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The whole house smells heavenly, but as Raleigh settles in the kitchen, the warmth radiating from beside him seems to serve as a reminder of the goods that are still in the oven. If nothing else, he can benefit from Meeka's desire to bake for any and all. "Oh, don't worry about that," he says with an easy shake of his head. "I mean, you don't have to say anything if you're not up for it, but you don't have to worry about overstepping. I'll take all the help I can get." A true team player through and through. "It's weird, I guess. I've been doing this for so long, and it's not a big deal, but having them here..." There is a reason he has avoided this kind of media for so long. "Are you sure you don't mind? The goal is to have them in and out in twenty minutes." Which is ambitious, but the nervous smile on his lips means nothing without hope.

Meeka had gone over the house with a magnifying glass to make sure it was spick and span - and to make sure everything they wanted to be kept private was hidden somewhere the cameras weren't looking. "From the way you described it, it didn't sound like you had much of a choice." She chuckled.

"I weren't gonna let you be by yourself for something like this. Seems like not Raleigh friendly vibes, so I'm here to distract. I don't mind being on camera, i'm happy to chatter and take the focus off you for a little while. Would that be okay?"

"for u, i would" is a love language

"My darling, there are no walls or secret gardens in me for you. You have the keys to all the doors."

– Albert Camus to Maria Casarès, Correspondance, August 12, 1948

"Yeah?" Without thinking, he lifts a hand to pat the sides of his curls. Though Liam shakes his head, the grin is broad across his lips, adding to Indigo's smile as she reaches out to run her fingers through the top of his hair. "Thanks, Zan. That's the point of today, isn't it?" And even though he is teasing, all it takes is a look at Indigo's smile as she scans the rink for his smile to shift. Her eyes are bright, excitement palpable as she swings her legs against the bench. Today means so much to him. Liam can see that reflection in his daughter's eyes, and this is what matters. Without it, he isn't sure the rest is worth much of anything.

A quick pull at each of her daughter's skates, and Liam is satisfied enough to help her to her feet. "Feels okay?"

Indy nods, bouncing on her heels as she grips both of her dad's hands. "Feels good. It's not too tight," she assures, and as one of the players skate by, she waves before lifting her eyes back to Liam.

"Making friends already?" He turns to catch a glimpse at who was skating behind them. If nothing else, being alone in the city means that he has been able to get to know several of his teammates. Life would be a lot harder without their support. The same can be said about several of their partners who are already greeting Zander.

"Ready!" Indy's smile widens as she pulls Liam toward the ice. "Come on! Daddy, we have to go!" She says, holding a hand back at Zander.

"Late last night," he clarifies. "I had a meeting I couldn't miss yesterday, and by the time we got in and took a shuttle from the airport to the hotel we ended up falling straight into bed." He'd gotten it into his head to surprise Liam here instead of the apartment, so that's what they'd done. Luckily his husband had had a game while they'd been in the air, so their nightly phone call had happened earlier than usual. They'd already been at the airport when he'd phoned, and had had to find a quiet spot to take his call. "Don't worry, babe, I bet she'll never use her powers against us," he assures his husband with a laugh.

Zander's smile is soft as he nods, brushing his thumb across Liam's cheek. "Anytime," he says, and of course he understands. They're in this together. "I didn't mess up your hair, by the way," he adds with a smirk as he drops onto the bench next to Indy, reaching into the bag for his own skates. "You still look hot." He gets distracted watching Liam tie on Indy's skates, their daughter's excitement nearly tangible. She's been looking forward to this trip ever since he first mentioned it, and he can tell she's buzzing to get onto the ice. She is her father's daughter, after all.

Once his skates are on he stands, testing out the fit to make sure they're tight enough. Satisfied, he grins at his family. "Alright, are we ready?"

"Last night?" He repeats, brow lifting as his eyes come back to Zander. "Did you really stay in a hotel instead of the apartment?" Shaking his head, Liam pulls back enough to catch his eyes. "Oh, please don't say that. That's terrifying, actually." Though the more he thinks about it, the weirder their last couple of phone calls have been. "Maybe I should have known something was up. Honestly, I was probably too distracted thinking about today to notice."

His smile widens as Zander continues, and Liam can feel a flutter in his chest as his throat tightens. Luckily, a quick glance at the bright lights above are enough to subdue any tears that begin gathering in the corners of his eyes, and his husband's hand combing through his hair is even more of a distraction. Though, Liam can't bring himself to care about his hair for the picture when his heart is right in front of him. "Thank you," he whispers, and there is so much more he could say, but it's nothing Zander doesn't understand already. "Yes. Yeah." His gaze lands back on Indigo, whose face is already bright at the mention of skating. "Are you ready to lace up?" He asks, setting her down on the bench after pressing one more kiss atop her head.

