#Mackdavid au

[ladylooch]

Bones - Part 10 [Mack x David]

A/N: This wedding is so perfectly Mack and David. The location, the people, THE VOWS, the party, the softness. But mostly in the way they turn into each other during the quiet or big moments. UGH! I always love an AU wedding chapter. & this one has found it's way to the top!

Word Count: 4.4k

Warnings: There is a brief moment of mature content in here. Because it isn't super flushed out, I'm not putting the sticker on. But if ANY mentions of sex make you uncomfy, don't continue below.

In the center of the room, a big ceiling fan swirls lazily overhead trying to move the thick, Caribbean air in the bridal room. Beneath the fan sits Mack’s bridesmaids- Lucie, Sophie, and Livy- along with her auntie Emma, her mom, Lexi, and Savannah, her cousin’s fiancé. The group of girls gabs excitedly as the finishing touches of powder are dotted on Mack’s forehead and under eyes.

“Okay, just sit there. Let’s see how that holds up.” The make up artist murmurs.

Mack is the last one to be ready because her hair took so long to curl. Plus her make up has tried to melt off her face with each layer. Things she forgot to consider when choosing their wedding venue. Overall, nothing about getting ready is going well, including the underwhelmed feeling she had when her dress came out of the garment bag. It’s fine. Just fine. Not anything like what the perfect man down the hall deserves.

Mack looks down at her folded hands and the diamonds of her engagement ring. Soon a simple platinum band will rest next to it with her and David’s initials. Is that enough too? Overwhelmed tears begin to blur her fingers together. Ugh, great. If she cries it’s going to be another set back. She swallows hard, willing the tears to cease. A glance over her shoulder reveals the group of girls sipping mimosas and laughing. Her eyes connect with her older sister. Lucie’s smile slowly fades and she cocks her head to the side as if to ask “are you good?”

Mack slaps a smile on her face, nodding. 

“Am I done?” The bride asks the make up artist. After a through examination of her face, she nods.

“Do you want me to touch anything up?” She holds a mirror up. Despite the struggles, Mack’s make up is flawless. Natural with mauve pinks and a burgundy eye crease.

“No. I love it. Thank you.”

Mack stands, then goes to her mom to ask for help with her dress. The room quiets down and everyone watches as Mack gets into her gown. The photographer clicks as Lexi zips her daughter’s dress to the top. Lexi adjusts the straps to lay flat on Mack’s shoulders then looks at her in the massive, full length mirror in front of them.

“You are so beautiful.”

“Davey is so lucky!” Lucie murmurs, getting up and squeezing her little sister. Sophie bounces up too and soon everyone is hugging Mack, making the room feel smaller than it did before. 

“Okay.” Mack mutters uncomfortably. 

“We love you, Mackie!” Liv squeals. “Do you want some champagne?”

“Sure.” Mack agrees. Maybe some alcohol will make her feel better, or take the edge off. 

Instead, the second the alcohol hits her stomach, Mack feels like she is going to barf. Suddenly, the room is too loud- ears feeling like they’re being pierced internally at the laughter and joy. Her body starts to feel incredibly heavy, throat tightening until she can barely swallow.

“Um, can everyone just get out?” Mack blurts over the noise. Once the words are out, she realizes she yelled. All the women in the room stare at her. “Sorry… I need a minute.” She whispers, turning her back on the group.

“Yep.” Lucie immediately answers. “Everyone scoot.” 

All the girls in the room follow the Hischier girls’ commands. Lucie is the last one out. Mack looks over her shoulder at her.

“Can you get him?” Mack asks her older sister pleadingly.

“Yes.” Lucie agrees. 

When the door shuts, Mack tries to breathe but it’s like she can only pull in a third of the oxygen she needs to get through this panic attack. Her nerves have nothing to do with David. She wishes they had eloped to some mountain top or were here by themselves. She feels on display for everyone else's enjoyment and she is not having fun. This is supposed to be fun!? Instead her skin prickles from anxiety, sweat is building already in her hairline and it’s so damn humid her thighs are slick where they rub together. What was she thinking with this silk dress choice?

Mack wants to sit down, but if she does, her dress will be wrinkled the rest of the day. She wants elegant pictures of her and her dad walking down the aisle. A big crease under her hips on either side is not the aesthetic. Instead, she walks over to the various drink choices, carefully pouring herself a glass of ice water. She swallows down a few sips, then blots her lips to preserve her lip stain. 

“Mack?” She hears David call from the door. 

“Come in!”

“Am I looking or no?”

“I don’t care.” She blurts. 

The door cracks open and her big, gorgeous man steps through. The door clicks shut behind him and he stares at her from across the room without a word. His green eyes roam over her. Mack can feel them everywhere, but he doesn't say anything. She looks down at herself then back at him.

“Are you disappointed?”

“Am I… What??” He asks incredulously. His mouth drops slightly open and his eyes rapidly search hers. “Oof, you’re nervous, honey, huh?”

“Yeah. I kinda wanna throw up all over this dress because I hate it now and I loved it before but it’s so hot. I’m so hot, David. I can’t think straight. I’m so out of my element with everyone waiting hand and foot on me. You’re not here with me and I don’t like it.” David chuckles as he walks over to her. HIs hands collect her hips, rubbing circles into the soft fabric.

“First of all, the dress is a ten and you’re a fucking 20. Holy shit. You look… stunning. Like what the hell are you doing marrying me?” A relieved exhale rushes from her lips.

“Stop.” Mack’s shoulders drop about three inches, back to their normal resting position. He instantly knows how to put her at ease. She laughs, holding his chest as he steps forward to nuzzle her face with his. 

“I’m serious. Holy smokes. We better get the officiant in here right now before you change your mind.”

“I’m not changing my mind. I just really need a hug from you.”

“Then come here.” He opens his arms for her. Mack drops into his body, soaking up his sweet, happy energy that she has come to crave. Where she is a thunderstorm, he’s the sunshine after the rain. She puts her hand on his chest over his heart, then rests her cheek there to be careful of his white shirt. “Don’t worry about it.” He tells her, peeling her hand away so she can lean fully against him. “I’ve got another one if we need it. My wife is always prepared.”

“I was worried they were going to lose our luggage.” She insists.

“Honey, you have been too worried. I think that’s the problem here. All that’s happening is we are saying some words to each other, putting rings on and smooching.”

“With an audience.”

“With thirty people who love us. And are so thrilled to be here to celebrate.”

“Yeah.” She sighs. “You’re right.” She takes in a big inhale, but she is still rigid in his arms. David holds her, gently trailing his fingers over her back. He presses sweet smooches into her curled, brown hair.

“I wanna show you something.” David murmurs, rubbing her back once more before dropping his hands from her. Mack steps back, watching as his fingers go to the buttons on his dress shirt.

“A pre-vow strip tease?” She quirks, wanting to make him laugh too.

“You wish, eh?” He winks, working his way down to the last few buttons. He undoes the buttons on his cuff too. His shirt slips away and Mack sees what he has been hiding for the last week.

“Wha… wow.” She quietly exclaims. Her fingers come up and she runs them around the district, black skeletal hands. Their two hands linked together, thumbs closing together in a heart, with the words “In this life and the next” woven around a banner combining their wrists. Underneath the words is their wedding date in roman numerals. A dark wedding ring sit slumped on the bones at an angle, meant to be hers. “Good thing I didn’t run, huh?” She jokes, then drops her face as she starts to cry. Her head hits his bare chest and he wraps his arms around her again. Mack glides her hand around his bicep, covering the raised ink of his fresh tattoo.

“Been saving that spot for the love of my life.” Mack kisses his chest, following a trail up to the hallow of his throat. “I love you, Mackenzie Hischier. And today is the best day of my life.” 

“Mine too.” She grins then kisses him like he deserves after all the ways he made her feel loved since walking through that door.

Her butterflies are gone. The uneasiness has disappeared from her stomach. Mack is once again grounded in importance and her safe space. Gone is all the worries about little things they won’t remember in 50 years when they’re still married.

All that is left is him. 

“I’m feeling better.” She says. “Thank you.” Mack reaches around to grab the sleeve of his dress shirt. She helps him slide back into it then re-buttons him up except for the top two buttons. “I wanna see some of you when I walk down the aisle.” 

“You’ll be seeing a lot of me right after I get to kiss ya.” He chuckles. “Be ready to go.”

“I’m ready.” She murmurs, grabbing his hand and putting it under her dress. She’s bare. His nostrils flare. 

“Baby… I wish you wouldn’t have…” He sighs. “Actually I don’t. That’s so fucking hot knowing I’m gonna marry you this way. Don’t change a damn thing, okay?”

“Promise.” She murmurs. “Kiss me again. Then go back to whatever boys do before they get married.”

“Lio wants to do shots.”

“I will kill him.” Mack rears back. “Tell him I said that.”

“I’m kidding.” David laughs, then kisses her like she requested. “Mmm, I love you.”

“I love you.” She repeats. After another grab of her bare ass, he leaves the room, confident and secure with each heavy step he takes. Before he shuts the door, he winks at her.

Mack breathes out the breath she feels like she has been holding all day. She smoothes her skirt down. Her eyes go to the stunning turquoise water for a moment, then she goes to invite everyone back into the room. 

It isn’t long before the ceremony music floats down to the bridal suite. All the girls leave again and Nico Hischier is invited in to see his beautiful daughter.

“Sweets, you are exquisite.” He murmurs, reaching a hand out for her. He squeezes her fingers together, then pulls her in for a hug. 

“Probably never saw this day coming, huh?” Mack laughs as they step out of the suite together. Her arm threads easily through his right one. Her other arm carries her bouquet of light pink roses.

“Before David, yeah I thought that.” Nico admits.

“I think you knew he was the one before me.” Mack murmurs, adjusting the collar of his shirt as they pause before the walkway leading to the overlook where her and David will exchange their vows. 

“No. You knew before me, You were just pretending you didn’t. But he was it.” Mack bites her bottom lip, then looks up at him with identical, teary brown eyes. It’s hard to imagine them standing here for this moment without Nico’s advice in Switzerland when Mack ran home.

“He’s the best, isn’t he?” They both laugh as Nico simply nods in agreement.

Yeah, David Carlson is better than anything Nico could have dreamed for his daughter.

Soft cords of Can’t Help Falling In Love begin to play. Nico looks over at Mack who nods that she is ready. So, so ready. Mack and Nico step through the door. Everyone turns to them, but Mack doesn’t even notice. She can’t take her eyes off the man who waits at the end of the aisle. He grins at her- a mega watt smile that could power the island for the night. Tears instantly sting Mack’s eyes. She laughs incredulously, like how is this perfect moment hers? What did she do to deserve this? And can she go back and do it again?

Then, she steps forward with her dad for their most important walk. Two strides in, Mack makes the mistake of looking at her dad who has tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Wow, dad, you could have tried a little harder to keep it together.”

“I should be better at this.” He acknowledges which makes Mack laugh. The motion blinks her tears down her cheeks and she sniffs.

The walk is fast. Guests will joke for years to come that Mack pulled Nico the whole way down. But who could blame her when David looks like that waiting for her. In front of her, Mack swoons at the misty glow of David’s green eyes. He isn’t crying, but his emotional smile has her heart glowing in her chest. He reaches his hand out for Nico to shake. They do so then hug tightly. Nico looks back over at his daughter. She tilts her head and tries to keep it together as she hugs him. Then he puts her hand into David’s.

“I’m not giving her away. She’s doing that herself.” Nico states to both of them. “Exactly like I would expect Mackie to.” David and Mack laugh. Yeah, that absolutely tracks for the independent, free woman she is.

“Her choice.” David nods. Nico steps away after stating he loves them both. 

As he leads her up to the flowered arch, David checks in. 

“You okay, honey?” Mack nods as she turns to face him.

He collects both of her hands in his own, holding them securely in place even though they shake a bit in his grasp. Behind David, Connor, Cody and Trevor stand tall, hands clasped together in front of them. Connor winks at her; Mack scrunches her nose at him then looks away before he makes her laugh. In the front row, her parents sit next to Felix and his wife, Lorena. Felix hasn’t left the U.S. in all the years David has known him. It’s huge that they are here. Today, they sit in a row with two empty seats, honoring the two people David would do anything to have here with them. 

The ceremony begins with an acknowledgement to that. A brief moment of pause for reflection and recognition of the great losses of David’s life. He remains stoic and reserved during the moment. When it’s over, he squeezes her hands and smiles. He wanted to do that, but he was unsure about it too. He didn’t want to start their marriage feeling sad at what he lost when he is gaining an entire family.

Mack and David didn’t want much fan fair in their ceremony, but they knew for sure they wanted to write vows for each other. Mack goes first. She takes in a deep breath, then looks up at him with a smirk.

“For the record, you should know I still hate you.” Everyone laughs. David nods his head, grin stretching his cheeks so wide it looks like it hurts.

“Fair.”

Mack chuckles, then continues.

“I hate how easy you make it to love you. I hate how perfect you are. I hate how much my family is obsessed with you. I hate how you brought me to Iowa and somehow made me love living on a farm? I hate how you know exactly what I am feeling when I wanna hide it all from you. But if you didn’t know, we probably wouldn’t be here.” Mack pauses there. She swallows then takes in another breath.

”You are everything I’ve ever needed. Everything I never wanted to have. But mostly because I never thought I would find something like this. I’ve been called complicated or difficult or aloof my entire life, but you’ve never made me feel that way. You've taken me exactly as I am, flaws and all, and have loved me hard, especially on the days when I didn’t want you to, then extra hard on the days I didn’t deserve it.”

David frowns at that, not liking the putdown on herself, exactly like she thought.

“Because in your eyes, I’m perfect. Nothing to fix, nothing to change. Only different parts that make me more loveable. I see myself that way now. Your love has healed parts of me I thought would never be whole.”

Now he smiles again. 

“I’ve been all over the world to tell stories. I’ve seen love in just about any place on this planet that it can exist. Sometimes it’s self-less, sometimes its hard decisions, sometimes it’s too painful to put into words, but it is always present. It used to make me ache to write these love stories out. But now I see us in every one of them. In the way love sacrifices. In the way it never fully goes away, no matter the distance. And especially in the way it forgives, vowing to be better every day.”

“So that’s my vow to you. To be self-less. To sacrifice for us. To love you in the moments you really need it, but also on the mundane Tuesday mornings. And to never stop leaning into us. So we grow and get better every day.”

“I can’t wait to ride this life out to the finish line with you. I’m so excited for this next chapter for us. I love you. Now and in the next lifetime.” She grabs his bicep where she now knows their tattoo sits, then lets her hand fall back to lace with his fingers. 

David stares at her in awe for several seconds. Then he sighs happily as the officiant hands him is vows. 

“I love you, baby.” He murmurs only to her. “Thank you for that.” 

Mack squeezes his hand then does her best to prepare for what he wants to say to her. 

“I have to say writing vows for a writer is really hard and I almost paid Livy to do it for me.” Again, everyone laughs. “Um, but the reality is that I love you so much, it’s difficult to put words together to describe it, honey. I kept telling myself when I was struggling with this that one day, 10, 20, 30 years from now, I’ll have found the words for you, but I don’t know. Because I find something new to love about you every day. If I’ve got 30 years of that, it’ll take another 30 just for me to get it all out to ya.”

"But that’s my favorite part of all this, how much time we have together. How many more memories we get to make, me and you, that will fill a lifetime of love and joy for each other.” He starts shaking his head. “And I know, that still won’t be enough for me. Instead, I’ll have to find you in the next life, honey. And I’ll love you all over again for the rest of that one too.” Mack whimpers as he folds the paper up. Short, but extraordinary as is David's way.

“I hate how good you are at writing vows even when you think you suck.” She slaps his jacket with her vows. She gestures to him at their wedding guests who clap and laugh loudly. “What the hell…” She mutters just to him. 

“You make me better.” He says simply.

That one sentence could have been both of their vows.

During the rest of the ceremony, David is holding her hand, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. He squeezes her fingers every so often, then kisses her rings as he slips her band on her finger. They may be getting married in front of other people, but truly Mack feels like they are the only ones here. 

When the rings are secured, David pulls Mack close.

“We’re done, yeah?” David asks the officiant, not looking away from his new wife.

“Sure.” The officiant nods. “Go ahead.”

Mack goes up on her tip toes, cupping David’s cheeks as their tongues meet first. It’s a hot, deep, knee weakening kiss that has Mack softening into his chest. David lifts her up. Mack’s knees curl as she laughs into their kiss. 

“My wife.” David murmurs.

“Yours. Mine. Forever.” She agrees, kissing him with each word. David sets her back on her heels. They turn to their guests and smile. Everyone claps and cheers, but Mack and David have their eyes set on the doors leading back into the venue. Mack discards her bouquet on an outside table. When they get inside then their focus is on the hallway, then the bridal suite.

Five minutes into their marriage, David buries himself deep into Mack’s core. He works her up into a feverish rush of desire then shoves her off the cliff into a white hot orgasm that feels different than any one she’s had before. Because this time it’s her husband who fills her up right after. Mack kisses all over his face- lips, jaw, mustache- as he puts her legs back down on the ground.

“So much better as my wife.” He wiggles his black eyebrows at her. Mack can’t stop grinning. Her cheeks already hurt from all the love and smiles she’s had today. But then David leans down and kisses her dimples, clearing all the discomfort away. “I love you.”

“I love you.” She agrees.

Then they walk hand in hand back to where everyone waits for them.

The second Mack and David are visible in the reception doorway, Connor starts yelling.

“My brother!!!!!!!” 

“Oh my god.” Mack laughs as Connor comes sliding over in his dress shoes. David releases her hand and runs towards his D partner.

“Brother!!!” David yells, picking Connor up. They both shake each other around, two big bodies moving awkwardly through the air as they try to express their excitement. 

“You two are such idiots.” Lucie teases. “Congrats, Mackie. I’m so happy for you.” Lucie rubs Mack’s shoulder as she pulls her in for a hug. 

“Thanks, Luc.” 

Her parents are next, followed by her little sister. Then she accepts hugs from the Meiers and of course, Felix and Lorena.

“Mrs. Mackenize.” Felix greets. Mack giggles at the name change. “Good choice keeping your last name. His sucks.” He jerks his hand at David.

“Bet it looks pretty good on your checks, old man.” David grins at Felix, all love for the older man.

“Yes! It goes!” Lorena slaps Felix’s chest. “Thank you both so much for having us here. This is a dream vacation, but we are honored to be here to celebrate your love.”

David and Mack paid their entire way as a thank you for everything the two of them do on the farm, especially while they are in New York for the season. This is the least they could do. Lorena had been telling Mack she couldn’t remember the last vacation they went on. Mack knew what they were going to do instantly. They’re all set up to continue their relaxation for another week, even after the NHL families head back home.

Next are Nico and Lexi who both hold their daughter together.

“We love you. And David is right, you are perfect.” Lexi assures her. “Nothing to change.” Mack blinks two tears down her cheeks. Her parents have never made her feel this way. It’s all been internal turmoil, but just like David, they’ve found ways to soothe and heal her over the years too.

“Thank you.” She whispers then lets them move on to her husband. 

Sophie rushes over, collapsing into Mack’s arms and sighing happily.

“I love you, Mackie! I’m so happy for you.” Sophie looks at her with stunning green eyes, framed by long lashes that make her look innocent and younger than her age. To Mack, she’ll always be five years old, needing help into her Kindergarten classroom. “Let’s drink! Luc!” Sophie calls their other sister over. “Livy! Sav! All the guuuuurls!”

The group of women wanders up to the bar together. They all get glasses of champagne. Then the DJ puts on an absolute banger and they all run away to the dance floor without Mack, who backs out of Sophie’s grip.

“Give me a minute.” She chuckles. 

“ONE!” Sophie yells back then bops her way to the dance floor and immediately starts to drop it low. 

Mack takes a sip of her champagne, then a hand grabs her elbow. She grins, hugging her uncle Timo. 

“My little bully is all grown up. Congratulations, Mack. I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you.” Mack hugs him harder. 

“Save me a dance?”

“Always.” She nods, then watches him walk off, handing a glass of champagne to his wife. Mack smiles to herself as they kiss. She’s lucky to have had incredible examples of marriages that last with hard work and two people who try. She hopes her and David can continue to replicate this in their own way.

Mack drifts her gaze across the event, trying to stay present in this moment. This day has been the best one of her life; she meant it when she told David that earlier. It’s the people who are here and the man that she just married and the ocean breeze that blows her curls around her face. She didn’t know it could be this good. 

All she wants for the rest of her life is to keep this. 

All of it.

David’s hand slides around her waist. She does the same to him, resting her head against his chest. They don’t share any words as they watch the part around them.

There are none left to say.

All they can do is soak it all in.

Read more Mack and David here.

[ladylooch]

"What are you gonna do" Davey to Mack ☠️

what’re you gonna do? is the entire meaning of jake middleton’s existence I feel

[ladylooch]

Bones - Part 7 - [Mack x David]

A/N: In the spirt of American Thanksgiving... and family... I give you David Carlson in Switzerland. I'm giggling. You'll know why when you get through this one 😁

Word Count: 6.0k

“Okay, so David, anyone who is anyone is going to be at this dinner. AND there is a quiz after.” Sophie Hischier teases her sister’s boyfriend. Tonight is their first family dinner since they arrived in Switzerland a couple days ago. The Meiers and Hischiers rented out a private room to celebrate everyone returning to their homeland. 

“Shit, I didn’t bring my flashcards.” 

Sophie giggles like its the funniest thing in the entire world, then looks over at her sister.

“He is so funny.” She hums in Swiss German. “I love him. We’re keeping him.”

“Soph, English.” Mack chuckles, rolling her eyes. Sophie looks back at David. 

“I said, you’re funny. I love you and we keep you.” She reiterates. She squeezes his waist in a quick hug, then floats up to where her parents are walking towards the restaurant. Sophie laces her arm through her dad’s and the three of them take the stairs together. Behind them, Lucie and Connor walk with their daughter. Stella skips with her mom to a beat only the two of them know. 

“Twirl!” Lucie exclaims, cheering when Stella’s gorgeous rainbow skirt flares out in a circle. “So beautiful, baby!” 

“Woo!!!” Mack hears a cheer from behind her. She turns around, seeing her aunt and uncle strutting across the parking lot looking as posh as ever. 

“Expensive.” David gapes at the fancy sports car Timo clicks the remote to lock.

“Oh you don’t even know.” Mack chuckles. “Actually, he probably didn’t even have to pay for that. He’s all sorts of famous in this country.”

“Your dad?”

“Uh huh. Him too. My first car was a Mercedes. Mom tried to talk him out of it. Dad said I was the only one responsible enough to get one. Lucie had to have a BMW.”

“Say that sentence back.” David teases.

“They’re not the same.” Mack holds her hands up. “Like Chevy and Ford.” David snorts.

“Also not the same. Your family is like.. royalty in one of the world’s most expensive countries.” Mack looks at him, contemplating. Then turns away without acknowledging that. What is she supposed to say? He isn’t wrong, but it’s weird to admit to.

Instead, she smiles at her aunt and uncle’s approach.

“This is my Auntie Em.” Mack introduces David to her aunt. 

“Oh! Hi! It’s so nice finally meeting Mackie’s boyfriend. You look better like this. You know, when you’re not hurting my kid.” David pauses, mouth dropped open preparing to greet her. He laughs sheepishly.

“It was an accident. I…” He laughs again nervously, looking over at Mack.

“Honey, I’m kidding.” Emma teases. Her lips tilt up in a sly smile, then she pats his chest. 

“Oh good.” David sighs in relief as she continues striding past him to greet Lucie and Connor. Timo continues on with his wife after giving David a firm handshake.

“Isn’t she something?” Mack smirks. Behind her parents, Liv Meier hustles forward with Luca Fiala on her arm.

“Yeah. We all want to be her when we grow up.” Liv chuckles as she comes up to the two of them, wrapping her arms around Mack. 

“Oh, Hi, Livia.” Mack drawls. “Look at you. You’re stunning. And sooooo blonde!? I love it!” 

“Thank you! I just got a touch up from Auntie.” She shakes the long, blonde waves that are cascading down her back. “I feel like we got the exact blonde I wanted.”

“It looks great. You look so much like Auntie Em. Wow.”

“The best compliment!” Liv giggles. “Hi David, it’s so good to finally see you!” She goes to hug him.

“Oh my god, I forgot you two haven’t actually met in person.” Mack and Liv have done plenty of FaceTimes that David has participated in. But the schedules of Liv being in New York and David or Mack too have not lined up at all.

“I feel like we have though.” David smiles, hugging Liv as Mack greets Luca.

“Hey, good to see you, man.” Luca extends his hand to David. “For the record, loved the hit.” 

“Shhhhhh.” David shushes Luca. “I do not wanna upset Mama Meier.”

“Lio should be thanking you for that hit. Fixed his whole damn life after that.” Mack insists. David places a hand on Mack’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. He loves when she stands up for him. 

“Shall we?” Luca asks, extending his hand forward. The four of them walk up into the restaurant, finding their large family chatting in a private room. Stella is in Nico’s arms, pointing at all the pictures on the wall, making up names for the Swiss Alps peaks together. Lexi and Emma are catching up. Lio and Timo drink whiskeys together, listening to Savannah tell an animated story. Lucie and Connor are whispering to each other, lost in their own word as per usual. The twins are out on the balcony with glasses of wine, checking out their options for the night, Mack is sure.

Liv and Luca head towards the bar with Mack and David. The boys grab beers while Liv and Mack decide on martinis. 

“So how are you doing?” Mack asks Liv as they wait for their drinks. Luca and David dove immediately into shop talk about the latest trade rumors and free agency rumblings. 

“Good. Ready to be done with Grad school and this book.”

“Our little overachiever.”

“You should talk. Ms. youngest ever to be nominated for Travel Writer of the Year.”

“I didn’t win.” Mack shrugs.

“Yeah, but you were in the conversation. That’s huge, Mackie.”

“Yuck, I don’t want to talk about me. What about your new book? When can I read it?”

“Oh! Speaking of, I was going to ask, will you be one of my reviewers?!” 

“Yes! Oh my god, yes!” Mack grabs Liv’s forearm, squeezing and grinning excitedly. 

“Okay, perfect! I thought, since I get to do whatever I want without a dumb team telling me what to do… it would be so fun to have you on the back cover with a review.”

“I am so excited. Yes. Absolutely.” 

“Okay but it is a romance. You have to like.. try to like it.”

“Stop.” Mack snorts. “I have a man now. I’m not jaded.” Mack strokes her hand down David’s chest. He looks at her, then smiles, running his hand along her lower back to hold her while him and Luca continue discussing.

“Careful… You look too happy.” Liv winks at her cousin. “I’m thrilled for you.” She whispers quietly. “Love looks good on you.” Mack sighs happily, dragging her cousin into a big hug.

“Learning from the best.” Mack bats her lashes dramatically. “Your parents.” Mack finishes, when she sees her aunt and uncle smooching like teenagers outside. “Look at them.”

“No, they are disgustingly in love. Just be like.. demure instead.”

“Big word!” Mack exclaims. “Okay, I am going to grab this drink and my man and take him outside so he can see the view while the sun is still kind of out.”

“Yes, go.” Liv grabs her drink too.

“Come with me?” Mack asks David, sliding her hand into his free one. They both step outside onto the terrace. Mack sighs immediately at how gorgeous the view is. The sunsets here are so unique and breathtaking. It’s like nothing else has been able to compare and she has seen sunsets all over the world. But this is still her favorite one. 

“Wow.” David whispers. He grabs her hips, pinning her between him and the railing so they can hold each other while taking it all in. The cold glass of David’s beer rests on her forearm. Mack’s eyes scan along the horizon, drinking in the jagged peaks of the Alps. Sometimes, its hard for her to believe this is real, that she got to live and grow up in such a magical place. “How did you leave this place?” He asks her. 

“Sometimes you have to leave to appreciate where you come from. I was at that point.” Mack murmurs back to him. She takes another sip of her drink. “As you’ve probably noticed, everyone in this town knows me.”

“Mhm.”

“I wanted to be anonymous for once in my life. What better place to do that than in New York.”

“Would you move back here?”

“I might. When I’m older and feel like I want a slower life. Would you come with me?”

“Hell yeah. I’d sell the farm and we could buy some land here. Figure out how to make stuff grow…” He trails off dreamily. 

“Always a farmer.”

“Yeah, honey. It’s how I grew up. How I made the farm work too. I knew enough to get by, but when my dad died, that responsibility pushed me to figure out how to make it all successful, not just get by.”

“You’ve done a great job.”

“I’m not fishing for compliments. Just saying.” He shrugs. He takes a long sip of his beer, then rests it back against her arm. “Figuring out alpine farming would be fun. Good retirement plan.” He smirks against her temple, then kisses her there.

Mack has no plans to move back to Switzerland, but knowing David would live here after only a two day taste has her feeling content.

When the lighting of the sunset dims, Mack and David walk back into the restaurant with linked fingers. The warm summer breeze swirls Mack’s hair around as she takes in her family. She loves them. They’re a loud, crazy, hilarious bunch, but they are hers. She loves how David already fits in like a missing piece of them that found it’s way back home. Dinner is served, wine is poured, and laughs are shared all around. The usual suspects are made fun of- Lio and the twins. Everyone swoons when Sophie talks and then grows quiet when Nico speaks.

The dynamics are there, even with Lucie and Connor who disappear during dinner for awhile. Lucie comes back looking way too put together, almost purposefully. Mack catches her eye and shakes her head. David squeezes her thigh under the table. Dessert is decadent chocolate mousse that has David’s eyes rolling back into his head.

“The best.” Mack tells him. He nods.

“Yeah. American chocolate sucks.”

The Swiss at the table cheer proudly. “Okay, he can stay in the family!” Sophie yells.

“Thanks, Soph.” David smiles at Mack when he says it. Mack threads her fingers over his hair then pulls him in for a kiss while everyone watches. David cups her cheek, moving his lips against hers as everyone cheers. 

“To family.” Nico raises his glass. “Proscht!”

The room fills with clinking glasses. Mack and David clinks theirs together too. 

Proscht, indeed.

- - - & - - -

Two weeks into being home with David and Mack is more relaxed than she has ever been in recent memory. There is nowhere to go, nowhere to run off to. Everyone she wants to see is here and everything else can wait. 

Beneath the mountain sun, she lays out in a chaise, quietly reading a book while the boys are bopping around in the lake. Stella is learning how to swim with her dad while Lio and David cheer her on from beside him.

“That’s it Stell!” Connor cheers as she rushes towards him. Mack glances up, seeing the flailing arms and legs of her niece. It looks less like swimming and more like drowning to her. But Connor’s arms wrap around the little girl’s body, pulling her up and out. Stella’s hair is slicked across her face, held over her cheeks by the pink, sparkly goggles she has on.

“Good job!” Lucie cheers from next to Mack. “I’m trying to let go of all my anxiousness, but it’s a little hard.” Lucie sighs to Mack. She scratches at her cheeks then takes another sip of the mocktail she made earlier in the day. 

“Connor has her.”

“I know. It’s just…” Lucie shakes her head. “Hard with my pre-birth anxiety.” 

“I can see that.” Mack acknowledges. Although she isn’t pregnant and doesn’t plan to be, she can certainly see how life-changing moments like pregnancy and birth can alter your brain chemistry and world outlook. Lucie waves at Connor and Stella in the lake.

“Mom! Did you see!?”

“I did, baby! Good job!” She yells down again. “Where is Soph?” Lucie asks Mack. “I thought she was supposed to be back by now?”

“I think they were boating to town for lunch, then she would be back.”

“Oh. She better not be on a boat with someone who is drinking and driving.”

“Really?” Mack purses her lips. “Like you never got into a boat with Lio after he had been drinking.”

“I was dumb. She is smarter than me.” Lucie insists.

“I don’t think anyone is smart at 19.” Mack reminds her. Lucie sighs. 

“I’m going inside. I need a break from life.”

“Okay.” Mack waves to her, then settles back into her book. 

Mack gets through several more chapters of her book before the group in the lake gets tired from swimming lessons. David comes to sit in Lucie’s vacated chair while Connor heads inside to grab Stella a well-earned snack. Lio and Savannah disappear down to the dock to join Liv and Luca there.

“That was super fun.” David sighs. “She really got the hang of it at the end.”

“She has the best coaches and hype boys down there.” Mack smiles, putting a book mark in her book then closing it. 

“Stella is such a firecracker. I love it. At one point, she sucked up some water and we were like ‘take a break!’. She refused. Just said ‘again’ and cruised right through that water to try again.” 

“She worked up an appetite too.” 

“Oh yeah. Needed a jelly sandwich.” David grabs one of Mack’s ankles, bringing her foot into his lap so he can massage it for her. “How is your book?”

“Good.” She smiles.

“Let me guess you’ve read it like 20 times?”

“Yeah and it get better every time.” She grins at him.

“My girl hates surprises.” He chuckles. 

“Yep.” She strokes her big toe down the center of his abs. She then lets it skirt over the ties of his board shorts before resting it back on his thigh. David licks his lips, slowly looking over at her. His green eyes sparkle, a slight smirk lifting a corner of his mouth up. It’s a warning. Mack purses her lips and looks away.

“I’m going to head inside.”

“Will you be back?” He asks. 

“Yeah I feel like I need a snack and a bathroom break.”

“Okay.” David releases her foot. Mack slides it from his lap then stands. She stretched her arms high into the sky, shaking her head at the way her boyfriends eyes are clearly on her boobs.

“Obvious.”

“Not trying to hide it, honey.” He says, leaning back in his chair.

Mack walks in through the sliding glass door, smiling as Stella has jelly smeared all over her face.

“Grape!” She exclaims, holding a half eaten portion out to her.

“Ooo, looks good.” Mack tickles here wet, ruffle covered belly then goes the the fridge to grab a sparkling water. She cracks the bottle open then glugs down a few sips.

“Okay, are we ready to go back out?” Connor asks his daughter. “Maybe do some back flutters this time?”

“I’ll come with babe!” Lucie calls from the living room.

Mack smiles, watching the Woods gather one another then head back out into the lake. The house is quiet, everyone out enjoying the hot summer sun. Mack leaves her water bottle on the counter, then heads upstairs to the guest bathroom. She quickly does her business, then washes her hands. After, she fixes her pony tail and double checks her sunscreen coverage still looks good on her face. She should probably grab a hat while she is inside.

The thought barely gets across her mind as she opens the door. Outside the bathroom, her boyfriend sits, bare-chested, board shorts swelling with a glint in his green eyes. Oh.

“What are you doing?” Mack asks as he steps forward. His hands on her hips push her back into the bathroom. He shuts the door, flipping the lock.

“I don’t trust Stella.” He explains. Mack closes her eyes, laughing and nodding her head. True.

“Bend over that counter.” He points to her. Mack scans his face, beginning to drip into her bikini bottoms with how damn possessed he looks. 

“That one?” She asks, jerking her hand over her shoulder. David turns her shoulders, then forces her to bend over the counter. Mack exhales in surprise. “Okay…” She laughs, then pulls her hair over one shoulder. She looks up in the mirror at him. “Now what?” David smirks at her.

“Your dad followed me into the house.” He tells her as he grabs the edges of her bottoms. Mack stills. She glances towards the door as the cloth falls to her ankles. “He thinks you’re the tamest daughter. The non-chaotic one who would never do something like beg her boyfriend to fuck her in the bathroom while he’s downstairs.”

His fingers glide over her puffy lips, gliding to her entrance to gather up her wetness then spread it across her sex. Mack swallows her moan, keeping her face neutral.

“I don’t know if I want it right now?” She tilts her head, challenging. David raises his eyebrows at her. He begins to undo the ties on his swim trunks, making Mack’s eyes lower with pleasure. 

“You don’t want this?” He asks, gathering his hard erection in his hand. He strokes her core with his swollen head. Mack sways from pleasure but shakes her head no. She breaks eye contact when she does this. David grabs her face, squeezing her cheeks for her to open her eyes. Her lashes flutter as she does, looking almost innocent in the mirror. “Say it again.” He eases just the tip of his cock into her. Mack tries to close her eyes and David squeezes her cheeks harder. “Baby. I asked you to do something for me.”

Mack sags into his body, causing her to swallow more of his shaft. David pulls out of her, letting the hardness slap against her outer lips as he waits for her answer. 

“I want it.” She moans as his fingers twirl her clit. 

“Yeah. Beg.”

“Please, I want your cock.” She whispers. She turns away from their reflection in the mirror to look at him. He leans down, kissing her lips, devouring her mouth like she is his lunch. 

Then he grips his shaft, rolling himself through her slit once, before plunging in. 

In her haze, Mack completely forgot about David’s statement.

Her dad came in with him. 

It isn’t until she is two minutes into getting fucked on the bathroom counter that it hits her. The handles of the cabinets bite into her thighs and knees. David brings her up on her tip toes to get better leverage. Then footsteps hit the stairs.

“Shit.” Mack whispers, reaching back to stop David’s thrusts into her. David looks at her in the mirror, then shakes his head. He leans more forward over her back and fucks deeper into her. The sounds fills the echoing bathroom and Mack shakes her head at him in the mirror. David stops, seeing her clear panic and discomfort.

“Trust me?” He asks her, slowly puling out then pushing back in. The elicit allure of pleasure blurs rational thought from her brain. Mack can only describe what happens next as pure insanity. She nods that he can continue. Then David puts his foot up on the toilet lid before pushes her down onto the counter again. He brings her hand to his balls to keep them from thrashing against her skin. Now his long, deep strokes hit into her without any crude clapping. Her ass nudges against his inner thigh and abdomen instead, allowing deep thrusts but eliminating the risk of being heard.

Mack clenches around him, shoving her mouth into her forearm. She bites down hard as her breasts sway into the cool marble from David’s hard fucks into her. He brings a hand to her neck, close to her shoulder, pulling her back onto his thick cock.

“Shhhh.” He mouths to her in the mirror when she looks up at him.

The closet door by the bathroom opens, they can hear rummaging around. Mack bites her lip, eyebrows squiggling together as she holds back a deep, primal moan.

“Good girl.” He mouths to her, barely audible.

The closet door shuts and the footsteps lead back towards the stairs, clomping down them. 

Once the coast is clear, David begins to fuck harder into her, long, strokes while his hands move to cup her breasts. He massages them, tweaking her nipples as he connects his chest with her back.

“Baby watch me make you cum in that mirror.” He demands. He grips her chin, forcing her gaze back in front of her.

Mack raises her brown eyes to him and watches. There, she sees every dip and curve of his hips as he fucks her pussy. She sighs, collapsing into his thrusts, letting his hands maneuver her body to get them both to their high. When she is close, he keeps that demanding pace, licking his lips, hips dipping down to get her at a better angle. His head rubs at her walls in a delicious tease that has Mack coming around him. He fucks her through her orgasm, keeping a tight grip on her hips as he takes what he needs.

