Hey Taylor, so today is both my 21st birthday and the day my brother decided to leave my family because his wife doesn't get along with any of us, and all in all it's been... not great. :( Any happy hockey-related thoughts that might help cheer me up? Maybe about our favorite OT3 and/or how they got together? I've been going through the Sven/Yvette/Gerard tags again and it's reminding me how much I love your characters. (P.S. Sorry Harry/Roman/Evan, you're great but my loyalty hasn't wavered)
I’m so sorry buddy. Happy (belated probably now, since this was from last night) birthday, hopefully this helps even a tiny bit? (This is…kind of NSFW)
Usually, your husband falling in love with another person — another man, his best friend — that would be the end of things.
Usually, if you’re the one falling for your husband’s best friend: the end of things.
Usually, Yvette imagines, they don’t happen at the same time.
*
It feels a little like betraying Gerard when they start to talk about him. Or, more specifically, start to talk about him like —
“Where would he be?” Sven murmurs, fingers slipping under the band of her underwear. “Would he be watching? Or do you want me to watch, or maybe not, maybe I’d wrap my hand around him, guide him right into you—”
“I want—” Yvette says, doesn’t know how to say ‘both of you, I want everything’, but it doesn’t matter, because Sven’s hauling her into a kiss as he tugs her panties down, pulling her into his lap as soon as she kicks them off.
*
The next time she sees Gerard — the very next day — she can’t quite look him in the eye. Sven acts the same as he always does, easy, like nothing’s changed, and she doesn’t know how he manages it, but she’s grateful at least one of them can.
Gérard legally is Gérard or Gerard? I just realized that in the stat sheet he actually appeared as Gerard and wanted to ask!
He’s legally Gérard, I am just an extraordinarily lazy person (who honestly has zero excuse being as I have a bilingual English-French computer, so it’s not like the Novák situation where I have to run off to go find it whenever it’s Roman POV time. Though I realise I did properly accent Roman’s name on the stat sheet, so I’ll update it to match Gérard’s as well.)
For the prompt: My prompt is literally anything with Gerard/Sven/Yvette. Preferably something that involves them acknowledging their feelings in some way, but honestly I’ll be happy with anything.
This is post Big Feelings Acknowledgment, but there are a lot of warm fuzzy feelings all around here. (Except for Sven. Sven’s busy sleeping.)
Sundays are lazy, or as lazy as they can possibly be. Obvious exceptions are made when Gérard and Sven are out of town, or if they have an early practice, but when they’re home, and able, Sundays are for sleeping in, breakfast in bed, refusing to change out of pyjamas before the afternoon.
Gérard doesn’t think it’d be possible with many other four year olds, but Gerard is shockingly low maintenance, at least in comparison to all the other four year olds Gérard’s known, and that’s a number of them, all his nieces and nephews past that age now. If Gerard wakes up before them, which he does almost every Sunday, he doesn’t wake them, instead contents himself in his room, playing with his toys or pretending to read his teddy bears a book, carefully making a circle of them around him, like a librarian during story time. Gérard has a feeling he’s a little more likely to follow in his mother’s footsteps than his father’s.
Gérard leans against his doorway. Sven and Yvette are still asleep, Yvette in a tiny ball and Sven taking up half the bed. Gérard woke up when Sven whacked him in the face, an unfortunately not uncommon occurrence. Gérard wonders if Yvette’s always slept like she does, or if it’s self-defence.
“Thomas the Tank Engine went on a journey,” Gerard says, which is surprisingly close to what the book reads, if Gérard recalls correctly.
“Hey kiddo,” Gérard says. “Want to help me make breakfast?”
Gerard looks up from his book. “Can we have pancakes?” he asks.
“We can,” Gérard says.
“Can I help you flip them?” Gerard asks.
“Absolutely,” Gérard says.
Gerard closes his book with a decisive snap, and gets up, but not before snatching his favourite teddy from the circle and bringing him along. Bernard the Bear supervises them while they make a mess of the kitchen, then supervises clean up, and joins them on the bed, Gerard leaping on Sven and giving him some much deserved karma while Gérard sets the tray on the bureau.
“Coffee?” Yvette asks, before she’s even fully awake, and reaches for Gerard just as instinctively, tucking him under her arm as she sits up, while Sven somehow slept through an elbow in the chest.
“We made pancakes because they’re your favourite,” Gerard says to Yvette in a whisper that’s louder than his speaking voice.
“Thank you loves,” she says. “Did you make coffee because it’s my favourite?”