Indigo grins. "Yes! Can we please?" The promise of skating is all that manages to ease her grip from around Liam as she lifts her head from his chest. As soon as she is sitting, she pulls off her shoes and waits patiently for her skates to be tied, which is done carefully, with one foot resting on his knee at a time as he perches on the ground to fix the laces.

Zander laughs at Liam's surprise, his arms wrapping tight around his husband and daughter. Already he can feel that empty space in his heart filling in, the one that reopens anytime he and Liam have to say goodbye. It's not something he ever gets used to, no matter how many times it happens. "We flew in last night," he explains with a smile, his gaze shifting from Liam to Indigo and back again. "Turns out our kid is very good at keeping secrets, huh Indy?" Truthfully she'd almost given them away on their phone call earlier, but clearly Liam hadn't suspected. He's glad.

"We've missed you too, Li." That's an understatement, but Zander knows that he doesn't have to say anything else. They both get it. "Of course I knew, baby. Why do you think we're here?" He'd been able to hear it in his husband's voice every time the topic came up. Leaning against the boards in front of Liam, Zander reaches out to brush a hand through his hair. "We weren't going to let you go through today alone." He can't help but lean down for a quick kiss, keeping it chaste even though he longs for more. "Now." He smiles. "You want to help Indy with her skates while I get mine on?"

#ral being talked into a house tour and everyone being surprised at how domestic he is / @florxdexcerezos

Raleigh turns to give the house a onceover, doing his best to look at it objectively. Nothing seems out of place to him, but the camera that will be arriving at any moment will be a fresh set of eyes. "Well," he says, smiling as he leans his hands on the counter. "I think everything looks good, but I am... starting to wonder again why I agreed to this." Other than the fact that the team signs his paycheck and that media is part of his contract, of course. "Thanks again for being here."

The only thing worse than his inability to turn down the offer is knowing that there's no where else he would rather be, no matter how conflicted his feelings. Life was a lot easier before Mason.

Typically, he is one of the last out of the room, unwilling to let even a moment of his dream pass him by after working so hard to get to this level, but knowing that his friend is waiting on him manages to pull him to his feet sooner than usual. Or maybe it's the result of his friend's knowing look from across the room that drives him away early.

The bar isn't too busy by the time Cal arrives, so it's easy to spot Mason, even from behind. Though, before he steps forward, the TV in the corner catches his attention where the analysts are still in the middle of an in-depth breakdown of the night's game. He looks just in time to see his pass and-- "What about that apple? Hell of a snipe, no? What a beauty." The shot from their game continues, showing Callum's grin as he'd skated over to celebrate the goal, and the boys' teasing from the locker room wanders back into his thoughts, causing his current smile to falter. "Think they'd have more to say about that, too, but I guess your shot wasn't too shabby either." Settling on the stool, he shrugs off his coat and nods down to the fries. "Thanks. What're we drinking?"

"Home? After we pulled off that win? Come on, man! We should celebrate a little." It had been a tough game, both teams desperate to earn a spot in the playoffs and fighting tooth and nail for those two points. They'd been down heading into the third, until a pass from Cal had led to Mason's goal. It had been enough to get the team fired up, and they'd scored two more just in time to win in regulation. Now Callum wants to go home? "At least let me buy you a beer. I owe you one for that helper, anyway." He hates the idea of his friend heading back to his empty apartment, especially since Mason thinks most of the credit for their win belongs to him. "Our usual place, okay?" he asks, clapping Callum on the shoulder. "I'll save you a spot." He doesn't even wait for an agreement before walking off, trusting that the matter is settled.

Mason calls goodbye to the team and he's gone, making the short drive from the arena to their favorite bar. It's a good spot for going out when it isn't the whole group, the place smaller and off the beaten path, allowing them more privacy on the nights they don't feel like dealing with crowds. They have excellent food, too, and Mason goes ahead and orders them some fries so they won't be drinking on an empty stomach. The tv in the corner is replaying the highlights from their game, and he grins as he watches Callum's pass from an outside perspective. It's even more of a beauty than he thought, and he plans on telling him as soon as he's here.

"Oh my god." Liam's arms come around Zander immediately, and though he pulls away to take Indigo into his arms, he is right back in his husband's embrace a moment later. "You're here. I—how are you here?" His cheek comes to rest against the top of Indigo's head after pressing a kiss to her hair. "You're here," he repeats, staying close as he lifts his free hand to push Zander's hair back.

The rest of the guys are on the ice by now, leaving the bench clear as Liam pulls back and slides the skate bag off of his husband's shoulder. "Yeah," he laughs. "I really am. I--" With Indy still in his arms, he pulls her closer to his chest for another hug. "I've missed you so much." Liam's voice is quieter this time as he lets the bag slide off of his shoulder. "You know, I really wasn't looking forward to today. It's like you knew." Side-stepping closer to the bench, he reaches for his husband's hand before having a seat.

