#vaincre lumosinlove

[lumosinlove]

same arms but they hold you in a new way

#breakaway lumosinlove #Logan tremblay #finn o'hara #lumosinloveart #finnlo #vaincre lumosinlove

[marmarifer]

Happy christmas everyone! I wanted to share my secret santa present for the lovely @peggyrose19

The cubs are having a New York, ugly sweater type of christmas ❤️🎄

Characters belong to the one and only @lumosinlove

#sweather weather #vaincre lumosinlove #lumosinlove #o’knutzy #finn o'hara #logan tremblay #leo knut #nootmas #nootfest

[arrowofcarnations]

Fic-O-Ween 2023 Day 1: First Frost

Happy fest, y’all! Here’s some Harvard-era FinnLo pining to ring in day one. Huge thank-yous to @lumosinlove for the Sweater Weather characters and universe and to @noots-fic-fests for organizing the fest!

Title: Love at First Fright Pairing: Finn O'Hara/Logan Tremblay Rating: G

“Trick or treat!”

Finn smiled at the ghost-witch-robot trio looking up at him and dropped three handfuls of candy into the plastic pumpkin pails they held up expectantly.

“Hey, nice costumes! Happy Halloween!”

The kids barely stood still long enough to say it back before they were taking off in the opposite direction of the frat house, eager to get back to their parents and hit up more treat stops around campus before dark. It was a good day for it; classic autumn in New England, from the crispness in the air to the red, brown and yellow leaves drifting down off the trees to cover the manicured grass in a vibrant seasonal blanket. Even the deep red of Harvard’s brick buildings seemed more beautiful in October, like they were meant to exist in a state of perpetual fall.

Throngs of local kids—and some of their parents—were all decked out in their Halloween best, while Finn and the rest of the OKN guys wore school-branded clothes while taking turns manning the candy-laden folding table outside the house between classes. (Finn wasn’t sure any of them owned a costume they could wear outside in broad daylight.) 

He laughed as Percy walked over, refill bag in hand, wearing the exact same gray sweatshirt with a crimson HARVARD across the chest as he was, the same black joggers—almost the same sneakers. “Fashion.”

Percy grinned back at him. “You know it, baby.” He turned the bag upside down, dumping the candy into any bowls that weren’t full and spilling some across the table as he went.

“Yo, you’re getting jolly ranchers all over the ground.”

“You’re a fuckin’ jolly rancher.”

“You’re a fuckin’ kit-kat.”

“You’re a—”

“Shut up, there’s kids,” Will warned, then passed some treats to a tiny ballerina with a kind smile and a compliment for her costume.

“Oh shit, my bad,” Percy said, and Finn snorted as Will cuffed him on the side of the head.

Finn unwrapped a watermelon jolly rancher and popped it into his mouth as he watched students and families pass by. Percy nudged him with an elbow, getting his attention. “Where’s Tremz? Thought you were surgically fused at this point.”

“Fu—” he cut off as Will leveled the captain stare at him. “Heck off. He’s in his medieval history class, he’ll be back soon.”

“Speak of the French-Canadian devil,” Percy shouted as Logan walked up the path to the house, backpack on his shoulders and snapback on his head—backwards, per usual. He looked good in the crimson Harvard Hockey hoodie he was wearing; Finn’s eyes caught the fraying at the cuffs and his stomach swooped as he realized it was his, that Logan must’ve swiped it this morning before heading out. 

“Bonjour,” Logan said, oblivious to the state of Finn’s internal organs.

“Bone-joor,” Percy replied before Finn could say it. “Very French of you. And shorts in October. Very Canadian of you.”

“We haven’t even had first frost yet.” Logan looked from Percy to Finn. “How much candy did you let him eat?”

“Too much,” Will answered for him. “Don’t you have class next, Marshy?”

After a complicated handshake with Finn that neared 15 seconds long, Percy grabbed his bag and took off at a slow jog. Finn wasn’t happy that he left, exactly, but he was happy that Logan walked around the table to take his spot right beside him.

“How’s that black plague treatin’ ya?” he asked as Logan slid his backpack off and under the table.

Logan’s eyes crinkled as he laughed. “Better than it’s treating medieval Europeans. But the reading is a little…”

He looked away—embarrassed, maybe, or frustrated. Finn knew he hated that English still tripped him up sometimes, though the amount he’d improved in just a few semesters was damn impressive. Finn kicked his shin lightly. “I got you. Would’ve flunked out last spring if it weren’t for you, so. Bring on the plagues.”

Logan kicked him back and sent him a grateful smile. And just because he couldn’t help it, Finn plucked at the sleeve of his hoodie. “Nice sweatshirt.”

“You left it on my chair,” Logan said, but Finn saw a little bit of color in his cheeks that he was pretty sure the afternoon chill didn’t put there.

It was a shoddy excuse, but so was Finn teasing him about it being “a little tight in the shoulders, Tremz, you gym beast” just so he could put a hand on one of those broad shoulders and squeeze. Logan was warm and so solid even through the layers; his hand lingered just a second too long before he let it fall away.

The next half hour passed quickly as trick-or-treaters came and went. The sun had just started to sink lower in the sky when a girl who couldn’t have been older than five or six walked up to the table, her guardian hanging back a ways. She had a hockey jersey on and was carrying her helmet, probably tired of wearing it around. 

She was closing in on Logan, who’d ended up on the opposite end of the long folding table as Finn at some point, when the big animatronic ghoul in front of the porch lurched and let out its tinny scream. The girl jumped, looking terrified, and tears filled her wide brown eyes.

“Oh,” Finn heard Logan say softly; his brow was knitted with concern as he walked quickly out from behind the table and crouched down in front of her. “I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to scare you.”

The girl didn’t say anything, just turned to look at her adult and then back at Logan. It seemed like she was trying not to run away.

Logan nodded at her jersey. “You play hockey?”

She nodded.

“Me too. All these guys are on my team. What’s your favorite position to play?”

That drew her out of her shell. “Goalie,” she said with a quiet confidence as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

“I see. You know what I know about goalies?” The girl shook her head, but clearly looked interested at whatever Logan was about to say. He leaned in like he was telling a secret, then said, “They’re the bravest ones. Also the craziest.”

Finn’s chest warmed at the way she laughed, at how Logan had gotten her from near-tears to happy and chatting in no time at all. He never got to see Logan with little kids; all their siblings were older. It was nice. It was sweet. It was doing things to Finn’s heart that he’d rather not think about.

In the end, the little girl—Harper, she told Logan as he filled her candy pail until it was overflowing, then filled her helmet, too—skipped away in a great mood. Logan was still smiling a little after they’d gone as Finn walked over to him.

“She was cute.”

Logan nodded. “Ouais.”

