant at my door speaks up.

"Your Highness, ten minutes to showtime."

An involuntary yelp escapes my mouth. "Coming!" I reply, and soon I'm speeding down the spacious halls as fast as my high heels will allow. The next few minutes are a whirl of knots of excitement in my stomach and vocal warm-ups and warm honey-lemon sprayed into my throat at just the right angle as to be effective without making me cough. The music of the Band of Light rolls from the stage, and my heart beats in time with the drums. The first chorus is almost over, and then, just like we practiced... then... then...

"And now, students of the Royal Academy of Rock," the announcer's voice booms, "the moment you've been waiting for..."

Yes...

"The Heir to Light..."

Yes, that's me...

"Your destined savior..."

Yes, yes, yes...

"and your future queen..."

Yes, very accurate, we're so close...

"Her Royal Highness, PRINCESS! STAR! SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!"

I bound onstage, right to my designated tape X, and a wave of adoring screams nearly knocks me over. My hips, my arms, my everything moves to the beat. I'm one with the music, analog yet pulsing with electric power. This is the auditory paradise of rock. The lyrics flow from the depths of my belly, clear and controlled. The only thing I'm princess of right now is the stage beneath my decorated feet. My euphoria numbs the pain in my cheeks from endless smiling at my adoring subjects, who, starting tomorrow, will be my adoring classmates. The controlled storm of perfect noise climbs to a glorious climax and falls to silence, which is soon broken by another wave of cheers.

"Hello, everyone!" I mean to say but end up shouting into the mic. More cheers make my heart do a back flip in glee. "I'm... SOOOOO excited to get to meet you all! From now on, I'm your classmate, Star, so let's have an amazing four years and train to OFFICIALLY join the Band of Light!"

The stage melts into fairy dust beneath us. The accompaniment and I are lowered to the floor of the throne room. I curtsy and nod and make joyful greetings my whole way down to the three gem-encrusted thrones on the other side of the stage. My parents are already there, dressed in gowns practically spun from sun and moonlight. My mom, Queen Diamond Shine, smiles serenely at me as I make my way over to them. My mama, Queen Sunshine, rises from the center throne and wraps her arms around me in a delighted hug, which I return. My hands stop at her shoulders as usual, because if they tried to reach her back, they'd run into her golden fairy wings. Her tightly curled, yellow hair is cornrowed on one side and set free on the other and her deep skin sparkles with flecks of gold. She kisses my cheek and we sit down.

"Ohmygoodnessohmygoodnessohmygoodness," I rave to them. "I. Can't. BELIEVE this is happening!"

"Believe it," Mama says. She takes Mom's hand and gives it a squeeze. They exchange proud smiles, which makes my smile only widen.

The announcer next to my throne removes a sizable scroll from his pastel jacket, signaling the First Year Introductions are about to begin. This has happened at every Orientation Day I've been to since my first year as a royal at age six. Every year, I got but a taste of the students of the Academy, because at any other time during the school year we were "distractions to each other," so my contact with them was as limited as possible. But now... now I'm meeting kids I'll know for years to come. I'll grow with them, I'll learn with them, I'll-

"STAR, OH MY GOODNESS, HI!" a certain flame-haired catboy shouts before pulling me into a hug.

Okay, so my friend count isn't zero, stop taking everything so literally. But Citrus was my friend in the orphanage even before I was a princess, so he was an easy one when he started going here last year. But it's been a lot harder to make new friends since I moved to a palace that doesn't stay in one spot for longer than a few days.

"Hi, Citrus!" I say, returning his hug but immediately pulling back. "The Introductions are for first years, and you're a second year."

Citrus' eyes flick from the announcer, who looks a bit miffed that he's been delayed, back to me. He blinks, then smiles. "Oh, you're right, we'll catch up later!"

"Oh, no, don't let me scare you away!" I say. "Here, sit. Help me break the ice." I pat the arm of my throne, which is broad enough for him to sit on. And sit he does.

Most of the kids greet me the way you'd expect people to greet arguably the most famous person alive. High-pitched laughter, clumsy curtsies and bows, not knowing what words are right so settling on not words but incomprehensible wails. They'll get used to me. My joy comes from guessing how they'll be once they've regained the ability to speak. I am able to strike up a couple brief conversations, with help from Citrus, but they are few and far between. Par for the course, all of it, nothing to get upset over.

