Country Music And Hockey And Cute Boys

It feels like for a while in there that people were dropping them as a sponsor but now that the controversy has slightly dimmed there are so many ads for them again; do not give them your information, do not give them your money

you drive, you clean, you basically cook what does he do?

Teaser: "I feel it in my gut, Colt."

“What are you doing right now?” Jayne’s voice sounded in your ear seconds after you answered her call. You had gotten home from work nearly two hours ago, taking time to only shower then collapse in your living room.

"Laying on my couch watching Netflix,” you responded.

“Well, we’re having some people over after 8 and I want you to come,” She said.

“Last minute invite, nice," You rolled your eyes. "What does 'some people' mean?"

“The team and close friends,” Was the reply. It was never just the "team and close friends."

“I don’t feel like doing my makeup, Jayne,” You groaned. “Or, even getting dressed for that matter. I just laid down.”

“Come on, please?” She pleaded. “It’s lowkey so you don’t have to really wear makeup if you don’t want to.”

"But I would need to change. Do you know how much energy that would require?"

"If we waited around for you to have energy, we would never see you!" You heard Alex yell in the background.

"Why am I always on speaker?"

"You have something to hide from me, Y/L/N?"

“Anyway,” You rolled your eyes. “Will jeans and a t-shirt satisfy you guys? It doesn't sound like I can get out of this.”

“That sounds perfect,” Jayne responded. “Just come by whenever you’re ready.”

“Do you want me to bring anything?” 

“Nope, we’re all good. See you when you get here!”

“Bye.”

Pairing: Tyson Jost x OFC (AJ)

Word Count: 6274 (I went a little overboard)

Warnings: Language. There’s adult naughtiness, so if you’re under 18, get outta here. It’s not graphic but still... get out. Holiday fluff too.

Need to start from the beginning? Check out Chapter 1 at https://at.tumblr.com/brainrattlers/play-it-cool-tyson-jost-1n/p7no8u1hzuza

Just need to catch up on last chapter? Chapter 33 is at https://at.tumblr.com/brainrattlers/play-it-cool-tyson-jost-33n/roh2we9w75t3

Author’s Notes: I am reposting this because I'm getting the feeling my tags aren't working right. Testing something out. :)

Happy Holidays, readers! I’m hoping you’re having a festive season full of friends, family, food, and fun. Things got away from me, and then the weather that hit last week threw a wrench in the works for a LOT of people, myself included. Ended up having to rewrite things, and then I got stuck. That’s the hard part about writing sometimes... you have to come up with the ideas! I hope I did this justice, especially since I took a couple extra days.

Anyway, Tyson’s on the road, AJ’s in Minneapolis packing, and there’s a storm heading toward Buffalo. Tyson wants to bring AJ home for Christmas, but there are a lot of “what ifs” looming.

After a few hours of packing, AJ’s stomach alerted her to it being well past lunch time. 

As if on autopilot, she grabbed her keys, and headed to the garage to retrieve her Soul and hit the road. Truth be told, she missed her car after driving Tyson’s so much the past few weeks. Hitting 94, she headed to St. Paul, craving Cossetta. Traffic was rough on Seventh, reminding her of the fact the Wild were playing that night, just two blocks down the road. Opting to take her dinner with her, she headed back to the apartment wanting to get as far from the Xcel Energy Center as she could.

It wasn’t that she was mad at the team, or the arena… There was still frustration with the management and coaching staff there, getting under her skin. She didn’t know why it was still bothering her when clearly Tyson was carving out a new home in Buffalo, now on the third line consistently. AJ really did need to learn to get better, not bitter. Minnesota was just a stepping stone onto bigger and better things, for the both of them.

Sitting on the sofa next to Maple, AJ looked at the clock on her phone. Tyson was in Arizona, and likely would be at practice, but it didn’t stop her from sending a quick photo and message.