“You, too.” It was out of his mouth before he could shove it back in. Logan raised an eyebrow at him. “You were cute with her,” he explained—not that that really made it better.

But Logan looked pleased that he’d said so, even as he shrugged. “It’s not hard when they’re adorable. She said she’s a goalie.”

“Oh, so the skeleton thing should’ve been afraid of her.”

Logan laughed. “That’s kind of what I told her.”

Finn wanted to say so much. You’re cute all the time. You should only wear my hoodies. You’ll make a great dad someday. I want to share that someday with you.

Instead, he took Logan’s hat off and ruffled his hair. “Dinner?” he asked. “Burgers? Hog’s Head?”

Logan took his hat back and put it back on, but he wasn’t even pretending to be annoyed. “Ouais, let’s go now before they make us clean up.”

As they snuck off behind the house toward the pub, Finn took a handful of cherry jolly ranchers out of his pocket and put them in Logan’s. Logan laughed, then did the same for Finn with the watermelon ones. 

“Happy Halloween, Tremz.”

“Happy Halloween, Harzy.”

#sweater weather lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove #coast to coast lumosinlove #breakaway lumosinlove #finnlo #o'knutzy #my fic #ficoween 2023

[binvibin]

finally time for my monthly reread of sweater weather

#sweater weather lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove #marauders #marauders era #remus lupin #sirius black #wolfstar #sirius x remus #remus x sirius #marauders fanfiction #wolfstar fanfiction #the marauders

[kaysthename]

@lumosinlove sweather weather and vaincre characters as nhl clips... i could make a thousand of these... bet you can't tell who my favorite is

#sweather weather lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove #lumosinlove #oknutzy #kaseywinter #alexohara #sirius black #finn o'hara #logan tremblay #leo knut

[tea-moon-ster]

Love is in the Air

hello! this is a sickfic from your sick Lou. I wrote and published this all in one hour, don't ask questions. it contains major Vaincre spoilers, you've been warned!

have a sick Alex O'Hara and his partners taking care of him. this is set after Vaincre, and therefore features a retired Kasey.

all characters belong to @lumosinlove. read it on ao3 here.

“I gotta go to All Stars.”

“No, you don’t.”

“But I do. I can’t miss it.”

“Alex, All Stars was three months ago.”

“I gotta go.”

“No.”

Kasey smiled despite the situation. A sick Alex O’Hara was…something. A helpless bundle of blankets and tissues that insisted he could do everything on his own. I’ve lived on my own for years, Winter. His scowls would have been more convincing if not followed by a series of sneezes every time.

Natalie entered the bedroom with a bag of candy in hand. She popped one in her mouth.

“What is he on about?”                                          

“He absolutely has to go to All Stars.”

Her eyebrows went up with a smile as she approached the bed. “Wasn’t one enough for you, big boy?”

Alex mumbled something, burying himself deeper into his nest.

Natalie sat on the bed next to him, shooting a glance at Kasey, across the infamous pile, who was chewing his lip. Alex sighed in relief as soon as a cool hand touched his forehead. 

“His fever went up,” she stated.

Kasey nodded. “Yeah. He’s been talking nonsense since he woke up from his nap.”

She hummed. “I called Ramsey. He and Haley are in Gryffindor for Finn’s game but he asked me to keep them updated. He doesn’t get sick often, he said. Or at all.”

Their fingers met mid-stroking red hair, and held on to each other for a moment.

It was just a fever, nothing to panic about. But it was the first time they got to take care of Alex together, and he was taking a while to get back on his feet. The doctor on the phone had mentioned the stress of the season, that didn’t mix well with the constant moving around of roadies. Alex had scrunched his nose, looking elsewhere, in a silent this has never happened before. Kasey had taken his hand in a firm grip. If there was someone who understood the frustration of your own body beginning to act differently, that was him. And just like Alex was helping through it all, Kasey was ready to do the same. For a fever or an injury, he would be there.

The bundle of blankets stirred.

“Nat,” Alex called without emerging from his nuzzle. “Will you be my date at All Stars?”

Natalie smiled, shaking her head. “Alexander, I was your date at All Stars. Three months ago.”

Alex sighed. “Kasey is sabotaging my presence at All Stars.”

“Is he now?”

“You’d think he’d be more supportive, wouldn’t ya.”

 “So much hate,” she agreed, looking at Kasey with a grin.

He shook his head, bringing another blanket up to the redhead’s shoulders to stop the trembling. And left a kiss there, as if to trap the heat. When he noticed the candies on Natalie’s lap, his eyebrows shot up.

“Speaking of hate, aren’t those candies supposed to be for the weak?”

 She took another one, looking at Kasey. “Alex, baby, do you want your candy right now?”

A low groan answered.

“Yeah, how about later,” she said softly, bringing a third one to her mouth. Point taken.

Kasey scoffed. “Yeah, if there’ll be any left for later.”

One of the few pillows survivors of the blanket nest hit his shoulder weakly, and they laughed. Alex scooted closer to where Kasey was lying at his side, getting comfortable on his chest. Big arms kept him close, drawing a happy sound from under the blankets.

Natalie stared at them for a moment before getting up. “Okay. I’ll go check on the soup. Should I bring it here?”

Kasey looked up at her. “I’ll investigate.”

They shared a quick kiss, and Natalie left a soft peck on Alex’s back before leaving the room.

 Silence lasted…longer than usual. It was a rare thing, with an O’Hara in the room. The raspy breaths and the mix of stirs and trembling were a strange comfort against Kasey, a moving presence that kept Alex from falling into quietness.

“She was stunning.”

He said it so quietly that Kasey had to ask him to repeat.

“At All Stars. She was stunning.” He sniffled against his hoodie. “She, she was wearing that dress. That silk dress. It was wow. How did she call that kind of blue?”

Kasey smiled. “Light steel blue.”

“Light steel blue,” Alex repeated to himself. “She’s always so wow. ’nd so are you.”

“Thank you. You’re pretty wow yourself.”

Alex huffed. “Yeah, I bet. ’specially right now.”

Kasey shrugged. “You are to us.”

He felt a head shaking in disagreement somewhere below his neck. “’M all sweaty and sick and stinky.” Then the head finally emerged. “Why are you here? You shouldn’t be here. You’ll get sick, too.”

His face was red, radiating heat at the mere sight. The weekend scruff had turned into a week-old scruff, and messy hair was in every direction. His eyes were a glassy gaze, and just below, purple circles from sleepless nights were slow to fade. Kasey brought the hair back from the pearly forehead and left a careful kiss there. A fever kiss, half temperature check, half concern.

“Nah,” he replied softly. “I’m fine here.” He gently brought the burning head to rest on his shoulder, chest expanding at the way Alex’s fists grasped his hoodie.