There are a few things nagging at me through all this, I will admit. See, early on in the long list of first years, the announcer called out an "Ack... dah... ler, Sky...laaar..?" a name that simply did not sound like a name – at least not the kind I was used to hearing – and also a name to which no one responded. I expected the unfortunate bearer of this name to approach timidly, explain that the pronunciation was wrong, and be too embarrassed to ever speak to me again. Instead, no one came, and so Introductions continued. I'd turned to my parents at this moment. Mom was leaning towards Mama, whispering confusedly into her pointed ear. Mama wasn't concerned, though, so neither was I. I haven't forgotten that, though...

The other thing is that, every year, the palace takes off the moment all the students are safely inside. It's usually a big deal. But now that I think of it... I'm compelled to raise to my feet.

"Is something wrong, Star?" Mom asks.

"I'd just like to look out a window for a second," I say. And I go to do just that, with Citrus right behind me.

"What's going on?" Citrus asks.

But I'm already at the nearest window. "I knew it," I say. "What are we still doing on the East Shore?"

Citrus gives a small frown of confusion. "Good question," he says.

With night falling, the Isle of Isolation stands out much clearer as the towns or whatever monsters live in begin to light up. Now I remember why I don't like landing on the East Shore. Those monsters can practically see us from their houses! Just because I was destined to defeat them doesn't mean I'm ready to face them today! I march back to my throne.

"Why are we still on the ground?" I ask my parents.

Mom adopts her serious face. "I've been meaning to ask that question myself," she says, looking at Mama.

Mama inspects her gilded nails. "There's a straggler or two. We can't leave until everyone's here," she says casually.

"Uh, yeah," I say, "But there's a point when a straggler becomes a no-show."

Mama smiles. "Trust me," she says. "Anyone with what it takes to get into here is not a no-show."

Mom raises an eyebrow, but leaves it be. So I do the same.

I've managed to miss a couple letters' worth of surnames during my time away and we're now approaching the G's.

"Oh no," Citrus whispers. "More Glades, I bet."

I flip my hair over my shoulder in disapproval. "Citrus, the Glade bloodline has served the royal family for generations, we can't go disrespecting them like that," I say loudly. Then, I drop my voice to an undertone. "A set of quadruplets came in last year. Why would they want to deal with a fifth one?" We giggle behind our hands.

"Glade, Gossamer!" the announcer shouts.

We stop giggling. Five elf girls, four familiar and one new, sashay my way. Each sports an impressive volume of bouncy forest green ringlets. Breezy, Aspen, Dewdrop, and... ugh... Summer Glade have this new girl flanked on all sides. They're all decked out in typical Hillside flair, with flowing fabric and dainty jewelry and oh, so many flowers. This introduction is supposed to be about Gossamer, mind, but Summer is the one to speak up before this girl so much as opens her mouth.

"This is Gossamer, I'm sure you've heard," she says, placing a ringed hand on her sister's head. "We know she can't technically be in our band, but she's basically going to be with us, so... you know..." She gives me a simpering smile.

I look her up and down, not changing my expression. "What do I know?"

Summer fails to hold back a scoff. "Oh, you know how far back our families go... even if you're adopted... So, why not extend some of that, ah, specialness to our little sister here?"

I raise my eyebrows, as though I only now understand the implications, despite them being the same implications she's been dropping since exactly a year ago when she pulled this exact shtick for herself. "Oh, I see, yes!" I giggle. "Well, Summer, I assure you your sister will be recognized as just as special as you four."

Summer smiles brightly, triumphant.

"...Who are all just as special as everyone else here," I say, unblinking.

Summer's smile decays into a barely concealed scowl. "Okay," she says, and pulls her sister away with the rest of her little crew.

Citrus leans towards me once more. "How can you even stand talking to her? Remember when she dumped chili in my shoes?"

I smooth my skirt, not looking up. "Of course I do. But I'm in school now, and I can deal, honeybun. Stick with me and you'll be fine."

A few more nervous greetings later, and yet another cause for concern arises. This time, a guard comes. He's soaked. I'd hardly realized it's been raining outside. He leans towards Mom and whispers in her ear. If he's only telling her, it must be a safety concern.

Okay, hold on, calm down. Mom will have it taken care of. I avert my eyes from them, trying not to eavesdrop, but the guard has severely underestimated the hearing ability of cat people and I can't help picking up one word: vampire. Citrus heard it too. We look at each other with concern, then both turn to my parents. The guard hands Mom an iridescent envelope. It looks like an acceptance letter to the school. Mom turns it over in her hands, brow knit. She stands, clearly ready for action, but Mama grabs her arm.

"May I see that?" she asks.

Mom hands her the envelope, and Mama inspects it herself. "Describe them," Mama finally says, not looking up.