He slams into her three more times, hard, unforgiving, then spills into her core. His hips smoosh her ass, forcing her stomach into the counter uncomfortably. The view of his face as he comes has Mack’s muscles fluttering around him again. She exhales a groan, holding his ass so he stays deeply buried inside of her. When he opens his soft green eyes to take her in, she clenches her walls around him again. David grins at her, then cups her ass, giving it a demanding squeeze. David presses his hips into her harder, then rolls her hips against him. Mack squeezes again, David bites his lip then hisses at the overstimulation.

“Fuck.”

David pulls out of Mack, bringing with him a glob of his cum. He grabs toilet paper, wiping it off, then goes to her used, puffy lips. He cleans her off as best he can, before pulling her bikini bottoms back into place. He tucks himself back into his shorts, then grabs Mack’s hips, holding on to her as he sighs.

“Better and better every time. I swear.”

“Yeah, cause you’re a freak in this house.” She chuckles. Her and David have had a great sex life since the beginning, but he has been almost insatiable since they’ve arrived in Switzerland. He shrugs.

“Something about you here has me hooked even more than usual.” Mack stands back up to her full height. David’s hands move to wrap around her stomach, holding her close. His big hands completely cover her abdomen, making Mack’s insides fill with butterflies. He stares at her in the mirror then turns to kiss her head. 

“I love you.” Mack tells him. “I don’t want to share you anymore. Let’s go take a nap.” Mack flips her hair back over her shoulder. “You can hold me and kiss me and love on me again when we wake up later.” David smiles.

“Sounds like Heaven.” 

Mack goes to the door, unflipping the lock then glancing both ways. When it’s clear, she pushes David out into the hallway. He laughs at how guilty she looks tiptoeing back to her room. She leans against the door, sighing in relief at not being caught.

“Now that I’m not dizzy from your dick, I will literally die if he heard us.”

“He didn’t hear anything.” David assures her. He has no idea, clearly, but Mack finds it adorable that he wants to ease her worries. “If he did, I’ll take the blame. Let him hate me so you can stay perfect in his eyes.”

“My dad definitely doesn’t think I’m perfect.” Mack crawls into bed next to him after changing into a pair of athletic shorts. David collects her to his chest immediately. 

“You’re perfect to me, honey.”

David rubs her hair.

Mack rubs his stomach.

Then they do the best thing you can on a summer vacation, fall asleep in a warm cocoon of love.

- - - & - - -

(David)

Exhausted from swimming in the lake all day, Mackenzie Hischier lays curled up into a perfect ball in her boyfriend’s lap. David strokes his hand along her back, careful to keep an even rhythm so she doesn’t wake up. She’s been fighting a nap all day after he kept her up most of the night. It wouldn’t be fair for him to wake up her again when she’s finally getting some good sleep. So slow, continuous strokes over her sweatshirt are what he does.

David has loved everything about Switzerland, but there is something sinfully sexy about fucking Mack in her childhood bedroom. He can’t get enough of it. He’s never been one to wake her up multiple nights in a row, for multiple rounds, but here he is, doing it for almost an entire month. He loves her soft moans, loves the way she bites onto the meat of his palm to stay quiet, loves knowing no one else has ever had her in that room before. Not even her dipshit college “boyfriend” who couldn’t find her clit.

What a fucking idiot. David finds himself quietly scoffing and shaking his head. He blinks away his thoughts, then adjusts Mack a bit on his thigh where her hip bone is digging into him. He tilts his head down to look at her face. Her lips are split apart and the left side of her nose squishes slightly up on his chest. He smiles down at her, loving how comfortable she is here with him. When he raises his gaze back to the room, he catches Nico Hischier studying them. David double checks his hands are in appropriate places on Nico’s daughter then gives him a nod. Nico nods back, a sign of acceptance, then turns back to the TV where a movie plays out.

David hopes to catch Nico and Lexi tonight without Mack hovering around the corner. He thinks she might finally be tired enough to go to bed first. David’s chest starts to pound a little harder in his chest at the thought of the conversation he needs to have with his girlfriend’s parents. He knows they like him, but hopes the last four weeks they’ve spent here has them completely comfortable with giving him permission to marry their daughter.

He can’t imagine life without Mack. She stormed into his life all hot and bothered, overstimulated and under appreciated. He’s gathered her up in the midst of all that and soothed those out of control parts of her by loving her so well. He knows her parents can see that, hell Nico is looking over at them again seeing it in real time. Mack finds David safe and comfortable. No one has ever been able to hold her free and kept at the same time. 

David vows to be the only one to do that. Ever.

After her parents give their blessing.

The movie ends and Sophie’s loud yawning makes Mack startle awake. She sighs, gripping David’s sweatshirt tighter. He kisses her head, then begins to work his grip around her back and under her knees.

“Ready?” He asks her. She nods. David stands with her in his arms, carrying her up the stairs to her room. He lays her on the queen sized bed, filled with a deep purple comforter adorned with ruffles. It’s so moody but girly, just like her. He can imagine her laying on this bed as a teenager, head phones in, book in front of her face as she ignored her dad’s second call for dinner.

“I’m gonna grab some water for us. I’ll be back.” He murmurs to her. Mack doesn’t even hear him. She’s already fallen back to sleep tucked into her sheets. 

David won’t wake her up tonight. It’s clear she needs the sleep.

Quietly, he tip toes out of the room. Lucie and Connor are saying their goodbyes with a sleeping Stella in her father’s arms. Nico smoothes the little girls curls down, then kisses her cheek gently.

“Goodbye, sweets. We will see you back home okay?” Nico assures the little girl. She nods sleepily in response, then yawns.

“Bye. See you for Fall break.” Sophie hugs the two adults, then skirts around everyone to go up to her room. David nods to Lucie and Connor.

“See you tomorrow at the airport.” He acknowledges them. They’re all heading back to New York on the same flight. Then Connor and Lucie will be heading to Massachusetts while Mack and David jet to Iowa.

Nico and Lexi walk the family out of the house to the car. David waits leaning against the wall in the entry way. He glances over his shoulder, listening for sounds of Mack, but hearing none. Even Sophie has gotten quiet upstairs. The two parents walk back into the big house holding hands. 

“Hey, I’m sorry to ah, pounce on you right at the end of the night, but I was hoping we could talk?”

“Sure.” Lexi nods, motioning with her hand back to the living room. David leads the way, sitting back in the chair him and Mack had been in earlier while her parents take the couch. He leans forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together. 

“What’s up?” Nico asks, a slight smile on his face. David smiles back, breathing out heavily as he glances at the pictures on the wall. There are several of Mack when she was younger with varying faces. One in particular he loves because she’s sticking her tongue out while crossing her eyes. She’s carefree like children are and he brings that same looseness out in her as an adult.

“To start, I want to say thank you for letting me stay here with your family. I have really enjoyed my time here. You two have welcomed me here, and into the family, without any reservations. You knew me before as Connor’s teammate but my on-ice personality is a little different than who I am off the ice. I know with your career, you understand that.” Nico chuckles and nods. 

“Um, every time I try to get the words together to describe what Mack means to me, I fail miserably, but I’m gonna try to get this right for you two. Simply put, I love her. Unconditionally. With every fiber of who I am, I love your daughter. Every single thing about her, even the parts of herself that she desperately tries to change because she thinks they aren’t good enough for the world. She’s moody, inconsistent, always wanting to run around the world and be anywhere but home. And I love it.”

“Mack can certainly be a little complex.” Lexi acknowledges as the three of them chuckle at David’s description of her.

“I hear you, but not to me. I see her. I know her. I hear her. I heard her when she ran in January. And I heard her when she came back to me too. That doesn’t scare me. I know she needs to go sometimes. She needs to be free to feel and grow and come to terms with what she probably already knows.  I’m never gonna cage her in. She will always know freedom and space while also having a home with me.” Lexi rolls her lips together, pursing them as her eyes fill with tears.

Nico brings his clasped hands to his lips, pressing into them until they turn white from the pressure. David swallows hard. How is this going? Is it going good? He can’t fucking read them. 

“I hope that what you’ve seen of me in this last four weeks has you believing my words and intentions with her. I want Mack to be my wife. I want to come home, take care of her, love her and support her. I want to have dreams and goals with her that we make come true in our own way- a mix of my grit and her creativity. So…” He trials off, reaching into the inner pocket of his sweatpants where he zipped the ring earlier. He pulls it out between his thumb and pointer finger. “With your blessing, I would really like to marry your daughter.” 

“Wow.” Lexi practically hiccups. She looks over at Nico who nods with his eyes closed. “Yeah.” Lexi brings her hands up to her eyes. She wipes her fingers under them then reaches for the ring. “Can I?” 

“Of course.” David hands it over to her. Lexi holds it delicately in her fingers, turning it every which way as the light collects in the diamonds.

“I don’t think… we ever really saw this for Mack.” Lexi acknowledges. 

“Yeah.” Nico clears his throat. “Mack just… never wanted to be in love. I think she was that way when you first met her too.” David nods. 

“Spicy when she doesn’t like how things make her feel.”

“Mhm.” Nico nods. He scratches at his forehead, then continues. “As a parent, all you want is for your kids to be happy. We were happy if Mack was happy. When Mack came home this winter, she was not happy. She was miserable. And even in those tough moments in the cabin with her, she loved you. She loved you enough to try to decide for you that you deserved better.” David shakes his head, smiling as he does it.

“Crazy.” 

“Yeah, well you’re the one signing up for a lifetime left of that.” 

“Can’t wait.” David beams. Nico chuckles.

“I believe that. Lex and I were talking the other night how good you are at loving her. It’s been a long time since we have seen Mack so comfortable in who she is and her roller coaster. She fights it a lot. She doesn’t like the parts of her that are out of control. But those parts aren’t so scary for her when she’s with you. She embraces them, lets them show and then pass because she’s safe with you. We can’t thank you enough for that. For loving her so completely that she doesn’t want to run anymore.” Lexi hands the ring over to Nico. He looks it over for a moment, then holds it in the air towards David. “She’s going to love that.”

“Yeah, she is.” David agrees.

“I know we don’t know your parents and truthfully, Lexi and I are sad about that as I’m sure you are too. But they would be very proud of the man you have become.” David stills, feeling tightness grip his throat. “They raised a strong, caring, empathetic person who works his ass off for the people he loves. Mack is lucky to be one of those people.” 

“Thanks.” David clears his throat. “That means a lot coming from you.” 

“You’re our kid now.” Lexi nods her head along with Nico. “And we love you.” 

“Big time.” Nico acknowledges. 

The three of them stand. Hugs are shared all around, then David dismisses himself to join Mack for bed. They have an early morning tomorrow. As David climbs back up the stairs, he sneaks a look over his shoulder at Nico and Lexi hugging each other. He grins as he walks down the hall.

David is finally going to get his family after all.

Read more Mack and David here.

[ladylooch]

Bones - Part 8 [Mack x David]

A/N: I'm back! Had so much fun back home in Minnesooooooota. Definitely came back with that strong midwestern accent. A guy at dinner made fun of me yesterday. BUT! As a treat for myself, and anyone else who had the Monday from hell at work... here is part 8! Where we get to celebrate love and happiness and all hold our breath for juuuuuust a second 😏

Also, quick reminder that flashback day is Wednesday this week!

Word Count: 4.2k

Mack’s fingers thread through David’s long hair as the first thrust of his cock glides into her. She sighs happily, turning her face into his cheek to kiss him. His cheek is rough due to his long stubble. When he feels her lips on him, he turns his head, stealing the breath from her lungs. A soft summer sunrise filters in through the open window in David’s Iowa bedroom. For so many reasons she can’t quite put into words, Mack feels at home here, even though they just returned from her home.

It’s the press of his hips into her. 

The weight of his body on top of her.

The warm seasonal breeze shaking the green leaves outside.

The smell in the air of them and the older farm house. 

The fresh grass growing from last nights rain. 

It’s comfortable and steady like the man making love to her now.

“You’re going to be so late.” Mack whispers.

“No one will be surprised. They saw you get outta the truck and knew it would be a long summer of the boss being late.” Mack chuckles. David kisses her nose, then tilts his head down to watch her swallow his cock. He exhales in pleasure before he drags his nose up hers to nuzzle. His lips press into hers again and again. Mack tangles her fingers into his long hair, scratching at his scalp gently. “I love when you do that.” He murmurs on her lips.

“Mmm yeah.” Mack sighs into his mouth, feeling her orgasm build. She loves this too, how they start off so sleepily touching each other and it turns into her favorite kind of orgasm. David works his way back to a kneeling position between her legs. He spreads her wider for him, then playfully strums her clit with his thumb. Mack reacts immediately, squeezing him harder as her walls collapse on him. 

“Love starting the day like this, honey.” He groans, picking up his speed. Mack’s orgasm begins to unwind in her body. She reaches for his wrists, holding him steady as his tempo stays exactly the way she needs it to come. 

“David.” Mack whimpers, squeezing his wrists as she milks his cock. David releases into her soon after, pumping hard and consistent to finish them both off. 

Mack opens her eyes, smiling at seeing David breathing heavily above her. He pants towards the ceiling, then rubs a hand over his face before dropping it to her thigh. 

“All that for the rest of summer?”

“Yeah.” Mack nods eagerly, biting her lip as he grins down at her.

“Okay, I really have to go now though.” 

They both can hear the trucks and farm equipment rolling past the house as the farm team gets started without him. David pulls out of her. Mack follows him into the bathroom so they both can rinse off in the shower. Then they both touch each other through getting dressed. David almost strips Mack right down again until his phone vibrates in his pocket. 

“I’m coming.” David answers, smirking at Mack who blushes like a total newb. “Yeah. I’ll be right out there to look with ya.” He grabs a hat from the hooks by the door, then clicks off the phone. “See you at lunch?”

“Yeah. I’ll have something ready for you.”

“Babe.” He groans when she rubs her fingers over the zipper on his work jeans. “I… what am I gonna do with you?” He laces their fingers together to stop her scavenger hunt. 

“Fuck me at lunch?”

David squeezes his eyes shut. He breathes out a heavy sigh then slaps her ass hard.

“Salad for lunch it is.”

Then he’s out the door, adjusting his jeans as he goes.

- - - & - - -

(David)

Hot coffee billows steam above the Yeti cup in David’s hand. Streaks of bright, summer sunlight cut across his property as he looks out at the puffy fog covering his fields. The humidity in the air already has a bead of sweat rolling down his spine. It’s gonna be a hot one today when the sun gets fully up. They’ll have to take long breaks today if him and the crew are gonna manage this day safely. 

Across the property to his left, David watches as Felix Alvarez opens his front door, kissing his wife, Lorena, goodbye before starting the long walk over to where David is by the barn, sitting on his truck tailgate. David spares a glance at his house, seeing it still dark. Good. Mack barely stirred when he crawled out of bed this morning. She was up late last night working on her article and he is glad to see she is still asleep. 

Especially considering the heavy, expensive box in his left pocket.

He bought it in New York before they left for Switzerland in June. He’s carried it across the world and back, but something about having it on him here, where he plans to ask Mack to marry him, holds more weight to it. 

David takes another steady sip of his coffee, licking the brown liquid off his mustache as Felix gets closer.

“What the hell you doing up so early?”

“Early bird gets the worm or whatever shit you used to say.” David smirks.

“Mack turned you down finally, eh?”

“Sure. We’ll go with that.” David laughs. “Brought you some coffee.”

“Ms. Mackenzie’s stuff?” Felix looks suspicious.

“No the good stuff.” David jokes. Felix can’t stomach European coffee, literally. It sends him running back to the house he came out of with his cheeks clenched.

“I’ll help you get everything together first.” Felix motions to the tools that need to be loaded into the truck David is sitting on. 

“Nah. Just sit there and drink some coffee. Have a donut too.”

David ran into town a half hour ago to grab fresh donuts for the crew. They’ve been working hard this summer. It’s the least he can do. 

“Fancy.” Felix murmurs, picking up an eclair with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles. 

“Only the best for you.” David says after Felix takes his first bite.

“This better not be my bonus.” Felix narrows his eyes jokingly at David who chuckles lowly. 

“No, we’ll get you some real money. So you can buy Lorena that new washer and dryer she keeps bringing up at Sunday dinner.”

“I’m gonna buy it for her. I just want the other pieces of shit to kick the dust. Your generation is so wasteful. Gotta ride that crap out as long as you can.” Felix waves off David’s concern. “And don’t you go buying her that on my behalf. I can still kick your ass, kid.”

“Alright.” David concedes. They both know there is no way. David’s got about 10 inches on Felix these days.

The two men fall into a comfortable silence. Felix eats his donut. David slurps his coffee. Felix stands. David sits. They watch the sunrise higher in the sky together until Felix is done eating. 

"Gotta get through the rest of the fence today." Felix breaks the silence. "Don's boy doesn't work as fast as his daddy. Not sure how long he is for this kinda work."

David chuckles.

"Didn't you tell my daddy that about me?”

"Yeah but that was to make you work harder. This kid doesn't know hard work.”

"Well, give him a few more weeks. Need all hands on deck fixing up the buildings from the hailstorm last year. Can't go another winter like this.” Felix nods, knowing David is right, but annoyed cause he really doesn't like that kid. "I'll watch him. If he needs to go, I'll do it. Let Don be mad at me.”

Felix watches David pull his work gloves out of his pocket where they were making his ass fall asleep. Then David picks up his thermos of coffee, looking out at the rolling fog off the field. 

“Gonna be another hot one today. Hopefully those storm holds off.”

"That really what you bought donuts and coffee for? To talk about Don's kid and the weather?” Felix gestures to the truck tailgate, then puts his wrinkled, calloused hands in his pockets. David smiles with a caught chuckle. Felix always has him clocked. Has since his days bringing girls out into the farm pasture too. He always knew when to show up, right before David could round second base.

“No.” David exhales heavily, then puts his hand in his pocket and pulls out the box with Mack's ring in it. He pops it open, looking at the ring, then turning it so Felix can see. "Can't live without her." David says, shrugging his shoulders like it’s final. "You like her okay?”

"Yeah, but I don't think you'd care if I didn't." Felix laughs, then grab's David's jacket to pull him into a hug.

"Probably not." David laughs too, hugging him tight. 

"You know who would really like her tho?”

"Mama." David nods, exhaling heavily through his mouth

"She would love the way Ms. Mackenzie loves you. Fully. As you are.”

"This good enough for her?" David asks, looking down at the massive diamonds. David can see Felix starting to tear up. He nods like speaking feels too hard with the emotions in his throat. 

"Yeah, buddy. You did good. You ask her daddy?"

"Yeah and her mama."

"Good." Felix pats his shoulder, giving him one more hug. "Proud of you. Know this road has not been easy, but you never givin’ up got you here. Got you that woman in the house too, who by the way is looking out the window over here.”

"Shit. Why is she up?" David grumbles as he quickly hides the ring behind his thigh on the tailgate.

He squints over to the kitchen window, seeing her peeking out at them. She waves shyly, then turns the light out and leaves the room again, presumably back to bed. David longs to follow her there. Strip off her cherry printed pajamas and kiss all over her warm skin. Wake her up properly and gently with his hands and mouth and dick.

But he's got work to do. 

"When you gonna ask?”

"Part of me just wants to drop down in the kitchen and ask her at lunch, but she deserves something special.”

"Well, you know I'm here to help if you need it. She loves it here. Plenty of spots all over the farm that could work.”

“Like maybe the sunflower patch I asked you to plant for me this spring?” Felix grins.

“Lorena knew it. Called it when I told her what you asked.”

“Good thing you’re a good farmer, eh? They’re about the right height?”

“Give ‘em another week, if you can wait that long.”

David nods.

It’ll be hell. But he’ll do it for her.

- - - & - - -

(Mack)

Mindlessly, Mack rinses off plates from dinner before placing them into the bottom rack of the dishwasher. The TV is turned to a baseball game David has been watching for a few minutes before he went out to meet Felix at the barn. Mack wipes at an itch on the end of her nose with the back of her hand. Once the final dish is in, she plops a detergent pod into the slot and turns the dishwasher on. 

Then she turns to cleaning up the rest of the kitchen, including the dining room table where they ate. By the time she is done, David has come in and disappeared down into their bedroom. Or so she thought. 

Mack turns away from her last swipe across the dining room table and jumps at David leaning against the wall, watching her. He changed into a grey henley, darker jeans and his going out boots rather than his work ones. His hair looks like he swiped some gel through too. Mack smiles.

“We going somewhere?”

“Yeah.” He smiles. The way he watches her has Mack blushing. 

“Am I dressed okay?” She asks of her light, linen sundress. Her hair is curled from the humidity and she’s got minimal make up on.

“Always, honey.” Mack nods.

She walks over to the sink, tossing the rag onto the middle partition, then going over to grab her boots. When she has them on, she walks over to David’s outstretched hand, taking it in hers.

“I’ve been keeping something from you.” He tells her once they are loaded into the truck. He turns off the main road and starts cutting through the field to the back, southwest corner. 

“Oh?” Mack pops an eyebrow in question.

“I don’t know how you didn’t wander over here yet, but I guess I’m just lucky.” He shrugs as they come up towards the edge of the property. Mack looks over to the west, smile growing big when she sees it. 

Planted in perfect rows is a huge garden of sunflowers. They’re bright and bold in the midst of the green pasture surrounding them. Outside of the garden where his moms roses are, there aren’t many plants on the farm just to look at and appreciate their beauty. The sunflowers curve in a half arc like they were intentionally planted that way. David puts the truck in gear. Mack stays put, knowing he will come around and open the door for her. 

“Wow.” She murmurs as her hand rests in his. She steps down from the truck and lets him lead her towards it. He cuts towards the right of the garden, leading her around to show her the bench sitting perfectly in the center. It’s the same one David has been building here and there since they arrived from Switzerland.

“So we can watch the sunset together the rest of the nights we are here.”

“Babe, this is… incredible.” Mack murmurs, shaking her head in awe. She moves forward and David lets their hands drop. She hears him suck in a deep breath. Mack looks towards the west, gazing out at the blues, pinks, and oranges that burst across the sky. It’s stunning. Indescribable. She clutches at her necklace with his number on it resting between her collar bones. She opens her mouth to speak to David, but the words are lost when she sees him down on one knee.

Her heart slams to a stop in her chest and she squeaks in surprise.

His big hand holds a red box in it where his wrist is dangling off his bent knee. Mack blinks, then looks back at the sunset for a second before she gathers the nerve to look at him again. Her bottom lip wobbles. David reaches for her hand to pull her closer to him. She hesitantly steps forward. Oh my god. She is completely shocked.

“Can’t live without ya, honey.”

“Okay.” She sobs. David laughs gently, examining her face. 

“Don’t wanna either. I want to spend the rest of my days in this life loving you.” Mack shudders as she tries not to hiccup. 

“People aren’t hiding in these sunflowers, right?” She chokes out tightly.

“No. It’s just me and you, honey. Like I want forever to be.” Mack nods, then falls to her knees in front of him. She ignores the pinching of dirt and grass into her skin. She grabs his neck, bringing his face to hers so she can kiss him hard and long. “That a yes?” He chuckles when they pull away.

“God, yes. Of course. I… I love you. I want to be your wife.” She cries to him as he wipes her tears. “Oh my god.” She falls forward, head hitting his chest. She buries her nose there. “I had no idea.”

“I know.” He laughs. “I almost told you I was gonna propose today, last night. I felt like you had to know beforehand to mentally prepare. But then I figured one surprise in our life together won’t hurt.” His hand is on the back of her head, rubbing at her scalp through her curls.

“How do you want to marry this? I’m crazy…” She shakes her head.

“No, baby. You just… don’t like surprises. You like a plan, but I hope this surprise was an exception for you. Because it is a plan. A forever one.”

“Yeah.” She nods. She pulls away, looking down at the ring he slips onto her left finger. “This is a Cartier ring. New York?”

“Yeah, that has been everywhere we’ve been this summer.” Mack looks down, then slowly glances up at him.

“You asked my dad?”

“Of course I did. And your mom.” 

“I had no idea.” She shakes her head again.

“We can wait a while. Have a nice, long engagement. Get married in a few years. There is no rush. But I wanted you to have something that shows my commitment to us as we go into this next season together.” Mack nods.

“Thank you. For understanding me and knowing sometimes I need time. But I don’t need time with you anymore. I know this is what I want. Forever. So let’s… not wait awhile.”

“Courthouse tomorrow?”

“Not that fast.” She chuckles. “I really want my parents there…” She bites her lip after she says that. “And I’m so sorry yours won’t be.” David pushes her hair behind her ear and nods. 

“Me too, baby. But I know they’ll be there in the way they can be. Don’t be sad about it.” They cup each other’s cheeks, then kiss again and again. Until they need to break apart for air, then they dive back in. Eventually, they move to the bench. David grabs a blanket from the truck and he wraps it around her shoulders to keep her warm as the sun disappears under the horizon. As they head back to the house, light rain spits onto the windshield from the storm rolling in from the South. Mack lays her head on David’s shoulder, letting it bump and sway with each divot in the road. 

When they get home, David takes Mack to bed where he makes love to her, again and again and again. Until they can’t go another round and fall asleep tangled in each other, wearing nothing but tattoos and rings.

- - - & - - -

After the proposal, it takes a few days for Mack to get used to the ring on her finger. By the time they have a small engagement party gathering with the farm hands and David’s hometown friends, she is used to it. What she isn’t is the thousands of questions that come from everyone about what their future holds, including the overstepping inquires on when they’re going to have children. David is the one who waves that question away.

“We aren’t having kids.” He says it simply, firmly, without room for further discussion from Diane, or Josie, or Michelle or the handful of other women who ask that Mack still can’t remember their names.

Mack and David have discussed not having kids since early on in their arrangement. Mack likes kids okay, but she doesn’t have that urgent desire to procreate. She likes being an aunt to Stell and soon her little sister, but that’s because she didn’t have to birth or raise them. Lucie loves being a mom and thrives at it. Mack never pictured her future with kids, nor does she want to readjust her whole life for children. Being a stay at home mom sounds like Mack’s personal purgatory. She still has dreams and goals to accomplish and none of them involve being someone’s mother. She likes her freedom to do as she pleases and she wants that same lifestyle with her soon to be husband.

She hopes David is still on the same page with that. 

“How are you up before me?” David asks Mack as he thumps into the kitchen. He is all dressed for work, ready to meet the hands who are already arriving for the day. 

“Couldn’t sleep.” Mack shrugs. She takes a long sip of her coffee, watching as David grabs his clean coffee thermos from the side of the sink.

“Already a farm wife.” David murmurs, tossing a sweet smile over his shoulder at her. She winks, then looks back down into her coffee cup.

“Hey, could we talk about something when you get in tonight?” David finishes pouring the rest of his coffee into his container. He glances at her then releases a low hum.

“That looks like a serious discussion face.”

“It is.” Mack confirms, taking a sip of her water beside her coffee.

“Why do we have to wait?”

“Because you’re about to head out to the field.”

“Honey.” David shakes his head. “I’m gonna be thinking about this all day. Let’s just do it now.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you late again. I wanted you to be aware so I didn’t pounce on you later.”

“Is this where I find out you have a husband in Switzerland and this is actually going to be a poly marriage?”

“What!?” She snorts. “No.” 

“You don’t like your ring?” He tries again, leaning back against the sink.

“No, I love my ring.” She assures immediately. It is pure perfection and more than she could’ve dreamt of.

“Okay, I’m outta guesses.”

“Great.” She chuckles. “I want to talk about not having kids again. I know we talked about this in New York when things were still new, but I want to be open with you that I still don’t want kids. I don’t see that as part of my future. I never have. I love you and I am so excited to build our life together, but I… don’t want to be a mom.” She finishes with a shrug.

“I am okay with that. I told you then that I didn’t see kids as part of my future either. If it’s you and me for the rest of our lives, that’s a perfect life.”

“But it’s so different than what everyone else does around here. Are you sure?”

“Yes. I don’t really care what everyone else is doing- that’s their life. I had a shitty childhood. I’m not looking for a repeat with our kids.” Mack furrows her brows.

“Yeah, but babe, you wouldn’t be that kind of parent. Or raise our kids to…” She has to step carefully here to not offend him or his parents memories. “Not show up for each other.” David looks away, out the kitchen window over the sink. The farm hands are beginning to congregate together along the pink sky.

“I’d have different ideas, yeah. But there is some shit that runs in this family that I don’t wanna pass on.”

“Nurture and education can overcome nature.” David furrows his brows at her, then snorts.

“Are you trying to talk me into having kids after reminding me you don’t want any?” David chuckles, eyes creasing at the corners.

“No! I just… you would be great at it.” She emphasizes to him with her hand.

“So would you, Mack. But it’s not that simple with babies.” He puts the top back on his thermos, screwing it shut. “And at the end of the day, you have to go through a lot more than me to have ‘em. You don’t want to do that. I get it. If the roles were reversed, I wouldn’t want to either.” He kisses her hair, pressing his nose into her head. “Anything else?”

Mack searches his face. All she sees there is assurance. 

“No.” She shakes her head. 

“All I want out of this life is you.” He cups her chin. “I don’t need anything else.” He mumbles against her lips. “I’ll come in for lunch.” She nods. He heads towards the door. He disappears around the corner as Mack stretches her arms above her head. He suddenly reappears.

“That why you were up early this morning?”

“Yeah.” She chuckles then hides her reddening face.

“Just wake me up next time.” He raises his eyebrows at her. “Hate when you’re up worrying about shit you don’t need to.” 

“Okay.” Mack murmurs quietly.

“Promise.”

“I promise!” She whines. “Goooo.” She waves him towards the door. He stares at her, standing tall and unmoving. Mack purses her lips at him in a crinkled pout.

“I love you. I can’t believe I get to marry someone as perfect as you.” Mack starts giggling excitedly. She hops up from her seat at the table and runs over to him. He catches her in his arms, lifting her up by her waist. Mack’s knees pull up behind her, feet touching her butt as he kisses her with delicious smooches. 

“You’re obsessed with me.” She tells him. Her engagement ring glitters in the rising sun, casting rainbows along the wall beside them. “And I love that.”

“I know you do.” He grins. “Alright. Goodbye for real.” He kisses her once more, quick, then sets her back on her feet. “Have a good day, gorgeous.”

David winks, then heads out the door for a day filled with farming until he can come home and fuck around with his favorite girl.

[ladylooch]

Bones - Part 9 [Mack x David]

A/N: Sooooooooo I hope this chapter isn't what cursed Jake. Cause like... I would have never written it if I knew what was gonna come out of it! But also this has been done for weeks so.... I take no responsibility! I do love this chapter though! I'm excited to give y'all more insight into David and his family dynamics AND see Mack take care of her man 🥹

Word Count: 5.4k

Warning: brief mention of addiction, injury, surgery and general medical discussion

Mack really wanted to like the first member of David’s family that she met. She really did. 

But his sister proved herself to be three strikes and out before the drinks had even hit the table. Mack is already done with this bitch. And don’t even get her started on the husband, Ted, who keeps taking peeks of the waitress’ ass when she bends over to refill waters at the table across from theirs. 

Mack watches Ted do it again, then grinds down harder on her teeth. As she moves her potatoes around with her fork, Mack tunes back into Denise’s self-centered story about how hard the lack of income from the farm has been on her and Ted’s children. Mack peaks at her fiancé. Although he is calm and collected on the surface, Mack can see the frustration brewing beneath with the slight ticking of his upper jaw.

“I don’t know what to tell you.” David murmurs to Denise after swallowing a bite of his steak. “I asked if you wanted to continue on or be bought out and y’all chose to be bought out.” A measured disappointment flows in his tone, but Mack knows it’s for show. He is thankful his siblings all walked away from the farm. They didn’t have the business insights like David does or the college degrees that help him be innovative and calculated. The farm and David are better off without them involved.

“Well, the boys and I feel like you lied to us.” Denise whines. “Like you had all these plans you didn’t share so we could make an informed decision.” Mack scoffs slightly at the word boys, like the people Denise is talking about aren’t almost 8 and 10 years older than David. “We’re family.”

The manipulation is palpable in Denise’s words and tone. Mack’s eyes narrow as she stills in her chair. David’s hand comes to her thigh under the table, giving it a reassuring rub. He can sense her anger. How Denise and creepy Ted don’t is beyond Mack. 

“The changes for the farm were meant to be done if it was just mine. I invested my own NHL salary into the farm for these changes to take shape. I wasn’t going to do that if we were all still in on it. It was my own investment.” Irritation seeps into his voice. Mack lifts her gaze and sees how Ted is leaning back in his seat to get a better view of the waitress’ ass. 

“What about our kids, David?” Denise scoffs. 

“What about them? They’re not mine.” David chomps hard on his steak, then goes back in to saw off another piece.

“Mack, please-“

“No.” David points his fork at Denise. “This is my business. She’s got nothing to do with it.”

“I’m sure the ring on her finger could pay for the kids school for a year.” 

David sighs. Mack purses her lips against a response. Not because Denise deserves any respect at this point, but because David does. And she seems to be the only family member who can give that to him.

“I should have known.” David grumbles to Mack as they get into his cold SUV after a rushed through end of dinner. “Of course they don’t want to actually spend time with me.” His angry breath puffs white in front of his face. Mack shivers from the cold leather and chilly temperature in the car. Her nose and hands are frozen and she curses being too lazy to grab her mittens before they left. 

David turns the SUV on, then starts blasting the heat. He turns on both their seat warmers before placing his right hand on her thigh. He begins to rub at her skin as he backs out of his parking spot, trying to create friction to warm Mack up.

“I hated the way she was talking to you.” Mack huffs.

“Yeah, and that was the good sibling.” David sighs to her. “Did you hear the dig about dad not being around anymore?” He holds the name in a dramatic way like Denise had. 

Yeah, Mack did. That was the moment she abruptly rose from her chair to go to the bathroom. If she didn’t take a break, Mack was gonna swing on her. 

“Disgusting.” Mack sneers angrily. “I wanted to deck her.”

“I know.” David grins. It’s genuine. Proud. “That’s my girl.” He chuckles, flicking the blinker on to head towards home. 

“What are your brothers like?” Mack wonders. She hasn’t met them, but has heard enough stories about them to know they’re probably not her cup of tea either. His brothers live in their hometown still unlike Denise who moved to Texas. Surprisingly, Mack hasn’t seen them the previous two summers she went to Iowa.

“Bad news.” David mumbles. An icy look slides over his green eyes as the SUV rolls up to a red light. “And if I get my way, you’ll never meet them.” Mack regards him silently. The tension in his body worries her. 

“Okay.” She finally whispers. “Maybe we should talk about something else.”

“Yeah.” David mumbles. Mack folds her fingers together with his on her thigh, bringing the back of his hand up to her cold lips to kiss. “Baby, you are ice cold.” David says, shoving his vent openings off him and into her direction. 

The next few blocks are driven in silence until another red light stops their progress home. David looks over at Mack in the dark SUV. His white teeth illuminate in the black interior as he chuckles.

“You’re still so mad.” 

“Yeah! They suck! You deserve so much better.” Mack shakes her head in disgust.

“I’m used to it. I know you don’t like that answer, but it’s true.” He strokes her cheek with his hand. She leans her face into his palm, angst widening her nostrils and lowering her eyelids. “But having you to go through that stuff with now? That’s all I need. I’m finally not alone, honey.” 

The thought of David being alone in that hell hole before has tears stinging her eyes.

“That was supposed to make you feel better.” He smiles gently, acknowledging her growing water line.

“I’m so sorry.” She shakes her head. “You’re so good, babe. Sooooo good. You don’t deserve this.” 

“I know, honey.” He turns his eyes back to the road as the light changes color. “I scraped the bottom of the barrel with the family I have left here, but I won the jackpot the day I met you. It’s evened out. I have a lot to be thankful for with this family right here.”

Mack watches the lights and shadows stretch across his face as he drives. He remains calm and content in the driver’s seat. He wears it all so well, she thinks. The death of his parents, the huge responsibilities of the farm and his playing career, having angry leeches as his remaining kin on Earth. It’s not fair to her. Her mind drifts to his comment on family. 

She can’t help but wonder if her alone is truly enough to counteract all that apathy. 

“I’m sorry if what I said about the farm bothered you.” David’s voice snaps her out of her thoughts. His thumb brushes along her knuckles as he takes a right turn.

“What?”

“About the farm not being yours. I didn’t mean it like that. I just wanted to protect you from the scrutiny. Like you couldn't make decisions or whatever without me. I know you wouldn’t, but she doesn’t need to know you’re getting half ownership when we get married. It’s not her business.”

Mack startles. 

“What?” She repeats. 

“Unless you don’t want it?”

“Oh, no. I’m just... surprised. I know the farm means a lot to you.” She tucks her bottom lip between her teeth.

“I want to share every part of my life with you.” He assures her. “That’s our home. You deserve to have a part of it.” Mack nods. The peace she feels on that land is like nothing she has ever felt before. She’s honored to be given a piece of it by him.

“Thank you.” It’s not enough, but Mack doesn’t have the words right now to tell him what that means to her. He smiles.

“Thank you for loving it like I do.” He turns onto their street. “Shit and all.” He finishes with a cheesy grin. Mack chuckles. 

“You’re proud of that one.”

“Uh huh.” His laugh grows, shaking his shoulders as he turns the wheel with his right hand. “Oof.” He suddenly winces, then grunts out in pain. He releases her hand to rub at his right shoulder with his left and keep one hand on the wheel. 

“You okay?” She reaches out for the back of his shoulder gently rubbing it with the tips of her fingers.

“Yeah.” His voice is tight, which has Mack frowning deeper in concern. David doesn’t show pain. Ever. So to see him openly wincing is unnerving.

“I feel like that has gotten a lot worse since we have been back.” Mack points out. His shoulder was bothering him at the end of last season and a full summer working on the farm wasn’t the healing therapy the team recommended for him.

“It just doesn’t love getting hit again every day.” David insists.

Mack knows it is more than that, but drops it. He’s had enough hard balls thrown at him today. 

She doesn’t need to add to the pitch count. 

- - - & - - - 

Hi Mackie, FYI David left the game in the first period and hasn’t been back. You might want to check in on him. 

Mack’s heart drops when she sees the text from her sister. It’s her last day in Peru and she is currently enjoying a feast with her travel team and the local guides that have been showing them around for the last 13 days. She had her phone on do not disturb but her sister’s texts are always allowed through plus the rest of her immediate family, including David. 

Mack excuses herself from the table. The group is getting louder the more wine that’s spread amongst the glasses. Mack navigates to her phone app, then presses David’s contact. He picks up on the first ring. 