Truth was, it was the first time in years he had the possibility to stay close to Alex with one of them being sick. No coaches or team doctors warning to limit contact with sick players, or roadies and games keeping them apart. Kasey found he missed many things about the League, but there was also a long list of discoveries and relief that didn’t end with letting his body rest. Finally being able to take care of Alexander and being close to him was a wonderful, new thing. And not just for the time of a weekend, or a home game. It was their new life. It was amazing.

He gathered the man closer to him, keeping his voice down to reduce the wincing Alex couldn’t help with too loud noises. We’re going to take care of you. You’re going to rest, and I can give you a massage later. I know your back is still hurting. Dinner will be ready soon. We can have it here or on the couch, if you feel like moving. Then you’ll have your candies. And your meds. And I’ll be here the whole time. I’ve been waiting for this, Berry.

Alexander stirred some more, head buried in Kasey’s neck. “Love you, Winter. In sickness’n’health’n’all.”

Kasey smiled in his hair. “Yeah. ’n all.”

.

.

.

#o'darwin #alex o'hara #kasey winter #natalie darcy #lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove #lou's writing

[ttylfedora]

April Fools with the Lions: Best Bits

Omg. Hello? It’s so nice to be back! In honour of April Fools and the discord having a bit of fun with it, I bring you… April Fools with the Lions: Best bits!

All characters belong to @lumosinlove. Happy April Fools!!

Logan rubbed his eyes, waking up fully. Leo curled into his neck at the movement. He looked over to find Finn’s side completely empty. Leo stirred once again and looked up at Logan with a sleepy smile.

Logan squinted at Leo, wondering if he was seeing things.

“Leo, why do you have lion face paint on?” Leo’s face was fully painted, as though he had been to Katie’s birthday party and had been forced to sit down and have his face painted during it.

“Why do you look like a zebra?” Leo asked, just as confused as Logan.

Logan grabbed his phone off of the nightstand and opened up his camera. Sure enough, an intricately painted zebra looked back at him.

He messaged Finn, asking if he woke up the same.

All that was sent back was a smile emoji sent by Siri.

-

“You’re going to walk into the rink like that?” Nat asked Kasey, who was sporting a dolphin and a rainbow across the side of his face.

“I need to find Finn before Finn finds me.” Kasey called back. “I know Alex didn’t do this on his own. He has about as much artistic talent as I do in my little toe.”

Kasey and Nat never did find Finn before practice. They did, however, find a Lion stood dead centre of the locker room looking at the Goalies TPed stalls.

“If this was you, you need to do better next year.” Kasey laughed, clapping Leo on the shoulder. Leo laughed.

“No no no. This was Cole and Layla. They were round the corner watching me come in here thinking I didn’t see them.

“Time to recruit Nat, I think,” Kasey whispered to Leo and pulled out his phone.

-

“Layla I have no clue what to do. I can’t go out on the ice like this. I thought I was being nice by just TPing Kasey’s stall!”

Layla only covered her mouth to suppress a chuckle, watching Cole panic over his now upside down name and number on his jersey.

“All is fair in love and war, Rookie!” Kasey howled through the door, Nat howling after him.

-

Pascal let out a frustrated groan. Some the start of practice, not a single one of his shot found the back of the net. Timmy let out a similar sigh, taking his helmet off and wiping the perspiration off his head.

“It’s playoff season! We can’t be doing this,” he gridded out. He watched Finn line up a perfect shot, only to miss as well. Looking over to Coach Weasley, he wondered why he wasn’t angrier. He looked amused, even.

Pascal looked down at his hockey stick. Something felt… off. He held it out in front of him, Timmy and Kuny doing the same.

“It feels small.” Evgeni stated.

Pascal looked up at the rest of the team to find the Triple Threat of April Fools, Remus, Sirius and James, grinning back at them.

“You know, when I locked Remus and Sirius in my basement, I did not expect to be paid back like this.”

-

“Luke! Luke!”

Luke ran into the bathroom, only to burst out laughing upon finding Saint with bright red hair.

“Was this you?” Saint’s face like thunder, he pointed to his bright red hair. Luke fought to keep a straight face and shook his head.

“I promise it wasn’t. Now hurry up, I need to shower as well.”

Two hours later, Saint and Luke rocked up to practice, looking like Rangers biggest fans sporting bright red and bright blue hair. Logan was unable to make a shot that practice, for he was laughing so hard at the coloured sweat dripping down both their necks. He snapped a pic for Leo, his only partner in fools it would seem…

-

Remus and Sirius made a habit of turning up to practice early. Maybe it was the quiet before the storm, maybe it was the control of having the rink to themselves. One thing they did know, however, was that they liked the rink before anyone started playing the practice session joint playlist. ‘Game Day Vibes’ they called it. A playlist comprising of songs from everyone’s repertoire.

Once the rink was full, Coach allowed the playlist to be put on. Except all that rang through the rink was… a nursery rhyme?

Remus looked over at Finn who was in charge of the playlist. He pressed skip. Finn looked up in confusion as a musical rendition of ‘incy wincy spider’ played out.

“Who, in the ever loving fuck put this in the playlist?” Jackson called out, skating round next to Finn as he frantically scrolled through the playlist. “It’s just nursery rhymes…”

James was doubled over in the far corner, something akin to ‘don’t diss my son’s music taste’ coming out in amongst gasps of laughter.

James had his playlist privileges revoked for 6 weeks.

-

“So we did the ducks last year, what are we doing to Remus and Sirius this year, Dumo?” Julian asked, placing his cereal bowl in the dishwasher.

Pascal thought on it, scratching his head.

Katie bounded in with multiple chain links in Rangers colours.

“Look what I made for Logan, Papa!” She held them up with a big toothy smile. Well, almost toothy. She had a visit from the tooth fairy the previous night.

Jules’ eyes widened and looked over at Pascal, who responded with his own fully toothy grin.

“Go get your brothers and sister, Katie. We have work to do.”

Remus and Sirius returned from practice to find their entire front room decked out in Rangers merch, chain links hanging from each light and across the ceiling.

“I swear as soon as Logan and I meet on the ice again…” Sirius looked over at Remus, “it’s war.”

Remus chuckled and pulled out his phone to find a message from Dumo.

‘Thanks for the key, it’s under the flower pot’

-

Everyone was gathered in Sid’s for their monthly get together. Some of the Rangers had made the trip down as well. Thomas was sat at the bar, his arm hooked loosely around Noelle’s waist.

“So no one managed to get either of the brothers?” She whispered in his ear.

Thomas smiled back at her, eyes softened as he moved a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Not yet. Did you manage to get the video?”

Noelle pulled her phone out of her bag and showed it to Thomas.