"Adolescent female. Black cloak. Uh, yay tall," the guard says, gesturing to about the height of his shoulder.

"Does she have albinism?" Mama asks.

The guard blinks confusedly. "Uh, I'm no doctor, but probably?"

Mama smiles. "Oh, it's her!" She scoffs. "And you had me worried! Bring her in."

The guard stares for a moment, then leaves.

This whole conversation makes absolutely no sense to me, but I figure Mama knows what she's doing. Mom, on the other hand, seems apprehensive.

"Why don't I just go check things out real quick?" she asks, gathering her skirts.

"That won't be necessary, Diamond," Mama replies.

Mom hesitates for a moment, but relents. "Okay," she sighs then sits down, leg clearly bouncing beneath her gown.

Everything is seemingly normal for a few moments, but the great doors to the throne room suddenly begin to creak. A sliver of light forms between them as they open, and a cloaked figure stands in the center of the doorway. Beneath the shadowy hood, all I can make out are two glowing pupils, burning white hot. The stranger, trailing rainwater from their worn combat boots, makes their way across the now silent throne room. All eyes are on them as they trudge forward, straight for me. Is this... Is this the vampire they were talking about? But, no, that was impossible because what would a vampire be doing in our school? Plus, vampires have red eyes. These eyes are more of a very pale blue, which I suppose is slightly less unsettling. Nevertheless, I shrink back into my throne until my back is flat against the seat back.

The person now stands before us, not bowing or anything. I turn to Mama. Her smile hasn't faded during all of this.

"Ah, Skylar Acdalur, so glad you could join us. I understand you've had a long journey?" Mama asks, as though this person isn't dripping all over the freshly polished floor.

Skylar, apparently, nods.

Mama takes a quick glance at their cloak before remaking eye contact. "I can have someone take your cloak for you."

Skylar's eyes widen. "Oh!" they say. Skylar quickly removes the tattered cloak, revealing an incredibly pale, skinny girl underneath. And when I say pale, I mean you could lose her in a snowstorm because her skin, her hair, her everything is ghostly white, save her eyes, which are still blue, though no longer glowing. The pointed ears protruding from her messy hair make me initially think her a diseased, abnormally poor elf. But then too many points click. The sunken, glowing eyes... the fact that we're right next to the Isle of Isolation... I look down at her mouth...

Fangs!

#catgirl #catgirl oc #magical girl #magic school au #magical school #princess #princesscore #original writing #wip writing #my writing #writeblr #writblr #oc #original characters #princess starshine

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bnhazodiaczine · 5 years

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Into the Stars is open for pre-orders ✨

Full link: bnhazodiaczine.bigcartel.com

The stars shine and the planets align, and the time has come: The Sun moves from Capricorn into Aquarius, and Into the Stars opens for pre-orders!

Bundle Options:

★ Luminary - $15 ★ Planet Ruled - $25 ★ Elemental (2 options) - $30* ☆ House of Fire and Water or House of Earth and Air ★ Full House - $35*

(Bundle details under the cut)

Stretch Goals:

★ 250 Sales, Starborn: Embroidered Iron-on Patch by @schaafdraws ★ 500 Sales, Starshine: Spot Gloss Cover and Enamel Pin by @ranayoh ★ 750 Sales, Stargazer: Foil Washi Tape by @studiomaz

Giveaway Terms and Rules:

We are giving away two Full House Bundles! There will be one winner here on Tumblr and a second winner on Twitter.

For a chance to win: ★ You must be following us at @bnhazodiaczine ★ Reblog this post: You may reblog as much as you want, but please do not spam your followers! ★ Likes do not count ★ No giveaway accounts/blogs ★ The winner will be selected randomly - if the winner has already purchased a Full House bundle, they will be given a full refund! ★ The giveaway will run until the end of pre-orders ★ We will ship internationally!!

Pre-orders run from January 20 to March 3, 11:59pm PST

Luminary - $15

★ Digital, PDF copy of the zine featuring: ☆ 130+ pages ☆ 75+ incredible works ☆ available in spread PDF optimized for desktop display and page PDF optimized for tablet display

*NOTE: This option is not eligible to receive any unlocked sales goals.