Zander inhales deeply as he shifts the car into park, releasing the breath slowly in an attempt to quell his nerves. He isn't sure why he's so nervous; he knows that Liam will be happy to see them. Somehow it still feels like intruding, though. Deep down he knows that's only because he doesn't know the other families that well. Yet. (He's working on that, and anyway, today is about spending time with Liam.)

"Alright, Indy, you ready?" His daughter nods eagerly and they climb out of their rental, meeting around the front and joining hands for the walk into the arena. Zander remembers the way from his previous visits, and as he shifts their skate bag higher on his shoulder he can tell they're getting close because the echoing of voices gets louder.

Almost as soon as they step out of the tunnel Indy spots Liam on the ice, calling out to him and getting him to turn. And really, just seeing his husband's face shouldn't steal his breath away so easily, but the smile that they're greeted with nearly makes Zander weak in the knees. "Hey, handsome," he says, returning his smile as the distance between them dwindles. "We heard it was bring your family to work day, so.." He shrugs, his expression softening as he pulls Liam into a hug, voice low next to his ear. "Surprise."

Rosalind takes a deep breath as she steps forward. Shoulders straight, chest open, chin up, smile easy. She can hear her mother's words resting in her ear, and oh, this has to go perfectly. Despite the rumors of Kylie potentially being named the diamond of the season, Rose is confident in her own ability to wow the rest of the court. After all, as the youngest in her family with four brothers ahead of her, she cannot bring her family another disappointment.

Not even seeing Kylie walk before her is enough to distract from the pit in her stomach. Everything is moving so fast. Her hands fiddle with the draping sleeves of her gown until one of the guards gives her the nod to make her way forward one step at a time. This is a moment that has been practiced for years, and while some look forward to it as soon as they understand its reasoning, Rosalind hates succumbing to nerves--especially under someone else's eyes. And not just anyone else, at that.

The queen sits perfectly still at the front of the room, and Rosalind stands tall, keeping her shoulders wide and her chin straight as she steps forward, one foot in front of the other. She can feel everyone's eyes on her as she makes her way down the center of the room, but Kylie's gaze manages to catch her attention as she continues and--

Her heel falls on something underfoot. It doesn't get much attention at first, but then her shoe slips as the bead rolls with her step. Rosalind stumbles, and she can hear the murmurs coming from behind her as her arms come up to counter her balance. "Oh!" But momentum already has a firm grip on her as she takes another step in an attempt to right herself, only for her other foot to come down onto more beads.

She falls against the runner with a solid thud, and suddenly regrets the blush across her cheeks as the rest of her face turns the same shade. The guards are rushing forward at once to help, but Rosalind is already straightening herself, pushing against the ground with both hands, which press against two more beads. Taking one of them in hand, she only has a moment to observe it, and then her eyes are lifting once more, narrowed toward Kylie's spot in line. Bead in hand, her jaw clenches, and Rosalind pushes up, only to stumble once more before she is safely away from the carpet with an, "Excuse me," as she rushes the opposite direction after a quick bow at the queen.

closed starter for @erstwhles!!

her plan had gone off without a hitch. was it the most lady-like thing of her to do? not at all, but rosalind was her only real competition when it came to being declared the diamond of the season. she was the last eligible person in her family and they needed her to marry well this season. let's just say her siblings hadn't married into abundant families. so, she was willing to do whatever she felt necessary to get into the queen's good graces. her plan had merely been nothing more than a joke between herself and her eldest sister, but kylie's confidence surrounding her own chances to do well were plummeting as the event neared. she had her own ways of learning what order each woman would be presented in, and luckily for her, she was going right before rosalind. she couldn't control if a few large beads fell from her gown and onto the ornately detailed runner, where rosalind would be walking right after her. it was very childish and text book, but also it wasn't really traceable. sure, they could point fingers at kylie, but she could claim it was an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction. it was too late to question what would happen as rosalind promptly strolled down said runner. the brunette held her breath as she watched the other woman go step by step closer to the queen and to where the beads were. kylie felt a twinge in her stomach as she braced for what was moments from happening. was this really worth it?

