#Quinn Hughes x reader

[amourquinn]

( short fic ) 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐌

pairing : boyfriend!quinn x fem!reader wc. 1.5k

genre : angst, fluff at the end no warnings

summary : a late-night argument forces you and quinn to confront the vulnerabilities in your relationship

「 author’s note 」 this one was inspired by the song mad by ne-yo !

the apartment was eerily silent, save for the occasional hum of the heater and the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. you tossed and turned in bed, trying to find sleep, but it refused to come. the argument with quinn earlier in the evening replayed in your mind like a broken record.

it wasn’t even a big fight—nothing earth-shattering, but the frustration lingered. it had started with something trivial, as most fights do. quinn had been stressed from back-to-back games, and you were juggling a heavy workload. his short responses had grated on your nerves, and your sharp words had only added fuel to the fire.

now, as you lay staring at the ceiling, the weight of the unresolved tension felt unbearable. quinn was on his side of the bed, his back to you, his breathing steady but not quite deep enough to suggest he was asleep either. the air between you was thick, but neither of you had made the move to bridge the gap.

with a sigh, you pushed the covers off and swung your legs over the side of the bed. the hardwood floor was cool beneath your feet as you tiptoed out of the bedroom, careful not to make too much noise. the faint glow of the kitchen light guided your steps as you made your way to the fridge.

you grabbed a glass of water, sipping slowly as you leaned against the counter, your mind still racing. the stillness of the night only amplified the ache in your chest. you hated going to bed angry with quinn, and this was no exception.

the sound of soft footsteps broke your thoughts. you turned your head to see quinn leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. his hair messy from tossing and turning, his tired eyes meeting yours. he wore a simple black t-shirt and sweats, his shoulders slightly hunched as if weighed down by something unseen.

“hey. couldn’t sleep either?” he asked quietly, his voice raspier than usual.

you shook your head, taking another sip. “no.”

for a moment, silence stretched between you. he crossed the room, opening the fridge and pulling out a water bottle. he unscrewed the cap and took a sip, his eyes glancing at you briefly before flicking away.

you leaned against the counter, arms wrapped around yourself, while he lingered by the table, his hands resting on its edge. the space between you felt impossibly large.

“about earlier…” he started, but his tone was cautious.

you shook your head, cutting him off. “quinn, i don’t want to fight right now. i’m tired.”

his jaw tightened, and you could see the effort he was putting into keeping his emotions in check. “i’m not trying to fight,” he said, his voice quieter now. “i just… i don’t like how we left things.”

you exhaled sharply, setting your glass down on the counter with more force than you intended. “neither do i, but we both said things we shouldn’t have, and now here we are, not sleeping and avoiding each other.”

quinn ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in his movements. “you think i like this? i hate when we argue. i hate going to bed like this.”

“then maybe you shouldn’t have—” you stopped yourself, biting your lip to keep the words from spilling out. you didn’t want to make things worse, but the sting of his earlier comments still burned.

“shouldn’t have what?” he pressed, stepping closer. his tone wasn’t angry, just tired, like he genuinely wanted to understand.

you hesitated, looking down at the floor. “you shut me out, quinn. every time something’s wrong, you close off, and i’m left guessing. it feels like i’m fighting to get you to let me in, and tonight… tonight it just felt like you didn’t even want me to try.”

his expression softened, the tension in his shoulders easing just slightly. “that’s not true,” he said quietly. “i’m just… i don’t always know how to deal with things, okay? and i know that’s not fair to you. i know i should’ve—”

“communicated?” you interrupted, your voice sharper than you intended. “yeah, you should’ve. instead, you snapped at me like i was the problem.”

quinn flinched, guilt flashing across his face. “you’re not the problem,” he said firmly. “you never are. i just… i had a bad day, and i took it out on you. that’s on me. i’m sorry.”

the sincerity in his voice caught you off guard, and you felt your defenses start to crumble. you hated how easily he could disarm you with just a few words, but at the same time, you didn’t want to stay mad at him.

“i didn’t mean to push you,” you admitted softly. “i just… i worry about you, q. i hate seeing you like this and not knowing how to help.”

“i know,” he said, stepping closer until he was right in front of you. his hand hesitated before resting lightly on your arm. “and i’m sorry for making you feel like you can’t. i’ll try to do better, okay? i promise.”

you searched his face, looking for any sign of insincerity, but all you saw was the man you loved, tired and vulnerable, but trying.

“okay,” you whispered, your voice barely audible.

the sincerity in his tone chipped away at the wall you’d built up over the evening. you bit your lip, crossing your arms over your chest. “i’m sorry too. i know you’ve been under a lot of pressure lately.”

he let out a breath, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “it’s not an excuse, though. i shouldn’t take it out on you.”

you nodded, the tension in your chest easing ever so slightly. “i just… i hate it when we fight. especially over stupid things.”

“me too,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. he set the water bottle on the counter beside your glass. “i hate the way it feels—like this distance between us.”

you looked up at him, your eyes searching his. the vulnerability in his expression softened the last bit of anger you’d been holding onto. “me too. so much.” you murmured.

for a moment, neither of you spoke. the quiet hum of the fridge filled the space, but the air between you felt lighter now. he reached out hesitantly, his hand brushing against yours where it rested on the counter. it was a small gesture, but it spoke volumes.

“let’s go back to bed,” he said softly, his thumb brushing against your knuckles.

you nodded, letting him guide you back to the bedroom. the warmth of his hand in yours was comforting, and the tension that had once felt suffocating now seemed to dissipate with each step.

once back in bed, you slipped under the covers, your back turned to him out of habit more than anything else. you felt the mattress dip as he settled in beside you, and for a moment, the silence returned.

then, slowly, tentatively, you felt his arm snake around your waist. his body pressed gently against your back, his warmth enveloping you. it was an unspoken apology, a gesture that said more than words ever could.

“i love you,” he murmured into the darkness, his lips brushing against the back of your neck. “i hate when we fight. i hate when there’s even a moment where it feels like we’re not okay.”

your chest tightened at his words, the raw emotion in his voice making your heart ache. you turned slightly, just enough to look over your shoulder at him. his eyes were soft, his expression open and unguarded.

“i love you too,” you whispered, your voice thick with emotion. “even when we fight. even when i’m mad at you. i’ll always love you.”

a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. his arms tightened around you, pulling you closer until there was no space left between you.

for a long moment, neither of you spoke. his hand rested lightly on your hip, his thumb tracing soothing circles against your skin. it was such a small thing, but it carried a quiet kind of intimacy that made your heart ache.

“go to sleep,” he whispered against your skin, his voice low and soothing. “we’re okay. i promise.”

you nodded, closing your eyes as the steady rhythm of his breathing lulled you into a sense of peace. the warmth of his embrace, the weight of his arms around you, felt like home. and even though the remnants of the argument still lingered faintly in the back of your mind, you knew they would fade with time.

© amourquinn

[uluvjay]

NHL players reacting to you flashing them..

Based on this tik tok!!! Thank you to @turcott3 for always helping with these

| Jamie Drysdale | Blushes so hard but he doesn’t hesitate to make a move, tells you how gorgeous you are before laying kisses all across your chest and breasts.

| Mason McTavish | He’s confused as to why your boobs are out and what’s going on, he’ll laugh and ask what’s going on. He does worship you though, it’s one of his favorite activities!

| Juraj Slafkovsky | He gets very excited, his eyes light up as a smirk tugs at his lips. He giggles softly before tackling you and getting to work!

| Luke Hughes | He kinda just sits there for a second very very confused and concerned, he doesn’t understand but he’s lightly blushing. Asks if you’re okay and feels stupid when you tell him why you did it.

| Kirby Dach | Raises his eyebrow but blushes immediately, looks at you with an “uhh?”. He honestly reaches out to cover them but when you start giggling so does he and then just shakes his head when you tell him why.

| Cole Sillinger | Waste no time before going in, he’s got one in one hand while his lips are sealed around the other. Very happy and excited man. I can hear him saying an “Ohh baby” with a soft chuckle before he takes very good care of you.

| Brandt Clarke | Turns bright red, he’s so confused but quickly turns shy. He doesn’t get sexual at first, pulls your shirt down before pulling you into him and giving you a light kiss and it could lead to some soft sexy time or just some cuddling tbh.

| Adam Fantilli | “baby what’re you doing?” With a soft laugh, he’s so smiley as he bear hugs you and kisses all over your face and your chest. He doesn’t kiss your breasts but he does tell you how beautiful you are and how much he loves and appreciates you.

| Cole Caufield | He finds it funny, definitely asks what you’re up too but he’ll absolutely initiate some sexy time because why not.

| Quinn Hughes | eyes go wide, very confused as to why you’re flashing him in the middle of your living room. Slightly panicked because some of the blinds are open even though you guys live on one of the highest levels. He’ll tell you that you look gorgeous but politely pull your shirt down and drag you to the bedroom.

| Matt Rempe | Giggles and tells you how beautiful you are, he’s a very big fan of you and he makes sure to show you. He’s not sure what he did to deserve being flashed on a random afternoon but he’s making the absolute most out of it.

| Arber Xhekaj | Another confused man but he’s also honored because you’re gorgeous and you’re showing him one of his favorite things about you. He’s takes you to the bedroom and gets to work, laughs when you tell him you did it just to do it later in the day.

| Mackie Samoskevich | Blushes so damn hard, gets a little shy but he’s also very turned on. “What’s this for??” As he’s doing his best to remain seated and not rush for them like a madman.

[capquinn]

okay i keep seeing fics and thoughts about how attentive quinn would be towards his partner and it got me thinking…

i feel like it would get to the point where he knows your body and your queues better than you know yourself. start to realize your allergies aren’t allergies? he already bought the meds you need and is making dinner. got your period? no surprise there, he has his own app for you and stocked up on snacks last week.

which brings me to this heheh.

i feel like once you have one or two babies with quinn he knows your pregnancy symptoms like the back of his hand. so much so that he tells YOU you’re pregnant again. and it would just hit him one night laying in bed (you know that man thinks himself to sleep)

I’m gone for him, enjoy my delulu land thoughts

hello????? this is so cute and so husband!quinn coded. i love this trope sm <3

Quinn moved through your world like he’d been born knowing the map of it. His care wasn’t loud or showy — it was quiet, woven into the seams of everyday life. He had a way of catching the things no one else would: the small shift in your posture when you were tired, the pause in your laugh when something was weighing on you. His hands knew the rhythm of your days, reaching for your mug before you could, adjusting the blanket without needing to ask if you were cold. It wasn’t that he studied you; it was more like you existed in a frequency he was always tuned into, effortlessly aware of every note, every shift, every unspoken word.

So, when the subtle changes began to creep in, Quinn noticed before you did.

It started with the small things — too small to put into words, but just noticeable enough for him to store away. The way you sighed a little heavier, your shoulders barely lifting before falling, as though the weight of the day had settled in deeper than usual. Or how you hesitated in doorways, pausing like you’d forgotten what you needed or where you were going, your brows knitting together in quiet thought. And then there was the tiredness, creeping in like a quiet visitor. Some afternoons, he’d find you curled up with Bug during her nap, the two of you tangled in a mess of blankets on the couch, her tiny hand resting on your chest as you dozed. It wasn’t like you, not the you he knew who thrived on filling the hours, always moving, always doing.

At first, he dismissed it. Everyone had their moments, days when energy flagged, when the world felt a little out of sync. But then the bigger, more obvious changes began to take root.

It began with the walk. You, Quinn, and Bug strolled through the neighbourhood on a crisp winter morning, the kind where the air felt fresh but not too biting. Bug was hopping along, gripping Quinn’s hand and jumping over cracks in the pavement. You paused by a lamppost, your gaze snagged on a flyer stapled to the pole. It was for a missing dog, the corners frayed from the cold. The photo — a golden retriever with the sweetest, dopey smile — stared back at you, and your throat tightened inexplicably.

You tried to hide it, quickly swiping at the tears that pricked your eyes, but Quinn noticed instantly. “You okay?” he asked, his brows knitting in concern.

You nodded too quickly, your voice unconvincing. “I’m fine. It’s just…” You trailed off, breathing a shaky laugh as the tears spilled anyway. “The poor dog…”

Quinn stopped in his tracks, gently pulling Bug to his other side so he could wrap an arm around your shoulders.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he murmured, his voice warm and steady. “We’ll keep an eye out. Maybe someone’s already found him,” he said softly, though his brows furrowed as he held you. 

You were sentimental, yes, but crying over a lost dog poster wasn’t like you. He kissed the top of your head, the thought lingering as Bug tugged at his hand to keep moving.

A few days later, it happened again. Bug had tripped over a loose stone in the driveway. It wasn’t anything dramatic — just one of those little stumbles kids have a dozen times a day. She scraped her knee, barely even a mark, and at first, she just sat there staring at it, trying to decide if it was worth crying over. Her lips wobbled, her big eyes filling with tears, and then came the wail — not loud, not panicked, just enough to let you know she’d decided it hurt.

Quinn crouched beside her in a heartbeat, his voice gentle and steady. “Hey, Bug, you’re okay,” he murmured, brushing the tiny specks of gravel off her knees. His hand lingered there for a moment, his thumb grazing the fabric as if to check for any real damage. “It’s just a little scrape. Barely even a scratch, see?”

Bug sniffled, her tiny hands clutching at the hem of his shirt as she leaned toward him, and Quinn scooped her up without hesitation. She buried her face against his chest, her little body shuddering with the last remnants of her tears.

You stood a few steps back, frozen in place. It wasn’t the scrape that did it, not really. It was the way her small shoulders shook, the way her face had crumpled like her whole world had been upended. It was her tears — so big and overwhelming for someone so small. Watching her cry felt like something cracking open inside you, and before you could stop yourself, tears pricked at the corners of your own eyes.

Quinn looked up, catching your expression in an instant. His brows furrowed slightly, his concern shifting toward you.

“She’s okay,” he said softly, his voice meant to reassure.

But the sight of him, standing there with Bug tucked safely against his chest, his voice low and calming, only made the ache in your chest sharper. Your hand flew up to your face, brushing quickly at your cheek to catch the tear that escaped, but Quinn noticed anyway. Of course, he noticed.

“Hey,” he said, his tone even gentler now, his eyes searching yours. “What’s going on?”

You tried to smile, but it came out shaky, your voice catching as you whispered, “Nothing, I’m fine. Just—” You swallowed hard, glancing at Bug’s little face as she peeked up at you, her tears already drying. “I’m being silly.”

She blinked at you, her sniffles slowing, her tiny voice soft as she said, “I’m okay, mommy.”

The sweetness of her reassurance undid you completely. Another tear slid down your cheek, and you let out a quiet, shaky laugh, brushing it away as Quinn stepped closer. He didn’t say anything, just wrapped one arm around your waist, pulling you into the circle of warmth he and Bug created.

But even as the moment passed, it stayed with him. 

And then came the smell of popcorn.

Family movie night was the kind of weekly tradition that carried a quiet comfort, the kind that made the whole house feel warmer and softer. Bug had already claimed her spot on the couch, clutching her stuffed bear, her little feet kicking in excitement as Quinn rummaged in the kitchen, the air popper humming softly. The scent of fresh popcorn started wafting through the house, buttery and rich, and he could already hear Bug giggling at the first loud pop.

But something was off. 

You were mid-step to the couch, arms full of blankets, when you froze. Your nose crinkled, the kind of subtle movement Quinn might’ve missed if he hadn’t glanced up right then. You turned your head slightly, as if testing the air, and then your hand shot up, waving in front of your face like you could swat the smell away.

“Can you—” you hesitated, your voice uncharacteristically small. “Can you open the windows? Please?”

Quinn, mid-pour as the popcorn spilled into a bowl, paused, confused. “It’s freezing outside,” he said lightly, not in a way meant to argue but more like a question.

“Quinn, please” you said, cutting him off, your voice sharp with desperation. Your face had scrunched up, your hand pressing against your nose as you braced yourself on the back of a chair. “The smell...”

That was all it took. Without another word, he crossed to the window, shoving it open. A gust of cold air rushed in, making him shiver, but he stayed there for a second, staring at you as you sank onto the couch. You were pale, almost a little green, pulling the blanket over you like it could shield you from the lingering scent in the air.

He settled the bowl down, watching you carefully.

“You okay?” he asked, his voice soft and steady, the way it always was when he was trying to gently coax the truth out of you. There wasn’t an ounce of judgment in his tone, just that familiar warmth that made it impossible to brush him off completely.

“I’m fine,” you replied quickly, though the tight smile on your face didn’t convince him. “It’s just… the smell of melted butter. It’s so strong tonight.”

His gaze lingered, his brow furrowing. The smell? The smell of buttery popcorn? You’d practically declared it your comfort food not long ago, sneaking bites every time he made a batch before the film had even started, laughing as Bug scolded you for eating hers. He could count on one hand the number of family movie nights where you hadn’t stolen the first handful, claiming quality control. But now? Now, you looked like you couldn’t stand to be in the same room with it.

“You want me to grab you something else? Crackers? Tea?” he offered, trying to fill the silence with solutions, throwing them out suggestions like lifelines.

You shook your head, brushing him off with a small wave. “No, it’s fine. I’ll be fine.”

But Quinn wasn’t convinced. He sat beside you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders as Bug wriggled into his lap, her giggles filling the room. You leaned into him, your head resting against his chest, and for a while, it felt like everything was back to normal.

But it wasn’t.

As Bug chattered happily about the movie, Quinn’s mind lingered on you. On the way your face had twisted, the way you recoiled from something you once loved. It wasn’t like you. Not at all. And the longer he held you close, the more certain he became that this wasn’t just a bad reaction to popcorn. It was something more. He just didn’t know what — yet.

But the biggest changes came just a couple of days later, revealing themselves in moments that caught Quinn completely off guard.

It was early in the morning, the kind of stillness that only came before the rest of the house stirred awake. Bug was sound asleep in her room, her soft snores barely audible through the monitor, and the house seemed wrapped in a peaceful hush. The air between you and Quinn felt heavier, charged, but in the best way — soft whispers, shared breaths, and the warmth of his body pressed close.

His hands moved over your skin with practiced tenderness, his touch warm and familiar, every stroke an unspoken declaration of love. His lips followed, pressing soft, languid kisses along your collarbone, trailing a path that left your skin tingling. This was how he loved you — slowly, deeply, making you feel like you were the only person in the world.

But then his lips brushed against your breast, featherlight, as if he was testing how far he could push before the teasing turned into something more. And yet—

“Quinn,” you whimpered, a sharp intake of breath cutting through the stillness as you shifted away from him. “Be gentle.”

He froze instantly, his concern immediate as he lifted his head to look at you. “I am,” he murmured, his voice quiet but tinged with confusion. He searched your face, his hands stilling on your waist as if waiting for you to say more.

You shook your head, swallowing against the lump in your throat. “It just… hurts,” you admitted, the words coming out softer than you intended, almost like you were embarrassed by them.

Quinn’s expression softened, an apology already forming in the tilt of his brow. He leaned in, brushing a kiss to the inside of your breast as though it could somehow make up for the discomfort, but you pulled away again, wincing before his lips even made full contact.

“Quinn, that hurts,” you repeated, a little louder this time, your hand coming up to shield yourself instinctively, a clear sign for him to avoid the area altogether.

His hands dropped to your hips, retreating as he leaned back, his brows knitting together further. He watched you carefully, his gaze full of questions he didn’t ask, giving you space but not pulling away entirely.

Quinn frowned, his thumb brushing over your skin in a soothing motion. “I didn’t mean to,” he murmured, his voice full of quiet sincerity.

“I know,” you replied quickly, offering him a small smile to reassure him. “It’s just… everything feels so sensitive.”

He leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of your neck instead, but he could feel your hesitation, the way your body tensed slightly, as if bracing for more discomfort.

But even as he moved his touch elsewhere, skimming his hands over your back, your thighs, he couldn’t stop his mind from racing. Your reaction was unusual, out of sync with how things normally were between you. He’d always been attuned to your body, your needs, and this? This was different.

Still, when you pulled him closer, guiding him to where you wanted him, he let it go for now.

And it's later that night when everything makes perfect sense.

Quinn crawls into bed and the first thing he notices isn’t the movie playing on Netflix or the cosy way you’re propped up against the pillows. No, his attention zeroes in on the plate balanced on your lap — a plate of pickles, shiny and brined, with a big dollop of peanut butter right in the middle. His movements falter, half under the covers, as his eyes flick between you and the plate, his expression caught somewhere between amusement and disbelief.

You don’t even notice him staring, too distracted by scrolling through movie options. “What?” you ask, glancing over briefly before returning your attention to the TV.

“Who’s that for?” he asks, his voice slow, deliberate, like he’s waiting for the punchline.

“Me,” you reply without missing a beat, your tone distracted. “Why, you want some?”

He’s fully under the covers now, leaning back against the headboard, one brow raised as he studies you. “You hate pickles,” he says, the corner of his mouth twitching like he’s holding back a smile.

You pause mid-bite, glancing over at him with a small frown. “I don’t hate them,” you argue, tone light but defensive, gesturing to the plate like it proves your point. “They’re just not my go-to snack. But they’re fine.”

His brow furrows deeper, his gaze flicking between you and the plate. “Since when?”

“Since now, I guess,” you shrug, as if it’s not worth discussing. Without missing a beat, you swipe another pickle through the peanut butter and take a bite, chewing like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Quinn doesn’t say anything for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly as he watches you. The corner of his mouth twitches again, but this time it’s not amusement — it’s something closer to realisation. Something is clicking into place, and as he leans his head back against the pillows, his gaze softens, filled with something you can’t quite place.

“What?” you ask, narrowing your eyes at him as you catch the look on his face. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

He leans back against the pillows, shifting as if to settle in, and shrugs, his tone casual — too casual. “No reason,” he says, his voice smooth, but the twitch at the corner of his mouth betrays him.

You squint at him, suspicious. “Quinn…”

He shakes his head, lifting the blanket higher around his chest like it’s a shield, his eyes now glued to the TV. “Seriously,” he murmurs, his voice low, distracted. “It’s nothing.”

But you can see the faintest glimmer of amusement in his eyes, the way his lips press together like he’s holding back a grin. You open your mouth to press him further, but he shifts again, leaning into your side under the blanket as if that’s the end of the conversation.

Later, when the movie ends with a soft hum and the credits roll, the light from the screen flickers faint shadows across the room before everything dims into darkness. The lamp on the nightstand clicks off with a quiet snap, leaving the room bathed in a cosy stillness. The only sound now is Bug’s tiny snores filtering through the baby monitor, soft and steady, her little sighs rising and falling in a rhythm so gentle it could lull anyone to sleep.

You’re curled against Quinn’s side, warm and relaxed, your head resting on his chest, his arm draped around you as his fingers trace absentminded patterns over your back. The weight of the day lingers faintly in the air, softened by the quiet and the comfort of each other’s presence, and it should feel serene, the kind of moment Quinn would normally soak in without question, but not tonight.

His eyes are open, fixed on the ceiling though he isn’t really seeing it. His body is still, though his mind is anything but. It’s racing, piecing together a puzzle he didn’t even realise he was solving until tonight. The pickles and peanut butter. The popcorn. The tears over Bug’s scraped knee. The extra naps curled up on the couch. Each moment replays in his head, flashing brighter with every pass until there’s no way he can chalk it up to coincidence.

Bug’s little snore drifts through the monitor again, and he glances down at you, still nestled against him, your face soft and relaxed. He’s usually content to let moments like this pass unspoken, holding them close without the need to fill the silence. But tonight, the weight of what he’s realised feels too big to ignore.

It’s not nothing. Not even close.

“Baby?” he murmurs, his voice soft, careful not to break the quiet too harshly, trying not to startle you.

You hum softly against him, your head shifting slightly to nuzzle closer against him, your body too close to sleep to fully respond.

His hand stills on your back, and he swallows, the weight of what he’s about to say heavy in the stillness. “I think…” He draws in a breath, steeling himself for how to say it. “I think you’re pregnant.”

Slowly, you lift your head, your eyes meeting his in the dim light filtering through the blinds, your expression a mix of confusion and disbelief.

“What?” you whisper, your voice rough with sleep, your tone teetering between shock and amusement. “You can’t possibly know that.”

Quinn tilts his head down to meet your eyes, his own full of something soft and sure. There’s the faintest twitch of a smile at the corner of his mouth, as though he’s both amused and completely serious all at once. Like he knows how absurd this might sound but believes it wholeheartedly.

“The pickles and peanut butter,” he says simply, his voice calm. “That’s not normal.”

You sit up a little, propping yourself on one elbow, your brow furrowing. “It’s not that weird,” you try to argue, though your voice wavers, betraying your uncertainty. “People eat stuff like that all the time.”

“Not you,” he counters immediately, insistent. His hand moves to rest on your waist, grounding. “You hate pickles. Always have. The only time you’ve ever eaten them was when you were pregnant.”

Your lips part, but no words come out. His statement hangs in the air between you, heavy with meaning, his certainty pressing against your rising disbelief.

“I mean… that’s not…” you start, your voice trailing off as the pieces begin to fall into place in your mind. “That doesn’t mean I’m pregnant,” you insist, but even as you say it, doubt creeps in. Your free hand drifts unconsciously to your stomach, resting there like it might offer some kind of confirmation.

Quinn’s thumb brushes against your side, the touch grounding but gentle, as if he doesn’t want to push you too far, too fast. “Maybe,” he says, his voice soft, like he’s offering you the space to deny it if you want. “But you’ve been tired, more emotional… and now this?” His lips twitch again, the faintest smile playing there, but his eyes stay steady on yours, filled with a quiet conviction.

You blink at him, a laugh bubbling up from somewhere deep in your chest — not from amusement, but disbelief. “Quinn, people eat weird food combos all the time. This doesn’t mean—”

“You really think it’s just a coincidence?” he interrupts gently, his tone more curious than challenging. “Pickles and peanut butter, of all things? That was your thing, baby. With Bug.”

The reminder makes you pause, your brow furrowing deeper as you glance down at where his hand rests on your waist. “That was… different,” you mutter, though the protest sounds weak even to your own ears.

Quinn leans in slightly, his forehead almost brushing yours, the closeness pulling your gaze back to his. His eyes are soft but insistent, and for a moment, all you can do is stare at him. His face is so steady, so full of quiet certainty, and it makes something flicker in your chest — a suspicion, a possibility, something you hadn’t let yourself consider until now.

“You’re serious,” you whisper, your voice barely above a breath, the words more of an observation than a question, as if it’s just dawning on you that he isn’t joking. He genuinely believes it.

His hand comes up, cupping your cheek, his thumb brushing lightly over your skin. “I know you,” he murmurs, his tone as gentle s his touch. “And I’m telling you… you’re pregnant.”

You blink at him, your lips parting slightly, but no real words come out at first. Then, with a quiet laugh that’s half disbelief, half affection, you shake your head and murmur, “how do you always figure me out before I do?”

Quinn’s lips curve into a soft, lopsided smile, the kind that makes your chest ache with how much love it holds. “I pay attention,” he says simply, his hand still cradling your cheek, thumb brushing just under your eye.

You lean into his touch, your own hand coming up to rest lightly over his wrist. "And what if you're wrong?"

His chuckle rumbles low and easy in his chest as he presses a kiss to your forehead, his lips lingering there like he’s trying to pass some of his certainty onto you. "I don’t think I am," he says, his voice gentle, but the confidence behind it makes your pulse hum.

You don’t argue. Instead, you let the quiet between you stretch, the weight of his words settling softly over you. It’s fragile and insistent, nudging at the edges of your disbelief, coaxing you to consider it.

The idea blooms slowly, like a dawning realisation, soft and tentative, but impossible to ignore. It unfolds in layers — the thought of two children filling your home with laughter and chaos, the sight of Bug as a big sister, her tiny hands guiding even tinier ones, her voice full of pride and importance. You can almost hear the way she’d say it, proclaiming herself the helper, the protector, the best big sister in the world. The idea of another little person, someone with Quinn’s soft eyes and quiet strength, someone who might scrunch their nose when they smile, just like he does. Another piece of him, and of you, wrapped up into someone entirely their own. The thought is overwhelming in its sweetness, in the weight of its possibility.

You press closer against Quinn’s chest, your head resting over his heart as his fingers trace those lazy, familiar patterns on your back. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat thrums beneath your ear, grounding you in the moment, as if reminding you that you don’t have to figure it all out right now. And as the quiet fills the room, pierced only by Bug’s little sighs through the monitor, you let yourself imagine it more fully, the beginnings of a smile tugging at your lips.

Maybe — just maybe — he’s right.

[isaadore]

SECOND BEST QUINN HUGHES

pairing quinn hughes x childhood friend!reader

SUMMARY you and quinn were inseparable growing up; two halves of the same whole. you gave him everything: your time, your loyalty, your heart. but as you both grew older, he only gave you scraps of his life. one day, you realize you’re tired of being second best. tired of waiting for something that might never come. word count 2.3k words

warnings ANGST with no happy ending, quinn’s a jerk and oblivious, lack of communication, reader’s feelings are unrequited (?)

note hey i’m back (again) 🤞 sorry my first fic back is angst with no happy ending (i felt moody)

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THE HUM OF the hockey broadcast filled the quiet air of Quinn’s living room, the commentator’s voice a low, steady background to the stillness that had settled between you. The rain outside created a rhythmic pattern on the windows, the soft tap of each droplet almost soothing, a constant companion to the uneasy weight that had been growing in your chest for the past few months. You sat curled into the corner of the couch, your legs tucked beneath you as you absentmindedly scrolled through your phone, but you weren’t really looking at anything. Your mind was elsewhere, swirling with thoughts and doubts you couldn’t quite articulate.

Quinn was sprawled out on the floor, his back leaning comfortably against the coffee table as he sat with his legs stretched out in front of him. His focus was entirely on the highlights playing on the TV, his lips twitching into a grin every so often at something the commentator said. The way he laughed, the way his eyes lit up at the game, everything about him looked so carefree. The joy he felt in these moments was palpable, and for a brief second, you couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. You wondered what it would be like to feel that kind of peace, that kind of joy, without noticing the underlying tension that had been building between you.

You watched him for a while, noticing the way his muscles shifted with each laugh, the way his dark hair flopped over his forehead, the sharp line of his jaw as he took in the TV. He looked happy, content, even. And for a moment, you allowed yourself to savour the image of him like this, calm and oblivious to the storm brewing in your chest. But that moment was quickly swept away by the familiar ache that tugged at your insides.

There was a heaviness in your chest, a deep sense of unease that you couldn’t shake. It had been there for months, growing quietly but steadily, until it became an unspoken tension between you two. Quinn had always been your best friend, but recently, it felt like something was missing, like you were no longer the person he turned to when things got tough, when he needed someone to lean on. And that ache, that silent emptiness, had only deepened since the arrival of her.

Her.

The girl he’d been spending so much time with lately, the one who seemed to occupy his every waking thought. The one whose name seemed to slip from his lips in conversation, whose laughter filled the space between the two of you more than once. The one who had taken up residence in every corner of his attention. The realization hit you harder than you cared to admit: You were no longer his first thought. You were no longer the one he shared the small moments with, the one he turned to for comfort. You had been replaced.

The thought churned your stomach.

“I think I’m skipping the party tonight,” you said, breaking the silence, your voice quiet but steady.

Quinn didn’t take his eyes off the screen, his voice coming without a second thought. “Why? Everyone’s going to be there.”

Everyone. His teammates, his friends, and her. You didn’t need to say her name; the words were already written between the lines of the invitation. The girl who seemed to be in his orbit at all times now. The girl who had slowly, quietly, taken your place.

“I just don’t feel like it,” you replied, trying to sound casual, but your voice faltered slightly despite your best effort.

For a brief moment you let yourself hope that maybe, just maybe, he’d notice something in your tone, something in the way you spoke, something that hinted at the heaviness that had been pressing on your chest for weeks now. Maybe he’d pause the broadcast, turn to you, and ask you if something was wrong. Maybe he’d ask if you wanted to stay in like you used to. Like you were still important to him.

But Quinn didn’t. He shrugged, his attention not once leaving the TV screen.

“Suit yourself,” he said, his voice casual, almost dismissive.

It was like a slap to the face, even though you had been bracing for it. The ache in your chest intensified as the disappointment took root, deepening as you tried to swallow down the bitter truth. The truth that you weren’t the person he relied on anymore, that you were no longer his priority. You stood up from the couch, the movement stiff, your muscles tense from the knot that had formed in your stomach. You grabbed your bag and slung it over your shoulder, making your way toward the door, trying to hide the way your heart was breaking.

“Right,” you muttered, forcing out the words. “Have fun.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled, barely sparing you a glance, his attention still firmly on the screen.

You stepped out onto the porch, the cool, damp air hitting you instantly as the drizzle soaked through your sweater. You paused there for a moment, staring out into the night, the faint glow of the streetlights casting long shadows across the wet pavement. The rain had quieted to a gentle mist, but it did little to calm the tightness in your chest. For years, you had told yourself that things would get better, that you just needed to wait for the right moment, for the right shift in the universe. You had always believed that Quinn would eventually come around, that he would realize how much you cared and how long you had been there for him.

But tonight, standing alone in the rain, the truth was undeniable. The truth you had been running from for so long finally crashed down on you, and it hit harder than you had ever imagined.

FLASHBACK

When you were twelve, summers felt infinite. Endless days spent riding bikes down the quiet neighbourhood streets, jumping into the cool lake that shimmered under the sun, and spending nights making up stories under the stars. You and Quinn had been inseparable. He was your best friend, your confidant, your partner in crime. There was no one else in the world who could make you laugh the way Quinn could.

One evening, the two of you sat by the lake, your feet dipping into the cool water as the last rays of the sun painted the sky in soft oranges and pinks. The air smelled like fresh grass, and everything felt right, like the world had paused just for you two.

“Do you think we’ll always be friends?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper, as you stared at the sunset, unsure where the question had come from.

Quinn looked at you like you were crazy. “Why wouldn’t we?”

You picked at a blade of grass between your fingers, the question lingering in the air. “I don’t know… what if you get famous? What if you forget about me?”

He laughed, splashing water at your feet in that way that only he could. “I’d never forget about you. You’re my best friend.”

“Promise?” you asked, your voice small but hopeful.

“I promise,” he said firmly, with a sincerity that made your heart swell. “You’ll come to all my games. We’ll talk every day. Nothing’s going to change.”

At that moment, you believed him with every fiber of your being. Back then, Quinn was everything: your world, your future, the person you couldn’t imagine living without. The promise he made felt unbreakable.

But now, everything had shifted. He wasn’t the same Quinn anymore. He was a version of himself you barely recognized. And you? You were just a bystander, watching him drift further and further away.

PRESENT DAY

It was a week after you walked out of Quinn’s apartment. A week after reality hit you like a truck. But you knew it was a matter of time before Quinn would contact you again, even if it meant you were just a second thought.

The invitation had sat there for days, a silent reminder of your place in his life. You coming? the text had read, sent with all the casualness of someone who had no idea the impact those words would have on you.

You hadn’t replied.

But tonight, something inside you cracked. Even knowing that she would be there, even knowing you would be nothing more than an afterthought, you couldn’t stop yourself from responding. But before you could, another message came in.

Leaving in 10. You coming or not?

You stared at the message for what felt like an eternity, your thumb hovering over the keyboard as the weight of your decision settled on you. Despite everything, despite the way your heart twisted at the thought of seeing him with her, you couldn’t ignore the voice inside you telling you to go.

Against every instinct, you typed out a response:

Be there soon.

The house was alive with the sound of music, the bass reverberating through the walls and vibrating in your chest. You stepped inside and immediately felt the weight of the crowd, the mass of people moving about, drinks in hand, laughter spilling from every corner of the house. The noise, the chaos; it all felt like a world you no longer belonged to.

Your eyes scanned the room, searching for him, already regretting your decision to show up. The anxiety in your stomach twisted harder with each step, your pulse racing as your gaze landed on him.

