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#I was feeling really good today esp this morning the time flew by and this afternoon going home
llycaons · 1 year
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I know I’ve been saying this sort of thing for over a year now, but I’m sure things will settle down in the next few months, and when that happens, I’d love to start getting connected with mutuals again. a few years ago we did some cards and package exchanges, and that could be really fun to do, even if it’s just postcards
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livingwithlosingyou · 2 years
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Living with Losing You - 11/9/2022
DWLLRS!!!!!
I was so excited to see them in concert today. Their song “You’re Gonna Cry” has helped me through this grief. 
This morning I felt the urge to work out. I have not run inna while since it’s been cold / I have not been feeling 100%. I am very sore already. Anyway, I dropped Sadie off at Camp for an overnight, then started my trek for the day. My plan was to go to RB, SM, and DM. Last time I went to the other locations (besides EL and SA). I needed to drop off a couple of things at these locations. It can be nice to just drive and joining meetings, or even just talk to a friend / or listen to music. It is nice to have that change of pace. I also just really like being able to see / chat with soem of the teams. 
After I went to RB and SM, I texted my dad because he works up there. I ended up meeting up with him at his work office. It was nice to see him in his element, and then meet some of his coworkers. I always make the joke that my dad would be my HR nightmare. He is so funny though, definitely a light in that office, and in general. Always has to be goofy. It’s where I get that demeanor from. After that, I decided to go and see my brother. I am not even sure if I put this on here, but there was a bit of a tiff between him and I. He accused me of something and then ghosted me (likely since he couldn’t back it up). Either way, I like to think it was out of his concern for me, but really was a strange approach. I wanted to be the bigger person so I decided to go and see him. Long story short we had a good convo about how I was doing, he was doing, etc. I bought some of his glutens, and he gave a me a little tour. He asked me about the LLC, and so we were talking about it. He is not open about his journey, which is fine, but at the same time speaks volume. I do not see why he would be ashamed since that was. apart of his path to get to this point. I actually hate that it’s like that, because it’s something to be proud of not ashamed of. I will just leave it at that. 
Anyway, after that, I went to DM and ended up working for another 3.5 hours. I got a lot done, and had a lot of things come up too. Very productive. Time flew by, and before I knew it, it was past 4pm. I had called the other coach a little before then to let him know that I didn’t think I would make it since I was so busy. Unfortunately I can’t make it tomorrow either because I am going to SA and then have a work meeting at 5pm in MV. Tomorrow is going to be a longggg day. 
I sat in some traffic. After getting through the thick of it, I was able to quickly stop and get some Mexican food. I got a rolled taco plate, ti really hit the spot! I rushed home to quickly get ready, and the met up with Marissa outside of our apartments so I could take her to the airport. She is going to AZ for a short trip. We did hit some traffic on our way tp the terminal . in the terminal, but it wasn’t awful. Once I dropped her off, I headed to the house of blues in the Voodoo room to see DWLLRS. The coolest thing about it was this was their first EVER sold out show! Incredible! I bought a t-shirt while I was there too. They put on a really good show. The band in front of them was great too. Allin all just a smooth night. I was a little bummed when I realized that I had to pay $30 for parking, but all worth it. My buddy Will us officially my concert buddy. We have fun. 
We were supposed to go to In-n-Out, but honestly I was still pretty full form my Mexican food, and ti was about 10pm. Granted, right now its 11:33pm, but i was determined to finish this blog before I go to bed tonight. I tried to record some video of the show (esp. my favorite song), but my video stooped working. SUPER convenient. 
Anyway, I am all showered up and need to get somer rest. I am pretty sure I am missing some stuff for SA, but I am tempted to just have the next person bring it up (if I did in fact forget something). Or maybe we can ship it? I will figure it out. 
Thanks goodness for earplugs. I have been wearing them to any / all live music. I definitely already have some ringing in my ears, but why make it worse?
I was thinking how nice it would have been to be there with you tonight. I think you would have liked this band and the music. Miss little things like that. I still cannot believe how fast time feels like its flying. It’s that, but also can feel like it drags at times. 
OH! I got some updates on my music, it’s coming along. I also bought some tickets to fly out to KY right after Christmas. I am excited to see your family near the holidays, and get some music recorded. I will have to work out there, but might maybe take a day or so off. We will see. 
I need to be up early, so I need to go to bed. 
JAMES. Love you butthead. 
Rest in Peace, James Burton Nichols. 
10/1/1993 - 7/16/2022
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missguomeiyun · 5 years
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I’m back from Korea
I feel like October didn’t happen at all .. but at the same time, it happened & it happened too quickly =/
I was away for 2.5 weeks in Korea, & then when I came back, it was a mini series of night shifts so I practically did nothing. .. & by the time I realized it, it was Halloween & I was working evening shifts so I didn’t go out. O_O it has been 1 crazy month. But November is here now, & things are returning back to normal: my vacation withdrawal is over, & I have some “normal” combo of shifts, & it’s time to say bye-bye to the hot weather. It’s gonna be great~
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Okay, let’s be real: I’m never “over” a Korea trip lol the other day, I was really craving that budae jjigae. The struggle was real. So I made it for lunch ^^
For my 1st return post, I’ve decided to keep things simple & just share a brief summary of my 2.5 week-long trip with you!
Day 1-4: I stayed at my usual Seoul home, Namsan Hill Hotel. I was unable to book a longer stay at this place =( These 1st few days, I revisited some places in Seoul: Namdaemun (for hand-cut noodles called “kalguksu”); Sinchon/Ewha Womens Univ area/Hongik Univ area for shopping & ; Gyeongbokgung area for Tongin Market & some art museums; Insadong/Samcheongdong/Bukchon Hanok Village for some relaxing strolls around traditional Korean housing. Some new places I went to include:
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- a cafe called “Kopi Han-yak-bang” (lit. trans.: “coffee Korean pharmacy”). Look it up! It’s super cool! The owner believes coffee has a healing power, just like traditional herbal medicine, so the cafe is like a vintage herbal medicine shop/pharmacy. It feels as if you’re entering a movie set rather than a cafe.
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- The Skyfarm for brunch! Pretty place with amazing view of Seoul.
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- Seongsu area for industrial warehouse cafes. It was a valuable & memorable experience bcos Seongsu used to be an area for large factories (making of leather products & shoes, & car-fixing shops), but it’s revitalizing & the large factory spaces are now being converted to hip coffeeshops. Many of which do collabs with local/emerging artists & fashion designers so there’s lots of artsy things to see in these coffeeshops.
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- Seoul Forest. There’s like a picnic area, some basketball & tennis courts, walking trails, etc. .. I had a convenience store goods dinner in the picnic area, & watched the sunset there.
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Day 5-8: I moved over to Savoy Hotel located in the heart of Myeongdong. It’s ~15min walk away from Namsan Hill Hotel. Great location but also quite loud. My options were slim when I was booking stuff, & I needed to stay close to Seoul Station bcos I arranged 4x 1-day trips! I didn’t realize it at first but then I was like, “I have 4 back-to-back day trips right now.” I was essentially out every day from like 0700h to 2100h.
Trip 1: Paju~ for Heyri Art Village & Provence. I have been to these places before & really liked it so I went back, esp Heyri Art Village. After the day trip, I met up with 2 of my coworkers for K-BBQ in the Hapjeong area.
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Trip 2: Jeonju~ I only went to 1 place in Jeonju & that was the Jeonju Hanok Village. It was raining all day that day. However, it was still very enjoyable. The village was a beautiful place, & under the rain, it looked even more picturesque.
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Trip 3: Incheon~ for Incheon Chinatown & Wolmido, which is an island connected to Incheon via a highway. Due to its close proximity to China, Incheon became a major port for trades back in the day, & the Chinese immigrants basically settled here, hence it’s the largest Chinatown in Korea. I met up with my friend Ji Yoon in Chinatown & we spent some time catching up.
