Trev Allen and his ex-husband had an amicable joint custody arrangement. During the hockey season, his ex took the twins whenever Trev’s team was on the road. Easy peasy.
But now, just two weeks before training camp, Trev’s ex gives him an ultimatum—lock down reliable, full-time childcare for Trev’s custody weeks before the start of the season, or his ex is pursuing full custody.
Trev’s in a panic to keep his kids, but as luck would have it, an old friend—and old flame—is also in a jam.
Cam Wright’s ex didn’t just cheat, he kicked Cam out and got him fired. Cam’s desperate and flailing… until he receives a message from a man he hasn’t seen in years. Now he has hope of getting back on his feet, not to mention reconnecting with his friend and first love.
Cam’s not prepared for how much Trev has glowed up. Trev is stunned by how kind time and a fitness career have been to Cam. The intense attraction is both instantaneous and hotter than ever; living together, it’s only a matter of time before passion ignites.
But Cam is depending on Trev for stability. Trev is depending on Cam to keep joint custody of his kids. Like it or not, they need each other.
Which means if they stop wanting each other, their lives could come unraveled.
We're keeping good company, @jennyredford and I! ;) Support your CS Fan Authors on Amazon today by grabbing your copies of For the Captain and A Match for the Marquess!
I have a stupid hockey question (you can post publicly your reply to this one if you want). In MA, Killian is called Hook because of something about the stick and a bend and almost bordering illegal... care to explain? (This can be lesson #2 of Hokey for Dummies)
[that’s a good hockey question!]
Essentially how a player likes to handle the puck depends on how the blade of the stick is curved – a bigger curve cradles the puck better, for example. But there is a limit since rules allow a curve only to a certain degree. So Killian likes a really curved blade, barely within the limit of the rules.
Here’s a good explanation from an SB Nation blog: “Blades must be within a width range of 2"-3". The maximum is set because we’re playing hockey, not lacrosse on ice; the minimum is set because we want to be playing with hockey sticks, not spears. Blade curve is restricted to ¾". It’s measured like so: Find the deepest point on the blade curve; draw an imaginary straight line from heel to blade toe; draw a perpendicular line that intersects through the deepest point on the blade curve and the imaginary straight line.”
And there’s some other things about sticks at that link. Sticks can only be a certain length, although exceptions are made for tall players. And goalies have their own set of rules for their unique goalie sticks because goalies are unique quirky snowflakes who have to do everything in a slightly more complicated way. Kind of like drummers.
[And just in case, Man Advantage is on FF and AO3]
Stanley Cup playoffs start tonight! I think my Red Wings would have a better chance of winning it all if we had this guy on our team. Alas, I will just make do with this awesome manip from spartanguard while watching the games and editing Man Advantage. Let’s go Red Wings!
Man Advantage: Neighbors form an unusual arrangement to share custody of a dog, and the pair soon find themselves falling for one another.
"There’s no such thing as luck," Jonny says, and Patrick groans.
"Are you serious? Last time she watched a game with me, Buffalo got a shutout. A shutout. Do you know how rare that is?”
"Why should I care if Buffalo wins?"
"Look," Patrick says, trying his best not to sound aggravated. Judging by the way Cabbage’s tail drops, he doesn’t succeed. "Look," he tries again, "if it doesn’t matter to you, then why do you even care if I take the dog tonight?"
Jonny mutters something, low and quick, and it takes Patrick’s brain a few seconds to turn the sounds into coherent words.
"Because I like her company."
Cabbage butts at Jonny’s hand and he starts scratching her ear - the floppy one, not the one that sticks up all crooked.
Patrick swallows. “I have an idea.”
They end up in Jonny’s apartment (because his TV is objectively better, and he has the specs to prove it), and by the time the puck drops, Patrick’s settled on one end of Jonny’s short couch and Jonny’s slouched easily at the other, one arm slung up over the back, Cabbage sitting on his leg. Every time a whistle blows, her tail slaps into Jonny’s stomach, and fuck. It’s cute.
It’s really cute.
The whole thing almost distracts Patrick from the game entirely, but then the volume rises, and when he looks, Stafford is breaking down the ice at full speed. He pulls it backhand and Rask goes for it, what the fuck, then Stafford’s flipping it in easy.
"Yes!" Patrick shouts. "Did you see that?"
Jonny chuckles. “I saw it.”
"Fuck you and your luck shit," Patrick says, thick with pride. "She’s a charm." Cabbage leans towards him, eyes bright, and he can’t help it; he buries his hands in her fur and coos, "Who’s my good luck charm, huh? Who’s Kaner’s little charm? Is it you?"