AJ: Maple was a good messenger. I miss you too! We’re just chilling on the sofa at the moment, having some late lunch. <1 attachment>

Putting on some music in the background, AJ got back to work. Tyson’s musical influences were creeping into her Spotify mixes, realizing that a few of his playlist songs were showing up in her Chill and Electronic pre-made playlists. Some of those very songs graced the speakers in this very apartment while cooking dinner together, low-key afternoons that Tyson read while AJ crocheted, and some intense late nights spent connecting on multiple levels. 

Just like packing up life in Denver, memories came rushing back, even though their time there was short. While working on packing but really more reminiscing, the music was interrupted with a notification of a text message. Grabbing her phone, AJ smiled, but then frowned reading the words that popped up on the screen.

Tyson: I’m so glad Maple was able to relay the message. I told him to write it down because I’m pretty sure he would have forgotten otherwise. Skate went well. Change in plans though - don’t think Mom is going to make it to Minny to help. How’s it going? 

AJ looked around and sighed, knowing an extra set of hands would be a huge help. In her heart though, she knew though this was the least she could do right now considering she still didn’t have steady work in Buffalo and Tyson was footing the bill on things. Granted, he IS the one with a $2M contract currently. But with Laura not there to help, it was definitely concerning AJ whether she could pull this off as the movers would be there soon, and how it would affect Christmas plans that she was working with her on to surprise Tyson.

Either way though, AJ was going to have to make this work.

AJ: I’ve got a ways to go in that case, but doing what I can. Maple’s just sitting on the sofa though not helping. Everything okay?

Tyson: I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention to the weather but they’re starting to say that Buffalo is going to get hit hard with snow, but don’t know how much yet. Can I call you when we get back to the hotel? It’s a lot to text.

AJ: Of course. Love you, talk soon.

Tyson: You’re the best, love.

Shortly after, Tyson facetimed AJ better explaining the situation. He was worried about her traveling too - if she left too late, she might get stranded traveling back to Buffalo. Taking a minute to film the apartment situation, she told him it would be close to getting it done before the movers arrived, and making sure she left early enough without Laura’s help.

The silver lining in this situation is that literally she just needed to pack up and clean a bit - and AJ was staying at the apartment so it wasn’t like she needed to drive back and forth to a hotel each day. Late nights, early mornings, it didn’t matter other than the last night. Once boxes were packed, she could grab the most important ones and stash them in her car and hit the road.

The two closed out the call pretty quick, knowing the time crunch.

AJ ended up chatting a bit with Laura that evening too, confirming the news from Tyson about not coming in. The two were trying to figure out what this would mean for the Christmas surprise the two were plotting and scheming to make happen - unfortunately it was a “hurry up and wait” situation not knowing what the weather truly would bring. The two promised to keep in touch to figure out if plans were changing. Both were optimistically hopeful, but knew the reality might not be that picture-perfect.

Tyson was still worried, constantly checking for weather updates. It didn’t seem to show during the game in Arizona though, with him scoring an empty-net goal to help the Sabres beat the Coyotes 5-2. Directly after the game, the team traveled to Vegas.

AJ: Not staying at the Wynn Encore, I’m assuming?

Tyson: Ha ha ha babe. You’re lucky you’re beautiful, smart, kind, and laugh at my jokes.

Working until nearly 2am and the exhaustion hit, AJ gave up on packing for the night. While the mattress felt familiar, the lack of all the extra pillows (there were two left behind from the initial round of packing) and the lack of Tyson left it feeling empty and cold. Soon enough though she’d be back in Buffalo with him, curled up in their giant hotel room bed. And hopefully shortly after that, they’d be moving into a more permanent residence.

After a few hours of sleep, AJ found herself up again, working on putting everything into organized boxes, labeled with what room the box would belong in, or at least if it was Tyson’s stuff, or her own. A few hours later was a good morning text from Tyson, saying the forecast was about the same at that point, but he was still nervous. AJ showed off the progress she’d made, clearing out two rooms already, leaving just a couple left. 

AJ also vowed to herself she would have to get rid of some of her stuff at some point, especially if moving around was going to be a fairly consistent thing. She certainly hoped it wouldn’t be that way - while Buffalo may not have been her first choice, she’d rather stay there at least a few more years before being potentially sent somewhere else. 

