#as always i am thinking but tonight i am really thinking about luke hughes

[t1erradelfuego]

[puckinghischier]

Surprise…?

Luke Hughes x fem!reader

summary: luke gets hurt during a game

notes: y’all i think i struggle writing luke for some reason. i just never seem to really like what i write when i write for him. wtf am i doing wrong 😩

request: can you do a post on luke Hughes getting badly injured the game at umich and both older brothers are there and get worried over him and major fluff

i strayed away a bit from the michigan aspect because i don’t feel comfy writing about college hockey players, so i changed it up a bit. i hope you still enjoy!! 🫶🏼

[3.3k]

~

There weren’t many times you regretted moving to Jersey, but right now was one of them. The constant traffic within the city wasn’t something that usually got under your skin, but today it was the absolute bane of your existence. Of course, you were in a hurry. A big one. You had approximately thirty minutes until puck drop, and you needed to get there before that puck hit that ice. No exceptions. You hadn’t told Luke what you were doing, so he probably already expected you to be there, wondering why you’re not in your usual seat for warm-ups.

As if he could hear your thoughts, your phone buzzed with a message from Luke, not being able to read what it said while trying to weave in and out of traffic.

“Quinn, can you see what Luke just sent. And then tell him I’m on my way. I don’t want him worrying that I’m not showing tonight,” you ask the Hughes brother currently in your passenger seat.

Quinn grabbed your phone from the cupholder, listening to you rattle off your passcode so he can open Luke’s message.

“He asked where you were, and if you were already there. Wanted to know why you weren’t in your seat for warm ups,” Quinn confirms your thoughts, looking to you for an answer.

“Tell him I’m just running late. Be there before puck drop. And tell him I love him and good luck.”

You hear the sound of Quinn typing your reply as you increase your speed, cursing the people who want to drive below the speed limit in the fast lane. This is what you get for trying to be a good girlfriend and surprise your boyfriend and his brother. You get stuck on the road with New Jersey’s worst drivers.

In your defense, you were supposed to already be safely at the arena in your seats, but Quinn’s airline had different plans. His flight being delayed by three hours gave you barely enough time to run and grab him from the airport and make it back to the Rock before the hockey game started. The only thing saving your ass right now is the fact that if you can just get there, you can go through the player entrance and avoid the crowds trying to get in at the last minute.

“If you don’t calm down and drive like a sane person, we’re never going to get there. We’ll be squashed on the side of the road,” Quinn scolds you, grasping what your dad always called the ‘oh shit’ handles.

“If I can just get around these idiots in front of me we’ll be fine. We’re almost at our exit, then I just have to pull around back and we’re in,” you tell him, once again pressing the gas pedal a little harder.

Quinn stays silent the rest of the drive, closing his eyes once you start speeding around the other cars on the freeway, finally getting to the right exit and rushing to the underground parking that the players always park in. You pull your car into the spot next to Jack’s, barely even turning the car off before you’re jumping out and sprinting to the entrance.

“C’mon, Quinn! I know you can move faster than that! We only have a few minutes! Move it!” You yell over your shoulder, Quinn barely having gotten out of the car.

“Remind me to never let you drive ever again,” is all he says as he catches up to you, looking a little greener than before.

The two of you make it inside the arena with no issues, sprinting to your seats just as the national anthem finishes, both teams sending their starting lines out on the ice.

You had managed to snag Quinn a seat next to you, asking the team’s manager for a favor to help surprise their rookie defenseman. With no hesitation, he handed you a ticket and a locker room pass for Quinn, knowing how homesick Luke had been lately. You had thanked him a million times, asking him to keep it a secret from both Jack and Luke, not wanting either one of them to know until the day of. He gave you his word, and was also the reason you were given access to the player parking for the night, not wanting Quinn to be ambushed by fans going through the regular entrance.

You felt your heart rate start to slow once you were both situated in your seats, glad that you had made it in time. Neither Jack nor Luke had looked over and noticed you yet. You wondered if they were going to clock Quinn before they took their stances on the ice.

Your question was soon answered as Jack looked back and saw you, waving and turning to get Luke’s attention before he did a double take, noticing the brunette sitting to you left. Quinn gave a small wave, flashing his younger brother a smile as you watched Jack’s eyes widen, mouth curving into beaming smile. Luke had turned back, looking in your direction, a relieved smile on his face once he noticed you were finally in your spot, eyes too focused on your figure to notice Quinn’s next to you. It wasn’t until he looked over at Jack and followed his gaze that he finally noticed his oldest brother in the crowd, a Devil’s hat on his head.

Luke’s eyes flicked over to you once again, mouthing ‘what the fuck?’ to you, your only response a shrug of the shoulders and a smirk on your face.

The two brothers quickly focused their attention to the officials on the ice, lowered into their stances, waiting for the puck to drop onto the ice.

“You know they’re going to compete now, right?” Quinn says as he elbows you to get your attention.

“Why would they compete? They’re literally playing for the same team. It doesn’t matter who scores as long as the team wins,” you respond, confused at Quinn’s words.

“It matters now. They do the same thing when mom or dad come to watch them. They want the praise. They want to be able to out perform the other so they can brag about it to me after the game,” Quinn clarifies.

“I don’t know about that. Jack’s been good about trying to set Luke up for success all year, I think they’ll surprise you.”

Quinn gives you a skeptical look, not believing your words, but lets it go otherwise; his attention quickly stolen by the sound of the puck hitting the ice, followed by clashing sticks and skates scraping against the frozen floor.

Much to your surprise, Quinn proved to be right. All throughout the first period, the two brothers fought to get the puck, sometimes even fighting against one another. You noticed the odd looks from their teammates, Nico even skating over to Jack during a tv timeout to ask him what was up, not having seen the pair act like this before. You kept throwing glares at Luke, trying to tell him to knock it off, that they’re playing for the same team, but he wouldn’t look at you for more than a few seconds at a time.

As the second period started, the competition between Jack and Luke had nearly ceased to exist. You assumed they got their asses chewed in the locker room during the intermission, noting how their coach seemed to watch them like a hawk. Once the brothers started actually playing together instead of against one another, the Devil’s were scoring goals left and right, putting up four goals before the end of the second period, one Luke’s and two being Jack’s.

With only three minutes left in the second period, Luke was attempting to get possession of the puck from behind the net, fighting two of the opposing players for the black piece of rubber. He lost control of the puck, and in a moment of frustration, pushed one of the enemy players in the back, wanting out of the sandwich they had put him in. The player he pushed fell forward onto the ice, drawing a penalty on Luke. The official had blown the whistle, stopping gameplay, when Luke looked over at him, frustrated at the call.

What Luke didn’t see was the player who had gotten the puck come skating up behind him at full speed, pushing Luke so hard his skates came out from under him, causing him to land on the ice on his back. He was angled just enough, though, that his body slid at high speed straight into the bottom of the wall a few feet away, head bouncing off the boards along the ice.

You were on your feet immediately, hands flying to the glass in front of you, begging for him to get up. Quinn jumped to his feet next to you, placing a hand on your shoulder, whether to comfort you or himself, you don’t know. Jack leaves his spot on the bench to skate over to his brother, falling to his knees on the ice, hovering above Luke.

Luke hadn’t moved yet. Not a foot twitch, a roll over in pain, or a thumbs up to let anyone know he’s okay. He’s laying lifeless on the ice, trainers calling his name, careful not to touch his head or neck. Your hand flies to cover your mouth, a sob making its way out of you when you noticed the stretcher being put on stand-by near the tunnel. Everything feels like it’s in slow motion, time stopped as Luke continues to lay, unmoving. Quinn tries to move you back from the glass, averting your attention from the scene in front of you, but your eyes are glued to Luke’s body.

You thought you imagined the twitch of his foot, thinking it was where the medics were tapping his leg, trying to coax him awake. When you finally see his body try to roll over, you let out the breath that you didn’t even know you were holding. Your relief was short-lived, however, when you hear the scream that makes its way out of Luke’s throat. You’re not sure which one hurt worse, him lying there not moving or the scream of agony that’s currently echoing through the arena.

Your knees start to give out, eyes blurring from the tears falling down your face. Quinn catches you as you slide down the glass, holding your sobbing figure in a crouched position.

“Quinn, gotta go. Gotta go, locker rooms,” you manage to say between sobs, trying to stand and make your way out of the stands.

“Okay, yeah, let’s go. Let’s get you out of here.”

The fans watch as Quinn guides you out of your seats and up the stairs. Most of them familiar with you, you and Luke not being super private with your relationship. A lot of them are still shouting obscenities at the player who went after Luke, demanding he be suspended. Some of them give you sad smiles as you pass, hoping your rookie is okay.

You finally reach the entrance to the training room, knowing this is where they’ll have taken him before they decide if he needs a hospital or not. You can hear them in there talking to him, unsure if you should enter yet or wait on someone to come out and get you. You stand at the doors, staring into space, when Quinn decides to speak up.

“He’s gonna be fine, Y/N. Probably a gnarly bruise, and likely a concussion, but it could’ve been worse. I know its scary, but I promise, he’s going to be okay. Might not even miss more than a game or two.”

All you can do is nod at the words, unable to do much else at the moment. You try to give a small smile, but you think it comes across as more of a grimace. You turn your head when you hear the door to the training room opens, revealing one of the team trainers.

“Oh, good, you’re already down here. He’s asking for you. Wants you to know he’s awake and okay. Nothing’s broken, just banged up and a mild concussion. Probably going to have him follow up with a doctor tomorrow, but for now he just needs rest. You can go ahead and go in. He won’t be playing the rest of the night,” the man in front of you finishes, stepping aside so you can walk through the open door.

You turn back to look at Quinn, seeing if he’s going to come with you.

“I’ll just give you two a minute first. Go ahead, I’ll be right behind you,” he tells you, wanting a minute to process his own emotions before seeing his baby brother.

You nod and turn to walk into the training room, following the trainer down a short hallway before turning the corner into a room with three different treatment tables, Luke’s long body taking up the farthest one. His head is laying back on a pillow, a large ice pack taped to his right shoulder. His gear is laying in a pile on the floor next to him, completely bare from the waist up. As you get closer, you can see the already purple skin forming in the exposed parts of his shoulder and upper arm. You gasp quietly at the bruised skin, causing Luke’s head to snap up at the sound.

“Hey, pretty girl,” he rasps out, voice raw from his screams earlier.

You stop on the side of the bed opposite to his injury, unable to say anything yet. Tears still streaming down your face, looking him over for any other signs of injury.

“Hey, no need to cry, angel. I’m okay, see. Just a little bruise. Nothing to be worried about. You should see the other guy,” he tries to joke, being told he left a dent in the wall where he hit.

You glare at him through your tears, unhappy with his weak attempt at joke.

“Okay, yeah, maybe not the time to joke just yet,” he brings the hand on his good arm up to rub the back of his neck, looking away from your tear-stained face.

“You were unconscious, Luke…you weren’t moving,” is all you managed, staring at his injured shoulder.

“I know, baby, I know. But I’m awake now, see?” he gestures towards his body with his good arm. “I’m just fine. Yapping ability unaffected,” he once again tries to bring a smile to your face, this time it almost works.

“God, Luke, if you could’ve heard the scream you let out,” you shudder at the memory. “It was the worst sound I’ve ever heard in my life. I thought my heart was going to rip in two right there on the spot. I don’t ever want to hear the sound again,” you finally look at his face, noting the small cut on his forehead, you assume from his helmet.

“Y/N, I’m so sorry you had to witness all of it. I can’t imagine how it must’ve looked,” his tone apologetic. “If the roles were reversed, I don’t think I would have been able to keep myself from trying to climb over the glass to get to you. But I promise, sweetheart, I’m fine. Told me as long as my head’s fine I should only have to miss two or three games to let the bruise run its course,” he grabs your hand, rubbing small circles with his thumb.

“It was just so scary, Luke,” you sniffle, closing your eyes for a brief moment. You finally start to calm down now that his hand is in yours.

“I know. But now you get to play doctor and take care of me for a few days. Kiss all my boo boo’s better,” Luke wiggles his eyebrows at you, finally earning that laugh he’s been trying to get out of you since you walked in.

“That was probably one of the ickiest things you’ve ever said to me,” you laugh with Luke, fake gagging for dramatic effect.

Luke opens his mouth to say something else, but the the doors to the training room open, cutting him off. The familiar sound of skates against the floor making their way towards the two of you. Jack turns the corner, a frantic look in his eyes until he lands on Luke, awake and sitting up.

“I’m going to kill you for scaring me like that,” Jack points a finger, glaring at his younger brother. “I mean, why the fuck did you hit him, Luke! What were you thinking? You know how these guys are, they’re begging for any excuse to fight! They don’t care if you’re a 20 something rookie, they’re gonna hit back, dumbass!” Jack yells at Luke, throwing his arms around in frustration.

Luke winces at the volume of Jack’s voice, his ears sensitive to loud noises right now. Before you can get the words out to tell Jack to be quieter, Quinn enters the room and does it for you.

“Jack, be quiet for fuck’s sake. He has a concussion; you yelling at him is only going to make it worse. Yell at him later.”

“Well, it was stupid, Q. What he did was stupid,” Jack says in a normal tone of voice, still angry.  

“Don’t act like you’ve never done anything stupid on the ice before. Just because you never get caught when you hit people doesn’t mean you don’t do it,” Quinn walks over to stand beside Jack at the end of the table.

“You good, Moose? Looked pretty nasty out there from where I was sitting. Scared us, man,” Quinn asks Luke, tapping him on the foot. You note the redness of Quinn’s eyes, knowing how much he cares for both of his brothers. The whole situation shook him up, too, you were just too worried about Luke to notice at the time.

“Yeah, m’alright. Head hurts. Shoulder feels like it’s been run over by the ‘boni, but other than that I got off pretty clean. Nothing’s broken. Have to miss two games at least, more if my head ain’t right,” Luke answers Quinn, moving his hand so he can thread his fingers through yours.

“Your head’s never been right, Moose,” Jack says, causing Luke to roll his eyes.

Quinn leans over to bump his shoulder into Jack’s, shaking his head, unimpressed with his joke.

“Wait,” Luke starts, causing everyone to look up at him. “Are we just not going to address the fact that Quinn randomly showed up to the game tonight?”

“Yeah, how did you get here. Shouldn’t you be in Vancouver right now?” Jack adds, looking over at his older brother suspiciously.

Quinn looks over to you, causing the other two Hughes to shift their gaze your way.

“Surprise?” you say as a question, not knowing what to do with all the eyes in the room on you.

“You did this?” You look over at Luke, nearly eye level with him, even though he’s laying on the table beside you.

“Well, I know you’ve been struggling with adjusting to life here lately, and you were feeling pretty homesick, so I figured it would be nice for you to have both of your brothers in Jersey for a night or two,” you shrug your shoulders, not seeing the big deal with your actions.

“Tried to get your parents here, too, but they couldn’t leave work right now. They sent their love and apologies, though. Promised me they’d be at a game as soon as they could,” you added, wishing you could’ve had all the Hughes here tonight.

“I….I don’t know what to say,” Luke looks at you, so much affection in his eyes it makes you squirm.

“Well, a thank you would be a nice start,” you joke.

“Thank you. I love you. So much. If I could lean over to kiss you right now I would,” Luke brings your hand up to his mouth, placing a kiss on the back of your hand clasped in his.

“Please, for the love of god, don’t make me witness anything else painful tonight,” Jack interrupts the moment, earning a slap to the back of the head from Quinn.

“Don’t you have a game to go finish, jackass?”

“Oh, shit, yeah,” Jack jumps, forgetting about the last period that’s about to start. “See you at home, Moose, Q. You, too, Y/N. Assume you’re staying over to help take care of the patient, yeah?” He nods his head towards the injured one in the room.

“Yeah, I’ll be there. Be safe, Jack. Good luck,” you wave as he turns to leave.

“I’ll go pull the car around, be back in a few to help you get this ole’ goon out of here,” Quinn announces before leaving you and Luke alone once more.

“So, you’re really going to stay over? Play nurse for me?” Luke asks, looking at you with puppy dog eyes, batting his eyelashes.

“Of course I’m staying over. I can’t trust Jack to make sure you’re not up and around doing something stupid when you’re supposed to be resting.”

“So, if you’re going to play nurse, does this mean we can stop on the way home and get you one of those sexy nurse outfits?” Luke asks, eyes hopeful.

“Maybe they should’ve just left you out there unconscious on the ice, you were less annoying that way,” you fire back, smiling at the laugh Luke let out, thanking your lucky stars your boy is okay.

[hockeyluvrr]

Can I request Luke Hughes him telling his gf goodnight I love you and her replying with thank you?(like the TikTok trend going around)

of course! I think I got the right trend, sorry for it being a bit short! thanks so much for requesting, hope you like it! 🫶🏻

MASTERLIST

Unexpected Responses || lh43

word count: 544

gif not mine!

It was already quite late as Luke walked you to your car, his hands buried in his sweatpants pockets to combat the cold air outside his apartment. The both of you had just spent the evening together, watching movies and eating takeout while cuddling on the couch.

When you both reached your car, you turned to face him and leaned against the driver’s door, looking at Luke with a warm smile. Luke mirrored your smile as he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you close as a familiar warm feeling spread through his chest. Even though you both had been together for a while, he still always got that warm feeling every time he looked at you.

“I’m really glad you came over tonight,” Luke spoke softly, his hands massaging your hips gently.

“Me too. I had fun,” you reply, your smile widening slightly.

You both had a moment where you just looked at each other, enjoying the calmness and closeness. Luke, with soft eyes, reached his hand up to tuck a bit of hair behind your ear, “You drive safe, yeah?”

You nod in response, “Yeah, I will.”

“Goodnight, baby…I love you,” Luke spoke softly, with such ease.

You smile before replying, a little bit playful, “Thank you.”

Luke slowly blinked, trying to process your words. His brows are scrunched in confusion as he opens his mouth to say something. His mouth closes a second later, lost for words. “Wait…what?” He finally spits out, his voice cracking as he speaks.

“Thank you,” you repeat with a joking glint in your eye, making Luke’s brain short circuit at your words.

“No, no, no,” he shakes his head, a confused smile on his face. “That’s not how that works, baby. I tell you ‘I love you’ and then you say it back. Then we both feel all warm and fuzzy inside. That’s what’s supposed to happen, you’re supposed to say it back.”

“Oh, I am?” You tease lightly. “Where’s that written rule?”

“Right here!” Luke says, tapping over his heart. “It’s a rule, you can’t just say ‘thank you’ after I tell you ‘I love you’.”

You laugh softly before leaning in to kiss his cheek, “I know, I know,” you murmur softly. “I’m just messing with you, baby. I love you too.”

“Oh, thank god. You almost gave me a heart attack,” he says dramatically, pressing a hand to his chest.

“Drama queen,” you mutter fondly with an eye roll.

“Your drama queen,” he shoots back before giving you one last sweet kiss.

“Yeah, yeah,” you mutter after you both pull away.

“Now, seriously, drive safe, okay? Call me when you get home.”

“I will,” you nod before opening your car door, “Goodnight, Luke. I love you.”

“Goodnight, baby,” he grins, “I love you too.”

With that, you get in your car and drive away. Luke stands there for a few moments, smiling as he watches your car drive down the street. As Luke turned to walk back into his apartment, he thought about how you’d probably tease him about this for the next week, but he didn’t mind. Because to Luke, it was moments like these that made him fall more and more in love with you.

[babydollmarauders]

BALLAD OF A HOMESCHOOLED GIRL — JACK HUGHES

jack hughes x fem!reader

summary: in which y/n goes on a date with Jack and thinks she made a complete fool of herself

notes: obviously inspired by Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl by Olivia Rodrigo, not proofread and written on extreme sleepiness. (3.6k words)

third dates.

my mother always told me to have them in group settings.

she said the first date is to get to know each other; the second is to learn how he’d treat you in private; the third date is to learn how he’d treat you in front of his friends.

most guys seem to get intimidated when i ask about joining a hang out with his friends for the third date, but Jack was different. i had told Jack on our first about my rules.

first date in a public setting, but alone.

second date in private, his apartment or mine.

third date with a group of friends.

i hadn’t expected him to take it so well, nodding along as though even without context, it made sense. he didn’t ask for clarification, which was good because i had learned after my last relationship not to give any; lest they’ll act like a gentlemen in front of their friends until we start dating.

i honestly didn’t expect Jack to contact me again, fully awaiting the discovery that he’d ghosted me, possibly even blocked me to keep me from talking to him again. but then he texted me tonight.

“i know it’s last minute, but third date tonight? me and some guys from the team are going for drinks, would you wanna come?”

and now here i am, walking into a pretty secluded bar to meet Jack and about half a dozen other professional hockey players. to say i’m nervous would be a massive understatement.

i spent at least half an hour trying on various outfits, but nothing felt right. every article of clothing i tried on had something wrong with it; whether it be that it didn’t fit quite right, or it didn’t match the occasion, or i just deemed it didn’t look good on me, something was always wrong. so i finally settled on a nice sundress, despite the chilled air of the evening.

“y/n!” my head turns in search of the voice that called my name, locking eyes with Jack, where he sits at a high top table with five other guys. “i was starting to think you’d stood me up!”

my eyebrows furrow as i walk over to him, stopping at the end of the table. my stomach ties in knots at all of the eyes on me. i hate attention.

“why would i do that?” a few of the guys chuckle at my question, but i’m not sure i understand what’s so funny.

“i was joking.” Jack clarifies.

oh.

embarrassment washes over me and i can feel the blood rushing to my cheeks, but Jack just smiles sweetly, rising to his feet and pulling out the chair beside him.

“oh, thank you.” i take a seat and he returns to his, his hand settling on my knee as one of the guys begin to speak.

“so, you’re y/n?” my eyes go wide, and i glance over at Jack but he’s looking over at the other guy. “i’m Luke.”

“nice to meet you, Luke.” i give the curly headed boy a tight smile, “so, you play with Jack?”

the boy grins, nodding his head, “i guess you could say that.”

everyone snickers, and i fear i’ve made a mistake of some sort. my blood runs cold; i hate feeling like i’m on the outside of some giant inside joke.

maybe this was a mistake.

Jack squeezes my knee, and i look over at him with subtly pleading eyes, silently begging for him to save me.

“Luke is my younger brother, but he does play on the team with me.” there it is. that’s where i messed up.

“oh, i’m sorry.” i’m not sure what i’m apologizing for, but it seems like the right thing to do. i glance back at Luke, “i knew Jack had mentioned your name before but, he’s mentioned so many names that at this point they all jumble together in my head.”

Luke just shakes his head, waving it off. “nah, don’t worry, it’s okay.”

after that, i decide it’s better to go quiet; only really speaking when spoken to. i can’t embarrass myself if i’m not saying anything.

