#Michigan fic

[rsedits9420]

Ok so this is like my first time writing, so don’t mind the grammar lol, but…. I just wanted to try it out because it honestly looks fun. So here’s my first fic ig? 🤷🏼‍♀️

Feelings.

Mark Estapa x reader

Btw y/n/n =your nick name and y/c = your color!

Theme- Mark and y/n have been best friends since they were kids. She moved with him to u-mich. Mark and y/n start to have difficulty finding their feelings for each other. That causes them to drift. Until one of them finally makes a move.

Word count: 2.0k

Y/n

I hate frat partys. It’s all so stupid. Who wants to go hang out with a bunch of drunk people who can’t control themselves? I guess Mark does. He drug me here, so he wouldn’t be “lonely”. This kid. He acts as if he has no game. He could easily get a girl on his hip. That for sure wasn’t the problem. Mark and I have been besties for almost 15 years. We meet in my backyard after he accidentally shot a puck into it. He climbed the fence just to meet with little ol’ me. He asked if I wanted to join him, and me being me I took the invite. Ever since that day on we have been inseparable. I went to every single one of his hockey games. Home or away. He never missed a Sunday night movie with me. We did everything together. He was even my date to all 4 homecomings and 2 proms. Our families have always said we will end up with each other one day. Oh god, I hope so. I’ve always thought mark was cute, but it really got terrible as soon as we got to college. How couldn’t I have known how attractive this guy was? I feel like a fool, because in no way will he ever feel the same. I stare across the room to see mark up against some sorority girl. She practically eating his face. I can’t help to feel a sense of jealousy. Then reality hit. He's a D1 hockey player and future NHL player and I’m just me. A girl is now sitting alone at a party staring at her best friend with another girl.

“Y/n come on I need you for pong!” Eddy yells. Ethan is the only one who knows about my true feelings. After Mark and him became roommates I spent a bunch of time in their dorm. Ethan is one of the most genuine people I have ever met. “I'm on my way Eddy!” I replied. Maybe this will help me take my mind off Mark.

As I walk up to Ethan, I'm met with the sight of Nolan doing a keg stand. These hockey boys have no shame. Moyle’s overall strap is currently falling down, starting to fall onto his face. That’s when he face plants right on the hardwood. I can’t help but laugh. “ Yo Moyle dude you okay?” Dylan ask. Nolan sits up looks at me and eddy and says,” Can I play y’all in pong now?” Never a dull moment with this crowd that’s for sure.

After Eddy and Dylan set up the game, I can’t help but wonder where Mark is. I turn to look to where I saw him last and notice he is nowhere in sight. All of a sudden Nolan yells,” Hey y/n are you ready or what?” I snap back into reality and grab the ball.

I’ve just downed my second cup, when I feel two hands grab a hold of my shoulders. “Y’all winning?” A familiar voice says. I turn around to be met with Mark’s gorgeous dark brown eyes. Ethan gasp offendedly. “Stop Sign you know me and her kick serious ass every time we play. How could you even ask if we are losing” he says sarcastically. Mark and I turn toward each other and chuckle. Eddy’s right. We are currently 7/7 and are beating Nolan and Dylan by a shit ton right now. I bounce the ball and it falls into the final cup. Ethan jumps up and grabs me while saying,” How the hell did you get so fucking good at this game? Seriously I need answers.” Truth be told it was Mark. At our first high school party he taught me how to play. Granted he taught me, but I’m still better. He hates that I’m better than him at something he taught me but I just think it’s ironic.

After the game, me, Eddy, and Mark all head to the living room. The three of us sit next to eachother on the couch, while talking about next semester. Its our last semester before sophomore year. Mark, Eddy, Dylan, Mackie, and Luke are all planning to get a house close to campus to stay at, while I am just trying to find an apartment away from people. I'm not a people person that's for sure. It took me a while to get closes to Mark’s friends and his team. Luckily all of them love me. I’m like the team's little sister. Or at least that's what Mark tells me that's what they say. Mackie walks into the room with Luke by his side and says,” Y/n come on! We got somebody who wants to meet you!” Mackie’s hand sticks out inviting me to go with him. I grab his hand a let him lead me down the hall and out that back door to reach the backyard. I’m met with a man about 5’11 with brown hair and he’s wearing a Michigan basketball jersey. “Okay so y/n this is Will, Will this is y/n!” The brown-haired man sticks out his hand and I capture it. “ Me, Hughsey, and Mack are in the same Sports Management class. I saw how bad yall beat the absolute crap out of Duker and Nolan. I'm going to be completely transparent here. It was hot.” A blush crept onto my cheeks. “Um, thanks,” I respond. Damn an attractive guy just flirted with me and all I could say was “Um thanks”. I want to shake myself. “ Well I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go get coffee sometime?” Will asked me. “Sure I would love to!” I say back. He quickly grabs a pen out of his back pocket and grabs a napkin and starts to write something on it. Soon after he hands me the napkin with his number on it. A cute guy just gave me his number. Is this a dream? I sure hope not because I've never felt this good.”

Then Mark’s tall frame appears right next to me and says,” Hey y/n/n we should probably leave if we want to make it to town by 10 tomorrow.” I look at Mark and then at Will. Mark was right we were going back home for the weekend to see our families. “Oh yeah. We probably should.” I turn back towards Will and say,” It was nice meeting you! See you soon!” And grab Mark's hand and head out of the frat house.

Mark

What the hell. Are Mackie and Luke trying to piss me off?

That’s all I can think of, as I’m walking out of the frat party hand in hand with y/n. Mack and Luke tried setting her up with Will Martin. Fucking Will. Everyone knows his games. He will act like a great guy on the outside, but on the inside he’s a huge womanizer. So why the hell are they trying to set him up with y/n. They know what she means to me. How much I care for her. And yet they still did it. I make a mental note to get them back at practice.

As me and y/n make it to my car, she looks up at me and says,”Hey Stops you okay bud?” Stops. The nickname she gave me the first time we met. And somehow it stuck. I look at her soft relaxed face and sigh. “ Yeah I’m okay. Just tired you know.” Hopefully she buys my lame reply. She just nods and gets into the car. I follow, and crank the engine. “So who was that guy you were talking to?” I say acting like I didn’t care. “I don’t really know. Mack and Hughsey said he was in one of their classes. His name is Will, but that’s pretty much all I know. Oh and he plays basketball.” She says pretty nonchalantly. “Oh and he asked me out for coffee.” She says shyly. “Isn’t that a good thing?” I responded. She looks at me with glossy eyes and says,”Well I don’t really think it will work. I mean look at him and then look at me? I’m nowhere near his league.” What?!?! Is that what she thinks? Because I think a hell of a lot more than that. If anything she’s out of HIS league. I try to calm down before saying,” Y/n, no. I know you might not think it, but you're beautiful. Don’t let anyone make you feel differently. And also if anything you're out of his league. Not the other way around.” She looks at me and smiles,”Mark, I don't know what I’d do without you.” I’m pretty sure I’m blushing after her comment but I’m not going to look. I can’t have her knowing my feelings. She wouldn’t ever feel the same. I will be just the boy next door who was like a brother to her.

And it was painstakingly obvious. Basically our whole highschool knew. And just after two times of meeting y/n, all the guys here knew too. I’ll get chirped about it for probably the rest of my life. Mark Estapa, the guy with some of the most penalties in the big 10, is too scared to tell the girl he’s been in love with for 8 years that he loves her. And I do love her. Not like a friend, but more. But I know that she can’t say the same.

I think about her and Will, all the way back to my dorm room. Her small frame slowly follows from behind me, as we’re going down the dorm hallway. I open the door and she stalks her way in. She goes straight to my dresser and picks out an old storm shirt and a pair of sweats. “Can I wear these tonight?” She asked. “Of course. But be careful with the sweats, the drawstring is broken, might have to roll it a couple of times, shorty!” She gives me a glare before throwing a sock of the floor at me. “I’m not short, you're just huge!” She says. I give her a skeptical look. “Uh huh. Sure.” I say as I go to the bathroom to brush my teeth. When I walk out she’s on my bed scrolling through her phone, not paying any attention at all, so I decide to jump right onto the bed. My actions cause her to almost fling off of the bed and right onto the floor. Lucky for her she doesn’t. She playfully slaps my chest and says,”So you think your funny Stops?” Uh yeah I do. I’m hilarious. I take off my sweat shirt and shoes and climb right next to her on the tiny ass twin bed. I grab her to pull her close. I take in her sweet smell and it reminds me of the hood she has on me. We’ve been snuggle buddies since we were 5. She and I kinda just did everything together for the first 3 years. We wouldn’t be able to sleep unless the other was next to us. It causes our parents some trouble, but who really cares? Not us, that's for sure. Over the years, after her Sunday movie nights we would either stay at her house or go to mine to sleep. It’s just been our thing. And once we got to college it happened more. Her roommate is definitely an interesting cat. She’s super sweet,but definitely not someone I would be able to hang out with for 8 hours a day. That’s why y/n comes to hang out with me and the guys. Eddy loves her like a little sister and the others treat her as one of us, so she’s always hanging with us. Nobody minds, we actually love the company. Me a little too much but I won’t tell her that. I get one good look at her beautiful y/c hair and y/c skin and drift off to sleep with the image of her in my mind.

Let me know how it was!!!!

Pt 2 ⬇️

[toasttt11]

the right boy

summary: being in love with your childhood best friend isn’t always the right choice maybe the cute hockey player is the right boy?

jj mccarthy x reader, luke hughes x reader

Growing up with the McCarthy family and being best friends with JJ especially. From going high school together to being accepted into Michigan University together, the two were always glued to each other sides.

Anyone with eyes could tell JJ was in love with her just as she is in love with him, what no one could figure out is why neither had confessed yet.

She did and admitted to her feelings to JJ one night in her dorm and JJ was stunned didn’t say anything back but kissed his best friend back.

They ended up falling into bed together and fell asleep after and when JJ woke up way before her and realized the consequences of getting in a romantic relationship with his best friend, he quickly put on his clothes and grabbed his stuff and left her dorm.

Leaving her to wake up in a bed all alone. Humiliated and upset with him and herself. She confessed her love and she woke up naked and alone.

JJ ignored her the whole week and the first time she actually saw him was a week later as she was heading up the stairs up to his room, as a party is going on in the Football house and she was told that JJ is in his room.

She knocked on the door before opening it and freezing at the sight in front of her, A bleach blonde sorority girl who JJ has said he did not like at all but she was on JJ’s lap straddling him.

JJ looked up at the sound of the door and his eyes widen drastically and his heart dropped seeing who was in the door, he immediately pushed the girl off him and was chasing after his best friend who was already down the stairs and quickly hurrying through the party to outside.

“Rosie! Rosie! Stop!” JJ called after his best friend, using the nickname she got when they were young and she would make rose crowns and make everyone wear them, JJ saw her slowing down but not turning towards him.

“What’s wrong?” JJ questioned seeing the tears on her face and the way she ran out of the house

She just looked at, “Why?” She asked the question she had been wanting to know.

“Why What?” JJ asked looking extremely confused.

“If you didn’t feel the same why did you kiss me back.” She demanded towards him glaring at him with tears still in her eyes.

JJ blanched looking pale, “Ro- i do feel something for you, i have for years.” He desperately spoke moving forward to hold her hands but his heart broke even more seeing her flinch away from his touch.

“In Love? So in love that you kissed me back after hearing my confession and didn’t say if you felt the same, then slept with me but was gone before i woke up and completely ignored me for a week only to stop ignoring me because i found you making out with someone else. Yeah JJ i’m sure you are so in love with me.” She sarcastically nodded watching JJ’s face fall the more she spoke.

“Rosie that’s not-“ JJ desperately tried to get out knowing how bad he screwed up, especially knowing he’s been kinda messing with her on accident, didn’t help he asked her to be his prom date in high school and bought her flowers and everything, always touching her and letting her wear his jerseys. JJ always denied it when anyone asked about his feelings for her because he was scared and know he realizes that wasn’t a good idea.

“Save it JJ.” She cut him off sniffling, “I’m done. I’m done trying to read into all of your double sided actions, I’m done trying to be there when you’re sleeping around with half the girls in the school and come cuddling up to me after. I’m done letting you stomp all over me.” She spat out all the words she had been holding on for years.

She quickly turned around and started walking away ignoring his calls after her and continued the walk home.

“Fuck!” JJ cursed as slammed his foot against the light post watching her continue to walk away eventually until she was out of sight.

She stopped going to anything football related and blocked JJ’s number and ignoring anyone who contacted her that is connected to JJ, making all of the McCarthy family sad and confused why she wasn’t talking to them until JJ admitted he screwed up.

It was a few weeks later and she was sitting in the library working on her history assignment when she heard someone clear their throat, she looked up seeing Luke Hughes standing there with a nervous look messing with the straps of his backpack.

“Is it okay-“ He asked gesturing to the empty seat next to, “Everywhere else is full.” And he wasn’t wrong the whole library was packed of students.

“Sure.” She nodded softy and looking back down at her assignment, blowing out a frustrated breath when her hair fell and covered her face.

“Your McCarthy’s Girl?” Luke hesitantly questioned knowing who she was since he started at Umich and saw her at a party and she was sophomore then and he thought she was stunning but knew he didn’t have any chance as JJ was her boyfriend.

“I am not JJ’s girl.” She looked up sternly speaking as she glared at the cute curly haired boy.

“Sorry, just everyone thinks that.” Luke flushed apologizing quickly not meaning to offend her, but also feeling hopeful that she might be single.

“It’s okay, but JJ lost his chance and i’m moving on.” She explained shaking her head knowing Luke didn’t mean anything bad when he asked. And she wasn’t lying about moving on the more she remembered how bad JJ has treated her the easier it has been to start moving on.

“That’s good, i mean sorry?” Luke awkwardly scratched his head, She couldn’t help but let a laugh at how awkward but adorable he looks, she hasn’t laughed for days, Luke perked up smiling happily hearing her laugh because of him.

Luke started coming back everyday and sitting next to her getting to learn a little more and more about her each day, he also noticed she always seemed frustrated with her hair, always looking annoyed when it fell her face but never putting it up.

“I have a question.” Luke spoke leaning his chin on his hand looking at her as she was writing onto her notebook.

She looked up setting her pen down giving him her full attention, “Shoot.”

“Why don’t you put your hair up? You always seemed annoyed by that.” Luke questioned noticed the many times she gets very annoyed by her hair.

“Uh when i put my hair up i get headaches pretty quickly so i’m just stuck with it being in the way all the time.” She looked away slightly trying to ignore the warmth growing on her cheeks as she realized Luke noticed that but she was not suprised as Luke is very sweet and attentive.

“Why not cut it short?” Luke softly questioned frowning, His mom always has her hair short too because she hates it long so he wondered why she hasn’t cut her hair short.

“I’ve been told i look better with long hair.” She awkwardly explained thinking of the time that JJ told her short hair just didn’t look good on her and she should keep her hair long.

“That’s bullshit, you’ll look great with either hair length. But it’s more important that you’re comfortable and your hair now seems to not do that.” Luke reached over gently squeezing her hand giving her a meaningful look, “Whoever said that is stupid because you’re absolutely beautiful and your hair is not gonna change that.” Luke smiled softly at her reassuring her.

She felt her eyes soften as she listened to Luke speak and she hated feeling her heart race a little faster remembering how it did that around JJ, “Thanks Lu” She smiled softly squeezing his hand back and she knew she had to rethink about getting her haircut short.

A month later she had slowly felt she was moving on and really healing from all of the pain, she had talked to the rest of the McCarthy’s besides JJ and they all understood why she didn’t talk to them for a little while.

A big part of moving on was because of Luke, she has spent most of her free time with Luke and has went to more hockey games in the last month than her last three years at Umich.

Luke’s friends are lovely and easily accepted her in their group making her feel as if she gained multiple brothers.

She had just came back from a hair appointment where she finally decided to chop her hair off and it was above her shoulders now and it felt so incredible.