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Trip 4: Gangneung~ For the annual Gangneung Coffee Festival; its title was “Voices of Coffee” this year! It was held at the Gangneung Olympic Ice Arena. I can’t recall how many shots of coffee samples I had that day, but it was a lot. I also went to the Anmok Coffee Street, which is a line of cafes along Anmok Beach - all the cafes face the beach so the view is pretty. Even more so on the day I went bcos it was cloudy =]
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Day 9: remained in Seoul today. Went to the Seoul Botanic Garden, which opened its doors in May 2019. Very pretty displays~ Huuuuuge space too. It was like Telus World x Muttart Conservatory x Devonian Botanic Garden. Lots to see, & if you go, allot more time for yourself here. & then in the evening, I camped out by Yeouido Hangang Park for the annual Seoul International Fireworks Festival, which was named “Life is Colourful” this year. So many ppl! I was expecting that before going but it was beyond my imagination. It was truly an experience- the streets were blocked off for pedestrian traffic & literally, it took like 10mins to move 5meters after the show as over! Then at the subway station nearby, there was a bottleneck, where apparently the capacity inside the underground station was reached so we needed to wait outside the exit.. . still, it was fun!
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Day 10-12: 1 way train ticket to Busan. Yes, train to Busan ;) I was safe though hehe Busan was beautiful! In hindsight, I should’ve spent more time here but . .. NEXT TIME! I went to BIFF Square & Gukje Market, which was like across from my hotel, Stanford Inn Busan. Gamcheon Cultural Village was super cute; although I would hate being a resident there =/ The Busan Int’l Film Festival was happening then, & I visited the Expo & Convention Centre for the film market. Can’t go into the exhibition, but that whole area was filled with ads/posters of BIFF - it was a big deal! It was cool to witness such a big event & to experience the sheer scale of it. I then went to Shinsegae Centum City, which is the largest shopping complex in the world.  Haeundae Beach was also cool. I went on a cloudy day & it was awesome! That same evening/night, I checked out the Jagalchi Fish Market, which is the largest seafood market in Korea. It has 7 floors total, with 3 underground parking levels :O On the last day, bcos I only had the morning available to do stuff, I had Busan fish cake for breakfast & strolled in BIFF Square again.
*Note: I actually hit all the things on my itinerary EXCEPT for the Busan Museum of Art, which was closed on Mondays =( but the security guy let me in to see the lobby bcos he knew I was a tourist. Thank you!
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Day 13-17: Flew from Busan Airport to Jeju Airport. I used more time than needed for the whole process- turned out foreigners have their own line at the Busan Airport, so it’s faster than locals. There’s also a domestic terminal & international terminal, so from arrival to being checked in & through security.. . it took less than 25mins. It was great! In regards to Jeju, I did the following:
- stayed in Jeju City for the arrival afternoon/evening, with my hotel being Astar Hotel. Had a street food dinner at Dongmun Market; they were having this night market/festival event so a bunch of street food stalls were open from 7pm-midnight. Smelled like heaven haha
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- I did my 1st hike ever on Hallasan Mountain, specifically the Gwaneunsa Trail, & I reached the peak. It was.. . hard. I can’t say I particularly enjoyed it; however, it has proven to me that I am a land person, & I belong in museums, cafes, & street walking lol. Look up the details of the trail! Was it ambitious of me to go on this for my 1st hike ever. .. without any hiking gear? I went with what some ppl would consider gym shoes, a hoodie, leggings, & a backpack with water, juice, kimbaps, 2 bananas, 6 mandarins, & some snacks (cheese crisps & pineapple cream-flavoured crackers).
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- The day after the hike, my legs were still okay. But it was my glut that was starting to get sore XD I went to Osulloc Tea Museum & Innisfree Jeju House. The aesthetics <3
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- Went to Black Pig Street for black pig bbq. I was hoping a restaurant or two was taking solo-diners & thankfully, the 2nd restaurant I asked did! I ordered pork neck instead of pork belly - it was quite tender & kinda chewy, actually. Later that evening, I went to the Tamra Cultural Festival 2019. It was neat~ There was an outdoor night market, as well as a stage for cultural dance/play/music.
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- Jeju Island is actually quite small, & it takes approx. an hour from 1 side of the island to the other side. Thus, for my 3rd (full) day, I went to the Jungmun (Jeju City is north of the island; Jungmun is south coast) & visited the Yellow Cafe, Chocolate Land, Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, & Yeomiji Botanical Garden.
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- From Jungmun, I took a local bus to Lee Jong Seop Street in Seogwipo, the next city over. The street is very pleasant & chill, with artwork along the street, coffeeshops & eateries, as well as little gift shops. Totally my thing! It reminds me Bukchon Hanok Village in terms of vibe, but minus the traditional housing look. The Seogwipo Olle Market is nearby, & is a great place to buy Jeju souvenirs. The pricing, I heard/read, is cheaper than Dongmun Market in Jeju City - it is true! There are also less tourists here, which was what made it enjoyable for me, personally.
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- Only the morning on my last day was free for activities bcos my flight to Seoul was early afternoon. I visited the area around Jeju City Hall, which was ~20min walk from my hotel. It was a very leisurely morning, where I sat down & enjoyed coffee at Coffee Finder & had a build-your-own-ramen bowl at a place nearby. The architecture of Coffee Finder was unique; it used to be a 2-floor house, with like a driveway/sidewalk. But the ummm first floor ceiling/second floor flooring was knocked down so there’s a “hole” in the middle of the cafe. The cafe has very homely vibes as the placement of tables/chairs are in what was (at one point) rooms of the house. It’s open but also you can get some privacy at the same time.
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Day 17-18: Back to Seoul, & stayed at Namsan Hill Hotel~ Itaewon is a must! I need to go to Passion 5 every time lol. & I also revisited the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art bcos I like it. & then I had my last day as a “free” day, where I didn’t plan ANYTHING. I’m a very intense planner & when I go on trips, I literally plan to the minute haha & guess what, I ended up in Hongdae. Honestly, it’s my kinda place. Sadly, the transportation situation there isn’t convenient for the rest of my itinerary, or else I would choose a hotel that’s in the vicinity. I nearly spent 2.5 hrs at Coin Su Noraebang haha I realized that if you score high enough, time gets added to your paid time :O I can’t let that go to waste =P
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There ya go, Korea 2019!
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PS: I haven’t decided what/how I’m gonna go about posting my trip. .. There are wayyyy too many photos & it will take me a million yrs to write/upload. Perhaps expect unexpected Korea posts scattered between my regular posts :P I will, however, share with you the coffees I’ve had in Korea. I tried diff ones, from franchise to small local cafes, adventurous flavours & the typical black Americano. I didn’t have any poor experiences but there was 1 particular one that I will likely never order again - tbh, I should’ve expected it but I still went for it anyway *shrugs* so I guess it was all my fault haha ok, I’ll ttyl~!
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delciastudies · 4 years
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[02.12.19] ✧  46-56 days of productivity
ft. Sadie, my baby :,) she always tells me she wants inside by coming to the window
Hello everyone!! I’m sorry I literally abandoned my tumblr for a week and a half. Last Tuesday I flew home, and since then it’s been a complete whirlwind. I left Santa Barbara feeling super overwhelmed and stressed from everything I have due these next two weeks. Even then, Thanksgiving was lovely and it was so refreshing to spend some time with my family. Shockingly, this is the first time I’ve been able to be home without going crazy!!
I finally have my graduate programs applications started, I’m reaching out to faculty and students, getting in letters of recommendation, and fixing my draft of my statement of purpose. This past two weeks I’ve really been struggling with my thesis -- I think mostly because I don’t feel confident about my writing skills even though I know I’m an amazing writer. I think it’s just been overwhelming.