“It’s hilarious, T. Me and Nat were in stitches.” Thomas smiled slyly, placed a kiss on Noelle’s forehead, and walked up the the little make shift entertainment stage.

“Can I please have everyone’s attention!” He called out, arms wide. Mutters of ‘speech!’ were called out across the bar, paired with smattering’s of applause.

“Now with the close of another successful year of April Fools, we have this years standings. At the bottom, with the most unoriginal prank I think any of us have ever seen, we have Cole and Layla, who took it upon themselves to TP Knutty and Blizz’s goals.”

A round of ‘boo’s’ swept across the bar.

“Yes, yes, thank you. Do better next year” Cole and Layla had their heads in their hands looking mortified.

“Before I reveal the winner, I have one last thing I would like to do. Who here has been personally victimised by a certain pair of red-headed brothers this year?” Hands went up, Logan the Zebra’s face like thunder as people turned around to chuckle at him.

“Yes, now. I set Christmas on a task a week ago. Big love, Noelle,” he held a glass up to her and winked. “A little birdy once told us that our very own Alexander and Finnigan have their own pregame ritual they started when they were kids. Their mom and dad were more than happy to share this video with us-“

“No no no- please Walker I’m begging you,” Finn called out, laughter clinging onto his every word. Alex’s jaw was on the floor.

“If you’d please turn your attention to the screen.”

An old video played. A young Alex was instructing their parent to sit on the couch whilst Finn was in the background rewinding the tv to the perfect moment. The pair did an almost perfect rendition of the handshake from the parent trap.

Thomas looked back at Finn and Alex who were doubled over in laughter.

#lumosinlove #leo knut #o’knutzy #logan tremblay #finn o'hara #Alex O’Hara #james potter #sirius black #remus lupin #pascal dumais #kasey winter #sweater weather lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove #coast to coast lumosinlove

[rainingsunflowersonacloudyday]

shut the fuck up rn. @lumosinlove

#marauders #wolfstar #sweater weather lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove

[flowerhawk-highinthesky]

Sometimes you just need your own version of the Gryffindor Lions pride jersey

And what better excuse to use my embroidery machine for the second time (yes this is an older project) 😅

#fanfic #marauders #remus lupin #sirius black #wolfstar #diy #fanfiction #embroidery #sweater weather #sweater weather lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove #sweater #half of twelve

[futurebicon]

The refs calling Mama O’Hara when Finn and Alex play because they won’t stop fighting and the refs don’t know what penalty to give for tickling your brothers neck

@lumosinlove

#lumosinlove #sweater weather lumosinlove #sweater weather #oknutzy #sweaterweatherlumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove #vaincre #alexohara #finn o'hara

[sequinssmileblacklipstick]

When Loops started playing pro, there was obviously a lot of media attention and rumors around it, so where better for Remus to tell his story than on the Lions’ very own Dean and Lee’s podcast. Characters by @lumosinlove :)

“So after you stopped playing college hockey, you moved out to Gryff and became a physical therapist. How did you get involved with the Lions?” Dean asks. “How did you circle your way back to hockey?”

Remus shakes his head, “I was really living life anti-hockey for my first two years of grad school. I didn’t go to any games. I wasn’t watching any on TV. I was hanging out with my new school friends who didn’t give a shit about hockey, and that was perfect to me.” Remus pauses and says honestly, “The longer I could avoid it the better.”

Lee nods understandingly and says, “What made you change your mind then and come back to it?”

“In my last year of PT school they assign you clinical locations, like a place to intern at. It’s 16 weeks of working full time at whatever place or setting you get put in. I was pretty close with one of my professors, and I had off-handedly mentioned to her that I had played hockey as a kid. Dr. Pomphrey just looks at me and says, ‘I have the perfect place for you.’ And she sent me to Moody and the Lions, without knowing anything about my hockey background other than I played as a kid in my backyard.”

“I guess you owe a big thanks to that teacher.” Dean says.

“Yeah she really changed my life just by being nosy.” Remus says with a laugh. “I actually invited her to my first game as a Lion as a thank you. Just to show her how much I appreciated everything she’s done for me.”

#lumosinlove #remus lupin #sweater weather lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove

[lumosinlove]

Smitten.

#lumosinloveart #lelo #sweater weather lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove #coast to coast lumosinlove

[odetothestars]

Harvard Finnlo song? Maybe perhaps?

The vibes just remind me of them when I hear it idky

(OCs by @lumosinlove ❤️)

#lumosinlove sweater weather #vaincre lumosinlove #finn o'hara #logan tremblay #finnlo #Spotify

[arrowofcarnations]

Fic-O-Ween 2023 Day 4: Dead End

Some Luke/Logan friendship for day four of the fest (@noots-fic-fests)! Thanks to @lumosinlove for creating these two, and special thanks to @fruitcoops for beta-reading this and being an all-around excellent friend and hype noot. <3

Title: Birds of a Feather Characters: Luke Deveaux, Logan Tremblay Rating: G

(Contains Vaincre spoilers!)

“Luke and I have been running along the river. You know, the Hudson River path? It’s been kinda warm so sometimes we lay out after. There’s a park with grass. It’s nice.” (Logan, Vaincre, May Part Two)

~

They didn’t have a set schedule or anything. It would happen like this: Luke would text him something like “Run tomorrow? Gonna be nice out,” Logan would send a thumbs-up, and they’d pick an access point along the path to meet—sometimes a familiar one, sometimes a new one way uptown or downtown so they could try out a different route. That’s how it happened in the beginning, at least. Now Logan texted first sometimes, too.

Neither of them were runners the way Finn was, both preferring to keep it down to a few easy miles at most. Sometimes they’d stop so Luke could pet a dog, or so Logan could take a picture of the view to send to his boys. It was…well, nice, like he’d told Leo. Grounding. Head-clearing. Nice, too, to hang out with Luke outside of practice, travel and team dinners.

He had other real friends in New York, of course—with Alex, Percy and Will as his teammates, it still kind of shocked Logan just how many friends he had here—but there was a level of understanding with Luke that was unique. Alex and Percy were loud, outgoing, hearts-on-their-sleeves people. Will was a thousand times more patient and level-headed than Logan could ever be. But Luke—Luke was a lot like him. A hundred silent thoughts for every one said aloud. Guarded around new people. Tough shells, Leo had said of the two of them. Logan supposed that was as good a phrase to characterize it as any. He just knew he was thankful for it.

On this particular day—the warmest they’d had since they’d started doing this together—they hooked up with the path near the George Washington Bridge and headed south, flanked by rows of still-blooming cherry trees lining the river. They’d timed it late enough in the afternoon for the crowds of cyclists, families and dog-walkers to have thinned slightly, but with enough daylight left so they could finish before dark. Streaks of orange and pink were starting to paint the sky by the time they reached Riverside Park. They found an empty spot and planted themselves there; the grass was cool on Logan’s skin as he flopped down on his back, only raising his head to take a sip of water before going boneless.