“hey.” Jack’s voice is soft, and at first, i don’t even realize he’s talking to me, until i tear my eyes from who i now know as Dawson, who’s telling a story with wildly gesturing hands. “do you wanna go get a drink?”

he nods his head over towards the bar, and i nod, desperately in need of something to ease my nerves, “yes, please.”

Jack and i rise from our seats, his hand going to my lower back to stabilize me as i stumble. my cheeks go red, but i decide it’s better not to acknowledge my clumsiness.

“and i— where are you guys going?” Dawson cuts himself off, drawing attention to Jack and i’s retreating pair. “did i bore you, y/n?”

i stop in my tracks, freezing up as guilt takes over me.

“i- what? n-no! Jack-” i stumble over my words in a panic, attempting to reassure him, but apparently i didn’t help my case.

“see, Merc! poor y/n even finds your story stupid.” John laughs and i shake my head wildly.

“no! i found it interesting!” Nico snickers at my words, his hand coming up to cover his mouth.

“interesting. that’s one way of putting it.”

oh god, i made it worse.

“guys, leave her alone.” Jack speaks up, rolling his eyes at his friends before he turns back to me. “c’mon, ignore them, they’re just raggin’ on you.”

my brows thread together in confusion, but i nod nonetheless, allowing him to use his hand that still rests on my back to guide me over to the bar.

“i’m sorry about them.” he sighs as we reach the counter, waiting for a bartender. “they have a stupid sense of humor.”

“no! no, it’s fine!” i assure him.

it’s not them, it’s me.

i’ve never been great at picking up on social cues, perhaps due to my odd lifestyle as a child.

when the bartender reaches us, Jack orders another beer before looking over at me, “oh, can i just get an aperol spritz, please?”

Jack hands over his card and when he gets it back he turns to me.

“i gotta run to the bathroom, are you okay waiting for the drinks? i’ll be back in a second.” i nod and he takes off towards the restroom, leaving me alone.

“so, you like him?” apparently not alone for long.

i turn my head in surprise, only to find Luke standing beside me. he asks the bartender who arrives back with Jack and i’s drinks for another beer and the man nods.

“hmm? Jack?” Luke nods and i smile looking down into my glass. “yeah, i really like him.”

“see, i said so!” my face scrunched in confusion as i look back at him.

“you said so?” i question.

“yeah! Johnny was trying to say you must not like him because you aren’t being very flirty, but i told him- i said you obviously like him if you’re on a third date.”

flirting.

i’ve never been great at that. and i haven’t needed to be, Jack is the one who approached me first, he’s the one who asked me out and he hasn’t given any indication that i have any reason to have to flirt to keep his attention.

“oh.”

Luke pays for his beer before retreating back to the table with a low “see you in a few.”

i’m quick to tear my phone out of my pocket, glancing over towards the restrooms for a moment to make sure my date isn’t coming back before making a quick google search.

this seems impossible.

“hey.” Jack reappears beside me and i hastily lock my phone, looking up at him as i go to slide it back into my pocket. but the combination of my fidgety hands, quick movements, and not paying attention to my surroundings doesn’t end well.

before i can even blink, my hand is knocking into my glass, the drink sliding off the bar top and onto the floor, shattering upon impact.

“oh my god!” i squeal, jumping back from the broken shards. i glance down at the mess before looking back up at Jack. “i am so sorry!”

i turn to the waitress who comes rushing towards us with a broom and towels, apologizing profusely and offering to clean it up myself.

“it’s no problem, happens all the time.” she tells me with a smile, but i still bury my face in my hands.

i’m making a fool of myself.

“can we get another aperol spritz?” i peek through my eyes at the sound of Jack’s voice, watching as he hands the bartender his card again.

“i am so sorry, Jack.” my voice is low and whimpered, my shoulders rising as though to protect myself. “i just wasted your money and made a huge mess.”

Jack smiles softly, shaking his head as he chuckles, “don’t worry about it. it’s seriously okay, y/n. accidents happen, don’t beat yourself up about it.”

i nod, but i truly feel horrible now.

this was a mistake. i should’ve just stayed home; watched a cheesy romance or read a true crime novel and gone to bed early.

the bartender hands me the new drink, and i thank him before Jack leads me back to the table.

“everything okay?” Timo questions as we return and Jack just nods as we settle back in our seats.

“yeah, just a little accident. it’s all good.” the guys chuckle but all turn back to their previous conversation, somehow now on the topic of the wildest things they did in school.

i stay silent, hoping and praying to any higher power that they don’t involve me in this conversation, but my luck runs out pretty quickly. although i’m not sure i’ve had any tonight in the first place.

“what about you, y/n?” Nico is the one to rope me in, “what’s the wildest thing you did in school?”

“i- uh-” i internally cringe, mentally preparing myself for their jokes, “i was homeschooled. so, i didn’t really get to do anything crazy like you guys.”

“ohh, you’re a homeschool kid.” Luke nods as if it makes sense.

“did you know that statistically speaking, homeschoolers are more likely to graduate than public schoolers?” John pipes up, and i shake my head.

“really?” Jack questions, his nose scrunched cutely in disbelief.

“no, i- uh, i didn’t know that.” John nods at my words.

“yeah, look it up!” he points to my phone, which never actually made it to my pocket after the broken glass fiasco and now resides face down on the table.

i pick it up and Jack and Dawson, who both reside on either respective side of me, lean in to see my phone screen, eager to find out whether their teammate is correct.

but when i unlock my phone, my eyes grow wide and i’m eagerly attempting to swipe out of the current window, but it’s as if the world is against me because this is the exact moment that my phone screen decides to freeze.

“does that say ‘how to flirt?’” Dawson chuckles and i bite my lip, giving up and slamming my phone face down onto my lap as the table bursts into laughter.

i’m blushing like a mad woman, squeezing my eyes shut as i bury my face into my hands for the second time that night.

“aww y/n, you really let John get to you, huh?” Luke teases, and i feel like i could cry of embarrassment.

everything i do is tragic.

suddenly my seat is moving, scooting further to my right, before an arm is spindling around my waist. i let my hands lower just slightly to peer up at Jack, who wears a happy grin, his cheeks tinged pink.

he glances down at me, smiling even wider when he sees that i’m already looking at him.

it’s like a cat’s got my tongue, too stunned by the overwhelming mortification of the situation to even get a word out to explain or defend myself.

but Jack doesn’t seem to mind, pulling me into his body until my head is against his collarbone as he changes the subject; bringing up a story about he and his older brother trying to free an infant Luke from his crib when they were younger.

i’m quiet as the group speaks, most of them speaking over each other, which in turn makes others get louder to try and be heard. my head aches and i need a break.

“i’m gonna go to the bathroom.” i whisper, freeing myself from Jack’s hold as he nods in understanding.

“okay. are you okay?” i give him a small smile, reassuring him that i’m fine before i leave.

my hands rest upon the bathroom sink, my eyes glaring into my reflection in the wonky bar mirror.

“get it together.” i try and tell myself, but it comes out in more of a whine.

why am i like this?

i run my hands through my hair, making sure it’s volumized, and heave out a sigh before i make my way back out of the restroom to join the table again.

on my way back, i can’t help but smile at the sight of Jack laughing with his friends.

he seems so carefree.

but i should’ve been watching where i was going, because halfway to the table, i’m tripping over someone’s heeled foot, landing on my knee on the hard ground.

“oh shit!” Jack’s voice echoes over the loudness of the music and bar-goers, and i can hear multiple chairs screech across the floor. “y/n, are you okay?”

oh god, i wanna curl up and die.

“yeah, i’m fine.” my voice is wavering and weak, so over making an idiot of myself tonight.

Jack appears in front of me, holding his hands out to help me up. his skin is soft as i slide my hands into his, allowing him to pull me up to my feet.

his friends stand behind him, a couple biting back laughs, but the others wide eyed in concern.

i let Jack guide me back to the table, and when i sit down, he’s kneeling in front of me, inspecting my knee for any immediate bruising or marks.

i sigh and he looks up at me, worry settled into his expression.

“that was a hell of a tumble.” Timo snickers, but he sobers up quickly as his eyes meet Jack’s, “you’re okay though, right?”

“physically? yes. mentally? questionable.” the table laughs, but i didn’t mean to joke, which only makes me press my lips together.

Jack finally deems my knee okay, settling back into his seat and letting his arm rest over the back of my chair.

“what were we talking about?” Jack asks, effectively diverting the attention away from my fall and back to the conversation from while i was gone.

“cheating.” John states, taking a sip from his beer.

i let out a little laugh, thinking he was just joking, but i sober up as i realize nobody else is.

“oh, you were serious.” i bite my lip as he nods.

“right!” Luke exclaims, “so people are saying he cheated on her?”

“yeah,” Dawson nods, and i’m a bit lost, “which i don’t understand, because all he did was hold hands with the other girl. we don’t know anything other than that. holding hands could have so many different meanings.”

i take a big gulp of my drink, listening intently as the guys debate cheating and what counts as cheating.

“i think, if one of you guys cheated on your girlfriend, i might ‘accidentally’ knock your teeth out on the ice.” Nico tells them, making the guys and i laugh. “i’m serious, you’d be bag skating until you physically drop from exhaustion.”

and like word vomit, before i can stop myself, i’m speaking, “my friend recently cheated on her boyfriend, and i can’t tell if i should tell him or let him find out on his own.”

their heads turn to me and i shrink in my seat as i realize what just escaped my lips.

“oh my god, i’m not supposed to be telling that to anyone.” my hand covers my mouth, and a few of the guys laugh at my actions.

“you should definitely tell him.” John shrugs, “he deserves to know.”

“i thought so too, but if i do tell him, does that make me a horrible friend?” the guys all start shouting different things along the same lines.

some telling me it doesn’t make me a bad friend, while others telling me that i shouldn’t be friends with her anymore anyways.

“has she done anything else?” Luke asks, and i scrunch my nose.

“cheating wise, no: just one drunken kiss with some guy.” i start. “but she told him she was sick to get out of meeting his parents.”

i clap my hand over my mouth again, shocked that these secrets are just tumbling out of me.

“fuck, i shouldn’t be telling you guys these things.”

the guys cackle and Dawson changes the subject, apparently just remembering a story of something that happened to him back home over the summer.

i remain quiet for the next fifteen or so minutes, just listening as the guys go back and forth, telling stories of their summers, until i feel Jack’s hand on my shoulder.

“hey, i’m heading home, do you want me to drop you off at your house?”

i eagerly accept his offer, happily willing to leave now and avoid paying for an uber during surge pricing. the both of us bid goodbye to his teammates and his brother, who says he’ll hitch a ride back to the apartment with Dawson, before we head out to his car.

i smile as he opens the car door for me, allowing me to climb in before he shuts the door again and jogs around the front of the car, slipping into the drivers side.

i don’t need to give him my address, our second date having been at my apartment, so i just clasp my hands tightly together in my lap, both of his on his steering wheel.

“i had fun tonight.” he tells me as we pull up to my apartment building.

“yeah, your friends are nice.”

not a complete lie. they are nice, i’m just not sure i got along with them, or more so, that they liked me.

“can i walk you up?” i accept his request and he exits the car, running around it to open my door before i get the chance to.

i mentally prepare myself on the silent elevator up to my apartment, readying myself to have him tell me that he doesn’t think we fit.

i was awkward tonight, breaking a glass, stumbling over my words, tripping, googling things that should be common knowledge, and telling secrets i had no business telling.

i couldn’t think of any worse ways to ruin a potential relationship.

when we reach my apartment, Jack stops me in front of my door, and before he gets the chance to belittle my dignity any further than i, myself, already have, i’m speaking up.

“i completely understand if you don’t wanna continue this.” i sigh, finding sudden interest in my shoes. “i made a complete fool of myself tonight.”

“why would you think i don’t wanna see you again?” he sounds hurt, his finger hooking under my chin and pulling my head up to look at him.

i chuckle lowly, “you can’t take me anywhere. every time i go out, it’s social suicide.”

“so you’re a bit clumsy and you need time to click with my friends and their humor, so what?” he shrugs, “i think you’re cute. and i’m incredibly honored that you wanted to flirt with me.”

i groan, my face flushing, and i tip my head back to look up at the ceiling.

“oh god, that was so embarrassing.” i whine.

“it was sweet.” Jack chuckles, pulling me into his chest. his arms wrap around me and i melt into his embrace, his chin resting on top of my head.

“i really like you, y/n. and tonight may not have gone the way you would’ve liked, and i can respect that, you’re allowed to feel that way, but i really liked it. i got a chance to figure out more about you and what you’re like, and it only solidified that i’d really like to keep getting to know you, see where this could lead.”

my head snaps up to look him in the eyes, “you would?”

he giggles at my actions, nodding his head. “yeah, i would.”

his head dips down and i suck in a breath as his lips near mine.

“can i kiss you?” he questions, and i nod.

“yes, please.”

his lips slot against mine, moving in sync and pulling me even closer to him if it’s possible. his hands slide up to cup the back of my neck, his tongue tracing my bottom lip and i part my lips to allow him entrance.

what starts slow and passionate, turns into something hot and heavy. i huff as he pulls away, my lips chasing after his and making him smile.

“do you wanna come inside?” i ask him, my voice low and sultry, and his eyes darken almost instantly.

he smirks, answering only by taking my keys from my hands and unlocking my door, leading me into my own apartment.

“ya know, i don’t think you needed that google search. you’re pretty good at luring me in all on your own.”

[cuteandhughesy]

Ceilings | Luke Hughes (part 1/2)

summary: you are a bet for luke and his friends, but that doesn't stop you two from actually falling in love, luke just prays you never find out the truth

21.4K (total)

warnings: NSFW! frenemies to lovers | relationship betting | fake dating | alcohol | college!au | umich!luke | suggestive themes | sexual harassment; unwanted touching and kissing | read at your own discretion.

link to masterlist

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you wouldn't say you were friends with any player on the university of Michigan hockey team. in fact, you tried to avoid any and all of the boys at any cost. your best friend, ariana, is dating mark estapa, a forward on the wolverines. therefore, it wasn't uncommon for him or a couple of his friends to greet you in passing in school hallways, or make small talk with you at parties.

you're sure it was on your face anytime any of those boys tried to talk with you: you weren't interested. you didn't want to hook up with them, you didn't want to be best friends with them and you sure as hell didn't want to date any of them. hockey players aren't your type.

as long as you've been attending your program at the university of michigan, you've had a crush on matthew johnson. he sat two rows in front of you in your first class, and played on the schools basketball team. he was smart, and kind and so unbelievably good looking, you are positive he is your soulmate (even though you've never really talked to him.)

so yeah, you'd go to these hockey parties and entertain their small talk because matthew was always at the parties, and any chance to get closer to him, you'd take.

part one: the bet

luke watched rutger shiver as he swallowed his shot of tequila, no doubt the warm liquor burning his throat as he drank it. rutger cringed, chugging the rest of his beer as a chaser. he took a moment to pause before smirking in victory, "I told you I could do it without throwing up."

ethan groaned, throwing his head back in defeat before taking a sip of his drink. in their freshman year, a couple seniors taught them how to the play Bet: the drinking game. a game were each player had to bet somebody else in the group something they think that they can't do, and if said person can prove them wrong, they have to take a sip. at first, the group of freshman thought it was boring, but now as sophomores they made it their mission to play at every party, recruiting as many people as possible.

"alright," rutger rubbed his calloused palms together, scanning the group to pick his next victim. his eyes passed luke's, but then immediately darted back, a smirk overtaking his face. "moosey..." he taunted and luke sighed.

"dude, it hasn't even been a full round since my last turn!" he protested and rutger shrugged.

"anyways!" he started, "it's no secret you have, for lack of a better phrase, trouble with ladies."

mark snickered beside him, and the sound of laughter left luke to elbow him.

rutger continued, "sure, a hookup or so here and there but nothing sticks. I really don't think you have it in you."

luke gave a quizzical look, "what are you saying? am I getting a bet here or are you going to keep babbling about hookups?"

rutger smirked, leaning forward in his elbows slightly, "I bet that you can't make a girl fall in love with you before playoffs start."

luke was taken back. "how am I supposed to accomplish that tonight? that doesn't follow the rules of the game."

"eh, i'll allow the extension for this one. but never mind a shot, lets put something good on it...unless, you don't think you can do it."

"I can," luke says immediately.

"okay," rutger laughs, "If you can make a girl fall in love with you before playoffs, I will....," he pauses with thought.

"how about you let us dye or cut your hair however we want?," ethan proposes.

"I like that," luke agrees. rutger was weird about his hair, so it was the perfect punishment.

"fine," he laughs, "but if you can't do it, you owe me $200."

"deal," luke agrees immediately, "this will be easy."

"not so fast," he said, "first of all, I can't just take your word for it, I need to see this girl truly in love with you, I don't care what you have to do -"

"you definitely gotta hit that though," ethan interrupts, "what if she sees your tiny dick and wants nothing to do with you."

"dude!" dylan duke laughs.

"i agree with ethan, you gotta tap it. oh! and most importantly," rutger says loudly, trying to overpower the sound of his teammates laughing, " I pick the girl."

and for the first time that night luke felt nervous. "seriously?"

"yeah," he said, "in fact..." rutger started scanning the party going on around them and after a minute or two passed, he smirks satisfied. luke felt his stomach twirl in worry. "I have the perfect girl."

ethan, dylan and mark all desperately scan the room, trying to pinpoint who their teammate could've possibly chosen for their tall friend.

rutger shrugged in luke's direction before he said, "...y/n. make y/n fall in love with you before playoffs and you win the bet."

"dude," mark sighs hesitantly, "she's ariana's best friend."

"I know," rutger says, "I also know she isn't particularly fond of us. one time I tried to hook up with her and I swear she almost bit my head off. she is sworn off of all hockey players."

"then why did you pick her?!," luke says, hand thrown in his direction.

"just makes it more interesting. do you think you can do it?" rutger is looking luke straight in the eyes, a raise to his one brow.

"yeah," luke says, "I can do it."

"you're on," he laughs, gesturing across the room were he spotted the girl in question. "go on then."

"what?" luke sputters.

"playoffs are only two and half months away, moose. you better get on it." he sips his drink nonchalantly, "I saw her walk out to the backyard a minute ago."

"okay," luke stands up, wiping his hand down his jeans. "i'll be back later." and before he knew it, he made his way to the backyard, in search of you.

the bonfire was roaring outside, and you could feel the heat on your exposed arms. you sip your drink from the red plastic cup, eyes trained through the smoke from the flames as you watch matthew joke with the basketball team. you sigh, head falling back to rest on the brick wall you were leaning against.

"you're insufferable," ariana laughs, "just go talk to him."

"I can't!" you protest immediately. "he's like...way out of my league."

"I thought he was your soulmate?"

"he is!" you say fast, "so that's why i'll wait until he comes to me. because that means it will be the right time."

ariana gives you a look of disbelief. "okay lover girl," she says. "but I can't be around your love sick eyes right now, I'm going to try and find mark." she says.

"okay," you say, eyes still trained on the bright blonde hair of the basketball player. she twirls a piece of your hair around her finger before you hear her walk away from you, greeting somebody on her way in. you don't register the voice of the recipient to ariana's hello until he's standing next to you.

"hey," luke says.

you glance up at him with furrowed brows. "hi?"

he nods to the fire, "so, who are you checking out over there?"

"what?!" you shout, gathering the attention of people around you. clearing your throat, you start again, repeating what in a much calmer tone. "I'm not checking out anyone."

"okay," he taunts you, hands held up in surrender.

"why are you talking to me?" you ask him harshly, your solo cup held against your chest. the barley cold drink has your erratic heart slowing slightly.

"am I not allowed to talk to you?" he questions with a raise to his brow.

you shake your head,"not when you're asking me...weird questions like that."

"can I not ask my friend questions?"

"oh so we're friends?" you laugh sarcastically, "do you even know my name? I don't even think we've spoke more than 10 words to each other -"

"y/n," he interrupts you, "of course I know your name. it's not like we are strangers." luke finishes with a smirk. he looks down at you with a smug expression, and your annoyance level raises: you kind of want to punch him.

"okay..." you say in suspicion. without much thought, your eyes dance back through the small crowd, landing in the direction of matthew. you clear your throat, "so, luke, what do you want?"

luke smirks at the use of his name, because obviously you were trying to prove a point in also knowing his name- you have to ignore that violent urge once again. "I want to know why you keep checking out matthew johnson - you're not his type."

you look back at luke quickly: shocked that he caught on to your secret crush and angry from him calling you out on it. both emotions are evident in your face as you splutter, wide eyes looking up at him. a moment passes, and you regain your train of thought, "okay...whose type am I then?"

"mine." he says it immediately and you have to blink three times to even register the words coming from his mouth. a beat later, you're laughing right in his face (or chest rather, because you're not that tall). "what's so funny?" he questions, an unpleasant pull to his eyebrows.

your laughter ceases, "did you seriously just say that? luke...cmon."

"i'm being serious," there's an undertone of annoyance in his words. "you're my type."

"okay, lukey," you taunt the nickname, taking a sip of your drink. "i'm flattered, i suppose - but I don't date hockey players."

"you don't date hockey players yet." luke corrects you.

"okay, seriously what do you want?" you drop your free hand to your side, cup still held to your chest. "you're being weird."

"I want to take you out."

"why?" you start, "and if you say i'm your type again i'll seriously pour the rest of my drink over your head."

he laughs, "you wouldn't be able to reach." you don't laugh at his teasing, so luke swallows thickly before continuing. "you seem cool. and you're pretty and mark says you're nice so..."

you squint your eyes quizzically at the tall boy in front of you. "okay..." and for the first time since you two starting talking, luke feels a tiny sliver of hope. he watches you as your eyes once again dart towards the fire- expect this time they're blown wide. luke looks over and is immediately met with the brown eyes of matthew johnson, who's made his way over to stand with you and luke.

"hey!" the blonde says. he pulls luke into a dap up and side hug, slapping a hand against his shoulder. "what's up hughesy."

"not much," luke hums, "how's the season going?" luke takes a step closer towards you without realizing his actions, bicep brushing against your shoulder.

"good, good! nothing like you guys though."

luke chuckles, shrugging. "we try." suddenly, luke felt a small elbow nudge into his side. he looks down at you, the culprit, but you're trying to be discreet, looking in your cup to avoid eye contact from either athlete.

he tries not to roll his eyes at your shyness, clearing his throat and looking back towards the basketball player, "hey, matt, do you know y/n?"

you finally look up and away from your drink. just as you do, you catch the brown eyes of matthew johnson - looking at you. your stomach drops.

"hey," matthew says, "how's it going?"