trix eden

Standing here, together in his apartment, Joel feels the kind of cold that should have consumed them when he first woke up in the hospital. It's all wrong. Nothing since that night has felt just right, and he can't figure out if that's because they haven't been able to lean into that same feeling or because there is no coming back from it after having a taste of what life could be like if only things were different. If they had met as just Ezra and Joel. It's a hard position to be in--feeling like he has to choose a job over a potential relationship for the sake of both of their reputations, but he can't afford for his position on the team to be called into question because of his connection with Ezra and his family. "I... Yeah. I think it'd be best. Until the next visit with the doc, I just want to focus on getting better. Which means I'm not going to be much fun, and... you should take advantage of that by catching up with your parents." It's as nicely as he can put it, but Joel still feels his smile falter as his gaze slips to the floor between them. "Not really. You know them better than me, so you'd have a better idea at what would work, but you mentioned telling them that you were with a friend, right? I would probably stick with that. It's not like it's a lie." Right. As soon as the words spill from his lips, Joel feels a different kind of guilt tugging at his chest. Because though they may have started off as friends, he knows enough about the depth of his own feelings not to suggest that's all this is anymore. Still, "You could tell them the truth. Tell them that your friend got hurt and needed help for a couple of days. I can't imagine they'd hold it against you, would they?"

despite having verbal confirmation from joel that the other hadn't grown sick of being around him, he couldn't deny the sick feeling in his stomach as he almost robotically nodded his head in agreement with his words. joel brought up a valid point. his parents had been practically blowing up his phone over the past few days. he genuinely hadn't thought they'd think much of him being gone, and yet now it seemed they needed him more than they ever had before. it almost made him feel nervous, as if they knew anything about where he'd actually been. he knew it was best if he went. he'd been the one to bring up the topic in the first place, yet he was scared to. it felt like admitting to one another that this was never going to work out. even when they were alone, it felt as if there were still eyes on them; like they were one choice away from being caught and of course that caused some tension. "you're right. everything you're saying makes sense and i agree with you, but do i have to go just yet? my folks are fine to wait a few more minutes." there was hesitation in his voice as he spoke. it wasn't like he'd never hear from joel again after leaving; it might be a week or two, but they'd talk. for some reason though he felt as if they'd failed some kind of test; that this was to show obstacles or not, they simply weren't suited for one another. "i dunno what i'm gonna tell my parents, though. have any suggestions?" his tone was airy as the question fell from his mouth. his eyes simply stayed on joel, as if he'd blink and the other man would disappear entirely. he was planning on saying he'd been visiting a friend, but which friend would be the most believable. plus, it was uncommon for him to not have told them anything about being gone beforehand; in his defense he hadn't know joel would be injured in the game. ezra gazed at joel after speaking. it felt so odd how easy things had been days ago in the hospital, how ezra had been comfortable enough there to say whatever to joel and display affection to the other freely, but in the comfort of the other's home he felt the need to hold back. the worst part was neither one of them had done anything wrong to make things feel this way, this was simply the way it was between them. it felt like accepting that they were never going to make it as a 'real' couple.

With his drink still at his lips, Syver turns, already shaking his head. "Sounds like you do have more to say, so why can't we just talk?" This might be the first time he has ever suggested an actual solution. At the very least, it is the first time he has meant it.

"Can we just—I don't want to fucking talk about him. Alright, and me riling him up? What the fuck do you call him getting to know you while we were together, then? How are you ignoring that? You think he's a fucking saint? He didn't get anything out of it?" Syver gestures to the coat in her hand.

That might be the worst part of it all. The beginning of their relationship may not have been perfect, but the fact that Callum ended up the good guy is enough reason to clench his jaw. "The fact that he's even part of this at all... is fucking mind-blowing."

Pursing her lips into a fine line of frustration, she picks up her clutch and Callum's jacket where he had left it. It had never made sense to her before, why Syv had changed his demeanor to her so much from the start of their relationship- to the end. But now? She knew exactly what motivated him.

"I have nothing to say to you, and I want nothing from you."

Moving past him, not even bothering to bump his shoulder she only hesitates a moment. Maybe she did have something to stay.

"I am not a toy that you get to mess around with just to rile him up. He actually cares about me, always has."

smile! / @musicallyiinclined

Though Liam's smile meets his eyes as he watches the rest of the guys and their families take the ice, the emptiness in his chest grows just a little wider. It's not an unfamiliar feeling considering his temporary living situation, but watching the rest of the team share team picture day with their loved ones, he can't help thinking about how far his own heart is. It doesn't help that his conversation with Zander and Indigo this morning was cut off because his husband had to end it early. Already, he is looking forward to hearing both of their voices again tonight. The next game in Toronto has been marked on his calendar since the start of the season, but it can't come soon enough.

As the rest of the guys take the ice, enjoying the time they have until the photographer sets up, Liam pushes away from the boards and slides his gloves on. Somewhere behind him, he hears a little voice call out, "Dad!" Which isn't unusual on a day like today, but this time he pauses, the voice sparking recognition in his eyes as he turns.

His eyes lighten immediately, widening as he pauses to let the sight sink in: his two favorite people. The grin that breaks across his expression is almost immediate, but the surprise remains as he skates toward the bench.