“Do you have a good route in Gryff?”

Logan’s gaze traveled from the wispy clouds overhead to Luke sitting beside him, bent over his own thigh in a stretch.

“Ouais, kind of,” he replied. He liked that Luke never used the past tense when they talked about Gryffindor, about his life there. “I usually go with Finn—he has his favorites. There’s one we do in the old part of the city that’s good. You know the Godric’s Hollow neighborhood?”

Luke nodded, switching to the other leg. “Hazard dragged us to a bakery there on some little dead-end street once.”

An ache Logan was now familiar with pinged briefly in his chest. Race you to the door. Damn, I can smell those croissants. C’mon, Lo baby, I’ll buy you something sweet. “I know the one. Pretty sure he built the route around that bakery. Even when Knutty and I sleep in, he’ll bring us back something.”

It was a relief to not have to pick and choose his words when it came to Finn and Leo. So new, and still so strange. Had there ever been a time before the last few weeks when he didn’t have to worry about implications?

Finished with his stretch, Luke sat up straight and rolled his neck and shoulders a few times before grabbing his own water bottle. “He’s a morning guy, eh?”

Logan nodded. “Annoyingly so. He needs a coffee in one hand and a book in the other just to keep him in bed past eight.”

Luke gave a hum of acknowledgement, then chugged the rest of his water. He was quiet long enough that Logan was about to ask something else, but then Luke, staring out at the water, said, “Saint’s the same way.”

It was a good thing that Logan had already noticed, that he’d already suspected as much, because it was easy to keep his expression neutral. He was surprised, though; not because Luke and Saint were a thing, but because Luke had told him about it.

“He’s a morning runner?” he asked, staying put in his casual sprawl as though no big news had just been dropped.

“No, yoga. Out on his balcony, ass crack of dawn, with this ugly tie-dye bandana on his head.”

Logan laughed, loud and bright, and it startled a little laugh out of Luke, too. “Goalies are crazy.”

Luke’s shoulders, which had been creeping up toward his ears, dropped; his whole body seemed to relax by several degrees, and he smiled. “They’re nuts.”

They both let the lull in conversation stretch for a little while after that. Luke eventually laid down under the waning sun like Logan was, both of them watching the sky as the city provided a familiar soundtrack of birds, dogs, people and distant traffic. Logan thought about how Luke helped make New York feel like a home away from home. About how nice, how necessary, it was to carve out new routines and memories in a place that was so tangled up with his memories of Finn, and how Luke seemed to know that, how he’d been helping Logan do that without ever discussing it. Though, he guessed part of it was that Luke simply wanted to hang out with him because he liked him.

Liked him and trusted him. Logan wasn’t sure how he’d earned that, but he knew he’d do his best to keep it.

And because he liked Luke, too, he had to turn his head on the grass to look at him and find out what the two of them were dealing with, even if it was awkward.

“Do the other guys know?”

Luke shook his head.

“Your families?”

Another head shake.

“Have you talked about it? You and him.”

Luke glanced away, then snapped his eyes back to Logan like he was making himself stick this out. Logan understood that more than he could put into words. “Not really. It’s—a thing, but not…no one’s said boyfriend. It’s not like Black and Lupin. Or you three.”

“D’accord.”

Luke didn’t ask him not to tell anyone. He didn’t need to.

“You don’t seem surprised,” Luke said after a moment.

Logan shrugged. “Not because—I didn’t hear anything from anyone. I think maybe I can see it because I lived it for so long.”

Luke looked like he was taking that in for a second. Logan hoped he got it right. He wasn’t Finn, who always knew just what to say to anyone, or Leo, who made people feel comfortable with the kindness that radiated from him like sunlight. But Luke nodded, tossed him a stick of gum, and started talking about their upcoming game on Tuesday, so Logan figured he hadn’t fucked it up too badly.

They talked hockey until they really started to lose the light, then made their way through the park toward the street, walking fast to keep warm as dusk ushered the spring chill back in. They lived close enough to share an uber, and Luke called one as they reached the curb.

Logan pulled out his phone as they waited; Finn had correctly guessed where he was just from a blurry picture of one of the pink-petaled trees from earlier, and Leo sent a selfie of the two of them with goofy grins from ear to ear and a love you, gonna kiss you in 2 days!!!. He forgot all about the weather, warmed from the inside out at the sight of them. He wanted that for Luke and Saint, too. He wanted it for everyone who still had to hide, who still told themselves they weren’t allowed to have it.

The car pulled up in front of them and, just before they got in, Luke put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing briefly.

“Thanks, Tremz,” he said, tone casual but green-brown eyes sincere. “For real.”

“No worries,” Logan said, a phrase he’d picked up from Leo. “Get in, I’m fucking freezing.”

Luke shoved him, then climbed into the car. Logan followed his friend close behind.

#sweater weather lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove #o'knutzy #st tweedle #my fic #ficoween 2023

[moonofthenight]

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Hello and welcome to my new “Coops with a child” series! I have plans, I have ideas and a little time on my hands for once so we’ll see how this works out but for now: here is the first part - Coops decorating the nursery :) (Slight Vaincre spoiler for chapter 14!)

Read in AO3 here!

Coops and the Cubs belong to the amazing @lumosinlove , the child is my OC though <3

Twinkle, twinkle little star

When the blazing sun is gone

Then you show your little light

When he nothing shines upon

 „What’s taking you so long, mon loup? Come back!“ Sirius shouted from upstairs.

They had a long summer this year, with their season ending earlier. It was weird, unusual because, well. They weren’t exactly used to it. It wasn’t a bad season for them but the other teams were better this time and the mood had been gloomy for the past week, everyone still feeling a little down. Despite that, Remus couldn’t bring himself to care. Well, that was a lie. He did care but the long summer gave them more time for something way better and way more important than another Cup.

He heard some faint grumbling and smiled to himself. This was a little insane. His life had been a little insane, for over four years now. Remus thought about it often, about everything that had happened to him, about everything he gets to experience. Playing again? Being in the NHL? Getting to love Sirius Black through all of it? Marrying him? It was dreams coming true and more to Remus. It was like seeing the lemon tree he planted in 8th grade grow. Seeing all the work he put in, all the careful watering, all the healing finally making it bear the fruits. Five years ago he had laughed into anyones face when someone so much as mentioned he would be with Sirius Black. All the rest he never even dared to hope for. And now-

Remus laughed, „I can’t make the kettle boil the water faster, baby, give me a second!“

 The kettle started to whistle and Remus turned the stove off, filling the two cups he had grabbed from the cupboard with the hot water, letting the tea bags change the colour of it. Carefully, he balanced them up the stairs, successfully not spilling anything.