Cabbage’s front paws dance on the cushion between them and she surges up to lick his face. Patrick tips his head just a little, struggling to keep her tongue on his chin and not his mouth, and when she pulls back, he swipes one bare arm over his face and laughs.
Jonny’s eyes are on him, which Patrick expected, but he doesn’t look disturbed or judgmental. He’s smiling. He’s smiling, small and real, just a lopsided crook of his lips, so warm that Patrick can feel his ears burning. Patrick tamps down, “That’s a good look on you,” says instead, “What? What’s so funny?”
Jonny shrugs one shoulder and lifts his chin towards the screen. “Watch your game.”
Man Advantage Prompt 59.
Pat Kane is a priest with a past he'd rather leave behind, and moves to a new parish to get a fresh start. Unfortunately, his new neighbour, Jonny Toews, isn't going to make his future any less complicated.
It's Harlequin/Hallmark time! This is the master list, so some notes:
- How to Post info is there. If you want/have a link other than an A03 link, you MUST add it to the doc listed on that post.
- If I know you by a different tumblr name/you list your tumblr name on A03, I will list that in the master list so that people can find you more easily on Tumblr.
- All works but these first two submitted will be under the cut so that people can reblog and have it still be an accurate post.
- All interpretations of prompts were permitted, so pay attention to any changes in the summaries on the links themselves, as I am only listing the initial prompts for master list purposes.
- Everything is due before October 1st, so HAPPY POSTING and also, it's really cracking me up that the "shortest" story thus far in a quickie challenge like this is 6K. OF COURSE. BECAUSE ~HARLEQUIN~
~Man Advantage Master List~
Toews/Kane:
ARTWORK: Mermaid!Kaner by essouffle for prompt: Patrick Kane's worlds—on land and in the sea—are turned upside down when an evening swim turns into a nightmare. On a sweltering night deep in the bayou, the mystical mermaid witnesses a horrifying act. With a monstrous killer now hot on his trail, his life and the lives of his kin are in jeopardy.
Terrified of becoming the next victim, Pat has no choice but to turn to Sheriff Jonathan Toews. Toews has had his intense brown eyes on the sultry honey-haired beauty for a while. The feelings are mutual…and impossible to ignore. But he's determined to solve the murders, and he knows Pat's hiding something. Can he trust him with his deepest secret?
FIC: Forget I Said Anything by brutti_ma_buoni for prompt: "Patrick Kane has a rule: never to keep a mistress for more than twelve months! Jonathan knows that his time is nearly up, and to save his pride--and his heart--he decides to jump before he's pushed! However, when an accident leaves Patrick with amnesia, he cannot recall Jonathan ending their relationship. And, on doctor's orders, Jonathan can't tell him the truth. So is he back where he started--in Patrick's bed--until he recovers his memory...and the clock starts ticking once more...?"
(ALL OTHER WORKS for every pairing WILL BE UNDER THE CUT.)
ARTWORK: On His Knees by hockeysavingstime for prompt: Pat Kane is a priest with a past he’d rather leave behind, and moves to a new parish to get a fresh start. Unfortunately, his new neighbour, Jonny Toews, isn’t going to make his future any less complicated.
FANMIX: Cry Wolf by druidspell for prompt: The Lone Wolf's Salvation…When Patrick Kane starts investigating the mysterious ghost wolf that's been menacing hunters in Tangle Lake, he encounters a juicier sort of discovery in sexy lone wolf Jonny. Jonny, with his rugged, raw energy and virility to burn…
A tragic accident has left Jonathan Toews hungry for revenge. Now faery magick has turned him from a werewolf into something more powerful. Patrick is a great distraction. Time spent in his arms almost makes Jonny forget the danger they're in. Almost.
Patrick and Jonny must risk losing who they are to become what they are meant to be…together.
FIC: Double Bind by blue_spruce for prompt: Pat Kane is a priest with a past he'd rather leave behind, and moves to a new parish to get a fresh start. Unfortunately, his new neighbour, Jonny Toews, isn't going to make his future any less complicated.
FIC: Patrick 'Showtime' Kane by ologist for prompt: Prince/Billionaire/Heir has a bet: to live as a normal person for a year. The only skill he has that he isn't world-famous for is hockey, which he used to play up to college level, and still plays for fun. Luckily, HockeyTeam is having a tryout/PR stunt/training camp competition... Cue hair dye, coloured contact lenses, new clothes, fake IDs, and all kinds of mistaken identity SHENANIGANS.
