take a break while watching this little bunny cross your dash
styofa doing anything
noise dept.
ojovivo
i don't do bad sauce passes
TVSTRANGERTHINGS
Misplaced Lens Cap
trying on a metaphor

Product Placement
KIROKAZE

tannertan36

@theartofmadeline

#extradirty

pixel skylines
dirt enthusiast
hello vonnie
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
AnasAbdin

No title available
Sweet Seals For You, Always
cherry valley forever

seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from Spain
seen from Croatia
seen from Romania

seen from United States
seen from Russia

seen from United States

seen from Sweden
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from Russia

seen from United States
seen from Spain

seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United States
@abstractnaturaldisaster
take a break while watching this little bunny cross your dash
our boys end their NYC trip with the Scott Hunter Gala and more soft launching.
***
Chapters: 10/? Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov Characters: Rose Landry, Yuna Hollander, David Hollander, Hayden Pike, Svetlana Vetrova, Jackie Pike Additional Tags: Ilya does not play Hockey, Ilya is an Escort, Shane plays Hockey, Shane Comes Out, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shane is still on the Voyageurs, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Good Friend Jackie Pike, Good Friend Svetlana Vetrova, Hayden Pike is Shane's Emotional Support Left Wing Summary:
It's 2026 and Shane Hollander is the captain of the MLH Voyageurs having been in the MLH for 10 years. He's Canada's golden boy of hockey and fresh out of a relationship with Rose Landry the hottest movie star in North America.
Ilya Rozanov is an international mystery. After being caught with his hockey coach's son in Russian, Ilya flees the country and decides to lay low in Canada. He ends up getting convinced by his friend Svetlana to join her escort agency as a way to provide for himself while he is waiting on his citizenship.
Shane decides he's ready to come out but his mom and agent tell him he needs to be in a serious relationship to make the MLH and sponsors happy. Shane's convinced no one will ever willingly put up with all his quirks but he's sick of being alone and in the closet so at the suggestion of his best friend Hayden, he hires an escort to pose as his long term boyfriend. What could go wrong?
or the Escort!Ilya fic no one asked for but I've been dying to write.
title from so hot you're hurting my feelings by caroline polachek
the boys go to dinner and shane tries to learn more about ilya
***
Chapters: 9/? Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov Characters: Rose Landry, Yuna Hollander, David Hollander, Hayden Pike, Svetlana Vetrova, Jackie Pike Additional Tags: Ilya does not play Hockey, Ilya is an Escort, Shane plays Hockey, Shane Comes Out, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shane is still on the Voyageurs, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Good Friend Jackie Pike, Good Friend Svetlana Vetrova, Hayden Pike is Shane's Emotional Support Left Wing Summary:
It's 2026 and Shane Hollander is the captain of the MLH Voyageurs having been in the MLH for 10 years. He's Canada's golden boy of hockey and fresh out of a relationship with Rose Landry the hottest movie star in North America.
Ilya Rozanov is an international mystery. After being caught with his hockey coach's son in Russian, Ilya flees the country and decides to lay low in Canada. He ends up getting convinced by his friend Svetlana to join her escort agency as a way to provide for himself while he is waiting on his citizenship.
Shane decides he's ready to come out but his mom and agent tell him he needs to be in a serious relationship to make the MLH and sponsors happy. Shane's convinced no one will ever willingly put up with all his quirks but he's sick of being alone and in the closet so at the suggestion of his best friend Hayden, he hires an escort to pose as his long term boyfriend. What could go wrong?
or the Escort!Ilya fic no one asked for but I've been dying to write.
title from so hot you're hurting my feelings by caroline polachek
the boys go to a hockey game
***
Chapters: 8/? Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov Characters: Rose Landry, Yuna Hollander, David Hollander, Hayden Pike, Svetlana Vetrova, Jackie Pike Additional Tags: Ilya does not play Hockey, Ilya is an Escort, Shane plays Hockey, Shane Comes Out, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shane is still on the Voyageurs, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Good Friend Jackie Pike, Good Friend Svetlana Vetrova, Hayden Pike is Shane's Emotional Support Left Wing Summary:
It's 2026 and Shane Hollander is the captain of the MLH Voyageurs having been in the MLH for 10 years. He's Canada's golden boy of hockey and fresh out of a relationship with Rose Landry the hottest movie star in North America.