Not wanting to interrupt her more than he had to, Tyson recorded a short video and sent it to AJ while she continued on the mission. He sent it from the dressing room before the game started. It pinged her phone as she was stopping for a bit to get some dinner.

Opening the clip, AJ saw her man smiling, definitely taking his time to choose his words.

“Hey Eggo, you are such a trooper putting up with everything, me being me, moving, moving again. I’ve never once heard you really complain. And you doing what you’re doing right now? It made me realize that if the situation were slightly different, I wish you were here in Vegas because I’d take you to the place with Elvis and I swear I’d marry you right now. In the meantime, all I can do is promise I will make it up to you. You’re everything to me, AJ… I love you so much.”

His eyes were glassy, and AJ caught him at one point smiling, laughing, and wiping his eye. Tyson was becoming more and more open showing his feelings to her. She watched the video a couple more times, watching how the smile on his face got bigger when he talked about getting married. 

For AJ, marriage wasn’t a necessity, she knew they were committed to each other. And to be fair, she wasn’t opposed to it either. But for Tyson and his old soul, there was something special, something extremely intimate and romantic about getting to say the vows, and signing on the lines of the license, even if the minister was an Elvis impersonator.

AJ: I can’t wait to see you in a couple days. Feels empty without you here. Got another room finished, only have the kitchen and the guest room/office left. If I were there, I’d gladly take you up on the offer to become Mrs. Jost officially. Your mom would kill us both for that though, pretty sure she wants to be at the wedding lol

With the game on in the background, AJ packed as much as she could, trying to not get sucked into the game too much. Close game though, with a 3-2 win over the Golden Knights. Quiet night from Tyson, but not from lack of trying. 

Tyson: Getting ready to fly back. Weather is looking worse for Friday. Hearing that they’re contemplating postponing the game. Should know more soon. If you can leave sometime tomorrow, I think that’d be for the best.

Looking around the room, AJ could probably pull it off although the boxes wouldn’t be as organized as originally intended. That could easily be dealt with later. With the news though, she called it a night, and got up early the next morning to finish tackling the remainder.

With a handful of boxes in her own car, and the VIB buckled in the front seat (Maple IS a very important bear!), AJ was on her way back to Buffalo. On her way to Indiana, a phone call was made between Laura and herself, unfortunately calling off the Christmas surprise, which was not only Laura coming out to visit Tyson in Buffalo, but also getting Kacey and the grandparents out there as well - AJ and Laura were going to pay for the tickets to surprise Tyson. Unfortunately this left AJ with NO gifts purchased for Tyson, causing her great anxiety. She tried to tell herself it would be okay if it were late, especially considering the fact she’s now on her way back to Buffalo, where it sounded like the weather was going to be awful, no doubt.

Stopping in Indiana for the night, she checked into her hotel, and checked in with Tyson.

“Game is postponed Friday, for sure. So I talked to Mom though, and… since it’s an extra day, what do you think about heading to Edmonton for a quick Christmas trip? I can get tickets to fly out directly after practice on Thursday morning.”

As tired as she was, AJ still fought to keep the really frustrated heavy sigh from being heard over the phone. She really understood, he hadn’t seen his family all together since their trip over the summer. BUT - He didn’t know that her Christmas surprise was now canceled, and that she didn’t have a backup. Tyson didn’t see all the boxes in the living room ready for the movers to pick everything up. Tyson wasn’t the one driving through crappy weather heading back to Buffalo.

What he did know, however, is that when AJ gets quiet, something is amiss. The lack of response was a dead giveaway.

“Hey, is everything okay?”

The frustrated sigh couldn’t be held back, nor was the exhaustion fueled feelings.

“No. No I’m not. I’m just…” AJ trailed off, fearing what might come out of her mouth with her filter seemingly broken.

Tyson stayed quiet, letting her figure out her words to let him know what she’s feeling.

Another sigh happened, but he knew this was the one that always came when she was nervous to say what she was about to say.