“Hi babe.” His voice sounds normal, too normal, which instantly has Mack suspicious. 

“Hi, what’s going on?” She asks. 

“I don’t know, you called me?”

“Babe, Lucie told me.” 

He sighs. 

“My shoulder. I’m in so much pain I can’t hold my stick. Got smacked into the boards on the first shift and couldn’t lift my arm up after. They want me to get an MRI tomorrow.”

“That’s not good.” Mack sighs, hating having to worry about him from so far away. “Do you think this is new or what you’ve been trying to heal through PT?” 

“It’s the same thing.”

“Do you want me to try and catch an earlier flight?” 

“No, I’m okay, honey. Thank you though. Go have fun on your last night.” 

“You trying to rush me off the phone is not helping your ‘I’m fine’ case.” 

“Can never outsmart you.” She hears a strangled grunt at the end of that sentence.

“You’re sure?”

“Positive. I am already home.”

“Send proof.” He chuckles at her insistence. 

“How about you go have fun?” Mack is silent. “Nothing about this shoulder is getting better before you get home.” He reminds her. Mack sighs.

“I don’t like this. I want to come home.”

“You do what you have to do, but I am okay.”

While on the phone with him, Mack looks up flights to New York. The only flight leaving tomorrow is the one she is already on. 

“Damn it.”

“Don’t stress.” He warns her. “There is no need to get worked up. I’m sitting here all nice and tucked in with my ice and ibuprofen.”

“Fine. But for the record, I hate this.”

“I know and I think that is cute as hell.”

The next 20 hours are tough for Mack to navigate as she tries to get back to New York. The already long flight feels like an eternity. She is grumpy and frustrated with the entire process, making her extremely annoyed to get stuck behind slow walkers off the plane. Once she gets to the end of the international section, Mack breaks through the crowd at a steady hustle. She heads down towards ground transportation when she hears her name being called. She whips towards the noise, seeing David waiting for her. His right arm rests in a sling while the other holds a bouquet of fall flowers down his left thigh.

Mack rushes into his arms as quickly as she can with the crowd. Her nose rests on his brown, leather jacket, careful of his arm. She grips her opposite wrist to keep him tight to her body.

“Hi.” He murmurs into her hair. His fingers rub into the brown strands.

“Hi. What’s the word?” David went in for an MRI this morning, but Mack hadn’t heard the results from him yet. She knows this was purposeful.

“Not good.” He frowns dejectedly. “They need to go in there and clean it up. I asked if we could do it after the season and they told me I would be in too much pain if I tried to play through with getting hit every other night.”

“Oh.” Mack says quietly. She chews on the inside of her cheek then sighs. “I know you don’t like that answer… But you’ve been struggling with this long enough. It’s already painful; I don’t think we want to see it get worse.”

“Yeah.” David sighs. He reaches his good arm down to grab her bag.

“I got it.” She shoos his hand away. “I want to hold your hand.” She insists. 

“Okay, honey.” He murmurs, lacing their fingers together. 

“Thank you for picking me up. You didn’t have to.” Mack rarely gets a ride home from the airport by David. She can get in a cab and out of the airport faster than he can get into it.

“I knew you’d want to see me right away.”

“Yeah.” She sighs, leaning into his bicep as they exit the airport. “Cause I’m really, really in love with you.” David releases her hand and brings her into a side hug. They stay that way until they get to his SUV.

“Do you know when you’re having surgery?” Mack asks once they’re settled into their drive.

“Friday.”

“Oh.” Mack blinks. “Okay.”

“It’s okay if you still need to go Chicago.” This was supposed to be a quick drop in to New York before she headed to a conference in Chicago as their division’s representative. She would never choose work over David, especially when his health is involved.

“No, they can easily send someone else.” Mack waves his worry away. “I need to be home with you.” She says with conviction. He smiles in the darkness of the car.

“You’re so into me.” His smug, residual smirk has Mack laughing in the passenger seat. 

“You caught me.” She waves her engagement ring at him. She crosses her legs into her seat as they exit the airport. “Are you going to talk funny from the anesthesia?”

“No, but I guarantee I am going to grab your ass. Be prepared.”

- - - & - - -

Five days later, Mack is curled up in a hospital chair, deep into reading her book in the waiting room. She swipes across the screen of her Kindle, caught up in a thrilling chase in her book. Her heart rate accelerates as the main female character is pinned into place by the villain. 

“Mackenzie?” She hears called beside her. Mack startles, then blinks away the reflex.

“Hi, yes, sorry.” The nurse chuckles.

“He’s ready. And asking for you quite insistently.” 

“Oh, okay. That was fast.” She looks at the time on her Omega watch. He is done almost 45 minutes early.

“Only the best for a Ranger.” Mack can tell she is a fan. “The surgeon will stop by once David is more alert to let you know how it went.” The nurse tells Mack as she drops her off at David’s recovery room.

“Honey?” She hears him drawl from the room. It’s lazy and slow like if honey was dripping from a spoon.

“I’m here.” Mack calls as she stops in the doorway. He grins dopily at her, white teeth shining as he languidly blinks. One of his legs is out from under the blankets, hospital gown pulled up his big thigh, showing off his tattoo. His black hair is long right now and it falls a bit over his forehead. Mack sits on the side of him that wasn’t operated on, then smoothes his hair off his face.

“You’re here f’r me.” He slurs. “My honey.” His good hand slaps onto her thigh with a thump, almost uncontrollable like it’s too heavy. “I wanna kiss.” She leans forward and kisses his lips. He is slow to react so she gets limp lips at first. She starts pulling away and a high whine comes from his mouth. “That sucks. More.”

“Oh okay.” Mack laughs against his mouth. His tongue comes out and he licks at Mack’s lips like SpongeBob. “Maybe tongue later?” She suggests, then pecks his lips again. She grips his chin in her hand to gently ease him away from her face.

“I liked it.” He scoffs. “I have a bionic shoulder now. I’m Winter Solider.”

“Mmmm.” Mack raises her eyebrows. His hospital gown is slightly off his right shoulder. She can see the small incisions closed with a few black stitches and blue hue from the residual bruising.  

“I love you so much.” He suddenly sighs. “Like… I don’t know what. But a lot.” 

“I bet I love you more.” She teases him. He shrieks again and she watches his heartbeat soar on the screen monitoring his vitals.

“You don’t. No! I love you more.” 

“Okay, okay. Jokes aren’t landing for ya.” She leans forward and kisses him to settle him back down. He leans back into his pillows. When she pulls away his eyebrows are furrowed together in annoyance. “Hmm?”

“I wanna go home. You’re wearing too many clothes.” 

“Okay. That’s not happening when we get home.” 

“Yes.” He says, shaking his head at her.

“No, David.” 

“I won’t do anything. You can ride me. You fuck me so good, baby.” His voice carries into the hall and Mack can hear a nurse giggle as she walks by.

“David!” Mack hisses, leaning forward to clasp her hand over his mouth. She starts laughing, shoulders shaking as she rests her forehead on his good shoulder. “Oh my god.” 

“What? I’m not embarrassed. Mackenzie Hischier fucks like-” Mack’s hand slaps over his mouth again. He keeps mumbling into her palm while trying to peel her hand off his face. 

“Babe, you know what I heard?” Mack changes the subject. 

“Mm?”

“Stella made you something and really wants to give it to you today, if you’re feeling up to it.”

“I am! I wanna see Stelly!”

“Okay, but maybe we rest here for a little bit and then you can see her?”

“M’kay.” He nods in agreement. 

Mack thinks she finally has him settled, but then his hand strokes up her thigh and settles on her ass. His big palm squeezes her greedily and Mack has to bite her lip to stop the yelp. She adjusts his hand to her lower back once his fingers relax. Quickly, with his hand on his comfort girl, David begins to fall asleep again. Mack has to wake him when the surgeon comes in to speak to them. 

After a through discussion of how well it went and what his restrictions are, Mack and David head home in her car. David can’t stop talking about how fancy it us. Usually they take his SUV, but he is drooling all over her new Mercedes she just picked up. Two stoplights from their place, David passes out again. After parking, Mack navigates to her brother-in-law’s phone number, asking him to come help her get David into their place.

“Hey!” Golden Retriever Connor greets her. “How is he?” 

“Either high or asleep.” Connor chuckles.

“Nice, let’s get him to stay stupid shit.”

“Let’s not.” Mack gives him a look.

“What, it’s funny.” He pops David’s door open with a shrug. “Hey princess, wake up.” 

“Connor!!!!” David yowls tiredly. “Oh my god, I’m so fucking high, bro. You look hot right now.” Mack and Connor start laughing. “No seriously, tell Luc I see it. I always thought she was so much hotter than you. I mean, look at you. You’re like… Magic Mike sexy.”

“I think we just fell in love.” Connor jokes, looking dreamily at David.

“Oh. I just remembered you have a dick.” David sighs disappointedly. Connor starts laughing so hard he almost releases David into the car next to them.

“Connor!” Mack exclaims. 

“You’re in trouble.” David mumbles to Connor. “She is not nice when she is mad. Like I love her, but she’s mean as fuck.”

“And you were like, this is the one. Were you high then too?”

“Stone cold sober.” David smirks. “But look at her. I didn’t stand a chance.” 

“We are still not having sex when we get upstairs.” Mack insists.

“Damn it! Woody, help me out.” David groans.

“Nope.” Connor shakes his head. “You’re on your own with that one.” 

They get into the elevator together and all talking ceases. David sighs loudly.

“I’m tired.”

“Yeah, I know buddy. Almost there.” Connor takes on more of David’s weight. “Where am I taking him?” He directs at Mack as she unlocks the door.

“Bed.”

“Okay. Hey, Dave, you’re gonna help Mack out and stay in bed right?”

“Yeah.” He agrees. “Wait, I think I have to pee.”

Connor takes him over to the bathroom and goes in with him. Mack sighs gratefully. She would be lost without him right now, unable to cart David’s big body around. David is hanging over Connor’s shoulder when they come out.

“She’s gonna come see me though?” David asks.

“Yes, I’ll bring Stell up after you get a nap in.” Connor assures him. They head to the bed and Connor sets him down, then they tuck him in. 

“Thank you.” Mack whispers to Connor. 

“I’ll see myself out. Call later when we can come up? Lucie has dinner planned out so don’t worry about that.”

“Okay.” Mack nods. Connor disappears from the room and Mack focuses on helping David get comfortable. “How is that, babe?” She asks. David is already asleep. She smiles in adoration of him, then goes to grab a few items he may need when he wakes up. She plugs his phone in, gives him a big water bottle and a protein bar in case he is hungry, then disappears into the living room to work.

David wakes up after lunch. Mack is editing her article when she sees him appear in the opening of the hallway. His hair stands on end and his face has a crease in it on the left side. He looks adorably sleepy and pouty.

“Can you help me? I’m hot.” He motions to his shirt.

“Like feverish?” Mack asks in alarm.

“No like you two tucked me in too tight and I got overheated.”

“Oh.” Mack bites her bottom lip as she laughs. She comes over, unsnapping his sling for him. She takes it off completely, then works the hem of his shirt up the left side. “Keep your arm in place, okay? I’ll move the shirt.” David nods, then stays perfectly still as Mack works it off. She gently pulls his forearm a bit away from his body so the fabric can slide completely off.

“Thank you.” He sighs as she puts the sling back in place. She kisses his bare chest as he rubs his good hand through his hair. He looks tired and grumpy, not normal expressions for David.

“Are you hungry?” She tries.

“Yeah.”

“Do you want like.. a sandwich or maybe some pizza?”

“Whatever. I don’t care.” He mumbles, going over to the couch. “I feel like shit.” 

“Are you in pain?”

“No, I feel hungover.” He rubs at his forehead.

“You were pretty drugged up earlier.”

“Did I hit on Woody?”

“A little bit.” Mack chuckles. She leans over his good side from the back of the couch. “Food though?”

“Pizza.” 

“Okay.” She kisses his cheek.

“Wait, lips.” He mumbles, slowly turning his face towards her. She cups his cheek gently and smooches at him until they get their fill of each other. 

Mack orders pizza, then heads downstairs to pick it up from the delivery driver. Philip asks how David is doing and she fibs a bit that he is doing well. On her way back up, she knocks on Lucie’s door. Lucie opens the door wearing a sleeping Winnie in a wrap. Mack explains that they are tentative for later, including that visit from Stella.

“He’s not loving life right now, but I’m going to give him some pain medicine with this.” She raises the pizza box. “I’ll let you know.”

“Okay! No worries. I’ll bring two plates up for you at least.”

“Thanks, Luc.” Mack smiles, then heads back to her patient upstairs. 

David is up, pacing around when she gets back. Pain stretches his nostrils and furrows his eyebrows. 

“Something wore off.” He tells her through gritted teeth.

“Yeah, it’s time for your pain medication.”

“No.” He snaps. “I don’t want to take those. Just ibuprofen.”

“Babe, that’s not going to work.”

“I don’t want to take pain killers.” He shakes his head then grunts at the pain it caused. "Fu-uck."

“Um, babe? Your bones and ligaments were just scraped and repaired. ibuprofen isn’t going to be enough.” Mack watches his face switch from pain to panic then he runs his good hand through his hair. He tugs at the strands and winces, grunting slightly in pain. She curls her lips together as she sets the pizza box on the counter. David breathes heavily across the room, rooted in place as his eyes move rapidly while staring out the window.

“Can you tell me why you don’t want to take them?”

“My whole family is, like, addicts.” He blurts. “I don’t want that to happen to me.”

“I understand.” Mack nods. “But you are going to suffer like this. How about we talk through how to manage it all?” 

“I don’t want you to see me as a junkie!” He exclaims. She puts her hands gently on his bare stomach, hoping to ground him.

“I don’t see you that way and you’re not. Let’s sit and talk.” 

The pain is making David edgy as he sits on the couch next to her. His breathing intensifies and a low groan of pain follows after he leans into the cushion. Mack holds her hand out for him to take. He does so, squeezing her fingers immediately. Mack pretends it doesn’t hurt.

“What are you scared of?” She asks him gently.

“That I’m gonna get hooked on this shit.”

“Have you taken these before and felt that way?”

“No. I’ve never taken ‘em.” His wide green eyes stare into hers, clearly worried and afraid. Mack pauses, thinking through how to ease both his pain and anxieties. 

“How about I control the medication? Like I’ll take them and hide them somewhere, so they aren’t out in the open and then I’ll bring them to you when it’s time to take.”

“Okay.” He nods. “Can you, uh, take the alcohol out of here too?” They don’t have much right now, only a few bottles of red wine that can go to Connor and Lucie’s.

“Yeah.” She agrees immediately. 

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why this is effecting me so much.” Mack knows, even if David hasn’t shared much about growing up in a small town. She knows he has seen addiction ruin families, including his own. 

“It’s okay. Thank you for trusting me. We will work through this together, okay?” He nods.

“Can I have a hug? I really need a hug.”

Mack gathers herself into his lap. He leans forward, connecting their foreheads, until Mack falls forward into his good shoulder. She is careful not to squish his arm between their bodies. David’s rapidly beating heart falls to a normal level in her embrace. She kisses along his jaw to his temple, then closes her eyes, holding him as completely as she can.

“Okay, I’ll take the meds.” He gasps as she sits back. 

Mack gathers the orange bottles from the counter, then disappears down the hallway to find a place to put them while they navigate this addition to the house. She places them in her safe in the back of the closet, and changes the combination to one he doesn’t know. Her heart aches for him and how genuinely worried he is about this experience. So worried that he was willing to break his teeth off from gritting in pain.

She returns with his first dosage of the medication and his water bottle from earlier. David pops the pill back then swallows. Meanwhile, Mack gathers an ice pack for him to start on his icing routine. Within twenty minutes, David is relaxed, eating pizza and watching his show. Mack goes back to finishing her article, then sending a few emails. Eventually, David falls asleep sitting up on the couch. She wakes him, then walks him down to their bed so he can be more comfortable.

This is their routine for the next week. David sleeps and recovers. Mack manages his medication until it is all gone. David doesn’t request a refill and chooses to navigate the pain with ibuprofen and ice. His spirits increase when he goes to the rink for physical therapy and gets to be around the guys. Another assignment comes in for Mack to take, but she declines. This is where she needs to be.

Over the course of 6 weeks, their focus as partners is on David’s full recovery. He begins to attend PT, slowly working his way back onto the ice. The best day is when he gets to ditch his sling completely. Soon, range of motion begins to build back to a normal level. Mack has to do a little more work in the bedroom for a bit, but she doesn’t mind. Neither does he. 

Unfortunately, even as everything goes right in David’s recovery, the process is still long. He is out until around the end of January. His patience wears thin towards Christmas when he feels ready to go, but the medical team won’t clear him. It’s great he is feeling better, but being able to do normal things is not the same as getting checked into the boards every night.

Mack helps David with his frustrations. They go running together. They plan their Allstar break, Caribbean wedding. They take a pottery class. They fuck. Often and exquisitely. It’s a rough job taking care of her sexy, angry hockey player, but Mack is willing to do what it takes to get David back on the ice.

The night he is finally cleared for game play, David floats into MSG on cloud nine. Mack is in the stands, cheering loudly for him next to her sister and nieces when David flies onto the ice. Nico and Lexi flew in to support him too and right next to them are Lio and Savannah. The starting lineup’s are announced and David’s name is received with thundering applause. The fans are ready and so is he. 

It’s a picture perfect night in the greatest city in the world. 

David scores with a Connor assist.

David handles every single hit and bump with ease. After the third hit, Mack finally stops digging her nails into her palms. He is navigating it all so well, as is David’s way.

Thankfully, he leaves the game in one piece and swings his girl up into his arms at the end of the night.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” She mumbles into his lips. 

“Hey, I was wondering something?” David pouts as if he is contemplating.

“Hmm?”

“Would you wanna marry me next week? If you’re not busy?” Mack laughs. “You nursed me back to health and now I can’t let one more week pass without you being my wife.”

“I’ll have to check my schedule.” She teases. He sets her back on her boots. Mack shyly leans into him when she sees everyone watching them.

“Just think,” Lucie murmurs, adjusting Winnie in her carrier. “Next time you’re in this building, you’ll be married!”

Now it’s Mack’s turn to float out of MSG.

Tomorrow, they’re all bound for Turks and Caicos.

[ladylooch]

Birthday Suit - [Mack X David]

A/N: Happiest of birthdays to our 👢 anon! We are so grateful to you for providing us with Our Little Family! Personally, I'm grateful for you support, friendship, and always talking AUs in the DMs. I hope you have a wonderful birthday. Please know that you are loved and appreciated here 😘

Timeline wise, Mack and David have been hooking up for a few weeks at this point, but are not dating. 

Word Count: 4.3k

Late on a Friday night in New York City, Mackenzie Hischer stuffs the gold key to her apartment unit into the lock, flipping it open and dashing into the darkness. The minute the apartment air wraps around her skin, she feels herself beginning to decompress. She just spent the last six hours smiling and laughing, shaking hands with sponsors, to help keep her job funded for the next year. She knows it was all a huge success, with discussions beginning to happen as early as next week for more features she will do later in the year. At this rate, her schedule is almost completely full, which is impressive for a first year journalist in her field. 

Her right hand wraps around the heel of her red pump, sliding it off her foot. She drops down three inches, then pulls the other one off. Her bare feet savor their freedom, ceasing the non-stop cramping she has been trying to shake off since hour three. Mack  moves to her bedroom, throwing herself onto her bed in a tired heap. She pulls her phone out, beginning to scroll through the 50 notifications she has from various apps. 

The first place she goes is to Messages. She bites her lip, not seeing anything worth responding to right now. She clicks into her message from David. The last time she heard from him was three days ago after she stopped by for a post-game romp. He had asked her to stay, she said no, so he asked her to text him when she got home that night. His last message was:

Glad you’re safe. Sleep well 😘

She re-reads the message again, then sighs, flipping over to Instagram to doom scroll through her friend’s various Switzerland themed posts. She checks the time, realizing most of them are getting ready to start their Saturdays. Photos of European markets, the ski slopes, and pastries fill her feed until she gets to a post from the New York Rangers, wishing their #14 a happy birthday. She perks up, slowly moving back into a sitting position. 

It’s David’s birthday.

He didn’t mention that when she was him last, nor has she heard anything from him today. She double checks the date on the post, then contemplates. Should she text him? Should she quick try to order something for him to have ready for when she sees him next? Ugh no. That’s not appropriate. She scrolls past the post, not sure how to handle this new information. Her sister posted a picture with David and Stella, saying happy birthday to Stella’s favorite Ranger. Mack chuckles at Connor’s pouty response on his wife’s post. She hovers over the heart button, then likes it. She scrolls up to the Rangers post and likes that too, then takes a screenshot. 

Before she can think it through fully, Mack sends the picture to David.

You up, birthday boy?

Mack tosses her phone to the end of the bed, closing her eyes to give them a rest while she waits to see where the rest of her night is going.

I’m older than you, but not that old.

Mack giggles. Her body awakens at fleeting thoughts of the last time his hands were on her. The sex keeps getting better and better every time they have each other, surprising considering how glorious their first time was. If Mack was honest, she’s starting to crave his skin on hers at the most inappropriate times, but tonight isn’t one of them.

Are you up for one more birthday present?

Mmmm, what do you have in mind, Mackncheese?

Mack bites her lip, looking over at her dresser where various, unused pieces of lingerie are resting in a drawer. No she doesn’t have a gift he can take home with him, but she has herself, willing and interested. She is thankful her makeup is done and presentable. All she needs to do is put on a little more lipstick, then she changes into a blue teddy she’s been wanting to wear since her spontaneous purchase of it in Paris. 

Going with modestly, she takes a few pictures with her silk robe, letting it fall slightly off her shoulder so he can see what’s underneath. 

Any interest in coming this way?

Give me twenty minutes.

She smirks at his instant response, then falls back onto the bed. Men are so easy. Every minute passes painfully slow. Her heart rate accelerates then evens out. Her stomach dips and swells in anticipation of seeing him. This all feels dangerously like crush territory, but she figures that’s normal. They are regularly hooking up, so it’s natural to be excited about seeing him.

When fifteen minutes have passed, she gets up, heading out to the living room to wait for him in the kitchen after pouring herself a quick glass of wine. She sucks it down, then runs her tongue over her teeth, feeling the warmth spread out from her chest to the rest of her body. It’s a minuscule buzz that takes away any waining apprehension about letting him see her like this. 

Ron buzzes up to her apartment, asking if she is expecting a “David Carlson” again. Mack blushes but allows Ron to send him up. She adjusts the tie of her robe, then waits for his confident knock on her door. A smirk stretches her lips, then she rolls her neck, allowing her greedy need to begin to consume her body. All she wants is for him to touch her tonight, stroke a fire and frenzy in her core, put it out, then leave her to fall asleep in a satisfied, uninterrupted heap. 

Mack opens the door for him. He grins at her, stepping forward immediately to carefully back her into the apartment again. He kicks the door shut with a slam that makes Mack jump a bit.

“Sorry.” He mumbles against her lips. “Gonna kill me sending pictures lookin’ like this.” Mack holds onto his huge shoulders as he continues to walk them backwards. Her body buzzes with his hands on her hips. The back of her knees hit the arm of her couch. He sets her down onto it, then pulls apart the satin robe. 

“I didn’t know it was your birthday today.” Mack murmurs. “I would have bought you-”

“I don’t like my birthday.” He cuts her off. “Plus this is a nice present.”

Warmth fills Mack’s chest as he steps back to take her in. Her pink nipples are budding through the blue lace, catching his attention. Then he glides his gaze the rest of the way down her. He takes her hand, then pulls her back into a standing position. His hands come to her hips, twisting her so her back is to him. 

He kisses the vertebrae of her neck, then raises his fingers to the collar of her robe, slowly maneuvering the silk down her warm skin. Mack shivers at being fully exposed. The robe gets tossed onto the plush, arm chair, then he steps back again. Mack stands there for a moment, feeling his hot gaze troll over the curves of her ass. She looks over her shoulder at him, watching as he drags his eyes begrudgingly from her ass to her face. 

He steps forward, bringing her lips to his at that angel. He pulls her hips flush with his, letting her feel his hard arousal press into her ass. David forces his tongue into her mouth, lapping and swirling to taste her fully. The fingers of his right hand glide past her stomach, feeling over her belly button, then hovering above her clothed core. He pulls away before he presses the tips against her clit. Mack’s eyelids flutter, losing the battle to stay open. It’s only been three days, but she is drunk on how he touches her.

At this rate, he is ruining her for anyone else, but Mack doesn’t particularly care. 

David’s lips cover hers again. His other hand slides up her chest to grip the side of her neck. He holds her head steady as he rolls two fingers into her clit and makes love to her mouth. Mack’s body leans into his, her back pressing to his strong chest. She brings a hand behind her butt, giving his thick shaft a squeeze. David grinds his hips into her hand as she sighs a moan to him. His fingers slide from her clit to her entrance. He moves the wet fabric aside there, feeling how soaked she is for him. 

He pulls away from her mouth in a lust haze, watching the widening and softening of her eyes as he slips a finger inside of her. 

“Fuck, honey.” He groans when she drags her swollen bottom lip between her teeth. “You’re going to look so good getting fucked on this couch.” He grins down at her, then kisses her softly while sliding his finger out of her. He pushes at her hips, but Mack shakes her head, turning in his grasp.

Her hands work their way from his shoulders down his chest as she falls to her knees in front of him. Her eyes trail down from his to his zipper. She licks her lips, kissing his bulge over the denim of his jeans. David holds her face as she slides him from his unbuttoned pants. She rolls her hand up the hard velvet, then kisses the tip to hear him hiss. While maintaining eye contact, she lays her flattened tongue at the base of his cock then licks a straight, seductive line up. She is patient in her pursuit to his tip, hugging the thick vein at the bottom of his shaft until his head knocks back towards the ceiling, then she sucks his pulsing head between her lips. His knees lock into place and he sways slightly forward, resting a hand on top of her head for balance.

“F-fuck.” He blinks, exhaling heavily, then looking down at her face. Her wet cheeks collapse inwards as she sucks him harder. His head rolls back towards the ceiling again. Mack increases the tempo, adding her hand around the remaining length that won’t fit in her mouth. She strokes her hand and mouth simultaneously. “Honey, you’re a star.” He murmurs to her.  “You suck my cock like it’s your favorite thing to put in your mouth.”

“Maybe it is.” She murmurs, sucking his tip while letting her hand fall away to grip one of her breasts. 

“Holy…” He trails off, rubbing at his jaw. He collects his bottom lip against his pointer finger, pulling it down as he moans again. Mack relaxes her mouth more, taking in as much of him as she physically can. His hand comes to the back of her head, resting there respectfully as he praises her. “So fucking good, honey. Shit, I could come down your throat right now.” He moves his fingers around to her chin, cupping it and pulling her off him. “But that’s not why I’m here.” His eyes darken.

“Why are you here?”

“To hear you scream my name while you ride me.” He smirks, giving her his hand to help her back to her feet.

“Sure, but only because it’s your day.” She teases, taking his hand and leading him towards the hallway to her bedroom. David raises an eyebrow at her taking him to her bed. He hasn’t been there yet. They’ve mostly fucked and fooled around on her couch. But tonight, Mack wants the comfort of her King mattress, not to awkwardly fumble around on the couch.

Mack looks around her bedroom with fresh eyes, realizing how feminine it probably looks to him. It’s mostly white, with accents of pastel blues and pinks. The comforter is huge and cozy, perfect for cold nights like this in the winter. David flips the light on when they get in. Their hands drop as Mack goes to the side of the bed, watching him as he soaks in her space. He fingers a fake plant coming out of a vase on her dresser, then chuckles at her with a questioning look.

“It’s art.” She cuts him off before he can say anything.

“Sure, honey.” He murmurs, then goes to the picture on her dresser of her parents and sisters. He places it face down. “Not gonna let Captain Hischier see what I’m about to do to his daughter.” Something about the gentle respectiveness of this entire moment has a searing heat sizzling in Mack’s core. She watches him look round the room, noting the art on the walls, the soft rug beneath the bed and the plush, coziness she has created by filling her bed with pillows. He’s so fucking sweet and hot and good. Mack can’t hold back the urge to touch him, stretching her fingers out anxiously by her hips. 

David turns back towards her and Mack rushes around the bed to reach for him. They meet in the middle with a renewed frenzy of hands and lips. Their heavy breathing engulfs the room as they touch each other, awakening a new urgency. 

“Smells good in here.” He murmurs as he backs her up.

“It’s a vanilla candle.” She breathes out.

“Mmm, sweet like you, honey.”

He reaches his hands under her thighs, lifting her up onto the bed easily. He crawls on between her legs, forcing her back towards her pillows. When she doesn’t move fast enough, he picks her up around the waist, hauling her with him, then drops her onto her pillows. Together, they shove them off the bed, letting the decor fly to the left and right so they can get comfortable together. He grips her chin, kissing her deeply, letting his mustache tickle at her nose before he kisses over to her jaw, yearning for her throat so he can feel her moan vibrate on his mouth while he grinds his bare bulge between her legs. 

“As much as I love this… it’s gotta go.” He smirks, pulling off the strap of her top. He kisses the line it dug into her shoulder, then follows the falling cup down to her nipple. He sucks it into his mouth, releasing it with a slurp, then repeats those actions with the other side. 

His hands drag the teddy down her body, revealing new slices of her skin to kiss. Mack dashes her fingers through his hair as he licks back up her stomach. He hovers over her mouth again, smiling when she takes his hard cock in her hand. 

“Had to take a break there.” He murmurs, thrusting his hips forward into her hand.

“You about done?” She whispers. 

“Mhm.” He kisses her nose, then rolls to the side of her to take off his pants, but not before grabbing a sleeve of condoms from his back pocket. He rips one off, then slaps it in her awaiting palm. He tosses the rest onto her nightstand. Mack raises to her knees. David brings a hand to the back of her knee, then trails it up her thigh to her ass. He massages the full cheek there, watching her hand roll the latex down his shaft. He adjusts it slightly at the tip then pats her butt to hop on. 

They watch each other as David grips the base of his shaft for her, guiding her wet heat down him. Their mouthes drop open in unison, little noises spilling out as she settles down on him. 

“Oof.” Mack mutters. David notes her discomfort, lifting her up gently, keeping her up at a lesser depth until she moves his hand away. She settle down on him completely again, then moves her hips forward and back along his abdomen. David’s legs harden under her resisting the urge to push them further until she is ready. Mack tries to breathe through the stretch, but it is painful. So much that she can’t ignore the pure terror at the thought of him thrusting up into her this way. “Maybe not this position, actually.” Mack mumbles. 

“Okay.” He says, helping her off him. “What do you need?” He cups her face, kissing her lips. His thumb presses into her lips. She kisses it, closing her eyes for a moment, trying not to be disappointed she can’t give him what he wants right now. 

“Um…” She shakes her head, distracted by the dull ache settling between her legs.

“How about you lay on your back, honey? Then I can control the depth.” 

“Okay.” She nods. She bites her lip, laying down. He smiles gently at her, kissing her lips.

“I’m big.” He reminds her. “If it’s not good for you, then we need to stop. Okay?”

“Yes.” She agrees.

But that’s the last they need to hear about anything not being good for her. David wets his fingers with his mouth, rolling them through her folds, focusing on her entrance, then presses his plumped head into her pussy. Mack swallows him more comfortably, stretching in a delectable way that has her hips trying to list off the bed. 

“Behave.” He mumbles above her, smirking at her eagerness. 

“I don’t like to behave around you.” She mewls back. He chuckles, then rocks his hips in a way that has Mack gasping. “Oh.” She moans.

“Fuck, you feel like heaven.” He mumbles into her mouth. “Made for me.” 

Mack cups his head, fingers rushing through his black hair as she holds him to her throat. His thrusts are slow but deep, wakening her up and softening her resolve. Her walls contract around him, pulling him deeper than he is trying to go, which makes him groan in appreciation for how well she has adjusted to him. His hips roll deeper into her, curly hair tickling her clit with his thrusts creating an erotic sensation that has Mack’s eyes rolling back into her head.

“Right there.” She whispers. “Keep going… don’t stop. Please.”

Her words fall from her mouth like breath, escaping without her trying to push them out. His arms come under her shoulder to hold her neck, other hand bringing her leg around his hips. Their bodies move like a wave, hips thrusting and colliding with each other in blissful slaps. Mack crunches up, kissing along his shoulder for a moment. Her head falls down, only half on the pillow as his thrusts explode through Mack’s core. David pulls away from her neck, looking down at her face. His hand moves from her hip, bringing the pillow more under her head to keep her comfortable. Mack’s eyes close, she moans loudly, then comes with a bang around him.

“Oh my god.” She squeaks as he works her through every flutter of her orgasm. He is biting down on his bottom lip to keep focus, then slows his thrusts when he feels her relax down into his arms. “I wanna ride you now. I can do it.” She practically begs him. She wants to watch him come undone under her, because of her. 

“Yes, honey. Whatever you want.” He smirks, then hits his back again. His hands reach for her, helping her climb on top, not that she needs it. That first orgasm was great, but she’s chasing another high already. 

She lines herself up with him again, gliding down him better now that she is sickened from her first round. She drops down on him, forcing her ass cheeks to slam into the top of his thighs.

“Oh fuck.” David groans, running a hand over his face. His other hand comes to her hip. “Look so good up there.” He compliments her, top lip curling up in a slight sneer as she moves slowly on him. “You got more in you than that.” He demands, slapping her ass. “Give it to me, girl.” 

Mack rolls her eyes, leaning over his face, palm pressed into the bed below him. Everything around him is girly and feminine, but his dark, masculine presence overshadows all the frills and fuss, taking over her room and senses like he owns the damn place. But he doesn’t and Mack thinks she should remind him of who is in charge here.

“Keep your hands on the bed.” She murmurs, kissing along his nose. He pulls his hands away from her hips, letting her fuck him the way she wants to. 

Her hips snap and roll, forward backwards, up and down, working his cock like a seasoned vet.  His hands grip into fists on the bed, taking some of her comforter in his palm, wrinkling it against his skin. Mack sits up, pressing her biceps into her breasts to make them tight and bounce right over his face. David is speechless, for once in his damn life. He raises his neck, trying to catch a nipple. Mack puts her hand on his neck, forcing him back down. 

“Be good.” She snaps at him. He laughs, eyes rolling back into his head.

“You know, honey. I think I like this version of you the best.” He grits out. “Fucking me like that. Shit.” His eyes close, a blissed out smile covering his mouth as she falters slightly from how good she feels stuffed full of him. He opens his eyes feeling her legs struggling a bit. “Don’t quit on me now, Hischier. Not when I’m about to cum this fucking hard.” His teeth are mashed together, words barely getting out through the thin spaces. His hips begin to move under her, pressing her up when her legs give out a bit more. It feels too good. Mack has to surrender to him, knowing his powerful thighs can do the rest of this job easily.

“C-Can’t help it. Touch me. I need you.” She begs, reaching up to hold her breasts. David’s hands fly to her hips, then he forces her into a tight rhythm, hard and fast, punishing almost, until they both fly over the edge into the abyss. David gushes into the condom, savoring her ripples, careful as he works her up and down his cock a few more times to finish himself fully off. Mack collapses onto his chest like goo, unable to hold herself in any type of position except horizontal. David’s hand goes to her hair, holding her cheek on his shoulder as he tries to catch his breath. 

“Happy birthday.” She whispers to him. David’s face gets lost in her hair to kiss her scalp.

“Thank you.” He responds quietly.

In ten minutes, the aftermath of their sex has been washed from their bodies and they lay together in silence, soaking in the warmth of each other’s skin. Mack’s eyes droop, tired from a long day, ready to surrender to the tiredness that collects in her veins. Beneath her, David’s chest rises and falls consistently. His hand trolls up and down her arm, until he twitches hard, inhaling deeply to awaken himself.

“I should go.” He mumbles, rubbing at his face with his free hand. He drops a kiss to her head, then rolls out from under her.

A big yawn stretches his lips apart as he works his jeans back into place. He pulls down on the bunched up crotch, then rushes the zipper back into place. He looks around for his shirt as he buttons himself back up. Mack watches him from the comfort, warm cocoon of her bed, feeling bad that he has to drag himself back across town after 1:00am.

She should let him stay. It’s the decent thing to do.

“What’s your day tomorrow?” She inquires. 

“Ah, day off again. Coach is giving us some rest.” He yawns again, leaning down to pick up his shirt by her dresser.

“Oh… Well, maybe you want to stay then?” He pauses with his shirt at his biceps. 

“I…” He trails off, then licks his lips. He drops his arms and cocks his head at her. “You’re gonna have to ask. You don’t get outta this by making some half assed statement.” Mack hides her grin, rolling her eyes to seem annoyed.

“I just don’t want your blood on my hands when you tiredly drive off into a ditch.”

“In New York City?” He chuckles.

“Okay, fair. Or onto a sidewalk and killing innocent people.” 

“So I would be staying over purely for safety purposes?”

“Mhm.” 

“Okay, but you still got to ask.” 

“Ugh! You’re so annoying. Will you stay? Pleeeease.” She huffs at him.

“Okay, geez, I’ll stay.” He holds his hands up at her, making a show of dropping his shirt.“You just want me safe for my dick.” He jokes as he works his jeans back off so he is naked again.

“Is it that obvious?” She wonders, batting her lashes at him.

“Yeah.” He nods. “But I’m okay with it.” He walks over to the light, switching it off to allow darkness to take over the room.

Mack grins, collecting him back into her arms as he crawls under the covers with her. 

“This is a nice bed.” He compliments her.

“Mhm. It’s the one house thing I always spend good money on.” He nuzzles his stubbled cheeks into her chest.

“Could get used to this.” He mumbles against her left breast. Mack presses her lips into his hair, rubbing his shoulders with her fingers.

She could too.

Fuck.

Read more Mack and David here.

[ladylooch]

Bones - Part 4 [Mack x David]

A/N: *inhales and exhales heavily* Here we go.

I'm sorry...... & good luck. Would love it if you came to talk to me in my asks about this one.

Word Count: 5.1k

Rangers Looking To Make Moves, David Carlson could be one of them.

Insider Sources Hint at Huge Deal Between Stars and Rangers.

Rangers In Search Of Forward Depth: Potential Move Involving David Carlson?

“Mack? Ready in about five?” Her editor, Sonja, asks as she power walks by Mack’s cubicle. 

“Yep.” Mack answers back absentmindedly. She is currently scrolling through her newsfeed, scanning the ballooning elephant of David’s trade rumors. 