She headed to Luke’s dorm and walked down the hallway to his dorm knocking on the door waiting for Luke to open the door.

Luke smiled hopping of his bed hearing the knock and knew who it was, he opened the door and froze seeing her, “Yo-You cut your hair!” Luke stuttered out looking shocked.

She smiled bashfully tucking her shorter hair behind her ear, “I did.” She has to admit she really liked how she looks with the short hair and regretted listening to JJ and not cutting it sooner.

“It looks beautiful.” Luke softly spoke, thinking she looks more herself with the haircut and he never thought she could get even more beautiful but with her new hair, she definitely did.

“Yeah?” She asked hopefully her dimples showing up from smiling up at him.

Luke smiled at her gently tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, “Beautiful.” His eyes flickered between her eyes and lips.

She smiled even wider, “Thank you.” She softly mumbled.

Over the past few weeks of knowing Luke, she began to feel more herself and smiled easier with him. He made her feel in the way not even JJ even made her feel.

She accepted the fact that she has feelings for Luke, feelings that are only growing stronger and stronger every day.

Luke smiled softly seeing her smiling and his hand stayed on her cheek gently rubbing her cheekbone.

“Kiss me?” She hopefully whispered, looking up at him.

Luke froze his eyes widening in shock and hope, “Kiss you?” His voice went higher but he had a very hopeful look on his face. He has hoped to hear her say those words for a very long time.

“Please.” She whispered her eyes flickering nervously around his face.

Luke let out a sigh of relief and bent down to her finally pressing his lips to hers and sighing happily as they melted to each other.

Luke whined when she pulled away making her laugh fondly and press another kiss to his lips.

“Does this mean i can take you on a date?” Luke whispered taking a step back into his dorm and closing the door but not letting go of her.

“You can as my boyfriend.” She teased his softly back enjoying the way his face softened even more.

“I would love too.” Luke beamed pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, she sighed in relief and wrapped her arms around him resting her head on his chest.

Luke’s leg bounced up and down as he waited for his girlfriend to come see him, they have been dating for almost two months now and he just got back to Michigan after playing with the Devil’s for the playoffs and he was going to have his girlfriend finally meet his family.

Jack and Quinn shared an amused look at how excited Luke is to see his girlfriend, they have known about her for a little bit now and Luke surprisingly talked about her quite a bit to his brothers.

Luke smiled getting a text from her that she is here and he quickly got up and walked down the front steps seeing her car in the driveway, she got out of the car and Luke immediately wrapped his arms around her spinning her around.

“Lu.” She giggled as he spun her around making her cling to him, Luke slowly stopped setting her back down, “I missed you.” She whispered holding onto Luke tightly.

“I missed you too my sweet girl.” Luke softly whispered back pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

“Gonna introduce us Lukey boy.” Jack playfully called out from where Quinn and him were standing on the front porch.

Luke pulled back from their hug rolling his eyes making her snicker but flashing a slighty nervous look at his brothers. Luke saw her nerves and grabbed her hand squeezing it reassuring and walking her over to his brothers.

“Jack, Quinn this is my girlfriend.” Luke proudly introduced her making her flash a smile at the two.

“So you’re the girl who my brother never shuts up about.” Jack teased flashing her a soft smile back.

“You talk about me.” She playfully teased her boyfriend making him fondly roll his eyes blushing.

“Shush you.” Luke grinned pinching her side. She just smiled softly at him before turning back to his brothers, who were watching the exchange and thought she was already perfect for their little brother.

She followed the boys into the house and saw a very beautiful woman in the kitchen who looked very similar to Jack.

Ellen looked up and beamed seeing her youngest son’s girlfriend, “You are just as pretty as Luke said.” Ellen softly complimented her walking over and she held out her hand for a handshake but Ellen just smiled pulling her into a hug.

“Thank you.” She softly spoke to Ellen as she was hugged her back softly and she gave Luke a wide eyed glance, Luke had told her that Ellen was exicted to meet her but she thought he was being nice but Ellen seems genuinely excited to see her but she shouldn’t be suprised with how kind Luke is, it is obvious he got his kindness from his mother.

Ellen linked her arm with her and started taking to her youngest son’s girlfriend wanting to know everything about her as she can easily tell how smitten Luke is for her.

Luke smiled softly seeing the two most important woman in his life getting along immediately. He let his mom take his girlfriend and he knew his mom would introduce her to his father. Luke also knew there was no way he was going to get his girlfriend back from his mother for a while.

“You picked a good one.” Quinn told his baby brother squeezing his shoulder softly, it was easy to see how in the love the two are with each other in just one glance and she obviously is good for Luke and got along with their mom immediately.

“You better keep her around.” Jack pointed a playful finger at his little brother, already liking his girlfriend and couldn’t wait to get to know her more especially with how easy she teased Luke.

“I plan too.” Luke firmly told his brother smiling as he heard his mother and girlfriends laugh.

Luke spent some time in the living room with his brother, letting his girlfriend have some time with mother before he couldn’t wait any longer and got up walking to the dinning room seeing the his girlfriend, his mom and dad all talking.

“Can i have my girlfriend back now.” Luke whined as he walked into the dinning room and stood being her wrapping his arms over her shoulder and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

Ellen smiled amused but nodded, Luke grinned and let her stand up and immediately pulled her to his side skiing her laugh and wave at his parents as they walked out of the dinning room and to the living room where Jack and Quinn were still playing videos games.

“Ah he got you back.” Jack looked up and laughed seeing how less grumpy Luke looks now with his girl in his arms. Quinn chuckled too as he saw how Luke was clinging to her.

She smiled and chuckled as she looked at Luke fondly, Luke pulled her down onto the couch and pulled her as close as possible burying his head in her neck and letting a happy sigh.

She easily talked and laughed with Jack and Quinn as if she had known them for years making Luke so incredibly happy as he just was content to listen to them talk.

She stayed for a week with the Hughes and easily everyone just adored her and she fit into their family perfectly. She was the best choice Luke could ever make.

The Hughes were all going to the first game of the 2023-2024 football season, Luke was in town for a few more weeks before he headed to to New Jersey for his rookie year so they were spending as much time together as possible. Lucky for the couple it was her senior year so they would only have to long distance for one year.

She stood on the sidelines of the football field talking with Ellen and Jack as Quinn and Luke were a few steps away talking to some friends and Jim was making new friends somewhere down the sideline.

She has a small blue denim skirt, a yellow tank top and Luke’s michigan jacket.

She laughed at something Jack said when she heard her name being called and she spun around seeing JJ’s sisters.

“Hi.” She awkwardly spoke not sure how to act around the two anymore since she no longer speaks to JJ even if she did grow up around them. She walked over to them meeting them in the middle.

“Rosie!” Caitlin beamed and pulled her into a tight hug.

Morgan smiled and waited for her turn and once Caitlin stepped back Morgan pulled her into a tight hug, “We missed you.”

“I missed you guys too.” She truthfully told them, but she was trying to stay away from JJ and unfortunately it’s easier to stay away from him by being away from the girls too.

JJ finished warming up and was trying to find his sisters and saw them talking to a girl with short brown hair, he walked up to them and threw an arm over his little sister’s shoulder and froze when he saw the face of the girl they were taking to.

“Ro.” JJ whispered shocked as he looked at her, she had cut her hair. She looked so glowy and more beautiful than usual, she looked happy and that was hard pick to swallow knowing he has been miserable without his best friend.

“Hi.” She bluntly spoke, not feeling as nervous as she thought she would feel when she saw JJ again.

“You uh look good.” JJ stammered out flashing a hopeful smile at her.

“I know.” She smiled calmly back and flashed a much softer smile at the girls, “It was good seeing you two.” She squeezed both of the girls hands and turned around and walked away letting JJ see the name on the back of her jacket. Hughes.

JJ’s jaw clenched as he watched her walk to Luke. He knew who Luke is. It was harsh realization as he watched the two knowing he had lost her forever.

She let out a long sigh as she walked away and felt lighter and more free, she walked back to Ellen and Jack and saw Luke back with them.

“You okay?” Luke asked her the second she got to close to as he scanned her face, he saw JJ near her and wanted to give her space but he was watching to make sure she didn’t look uncomfortable.

She let out a sigh and walked to him wrapping her arms around his waist. “I am now.” She mumbled happy as she hugged her boy.

Luke smiled softly, “Good.” Luke pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head and she knew she had picked the right boy.

Her boy.

[itsjusthockey]

December - Adam Fantilli

Officially in Adam era. Enjoy

I miss him at Michigan

w.c: 1,923 (credit to gif maker)(don't steal my work)

You learned quickly that December is a lot colder without him here. All the Christmas lights seem a little less bright, the hot chocolate tastes a little more bland, and the joys of the season are still there, just slightly muted.

It wasn’t anyone’s fault. He was busy, so were you. College and hockey don’t stop, and the world will never cater to your relationship, no matter how much you wish it would sometimes. Instead, you both learned to figure it out. You FaceTime, call, and text as much as you can. Adam even suggested writing letters, but with his handwriting, you suggested something else.

You both send each other care packages, his typically filled with snacks you knew he’d love or books you insist he needs to read. Yours were always filled with new merchandise and one of his sweatshirts that still smelled like him. It is a good system, and you love how you make it work. But alas, Adam isn’t in Michigan, and you wish every night that he was.

A pound on your door jolts you out of your daze, and you check what time it is on your phone; it’s around 6:30, and you aren’t expecting anyone to your apartment. You’re confused when you look through the little peephole, but that all of a sudden disappears when your second favorite Fantilli is on the other side of the door. He’s not alone either, standing patiently with Rutger.

Each boy is clad in Michigan gear from head to toe, and Luca giggles about something when you open the door. The boys turn to you with the wildest smile that immediately makes you suspicious.

“What do I owe this pleasure?” You ask, narrowing your eyes a bit.

The boys dramatically roll their eyes, and Rutger places his hand on his heart in mock betrayal.

“Are we not allowed to visit our favorite person ever?”

You roll your eyes at Rutger and shift in the doorway, opening space for them. With bright smiles, they shuffle in, dropping their bags and immediately making themselves comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, Rutger opens your fridge and grabs out Capri Sun.

“I love this, don’t get me wrong, but why’re you here? I know you’ve both had a busy day.”

The pair grow quiet, and Rutger looks toward Luca to lead.

“Adam said you were a bit sad today.” Luca pipes up. “And we’re good at making you happy.

A small part of you feels terrible; it’s not their job to check on you, but most of you want to cry happy tears. You love these boys, and it means a lot that they still care about you, even when Adam is gone.

“So, we’re taking you out. No arguments, go change.” Rutger says, shooing you to your bedroom.

You give in because, of course, you do. It has been a bit of a rough day, and it didn’t help that your boyfriend has only texted you a few times today, telling you about how busy his weekend is going to be and he might not be around much.

You pull on some of Adam’s old Michigan gear, and within a few minutes, you’re walking out of your apartment with the boys. They don’t tell you where they’re taking you, but you just follow, content with being with your friends.

“She actually said that to her face?” Luca asks in disbelief.

You are telling the boys about some friend drama when you reach your destination. It’s a cute little pasta place close to campus, and It is one of your favorite spots. Adam took you here a lot in the last year, and you haven’t been able to go as often now that he’s been gone.

You smile as you follow Luca in, Rutger trailing behind you as you continue telling your story. Soon enough, you’re seated in a booth, food ordered, and you’re listening to them tell you about their own lives, hockey, and whatever the hell else.

You’re soaking up every minute with them, and you realize as you’re talking that you miss being around them. You miss the jokes, the laughs, the chaos, and you know that you have to get out of this little funk. They’re still your best friends, and you have to start seeing them more.

The pasta comes, and you dive in. It tastes like heaven, and you’re transported back to all the times you’ve eaten this meal with Adam. Your heart twinges slightly, but you shove the emotion down and continue laughing with the boys.

“So what’d you get A for Christmas?” Luce asks, mouth full of pasta. “Promise I won’t tell.”

You shrug your shoulders a bit. “A couple of little things. But I was thinking about visiting him, but I’m not sure he has time.”

You looked into it a bunch, but every weekend before Christmas was jam-packed in both of your schedules.

“You guys will figure it out.” Luca hums.

“Yeah, besides, he hasn’t seen you in a while, and I bet all he wants is to unwrap you like a pres-“

“Gross Rut,” Luca interrupts him, and you both laugh at his disgusted face.

The rest of the meal goes by, and at the end of it, you’re feeling much better about life. You’re super happy with this reunion, and you want it to continue, but Luca's phone buzzes on the table, and he gives Rutger a look.

“Ready to go?” Rutger asks, and you nod, heading back outside into the Michigan cold.

It’s a beautiful night, and when you step out, you see that light snow has started to fall. It looks picturesque as you stare at the snow and the decorations for the season. You feel your heart swell, then get slightly sad again, but you smile anyway.

“It’s perfect out.” You whisper to the pair, and they nod. “Are you guys going to come back up? Watch a movie or something?”

The pair share a quick look, and Rutger shakes his head.

“We can’t, we gotta head back.”

You’re a bit disappointed, but you don’t show it. They both have lives, and you can’t expect them to stay forever just because you’re a little lonely.

“All good, this was so nice. Thanks, you guys.”

Both the boys smile at you, and you walk back to your apartment. It’s still snowing, and when you reach the building, they stop at the entrance.

“Are you good to go back up yourself? My mom’s calling me.” Luca says quickly.

You nod your head, say a quick goodbye, and watch as the boys walk briskly away. You’re a bit confused, but you wave anyway as they speed off.

You make your way to the elevator, and you feel good as you climb the floors. You’re happy you got to spend time with some of your favorite boys, even if it was just for a while.

When you step out of the elevator and round the hall to your place, you smell a Christmas candle, and a wave of nostalgia hits you. It’s your favorite Christmas scent, and you almost want to cry. However, you don’t because as you come to your door, you realize the smell is wafting from your apartment.

You’re so completely lost, but when you unlock the door, everything falls into place.

There he is, standing in the center of your apartment wearing a cozy ugly Christmas sweater you’d bought him and smiling as though he’s the happiest man in the world.

You freeze, taking in the decorated apartment. You see a small little Christmas tree with a few presents, lights that line the space, and your favorite fucking candle lit on your dining table.

You drop your keys to the floor, and tears flow as he crosses the room to meet you. When he envelops you in his arms, you cry even harder, knowing that this is probably the happiest moment you’ve had in a long time.

“Hey baby,” Adam says into your hair. “Merry Christmas.”

You release him just enough to see his face. His beard has grown back, his eyes are a little glossy, too, and his smile is one of the brightest you’ve ever seen.

“Did you miss me?” He asks, wiping a tear from your face.

You pull back even further and give him a slight glare. “Yes, you asshole.”

You pull him back in, but this time, you pull him down slightly to meet his lips for the first time. In a simple moment, it’s like a world of color appears again before your closed eyes. Almost every thought in your brain is stripped out and replaced with him. He’s here. Really here. He’s here pressing his lips to yours and pulling you closer. He’s cupping your face, running his hand up and down your back and into your hair. He tastes familiar, and everything about him makes you feel complete. You finally feel whole again within his arms.

When you finally convince yourself to pull away, you meet his eyes again. You want to tell him you love him, but instead, your brain fails to string any thoughts together. So you simply pull him back to you and hope your kiss will show him those three words.

———————-

The night goes by slowly, and you couldn’t be more thankful. You spend hours talking, laughing, and staying cuddled on your couch. Only removing yourself when it gets late enough and you can barely keep your eyes open. You eventually make it to your bed, and everything is right as you lay against Adam’s chest, listening to his heart steadily beating.

“So Luca and Rut were your pawns?” You ask Adam, tracing little shapes on his chest.

He lets out a small laugh, and it's music to your ears.

“I mentioned I needed help surprising you, and the team had to draw names to see who would be the distraction.”

You smile at the thought and cuddle even closer to him.

“I missed you.” You say after a minute.