The best bit of advise I can give all of you students out there wrapping up this quarter/semester is this: faculty members work for us. My mom told me this after I came to her crying about all the stress from graduate school, and told me -- blatantly -- “you are literally paying their salaries. It’s their job and you need to show them that”. I think that really opened my eyes that it’s these professor’s jobs to work with students, and I need to stop feeling like a burden.
On the bright side, I asked one of my amazing writing professors for a letter of recommendation, and I’ve only known this woman for a quarter, and she sent me back the most enthusiastic email stating she would gladly write me one- so I’m feeling extra good about that. :)
Tonight and tomorrow’s to-dos: ✧ Final touches on WRIT109HU paper, take to CLAS @15:30 ✧ Email more faculty members and students! esp at columbia ✧ ANTH195 literature review due wednesday- stay in the library ✧ Get my mom tickets to santa barbara~ ✧FR office hours! ✧ Foran office hours Tracker: 
 ✧ Mood: exhausted 
✧ Energy: 15% 
 ✧ Sleep: 4h 
(I woke up at 3:30 for my flight this morning kms) ✧ Water: 4 glasses 
 ✧ Medicine: gotta catch up ✧ Skincare: now that I’m not in the dry colorado mountains, improving 
✧ What made me happy today: a close friend’s birthday, making it home safe and sound, reminiscing on my family and how supportive they are ✧ What made me proud today: making it through today, giving a bomb presentation even though I was flying all day and got no sleep!! and still finding time to take care of myself.
Good luck on finals everybody!! If anyone has questions about graduate school things, please message me <3 xx
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svechnikoffee · 5 years
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take me back to where i belong
take me back to where i belong – nokantrol for @babrielandeskog
words: 6k, last time i checked?
warnings: language & one brief, brief mention of the blackhawks. beyond that, nothing I can think of beyond a gratuitous love letter to whataburger with a side of tyler seguin/jamie benn
notes: a belated happiest of holidays to you, b! thanks for your patience on this wild behemoth of a fic. the holidays are just as good a reason as any to bring together dumb colorado boys and dumb dallas boys, esp over airplanes and biscuits & gravy.
as one of my favorite writers ever, it was an absolute honor to be able to write for you—hope you enjoy!!
title taken loosely from “home” by morgxn, which I only came across after it played in the background of a dylan larkin video haha
It’s dawning on you that you definitely should’ve taken up your mom on her offer of earplugs and a sleep mask as you were hurrying out of the house this morning. It’s been a headache of a day—you’d woken up early to help her cook Thanksgiving lunch, then spent the rest of the afternoon catching up with your cousins and tickling the little ones while their dads sat around the TV watching football.
You’d even managed to slip away into your old bedroom to FaceTime with Tyler and Jamie, and Jamie’s friend Tyson. He seemed nice enough, though clearly unprepared to meet new people given that he was in the middle of shoveling down a DQ Blizzard when Tyler turned the camera to him. You might’ve been preoccupied with stuffing your belongings back into your suitcase, but you were genuinely relieved that Tyler had found someone to hang out with during the brief holiday.
Tyler had straight up begged you to stay in town for Thanksgiving, claiming he needed your company to get through the loneliest holiday for a Canadian in America. You just snorted and patted his head, which had been in your lap like always, shushing him with a finger to his lips.
“You’re so full of shit, you know that Ty?” He waggled his eyebrows in response. Part of you did feel sorry for him, though. He’d spent last Thanksgiving with Rads “going stag”, as they called it, but the older man had worked out a visit from Makar and his parents over the long weekend and looked like he was going to keel over from excitement. Which wasn’t really a stretch from his normal self, but still.
Last you’d heard, Jamie was having a BC friend visit, and even Jackie had booked an Alaskan cruise with her girlfriends after Tyler insisted he’d be fine on his own. Now, you just feel bad for the poor guy. He’d been taking a break from going out—I’m just trying to look out for my liver, (Y/N)—and you knew he’d be a sad sack and spend the night in with the pups.
So you compromised and took the beginning of the week off to spend with your family in Chicago, and promised Tyler you’d be back by Thursday night at the latest. It all worked out perfectly since he and Jamie didn’t have a game again until Saturday…which brings you to this moment right here, sitting in a darkened plane with the hottest guy you’ve ever laid eyes on. And you regularly find yourself around some pretty fucking beautiful people. Klinger still won’t tell you what he uses for his skin.
The worst part about flying from Chicago to Dallas is there are never any direct flights with a legitimate shot of you getting on. You can’t complain, considering the fact that working for an airline means you fly for free, but after a jam-packed day like today, you’d like to put your feet up and skip the layovers.
Luckily, the flight you’d managed to get on flew through Denver without a plane change, which meant you were peacefully out for the count while the second batch of passengers got on. You’d been on so many flights for work within the past few months that falling asleep was just second nature to you now. Plus the luxury of a window seat? Score.
Of course, things don’t always work out like they should, so you were jolted from your nap with a loud snort and slurp before spotting the straight up god sitting at the end of your row. Seriously, you’d taken enough flights to know that meet-cutes just didn’t happen, but here you were now.
The blond man has his reading light on, which is a definite faux pas in your mind, but you pause at the fact that he’s actually reading a physical book. Not just any book at that, but you recognize the dark purple cover and intricate detailing of one of your favorite reads of the year. He must notice you staring, because he just turns the page and smiles before asking, “See something you like?”
You blush and scrub at your cheek before realizing the man hasn’t even lifted his eyes from the page.
“Actually, I do.”
That’s enough for him to raise his head and give you a full look at his face. He has gentle eyes that you can just bet are a blue you could get lost in, given what you can see in this lighting. The man’s beard is cropped clean and short, and you wish you could send a photo of his face to Tyler with a message reading, Real men don’t leave spaces in their mustaches.
“And what might I interest you in?”
“The book you’re reading, it’s one of my favorites,” you admit. You know you’re not the type to play coy and charm the pants off this guy, so you decide to do the best with what you’ve got. If he doesn’t like that, it’s not your problem.
It must be a good open though, because his eyes light up in response.
So it begins, from talking about how good All You Can Ever Know is, and how the author makes the nuance surrounding adoption and racism so poignant and real to their audience. You find out the man’s name is Gabe, and there’s a barely noticeable lilt to his words that he attributes to being from Sweden. Gabe glares at you when you jokingly ask for help setting up the new IKEA bookshelf in your living room, and in turn you offer him the extra cookie you’d saved from your earlier flight.
He tells you his plans got derailed last minute and that he was planning on crashing a friend’s Thanksgiving, because there just isn’t enough time around this holiday to head all the way back to Sweden. After a few hours with him, you’re not sure you want to let him go just yet, so you offer to drive him to his friend’s place since you’d left your car at the airport anyways.
You cringe inside when you realize how creepy that must sound and are a second away from laughing it off when he looks you in the eye gratefully and accepts.
After telling him about your travels, which is something you have in common, Gabe probes deeper and asks about the things that make you you, and something stops you from giving him the canned answer you give everyone else who asks.
“I’ve always wanted to be a writer. Walk into a bookstore and see my name on the shelves, you know?” You sigh wistfully at the dream you’ve had since you were a kid toting around a notebook and pen everywhere you went.
“Imagine that: (Y/N)… what’s your last name?” He quirks an eyebrow at you.
“You’re not getting that out of me—you could be a stalker, for all I know!” You laugh when he rolls his eyes in response. “It’s (Y/L/N),” you finally offer. “(Y/N) (Y/L/N).” Worst comes to worst, he’ll probably just find your LinkedIn and ask to connect or something.
“Wait…(Y/N) (Y/L/N).” His eyebrows scrunch up and you can see some kind of gears turning in his head. You’ve never seen this guy before in your life (you definitely would know if you had), so you wonder how he could suddenly be so familiar with your name. There’s nothing to do but laugh again when his face literally bursts into a sunbeam in recognition, the smile overtaking his eyes. You want to take a photo of it; it’s too much to take in with the naked eye all at once.