“I… I’m just tired, Tys. Physically and emotionally. I was expecting some help with getting the old place sorted, and I know that isn’t anyone’s fault that the weather kept your mom from coming down. But I’m tired from that, I’m tired from driving all day in awful weather. On top of that (sigh) I had this big grand plan for a surprise for you for Christmas, but it completely fell through and I don’t even have a gift for you now. You’re a hard man to shop for, you know that?” AJ was chuckling to keep from crying at this point.

Yep. AJ was truly exhausted.

“Aww babe, I’m… I’m really sorry this is happening, if I had the power to change the weather, you know I would,” Tyson thought for a moment and calmly responded, “Would it be better if we just skipped going home?” 

“That’s not fair to you. My gift to you was getting your family all to Buffalo for the holiday, but… this is still a way for you to see them all. I mean worst case, you can always go without me.”

That last bit stung. Tyson was sure that she didn’t mean it to hurt, but it did.

“It didn’t occur to me what all you’ve been up to the past few days especially without the help you were expecting. I forgot what kind of mess I left the apartment in. You are a fucking ROCKSTAR for putting up with all this and taking care of everything. That right there is more than enough of a Christmas present. But if I had my say, wherever you are for Christmas, I want to be there too. I’m not leaving you alone in a new city, in shitty weather, especially on Christmas.”

AJ was quiet, taking it all in. The silence hung, but Tyson wasn’t about to step in and say anything else until she did, and he was willing to wait however long it was. She was still processing everything in her sleep-deprived mind. Something finally clicked and she realized she was doing the thing again - overreacting and going worst case scenario without considering that it might not be that bad. And Tyson wasn’t going to hold it against her either, realizing he kind of sprung this on her last second as well.

“How about I get some sleep, and I do my best to get back tomorrow in decent time. I want to be with you for Christmas too. I just can’t promise I’m going to be the best company for a day or two as I recharge my batteries.”

Tyson chuckled and sighed, “One step at a time, and that first one is getting you back here. Text me before you leave in the morning, and check in when you can? We’ll figure it out from there, sound good?”

AJ agreed to the plan. She wasn’t sure what the next few days would hold, but was going to roll with it the best she could. And Tyson was going to make sure it was as easy on her as possible, realizing how much she deserved some time off.

After what felt like a few hours of sleep, Maple and AJ were on the road again, driving along Lake Erie heading toward New York, seeing the sights she had seen weeks prior driving the Grand Cherokee up. A few texts were shared before Tyson was on his way to practice, figuring he’d be getting home shortly before she would be. The estimates were right, as AJ texted one more time as she was getting parked.

AJ: Get the luggage cart and help me unload… Maple is cranky and needs a nap. *Maple is me.

With the Soul unloaded, and the handful of bins and large bear brought inside, all AJ could do was hug Tyson, grab a quick kiss, and crawl into bed for a couple of hours. But not wanting her to sleep all afternoon and then not be able to that night, Tyson woke her up before dinner. While he really wanted to take her out for a nice dinner, he also knew that she wasn’t going to feel like getting dressed up. 

Instead he opted to order in some Chinese from a place one of his teammates recommended. As AJ came out of the bedroom, she was greeted by a smiling Tyson who put the Christmas lights on again, and set the table buffet style, complete with an order of General Tso’s for her, Beef and Broccoli for him, veggie fried rice, some egg rolls and an order of crab rangoon to share. Full plates in hand, the two found themselves on the sofa. Eating in silence, they watched an episode of Yellowstone. The second episode found them curled up with each other under a large thick fleece blanket, with AJ fading fast. 

Clicking the off button on the TV, Tyson urged AJ to take out her contacts and come to bed. It didn’t take much to twist her arm.

Letting AJ sleep in, Tyson quietly slipped out in the morning after already packing his suitcase. Little did she know, but he also set an alarm on her phone for 8:30 so she could get up in time to get breakfast downstairs, and get packed. Little did he know, she was planning on getting up at 8 to get breakfast downstairs, get packed, and still try to find a gift before leaving for the airport when Tyson was back from practice.