You grin as he pulls you impossibly closer and kisses you gently on the head.

“I know,” he says. “But this doesn’t last forever. It’s just tough right now.”

You nod, agreeing with him. Right now, it sucks, but soon enough, you’ll be done with school, and he’s already out there making a name for himself. You know he knows how proud you are of him, and you support his dreams, even if it means you have to spend a couple of years like this.

You have your own life and your own dreams to keep you busy. But even then, you crave being with one another, and a piece you is always missing when he isn’t around you. But you do it anyway. You love him, and it’s these little moments that remind you why you put yourself through the pain. When he’s with you, when you’re together, everything is aligned, and it's nothing but perfection.

Yeah, December might be much colder when he isn’t with you, but when he is, it’s like you’re on fire. The only feeling you have is endless warmth.

[hugshughes]

Rose Bowl, Baby! J. McCarthy

JJ McCarthy x fem!reader

synopsis - JJ wins it all, and he has his girl right with him the whole time.

wc - 2k!

contains - THIS IS SOOOOOO CUTE AWWW, cursing, stressed!reader (ME TOO AS FUCK), fluff, kissinnnnnnn, hugginnnnn, cute shit, FUCK THE TIDE :D, um that's it! oh established relationship!

an - unedited lol sorry i just wrote this in like two hours! 😭JJ😭BABY😭WON😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I WAS SHOUTING AND SCREAMING AND I DANCED. especially because my mother, brother, and sister were all pulling for Bama to make me mad. LAUGHED IN THEIR FACES LMAOOOOO. i was on facetime with my man for like half the game since i am a umich student... WAIT DO U GUYS KNOW THAT....? i dont think ive told u guys that... SURPRISE!!!!!! anyway no one reads these anyway so. ENJOYYYYYYYYYYY :)))))))!

-

One minute and thirty eight seconds. One minute and thirty eight seconds, that's how long JJ and the Wolverine's offense had to score a touchdown. 2nd & Goal, four yards to go. You held JJ's mom's hand as you took deep breaths, desperately trying to calm down. JJ could do this, you knew it. You stared him down as he stood infront of Coach Harbaugh, Alabama had called the last time out of the game.

Michigan needed this score to take the game to overtime. JJ knew, you knew, everyone did. Once JJ clapped in the middle of the huddle, the offense started dispersing back into their spots on the field. Jay's eyes met yours, they had multiple times all night. He knew exactly where you sat, he'd made you text him your seat numbers before the game. You let go of his mom's hand and gestured your hands over your ears, headphones, you always told him. Just pretend it's just you and your guys. Block out everything else. He nodded at you, cracking a little smile before taking a deep breath and running out to the field, putting his helmet back on. His mom melted over the interaction, leaving you blushing.

You crossed your fingers and said a prayer, you'd prayed more than once tonight, you'd been praying about this games for weeks. You held his mom's hand in one of yours, and gripped your 'J' necklace in your other, bouncing on the balls of your feet. The play clock was running low, JJ clapped his hands, beckoning for the ball. It went straight to his hands, he looked around for maybe a second before passing precisely to Roman. He caught it, he had an open lane, he's in the end zone! Holy shit, he's in the end zone!

You jumped, screaming JJ's name, turning to hug his parents. You jumped up and down, a grin wide on your face as you cheered for your boy. His mom wrapped an arm around you as you watched him tearily.

The next Michigan drive was messy, and had you scared, but when the time ran out, you were jumping up and down, shouting and cheering, hugging everyone around.

"Our boy did it!"

You nodded, laughing as you wiped tears from your eyes. The game wasn't over, you knew that. JJ's eyes found yours again, he shook his head in disbelief with a grin, gesturing headphones to you. You nodded, fanning your face from the tears, but smiling so wide it didn't matter.

You sighed happily when you watched Alabama defer their OT possession, that's what JJ wanted, if the game went to overtime, he wanted to go first, it would put more pressure on The Crimson Tide to go second in the long run.

You held your necklace close to your mouth as you closed your eyes, letting out deep breaths. JJ had this, you knew it.

The offensive and defensive lines faced each other at the Alabama 25. JJ clapped, the ball was sent straight to his hands, he quickly handed the ball off the Blake, who scurried around the defenders, landing at the Alabama 17. 'Thank God for Blake Corum' you whispered to yourself.

You saw JJ hiding a smile behind his mouth guard, and you knew this was it. Jay claps, and the ball is snapped straight to him, the ball goes straight to Blake, who has a completely open lane.

"Go Blake, go!"

You screamed out, feeling Megan's hand grip yours. You held your intertwined hands up, watching Blake run. He was in the end zone, yes!

"Yes! JJ, yes!"

You screamed, jumping up and down you as watched your boy cheer. He did it! Thank God! You hugged everyone again, cheering some more when the kick went through the posts. The game still wasn't over, the defense still had to come out and play this game. You knew JJ wouldn't be able to assist his team anymore on the field, but you also knew he was now gonna be the biggest hype man for his defensive teammates.

You bit on your dark blue acrylic nails as you watched Alabama line up at the Michigan 25. You winced as the game went from 3rd & goal at the Michigan 14 to 4th & goal at the Michigan 3. One more play, make or break.

You saw Jalen Milroe clap for the ball, and run straight into the O-line of Michigan. Nothing! He got nothing! Oh my God, Michigan won! You watched JJ sprint onto the field as you screamed, jumping up and down for the third time. Your heart was beating out of your chest as you shouted, hugging Michigan fans you didn't know. Your smile couldn't have been punched off of your face.

The blue and maize confetti flew, you watched tearily as the Michigan guys flooded the field. You watched JJ grab his rose, talking to a reporter. His bright smile and gorgeous face was spread on every screen in the stadium. Your boy had done it, finally. You watched as your sweet boy accepted the Rose Bowl trophy with Blake, his smile never leaving his face.

You ran down the few rows to the bottom row of the bleachers, standing with other Michigan player families as the boys were dispersing back to the sideline, finding their loved ones. JJ, being the star quarterback he was, took a while longer to get over to you guys, but it didn't matter to you.

You two locked eyes, matching smiles on your faces as he ran over to your group. You let him talk to his parents and sisters first, before he moved over to you.

"Come'ere baby!"

You grinned as you leaned down over the barrier, JJ's hands grabbing at your waist to safely pull you closer, kissing you passionately. Your hands cupped his face, as you both smiled into the kiss. You pulled away, whispering to him with a big smile.

"You did it lovey!"

He nodded, his bright smile lighting up your heart.

"Can you just jump the barrier instead of going back through the halls?"

"S'that allowed?"

He looked around, quickly asking an employee of the stadium standing down against the barrier. The employee looked at JJ with wide eyes, nodding at the quarterback, though he probably didn't exactly have the position to answer him.

"See? You're fine, c'mon angel!"

You looked around, seeing one of the guy's little brother being passed over the barrier, then to Megan who shrugged with a smile, nodding for you to go ahead. You slide your phone in the pocket of your jeans, sitting on the barrier before turning around towards JJ, who held his hands on your waist.

"Can't believe I'm doin' this."

JJ laughed, pulling you down as you slightly jumped off the wall, down into his arms on the field. You quickly wrapped your arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"I'm so proud of you, Jay. You are so talented, baby."

He pulled away from you, cupping your face with his hands, touching his forehead to yours.

"Just had to remember my headphones, like always."

You nodded, laughing and kissing him again, JJ leaned back, your feet leaving the ground for a few seconds as he kissed you. You both pulled away giggling. You got a random burst of energy, electricity pulsing through your veins.

"Ah! Oh my God, you won!"

You pulled away from JJ, grabbing his hands and jumping up and down. His smile widened, he was so, absolutely in love with you, but watching you support him so wholeheartedly, made his heart squeeze extra with love.

"Yeah! I got the Rose Bowl, baby!"

JJ's family came through the tunnel, having chose the safer route to get to the field. He hugged his family, talking with them and taking pictures. You took a few of them on your phone, smiling sadly at how cute they were.

"Angel! Come take a picture with me!"

You smiled, nodding as you went over to your smiley boyfriend. He took his winner's hat off and plopped it onto your head, it was sweaty, but you didn't care. You did one picture standing next to each other, his arm around your hips as you both smiled brightly. Then there was one where JJ kissed your cheek out of nowhere, then another taken the moment after where you both laughed as you wiped the eyeblack he spread to you off of your cheek.

They were adorable, objectively. Your group was soon exiting down the tunnel, bidding JJ goodbye with a quick kiss as he walked back towards the locker room.

Once you were all reunited with JJ he told you all he wanted to go back to the hotel and get food delivered to the hotel. That was your boy, even after the big win all he wanted to do was go back to his bed.

You got back to the hotel after a long car ride through Rose Bowl traffic, and quickly went up to your room. You and JJ were sharing, though he was technically supposed to be in his football assigned hotel room, he was crashing in yours. His parents knew, you two were trusted, and old enough to make your own decisions.

You showered as Jay laid in your bed, watching the Texas and Washington game. You came out of the bathroom in your pajamas, quickly crawling into bed next to JJ. He pulled you inbetween his legs, wrapping his arms around your middle. You were both tired, him more than you. You noticed the plastic bag sitting on the nightstand.

"What'd you get us to eat?"

You kissed him when he told you he got chicken tenders. You both watched the Sugar Bowl as you ate your dinner. You both got up to throw away your trash and brush your teeth before turning off all the lights and getting right back in bed. JJ watched the game as you laid on his chest, scrolling through your phone, showing him TikToks and Instagram posts of videos taken of you two from the game every little bit. You two were going viral among the teenage girls and fan pages.

When the game finished JJ turned off the TV, and you put your phone away as you two shifted so that JJ was laying with his head on your chest. You played with his sandy hair as you talked.

"I still can't believe all of it, it's just crazy."

"Well I can believe it, I knew you could do it. You know I was scared when we were getting close to the end of regulation, but then I saw you smile right before your last play of the regulation TD run, you know right before Roman got the touchdown, and I just knew it."

JJ looked up at you in the dark, he had hearts in his eyes. You were everything to him, just completely everything.

"I love you so much."

"I love you, baby. 'M so proud of you."

[nhlclover]

wish you were sober pt.2 | mark estapa

summary: mark works up the courage to finally tell you his long kept feelings. part one here!

request: yes / no

warnings: the second part to a previous story, i recommend reading the first part before this one. semi proof read, couple instances of cursing, little bit of angst + fluff

a/n: sitting here pretending he didn't just get hurt yesterday😃 also sorry for lack of posting it’s midterms and i’ve got lots of school work so bear with me!

word count: 1.08k

It had been a full day and a half since you’d heard anything from Mark. Although you had told him off, saying you were done, you had hoped he would’ve come to some sort of senses sooner. You missed him. You missed having him in your life, to the point you wished you’d said nothing. You honestly would’ve rathered staying in your limbo of friendship as long as that meant keeping Mark in your life.

The past couple of days had been miserable for you as you were stuck in your dorm room, doing homework and getting ahead on readings. Normally, over a weekend, you would have a hockey game to go to. You’d watch Mark play, and hopefully watch Michigan win. But you couldn’t bring yourself to go to Saturday’s game, so you instead watched online from the comfort of your bed, missing Mark's hold.

When your phone buzzed, you’d expected a text from you and your friends' group chat. Your heart did a leap when you read Mark's name on your screen. A text from him asked if he could come over. You wondered if it was just going to be Mark pretending as if nothing happened, as per usual. The smart and right thing to do would be to say no or ignore his text. But the prospect of having Mark back, hanging out with him in your dorm again, made you blindly pick up your phone and agree, telling him to come over. 

He was there within a few minutes, a soft knock signifying his arrival. When you opened the door, his appearance was not one you’d expected. His normal smile-dressed face, eyes lighting up with excitement even if it was just another normal day, was absent. He looked somber.

You stepped aside, allowing the boy to walk into your room. He sat in your desk chair, leaning back. The space was void of any words.

You stay by the door, wanting to maintain the distance between the two of you. You know that if you’re within reaching distance and you fall into his arms, Mark won’t need to say anything because you’ll succumb to his touch.

“How was your weekend?” He asks. It’s suddenly as you feared, with Mark brushing past what had happened on Friday.

You scoff at his question. “Uh, it was fine, Mark. I did some homework.” You answer bluntly.

Mark nodded, picking at the skin around his fingernails. “We had a game on Saturday. I was hoping you’d go, but I kind of figured you wouldn’t. We won. Four nothing. Rutger had this awesome play where-”

“What’re you doing here, Mark?” You cut him off.

He licks his lips, looking away from you. He’s silent as he looks out your window, the orange leaves slowly dropping from the tree just outside.

“I thought about what you said…on Friday.” He finally says. 

Your mouth goes dry, anticipating what his next words will be. You figure it goes one of two ways; he tells you he feels the same way or he tells you he doesn’t feel the same way and it’s the end of your friendship as you know it. You pray it’s the first.

“I was a douche.” He says. “I like you. I do. I really do.”

His words seem sincere but you don’t feel wholly convinced. “You said that, Mark.” You say. “But I don’t know if I believe you.”

“I understand that, but please try to.” He says softly. You stay silent, going to sit on your bed, giving Mark the chance to speak. 

“Okay…I’ve liked you for a while now. Like, last homecoming, y’know?”

You do know. It was the first time he’d kissed you.

“That…that was…sober thoughts becoming drunk actions,” Mark says. “Y’see I liked you a lot but I was scared…I didn’t know what to do. So when I got drunk, I wasn’t scared anymore so I just kissed you. And then the next morning, I was sober and the fear was back.” “Okay but Mark, I don’t understand what you were scared of. You say.

“I was scared you wouldn’t reciprocate, y/n.” He says. 

You can’t help but chuckle at his reasoning. “Why would you think that? I did reciprocate.” 

Mark bows his head, shrugging his shoulders. “Y/n… you’ve been in my life for too long. If I fucked up our friendship…I don’t know what I’d do.”

You run your hands over your face, processing his words. 

“And you’re you! I mean, y/n, you’ve always been this straight-A student, and you’re so god-damn smart and I’m a fucking fourth liner with more penalty minutes than shots on net.” Mark says, chuckling as he reaches the end of his sentence.

“Mark…” You say. You finally lock eyes with him, his brimming with tears. You hop off your bed, standing in front of him.

“And I’m not trying to give excuses I’m just trying to explain why the hell I’ve been the way that I am.” He tells you.

You reach forward, running your hand through his hair. You wrap your arms around his shoulders, pulling him in. His hands find the back of your thighs, his head resting on your stomach. The pair of you stay there momentarily, holding one another close. 

“Y/n?” Mark finally says. You pull back slightly, looking at Mark. “I want you. I want to be with you. Please.”

He pulls you down so you’re sat on his right knee. “If you’ll have me.” He adds.

You chuckle, bringing a hand to his cheek. Mark doesn’t hesitate to close the space, pressing his lips against yours. The comfort of his lips swaddles you as his hands grip your hips to hold you on his lap. The lack of sloppiness his sober kiss brings realizes the truth of his words. You’ve also known Mark since grade school and you’ve come to recognize when Mark is being genuine and not. And right now you have no doubt in your mind of how genuine he is.

When you break apart, you wipe away a stray tear that had escaped Mark's eye. “So, you’ve liked me since last year?”

“Maybe more like high school…” Mark says.

“High school? You’ve been hiding this since high school?” You ask.

“Yeah, well you didn’t like me then!” Mark defended.

You chuckle, brushing back a piece of hair that fell over his face. “Honey, I’ve liked you since the day you destroyed my sandcastle in the sandbox.”

[lukesvangelista]

𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑’𝐒 𝐊𝐈𝐒𝐒ˡᶠ⁶³

in which luca and y/n share a sweet moment at midnight to ring in the new year.

warnings; pining, kissing, parties, new years

happy new year’s, everybody!

Your eyes twinkled brightly as you watched the many people flow in and out of Rutger’s college apartment. Music was blasting loudly and you were parked out in the kitchen by the punch, which he had so excitedly spiked with some vodka. It was 11:50 on New Year’s Eve, and it was safe to say that no one was going home anytime soon.