„Your tea, Mr. Black,“ Remus said with an English accent as he walked through the door, placing the cups on the makeshift table.

„That’s Lupin to you,“ Sirius replied with a cocky grin, kissing Remus on the cheek as a thank you for making them the tea. He closed his eyes, trying to calm his beating heart. He would never get tired of Sirius casually saying his last name out loud in that kind of context. Their last name. Remus sighed happily.

„How is the crib coming along?“

Sirius let out a suffering groan, „I swear that shit is more complicated than any schooling I had to endure.“

Remus laughed again, he never stopped around Sirius if he was being honest. He knelt down next to his husband on the ground, snatching the instruction manual out of his hands.

„Let the one with an actual degree look at this.“

„You have a medical degree, not one in engineering.“

„A degree is a degree,“ Remus insisted. 

Sirius smiled and pressed a kiss to Remus‘ lips.

 It was several hours later that the crib was finally in the corner of the room where it was supposed to be, perfectly built and standing. Sirius and Remus both stood in front of it, hands on their hips, looking proud but tired. Remus turned his head to look at Sirius.

„There is going to be a baby in there soon. Our baby,“ he said with a soft smile, grabbing Sirius’ hand.

„Don’t say that or I’ll start crying again,“ he answered with a chuckle, pulling Remus closer to his side. Remus rested his head on his shoulder, relishing in the quiet for a moment longer before he straightened again.

„I’ll go and make us dinner, yeah?“

„Oui. I’ll be down in a second, too,“ Sirius said, bending down for a soft kiss, his hands coming to rest on Remus‘ hips, who couldn’t help but melt into it.

„I love you so much,“ Remus said against Sirius‘ lips after they parted, not quite wanting to put more space between them just yet.

Sirius‘ grey eyes shone brightly. Most people described his eyes as a thunderstorm, a fog so thick nobody could see past it. Remus had always disagreed. He found freedom in those grey eyes. Romance. Love. Passion. Relief. Home. He smiled, the adoring one that was reserved for Sirius only. Although, he might have to share it with a little someone soon.

„I love you, too, mon vœu.“

Remus kissed him one more time, just a quick peck to not get carried away, before making his way down to the kitchen. He was quite hungry after all.

It was still warm and bright outside and Remus decided to set their table on the patio instead of the one in the kitchen. Some fresh air and afternoon sun would do them some good after spending the last days crammed up in the nursery. They had thought about this for a long, long time, talked to the team and then also with several boys separately. They spend nights awake, whispering the future into each other's skin. Sirius spent a whole week at the Dumais house at some point and James and Lily had been over more evenings than not. It felt right. They were in a secure spot in their lives right now and both of them started to feel the urge to have an addition to their family getting stronger by the day. It had been a journey of talks and phone calls and meetings and paperwork. They were sure, so very sure, about this but still, it was a huge step, a huge decision, and doubts crept up from time to time. Sometimes they needed each other through those, sometimes they needed themselves, sometimes someone else. After so many years together both of them were pretty confident in knowing what the other needed, especially in moments like these. So, he gave Sirius time, he knew he would join him when he was ready.

He came downstairs when Remus was halfway through his plate. Remus could hear the gentle pad pad pad of Sirius’ naked feet on the laminate, then on the wood outside. He put his own plate down on the table in favour of pushing Sirius’ in front of him. “All good, baby?” 

Sirius nodded and while Remus believed him, he still caught his gaze, searching for any sign of discomfort in his eyes but finding none. Remus grabbed his own plate again, leaning back in the chair at the same time that Sirius did. 

“You know,” Sirius said after he swallowed his bite, “I am so excited for this new chapter with you.” 

Remus smiled, “Sap.” 

That made Sirius chuckle in response, “You love it.” 

“I really do,” Remus said, reaching over the table to take Sirius’ hand in his own who gave him a look, “Who’s sappy now?”

They enjoyed the evening sun, watching it set lower and lower until it almost disappeared behind the horizon. They probably would have gone from watching the sunset to watching the stars together but their moment was interrupted by the doorbell and they looked at each other, confused. 

„Are you expecting someone?“ Sirius asked, standing up.

„No, I*m not,“ Remus answered, still confused, turning his body to look around the chair into their living room, following Sirius with his eyes until he was out of sight.

He leaned back in the chair again with a gentle huff, closing his eyes. He loved hockey, no doubt, but evenings, days, like these? He loved them even more. It was a reminder that this was what will always be around, what will always stay with him, no matter what and Remus liked being reminded of that fact once in a while. He opened his eyes again when the glass door behind him was being pushed to the side.

„It’s a package,“ Sirius said, sitting down and placing it on his legs.

„I didn’t order anything either,“ Remus said, leaning over in interest to peek at the address. New York.

„It’s from the Cubs,“ Sirius smiled, looking up at Remus, who grinned back at him. 

Remus snatched the package from his legs and Sirius poked him in the ribs for it but scooted his chair closer. Remus placed it on his own legs, tearing the tape away to open the box. Inside was another, a smaller one. Glowing Stars it said. With it came a card and Sirius recognised Leo’s writing almost immediately. So we are the favourite uncles from the start. Remus read out loud and laughed. Sirius rested his chin on his shoulder to read the next line. We would get her some real ones if we could. See you soon xxx

„It’s those “Glow In The Dark Stars” you put on the ceiling,“ Remus said excitedly, heart warm. Sirius looked at the package and then at Remus. „That’s actually really cute,“ Sirius said and then there was a pause. „We have to put them up in the correct constellations so she always looks at the same sky as we all do.“

Remus smiled bigger and then laughed out loud. He laughed and laughed until Sirius laughed too, both sounding more tearful than they would like to admit. Sirius reached out, putting his hands on both of Remus‘ cheeks, wiping away the wetness underneath his eyes. 

“We are going to be dads,” Sirius more or less sobbed into the summer evening air. 

“I love you,” Remus whispered, he couldn’t seem to stop saying it these days. Loving Sirius came as easy as breathing to Remus and he simply couldn't and didn't want to imagine doing this terrifying, beautiful thing with anybody else. Remus told him so. Sirius just cried more and Remus laughed quietly through his nose, putting his hands on Sirius’ face the same way he had. I am here. They cried with their foreheads pressed together until there were no tears left to cry, no tears of joy, nor tears of fear, finding comfort in each other. He didn't know how much time had passed, but Remus shivered and turned more into Sirius’ arms, searching for warmth. Sirius pulled him in closer, “Should we go sleep, mon cœur?” Remus thought for a moment, then shook his head. He pulled away slightly, resting his cheek on Sirius’ collarbone, looking up, finding his husband’s eyes. 