"hi, i'm - yeah i'm good." you try not to stutter too badly but your nerves get the best of you. you can feel luke wanting to laugh beside you, so you take a deep breath. "i'm great."

matthew nods once at you before turning his attention back to the 6"2 athlete on your right. "anyways man, I thought i'd say hey, i'll talk to you later."

"see ya," luke mutters. you watch matthew walk away from the two of you, that same dreamy look on your face that luke saw from before. he can't help but laugh.

"what's so funny?" you're the one asking the question now, that same annoyce luke had shown you earlier more present than ever.

luke laughs a few more times, and takes a deep breath, "that was the worst thing i've ever watched."

"what?!" you screech, hands falling at your sides. you're pretty sure some of your drinks splashes out of your cup and onto your shoes, but you don't care.

"I think there would be more chemistry between you and a rock than you and matt. just awful."

"what would you know about chemistry?" you retort.

"well you and I clearly have chemistry, that much I do know."

"you and I have no such thing," you gesture wildly between the two of you. "actually, i'm done for tonight. i'll see you later...friend."

luke panicked in that moment, because were you really that hard to crack - but then, it clicked. it was like a lightbulb went off in his mind, flickering before his eyes and waving in front of his face. on opportunity to save himself $200 bucks and show his friends he wasn't just some one night kinda guy.

you don't get too far past him when luke grabs onto your wrist, spinning you back around so you are facing him once more. it's too late to back out now, luke thinks. "I have an idea."

"luke, seriously, let it go." you sigh.

your words fall on deaf ears, "i'll help you." luke says quickly.

you send him a look with raised brows. "help me with..."

"getting matthew to fall in love with you."

you visibly swallow at his offer, your shoulders tensing and face glowing warm. your look of disbelief quickly turns in to one of weary. "why would you do that?"

"because we're friends."

you send him a look.

"i'll show you how to act, how to get his attention, i'll tell you his likes and dislikes, and he will fall for you. you just need some help."

for some odd reason, you find yourself believing luke. you believed his odd plan could work with the right amount of time - but that didn't stop you from feeling hesitant. "okay but...why? what's in it for you?"

"nothing really...just your time and friendship."

you sent him one more look before faltering, "okay...fine." the opportunity to get closer to your crush was not one you wanted to pass up. obviously, luke was close to matt is some capacity, meaning he could actually be of help.

luke smirks. "no more embarrassing yourself." he says and you furrow your brows in confusion.

"I didn't embarrass myself."

"you didn't find that conversation embarrassing in the slightest?" luke asks loudly, disbelief clear in his tone.

your face drops and you give him another deadly look.

"okay, okay, don't kill me," luke mumbles. "let's meet up sometime tomorrow and we can discuss a game plan,"

you nod, "okay, what time?"

"I have practice at 10, and a game at 7. so any time between that," luke tells you.

"my break tomorrow is at 2, if you want we can meet then? I work at the coffee house on campus."

"i know where you work, y/n." he teases. "i'll see you then." he puts his hand out and unbelievably, you shake it.

luke just found his loophole.

part two: the beginning

the coffee house was busy, which wasn't uncommon for a friday afternoon, but this one was just that much more intense, your 45 minute break was supposed to start 10 minutes ago.

"y/n, after this next drink you can go sit down. take a well deserved break," your manager says quickly behind you, hands busy filling another pot with coffee.

"okay," you say, topping off the takeout cup of coffee with the correct amount of creamer before making your way to the pick up counter. "for luke!" you call out. you don't register the name on the drink until luke appears in front of you.

"hey," he says. you notice that luke looks kinda tired and there's a fresh purple bruise on his cheekbone, most likely from the practice he just came from.

"hi," you say breathlessly. luke takes the drink from you and you exit from behind the counter. "sorry, i'm late. it's been really busy." you two find a table near the windows at the back of the cafe and sit down across from one another.

"I can see that," he says, looking around the bustling cafe as he takes his first sip. "good job," he gestures his drink in your direction and you just send him a tight lipped smile.

"so..." you start, "what's first?"

luke nods, as if suddenly remembering why he's here in the first place. "okay, first step and arguably the most important, is to make matthew think you're unavailable...but not uninterested."

your bottom lip is pulled between your teeth and you knaw on it with question. "okay, how do I do that?"

"we have to date." luke says, taking another sip of his hot brew. at first, you think maybe you misheard him, but the sheepish glances he's sending your way is enough for you to know you definitely heard him correctly.

you chuckle, "okay, what do I actually have to do."

"I just told you," he says. luke watches your confused face and he sighs, "if matt thinks you're hooking up with somebody, that means he can't have you. he's a competitor, and he wants what he can't have. he saw us together at the party, so therefore, I am your perfect fake boyfriend."

you give him an apprehensive look,"if this is just some weird scheme so you can like...feel me up-"

"feel you up? who even talks like that?" interrupts luke, "I didn't think you spawned from the 1970s."

"okay!" you interrupt, and you rest your head on your palm. "so when you say unavailable but not uninterested, you mean...?"

"I mean flirt with him. and not that poor excuse of conversation you had last night with him, I mean flirt with him."

"right..." you say hesitantly, "so what does this fake dating entail?"

luke pouts in thought for a moment, but then he leans forward. "well, it needs to be believable, so you can't be all weird," he says.

"you're the one who makes it weird." you retort.

"we will have to pretend that we are like, totally falling for each other, okay? so i'll be giving you hugs, and you'll like, I don't know, touch my hair and put your hand on my chest and shit. and when I do this," he pauses and places his hand over yours that is resting atop the table. you tense, pulling your hand away, "you definitely shouldn't do that." luke says.

"so we have to pretend we are together...all the time?"

"not all the time. just around our friends and well, matt of course."

you begin to nod, but then you sigh. "wait, ariana knows that i'm hopelessly obsessed with matt. she won't believe I forgot about him just like that for...you."

you say with a hint of displeasure and luke smirks, "awe, I love when you talk dirty with me."

you ignore him, "i'll have to tell her about our plan."

"no!" luke says quickly, "you can't."

"why not?"

"because..." he is panicking, "what if...she tells mark and then - you know mark, he can't keep a secret to save his life. matt will find out and then this will be for nothing."

he can see the gears turning in your head but you nod slowly. "okay, that makes sense. it stays a secret."

"our secret," he agrees, holding out his pinky across from you.

you look at his pinky, back to his face and do it once more. "really?"

"pinky promise me baby."

you roll your eyes at the pet name but oblige, wrapping your small finger around his much bigger pinky. "pinky promise...lukey."

he licks his teeth as the two of you unravel fingers. "tomorrow night, there's a basketball game. me and the guys usually go when we have a free night, so this time, you'll be coming with. i'll tell mark to invite ariana too."

"okay," you smile. "you know, I feel like this will work. it feels right."

luke nods, "yeah, it will work." little does she know, he thinks. "i'll put my number in your phone, that way you can text me your address for the game tomorrow."

you slide him your cell, and he quickly does what he said he would, locking your phone and giving it back. "I have to go, I need to sleep and finish homework before my game, but text me!" he's speaking loudly as he's leaving, and you try not to cringe as a couple students look your way - clearly curious about the loud voice.

you open your phone and scroll down to the L names in your contact list and immediately find him saved under: lukey 😍

you roll your eyes.

you

lukey 😍 ? really?

lukey 😍

love it?

lukey 😍

see you tomorrow

later that evening you send him your address and said goodnight. that didn't stop him from asking you a bunch of questions and trying to follow you on every social media platform you had a profile on. you didn't answer, but you woke that next morning and saw he had found you on his own. you sighed, rolling your eyes but following him back.

the evening came quickly, your day packed with classes which took up any free time to leave you anticipating the evening. when you got back home, you only had an hour to shower and change into something presentable for the game.

while you were finishing getting presentable, ariana had asked for your opinion on three different outfits, and even though you liked every single one, she kept changing.

lukey😍

we are out front

"ariana! they are here." you call out, grabbing your belt bag and heading down the stairs of your house.

"coming!" ariana responded, following you down the steps and out the front doors. the two of you nodded goodbye to your third roommate, rosie, and met the guys outside.

luke was outside of the truck already, arms crossed as he waited for the two of you. ariana ran straight passed him, greeting mark through the passenger seat window.

you approached him slowly. "hey," you said and he smiled. "hi," as you got closer he wrapped his arms around you and the feeling of him holding you has you tensing up.

luke can feel your rigid posture and he sighs into the side of your face. "relax," he whispers in your ear, "we are dating, remember? look a bit happier to see me."

his words have you smiling tightly, following suit in wrapping your arms around luke to complete the hug.

"we are in the back," he says. you nod, noticing that ariana was tucked away in the front middle seat between mark and rutger. "okay."

luke opened the door and you see ethan behind the drivers seat on his phone. great, you think, i'm going to be squished between two hockey players. this was your nightmare. you grab the handle to try and haul yourself up into the truck, and you have to ignore the way luke pushes on the back of your thigh to help you in.

you sit down, and luke barely shuts the door before rutger starts driving. you quickly buckle your seatbelt as the vehicle turns off your road.

"so, y/n, you like basketball?" rutger asks. at the question, you can feel ethan's eyes studying the side of your face, waiting for an answer.

although you don't want to participate in small talk with rutger mcgoarty or ethan edwards, you decide to play nice. "it's alright," you hum, "luke said that you guys go often. do you like basketball, rutger?"

he laughs once, one hand spinning the wheel as he makes another turn. "it's alright."

the sharp turn slides your body into luke's side, and you choose to ignore the way you tuck perfectly into his arm. before you can move back over, luke's hand comes down over yours atop your thigh.

on instinct and you pull away from his touch, tucking your hand between your legs. immediately, his foot nudges against yours, and you look up at him with raised brows. luke looks down at his hand again expectantly, flexing his fingers slightly. you sigh, reluctantly grabbing his hand, interlocking your fingers and resting them in your lap. you can feel ethan's eyes on you both again but you ignore him.

the drive is filled with comfortable chatter until you all arrive at the court. rutger drops you all off and then searches the parking lot for a spot to put the truck. ethan, mark and ariana are ahead of you and luke, talking loudly as they made their way to the court.

luke wraps his arm around your shoulders and you flinch. "you have to stop reacting like that when I touch you."

"sorry! i'm not used to you touching me - like at all, I can't help it." you whisper.

"and you have to start smiling at me more, ethan was looking at you weird in the truck." luke whispers back, eyes darting behind himself to see if his teammate has made it inside yet. "you have to look like you like me in front of matthew. when we get in there, you gotta like...touch me and stuff."

you pull a face at the thought and luke sighs, "y/n, you gotta work with me here."

you sigh in deafeat. out of the corner of your eye, you see rutger walk through the double doors, making his way over to where luke and yourself have stopped walking. without thinking too much, you place a hand on luke's arm, smiling up at him as your other hand pushes through his head of curls.

"what's happening?" luke mumbles with furrowed brows, quizzical glances on your bright smile.

through your teeth you mutter, "rutger is watching."

it all makes sense after that, luke thinks. luke smiles immediately and wraps you in a hug, playing into your touches just as his friend reaches the two of you. "you guys ready to head inside?" he asks.

"yeah," you say, "lead the way." you tell him and he smirks, walking in front of the two of you.

the three of you find ariana, mark and ethan quickly, thankfully they got six good seats near the court, which would help your case greatly. you notice behind them are dylan duke and jacob truscott - two more members of the wolverines hockey team.

luke sits first, beside mark, and you now sit between luke and a stranger as rutger moves to sit on the opposite end with ethan, closer to dylan and jacob. the four of them immediately laughing and talking loudly over the busy stands.

the basketball team takes the court for the first half and you spot matthew's head of blonde hair immediately. the fluorescent lights making his straight locks look even silkier than normal. you sigh longingly.

you feel luke's thumb wipe at your lip and you look towards him with wide eyes. "you had a little drool there." he smirks. luke had clearly been watching you as you admired your crush.

"shut up," you say, shoving his chest. "I did not."

"no, but i wouldn't be surprised if you did. stop looking at him like that, it's kind of creepy." he whispers.

"how am I supposed to to look at him then?" you ask.

"I don't know, like you're kinda uninterested but also interested."

"luke that makes no sense." you retort.

"If he looks over here, and you make eye contact, I want you to smile a little bit, but look away right after." he says, "guys like that. it's like you're hard to get."

you look up at him, only to find luke is already looking at you. "right," you whisper.

the busy stands have you practically sitting on luke's seat. you can smell his woodsy cologne as look up at him. before you can think about how good he smells, you look away, back towards the court. his eyes linger on the side of your face for only a moment longer, and then luke looks away.

oddly enough, matt does look over in your direction and you do exactly what luke told you to do - although you felt odd doing it. you just didn't feel like yourself, and it seemed weird. almost like you knew it wasn't the way you and matt were supposed to start your relationship. but then, luke nudged you knowingly and wiggled his eyebrows  when matt nodded in your direction, and everything felt good.

the game ended and michigan won, which the crowd was happy with as they erupted in cheers and celebration, surely talk about an after party floating around in the crowd. rutger mentioned that they always stayed after the game to chat with the players, and you didn't plan on arguing.

"hey, matt, what's up man!" jacob said from beside you. his name has you tensing up in your spot standing between truscott and luke.

you spot matt's blonde hair push through the crowd, smiling briefly as he sees you all. "what's up guys," matt greeted the group of hockey players like every guy does. matt looks happy from the win and his skin was glistening with sweat in a way that had you feeling hot.

"great game man," mark says, ariana tucked into his side.

"thanks, I mean the other team kept giving us too many chances. honestly, it was like playing against a bunch of chicks - bunch of fucking pussies." matt laughs at his own words. the guys around you give a few pity laughs, awkwardly glancing at one another.

you frown slightly. that's not something you ever pictured matt saying - especially in the presence of women. but you don't dwell on, because - not everybody is perfect...right?

"hey, this is my girlfriend ariana," mark says, breaking the awkward tension by introducing his girl to the basketball player, who shakes her hand.

then matt turns to you and - "you are?"

oh. you try not to let your initial smile falter. all joy from matt turning towards you and making eye contact, completely disappears. clearing your throat of emotions, you stick out your hand, "y/n."

"nice to meet you." matt notes.

"you've actually met her before," luke says, arm resting on your shoulders, "at the party a few days ago."

matt looks taken back for a moment, gears clearly turning in his head as he's trying to remember you. "oh, right, my bad." you can tell by the look in his eyes he really doesn't remember you or the interaction: you try not to feel defeated.

"it's okay!" you say quickly and mark's eyes widen at your loud tone. you suprise yourself at the loudness of your voice, and you clear your throat. "by the way, matt, uh, your sweat makes your skin look nice! very glowy."

"what?" jacob mutters, and you fight the urge to face palm at yourself. ariana is giving you a perplexed look and dylan along with rutger look like they are trying to cover a laugh.

nonetheless, matt thanks you, even though it comes out more like a question. "you guys coming to the party tonight?"

you try not to let your shoulders drop in embarrassment and disappointment. this was going terribly.

"yeah, I was thinking we would stop by, we will probably see you there," rutger says.

"awesome! I gotta hit the showers but i'll see you later, nice meeting you girls." he sends a tight lipped smile to you all and jogs away.

you try not to look deafted as your friends all walk infront of you and luke, talking amongst themselves loudly as you all make your way outside.

"you okay?" luke asks quietly at your side, arm brushing against yours with each step you take.

you nod yes once, tucking some hair behind your ear. "i'm actually not feeling up for a party tonight, so i'll just walk home. it's only like 20 minutes probably, so i'll just text you later and we can -"

luke stops walking, "what? no, try like 40 minutes. you're not walking home. i'll drive you after we drop them at the party."

you nod and say nothing more as you both catch up to your friends. the drive to the party was filled with loud conversation and laughter and music- everyone enjoying themselves. expect for you, as you opted to only chime in when needed. the embarrassment of your crush forgetting you, weighing heavy on your mind.

eventually, rutger pulled up to the house hosting the after party and parked the truck.

"hey, man," luke starts when everybody starts unbuckling their seatbelts, climbing out of the vehicle, "y/n isn't feeling well so i'm going to drive her home and then i'll come back with the truck."

"are you okay?" ariana turns in her seat to look at you, eyes dancing over your face to catch any signs of sickness.

"yeah," you nod towards your best friend, "I just need some sleep, I think."

rutger nods, "yeah, sure." he hands luke the keys and you all switch seats. only you and luke are left as you move to sit in the front, as the rest of them head inside the party.

the short drive back to your home was silent. it's only when luke pulls up to the front of your house and parks the truck is when he decides to speak.

"are you sure you're okay?"

sighing, "no, god," your head hits the headrest and slowly rolls until you're looking at luke. "I feel humiliated. I made a fool of myself, luke. why did I bring up his fucking sweat!"

"you didn't make a fool of yourself," luke says quickly, "you tried, just like we talked about. we will work on it, y/n. promise."

"what if i look stupid again?" you feel like crying saying that out loud, but do your best holding back any emotion.

"you've never looked stupid, y/n." luke says quietly, face full of sincerity as he looks at you. you muster up a nod of agreement, eyes bright in the darkness of the truck. "don't think that way, okay?"

"m'kay," you hum.

"did you want me to stay with you for a bit?"

"it's okay," you say and open the door, hopping down and out of rutger's lifted truck. "thanks for driving me home, I appreciate everything you're doing for me."

"it's no problem," luke says, "i'll text you tomorrow so we can talk about next steps, okay? don't let tonight weigh on you too much, this is going to work."

"okay," you whisper through the night air, "goodnight lukey." you send him a small smile after the teasing nickname and he smiles, shaking his head in slight disbelief.

"goodnight."

part three: the flirting

you walked along luke in the park across from campus, your hands tucked in the pockets of your hoodie as the two of you strolled. even though spring was in full bloom, the early morning provided a chill breeze, leaving you to shiver slightly.

the sun had come up only an hour prior, meaning it was just after 7 in the morning. luke had a 9 o'clock practice and you worked right after his practice ended, leaving the two of you only this hour to meet up and get your next steps in order.

"okay," you start, "where do I go from here? the game was quite literally a disaster."

luke nods in agreement, "you had the right idea, but you're trying too hard. it has to feel and look more natural. if you're going to compliment him again, make it a less disturbing experience and say something easy going."

"okay...like what?"

luke stops walking, grabbing your arms and turning your body to face him. "pretend i'm matt, and flirt with me."

"no," you laugh loudly,"i'm not doing that," you calm down and whisper as two girls walk passed you both, your earlier shout gathering their attention.

"yes, you are. just try. give me a compliment." luke insists.

you sigh, "okay, umm...hey, you have really straight teeth."

"that's weird!" luke exclaims, shoulders dropping.

you groan, "I don't know! I don't want to be boring and just, like, say he has nice eyes."

"well you'd be lying because he has shit brown coloured eyes."

"luke." you deadpan, staring up with him with a very much annoyed expression.

"okay, boring is good. it's simple and effective," luke says as you two continue to walk through campus. "alright, for example;" he clears his throat and looks at you all weird so your raise your brows. "wow, y/n i've never noticed how beautiful your smile is."

you squint at him, "that's it?"

"I thought it was pretty good," he defends himself.

"I suppose," you agree.

"next time you see him, tell him you like the way he's styled his hair or something. guys like him would like that." luke thinks.

"I can do that...hopefully he remembers me this time." you mutter.

luke scoffs, "what do you even see in this guy anyways? he's kind of an asshole."

"he's not," you squawk, "he's funny and smart..." you daydream, which has luke rolling his eyes. "and he plays basketball! I love basketball."

"first of all, you know nothing about basketball," luke says and you roll your eyes, "second of all, how would you know? you've only spoken to the guy twice."

"I can just feel it. those two times we talked, I had a good feeling in my stomach. and besides, it shouldn't matter to you."

"it doesn't really," luke says quickly, "all i'm going to say is that if he was a hockey player instead of a basketball player, you would hate everything about him."

you furrow your brows, "well, I don't date hockey players so..."

"it has nothing to do with the sport. matt johnson is literally rutger 2.0. hell, rutger is more tolerable."

"you're wrong." you say.

"am I?" he says.

you gulp because you aren't sure if he actually is wrong.

"but, who am I to judge," luke tucks his hands in his pockets, "we will get you the guy, y/n, if that's what you want."

you hesitate for a moment. "yeah." you say, "that's what I want."

luke swallows and nods slowly, "okay, come by mine after work? the guys are having a couple people over and I think matt is coming."

you agree quickly, "okay, i'll see you later."

he grabs your arm, spinning you back around to face him before you could leave. "what? no kiss goodbye?"

"luke," you gave him a tentative look. he just smirks and leans down, pressing his lips to your cheek delicately, "guess i'll give you one then." he says against your skin and you have to fight your bodies urge to shudder.

"you're such a..." you shake your head in disbelief.

"charmer?" he interrupts with a smirk.

"a dreamer," you correct. "i'll see you after work." you say, leaving him standing on the pathway and making your way back home.

-

you got to the hockey house just after 9 p.m. you finished work around 8:30, and when you got home to change into more appropriate clothing, you had been disappointed when you realized you had left your house key inside, and ariana and rosie weren't home. so, there you were, knocking on the door in your work uniform, covered in milk stains and smelling like old coffee beans.

the front door is pulled open and your face to face with ethan. he looks you over once with furrowed brows, "you don't have to knock."

"oh," you say, "sorry."

"don't apologize," he says, "why are you wearing that?"

"it's my uniform." you respond with hesitation. why is he so odd.

"oh, okay. come in then." he pulls the door open wider and you nod, stepping in the home. you drop your bag by the door and ethan hisses warningly.

"what?" you snap and he holds his hands up in surrender.

"there's some new girls here. if you leave your bag there, chances are something will get stolen." oh, you think, that's kinda sweet.

"right," you respond, picking your bag back up, "thanks."

"moose! your girl is here." ethan shouts through the house, voice barley heard over the booming music. despite his call, he throws an arm around your shoulders, guiding you into the living room.

it feels like all eyes are on you when you enter the makeshift living room space. there's a sectional pushed up against the far wall, and a three seater adjacent to it. there's a rickety coffee table in the middle, and a rough looking lazy boy in the other corner. the tv is playing seinfeld on the only free wall left, and the room smells like whiskey. you try not to scrunch your nose up in disgust.

a chorus of greetings are thrown your way. there's a couple people you don't recognize, but most faces you're familiar with.

you see luke stand up from his seat between dylan and luca fantilli, making his way over to the two of you. "hey," he greets as ethan's arm leaves your shoulders, and luke is pulling you into a hug, which is normal now you suppose. "I texted you."