You could see Luca talking mindlessly with Nick through your slight view from the kitchen. A bright smile was plastered on his face, and it made butterflies flutter in your stomach. You had known Luca since the first month of your guys’ freshmen year at Michigan, and had fallen for him immediately. Adam had made fun of the two of you last year, saying he could clearly tell that the both of you were in love with each other, but it always seemed as if you were both too scared to admit feelings. The truth is, you knew you were in love with the brown-haired boy, and knew he reciprocated those feelings, but didn’t have much experience with relationships and, as Adam put it, were too scared to admit your feelings.

You were forced out of your thoughts as Gavin walked into the kitchen, forcing his way between your body and the punch bowl, “Hey, Y/N,” he greeted, smiling kindly at you, “Happy New Year!”

“Happy New Year to you too, Gavin,” you replied, giving the boy a quick hug before striking up a small, mindless conversation. Your eyes eyed the clock as the time quickly crept towards midnight. After a quick conversation, you excused yourself in order to head upstairs, claiming that you were going to the bathroom. As the clock struck 11:59, you heard Mark yell out for everyone to crowd around the TV to watch the ball drop, and you stopped yourself in the hallway as Luca defied his teammates’ orders to join you.

“Hi, pretty girl,” he greeted you, his brown hair covering his eyes just slightly. He needed a haircut, but boy, did he look so incredibly beautiful. You smiled brightly, and allowed Luca to take your hand in order to lead you upstairs.

You both halted your steps as you reached Mark’s bedroom, shutting the door as soon as you were both in. The clock still read as 11:59 and Luca pulled you close, waiting for midnight to officially come. You buried your face into his neck as you faintly heard the crowd downstairs yell out, “Happy New Year!”

Your eyes met Luca’s as you raised your head to look up at him, and he immediately smiled slightly at you before wordlessly asking for permission to kiss you. You nodded, and he gently grabbed your chin with his fingers before connecting his lips with yours.

As cliché as it sounds, a million sparks and fireworks went off between the two of you as you deepened the kiss, neither of you wanting the magic of the moment to disappear. When Luca finally broke the kiss, he grabbed you closer and wrapped you tightly in his arms, “Happy New Year, Y/N.”

“Happy New Year, Luca,” you replied, wrapping your arms around his waist. Suddenly, the sound of fireworks blared through the air, and Luca quickly brought you over to the window, opening the blinds to see the beauty of the sky at that moment in time.

His smile was so bright, it was brighter than the big and colorful fireworks, almost blinding you. You let him drag you into another kiss, even more passionate, caring and loving. You wish this moment could last forever.

Little did you know, it was not the last New Year’s kiss that you and Luca would share together.

[peachhcs]

mint rocky road

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)

will decides he wants to try and reconcile with samy during the family vacation

2.7k words

i'm trying to sort of post these in order of the timeline, but i like to jump around a little so it's a bit more fun :) this was like lowkey sad at first, but then it got somewhat happier 🤗

au masterlist

it only took will three days before deciding he should try talking to samy. the two had been avoiding one another since his family got to the lakehouse because obviously what else were they supposed to say to one another? avoiding each just seemed like the next best option. although, the boy kept thinking about what his mom and sister said a few weeks ago. it wouldn’t hurt to try and talk. 

if it went horribly then at least they were pretty good at dodging one another. the big lakehouse finally had its perks. 

everyone was wiped out from the long day in town. there was someone in every room either asleep or close to it, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to talk. will wandered the house in search of the brunette knowing she liked to hide herself in rooms no one ever looked in, but when he searched in all the hiding spots he could remember, he didn’t find any trace of the youngest hughes. it wasn’t until will wandered outside when he saw a faint figure all the way down on the dock. bingo. 

the walk down the yard had will running through every way this conversation could go. she could walk away before he even got there. she’d start bitching at him. she’d tell him she doesn’t want to talk to him ever again. the possibilities were looking a little endless, but the hockey player couldn’t be afraid. 

once upon a time, samy knew him like the back of her hand and vice versa. she was his best friend, so somewhere in there, will knew she wanted to at least hear him out. 

he would hear her out if it were the other way around, so will took his chances. the closer he got, the harder his heart beat against his chest in a rapid rhythm similar to the panic attack he had back at the combine. everything in will wanted to turn around and just continue avoiding samy, but the small part in him that included ryan and gabe’s nagging words kept his feet moving towards the girl now just inches away. 

words weren’t coming to him right now, so the hockey player slowly sat down beside her in an open spot almost as if she knew he was coming out here, so she left the space there. samy didn’t look his way, but she knew he was there. her own heart was now beating a bruise against her chest with will’s close proximity. 

the silence quickly filled in around them with both of their eyes glued to the lake. it was almost funny how they didn’t know what to say because if it were any other circumstance, the two could never shut up around one another. as soon as the smith’s were in the driveway, samy would pounce on the siblings with excitement in her bones to tell them about everything they missed since last summer. none of that happened this year which made this summer already feel a lot different than the previous ones. and maybe it was also a mix of growing up and childhood excitement escaping everyone now that they were all adults. 

“hey stranger,” samy finally broke their deafening silence. her gaze found will’s whose eyes were already on hers as soon as her mouth opened. a crinkle of a smile found its way to her lips sending a little buzz through the blonde. 

“hey,” will whispered like he was too afraid to speak any louder. 

“i didn't think you were coming this year,” the girl hummed, removing her gaze from will’s. the little frown replacing the smile on her lips hurt will more than he liked to admit. 

“i’d never miss the family vacation,” the boy said, but the brunette shrugged. 

“i just thought you’d skip because..you know,” she didn’t need to say it for will to know what she was talking about. her frown deepened along with his at her words. 

“i was actually hoping we could um..um talk about that. this. us,” he stumbled over his words making his cheeks flush in embarrassment. 

“i don’t really know if there’s much to talk about,” samy said all she could to will a month ago and he just pushed her away, so she didn’t know what else could really be said. 

will’s silence made her look back over at him. his gaze wasn’t on hers, but she could see the way his brain was turning, running through all the things he could say to her. his face was set, eyes sunken in as the sadness clouded over him and eventually her too. 

but god, did he look good. despite avoiding him, samy caught glimpses of him with her brothers in the last few days. his curls were grown back out around his ears and whatever he was doing in the offseason was really paying off. he’d grown a lot—arms and legs muscling up and his abs showing a lot more than usual. will was always fit, but for some reason he looked extra good and samy couldn’t really stop staring. 

“will you at least hear me out?” the blonde spoke again and samy snapped out of her little daze of him. 

his look was a bit pleading making it hard to say no, but she wouldn’t ever say no anyway, “i’m giving you five minutes to say something good.” 

“ten?” will negotiated knowing he wouldn’t be able to explain everything in just five minutes. 

his little pleading look continued and shit, he was hard to say no to even when they weren’t on speaking terms. “okay, fine. ten minutes, start talking.” 

“i know i really fucked up and i know i should’ve talked to you more. i-i don’t really know why i didn’t. there was a lot going on in my mind which i know isn’t an excuse, but i thought i could just figure everything out myself which was another dumb mistake. when we got back from worlds everything was going to happen so fast, it kind of freaked me out and i started making stupid decisions,” will began, eyes on anything but samy as he talked. 

“you pushed me away,” the girl stated. 

“i know and i shouldn’t have done that. i thought i was making the right choice by doing that and i realize now that it was the very, very wrong choice,” the blonde shook his head. 

“why didn’t you just talk to me? you know you can always talk to me,” samy’s tone softened at the last part creating this pinch in will’s heart hearing her talk to him like that. 

he finally met her eyes and it took everything in him to not break down. her expression was a mix of hurt and betrayal which was something will never wanted to see, especially when he was the cause of it all,. 

“i know. i-i got scared, i guess. i was scared i was going to lose you or something once i went to california. it was so hard for us to talk during the school year, i started imagining the worse if i was in california. i mean, come on, samy. you’re this amazing, popular person who’s awesome at soccer. you know you have guys at your feet lined up to talk to you. i thought letting you go would be better so i wasn’t holding you back and you could find someone who could actually be there for you. i thought i couldn’t be the boyfriend you wanted all the way across the country,” the tears couldn’t be stopped as will continued talking. his eyes glossed over, desperately trying to hold them in and samy didn’t look any better. 

she looked away hoping he wouldn’t see her own tears, but they both knew she was crying if he was crying. “you weren’t ever gonna lose me, will. i told you, i’m with you wherever you go. i don’t care about those other guys who are in my dms because you’re the one i chose,” her voice broke, sending will’s tears down his cheeks. 

“i know that now. i’m really, really sorry i didn’t get that until now. i never should’ve pushed you away. i got in my own head and i thought i was helping both of us,” the blonde frowned, quickly wiping the tears away. 

“you really hurt me, will. like a lot.” 

“i know,” the boy squeaked out. 

“i don’t really know if things can ever really be the same between us,” the admission hurt, but will knew it was coming. 

“can we at least try? at least the friends part?” not being together was fine, but will couldn’t not be her friend. 

“i don’t know..maybe it would be best for us to just..keep things how they are?” samy sighed, breaking will’s heart even further even though he deserved most of this. 

the silence engulfed them again, but neither of them moved from their spot on the dock. will’s gaze drifted down to where samy toyed with her charm bracelet. he noticed all the charms still there, even the ones he got her, so he took that as his comfort in knowing that somewhere in the back of samy’s mind, he was still there. 

not knowing what else could be said, will finally pushed himself to his feet. he watched the brunette for a moment, wondering if she’d turn around and tell him to stay or something, but she didn’t even move a muscle. 

that pinch in will’s heart grew larger as he forced himself to walk away back to the house. at least he tried. 

samy listened to his retreating footsteps, waiting until he was out of earshot to fully break down. her head sunk into her hands where the sobs quickly escaped her lips in little bursts between the pants. 

she wanted to take him back so bad. just looking at his broken expression made her wanna lunge at him, but she needed to hold some self-respect for herself. words alone weren’t going to fix all the broken things between them. she feared their relationship would never be the same anymore and that was scary because will was all samy’s ever known. 

a few minutes passed when the younger girl heard another pair of footsteps on the dock behind her. she expected it to be her mom or one of her brothers, so when long locks of blonde hair appeared beside her and a gentle hand belonging to grace, samy was very surprised. 

she hadn’t spoken to the oldest smith sibling since the breakup. she didn’t know if grace hated her now, so she sort of avoided her too, but the gentle look on the older girl’s face told samy that was far from the case. 

“are you okay?” grace wondered, taking the spot her brother was just in. 

“i don’t really know,” samy admitted because her heart and head kept telling her two very different things. 

“sorry, that was a bad question. i-i know we haven’t really talked a lot since…but i’m here to talk if you want. i thought my brother was really stupid for doing what he did. we all thought so. i just came down to check on you because i saw him come in,” the older girl continued a bit shyly. 

“we were just talking. he-he was..apologizing,” the younger brunette explained briefly. 

“he was?” 

“yeah. i didn’t really..forgive him. i just don’t know if i can…or if i even should. it’s so confusing in my mind right now,” samy frowned. 

“that’s okay. you don’t have to know all the answers right now. he hurt you and you’re hesitant. that’s perfectly okay,” grace reassured, rubbing her hand across samy’s arm. 

“he was my best friend and i don’t know anything but him.” 

“well, do you want him back in your life in any way?” grace hummed. 

“like a small part of me does, but i don’t even know where i’d start with that,” obviously, her and will wouldn’t just jump back into another like nothing happened. 

“you don’t have to know. starting back as friends is easy if that’s something you want. relearn him as friends and if your heart is still pulling you to him, then i’d say that’s your sign that you want him back as something more than that,” the older blonde gave her best advice based on what she’s learned when it came to this kind of thing. 

“i’m just scared i’ll get hurt again and i can’t do that.” 

“i get that, trust me, i do. it’s really scary, but i know my brother is really sorry and he really wants to be your friend again if you’ll have him. that’s not to excuse what happened and what he did, but i don’t think he could ever dream of hurting you again based on how much he’s hurt.” 

grace’s words sat in samy’s head for the entire rest of the time they were outside until they went back in. it was late. grace retreated to bed, but the younger brunette needed some sort of sweet treat, so she ventured into the kitchen before stopping in her tracks when she saw will sitting at the counter. 

his back was to her and samy considered turning around so she didn’t have to talk to him again, but something in her put one foot in front of the other until she was right beside him, 

“late night snack?” the girl spoke quietly because she didn’t want to wake up the sleeping house. 

her voice startled the boy as he jumped, quickly whipping his head in her direction. “oh, yeah. i couldn’t really sleep,” the blonde flushed. 

“we think alike,” samy mumbled as she walked around to dig through the freezer for any ice cream. 

will watched her from where he sat, heart racing still. being in her presence so close after not seeing one another for a month set his body on fire because if only she knew how much he missed her and hoped that a small part of her missed him too. 

“want any?” samy turned around once she found the carton she wanted. it was mint rocky road which was one of their favorites they always shared together. will wondered if she did that on purpose or not. 

“sure,” the boy said, so samy handed him his own spoon and popped the cover off. 

they took turns awkwardly digging their spoons into the ice cream without speaking. the only sound was someone’s snores in one of the rooms downstairs that was most definitely mr. smith because he snored loud. 

“i-i’m sorry for being kind of harsh earlier. i-i..there’s been a lot on my mind. it’s been weird seeing you after..everything..” the brunette began while will’s eyes glued to her own. “i’m still trying to figure out how i feel because honestly, i don’t really know. i’m really hurt still, yet i can’t ever be mad at you because you’re..you were my best friend and you’re family.” samy shook her head. 

will stayed silent, not sure where she was going with all of this. 

“i do want to try and be friends with you again. we were..inseparable once upon a time and as much as i don’t want to believe it, history is hard to forget about. you’re still someone i think about a lot and i don’t think that’s something that can be thrown away just like that,” her gaze found will’s. 

everything in his system practically exploded hearing her say that because god, he hoped she would. 

“really?” was all he could manage. 

“yeah, really. if..if we ever wanted to go back to..i think we need to start at the beginning first, you know?” samy’s eyes dropped from his back to the ice cream. 

“right, i totally agree. i’m really glad you said that,” a little smile found its way to his lips and so did samy’s. 

“we watched each other throw up everywhere, break bones, face plant on the ice..i think it would be impossible if we stopped being friends,” samy giggled, something will hadn't heard in a long time. 

“plus, i don’t think we could avoid one another forever with our parents being best friends,” will added and the girl nodded in agreement. 

“i still am hurt by everything, but i’m willing to start back as friends.” 

the two exchanged a smile and they spent the rest of the night eating all of the mint rocky road as if they were kids 

[cailinsblog]

Hot Chocolate and Ice Skates-Adam fantilli

Adam fantilli x reader

The cold winter air had settled in around the small town where Adam Fantilli had grown up. Snowflakes drifted lazily from the sky, dusting the trees and the quiet streets. Inside his childhood home, the warmth from the fireplace cast a soft glow over everything. Adam and his girlfriend Y/N had spent the afternoon in the kitchen, the comforting smell of hot chocolate filling the air.

"Okay, do you think we've got the perfect ratio of cocoa to milk this time?" Adam asked, stirring the mixture in a pot, glancing over at Y/N with a playful grin.

Y/N smiled back, her hands resting on the counter. "I think it’s perfect, but I’m not sure we can top last time’s marshmallow disaster," she teased, remembering their last attempt where they had accidentally overfilled the mug with marshmallows until they were spilling over the sides.

"That was *your* fault," Adam shot back, his eyes twinkling. "But I think we’ve got it this time. No marshmallow avalanches."

She laughed, grabbing the cinnamon from the shelf and dusting a little over their mugs. "We'll see. But if you ruin this batch, you know you'll have to make up for it somehow."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "How do you propose I do that?"