“You wrote that article in the inflight magazine, the one about the travel tips to Chicago!” You freeze, your grip running tighter on your phone.
“How do you even know that?” You exclaim, eyeing him suspiciously. “I was asleep for like 10 minutes before you started talking to me!”
“I get bored,” the man explains easily. “And I always check the Hidden Gems features because I travel a lot for work. It didn’t hurt that you wrote about one of my favorite cities.” He winks at you and you know you’re blushing now. Guys don’t really bother to flirt with you, let alone big, beefy ones with big, rugged hands and soft blue eyes.
“Oh, well. That’s quite a compliment, considering I write all of them. Thank you,” you manage to get out. Goodness, why did you have to be so awkward all the time.
“You’re welcome,” he replies earnestly.
“Listen, if you’re not in a hurry to get to your friend’s place…have dinner with me.” Something about Gabe makes you feel bold, like you’re the Sun and it’s up to you to rise and seize the day. You know you shouldn’t trust this stranger you’ve literally just met (your mind supplies that you were the one to offer him a ride in the first place) but the alarm bells aren’t going off in your head just yet, so you figure it’s worth a shot.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I know a place.” Actually, you can’t think of any places that might be worthy of housing Gabe, but you’ll act first, and deal with the repercussions later.
“Sure, let’s do it,” he replies easily, smiling up at you from his perch atop his carry-on.
Of course, you have to keep up the bravado from just moments before, all the while racking through every restaurant you can think of nearby. You’re not sure where Gabe’s headed, and while you’ll most likely stop by Tyler’s before heading back home, you want to stay relatively close by.
“How do you feel about fast food?” You blurt out, your mind immediately jumping to the Whataburger you frequent on your way to work in the mornings.
Gabe smiles wryly at you before nodding. Patting his stomach lightly, to which you vehemently fight against imagining the abs that must live beneath his sweater, he musters out a nonchalant, “I’m sure I can break my diet tonight, just for you.”
You roll your eyes and shove at his arm; you feel like you’ve known Gabe for years as opposed to the few hours you spent with him 35,000 feet above ground. Maybe time doesn’t exist that high up in the air.
“Your parents live in Chicago. You live in Dallas,” Gabe checks off as he shoves a spicy ketchup smothered fry into his mouth. “What’s the deal with that?”
“It’s not that complicated, really. I grew up in Chicago, loved it, got an internship in Dallas during college and loved the work, and I’ve been here since I graduated. I get homesick a lot though, so the flight perks come in handy.” You bite your cheek to keep from getting emotional; any mention of missing your parents still gets you teary.
“Wow,” Gabe breathes. You’re too preoccupied with trying to discreetly blink the tears away before he notices, that you don’t have time to gauge his reaction.
It’s the truth, though. You never thought you’d leave the Midwest, with its ability to shift through all four seasons in a day. But you did, and you can’t feel bothered to apologize for the fact that you’re still not sure where you would call home. What you loved about Dallas the first time around was that it was your space. Everyone you knew in Chicago had practically known you since you’d been in diapers, and you never realized how heavy that burden had been until you left.
You’re just about to say something when Gabe clears his throat to speak.
“(Y/N), I can’t believe you moved over a thousand miles away from home right out of college and have been sticking it out this entire time. You’re really brave.”
“Oh, um. Thank you?” You wipe your nose and sniff before taking a bite of your burger. No one had ever reacted like that before. You’re used to people ribbing you for your flight benefits or joking about how there’s no way you can go back to Chiberia after a few years in the South.
“I get it, though,” Gabe continues. “I moved to Canada when I was in, what do you call it, high school? Then after a few years, I settled down in Denver for work, and that’s where I’ve been ever since.” You quirk an eyebrow, wondering if his parents had been in the service given how he’d had to move all over the world. Now, your move seems small in comparison.
“And you mentioned you were born in Sweden, right? I’ve always wanted to go,” you say wistfully. One day, you’d get your backpacking trip around Europe. One day.
Gabe nods eagerly, and thankfully doesn’t comment on your blatant change of subject. He reminds you of a big golden retriever with how often he smiles and seems to enjoy every moment he’s in. He runs a hand through his hair before diving into what it was like growing up in Stockholm, and how he feels like he’s back home anytime he can smell salty sea air. It’s not all too different from Jamie’s childhood, you realize belatedly. You think they’d get on well.
The two of you continue to trade stories back and forth in the tiny Whataburger down the street from Love Field, and you can’t ignore the want bubbling up from deep within.  
When Gabe inputs the address into Google Maps and holds it up for you to see, you have to blink and bring his phone closer to your face to get a better look.
“Wait. Gabe. Whose house are you going to?” Gabe pauses, looking uneasy for the first time since you met just a few hours ago.
“I told you, he’s like my best friend’s best friend. Jamie.”
“Oh. My. God. Oh my God. Gabe. Gabe.” You burst into peals of laughter and have to hit your steering wheel multiple times over because no fucking way. This cannot be real life, right now.
“(Y/N)?” He still looks hesitant, and you’re sure you know why.
“Gabe,” you wheeze. “Gabe. Oh my god. You’re going to Jamie Benn’s house right now? How do you even know him?”
His eyes narrow for a long moment, assessing your frankly embarrassing stature, and he shifts to take his phone back. You’re aware of how you probably look, like a huge Jamie Benn stalker or something, but this turn of events is just too ridiculous to wrap your mind around, let alone, stop laughing at.
“Do you…know him, too?” He asks warily.
“Gabe,” you repeat. “He’s one of my best friends here in Dallas.”
If real life played out the way it did in cartoons, you know you’d see a series of anvils falling from the sky or something equally ridiculous to depict his surprise. Gabe looks flabbergasted, and at a complete loss for words if his sputtering is any indication.
“No fucking way, (Y/N). You sure you’re not just messing with me right now?” He’s finally able to squeeze out right when you start wheezing again. You nod and wipe at the tears streaming down your cheeks; it’s unbelievable how this guy’s got you crying twice for two astronomically different reasons, all within a span of 30 minutes. Gabe must be just as delirious or amused as you are, because he joins you quickly after.
When your giggles finally subside and you trust yourself to drive, you slot your key into the ignition and get started on the drive over to Preston Hollow. You make this exact drive nearly every day, what with the airport being so close to work, but the drive from the airport to Jamie’s house is one you know all too well, having literally gone straight from various work trips to movie nights at his place numerous times over. Just a few weeks ago, Tyler had been walking Gerry over and you’d nearly run the puppy over when he bounded into the street at the sight of your car.
“So, (Y/N),” Gabe starts when you pull out of the Whataburger parking lot. “How exactly do you know all these Stars players?” You bite back a groan; Tyler always gets a kick out of how much you hate telling this story.
“I told you I interned here during college, right?” Gabe nods, and you just barely keep yourself from slamming on the brakes when he flits his tongue to swipe across his upper lip.
“I fell in love with Dallas, and with my line of work being what it is, it’s all about who you know. So after I moved back to Chicago to finish school, I knew I had to make some connections if I wanted to find a job in another state. There weren’t many networking events here, so I kind of had to improvise. My friends took me to a lot of Stars games when I was interning, and I remembered that Casino Night was coming up…” you trail off as you slowly come to a stop at the next red light.
“So I’m guessing you went and seduced some big, sexy hockey players, huh?” Gabe moves closer to dig his elbow into your arm.
“That’s exactly what happened, how did you know,” you deadpan.
“No, for goodness sake’s, Gabe, I didn’t seduce them. I’ve never followed hockey that closely, so I didn’t recognize their faces. Jamie talked to me for almost 20 minutes about working in the Metroplex before a random PR girl came to take him away.” You laugh at the memory of a bumbling Jamie Benn trying to talk to you about taxes and insurance benefits before Tyler had swooped in and hip checked him before winking at you.