Thankfully, inspiration struck while she was eating breakfast in the hotel lobby. Throwing on a hoodie and grabbing her keys, AJ made a quick stop at a place she knew that would sell what she was looking for. After spending a few minutes, she picked out which one she hoped he would like. And getting back to the hotel, she quickly packed her bag, stashing the purchased item between a layer of clothing - wrapping would have to be done when they arrived. With a bit of extra time before Tyson’s inevitable return, a visit to the gym happened, followed by a shower to relax herself before popping the Dramamine she’d need to survive flying and not being a nauseated mess.

The door lock clicked, alerting AJ to the arrival of Tyson. Seeing her backpack next to his suitcase, he knew she was coming with… which was good because he had already bought her ticket.

Opting to get a ride to the airport, rather than leaving one of their vehicles there, the two arrived with plenty of time before their flight. This was a smart move, everyone was freaking out with the storm coming in the next day and trying to get to their holiday destinations. AJ fell asleep on Tyson’s shoulder at the gate waiting for boarding, the motion sickness meds clearly doing their thing. When it was time to get on the plane, it took a bit of work, but he did get her awake and coherent enough to get seated. She was back out as soon as her seatbelt clicked. Tyson’s hands would be safe from the death grip of AJ’s at least this part of the trip

The flights to Edmonton were Buffalo to Chicago to Calgary to Edmonton, with that little extra bit of going through customs. With the time zone changes, the two were greeted by Laura at the airport just in time for a late dinner. 

At home, Kacey and a couple cousins were already waiting, decorating the tree. Tyson insisted AJ have a seat on the sofa as he took their bags upstairs to his room. AJ took in the environment, remembering a few of the cousins from their trip up earlier in the year. Laura let AJ know there was pizza in the kitchen, if they were hungry. Tyson appeared again, and grabbed some ornaments to help finish the tree, excited for his favorite holiday with his family. With the tree finished, and a few pieces of pizza devoured, it was actually Tyson who threw in the towel first, admitting he was pretty tired with it feeling two hours later AND a day of travel. AJ was in agreement though, wishing everyone a good night as they headed upstairs.

This time around, it wasn’t Tyson trying to be sneaky and start something, he was legitimately tired. And if he were this tired, he knew that AJ was probably twice as. The two took turns in the bathroom, and cleared the bed of their bags while getting changed into pajamas. And just like last time, it was a tight fit with the two of them in the full-sized (much smaller) bed. But unlike last time, AJ felt a lot more at home and fell asleep quickly in Tyson’s arms.

The next morning, the Jost clan had breakfast, and talked about plans for the coming days. It’d be a short trip, considering Tyson had to be back in time to travel to Columbus for the game on the 27th. Updates from Buffalo though were starting to come in, and while it wasn’t bad yet, the forecast was grim. It was very up in the air what plans were, but as of right now, they had a red-eye to get back early on the 26th. But in the meantime, the plan was to have dinner at the Grandparents Jost’s home on Christmas Eve, and then everyone back at Laura’s for Christmas day. 

Tyson thought it’d be fun to go into the city and test out how much AJ’d been practicing skating. Truth be told, she was getting a little better, able to stop, and take corners awkwardly. (Don’t tell Tyson but she actually got some lessons from a couple of the guys back in Minnesota.) He was so proud that she didn’t even fall down once, although she still looked like a baby deer at times. After skating, they decided to hit up a mall to wander around to kill time. The crowds of people were ridiculous doing their last minute shopping. This did make for some good people watching though. Dinner was catching up with some old family friends of the Josts.

Suddenly, AJ’s phone buzzed in her pocket. Checking her watch, a rather unexpected text was in her inbox.

Tyson:  Hey baby girl, what are you doing after dinner? (winking emoji)

AJ looked over at him, quirking her eyebrow up. She knew what he was doing. 

A few minutes later, Tyson felt the vibration of his watch against his wrist.

