#but everyone else is still welcome to the outer edges of the nest to hang out with the eepy vibe

[omegapheromone]

I am so sleepy. I am building my nest on your dashboard. Right here. Inviting my mutuals in to be eepy together and cuddle if comfortable. It's soft and comfy here AND I got a fan on so it shouldn't get too stuffy

[hockeylvr59]

What Ifs || Jeff Skinner

Requested: [ ] yes [x] no

Authors Note: It’s still cold outside so I needed some warm summer feelings. Plus the plot for this one is another that has been in my head for months. I’ve been in a huge Skinner mood lately so its about time I actually wrote it down. 

Warnings: none

Word Count: 3202

Song Inspiration: What Ifs - Kane Brown 

P.S.  The Spillway is a real place in Linesville, PA and looks something like this.

It was finally summer vacation. Well, as much of a summer vacation as being an adult allowed. Since you were little, the week surrounding the 4th of July was the one time a year you’d get to see all of your cousins. It was so important to you that you made sure to get off work even now, in order to go up to your grandmother’s cottage.

For the most part, you spent your time swimming in the creek, skipping rocks, hanging out by the fire talking and playing charades, or on the porch playing card or dice games. Of course there were occasional trips to the store, or out for ice cream, and every few years a group of you drove up to the spillway to see the fish.

This year your cousin had brought her boyfriend along and so a group of you went to show him the spillway for the first time. It was always crazy seeing just how many fish could be crammed into an area, to the point that the waterfowl were able to walk on their backs.

As you were getting ready to leave one of your cousins asked about the fish having been sick the previous year or two and so you pulled your phone from your pocket to google while you walked. You definitely should have known better because after a moment your body slammed forward and then bounced back like you had walked into a wall.

And maybe you had...except walls didn’t usually reach out to catch you from falling.

Hearing a male voice ask if you were okay you nodded and before looking up began to apologize for not watching where you were walking. A giggle assured you that it was okay and when you finally met the gaze of the man in front of you, your eyes went wide and you gasped.

“Holy shit…” You murmured. Either this man was a damn good lookalike for Jeff Skinner or the Sabres forward himself was standing in front of you. A lookalike wouldn’t have that damn giggle though and so that simply left one option. Why Jeff Skinner was here in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania was another question entirely.

In the moment it had taken your brain to process all of that, Jeff had started running his fingers through his hair and a blush rose on your cheeks as you gripped your phone tightly between your fingers.

“You know who I am?” He asked and when you nodded his own cheeks flushed and after a moment he smiled. Hearing your family call your name you cursed under your breath before pulling back.

“That’s me...guess I have to go.” You murmured. “Enjoy the fish. It’s kind of a weird but cool thing.” There was certainly a large part that wanted to ask for an autograph or a picture but he was clearly on vacation himself and bumping into him had been enough of an intrusion into his day.

“Hey y/n...wait…” He called when you stepped around him to meet your family at the car. The fact that he had said your name alone made you pause and glancing back at him you tilted your head in curiosity.

“I um...I don’t know how long you’ll be in the area but I’m staying up near Erie for the rest of the week. I uh...if you go up that way maybe we could meet up and talk?”

The question completely caught you off guard and your sisters called your name again.

“I...I’d really like that.” You finally managed. Seconds later Jeff’s phone was in your hands and opening his call feature you quickly dialed your own number before handing it back. “I uh..I’ll let you know if we come up to Erie…”

“Sounds good.” He breathed and as you climbed into the back of the car you glared at your sisters and cousins daring them to say something and then sighed in relief when they let it go.

____

Once back at the cottage you slipped your phone from your pocket and clicked on the number that had called you not even half an hour before to add it into your contacts. You really didn’t expect that Jeff would try to get in contact with you again. After all, you’d simply run into him and then had spent not even two minutes in his presence and he was an NHLer who could have pretty much any girl in the world.

Still, when, that evening at dinner, a trip up to Lake Erie to swim, since the creek was really too high to enjoy, was proposed, you were all for it. You did really want to swim and sunbathe on the beach but if you were up at Erie, there was really no excuse not to invite Jeff and see if he actually meant what he had said.

After checking the forecast it was decided that a trip would be made to the lake not tomorrow but the following day. So, before falling asleep that night, you’d sent Jeff a text telling him that you would indeed be in the Erie area and that he was welcome to come if he didn’t already have plans. Laying awake you wondered if he would actually respond, the reasonable side of your mind telling you not to get your hopes up.

To your surprise, the following morning you woke up to a text declaring that he’d love to meet you at the beach and to let him know when and where you were when you got there. Simply replying with a ‘thumbs up’ emoji you proceeded to get dressed for the day to just enjoy hanging out with your family.

It wasn’t until you and your sister went out on the kayaks that the topic of the previous day was brought up. Your sister was significantly younger than you but at the same time was probably the one person you felt most comfortable talking to.