With the help of alcohol and some distance from the cameras, Jamie was all soft excitement and fun innuendos while Tyler had just melted into a literal puppy after the event ended. Jamie had asked for your number after you shared some drinks with him and Tyler that night, and you’d always wondered what would’ve happened if you hadn’t had to fly back home the next morning.
Regardless, you kept in touch with the boys until you got a full-time offer with the company you’d interned for the previous summer. When finally making the move to the Big D, you suddenly had 15 fully-grown hockey players at your service when you pulled in with your giant U-Haul. No way could you have imagined any of that from your failed attempt at networking.
“So…your best friends are hockey players, then,” Gabe trails off. You’re not sure where he’s going, but you just nod.
“Yeah, I go to their games and I can finally tell them apart on the ice, but I’m more of a baseball girl myself.” It’s true, you’d grown up in Cubs territory and their World Series win ranked in your list of favorite moments from your entire life.
“Do you know any other hockey players?”
“Mmm, I don’t think so. I guess I know who Sidney Crosby is? But that’s only because Tyler’s obsessed with him.” Gabe laughs brightly and you hear an of course he is under his breath.
“Wait…do you know Tyler, too?”
“Um, yeah (Y/N). I kind of have to, considering I play hockey, too.” This time you really slam on the brakes, which is just fine because no one’s on the road, anyways. You’ve only got another mile or so until you make it to Jamie’s place, and you’d like some time to wrap your head around the fact that this dream of man regularly plays against your best friends.
“You’re a hockey player from Sweden…who plays in Colorado,” you utter our slowly. “You’re somehow friends with Tyson, who’s friends with Jamie, which probably means that Tyson’s a hockey player too, right?” Everything is wild and nothing makes sense.
Gabe at least has the courtesy of looking sheepish. He scratches at his neck and shrugs.
“Yeah, Tyson’s one of my best friends in Denver. You can’t tell him that, though, or else he’ll get a big head.”
“Okay, just give me a second to wrap my head around this. Also, get out your phone because we need to record their reactions when we walk in together. Good thing I have a key,” you whisper conspiratorially.
“I think I kind of like bossy (Y/N).”
You know Jamie’s already expecting you, especially since Tyler had texted he was still hanging out with the guys. Gabe’s already got the video rolling on his phone when you slide the key into the lock. You call out a hello as you slip off your shoes and gesture for Gabe to follow when you hear an “in the kitchen!”
Marshall and Cash come bounding up to you while Gerry takes a moment to survey the new guest. Gabe gives him a generous amount of pats, which has Gabe on his knees scratching the puppy’s belly in no time.
“And that’s why we gave a key to (Y/N) in the first place—she somehow always brings us free Whataburger.” You roll your eyes at Jamie’s bravado, he’s clearly raised his voice so you could hear him.
“Holy shit! Landesnerd!”
You turn and mouth Landesnerd? to Gabe in question, to which he shrugs and probably just zooms in on your face with the camera.
Tyson runs over to see Gabe, bypassing you completely. Jamie’s slower to stroll out and he raises an eyebrow at you before pulling you in for a squeeze. He smells like cedar and soap like always, and it’s so familiar to you now that it almost hurts. Tyler comes steamrolling out of the kitchen yelling your name and throws himself into your arms when Jamie finally lets go. This one’s all Aveda shampoo and Armani cologne, and you playfully bite at his shoulder, which has him yelping and jumping away as always. It’s only been a few days, but you’ve missed your boys something fierce.
Plus, it’s only a matter of time before they realize who you walked in with.
“Hold up, hold up, hold up.” Tyson finally pauses, literally scratching his head at the sight of you. “Do you guys know each other? Gabriel, how did you even get into this house?”
Gabe’s still getting everything on video, and you’re so glad it’s all getting caught on tape. Tyler tilts his head side-to-side, glancing between you and Gabe before finally turning and elbowing Jamie in the ribs. He makes a few contemplative noises before finally whispering to Jamie, who’s eyes shine with mirth when he lands his gaze on you, of all people.
“Hey, Landy, what’s up man? How do you know our girl (Y/N), here?” Tyler continues smoothly, pulling Gabe in for one of those complicated handshake turned bro taps. Jamie does the same, but you can tell from the way Gabe shoves at his chest that Jamie’s chosen to chirp him. Of course.
Tyler just waggles his eyebrows at you suggestively when Gabe finally responds, ruffling Tyson’s hair at the same time. 
“It’s just gotta be fate, right? We were on the same flight over, we had Whataburger together, and here we are now.”
“You watch yourself, Landeskog, throwing around words like fate and together. Our (Y/N)’s too good for Colorado scum like you!” You lunge to tackle Tyler to the ground, which just begins an all-out brawl once Marshall and Cash get word of the fun. 
Jamie just sighs all too knowingly, and stops in the kitchen to grab the bags of chips he only saves for special occasions. Something tells you it might be a Goon night after all.
When Jamie officially deems it too late for you to go home, he sends you to the guest room on the second floor to spend the night, just as you have numerous times before. You’re thankful he’s pulling the trigger and has a shit ton of extra rooms for everyone to stay in, one of which already has a new toothbrush and one of Jamie’s spare hoodies.
When you wake up the next morning, it’s to the smell of hazelnut which has you out of bed and downstairs almost immediately. Tyson doesn’t even look half awake yet, but Jamie slides over a mug of black coffee to you wordlessly. The shower’s going down the hall, which tells you exactly where Gabe is.
“Can we do breakfast,” you whine at Jamie. He’s become the big brother you’d never had, and you know he dotes on you as a result of being a lifelong youngest child. Jamie just grunts in response as Tyson flops his hands over his ears with a long, pronounced groan.
“Let’s do Norma’s, I want biscuits,” you continue. Jamie nods and pulls out his phone, presumably to check in with Tyler. 
“It’s good, I promise,” you reassure Tyson. You pat his head of curls gently and get another sad moan in return. Poor guy, sleeping in must definitely be a BC thing.
You and Gabe are the first ones to arrive at Norma’s an hour later, Tyson texting that he and Jamie would pick Tyler up on their way over. You knew if you were to confront either of your friends about what they were trying to do, the big dumb cow eyes would come out to play, and you really didn’t have time for that right now. You just want to enjoy the time you have with Gabe before he leaves, and be able to keep moving forward without even more unrequited feelings weighing you down. Fuck, you don’t even know if it’s been long enough to characterize these feelings as feelings.
As Gabe steps into the bustling diner, you can see the exact moment everything begins to process in that big, blond brain of his. He opens his mouth, then shuts, just smiling down to himself. He stands off to the side while you give your name to the hostess, and make your way over to join him against the wall.
It smells like heaven, if the celestial beings cried tears of grease, and the diner itself is packed with people of all ages. There’s a booth just next to the bar that’s opened up, and you can’t suppress the giggle that erupts when you imagine yourself and four massive hockey players squeezed into it. Gabe calls your name quietly, and you look up to see mirth dancing in his blue, blue eyes.
Completely unaware of the image burned in your brain, he asks, “What’s with all the Texas flags everywhere?”
You have to chuckle at that. Norma’s is known for straight-up Southern comfort food, and their infamous booths decked out in full Texan attire. It was the first thing you’d noticed your first visit, after the giant pies up front that were easily the size of your entire torso. You still remember trying to take sneaky photos to send to your parents all those years ago. Now, they all knew you by name.
“G, it’s Texas,” you reply simply. There really is no other way to put it. “Sweet tea, Whataburger, and good ol’ American football—that’s the Texas way,” you drawl exaggeratedly.