There he was, laughing, surrounded by his teammates, and of course, her. She was right there, standing so close to him, her hand brushing against his arm, her laughter filling the space between them. Quinn looked down at her, his smile soft and easy, the kind of smile you used to see so often, the one that made your heart skip a beat. But now, it wasn’t for you. It was for her.

It felt like a punch to the gut.

You stood frozen, the bitter taste of jealousy and heartbreak rising in your throat. But you forced a smile as Quinn’s voice broke through your thoughts.

“Hey!” He waved you over, his eyes lighting up when he spotted you.

You forced yourself to walk toward him, the distance between you and them feeling miles long. His arm slid around your shoulders, the familiar gesture doing nothing to ease the tightness in your chest.

“I’m glad you made it,” he said, his voice warm, but there was something in it that felt hollow.

“Yeah,” you replied quietly, your voice barely audible as you looked at him, trying to find something in his eyes that reminded you of the person you used to know. But there was nothing. Not anymore.

Before you could speak again, her voice cut through the moment. She laughed, and Quinn’s attention shifted to her in an instant, as if you had become invisible.

Just like that, you were forgotten once again.

FLASHBACK

You were seventeen when you realized just how much you had always been second place.

It was prom season, and the halls of your high school were buzzing with excitement. The chatter about dresses, tuxedos, date filled the air. You hadn’t thought much about it until Quinn started talking about asking someone out.

“She’s nice,” he said one day as the two of you walked home from school. “I think you’d like her.”

You forced a smile, nodding. “That’s great.”

He didn’t see it. He didn’t see how much it hurt. How his words dug deep into your chest.

When prom night came, you stayed home. Social media was flooded with photos of everyone, dressed to the nines, Quinn among them, standing proudly with his date, his arm casually draped over her shoulders. The pictures were everywhere.

You told yourself it didn’t matter. But the longer you stayed in that silence, the more the ache in your chest grew.

PRESENT DAY

After thirty agonizing minutes of silently standing beside Quinn and making awkward small talk with strangers, you slipped outside onto the back porch. The cool air offered a brief relief from the heaviness in your heart. Dampness from a storm earlier today clung to the air, making it harder to breathe.

You wrapped your arms around yourself, staring out at the distant skyline, wondering how it had all gone so wrong. How had you gone from the person Quinn turned to for everything to just a shadow of his past?

The door creaked open behind you. Quinn’s voice called out softly. “Hey. What are you doing out here?”

You didn’t turn to face him. “Just needed some air.”

He stepped closer, his footsteps barely audible. “You okay?”

You swallowed hard. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine,” he said, his voice soft but concerned. “You’ve been… kind of distant lately.”

You finally turned to face him, the bitterness you had been swallowing spilling out before you could stop it. “Why do you care, Quinn?”

He blinked, confused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I’m tired,” you said, your voice trembling. “Tired of always being the one who waits for you. The one who shows up for you, who puts you first, even when I’m clearly not your priority.”

“That’s not true,” he protested.

“Isn’t it?” You took a step toward him, anger rising. “When was the last time you really chose me, Quinn? Because I can’t think of a single time.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but the words didn’t come.

You let out a shaky breath, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill. “I’ve spent my whole life waiting for you to see me. But I’m starting to realize I’ll never be enough for you. And I can’t do this anymore.”

“Wait,” he said, his voice desperate as he reached for your arm, pulling you gently toward him. “Please, don’t go.”

You froze, your heart pounding as you pulled your arm out of his grasp. “Why not, Quinn?” You searched his eyes, hoping for something, anything. “Give me one good reason to stay.”

The silence between you was deafening.

Tears slipped down your cheeks as you walked away, your heart breaking with each step.

And this time, you didn’t look back.

‎‎‎‎‎ ‎‎‎‎‎ ‎‎‎‎‎MAIN MASTERLIST ✷ QH43 MASTERLIST

[withwritersblock]

Oh! Darling pt. 6

~Oh! Darling by The Beatles~

Author's Note: this is insanely long for honest to god no reason! I honestly don't even know what this is, didn't proof read at all, enjoy lmao Summary: Domestic life in Decemeber Warnings: mentions of blood (Quinn stick to the face) Word Count: 10,012 Quinn Hughes x fm!reader Masterlist

Christmas was always her favorite holiday. But this holiday was extra important this year. This was the first year they were parents. Although, Ellie wasn’t even a year old but they were expecting to make it the best first Christmas. 

To their surprise, Luke and Jack were flying to Vancouver to celebrate Christmas together. His parents were also flying in. Her family usually hosted the holiday for her extended family so they were unable to come up and visit. Ever since she moved to Vancouver with Quinn, she’s celebrated Christmas with him and his family.

It was Decemeber first and she was setting up the Christmas tree and decorating the whole apartment. It was a little harder now that she had a nine month old that was on the verge of standing up on her own and was starting to crawl. But she was still determined to make it beautiful. 

Ellie was sitting in a baby carrier against her chest. Ellie was falling asleep as Y/N was humming along to the Christmas song playing in the background. Her phone started vibrating in her pocket. She pulled it out to see that Quinn was FaceTiming her.

A wide grin formed to her lips as she saw it. She answered the call and held it in front of her face. Quinn smiled widely once he saw both of his girls in frame. “Hey captain,” she teased as she placed another ornament onto the tree. She delicately stepped away from the tree, carefully running her hand over the soft curls on her daughter’s head.

“How are my girls?” he asked as he placed his phone down onto the bathroom counter. Quinn adjusted the towel on his frame. She pursed her lips forward as she admired his frame for a second before she walked through the Christmas boxes.

“We are doing amazing,” she sing songed, “We pulled out all of the Christmas decorations from the storage basement just to realize that majority of our decorations are not safe for Ellie,” she explained.

“I didn’t even think about that,” he forced out as he stepped out of the frame to change. “We can always go buy new stuff,” he explained while chuckling.

Y/N hummed as she glanced down to see Ellie was asleep against her chest. “When are you guys heading to Minnesota?” she asked as she knealed down and picked up a few decorations. A small sigh fell from her lips as she placed it back into the box. 

“Tomorrow morning,” he mumbled as he reentered the frame with a pair of sweatpants on his frame. “Do you have any plans for the rest of the night, my love?” he asked as he leaned against the counter, looking towards her through the screen. Y/N stood up as she walked towards the kitchen. She continuously stroked the hairs on her daughter head. 

“I’m going to put her down for her nap and then I am going to watch some Hallmark movies while I finish decorating and cleaning,” she explained as she walked through the overwhelming stack of boxes throughout their living room. He let out a dramatic sigh as he ran a towel over his hair.

“I know I’m on a roadie but that’s not fair that you are doing that without me,” he explained as he rested the towel onto the bathroom counter. He walked out of the bathroom and practically jumped onto the bed.

She chuckled softly as she walked into the nursery and carefully adjusted the baby carrier as she slowly pulled Ellie out of it. Y/N delicately placed Ellie into the crib. Ellie stirred but remained asleep. Y/N delicately placed the baby carrier into the closest before she slipped out of the nursery. 

“Well, I was missing you and after that amazing game you had, I had to find something to do,” she explained softly. She sat down on the couch as she pouted her lips slightly.

He took a deep breath as he looked over her features. She looked exhausted. The both of them have struggled with sleeping separately since they’ve been together for so long. “I miss you too,” he let out softly as he looked over her features.

“Please tell me you won’t be gone for this long again,” she mumbled as her lips quivered slightly.

“I won’t, baby, I promise,” he said softly as he continued to look over her features. He bit his bottom lip for a second before he took a deep breath. “Let me see the decorations,” he asked trying to keep her mind off of the fact that they haven’t seen each other in ten days.

A soft smile formed onto her lips as she stood up from the couch switching the camera to show off the decorations. “Ignore the boxes–”

~~~

It was late, well into the night and she was fighting sleep. She wanted to be awake when he got home since it has been thirteen days since she last saw him. But it was past two in the morning and it was safe to say that she was asleep.

She was exhausted, she could never sleep good with him away on roadies. Their daughter seemed to struggle to sleep with him gone too. But tonight she didn’t struggle at all to fall asleep.

Quinn stepped into their bedroom to see her sound asleep on top of the comforter. He smiled softly as he delicately shut the door behind him. She stirred slightly but was still asleep. He smiled softly as he rolled his suitcase to a corner of the room before he walked towards the bed.

Delicately, he ran his hand up and down her arm. “Goregous,” he whispered as he watched her slowly start to wake up. Her eyes flickered open slowly. “Hey baby,” he whispered again as he brushed a few pieces of hair away from her face.

“Quinny,” she whispered as she sat up slightly, looking into his eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck urgently. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered into his ear before he climbed on top of her frame. She giggled as he laid on top of her. Slowly, her fingers found his hair and started running through it. 

For a while he didn’t reply. Instead, he kept running his hand up and down her side as he pressed his lips against her skin. Her hand started gliding up and down his back, he hummed before he pressed his lips against her neck.

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you,” he mumbled before he rolled off of her body. He laid onto his side as he looked over her features. Quinn reached his hand over taking a hold of her waist as he pulled her towards him. “How’s Ellie baby?” he asked softly. 

She rolled onto her side to face him as she reached over and rested her hand onto his cheek. “She’s been waking up in the middle night every night this week,” she mumbled. He frowned slightly as his hand glided beneath her shirt to feel her skin against his hand. 

“I’m sorry, my love,” he whispered as he looked deeply into her eyes, “I’m sorry I wasn’t here,” he mumbled as he continued to glide his hand up and down her back. Her thumb caressed the skin of his cheek; his stubble from his beard rough against her thumb. 

“Don’t apologize,” she inched towards him, “It’s part of the deal, right?” she mumbled. 

“I guess,” he muttered before he inched towards her, “You know what else is a part of the deal?” he asked softly. She hummed as he leaned towards her, kissing her desperately.  She giggled against his lips as she glided her hand to the base of his neck. 

Slowly, she rolled back onto her back as Quinn climbed on top of her. He slowly took a hold of her thigh as he held himself up with his other hand. Her hands ran through his hair, tugging the strands slightly. 

“Ellie will be up in a few hours,” he whispered as he pulled away, “Do you want to go back to bed or–” she interrupted him by kissing him again. He smiled into the kiss.

A few minutes went by and Ellie started crying, through the baby monitor. Quinn pulled away, chuckling as he rolled onto his side. “How does she always know?” she let out while covering her face with her hands before she began to sit up. Quinn rested his hand onto her stomach for a moment as he sat up.

“Go to sleep, my love, I’ll grab her,” he mumbled as he quickly pecked her lips before he climbed over her. He spun around meeting her gaze for a moment before he continued towards the door.

“Okay, love,” she mumbled as she took a deep breath as she climbed under the covers. She reached over and turned the baby monitor towards her to see her daughter.

He jogged out of the bedroom towards the nursery. Slowly, he pushed the door open to see Ellie sitting up and crying. “Hey darling,” he let out softly. Ellie’s eyes widened and soon stopped crying. A coo fell from her lips once she saw Quinn. She reached over to the bars of her crib and used it to stand up. His eyes widened as he watched her pull to stand. “Look at you strong girl,” he said while smiling.

He reached down and lifted her up, “Were you upset that Momma was getting all of my attention?” he asked as he walked over to the rocking chair in the nursery. He sat down as he held her tightly to his chest. Slowly, he rocked back and forth looking down towards his little girl. 

Almost instantaneously, Ellie started to fall back asleep in Quinn’s arms. He delicately ran his hand over her hair. Quinn kept admiring his daughter as he continued to rock back and forth. “You have got no idea what is in store for you,” he began as he watched her eyes continue to flicker shut. 

“Christmas is like the biggest deal to your Momma. We’re taking you to see Santa and we’re going to go see all the Christmas lights. Uncle Jack and Uncle Luke are flying in for Christmas and Grandma and Grandpa will be here. You are going to be so spoiled, my love,” he whispered soothingly. 

After a few more minutes Ellie was completely asleep in his arms. Quinn reached over to the giant pillow beside the rocking chair, carefully laying the pillow over his lap. He adjusted it so that Ellie can be more comfortable in his arms as he looked back down towards her.

“I’ve missed you so much baby girl,” he whispered softly as he ran his hand over her tiny head. Leaning down, he delicately kissed the top of her head.

Quinn didn’t plan to fall asleep in the rocking chair, but he also fell asleep so fast. He was just happy to be home. Even though he was asleep, he knew that Ellie would be secure in his arms for the whole night. 

~~~

Tonight for the first time since the first game of the season, she was able to attend the game. Riley had offered to watch Ellie for the night so that she could go to the game. Y/N sat beside Natalie as it was starting. 

“How’s Ellie doing?” Natalie asked as she breifly met Y/N’s gaze before looking back towards the ice. Y/N smiled softly as she watched the puck drop. 

“She’s amazing. Had some sleep regression over the last month or so but she’s doing better. I mean Quinn comes home and she sleeps no problem,” she explained, a soft chuckle leaving her lips as she watched Quinn go for the puck. 

“They always know, even when their that little,” she said while smiling.

Suddenly, a stick flies up and hits him in the face and he instantly falls onto the ice. Y/N stood up as her heart sank. Her eyes widened as she stared towards him laying on the ice with blood pouring from his face. 

He delicately reached his hand up to touch his face and the blood continued to fall from his face. Her hands started shaking as she continued to watch him lay there.

“Y/N,” Natalie said softly as she reached over and took a hold of Y/N’s arm. She looked down and met Natalie’s gaze and sat down as her lips started to quiver. “He’s up,” she reassured as he stood up from the ice, holding his jersey towards his face as he skated towards the bench. Leaving a collection of blood behind. 

The Tampa player was instantly sent to the box as the ice team came out to clean the ice. Pressing her lips together, she stared towards the collection of blood on the ice as Natalie continued to hold her arm tightly. In an attempt to keep her grounded. The other Vancouver players were surrounding the bench talking to Rick in the process. 

“That was a lot of blood,” she mumbled as she shifted her gaze towards Natalie. The other WAGs were all looking in her direction, seeing if she was okay. Y/N was antsy, trying to figure out how severe it was.

“It was but faces bleed a lot, it’s most likely a cut and nothing too severe,” Natalie tried to explain reassuringly. Y/N nodded as she glanced down towards her phone, waiting to see if there was a message from Quinn but instead she received a text from Riley. It was basically asking on how severe the high sticking was, since the broadcast went to commercial pretty quickly. All she was able to reply was that it didn’t look good.

Without knowing if Quinn was okay, the game proceeded on with a four minute power play. 

The first period dragged on as she waited to see if he was okay. He didn’t text her, probably was unable to get a hold of his phone while he was getting looked at. It was not the first time something like this has happened. Her eyes were not glaring towards the action on the ice, instead she was staring towards the tunnel trying to see if Quinn returned to the bench.

“I’m going to assume no message is a good sign,” she mumbled towards Natalie, “He’s probably getting stitched up and he’ll be okay, right?” she asked, not to Natalie directly, more of a general statement.

“I’d say so,” Natalie stated as she squeezed Y/N’s hand. Natalie’s grip tightened as she pointed towards the action on the ice, “Is that Quinn?” she questioned. Y/N’s posture straightened as she stared towards the blue line trying to make out if it was in fact him. 

Y/N raised her hand to her chest as she let out a sigh, “Thank god,” she muttered as she saw the full bubble shield on his face. “It can’t be that bad if he’s back, right?” she asked softly as she took Natalie’s hand.

“No, no–he’s probably fine,” Natalie replied as she squeezed Y/N’s hand. “He looks like he hasn’t missed a shift,” she reassured. 

“Right,” Y/N expressed softly as she watched Quinn skate across the blue line. It was true, he looked like he hasn’t missed a beat. “He must be in so much pain,” she mumbled as she watched him go back to the bench and hang his head. There was a moment, she thought he was going to head back down the tunnel, but he tilted his head  back up. Her gaze flickered up towards the jumbotron that was focused on Quinn on the bench. It was hard to tell but it was evident that it was bad. So bad that he probably wasn’t supposed to be back on the ice. But Quinn wouldn’t let a swollen cut up lip and a helluva lot of pain hold him back.

The following shift, Quinn shot towards the net and scored. Y/N jumped out of her seat and tossed her hands into the air. Natalie jumped up and turned towards Y/N to give her a hug. Her phone started vibrating in her pocket, she pulled it out to see Quinn’s mom calling her. 

She brought the phone towards her ear, “Did it look worse in person?” Ellen asked over the phone. 

“It felt like he was laying on the ice forever,” Y/N said as she sat back down as she watched Quinn skate back onto the bench.

“It’s already swollen to hell,” Ellen stated as she was definitely pacing back and forth. 

“I can’t believe he’s playing,” Y/N mumbled as she watched the puck drop again. She kept her gaze on Quinn on the bench. His gaze was up, watching the ice; almost as if nothing happened.

Despite Quinn’s best efforts, the game ended in a 4-2 loss. Y/N was quick to leave their section to head down towards the locker room and the parking garage. 

She was anxiously waiting for him to come out of the locker room. Usually, Quinn was the last person to trickle out of the locker room. It was part of being captain but it was also part of being a Hughes. But she had a feeling he would leave the locker room pretty early.

He was the first one out of the locker room. He had his head low, his hair was damp as his hoodie was covering his head. He had a pair of shorts on his frame. His hands were deep into his pocket as he walked towards her like a sick puppy. Her lips quivered as she tried to look towards his face.

“Quinny,” she whispered as he walked up towards her. Slowly, he lifted his head, avoiding her gaze. “Oh my god,” she mumbled as she reached her hand up to delicately take a hold of his cheek. He flinched away. She pulled her hand away. 

“My entire head hurts,” he mumbled through the swollen lip. She nodded as she reached up and delicately wrapped her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he carefully rested his chin onto her shoulder. “Can you drive?” he asked. 

“Of course,” she mumbled as she ran her fingers through his hair. After a few seconds, she pulled away to take a hold of his hand as she guided him through the parking garage. “Did they test you for a concussion?” she asked softly as she glanced behind him.

“I’m good,” he muttered.

Once they reached the car, he hopped into the passenger seat and handed over the keys to her. He pulled the hood off of his head as he ran his fingers through his hair. Just the action sent a statistic of pain all over his head and down his neck. She began to blast heat into the car as she turned to face him. 

“Anything I can do?” she asked softly as she looked over his features. He tilted his head to the side to meet her gaze, his eyes were also starting to bruise from the impact. He simply shook his head as he reached his hand over and squeezed her thigh for a moment.

~~~

The following few days Quinn was trying to be positive but it was hard when at every waking moment his face was pulsing from pain. Tonight, he was playing against the Panthers and he was exhausted. His face was still extremely swollen and he was constantly in pain. But he was doing his best to keep his spirits up.

He was walking out of the bedroom with Ellie on his side as he was attempting to fix his collar. “Baby, are you stopping for coffee or do you want me to make you a cup?” she called out from the kitchen. 

“Can you make me one?” he questioned, his voice was still muffled from the stitches and how swollen his lip still was. She hummed happily as she reached into the cabinet to take out one of their many travel mugs.

Quinn leaned down and placed Ellie into the chair bouncer. Her tiny feet hit the ground and she instantly started bouncing in the seat. Quinn tried to smile, out of habit, but his face erupted in pain in the process.

“I cannot fucking wait until this is healed,” he mumbled as he walked towards the kitchen. She placed the coffee mug beneath the Kureg and started it. She spun around, resting her hands onto the countertop. “All I want to do right now is kiss my beautiful girlfriend but I can’t,” he mumbled as he rested his hands onto her waist.

“Soon,” she mumbled as she delicately ran her hand across his cheek softly. He looked into her eyes softly as he tilted his head to the side. A smirk toyed to her lips while she leaned towards him, delicately pressing her lips against his cheek. 

“Baby,” he let out. She tilted her head to the side as she slowly trailed her lips down his neck. “I’m about to leave,” he mumbled as he ran his hand through her hair. Y/N continued to kiss along his jawline and his neck, “Y/N,” he muttered. 

“Just because you can’t kiss me doesn’t mean I can’t kiss you,” she whispered into his ear. She delicately pressed her lips against his cheek. He shut his eyes as he swallowed harshly. She ran her hand across his neck as she ran her thumb across his jawline. Her lips pressed against the skin beneath his ear on his other side of his neck. 

“You and our daughter have an impeccable skill of bad timing,” he mumbled and she giggled as she spun around to finish getting his coffee together. Quinn delicately glided his hands along her hips as she covered the black coffee with it’s lid. He continued to glide his hands along her frame. “Such bad timing. How am I supposed to focus now?” he asked as his hand ran along the small of her back.

“Good luck tonight, Captain,” she mumbled as she held the travel mug up towards him.

“Thank you, my love,” he whispered as he raised his hand up and delicately ran his hand across her cheek. “I’ll see you when I get home,” he mumbled before he walked back towards the living room to say goodbye to Ellie. “Sleep good tonight, Darling,” he whispered as he ran his hand over her head. Ellie babbled as she watched Quinn walk away from her. 

“Please tell me you are still wearing the bubble?” she asked as he walked towards the door. 

“Yes, until the swelling is completely down,” he said as he took a hold of the door handle. 

“Or forever!” she said with a wide grin. He shook his head slowly fighting a painful grin.

“Not gonna happen,” he let out before he slipped out of the apartment. 

She huffed before she walked back towards the living room. “Hi baby girl!” she said cheerfully as she walked towards the couch. 

“I wish he would protect his very pretty face, but no your Daddy doesn’t think wearing the bubble is cool,” she explained towards Ellie, pretending that she could understand what Y/N was saying. “Very pretty face that has been damaged enough over the last few years you would think that being cool is overrated. But who am I to say, right baby girl?” 

~~~

Tonight was the last night before Quinn was heading back on the road. His lip was finally starting to look and feel better. The stitches were still beneath his lip. Ellie was asleep in her nursery. He was icing his lip as he was laying on the bed watching his brothers’ game. 

They were up by two goals in the second period. Y/N emerged from the bathroom only a towel covering her frame. Quinn shifted his gaze towards her, his eyes widened slightly. She smirked as she walked towards the bed, holding the towel tightly to her chest. 

“How’s the lip?” she asked softly, he pulled the ice pack away from his lip. It was still swollen but it was so much better. “Look at that,” she mumbled as she delicately pressed her lips against his cheek. 

“It means you can kiss me now, you know,” he explained, smiling slightly. She rolled her eyes.

“Put the ice pack back on your lips please,” she teased before she began to walk towards the closet. 

“Come on,” he mumbled as he smirked. She shook her head as she slowly began to walk into the closet. Reluctantly, he put the ice pack back onto his lip as he shifted his gaze back towards the TV. 

After several minutes, she reemerged from the closet wearing a matching dark blue satin pajama set. He shifted his gaze towards her as he scanned her frame. She walked towards the bed and climbed onto his lap. His eyes widned slightly as his free hand delicately rested onto the side of her thigh. His thumb glided along the skin almost teasingly.

“How do you feel?” she asked softly. He pulled the ice pack away from his face, but she immediately forced his hand up. He chuckled as he rolled his eyes playfully. 

“It feels good, the stitches are almost gone which means I’m almost healed. Which means my girlfriend can kiss me,” he muttered as he forced the ice pack away from his face. She rested her hands onto the base of his neck as her thumbs glided along his skin. Her lips fell into a pout, almost afraid.

“Your lips are–like–cold,” she let out softly. He chuckled as he fought a grin. He leaned towards her, kissing her collarbone. She leaned back as goosebumps erupted all over her body. She gasped, “Quinn,” she forced out while grinning.

He smirked again as he tilted his head back against the pillow as he scanned her features. Taking in a deep breath, she took the ice pack from his hand and rested it onto the end table. Y/N glided her thumb across his bottom lip as she looked deeply into his eyes. 

He looked up towards her, almost desperately. “I haven’t kissed you in nine days. Nine days and I am tired of it, so please let me kiss you,” he practically begged. She reached towards the remote beside her and quickly pointed it behind it to turn off the game. He smirked as he scanned her features. 

“If it hurts–” she mumbled. He hummed as he took a hold of her neck and pulled her towards him. He pressed his lips against hers urgently. It had been nine long excruciating days without feeling her lips on his and he so desperately needed her lips on his. “Quinn,” she mumbled against his lips.

His hand ran through her hair, “I promise I’ll tell you if it hurts,” he mumbled before he leaned towards her, kissing her softly. “But right now, this is the best I’ve felt in weeks,” he mumbled as he glided his hand along her neck. “Please,” he mumbled as his gaze flickered down towards her lips. 

“We have to wake Ellie up from her nap in fifteen minutes,” she mumbled as she glided her thumb across his bottom lip. 

“Let me kiss you for fifteen minutes, then,” he offered as he raised his eyebrows. She smirked slightly before she leaned towards him, kissing him hesitantly. He hummed against her lips as he deepened the kiss. Slowly, he took a hold of her thigh as he carefully guided her to lay onto her back. Quinn climbed on top of her as he continued to kiss her urgently.

After several minutes, his pulled back as he scanned her features, his nose bumped against hers for a second as he smirked. 

“I’ve missed you,” she muttered as she glided her hand along his neck. He hummed as he delicately pressed his lips against hers. Her lips started quivering slightly. His eyes widened as tilted his head back slightly.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” he asked as he rolled onto his side. His hand rested onto her hip, pulling her towards him. Quickly, her hands wiped the sudden tears falling from her eyes. She rolled onto her side to meet his gaze, his hand rested onto her hip as he glided his hand up and down her side.

“I don’t know,” she mumbled. 

“Hey,” Quinn let out softly as he took a hold of her chin, forcing her to meet his eye. “What’s going on?” he asked he glided his thumb across her skin.

“I’m just tired all of the time,” she mumbled as she took in a deep breath, “And I miss you all of the time. Even when your–like–right here,” she said as he wiped a tear that fell onto her cheek.

“What can I do?” he asked softly, he pressed his lips together slightly as he was trying not to let his eyes get teary.

“I don’t know,” she let out as she took in a shaky breath. A few seconds went by of Quinn simply running his fingers through her hair, trying to relax her. “Can I say something that may make you mad?” 

“I’ll never be mad about anything you’re feeling,” he whispered before he pressed his lips against her forehead. He carefully glided his hand across her hair for a while as he waited for her to talk again.

“Sometimes, I wish you worked a normal job so that you were home more often,” she whispered almost embarrassed. 

Quinn’s eyes shut harshly as he felt as though a dagger went through his chest. The thought always went through his mind. He never realized that she was struggling, how the hell didn’t he know? He wanted to be home, of course he wanted to be there. The thought was constantly on his mind of wanting to be home and work a typical 9-5. 

“But then I think who can say their baby daddy is the captain of the Canucks,” she let out jokingly. He chuckled as he rolled his eyes playfully.

“That’s true,” he mumbled before he delicately pressed his lips against her forehead. “I’m sorry,” he let out softly, unsure of what else to say.

She lifted her head up to meet his gaze, smiling softly she looked over his features. “Don’t apologize, my love,” she whispered as she sniffled. “You know, maybe I’m just sad that I haven’t been able to kiss you because of the stupid stick,” she said light heartedly. 

He forced a small smile, “I wish I was home more too,” he muttered, “I mean I hate to think that you’re struggling and I’m not here to help you,” he said as he brushed a few pieces of hair behind her ear.

“Most days are good–great even. But the days that are hard…” she trailed off as she looked into his eyes while blinking away a few tears. 

“I wish there was more I could do, my love,” he whispered.

“Everything you’re doing right now is perfect,” she mumbled before she rested her head onto his chest.

“I think I just got used to you being here over the summer,” she expressed softly. 

“I got used to it too,” he mumbled as he pressed his lips to the top of her head. “Of course when I have long home game stretch, I get a stick to the mouth and I can’t even kiss you for the entire time I’m home,” he mumbled, almost jokingly. 

A soft chuckle fell from her lips as she lifted her head up and looked over his features. Her eyes landed on his lips, “I think I didn’t realize how much I needed that,” she mumbled as she dragged her thumb across his bottom lip. He humed as he took a delicate hold of her neck.

“Can you go back to kissing me?” she asked softly. He swallowed harshly as he scanned over her features. She took a shaky breath. “Remember like ten minutes ago when you begged me to kiss you because your lip was feeling better. I’m feeling better now so please kiss me,” she expressed softly as she looked over his features. 

He pursed his lips forward as he scanned her features. He nodded. Delicately, he leaned towards her kissing her so softly. Almost hesitantly as he glided his hand from her cheek down towards her neck, carefully taking a hold. “Two minutes and we have to get Ellie,” she mumbled against his lips. 

“Enjoy these two minutes before we have to go be responsible parents,” he mumbled back. She smirked as she rolled her eyes playfully as she kissed him more urgently. 

~~~

The following morning, Quinn was sitting on the plane to Utah as he was contemplating on making a decision that might make Y/N mad. JT sat beside him, holding his fist out for a fist bump. Quinn gave him a fist bump before he shifted his gaze back towards his lap.

“Are you good?” JT asked softly. Quinn lifted his head up and nodded. “You sure?” he double down. Quinn took a deep breath.

“I gotta make a call,” Quinn muttered as he walked passed him. He walked towards the back of the plane as he brought his phone towards his ear. It only rang for a few seconds before Riley answered.

“Quinn, how can I help you?” she asked, an evident smile on her lips.

“Can you do me a favor?” he asked softly.

“Yeah?” she asked nervously.

“Can you spend the night with Y/N? I think she could use the company,” Quinn asked as he glanced towards the handful of players that hopped onto the plane.

“What’s wrong? Is she okay?” Riley asked quickly.

He took a deep breath as he tilted his gaze towards the ceiling. “She’s been struggling with me being gone and other stuff. So I was thinking if you were there, sh–she would feel better,” he explained. 

“Yeah, definitely. I’ll be there in an hour. Is it bad?” she questioned. 

“I don’t know, she wouldn’t really go into detail but if you could just make sure she sleeps, that would be amazing,” he expressed. 

“Absolutely I will,”

“Thank you, Riley, really,” he mumbled out as he glanced towards their coach who was making his seat. Which meant they were getting ready to take off. 

“I’ve got her, go win your games,” she let out teasingly. He chuckled before they hung up the phone. He nodded again before he manouvered through the walkway back towards his seat. He inched passed JT before he sat back down, tilting his head against the head rest.

“What’s going on, Huggy?” he asked softly. Quinn lifted his head up as he took a deep breath. 

“Y/N’s struggling,” he let out, keeping his gaze in front of him. “There’s literally nothing I can do because I don’t know how to help her,” Quinn explained. “I just feel like a dick because I haven’t seen it and I should’ve seen that’s she’s struggling,” 

An hour later, Riley knocked onto Y/N’s apartment holding an overnight bag in her hand. 

It didn’t take long for her to pull the door open. “Riley? What are you doing here?” she asked as she stepped aside. Riley walked into the apartment, keeping the bag in her hand. “Did Quinn send you? I told him I was fine,” she expressed as she walked towards Ellie and the little bouncer she was sitting in. 

“He might’ve said something,” she explained as she placed her overnight bag onto the countertop.

“Riley, I’m fine,” she mumbled as she pulled Ellie from the bouncer and held her to her side. 

“Do you want to talk about it with someone who’s not the father of your child and the love of your life?” Riley asked as she held her hands out, begging to take Ellie from her. Y/N smiled softly as she happily handed Ellie towards Riley. 

Y/N took a deep breath as she rubbed her eyes. “I think I shattered his heart last night,” she mumbled. Riley’s eyes widened as she swayed side to side with Ellie attached to her hip.

“What?” Riley asked somewhat shocked.

Y/N took in a deep breath as she watched Ellie rest her tiny head against Riley’s shoulder. “I told him that sometimes I wish he worked a normal job. Which I know that all he wants is to be home with us. And I think telling him that all I want is for him to be home too, shattered his heart a little bit,” she explained getting teary eyed. 

“Y/N,”

“But he’s Quinn, he wouldn’t be Quinn if he didn’t do this for a living. He’s an amazing dad and he’s just perfect and I feel like I’m failing him,” she explained as she took in a shaky breath. 

“Oh honey,” Riley mumbled before she took a step towards her and wrapped her arm around Y/N’s body. “You are not failing him. You are amazing,” she mumbled. “And who can say their baby daddy is the captain of the Canucks,” she let out teasingly.

Y/N laughed nervously as she wiped her hand across her cheeks, “I made that joke to him,” she mumbled. “I just miss him,” she sat down onto the barstool before she leaned her head against the countertop.

“Just because Ellie is here now, doesn’t mean you two can’t be Y/N and Quinn,” Riley offered before she bounced Ellie on her side. “I know that’s what you miss,” Riley mumbled. 

She was right but Y/N never wanted to admit it. Sometimes, she wished that it was just her and Quinn. Of course she loved her daughter but alone time with Quinn was so limited that she felt as though she was losing him. 

“When he comes home from the Vegas game, I’ll take Ellie to my place and you two can have a full night alone,” she said, raising her eyebrows dramatically. Y/N laughed dryly before rolling her eyes. “How’s his face by the way?” 

“It’s better an–and I think I would like that, Ri. If it’s a genuine offer,”

“It’s always a genuine offer,” Riley expressed as she lifted Ellie into the air, blowing a raspberry against her tiny stomach. Ellie erupted into laughter. “Look at this cutie, of course I’ll happily take her off your hands for a few nights,” she mumbled. 

“Thanks Riley,” she let out softly. “I gotta put her down for a nap,” Y/N offered as she began to reach for her daughter again.

“I’ve got it, you go take a nap too,” Riley instructed as she began walking towards the hallway that had the nursery and her bedroom. “And don’t you dare say you’re not tired because I know you,”  

Y/N forced out a dry chuckle as she followed her. “Thank you, Ri,” she mumbled as she turned the corner towards her bedroom. 

~~~

Tonight was the last game before the holiday break. His parents and his brothers were going to be staying at an Airbnb near their apartment. His parents were already in town, sitting in her living room, soaking in their granddaughter. While Jack and Luke’s game was on the TV screen. Quinn was in the kitchen making everyone a late breakfast. While Y/N was still asleep. 

The Devils game went to commercial break as Ellen was standing up from the couch. Ellie was sitting on Jim’s lap staring towards the TV, watching the game as well. Ellen walked into the kitchen, smiling towards her eldest son. 

“Y/N still asleep?” she asked softly. Quinn lifted his gaze slightly, humming as he kept his attention towards the eggs in the giant pan.

“Ellie would only fall asleep if Y/N was holding her last night, so Y/N didn’t get much sleep,” Quinn explained before he switched his attention towards the bacon in the oven. 

“Did you sleep?” Ellen asked as she looked into his tired eyes. 

“A little,” he mumbled.

“Quinn,”

“Y/N’s more important,” Quinn let out simply before he continued to make the breakfast. “She’s gotta get some sleep, I’ll take my pregame nap later. I’ll be fine, Mom,” he let out quickly as he shut the oven. Ellen nodded as she looked over her eldest son.

“Quinn, you need to sleep too,” Ellen offered, “What if I finish this and you go get some sleep,” 

Quinn tilted his head back and met her gaze as he took a deep breath. “I’ll be fine, Mom, I promise,” he expressed as he continued to stir the eggs in the giant pan. 

“There’s a nursery at the Airbnb, you should let us take Elliana for the night and you two can catch up on sleep,” she offered. Quinn smiled softly as he took a deep breath.

“We’d like that actually,” he mumbled as he met his mom’s gaze. 

After fifteen minutes, the food was finally done and they were sitting at the dining table eating. Ellie was trying to grab the small pieces of eggs and strawberries. Quinn sat beside her as he was eating his own food; helping her every so often. Soft giggles and babbles fell from her lips as she attempted to feed herself the food. 

“I promised to stop asking this question years ago but are we going to see a ring soon?” Ellen asked teasingly. Quinn chuckled with a mouthful of food. He tilted his head back as he rolled his eyes playfully. 

“I have strict instructions to wait until she’s done with her master’s,” he let out while fighting off a grin.

“You can still give her a ring, you know,” Ellen prompted teasingly as she delicately ran her hand over Ellie’s head.