"my phone died," you say, "and i got locked out of my house, I couldn't even change." you whine briefly, exhaustion clear in your tone.

now luke wishes he didn't bring up this small party, especially since he knew matt wasn't going to be there. he just made that minor detail up about tonight, so that you'd be convinced to show up. luke was worried his friends would put two and two together if you were only around when matt was and that would just ruin the entire plan he'd conjured up.

"what are you wearing?" a girl with dark red hair is sitting beside rutger, and she's looking at you with confused brows. although you're always a girls girl, the tone of the mystery girl has you feeling angry.

"my uniform," you bite back. rutger smirks at your attitude and you feel like elbowing his jaw. "I didn't have the opportunity to change out of it...i'm sure somebody in this house has something I could wear."

"oh," the girl hums, all valley girl and uninterested.

"yeah, you can borrow something of mine." luke says into your hairline, arm still wrapping you in his embrace against his side.

rutger laughs, "thank god, I can smell the old creamer from here."

as you and luke pass behind him, he hits rutger up the back of the head and the action has you smiling to yourself, letting luke pull you up the stairs by your hand and to his bedroom.

his walls were a light gray colour, which you assumed was already painted when the boys moved in. he had a couple hockey related items up on the wall, along with a photograph framed of his family. he had a desk covered in school work, along with a bed in the opposite corner with a nightstand, which was also covered in random items. you looked away embarrassed when you spotted the open box of condoms beside the lamp.

in the time of you slightly snooping around, luke had pulled sweats out of his dresser. "here," he says. you don't have time to register his words before he throws some clothes at your chest. you catch them with a grunt, a sarcastic thank you follows.

luke jumps on his bed, long body sprawled out with his hands gathered behind his head. you look at him and his relaxed demeanour with confusion, "are you going to leave so I can change or..?"

"...no? i've seen naked girls before."

"you've never seen me naked before," you retort harshly.

luke just shrugs and makes no moves to leave you alone. sensing your hesitation, he sighs, "if i run into somebody in the hall, don't you think they'd be confused if my girlfriend made me leave while she changes?"

he makes a good point - so for the sake of your fake relationship, you push your nerves aside.

you grab a throw pillow that was on the floor and toss it at his face. "just...cover your face then."

he laughs and obliges, using the pillow to shield his eyes. you take a moment to make sure he won't make any moves to peek at you, and then you turn your back to him. first, taking off your polo shirt and replacing it with luke's michigan wolverine one. although he's much taller than you, he's not insanely built, so the shirt is baggy but not swimming on you. next goes your slacks, leaving you in your underwear.

"are you wearing blue underwear?" luke's question is muffled from under the pillow. you pause, looking over your shoulder to make sure he was still shut eye. "I can sense the colour blue."

"no," you hum as you pull his sweatpants over your very much blue underwear. in a moment of boldness you say, "i'm not wearing any."

luke removes the pillow from his face in a hurry and you gasp at him. "hey!"

"just was seeing if you were telling the truth." he shrugs like it's no big deal.

"you're lucky I pulled these on before you saw...anything." you curse yourself for lack of a better word.

you can feel the pants slipping down, so you roll them at the waist, even though it does nothing, pant legs are still pooled at the floor, covering your feet. you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirrored closet door and groan. "I look awful."

"what?" you watch as luke's brows draw together in confusion. "what are you even saying?"

"my skin is oily, my hair is dirty and," you pause to sniff the ends, "smells like fucking cappuccino and i'm literally swimming in these clothes. I look and feel like shit."

"you don't," luke says, "girls always look cute in guys clothes so like, don't even start."

you give luke a gentle smile in the mirror, "you think I look cute?"

"you already know my answer..." he whispers. your eyes catch his on the bed, and you body goes slightly limp. the situation becomes very real, very quick, leaving you to clear your throat and run a hand through your hair nervously.

"is matt still coming?" you ask, collecting your clothes off the floor and stuffing them in your bag. "I didn't see him when we were down there."

you hear luke sigh quietly from his spot on the bed, "matt can't make it."

you freeze momentarily, "oh."

"yeah, i'm sorry." he says. luke watches your face falter slightly. you push off the floor and sit down beside him on the bed. he can't read your expression, but then your shoulders deflate and you start to cry.

luke sits up in a hurry. "hey, don't cry. what's wrong?"

"i'm sorry," you huff, wiping your face of tears aggressively, "i don't mean to be so emotional, i'm just- is it weird that i'm relived?" you mumble.

you look over and see his slightly confused expression, mixed with a hint of concern. you sigh, wiping your nose with the back of your hand, "I'm just so tired, and I feel like shit and I look bad, and - and all day I was making myself so anxious. what do I say to him and how do I act around him - god, I feel pathetic." you laugh at yourself, wiping your face again, "and now i'm crying infront of you! a guy who really doesn't care, i'm probably making you uncomfortable."

luke is looking at you all soft and then he places his hand over yours, clearly not worried about any tears or snot from your crying. you don't have the instinct to pull away, and you almost want to interlock your fingers.

"I do care, y/n. i'm sorry. have I been putting too much pressure on you? too much information?"

"no," you say immediately, "you've actually been keeping me from going crazy, I think." you smile at him without teeth and luke feels a pang in his chest.

"let's just stay up here," luke concludes, "we can watch some youtube on my phone."

you nod gently, swinging your legs onto the plush duvet of luke's bed. "no promises I won't fall asleep, i'm so tired."

"I don't mind ," luke says.

you find yourself nodding again, both of adjusting until you're laying down beside one another. your limbs are kept to yourself as you cuddle into his pillow, which surprisingly smelt clean. the sidemen video luke chose was playing for 10 minutes before you fell asleep, your soft snoring alerting him of your new state.

luke smiled softly, admiring the way you looked so peaceful under the glow of his phone screen. he exited the app and opened his camera, snapping a picture of you as you slept, your face illuminated by his lamp. he immediately makes it his lockscreen.

you know, he thinks, in case one of the guys questions why you aren't his lockscreen.

then he grabs your phone, opening the camera before taking a selfie of the both of you: you out cold and him with puckered lips. he can't wait until you yell at him about it.

part four: the secret glances

"can't I just fail instead?" luke groans, tossing his pencil against his textbook before slamming it shut.

"no," you say, re opening the book, "absolutely not."

you two are taking up a table in the back of the schools library: right near a big window that was currently letting in the last bit of daylight.

luke groaned, his head falling back. he stretched his long legs out, unintentionally intertwining his with yours underneath the table.

you sighed at his sulky expression. in passing, luke had mentioned he wasn't understanding some psychology assignment and was just gunna flunk it, but lucky (or unluckily given his expression) for him, you were great at the subject, and offered to meet up after his game to help him out. surprisingly, he agreed. although he wanted to do it at his house, you suggested the roudy environment of his place wasn't the best option.

"we are almost done," you tell him and he lifts his head, looking back at you with a pout. "lukeeee" you whine.

you see the corner of his mouth tug up in a smirk but he fixed his expression immediately. "okay well," he pushed all his books to your side of the table before getting up, dragging his chair around to your side.

he sits back down and turns towards you sweetly. "can you type the rest if I tell you what to say? my fingers are sore."

he's pouting again and you laugh, "you're unbelievable." but you do it anyway, angling his laptop towards yourself - and you don't even make him contribute, which luke was surprised with. you just typed out his conclusion paragraph wordlessly.

it isn't 5 minutes later before you're saving his work. "done." you say, shutting the lid. "you'll just have to spell check everything before you hand it in - which I hope you're capable of."

he scoffs out a laugh, "i'm very capable."

you get a chance to really look at his face, and you can see a black eye forming. his blinks are slow, indicating he's tired, and suddenly you feel bad for making him do this after a game.

"why are you looking at me like that?" he says.

you ignore his question and ask one of your own interest. "how'd you get the black eye?"

"high stick," he says simply.

"does it hurt?" you pout.

"not right now - did at the time." you're still staring so luke smirks, "does it make me look hot or something?"

you snap out of your daze, "what? no."

somebody shushes the two of you somewhere in the library and immediately you slap a hand to your mouth, luke laughing at your expression.

"yeah, y/n, shhh," he teases with a small laugh.

you give him a bewildered look, "did you just shush me? you know what.." you laugh, jumping up and covering his laughing mouth with your hand - he's still laughing, tickling your side which makes you squirm away. it ends up with you both getting shushed again.

you sit back, "okay, I think that's our sign to head out." luke agrees as you start to pack up your school work, admiring the way your side profile looked. you looked so beautiful: the glow of the library lamps made your jaw look softer, your eyes brighter. "let me walk you home."

you look towards him with raised brows. "I think i'll be okay."

"I wasn't asking." he says.

"okay tough guy," you smirk, brushing your fingers across his cheek bone: just under the forming black eye. he gulps and his mouth drops slightly at your soft touch - but you stop too soon, he thinks, grabbing your bag and standing up. "let's go then."

he nods with a smirk, collecting his own bag before following you out of the library, and if he watches the way your ass moves in your leggings - that's nobody's business.

part five: the feelings

your phone buzzed gently on the mattress beside your head. you groan, twisting your eyes shut harder, trying to let sleep take over. it buzzes again. you sigh, rolling away from the phone. and then it's buzzing sporadically, altering you of an incoming call.

who's calling this late, you think. the incoming call ends just as you pick your your cell.

(1) missed call from lukey 😍

(4) unread messages from lukey 😍

     heyyyyyy y/n (1:43 am)

     wha r ya boing rigt nkow? (1:51 am)

     let me in (2:06 am)

     y/n (2:06 am)

you shot up out of bed, because there's no way he was actually outside your door...right? you descend down the stairs and your thoughts are confirmed when you hear sloppy knocking and luke talking outside. you pull open the front door and you are met with hazy eyes and a dopey smile.

"luke? what the fuck are you doing?"

"I wanted to see you," he slurs, leaning his body on the door frame to steady himself.

you cross your arms, suddenly aware you just ran down the stairs and opened the door in your thin t-shirt and small loose shorts. luke didn't even notice though, he was too drunk - too tired. "it's after 2. where have you been?" you question gently.

he shrugs, "some football party but i missed you so I gave my uber your address and told him you were my girlfriend...I even showed him pictures of you, he says you're pretty," it's hard to understand him fully, but you think you got the jist of it.

"alright big guy, want me to drive you home?"

he gives you a bewildered look. "no? can't I stay here with my girlfriend?"

you grab his arm gently, pulling him inside your home. "i'm not actually your girlfriend," you whisper to him. he kicks off his shoes clumsily, tossing his coat to the floor.

"why not?" he frowns, dropping his body weight onto you and you groan out, his slurred question falling on deaf ears.

"okay, let's go upstairs," you say and he nods, wrapping his arm around your shoulders as you guide him upstairs the best you can, even if it takes a couple stumbles to get there.

you shut your bedroom door behind you, blindly moving until you can flick on your bedside lamp, illuminating the room in the a warm glow. you look over to luke, who is lying face down on your bed like a starfish.

"luke, scooch over," you say and he groans, rolling over onto his back. you climb back into bed, tucking yourself underneath the covers while he stays on top.

you are turned towards him with your eyes closed but luke can't find himself to do the same. he delicately runs a finger down the bridge of your nose and you peek one eye open at him. the corner of his lip quirks up and you raise your brow. "you have freckles," he whispers, "i've never noticed."

"that's because i'm usually wearing makeup when you see me...and more clothes." you sigh.

"I like you like this," he says and you ignore the way your heart starts beating a mile a minute. the gentle tone and sincerity of his words have you feeling warm in a way you've never felt before.

"you're drunk." you say after a moment, grabbing his hand that rested on your collarbone and giving it back to him. "get some sleep."

he laughs, grabbing your hand as you try and retract it, sliding his fingers between yours. "I like being your friend, you're actually pretty cool for someone who doesn't like hockey."

you watch as his eyes start to flutter and you have to urge to massage his scalp and rub his back and kiss him. "I like being your friend too," is what you settle for instead, pushing your thoughts deep and deeper until they become nonexistent.

"I knew you would," he smirks with his eyes closed and not a minute after his breathing slows and his hand goes limp, signalling he's entered a deep drunken sleep.

you use your free hand a turn the lamp off, the room consumed by darkness once again. you close your eyes and for the first time in a long time you don't think about matt.

you are woken up that morning by a deep groan. at first you freeze, confused on why a manly noise would be heard in your bed. you open one eye and see luke and then the night comes back to you.

luke groans again, hand covering his eyes to protect them from the stream of sunlight coming through your widow.

"luke?" you whisper.

he opens his eyes just barley, turning his head only to find you staring at him with the softest look he's ever seen. "hey," his voice is raspy. for a moment he takes in his surrounding with a confused expression, but slowly his memories come back and he groans once more. "sorry about last night."

"that's okay," you say. "I work in an hour but you don't have to leave. are you hungry? I could make you something greasy?" he's looking at you like a deer in headlights because how the hell are you so kind.

"yeah, okay," luke says, sitting up against your headboard. "but only if you let me walk you to work."

you hold the covers tight to your chest, sitting up with him. "are you sure you're not too hungover?" you tease.

he laughs softly, "i'm never too hungover for you." you roll your eyes and he feels satisfied with your reaction. "okay, go downstairs while I change, i'm pretty sure you can see everything through this damn shirt."

luke raises his brows and his signature smirk is back. "show me and I can tell you if that's true."

you giggle, like an actual giggle, and push his shoulder. "just...go downstairs, i'll be right down."

"okay fine," he smiles, leaving you alone to get changed. his phone buzzes twice in his pocket and he pulls out his cell.

rutger

dude where the hell did you end up ? 😂

luke

y/n's

rutger

ouuuu moose 🫣

rutger

don't get too attached - remember what this is dude

luke

nah i'm good

luke sighs and pockets his phone. he was kinda screwed.

part six: the party

a couple of weeks passed since luke fell asleep drunk in your bed. that next morning after you made breakfast, luke had walked you to work like he said, kissing your cheek before you went inside, which was just...rude. after that, every couple days you and luke would meet up whenever your schedules aligned to discuss your plan. he continued to give you tips and ideas to land with matt, and you think they were working. matt started small talk with you in every morning class, and he even complimented you once.

although things with matt were progressing, it didn't feel as you thought it may. when he spoke to you, you didn't get butterflies like expected and when he looked at you, you didn't feel warm. often in class, his opinions weren't ones to be proud of - and his comments and remarks gave you something like an ick.

but, you think of all the work you and luke have put into this damn relationship hunt and you have to push those feelings away and plaster on a smile.

the party you were currently standing in the middle of, was hosted at one of the basketball players fraternity: the captain, you're pretty sure. well, matt was the one who invited you...kind of. it happened after class the previous day. you had been walking out with dylan duke, two of you discussing the homework you planned on finishing before luke got back home to 'steal you away' - in the words of dylan - and matt had just pushed between you and interrupted.

before dylan could say anything, matt had just straight up asked if you were coming. which, no you obviously weren't planning on going unless the guys were going. then matt notices it was dylan you were with and he completely switches personalities. eventually, dylan shared that the team was planning on stopping in and that you'd probably be going as well.

then, before matt walked away, he sent you a smirk. it was happening, you think, all the hard work you've forced yourself through and you force yourself to get excited.

"hey! you made it." matt's deep voice snaps you out of your own head and his hand clamps on your shoulder.

you wipe your hands down the front of your black mini skirt and send him a closed mouth smile. the month of may had finally started to feel like may, so you immediately took the opportunity to wear a summery outfit. "I did, yeah," you smile, letting matt give you a brief side hug.

you're not sure where his sudden touchiness came from but you ignore it.

"you want a drink?" he asks and you nod once.

"yeah, sure, lead the way." he brings you over to the open kitchen, and pours you some mystery liquor in a red cup. you thank him, trying not to cringe at the first sip, your tastebuds attacked by the amount of vodka. "so," matt says, "how are you feeling about almost being done the year?"

you nod, "yeah, i'm excited. ready for a break," you laugh and matt laughs gently with you.

"I hear that. is luke nervous about playoffs starting soon?"

"I think he's okay," you say, because you actually have no idea. he's never mentioned anything like that when you've been around but you kind of wished he did. the urge to ditch matt and make

luke tell you every doubt and worry he's ever had overcomes your body - but you stay put.

"nice," matt hums, eyes leaving your figure to look out into the bustling party. then, his brows raise and he lets out a low whistle, "isn't that luke over there?"

you look over in the direction matt was referring to, and see a taller blonde girl talking to your fake boyfriend. you nod, swallowing your spit harshly as you watch them interact. the girl was so beautiful, with long tan legs, and honey coloured hair, shiny teeth and perfect skin. she was your complete opposite. "are you guys having problems, or something?" matt asks, eyes dancing over your unreadable expression. "shit, that's girls a rocket - that's tough, kid."

you knaw on your lip to try and stop from lashing out at matt's tone. "ummm, yeah. we are fighting. looks like he's found someone to peek his interest," you laugh awkwardly but your eyes don't leave luke's tall figure from across the room.

luke smiles at something the girl says and your heart stops momentarily.

"fuck, maybe you should do the same," matt says, and your head snaps over in his direction.

"yeah, maybe."

he smirks at you, "hey, wanna come upstairs with me? I have a question about our next assignment. I heard you and dylan talking about it the other day, and you're like nerdy so i figured you'd have the answers."

your face falls. of course there's an actual reason why matt was seeking your attention. he needed help with a fucking word problem because his stupid pea brain couldn't handle thinking - you stop your own thoughts and take a deep breath.

you plaster on a smile, "sure."

matt doesn't sense your attitude and just smirks again. then, he leads you both up the stairs near the back of the house, his hand hovering the small of your back as you walk infront of him.

rutger was watching you and matt interact in the kitchen from his spot in the living room with an amused smirk on his lips. he watched as your eyes flashed with real jealousy as luke and the blonde girl, named sam, flirt. or rather, sam flirt and luke just responding occasionally.

as rutger watches you admire his teammate from across the party, he really thinks luke is doing it. you are falling for him. he didn't think luke had it in him, and just when rutger was about to say something teasing to luke, he watches matt lead you upstairs to the bedrooms - the basketball player almost touching you. rutger sees the look on your face and he's pushing away from the wall and over to his teammate.

rutger grabbed luke's shoulder harshly, "dude why is matthew johnson leading your girl upstairs?"

luke's eyes have never moved faster, and he catches a glimpse of your face before you're gone behind the wall and luke's stomach plummets. something wasn't right.

"what part of the assignment did you need help with?" you ask once you walk into what is assumingely, matt's bedroom. the idea of being in his bedroom isn't all that exciting, and it smells like boy in the worst way.

you place your cup down on his desk just as matt shuts the bedroom door behind you two, the click of the latch echoing throughout the room.

you spin on your heels so you can face matt again, and as you do, you find him much closer than you thought he'd be. your eyes widen, and you take a step back. unfortunately, his desk is in your way, and you bump into the wood.

"sorry," he laughs breathlessly at your reaction, he takes another step closer to you and your stomach drops.

"you just, scared me. you were closer than expected." you laugh once breathlessly, wringing your hands out in front of you. "so the assignment?"

you freeze as matt reaches out, tucking a piece of your loose hair behind your ear. "i don't actually need help with the assignment," he mumbles with a laugh, his fingers moving across your collarbone, "i'm pretty sure my grade is higher than yours," he chimes, hand grabbing onto your bicep to pull you even closer.

you chest bumps against his and you feel yourself flushing warm with panick. you try and tug your arm away, but he's too strong. you should shout, be loud...but you can only whimper, "what are you doing?"

he gives you a look, brows furrowing as if he can't understand why you'd be confused at his actions. "i'm helping you peek your interest, obviously," his fingers dig deeper into your muscle, the hand that was once on your collarbone comes up to hold your face tightly. "luke doesn't know what he's got - with me, it'll be good" matt tells you.

"no. let me go." your voice struggles to be louder than a whisper. "stop," you plead, but he shushes you, lips attaching themselves to your neck.

"matt, please." you whimper, tears falling down your cheeks but he doesn't listen to your obvious distress, continuing to touch you in a way you never once gave him the impression of wanting.

the door knob behind him jiggles, trying to be pried open. you cry harder. the door knob continued to move, altering you that somebody was trying to get in.

you need to scream, your brain tells you. this is a chance to let somebody save you from something horrible. but your voice feels lost - body feels numb. you should've never come up to the room, you think. and suddenly, you feel stupid for allowing yourself to be in this situation. you're frozen as matt continues to ignore your earlier pleas.

"y/n?!" the voice is muffled through the door as somebody calls out to you. it takes your body a moment to react but you feel yourself come to. your brain catching up as you recognize the voice behind the door.

with that, you find your voice again. "luke!" you cry out and it isn't a moment later the door is busted open, revealing rutger and the man who called out for you. matthew jumps off you in shock.

one look at your pale face and matt's close proximity, the puzzle pieces are pieced together.

immediately luke rushes forward, grabbing matthew by the collar of his shirt, pushing him up against the wall roughly, rattling the pictures that hung.

rutger rushes towards you, checking over your face for any injuries. it's all happening too fast, and you didn't even notice when you started to cry, but now you are full on sobbing, watching luke grab onto matthew.

you close your eyes once he begins to shout, holding onto your own arms.

"if you ever touch her, look at her or even think of my girlfriend ever again, it will be the last thing you ever do. consider yourself done with anything to do with her or your future at this school - you piece of shit."

rutger moves forward, pulling luke's hands off of matthew, "let's go." he says. "he's not worth your words - he's a fucking joke."

luke is breathing heavily, anger still evident as he releases the collar of matt's shirt. just as he begins to turn away from the basketball player, luke pauses, faces matt again, pulls his fist back and hits matthew square in the jaw. "never again!" luke says once more, looking down at matthew who fell to the floor from the force of the punch.

people start to make their way up the stairs and towards the door from the commotion. curses and gasps echo through your ears as party goers take in the sight. you feel so embarrassed - not with luke hitting someone but rather in yourself for being in the situation.

luke turns his body fully away from matt and sees your tear stained face, still pale and delicate. his heart breaks and stomach falls, and he rushes towards you. something that sounds like a coo passes his lips quietly, his eyes softening and he pulls you under his arm. "i've got you, it's okay."

you're still crying as luke leads you away from the room and curious party people, walking you both swiftly down the stairs. rutger is a few feet behind you, making sure everybody knows what a terrible person their star basketball player is.

"did you drive?" luke asks gently as you exit the house.

the fresh air has you shaking, "no, I ubered."

"want us to bring you home?" rutger pipes up from behind you and luke. you nod softly, body still quivering. luke squeezes you tighter.

the ride back to your place was silent, even rutger didn't make any moves to speak, which was out of character. not even a joke or quip could break the tense silence after the serious incident. the only sounds are the tires against pavement and the song playing quietly on the radio.

thankfully, luke chooses to sit with you in the backseat. he doesn't push you into talking or explaining what happened before he showed up and you're so thankful for that. instead, he lets you hold onto his arm tightly and sniffle into his shoulder.

the tires squeak with a stop not long after, signalling your arrival back home.