It’s only a couple minutes before the rest of the boys make it to brunch, and if y’all didn’t stick out before, you definitely do now. Tyson’s the closest to you in height, but there’s no denying he’s just as capable as the others in easily benching your weight.
While the people in Texas can be a little softer in the middle, they’re that much kinder in spirit. The city boy in Tyler has slowly been weathered away over the years, and you can’t even pinpoint the Canadian in Jamie anymore. Which is why Gabe with his perfect face and eyes and hair and everything sticks out like a sore thumb in this establishment. It’s like trying to stuff the Sun into a one story home, and telling yourself you still need a lamp.
Tyler kicks at your foot lightly, and it snaps you out of your reverie. The hostess is already leading Jamie, Tyson, and Gabe to a larger booth in the back, so you and Tyler pull up the rear. He offers you his arm, just like always, and he leads you to your seat with a flourish. Jamie’s already saved a spot for Tyler right next to him, patting the cushion with his paw-like hand, which leaves you with the seat next to…Gabe. Of course.
Jamie’s smirking at you when you look up, so you pointedly gesture to the arm he has stretched out behind Tyler to get him to stop. His smirk turns into a shy grin then, and he just shrugs good-naturedly before turning back to his menu. You already know what you’re getting—a Number 7 with extra gravy, as always—so you turn your attention back to Gabe, who’s bouncing between studying the laminated menu and looking around the diner to see what everyone else is eating.
“The biscuits here are the best things I’ve ever tasted,” you offer. Gabe’s brow is still furrowed, eyes flicking back and forth between the menu choices.
“Okay, but can it beat Denver Biscuit Company?” Tyson all but yells from Gabe’s other side. Some other customers nearby turn their heads in interest, and the curly-haired guy is straight up lucky there’s no one with a fishing vest on in your vicinity right now. Don’t mess with Texas is right.
“Oh my god, Four, we can’t take you anywhere,” Gabe hisses, reaching under the table to pinch at Tyson’s thigh.
“Gabe! What the fuck! It’s a free country, Landesnerd!” Tyler’s straight up giggling now as he leans even further into Jamie’s side, and you’re always a sucker for his giggles.
“This has to be a Colorado thing, why are you guys like this?”
“Oh yeah, Benny? Wanna tell Tyler and (Y/N) about the shit we got up to in Kelowna? Don’t kid yourself, bud, you’re not that great.” Tyler’s eyebrows shoot to his hairline and he mouths over a what to you before turning back to Jamie, who’s huge eyes are looking extra cow-like with a side of feigned innocence.
This time, it’s Gabe’s turn to laugh and turn the conversation to shenanigans he and Klinger got into when playing at Worlds together. You don’t know for what, but you feel like you’ve been rewarded with something when he turns to give you a private smile after ordering an extra side of biscuits.
“For us to share away from the hooligans,” he whispers.
Jamie and Tyler had a quick practice over in Frisco after breakfast, so you’d brought Gabe and Tyson back to your place to hang out before meeting the guys again later. Tyson had holed up in your den to call his girlfriend Emma, and last you had checked he had fallen asleep on your futon. You hadn’t expected anything less. Now, you and Gabe are left watching Love Actually in your living room while sipping on some leftover apple cider you’d reheated on the stove.
“Hey Gabe?” It comes out as barely a whisper, but his eyes flick to yours as he murmurs in response. He taps your ankle with his toes, stupid fuzzy socks nudging against your bare skin. You wish you had the liberty of reaching over and tucking your hand into his, pulling him to wrap his strong, wiry arms around your frame. He looks like a scene on your couch, with your favorite throw strewn across his frame.
“Yeah, (Y/N)?”
“What happens now?” You’re scared to even utter the words, afraid he’ll just brush it all off. Luckily, he seems to have given this a lot more thought than you have.
“Well, I know I really like you, and I think you like me,” he replies easily. “We can be really good together, and I want to give it a shot—give us a shot.”
This is crazy. You’d met him only 24 hours ago, and here he was talking about a long distance relationship. Friends of yours had done this in the past, but you never imagined a whirlwind meet-cute like this for yourself. It was ridiculous to even wrap your head around—this legitimately only happened in rom-coms.
“You sound crazy right now, Gabe.”
“Here’s the thing, though. I’m all in. I don’t mean to sound cocky or presumptuous here, but I have the means to fly us both back and forth even if you didn’t get free flights. I don’t know how we got here over the past day, but I do know that I trust you and I’m willing to try. Are you?”
“Pinch me.”
“What?” Gabe barks out a surprised laugh.
“Pinch me, Gabriel. Prove to me that I’m not dreaming.” And because it’s Gabe, he does.
“Ow! Okay, I get it, I’m not dreaming. You didn’t have to pinch me so hard with your dumb big hockey player fingers!”
“(Y/N), come on. Seriously?”
“I have thin skin! Also…if you’re that committed to this, I can be too. I really like you, too. Also, mess with my heart, young Gabriel, and I’ll send the dogs after you.” You point a finger at his amused face and realize that yeah, maybe it’d be nice to allow good things to happen to you.
“Don’t worry, I can take Tyler in a fight. Jamie…maybe not. But you can’t tell him that.” You don’t get the chance to respond as he pulls you in for the first kiss of the rest of your life.
One Year Later – Chicago, IL
“I love Chicago—ever since a buddy of mine forced me to explore with him a few years ago, I fell in love with the architecture.” You expect the tips of his ears to go pink sheepishly or something equally indicative of embarrassment, but he sounds bold, confident. It’s always a turn-on when guys are unapologetic about their passions, but you never would’ve expected his to be architecture—even then, that of your hometown.
It makes you love him that much more.
“It’s the clean lines of all the modern buildings,” he continues, “and the way it contrasts with everything around it. Look at the Wrigley building or the Tribune building and compare it to the Sears Tower.” He sighs contentedly as he peers out the window of the train car, skyline still just about the size of your thumb from this distance.
“You really know your stuff, eh, Blondie?” Gabe’s head whips around at that, and you bite your lip to keep from snorting right then and there.
“Blondie, huh?”
“It figures, though,” you continue. “Big head must mean a big brain for all that random shit you know.” If anything, spending time with Gabe and the boys in Denver has only provided you with more material to help keep the big Swede in check. It must show, since all you hear is a muffled, “Fuckin’ Four” in response.
It feels good to hop off the Orange Line and feel the cold air on your face. Having spent the last few winters in Dallas, it’s disorienting to feel the pins and needles pricking your face again. Gabe slots his fingers through yours and smiles toothlessly as he presses a chaste kiss to the back of your gloved hand. This city might not be home for you anymore, but this smart, kind, hilarious, ridiculous human being next to you has proven himself more than worthy of that title.
“Oh come on, you sap. You said we had dinner reservations!” Gabe had, indeed, told you in explicit detail what he looked forward to doing to you that night, and it encompassed a lot more than just dinner plans. You’re glad it’s so chilly outside, because you can blame your cheeks flaming pink on the weather.
The two of you walk for a bit in comfortable silence, and the familiar streets make way for a slew of old memories. You remember running from campus to the old train station with your college roommate so you could catch the last train to Schaumburg, sitting in front of the Bean with a box of macarons crying over your ex-boyfriend, and even the time you’d somehow ventured into the shady part of town late at night and had called your dad in a panic.
They’re all fond memories, of course, crucial parts of the saga you call your life. But when Gabe tightens his grip and smiles down at you with so much warmth in his eyes, you can’t imagine ever looking back at this city without thinking of him and all that he adds to every moment of your life. You have all the tools and willpower to make your life yours—just like he pointed out that first night, you moved to Dallas on your own and made an entirely new life for yourself. But he adds so much color and meaning you’d never even considered before, that he makes everything more. If you were functioning on a solid 7, he’s the one that dials everything up to a 12.