“Can we put up the stars now? I want to put the stars up now.” Sirius grinned and nodded, “Allez, Loops.” 

The funny thing was, the stars were the perfect finishing touch to the room. It was mostly done, the only thing left to build up was the changing table, everything else was pretty much already set and in place, even the decor. To be fair, both Sirius and Remus were the most excited to go shopping for baby clothes. Baby fever struck them hard and even though their family had gifted them enough clothes and supplies already, they would rather have too many than not go shopping themselves. Baby clothes were just too cute. 

The nursery was mostly beige, specks of Gryffindor red and gold scattered around the room. There was a fluffy carpet, stuffed animals and pictures of everyone who loved the little girl so deeply already. There were some of Harry’s old books on the shelves, Katie’s old princess costumes which she handed over readily, almost begging for them to take them even though they were still way too big. Sirius' heart soared at the memory of Katie coming into the guest bedroom of her house with a bag of her old childhood clothes, putting them next to the bed Sirius had been lying in. “I want her to have those.” “So she has something from me too.” 

The little black velvet box with the birth bracelet Regulus got her as ⅓ of the godparents sat on the window sill, ready to be put on her tiny wrist. Her name was engraved in the handwriting of all three. Her first name in James’, her middle name in Lily’s, her last name in Regulus’. Madison Aurélie Lupin. The name had been a difficult topic and they had endless talks about it. Over breakfast, over taxes, across the locker room. While Madison was never up for discussion (Remus was one of those people who had a list of baby names on his phone since his teenage years; Madison always had been his first choice and Sirius loved it as well), the second name was much more difficult. The first idea was to use one of their mothers names but with it came the question, Hope or Celeste? They agreed that the second name was Sirius’ to pick, since the first and last were already connected to Remus in some way. But, in all honesty, both women had played a significantly important role in his life and he didn’t want to choose. While he wasn't particularly fond of the family he was born into, he still wanted a connection to his French roots. For Regulus but also for his team. Remus lost count of how many books Sirius brought or websites he looked through to find the perfect name. He still didn't know where he found it but it was mid December and Sirius came home from a day out with James and Harry. He had barely toed his shoes off before he had been standing in the door of the living room, coat still on when he looked at Remus and said, “Aurélie. I want her second name to be Aurélie.” and that was that.  They hadn’t really told anyone the final decision, except her godparents, who were too persistent and annoying to keep it from them. But Sirius and Remus didn’t really mind, not when the three of them had surprised them with the bracelet not too long ago, making sure they would know they had made the right choice. Not that there was ever any doubt about it in the first place.

Hope and Lyall cried in their arms when they had told them about the decision to have a baby and promptly cried even more when they said they already chose a surrogate mother. Remus had taken Jules to the rink the day after, wanting to tell his brother separately. Jules stopped mid play, had let his stick fall to the ice and tackled Remus into the boards with a grin so bright it rebelled the sun. A week or so later there had been a package from Wisconsin with a crescent moon lamp in it. The very same Remus, and then Jules, had all their childhood long. It now sat on the wall over the crib. There was a bit of everyone in their family in this room and they loved it more than anything. So, the stars were the perfect addition. Now the Cubs were with her as well. 

Sirius felt tears well up in his eyes again when he looked up at the finished ceiling, blinking rapidly to keep them at bay. He just stood there for a while and layed down on the ground eventually, eyes never leaving the stars on the walls. Unknown to him, Remus snapped a picture of it, sending it to the Cubs who responded with a selfie. All three of them had red, puffy eyes and were pouting into the camera. Remus smiled, put his phone in his back pocket and walked over to his husband, laying down next to him.

#we run together they are my family series #Madison Aurélie Lupin #twinkle twinkle little star #coops #lumosinlove #sweater weather lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove #vaincre spoilers #sirius black #remus lupin #leo knut #finn o'hara #logan tremblay #o'knutzy #fluff #~ 3k

[tea-moon-ster]

Close your eyes and I'll come to you (in a dream, or not)

Hiya! Here's 1.9k of O'Darwin fluff (mostly Alex/Kasey). In long distance relationships, even just a few days together mean the world. And Alex knows it well.

Contains minor Vaincre spoiler. All characters belong to @lumosinlove.

read it on ao3 here.

Kasey checked his phone before shoving it in his pocket. 4:38 pm. He was right on time.

He quickly put his worn, Rangers-blue sweater on before peeking into the bedroom. Natalie was getting comfortable in the sea of pillows she insisted on keeping on their bed, with two or three blankets involved in the process. The tv, that had been on some period drama the last time Kasey checked, was now a black screen. A slim finger pressed the button just above their bed to lower the blinds, creating the perfect mood for a nap.

Kasey couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but in the last few days Natalie had been a bit under the weather. Tired, sad, cuddlier than usual. She said it was just a bit of stress, and that she was missing Alex. At that, Kasey had prepared her comfort food, rubbed her back, and almost spoiled the surprise he’d been working on for three weeks. He would have to keep it a secret for just another hour.

“Nat,” he called softly, making her look up from her phone. “Going to the store real quick. Need anything?”

Her brows furrowed, as she probably scrolled a mental checklist and wondering what was it that Kasey needed, but it was gone a second. She shook her head, and sent him a small smile. “No, thanks baby. Be back soon, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

She blew him a kiss, that he caught, and then he was gone. He flew down the stairs and got into the car in record time.

The Gryffindor airport was busy with the long weekend in sight. Tourists flying in, locals allowing themselves a few days out. Kasey checked the time and terminal number for the third time, bouncing a little on his feet.

The big screen showing arrivals lighted up with the JFK-GYF flight. People started to come in from the doors in front of him, and he resisted the urge to get on his toes to see better. Alex wasn’t exactly difficult to spot anyway.

As if summoned, the redhead appeared, smiling and talking to a fellow passenger. He didn’t spot Kasey right away, and this gave the goalie a moment to just look at him. It had been a while without a screen or his hockey mask in between them. Kasey distinctly felt the temperature in the room rise, the day becoming sunnier and, sue him, life turning a little sweeter. Alex looked good. The freckles that invaded his face and shoulders were turning more visible again, and he was wearing a sweatshirt that would probably end on Kasey or Nat in the next hour. Messy auburn hair was kept back by a backwards cap, and the worn backpack, the only thing he bothered to prepare for weekends in Gryffindor, was eased on a broad shoulder.

He came to an alt, still talking to the fellow passenger, and shook his hand with a big smile and one last pat on the shoulder. Then he turned, the attentive gaze he always wore on the ice as he led a puck towards the net, now looking for Kasey. His eyes softened the moment he found him, and Kasey felt the urgent need to whisper I missed you, I missed you, even feet apart. Alex would know. The space in between them had to know. Alex reached him in long strides, then engulfed him in a tight hug. Strong arms found his shoulder blades as Kasey’s automatically curled around his neck.