“I’ve been looking at some actually,” Quinn said nonchalantly. His mom’s eyes widened as she clapped her hands excitedly. “I need Riley’s help on making it a surprise,” he explained as he looked over his little girl, happily enjoying strawberries. She danced a little while eating exactly like Y/N. “But definitely soon,” he said with a teasing grin on his lips.

“Good, finally,” Jim muttered while laughing. “In case you were wondering, the marriage part comes first usually,” he let out teasingly as he started making funny faces towards Ellie. She bursted out laughing.

“Ha–ha,” Quinn mumbled as he handed another small piece of strawberry. “But she’s pretty great, huh?” he let out as he looked over Ellie for a second before he looked towards his father.

“Oh definitely,” Ellen mumbled as she smiled softly. Her eyes widened as she saw Y/N emerge from the hallway. 

Quinn turned his head around, meeting her gaze. “Hey, my love,” Quinn let out softly as he stood up from the chair walking towards her. She smiled as she rubbed the sleep form her eyes. “How’d you sleep?” he asked as he delicately rested his hand onto her hip. 

She glanced towards his parents, who’s attention were solely on Ellie. “Better if you were with me,” she mumbled as she leaned towards him, kissing his cheek delicately. He smiled softly as he quickly pulled her towards his chest. 

“My parents are going to watch Ellie tonight,” he let out softly as he ran his hand through her hair as her head was rested against his chest. 

“Really?” she asked hesistantly.

“Said we could catch up on sleep,” he whispered against her hair. She hummed against his chest as she tilted her head back meeting his gaze. “Or we could do other stuff,” he mumbled before he slipped away from her. She let out a sudden laugh before she followed him towards the dining table.

“How are you doing, honey?” Ellen asked Y/N as she walked towards the table. Y/N smiled softly as she sat down beside Quinn. 

“I’m alright,” she mumbled as she looked towards her little girl struggling to pick up some strawberries. Quinn shifted his attention towards Ellie and instantly assisted his little girl, holding it towards her to take. “I’m happy you guys are here,” she mumbled as she looked towards her in-laws. They might as well already have the label.

“We are too,” Jim expressed before he brought more food towards his mouth. Quinn looked towards Y/N, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“There’s food left, gorgeous,” he explained. She shook her head as she pursed her lips forward.

“I’m okay,” she mumbled as she pressed her lips against his cheek. He nodded slightly before he pressed his lips together. “I’ll eat in a little bit,” she promised. 

~~~

The game ended in a win for the Canucks and for the night Jim and Ellen took Ellie to their Airbnb. This was the first night in months where they were alone. The last few times Riley has come over a handful of nights to baby sit and sleep on the couch. But this was the first time they were alone. 

After the game, Luke happily took sleeping Ellie in his arms towards the car that Jim and Ellen rented. There was a car seat in the back that was perfect for Ellie. Luke was overjoyed to spend all of the time in the world with his niece.

Quinn was sprailed out on their bed. It was late. Usually they were worried about getting enough sleep before. But now, they had all the time in the world, almost. 

She entered the room with her light pink satin pajama set as she ran her fingers through her hair. He smiled softly as he scanned her frame. She fought a grin forming to her lips as she walked towards the bed. Her heart was beating out of her chest, she didn’t know truly know why.

“Hey Momma,” he let out teasingly as he reached towards her. He rested his hand onto her waist. Rolling her eyes playfully before she delicately took a hold of his arm.

“Have you spoken to your mom, is El doing okay?” Y/N asked quietly as she subconsciously ran her hand up and down his arm. 

“Last time I checked, my mom said that Ellie was sleeping like a champ,” Quinn offered as he reached towards her pulling her closer to him from her waist. Y/N nodded as she nervously climbed over him and laid beside him. 

Quickly, Quinn rolled onto his side to face her. He brushed a few pieces of hair away from her face. The corner of her lips curled upward as she looked deeply into his eyes. After a few seconds she rolled away from him reaching for her phone on her nightstand. 

“I’m going to call her and check–” she began but Quinn quickly interrupted her by reached towards her and pulling her towards him. He pulled her against her chest as he looped his arms around her stomach. Delicately, he pressed his lips against her neck.

“She’s okay,” he whispered into her ear. “They have everything they need,” he continued to comfort her as he ran his hand across her stomach. “Relax,” he whispered before he pressed his lips against her skin.

“Quinn,” she let out softly as her lips fell into a pout.

“Nope, we are relaxing,” he mumbled against her skin as he glided his hand down her side slowly. Her breath caught in her throat as she shut her eyes. His hand dipped beneath her shirt while gliding along her stomach. 

“But–”

“No but,” he trailed off as she rolled onto her back. Quinn was still laying on his side  as he was scanning her features. Slowly, he reached his hand up and delicately took a hold of his cheek. His thumb glided along her cheek. “I’m going to kiss you now,” he began as he leaned towards her kissing her so softly.

She hummed against his lips as she glided her hands through his hair. Quinn slowly climbed on top of her as he began to toy with the buttons of her pajama top. He pulled away for a moment as he looked over her features. A soft smile formed on her lips as she glided her thumb over his stubble. 

He smiled, “What?” he let out barely above a whisper. She pursed her lips forward as she continued to run her hand along his cheek. 

“You’re amazing, you know that?” she let out as she continued to look over his features. Her hand rested on the base of his neck. He pecked her lips briefly.

“I do,” he let out teasingly. She rolled her eyes playfully as she pushed his head away from her. He chuckled before he looked over her features. “Please let me make you feel good,” he mumbled before he delicately kissed her lips. 

“Yes please,” she mumbled against his lips as she instantly started tugging at the shirt covering his frame. He hummed as he pulled away from her, pulling his shirt from his frame. Her hands instantly glided along his skin as he climbed back on top of her, kissing her desperately.

~~~

Christmas Eve finally arrived and his family were on their way over to their apartment with their daughter. Y/N was standing in the bathroom, applying the last little details to her makeup. Today, they were finally going to take Ellie to see Santa. Quinn refused to go until his lip healed which meant Christmas Eve it was. 

It worked out that the team sponsored an event where the players could bring their kids to go see Santa on Christmas Eve. So it was perfect. Quinn walked into the bathroom adjusting the dark blue sweater on his frame.

“Hey gorgeous,” he mumbled as he rested his hand onto her waist as he met her gaze through the mirror. She smiled softly as she turned around, placing the mascara beside her as she looked into his eyes. 

“Hey pretty boy,” she mumbled as she rested her hands onto the base of his neck. Quinn leaned towards her, kissing her softly as he tightened his grip along her waist. “Thank you,” she said as she pulled away.

Before he could reply, their door was pushed open and his entire family walked into the apartment. He pecked her lips briefly again before he slipped away from her. He walked out of the bathroom, down the hall towards the living room to see his family awkwardly standing in the center of the living room. Quinn instantly searched for his little girl to see Jack holding her on his side. 

“Hey guys,” he let out happily, walking directly towards Jack to take his daughter into hsi arms. “Hi Darling,” he let out, his voice softer. He happily stole her frome Jack’s arm as he pressed his lips to her tiny forehead. “How’d she treat you guys?” he asked softly as he held Ellie to his side. 

“She was an absolute angel,” Ellen offered excitedly.

“An angel?” Quinn let out excitedly as he bounced her slightly. “Thank you for last night,” he expressed as he looked towards his parents. 

“Of course,” Jim offered before he wandered towards the couch with Ellen following in pursuit. “You look like you got some sleep finally,” he expressed.

Quinn raised his eyebrows as he nodded fighting off a grin, “Yeah, we did,” he let out as he walked towards the kitchen. Jack and Luke followed after him. Quinn opened the fridge to take out a bottle for Ellie. Quinn shifted his gaze towards his brothers who were fighting off grins. “What?” he let out softly as he shook the bottle slightly. Ellie was happily reaching towards it. 

“Got some sleep, huh,” Jack whispered as he was grinning. Quinn rolled his eyes as he walked towards the bottle warmer and dropped the bottle inside of it. He put it on for thirty seconds. 

“Shut up,” Quinn let out softly while a blush soon formed to his cheeks. 

“What did you guys do instead?” Luke let out sarcastically, still quietly enough to not let their parents hear. 

“Shut up!” Quinn let out while laughing.

Y/N soon entered the living room. She was wearing a maroon red sweater with black pants. She was practically glowing as she entered the living room. She smiled widely towards them before she walked straight to the kitchen to steal Ellie from Quinn. 

Jack and Luke busted out laughing as they saw the elated grin on her lips. Quinn happily handed Ellie towards Y/N. Quinn took the bottle out of the warmer shaking it slightly again as he tapped some onto his hand. He handed it towards Ellie who happily brought it towards her mouth. Y/N ignored the younger Hughes boys as she walked towards the living room to sit with Jim and Ellen. 

Jack’s eyes widened as his mouth fell open. “Have you guys not–since Ellie–” Jack questioned quietly, unsure of how to ask the question.

“We have!” Quinn quickly defended while laughing. “This month has been really difficult for her, so… shut up!” Quinn muttered shaking his head. “Also, I don’t need you two asking questions when our parents are in the other room,” Quinn expressed quietly before he walked towards the living room with the rest of his family. Both Jack and Luke barked out a laugh as they followed in pursuit. 

The visit to Santa went exactly as Quinn and Y/N expected. Ellie hated it. She wasn’t necessarily terrified but definitely was scared of the beard. She was crying but wasn’t screaming. Although, they were hoping she would like it but they had a feeling she was going to hate it. 

They took several photos, they were able to get a handful of good photos of Ellie not noticeably crying. His parents were able to join in on some of the photos. Jack and Luke’s entire job was to try and get Ellie smiling. They did not do a good job. 

But the photos were amazing and they were a part of a collection of photos the Canucks social team shared onto their Instagram and Twitter. 

It was well into the afternoon and the sun was starting to set. They were all hanging in the living room watching Elf. Luke was holding Ellie in his lap as he was trying to make her giggle with funny faces. This time around, it was working. 

Y/N’s head was rested onto Quinn’s shoulder as she was trying not to fall asleep. Quinn took a hold of her hand, “Are we waiting until tomorrow for Ellie’s gifts or are we doing them now?” Quinn asked as he brought her hand towards his lips, pressing a kiss agains her hand briefly. 

“We have more gifts for her at our Airbnb so we can do these today!” Ellen said excitedly. 

Quinn’s eyes widened as he swallowed harshly, “Mom, you realize our apartment is not that big,”he let out while laughing. Ellen didn’t reply as she happily prompted everyone to go sit near the Christmas tree. Luke stood up, securing Ellie in his arms briefly before he handed her over towards Y/N. 

She sat down beside the tree, Ellie sitting in her lap. Quinn sat beside her taking in a deep breath. There was an overwhelming amount of presents. There was probably at least ten from Jim and Ellen and twenty from Luke and Jack. She was spoiled but this was a whole new level.

“How did you guys even get all of this on the plane?” Y/N asked while laughing. 

“We shipped all of ours earlier this month,” Jack let out while laughing. 

It didn’t take long for them to start opening a few of the presents. Ellie was fully involved in the process. Her eyes lighting up every time a new box was in front of her. She didn’t care about the gift, since she wasn’t even a year old. But she was having a blast watching the paper get torn and playing with it. 

Most of the presents that Jim and Ellen purchased were toys. Many were stuffed animals and different giant plastic toys that would probably remain in the box for several months. 

Quinn took one of the smaller boxes that had said it was from Luke for Ellie. Ellie tried gripping some of the wrapping paper but she couldn’t get her tiny fingers to pull it apart. Quinn smiled softly as he ripped it and held it towards her. He assisted in the process of tearing it open. 

It was another box, which Quinn promptly opened to see a tiny shirt. It was Devils merch. Quinn rolled his eyes playfully as he pulled it out to see the tiny numbers on the sleeve. He spun it around to see forty-three on the back.

“Oh come on,” he let out while laughing. Ellie reached towards it and Quinn held it back. Ellie didn’t react she simply giggled. “She is never going to wear this,”

“It’s your number too!” Luke defended as he grinned widely. 

“Not gonna happen Lukey,” he said while adding it to the pile of clothes beside him. 

“Thank you, Luke. She’ll definitely wear it,”  Y/N teased as she ran a hand over Ellie’s hair that was starting to curl dramatically. “Luke’s looking like the favorite Uncle,” she let out teasingly. Jack let out a dramatic gasp. 

“Open my last one!” he let out pointing dramatically towards the box. Y/N laughed loudly. Quinn urgently leaned forward and opened the last box, handing the paper towards Ellie.

Quinn pulled the lid off of the tiny box to reveal another mini shirt with a Devils logo. Quinn chuckled as he rolled his eyes playfully as he pulled it out of the box. It was Jack’s number. “Well this one is a definite no,” he said while tossing it onto the pile.

“Thank you Jack.” Y/N offered as she rested her hand onto Quinn’s knee, forcing a soft chuckle from his lips. It was the last of the presents that were all dedicated to Ellie. Behind them were stacks of boxes of new toys and stuffed animals for her. The pile of clothes was nearly as tall as Ellie. “This has been great, thank you guys. Really sweet,” 

Quinn looked behind him towards the clock on the wall. “We should probably get her to bed,” Quinn mumbled as he stood up from the floor. He leaned down holding out his hands for Ellie. Y/N lifted her up and handed her over to Quinn.

Quinn walked towards his parents so they can have a few seconds, saying goodbye to her. Ellen happily took a hold of her, holding Ellie tightly to her chest before handing her offer to Jim. 

Jack and Luke simply waved towards their niece, waiting for her to wave back. She did instantly. The entire room giggled. 

Y/N shook her head as she stared towards the overwhelming amount of clothes and toys that now they have to find a place for and to find a use for. The toys that they got were definitely things Ellie would grow into. 

After a few minutes, Ellie was back in Quinn’s arms. “Alright, Darling, let’s get you to sleep,” Quinn mumbled as he walked down the hallway. Y/N watched with admiration. The more and more she saw him with their daughter, the deeper she was falling in love with him.

She never thought that she could fall more in love with him, being that they’ve been together ten years. Yet, her heart fluttered and her stomach erupted into butterflies the more and more she saw him be a dad. 

“Y/N?” Ellen asked softly. She pulled her gaze from the hallway, a soft hum falling from her lips. Ellen chuckled softly, “You and Quinny are so cute, you know that?”

[your-hockey-mom]

I'm having a shit day, I need Quinn to fix it

Please and thanks

Rain, rain, go away, come again...when you didn't have a hundred errands to run and were short on time to do them. Naturally, it would pour the entire time you were out and about, and your umbrella had decided to break the first time you went to use it. It really set the tone for the rest of the day; a terrible foreshadowing you had hoped wouldn't be the case.

The only reason you were out running those errands in the first place was because you had taken the day off to make sure everything was nice for when Quinn got back home. You knew he was going to be exhausted after finishing another six straight games on the road. Plus, you wanted to enjoy the evening with him knowing nothing would be looming in the back of your mind that would take away from your time together. However, since the minute you got up it was like everything was stacked against you. You had slept through your alarm, getting up almost two hours later than you had intended. You thought you had plugged in your phone but hadn't make a proper connection so your battery was at 12% to start the day. And to add insult to injury (literally), you had dropped a glass while in the kitchen and had cut your hand while trying to pick up the pieces.

Today was proving to be one of those days that were best spent at home, but unfortunately, that wouldn't be the case for you. By this point, your phone was now sitting at 6%, because you realized, after you had left the parking garage, that the charger you left in your car was in Quinn's. You just hoped it would hold on long enough to get you home.

You would be stopped at a red light, mid rush hour, when a message would ding in. It was Quinn and the dreaded text you didn't want to come across your phone until you were already back at his apartment.

"Hey baby, we just touched down. I'll see you soon. I love you."

"I might not be there when you get home. Stuck in traffic. </3 I love you, too. <3 <3 Also, phone is about dead. >:("

"Just be careful. I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too."

- - -

Getting everything out of the car had been hard enough, but carrying them with your cut palm was the worst. Being half asleep and dealing with broken glass was not a good combination, something you would note for the future. Sure, you couldn't have texted Quinn to see if he would help you, which you knew he would have, but you were determined to get it done yourself.

When you stepped into the elevator, from the parking garage, all you could think of was "please don't break down. I do not want to walk up the stairs. I do not want to be trapped in an elevator with a dead phone." Thinking it was a bad idea to put such thoughts into the Universe, you'd just count floors instead until you reached Quinn's.

It was a struggle to unlock the door but you had managed though your hand was burning and you were pretty sure you were bleeding again. Just something else that would get tended to later. Once inside, you'd drop everything at the door and Quinn would come from the bedroom to greet you.

"Oh sweetheart, why didn't you tell me you were downstairs? I would have helped you with all of this." He wrapped his arms around you and you melt into his body. "I have missed you so much."

"I'm so glad you're home." All of a sudden and without warning, you begin to cry. Likely a culmination of trash sleep, stress, no food, and pain. Your body and emotions were just fried; not to mention you hated when he was gone for so long.

"What's wrong, baby?" Quinn would say softly, gently tightening his hold on you. "Are you alright?" Anytime you were having a rough day, he was the first person to notice and always did everything he could to make you feel better.

"No," you said, hiding your face in his neck. You weren't ready to have him see how much you were struggling.

"Why don't you go sit, hmm? I'll get this."

"I wanted to have everything done for you but today has been awful."

Quinn pulls away from you just enough to tip your chin up towards his face. You can't escape him now and the look on your face makes his puppy eyes heavy with emotion. "Oh, baby~"

He kisses you several times, each one of them sweeter than the last, yet the tears still continue to fall from your cheeks. "Come on, this stuff can wait."

Taking your non-bandaged hand, he ushers you to the sofa where he insists you sit in his lap so you can be as close to him as possible. You loved moments like these just on better circumstances than today had given you.

"Baby, you're bleeding. What happened?"

You had reached up to brush some hair from your eyes when he caught sight of the bandage now tinged bright red in the center. You dropped your hand to your leg and shook your head. "It's nothing. Just a clumsy accident."

"Let me see."

You refuse, sniffling and trying to hold back the welling tears.

"Please?"

Damn those eyes of his; damn the tone of his voice that just took your breath away. You could never truly tell him no and this was no different. You'd turn your palm upwards when you presented it to him, scared it was worse that you thought it was initially.

"May I look at it?"

You just nod, before laying your head against his shoulder. You didn't want to see it and you knew him pulling back the adhesive of the bandage was going to hurt, even though he had the softest touch.

Quinn was always so careful with you; always asking for permission especially if it would potentially cause you pain. Slowly he'd remove the bandage and you would wince against the discomfort even though he did everything he could to make it easy on you. "How did this happen?"

Quinn's tone conveyed deep worry and hurt and that didn't give you the reassurance you were hoping for.

"This morning. I got up late, and was half asleep taking my vitamins and I guess my hand just stopped working and I dropped it. It shattered everywhere. I didn't realize I had grabbed the raw edge until it was too late and I cut myself."

"Oh sweetheart," Quinn whispered laying his head against yours. "Want me to fix you up?"

"I'll get it."

"Please?"

Twice now, he had used that word with (that) tone, and twice now you would fold without another chance to resist. Again, you would silently nod, letting him slip out from under you while he disappeared into the bathroom for a few moments. You remembered how you had left it and it made you feel worse, but when he returned, the only thing that mattered to him was making sure you were alright.

"You said today was awful, how come?" He talked to you while he worked so to keep you from focusing solely on your hand and the pain. Everything he did was so thoughtful.

"I stayed up too late watching The First 48, then I slept through my alarms this morning, so I was two hours behind. I guess I hadn't clicked my charger into my phone fully so it didn't charge. I dropped the glass. I didn't get the apartment cleaned. I didn't get the laundry put away. I forgot my charger was in your car. My umbrella broke." With each added reason for the bad day it made you more emotional to the point that he had to stop cleaning the cut to lay a hand on your leg and try to calm you.

"Shhh, baby, baby, it's okay. None of that matters now. I didn't expect you to be waiting for me at the door. I'm just glad you're here now, but I'm sorry you had such a hard day. The apartment is fine, please, don't worry about it."

"But...I left the bathroom~"

"I don't care about it. Honest. I want you to feel welcome here; I want it to be your home. Home should feel lived in." Quinn leaned forward to kiss you yet you frown. You still felt so bad for everything not being done like you wanted it to be. "If you're here, that's all I want."

"You're so nice," you squeak out, hiding your face with your free hand. You don't realize you were breaking his heart, feeling so bad about missing your self-imposed marks.

"Sweetheart, will you look at me, please?"

Dropping your hand, you let your eyes be exposed though you keep it pressed to your lips.

"You're the only thing I care about when I'm here. If you're okay, I'm okay."

"But I'm not okay."

"And I'm not either. May I finish this for you?" His smile was so sweet, so heartfelt as he held your injured hand in both of his. When you answered "yes, please" Quinn brought it to his lips before finishing what he had started. With each new step of the process, he'd check in with you before continuing. He didn't feel that you had any glass in the wound or that you needed stitches, but he didn't want you to do too much the next few days.

"Alright, babe, all done."

"Thank you."

"Of course. Anything for you," his smile continues. "How about you go change your clothes, get into something comfortable and we'll have a lazy evening in bed. I'll get the groceries put away and we'll order take out. How's that?"

"Do you want some help?"

"No babe, I can get it. It won't take me that long, but thank you. I'll meet you in there, okay?"

"Okay." You give him a kiss as a thank you, later apologizing for your mild breakdown earlier.

"It's alright. You're only human, sweetheart and you had a bad day. I can't say I'd do much better. I'd never judge you for anything like that," Quinn replies, holding your face for another kiss. "I promise."

[verycoolusername1]

You Laugh Exactly The Same

Summary: Everyone is back home for the holidays. It feels nothing has changed(if you take away the years)

Platonic!hughes brothers x reader, one mention of Nico Hischier x reader(jokingly) and mention of Quinn hughes x reader(once again a joke)

Bonus Track of the fruitcake masterlist - Holidays

A/N: My first platonic fic, how we feeling?? And why is this song lowkey kinda sad

Also, I didn't know how to end it, so sorry if the endings weird!!!

You were an honorary sibling in the hughes household. You practically grew up with them. They were your chosen family.

You shut your car door, suitcase in hand. As you smiled at the sight in front of you. The lake house, you've been coming here since your college days. Time flies when you're having fun it seems.

You were about to open the door when it opened for you, Luke, on the other side with the biggest grin on his face.

"Y/N's here!" He called out to his family before capturing you in a bone crushing hug.

Jack ran to the door, Quinn following behind.

"Dude, get off. You're crushing them." Jack tried to pull Luke off of you.

"Both of you are gonna crush them if you keep acting like that." Quinn smiled at the scene in front of him.

"Quinn's right. Off both of you." Ellen ordered.

Their arms were off you instantly at her words. You chuckled slightly.

"Barely got through the door, and you're already trying to kill me." You grinned as you moved towards your room.

The boys minus Quinn(for the moment) went after you.

"Are you two just gonna follow me around like a lost puppy the whole time?" You asked, turning around.

"We missed you in Jersey. Quinn got you all to himself this season." Luke grumbled.

"I was only there for work." You rolled your eyes.

"Well, it still doesn't make me feel better." Jack groaned as he flopped on the bed.

"Yeah, like, who knows what you could have done together!" Luke's face scrunched up in disgust. "Actually, don't think about that... ew."

"I'm choosing to ignore that because we're all friends here, and well, you know... Quinn's not my type." You put your clothes in the closet.

"Thank god!" Luke sighed.

Jack immediately perked up. "That's not true! Remember when we were fourteen and your baby crush on him?"

Your face flushed in embarrassment. "That was a long time ago!"

"Seems like the baby crush didn't go away." Luke mumbles.

"Alright, both of you, out right now." You dismissed them.

Jack and Luke laughed at your reaction before leaving the room, proud with themselves.

You continue to get settled in, satisfied with the progress.

"I thought I told you guys to leave me alone." You said, not bothering to look up.

Quinn chuckled. "You haven't told me anything at all, actually."

"Shit, sorry." You apologized. "Thought you were Jack and Luke."

Quinn leaned on the wall in amusement. "Well, I'm sure whatever they did can be redeemed."

You laughed at his words. "Yeah, I'm sure they'll just gladly accept doing everything for me the whole break."

"Well, I'd be glad to do that." Quinn immediately responds in a mumble.

You looked at him. "What did you say?"

"Oh uh nothing just you know gonna be lots of work for that." Quinn lied. "Maybe try the next best thing?"

"Oo hmm definitely letting me hookup with their captain, kinda hot don't you think?" You asked.

Quinn rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm not into guys, so I can't give you an exact opinion, but... he looks nice for his age. I don't know."

"You guys are literally the same age!" You chuckled.

Quinn chuckled alongside you. "Yeah, yeah, whatever... Are you coming down for the bonfire tonight or going to bed early?"

"Wouldn't miss seeing Jack getting caught on fire for the world." You yawned slightly as you nodded your head.

Quinn grinned at your words as he held out his hand for you to take. You did, of course.

The two of you went downstairs to the porch where Jack and Luke sat, Jim and Ellen leaving early with promises to come back early tomorrow.

"There you two are, we were dying out here." Jack exaggerates.

Luke nods in agreement. "You left us unsupervised!"

You shook your head as you sat down. "You both are adults and are or past 21."

"Let's be real. You and Quinn are the adults here." Luke said, Jack heavily agreeing.

Quinn merely shrugged. "It's the older sibling in us."

"You're only a couple months older than me, Y/n, not much to go off of." Jack nudged you.

You nudged him back. "I still think it's quite far."

Jack rolled his eyes as Luke and Quinn laughed at the interaction.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you two kept the fire alive." Quinn spoke up.

You chuckled slightly. "It's uh, you know, a survival instinct. Jack knows a lot about that."

Jack groaned. "That was one time!"

You burst out laughing at his words. "Probably the best day of my life."

Luke chuckled slightly before his eyes widened.

"We should make smores." Luke says. Quinn hummed in agreement.

It was moments like this with the boys that you loved the most, seeing them not having a care in the world and just enjoying themselves... even if it's at your own expense but nonetheless you loved them.

Many more laughs and smores were shared throughout the night, and you wouldn't have it any other way.

[captain-huggy-bear]

National Teacher Day

Pairing: Quinn Hughes x Fem!Reader

Warnings: N/A

Summary: Quinn has a big surprise for National Teacher Day that puts your relationship out into the public space.

Notes: Just continuing the theme of Teacher reader because why not?

I hit over 200 followers so thank you for all the love/support as I was not expecting that when I decided to just make a place for my hockey obsession :)

Totally happy to take requests/ideas/prompts at the moment in my ask box :)

Writing Masterlist

"Mornin', baby," Quinn's voice is still a little sleepy as he wraps his arms around you from behind, pulling you towards him so that your back to presses against his front, careful not to dislodge you too much from where you're flipping pancakes for your breakfast.

"Morning, Quinn," You close your eyes and hum when he presses a kiss to your cheek, beard scratching your skin just slightly before he rests his chin on your shoulder to watch you work.

You cook quietly for a few minutes, soaking in the warmth of Quinn at your back, the way his fingers press little circles into your stomach and the occasional kisses he presses just behind your ear. It's not often you get a few moments like this on a game day, especially with morning skate and it's that thought that has your eyes shifting to the clock.

"Don't you need to be getting ready for morning skate?"

"Mmm?" He's not really listening, too comfortable slumped over you with his eyes closed like he has absolutely nowhere to be. It would be cute if you didn't know that he'd freak out if he was late to morning skate. Quinn was nothing but punctual, you weren't sure he'd ever been late to something in his life, always there either on the dot or early. Something you appreciate about him, but which definitely meant he couldn't get away with dragging his heels at the moment.

You pull out of his grip, turning to face him, hands reaching up to cup his cheeks as he blinks at you bleary eyed and sleepily. Thumbs brushing his jaw as you force him to tune back into his surroundings.

"Morning skate? Isn't it in like half an hour?"

"Oh, shit!" You watch amused as he pulls away from you in a panic, eyes darting the clock before he darts to the bedroom to get ready, all limbs flailing as he nearly trips over a shoe on the floor. He's normally more organised, but then Quinn's been busy lately some sort of project he'd been working on with the arena but unable to tell you about. 'Top secret' that's what he said and you trusted him when he said he simply couldn't tell you as it was a surprise. But, it had proven to make him more distracted, less orderly and you found yourself reminding him of things more often. You didn't mind, after all he had done the same for you on many occasions.

It's as he leaves the apartment that you really start thinking about what day it is. Quinn's rushing past you with his hockey bag slung over his shoulder, but even in the rush doesn't fail to stop to press a kiss to your lips, sweet and short, letting out a quick, "Happy teacher's day, baby!" before he goes, the door clicking shut behind him.

That's when the day actually registers in your mind, Sunday 5th October, National Teacher Day. You actually wouldn't have realised what the day was if Quinn hadn't mentioned it on the way to morning skate. The fact that Quinn had remembered at all was sweet, it made you smile as you ate your pancakes and kept you smiling as you went about starting your day.

The day itself didn't mean much for you, afterall you weren't doing anything different than you normally would on a game day. You weren't teaching, so none of your students were likely to see you or give you a card or wish you a good day. Which was fine because even if you were, they probably wouldn't have because teenagers don't often even know that these days are a thing or if they do they forget. You weren't going to some award ceremony or event for teachers or some party of anything out of the ordinary. Instead, your day was focused on sorting out last minute planning for Monday (and marking those essays your grade 11's had written on why the American Boom had been able to take place - hoping they remembered LACKPANTS as you marked) before you had to leave for the game.

Arrival to Rogers Arena wasn't any different from normal either. You parked underneath the arena in your designated spot, made your way through the corridors until you arrived rink side, bundled in as many layers as possible underneath your Hughes Jersey. Normally, you'd have a seat further into the stands but Quinn had wanted you right by the ice for warm ups and the game today so you'd accepted the seats right up at the glass without much fuss.

While your students knew you were dating Quinn, most of the fans didn't. There was the odd metion of you here and there on the internet, but both of you were so private that only a few die hard Quinn fans really knew who you were and even then they just knew your face not much else. That meant sitting by the glass always felt a little exposing, it felt strange, wearing Quinn's jersey but knowing most people thought you were just a normal fan, not his girlfriend.

Even when he skates out for warm ups, even when his eyes fall straight to you like they were drawn there by some force greater than yourselves, even when he skates over and throws you a puck, even then people just assume you're a lucky fan. Still you clutch the puck to your chest when he winks at you and still you can't help but wish people knew who you were. Even more so as one of the girls next to you fawns over the fact he'd given you a puck and tells you how lucky you are. It's tempting to tell her that you're even luckier than that, that you get to go home with the man himself, but you don't. You never do.

It's an odd sort of dilemma to be in really. On one hand you've gotten used to privacy, teaching teenagers meant your social media needed to be locked down tight and private. The idea of some of that privacy disappearing was scary. But, on the other hand, you were proud of your boyfriend and wanted to scream from the rooftops that he was yours and he was amazing. At some point you knew the privacy would end, after all you lived together and at some point Quinn was bound to make it known who he was taken by. The media and the fans speculating all the time because he'd made it clear he wasn't single, but hadn't officially launched your relationship out to the world.

Tonight, Quinn decided was going to be different. He loved seeing you at the glass, the way you wore his jersey and clutched at the puck he tossed over to you. But, this was a rare occurance, normally you were deep in the stands, hard for him to spot. He knew you did that out of respect for him because he'd agreed with you that keeping things out of the public eye was best. But, the desire to keep you private had started to wear off over the last few months.

He watched some of his teammates and their public relationships, how everyone knew and celebrated JT and his wife for example and it made him yearn for that transparency. Even more so when the media speculated that you didn't exist, that he'd made up a girlfriend to keep the fans off his back.

Warm ups go as usual. You watch the guys stretch out and run through various laps on the ice, shooting the puck while Thatcher practice his saves. There's nothing unusual about the night until they come back out to start the game, rather than the anthem and puck drop, there's a delay, a change to the schedule that you hadn't expected. 'National Teachers Day' comes up on the Jumbotron besides various graphics and photographs of what look to be members of your profession.

You start to realise why Quinn remembered what day it was today because clearly he'd had it in mind for the game tonight. It's nice to see, your job was often a thankless one and with teachers leaving the profession in droves the recognition from the arena was nice. You knew there were other teachers in the audience who'd appreciate it too.

The bold voice of Al Murdock sounded out over the PA system as the lights dimmed, "And tonight we celebrate and honour the teachers all across this country who inspire, challenge and grow the next generation of doctors, lawyers, leaders and hockey players. We do so with a short thank you message from Quinn Hughes and the students of the Granville School!" You start a little at the mention of your school, still pressed near the glass where you can see the middle of the ice and the jumbotron clearly.

You watch Quinn skate out to the centre of the ice, spotlight shining down on him and his glorious hair. It's the sort of length where he can flip it like some sort of prince charming and you love it. He looks good on the ice, the lighting in the arena always does something to him that seems to add to his normal beauty. You can't help but admire him even as you feel a surge of anxiety at the reality that your boyfriend, who is dating you, a teacher, is about to talk to thousands of people. You watch as he thanks someone for handing him a microphone, looking around the arena before his eyes go straight to you at the glass and he smiles, simple and sweet but reassuring like he knows you're freaking out right now. Like he knows that you need to him to remind you that it's okay, you're okay.

"Teachers are the foundation of our society, but they're also people with families and lives, with feelings. Sometimes, we can be ungrateful, we can take for granted the challenges they face and the dangers they're willing to brave for their students." You know what he's thinking of when he says that. The time he had to come get you from school after you got punched while breaking up a fight. By a boy who was in the boxing club of all people. The way he had to calm you down from a panic attack over the phone, drive you home because you were shaking too hard, and then had to watch you go back to school the very next day and act like nothing had happened. He's thinking of every time you come home exhausted, shattered after a day of not being listened to, of being patient and trying to regulate your emotions and those of 30 other people. All the times you've received a shitty email from a parent for disciplining their child or the times you've had to stay late simply to get all the work done. The Christmases you've spent marking and the Sunday nights you couldn't sleep, mind cataloguing all the things you needed to do the next day.

"While I want to thank all the teachers out there today, there's a particular teacher I want to thank." Quinn's practically smirking, whether because he knows he's definitely surprised you or because his half-smile just looks like that you're not entirely sure.

"No...Quinn..." You mumble it under your breath even as you secretly love it, love that he's doing this for you even as you fear the attention, even as you dread the reaction of the crowd because this is the moment. You can feel it, this is the moment Quinn lets it slip, that he finally says, hey, this is my girlfriend, right there. It's both terrifying and exciting all in the same breath. Weren't you just considering how you were fed up of keeping things completely private? Of being a secret? But change is scary.

"Someone who made sure I got to morning skate on time this morning, someone who supports me even when she's coming home late or has a pile of marking to do, someone who gives her students everything even when she has barely anything left." There's what feels like a collective breath being held by the crowd as they wait for the answer to the question of who he's talking about.

"To my girlfriend." You see the moment the cameras pin to you, your face plastered on the jumbotron as Quinn stares you down, you freeze, unused to the attention. "I've watched you teach, watched you bring your students here, watched you stay up late to get their extra essays marked and complete college applications for them and you're truly amazing at it. You're an amazing teacher." Your lip starts to wobbles, eyes filling with tears because this is...this is really sweet and overwhelming and your face is still plastered in front of thousands of people so you refuse to cry.

"I don't think you always realise how good you are at what you do or how much of a positive impact you make, so I asked some of your students to share a few messages...I hope you don't kill me for this." The crowd laughs at the joke, but you can tell he's a little worried that he's overstepped, that you'll be upset with him for this. You're not though, how could you be when he was trying to do something so sweet for you?

The screen changes to show David, out of all of your students, it's David. He's stood in the school sports hall, decked in, as per usual, all his Vancouver merch. He's asked if there's any message he has for you and you watch as the boy that gives you the most shit, the kid that turns up late all the time, who barely seems to care about your subject, who interrupts your lessons constantly, actually smiles.