FIC: Give Me a Land by torigates for prompt: THE WRANGLER'S INCONVENIENT WIFE - With no family to watch over them, it's up to Fran Morris to take care of her younger sister, even if it means marrying a total stranger. Gruff, strong and silent, her new husband is a cowboy down to the bone. He wed Fran to protect her, not to love her, but her heart has never felt so vulnerable.
Trail boss Edgar White already has all the responsibility he needs at his family's ranch in Bear Creek, Wyoming. He had intended to remain a bachelor forever, but he can't leave Fran and her sister in danger. And as they work on the trail together, Edgar starts to soften toward his unwanted wife. He already gave Fran his name…can he trust her with his heart?
FIC: Bee Better Candles and More by KeriArentikai for prompt: Johnny Toews is a bewitching man who moves into a mysterious mansion in a small town. Soon, he opens Bell, Book & Candle, a curiosity shop full of candles, lotions, etc., and is enthralling the children of the local Police Chief (Patrick Kane), who believes that he is a witch (but not a bad one!). But not everyone in town is appreciative of their quirky new neighbor, and it may take a little bit of magic for him to truly become part of the community.
FIC: Wild Stallions: A Love Story by floss for prompt: Patrick Kane spent years being abused by his possessive ex boyfriend before he ran away and found shelter working in a stable rehabilitating horses. There, he doesn’t have to worry about other people— it’s him and the animals and that’s how likes it. He loves his simple life on the farm— that is until Jonathan Toews comes to town.
Jonathan Toews is the new stable hand— tall and handsome and far too good at making Patrick laugh for his own good. Patrick tries to keep his distance, but after many long days, standing and brushing the same horse and talking or going out in a torrential thunderstorm to rescue a filly, they eventually fall in love.
Can Kaner come to trust someone new with his heart? Can Jonathan move past the secret he knows Patrick is hiding from him?
And when the farm goes under and Patrick’s ex comes knocking with an engagement ring, an apology, and all the money necessary to save the horses, what with Kaner choose?
FIC: Fill It Up With Love by Frosting50 for prompt: College student Patrick Kane isn't thinking of the future when a chance meeting with a handsome hockey player ends in a magical night. At first he thinks the whirlwind romance is all his dreams come true, but everything changes when he finds out he's pregnant. Hurt, rejected, and alone, he vows to give his baby the best life he can - on his own.
As a new father, he is struggling to make ends meet when his daughter requires an expensive surgery. His determination to do anything for her overcomes his pride, and he reaches out to the only person he knows with enough money to help him - his daughter's estranged father.
[Alternative ending: The baby's father wants nothing but an end to the potentially scandalous problem. However his teammate, dreamy captain Jonathan Toews, has been harboring a crush on Patrick since they met before the pregnancy. Under guise of being a good teammate, he steps in where the baby's biological father has failed. But can Patrick learn to trust again?]
FIC: Now Lie In It by reallyyeahokay: for prompt: Fleeing violent tyranny, Prudence Merridew escapes with her beautiful younger sisters to London. One of them must marry—and fast. To act as her sisters' chaperone, Prudence invents a secret engagement to a reclusive duke...But when the duke arrives unexpectedly in London, she needs his help to avert disaster.
FIC: A Royal Baby by thenorthface for prompt: Crown Prince Jonathan Toews was only supposed to spend one night in the arms of delectable Buffalo rose Patrick Kane. Yet the sizzling night they shared is proving inconveniently unforgettable! So when he sees Patrick's delicate face in the crowds outside his palace, he initially thinks it's his fevered imagination playing tricks on him...
But Patrick is very real--and so is his baby bump! To avoid a national scandal, Jonathan whisks Patrick away to (Somewhere in Canada), but under the darkness of the Canadian skies, their passion burns hotter than ever before...
FIC/ARTWORK: The Adventures of Patrick and Jonny and Cabbage by kiwoa for prompt: Neighbors form an unusual arrangement to share custody of a dog, and the pair soon find themselves falling for one another.
FIC: heart melt yet i'm cold to the core by oops_ohdear for prompt: Prince Jonathan has a reputation for being serious and straight-laced, but he knows how to have a good time - he's just exceedingly careful. His new boyfriend, ebullient Patrick Kane, is the definition of a good time. However, when Patrick makes a mistake that turns the prince's private life into a public scandal, marriage becomes the only option. Furious, Jonathan cannot get over the possibility that Patrick may have planned the whole thing. He cuts Patrick out of his private life even as their public engagement becomes the talk of the town. In time, he starts to wonder if he went too far in his blame - but is it too late to win back Patrick's trust?
