w his age, if dex lives coastal he’s not 2 likely 2 have tht Good Ol Mainer accent n if he lives rural but kinda urban he’s not likely 2 have it either, so i propose dex who lives in an old mill town where the mill’s been shut down or smth cos that’s usually where u find the old guys who gripe all the time n have The Accent n it rubs off on the younger people around there
so thts how u get dex who says fuckin shit like “poindextah” n “larisser” (cos u jus...... take the er sound n replace it w the ah/uh sound n vice versa) n fuckin. ayuh
on that note tho w the likelihood tht dex doesn’t even HAVE an accent
“hey dex say lobster” “lobster” “no w the maine accent” “i don’t have a maine accent” “but ur from maine” “yea fuckin oxford county maine not penobscot”
ransom n holster make twitters but they can’t decide on on un’s so holster makes his “iloveransom” n ransom makes his “iloveholster” but they do it w/o tellin each other n then when they follow each other they’re like BRO WE MATCH AND U LOVE ME n that’s how they started datin
'oh shit! we should call you ransom and holster! sick name for a d-men pair.' it only takes a second to register the look in your eyes and i return it with my own; it’s perfect. we’re perfect. i know it’s for real when you apply for a room change and practically live in my dorm anyway when you’re denied. 'bro,' you say one day, your fingertips coming up to rest on my cheek while you look me in the eyes. 'bro,' i say back, my other hand seeking out yours and lacing our fingers. we don’t have to say anything; we know. it’s beautiful. we’re beautiful.
of course--
sometimes (most times) i still wake up gasping for breath and i swear there’s smoke in my lungs and i reach to your side of the bed to make sure you’re there just as my brain reminds me you’re not. the sheets are cold compared to the heat of my nightmares and all i want is to curl up in your arms and weep. i fall asleep imagining that you are the one whispering 'it’s okay' over and over while the flames that took you lick back into my subconscious.
and then--
the first time we meet is on the ice, you with the aces and me with the falconers, and when you catch my eye, grin and nod before the game, electricity zaps up my spine. alexei is a great d-man but i can’t help but wonder how it might be for you and i to play for the same team (there’s a metaphor in there, i think, but i’m too busy getting checked into the boards hard enough to see stars to think about it). after the game (we win; it was a charity match, and no one is too torn up) you find me before i go to my hotel for the night and tater stays back with me, looking at you distrustfully. 'you went to samwell, right? i remember playing against you and zimmermann in the frozen four.' you smile and it feels like someone’s punched all the air from my chest. 'i almost went to samwell too, you know.' 'yeah?' is all i can manage, but that’s okay because you’re already pushing on. 'yeah, i mean, the whole one in four, maybe more thing is pretty inviting.' it’s my turn to smile, and i wonder if i affect you the same way you do me.
after that--
starting a new high school in a new country partway through your senior year is scary enough without also adding in the fact of being black and bi and trans and an activist. that morning, eyes heavy with sleep and brain forgetting my anxieties it had seemed like a great idea to wear my pride pins on my bag and my black lives matter shirt, had seemed like a statement, but now i’m surrounded by white teens who give me a wide berth and distrustful eyes and my heart is in my throat. my third class is social studies and i was never one for dramatics but seeing you in the back of the class smiling and talking and laughing in a shirt that says “make racists afraid again” and your bi pride bracelet is like taking a drink after being stranded in a desert. the knot in my stomach starts to unravel and i can breathe again; at least until you catch sight of me, and your smile is so blinding that i nearly stumble when you beckon me toward your group of friends. 'adam.' you’re still smiling. 'justin,' i say back, and your hand feels warm and safe when we shake. you keep talking about how your break had been, how pissed people had been when you said happy hanukkah instead of merry christmas, and the space you make for me in your circle of friends feels so natural i almost forget what worry feels like.
next time--
bits and pieces is one of providence’s most successful businesses-- one part because of the food, one part because of the host of professional nhl players who worked or stopped by in their free time, and one part because the bakery is loudly and proudly an lgbt safe space. the cafe was quiet, which was normal for this time of day; a few patrons were scattered around at tables, the tv up in the corner on a news station replaying the highlights from the falconers’ winning game the night before. in about an hour bitty will close the bakery for the next few, because the falconers will be coming home with their new teammate and bitty will want them to all get to know each other before the masses descend on the establishment. 'so, justin,' you say later, leaning against the counter while i make your drink. you’re adam birkholtz, tater’s new d-man, and angels sing when you say my name. 'you gonna write your number on that cup for me, bro, or do i gotta make you a drink instead?' shitty whoops from behind us and the tips of your ears go red, and the effort for you to keep looking calm and collected is adorable. 'nah, brah, i’m classy.' on impulse i grab your hand and scribble my number across the back, glancing up to meet your eyes and grin. 'fuckin high school romance this shit up, birkholtz.'
finally--
every life with you flashes behind my eyes when they’re closed and i’m so desperate to find you that it hurts. 'you remember your soulmate once you start puberty,' my parents had said. 'you’ll remember the lives you spent with them; it can be disorienting, so we’ll keep an eye on you. don't worry.' it was only one or two, usually, i knew; it was rare to find your soulmate often in past lives. puberty came and the memories of us left me bedridden for a week; not one life, not two, but hundreds, each memory overwhelming and leaving my heart aching more for you than the last. i try to convince myself that my choice to go to samwell had nothing to do with you, that i just liked the lgbt aspect of it, that it was familiar because so many of my lives had been here, but i knew it was a lie. i was hoping that i’d see you there again, that i’d finally find you after years of pining. you’re not in the locker room or on the ice at the start of practice, and i ignore the ache in my chest, ignore the disappointment, ignore-- 'ransom?' i don’t have to look, i just know, and in the next second my arms are around you and you’re laughing and i’m grinning and saying 'holster, god, i-- holster' and shitty’s skating by in the background: 'oh shit! ransom and holster! sick name for a d-men pair.'