They stood like that for a while, absorbing the other’s presence and swinging slightly, letting the busy flow around them clear out a bit. Alex let out a happy hum against his ear, tightening the hug for a few seconds. Tense muscled finally finding peace. They parted, only for Kasey to find a bright smile, all for him to lean over and kiss gently.

“Hm, happy to see me,” Alex mused, a finger stroking Kasey’s cheek lightly.

“I’m always happy to see you,” he retorted, making Alex chuckle and nod.

“I know you are. Lead the way, Winter.”

They walked to the exit of the terminal in silence. Kasey’s two-inches advantage was perfect for Alex to keep his head on the blonde’s shoulder, an arm around his back, as the goalie took the backpack from him and swung it on his other shoulder. Not because it was heavy -Alex had probably thrown in only a t-shirt and a snack as usual, everything else he might need already at their loft. But Kasey could. It was sensational.

“Made another friend on the plane?”

“Yeah, Juan. Great guy. He’s vising his family for the weekend. Owns a fusion restaurant in Soho, made me promise we’d go sometimes.”

Kasey hummed, suppressing a smile. Every time Alex sat next to someone for more than five minutes, he would make new friends. The goalie could still recall Agnes, an old lady they’d met on another plane that ended up giving them half the muffins she’d baked for her grandkids. That had been a few years ago, and Alex still had semi-regular coffee dates with her.

“We will.”

Kasey slid the key into the keyhole carefully, trying not to make a sound. He and Alex got into the loft quietly, stopping for a second to listen, but the house was quiet. Natalie was still sleeping. They lost their shoes, a satisfied hum coming from Alex, as if to say here I am, as he tiptoed his way to the kitchen. Kasey followed him, and smiled as the other man opened his backpack. Of course. He began to take boxes and boxes of the butter cookies from the boulangerie at the corner of his apartment. The ones that Natalie loved and had for breakfast every time she visited.

Alex smiled back at him with a raised eyebrow, and his hand emerged with three more boxes, colorful tins and elegant letters. He shrugged, looking down at them.

“Went to this Russian bakery in the West Village, and the owner said-” he cleared his throat, putting a terrible Russian accent on, “-oh, your tea-lover boy must try this. Give you some blends, you come back for more.” He snickered as Kasey shook his head fondly and studied one of the boxes. Bergamot and cinnamon. His favorite blend. “I don’t think it was a suggestion. Sounded more like a threat.”

Kasey didn’t try to hide a smile as he examined the other tea tins. He couldn’t, not really. You talk to people about me. Alex was a black coffee drinker, and only indulged in tea when Kasey was having it. Kasey could see him, leaning on the counter of a bakery, talking to a huge Russian man about his boyfriend and how he only drank tea, not coffee.

Kasey didn’t know what to say, so he tilted his head and opened an arm for Alex to fit under. And he kissed him, sweet and slow, because the weekend was long, and they had all the time in the world, and Alex talked about him to Russian bakers. They took their time, one of Alex’s hands going for his hair and drawing a happy sound from Kasey, who slid on one of the stools by the counter. Even after they parted, they stayed there, recharging with the other’s presence, reminiscing of times when all that could only have been a bitter fantasy.

Kasey looked for those sweet brown eyes, and passed a gentle finger under one of them, absorbing Alex’s soft smile and gentle hands on his hips. He just looked, trying to convey what he was feeling. I love you. I love how you put your love for us in every action. Thank you for the teas. I feel so lucky to have you. I didn’t think I’d ever get to have you like this.

“I know,” the redhead murmured, leaving a soft kiss at the corner of his mouth. “Me too.”

They spent another few minutes in a soft hug. Swinging in silence, hands moving in circles on the other’s back. Kasey focused on the shoulder he’d watched get slammed against the boards during the Rangers’ last game. It drew more than a few relieved sighs from the redhead melting against him.

At some point Alex parted to squish his cheeks. Kasey indulged him and all the Baby, Baby cheeks, Sweet Snowflake, Winter Seal he received, letting him do. It came to an end when Alex patted his chest a few times, then stood straight.

"We didn't hide the whole visit to Natalie only for her to walk on us cuddling in the kitchen," he claimed. "Let's go, Sweet Storm."

The shades were still submerging the room in a dark and drowsy silence. Kasey could still see Alex’s smile as the man slid next to the bundle of blankets and pillows that still hadn’t moved and threw an arm around Nat’s waist.

He began to move slow circles on her back, delicate but firm enough for her to stir a little, drawing a soft hmm from under the plaid. Alex put a finger on his mouth, and Kasey got the message, crossing the room to sit quietly at the other end of the bed, facing Natalie.

Alex continued his strokes, solid and warm against her back, and when she mumbled hm, Kase, they both hid their laughs in their hands. The stirs grew more impatient, until a blonde cascade of messy hair appeared. A dark eye peeked in the direction of Kasey. He smiled, stroking her cheek.

“Hmm, Kase, keep doing that,” she mumbled, reaching for the hand on her back and bringing it around her waist again.

Alex’s eyebrows shot up in amusement at the same time as Kasey’s, who snorted a laugh out. The redhead pressed more firmly to the girl’s back, and she kept his hand on her waist. The other shrugged, and they waited in silence for Natalie to become more awake and notice whose hand she was trapping.

She stirred a few more times, letting a happy hum out as Alex left a soft kiss on her shoulder, and then slowly began to open her eyes. She looked puzzled at Kasey, who was smiling, and her brows furrowed. Without breaking eye contact, she started feeling the hand on her waist, running her fingers up and down the forearm surer and faster.

She let out a sob. “No.”

“Yes,” Alex whispered back, leaving a peck behind her ear.

It was all it took for Natalie to scramble to a sitting position and jump on Alex, arms going tight around his neck. He grasped her back immediately, strong arms clutching the large t-shirt for a long moment. He buried his face in the nook of her collarbone as he eased them both gently in a lying position. He could hear her sob as she left a series of quick kisses  among his hair, and smiled against her neck.

“You fucker,” she sobbed, holding him in a suffocating grip. “When did you…how…Kase, did you…”

“Yep,” Kasey replied softly. He crossed the bed to fall into the arm Alex opened for him, and let out a happy hum against his chest. “Surprise.”

It took a while for Natalie to detach herself from Alex enough to form a sentence. “All weekend?” she asked as she passed a hand on her wet cheek.

Alex kissed her forehead, her nose, her cheeks before stroking them gently. “’Till Tuesday.”

That got another series of sobs out of Natalie, but it mixed with a watery laugh, that glittered more than every prize the two players could win.

.

.

.

#lou's writing #lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove #o'darwin #kasey winter #alex o'hara #natalie darcy