Y/N's face softened with a mischievous glint. "Well, you could take me ice skating on the lake by your house again. I haven’t fallen in a while, so I think I’m ready to challenge you."

"Alright, challenge accepted." Adam winked as he poured the hot chocolate into the mugs, carefully adding whipped cream on top and a few more marshmallows for good measure. "Let’s see if you can keep up."

He handed her a mug, and she took it with a grin, feeling the warmth seep through the ceramic into her hands. They both grabbed their jackets and scarves, ready for the next part of their cozy winter day.

Outside, the sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, casting a warm, golden light over the snow-covered ground. Adam led Y/N down the familiar path to the lake behind his childhood home, the snow crunching underfoot as they walked. The lake was frozen solid, the ice a smooth, shimmering sheet stretching out in every direction. A few distant figures were skating, but for the most part, it was just the two of them, wrapped up in the quiet of the evening.

“Ready?” Adam asked, already crouching down beside the skates he had laid out earlier.

Y/N nodded, smiling shyly as she sat down on the bench Adam had brought over, a remnant from when he used to skate here as a kid.

“I’m ready,” she said, pulling her boots off and slipping her feet into the cold, stiff skates. She looked at Adam, who was now crouched in front of her, a gentle expression on his face as he began to tie her skates.

“You’ve got to make sure they’re tight enough,” Adam said softly, his fingers expertly looping the laces. His focus was entirely on her, and the quiet of the moment wrapped them in its own bubble, separate from everything else.

Y/N felt her heart flutter slightly, watching him as he worked. The way his brow furrowed in concentration, the way his fingers moved with practiced ease—it was all so familiar, yet it never lost its charm. She felt so incredibly lucky.

"Thanks, Adam," she said quietly, a soft blush creeping onto her cheeks.

He looked up at her, his smile warm and genuine. "Anything for you."

Once her skates were tied, Adam stood, offering his hand to help her up. Y/N took it, and he guided her to the edge of the lake, where the ice was smooth and untouched. She was a little wobbly at first, unsure of her balance, but Adam kept close, holding onto her hand and guiding her in the right direction.

“You’re doing great,” he encouraged. “Just take it slow. I won’t let you fall.”

Y/N laughed. "I appreciate that. But I *will* fall, you know."

“Only if I let you,” Adam teased, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

They skated in quiet companionship, gliding slowly across the ice under the fading light of dusk. The cold air made their cheeks rosy and their breaths visible in the air, but it felt so perfect, so right. Adam gently nudged her, and she found herself laughing, the sound mingling with the quiet of the winter evening.

“Careful,” she warned, trying to keep her balance, but her grin betrayed her playful tone.

“I’m always careful,” Adam said, but his voice had that teasing edge again, and before she knew it, he had spun her in a circle, her feet barely keeping up with the sudden movement.

“Adam!” she exclaimed, laughing, as she tried to regain her balance.

“I told you I wouldn’t let you fall,” he replied with a grin, though he kept a steady hand on her arm to keep her steady.

The two of them skated in a circle for a while, Adam taking the lead but always keeping a careful eye on her. It felt like a dream—just the two of them, surrounded by snow and ice and the fading light of the day.

Finally, they stopped at the center of the lake, breathing hard, but happy. Adam took her hands in his, his face glowing with the same warmth she had seen earlier as they made hot chocolate together.

“I’m glad we’re doing this,” he said quietly, looking at her with soft eyes. “It’s perfect.”

Y/N smiled, squeezing his hands. “It is. But next time, *you* have to try not to spin me so much. I’m still dizzy.”

Adam chuckled. “Deal. But only if you promise me one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“That you’ll let me make you hot chocolate every time we come here,” he said, leaning in slightly, his voice sincere but playful.

Y/N laughed, nodding. “You’ve got a deal.”

With that, they shared a soft, contented kiss, the world around them still and silent, as if the universe itself was giving them space to enjoy this perfect winter moment.

[catofthecanals289]

NicoJack drabble

“So, any nice girls in Michigan?” Luca asks over the rattling hum of his Ford’s engine.

It’s late, the night thick and heavy between the mountains, the road ahead barely visible beyond the headlights. The radio display doesn’t show the time and Nico doesn’t want to check his phone and the lack of messages, so he can only guess just how close to midnight they really are.

Glancing over at his brother, he finds Luca looking straight ahead through the windshield, focused, but not tense, despite the winding road neither of them know well. The usual road had been blocked, a fallen tree from a storm earlier in the day not yet removed. Luca hadn’t seemed too concerned though so Nico had just sunken further into his seat while trying not to think about the text he was half sure he wouldn’t get an answer to.

“What?” he says belatedly when Luca prompts him again by clearing his throat.

“Just-” Luca sighs, running a hand over the stubble on his chin. “I don’t know, you seem sad.”

Pressing his lips together, Nico shrugs. He doesn’t know what girls would have to do with it, but Luca isn’t wrong. Being back home is going to be great. Nico has missed his family, has missed Switzerland. Sitting at the kitchen table and eating food his bother cooked, looking out the window and seeing the lush green and tall peaks reaching into the blue sky – it’s what Nico has been longing for.

But it turns out the end of missing one thing just means the beginning of missing another.

“I thought maybe you had a girlfriend over there and now-” Luca goes on, and without thinking, Nico shakes his head.

“No,” he says over the sound of some song on low volume that Nico is pretty sure he’s heard before while holding a red plastic cup, drinking awful American beer and trying not to smile too much at the way Jack was moving to the beat of the music. Nico isn’t sure if it could be called dancing. But he’s sure he hadn’t been able to look away. He hadn’t wanted to.  

“No girlfriend.” He looks down at his phone, at the black screen. “The girls were nice. Just-”

Just they were girls.

And they weren’t Jack.

Swallowing, Nico presses the button on the side of his phone, but no notifications show on his home screen. When he tabs open his conversation with Jack it says *read one hour and twenty-six minutes ago*.  Jack has been online thirteen minutes ago according to the grey text next to his little icon.

It’s a picture Nico took of him, right there are the shore of the lake. The sun had been setting and Jack had stood there with his backwards hat on and his bare feet in the cool water and Nico-

“What if there was a boy?” he says, the words out before he’s really truly thought them.

For a moment Luca’s silence is deafening.

Nico can’t let himself breathe, can’t make himself look over. Instead he turns his phone around in his lap, watching the screen go from bright to dim to black. Then-

“A nice Michigan boy?”

“Well, he’s- Yeah,” Nico says on an exhale, swallowing thickly. “He’s in Michigan. But he lived in Toronto before that. And- Yeah.”

And Nico has spent hours listening to Jack talk about it. About Florida where he was born but doesn’t remember, about Boston, about New Hampshire, about the cold winters across the border and how Michigan is home, how he misses his older brother and how much he loves hockey.

And then he’d given Nico that smile that made his chest flutter and he’d rolled onto his back and looked at the clouds passing over the driveway and he’d asked Nico about Luca. About playing together in Visp, about Switzerland, about everything.

What do you like most about America so far?, he’d asked a sweet little grin on his face, and Nico thinks the answer might have been obvious on his face even if he hadn’t said the You that’d been on the tip of his tongue.

“Were you guys boyfriends?” Luca asks now and with a lump in his throat, Nico has to shrug.

“I don’t know,” he says softly.

Luca seems to have heard him anyway.

 “Ah, Nico,” he says after a short moment of simple squinting at the dark road ahead of them. “I’m sorry.”

It’s fine, Nico wants to say. It doesn’t matter.

Because it doesn’t. Nico is back home in Switzerland and Jack is in Michigan and whatever happened in those six months that Nico spent over there, it’ll just be a memory now. It’ll just be what Nico thinks about whenever someone asks him about his first kiss, about his first time, about his first time being in love.

His first heartbreak too, it seems like.

“He says he’s not gay,” he says, voice cracking over the last word. He wishes his lips weren’t trembling as he speaks. “That he doesn’t like boys that way.”

“But you do?” Luca asks.

No pause this time, no silence.

When Nico glances at him, Luca is still looking at the road.

“Yeah,” he whispers and Luca doesn’t say anything, but he reaches over, putting his hand on Nico’s shoulder.

[runningfrom2am]

michigan cherry // part six

summary: walking into a saloon in a nowhere town, billy meets a singer who he just can't get off his mind after she slips through his fingers; onto another town, another show- following nothing but the stars in her path. until he sees her again. another nowhere town and equally dusty saloon, but this time, the band of kids who made up her family is nowhere to be found. he's running away from something, and she is storming full speed toward something else, and tangling into each other's lives may just get both of them exactly where they want to be.

pairing: william h. bonney x fem!reader

wc: 2.4k

masterlists / nav / requests

tags/warnings: singer!reader (she’s giving very much lucy gray), probably a little bit ooc billy but hey i tried- anyway he’s a sweetheart, use of guns and violence, murder and violence but i try to keep it non-descript, oh also she’s an orphan sorry (once again, lucy gray vibes), strangers to friends to lovers trope eee. also not thoroughly proofread oops

the songs in this chapter are: "scared of my guitar" by Olivia Rodrigo, "Michigan Cherry" by River Whyless, "Traveling Song" by Ryn Weaver, "Slim Pickins" by Sabrina Carpenter, and "Adore You - Acoustic" by Maisie Peters !!

a/n: ahhh hi it's my birthday! super excited to share this with you guys even though it isn't all that special or exciting but i'm just happy to be back :). last year for my birthday i posted in this life or the next and i wanted to finally get part 3 of that up today but that just wasn't going to happen BUT for everyone asking i am working on it. i swear. i'm not giving up on it!!

my asks are also open to talk about this series! (i do have emoji anons open now too!)

send me any and all of your thoughts! here!

series masterlist // pinterest board // playlist

You thought that you might have heard somewhere that music is to the soul as opium is to a stubborn cough.

Or, maybe you dreamt that. Regardless, you knew for certain now that it was bullshit. But, with nowhere else to place your heartache, you found yourself sitting by a fire nearly every night with your guitar in your lap, humming soft words under your breath and plucking the strings as gently as you could.

It was for work, yes, but like opium, you had long since become addicted to the routine. Billy had too.

"You can play a little louder, y'know." He hums, tossing a broken twig into the campfire that separates you. "I was promised music in exchange for my services."

"And you get your music." You chuckle, hand pressed over the strings to stop their hum. "You haven't missed a show in almost two months, that ain't enough?"

"Sure, I'm just sayin' don't hold back your practice on my account. I'm happy to listen again." He answers with a soft smile, the yellow glow from the flames warming his features and bathing him in light.

You can't help the matching twitch of your lips to return his, feeling the slight burn in your cheeks that you can't confidently attribute to either the fire or your own blushing. "Well, it ain't much to listen to yet. Not finished."

"Ah, somethin' new?" Billy asks, leaning back on his palms and watching you expectantly as you give him a slight nod.

You're leaning over your guitar to scribble in that little notebook of yours, the pencil almost nothing more than a little nub in your hands and the pages of the book almost filled to the brim with words and notes. The temptation he faces every day to just grab it while you're sleeping or out away from the camp on a little walk has become an almost unbearable curiosity.

Because yes, he loves the songs you do sing, but what he wouldn't give to hear the ones you don't.

Billy would dive at any opportunity to see just a little more into your beautiful mind.

"Yeah, kinda." You hum in response, distracted again by the strings of your guitar effectively wrapping around your heart and your fingers and dragging your attention back to it.

"Okay, then, let me hear what you have so far."

You hate doing that, normally. You would hardly even play incomplete songs for your family when they were around- that awkward moment where you just have to trail off and go "Um, that's all I have..." and try to laugh but not too awkwardly was something painful.

But, this was Billy. Something about him compelled you to agree.

The problem was, the song you were currently meddling with the idea of may or may not be about him. You'd like to confirm with yourself that no, it is not about Billy, but damnit- he's the only person in your life. What else were you meant to write about?

You look down at the pages next to you, narrowed eyes reading over your own writing.

'Perfect, easy, so good to me. So why's there a pit in my gut, in the shape of you'-

Nope, nope, no. He's not hearing that.

You could deny all you wanted that the unfinished song was about him, try and claim to yourself that it was about Max- but deep down you knew the direction it was going.

You flick through the most recent pages, trying to spark your memory of something safer.

'Tart and sweet like a wild berry Tart and sweet your words to me Dark and red like a Michigan cherry Dark and red as the Iliad sea Here we lie in the deep night ready Here we lie, our skin is bare'-

That's definitely not going to work either. Your cheeks get somehow hotter and you clear your throat, flipping the page again.

Okay, this is much better.

"Like I said, it ain't done, so... not much to it yet, but..." You say, clearing your throat and avoiding his eyes as you quickly scan the new page again and position your fingers over the guitar strings.

Billy gives you a steeled nod, sitting up a little straighter ready to listen as if he would be a judge of the quality of your music. It was a joke, you both knew it. He knew he couldn't come up with a critiquing word toward your music if he was held at gunpoint and forced to try.

"Nobody knows where they are going Oh, how we try to wrap our minds Over the edge of all our knowings Be it a bang or the divine Tip of my iceberg blues are showing I've never been one for goodbyes So, 'til I meet you there, I'm singing A traveling song to ease the ride And so you know, everywhere I roam I'll see you on the road."

Your voice is steady, focussed on getting it out rather than dwelling on the meaning of the words and Billy could tell.

"So farewell to my friend, He who taught me to love like a beast And to feast like the queen that he fed turtle soup Little boy from Paris to the States, check the facts That was Magical Max He was black sheep and mischief and love for his craft..."

His heart leaps at the little laugh that falls from your lips at the memory of your friend, your fingers slowing their strum to a steady halt. He doesn't expect you to continue, but you do, your smile quickly fading again back into an attempt at indifferent focus.

"Then he told me that I was starlights that shine On that very last day, he said "Shoot for your dreams, little girl, to the stars" Well, I'm taking you with me Now this one is ours and I know what you'd say you'd say "On with the show!" So on we go."

How embarrassing it is to almost cry singing a song that isn't done, for your best friend who would never live to hear it. Whose memory deserved to be shared. It wouldn't get very far if you couldn't even share it with one person; if you couldn't even stomach finishing it.

"Um, so... I'm not sure about chording for that last bit, or honestly the lyrics. I think it feels better without the guitar, but..." You say quickly, focussing yourself on your book and pretending to scribble something in it just so you wouldn't have to look at the boy sitting across the fire from you.

"I think it's perfect." Billy tells you, a softness to his tone you only had the pleasure of hearing once in a blue moon.

What he meant to say was that it's beautiful, that it's a flawlessly fitting tribute that he felt lucky to hear, that when sung by an angel's voice like yours he didn't doubt for a second that your friend Max had heard it from beyond the veil and loved it too. Even unfinished.

None of that was what came out though, essentially awestruck the way he always was at your shows- but this time he was able to actually speak to you after hearing it instead of just clapping, whistling, or if he was lucky, catching your gaze with a smile and a corny thumbs up that told you he thought you were doing great. Not that you needed it.

"Thanks." Your sweet voice replies, watching him for a moment you determine to be too long before your focus is back on the notebook next to you. "Anyway, um, if you want to hear something else unfinished, this one I think is going to be kind of funny."

"Show me what you've got, then."

Billy simply couldn't resist anymore.

Sitting absentmindedly on a hay bale in a barn where a local owner was gracious enough to let the two of you stay, that damned notebook seems to be glowing right in his face from the sunlight streaming through some bullet holes in the wood paneling that made up the side of the stable.

It's taunting him, he's sure of it.

This stare-down has been going on for about ten minutes since you left it out on the ground next to your guitar to go use the homeowner's washbasin to clean up when his wife offered- you weren't going to turn down a bath that wasn't in a creek.

That would probably take you a while though, you'd likely savour it, so he could just take a look. You'd sing him pretty much anything asked, and what could possibly be more vulnerable than that song you wrote about Max that you shared with him a couple of weeks ago? Surely you wouldn't mind all that much. On the off chance you ever found out. Which, of course, you wouldn't- because he would put it right back where it was after just skimming it.