“So...are you gonna spill on who that guy yesterday was?” She asked as you paddled upstream, keeping your eyes on the banks in hopes of seeing the bald eagle that was known to nest nearby.

“He...uh...he’s a hockey player for the Buffalo Sabres.” You stated softly causing your sister’s head to snap in your direction.

“Woah, seriously? What the hell was he doing at the spillway?”

“I don’t really know. I just bumped into him y/s/n. He caught me from falling and when I looked up I immediately recognized him.”

“Oh god, is he one of your hockey crushes?” She questioned rolling her eyes at you because she was well aware of your obsession with the sport’s athletes.

“I mean kind of, yeah, he’s adorable. He has the best smile ever and his dimples are adorable. He was a figure skater growing up and so I could honestly watch him skate all day. He used to play for Carolina before getting traded to Buffalo.”

“And you didn’t ask for an autograph or selfie?” She added knowing that if you had it would be pretty obvious.

“No. I didn’t want to bother him any more than I had already. He’s on vacation clearly.”

The conversation lulled for a moment as you continued to paddle before turning around to head back downstream.

“But he gave me his number and is going to meet us at the beach tomorrow.” You added softly, straighening out your kayak before just starting to drift for a moment.

“What?!” Your sister exclaimed nearly losing her paddle into the water in the process.

“Yeah...I didn’t ask for anything and instead told him to enjoy the spillway and when I turned to leave he told me to wait and the next thing I know he’s handing me his phone and suggesting that if I was going to be in the Erie area that we meet up. So I called myself so he had my number and that was that. I uh...texted him last night about the lake, not expecting a response mind you, but this morning there was a text declaring that that sounded like fun and to let him know when and where we were when we get there.”

“Damn..this vacation just got interesting.” You sister teased.

“Don’t say anything to anyone else please. It’s not a big deal.”

“I won’t, but are you trying to convince me or yourself because this seems like a pretty big deal.” Glaring at her as you pulled the kayaks up to the bank and climbed out she simply shoved you before the two of you headed back inside to get something to drink.

____

The drive up to Erie wasn’t too bad, you rode with your female cousins and sisters so that you could blare music and sing the entire way while all of the parents drove seperately.

Thankfully while the beach was busy, it wasn’t overly crowded. Finding a spot you noted down what beach number you were at and then helped unload everything from the suv. You had worn your swim suit under your clothes so you didn’t need to change before heading to find a spot to sprawl out. While everyone was making themselves comfortable on the beach, you shot a quick text to Jeff telling him that you were there and where at before you grabbed your own towel, settling at the outer edge of where your family was. Slipping off your sandals, you let your sister spray you down with sunscreen before settling back onto the towel.

Jeff hadn’t responded and part of you wondered if something had come up that took priority over hanging with some stranger. Just as you had given up hope of him showing someone asked if the spot next to you was taken and glancing up you couldn’t help but blush as Jeff’s smiling face looked down at you.

“I mean I was kind of saving it for someone but he never texted me back so I don’t think he’s going to show.” You teased before motioning for him to make himself comfortable.

“Sorry.” He replied and you shook your head to assure him that it was really fine.

“You’re here aren’t you?” You asked and he gave you a bit of a smirk before reaching into the bag he’d brought for sunscreen.

“I’m Jeff by the way. I know you know that but we didn’t really get to introduce ourselves.” He added holding out a hand for you to shake which caused you to laugh quietly.

“Y/N.” You responded, reaching to take a sip out of your water bottle before laying back on your towel, all the while peeking through your lashes as he lathered on the sunscreen.

After a moment he pulled his shirt over his head in that effortless way boys do so that he could get his chest immediately your body went hot because though you knew he was gorgeous, up close it was almost too much.

For a moment he attempted to coat his back and though he had pretty good flexibility, there was no way he could finish himself. Glancing around to make sure that your family wasn’t paying much attention to you, you grabbed the bottle from beside him and squeezed a dollop of lotion into your hands before holding them up toward him.

“Want some help?” You inquired and after getting his permission you proceeded to run the lotion into his skin, taking in the feeling of his muscles under your fingertips. Today was going to be the absolute death of you yet. Assured that his back and shoulders were now protected from the suns rays, you wiped the remainder of the lotion into your legs before standing and tossing your sun glasses onto the towel.

“I’m going in.” You declared, your eyes meeting your sister’s who simply smirked at you seeing Jeff at your side. The sand was hot under your feet and so by the time you reached the water, it’s coolness felt fantastic against your skin.

Resting your hands on your hips you simply let the waves lap at your legs for a moment before you started wading in, diving under the water entirely once it reached your waist. When you surfaced, Jeff was at the water’s edge and you raised an eyebrow at him.

“You coming?” You inquired, floating as much as you could while the waves crested and pushed you closer and closer to shore again. The lake was really your favorite place because it had the waves that made everything more fun but it was fresh water as opposed to salt that hurt your eyes.