"thanks for the ride," you say quietly. luke watches your sad eyes and still shaking hands and he sits up a little straighter. he places his hand on rutgers shoulder, "hey, do you mind waiting for a minute, i'm gunna walk her inside."

"of course, moose." rutger says. he sends you one more gentle glance before luke is ushering you both out the backseat to make the short journey up the stairs to your home.

the house is quiet when you two get inside as your roommates are out for the night, leaving you and luke alone. with that in mind, as soon as the door shuts behind him, you really start to cry. you turn your body to look at him and immediately luke's somber frown deepens, and he wraps you in a proper hug. "i'm so sorry that happened." he whispers into your hair.

"I feel so stupid," you sob.

luke pulls back slightly and looks down at your teary face, "why? you're not stupid."

you sniffle, "I really thought he was a good guy, you saw it anytime we talked - that look on my face. i've wasted your time, all the help you've given me, how could I not know this would happen? these past few days he's not given me any good signs and i shouldnt of gone to the party - or upstairs, and...this is my fault."

luke gently holds your face, and his touch subsided your cries momentarily. "you are not stupid and it is not your fault. what happened tonight was awful and that shouldn't of gone down. i'm sorry baby." neither of you blink at the pet name - it was just normal now. all of this between the two of you was normal now. "you didn't waste my time, i've never had more fun with anybody than i've had spending time with you. I don't even care that it had to do with matthew," his name is said in disgust, "because it turned into more than that."

"you promise?" you're looking at him how you always did but luke has never felt the feeling he currently had swirling in his chest and stomach. "I promise."

you smile slightly and you think if this was under any other circumstance you would've kissed him but instead you say, "can you stay the night? rutger can stay too if he wants."

"of course i'll stay." he says in confidence.

you and luke fall asleep in your bed soon after, rutgers snoring can barley be heard from his spot on the couch. as you're dozing off, you can't help but think maybe hockey players aren't so bad after all.

[laurenairay]

hopeless hearts just passing through - J. Hughes

This my entry for @wyattjohnston’s low-key lovefest 2k24 prompt list challenge. I chose “stop making promises you aren’t going to keep” from the angst list and “you’re the only person I wanted to see tonight” from the fluff list.

Summary: Jack had messed up, again. Can he make it up to you this time, or is it too late?

Words: 2.9k

Warnings: light angst, Jack being a dumbass, some bad language, fluff

Title from: I was made for loving you, by Tori Kelly

~

Thursday 28th December

[7.00pm] You’ve reached Jack. I’m obviously not here right now so leave me a message after the beep.

[7.25pm] You’ve reached Jack. I’m obviously not here right now so leave me a message after the beep.

[8.00pm] You’ve reached Jack. I’m obviously not here right now so leave me a message after the beep.

“Hey Jack, guess you’ve forgotten our call. Again. By now you probably have other plans tonight? Just… please give me a call when you listen to this.”

~

Friday 29th December

Morning came without a phone call. You didn’t know whether you were surprised or not, if you were being honest – this wasn’t the first time he’d forgotten to call you while on the road like he promised he would. This time though it felt different. Maybe it was because the two of you had spent a wonderful happy Hannukah & Christmas together only days before that hurt you the most. Maybe it was just because you believed Jack when he promised. Either way, this time you couldn’t let it go – it was a matter of principle.

You made it through your entire morning routine, getting washed and dressed for work, eating breakfast, packing your lunch into your work bag, before your phone started to ring. Jack. You glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall, wincing as you slipped into your shoes and grabbed your hooded coat, bag and keys on the way out the door. You weren’t going to be late, not for him.

“I’m on my way to work, I really can’t talk right now.”

You answered bluntly, pinning your phone between your shoulder and your ear as you put on your coat the moment you stepped into the elevator.

“I am so sorry baby.”

Really?

“That’s really all you have to say?” you snapped, picking your work bag up off the floor now that you’d zipped up your coat.

“What else can I say?”

You were stunned for a moment, lips parting. The nerve of this guy.

“Oh I don’t know, how about what you’re actually sorry for?” you said, the sarcasm in your voice barely hiding your anger.

You heard him huff out a breath, perfectly in time with the elevator doors opening on the ground floor of your apartment building.

“I’m sorry I missed our call. I know I promised to call you but I just totally forgot. The guys were all excited about a mario kart tournament and I really wanted Luke to finally get in on the action!”

“Please don’t blame your brother for your mistakes.”

Jack inhaled sharply over the phone. You could almost picture his mouth opening and closing as he tried to think of something to say, just as he usually did in person, so you just waited for him to speak as you trudged down the street to your usual bus stop.

“I’m sorry. For blaming Luke and for upsetting you. It won’t happen again, baby, I promise.”

Yeah, okay. As if that was the first time he’d said that.

“Stop making promises you aren’t going to keep,” you said sharply.

Jack was silent for a moment or two.

“What do you mean?”

His voice sounded so small, so quiet, like he finalised realised the depth of how badly he’d screwed up. Good.

“You know what I mean, Jack. I’m not asking for the world – I know your team will always be priority. I’m just getting sick of never even crossing your mind at all. Even a text to say a mario kart tournament had started last minute would’ve been better than being fucking ghosted by my own boyfriend,” you groaned.

Thankfully there was no-one else at the bus stop to hear your cursing.

“Baby, please, I can do better. I will do better.”

He was clearly panicking, voice full of desperation with whatever he was reading from your own voice. But you just sighed, not really sure what to say because this wasn’t the first time so would it really be the last? Could you really believe him?

Before you could think of an answer to his pleading, your bus came into view as it turned the corner onto your road. Clearly this was a sign.

“I have to go, my bus is here,” you said softly.

“No baby, wait please, I-”

You ended the call without letting him finish, already feeling a headache coming on as the anger washed out of you. This was the last thing you needed after the heartache of last night – his panicked pleading. It wouldn’t help his case when he was so far away, not when you were this frustrated with him. The best thing for you to do, rather than tumbling into saying something you would regret, would be to give yourself some space, some breathing room.

Something that Jack clearly didn’t agree with as he immediately called your phone again.

Thankfully the bus pulled up right at that moment, so you felt justified in ignoring him, slipping your phone into your pocket as you flashed the driver your bus pass, focusing on finding a seat for your commute.

It was all you could do to keep your face neutral, trying to ignore the overwhelmed tears stinging at your eyes as your phone continued to buzz for most of your journey.

~

As you suspected, your morning at work was terrible. Not only did your mild headache turn into a fully formed one, but you were clearly giving off ‘leave me alone’ vibes because your colleagues steered clear, leaving you to stew in your emotions in peace. Not even a walk outside during your lunch break did any good – you still had a headache, the food you packed was so-so, and you had three emails to deal with that were really not your problem.

Didn’t people know that sending emails between Christmas and New Year was pointless?

“Hey, you’ve got a delivery.”

You jerked your head up from your computer to see your office receptionist standing next to you with a gigantic bouquet of flowers – white and pink roses, to be precise, around three dozen. What the hell?

“Uh, thanks,” you murmured, forcing a quick smile as she passed the bouquet over.

You tried desperately to ignore the whispers and stares around you as you spotted a card. Really you knew there was only one person who would send you flowers, but you still opened the small envelope with shaking hands anyway.

‘I’m sorry. Jack xx’

A simple message but it still made your heart ache.

That, and it made your lingering headache pound more. This was so typical Jack, wanting to do some sort of grand gesture which in technicality was very sweet but also so not what you needed right now. You didn’t need the reminder that things were shaky between you two. You didn’t need the stares and attention from your colleagues, all of them now knowing that something was wrong from your reaction. And you didn’t need to carry the bouquet home on the bus with you, the unresolved tension between you and Jack hanging over you like an axe.

Or, well, like a bouquet of 36 flowers, bigger than your head.

“Oh honey, what did he do?”

You winced at the pitying voice of your colleague, smiling sadly as you shook your head.

“I’d really rather not talk about it,” you said softly.

She nodded, smiling sadly back.

“Well if you change your mind, message me and we’ll go for coffee,” she said, voice quiet, trying to give you a modicum of privacy.

You just nodded, thanking her quietly in response, and she left with a squeeze of your shoulder. She meant well, you knew she did, and hopefully this interaction would stop anyone else (especially those who loved to stir drama) from approaching you too.

It was all you could do to put the flowers on the side of your desk, trying to ignore everything they represented. You had work to do – thinking about Jack right now was not going to do you any good.

When your phone buzzed a couple of hours later though, you still read the messages that Jack sent, one after another coming in.

~

[3.22pm]

From: Jack I got an email saying the flowers had been delivered. I chose white and pink roses to symbolise how much I love you and my loyalty and how sorry I am. I know that I messed up and I understand why you’re upset with me. But please give me a second chance?

~

He'd looked up flower symbolism. He specifically chose white and pink roses because of their meaning. What were you supposed to do with something so romantic when you were this frustrated with him?

Fuck.

With a sigh you pulled up the Devils schedule on your phone, confirming the date in your mind that he’d be back from his roadtrip. He was still in Ottawa today and then Boston tomorrow…but he would be back on New Year’s Eve. You could work with that.

~

[3.35pm]

To: Jack The flowers are beautiful. Thank you. I am still upset with you, but I will hear you out. If you want to talk, come to mine on NYE. I have no plans.

~

The two of you hadn’t discussed any parties or plans at all for New Year’s Eve, even though you had assumed Jack would’ve dragged you somewhere in the end. But this was better. You needed time alone with him because there was no way you could face him for the first time after all this while surrounded by other people. Putting the ball in his court was the only way to keep your sanity at this point.

With another sigh you put your phone down, raking a hand through your hair as your eyes lingered on the colourful blooms on your desk. They really were beautiful.

You weren’t surprised when it took mere minutes before your phone buzzed again.

~

[3.37pm]

From: Jack I’ll be there. I promise.

~

Saturday 30th December

[11.15pm]

To: Jack Sorry about the loss. You’ll get the Bruins next time.

~

[11.20pm]

From: Jack Thanks ❤️

~

Sunday 31st December

You hadn’t spoken to Jack since texting him after yesterday’s defeat. Mostly because you knew he was travelling, but also because you knew that him coming over to yours tonight was when you really needed to speak.

For some reason you were a little nervous. You didn’t know what it was really that had you furiously cleaning your apartment, but those fizzing bubbles ran all through your body the whole day. It didn’t help that you had no idea what time Jack would come over. Assuming he was still coming over, that was. No, he had promised, and he knew how you felt about promises. At least you hoped he had learned his lesson on how you felt because you weren’t sure of how much more you could take.

Tonight had to be your deciding factor on protecting your heart, you knew that much.

When you’d scrubbed and rearranged and hoovered all that you could, you showered and dressed up in a comfortable black velvet tea dress, curled your hair and put on a little make-up before putting some wine in the fridge to chill. It was New Year’s Eve after all, and you knew that if Jack didn’t turn up by 9pm, your friends had insisted that you go over to theirs to celebrate the new year together. It felt good to know that you had a safety net because if Jack didn’t show tonight? You were done. And you knew you’d need the support of your friends to get you through.

Fuck.

You really hoped he showed up.

When it got to 6pm, you put some soft music on, hoping to drown out the silence of your apartment, feeling like an idiot for just sitting around waiting for him. What if he didn’t show up? What if he let you down again? What if this was the end of your relationship? What if…

Bzzzzz

The buzzer for your apartment crashed through your swirling thoughts and you quickly jumped to your feet, cheeks heating with how ridiculous you felt.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me. Can you let me up?”

Jack. He came.

You didn’t answer, just pressed the button to let him in, trying to keep yourself calm as you paced to and forth while you waited for him to take the elevator up to your apartment. In all reality it didn’t take long, but after the last few days it felt like a lifetime.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

You huffed out a laugh at your awkward greetings, stepping aside to let him in.

“Thanks, uh, for inviting me over,” Jack said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Wasn’t sure what time you would come. Or what you were doing tonight,” you murmured, shutting the door behind him.

Jack groaned, walking further into your apartment, you following silently. “I should’ve texted. Fuck, I should’ve told you exactly what time I was coming over, but I got so caught up trying to find the right thing to wear and dropping Luke off early at Nico’s and…”

Oh bless his heart. He was going straight into it then.

His rant trailed off as you pressed a finger to his lips, responding to your amused smile with a shy one of his own.

“You look great, Jack – you always do,” you said simply, dropping your hand back to your side, “But I actually meant if you had other plans around this like parties you were going to go to.”

Jack immediately shook his head, face more serious than you’d ever seen it.

“You’re the only person I wanted to see tonight,” he said firmly.

Oh fuck. Your breath hitched in your throat at his words, Jack taking the chance to hold both of your hands.

“I messed up. I know I messed up. I haven’t been treating you with the respect you deserve and missing even one call with you without letting you know why is unacceptable…”

Wow. This was far more than you had ever expected from him, and your heart ached with the emotion he was putting into his thoughts. Maybe he’d rehearsed this with Luke, maybe he was winging it, but you could tell in his eyes that he meant every word. He was right – you hadn’t been respected like you deserve. Could he really turn himself around though?

“…I really am sorry, baby. I love you so much and I can’t bear the thought of losing you. Please, will you forgive me?”

The confidence in his voice wavered a little, voice cracking with the emotion of his words, and you felt a pang radiate through your chest. You’d never seen him look so vulnerable before. Maybe you needed to see it.

As you formed your thoughts, you kept your hands in his, squeezing to let him know you were processing so he didn’t panic or shut down. That was the last thing you wanted or needed. This was a lot, and it was important that you said what you really meant.

“I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting to dive straight into this.”

Jack winced slightly, lips parting, but you shook your head. No, it was your turn now.

“You really hurt me, Jack. I appreciate that you understand that, but it still doesn’t change the fact that I was hurt. I don’t ask for much and you couldn’t even give me the bare minimum,” you started.

The whimper that escaped from his throat just about broke your heart, but you barrelled on.

“I deserve more. I deserve better. I deserve respect, you’re right. I just…I really hope you’re the one that can give that to me,” you said softly.

As your words sunk in, a hopeful smile quickly spread across his face.

“I get a second chance?” he grinned, making you huff out a laugh.

“Yeah, Jack, you do. But you won’t get a third. I don’t like feeling like I don’t matter and you can’t do that again,” you said, hoping he understood how serious you were.

Jack nodded, squeezing your hands.

“I won’t let you down, baby. I almost lost you once by being a careless asshole, I won’t lose you again,” he said, smiling.

Oh how that smile gave you butterflies.

“I love you,” he said again.

It didn’t matter how long you’d been together or how many times he said it – hearing those words fall from his lips made your heart race every single time.

“I love you too,” you said, finally smiling back.

Jack whooped, throwing his head back in celebration, making you burst out in laughter, even more so as he dropped your hands to wrap his arms around your waist, picking you up to spin around in a circle. Ridiculous, ridiculous man.

“I love you, I love you, I love you.”

You just clutched at his shoulders as he murmured the words over and over again in your ear, hoping that this time, his words would be true.

[starry-hughes]

wrapping presents (jack hughes)

day 12 of star’s ficmas

jack hughes x reader

Jack was pretty insistent on the fact that he didn’t need an assistant. But everyone else thought he did. He was immature, constantly forgetting about meetings, if someone else wasn’t grocery shopping for him, he would be eating leftover meals from the nutrition team every day. He didn’t know what temperature to preheat the oven to for chicken.

Luke didn’t mind your presence. He knew you helped Jack more than anything, plus you kept the pantry stocked with his favorite fruit snacks. Jack appreciated you more than anything. You picked up his drycleaning, made sure he was where he needed to be, and sometimes, you would wait up for him after hard games to help him put icy hot on his shoulder.

You were his life saver.

Jack had wanted to thank you for all your hardwork. You had been his assistant since his rookie year. You stuck by him through injuries and his small hissy fits he would throw when the team was in a bad area of the season. He had thanked you previously, big extravaganza gifts, bonuses for the holiday and offering to buy you plane tickets to go wherever you desired. At the beginning, he didn’t want to admit that he needed someone like you, but now he didn’t know what to do without you. This year, though, he couldn’t think of something to get you, until he saw the present in a bookstore. He wasn’t typically found in bookstores but the gift caught his eye in the window.

You entered his apartment with bags of Christmas gifts and wrapping paper. Jack was sitting on the couch with Luke. “Got all the gifts you needed,” you smiled at the man who was technically your boss. Jack sighed happily, “Oh what would I do without you.”

You grinned, carrying the gifts to his room to wrap. “You’d probably perish.”

Luke waited until the door of Jack’s bedroom closed, signaling that you were in his bedroom, wrapping gifts. You knew Jack’s bedroom well, hell you’d slept in his bed before. It wasn’t on purpose of course, but when the team had all gotten sick and you two were quarantined together, you had really gotten to know him by talking for hours in his bedroom, which resulted in you falling asleep on his bed. “Did you get (Y/N) a gift?”

“Yeah dude of course. I always get her one.”

Jack jumped up from the couch, carrying over a box. It wasn’t wrapped, just a plain white box he was planning to stick a bow on and call it a day. It was a custom, leather bound journal with flowers pressed on the cover. “It made me think of her.”

“So when are you going to tell her you’re in love with her?” Jack hit his brother, a signal for Luke to shut up.

You neatly wrapped all the gifts before packing them in a suitcase for Jack to take to Michigan for the holiday break. You loved your job and did it with a smile on your face. Sure, Jack sometimes drove you crazy but you really liked him. Maybe even loved. You chalked up your feelings to the fact that you spent a majority of your time with him. A proximity crush. You’d never fall for him if you didn’t spend so much time with him.

“Picking up dinner boys, be back soon,” you said as you got your coat on. “Oh actually, just dinner for you and Jacky, I’m going over to Dawson’s,” Luke said. Jack’s eyebrows furrowed together, “I didn’t think you were going there.” The brothers shared a look. Luke was telling him with his eyes that it was time to make a move. “Well I am, you and (Y/N) enjoy dinner together,” Luke gritted.

“Jack, I’ll be back with dinner I guess,” you said confused before leaving. “What the hell dude?” Jack whipped his head toward Luke. “Just tell her you love her! Tonight! Stop beating around the bush!”

You got home with food and Jack wasn’t in the living room. “Jack?” you called out. You heard a muttered “damn it” from his bedroom and you walked to his room. He had tape stuck to his fingers and horrible cut wrapping paper and a plain white box on the floor of his bedroom. “What are you doing? I thought I wrapped all the gifts?”

“This one is special,” Jack huffed out. He was raising the white flag, surrendering to the wrapping paper. You left the paper bag of food on his dresser and joined him on the floor of his bedroom. “You should measure the wrapping paper and make sure it covers the whole box, like this, before cutting,” you explained softly. He pulled himself closer to you, he could hear your heartbeat picking up.

“Then, you should tape one side down to the box, then the other side, and finally the edges you tuck in to make triangles and then fold,” you narrated as he handed you pieces of tape. “Must be a special present if you wanted to wrap it yourself,” you looked at him. His lips were inches away.

“Yeah, something like that,” he mumbled. You could have sworn he was moving in to kiss you before you snapped out of your trance. “Do you want to add a bow to the box?” you cleared your throat and looked back at the neatly wrapped present. “Oh,” Jack was snapped back to reality, “I guess?”

You added the bow before handing it to Jack. “I’m sure she’ll love it.”

Jack’s eyes almost pop out of his head. “How do you know it’s for a girl?”

“Because Jack, I’ve only ever seen you put this much effort into presents or items if it’s for a girl you really like.”

Jack could have laughed, it was so ironic. You were right and you had no idea how right you were.

[estapa-edwards]

hughes sister who plays for the rnagers and falls in love with matt especially as she sees hwo sweet he is off the ice and hate how the media makes him look like an ass. matt who quickly falls for her, he stays with her when he gets called up to the rangers

ALWAYS - M. REMPE

paring: Matt Rempe x reader

word count: 2k

requested? yes

warnings: use of y/n.

*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨*

Y/N Hughes had always been the odd one out in her family. Her brothers, Jack, Quinn, and Luke, were all renowned hockey players, carving their names in the NHL history books. Y/N, on the other hand, was also a hockey player, but she was making waves in her own right as one of the few women in the sport to play in the NHL, proudly representing the New York Rangers.

Her journey hadn’t been easy, facing skepticism and doubt at every turn. But Y/N had her brothers' unwavering support and her own determination to prove the doubters wrong. And so, she had become a formidable presence on the ice, known for her agility and sharp instincts.

Yet, even in the bustling world of professional hockey, fate had a way of introducing unexpected twists.

Her latest task was scouting new talent, and that’s how she found herself at a Hartford Wolf Pack game, keeping an eye on Matt Rempe.

Matt was known for his size and physicality, a giant on the ice with a reputation to match. The media often painted him as the enforcer, someone who used his fists more than his skills. But as Y/N watched him play, she saw something different. His movements were calculated, his plays strategic. He had a grace that belied his imposing figure.

After the game, Y/N decided to introduce herself. She found Matt in the locker room, his tall frame hunched over as he unlaced his skates. She took a deep breath and approached him.

“Hey, Matt. Great game out there,” she said with a warm smile.

Matt looked up, slightly surprised. “Y/N Hughes, what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to come down and check out your game. You were impressive.”

He shook her hand, his grip firm but not overwhelming. “Nice to meet you. I didn’t know you were with the Rangers now. How are Quinn, Jack, and Luke?”

“They're doing great. Busy with their own seasons,” Y/N said. “But let's talk about you. I’ve been watching your progress and I think you’ve got a lot more to offer than what the media shows.”

Matt’s smile widened slightly, a mixture of surprise and gratitude. “Thanks. It’s frustrating sometimes, being seen only as the enforcer.”

“I can imagine,” Y/N said. “But from what I saw tonight, you’re a lot more than that. You’ve got some serious skills out there.”

“Appreciate that, really,” Matt replied. “It’s nice to hear.”

--- --- --- 

Y/N and Matt kept in touch after that initial meeting. They talked about everything: hockey, life, their families. Y/N found herself looking forward to their conversations, intrigued by the man behind the tough exterior. Matt, too, found himself drawn to Y/N’s intelligence and kindness.

One evening, after a particularly grueling game, Matt invited Y/N out for coffee. They sat in a cozy corner of a small café, the warmth and aroma of freshly brewed coffee surrounding them. The bustling noise of the city outside was a stark contrast to the intimate bubble they had created.

“I hate how the media portrays you,” Y/N admitted, stirring her coffee absentmindedly. “They make you out to be this brute, but you’re so much more than that.”