It's not Billy's fault your handwriting just looks so pretty and you're a poet without publication privileges- it would just be a waste if no one ever read your pretty musings written oftentimes to no one.

And still, he convinces himself again, that you would never know.

He gets up and studies the book to make sure he could put it back down at the right angle before picking it up, hands gentler than they have ever been- like he was touching his mother's precious crystal vase, a wedding gift that had been long lost to time in several moves across the sea and then the country.

He opens the notebook and immediately he can see how you've grown since this book was first picked up by your delicate hands. How your print has changed from beginning to almost end, the pages all wrinkled from spills and humidity and time.

How lucky, he thinks, to be chosen by you for this journey of your life. Why does he feel so much camaraderie for a book?

He skims the pages, delighted to see that it isn't just full of words but drawings too; the sweetest most delicate doodles of little things like your guitar or a flower here and there squeezed in amongst the words on the pages. The amount of talent one young woman could possess astounded him, it's shocking that it doesn't drip out of your every pore in the very black ink that you use to write. 

He can't help smiling a little to himself as he reads the scrawled titles and lyrics to songs he recognizes and he can practically hear your beautiful voice singing every word he's already heard.

'A boy who's nice that breathes- I swear, he's nowhere to be seen.'

That was the funnier song you sang to him those odd weeks ago, and just remembering the small laugh that fell from your lips as you sang the words makes him chuckle too as he reads it.

You had told him you wrote it with Sarah, and he could tell- based on the two distinctive styles of handwriting squeezed onto the small page.

He begins to realize as he flips through the pages of the small tattered notebook resting in his lap, that you had been dating the pages. Finished songs had dates of beginning and completion going back a little over a year, and he figures this must not be the first one you've gone through.

Billy comes to the near back of the notebook, as much as he would love to spend all day reading every word you'd ever translated turning your life into poetry or ballads of melodic storytelling, he knew his time was limited.

One song in particular catches his attention, though.

'So high that I am floating, So good that I'm out of my head. So low baby I was hurting, you made it better again.

Oh, we got caught in a moment, and I'll lay with you all night. So good that now I'm hoping you'll hold me down for life.

I adore, I adore, I adore you.'

The corners of his lips twitch up in a smile as he reads the words, scribbled out and rewritten several times in some places.

It's unfinished, but dated to have been started a couple of weeks ago. He remembers you had asked him what the date was that day, and saw you write it down as he answered- your hair falling over your face and brushing your shoulders as it shielded the book from his view.

A couple weeks ago.

And the drawing- oh, how his heart flutters in his chest so quickly it feels like his ribs have transformed into a sparrow's cage.

To Billy, it looked like him. He knew he must be thinking crazy, after all, it had been a while since he had had a proper look in a mirror, but it sure felt like he was right now- down to the little feathers on his hat and the shape of his cupid's bow. You had given yourself away with the scope of your artistic faith.

"What are you doing?"

At the sound of your voice, slightly hesitant as you stand in the entrance to the barn, he slams the book shut and jumps just about a foot in the air; a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"N-nothing! I just, it just- um..." It was still clutched in his hands, already weary of parting with the precious object of your affections. "It, um... It fell, and I- I just picked it up, and-"

When he looks up at you, you look mildly horrified; cheeks burning the same way his are and eyes blown wide like you had been the one who was caught doing something wrong.

Neither of you move, both frozen on the spot, terrified of the next words that might fall from the lips of the other.

You weren't about to incriminate yourself by asking in a shaky voice if he had read or looked at any of it, knowing he did, and he wasn't going to ask if that song or any others he skimmed (and wish he took more care reading) were about him like he hoped they were.

After a moment of staring at each other like both of you were hostages with guns to your head respectively, you both decide to make the first move at the exact same time. He quickly holds the book out to you at the very moment you reach out to take it, and the awkward exchange makes you want to curl up under the hay bale you were meant to sleep on and rot there.

no taglist this time around!! my fics usually get over a hundred requests to be added to the taglist so instead i made a library! follow me over on @runningfrom2am-library and turn on notifs to get updates when i post new parts!!

[xechoecho88x]

some midwest headcanons that refuse to leave my mind

ohio has two degrees, one in astrophysics and the other in aerospace engineering (his love for planes and space coming together in one degree)

the only times you'll see minnesota and indiana angry is when hockey or basketball are involved, respectively. the rest of the time they are unanimously considered to be the nicest and most peaceful midwestern states

minnesota can and will hold grudges, but it's very rare that he's obvious about it

indiana sometimes works as a car mechanic, but he loves to buy old cars and restore them before selling them again

wisconsin has a harley and is extremely proud of it

every year, minnesota and wisconsin go hunting together on the first day of hunting season, there is no hope of contacting either of them that entire first week

illinois is a closet theatre kid. he doesn't want to admit it out of fear of being called chicago even more than he already does

illinois has a personal vendetta against The Bean. the only joy he gets from that thing is calling it "The Bean" to piss off the artist

michigan is the go to driver when it comes to midwest events. not only is he the best driver out of the group, but he also refuses to get in a car if ohio, wisconsin, or illinois is driving

kansas has a dog called Toto because he unironically loves the wizard of oz. his favorite musical is, of course, wicked

kansas has a little farm with chickens, goats, a vegetable garden, and a sunflower garden and tries to live off the land as much as possible

michigan and wisconsin love to make the states outside of the midwest try to pronounce their city names

ohio is attracted to fire like, well, a moth to a flame. the same goes for fire to ohio. even when he has nothing to do with it, things just happen to spontaneously combust around him

[toasttt11]

sharing

prompt- sharing a plate of food

Luke had found love with a girl around the same age as him, who works with Devils media team. From the day he met her when he got to Jersey, it was easy to tell he was very whipped and they started dating a little while after his rookie season started.

Luke hadn’t been able to make it to a lot of hangouts with his friends and old teammates from Michigan meaning he has not introduced his girlfriend to any of them yet besides Dylan, Ethan and Mark.

Luke pulled into a parking spot in front of the restaurant they were meeting everyone at, he looked over at his girlfriend, his first real serious girlfriend.

“You ready?” Luke asked gently seeing her looking a little nervous.

She nodded still looking nervous making Luke reach over and gently grab her hang squeezing it reassuringly, “They will love you.” Luke softly reassured having no doubt the rest of the boys would love her, she’s easy to love.

She nodded looking less nervous and Luke and her got out of the car.

Luke’s hand naturally rested on her lower back as they walked into the restaurant and was guided to where the boys already were.

Her eyes widen slight seeing so many of his old teammates and all of them getting really loud seeing Luke and all getting up hugging him.

She stepped back letting Luke greet all of his friends.

Mark and Ethan went straight to her having got close with Luke’s girlfriend and thought of her as a good friend.

Mark pulled her into a gentle hug until Ethan was impatient and pushed Mark away to pull her into a hug rocking her like crazy making her laugh.

Luke’s head snapped up hearing his favorite sound and smiled seeing her with Ethan and Mark.

Luke walked back to his girlfriend resting his hand back on her back as he introduced her to everyone.

After he introduced his lovey girlfriend they all sat back down and the boys all began telling her many embarrassing stories about Luke, not that Luke really minded because they all made her laugh and smile.

Eventually food came out and she and Luke usual get to two different things that share between them as she doesn’t eat a lot but likes being able to eat a little bit of two things and then Luke also gets more food so it works perfectly for them.

“What the fuck.” Nick’s jaw dropped as he looked at the couple.

“What?” Luke furrowed his brows looking at Nick oddly as he munched on a French fry happily.

“You shared your food!” Nick loudly exclaimed looking extremely shocked.

“He did what?” Rutger asked in shock and looked over at the two seeing them sharing the two plates.

“Since when do you actually share food?” Tj teased Luke, remembering the many times Luke would get so mad when someone try to touch his food and would look like he was considering stabbing them with his fork.

“Ha Ha.” Luke dryly spoke rolling his eyes at his friends.

“He always shares his food?” She looked confused as shrugged not seeing the big deal, Luke has always shared with her.

“That’s because Lukey boy only shares with you.” Ethan told her smirking at the couple, he remembered being just as shocked when he noticed the first time that Luke easily shared with her.

“Oh.” She softly mumbled looking at Luke who was blushing slightly and had a bashful smile.

She gently kissed his cheek and returned eating.

Josh smirked mischievously as he reached over to Luke’s plate going to grab a french fry when Luke smacked his hand away glaring at him, “Ow!” Josh pouted holding his hand dramatically.

“I only share with her.” Luke grumbled glaring at Josh once more before turning back to his girlfriend and softening immediately seeing her happily munching on their french fries.

[theywhoshantbenamed]

which state/personification do you think would be the most likely to sleep in just underwear at the statehouse only for this to be discovered at 3 AM in the kitchen on a Sunday night

Alaska yawned, scratching at the hair on his belly as he opened the fridge in his garage-turned-room for something to wet his dried out mouth

“Mmh,” he murmured, “hrsty.”

Alas, he found his fridge empty of any sort of reprieve for his parched throat. He swallowed his spit, acquiescing that he’d have to venture to the kitchen. In the main part of the statehouse. How exciting.

He assumed despite the number of residents, there was no reason anyone would be up, and he didn’t care all too much if there was; so without throwing on so much as a shirt, Alaska began his journey.

The downside to being in the garage was that, in a predicament such as his own, the kitchen remained on the other side of the house.

He stalked down the hall, eyes adjusting to the darkness. As he passed the downstairs restroom, the door opened, the sudden light momentarily stunning him.

Alaska remained still, in hopes that whoever just came out would somehow not notice him, as he was used to.

“Oh. Hi ‘laska,” they greeted.

Alaska stared, eyes big.

“Hi…um.”

“Michigan. Figures you wouldn’t recognize me.”

“Ah, yeah,” Alaska chuckled softly, “I’m, ah, not good with faces. Or names.”

“Eh it’s all good I s’pose,” Michigan shrugged.

“I didn’t expect to run into anyone.”

Michigan shrugged, “Well, insomnia’s no joke, y’know?” He gestured to Alaska, “Yer not cold there?”

Alaska looked down at himself. Just in his boxers. He looked at Michigan, not uncomfortable. “It’s late. I was getting a drink.”

Michigan laughed good-naturedly, “Sure thing, big guy. I won’t keep ya then. Have a good night.”

“Night.”

Interaction over, Alaska went on his way, finally reaching the kitchen. It was dark, so he went for the light.

He closed his eyes as he turned them on.

“FUCK!”

When Alaska opened his eyes, he saw Florida in the kitchen, sitting on his haunches, perched on the island in nothing but his underwear.

Alaska watched as Florida slowed his breathing, hiding his amusement.

“Nice getup,” Alaska said as he opened up the fridge.

“You too,” Florida grumbled. “What are you doing up?”

Alaska secured a bottle of water and shook it at Florida in answer before taking a good, long gulp of water.

Florida grinned, “Thirsty?”

“My fridge was empty.”

“And now you’re in the territory of the lowly 84!”

“48,” Alaska corrected.

Florida waved him off, “Ah I was never good with numbers.”

The sunshine state looked at the entrance opposite to where Alaska entered, “Hey Cali!”

California, hair sticking out in any direction, rubbed his eyes under his glasses, “what are you guys doing here?”

“Being thirsty,” Florida answered for both of them. “You?”

“Bout the same actually,” California yawned. “It’s been in the 100s for the past week. I’m losing my mind, it’s so hot. And Nevada refused to let me camp out in his place for the night. His AC works better than mine.”

“Well that explains why you’re all dressed up,” Florida nodded at him.

“Ha ha,” California laughed sarcastically.

“Bears?”

California jumped, “OH your god!!” He readjusted his glasses, realizing Alaska was talking. “I didn’t even know you were there, dude.”

“Good.” Alaska reached into the fridge again.

California rolled his eyes. “Yes. Bears. What of it?”

Alaska shrugged, “Nothing. I like bears.” He threw a water bottle to California.

California caught it easily. “Ah…thanks.”

Before any awkward silences could occur, Gov walked in and immediately shielded his eyes.

“For the love of— why are you all in your underwear?!”

“The better question is: ‘Why are YOU in a full suit at…’,” Florida looked behind him, “Cali what time is it?”

“3:26.”

“3:26!”

Gov sputtered, “I was in my office! I was working!”

“You don’t need a suit to work at home!” Florida accused. “I bet you just fell asleep with it on and just woke up not too long ago.”

Gov frowned.

“There there, Fed,” Florida soothed, hopping off the island, “let’s get you a water and get you to a real bed.”

He reached around Gov and started massaging his shoulders. Alaska tossed yet another water bottle and Florida caught it before leading gov out of the kitchen, back the way Gov came. The other two could hear Gov’s harshly whispered protests fade out as he did so.

California and Alaska looked at each other.

“So…” California started, “Don’t suppose you got a spot I could crash for the night?”

“That’s cute. Goodnight.”

California huffed, turning the lights off on his way out.

[hugshughes]

Liquid Courage J. McCarthy

JJ McCarthy x fem!reader

synopsis - JJ calls you in the middle of the night, inebriated and affectionate. His confessions leave your heart heavy as he sleeps off his drunken haze on your couch. It isn't until the next morning JJ realizes the extent of what he's admitted.

wc - 3.4k

contains - UNEDITED! super cute! alcohol consumption, underage alcohol consumption, JJ gets drunk, eating, hugging. ALL WHILE SOBER: kissing, touching, makin out kinda. reader is insecure about herself (even though she's so cute and pretty), drunk confession, reader gets sad, cursing, i think that's it! oh takes place like october of last year! Rushed ending sorry

an - based on THIS request! LOVEEEEEEDDDDD THIS REQUEST SO MUCH! this was so cute loved it!! #imnotdead :D

-

You hummed to yourself as you pranced around your kitchen, the banana bread you just put in the oven leaving the aroma of your apartment warm. Your hair was in a braid down your back, your adorable pink striped Victoria's Secret pajamas soft against your skin. Music played from your Alexa, your nighttime playlist floating through the air, one of Olivia Rodrigo's new songs gracing your ears.

The thick socks covering your feet kept them from the cold of the linoleum in your bathroom. You took out your contacts, throwing them out before slipping on your glasses. You grabbed your phone off the counter after exiting the bathroom, seeing a couple Snapchat notifications, some from TikTok, and a few messages from your best friend. All three of her texts had said something along the lines of how you should've come out tonight. The third one said how JJ McCarthy was asking where you were. You sighed, turning your phone back off and checking on your banana bread.

JJ had been your friend since freshman year. He was very sweet and so kind. He was so mature and was one of the most polite people you knew. You'd always thought he was extremely cute, I mean, who didn't think that? He had the cutest smile, and the softest dirty blonde hair. His blue eyes were gorgeous. He'd started his little flirting game with you about halfway through sophomore year. He'd compliment you endlessly whenever you saw him, he'd randomly ask you out in the middle of a conversation. That same smile on his face, bright as ever. You, of course, took it all as a joke, a cruel one at that. You assumed JJ was just a flirty guy with a flirty personality, you'd experienced it before. There was zero chance someone like JJ McCarthy would like you.

"Come on. You guys really think he's being serious when he says that stuff?"

"Yes! We do, because he likes you, and it's so obvious. He doesn't talk to us like that, does he?"

You rolled your eyes. Starting to get pissed with them. Your brain could not compute the idea of JJ really liking you.

"Why in the world would JJ McCarthy, probably the most eligable bachelor on the campus of Michigan, like me? I'm not one of the prettiest girls at Mich, let alone am I the prettiest girl that likes him!"

Sometimes you would wonder that if you thought you were pretty, then maybe you'd believe them. You had bad underlying insecurities that stopped you from believing that any guy would like you, let alone someone like JJ.