Mack tried to talk herself out of looking, but she hasn’t been able to put her phone away. Social media is a dangerous drug. Mack considers herself an expert navigator, but these rumors involve her life outside of 280 characters. The line between reality and rumor has begun to blur. While this happens in her brain, David says nothing. He probably has his reasons, but Mack can’t help but feel betrayed. Why isn’t he talking to her about this? Doesn’t he trust her? This feels like something they should be talking about, even Lucie said as much at breakfast last week.

Mack finishes reading over the comments of speculation. The rumors seem to be trending towards Dallas or Seattle. Mack’s stomach drops out when she realizes how far away both those options are.

“Ready?” Andrew, her colleague asks. Mack nods, putting her phone into her desk and gathering her notebook. The entire walk to the glass enclosed conference room, Mack tries to shed her personal life. Normally, she steps over that threshold and she can become whoever she needs to be to tell a story. Not today.

Today, Mack is quiet, listening to her team members add productive discussion for next quarters issues. Several locations are floated around that should make Mack excited and jumping to go for them. None of them do. Instead, she finds her focus trailing out the window to the building across the street. The world moves around her, but Mack feels stuck in place. Her least favorite thing.

“Mack, how is your hand not up?” Cecilia, another team member, asks. Mack turns back to her.

“What? Sorry?” Mack’s eyes divert to Sonja who looks back at Mack with a neutral face.

“Would you like to volunteer for Ireland?” Sonja repeats.

Mack has been dying to go to Ireland. There is so much to do there, so many different directions she could take her story, and although she has lived in and traveled all over Europe, she hasn’t made it there yet. She is constantly chatting with her coworkers about how she wants to do a story there. But now her hand stays in her lap. How could she leave the country with it being such tumultuous times at home? What if she leaves and David is traded? Coming back to New York and him not being here would slice her open. 

“When?” 

“Three weeks, but you could go as early as Thursday if you want more exploring time.”

“Oh. Um.” She anxiously rubs at her thighs. “I-”

“You could go after Cabo too.” Sonja answers. Cabo is the Allstar trip she has put together for the Rangers with recommendations from her colleagues. Everything is scheduled including a huge house right on the water. It has multiple pools, a hot tub, a private beach, and exclusive access to the Yacht club. 

“I’m gonna have to say no.” She hears herself say. WHAT!?She shakes off her inner demon who wants to launch a ‘just kidding’. Her whole team looks back at her with surprise. “I just need to stick around here right now. If that’s okay? I’ll take something close.” 

“We have that story on hidden gems in America? A lot of them are on the East Coast. Easily day trips.”

“Yeah, that sounds great!” Mack answers with enthusiasm she doesn’t actually feel.

The meeting moves on, but Mack can’t. Did she really just turn down Ireland for New Hampshire? With everyone’s assignments in hand, the meeting ends. Again, Mack is slow to react. Sonja stays behind.

“Are you okay?” She asks when it’s only the two of them. “You are not yourself.”

“I am a bit distracted.” 

“Anything I can help with?”

“Nope. Thanks for letting me stick around though.” Sonja laughs, shrugging.

“Something is definitely up if you’re missing out on Ireland. Let me know how I can support you, okay?”

Mack nods then Sonja power walks off to her next meeting. After swiping her phone from her drawer, Mack avoids sitting down at her cubical and heads straight to the bathroom at the back of the office. She walks into the last stall, letting her back hit the cool tile. Mack’s head finds her hands, awkwardly shoving her nose to the side due to her phone.

What the hell is happening to me?

Her phone starts to vibrate against her face. She pulls back, seeing David’s picture.

“Hello?” She answers quickly.

“Hi, are you home?”

“No.” Worry settles into her voice.

“Oh okay, no worries. I left my wallet at your place. Just figured it out, now Woody is buying me lunch.” He chuckles. 

“Oh, you can go grab it after lunch?”

“Okay, can I wait for you to get home too? Kinda miss ya.” 

“Yeah.” Mack smiles to herself. 

“I’ll take a look at your bathroom sink too. The water pressure is horseshit.”

“I put in a maintenance request.”

“Why? They didn’t fix it right last time? I hope they come up while I’m working on it so I can teach them what to do.”

“Please don’t.” Mack sighs, but she can’t help a little giggle.

“When will you be home?” He asks her. Mack can hear traffic whizzing by him as he presumably walks along a sidewalk.

“Probably a few hours.” She mumbles. 

“Alright. I’ll entertain myself.” He assures her.

When Mack gets home, she realizes that means he cleaned her entire apartment, fixed her sink, and has dinner in the oven. 

“Wow…” Mack trails off as she walks in. She puts her work bag on the counter and smiles at him by the stove. “Thank you. I haven’t had much time to clean.” She murmurs.

“I know.” He nods, toweling off his hands with the one over this shoulder. “I’ve been keeping you at my place a lot. I figure if I created the problem, I should clean it up.” He puckers his lips for her. “Hi.” He greets her after their kiss.

“Hi.” She smiles. It doesn’t quite brighten up her face or reach her eyes, which David takes notice of.

“You okay?” He tilts his head at her.

“Yeah. Tired.” She lies. 

Well, maybe not fully. She is tired, but the things that are keeping her up at night are things she could be discussing with him. Yet, Mack believes that if he wanted to talk to her about any of this, he would have already. She swallows hard, trying to will the anxious energy in her body away. David’s hands on her hips hold her in place when she tries to move around him. 

“I’m not believing that.” He smiles sympathetically. “But if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.” Mack nods. She brushes her hand over his stomach as she walks past. She heads to the fridge to grab a sparkling water from inside. David watches her as she cracks the cap open, taking down a few gulps. She hiccups as she pulls the bottle down from her lips. “Why don’t you go change? That outfit looks great, but you should be comfy with the weather we are having.” He points to the window where sheets of snow fall down. 

“Oh that escalated.” Mack murmurs. She walks to the window, looking out at the droves of swirling snow flakes. She sighs, happy to be in here watching it than still commuting home.

“Mack.” David calls softly to her. She looks over her shoulder at him. “Go.” He encourages her, head tilted towards the hallway. She nods again, doing as he asks and wandering down to her bedroom. 

She knows she is spacey and acting weird. But she isn’t quite sure how to act with him right now. A giant elephant is sitting on her chest and he is behaving like everything is normal. Mack quickly changes into a soft sweatsuit in a sage color. She pulls her hair back into a pony tail, then pulls on new, warm socks with reindeer faces on them that her mom put into her Christmas stocking.  When she walks into the main area again, the TV is playing local news. The sports section is on but it rolls through without any mention of David, other than his goal a few nights ago, the last time the team played.

“It’s weird you’ve had so many days off.” Mack says, leaning against the counter by the bar stools. 

“Yeah. I hate it.” David shakes his head. He pulls the towel off his shoulder, tossing it onto the counter.

“What are we having?”

“Spatchcock chicken and asparagus.”

“Fancy.” Mack smiles at him. He stares back at her. 

“Why are you over there? C’mere.”

“You’re so sensitive today.” Mack rolls her eyes. “If you wanna cuddle just ask. No need to get grumpy that I’m standing across the room from you.” She tries to keep her tone light, but it’s a little snippy.

“Kay, get over here I want to cuddle.” He begrudges. Him and Mack both know she is deflecting. She doesn’t want him looking at her too closely right now.

Mack walks across the kitchen, sliding her arms around his waist. David crushes her into his chest and she can’t help but melt into him. Her shoulders drop, jaw unclenches, and mind quiets completely. The trade rumors dissipate. The worry about what could happen to them floats away. It’s just the two of them holding each other in her kitchen. David’s hand smooths over her pony tail, then begins to rub long strokes up and down her back. Mack turns her nose more into his chest. David tightens his grip on her, then drops his mouth to her hair.

It’s clear they both needed this hug. 

They don’t break away until the timer for the chicken goes off. David pulls it out. As it rests, he roasts the asparagus. Mack puts together a salad with leftover vegetables in the fridge. Then they sit down and eat dinner together with a glass of wine each. When it’s over, Mack and David move through the apartment in sync, cleaning up the main space. As the dishwasher roars to life, Mack flips all the lights off and takes David’s hand to lead him down to her room. 

There, they make love to each other. It’s soft and slow, filled with gentle smooches and quiet moans of pleasure. Afterwards, they tangle their limbs together. David falls asleep first, surprising to Mack. She studies his face as he sleeps, seeing the lines on his face soften in his slumber. With David out, a familiar monster begins to awaken inside of her. 

It comes out in the quiet, darkness of night. It confuses her and brings back all the things that had melted away when she was in David’s arms. A huge lump fills her throat. She rolls over to her other side. Doing so makes David’s hand fall off her hip. A cold shiver rolls through Mack as she buries her nose into the pillow case beneath her face. 

During sex tonight, David had murmured really sweet things to her. He told her he loved her. He told her how beautiful she looked today. He told her how much he missed her while they ran through their different, separate days, that the world gets quiet when she is in his arms. But he didn’t say anything about the rumors that swirl around him in his professional life. Every time he has an opportunity to tell her and he doesn’t, Mack can feel herself retreat a little more. 

Right before he drifted to sleep, David had sleepily murmured that he couldn’t wait until they find a place together. The memory of that now has a single tear dragging down Mack’s cheek.

Because for the first time, she doesn’t feel like her and David are on the same page. He is already thinking about them moving in together. She’s never thought of that. She’s never thought of anything beyond the current day with him. Now he sees a future for them that Mack isn’t sure she wants this way. A future outside of New York isn’t of interest to her. If David isn’t in New York, there is nothing tying them together anymore, therefore if he leaves New York nothing ties him to her anymore. 

Meanwhile, she has stupidly turned down assignments to stay with him. Her brain is consumed of thoughts of him even when she is away. Panic begins to thread through Mack’s body. She’s too in love with him. This is all way more than she signed up for. She never wanted this. He’s changed her entire life and she went along with it.

How could she have let this happen? How could she have let it go this far?

Mack rolls to her back, staring up at the ceiling. Tears race from the corners of her eyes, falling into her ear canals. This has gone too far. She can’t do this with him. With perfect timing as always, her monster starts to whisper:

You’ll never be able to keep him. You can’t pretend all the time to be good enough for him anyway.

Mack shudders at the words that slice deep into her soul. She wipes her tears then wills herself to sleep. 

In the morning, this will all look different. She is sure of that. 

Long before the sunlight streams into her room, David awakens her to make love again. He is above her, dragging his cock through her core with soft strokes that set her on fire. When she shudders through her orgasm, he fills her up with his own, then collapses into the bed next to her. As his breathing evens out, he brings her into his side, holding her close to him.

“I’m excited about our future.” David murmurs, fingers getting slower. “We’re gonna give Lucie and Connor a run for their money.” He kisses the top of her head. 

Guilt swirls through Mack’s body. 

David continues planning for a future with her while she is choking in fight or flight. 

A tear slides silently down her cheek. David’s soft breathing behind her tells her he has fallen back to sleep. 

Mack blinks more tears down her cheeks, bottom lip trembling.

He deserves so much better than this. So much better than her. Those words are no longer the dark monster from before. Instead they’re just the truth.

And she’s going to make sure he is free to find what he deserves.

In his arms, attempting to memorize his touch, she starts to make her plans. The Ireland assignment comes to mind.

On Thursday, she’ll go there. Do what she was always going to do.

Run.

Or fly… like the humming bird he compares her to.

He won’t be surprised. He’ll be hurt, sure. But he’ll move on. He has to.

She tells herself this is all for his freedom. 

But deep down, the monster reminders her its for her own.

- - - & - - -

(David)

On Thursday, David looks down at the burger he ordered, mouth salivating at the big, half pound patty dripping cheese and bacon grease. Now this is a damn burger. One he might even find in his home state. Props to the place for sticking to the owner’s midwestern roots. He assess the sandwich, deciding two hands on this one would probably be best.

“That looks fire.” Connor murmurs. He opted for a French Dip sandwich and fries. 

Between the two of them, there isn’t a green vegetable in sight. 

“I’m going to crush this.” David confirms. He unrolls his silverware set, putting the napkin in his lap just in case some drippage misses his plate. Connor does the same.

“I’m so excited to have beef. Haven’t been able to have it at home since…” Connor trails off. David raises an eyebrow. Connor grins then shakes his head. “I can’t tell ya.”

“Slut.”

“Can’t get enough of her, man. Don’t act like you don’t get it.” 

David smirks. He does get it. In fact, he almost cancelled on this lunch so he could stay home and bury himself between Mack’s thighs again and again. But Mack said she had to get some work done, so here he is for the second time in two days eating lunch with his D partner. Mack and David had transitioned over to his place last night to meet up with the Woods. He loves that she is comfortable working from his place when he isn’t there.

David swipes a tater tot through some ketchup then pops it into his mouth. He hopes by the time he gets home Mack is doing better. She was weird when he left this morning, weird last night too. He is glad they have some time together before he goes on the road this weekend. Mack has an assignment in New York that is keeping her home with him during that time. All he wants to do is go to the rink, order glutinous take out and fuck. 

Connor hulks down a huge bite of his sandwich as David digs into his burger. He needs his napkin immediately, swiping it across his covered lips. 

“So how you doing with everything, man?” 

David swallows.

“What do you mean?” He asks, then goes in for a second bite.

“With the rumors.”

“Oh. I’m not listen.” David dismisses. “I can’t worry about that shit and play. It’s too hard.”

“Yeah, I get it. I was the same. Where are you at with your contract?”

“Doug said we would talk about it after the season. My agent doesn’t think here is any concern. It’s not like I’m gonna ask for the bank.”

“No, but get what you’re worth. I need you around here with me. Can’t handle the Hischier girls by myself.” David chuckles. Silence fills the space between them as they both take a few more bites. “How is Mack taking it all?”

David pauses mid-chew. He shakes his head slightly, then answers when he swallows.

“We haven’t talked about it since none of it is true.”

Connor looks up quickly from his fries. They hover in his pile of ketchup as alarming blue eyes look across the table at David.

“Yeah, but you warned her and everything right?”

David’s tongue runs along his back molars as an awkward silence fills the table.

No, he didn’t.

“I mean, no? She knows that shit out there isn’t true.”

“Sure, but you told her that right?” Connor clarifies, pointing at the center of David’s chest.

David stares back at his defensive partner. Slowly, Connor’s mouth falls into a cringe.

“That is not the person to leave in the dark on those rumors, man.”

As if Connor’s words are the final puzzle, it all clicks for David. The way Mack was this morning. How she turned away from him immediately after sex last night. How quiet she has been, almost to the point of calculated. His heart hammers to a stop in his chest then a big intake of air raises his huge shoulders.

“Oh FUCK!” He yells. 

She’s running.

He knows it and the awareness cools his blood, sending a chill down his spine.

“What?” Connor asks, concern etching his brows together.

“She wanted me to go to lunch with you so she can run. I’ve gotta go, Woody.”

In a calmer moment, David would pull out his wallet and throw down a few bills. But a glance at his phone tells him he doesn’t have time. He’s been gone for over a half hour. She might already be packed and he’s gotta stop her. His long, athletic stride carries him the five blocks back to his place. He rushes by Philip without a greeting, then pounds the up button on the elevator.

“Come on!” He shouts when it takes too long. He eyes the stairwell, but his heart might explode if he runs up all those flights of stairs. The doors open and he almost barrels over a couple and their kid as he rushes in. “Sorry.” He mumbles, pushing the button for his floor, then the ‘close door’ one repeatedly until it does. He bounces on his feet, heart pounding in his ears as he attempts to catch his breath. The doors open, he flies into the hallway, not seeing her. He tries the door on his place and finds it open. 

Fuck, he hopes she is still here. 

“Mack!” He yells. 

No answer. 

His sneakers slap hard against the wood floors as he heads down the hallway. He can see her pony tail floating in the doorway. Instant relief flowing through him.

She’s still here. 

His relief is short lived when he walks forward and sees her packed suitcase on the bed.

- - - & - - -

(Mack)

Mack is zipping up her suitcase when she hears the apartment door open. Her gaze snaps to the doorway. David’s hurried foot steps rush down the hallway. She frowns, then goes back to stuffing her phone charger into the side pocket. This is not ideal, but she planned for it. She is ready for this interaction. Ready for him to beg her to stay here with him and prepared with an army of reasons why they are never going to work, now or in the future. 

“Mack, stop packing.” He calls to her from the hallway. Mack freezes. Of course he already knows. She keeps going, putting the suitcase on its wheels. They meet at the door of his bedroom. “Babe, I’m not going anywhere. I talked to management. None of this is real. I’m not being traded.” Disappointment has Mack sighing internally. She wishes he had told her this days ago.

“Okay.” Mack shrugs, keeping a blank face. David frowns. His eyes move to the right, looking over his room. Every single thing of hers is gone, down to the collection of hair ties on her side of the bed. “I’m heading out of town for awhile on a long assignment. I don’t know when I’ll be back.” David chews on the inside of his cheek, searching her face. He shakes his head slightly, looking confused and hurt.

“Mack, what are you doing?”

“I’m packing.” She swallows hard, hating the way her voice wobbles slightly.

“You’re going out of town. Why do you need your house slippers?” He motions to where they used to sit by the door.

“Because I want them at my place.”

“So, you going out of town means you aren’t going to keep anything here either?”

“I don’t see the point to that.” Mack shrugs. “Like I said, I am heading out on a long assignment. I’m going to be gone for awhile. I’m not sure when I will be back, so I’m taking everything with me.” 

“What?” He questions. “Where are you going?”

“Ireland.”

“Since when? You just told me two nights ago you were here in New York through the Allstar break, and suddenly you’re leaving for an undetermined amount of time?”

“Yeah. That’s this business.” She says flatly, unemotional. David shakes his head.

“What is happening?” He whispers, getting closer to her. He reaches out for her cheek and Mack immediately pulls away. “Is this about a few nights ago? I didn’t mean-“

“No. It’s not. But that was a reminder to me how… different we are. And I think we should be realistic about our shelf life.” David’s eyebrows furrow together. That hurt him. Mack looks away, not wanting to see the sting on his face.

This is inevitable, the monster reminds herself. She’s just pulling the plug before they go back to hating each other and make this harder for everyone around them.

“Shelf life?” He sighs heavily, stepping aside for her to pass by him. He is hot on her heels into the main area of his place. “What the fuck, Mack? We love each other.” 

“For now.” She shrugs her shoulder, going to her purse and double checking she grabbed everything she needed from the main area. She finds her water bottle and phone where she put them a few minutes ago. She’s officially packed. Mack grabs the key to his place, trying to ignoring the light up, corn key chain and the way it burns her skin in her hand. “I can give you your key back.”

“Stop.” David snaps, enclosing her hand with his. He grabs the keys out of her hands. He shakes his head, looking at her, panic all over his face. “Just…” He licks his lips, looking out at the city. “Talk to me.” 

“I am. You don’t like what I’m saying.” She retorts. 

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. We literally had an incredible night and I make a comment about how I’m excited to move in together someday, and you’re running now? What are you afraid of?” He emphasizes the last line at her, pausing with his hands out to the side. The Iowa keychain in his hand is blinking red, green and blue. Mack stares at it, pursing her lips. A huge lump swells in her throat. She tries to swallow but can’t. 

“I just don’t think this is going to work.”

“What?”

“You and me. So I think we should.” She moves her hands apart. “Go in different directions.” 

Stunned, David straightens. He blinks, trying to absorb the blow of her words. He runs the hand without her keys in it through his hair then blows out a heavy sigh. His hand roughly rubs at the stubble from where he shaved his beard off yesterday, leaving only his signature mustache. Mack blinks off the slight hitch of his breathing on the inhale. 

“Okay.” He nods his head, taking another deep breath. 

David stands on the other side of the island, green eyes intense with emotion as he pins her to the cabinets behind her. He shakes his head then stands to his full height. The keys in his hand slide across the counter to her. They skid to a stop next to her right hand. His arms cross over his chest.

“Okay, I’ll see you when you get back then.”

“David.” Mack rolls her eyes, throwing the keys into her purse.

Why won’t he let her go easily? How can’t he see what she sees? How different they are? How this started with them hating each other and grew into this thing that was never supposed to happen? How she isn’t meant for this WAG, farm wife, American lifestyle that he wants? She needs to be free- wings wide open so she can breathe. Not turning down assignments and worrying about moving to Dallas.

David doesn’t say anything else to her, just stares her down. Mack can tell he is holding everything he can inside. For her benefit or his, she can’t tell.

“I don’t know when I’m coming back.” She reiterates.

“Okay.” He is eerily calm now.

“So we should go separate ways.” 

“No.” He says clearly and assertively. “You wanna run from me, baby? Then just run. Go. But when you’re done with that, and you come back home, I’ll still be here, loving you. You can more your shit back in then too.”

Mack swallows, looping her arm through the handles of her bags, looking down at them because she can’t look at him. 

“It’s for the best.” She repeats. 

“Mack. I love you. So much.” He whispers, words rough and callused like his hands from working the farm his whole life. The words sound painful as if they rip up his body when he says them. Nothing like the ones he whispered to her last night when they made love. 

It almost gets her to stay.

She hesitates for three more seconds, but her mind screams go. So she does.

“Goodbye, David.” 

He puts his head in his hands as she turns to walk out of the kitchen. She can hear his heavy, uncontrolled breathing behind her until the closed door cuts them off. 

Mack doesn’t breathe the entire ride down the elevator. A numbness comes over her as she tries to convince herself to keep moving forward. She thought she would feel better after doing this. That she was holding them back, him mostly, and cutting the tie would give her back that feeling of freedom she craves. The freedom that he deserves too.

All she feels now is dead inside.

Mack walks out of the building, strutting across the sidewalk with her hand high in the air to hail down a cab. She isn’t sure how her feet are moving so fluidly with how violently she shakes.

“Goodnight, Ms. Hischier.” Philip calls cheerfully behind her.

“Bye!” She calls, waving over her shoulder. She can’t turn around. If she turns around, her feet are going to go right back through that door. 

And she just can’t.

This is not who she is.

She isn’t a WAG. She isn’t a farmer’s girlfriend. She isn’t anywhere close to wife material or a forever kind of girl.

She is a runner. A lone wolf. Who should have taken that elevator home a year ago instead of jumping into bed with her brother-in-law’s teammate. 

The words continue on like a self-deprecating mantra she can’t silence. 

David deserves better. He deserves a wife. Someone who wants to settle into that small country life with him, or in Dallas, and stands next to him through the storm. Not someone who can only see this working if all the cards are stacked in their favor.

Mack, I love you. So much. His voice rings through her brain.

“Fuck.” Mack sobs, shakily trying to breathe in the back of the cab as it pulls away from him. 

Over her heart, her fingers clutch his number on her neck. She pulls, snapping the necklace off her body.

“Ow.” She whispers to herself as her head falls back to the head rest.

If this was what she needed to do, then why does it hurt this damn bad?

Read more Mack and David here.

[ladylooch]

Bones - Part 2 [ Mack X David]

A/N: This chapter is built completely from requests! Thank you all for loving these two and sending in questions, asks, etc to help build out their story. There is a part in here that gave me literally butterflies as I was re-reading it. Also, remember when I mentioned I was sweating writing Mack David smut? Yeah. It's this one. As a note, the smut here is rougher than I normally go. If that makes you uncomfortable, please skip this one.

Word Count: 5.3k

“Are you nervous?” Mack asks David as they walk arm and arm towards Boucherie in the Village. 

“No? I’ve talk to your parents many times.” David chuckles, white air puffing around his mouth as he speaks. “Are you nervous, Hischier?”

“No!” She laughs. “They’re my parents. But I haven’t been under the impression that you meet many girls parents.”

“I don’t.” He confirms, a smug little smirk on his face that has Mack rolling her eyes. “I guess you’re special.” She flutters her lashes, keeping her eyes rolled. 

“You’re a little too smug right now. My dad can be a hard person to win over.”

“Your dad and I have golfed, shared beers, talked shop… Why are you under the impression he isn’t already won over?”

“That was before you were dating his daughter.”

“Is this supposed to be a pep talk?” He asks her as they pause at the last crosswalk before the restaurant. He brings her hand up to his mouth, kissing the back of it multiple times. Mack’s mouth opens then closes. He has a point… what is hers?

“I suppose it’s not.” She swallows thickly. 

“Maybe you don’t do this often either?”

“Yeah, I think it’s that.” She chuckles, burying her nose into his bicep. She welcomes the warmth against the cool tip. “Also, it is annoying how likable you are.”

“Good thing you’re bringing this good ol’ Iowa boy to dinner.” He drawls as his hand wraps around the door handle. He opens it up and they are blasted with the smells of butter and roar of dinner conversation. 

“Don’t forget who else you are… a Ranger.” She says while stepping through the door. He laughs, then pats her ass as she walks by him. She grabs his wrist to stop him from going for the inevitable grab next. “This is a nice restaurant.” She mumbles at him.

“Sure, but I’m not very nice when it comes to your ass in that skirt.” 

“Oh my god.” Mack murmurs incredulously, brown eyes sparkling as she looks up at him. He sets a hand on her hip, then scans his eyes over the restaurant. “They’re over there.” He points to a spot in the back corner with a view of the street. 

Mack’s dad, Nico, raises a hand in a brief wave, then stands as they approach.

“Hi daddy!” Mack grins, then steps into his embrace. She sighs, pulling in his piney, clean scent before kissing his cheek. “How are you?” 

“Good.” He holds her shoulders to inspect her closely. “You?”

“Great.” She assures, then moves to hug her mom.

“You are stunning, my baby.” Her mom, Lexi, greets her, rubbing her back during their hug.

Behind them, Nico and David shake hands.

“Great to see you again, David.” Nico grasps David’s shoulder as their hands connect. 

“You too, sir.”

“Oh no. Nico is more than fine.” He assures. “Don’t forget, Connor Wood is my son-in-law, so anything is better than dude.”

They all laugh.

“Be nice to Connor! He loves those girls so much.” Lexi defends, picking her napkin back up before sitting down. Mack and David shrug their jackets off, giving them to the host to check in the restaurant’s coat room. “You should have seen him puppy dogging over Lucie this afternoon. I don’t think she lifted a finger.” 

“Yeah, thought he might start feeding her bites of food.” Nico shakes his head.

“You used to be like that with me.” Nico smirks at his wife, his dimples poking into his cheeks before he turns to her. 

“I love you.” They smooch.

Mack has to look down at her menu to stop herself from swooning out of her seat. She has always admired the deep love that her parents have for one another. Growing up, it was gross, but as she has gotten older, their relationship is one she aspires to. Truthfully, Lucie and Connor are gross to her too, but those two love each other more than anything else in the world. Mack glances over at David as he runs his hand along her right thigh. He senses her gaze and smiles reassuringly at her. She brings her hand down and spreads her fingers along the back of his hand on her thigh. 

These days, Mack isn’t as envious or dreamful about that kind of love. She’s getting it from the man on her right, even if those three words remain unspoken between them.

Dinner passes with soft conversation about hockey, Mack’s most recent trip and an upcoming one she has next week. Her parents beam at her with so much pride, happily filling David in on all the ways they knew Mack would be a great writer as she was growing up. This perks David in his seat and he starts asking questions about what Mack was like as a child. Mack is sure none of it is surprising to him. She’s always been the quiet, unproblematic middle child with only a sprinkle of drama here and there.

“She was a welcome transition from Lucie.” Lexi chuckles into her wine glass.

“So what was Soph?” Mack asks after a sip of her own wine.

“Too spoiled.” Lexi narrows her eyes at her husband.

“Soph? No. Luc? Yes.” Nico laughs. “Mack didn’t let me spoil her often. She was always about fairness and independence. I would try to make her snacks when she got home from school and she would pull out some she made for herself in the morning.” Nico shakes his head.

“She still hates being spoiled.” David confirms. His fingers brush at her shoulder where they are wrapped over the back of her chair. “Hates being the center of attention. Even on her birthday she’s got that wrinkle in her nose if you try to make the day about her.” 

“I have tips if you need them. We will text.”

“Great.” David laughs as the last of their dessert plates are cleared. “Any chance you’re going to let me buy dinner?” He asks Nico.

“No. Not when you make my daughter look that calm and settled in New York. I’d pay anything for that.”

They all look over at her in the dimly lit restaurant. Her cheeks flair red. Is it really that obvious to them?

“When do y’all head back to Switzerland?” David asks, taking the attention off his girl. She smiles down at her wine glass, twirling the delicate stem.

“Tomorrow. We have to get back for a charity event.” Lexi answers. “But we will be back for Christmas.” She shares brightly. “Mackie, we are going to stay at The Greenwich.”

“Oh my god.” Mack murmurs, closing her eyes in bliss. “You will love it. If you rent one of their penthouses, they decorate it fully for Christmas.”

“That’s what we did. We figure this way you and Lucie can have the year off for hosting us and we can host you again. Like the old days.” Lexi winks. 

“Stockings?”

“Of course. There is a fireplace. I’ll get one for David at the Christmas market when it opens in December.” Lexi winks at David, then takes a sip of her wine, ignoring her daughter’s cautious look. Butterflies twist in Mack’s stomach as she imagines her and David’s stockings hanging together on the mantle. 

“What kind of holiday traditions did you have growing up, David?” Her mom asks.

“Our big one was cutting a Christmas tree on our land. We have huge acreage and my family has made it a priority to make sure we always have trees to choose from. The back fourth of our plot is all evergreen trees.” 

“Wow, that is amazing! We always have to go to a farm to get a real one. Although there were years we phoned it in with a fake one. Mostly when we had three young girls and Nico was still playing. Did your family do stockings?”

“We did. It was my mom’s favorite tradition. But after she passed, no one really wanted to continue it.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry, honey. I can’t imagine how difficult the holidays are for you without your parents. We would love to incorporate anything we can into our holidays this year.” David glances over at Mack, trying to gauge her reaction to her mom’s words. Mack looks back at him with kind eyes and an open heart. 

“Stockings would be great. Maybe I can bring some homemade Baileys for you all to try.”

“Oh. Yeah. Sign us up for that.” Nico answers immediately. “How is the farm looking?” Nico asks as he settles the bill.

“Ah, we are done for the season. The hands are working on a lot of winterizing and maintenance. Sending up prayers that the winter isn’t too cold for the animals. But we had a good year.”

“I can’t believe you got our daughter out there."

“Oh quit, dad.” Mack scoffs. “I live outside for a living.”

“Sweets, no offense but you live in luxury resorts for a living. Outside is stretching it.”

“That is not true! That’s only part of the time. I stay with locals too. Just because I didn't like camping with you and Lucie doesn’t mean I'm allergic to the outdoors.”

“Well you kinda were when you first got there.” David points out to her, reminding her of the days she woke up with swollen, itchy eyes and a plugged nose.

“Ah, yeah because I was breathing in new things! I’d never been to the Midwest. There was a lot of dust and hay.. and corn.” David chuckles. 

“Humid too. No, but she did great. We got her a few pairs of boots and a hat. She fit right in out there.” Mack and David share a knowing look at his exaggeration. By the end, she was comfortable in Iowa, but it certainly didn’t start out that way.

“Well hopefully next summer Lex and I can come see your place?”

“Yeah. I’d love that!” David nods excitedly. “We’ll get you on the John Deere. The internet will love that.”

“I would love that too.” Lexi smirks, rolling her almost empty wine glass against her lip.

The group begins to collect their things. Lexi and Mack discuss meeting for breakfast in the morning as David and Nico focus on David’s upcoming games against two division rivals. At the front door, David holds Mack’s coat open for her to step into while Nico does the same for Lexi. Both women bundle up, then wait for their men to do the same. Outside, a humid fog has begun to slip it’s way into the city. Light snowflakes had fallen during their dinner and turned to wet droplets that cling to the sidewalk now. 

“David, it was so great to spend time with you tonight. We are thrilled to have you as part of our family.”

“Mom.” Mack mutters, rubbing at her forehead. They need to cool it on the ‘part of our family’ stuff. Her and David are still new at this… At least that’s how she is choosing to gaslight herself this evening.

“We will see you at Christmas?” Lexi pushes forward despite her daughter’s protests. Mack can’t help but laugh and shake her head. 

“As long as Mack’s okay with it.” David politely answers her mom. 

“Let me know if you need me to put in a word for you.” Nico jokes, slapping David into a hug after his wife. 

“Can you chill?” Mack murmurs into her mom’s ear as they hug.

“Baby, you’ve always needed a push.” Is her mom’s only response. “I love you. I’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast. Bring David too!”

“He has practice. Love you too.” Mack moves to her dad. “Bye daddy.” He squeezes her tight, then kisses her cheek. 

“Love you, sweets. Looking forward to tomorrow. You two get home safe.” 

The two couples turn in opposite directions in the cool night. Mack and David’s connected hands swing back and forth as they head down the wet sidewalk towards her apartment. At a busy intersection, they stop and wait for the signal to allow them to cross.

“Tonight was amazing.” Mack sighs into his arm as she kisses his bicep over his jacket. He turns to smile down at her.

“Your parents are awesome. I’ve always enjoyed them before with Woody and Luc, but it was nice to be there tonight as yours.” Mack smiles, blushing a bit in the dark night. The light changes, allowing them to cross.

“Well, good. You definitely made them fall in love with you tonight.” Mack smirks. “My mom is already planning your Christmas stocking stuffed full of pine scented soaps and creams.” Mack laughs. “You and Connor can go to practice smelling the same.”

“I can’t wait.” He murmurs. “I’ve missed that stuff.” He says honestly. 

“Yeah.” Mack responds with a serious tone. “I would love it if you came to Christmas with my family.” In case he isn’t sure her stance on it, Mack wants to clear the air. She wants him there, can’t imagine not having him there to be honest.

“Mackenzie Hischier….” David trails off teasingly. 

“What?”

“You into me?”

“A little bit.” She smiles at him, then pushes up on her tip toes for a smooch.

“Tell me something. Your parents the only ones who fell in love tonight?” He tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear. Mack bites her lip briefly, then shakes her head slightly. “No?” He questions, a slow, heart-stopping smile stretches his lips open.

“I fell in love with you way before tonight.” 

David chuckles incredulously. His fingers thread through the brown hairs by her temple. Their noses touch, nudging together in an intimate touch.

“When we first met, I never thought I would hear those words coming outta your mouth, honey.” He reaches down to grip her chin, then sets his longing lips on hers. “I love you, Mack.” 

Butterflies burst in her stomach. Her blood pounds through her veins with rejuvenated life. This perfect man loves her. She inhales heavily, then pushes it out, creating a white cloud between their faces.

“I love you too.” She pulls him back down to her with a tight grip on his jacket. “Maybe you could come upstairs with me and show me how much?

“Be careful what you ask for, honey.” He murmurs against her mouth. “You’ve got an early morning with your parents tomorrow. Wouldn’t be good for you to show up unable to sit.”

“Yeah, they might uninvited you to Christmas.” Mack snickers into their next kiss. He bites down on her bottom lip, then slowly releases it back into place. 

“That look… right there.” He says, thumbing her bottom lip again. “That’s what got me.”

“You know where it looks the best?”

“Hmm?” He asks, knowing already.

“From down below while I’m riding you.”

“Let’s go.” He leads her forward. “Enough with this yakety yack.”

Mack threads her arm back through the crook of his elbow. He holds her hand there with his, attempting to warm it up as they pick their pace up.

Right now, she’d follow the man she loves anywhere. 

- - - & - - -

The following Tuesday, Mack is in the office, researching a city she wrote down on a spare receipt she had in her purse from her last assignment. It’s a remote spot in the Swiss Alps that she has never heard of before, but supposedly it has the best view of the range. Debatable for Mack who has seen some pretty incredible spots in her home country. 

Her phone lights up to her left. A picture of David graces her screen and she smiles. He must be up from his nap now. He should be getting ready for their game against the Islanders. Mack had thought about going with her older sister, but both her and Lucie didn’t feel like making the trek through traffic to sit in an opposing arena. 

“You’re in big fucking trouble.” David’s rough voice comes over the second he hears Mack pick up. 

“Oh? What did I do this time?” She asks, an amused smirk drifting her lips up. 

“This book.” She straightens away from her computer, crossing her legs and twirling in her chair to look out the window.

Mack has been cruising through a dark, romance series that has kept her up late on the nights when she is with David. Even when they fall into bed with each other, Mack waits for David to fall asleep and goes back to keep reading her book. Naturally, David wasn’t enjoying that and demanded to read the book that holds her interest more than him. The section he read happened to be an extremely sexy part of the book that had him gaping at her in surprise. His green eyes had darkened. “You like this stuff?” He asked her excitedly. When she nodded, he walked over to his travel bag and plopped it into his bag for the quick roadie to the Island. 

“Ahhhhh did you get to the garden scene?” She asks presently.

“Yeah I fucking did, baby. Had to stoke one out before I got ready tonight. Imagined it was you and I in that book.” Mack smiles, closing her eyes and imagining him stroking himself to images of her and him recreating the scene.

“When you get home?” She prompts.

Silence.

“Don’t be playing with me, Mackenzie.”

“Oh the full name.” She chuckles as she stands up, walking closer to the window. A few snow flakes flitter about in the crisp November air. A heated flush rolls over her skin as her boyfriend moans on the other side of the phone.

“Baby, I’m gonna fuck you so hard tonight, you’re gonna see stars when you cum.”

“Sure.” Mack chirps him. “Guess you better go get a win tonight.” 

“You better go get your pregame nap in.” He insists back to her. “You’re not sleeping tonight.”

Like Pavlov’s dog, the sound of a key in the lock later has Mack drooling. She sits on the couch in unassuming clothes, eyes feral as they watch the lock flip open. David steps in. He immediately throws his bag and keys on the floor. His left foot kicks the door shut loudly behind him and he rips at his tie. 

“Get over here.” He demands. “I’m hard as fuck and need you on my cock right now.”

Mack’s stomach drops from her body at his words. She stands and glides across the room into his awaiting arms. His hands grip her tightly, almost piercing through her hips with how greedy he is to touch her.

“You read that slutty shit at work, baby?” He rumbles down at her. Mack bites her lip then nods. “And out here after you sneak out of bed from me.” Again she nods. “You roll your pussy against this couch too? Hmm? Touch yourself to get some relief?”

Oh boy. Heat creeps up Mack’s cheeks. 

“Answer me.”

“Yes.” She blurts out then drops her gaze from his. It’s too intense. Too much with the way he looks at her, all consuming like she’s his next ten damn meals.

“Show me.”

“I..” Mack sighs heavily then shrugs her shoulders.

“Mackenzie, get on that couch and show me how you touch yourself.”

“So no isn’t an option tonight?” She asks him slowly.

“No is always an option but you didn’t say that, did you?” He holds her chin in place so she can’t look away from him again. She bites her lip anxiously. “So get on that couch and show me how you touch yourself.” David’s other hand comes to her stomach and he gently guides her backwards one step, then another. Mack grabs his wrist and pushes it away.

“I can walk.”

“For now.” He deadpans his classic response.