Ilya Rozanov is an international mystery. After being caught with his hockey coach's son in Russian, Ilya flees the country and decides to lay low in Canada. He ends up getting convinced by his friend Svetlana to join her escort agency as a way to provide for himself while he is waiting on his citizenship.
Shane decides he's ready to come out but his mom and agent tell him he needs to be in a serious relationship to make the MLH and sponsors happy. Shane's convinced no one will ever willingly put up with all his quirks but he's sick of being alone and in the closet so at the suggestion of his best friend Hayden, he hires an escort to pose as his long term boyfriend. What could go wrong?
or the Escort!Ilya fic no one asked for but I've been dying to write.
title from so hot you're hurting my feelings by caroline polachek
the next chapter is here! our boys keep making plans for their first big outing.
***
Chapters: 7/? Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov Characters: Rose Landry, Yuna Hollander, David Hollander, Hayden Pike, Svetlana Vetrova, Jackie Pike Additional Tags: Ilya does not play Hockey, Ilya is an Escort, Shane plays Hockey, Shane Comes Out, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shane is still on the Voyageurs, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Good Friend Jackie Pike, Good Friend Svetlana Vetrova, Hayden Pike is Shane's Emotional Support Left Wing Summary:
It's 2026 and Shane Hollander is the captain of the MLH Voyageurs having been in the MLH for 10 years. He's Canada's golden boy of hockey and fresh out of a relationship with Rose Landry the hottest movie star in North America.
Ilya Rozanov is an international mystery. After being caught with his hockey coach's son in Russian, Ilya flees the country and decides to lay low in Canada. He ends up getting convinced by his friend Svetlana to join her escort agency as a way to provide for himself while he is waiting on his citizenship.
Shane decides he's ready to come out but his mom and agent tell him he needs to be in a serious relationship to make the MLH and sponsors happy. Shane's convinced no one will ever willingly put up with all his quirks but he's sick of being alone and in the closet so at the suggestion of his best friend Hayden, he hires an escort to pose as his long term boyfriend. What could go wrong?
or the Escort!Ilya fic no one asked for but I've been dying to write.
title from so hot you're hurting my feelings by caroline polachek
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
chapter 6 is here! shane makes plans for an upcoming event :)
***
Chapters: 6/? Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov Characters: Rose Landry, Yuna Hollander, David Hollander, Hayden Pike, Svetlana Vetrova, Jackie Pike Additional Tags: Ilya does not play Hockey, Ilya is an Escort, Shane plays Hockey, Shane Comes Out, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shane is still on the Voyageurs, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Good Friend Jackie Pike, Good Friend Svetlana Vetrova, Hayden Pike is Shane's Emotional Support Left Wing Summary:
It's 2026 and Shane Hollander is the captain of the MLH Voyageurs having been in the MLH for 10 years. He's Canada's golden boy of hockey and fresh out of a relationship with Rose Landry the hottest movie star in North America.
Ilya Rozanov is an international mystery. After being caught with his hockey coach's son in Russian, Ilya flees the country and decides to lay low in Canada. He ends up getting convinced by his friend Svetlana to join her escort agency as a way to provide for himself while he is waiting on his citizenship.
Shane decides he's ready to come out but his mom and agent tell him he needs to be in a serious relationship to make the MLH and sponsors happy. Shane's convinced no one will ever willingly put up with all his quirks but he's sick of being alone and in the closet so at the suggestion of his best friend Hayden, he hires an escort to pose as his long term boyfriend. What could go wrong?
or the Escort!Ilya fic no one asked for but I've been dying to write.
title from so hot you're hurting my feelings by caroline polachek
the boys meet!! let me know what you think :)
***
Chapters: 5/? Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov Characters: Rose Landry, Yuna Hollander, David Hollander, Hayden Pike, Svetlana Vetrova, Jackie Pike Additional Tags: Ilya does not play Hockey, Ilya is an Escort, Shane plays Hockey, Shane Comes Out, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shane is still on the Voyageurs, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Good Friend Jackie Pike, Good Friend Svetlana Vetrova, Hayden Pike is Shane's Emotional Support Left Wing Summary:
It's 2026 and Shane Hollander is the captain of the MLH Voyageurs having been in the MLH for 10 years. He's Canada's golden boy of hockey and fresh out of a relationship with Rose Landry the hottest movie star in North America.
Ilya Rozanov is an international mystery. After being caught with his hockey coach's son in Russian, Ilya flees the country and decides to lay low in Canada. He ends up getting convinced by his friend Svetlana to join her escort agency as a way to provide for himself while he is waiting on his citizenship.
Shane decides he's ready to come out but his mom and agent tell him he needs to be in a serious relationship to make the MLH and sponsors happy. Shane's convinced no one will ever willingly put up with all his quirks but he's sick of being alone and in the closet so at the suggestion of his best friend Hayden, he hires an escort to pose as his long term boyfriend. What could go wrong?
or the Escort!Ilya fic no one asked for but I've been dying to write.
title from so hot you're hurting my feelings by caroline polachek
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
chapter 4 is here! we get the boys sort of interacting but not quite yet (is this officially a slow burn yet?)
enjoy!
***
Chapters: 4/? Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov Characters: Rose Landry, Yuna Hollander, David Hollander, Hayden Pike, Svetlana Vetrova, Jackie Pike Additional Tags: Ilya does not play Hockey, Ilya is an Escort, Shane plays Hockey, Shane Comes Out, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shane is still on the Voyageurs, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Hayden Pike is Shane’s Support Left Wing, Good Friend Jackie Pike, Good Friend Svetlana Vetrova Summary:
It's 2026 and Shane Hollander is the captain of the MLH Voyageurs having been in the MLH for 10 years. He's Canada's golden boy of hockey and fresh out of a relationship with Rose Landry the hottest movie star in North America.
Ilya Rozanov is an international mystery. After being caught with his hockey coach's son in Russian, Ilya flees the country and decides to lay low in Canada. He ends up getting convinced by his friend Svetlana to join her escort agency as a way to provide for himself while he is waiting on his citizenship.
Shane decides he's ready to come out but his mom and agent tell him he needs to be in a serious relationship to make the MLH and sponsors happy. Shane's convinced no one will ever willingly put up with all his quirks but he's sick of being alone and in the closet so at the suggestion of his best friend Hayden, he hires an escort to pose as his long term boyfriend. What could go wrong?
or the Escort!Ilya fic no one asked for but I've been dying to write.
title from so hot you're hurting my feelings by caroline polachek
I saw some weird ass conspiracy video thing today of like 'we were never meant to have access to yeast, that was cultivated in a lab and it harms us' bullshit and I was like well first off there's no such thing as 'meant to' and second of all um? the long history of acquiring yeast from beer foam stretching so far back ??????
....you can acquire yeast FROM THE AIR.
If you want to make sourdough started from scratch, the process is 'mix water, flour, and maybe sugar if you've got it, then WHIP IN AS MUCH AIR AS YOU CAN' and let it sit. And this works. Because there's yeast there. In the air.
Not only is there yeast in the air, it's on a bunch of fruits, too. Ever rubbed a blueberry, plum, or grape, and it was slightly darker underneath? That thin film is wild yeasts. There is also yeasts that live on human skin (and not just pathogenic ones!). We are never without yeasts.
You do not have access to yeast; yeast has access to you.
The Wageworker, Lincoln, Nebraska, September 13, 1907
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Our next chapter is here! We meet this universe’s Ilya and Svetlana and future plans are made. Enjoy!
***
Chapters: 3/? Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov Characters: Rose Landry, Yuna Hollander, David Hollander, Hayden Pike Additional Tags: Ilya does not play Hockey, Ilya is an Escort, Shane plays Hockey, Shane Comes Out, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shane is still on the Voyageurs, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting Summary:
It's 2026 and Shane Hollander is the captain of the MLH Voyageurs having been in the MLH for 10 years. He's Canada's golden boy of hockey and fresh out of a relationship with Rose Landry the hottest movie star in North America.
Ilya Rozanov is an international mystery. After being caught with his hockey coach's son in Russian, Ilya flees the country and decides to lay low in Canada. He ends up getting convinced by his friend Svetlana to join her escort agency as a way to provide for himself while he is waiting on his citizenship.