"You're the coolest teacher here. Like you took us to meet the Canucks! And, I know I turn up late and I totally talk over you a lot, but thanks 'cause even when i'm being a asshole you still got my back. Also you gotta invite me to the wedding!" You laugh with everyone else at the bleeped out work, on brand for David who you tell off for swearing all the time.

The screen shifts, one of your sweet nerdy girls, Alice, coming to the screen, shifting nervously as she's asked the same question.

"Thank you for always marking my extra essays and giving me help on my college application. I'm sorry the class talks a lot, but you're really cool and I actually learn something in your class, so thank you."

This continues on and on, Quinn had gotten at least 10 of your students to say messages of thanks to you and by the end your promise to yourself that you wouldn't cry in front of thousands of people is thoroughly broken.

The screen shifts back to Quinn, "I love you and I hope you and every other teacher in this arena knows how much of impact you make and how important you are. You're the real everyday heroes, baby."

A nice older lady sat near you helps you dry your face when its over and even offers you a butterscotch candy when the national anthems end. You're shaking through all of the first period, not in a bad way, just overwhelmed with love. Love for Quinn, love for your students, for your job, for the reality that all those hours working outside of contract time mean something, that you're doing something worthwhile.

There's a sense of relief as well, that you don't have to hide how loud you scream when Quinn scores in the second period, the way he can openly skate past you and smile afterwards as if to say the goal was for you. You feel liberated from the secretiveness of your relationship, the insane level of privacy that meant you didn't acknowledge each other at the rink.

The game ends with the Canucks winning 5-3 in regulation, a nice end to a overwhelming day. Normally you'd drive home rather than wait for Quinn to wrap up with the press, always worried about being seen together, but today you wait by his car, saying goodbye to his teammates when they each walk past you on their own way home.

He's not quite smiling when he sees you, there's an apprehension on his face, a sort of worry that makes your heartache.

"Hey, baby," You smile at him when he comes within a few feet of you, his shoulders tense like he's expecting you to tell him off for the big stunt he pulled even as you smile at him.

"You're not going to kill me, right?"

You don't say anything, just step into his personal space and loop your arms around his neck, pulling him as close as you can get without being literally inside of him.

"That might have been the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me, Quinn."

"So you...you liked it?" His hands find your hips, fingers tapping nervously even as his shoulders start to relax, the beginnings of a smile starting to pull at his lips.

"Mmhmm, thank you..." You reach up, pressing a light kiss to the corner of his mouth, only pulling back enough to talk, "I love you and i'm of so proud of you." It's whispered, gentle like the last breeze of summer and it has the same effect on him, Quinn practically shivers in your arms, a thrill of delight working its way through his nervous system.

"I love you so much, I just...I wanted you to know i'm not embarrassed of you. I'm really proud of you, baby. I just...I wanted everyone to finally know that you're my girl and how proud I am of what you do." There's a flush to his cheeks as he avoids your eye like he's embarrassed to be this soppy. It's sweet, how bashful he can get at the grown age of 25 and it makes it impossible to resist pressing another kiss to the corner of his mouth, one to his chin, and another to his cheek.

"And now they know, so I guess we can start turning up to games together..."

"You'd like that?" Quinn's eyes grow wide with excitement, pulling back to look at you fully like you've just offered to take him wakeboarding.

"Mmm, means I can wait around for you at the end so you have something to look forward to after press duty."

"Absolutely, yes." He pulls you in tight, pressing his face into the crook of your neck and just breathing you in. Mumbling sweet nothings over and over as if they were needed, as if you didn't already know how much he cared about you.

"I love you." You can't help but say it again especially as he complains when you separate from him and say you have to drive your own car home. You say it again when he tries to convince you to just leave your car at the rink, and fails miserably at convincing you.

There's a feeling of contentment as you drive, Quinn's car following behind you, a sense that this was a new chapter, the next step. A sense of freedom, that both of you didn't have to be quite so careful anymore. You knew it wouldn't be easy and there would be issues with going public, but...you were glad not to be hiding anymore.

[sweetdispatch]

Hughes!reader masterlist

masterlist

You have my blessing - N. Hischier

summary: You visited Jack and met his team. He saw your interaction with Nico and decided to play matchmaker

What are we? - J. Marino

summary: You transferred to New York for university and John caught your eye but the problem is that he's your brothers teammate

Attention seeker - M. Rempe

summary: You and Matt are together. Quinn and Luke are cool with that but Jack? He's furious.

Hidden feelings - T. Zegras

summary: You moved to Anaheim and couldn't keep your feelings towards Trevor anymore

[so-writing]

Less water, more caffeine -- Quinn Hughes (preview)

Hey! I've been gone so long I still have Tyson Jost as an Av (rip he's not dead he's just not here anymore) as my profile picture

Anyway, on we go <33

--

It isn’t like clockwork, but it’s pretty damn close. Quinn Hughes enters your coffee shop to get his usual order around the usual time. 

“Good morning,” the barista you just hired gives him a big smile, “your regular order?”

Quinn smiles softly, barely and nods his head.

“I figured, we’ll have it up in a few minutes.” 

She knows exactly what to do, you’ve trained her well. 

“Good morning,” Quinn’s voice is quieter than normal, sounding a little bit strained, “how much?”

“Same price as always.” 

“Sorry,” he laughs a little and pulls his wallet from his pocket, “having a rough day I guess.”

“No worries, it happens.” 

You stop him from removing a card or any amount of cash from his wallet, “it’s on me today.” 

“No,” Quinn fumbles with his wallet and phone, “I’m going to pay you for this.”

“Captain,” you smile, “no need, just win tonight, ok?”

The line of people behind Quinn is getting longer and a few of the ones toward the front are starting to pick up on what is happening. Luckily, no one says anything. 

He wants to argue but decides against it and gives you a small smile and head nod before disappearing out the door into the cold. 

--

[puckinghischier]

jack & luke loving quinn’s gf almost as much as he does bc suddenly they have an older sister they can call for advice on the most random things…

“so, hypothetically, if i wanted to get a pedicure, would they give it to me since i’m a guy?” jack asks you over the phone.

you stop in your tracks, right in front of your car, baffled at the question. “jack, is this seriously what you called me four times about?”

“i mean, yeah. you weren’t picking up. thought you and quinn might be screwing and wanted to break that up as soon as i thought about it,” he admits like it’s the most casual thing in the world.

“jack!” you scolded, scoffing at his crudeness. “i was picking up some snacks for the guys before their game today. i couldn’t even get to my phone if i wanted to,” you roll your eyes, even though he can’t see you.

“you make it sound like you were ignoring me on purpose,” he says, basically being able to hear the pout on his face.

“i wasn’t not ignoring you on purpose.”

he smacks his teeth at your answer, returning to his original question. “anyways, will they do a pedicure on my gnarly man feet or no?”

you don’t even try to hide the laugh that escapes you, opening your door and finally sitting down in your car. “yes jack, they’ll give you a pedicure. are you actually going to go get one?”

“yes! dude, have you seen my feet lately? they’re disgusting. plus, quinn was telling luke and i about that time you made him do one with you and how much better his feet felt in his skates afterwards.”

you think about the fact that quinn now has monthly pedicure appointments with you, not shocked at all that he shared the information with his younger brothers.

“jack! is that y/n? i need to talk to her!” you hear luke yell in the background of jack’s call, stopping whatever response you were about to give.

you hear shuffling, insinuating the exchange of the phone. “hey! y/n! so, i need your advice.”

“hi, luke, i’m good, thanks for asking! how are you?” your voice drips with sarcasm.

“yeah, hi and whatever,” he dismisses you. “so, if you were a girl, would you rather your date wear a pink shirt to show he’s not a toxic guy, or would you rather him wear blue or black to show he’s serious about the date?”

once again, you pause. you look over to the side, as if there’s an invisible camera there and mouth a ‘what?’

“okay, well first of all i am a girl-“

“well yeah, but like…a real girl. one that isn’t dating quinn and would be ready to hop on the luke train,” he interrupts you, earning his own roll of your eyes.

“as i was saying,” you ignore his interruption, “i am a girl, and i don’t think it’s that serious? wear whatever you wanna wear. if she likes you, she likes you. if she doesn’t, she doesn’t. i don’t think wearing pink is going to either hurt or help the date.”

the line is silent for a moment. “i think i’m going to wear pink anyways. you know, just to let her know i’m not a douche,” he finally speaks.

“okay, well, if that’s what you want to do, then do it-“

“thanks, y/n! bye!” you’re cut off yet again, hearing the line go dead. groaning, you call quinn, letting him know you’re on your way with the food.

“hey, baby! you get the catering order yet?” quinn’s excited voice fills your car as you turn it on and put it in drive.

“yeah, i got it. on my way now. just got off the phone with your idiot brothers,” you tell him, pulling out into traffic.

“oh god, what did they want this time?” he asks you, knowing how often you’re plagued with calls from his siblings.

“well, jack wanted to know if he could book a pedicure appointment even though he’s a man, and then luke wanted to know if he should wear pink on his date so he doesn’t look like a douche,” you give the short version of your conversations.

quinn lets out a laugh, not at all surprised at his brothers.

“quinn, we’ve gotta set some ground rules. i can’t keep doing this. i don’t know how you dealt with this by yourself for all these years. and god, your sweet mother. i feel for her,” you say not entirely seriously, knowing they call ellen more than they call you, if that’s even possible.

“baby, they love you. you’re the big sister they never had, they’re just excited to finally have someone to ask this stuff to other than mom. because mom usually tells them to figure it out on their own,” he chuckles, knowing how much both luke and jack have told him they loved having you around.

“well, i’m about to take the ellen approach because they make me want to pull my hair out sometimes, those disgustingly lovable heathens,” you tell your boyfriend, never really being able to say anything bad about the brothers. they’re like excited puppies anytime they get to see you in person, and it does melt your heart a little bit each time.

“i’ll talk to them about it,” quinn’s still laughing at how you can’t help but talk about how much you love his brothers, even when you’re aggravated at them. “just focus on getting here. i miss you, wanna see you before game time.”

“okay, be there in like-“ you stop talking when your ringtone blares through your car.

“god, its jack again. i gotta go, i’ll see you in a few minutes,” you groan, ending the call to answer the interruption.

“what is it this time, jack?”

[hottiesforhockey]

no nut november ⎜q.hughes

pairings: quinn hughes x afab!reader genre: romance ⎜smut ⎜angst? warnings: no nut november ⎜teasing ⎜ mentions of a bet/deal ⎜mention of sharing sex life ⎜fingering ⎜light dirty talk ⎜quinn second guessing his life choices ⎜ masturbation ⎜finger sucking ⎜insecure reader⎜hints at breaking up ⎜p in v ⎜ swearing ⎜praise ⎜no protection (please wrap it before you tap it)⎜ synopsis: quinn makes a deal with his brothers - he never realised how hard this would be for the both of you. word count: 3.8k authors note:  Quinn was the clear winner of my poll to decide who would star in this fic - so I hope all 39.6% of you enjoy. do we want a sequel? called dicked down december

(unedited)

DAY ONE

Quinn was only one day in and he already knew he wasn’t going to make it through the month. He knew now that he should’ve never let Jack drag him into the deal that most of the New Jersey Devils participated in every year - the winner coming out with a donation to the charity of their choice and the ability to pronounce themselves as “not whipped” by their girlfriends. 

But Quinn was very much whipped. 

Your whip was so tight around him, he could barely breathe as he watched you wander around the house in just your towel, grabbing your clothes fresh out of the dryer for the game later today. Quinn’s fingers twitched at his sides, as he resists the urge to reach out for you - knowing the only way he was going to get through this month was going to be by avoiding touching you at any and all costs. He wanted nothing more than to abandon this ridiculous bet and wrap his arms around you, pulling that towel away inch by inch. Every day, this month-long challenge to abstain from any intimate contact with you felt like it was going to kill him.

He took a deep breath, his jaw clenching as you glanced over your shoulder and flashed him a teasing smile. You knew exactly what you were doing to him - you had to know. 

But how did you know? He certainly didn’t tell you, and he made his brothers swear to secrecy. 

Quinn's gaze was glued to you, a mix of frustration and longing evident in his eyes. He tried to focus on anything else, on his suit laid out on the bed, or on his phone buzzing in his sweatpants pocket. Anything but the sway of your hips as you walk down the hallway - or the hinting smile you send him as you reach the doorway to the bedroom, inviting him to follow you. 

The sight of you, so effortless and beautiful, had his mind completely tangled.

"You okay there, babe?” you asked, clearly confused by his discomfort and unwillingness to trail behind you. He nods his head with a tight smile as you shrug and disappear from sight, Quinn letting out a long groan as he rubs his hands down his face - cursing his brothers in his mind for what they are doing to him. 

“One day down” he whispers, exhaling slowly. “Only twenty-nine more to go.”

+

+

DAY FIFTEEN

“One of you two must’ve told her something.” Quinn sneers at his phone. 

“We didn’t tell her anything, I swear on my life.” Luke retorts, making the sound of Jack’s laughter ring even louder in his ear, as Quinn waves goodbye to some of his teammates leaving the rink after practice - Quinn’s frown deepens as Jack tries to compose himself, only to laugh even harder as soon as he calms down. 

“Maybe she figured it out on her own.” Jack suggests one his laughing finally dies down, a few chuckles spilling out before he lets out a grunt of pain, presumably caused by the youngest of the brothers. 

“Well she knows something - she’s never been like this before.” Quinn sighs, rubbing his hand over his face, a habit that’s becoming far more common since the month began. “She’s ravenous, any chance she gets she’s trying to take my pants off.” Quinn’s words set his younger brother off again. 

“Look we promise we didn’t say anything to her - but maybe you should.” Luke suggests softly, the sound of Jack’s laugh quieting in the background as Quinn assumes his youngest brother walks away from the noise. “I’m sure she’d try to take things easier on you if you told her what you were doing - it’s for charity.” Luke voice is hopeful but Quinn knows that he’s wrong - his girlfriend would rather sell her soul then help him win a bet with his idiot brothers. 

“It’s fine. I’ll figure it out.” Quinn says into the phone before hanging up not waiting for his brother to respond. Quinn makes his short journey home - his apartment only a five minute drive from the arena, the apartment almost silent when he walks through the door - Quinn surprised not to see you perched on the couch like you usually are. 

The small muffled whimper coming from down the hall catching him even more by surprise. 

“Babe?” He calls out into the apartment, sliding off his shoes at the front door, placing his keys on their hook besides the front door. He waits for a moment, another whimper cutting through the silence. Quinn takes slow, quiet steps down the hallway, your soft sounds getting louder as he reaches the closed bedroom door - the softer whisper of his name giving him pause. 

“Baby? Are you okay in there?” He calls through the door, knowing that opening the door right now might be a mistake, but he can’t help his hand turning the door handle, peeking through the small gap as the door swings open. 

Quinn can feel his mouth drop open as he watches your fingers slip inside of you so easily. Your legs falling further open against the mattress as you let out a long sigh, your other hand gripping the sheets. “Fuck.” Quinn curses under his breath as head shooting up at the interruption, your legs snapping closed your hand trapped in between them. 

“Quinn? When did you get home?” You question as your cheeks burn a bright red, pulling yourself into a sitting up position slowly sliding your hand out from between your legs - your shirt falling from where it was bunched against your waist to cover you a little more. 

Quinn opens his mouth to speak but clamps it shut against as he sees you reaching for the towel besides the bed, his body moving faster then his brain as he steps forwards, his hand clamping around your wrist as he pauses your motions, glancing down at the sheen of liquid on your fingers. Quinn smiles as you try to yank your hand from his grasp, your whole body freezing as he raises your soaked fingers to his mouth - sucking them clean, a loud hum resonating from his throat. 

“What the fuck?” You whisper as he releases your wrist, letting the hand fall limply besides you as he lunges forwards, his hand clasping either side of your head as he attaches his lips to yours - the taste of yourself still fresh in his mouth. Quinn pulls away first, his hand knotting in your hair as he pants over your, your hands desperately clinging to the sides of his shirt. 

“No, wait.” You whine as he moves to pull away, pushing the hair off your face as his eyes lock with yours. “Why are you stopping?” His thumbs stroke your cheeks gently as a small pout forms on your face, Quinn smiling as he leans down to press a soft kiss against your lips before pulling away from you completely. 

“I just can’t right now.”  Is all he gives you before he turns quickly and leaves the room - leaving you sitting on the mattress with burning skin and a throbbing pussy, the anger bubbling under the surface. You huff as you bed down, pulling your pyjama pants back on before marching into the living room behind your boyfriend. 

“What do you mean, you just can’t?” You snap, crossing your arms over your chest as you watch him flop onto the couch, his face pushed into the cushions as he lets out a sigh. “Is it me? Did I do something wrong?” You ask, the room suddenly feeling colder as a shiver racks your body, your arms pulling tighter against yourself.  

“No.” Quinn groans against the pillow. 

“Really? Cause it seems like I’m the problem - Quinn I’ve been throwing myself at you and you don’t even look at me anymore.” You don’t mean for your voice to tremble when you speak but you can’t help the growing lump in your throat. “I just want you to be honest with me, if this isn’t something you want anymore.” 

Quinn’s head shoots up from the pillow - his body scrambling off the lounge to make his way to you, your body stepping away from him as you hands wipe at your face. “I’m not going to be mad if you do want to brea—” 

“Don’t finish that fucking sentence.” Quinn hisses, his hands reaching out for yours, forcing you to uncross the arms against your chest. “What on earth would make you think that I want to break up with you?” He questions, bringing your hands to his lips, pressing soft kisses across your knuckles. 

“Are you kidding me?” You respond, a cold laugh leaving you before you add, “You’ve wanted nothing to do with me over the last two weeks - every time I try, you run away like you’ve been burned and not to mention you’ve been sleeping in the guest room. I never thought that I was so bad you couldn’t even share a bed with me.” Quinn flinches at the shaky breath you let out, the small hiccup as you try to hold back your tears. 

“No, it’s not like that.” 

“Then what is it, Quinn because I’m really fucking confused.” 

“Jack and Luke convinced me to—” Quinn pauses as he watches your head tilt in confusion - your mind racing a million miles an hour as he tries to figure out how to word this right, but falling short as he blurts out. “It’s because of no nut November.” 

A flicker of surprise crosses your face before a look of incredulous amusement takes over. You blink at him, as though waiting for the punchline.

“Wait, that's why you’ve been avoiding me? Because of… some dumb challenge?” You try to hold back a laugh, but a snort slips out anyway. Quinn’s cheeks flush, his gaze dropping as he sheepishly scratches the back of his neck.

 “It’s not dumb. It’s for charity—Jack and Luke both dared me, and if I finish the month, we’re each donating a bunch of money to the children's hospital.” His voice grows defensive, though he’s clearly embarrassed. “I just… I didn’t think it’d be this hard.”

You raise an eyebrow, unable to resist. “Literally or figuratively?”

“Both!” he bursts out, letting out a frustrated sigh as he flops back down onto the couch. “You have no idea how hard this has been… and every time I see you—” He cuts himself off, cheeks going even redder, which only makes you chuckle harder. 

“Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea,” you tease, crossing your arms. “So you’ve been turning me down, not because you’re mad at me, but because of a bet?” Quinn grimaces, looking up at you with guilt in his eyes. 

“Yes. I know it’s dumb, but I didn’t want you to feel bad. I thought I could just… tough it out without saying anything.”

You sigh, feeling a mix of relief and exasperation. “I don’t think I’ve ever dated someone so stupid” 

“Yeah,” he mumbles, rubbing his temples. “I know. I didn’t mean to make you feel unwanted. It’s just… Jack and Luke won’t let me hear the end of it if I quit now. They’d never let me live it down.”

You roll your eyes, moving closer to him on the couch. “Well, maybe I can make this month even harder on you,” you say, grinning as you trail a finger along his jawline.

His eyes widen, and he gulps. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, I would. You’ve already put me through two weeks of this. You think I’m not going to make you work for it?”

He groans, dropping his head into his hands. “This is going to be the longest month of my life.”

You laugh, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. “Maybe next time, you’ll think twice before taking up ridiculous bets with your brothers.”

Quinn pulls you into a hug, holding you tight. “Yeah, maybe. But it’s worth it. For the kids.”

+

+

DAY THIRTY

“I can’t take this anymore” Quinn sighs as he watches you waltz around the room in your underwear, the sunflower yellow matching set the same he had picked out earlier in the year for your birthday. You shoot him a grin over his shoulder as you pull on the mid length dress, saving Quinn from drooling over your ass for any longer. 

“It’s the last day Quinn, think of the children.” You coo, adjusting each breast to sit more comfortably in the dress, Quinn letting out a long whine as his threads his fingers through his hair pulling on the roots. 

“Fuck the kids.” He grumbles, a surprised laugh escaping you as you make your way over to him - his hands instantly grabbing hold of your hips pulling you between his legs. His forehead dipping to leans against your stomach, your fingers gently playing with the ends of his curled hair. 

“Quinn, if you can make it to midnight, then I promise it’ll be worth your while.” You promise, your hands smoothing down the back of his head and dipping under the collar of his dress shirt, rubbing soft circles against his back. “And with the jackpot combined that’s almost fifty thousand for the children’s hospital palliative care unit. That’s so special, Quinn.” 

Quinn groans, his grip tightening on your hips, as he pulls you closer. “I know, I know… you’re right.” He lifts his head to look at you, his eyes smoldering with barely contained desire. “But you’re not making it any easier for me.”

You chuckle, leaning down to press a soft kiss to his forehead. “Just a few more hours. Then I’m all yours.”

Quinn sighs, releasing you reluctantly, his hands sliding down your waist before finally letting go. He leans back in his chair, watching as you smooth out the dress and adjust your hair in the mirror. The way he looks at you sends a shiver down your spine, and you can’t help but feel a surge of anticipation for what’s to come once this night is over.

"Fine," he relents, his voice low and gruff. "But I’m holding you to that promise."

You grin, blowing him a playful kiss before grabbing your purse and heading towards the door. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Hughes.”

As you both step out, ready to put on smiles and charm for the last fundraiser of the year, you can feel Quinn’s hand settle on the small of your back, a silent reminder of everything waiting between you once the clock strikes midnight.

Quinn could feel his phone buzzing in his pocket for most of the evening, his brothers and their teammates admitting defeat and wishing Quinn congratulations - his hand tight in yours the whole evening as he watches the clock in the corner of the room, each tick of the hour hand building his anticipation. 

“Quinn you need to actually pay attention.” You hiss in his ear, his fingers squeezing yours as the clock ticks to eleven thirty pm. 

“I’d be able to pay attention if I could think of anything other then how good it’s gonna feel when I can finally put my dick inside you again.” Quinn leans his head down, his lips pressing to your ears as he whispers - your gaze instantly shooting around to see if anyone had heard what he said. “I hope you’re not attached to that matching set, baby.” He grins as he pulls away from you, the Quinn from the past month quickly replaced by a man you hadn’t seen in a while. 

“Hey, we’re going to head off, she’s not feeling too well.” Quinn whispers to the table as the speeches conclude - his teammates immediately wishing you well, as Quinn collects your purse and coat, dragging you from the ballroom hall in haste. Quinn makes quick work of the drive home - not even glancing in your direction as he fidgets in his seat, his hand clamped against the inside of your thigh, his other hand tapping against the steering wheel as he makes his way through the streets of Vancouver. 

“Five minutes, I can do this.” He mumbles to himself, as he races around the car, pulling the door open for you, offering his hand as you slide out of the car. The two of you taking the longest journey of Quinn’s life to the apartment, the tension rising to a boil as the front door clicks shut - Quinn’s pupils blown out as he glances at the clock. 

“One minute.” He whispers, your hands making quick work of your heels as you strip them off your feet, a bright grin on your face as you tug on the hem of your dress, pulling it up inch by inch as you watch Quinn, who watches the clock. You pull the soft fabric over your head just as the clock ticks to midnight, Quinn’s eyes shooting over to yours. 

“I did it.” He says in disbelief. 

“You did it.” You confirm, leaning against the front door as you fiddle with the band on your underwear. “Now fuck me.” Quinn doesn’t waste time, his hands pushing you hard against the door as his lips capture yours, the two of your breathless in seconds, as his lips leave yours to press soft kisses down your jaw. 

“I don’t know how long I’ll last.” He admits, a groan escaping him as you run your fingers against his scalp, his lips dipping to your collarbones before making their way back up. “God, you’re just so fucking gorgeous.” He says against your skin, your hands gripping his face to pull it away from your neck for a moment. 

“Let’s make this quick then, cap.” You says as you press a chaste kiss to his lips before slipping out from between his body and the door, sprawling yourself against the couch your legs opened wide in invitation. “Clothes off.” You murmur as he stumbles over to the couch - Quinn nodding his head vigorously as he strips himself of his shirt, pausing to watch as you tug on the front clasp of your bra, the two cups springing away from each other as your breasts tumble free. 

“I think I’ve been blessed by angels.” He says as his mouth falls open a little, his fingers fumbling on the button of his pants, finally letting out a sharp curse as he yanks at the pants, his button popping off and hitting the floor with a clattering sound. “I’ll fix them later.” He says, kicking the trousers off his legs as he dives towards you on the couch. 

You let out a soft moan as Quinn attaches his lips to your left nipple, his free hand grabbing hold of the right breast as kneads it slowly, before switching sides, your legs wrapping around his waist as you whisper - “God, please.” 

“My name is Quinn, and I expect you to use it.” He retorts, a wicked grin on his face as his finger tickle their way down to the waistband of your underwear, slowly slipping them down your legs and throwing them to the side - your pussy glistening as he sits back on his heels, glancing down at you. 

“What’re you doing?” You hiss. 

“Admiring the view.” He admits, his body jolting forwards as you use your legs to tug him back down towards you. 

“Well stop admiring and put your dick in me.” Quinns hands move faster now, his lips finding their way back to yours as he fumbles to strip off his underwear, his body slotting easily against yours as his hand guides himself to your entrance. 

“It’s as perfect as I remember.” Quinn says as he slowly pushes inside, a sigh of relief leaving you at the feeling of him after thirty long days. “God, your pussy is so perfect.” He groans, his hips slowly starting to rock back and forth, your arms thrown around his neck as you hold him to you as tightly as possible - his lips pressing gentle kisses against your cheeks as you let out a quiet whine. 

“It’s made for me.” He continues, his hands finding purchase against your waist gripping tightly as his motions speed up, his thrusts heavier as he pulls himself into a kneeling position, your arms loosening around his neck grabbing hold of the cushion beneath you. 

“Quinn, shit.” You hum, your teeth clamping down on your bottom lip as your throw your head back, his thumb rising to your mouth, your lips softly parting as he dips it into your mouth your tongue swirling around the digit before he pulls it back out - rubbing gently against your clit. 

“Fuck, I’m so close.” Quinn moans, his thrusts becoming more erratic, your hand letting go of the cushion to grip his jaw - pulling his face down to yours. 

“It’s okay.” You whisper against his lips, pressing a kiss to the underside of his jaw before adding, “Come for me, Quinn.” His movements halt, his hands leaving you to plant above your head as he lets out a low groan, your legs holding him against your as he whispers soft praise in your ear. 

“Fuck, I’m so sorry.” He apologises as his body falls against yours, your arms wrapping around him as you chuckle into his hair, pressing a kiss against his forehead.

“It’s okay.” You mumble, your fatigue already setting in as you try to yank the blanket off the back of the couch. “Let’s just stay here for a while.” Quinn humming in quick agreement as he settles against your chest, his fingers tangling with the ends of your hair as your hands rub against his bare skin. 

“We didn’t use protection.” He notes, his dick softening inside of you, the bare feeling something new for the both of you. 

“We can figure that out later.” You admit, surprised that neither of you had thought to grab a condom before leaving for the event earlier tonight.

“I’ll go to the pharmacy in the morning for you.” Quinn murmurs, his words softer as his body relaxes against yours. “I’ll make this up to you.” He adds. 

“Quinn, really it’s okay… It’s been a long month for you.” You chuckle, Quinn huffing against your chest in agreement. “Well we’ve got the whole of December to make up for it.” You add, pressing one more kiss to his head before settling into your boyfriends embrace, your legs wrapped around him until the early morning, when he drags himself away from you starting the bath and pulling you away from the couch in a half asleep daze. 

“Let’s get you cleaned up.” He whispers in your ear as he insists you go to the toilet before sliding into the enjoyably hot water, Quinn sliding into the bath behind you. 

“Thank you, for being patient with me.” He says against your skin, your body melting against his in the soapy water. 

“Just promise you won’t do it again.” 

“Deal.” 

[capquinn]

I was just thinking about bf!Quinn meeting your parents for the first time and being nervous about it beforehand lmao

god idk about you guys but my parents are neurotic so he’d be right to be a wreck 😅😭 ANYWAY nervous quinny coming right up

Quinn had been pacing the living room for nearly fifteen minutes, the soles of his shoes scuffing softly against the floor as he moved in restless, looping strides. His hands couldn’t seem to settle anywhere — shoving into his pockets, tugging at the collar of his button-up, dragging through his hair so often that a few strands were starting to stick up stubbornly. The brand new button up, the nice jeans, even the shoes you picked out for him were all perfect. But judging by the way he kept adjusting and pulling at them, they felt anything but. He looked like he was gearing up to take the ice in overtime during Playoffs, except this wasn’t about hockey. It was about meeting your parents for the first time.

And he was nervous. Really nervous.

“You okay?” you asked softly, your voice cutting through the quiet hum of the living room.

He stopped mid-step like he’d only just realised what he was doing, like he'd remembered he wasn't alone. His gaze flicked toward you, wide and a little uncertain, and for a second, he looked almost boyish, like a kid caught red-handed.

“I just...” He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. His fingers tugged at his collar next, as though it had suddenly shrunk two sizes. “What if they don’t like me?” he finally said, the words quiet but heavy, like he’d been carrying them around for a while.

You stepped toward him, closing the space with a softness you knew he needed right now. “Quinn, they’re going to love you,” you said, smoothing your hands over the front of his shirt. Your touch lingered on his chest, steady and grounding.

He shook his head slightly, looking unconvinced, the crease between his brows deepening. “What if I say something stupid? Or they think I’m boring? Or—”

“Or they realise how lucky I am to have you and try to steal you away?” you interrupted gently, a small smile playing on your lips.

His brows furrowed, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth despite himself. “I’m serious,” he said, though the nervous energy in his voice softened just a little.

“And so am I,” you countered, your tone warm and steady. “You’re sweet, thoughtful and incredibly kind. They're going to see all of that and love you for it."

He exhaled a slow breath, some of the tension in his shoulders melting as he leaned into your touch. “I just really want to make a good impression,” he admitted, his voice quiet but honest.

“And you will,” you promised, rising up on your toes to press a kiss to his cheek. “Just be yourself. That’s more than enough.”

For a moment, he just looked at you, his eyes soft and full of something unspoken, like he was trying to anchor himself in your confidence. Your fingers found the ends of his hair, curling around them playfully, his shoulders sagging slightly, the tension easing a little more, and then he let out a quiet laugh — the kind that felt more like a release than amusement. It was progress, but you could still see the storm of thoughts swirling behind his eyes, his brows furrowing as another worry surfaced.

“But what if I run out of things to say?” he asked, his voice quieter this time, almost sheepish, like he already knew how you’d react but couldn’t stop himself from asking. There was a faint twitch at the corner of his lips, like he was bracing for you to tease him.

You didn’t disappoint. The laugh that bubbled out of you was soft, affectionate, and just a little exasperated. “You? Run out of things to say?” you repeated, your head tilting as you gave him a pointed look, the kind that always made him squirm in the most endearing way. “Not possible,” you said, your voice light but full of certainty.

His lips twitched, the ghost of a smile breaking through, but he still managed to look unconvinced. “It’s different, though,” he murmured, his gaze dropping briefly before flicking back to yours. “Talking to your parents isn’t the same as talking to you or the guys. I can’t just…say whatever.”

“You’re overthinking it,” you said gently, your fingers slipping from his hair to brush over his shoulders soothingly, like you could knead the tension out of him. "I mean it, baby. Just be yourself. That’s all they’re going to want. And trust me — once my dad gets going on golf or my mom starts asking you a million questions, you won’t even have to try.”

He let out a slow breath, the kind that made you feel like he was letting go of some of that tension. “Okay,” he said, nodding slightly. But then he paused, tilting his head at you with a faintly teasing glint in his eye. “And if I do run out of things to say?”

You grinned, leaning up to kiss the tip of his nose before pulling back with a soft laugh. “Then you smile, nod, and let them do all the talking.”

He laughed again, this time louder and easier, his hands settling on your waist as he looked at you like you’d just handed him the answer to every problem in the world. “Alright,” he said, a little steadier now. “I can do that.”

So when you arrive at your parent's house, Quinn’s still a little stiff, shaking your dad’s hand with a firm grip and offering your mom a bouquet of flowers, his voice polite and quiet. You can see him trying, making the effort to seem calm, but the way his shoulders creep up toward his ears tells you otherwise.

It doesn’t take long for the ice to break, though. Your dad starts talking about golf — just as you predicted — and Quinn leans into the conversation, his face lighting up as they swap stories about their best (and worst) games. There’s a genuine ease in the way they laugh together, and you can tell Quinn’s nerves start to melt away with each passing moment. Your mom, meanwhile, peppers him with questions. Everything from his family, to his favourite meals, to what it’s like playing in the NHL, and even down to how he likes his coffee. Though he stumbles over a few answers, glancing at you for reassurance more than once, he’s so earnest and thoughtful in his responses that she’s absolutely beaming by the time dinner is served, like she’s already planning the next time he’ll be invited over.

By the end of the night, Quinn’s walking out with your mom’s Tupperware full of leftovers balanced carefully in his hands and your dad clapping him on the shoulder as he glances your way with a hearty, “good kid, this one.” The approval in his tone is unmistakable, and when you look over at Quinn, his cheeks are tinged pink, his eyes bright with a mix of relief and quiet pride, his lips curved in that boyish smile you love so much.

“Told you they’d love you,” you tease once you’re in the car, nudging him lightly.

“Yeah, yeah,” he mutters, his tone aiming for dismissive but falling short, the warmth in his eyes betraying him. He shifts slightly, leaning back into the seat, his fingers reaching out to find yours, threading together as he exhales a long, steady breath. You can feel the tension leaving his body, the last remnants of his nerves melting away. “Thanks for… you know, making it easier.”

You grin, squeezing his hand as you lean over, brushing a soft kiss against his lips. “You didn’t need my help,” you murmur, your voice warm and sure. “You’re a natural.”

[uluvjay]

First time for everything-Q. Hughes

Quinn Hughes x fem! Reader

In which Quinn lets you ride his face!

Warnings?; SMUT, oral (obvi), cursing, kissing, talks of sex, sorry for any errors I missed!

Day seven of my kinktober special!

You were never one to tell about your sex life, it had always been something that you liked to keep to yourself but tequila always did make you tell the truth.

Standing at a table with the wags, bored out of your minds while your partners played a round of pool a round of dirty never have I ever started at your table.

“Never have I ever sat on someone’s face” one of the girls spoke up, everyone around the table dropping a finger-besides you.

Everyone’s eyes snapped to you, jaws dropping open in shock as you kept your finger stayed up.

“Y/n you’ve never been eaten out?” One of them asked, face full of seriousness.

You blushed at her words, “I’ve had someone eat me out..just never sat on their face.” You laughed awkwardly.

“Girl! you’re telling me you and Quinn have never tried it?”

You felt your cheeks get even hotter at the mention of your boyfriend, there was no doubt that you two had a busy sex life but you two were pretty set in your routine.

“No, what’s the difference?” You questioned.

You proceeded to sit in silence for the next few minutes as everyone went around explaining how much better it is, how you good it feels to grind down on them.

The conversation was abandoned a few minutes later as some of the guys made their ways over and inserted themselves.

Later that night you found yourself lost in your thoughts on the ride home, thinking about if Quinn would want to try it or how he’d feel.