Matt sighed, leaning back in his chair, his eyes focused on the steam rising from his cup. “It’s frustrating, but I try not to let it get to me. I know who I am, and the people who matter know too.”

Y/N looked at him, her eyes reflecting empathy and understanding. “It’s just unfair. They don’t see the person I see. The one who’s thoughtful and strategic on the ice, and kind off it.”

Matt's gaze softened as he looked at her. “You really see all that?”

“I do,” Y/N said, her voice firm but gentle. “You’re an amazing player and an even more amazing person.”

Matt reached across the table, taking her hand in his. The touch was warm, grounding. “And I think you’re pretty amazing too, Y/N. You’ve accomplished so much, breaking barriers and proving everyone wrong.”

A soft blush crept up Y/N’s cheeks. “It hasn’t been easy, but it’s worth it. And having people like you who believe in me makes it all the better.”

Matt smiled, his thumb gently brushing over her knuckles. “You make it sound so simple, but I know it’s not. You’re strong, Y/N. Stronger than most people I know.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the connection between them growing stronger with each passing second. The café around them buzzed with life, but it felt like they were the only two people in the world.

“What’s your favorite part of playing in the NHL?” Matt asked, breaking the silence.

Y/N thought for a moment, her eyes distant. “Honestly, it’s the feeling of belonging. Growing up, I always felt like I had to prove myself, even to my own family. But now, when I step on the ice, I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. It’s empowering.”

Matt nodded, understanding completely. “I get that. For me, it’s the camaraderie. The team becomes your family. And even though the media focuses on the rough side of the game, there’s so much more to it. The friendships, the trust, the mutual respect.”

Y/N smiled, squeezing his hand. “That’s what I love about you, Matt. You see the bigger picture. You’re not just a player; you’re a teammate, a friend.”

Matt felt his heart swell with emotion. “And you’re not just a player either, Y/N. You’re a trailblazer, an inspiration. I’m really glad we met.”

“Me too,” Y/N replied softly, her eyes locking with his. “I feel like I can be myself around you. No pretense, no expectations. Just me.”

“And I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Matt said, his voice barely above a whisper.

--- --- --- 

As their friendship blossomed, so did Matt’s career. He was called up to the Rangers, a momentous occasion that he wanted to share with Y/N. They celebrated together at a small bistro near Madison Square Garden, the excitement of the news still buzzing in the air.

“I knew you had it in you,” Y/N said, hugging him tightly. Her eyes sparkled with pride and genuine happiness for him.

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” Matt replied, his voice filled with emotion. He held her a moment longer, feeling the warmth and sincerity of her support.

They settled into a booth, ordering their favorite dishes and a bottle of celebratory champagne. As they waited for their food, they talked about the journey that had brought them to this point.

“It feels surreal,” Matt admitted, toying with his fork. “Just a few months ago, I was grinding it out with the Wolf Pack, and now I’m here, in New York, with the Rangers.”

“You deserve it, Matt. You’ve worked so hard,” Y/N said, her eyes fixed on his. “And you’re going to do great things here. I just know it.”

Matt looked at her, his heart swelling with gratitude. “You’ve always believed in me, Y/N. Even when I doubted myself, you were there, cheering me on.”

“That’s what friends are for,” Y/N said, her smile soft and warm. “And besides, you’ve always been there for me too.”

The night continued with laughter and stories, both of them reveling in the moment. As the evening drew to a close, Matt walked Y/N back to her apartment. The city lights cast a soft glow over them, the hum of traffic a comforting backdrop.

“Thanks for tonight, Y/N. It meant a lot to me,” Matt said as they reached her door.

“It was my pleasure,” Y/N replied, giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek. “Get some rest, Matt. You’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

--- --- --- 

In the following weeks, Matt adjusted to life with the Rangers. The pace was faster, the competition fiercer, but he thrived under the pressure. And through it all, Y/N was there, her unwavering support a constant source of strength for him.

Their friendship deepened, the line between friends and something more blurring with each passing day. They spent more time together, exploring the city, sharing meals, and confiding in each other about their hopes and fears.

One evening, after a particularly tough game, Matt found himself at Y/N’s apartment. She had insisted he come over, offering her company and a home-cooked meal as a remedy for his rough day.

“You really didn’t have to do all this,” Matt said, looking at the spread of food on the table.

“I wanted to,” Y/N replied, handing him a plate. “You’ve had a long day. You deserve a break.”

As they ate, they talked about the game, the highs and lows, and their dreams for the future. The conversation flowed easily, their connection deepening with each shared word.

After dinner, they moved to the couch, a comfortable silence settling between them. Y/N turned on the TV, flipping through channels until she found a movie they both liked.

“Thanks for being here, Y/N. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Matt said, his voice soft in the dim light of the living room.

Y/N looked at him, her heart swelling with affection. “You’d do just fine, Matt. But I’m glad I can be here for you.”

They sat together, side by side, the movie playing in the background. Slowly, almost tentatively, Matt reached out and took Y/N’s hand in his. She glanced at him, a soft smile playing on her lips, and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

--- --- --- 

As the months passed, the bond between Y/N and Matt grew stronger. They supported each other through the highs and lows, finding strength in their friendship. But it was clear to both of them that their feelings had evolved into something deeper.

One evening, after a particularly exciting game, Matt invited Y/N out to celebrate. They went to the same café where they had shared their first coffee date, reminiscing about their journey.

“I’ve been thinking,” Matt began, his heart pounding. “We’ve been through so much together, and I feel like...”

“Like what?” Y/N prompted gently, her eyes locked onto his.

“Like I’ve fallen for you, Y/N,” Matt said, his voice barely above a whisper. “You’re not just my best friend. You’re the person I want to be with.”

Y/N’s heart skipped a beat, her eyes widening with surprise and joy. “I’ve fallen for you too, Matt. I’ve been afraid to admit it, but I can’t imagine my life without you.”

Matt reached across the table, taking her hand in his. “Then let’s be together. Not just as friends, but as something more.”

As Matt's words hung in the air, charged with emotion and vulnerability, Y/N felt her heart swell with joy and anticipation. She had hoped for this moment, dreamed of it even, but to hear Matt express his feelings so openly stirred something deep within her.

With tears of happiness glistening in her eyes, Y/N leaned forward, closing the distance between them. Matt's hand tightened around hers as their lips met in a tender, heartfelt kiss. It was a moment of pure connection, a silent promise of the love that had blossomed between them.

The world around them seemed to fade away as they lost themselves in the sweetness of the kiss. There was no need for words, no need for explanations. In that moment, everything they needed to say was conveyed through the gentle press of lips, the warmth of their embrace.

As they pulled away, their breaths mingling in the quiet space between them, Y/N felt a sense of peace settle over her. She looked into Matt's eyes, seeing the reflection of her own feelings mirrored back at her.

"I love you, Matt," she whispered, her voice filled with sincerity and affection.

"I love you too, Y/N," Matt replied, his voice soft but unwavering. "Always."

[paladin--strait]

soulmates part 2

luke hughes x reader

part 1 here! series masterlist here!

tw!!: some language, mentions of sex, verbal arguements, use of y/n, reader can be depicted as any body shape/size. this story moves kinda fast, since I want it to only be a couple of parts long.

warning: this is a complete work of fiction. I am no way saying or implying that these people act the way the do in the story. as always, this is really cringey as I'm still figuring out my writing style! I am open to any sort of constructive criticism! thank you for reading and enjoy!

y/n's pov;

the chatter of the lake house game room was loud, just as expected considering the amount of players and their partners that are packed into the smaller room. I was nestled in the corner with a drink tucked in my hand, watching jamie and trevor play a 'friendly' game of pool.

the boys bicker and laugh while they play, joking around with their friends. but the rumble of my hungry stomach is enough to bring me out of my trance of watching the game. I walk to jack, and ask if I can get something to eat, to which he says yes before I make my way to the kitchen.

the kitchen is packed full of yummy foods that can either be cooked and prepared or can just be enjoyed the way they are. I eventually settle on some chips and dip for my small meal, enough to fill me up but enough to leave space for me to eat dinner later.

I soon hear the sound of footsteps traveling down the hall that leads to the kitchen and it catches my attention, pulling me away from my food to see who it is.

its kaitlyn.

and if looks could kill I would be dead right now.

her arms cross against her chest as she stands with purpose. "I don't appreciate you flirting with my boyfriend." she says, slowly. even though her voice is soft, with the tone and the way she says her statement, I know she means business. "I see the way that you look at him and talk to him. he's not interested in you so I hope you can get that through your fat skull quick enough to know not to mess with me." she states, slowly getting louder and closer to me before she laughs and pokes her finger into my forehead.

I stifle back a laugh before I push her finger off of my forehead. oh how I wish she could see that look on her face right now.

her face is red, boiling with anger and jealousy while she breathes huffs of hot and boozy smelling air in my face. I soon can't find the strength to hold back my laugh any longer, and the cackle that escapes my throat is like no other laugh that I've heard leave confines my mouth.

if its even possible, her face turns a deeper red the more I laugh. I can physically see her body twitching and trembling with fury while I'm attempting to calm my laughing fit.

"oh sweetheart, I'm honored that you think I'm fake enough for jack. it seems to be his type considering all the girls he's been with all look like you. plastic."

I'll apologize to jack for that one later.

"listen here you dumb fuck! I could beat the shit out of your fat ass. don't even test me." she yells, not aware of the growing crowd of people behind her, including all of the hughes brothers. "I've been with more guys than you can even think of! and most of them are celebrities. nobody seems to mind that I supposedly look like plastic because I get more dick than a pornstar does anyways! why do you think I'm here? I've hooked up with soccer players, football players, volleyball players, basketball players, and now I'm about to hook up with a hockey player and I will not let you get in my way!" she yells, the grip she has on her brand new iphone getting harder.

"I don't think y/n be the one getting in your way of getting into jack's pants tonight." quinn yells out and kaitlyn freezes, her eyes going wide as she slowly turns to look behind her, seeing that she has attracted everyone in the house. and they all saw her little outburst of jealousy.

"seems the only one stopping you from that is yourself. it looks like you were to busy only thinking about yourself that you can't even pay attention to your surroundings. I bet that you wouldn't even know it if a snake bit you just then." I say with a chuckle. "I also hope that you know that i don't care anything about fucking with jack. I barely know the guy and he's not even my type. but I hope you can think over your life choices in your ride home, bitch."

I barely have time to think over what I'm doing before I 'accidentally' spill a cup of lemonade all over her phone and expensive clothes, causing her to drop it. "oh no...oops!" I say with a smile. her mouth drops open, while she bends down to pick up the phone to see that the screen is completely cracked, sticky from the lemonade, and it won't even turn on. "I guess you can't call an uber. looks like you''ll have to walk home..." I shrug, refilling my cup and looking her while she screams her lungs out at me before running to the door. "make sure you grab your STDs on the way out!" I yell out at her, smiling.

jack came over and thanked me for saving him from in his words, 'such a crazy bitch' and quinn came over to cheer me on for winning my little fight.

"there's the y/n I know!" quinn says, hugging me tight and shaking me.

I laugh and pat him on the shoulder after he pulls away fro. the hug. "thanks for chiming in, quinnifer. I was getting a little worried since I didn't really know what to say." I say with a lighthearted laugh.

we chat a little more about it then decide to let that be in the past and continue to enjoy the rest of our night at the lake house.

people end up leaving to go to their own hotels or air bnb's for bed and the people staying here slowly navigate to their rooms. eventually leaving me and luke in the game room. "wanna go outside and sit on the dock, luke?" I ask with a sigh. it's been awkward between us since we met and I wish that would go stop.

"sure. we can go out on the boat if you want?" he says, and I agree while he walks over the key and coat rack. "you can wear my devils jacket so you don't have to dig through your suitcase to find yours. I usually get it a size or two larger than usual so it's not tight. I don't like tight jackets." he explains while he hands me the jacket. I look at it in my hands and see the devils emblem with his name and number on the chest area. I smile and I feel my face heat up slightly so I look away, trying to hide my blush.

luke and I slip on our jackets as we walk outside onto the dock and closer to the boat. he jumps in and then holds out his hand to help me get in. I thank him and take a seat on one of the built in benches while luke drives the boat out into the lake. "you should come out here with the guys and I sometime. sometimes we bring the jetski's and we just mess around a lot. but other times we just sit and talk. it's a lot of fun." he says, stopping the boat and coming to sit beside me.

"I bet. quinn has already begged me to come out here with you guys tomorrow and I think if I don't come he'll probably kill me." I say with a laugh. "but it sounds like fun so I'll most likely come with you guys." luke laughs along with me and we sit in scilence for a few minutes. just looking around at the stars and the beautifully lit docks from other people's lake houses.

"hey y/n, I'm sorry about earlier. when you came onto the dock to introduce yourself to me? I was really nervous. I'm gonna be honest with you, you're the prettiest girl I've ever met and I was worried that I would fall for you and I was scared about that since I thought you were quinn's girl. he's my brother and if I fell for you while you two were together I don't know what I would do or what quinn would say about it. until he told me that y'all weren't a thing and that he thought we would be perfect together...sorry for being so rude and awkward." luke says, looking up at the stars before looking back down at my wide eyes.

"luke, quinn and I aren't a thing. we never have and never will be. I've always seen quinn as an older brother type of friend. when I met him, I was scared and alone in a club that my friend left me at while she went to hook up with some guy. this man that was way older than me was hitting on me and he wouldn't leave me alone until quinn and brock came up and scared the guy off. he found out I was new to the area and kinda took me under his wing. he's always talked about you and jack so much and I was super excited to meet you guys. he told me not to tell you this when I met you but since it seems he told you the same thing, I guess I'll just say it. but he said that he can see us becoming the perfect couple and that he really wanted for me to meet you so 'he can be right'. those were his words by the way." I explain to luke, watching his eyes go wide. "quinn moved me out of my apartment that I lived in with my ex best friend, moved me into his apartment with him, and got me a job in media with the canucks. he really helped me out and the more time we spent with each other, the more we became best friends. "

luke nods and then asks me some questions about how life was living with quinn and whether if he was a good roommate or not.

"luke. let's get back to what we both said earlier. we both said that quinn told us we would be perfect together, right? I hope you don't think that I just came down here so I could meet you and become your girlfriend and become famous and all that. that wasn't my goal and I hope you don't feel that way because that isn't what I meant for it to seem like." I spit out, rushing my words because I really don't want him to feel that way.

sure, I wanted to meet the person who is my supposed 'soulmate'. but I also wanted to spend time with my best friend and meet all of his friends and family. my fingers twitch and my leg bounces while I wait for his response.

"I didn't think of it that way at all." he responds. I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. "I just thought you came down here to be with quinn and to meet us. and don't worry about it, I didn't think about you like that at all." he pats my shoulder and laughs.

"okay good." I say with a laugh and look up to look at the stars, "the sky is so clear. it's like you can see every star in the galaxy out here. it's so beautiful"

luke chuckles, "yeah, I agree. the view is beautiful." I turn to look at him while he talks and I realize that he's been looking at me the whole time.

I can feel the heat creeping up my cheeks but I pull the jacket tighter around me to keep my body warm. my eyes widen when I feel luke's arms reach around my waist and pull me into his chest.

"we can go back to the house soon. I just want to stay out here with you for a bit longer." he mutters into my hair, and I wrap my arms around his waist too, getting more comfortable.

I hum and close my eyes, the feeling of sleep overtaking me.

-

I wake up to luke saying my name and shaking my shoulders. I sit up and stretch, opening my eyes and its bright, the sun hitting my face.

"y/n, we fell asleep on the boat! we need to get back to the house now before quinn kills me." luke yells, turning the keys and starting the boat, driving back to house while I fall in and out of sleep in the seat.

when we get back, luke gets off of the boat and helps me out.

"luke warren hughes! I can't believe you!" quinn yells out, speed walking towards us, his little posse behind him. luke and I's eyes go wide and we look at each other with fear. "I can't believe you two fell asleep on the boat. I called both of you and your phones went off on the couch. what if you ran out of gas last night? how would we have found y'all?" quinn goes on and on about how dangerous it was but luke and I don't listen.

luke gives me a mischievous look and I smile back while giving him a nod. he grabs my hand and runs with me straight past quinn and the rest of the people who followed him and back into the house, running straight for the front door and out to luke's car. we laugh and jump in, taking off down the driveway while quinn is yelling at luke behind us.

"well since he didn't kill me then, he'll definitely kill me later." luke's laughter fills the car and soon mine does too. "so, where are we going? breakfast?" he says, looking over at me, but still keeping his eyes on the road.

"yeah, breakfast sounds great. where though?" I ask. we talk about it and soon settle on a local cafe. one that doesn't get a lot if attention so luke wouldn't be bothered while eating his breakfast.

"I'm scared for you when we go home." I laugh, "you would think that since he wants us to date so bad that he would be okay with us spending time with each other."

luke agrees and we continue chatting while we eat. we talk about what he and jack do in their free time, and what quinn and I do in our free time. I ask him about what type of drills they do during practice and whether or not they skate suicides when they mess up and I ask him lots of other stuff too.

our conversation is going really well and I'm getting to know luke really well. but its all cut short when I make eye contact with a new customer who just walked through the door. its quinn. and he's pissed.

[nycbaby21]

date crashing w/ Quinn

prompt: Jack and Luke crash your and Quinn's date

word count: 1.901

“Hey you guys are on your own tonight for dinner,” Quinn says grabbing water from the fridge and then walking into the living room joining his brothers. “What are you talking about,” Luke asks pausing their game as Jack protest,” hey I was winning you ass.” Luke laughs as he jokes,” Yeah sure you were Jacky.” Quinn shakes his head at his younger brothers taking a sip of his drink. “Quinny is taking me out for a date night,” I smile rounding the corner and plopping down on the couch throwing my legs in my boyfriend’s lap. He subconsciously moves his hands to begin rubbing them up and down. I smile at the small gesture and lean up and kiss his cheek. “Gross stop, What did he talk about pda in shared living spaces?” I roll my eyes at Jack’s joke tossing the pillow behind me at him.

“You promised us you were making that pasta thing tonight from TikTok remember Y/n,” Luke whined turning to face me and giving his best attempt at puppy eyes. I reach over and pinch his cheek,” I’m sure Jack will feed you Lukey.” The younger boy gasps and puts a hand over his heart,” I thought you loved me.” I laugh at his dramatics, which must be a Hughes-shared trait because Quinn can be the same way. “Luke you are nineteen years either eat what Jack cooks or do it yourself,” Quinn rolls his eyes. “Great so either starve or get food poisoning from Gordan Ramsey over here,” he huffs sinking into the couch. He kind of looks like a toddler who has just been told they couldn't have ice cream after dinner. “I do love you guys,” I say looking between the two boys,” that’s why I already made the pasta and put it in the fridge. Just reheat it later. You big babies think you can do that?” 

“Our children are going to be absolute brats you know that right,” Quinn squeezes my leg getting my attention. I lightly smack his chest saying,” They will not be.” He laughs,” As much as you spoil these two, I can’t even imagine how you will spoil our actual children.” I roll my eyes at him and smile slightly. Even as a little joke, Quinn thought about us having kids one day. “Unpause the game,” I say ignoring Quinn who is poking my calves. The four of us hang out for a couple more hours until it’s time for us to get ready. 

As I am getting out of the shower I hear voices in the hallway. I ignore them because I have learned with this group of guys that it’s best to mind your own business. I quickly throw on one of Quinn’s shirts and shorts starting to do my makeup. “I know it does kinda suck,” I hear Jack say. “I mean I know they want time together, I really do but I just miss them so much during the year mom,” he continues on with a big sigh. My lip immediately pokes out into a pout and he has my full attention now. “I know you do baby. You just have to understand they love you guys but every once in a while they want a night to themselves,” Ellen tries to help her son understand. “Yeah, I know. It’s just it would be different if it was Luke. I see him all the time, but I miss them. I miss Y/n just as much as I miss him. Maybe a little more because she cooks better than him,” he laughs and I hear Ellen join in. After a little, they end the phone call and I hear Jack make his way down the hallway.

“Hey J could you come here for a second,” I call out already thinking of the reward I am going to have to give Quinn for what I am about to do. The brunette boy tumbles in and jumps onto the bed. “Wait is it safe to be on here,” he asks raising his eyebrows suggestively. I laugh and throw one of my makeup brushes at him. “You’re good J,” I say locking eyes with him in the mirror. “So what are you guys doing tonight,” he asks twirling the brush around in his fingers. “Top Golf. Quinn is tired of being chirped for losing games, so he said we needed practice,” he looks at me as I speak. “Yeah, he always loses because he is such a boyfriend and partners with you. I mean this in the nicest way possible but you suck Y/n,” his eyes crinkle as he laughs at bullying me. I laugh and shake my head at him.

“I was thinking maybe you and Lukey could come and keep me company? Between the two of us, Quinn gets a little intense when he is trying to teach me things. Like, remember my first winter in with the family and him trying to teach me to skate,” I shudder at the memory. “Do I remember him making you cry or do I remember dad handing him his ass while mom taught you to skate,” he smiles at the memory. “See you know what I’m talking about.” We lock eyes again in the mirror and I see his soften. “Y/n we are fine really. I know you and Quinny haven’t had any alone time since last month when Cole, Trev, and I went to those races,” he sits up and comes to lean up against the dresser next to where I am sitting on the floor doing makeup handing me my brush back.

“I know you guys would be fine. As much as I baby you, I know the two of you are fully capable adults,” I do a quick swipe of lipgloss and close it. Turning and looking up at him,” You don’t have to obviously but I don’t know I kinda miss you guys while we are back in Vancouver. I even have a little countdown til you all play each other. The devils, ducks, kings, and habs.” His eyes light up at that and he jumps up to a standing position. “You sure Q won’t mind,” he asks excitedly. “Don’t worry I handle Quinny. Go tell Luke and you guys get ready. I can talk him into you guys crashing but not if he has to wait on you,” I say rushing the boy out. He gives me a fast nod and leans down to give my head a quick kiss. “Thank you. Love you,” he rushes out of the door yelling for Luke on his way out. 

I walk down the stairs to find the youngest two brothers sitting on the couch. They looked like two kids waiting for their parents to load up the car for a Disney trip or something. “You look really pretty Y/n,” Luke smiles up at me. “Why thank you. I think you look very handsome. You both do,” I reach over the couch and give each of their shoulders a small squeeze. Before we could say anything else Quinn walks back in from outside. “Okay, I have the car warming up for you. Ready to head out,” he asks walking over and giving my forehead a chaste kiss. I nod and stand on my tiptoes to give his nose a small peck. He turns to his brothers waiting for a pda comment. They both just give him a smile and he throws his head back groaning. “Y/n are you serious,” he asks finally looking at me. “C’mon Q they miss you and want to spend time with us. You always complain during the season about how much you miss them so why can’t they tag along,” my words make a small blush rise to his cheeks. “Aw does Quinny miss us while he's all alone up in big Vancouver,” Luke jokes standing and walking over to us leaning against the back of the couch.