Shane decides he's ready to come out but his mom and agent tell him he needs to be in a serious relationship to make the MLH and sponsors happy. Shane's convinced no one will ever willingly put up with all his quirks but he's sick of being alone and in the closet so at the suggestion of his best friend Hayden, he hires an escort to pose as his long term boyfriend. What could go wrong?
or the Escort!Ilya fic no one asked for but I've been dying to write.
title from so hot you're hurting my feelings by caroline polachek
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
i'm so pleased y'all are liking this fic! please enjoy shane and his emotional support left winger.
for a little background i am thinking in this AU shane is drafted in 2016 so he hits 10 years in the MLH in 2026 so a little more modern than the books / series.
also this will be a happy endings guaranteed kind of fic with minimal angst just in case anyone was worried about the summary.
we will get ilya's POV next chapter i think so come on back for that in the next couple days after enjoying a dinner at the Pike's
***
Chapters: 2/? Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov Characters: Rose Landry, Yuna Hollander, David Hollander, Hayden Pike Additional Tags: Ilya does not play Hockey, Ilya is an Escort, Shane plays Hockey, Shane Comes Out, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shane is still on the Voyageurs, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting Summary:
It's 2026 and Shane Hollander is the captain of the MLH Voyageurs having been in the MLH for 10 years. He's Canada's golden boy of hockey and fresh out of a relationship with Rose Landry the hottest movie star in North America.
Ilya Rozanov is an international mystery. After being caught with his hockey coach's son in Russian, Ilya flees the country and decides to lay low in Canada. He ends up getting convinced by his friend Svetlana to join her escort agency as a way to provide for himself while he is waiting on his citizenship.
Shane decides he's ready to come out but his mom and agent tell him he needs to be in a serious relationship to make the MLH and sponsors happy. Shane's convinced no one will ever willingly put up with all his quirks but he's sick of being alone and in the closet so at the suggestion of his best friend Hayden, he hires an escort to pose as his long term boyfriend. What could go wrong?
or the Escort!Ilya fic no one asked for but I've been dying to write.
title from so hot you're hurting my feelings by caroline polachek
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov Characters: Rose Landry, Yuna Hollander, David Hollander, Hayden Pike Additional Tags: Ilya does not play Hockey, Ilya is an Escort, Shane plays Hockey, Shane Comes Out, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shane is still on the Voyageurs Summary:
It's 2026 and Shane Hollander is the captain of the MLH Voyageurs having been in the MLH for 10 years. He's Canada's golden boy of hockey and fresh out of a relationship with Rose Landry the hottest movie star in North America.
Ilya Rozanov is an international mystery. After being caught with his hockey coach's son in Russian, Ilya flees the country and decides to lay low in Canada. He ends up getting convinced by his friend Svetlana to join her escort agency as a way to provide for himself while he is waiting on his citizenship.
Shane decides he's ready to come out but his mom and agent tell him he needs to be in a serious relationship to make the MLH and sponsors happy. Shane's convinced no one will ever willingly put up with all his quirks but he's sick of being alone and in the closet so at the suggestion of his best friend Hayden, he hires an escort to pose as his long term boyfriend. What could go wrong?
or the Escort!Ilya fic no one asked for but I've been dying to write.
title from so hot you're hurting my feelings by caroline polachek
Bark At The Moon
Part 18 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Ao3
2,445 words
Eddie makes his way into the crevice of the stone, back pressed against it as the tears on his face dry with the rest of him. He’s shivering, cold wet hair sticking to his skin. If he had the energy, he’d tie it up, take off his vest, let it all dry quicker. He doesn’t sleep, doesn’t think, just sits there against that rock with an almost delirious calm inching through him. It’s heavy, heavier than any emotion he’s ever felt before. His hand twitches where it lays on the ground and he looks at it, a miserable frown finding his face as he wipes his hand over the dirt as if he’s petting it. He thinks back to when Ozzy showed up bloody and bruised, how Eddie had nursed him back to health only for the wolf to leave once more.
Under the Spotlight - [Part IV]
Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson hate each other. At least that's what the press is saying. Also known as the Actor!Steve AU. [Part I] [Part II] [Part III] [Also on AO3]