Planet Ruled - $25

★ One A5 physical zine featuring: ☆ A beautiful cover designed by @nickormsby ☆ 130+ pages ☆ 75+ incredible works ★ All unlocked stretch goals

Elemental (2 options) - $30 House of Fire and Water or House of Earth and Air

★ Everything from Planet Ruled ★ All unlocked stretch goals

★ House of Fire and Water ☆ 2 Random prints, one each from: ☆ Fire: Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius ☆ Water: Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces ★ 2 Sticker sheets featuring Fire and Water elements by @neekosiah and @runnyfawno ★ 1 Charm designed by @schaafdraws

Buy all water and fire prints for an additional $5

★ House of Earth and Air ☆ 2 Random prints, one each from: ☆ Air: Gemini, Libra, or Aquarius ☆ Earth: Taurus, Virgo, or Capricorn ★ 2 Sticker sheets featuring Air and Earth elements by @schaafdraws and @cirahpes ★ 1 Charm designed by @catpaku

Buy all earth and air prints for an additional $5

Full House - $35

★ Everything from Planet Ruled ★ 4 Random prints from one the following groups: ☆ Cardinal: Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn ☆ Fixed: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius ☆ Mutable: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces ★ 4 Sticker sheets, featuring each element: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air ★ 2 Charms designed by @schaafdraws and @catpaku ★ All unlocked stretch goals

Buy all 12 zodiac prints for an additional $10

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#boku no hero academia #bnha zine #zine preorder #midoriya izuku #toshinori yagi #preorder announcement

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pawtoncake · 5 years

Text

Sugar Coated Kisses To Go

Hey, so @haveyourselfamerrylittlebitchmas , @figurative-falsehood and I are doing another writing challenge!

Prompt: Analogical W/ Any Context (Angst, Fluff, Both, Etc.) I chose fluff :)

Word Count: 1.3k

Summary: Logan and V are good dads, there should be no warnings, except for you may get a cavity :)

Logan couldn’t possibly understand what was happening. Patton was running wild, apparently having been given some kind of sugar before Logan had gotten home. Trying his hardest, he caught up to the small boy and hefted him up onto his shoulders, Patton squealing.

“Papa,” He hugged around Logan’s neck and whispered, “Dad let me have ice cream.”

“Oh, did he now mon coeur?”

“Oh yes oh yes he did.” Patton placed his hands on Logan’s hair and ruffled it around, gaining a smile from his father. After a few moments of common banter between the two, Logan gave him a piggyback ride to were Virgil was in the kitchen.

Logan saw Virgil after a moment or so, leaning on a cabinet with his eyes closed, and without moving, like he knew, “Remy is with Emile again, a sleepover,” he opened his eyes to look at his husband and son, “so that granted my star’s wish of an ice cream date with dad!” Patton nodded excitedly, reaching a hand out for Virgil to hold.

“Good evening my love,” Logan said, knowing Patton adored when they complimented each other; Remy couldn’t stand it.

Virgil moved in like he was going to kiss Logan but then promptly swept Patton off his shoulders and spun him around, before setting him back on the floor.. “Hide and seek?” Virgil waited for Patton’s cheers of yes, which came soon after, Virgil smirked, pulling on his hoodie strings, “ and if Papa finds me, he gets to kiss me.” An excited squeal from Patton called for a yes, and then before Logan could react, Patton was out of the door. Virgil pulled down on Logan’s tie, so their faces were mere inches from touching, “go and find us, lover boy.” And then he was gone.

Logan let out a laugh with flustered cheeks, loosening his tie before taking off.

“I’m not counting!” He shouted.

A small “no fair” came out from the laundry room. Patton. Logan tiptoed, avoiding every floorboard he knew left creaks. “Where are you, starshine?,” He teased, tapping the laundry room door open with his foot, “He must be in here somewhere, I’m sure of it!”

A giggle.

Logan smiled, and rolled up his sleeves, seeing Patton in a laundry basket, a white sheet thrown over his head. He opens all the cabinets and even a washer and dryer for good measure, before leaning down in front of the basket and bopping Patton’s nose.

“Found you.”

Patton laughed, throwing the sheet half off himself, arms still covered.

“Oh Dad, you’re so good at this game!”

“Why thank you starshine, now,” he drops his voice to a whisper, “let’s go find Dad.” Patton smiled a wide grin, bounding out of the basket almost tripping on the sheet on his way out. Logan heard little feet racing up the stairs moments later, a smile crossed his face, “oh my little speedrunner.”

Patton opened every door in the hallway by the time Logan got upstairs. He walked out of the bathroom, a pouty and frustrated face replacing his once excited one, “Papa, where is Dad, you gotta know! You just have to! He’s so good, but how he's so tall. Why is Dad so tall? Papa, how tall is he? Must be like a skyscraper, I saw him hit his head yes-,” Logan walked to him and took his tiny hands in his own. “Mon coeur, Dad is very tall, but have no worry, we will find him, and after that, how about we invite Roman over to play Dragons?” Patton was no longer worried for Virgil, gripping his Papa’s hand tightly.