Getting into the apartment Quinn plopped down on the expensive couch a sigh of relief to finally be home as his social battery was long drained.

His eyes popped open when he still hadn’t felt your body next to his or even heard you move, “What’s wrong?” He asked softly.

“Nothin-“

“Don’t say nothing, you’ve been quiet since we left the bar.” He cut you off, sitting up to give you his full attention.

“I-me and the girls were talking about something..and it just got me thinking.” You shrugged.

Shuffling over to him you moved to straddle his lap relaxing into him as his arms wrapped around your body.

“Did someone say something rude?”

“No No, it’s about..sex” you knew your cheeks were bright red at this point but there was no going back now.

“Oh?..” Quinn drawled out hinting for you to continue on.

You laughed to shake the nerves before continuing, “we were playing never have I ever and the topic of sitting on someone’s face came up..and I never have.”

Quinn didn’t need you to tell him that seeing as he’s the only man you’ve ever been with he knew your body and your experiences like the back of his hand.

You didn’t miss the smirk that tugged at his lips at your admission knowing he was doing his best to keep his words to himself and allow you to keep talking.

“..And I’ve been thinking about trying it. If you’re okay with it.” You spoke locking eyes with his dark one’s.

You shivered as his hands ran along the outside of your thighs and under your short skirt that he’d been eyeing all damn night.

“You wanna sit on my face baby?”

“Mhm”

You watched in amusement as he tossed his Yankees hat across the room laid flat against the couch.

He didn’t waste anytime before pulling your body higher up his positioning you so you were hovering over his mouth.

His lips kissed the skin of your thighs, teeth nipping the skin lightly pulling small gasps from your plump lips.

“Knew you didn’t have any panties on.” He scoffed as his eyes found your bare cunt under your blue skirt.

You moaned as his breath met your cunt the teasing breath he blew towards your glistening folds sending shivers down your spine.

“Ready?” He asked softly.

“Yes, please” you whimpered.

Quinn didn’t have to be told twice before he was lowering you to his mouth, the initial contact causing your hips to buck slightly only for your clit to catch on the tip of his nose.

Your hands flew to his dark locks as his arms circled around your thighs to pull you ever closer soft vibrations of his moans flowing to your center.

His tongue moved in mysterious ways, going from shapes to his name whatever he knew would have you shaking on top of him.

“Fuck Quinn.” You moaned body slumping forward your arm shot out to grip the back of the white couch while the other was still tangled in His hair.

It was so good but so fucking dirty, your hips moved on their own accord as you pretty much humped your boyfriend’s face.

Quinn didn’t mind one bit as he was lost in his own little world eating you like you were his last meal, he could already feel his chin dripping with your juices and there was no stopping him.

He kept going until he was about to pass out only pulling back for a sharp intake of air before going right back to work, basking in the way your moans floated throughout the small living room.

His nose was something he found himself being insecure of when he was younger and it still bothered him from time to time but after feeling the way you rubbing yourself against it desperately he’d never worry again.

The pleasure was flowing throughout your whole body making it harder and harder for you to hold off your quickly approaching orgasm.

“Quinn! I’m close.” You cried out breathlessly chest heaving as you continued your movements back and forth.

You could feel the man below you manage a nod-his way of telling you to cum for him.

And all it took was a few more strokes of his tongue before you were shaking on top of him, your mouth dropping open in a silent scream.

Quinn grunted at how hard your hands pulled at his hair the pain mixing with the pleasure he was feeling from knowing you were getting off.

He let you go for a second allowing you to catch your breath but just when he felt you attempting to pull back from his face he dove back in.

“Fuck!” You squealed at the unexpected sensation the mix of his tongue and previous orgasm sending shockwaves through your body.

Quinn moaned at the taste of you the sweetness of your juices and cum filling his mouth as he continued to fuck you with his tongue until he brought you to another orgasm.

Only when he felt your legs give out did he let up, releasing his grip he allowed you to move back down his body.

Once he finally sat back up he pulled you into a dirty kiss you could taste yourself on his tongue, your juices that coated his chin and surrounding areas spreading onto your face.

His eyes were dark when he pulled back, a look you’d never seen before in them. He looked like a starved man that was ready to eat you over and over again.

“Feel good?” He panted pulling you into his side.

“Good is an understatement, we’ll be doing that much more often.” You blushed.

“Fuck yeah we will.” He agreed.

-

[pucked-bunnie]

book club ⎜q.hughes

pairings: quinn hughes x reader genre: fluff ⎜romance ⎜ warnings: this will be cute af! ⎜ mentions of mental health ⎜ panic attacks ⎜ quinn is on the struggle bus ⎜ synopsis: when you meet the captain of the vancouver canucks in your bookstore - an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more. word count: 4.4k authors note:  this came because of a book I read recently (daydream by Hannah Grace) and how much Mr Quinn Hughes has been talking about reading in his interviews recently. do we want a sequel? cause I kind of want to write a sequel.

(unedited)

+

+

“Is there anything I can help you with today or are you just browsing?” You question, your head raising from the paperback book in your lap at the soft chiming as the door to the shop slowly swings open. 

The man standing in the doorway looks slightly out of place, his frame clad in a hoodie and jeans, his dark hair damp from the rain outside. He blinks, seemingly caught off guard by your question, and then offers a small, sheepish smile.

“Uh, just browsing,” he replies, his voice quiet but warm. He steps further inside, the scent of rain mingling with the comforting aroma of old books and the cinnamon apple candle you have burning.

You watch him for a moment as he walks down the aisle, his fingers lightly grazing the spines of books. He looks oddly familiar. You shrug and return to your book, though your attention keeps drifting toward the stranger wandering between the shelves, picking up book and flipping to the back before placing them gently back on the shelf.

After a few minutes, he pauses by a shelf and picks up a copy of The Great Gatsby. He flips through a few pages, his brows furrowing in concentration, before glancing in your direction.

“Do you have any recommendations? Something classic, but not too heavy?” he asks.

You close your book and smile, standing up from behind the counter. “Sure, I’ve got a few ideas.” You make your way over, brushing past a display table. “Are you into fiction or something more factual?”

“Fiction,” he says, his lips quirking up at the corners. “I need a break from reality.”

“Don’t we all?” you murmur, your fingers skimming the shelf before pulling out a copy of Anne of Green Gables. “This one’s a good place to start, it’s a coming of age story something most of us can relate to.” He takes the book, his hand brushing yours, and for a fleeting moment, his gaze locks with yours. 

“Thanks,” he says softly.

As he checks out, you notice the name on his credit card -

Quinn Hughes. 

It clicks. 

He’s the captain of the Vancouver Canucks — someone the city practically idolises. But here, in your little bookstore, he seems more like a quiet, unassuming guy who just loves books.   

“Did you want a bag or would you prefer to just carry it?” You question, trying to clear your throat and work up the courage to make eye contact with the stranger. 

“A bag would be nice.” He agrees, watching you closely as you grab out a paper bag from under the counter sliding the book and receipt into the small brown bag, placing it on top of the table for him to grab. “Can I ask what your opening hours are?” He asks quickly, his eyes finally leaving your face as he glances around the shop, a soft smile on his face. 

“We are open between ten AM and ten PM.” You say quietly, watching as he nods his gaze questioning. “I decided to keep the store open a little later then normal because there’s nothing worse then finishing a book and not being able to buy the sequel because everything is closed.” You explain, Quinn nodding his head appreciatively. 

You watch as Quinn leaves the store, briefly glancing back over his shoulder as the door closes behind him before he pulls his hood up over his head and walks out into the rain - the bag with the book safely tucked inside his hoodie. 

For the next few days, anytime the small bell above the door rings - your head shoot up from the book you’re reading a part of you disappointed when it’s not the person you were hoping for - the brown haired, blue eyed athlete seemingly a figment of your imagination. 

“I should’ve asked for his autograph.” You mumble to yourself as you sip on your hot chocolate from the cafe down the road, the overly hot, hot chocolate burning your tongue in the best way possible - a new paperback sitting on the counter in front of you, your pen and sticky tabs sitting just to the side. 

When you had opened the book store you never thought it would do as well as it had recently - and you had taken it upon yourself to give the environment as much of a friendly comforting feel as possible and often that meant reading as many books as possible to be able to recommend books as best as you could to customers who had no idea what they were looking for. Not to mention to constant playing YouTube book reviews you played when cooking dinner to keep up to date with the most popular releases as of late. 

You most recent read involving a large blue man and an abandoned space ship - your focus solely on your book as the bell above the door jingles softly, the sound of shoes scuffing barely pulling your nose out of the book. “Is there anything I can help you with today or are you just browsing?” The words come out from instinct as you flick to the next page in your book. 

“I was actually hoping for another recommendation.” The sound of the voice you’d been hoping to hear all week hitting you like a train - your head snapping up as your hand shuts your book abruptly. 

“Oh, welcome back.” You say quickly, wishing you could ram your head through a wall as you try to slide your very obvious alien romance novel under the counter before he can spot the cover. “I take it you liked Anne of Green Gables?” 

“It was better then I was expecting.” He says with a smile, taking a few steps towards the counter picking up your sticky tabs from the surface. “What are these for?” He questions. 

“Annotating.” You say, his gaze flicking up to you urging you to continue. “It when you use the tabs, to pinpoint parts of the book you want to remember or find easily - some people also highlight parts or write notes while they read.” You explain, pointing to your pen and highlighter just besides the till. 

Quinn nods thoughtfully, turning the small pack of sticky tabs over in his hands. “So, you mark your favourite parts or... things that stand out to you?”

“Exactly,” you say, a hint of excitement creeping into your tone. “Sometimes it’s a line that resonates or a moment that’s so well-written it gives you chills. Other times it’s just something funny or sweet that makes you smile.”

He sets the tabs back down and leans casually against the counter, his curious gaze locked on yours. “Do you annotate every book you read?”

You shake your head, laughing softly. “Not all of them. Just the ones that feel special in some way. It’s like having a conversation with the book, leaving little notes for myself for when I reread it later. It makes the experience more personal.”

Quinn’s lips twitch into a smile. “That’s... actually really cool. I’ve never thought about reading like that before.”

“Well, if you ever decide to give it a try, you know where to find some sticky tabs.” You grin, gesturing toward the colorful pack he had just set down. “Now, what kind of recommendation are you looking for today?”

He scratches the back of his neck, his expression thoughtful. “Something uplifting but still meaningful. Maybe with a little romance but not too cheesy.”

You nod, walking around the counter toward the shelves. “I think I’ve got just the thing.” Your fingers dance along the spines until you land on The Night Circus. You pull it out and hand it to him, watching as he studies the cover.

“It’s a beautifully written fantasy,” you explain, “about a magical competition between two young illusionists who—well, I don’t want to spoil too much—but there’s a bit of romance and plenty of heart. It’s the kind of book that feels like stepping into another world.”

He flips through the pages, nodding slowly. “This sounds perfect.”

As he heads back to the counter with the book, you notice him glance briefly at the cover of the alien romance novel you’d tried to hide earlier. His smirk is subtle but unmistakable. “That one looks... interesting,” he teases, gesturing toward it.

Your cheeks flush, and you cross your arms in mock indignation. “Hey, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Everyone needs a guilty pleasure read now and then.”

“Fair enough.” He chuckles, sliding his card across the counter. “Maybe next time you can convince me to try it.”

“Challenge accepted,” you reply, handing him the receipt and his new book. As he walks toward the door, you can’t help but feel a strange flutter in your chest. He pauses in the doorway, glancing back at you with that same warm smile.

“Thanks for the recommendation,” he says, pausing for a moment by the door, his mouth opening to say something before closing again, making a quick exit from the store as he shakes his head. 

You realised then that you still didn’t get his autograph. 

+

+

The following days pass quietly. Customers filter in and out, each leaving with a book or two, sometimes stopping for a quick chat about their latest reads. The little shop felt as cozy as ever, especially as the November chill seeped into the city. You added a new blanket to the armchair near the window and made sure the candles on the counter burned brightly, casting a warm, flickering glow over the shelves. But even as you chatted with regulars and recommended your favourite books to curious new visitors, you found yourself glancing toward the door more often than you’d like to admit.

It wasn’t until a week later that the bell rang, and your head shot up to find him standing in the doorway again. Quinn was wearing another hoodie, this one deep navy, with a beanie pulled over his dark hair. His cheeks were tinged pink from the cold, and he held a steaming coffee cup in one hand.

“Hey,” he greeted, his voice warm and casual as he stepped inside. “I was in the neighbourhood and I thought I’d stop by for another book.”

You blinked, trying not to seem too eager, though your heart was thundering in your chest. “Back so soon? I take it you finished The Night Circus?”

His smile widened, and he nodded. “I couldn’t put it down. That whole circus world—it was just... magical. I don’t think I’ve read anything like it before.”

“I told you it was special.” You smiled back, standing a little straighter. “So, are you here for another recommendation? Or just to give me a glowing review of my impeccable taste?”

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Both, maybe. But I also just wanted to say thanks. I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited about reading before.”

Your cheeks warmed at the compliment, and you busied yourself tidying the counter to hide your reaction. “Well, in that case, I’d better keep the streak going. What are you in the mood for this time?”

He leaned against the counter, taking a sip of his coffee. “I trust your judgment. Surprise me.” You walk over to the shelves just to the side of the counter - having already scouted some recommendations earlier in the week just in case the hockey player happened to stop by. 

“I see you’re reading another romance?” Quinn questions as he picks your current read up off the counter, flipping to the back to read the synopsis his eyes widening in surprise as you turn to face him with a sheepish grin. Your book recommendation in hand as you slowly make your way back to the counter. 

“So the guys a hockey player?” Quinn questions as he places his coffee on the counter, flicking through the pages. “Do you um… do you watch hockey?” 

“Kind of?” You respond, your shoulders sagging as you watch his face fall slightly, “I mean we’re in Vancouver so it’s kind of hard to avoid sometimes.” You let out a soft laugh before placing your next book for him on the counter. 

“So you know who I am?” Quinn’s question sends a pang to your chest, his earlier friendliness seeming to fall away. Your head just nodding as you let out a long sigh. 

“I’m really sorry I didn’t mention anything sooner. I just thought you wouldn’t want to be bothered about it, especially because you said you were here to look for something to escape reality.” You try to explain quickly, grimacing as the words come out of your mouth. 

“Is there any chance we can start this over?” You ask quietly, Quinns eyes meeting yours as he nods. “Okay, wait give me a second.” You say quickly, turning to face the back wall, and taking a deep breath before turning around to face hime again. 

“Oh my god!” You squeal a little, clasping your hands together in feigned excitement, “Are you the Quinn Hughes, captain of the Vancouver Canucks and winner of the Norris trophy?” You exclaim, fanning at your face as a smile blooms on his face. “I never thought that there would be a celebrity in my little corner of the world.” You continue, laughing a little as Quinn shakes his head at your antics. 

“Okay, Okay I get what you’re trying to do.” He says through a soft laugh, his hands reaching out to pull your hands back down to the counter, his skin warm against yours, his hands lingering for just a moment longer then necessary before he pulls away. 

“It just seemed like you wanted to be seen as a normal dude, and I wanted to respect that.” You say softly, sliding the book across the counter. “This one is about an older gentleman who’s very grumpy on the outside but has such a big heart underneath it all. One of my favourites to be honest.” You admit as he picks up the book to scan the cover. 

“How much?” Quinn asks but you shake your head. 

“This ones on the house - consider it an apology gift.” You say quickly, watching as Quinn tucks the book into his coat before grabbing his coffee off the counter top. 

Before he left, he paused by the door, hesitating for a moment before turning back to you. “You know,” he started, his voice softer, “I wasn’t just passing through today. I... was actually hoping to see you.”

“Oh, well I’m glad that you did.” 

“Yeah, me too.” Quinn lingers by the door for a moment, the warmth of his smile softening the sharp November chill outside. “I’ll see you around?” he says, his voice tinged with hope.

You nod, clutching the edge of the counter to keep your hands from fidgeting. “Definitely. You know where to find me.” 

He chuckles softly, pushing the door open as the bell above it chimes. “Have a good night,” he says, his voice carrying just enough warmth to leave your chest feeling a little lighter as he steps out into the cold.

The door shuts behind him, and the shop feels quieter than before, even with the soft hum of the heater. You glance toward the book you were reading before he arrived, but your focus is elsewhere now, your thoughts buzzing with the memory of his laugh, his touch, and the way he had looked at you like you were more than just the owner of a small bookstore.

That night, as you close up shop, you notice a faint trace of coffee on the counter where Quinn had set his cup down. A small smile tugs at your lips as you wipe it clean, wondering if it was silly to feel so giddy over a few brief conversations and a mutual love of books. 

The following week unfolds in much the same way—quiet mornings, steady afternoons, and the comforting routine of recommending books to customers. But every time the bell above the door rings, a small part of you hopes it’s him again.

On a slow Thursday evening, as the rain drums steadily against the windows, the bell chimes, and there he is—Quinn Hughes, looking a little damp and undeniably shaken.

“You’re becoming a regular,” you tease but the smile fades from your face as you take in his expression. His eyes are wide and darting, his chest rising and falling with quick, uneven breaths. Quinn looks like he’s barely holding himself together.

“Quinn?” you ask softly, concern replacing the lighthearted tone in your voice. You step out from behind the counter, keeping your movements slow and unthreatening. “Hey, are you okay?”

He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he runs a hand through his damp hair, his fingers trembling. “I—I just…” He trails off, pressing a hand to his chest as if trying to physically hold himself together. “I needed to be somewhere…safe.” The weight of his words hits you, and your heart clenches. You glance around the store, dimly lit and quiet save for the rain outside. It’s a cozy space, filled with the comforting scent of old pages and polished wood. If he thinks of this place as safe, then you’ll do everything you can to keep it that way.

“Okay,” you say gently. “You’re safe here, Quinn. Do you want to sit down?”

He nods, but his movements are stiff and jerky, like his body isn’t quite obeying him. “I don’t know if I can.” He says softly. 

You nod, taking a few more steps forwards, gently reaching your hands out to take hold of his - your palms slipping together as you start to walk backward, “I’ve got you, Quinn.” You guide him to the little seating nook by the fiction section, the one with the oversized armchair and the weighted knit throw you brought in last winter.

“Here,” you say, draping the blanket over him once he sinks into the chair. His hands clutch the edges of the armrests, knuckles white. “Just breathe. In through your nose, out through your mouth. You don’t have to talk right now if you don’t want to.”

For a moment, he doesn’t respond, his breaths still coming too fast and shallow. Then, after what feels like an eternity, he manages a shaky inhale, following it with a slow, uneven exhale, his shoulders slumping forwards as his eyes meet yours, and there’s a flicker of gratitude in them.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, voice raw. “I didn’t mean to… I didn’t mean to barge in like this.”

“Don’t apologise,” you say firmly, pulling up a stool so you’re sitting at his level, your hands gently placed on his knees in reassurance. “Everyone needs a place to land sometimes.” Quinn nods slightly, and his breathing starts to even out, though his hands are still trembling. You stay with him, offering quiet reassurances, and after a while, the tension in his shoulders begins to ease.

“You want some tea?” you offer, keeping your tone light and warm. “Or maybe something stronger, if you’re in the mood for the questionable bottle of wine I keep in the back for emergencies.”

That earns you a faint, fleeting smile. “Tea sounds good,” he says, his voice steadier now.

You nod and head to the little kitchenette in the back, your mind racing. Whatever storm Quinn is weathering, you can feel its echoes lingering in the air. 

But for now, he’s here, and he’s safe. And that’s enough. 

You return with a steaming cup of chamomile tea, the kind you save for late nights when the world feels too heavy. He takes it with a murmured “thanks,” his fingers still a little unsteady as they curl around the mug. You sit back down, close enough to offer reassurance but far enough to give him space.

For a while, neither of you speaks. The rain fills the silence, a soft, rhythmic backdrop. Quinn takes small sips of the tea, the warmth of the drink seeming to help him settle. His shoulders relax a fraction more, though the haunted look in his eyes hasn’t entirely faded.

Quinn moves slowly, his hand reaching out to grab the leg of your chair, dragging it across your hardwood floors until its touching his chair, his shoulder just grazing yours lightly as he settles back into drinking his tea. 

Finally, he breaks the silence. “I… I don’t usually get like this,” he says, his voice low and hesitant. He stares into the tea like it might hold the answers he’s searching for. “It’s just been… a lot lately.”

You nod, not pushing him to say more. “Sometimes it builds up,” you say softly. “And then it feels like there’s no room left to hold it all.”

He looks at you, his gaze piercing despite the exhaustion in it. “Exactly,” he says, almost surprised that you get it.

You shrug, offering a small, understanding smile. “I think everyone’s been there in one way or another. It doesn’t make it any less hard, though.”

Quinn exhales shakily and leans back in the chair, the mug cradled in his hands. “I didn’t know where else to go,” he admits. “I was just… walking, and then I thought of this place.”

The vulnerability in his words tugs at something deep inside you. “I’m glad you came,” you say honestly. “You don’t have to explain, Quinn. Whatever’s going on, you’re welcome here—anytime.”

For the first time since he walked in, the tension in his jaw eases. He nods, his lips pressing into a faint, almost-smile. “Thanks. That… means a lot.”

You stay with him, the quiet presence he seems to need. Over time, the storm within him appears to subside, his breathing calm and his grip on the mug steady. Watching as you interact with customers who come into the store - each of them acknowledging him with a glimpse of familiarity but he watches as you quickly redirect their attention, giving him much needed respite.  When the rain finally lets up and the evening deepens into night, he looks at you again to find you already staring at him from your spot in front of the bookshelves, a hint of colour returning to his cheeks.

“I should probably head out,” he says, though he doesn’t seem entirely ready to leave.

“Only if you’re feeling up to it,” you reply. “There’s no rush.”

He hesitates, then nods. “I’ll be okay. Thanks for… everything. For not making it weird.”

You laugh lightly. “Weird is kind of my specialty, but I’ll take the compliment.”

Quinn’s smile this time is real, small but genuine. He sets the mug down and pulls his jacket tighter around himself. Before he steps out into the damp night, he pauses.

“Seriously. Thank you.”

“You know where to find me,” you say, and with that, he slips out into the night, the bell above the door chiming softly behind him.

You watch him go, your heart heavy with worry but lighter with the knowledge that, even if only for a little while, he found some peace here. And when the store falls quiet again, you return to the counter, feeling a strange new thread connecting you to the boy who sought shelter in your little bookshop.

+

+

Your head shoots up at the chime of the bell, a smile blooming on your face as the sight of Quinn a large bouquet of flowers in his hands as he glances towards you nervously. 

“Well, look what the cat dragged in.” You jokes, closing your book on the counter, sliding off your stool to make your ways towards him, “If it isn’t my favourite regular.” 

“I just wanted to stop by and give you these.” He says softly, handing over the sunflowers wrapped in craft paper with twine holding it all together, his hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck as you take the flowers from him. “They reminded me of you, and felt like a good way to thank you for everything.” He explains, clearing his throat as you reach out a finger to gently stroke the soft yellow petals. 

“They’re beautiful, Quinn.” You say, whisking the flowers over to the counter dropping into a squat to look for the white vase you keep here in case your shipments of new releases come with decorations. “Thank you for this but you really didn’t have to.” You say softly, placing the vase on the counter and reaching for your scissors to release the bundle. 

“There actually one more thing…” He begins, taking a few deep breaths as you pause your movements, watching him curiously. “My team is having a family skate in a few weeks and I was wondering whether you might want to come?” His cheeks burn red as he watches your mouth fall open in surprise. 

“Like just as friends or—” 

“Like as a date?” Quinn interrupts, cursing himself in his head for being so rude, his eyes meeting yours as they light up with the smile blooming on your face. 

“I’d love to, Quinn.” You say quickly, stopping his shame spiral, “But I do have to warn you that I’m a pretty good skater, you’re going to have to do a lot to impress me.” You chuckle, a smile finally lifting Quinn’s lips as he nods. 

“I’m sure I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.” He murmurs. 

“Good,” you tease, leaning slightly closer, your voice soft. “I can’t wait to see them.”

Quinn swallows hard, his cheeks still pink as he nods again, his confidence growing with your encouragement.

“You might regret saying that,” he says with a small smirk. “I’ve been skating since I could walk, you know.”

“Is that a challenge?” you ask, arching an eyebrow.

“Maybe,” he replies, his smirk turning into a full grin now. “Guess you’ll have to show up to find out.”

“Oh, I’ll be there,” you assure him, the excitement bubbling in your chest evident in your tone. “And don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re supposed to be the professional.”

Quinn chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck as his nerves fade into pure anticipation. “Deal. But don’t say I didn’t warn you when you’re trying to keep up.”

“Bold words, Hughes,” you fire back playfully. “I’ll see you on the ice.”

As you part ways, you can’t help but feel a rush of giddy energy. The thought of skating with him, of sharing a slice of his world, fills you with both nerves and excitement. Quinn, meanwhile, walks away with a spring in his step, already envisioning the day and how he’s going to make sure it’s a skate neither of you will forget.

[star2fishmeg]

ғᴇᴇʟ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴀʏ

[25.3k] Pairing | Quinn Hughes x afab!reader Summary | summer houses and situationships. For three years straight everyone had to watch Quinn and y/n be more than friends but less than a couple until the curse of the lake house stirs the pot Warnings | 18+ smut, childhood friends to situationship to lovers, swearing, the Tkachuks-, underage drinking, insecurities (appearance, self-esteem), dry humping, protected p in v, suggested blowjob, jealousy, angst, making out, creepy behaviour towards y/n, pet names (princess, baby, pretty girl), fingering, fluff Authors Note | my canucks pint glass arrived and i really put my whole megussy into this. Based on this after hours! This is a work of fiction, please remember that my dudes ♫ objects in the mirror - mac miller  [small worlds masterlist]

The Hughes lake house had some sort of curse to it. One that turned hot summer days, even hotter and changed the trajectory of relationships. Quinn and y/n could go through the school term smoothly, balancing homework, hockey and hanging out without stress, distracted by their friend groups until the summer. But one foot on the lake house driveway and the atmosphere would shift. Hormones would surge, and suddenly, all that mattered was who liked who, how good they looked and if they were missing out on core experiences. Something about that lake house confining them just stirred the pot too well.

Y/n L/n had lived next to Quinn Hughes since she was a child in a quiet neighbourhood in the suburbs of Toronto, where surviving winters became second nature, where watching hockey became second nature due to her father’s unhinged passion for the sport that flowed through the genes. Her mother never really understood it, but her children did, resulting in the winter’s plans revolving around the hockey schedule, but bumping into Ellen Hughes next door, she came around. 

Ten-year-old y/n sat on her front porch step, huddled in her thick coat and hat while the cold bit her nose frozen. It had finally stopped snowing, the one day in January when it hadn’t snowed once, not that they needed any more, the houses constantly blanketed in white, driveways and roads shovelled and gritted clear every morning. She could’ve been building a snowman with her little brother and dad, watching TV with her mum in the warmth of the living room, or even sledging with her friends as she had originally planned. However, instead, she sat stiff, but happily, on the step and watched the Hughes boys play hockey on the road with their two beaten-up goals, sticks and a plastic ball (it used to be a puck but since Jack sent it straight into her dad’s car door last year, Jim sent the terrified boy over to apologise and told them to use hollow plastic balls while on the road). She smiled brightly the whole time, listening to the ball rattle and skid along the concrete, and Quinn scolded Jack for being too rough on Luke, who had no choice but to be the goalie, being the youngest of the three. Fortunately, she’d never had to have that experience, but Luke’s lip wobbling and Quinn pulling him into a hug was like looking into a mirror, reminding her that she had a six-year-old brother to take care of. 

She’d been too focused on watching her brother fuss around with her dad, both attempting to roll the snow into their snowman’s head to notice the first time Quinn approached her. His boots crunched into the grit along the path, two hockey sticks in his hockey-glove-clad hands and stopped a small distance opposite her sitting figure. She looked up at him, almost startled that he’d approached her after ten years of being neighbours, his chubby cheeks flushed pink and tufts of brown hair sticking out from under his Maple Leafs beanie. Many days, she’d watched him from afar, out the window or school, observing his comforting demeanour in nothing but adoration like a little puppy; whatever Quinn was up to, her curiosity was piqued. Now he’d seen her physical being and why her heart raced was confusing and nothing she’d felt before.

“Would you like to join us?” he asked politely, holding one of the sticks out. That’s what he was, the quiet and polite brother, she’d noticed that at the neighbourhood barbecues at least, compared to Jack, who, while Quinn softly offered her participation with heaven in his eyes, yelled at the top of his lungs for Quinn to hurry up. The middle child, the loudest child, but the one with the biggest smile and brightest blue eyes she’d ever seen.

“Uh,” she pursed, “yeah, but I don’t know how to play.” She lied, of course; she knew how to play, but the boys were so much better than she was and looking stupid wasn’t part of her ego; she was the eldest daughter, and failure wasn’t an option.

“It’s okay, I’ll teach you.” he giggled and let her take the stick, patiently waiting for her to follow him. Stick in hand, she followed, gaze never leaving his face.

“I don’t have any gloves either.”

Quinn halted, spinning on his heel and tucking his stick under his arm. He took her free hand, gently pulled it towards him, and un-velcroed his glove, “Use mine, it’s better your hands protected from Jack.” He repeated for her other hand, flashing a smile before heading to his brothers.

“Y/n’s playing?” Jack piped up, she nodded, “Cool! Now we have a goalie so Luke can play!”

Quinn scowled at him, “No, we have even teams. Y/n’s the oldest so she can choose her teammate.” He wasn’t wrong, she was just about older than Quinn, not by much. 

“I pick Quinn. He’s gonna teach me how to play though.” The choice wasn’t much of a surprise to Jack, he may have been nine but the moment his brother stopped their game - a rare occurrence -  and laid eyes on her, he figured that Quinn’s priorities had shifted and all of a sudden their trio would develop to a quartet. 

Jack let out an elongated whine, “She doesn’t know how to play? Quiiiiinn!!”

“So? We didn’t at one point.” Quinn asserted in his stern tone. That was the last complaint Jack made. He watched his older brother teach her visually with patience; hand positioning on the stick, stance how low she needed to be, how to shoot and manoeuvre the ball, praising her passing to him. Luke and Jack watched quietly, the latter not too convinced she was a beginner at what he was watching but Quinn had never smiled that softly before, not even with Luke, and never had that level of patience with them. Seeing how encouraging Quinn was being, either way,  Jack knew exactly what kind of hockey player he wanted to be. 

Five years later Toronto still wrapped itself in its white blanket, pinching civilians with its cold hands and being a safety hazard to the roads for no real reason. Y/n had grown to hate it, not because she didn’t think it was beautiful, but because she missed the months when she didn’t have to spend five minutes just layering up before she could leave the house. What she didn’t hate was watching her brother be forced into shovelling the driveway. Her father and Jim seemed to have formed this alliance involving the youngest doing manual labour before school, and let Quinn, Jack and y/n watch and sit smug. Jack said it was because they skipped hockey practice to go to the arcade, which although no one would say aloud, she knew that it was her brother’s idea, that’s just eleven-year-old boys. She and Quinn neither confirmed nor denied the story, even if they had known about it the whole time, Quinn even heard them talking about it and y/n caught them at the arcade on their hands and knees scavenging for coins.

What had changed in those five years was life itself. Fifteen years old, the age when classmates' growth spurts became the bane of every parent’s existence, boy’s voices dropped and cracked and when everyone suddenly cared about everything about anyone. What they were wearing, how big their chests had grown, if it was normal for tummies to fold when they sat down, who was dating who, where the term ‘slut’ was thrown around casually, who was hot and who was not, what was cool and what was cringe - the whole ordeal that tore teenagers up inside.

Y/n hadn’t cared too much for what she wore, or how she looked until a couple of girls at school pointed out that wearing graphic t-shirts and cargo trousers made her a boy (which was absolute bullshit, but one person’s insecurities become someone else’s in adolescence), and that having a few spots on her skin meant she was ugly. And if it wasn’t girls tearing each other to shreds over minor things such as that, then it was the boys in constant competition with one another to be ‘the alpha male’, as Quinn described to her. The other thing about the situation was that someone had projected the idea that boys and girls simply can’t be just friends. And if by chance the two groups were, the belief was that one of them was secretly in love with the other, or they were using them to get to their friend or learn how to impress. Fifteen-year-olds really couldn’t decide if they wanted to kiss or kill each other on-site. Y/n knew what she wanted, but wasn’t sure if she was allowed to want it. Her friends asked her regularly; ‘do you prefer Jack or Quinn? Who’s cuter?’, to which she never replied, at least twice a month. 

Bang. Swipe. Bang. Swipe. Bang. Y/n and Jack shot pucks into the net consecutively like clockwork. With Luke and her brother at practice (this time) and Quinn out with friends, she and Jack were left to entertain each other. Usually, the eldest Hughes would’ve been the one shooting pucks with Jack, but the more y/n joined him, the more Jack preferred rallying with her. 

Jack took a firm shot, the puck darting but bouncing off the crossbar, thumping into the fence, and chipping the wood, “Oh come on! We had such a good thing goin’!”

She only giggled and watched him gather pucks to start rapid firing to make up for it. His eyes shined, a fire burning in them as he went on. She knew the girls fawned over him, worshipped him like some prince despite never speaking to him. She knew they thought he was pretty, she knew he was pretty with a charming smile and that Jack used to navigate his way around school. But on the ice that didn’t matter. At home that didn’t matter. Those girls would never know Jack, they’d never know that the moment something's wrong he’d run to Quinn, never know that he’d do anything for Luke and most importantly they’d never know that he and y/n spent more time together than either of them let on. 

“Are girls and guys your age allowed to be friends?” she blurted out, staring blankly at him. Jack lowered his stick and turned to face her.

“What?,” he said, dumbfounded at such a random question to ask on a Saturday afternoon, “Why wouldn’t they? Someone say somethin’ to you? Someone makin’ fun of you and Quinn? Did Quinn say anything?” 

He may be a little brother, but he was also, someone’s older brother. The way his boyish smile dropped and jaw tensed, the grip on his hockey stick tightened, how could anyone not think Jack Hughes was cute? 

“No, no- Quinn’s fine! Just that kids my age say that they can’t. That one of them always likes the other. But hearing what you said makes me realise it’s just dumb.” 

“Well, you’re a girl, I’m a guy and we’re friends, right?” his body relaxed, and he turned to shoot pucks again. Hockey mind, hockey heart. Y/n watched him momentarily before rejoining him, sweeping a puck from the pile between them and whacking it at the net. “You and Quinn are friends too, right?”

As she lined up her stick to take another shot, she paused, her mind draining, “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she took the shot, Jack following with a toothy grin, “Rowdy, do you think your girl friends are pretty?”

She’d thought about it regularly if it was acceptable to believe your friends were attractive or if you had to believe they weren’t. It was hard to deny that Hughes had strong genes, Ellen was beautiful after all. Luke still had the cuteness of youth, barely grown into his features, Jack owned the blue eyes and pretty smile of a prince but Quinn? The dark curls and quiet nature was his forte. 

“Some,” he shrugged, “Quinn thinks you’re pretty. He likes your t-shirts and laugh.”

Y/n froze and looked at him bug-eyed. He snitched on Quinn so casually, like the weight of his words wouldn’t unleash butterflies into her stomach. At the same time, she tried to process the information, she couldn’t help but be curious to know what kind of conversation went down for Quinn to admit that. 

“My friend, Trevor, thinks you’re pretty too, but I think he just likes your boobs. Oh, one of Quinny’s friends said he’d take you, whatever that means, but Quinn literally yelled at him. I have never seen him so close to hitting a guy.” 

Trust Jack to spill all his friend’s and brother’s secrets, she’d expected nothing less from him. Quinn getting so riled up over a comment wasn’t on her bingo card, he wasn’t the kind of guy to react aggressively let alone hit someone, he rarely fought in hockey let alone outside of it. The other two comments didn’t mean half as much as Quinn’s, teenage boys were immature and violently horny, but processing what Quinn’s friend had - allegedly - said did bring a nauseating feeling in her stomach, but she didn’t think any of his friends would ever say anything like that out loud ever again, not while Quinn was around at least. 

