Plié and Clout

Epilogue 7

hey, this is unfortunately the LAST epilogue :( also it's really short

okay that doesn't mean that I'm not posting another chapter with literally over 8k words about Jilly giving the team the stomach bug. I didn't write that for nothing. 

also, on a really random note: @ stynrakos on tiktok looks vaguely like young steph. Don't spam him with weird comments about that, but just in case you needed like photos? I dunno cuz other people on here put like cast lists and I think that's kinda odd because it means they don't trust their visual descriptions enough, but that guy on tiktok just kinda looks like Steph. 

anyway

-rabid

***

AUGUST

Watching Steph absolutely kick Tristan's ass at cards is probably the funniest thing I've ever witnessed.

We got home and Mom proposed playing speed monopoly, but Tristan was hung up on maintaining his record as best peanuts player in the house, so he challenged Steph to a 1 on 1. I didn't inform my brother of what happened on one of our first couple dates: Steph translating his on-ice awareness into card games with terrifying ease.

So, now the whole family is watching.

"That's just so not fair, at all, it's so not fair." Tristan slaps a couple cards out into the center and Steph doesn't respond, his eyebrows merely shoot up and he keeps his focus in check. He plays with an unnatural cool and I would guess that that's also from hockey, but he hasn't so much as acknowledged any of Tristan's chirps at him.

"C'mon pretty boy you're not even going to respond?" Tristan presses harder. "You gotta give me some secrets."

Steph puts his stack of cards in his teeth in a split second, rearranging some stuff out in front of him and playing about five cards at the same time before pulling the cards down and continuing. "I would respond, Trippy, but I have a game to win."

"Oh he does talk." Tristan mumbles, getting frustrated with his current card situation as well as trying to egg Steph on. 

"Don't focus any energy on chirping me, Trips, you could clearly use all of that wasted energy trying just a little harder."

"Oof, harsh." Ben chuckles.

"Tristan your hands are so slow you could lose to an amputee." Steph mumbles. I flush pink all the way up to the top of my head and I see Tristan stop for a split second, caught off guard. I've never been around Steph on-ice but I have a sneaking suspicion this might be what it's like.

"What?" Tristan manages.

"Is this your warm-up round?" Steph tries again, a little smirk flashing on his lips. He's getting a little confident now. "Because I hate to go all pro-athlete on you but if you play awful in your warm-up you're going to play awful during the game too."

Tristan grumbles something obscene under his breath. "Ben, can you see if he's cheating? He's slipping cards, he's definitely cheating."

"Nah, bud, why would I cheat? I see no reason to."

Tristan is losing miserably at this point. "August, I no longer like your boyfriend."

Steph looks up at me for a split second. "August, your brother needs to practice his card games more, this is too easy."

"It's not easy!" Tristan half-shouts. "I'm the best in my dorm! Why are you so good at this?"

Steph flips his last couple cards up. "Peanuts." It ends the round and Tristan grumbles something offensive under his breath.