Steve sees the paparazzi before he even leaves the car. There’s at least a dozen of them gathered behind the barriers security put up to separate the location they’d be using for that day’s shooting. There are also dozens of fans, posters and magazines in their hands and cellphones out and ready to take pictures as soon as any of the actors show up. The usual crowd you’d expect to find when there’s an outdoors shooting about to happen in a city as big as Los Angeles.
Perfect, that’s exactly what Steve wants.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” Robin chuckles from the passenger seat, as the drivers starts to pull over. She turns to look at him, amusement all over her face. “I can't believe I agreed with your idea. Why did I agree with your idea?”
“So you can get rid of the PR team,” Steve reminds her, flicking her forehead.
“Ouch!”
“Stop worrying, it’s gonna be fine. I’m not offending anyone this time, I’m just giving those poor paparazzi what they came here for. Think about this as my good deed of the day. They’re definitely gonna get paid for these pictures.”
“You’re having way too much fun with this, Dingus. But, fine, do what you want. Just remember that if this blows up in your face—”
“I’ll have to apologize to Munson myself and them release that official statement,” Steve completes, rolling his eyes. “I know, Robin, you’ve already told me this a million times.”
“Just making sure we’re still on the same page.”
The driver finally finds a good parking spot, outside the shooting location like Steve asked for, and pulls over. Steve takes a last look in the hand mirror Robin always carries in her purse –specifically for him, of course– before giving it back to her when he deems his appearance good enough.
“Okay, Robs, it’s show time,” he says. “See you inside in a few minutes.”
“Sure.” Robin gives him an encouraging thumbs up. “And good luck. Go give the press something to write about.”
“I sure will,” Steve laughs. He opens the door and steps out of the car and into the bright sunlight. The first clicks of cameras start almost immediately.
Under the Spotlight [Part III]
Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson hate each other. At least that's what the press is saying. Also known as the Actor!Steve AU. [Part I] [Part II] [Also on AO3]
‘His opinion is irrelevant,’ Eddie Munson answers Steve Harrington’s latest interview
It looks like Eddie Munson, lead singer of Corroded Coffin, is not happy with the news concerning Steve Harrington’s latest interview and his commentaries mocking Munson’s band and work.
The matter was addressed during an exclusive interview Munson gave to our reporters last Friday, after their concert in Albuquerque. When asked about the Steve Harrington incident, Munson first affirmed he didn’t know who Harrington was, then proceeded to ironically ask his assistant if he should know.
He also deemed Harrington’s opinion on Corroded Coffin’s latest album as irrelevant and refused to talk further about anything else; a sign that perhaps the topic is still a sore spot for him? Our sources believe this could be the case. Read the full interview with Eddie Munson on our website.
Steddie Flower Shop / Tattoo Parlour AU
I literally just finished my first fic ever and I’ve already started on my next. The Steddie brainrot is real. I low key became obsessed with the idea of Eddie accidentally becoming a florist after high school after this tik tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wbznewsradio/video/7195608049468312874
The idea isn’t original and there’s probably already a bunch of these AUs but I couldn’t help but through my hat in the ring! Enjoy the beginnings – I’m working on a longer fic (maybe a valentine’s day plot?)
Also available on AO3!
***
Eddie hadn’t meant to become a florist. He’d taken the gig originally as a part time delivery boy in exchange for using said delivery van when his high school band had a show and whatever tips he got. Five years and a high school diploma later, Eddie had ended up running the shop when the original owners, the De Lucas, were getting too old to manage on their own. Another five years and Mr. and Mrs. De Luca had retired and given Eddie the shop so they could move somewhere warmer. Eddie didn’t blame them. Chicago winters were almost unbearable even as a twenty-something.
If anyone asked, Eddie wouldn’t say he loved his job but he did love the De Lucas and owning a flower shop was a little better than your standard nine to five. Eddie certainly hadn’t dreamed of being a florist. He’d spent high school dreaming of making it big in the metal scene but after high school his bandmates had started becoming productive members of society and coupled with the early mornings at the flower market his rockstar days had slowed considerably. Every once in a while the gang would get together and practice or play a gig for old times sake but corralling Corroded Coffin’s busy schedules got complicated. Eddie still kept up appearances and resolutely dressed like a metalhead even when 4 am meant waking up to barter with Mr. Lee instead of getting home from a gig. He continued to show off his stick and poke tattoos and the closest thing he got to a uniform was band tees and ripped jeans. De Lucas’ Flowers wasn’t in the snazziest neighborhood in Chicago but was starting to get more expensive as more people flooded into the city. Eddie was eternally grateful that the small flower shop included an equally small apartment directly above the stall.