She walks to the couch with her shoulders rolled back, easy glide to her gait. Behind her, David’s heavy footsteps follow. When she gets to the couch, she sits on it, resting her back against the arm rest. Her boyfriend shakes his head slowly, then grabs an ankle. He twirls her easily on the leather couch so she sits with her back against the cushion instead. Then, without taking his eyes from hers, he grabs the edge of his coffee table, pulling it closer. Mack’s eyebrows furrow for a moment, then smooth out like she knows exactly where this is going.

Tonight is about power. Although she knows she will give into him completely, she isn’t quite ready to end this game of control. Mack slides her hands into her pajama pants and panties, slowly dragging them down her thighs. David watches from above, popping open the buttons on his dress shirt. His tie hangs completely undone down both sides of his naked chest. Mack grabs the two ends, twisting them together to pull his mouth down to hers. Then she kisses him with teasing, light tongue, leaving him chasing her lips when she pulls away.

“Thought you wanted a show.” She drawls, putting her fingers on his mouth and pushing him back. David’s head knocks back away from her mouth, heavy breath falling from him. He licks his lips greedily, then tosses her discarded pants to the floor. 

David sits on the table after pushing magazines with her stories in them to the side. He picks up her left ankle, then sets her foot beside his right thigh. Then he does the same with her other foot.

“Show me something.” He relaxes, letting his hands hang off his big thighs. The seams of his dress pants are working overtime with how thick he has become in the early part of this season. Mack loves reaping those benefits. 

She brings her feet off the coffee table and sets them on his thighs instead then she widens her legs to show him her glistening folds. She’s soaked- from his behavior and the third book in the series that she had been reading before he came home. Her pussy lips are swollen with need, aching to be touched to reach a release. Mack puts her fingers forward, curling them in a come here motion. David understands the assignment. He rolls his tongue over her fingers then swallows them into his mouth for a moment. His velvet tongue stroking her skin has her inner walls collapsing in anticipation.

When they’re sufficiently wet, Mack glides them from his mouth. She wastes no time stroking them over her clit. David drinks in her movements with sparkling eyes. Mack rolls her bottom lip into her mouth, trying to control her breath in steady pulls rather than the rabid gulps she wants to do. After a few twirls of her clit, Mack’s fingers find her entrance, sliding in a knuckles length before drawing back out. Her fingers shimmer in the lamp lighting, electing a soft hum of appreciation from the man between her legs. 

“You are so pretty right now.” He murmurs encouragingly. Mack blushes under his watchful gaze, then she slides her fingers back over her clit. The wetness collects on the prints of her fingers with each stroke. Then she dips them back to stuff her entrance again. This time, she goes all the way in, back and forth to build a steady tempo. Her wet fingers pull up her puffy lips, wetting her clit again. 

“Can I touch you too?” He asks her as her fingers disappear into her hole again.

“Mhm.” Mack agrees.

David grabs her left ankle, lifting it to his shoulder as he leans closer to her finger filled core. Mack twists her fingers, plunging deeper. Her eyes close, head falling back. She repeats the same motion, noting the tightening of the coil inside her. She sighs happily, then speeds up her motions. David’s lips press to her calf, forming goosebumps that spread far and wide across her skin. Her nipples tighten. He brings a hand to her right breast, rolling her nipple. She thumbs her left one in time with him, thrusting her fingers deeper into her core. She rolls her finger tips across her velvet button and gasps excitedly when David adds one of his fingers with hers. Together, they fuck her hole until the needs has built enough that Mack’s legs shake.

“Fuck, that was gorgeous.” He compliments her as they slow down, letting her fall after her orgasm. “So damn sexy I about came in my pants.” He shows her as he stands, pulling his pants down to lift the tension off his stiff cock. By his head, a dark spot has seeped into his grey underwear. Mack sighs, then runs her still soaked fingers over it. 

“Do you trust me?” He asks her. Mack nods without even needing to think about his question. “Go over to that window.” He points to the big ones on the far end of the living room. Mack looks over her shoulder at them, then back to him with apprehensive eyes. “The lights will be off. No one will be able to see us.” He assures her. “But that book has me thinking about how hot it would be to fuck you in public where people can see."

He slides his pants down his legs until they pool at his ankles. He steps out of them, tossing them onto the chair behind him. Next, his underwear joins them, exposing his gorgeous cock to her. Mack’s apprehension wanes when she gets it in her hand. Her tongue comes out, curving along the slit to lap up a bubble of pre-cum. She kisses his swollen head with an open mouth, tongue gently licking him with each press of her lips. 

“I’m waiting for you, Mackenzie.” David says tightly. 

Oh, she got distracted by his cock and forgot he asked her to go over there. Obediently, she rises to her feet. David halts her for a moment to take off her shirt, then has his hands graze over her ass as they fall from her body.

“Hands on your breasts, honey.” He demands as he walks up behind her. She puts her hands over her bare chest, then looks back over her shoulder at him. He pushes her forward until her right cheek presses into the cold glass. Mack swallows loudly, exhaling harshly as he rolls his head through her slick folds. 

One hand goes to Mack’s hip where he eases her back onto him. He exhales a soft ‘fuck’ when he is sheathed inside of her. Then he brings his other hand to her throat. Mack whimpers.

“Okay?” He checks.

“Yes.” She chokes out desperately. 

That’s the last word Mack is able to speak. 

The tempo David sets borders on deranged. Relentless. Nothing soft or loving about it. Instead he plows into her with reckless abandon. His massive cock splits her open in the best way as he keeps her upright with his hand securely on her throat. She gasps from surprise and pleasure. Her fingers tighten over her breasts, nipples stabbing into her warm palms. The different temperatures from the front of her body to the back where David heats her up create an exquisite layer of pleasure for her. 

“You like being fucked like this, huh?” He grits out to her. “Rough and fast? Like those girls in that book.”

Mack’s head rolls forward, nose hitting the glass. David pulls her back into him roughly. Mack falls off the glass, arched at an impossible angle by David’s hands. His thumb presses into the left side of her throat, then his fingers follow on the right. Mack brings her hand up to his wrist, gripping him just as tightly. David turns her face in his hand so he can see her. She’s blissed out, almost comatose from the pleasure. He grins at her as she orgasms around his thick girth while being fucked raggedly. 

“Good girl.” He coos to her, releasing his grip on her throat. 

His right hand slides down to her leg, lifting it up. Mack focuses forward, seeing their reflection in the glass and groaning. They look so hot like this. His big body towering over hers. Her being bent by his hands and will. She releases her breasts, watching them fall back into place in the glass. Then she wraps an arm around his neck behind her, bringing his head closer to her. As he glides back into her pussy, they kiss. Mack moans into his mouth. David swallows it, then stuffs her mouth full of his tongue in rhythm with his pumps into her. 

“Fuck.” Mack groans. With this angle, he feels huge inside of her, almost painfully so. 

“You can take it.” He reminds her.

Then he makes her. 

Harsh slaps fill the room with David’s thrusts into her. Mack clutches onto him for dear life again, holding his face to hers as she gasps and groans.

“Yeah, there.” She begs. “Mmmm. Oh.” The back of her head hits his shoulder again and his mouth chases her face. He kisses her jaw, then nudges her head to the side so he can bite her throat. “Yes.” Mack moans. 

“You take cock so well, Mackenzie. Made for this big one, eh?” He bites her throat again, sucking, leaving a huge red welt where his mouth was. Mack whines, tugging his hair to pull him away. She collects his mouth with hers. 

Her orgasm ignites inside of her again. Mack brings a hand to her clit to help it along. She rolls the swollen bud with two fast fighter, matching David’s tempo. Her walls collapse around him, making him sweat again. His hips pump faster, shaking her breasts harder. Mack closes her eyes, letting her orgasm take her away completely. Her mouth drops open, away from David’s and she squeaks as she erupts like a volcano.

“David! Fuck! Yes!” She yells. David grins against her throat as her head falls away from his. He sucks her skin delicately into his mouth, pumping her through it, then spilling into her with a longing moan of her name. 

Mack’s legs shake as he drops her right leg from his grasp. He holds her tightly to his chest, feet spread wide to balance their weight out. Mack’s eyes lazily open, hooded as she looks out at the building across the street where people go about their business.

“Wow.” She finally exhales to him.

“Yeah. That was… I don’t know if there is a word for it.” He responds. Mack chuckles. She feels that way about sex with him a lot.

“So you like the book?” She asks him as he turns her in his arms. His hands go down to her butt, cupping her cheeks gently as her head rests under his chin. 

“Mhm.”

“The boys give you a hard time at all?”

“Not after I read a paragraph out loud to them.” David chuckles.

“You did!?” She laughs.

“Yeah! Woody was hooked after the first line.” 

“He is a slut.” Mack jokes. 

“What are we then?”

“Whores.” She grins proudly. 

“That’s my girl.” He lifts her into his arms, walking her away from the window and towards the hallway. “Shower? Bed?” He asks her. HIs gaze trails along her throat, zeroing in on the three red marks on her left side. “We better do a shower. Gotta get some warm water on these. Sorry, honey.”

“No you’re not.” She laughs. “You like when everyone knows who I belong to.”

David smiles, a sparkle in his green eyes.

“Honey, you don’t belong to me. You’re a humming bird, buzzing around from here to there, and sometimes you sit still long enough for me to have you.”

Mack startles a bit, looking away from him. No one has ever hit the nail on the head that directly with her. He knows her so well, understands how she craves freedom and independence without judgement.

“Hey.” He calls her back to him, pausing in the bathroom doorway. “I’ll never clip your wings, okay? I love you like this.” Mack nods. David continues forward. 

David always says the right things at the right times. 

But still, even with a perfect partner, Mack can’t lose the small part of her that feels that itch to fly.

Read more Mack and David here

[ladylooch]

Fix it, Davey - [Mack x David]

A/N: Had a bad day today, so here is smut without a plot 😏 Dedicated to Bestie @casualhilarity who dreamed this one up with me, as per usual.

Word Count: 2.0k

In their Iowa bedroom, one of Mack’s perfectly sculpted eyebrows raises when she hears a clang come down the hall from the kitchen. She finishes brushing her teeth then spits her used toothpaste into the sink. She pauses there for a moment, after clicking off the button on her toothbrush. She hears a softer thud this time and sets her toothbrush back in its holder.

She double checks her hair is in place, appreciating the style of the twisted clip holding her long locks in place, with two thin pieces framing her face. She’s dressed in a floral print cami dress that accents the two swells of her tanned breasts perfectly. She is heading into town for the first time since her and David were engaged and she wants to look good as his future wife. 

“Fuck.” Mack hears as she flips the bathroom light off. An amused smile tilts her pink, glossed lips. She licks her top teeth, absorbing the minty freshness as she heads towards the door to let herself out into the main area. 

She steps down the hallway, then slows her pace as she comes to the kitchen entryway. Her lips peel apart in a slight gasp at the view that awaits her. The upper half of David’s body has disappeared in the cabinet beneath the kitchen sink. His shirt is off, discarded in a heap to the left where it clearly looks splotched with water. Beside his hips are various tools and an orange, Home Depot bucket.

“For fucks sake!” David inhales, wrenching on a piece of pipe attached to the sink. “You’re fucking leaking, but I can’t get you the fuck off?” He sneers out.

Mack watches his abdominal muscles crunch together harder. The deep V of his abdomen pulls the waistband of his jeans taught against his tanned skin. He looks like he walked right off a damn runway, except better because these muscles are built from hard, grueling work. Mack’s fingers come to the corner of her mouth, checking for drool. 

She gets to marry that? Praise be.

David brings both his booted feet on the floor then pushes his hips into the air to get the right torque then he grunts again, finally getting the fittings around the pipe lose.

“Ha! Asshole! I got you.” He celebrates with a laugh.”Damn, dad. What the hell did you use on that thing.” He says at a quieter level. He tosses the tool to the floor then uses his fingers to loosen the fitting the rest of the way. 

Mack watches his abdomen crunch and relax with his movements as she slowly lowers down to her knees. Her eyes feel heavy with lust, breasts too, as she sinks down to the floor. Her fingers reach out, tentatively trailing up his leg as acknowledgement that she is next to him. David takes his eyes off his hands for a moment, greeting her with a brief grin.

“My swearing wake you up?”

“No.” Mack shakes her head, blinking longingly. “I was up.” David’s eyes drift down her body, giving an appreciative smile back at her.

“You look gorgeous, honey. Where you going?”

“Into town. For the first time as your future wife.” David laughs.

“You’ve been my future wife every time you’ve been here, babe.” He points out to her. “Can you hand me that blue towel by you?”

“Mhm.” She hands it over, letting her fingers fall from his forearm and rest on his abdomen. She traces a few of the rigid lines there, then leans forward to put her mouth on him. David stills for a moment in the cabinet, then goosebumps burst across his skin as she goes in for a wet kiss. 

“I want to suck on you. Right now.” She confesses. “Get in my mouth, Carlson.”

David’s signature, low chuckle increases the heat between them. It fills the cabinet, then spills out, wrapping around Mack’s body, making her nipples tighten through the thin, flowered fabric of her dress.

“I think I’ve seen this porno.” David finishes with the towel, then tosses it to the side. He reaches down for the top button on his jeans, popping it open for her. "Go ahead, honey. Suck until you can’t anymore.” He picks up another tool Mack doesn’t know the name of, raising it above his head.

Her fingers come to his zipper, working that down. She crawls forward on her knees, straddling his outstretched leg. Once situated, she curls her fingers into his clothing and tugs it down his thighs. She pulls his torso slightly out of the cabinet. David looks both turned on and flabbergasted at the intensity of her. His green eyes sparkle with appreciation when they meet hers. A sexy, teasing smirk tilts her lips and he pauses, watching them fall down to his cock, kissing the lip of it before dashing her tongue down the long length. 

She presses the crotch of her panties onto his leg, rolling her hips forward as she takes his head into her mouth. The salty taste of pre-cum explodes on her tongue. Mack doesn’t have the patience to tease or waste time right now. So she inhales and prepares her mouth to take him deep immediately. The tool slips from David’s hands, falling to the side as her mouth stretches over him.

“Honey.” He sighs the word like he’s entering heaven. 

Mack takes him to the back of her throat then switches to breathe through her nose before she swallows his tip partly down. Mack hears David’s hand slap across his mouth, muffling another moan. His hips sway up into her mouth, pressing that abdominal V into her forehead. Her hips roll harder against his leg, going to full on dry humping as her mouth works overtime on his shaft. One of his hands drifts away from the sink he was fixing, instead finding the clip in her hair. He pulls it out, letting her hair fall forward, curtaining over his stomach. 

Her right hand grips his shaft then she pulls his tight skin forward as she swallows his tip deeper.

“Jesus, fuck. Y-yeah.” He stutters out. She swallows him again, making his head knock back into the cabinet from the intensity. Suddenly a big hand is around her chin, gently pulling her off him. A long, string of saliva keeps her lips connected with his cock as he cups her face in his large hand. David takes her in, brown eyes blown wide, looking possessively feral as she eyes his cock like she needs another taste.

“Woman of my dreams.” He mumbles right before he shoves his tongue into her mouth to get a taste of his own.

David maneuvers his big body out from under the sink fully then overpowers Mack onto her back on the cold tile. She shivers at the intrusion cooling her hot, aroused skin. David hits his knees between her spread legs. His quick fingers rip away her lace panties from her folds. The waistband stays around her hips, leaving the ruined fabric swaying over her clit until David brushes it away. His calloused fingers run over her pussy, gathering her wetness and smearing it over her clit.

Satisfied with her arousal level, David gathers his cock in his hand, swiping the head down her slit until he nestles at her entrance. As he presses in, both his big arms wrap around her body. One hand protects her head from the tile and the other pulls her mid-back up so their hips meet at his kneeled level. Mack is arched like a circle, suspended in the air except her head and feet as he begins to pound away. 

His lips sloppily mop her loud moans up, both of them forgetting about plans and work that they were supposed to be tending to this morning. Instead, they’re drowning in each other. David’s hand moves from the middle of her back to her ass, leaving bruises of his finger prints in her right cheek. He throws her down on his cock, pounding so hard that Mack can’t even tell him how badly she needs him to keep going. 

Instead it comes out as tiny, sexy grunts then complete and utter silence as he shoves her over the abyss and into an intense orgasm. Her legs shake. Her chest heaves. And the snap of David’s hips work her through the highest point. They slow as she comes down, but only for a moment, then he is right back to where he was with her. The slaps of their skin meeting echo through the kitchen crudely. Mack’s ripped underwear sticks to the crease of her thigh from their mixing sex. She struggles for her voice, cooing soft begs of ‘more’ that shake the black curls around his ears.

“Fucking feel so good, honey. So god damn good. All mine too. All mine for the rest of my life.” He roars out to her as he pushes them closer again. Mack shrieks fingers curling around his shoulders, as her feet bounce against his bare ass cheeks.

“Right there!” She suddenly bellows out to him.

“I got you, baby. Come all over my cock.” He demands. One of her hands falls from his shoulder, dropping to her clit to roll it wildly like his strokes. Then she collapses, going limp in his arms as she crashed into orgasm number two. David follows her immediately, resting her back on the floor so he can finish his jerky pumps into her safely for them both. 

Delicately, David unwraps Mack’s feet from where they are hooked together on his ass. One by one, he puts her feet back on the tiled floor. Then he strokes his nose down hers, kissing her stung lips. She can feel the red, mustache burn above her lips from their wet kisses in the heat of the moment. Her fingers trail through his black hair, then her eyes slowly open, still dazed from the orgasms he gave to her. David’s hands float along her outer thighs, creating pimpled skin in the wake of his finger tips. 

The summer sun makes the kitchen glow, showcasing white dust in the warm rays. Mack looks up at David as he leans back from her, going back on his haunches. His jeans and underwear are stretched to their max in the middle of his big thighs. His cock softens against the waistband of his boxer briefs. A large hand comes to her left breast, flicking her nipple then pinching it between his thumb and pointer finger. Mack’s body lifts off the floor, chasing the buzzing feeling into the air. 

“I’m thinkin’ maybe today is finally the day I fuck you in every room of this house.” He releases her nipple, so she falls flat back onto the floor. Then he leans over it, sucking the puckered bud into his mouth. “Where to next? Hmm?” He asks her, tonguing her nipple. “Maybe my office?”

Mack nods eagerly, running her fingernails down the back of his neck. She’s limp, like a pool noodle when he scoops her up into his arms. He stands up, collecting her face into his shoulder as his boots crack down the hall towards his office.

Mack bites his shoulder.

David moans. 

Then in one swoop, he shoves everything off his desk to the floor. He lays Mack down on the worn wood, pulling back to look down at her spread wide and blissful in front of him.

“Take that dress off, baby. The only thing I want on you is our ring.”

Read more Mack and David here.

[ladylooch]

Bones - Part 5 - [Mack x David]

A/N: I want to say big, huge thank you to @wardlow and @casualhilarity for being so supportive and kind when I asked them if they would read the first 5 chapters of the series for me. I was really struggling on if this was good, flowing, made sense etc. Both of you showed up for me, even though you're so busy, and gave great feedback! I love you soooo much! A million forehead smooches to you! I could not have gotten through these first few parts without you both 💜

& I have to shout out my favorite little sister, @missjomarch. Part of this angst was your idea in the making. You little writer you 😘 I love you! Thank you for dreaming about these two with me.

Okay, now, without further ado.... let's get into it 🔥

Word Count: 5.0k

Silence.

Not even the hum of the refrigerator or a chirping bird to break it. It’s too heavy, blanketed in fresh snow and the stillness of the morning after a big storm. 

Inside her family’s cabin, Mack slowly brings a cup of fresh, hot coffee to her lips. She stares out the window, ignoring her blurry reflection in the glass. The pines are practically bent in half from all the snow the area has seen this winter. Normally, she may have been hesitant about driving into the Alps alone in these conditions, but nothing about now is normal. 

Mack shakes her head, trying not to think about the circumstances that brought her here. Or how she walked into JFK three days ago with a ticket bound for Ireland, but didn’t get on that plane. Instead she transferred it to a one way ticket to Zurich then rented a car to get up here without disturbing her parents. Although with the security cameras on the cabin, they know she is here. 

Everything okay? Her mom had texted her.

Yeah. Just need a break and some solitude. 

Okay. Love you 😘 

One corner of the blanket across her shoulders falls down to her elbow. Mack grabs it, putting it back into place and curling more into herself. Nothing about the cabin is cold. It’s modern and fancy with high end heating elements, but it is no match for the chill of a broken heart. 

A lump forms in Mack’s throat.

What the hell did she do?

She should call him. She should apologize immediately, but her limbs and fingers won’t move. They won’t grab the phone to her left and press his name to ring across the world. The muscles of her face can’t possibly move her mouth, and her brain is blank for the words she should say to him. 

But Mack knows exactly what happened, an 8 hour plane ride helped her quickly realize it.

She got scared. Plain and simple.

It was too good. All of it. To the point that the darkness in the corners of her brain lured her into the comforting old habit of being the one who cares less. Her deep seeded beliefs that she doesn’t need anyone to live on this earth. Survival depends on your ability to exist alone and she could feel herself depending on him.

She broke all of her rules for him- she dated him, fell in love with him, spent weeks on his farm, turned down assignments. Then the trade rumors swirled and he acted like they didn’t exist when her whole world was turned upside down with the what ifs. What if he left New York? What would she do? But David's silence made it seem so simple. She would go with him. And when it came to the next steps he was starting to talk about, and want, Mack couldn’t do it. She liked the way things were and him wanting more is a need Mack doesn’t believe she can provide for him.

Because he deserves so much better than this. Wasn’t that what she was trying to show him by leaving? Look at how much better your life is when I’m not in it. Simple. No one running across the world, chasing after who knows what. He deserved someone who would follow him anywhere and put roots down. That’s not her.

It can’t be her. 

But when he came barreling into his apartment, looking at her like she was shredding his hearts to pieces, she almost faltered. She almost stayed. And that reaction scared her more than anything else did. It was a blimp, but she could see herself in Seattle or fucking Dallas. For him. But what is in those cities for her? Is that who she is now? 

No. 

No matter how much she loves him, she can’t do it this way.

Mack jolts up from the chair, shaking away these thoughts. She is done with this merry-go-round of nothing. She has work to do.

Later in the morning, Mack is deep in rewriting her next piece for the magazine when a loud pop jolts her away from her computer screen. She smacks her ankle on the leg of the table, yowling out in pain. Then she whips her head towards the front door where the sound came from. She glares in frustration until the reality of how alone she really is out here settles in. What was that? She gets up, tiptoeing over towards the door with her blanket flowing like a cape behind her. She looks out at the U shaped drive way, seeing her dad pulling out a Louis Vuitton duffle bag from his shiny Mercedes. 

Mack’s grip on the blanket tightens.

Her mom did not believe her. If she did, she wouldn’t have sent in the big guns.

Mack sighs, then unlocks the door, opening it for her dad as he steps on the porch.

“Mom sent me.” He shrugs then greets her with a hug. “But also I wanted to come. Lucie called.”

Lucie. Fuck. In Mack’s haste to leave New York, and David, she didn’t think about her older sister. David must have told her. Guilt pierces her thoughts again. Lucie is going to be so angry with her. Connor too. This is why she should have never started down this road to begin with.

“Oh.” Mack responds blankly to her dad.

“We don’t have to talk about it.” Her dad assures her. Mack nods in agreement, looking down as a sting fills her eyes. 

Nico walks into the cabin behind her, setting his duffle bag on the couch. Mack touches two fingers to the corners of her eyes, collecting the wetness there discreetly.

“Um, there is still coffee in the carafe over there.”

“No, thanks. I got some on the drive up.”

Mack nods, then pads over to the chair in the living room. Her dad takes the couch, stretching out his long legs onto the coffee table. He crosses his feet at his ankles, then laces his fingers at the back of his head. 

“How is work?” Mack shrugs. Probably not good considering she didn’t get onto the flight she agreed to be on. She did text Sonja that a family emergency was calling her home to Switzerland and received an instant response for her to take all the time she needed. “Lucie seemed to think you were going to Ireland?”

“I was.” Mack acknowledges. She reaches up to her nose, scratching a non-existent itch to avoid his gaze.

“Ah, she is a true Swiss girl. She traded luck for snow.” He chuckles. Mack smiles at his corny attempt to make her laugh, then curls her legs tighter up onto the chair. She swallows hard, looking at the fireplace embers blackened from last night's fire.

“I just… couldn’t go.” She whispers. Her bottom lip is scraped into her mouth by her top teeth before she sighs. She meets his patient gaze again. “What did Lucie tell you?” Mack asks. His arms cross over his chest.

“That you left for Ireland on an assignment after breaking things off with David.” Mack drops her gaze back to the cream carpet. “Is that true?” Mack nods. “I’m sorry, sweets.” He murmurs. “Will you tell me what happened?”

Shame fills Mack’s throat as she assumes her dad means ‘what did David do?' Because nothing. All he did was fall in love with a scared and timid woman, who ran at the first real sign of trouble. How can she tell her dad the truth? How could he not be extremely disappointed in her?

“I fucked up.” She chokes through a sob. Her bottom lip trembles like the breath she sucks in. This admission surprises her as much as her father who raises his thick eyebrows. She begins to pant heavily, trying to suck in big breaths to stop crying. “He is perfect and I am a mess.” 

“Mack, you are the furthest thing from a mess.” He assures her. He opens his right arm out towards the empty couch cushion next to him. Mack gets up and folds herself into his body, sighing into his chest as more tears fall down her face.

“He’s never going to forgive me for this. He shouldn’t. I deserve whatever happens after this.” Mack closes her eyes, letting herself be comforted by her dad’s hands wrapping around her back. She sniffs. “I got scared. It all felt so good. So perfect. And this monster inside of me flipped the table when rumors started about him being traded. He never told me anything about them, but kept like making plans for us and this wasn’t supposed to be anything like what it was. We were just supposed to…” She trails off. 

“Hang out?” Her dad fills in. 

“Yeah.” 

“Baby, nothing about what mama and I saw when we were in New York was hanging out.” He rubs her back comfortingly. “You are in love with each other. I can’t imagine that all could have blown up in a few weeks, or because of some rumors.”

“No, it didn’t.” She shakes her head. “I wrapped dynamite around it and blew it up instead because I don’t know how to be in love like that. And I don’t think I wanna be.” 

“You don’t want to be with someone who loves you? Mack?”

Mack pauses, then pulls away to look at his face.

“What?”

“You don’t know how to be in love like that, so you blew it up because you don’t want to be in love?” He rephrases. Mack still looks confused. Is her reasoning that wild or does she not understand what he is saying? “Did you talk to David about any of this before you strapped the dynamite to it?” 

“No.” She shakes her head. Bigger tears fill her eyes. “Why do you make it sound so simple?”

“Because I’ve been in love with your mom for almost 30 years. I’ve had some practice.” He removes a slice of hair from her wet cheek. “Don’t beat yourself up. You’ll figure out more of this as you go through life with him.” Mack’s bottom lip wobbles.

“No. He’s… never going to forgive me. You didn’t see his face. He tried to talk to me. He tried to save us and I wouldn’t let him.”

“Sweets, this all comes down to a simple conversation. Get on the same page. If you don’t want to move if he gets traded, say that. Or if you want to go with him, say that. Give him the opportunity to meet you where you are, so you can grow together into the next stage.”

“He deserves better than someone who is unsure.”

“You don’t get to decide that for him.” His reminder is gentle but deeply true. “He does.” Mack nods, looking down at where her tears have splotched into his gray sweatshirt. “You do get to decide for yourself if this is what you need though. It’s okay if he is perfect, and loves you the way that you deserve, and you still don’t want it right now.” Mack starts to cry again, shaking her head no.

“No I really, really, really want it. I love him and all I did was hurt us both.”

Nico pulls her back into his chest again becoming the safe space she needs to feel everything catch up with her. It’s long, painful sobs that threaten the collapse of her chest. When her tears dry on her cheeks, and her body stops quivering from emotion, her and Nico sit in the same silence that was here before he arrived. Light snow begins to fall outside again and they both watch the flakes settle into the white ground from their perch. 

The only thing Mack can think about is how badly she wishes David was the one holding her right now.

Mack sniffs, wiping at her nose with her thumb.

“I’m going to go back.” She nods. “Face whatever is waiting for me there.” 

If she doesn’t try to fix this, she’ll never have him again. She owes it to herself, and to him, to try.

“I like that choice.” Her dad smiles gently, squeezing her tighter to his chest for a moment. It’s almost like he is trying to imprint this moment into his skin. “Maybe we could go back home though? Spend some time with mama? I know she would love to get her hands on you too.”

Mack smiles through her leftover tears and nods. 

Going home is exactly what she needs.

- - - & - - -

Back in New York 10 days later, Mack sits on the familiar espresso brown couch in David’s living room. The leather is cool beneath her leggings as falling snow drifts down in icy, zigzag swirls through the black night.

20 minutes.

In 20 minutes, David should walk through that apartment door.

Butterflies dive in Mack’s stomach, threatening to send her to the bathroom to spill the contents of her light dinner. She ate a salad from the market down the street, but half of it is discarded in the kitchen trash. Every time she started to chew the limp greens, her mouth filled with saliva while her stomach twisted painfully. She can’t remember a time she was this nervous, especially about David.

Mack brings her hands up to her hair, collecting the long brown strands into a pony tail at the top of her head. She sighs heavily, checking her phone again. Only a minute has passed. She calculates the exact timing she thinks she can expect David from the airport. The team has been on a road trip since right after she fled the city. His plane already touched down from what Mack could track off the itinerary he had forwarded to her before their demise. 

Her arrival in New York is planned, though later than she really wanted it to be. David left not long after she did for a road trip. The thought of returning home and him not being here made it too painful. So Mack hung around Switzerland with her parents. She visited Sophie at school, who clearly knew not to ask about David. She drank way too much German beer and ate too many baked goods. In the midst of all that, she thought about David the entire time. During those long days, Mack had held her phone in her hand so many times to call him, but each time doubt had her closing out the phone app before she could, especially when he never called her. Silly of her to expect that, she knows, but it felt like more confirmation of her consequences.

Mack inhales nervously when she hears the key in the lock. She looks towards the door, watching the lock flip, then the door handle turn. She stays sitting cross legged on the couch as he opens the door. He walks in wearing black dress pants and coat, a white shirt and a dark gray tie loosened from around his throat. He wheels in his black, hard cover luggage with his duffle bag on top.

He is looking down at his hand where he juggles his keys, wallet and phone. The phone screen has lit up against his fingers and she can see it’s the same picture of them from Christmas morning a few weeks ago. She is silent as he walks over to the bowl on the skinny entry room table that collects his things. There, he sees her purse resting too. Next to it, he finds her corn cob key chain in the bowl. He stares at it, then looks over his shoulder to where she is on the couch. 

Tears blur him as her throat swells with a lump. She practiced this moment at least fifty times on the long plane ride over here. But now that he is in front of her, Mack can’t find the will to speak. He looks tired and worn out- exhausted even- as his green eyes soak her in like dry land after a steady rain. And the words that Mack came up with on the plane don’t seem like enough. There is nothing she can say to him to make up for what she’s done to them. 

“Hi baby.” He greets her tenderly. 

“Oh.” She croaks out.

Mack covers her face with her hands and collapses forward, immediately sobbing. She hears the clattering of items into porcelain and the roll of a bag being placed off to the side. Then she feels the big hands of her man wrap around her body. They lift her easily into his lap as David settles himself into the couch cushion behind him. One hand is wrapped around her hips, pressing her into him while the other cradles her head to his chest.

“I’m so sorry.” She sobs. 

“It’s okay.” 

“It’s not okay!!!” She wails. 

“It is. Because you’re here now. You came home to me. Nothing else matters.” Mack fists the lapels of his coat, breathing him in, letting him take over her senses. She has been back in New York for hours, but now she is home.

“I’m so sorry.” She whispers again, shaking in his embrace from both remorse and relief.

"I know. You got scared."

“Damn it, don’t be so understanding.” He’s totally already forgiven her. Mack can feel it in his touch that the second he saw her it was all resolved. 

"We're okay, honey.” Mack winds her fingers up his chest to his neck, tangling in the hair at the base. David turns, kissing her forehead. Mack focuses on his lips plumped on her skin, willing herself to say some of the words she thought of on the plane.

“You’re right. I was really scared and I freaked out.” She inhales deeply, trying to stop the croaking of her voice so she can speak clearly. “I should have told you that. You would have understood.”

“Yeah.” He acknowledges then grabs her chin so her face is primed for him to kiss. It’s achingly beautiful and brimmed with love. Their greedy lips soak up the taste of their lovers without the desire to pull apart for air. Mack’s tongue laps at David’s as she hoists herself closer to him. His palms press harder into her until not even lint could slide between their bodies. When they pull apart, David groans in relief.

“I went home.” Mack blurts, suddenly finding her voice. 

“I know. Lucie told me.” 

“I’m sorry I didn’t.” His lips purse and he laughs a bit.

“I knew you wouldn’t. You were long gone the second that door shut behind you.” 

“I-"

“Baby, we can talk in the morning, but I am dead tired right now. Just come to bed with me.”

Mack would do anything he asked of her right now, as long as they are doing it together.

In bed, after stripping naked and collapsing into each other’s arms, David’s hands run down her back to her ass. He pulls her flush with him then uses her cheeks to raise her left breast to his lips. He sucks her deep into his mouth as a few fingers slide against her entrance from behind. 

Too tired to talk, but never too tired to make love to her. 

His lips work them both up into a state of arousal that needs to be cured. Between their bodies, Mack reaches for his thick cock, rubbing it through her slit as he continues to play with her nipples- one in his mouth and the other pinched by two fingers. 

“Mmm.” She grunts, then bites her lip as she pushes just his swollen head inside of her. David breaks away, needing to see her face as she fills herself with him. 

“Perfect.” He compliments her quietly as she takes him without resistance. “My perfect fucking girl.” He nips at her breast, then maneuvers himself into place. His hips give her slow, deep thrusts. 

His mouth collects her moans as he makes her come undone on his cock, like it’s like the first time all over again.

He spills into her greedily, marking her neck when he does.

Then they fall asleep curled deeper into each other than they’ve ever been before.

- - - & - - -

The next morning, a car alarm jolts Mack and David awake at the same time. David squeezes Mack tighter to him, lifting his head to pinpoint the noise. When he registers the alarm, he loosens his grip. Mack slowly opens her eyes, glancing up at him. All she can see is the underside of his chin. She runs her eyes along the waves of his growing out stubble, then tilts up to kiss along a particularly swirly patch. David hums beneath her lips. It isn’t long before David’s fingers running along her back have her falling back to sleep. When she wakes again, David is gone but the sounds of him rummaging in the kitchen float into the bedroom.

Mack pads out to join him after doing her morning routine of skin care and brushing her teeth. She stretches her arms above her head, swaying left and right to force the stretch further down her back. David looks over his shoulder, smiling at her. Mack bites her lip, taking in the deep groves of his muscular shoulders as his arms filter through his pantry. 

“We should talk.” Mack murmurs, tucking her hair behind her ear. She puts her forearms on the counter, folding her hands together.

“About what?” He asks, taking out a box of pre-made mix for waffles or pancakes. Mack stills. Is he serious?

“About me… leaving.”

“You’re back though?” He scratches at his nose, flipping the box to the back and reading the directions. “Do I have eggs?” He murmurs to himself, moving towards the fridge. He pops the doors open. “I do.” He grins back at her, wiggling his eyebrows. “Do you want waffles or pancakes?”

Mack sucks her cheeks in as he begins to bring out bowls, a whisk and measuring cups. With intention, she pushes off from the counter and comes to intercept him before he can get to the fridge for water. 

“What?” He chuckles as she weaves her arms around his waist.

“I don’t want waffles or pancakes. I want us to talk about me leaving.” David stills, eyes finding hers and tracing the brown irises. 

“Okay.” He sets the measuring cups behind her on the counter. His hands collect on her lower back and he waits expectantly. 

“I feel like you don’t want to?”

“No, not really. It’s over, ya know? You’re here.”

“Right but…” Mack trails off, staring at him, trying to find the words. She inhales to start, then stops again, clearing her throat. “I left you…” Surprisingly, David chuckles genuinely.

“Baby, you ran away from a lot of things, but you came back for me.” She stares at him. “Right?” Mack nods. “Then, again, I don’t know what else we have to talk about here.”

“I’m scared if we don’t talk more about this that it’s going to leave a big crack in our foundation.” She shakes her head slightly, looking away. 

“If you’ve got things you feel you need to say to me, go ahead. I just want you to know, before you even start, that from my perspective, everything is okay. Now and in the future.” Mack pauses, considering, then she nervously chews on her bottom lip. She swallows hard, tilting her head down to look at the hairs in the middle of his chest. He trimmed them recently, probably right after she left. She brings a hand up, stroking his pecs.

“I got scared.” She mumbles then forces her teeth into her bottom lip again to stop from crying. “I got scared that some organization’s decision could wreck my whole life. I still don’t think I’m cut out for relationships, but I love you so much, it’s like there is nothing I wouldn’t try for you. That scared me too. That I want to be here in New York. That I don’t want to go on long assignments that take me away from here for weeks at a time. That I feel this pull to come home when New York was never supposed to be home for me.” 

“You’ve changed everything for me.” She continues. “Not because you asked for it to change or forced me into anything. It’s just happened. And I woke up a few weeks ago with all this news and chatter and you wouldn’t talk to me and…” He brushes his thumbs under her eyes to collect her tears. “That wasn’t wrong of you, but suddenly I was thinking about moving to Dallas with you. And getting a place together because that makes more sense than having two places, if I was going to move to another state with you. And do they have an international airport close by? Or do I have to do multiple flights and it was too much. My life no longer was mine. It was completely consumed by someone else.” 

David says nothing, but his eyebrows pull tight together. His hands grip her hips harder, pulling her in more so they’re completely pressed together.

“I was in fight or flight. And I told myself that you deserved so much better than this. So much better than someone who had one foot out the door the first time something goes wrong. So the old habits that die hard, hit harder than ever before, and I was packing my bag the second you left for lunch with Connor. I felt like I was drowning and exploding all at the same time. I couldn’t stop the spiral to think about who that person was that had filled my life up. Or rationalize with myself about how lonely and unhappy I was before you. You have changed everything, but it’s been for the better.” She closes her eyes, letting the tears stream down for him to catch again. 

“When you came home while I was packing…” She shudders, trying not to sob. “I anticipated you would do so many things, but not that you would tell me to go. It was like I wanted you to tell me to stay, but then you told me to go. And I’m stubborn as hell so I did.”

