#syd001

was she too old to be here? she might have been too old to be here. the more times jo went to like a rainbow, the younger some of the patrons looked and the earlier she felt tired enough to catch an uber back home. the group of kids that had just pushed past her had to have been using fake id's, but considering when she'd been a kid there weren't a ton of places like this in her upstate home town, she didn't really feel the need to rat them out. everyone deserved a place to feel like they belonged.

she slid up to the bar and set her empty glass on top of it as she waited for one of the bartenders to get done with their current customers. "hey. can i just do an old fashioned?" her nose wrinkled when yet another remix of an old justin bieber song started up over the speakers. "do you have any say in this?" she pointed at the dj. "can we do something..." she laughed a little bit. "...gayer?"

he'd prepared this time. ty liked to think that he came into the rink prepared every day, but because this was the team's off day, the preparation had been a little different. instead of pregame naps and pb&j after a quick on ice workout, it was making sure he popped an antihistamine before rolling into the practice rink. he didn't know how the guys were going to divvy up the pets for this photo shoot, but he figured it was better safe than sorry.

it tuned out ty's instincts on this one were correct since he'd been put in charge of three tabby kittens of different colors. the photos had him with one of the cats on his shoulder while the other two poked their heads out of a rangers branded hoodie, one of him holding all three in his arms, and one with the brown tabby in his goalie glove. the medicine worked -he didn't sneeze once!- but as he skated to the bench he found himself looking for someone from the shelter to take the cats back. where had that floppy haired guy gone?

as he walked down the hall in his socks, the kittens cradled in his arms with his gloves, he spotted just the woman he was looking for. "syd!" he lifted his arms helplessly. "help?"