And you’re struck with this huge revelation as you’re walking down Wacker in the freezing cold that you want this, want him, forever. It doesn’t make any sense, but your heart starts pounding in your ears, and you never really were very good at keeping a poker face, because all you want to do is tell him all of it now now now.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too, babe.” Gabe chuckles and runs a thumb across your cheek. “But I have a feeling that’s not all you want to say.”
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
His eyes widen almost comically, and if you weren’t so nervous about what you’d just said, you might be making fun of him for it.
“Seriously, (Y/N)? You couldn’t wait just three more hours?” His voice is suspiciously watery, and he sounds like you’d just sucker punched him in the solar plexus.
“Wait. What?”
Gabe shakes his head fondly. “Look up,” he whispers.
Too caught in your thoughts earlier, you hadn’t realized where he’d brought you. The sun’s just setting and the sky’s an inky violet lit up by the various buildings comprising your favorite skyline. You look up and gasp at what beholds you because, goddamn.
The first time Gabe had come to Chicago with you, he’d brought you to this exact building on his impromptu architecture tour of the city. Gabe had told you how it was urban legend that the architect of this building had scrapped all his original designs after the death of his fiancée, and designed the building to take after her engagement ring when looked at from the sky.
“No. No fucking way. Gabe.”
There’s no response, so you turn to grab his arm but he’s no longer where you left him. Panic comes over you for a brief second, but it all melts away when you turn to find him kneeling on the ground next to you. He has a huge smile painted on his face, and it almost distracts you from the little jewelry box engulfed by his huge hands.
“(Y/N), I should’ve known that you’d ruin the surprise somehow, but I guess it’s okay because it just brings you one step closer to being my wife. When we came here the first time and I told you that story of the architect, that was me promising you that one day you’d be back with an engagement ring of your own.  
“You complete me in a way I never could’ve imagined—you’re it for me, you complement me in every way. You inspire me every day because I see how hard you work for every single thing, and I’m so damn lucky to have found someone that brings that kind of resilience into our relationship. I love you to the end of this earth, and there’s no one else I would rather choose to build my life with.
“Man, it’s really fucking cold down here, (Y/N). Marry me?” The tears have been spilling down your cheeks for quite some time now, so it should come as no surprise to Gabe when you nod and throw yourself into his arms.
“Of course, Gabe, of course. I love you so much.” Gabe presses a loud, wet kiss to your temple in response and laughs heartily when you groan.
“Thank you for choosing me,” he whispers before untangling your limbs and taking your left hand in his. Pulling off your glove and holding it between his teeth, as he does, he slips the ring onto your finger, and you know you’re crying again at just how perfect everything feels. So you pull your new fiancé close and press your lips against his, while Gabe sweeps his tongue in little kitten licks against your lower lip in an effort to deepen the kiss. It only serves to make you laugh though, pure joy coursing through your veins.
“I can’t wait to be your wife,” you say when you finally pull back.
“Don’t you mean, you can’t wait to be Mrs. Babriel Landeskog?” You shove at his shoulder as he smiles unapologetically, taking the opportunity to nuzzle his face into your neck.
Your ring finger suddenly weighs more than it ever has, your favorite human has his arms wrapped tightly around you, and you can hear faint remnants of the carolers singing just a few blocks away at the Christkindlmarket. But what really gets you is the promise of the future as you feel Gabe smile against your skin. A crucial part of what makes a home is having him by your side, and luckily, that’s where he’ll be for the rest of your lives.
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kyunsies · 2 years
Note
Hi Mädch!!! Happy thanksgiving 😊😊 Did you finish up your essay? Hopefully you’re able to completely relax today (esp bc you did so well on all your exams, I’m so proud of you 🥰🥰) I have three essays due next week that I need to start on, but I probably won’t start on those until the weekend bc my brother is home!!! He flew down from michigan yesterday and I was excited until he started being mean to me (as little brothers do 🙄). I’ve been listening to the album all week and I think I’ve decided on either Ride With U or Mercy being my favorites!! Mercy gets stuck in my head all the time and Ki’s voice is so lovely, but I also really like hyungwon’s part in RWU (the talk talk talk part). Which song did you say is your fav again? ALSO PINK KI I’M SCREAMIBNF, I know I freaked out at orange ki too, but I honestly didn’t think we’d ever get pink ki again bc he didn’t like it 😭😭 I saw it yesterday and thought I was hallucinating and then vic’s really pretty cherry blossom set from today made me so happy, I love this color so much!!! Anyway, have a really great day today, relax and eat a lot okay?? Love you 💋
That last ask was me btw, got too excited and pressed ask before adding my signature 😂 -💜💜💜
MY FAVORITE PERSON EVER hello angel <3 !!!!!!!! i did finish my paper earlier this morning !!!! i hope i did well lol like i mentioned before i absolutely hate typing paper especially if they are long bc i hate bs-ing stuff LDKFJ but !!!!! hopefully i’ll get a decent grade on it :’) THANK YOU FOR ALL OF UR SUPPORT DURING MY EXAM SEASON SDLJF bub i really was so stressed (its called nursing trauma hhhh) but i’m just so glad i finished well and that i’m home !!!!! GOD 3 ESSAYS BUB ???? that sounds soooo poopy :/ i understand holding them off tho bc i would have loved to get mine done last week but i literally needed all of my braincells to focus on my final exams SLDKFJ ...... i get it ,,,,,,  but i hope they don’t give you any trouble!!!! EEE MICHIGANNNN it feels so good to be here ;_____; i never realize how much i love michigan until i come back here lol GOD i hate the state that my uni is in :’) 
AND LASDKFJS DFOMG ABOUT THE ALBUM !!!!! yes i’m so excited to talk about this with you omg okay bc LISTEN my fav songs are also mercy and ride with u but also ,,,,,,, just love ,,,,,, ARE WE SURPRISED SLKFJSD F</3 also autobahn makes me want to smash my head in a wall (in a good way) BC ITS SO FREAKING AMAZING !!!!!!!! honestly these b-sides are some of their best !!!!!! i just didn’t like the title track much, it’s the only song i don’t have on my playlist hhh but EVERYTHING ELSE IS AMAZING !!!!! bub let me tell you something when i first heard mercy i like,,,,,,,had an out of body experience lol it reminds me SO MUCH of their older songs like ghost, destroyer, turbulence ,,,,,,,,,, so dark but WHEN I HEARD JOOKYUN RAPPING i literally just like covered my mouth bc like !!!!! THIS IS MONSTA X and everyone sonds so good in it ;_____; ahhhh I TOTALLY RAMBLED LOL IM SO SORRY but those are my thoughts <3 AND I LOVE PINK KIHYUN WITH ALL MY HEART he just looks like a walking cherry blossom and he’s the prettiest ever <3 
ANYWAYS ANGEL I LOVE YOU AND I MISSED YOU AND I’M SO HAPPY TO HEAR FROM YOU i hope u have a wonderful thanksgiving if you celebrated and i’m here if you need anything at all <3 mwah <3 
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flintstill · 6 years
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Boss1 was pretty down this morning because of a high maintenance patient that demanded to be seen today (when we’re closed. Doubly so for the holidays) and the way she was on the phone, and I felt so bad, because what happened was was because she was doing things she shouldn’t have been, but made it apparent to him that she held him responsible. I was supportive and encouraging when my brain caught up, but here were a few times—now looking back—where I wasn’t quick enough but could have said some little things that made a difference. I don’t want him to feel down esp for something like that. And the poor thing barely got any sleep last night. He said to me after our patient left “you know that feeling when you’re so tired, you almost feel good?”. He offered to buy me coffee after we cleaned up so we got some across the street. He still had to drive several hours to his parents house, so he definitely needed it. I feel bad about missing those little opportunities to make him feel better, especially cause he's always so supportive to me when I'm down on myself, but his girlfriend just flew into town to go up to his parents with him so she and his family will probably turn him around and make him happy. Hopefully she’ll help him drive too. Caring about people is rough yo, you’re down when they’re down.