*

Thirty minutes. Quinn had gotten home from practice thirty minutes ago and her phone hadn’t flashed once. Thirty minutes of constant checking for his name on her screen, although nothing new. He always texted her after practice, letting her know he’d be home if she needed anything, but this evening he hadn’t. If it were anyone else she wouldn’t have batted an eye, but she watched their car pull up on their drive, she watched Jack barrel out but hadn’t seen Quinn. While she waited, she completed her homework, milked Vine dry, and scrolled Instagram and YouTube wasn’t hitting. Y/n sighed, tossing her phone onto her bedsheets, grabbed her plaid pyjama bottoms and a t-shirt and concluded a shower should ease her mind.

It didn’t. She dropped him a text but to no surprise, it sat unread. Her stomach stirred, her gut feeling wailing sirens and adrenaline swirling through her body. Looking at the time, 19:48, and weighing out the decision that he was only next door, y/n slipped a hoodie over her head, threw her trainers on and crept out the front door to the Hughes. If he wouldn’t come to her, she’d go to him, prepared for whatever mood or situation he was in. 

She knocked gently twice, knowing she wouldn’t be waiting long since Jim was a prompt door-answerer. Even so, the breeze was nippy, her hoodie not doing much to hold her warm in the evening chill. The lock jolted from the other side, but Jim didn’t stand before her this time, it was Jack, who couldn’t have made it more obvious that his nerves struck him by his wide eyes and faltering jaw as if he were trying to get the words out.

“Is Quinn home?” 

Jack, stepped back hesitantly, letting her shuffle past him and into the hallway, “Uh, yeah but he’s pissed. Like, really pissed. Mum’s already tried to talk to him but…just be careful, remember that anything he says when mad, he doesn’t really mean.”  

She nodded, heart hammering in her chest as she carefully made her way up the stairs, tiptoeing around loose hockey gloves. The wall was covered in family photos and awards, y/n always noticed the photograph of all three boys standing outside last autumn, Quinn wearing the grey hoodie that was glued to him, Jack in full burgundy (hat and coat too) and Luke in a Michigan University fleece that looked a little big on him, all refusing to smile. The landing upstairs was fairly simple, the stairs being in the corner, and the corridor being a long strip. Luke’s room at the front of the house facing out into the street, Jack’s on the left side opposite Quinn’s, whose was on the right next to the stairs and Jim and Ellen’s at the back, facing into the garden. Considering they were neighbours, her house layout differed entirely, but after many years of running in and out, she memorised the rooms.

Standing outside his door, she knocked softly and waited for approval. She knocked again but also received no answer. She took a deep breath, bracing herself, she turned the handle and poked her head through the crack. He’d heard the door click, stuffing his navy sheets into his face as she padded in quietly, closing the door behind her. The pounding of her heart stayed, her palms becoming clammy seeing the state of his room. It was never tidy, but the laundry hamper being kicked over was new. His collection of hockey sticks that he was adamant to keep upright had toppled to the floor and going by the skewed photo frame on his wall indicated that he’d slammed the door harder than he meant to. Sending his sulking figure a glance, she repositioned the photo. One where the two of them sat in her living room, huddled together wearing - Quinn’s - Maple Leafs jerseys while watching the game. 

“Fuck off, Jack,” his voice barely audible, “If you’re here to chirp, I don’t wanna hear it.”

Quinn felt the mattress dip beside him, “Not gonna chirp you, Q.”

He shot up, the duvet whipping towards her to uncover a dishevelled Quinn, hair tousled and t-shirt crumpled from hiding under his covers for so long, “y/n? Shit, sorry. Are you okay?” 

Whatever sour mood that intoxicated him washed away and was replaced with concern strangling him. His eyes widened, he’d completely ghosted her, too wrapped up in his self-wallowing, stomach dropping at how close he was to taking his frustration out on her too. He ran his hands over his face, the giggle she let out soothing his mood like a warm embrace.

“I’m good. But a little bird told me you’re not,” taking his hands into her own, she pulled them into his lap, “You wanna talk about it?”

His gaze softened, shoulders slumping but heat rising in his neck as he kept their hands in his lap. She was so cold, although not far, she still came to him in thin pyjamas while the cold raged in a bitter attitude. Her thumb circled over his knuckles, attempting to calm him but instead of his heart finding a slow rhythm, it thundered in his chest unbearably. 

He shrugged, “Not much to say,” his jaw opened, fumbling to get the words out, “I don’t know, practice just went to shit. Felt like I could’ve done more, got screamed at by coach, alone, I was sloppy…but don’t pep-talk me, mum’s given me like, five.”

Y/n watched the light in his eyes fade, his voice becoming raspy the more he spoke about just a bad day. But a bad day was never a bad day with Quinn, it was the weight of the world crushing his shoulders as the oldest, and prodigy. If he slipped up once, it meant he would keep slipping up and let everyone down, let himself down until nobody believed in him anymore. She got it. She empathised, one of the only people in his life who could read his mind, dig into the crevices of his anxieties and ease them with just her existence alone. The more their skins held contact, the more fuzzy he felt inside, like a thousand flowers blooming in his chest at once.

��Wasn’t gonna. C’mere,” she held her arms out, letting him melt into her for a much-needed hug. Much needed indeed, Quinn’s arms hugged her waist tightly, burying his nose into the hollow of her neck while her fingers carefully threaded through his thick hair. Every insecurity that ate him up flushed away like the world had frozen and it was just the two of them, on his bed, wrapped up in each other with a confusing lightheadedness between them. Feeling his face nuzzle into her shoulder, her lips twitched into a smile and planted a chaste kiss on his hair. She realised she had done that seconds afterwards, as if she’d done it on autopilot but it was something she’d seen her parents do when seeking comfort, and she’d watched it on TV shows. Nerves choked her, hoping Quinn wouldn’t find it weird and shove her away, yelling all sorts of horrible things and never wanting to see her again. He didn’t. Instead, he pulled their bodies backwards into his mattress.

Unwrapping her arms from his shoulders, she propped herself up, hands either side of his head while his hands sat loosely on her waist. His throat dried and he gulped, y/n’s nose ghosting his, eyes meeting before darting away to each other's lips, only to scan features. Her ears burned, the butterflies in her stomach storming and in that moment she accepted that she did and could find Quinn Hughes attractive. His hands on her body, his captivating eyes, the brown curls, the mole on his right cheek, plump lips slightly parted. The way his awful mood was sidelined when he knew it was her in his bedroom. All in her grip, right in front of her.

“Come back,” he mumbled, arms snaking around her waist firmly. Y/n nodded, licking her lips with adrenaline surging through her veins. Did kisses mean anything? What did it feel like to taste another person? How did kisses work? There was only one way to find out, and she had the opportunity clawing for her, “Stay.” 

She lowered herself onto her elbows and tucked herself into his chest, her ear pressed against his pectoral, listening to his nerves pulse rapidly and laid her hand flat on his chest. They shimmied around, untucking the duvet from their bodies and pulling it over themselves. Quinn’s hand slipped into her pocket, sliding her phone out and placing it on his nightstand. She should’ve told her parents where she was, but with enough faith Ellen or Jack would say something. That was the last thing on her mind, the biggest crisis that set all alarms off inside her head was that she was cuddling a boy for the first time. She was sharing a bed with a boy. And she liked it. Perhaps more than she should have, this was her childhood best friend, a boy she’d grown up with, and although properly known for five years, had spent almost every day with him. 

Quinn’s eyes fluttered closed, a small smile creeping onto his lips yet he could never describe the mayhem that stormed in his stomach. He almost kissed his first and best female friend. In his bed. Alone. Where no one would know about it. He wasn’t ready to try and forget about it yet, move on and hope she wouldn’t think he was using her or thinking she was easy. His friends had said he was lucky to have a girl friend because it meant he could get whatever he wanted, not that he agreed with that stance. He held her close and firm, relishing in the company of another while it lasted, and before his parents would give him an earful about it.

*

Valentine’s Day was far too meaningful for teenagers, at least in y/n’s mind. You’re essentially celebrating a relationship that’s likely to end by the end of high school but acting like it’s the live-all and end-all. Or maybe she just didn’t understand the feeling or concept. No one had ever asked her out or asked her to be their Valentine before. She watched a couple of her friends go through it, one being over-the-top romantic with a bouquet, card and gift and the other being underwhelming, being nothing but a few words and a box of chocolates hand-me-down. He could have at least bought the chocolate himself instead of using one another girl gave him. 

With the final bell ringing a few minutes ago, the hallway was finally empty, only y/n and a few other students left at their lockers. She had time, her dad wouldn’t arrive for another seven minutes to pick her up since the Hughes boys left pronto for practice. She fished through her locker, checking for any love letters that could have been posted through the vents but to no surprise, nothing out of the ordinary. Did Quinn receive anything? Did other girls like his brooding demeanour like her? Did he accept any confessions? That hit her in the gut, hard. He wasn’t hers but why did thinking about sharing him make her blood boil so much? Exhaling sharply, she slammed her locker shut, only to come face to face with a guy who resembled Quinn, but instead of blue eyes his were brown, and his bone structure had chiselled out faster. He leaned against the lockers, arms folded and flashed her a smile. She thought she recognised him, he played on the same team as Quinn and Jack. His name wasn’t important (she couldn’t remember), but she’d be lying if she said he wasn’t attractive. 

“Hey y/n,” she smiled at him, “So uh, this ain’t easy but you’re hard to catch alone.”

“Can I help…you?” she bit her lip, the pit of her stomach becoming tight and tingly with his eyes never leaving hers.

“Just wondering if you’d wanna grab smoothies this weekend…like a date?” he didn’t speak softly like Quinn, he was loud and almost expectant. She wondered if he would pay, or if she had to. Quinn always paid, and always knew her order too. Even if she didn’t ask him to, he’d do it. Snapping back to the situation at hand, her breath hitched. She needed to stop thinking about Quinn. He wasn’t Quinn and the latter had nothing to do with him. Perhaps agreeing would get him out of her head. 

“Uh, sure but-” before she could finish, two of his friends burst out from around the corner, high-fiving and laughing like deranged hyenas. The guy in front of her also started laughing, looking down at her with a condescending glint in his stupid eyes.

“YO! That’s twenty bucks!” his friend yelled to the other, slapping his hand out, “Told you he’d do it!”

“Shut the fuck up, you got lucky! He caught her when Quinn wasn’t around.” The other grumbled, dropping the cash into his hand. 

The guy at her locker laughed, “As if anyone would ask you out, be real, y/n.” And all three left, karma soon hitting them at realising hockey practice started ten minutes ago. Y/n stood frozen, emotions swirling and nausea she could only describe as a whirlpool of humiliation and stupidity. She should’ve listened to her gut when it raised red flags.

As if anyone would ask you out, y/n.

He caught her when Quinn wasn’t around.

All she wanted was Quinn now, to run and squeeze him, but instead, she had a quiet car ride home with her dad to get to.

Quinn pulled his gear off aggressively, chucking his helmet into his stall, almost shoving the gear into his bag, disregarding how expensive the lot of it was. It was one of those days where he wished he could leave his stuff at the rink. He spoke to no one and no one dared talk to him, not even Jack, who’d warned his friends to lay off the chirping. When he’d overheard his teammates proudly laughing about what they’d done to y/n in the hall, his offensive-defensive playstyle switched to straight-up bloodlust with poison in his eyes. Now even in the locker room, his jaw clenched harshly and the other boys swore they could feel the rage radiate off his body. 

“Yooo, Hughes,” Locker Guy mused casually, a shit-eating grin smeared across his face, “why so worked up? S’just a game.”

Everyone eyed each other, although he was referencing hockey, Quinn was not in a hockey mood. He approached Quinn, throwing his arm around his shoulder while he packed the last of his stuff away.

“Silent treatment? Damn, didn’t know it meant that-”

Before he could finish, Quinn swung, right-hooking his cheek. Locker Guy stumbled back, cupping his cheek with wide eyes. He was stunned, the room was. Not even Jack had seen him hit a guy before, and Quinn didn’t think he would until then, but the adrenaline and aggravation just got the better of him and he’d seek revenge in any way if it would be for y/n.

“Take the twenty and shove it up your ass,” he slung his bag over his shoulder and grabbed his stick, “y/n’s not just a game.” And he stormed out. Jack bid goodbye to his friends, sloppily grabbing his bag and stick before stumbling out after Quinn. 

When arriving home shortly after, Quinn dumped his bag in the hallway, ignoring Ellen’s voice calling for him, Jack did a good job at covering for him. He burst into his room, rummaging around his desk for a post-it note, scribbling his mind on it. Pulling a small box from his school bag, he stuck the note onto it and rushed out of his house as fast as he’d rushed in.

He rang the doorbell and pounded on the door but to no avail. Her parent’s cars were absent but he knew too well that she had nowhere to be on a Tuesday evening. Groaning, he jogged to the side gate, rattling the handle and pushing it open, listening to it creak and click behind him. He didn’t bother sneaking around, the security light bright enough to illuminate the entire garden for anyone to try. If he hadn’t been in such a hurry, he would’ve taken more time to appreciate her mother’s handiwork: flowerbeds of pansies waiting for their time lining the fences, he remembered planting a few before the snow season. Quinn reached the back porch steps, walking up with a light foot and trying the back door. Locked. Of course. Spinning on his heel, he swore under his breath, completely jumping down the three steps and taking a short right to find the trellis on the wall.

“Mrs. l/n, I sincerely apologise for this, once again,” he mumbled, taking the box between his teeth and carefully placing his hands and foot on the wood, hoping that he hadn’t crushed any of the flowers weaved through. He slowly climbed until the porch roof came to his level. Thanking the heavens that the pitch was low, he used all his upper body strength to hoist himself on, ensuring his footing was secure, taking the box from his mouth and creeping up to her bedroom window. 

Y/n sat on her bed, cosied up in her pyjamas and laptop playing YouTube, anything that would redeem the afternoon she’d had, but nothing could prevent the tears from spilling out her eyes when the memory of it flushed over again. Her parents had gone out, and her brother went to his friend’s for dinner so she lucked out on being left alone for the evening, she didn’t feel like discussing how her day went. The quiet car ride home was enough, even though her dad knew something was wrong. 

The screen on her phone flashed, and she would’ve ignored it if it hadn’t flashed a second time immediately after.

Qutie At window pls open It’s cold

“The fuck?” she whispered, drawing her blind and sliding the window up, watching Quinn clamber his way into her room. She hastily wiped her eyes, “Q, you could’ve just knocked?”

He straightened out his clothes, closing her window, “I did. And tried the back. And here I am.”

“Oh…sorry,” she bit her cheek, “Q, I’ve had a bad day, I’m not really-”

“-I know. I know what happened, and he won’t think about it again,” he paused, peering down at the box in his hands, “actually he won’t talk to you again.”

“What did you do?” she asked, stepping closer with her arms folded, the sun breaking through her grey clouds after the storm.

“It doesn’t matter,” with a gentle smile and rosy cheeks, he held the box of chocolates out to her. Her gaze jumped from him to the gift in her hands and scanned the note stuck on top, the words written in red with little heart doodles. Her lips twitched upwards unstoppably and the blossoming warmth spread through her body and soul again.

Will you be my Valentine? - Q

“Sorry I didn’t give it to you earlier, I got swept up. I saw you looking at these the other day, it’s not much but I wanted to-” his speech was interrupted when she threw herself at him, arms wrapping around his torso tight and muffled ‘thank you’s just audible. 

Holding her close, he grinned, “-Anytime.”

*

That summer was the first year Quinn took y/n to the lake house in Michigan. If Jack was allowed to bring his friends, he refused to endure that alone, like Luke had to. Luke begged her brother to be his plus one, but he’d been swept up by his friends too soon. That was also the first time y/n met Cole and Trevor, the two Jack constantly talked about. They didn’t go to the same school as them, he’d met them through hockey camps and they didn’t sound too bad. Quinn always warned about Trevor, something about being a yapper but worse. 

Coming face to face with the lake house, y/n hadn’t expected it to be as large as it was, she didn’t really know what to expect when Jim described it as having a games room in the basement that had access to the garden, a first floor that had a beautiful view of the lake from the porch and a second floor with five bedrooms. Yet there she was, standing on the driveway admiring the blue and white home as she’d never seen a structure that big before while Quinn, Ellen and Jim unloaded the car. 

“Y/n!” Jack called. She turned towards his voice to be met with two other boys, “This is Trevor,” he gestured to the taller one with tanned skin, “and that’s Cole.” The shorter one.

“Ah, Trevor, the one who likes my boobs,” she recalled, raising her eyebrow at Trevor, who elbowed Jack in the ribs, muttering a ‘dude!’. Cole chuckled at the embarrassment creeping on Trevor’s face, “s’chill. Not the worst thing I’ve heard but definitely something best kept unsaid.”

She may have been okay with it, but a certain brother listening in was far from okay with it, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the suitcases and his brows knitted deep on his forehead. 

*

She tossed and turned, frustrated that her eyes refused to stay closed. Every time, she’d fallen asleep, the thunder outside clapped and jolted her awake again. If it wasn’t the weather hammering down keeping her awake, it was Trevor’s snoring from the bed. Herself, Trevor and Cole ended up sharing the spare room, the boys in the double bed and y/n opting to take the mattress on the floor (she refused to lay next to either of the boys, even if that meant sacrificing the space). 

As she lay facing the ceiling, she weighed out her options. She either stay there and have the thunder throw her into a wall and have Trevor’s snoring rattle through her bones or find somewhere else to sleep. The living room was one option, but Jim was an early riser and she didn’t enjoy the idea of being woken up by plates and pans crashing around. Then there were the boys’ rooms. Luke also snored, she knew that first-hand from the journey to the lake house, kid snored like a champ the whole time. Jack wiggled too much, a true duvet twister, waking up with pyjama bottoms to pantaloons. And Quinn, well she knew he was perfect, warm and an incredible cuddler. It wasn’t a hard decision.

She poked her head out the door, peeking left and right. The spare room was on the right-hand side, next to the staircase, while Quinn’s sat at the back left corner. Slipping through the gap, she shut the door silently behind her and tiptoed down the hall to Quinn’s room. 

His room looked identical to his Toronto room, blue-grey walls, dark oak furniture and navy sheets, but less hockey. Quinn was a peaceful sleeper, never appeared irritated but his hair was always messy somehow. Y/n slipped under the sheets with him, rolling onto her side to face him. He stirred, snuggling into his pillow and his eyes fanned open. His eyelashes were longer and thicker than she thought, why did boys get that gift but not girls? 

“Hi,” she whispered, sleepy gazes locking.

“Hi,” he rasped, voice deeper than usual from being riddled with sleep, “can’t sleep?”

She shook her head slightly. Quinn smiled, opening his arms, rolling onto his back and letting her slot herself into him like a puzzle piece, her head on his chest. She listened to his heart, the rhythm syncing with hers as it lulled her to sleep, Quinn’s arms loosely around her, but enough to confirm that he had her and was still there while the weather screamed and cried outside.

At sixteen, y/n obtained her first boyfriend, Leo, which surprised her and her friends. Not because they didn’t think she didn’t deserve him, but because he was the complete opposite of Quinn and because he wasn’t Quinn. Blond hair, green eyes, chatty and outgoing, always referred to her as ‘princess’ and could be a likeable guy. Except her friends never asked if he would like to hang with them. They never asked if he’d like to sit with them at lunch. Rarely had interest in him and he had no interest in them. They tried to talk to y/n, but her head was too far on cloud nine to hear them. Of course, she took it to heart. They loved Quinn, so why couldn’t they love Leo the same? 

The Hughes boys clarified their view on her relationship from the start. Not because they were haters or didn’t like seeing their friend happy, but because Quinn’s glares burned holes. Jack and Luke simply hated him because he spoke shit about hockey, almost on purpose the moment he found out the four of them were close, and because he seemed to irritate their big brother. Quinn refrained from gagging every time he saw the couple together at school, a pang in his chest stabbing him always. But she was happy, and that’s the part that stung the most.

Her brother ignored him on the rare occasion he came over. He was a huge Quinn guy, and having anyone but him in his house felt wrong. Like a parasite invasion trying to take his sister away, he wouldn’t let her ride home with the boys in his thirteen-year-old mind, Leo always insisted they hung out after school. The first time Leo came over for dinner, her brother ensured he displayed all the photographs of the Hughes family and his family together, especially the ones of y/n and Quinn. On another occasion he watched a movie with them, just to be annoying. Leo had tried to get y/n alone in the kitchen, hands on her hips and drawing her close, speaking sweet nothings into her lips and finding the panic in her face adorable. Their lips almost connecting, skin burning like wildfire until three, rubber pucks slammed into the targets that hung on the net in the garden, her brother standing proudly with his hockey stick in hand and side-eyeing the kitchen window, giving y/n time to catch her breath and gather her mind before the blond in front of her swore loudly.

What was everyone’s problem? Why wouldn’t they be happy for her? She was in love, a guy loved her for the first time in her life and she wasn’t even allowed to have that. Well, at least Quinn would be happy, and maybe she could convince him at least to let him join the lake house. Or she hoped. 

Quinn gathered the pucks out the back of the net, collecting them into a pile, the wrinkles between his eyebrows prominent. Y/n stood to the side, hands in her hoodie pocket, presenting her best attempt at puppy dog eyes.

“No,” he said, shooting a puck into the net.

“Oh come on, Q!”, she whined, “It’s a chance to get to know him, he’s a good guy. Please, for meee?”

He stood straight, turning to face her, “Y/n, I love you and I’d do anything for you, but the answer is still no. There isn’t enough space and it’s my lake house, my summer too.” He hoped she’d give up and drop the subject. The idea of y/n and Leo sharing a bed soiled his mood as it was, he didn’t want the thoughts to develop further into what else they could do. If Leo joined, he’d be alone, he wouldn’t wake up with her at least once, she wouldn’t even look at him and his brothers would never forgive him. Everyone’s summer would be ruined.

She sighed in defeat, “He’s the first guy to ever love me, see me for who I am and everyone acts like he’s got the plague! Q, my dad gives him small talk, my dad!”

He stared, a burning stare that ignited goosebumps along her skin, the hairs on end. They’d looked into each other eyes before, but she’d never seen this kind of fire in him. His breathing deepened, chest rising and falling as trying to calm himself down, nostrils slightly flaring. 

“Is that so?” he cocked a brow, his tongue poking his cheek, “y/n, we’re happy for you, but we miss you. I miss you. I miss getting smoothies, I miss Star Wars marathons, shit, I miss watching you make a mess of my kitchen when Luke wants cookies.” He missed falling asleep with her, calling him at silly hours in the morning, organising his hockey cards together, seeing her wear his hoodies and jerseys, and hearing her laugh. 

Her face softened, absorbing his cries and guilt swirling in her stomach. She didn’t realise how his voice beat every song she’d ever listened to or how when he was hurting, his tone was soft-spoken. She forgot how much she loved that, and how no one - not even Leo - could replace it. 

“M’sorry, Q.” She hugged him, like usual. The tight embrace with her head in his chest, feeling his arms wind around her shoulders in return, nose finding solace in the crook of her neck and kissing her shoulder.

*

Leo never joined their summer. He was never part of it from the start. When y/n fell back into place with her friends and stopped bringing up Leo, so much relief washed over her daily. The mini-argument with Quinn had paid off because exactly a week before she and the Hughes planned to leave for Michigan Leo had bid his thank yous and goodbyes. She thanked him for nothing messy, but his last words (and reasoning) gripped her around the neck: ‘I don’t think I’m the one you love.’

The moment she stepped out of Ellen’s car, slightly delirious from sleeping on Quinn’s shoulder the whole way, her muscles relaxed. She barely got a chance to stretch before Trevor and Cole came bundling towards her, engulfing her into a group hug while Quinn took his usual duties of unloading the car. All the boys had grown over the winter, Luke grew taller far too quickly, Jack, Trevor and Cole’s voices had dropped and entered that awkward phase where it would break at random and Quinn’s shoulders broadened, his face chiselling out. Y/n felt like the only thing that had changed about herself was the growing number of insecurities. She was at a lake, meaning she had to wear the bikinis she’d spent hours picking out, completely forgetting that Quinn wasn’t the only guy around. What if they didn’t look as good as she thought? What if they were far from flattering? Things she shouldn’t let eat at her but always would linger at the back of her mind. 

*

She lay awake, facing the ceiling listening to Trevor’s snoring from the bed for the second year, but it was worse now his voice was deeper. How Cole slept so soundly was a mystery in itself. At least the weather was silent. Yet her mind could not quiet, the events of the week replaying like a tape, glitching on the last few moments and repeating Leo’s words. With a weight in her chest, tears welled in her eyes. She felt so alone and abandoned in a room with an overwhelming teenage presence. She threw the duvet off, shuffling off the mattress, padding out the door and sneaking down the hall.

Quinn’s door opened enough for her to slip into the room and tiptoed over to his bed, crawling under his covers next to him. His hair had gotten longer, messier and the more she looked at it the harder it was to keep her hands to herself. His cheeks weren’t so full anymore, but the back of her fingers still caressed his cheekbone with a feathery touch. Her smile faded, she hadn’t told him about the break-up, she was supposed to tell her best friend everything and she couldn’t even do that, no wonder Quinn hadn’t spoken much to her. He was in the dark and it was all her fault. But he didn’t ask about him. Maybe he was upset because she hadn’t told him? No, Quinn wasn’t like that, was he? Was he upset?

“Trevor’s snoring?” he mumbled, eyes remaining closed. He heard his door click and felt his mattress dip and nobody else would risk waking him. 

“Mhm,” she hummed, watching his eyes lazily open, “part of it.”

He rolled over, pulling her onto his chest and arms around her waist, “I got you.” 

Her tears soaked blotches into his t-shirt, little sobs slightly muffled by the fabric as his hand stroked her back slowly. He held her close, letting her cry whatever consumed her out of her system while reassuring her that everything was going to be okay in his gentle manner. He wasn’t entirely sure what was so troubling but he had a keen suspicion it had something to do with Leo, she hadn’t mentioned him for a while and a large part of him was fuelled with adrenaline and hope that he was out of the picture for good. It lit fireworks inside him, and he wasn’t ashamed about it. 

“He dumped me, Q,” she sobbed, fingers balling his shirt into fists, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” 

Those fireworks inside him burst an array of colours, “Nothing’s wrong with you,” he said softly, “did he give you a reason at least?”

Her lip quivered, “He…he said he thinks that he’s not the one I love. I don’t know what that means! This sucks, Q. Sucks going from spending a lot of time with someone, having their full attention to just…not. Makes me gag every time I see my friends with their partners. I feel so…isolated, what do I do now?” 

Quinn’s lips fell into a straight line, hand still soothing her back. He knew he shouldn’t have been over the moon at the news, but God did he want to dance around his room and punch the air, maybe click his heels for good measure, “You want my opinion?”

He felt her nod, “You still have friends, and you need them more than a boyfriend. Have you thought about him since?” she shook her head, “Then there’s your answer. You miss the feeling, not the person. There’s someone out there who’s gonna love you tirelessly, treat you right and always come when you call. We’re only sixteen, we’ve got time.”

She thought about Leo, properly. She thought about how he spoke to people, and looking back she kicked herself for how she was too swept up in the feeling to realise how his charm was too enticing. She remembered the time he met Quinn, Jack and Luke for the first time, well Jack and Luke. He’d found out about their passion for hockey and openly shared how he thought it was ridiculous and an overrated sport, that all the players were mediocre at most. He told Jack he’d never make it to the NHL because it’s the sort of dream that stays a dream. Leo off the bat despised Quinn, calling him an obsessive creep when he walked into her house to retrieve Jim’s lasagna dish from her dad. Quinn ignored it, but Leo had seen all the photographs her brother put out, and proceeded to rant about how Quinn was just trying to add her to his body count. Quinn heard that, of course, he was only in the kitchen and if he was honest, he was flattered that Leo assumed he even had a body count. Then the kitchen incident flooded back like the rapids ride at a theme park. If her brother hadn’t interrupted them, she would’ve been kissed, but she didn’t want to kiss him and she knew that he enjoyed the fear in her eyes when his grip tightened. 

“Can I ask you something…” she peered up at him.

“Anything.” he looked down at her, voice just above a whisper. Her eyes had a glossy shine to them, even if they were red and puffy from crying, he still got lost in them.

“Can you say ‘princess’, for me?” 

He raised his eyebrow, but smiled anyway, “Whatever you want, princess.”

“Fucking hell it sounds so much better when you say it,” she groaned, burying her face into his chest, earning a chuckle from Quinn. It rolled off his tongue so smoothly, too well like it was made for him. The worst part was the tingling sensation in her stomach which wound through her heartstrings. All despair was eliminated and, once again, Quinn had pulled her into his rip. They lay in silence for a little while, but neither drifted off to sleep, just lying in each other's company.

“He almost kissed me, Q.” she mumbled into the dark, Quinn’s green eye disturbing his peace, “but I didn’t want to kiss him, the vibe was off. And then my friends bugged me about it.”

She pushed herself onto her elbow, propping herself up and gazing into his sleepy eyes. His palms fell to the small of her back.

“Have you kissed anyone before?” an innocent question turned sultry by his brain, heat shooting to his neck.

“No,” his gaze fell to her lips, “have you?”

She denied it. One had cupped her cheek, his thumb running over her bottom lip. She melted into his touch, heart pulsing in her ears. Deja vu burst into the room from a year before, where the last time she hovered above him she wanted to kiss him more than she should have. He parted his lips, the teenage boy inside him begging to peek down her shirt and his desperate longing to taste her colliding and dizzying his mind. Their bodies gravitated closer like a magnetic force neither could control anymore until their lips touched and two souls intertwined sweetly. It was an innocent kiss, aside from the accidental bumping of teeth, it wasn’t quite a peck but they relished in each other for no more than five seconds before pulling away with ease again.

“Can we do that again?” she didn’t need to say anything. She kissed him again, harder, longer, her hand sliding from his chest to his jaw as their lips fell into a pattern of connecting and reconnecting, elation surging through them as they fumbled into giggles. Quinn’s problem with kissing her was that no matter how much he tried to push it down, the craving to kiss her again clawed at him. All it took was a pretty smile and he could kiss her the rest of the night. Y/n’s friends bragged about their first kisses, who they were with and where it happened, but she held the crown for the first kiss in a boy’s bed and a meaningful kiss as the cherry on top.

*

Michigan’s sun roasted hotter than in Toronto, but it was a pleasant change from freezing all the time. The kind of heat that the boat’s seats would cling onto, and give you the worst shock of your life when sitting down, so when you sat down on the leather, you stayed down with sizzling skin. Although he’d been to the lake his whole life, Jack’s soul still left his body every time he threw himself onto the seats, usually blaming Quinn for not warning him. She was introduced to their boat last year, expecting only a small, fishing boat-like thing but to say her eyes grew so wide they almost popped out her head would be an understatement. She had limited knowledge of boats but her dad fished a lot so she picked up odd things from his raving, but the only way she could describe it was a traditional bowrider, with u-shaped seats in the back deck and bow seating. 

Jack and Luke had shoved past everyone and B-lined for the docks as soon as breakfast was over, Trevor and Cole not far behind and bundled onto the back seats of the boat. The driver’s seat was always left empty for Quinn, and the seat on the left side of the aisle next to the driver’s was always for y/n, furthest from the splash zone so she could read in peace. Unfortunately for Quinn and y/n, that also meant they were the ones lugging the cooler of water bottles through the garden and to the docks, handing it to Jack and Trevor while Quinn hopped in, holding his hand out to her and letting her make her way to her seat. 

A couple of hours being anchored in the lake, Jack and Trevor had three backflip contests, teaching Luke ‘how it’s done’ and Cole had won himself one hell of a sunburn. Y/n hadn’t taken her shirt off once, occupying herself by applying suncream to Quinn’s face and judging the backflip rounds. She mindlessly watched the four boys tussle around, pulling and pushing each other off the boat and playing in the cool waters. Something about this summer brought a yearning for adventure, maybe due to her age, to make memories or to distract herself from the sinful thoughts of what Quinn now looked like underneath his t-shirt. 

“I know you want to,” her head snapped to face Quinn, his voice dragging her out of her head, “I can see it in your eyes.”

She hugged her torso tighter, diverting her gaze to their feet. Was the first time wearing a bikini this terrifying for everyone? Maybe she should’ve started wearing them sooner. She’d be used to it by now.

“I’m not saying you have to, but,” he gulped, taking a deep breath. His next words could either earn him a smile or a slap, “I think you’re beautiful just as you are. And whatever those fuckers think doesn’t matter. Remember that you’re like a sister to Jack and Luke, they’ve got your back too.” 

A wide smile broke onto her face. Anyone else could say that and she wouldn't have batted an eye, but when it fell from his mouth like a song, the pressure was exiled from her body. Her fingers gripped the hem of her shirt, pulling it over her head. Quinn’s view darted straight to her chest, the bikini top complimenting her nicely, but too well for anyone but him to see (or so he thought). He didn’t think twice about it, it felt pervy and wrong, but at the end of the day, he was just a teenage boy riddled with fluctuating hormones. At least he wasn’t as bad or proud as Trevor, that was the bar. The top was enough. She kept the little board shorts on. Maybe next year she’d be braver. 

“Your turn,” with a cheeky glint in her eyes, she leant forward, elbows on her knees and purposely pushing her breasts together. Caught red-handed, in the act, Quinn Hughes. His cheeks burned red, glancing at his brothers and friends (who were on backflip contest number four) and back at her, slipping his shirt off. She raised her eyebrows when he said he’d been working out more, he meant it. When their gazes met, they both knew that if they had been alone with all the pent-up thrill, they would’ve jumped for each other, let their hands dance, feeling every new curve and dip and melt into each other like wax, moulding to however they wanted. 

“Not too bad yourself-” Before she could finish, Jack rolled onto the boat from the back deck with a clumsy urgency, throwing his towel over himself and standing in a wide stance, panting as if throwing himself onto the boat took all his energy.

“Thanks dearest,” pant, “big brother of mine and,” pant, “his girlfriend. Wakeboard!”

Quinn and y/n burst into fits of giggles at the assistance but it fell on deaf ears, watching him clamber in was funnier anyway, especially since the other three people who could have helped decided to watch and laugh too. No one denied the second part of his sentence, it certainly hadn’t gone unnoticed, but it had been taken two ways.

*

When the boys were little, Jim and Ellen had reformed the basement into a games room. It had originally been decked out into more of a guest house, with a kitchenette directly under the stairs and opposite were the large patio doors. But they found more use for it with the boys. On the left side of the doors was a c-shape sectional sofa and a TV and to the right a fireplace with a scoreboard for the pool table, which sat in the centre of the room. The bathroom remained in the back right corner. Most of the time, it was only used for video games and pool, as the distance from the bedrooms meant their screaming and arguing was pleasantly muffled but as more people joined their holiday, more friends were made either at the lake or with hockey people who owned a house on the lake, the room got its fair share of usage and everything was sound.

Until the Tkachuk brothers arrived.

Matthew and Brady were Quinn’s friends, Brady being one of his best and knowing Matthew by default. The Tkachuk’s had recently bought a house on the lake, within walking distance of the Hughes but you could hear them before you’d see them. Y/n had first met Brady when Quinn picked him up from his dock one afternoon, and she had no trouble getting to know him, especially when it came to him showing her photos of all of Quinn’s embarrassing moments from before her era at the lake house, and ones during hockey camps. She understood why Quinn got shy when Brady doxxed him like that, but she found it cute either way and he just enjoyed his two best friends getting along.

The seven of them - Y/n, Quinn, Brady, Cole, Trevor, Jack and Luke - sat in a circle, in that order, on the floor, leaning against the sofa, a bottle of vodka and red solo cups between them. The four youngest sat with stars in their eyes, like Brady had bought a mythical creature over, y/n and Quinn exchanged quizzing looks, shrugging.