Eddie had taken after the original owners and kept his staff fairly small. After the De Lucases well and truly retired, Eddie had hired Chrissy Cunningham to manage the books and keep the lights on. Chrissy was an old high school acquaintance who was looking for a job to pay the bills while she wrote the next great american novel. They had run in different circles in high school but had bonded when Chrissy had shown up to one of Eddie’s shows at the Hideout. It turned out Chrissy had decent taste in music even though she spent most of her time with the other cheerleaders and their jock boyfriends who thought Journey was hard rock. Luckily for Eddie this also meant that he didn’t have to change the shop’s soundtrack when Chrissy started working. Metal wasn’t usually what people associated with flower shops but Eddie got most of his orders over the phone or online so it didn’t detract from their client base. He still did most of the deliveries in the old De Lucas’ Flowers van that he had driven in high school even though it was definitely nearing the end of its life. Eddie put more work into keeping the van rolling than he did most of his past relationships and wasn’t ready to give up on the old girl just yet.
“If I have to explain to a winter bride one more time that peonies and dahlias are summer flowers, I am quitting, Chrissy,” Eddie said as he came barreling down the stairs from his apartment.
“Eddie, why don’t you just let me take bridal orders?” Chrissy reasoned.
“Because, Chrissy, last time we did that you didn’t realize there was a difference between a king and queen protea and almost lost us a client.”
“Hey! I’ve been practicing. I made flashcards!” Chrissy pulled out a stack of index cards with colorful printouts of flowers on one side and their common and scientific names on the back.
“And I appreciate it. But I think your talents lie with cooking the books,” Eddie joked.
“Don’t say shit like that. One day someone will overhear you and think we’re money launderers,” Chrissy was kidding but Eddie’s general vibe didn’t always inspire confidence that the flower shop was indeed just a flower shop.
“That’s why I have you, babe,” Eddie said as he blew a kiss Chrissy’s way.
“Gross.”
“Rude, Cunningham.”
Eddie found a hair tie nestled between his garden shears and pulled his hair into a messy bun to get started on the day’s orders.
“Did you see that place across the street got rented out?” Chrissy asked as Eddie was putting the finishing touches on an apology bouquet for what had to be one hell of a mistake.
“Ew. New neighbors. Any idea what it’s gonna be?” Eddie scoffed.
“No clue. Just saw they took down the for lease sign yesterday,” Chrissy added.
“Boo. I liked our quiet street.”
“I don’t think anyone would call this street quiet what with the racket you put on the radio,” Chrissy chided.
Eddie didn’t respond except to turn up the speaker a couple notches.
After finishing up the morning’s orders, Eddie started loading the van to go on his delivery route. It was pretty formulaic, a few big skyscraper lobbies nearby, some office deliveries, and the big apology bouquet that was going to a house in Lakeview. Out of the corner of his eye he caught two people carrying a comically large velvet couch into the empty space across the street.
“Chrissy,” Eddie groaned. “It’s going to be one of those fucking hipster places. They have a pretentious couch.”
“You can’t possibly know what kind of place it’ll be from one furniture piece,” Chrissy shot back.
“Look outside, Chris.”
Chrissy went over to the shop window as the giant green monstrosity was being lifted onto the stoop of the building across the way.
“Okay, fine. That’s an asshole couch,” Chrissy agreed.
“See! We’re going to have to move. The neighborhood is going to hell.”
Chrissy shooed Eddie out to start his deliveries. Eddie flipped her off as he made his way to the driver’s side of the van. He looked back over to the shop across the street and scoffed again. At least whatever hipster nonsense was moving in across the way had picked a moving guy with a hot ass.
Eddie settled into the monotony of his deliveries and the familiarity of his Dio cassette and mostly put the new neighbors out of his mind. He gave them six months before the new business moved out.
Part Two
reblogging for the Valentine’s Day season!