AJ: Sleeping? (evil imp emoji)

The texts were spaced out so it wasn’t obvious they were texting each other back and forth, and were doing their best to not be rude to the others they were dining with.

Tyson: I was thinking maybe something that might put us on Santa’s naughty list.

AJ: Is that so? Someone hoping to get lucky in his childhood bedroom?

Tyson leaned back in the booth, putting his arm around AJ, whispering in her ear.

“I want to do all the things that make you scream… but you have to stay quiet or else everyone in the house will know, baby girl.” He smiled as he rejoined the conversation.

A shiver ran down AJ’s spine and her breath stuttered a bit at his words hitting her squarely where he hoped they would. In retaliation, Tyson found AJ’s hand very high up on his thigh under the table, just enough to tease but not actually cause any friction.

The car ride home was thick with tension because they didn’t want to seem any out of the ordinary, that Tyson had been riling up AJ all evening.

Once home though, AJ apologized and went to bed early, citing that she thought a migraine was coming on. Tyson, being the gentleman he is, told everyone he was going to go check on her and excused himself as well. As the two were safely in Tyson’s room, AJ pinned him down in bed, seeing just how far she could get with him before he started getting too loud. It took a lot of effort to not give loud audio cues as to how she was doing. She ended up kissing him deeply, as he moaned and whimpered into her mouth.

Don’t think for a minute though that Tyson let her get fully away with it either. Clearly with the strength advantage, he turned the tables and was working the spot just above her collarbones and riling her up. The major difference though was that as quiet as AJ had been, what he was doing with his fingers that night drove her over the edge, and his other hand had to be put over her mouth to keep her from letting the rest of the house know what they were up to, especially considering she was “worried about having a migraine.”

Getting up from the bed, Tyson grabbed a small, shiny packet from his bag, and stopped to think a minute.

“Babe, get up.”

AJ was still in a heightened state of bliss and ignored the request.

“Seriously, I need you to get up a second.”

Looking toward Tyson at the foot of the bed, he motioned for her to get up. Once she was, he pulled the bed slightly away from the wall, knowing that what he was wanting to do might cause the headboard to rattle against the wall. That would be a dead giveaway.

Content with the distance the headboard was from the wall, a smirk graced Tyson’s lips.

“Now, where were we?” Tyson watched AJ crawl back into bed. “I think we were right about here…” 

Tyson moved slow, knowing that AJ would be able to stay quiet only momentarily as the movements were exaggerated, creating a tease. He reminded her with a finger to his lips to stay quiet. When the whines, moans and whimpers from her were beginning to increase in volume, he moved with more intent, swallowing the noises coming from her mouth with his own. She had to grip into the pillows behind her in fear of getting caught from the noises that would come from Tyson as she would have raked her nails down his back.

The feeling of her fighting it, holding back underneath him was too much, leaving his body shuddering as he let go. Tyson reached between their bodies, using his fingers the best he could at the awkward angle to get her there too. Trying to stay quiet, she scrunched her eyes shut tight, and tried to keep the noise to a higher-pitched hum as she rode it out.

Collapsing against her, Tyson rested his head against AJ’s chest, listening to her heartbeat slow. AJ snaked an arm around him, lightly playing with the hair on the back of his head, feeling him calm as well. After a few minutes, an exhausted sigh escaped Tyson, realizing he needed to get cleaned up. Throwing on a pair of shorts, he first made a stop to the bathroom, and then snuck off to the kitchen to grab some water for the two of them. It had to look odd coming downstairs shirtless to the remaining family members still hanging out in the living room.

“Just grabbing some water so AJ can take her migraine meds.”

Tyson didn’t realize just how sweaty he was, so… yeah. It was probably pretty obvious.

“Mmhmm, g’night Tyson.” Kacey just grinned.

Back in his room, locking the door, AJ was curled up in bed wearing Tyson’s shirt. It was a sight he never grew tired of. After sharing the glass of water, Tyson played the big spoon. The little spoon could feel the big spoon around her giggling. Twisting around, she needed to find out what was going on. The grin on Tyson’s face was huge.