“Mack, I couldn’t ask you to stay. I need things too and I needed you to stay without me telling you to. I won’t hold you back. I won’t tether you down or clip your wings. You are free to choose. And when you came back last night, you choose me. That’s all I need to move past all this. I just hope you keep choosing me… Forever.”

It’s the boldest David has ever been with his plans for them. Forever. Mack gnaws her bottom lip, causing it to plump and redden. 

“Forever?” She repeats. 

“Mhm.” He mumbles into her lips. He kisses her deeply, fusing her lips with his until she has to gasp for another breath. “You gonna run if I let go of you?” The deep smirk on his lips makes her understand he is joking.

“No!” She laughs, slapping his chest. “God, of course you’re already joking about this.” He runs a hand down her hip to her ass, giving it a healthy squeeze. He levels her with a serious stare, then kisses her again.

“Waffles or pancakes?” 

“Waffles.” She decides immediately. 

“Chocolate chips or strawberries?”

“Both?”

“Yessss. I was hoping you would say that.” He kisses her nose, then releases her to grab the other two ingredients. “Hey, we are going to Connor and Lucie’s tonight for dinner.” Mack stares back at David with an anxious, wide-eyed expression.

“I haven’t talked to Lucie yet.” She admits. That is definitely a conversation she is still avoiding.

“Nice.” David chuckles. “What could possibly go wrong?”

- - - & - - -

“Heeeee-YAH! MACK!” Lucie’s smile fades instantly when she sees her younger sister. “Nice.” She snaps at her, crossing her arms and blocking the doorway.

“I saw mom and dad in Switzerland. They say hi… I-I have chocolate for Stell!” Mack tries to smooth her sister’s angry scowl immediately.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Lucie snarls in Swiss German. “Get in here.” She wraps a hand around her wrist then tugs her into a hug. “You scared the shit out of me and I’m fucking pregnant!”

“I’m sorry, Luc.” Mack closes her eyes, squeezing her older sister tightly. The pregnancy is not a surprise at all to her considering last time she saw Lucie. “Congratulations. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You hurt him.” Mack nods then steps out from their hug. 

“I know.” Mack whispers back. Lucie sighs, then steps around her to hug David.

“Go easy on my girl, Luc.” David murmurs to Lucie but looks at Mack while he says it. 

“Welcome home, Mack.” Connor murmurs from behind her. He tosses an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side. Mack looks up at him. “You two good?” He motions between her and David. They both nod. “Then this group is good too.” He says decidedly. “Now tell me about this chocolate you brought for Stell. She has a dad tax to pay, even on gifts.”

They all laugh then move further into the apartment. Lucie and Connor go back into the kitchen together. Mack knows her and Lucie will discuss more later, when it's just the two of them. She'll cross that bridge when they get there.

David puts a hand on the small of Mack’s back to guide her into the living room. Stella is bouncing between various activities in the living room, but stops everything and dives at Mack for a hug. Mack smooches her cheeks, then allows her past to David. 

“What are we playing tonight, Stelly?” He asks her. 

Mack knows exactly why she ran. 

But this right here, is exactly why she never will again.

Read more Mack and David here.

[ladylooch]

Farmer Spa - [Mack x David]

The request: Very pregnant Mack and David are on the farm and her bump hinders her ability to do some things. Like trim/shave down there, I imagine she'd usually get waxed every now and then but limited options out there. She's frustrated and feels she needs a lil clean up so asks David to help. At first he makes a few jokes and makes it very known that she doesn't need to clean up down there, especially not for him, encouraging her to embrace the growth and that he is starting to feel what she must when they kiss ☠️. Mack's not quite in the mood for jokes though and lectures him about how her grooming is a self care thing and goddammit she needs his help. He does so and gets a reward afterwards 😉

Word Count: 1.5k

Mackenzie Hischier lays flat on her back in the middle of the bed, spread eagle, naked with her feet resting against the headboard of her and David’s bed. She attempts to gather up the energy for her second shower of the day. Being pregnant in the unrelenting July, Iowa heat has proved to be too much for any type of deodorant she can find at Hy-Vee. She has this distinct unease of smelling awful anytime someone gets near her, including her husband. David insists he doesn’t smell anything, but that isn’t encouraging coming from someone who deals with farm animals and sweaty hockey players all day. He’s likely nose blind to everything after breathing in manure his whole life.

Dragging her big toe across the indents of the plush, cream headboard, Mack huffs out a sigh. Her whole body has a sense of wet, including the forest between her legs that she cannot reach no matter what awkward angles she bends her body in. This tangle of a situation is what makes her feel so unkept these days. She is used to regularly scheduled bikini waxes. Yes, that requires a certain length of hair, but nothing like what she is currently rocking. When she thinks of giving birth in such disarray, she is embarrassed and uncomfortable. However, she has no waxer worthy of seeing her bare crotch within 50 miles of this place. Last summer, it was fine because she could reach. Now, it’s not fine. 

“Babe?” She hears David call from the hallway. It must already be lunch time, which means Mack has been laying here for over an hour. 

“I’m in here.” She lazily responds. David creeks the door open, getting an eyeful of her naked tits.

“Good gravy, baby. How long have you been like this?” He asks, shutting the door and sneaking in like he’s getting away with something. It is lunch. Mack is sure Felix and the boys are expecting him back relatively quickly. They have a lot to get done this week. “And why didn’t you tell me?” He pouts above her. His large hands settle over her breasts, holding them in place gently. They have been sore this week, so he is careful not to squeeze or pinch anything without her clear approval. 

“I’ve been trying to take a shower for an hour.”

“A shower?” He asks, tilting his head down. “We took one this morning.”

“I know. But I’m already stinky.”

“All I smell is your shampoo, baby.” He assures her. He is used to this by now. Mack sighs. “Oh boy.” David murmurs sympathetically. He leans down to smooch her lips. Mack barely puckers hers in response. “Hey, love on me.” He quietly asks. 

“I’m not feeling like any of this right now.” She swirls her hand around the room. She moves to get up. David steps back from the bed, releasing her breasts so they fall back into melting mounds. She keeps her back to him, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Honey, what can I do?”

“Nothing.”

“Nah, you have been feeling like this for days. What can I do? I need some way I can support you.”

Silence stretches between them. Mack stares down at her hot pink toes, the ones her husband painted for her last weekend while they were having a lazy day on the front porch, during a stretch of cooler weather. He does things for her. Maybe he would… 

“Will you shave me?” Mack blurts. 

“Sure, where?” Mack instantly blushes at his agreement. Ope, she didn’t expect him to be so gung-ho immediately.

“Um…” She trails off. “Like.. my um.” David raises an eyebrow at her stammering.

“The place my tongue was earlier?”

“God, David, yes.” She grumbles. He cannot help but laugh at her.

“You’ve got no problem shoving my face deeper into your pussy, but you’re worried about me shaving it?”

“I! Don’t!.. Um. Well that is different.” She huffs.

“Why?” He sits next to her, dragging his finger tips across her bump. They continue down her back, sliding onto her hip to pull her into his body. 

“It’s like too intimate.”

“We made a baby together and are married and fuck each other often, so I think it’s okay we have some intimacy.��� Mack just stares at him. “What? Unless this is some test and I’m supposed to say you don’t need to shave? Because you know I do not care at all about what you’re sporting down here, baby. I’m gonna eat it. Fur and all.” He quips at the end making Mack want to quite literally die on that bed of embarrassment. Maybe she shouldn’t be, but pregnancy has made her confidence slip a bit and she’s much more self-conscious than she can every remember being. “Just think of if like your equivalent of a mustache.” He throws in as a joke. 

“You don’t get it.” Mack snips at him, pushing out of his arms. She scoots across to the other side of the bed, achingly rising to her feet. David watches silently as she heads into their adjoining bathroom. It isn’t long before he joins her.

“We aren’t up for jokes?”

“No.” 

“Okay, my bad. I didn’t read the room right.”

“It’s not you, it’s me.” She sighs, putting her hair up in a claw clip so she can keep it out of the water spray. David is patient, keeping his hands to himself as she speaks, impressive considering how much her breasts bounce as she moves about. He does bite the corner of his bottom lip for a moment, looking concentrated as his eyes meet hers in the mirror. “I don’t feel like myself at all right now.” She shakes her head, feeling her throat swell with a lump. Stupid hormones! She does not want to cry! “And, I just hate how it looks down there. Like it’s bad enough you see it, but soon so many strangers will too! That makes me want to like.. give birth here and never come back. How am I gonna face the nurses and doctors at the grocery store, knowing what they have seen?”

“Baby, they have seen worse.” He laughs. “I guarantee it. You are hygienic and clean.” She stares at him. “But if this is what you want my help with. I will help you.” Her eyes slide away, bottom lip stuck between her two rows of teeth while deciding. 

“How would we do it?” 

“A lot like making this baby.” He jokes, shaking her belly slightly. Mack start to laugh and David joins in. “Go lay back on the bed. I’ll take care of the rest.” He leans down to kiss her, then pats her naked butt to encourage her back to bed.

It’s a few minutes before he comes into the bedroom. He has a towel, unscented shaving cream, a razor and an electric trimmer. He glides the towel under Mack’s hips, then kisses her raised knees before heading out of the bedroom towards the kitchen. He comes back with a bowl of warm water and Mack’s cold eye mask. 

“Welcome to the Farmer Spa. Please rate us 5 stars on Yelp when your visit is finished. 10% off for you next time.” He drawls in a quiet and serene voice. Mack snorts, laughing so hard her belly tenses and the baby begins to flail around inside of her. She puts a steadying hand on her bump, then watches as David disappears between her legs. 

“Do you provide a happy ending here?” She murmurs. David starts to laugh so hard he wheezes. He buries his nose into her calf for a second, then gently works it over his shoulder so he can get in closer to the apex of her thighs. 

First up in the trimmer. He carefully combs through, taking down the forest as much as he can to see what he is doing with the razor. He pulls back enough to look at his work, then nods, reaching for something else Mack can’t see.

“Cold.” He warns her after squirting some shaving cream on his fingers. He carefully and meticulously covers the most intimate parts of her.

Mack works her head to the side so she can watch him in the mirror above their dresser. It’s quite the look, David with his head buried between her thighs. She’s seen it before from this angle, but this is so different. She smiles at her reflection, knowing exactly how lucky she is to have this man as her husband and soon-to-be daddy to their son. David turns to the water, shaking off the hair and shaving cream into it. His eyes lift. He meets her gaze and smiles softly. 

“Thank you.” She says to their reflection.

“Nothing I wouldn’t do for ya, honey.”

In a few short weeks, he will show Mack how sincerely and eternally he means those words.

[ladylooch]

Bones - Part 6 [Mack x David]

A/N: This chapter has a lot of items in it for what was sent in as requests for the series! I hope you loooooove it! It's spicy, funny, and sweet all wrapped up in one. Happy Saturday, bbys!

Favorite quote? "You my girl, Hischier?" 😍🥵😩

Word Count: 4.5k

It’s almost laughable about what is currently happening right now. 

If Mack thinks about the last year of her life, she really could not have imagined everything that has transpired. A year ago, she was still seeing David as a fling, a hot fuck whenever she felt the itch needed to be scratched. Which was a lot because, well, he’s David. Now, all her belongings are packed into brown boxes, ready to be carted away to David’s apartment. Well, their apartment.

This is all happening willingly. A lot of conversations have been had about this in the months since Mack returned to New York. As much as David assured her they could slow things down, Mack didn’t see the point. If they’re gonna do this, they should really do it. Commit. Go all in the way they both deserve now. She already ran once and she’s not doing it again. 

So when Mack went the whole month of February without going back to her place, she brought the topic up.

“What if I move in?” Mack had asked in his arms as they watched TV together on a Wednesday night. Mack had terrible cramps and his hand laid across the warm, heating pad covering her lower abdomen, massaging lightly. 

“Haven’t you already?” He murmured. Mack looked around his place, seeing her stuff littered everywhere. Maybe she’s made herself a little too at home. 

“Okay, what if I brought everything here?” She reframed.

“I’d say it would finally be home for me too.” He answered, kissing her puckered lips.

That was a month ago. Mack broke her lease four months early and now she is here, monitoring the move with an iced espresso in her hand.

She grabs her phone, taking a picture of her by all her boxes and sending it to her boyfriend. David is currently out of town for the last Rangers road game of the season in Philadelphia. It was exciting to send him off knowing when he came back they would be living together. Her and David discussed their furniture and were able to consolidate it all down to fit into his place. Most of her decor has been donated though. The overly feminine pieces wouldn’t have made sense in the current modern, masculine design. David has already given her free reign to make changes. 

Right now, Mack doesn’t have the desire. She likes it just the way it is.

After the movers pack up the last of her boxes, Mack walks down to the office to turn her keys in. She waves goodbye to the leasing office agents then moves to the lobby where Ron waits, already teary.

“I knew you would be gone after that first kiss.” Ron admits to her. Mack tears up, nodding her head.

“He is impossible to say no to.”

“I am happy for you, Mack.” He says as she hugs him. “This is good for you. Being closer to Lucie will be good too.” Ron is right about this, especially as Lucie is expecting her second daughter later in the year.

“Thank you, Ron. For everything. I’ll pop by and visit, okay? Bring you some Swiss Chocolate when I go back home.”

“I would love that. Tell your parents I said goodbye." Mack nods. 

“How about see you later instead?” Ron smiles then waves her off to her next chapter like the good, kind man he is.

The movers are already in motion when she arrives to her new, familiar building. She quickly rushes upstairs and then gets out of their way again. She sits at the dining room table, checking in on work chats and emails. They are done in under an hour. Mack tips them in extra cash for the quick service, then shuts the door behind them all. She leans back against the door and grins. She snaps another picture to send to David.

Welcome home, honey 

Come home to me soon 🥺

I will. Don’t give away any of my shit until I get home.

Say please.

Please. Brat.

Mack snickers then sends him a thumbs up in response.

The rest of the day she unpacks her things. She is able to get all of her clothes and bathroom items put away before the game starts. Then once it does, she moves to the kitchen so she can multitask. Anything that there is double of, she leaves out on the counter for them to discuss.

Mack raises her gaze to the TV when the announcers exclaim that David is fighting with another player. She winces as David’s fist connects with the guys face, sending him to the ice with a bloody cheek. She shakes her head as David skates lazily towards the penalty box, unaffected. Men.

Mack is still unwrapping glassware in the kitchen when David comes home. She took a long, extended break to have dinner with Lucie downstairs. Then she helped read Stella bed time stories until she fell asleep. By the time Mack left, Lucie had been asleep on the couch too. This arrangement is already working out wonderfully for the Hischier girls.

“Honey, I’m home.” David calls out as he walks in. She laughs. 

“How long have you been dying to do that?”

“Oh, forever.” He admits. He tosses his bag by the door, then walks into hug her in the kitchen. “Look at you lil unpacking machine.” He kisses her lips. “What’s all this?”

“This is the stuff we have doubles of.”

“Cool. I do not want to do this tonight.”

“No, tomorrow. I’m sleepy.”

“Did they set the bed up?” Mack and David decided to keep Mack’s bed and move his into the second bedroom where her office will be. 

“Yep. I washed the sheets. We’re all set.”

“I have been so excited to go to bed tonight.” He chuckles. “Not just because of your bed, but knowing I get you in it every night now…” He trails off. Mack smiles softly up at him, then tugs him by his tie down to kiss him again. David’s hands wind along her back. “You happy, baby?”

“So happy.” She murmurs, chin resting on his chest. He smoothes her hair down at the sides, then leans forward to smooch her lips longingly. “My pretty girl.” He says against her lips, then kisses her deeper.

“You feeling lucky tonight?”

“Mhm.” He mumbles, hands sliding down to her ass. They grip there for a moment, then go to the backs of her thighs to lift her up. As he is walking her to the hallway, his phone rings in his pocket. He sets Mack down on the bed, then pulls the phone out to see who is calling so late.

“Hey Woody.” He answers. He pops the phone on speaker so Mack can hear.

“Hey, uh, can one of you, or both of you, I don’t care, come down and sit with Stella? She’s asleep, but Lucie woke up and is bleeding. We called her doctor and they want her to come in.” Mack sits up quickly. 

“Yeah I’ll come down.” Mack says to Connor. 

“Thank you. Can you hurry? I’m trying to get Luc there ASAP.”

“Yep, I’m on my way,” Mack reaches for her phone that was charging on the nightstand. She grabs a sweatshirt from the closet, then kisses David goodbye.

“I’ll change and come down.” He calls to her.

“Okay.” 

When Mack gets to Connor and Lucie’s apartment, they have the door open, waiting for her.

“Good luck. I love you.” Mack offers to them both. “Text me whats going on when you can.”

“We will.” Connor answers for his wife who looks white as a ghost. Tears line her brown eyes as her husband leads her from the apartment. The door softly shuts behind them. Mack goes to the kitchen to get herself a glass of water, then gets to work on loading dirty dishes from the sink into the dishwasher. She needs to be doing something with her hands after that interaction.

A knock sounds on the door, then David comes popping in. 

“Hey honey, did you talk with them?”

“Not really. Lucie looked pretty worried. They were anxious to get going.”

“Hopefully everything is okay.” He brings a hand to her shoulder, rubbing at it, providing her comfort. Mack nods, feeling her throat clog up with emotion. She’s scared for her sister. Pregnancy is no joke. The issues that both mom’s and babies can have are sometimes life threatening. Mack feels queasy just thinking about something being wrong with Lucie or the baby. 

“I’m gonna go sit down I think.” Mack murmurs. David follows her to the couch, helping her sit. Mack swallows hard as David wanders back to the kitchen to grab her water for her. He hands it to her. Mack thanks him. 

Little, bare footprints hit the hallway. David turns around, seeing a sleepy, pouty Stella appear in the lit hallway arch.

“Where’s daddy?” She asks, rubbing her little eyes tiredly.

“Him and mommy went to go check on your baby sister.” Mack tells her. She opens her arms of her niece and sighs contently when Stella wiggles into her lap. David sits down next to the two girls, offering his hand to Stella for her to hold. She grips two of his fingers with her little hand. 

“Why didn’t I get to go?”

“Cause it’s late.”

“I got to go last time.” Lucie and Connor took her to the 20 week appointment so Stella could see her little sister on the ultrasound. It was the talk of her entire week.

“Yeah, this one is a little different, babe.” Mack murmurs, kissing her head as Stella drops it to her shoulder. David reaches up, smoothing back Stella’s wild brown curls. 

The three of them sit on the couch like that, quietly comforting one another until Mack gets a text from Connor.

On our way back. Everything is okay.

Mack and David sigh in pure relief. David peeks at Stella’s face, seeing her passed out.

“I’ll take her back to bed.”

Mack allows him to pick her up then follows him down to Stella’s bedroom. In the doorway, she watches David tuck Stella into her little pink, princess bed. He brings the blankets back up to her mid chest, then re-arranges her stuffed animals around her like she prefers. Mack smiles. He’s so good at taking care of his people. Then with a gentle pat of her hair, David walks quietly out of the room. He weaves his and Mack’s fingers together and leads her back to the living room where they wait for Lucie and Connor to return. When they do, the four of them share hugs between each other. 

“Thank you, guys.” Connor murmurs as he walks them to the door. Lucie has already padded down the hallway to go to bed, utterly exhausted. 

“Of course. We are so thankful everything is okay too.” Mack tells him.

“How did the move go?”

“Good.” She assures him. Connor nods.

“I’m glad your close by now with this guy.” Connor clasps David’s shoulder. “Now I just need him to officially be my brother…” Connor’s blue eyes sparkle playfully.

“Okay, goodnight.” Mack smiles, patting Connor’s arm as she walks through the door. 

“What, nothing? You two are really not gonna give me anything?”

“Nope.” David shrugs. “Goodnight.” He tosses an arm around Mack’s shoulders. He kisses her head, then looks back, smirking at his defense partner. Connor scoffs at them then begrudgingly calls goodnight down the hallway. The soft click of the door has Mack and David snickering to each other. 

“We’ll never tell.” David jokes to her.

“Never. When we get married, let’s not tell him for like six months.” Mack tangles their fingers together at her right shoulder.

“Oh we’re getting married?” David asks slyly.

“You know we are.”

“I do. Just didn’t realize you did…” He trails off with a smug smirk.

“I don’t move in with guys I don’t see as my future husband.”

“Plural, huh? Damn, I thought I was special.” Mack laughs loudly as they step into the elevator.

“You know what I mean!”

“Yeah that apparently I got some competition somewhere.”

“No, you don’t.” Mack shakes her head. “It’s only ever gonna be you.” 

“Ditto, beautiful.” He puckers his lips like a duck at her.

Mack kisses him deeply, then leads him out of the elevator to continue what they started in their bedroom before.

- - - & - - -

The heavy purr of David’s motorcycle beneath Mack’s thighs is weirdly comforting. Playoffs are starting tomorrow and all David wanted to do with his last, non-hectic day was to take out the bike. The weather is cooperating. It’s a warm enough day that Mack won’t freeze in the wind and the streets are mostly cleaned off from the winter time gunk. David had called Mack on his way back from practice, asking her to play hooky with her work day. So she did.

The breeze rolls through Mack’s hair, whipping it about in it’s pony tail that trails down her back. The helmet is making her face and head sweaty, but she doesn’t mind. Her hands spread out along David’s stomach, holding on to him as they take each lazy turn of the Hudson River trail. They’re well out of the city now, seeing the budding trees and the expansive rolling river as it climbs further North. Mack and David did this ride in the fall to see the changing leaves during a few day break for training camp. It’s fun to see the trees coming full circle with their Spring blooms. 

David taps Mack’s thigh, letting her know they are going to be changing speeds. He slows down as they come to a scenic overlook. It’s a Tuesday afternoon, so they are alone on the road. David brings the bike to a stop. The shudders of the engine shake Mack as she flips her helmet off. David kicks the stand down, then stands, holding a hand out to help her off.

“You’re getting good at this, honey.” He compliments her as she fixes her hair back into a smoother hairstyle. He puts his helmet next to hers on the bike then stretches out his neck and shoulders as he walks towards the stone wall curving around the cliff. “Damn. If we didn’t start off in the city, I might almost be able to believe we are back home.” Mack smiles in agreement. They are quiet, observing the gorgeous, rolling hills of trees and the lazy flow of the river.

“This was such a good idea. Thank you.” Mack acknowledges. She has been feeling uninspired and antsy in her professional life, even as her personal life smoothes to a steady, comfortable cruise. She just hates everything she is writing. How is it possible she can be in such different places, but her words all sound the same? 

“Thank you for coming with me.”

“Of course.” She acknowledges. “I’d go anywhere with you.” David smiles.

“Except Dallas?” Mack stills. Dallas and David haven’t come up together in months. Well maybe it has, but she hasn’t been searching it out like before.

“Oh?”

“What about New York?” Mack looks away, thinking about where this is going.

“I mean, yeah? We were just there.”

“What about if we are there for 8 more years?” Mack startles.

“What?” Her voice already is small and timid from trying to control her emotions.

“Paperwork is coming today.”

“I thought…”

“I did too. But they approached my agent about it last week and I said get it done. Whatever they’re willing to pay me, I’ll take it.”

“So a dollar?” Mack jokes. David tilts his head back and laughs loudly at the sky. Then he reaches for her, pulling her into his chest to hold her close.

“I’m already a rich man having you, honey. I don’t need anything else. I know I tell you stuff like that all the time, but I mean it. This is the first time something big is happening for me when I have someone in my life. I’m so glad it’s you. I love sharing all this with you.”

“Is this the same speech you’re going to give to Connor?”

“Yes.” David smirks. “Can’t live without him either.” Mack giggles, gripping the opening of his leather jacket.

“Wow. New York for eight years. A Ranger for life?” 

“Mhm.”

“You’re going to be so old in 8 years… And I’ll still be young.”

“Yeah, don’t worry, we’ll get you passed on to your second husband by then.” 

“I can do 8 years with you.” Mack nods in agreement. “I get half though?”

“Sure! If I get half of yours.” Mack gasps then shakes her head no immediately. Despite David’s NHL salary and his lucrative farming business, Mack’s money surpasses his by close to 10 million. Daddy’s money grew well over the years with various, hands-off investments. It will continue to do so in the next 8 years too.

“I’m happy for you. Proud too. You’ve worked so hard to get here. You deserve this.”

“Thank you.” He nods, looking stoic and proud. “I’m excited to see where we are in 8 years.” He squeeze her fingers as they pull apart, looking back out over the gorgeous view they’re in front of.

“Yeah.” Mack murmurs. 

But after this last year, Mack knows there is no use trying to picture it now. She’s sure it’s all going to come together the way it should, better than she could even imagine it anyway. Plus right now, all she cares about is being who they are in this moment. 

Two people at the starting line of love with a whole life left to live.

- - - & - - -

Inside MSG, Mack and Lucie hold hands with Stella as they walk down the concourse to their seats. All three ladies are decked out in their Rangers playoffs gear. Lucie and Stella have bold white letters with their last name and Connor’s number while Mack is adorned in Carlson and 14. Butterflies are swarming in Mack’s stomach that the margarita at dinner did nothing to fix. 

“I wish I could drink right now.” Lucie mutters to her sister as the national anthem ends. The boys are in their home blues, circling around and then gathering at the bench for the opening face off.

“Yeah.” Mack breathes out. Usually, she doesn’t care. But today she does. It’s playoffs. The team has a real chance this year and honestly, with David’s long term investment being announced today, she wants him to play well. She wants him to show the fans and the team exactly what they’re going to get for the next eight years. 

As David lines up on Connor’s right side. Mack folds her lip into her mouth. She crosses her legs, sending out safe vibes for her man. 

Then the puck drops and utter chaos breaks out. 

The game is intense. The crowd loud and in the opposing team’s face. Constant cheering and buzz swirls round them as the teams battle on the ice. David keeps getting into little scrums. Mack sighs every time she sees his gloved hand face wash someone. He jaws at number 44 on the opposing team half the time they’re on the ice together. 

At the start of the third period, the game is tied 1-1. The Rangers need a push and it’s no surprise to anyone that David drops the gloves with 44. The two of them swing heavy blows at each other, some connecting, some wizzing by the others head. It’s David that ends up on top. As he skates to the box, he swings his arms up in the air, yelling at the crowd to get pumped. Mack giggles, looking over at her sister.

“Why is that so hot?” Mack nibbles her lip seductively, looking down at him in the penalty box. He runs a towel over his face and hair, leaving the black strands sticking up in places. 

“I don’t know.” Lucie shrugs. 

“Why did he fight?” Stella asks, looking over at Mack like she should answer for him. “Was he mean?”

“Yeah.” Mack settles on. She isn’t sure what else she could say. Stella is too young to understand the nuances of the game and truthfully, Mack doesn’t think she would care anyway. She’s all about trying to get her second bundle of cotton candy. 

The team battles to hold their 1-1 tie game while David is in the box. Several dangerous looks are tossed on goal but the Rangers goalie keeps the team in the game. The crowd cheers loudly when David skates out of the box after his time is done. Now that they have fought, 44 and David keep their distance from each other. David has a game to win and his focus is on the next 10 minutes to get them the W. 

It takes another 5 minutes, but the Rangers score. Lucie and Mack fly out of their seats, high-fiving and yelling loudly for their boys as they roll through the bench handshake line.

“Connor assisted on that.” Lucie beams proudly. 

The next five minutes feel like hours. Several quick whistles hit. TV time outs play out then an on the ice time out before the opponents pull their goalie. Mack watches through her fingers as the clock winds down. David goes down to block a shot that has Mack yelping. He is fine, but she didn’t like that one. When the final buzzer sounds to signal a Rangers win, the building erupts. Fans wave their white towels furiously with their cheers. 

The Rangers have one of their 16 wins. 

After the game, Lucie and Mack hang out to wait for the boys. Media takes longer in the playoffs and it’s no surprise that both Connor and David are pulled aside for interviews. They walk out of the locker room together, dressed, with still wet hair as they discuss a few plays from the game.

“Next time, let’s look for a reverse there. I don’t think their forecheck can pick that off behind the net.” David says to Connor.

“I agree. Also I wanna see us stepping up more at the blue line. Light ‘em up.” Connor smirks at his partner as they come to stop by the girls.

“Really?” Lucie whines. “Don’t forget someone here is pregnant.” Her belly pokes out of her jacket as she puts her hands on her hips. 

“I did that.” Connor sighs happily. He puts a hand on her belly then leans down to kiss her. David does the same with Mack, minus the hand on her stomach.

“Couldn’t resist, huh?” Mack asks David.

“Never.” He grins.

“I liked it.” She admits. “There is something about you all sexy and ruffled in the penalty box that gets to me.”

“Alright. Bye Woods!” David announces. He wraps Mack up tight into his side, almost head locking her in place. Mack laughs, holding onto his back as he drags her forward.

“Bye!” Mack yells, waving to them without looking back. David’s fingers run over the Carlson on her back as he opens the passenger side door for her. 

“Speaking of looking sexy…” He trails off, grinning at her. 

“Take me home, cowboy.”

David races home, weaving through traffic quickly so he can get Mackenzie Hischier stripped down to just that jacket on her body. When he slides his cock into her from behind, his low groan of appreciation has Mack buzzing as hard as the arena was earlier. 

“Fuck. Look so good with me all over you.” David murmurs. His hands run under her jacket to grab her bare hips. His eyes take in her Carlson covered back as he pumps deep inside of her. Mack whimpers at the delicious fullness of him. His palms slide up to her chest, cupping her breasts as she takes him deep. Mack presses up on her hands so his chest meets her back, then she turns her face to moan into his mouth. “You my girl, Hischier?”

“Yes.” 

“Mmm that’s right.” He grabs her cheek, keeping her face turned towards his so he can kiss her and fuck her at the same time. He helps her raised more on her knees so it’s easier for them to stay connected everywhere. “All mine.” 

Their change in position makes everything deeper. Mack grasps at his neck to hold on while he pistons into her wet core. His other hand trails down her stomach, wiggling her clit in wild strokes.

“I love you.” He says, resting their noses together as he fucks harder into her.

“I love you.” She moans back. The back of her head hits his shoulder and he finishes her off after her desperate pleas for him to make her come. 

He pulls out of her afterwards, gently peeling her jacket off to put it in the closet for the game on Thursday. Then he cleans up in the bathroom before coming back to take care of her.

After he is done wiping her clean, he kisses her deeply. Mack’s heart aches for him to be closer even as he pulls her into his chest to cuddle. It never feels like they are close enough for her. She wants to be pasted to him at all times. Mack brings the fingers of her left hand up to his chest. She traces zig zags down his sternum as a tiredness from their big day of activity begins to descend. 

A thought comes to her as she thinks about the next eight years spent right here with him.

“I would have gone to Dallas with you. Or Seattle. Or anywhere.” She murmurs to him. “I only want us to be together. It doesn’t matter where.”

“I’m glad you say that because… I wanna be honest with you. This is my last deal and when it’s done, I wanna head home. Build a life there with you that is slower and quieter than this.” His fingers massage her scalp as he talks.

“I would really like that.” Mack tells him. “We can have matching rocking chairs?”

“Of course. I’ll build you one this summer.” Mack nods.

“I know we have some time before then, but I’m hoping you’ll come home with me this summer. Maybe the end of June? Depending on how things go?” Mack offers to him. She’s been thinking about how much she wants to show him of home. She got to experience him in Iowa and she wants him to see her at home too. In her parents lake house where he can get to know her parents and Sophie better.

“Yes. Of course. If things end early here, we can go right away. We could spend a whole month there if you want.”

“Okay.” Mack nods, smiling into his chest. “I’ll take you to the cabin. Show you were I realized how much I wanted this with you.”

“I’d love that.” He acknowledges, squeezing her in tighter. 

It all sounds so easy, wrapped up naked in each other now. All the fear about how hard this could be or how it could not work out is gone. Instead, they’re communicating. They’re asking each other to lean in and sometimes compromise too. Both of them are so willing to do that now.

Because this is worth it. 

No matter where. No matter what.

Read more Mack and David here.

[ladylooch]

Bones - Part 3 [Mack x David]

A/N: Christmas with the Hischier’s sounds like heaven to me. Add in David Carlson and 🤯. I am in love with how different these two grew up and how deep their connection is now as adults. Like the dynamic between growing up a farmer’s son and an international hockey star’s daughter is so soft here. As for the second part, oh Mackie…. 🫠😬

Word Count: 4.5k

“David?” Mack’s whisper streaks through his quiet bedroom.

“Mmm?” He asks from where his head is stuffed deep into his pillow.

“Wake up! It’s Christmas!” She bites her lip, waiting for him to stir. He doesn’t. He stays silently still on the other side of the bed. Mack is about to whisper again when he suddenly launches up, sucking her into his arms and rolling so she is pinned under him. “AH!” She yells then bursts into giggles as he starts to tickling her sides. “No, no, no! Stop I can’t breathe!” She finally wheezes. He relents, then rolls off of her, laughing at her gasps for breath.

“Do you think Santa came?”

“I bet Santa came upstairs…”

“Can we go?”

“Yeah Lucie texted.”

“Yes!!!!!!” David flies out of bed, rushing to his closet to grab clothes to put on. Mack is already ready to go in their matching Christmas pajamas. David had to take his off because he got too hot last night. He comes out of the closet in them, adorned in leaping reindeer, hands on his hips in a super hero pose.

“Dreamy…” Mack murmurs, lips pursed as she takes him in. Her man is soft and sweet and good. So perfectly good. He walks over to the bed. Mack stands, letting him gather her into his arms and carry her to the kitchen. 

“Coffee, yeah?” 

“Mhm.”

“What creamer do you want?” He asks, peaking into the fridge. “How is there four now?”

“I wanted to try them all! They’re all different…” She sticks her tongue out at him. “And I want the peppermint one.”

“Okay, princess.” He mumbles. Mack kicks at his butt as he walks by.

“Be nice. It’s Christmas.” 

“I am plenty nice.” David insists. “So nice you just sit there and look pretty, princess, while I make your coffee.” He grabs her favorite mug of his from the dishwasher before going back to the espresso machine and starting it. “So…” David says as they watch the espresso drip into the small, glass cup. “Don’t the Swiss usually celebrate Christmas on the 24th?” Mack brightens.

“Oh! Yes! Did you read that?” 

“Mhm.” He murmurs.

“You could have asked me.”

“I wanted to look like I know what I’m talking about.” He chuckles. “And you decorate the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve?”

“We never did that. It was always up after American Thanksgiving.” 

“Your mom?”

“Yes, we did a lot of American traditions after moving to Switzerland because mom was homesick. Lucie too.” Mack shrugs. “I didn’t care as long as Santa still came. He started coming twice when we moved.”

“Oh is that what December 6th is?”

“Yes- it’s Samichlaus Abend! Translates to Santa Night. But yes he comes on the 6th back home. So we would get presents on the 6th- usually a lot of chocolate. Maybe special cookies or dessert too. But then on Christmas, American Santa came and that was like toys and clothes and things like that.” 

“Best of both worlds.”

“Yeah, I think my parents did a great job blending our customs together. We grew up truly Swiss- American.”

“You consider yourself more European though?”

“More of my formative years were there.” Mack shrugs. “It’s not like I mind living here now, though, or I don’t consider myself American at all. But they’re two different parts of me.” Mack watches him pour her coffee together, then he hands her the cup. She savors her first sip, watching him walk across the kitchen to make a pot of coffee now for himself. “You make me feel very Swiss though.” He looks over his shoulder at her with a questioning look. “Like, you are very American. You grew up in the Heartland. You’re a farmer, a hockey player, and you blend in both in the city and the country. I feel like I stick out even in New York sometimes.” 

“The best thing about here, babe, is that it’s a melting pot of different cultures, places, and customs. I think the fact that you have so much to you makes you an American.” He shrugs his shoulders.

“You might be the minority with that thought.”

“I don’t really care.” He chuckles, rubbing a hand over his hair. “You’re my girl. That’s all I care about.” He grabs a cup for him out of the cabinet to his left. “But I will take some Swiss chocolate from uh… Swiss Santa.” Mack starts to laugh. “I’m not even gonna try to say it.”

“I can teach you Swiss German if you want.”

“Honey, I’m a lost cause on English.” Mack chuckles.

“I’m fine if you don’t want to learn it. Just means I can talk shit about you to your face.”

“No, you can’t. Your face and tone would give you away.” He slaps her ass as she hops down from the counter. “Plus, you like to fight so you’d want me to understand.” He cages her into the counter with his big arms and body. 

“No fighting on Christmas.” She murmurs in Swiss German. David’s eyes look sideways, then back to her suspiciously.

“I know this one. It roughly translates to kiss me?” Mack tilts her head back and laughs loudly.

“Yes. Please, American Santa.” She mumbles, tossing her arms around his shoulders. She pulls him down to her and they make out until the coffee maker finishes David’s Folgers.

With coffees in hand, they head upstairs to the Wood apartment. Stella opens the door with an exaggerated whine.

“What took you so long!?” She snaps.

“I bet I know.” Connor chuckles from where he is laying on the couch. 

“Coffee.” David cheers his cup at his defense partner. 

“We have coffee here?” Lucie questions.

“He doesn’t like it.”

“There is something wrong with you.”

“Too American.” Mack smirks at David.

“Hello!!!! Can I open my presents yet?” Stella asks.

“Can you ask nicely yet?” Connor asks, popping up from the couch and rolling his eyes at his wife in regards to their daughter.

“I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that.” Lucie chuckles.

“Everyone here seems to know except you.” Mack laughs. “2.0.” Lucie sticks her tongue out at Mack.

“Come over her and stuff a caramel roll in your mouth so you’re quiet.” Lucie holds a plate out to Mack.

“Oh, are these mom’s?”

“Yeah. Hey Stell, go pick out what present you want to open first.” Lucie attempts to calm down the little feet stomps across the room.

“Okay!” She screeches. 

“Wait, can I help?” David asks her. Stella runs back, grabbing his hand and pulling the big hockey player into the living room.

“This one!” She points to the biggest.

“Are you sure? What is our decision process here?”

“Cause it’s the biggest.”

“But don’t you want to save the best for last?”

“No.” Stella snorts, like a child who has no semblance of patience. 

Mack bites into her caramel roll and is instantly pulled back in time to being a kid. She can clearly see herself sitting on a couch in a city to the West, folded into her dad’s lap as Lucie rips open her presents. All Mack wanted to do was sit with her dad. Every so often he would give her a slight squeeze, or a kiss on the cheek, or hold his palm out for her little fingers to hold. Here in her sister’s apartment, she now watches David. He is patient and kind with Stella. He doesn’t scold her for raising her voice or pitching a little fit about waiting longer. He soothes her and entertains her and listens to her when she voices her little frustrations. 

It’s sweet and has Mack thinking about how he might have been made for this uncle stuff.