“Do you wanna come or not,” Quinn threatens the younger defensemen. Luke quickly throws his hands up in a mock surrender. Jack walks towards the door and looks at Luke,” Shotgun.” The two boys rush off outside and to the car. I could hear cursing and assumed one of them had fallen. I turn to Quinn and give him the sweetest face I could. “They do know there is no way you aren’t riding in front with me right,” he asks wrapping his arms around my body. I laugh and I nuzzle myself into his chest. “I know you wanted tonight to just be us, but you should have heard Jack on the phone with Mama Ellen. Q he was breaking my heart,” I say into his chest. “You know what? I hope our bratty kids get your big heart,” he smiles down at me. I pinch his side,” Stop calling our kids brats Quintin.” His laughs vibrate my whole body and he mumbles a quick sorry. “You look amazing by the way,” he dips down to give my lips a sweet kiss. “About time you said something. Was thinking Luke was gonna be the only gentlemen tonight,” I joke unwrapping myself from him and walking to the door.

As the night went on the four of us had a blast. The brothers having another friendly competition while I sit back and smile snapping a couple pictures and sending them to Ellen. “Can you guys please hurry up? I’m cold and want to get a hot chocolate,” I say gaining their attention. Luke quickly sheds his jacket and gives it to me while Jack goes to the concession stand grabbing me a drink. Luke goes to take his shot when Quinn comes over and sits down beside me. “I’m glad that you invited them. As much of a pain in the ass they are I really do miss them,” he says into my neck pressing his cold nose against my skin. I let out a small squeal and tried to push him off. This only makes him grab me and nuzzle in deeper. After my hot chocolate and Jack winning, we decided to head back to the lakehouse. Some of the other guys were getting in tomorrow so we had to get their rooms ready.

Not even ten minutes into our drive home, the two New Jersey Devils players were passed out and cuddled up in the back seat. I only turn back around when Quinn places his hand on my knee. “Thank you for today. You were a very good sport Q,” I smile lacing our fingers together. “As annoying as it is sharing you with them,” he starts and quickly glances at the two sleeping beauties,” but it’s the best gift to see how easily you fit in with them and how much they all love you,” he raises my hand to his lips. I let out a small giggle because his facial hair tickled the back of my hand. “Well if that is the best gift I don’t have to worry about how I was going to reward you for letting them come,” I say squeezing his hand. “Okay now let’s not be hasty Y/n. I think I was so good I deserve a reward, don’t you,” he asks giving me a look. I roll my eyes at him smiling and give him a nod. He sped up a little trying to get back as fast as possible.

[goldengleams]

Omg I need some Jack Hughes fluffff (please)

You tugged the black New Jersey Devils hoodie over your head as a chill ran through your body. It was lightly snowing outside, the temperature dropping to signify that it was truly winter time.

The television in front of you now played the late night news, the hockey game having just ended. The Devils had a home game but you had decided to stay at the apartment due to a bug you were just getting over. You hadn’t wanted to get Jack sick, so you stayed away, cooped up in your apartment when you weren’t at work. Jack had all but forced you to stay over at his and Luke’s place since you were feeling better so he could finally see you.

Looking at the clock, you knew the boys would be home soon. The Devils had won and Luke had scored the only goal of the game, so you knew he would have to do some media interviews after.

You curled up onto the large couch, promising to only close your eyes for a moment so you could greet the boys when they got home, but it was too good to be true. The next thing you heard was the click of a lock and the door was opening.

You sat up from the couch just in time to see Jack push open the door, bags in hand. He flipped on the light and you could practically see his pupils dilate as he discarded his things and rushed over to you.

“Hi babe,” you said, voice still raspy. He embraced you in a tight hug, mumbling how cute you looked in his sweatshirt.

“Good nap, eh?” He joked, taking your face in his hands. You tried to laugh, but it ended up as a cough, and you quickly turned away so you wouldn’t spread your germs.

“Damn, you really were sick,” he teased. You pushed his chest, mumbling out an insult back to him.

“You’re just the nicest boyfriend, aren’t you, J?”

“Yeah, well I did stop at that deli you like near the rink and I bought you soup earlier, so I’d like to think I am the best,” Jack said, giving you his classic cheesy smile.

“And what if I’m not hungry, Hughes?” You said. You crossed your arms over your chest, trying to look tough even though you knew your hair was sticking up.

“You are, I know you.”

He moved towards the kitchen to take some out for you, knowing your sleep schedule had been off and that you had been up most nights coughing. You followed behind him and entered the kitchen where Luke was sitting at a barstool, scrolling on his phone.

“Luke, you did awesome tonight!” You said, smiling in pride for the youngest Hughes brother. “I’d hug you but, y’know…”

“I know,” he laughed. “Thanks, Y/N.”

Luke was always a little shy when it came to compliments, but you always made sure that he knew how great he was. He asked you how you were feeling and you chatted while Jack went to change.

“I’m honestly so glad you’re here, Y/N he’s been driving me nuts all week,” Luke said once you asked how the week had been. “I think I probably know the whole trajectory of your illness because he’s talked about you so much.”

You rolled your eyes at that. Jack didn’t like to show it, but you knew that he was a worrier deep down. Whether it was before big games or things dealing with family, he always cared.

“Well I promise that I’m feeling better and I’ll be around more to relieve you of your roommate and brother duties,” you said, fake saluting him.

Jack walked back into the kitchen, now in a t-shirt and some flannel pajama pants. He gave you a quick kiss on the top of your head.

“Want me to heat some up?” He asked you, already moving to get you a bowl.

“Yeah J,” you said back. Jack moved around the kitchen easily, grabbing everything he needed to heat some soup up for you.

The microwave hummed in the background as Jack caught you staring at him.

“Like what you see?” He joked, swaying his hips a little. You giggled as he made his way over to you.

“Missed you,” you mumbled, pressing your head to his chest.

“Missed you more,” he whispered. “Can’t wait until you’re better and then we can-”

“Alright, I’m leaving you lovebirds alone before I see anything that would make me sick,” Luke joked, walking out of the kitchen and dodging Jack’s attempt to slap him on the shoulder.

He turned back to you, about to finish whatever his thought was when the microwave beeped. He groaned but went to go get your bowl.

“Thanks, grumpy,” you laughed. Once he set the bowl down in front of you, he sat on the barstool across from you.

You waited for it to cool before taking a bite and moaning in delight. “Jack, it’s so good, oh my god.”

“I’m glad, babe,” he watched you in admiration as you seemed to feel better immediately as you ate. It had been almost a year since you had met Jack and you never failed to make him smile.

“Thank you, by the way. I think I started eating before I said it,” you chuckled.

“You don’t have to thank me, you did the same for me when I was sick,” he replied, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

“Yeah, when you thought had the man-flu,” you said, giggling as you recounted the last time he was sick.

“Hey, I had a fever,” he countered.

“You were sick from the flu shot, Jack, and it lasted for two days!”

You both started laughing, then, remembering how dramatic he had acted. Your laugh turned into a cough and Jack came over to rub your back.

“Need some medicine?” He asked you. You nodded, trying to swallow some water to help. Jack returned quickly with some pills you had been prescribed to help for you to take.

A few minutes later, once everything had been cleaned up, Jack took your hand and led you to his bedroom. You climbed into bed together and felt his arms wrap around your waist.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, babe,” he muttered, already closing his eyes.

“Love you, Jack,” you said, sinking into his warm embrace.

“Love you too, Y/N.”

———————————————————————

I wrote something!!! Trying my hardest to get to my requests, I promise! Hope you enjoyed this little bit of Jack Hughes fluff!

[cuttergauthier]

New Jersey Three

Jack Hughes x Female Reader

This is chapter Three of Four

Can read chapter 1 | 2 here

Warning: Ex, fluff, cursing, Non supportive parents? Let me know if i missed any.

This has been in my draft for a while, I finally finished it.

word count: 1.7k

let me know what you guys think🤍

Today was New Year’s Eve, it’s always been a big celebration in Time Square except I didn’t want to go alone. This will be my first New Year’s Eve I’ve spent alone, ever since I was a kid, I was either with my parents and brother celebrating or in my teenage years I was partying with my friends.

This year was going to be different I just didn’t know exactly how. I talked to Luke earlier this morning and I had told him that I saw Jack yesterday, he was happy that we talk, he started jumping up and down which made me laugh, he even ran to tell his parents. I was happy that we finally talked again, I never should have waited a year to talk to him, but I guess running into him yesterday was meant to be.

I got ready for the day and decided to hang out on my couch and watch some movies. It was around 12 p.m. when I got a text from Jack asking if he could come over, I gave him my addressed and he said he would be right over.

I’m guessing he might want to talk more, we didn’t have a lot of time catching up yesterday, I just thought since it was New Year’s Eve he would have plans but I guess not.

About an hour later there was a knock on the door, it was Jack standing there smiling with two coffees.

“I brought you a coffee, do you still like cold brews?” he asked as he handed me the coffee

“I do, thank you” I replied smiling

We made our way to my living room and sat down on the couch.

“What brings you here? It’s New Year’s Eve I would have thought you’d have plans” I asked curiously

“I only have a team party tonight, I had time, thought I’d come over and we could catch up some more.” He said smiling

I’ve missed seeing that big smile of his.

“I’m okay with that”

“Did you still like going to Michigan? or did it make you want to leave even more?

“It wasn’t bad… but I was miserable, my friends were there but I still was following my dreams”

He nodded smiling

“well I am happy you’re in New York now”

“same here, how’s life been for you since you’ve been in Jersey?”

“pretty great, the team hasn’t been doing well but we’ve got some pretty great guys on the team”

“as long as you guys have a good group, I’m sure you could turn the season around”

“true, I still don’t think we’ll make the playoff’s this year though”

“There’s always next year Jack” I reassured him which made him smile.

“Do you have any plans for tonight?”

“Does drinking wine and watching movies count?” I ask making him laugh

“I guess it does but I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to the teams New Year’s Eve party”

I was surprise, this is only the second time seeing him in over a year, I didn’t expect him to invite me to meet his team already.

“are you serious?”

“Yeah why not, I’d love to have you there plus the guys that saw you yesterday… well more like PK wanted me to invite you”

“well we haven’t really been close in over a year and I don’t want to impose”

“trust me y/n you wouldn’t be imposing, plus everyone will love you, you’ve always been a social butterfly” he said making me chuckle

“Okay then… I’m in” I agreed smiling

“good, I can pick you up before, or you can bring your stuff to my apartment and get ready there if you want? It’s only going be Ty and I. we also have a guest bedroom if you want to spend the night.”

“if you and Ty really don’t mind me getting ready and staying the night it would be great actually, I’m guessing it’ll be hell trying to get an uber on New Year’s Eve” I said laughing

“probably” he chuckled

We spend the next 2 hours talking about our lives, what we’ve been up to since the last time we had seen each other, at around 5 p.m. I grabbed some my clothes for the party and to sleep in along with my makeup stuff, I put everything in a bag and grabbed my keys. Jack droves us his and Ty’s apartment after he picked us up some food.

Once we got there, he let himself in, you could tell this apartment building was new it looked modern. once we got in his apartment it was big, I was not surprise I mean two hockey players live here, there was no way I could ever afford a place like this.

“Y/n this is Ty, Ty this is Y/n” Jack introduced me to Ty

“Hey, it’s nice to meet you” I greeted Ty

“Hey, it’s nice to meet you too, I’ve heard a lot about you” Ty said smiling

I talked with both of them as we ate our food, once I was done Jack showed me where the bathroom was so I could start getting ready.

I did my makeup natural I didn’t want to go all out, since I was going to be meeting Jack’s team along with their families. I also decided to wear Black leather pants with a sparkly silver thank top that I would pair with some black boots along with a black crop blazer. It took me about an hour and a half before I was ready.

I made my way back to the living room with Jack and Ty, I saw Jack staring at me.

“what?” I asked chuckling

“Nothing, you look beautiful” he said making me blush

“Thank you” I smiled

“I ordered an Uber it should be here in 10 minutes” Ty told us

Jack and I both nodded as I joined them sitting on the couch.

Once the uber got here we made our way to the party.

I was still nervous to meeting everyone, but I knew Jack would have my back. Even after all these years I knew he’d always have my back no matter what.

Once we got there PK saw us and came over.

“Glad you guys could make it. You must be Y/n I’ve heard a lot about you” PK said

“It’s nice to meet you too” I said smiling.

“Make yourselves at home, drinks are in the kitchen” he said before leaving us there.

Jack introduced me to his teammates and their other half’s everyone was so sweet. Nico’s girlfriend Jenna (made up name) dragged me with her and the other girls.

“How long have you and Jack been dating?” Clare, Ryan graves girlfriend asked.

“Oh were not dating… I mean we used to when we were teenagers, but we broke up when he moved to Jersey” I said

“Oh sorry, it’s just Jack never brings any so we just thought maybe you were dating” she said embaressed.

“It’s fine don’t worry, were just friends” I said smiling. The girls nodded.

“Well from the way he looked at you, I can tell he really cares about you” Jenna said smiling.

I continued talking with the girl before they all went to find their better half’s since it was a few minutes before midnight.

“Hey” Jack said smiling when I made my way to him.

“Hey”

“You having fun?” he asked

“I really am, thanks for inviting me” I said smiling.

“I’m glad you said yes”

The countdown started

10…

9…

8…

7…

6…

5…

“Can I kiss you?” Jack asked I looked at him

4…

3…

2…

“yes” I said smiling

1…

Jack leaned in a kissed me. Our lips moved in sync. Everyone was cheering

“Happy new years y/n” Jack said smiling when we pulled away.

“Happy new years Jack”

We ended up making our way back to Jack’s apartment

We were just cuddling in his bed, both of us were smiling.

“This is a big city and we still happen to find each other again” I said smiling

“Maybe it was meant to be?” he said smiling before kissing me again.

“Maybe it was” I said smiling when he pulled away.

“I love you so much Y/n” he said nervously.

“I love you to Jack”

“Can we try this again?” he asked

“I’d love that” I said smiling, he smiled back.

“Can I take you on a date tomorrow night?”

“Yes, you can”

“Are families are going to be so happy” he said making me laugh.

“Oh definitely, Luke was begging me to tell you I moved here”

Jack chuckled.

“That does not surprise me one bit”

[hugheshugs]

Can you do a luke Hughes where we are at a party and meet him and are younger but like siblings with one of the guys on the team and you can go from there bc idk what else but something with that in jt

omg okay- i love this. i chose thomas as the older brother just cuz of the overprotective vibes he radiates and i love him sm soooo yeah, we love bords n lukey !! and i hope u enjoy this <3

"do not talk to any boys. especially my teammates."

you looked at your older brother. "thomas, i haven't even met all of them. how am i supposed to know what they look like?"

"you watch my games," he pointed out, crossing his arms.

"yeah, in person. do you expect me to have a picture perfect image of them in my brain?"

"listen," he sighed, dragging his hands down his face. "you're already lucky enough that i brought you here. you have to follow my rules or we're leaving."

"okay, fine. what are the rules?"

"number one; no drinks. absolutely none. if i see you drinking anything i don't give you, i'm dragging you back home."

that was understandable.

"number two; never leave my sight. i'm not kidding, if we aren't in the same room i'm going to find you and—"

"drag me back home, yeah, i got it. anything else?" you nearly rolled your eyes.

"yes. rule number three, arguably the most important rule: no boys," he restated before grabbing your hand and pulling you inside.

from the moment you walked in up to now (nearly an hour later), you hadn't left thomas' side. it wasn't even like he was forcing you, — even though he technically was — you just didn't want to. it felt safer by his side so you weren't complaining.

but then you saw him.

you didn't know who he was but man, did you think he was gorgeous. he was standing by himself with a drink in his hand and you wondered why he wasn't with his friends. it was only a matter of moments before you took a step toward him.

"where are you going?" thomas grabbed your hand. you internally glared at him for stopping you.

"nowhere," you shrugged. "i'm just moving my feet."

he narrowed his eyes at you but slowly dropped your hand and went back to his conversation with a friend whose name you'd already forgotten.

you couldn't help but stare at the boy across the room and you surpringly didn't feel too weird about it, either. but it was when his eyes met yours that your heart dropped to your stomach, and before you knew it he was making his way over to you guys.

"hey bords," he greeted, doing one of those bro handshake-hugs.

"lukey! where've you been?"

"you know me, i like to stay low for a while," he licked his lips before looking at you and you knew  you'd been caught. "who's this?"

"oh, this is my sibling, y/n. y/n, this is luke," thomas introduced and your mouth ran dry.

"nice to meet you," he grinned.

"um, i— uh, yeah. nice to.. to meet you too," you stanmered, mentally facepalming.

thomas' eyes went wide. "no. no, no, no, absolutely not."

"wha— i didn't even do anything!"

"luke, you are not allowed anywhere near us tonight," thomas told him and he furrowed his eyebrows.

"why not?" he asked confused.

"because then you guys'll start talking and you'll hit it off and—"

"bords, you know me. i won't do anything i shouldn't," he reassured, to which thomas let out a sigh.

"yeah, i know lukey. i just don't trust.." thomas glanced at you and gave you a stern look. "listen, i'll let you hangout with him but only him. and don't try anything or i'm—"

"dragging me back home, i got it! thank you, thank you, thank you!" you exclaimed, kissing his cheek before walking away with luke.

"wow, is he always that protective?" luke asked, chuckling lightly.

"sometimes. if he thinks i like someone," you informed without thinking.

"oh.. and do you like me?" he raised an eyebrow before looking at you.

your eyes widened. "i-i mean, i don't really know you so—"

"i'm just messing with you," he cut you off with a laugh.

you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding as he placed his hand on your back and led you outside, somewhere more quiet where he could get to know you and hopefully, just hopefully, something would bloom.

[blueskrugs]

Jump Then Fall | Jack Hughes

I am eternally soft for this kid, okay. this is not the original birthweek fic I had planned for him, but it is a bonus Swift Fic because I couldn't help myself. enjoy while I work on getting my shit together for the summer!

tagging: @marcoscandellas @stlbluesbrat21 @dembenchboys @poltoncarayko @robthomissed @letmeplaytheblues @troubatrain @ayohockeycheck @blackwidowrising @aria253264 @antoineroussel @starswin @glassdanse @ch-ristiane @majdoline @nazdaddy @hockey-more-like

length: 2k words

High school relationships never worked out. That’s what they always told you, at least, when you and Jack were young and in love. And they were right, sort of. You’d broken up not long after you’d both graduated, with Jack off to be drafted and you off to college. Except you’d stayed close, texting and talking on the phone often once Jack had headed off to New Jersey. He was one of your best friends, and you were thankful he was still in your life, but you weren’t sure you’d ever stop loving him, not really.

I like the way you sound in the morning We're on the phone and without a warning I realize your laugh is the best sound I have ever heard

Saturday mornings always meant long phone calls with Jack. You’d both wake up early and make coffee before spending most of the morning on the phone, talking about everything and nothing. Sometimes you wished more than anything that you could see his face, but you weren’t sure what would come spilling out of your mouth when you saw him.

One cold morning in December, you were pretty sure Jack had still been asleep when you called. His voice was slow and rough when he spoke, but you could still hear the smile in his voice.

When you heard him yawn, big enough his jaw cracked, you laughed. “Am I keeping you awake?” you asked.

Jack rushed to answer, “No, never.”

“Jack,” you warned.

Jack laughed. “We got in late last night, I’m just a little tired, I’m fine,” he told you.

“I can let you go back to sleep,” you said.

You heard Jack sit up on the other end of the line. “No way, absolutely not,” he said.

“We’re not even talking about anything important.” You’d mostly been stressing about the end of the semester.

“So? I like talking to you,” Jack argued.

You sighed. “You’re an idiot,” but it came out more fond than annoyed.

Somehow, that phone call lasted almost two more hours. Later, you wouldn’t remember what dumb thing you’d quipped that had made Jack burst out laughing, but you’d always remember the sound of that laugh. You’d wished you’d been able to record it, to have it to listen to on rough days, on days you missed Jack a little extra.

I hear the words but all I can think is We should be together

Jack was telling some story about his teammates. You were only half-listening, paying more attention to his face as he talked. It was late, and Quinn and Jack were home for Christmas. You and the three Hughes boys had taken over the basement for the night. Quinn and Luke were sprawled out on the couch opposite you, and you were buried under several blankets with your feet in Jack’s lap. He was using one hand to help illustrate his story, but the other was resting on your ankle, warm despite the chill outside, his thumb absently rubbing against your bare skin.

Quinn threw a balled up napkin at you, jolting you back to reality. “What’re you thinking about over there?” he asked.

“What?” You threw the napkin back at Quinn.

Luke chimed in, “Yeah, Jack’s not that funny, there’s no way you’re smiling at him.”

“Hey!” Jack protested. You dug your heel into his thigh, and he turned to grin at you.

You hadn’t even realized you were smiling. You always seemed to be smiling when you were around Jack, you couldn’t help it.

“Just missed you guys,” you said, grinning back at Jack.

Jack squeezed your ankle and went back to telling his story. You still weren’t listening.

Well, I like the way your hair falls in your face You got the keys to me I love each freckle on your face, oh

When Jack first started growing his hair out, you hated it.

“No, why,” you said the first time you saw him that summer. Luke laughed from somewhere behind you.

Jack ran a hand through his hair and smirked at you. “What do you mean?” he asked. “You love my hair.”

You tilted your head, pretending to consider. “I’ve changed my mind,” you said.

Jack squawked, outraged and offended. He slung an arm around your shoulder and pulled you in close as you giggled and tried to get away. “You’ll pay for that,” he told you. You dug your elbow into his ribs until he let go of you.

Later that night found the two of you left alone near the bonfire as the sun went down.

“Hey,” Jack said. You locked your phone and tilted your head back to look up at him upside down. “Do you really not like the hair?” he asked.

You snorted. “Would you cut it if I said I didn’t?” Jack shrugged, not quite meeting your eyes. You sat up and twisted to look at Jack properly. “You wouldn’t, oh my God.” It was hard to tell, but he might’ve been blushing in the fading light,

“Just tell me the truth,” he said.

You looked at Jack, really looked at him. He was tan, a new burst of freckles dusted across his nose. He’d shoved a hat on since you’d first seen him earlier in the day, but you could still see how his hair was just beginning to curl at the ends past the nape of his neck. Jack stared back at you, blue eyes dark.

“I guess I could get used to it,” you said.

Honestly, you were so gone for him, you were pretty sure you’d end up still liking him no matter what he looked like.