You leaned your forehead against your silver fridge, the cool of the metal relaxing you. You could hear its low whirring and humming with your proximity to it. The sound occupying your brain as a white noise, leading you to close your eyes. You might've actually fallen asleep if the timer for your bread didn't go off, you scrambling to shout at your Alexa to, 'Please, stop!' You grabbed oven mitts and grabbed the tray after sticking a toothpick into it to check the middle. You set the pan down on your cooling rack, sliding your gloves off. You grabbed your phone and paused your music, going to sit on the couch while your bread cooled.

You stalked your friends Snapchat stories, they were all having fun at the big party everyone seemed to be attending. You halted when you saw your best friend's private story, you knew it only had a handful of people so she posted silly and random things on it.

What she'd posted was a zoomed in photo of what resembled JJ McCarthy with his head thrown back against the couch of whatever frat house they were in. His face looked miserable, and the caption on the photo was saying how that's how she too reacted when you didn't come to parties. You immediately slid up, typing in all caps telling her to shut up. You said how he was not upset over you, and how she was stupid and drunk. It was all lighthearted, you both knew it.

She immediately typed back to you, claiming he'd drunkenly asked her at least four times where you were and why you didn't want to come see him. You giggled to yourself, believing it for just a few moments. You typed to her for a few more minutes before your phone started vibrating in your hand, JJ's contact coming onto your screen. You were met with the photo you'd had him saved with, him smiling that bright beautiful smile across the table from you at Panera sometime during last school year. What was JJ calling you for? You slid to answer, holding your phone to your ear. It was oddly quiet on his end, though he was actively attending a party. He called your name, and you called his.

"JJ? What's up? Are you alright?"

"Hi! Oh my gosh, hi. I can't believe you aren't here right now, I was only excited to see you."

You smiled sadly, he was endearing, and so totally plastered.

"Aw, JJ, I'm sorry. Where are you? It's pretty quiet for a party."

"Oh, yeah. I'm just in the bathroom, standin' around. I got bored. Ya' know, I miss you."

He was so drunk, his words were melting together, but his happiness stayed solid throughout.

"Jay, are you alright? Do you need someone to help you leave? Is Blake there? Colston?"

"You should, we can hang out! But yeah, he's 'round here somewhere. Lemme go get 'im."

You said okay, letting the boy look for his friend. The noise on his end got louder as he left the bathroom. You giggled when you heard him shout hey at random people around the house. You heard JJ call your name into his phone, then again.

"JJ, I'm still here. Any luck finding Colston?"

"Why don't you jus' go marry Colston if he's all 'yer gonna talk about"

You barely heard it, he muttered it with the phone a few inches from his mouth. You were shocked at the words JJ said. What?

"What, JJ?"

"Wish y'were talkin' about me."

You smiled, still a bit confused. His drunk mind was extremely silly.

"I'm talking to you, aren't I? The only boy's call I'd pick up this late."

JJ was ecstatic, smiling brightly as he continued through the party, looking for his teammates.

"I see him! Colston! Come here buddy, she wants to talk to you."

You heard a confused colston mutter 'Who's she?' before he took the phone from JJ, seeing your contact before talking to you.

"Oh hey, what's up?"

"JJ is like, absolutely plastered if you couldn't tell. Are you all good? I asked him and he told me he wanted me to pick him up. If I come get him can you bring him to my car? I'm already in my pajamas."

"Yeah, think Jay'll definitely love that. Kid hasn't stopped asking about you since we got here. I'll have him outside whenever 'ya get here."

You responded with an affirmative, thanking Colston. He handed the phone back to JJ, who was very happy to hear your voice again.

"Hey! What's up? Colston said you're coming to get me."

"Yeah, I'll see you in a couple minutes, okay Jay?"

"Awesome."

He hung up and you giggled. How did you go from an innocent call with the boy to asking him if he needed to be picked up? You shook your head at yourself, standing and grabbing your keychain.

You left your apartment and drove to the house you knew the party was at. Your friends had told you which house it was in case you changed your mind and came. It was less than ten minutes before you were in front of the bustling house, seeing two boys standing on the sidewalk.

You rolled down the window as they walked over, shouting hey to them. JJ was visibly drunk, stumbling just a little as he leaned into your car, a big smile on his face.

"Hi, pretty."

"Hi, JJ."

Colston helped his teammate into the car, making sure you were good to take care of the boy.

"Yeah, we'll be fine, Colst. I'll let 'im have my couch for tonight. I'll text you if I need anything!"

He nodded, lightly slapping the side of your car twice before retreating to the house. You turned your music back on, leaving it at a low volume as you turned around to drive home. You glanced at JJ and noticed the biggest pout on his face.

"JJ McCarthy. I know I didn't just drive over here to get you just for you to be pouting when you get in my car."

"Just text Colston about it, why don't you?"

You busted out giggling. Drunk JJ was such a treat. His jealousy over your friendship with his teammate was incredibly hilarious.

"I might if you don't start bein' nice t'me."

"Sorry 'm being mean."

He barely murmured it, though it was all you needed. You smiled brightly at him, laughing to yourself. JJ never got drunk, he usually opted for just a drink or two, or being the designated driver.

You got home quickly, making small talk with the now sleepy boy. You parked in your spot, hopping out of the car and walking around the hood to help JJ out. He'd stayed at yours after a party once or twice before, but it had always been with a couple other people. Tonight it was just you two.

You walked in, stepping into the elevator right behind JJ. The two of you stepped out of the elevator as the machine dinged and the doors slid open. JJ grabbed your hand as you walked down the hall to your door. You glanced at him, softly smiling. His eyes were barely open, but he still had a smile on his face. You didn't take the action as anything serious, JJ was a physical touch kind of person. He was always hugging people, patting shoulders, bumping fists. He was extra physical with you though, not that you noticed. You were the only girl he ever really acted like that with, again, not to your acknowledgment.

You wouldn't let yourself believe he liked you. Convinced it would hurt too much when eventually he got a prettier, skinnier, bubblier, more likable girlfriend and left you in the dust. JJ had eyes solely for you, though. He only ever looked at you. He asked anyone and everyone if they knew where you were or if you were coming to the party for God's sake.

You closed the door behind JJ and locked it, telling him to make himself at home. He took his shoes off, trying to neatly organize them in your shoe cubby. He wandered over to the couch as you kicked your shoes off and entered your kitchen. You grabbed a cold water bottle, two Ibuprofen tablets and two Tylenol tablets, the perfect hangover cure. You noticed your still warm banana bread sitting on the counter, perking up.

"Jay, do you want some banana bread?"

You heard his footsteps then saw him come around the corner, his eyebrows raised.

"Hell yes."

You giggled, gesturing for him to come stand by you. You flipped the pan over onto the cooling rack, opening the drawer directly in front of you, pulling out a bread knife. You felt a head slip into the crook of your neck, warm breath on your neck. Heat rushed your face, JJ's contagious smile spreading to you.

"Hi, crazy."

You pointed to the water and pills on the counter as you swerved out of his reach, going to grab a cutting board and a plate.

"Take those and your head won't hurt in the morning. Well, I don't know how much you drank, but that'll definitely make it better."

He nodded, immediately following your directions. He gulped down half of the water bottle while you came back over, laying the loaf of bread on the cutting board. You cut a couple pieces off, setting one onto the plate before sliding it over to JJ. He smiled at you, beginning to devour his snack. Hopefully it would absorb some of the alcohol in his stomach.

"You're amazing, you know."

He said it in a way that made it seem like he meant it on a deeper level than you'd usually assume. He said it like he truly did believe that, and it wasn't just because you fed him warm banana bread. You shook your head, brushing it off as you tore of pieces from your slice.

"No, don't shake your head a'me. You are. You act like you're not but y'are."

He was too good at making you feel special. You were just too scared to believe any of it.

"I just like to take care of people I like."

You smiled innocently at him, shrugging your shoulders as you moved to grab a proper storage container for your bread.

"And I just like when the girl I like believes me when I tell her she's amazing."

You froze in your spot. Sure, JJ had flirted with you for about a year. But, he'd never downright told you he liked you. He's drunk out of his mind. You sighed when you turned around, trying to smile at the boy as you stared into his sleepy eyes.

"You're so sleepy, JJ, and drunk."

He nodded a little, his eyes never leaving yours, that smile never leaving his face. He didn't really notice that you'd downplayed his feelings, he'd noticed even less that he'd straight up told you you were the girl he liked. All he could really notice was how beautiful you looked in the dim light of your kitchen, in your cute pajamas and glasses, hair in a messy braid.

You set JJ up on your couch, getting him another water and some thick and soft blankets and a pillow. You ran your hand through his messy hair as he laid in the couch beneath you. His eyes were begging to close, but he still smiled at you. You quietly told him to go to sleep, turning to leave. You'd only made it to the light switch before he called your name.

"I really do like you, 'm not just drunk. Just get too nervous to tell you, 'm sorry."

Your heart was heavy. You wanted to believe him, but how could you? JJ had never shown what you deemed as genuine interest in you when he wasn't inebriated. All he did was toss flirty comments around, throwing his arm over your shoulder every once in a while.

You couldn't lie and say you didn't notice the different look in JJ's eyes as he peered over the back of your couch. The truth in them.

"If you even remember this in the morning, we can talk about it. Alright?"

"That's perfect."

He smiled at you one last time before sinking below the back of your couch, out of sight.

"Goodnight Jay."

"Night night, pretty."

His words made your heart squeeze. You knew that the affection you felt for JJ wouldn't change, no matter if they were just drunk fibs.

You switched the living room lights off, heading into the kitchen. You set out another water and more pills for whenever JJ woke up in the morning. You checked the locked once more before turning all of the lights off. All you heard as you headed back to your bedroom was JJ's heavy breathing, it calmed your racing heart. You left your door cracked open incase JJ woke up needing something.

Your glasses slid up your head as your rubbed your eyes, sighing. You kept reminding your heart that JJ didn't really know what he was saying, that he would regret it.

The bed you slept countless nights in was uncomfortable as ever tonight, you tossed and turned for most of an over before climbing out of bed. You threw your cute pajamas onto the hardwood floor and traded them for a Lululemon bra and some shorts.

You fell asleep after another forty minutes of shifting every minute or so. Your sleep was light and poor. You woke up a little after four am, just three hours after finally falling asleep. Sleep finally took you again for a couple more hours, just until a little after nine.

After lying and staring at your ceiling for half an hour, you slowly sat up in bed, getting up. You exited your room, dragging yourself to the living room. The couch was empty, the blanket JJ had used folded neatly on top of the pillow. How sweet was he? You turned and walked into the kitchen, finally spotting the dirty blonde boy you wanted to see.

He turned at the sound of your footsteps, smiling. He was holding a water bottle, his eyes tired and his hair still messy.

"Good morning, JJ."

"Hi."

You felt nerves wash over you. This was it, where he either apologizes and regrets everything he said last night, or you got everything you'd hoped for. You went over to where he was leaning against your counter, hopping up to sit on the counter by him. His head fell to your shoulder as if by reflex.

"How do you feel, Jay?"

"Good, better 'cause y'took care of me."

"I just gave you some meds, Jay."

"Still."

You smiled, leaning your head on his. Maybe it would all be okay. Maybe he would be in love with you. You took a deep breath, now or never.

"Jay, do you-"

"Yes."

You pulled your head from his, turning to give him a look.

"You don't even know what I was gonna say."

"I remember what I said."

You bit your lip, still nervous. You look to where your feet dangled in the air, suddenly scared of his gaze on you.

JJ was nervous as hell too, though. You hadn't said that you liked him back, he definitely remembered that. He was beginning to take your silence as disinterest. He just stared at you, waiting for some indication of how you felt.

"And?"

"'And?' And, I like you."

Your nerves escaped from your body in a giggle, the churning of your stomach now butterflies. JJ did not appreciate the laughter though, taking it the complete wrong way.

"You don't have to laugh at me, shit."

He reached his hands to his eyes, rubbing hard as he started off, away from you. You giggled again, realizing your mistake. You jumped from the counter, sighing JJ's name out.

"Wait, wait Jay, I'm sorry. It's not like that."

You grabbed his arm, trying to halt the taller and stronger boy wasn't easy without his compliance. You shouted his name again and he stopped, turning to you.

"I'm not laughing 'cause you like me. I'm laughing 'cause I barely slept last night worried that you wouldn't like me."

JJ finally looked at you. His eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

"What's do you mean? I literally told you I liked you!"

"JJ! You were so drunk! I wasn't about to convince myself that JJ McCarthy liked me just 'cause he said so while he was plastered."

"I wasn't plastered! And, what do you mean when y'say it like that?"

You rolled your eyes, halfway annoyed. He didn't get it.

"JJ, you could probably get with any girl on the Michigan campus if you wanted to. I wasn't convinced that out of all of them you'd actually want me."

"How could I not like you?"

The truth in JJ's eyes made you feel seen. Like he actually knew you. You smiled sappily, pulling the boy down by his shoulder, kissing him deeply. One of JJ's hands gripped the back of your head, the other pulling you closer by the small of your back.

There you were, standing in your kitchen kissing the boy you could've sworn never liked you. The boy you'd been infatuated with for a year. He was finally yours.

JJ pulled away from your lips, his hands moving to cup your face. His smile was brighter than ever. You both laughed, looking into each other's eyes for just a few seconds before JJ pulled you back in.

[nhlclover]

wish you were sober | mark estapa

summary: you finally get the romantic attention from your childhood crush but you just wish he was sober when he kisses you.

request: yes / no

warnings: drinking, angst, kissing

a/n: based on ‘wish you were sober’ by conan gray. first mark fic🤭love this man

word count: 2.05k

“I really don’t want to go.” You groan.

You prop yourself up on your elbows, looking at your friend standing at the end of the bed. Mark stomps his foot like a child, crossing his arms. You toss your head back with laughter.

“You throwing a hissy fit doesn’t make me want to go more.” You tell him.

Mark, your childhood friend, was attempting to convince you to go to a party with him. Most of his friends were busy, hanging out with their girlfriends or studying. So you were his next option.

At least that’s what you’d convinced yourself was the case.

Ever since you met in grade school, you’d had a crush on Mark. He was the boy next door type. He was loved by all his peers and he made everyone smile, especially you. He always made time for you, running around the neighbourhood with you. You were convinced your parents had paid him to be friends with you because there was no other logical explanation for why Mark spent so much time with you. But he did.

Over the years, the pair of you stayed close. You went to high school prom together, homecoming, and was even your date to your cousin's wedding. However, all platonically. All as your best friend.

Your crush grew stronger, although Mark shared none of the same feelings. But you were happy just to have him in your life.

You remember the first time Mark kissed you. It was at a party while in freshman year of university. He was drunk. But you didn’t stop him.

His lips were so soft. Softer than you ever imagined. His hands felt like they were made for you the way you fit perfectly in them. Then the next morning, when you met for breakfast, he said nothing. It was like all the kissing and the touching never even happened.

It took a couple of times to realize that was a common theme with Mark. He only ever kissed you when he was drunk. If you ever hung out when you were sober, he was back to being the same Mark that hung out with you by the creek on Sunday afternoons.

But at parties, his hands were on your waist, walking behind you to the nearest room with a lockable door.

You recognized how potentially unhealthy this was for you, your childhood crush only giving you romantic attention whenever he was drunk. But you were getting attention from the guy you’d liked since you were 8, so you took it.

A smile forms on his lips as he flops onto the bed beside you. You tip your head to look at him. Mark is looking up at you. He has no distinct look on his face, not even his stupid puppy eyes he likes to do. Yet you find yourself caving into him.

You sigh, dropping your head back to the pillow and looking up at his ceiling. “Fine.” You huff.

“Yay.” Mark grins. His smile. It makes you weak in the knees and causes the butterflies to take flight.

That’s precisely what you don’t want. You shoot up from the bed, grabbing your bag from the floor.

“I uh… I gotta go.” You blurt out.

Mark's brows push together. “Why?”

“I… gotta change and get ready. I kinda look like a mess.” You chuckle.

“What do you mean? You look great.” He says, getting up and standing in front of you.