Gerard wrinkles his nose. “Yes,” he says.
“Good boy,” she says, kissing Gerard’s temple, then the top of Bernard’s head when Gerard presents it to her.
“Where’s my kiss?” Gérard asks.
“Wherever my coffee is,” she says, and leans up to press a kiss to his cheek when he hands it to her.
For the prompt: A no-longer-quite-so-little-Gerard interacting with (one or all three(!!!) of) his parents.
“Mama said I could,” Gerard says, which is possibly the worst possible words in the world to hear, because it puts you in an awkward place. To judge the veracity of it, first: did Yvette say he could, is it in Yvette’s nature to say so, would Yvette be more angry if Gérard gave in to falsehoods from an eight year old or if he doubted her word?
Then the repercussions if it’s false: Gerard viewing him as a soft mark, and all the lack of respect that comes from that, which Gérard’s very accustomed to in practice, thanks to a neverending flow of rookies.
But then: will Gerard see him as a harsh taskmaster, strict and unfair, or, worse, someone who distrusts what he says?
It’s an endless balancing act he knows that Sven and Yvette deal with too, but it feels more urgent for him. For Sven and Yvette, Gerard is their child, genetically and legally, and Gérard’s — well, Gérard’s nothing, really. A friend of the family. His guardian if the worst happens. A teammate of his father’s. Someone he shares a name with. Nothing.
“Ask your dad,” Gérard finally goes with, because he’s a coward.
Gerard frowns. “You’re dad,” he says.
Gérard swallows hard, twice, to get through the lump in his throat.
“Dad!” Gerard says impatiently when he doesn’t say anything.
“Ask pappa,” he revises.
Gérard throws his hands up dramatically. “Mama said I could!” he repeats, then stomps off.
Later reports from Yvette confirm she did not, in fact, say he could.
For the prompt: a peek at the OT3 at some point after they've figured their shit out - sweet or smutty or sassy, it doesn't matter. I just really love them and we can use all the love we can get right now. 😊
It’s rare for Gerard to be alone with Yvette. Sven, of course, and Sven and Yvette have their time, despite the fact that Gerard's spending more time at their house than his apartment, these days, but generally when Gerard and Yvette are there, so is Sven. Gerard isn’t complaining, just taking note.
Little Gerard’s walking adventures have lead to some battered curtains, ones, in fact, that he managed to rip down entirely, with the sort of strength only infants seem to possess, and Yvette’s decided that it’s a sign to rethink the curtains entirely.
Sven, who has slightly questionable taste — appalling is Yvette’s description — has not been invited, stays at home with the baby, hopefully not getting into any further curtain accidents, while Yvette and Gerard shop.
“What do you think?” Yvette asks. “For the spare?”
“You mean my room?” Gerard asks, dryly, because he’s spent more time in it than any other guest combined.
“For the spare,” Yvette says, raising her eyebrows slightly.
“Oh,” Gerard says. “They’re—” he can’t quite finish.
“I like them,” Yvette says.
“Yes,” Gerard says. “Me too.” He wants, desperately, to pull Yvette to him then, plant a kiss on her temple, her bowstring lips, but he can’t. He reaches for Yvette’s hand, squeezes briefly, which isn’t as much as he would like but as much as he dares.
They’re agreed on the guest room — truly a guest room — but torn between three choices for the living room curtains they came to replace.
“Sven to break the tie?” Gerard asks.
“We get whatever he likes least?” Yvette asks.
“Of course,” Gerard says.
Those are all commendable choices, Sven sends, which is Sven for ‘I don’t care’. Yvette rolls her eyes, and Gerard is right with her, but they’re both smiling the same smile, one Gerard can only describe as besotted.
Sven gets passed over for the All-Star game for the first time in years, and he’s ecstatic about it. “Curaçao,” he announces. “You’re coming.”
“Oh I am, am I?” Gérard asks, but he doesn’t argue. Sun sounds good right now.
Gérard doesn’t think it’s particularly strange until Riley’s gaping at him in response to an offhand mention of his plans. Riley deals with Carruthers on a regular basis and is married to a man who is by all accounts…well, Gérard will be polite. It’s very difficult to surprise him, is Gérard’s point.
“What?” Gérard asks. “You’re going away too.”
“On a romantic couple’s trip,” Riley says. “Like I’d assume the Olsens—”
“She’s still Gagnon,” Gérard says. “You’re married to someone Québécois , you should know better.”