“That was the first time I’ve ever done that in this room. Glad it was with you.”

“Really Tys? You’ve never before in here? I mean I don’t want to hear about your sex life before me, because I just don’t, but… seriously?”

“Hockey always came first, and I wasn’t the babe magnet I am now. What can I say?”

AJ rolled her eyes and smiled. “Well I’m glad I was the first in that case.” 

The two kissed a few moments, until AJ resituated herself as the little spoon. The two drifted off quickly in the warmth of the blankets and each other.

Christmas Eve morning, Tyson came back from his shower wearing a horrible (or awesome) sweater covered in little gifts in various colors. AJ had never seen it before, but it screamed Tyson. Dressed and good to go, the family went to Grandma Emily and Grandpa Jim’s to spend the day playing games and getting caught up on the adventures Tyson and AJ had been up to since they last talked. 

AJ’s phone had been incessantly buzzing and had been ignoring it. But it finally got to a point where she had to check what was going on. A number of friends and family were wanting to make sure she was okay… because Buffalo had been hit hard with the weather. Extreme winds and snow caused massive power outages across the city. Tyson was getting similar updates, and he was never more happy than he was right then that she came with him to Edmonton. The news and video clips just kept getting worse and worse.

“So, what happens if you can’t get back to Buffalo?” AJ was legitimately concerned as the Sabres were set to play the Blue Jackets on Tuesday in Columbus. “I’m seeing that the Bills couldn’t get back to town after playing in Chicago. The airport is shut down.”

“I need to keep in contact with the staff, but hopefully we’ll be able to head back on the 26th as planned.”

Surprise plot twist, the airport closed down due to said power outages and snow drifts, slated to reopen on TUESDAY, which was too late for the whole team to fly to Ohio. The storm had now postponed not just the Friday night game, but Tuesday now too. The next game would now be Thursday versus Detroit IN Buffalo.

AJ was doing her best to stay unconcerned about the weather, but she was failing. Not knowing if he’d get in trouble for not making it back in time potentially worried her. Tyson made it out that it wasn’t going to be a big deal though.

To keep her mind occupied elsewhere, the family played some card games and ate all sorts of food all day. Tales were told, baby photos were shared (much to Tyson and Kacey’s chagrin). AJ and Kacey became the champions of four-player cribbage. Grandpa Jim and AJ talked music. Tyson watched, loving how well AJ blended into his family.

As it grew late, the family split up and went back to Laura’s home for the night. And just like the previous year, matching pajamas were worn by all in attendance. Laura even pulled AJ aside before everyone went to bed.

“Last year I told you that you were an honorary Jost. I’m so happy that you’ll be a real one soon enough, that I’m gaining an extra daughter.” Laura hugged AJ tightly. “Merry Christmas, AJ.”

“Merry Christmas, Lau… you know what? No. Merry Christmas, Mom.” AJ hugged Laura just as tight. It didn’t feel weird saying it either.

Tyson caught the whole exchange from the doorway of the kitchen, and the feelings he had further made it obvious that AJ was the one for him. She didn’t take him away from his family, she added to his family. AJ was everything he could ever want. He made sure to express those feelings to AJ as they curled up for the night, wearing matching fleece pajamas and all.

Unlike last year, Tyson was NOT the first one to wake up, in fact, it was Kacey. She wandered the house to see who was awake. As she wandered the hall, Tyson woke up, which set off a chain reaction of AJ then waking up. The kids all went to the kitchen, getting some caffeinated beverages going. Laura was the last to join in, the sounds of the kitchen waking her up. Shortly after, the grandparents arrived, a box of gifts in tow.

AJ felt awkward this year not having gifts for everyone as she did the year before - there was so much happening between the move to Buffalo and having to get back to Minny to pack up the old place - that she just didn’t have a chance to really go shopping. Thankfully though, Tyson had her back and had picked out gifts for everyone, putting both of their names on the “from” line on the tags. 

Realizing she still had the one gift left in her bag, AJ had to pull a Tyson and throw it in a gift bag, and brought it out to the living room.