The smell of his cologne becomes strong. You step back, worrying that it might be brainwashing you. “Mark, I’m going to change.” You state. “Text me when you’re picking me up.”

You leave his place, going back to change into a more presentable outfit. A few hours later, Marks outside your place in his Range Rover, honking wildly. You run out, hopping in the passenger seat.

“You need to chill.” You laugh.

“You were taking too long.” He rebuttals.

Mark pulls away from the curb, speeding off in the direction of the party. When you pull up, you see people spilling out onto the front lawn of a frat house, with people on the front steps making out. You already know this won’t be an enjoyable party but you know you’ll stay for Mark.

You get out of the car, following Mark inside. The house is packed, so Mark grabs your hand making sure he won’t lose you.

“Hey, man!” Mark says to a tall guy in the kitchen.

“Wassup Estapa?” He says. They dap each other up, asking each other how they are.

“Oh, here you go man.” The guy says. He reaches into a cooler on the island, handing Mark a Bud Light.

Mark doesn’t hesitate to crack it open, chugging half of it in just a few seconds.

“Who’s this?” He asks, motioning to you.

“This is y/n,” Mark says, pulling you in front of him, his hands landing on your waist. “Friend from the hometown.”

“Nice to meet you, y/n, I’m Chris.” He smiles, sticking out a hand to shake.

He’s cute, got small dimples when he smiles, and is most definitely another student-athlete. You swear Mark was only friends with other athletes.

You chuckle, shaking Chris’s hand. “Nice to meet you too.”

Suddenly your skin longs for Mark's hands as they leave your hips. He’s walking out of the kitchen, towards a group of people calling his name.

“So what program are you in?” Chris asks.

You make small talk with him for the next little bit, talking about hometowns and hobbies, but Mark’s location lingers in the back of your mind the whole time.

“It’s been great getting to know you, but I should probably go find Mark. Make sure he’s okay.” You say.

Chris laughs. “I think Mark’s doing just fine.”

Chris points past you, into the rest of the house. You turn around, scanning the room for Mark. You finally spot him, standing in the living room, across from a redhead. She’s giggling, a hand on his bicep, as he’s swapping cups with her. He takes a sip of her drink, pulling a sour face as he swallows. He says something that makes her laugh.

The sight in front of you tenses your heart, feeling like someone took a knife and stabbed it into your chest.

You excuse yourself from Chris, turning around, and heading down a hall, finally winding up in a bathroom. You enter, locking the door behind you. Tears prickle at your eyes and you find yourself laughing at the sight.

Who cries over a guy they’re not dating? Let alone the guy who only likes her when he’s drunk?

You wipe the tears from your cheeks, stepping out. You couldn’t take this much longer. Walking back down the hallway, you spare one last glance at Mark who is downing whatever was in the redhead’s cup. You roll your eyes continuing out of the house. Mark spots your familiar figure speed walking out of the house. He excuses himself from the redhead, chasing after you.

“Woah, y/n!” He calls after you. You stop and turn to face Mark. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going home.” You tell him.

“Why?” He asks.

“Because I don’t want to be here anymore.” You say.

“What? Why?”

You go to answer but someone cranking the volume of the speakers makes it hard to hear over the top of 21 Savage's voice.

“C’mon, let’s go somewhere the music isn’t loud.” Mark says. he guides you through the house and out into the backyard where it’s significantly quieter and less crowded, safe for a few couples making out and some people smoking.

You cross your arms, waiting for Mark's argument about why you should stay. Mark gives you a small smile, his lazy, drunken eyes scanning your face.

“You look really pretty.” He says.

You roll your eyes, preparing to push past Mark and leave him in the dust. However, he grabs your hips, stopping you from moving.

“You wanna leave? We can leave.” He says. You sigh, looking up into Mark's eyes.

His sweet, soft brown eyes make you feel like you could look into them for days. His stupid, genuine eyes, make you believe every last word that comes out of his mouth.

“Thank you.” You say softly. “But you’re not driving.”

You grab the keychain sticking out of Mark’s pocket, nabbing the keys too. He chuckles, sticking his hand in your back pocket.

He leans in, pressing his lips to your cheek. “You really do look fucking amazing.” He whispers in your ear.

You push him back slightly, walking around front to his Rover. He stumbles slightly so you wrap your arms around his torso to stabilize him.

You open the passenger door, helping Mark into the seat. He sinks into the seat, his head resting back against the headrest. You step up into the car, reaching over to buckle Mark in.

He suddenly leans up, cupping your cheek in his hand, pressing his lips to yours. The temporary feeling of bliss almost makes you want to forgive him for only acting when he’s drunk. His soft lips are gentle, but not sloppy, briefly making you believe he isn’t as drunk as you thought he was.

But you pull away. At the end of the day, he only does this when he's drunk. “Let’s go home.” You say.

You get in the driver's seat, pulling away from the frat house and driving to Mark's place. He cranks the volume of the radio, singing along to Cruel Summer. Half the words mould into one another, him slurring every second syllable.

You pull into his driveway, turning off the ignition. You climb out, going over to the passenger side to help Mark out of the car. He trips getting out of his seat, leaning his weight on you. You get him to the front door and attempt to open the door, only to have Mark pull your hand off the handle.

He pulls you into him, you hitting his chest. He wraps his arms around you, resting his hands on your lower back. “You should stay over.” He suggests.

You laugh, shaking your head. “I don’t think so.”

“Why not?” He asks.

“Mark…” You sigh.

He leans in, pressing a soft kiss to one side of your neck, then leaning over and kissing the other side.

“Mark.” You say again.

“I love it when you say my name.” He whispers.

He works his way up your jaw, peppering your skin with kisses. He slows down when he reaches your face, kissing the side of your mouth before pressing his lips to yours.

It’s like almost every other kiss you share. It sends a rush of energy down your spine, your core heating up on command. His hands trace down to your ass, lightly squeezing it. You find yourself instinctively kissing back.

Mark has this effect on you where no matter how many times you say to yourself no more, you always find yourself back wanting more.

But the pang in your chest, when you remind yourself that this is seemingly nothing more than a drunk habit for Mark, makes you push away.

“Mark.” You say, your stern tone coming out clearly. You wriggle out of his grasp, stepping back. “I can’t keep doing this.”

“Doing what?” He asks.

You groan in frustration because how does he not see it? “Doing this dance that we do. Where we go to a party, get drunk, and then hook up.” You say. “But then in the morning, I’m nothing more than your friend from back home.”

He sighs, looking away. “Y/n-”

“No, Mark.” You say. “I’m done with this.”

You step down the stairs, onto the walkway.

“Y/n, please come back.” He says. “This is just a…a misunderstanding. I do like you, please.”

He comes down the steps, stopping in front of you and grabbing your hand. “Please, I… I think I was just too scared to admit my feelings.”

You want to believe him, but it doesn’t even sound like he believes himself.

“Mark this is real sweet and all but… I just wish you could say that to me when you’re sober.” You say.

You give his hand a squeeze before walking down the road towards your dorm.

[jocelynscrazyideas]

Summer lakehouse- Arrival | Quinn Hughes x Reader

Summary: this episode reads… Zoey, Trevor’s twin sister and Trevor Zegras go on a roadtrip to Michigan to the Hughes Home. Summer is calling!! And so is love.

Warnings: language? Not proof read.

A:N- this is the kickoff to the series!!! Also sorry to mention but Trevor’s actual sibling don’t exist in this story (sorry!)

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

“Zoey!” Trevor calls for me from my kitchen. Trevor and I are at my house in Minnesota. I’m currently upstairs getting packed for our trip to Michigan. Normally, Trevor would fly out to Michigan and I would be left at home.

Trevor, my older brother, only by 7 minutes has been super successful in his hockey career. He had just suffered in an injury so lately, Trevor has had time to check up on me, especially since I had just went through a breakup with a relationship that lasted about three years. I live in Minnesota, Trevor is in Anaheim, and our parents moved back into New York. I feel so special being able to literally be going to Michigan with The HUGHES brothers. I’ve known Jack for a long time, but I have never really considered us friends. I only talk to Jack because he’s Trevor’s bestfriend.

“Are you coming?” Trev bellows out for me again.

“Yes! Just calm down and eat an apple.” I yell back from upstairs in my room.

“Incoming!” I exclaim cautiously chucking my bags down the stairs. Trevor runs under the botttom of the stairs and catches my bags. I packed about three bags knowing I’ll be in Michigan for half the summer.

“Okay give me your keys.” Trevor motions for my pocket. “Um.. now.” Trevor barks back at my nasty stare.

“No! I’m driving.” I look him up and down, I pick up one of three bags and throw it at his chest.

“ZEGRAS IS DOWN!! ZEGRAS IS DOWN!!” Trevor screams out flailing his arms as if he’s trappped under my bags. I grab one and throw it into my car. I run inside and grab my other two and throw those into the car. I hurry to my side of the car and notice that Trevor isn’t outside. I unlock the car, knowing he may be tricking me and he could steal the drivers seat.

“Fine.” Trevor murmured in defeat as he walks out f the house. He gets in the passenger seat and he turns in the radio.

Perfect.

Umbrella by Queen Rihanna is on.

I open our windows as we are still driving in to town towards the nearest highway.

“Can we stop for some drinks and food?” Trevor, being a former big back asks.

“Yeah sure, you’re paying.” I say as I’m still locked in into one of the best songs ever.

We pull into Starbucks as he orders for me and him. We wait for 15 minutes, and my dragon fruit lemonade refresher comes out followed by Trevor’s black coffee and his cake pops.

“You know this song is going to be your summer.” Trev indicates as we approach the freeway.

“No, I’m going to have fun thi summer, and having fun is being single.” I say trying to get rid of the conversation.

“Well yeah never mind you’re still a virgin.”

“Trevor shut the fuck up. You can’t keep your girlfriends! You scare them off!” I say yelling back at him. Yes, I have lost my virginity, but I haven’t had sex in like 8 months. Which is normal.

We make it to Wisconsin and we stop at a rest place, I use the bathroom, Trevor goes to throw our trash away. “You know I’m serious. You could get a boyfriend this summer. Quinn throws seriously cool parties.” Trevor still not letting this go.

“No, I just got out of a healthy relationship, and I’m still hurt.” I explain, trying to give him signals.

“Good. You can get a rebound. I mean You’ve met Jack. Michigan men are hot.” Trevor goes on and on about me and the idea of “hot men”.

I drive for another four hours and we stop at another rest place. I get out of the car and stretch my legs and start to walk into the buildings for the bathrooms. I get some water, grab a few snacks and head back to the car. Trevor and I switch seats, and he drives really scary.

Trevor swerved in front of a deer. I punched Trevor in his right bicep, and he winced. He looks over at me and he drives off. He throws his phone at me telling me to turn on some music.

“Why do you get aux?” I reply in a snap.

“Well you get to pick the playlist that’s on MY Spotify.” Trevor sassed back.

Whatever.

I press on his “lover girl/wedding vibes” playlist. Interesting.

“What’s this?” I say as I laugh. I know Trevor was hurt when I told him he’s the reason he can’t keep a girlfriend. I felt terrible.

“WHAT IF HES WRITING MINE ON MY UPPER THIGH.. ONLY IN MY MINDD!” Trevor breaks out into song. And I follow.

“Taylor the woman you are.” I say as I hold trevs hand. We make it to Michigan. We both pulled all jighters.

“10 hour drives aren’t for the weak.” Trevor says as he pulls over into a parking lot. We switch seats once more. Trevor puts the Hughes address in my google maps. I turn in the aux and play Lovers by Anna of the North. So teenage girl coded. I back into the driveway, and I knock on Trevor’s head.

“Wake up.” I whisper trying to get him up but still he quiet for those around us in the block.

“Mhm” Trevor moans out in a sleeping bliss.

“Zegras?” Quinn says as he walks out of the newly renovated home.

“Oh yeah! Hey buddy!” Trevor instantly gets up and opens the trunk. Quinn helps us bring our stuff into the house. I get my own room, for now.

“So Trevor I didn’t know your twin sister was like super hot.” Quinn mumbles to Trevor.

“Uh, yeah she’s hot.” Trevor looks over at me and winks.

“Yeah she is! And she’s mine!” Jack says as he run into me and grabs my bags before I get the chance to.

“Hurry up! It’s cold.” Luke says. Luke’s hanging half way in the door way and half way out. He held the door for us and he walks me to my room.

“So you jack know eachother?” Luke mentions. Luke is 6”3, really tall, like taller than Trevor. I’m 5”2 and on a good day I’m 7”.

“Yeah, but only through Trev.” I respond, Luke seems so chill. I think out of all of the Hughes, I’d get along with Luke the best.

“Chill. I’m glad you could come this summer!” Jack says. I’ve never thought me and Jack were so buddy buddy, but I guess we are.

“So I’ll wake you up in the morning, so we can go down to the beach, and buy some avacodoes from the store. I know you like avocado toast!” Jack hypes up. We past their parents rooms and I settled into my bed.

Now that I mention it. Jack and I are actually best friends. Trevor met jacks through me when I told Trevor to tryout for USNTDP U18 because I knew the captain. It’s been years since me and Jack talked, I mean Jack and Trevor hang out, but it’s not me and Jack going on walks everyday.

I can’t believe I forgot Jack and I’s friendship. I feel terrible. Jack was the only person who really knew me for me.

~

I go to bed and I dream about nothing. Mind is empty. Except…

I’m thinking of how Wuinn called me hot. Maybe Trevor was right, maybe I could find a love this summer.

~

I wake up to knocking on my door, last night before I fell asleep I put all of my clothes and shoes away, I unpacked my hygiene stuff into my bathroom.

“Hey? Are you wake?” I hear from behind my door. I can’t decipher the voice but I know it’s not Trevor.

I get out of my bed and unwrinkls my bed sheets. I slide my slippers on and walk over to the door. “Hello?” I whisper. “What time is it?” I ask as I look up to the owner of the mysterious voice.

“Yeah. Sorry for waking you up.” Quinn apologizes to me, he grabs my wrist and pulls me out of my room. My door shuts behind me, Quinn pulls me down the stairs and I’m following the tall man all the way to his car.

“Jack told me to take you to get avacidos.” Quinn told me as he opens his car door for me. “It’s like 5:30.” I told Quinn. Just making sure he knows it’s way too early to buy avocados for breakfast. Especially in the summer.

“I’m aware. But if you wanted to go sneak out like Jack and Z told me, then this is the time. Besides, I know a sport downtown.” Quinn backs out of the neighborhood and he drives off to a small shop. Some farmers markets are open so we buy organic avocados, four of them.

~

“You like the ocean?” Quinn asks me. He places a blanket on the sandy stone. We sit on a cliff on top of a lake.

“Yeah, you?” I respond. I wonder if Jack and Trevor put him up to this. Or if Quinn genuinely thought of taking me.

“Uh- yeah no I love the lakes here in Michigan. I hear you’re from Minnesota, the place of 10,000 lakes.” Quinn mocks the Minnesotan accent.

“Yeah I mean it’s nice, especially during the summer because of the weather, but during the winter there the lakes are fun to skate on, and I have friends who ice fish- it’s really easy to have fun in Minnesota.” I explained, I look at Quinn and he’s staring into my eyes. It’s like he’s reading me.

“Yeah? Maybe I should drive back with you and Z.”

“You should, Trevor loves to annoy me.”

“Well he told me most of the stuff you’ve been through before this.”

“Like what? My breakup?” I say as I turn my head towards the lake instead.

“Maybe we should head home, it’s been a couple of hours since we left.” Quinn excused out conversation, knowing I was offended.

We got home around 8:41- about three hours since we left to get avocados. I bring in my favorite ingredient, and Quinn opens the door for me.

I set the avocados on the counter and I head to my room. “Zoey!” Quinn runs up the stairs after me.

“Sorry for getting in your biz.” Quinn apologized to me, he must truly care.

Jack comes down from his room and makes us our avocado toast that he promised us.

We went boating and I tanned on the deck while the guys barbecued and grilled some burgers.