“Okay, I think we better sit down. She is going to combust.” Lucie murmurs, grabbing her coffee and urging Mack to follow her.

The adults all sit and then a wrapping paper bomb goes off in the living room. Stella’s little fingers tear away at the Christmas themed paper. Strip after strip is tossed over her shoulder as Connor takes pictures of her destroying the packages.

“Oh my gosh! Thanks Santa!” Stell yells out after every single one. Mack feels David chuckle behind her, covering his mouth as she goes to town. 

“We just have to let her go.” Connor murmurs, wrapping an arm around his wife. 

“Can’t stop it.” Lucie agrees.

“Good thing she doesn’t have to share any of that attention.” Across the room, a look passes between Connor and Lucie.

“She will get used to it.” Connor insists. 

Now it’s Mack and David’s turn to share a look.

“I’m done!!!” Stella yells.

“Did you win something for being the fastest ever!?” Connor asks, swooping forward and picking her up. “Okay, be honest, what is your favorite.”

“That!” Stella points to the play vanity with fake make up, earrings and a new princess dress.

“Very Stelly.” Connor agrees.

The buzzer to the apartment chimes.

“Oh, that is mom and dad.” Lucie gets off the couch, bouncing over to her phone to let them in.

“Why didn’t we wait?” Mack wonders.

“I told them they had to be here by 8. It’s 8:10.” Lucie shrugs. “It’s not like they don’t have a full room of presents for her at their place.”

“Did you hear your dad? He told me to bring my truck over. What the hell…” 

“Bad.” Stella says, wiggling out of Connor’s arms. She runs down the room then comes hustling back, loaded down with her swear jar.

“You’re collecting taxes on Christmas!?” Connor howls. “Unfair!” 

“Stell, you should double the fine because he complained.” David tells Stella. A devilish glint glows in her eyes. 

“What if I pay in kisses?” 

“Kisses don’t give me legos.” 

“Oh my god.” Connor mutters. “I can’t afford double. Uncle Davey, can you cover me?”

“Just this once.” David drops $20 into her jar. Stella giggles with glee then runs back to put the jar in her room. 

“20?” Connor scoffs. “Okay money bags.”

“That's the smallest bill I got, man.” David laughs. He brings Mack tighter into his body, giving her a kiss on the temple as her parents walk in. 

“Merry Christmas!!!!!” Lexi squeals. “Look who we found at the airport!”

From behind her parents, Sophie Hischier bursts out. Lucie and Mack both rush over to her, collecting their little sister between them. 

“I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!” She exclaims. 

“Deal with it!” Lucie yells back to her. “Soph!!!” 

“Let me see you!” Mack cups her cheeks. “Ugh stunning. So disgusting how pretty you are.” Sophie beams.

“Remember when we were young and full of life?” Lucie sighs.

“Yeah and then Connor got you pregnant?” Nico murmurs. The whole group gasps at Nico being the one to take the dig.

“Hey.” Connor pouts. “Not fair. Lucie looked old before then.” He bites his lip, bracing for the instant blow back.

Everyone laughs as Lucie runs across the floor and tackles Connor to the floor. Stella joins in too and they both perform a WWE smackdown next to David’s feet. He may or may not have joined in with a few fake elbows towards Connor’s face.

“Welcome to Christmas with the Hischiers, David.” Lexi shrugs her shoulders, then goes to give him a hug. 

The way David grins, Mack knows there is nowhere else he would rather be.

- - - & - - -

A bout of turbulence bumps Mack’s head against the side of the plane, jolting her out of her sleep.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we have begun our descent into New York City. We are anticipating a few bumps on the way down and are asking the flight attendants to wrap up service early. We want to thank you for flying with us…”

Mack yawns, stretching her arms out in front of her. She glances at the man to her left who continues to click away on his laptop. Mack rolls her shoulders forward, then back, stretching out as much of her body as possible. She hadn’t anticipated sleeping on the plane, but she hasn’t gotten much sleep since she left New York for her latest assignment. 

It was a dream trip for her- a bucket list of getting to visit Iceland in the winter to get up close and personal with the Northern lights. She has never seen such vibrant displays of color in her entire life. But outside of that, the constant darkness did a number on her energy. The natives were so used to it. Mack can’t imagine going to work with it being dark for the entire time you’re there. Her body feels out of wack and she is hopeful that she will see the sun tomorrow morning. 

Mack pulls her phone out of her pocket, looking at the iMessages that came in while she was asleep. She looks through her boyfriend’s immediately, smiling at his nonsense chatter about his latest binge watch without her. He is still trying to convince her that she would love this fantasy land the whole country is obsessed with. Mack knows she won’t. It’s too gory and violent and not relatable. 

I’m about to land, she texts him. I slept for like two hours but I am so tired.

Are you and Lucie still meeting tomorrow morning for breakfast?

Yeah, I haven’t heard otherwise.

Go to my place then instead of home. You’ll get more sleep that way.

Mack smiles. He is so good to her.

That would be great. Thank you 😘

Now I’m jealous of my bed ☹️

Mack sighs at that, feeling similar about the hotel bed he is sitting in currently. The Rangers are on their big, West coast road trip which means Mack won’t be seeing David for another 8 days. A silver lining is that she will be able to work uninterrupted to get started on her story. She usually prefers to get it all out within a day of returning home, then work on editing for the next few days off and on. Mack works best when she gets all her thoughts onto paper, then makes little tweaks here and there. If she tries to force it all out of her at once and submit, she gets in her head about her writing. Like “will anyone actually read this?” and a lot of “who cares?”.

The pilot was correct that their landing is bumping and a bit unpleasant, even for a seasoned traveler like Mack. When they get on the ground, Mack sees the heavy, low hanging clouds that contributed. From their pillowy bundles, snowflakes fall. 

She’s home. But knowing she is going to an empty apartment without David makes her excitement dim. 

New York was never supposed to be home for her. It was supposed to be a place she crashed between assignments, maybe spent some time with her sister and her family, but it wasn’t supposed to be this place she looked forward to coming back to. It is only because of David. His absence has begun to weigh heavy on her both in New York and on assignment. Even while witnessing the most spectacular aurora dancing along the horizon, the only thing she could think was “I wish David was seeing this too.”

For this lone wolf, it’s alarming, but nothing she’s willing to put much stock into yet.

The process of getting out of the airport and into a cab is mundane. Mack gets annoyed at the traffic leaving the airport, just wanting to be in a comfortable, familiar space. When she pulls up to David’s building, she murmurs a thank you to the driver, then tips him after he sets her suitcase on the street.

“Good evening, Ms. Hischier.” David’s doorman, Philip, greets her. 

“Hi Philip. Slow night?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He says as he opens the door for her.

“Try to stay warm.” Mack calls as she heads inside.

“I always do.” He smiles kindly at her. Mack waves and turns towards the elevators. She presses David’s floor, then digs in her bag for his key. In the Des Moines Airport, David handed her a key to his New York apartment on a light up, corn cob keychain. If you squeeze it, it flashes red, green, and blue lights. It’s touristy and tacky, but Mack smiles every time she uses it. Her exchange of keys with him involved a single key- no frills, no fuss, no fun (David’s words). 

She sticks the gold key into the lock and flips it, stepping into his dark, quiet apartment. Everything is clean and picked up aside from a single glass in the kitchen sink.  A few pieces of mail are set on the corner of the counter and a poinsettia plant from Christmas has seen better days. Mack wheels her suitcase to a stop, then grabs the plant, bringing it to the sink to give it some water. It is still going to die, but maybe she can enjoy it for a few more days.

Mack pauses at that thought. Is she staying here for days? She should probably go home tomorrow and get settled back in her space, especially if she is going to write. She puts the plant back on it’s stand after shaking out the excess water. Then she sets it back on the counter. She runs her hand along the cool stone counter, looking out at his place.

Everything is dark, warm colors. David mentioned he hired an interior designer to decorate his place after he bought it. The designer captured David’s personality well. The couch is a dark, espresso brown topped with tan pillows and a deliciously soft cream blanket. A massive TV dominates the wall with a gas fireplace beneath it that David never turns on unless Mack asks. Along the TV are built ins that hold various books, none of which are decorative, but all classics that the designer had painted to match the esthetic. 

“Who paints books?” David had asked Mack when he pointed them out to her. “Can’t read ‘em anymore cause the paint fumes give me a headache.”

She pointed out he could get rid of him. He shrugged. Why get rid of perfectly good books?

Mack chuckles to herself at that. She pulls her phone out, seeing a message from him asking her to check in when she gets settled. 

I made it. She sends him a picture of her in the kitchen, lips making a fish face. I see you let our love fern die.

Funny! You left town too? 

And you call yourself a farmer…

Those are fighting words, Hisch. I don’t have much food, but help yourself.

🥊 I’m going to go to bed.

Yeah, get some rest babe. I’ll talk to you in the morning?

I’ll call you when I’m up.

Okay. Hey, just so you know, you can stay as long as you like. But if you want to go home, I get it too.

Mack pauses, biting her lip for a moment as she contemplates.

Maybe I will ☺️ Someone has to nurse this love fern back to life.

Don’t let us die, honey. I love you, goodnight 😘

I love you too, goodnight 😘

Mack goes through her nighttime routine after putting her phone into Sleep mode. She cleans her face, slaps on some moisturizer then hurries through brushing her teeth. Her energy and self-care desires are slowly waining. She pulls back the comforter of David’s bed and sighs dreamily as she climbs into his spot in bed. Normally she sleeps on the opposite side, but tonight she wants to curl herself into his smells. 

Once comfortable, she pulls her phone up to do a quick scan through Instagram. She flicks through various posts from her friends. She tosses a like to Liv’s photo dump of LA with Luca. She clicks over into explore, seeing if there is anything worth looking through before she calls it a night. She pauses over an image of David with TRADE RUMORS in bold at the bottom of the icon. 

What?

She clicks on it, skimming the text. Essentially the Rangers are rumored to be shopping David because they don’t have the salary cap space to resign him this summer. So rather than letting him walk into Free Agency without getting a return, they are shopping him to teams outside the Metro division. 

A cold bucket of reality is slapped over Mack’s body. It may as well be ice cubes sliding down her spine with the shiver that rolls through her. 

David traded?

The thought never crossed Mack’s mind. She may not be the most NHL literate girlfriend, but she knows David has high value with the Rangers, especially as Connor’s partner on the first defensive pair. This is only one report, right? It can’t be more than a rumor.

But when Mack searches through more social media outlets, several additional reports from various different sources are reporting on this numerously over the last week, even as early as five days ago.

David didn’t share any of this with her. In fact, hockey has barely come up with them since she left for Iceland, other than him going out of town.

Mack sits up in bed, getting ready to text him. Then she thinks better of it. She is too tired to have this conversation. She places her phone on the nightstand then tucks her hand under her cheek. 

What happens if David is traded? Her stomach swirls at the thought of this taking him away from her. She’s so in love with him now. How could she handle this?

So much for that sleep she needs.

- - - & - - -

The next morning, in their favorite breakfast spot, Mack pushes her food around on her plate as Lucie cuts up pancakes for Stella. 

“I don’t want these anymore. I want strawberry ones.” The little girl whines.

“Well, you made a choice and we aren’t going to waste food.” Lucie says.

“Daddy would let me.” The four year old huffs. Lucie looks up at Mack and narrows her eyes as she saws through the pancake a little more forcefully.

“Should we call him and ask?” Lucie directs the question to her daughter.

“No.” Stella pouts. Connor would never side with Stella over his wife. All three girls at the table know that.

“Auntie, can I have your bacon?”

“Sure.” Mack pushes her plate towards her niece. Stella takes a piece. The waitress comes by and asks if they need anything else. Mack orders another coffee, hoping it will perk her up more.

“You jet lagged?” Lucie asks once she turns back to her own food. She swallows a bite of oatmeal and winces before gulping down water. Lucie has looked a little pale this whole meal, but hasn’t said anything about feeling sick.

“I didn’t sleep well last night.” Mack admits. 

“Mama didn’t either. She was up a lot.” Lucie pauses, then tentatively spoons more oatmeal in her mouth. 

“It’s hard to sleep without the boys, huh?” Lucie continues. “I always feel like it’s too quiet with Connor gone.”

“Yeah.” Mack answers, then drops her gaze back to her plate.

“What’s up, Mackie?” Mack pauses, glancing at Stella who sucks up a big gulp of her orange juice. 

“Ahhhhh.” The little girl exclaims. For not wanting blueberry pancakes, she sure is scarfing them down. Mack continues to watch her shove the syrupy bites into her mouth. 

“What was it like when Connor got traded?” Mack asks. Lucie’s eyebrows furrow.

“Wow, that feels so long ago. Um, obviously not ideal because I was pregnant.” She takes another sip of water and pushes out a breath.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Lucie waves away. “But it worked out. He’s a captain now and fits in well with the Rangers. It’s been good for our family. He has great teammates. The organization takes care of us. Sometimes I wish it was still him and Lio on the same team, but David has been a good friend to Connor. Protects him out on the ice too.” 

“Were there signs?”

“Um.” Lucie contemplates. “I think Connor had some experiences where he thought it might happen. Just conversations with management and the coaching staff. Him and I talked about it, but we were so young and naive. We didn’t think it would really happen. Then it did.” She shrugs.

“So you two talked about it?”

“Yeah.” Lucie nods. She swallows then groans a bit. Mack watches her take another sip of water. She contemplates asking her if she is okay again, but she figures Lucie is going to lie to her again. “Why?”

“I saw some trade rumors on social media about David. But he hasn’t brought it up.”

“Maybe there isn’t anything to bring up.”

“Sure, but it’s been going on for a week. He didn’t bring it up while I was gone, or when I got back last night, or when I called him this morning. It’s been business as usual.”

“Hm. Connor did mention it to me this week.” Lucie admits. “But he didn’t seem to think there was a lot of substance behind the rumors. David will get a good contract extension this summer, but you might have to deal with some rough seas before hand. That’s part of the NHL lifestyle.”

Mack stares blankly back at her older sister.

Her skin starts to itch and her throat begins to tighten up. 

This feels like more than she signed up for. 

Her only response to her sister is a nod. 

They finish breakfast quickly because Lucie is clearly trying not to vomit all over the table. Mack has her suspicions of what is ailing Lucie, but it isn’t for her to say. 

“Are you coming back to David’s” Lucie asks as they step outside. 

“Um…” Mack trails off. She crosses her arms over her chest, tucking her hands into the sleeves of her jacket to protect them. “I think, I’m going to go grab my stuff and then head home. I should check on my place and make sure everything looks good.”

“Okay. Do you want to come over for dinner? We could watch the game together if you’re going to be back at David’s?”

“I don’t think so. I have to get started on my Iceland article. It’s due next week.”

“Okay.” Lucie responds. “Maybe we can do something when the boys get back this weekend?”

“Sure.” Mack nods as they begin to walk back towards the apartment building.

Mack says goodbye to Lucie and Stella, then heads to David’s. She quickly gathers her stuff, then puts his apartment back to the way she found it. She glances over his stuff, wondering what he would do with this place if he is traded. She frowns deeply, the lump in her throat expanding more. She shouldn’t think about that. She needs to get out of here, go home and get lost back in Iceland rather than the unknowns of NHL trade season. 

She walks out of the apartment, flicking the lock back into place. Her corn cob keychain bumps into the door, lighting up her bag when she tosses it inside.

In her rush, Mack completely forgets the reviving poinsettia on the counter.

Read more Mack and David here

[ladylooch]

Bones - Part 1 [Mack x David]

A/N: It's here!!!! It's finally, finally here!!!!!! I am so excited and proud to start posting Mack and David's series. I cannot put into words how much fun it is for me as a writer to bring these two to life. We have over 20 chapters in the works for these two.

The series officially begins after this part: How Country Feels

Word Count: 3.8k

“Fuck.” Mack mutters in Swiss German as she whips her fresh shirt over her head. She looks down at the toilet paper holder in the stall that holds her buzzing iPhone. She grabs it as the picture of her and her older sister disappears. Mack stabs at the phone button, then taps her name, calling her back.

“Hey!” Her older sister answers brightly. “Are you in a cab yet?”

“No. My flight was late.”

“Oh shoot.” Lucie trials off. “Okay, well we will see you soon?”

“Yep.” Mack tries to be nice, but she hates being late and her sister’s unnecessary phone call grates at her worn nerves. 

“Give me the phone.” Mack hears her boyfriend come over the line suddenly. “Honey?”

“Yes, babe?”

“We will see you when you get here.” Mack stops stuffing her plane shirt into her backpack. She grins, biting her bottom lip. “Travel safe, eh?”

“Thank you. I can’t wait to see you.” 

“Miss you something bad pretty girl. Hurry. I’ll hold Lucie’s phone until you get here so she quits calling.”

“I’m worried about her!” Lucie insists. “And I miss her too! I miss you, Mackie.”

Mack chuckles, realizing her sister sounds about two glasses of wine deep into the annual welcome back party with the Rangers. She wishes she was glasses deep into alcohol too. With that, she resumes stuffing her shirt into her bag.

“I’m hanging up now. I’ll see you soon.” Mack reiterates. David bids her another goodbye, then they both click off.

Mack flies out of the stall, rushing through washing her hands then hoofing it to the ground transportation area. Luckily there are cabs awaiting. She pops in one then gives the address of a building she’s never been to by David’s apartment. Connor and Lucie arranged the party for the team the last few years, but have been rotating it around different event venues in their neighborhood. Their condo isn’t big enough to house everyone, plus a catering staff for all the food and drink options. The team has expanded a lot the last two years with most of the guys having significant others now.

Mack nibbles on her bottom lip as the cab maneuvers out of the airport. She doesn’t know why she is so nervous about this party. It’s been keeping her up the last few nights, making it difficult to sleep along with the broken air conditioner in her hotel room. She rubs under her eyes, collecting a dusting of black that had smudged off during her in-flight nap. 

If Mack has to pinpoint it, she is worried about meeting all these people as David’s girlfriend for the first time. Some of the girls know her as Lucie’s sister, but this is different. She knows from Lucie that David has been a hot commodity for the girls to set their friends up with. David has always politely declined, but Mack can’t shake the sense that she is walking into a blinding spotlight of scrutiny. 

As the car crosses into the correct neighborhood, Mack’s phone buzzes in her hand. She looks down at a text from David. 

You here yet 😉

Yeah, you don’t see me?, she teases back.

Her leg begins to bounce as she turns her attention back to the city buildings passing on her left. Mack is a little nervous about seeing David again. They have been talking every day since they both left Iowa, but spending so much time apart makes her worry. What if he’s lost interest? Or what if the chemistry that has been building evaporated with the warm summer heat?

All those what ifs vanish as they turn the corner on the street for the restaurant. Outside, in a blue and grey flannel is David Carlson. His hands are tucked into his dark jeans, brown boots planted firmly on the sidewalk. His hair is cut into a fade with longer, tousled strands on top of his head. His eyes watch every cab that slows, looking into the back for her. She grins as its her cab’s turn. His grin magnifies the night and he pulls the door handle open before the car even stops. He leans in, kissing her deeply, long mustache tickling her nose. The sensation is welcomed and reminds Mack of home. Her hands go to his big shoulders as he reaches into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. He takes out some dollar bills then hands them to the cabbie.

“Thanks, man.” David murmurs, then wraps Mack into his arms to pull her out.

“I can walk.” She reminds him.

“For now.” He smirks, then leans in for her bags. He shuts the door then swings her bags over his shoulder in one hand. The other weaves around her lower back, guiding her into his body. “You look so good.” He can barely keep his smile off his lips long enough to kiss her again. Mack’s eyes drift closed. What was she worried about? “You ready?”

“Mhm.” She acknowledges. He slides his free hand into hers, leading her to the door. 

Mack follows David through the restaurant to a separate event space. Her eyes skim the restaurant, noticing the attention he demands because of his tall, big body, and gorgeous features. He oozes confidence and assurance. They turn down a hallway and David stops, nudging Mack into the brick wall. The stone is cool on her back as David gives her a searing kiss. Her fingers trail up his shoulders to rub at the freshly cut hairs of his face. 

“Wanna blow this damn party off, but your sister will throw a fit.” He mumbles. His lips pucker on her mouth, then begin to kiss her jaw bone. 

“I know. I want you so bad.” She sighs, turning to nibble at his ear lobe. Having him inside her is about the only worthy thought that crossed Mack’s mind on her trip home.

David lifts his head, scanning the hallway. He sees a door, trying the handle to find it unlocked. Inside is relatively empty except a few plastic cups and table linens. He tugs Mack inside then shuts the door behind them. Mack grins, collecting him into her arms as he lifts her up, pinning her against the cool, black metal. 

“You wanna?” He checks in with her, pulling away to see her face.

“Yeah. Bad.” She nods as she says it, breasts heaving with heavy breaths. 

“That’s my girl.” He bites her bottom lip, then puts her feet back down. Together, they work off one another’s jeans. Mack is only able to step one foot out before David is hoisting her back up. In his mouth is a condom, she takes it from him, then maneuvers her hands to his cock, rubbing the latex down. David takes his shaft in his hand when she is done, balancing her weight with the door. He fists himself, dragging his swollen head through her slick folds, then posies at her entrance. Mack sinks herself down, pressing her hips until she swallows him fully. 

The stretch is divine. Not painful or intrusive, just full enough to have her buzzing. She bucks her hips, making the door rattle behind her. 

“Fuck.” She whines when he pulls out then thrusts back in fully. “Yeah, that the whole time, babe.” 

Without a word, David continues, his lips drink hers up, unable to drift long away from hers like a magnet connects them. His strong hips pump fully into her, increasing the tempo the more she moans. Her pussy grips him like a vice, collapsing with each deep thrust into her. David pulls away from her mouth as Mack begins to shake in his arms. He tightens his grip on her thighs, finger prints transferring into her tanned skin. 

“Look at me.” He gruffly demands, face hovering over hers. Mack’s eyes open. “Watch me while you come. Want you to see what it does to me.” Mack whimpers, eyes wanting to roll back, but she forces them open. Her face scrunches, she inhales deeply through her nose, eyelashes fluttering as her orgasm grips her then rips her off the cliff. 

Mack watches David like he demands, seeing his pupils explode in his green eyes. His jaw ticks as he clenches his teeth together. A groan expands his throat and his red, puffy lips fold together until the color bleeds away from the pressure.

“Fuck.” He collapses forward into his orgasm, his hips press up into her, chasing deep into her core with his last few jerky presses. Mack drifts her hand down to his ass, feeling the powerful muscles turn to stone with his rocks into her. 

“Mmm, wow. Yeah. Really, really missed that.” She drags her nose across the soft flannel on his shoulder. David’s head falls to the crook of her neck, cheek feeling slightly damp against her bare skin there. Her finger nails scrape at his scalp, lips plumping into his temple every few seconds. 

“It’s wild the things you make me do, Mack.” Her cheeks spread wide as he pulls back. He looks drunk from his afterglow. His lips pucker. She leans forward, squeezing his cock in her as he does. “Ugh.” He groans blissfully. “We are making this the shortest party ever.” He says it without room for her input. “Gotta get you back in my bed.” 

“Can we go to my place?”

“Yeah. I stopped by earlier. Your plants are still alive and there are fresh condoms in the bedside table. We are set.”

“The essentials, plants and condoms.” Mack giggles as David pulls out of her. He takes the condom off and ties it off, then helps her pull her pants and underwear back up. After, he tucks himself into his jeans and closes them up. 

Mack steps to the side as David pokes his head out, looking both ways down the hallway. A giggly bubble fills up Mack’s chest as he reaches his hand back for her to take. With her bags slung over his shoulder, he leads Mack back out of the closet. 

They almost make it the whole way out before Connor Wood exits the event space, catching them. Mack purses her lips, closing her eyes for what she knows is coming. 

“You two fuck in that closet?” Connor smirks so wide it may as well be grin. David laughs. Mack punches at his kidney lightly.

“David!”

“It’s pretty obvious, honey. No need to lie to Woody.” 

“Welcome home, Mackie.” Connor says, holding the glass door open to the event space for her. 

“Go in. I’ll be right there.” David says from behind her.

“You guys were safe. We love to see it.”

“Yeah, we don’t need another unplanned pregnancy.”

“You need a new joke.” Connor gruff at Mack, stepping in after she walks through the doorway.

“Why? That one’s still funny.” 

“Is it?” He tilts his head at her, nose scrunched up in annoyance.

Mack’s reply is cut off by a screaming Lucie. She brings all her bubbly, happy captain’s wife energy and attention over to her younger sister. Mack opens her arms, then all the air whooshes out of her lungs with how hard Lucie runs into her. Lucie doesn’t seem to notice as she wraps herself around Mack’s shoulders, swaying her harshly left and right then straight up shaking her.

“Mackie!!!!!!!! I’m so happy you’re home!!!!!!” Mack looks over Lucie’s shoulders at the curious group of onlookers. The entire team watches them in a casual way. A few of the girls Mack recognizes from last season wave in a greeting. Mack smiles back. “Mmm, I love you. But I hate how tan you are.”

“Next time you should come with me.”

“I will.” Lucie nods, then takes her wine glass back from Connor. “I am going to get you some of this wine. It is so. Good. SO good!” Lucie claps. “Come with me. I have things for you!”

Mack glances over her shoulder, seeing David come in eases her nerves before she follows her sister over to a table decked out in Red, White, and Blue. She zeroes in on a heavy duty, clear bag with Carlson and the number 14 stitched into it.

“So I got these bags for the arena.” Lucie starts off. “Then we have a phone case, and a lanyard for our passes. Then I found this adorable little shop at the farmer’s market that made us all necklaces with the boys numbers and then engraved their last names onto them too. Look!” She points to the one she is wearing. It’s gold and dainty with Wood etched into the bottom of the 2 of his number, 23. 

“Oh I like it.” Mack nods. 

“Yes. Oh we should get yours out. It would look so good with your outfit.” Lucie rummages through Mack’s bag, pulling out the velvet blue bag. She reaches her fingers in, then twirls her finger for Mack to turn. She does, gathering her hair into one hand as Lucie clasps it together. Mack brings her fingers up to touch the cool metal. “Oof, you should take a peek at how that man is staring at you right now.” Lucie murmurs. “It’s steamy in here.” Mack looks over her shoulder at her boyfriend. His green eyes blaze with clear desire as he nurses a new beer. He brings the bottle to his lips, smirking at her before taking a long pull. “Careful, Mack. You’re looking at him like you love him.”

Mack rolls her eyes.

“Show me what else is in here.” She changes the subject.

Mack and Lucie continue to go through the bag until another woman comes up with a separate bag. Mack recognizes her as Melinda. Her husband is a veteran center. 

“I’m so glad there is finally another girl to share all this stuff with. Lucie, your sister is stunning. Like, wow. You just got off a plane and you’re this gorgeous?”

“Never underestimate a sink shower in the bathroom.” Melinda laughs.

“Oh and she’s funny! No wonder she snagged David.” Her thin eyebrows raise, then she leans closer to Mack and whispers. “Good for you.” Her gaze is pointed, lips pursed as she nods in appreciation. Mack’s mouth drops slightly open when she catches on, then red steaks up her neck and cheeks.

The attention moves from David’s eggplant size to the contents of her bag. Melinda has a dozen different t-shirts and sweatshirt with David’s number on them. 

“We used to order for every boy’s number regardless of if they had someone or not. For so long all the boys were single and we got a better deal by ordering extra than just ordering what we needed. So take whatever you want, if it doesn’t fit just get rid of it.” 

Mack’s eyes widen at the amount of stuff laid out in front of her. 

“This was my favorite shirt.” Melinda points to the gorgeous blue crew neck. The Rangers logo rests on the left part of the chest, then the number 14 is sticked into the sleeve on the right like a dainty tattoo.

“I loved this one but it got ruined when Stella was sick once.” Lucie pouts. 

“We should do something similar for playoffs.” Melinda suggests to Lucie.

“Yes! Oh I love that! Something we can wear for away games to save our jackets for home?”

Mack looks between the two women, then drops her gaze back to the pile of clothes. She should feel grateful, but instead an overwhelmed wave crashes down on her as she takes in everything with David’s name and number on it. 

“Are we giving Mack presents?!” Another girl asks, reaching for a similar black bag to Melinda’s. “I have tons of jewelry and stickers and water bottles.” Then she pulls out a replica jersey mug with David’s number and last name on it. “Truthfully, I got this last year hoping he would date my friend Holly…” She trails off. “But she turned into a backstabbing bitch so I’m glad that didn’t work out. I’m Jade.”

What the…? Mack smiles politely, then shakes Jade’s hand. A silent look passes between the two Hischier sisters. Ah, that Jade. The one the other wags groan when she shows up every year still with her boyfriend, Tucker.

Lucie begins folding up all of Mack’s items, trying to fit them in the WAG issued bag for this year. It won’t all fit, so then they load up Melinda’s bag with Mack promising to bring it back to her at the next team outing. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Melinda waves her off as David comes up behind Mack. His hand grounds her as it slides into the back pocket of her jeans.

“What is all of this? Y’all are gonna have her running back to the Caribbean if you don’t quit giving her shit.”

“Yeah, that’s gonna make her run.” Melinda jokes. “Not those white sandy beaches and turquoise waters. Oh! Mack! We have to pick your brain for the Allstar trip this year. We need ideas. Tulum is tired and boring.” 

“Oh yeah. It’s better to go to Cabo these days.” Mack agrees. “It depends on what we want to do there?”

“Drink and fuck.” Jade fills in for Mack.

“Damn…” David snorts. 

“Ah, okay.” Mack chuckles. “I can put together a list.”

“David, you have a good one. Don’t fuck this up.”

Mack doesn’t need anyone on this team’s approval, but damn if it doesn’t make her chest swell with pride at how well this is going. Mack and David mingle together for the rest of the party, which admittedly isn’t long. She tries to hide it, but David can see how tired she is. Her blinks start to slow down and she may have closed her eyes until her head bobbed when they were talking with a new rookie on the team from Austria. He played for SC Bern in the Swiss league before signing his rookie contract with the team. He switched to Swiss German with her and although she is used to this dialect from her dad, her tired brain is having trouble switching from English back to her native tongue.

“Okaaaay.” David chuckles, wrapping an arm around her back. She crashes into him, off balance, then nuzzles into his chest immediately. “Time to get you home.” He murmurs to her hair, kissing her afterwards. Mack nods limply. 

David collects all her bags, the ones she came here with and was gifted during the event. Mack quietly says her goodbyes to her sister and brother-in-law, then David is guiding her to the parking lot where his SUV waits. He opens her door for her, then places her bags into the trunk. Mack kicks off her boots, curling her legs up in her seat. Her cheek rests on the headrest, facing David. His big hand comes to her face, rubbing at her cheek bone with his thumb. Tiredly, Mack opens her eyes. 

“I’m so glad you’re home, honey. Can’t even tell ya how much I missed ya.”

Mack doesn’t respond, but she grabs his hand from her face, folding it into hers so she can hold his hand the whole drive to her apartment. 

Ron beams excitedly when he sees her and David walk through the apartment lobby from the underground garage. 

“Well if it isn’t the perfect couple!” He exclaims. “Welcome home, Ms. Hischier.”

“Thanks, Ron.” Mack mumbles, waving to him around David’s big body. “He is so nice.” Mack sighs, leaning into David’s chest in the elevator. “Do you need help with any of that?” She looks down, seeing David gripping the four bags in one hand.

“No.” He assures her. His lips brush her forehead. She tilts her face back, presenting her puckered lips. She sways slightly into him as the elevator stops at her floor. “Gotta get you to bed, sleepy.”

“ ‘M crashing.” She mumbles then yawns hugely.

David leads her down to her place, then removes his hand from her to search for her keys. 

“In my jacket.” She murmurs, lifting her arm so he can reach into her pocket.

“Thank you.” He politely responds, then flips her lock. He opens the door for her and they step through the threshold together. 

Mack starts to make a beeline for the couch.

“Baby, baby, no. Just go to bed.”

“No. Too far!” She wails, then collapses onto the couch face first. David chuckles, dropping her bags off to the side of her entry way. He kicks his shoes off, then flips the double locks on her door. Mack smiles to herself. He’s staying. Good. She hoped she wouldn’t have to ask. 

One of his hands slides under her, flipping her to her back so he can collect her into his arms. Mack hugs herself to his chest with her arms around his neck. She nuzzles her nose into the dip of his neck where it meets his chest. Her lips kiss there. 

“I’m leaving again this weekend.” Mack says quietly. She’s known this since before she came home, but has been worried to tell him. 

“Okay, honey.” There is no anger or disappointment in his voice, only a kindness that Mack leans into. 

“Thank you for understanding.” She says as he sets her on her bed.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know. I know it’s hard to be apart.”

“I’m also leaving next week. Not fair for me to get upset over that if I’m doing the same thing.”

“Yeah.” She answers. He gets it. And her. There isn’t anything more to discuss, but Mack couldn’t if there was anyway. She’s so tired. 

David holds up two pajama options to her. She picks the lighter set, knowing her personal furnace is gonna keep her warm enough under that comforter. Mack struggles out of her clothes, then allows David to help her step into her sleep shorts. Before he puts her t-shirt over her head, he kisses across her breasts until her nipples tighten into pointed peaks. 

“Like the look of that.” He grins, then puts the hole of her shirt over her head. “Gonna have to have you a lot before we leave each other again. Wanna memorize those nipples.”

Mack smirks. He pulls the covers back for her to climb under, then he strips himself bare. Mack notices his thickened cock bobbing as he kicks his pants off. She wishes she had the energy to take him into her mouth and suck him off. Sensing her struggle with her competing needs, David cups her chin to kiss her fully.

“No need to force it, honey. We got plenty more nights just like this together.” He reminds her. 

His big body climbs in under her feminine, white comforter. Mack yawns, letting David collects her in his arms. She curls into him like a cat into a warm, sunny spot in the winter. His fingers play with her hair, then trail a path down her arm to her wrist. He repeats the motion continuously.

Mack falls asleep missing him even though he’s right there in her arms.

She knows Lucie was right tonight.

She’s in entirely new territory.

Love.

Read more Mack and David here.

[ladylooch]

How Country Feels - [Mack X David]

A/N: I am so excited to bring this to you today for many reasons. First of all, it’s Mack and David in Iowa. So we know it’s smutty and adorable. BUT! Mostly I am excited to give this as a gift to my bestest bestie @casualhilarity. You graduated!!!!! From your really tough 6 week training program and I am so so so so so so proud of you! There was never a doubt that you would be successful in this adventure. This step is just the beginning for you. I cannot wait to see what is next! In the meantime, please enjoy our thoughts on Iowa coming to life in the longest post I have ever made on Tumblr 🥹💜

Word count: 8.2k

Warnings: mentions of death, cancer, grief, smut (18+ content)

10,000 feet above Des Moines, Iowa, Mackenzie Hischier looks out the window as her plane begins to descend from her connecting flight from LAX. She has been flying across the world for almost 18 hours trying to get here. Queenstown, New Zealand was home for her the past three weeks. Her internal clock is all sorts of fucked up from the massive time swing she is going through, but she was able to sleep in sync with the Central Time Zone on her first flight. She is hopeful that will curb some of her jet lag. 

The landscape below is much different from the crystal blue water and rigid mountain peaks she came from. Instead, it is flat and vast, various different shades of greens and brows. It’s also windy. She scrunches her nose as the plane swings a bit to the left before continuing on at a smoother pace. There is not much out here to block the wind, but thousands of windmills dot the prairie below them to capture the best energy source nature can give this area. Mack has never been to Iowa, or the Midwest outside of Chicago, which doesn’t feel or look anything like what she is seeing. 

Shortly after landing, Mack walks out of the secure area, heading down to baggage claim 2. As she gets closer to the carousal, she sees a tall man with a thick black mustache, blue jeans, and a plain white t-shirt stretched across his broad chest. His hands are stuffed in his pockets as he leans against the wall by baggage claim 2, boot clad feet crossed over at the ankles. A worn, NYR baseball cap is on his head, hiding his green eyes that are devouring her even as they hide in the shadow of the bill. Mack can see the toothpick in his mouth as she gets closer. He pushes off from the wall, starting to walk towards her. Never in her life did she think she would do this, but her pace quickens and she hustles her ass across that tiled floor to be picked up by him.

“Hi!” She exclaims as she throws herself at him. He catches her easily, hauling her up his chest, both big hands clutching her ass.

“Hi honey.” He grins up at her. Mack licks her lips, then puts them on his. He squeezes her tighter into their kiss. “Mmm, missed that. Missed you.” He lets her slide down his body, Vans hitting the tile again. “Thought it was winter in New Zealand. How are you so tan?”

“There was so much sun! We got lucky pretty much the whole trip.” This trip was with two of her colleagues because it is a big feature with the magazine. Mack is grateful they had a photographer so she could focus more on the stories of the locals and less about getting the perfect shot for print.

“Good. Glad it worked out for you, baby.” He says, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “You tired?”

“Um, yeah. Don’t let me fall asleep.” She mumbles into his side.

“I won’t. You’re in Iowa now. We gotta work when we get back to the farm.” Mack’s eyes widen. She looks up at him with concern. David starts to laugh.

“I’m kidding. Work is done for the day.” 

“But tomorrow?”

“It begins all over again. Gotta feed the cows, let the chickens roam, check fence, and a thousand other tasks.”

“Hard working boy.”

“Yeah.” He grins proudly. The beeping of the baggage claim alerts them before the metal begin to turn. David sees Mack’s bag and steps forward, easily hauling it off. “Just this?” Mack nods. “Let’s go baby.” He holds a hand out for her to take. She laces their fingers together, surprised at how rough his hands feel. Her gaze travels up his arm to his bicep, noting it is rock hard and bulging even without flexing.

“How long of a drive is it?” She asks after they are tucked into David’s big, black truck. He whips it fast and easy out of the parking spot, then roars the diesel engine out of the parking ramp. 

“Ah, about an hour.” He tells her, sliding his hand over to cup her thigh. She weaves her fingers through his. He squeezes them tight. “Plenty of time for you to tell me everything about your trip.” Mack smiles, adjusting herself in the passenger seat so she can look at him while she talks. She loves talking to David. As great as everything else is with him, he is a great listener and always asks the best, most insightful questions about her work. She could talk to him for hours. When she is done, she switches the topic of conversation to him.

“Tell me about the farm. What can I expect?”

“Um,” He chuckles, nudging his hat up off his forehead to scratch an itch. “Well, it’s pretty quiet out there. We are about 15 minutes south of the town closest to us. It has been hot this summer, so I hope you got some summer clothes in there.” Mack does. She packed as accordingly as she could. “Hours are long. I’ll be up before you and come back around dinner time.”

“Oh, I thought you have staff?” Mack questions.