“Yeah, how did you get this?” y/n asked, picking the bottle up and inspecting the alcohol percentage. 

“Matt,” Brady smirked, pride smeared across his face, “one of his friends has a fake ID, and said he’d get me a bottle if I helped him get this chick’s number.”

“And it worked?” Quinn mocked, Jack, Cole and Trevor did their best to hide their giggles.

“Nobody can resist a Tkachuk,” he peered past Quinn to look at y/n, “it’s the pretty eyes and dashing looks, right y/n?” 

Jack and Luke side-eyed each other, holding back their laughter at Quinn’s pout. Y/n shrugged, giving boys satisfaction wasn’t something she enjoyed, and seeing Brady dramatically hold his hand to his heart and act offended seemed to lighten Quinn’s mood. 

“Can we crack this baby open now? I wanna get drunk!” Trevor cheered, Jack and Cole joining him. Something like that would be exciting for fifteen-year-olds, but (not so) little Luke stayed quiet, shrinking into himself next to y/n. She placed an arm around his shoulder, presenting him with a warm, reassuring smile.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, no one’s gonna force you,” she murmured.

“Come on, Lukey! Don’t be a pussy!” Jack taunted as Brady poured him, Cole and Trevor a small amount. Cole took his sip first, his face screwing up immediately and coughing at the burning down his throat. Trevor cackled, tapping his cup with Jack’s and they both swallowed theirs together. Like karma, Trevor wheezed and held his chest, face scrunching amusingly at the kick. Jack didn’t get off lightly either, his throat feeling like fire and he shook his head, putting his cup on the floor. The rest laughed, hard. The three musketeers were so confident just to have it backfire. 

Brady poured vodka into his, Quinn’s and her cups, grinning from ear to ear and placing the bottle back between them all.

Cup in hand, she nudged Luke, “Do you want a small sip?” 

He hesitantly nodded, taking the cup gently and letting a tiny drop cover his tastebuds. That was enough for him to jolt back and shake his head. The three eldest bumped cups and swallowed the alcohol in one go, Brady cheering like he’d won the Stanley Cup, Quinn doing his best to suppress the sour expression on his face and y/n exhaled at the flare descending her throat. She and Quinn side-eyed each other, stifling giggles. The rush brought back the rendezvous of her sixteenth birthday where her parents had treated her to a bottle of vodka, specifically instructing she only drink it around them. Hours later when her close friends arrived, and Quinn of course, that bottle and a carton of orange juice was shared between them and drank dry, her bedroom swarming with drunk teenagers hiding hangovers in the morning.  

“Wow, my first ever drink turned out to be…actually not as pleasant as I imagined.” Brady’s eyebrows raised, watching the three musketeers urgently agree with him. Quinn and y/n’s grins widened, and they fist-bumped. They’d finally discovered something they had done before Brady. He’d relentlessly teased Quinn with his experiences as he was older, but it was due to Matthew being older. Now, it was Quinn’s turn, he was finally the cool, older brother. 

“That was your first?” Quinn teased. Brady blinked twice, opening his mouth to speak but closing it, holding his fist out to Quinn instead. 

“You didn’t add a mixer, it’s more bearable with juice,”  she stood up and grabbed an orange juice from the fridge. Sitting back in her spot, she took Brady’s cup, poured a little vodka and topped it with the juice, stirring it with her finger, “now try.”

He took a sip, the orange juice slightly outweighing the alcohol and it didn’t tear through him this time, “Okay, you’re invited to every party from now on. Dudes, you gotta try this.” 

One empty bottle later the group found themselves slumped back and blurry-eyed. Luke had gone to bed, terrified of the consequences if he were still there in the morning. Quinn and y/n leant into each other, Jack’s head resting on her lap. Brady’s ass went numb from sitting on the floor, but he feared that if he stood up, he’d just meet the floor again but with a bruise when he woke up. 

At some point in that hour, Trevor suggested truth or dare, and being too tipsy to argue, they’d all been roped into it. The dares hadn’t been too bad, but as Brady slowly gathered his senses, previous conversations and events flooded back to his active memory. With his sights landing on Quinn and y/n, it was like his and Trevor’s minds intertwined. Calm and collected Quinn had been giggling at others too much throughout the night. Calm and collected Quinn who never seemed to be fazed by embarrassment for too long. 

“Jack, truth or dare?” Trevor asked absently. 

“Truth.”

“Ass or tits?” 

Y/n ran her fingers through Jack’s hair and rolled her eyes. Boys. 

“Easy. Tits. Next. Brady, truth or dare?” Jack’s eyes closed, body relaxing when her nails scratched his scalp.

Brady snorted, “Hah, dare!”

Jack paused, thinking about what kind of dare Brady would come up with, “skinny dip in the lake.”

“Dude, if I stand up, I’ll fall. I’ll do it next time we’re on the boat, swear it.” They chuckled, watching his head shake desperately. Nobody would have to dare Brady to do something like that, you could just suggest the idea and he’d be down for the sake of a story. Matthew had shared many stories of his adventures when he was his age, and Brady was determined to be as cool as him and live a wild life like every day was his last day on Earth. “Y/n, truth or dare?”

“Dare, fuck it. Be nice.” Her heart raced, the words falling out before she could think.

“I dare you to sit on Quinn’s lap for the rest of the game.” 

Quinn’s muscles tensed, cheeks flushing when Jack sat up. He uncrossed his legs and let her manoeuvre herself onto his thigh, curling up comfortably. Without much thought, his arms winded around her waist, holding her close. Even though he wanted the ground to swallow him whole, a small part of him sobered up enough to appreciate the buzz of openly holding her.

“Cole, truth or dare?” she watched Cole perk up, his eyes absent like he’d just woken up. 

“Show us a pic from your ‘my eyes only’ on Snap.”

“Favourite porn category?”

“Who was the better kisser, Jess or Sarah?”

“Okay Quinner,” Brady’s turn circled back, rubbing his, nonexistent, beard as he spoke, “Who do you currently have a crush on?”

Quinn’s stomach dropped. If he didn’t like Brady so much, he would’ve taken the question as a betrayal. When he told Brady about his and y/n’s bedtime kiss, it was out of confidence, with his full chest, at his most vulnerable. Never did he expect him to reference it in public, in front of her and his brother’s friends. He then realised that Matthew also, most likely, knew. 

“Gone shy?” the youngest Tkachuk smirked, the other boys suddenly sparking back to life and leaning in.

“No, just never thought you’d be into gossip,” he mumbled, giving the blond a cold glare. If his situation couldn’t have gotten any worse, y/n shifted dangerously close to his crotch and all he could do was keep her encased into him and pray his shorts wouldn’t betray him like his best friend had. 

“If you’re into gossip now, what about you? Tell us which girl at your school has your eye, describe her, what’s she like?” y/n blurted. It was like she read Quinn’s mind. Or the stress in his face. 

Cole, Trevor and Jack’s heads whipped between the three bicker, smiles dopey and rubbing their hands together.

“Deflecting? Didn’t think you’d get so defensive-”

“-Not getting defensive, I have nothing to defend, but if Quinn doesn’t wanna answer, he doesn’t have to.” 

It was a relief that it was just bickering and not a deep argument, God help them all if y/n and Brady ever fell out properly, his ability to chirp and her intelligent stubbornness would not be a tornado to interrupt. But her protectiveness squeezed his heart, making the situation he was always in dreadful. 

“Oh really?” Brady laughed, “What about you since you have nothing to defend? Who juices your lemons? Or is Quinner gonna grow a pair and admi-”

What an uncomfortable phrase to start with, and if she took too long to answer he’d just taunt her more. She wanted him to drop the subject overall, it didn’t matter, but humbling him would, at least, cheer Quinn up slightly, even if what she was about to say required a conversation afterwards.

“-Matthew Tkachuk.” The name shot out like a bullet through Brady. His jaw dropped and a smirk wiped off his face. He knew his brother was popular, but never had he met someone his age admit it to his face. He sat back, speechless. Her heart thundered, Quinn could feel it, see the panic in her eyes while Brady saw a threat. Jack, Trevor and Cole sat like deers in headlights in the silence which engulfed the room. Quinn’s grip around her waist tightened, his brows creasing but Brady watched the light in his eyes sink and his hold on her become desperate like she would slip away if he let go. 

The thick atmosphere collapsed when Jack shot up and bolted for the bathroom, Cole hot on his tail, “I think I’m gonna puke.” 

Quinn’s limbs sank deep into the sofa cushions, but his eyes stared at the plant next to the TV.  Jack’s stomach giving up surprisingly saved their friendships and shortly they’d decided it was time to call it a day, himself, y/n and Trevor taking the sofa, Jack crashing closest to the bathroom and Brady and Cole sprawled out on the floor. Even after the drunken result of a stupid truth game, y/n’s back was still pressed against his chest. Not Matthew’s. His arm was around her middle, his face was in her hair, and he was the one cuddling her. No one else, but the thoughts still spiralled. If she did like Matthew and not him, could he be that angry? Matthew was older, taller, better looking (Brady had mentioned how Tkachuk’s had ‘dashing good looks’ so what could he expect) and far more experience. Had she even met Matthew? When? Was she seeing him secretly? What if she was trying all these new experiences with him just to impress Matthew, getting in practice so, when she was to kiss him she wouldn’t embarrass herself, cuddling him so she knew what to do? The possibility that she was as affectionate with a guy other than himself made him sick to his stomach, it was like Leo all over again but worse. They were older now, progressed more and feelings devoured instead of nibbled, whirlpools instead of ripples. There were plenty of other boys besides himself, and maybe having a guy best friend became convenient for her. 

With a tear slithering down his cheek, he buried his face into her shoulder and planted a sweet, but sad, chaste kiss on her jaw, fighting off the urge to sob until he fell asleep. 

Seventeen was a big age for prime-time adolescents, not quite an adult but not a little kid anymore. Risk and rebellion went hand in hand and doing everything you were told not to do was in fashion, so when you went to college you didn’t look like a complete bore. It also meant relationships started getting serious, people considering college and the survival rate of long distance, who had broken up and who was still together. 

After last summer, Quinn and y/n breathed Toronto air and they fell back into place, as if the Vodka Incident, as they called it, had never happened. Quinn had all her attention again and spent the autumn and winter doing his best to keep it that way. It didn’t take a lot, she loved everything they did together, her new favourite memory being when Quinn took her to her first Maple Leafs game once he’d passed his driver’s license. He also kissed her in the car afterwards, slow with his hand on her thigh, thumb rubbing the denim on her jeans. When they got back to her house, he had her pushed down into her bed, lips smothering her neck in timid, wet kisses while her cold hands snuck under his shirt, sending chills up his spine in the most pleasurable sense. He hadn’t thought about what he was doing, but his secure grip on her hips had her writhing beneath him when he’d found her sweet spot on her neck, experimenting with a nip to the flesh and almost cumming his boxers at the mewl that slipped past her lips. Their hips rolled and ground into each other with hands tugging on shirts, exposed collarbones and sloppy kisses to sensitive spots. They hadn’t even properly made out yet and there they were, exploring each other like territory and right before any clothes could be removed, Ellen rang him. It was an evening neither would forget.

*

“I’m tellin’ you, dude, they are not ‘just friends’, look at ‘em.” Trevor gestured in front of him, raising his voice over the music. 

“Trev, I’ve known them my whole life, they’ve always been like this.” Jack groaned, taking a sip from his Coke. 

Under the strings of fairy lights hung over the audience and the weather warm and clear, Quinn twirled y/n, hugging her from behind as they sang the lyrics to the country song coming from the stage. When Luke saw the ad in the supermarket one afternoon, he practically begged his parents to take them all, and being unable to say ‘no’ to their youngest child, they agreed. 

Luke and Cole had a blast, trying every food stall they saw, rocking the cowboy hats and singing their hearts out. It was safe to say that Luke still had a lot of personality, and Cole revealed his love for karaoke. Y/n hadn’t been to many concerts before, the overwhelming crowds caging and the fear that she’d get split up was astronomical. As they’d made their way around, wrangling up Luke and Cole, hurling Trevor and Jack away from groups of girls way older than them, she had her arm looped around Quinn’s. Ellen ran around as their paparazzi, no doubt planning to print all the photos off and stick them in an album. 

“Are you hearing yourself, Jizzy?” Trevor deadpanned, as much as the god-awful nickname amused him, Jack’s slow-functioning brain at the moment matched the stupidity of it. 

Quinn’s arms around her waist, chin resting on her head and they swayed to the tune of the song, bright smiles and oblivion to the world around them. It was just them, imagining the lyrics were for and about them, speaking to each other so they didn’t have to muster up the courage themselves. 

“Yeah. Look, man, think whatever you want, the Tkachuks get here next week, and if I remember correctly, Matthew was a pretty hot topic last summer.” Jack couldn’t lie, he didn’t remember a lot from the Vodka Incident. He only remembered Brady’s brutal truths, y/n admitting Matthew was hot and waking up with a sore head with the taste of vomit and vodka in his mouth. He also remembered watching the tears fall on his brother’s cheek. 

*

She didn’t want to believe that she was the person looking back at her in the mirror. She pulled at the straps and readjusted the ties and bikini bottoms, to see if they would flatter her better in a new position. She spun slightly, viewing the back and chewed her cheek. Did her ass look good? The top wasn’t too slutty…was it? Too much cleavage? Not enough? Why was trying to feel hot such hard work? She threw her head back and sighed, circling her thoughts back to last summer.

I think you’re beautiful just as you are.

Shaking her shoulders, she slipped her tank top and shorts on, grabbed her towel and left out the porch doors. 

Beads of sweat rolled down the back of Quinn’s neck. He didn’t need to look behind him to know Jack had invited neighbouring girls onto the boat, he could hear them giggling. He zoned out, staring at next door’s deck deaf to the world around him. Was shaving the right choice that morning? What if y/n liked his growing, patchy beard? But what if she preferred clean-shaven? He watched the girls in the windshield’s reflection squeeze the boy’s biceps, complimenting their abs. They adored Luke’s cute face and charming smile. It sucked being thirteen and enchanted. Quinn kept his shirt on, he wasn’t built like the others, and his confidence surely didn’t need dismantling. His fingers tapped the steering wheel, lips pursing until he caught y/n running out the corner of his eyes, his lips perking into a smile as she sat in her seat next to him.

“Who are they?” she whispered, leaning over, his New York Yankees hat perched on her head. He only shrugged, starting the engine and pulling away from the docks. “Well, I guess it means we get peace, at least.”

So much for peace.

Mila, the brunette in the pink bikini, saw exactly what y/n saw. The way Quinn’s hand held the wheel, casually yet so controlled, imagining them grabbing and moulding her like putty. The veins that popped on his arms, perhaps even his thighs, but y/n refused to believe that anyone else was looking at his thighs the way she did; unapologetically hungrily. She leaned against the back of his seat, pushing her breasts up as much as she could into the top of his shoulders, taking a longer strand of his hair and curling it around her finger. 

“It’s so cool how you can drive this thing without an adult, when did you get your licence?” she asked. Quinn kept his eyes on the waters, lips falling into a deep frown.

“Fourteen, y/n also has one.” 

“Oh,” she tilted her head, “cute. So, do you live here or is this a one-time thing?”

Y/n squinted. She knew she shouldn’t have let it get under her skin. She knew she couldn’t control everything but was seething would be an understatement. Some random chick, putting her tits up against Quinn, touching him the way she does. If she could just trip and accidentally knock her overboard she would. 

“Live here in the summer.” His tone was flat, not anywhere near interested and his t-shirt clung to his back. A smile spread across Mila’s cheeks, she and her friends were only at the lake for the week and proudly admitted they were on the prowl for some fun. She arched her back, popping her ass out, hoping he could feel her skin on the back of his neck. Y/n huffed, letting her demons get the better of her and she tugged her tank top over her head and wiggled out the denim shorts. This summer the board shorts stayed at the house. 

He choked when he saw. His first time seeing her in almost nothing. He was used to tank tops hugging her tits and little shorts, but seeing so much bare skin now changed a lot. The benchmark was removing her shirt, and now he got the full thing, in front of his face, within his reach and confidently like she wanted his attention and his only. She’d spent years worrying about what others thought about her, and with a little threat, the only thing she now cared about was making Quinn fumble over his words and remind him whom he pinned against her bed before summer. 

“Mila, you look a little squished there,” y/n stood up, “take my seat, Jack doesn’t bite, promise.”

“But then where will you sit?” 

Y/n stepped over to Quinn and gave him a wink. He leant back, heart exploding when she sat on his lap, bare skins touching for the first time and the pit of his stomach surging hot, the fireworks re-lighting and tingling over his skin and to his muscles, lips immediately spreading into a grin. He tucked his arm around her waist, settling his hand on her hip, fingers hooking the waistband in the leg hole of her bikini bottoms. Mila’s eyes scanned her, receiving her message clearly before plonking herself next to Jack, who happily gave her the attention she wanted. Y/n wrapped her arm around his neck.

“No shorts?” he murmured into her ear, voice low and rumbly.

“Remembered what you said a year ago, and I think you’re also beautiful just the way you are.” She toyed with the collar of his t-shirt.

“You should sit here more often.”

“Maybe I will, Captain Q.”

They giggled quietly, foreheads touching lightly and he kissed her hairline playfully while the backseat passengers caused havoc with the wakeboard, begging Quinn to let them show off their ‘skills’.  

In four days the Tkachuks would arrive. That’s what kept Quinn up at night. He had four days to muster up his courage before she’d slip through his fingers to the better man.

*

They watched the ball fly far, Jim standing proud with his arms folded in a wide stance, as dads do. Trevor high-fived Cole, throwing up an ‘L’ shape with his fingers at Jack. The middle Hughes puffed his chest out, placed his ball on the tee and positioned himself, re-gripping the club. He drew back and swung, watching his golf ball fly out into the distance. Y/n watched from the side, recording their turns for them like they’d asked, a smile on her face. Jim took them to the driving range after Jack complained that video games were becoming boring, and neither Trevor nor Cole had been to one before, and when four boys were bursting with energy, how could Jim say turn down such an opportunity? 

Y/n hadn’t played properly before either. Quinn had only taken her to crazy golf, and that was as far as her experience went. None of this correct positioning and firm swings. Though it was comforting watching Cole and Trevor not have a clue either, Trevor was a fast and eager learner, and Cole was just bad but there for a good time.

“I can show you how to do it if you want.” Quinn stood next to her, leaning down slightly with a low voice. When did he get so tall? She tilted her head up, the club in his hand sent her back to her childhood, the exact day she sat on the step with Quinn holding a hockey stick out to her. “It's your summer too.” 

She nodded and Quinn hooked his little finger with hers, leading her to the grass and placed a ball on the tee. She copied Jack’s stance, letting Quinn stand behind her, chest to her back as his arms engulfed her, hands over hers on the club.

“Draw back like this,” his breath hot on her neck as he drove the club back, “and then you swing. Just like we do. Yeah?” 

Her stomach fluttered, concentration droning in more on his voice vibrating through his chest. She nodded, licking her lips and the caged animal inside her chewing at its bars.

“Good girl.” He stepped back, letting her go. With his eyes glued to her figure, he watched her body take a breath, drawing back and taking a decent swing. For a first go, it wasn't a bad swing, not perfect but good enough that Trevor groaned about how unfair it was (he missed the ball the first time). 

“This is literally the first day we met all over again,” Luke said to his dad, who raised his eyebrows, more shocked that he remembered that day since he couldn't even remember his birthday half the year. 

The group next to them left, but the gap was soon replaced by a new one, a louder one consisting of late teens. One of them didn't stop walking, the blond one with curls and a mullet, and pretty eyes on par with Jack's. 

“Quinner! Jim! Fancy seeing you here.” Matthew Tkachuk, Brady's suave, crazy older brother and his posse who stood just as awkward as the Hughes and co.

Y/n shuffled to stand with Quinn, pressing into his side ever so gently. He placed his hand on the small of her back, smile fading into a frown while his dad chatted and brothers and friends continued their practice.

“Is that Matthew?” Quinn couldn't begin to describe the electricity that flowed through his veins upon hearing that she didn’t know who he was. However while part of him jumped with joy, the other part spiralled further and pressure added to his shoulders. There was absolutely nothing to stop Matthew, or his cooler, older friends from snatching her, and him, weak, little Quinn, trying to keep her in his rip was laughable. If it wasn’t Matthew (unknowingly) getting daggers, it was his friend in the back. The athletic one eyeing y/n shamelessly, nudging the blond in a cap next to him. 

“Anyway, nice bumping into you. See you fellas, Quinner,” He shot her a wink, “y/n.” 

Her face flushed warm, and she gave him a flirty wave before they disappeared into the office. Jim ushered his boys and friends out, Quinn remaining silent when he drove himself and y/n to the house, not even her hand on his thigh could cut through the thick atmosphere. 

The rest of that afternoon Quinn shut himself in his room, undisturbed. His family huddled around the campfire, making s'mores and the boys sharing their day with Ellen. Y/n prodded at the fire, adding more wood and sat back in her chair, glancing up at Quinn’s bedroom window. The light was out, blind and curtains drawn, fiddling with the drawstrings of her shorts. She didn't feel like eating any more s’mores, she lost her appetite with the empty seat next to her and overbearing twisting in her gut. The Tkachuk’s voices echoed from houses away, and she never thought she’d dread hearing their laughter until then. 

She didn't knock on Quinn’s door. She just let herself in, joining him in the sheets and laying on her back. His breathing was heavy, he opened his eyes and rolled onto his back.

“What’s up? You haven't said anything since we left the driving range.” She mumbled.

“Nothing.” Her head turned to look at him, unimpressed. Feeling the shift, he peered over his shoulder before rolling his eyes, “Didn't like how he looked at you.” 

He faced her, scowl softening, noses painfully close. His eyes fell to her lips, hand cupping her jaw and glazing his thumb over her soft skin. The twisting in her gut dissolved into heat pooling in her stomach, desire rising with every stroke of his thumb. 

“And how did he look at me, Q?” She rolled onto her side, rubbing her foot along his leg.

His breath shuddered, and his voice dropped to a rasp, “Like he wanted to devour you.” 

Shimmying closer, her hand pushed against his shoulder to lay flat on his back again. His hand never left her jaw, their lips closed in, ghosting each other as she propped herself up on her elbow. Getting jealous over a look, the way Quinn himself looked at her when she pranced around in her bikinis, hooded eyes and a lazy smile. 

“So, the way you look at me, Quinn?” Her thumb brushed over his bottom lip.

“Yeah,” His voice above a whisper, laced with nothing but provocation for someone to do something, for he couldn't take the aching in his cock forever. “I won't do anything you don't want me to…what do you want me to do?”

“I want you to devour me.” She whispered into his mouth, his lips hitting hers with force, pulling her body on top of his and another hand, slipping up her shirt and exploring the curve of her spine. A low moan emitted from her throat, his tongue running along her bottom lip and impatiently tasting the sweet melted marshmallows from the s'mores when she granted him access. It was embarrassing how lost she was; taking a backseat wasn’t in her system, but something about Quinn's tongue dominating and lapping at hers just made her seams burst and soak her panties then and there. It didn't matter how he knew what to do, or if he was just going with his instincts, the way his hands kneaded her flesh like dough drew whimpers from her throat and with a carnal desire racking her bones, she rolled her hips into his, paying extra attention to his cock stiffening in his shorts as it bumped her cunt.

“Don't stop,” he groaned, hands gripping the globes of her ass, “feels s'good.” 

He kissed her again, bucking his hips up into her. Her hands slid to the hem of his shirt, tugging the bottom up. Quinn hesitated but sat up, keeping her settled on his lap but hastily pulling the clothing over his head. It was like all the insecurity of not being hot enough washed away with the way she was dry humping, aching for his dick, finally alone for them to misbehave. 

She smoothed her hands over his chest, solid and defined, her fingers tracing over his collarbones and stomach as if he were a sculpture in a museum. Sure she'd seen him shirtless on the boat, but this was different. This was for her eyes only, she was allowed to touch and feel his skin and muscles contract and relax as she savoured every last drop of him. 

“Wow…” She muttered, the pad of her fingers joining his moles with an invisible line like a constellation.

“Don't say that, I'm not like Jack…or Trevor.” His gaze couldn’t meet hers. He didn't have a six-pack, a tiny waist or any sort of boyish charm to him. “Nothin’ special.”

She gripped his cheeks between her fingers, forcing him to stare into her eyes, “And yet here you are, in bed, with a girl who wants you to do disgusting things to her. You're special to me, shouldn't that be all that matters?”

Y/n let his face go, pulling her shirt over her head and discarding it somewhere across the room. She ran her hands down her chest, his eyes following as they travelled over her curves and to his hands. Taking them, she cupped his palms over her breasts.

“Take it off, Q,” She batted her eyelashes at him, his cheeks flushing, “I want you to touch me. What do you want?”

He slid his hands to her back, fumbling with the clasp of her bra and watching with an intense and desperate stare as the underwear fell from her arms, tits bare and in his face and the clothing launched into the dark. They felt so soft in his palms, squishy and so soft. He rolled her nipples with his thumbs, watching her eyes shut and mouth part through his eyelashes. He couldn't wait to feel them against his chest finally. 

“I wanna be the first guy to know how you feel around his cock, how you taste. I wanna be the guy you see when you're all alone, fucking yourself. I wanna hear you scream my name.” He pulled her in again, kissing her rough and messy, his hands leaving no place on her skin untouched and groping at her tits until he had her whimpering for more. With a groan rumbling from his throat, he flipped them over, hovering over her face of lust. Her pussy throbbed, and when his fingers pulled the bow on her shorts loose, she swore she would have cum right there.

“Can I?

“Yes, please.”

“Please what? I need words, pretty girl.” A flash of confidence washed over him, and he wasn't sure where it came from but his best guess was his core.

“Please fuck me, Quinn,” She gasped, rubbing her thighs together, “Please be the first to fuck me. I need you.” 

Diving into the column of her neck, he trailed wet, open-mouthed kisses down her collarbones and the valley of her breasts, taking one into his mouth and rolling his tongue over the nub. His other hand groped and squeezed, pinching between his fingers while she mewled like a song to his ears. 

Releasing her with a ‘pop’, his kisses graced her hot flesh down her stomach and finished just above the waistband of her shorts. He gazed through his lashes, and sat on his heels, wiggling the shorts down and off her legs. He couldn't help but stare, she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

“You're so fucking beautiful,” his voice airy and in awe, tugging his shorts off and tossing them aside. “All mine.

“All yours,” she repeated, propping herself up on her elbows. “Have you ever fingered a girl?”

He shook his head, hooking his fingers around her panties and pulling them off, taking in the privilege of being the only one to see such a pretty sight before him.

“Only seen it in porn, the basics.” He positioned his fingers, middle and ring, just to prove it. She smiled, taking his wrist and guiding him to her folds, gliding his fingers between them until he got the hang of it. 

“That's it, now rub my clit, firm but gentle.” He followed, taking her advice and circling her clit, peering up at her for reassurance. He got it, he knew he was doing it right when she collapsed back into his mattress, whimpering. Moving to hover over her, fingers gliding through her slick to the correct hole (he only knew from various conversations about the anatomy of a vagina she'd given, so he wouldn't look all that bad) and sliding one finger into her.

“You're so fucking wet,” He smirked. A quick learner, indeed and much too indulged in her spongy walls as he pumped his finger, “Princess, do I do this to you?”

“Yeah,” She moaned. His fingers felt so much better, more filling. “More, please.”

He added a second finger, drawing them in and out, curling, and he knew he was doing it right; she was writhing and whimpering beneath him, one hand fisting his sheets and the other locked on his bicep. His thumb nudged her clit on accident, but the way she arched and moaned had him circling it. She couldn't formulate a coherent sentence with the way he thrust his fingers into her, moving faster as she’d cried. Quinn still couldn't believe the position he was in. His naked best friend, underneath his almost naked body, with his fingers inside her pussy, hoping to make her cum and lose his virginity. All while his family sat outside without a clue. 

“Shit, like that-” she bucked her hips to match his pace, “So good, just like I dreamt, Quinn.”

“Oh yeah? You dream about…me?” He grumbled, his voice low.

“Yes!”

The knot inside her stomach tightened, her cunt clenching and swallowing his fingers like they were made for him. It had her wondering what else Quinn could do to her, how else he could make her cum, because the way his fingers curled as if he was summoning her climax was dizzying. Who knew that out of everyone, it would be Quinn making her squirm, Quinn's name slipping from her lips as his fingers stroked her walls and had her begging for more, Quinn causing her eyes to become half-lidded with a lazy and coquettish smile, plaguing her thoughts with dirty desires on how many other ways she could clench around him. 

“Gonna cum, Quinn,” She panted, squeezing her eyes closed.

“Anything you want, princess. Anything.” He pumped faster, her core relaxing and his fingers blessed with warmth leaking from her. He pulled his fingers out slowly, eyes locking with hers as he placed them on his tongue, tasting her flavour.

“You taste amazing,” He licked his fingers clean, a small spark of hope for the future inside him. “How was it? You okay?”

“I’m great,” She giggled, catching her breath, “With more practice, you’ll be a pro.”

He kissed her, y/n's tasting herself on his tongue, her hands in his hair, tugging at the curls on the nape of his neck. Something inside him screamed to stop before he became addicted, he needed her. He needed her in high dosages all the time, to feel her, to taste her, to have his tongue lap and suck hers and let their saliva intertwine like their bodies. He wanted to mark her up and call her a work of art. 

He pulled his boxers off and left kisses over her collarbones.

“Do you have a condom?” He did, actually. Only two that Brady had slipped him the day he told him about the first time they kissed. Quinn leant over and rummaged around his nightstand, y/n running her hands over his body, specifically grasping at his hips. Something about men's hips was so…sexy. She couldn't explain it and didn't need to because Quinn kneeled over her, erect cock on display and y/n, without thinking, gently took it into her palm. His hands trembled when she gave him a couple of strokes, in awe at what she was seeing. 

“You're so pretty, Q,” She kissed his tip, “all mine.” 

“Yeah,” He rolled the condom on, “all yours, baby.” 

Hand latching on the back of his neck, she pulled him on top of her, giving him time to line himself up cautiously before pushing himself in. Her jaw dropped wide, a gasp leaving her body and his head snapped to her.

“Shit, I didn't hurt you, did I?”

“No, it's just…new, keep going.”

He slid in until bottoming out completely, her head tilting back as her walls adjusted to his size. She had no judgment, but he felt good and maybe, just maybe he'd grow to feel amazing. There was only one way to find out. 

“Fuck, you feel like heaven.” He fell to his elbows, face hiding in her shoulder.

“Move, Q, please move,” She whimpered, “feels good!”

Quinn rocked his hips in a languid motion, back and forth, back and forth, his lovesick euphoria fuelling his stamina. With her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and whined in his ear, all he wanted to do was keep driving into her just to hear her ecstasy flourish. To feel her pulling him into an embrace of wet dopamine walls. Hooked on the feeling, he thrusted faster, groaning at the way she whimpered every time he pushed back in and his body surged with heat when her tits bounced against his chest. That was it. Just their bodies together. Together doing what nobody they knew had done before. Fucked their best friend, their person. Her Quinn and his y/n. In his bed, at the lake house, his cock plunging into her cunt with a luscious desperation serving the two teens a paradise of stimulation.

“Fuck!” He groaned, planting kisses on her jaw and her lips, “Say my name, pretty girl.�� 

“Quinn,” if she could scream his name she would have, but hearing the low moan in his ear was enough for his hips to pound faster, “gonna cum, Quinn.”

She wrapped her legs around his hips, cock reaching deeper and the shockwaves of the angle feeding into his excitement. She was latching onto him like he was her lifeline, moans and grunts blending like a chorus the harder and more his hips rutted into her pussy with crude greed. No, it wasn't perfect, it was sloppy and beginner, as expected. But for the first time, y/n's cunt swallowed every inch of Quinn possible. Skins slapping and his cock hitting her cervix as she'd dreamed of, his voice in her ears, eyes steady on hers with a primal yet loving gaze as they worked through it together, tits bouncing with every rut and smiles bright with adoration at the reality.

“Cum with me,” he took her lips into his, tongues finding their rhythm as his thrusts lost theirs. “Taking me so well, princess.”

The pool of heat in her core was scorching, her seams of lust on the brink of bursting, Quinn's last few drags of his cock hitting the sweet spot right and a carnal, airy moan rang through his ears, her legs almost shaking. He took her through her orgasm, sticky cum filling the condom, his energy depleting, his hair sticking to his forehead but a fire still burning through his body. He wished he could have seen the display, seen the way she coated his cock creamy. 

He collapsed onto her, not pulling out just yet, he'd do that when his energy regenerated. For now, he lay chest to chest with his head tucked in the crook of her neck, her fingers running over his back muscles delicately as they caught their breaths. She could have stayed like that forever, his voice chanting shameless grunts and sweet nothings like a mantra replaying through her head, refusing to forget the image of him over her body in the most despicable way. What else could they do now? What more? She couldn't resist the temptation of thinking about his kinks, what got him going? What did she do that riled him up? Did he know that his arms were delectable? That she loved when his shirts got tight around his chest? 

“Did I hurt you?” His voice broke the silence.

“It hurt at first slightly but it's okay. You didn’t hurt me.” She smiled, one hand moving to stroke the back of his hair. “Are you good?”

She felt his grin against her neck, “I feel fucking amazing. You feel fucking incredible. You look so pretty, y/n. Always.” 

He was babbling, the comedown still holding onto him. While she did believe every word he said, was it in the moment or forever? She couldn't tell. She wouldn't know. But what she did know was that she didn't regret a single second, and wouldn't change it for the world. And that having him nestled inside her was comfortable, in the most filthy way. 

Quinn pushed himself onto his elbows, giving her a chaste kiss on her lips, “As much as I love this, I gotta clean us up and put clothes on before someone ruins it.” 

*

No one did ruin it. No one even questioned why they were in the same room, y/n waking up to his lips on her neck, leaving butterfly kisses until she'd grab him by the cheeks and kiss his face all over. That was the perk of sneaking into bedrooms for so long, people expected to see her emerge with Quinn, frothy toothbrushes hanging out of mouths and wearing a t-shirt that definitely wasn't hers (and he loved that). Back when they were fifteen, Jim had scolded Quinn for falling asleep with her, even if they did nothing. He received the uncomfortable teen pregnancy lecture that ruined the moment. It was the moment he realised that he would give anything to wake up next to her all the time, her face to be the first thing he saw and to start his day tangled up with her. Ellen wasn't as harsh on him, she knew her eldest wasn't irresponsible like that. Y/n hadn’t received a lecture at all. Her mother asked brutal questions on what they were up to, but her father just said ‘As long as you're not preggers’. He knew his daughter wasn't a fan of children so why would she be irresponsible? But now at seventeen, they’d really done it. And no one would know about it. And the sacrifices they'd make just to wake up next to each other every day. She'd love to see him in his disoriented, brooding state when she woke up, and if you asked Quinn or his family, she'd be the only one brave enough. 

With a dopey grin, Quinn's arms caged y/n into the kitchen counter, pressing himself into her, lips attached to her neck. Since that night, the urge for action became unbearable. The next week was pure sneaking around, making out in empty rooms, subtle touches under tables, hands travelling up clothes indecently far and bedtime shenanigans kept at a low volume. Like now, in the empty kitchen, rolling hips into each other and lips connecting and reconnecting with needy tongues tasting whatever their last drink was. What originally started as grabbing plates and fruit for the neighbourhood barbecue quickly melded into hips being shoved into the counter and being kissed breathless. 

“We can't do this here.” She lightly pushed him off her mouth, hands placing themselves on his pectorals, flat and copping a feel. His hands fell to the small of her back, eyes shifting to the blue bikini top he knew she'd worn just for him.

“Then let's go somewhere we can, pretty girl.” He said playfully, pulling her back to him. 