“Sorry,” Dan says. “But dude, romantic couple’s trip.”
“They have an infant,” Gérard says. “I don’t know how romantic a trip with a baby can be.”
“So are you going to, like, babysit?” Dan asks. “Let them sneak some romance in?”
Gérard makes a face, but he’s sure he will, and it isn’t a problem, even though Dan makes it sound like one. Hanging out with his namesake’s never a burden, and Sven and Yvette get little time alone as it is, between the baby and their schedules. He shrugs. “If they need me to,” he says. “I don’t see the big deal. It seemed like a better idea than going on that terrible idea in Florida.”
Riley winces. Carruthers spearheaded that mistake in the making, and more than a half dozen Senators and their significant others foolishly agreed. Gérard has very little faith they’ll be practice ready at the conclusion of the break.
“Fair enough,” Riley says. “Have fun?”
“I will,” Gérard says, firm, but he can’t help but feel uncomfortable about it now.
For the prompt: Sven and Yvette taking care of/doing something nice for (big) Gerard
There are many good things about living alone. The fridge is stocked with only things you’d like to eat — though perhaps there are also a few of Sven and Yvette’s especial favourites, because Gerard’s concerned they’ll starve or only eat delivery if he doesn’t feed them occasionally. All decorating choices are yours alone, the toilet paper roll is always in the correct direction, you don’t have to clean anyone’s mess but your own. Some of the other guys on the team take it further than that, employing housekeeping so they never have to deal with their own messes, but Gerard’s mother would never let him hear the end of it if he did the same. There’s no obligation to wear clothing, though Gerard does regardless. He’s never lived with a partner before, but he has had roommates, not to mention billeting when he was younger, and this is infinitely preferable.
The only time living alone is terrible is when you’re sick or injured. Terrible for several reasons: the fact that no one’s taking care of you, of course, but also the loneliness when your team is off doing what you’re supposed to, doing it without you, and there’s nothing to do but watch from afar and feel sorry for yourself.
Sven came by with groceries before the Sens left town. He must have consulted their nutritionist, because there wasn’t anything Gerard wasn’t allowed to eat included, though he could have done without the three kinds of tomatoes, which he only buys when he’s making Sven and Yvette dinner. Still, Gerard can’t complain. Any excuse not to leave the house when driving is out of the question, and limping around a grocery store hoping not to be recognized sounds like his idea of personal hell.
Gerard’s watching the Sens-Caps game, wishing he was allowed a beer, because it’s not going the way he’d like it to, when there’s a knock on the door, and he trudges his way over to find Yvette, laden down with take-out and a six-pack.
“Can’t drink on the painkillers,” Gerard says, after she takes over his kitchen to spoon out pasta and salad.
“Sober together,” she sighs, hand going to her belly, something reflexive he’s noticed since she got pregnant.
“And during this game too,” Gerard says. He glances back into the living room, but it’s still 3-0, not even halfway through the first.
They grimly watch the Caps score again, Yvette finishing her plate and then eating off his rather than going back to the kitchen. She falls asleep in the third, head on his shoulder, and Gerard tries to ignore the way his stomach clenches, first then and when he gently nudges her up, watches her rub her eyes like a sleepy child.
“Stay here tonight,” Gerard says. He tells himself it’s because he doesn’t want her to drive tired, but mostly he just wants her here.
“Okay,” she says, easy, and it’s easier, waking up the next morning to Yvette triumphantly presenting him cereal and a soft tired smile.
If your verse had the You Can Play ambassadors, I am assuming Marc would trample everyone in his rush to volunteer (Vinny has nightmares about pamphlets, so many pamphlets, don't mock him, Tony, Vinny heard you having one too), but would any other characters be one?
Oh man, Marc would unapologetically elbow everyone out of his path: MY JOB, FUCK OFF, I HAVE THE PAMPHLETS ALREADY.
OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD (so this is not exhaustive):
Dan wouldn’t want the Sens gig at all, despite everyone looking his way, and Andy would try to make himself one with the wall, and lord knows Derek is Not A Good Idea. Gerard would quietly take it. Sven would be happy to do it, but Sven’s scary. Gerard thinks it’s probably a better idea for him to take it.
Quincy would be the first guy putting his hand up on the Caps.
SEB WANTS IT SEB WANTS IT. DIBS.
Joe would be taking the job because he trusts Jake not at all with it.
Other named characters: Darryl Rogers (Oilers), Matt Bradley (Islanders), Michel Fournier (Blackhawks)