Sid/Geno:
FIC: Paws of Life by ladyblahblah for prompt: Life in a sleepy small town is a welcome change of pace for Sidney. Eager to leave his old city life behind, he's ready to settle into a quiet routine where the stress of his job peaks at planning a tour of the fire station for the local elementary school. He isn't looking for romantic entanglements, or anything else that might pull his focus away from his work. When he finds an abandoned, injured puppy by the side of a country road, though, Sidney can't do less than anything in his power to make sure it gets the care it needs.
He hadn't been counting on Dr. Evgeni Malkin. With his careful hands and warm smile, it's not long before Geno has the puppy patched up and happy again. And while Sidney never intends to foster the puppy himself, if it means occasional house calls from the local veterinarian, he can't quite bring himself to regret it.
Will Sidney be able to work past the memory of a previous loss and find a way to open his life to someone else again? Or will Geno have to work like a dog to bring this beauty's stubborn heart to heel?
FIC: part of me, apart from me by cathedralhearts for prompt: One hockey player's unexpected race to the altar teaches him a whole new meaning to marriage.
FIC: A Canadian Prince's Royal Mistake by lupinus for prompt: His Pregnant Princess! Princess Alys Bowen has always known she was destined to marry for duty, love was not an option. But with the announcement of her perfectly arranged engagement looming, for just one night she will take matters into her own hands!
Her brooding bodyguard, Liam Ryder, has always been there for her—literally putting his life—and body—on the line. And in his eyes, Alys can see that he's resisting temptation just as much as she is.
But now Alys and Liam have nine months before facing the consequences of their delicious and forbidden desires…
FIC: Feet in the Clouds by ukiyo91 for prompt: Ten years after graduation, Jake "the jock" Campbell and Brandon "the nerd" Bartlett are teaching at their old high school and still living in separate worlds. When Brandon is thrown into a coaching job on Jake's baseball team, they find themselves learning more about each other than they'd ever expected.
High school is all about image - even for the teachers. Brandon and Jake have to get past their preconceived notions to find the friendship needed to work together. And somewhere along the way, they discover that perceptions can always change for the better.
FIC: I'm Thirteen Now by oshiesaurus for prompt: geno works at a russian bakery and hes the owners son. when sid stumbles in one day, covered in snow and looking adorably disgruntled, geno instantly knows he wants to court him.
Benn/Seguin:
FANMIX: Just One Thing I Need by druidspell for prompt: A Dad for Christmas.
FIC: Sequins and Bobbins by hikaru for prompt: Howie gets a job at Artie Kraft's Arts 'N Crafts hoping to score with his lady coworkers. After all, girls love a sensitive guy, and what's more sensitive than dedicating your life to selling yarn and ... stuff? (Okay, so maybe it'd be a good idea to actually learn what one sells at an arts 'n crafts store.) But things don't go exactly according to plan. Coworker #1 is Cora: tiny, much-pierced, and way too fierce to screw with in any sense. Coworker #2 is Kristy: blonde, bubbly, unattainable perfection. And Coworker #3 is, well, Arthur. It goes without saying that he’s not an option. Right?
… Right?
Yeah, Howie’s life just got straight up confusing.
Pun intended.
Bortuzzo/Bennett:
FIC: The Bro's Bro by katwalking for prompt: The last thing Robert Bortuzzo needed when he got home from work was to find an alien in his living room. But how else to explain the lovely man who claimed he was from beyond the stars. He stated his name was Beau and Robert was part of his destiny. Robert scoffed at the thought that he had the power to pull anything from the heavens, let alone a man like Beau, but Beau's touch was compelling and it wasn't like he had anything better to do.
Abby Sharp/Patrick Sharp/Jonathan Toews:
FIC: Here is Yours is Ours is Mine by theswearingkind for prompt: Miss Esme Canville's brutal father is resolved to marry her off--but she won't submit tamely to his decree. Instead, she'll offer herself to notorious rake Captain St. John Radwell and enjoy all the freedom of a mistress! St. John is intent on mending his rakish ways. He won't seduce an innocent virgin. But Esme is determined, beautiful and very, very tempting....
Alex Galchenyuk/Brendan Gallagher:
FIC: Roommate Wanted by engine for prompt: now homeless brendan gallagher has to find somewhere to live. he starts renting an apartment alone, but finds that he hates it and ends up at alex's house more days than not, so he asks to move in with him. alex is reluctant at first, but eventually caves, and then they have to navigate the seemingly insurmountable task of co-existing pretty much 24/7. it doesnt help that brendan has a huge crush on alex.