“Q, the barbecue. The Tkachuks will be here soon and Jim wants you to grill, he won't let Trevor near it again.” She slipped from his hold, taking the bowl of fruits off the counter and leaving through the porch doors, swaying her hips. He clicked his tongue. Matthew and Co would be there soon, but at least she hadn’t swept him under the rug.

When the Tkachuks did arrive, it was more like the Tkachuks and friends as Matthew’s posse also turned up. Not that anyone made a fuss, the Hughes were all for parties, especially ones that brought their kids together. 

One of the girls from Matthew's group, Layla, joined y/n at the garden table, which was arranged beautifully with snacks and plates. Y/n had barely heard the girl approach her until she saw her hand move the bowl of pretzels out of the way for the fruit bowl, and when she looked up she just blinked. Layla was gorgeous, with large, cat-like eyes lined with mascara and pin-straight blonde hair thrown into a bun. 

“Must be rough being in a house of guys all summer, eh?” She smiled softly. 

“Sometimes, s'not always bad. We have fun but the snoring is awful.” Y/n returned the smile, fiddling with her fingers. 

Layla held her arm out, “Come, have some girl time today. Boys are exhausting.” 

She wasn't sure if it was because she agreed with Layla, or if it was because an older and much cooler girl was inviting her willingly to hang out with her, but she looped her arm with Layla’s and was led to Matthew’s group. They were spread out on the outdoor sofa, drinks perched on the table and in their hands, laughing obnoxiously at assumably an inside joke. Y/n skin crawled a little, only a small smile across her lips as the nerves swarmed like a storm. Layla led her to the sofa, and she sat between her and the athletic guy from the driving range. He now wore a backwards cap and plain t-shirt. Nothing special but his name was Colton, going by the name tag that stuck out the collar of his shirt. Although in new territory, the other two girls wearing bikini tops and shorts brought a small dose of solidarity and comfort. At least she didn't stick out like a sore thumb. 

“Y/n! Glad you could join us!” Matthew's proud voice called from the other end of the L-shaped sofa. Her smile widened. Brady was right, Tkachuks did have dashing good looks but up close, Matthew was pretty. Very pretty, too pretty. “Colt, Zack, Ashley, this is y/n, y/n, Colt, Zack and Ashley.” He pointed to each of them.

Matthew was Matthew, pack leader and had a determined glint in his eye. Zack seemed too laid back for his own good, his blond hair still hidden under his cap, Ashley just waved quietly, knees tucked to her chest and Colton? Colton had the same brooding look as Quinn, but his eyes wandered a lot. And his facial hair was patchy. 

“Yo, you’re Quinn's girl, right? From the range?” Colton’s grin wasn't as charming as he thought it was, but his voice was. Gravelly, nice on the ears, not too loud but not mumbled. 

“I mean, kinda but we’re not together-” y/n began, nails scratching her collarbone.

“-nice, thought I recognised you.” 

“You guys will love y/n, Brady talks about her all the time. Did you know they almost fought?” Matthew mused like an excited puppy, even though the fight he was referencing was barely a fight at all. His friends raised their eyebrows, surprised that someone other than Matthew had raised their voice at a Tkachuk. 

“Matt, it was over vodka, it was barely a fight. He’s such a dramatic ass.” Not entirely true, again but rather that than the truth of what it was really about and how it ended. 

Matthew raised his hands in defeat, and Zack laughed. “Surprised Quinn even joined in. Usually, he’s the one huffing off.” 

She rolled her eyes, “He’s alright, fuck off. And it wasn't his first time either, he handled it a lot better than Brady.”

Quinn and Brady stood at the grill, flipping the burgers; Brady in his usual playful manner but Quinn with aggravation, like he wanted to hurt the burgers, charcoal them. They stood in silence, watching y/n with the older Tkachuk and his friends treat y/n like royalty across the garden. Quinn's grip on the tongs so tight his knuckles turned white, his glare sharp as she giggled. Her laugh echoed out through the garden, her real laugh that came from her stomach, the laugh he only heard when it was just the two of them. He flipped the burgers, his brows knitted and lips in a stone-cold frown. How she got so comfortable so soon was beyond his brain, but then again, perhaps the presence of other girls made it better, did she find being cooped up with guys awkward? 

“Quinner, you're staring. It's creepy.” Brady said.

“Am not staring, looking out for her.” He flipped the sausages.

Brady glanced over at his brother, with an almost worried look on his face. Y/n seemed…happy. She was chatting with the girls, poking fun at the boys but she was fitting into their summer nicely. Quinn looked over once again, his skin becoming hot and jaw clenching.

“I know what you're thinking. Matthew wouldn’t do something stupid like that. He may be an asshole sometimes but he's got morals. Besides, he's got the NHL, he wouldn't do something that could ruin that for him.” 

“Sorry…I just,” Quinn sighed, “I'm not used to not having her attention. We've spent almost all of our time together, and it's just…weird. Wanted our little group to hang out and shit. I dunno what's wrong with me dude. I hate when she looks at them like they're the best thing ever. I hate when someone else's name comes out of her mouth, I can't stand the thought of seeing her with someone else.”

“Then why not ask her out already? ‘Cause that sounds a lot like jealousy to me, Quinner.” 

“Why would I be jealous of them? It's complicated.” Quinn grumbled. Truth be told, he didn’t know how she felt. If he got rejected, he'd have to see her every day and act like nothing ever happened. He wouldn't kiss her again, touch her again, hug her again or wake up with her again. He'd be on his own, pining over the girl who didn't want him.

“Whatever, bro. You miss all the shots you don't take. But don't worry about Matt, believe me.” Brady shrugged, and they both watched the group from afar.

“It's not Matthew I'm worried about anymore.” Quinn gritted his teeth and made a mental note that he wasn’t the violent sibling and that punching people wasn't the solution anymore. He watched Colton throw his arm around the back of the sofa behind y/n, leaning in close. And when he thought his worst fears couldn't get worse, they definitely did.

Y/n retracted her shoulders like a frightened tortoise. She really was stuck between Layla and Colton, getting up and suddenly scuttling away just caused a scene. There was only so much fake laughter she could take before it became a chore, Colton had zero humour to his looks, but boy could he sweet talk. Throwing his arm behind her, thumb rubbing over her shoulder while compliments spilt from his mouth and into her ego. Quinn called her pretty all the time, but having a boy other than him call her flowery names released a new batch of butterflies. 

Colton's lips in her ear, mumbling with his husky tone, “Blue's your colour, y/n, anyone ever tell you that?” 

She shook her head. Such a liar, she was such a shameless liar.

“I hardly believe that, like how I don’t believe you when you say you've only had one boyfriend. Pretty girls don't just have one.” His eyes relaxed and became half-lidded, but her tummy flipped and hands clasped together in her lap. He was right. Pretty girls don't have just one boyfriend. They have a guy who calls her pretty girl but she doesn't know if she's just the token female or something meaningful. 

“Only the one. Not a lot of guys think I'm pretty, Colton, not any relevant ones at least.” Her eyes darted to the girls, but they were too caught up in conversation, not even Matthew or Zack could catch her message.

“I think you're pretty.” Colton's finger hooked around the strap of her bikini top, running it up and down the string, “Am I relevant?” 

The attention ignited fires along her skin, jolts of electricity throughout her nerves. An older guy thought she was attractive, that was new. And exciting. But also wrong. And felt like a betrayal, cheating, even if she and Quinn weren't together. But the attention and thrill, guys her age never begged for her, never looked at her the way he did. Even Zack agreed with Colton, proven at the driving range. For the first time in her life, she felt desired, hot. If she could get Colton, who else could she get? 

Before she could make her move, Brady's voice bellowed, informing her that food was ready. Better luck next time.

It's called late-night shenanigans for a reason. And this time as soon as the adults had retreated to bed, Matthew and friends plus Hughes and friends had red solo cups lined in a triangular formation on the garden table, music softly playing in the background while the porchlight gave them enough visibility. Their favourite game, beer pong. With cups full to the brim with cheap beer. The teams split as anyone would have expected them to, and no one made a fuss. 

Team 1: Matthew, Quinn, Brady, Zack, Trevor, Cole Team 2: Colton, Layla, y/n, Ashley, Jack, Luke

Forty-five minutes into the game Team Two (Colton's Canines) were leading. Team One (Matthew’s Hotshots) weren't far behind but Cole and Brady had a terrible aim for hockey players. Y/n's aim was almost too good, but her best-kept secret was that it wasn't her first beer pong game. This was why she was one of the least drunk people standing (Jack and Trevor barely able to stand, Jack doing his best to keep the beer down) aside from Luke, who was only allowed one cup given he was thirteen. 

Brady stumbled to the table, ping pong ball loosely held in his fingers as he lined up his shot, his stance wide to stabilise himself as the world pulsed around him. He would've been alright if the cups contained just beer, but he was the first to discover that it was beer in some cups and vodka orange in others. How it went unnoticed was a mystery, but you're only young once. Brady made his shot, the ball bouncing once skimming the rim of the cup, and missing. Colton's Canines cheered, y/n laughed manically at him, throwing up her middle finger jokingly. Layla retrieved the ball, lining up her shot, releasing but also missing, the other team cheering in return. 

Jack and Trevor's turn rolled around. Colton's Canines with four cups left and Matthew's Hotshots with two. Trevor poked his tongue through his lips, eyes trying to concentrate on the cups in front of him. He hadn’t been this drunk since The Vodka Incident. 

He winked at the girls in front, “Watch this ladies, a kiss if I get it.” He threw too long and missed. 

“Nice one, Trev. That first kiss isn't coming any time soon.” Y/n jested, shaking her head. The other girls giggled.

“Hey, I’ve kissed girls!” 

“Mhm, first time I’m hearing about this, what about you Jack?” 

Jack nodded, “Sure, sure. Anyway, my turn!”

Jack cracked his knuckles, positioned himself and took the shot, the ball bouncing once and landing directly into the cup. The Canines cheered, y/n and Jack throwing their arms around each other and jumping in a circle. Layla and Ashley gave the middle Hughes pecks on his cheeks as he watched Trevor down the cup of beer. One cup to four cups.

Y/n stood opposite Quinn, a bright smile on her face and his lips couldn't resist returning it. They couldn't help it. He didn't think, nor did he hype himself up. If there was one thing Quinn had learnt, it was that Brady was right. You miss every shot you don't take. And so he threw the ball and watched it bounce into a cup with a smug grin, the Tkachuk brothers hooting and hollering. Yet, his eyes remained on hers, gently. She chugged the drink and wiped the remnants from her lips with the back of her hand. 

“When did you get so good at beer pong?” She laughed.

“I had a great teacher.” He shrugged, y/n acted shocked even though they'd been beer pong buddies at every party. When they were split this time, it pained them a little. Being pitted against each other was frankly like the end of the world, never in their lives did they enjoy being out of sync. 

Y/n held the ball between her fingers, closed one eye and lined her shot. Large hands inviting themselves on her hips, Colton's voice in her ears and his breath unpleasant on her neck. If she weren't the centre of attention she would have jolted away, but the win was so close and Quinn’s arms were not so far. The ball bounced into the Hotshots final cup, Matthew and Brady both throwing themselves dramatically into Quinn, Cole and Trevor falling to their knees in despair. But Quinn's eyes pricked tears as he stood still and a rock. The Canines jumped for joy in each other's arms, hugging and laughing. Except y/n. She never got the chance. Before she had any time to even step away from the table, Colton's mouth latched onto hers, her hands moving to his chest. Quinn wiggled his way out of the Tkachuks, mumbling something about breaking the seal. 

The bathroom door swung open and slammed behind Quinn. His hands gripped the basin as he did his best to choke back his tears. Why did it hurt? Y/n was supposed to run into his arms like she always did and they’d hug longer than friends would, until eternity. But no one would question that because they were long-time friends. They were friends. So why did it tear his heart to shreds when the lips he devoured earlier that day melted into the lips of another? What was so fucking great about Matthew? Or Colton? And why was he such a coward?

Y/n pushed Colton off her, startled and heart-yearning for comfort. But he was gone. 

“Quite a shot you have,” Colton smirked, “C'mon, princess, I can give you my address and we can see what other party tricks you got.” 

“Pass.” Gross. Only Quinn got to call her that, but he was nowhere to be seen after she knew he'd disappeared, like he always did when upset. 

“Sure? Because it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, think about it. You could be losing your virginity to someone who knows what they're doing-” he never finished his speech. Zack called him over, letting him know that they were heading out for the clubs and with that Colton was gone. As if y/n never existed. Little did he know, though, that his offer was pointless. Little did he know.

Even after agreeing that The Vodka Incident would not happen again, the usual suspects (even Quinn had returned, but with a face of thunder), mostly drunk, sat around the fire pit, with cups of leftover beer and vodka orange. Luke joined in this time, though Jack wouldn't let him drink any alcohol. A small sense of deja vu washed over, memories of the last fire pit night bringing a small smile to her lips as she sloshed the beer in her cup around. 

“I'm gonna be really real here, and you guys should too,” Brady pointed around the circle with his cup in hand, “I had my first kiss last year. Horrible.”

“Oh yeah? Explain.” Cole asked, raising his eyebrows and taking a sip of his drink.

“Neither of us knew what the fuck we were doing and we'd both just eaten tacos so yeah. Didn't taste nor feel great at all.” 

“Nasty. Bro, at least pop a mint beforehand. I kissed two girls a couple of years ago, it was okay. Nothin’ special, but we did crash teeth for one of them. That was awkward.” Jack chuckled, almost cringing at the memory. 

“Poor girl, the kiss probably meant something special to her, Rowdy.” Y/n absently pitched in, feeling Quinn's eyes on her, as if to say ‘What happens in my room, stays in my room.’ Was he ashamed of it? What was so bad about the kiss? Or kisses? 

“Of course, you'd say that,” Jack rolled his eyes, adjusting the backward hat on his head.

“What about you Trev? I know we joke about it but have you actually kissed anyone?” She sipped her drink.

“Doesn't matter. What about you, huh? Bet you haven't. Anyway, Cole hasn't either, or Luke. So I'm not the only loser.” Defensive Trevor was an amusing Trevor, he huffed his cheeks and flushed red. 

“I have. Fifteen. It was good, actually. One of the most memorable.” She crossed her leg over the other and leaned back in her chair, ignoring the shit-eating grin on Brady's face. Quinn said nothing, and nor did he want to say anything. He just sank further into his seat and finished his vodka orange, stuffing the cup into the chair's cup holder. “Brady, you ever made out with someone? You said that no one could resist a Tkachuk.”

“Ah, well- almost okay? Her dad turned up and we had to stop. Can't believe the guy, honestly.” The group laughed at his stammering, except Quinn, who'd probably heard the story a thousand times. “You think it's funny, y/n? What about you, huh?”

She leant forwards, hands gripping the armrests and the same shit-eating grin smeared on her lips, “Yeah, and it was hot. Would do it all over again.”

“Brady, you're forgetting Colton literally shoved his tongue in her mouth over an hour ago,” Trevor exclaimed, the musketeers giggling over the crackling of the flames.

Quinn's glare thickened, and Brady caught sight of it. Luke did too as he watched his brother abruptly stand up and head for the kitchen, his feet heavy on the porch steps. Her eyes softened and followed him, watching him slide the doors open with an aggravation alien for him. 

“I'll be right back.” She spoke over Jack.

Jogging in her flip flops up the stairs and into the kitchen, closing the door gently. Cautiously, she followed Quinn to the fridge, watching him yank a Fanta from the shelf and close the door harshly.

“Hey Q, are you okay?” She asked with a small voice, picking the skin on her thumb.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” He pulled the can's tab, the fizz echoing through the empty room. It was always ‘I'm good’, never ‘I'm fine’. She'd known him long enough to know something like that, like how he always removed himself when he was in a bad mood, scared to hurt someone's feelings. “Shouldn't you be with your new boyfriends?” 

He grumbled, barely looking her in the eye as he moved to leave out the porch doors, but she blocked his path, standing almost chest to chest with him, looking up. She hated that she found it attractive when he was mad, his voice always dropped. “No. We haven't talked properly all day.”

“So now you wanna talk?” He spun on his heel, slamming the can into the marble counter and pacing in the kitchen with one hand on his hip and the other running through his hair. It wasn't the time for the conversation, but a monster inside him taunted him with the idea that they may never have another opportunity.

“Yes. So, what? And who are you-” She folded her arms, but he interrupted.

“-Oh don't play this game! I saw the way you were looking at Matthew, everyone saw. And Colton? You let him have a field day. How'd he taste? Like cheap beer and cigarettes? Or an adolescence of putting you before himself?” He snapped, staring as if waiting for an answer. She'd never seen or heard him yell like that. Fuck, Quinn had never properly yelled at her. Jack and Luke had relayed stories about what Quinn did to his teammates when they humiliated her, or what a pissed-off Quinn sounded like. But they were his brothers, he was supposed to get annoyed at them, he wasn't supposed to get annoyed with his best friend. He hadn’t even yelled at Trevor like that, and that was saying something. 

Putting you before himself. Her stomach emptied, just a pit of guilt spiralling yet her heartstrings yanked and toyed with. She couldn't bear to see him like that, his jealousy manipulated him in ways he had no idea could happen. She learned he was possessive, and she thought it was sweet. She liked it. But she wasn't his so why should she like it so much? There. She wasn't his. Not officially. Their attraction was obvious, lustful. But did he feel the same as her? Did his heart slow when tangled in each other's arms? Did he find her utterly intoxicating, wanting to kiss and fuck with love not just because they can and because it's easy to? Maybe her hints were too subtle, maybe she was too nice to Mila that one time. Maybe her glares in the hallways weren't threatening enough. Words left unsaid, they were convenient for each other, just like the kids at school said. Friends with benefits. Yeah, that's what they were. And it used to keep the peace.

She never answered his question, but it did eat at her. “Quinn, what the fuck? Look, I'm sorry I upset you, I really am, you know I am. You know I never want to hurt you but can you blame a girl for wanting to hang out with other girls? I had no idea where Layla was leading me, and I don't know what came over me. Just, having guys call you pretty does things, emotional things and it's different when you do it because we're friends. And I know you're pissed about beer pong, if I could have been with you I would have 'cause I did not ask nor want to be kissed like that,” She pleaded, watching his eyes gloss over as he sniffed. The last thing she wanted to do was make him cry. Then she remembered that all of whatever was going on between them was nothing but fun, and Quinn was the one who showed her that. “But why do you care so much about a fucking kiss? We're not even together.”

He turned away and sighed, face buried in his hands. He didn’t mean to shout. He didn't want to cry but the tears welled and rolled down his cheeks. He wiped his eyes with his palms, heart pulsing in his ears and with the little energy he had left, he turned again to face her. 

“I care because I thought we were something, y/n. I thought this,” he gestured between them, voice trembling, “meant something real. Friends don't do the shit we do. I hated the way he touched you, you're supposed to be mine.” 

Her eyes watered, bottom lip quivering, hearing confession so raw. The confession of a confused and broken young man. They were only seventeen but the level of emotion in their argument made them sound like they were going through a horrendous break-up after a long-term relationship. “Am I? That didn't matter when you were shoving your tongue down Chloe's throat. I thought we were something too, Quinn.” 

The night she needed him the most, the night Leo dumped her, she found him in cahoots with some girl in their cohort. That was the moment she realised that perhaps she was just a placeholder. 

Quinn groaned in frustration, not at y/n, but at himself but there was no excuse left for him to make as he spat venom at her, “Like you, she took me by surprise. We were drunk. But didn't think you'd hold onto that since Matthew is soooo dreamy and tall and pretty, probably hoped it was him trying to rip your clothes off, hoped Colton would make him jealous. That's why you've been using me as practice, for someone better, huh?”

“Fuck you, Quintin!” she screamed, “the fuck are you talking about? Using you? Is that how little you think of me?” 

He pointed at her, firmly, “You and I both know it wasn't supposed to go this far!”

The silence that fell on them was thick and uncomfortable. Their gazes locked into each other as chests panted. Tears streamed from red, sore eyes as arms fell to their sides. Neither party felt victorious, deep down they really wished they hadn't said a word at all but the lake house makes emotions surge and disturb the serenity. It always had, with and without y/n, Cole and Trevor. He just wished he’d said something sooner, then he wouldn't have lost her like that. Once again, he was a coward and let her slip through his fingers. 

Y/n exhaled deeply, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, “Maybe. But part of me was glad it did,” her voice calmest as she stepped backwards and started heading out the patio doors, “Oh, and for what it's worth, I shoved him off. He didn't taste like hot chocolate and popcorn on a winter's evening. I’d choose that over anything.”  

And she left for the boys. Quinn's heart dropped and shattered, the tears falling like waterfalls and he didn't even want the drink anymore. He left it on the counter and shuffled upstairs. Hot chocolate and popcorn on a winter's evening. Their hockey game combo they share, just the two of them and they had been doing that since they'd met at ten years old. 

*

Y/n didn't sleep in Quinn's room after that. She didn't speak to him for the next passing week, occupying herself with Luke or Cole. She played video games with Luke, baked cookies with him, took him and Cole out on the boat (just to spite Quinn), and played pool in the basement. Quinn watched, unable to exit the proximity of them. He wasn't seething. He was deflated. Like a sad, wet, cat. Most of all, he was lonely. And he hated sleeping alone. 

Jack placed his plate next to the sink, watching Quinn's shoulders slump at yet another dish to clean. Sunday's were his day to clean dinner dishes, and usually, y/n helped him dry and put them away, but since he'd bitten her head off a week ago, he struggled alone. Jack hated seeing his brother dejected, it was the same hollow eyes that a lost hockey game caused. One where you tried so hard just to fuck it up. He grabbed the tea towel off the oven’s handle and started drying the dripping dishes from the draining board.

The middle Hughes. Rowdy with ambition in his blood, but also a brother. Jack took a plate, “Sooo, y/n's been spoiling Luke a lot this week. Why'd you get demoted?” 

Quinn glared from the corner of his eye. He knew Jack just wanted to lighten the mood, but he also knew he wasn't tuned in with comfort at his age. “I fucked up. Said something I shouldn't have said, an in-the-moment thing.”

“Like?” Jack placed a plate down, taking another like a system in a machine, Quinn washed, he dried, plate added to the pile.

“I- It's-,” Quinn stammered, remembering that no one had a clue what they were up to, “We just had a misunderstanding and instead of being mature about it, I said some stupid things.”

Jack thought hard, barely looking at him and set his gaze out the window into the garden, watching his dad put the covering over the boat. “You're my big brother, and if you think for a second that I'm gonna take that as an answer, you're wrong. At least tell me the root cause of it.” 

Quinn paused, his tone coming across as more irritated than intended, “I was jealous, Jack...sorry. And I walked off instead of apologising and here we are.”

“You're a real idiot, you know that, right?” 

*

Sunday night, a whole week of sleepless nights due to Trevor. And even Cole had started getting irritated. How could one guy snore so badly? And he was only sixteen. She lay wide awake, eyes fixed on the ceiling. Had she been too harsh on Quinn? Was silent treatment really necessary? She wouldn't have been surprised if Quinn was miserable too, they had been each other's pillars for years. 

Her trance of thoughts was broken by a ‘thud’ from the bed. She shot up, only to see Cole's pillow over Trevor's face, a disgruntled Cole still gripping it.

“Smothering crosses my mind.” He deadpanned.

Trevor sat up with urgency, letting the pillow fall into his lap, tank top crumpled to his stomach, “What the fuck? Why are you two awake? You should sleep.”

“Dude, your snoring is so bad, you gotta do something about it,” Cole said, taking back his pillow.

“I literally have to move rooms because of it.” She added, laying back down.

“Then why are you here?” Trevor lay back down, pulling the duvet to his chest. “Actually, why haven't you been with Quinn this week?”

She hesitated, “Q and I had an argument. We're not on speaking terms. And honestly, I don't think he wants to see me.”

All three of them lay facing the ceiling, listening to the whirr of the fan fill the void. The boys knew something was wrong, Quinn and y/n's separation wasn't hard to miss but keeping normality was best. Nobody wanted a ruined summer. 

“I think all he wants is to see you. You're his world and he just mopes without you. What was it about?” Cole's voice was soft and quiet so Jim or Ellen wouldn't come barging in again. That happened once when they were younger, all three had the giggles and Jim had to threaten to separate them. 

“Just a stupid misunderstanding. He said shit, I said shit and we both just hurt each other in the end…” she sighed, “I don't know what to do, guys.” 

They didn't pry, they weren't sure if they wanted to know what was said. After so many years of watching Quinn and y/n hopelessly pine over each other, an argument couldn't ruin that. 

“Well, as a start you could apologise. Make up, make out, whatever you two do. And for fucks sake, just talk. Like, really talk about whatever's going on.” Trevor replied, not really knowing what he was saying but he tried to be helpful when he could. 

She kicked the sheets off and opened the guest room door and whispered, ‘Thanks’ before slipping out. He didn’t mean right then and there but he shrugged, letting Cole fall asleep first before his snoring continued. 

Like a creep, she stood with her back against his door, mustering up the courage to talk and pushing her pride aside. She sighed and tiptoed over to his bed, and lay on her back next to him. His sheets were warm and cosy but heat radiated off his body. Neither said anything, but he felt her presence and it took everything he had to not engulf her in a hug and spill his apologies, he was still an insecure young man deep down. But hearing her breathing, he was also weak. 

“Hi,” she greeted into the silence, voice above a whisper. Quinn slowly turned over, threw his arm over her torso and buried his face into her neck. She didn't respond for a few seconds, but when she wrapped her arms around him, his chest fell weightless. “I'm so sorry, Q.” She mumbled into his shoulder, fingers finding themselves in his hair.

“No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come at you like that or said any of those things,” he pushed himself onto to elbows, eyes glassy but red, “I was jealous and I took it out on you. I'm so, so sorry.”

“I shouldn't have brought things up either, seeing you with a girl just…yeah, makes me jealous too, especially because neither of us communicated well. I take back everything I said, except the last bit.” She smiled slightly, her palm on his cheek. 

“I missed you,” his lips fell into a sad smile, his head falling onto her chest. 

“I missed you too.” She held him tight, “Why did you think I was using you?”

“Some kid at school brought the idea of just being convenient. And then when Brady came over with the vodka, you said Matthew was attractive. And I stupidly put the two together. Regretted it when you mentioned hot chocolate. I should've helped you, but instead, I got jealous and ran away.” His voice was hoarse, hand slipping under her shirt and thumb rubbing the skin on her stomach.

“It's okay. I should've helped you at the party instead of crying like a bitch. Guess we're both stupid.” She chuckled.

Minutes passed and neither dozed off, but neither spoke. His thumb caressed her skin, while her fingers played with his hair, their breathing pattern slowly falling into a synchronised rhythm. Once again, they lay in his bed, tangled in each other's limbs and once again they both rendered the same question. If they hadn't been afraid of all the possible answers, they could be happily skipping through meadows or sleeping alone again. 

She took a deep breath, and he felt her chest rise and fall. With enough courage, she muttered, “Q? What are we?”

He didn't answer immediately, but he pulled his hand from her shirt and hovered over her body, his eyes following hers: lips to eyes, lips to eyes.

“More than friends.” He licked his lips, but he couldn't read her expression, “I don't wanna be friends with benefits, and I don't wanna just be your best friend anymore.”

“Quinn…” 

He clambered off her and sat against the headboard on his side of the bed. Giving her no chance to react, he pulled her onto his lap, her thighs straddling his. Quinn's hands cupped the globes of her ass, and the soft flesh reminded him of how much he missed kneading and pawing at them. 

“Please, let me get this off my chest, I've been a coward.” He started, the fire inside him igniting when her palms slid down his chest and sat comfortably on his pectorals. Where they belonged, if you asked him. Quinn wasn't good with words, or feelings, it was something all the brothers had in common, and y/n eyebrow raised at how choked up he suddenly became when admitting to trying to not be a coward. “Shit, this is harder than I thought. Fuck- Uh, okay. When I said I spent my adolescence putting you before myself, I meant it. Valentine's Day, when we were fifteen, I meant to give you those chocolates after the second period, but my friends roped me into helping someone ask this girl out. That evening when you came to see if I was okay, and we fell asleep for the first time, my heart went crazy, I was sweating so much ‘cause I wanted you to be comfortable and I hoped you enjoyed it as much as I did.”

She took his face into her hands, feeling the heat rise in his skin and spill his mind. He pulled her closer to him, her stomach tingling at the way he massaged the flesh like his personal stress toy.

“Remember the concert? You clung onto me like I was your lifeline, I wanted to kiss you right then and there. And the Maple Leafs game, God after the Maple Leafs game. I'll never forget the way you looked at me like I was fucking treasure. Like I was your everything.” He stopped his babbling, hands giving her ass a rest and holding onto her hips, a small part of him kicking himself for sitting her too close to his crotch. 

“I never wanna hear you say that you're not good with words again.” Y/n felt her heart pound in her throat, stars in her eyes at every word of his laced with a sweet desire for redemption. “Every second I've ever shared with you was the highlight of my life. Since the day we met, you've been everything. I just wanted to be your everything too.”

“I feel like the luckiest man alive. Every day, all the time.” A glint of carnal passion glazed over his eyes as they steadied on hers. Her thumbs rubbed his cheekbones, his hands holding onto her for dear life. She couldn't stop her lip from quivering, the emotions that swirled had to be released. The butterflies had to be set free, the fluttering raging and heat in her core inappropriately bubbling. Quinn's room was silent, just the hum of his fan filling the crumbs of awkwardness as they refrained from pouncing on each other. He took a deep breath, puffed his chest out and took a risk bigger than any he'd taken in hockey, a risk with worse consequences. He could get over hockey but he couldn't get over her smile, or laugh, or existence. “Y/n, I have been in love with you since we were fifteen. You're the only person who makes me feel this way.”

“Q,” She breathed, pushing herself into him, closing the painful gap between them and connecting their lips into a long kiss, “Can we be real? Like, boyfriend-girlfriend real?”

He nodded, planting kisses over her face and down her neck, “Yes. Yes, please. You're mine and I wanna be yours. God, you have no idea how happy I was when you told me you didn't kiss Leo, you were still all mine.”

She giggled, his breath on her neck tickling her skin and the arousal pooling in her stomach dripping into her underwear, “Come here, I wanna kiss my boyfriend. Maybe show him how much he means to me.” 

She kissed him softly, hands sliding from his cheeks to the back of his neck, where her fingers tangled between the curls on the nape of his neck, tugging gently to tease a grunt or groan from him. His grip on her hips loosened, and his hands ran along her thighs until they groped at her ass again, encouraging her to roll her hips into his. They'd kissed before, but this time it was meaningful. It was something clear, not a bundle of questions of ‘what ifs’. When her teeth gently bit his lower lip, to refuse would have made him a criminal. The bliss that cradled him when their tongues met once again was different too, it was just his to taste. No one else's, he could lap at hers until they dribbled down their chins, delirium rushing to their heads when they moaned and whimpered when someone pulled away to breathe. 

The best part was the peace of mind. She didn't have to think about anyone touching him the way she did as she slipped their shirts over their heads again, hands roaming each other's curves and dips like it was their first time all over again. Before Quinn knew it, his hand was rummaging through his nightstand again, her clothes would be on his bedroom floor, his skin would be pressed against hers, and they would be under his sheets, rasping and whining as quietly as possible as his cock hit new angles, or as her throat took more than either had thought. The difference this time was that having sex came with a meaning, a feeling other than lust. It wasn’t a fun game, it was intimate and exclusive. It was with the red thread of fate, tied around their pinkie fingers, and it had finally led them into a sublime vicinity.

The usual suspects sat where the best times of their lives began. The night was young, the sun only just falling into slumber as the crickets chirped. Wrapped up in hoodies and lounging in lawn chairs, summer evenings nearly ended the same every day. Brady, y/n and Quinn with a box of beer between them, Trevor, Jack, Cole and Luke with non-alcoholic equivalents y/n had found, even though she’d seen them grab a real bottle when they thought they were slick, around the fire pit at the lake house. 

The harrowing thing about good times is that they fly too fast, and you're left wondering why you didn't have enough time. There are two kinds of people. People like Quinn who prepared to open a new chapter in his story, a new door in his life. And people like y/n who clawed at the door to keep it open, screaming for more time. Not more time with Quinn, they both got into the University of Michigan and after a year of dating, they still had many in their journey. But Brady was off to Boston University, and Jack, Cole, Trevor and Luke still had high school and their lives together would carry on. 

Brady broke the silence first, “Do you guys have any regrets?”

He didn't expect Luke to answer, given his life had only just begun.

“I regret not talking more to new people,” Cole replied, listening to the crackling of the burning wood. “Feel like I would have friends like Jack and Trevor, be remembered as me not known as ‘Jack and Trevor's friend’, yunno?“

“Dude, no! People know you as Cole! You're not just a third wheel!” Jack protested, hurt in his tone. 

“Cole, you're not our third wheel! We love you, buddy!” Trevor added, his guilt creeping up on him. 

“I don't have any, yet. Aside from being born so far apart from you losers.” Luke smirked, all smug like fourteen-year-olds were. Y/n grinned and shook her head at him. If there was one person who had a soft spot in her heart, it would always be Luke. 

“And it better stay that way,” she laughed, “Luke, I just wanna put you in my pocket and take you everywhere.” 

“Ahem, what about us?” Jack gasped dramatically, pointing at himself and his two musketeers. 

“Ew, you're annoying and Trevor’s snoring can only get fucking worse. Cole and I actually considered smothering him once!” y/n joked, looking around the group to see smiles. 

The laughter died down, and they went back to sipping drinks and watching the fire, minds wandering in separate directions.

“You guys will come visit, right?” Trevor asked, his voice the quietest it had ever been. 

“Of course. We'll be back during the summer, and we can hang out again.” y/n's voice was the softest it could have been with Trevor, usually she nagged as if she were his older sister. 

*

All good things must come to an end, and carefree days slowly dissipated for Quinn, y/n and Brady. The three stood out the front of the Hughes lake house, waiting for Matthew to pick Brady up on his way through. Not one of them dared to say much. They'd had their sappy talks earlier and if they started again late at night, tears were guaranteed. Especially since both boys were due in the upcoming NHL draft, that was one of the scariest parts. 

But she did say something. She wasn't sure if she'd ever see Brady again, and while she hadn’t known him long, she kept him close. 

She held her fist out to the middle Tkachuk with soft eyes, “Good luck, Brady. At Boston and in the draft.”

Brady breathed and pulled her by her wrist into a sudden bear hug, “Thanks, y/n. Good luck at Michigan. And if Quinner ever hurts you, you tell me, okay?”

She giggled as they pulled away, “Got it. Hear that Q?” 

Quinn playfully rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah. God, as if I'd want to do that…or have Brady rock up at my door ready to hit me.”

“I've done it before and I'll do it again!” 

Shortly after, Matthew's truck pulled up. The three bid their final goodbyes of the summer before Quinn and y/n watched the Tkachuks disappear down the road. 

“He'll go far, Q. So fucking far.” She uttered, her eyes wide with a childlike admiration. 

Quinn snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her into his side, “Too far for his own good.”

“And I expect to see you both on TV, okay? Don't hit each other though, leave Brady and Matthew to brawl.” 

“I'll do my best.” He paused, his smile fading, “What happens if I get drafted? What happens next?”

“You'll get drafted, and you'll either jump straight in or play at UMich for a bit. I'll finish university and who knows? We'll call and text, we'll figure it out and we'll see each other in the summer. Right here. I'll go wherever you go.”

“But what do you want to do? Like after you graduate? I don't wanna hold you back.” 

She cupped his cheek, “I don’t know. I don't know yet. I'll probably do something media or hockey-based, you know that.”

He nodded, giving her a slow and warm kiss on her lips, as if he were to never kiss them again, savouring the flowers that bloomed inside, all the fireworks exploding at once and the reassurance that in the end, he got his girl. The future was scary, and no one could know what would come next. But y/n finally stopped clawing at the closing door that she desperately tried to keep open, and hand in hand followed Quinn into the next chapter of their story. 

“I love you, Q.” 

“I love you too, y/n.”

[Masterlist]

[Requests CLOSED]

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