Admittedly, it was sad when Jeff finally joined you, the water hiding his body from your eyes, but at the same time being close to him in general made your pulse jump.

“I didn’t expect you to get in the water so quickly.” He admitted as he floated next to you, the laughs of your cousins and sisters reaching your ears from just a little ways down the beach.

“We came to the lake for a reason.” You declared. “If I wanted to sunbathe we didn’t need to drive the hour up here. Plus I’ve always been a water bug.” Swimming though the waves again, Jeff followed, eventually tugging at your foot in order to get your attention.

His touch on your skin, even that of your foot, sent a jolt through your body and you resumed just treading water as you looked at him.

“Why didn’t you ask for an autograph or picture if you knew who I was?” He inquired softly, his voice and presence causing you to shiver.

“Because you’re clearly on vacation. I don’t know...I guess it just doesn’t feel right bothering someone like that even if they are a bit of a celebrity.”

“So you did want one?” He asked, his smile growing wider causing his dimples to really appear.

“Well yeah, but honestly I never expected to meet someone I was a fan of so the experience itself is enough for me.” Nodding to himself, Jeff reached out to splash you causing you to laugh. “Hey now. Play nice Mr. Skinner.” You scolded, squealing when his hands reached out to your waist pulling you closer to him.

“Are you a Sabres fan?” He asked, now doing most of the work to keep both of you afloat as you talked.

“Penguins actually. But I became a fan of yours after Jordan was traded to Carolina and I saw you play.”

“Hmm..” He hummed making you wonder what he was thinking.

“But Buffalo is a team that I watch on occasion, and that I usually don’t root against.”

“Well that’s good to know.” He stated. “Otherwise I don’t know if I could give you my autograph.” Laughing you squirmed from his grasp to swim a little more before deciding that you needed a break and moved to return to your towel on the beach.

Plopping down your sister tossed you another bottle of water as Jeff was still in the water for the moment.

“You look like you’re having fun.” She whispered to you and when you nodded she smiled. “Good. You deserve it.”

Obviously by now other members of your family noticed your company but you just prayed they didn’t say anything for now and that your dad didn’t recognize him. Your dad was the only member of your family into hockey enough that there was even a chance he’d recognize Jeff since he wasn’t a penguin.

Laying back on the towel you closed your eyes for a moment until water droplets fell onto you from above. Rolling your eyes, you watched Jeff as he sat down.

“What? You looked hot.” He teased. Actually your skin was quite cool still from the water and when you opened your mouth to comment, your brain realized what he had actually meant and you snapped it shut again. There was no way in hell that Jeff Skinner thought you were hot.

The two of you continued to chat about various things as you laid next to each other, everything from hockey, to what you were going to school for, future goals, your crazy family next to you. He had sisters as well so he totally understood being surrounded by woman and definitely sympathized with your dad and uncles who were in the same boat.

After awhile Jeff pulled his phone out of his pocket and told you to smile, snapping a couple selfies, some smiling, a few others with you making faces at him.

Sadly the rest of the afternoon went by way too quickly and it felt like no time had passed at all before your family was packing up to go home. After carrying your stuff to the car you made the excuse of needing to use the bathroom to sneak one more moment alone with Jeff. Standing outside the changing rooms he wrapped you into a hug, your nose pressed into the fabric of his t-shirt that smelled like salt from his sweat mixed with deodorant and laundry soap. It was a scent for you to associate with him.

“Can we keep talking?” He asked you and you looked up at him surprised. You really didn’t expect anything after today as great as it had been.

“Yeah of course.” You responded, and when he pulled you into a hug once more you heard him whisper ‘good.’ “I had fun today.” You commented as you started to walk back to the cars.

“Me too. This was definitely the highlight of my vacation.” You knew you needed to leave but again your body ached to remain close to him for as long as possible. “Hey. Come here for a second.”

Leading you over to his car, you couldn’t tell if it was actually his or just a rental, he opened the trunk and reached into a duffel bag, pulling out a hat. Another pocket contained a sharpie and after pressing the pen into the fabric for a moment, his tongue stuck out while he wrote he handed it to you.

“There. Now you’ll have an autograph and selfies.” He seemed pleased with himself as you slid the hat onto your head. “You look good in sabres gear. I’ll convert you yet.”

“We’ll see about that.” You said, smiling up at him. “Thank you for all this. Pretty sure it was the highlight of my vacation too.”

Turning to wave at him as you walked back to the car you couldn’t help but smile and wonder what fate had in store for you as he called out to you that he would text you.

____

Back in the car with your cousins, you slipped the cap off your head, finguring Jeff’s signature with a smile. Today had been the last thing you’d expected when you arrived for just another standard family summer vacation.

You were bound to be asked a thousand questions later but for now you were just going to think about the sweet, smiley, gorgeous NHL player that had absolutely turned your life upside down.