When people say things that bring you to your knees I'll catch you

Sometimes you didn’t know how Jack put up with it all. From losing streaks to being called a draft bust to people questioning whether he was capable of being a leader, there wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t have to deal with some bullshit. You knew it wasn’t easy, but he rarely let it get to him. Rarely, but not never.

It didn’t surprise you when your phone rang after a rough game. You answered the FaceTime call without thinking about it, smiling softly when Jack’s face filled your screen. He looked tired, dark bags under his eyes and his hair hanging limply in his face.

“Hi, bud,” you said.

Jack closed his eyes and sighed, long and loud, scrubbing his free hand across his face. You’d been able to watch the game, had watched the blowout happen in real time, just another loss in this skid, in a season that had started out promising for once.

“I’m tired,” Jack whined.

“You look like shit,” you told him. Jack stuck his tongue out at you. “Do I need to get Ty to delete Twitter off your phone again?” you asked. Jack rolled his eyes, but you weren’t joking.

“No, I just-” Jack rubbed his eyes again. “Did you see what my plus-minus was tonight?”

It was your turn to roll your eyes. “Oh my God, no, we’re not doing this,” you said. Sometimes Jack wanted to forget everything about a shitty game, but other nights he got frustrated and wanted to pick apart every mistake he’d made on the ice. You dragged your laptop closer to you. “C’mon, open your Netflix, we’re watching a movie.”

There was some scuffling on the other end, with Jack accidentally pointing his phone at the ceiling. “Fine, but I get to pick,” he said.

You argued half-heartedly with him for a while, but he won in the end, and you settled on some movie you’d both seen a dozen times. It was quiet while you watched, a comfortable silence, heavy with familiarity.

“Hey,” Jack said lowly as the end credits rolled later. You’d been half-sure Jack had fallen asleep on you. “Thanks.”

You smiled tiredly at him. It was late, and dark in his room, and you could barely make out his blurry form on your phone. “Anytime, Jacky,” you said, but you meant, “I love you.”

You can jump then fall, jump then fall Jump then fall into me, into me, yeah

Your doorbell rang one morning in early May. When you pulled open the front door, there was Jack, hands shoved deep in his hoodie pocket, standing on your parent’s front porch.

“I thought you weren’t coming home for a few weeks still,” you said, leaning against the door frame. The Devils season was over, but Jack had told you he was planning on sticking around for a while or traveling some before coming home for the summer.

Jack took one of his hands out of his pocket and ran it nervously through his hair. “I’ve been thinking,” he said, instead of responding to your non-question.

You raised an eyebrow at him. You’d known Jack for years, and you could probably count on one hand the number of times you’d seen him be nervous. “Well, don’t hurt yourself with that, bud,” you told him.

He made a face at you, but it also got him to smile. “Will you just let me-” he started, but he didn’t finish his sentence.

“Hey, c’mon, let’s go inside,” you said, stepping back to let Jack follow you into the house.

In the living room, the TV show you had been watching was still paused, but you both ignored it. You sat back on the couch, but Jack stayed standing, awkwardly shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“You’re freaking me out a little, Jacky,” you said.

Jack sighed and sat on the floor in front of you, leaning back on his hands with his legs stretched out in front of him. “I miss you,” he said.

“Jack, we talk every day,” you told him. “I’m right here,” you added softly.

Jack huffed and ran his hands through his hair again. He laid back for a moment, staring silently up at the ceiling fan as it slowly turned above you.

“Have you ever thought about getting back together?” he asked when he sat back up.

You thought about it a lot, actually, but you just said, “Yeah.”

“Do you think we could do it?” Jack asked next.

You hesitated on that one. You’d thought that, maybe, you could’ve made it back when you were in high school, but things were so different now. You’d listened to the opinions of others so much back then, had broken up in part because you thought that it was inevitable anyway. Could you make it through all that again? You still had a few years until you graduated, and New Jersey wasn’t exactly close.

Then again, you two were as close as ever. Jack had only missed a handful of your Saturday morning phone calls, and it was always just because of hockey. He was still sitting on the floor in front of you, looking nervous as he chewed on his bottom lip.

“I don’t know,” you said honestly.

Jack’s face fell a little. “Do you think we could try?”

“Yeah, I think so,” you said, just as honestly. You’d never been good at saying no to Jack, anyway.

Jack beamed, and you knew exactly why you still loved him after all this time. Jack leaned forward and tugged at your foot. “Hey, come down here,” he whined. “Wanna kiss you.”

“Or you could come up here?” Jack tugged harder. “Oh my God, you’re so fucking needy,” you laughed, but you slid off the couch and let Jack pull you into his lap.

His hands went to your waist, sliding under your T-shirt, and he smiled smugly up at you. “Hi.”

You pressed a kiss to his nose. “Hi,” you said back.

“Uh-uh, you can do better than that.” A kiss to his cheek. Jack rolled his eyes and put one of his hands on your cheek to drag you in for a real kiss. “That’s better,” he whispered, but you were already leaning in for another kiss.

[akimagies]

late night phone calls: Matt Simmons

Matt Simmons x female!Reader (Rossi’s daughter)

WORD COUNT: 2,136

WARNINGS: tw: mentions of Scratch

SUMMERY: Based off of 13x01, and how I see the events of it happening between Matt Simmons, and his fiancé Y/N Rossi that night

A/N: so just a little heads up: yes, this character’s father is the david rossi AND the communications liaison for the team. no, i do not have her mother being married or even divorced to david. she (and her twin brother) are byproducts of a one night stand between their parents, and the two had shared custody of them. ((i am thinking of making this a series, so if you like this please comment or message me saying i should continue this))

Late night phone calls during the night were never the best to happen, especially because it wasn’t from either of the two people sleeping in the bed together. Y/N Rossi had recently just started her maternity leave, and the short hours of sleep had just started since there was a newborn baby in the home. It seemed like the little baby girl in the house could wake up to a pin dropping on the floor. It also didn’t help that their three-year-old son liked to wake them up early in the morning as well. So, when Matt and Y/N heard one of their phone’s ringing, the two immediately shot up from their positions on their bed, and leaned over to the nightstand to see which one of them was getting the call. When Y/N looked at her screen though, it showed nothing but some Facebook and Instagram notifications.

“Simmons here.” Was what Y/N heard from the other side of the bed. She was thankful that it wasn’t her own phone call. With the baby still trying to get a sleeping schedule, the poor woman was exhausted.

“Hey-hey! Penelope calm down, repeat what you said but slower.” Matt repeated as all he heard on the other line was just gibberish. Penelope finally calmed down on the other side of the line what was going on. Scratch was back and six team members, including his future father-in-law, signals were all offline. Matt was the one member that wasn’t on the BAU to know about all the current information on Scratch. They choose him since he would be someone that wouldn’t be with the team incase Scratch attacked, and Penelope would be able to call to help with the case and actually know what was happening. “Alright, I’ll be at the office as fast as I can.” Matt said as he swung his legs over his side of the bed and started to head for the closet to put some actual cloth on, instead of the boxers he was wearing.

With the lights and the movement that happening, Y/N sat up from the bed and looked over at her fiancé. “What’s going on? Why are you getting dressed?” She asked as she sat up in bed, turning her lamp on as she looked over at Matt getting dressed.

“Garcia called me; she needs me to come in to help her.” Matt told her as he looked over at her as he threw one of his shirts on before grabbing a button up to put on over the shirt.

“Well, I guess that means I should get up and start getting dressed too. Pen’s probably going to be ringing me soon. I could call my mom up and just drop off Alexander and Lacie with her.” She said rubbing her eyes as she slowly started to sit up, but Matt hurried over to her and pushed her shoulder’s back down towards the bed.

“Nope, Penelope strictly said that you were not to be called onto the case Y/N. You just had a baby. You need some sleep, and since the IRT disbanded, I’ve been dying for a case.” Matt said as he leaned down to place a kiss on top of her forehead. “I will be back as soon as I can, alright?”

“Alright.” Y/N said smiling as she looked up at Matt and smiled up at him. “I love you, and be careful, please.” She said as she squeezed his hand tightly.

“I always am, aren’t I?” he asked her smiling before placing a quick kiss onto her lips before he walked out of the bedroom door and hurried down the steps, knowing that the team really need his help. He was glad that he didn’t tell Y/N, knowing if he did, it would have worried her even more then she was already.

 ☾ . ° . ⋆⠀┊---------------------------------------------------------------┊ ⋆⠀. ° .  ☾

It didn’t take long for Y/N to fall back asleep, except this time, it was her phone that woke her up. “Hello?” She asked as she answered the phone.

“Is this Miss Rossi?” the female voice on the other side of the line asked.

“Yes, this is she, can I ask who this is?” Y/N asked a she soon stood up from the bed and started to walk over to the closet.

“This is Nurse Hugh’s over at D.C General Hospital. Your father, David Rossi, was brought in tonight with the rest of his team. Since you are his emergency contact, we decided to notify you. He is though refusing medical treatment for right now, so we would really appreciate it if you could come down at this hour and speak some sense into him.” The nurse asked her over the phone.

Of-course her father was refusing treatment, it didn’t shock her at all. “Yes, I will be down as soon as I can.” She said to the woman over the phone, before hanging up and hurrying to throw on some cloths that looked appropriate, all before hurrying and throwing a diaper bag together for little Lacie, and pack some snacks and things to entertain Alexander. She knew that she would have to bring her son and the little baby with her now, to try and convince her father to actually get medical treatment.

 ☾ . ° . ⋆⠀┊---------------------------------------------------------------┊ ⋆⠀. ° .  ☾

It only took a short time to drive to the hospital, and soon enough, she was walking in with Alexander holding her right hand and walking, while she had Lacie in her stroller. “What the hell are you doing here? Your supposed to be on maternity leave, not working a case?” Luke asked once he saw the woman walking in with her baby to the hospital where all the team members. He soon grabbed the stroller out of her hands and started to walk with her while pushing the stroller.

“I’m not coming to work the case Luke, I’m my dad’s emergency contact. So, they called me to say he was denying medical treatment.” She said before following Luke to the room where her father was staying in. Once inside, she saw her father laying on the hospital bed, with a bandage taped around the hair line on his forehead. “Now, why the hell are you denying medical treatment?” Y/N asked her father as she watched Luke place the baby stroller off to the side for her.

“I said, I would accept medical treatment once Luke and Spence went to my office and opened my desk to grab those Cubs season tickets that I’ve been promising him.” Rossi said, giving his daughter a pointed look, as to stay just go with it.

“Alright, well can you two head off then? I would really appreciate it if my father was actually checked out by the doctors.” She told the two men standing in front of her before watching them walk out of the room.

“Grandpa, up.” Alexander said as he put up his arms while standing on the side of his bed. The two were very close, maybe it was the fact that her father insisted on Sunday dinners with the family now.

Y/N walked over to the side of the bed and put her hands under Alexander’s arms and picked him up to sit on the edge of the bed, as she pushed some of the strands of hair out of his face. “You didn’t call your brother or mother about this all did you?” Rossi asked his daughter, hoping that she wouldn’t have called either.

“Mom, no. She would have been glad that you were in here and said you deserved it. It may have been decades since everything, but mom keeps grudges. Nicholas on the other hand I did call.?” She said as she soon saw her father about to start lecturing her on calling her twin brother this late at night. “I called him just to let him know what’s going on, besides he’s not even asleep yet. He’s off in California working on a case.” She told her father. It wasn’t a surprise that THE David Rossi, who started the BAU, would have twins that would both be working as Special Agents. While Y/N now worked for the BAU with her father, she at first worked before with the IRT, where she met her fiancé. While, her twin brother Nicholas worked for NCIS.

“Well, I’m glad. I only one worry child for tonight.” Rossi told his daughter smiling. Soon enough, the doctors were allowed to come in and check Rossi for the injuries he might have sustained in the car accident.

 ☾ . ° . ⋆⠀┊---------------------------------------------------------------┊ ⋆⠀. ° .  ☾

It only took a few hours, but the team had been able to catch Scratch before he could do any more harm to anyone. It might have been wrong to say, but Matt felt amazing right now. He had been missing the thrill of being out there in the field, working on taking down an unsub. Yet, all he wanted to do now after taking down Scratch, was take his family home. Which is why he was standing in the open door, looking into Rossi’s hospital room to see Y/N and Alexander both curled up on the tiny couch with one another, while Lacie was asleep in her stroller. “I told her that she needed her rest.” Matt said sighing as he walked into the room.

“And you really thought she would listen? I raised her; I know she has selective hearing.” Rossi told Matt smiling as he chuckled shaking his head. “Take them home, you all need your rest. Their keeping me over night just to make sure nothing is wrong with me. Then you all can come be my ride home since my car isn’t here.” Rossi told Matt smiling.

“I’ll just leave Y/N’s keys here for you, then you can just drive home and we’ll all come over later in the day for dinner.” Matt said smiling before walking over to where Y/N was sleeping, and shaking her shoulder gently. “Hey, time to go home and get some sleep there.” Matt spoke quietly, trying not to wake up Alex in her arms.

Y/N nodded her head before sitting up from the bed slowly before getting up and passing over slowly before looking over at her father. “Are you sure you are okay for us to leave you for the night?” She asked her father as she soon started to wheel Lacie around the room.

“Yes, I am perfectly fine. You two get some sleep, and make sure my grandchildren are up and ready to eat some of grandpa Rossi’s food tomorrow.” Rossi told his daughter smiling.

“Well Alexander is the only one that can eat your food, as for Lacie, I can’t promise she’s going to be up. She likes to take multiple naps throughout the day.” Y/N said smiling as she walked over to her dad and kiss his forehead. “Love ya dad.” She said smiling.

“Love you too sunshine.” Rossi said smiling as he watched the couple soon walk out of the room.

“Alright, let’s go home and get these kids to bed.” Matt said smiling as the two of them soon walked out to his black SUV that was parked near the front of the hospital.

 ☾ . ° . ⋆⠀┊---------------------------------------------------------------┊ ⋆⠀. ° .  ☾

It seemed as if sleep was just not for the two parents tonight once they got back home. Alex had woken up right when the car stopped, so Matt had gone to go read the young boy a book. While that was happening, Lacie had decided to wake up as well, though she was waking up because she was hungry. So, Y/N had heated up a bottle for the little girl. By the time that the two children had back fallen asleep, it was near 3 in the morning.

The two parents soon laid back down in their bed after the event full night. Y/N placed her head on Matt’s chest and soon asked, “We can do this right?”

“Do what?”

“Be two working FBI agents, while also being parents of two kids?”

“Of-course we can.”

“A-are you sure?”

Matt soon moved up a little to look down at her. “Of-course we can, we are two badass parents that can handle everything that’s thrown at us.” He told her smiling.

Y/N soon let out a yawn. “Your right we are two badass parents.” She said smiling

“And now these two badass parents need their sleep.”

“Oh, you are correct about that. I love you.” She said as she let her eyes flutter shut.

“I love you too.” Matt whispered to her before pressing a kiss into her hair, and letting his eyes shut as well.

[prettyboyjackhughes]

-Draft Day- |J. Hughes|

“Char, you know as soon as they announce his name, you’re the first person he’ll try to find.” Trev says, messing with his tie. Tonight was the 1st night of the NHL draft. Jack is expected to go number one, Trev and Alex not far after. I was super excited for all of them but I wasn’t able to be in 3 places to sit with all of them. Trev and I had shared every little thing since we were born, might as well share this too.

“Well good thing he’s not that far away.” Jack says, turning around and smiling at me. Alex and Madi are in the row behind us. Madi and I had gone shopping for draft dresses a few weeks ago. I had bought a gray, short, off the shoulder sweater body con dress. Madi’s dress was a black, short body con dress with puff sleeves. She had paired her’s with nude heels and I had worn mine with black knee high heeled boots that made me almost as tall as Jack. Jack was wearing a blue suit with red stripes and a red and blue checkered tie. Trev had on a black suit with a light blue tie. Alex’s suit is my favorite. It’s light gray with a navy blue tie. Jack turns around and looks at me again.

“Trev’s right though. You’re the first one I’m looking for. So you’d better be ready to kiss me.” I laugh and lean in to kiss him.

“Baby baby! Not yet! I don’t want lipstick on my face when I get called up!” I roll my eyes and lean back in my seat, crossing my legs, my dress sliding up apparently too far for Jack and my brother’s comfort.

“Seriously Char? Pull it down!” Jack says loudly. Luke laughs and looks back at me.

“For real Charlie! No one wants to see that!” Trev says, pulling my skirt down for me. I roll my eyes and Madi laughs. The announcer comes on and asks everyone to take their seats and I reach over, taking Trev’s hand.

“Welcome to the 2019 National Hockey League Draft. Our first draft will be from the New Jersey Devils.” Jack shifts anxiously in his seat and Trev reaches down with his free hand to pat his shoulder.

“With the first pick overall, The New Jersey Devils are proud to select, from the U.S. program, Jack Hughes.” Jack stands up, the biggest grin I’ve ever seen on his face. He immediately turns around and almost falls over the chairs, reaching for me. I stand up and step towards him. Our lips connect and I can feel the smile on his face. After a few seconds, he pulls away. He hugs the whole Hughes family, Turcs, Trev, and Madi, and then makes his way to the stage. He had left his suit jacket on the back of his chair; leaving him in just his button up shirt. It hugs his upper body and arms in all the right places and shows off the muscles he’s worked extremely hard to get.

“Damn, he looks good in red.” I say, leaning back and patting Madi’s knee as Jack pulls the number 19 Devils jersey over his head, his hair sticking up adorably. She laughs and we all sit, waiting for Alex’s and Trev’s names to be called. We politely clap for every guy drafted but all I can focus my mind on is the fact that my boyfriend got drafted number one overall and was gonna be playing in the NHL alongside my brother and his best friend. Along with what will happen after all this is over, what Jack and I will do when we get home. Jack’s parents and Dukes were all staying at Quinn’s apartment in downtown Vancouver. My parents and Alex’s parents were all at a hotel about 20 minutes away from Quinn’s apartment. But since this is a big couple weeks for the boys and they would be coming and going so frequently, the parents all pitched in and booked the 5 of us an Airbnb for the next 2 weeks. While Trev was the third wheel to both couples, I’ve been woken up by him sneaking a few girls out at 4 in the morning before he thinks we’re all awake.

“You’re gonna get hell from all the girls in love with him.” Trev says as they announce the 3rd pick. I shrug, not worried about it.

“They’re not the ones sleeping with him at night. I am.” I say, smirking and laughing. Madi high fives me and I flip my hair.

“Wow, real humble aren’t we, Char?” Alex says, shifting in his seat and putting his arm around Madi’s waist. I smile and Alex gently tugs a chunk of my hair. .

“And with the fifth overall pick, the Los Angeles Kings select, from the U.S. National Development Program, Alex Turcotte.” Alex stands up and pulls Madi up with him. He pecks her on the cheek, not locking lips like Jack and I did. He hugs Trev, his parents and then reaches for me. I stand up, hug him and whisper in his ear.

“I’m so proud of you Turcs, love you.” He smiles and heads down to the stage.

“Madi that’s your boy!” I laugh as she snaps pictures of him.

“I feel like a proud mom!” She says, smiling. Trev’s gotten quiet during the last few minutes. I nudge him, waiting for a response as he stares at his phone.

“Huh? Oh I’m okay. Just, taking it all in.” I can see in his eyes he’s off but I’m not sure why. The management at the Anaheim Ducks had talked to him a while back and had mentioned if he was still there when it came their turn to pick, they’d take him. He was happy about that, since that meant he and Alex would both be out in California, but it also meant he didn’t really have anything to worry about. He’d be getting picked in the first round no matter what.

“And with the ninth overall pick, the Anaheim Ducks are proud to select, from the U.S. National Program, Trevor Zegras.” Trev looks up, almost shocked to hear his own name. He stands up, a goofy grin on his face. I stand with him, pulling him into a hug.

“Trev, I’m so proud of you! This is our dream! Now go!” He pulls away and goes to Mom and Dad, pulling them both into a hug. He finally escapes the row and heads down the stairs to the stage, the big grin never leaving his face. I take a Snapchat of him pulling the Anaheim jersey over his head and shaking hands with the general manager. I caption it ‘Proud of my Bubs❤️’ and post it. Soon, after what seems like hours of watching boy after boy get called up, teammate after teammate of the boys getting drafted, we are finally dismissed and get to go meet up with the boys. We head to the family waiting area and see the boys, all huddled in a group, waiting for us. Madi and I take turns hugging each of them. Jack suddenly pulls me away and kisses me. He kisses me, tongue automatically slipping into my mouth. After what seemed like no time, he pulled away.

“Sorry, I had to finish that from earlier. But anyways, the boys wanna go out. But we don’t have to. I know we had...plans.” He says, very obviously squeezing my ass as his arm sneaks around my waist. I smirk as I see Trev’s face, who obviously saw what Jack did. Surprisingly, he doesn’t come to say anything.

“I’d rather go home. I’m kinda tired plus, I really want it.” I say, “accidentally” brushing my hand against the inside of Jack’s thigh as I turn around to face him. Trev sees that too and finally does come over.

“Seriously you two! What is your deal? Our parents are literally right there! Why not just walk over and tell them you’re leaving to go have sex?” He says, attempting to keep his voice quiet but Madi and Alex still hear and excuse themselves from Alex’s parents, making their way over to us.

“Good lord Trev, keep your voice down! Besides, we all know you’ve been texting some girl all night trying to get her to come hook up with you when y’all go out.” Alex says, elbowing Trev. His face flames red and I almost want to put an end to the embarrassment he’s suffering on his big night but after what he said, I decide not to.

“Okay no need to expose me like that and it was one, okay two girls. So leave me alone.” He says, crossing his arms. We all laugh and Trev’s signature grin returns to his face.

“Okay kids, I need pictures.” Alex’s mom says, coming over and bursting our little bubble. Jack’s hand, which was safely in mine somehow escapes and travels back down to its original place. I roll my eyes and elbow him in the side. His hand goes away and instead, he wraps his arms around my shoulders. He’s going through a phase where he always has to be touching me, no matter how. From his hand in mine to playing with my hair, he’s always touching me. And I’m 100% okay with it.

“I want the boys first then we can do the couples and Charlie and Trev.” Turcs’ mom is a family photographer and really successful in Island Lake, where they’re from. Jack is in the middle, Alex on his left, Trev on his right. They all have the most genuine smiles on their faces. I pull Madi over to the giant NHL draft logo on the wall and we take a few selfies in front of it.

“Charlie, you know that boy is in love with you, right?” She says, glancing up at Jack and nudging me. I look up and catch him staring. I smile and he winks. My stomach drops and I get butterflies.

“Yeah I know, Mads. And I’m in love with him.” I say, smiling and hugging my best friend.