I was on the phone with Boss2 later today (for 47 minutes apparently) asking him questions regarding some notes and cases and then just shooting the shit a bit, and he also mentioned Boss1 was really upset about that mornings patient last night when he got the call.
I already kind of miss whole office at the mere prospect of not seeing them for at least 2 days longer than normal. Lol that’s sad.
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katwriting · 7 years
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Hi! Well I have a prompt but this isn't about Malec. It is about The downworlder (esp Raphael) seeking comfort to Magnus and have a good talk about anything? Thank you xx
Here you go, nonnie. Sorry it took me so long, but I’m on vacation and didn’t have much time to write recently. This is set long before Magnus and Alec get to know each other, but it has Magnus and Raphel being besties instead.  Hope you like it :)
The door ofthe fancy penthouse apartment in Brooklyn flew open with a loud bang to let itsowner pass. Magnus walked through with a grumpy look on his face. With a flickof his hand, he made his tight-fitted black coat disappear to its place in thewardrobe and then changed into more comfortable clothes with another flick ofblue magic before dropping down onto his living room couch with a deep sigh.
This daycould not have been any worse.
Even thoughit had started out so smoothly. He’d spent the previous night at Camille’s, thevampire had just come back to New York after she’d spent the winter in India.They’d had a few drinks, and over dinner, Camille had filled him in on all thelatest gossip she’d learned in Agra. Altogether an excellent evening.
This morning, however, had been quite the opposite. He’d woken up to herranting about something or someone she had to meet, and before he’d had achance to find out who or what she’d been talking about, she had already kickedhim out of her apartment, barely leaving him the time to put his clothes backon. This had resulted in an argument in the hallway, which had then resultedinto her breaking up with him – again.
And not only did his day start with what seemed like at least the tenthbreakup between Camille and him – it has also continued with one of the worstwork schedules of all time. Throughout the day, he’d had to portal to 15different clients in 12 different countries, and each of those appointments hadbeen an even worse nightmare than the last. But neither of those appointmentscould compare to his final one for the day, when Maryse Lightwood had calledhim into the Institute to adjust the protective words once again. Maybe it wasjust a coincidence, but Magnus felt like ever since her and Robert had hadtheir first child, a boy if he remembered correctly, Maryse was even colder andmore unpleasant than usual.
So, to cut a long story short, Magnus had never been happier to comehome from work and finally be done for the day.
He was just about to pour himself a drink to make up for this awful dayas quickly as possible, when he heard someone knock softly at his front door.Magnus let his head fall back against the headrest and sighed – so much forbeing done for today. But when he let the door fly open with a flick of hismagic, it was not a customer who was standing in front of it, but his friendRaphael.
Raphael, who looked like someone had set his collection of exquisitesuits on fire and danced in the flamesright in front of his eyes. His shoulders were slumped, his hands were stuffedinto his pockets and his usually so accurately styled hair was disheveled, asif he’d run his hands through it a couple of times.
Not that the vampire was usually a particularly cheery person, butseeing his friend so obviously miserable had Magnus worry. So he frowned when hegot up and walked towards Raphael, who was all but dragging his feet over thecarpet in the hallway. “Raphael, what happened?”
“Awful day”, the vampire responded, barely looking up from where he wasnow staring at the floor.
Magnus scoffed. “Oh, tell me about it. Come on, sit down and have adrink with me, there’s nothing an old whiskey can’t fix.”
“I think I may have found something that can prove your theory wrong”, Raphael grumbled ina low tone, but followed him into the living room anyways.
When they were sitting on the couch, both a glass in hand, Magnus withan old whiskey he’d gotten as a housewarming gift when he’d moved to Londonback in the late 1800s, and Raphael with a shot of A+, Magnus tried again.
“What’s up, Raphael? You can talk to me if you want to”, he asked, voicecalm and letting Raphael the room he knows the vampire needed in situationslike this. Raphael didn’t open up easily to people, Magnus had learned that along time ago. He’d come around eventually, but pressuring him into talkingwould only backfire.  
The vampire downed his glass in one go and then leaned back against thecouch, running a hand over his tired features. “Rosa’s been diagnosed withAlzheimer’s”, he said, followed by a deep sigh.
Magnus almost dropped his glass when he heard that. He carefully set itdown onto the coffee table and then looked at his friend in shock. “What?”
“Her doctors called me today. She’snot been feeling well lately and constantly forgot things, so the people fromthe home took her to the hospital…and that is the outcome.”
Magnus was still to shocked to speak. Raphael may be a tough, respectedvampire leader, but Magnus knew him well enough to know how important hislittle sister was to him. Raphael loved her with all his heart, it had to hurthim more than anything to know that he was going to lose her one day.
“Raphael, I am so sorry. I had no idea”, he then said, honestly at aloss of words. Magnus had met Rosa a couple of times and always remembered heras a lovely, cheerful, funny woman. Realizing that all of that was going to fade awaysooner or later broke his heart. He could only imagine how Raphael must befeeling. “Are the doctors sure?”
Raphael nodded. “Apparently, it’s still an early stage and not that badyet…but she’s already forgetting so many things, Magnus”, he said, his voicehinting how desperate he must be feeling. “Last week she couldn’t remember thename of the nurse who has been taking care of her ever since she broke her leglast year. What if I’m next? What if she forgets who I am?”
Magnus didn’t know what to answer to that. They both knew that this wasvery much a possibility, that it was likely going to happen one day. And thatthey could do absolutely nothing to stop it from happening. So he didn’t sayanything, just scooted closer to his friend and pulled him into a much-neededbear hug. Raphael tensed up a bit at first, but after a few seconds relaxedinto the hug and put his arms around Magnus as well, letting out another deepsigh.
“Look”, Magnus started when they’d pulled apart, “I know that this isextremely hard for you and that you are trying to find a solution so bad…butyou have to face that there’s nothing you can do. At least nothing that willchange the fact that she’s not going to get better.”
Magnus took a sip of his drink and carefully thought about his nextwords. “The thing is, you don’t know if she’s forget who you are one day. Itmay happen, it may not. You don’t know. All you can do is be there for her andmake this as easy as possible for her. Spend as much time as you can together,make new memories together that she can remember you by. And if things getworse, adapt to that. Make the changes that are necessary, help her get used tomedication or whatever she may need then. But until then, enjoy the time youtwo have together and don’t think too much about what may be. Just take one dayat a time, okay?”
Raphael looked up at him, eyes still sad but also somewhat hopeful. “Iguess you’re right. Even though that hurts like hell.”
“I’m always right”, Magnus retorted, smirking at his friend.
Raphael even tried a sad smile as a reaction. “Yeah, sure. You’re also waytoo sure of yourself.” His gaze then turned serious. “Seriously, though,Magnus. Thank you for being there for me. I really appreciate it. It’s good tohave a friend in times like these.”
Magnus cocked his head to the side and smiled at his friend. “You’vehelped me so often in the past 50 years, this is the least I can do. Besides”,he teased, “I have tons of experience in the field of awful days. Got some moreof it just before you came here.”
He didn’t have to say much more, Raphael just raised an eyebrow and senthim a knowing look. “Camille?”
Magnus nodded and sighed. He and reached for the bottle of whiskey,pouring some more into his own glass and conjuring some more blood into Raphael’s.“Camille.”
“Well”, Raphael said as he reached for his glass, “You know what I thinkof you dating her, so I’m going to skip the part about telling you that she’splaying with your feelings and nothing more. But I’m going to tell you somethingelse: Here’s the thing with heartbreak – the only thing that really makes itbetter is letting it pass. You just said it yourself, amigo”, he added, “Oneday at a time.”
“Yeah”, Magnus sighed when heclinked his glass against Raphael’s, “one day at a time.”
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