“I do, but someone needs to manage them.” David says. “My farm manager is off on vacation right now. Usually takes the whole month of August off and leaves it to me before he is back to managing it on his own when I head East.” 

“Oooo, you’re the boss.” Mack giggles.

“Yeah of the farm and you.” He quips. Mack rolls her eyes. He is not the boss of her, but he can keep pretending he is.

“Am I gonna see you while I’m here?” She jokes. David licks his lips and nods.

“Yeah, I’ll be able to step away. I have some things planned for us too. Figure I could take you back up to the state fair next week. Get you something on a stick.” Mack gives him a weird look. “You ever been to a state fair? County fair? Nothing?” Mack shakes her head no to both. “Holy shit.” He chuckles.

“At least I don’t think we did when we lived in Jersey. I don’t know that was a long time ago.”

“A fair is where you eat fried food, mostly on a stick, and play games to win prizes, drinks some beer or other frozen drinks to stay cool. Farmers and 4H kids bring their animals to the fair to be judged.”

“What is 4H?” Mack wrinkles her nose in confusion. David looks slack jawed at her. 

“Oh baby. It’s gonna be a whole different world here for you.” He laughs like it’s cute to him.  

Mack feels the first itch of apprehension tickle her spine.

She has been all over the world, but she may be completely out of her league here. 

- - -

The moment Mack steps out of David’s truck in the parking lot of the local watering hole, she can hear the consistent beat of the country song thumping in the tiny bar. David says its a bar, but to Mack it honestly looks like a shack she would avoid if she was alone. After getting a tour of the farm earlier, David informed Mack they were going to be meeting his friends for drinks. He has been talking her up all summer and they’re all eager to get a glimpse of this mystery woman who has stolen David’s heart.

Mack purses her lips for a moment, then looks down at her outfit. She is dressed in a flowing black, long sleeved top from Dior and Black frayed shorts from a boutique in Paris, paired with a Gucci belt. On her feet are black and white Nike Air Force ones. She has on various expensive, designer jewelry and a Prada cross-body bag her mom and dad got her for her last birthday. David had told her she looked good for where he was taking her. She feels very, very overdressed, like even her silk pajamas would be too fancy for this place.

“David.” Mack mumbles when she meets him at the back of the truck. He grabs her hand in his.

“What?” He asks. He is in dark jeans with a blue and white, light weight flannel. His sleeves are rolled up his forearms, exposing his tattoos and the tan skin from a summer of hard work. He took a shower and styled his hair perfectly with a crisp part and a perfect swoop.

“I am so overdressed.”

“What do you mean?” He asks. “You look great?” Mack doesn’t know how to tell him that she is pretty sure her outfit costs more than this bar does. “Don’t worry about it. You’re beautiful and sexy and you’re walking in on my arm. No one is going to mess with you.” Mack snorts and then starts to laugh.

“I wasn’t thinking that, but I’m trying to make a good impression.”

“Babe, they are going to love you. Trust me.”

Within an hour, Mack senses that isn’t going to be the case. 

She can feel the judgement. Detect the way it crawls over her body from his friends. The looks of “not one of us” and the whispers between the girls. She has been talked about enough behind her back throughout life to know when it’s happening right in front of her face. It started when she tried to order a Paloma. The bartender had looked at her like she grew a second head. She glances at David nervously.

“Curley, it’s tequila, grapefruit juice and lime. You got all that shit behind the bar.” David gestures to the wall of liquor. 

“You wanna come make it, David?” Curley asks.

“Fuck. Sure.” David shrugs, going behind the bar and showing Curley how to put the drink together. “You think you got that for next time?” Curley did not look like he had it for next time, so Mack switches to tequila and soda instead. 

The conversation around her has centered on all things farm and rural life. What so and so is up to now. Who had a baby. Who just got divorced. Who was cheating on who. It all seemed very juvenile and uninteresting to Mack. David stayed out of it for the most part, listening along with Mack until his friends, Cody and Trevor, started talking Iowa Hawkeye football. Then she lost him to that.

Mack fingers the cocktail napkin that is soaked with condensation below her glass. It’s times like these where Mack feels so out of place in a country she is a citizen off. She knows this isn’t a full, direct correlation of America, but how can she be more out of place here than when she was in Tokyo last year? Or she can get down and dirty in the rice fields of Thailand and feel more connection with locals who don’t speak the same language than she can in the center of the country she was born in.

David’s lips on her temple break her internal discourse. Mack smiles at him. He rubs her shoulder as if to ask “you good?” She nods at him, smiling reassuringly. 

Dun, nu, nu sounds through the bar speakers, then the whole group slaps their hands on the table. “Woo!” They yell. Then Dun, Nu, Nu. Slap, “Woo!” The whole table erupts excitedly, as a man begins to drawl over the sound system. The table turns to look at David, screaming out the next lyrics, “You were raised on an asphalt farm!” Mack blinks, feeling lost. David tips his head back, laughing loudly.

“Davey! It’s your song!” A girl who Mack can’t remember her name, screams then chugs more of her Miller Lite. 

“Get up and swing your asphalt girl around.” Mack’s eyes widen. David chuckles, tapping her thigh assuringly. 

“No, we are good.” David knows Mack would rather be a metal sign on the wall of the bar than get up when no one else is dancing. Being on display is not her thing. She is grateful for that until she sees the sneering glares of the two women at the end of the table.

“Oh, she’s too good for dancing too.” Mack faintly hears.

Mack looks at David. She can tell he didn’t hear what she heard. Not surprising with how loud his other male friends are signing along to the country song. Mack looks down at the girls, noticing how they avoid direct eye contact with her. The blonde one puts her hand up to her mouth, whispering in the red head’s ear. Then they both giggle. 

“No, let’s dance.” Mack suddenly says to David. She isn’t going to let two, small town, hick bitches intimidate her. 

“What?” He responds, surprised. 

“Yeah, show me what you got cowboy.” She jokes as she stands.

The entire table sucks in a huge, deep breath.

“Oooooooo, she is in trouble.” One of the boys mumbles. David gives her a sympathetic smile.

“We aren’t cowboys, honey. We are farmers.”

“What is the difference?” Mack scoffs, laughing, thinking he is pulling her leg. David winces slightly at the large yelp of the table behind him, then grabs Mack, pushing her towards the center of the bar.

“I’ll show you later.” He chuckles, kissing her mouth. 

“Did I say something wrong?”

“Ah, no. They’re just sensitive. Don’t quite understand how other people are outside of these state lines.” Mack gets quiet, retreating into herself again. David practically drags her around in a circle because she is shutting down internally. “Hey…” He trails off. “This is all new to you. It’s okay.” 

“They don’t like me.” She looks at the center of his chest as she says it, not wanting to see the confirmation on his face.

“Nah, they just don’t know you, sweetheart. A lot of layers to your onion.” David can twist it any which way that he wants, but they both know Mack is right. They don’t like her… right now at least.

When Mack and David head back to the table after their dance, the mood at the table has seemed to shift. Now, they all ignore her. 

“How is the herd looking, Trent?” David asks the guy across from Mack. David’s hand is around her shoulder, rolling his fingers in a circle over the thin material of her shirt.

“Should be a good year.” Trent says. “We really need it. Been hurting the last few.”

“Yeah, we all have.” David nods. “Weather has been shit. Can’t out work that.”

“We can sure fucking try tho.” Trent grins, then clinks beer bottles with him. David brings his over to clink with Mack’s glass. She does so. Trent sucks at his teeth, making a slight slurping noise after swallowing more beer. 

“Mack, where did you grow up?”

“In New Jersey before we moved back to where my dad is from in Switzerland.” He nods.

“You have a job growing up or anything?” David cocks his head to the side at Trent. “I’m just trynna find something to relate to her with.” He justifies.

“Um, no. My parents wanted us to focus on school.” Trent sighs like he is disappointed. 

"Must be nice to have a daddy who was able to give you anything you wanted. Didn’t have to work your way through high school to make ends meet.” 

“Trent, knock it off.” David snaps. “Mack knows what hard work is.”

“Does she? Cause the rest of us aren’t thinking she does.”

“Hey, don’t speak for all of us.” Cody snaps. “Drink your beer and shut up.”

“I’m just thinking that it must be nice to have an NHL daddy who can call in a favor to get you a job where you barely have to work as an adult too.” David stands up, chair knocking back to the floor. He reaches across the table to grab Trent, hauling him up to a standing position. 

“Apologize, right now, and I won’t smear you into the wood floor your daddy installed.” 

“I-I-I’m sorry. I think I’m drunk.”

“No shit.” David sneers, shoving Trent back into his chair. The rest of the table goes ghostly silent. Other bar patrons look over their shoulders at the group. Mack is flaming red over the embarrassment of the words thrown her direction and David’s intense reaction. She is equally mortified and turned on.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom.” Mack whispers as David kisses her cheek in reassurance. David gives her a sympathetic look, apologetic eyes watching her as she heads to the back of the bar. 

Mack goes into the first stall, leaning her back into the tiled wall and covering her face. She sucks in deep breaths, trying not to cry. This night could not get any worse. She wants to leave so bad, but she has never been one to back down from a fight. She isn’t going to start now. She doesn’t want them having the satisfaction of seeing her rattled and vulnerable. No, she’ll throw her walls up and fake charm the pants off them. But first, she is going to grab some fresh air.

She heads through the double wood doors, walking down the parking lot, away from the posse of smokers out front. Her arms are crossed over her chest tightly trying to fight off the chill. She doesn’t understand how it can be so hot in the afternoon, but cool down in the evening. Another thing about Iowa she just “can’t understand”. Tears sting her eyes a bit. She feels dumb. Why is this bothering her so much? That guy is a douche. She knows who she is. She shakes off his words, running her fingers through her hair. Mack knows its because she wants to belong here with David. And from her perspective, so far this trip has been less than successful.

A large jacket comes around her shoulders. She looks to her right, seeing David. His eyes are boring into her, studying her face.

"Looking at the stars?" He asks her.

"Mhm." She looks up at the millions of little dots. Now this reminds her of being in the Swiss Mountains. The same sort of inky, black sky dotted with delicate twinkles. He runs his fingers along her shoulder, resting on the back of her neck. He guides her into his side.

"Talk to me, Hisch." 

"I guess I don't have much in common with this version of you.” Her European accent drips into her voice. She is surprised to hear that. It only comes out when she is feeling emotional, creating difficulty keeping a Western dialect. David grabs the opening of his jacket on her, tugging so she turns completely towards him. He steps forward, crowding her space. He brings a big paw to her chin, tilting her face up to his.

“What version?” He asks, laughing it off. “Baby, I am who I am. No matter where I am.” He brushes her hair back behind her ear. “And you’re everything I’ve dreamed of.” Mack can see how much he means it. It’s in his touch on her cheek, in his gaze stroking along hers, in the sureness of his voice. She nods. He captures her lips. The kiss is soft, sweet sucks and gentle nudging of his tongue against her bottom lip. His other hand winds around her waist, pressing into her lower back to keep her tight to him.

David says the right things, but that kiss says more to Mack than his words ever could.

His lips on hers erase it all- the insecurity, the doubt, the not belonging, the not good enough.

He grounds her because he knows what she needs immediately, sometimes before she even knows. But tonight, it is his physical reassurance soothing her more than anything. He towers over her, shielding her from everything with his muscular body, and consumes her in a way that feels safe not smothering. 

"Just say the word and I'll go back in there to straighten Trent out." Truthfully, having him storm back in there would be so fucking hot. She would get to watch him teach Trent a lesson and get all hot and bothered between her thighs. 

“What is the other option?” She murmurs.

“I take you home. We can spend the rest of the night by ourselves.”

Mack contemplates what home entails. She wants him to hold her hand in his dark truck the whole way home. She craves for him to undress her slowly in that small house. His boots hitting the floor at the foot of the bed while he urges her to lay back so he can take his time undressing her. She needs his rough, calloused hands on her soft hips as he pulls her panties down her legs. Then she wants him soft and slow, gently thrusting deep into her in a missionary position as he irritates her lips with his mustache.

And that’s exactly what Mack gets. 

“You look so good for me, honey. So wet and soft and perfect. Take me so well.” He praises her from where he holds his weight above her. His hot breath dances over her face, coated in light beer and her from his previous perch between her thighs. Mack is blissed out, drunk on him and the stroking of him against the walls of her pussy. 

“David.” She sighs, collecting him to her chest. He presses his to hers and then rolls his tongue into her mouth. He gathers her moans, sucking them up greedily so they are only his tonight. He fucks her deeper, harder, perfect bucks into her wet heat. “Fuck you’re so good. So fucking good.” She cries.

“Yeah? Best?”

“Yeah!” She yells.

“Say my name, sweetheart. Say who makes you feel this good.”

“You! David!” She howls.

“Good girl. My girl.” He groans. Mack’s inner walls clench him, pulling him deeper with each flutter of her getting closer and closer to the edge. Her heels dig into his butt, forcing him to stay right fucking there. She turns her face into his neck, sinking her teeth into him as she comes. 

Afterwards, David plays with her fingers as she lays on his sweaty chest. He kisses her forehead, inhaling the scent of her deeply. He keeps his face there afterwards, as Mack starts to go limp in his arms. Her eyelashes brush gently against his warm skin. He shifts her hips a bit, turning to the side so she can lay more comfortable in the crook of his arm.

“Goodnight, honey.” He whispers on her forehead. Then kisses her a final time before leaving her to her slumber. 

- - -

Two weeks into her trip, Mack is still having some trouble adjusting to Iowa. Every thing is completely different here. The grocery store, the little town he took her into, the restaurant options and drinks, even the air is different! It’s laced with manure and dust, making her nose plugged up so she constantly has to drainage. Her eyes had been almost swollen shut every morning of that first week.

“Do you have allergies?” David had asked her. Mack didn’t think so, but she’s also never been to a place quite like this. After a few days of Zyrtec, Mack can finally breathe through both nostrils.

In celebration, and because she is admittedly very bored, she gets into the shower. It’s the only thing in the farm house that is modern. David likes to take long showers after working in the field all day to get clean and relax. He’ll bring a can of Coors Light in with him and have some alone time. Mack thinks is is adorable, getting to see his self-care routine in Iowa. He doesn’t do this after games in NYC, but she thinks that might be because his adrenaline is usually still roaring after hockey. His favorite post-game routing has seemingly been sex. 

After getting clean and putting on some light make up, along with a sundress, Mack got to work putting together a meal for them. She opted for easily transported items like chips, sandwiches, and cut up fruit. Then she made some lemonade from the cup of lemonade mix she found in the pantry. David loves Lemonade down here. She is starting to enjoy it too. This time she puts fresh strawberries in for a little extra sweetness. 

Mack glances out the front window to where two farm hands are working. She puts her feet in the cowboy boots David got her at the boot store in town when she first got here. They are more broken in now and are no longer hurting her feet, so she feels comfortable wearing them for today’s excursion. Then she grabs the basket and steps outside. 

Mack covers her eyes with her hand, looking out at the vastness of the farm. David took her on a tour her second day here, but she doesn’t remember anything. She worries about getting lost out there. She double checks that she has her phone. At least she seems to have good service here. 

“Um, hi.” Mack says nervously as she walks up to the two farm hands by the barn.

“Hi Mackenzie.” They greet her happily. Something about being the boss’ girlfriend she is sure.

“Mack is fine. Um, do you know where I can find David?” She holds up the basket with their lunch. “I want to bring him lunch.”

“Oh, he is in the far back 40 on the edge of the farm property.” One of them says. 

“Okay. And I can get there with that?” She points to the small utility vehicle they whip around on the front of the farm. 

“Yeah….” They trial off, giving each other a look. “Do you know how to get there?”

“I know everything branches off from this road, she points to the left. But after that I am a little lost.”

“I can take you.” The older one, who seems to be more in charge says. “We can take the truck.” Mack nods. “I can put that in the bed for ya.” He hoists it over into the truck bed, then they both get into the cab. 

“What is your name?” She asks once they start down the dirt road. Rocks kick up against the mud flaps and the underbelly of the truck, making her have to yell a bit over to him.

“Felix.”

“Nice to meet you.” She smiles politely. “Thank you for taking me.”

“Of course. Mr. David says you are our special guest. Can’t let you get lost out here.” Mack blushes, biting her bottom lip. 

“Oh I don’t know about that. How long have you worked on the farm?”

“About 25 years. I worked for Mr. Chuck before Mr. David.” Mack knows Chuck is David’s dad. She doesn’t ask, but wonders if he was there when Chuck passed away on the farm.

“That is nice. You must like it here?”

“Yes, they are fair to their workers and their families. Last year, my wife had cancer. The treatment was expensive. We had to travel up to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. But Mr. David paid for the whole thing and kept my job. My wife has now been in remission for five months.” Felix does the sign of a cross then kisses his lips in praise. 

“Wow.” Mack murmurs. David never told her that.

“He is special. Nothing like his siblings.” Felix’s face seems to cloud over. “We are happy he bought them out of the farm.” Another thing Mack wasn’t aware of. “He has made changes, some hard to learn at first, but all have been good. For us and him. More money and security. People on other farms around here want to work for him the most.” Pride swells in Mack’s chest at hearing that.

Felix turns to the right, heading away from the road and out for a few minutes. They come over a hill, down into a valley where Mack see’s David’s black truck. She frowns, realizing he is out here working alone.

“Is he always out here alone?” She wonders.

“No, just today.” He says. “It’s a hard day for him.” Mack furrows her brows, but nods along. He didn’t say anything before they left. He seemed normal too. The truck comes to a slowed stop. David is working along the fence line. He wipes his forehead with his forearm, looking up at the truck. He sees Felix, then grins huge when he sees Mack.

“Felix! Look at you bringing me pretty little things after busting me for that in high school.” Felix roars with laughter, his big chest shaking as he leans out the rolled down window. 

“This one seems a little less crazy.”

“Eh, you don’t know her like I do.” David winks. He tosses his tools into the cab of his truck. “Stay there, honey.” He says to her. Mack stays put, letting David come to her door. He opens it up, then gives her his hand to help pull her down safely from the high farm truck. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I brought lunch to you.” 

“Oh?” He wiggles his eyebrows, then drags his gaze along her body in her blue, linen sundress. 

“Actual food.” She fills him in. He quips a smirk at her, then leans down to kiss her. 

“Basket in the back, sir.” Felix says.

“How many times do I have to say not to call me that?” David rolls his eyes.

“How many times I gotta tell you it’s about respect?” Felix quips back. Mack smiles. She likes Felix a lot. She can see herself getting to know him more over the next few weeks. 

“Fine. Hey, when you get back up can you tell Becks to get to the N.E. pasture and start working some of the cows into N.D. pasture instead? I don’t think I’m going to get to that today.”

“You bet. I’ll have Reed go with him too. That kid needs to get the hell off my project.”

“He’s a little wild.” David acknowledges. “That’s why he is with you.” David reminds Felix who sighs heavily. “Look what you did with me.” He grins. 

Felix waves and drives off back to the barn after David hauls the picnic basket out of the back. 

“I brought a blanket too.” Mack pulls it out of her bag that she had slung across her shoulder. David drops the tailgate of his truck, then lays the blanket along the back.

“That’s good otherwise your thighs would be burning in that short dress.”

“Is it short?”

“Honey, you know it is.” He slaps her ass to prove his point, getting some of her bare cheek against his palm. Mack leans forward, feeling the fabric slide further up her thighs as she digs in the picnic basket. David runs his fingers up from her knee to cup her ass. He reaches for her arm, pulling her away from the food. “Want something else first.” He sighs against her mouth.

“What if someone comes to find you?” She weakly protests. She had this in mind for lunch too.

“They’ll call me.” He murmurs against her mouth. “Trust me, I don’t want any of my guys seeing you, honey. I wouldn’t take the chance if I didn’t think it was safe.” Mack nods, believing him completely.

He wraps an arm around her waist, pinning her tight to him. His hard cock protrudes from beneath his zipper, pulsing for Mack to touch. Her fingers, clutch the back of his neck, feeling his skin sweaty and hot beneath her fingers. He smells sexy like sweat and deodorant that works just as hard as her man. It’s hot, sexy as fuck, to the point that Mack wraps her leg around his waist to grind against him.

David moves his mouth from hers and presses kisses along her throat. He sucks her skin hard into his mouth at the nook of her neck and shoulder, then continues down. Mack arches back, letting her head fall back so he can access her chest completely. His lips continue their path over the swell of her left breast, then he nudges the fabric to the side. Her nipple pebbles in the sunlight, pink and beautiful, just for him. He opens his lips, pulling it in. His tongue strokes over her sensitive peak, then creates a wet trail to the other one, grabbing it between his lips. He lets that one go with a final slurp, then goes back to kiss her mouth. 

“Mmm.” Mack hums. Her fingers go to his belt, working it apart. She pulls his hard length out of his jeans and underwear, stroking along his shaft, feeling the velvet skin tight in her hand. She works her fingers up to his head, stroking until his slit releases pre-cum. 

“Fuck.” He groans, breaking away from their kiss. David turns Mack, lifting her dress up over her ass and pulling her bare skin back to his. He works his cock between her ass, savoring how she grinds her cheeks against him while he holds her tight by her stomach. He kisses her shoulder, tasting her warm, vanilla skin. 

“Bend over.” He growls before she reaches between their bodies and holds his balls, stealing his breath. She rolls them over in her hand as she lays forward obediently. Her right cheek presses into the blanket she brought. David moves her dress up, pulling her thong underwear down for her ankles to hold. David strokes his cock as he puts two fingers at Mack’s entrance, testing her. She is soaked, almost dripping down those soft thighs for him. He curses again, then plunges into her welcoming heat.

Mack’s arms stretch above her head, gripping the blanket in her palms. Her hard nipples stroke against the ridges of the truck bed with each direct thrust of him into her. David works his hands off her hips to the front of her thighs, keeping his hands there to protect her from the lip of the tailgate. His lips kiss her spine, then he get into position to fuck her hard and fast just like she begs for. The truck suspension squeaks from his powerful pumps.

“So good.” Mack calls back. She opens her eyes, taking in the surrounding Iowa wilderness, grinning at how sexy it is to be fucked by this man right here. Maybe she could be a country girl after all. She giggles.

“What?” He asks her.

“Maybe I am a country girl.” 

“By the time I’m done with you, you will be.” He laughs, slapping her ass with his abdomen with each drill of his cock into her. 

“Oh.” She groans, felling like a completely, coming undone mess at what he is doing with her. His unhooked belt slaps the outside of her thigh as it swings. She moves one hand from above her head, bringing it to her clit to roll it in rapid circles. “David…” She moans loudly, letting her voice go, carrying out across the field.

“Mmm, yeah. Let the world hear you baby. Let everyone know who’s pussy this belongs to.” He brings a hand under her stomach, arching her lower back and hips up so he can drive at a different angle. Mack’s eyes roll into the back of her head, almost securing to her brain at how incredible his cock feels pressing into her velvet circle. 

“Right there. David, please don’t stop. Never stop.” Mack wails. 

“Not until you coat this cock, sweetheart.” He assures her. “This what you wanted, huh? Made your man a little meal so he would stuff you full of his thick cock?”

“Yeah!” Mack admits shamelessly. “Ohmyg-“ Mack chokes on the last word as the intensity of her orgasm rips the breath from her lungs. 

“Oh fuck. Baby, yes.” He moans, losing control at the hard flutters of her around him. “So fucking good, baby. Perfect for me.” His hoarse voice coos at her as he paints ropes of cum on her walls.

Their heavy breathing makes them hot, sweat beginning to bead along their spines as they lay limply against each other on the truck bed. Then, David straightens up, gliding himself out of Mack gently. She whimpers at the emptiness, wishing he would stay there for a little longer. He delicately drops her dress back over her butt after bringing her panties up into place. She turns, leaning on the tailgate as her legs shake. David tucks himself back into his pants, buckling his belt before focusing back on her. He grips her chin with his thumb and pointer finger, giving her a soft, wet kiss. 

“You are amazing.” He sighs. Mack grins into their kiss.

“You too. Never felt like this.” She whispers, holding him by the back of his neck against her forehead. Never thought she would admit things like this to someone either. But as per usually, David is scratching out all of her rules and rewriting new ones, like spending weeks in America’s heartland and turning down jobs from her editor.

“I’m starving. What did you bring us?” David asks, picking her up and setting her on the tailgate behind her so she can reach the picnic basket. She brought them turkey sandwiches with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and homemade pesto mayo she put together yesterday afternoon. All the flavors have marinated deliciously together, creating a flavor bomb in her mouth. 

“Holy shit. This is amazing. Thank you!” His genuine appreciation makes Mack’s chest warm. She smiles coyly, with her mouth full of food. He leans down to kiss her. Mack gently chews the rest of her bite, looking over at David who is devouring his sandwich is two more huge bites. She chuckles, then licks her lips before speaking.

“So Felix said today is a hard day for you?” Everything about David’s demeanor changes like a snap. His face darkens. He begins to fidget next to her, slightly pulling away as his body gets rigid. He sniffs, then takes a big glug of lemonade from the mason jar. 

“Yeah.” Mack hesitates, remaining quiet while watching him stuff some chips in his mouth. Then she puts her sandwich down on the plate next to her, turning to sit facing him. She puts her hand on his thigh, continuing to stay quiet until David sighs heavily. “My mom died ten years ago today.” Mack stills, then rolls her bottom lip into her mouth. 

“I’m so sorry.” David nods, clearing his throat.

“This date every year I come out here and fix fence and talk to her. Tell her about what I’ve been up to the last year. Cry a little bit. Then go clean off her and dad’s grave and put some fresh flowers down from her rose garden by the house.”

“That sounds like a nice way to honor her.” Mack murmurs, moving her hand from his thigh to his hand, lacing their fingers together. He brings the back of her hand up to his mouth, kissing along her knuckles.

“It is. Unfortunately, I’ve had ten years to get the tradition perfect.” He sighs. “Every year on this date though, it feels like it just happened.” Mack can imagine so. “Sucks.” He sniffs again. Mack rubs her thumb along the tendons of his hand.

“Will you tell me about her?”

“She was hilarious. Spunky as shit. Had to be with how crazy my siblings and I were in our younger days. We used to pretend to be super heroes and jump off the barn into the hay. It was all fun and games unless you were a bit off…. Or got pushed off like me.” Mack’s eyes widen. “But my mom was always watching out the window and would rip my brothers a new asshole anytime they were picking on me. She was strong and full of joy. She loved working in her garden. A few of the plants have died off over the years cause of deep freezes, but most of those rose bushes are hers. I hire Felix’s wife to tend to them in the summer so they’re always taken care of. Mom would have wanted that, since she isn’t here to do it…” 

Mack squeezes his hand then brings her other hand up to run over his back. She rests her mouth on his bicep, continuing to listen while holding him. 

“I think that’s why it was so hard when she got sick.” His voices starts to get tight. Tears pinch Mack’s eyes. “That… but also she has missed so much. She didn’t get to see me graduate from high school or college. Didn’t see me get drafted or my first game in the NHL. At least my dad was there for those, but it wasn’t the same. He didn’t have the words like she would have when I struggled to stay up in the NHL those first few years or the way he rode my ass when I was home every summer to be a better farmer.” David shakes his head. 

“It’s like every year something happens that I’m sad she isn’t here for. This year, I’m sad she doesn’t get to know you.” Mack’s bottom lip shakes as two tears go down her cheeks. He turns his lips into her hair, then continues to talk against her head. “She would have loved you- strong, independent, sassy, and so pretty you could bring even the most stubborn man to his knees.” Mack smiles, cupping his cheek to hold him against her. “Those dimples… baby.” He sighs, “They get me every time.” 

“I hope she still likes me now… even from wherever she is watching over you.”

“I think so.” He smiles. 

“Could I go with you to their resting place?”

“Yes, of course you can. I just gotta check the rest of this fence and then we can go.”

“Thank you for telling me. I didn’t know…”

“I know. I’m sorry. I don’t like talking about it. Probably why Felix told you.” Mack nods, understanding that Felix was looking out for David too when he told Mack about today on the drive down. 

Mack and David finished their lunches and she helps him check fence. She walked the line with him and pointed out normal fence she thought looked bad and he taught her about what to look for instead. When they were done, they loaded up into David’s truck, then drove back towards the house.

The house is coming into view when David peels off to the right and drives to an open, unassuming field. There is no fencing, just in ground stones that mark the Carlson members that are buried on the farm. David grabs a bucket full of cleaning supplies. He gives Mack the flowers he picked earlier that had been resting in a bucket of water, then takes her hand to walk over to his parents' graves. 

Mack begins to cry immediately, feeling so overwhelmed with sadness for David. And his parents. For everything they have missed. For the people she will never know. For all the moments that David will never get to have with them and how fucking cruel it is that he has to go through that for the rest of his life. All those happy days will have a shade of grey because of who is missing. It’s not fair. She wants to change that for him, ease some of that, but instead, all she can really do is cry sympathetically. 

When they get to his father, Charles E. Carlson’s headstone, David drops her hand and puts his work gloves on. He uses his tools to cut away the over grown grass and weeds. Then he grabs the soapy water and rags to clean the dirty away from the head stone. Mack kneels off to the side, by his mother’s stone, watching quietly, sensing her help is not wanted. This seems methodical and therapeutic to David.

He rests his butt on his heels while he looks down. He presses his palm on his dad’s name, then works his way to his mom’s and does the same thing. This time, wet tear drops fall from his eyes onto the dusty stone as he cleans the grime off. Mack swallows hard, new tears of her own falling down. David puts his left hand on his mother’s name, Beatrice. Mack reaches out, putting hers on top of his. David opens his right arm for her to slide into his side. Then he holds her close.

Mack doesn’t know, but while he holds her tight, David is telling his mom, where ever she is resting, that the girl in his arms is the one.

- - -

Mack can’t believe it is her second to last night here.

As different as it all was when she first got here a month ago, her and David have settled into a nice routine. Every morning starts early, with a romp in the sheets. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, always incredible though. After that, Mack wanders down the hall in his shirt to make him coffee and some eggs to wolf down fast after his shower. She sits with him at the table as he tells her all the different chores he has for the day. She asks questions. He patiently answers. 

Then, after a long smooch with wandering calloused hands, he heads out to the field. Mack will meet him for lunch, or if it’s too hot, he comes into the kitchen to take a break in the air conditioning. They spend 10 minutes of his hour long lunch eating and the other 50 devouring each other. On the tail gate, on the kitchen table, on the floor, on the couch- wherever they can make it to before their clothes start falling off their frames.

David will return back to his chores, then come home around dinner time. Him and Mack trade off making dinner. He likes to grill for her as she tries different self- prepared marinades with fresh produce from the farm’s garden. Then they end the night watching the sunset on the front porch, which is where they are right now.

The porch swing sways gently from David’s light rocking. A calm, cooling breeze blows through the wrap around porch that hugs the white farmhouse his family built generations ago. Mack thinks about her flight in two days that is supposed to connect her with Newark before she will turn around in 24 hours to head towards Aruba. Dread pinches her stomach uncomfortably. She has started to fall in love with this place and all of it’s differences that she hated 4 weeks ago. David is staying here for two more weeks. He will be returning to New York a few days after she gets home from Aruba.

Mack looks down at his forearm across her stomach. Her fingers tips drag along his tanned skin, watching the goosebumps form on him from her touch. An emotional sigh falls from her lips. His lips touch her hair in recognition, fingers pressing deeper into her side.

“You okay?” 

“I don’t want to leave.” She confesses. He moves so her back falls across his lap. His other arm catches her head in the cook of his elbow. “Wanna stay here with you.” She whispers, reaching up for his face. 

“Baby, if you wanna stay you can, but if you need to go, that’s okay too. There is a whole life of yours outside of me.”

“I know. But it can wait until I’m ready to rejoin it.” David smiles down at her. His fingers run up from her stomach, along her left breast, to cup her cheek. Mack presses up to meet his lips. His hand tangles in her wild, country hair, gripping her tight to his mouth so he can taste her thoroughly. 

“You’re sure? I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay here.”

“I don’t.” She assures him, gripping his wrist where that hand still holds her face. His thumb rubs a track across her cheek bone, looking into her brown eyes. 

“Okay. Then stay. I want that.” He admits. “Was feeling really sad in the field this morning, thinking about driving you up to the airport.” Mack smiles, nodding in agreement. He pulls her up to kiss him again, then lets her head settle in his lap as she wiggles down. Her hair splays across his thigh as he works his finger prints gently into her scalp. Her eyes flutter, wanting to close and give into how good this feels. 

Mack loves the salty breeze off the ocean, the sand between her toes, and the way the pace of island life is unapologetically slow.

But not even that can compete with how good it feels here in David’s arms on his front porch swing.

More Mack & David can be found here.

[ladylooch]

Will David answer questions on the teams podcast about his relationship with Mack Hischier?

David does not talk about Mack when they are dating. At all. Ever. ( see below). After they are engaged though, he is happy to discuss her. Once they are married, he is full on “my wife” guy. Cannot shut up about her. Every other answer starts with “well, my wife says” or “My wife and I were talking about…” 

Let’s see more below about his response when they are dating...

In a sound proof media room, David Carlson stretches out his long legs beneath the table. He clasps his fingers together, leaning back in his chair as he lists off answers to the rapid fire questions the two podcast hosts are shooting at him.

“Last Binge Watch?” 

“Ah…” He thinks about what him and Mack are watching. “Brooklyn 99.”

“Nice! Favorite musician?”

“I’m an old school guy. Big into Garth Brooks right now.”

“Okay. Favorite thing to do on an off day.”

Have his face buried in Mack’s tits. He grins and blinks that thought away quickly.

“Go for a walk or meet up with friends. I can’t sit still for long. It’s the farm kid in me.”

The rapid fire questions have done a good job breaking the ice. David doesn’t love doing these things but knows he has certain obligations he has to do from time to time. He would rather do this than be pulled out of the locker room between periods.

The questions begin to shift from quick hits to longer, hockey focused ones. David fills them in on his trajectory to the show, what college was like, and if he really goes back to Iowa and works the farm every summer.

“What do you mean do I really do that?” David shoots back, cracking up. “Yeah, man. I really go work my farm in the summer. I've got pictures if you need 'em."

“That is insane. How do you do that and play hockey at such a high level? That is two high intensity jobs.”

“I’ve got staff. My farm manager, Felix, looks after the place for me. Couldn’t do it without him. We’ve got a group of farm hands, but mostly in the winter it’s maintenance and getting ready for the next season. Pretty cold. I’m glad I get to miss that part of the year. But yeah, it's my family farm, I grew up on it and couldn't see myself selling it off for someone else to run that land."

“Wow, that’s crazy. Do you ever sleep?”

“No.” He answers immediately, smirking.

David and the hosts chuckle in unison. 

“I have a great group of people back home who help. If I have to head back East early, my buddies Cody and Trevor will come help the group get the farm ready for harvest. I’m lucky. Nothing better than a small town helping each other out.”

“Speaking of harvest and fall activities…. what’s Thanksgiving dinner like for you and Woody?"

“What?” David asks, raising his eyebrow.

“I don’t know that they would celebrate Thanksgiving? They're Swiss.” The other host questions.

“Yeah, I guess, let's start there do you celebrate Thanksgiving? Cause Woody’s wife and your girlfriend are sisters.”

“Yeah, they’re half American tho.” David answers with an awkward laugh. He didn't see this going in that direction.

“Who cooks dinner?”

“Woody and his wife. I pick up the pie wherever Lucie Wood tells me too. That’s about all I’m good at contributing. Woody is a really good cook though. Him and Lucie kept me fed most of the time the last few years because we lived in the same building.”

“Is that how you and your girlfriend met?” The directness about Mack makes David shift in his chair. He reaches up, rubbing at his nose to hide his awkward lip scrunch.

“Sorry, boys but we aren’t going to go there today. I’m gonna keep that part of my life off the pod. She deserves her privacy.” 

“Oh shoot, sorry man. Didn’t mean to intrude.” The hosts genuinely answer. "We can cut that out."

“No worries.” David waves the concern away. He isn’t upset that they asked about her, but he isn’t going to say anything else about her. Mack has been clear that unless there is something more permanent between them- like a ring- she won’t be talking about him publicly. He feels it’s fair to respect her wishes in this space too.

David plans on telling Mack as much when he stops by her place after work. She swings the door open then shoots herself into his awaiting arms. She has had work events the last two days and they haven’t seen each other. He breathes her in then maneuvers his face to kiss hers.

“Mmm.” She sighs, then threads her fingers through his hair. Her hands grip his head, keeping his head to hers to kiss him again. “I’m gonna ignore what’s in your mouth right now cause I missed you so much.”

“Shit. Sorry.” He mutters. He uses his tongue to pull the tobacco pouch from his cheek. He meant to toss it as he was walking in but Ron distracted him with pictures of his newest grandchild.

“It’s fine. I guess. Cause you're cute and all.” She rolls her eyes at him teasingly. “How was your day?” She saunters back towards the kitchen, giving David a nice show of her ass in her blue leggings. 

“Good.” He murmurs distractedly. It isn’t until she rounds the island that he is able to raise his eyes away from her peach of an ass.

“Nice.” She laughs. David shrugs. “How did the podcast go?”

He had mentioned it to her earlier in the day, saying he was staying at the rink later and wouldn’t be able to catch lunch with her. Another reason to hate having media obligations: less time with his girl.

“It was good.” He murmurs, reaching into her bowl of popcorn and popping a kernel in his mouth. “This dinner?”

“No I ordered Indian.”

“Cool.” He nods, then grabs a handful. “Ah, they tried to ask me about you.”

“Really?” She turns to him with a scrunched look on her face. “Why?”

“Baby, it’s so funny to me that you have no idea who you are in the hockey world.” 

“Is it that I don’t know or that I don’t care?” David raises his eyebrows in a ‘fair’ response. “What did you say?”

“I said I wasn’t going to talk about ya.” He walks behind her, letting his hand cup her ass as he goes. He opens her fridge and pulls out a Coke. He wants a beer, but he has been lagging too much ass on the ice this week to be hitting the sauce.

“Thank you.” She smiles at him, clearly appreciating that he understands where the line is for her.

“Didn’t want you to get all embarrassed about dating a dumb hockey player.”

“You know that’s not it.”

“I know, honey.” He says, coming back to her. This time he grips her ass in both hands. ��How was your day?”

“Good.” She smirks at him, purposefully keeping her answer short as she works her hands under his t-shirt to touch his abs. “Dinner is still a half hour away…”

“Hmm, what should we do?” He mumbles against her lips. She grips the waistband of his jeans and begin to tug him back towards the bedroom. He halts her with his hands on her hips. “What we gonna do in there that we can’t do here?”

Then he swoops her up into his arms to lay her back on the hard floor. 

Yeah, this part of his life is just for him.