it’s perfect.
we’re perfect.
soulmates have to be real or you wouldn’t feel this familiar every time
honestly when pressed 2 do a Mainer Accent dex probably jus uses like,,, the Generic One tht every1 knows n tht other states think is the accent bc they don’t know tht we got like....... idfk 5 probably
but like ok: the more my dad drinks the more unintelligible he becomes n he gets tht weird breathy “yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah” accent but will say “ayuh” in the same sentence n loses the g’s at the end of every ing n every “or” becomes “ah/uh” n on occasion “er” n a lot of the time he sputters over his own words n says literal actual gibberish n expects ppl 2 understand
n i have no accent myself but i have found, unfortunately, tht when i’m sleepy or been drinkin i start 2 sound the same way
thts dex when he’s tired or drunk thank u 4 ur time
can u rec ur fav holsom fics? :) only if u want to!!!!!
he’ll ya i wanna,, fair warnin tho i didnt wanna omit any fics i liked so like?? my ULTRA FAV ones will all have the ice cream emoj after the title
ok so i’ve only been thru the 1st 15 of the 18 pages in the holsom relationship tag on ao3 so there is a giant possibility i’m missin a great fic here (n also if any1 has any recs???? hmu)
the only order these are in is the order i opened em up in my tabs in
these r all rated t or g, or they should b!!! if there’s 1 in there that’s not, pls lmk so i can edit the post n let ppl kno
also this is more hc than fic however. ultra fav
Division One Defense Duo To Reunite Saturday 🍨 by theghostofjamespotter
Flyers Defenseman Justin Oluransi will play against Adam Birkholtz of the Pittsburgh Penguins, for the first time since the two were college D-partners.
first love, late spring by lehtonen
“Right.” Ransom still looks serious, but there’s a sinister glint in his eye that Holster gloomily recognises as contemplation. “What’s in it for us?”
Holster whips his head round to stare at him so fast his neck twinges in three different places. “Nothing is in it for us,” he hisses sotto voce, “or did you not hear the part where we’d be dating?”
Please Let Me Affirm Your Sexuality by tryslora
Everyone talks to Shitty, including his Hausmates.
pledge by Rest
Holster and Ransom pledge AEX as freshmen.
(A very short story set in a universe that’s only ever-so-slightly to the left of canon.)
Don’t you know you stop the room? by wwwinteriscoming
“I’m not mad, because you like Tater. I’m just.. Jealous. Because I’m strong, too. Hell, I could pick up Parse one handed, too, definitely if he came after Chowder.. And, like, I get that I’m not.. I’m not a fabulous NHL player and whatnot, but like.. If you crush on Gabe Landeskog of all people, why not crush on your very own, watered down, easily accessible Adam Birkholtz?”
Just bros being bros 🍨 by blue_eyed and growlery
Rans and Holster have a busy semester, so they start planning their bro-time. But its not like they’re dating, right?
To The Depth and Breadth and Height by peppermintlegs
Ransom crawls up onto the top bunk to study instead of sitting on the floor or at the desk. He doesn’t know what to say? And since when doesn’t he know what to say to his best friend? Ransom realizes he’s been missing Holster so much, between biology and captaining and March and med school apps. He realizes that Holster’s gotta be missing him too, right? What kind of shitfest of a friend ignores his best bro for other shit that’ll happen whether he’s in it 100% or not?
Tailspinners by rhysiana
In which Holster runs a literacy non-profit, Ransom is a pediatrician new to town, and Bitty is the Youth Services librarian who brings them together.
someone as good for me as you by ninjee
“So tell me,” Justin’s mother says, all business, “is your boy going to propose?”
“What, Jack?” Justin says, and doesn’t really think much of it, because his mother eats up the details of Jack and Bitty and JackandBitty like Holster eats up rom-coms.
His mother sighs, and he can practically hear her rolling her eyes. “No, baby, I meant Adam.”
Adam Birkholtz’s Foolproof Guide to the Perfect Birthday 🍨 by akadiene
On March 28th, 2016, Justin Oluransi, co-captain of the Samwell Men’s Hockey team and love of Holster’s life, is turning 23, and Holster doesn’t know what to do about it.
All I Want for Hanukkah 🍨 by captaintinymite (augopher)
When his and Holster’s son complains to Ransom about their Mensch on a Bench, Malachi, well he just has to explain where they got him and the reason he’s so important to Holster.
New Living Arrangements by remyllian_fire
It’s not that Holster doesn’t know how to live alone after graduation, but something is definitely missing.
Proper Date Manners by sunshineinthestorm
While trying to be a good bro and help his best friend get over his recent breakup with March, Holster accidentally sets them up on a double date with two girls who are already dating… each other.
What is the correct response to this revelation?
Fake dating. Obviously.
The Literary Inspirations series 🍨 by Tintinnabulation_of_the_Bells
All Summer in a Day
All Winter in a Night
n then this last 1! it’s not holsom focused, but it’s short n cute n has holsom
We should get married by lillaseptember
Jack and Bitty don’t get a lot of sleep night before the wedding.
u know what i never understand?? a p popular nurseydex trope is tht they need chowder 2 help them communicate bc they’re 2 different/closed off/etc otherwise n like.............. have y’all ever considered u should jus write all three of them datin? like... ever..... bc “three boyfriends have healthy communication n r happy w each other” is much better than “two boyfriends dont rly get along until some1 else steps in n fixes all their shit 4 them n magically everything is ok forever”