Tyson of course played Santa, handing out the stockings and gifts to everyone. This year, after last year’s overspending, Tyson did better and did NOT go overboard on gifts, especially since they’d have to pack whatever they received to come back on the plane with them. Tyson was still under the impression that AJ hadn’t had a chance to get him a present, so he was surprised to find the extra gift bag in front of him.

“Well open it, goof.” AJ pushed the bag toward Tyson.

Reaching inside, he found a new leather wallet with a crisp $1 bill in it.

“When did you find this? And… why… a dollar?”

AJ smiled, “ Remember when you were at practice on Thursday? I snuck out early. Also it’s bad luck to give someone a new wallet that’s empty… is that another AJ’s family thing like the pickle ornament?” 

Tyson laughed and nodded, and then pushed a bag to AJ, which held a new Sabres hoodie for her.

Everyone showed off their gifts, thanking each other for everything. While the men cleaned up the living room, the women of the family all went to the kitchen to get dinner ready. As they did so, snow was falling outside, causing a white Christmas for sure. 

This reminded AJ to check in again with what the situation was in Buffalo - and the situation was worse. Originally they were to leave early on the 26th, but then the airport said it was closed until the 27th, and now it was showing that it would open on the 28th at 11am. This was really causing some travel issues. AJ was trying to check flights to other nearby airports and maybe rent a vehicle and drive back, or fly elsewhere and finally get a flight back in on Wednesday once the airport in Buffalo opened again.

And of course, Tyson was just going with the flow. Concerned, yes, but it was all out of his hands. Instead, he saw the silver lining.

With not being able to fly out the 26th now, he had a plan that involved getting bundled up in whatever warm clothes he still had around his mom’s house, and finding some for AJ as well. This actually was easier for her than him - She had a new thick Sabres hoodie, and had packed some warm pants. Tyson ended up stealing another hoodie in her bag, an old Reverse Retro Avalanche hoodie. (Hey, a hoodie is a hoodie, even if it has a logo from two teams ago. Plus… the Avs were her team still, except when they played the Sabres.) After rummaging around in the garage, Tyson emerged with a couple saucer sleds.

“You ready to do this?” 

It was easy to see how excited Tyson was, that childlike silliness back in full force. Grabbing AJ’s hand, he led her (and the rest of the family that was with them) up the street to a park with giant hills, perfect for sledding.

“I think I’m going to be better at this than ice skating, that’s for sure!” AJ laughed as Tyson handed her one of the plastic discs.

At the top of the hill, both situated themselves, leaving Kacey to push AJ, and Laura pushing Tyson, until they started sliding on their own. AJ started picking up speed and started spinning slightly, with Tyson close behind. The shrieks and laughs that were had came to a quick halt when Tyson crashed into AJ, leaving them both laying in the snow at the bottom of the hill.

The giggles started up again between the two. Tyson leaned over to check on AJ, brushing snow and hair out of her smiling face. 

“Love you Eggo.” Tyson gave her a quick kiss, knowing the teasing from Kacey would start any minute.

AJ sat up, feeling her arms and legs to make sure she really was okay. Getting up, she challenged Tyson.

“Last one to the top of the hill has to cook dinner when we get back to Buffalo.” 

With a wink, AJ started running, trudging through the snow.

“HEY NO FAIR you have a head start!” 

Tyson was no match for AJ, especially when he playfully bumped into her and she lost her balance, falling into a drift. Again he checked on her and she pulled him down into it with her. They both finally got up laughing, and held hands (and sleds) getting back to the top of the hill.

Pairing: Josh x GN reader Prompts: Image 13 from @seasonalwritingchallenges's list! AKA hot air balloons over snowy mountains/fields. Prompt list, prompt number, and fandom randomly chosen by a wheel spinner! Fic length: Drabble (under 500 words) Notes: No warnings for this other than I haven't written for him before. Idk, the spinner landed on the Sens and I think Norris is just adorable

Tag list: @lam-ila @zackcollins

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