“Then let’s go get him.”

Meanwhile, Virgil was playing with his hoodie strings in Patton’s closet. He heard a few mumbled words only making out Patton trying to tell Logan to go in the guest bedroom, and that he would check his. Patton hummed all across his room, checking under his bed, behind the curtains, and even behind the tall lamp. He laid a soft tap on the door, a gasp coming from the other side. Patton swung the doors open, about to shout when Virgil took his hand and pulled him in. He showed a dim flashlight, putting a finger up to his lips, “Papa will never find us here.” Virgil closed the doors quickly as footsteps approached around the doorway.

Logan taped all around the room. Tapped the dresser, the wall, even the top of Patton’s bed frame.

Once he got to the closet, Patton couldn’t hold it together anymore. He threw the doors open with the biggest grin on his face, “Papa! Dad is so good!”

Logan gave a knowing smile, leaning over to pick up his son. Virgil puts on a show of getting up and huffing, ‘I can’t believe you found me! I hid so well!” The boy giggled in Logan’s arms.

After throwing the hood over his husband’s head, Logan sat Patton down on the bed. Feeling oddly brave and confident in his actions, Virgil took Logan’s hand, giving him his puppy dog eyes. “So how about that kiss?”

“...What kiss?” He played dumb, much to Patton’s amusement.

“The one you promised me, babe, we may not have pinky promised, but kisses are no joke,” Logan said with a mock-serious face to him. Virgil gave Logan a look, “alright, fine, I suppose I could make a few arrangements.” Being as obnoxious as his behavior, Virgil took his tie once more and almost pulled him into a kiss, “...how does 12:30, say, next Tuesday sound, Lover Boy?” Their faces, mere centimeters from touching, are now clearly blushing, even Patton went “gross” in the background. Logan laughed, moving forward a bit more, “I'm afraid I cannot do that my star, how about,” he snuggled a bit closer, landing his nose to boop V’s, “in the next twenty seconds, I’m all booked with the kids’ playdates next Tuesday.” Patton at some point left, maybe to go get a snack, who knows.

“Virgil, my love, just kiss me,” Logan said, taking a delicate hand to hold the bottom of his back. “If you say so, my prince.”

Before Logan could even make a move, a loud bang and the faint scream of their dramatic caffeine-addicted child of theirs could be heard for miles.

“The kids are calling dearest.”

“Yeah, and so am I, I deserve my kiss.”

“That you do, but it sounds like Remy is about to take Patton’s head off, V.”

Virgil groaned, laying his head on Logan’s shoulder, Logan takes the opportunity to wrap his husband in a nice hug.

“Dad! Pat is chasing me with that butterfly again!” The yells got closer as the boys made headway for where their parents were last spotted.

Virgil slipped away slowly from Logan’s grasp, before grabbing his hand once more, as if going to dance, “ah, the joys of twins my love, they terrorize in minutes. No, scratch that, seconds.” A laugh left them both. Patton went up behind Logan, whose back was facing the door. It didn’t work, as could be told, Logan could always sense terror approach him. “My sweet pastel child, no dad jokes, your father has taught you way too well.” Remy rolled his eyes, Patton smiled, rubbing his nose. Virgil removed his hand from Logan’s, “Remy, tell me all about your little trip.”

“Oh my god, Dad, you’ll never guess…”, as Remy rambled on about some drama that Kelly stole Jeremy’s good pencil, or whatever, in other words, he was a rambly mess over pencils. Logan knew just the distraction. “Ice cream?” Virgil gave him a look of thanks, “this is why I love you.” Remy groaned. “Not now dads, no PDA please, I see Stacey and Harper make out enough.” Virgil laughed, stealing a kiss from his husband.

“Turns out you got that kiss ahead of schedule, but I won’t make you charge… it’s on the house.”

----

let me know if you want to be added or removed!

Tag List: @poppyflowerlesbian666 @starbucks-remy @alsoyouremischievous @keepyourheadoutofthefuckingoven @kee-and-co @whymustibedraggedintofandomhell @kennaisnotonfire2 @deceitifullies101

#sanders sides #sanders sides fanfiction #analogical #analogical fanfiction #virgil sanders #logan sanders #remy sanders #sanders shorts #patton sanders #roman sanders #married analogical #brotherly moralisleep #writing challenge with my best friends in the whole world 3

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